A MIRROUR OF TRUTH OF THE HIGHEST CONCERN To all sorts of People Noble and Ignoble Rich or Poor Soveraigne or Subject 1. Rom. 14. To the Greeks and to the Barbarians to the wise and unwise I am a Debtor Printed in the Year 167â— A MIRROUR OF TRUTH The Preface IT is for the Lovers of Peace and naked Truth for whom I write this in a few but substantial words declaring the grounds thereof and no more without the least dispute or Contest with any The Truth KNOW therefore that as all things are Vanity of Vanities but only to Love and serve God Eccl. 1.2 So all Knowledge which is not to that End is blind ignorance And all otherwise seeming Truth plain deceit and falshood For there is no Truth but that which leads to God Truth it self the Beginning and End Alpha and Omega nor any Errour or falshood but what seduces from Him Truth indeed is the chief of all most to be loved and sought after Esd 3.4 All the Earth calleth for Truth and Heaven blesseth it thus Esdras And let it be seriously sought after and firmly embraced above all in this foundation and ground-work of all true Vertue and Perfection Divine Faith without which it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.1 Now Faith is the ground of things to be hoped for and the evidence of things which are not seen If this point be rightly understood well observed the great stumbling-block to Errors Heresies is taken away This is St. Paul's definition of Faith and most true it is Observe then that since Faith a supernatural gift of God is the Evidence of those things that by no sence or understanding can be perceived but only through this free and gracious gift of God why do we so much busy our Understandings to conceive the Articles of our Faith and believe in a manner Nothing but what we would pretend clearely to know and understand All which is incompatible with Faith which must have no other Operation of the Understanding but simple subjection and obedience to that Divine Light And for this reason He teacheth us to bring into Captivity all Vnderstanding in Obedience to Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 As if he should say Good People in vain it is for you to trouble your heads discussion and search in these matters will not quiet or satisfy you The true Rule of Faith you must simply believe because God revealeth and the Church proposeth That which Faith tells you is above your capacity You may as well put the whole Ocean into a small Pitt as the least of these high mysteries into your Understanding you may as well understand the nature of God Himself as the least of them They are all alike little and great high and low as delivered by Faith We may not therefore search them Pro. 25.27 Exod. 19.12 For who is a searcher of Majesty shall be oppressed by Glory And the Beast that toucheth the Mountain shall be stoned These be Edge-tool's there is no jeasting with them Humane reason cannot reach thus high We must simply submit to the Divine Revelatian and the Churches Proposition All the Disputation in the world is to no purpose in these matters We must not contend in words for it availeth nothing but to the subversion of the Hearers It is not Man's Wisdom can teach us these things but the plain evidence of the Spirit of Truth And for this cause St. Paul gave this Admonishment to Timothy saying O Timothy keep that which is committed unto thee 1 Tim. 6.19 and avoid profane and vain babling and opposition of science falsly so called which while some profess they have Erred concerning Faith A Sentence worthy to be written in every Man's heart with indelible Characters for his direction to attain and gain the true Faith which must be committed by the Church to Him and he must take heed of loosing it again through vain Science falsly so called by the curious itching of which we come to breake out in Faith and loose our integrity How come we then to hear these vain bablings and oppositions of Science falsly so called from many who Esteem themselves right believers yea Masters in Israel vaunting of their light from God to know and discern all truth and to dive into the highest Mysteries of Faith yea assume unto themselves a Prerogative Royal proper to Christ only and his Substitutes and Commissioners endued with his Holy Spirit to define what is Faith and what is not O Petty Undertakers who receive no Rule of Faith but their own fancies which they would have all to follow Saying this is no Article of Faith How can we believe a peece of bread or white wafor to be turned into the Body of Christ I see not to what End there should be a continual sacrifice since Christ hath been offered once for all How doth it not derogate from the honour of God to pray to the Saints what power vertue can there be in their Reliques what vain superstition is it to use the signe of the Cross holy water Beads c. How can Man forgive sins How ridiculous is it to think there is a third place or Purgatory with infinite other such like Infidel questions if they knew what they asked