say it is so but other Sectaries deprive it not of comely ornaments onely but even requisites and have lest in it nothing but one Sacrament to wit baptisme for their other things is but bare Bread and Wine and that now omitted and abused by many no form of Worship but some one of their ill translated Psalms and that not used by all and Preaching common to all sorts and even Sexes of People Secondly they teach things which are plainly paradoxical and asystata things not onely repugnant to most clear texts of Scripture but quite destructive of good Works and by consequence of the means for salvation for by their private spirit and each mans own interpretation of scripture they measure and square out the whole busines of Faith and Religion in this if they erre and how can they be free from errours they not onely run hazard of but plainly incur damnation for he that will not believe shall be condemned Amay with this pernicious and presumptuous tenent let the Church be your guide hear Her Shee 's exposed to no illusions of self-conceipt or of the wicked spirits whose transfiguring themselves into angels of light she can discover you cannot They deny also that man can merit by his good Works a tenent evidently contrary to all places of scripture in which the word reward is extant for merit and reward are correlatives they inferre one another to say that Christ amongst the other things he merited merited also this that mans good works done in relation to hiâ— passion and in vertue of it should be meritorious does not this more extoll Christs merits and magnifie them more than the negative opinion does many stupendious benefits favors and means for mans salvation Christ our Savior merited amongst the rest this They deny Free will at least to do good in man O imposture What 's this but a cloak for malice an occasion if not invitation allurement to sin and a stumbling block laid in the way for all to break their necks over this was a trick of Luthers and Calvins devising who after they had shamefully fallen into some enormous sins of the fltsh as they did began to broach this doctrine conformable to the lives they had begun and intended to lead thereby to save themselves from the indeleable stain of sacriledge Apostacy and infamy and because companions contribute to lessen the miseries of disgrace and dishonour by how many the more there be that participate of them therefore they indeavoured by this hellish herefie to inveagle others to adhere to them Many of them hold that the Commandements of God cannot possibly be kept O blasphemy What 's this but to impeach the divine Majesty of tyranny Can that goodnesse that infinite wise legislator impose laws under pain of damnations which are impossible to be kept stand astonisbed you heavens at this And to omlt other their assertions dishonourable to Christian Religion they hold that an act of Faith alone works that great work of mans justification that great change which the Prophet David cals the work of the right hand of him that is on high of a soul transferred from the state of being found guilty of mortal fin and by it of eternal punishment to the state of grace divine adoption and right to the eternal inheritance of the kingdom of heaven to attribute this stupendious effect to one act of faith alone as the cause either efficient or formall of it is an incredible paradox yea an impossibility besides the bad sequels which thence result that by which a man is formally justified is justice intrinsecally inherent in the soul to wit sanctifying grace and this is bestowed upon him for Christs justice to wit his merits nor can Faith alone be the efficient cause of mans justification or sanctification it is indeed a disposition but so is fear penance hopes and an act of the love of God by which act the soul is much more unired to God than by an act of Faith of mans justification therefore the efficient cause is God the formall cause divine grace and the meritory cause is Christ to wit by his merits and passion The bad sequels are many which that opinion of faith alone justifying brings first it hinders the exercise of many other vertues much recommended unto us in the holy Scripture as filiall fear offending God sorrow for having offended him and good purposes of amendment secondly it is a great let and impediment to good Works and the study of vertue for if I can be satisfied and consequently saved by producing one act of Faith only what need is there of spending my time and taking pains to pray fast watch do penance give alms What need you take pains about self-denyal carrying my Crosse and following my Saviour by imitating his vertues the three things he recommends unto us the practice of which since that opinion hinders it who does not see how pernicious it is thirdly it lays open a wide gate for all licenciousnesse sin and wickednesse for if with an act of faith onely you can repair and redress all the misery which sin brings to my soul why should I not feed all my senses with their delightfull objects follow the instinct of my flesh give the bridle to my passions and sacrifice my time my body my thoughts and my endeavours wholly to sensuality Ah deer Redeemer Now I see the reason of that your pitifull complaint Supra dorsum meum fabricaverunt peccatores upon my back sinners have built I see who they are that insteed of carrying their crosses after you and in imitation of you build upon your back and lay not onely all their obligations to Christian duties upon your sacred shoulders by omitting them but heap sin upon sin by offending more freely and lay these upon you also For what do they else who under pretence of magnifying your merits deny all merits of mans best works by denying Freewill to do good do no good