Seuerus to Heliogabalus of Castor Pollux in the Latine Warre of the Ghost at Athens related by Pliny to be leane faced long haired and handes and feet chained To omit I say these Infidels we haue of Christians the examples of Theodoret the Arrian King carryed betweene Iohn the Pope and Symachus the Senatour both whome he had killed into Vulcans forge of Chilpericus the wicked King of France seen by Guntran the King carried between three Bishops into a hoat caldron of a Bishop of Ancona seen by Elias an Hermit standing before Gods Tribunal and caryed to hell of a Nunne in S. Laurence Church cut in peeces before the altar of * Eubronius an Apostata appearing to one whome he had vsed cruelly and carryed into hell-fire And so many more too pittifull to be remembred Seauenthly for the apparitions of the soules in heauen we haue the examples first of our Sauiour to S. Paul in his way to Damascus to S. Peter flying from Rome and saying he went to Rome to be crucifyed againe to Carpus Bishop of Crete with multitudes of Angells reprehending him for too seuerly punishing a lapsed Brother to Peter Bishop of Alexandria complayning that Arrius had torne his coate to S. Martin in the halfe coate which the day before he had giuen for his sake to one naked next of our Blessed Lady I recount only those which are ancient to S. Iames in Spaine at Saragossa for erecting there a Chapell now in great veneration to S. Gregory Thaumaturgus in a glorious shape to Musa a Virgin in S. Gregory his dialogues for the amendement of her life to S. Iohn Damascen restoring his hand cut off for defending Images to S. Cyrill admonishing him to be friends with S. Chrysostome to Narses in all his battailes against Totila to Cyriacus an Abbot for the burning of Nestorius writings to the Architect of Constantine the Great building a Church to the Sonne of a Iew cast into an heat Ouen by his Father for receauing the Blessed Sacrament among Christians to Pope Liberius and Patricius about building S. Maria ad Niues to Rupertus an Abbot giuing him a quicke wit and vnderstanding of Scripture All which are of our B. Lady Of other Saints we haue the apparitions of S. Peter and Paul to Constantine and curing his leprosie of S. