goe on in the first place alleaged And therefore for as much as in these controuersies the Papists and the Prelates goe hand in hand the said Ministers doe in like manner make the like offer to the Priestes and Iesuites promising their reconcilement vnto that See of Rome if they can either by arguments pul them from the aforesaid propositions or can answere such arguments as they shal propound in the defence of them in manner and forme before specified in the offer And therefore it both stands the Ministers vpon to make the aforesaid offer and the Prelates except they wil haue al the world to judge them to be friendes in hart to Popery to accept of the same Thus the Puritan Ministers and no such offer that I finde through the whole booke is made to the Protestants This then is affirmed by these men that if the Protestant doctrine mainetained against them be true and their assertions be false the separation of the newe Sectaries Churches from ours cannot be justified yea they auouch that if this be so that their said Churches are schismatical Vnto which if we adde that in very deede the propositions which the Puritans offer to mainetaine against the Prelates are false and erroneous the truth of which assertion is confessed with great vehemency defended by al the English Protestants and further concerning some of the said propositions very vvel proued by Hooker Whitgift Bilson Couel and others of their company we shal haue our desired conclusion that according to the doctrine of the English Sectaries the Puritans and the Protestants our aduersaries Churches are Schismatical and that ours is the true Spouse of Christ But I must not here omitte by the way to aduertise my reader that in the judgement of any wise and judicious person this argument yeelded vs by our aduersaries cannot but also be a very strong proofe of the truth of our Catholike cause For vvhosoeuer maturely considereth the matter shal finde that the Protestants in rejecting the Puritan propositions followe the prescript and rule of holy Scriptures the decrees of Councels and the tradition of the Church and Fathers He shal also perceiue that the Puritans in auouching that which I haue related build vpon very good reasons flowing out of the very nature of the Protestant religion and taken from the proceedings of the vpholders of the same in defending it because out of the doctrine and practise defended by the Protestants against the Puritans as also out of the proofes and reasons alleaged for themselues very strong arguments may be drawne to confirme the truth of our whole Catholike religion as wil sometimes appeare in my treatise following And to giue here one instance the Protestants for the authority of Arch-bishops bring diuers reasons and among others this one that peace and vnity can otherwise hardly be maintained in the Church But vvhat faith Cartwright Suruay of the pretended holy discipline chap. 8. pag. 125. Truly he affirmeth as is reported by the author of the Suruay of the pretended holy discipline that the Popes authority is more necessary ouer al Churches then the authority of an Arch-bishop ouer a prouince And this his assertion is grounded vpon very good reason as I shal more at large declare hereafter Nowe to prosecute mine intended discourse vvhich is to proue some errours in the English sectaries here occurreth another argument like vnto the former not vnfit for my purpose For like as I haue already demonstrated that if they al say true our Church is the true Church of Christ so it is also euident that if it be so that they al say true it is also needful there be one supreame head of the vvhole Church militant Suruay c. chap. 29. pag. 372. for thus I argue Cartwright a principal Puritan esteemed by those of his owne sect as the aforesaid author noteth one of the only worthies of the world telleth vs that the Popes authority is more necessary ouer al Churches then the authority of an Arch-bishop ouer a prouince but the authority of an Arch-bishop as al our Protestants defend is necessary ouer a prouince therefore the Popes authority is necessary ouer al Churches It may be objected that these arguments are taken from persons of sundry sectes of which the one confesseth the other to erre I grant it but this notwithstanding they proue that either some English sectaries erre or otherwise that our religion by them rejected is true which sufficeth my purpose Neuerthelesse the Protestants themselues doe afford vs no such reasons Truly if I were not here restrained to the vvriting only of a preface I could assigne diuers one I wil set downe for an example Field booke 3 chap. 39. pag. 158. 156. 157. 159. M. Field in his third booke of the Church plainly confesseth that in sundry Churches of the world being of the newe religion diuers worthy Ministers of God were ordained by Presbiters or Priestes sometime of our Church and had no ordination from any Bishop Nay he seemeth apparantly to graunt that none but Presbiters did impose handes in ordaining Ministers or Superintendents in many of the pretended reformed Churches as namely in those of France and others Morton in Apolog. Cathol part 1. lib. 1. cap. 21. which is also insinuated by D. Morton And therefore both these Doctors teach that in time of necessity a Priest or Minister may impose handes and consecrate a Priest and consequently also a Bishop or a Superintēdent Out of this their doctrine I frame this argument seing that diuers Superintendents and Ministers of the newe religion I may say al at the least of some Countries for Field himselfe excepteth only those of England Denmarke and of some other places which places he nameth not haue had their ordination or orders only from Priests it followeth that if Priests haue no power of ordination that is of giuing orders that such Ministers and Superintendents are no true Ministers and Superintendents But Priests according to the assertion of a principal English Protestant haue no power of ordination and can giue no orders therefore such Superintendents and Ministers are no true Superintendents and Ministers Of which I also inferre that such Churches are no true Churches for they want a true ministery and clergy without which as * Field ibid. pag. 154. and booke 2. chap. 6. pag. 51. Field confesseth there can be no Church And this English Protestant is a William L. Bishop of Rochester in his sermon cōcerning the antiquity superiority of Bishops preached before the King at Hampton-Court Sep. 21. 1606 William L. B. of Rochester who in his sermon not long since preached before the Kinges Majesty and afterward printed by his Majesties expresse commandement as the same Bishop b In the epist to the King prīted before the sermon auoucheth affirmeth and proueth out of holy Scripture first that the Apostles kept to themselues ordination or authority to giue holy orders til
places reproueable where he ouer-much aduanceth workes against faith but also his doctrine throughout is patched together of diuers pieces wherof no one agreeth with an other this is the general opinion of the Lutherans Among the Sacramentaries Wolfangus Musculus in locis com cap de iustificat num 5. p. 271 Wolfangus Musculus a Zwinglian hauing reprehended S. Iames for alleaging the example of Abraham as he saith nothing to the purpose and for not distinguishing if we beleeue this doctor the true and properly Christian faith from that which is common to Iewes and Christians Turks and Deuils He addeth that the said Iames setteth downe his sentence much different from the Apostolical doctrine wherby concluding he saith you see that a man is justified by works and not by faith only c. I shal recite his words more at large in the next chapter And what greater proofe then the assertion of so many of his learned Masters can a reasonable man of the newe religion require Behold both learned Lutherans with their first beginner Luther and a principal Sacramentarie confesse that we follow the true and litteral sense of S. Iames words It may be replied first that these Sectaries reject this epistle out of the Canon of holy Scripture I confesse it is so but this notwithstanding the Church of England vvith Caluin and the Caluinists and most of the Zwinglians admit it as Canonical and therefore according to the doctrine of the followers of the newe religion we may very vvel frame this argument The Epistle of S. Iames is Canonical Scripture but the Epistle of S. Iames approueth justification by good vvorkes and saith it is not wrought by faith only therefore the Canonical Scripture approueth justification by good vvorkes and saith it is not wrought by faith only The first proposition is affirmed true as is afore said by the Church of England by Caluin and al his Caluinists and by most of the Zwinglians the second by al the Lutherans of which the conclusion necessarily followeth and consequently our doctrine touching justification according to the testimony of our aduersaries is built vpon the letter of holy Scripture Which prerogatiue if it be truly yeelded vnto vs it must needes be denied vnto them for the Scriptures teach not contraries and it is in no place opposite to it selfe Secondly it may be replied and said that the Lutherans doe not vvel vnderstand and apprehend S. Iames his meaning This is likewise easily refelled for vvhat reason hath any indifferent man to preferre the Sacramentaries judgement before that of the Lutherans Doe not these vnderstand the Scriptures as wel as they what priuilege or vvarrant of not erring haue the Sacramentaries aboue the Lutherans In learning without al doubt and other gifts necessary for attaining the true sense of Scripture these were not inferiour to them yea Luther as I haue related in my Preface is extraordinarily commended euen by those Sacramentaries who otherwise expound S. Iames then he doth Their enmity and hatred against vs vvere likewise equal vvherefore it is not like if with any probable glosse they could haue drawne this Apostles sentences to an other meaning that they vvould haue bereaued themselues of such a monument of antiquity and haue confessed it to make against themselues such a monument I say which their bretheren affirme to be Canonical Scripture and they themselues cannot denie to haue beene highly esteemed by al their Christian predecessours nay by most and those of greatest learning and authority to haue beene placed in the sacred Canon of diuine bookes Finally Field booke 1. chap. 18. pag. 35. 36. Field seemeth to confesse that S. Paul sometimes by vvorkes of the lawe vnderstandeth vvorkes of the lawe of Moyses for he telleth vs that this Apostle pronounceth that the Galathians were bewitched Galat. 3. 5. and that if they stil persisted to joyne circumcision and the workes of the lawe with Christ they were fallen from grace c. Nowe if this be so it may also be that in the place which the Lutherans thinke opposite to that of S Iames by vvorkes of the lawe he vnderstandeth vvorkes of the lawe of Moyses vvhich if it be admitted as true the sentences of these blessed Apostles may easily be reconciled although S. Paules vvordes admit also other very good expositions Chap. 6. Sect. 2. Field booke 3 c. 22. p. 118. as I haue before declared The same Field in like manner affirmeth that when we are justified God requireth of vs a newe obedience judgeth vs according to it and crowneth vs for it and that in this sort it is that he wil judge vs in the last day according to our workes By vvhich his assertion he plainely granteth that for good vvorkes men shal be crowned in heauen and consequently that good vvorkes done after justification are meritorious of eternal glory in the next vvorld and vvhy not then also of the increase of grace in this life vvhich is al that by vs is auouched Ibid. chap. 44 pag. 179. Lastly he saith that justification implieth in it selfe Faith Hope and Loue vvhich proposition I see not howe he can verifie if according to the Scriptures faith only doth justifie And thus much out of our aduersaries touching the proofe of justification by vvorkes and not by faith only out of the word of God Neither haue these Protestants only thus vnderstood the holy Scriptures but also as I haue affirmed in the beginning of this Section the auncient Fathers And this I vvil also proue by the like testimonies and confession of our aduersaries The Magdeburgians or Century writers are much commended by al sorts of followers of the newe religion for their diligence vsed and paines taken both in perusing and censuring al Councels and old Authours and also in penning of their Ecclesiastical historie especially of the primatiue Church Let these men therefore declare and tel vs vvhat the auncient Fathers beleeued and taught touching justification Verily they so great and so principal antiquaries being themselues of a contrary beliefe affirme that the said Fathers haue erred in this article by ascribing justification to good vvorkes and denying it to only faith For of the second age after Christ thus they vvrite The doctrine of justification was deliuered more negligently and obscurely Centur. 2. ca. 4. col 60. 61. by the Doctors of this age Againe This article the highest and chiefest of al by litle and by litle through the craft of the Diuel beganne to be obscured Further It appeareth say they out of the writings of Clemens Alexandrinus that in his age the doctrine concerning the end of good workes beganne to be obscured Finally The times ensuing declare sufficiently that the doctrine of faith justifying without workes beganne forthwith to be more and more varied and obscured Centur. 3. ca. 4. col 53. 79. 80. 81. In their history of the third age they tel vs that this article was almost altogither obscured and
authority of him that teacheth it or some discourse of their owne vnderstanding Lastly it is also apparant that in so doing they make themselues judges ouer their Masters for vnderstanding of diuers opinions among them they choose and imbrace one as true and condemne al others as false But if their learned doctors themselues in their interpretations build vpon their owne fancies much more the vnlearned vvherefore I need not vse any long discourse of this matter Only I wil adde that it seemeth likewise necessary that he that vvil build his faith vpon the holy Scriptures should finde his whole beliefe in the said Scriptures and knowe perfectly by his owne studie what articles of faith by them are approued and consequently that he should reade ouer the vvhole Bible and conferre one place vvith another least that he be deceiued Otherwise if he beleeue others concerning these points he seemeth to build vpon their vvordes more then vpon the word of God and to fal into that which by his bretheren and him is commonly reprehended as a fault in vs. For they reprehend the vnlearned Catholikes that they rely so much vpon the authority of the Church and reade not the Scripture themselues to knowe what they ought to beleeue vvhereas if they doe not as I haue said they build themselues vpon the authority of a fewe Ministers And these reasons haue more force concerning the ignorant sectaries that cannot reade then the vnlearned that can reade especially this last for the ignorant sort cannot finde their beliefe by their owne study in the Bible and therefore must needes rely wholy vpon other mens reports But our English vnlearned and ignorant Protestants yea some of the learned sort also recurre to the statutes of the Parliament and make it as it vvere an infallible judge of al matters of religion Against these I reply that the Parliament hath no such prerogatiue See Bilson in his treatise of the perpetual gouernement of the church cha 16. pag. 371. 388. 389. seing it hath neither authority from God after such sort to enter-meddle in matters of faith for this belongeth to the Bishops and Prelates of the Church nor a vvarrant from him of not erring Yea seing that it hath erred diuers times as our Protestants themselues cannot denie the judgement of it must needes be very insufficient That they must needes grant it to haue erred I proue because it hath now approued some articles of faith which in former times it condemned This is euident because some of the articles of their beliefe nowe approued vvere censured to be heretical by a Parliament held in the first yeare of King Richard the second against the Wiccliffians in the yeare of our Lord 1380. Also by another act of Parliament in the second yeare of King Henry the fourth Further their vvhole religion vvas condemned by act of Parliament in Queene Maries daies Yea they cannot deny but some of the chiefe articles of their newe beliefe were adjudged heresies by a Parliament held in the latter daies of King Henry the eight euen when he vsed the title of supreame head of the Church of England by the statute of six articles vpon vvhich diuers of their bretheren were burned as Fox their martir-maker recordeth Wherefore I may vvel say that their religion hath beene condemned as authentically by act of Parliament as it hath beene approued And what reason haue they to beleeue more such Parliaments as haue made for them then those that make against them Moreouer it is a most absurd thing to condemne the auncient Councels of the Church of errour and yet to make the judgement of an English Parliament consisting principally of temporal men of an infallible truth Field booke 4 chap. 7. pag. 209. Finally M. Field affirmeth that we can neuer be so wel perswaded of any man or multitude of men but that we may justly feare either they are deceiued or wil deceiue and therefore saith he if our faith depend vpon such groundes we cannot firmely and vndoubtedly beleeue Which his assertion if vve apply to the English Parliament it must needes be confessed that according to his judgement vve may justly feare that either it is deceiued or wil deceiue and that vvho builds his faith on that cannot firmely and vndoubtedly beleeue and consequently it followeth he hath no faith SECTION THE SEAVENTH Of the miserable estate of the vnlearned and ignorant Sectaries HAVING proued that the vnlearned and ignorant Sectaries build their faith and religion vpon their owne fancies I thinke it not amisse to gather out of that which hath beene already said howe miserable their estate is and vpon what weake ground they stand and venture the euerlasting estate of their soules For the declaration of this let vs suppose that an vnlearned sectary being doubtful of his faith commeth to be resolued to his learned masters and let vs behold vvhat groundes of faith are deliuered vnto him by which he may make a stedfast and assured resolution vvhat then is this man perplexed in his beliefe according to our aduersaries ordinary manner of proceeding first vvished to doe verily first according to their aduise he must take the Bible into his handes and diligently viewe what faith is there deliuered and prescribed But vvhat Bible must he take into his handes no other certainely if he follow their counsaile but that vvhich is translated and corrupted by those of their owne sect not the vvord of God but the vvord of men as I haue proued before and this is the first ground which he receiueth from them Suppose this be done and that he being doubtful of this article among others whither Christ be equal and consubstantial to his Father or no turne ouer his Bible and finde those vvordes of Christ The father is greater then I Iohn 14 29. But yet finding two natures in Christ the one of God the other of man and not able to judge of vvhich these vvordes were spoken is not yet satisfied vvhat more is to be done He must conferre say they this place of Scripture vvith other such like Suppose then further that he turneth to that sentence of our Sauiour Iohn 10 30 I and the father are one and pondering vpon it findeth that the Father and the Sonne may be one diuers waies vvherefore not vnderstanding of vvhat vnity the said sentence is meant suppose that he remaine yet doubtful and cannot resolue himselfe by his Bible vvhat must he doe more He must then say the learned betake himselfe to his praiers and pray vnto God that his spirit may by his diuine inspiration teach him the true sense of the aforesaid places of scripture and resolue him of the truth Wel he doth so After his praiers either he findeth his minde inclined to one certaine interpretation and opinion or no If not then he is yet doubtful But if he doth finde his minde so inclined is he consequently sure that he hath attained to the truth Howe knoweth
held at Altenburge accuse one another for corrupting and falsifying the Confession of Ausburge which is the very ground next vnto the holy Scripture of their faith and religion Colloquium Altenberg fol. 402. The former copies or examplars say they haue not the true and sincere confession of Ausburge For there is another substituted or put in the place of it which was neither exhibited at Ausburge or euer approued by the states of the Confession of Ausburge Thus they And vpon the corruption of this Confession and of an other booke called Corpus doctrinae containing this and other treatesies arose great discord and dissention among them vvhich is not yet ended for no man almost can tel vvhich be the true bookes But what dissention was there among them in the same conference touching Luthers vvorkes corrupted verily the zealous Lutherans complaine after this sort * See 2. respoÌ„s ad Hipothes fol. 284. 290 353. 355. 441. 442. 443. 526. The Diuines of the Prince Elector who were also Lutherans doe most filthily and beyond al measure depraue Luthers writings so as since Luthers death there haue not beene more foule corrupters of Luthers bookes Thus they and this fault each side doth most often object to the other in most spiteful tearmes a Ibid. Saxon. in respons discessu fol. 539. 540. Last of al a promisse is made that the Duke of Saxony vvil cause Luthers workes to be printed vvithout corruption And thus much of the Lutherans whome M. Crashaw I hope with the Apology of the Church of England wil acknowledge to be his bretheren Nowe let vs behold the dealing of the Sacramentaries vvho are more properly of his faith and religion And first let vs looke towardes Geneua a City most famous for vpholding this sect What then shal vve there finde for our purpose Verily Westphalus a Lutheran accuseth the Caluinists euen of this very place that they haue corrupted Luthers vvorkes for thus he complaineth I maruaile much that Caluin keeping such adoe about this one word could not see the most filthy mutations and corruptions of the diuine commentary of Doctor Luther vpon the Epistle to the Galatians and translated into French and printed at Geneua In one place some wordes are taken away in an other many moe somewhere whole Paragraphs are lopt off in the exposition of the sixt Chapter two pages and a halfe are left out c. at other times they haue put in vvordes such as pleased them And that this was done at Geneua without Caluins knowledge it is not very likely Thus Westphalus But let vs heare an other man of more credit among English Protestants make the like complaint that by the testimony of two witnesses they may be proued falsifiers M. Morton a famous Protestant writer of this realme nowe liuing set forth in London in the yeare 1605. the first part of his vvorke called by him a Catholike Apologie But what did they of Geneua They printed againe the said booke in their City putting the name of London to it as though it had beene there printed and disliking a certaine answere by him made in defence of Beza they put that out and vvithout any more adoe in place of it added an other of their owne This I proue out of M. Mortons owne wordes vvho in certaine animaduersions vpon this first part printed at the end of the second part published at London in the same yeare speaking of the same matter complaineth thus C. 21. in calumnia 5. Noua impressio Londini dicta ver'e Geneuae facta totum responsum meum pro Beza penitus expunxit responsum suum assuit prob hominum fidem doleo equidem tantam cum scriptis meis injuriam factam esse tum etiam proelo Geneuensi tantam corruptelae labem contractam A newe impression said to be at London truly made at Geneua put out altogether my whole answere for Beza and patched in their owne O the faith or falsehood of men verity I am sorry both that such an injury is offered to my workes and also that the print of Geneua is stained with such a blot of corruption or deprauing Thus Morton What wil M. Crashaw say to this vvho are nowe more to be blamed in this kinde vve who correct books by publike authority receiued from a general councel and that publikely making our action knowne to the vvhole world in print or these his bretheren who secretly and as it were in corners get other mens workes corrupt them and then set them forth to the viewe of the world as though nothing had beene altered And this is no old matter but a thing done within these two or three yeares I come nowe nearer home Anno 1606. This last yeare vvas published a booke in our language with this title A Manuel or brief volume of controuersies of religion betweene the Protestants and the Papists written in Latin by Lucas Osiander and nowe Englished with some additions and corrections But howe doth the translator mangle and teare the poore booke Verily whereas the author of it being a Lutheran and a mortal enemie of the Sacramentaries for he hath published the like booke against them speaketh as a Lutheran he maketh him speake like vnto a good Sacramentary Hence whereas he hath these vvordes in Latin Chapt. 15. Alius enim modus a Paulo nobis monstratur nimirum communicationis For an other manner of Christs being in the Eucharist is shewed vs by Paul to wit by communication He meaneth that Christ is there really and substantially together with bread The English man translateth thus Chapt. 15. pag. 265. For it was in the Sacrament by sacramental relation and vnion and receiued of the beleeuers spiritually by faith Againe whereas the Latin is thus Ergo veré est corpus Christi cum pane visibili Therefore there is truly in the supper the body of Christ with visible bread In English he saith thus Ibid. pa. 266. There is Christs body but not after a natural manner of being by transubstantiation but after a spiritual by faith and sacramental vnion Finally Osiander in Latin vseth these wordes Nos quidem ipsum Christum qui est in Eucharistia spiritualiter adorandum non negamus Ipsam vere Eucharistiam adorandam minime concedimus We truly denie not but Christ himselfe who is in the Eucharist is spiritually to be adored But we grant not that the Eucharist it selfe is to be adored The English translator turneth it thus We say the Eucharist is to be reuerenced as an holy mistery but not to be adored or worshipped And diuers other such corrections or rather corruptions occurre euery foote in his English booke Diuers other such like examples there are which conuince the Sacramentaries to be guilty of this crime which for brâ—uities sake I omit Only I adde that this is no newe vice in them but an old and inueterated euil For if vve beleeue Luther such vvere their proceedings euen at their first
written word whereby we are to be directed in faith And this guide is our holy mother the Catholike Church the sacred spouse of Christ and his mistical body Now therefore to proceed in mine intended discourse because it behoueth euery man as appeareth by that which hath bin already said with al speed to order that his beliefe be right and likewise because this may soone be learned of the Catholike Church hence it proceedeth that no treatises touching controuersies of religion are commonly more necessary then such as declare what congregation or company of Christians are the said one holy Catholike and Apostolike Church proue her diuine authority or shew what particuler groundes are found in her by which euery person is to be guided in his beliefe The reason of this is plaine because whosoeuer recurreth to this Church and these groundes may soone and with great ease be resolued concerning al articles vvhatsoeuer to him seeming doubtful whereas if neglecting these he betake him to the study of particular controuersies as of justification free wil merit of good workes the real presence c. he may spend many daies and nights and be nothing the nearer to a setled and sure resolution Nay some of these and other points are so high and difficult that without recourse to some general groundes and the authority of the Church directing al Christians it is impossible that by other meanes a man should euer assure himselfe that he is in the truth Neither is this the opinion only of Catholikes but also of some learned Protestants And among others M. Field esteemed by some one of the greatest schollars of their company Richard Field in the beginning of his Epistle Dedicatory before his fiue bookes of the Church writeth thus The consideration of the vnhappy diuisions of the Christian world and the infinite distractions of mens mindes not knowing in so great variety of opinions what to thinke or to whome to joine themselues euery faction boasting of the pure and sincere profession of heauenly truth challenging to it selfe alone the name of the Church and fastning vpon al that dissent or are otherwise minded the hateful note of schisme and heresie hath made me euer thinke that there is no part of heauenly knowledge more necessary then that which concerneth the Church For seing that controuersies of religion in our time are growen in number so many and in nature so intricate that few haue time and leasure fewer strength and vnderstanding to examine them what remaineth for men desirous of satisfaction in thinges of such consequence but diligently to search out which amongst al the societies of men in the world is that blessed company of holy ones that house-hold of faith that spouse of Christ and Church of the liuing God which is the pillar and ground of truth that so they may embrace her communion followe her directions and rest in her judgement Hence it commeth that al wise and judicious men doe more esteeme bookes of doctrinal principles then those that are written of any other argument and that there was neuer any treasure holden more rich and pretious by al them that knewe howe to price and value thinges aright thou bookes of prescriptions against Heretikes for that thereby men that are not willing or not able to examine the infinite differences that arise among men concerning the faith haue general directions what to followe and what to auoide Hitherto are M. Fields vvordes And like as this Protestant Doctor yeeldeth this reason among others for the publication of his bookes of the Church so in very truth the same motiue hath partly moued me to publish some of my labours to the viewe of the world We Catholikes haue a long time wished and endeauoured to bring the controuersies of these times to certaine general groundes and doctrinal principles and haue fought by al meanes to drawe our aduersaries to this issue to which M. Fields vvordes seeme to tend I meane to perswade them to acknowledge a judicial infallible authority in the Catholike church which euery Christian may securely followe and is bound to obey and then by most sure notes of the same Church deliuered by God in the holy Scripture which be so pregnant in the old testament it selfe August in psalm 30. Conc. 2. that S. Augustine feareth not to affirme that the Prophets haue spoken more plainely of the Church then of Christ to search forth whether ours or any other congregation of them be the Catholike Church but those of our side could neuer hitherto obtaine so much at their handes And although this man doth so gloriously here extol the judgement of the Church as it seemeth touching al controuersies which may arise in so much as he telleth vs that men desirous of satisfaction may followe her directions and rest in her judgement vvhich they could not safely and securely doe if her direction and judgement could be erroneous yet in his fourth booke following he bereaueth her of almost al such prerogatiues for he saith that general Councels which be the highest courts of the Church Field booke 4 chap. 5. §. thus touching may erre in matters of greatest consequence and freeth the Church her selfe from errour * Ibid. and cha 2. before only in certaine principal articles of Christian religion But of these matters more hereafter Only this nowe sufficeth for my purpose that according to his testimony al wise and juditious men doe more esteeme bookes of doctrinal principles then those that are written of any other argument vvhich if it be true I hope the argument both of this my Treatise following and also of an other which I haue lying by me wil not be vngrateful but pleasing and acceptable to al vvise and juditious persons Moreouer an other writer of the English Church auoucheth that in this our last age Parkes in the Preface to the reader before his Apologie of three testimonies of scripture c. printed anno 1607. Heresie and Infidelity joining their desperate forces together labour mightily to subuert and ouerthrowe al the groundes of Christian religion vvhich if it be likewise truly affirmed a discourse discouering the fountaine of this euil and establishing such groundes as Heretikes and Infidels seeke to impugne cannot be thought vnprofitable Only my rashnesse in vndertaking such great matters and my want of wit and learning shewed in performing them may seeme worthy of blame But pardon me gentle Reader it was as I may say by chance both that I entered into discussing such thinges and also that my writings euer came to light Some fewe yeares since a Catholike gentleman being entred into some communication with a Protestant minister requested me to set him downe some briefe reasons for the Catholike part vpon vvhich he might stand I did so and I comprehended some twelue reasons in some three sheets of paper vvhich al vvere drawne from general groundes and doctrinal principles Not very long after I giuing my selfe alwaies to the
such miserie through diuers diseases that he c Philost lib. 8. wished for one that would kil him Seuerus being often put in danger of his life by his owne sonne Antoninus who as he thought intended also to murther his other sonne Geta taking thought griefe came to his end d Lampridius Alexander was murthered in Germany e Trebellius Maximinus Gallus Volusianus and Gallienus receiued their deaths from their owne souldiers f Euseb in hist lib. 7. cap. 1. Decius not hauing raigned two yeares lost his life in warre against the Gothes g Eus l. 7. ca. 9. Trebel alij Constātius in orat ad sancto coetū c. 24 see Euseb in vita Const li. 4. c. 11. Valerianus by treason was deliuered into the handes of his enemie the King of Persia who for a time vsed him for a foote-stoole to goe to his horse afterward he fleaed him aliue and poudered him with salt Aurelianus strooken from heauen with thunder soone after was murthered by his owne company h Vopisous Dioclesianus and Maximianus Herculeus because they could not according to their endeauours preuaile against the Church of Christ and roote out al Christianitie gaue ouer the rule of the Empire Of them the i Panegir 4. victor first liued so long as a priuate man vntil he saw Christian religion flourish vnder Constantine the great then he died miserably according to Eusebius but Victor saith that he was reported to haue poisoned himself k Euseb li. 8. ca. 18. 29. Maximianus afterwardes either was hanged or hanged himselfe Gallerius Maximianus being strooken by God with a most horrible disease was forced before his death to recal his owne other edictes made against Christians Maximinus likewise being ouercome by Licinius recalled such edictes in the East and taken moreouer with a most strange disease his eies falling out of his head died miserably confessing that such calamities fel vpon him for his cruelty vsed against Christians Licinius was put to death by Constantine the great Iulian the Apostata in battel against the Persians strooken from heauen with a dart blaspheming Christ as authour of his death yeelded vp the ghost And these were the principal Heathen Emperors that haue persecuted our religion to whome I adde two Arrian Emperors Cōstantius and Valens who impugned the diuinity of Christ and persecuted Catholikes for professing him to be equal and consubstantial to his Father l Hier. ep ad Heliodor Victor Amianus others Of them the first died miserably in a country village marching against Iulian the Apostata m Hie. Ruf others The other hauing receiued the ouerthrowe from the Gothes was burned by them aliue in a country house These calamities miseries as euery man must needes confesse were extraordinary and fel vpon these men for some sinne or misdemeanour of theirs And seing that commonly they fel vpon al the persecutors of Christian religion and commonly vpon no others it is euident that their persecution of the Church of Christ was the cause of their said miseries and calamities I could adde diuers other reasons conuincing Christian religion to be the true worship of God as that most wise men and most profound and deepe Schollers most expert in al sciences and most perfect in those languages which seeme most needful to attaine to the knowledge of true religion haue approued and embraced Christian doctrine I could also bring another argument taken from the purity and sanctity of the said religion and generally of al the true professors of the same others taken from the absurdity of al those that can make any challenge to this prerogatiue from the testimony of the professors of diuers other sectes c. But I should be ouerlong only I wil adde against the Iewes who had the truth among them before the comming of Christ that presently after the promulgation of our religion they fel into most grosse and fantastical opinions yea held and taught most execrable blasphemies concerning God himselfe other matters of faith as that God doth weepe bewaile shed teares and knocke his breast for sorrowe that he hath so punished them that he praieth vpon his knees that he sinned in taking vnjustly light from the Sunne and giuing it to the Moone that he hath beene deceiued by some Rabbines that he studieth the lawe of Moises that soules passe from one body to another and much other such like damnable doctrine which euery man may see approued in their Talmud Se Andraeas Masius in c. 5. Iosue v. 10. Eugubinus in Exo. c. 12. a booke as highly esteemed by them al as the old Testament it selfe for they professe in the title of the said booke that whosoeuer denieth it denieth God himselfe Nay I adde further against them that in this their Talmud it selfe it is deliuered as an auncient famous tradition that their Messias was to restore them to liberty on the same moneth and day of the yeare on which they were deliuered from the bondage of Aegipt which tradition most aptly agreeth to the time on which our Lord suffered as euery Christian knoweth And of this matter this shall suffice Out of the discourse of this chapter I likewise inferre that no other religion in the world besides the Christian is true or doth truly worship God which is manifest both because no other followeth the preceptes and doctrine of Christ the redeemer of mankinde and also because our Sauiour abolished al former lawes except the lawe of nature yea he abrogated euen the lawe of Moises it selfe which was receiued from God and according to the predictions of the holy Prophet instituted one only lawe and through the merits of his bitter passion established one only Church which only possesseth true religion and prescribeth according to his institution the true worshippe of God And this I thinke no man that beleeueth Christian religion to be true wil denie Chapter 4. That among Christians they only that professe and embrace the Catholike faith and religion are in state of saluation and doe truly worship God IN the chapter next before I haue declared that the true worshippe of God and true religion is only to be found among Christians nowe I goe further and affirme that al Christians cannot truly challenge to themselues these inestimable treasures but that they are due only to vs Catholikes Before this I haue disputed against Atheistes Infidels Iewes and other external enemies of Christ and therefore I vsed not any arguments taken out of the newe Testament which they with one consent reject nowe I am to deale with Heretikes who pretend themselues to be Christians but haue departed out of Christs fold yet admit of the authority of sundry bookes not only of the old but also of the newe Testament and therefore against these I wil alleage as occasion shall serue diuers sentences out of the said bookes by them admitted And to proceede orderly in this matter I wil bring my
whole discourse to certaine principal conclusions of which although some be partly already proued against external Infidels yet I wil briefly proue them againe out of the newe Testament against Heretikes First therefore that Christ is the redeemer of al mankinde and that by his bitter passion and paineful death he hath satisfied for al our sins if we please to apply his merits to our soules 1. Io. 2 2. 1. Io. 1 7. 1. Cor. 6. vers 20. Eph. 2 13. Col. 1 14. Heb. 9 11. euery Christian must needes confesse for this is most plainely affirmed in the holy Scripture in which it is said that Christ is the propitiation for the sinnes of the whole world that his bloud doth cleanse vs from al sinnes and that we are bought and redeemed with his pretious bloud It must likewise be granted by al Christians that Christ by his infinite merits purchased to himselfe a Church on earth that is to say established a newe religion and a newe law among men ordained Apostles Pastors Gouernours of his flocke instituted newe Sacraments by which his faithful people through his merits were to receiue forgiuenes of sinnes and his grace in this world and euerlasting glory if they deserued it in the next This likewise euen in as plaine wordes is deliuered vnto vs in the said word of God in which we read that Christ purchased his Church with his bloud Act. 20. vers 28. Ephes 5 25 26. that he loued her and deliuered himselfe to death for her to sanctifie her cleansing her with the lauer of water in the word of life that he might present to himselfe a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinckle And al this is also manifest by reason for what other cause can be assigned of the incarnation passion of Christ but the redemption of man the erecting of a Church and religion which may guide him to euerlasting saluation Out of these two assertions I gather a third to wit that there is but one true Chruch of Christ in which true religion is only to be found among Christians and consequently that they only who are members of this Church truly worship God and are in state of grace in this world and in the right way to eternal blisse in the next And first that Christ hath but one true Church on earth it is euident because he according to his owne assertion is the way and the veritie and the life Ioh. 13. vers 6. Wherefore like as there is but one life Christ who by his bitter passion redeemed al mankind from euerlasting death and giueth man true life in heauen so this one life ordained one only way and truth whereby to attaine to the said life and saluation erecting one only Church vnto which the fruit merit of his passion should be deriued Like as therefore God made first but one man Adam and one woman Eue who were the corporal or carnal father and mother of the transitory life of al mankind so he hath constituted but one spiritual father Christ and one spiritual mother which is his only Spouse the Church who are the spiritual parents of the spiritual life of his true children Moreouer like as God hath giuen one only corporal body although adorned with variety of members to one head to be gouerned so he hath framed one only mistical body for one mistical head which is Christ which he only as supreame head directeth and gouerneth Cant. 2. vers 6. Ephes 4. vers 2. Hence we are told by Salomon in the Canticles that the Doue of Christ is one perfect and chosen to her mother The Apostle likewise telleth vs that there is one Lord one Faith and one Baptisme and consequently one Church Finally whosoeuer affirmeth that Christ hath erected more Churches then one impugneth al sense and reason seing that vnitie is to be preferred before diuision and discord and no cause can be assigned why two Churches should be founded Of this it also followeth that out of the one Church of Christ there is no saluation For if our blessed Sauiour by his death established one only Church it is euident that they only are partakers of his holy merits who are members of that Church and that they only are in the true way to saluation who imbrace that doctrine and religion which is taught and prescribed in the said Church Hence proceedeth that famous sentence of S. Ciprian Cipr. de vnitate Ecclesiae c. 5. who affirmeth that he that is not a member of Christ his Church notwithstanding al his good workes and endeauours otherwise shal neuer come to enjoy the promised rewardes of Christ in heauen He is an alien he is prophane he is an enemy saith he he cannot haue God for his Father who hath not the Church for his Mother The same sentence is pronounced almost in the selfe same wordes by S. Augustine Aug. tom 9. de Simbol lib. 4. cap. 10. Aug. de vnitat Eccles c. 19. who auoucheth that he shal not haue God his Father who refuseth to haue the Church for his Mother And this in an other place he proueth because no man commeth to saluation and life euerlasting but he that hath Christ his head and no man can haue Christ his head but he that is in his body the Church of a Ephes 5. vers 23. which according to the Apostle he is Sauiour This also moued Lactantius to discourse after this sort of the excellency and prerogatiues of the Church his wordes are these b Lact. lib. 4. diuin Inst c. vlt. It is the Catholike Church only so he tearmeth the Church of Christ that keepeth the true worship of God this is the fountaine of truth this is the house of faith this is the temple of God Into which whosoeuer doth not enter or out of which whosoeuer doth depart he is an alien stranger from the hope of euerlasting life and saluation No man must by obstinate contention flatter himselfe for it standeth vpon life and saluation Thus farre Lactantius And this was long since figured by the arke of Noe which only saued the men in it contained from the general deluge wherefore in S. Ciprian we find this sentence Cipr. de vnitat Eccles ca. 5. If any man could escape that was without the arke of Noe he also may escape that is out of the Church These and such like considerations induce al those that professe themselues Christians of what religion or sect soeuer they be to challenge to themselues the true Church of Christ This challenge is made by them that professe the Roman faith it is made by the Lutherans it is made by the Zwinglians it is made by the English Protestantes by the Caluinists or Puritans by the Anabaptists by the Libertines it is made finally by al newe Sectaries and hath euer beene made by al Heretikes since the beginning of Christian religion And although the multitude of challengers with their false and
painted reasons make some doubtful who of al these haue right and a just title to the thing challenged yet certaine it is and most easilie to be proued that the first challengers only who through the whole vvorld are tearmed Catholikes haue justice and right on their side The proofe of this would aske a long discourse of the definition and notes of the Church but in this present treatise I purpose only to declare that we Catholikes only haue true faith and build our said faith and religion vpon most sure and firme groundes Contrariewise that al sectaries are bereaued of this supernatural gift and build their whole beleefe and religion vpon their owne fancies Hereafter if it please God shal followe a more ample discourse of the definition and notes of the true Church One reason which moued me to take this course is that the principal controuersie betweene vs and our aduersaries is concerning matters of faith which is manifest because we condemne them of heresie which proceedeth of mis-beleefe in faith for he that erreth not in faith may be a Schismatike but he cannot be an Heretike wherefore if I proue that we Catholikes haue true faith and that our aduersaries haue no faith the controuersie betweene vs and them is after some sort decided An other reason is because faith doth especially incorporate vs in the Church and make vs members of the same It is the lincke and glewe yea the sinnewe which vniteth and bindeth vs to this body It is the roote and foundation of al true religion and justification a Ioh. 3 18 Marc. 16. vers 16. He that beleeueth not according to the verdict of our Sauiour is already judged and shal be condemned and damned b Hebr. 11. vers 6. without faith saith the Apostle it is impossible to please God Wherefore by S. Iohn Chrisostome c Chrisost in serm de Fide Spe Charit faith is called the of-spring of justice the head of sanctity the beginning of deuotion and the ground of religion By S. Ciril Bishoppe of Hierusalem d Ciril catech 5. and eie lighting euery conscience and causing vnderstanding By the other Ciril Bishop of Alexandria e Ciril l. 4. in Ioā c. 9. the doore and way to life also a certaine leading or bringing home againe from corruption to immortalitie With the like titles it is honoured f Aug. ser 38. de Tēpore by S. Augustine and other holie Fathers Like as therefore no material house or Castle can be erected vvithout a foundation first laid vpon vvhich al the burthen of the vvorke may rest so no spiritual edifice can be built in the soule of man vvithout faith the ground of al spiritual vvorkes Hence S. Athanasius that great piller of Christes Church beginneth his Creede which is receiued by the whole Church with this notable and famous sentence Whosoeuer wil be saued before al thinges it is necessary that he hold the Catholike faith which except euery man shal keepe wholy and not corrupted without doubt he shal perish euerlastingly This is the censure of that holy Father The reason of this is because we cannot attaine to a certaine knowledge of the first groundes and principles of Christian religion they being supernatural by the force of our natural and weake vnderstanding wherefore a supernatural knowledge of them being requisite it is necessary that this be done by supernatural faith which giueth vs power and lifting vp our vnderstanding maketh vs able to beleeue them because they are reuealed by God and of this necessity excellency of faith it followeth that without it there can be no true Church or religion for how can the true Church or true religion be without the ground and foundation of al true vertue and Christianity Contrariwise where true faith is found there is the principal ground of true religion of which I inferre that if I proue the new sectaries to haue no faith I likewise proue them to haue no church nor religion but on the other side if I proue our faith to be true I proue also that the ground of al religion is among vs and consequently that if we build hope and charity vpon this foundation we are members of the true Church trulie religious and in the sure way to euerlasting saluation Let vs therefore briefly behold both our groundes and theirs and according to the strength or weakenesse of them decide the whole controuersie betweene vs. But to proceede the more plainely and distinctly I wil first adde a word or two of the nature and conditions of true faith Chapter 5. Of the definition and conditions of true faith SECTION THE FIRST FAITH is a vertue infused by God into our vnderstanding by the helpe and force of which we giue a most firme assent vnto al those thinges which are reuealed by God to the Church because they are so reuealed Wherefore although a Christian should beleeue neuer so firmely any article of his faith vpon any other ground then the authority of almighty God who hath reuealed it yet he should not haue faith because faith biddeth vs beleeue such articles not because reason or any other such motiue perswadeth vs that they are true but because God who being the first verity and truth it selfe cannot deceiue hath so said and reuealed But for the better declaration of this definition or description the nature it selfe of faith let vs treate of it a litle more at large and first shewe that the act of faith is a most firme and certaine assent of the vnderstanding secondly that it is of thinges surpassing the reach of natural reason and consequently obscure Thirdly that by it we beleeue such misteries as haue bin reuealed vnto the Church by God Fourthly that it must needes be built vpon diuine authority Lastly that it is necessary that the articles of our faith be propounded vnto vs by some infallible authority and that the propounder of them is the holy Catholike Church SECTION THE SECOND That faith is a most firme assent of the vnderstanding TO beginne therefore with the first that the act of faith is a most firme assent of the vnderstanding to the thing beleeued without any doubt or feare of falshood or staggering the Apostle himselfe testifieth in this his description of faith Hebr. 11. vers 1. Faith saith he is the substance of thinges to be hoped for the argument of thinges not appearing That is to say faith is the substance or ground of hope a certaine argument or conuiction and most firme perswasion of the vnderstanding through the authority of God of things not appearing to our senses or not knowne by natural reason Verily that the word argument in this place doth not signifie euery kind of argument but an argument certaine and infallible the greeke word it selfe which is here vsed declareth Wherefore a Aug. tom 9. tract 89 in Ioā tom 7. de peccat merit remiss l. 2. ca. 31. 2. Pet.