For by these and the like questions they seem to shew they believe no more then they see reason for according to their own conceits And so in Truth and very deed they have no Divine Faith at all which is above humane reason and understanding and not by it to be judged Yea these prophane voices sound so high that they themselves will rule and be Judges of that which they constitute the rule of Faith I meane the holy Scriptures admitting and refusing what they please as the Machabees the book of wisdom the Epistle of St. James with much more And why because they like them not and so judge them not to be Scripture And the like is not onely of the word of God it self As God himself is inscrutable to our understandings so is his holywrit Lib. 32. contra-Faustum 〈◊〉 19. but also of the true sence and meaning of it of which they will have no other Judge but their own sense and meaning so that we may say unto them what St. Augustine said to Faustus one of their own Crew You seem to do that saith he which taketh away all Authority of Holy Scripture making every ones Mind the Interpreter of it As God himself is the Authour of holy Scripture so must â—â—e be the sole â—â—terpreter â—â—y His Holy â—nd infallible Church what in every place he please to make the sense meaning of it That is not to be subject to the Scriptures in believing but to make the Scripture subject to Him Not liking any thing because it is right written by Supream Authority but therefore it seems to be right written because it likes Him Thus this Holy sublime wit shews
purpose As the name of Christian doth distinguish the Church from Jews Gentiles and Heathens so the name Catholick from falsâ— Prophets and peculiar Sects who glory under the name of Christ and belong not to him And to this purpose said Pacianus my Name is Christian my Sirname Catholickâ— This Name therefore is most deservedly put into the Creed of the Apostles aâ— distinguishing from all Sects and Hereticks and most proper to the true Church Only None therefore can miss of the true Church who follow the Catholickâ— The general name will most certainly inform you her very adversaries being Judges Luk. 19.22 Out of thy mouth I Judge thee O wicked Servant The true Church must be One holy Catholick and Consequently Apostolick THe Fourth and last mark is Apostolick Apostolick shewing the true Church and Religion not taken up at the second hand as many do now a days to be derived from Christ and his Apostles and so to us as an inheritance from our Ancestors by a continual succession of Bishops from the Chayr of Peter to this present Pope and so to continue without â—ayling every One holding Vnion with his Predecessors True Religion no Inveâ—tion of Maâ—â— and keeping still the same Profession of Faith so visibly and apparently that it is like a City upon a Mountain or a Candle on a Candlestick to give light to all in the house of God Whereby it is manifest that it is not the Invention of Man it never being contrary to it self in Doctrin but allwaies running in the same Current of Apostolical Tradition and through this united strength hath out lasted many hundreds of Heresies which though manifestly divided in themselves did ever joyne hands to overthrow this One holy Catholick Apostolick Faith but never found any other Rock then It against which they split themselves And thus we know it to be that kingdom of which Daniel Prophesieth saying Dan. 2.44 And in the Dayes of these Kings shall the God of Heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed and this kingdom shall not be given to any other people but it shall break and destroy all those kingdoms shall stand for ever Observe therefore I beseech you out of this Mark that those who pretend to be founders of new Religions Reformers or what else they please to be called were once of this Apostolical continued Faith and went out and forsook it and consequently their Doctrin is later or less Antient Math. 14. and for this very reason not good seed but Cockle which the envious Man soweth after For these are the Properties of Hereticks and false teachers to be inventors of new Doctrin to divide and separate themselves to cause dissentions scandals against the Doctrin they had learned The true Faith therefore is Apostolical to be traced up to the Apostles and Christ himself the fountain and author of all truth Now if you desire to know in particular the positive tenents of the true Catholick Faith which I find St. Augustin the Monk of the holy Order of St. Benedict preached and professed who planted the Christian Faith in England above a thousand yeares ago in the yeare 596. in the reign of Elbert otherwise Ethelbert King of Kent who married Queen Bertha of France a Catholick sent by St. Gregary the great theâ— Pope of Rome in that Apostolical Mission Doctor of the Church Monk of the same holy Order who founded seaven Monasteries himself six in Sicilia the 7th in Rome dedicated to St. Andrew of which St. Augustin was Abbot And in very deed