spirit and not seing but of his light and who so euer kepeth not this vnitie he kepeth not the law of God he hath no faith and he can neyther haue the life nor the saluation of Iesus Christ It is S. Paul him Ephes 4. self that teacheth this Sacramēt of the vnitie of faith in the vniuersalitie of the Church as there is not saith he but one sole God lord father of all so there is but one faith one hope one trust one bodie one spirit the head of which bodie is the sonne of God Iesus Christ who being him self the spring of lyfe euerlasting doth inspire lyfe to all the bodie doth furnish it dayly with strength by his holy spirit Whosoeuer is not a member of that bodie can not take lyfe of the spirit of Iesus Christ he is a straunger he is prophaned he is an enemie he is dead drye and wythered without moysture of all diuine grace and that no part of the promises and rewards of Iesus Christ he is the braunche Iohan. 11. cut from the true stocke appointed to the fyer to be burned If any of those which were out of the Arcke of Noe vvere saued those also shal be saued which are founde out of the Arke of the Church If the riuer cut from his spring dryeth not vp if the braunche diuided from the tree can bear fruit if the member cut from the bodie can take lyfe of the same bodie then also the man that is diuided and cut from the Church shal liue of Iesus Christ He can not haue God for his father which wil not haue the Church for his mother and he can not be vnited with God which is not vnited with the Church At the same instant that man doth separat him self frō the Church he dyeth from Iesus Christe and leeseth the grace of the holy Ghost For euen as the vniuersal sensible light is tyed to the bodie of the sunne which doth spread and distribute it to all the world in the absence wherof there is nothing but darknes euen so al grace of reconciliation to God was annexed to the bodie of Iesus Christ yea to this bodie of his which dayly groweth by increase of the chosen preordinate to lyfe euerlasting which is the bodie of the Church which he doth gather together taking out from the heape of mankynd al men of good wyl which haue bene are and shal be to the end of the world out of which bodie there is but the wrath and malediction of God Search where you wil out of this Church you shall fynde nothing but death To be short he which is not in the Church hath no God he hath his owne proper iudgement his phantasie and his owne presumption for his God he maketh him selfe an Idol doth worship only his owne imagination in place of God If such a man calleth him self a Christian that is as the deuil often sayth he is Christ and if he be kylled for his heresie that is no martirdom bur the reward of his heresie which is not yet al purged by his owne death Dying he goeth to yeld and ioyne him self eternally to the darkenes which he hath worshiped and to his head which is the deuil There is no martirdom nor death pretious before God but in the catholique Church in the which only is the grace of the Gospel of Iesus Christ the which only she doth preach in sinceritie and truth and without any hazard or possibilitie to erre because she taketh her direction of the holy Ghost of the tradition of the Apostles and of the holy scriptures together which be the three grounds set downe by the holy scripture it self the which doth shew that not shee only buyldeth vp the Churche but is also holpen of the traditions of the liuely voyce of the Apostles to the which she often tymes referreth men Kepe sayeth S. Paul the traditions 2. Thess 2. Tenete traditiones quas didicistis siue per sermonē siue per epistolā nostrā Act. 15. 16 which you haue learned of me be it by woord or by our epistle and it is written in the Actes of the Apostles that in al places whear S. Paule passed by he recommended to the Churches to kepe the ordinances of the Apostles and of the elders which were things not written When the Apostles had planted the Gospel they did not say al things at one time nor in one howre nor wrote al that they sayed but according as occasion was giuen they planted their doctrine so that the holy scripture which we haue of the Apostles and of the Euangelists is not so muche a full doctrine of faith as a witnes of the faith that they preached Now if wee will goe higher the law of Moyses cōsisted no lesse in tradition than in writting and not only the sense but the letter and text thereof was to be learned by tradition For they had the scriptures in maner but by half the pointing beeing not yet put to the hebrew text But the holy Ghost alwayes hath in formed the Church of the true traditions and the true sense of the scripture in such sorte as the Church and the holy scripture are so linked together that they both be as an indissoluble cheyne of golde The Church is not aboue the scripture but the authoritie of the Church doth shew the true scripture And when the Church hath need of wholsome information she doth goe to the scriprure and if there be any darknes in the scripture the holy Ghoste is giuen to the Church for to interpret the same Euen so in the olde law in al difficulties that rose the law of Moyses ordained that they should goe to the hygh priest for the tyme being and that they Deut. 17. Malach. 2. should folow his verdit not turnyng either to the right syde or the left vpon paine of death The Prophets also sent them thether and in the Gospel it self our sauiour commaundeth that if any obey not the Church Matt. 18. he be degraded from the name of Christian and holden for an Eathnike let no man now seeke excuses in a corner God hath appointed at al tymes the priests of the Church present to iudge the present controuersies and willeth that men should repayre vnto them his holy spirit assisteth them to that end He hath not promised vs in them more then in other men example of holynes but he hath promised vs by them the Oracles of his truthe Oh that al those that do erre in faith did know the vertue of the name Catholique and the horror of the name heretike how the Catholique in his faith doeth renounce his own reason his own iudgemēt his vnderstanding his wil and all his senses for to hearken simplie and absolutely vnto that that the Church doth teache how on the cōtrarie side the heretike doth groūde builde his fayth vpon his owne iudgement They should knowe that the name Catholique is a name of
repose in God a name vtterlie denying him selfe to the end he may be ouerwhelmed in God and that to leane and staie vpon the Church is to leane and staie vpon God him selfe and that contrarie wise to staye vpon him selfe that is to say vpon his owne iudgement is to stay him selfe vpon the deuil they should knovve that the Church teacheth the people faythfully and that she is assisted of the holie Ghost that she hath the trevve traditions of the Apostles and doth take the scripture in the Euangelical sense sayeth nothing of her selfe putteth nothing of nevve dothe not make any article of fayth but only giueth vvitnes of the Euangelical sense and discerneth the good from the euil pasture euen as the holy Ghost doth reueale to her in common And contraryvvise that the heretike is not stirred but of his ovvn particular spirit hath not any tradition but of his owne proper making taketh the scripture in a sense by him self inuented handling the same as if him self were the authour making him self a prophet to hym self and iudge of God and somtymes setteth him self aboue al that which is God in som much that he doth iudge by his owne priuate sense the eternal woord of God in such sort as al heresie maketh a new paradox putteth a new sense neuer Euangelized not of the holy Ghost but inuēted of Satan by the mouth of one particular man The spirit of God is not particular but common and the same is in common to the Church to whom hath bene giuen the assurance of the holy Ghost to shew vnto her al truthe in such sorte that as it is certein that the holy Ghost is authour of the scripture so is it certein that the holy Ghost is the soule and lyfe of the Church by whose direction she can neuer erre for which cause S. Paul doth cal her the piller and ground of trueth And 1. Tim. 3. this is it that S. Augustin did confesse o lord S. August lib. 12. cōfess c. 25 sayeth he thy trueth is not myne nor this mans or that mans but it is euerie mans whom thou publikly Veritas tua est domine nōmea nec illius aut illius sed omnium nostrū quos ad cōmuniomem publice vocas terribiliter admones ne priuatam veritatē habeamus ne priuemut ea Ioan. 8. calleste to the communion therof warnyng vs terribly that we take greate heed to chalenge that in priuate lest so we be vtterlie depriued of it For he which speaketh of his owne telleth a lye And as many particular opinions as are in the world so many banners are there displayed by the deuil A true catholique doth estrange him self as much as he can from all particular opinions and from al attributing to him self his being his liuing his power and knowledge and neuer doth vse these termes I am I can I wil as for me this is my opinion and such like speches which be termes of deuelish arrogancie He dares not so much as to say of him self that he is a part of Christendom standing as it wear by him self alone but holdeth this for a principle that he can not so much as thinke any thing that good is without the continual dependence of God and instruction of the Church vnto whom in all simplicitie and in deep humlitie he leaueth him self to be edified and instructed euen as a litle childe of his mother so that it is in a maner easier to plucke a sterre out of the element than to plucke a true catholique out of the bosome of the Churche Litle Iacob when Rebecca his mother commanded him to faigne him self to his father that he was Esau to get thereby his blessing he answered like a childe that he feared lest the deceit being discoueced he should procure hym self malediction in stead of benediction but then his mother sayd to him that maledictiō Genes 27. my sonne be vpon me only obay thou my voyce in that I commaund the which he did and was blest euen so it is in our obedience to the Church If the Church should deceiue vs then vpon her be the maledictiō to vs doth apperteyn the glory of obedience with the which we be very wel assured to obteyn the euerlasting benediction But now the Church can not deceiue vs yea I say further that the iniquite of him that is in the Church is better that is to say is lesse dānable then the good works of him which is in heresie For if one of the howshold of the Church haue sinned he hath but committed that sinne wherein he is fallen the which is blotted out by pennance in the Churche and he may obtein the promisses of the kyngdome of heauen but he which is fallen out of the Church sinneth alwayes in al that he doth for al that which is not of faith is sinne as S. Paul saith Yea although he do pennāce yet cā he obtein no pardō because in the societie where he is there is no remission of sinnes there is no good worke meritorius no pennance no vertue to be rewarded withe life euerlasting where faithe is not and that persone dothe not fruitfully fulfil any comaundement of God which doth not fulfil the same in the Church The pretended good works of those which be out of the Church be like a swyft running out of the way and lyke great paynes taken for a matter of nothing where no reward is to be gotten He which runneth out of the listes shal neuer carie away the price he must be first with in the barriers of the Church seing that the course of good woorkes shal be crowned according to the merits of the rightuousnes of eache one I meane according as euery one shal shevv hymself valiant and couragious in christian spirit and according as the new regenerat man in him hathe brought foorth due fruits and effects of his regeneration There is no good without the soueraign good The soueraign good is God God Iesus Christ and the Churche are three things coherent and fast vnited together There is no accesse to God but by Iesus Christ and there is no accesse to Iesus Christ but by the Churche let no man sayeth S. Ambrose accept good woorks done before faith Faith is the soule of good woorkes without the which they be dead and be not to be rewarded with lyfe euerlasting faith is the soule of our soule the substance of man in such sorte as man without faith is without substance True it is that an heretyke renouncing his heresie is straight wayes cleane and incorporated againe to the Church and as a member partaker of the prayers of all the vniuersal Church he is made woorthy of the body of Iesus Christ after he hath purelie and entierlie renounced his heresie in which case a Ioh. Clim grad 15. fornicator repenting hath need of teares of tyme to be throughly clensed and to extinguish vtterly the concupiscence which hath occupied the
for the reuerence of their priesthood ought Optatus to be as Melchisedech without father vvithout mother vvithout genealogie Hebr. 7. kinges of peace and of Iustice that is to say all spiritual al pure all holie vvithout fleashelie affection as if they vvere descended from heauen not subiect to the passions of men yf they be not such if thei preach the good and do the euill they be like the carpenters of the arke of Noe which taking no care to saue them selues did not enter therin or like the candle vvhich giueth light to others and consumeth it self or as the markes which shew the vvay and sturre not from theyr place Noe did not cast him self in to the water because of the vncleanes of the beastes vvhich weare in the arke so vve must not depart from the Church for the vices of men If a sike man should refuse the remedie of a Phisition for that the phisition him self is subict to the like disease he were misaduised The grace of the Sacramentes is not of lesse force for the euill life of a priest and the diuinitie can not be impeached by the corruption of persons If the beames of the sunne do not defile them selues passing by vncleane places much lesse doe the Sacramentes of god wich be remedies purging al coÌ„tagions A man must neuer ground his religion vpon the perfection of creatures for that vvere idolatrie It is vpon the vvord of God that he must make his foundation And I vvill say more that it vvas expedient for vs to haue for our pastors men taken from among men which be of fles he and blood as vve are weake and vnperfect as wee and can haue compssion on vs for to distribute the Sacraments according as our weaknes doth require If God had giuen vs Angels for pastors they would haue required too great perfections of vs. God hath giuen to priestes the ministerie of his giftes It is of priestes that our Sauiour doth say as thow hast sent me to the worlde sol I haue sent them into the world I haue giuen them thy word and I do not praie onlie for them but for those which shall beleue in me by their word How contemptible so euer the person of the priest be I consider God in him and not the man and honoring the contemptible man in that he is the vicar of God I honour God more than if I honored a holie man which were perfect because I doe it not for any other respect than for the loue of God where as in holie men it is the holines of life the prerogatiue of vertues which maketh them venerable To be short we must not onlie receiue Iesus Christ in his own person but we also must receiue the holie Ghost in his Church As Iesus Christ is the head so the holie Ghost is the soule of the Churche and the chaire of Iesus Christ shall not haue lesse priuileige than that of Moises From Moises vnto the Messias the Sinagogue alwayes taught the truth so the chaire of Messias shal teach the truth to the end of the world The grace of the chaire is of that force that the same doth constraine those to say wel which do not wel but manie in that chaire do the one the other For conclusioÌ„ of this marke Among Catholikes there be good people all may be such but among heretikes there be none good nor none can be The tenth marke is the gloire of mirakles which be diuine operations surmounting Exod. 4. Math. 10. Ioh. 15. Mar. vlt. Haebr 2. Aug. li. de vti â—red 22. de câ—uit Dei c. 8. Tert. l. de praes the habilitie of all creatures as to raise the dead to make the blind to see to helpe the lame and to cure diseases which are naturalie incurable And this marke is necessarie for to persuade a new faith or an extraordinarie sending euen according as the scripture and all the fathers doe teach But neuer were there true miracles in the worlde but among the Iewes and the Catholikes The Iewes haue not had anie sithens Iesus Christ The Mahometists haue neuer made anie Mahomet sayth in the Alcoran that the miracles haue bene giuen to Iesus Christ and the sword to him The Panimes also neuer wrought any true miracles Those wich they report touching an oxe and an Image vvhich did speake water caried in a siue by a vestal virgin a rasor that did cut a whetstone and Tit. Liuius Cicero Val. Max. such like be al light toyes tending not to the vinification or bettering of anie creature but be secret trickes which the deuils might easilie doe for to amaze and to maintein the folies of Paganisme But true and liuelie miracles bringing sound counfort to men neuer Sathan nor his angels nor the false prophets nor the Panimes nor the heretikes Suetonius Corn. Tacitus haue euer done any Those that SVETONIVS and TACITVS haue written of Vespasian that he did make one that was blinde to see with his spitle and heale one that was lame and an other that had a drie hande those be the miracles of Iesus christe which those prophane persons wold rob him of for to attribute them to their Empereur and they them selues discouer their theft by their owne writtings TACITVS doth write that the saide blind man sayd to Vespasian that he had in reuelation of the God Serapis to come to him Now the Panimes which had not yet hearde then of IESVS Christ did thinke that the Christians did worship Serapis as it doth appeare an epistle of the Empereur Adrian to Seruianus consul as apeareth in Vopiscus where he sayth that in the towne of Alexandria they that worshippe Serapis were Christians whereby one may see that the Author of the healing of that blind was the God of the christiaÌ„s The cause of the error in the name Serapis cometh of that that theÌ„ throughout al the world men talked of the miracles that Iesus Christ and his Apostles had done in Iurie and the countres round about and did not declare them according to the pure truth as coÌ„monlie things which be done in countries fer of be disguised and altered by them vvhich report them the Panimes at al times haue bene rashe folishe to iudge of things to them vnknowen giuing for historie that vvhich they did imagin according to their darknes as it appeareth euen by the scripture it self Euen so the SiriaÌ„s being ouercome by the Iewes said that the God of the Iewes vvas the God of Mountanes and 3. Reg. 20. 4. Reg. 18. that they must intrappe him in the valleis Euen so Rapsaces did iudge that Ezechias had destroied the aultars of the God of the Iewes wheÌ„ he destroyed the idols Likerwise the Licaonians did call Barnabas Iupiter S. Paul Mercurie for that he was the cheef speaker In like manner the Panimes in the time of Act. 14. the Apostles vnderstanding that the Christians did vvorship Iesus Christ
fight against it The Arrians would not agree to any one point if it were not expresly in the scripture The Mahometanes pretend the gospel to make for them and alleage the same for their soueraigne aucthoritie The deuil him self hath cyted the scripture against our sauiour and thereof it is that he prepareth snares and cordes to strangle such as harken to him making that which should bring them life to be deadly vnto them and conuerting bread in to poyson It is certain that the scripture is giuen vs of God for our saluation this principle can not be shaken When the holy scripture speaketh it is the maiesty of God which doth shew his truth and his wil vnto men vnto the which euery man must beare inuiolable reuerence and yeld vnto it as to the assured and infallible verditt of God his truth submitting all his vnderstanding to the yoke and obedience of faith in suche sorte that it is treason to God his maiesty and damnable sacrilege for the boldnes of humaine vnderstanding to gaynsay the same yea or only to be so bolde as to thinke it for if any one gainsay the same he cutteth him self from God and maketh him self a companion of the deuil he is an heretike accursed and reprobate neuer shall haue parte with God For the holy scripture is the key which doth open vs Paradise it is the way which doth guyde vs the rule which doth teache vs the lampe which doth ligten vs in the middest oft he darknes of this world it is the looking glasse where in we behold the face of God the royall sceptre by the which he doth Gouerne his people the witnes of his good wil towards vs and the instrument of his aliance to the vvhich vvho so doth not bowe downe his vnderstanding he doth oppose him self against God with an ingratitude deuelish presumption Now al the heretikes of the vvorld haue made shew to agree to this principle haue whyted their ruinouse walles with no other colours than those nor haue no other thing in their mouthes but the texts of the scriptures What shal the simple man then doe hearing the word of the maiesty of God in the mouth of Catholikes and of heretikes This is it whereof I wold informe such as haue care of their saluation and teach them how they shal neuer be deceyued S. Gregor Nazianzene sayth that In Orat. ad Athanas the scripture is like vnto certaine paynted Images which what way so euer you turne you you thinke their eye foloweth you yet notwithstanding the right looke doth consist 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in some one point to the workman intended those that are cunnyng in that arte know it very well Likewise the holy scripture is to be taken in many senses and farre more then the scriptures of men for so much as the scriptures do participate of the nature of the author But so it is that God him self is the author of the holy scriptures whose vnderstanding being infinite the sense of his scriptures may be also infinite Notwithstanding there is one proper sense certaine assured in the scriptures whiche the holie Ghost hath vouchsafed to reueale vnto men which is the sense of the Gospel that is to say the right trew and natural sense of the voyce of the Prophets and the Apostles which is in effect the gospel For properly the Gospel doth not consist in figures of letters and dead characters of the writing of the Euāgelists Those thinges be but as an Image of the sense of the Gospel But wil you know what is properly the gospel It is the solemne publication of the sonne of God descended from the bosom of his father and shewed in fleash for to delyuer mankynd from the state of perdition in which he was and to reconcile him to God geuing power to the children of Adam which beleeue in his name to be made children of God renewing them in him self and regenerating them to God by diuine Sacraments by the which he hath made them partakers of his iustice of his life and of his glory and hath lifted them vp with him from changeable time to the eternitye of his father S. Paul doth define the Gospel to be the mighty povver Rom. 1. of God to saluation to al those that beleue that is to say a vertu supernatural diuinely infused ennobling mans nature aboue it self and eleuating it to a diuine estate the which of his owne force and faculty he could neuer attayne vnto no not only conceiue the same Lab. de prapa Euang. it is sayeth Eusebius that Gospel which doth shew the reuelatiō of goods not these earthly perishable which do decay but of the true soueraigne diuine euerlasting and incorruptible goods promised from the beginnyng of the world and foretold of all the Prophetes that which doth giue the meanes to get them To be short the Gospel is a nevv resurrection of the worlde and as it is sayd in the Godspel it selfe it is the seed of eternitie All the matter is to knovve vvho be the true sovvers and dispensators of the misteries of the Gospel that be sent and auouched of God For God doth not auouche all those vvhich thrust them selues into this diuine embassage he hath sayd to the vvicked vvho gaue the charge to rehearse my iustices take my testament in thy mouth And he complayneth him selfe in Ezechiel of false Prophetes vvhich runne vvithout Psal. 49. Ezech. 13. sendinge They runne sayth he and I sent them not they say the lorde hath sayd it and I sayd no such worde Our sauiour him selfe by his Matth. 7. holy mouth doth aduertise vs saying Take heede of false Prophets which come to you in sheeps clothing but within they are rauening wolues Now if in the traficke of this world we feare to medle with a false marchant how much more owght vve to feare in the traficke of euerlasting saluation If then vve vvil not be deceaued Sainct Paule therein doth geue vs a true meane vvhen he sayth How shal they beleue in him whom Rom. 10. they haue not hearde And how shal they heare without preaching And how shal they preach yf they be not sent There neede not so much disputing nor so much making of bookes to confound the heretikes Men do in a maner defile them selues vvhen they examine their doctrine there is no doute but that God is greatly offended with the ouermuch regarde that is geuen vnto them and those which wolde that men shulde heare them reason haue not the spirit of the feare of God An heretike before all other thinges should be asked not what he sayth but of whom he is sent and the marke of his sending And so without any more disputing he shal be confounded and put to silence For neuer heretike was sent of God they are al of the spirit of the deuil and al condemned of God what allegation so euer they make of the
soule and defiled the body the reliques of the one being harder to be healed then of the other but if the one and the other die in their sinne the heretike shal carie a more rigorous iudgement than the fornicator This point then is without contradiction that in all the vniuersal vvorld there is but one only Church vvhich doth administer eternal lyfe vvhich hath the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen in vvhich good deeds be revvarded vvith lyfe euerlasting vvhich dravving out of the holy Scriptures the right line of interpretation both prophetical and Apostolical according to the sense that hath bene preached and taught geueth her children assured certentie of the good pasture knowledge of the euil whō who so obeyeth not shal neuer see God For this cause S. Paul according to the care vvhich he had more then fatherly of the saluation of men doth exhorte very earnestly to be carefull to kepe the vnitie of spirit which is to hold them selues ioint firme and locked in the bosome of the Churche knowing that euerie where out of the same dwelleth death and that euerie particular assemblie out of the same is the Synagog of Sathan All diuinitie out of the Church is vaine false basterdly cōfuse ful of deceit impietie When the heretike alleageth woordes of the Gospel that is now no more saieth S. Hierom the Gospel of God The Gospel in their mouth becometh the woord of man and the woord of the deuil the trueth is poysoned by their leauen in suche sorte that it is altogether vnlike to it selfe wherin they fare as the false and leud counseilors of a prince or state whoe in giuing counceil redounding to ther owne particular profit and not of the Prince or common welth doo betray the Prince and the comon welthe euen so the heretiks be traitors to God and to the holy scriptures And let no man be deceiued if somtimes they seeme to teach the same doctrine that the catholikes do betwene the true and the false there is but a hears difference But now suppose they preached in all throughout the self same doctrine of faith and Sacraments as the catholiques doe that they be also otherwise irreprehensible of their life in external honestie yea finallie though they spend their bloud for the name of Iesus Christ all this notvvithstāding fith S. Aug. lib. de fide ad petro they make a bodye apart and hold not the vnitie of the catholike Church they be in state of perdition The vse of the Sacraments the woorks of mercie and the gloriouse confession of the name of Iesus Christe can not profit but vnto him which is in the vnitie of the catholique Church Which vnitie who holdeth not he diuideth the body of Iesus Christ which is one and indiuisible and his Church hath not two bodyes Iesus Christ is not diuided sayth S. Paul and that point is of so great importance as the creed of the faith which is dayly songe in the Church doth expressely shew that there is but one Church to the end that all men might know that out of the same there is no saluation Such as come near the brinke of a deep pit or of any dovvneright pitche conceiuing the horrour of tēporal death all trembling they retier far of for fear to fall therin but there is not any deep pit or dovvneright pitche or peril vvhat so euer in this vvorld vvherein a man should conceiue so much feare to fall as into heresie For in all heresie dvvelleth the horrour of eternall death And to fall from the assured firmament of the Churche in to heresie is to fall from cleaning to God to the bottomles pit