added soone after that by the faith by him described we vnderstand that the worldes were framed by the word of God that by this faith Noe built the arke c. which effectes cannot be attributed to any other faith then to that by which we beleeue the articles of Christian religion But because our aduersaries seeme so much to impugne this doctrine let vs proue the same out of other places of the newe Testament and first out of these wordes of our Sauiour to his Apostles Mar. 16. v. 15.16 going into the whole world preach the Gospel to al creatures He that beleeueth and is baptized shal be saued but he that beleeueth not shal be condemned In which as we see commission is giuen to the Apostles to preach the Gospel And what Gospel truly no other but the whole summe of Christian doctrine touching the incarnation life passion resurrection ascension other articles of Christian beleefe This Gospel the Apostles preached and as it was then foretold by Christ in the wordes immediately following confirmed with miracles And whosoeuer beleeueth this Gospel and is baptised if to his faith his actions be agreable shal be saued contrariewise who beleeueth it not shal be damned wherefore this faith concurreth to our justification and consequentlie is that faith which is required in al Christians This faith our Lord and redeemer highly commended and rewarded in the holie Apostle S. Peter Math. 16. vers 16.17 c. when as for confessing him to be Christ the sonne of the liuing God he pronounced him blessed and promised to build the Church vpon him and to giue him the keyes of the kingedome of heauen This faith and no other was in S. Martha when to our Sauiour saying I am the resurrection and the life Ioh. 11. vers 25. he that beleeueth in me although he be dead shal liue euery one that liueth beleeueth in me shall not die for euer beleeuest thou this she said to him yea Lord I haue beleeued that thou art Christ the sonne of God that art come into this world And consequentlie this is the faith which maketh vs liue for euer and preserueth vs from eternal death This faith was in S. Thomas the Apostle when touching the woundes of our Sauiour after his resurrection he cried out my Lord and my God Of which I inferre Ioh. 20. v. 28. c. that they are pronounced by Christ blessed that are indued with this faith when he replied to his said Apostle Blessed are they that haue not seene and haue beleeued Act. 2. v. 4.10.13.17 This faith and no other S. Peter and S. Paul preached to the people as appeareth in their sermons recorded in the acts of the Apostles This faith S. Phillip before baptisme required in the Eunuch saying Loe water who doth let me to be baptised S. Phillip answered Act. 8. vers 36. If thou beleeue with al thy hart thou maiest and the Eunuch replied I beleeue that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God vpon which confession he receaued that holie Sacrament Rom. 4. vers 22. Ibid. v. 19. By this faith Abraham as the Apostle testifieth was justified for it was reputed him to justice that he beleeued God promising him that he should be the father of many nations and that not considering to vse the Apostles wordes his owne bodie nowe quite dead and the dead matrice of Sara he staggered not by distrust but according to the promise of God expected a sonne This word of faith the same Apostle according to his owne testimonie preached to the world Rom. 10. vers 8.9 1. Cor. 15. ver 3. c. 1. Ioh. 5. v. 1.4 5. Ioh. 3. ver 36. that who confesseth with his mouth our Lord Iesus Christ and in his hart beleeueth that God hath raised him vp from the dead shal be saued This Gospel he deliuered that Christ died for our sinnes that he was buried and that he rose againe the third day c. Whosoeuer saith S. Iohn beleueth that Iesus is Christ is borne of God againe this is the victorie which ouercommeth the world our faith who is he that ouercommeth the world but he that beleeueth that Iesus is the sonne of God Hitherto S. Iohn the Euangelist And this is to beleeue in the sonne of God which who doth according vnto Christes wordes hath life euerlasting Ioh. 20. vlt. Finally to cause in our soules this faith S. Iohn as he witnesseth himselfe and consequently also the other three Euangelistes wrote his Gospel These thinges saith he are written that you may beleeue that Iesus is Christ the sonne of God and that beleeuing you may haue life in his name Al which sentences of holy Scripture and diuers others which I could produce most euidently demonstrate that the diuinity incarnation passion and resurrection of Christ and other such articles reuealed by God vnto the Church are the object of that faith which concurreth to our justification and is the roote and foundation of al justice and true religion Hence in the Creede of the Apostles which as a Aug. ser 115. de tempore S. Augustine censureth it is a plaine briefe and ful comprehension of our faith we professe our selues to beleeue these articles Of which Creed mention is not only in the said b Aug. ibi ser 181 S. Augustine but also in c Amb. ep 81. ad Siricium S. Ambrose d Hier. ep ad Pama aduersus Ioan. Hieroso S. Hierome e Leo epi. 13. ad Pultheriam ser 11. de Pass S. Leo and diuers others If I should endeauour to recite al the testimonies of the ancient Fathers to the same effect I should neuer make an end for al of them discourse of no other object of faith then this and require only in Christians the beleefe of the articles of our faith mentioned See Ireneus lib. 1. ca. 2. 3. 4. aduersus haereses Tertul. lib. aduersus Praxeam S. Basil in orat de confes fidei where he telleth vs that the faith necessary to saluation and justification is that by which we beleeue those thinges which God hath reuealed The same is taught by S. Ciril Bishoppe of Hierusalem Cateches 5. 18. By S. Leo serm 4. de Epiphania .. This faith and no other is explicated as necessary to saluation by S. Gregory Nazianzene orat in sanctum lauacrum extrema in tract de fide Nicena By S. Chrisostome in duabus homilijs de simbolo By S. Augustine lib. de fide simbolo in lib. de Genes imperfecto cap. 1. in Enchirid. per multa capita and diuers others but of this matter enough SECTION THE FIFT That true faith is built vpon diuine authority I NEEDE not vse many wordes for the proofe of the fourth point to vvit that true faith ought to be built vpon diuine authority because this is easilie gathered out of that which hath beene already said for if faith be a
most firme and certaine assent of the vnderstanding to thinges aboue the reach of reason and the object of it be the misteries of our beleefe it must needes follow that the authority of almighty God whose knowledge and wisdome are infinite and whose sayinges are of infallible truth must cause vs to beleeue the said misteries If any wil denie this I wil demand of him howe we can possibly attaine to a certaine knowledge of so high misteries but by the reuelation of God and this is that which al Christians commonly professe when as being demanded why they beleeue this and that they answere because God hath reuealed such doctrine I confesse that men are commonly first induced to faith by certaine reasons which the Diuines cal arguments of credibility such are miracles vvhich proceeding from God can giue no testimony to falshood the authority wisedome learning and consent of the professors of our religion in al ages since it beganne the strange manner of the propagation of our said religion being so strict throughout the vvhole vvorld by a fewe fisher-men the miraculous preseruation of our Church oppugned by so diuers and mighty enemies the constancy of our Martirs the great change to the better vvhich our religion causeth in those that embrace it the purity of doctrine and sanctity of life shining in the Prelates and Children of our Church the conformity of our faith vvith natural reason in not being contrary to it although aboue it and other motiues which I haue related in the third Chapter of this treatise which make the object of faith in the judgement of any prudent man credible and of which either one some or al induce men first to beleeue But al these arguments are only inducements to the true act of supernatural faith by vvhich the misteries of our beleefe are afterwardes beleeued not for any such reasons but only because they are reuealed by God This moued Saint Basil to describe faith after this sort Basilius in ser de fidei cōfess siue de vera pia fide in Asceticis Faith saith he is an assenting approbation of those thinges which through the benefit of God haue beene preached thus Saint Basil Hence I inferre that although faith and also other arguments haue the same effect in our vnderstanding vvhich is to make it giue a firme assent to some verity which is done by sundry arguments especially by such as are called demonstrations yet there is this difference betweene such arguments and faith that they doe this through euidence of the matter faith doth it through the authority of the reuealer leauing stil the matter obscure And this doctrine is consonant to that of Diuines who hold the first and supreame verity of God to be the formal object of our faith the sence of which their assertion is that the chiefe reason or cause on which as on a foundation the habit of our faith relieth and resteth and into which both it and the assent of it proceeding is lastly resolued is the diuine and infallible reuelation of God or which is al one God infallibly reuealing some truth by some Canonical writer or other lawful definer of faith of which it followeth that faith of his owne nature doth assent to no proposition which is not propounded by diuine reuelation SECTION THE SIXT Besides the reuelation of God some infallible propounder of the articles of our faith is necessary and that they are propounded vnto vs by the Catholike Church IN the precedent sections of this Chapter I haue declared that faith is a most firme assent of the vnderstanding to such misteries as God hath reuealed to al Christians to be beleeued Nowe I must further lay this most certaine and vndoubted ground to this that according to the ordinary proceedings of God besides the reuelation by him heretofore made of the misteries of Christian beleefe by the habit of faith we giue assent to the articles reuealed it is also necessary that the said articles be propounded vnto vs by some infallible authority assuring vs that they are so deliuered This reason it selfe teacheth vs for seing that Christ hath with-drawne his visible presence from vs and he himselfe immediately after a sensible manner instructeth no man but al by some common rule or meanes seing also that the reuelation of such misteries is obscure and no man by the strength and force of natural reason can assure himselfe that such and such articles haue beene reuealed it was necessary that God should ordaine some infallible authority to be the Mistris of faith which might infallibly teach the truth in al such matters doubtful neither had he otherwise sufficiently prouided vs meanes necessary for our euerlasting saluation I adde also that although it were so that we were certaine at the beginning of our beleefe of such a reuelation yet that the weakenesse inconstancy of our vnderstanding is such that without a sure guide and directour it easily erreth and straieth from the truth receiued This notwithstanding we make not this proposition or propounding of such verities as are reuealed by God any essential part of the formal object of faith of which I haue spoken before for we affirme such misteries in themselues before any such proposition to be credible and worthy of beleefe but because this is vnknowne to vs we require such a proposition only as a necessary condition to this that we infallibly knowe that they are so reuealed which must of necessity be knowne before that we can actually assent vnto them by supernatural faith What infallible authority then haue we without al feare and doubt of falshood assuring vs that al the articles of our faith haue beene thus reuealed by God Verily no other but the Spouse of Christ our Mother the Church vvhome our Lord hath made our Mistris and guide in such matters And trulie that we are to learne our beleefe of the Prelates and Pastors of the Church we are aboundantly taught by the sacred word of God For first the Apostle S. Paul in his Epistle to the Romans discoursing of this point vseth these wordes Rom. 10. vers 14. Howe shal they beleeue whome they haue not heard and howe shal they heare without a preacher as though he should say No man can attaine to the knowledge and beleefe of the articles of faith except by some preacher they be propounded vnto him And that these preachers are the Prelates and Pastors of the Church it is manifest because they are the true successors of the Apostles who in the beginning of Christianity from Christ receiued authority commandement Mar. 16. vers 15. Iere. 3. vers 15. to teach al nations through out the whole world For the proofe likewise of this truth it maketh that in the old Testament God promised that in the newe he would giue vs Pastors according to his owne hart vvho should feed vs in knowledge and doctrine Moreouer like as in the old lawe he pronounced this sentence of
the sonnes of Aaron Malac. 2. vers 7. The lippes of the Priest shal keepe knowledge and they shal require the lawe of his mouth so of the Bishops and Priestes of the newe who are to enjoy as great if not a greater prerogatiue the Apostle telleth vs Ephes 4. vers 11. that our Lord hath giuen and euer wil giue as long as the world shal stand some Pastors and Doctors in his Church to direct vs that we be not carried away with euery winde of doctrine And hence proceedeth this notable sentence of the holy Father S. Ireneus vvho for Christian religion suffered Martirdome about the yeare of Christ two hundred and fiue Iren. li. 3. cap. 4. We ought not saith he to seeke among others the truth which we may easilie take and receaue from the Church seing that the Apostles haue most fully laid vp in her as into a rich treasure house or place where the Depositum of the Church is kept of which hereafter al thinges which are of truth that euery man that wil may take out of her the drinke of life For this is the entrance of life but al the rest are theeues and robbers for which cause they are verily to be auoided But those thinges which are of the Church are with great diligence to be loued and the tradition of truth is to be receaued Hitherto S. Ireneus We say therefore that by the Church we learne as certainely what misteries haue beene reuealed by Christ as we should doe by our Lord himselfe if he were conuersant with vs on earth and the truth of this wil be made most apparant by the discourse of the next Chapter following Chapter 6. Of the supreame and infallible authority of the Catholike Church SECTION THE FIRST MY principall intent in this treatise is as I haue before declared to proue that vve Catholikes only haue true faith and that al Sectaries are bereaued of this supernatural vertue vvherefore hauing set downe and made euident in the Chapter next before the nature and conditions of true faith it remaineth that I now beginne in particuler to discourse of these points And seing that it is of the essence of faith that it be most assuredly built vpon diuine authority let vs first behold the groundes of the Catholike Roman beleefe and see whether they are able to make a sufficient foundation for such a faith in the followers of that religion then let vs doe the like concerning the groundes of the newe Sectaries But first I must note that although as I haue proued before we must trulie say that we knowe infallibly the misteries of our faith to be reuealed by God because we are so taught by the Church yet that her authority is not limited to the decision of this matter only for it extendeth it selfe also to the definition of al particuler matters of faith and may haue for her object the verities themselues reuealed It also condemneth heresies and prescribeth general preceptes of manners touching good and il wherefore the ancient Catholike buildeth vpon her authority not only his faith touching the point mentioned but also in some sort his whole beleefe and consequently al his internal vertues grounded vpon the same He relieth likewise on her doctrine for his externall carriage concerning vertue and vice and finally accepteth al her faith as infallibly reuealed by God himselfe who hath made her supreame judge of al controuersies touching matters of religion and assured vs that her judgement is not only certaine and infallible but also through the perpetual assistance and direction of the holy Ghost diuine so that God directeth her in al truth and by her as a sensible guide he bestoweth the same benefit vpon vs in al thinges necessary to saluation wherefore our whole beleefe and religion in such sort dependeth of her infallible authority that if this be proued it conuinceth that to be true sincere and diuine For no man can denie but in building vpon the tradition decision or definition of the Church we ground our faith and religion vpon diuine authority if her decrees be Gods and her doctrine warranted to be his Let vs therefore endeauour to shewe this that so with fewe wordes we may decide the whole question and to auoide confusion let vs diuide the whole discourse of this Chapter into the proofe of some three or foure assertions SECTION THE SECOND The whole summe of Christian doctrine by word of mouth not by writing was committed by Christ to his Apostles FIRST therefore I affirme that Christ cōmitted the whole summe of Christian doctrine by word of mouth not by writing to his Apostles ordained that they should deliuer the same to their successors the Bishops and Pastors of the Church This is manifest both because diuers points of Christian doctrine which the Apostles receaued from Christ are not recorded by the Euangelists in their Gospels and also because S. Luke witnesseth Act. 1. v. 3. that Christ after his passion and resurrection shewed himselfe aliue to his Apostles in many arguments for fortie dayes appearing to them and speaking of the kingdome of God of which his speach litle or nothing is recorded I adde moreouer that not long before his ascention he gaue his Apostles this commission Going said he teach ye al nations Mat. 28. v. 19.20 baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Ghost teaching them to obserue al thinges whatsoeuer I haue commanded you These places I say manifestly proue that Christ by word of mouth instructed his Apostles concerning the misteries and articles of Christian religion and according to his instruction commanded them to teach the whole world Neither is there any record extant that Christ gaue them these instructions in writing or that he commanded them to set them downe and publish them after that sort yea if we wil not say that the Apostles transgressed Christes commandement we must absolutely say that he neuer bid them doe any such thing because neuer any one of them as I wil declare hereafter set downe in writing the whole summe of Christian doctrine No man likewise wil or can deny but that it was the ordination of Christ that the Apostles should deliuer this whole summe of Christian doctrine to their successors for otherwise Christ should haue instituted a Church only for the Apostles daies not to continue to the end of the world according to the predictions of the Prophets And hence this summe of Christian doctrine by the Apostle S. Paul was most earnestly commended to Timothie 1. Tim. vlt vers 20. O Timothie saith he keepe the depositum that is the pledge or pawne left with thee auoiding the prophane nouelties of voices and oppositions of falsly called knowledge He calleth it depositum or a pledge or pawne because it is as it were a thing laid into the Apostles and Bishops handes and committed vnto them to keepe which euery one of them with great
care and diligence without any alteration or deprauation was and is to deliuer to his successors vntil the end of the world Vinc. Lir. lib. contra prophanas hoeresum nouitates cap. 7. This is most learnedly explicated by Vincentius Lirinensis who florished in the Church very neere twelue hundred yeares since For this learned Father hauing demanded what the depositum was which the Apostle left with Timothie answered thus This pawne or pledge saith he is a thing committed to thy charge not inuented by thee that which thou hast receiued not that which thou hast deuised A matter not of wit but of doctrine not of priuate vsurpation but of publike tradition a thing brought downe vnto thee not brought forth first by thee of which thou must not be authour but keeper only not the founder but the follower not a leader but one which is led Hitherto Vincentius Lirinensis Of this Depositum likewise are these wordes of the Apostle in the same Chapter 1. Timoth. vlt. ver 13 I command thee before God who quickneth al thinges and Christ Iesus who gaue testimonie vnder Pontius Pilate a good confession that thou keepe the commandement without spot blamelesse vntil the comming of our Lord Iesus Christ And so these places are expounded by Tertullian and the rest of the Fathers for they are according to their exposition Tertul. de praescriptionibus Iren. lib. 3. cap. 4. most earnest exhortations to Timothie to keepe vnspotted the doctrine receaued and to admit no newe thing inuented by mans fancie This moued S. Ireneus to affirme that the Apostles haue laid vp in the Church as in a rich treasure house al truth Moreouer this summe of Christian doctrine for the same reason is likewise called the doctrine of the Apostles Act. 2.24 They were saith S. Luke speaking of the first Christians perseuering in the doctrine of the Apostles that is to say in the doctrine which by Christ was deliuered to the Apostles and by them preached and published to the vvorld Finally because according vnto it euery man is to direct his beleefe it is called by S. Paul the rule of faith and the forme of doctrine Gal. 6 16. Whosoeuer shal followe this rule saith he peace vpon them and mercy Againe let vs continue in the same rule And in the Epistle to the Romans Phil. 3 16 Rom. 6 17 2. Cor. 10. vers 15. you haue obeyed from the hart vnto the forme of doctrine into the which you haue beene deliuered The like sentences he hath in other places Hence Tertullian auoucheth that the * Tertul. de praescr ca. 13. 22. 27. c. Apostles receaued from Christ the fulnesse of the preaching of the Gospel and that they deliuered vnto al Christians al the order of the rule of beleefe He telleth vs also that a Cap. 14. faith is placed in rule he biddeth Heretikes be b Tertul. de praescr cap. 22. silent and not prate against this rule and wisheth Catholikes if they wil doubt or aske questions concerning matters of religion to inquire of those which are of their owne company and concerning such matters as may be called in question without the breach of the rule of faith Lastly he addeth that c Cap. 14. this rule instituted by Christ hath no doubtes or questions among vs but such as Heretikes doe bring in or doe make Heretikes Thus farre Tertullian The same rule S. Ignatius the Disciple of S. Iohn the Apostle affirmeth himselfe to haue obserued Doe you saith he in his Epistle to the Phillippians say and teach the selfe same and be of one judgement for by this I haue obserued the rules of faith Wherefore I conclude that Christ deliuered a rule of faith or forme of doctrine to his Apostles which they confirmed by miracles and deliuered to their successors and that the said rule containeth the vvhole summe or corps of Christian doctrine SECTION THE THIRD The Church cannot stray from the rule of faith receaued nor erre in matters of faith or general precepts of manners which is proued first because the holy Ghost directeth her in al truth THIS being proued I must nowe declare that the Church hath neuer erred nor can erre from this rule of faith receiued and that her judgement concerning matters of religion is of diuine and infallible authority The most principal reason vsually brought for the proofe of this is that God himselfe to wit the holy Ghost the third person of the most blessed Trinity who is subject to no errour or falsehood is the guide and director of the Church in al such affaires And this we are taught by Christ who likewise being God the second person of the most blessed Trinity cannot deceaue vs. For this promise he made to his Apostles immediately after his last supper these vvere his wordes Ioh. 14. vers 16. Ioh. 16. vers 13. I wil aske the father and he wil giue you another Paraclete that is to say an other comforter or aduocat that he may abide with you for euer the spirit of truth Againe yet many thinges I haue to say vnto you but you cannot beare them nowe but when he the spirit of truth commeth he shal teach you al truth This was the promise of our Sauiour and who wil say that he hath not beene so good as his word Surely if this promise vvas not brought to effect the breach of it either proceeded of vvant of power or of vvant of vvil in Christ but vvhat Christian can imagine that either of these was wanting in the Sonne of God Hence I gather that although our Sauiour during the time of his being on earth both before and after his passion gaue to his Apostles diuers instructions touching Christian religion yet that he left the ful and perfect instruction of them to the holie Ghost vvho vvas to reduce al thinges to memorie and to establish them perfectly in faith and whome his Father was to send by his mediation to be the cheefest instructor and guide of his Church in al truth to the vvorldes end And this vvas done on the day of Pentecost vvhen the holie Ghost in the likenesse of firie tongues Act. 2. v. 4 descended vpon the Apostles and Disciples since vvhich time according to the promise of Christ he hath neuer departed from the Church but remained in her and taught her al truth which euery man must needes confesse that vvil not accuse Christ of breach of his promise Wherefore like as Christ is tearmed the head and husband of the Church as I vvil euen nowe declare so the holie Ghost is aptly tearmed by S. Augustine her soule Aug. tom 10. serm 186. de tempore For like as the soule of man directeth and gouerneth his body so doth the holie Ghost the Church Some man perhaps vvil answere that Christ made this promise of the assistance of the holie Ghost to the Apostles only and not to their successors but this assertion is
most absurd and contrary to the vvordes themselues of holie Scripture For Christ as I haue noted before erected not a Church for the daies of the Apostles only but to continue vntil the end of the vvorld as vvas foretold by the Prophets that men in al ages to come might haue a meane to attaine to saluation vvherefore those thinges vvhich he spoke to his Apostles and Disciples he spoke also to al their successors Ephes 4. vers 11. For as vve are taught by the Apostle he hath giuen some Apostles some Prophets and other some Euangelists and others some Pastors and Doctors vntil the day of judgement In this sense he promised his Apostles as we read in S. Mathewes Gospel that he would be with them al daies euen to the consummation of the world that is to say Math. 28. vers vlt. vvith them and those vvhich should succeede in their place Wherefore Saint Hierome expounding that sentence vseth these vvordes Hier. lib. 4. in Mat. He who promiseth that hee wil bee with his Disciples vntil the consummation of the world both sheweth that they shal alwaies liue and also that he wil neuer depart from the faithful Saint Augustine likevvise affirmeth Aug. in ps 101. cōc 2. that he spoke to the Apostles and signified vs. To the same effect a Cipr. lib. 4. epist Saint Ciprian and b Basi consti monast cap. 23. Saint Basil tel vs that these vvordes of Christ c Luc. 10. vers 16. He that heareth you heareth me vvere spoken not only to the Apostles but also to their successors Finally the vvordes themselues of Christ aboue cited are plaine for howe can the holie Ghost remaine here on earth vvith those Apostles vnto vvhome Christ spake for euer seing that they liued in the vvorld but for a short time Wherefore he remaineth vvith their successors the Bishoppes and Prelates of the Church vvho haue succeeded the first Apostles as children their parents and with these he shal remaine as long as the world shal endure For the confirmation of this truth I adde that this assistance of the holy Ghost in the Church was long since foretold by the Prophet Isaie These wordes he vseth speaking in the person of God of the state of the Church in the lawe of grace Isa 59. My spirit which is in thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shal not depart from thy mouth and from the mouth of thy seede and of thy seedes seede saith our Lord from hence forward and for euer Hitherto the Prophet Isaie and what could be said more plaine then this Surely the promise is so euident that Caluin him selfe in his Commentarie vpon them graunteth as much as we haue affirmed Thus he discourseth expounding the said wordes He promiseth saith he that the Church shal neuer be depriued of this inestimable good Caluinus in Isai cap. 59. but that it shal alwaies be gouerned by the holy Ghost and supported with heauenly doctrine And soone after The promise is such that the Lord wil so assist the Church and haue such care of her that he wil neuer suffer her to be depriued of true doctrine Thus farre Caluin Finally Beza his Scholler confesseth Beza de haereticis a ciuili Magistratu puniendis pa. 69. Ire li. 1. c. 3. li. 3. c. 4. that the promise of our Sauiour of the assistance of the holy Ghost was not made only to the Apostles but rather to the whole Church Let this therefore be the conclusion of this argument that the Church of Christ is directed by the holy Ghost in matters concerning faith and religion in such sort that she neither hath fallen nor can fal into any errours And this was long since affirmed by S. Ireneus who telleth vs that the Church keepeth with most sincere diligence the Apostles faith that which they preached and moreouer that those Churches in which succession from the Apostles is found conserue and keepe our faith Cipr. epist 55. ad Cor nelium See him likewise epist 69. ad Floreatium The same we are taught by S. Ciprian who auoucheth that the Church alwaies holdeth that which she first knewe SECTION THE FOVRTH The same is proued by other arguments AN other argument prouing the judgement of the Church to be of infallible truth vve may take from the loue and affection vvhich Christ beareth to the said Church For in the Scripture vve find that Christ is the * Cant. 4. Ephes 1. v. 22. c. husband and head of the Church the Church his Spouse and body August in psal 126. For if we beleeue S. Augustine he formed her out of his owne side vpon the Crosse as Eue our first father Adams spouse was made of his ribbe and this long since he promised to doe by the Prophet Osee in these wordes I wil espouse thee vnto mee for euer Osee 2. vers 19. and I wil espouse thee vnto mee in justice and judgement and mercy and miserations He also redeemed purchased and vvashed her vvith his owne most pretious bloud and made her his spiritual body wherefore he is present with her according to his promise al daies Math. 28. vers vlt. euen to the consummation of the world and no man wil denie but he loueth cherisheth and gouerneth her as his Spouse and body Out of which fauours and prerogatiues I may very wel inferre that he being truth it selfe and hating al falshood preserueth her from errour this also being a dowry and priuiledge so necessary to her dignity These considerations moued S. Ciprian to discourse after this sort of this matter Cipr. li. de vnitat Ecclesiae the Spouse of Christ saith he cannot be defiled with adultery she is incorrupt pure and chaste she knoweth one only house she keepeth with a chaste shamefastnesse the sanctity of one chamber Thus S. Ciprian To the same allude these wordes of S. Augustine spoken of the Church This is the true mother Aug. tom 6. conc ad cath c. 22. a mother pious and chaste adorned inwardly with the dignity of her husband not outwardly shamefully and dishonestly painted deceitfully with a deceauing lie The promiseS of Christ vnto his Church of not erring and the prerogatiues which he hath bestowed vpon the same yeeld vs a third argument For listen a litle what a notable and worthy promise he hath made to vs that his Church built vpon S. Peter or as I may say his whole Church vnited to the supreame Vicar and cheefe head of the same vnder himselfe shal not faile or erre These are the wordes which he vttered to the said Apostle Math. 16. vers 18. Thou art Peter or a rocke and vpon this rocke wil I build my Church and the gates of hel shal not preuaile against it What could he haue said more for the certainety of the continuance of the Church and for her infallible judgement For is it not
euident that hel gates doe preuaile against the Church if either she decay or teach false doctrine who then can say that either the hath perished or erred except he wil accuse Christ of falshood in not performing his promise and make him a liar Verily * Chrisost hom 4. de verbis Isaiae vidi Dominum Epiph. in Ancorato S. Iohn Chrisostome affirmeth that heauen and earth shal faile before those wordes of Christ thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I wil build my Church S. Epiphanius also alluding to this promise telleth vs that our Lord appointed Peter the first or cheefest Apostle a firme rocke vpon which the Church of God was built and the gates of hel saith he shal not preuaile against it for the gates of hel are Heretikes and Arch-heretikes c. the like sentences I could alleage out of the rest of the ancient Fathers And vnto this testimonie of our Sauiour I could likewise adde that he hath warranted the faith of S. Peter and in him the faith of his successor the Bishop of Rome who is ministerial head of Christes Church on earth Luc. 22. vers 31. that it shal not faile and consequently that the body ruled by the head shal enjoy the same prerogatiue but of this hereafter Moreouer our Sauiour made his Church the supreame judge on earth of al controuersies touching matters of religion for it is manifest that from her judgement he graunteth no appeale and that he vvil haue her definitiue sentence so firme and inuiolable among Christians that he vvil not haue him accounted one of that number who shal preuaricate or despise the same This is signified vnto vs in these his wordes Math. 18. vers 17. If he wil not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and the Publican In which sentence he biddeth vs esteeme no more of our brother or neighbour that contemneth or disobeieth the censure of the Church then of a Heathen and Publican of which I gather that the Church in her censure cannot erre For if this might be then vve being bound to condemne whome she condemneth or to condemne him that vvil not listen and obey her counsaile and precepts might together with the Church condemne a man without just cause and that according to Christes commandement It appeareth likewise out of the said vvordes of our Sauiour that he vvil haue the sentence of the Church obeied wherefore he ought in reason to prouide that the said sentence be not erroneous But for the truth of these wordes of our Lord and also for the constant verity of the censure of the Church it maketh first that diuers falshoodes which before her said censure might in times past haue bin beleeued and defended yea were defended beleeued by the members of the true Church without incurring the crime of heresie afterwardes could not be so beleeued and defended as I could exemplifie in the Milinary heresie the opinion of such as held the baptisme of Heretikes to be of no force of others that denied the authority of some Canonical bookes and such like Secondly it maketh also for these her prerogatiues that al such as haue obstinately maintained any opinions condemned by the Church for heresies and consequently haue disobeied her authority decrees and beene by her adjudged Heretikes haue euer by al antiquity beene so accounted August in Enchirid. ad Laurēt cap. 5. Tertul. de pudicitia item li. de praescript Math. 5. v. 13.15 Luc. 10. vers 16. and therefore haue not beene numbred by the ancient Fathers among Christians whose opinions notvvithstanding if vve reject her infallible judgement by vvhich they were condemned and make it subject to errour may be reuiued and called againe in question either as wrongfully and injustly censured or at the least as condemned by a judge whose judgement is subject to errour and falshood The priuileges and prerogatiues graunted by our Sauiour to his Apostles and Disciples confirme the same for they are by him called the salt of the earth and the light of the world and being sent to preach they receaued from him this commission and approbation of their doctrine He that heareth you heareth me and he that dispiseth you dispiseth me Which wordes argue an infallible truth although not in the doctrine of euery particuler Bishop and Prelate of the Church yet in them altogether when they represent the whole Church in a Councel or in the whole number of them although diuided seperated in place For in these like as in Christes Apostles and Disciples as I haue aboue declared the wordes alleaged must be verified which cannot be done if they al in euery sense may erre For how can they then truly be tearmed the salt of the earth and the light of the world and how can it be true that he that heareth them heareth Christ But if we had no other testimony of holy Scripture for this matter fiue or six wordes of the Apostle vsed by him to Timothie in his first epistle 1. Tim. 3. v. 15. c. vvere sufficient to conuince our vnderstanding and make vs yeeld to this truth For in his said Epistle he tearmeth the Church the piller and ground of truth These thinges I write to thee saith he hoping that I shal come to thee quickly but if I tarie long that thou maist knowe howe thou oughtest to conuerse in the house of God which is the Church of the liuing God the piller and ground of truth What could he haue said more euident for the infallible authority of the Church the Church saith he is the piller and ground of truth that is to say the very foundation and establishment of al verity vpon vvhich as vpon a sure foundation and an inuiolable piller a man may securely build the edifice of his faith and religion vvho then vvil say that the Church is subject to errour These considerations moued S. Augustine Aug. lib. 1. cont Cresconium disputing against Cresconius concerning the baptisme of Heretikes to vse this discourse these are his vvordes Although of this that the baptisme of Heretikes is true baptisme there be no certaine example brought forth out of the canonical Scriptures yet also in this we keepe the truth of the said Scriptures when as we doe that which now hath pleased the whole Church which the authority of the Scriptures themselues doth commend That because the Scripture cannot deceaue whosoeuer doth feare least that he be deceaued through the obscurity of this question may aske counsaile touching it of the Church whome without any doubt the Scripture it selfe doth shewe Hitherto S. Augustine Out of which discourse of his we may gather this notable rule that in al thinges doubtful and in al obscure questions concerning faith and religion we ought to enquire and search forth the doctrine and beleefe of the Catholike Church and imbrace the same seeking no further warrant of security because the Scriptures demonstrate her and manifestly declare that