by extolling the ability of Faith alone give occasion of remisnesse in vertue of falling into vice and of making shipwrack of all true faith The fourth point Consider now in order to a rectifying of thy judgement in matter of belief and for the better managing of thy life what may be inferred out of the precedent points and amongst other things first some peculiar differences betwixt the Doctrine of Romane Catholicks and that of Sectaries the one is most conformable to the holy Scriptures and our Saviours doctrine and example the other is contrary to these the ones Doctrine favours and honours the church of Christ by teaching that which is most beseeming almighty God and it the other by attributing all to an act of faith makes the Church an imperfect yea a needlesse thing for all the other priviledges and proprieties of it as also the means it hath conducing to salvation are superfluous if an act onely of faith will do all The one teacheth to
end as the Scripture sayes it must and since there is no other but the See of Rome which can with the least shew of probability pretend to have a succession of Bishops uninterruptedly continued from the Apostles time to these our dayes the Romane See must be the Apostolick this being so as most assuredly it is change that simister opinion you misled men which you have had of the Church of Rome so long away with that contumelious language with which you vilifie and slander it lay aside passion and prejudice then let the Romane Religion be paralell'd with any one or all other Sects and after your second thoughts upon this subject you will assuredly frame a better conceipt of that so long continued and so well grounded faith Gather fourthly that the Church of Rome hath been alwayes visible which is proved by its continuall succession of chief Pastors Fifthly that since Christ must have a Visible Church upon earth and since no other but the Roman hath been visiblely conspicuous in all ages it must be Christs Church love it therefore honour it adhere to it Sixthly since there is no true religion without true Priesthood no true Priesthood without true consecration and that by Bishops Apostolically descended and since there are none of those among these later sects what hopes what comfort what security yea or probability of salvation amongst these O Chief Priest Christ O thou whom God hath anointed with the olye of gladnesse before thy fellows be thou ever blessed for sending them as thy Father sent thee be ever praised for giving that eternall Priest hood according to the order of Melchisedech to them which thy Father gave thee Silence we beseech thee all false and lying prophets that say the Lord saith and the Lord hath not sent them Send labourers into thy Vinyard and make the fruits of their labours many and great to thy glory Amen The Tenth Meditation Of Antiquity The first Point Consider first that antiquity is a mark of Christs Church this is most clear out of scripture all those places in which the indefectibility and infallibility of the Church is foretold promised or intimated prove also the Antiquity of it And I will make this my covenant saith the Lord my spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed from hence forth for ever A most ample promise of the Churches antiquity and never failing Vpon thy wals O Hierusalem have I set watchmen all the day and all the night for ever they shall not be silent These so significant words cannot be verified upon the City of Hierusalem since it hath been destroyed but of Christs Church Behold I am with you all the dayes even untill the consummation of the world most expresse words of our Saviour who also said That after the sower had sown good seed then came the enemy and sowed cockle upon it the good seed of Catholick doctrine was first sowen by Christ and afterwards the devill sowed the cockle of false doctrine and heresie upon it Confider secondly the antiquity of Christs Church gathered from other reason And first its very names import thus much it is called the Church of Christ because he founded it when in mortall flesh he conversed with men and therefore it would imply a contradiction to grant it to be Christs Church and yet deny it antiquity it is also called Catholick not onely because it imbraceth all places but all times also and it is called Apostolick because it begun in the Apostles retains their doctrine and keeps their succession 2. Reason dictates to all that truth is precedent in time to falshood which is nothing else but a denyall of truth and consequently posteriour in time to it for the Father of lyes brought falshood into the world when he tempted our first Parents after their creation in the state of Grace and Knowledge of Truth 3. The holy Fathers alwayes urged this mark of the antiquity of the Catholick Church against the Novellismes of the Hereticks and their comming after that the Church of Christ was begun so did Saint Austin urge this mark against the Manicheans and Saint Hierom in his Epistle to Pammachius Hence infer first that that Sect cannot possible be yea or conceived to be Christs true Church w ch begun in such or such a year after that Christs Church was instituted Why because this posteriority of times argues diversity which excludes identity Secondly that that sect cannot possibly be the true Church of Christ which though it began in Christs or his Apostles time yet hath not continued but is now annihilated and why because its antiquity which must not onely be derived from Christs time but the same must also be without interruption continued till the worlds end is come to an end Christs Church having still its being The second point Consider now the Antiquity of the Church of Rome by which Church is understood not onely