of him self vvhich is as the fall of Satan vvhen he vvas headlonge throvven dovvne from heauen to hell Let vs then take heed God Christian people of separating of our selues hovv litle so euer it be from the catholike Church no not in one only litle thought let vs yeeld vniuersallie to all that the Church doth teach vvithout reseruing any thing vvhat soeuer it be to our particular iudgement against the iudgement of the Church Looke hovv much any man reserueth to his ovvn resolution vpon his ovvn proper sense in matters of faith so nigh he is to the losse of his lyfe so farre is he in darknes of errour so near is he to death so much diuided from God so fast cleaueth he to the deuil Farre from all those vvhich haue care of their ovvn euerlasting saluation be that deadlie presumption vvhich would share his faith vvith the Church that is vvould make a choise and particular separation of the points vvhich it pleaseth him to beleeue or not to beleeue vvith the Church as if that syde vvhereunto by our ovvn direction vve resolue to leane vvere to vs a better euidence and cleeret testimonie than the vniuersal Churche This is in verie deed to censure the Church and to make our selues iudges of the Church and of the holy Ghost also vvhich teacheth her This is to be too too much ignorant of our own ignorance vveaknes and mesure of our ovvn state and condition The iudgement of one particular mā hovv vvise so euer he may be is but as a litle candle in the darknes of the night the which giueth light scant fovver or fiue pases in circumference but is incōtinent obscured inuironed with the exceding force of vniuersal darknes Wher the Church vvhich as S. Iohn sayeth is clothed with the sunne hauing the moon Apoc. 12. vnder her feet dothe cast her beames vpon the face of the vvhole earth taking her brightnes from aboue and drawing her light out of the sea of the Intelligence diuine Avvay say I vvith this presumption farre be it from all our friends farre from the chosen and elect of God farre from al those vvho haue an earnest desire of their ovvn saluation wolde vvillinglie forsake this worlde to see God eternallie and to attain vnto the glori of eternal felicitie Avvay vvith this rashenes of particularities in opinions seuered from the Church This is the verie cockle of wicked spirits This is the vvay to fall in to the hands of the deuil vvho being not able to wound a man to death by making him to forsake the Church absolutelie dothe yet vvound and disfigure the integritie and sincere purenes of a Christian in this point at least that novv he is not sound and sincere nor such a one as the beautie and state of a christian requireth Deformed is that member sayth S. Augustin which is not conformable to the whole Raither suffer the soule to be diuided August Turpis est omnis pars vniuerso suo non congruens from the bodie with all the torments in the worlde than to be diuided from the Church or to dissent from the Church in any one iote only or in any one sole litle point He that would agree with the Church in all except one only point is not a catholike Faith is more
Emperours by kynges by lerned men making innumerable books out of the vvhich a man vvoulde haue sayed that they could neuer be blotted And notwithstanding by the wonderfull prouidence of God thei be so weeded out of the earth that there remaineth nothing at all nether of the followers nor of their bookes nor of theyr doctrine nor any signe at all but that which is found in the bookes of catholikes who if they had not written their names in their books vve had not knovven that such heresies had euer bene in the vvorld and there is no doute but the flouds of heresies of theis tymes vvil also slyde avvay shortly The fyueth marke of the true Church is the largenes of the raigne And this marke is verie euident in the Catholike Church the which doth fructifie throughout the vniuersal vvorld in both the hemispheres And the sunne doth not streache his beames further then she I know vvel that she hath not the temporal regiment of external Iustice throughout the whole vvorld but she hath euerie where obedient childrē So that there is no tonge nor people nor climat of countrie inhabited vvhere if perhaps the most parte be not carholikes yet at the leaste there are some I say some notable number which assamble them selues in the Church and cōmunicate Catholiklie in the Sacraments of the Church among the Turkes among the Persians among the Tartarians among the Panymes throughout the compasse of the earth for the carholike Church is not restreined vvithin the bonds of Italie Fraunce Spaine Germanie England Polland Rome Hungarie Greece Siria Armenia Ethiope Egipt and other countries vvherof the names are vvel knovvn vnto vs and where the Catholikes be in infinite number but she doth spread her self in to the new world and in all those foure partes of that nevv vvorld vvhere she hath many Churches without mingling of heresies of the East syde in the Indians of the west syde in America towardes the north in Iapon towards the south in Brasilia what heresie is that that euer had such largenes As for the sectes of Lutherans and Caluinists they haue not passed in Asia nor into Africa nor in to Grece nor into many prouinces of Europe Yea euen in the verie springs of mischief in the North where heresies haue most might there are not two townes neighbours possessed of one self sect All heresie is as a serpent A serpent neuer S. August lib. de pasto ca. 8. lib. de vtil credendi cap. 14. 