her doctrine is true and may securely be followed without any danger of errour Vnto these arguments brought out of the word of God reason it selfe assenteth for seing that for diuers respects it was conuenient that Christ our Lord should not alwaies conuerse on earth among vs and in his owne person manage the affaires of the Church it was necessary that he should leaue among Christians some certaine rule guide whereby they might direct their faith and some judge for the deciding of daylie controuersies which might arise touching matters of religion whose judgement they might securely followe without al danger of being deceaued Neither can we imagine that Gods infinit wisedome foreseing al thinges and times to come or his vnspeakable goodnes and loue to his Church could order thinges otherwise And this infallible guide and supreame judge is the Church including the Pope and other her Bishops and Prelates It was also needfull seing that the Church of Christ was to endure for euer I meane on earth vntil the end of the world and to be to al persons a perfect guide in al ages to saluation that it should be preserued from false doctrine and ruine otherwise it could not at al times haue performed these offices Our aduersaries wil answere that the Church through false doctrine and superstition hath already perished and not appeared in the world for diuers hundreds of yeares but this I shal refute at large * Cap. 5. in my treatise of the definition and notes of the true Church For this present vnto that which hath beene already said in this Chapter concerning the continuall assistance of the holy Ghost in the Church and other arguments prouing that she cannot erre I adde only that according to the censure of S. Augustine a Aug. l. de vnita Eccles c. 6. 7 12. 13. see him also li. 20. de ciuit c. 8. in psal 85. de vtilit credendi c. 8. Whosoeuer affirmeth the Church to haue beene ouerthrowne doth robbe Christ of his glory and inheritance bought with his most pretious bloud yea S. Hierome goeth further and auerreth that he that so saith doth make God subject to the Deuil and a poore miserable Christ Hier. cōt Lucifer cap. 6. The reason is because this assertion doth after a sort bereaue the whole incarnation life and passion of our Sauiour of their effect and end which was principally to found a Church and Kingdome in this world which should endure vntil the day of judgement and direct men in al truth to saluation Wherefore vvhosoeuer affirmeth the Church to haue perished taketh away this effect and prerogatiue from his incarnation life and passion and auoucheth that at sometimes man had no meanes left to attaine to euerlasting blisse which is also repugnant to the mercy and goodnes of God He also maketh God subject to the Diuel in making the Diuel stronger then Christ and affirming him to haue ouerthrowne Christes Church Kingdome which our Lord promised should neuer be conquered as I haue aboue declared I could adde an other reason conuincing the Church not to haue erred taken out of Tertullian Tertul. lib. de praescr cap. 28. who proueth it because errour commonly bringeth forth diuision for it were a very strange matter that diuers nations farre distant from one an other erring from the truth should al fal into the selfe same errour wherefore seing that the Catholike faith and religion in al places is one and the same it is like that it doth proceede of tradition not of errour but this matter is already sufficiently proued I wil therefore conclude that the Church of Christ is not subject to errour touching matters of faith and religion and consequently that euery man may securely followe concerning such matters her sentence and judgement And this is that high beaten and plaine way to saluation which was long since foretold by the Prophet Isaias who prophecying of the Kingdome of Christ vseth these wordes Isa 35. vers 8. And there shal be a path and way and it shal be called the holy way and it shal be so direct that fooles shal not be able to erre therein For no such way can be shewed if this be denied Hence S. Hierome telleth vs Hieron in dialog cōt Lucifer cap. 6. that we ought to remaine in that Church which being founded by the Apostles continueth til this day This also is that which we are taught to beleeue in the Creede of the Apostles vvhen as vve professe our selues to beleeue the Catholike Church For in these wordes we doe not only acknowledge that vve beleeue that Christ hath a Catholike Church on earth but also affirme that we beleeue heare and obey the same wherefore in al doubts and controuersies touching religion let vs listen and giue eare to this our holy Mother and obey her sentence although it seeme neuer so repugnant to our sense and reason For she is the rocke ground and piller of truth let vs beleeue her and euer remaine in her sacred bosome And although vve receaue our faith and are instructed in religion by some particuler men yet let vs not doubt but that we are taught by this vniuersal Church For they who instruct vs and deliuer our faith vnto vs doe this as the officers and members of this Church and by her order and appointment neither doe they deliuer the said doctrine vnto vs as their owne but as the doctrine of the Church and as such we receaue it and haue sufficient motiues to perswade vs that this is true Wherefore like as the action of a member of a mans body is attributed to the vvhole for although the hand strike yet man is said to strike c. so although we be instructed taught by some particuler member of the Church yet vve may vvel say that this is done by the said Catholike and vniuersal Church These considerations vvere so forcible euen in Luthers vnderstanding for a long time after his fal from vs that he found his conscience often troubled for his disobedience to the Church In one place thus he writeth * Luther tom 2. l. de seru arbit During more then tenne yeares I was so moued by authority conscience multitude of Martirs of Bishops of Popes of Councels of Vniuersities that it was incredible that this Troy remaining so long in so many conflicts inuincible could neuer be conquered And in another place a Luther tom 1. in propos suis de viribus hominis When I had saith he ouercome al arguments by the Scriptures this one that the Church is to be heard at length with most great difficulty and perplexitie or anguish by Christes assistance I hardly ouercame Thus Luther I adde also that our b See Hooker in his 3. booke of Eccl. policy §. 2 7. 9 Bel in his treatise of the regiment of the Church pag. 200. Whitgift others English Protestants themselues disputing against the Puritans are
prerogatiues vpon his spiritual Body and Spouse but perhaps these prerogatiues redound greatly to the good and benefite of the members and children of the Church Neither this can be auerred true for vvhat are poore Christians the nearer for it howe can such a Church be the director of their faith howe shal they knowe vvhat faith vvas preached by the Apostles and vvhat part taught true doctrine and vvhen and vvhich erred in subsequent ages howe shal vve vnderstand her judicial sentence vvhen controuersies arise and are to be decided surely they that are past and are departed out of this world can performe these thinges by no other meanes but by their writinges left behind them wherefore we can take no other direction and receiue no other judicial sentence from the Church in the first and second acception but by such monuments and bookes as we haue receiued from the Apostles Euangelistes the ancient Fathers and Doctors and other our predecessours And vvhat is this but to reduce al to the letter of holy Scripture and to the workes of antiquity which as I wil prooue hereafter setting aside the authority of the present Church yeelde vs no certaine and diuine argument and to giue nothing at al to the Church it selfe contrary to al the argumentes before made for her infallible authority Finally some of the places of Scripture before aleadged are expresly spoken of the present Church as that tel the Church If he shal not heare the Church let him he to thee as the Heathen or Publican c. SECTION THE SIXT That the same testimonies and proofes conuince an infallible judgement of the Church concerning euery article of faith not only concerning certaine of the principal SECONDLY that the testimonies of holy Scriptures and Fathers with the reasons brought in this Chapter proue the judgement authority of the Church to be of diuine and infallible truth in al points of faith it is euen as easily shewed For are not the vvordes general Is it not said that the holy Ghost shal teach the Church al truth and that she being the house of God is the piller and ground of truth c. And howe can these promises be verified if in some thinges she be subject to errour Field booke 4. chap. 4. Some say these last vvordes of the Apostle are vnderstood of the particuler Church of the Ephesians but first it is not like that God bestowed such an extraordinary priuiledge vpon that Church as to make it the piller and ground of truth Secondly the Apostle calleth that Church vnto which he here giueth these prerogatiues the house of God by which wordes a Cipr. l. 1. epist 6. S. Ciprian b Aug. l. 7. de baptis cōt Donat. ca. 49. 50. 51. Item in psalm 25. enarrat 2. S. Augustine and al the Fathers commonly vnderstand the whole militant Church yea S. Augustine alluding to this sentence and vsing the very vvordes of the Apostle calleth the whole Church * 2. Tim. 2. vers 20. columnam firmamentum veritatis the piller and ground of truth and in the Scripture it selfe the vvhole militant Church is called a great house as a Field booke 1. chap. 11. Field himselfe cōfesseth And because euery particuler Diocesse is a part of this Church the Apostle might very wel vse this kinde of speach vnto Timothie I write to thee that thou maist knowe howe thou oughtest to conuerse in the house of God although the said Timothie was Bishop only of Ephesus Moreouer are vve not absolutely vnder peril of being accounted Heathens and Publicans bound to obey the Church and what reason had our Lord so to binde vs if in some thinges her judgement may be erroneous for howe shal we discerne which those articles be in which she cannot erre and in which she may erre Further vvhat profit if this vvere so shal vve receaue from her for the preseruation of vnitie and ending of al controuersies verily this assertion is euen as prejuditial to the good of vnitie as that which affirmeth the Church to haue no warrant of truth at al. For what dissention and diuision would arise of this might not euery man contradict the rule of faith in any matter whatsoeuer and affirme his contradiction to be in a matter of smal moment who shal judge which matters be of great and which of smal importance For example diuers sectaries tel vs See Couel in defence of Hooker artic 11. Fox pag. 942. c. that the question concerning the real presence of Christ in the blessed Sacrament whether he be there really and substantially by transubstantiation as the Catholikes affirme or together with bread as the Lutherans say or only figuratiuely as is affirmed by the Sacramentaries is a question of smal importance not any essential point belonging to the substance of Christian religion But howe wil these men refute Castalio who addeth if Beza say true that the controuersies touching the blessed Trinity the estate and office of Christ and howe he is one with his father are concerning no essential points of Christian religion certainely they cannot wel ouerthrowe his opinion And this is that which was in old time and is at this present affirmed by some See Theodoretus lib 2. hist cap. 18. 19. 21. Trip. hist lib. 5. cap. 21. 33. that so that Christ be beleeued to be God it skilleth not whether he be beleeued to be equal or not equal consubstantial or not consubstantial to his father Wherefore this assertion of our aduersaries that the rule of faith may in some points be denied first openeth the gappe to al dissention then to al impiety and ouerthrowe of Christianity which thinges be sufficient to perswade euery Christian to abhorre and detest it SECTION THE SEAVENTH That to saluation it is necessary to beleeue the whole Catholike faith and euery article thereof CONCERNING the third point vvhich I intended to proue I affirme that it is necessary to saluation to beleeue and hold either expresly or virtually euery article of faith which is propounded by the Church to her children to be beleeued I adde those wordes expresly or virtually because I say not that euery man is bound expresly to knowe al the articles of Christian religion For it is held by vs sufficient if the ruder sort knowe expresly certaine of the principal as are they that concerne the Trinity and the incarnation passion resurrection and ascension of Christ c. if they virtually beleeue al the rest that is if they beleeue concerning al such points as they are not bound expresly to know whatsoeuer according to the doctrine of the church ought to be beleeued and be of contrary beleefe in no one point propounded vnto them and knowne to be propounded as an article of faith We differ therefore from our aduersaries in this that some of them hold a man is not bound to belieue any such articles not necessarily to be knowne by al others say a man may erre
in them so long as he seeth not apparantly his errour condemned by Scripture or plainely proued false by euident deduction out of those articles which are expresly to be knowne and beleeued But the truth of this mine assertion is gathered out of that which hath beene already proued For if the Church be the ground and piller of truth and cannot erre in faith it is manifest that al her beleefe may safely without danger of errour be receiued And moreouer because God hath reuealed such articles to the Church for no other end then that her children by the beleefe of them may attaine to euerlasting blisse it is also euident that euery one is bound to beleeue whatsoeuer she teacheth I adde also that whosoeuer beleeueth not al hath no faith and that he who thinketh it to be sufficient to saluation to beleeue certaine principal articles of Christian religion although the rest be denied must needes accuse the Church of errour and so according to his owne opinion cleane ouerthrowe her The first is easily proued because he that beleeueth not God and his Church in one point certainely beleeueth them in none For howe is it possible that he can reject them in any if he beleeue their authority to be infallible Wherefore by rejecting their judgement and sentence concerning one article he plainely declareth that he beleeueth not the rest because they are propounded vnto him by the Church and reuealed by God but because they please his owne fancy and in his owne judgement he thinketh them true and credible of which it followeth that he hath no faith which as I haue aboue declared maketh vs beleeue the misteries of our beleefe because they are reuealed by God And this we may gather out of those wordes of S. Iames the Apostle He that offendeth in one is made guilty of al. Iames 2. vers 10. For if by committing one mortal sinne we be said to be made guilty of al either because by breaking one commandement we shewe our selues not to regard the rest or else because one mortal sinne is as sufficiēt to bereaue vs of the grace of God as a thousand we may likewise wel inferre of this that a man refusing to beleeue one article of faith sheweth himselfe not to esteeme of the rest and by this only is bereaued of true faith that in very deede he beleeueth none and is guilty of infidelity touching al and consequently is no member of the Church of Christ whose members by faith principally are vnited and lincked together Further that whosoeuer thinketh it sufficient to saluation to beleeue certaine principal articles of Christian religion although the rest be denied accuseth the Church of errour thus I declare Galat. 5. vers 21. Tit. 3. vers 10. The Apostle teacheth vs that they that followe and embrace sectes or heresies shal not possesse the Kingdome of heauen Wherefore either the Church erreth both in defining such articles as some thinke not necessary to be beleeued to belong to the object of faith and also in condemning for heresies such opinions as they thinke may safely be defended or else such as despise her censure and embrace the said opinions are in state of damnation the first as I haue already proued ouerthroweth the Church the second is that which I intend to proue But let vs declare the truth of my first assertion out of the holy Scripture And first it cannot be denied but our Sauiour absolutely and that vnder paine of being censured as Etnickes and Publicans and consequently vnder paine of damnation commandeth vs to heare and obey the Church Math. 18. vers 17. if he wil not heare the Church saith he let him bee to thee as the Heathen and Publican And note that he biddeth vs not beleeue her onelie in principall matters but in all making no limitation or distinction In like sort in general tearmes he telleth vs that he that heareth his Apostles disciples which must be likewise verified in their successors heareth him and he that despiseth them despiseth him Finally he commanded his disciples to preach his Gospel and added that he that beleeueth it not shal be condemned which wordes cannot be vnderstood only of the principal articles of Catholike religion for his Gospel included the whole summe of Christian faith as I haue proued aboue Hence diuers in the first ages of the Church haue beene condemned and accursed as Heretikes for few errours in faith yea some time for one only and that in no principal point of beleef as I could exemplifie in the quarto decimani Epiphan haeres 50. who were so censured for keeping Easter day on the fourteenth day of the moone and others yea I may wel say that almost al Heretikes that euer haue risen haue beleeued certaine principal articles of Christian religion wherefore whosoeuer thinketh it sufficient to beleeue such articles openeth heauen almost to al Heretikes Moreouer howe shal we know which are these principal articles certainely euery man wil affirme if this liberty be giuen that the articles by him denied pertaine not to that number Lastly this errour is condemned by al the ancient Fathers S. Athanasius in his Creed receiued by the whole Church affirmeth that whosoeuer keepeth not entirely wholy without any corruption the Catholike faith without al doubt shal perish euerlastingly Theodor. li. 4. c. 17. Hooker booke 5. of ecclesiastical policy §. 42. pag. 88. Greg. Nazian tract de fide Aug. lib. de haeres in fine S. Basil being requested by the Prefect of Valens an Arrian Emperour to yeeld a litle to the time answered that they which are instructed in diuine doctrine doe not suffer one sillable of the diuine decrees to be corrupted or depraued but for the defence of it if it be needful and required embrace likewise of death Hooker also a Protestant telleth vs that the same S. Basil for changing some one or two sillables in the verse Glory be to the Father and to the Sonne and to the holy Ghost was forced to write apologies and whole volumes in his owne defence S. Gregory Nazianzene hath this notable sentence Nothing can be more dangerous then these Heretikes who when they run soundly through al yet with one word as with a droppe of poison corrupt or staine that true and sincere faith of our Lord and of Apostolike tradition S. Augustine likewise hauing reckoned vp eightie distinct Heresies addeth that there may chance to lurke many other petty heresies vnknowne to him of which heresies saith he whosoeuer shal hold any one shal not be a Catholike Christian. Finally * Hier. li. 3. Apolog. contr Ruf. S. Hierome witnesseth that for one word or two contrary to the Catholike faith many heresies haue beene cast out of the Church This is the opinion of the ancient Fathers Wherefore seing that one only heresie be it neuer so smal bereaueth vs of faith and seperateth vs from the body of Christ his Church which is quickned with
circle because these two thinges are not motiues or reasons of the beliefe of one another after the selfe same manner but in two sundrie respects being so that we yeeld the reason why the Church cannot erre by the Scriptures as by a diuine reuelation approuing it For although we formally beleeue this because it is reuealed by God yet this reuelation vve proue by other reuelations contained in holy Scripture but that the Scripture is canonical although we formallie beleeue because God hath so reuealed yet this reuelation we proue not by any other reuelation but by the authority of the Church as a condition only requisite propounding it infallibly vnto vs. To make this assertion a little more plaine we must presuppose the truth of two propositions commonly held certaine in Philosophy the one is that two causes may for diuers respects be causes of one another so say the Philosophers the efficient cause is the cause of the being or existence the final cause and the final cause of the causality of the efficient For example when a Phisition doth administer phisicke to one that is sicke the final cause or end why he administreth phisicke is the health of the patient and the administring of the phisicke is the efficient cause of the sicke-mans health In like sort when the winde openeth a window it openeth it by entring in and entereth in by opening it so that the efficient cause of the opening the window is the motion of the entrance of the winde and the material cause and meane by which the winde entreth is the opening of the window because vnlesse the window be opened the winde cannot enter in Secondly it is also certaine that a meere condition necessarily requisite is no cause for example wood cannot be burned except it be put neare or in the fire and yet this approximation as I may cal it is not the cause to speake properly why the wood is burnt but a condition necessarie In like sort a lawe doth not binde except it be promulgated and yet the promulgation is not the cause why the law doth binde but a condition c. Now to come to the matter If two causes in some sort may be causes of one another wherefore may not we proue two propositions for diuers respects by one another That these respects be diuers in the proofe of the infallible authority of the Church by Scripture and of Scripture by the infallible authority of the Church it is manifest because the infallible authority of the Church is proued by Scripture as by a diuine reuelation the Scripture by the infallible authority of the church as by a condition requisite and that a cause and a condition be different I haue shewed We say therefore that Christ departing out of this vvorld left the whole summe of Christian doctrine with his holy spouse the Church and made her the infallible propounder of the same And being so that among other articles left this was one that she should not erre in executing her office this also she was to propound and her children by the diuine precept of God were bound to beleeue it Wherefore if in those daies before any Scripture of the new Testament was written a man had asked a Christian why he beleeued the misteries of Christian religion he might truly haue answered because they were reuealed by God If he had beene further demaunded how he knew such and such articles to be reuealed he might haue answered because the Church propounded them to be beleeued so that the cause why he beleeued such misteries was the reuelation of God the meane whereby he knew them infallibly to be reuealed was the propounding of the Church If he had bin vrged further why he beleeued that the Church in propounding such matters could not erre Surely he might haue said that this was before included in the beliefe of the misteries of Christian religion in general and consequently was beleeue because God so reuealed but let vs come to the succeeding ages The Apostles disciples of Christ whiles they liued wrote the holy Scriptures of the new Testament and left them to the Church in which among other misteries they confirmed vnto vs the authority of the Church and the Church propounded the said Scriptures vnto her children as Canonical Now then wherefore beleeue we or how doe we proue the Church cannot erre I answere by the reuelation of God contained in holy Scripture If it be demaunded further howe vve knowe such a reuelation to be diuine I answere not by any other diuine reuelation because this is the last and beleeued for it selfe but by the proposition or propounding of the Church which is only a condition requisite for the beliefe of it and yet a diuine proofe So that the reason or cause why we beleeue the Church cannot erre is the reuelation of God contained in holy Scripture the cause vvhy vve beleeue such a reuelation is no other reuelation but it selfe the meane whereby vve come to knowe that this reuelation is from God is the proposition of the Church wherefore the respects are diuers and also the objects of these assertions The respects because when we assigne the diuine reuelations contained in holy Scripture as the reason of our beliefe concerning the infallible authority of the Church we assigne a reason as it were by the cause of our said beliefe which is diuine reuelation But when assigne the propounding of the Church as that which moueth vs to beleeue the Scripture we assigne not a reason by the cause of this our beliefe which is diuine reuelation but by a conditon infallibly guiding vs as is aforesaide The objects also of these two reasons yeelded of our beliefe are diuers For the object of the diuine reuelations contained in holy Scripture assigned as the reason of our beliefe of the Church are the verities or thinges themselues reuealed and beleeued but the object of the propounding or proposition of the Church requisite for our beliefe of Scripture are the reuelations themselues contained in the saide Scripture For by it we are taught that the Scripture containeth diuine reuelations and is the true word of God And thus much of the second opinion concerning the solution of the question propounded which in truth giueth vs a very good method how to answere the cauils our aduersaries and rather addeth something to the former then is otherwise different from it For the authors following this opinion to this that we beleeue or accept of Christian faith as true require also the aforesaide inducements or arguments of credibility but moreouer they assigne a diuine proofe or reason built vpon diuine authority which moueth vs to the saide act of beliefe For as I haue declared they affirme that the infallible authority of the Church which is the general propounder of al particuler articles of faith is knowne and proued by holy Scripture as by a diuine reuelation they adde also that the truth of holy Scripture is as certainly
knowne proued by the authority of the Church as by a diuine propounder Neither doe I imagine that the followers or maintainers of this opinion doe intend to affirme that in euery processe of beliefe touching any article it is necessarie that we resolue it lastly to the holy Scripture for I thinke that notwithstanding that which hath beene said if we be asked why we beleeue the whole summe of Christian doctrine or any point thereof we may wel answere because it is reuealed by God And if further we be demaunded how infallibly and diuinely we knowe it to be so reuealed we may answere because it is propounded by the Church Neuerthelesse the first opinion of it selfe is sufficient although this may seeme more exact especially in Schooles Neither doe I or any Catholike affirme the knowledge of these pointes to be neccessary to euery faithful Christian for it is sufficient that they beleeue al such things as are propounded by the Church because they are reueled by God which is done by the helpe of supernatural faith Nay I doe not think it is needful that they expresly knowe this infallible authority of the Church as propounder of such verities or al such prudential motiues as are before mentioned But I deeme it sufficient that they beleeue such reuealed verities as they are bound to knowe expresly and others virtually moued thereunto by the authority of their predecessors or the asseueration of other faithful people for this is sufficieint in them either for the obtaining or preseruing the gift of supernatural faith Let vs now see in few words what solutions may be giuen to the objection made in the beginning of this Section First therfore according to the doctrine of the first opinion touching the last resolution of our faith I answere that in very deed the canonical Scriptures and their true sense are knowne by the infallible authority of the Church as by the propounder of such particuler matters belonging to our faith and religion as we are bound to beleeue Neuerthelesse it is lawful to proue the authority of the Church out of holy Scripture against such aduersaries of the truth as admit the said authority of holy Scripture but deny the authority of the Church So did S. Augustine against the Manichees Aug. cont epist Mā quā vocāt Fundam ca. 4. et 5. Id. de vnitate Eccle. cap. 19. et tract 13. in Ioānem Field book 4. cap. 7. § There is no questiō who approued the authority of miracles and denied the authority of Scriptures proue by miracles the Church and by the Church the Scriptures Contrariwise against the Donatists who allowed the Scriptures and boasting of their visions rejected miracles by Scriptures he proued the Church and by the Church the truth of miracles but that this manner of proceeding is lawful it is granted by Field therfore I need say no more Secondly I answere according to the other opinion that the canonical Scriptures and their true interpretation are infallibly proued knowne by the authority of the Church as by a condition necessarie propōuding them vnto vs but the authority of the Church is proued knowne to be infallible by the testimony of holy Scriptures as by diuine reuelations approuing the said authority And to affirme this as I haue shewed is no more absurd then to say that two causes may be causes of one another Neither doe I think this manner of proofe more to be blamed then the proofe of a cause by the effect and of the effect by the cause as of fire by smoke and of smoke by fire of the bignesse proportion of a mans foote by his steppe in dust or sand and of this againe by that Thus also the Philosophers proue a man reasonable because he is risible or hath power to laugh and againe demonstrate that he hath power to laugh because he is reasonable which kind of argumentation is not called circulation but a demonstratiue regresse Chapter 8. Concerning the second particuler ground of Catholike religion to wit Apostolike Traditions SECTION THE FIRST Of Apostolike Tradition in general THAT I may the better declare the authority and dignity of Apostolike vnwritten Traditions of which I am principallie to intreate in this chapter I thinke it not amisse to say a worde or two of Apostolike Tradition in general and although though I shal repeate some things which haue been already said yet I hope my reader wil pardon me seing that a just occasion of so doing is offered me I haue aboue affirmed Cap. 6. sect 2. that the whole summe or corps of Christian religion was deliuered by Christ to his Apostles not in writing but by word of mouth and that the principal meane for the entire preseruation of it in the Church without corruption or deprauation ordained by God almighty is the continual assistance and direction of the holy Ghost who alwaies remaineth in the Church and directeth her in al truth Of which I now gather that although neuer any scripture of the newe Testament had been written yet that the doctrine of Christ by Tradition had stil remained the selfe same entire and whole in the Church to the end of the world This is so manifest out of that vvhich hath been already said that it needeth no proofe in this place yet I wil repeate a word or two of that and adde a litle more to make it the more apparant I proue it therefore because our blessed Sauiour neuer penned the summe of his doctrine himselfe neither is it recorded that euer he comaunded any one of his Apostles or Disciples in expresse tearmes to write but only to preach and teach according to his owne and the holy Ghost instructions And hence it is that none of the said Apostles or Disciples wrote any parcel of the newe Testament presently after the ascension of Christ and consequently that the whole summe of Christian doctrine was published some time before any such scripture was penned and that the Church of Christ was some yeares without it S. Mathew the first Euangelist Euseb in Chronic. anno 41. published his Gospel as Eusebius recordeth some six yeres after our Sauiours ascension Hence also it proceeded that neuer any one of the Apostles or Disciples vndertooke the setting downe in writing of the whole sūme of Christian doctrine this is manifest because the three first Euangelists deliuered vnto vs very litle touching the diuinity of Christ one of the chiefe and highest misteries of Christian religion Neither had the fourth which was S. Iohn the Apostle any intention to set downe al that the other three had omitted for he wrote his Gospel directly against certaine Heretikes who denied the diuinity of Christ and that not by the commandement of Christ but by the intreaty of the bishops of Asia as a Atha in sinopsi S. Athanasius S. Hipolitus bishop and martir b Epipha haeres 51. S. Epiphanius and c Hieron praefat in Mat. et
in li. de scriptor Eccl. in Ioan. S. Hierome testifie And that al is not by him recorded it is manifest because those speeches which our Sauiour had with his Apostles during the fourty daies betweene his resurection and ascension are almost altogether omitted Neither did he write this Gospel at the beginning of the Church but many yeares after to wit about threescore and six yeares after our Sauiours ascension And like as S. Iohn so did the rest of the Apostles and Disciples leaue vnto vs such parcels of scripture as vve haue receiued from them some extraordinary occasions mouing them thereunto as I could easily declare and proue See Euse hist li. 3. Chrisost hom 1. in Mat. Epipha haeres 51. Baronius to 1. au 45. et 58. out of Eusebius Saint Hierome and others I know that * Field booke 4. cap. 20. § For first Field maketh shewe as though it were a plaine matter that the Euangelists in their Gospels S. Luke in the acts of the Apostles and S. Iohn in the Apocalipse Meant to deliuer a perfect summe of Christian doctrine and direction of Christian faith but vvhat reason he bringeth for it of any moment I cannot see And besides it is certaine that no one of them intended to set downe al because no one of them hath so done wherfore if they haue set downe al as he affirmeth either it hath proceeded from some common deliberation or consultation had among themselues in which they determined what euery one should rehearse or else from the disposition and direction of the holy Ghost who inspired them to write Not the first because no man euer made mention of such a deliberation or consultation and moreouer they wrote vpon diuers occasions in diuers Countries and at diuers times as Ecclesiastical histories testifie Not the second because Field himselfe graunteth that something is vvanting in these bookes which the Church beleeueth which would not haue beene if the holy Ghost had intended that al should haue beene set downe for he addeth that The epistles of the Apostles were occasionallie written yet so saith he as by the prouidence of God al such thinges as the Church beleeueth not being found in the other parts scripture purposedly written are most clearly and at large deliuered in these epistles Marke wel gentle reader this doctrine he told vs before that the Apostles and Euangelists in the Gospels acts of the Apostles and the Apocalipse meant to deliuer a perfect summe of Christian doctrine direction of Christian faith nowe he telleth vs that the Church beleeueth some things which are deliuered in the Apostolical epistles not being found in the other parts of scripture purposedly written Of which I inferre both that the holy Ghost intended not that the penners of the Gospels of the actes of the Apostles and the Apocalipse should deliuer a perfect summe of Christian doctrine and also that he thinketh the writers of these books to haue missed of their intended purpose verily this last pointe seemeth to me no very sound doctrine And besides how wil M. Field proue that the Apostles in their epistles supplied al this want especially seing that the Apostles and Euangelists in the other books although intending to write al yet in his opinion omitted something and the authours of the epistles intended no such matter but vvrote them as he saith occasionally wherefore there is farre greater likelihood that these omitted something then they Further one Apostolical epistle at the least to the Laodicians hath perished Coloss 4.16 see 1. Cor. 5 9. Chrisost hom 9. in Math. et homil 7. in 1. Cor. of which is mention in the epistle of S. Paul to the Colossians And who can absolutely say that nothing necessary was contained in it which is not in any other part of the newe Testament Finally Field himselfe confesseth some vnwritten Traditions as I will declare in the next Section What then did the Apostles and Disciples expresly set downe in those their monuments which are contained in the newe Testament a part only without al doubt of the whole summe of Christian beliefe in which part they ratified and confirmed the supreame and infallible authority of the Church of whome the rest was to be learned and to whose custody they committed their said monuments so that the whole summe or depositum hath beene kept and preserued in the Church not al only in expres termes in the holy scripture but the whole by Tradition a part of that whole also by writing another part by only Tradition by which likewise the said scripture it selfe came to our hands And after this sort the whole corps of Christian religion without any alteration descended vnto vs. This may be proued by that which hath been already said concerning the true sense exposition of holy scripture Chap. 7. sect 5. for as I haue shewed the scripture ought to be interpreted according to the Analogie or rule of faith that is to say according to that beliefe which the Church by Tradition hath receiued from Christ and his Apostles wherefore the letter of the holy scripture is not the whole direction of the faith of the Church but the faith of the Church the perfect and ful direction of the said letter of holy scripture of which it followeth that the faith of the holy Church might haue remained sound and entire by Tradition although no such letter had beene published But let vs confirme this by the testimony of the ancient Fathers Irenae lib. 3. cap. 4. Among the rest S. Irenaeus discourseth thus What saith he if neither the Apostles had left vs scriptures ought we not to follow the order of Tradition which they deliuered vnto those whome they committed Churches vnto which order many barbarous nations beleeuing in Christ assent without letter or incke that is without any written word of God hauing saluation written in their hearts by the holy Ghost and diligently keeping the ancient Tradition Hitherto S. Irenaeus And note wel that he affirmeth some to haue beene Christians without any scripture guided only by the Tradition of the Church He telleth vs moreouer that by this order of Tradition from the Apostles al Heretikes are conuinced in such sort that Catholiks shut vp their eares assoone as they heare them vtter any thing repugnant to the said order Finally he addeth that al that are desirous to heare the truth may see in the Church the Tradition of the Apostles made manifest through the whole world And we can number those saith he who are instituted Bishops in Churches by the Apostles and their successors euen vnto vs who taught no such thing as these men Heretikes dreame of Thus farre S. Irenaeus Tertul. de praescrip cap. 19. 20. 21 who suffered martirdome in the yeare of our Lord 205. Tertullian also affirmeth that by this rule of Tradition or prescription of Catholike doctrine Heretikes are to be conuinced And hence it proceedeth that the Apostle vvith
such vehemencie accuseth him that preacheth other doctrine then that which was before receiued in the Church Gal. 1 9. If any man saith he euangelize to you besides that which you haue receiued be he Anathema or cursed to vvhich sentence alludeth Vincentius Lirinensis in these wordes Vincent Lir. c. 14. To preach vnto Christian Catholikes other doctrine then that which they haue already receiued no where is lawful and neuer shal be lawful and to accurse as Heretikes those which preach other doctrine then that which before hath beene accepted it was neuer vnlawful it is in no place vnlawful and neuer wil be vnlawful Hitherto Vincentius Lirinensis Contrariwise for keeping vndefiled this rule or Tradition the same Apostle highly commendeth the Corinthians saying 1. Corin. 11 2. I praise you brethren that in al things you be mindful of me and as I haue deliuered vnto you you keepe my precepts or according to the Greeke vvord my Traditions And because the Church and aboue al others the Romans most carefully kept these Traditions Iren. lib. 3. cap. 4. S. Irenaeus called it the rich treasure-house of Apostolike Traditions wherefore vvhosoeuer is desirous to discerne a true Christian from a faithles Heretike must behold the doctrine of them both and pronounce him to be the true disciple of Christ who by succession and Tradition hath receiued his beliefe from him and his Apostles For like as a nobleman or gentleman of antiquity is knowne by his pedigree so a true Christian is knowne by the succession and descent of his Prelates and faith from them that first receiued it from our Lord. Neither doth this our doctrine any waies diminish the authority of holy scripture for this notvvithstanding we affirme that the wonderful prouidence of almighty God most wisely ordained that the scriptures of the newe Testament should be written that he moued the penners thereof thereunto and directed them by his diuine inspiration and this both for the cōfirmation and preseruation of the faith Tradition of the Church and also that the said Tradition might with more ease come to euery ones knowledg and that euery one by such monuments might learne to discerne the true Church of vvhich he vvas to be instructed concerning al matters of faith and religion But of our estimation of the holie scripture see more aboue Chap. 7. SECTION THE SECOND Of vnwritten Traditions in particular THis discourse beeing premised concerning the Traditions of the Church in general I come nowe to discourse of that part of the said Traditions vvhich are concerning matters of vvhich there is no expresse mention in the word of God and therefore are called vnwritten Traditions And first that both such Traditions are found in the Church and that the vvhole summe of Christian doctrine is not expresly contained in the vvritten vvord of God I haue already declared Section 1. because none of the Apostles or Disciples euer intended to set downe in any parcel of scripture the said whole summe of Christian doctrine and also proued it out of those words of S. Luke in the Actes of the Apostles in which he telleth vs Acts 1 verse 3. that Christ after his Passion shewed himselfe aliue in many argumentes for forty daies appearing to his Apostles and speaking of the kingdome of God For by this relation it seemeth euident that our Sauiour during the time betweene his resurrection and ascention gaue to his Apostles diuers instructions which are not set downe in particuler in any parte of the newe Testament for no Apostle or Euangelist relateth in particular these discourses of Christ And they vvere without al doubt concerning the sacraments their administration the gouernment of the Church and other such like affaires belonging to Christian religion which for the most part the Apostles left to their successors only by word of mouth and secret Tradition This in plaine termes is auouched by a Epiph. haeres 61. Apostolico rum S. Epiphanius whose words be these We must vse Tradition for the scripture hath not al things And therefore the Apostles deliuered certaine thinges in writing certaine by Tradition The same truth is affirmed by b Basil de spiri sācto cap. 27. S. Basil and the rest of the Fathers yea this we are taught by the Apostle himselfe who in his epistle to the Thessalonians not only commendeth most earnestly to the Church written Traditions but also vnwritten c 2. Thess 2 15. Brethren saith he stand and hold the Traditions which you haue learned whether it be by word or by our epistle Out of which place it is euident that some Traditions by the Apostle were deliuered to the Thessalonians by word And that here he speaketh of such Traditions as we treat of we are taught by al the ancient Fathers Among the rest S. Iohn Chrisostome gathereth out of them this conclusion Hence it is manifest saith he that they videlicet the Apostles deliuered not al thinges by Epistle but many thinges also vnwritten and those thinges likewise are to be beleeued d Chrisost hom 4. in 2. Thessa It is a Tradition seeke thou no further thus S. Chrisostome But that the Fathers admit vnwritten Traditions it is graunted by e Whitak de sacra scrip pag. 678. 668. 681. 683. 685. 690. 695. 696. 670. Whitaker f Rain in his conclusions ānexed to his conferēce 1. conclu pag. 689. Rainolds g Cart. in Whitg defēce p. 103 Cartwrite h Kemnis in exam part 1. pa. 87 89. 90 Kemnisius i Fulk against pur pag. 362. 303. 397. Against Marshal pag. 170. 178. Against Brist motiues pag. 35. 36. Fulke and other Protestants wherefore I neede not alleage any more of their testimonies And this is the reason wherefore we haue no precept in the newe Testament to beleeue or obserue those thinges only which are expresly contained in the said volume Neither doe we finde that euer the Apostles or their followers commended and deliuered to any Church or people the said newe Testament as a booke comprehending in expresse termes the whole summe of Christian doctrine Nay it is certaine that for diuers yeares before the said booke was written the Apostles deliuered al by Tradition and word of mouth Further that the estimation of vnwritten Traditions hath euer beene exceeding great in the Church it appeareth not only by this that diuers of the ancient Fathers as I haue shewed in the * Section 1. chapter next before by Tradition haue proued what scripture is Canonical and pleaded the authority of them against diuers heresies but also by this that diuers heresies haue been by the testimony of them only condemned ouerthrowne In the first general Councel of Nice as a Sozom. lib. 1. cap. 16. et 18. Sozomenus reporteth the Fathers especially endeauoured that nothing should be decreed but that vvhich they had receiued by Tradition from their forefathers S. Ciprian with most of the Bishops of Affrica
as a rule of her faith For a third Tradition he acknowledgeth That forme of Christian doctrine and explication of the seueral parts thereof which the first Christians receiuing from the same Apostles that deliuered to them the scriptures commended to posterities Vnto which I adde that which he hath in the fourteenth chapter of the same booke that without the Creed of the Apostles named here in the second place we cannot knowe the scripture to be of God that without the forme of Christian doctrine which is his third Tradition and the Analogie of faith we haue no forme of Christian doctrine by the direction whereof to judge of particular doubts and questions Yea in another place of the said forme of Christian doctrine he hath these wordes Ibidem cap. 19. We confesse that neither conference of places nor consideration of the antedentia consequentia nor looking into the originals are of any force in the interpretation of scripture vnlesse we finde the thinges which we conceiue to be vnderstood and meant in the places interpreted to be consonant to the rule of faith This is M. Fields doctrine Out of vvhich I inferre contrarie to his owne assertions that according to his owne groundes Tradition is the very foundation of his faith And this is euident For doth it not follow of this that we receiue the number names of the authors and the integritie of bookes diuine by Tradition that without Tradition we cannot knowe such diuine bookes and moreouer that if Tradition may be false that we also concerning such bookes may be deceiued Can it likewise be denied if it be so that vvithout the knoweledge of the creed we cannot know the scripture to be of God the creed also be an Apostolike Tradition that without an Apostolike Tradition vve cannot knowe the scriptures Moreouer although that should be admitted as true which he auoucheth and hardly agreeth with this to wit Chap. 20. § Much contētion See more of this matter part 2. chapter 5. sect 1. and chapter 8. section 4. that The scriptures winne credit of themselues and yeeld satisfaction to al men of their diuine truth which in very deed is false yet seing that the true interpretation of them cannot be knowne as Field saith without the knowledge of this rule of faith it followeth also apparantly that this rule must first infallibly be knowne by Tradition before that we can certainly gather any article of beliefe out of scripture Neither are these things only granted by Field but moreouer he confesseth the baptisme of Infants to be a Tradition and addeth * Field booke 4. chap. 20. § the fourth That it is not expresly deliuered in scripture that the Apostles did baptize Infants and that there is not any expres precept there found that they should so doe And yet I hope that M. Field wil grant that it is a matter of faith that Infants are to be baptized lest that he be censured to be an Anabaptist which if he doe he must needs confesse that some matters of faith are deliuered vnto vs by Tradition And whereas he saith This is not receiued by bare and naked Tradition but that we find the scripture to deliuer vnto vs the grounds of it It is verie certaine that the scripture is so obscure touching this point August de Genes ad litteram l. 10. c. 23 that S. Augustine affirmeth that this custome of the Church in baptizing Infants were not at al to be beleeued were it not an Apostolike Tradition And this obscurity of Scripture is much increased if vvee confesse vvith our aduersaries that Infants may be saued vvithout Baptisme Chap. 20. But they But he doth object against vs that we proue many thinges which vve wil haue to be Apostolical Traditions by the testimony of holy scripture I cannot deny it yet I say it is one thing probably to deduce an article of faith out of the scripture another thing to be expresly and plainely contained in it We only by probable conjectures proue some Traditions out of holy scripture especially against Heretikes which deny Traditions and approue the scripture Neuerthelesse by supernatural faith vve beleeue them because they are such Traditions Booke 4. cap. 20. § For this That vvhich he saith that vve make Traditions Ecclesiastical equal with the vvritten vvord of God is one of his ordinary vntruthes Besides this it is also generally vrged against vs by our aduersaries that diuers such thinges as are affirmed by vs to be Apostolike Traditions are institutions of men and they name the time vvhen such things were instituted and the author that commanded them to be obserued I answere that although touching certaine obseruations and ceremonies vvhich vve affirme to be Apostolike there be some decrees of Councels and Popes yet that the said Councels or Popes instituted not such obseruations and ceremonies but either ratified and confirmed them by their decrees or else caused them to be obserued vniuersally whereas before the vse of them was not general or finally prescribed to al faithful people a certaine and vniforme manner of obseruing them whereas before although the obseruation of them was general yet they were not generally obserued after the same manner in al places The truth of this answere appeareth by this that vve can proue by sufficient testimonies such obseruations and ceremonies to be more ancient then our aduersaries vvil haue their institution I adde also that al the definitions and decrees of Councels and Popes concerning matters of faith are but more perspicuous explications of that rule of faith which by Tardition hath descended from the Apostles as I wil declare in the next chapter wherefore it is no absurdity to affirme the like of such constitutions concerning some obseruations and ceremonies for that some haue beene instituted and ordained by the Church we confesse Neither hath she in this exceeded her authoritie because Christ hath giuen her such power to the end that al thinges might be done vniformallie vvith decencie and as the Apostle saith according to order 1. Corint 14 40. And that she hath such Apostilike authority it is confessed by most English Protestants * see chap. 6. before section 4. pag. 50. as I haue aboue declared Chapter 9. Of general Councels which make the third particuler ground of Catholike religion IN the next place I affirme that euery man may securely build his faith and religion vpon the decrees of a lawful and authentical general Councel concerning that or those matters which the Councel intendeth to define One principal reason conuincing the truth of this may be gathered out of that which hath beene already said of the infallible authority of the Church for I haue proued before not only that it vvas necessary for the preseruation of peace and vnity that Christ should ordaine in his Church some visible supreame and infallible meane to decide controuersies touching matters of religion but also that this prerogatiue was bestowed by
things which were determined out of the scriptures in the Councel at Nice at Ephesus Constantinople Chalcedon adde also the fift and sixt by the godlie Fathers against Arius Samosatenus Apollinaris Nestorius Eutiches the Monotholites Whosoeuer therefore teacheth concerning Christs person against the determinations of those Councels certainelie they doe not rightly hold this principal foundation of Christian religion These are the discourses of Zauchius The like he hath in another place Zauchius in his obseruations vpon his confession vpon the 25. chap. pag. 330 where he expresly saith that The decrees of such Councels come from the holy Ghost and that he cannot disproue them with a good conscience Further if we weaken the authority of such Councels we must needs also make weake the authority of some books of holy scripture as of the a See part 1. chap. 7. sect 1. part 2. chap. 5. sect 2. epistle to the Hebrewes the Apocalipse and other such parcels of the written word of God of which there was some doubt in the Church whether they were Canonical or no vntil the matter was defined by general Councel Finally let vs confirme al that I haue here said by the testimony of b Hooker in the preface to his book of ecclesiastical policy pa. 24. 25. 26. 27. Hooker whom our English sectaries commonly esteeme as highly as any other He then first telleth vs that there are but two certaine waies of peaceable conclusion the one a sentence of judicial decision giuen among our selues the other the like kinde of sentence giuen by a more vniuersal authority and he meaneth by Councels The former of which two waies saith he God in the law prescribeth and his spirit it was which directed the very first Christian Churches to vse the second This he proueth by the proceedings of the Church touching the controuersie about the necessity of circumcision mentioned in the c Act. 15. Acts of the Apostles vvhich after great contention vvas ended by a Councel and he demaundeth of the Puritans whether they are able to alleage any just cause wherefore they should not condescend absolutely in the matter controuersed to haue their judgements ouer-ruled by some such definitiue sentence whether it fal out with them or against them that so saith he these tedious contentions may cease He addeth that without some definitiue sentence it is almost impossible that either confusion should be avoided or hope be had to attaine to peace Againe To smal purpose had the Councel of Hierusalem beene assembled if once their determination being set downe men might afterwards haue defended their former opinions when therefore they had giuen their definitiue sentence al controuersies was at end thinges were disputed before they came to be determined men afterwards were not to dispute any longer but to obey the sentence of judgement finished their strife which their disputers before judgement could not doe This was ground sufficiēt for any reasonable mans conscience to build the duty of obedience vpon whatsoeuer his owne opinion were as touching the matter before in question So ful of wilfulnes selfe-liking is our nature that without some defititiue sentence which being giuen may stand and a necessity of silence on both sides afterwards imposed smal hope there is that strifes thus farre prosecuted wil in short time quietly end thus he And to make this his discourse the stronger he likewise alleageth the authority of Beza Beza praefat tract de excom et presbit who saith he in his last booke saue one written about these matters professeth himselfe to be nowe weary of such combats and encounters whether by word or writing in asmuch as he findeth that controuersies thereby are made brawles and therefore he wisheth that in some common lawful assembly of Churches al these strifes may at once be decided Hitherto Hooker To the same effect he might also Luther li. cōt Zuīg et Oecolā haue alleaged the testimonie of Luther vvho considering the wonderful multitude of dissentions about religion among his sectaries themselues auouched that for the ending of them if the world long indure he saw no other meanes but that they should be forced to haue recourse to general Councels I could alleage the like sentences out of Couel Couel in his defēce of Hooker See before chap. 6. section 4. 50. 51. who wisheth that some general Councel might be assembled for the final end of al controuersies And hither also tend the discourses of those Protestants who as I haue aboue related make the constitutions of the Church diuine But it may perhaps be answered by some man to these testimonies of our aduersaries that notwithstanding al these their assertions they make general Councels absolutely subject to errour I answere and confesse that in very deede they doe so yet I affirme that any wise and discreete man may wel gather out of their sayinges alleaged not only that general Councels are needful in the Church and that al their deuision and dissention proceedeth of their denial of the authority of such Councels But also that it was requisite and necessary that Christ who is neuer wanting to his Church in thinges needful should make the authority of general Councels concerning matters of faith infallible For otherwise if they were subject to errour what reason hath man to obey them in matters of such consequence especially considering that diuers such assemblies vnlaweful consisting of a greater multitude of Bishoppes then some lawful general Councels haue erred and straied from the truth Finally they confesse that the first such Councels assembled in the first ages of Christianity erred not And thus much for the proofe of this matter It may perhaps be here further demaunded what conditions we require to a lawful and authentical general Councel I answere briefly first that such a Councel must either be called expresly by the ministerial head of the Church or at the least with his assent Secōdly the summon must be general of al Bishops throughout the world Thirdly although it be not needeful that al be personallie and reallie present yet a competent number must appeare that is to say some at the least out of the greater part of Christian Catholike prouinces yet if it be assembled in the East a smal number of the West sent to supply the place of al the rest are judged to suffice Contrariwise if in the West a smal number in such sort is sufficient out of the East Fourthly the ministerial head or vicegerent of Christ must either be present in person or by his Legates And finally the decrees of the said Councel must be by him confirmed and this both because the head is chiefe ruler of the body and consequently the body is to doe nothing without the assent of the head and also because he hath singuler priuileges granted him by Christ of not erring as shal be declared in the next chapter Hence it proceedeth that no general Councel hath euer in the Church beene held
because vve confesse that the Pope may sinne and erre in person vnderstanding and priuate doctrine and we defend only that his judicial sentence pronounced as he is Pope concerning matters of faith and precepts of manners cannot be false or erronious And this is euident first by the testimony of Christ himselfe who vnto S. Peter the Apostle vsed these words Simon Simon Luke 22. v. 31.32 behold Satan required to haue you to sift as wheate but I haue praied for thee that thy faith faile not and thou once conuerted confirme thy brethren Marke vvel those words Satan hath required to haue you but I haue praied for thee which argue a singuler priuiledge in S. Peter of not erring in faith aboue the rest of the Apostles For sathan required to sift them al and our Lord praied for Peter only that his faith might not be ouerthrowne by anie subtil deceits open assaults or other practises of the diuel The like is insinuated by those words following And thou once conuerted confirme thy bretheren which both proue that the first part of the sentence was proper to S. Peter only I meane that his faith should not faile and also declare that the rest of the Apostles were by him to be confirmed and strengthened in their beliefe Hence proceedeth this sentence of S. Leo The danger was common to al the Apostles Leo serm 3. de assūp sua but our Lord took special care of Peter that the state of al the rest might be more sure if the head were inuincible God so disposing the aide of his grace that the assurance and strength which Christ gaue to Peter might redound by Peter to the rest of the Apostles Hitherto S. Leo. To signifie this priuiledg of S. Peter to vs our Sauiour chaunged as I haue before declared his name from Simon to Cephas or Peter both vvhich wordes signifie a rock Thou art Simon said he the sonne of Iona thou shalt be called Cephas which is interpreted Peter or a rock For howe wel doe these two sentences answere one another Thy faith shal not faile and Thou art a rock And vpon this rock afterwards he built his Church vvarranting it from euer being ouercome by the deuil or his ministers Mat. 16. verse 18. Iohn 21. v. 17.18 Ambrose in himnis August li. 1. retrac cap. 21. which he promised to doe as I haue aboue noted in these his wordes to this B. Apostle Thou art Peter or a rock and vpon this rock I wil build my Church and the gates of hel shal not preuaile against it and performed in those Feed my lambes feed my sheepe Hence by S. Ambrose as S. Augustine recordeth S. Peter is called the Rock of the Church that is the very strength and foundation of it next vnto Christ Neither did our Sauiour without just cause grant this extraordinary priuiledg vnto him for he as I haue also before shewed for the preseruation of vnity and better direction of his spouse vvas appointed by him Pastour of the whole Church sheepheard of his whole flock his chiefe vicar and ministerial head of his body Vnto his charge he committed both his sheep and lambs exempting no Christians from his jurisdiction wherefore it was necessary that he should be so directed concerning matters of faith and religion seing that the members are to obey the head and sheepe to followe and to be guided by their Shepheard that he should not drawe them into errors or propound vnto them any bad pasture of false doctrine Like as therefore God alwaies in the old lawe preserued the truth in the Chaire of Moises wherefore as I haue shewed before al men vvere bound vnder paine of death to obey the high Priest and our Sauiour said Math. 23. vers 2. vpon the Chaire of Moises haue sitten the scribes pharisies al things therefore whatsoeuer they shal say vnto you obserue ye and doe ye so acording to the assertion of S. Augustine God preserueth the truth of Christian religion in the See of Rome which is in the new Testament answerable to the Chaire of Moises although the Bishops of that citty vvere neuer so wicked men I adde also that this vvas necessary for the condemnation of heresies because although the sentence of a general Councel pronounced against any heresie cannot be erronious yet euery man wil graunt that such a Councel sometimes by reason of persecution or other accidents can not be assembled yea euery man must needes confesse that at no time such a Councel can be so soone gathered as it is necessary that an heresie springing vp should be condemned 2. Timoth. 2. ver 17. Hieron in cap. 5. ad Galatas For the Apostle very wel compareth heresie to a canker and S. Hierome both to a canker and also to a spark of fire a peece of leauen and a scabbed sheep and concludeth that like as a canker if we wil not haue it eate ouer al the bodie is presently to be killed and a spark of fire in a daungerous place forth-with to be put out and a pecce of leauen if we wil not haue the vvhole past leauened is to be taken away out of hand from the same and a scabbed sheep is forthwith to be remoued out of the flock lest that it infect the rest so an Heretike is presently so soone as he appeareth to be cut off from the body of the Church and to be cast out of Christs fold lest that by infection he corrupt others which as I haue said cannot be so soone effected by a general Councel as is expedient although the times be neuer so calme yea sometimes there is no meanes to assemble such a Councel And therefore not without cause God almighty hath warranted in such cases the Popes sentence from error that al his whole flock vnderstanding any newe doctrine to be condemned by his censure may presentlie both auoide it and the authours and followers of the same Finallie in a general Councel it selfe it is not onlie needeful that there be one supreame judge but also that the sentence of this judge at the least joined with the censure and approbation of a part of the Councel be of an infallible truth and of diuine authority The first part of this assertion is proued before and is euident because otherwise we must needs confesse that no certaine meane is ordained in the Church to end controuersies For the Prelates assembled in a Councel being diuided either part might refuse to stand to the others judgment The second also is euen as apparant because otherwise we haue no certaine rule whereby in such a diuision to know which part hath the truth We finde it true by experience that the greater part which neuerthelesse according to ordinary courses should be of greater authority then the lesser may erre for so it fel out in the false Sinod held at Ephesus about the yere of our Lord foure hundred forty and nine Wherefore if we should yeeld this preheminence
to the greater part that it must be obeied heresies and false doctrine might be established in a Councel without any meanes left vs to knowe when it doth erre and when it defineth a truth to which I likewise adde that it may fal out that both parts be equal And lastlie that we haue no warrant in holie scripture that the one part shal haue infallible directions by Gods spirit more then the other And seing that we haue the most manifest authority of the said scripture warranting vs that the successuor of S. Peter cannot erre neither reason nor scripture wil suffer vs to denie him this prerogatiue But like as I haue declared before the truth of the first part of this reason by the doctrine examples of forraine sectaries so I think it not amis in this place to shew the truth of the last by the positions and proceedinges of some neerer home There came to my handes of late a litle pamphlet bearing this title A Christian and modest offer of a most indifferent conference or disputation about the many and principal controuersies betwixt the Prelates Printed an 1660. and the late silenced and depriued ministers in England tendred by some of the said ministers to the Archbishoppes and Bishoppes and al their adherents At the end of this pamphlet among other objections which these Puritan ministers as making against this conference endeauour to solue this is one That they the said Puritans when they haue beene heard to oppose and answere what they can page 40. name no judge and wil not stand to any mans definitiue sentence but wil continue obstinate stil Vnto vvhich objection they plainly answere that they doe not think it lawful in any matter of religion to setle their consciences vpon the definitiue sentence of any person absolutely yea say they If both sides rest vnsatisfied page 41. and continue perswaded stil that the truth is on their side it were impious for either side in such a case to commit the absolute determination therof vnto the wil and pleasure of any man or men whatsoeuer They adde that it were vnjust for either side to require judges either incompetent or not indifferent And their reason is because as the prelates except they would wilfully betray their owne cause might justly refuse such to be judges as haue in any degree inclined more to the ministers then to them so may the ministers in like manner as justly refuse to stand to the judgement and determination of such as incline more to the Prelates then to them thus they How then wil they haue controuersies ended Surely they tel vs p. 40. 41. that in desiring as they doe before that the whole carriage of this intended conference may be published they make al the world to be judges therof that it should content any Christianly affected man that the ministers are content to offer their defence of these pointes to the view of al to scanne and to weigh them and so farre forth to judge thereof as if their reasons doe not satisfie them to giue them leaue to cendemne them of errour which wil be say they a judgment heauy enough to them if notwithstanding they shal stil persist in their former opinions pa. 41. 42. and that it is needles to name judges because his Majestie the ciuil Majestrates vnder him and the high court of Parliament though the ministers should appeale from them would in this case judge them and their cause whose judgment if it goe against the ministers and it appeare to be righteous the more they shal neglect the same and refuse to submit themselues vnto it the more grosse and refractarie they shal shew themselues to be c. This is the substance of their answere to the aforesaid objection And vvhat prudent man reading these thinges wil not first judge that this course is no sufficient meane to decide matters in question then that one supreame judge whose sentence is of infallible truth is necessary for the final ending of such contentions Who wil not likewise inferre that Christ who is not wanting to his Church in thinges necessarie hath ordained some such supreame judge And like as the Puritanes proceed after this sort so might either side of the Bishops if it should happen they should be diuided among them selues touching any point of religion But although these thinges be so yet we hold not the Bishop of Rome can rashly define what he please for he is bound to proceed maturely and to vse such inquisition arguments aduise of learned men and other meanes as are necessary for the finding out of the truth of the matter which he is to define Neither can he institute any sacrament or make any new article of faith vnknowne altogither to the Apostles or not deliuered by them to the Church as I haue said before of a general Councel Chap. 9. Only touching these points he hath power more plainly and expreslie to explicate to the faithful those verities which the said Apostles either knew or deliuered and to bring them as it were from darkenesse to light Some men perhaps wil admit that S. Peter had a prerogatiue of not erring in faith but wil deny that it was euer deriued to his successors This euasion is fullie aboue confuted yet here I adde further Chap. 6. sect 2. that this vvarrant from errour in faith was more necessarie after S. Peters departure out of the world in his successours then before in himselfe both because the chiefest planters and rulers of the Church the holie Apostles and Disciples were then likewise or soone after deceased and also because persecution daily increased and new heresies in greater abundance began to impugne the rule of faith receiued Moreouer our Sauiour building his Church vpon S. Peter built it especiallie vpon his faith not vpon his flesh as some of the auncient Fathers say neither so vpon his faith that he built it vpon faith separated from S. Peter or being in any other person but vpon faith as being in S. Peter the ministerial head of the Church Wherefore although the flesh of S. Peter be consumed yet seing that his office and dignity is in his successours his faith also through the warrant of Christ stil remaineth in them vvhich is the foundation of the Church and the firme rocke against which Hel-gates shal not preuaile And this may be confirmed because Christ vvhen he praied for the faith of S. Peter obtained and imparted this prerogatiue vnto him as his supreame vicar or by reason of his office Wherefore seing that the office continueth alwaies in the Church the priuiledg likewise must alwaies remaine in the same And this is the doctrine of the auncient Fathers and their exposition of the places of scripture alleaged Hence in the third general a Concil Ephes to 2. cap. 16. Councel the Bishop of Rome is called the ordinary successour and vicar of S. Peter prince of the Apostles And the like
define vvithout a general Councel so farre are vve from making al the Popes wordes diuine oracles as some Protestants falslie pretend but neuerthelesse they deeme this opinion to be erronious and most neere vnto heresie Neither doth this their assertion contradict that commonly auerred that the decrees of the Pope without a general Councel in the sense aboue mentioned are a rock or ground of faith for although the vvhole Church hath not yet authentically defined that the Pope after this sort cannot erre yet the scriptures and other arguments brought in this behalfe are so plaine and forcible and the consent of al learned pious men except some fewe is so consonant and strong for this point that euery man may wel admit his definitions as a ground of supernatural faith And so vve maie truly say both it is no matter of faith to acknoweledge or not acknowledge in this sort the infallibility of the Popes judgment in this sense that the whole Church hath not as yet defined either part to be a diuine truth and yet hold the infallibilitie of the Popes judgement to be a Rocke of faith in this sense that euerie man for the authorities and reasons alleaged may prudently build vpon it an act of supernatural faith And thus much of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome and his decrees I haue beene the longer in this discourse Vergerius dialago 1. contra Hosium because some Protestants affirme the denial of this supremacy or superiority to be not only the foundation of their newe religion but also a good part of the edifice built thereupon Chapter 11. Of the consent of the auncient Fathers and the general doctrine of the Catholike Church in al ages CONCERNING the testimonie of antiquitie touching matters of faith and religion found in the works of such ancient doctors as from the Apostles daies haue flourished through al ages in Christs church and haue been are esteemed by her as fathers masters of christian faith learned men giue vs these rules First those things which they say as it were by the way and treating of another thing are to be distinguished from such sentences as they pronounce of such matters as they purposlie handle for their sayings of the first kinde are of smal those of the other of greater authority Secondlie that vvhich is said by anie one of them but once is not so much to be credited as that which is often and constantlie repeated But principally we must make a difference between that which they say in disputation or contention with their aduersaries and that which is affirmed positiuelie as a true conclusion according to the argument of vvhich they treate for an authority of the first sort is litle to be esteemed of the latter greatlie Touching their assertions in general this is to be obserued First when the opinion of any father touching matters of faith is singuler and contradicted by al or most of the rest it is rather to be thought an errour then a truth Secondlie when one or two only affirme a thing of that subject and the rest make no mention of it their testimonies make a probable not a certaine argument Thirdly what doctrine soeuer concerning any point of Christian religion is commonly found in al the auncient Fathers workes where mention is of that point and is held by them as an article of the said religion and contradicted by none of the rest vvithout the note of singularity errour or heresie imposed vpon them by others such doctrine may wel be thought to pertaine to the rule of faith descending by Tradition from the Apostles and is to be embraced as an article of our beliefe The truth of this last rule vvhich toucheth most my purpose is gathered out of that which hath beene already said for I haue declared that neither the Church can erre nor the tradition of Christian faith in it preserued be ouerthrowne or altered but if we admit a possibility of error in al such Fathers workes touching matters of such consequence both of these assertions may be proued false For an errour in faith found in most of the Fathers without contradiction of any other argueth an error in al beleeuers not only of the ages in which those Father 's flourished but also in al times ensuing because that doctrine which is deliuered by most as an article of faith without any opposition of others may wel be demed to be the doctrine of al the faithful who oppose not themselues against it consequently of the whole Church Wherefore if that be proued erroneous of it we may inferre an error in al sorts of christians consequently a change of the rule of faith receiued by tradition Moreouer although we should set aside the warrant of the Church and tradition from errour who wil think it possible that the Fathers should after this sort depart from the truth and conspire in errour without any or at the least without any great contradiction Is not nouelty commonly discouered and oppugned And of this I gather that their agrement semeth an infallible argument of the truth of their doctrine yea that they al held sincerelie the tradition deliuered them by their predecessors And this moued the holie fathers assembled in general Councels as appeareth by the acts of the said councels to make great search into the works of their forefathers and of the ancient doctors as also to vse them as a principal meane to finde out the rule of faith by the said tradition preserued in the church Finally by their testimonies to direct very much their definitions and decrees in particuler S. Athanasius recordeth Athanas epist ad Afros that the Bishoppes who were present in the first Councel of Nice followed the testimonies of the ancient Fathers and that the same was done in those of Ephesus and Chalcedon the bishops themselues assembled also testify who affirme in their definitions yet extant that in them they follow the holy Fathers Ephes 4. v. 11. c. Further we are taught by the Apostle that Christ gaue some Apostles I vse S. Paules vvords and some Prophets and other some Euangelistes and other some Pastors and Doctors to the consummation of the Saints vnto the worke of the ministry vnto the edifying of the body of Christ vntil we meete al into the vnity of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of God into a perfect man into the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ that nowe we be not children wauering and caried about with euerie winde of doctrine in the wickednesse of men in craftines to the circumuention of errour Hitherto the Apostle In vvhich his discourse in plaine tearmes he telleth vs that Christ appointed Apostles and other such like officers in his Church vntil the day of judgement for the instruction of his people and to keepe them from wauering in faith and errours in religion Of which I inferre that not only the Apostles Prophets Euangelists Pastours and