that Congregation of the faithfull which in the City of Rome and the adjacent places adhere to that Supream Bishop but all others also dispersed over all the earth that are united to the Church of Rome by the same belief by communion in the same Sacraments and by obedience to the same Supream head under Christ the Antiquity therefore of this Church is first demonstrated out of the Scripture it self Saint Paul writ that famous Epistle of his to the Church of Rome in which he gives the members thereof many great Elogiums To all that be in Rome beloved of God called Saints and again your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world When Saint Paul was come near to Rome the faithful for even then there were Christians at Rome at Puteoli and thereabouts before Saint Pauls coming thither went out of Rome to meet him and his fellow prisoners as far as Appii forum He began presently upon his arrival to preach in sine he preached the faith of Christ in Rome without any disturbance for two whole years together Of the Church of Rome Saint Peter also makes mention in these words The Church which is in Babylon salutes you so that both the Antiquity and truth also of the Romane faith is demonstrated out of Scripture Consider secondly the Antiquity of the Romane Church continued conserved uninterrupted in all ages since its being founded in the Apostles time First at all times in every age there hath been apparent a visible body of Professours of the Roman faith this is evinced clearly by that brief Catalogue of Saints put down in the sixth Meditation as also by the never interrupted Apostolick Succession of chief Pastors treated in the preceding Meditation 2. The faith and Doctrine held now by the Church of Rome accords most perfectly with the faith and Doctrine of
of a Judge which is clearly to pronounce sentence so that both parties which contest about the thing controverted may understand and acknowledge who is cast who hath got the better 2. There is a difference betwixt the written laws and the judge in civill matters the one is the rule acording to which the judg must give sentence but the other to wit the judge must give the sentence he is the mouth of the law and must interpret its land the legislatours mind now the same Analogy and comparison holds betwixt the holy scripture and the written law of God and the ecclesiastical judge 3. About the scriture it self arise many controversies which have been long agitated to and fro as what Books are Canonical which Apocriphal the Roman Catholicks say the books of Judith Toby Wisdome Ecclesiasticus the first and second of the Macchabees are canonicall scripture the Protestants deny them to be so Now how shall this great controversie be decided the scripture cannot give sentence for it hath not a living voice in like manner about the sense and meaning of many places of the canonical scriptures many long quarels have been amongst different Sectaries themselves and betwixt them and Roman Catholicks the scripture it self can never compose these controversies for want of a living voice 4 The old Hereticks had never been convinced nor condemned iâ— the scripture had been appointed for judge for still they wou'd have had evasions the scripture neither did nor could give sentence against them but the Church by the Pope and General Councels As for the private spirit this must either be supposed to be an infallible judge or not if not Sectaries can never have their controversies truly decided for this judge may erre give a false resolution and so expose poore soules to an evident danger of frequently believing that to be a point of divine Faith which is not so or the contrary If infallible what shameful presumption will it be to challenge to your own particular person such an assistance of the Holy Ghost as by it you shall infallibly judge a right in whatsoever point of Controversie and yet deny this to the whol body of the Roman Church 2. The question is whether that private spirit be the holy Ghost or a wicked spirit or your own spirit to wit your own judgment or fancy How shall this question be determined O miserably misled souls of such Sectaries do you not see in what labyrinths of errours and miseries you wilfully involve your selves Is not this to walk in a circle like the wicked But since you will be so heare the word of the Lord Wo be to the foolish Prophets who follow their own spirit Ezcek 13. Mark these words well and amend least your folly in following your own spirit bring you to eternal wo. But O thou infinite goodnesse God send forth thy pirit that these deluded souls may become new creatures make them members of that Church to which only the spirit of truth teacheth all truth Amen The sixteenth Meditation Of Persecution and Martyrdom The first Point COnsider the many and clear Texts of the holy scripture in which our Saviour doth denunciate to his Apostles and Disciples and in them to the succeeding members of his church that for their professing and propagating of his faith they shall undergo persecutions of all forts yea death it self Beware of men for they will deliver you up to the Councels and ye shal be brought before Governours and Kings for my sake Mat. 10.17 18. And ye shall be bated of all men for my name sake v. 22. But when they persecute you in this City fly into another v. 23. The time cometh that who soever killeth you will think be doth God service Matt. 16.2 They shall lay hands on you persecute you delivering you up to the Synagogues and into prisons Luke 21. v. 12. And some of you they shall cause to be put to death v. 16. Gather hence first that God permits for he could hinder it if it pleased him his Church to be persecuted to wit by the Devil and his Emissaries wicked men