searching into Antiquity and the Tradition of the Church by which the Truth infallibly is delivered to us I find the very same Articles plainly to be traced even to Christ himself and his immediate successor St. Peter and so down to us till this day and shall be till the worlds end visible and Apparent which is the sure Footing for every one to tread in They are these contained in the Profession of Faith received by the Church to wit I. N. Do by a firm Faith believe and Profess all every thing contained in the Symbol of Faith which the Holy Roman Church useth viz. I believe in one God the Father Almighty Maker of heaven and Earth and of all things Visible and invisible And in One Lord Jesus Christ the onely begotteâ— Son of God and begotten oâ— his Father before all Agesâ— God of God Light of Lightâ— very God of very God begotten not made Consubstantial to the Father by whom all things were madeâ— who for us men and for ouâ— salvation descended from heaven and was incarnated by the holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary and made Man was also crucifyed for us under Pontius Pilat suffered and was buried and rose the third day according to the Scripturesâ— and ascended into Heavenâ— sitteth at the right hand oâ— the Father and shall come again with Glory to judge the quick and the dead of whose Kingdom there shall be no End And in the Holy Ghost the Lord and giver of â—ife who proceedeth from â—he Father and Son who together with the Father and â—he Son is equally adored and â—onglorified who spake by â—he Prophets And One Hoâ—y Catholick and Apostolick Church I confess one Baptisme for the Remission of â—â—ns and I expect the resurrection of the dead and life â—f the world to come Amen The Apostolical and Ecclesiastical Traditions and the other Observations and Constitutions of the samâ— Church I do most firmly admit and embrace Likewise I admit the Holy Scripture according to that sense which our holy Motheâ— the Catholick Church eveâ— did and doth hold to which it belongs to judge of the truâ— sense and interpretation oâ— the Holy Scriptures neitheâ— will I receive or interpreâ— it but according to thâ— unanimous Consent of thâ— Fathers I profess also that there aâ—â— Seaven true and proper Sacraments of the new Law instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ and necessary to the salvation of Mankind though not all to every particular Person To wit Baptism Confirmation the Eucharist Pen-nance Extream Unction holy Order Matrimony And that they do confer Grace of these that Baptism Confirmation and Order without Sacrilege cannot be reiterated The received and approved rites also of the Catholick Church in the solemn Administration of all the foresaid Sacraments I do receive admit I do embrace and receive all and every one of the Doctrines touching original Sin and Justification which have been defined and declared in the Holy Council of Trent I do in like manner profess that there is a true proper and Propitiatory Sacrifice for the living and the dead offered to God in the Mass by lawful Priests truly ordained And that in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist after Consecration there is truly really and substantially the body and blood together with the soul and Divinity of our Lord Jesus Christ And that the whole substance of Bread is converted into
the Truth indeed â—bserve this â—ruth vvell If we interpret Scripture according to our own humane sense and understanding and accordingly believe it â—e must â—â—me to true â—isdom by 〈◊〉 Misterious â—â—orance â—â—d to be in â—â—reated â—â—ght by â—indness we thereby make our beleife humane conceit and not divine Faith which must have nothing in it but the pure Revelation of God and Proposition of the Church guided infallibly by his holy Spirrit To speake Truth I know nothing by which People are more deceived then in taking that to be Faith which is merely humane Conceipt and the Invention of Man having nothing Divine but only a gloss and colour of Holy Scripture which truly examined proves but Dross and Counterfeit as by what hath been said doth manifestly appeare to all that are not willfully blind Hereupon St. Augustine saith of such as Obstinately and perversly obtrude and thrust their understandings into these divine Mysteries to which they cannot by such means reach That instead of the right Worship of God and Truth A golden sentence vvorthy to be vvritten in every Man's Heart And besides that it is Augustines it is most venerable for the certain Truth of it they worship their own Vnderstanding and adore their own Errours These are his very words Homini extra Ecclesiam Religio sua est cultus phantasmatum suorum et Error suus Deus suus A Man's Religion who is out of the Church is the worship of his own Phansies and his Errour is his God I wish with all my soul All men would consider and ponder well with true Indifferency and earnest desive to know the truth this solid Truth of St. Augustine That those who are in the