17. departeth farre of from his denne And S. Augustine sayth very wel that the Church is euery where heresie also euery where But the Church is one and the self same euery vvhere where as heresies be not the same euery where but be of great diuersitie the one not knowinge the other Wherof it doth appeare sayth he that none of those is the Catholike Church And he compareth heresies to boughes cut from the vine which abide in the place vvhere they fall vvithout fructifying wher as the Church is the liuelie stocke which doth bring fruit in all hir braunches throughout whereso euer she doth extend her self The sixt marke is the conquest of the world by efficacie of doctrine which is the doctrine of the true Church being liuelie mightie more pearsing then any two edged swoord and cōuerting effectuallie the soules to God The Philosophers sayth S. Athanasius with loftines of learning and magnificence of speche could neuer perswade any one citie to take their laws of them for that sayth he their doctrine was dead and without force and their speche did not proceed of the spirit of God but of the spirit of man Neither did any man euer read that the heretikes conuerted Idolators or Iewes to the faith Their care sayth Tertullian is not to conuert straungers to Iesus Christ but to peruert hys domesticals Tert. lib. de presc har and those which he alredy gotten to him not to geue lyfe to the dead but to giue deadlie poison to the liuing not to lifte them vp which be on the grounde but to make them fall that stand vpright The efficacie of their doctrine is not to edifie it serueth but to distroy and this marke doth shew it self very openlie in thies our dayes Here is now the very large harvest of the new world in ripenes It behooueth to send workmen but from whence doth the Lord of the haruest take them The Church catholike and heresie making both profession to be of Iesus Christ their dueties are to increase the howsehold of Iesus Christ asmuch as they can by conuerting the infidels to the faith This notwithstanding because IESVS CHRIST vvil not be planted in the hartes of straungers by other handes then of his deare spouse therfore the catholikes only are they which preache the Gospel to Idolators and gaine them to Iesus Christe The heretikes haue neuer drawn the least prouince from Paganisme to Christianitie when we haue conuerted thē to Iesus Christ the heretikes come afterwardes to deceiue them But men see that God doth not permit the worke of conuerting them to any other then to his true Church as we being those Soc. l. 4. c. 27. Soz. l. 6. ◠37. Theod. l. 4. only which be the fishers of men those alone which draw the soules of men from the sea of infidelitie to the shoar of Christianitie The heretiks neuer throwe their nettes in sea but after that we haue put the fish vpon the shoar then they put all their gloire to rob and carie away some litle fishe as theues not as fishers Euen so the Gothes being alredy made Catholike demaunding Catholike Bishops for to gouern their churches Valence sent them Arrians for to subuert them The cause why the heretikes can not conuert the infidels to the faith is for that propounding the scripture they doe not propound the true sense vvhich is properlie the svvoard of the spirit The vvordes of the scriptures are but as the sheath which holdes the sworde of the spirite They then fighting not vvith the sworde but vvith the sheath onlye it is no merueil if they doe not pearse the hartes of Infideles Besydes that the heretikes and Idolaters belonge all to one self maister But in the Romain church not onlie at the beginning but euen at all tymes this efficacie hath bene found This is the Romain Church vvhich did first conuert the Englishe men to the faith in the tyme of S. Gregorie the Pope This is the Romain Church vvhich did conuert the Saxons and the vvhole coutrey of Almains in the times of Pope Conon and of Pope Zacharie This is the self same Church that conuerted the Vandales Bulgarians Sclauonians Polonians Danes Norwaies Hungarians Morauians vvith infinite kinges people And it is not past twoo hundred yeares ago syns rhat one only mounke S. Vincent of the order of S. Dominike did conuert to the faith 25000. as vvel Iewes as sararins It is in our tyme that the new vvorlde receiued the