Secondly that persecution is a mark of Christs Church and much more martyrdome Thirdly that to fly in time of persecution is lawfull till God dispose the circumstances for their sufferings The second Point Consider first that what our Saviour foretold begun soon to be verificd of men that persecuted Christs church the Jews Pagan Princes hereticks are the chief The Jews not onely persecuted Christ whom they hanged on a crosse and his Apostles and Disciples before his Passion but after his sacred death they were most bitter and violent against the young flock of his church as may be read in the Acts of the Aposeles yea their sacrilegious and savage handling and abusing the blessed sacrament other holy things when they laid hands on them by stelth as also their very crucifying of even Christian chrildren argues an implacable and incredible hatred of them against christian religion 2. As for the Pagan Princes Nero Demitian Trajan Aurelian Maximean Dioclesian and Galerian with many others how cruelly and barbarously did they torture Christians In Rome alone three hundred thousand Christians were martyred amongst which were twenty seven Popes and the sacred bodies of 180000 of them were buried in that famous Churchyard of Saint Calistus Pope and Martyr Now if in the City of Rome alone so many were martyred to what an immense number would all that suffered for the same cause in all other parts of the world if they were added to these amount 3. And for the Hereticks it is their main maxime and a principle in which generally all the sects of them are united to oppose and band against the Roman Church their heads and judgements look all severall ways but in this point they are tyed together out of this opposition sprung hatred and this egged them on to persecute Catholicks which they did most bitterly The Arian Emperours the Kings of the Huns Gothes and Wandels and Martyrdome sent many thousands of Catholicks martyrs to heaven nor were they a few hundreds that were put to death for the same religion under Henry the eighth King of England and Queen Elizabeth And could thou be so cruell England as to see thy own bowels so often unbowelled at Tyburn and not yet repent Not yet give over seeing thine shed thy own blood and this for thee For the old religion the true religion thy religion The third Point Consider the admirable effects which the Divine Providence hath drawn out of these sufferings of Martyrs the first effect and that a happy one was an increase thereby of Catholick religion that very medium which the enemies of the Church took for the destroying of it the same the Divine Wisdome made use of as an instrumental cause for the greater propagation of it The Church is not lestned by persecutions but augmented saith St. Leo Ser. I. de Petro
hath got the better in fine all injustices and outrages would be committed and no malefactours punished without a living judge and that such an one as from whose sentence there is no appeal Now if these instances prove as they do most effectually the requisitnesse of a living judge for the upholding of all true civill judicature and government much more is a living judge necessary in ecclesiasticall in which matters of Faith and Religion and consequently of eternal moment are to be tryed The second Point To understand how easie and efficacious means the true Church of Christ hath for the composing of Controversies Consider first that it belongs to the divine providence which extends it selfe to a care over every the least individuum of the most contemptible species amongst natural things not to let his Church want any thing of those which are required ad melius esse much more to supply it with what 's absolutely necessary as means clear and easie for the judging of Controversies is Secondly what perfection the Jewish Synagogue had in this kinde that à fortiori is to be supposed in Christs Church for it was but the handmaid this the Spouse if the shaddow this the Sun if the type this the reall thing prefigured if it had a living judge an infallible judge who was to shew the truth of judgment and a judge to whose final sentence that people was to stand upon pain of death shall the Church of Christ in which the most weighty controversies of divine Faith and eternal salvation are raised every foot by Hereticks want such means Assuredly no. Consider thirdly the many Texts of Scripture yea and as clear in the confirmation of this as of any point whatsoever by which the Church of Christ is impowred with an infallible authority for deciding Controversies even of the highest nature All power is given to me in heaven and in earth goe ye therefore and teach all Nations Mat. 28. in which words the emphasis of that particle theresore intimateth that a powerfull Commission was given them and consequently of teaching without danger of erring and that it was not given to them onely but also to their successors the ensuing words Behold I am with you alwayes even unto the end of the world Luke 10. Convince He that beareth you beareth me and be that despiseth you despiseth me If he will not hear the Church let him be to thee as a heathen and Publican Matt. 18.17 Our Saviour sayes of his Church that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16. And he sayes in most significant words that the holy Ghost shall teach the Church all truth Jo. 16. O divine spirit since you cannot but perform what our Saviour promised this teaching of the Church all truth what do they deserve that accuse it of truth And indeed either the verity of Christs promise or the fidelity of the holy Ghosts performance is questioned when the true Churches Infallible Authority is doubted of or its erring avouched The third Point Consider now that since the true