Doctors who planted ruled and instructed the Church presently after Christs Ascention are to beleeued and obeied but also that the like credit is to be giuen to their successors who in al ages following haue supplied and shal euer vntil the day of judgment supply their places and consequently that they also haue beene and are directed in al truth otherwise they might haue wauered and erred themselues and so haue drawne the vvhole Church to such inconueniences Seing therefore that the fathers of the Church in their ages haue supplied such places it must needs followe that they haue enjoyed the like priuiledges and prerogatiues Moreouer the Iewes were bound to heare and obey the Scribes Pharisees of the old law as we are taught by these wordes of Christ Math. 23. v. 2. 3. Vpon the chaire of Moises haue sitten the Scribes and Pharisees al things therefore whatsoeuer they shal say to you obserue ye and doe ye Who then wil be so impudent as to say that Christians are not bound to heare and obey the prelates of the Church Luke 10. see also Math. 10. Ioh. 13. Iren. li. 4. cap. 4. especially seing that of them Christ hath said He that heareth you heareth me and he that despiseth you despiseth me which wordes argue as great truth in their doctrine as there is in the doctrine of Christ who is truth it selfe Hence S. Irenaeus telleth vs that we ought to obey those who haue succession from the Apostles who together with the succession of their Bishopriks haue receiued the gifts or priuiledges of truth And although these sentences are principallie verified in the prelates of the Church assembled in a general Councel yet they must needs also be confessed true in the whole body of them in al ages dispersed through the vvhole world and in euerie one of them vvhen he teacheth and deliuereth vs the doctrine of the vniuersal Church Finally the ancient Fathers are most pregnant and faithful witnesses of that Depositum or summe of Chistian doctrine which they receiued from their predecessors and deliuered to their successours They are also most indifferent judges of al controuersies after their daies arising in the Church because they liued before euer any such controuersie was moued and therefore are partial of no side Aug. cont Iulianuni li. 2. c. 10. Hence are these vvords of S. Augustine to the Pelagians concerning this matter They he speaketh of the Fathers that liued before him were angry neither with you nor with vs they fauoured neither you nor vs That which they found in the Church they held fast that which they learned they taught that which they receiued of their Fathers they deliuered to their children Hitherto S. Augustine This moued the same holie Father and diuers others to appeale so often to the judgment of their predecessours and to cite their testimonies And these arguments in like manner proue that the truth of faith and religion alwaies and in al ages remaineth among the true Bishops and Pastors of the Church and consequentlie that at al times euen at this present a man may securelie followe their beliefe and doctrine This I say the authorities alleaged testifie for the Church must neuer erre her prelates are alwaies to stay vs from wauering in faith c. 1. Cor. 11. verse 16. August epist 118. cap. 5. Idē epist 86. ad Casulā And it is moreouer insinuated vnto vs by the Apostle in these words But if a man seeme contentious we haue no such custome nor the Church of God for as we see in them he pleadeth the custome of the Church against the contentious And this moued S. Augustine to tearme it most insolent madnes to dispute against that which the whole church holdeth he telleth vs also that the custom of the people of God or the ordināces of our ancestors are to be held as a law in those things in which the diuine scripture prescribeth nothing certaine S. Hierome is of the same opinion for in his dialogue against the Luciferians he bringeth in the Heretike affirming that the consent of the whole world hath the force of a lawe although it be in a matter not to be proued by scripture Epiphani haeres 75. and maketh the Catholike assent to his assertion The like hath S. Epiphanius who disputing against Aerius in defence of certaine fasting-daies obserued in the Church vseth this argument The Church receiued them and the whole world in it consented before Aerius was and they which of him are called Aerians the same is affirmed by the rest of the Fathers In the last place for a ground of our faith I must adde such propositions as are deduced out of these most certaine grounds by an euident and infallible argument For although it is commonly held that in a sillogisme of one proposition of faith and another knowne onlie by the light of natural reason the conclusion is not properly of faith but Theological that is a conclusion in diuinity held most true yet certaine it is See Greg. de Valētia in secūda secūdae disput 1. qu. 1. pūcto 2. that a conclusion following in a silogisme of two propositions of faith is indirectly and as the diuines say immediatelie de fide or of faith as also that proposition is which is inferred by good and euident consequence of a proposition of faith because whosoeuer denieth the proposition inferred wil be constrained to deny the proposition or propositions of which it is inferred But concerning such propositions the vnlearned if occasion be offered must craue instructions of the learned Chapter 12. Containing the conclusion of the first part THESE be the immoueable and most firme grounds which we finde in the Church of Christ whereon vve build our faith and religion Vpon these sure foundations as vpon a firme rock euery Catholike buildeth his beliefe and saluation And although the articles deliuered vnto vs by the Church be not apparant to our senses nor for the most part comprehensible by reason yet in al such matters according to the saying of the Apostle We make our reason and vnderstanding captiue vnto the obedience of Christ 2. Corint 10. vers 5. 1. Corint 2. vers 5. and acknowledge with the same Apostle that our faith is not in the wisedome of men but in the power of God And therefore that in such misteries aboue reason we cannot shew our selues more reasonable then to leaue off reasoning Genes 18. vers 14. Luk. 1 37. Math. 19 26. Mat. 16 17. Verily we are taught by the scripture that nothing is hard much lesse impossible vnto God yea that al things are possible with him although with men impossible And if scripture had not taught vs this reason it selfe would easily perswade vs to assent vnto it because by nature he is omnipotent We know also that it is not flesh and bloud that hath reuealed such things vnto vs but God himselfe who being eternal wisdome truth can
in verie deed inwardlie prophane Atheists and that the said new religion is a very fountaine of Atheisme And in proofe of the first part of this assertion I need not vse manie words or long discourses for so it is that diuers principal professours and followers of this newe beliefe confesse and acknowledge a great number of such impious and irreligious persons Zauchius in his epistle before his confession pa. 7. to be in their congregations Of forraine sectaries Zauchius affirmeth that among other monsters Atheisme hath been fetched out of hel by the ministers of sathan in some of the reformed Churches Of our owne countrimen * Whitg ī his defence tract 3. cap. 6. pag. 278. See also Hooker ī his 5. book of ecclesiast policy § 2. Mornay ī his treatise of the proof of christian religiō Whitgift complaineth that the Church of England is replenished with Atheists The same complaints haue Hedio Powel Parks others as wil appeare by some of their sentences which I shal relate hereafter To come therefore to the second part seing that this impiety raigneth nowe more among our aduersaries then it hath done in former ages among Christians in vvhich such monsters vvere not so vsuallie found and commonlie seene it is like that it hath some roote and ofspring in these daies among them which appeared not in the religion of our forefathers and predecessours And vvhat is this roote surelie it is not one but diuers And for the first cause of this blasphemie I assigne their dissention and inconstancy concerning matters of faith and religion without any certaine ground vvhereon to build their beliefe or meane of ending and deciding such controuersies as arise That their doctrine is subject to these inconueniences it shal at larg be proued hereafter That such dissention inconstancie vvant of firme grounde and meane to end controuersies may truly be said to be roots fountaines of Atheisme it is apparant because of these things may wel be inferred an vncertainty of truth which is alwaies one and constant to her selfe and no diuine foundation of the religion professed or reuelations of the truthes preached because thinges proceeding from God whose wisedome and prouidence are infinite cannot be subject to such absurdities Hence diuers being first by the false calumnies vnjust slanders of their ring-leaders cleane auerted from our religion in which onlie a sure ground an immouable rocke of faith and a firme piller of truth are found then in their new profession being tossed hither and thither concerning the articles of their faith and finding no certaine authority whereon to rest or firme foundation whereon to build a firme and vndoubted resolution are brought finallie to this that they think al articles to be of an vncertaine truth and consequentlie imagine religion to be but a politicke inuention of man and so become Atheists S. Hillarie euen in his daies complained Hillar lib. ad Constantium Augustum that the Arian heretikes by these meanes of Christians made Atheists these are his words Perilous and miserable it is that there are now so many faiths as wils and so many doctrines as maners whiles either faiths are so written as we wil or as we wil are so vnderstood And wheras according to one God one Lord one baptisme there is also one faith they fal away from that which is the only faith and whiles no faiths are made they begin to come to this that there is none at al hitherto S. Hillarie But let vs heare certaine Protestants declare vnto vs the truth of that which hath beene here said touching this ofspring of this impiety in their congregations Relatiō of the state of religion vsed in the western parts of the world § 45. printed at London anno 1605. And first a Protestant relator of the state of religion vsed in the westerne parts of the world discourseth thus The diuision of Protestants into their factions of Lutherans and Caluinists threateneth a great ruine and calamity of both sides And soone after hauing shewed how the Lutheran preachers rage in their pulpets against the others he addeth The Romanes haue the Pope as a common father aduiser and conductor to them al to reconcile their jarres to appease their displeasures to decide their difference and finally to vnite their endeauors in one course c. to drawe their religious by consent of Councels to an vnity or likenes and conformity c. Whereas on the contrarie side the Protestants are as seuered bands or rather scattered troupes each drawing aduerse way without any meanes to pacifie their quarrels to take vp their controuersies without any bond to knit their forces or courses in one No Prince with any preheminence of jurisdiction aboue the rest no Patriark one or more to haue a common superintendance or care ouer their Churches for correspondencie and vnity no ordinarie way to assemble a general Councel of their part the onlie hope remaining euer to asswage their contentions and the onlie desire of the wisest and best mindes among them Euerie church almost of theirs hath his seueral forme and frame of gouernment his seueral liturgie and fashion of seruice and lastlie some seueral opinion from the rest which though in themselues they be matters of no great moment being no differences essential or any part capital yet haue they beene are and wil be as long as they continue causes of dislike of jelosies of quarrels and daunger These contentions tend mainely to the encrease of Atheisme within of Mahometisme abroade hitherto are the Relators wordes But before him Bullenger a principal doctor among the Sacramentaries noted the same effect of these contentions euen in the beginning of this newe religion Bullenger in Firmamento firmo contra Brentiū ca. 1. Maior ī orat de cofus dogmatum Hed. in epist ad Melanct. for he vvriteth that diuers in his daies were so moued with that vehement and implacable dissention between the Lutherans and Zuinglians concerning the Eucharist that as it were dispairing being cleane out of hope they said they would beleeue no more then they pleased Major in like sort a Lutheran of no lesse same confesseth that diuers were so moued with their scandals and dissentions that they doubted whether there were any true Church of God extant in the world or no. Vnto these I adde Hedio a third sectary who hauing complained that there are almost one hundred twenty and eight errours among the professors of the Gospel and that they fal to Atheisme neglect of religion affirmeth that they assigne their dissention to be the cause of these euils But concerning their Atheisme he also afterwardes vseth these vvordes The Popedome is rejected and names are not giuen to Christ The youth hath almost nothing of God And vvhat shal vve say of our Church of England hath not the dissention among Protestants and Puritanes brought men to the same passe Parkes in the epistle dedicatorie before his
Apologie of three testimonies of holie scripture c. Hillar l. aduersus Constantium Verilie Parkes a Protestant writer hauing discoursed of such contention here at home affirmeth that by it setled mindes are distracted the parts of the same bodie dismembred and religion it selfe brought to be a matter of meere dispute and altercation not without feare saith he that it befal vnto vs as it did to the builders of Babel or to the bretheren of Cadmus He hath also these wordes These contentions are no smal preparatiues to Atheisme in that we may now say as Hillarie said of his time that there are so many faiths as wil◠so many doctrins as maners of men whils either we write them as we list or vnderstand them as we please in so much that many are brought euen to their wits end not knowing what to doe Amidst al which miseries and mischiefs the Papists insult triumph to se those that professe themselues brethren to be at such deadly fewd among themselues thus Parks To the same effect writeth Powel who auoucheth that through this dissention together vvith other inconueniences from it flowing by him recited Many for want of knowledg are wrapped in ignorance doe not cal vppon God but fly God Many fal into an Epicurian contempt of religion and are oppressed with dispaire And thus much of the first roote of Atheisme among our aduersaries A second reason of the multitude of atheists among them I deem to be the liberty which they giue to euery person to examine sundry of the high misteries of Christian religion by the rule measure of their owne feble vnderstāding according to their owne fancies to frame interpretations of scripture For this liberty the principal Sectaries hauing taken to themselues they haue consequētly as Tertullian long since noted in Heretiks both by example and otherwise giuen the same to euery one of their followers Tert. de praescript c. 42. Caluin lib. 4. Instit cap. 17. § 20. For example Caluin telleth the defenders of the real presence that howsoeuer they cry out that they be touched with reuerence of the wordes of Christ whereby they doe not figuratiuely vnderstand those thinges that were plainely spoken yet that this is not a pretence rightful enough why they should so refuse al the reasons which they object to the contrary And what reasons bringeth he others against it Their common arguments are that the same body cannot be at the same instant in sundry places that so great a corporal body cannot be in so smal a roome that the accidents of bread and wine cannot be without a subject that it repugneth to the nature of a body to be wholy in al and wholy in euery part of the Host But vvho seeth not that by this manner of proceeding and arguing they giue occasion to Atheists to impugne the truth of the B. Trinity the presence of God in al places the incarnation of Christ the resurrection of our bodies the immortallity of our soules and other such like articles For like as they affirme the real presence to be impossible because the same bodie cannot be at the same instant in sundry places so may an Atheist argue that it repugneth that the selfe same nature without any distinction should be in three distinct persons or that the selfe same bodies beeing once corrupted should rise againe Nay it is certaine that some of our late aduersaries haue in very deede pleaded this argument of impossibility against the B. Trinity Moreouer Theodosius Schimberg epist praefixa scriptis Ioan. Sōmeri Thedorus Dorchius li. Germanico quo defē dit dogmata Francis Dauidis like as they impugne the real presence because so great a body cannot be in so smal a place nor the accidents of bread and wine vvithout a subject nor the body of Christ wholy in the whole and wholy in euery part of the Host c. So may an Atheist dispute against the incarnation that it is repugnant that two natures should be vnited in one person because no substance can be without a proper subsistence which is euen as natural vnto it as inherence is to an accident against the presence of God in euerie place and the spiritual nature of the soule because neither God can be wholie in the whole and wholie in euerie part of the vvorld as they may falslie imagine nor the soule of man wholie in the whole and wholie in euery part of his bodie And although these arguments in verie deed ouerthrowe not the truth of these misteries and articles of our beliefe yet are they euen as hard to answere as any of those which our aduersaries bring against the real presence Wherefore like as for the aforesaid reasons they reject the one as false so doe they giue occasion to Atheists for the like reasons to reject the others And vpon this ground of measuring al thinges by their feeble vnderstanding built those sectaries in Germanie Iacobus Curio in rebus chronolog anno 1566. p. 151 impress Basil vvho as Iacobus Curio a Protestant reporteth laughed Moises to scorne for giuing Adam and his progenie an age which exceedeth the measure and vvarrantize of nature and this is the next steppe to Atheisme And because the Sacramentaries much more then the Lutherans relie vpon natural reason in matters of faith hence perhaps it proceeded that Brentius a Lutheran whom Iewel calleth a most graue and learned man foretold Iewel in the defence of the Apol. part 4. c. 19.20 § 1. Brentius in recognit c. in fide et in Bullengeri Coron de anno 1564. that it would in short time come to passe that by the Zuinglians the heresie of Nestorius would be brought againe into the Church and nothing more would remaine of the articles of our religion but Paganisme Talmudisme or Iudaisme and Mahometisme would be brought into the Church Thirdlie sinne which nowe through these sectaries licentious doctrine aboundeth among them as I wil declare in my treatise of the notes of the Church bringeth them also to Atheisme for besides that continual carnal pleasures dul and darken the vnderstanding and make it vnapt to conceaue the articles of our faith custome and delight in sinne breed also a desire of sinning without restraint or scruple of conscience vvhich desire maketh them vnwilling to think of spiritual matters and moueth them to accept of any perswasions whatsoeuer be they neuer so absurd disprouing those articles of our faith which vsuallie moue men to feare of punishment due to sinful actions In the fourth place I adde their blasphemous doctrine against God by which they make him a tirant in commanding vs to doe things which are not in our power for they a That this is their doctrine I wil proue at large in my treatise of the definition notes of the Church hold his commaundementes to be impossible and damning vs euerlastinglie for not performing that vvhich he knoweth vs not able to doe They make him
likwise as I may say a diuel in being the cause of our sinne and wickednesse of which crime Caluin is accused by diuers b Heshusius l. cui titulus est Aliquot errores Caluini Petr. Vermelius a zuinglian in lib. 2. Reg. cap. 6. Grawerus in bello Ioānis Caluini et Iesu Christi prīted an 1605. et lib. qui inscribitur Absurda absurdorum absurdissima Caluinistica absurda prīted also an 1605 Protestants of great fame And this last assertion made one apprehended at Mets in Fraunce an Atheist as c Duraeus cōtra Whitak ī confut respō ad 10. ratio pag. 432. Duraeus recordeth vvho being brought before the Magistrats and demanded how he came to be of that blaspheamous opinion answered that he learned it out of Caluins Institutions For said he reading there that God is the authour of sinne I thought it better to denie that there is a God then to acknowledge a God so vvicked thus he And in verie deed d Basil in bomil Quod deus non est auctor malorum S. Basil telleth vs that it is the same madnesse to deny God and to make him the author of sinne An other of our aduersaries named e Historia Dauidis Georgij printed at Antwerpe anno 1560. published by the Protestants of Basil Dauid George affirmed himself to be Christ and oppugned our Sauiour and his Church with this argument If the doctrine of Christ said he and his Apostles had beene true and perfect certainelie the Church by them planted could not haue perished for Iesus said that hel gates should not preuaile against it But it is manifest and knowne to al men that the Church hath perished and that Antechrist hath nowe for manie ages raigned ouer the vvhole world vvherefore the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles vvas false and imperfect This he argued against his owne brethren the newe sectaries vvho affirme that the Church of Christ was ouerthrowne And although the same assertion brought not Sebastian Castalio a man much commended by some f Humfred de rat interpret lib. 1. pag. 62. 63. Zuingerus in Theatro Gesnerus and others Protestants so farre yet euery man may see by his owne writing that it made him very doubtful wauering and perplexed in faith in so much as he plainelie professed Sebastian Castalio ī his praeface of the great lat ī Bible dedicated to K. Edward the 6. that he could not see how the oracles or prophecies of the old Testament concerning the glorie and continuance of the Church haue beene hitherto fulfilled in the newe and in verie deed it is euident that they haue not beene verified if our religion be condemned as false SECTION THE SECOND Of our aduersaries doctrine concerning the immortallity of the soule heauen and hel BVT farre greater is the number of those among the newe Sectaries who deny the soule of man to be immortal And first Luther himselfe may not only be truly accused of laying a certaine foundation or ground of this damnable error but also if we take his vvordes as they sound to be a maintainer of the same for vvhereas it is commonly held by al Christians that the soule of man is created by almighty God vvhen the body in the mothers vvombe is apt to receiue it Luther fauoureth that erronious opinion of Tertullian very much and seemeth to approue it which defendeth the soule of man to haue his being from his Parents and consequently Luther in disput Theolo habita Wittenbergae āno 1545. Thessi 31. denieth it to be created of God his words are these They saith he who deemed the soule to be extraduce that is by generation produced seeme not altogether do haue dissented from scripture yea these wil more easily defend the propagation of original sinne then they who thinke otherwise vt nihil sit quod dicitur so that it is nothing vvhich is said the intellectual soule creando infunditur in the creation of it is infused et in fundendo creatur and in the infusion of it is created who proued this or who wil proue that the like may be said of euery other soule what difficulty can hinder God from producing the intellectual soule both of nothing and also of corrupt seede thus Luther Cētur 5. c. 4. Dress de partibus humani corporis c. cap. de origine animae And in this he is followed by the Century writers who note the denial of this in S. Augustine as an errour and of the same opinion is Dresserus also But what is this but to make no difference betweene the soule of man and the soules of brute beasts doth not Luther make the generation of al these alike nay what other thing is this but according to the common receiued opinion of philosophers to make the soule mortal Surely it is vsually held in schooles that whatsoeuer is produced by natural generation is mortal and corruptible And no doubt but if the generation of man and beast be graunted to be alike occasion is offered to infer also like corruption of them both Besides this hither tendeth the opinion of Luther touching the state of soules departed during the time betweene their departure out of this vvorld and the day of judgement for what happinesse or action doth he attribute vnto them before the general doome none certainly for he auoucheth that they sleepe and howe his wordes shal declare vvhich are these To. 4. Luth. ad c. 9. Ecclesi v. 5. et 10. Luth. enar in Genes c. 25. fol. 351. et in cap. 26. fol. 392. 393. Ibid. in cap. 49. vers 22. The dead sleepe and vnderstand nothing of our affaires c. they feele nothing they lie there dead neither numbering daies or yeares but being waked they shal seeme to themselues to haue slept but for a moment Againe The sleepe of the soule in the next life is more profound or sound then in this Moreouer The Saints are in peace and rest not in the kingdome they sleepe and knowe not what is done thus Luther And for the place vvhere the soules so sleepe he seemeth to assigne the graue for he addeth in another place It is a strang thing truly that God maketh vs like vnto beasts by sleeping waking eating for the soule of man sleepeth al the senses being buried and our bedde is as it were our graue in which neuerthelesse is nothing paineful or troblesome so the place of the dead hath no torments but as it is said they rest in peace in c. 25. Gen. He addeth in the same place that the sleepe of the soule is so pleasant without passion of desire that it hopeth feareth or feeleth nothing In another place aboue cited he doubteth whether the soules of the wicked goe presently after death to hel or else sleepe hitherto are Luthers wordes And by this assertion Sleidā lib. 9. Sleidan affirmeth him cleane to haue ouerthrowne our doctrine concerning praier to Saints and Purgatorie yea Caluī
deuised by the said author or done by the power of the deuil or by some natural causes wherfore may not then Atheists say that either it is a fable that e Iohn 11. Act. 9. Math. 9. v. 20. c. Christ raised Lazarus others or S. Peter Tabitha or that our sauiour cast out deuils or that a woman was healed of an issue of bloud by touching the hem of his garmēt or else that these things were done as the Iewes said by the power of Belzebub prīce of the deuils or by the application of some natural causes Surely he wil haue as litle regard of scriptures as they haue of the works of Sulpitius Seuerus and therefore if they grant it of the miracles of S. Martin and others he wil affirme it of al the rest although mentioned in the said scriptures In like sort f August lib. 22. de ciuit cap. 8. S. Augustine in his books de ciuitate Dei which no man wil denie to be of as great authoritie as any other of his vvorks g Sermo de diuersis 31. 32. 33. epist 103. and else where relateth diuers miracles vvrought by the reliques of S. Steeuen the first Martir as that by touching them a blinde vvoman receaued her sight that a Bishop by carying them in procession was cured of a fistula and that two by praying in the place where they were reserued were cured of a palsie And both S. Ambrose and S. Augustine doe the like Ambr. serm 5. de Sāct et l. 7 ep 53. 54. eau Romanae Aug. l. 9. confess c. et l. 22. de ciu c. 8 c. Lib. 4. or 2. Reg. cap. 13. Act. 19. v. 12. concerning the reliques of S. Geruasius and Protasius martirs as that a blind man was cured by touching of the beire or coffin wheron the reliques were caried vvhich miracles with the same answere are rejected by our aduersaries But who seeth not that an Atheist may with the like reason reject the miracle which was done by the reliques or dead body of Elisaeus by the touching of which as we reade in the bookes of the Kinges a dead man was raised to life and others wrought by napkins and handkerchers which had touched the body of S. Paul which are said to haue done miracles in the acts of Apostles The like discourse might be made concerning the cure of Naaman Sirus by washing himselfe seauen times in the riuer of Iordan at the commandment of Elizeus the prophet 4. Reg. 6. the said Prophets making of the iron of an hatchet to swimme vpon the vvater of the said riuer and diuers other miracles recorded both by holy writ the monuments of ecclesiastical writers of al ages against al which our aduersaries offer an occasion to Atheists to pronounce the selfe same censure Moreouer whereas the apparitions of soules departed according to the judgement of al the learned both auncient and moderne yeeldeth a most strong proofe of our soules immortallitie these Sectaries deny that euer there haue beene any such apparitions and consequently seeke to bereaue vs of this important argumēt their words are so plaine that this cannot be denied Luther himselfe writeth thus Luth. in explicat Euangelij de Diuite et Lazaro Idem in Euā dominicae 24. a Trinitate No mans soule euer since the beginning of the world hath appeared for neither doth God permit it Againe There is no doubt but it is wholy the Deuils worke or doing Quic quid vspiam est spirituum apparentium whatsoeuer is any where of soules or spirits appearing Zuinglius is of the same mind for these words he hath in his answere to one Valentinus a zuing resp ad Valentinū comparem Those things which thou babblest of the apparitions of soules are vaine and idle for the soules which are seperated from their bodies are in heauen or in hel Those which dwel in heauen neuer come downe those which are in hel cannot be deliuered the like hath b Bullīger decad 4. ser 10. Bullinger and others Finally their denial of freewil the merit of good works doe weaken the proofe of the immortallity of the soule the doctrine of the Apostle that god is a rewarder of our actions consequētly of the proofe also of heauen hel as euery man wil confes therefore I cōclude the whole discourse of this chapter that these Sectaries Church is a seminarie of Atheisme and that by their doctrine they shake and euen ouerthrowe the verie groundes of al religion vvhich their assertions being supposed as true they can neither proue nor defend against Atheists and enemies of Christianitie Chapter 2. The newe Sectaries debase the true Christian faith and in place of it extol a presumptuous faith by themselues inuented OVR aduersaries doe not only as I haue nowe shewed ouerthrowe or at the least weaken the principal grounds of al religion but also in some sort destroy the verie nature of faith it selfe by which we first come to a supernatural knowledge of God Chap. 5. For wheras in the first part of this treatise I haue proued that faith which concurreth to our justification and saluation and is the ground of religion and the foundation of spiritual life in this world to be a vertue infused by God into our vnderstanding by the helpe and force of which we giue a most firme assent vnto al those thinges vvhich are reuealed by God to his Church because they are so reuealed the followers of the newe religion I thinke partlie because as I haue noted in the chapter next before they haue weakned the authority of miracles which is the principal supernatural proofe of such misteries debase and as it were despise this faith and in place of it magnifie a newe inuention of man a Chimerical kinde of faith ful of presumption which hath neither ground in holy scripture nor in any approued author but is repugnant both to the vvord of God and the authoritie of al antiquity For they distinguish two especial kindes of faith the one say they is historical See Caluī Institut booke 3 § 9. 10. Calu. l. 3. Instit c. 2. § 7. by vvhich we beleeue the blessed Trinity the incarnation passion death resurrection and ascention of Christ and other articles of the Creed the other is a justifying faith vvhich Caluin defineth to be a stedfast and assured knowledg of Gods kindnesse or beneuolence towards vs which being grounded vpon the truth of the free promise in Christ is both reuealed to our minds sealed in our harts by the holy ghost Caluī ibid. § 16. see Luth. ī serm domī 2. quadrages In explicating this more at large the same Caluin affirmeth that there is none truly faithful but he who being perswaded with a sound assurednes that God is his merciful and louing father doth promise himselfe al things vpon trust of Gods goodnesse but he who leaning vpon the assurednesse of his owne saluation doth