Church guided â—y the infallible Spirit of God may contiâ—ue subject to it in true humility without â—y pride of their own understanding â—nd those who are not may unbeguile themselves and acknowledge their errour submitting to her and truly captivating heirunderstandings in Obedience to Faith proposed by her by whose mouth we must heare it not otherwise to be learned and unless we do this by hearing and believing the Church the Evangelist passeth thiâ— cleare and definitive sentence upon us that we should be esteemed as Heathens and Publicans Neither can we ever hope to have God for our Father unless we take the Church for our Mother Much may be said in this matter And the holy Writers Fathers and Saints of God out of their great Zeal to this Fundamental Truth have written abundantly thereof to ground all upon this firm Rock which shall never fail Much I say may be said to prevent Errors and declare the truth of our Faith but this little onely which I have gathered out of them may suffice and will firmly establish us if sincerely practised That is once againe in 〈◊〉 word to suppress the curious itching of ouâ— understanding from medling with these Mysteries of Faith with which it hath no thing to do by way of searching but musâ— simply believe it 's divine light from thâ— Churches proposing through God's Revelation The understanding therefore having nothing to do with Faith but only simply to receive it and propose it to the will to practice upon it It cannot err about it and so as to all Errors in matter of Eaith the understanding by this means is debarred and the proud comb of it cut and these Errors can creep in no other way God keep them alwaies out and us in the Truth and true Faith The Mysteries whereof because we cannot discern them in themselves we must simply believe them as revealed by God and proposed by the Church without further discussion That we may not mistake the true Church of God There are certain infallible \Marks Signs Notes or Proprieties which be inseparable from It and agree with None but it as natural light may evidently discern if considered and duly weighed even by the simplest Man living and supernatural light confirms them so that there can be no mistake of the true Church and consequently of the true Faith if we observe these visible Notes and Marks For none either remayns Infidel or becoms Heretick but who either does not or will not observe them They are such as St. Augustine made choice of to direct himself Heare what he saith and follow his example These worthily saith he keep me in the lap of the Church UNITY THE CONSENT OF NATIONS AUTHORITY BY MIRACLES BEGUN HOLYNES NOURISHED BY HOPE BY CHARITY INCREASED BY ANTIQUITY MADE FIRM AND SURE SUCCESSION THERE KEEPS ME THE SUCCESSION OF PRIESTS FROM THE VERY SEE OF PETER THE APOSTLE to whom our Lord after his Resurection committed the feeding of his Sheep EVEN TO THIS BISHOP THAT NOW IS There KEEPS ME FINALLY THE VERY NAME OF CATHOLICK CATHOLICK which not without cause amongst so many Heresies the true Church alone hath obtained You perceive St. Augustine stuck fast to the Churches Faith after his being an Heretick and all his bickering with Errors through the Motive of these infallible Marks which are proper to it alone and relied not on his own Judgment or wit as great and as strong as it was the like to which perchance was never or ever will be which he found to be too shallow to dive into these high Mysteries of Faith If any one think his wit deeper and sounder then this great Saint's was And that these reasons were not sufficient Motives I will not contest with his over-weened conceipt of himself but let him runn headlong whither the spirit or rather sprite of pride will drive him I know as the Apostle tells me Every Man hath not Faith and that there must be Heresies But woe to them that are infected with them They are blind and obstinate and Condemned by their own Judgments There is no End of disputing with them and so I leave them and come to propose those Marks which may serve any well minded Man to finde out the true Church Mother of all true Faith and Religion These are the Marks or Signes of the true Church of Christ THe Church of Christ must be One ONE That the true Church of Christ and the Religion professed by it be but One is most necessary for since the Divine Providence governs the Church we must needs grant that the Government thereof is the best of all being the chiefe of all as ordered by him by whom Kings raign and govern And the best Government of a Multitude is Monarchical That is when One Head and Chief governs the whole multitude This is manifest by the End and Scope of Government being the Peace Vnion of the Subjects which is most excellently enjoyed when One governs the whole Church for by that means all Occasion of Schisme is taken away Moreover the true Militant Church which is a Company of Faithful Believers under One chief Pastour is so much the Perfecter by how much more like it is to the Triumphant What the