Church of Christ where ever it be now hath his infallible power of resolving all doubts in matters of Faith as the forementioned places of scripture besides many more confirm and since some one of the various religions now extant in the world must be Christs true Church and have this power for still there is a Church and it the Ground and Pillar of Truth Tim. 1.3 let us see what Church sympathizeth best or rather is as some one must be identified with Christs true Church in this point and by good consequence in all others First therefore this infallible judge and composer of all controversies in Christs Church formerly could be no other than either the head of it or some representative body of the Church or both joyntly together no other means of having a living judge can more probably yea or possibly be affigned for all the mombers of the church men women children cannot be collected together into one consult we see also that a Parliament in w ch some one is president above the is the representative body of a Kingdom or Common wealth and what it being a law full one acts is the act of the whole Nation we know more over that in the primitive Church this judge was no other but such an one as is here intended to wit the chief pastor and head of the Church or a General Councel or both and by such a judge was Arius condemned to wit by the Councel of Nice in which Hosius Bishop of Corduba in Spain was Presidentin the place of Pope Silvester who sent him and confirmed the acts of that Councel So was Macedonius condemned in the first Councel of Constantinople So Nestorius in the Ephesine Councel so Eutiches in the Councel of Calcedon so in all suceeding ages Controversies as they rise were decided and Hereticks condemned after the foresaid manner therefore that living judge so necessary must be such an one Consider secondly that the same praxis hath alwayes been held in the Roman Church and is held still eighteen general Councels have been called and confirmed by the supream Bishops or Popes of Rome the first whereof was the Nicene Councel and the last the Councel of Trent in which sate six Cardinalls four Legates three Patriarks thirty two Archbishops and Bishops two hundred and twenty eight besides Abbots Generals of Religious orders and a great number of divines sent by such Bishops as for infirmity or other just reasons could not be present And that this Councell was not of as great Authority as any of the first four were can never be proved all that can be urged against this Councell must be grounded upon that false and ungrounded but dreadfull fince all Sectaries venter their salvation upon on the same supposition that the Roman Church hath fallen from the true and Primitive Faith Prove this your supposition you miserable men which you could never yet prove or be converted or loose your souls of which you run a most desperate hazard by forsaking that Church which is acknowledged by your selves to have been once the true Church meerly upon Luthers hare word that it hath lost the true faith Consider thirdly that since there is no other Church now in the world but the Roman Church which holds the same way and manner of deciding controversies which the Primitivs church held nay nor hath any means to procure such a judge for want of a head to call and confirm a Generall Councel and Bishops to consult enact and see that the inferiour Pastours put in execution what was enacted Hence it follows that the Roman Church is the onely true Church of Christ The fourth Point Consider lastly that since Sectaries reject the authority of the Popes nor can have General Councels and consequently no living judge they must fly either to scripture alone or to the private spirit As for the scripture first it cannot perform the Office
Meditations UPON THE MARKS of the True CHURCH of CHRIST OR Motives of Credibility In behalf of the True Religion And the easiest way to finde it out By H. W. Testimonia tua credibilia facta sunt nimis Thy testimonies are made too credible Psal 92.7 Lord if that which we believe be an errour you have deceived us for this doctrine is confirmed by those signes which could not be done but by you Ricardus de S. Victore 1.1 de Trinitate c. 2. Paris Printed with Licence 1655. The Preface IF the Enemy of mankinde did not shew unto Sectaries the face of Religion in a false Glass in which he makes the very Spouse of Christ she that is so beautifull with so lovely features and of so comely a comportment in her self appear to the deluded eyes of so many souls ill-favoured ugly and in a manner monstruous and on the contrary sets out other Sects though never so contemptable in themselves for beauties most gracious and attractive disputes and â—â—arrels about Religion would be soon composed for the naturall comlinesse of the one and the uglinesse of the others covered onely with a painted exteriour would easily discover themselves My endeavour therefore shall be to unbeguile these people and shew them both parties as they are in their own native colours for effecting of which I have chosen a new medium or at least a new manner ofproposing the old many Elaborate works have been published in Vindication of the true Faith and in confutation of falshood which undoubtedly were convincing enough but because both experience and the ingenuous acknowledgement of many teach that though the intellect in many thousands rest convinced yet the will holds back and will not execute what the understanding dictates ought to be done Therefore I resolving not to be backward in contributing my endeavours towards the common good thought it not a misse to handle this great businesse of Religion by way of Meditation rather than by that of argumentation as being the most efficacious