aboue that faith to be a true Christian faith and to concurre to our justification by vvhich vve beleeue the articles and misteries of Christian religion vvherefore seeing that there is but one such faith this faith of our aduersaries cannot haue that prerogatiue And hence I inferre that these Sectaries by disgracing and neglecting the true Christian faith and esteeming so highly of a forged deuise of Luthers or of his masters an old Frier ouerthrowe in effect al Christian faith and religion or at the least giue their followers a just occasion of contemning the beliefe of such misteries as euerie Christian is bound to beleeue Some man perhaps wil seeke to free our English Protestants from this doctrine because in their publique administration of baptisme they cause the minister to demaund only of the childe whether he beleeue the article of the Creed and make no mention of Luthers and Caluins strange justifying faith vvhich as it is like they vvould not haue omitted if they had thought the justification of the child wholie on it to depend I answere that in very truth for the reason alleaged they may seeme to be of that opinion See the questions answers concerning predestination prīted in those Bibles before the new test Neuerthelesse if the Bible printed with notes in the yeare 1589. 1592. and 1600. be by them allowed and approued euerie man may see that they agree with other sectaries in this matter I adde also that is they hold justification to be wrought by any other faith then this newly deuised they disagree from their principal captains and al their * Abbot in his answere to Hil reason 3. pag. 96 Perkins in his reformed Catholike touchīg justification of a sinner brethren touching the article of justification which as they say is the verie ground of Christian religion But our aduersaries say that according to S. Iames the deuils beleeue and tremble I grant it but the faith of deuils is a natural and a kinde of historical faith grounded vpon natural reason and discourse much like vnto the beliefe of Heretikes Our habitual faith is a supernatural gift or habit infused into our soules by which our vnderstanding it lightened lifted vp and made able and apt to beleeue thinges reuealed by God our actual faith is an acte of our vnderstanding proceeding also from the said habite or light by which such things are actually beleeued because they are for reuealed Moreouer their faith is with despaire and hatred ours may be joyned with hope and charitie wherefore there is a great difference between our faith and theirs and our Sectaries doe very euil in making no distinction betweene them Chapter 3. That our aduersaries deny the infallible authority of the Church and affirme it to haue erred and perished IN the sixt chapter of the first part of this treatise I haue affirmed and proued the church of Christ to be the chiefe piller and ground of truth in which is preserued entirelie and sincerely that corps summe or depositum of Christian doctrine which vvas by Christ deliuered to his Apostles and by them to their successours and that through the perpetual assistance of the holie Ghost she cannot erre or perish and consequently that of her we ought may securely learne not only what articles of faith haue beene reuealed by God to his Church but also what concerning euery particuler point we are to beleeue and what to auoid and that in following her doctrine and judgement vve cannot be deceiued But because the professors of the newe religion cānot shew a continual succession of their faith religion church in any one corner of the world since the Apostles daies yea because they cannot name one for euery hundred yeares that was of their Church and beliefe they are forced to say that the Church erred for some ages and was for a time cleane ouerthrowne a Luth. in Comitijs Wormat an 1522. Luther first affirmed this to haue fallen out during the time betweene the Councel of Constance and the first preaching by him of his newe doctrine to vvit for the space of some hundred yeares Soone after b Authores repetit confess Augustanae some of his followers affirmed the Church to haue erred three hundred yeares before Luther And of this opinion seemeth c Fox in his protestatiō to the Church of England Iohn Fox who telleth vs that al was turned vp side downe al order broken true doctrine defaced and Christian faith extinguished in the time of Pope Gregory the seauenth about the yeare 1080. and of Innocentius the third about the yeare 1215. After this d Luth. to 7. l. cōtr Papatum Idem in captiu Babil et in supputat mundi Luther attributed six hundred yeares to the Apostasie of the Church and last of al one thousand of which opinion is also e Caluī ep ad Sadoletū et in prophetas mi nores passim Caluin But al of them agree that for some ages the visibie Church altogether erred and that for a certaine time there vvas in the world no true preaching of the word of God or lawful administration of the Sacraments Hence we read in the f Apol. of the Church of Englād par 4. p. 124. Apologie of the Church of England that truth vnknowne and vnheared off at that time began to giue shine in the world when Luther and Zuinglius sent of God beganne in preach the Gospel the like sentences are found in the works of g Calu. ī resp ad Sado p. 185. 176. l. 4. Inst c. 18. § 1. et 2. c. 1. § 11. c. 17 § 12. et 3. Caluin h Bez. in praef test noui ad principē Condens Beza i Melāch ī locis comun 1. edit Melanchton k Wil. in sinops cōtrou 2. qu. 2. p. 61. edit ā 1600. Willet and others And although some of them assigne an inuisible church which as they say flourished in al ages yet this they cannot proue because a thing inuisible vnknowne cannot be proued and besides it is nothing to the purpose because we treate of the infallible authority and continuance of the Church visible And certainly although we should confesse that such an inuisible Church was in the world and preserued in itselfe alwaies the truth which is most false and shal be confuted in my treastise of the definition and notes of the church yet it must needs be graunted that it vvas done inuisiblie and consequently this Church could not direct the whole world in al truth But that they accuse the whole Church of errour it wil sufficiently appeare in the next chapter where I wil declare that they attribute errours in faith to general Councels vvhich be the supreame assembles and highest courts of the said Church And it is sufficiently purpose at this present if they graunt the Church to haue erred in any one point for a possibility of errour in one article of faith proueth a possibility
Testament as it is euident by holy Scriptures and granted by our * Melācht in corpo doctri Germa et in examine ordi nand cap. de definit c. Oecolampad in Isa 23 21. Aug. lib. 1. ad Simplicianū quest 2. Lib. de spirit et litt c. 34. Freder Staphil l. de cōcord disci Luther Petrus Paladius l. de heres Caluin in Inst contr Liberti c. 9. aduersaries the Prophets that were extraodinarily sent confirmed their mission by miracles and why so if not to yeeld men sufficient prudent motiues to beleeue them Hence are these vvords of S. Augustine It is commaunded that we beleeue to this that hauing receiued the gift of the holy Ghost we may be able to worke wel by loue but who can beleeue except he be touched by some vocation that is by some testification or testimony of thinges Againe A reasonable soule cannot beleeue by her freewil if there be no vocation or perswation vnto which it may beleeue hitherto Saint Augustine Finally the truth of this appeareth by the ordinarie manner of proceeding of God with mortal men vvhich is not altogether by internal illuminations as the Swencfeldians Libertines and some Anabaptists dreame but by some common and external rule and seing that according to the Apostle he requireth of vs only * Rom. 12 1. Field booke 4. chapt 7. § Thus then a reasonable obsequy seruice or obedience it can not be said that he commaundeth vs to beleeue any thing which is not propounded vnto vs and made credible by prudential motiues In this sense I take Field who telleth vs as I haue partly set downe before that three thinges concurre to make vs beleeue that whereof we are doubtful the light of diuine vnderstanding as that whereby we apprehend the things of God the spirit as the authour of this illumination and the reasons and motiues by force whereof the spirit induceth moueth and perswadeth vs. And in particular he affirmeth that it is not sufficient for Stapleton to say that he beleeueth the Church to be guided by the spirit because the spirit moueth him so to beleeue but saith it is moreouer necessary that he declare those reasons or motiues by force whereof the spirit setleth his minde in the perswasion of the truth of those thinges he formerly doubted of Some man perhaps wil object that no miracles or at the least very fewe are nowe wrought in the vvorld vvherevpon it may seeme to followe according to this discourse that Christian Catholike religion is not nowe sufficiently propounded as credible I answere that although God doth alwaies cause his true religion to be sufficiently propounded in such sort that any vvise man may prudently embrace it and beleeue it true yet as is aboue insinuated he doth not in euerie respect make it so credible as is in his power to doe and that for our greater merit humiliation And from this it proceedeth that among Christians miracles are not nowe so frequent as they were in the primatiue Church because they haue nowe not only other sufficient motiues which may perswade al men of the truth of their religion but also sufficient prudential reasons and marks by which they may discerne the true Church from al false sinagogues as I haue partly declared before and wil declare at large in my treatise of the definition and notes of the Church This then being thus proued let vs behold what prudential arguments our aduersaries bring to proue the Scriptures to be canonical by force of vvhich the spirit induceth moueth and perswadeth them to beleeue them Field as I euen nowe related assigneth two motiues of our beliefe vvhich are causes of it in two distinct sorts of things the one the euidence of the things appearing vnto vs the other the authoritie of God himselfe vvhome we doe most certainly discerne to speake in the vvord of faith vvhich is preached vnto vs. Caluin seemeth to assigne the majesty of God which presenteth it selfe vnto vs in the diuine Scriptures Rogers saith The Scriptures cary a diuine and sacred authority with them and agree in al points with other bookes of the old Testament But that none of these motiues are sufficiēt to perswade a prudent man that these books are according to the rules of wisedome most certainely to be accounted diuine and canonical it is easily proued For first if they were so it vvould followe that euerie prudent man reading these books by this only according to prudence should be moued to giue euery one of them this prerogatiue but this experience among our aduersaries themselues vvho are at variance touching some books whether they be canonical or no proueth false therefore these motiues are not sufficient Field booke 4. chapt 7. § There is Moreouer No man as Field telleth vs proueth a thing doubtful by that which is as much doubted of as it selfe For this saith he is as if one taking vpon him to be a law-giuer whose authority is doubted of should first make a law and publish his proclamation and by vertue thereof giue himselfe power to make lawes his authority of making the first lawe being as much doubted of as the second Wel then this being supposed true let vs see whether the truth of al such motiues as are assigned by our aduersaries mouing them as they say to beleeue the holy scripture be not as obscure as the diuine truth of the Scripture it selfe And first this appeareth in those which are brought by Rogers for it is euen as obscure a matter and as hardly to be proued that generally al the bookes of Scripture and euery sentence of them cary an extraordinary or diuine authority with them aboue al others as it is that they are Canonical so is likewise their agreement with the books of the old testament wherefore letting them passe let vs behold whether this be not also true in such formal reasons of our faith as according to Caluin and Field moue vs to beleeue And first vvhence proceedeth that euidence vvhich Field vvil haue in some thinges beleeued to appeare vnto vs Are the articles of our faith euident in them selues this he denieth of some for Field book 4. Chapter 8. § The opinion We confesse saith he that faith may rightly be said to be a firme assent without euidence of many of the things beleeued in themselues but the medium by force whereof we are to beleeue must be euident vnto vs as Durandus doth rightly demonstrate thus Field But can he make it good that any such articles are in themselues euident vnto vs as they are the object of our faith It is plaine that most of them yea almost al considered howsoeuer haue not so much of themselues in respect of our vnderstanding as euidence and certainety of credibility that is they appeare not so certaine and credible vnto vs as a prudent man would beleeue them setting aside the medium or meane supernatural by vvhich they are propounded But if vve consider them
not only the Epistle of S. Geneuain obseruat vpon harmony of cōfess sect 1. Paul to the Hebrewes the Epistles of S. Iames and S. Iude the second of S. Peter and the second and third of S. Iohn togither with the Apocalipse whose authority as is confessed by the Doctors of Geneua by Brentius and al the Lutherans yea as it is recorded by diuers Fathers as I haue shewed before nay further as it is graunted by Thomas Rogers an English Protestant Thomas Rogers vpon the 6. Artic. Propos 4. pa. 31. See also Whitaker before cited and the disputat had in the Tower with F. Campian in the 4. daies cōferen in his discourse vpon the Articles of Religion of the yeare 1562. and before him by Whitakers and others hath beene sometimes doubtful but also certaine other parcels of Scripture by them likewise receiued as I could declare out of diuers approued Authors The Doctors of Geneua to proue the bookes named to be Canonical flie to the authority of the Church for they wil haue them admitted as such because they were receiued and acknowledged as Canonical by the consent of the whole Catholike Church although some doubt were made of them sometimes by the auncient Doctors but this according to their owne ground is to giue them no diuine authority as I haue already noted And before I end this section I cannot but adde that I vvould wish M. Rogers whome I euen now named to looke a little better into his bookes if hereafter he chaunce to publish any with such approbations as he doth pretend in the beginning of this For I cannot see but writing in defence of the sixt Article he ouerthroweth the same by graunting that which I haue alleaged him confessing To make this a little seene vnto him thus I argue In the name of the holy Scripture we doe vnderstand those Canonical bookes of the old and new Testament of whose authority was neuer doubt in the Church These are the wordes of the Article Page 26. but of some bookes of the new Testament there hath beene doubt in the Church as appeareth by those M. Rogers wordes Some of the auncient Fathers and Doctors accepted not al the bookes Pag. 31. propos 4. contained within the volume of the new Testament for Canonical therefore al the bookes contained in the volume of the new Testament are not vnderstood in the name of holy Scripture This conclusion necessarily followeth of the premisses graunted as euery man seeth and yet is directly contrary to the last wordes of the same Article Page 26. Pag. 31. propos 4. in which they professe themselues to receiue and account as Canonical al the bookes of the new Testament as Rogers himselfe affirmeth SECTION THE THIRD The same is proued because euery Christian is bound to admit and beleeue certaine propositions neither expresly contained nor according to some mens judgements so euidently gathered out of the holy Scripture SECONDLY it is apparant that the bare letter of holy Scripture and conclusions out of it manifestly deduced by euery priuate man setting a side the authority of the Church as aboue are not a sufficient ground or rule of Christian beliefe and religion because euery true Christian is bound to admit and beleeue certaine propositions concerning the misteries and articles of our faith which are not expresly contained in the letter nor as some of them thinke so euidently deduced out of the same especially if we allow of our aduersaries Commentaries The first is easily proued for where doe we finde in the vvhole Bible the wordes Trinity person and consubstantial and yet most of the Professors of the new religion vvil not denie but that euery Christian vnder paine of damnation is bound to beleeue and admit in expresse tearmes these propositions following There is a Trinity there be three persons in the blessed Trinity the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost are consubstantial the one to the other and such like yea Beza himselfe confesseth that without the vse of these wordes Beza lib. de hereticis a ciuili magistratu puniendis pag. 51. also in Ep. Theol. 81. pag. 334. 335. See part 1. chap. 9. the truth of those misteries cannot be explicated nor the deniers of them confuted And it is manifest that whosoeuer rejecteth these wordes doth open the gappe to Iudaisme Arianisme and Turcisme But some of them flie to deduction out of Scriptures and answere that although the wordes are not expresly found in the Bible yet that the misteries themselues are expresly in it contained and deliuered and conseqnently that the wordes aptly signifying the said misteries and deduced out of the word of God it selfe may very wel and conueniently be vsed I reply that this is not sufficient for euery priuate mans deduction is subject to errour except it be by an infallible argument and euery proposition be most euidently true in that sense in which it is alleaged wherefore such deductions as our aduersaries commonly vse make no articles of faith Secondly the collections themselues of these high misteries by reason of the obscurity and diuersity of senses of the holy Scripture are not seldome obscure and therefore those collections vvhich to some seeme euident by others are judged false Hence the collection of those very misteries which I haue named by diuers of our aduersaries is denied as by Valentinus Gentilis and his followers a Valent. Gentilis in cōfess apud Caluin pag. 930. in Prothes Pastor Bremēsis in hist. Valēt Gentil who affirme the three persons to haue three distinct natures or essences and the Father to haue beene before the Sonne and the Sonne before the holy Ghost Who make also the one inferiour to the other c. The same collection is likewise denied by Seruetus and his disciples b Seruetus li. de erroribus Trinitatis who acknowledged no distinction of persons in God made Christ a pure man and denied him to haue beene before his incarnation Finally by Georgius Blandrata Paulus Alciatus and other Schollers of these men who c Greg. Paul apud Hosium in judicio cēsura de adoranda Trinitate See Hooker booke 5. of eccles policy §. 42. affirmed that Luther beganne to pul downe the roofe they raised the foundations of Popery who condemned al the auncient Councels and Fathers reuerenced by al Christians of d Beza epist Theolog. 81. tritheisme or making of three Gods tearmed S. Athanasius Sathanasius auouched the blessed Trinity vvhich most blasphemously they called Cerberus and the tripartited God to be an inuention of his and called the Fathers of the first Nicene Councel blinde Sophists Ministers of the Beast slaues of Antechrist bewitched with his illusions c. yea some of these newe sectaries vvent so farre in this matter that they forsooke Christ altogither and became Turkes among vvhome were e Simlerus in praefat lib. de aeterno Dei filio Gregor Paulus lib. de Trinitat Volanus in
vpon the truth of the Latin vulgar edition but proue that they forsake and falsifie the true sense of the very Hebrewe and Greeke text which they professe to translate So shal I not only proue that the vnlearned professours of the newe religion build their faith vpon a false ground to vvit the vvord of men or the vvord of God corrupted but also make that more manifest which I principally intend to proue I meane that the learned sort haue erred in their translations and that the ground of their faith also is not the vvord of God S. Augustine longe since obserued in Heretikes August tom 6. contra Faustum lib. 32 cap. 29. that they make not their faith subject to the Scriptures but the Scriptures as a man may say subject to their faith giuing vs thereby to vnderstand that al Heretikes either out of some one place of Scripture falsly vnderstood or out of their owne peruerse and licentious humor or out of the vveakenesse of their natural reason not able to comprehend the high misteries of our faith or finally out of some other false and erroneous ground frame to themselues one or more false opinions and afterwards by corrupting the text or wresting the sense make the Scripture seeme to confirme the same And like as this hath beene found true in al Heretikes vvho in former ages haue oppugned the Church so most true it is in the Professours of the newe religion of our daies as euery man skilful in the tongues may easily perceiue in their translated Bibles and other of their vvorkes If I should runne ouer al their corruptions and falsifications I should scarce euer make an end they are so many and diuers See Staphilus in Apolog part 2. Emser in praefat Annot. in nouum Testam Lutheri Lindanus in Dubitantio pag. 84. 85. c. Erasmus in Epist. ad fratres inferioris Germaniae Some note a thousand foure hundred in the newe Testament only translated by Luther Caluin and Bezaes corruptions are to be seene in diuers vvorthy Authours wherefore I wil only gather fiue or six notable falsifications out of the translations of these principal Sectaries and afterwardes discourse more at large of our English Bibles To beginne therefore with the first Captaine Luther before his Apostacy from the Catholike Church he read with vs and al antiquity according to the Greeke text 1. Cor. 9. vers 5. after this sort Haue not we power to leade about a woman a sister as also the rest of the Apostles But hauing chaunged his profession and contrary to his vowe coupled himselfe to Catharine Bore vvhome he tearmed his vvife he chaunged also his translation of this sentence and read Haue not we power to leade about a sister a wife as the rest of the Apostles S. Paul to giue vs to vndertstand that faith doth justify vs as the foundation and roote of our justification or else comprehending vnder the word faith also the workes of faith vseth these wordes We account a man to be justified by faith Rom. 3 28. Moreouer to exclude from our justification the workes done before our conuersion or faith he addeth without the workes of the lawe But howe doth Luther translate this place of Scripture Luther to 2. edit Wittenberg anno 1551. fo 405. We account saith he a man to be justified by faith onlie without the workes of the lawe this is his translation And what a manifest corruption is this where doth he finde in the Greeke text or any other approued edition the vvord only verilie it is added by himselfe and not to be found in the text But perhaps although S. Paul hath it not expresly in this place cited yet it is necessarily vnderstood I reply and demaund howe Luther knewe this I adde further that although it vvere so yet he hath no authority to adde to the word of God neither is it likely that if the said vvord had beene necessary the holy Ghost guiding the Apostles penne vvould haue omitted it And that Luther giueth not the true sense of the sentence of the Apostle I proue out of these wordes following of S. Augustine August de gratia et lib. â—rbitrio ca. 7. Men saith he not vnderstanding that which the Apostle saith we account a man to be justified by faith without the workes of the lawe did thinke him to haue affirmed that faith would suffice a man though he liued il and had no good workes which God forbid the vessel of election should thinke who in a certaine place after that he had said Galat. 5 6. In Christ Iesus neither circumcision or prepuce auaileth any whit he straight added but faith which worketh by loue this is the opinion of S. Augustine Hence the same Apostle in other places Galat. 6 15. hath these and such like sentences In Christ Iesus neither circumcision auaileth ought nor prepuce but a newe creature Againe Circumcision is nothing 1. Cor. 7 19. and prepuce is nothing but the obseruation of the commaundements of God In vvhich he giueth vs to vnderstand that in the place corrupted by Luther vnder the name of faith he comprehendeth the whole reformation of our soules and our newe creation in good vvorkes vvhich may further be proued because taking faith precisely as it is a vertue distinct from hope and charity 1. Cor. 13. v. 2. and 13. he telleth vs that Although a man hath aâ— faith so that he should remoue mountaines and hath not charity he is nothing And concludeth that charitie is a greater vertue then either faith or hope with vvhome accordeth S. Iames vvho directly contradicteth Luther and auoucheth Iames 2 24. that by workes a man is justified and not by faith only Perhaps some Lutheran in the defence of Luther vvil say that this corruption vvas not vvilful But I reply that the contrarie is manifest for Luther by letter being kindlie admonished by his friend that this by some vvas reprehended as a fault answered his said friend very sharply calling the reprehender Asse and Papist and gaue this reason in his owne defence Luther to 5. Germ. f. 141. epist adf amicum Doctor Martin Luther wil haue it so And like as in this text he added to serue his purpose so in another he omitted For whereas the Apostle S. Peter writeth 2. Peter 1. verse 10. Wherefore bretheren labour the more that by good workes you make sure your vocation and election he left out the wordes by good workes These and other such like corruptions of Scripture vvhich are to be found in the Bible and other vvorkes of Luther gaue Zwinglius vvriting against him just occasion to condemne him of this fault Thou dost saith he corrupt and adulterate the word of God ZuiÌ„g in resp ad Luth. l. de sacram to 2. fol. 412. 413. imitating surely in this the disciples of Marcion and Arius Againe See howe thy case standeth Luther that in the eies of al men thou
of their beliefe are not in expresse tearmes to be found in the whole Bible yea that the text of their owne Bibles maketh more for vs then it doth for them Out of which I may wel inferre that they build not vpon the letter contained in their owne bookes but vpon their owne collections which euery priuate man maketh according to his owne fancie SECTION THE SECOND The same argument is confirmed by the testimonie of some Protestants concerning the true sense of some wordes of Scripture alleaged for our Catholike doctrine touching justification in the Section before NOTVVITHSTANDING the wordes af Scripture cited for vs Catholikes are most plaine yet it may be some follower of the new religion wil imagine that we wrest them to a sense improper and in the primatiue ages of the Church vnheard off contrariwise that those of his beliefe deliuer the true literal and auncient exposition of the same Nowe therefore to make the force of the reason brought more strong I adde that I could easily proue euen by the testimonies of our aduersaries themselues that the letter of holy Scripture in these controuersies mentioned and others according to the proper sense thereof and the tradition and practise of al former Christians is on our side not on theirs But if I should here declare this to be true in euery particuler point I should be ouer long vvherefore I vvil exemplifie only in one or two of the principal by which my reader may easily perceiue what may be done concerning the rest Luther to 5. in cap. 5. ad Galat. f. 382. And first what article of religion by these Sectaries is esteemed aboue that of justification by only faith Luther himselfe writeth thus Whoso euer falleth from the article of justification by faith onlie becommeth ignorant of God and is an Idolater and therefore it is al one whether he returne to the law of the Iewes or worshipping of Idols Al is one whether he be a Monke a Turke a Iewe or an Anabaptist For this article being once taken away there remaineth nothing but meere errour hipochrisie impiety idolatry although in shewe there appeare excellent truth Caluin in Epist ad Sadoletum p. 176. worship of God holinesse c. thus Luther Caluin also telleth vs that the knowledge of justification by faith being taken away both the glorie of Christ was extinguished and religion abolished and the Church destroyed and the hope of saluation altogether ouerthrowne Our countriman M. Perkins in like sort affirmeth Per. in his reformed Catholike touching justification of a sinner pag. 65. 66 that we by our doctrine touching justification doe raâ—â—e the very foundation and that the disagreement betweene vs and the Protestants concerning this matter if there were no more points of difference alone were sufficient to keepe vs from vniting our religions this is his opinion Wherefore this being an article of Christian beliefe in these mens conceits so principal let vs behold whether the letter of holy Scripture according to the judgement of Protestants doe not plainely deliuer our doctrine concerning it and impugne theirs The chiefest place which I haue alleaged in the section next before touching this matter is that sentence of S. Iames the Apostle Of workes or deedes a man is justified and not of faith only Iam. 2. v. 24. Bible 1592. And howe doe al the Lutheranes yea some Sacramentaries vnderstand these wordes Truly they openly and boldly confesse that they warre against justification by onlie faith and approue justification by workes and they assigne this as one reason why this epistle is to be rejected out of the Canon Luther the captaine of them al writing vpon the 22. chapter of Genesis hath these wordes See him also praefat in nouum Testam edit 1. Genensis in captiuitat Babilo ca. de Extrema Vnct. in 1. Pet. c. 1. fol 439. 440. edit Wittenb Abraham was just by faith before he is knowne such an one by God therefore Iames doth naughtily conclude that nowe at the length he is justified after this obedience for by workes as by fruits faith and iustice is knowne But it followeth not vt Iacobus delirat as Iames dotingly affirmeth therefore the fruits doe iustifiy thus there And in another place * Luth. in colloquijs conuiualibus latin to 2. de libris noui Testam Part. 2 chap. 6. sect 2. Many saith he haue taken great paines in the epistle of Iames to make it accord with Paul as Philppe endeauoureth in his Apologie but not with good successe for they are contrary faith doth iustifie faith doth not iustifie Loe Luther expresly telleth vs that S. Iames auoucheth faith not to justifie But whereas he maketh this Apostle contrary to S. Paul he doth wrong them both For neither doth the one say that faith doth not justifie nor the other that faith alone doth justifie as he supposeth But out of their discourses it may be gathered that both faith and workes concurre to justification which is our Catholike doctrine Of the place of S. Paul vnto vvhich Luther alludeth I haue said something before therefore no more of it at this present shal be necessary The opinion of a Pomeran in c. 8. ad RomaÌ„ Pomerane a Lutheran of great estimation is conformable to that of Luther for thus he pronounceth his censure Faith was reputed to Abraham for iustice By this place thou maiest note the error of the epistle of Iames wherein thou seest a wicked argument Besides that he concludeth ridiculously he citeth Scripture against Scripture which thing the holy Ghost cannot abide wherefore that epistle may not be numbred among other bookes which set forth the iustice of only faith thus Pomerane I wil not stand to free S. Iames from his wicked accusations which is very wel performed by diuers Catholike authors Hil in his defeÌ„ce of the article Christ descended into hel fol. 23. Centur. 1. lib. 2. c. 4. col 54. Centur. 2. ca. 4. col 71. But vnto this Lutheran I wil joyne the Magdeburgians his brethren whose vvritings an English Protestant judgeth to be worthy of eternal memorie who say that the epistle of S. Iames much swarueth from the analogie of the Apostolical doctrine whereas it ascribeth justification not only to faith but to workes and calleth the lawe a lawe of liberty Againe Against Paul against al Scriptures the epistle of Iames attributeth justice to workes and peruerteth as it were of set purpose that which Paul disputeth Rom. 4. out of Genesis 15. Abraham was iustified by only faith without workes and affirmeth that Abraham obtained iustice by workes hitherto are their wordes With these consenteth Vitus Theodorus an other of that companie and a preacher of Norinberge who yeeldeth this reason wherefore he excluded this epistle from the Canon of holy Scripture The epistle of Iames and the Apocalipse of Iohn saith he we haue of set purpose left out because the epistle of Iames is not only in certaine
of his knowledge faithfully rendred the text and in al hard places most sincerely expounded the same But to make this the more euident I adde further that they make the selfe same vvord sometimes to signifie one thing and at other times another thing as it best serueth their purpose For example our English Protestants whensoeuer the Scripture speaketh of euil traditions as Math. 15. vers 6. and in other places Bible 1595. translate the Greeke vvord vvhich signifieth properly a tradition truly as they ought But when mention is of Apostolike traditions they make the selfe same Greeke vvord signifie ordinances instructions Bible 1595. preachings or institutions as 2. Thess vers 15. c. And this they doe to bring traditions into contempt But of such examples see more in the sixt Chapter before Besides this although they vndertake to translate the Hebrewe text of the old testament and the Greeke of the newe yet vvhen the Hebrewe or Greeke maketh against them or not so much for them as the Latin they forsake the Hebrewe and Greeke and followe the Latin I vvil bring an example of both Hieremy 7. vers 18. and chap. 44. ver 19. the said Prophet inueigheth against those that offer sacrifice to strange Gods especially to the Moone And whereas according to the Hebrew they should read in the first place The women kneade the dowe to make cakes to offer to the heauens or planets they followe the Latin and say thus Bible 1595. The women kneade the dowe to make cakes for the Queene of heauen In like sort they proceede in the second place And by this meanes as they imagine they make a strong argument against vs vvho honour our blessed Lady and cal her Queene of heauen although we offer vp no sacrifice vnto her or any other creature In the newe testament whereas the Apostle according to the Greeke text saith only Rom. 8. v. 38 I am probably perswaded that neither death nor life c. shal be able to seperate vs from the charity of God they reade I am sure that neither death Bible 1595. c. And like as after this sort they serue their owne turnes in their translations so doe they also in their expositions of diuers wordes One example I haue touched aboue concerning the vvord Babilon which in S. Peters epistle to hinder the proofe of the said Apostles being at Rome 1. Pet. 5 13. Euseb lib. 2. histor c. 14. Hieron in li. descript Eccles verbo Marcus contrary to Eusebius and S. Hierome they vvil haue signifie the great City called Babilon in Assiria or Caldea contrariwise to make against the honour and dignity of Rome in the * Apocal. 17. vers 19. Bible 1592. Apocalipse they affirme the City of Rome by it to be vnderstood Let vs also consider that it must needes be granted that some of the learned sectaries haue erred in their translations and interpretations of holy Scripture for this is euident because there is but one true vvord of God which according to truth admitteth not opposite interpretations But our aduersaries translations and interpretations be diuers and much different yea repugnant one to another wherefore as I haue shewed they reject one anothers translation and interpretation and also alleage Scripture for their different doctrine They cannot therefore al be consonant to the true word of God vvhich if it be confessed it must needes follow that some of them in these matters haue erred and if some of them haue erred then some of them without al doubt haue not built vpon diuine authority which cannot be the ground of errour but vpon their owne judgement And seing that the warrant which they claime from God of al of them is the same and their ground alike we may wel inferre that none of them build vpon any other more sure foundation Adde vnto this that the selfe same sectaries oftentimes vpon further reading study and knowledge change their translations and interpretations of holy Scripture vvhich is apparent by the diuers editions of the Bibles and other their workes in which Scripture is alleaged and interpreted and of our English sectaries it is granted by the translatour of the Bible printed in the yeare 1585. 1592. and 1600. in the preface of which he confesseth that the former translations required greatly to be perused and reformed I haue also shewed in the sixt chapter that diuers places haue beene corrected and that as yet by the judgement of the best it is faulty of this followeth not seldome a change of belief and a difference from themselues in religion vvhich in the next chapter I vvil proue to haue fallen out in their first Captaines themselues And this is an inuincible argument seing that the Scriptures remaine alwaies the selfe same to proue that they varying build only vpon their owne fancies and are neuer certaine that they haue attained to the truth But this vvil be most apparent to him that shal set before his eies the manner of proceeding of our said learned sectaries in their discourses or disputations vvith their aduersaries For doe they in such conferences admit the text of holy Scripture as a supreame judge of al controuersies concerning matters of religion Surely no for although they seeme to recurre to the holy Scripture and vehemently pleade the word of God and by the authority thereof shewe themselues desirous to haue al difficulties decided yet in very truth it is not so as euery man may vvel judge because the letter of Scripture oftentimes doth not sufficiently interpret it selfe and they wil admit and allowe of no other translation or interpretation but their owne let vs declare this a litle more at large It is not vnknowne that the Catholikes receiue as Canonical the Hebrewe and Greeke text as wel as they and consequently those very places either in Hebrewe Greeke or both vvhich they alleage to establish their doctrine opposite to the beliefe of the Catholike Church Yea the Catholikes attribute more authority to the places alleaged as they are penned in the said tongues and to al bookes vvhich the newe sectaries receiue then they doe and further receiue fiue whole bookes at the least and diuers other parcels of holy Scripture into the Canon which they al commonly reject Wherefore the controuersie is not concerning the authority of the text either in Hebrewe or Greeke whither it be to be beleeued or no but vvhither the Catholikes building in this vpon the authority of the Church Traditions Councels and Fathers haue the true translation and exposition of the text or the Professours of the newe religion vvho alleage no other testimony for themselues then their owne priuate spirit and fancy To make this more euident by an example let vs suppose that a Catholike and a newe Sectary fal into disputation concerning Christs discent into hel The Catholike vsually for proofe of the affirmatiue part bringeth forth that sentence of holie Scripture Thou wilt not leaue