way to move the will besides its being the most clear and easie way of propounding things to the understanding especially since the subject I take in hand is both spiritual and proper for Meditation to wit the marks of the church For who can doubt but Sanctity of life and Doctrine the gift of Miracles and of Prophesying conversion of Souls Martyrdome and the like are a very connaturall matter for Meditation But as the best masters of spirit advise that in delivering matter to Meditate upon some points or considerations be suggested to the exercitant thereby to facilitate the businesse for him and yet that all that may be considered upon such a subject be not ambitiously introduced least the others understanding be prevented and forestalled So have I in this little work endeavoured to proceed setting down upon each matter only some chief considerations which may give the Reader occasion to search further himself I have also added some affections and Colloquies thereby to further the motions of the will As for the matter of the ensuing Meditations to wit the Marks of the Church this I may truly say of them that as they are in themselves a most noble matter and most worthy of a Christians Meditation and Study so are they of all other the most facile 〈◊〉 forcible means whereby to finde out the true Church That Catholick who hath a desire to make a quick dispatch of his Adversary let him encounter him with these Weapons they are an unknown treasure and not unlike to Aristoles Topicks in that they are as it were common places or fountains out of which reasons and arguments both to impugn false Sects and also to defend the Orthodox Religion are easily at any time drawn Art thou demanded the reason why thou art a Catholick Answer Because that Religion hath the marks of Christs true church upon it and consequently is it Art thou desirous to find out that onely soul-saving Faith of Christ look where thou canst finde these marks and there thou hast it and where these are wanting assuredly there the true Church is not Hast thou a mind truly to understand how incomparable a benefit God hath bestowed upon thee in making thee a member of that church out of w ch no salvatioÌ„ can be hoped for read and meditate this matter which will inform thee Roman Catholicks indeed have more and clearer texts out of the propheticall apostolick writers than any other Sect can introduce in their own behalf yet the latter have always evasions either by appealing from one sentence to another or else by insisting upon their own private exposition reduce them therefore to this matter of the marks of the Church and you will soon have them fast One thing is worthy yea necessary to be well understood by all and this is that the marks of the Church which are the motives in point of religion may be considered two ways to wit either as they are antecedent to faith or as they are subsequent and things themselves believed with divine faith for all christians who receive the the scriptures for divine must believe with divine faith that Christ gave to his church the gift of working miracles of prophesyings that the church is but one and antienter than all other Sects amongst christians that in it there are holy members that its doctrin is holy and efficacious to convert souls that it hath continued ever since christs time shal do stil untill the world have an end that the prophesies of the old law are fulfilled by christ and his church all these or the most of them must be believed as divine truths by christians for they are expressed in the holy scripture as will appear in the first point of the succeeding meditations So that sectaries must believe the true Church to be where these marks are But the same things may be also considered as they are preceding divine Faith and go before it yea or wholly independent of it and in this acception only they are motives of credibility yet most powerfully perswasive For by demonstrating to Athiests Pagans or other non-Christians out of humane history and out of the scriptures received only for books of humane authority yet held by thousands of prudent and learned men for authenticall and of great credit that such and such prodigious things or miracles and the like may be urged in strange predictions of future things contingent fulfilled in a strange contempt of worldly things and in some other such like rareties are recounted by so many authors of the greatest humane authority this cannot but convince them that there is a Deity that this Diety rules the World by a most wise Providence that the same Deity by order of good consequence is to be worshipped by some form of Religion and that that is in all likelihood yea in all certainty the most credible and true the professors of which are conspicuous by such things as out
one is that the Church of Rome hath been apparently visible in all ages An other that since Christ must have a true Church upon earth and since one of the marks of it is appears by the scriptures conversion of Nations by the doctrine and since no other Sect hath this mark the Church of Rome which hath alwayes had it must be and is Christs true Church a third that when any are converted to the Roman church from insidelity or heresie they amend their lives and live more vertuously than before But those that were Roman Catholicks when they fall and betake themselves to any other Sect they grow worse and worse as we see it sals out by experience in almost every one that revolts from the Catholicks to any other Sect and the reason of this is clear because liberty and temporall ends are their motive not any quarrel they have against the probability and truth of the Catholick Tenents If I stay with the Catholicks I must not onely confesse my sins and be truly sorry for them but I must also seriously purpose amendment of my life and repair what soever dammages my neighbours same or fortune have suffered by my malignant tongue or fraudulent dealing Wave these obligations and go once to Church and by this I may evade the misery of sequestration and live free from sears siding with the Sect most countenanced and cryed up will secure me and mine With such thoughts the wicked spirits inveagle those fraile ones which like unto Fishes at first sight lay hold on the bait but mind not the hook no efficacy of doctrine moves such men But thou Rationalist be thou led with motives grounded upon eternity and let that doctrine which all Nations have experienced to be efficacious finde no resistance in thee and thou heavenly Physician who said that the healthfull had no need of such artists but the sick onely look upon the distempers of this distracted Nation in point of Religion England that when time was lent Evangelical light to so many others sits now in darknesse and in the shadow of death but thou who art the way make her walk in thee thou that art the truth make her believe in thee that since thou art life she may live in thee till all Nations meet in the Unity of Faith AMEN Of the uninterrupted and Apostolical succession of the Pastors of the Church The first Point COnsider first that as Christ our Saviour founded the Catholick Church so as that it should last to the end of the world so also he ordained that in it there should be lawfull Pastors succeeding one another so long as the Church was to continue this the scripture teacheth in expresse terms He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and other some Evangelists and other some Pastors and Doctors to the consummation of the Saints unto the work of the ministery unto the edifying of the body of Christ until we meet al in the unity of faith Consider secondly that this continued succession was to be propagated by a legall descent from Christs Apostles both scripture and reason proves this truth for if all true members of the Church must like living stones be built upon the foundation of the Apostles to the end that all the building fitly framed together may grow unto a holy Temple in the Lord much more necessarily must the Pastors be built upon them and as that family ceases is extinguished when once the line of descendents from the first of that family is by death interrupted so the lineal but morall or politick descent of Pastors from the Apostles ceases and is extinct when such an interruption is made as that Pastors cease to have their spirituall birth to their Functions by that legitimate consecration and jurisdiction which is derived from the Apostles the want of which also in the first of a new Episcopal See illegitimate him and all his descendents now that this descent from the Apostles be legall it requires a calling from God or Vocation No man takes to himself this honour but he that is called of God as Aaron was this vocation is the door in at which every shepherd that is a true one must enter in to the sheepfold of Christs Church for he that entreth not by the door into the sheepfold but climbeth up some other may the same is a thief a robber saies the good shepherd Christ a severe césure for such as are not true Priests and get into the Office of Pastors onely by self-intrusion or by the deputation only of some secular power devoid of all Ecclesiastical jurisdiction Consider thirdly the manner of this legall Calling which Saint Paul sayes must be from God as Aaron was divine calling or vocation is twofold extraordinary and ordinary the former is when God by himself immediately cals one as he did the Prophets Moses and the rest and this extraordinary manner of calling was absolutely necessary in the first plantation of the Church For the first Pastors to wit the Apostles could not be called otherwise because they were the very first themselves The Ordinary calling is also from God but not done by him immediatly but by the concurrance of others The first of the line of those which were ordinarily called was called after the extraordinary manner by God immediately so was Aaron called but Aarons successors were ordained by others so the Apostles who were called extraordinarily ordained other Bishops and Priests and these Bishops afterwards made others according to the order prescribed by Christ to be held in his Church and thus both vocations were truly from God Now to understand the better what the lawfull calling of a true Bishop or Priest is and by this means to be able the better to distinguish who are lawfull Pastors and who not Consider these things first the Election or designation of the Person and this belongs properly to Church men though the People or secular Princes have been sometimes permitted to depute and propose to the Church such persons as they desired thought sit but this makes not a man either Bishop or Priest the next thing after Election or Approbation is Consecration or Ordination and this act is to be performed onely by Bishops this act is it which makes a true Bishop or Priest and without this consecration all the Princes of the world by any their deputation of persons to Episcopall or Priestly Function can never make them true Bishops or Priests The third thing is Jurisdiction which is given by a Superiour Prelate to the Consecrated person and this is called Mission for he is sent with faculties to govern souls and feed them with the holy Sacraments and the word of God These faculties for so they are called are the Priests Commission and the giving of them with lesser or greater limits as also the assigning him these subjects in particular and not others is only in the hands of Spiritual Prelats and in