firmiter stent in confess de coena Domini yea not long after most absurdly he taught and defended the humane nature of Christ to be in euery place togither with his diuine And this he did to prejudice the Roman Church and Catholike religion For seing that the vvordes are so plaine that he could not in substance denie the real presence by these meanes malice droue him to contrary our doctrine concerning transubstantiation and the manner of the being present of Christes body in this dreadful Sacrament These are the principal expositions of those wordes to which I could adde diuers others for a Luther in l. quod verba Christi HOC EST CORPVS MEVM firmiter stent Luther hath recorded that in his daies there vvere among the Sacramentaries about tenne diuers interpretations of them and in the yeare 1577. a booke vvas published in vvhich two hundred expositions or deprauations of the said vvordes are numbred and assigned al inuented or reuiued by the Professours of this newe religion Nowe I thinke that no man indued with any sense or reason wil be so fond as to affirme that al these expositions haue a certaine ground in the word of God for certaine it is as we haue hard Luther himselfe confesse that there is but one true sense of these vvordes vvherefore it must needes followe that al the rest be false and forged And seing that the inuentor or vpholder of one hath no more reason or diuine assurance for his inuention or opinion then hath the inuentor or vpholder of an other vve may vvith like probability affirme them al to be humane inuentions And certaine it is that vvhosoeuer imbraceth any one of them buildeth only vpon the erroneous and fallible judgement of man yea I may truly say that the ground of his beliefe is his owne fancy vvhich moueth him to censure one opinion as true and to condemne al the rest as false And like as I haue discoursed of this one sentence of our blessed Sauiour so could I in like manner discourse of sundry other places of holy Scripture but I should be ouer long It may be some for the solutions of al these matters vvil flie to priuate illumination or inspiration of the spirit and pleade that to proue the certaine truth of their interpretations of holy Scriptures but first such persons if vve beleeue Field Field booke 4 of the Church chap. 16. See also Whitaker de Ecclesia cōtrouers 2. q. 4. cap. 3. pag. 278. are accursed by the common consent of Protestants if as the Enthusiasts they neglect the common rules of direction Secondly I haue at large * Part. 2. chap. 5. sect 1. before proued al such illuminations to be vncertaine and that no priuate man is by any such meanes ordinarily directed by God into the truth something also concerning this point shal be said in the next section SECTION THE FOVRTH That certaine rules prescribed by Field for the true vnderstanding of Scripture of themselues alone without the censure of the Church are insufficient to assure vs that our exposition made is of diuine truth BECAVSE the doctrine of Field is commonly singular in so much that I thinke I may very wel in some sort liken the platforme or order and faith of a Church set downe in his bookes of this argument to Sir Thomas Moores Eutopia for that there neither is nor euer vvil be any such Church in the world as he describeth I am and shal be forced especially in my treatise of the definition and notes of the Church to dispute against him in particular and seuer him from al his bretheren Part. 2. chap. 5. sect 4. We haue heard him before acknowledging the Scriptures to be hard and obscure of which it seemeth to followe that except he assigne vs some diuine rule vvhereby we may come to an infallible knowledge of the true sense of them we can neuer infallibly assure our selues of their true interpretation He telleth vs therefore first that men not neglecting that light of direction which the Church yeeldeth Field booke 4 chap. 15. nor other helps and meanes may be assured out of the nature of the thinges themselues the conference of places the knowledge of tongues and the sutable correspondence that one part of diuine truth hath with another that they haue found out the true meaning of it and so be able to conuince the aduersaries and gaine saiers Thus Field But howe friuolous this his assertion is it vvil appeare by the confutation of his rules vvhich he vvil haue vs obserue and helps vvhich he saith vve must trust vnto in interpreting the Scriptures What rules and helps are then assigned by him let vs recite and for auoiding of repetition togither confute them Ibid. chap. 19 these are his vvordes Touching the rules we are to followe the helps we are to trust vnto and the thinges required in the interpretation of Scripture I thinke we may thus resolue First there is required an illumination of the vnderstanding for the natural man perceiueth not the thinges of God for they are spiritually discerned but the spiritual man judgeth al thinges and himselfe is judged of none This is the first helpe concerning which I first demand howe a man shal infallibly knowe that he hath such an illumination or that he is a spiritual man if he answere that it is knowne by this that a man feeleth himselfe thus and thus affected I vrge further and aske by vvhat diuine testimony or firme reason he knoweth that a man feeling himselfe so affected hath an illumination of the vnderstanding from God and is a spiritual man verily seing that Luther and Caluin both boasted of such an illumination and yet one of them was deceiued 2. Cor. 11 14 seing also that the Diuel doth often transfigure himselfe into an Angel of light as S. Paul vvarneth vs and as our aduersaries vvil grant it hapneth to the Anabaptists and others seing moreouer 1. Iohn 4. v. 1. Caluin alleaged in the 8. section of this chapter that the Apostle S. Iohn biddeth vs not beleeue euery spirit but proue the spirits if they be of God vvhich Caluin also thinketh necessary he must alleage or knowe some such testimony or reason or else he cannot ordinarily haue supernatural knowledge of it which neuerthelesse at the least is necessarily required to this that the exposition of the place of Scripture expounded be an inducement or ground of supernatural faith And vvhat diuine testimony can he alleage no other I thinke but Scripture or diuine inspiration if Scripture then another question may be asked howe he knoweth himselfe rightly to vnderstand that place of Scripture if inspiration I demand in like sort howe he knoweth it to be diuine and not diabolical and so of both these answeres wil follow a processe without end Secondly of this rule it may be inferred not only against Field but al our aduersaries that our faith is not built vpon only
juices write the names of good holesome medicines whereby almost no man reading the good superscription any thing suspecteth the lurking poison of the self same thing Math. 7. Likewise our Sauiour crieth out to al Christians take ye heed of false prophets which come to you in sheepes cloathing but inwardly are rauening wolues What is meant else by sheepes cloathing but the sayings of the Prophets and Apostles which they with sheepe-like sincerity did weare c. And soone after But to the end they may more craftily set vpon the sheepe of Christ mistrusting nothing remaining stil cruel beasts they put of their woluish weed and shroud themselues with the wordes of Scripture as it were with certaine fleeces whereby it happeneth that when the silly sheepe feele the soft wool they litle feare their sharpe teeth Ambros in cap. vlt. ad Tit. hitherto Vincentius Lirinensis S. Ambrose likewise telleth vs that impiety seing authority to be esteemed couereth her selfe with the vaile of Scriptures that whereas by her selfe shee is not acceptable by Scriptures shee may seeme most commendable And of this matter I neede say no more Chapter 9. In which is proued by the newe Sectaries forsaking their owne supposed ground and flying to others also by their dissension and inconstancy that they build their faith and religion only vpon their owne fancies SECTION THE FIRST Concerning their flying to other groundes by themselues rejected and their dissension I HAVE nowe sufficientlie proued that our aduersaries build not their faith and religion vpon any one of those particular groundes which are found in the Church of Christ yea that in al matters the rule of their beliefe is principally their owne judgement and fancy For the confirmation of al vvhich my discourse I purpose in this chapter to set downe three manifest tokens and signes of this their vveake foundation to vvit their forsaking of their owne ground and flying to others when they confute their aduersaries their dissention or diuision and their inconstancy Concerning the first it is a thing most euident in al their proceedinges that although disputing against vs they pleade and demand only Scriptures and commonly reject al authority of the Church Councels and Fathers yea when they come to confute other Sectaries like vnto themselues they refuse such trial by scriptures and sometimes fly to other such groundes Thus Caluin although he referre al matters sometimes to Scripture affirming that we ought to hearken to the voice of Christ alone and that it is meete the mouthes of al men be shut after that our Lord hath once spoken Caluin lib. 4. instit cap. 8. § 7. 8. which by his ordinary courses he seemeth to approue as a sufficient argument to shew that the wordes themselues of Scripture as they are expounded by himself are without contradiction to be applauded and reuerenced yet at other times he desireth al sorts diligently to ponder and examine whether the word of God be truly or falsly alleaged and to try the spirits whether they be of God or no because the Deuil assaulted Christ by Scripture and his instruments daily practise the same art to depraue the truth and seduce silly soules This course he taketh against the Anabaptists as I haue shewed a litle before See before chap. 8. sect 5. Nay discoursing against the Lutherans he vseth these wordes Nowe againe I turne my speech to you godly readers whome I earnestly beseech that you suffer not your senses to be astonied with that tinckling wherein the Magdeburgians boast This voice alwaies soundeth in their mouthes Caluin admonit vltima ad Westphalum pag. 1147. that we must not dispute where Christ the only master and doctour hath clearely taught what is to be beleeued that we must not contend where the same supreame judge hath pronounced a plaine sentence thus Caluin to the Lutherans pleading hardly the scriptures against him in proofe of the real presence After this sort also Beza against the Arians Trinitarians Nestorians and Eutichians pleaded the authority of general Councels as I haue else where shewed Part. 1. chap. 9. Westphalus likewise wrote to a Caluini ibid. pag. 1098. Caluin that the consent of many Churches condemning him should satisfie him Finally our English Protestants although they pronounce so hard a censure against general Councels themselues and are so earnest for the sufficiency of only Scripture as we haue seene before yet against the Puritans plead hardly the authority of the Church Councels and Fathers as euery man may behold in their vvorkes of this argument Whitgift in his defence Belson in his treatise of the perpetual gouernement of the Church and such other examples are not wanting Touching their dissention and diuision a Tertul lib. de praescript Tertullian affirmeth that we may lawfuly judge that there is adulteration both of Scripture and expositions where there is found diuersity of doctrine And the reason of this is manifest because the truth vnto vvhich the Scriptures and their true interpretation is consonant and giue testimony is one wherefore they cannot approue diuers and opposite doctrines Nowe that diuision is found among our aduersaries no man of any sense and reading can deny b Stanislaus Rescius lib. de Acheismis Phalerismis haereticorum nostri tēporis Stanislaus Rescius numbreth of them an hundred seauenty distinct sects of which c Caspar Vlenbergius li. 22. Causarū causae 9. Caspar Vlenbergius reciteth diuers principal * See Hedio a Zwinglian epist ad Melancthonem others reckon farre more And this euery man may the better beleeue if he consider that it is a very hard matter to finde any two of the learned sort of them of one opinion touching al matters of religion Hence ariseth dissention in their Churches in which they proceede so farre that they feare not to censure and condemne one another of heresie If we beleeue d Luther thes 27. cont Louaniens tom 7. in defens verborum coenae c. Luther and the Lutherans Zwinglius Caluin and al the Sacramentaries are damned Heretikes If we credit e Zwinglius tom 2. in respōs ad Luth. l. de Sacram. fol. 411. 401. Caluin admonit 3. ad Westphalum Zwinglius Caluin and other Sacramentaries Luther and the Lutherans are guilty of the same crime And the like dissentions are betweene the inuentours and followers of other sectes But of this matter I shal haue a more fit opportunity to discourse in my treatise of the definition and notes of the Church vvherefore in this place passing ouer altogether with silence the domestical discord which is betweene our Protestants and Puritans touching the Lutherans and Caluinists abroad I vvil recite this only testimony of an f Relation of the state of religion in the West parts of the world §. 45. written as said by Sir Edwine Sans printed in the yeare 1605. English Protestant who hauing trauailed in those parts of their dissention writeth
thus The Lutheran preachers rage hitherto in their pulpits against the Caluinists as much as euer and their Princes and people haue them in as great detestation not forbearing to professe openly that they wil returne to the Papacy rather then euer admit that Sacramentary and predestinary pestilence For these two pointes are the ground of the quarrel and the later more scandalous at this day then the former thus he writing as it is probable of thinges which he sawe and heard with his owne eies and eares And vvhat is the off-spring and fountaine of this their diuision and dissention but the vvant of a certaine infallible rule to direct them for because they al seeme with one consent to accept of the bare wordes of Scripture for the only ground of their faith and religion and the said vvordes admit sundry expositions euery man among them whose wit by any meanes can reach to the inuention either of a newe translation or interpretation of the word of God or of some newe opinion which by wresting and wringing he can in outward shewe confirme by the authority of the same foundeth a newe sect Hence are these wordes of Luther Luther epist ad Antuerp tom 2. Germ. â—en fol. 101. There be almost so many sects and religions among vs as there be men There is no Asse in this time so sottish and blockish but wil haue the dreames of his owne head and his opinion accepted for the instinct of the holy Ghost and himselfe esteemed as a Prophet And againe in an other place thus he complaineth The peace and concord of the Church being once broken that is to say the pillar of truth and the infallible rule of our faith being once forsaken there is no meane or end of dissentions Luther in ca. 5. ad Galat. tom 5. Wittenb fol. 416 In our time first the Sacramentaries forsooke vs afterwardes the Anabaptists Of these neither agree among themselues So alwaies one sect bringeth forth another and once condemneth another Hitherto Luther the ring-leader of al the daunce himselfe And thus much of their diuision and dissention in this place I knowe that some of our aduersaries are so bold I might say so impudent as to denie there is any great or material dissension in their Churches And among others M. Field writeth Field booke 3 ch 42. p. 170. See also ibid. pag. 169. Where he saith there is a ful consent in their publike coÌ„fessions of faith that it so fel out by the happy prouidence of God when there was a reformation made by his bretheren that there was no material or essential difference among them but such as vpon equal scanning wil be found rather to consist in the diuers manner of expressing one thing and to be but verbal vpon the mistaking through the hasty and inconsiderate humors of some men then any thing else He addeth further Yea I dare confidently pronounce that after due and ful examination of each others meaning there shal be no difference found touching the matter of the Sacrament the vbiquitary presence or the like betweene the Churches reformed by Luthers ministery in Germany and other places and those whome some mens malice called Sacramentaries that none of the differences betweene Melancthon and Illiricus except about certaine ceremonies were real that Osiander held no priuate opinion of justification howsoeuer his strange manner of speaking gaue occasion to many so to thinke and conceiue And this shal be justified against the proudest Papist of them al Thus Field But howe vntrue this his assertion is al the world knoweth and it might be easily here demonstrated did not the matter belong properly to an other place I haue partly also shewed the falshood of it already Neuerthelesse to adde a word or two against this doctor in particular howe doth this agree with the beginning of the Epistle Dedicatory of his booke See his words cited at large in the preface of this treatise See also in his third booke ch 13. pag. 86. Doth he not there complaine of vnhappy diuisions in the Christian world and of infinite distractions of mens mindes not knowing in so great variety of opinions what to thinke or to whome to joine themselues euery faction saith he boasting of the pure and sincere profession of heauenly truth challenging to it selfe alone the name of the Church and fastning vpon al that dissent or are otherwise minded the hateful note of schisme and heresie There he affirmeth that the controuersies of religion in our time are growen in number so many and in nature so intricate that fewe haue time and leasure fewer strength of vnderstanding to examine them And therefore he concludeth that nothing remaineth for men desirous of satisfaction in thinges of such consequence but diligently to search out the Church that so they may embrace her communion followe her directions and rest in her judgement Thus he discourseth in his Epistle dedicatory And howe can these thinges be made consonant and agreeable to his other wordes euen nowe alleaged Truly I thinke an indifferent reader vvil hardly excuse him from contradiction Besides this he telleth vs there is no difference touching the Sacrament the vbiquitarie presence and the like betweene the Lutherans and the Sacramentaries Caluin Instit booke 4. chap. 17 §. 16. c. but Caluin auoucheth that by the vbiquitarie presence Marcion an ancient Heretike is raised vp out of hel The Caluinists also in the Preface to the Harmony of confessions although a booke published to shew a consent among the followers of the newe religion exclaime in like manner against it and a thousand other bookes written on both sides conuince him of falsehood Field saith none of the differences betweene Melancthon and Illiricus except about certaine ceremonies were real but vvhosoeuer readeth the acts of Synode held by Lutherans at Altenburge and the publike vvritings of the Flaccians so called of Flaccus Illiricus against the Synergists and Adiaphorists two other sects of Lutherans and of these against them shal finde dissentions touching greater matters Field auoucheth that Osiander held no priuate opinion of justification but Caluin in his Institutions Caluin Instit booke 3. chap. 11. §. 5. c. Heshusius l. cont Osiand Schlusselbur in Catalogo haereticorum lib. 6. spendes almost one whole Chapter in the confutation of Osianders opinion concerning this article which at his very entrance to this point he calleth be wotes not what monster of essential righteousnesse Heshusius a Lutheran in like sort condemneth his brother Osianders doctrine touching this And Conradus Schlusselburge an other of that sect placeth him and his followers in the Catalogue of Heretikes Such are Fields rare singular proceedinges in which he feareth not to affirme thinges most apparently false and confessed vntrue by al his bretheren And truly a man of smal learning reading his bookes of the church may first finde that he hath a good opinion of himselfe of his owne wit and
that Peter Lombardes doctrine is truly golden their 's dirty and filthy Thus discourseth Stancarus one of their owne company Yet who knoweth not that Peter Lombard by the Catholikes is accounted but among the middle sort of diuines and who is so bold as to compare him to S. Hierome especially in translating and expounding the Scriptures But the more to weaken the credit of their translated Bibles vvhich they boast to be drawne and featched from the very fountaines themselues to wit from the Hebrewe Greeke text in which tongues the scriptures were first penned let vs here adde not only that they are not sincerely featched from thence as hath beene sufficiently proued before euen by the testimonies of Protestants themselues but also that the said fountaines and that likewise according to the judgement of Protestants are not now pure and sincere but in some places haue beene corrupted I haue in like sort proued before this last point as farre forth as it concerneth the Greeke text of the new testament And although something hath beene said of the Hebrew text of the old yet in this place I wil relate for further proofe of the same certaine sentences of Castalio Conradus Pellicanus and D. Humfrey in vvhich this is plainely auouched For the first of these writing in defence of himself against one that maintained the sincerity and purity of the Hebrewe text hath these wordes Castalio in defens suae translat pag. 227. This good fellowe seemeth to be of that opinion as in manner al the Iewes are and some Christians drawing neare to Iudaisme or Iudaizing in this respect that he thinketh no errour euer to haue crept into the Hebrew Bibles that God would neuer suffer that any word should be corrupted in those sacred bookes as though the bookes of the old testament were more holy then those of the newe in the which newe so many diuers readings are found in so many places or as though it were credible that God had more regard of one or other litle word or sillable then he had of whole bookes whereof he hath suffered many I say not to be depraued but to be vtterly lost Thus Castalio And in his discourse following he calleth this high opinion of the Hebrewe text a Iewish superstition Conrad Pellic tom 4. in Psal 85. v. 9. alias 8. Conradus Pellicanus expounding these wordes of the 84. Psalme vers 9. Qui conuertuntur ad cor which in one of our English Bibles are thus translated * Bibl. 1592. Bible read in Churches That they turne not againe to folly and an other That they turne not againe writeth after this sort The old interpreter seemeth to haue read one way whereas the Iewes nowe reade another which I say because I would not haue men thinke this to haue proceeded from the ignorance or slouthfulnesse of the old interpreter Rather we haue cause to finde fault for want of diligence in the Antiquaries and faith in the Iewes who both before Christs comming since seeme to haue beene lesse careful of the Psalmes then of their Talmudical songes Hitherto are his wordes Humfred lib. 1. de rat interpret pa. 178. Idem ibid. lib. 2. pag. 219. In like sort D. Humfrey telleth vs that the reader may easily finde out and judge howe many places the Iewish superstition hath corrupted And againe I like not saith he that men should to much followe the Rabbins as many doe for those places which promise and declare Christ the true Messias are most filthily corrupted by them Such is the judgement of these sectaries Perhaps some man vvil deeme these to be men of no account among Protestants but it is not so D. Humfrey is wel knowne Humfre ibid. lib. 1. pag. 62. 63. 189. and he matcheth Castalio with the best and affirmeth the Bible by him translated to be most paineful most diligent most throughly conferred examined sifted and polished Gesnerus also a sectary of no smal fame giueth him this commendation Castalio hath translated the Bible so diligently Gesnerus in Bibliotheca and with so singular fidelity according to the Hebrewe and Greeke that he seemeth farre to haue surpassed al translations of al men whatsoeuer haue hitherto beene set forth Finally Conradus Pellicanus vvas Professor of the Hebrewe tongue in Zuricke And out of this vvhole discourse it is euident that although vvee should suppose the authority of the Church not to be infallible and that both vve and our aduersaries build only vpon the bare letter of holy Scripture yet that the said letter is a farre more sound and firme ground as it is translated and expounded by vs then it is as it is translated and expounded by our aduersaries For although vve both challenge to our selues the holy Scriptures yet our translation and interpretation is of greater authority then theirs We also for the proofe of the sense by vs receiued offer to be tried by the censure of al our auncestors from vvhome together with the letter we haue receiued also that sense which vve embrace Contrariwise they both in their translation and exposition build onlie vpon their owne judgement and haue no further proof or authority And this I say is true although we should make the Church subject to errour and grant the bare letter of Scripture to be the ground of our aduersaries beliefe But as I haue proued the authority of the Church is infallible and diuine and besides this the newe sectaries build not vpon the letter of holy Scripture Secondly I inferre of that which hath beene said that our aduersaries according to their doctrine haue no infallible meane whereby to knowe what articles of faith haue beene reuealed by God to his Church and consequently that they want a condition necessary to true faith And this is manifest both because they make the Church which God as I haue shewed hath ordained to be the ordinary meane for vs to come to the knowledge of such thinges subject to error and also because the bare letter of Scripture vvhich they ordinarily pretend in this case is insufficient neither doe they build vpon it as I haue proued Thirdly I conclude that absolutely al the professors of the newe Gospel ground their faith and religion vpon the judgement and fancy of man not vpon any diuine authority Hence they measure the omnipotent power of God by their owne weake vnderstanding and in those misteries vvhich being aboue the reach of reason cannot be by it comprehended they cry out vvith the Iewes howe can this be Iohn 6. v. 52. Ciril lib. 4. in Ioan. cap. 13. which word howe saith S. Ciril Bishop of Alexandria is a Iewish word and worthy of al punishment This also vvas in some sort confessed by king Henry the eight the first head of our English Church For being desirous after his denial of the Popes supreamacy to make some innouation of religion within his dominions he published as Hal Hollinshed and Stowe
al points appertaining to faith and religion She is finally the ship and skilful pilot which throughout al the stormes and tempests of Schismes and Heresies vvil guide vs vvithout errour to the porte of euerlasting saluation and make vs fit stones to be placed euerlastingly in the triumphant Church of God in heauen FINIS AN APPENDIX TO THIS TREATISE CONTAINING A BRIEFE CONFVTATION OF A BOOKE PVBLISHED IN THE YEARE M. D.C.VI BY WILLIAM CRASHAW bearing this title Romish forgeries and falfifications c. IF al vvere true which is objected by newe sectaries against the one true Spouse of Christ the Catholike Church al men endued vvith reason might according to reason prudently meruaile that any man of common sense doth follow her doctrine or embrace her communion Luther exclaimeth against her children that they make the Virgin Mary a * Luther ad Euangeliū d◠festo Annunciationis Goddesse giuing her omnipotency both in heauen and earth Caluin a Caluin book 3. Instit c. 20 §. 22. l. de necessit reformand Eccles that they giue the worship of God vnto Saints and honour them and their relikes in place of Christ Luther againe b Luth. ad c. 50. Genes in colloq Germ. c. de Christo that they deny justification and saluation through Christes passion and merits Caluin c Caluin book 3. Instit cap. 20. §. 21. that in their Litanies Hymnes and Proses there is no mention of Christ yea that for the most part Christ being passed ouer God is praied to by the names of Saints Luther moreouer d Luther ad l. Ducis Georgij scripsit an 1533. l. de abrogat Missae priuatae that they hold a man may keepe the Commandements without the grace of God Caluin that they e Caluin booke 1. Instit ch 11. §. 9. and 10. giue Idolatrous worship vnto Images Luther also that f Luther l. de Ecclesia the Pope buried the Scripture in dirt and dust Caluin g Caluin booke 4. Instit ch 9. §. 24. in antid Concil Triden sess 7. Canon 1◠that they make the oracles of God subject vnto men and that they esteeme more in baptisme of chrisme salt and such other thinges then of the washing with water Luther finally h Luther lib. de Concilijs that they giue to Councels authority to make newe articles of faith and change the old Caluin that they giue the Pope authority to institute new Sacraments and that the Popes hold there is no God Caluin alij passim in 2. Thessal 2 4. Caluin Instit booke 4. chap. 7. §. 27. that al thinges written and taught of Christ are lies and deceits that the doctrine concerning the future life and the last resurrection are meere fables These and diuers other such monstrous vntruthes are forged by our aduersaries against vs and this course they are constrained to take that they may haue something to impugne For if they should plainely and sincerely deliuer vvhat we hold the force and brightnesse of truth it selfe would easily at her only sight weaken yea ouerthrowe al their impugnations And like as the first beginners of the new religion ranne these vnconscionable I may say shameful courses so their successors alwaies haue continued in the same and euen those of our daies obstinately refusing to accept of any reasonable answere or to vnderstand the truth insist in the steps of their predecessors For vvhereas if they were but indifferent they might wel perceiue that vve vvhome neither feare of death nor infamy and disgrace nor losse of liberty liuing and worldly goodes can moue to doe one act contrary to our religion wil not for al the world denie any one article of our faith Yet notwithstanding although we denie their false slaunders neuer so much yet they vvil needes haue vs to hold them as they say vvhether vve vvil or no. Diuers impute vnto vs daily strange paradoxes in matters of faith But among others one William Crashaw Anno 1606. In the Epistle Dedicatory hath not long since published a booke accusing vs of an horrible matter of fact to wit of the crime of corruption and forgery in the highest degree so are his wordes His said booke beareth this title Romish forgeries and falsifications together with Catholike restitutions By reading of the contents of it he that is not learned and acquainted with their dealings may easily be drawne and perswaded not only to condemne vs as notable corrupters and forgers but further to imagine that we in former ages haue corrupted al the Fathers workes and consequently inferre that their testimonies can yeeld vs no firme ground vvhereon to build our faith Crash in his preface to the reader §. see what see also § wil these men contrary to that which hath beene said in this Treatise Nay Crashaw himselfe doth not only affirme that they haue cause to suspect that we haue so dealt with the Fathers because we haue not spared as he saith some as ancient as some fathers but also auerreth that it wil be proued to the worlds view that we * §. But whē haue de facto corrupted almost al antiquity in so much that no man can tel what ground to stand vpon either for Councels Fathers decrees or mens writings And he addeth § To end this point that he doth not doubt but ere long God wil raise vp some instruments of his glory who shal fully discouer to the world this treachery of the Romish Church by making it as apparent they haue corrupted the Fathers as I hope saith he to doe in this and the bookes ensuing that they haue corrupted al such late writers as they imagined any way to make against them Thus Crashaw For the resolution of which his false imputation as also for clearing of our present practise which may seeme to some to tend towardes the ouerthrow of the authority of antiquity I thinke it not amisse to spend some fewe lines in prouing these three points First that our practise in correcting of bookes reprehended by Crashaw is prudent and laudable Secondly that our aduersaries if we offend in this are much more to be condemned for the like proceedings in the same kinde Lastly that the Fathers vvorkes are sincere and free from al corruption To declare the first I must first giue my reader to vnderstand that the Church of Christ nowe hath and euer hath had authority to censure and condemne al such bookes as are published and containe thinges any vvaies opposite to the truth of her faith and religion This first appeareth because she is supreame judge on earth of al controuersies arising touching faith and religion and hath jurisdiction ouer euery Christian from which it proceedeth that she condemneth heresies and Heretikes wherefore it cannot be denied but she hath also authority to condemne the works of any Heretike or other person vvhatsoeuer containing heresies or errours opposite to her faith For much more it is to condemne
an Heretike or an heresie then to condemne an heretical or erroneous booke Secondly authority to doe this was needful for the preseruation of one true faith and religion in the Church for vvhat is more daungerous to infect true Christian harts then bad bookes especially if they be not knowne and censured to be such but read by al sorts indifferently as Catholike and Orthodoxal Verily if conference and conuersation vvith Heretikes be so straightly a Rom. 16 17. 2. Tim. 3. v. 5. Titus 3. v. 10 2. Iohn v. 10. Iâ—â—n l. 3. c. 3. Cipr. l. 1. ep 3 Athanas in vita Antonij forbidden vs both by the Scriptures and Fathers as vve finde much more are their bookes to be auoided which diuers times containe poison coloured vvith eloquence vvhich may alwaies be had at hand and are easily dispersed euer in such places vnto which Heretikes cannot haue accesse Hence the very Heathens themselues led by reason and the lawe of nature only b Plato lib. 7. de legibus Valer. Maxi. lib. 1. cap. 1. Cicero l. 1. de natur DeoruÌ„ Lact. l. de ira Dei cap. 9. Sueton. in August cap. 31. Dio Cas l. 54 Titus Liuius lib. 39. condemned bookes hurtful and prejudicial to the religion by them receiued as I could proue out of Plato Valerius Maximus Cicero Lactantius Suetonius Diocassius Titus Liuius and others Fourthly the Church hath in al ages practised such authority as is euident by Ecclesiastical recordes I wil name only a fewe examples because I wil not be ouer long S. Clement telleth vs that the c Clemens lib. 1. Constit Apostol cap. 7. Apostles themselues forbad the faithful to reade the bookes of the Gentiles About the yeare 250. Dionisius Alexandrinus as Eusebius d Euseb lib. 7. hist cap. 6. recordeth vvas reprehended by other faithful people for reading the bookes of Heretikes e Ciril epist Sinod 1. In the yeare 432. the Fathers assembled in the general Councel of Ephesus requested of Theodosius then Emperour that he vvould take order that the bookes of Nestorius vvheresoeuer they vvere found should be burnt and according to their request the said Emperor by his imperial constitution f L. vlt. de haeret Cod. Theodos Laberatus in Breuiar c. 10 willed that al such bookes should be dilligently sought for and publikely committed to the fire g Anast epist ad Ioan. Hierosolim S. Anastasius the Pope at Rome and S. Epiphanius in a Sinod held at Ciprus with diuers others about the yeare 402. h Socrat. li. 6. cap. 9. see S. HieroÌ„ ep 26. condemned the booke of Origines called Periarchon which Ruffinus to the great hurt of the Church had published before in the citty of Rome and Didimus in the East S. Leo the great burnt great store of the Manichees bookes in Rome as i Prosper in Chronic. 443 Prosper writeth in the yeare 443. The fourth Councel of Carthage permitteth only Bishops to reade heretical bookes in time of necessity Gelasius the Pope in a Councel of seauenty Bishops held at Rome in the yeare 494. k Distinct 15. Can. Sancta Romana sentenced diuers books and made a certaine index of them as is to be seene in the decree yet extant The fift general Councel about the yeare 553. condemned certaine thinges written by Theodoretus against S. Ciril and the epistle of Iba And al those bookes except those of Nestorius were thus l Socrates lib. 1. cap. 6. censured long after the death of the authors m See L. Damnato Concil Chalced. act 3. L. Quicunque Cod. de haereticis The like examples I could bring of the proceedinges of Constantine the great against the bookes of Arius L. vlt. tit 16. lib. 9. leg 24. tit 4. l. 16 Cod. Theod. Socrat. lib. 2. histor tripartitae Liberat. in Breuiario cap. 10. who prohibited them vnder paine of death of Valentinian and Martian Christian Emperors against those of Eutiches and Apollinaris of Honorius and Theodosius against bookes of art Magicke Yea Arcadius Honorius and Iustinian by their lawes decreed that al heretical bookes should be burnt publikely And this practise perhaps of burning such books began in the Apostles times vvhen as S. Luke vvriteth in the acts of the Apostles * Act. 19 19. Many of them that followed curious thinges brought together their bookes and burnt them before al. Nowe seing the Church hath authority to condemne or burne heretical bookes or others that containe false doctrine opposite to the rule of faith no man of any judgement wil deny but shee hath also authority to correct them if by that means she can make them profitable for her vse and beneficial to her children For much lesse it is to correct then to condemne and burne and much better it is in such cases to correct then cleane to abolish Hence are these wordes of S. Hierome speaking of the vvorkes of Origen Hieron epist 76. ideÌ„ epist. 64. Apolog 1. aduersus Ruffin Neither are his euil opinions to be receiued for his doctrine neither are his Commentaries if he wrote any vpon the holy Scripture altogether to be rejected for the wickednesse of his opinions thus S. Hierome who vpon this ground newly translated and amended the booke of Origen before mentioned In like sort the collations of Cassian were long after his death corrected by diuers as we gather out of Cassiodorus and Ado. And although this authority of the Church be such Cassiod Institut diuin lect cap. 29. Ado in Chronic an 425. in fine that with discretion and to edification she may execute it against any whatsoeuer yet much more reason right she hath to execute it vpon the workes of her children who are her subjects submit themselues and their workes wholy to her censure Some man perhaps wil say that euery Catholike doth not so submit himselfe and his workes but it is certaine that vvhosoeuer doth not so either expresly or vertually is no Catholike because he preferreth his owne judgement before the censure of the vvhole Church And whosoeuer doth this although through ignorance he erre as euery man may he is no Heretike according to that of S. Augustine I may erre I cannot be an Heretike seing that the one is proper to a man the other to a peruerse and obstinate wil. And out of this discourse I conclude that if our Church be Catholike as it is we are not to be blamed for our proceedinges in forbidding and correcting such bookes as oppose themselues any vvaies against our religion or may seduce the harts of their simple readers or any waies seeme to taste of an heretical kind of speach or phrase although the authors themselues diuers times intended no hurt And this must much more be graunted vnto vs in moderne authours and such as haue written in this last age both because they submitted themselues commonly in expresse tearmes to the censure of the Church and also because by the
religion to wit Apostolike Traditions page 86. Sect. 1. Of Apostolike Tradition in general page 86. Sect. 2. Of vnwritten Traditions in particular page 91. Chap. 9. Of general Councels which make the third particular ground of Catholike religion page 97. Chap. 10. Of the decrees of the supreame visible Pastour of the Church which make a fourth particular ground of our faith and of other grounds hence proceeding page 108. Sect. 1. Containing a briefe explication or rehearsal of the Catholike doctrine concerning the Popes supreamacy page 108. Sect. 2. The aforesaid doctrine is proued page 113. Sect. 3. That the decrees of the Bishop of Rome when he teacheth the Church as supreame Pastour are of diuine and infallible authority and of some other groundes of faith flowing out of these page 127. Sect. 4. The opinion of some sectaries that the Pope is Antechist is briefly confuted and two objections against the premises are answered p. 133. Chap. 11. Of the consent of the auncient Fathers and the general doctrine of the Catholike Church in al ages page 140. Chap. 12. Containing the conclusion of the first part page 144. THE SECOND PART In which is proued that the newe sectaries build their faith vpon no diuine authority but that the ground of al their beliefe and religion is their owne judgement and consequently that they haue neither true faith nor religion CHAPTER 1. That by their doctrine they deny or at the least weaken the three principal and general groundes of Christian religion set downe in the three first chapters of the first part page 1. Section 1. The number of Atheists among them is great and of the causes by them giuen of this impiety page 1. Sect. 2. Of our aduersaries doctrine concerning the immortality of the soule heauen and hel page 8. Sect. 3. Of our aduersaries impious assertions concerning Christ and Christian religion page 12. Sect. 4. That in like sort they weaken the principal proofes of the said three groundes page 19. Chap. 2. The newe Sectaries debase the true Christian faith and in place of it extol a presumptuous faith by themselues inuented page 26. Chap. 3. That our aduersaries deny the infallible authority of the Church and affirme it to haue erred and perished page 30. Chap. 4. They reject al particular groundes of faith aboue assigned and proued to bee found in the Church of Christ besides the holy Scriptures page 32. Chap. 5. They build not vpon the holy Scripture and first that the bare letter of holy Scripture only is not a sufficient ground of Christian faith and religion page 47. Sect. 1. In which this is proued because by Scripture the Scripture it selfe cannot be proued Canonical It is also argued that according to the sectaries groundes there is no Canonical Scripture and some principal reasons especially inspiration of the spirit which they alleage for the proofe of such Scripture are refelled page 47. Sect. 2. In which the same argument is prosecuted and two things principally are proued First that the newe Testament receiueth smal authority if we beleeue our aduersaries by this that it was written by the Apostles and Disciples because they accuse them of errour Secondly because they confesse the text of Scripture to be corrupted p. 67. Sect. 3. The same is proued because euery Christian is bound to admit and beleeue certaine propositions neither expresly contained nor according to some mens judgements so euidently gathered out of the holy Scripture page 75. Sect. 4. The insufficiency of the bare letter of holy Scripture is proued by other arguments especially by this that the true interpretation cannot be infallibly gathered out of the letter page 78. Chap. 6. The newe Sectaries Bibles containe not the true word of God page 83. Sect. 1. In which this is first proued concerning al their Bibles in general page 83. Sect. 2. That Luther Zwinglius Caluin and Beza in particular haue corruptly translated the Scriptures page 84. Sect. 3. Our English sectaries also haue falsly and corruptly translated the Scriptures page 90. Sect. 4. Containing false translations against the authority of the Church Traditions honour of Images Purgatory and the honour of Saints page 92. Sect. 5. Of their corruptions against inherent Iustice Iustification by good workes Merit of good workes and keeping the Commandements and in defence of their special â—aith vaine Security c. and against Freewil and Merits page 94. Sect. 6. Of their false translations against the Real presence Priest-hood election of Bishops single life of Priests Penance and satisfaction for Sinne the Sacrament of Matrimony and some other points p. 96. Sect. 7. That the Professors of the newe religion in corrupting the Scriptures followe the steps of the auncient Heretikes and what followeth of this discourse page 101. Chap. 7. That they build not vpon the letter of holy Scripture contained as they say in their owne Bibles page 103. Sect. 1. In which this is proued first because the propositions which they tearme of their faith are not in expresse tearmes contained in the Scripture page 103. Sect. 2. The same argument is confirmed by the testimonie of some Protestants concerning the true sense of some wordes of Scripture alleaged for our Catholike doctrine touching justification in the Section before page 106. Sect. 3. The like discourse is made concerning a place of Scripture alleaged for the real presence page 114. Sect. 4. The followers of the newe religion in diuers matters obserue not the letter of their owne Bibles page 130. Chap. 8. In receiuing translating and expounding the holy Scriptures they only build vpon their owne fancies and judgement and that they haue no other ground page 134. Sect. 1. In which this is proued by their doctrine and dissention concerning the bookes of Canonical Scripture and their altering of the text of the same page 134. Sect. 2. The same is confirmed by their translations and expositions of holy Scripture page 141. Sect. 3. Concerning the newe exposition of those wordes This is my body in particular page 146. Sect. 4. That certaine rules prescribed by Field for the true vnderstanding of Scripture of themselues alone without the censure of the Church are insufficient to assure vs that our exposition made is of diuine truth page 149. Sect. 5. Concerning their deductions out of holy Scripture that they likewise are framed by them according to their owne fancies and of their accusations of one another touching these matters page 157. Sect. 6. The vnlearned and ignorant sectaries in receiuing and expounding the holy Scriptures likewise build vpon their owne fancies and judgements and haue no other ground of their faith and religion p. 161. Sect. 7. Of the miserable estate of the vnlearned and ignorant Sectaries page 166. Sect. 8. That the newe sectaries alleage Scriptures to confirme their new doctrine it is no certaine argument that they build their faith and religion vpon the said Scriptures page 172. Chap. 9. In which is proued by the newe Sectaries
Canonical without his approbation although the number of Bishoppes vvere neuer so great as appeareth by that of Ephesus vnder Theodosius the younger by that of Constantinople vnder Leo Isaurus and diuers others And out of this discourse I gather that this authority of general Councels if we had no other argument were sufficient to perswade vs to detest and abhorre the condemned doctrine of the new Sectaries For the same Church which in the first general Councel of Nice condemned Aâ—ius and the Arians the same which in the second such Councel held at Constantinople condemned Macedonius and the Macedonians vvhich in the third held at Ephesus condemned Nestorius the Nestorians vvhich in the fourth held at Chalcedon condemned Eutiches and the Eutichians vvhich finally in other general Councels hath condemned other Heretiks and heresies The selfe same Church I say directed in al truth by the holy Ghost hath condemned and accursed Luther and the Lutherans Zuinglius and the Zuinglians vvith al their followers togeather vvith their doctrine in the last general Councel held at Trent But they say that this Councel vvas not laweful nor the judges indifferent I reply first that this hath beene an old cauil of al condemned Heretiks wherefore it may lawefully be suspected in these Moreouer it is sufficiently proued by Catholike authors and the matter is euident in it selfe that nothing necessarie to a laweful general Councel vvas vvanting in this vvherefore it is receiued by the vvhole Church as Canonical and therefore no vvise man seing that saluation and damnation vpon this depend vvil reject it vpon these mens reportes They affirme further that the Church hath no authority in a general Councel to make any newe article of faith To this likewise I answere that the Church properly maketh no newe article of faith for euerie decree by her made concerning such matters is either in expresse tearmes contained in the holie scriptures or gathered out of them by infallible deduction through the direction of the holie Ghost or expresly or virtually approued by the vnwritten Tradition of the Church wherefore the Church neither hath euer taught or shal euer teach any truth so newe that it vvas vnknowne to the Apostles For that which by her is defined and propounded was true before and an article of faith although sometimes not certainelie nor generally knowne before to be of such authority or dignity And that this is our doctrine it is graunted by Field vvhose vvords are these Field book 4. cap. 12. § Our aduersaries Our aduersaries confesse that the approbation and determination of the Church can not make that a truth which was not nor that a diuine or Catholike truth which was not so before thus Field Hence the Catholike diuines affirme that Christian faith neuer since Christs ascention hath increased or beene altered in substance but only in explanation or explication because the Church hath euer since only more plainelie and expresly declared her beliefe and authority to doe this vvas needful in her Vinc. Lir. cap. 28. 29. et 30. for preseruing of peace and ending of al controuersies This Vincentius Lirinensis most elegantly declareth by a similitude taken from the body of man vvhich hath the same members in his infancie youth vvhen he is at mans estate and in his old age and although for the diuersitie of time they are lesse and greater vveaker and stronger yet the body it selfe is not chaunged but augmented so saith he it falleth out in our faith c. They object also the authority of some Fathers but principally those vvordes of S. Gregorie Nazianzene vvho saith as he is alleaged by Whitaker * Whit. in his ans to Camp 4. reasoÌ„ Abbot in his answere to Hils 9 reasoÌ„ Nazianz epist 55. or 42. alias 102. ad Procop. Hist tri part li 9. cap. 9. That he had deliberated with himselfe and fully resolued to auoid Episcopal conuocations because he had neuer seene a good issue of anie Sinode I answere that this holy father doth not deny the authority of lawful general Councels as appeareth by his testimonie before cited and also by this that he vvas a most earnest defender of the Nicene Councel as is testified by Ecclesiastical histories and was himselfe present and subscribed to the second general Councel held at Constantinople He therefore only speaketh of such Sinods as was celebrated in those daies when he wrote that epistle of which fewe were lawful and none had good successe as appeareth by that of Seleucia Ariminum Millan Tirus Sirmium Bilson in his booke of the perpetual gouernment of Christs Church Chap. 16. pag. 396. Athan. li. de sinod et ad Affrican see also S. Ambrose epist 32. c. of vvhich in verie deed he neuer sawe good issue and for that cause he refused to be present to any of them and this solution is approued by M. Bilson a learned Protestant who expresly saith that this Father in these words condemneth not al Councels They bring likewise against vs certaine words of S. Augustine in his booke against Maximinus where he writeth thus as Abbot translateth him But nowe neither should I produce the Nicene Councel nor thou that of Ariminum as meaning to extol it neither am I held with the authority of the one nor thou with the other I answere first that although S. Augustine might haue proued out of S. Athanasius and diuers other authentical authors that the lawful Councel of Ariminum most notably confirmed the Nicene faith and that the Councel alleaged by this Heretike vvas but the supscription of the Bishops to a certaine forme of faith by threatning feare and affliction extorted by Taurus the Emperors officer after that the Councel vvas finished yet in the dispute which he had with Maximinus the said Maximinus opposing the Councel of Ariminum aganst the Councel of Nice he vvould not enter into the proofe of the authority of the one and confutation of the other but hauing most pregnant testimonies of holy scripture he voluntarily in that disputation ceased to vrge the authority of the Councel of Nice and so those his vvordes Neither am I held c. are vnderstood for the sense of them is I vvil not that nowe thou be bound to the one or I to the other Verely that he esteemed highly of the authoritie of general Councels al his workes and proceedings testifie yea his discourse before the vvords alleaged doth proue it as wil appeare to the reader For he saith that in the Councel of Nice the word consubstantial was by the Catholike fathers established by the authority of truth and by the truth of authority And in another place he telleth vs Tom. 7. de baptismo contr Donat li. 7. cap. 53. that we may securely auerre that which is confirmed and roborated by the consent of the vniuersal Church Chapter 10. Of the decrees of the supreame visible Pastour of the Church which make a fourth particuler ground of our faith and of other
grounds hence proceeding IN the three precedent Chapters I haue treated of three principal groundes on which with al security we may build our faith and religion I wil now adde vnto them certaine others commonly by al Catholikes esteemed also to be of infallible authority And in the first place I assigne the decrees and definitions of the supreame visible Pastour of the Church millitant but for a ful explication and plaine proofe of this ground I wil deuide this chapter into certaine sections SECTION THE FIRST Containing a briefe explication or rehearsal of the Catholike doctrine concerning the Popes supremacie BECAVSE our beliefe concerning the primacie of the Bishop of Rome is diuersly slaundered by our aduersaries I thinke it not amisse before I come to the proofe of it briefly to explicate what our doctrine is For true it is that our assertion being explicated to them that are misinformed is halfe proued We hold therefore that the supreame power which our Sauiour Christ euen according to his humane nature receiued of his Father before his ascention ouer al his Church of which are these his wordes Mat. 28. verse 18. Ephes 1 22. 1 Pet. 5 4. Heb. 5.6 Al power is giuen to me in heauen and in earth vvas neuer resigned or giuen by him to any mortal creature Wherefore as yet he remaineth supreame head of his Church prince of Pastours and Priest according to the order of Melchisedech Neuerthelesse because he vvas to withdrawe his visible corporal presence from the Church millitant and therefore could not himselfe decree and giues sentence or aduise in matters doubtful like as Kinges or Princes not being resident in their dominions for the good and peaceable gouernment of their subjects appoint Viceroies or Vicegerents Luke 19. vers 12. so he departing from his Church as the scripture saith into a farre Countrie like as he appointed diuers vicars for the administration of the sacraments so he ordained one for the gouernment of the whole Church to wit S. Peter who immediately receiued such jurisdiction and authority from him and therefore during his mortal life was his Vicegerent on earth ministerial head of his Church and chiefe gouernour Pastour and Prelate of the same And hence proceedeth the first difference betweene Christ and S. Peter touching the supremacie ouer the Church For although they be both termed supreame heads of the same yet the last of them is subordinate dependeth of the first and the first only is the supreame independent the last was the supreame visible ministerial dependent head Of which it appeareth that the authority and jurisdiction of the second was nothing prejudicial to that of the first for they may stand very wel together seing that the one was subordinate to the other Neither doe Christ and his vicar properly make two heads of the Church but one like as a King and his viceroy make not properly two Kings but one For like as the King notwithstanding his viceroy is the one chiefe prince gouernour and head of his country so is Christ the chiefe Prelate and head of his Church S. Peter vvas his vicar and vicegerent and so is at this present his successour the Bishop of Rome For the proofe of the truth of this doctrine it maketh that like as Christ in the holy scripture is called Head of the Church so he is likewise called a Apoc. 17 14. ca. 19 16. King Lord b 1. Pet. 2 25. Bishop Pastour c Heb. 3 1. cap. 5. vers 6. Apostle and Priect Wherefore like as this notwithstanding others may be Kinges Lords Bishops Pastors Apostles and Priests so another may be although not absolute yet subordinate and ministerial head of the Church After this sort also our Sauiour and S. Peter are both rocks for although Christ be the chiefe rock and stone on which the Church was built yet S. Peter was the ministerial or secondary rock made by Christ a rocke and the principal stone next vnto himselfe in the edifice of his Church In vvhich sense by S. Paul and S. Iohn Eph. 2 20 Apoc. 21. verse 14. Basil hom de poenitē quae est vltima inter varias homilias Math. 5. verse 14. Leo serm 3. āniuersario Assumptionis suae although Christ be the principal foundation of his Church yet the Apostles are likewise termed the foundation of the same This which I haue said is most learnedly and euidently declared by the holy father S. Basil in these his wordes Although S. Peter saith he be a rocke yet he is not a rocke as Christ is for Christ is the true immoueable rocke of himselfe Peter is immoueable through Christ the rocke For Iesus doth impart and communicate his dignities not voiding himselfe of them but holding them to himselfe he bestoweth them also vpon others He is the light and yet you saith he are the light He is the Priest and yet he maketh Priests He is a Rocke and yet be maketh a Rocke thus farre S. Basil The like discourse vve finde in S. Leo for expounding those vvordes of our Sauiour Thou art Peter thus he speaketh in the person of Christ to the said Apostle Whereas I am an inuiolable Rocke I the corner stone who make both one I the foundation besides which no man can lay another yet thou also art a rocke because by my power thou art made firme and strong to the end that those thinges which are proper to me by power be made common to thee by participation hitherto S. Leo. And thus much of the first difference betweene Christ and S. Peter touching their superiority ouer the Church An other difference betweene them is that the authority of Christ vvas euer absolute of S. Peter limited for our Sauiour deriued not vnto him al his authoritie but a part onlie of the same Hence it proceedeth that although Christ instituted sacraments forgaue sins vvithout the vse of anie sacraments c. yet neither S. Peter nor any of his successours euer had anie such power or authority The reason is because euery man but Christ hath alwaies beene bound to vse the meanes by him instituted and left vnto his Church Of vvhich it appeareth howe false their slaunder is vvho affirme the Pope to pardon sinnes by his Indulgences or Pardons for certaine it is that by such indulgences no sinnes are forgiuen but men are onlie released of such temporal paine as is due vnto them It is also confessed by al Catholikes that no man as long as he is guilty of mortal sinne and out of the state of grace can receiue anie benefite from any such pardon A third difference is that our Sauiour being the way the truth and life yea the sonne of God himselfe could neither erre in judgement nor in manners that is he could neither haue any false or erroneous opinion in his vnderstanding nor sinne or erre from reason and right in his wil and actions Contrariewise his vicar although as I vvil proue
he that this inspiration is from the holy Ghost vvhat reason miracle reuelation or infallible vvarrant hath he to assure himselfe of this vvhere doth he finde that God hath promised that the holy ghost shal assist and preserue euery priuate mans vnderstanding from errour that praieth for his assistance Howe doth he likewise knowe that his praier is good and acceptable in the sight of God verily this is most vncertaine and yet otherwise by our praiers we obtaine not our requests and that the holy Ghost doth not vsually inspire euery man that so praieth for the truth it is apparent For suppose that an English Protestant and a Geneuian Puritan be at controuersie touching the same sentence I and the father am one and after ordinary discourses not agreeing they betake themselues both to their praiers and desire God to instruct them of the true sense of the said vvordes Wil they after their praiers forthwith agree and be of one opinion Certainely this is not their custome What then The English Protestant vvil say the spirit hath taught me that the Father and the Sonne are one in substance the Puritan contrariwise according to the doctrine of his master a Caluin in Ioan. 10 30. Caluin approued by b Whitaker in his answere to Campians eight reason pag. 204. M. Whitaker wil affirme that the spirit hath taught him that the aforesaid sentence is to be vnderstood of vnity in power consent not in substance The ancient writers or fathers saith Caluin abused this place to proue Christ consubstantial to the Father for neither doth Christ dispute of vnity of substance but of the consent which he hath with the Father Thus Caluin Which sense this Puritan may also confirme as Whitakers doth with that sentence of our Lord vsed when he praied for his Disciples that they might be one Iohn 17 21. That they al may be one said he as thou O father art in me and I in thee And be not these inspirations contrary did the holy Ghost in this case inspire them both Truly it is impossible And thus the Lutherans and Sacramentaries the Protestants and Puritans with diuers other sectaries after many praiers vsed on euery side remaine yet at mortal jarres concerning diuers matters in controuersie betweene them Neither can it be said that one part without al doubt is assured of the truth for one hath no more vvarrant for his assurance then another and consequently seing that they cannot be al assisted with diuine inspiration vve may wel affirme that none of them are certaine that they enjoy this prerogatiue yea vve may very vvel denie it vnto them al but of this matter I haue treated aboue For mine intent at this present it is sufficient that by praier the vnlearned sectary without some special reuelation or vvarrant from God which none of them receiue cannot assure himselfe that his opinion is true Wherefore let vs yet further suppose that he remaine hitherto doubtful as vpon these groundes he should Is there now any other thing to be done for his better resolution If al this say his aduisers suffice not he must repaire for his better instruction to the learned and aske their counsaile If he demand whither the learned may not erre in their counsaile they grant it If he vrge them to giue him a certaine and infallible rule whereby to discerne in their doctrine truth from falshood they tel him that when the learned speake according to the vvord of God they say true otherwise when they swarue and stray from the said word Sutcliffe against the wardword encont 2. pag. 54. So our countriman Sutcliffe plainely affirmeth that we are to beleeue euery thing which our Pastors teach vs but as farre as they teach the doctrine of Christ IESVS Nor are we saith he absolutely to obey them but when they teach according to the lawe Wherefore one of our Arch-puritans of Caluin whome the followers of his sect esteeme aboue al others vvriteth thus We receiue M. Caluin and weigh of him T. Cartwright in D. Whitgifts defence tract 2. cap. 4. pag. 111. as of the notablest instrument that the Lord hath stirred vp for the purging of his Churches and restoring of the plaine and sincere interpretation of the Scriptures which hath beene since the Apostles time and yet we doe not so reade his workes that we beleeue anything to be true because he saith it but so farre as we can esteeme that which he saith doth agree with the Canonical scriptures And this is their common doctrine Behold therefore this poore perplexed man is sent back againe to the Scripture And is not this a palpable circle First they sent him to his Bible then to conference with one place of Scripture with another thirdly to his praiers afterwards to the learned and nowe to his Bible againe to knowe the true doctrine of the learned from the false neither can they assigne any other rule vvhereby this may be knowne Of vvhich followeth moreouer this absurdity that they make him judge ouer the learned for he is to accept and refuse their doctrine according as he judgeth it consonant or dissonant from the vvord of God But let vs suppose notwithstanding these absurdities and inconueniences that the vnlearned sectary for his better instruction goeth to the learned and comming first to an English Protestant demandeth of him the true sense of the said sentence so often alleaged I and the father are one The Protestant telleth him according to the assertion of al the ancient fathers who by this sentence commonly refuted the Arians that Christ by these vvordes giueth vs to vnderstand that he as he is God and his father haue the very selfe same substance This not satisfying him he goeth further to a Caluinist vvho being demanded the same question answereth that the true sense of those wordes is That Christ and his father agree togither Caluin in Ioan. 10 30. and are of one consent What is this poore man the neare for al this One telleth him one thing another another thing and howe shal he discerne and judge of the truth Doth not this commonly happen doe not the Professors of the newe religion disagree among themselues both concerning the translation and also the interpretation of the word of God Doth not each one of them inuite euery man to his sect beare the vvorld in hand that he hath the truth and condemne al others oppugning his opinions of errour and falshood vvhat is more manifest then this What instructions then can this vnlearned sectary receiue of the learned Hath he not cause to be more perplexed and doubtful then he vvas before vvhat therefore shal he finally doe Certainely I cannot see what other grounds he can receiue from those Doctors vvherefore if he vvil not goe to the piller of truth the Catholike Church which is guided by the holy Ghost and of heâ— receiue a diuine and infallible resolution without al doubt he must either remaine
stil doubtful in this principal article of Christian religion or else going back to his Bible againe out of his owne judgement he must resolue to followe one of the aforesaid interpretations and to condemne the other as contrary to the vvord of God And vvhat a slender ground of faith is this yea seing that he hath no diuine authority vvhereon he buildeth I may boldly say that he hath no faith at al but only a kinde of opinion And like as I haue exemplified in this particular controuersie so could I doe concerning the real presence and the true sense of those vvordes This is my body or any other matter or place of Scripture in question betweene vs as my reader wil easily graunt for there is the like reason of them al and thus much concerning the vnlearned sectarie that can reade But what shal we say of him that is altogether ignorant and cannot reade The learned sectaries cannot send him to their Bible to search out the truth He cannot likewise conferre one place of scripture vvith another his praiers be of no greater force then his be that can reade wherefore he hath no other meane left but the aduise of the learned and his owne judgement and what wil the aduise of the learned helpe and auaile him if he finde among them possibility of errour and dissention These thinges he cannot but finde yea concerning that very text first alleaged The father is greater then I they are at variance for vvhereas some restraine it only to the humane nature of Christ Caluin saith He doubteth not to extend it to the whole complexum Caluin epist 2. ad Polonos seu in admonitione ad Polonos or person of God and man And certaine it is that if this ignorant person imbrace any one opinion as certaine concerning a matter of which he was before doubtful that he must either build vpon his owne judgement or otherwise he must take the vvorde of some learned man that the opinion which he followeth is true and vpon it ground his faith religion and saluation But vvhat reason hath he to accept rather of the word of one minister then of another For example what reason hath he in the exposition of those wordes This is my body rather to followe the Sacramentaries then the Lutherans are they not al alike subject to errors he cannot say that the scripture moueth him so to doe because he knoweth the Scripture only by the report of others Neither hath he any infallible rule whereby to discerne the true sense wherefore it is his owne fancy which perswadeth him to accept of the one exposition and to reject the other And doth not also this sectary although altogether vnlearned take vpon him to judge the learned Can he possibly beleeue the Sacramentary except he judge his doctrine to be true condemne al the learned Lutherans Can he follow the Protestants and not condemne the Puritans c. verily he cannot And vvhat a simple judge is he being a man ignorant voide of learning and commonly of a slender vvit and judgement And like as euery vnlearned sectary condemneth al the rest that dissent from him in opinion so al the rest condemne him For if he follow the Protestants al the Puritans tel him that he is deceiued if the Puritans the Protestants tel him the like tale If he beleeue Zwinglius Luther condemneth him to the pit of hel if Luther Zwinglius pronounceth the same judgement against him c. And of vvhat opinion soeuer he be certaine it is that more of his owne brethren condemne then approue his beliefe He is therefore in a most miserable and lamentable case both because he hath no ground of his faith but the vvord of a fewe ministers and his owne weake judgement and also because he is condemned of errour euen by those of his owne profession euen as learned and as vvise as they whome he followeth and farre exceeding himselfe in al such qualities And this is the ordinary manner of proceeding of the learned sectaries with the vnlearned and ignorant these grounds of faith and no others they receiue from them If any man doubt of the truth of this discourse let him exactly and strictly examine either the learned what grounds of faith they can afforde the vnlearned and ignorant or these vvhat groundes they receiue and vvhy they beleeue thus and thus touching any article of religion and their owne confession wil teach him that al which hath beene said is true and that the last and chiefest cause of this or that beliefe in the vnlearned and ignorant is their owne judgement or the opinion of the learned liking their owne fancy SECTION THE EIGHT That the newe sectaries alleage Scriptures to confirme their newe doctrine it is no certaine argument that they build their faith and religion vpon the said Scriptures TO proue that the professors of the newe religion ground their faith and religion vpon the holy Scripture some wil say that they alleage sentences of the said Scripture in great abundance in confirmation of their doctrine vnto whome I answere that true it is that so they doe But I adde that this is no sufficient argument to proue that which is intended And first let euery man deluded by such their proceedings consider that al the ancient Heretikes haue done the like Did not Arius Macedonius Nestorius Eutiches and other Arch-heretikes together with their followers for proofe of their heresies bring forth diuers places of holy Scripture Of this Vincentius Lirinensis who flourished almost twelue hundred yeares since Vincent Lirinens aduers prophanas haeresum nouitates c. 35. is a sufficient witnesse for of the ancient Heretikes alleaging of the word of God he writeth thus Here perhaps some man may demand whether Heretikes also doe vse the testimony of holy Scripture To which I say that they doe and that very earnestly for a man may behold them ranging and coursing in euery part of the Bible in Moises in the bookes of the Kinges in the Psalmes in the Apostles in the Gospels in the Prophets For whether they be among their owne brethren or with strangers whether in priuate or in publike whether in talking or in writing whether in the house a feasting or abroade in walking they almost neuer alleage any thing of their owne which they doe not pretend to shadowe with the sacred word of Scripture Reade the pamphlets of Paul as Sumosatenus of Priscillian Eunomius Iouinian and the rest of such like pestilent Heretikes and you shal finde through al their workes an huge heape of examples almost no page omitted which is not coloured and painted with the sayings of the old and new Testament thus farre Vincentius Lirinensis Origen tom 1 homil 7. in Ezechiëlem Of this point also Origenes discourseth after this sort When to defend false opinions we say it is written in the Prophet Moises testifieth this the Apostle speaketh it What other thing doe we but taking the
Cipriā epist 40. 70. 55. 69. 71. 73. see him also in exhortat ad Martirium cap. 11. the Century writers who are esteemed very diligent searchers of antiquity taxe S. Ciprian for his doctrine touching the Popes supreamacy Secondly the doctrine of S. Ciprian taught in this booke agreeth exceeding wel with that which is found throughout al his epistles in vvhich vve finde the same sentences almost in the very same wordes which Iames denieth to be in his manuscript copies of the booke of the vnity of the church as that there is one God one Church and one Chaire founded vpon Peter that the Church was built vpon S. Peter that our Lord chose him the first or chiefest that he instituted the origen of vnity from him c. Peraduenture some man wil say these epistles are also corrupted but first I thinke they are not found otherwise in the Manuscript copies mentioned by Master Iames then they are in the printed bookes For vvere they it is like he vvould not haue passed it vvith silence as he doth Secondly neither Perkins nor any other affirmeth these epistles to be corrupted Thirdlie one of these Epistles in vvhich it is said that our Lord did choose S. Peter the first or chiefest and that vpon him he built his Church is cited by S. Augustine August to 7. de bapt cont Donat. cap. 1. Cipr. ep 72. ad Quintum vvho also alleageth those very vvordes as S. Ciprians which are in the printed copies to vvit Nam nec Petrus quem primum Dominus elegit super quem edificauit Ecclesiam suam c. For neither S. Peter whome our Lord chose the first or chiefest and vpon whome he built his Church c. And moreouer after S. Ciprians vvordes he addeth himselfe Behold where Ciprian rehearseth which also we haue learned in holy Scriptures that the Apostle Peter in whome the Primacy of the Apostles through so excellent grace is higher then others c. Thus S. Augustine of which it is most euident that this Epistle among al the rest is not corrupted and yet here is almost said as much in substance of this matter as is in his booke de vnitate Ecclesiae Finally the vvordes vvhich Iames vvil haue excluded from S. Ciprians booke de vnitate Ecclesiae are so agreeable to this holy Fathers stile and phrase and so fitting his discourse that no man can almost suspect them to be added But it may be demanded howe it falleth out that they are wanting in the Manu-script copies mentioned by M. Iames In very truth if there be such auncient copies and there be nothing razed out of them I cannot but thinke that they were written out before the art of printing was inuented by some Wicliffian Heretike or if they came out of some forraine country by some Schismatike or other that held with some German Emperor against the Pope That the Wicliffians vvere very potent and preuailed much in our Country we may gather out of that vvhich is said by Stowe in his Chronicle and in the yeares 1414. and 1377. And Walsingham vvriteth Walsingham anno vlt. Edward 3. that the Vniuersity of Oxford in particular vvas cold in resisting him Walsingham in vita Richardi 2. anno 1378. Nay their coldnesse vvas such that Gregory XI Pope in the yeare 1378. vvrote his Breue to it and reprehended them of the said Vniuersity for their coldnesse and slacknesse AN INDEX OR TABLE OF AL THE CHAPTERS AND SECTIONS OF THIS TREATISE The first part of the groundes of the old religion CHAPTER 1. Of the first ground of Catholike religion to wit that there is a God and that God by his prouidence gouerneth al thinges page 1. Section 1. That there is a God page 2. Sect. 2. Almighty God hath care of worldly affaires and ruleth al things by his diuine prouidence page 10. Chap. 2. Of the second ground of our religion to wit that the soule of man is immortal and that it shal either be rewarded euerlastingly in heauen or punished euerlastingly in hel page 12. Chap. 3. Of a third principal ground of our faith to wit that Christian religion only is the true worship of God page 16. Chap. 4. That among Christians they only that professe and embrace the Catholike faith and religion are in state of saluation and doe truly worship God page 24. Chap. 5. Sect. 1. Of the definition and conditions of true faith p. 28. Sect. 2. That faith is a most firme assent of the vnderstanding page 29. Sect. 3. Faith is of thinges incomprehensible by natural reason and consequently obscure page 30. Sect. 4. By true Christian faith we beleeue such misteries as God hath reuealed to his Church page 32. Sect. 5. That true faith is built vpon diuine authority page 34. Sect. 6. Besides the reuelation of God some infallible propounder of the articles of our faith is necessary and that they are propounded vnto vs by the Catholike Church page 36. Chap. 6. Sect. 1. Of the supreame and infallible authority of the Catholike Church page 38. Sect. 2. The whole summe of Christian doctrine by word of mouth not by writing was committed by Christ to his Apostles page 39. Sect. 3. The Church cannot stray from the rule of faith receaued nor erre in matter of faith or general precepts of manners which is proued first because the holy Ghost directeth her in al truth page 42. Sect. 4. The same is proued by other arguments page 44. Sect. 5. That the testimonies of holy Scripture and other proofes brought for the infallible and diuine authority of the Church cannot be applied to the Church considered as it comprehendeth al faithful Christians that are and haue beene since Christes ascention or since the Apostles daies but vnto the present Church of al ages page 52. Sect. 6. That the same testimonies and proofes conuince an infallible judgement of the Church concerning euery article of faith not only concerning certaine of the principal page 56. Sect. 7. That to saluation it is necessary to beleeue the whole Catholike faith and euery article thereof page 58. Chap. 7. Of the holy Scripture which is the first particular ground of faith in the Catholike Church page 61. Sect. 1. Howe the Scripture is knowne to be Canonical page 61. Sect. 2. Concerning the sense or exposition of holy Scriptures and first that the Scriptures are hard and receiue diuers interpretations p. 67. Sect. 3. The Scriptures may be falsly vnderstood and that euery priuate man may erre in the vnderstanding of them page 69. Sect. 4. That the letter of holy Scripture falsly interpreted is not the word of God page 72. Sect. 5. The true sense of the holy Scripture is to be learned of the Catholike Church who is the true judge thereof page 75. Sect. 6. An objection against the premises is answered and the question concerning the last resolution of our faith is discussed page 78. Chap. 8. Concerning the second particular ground of Catholike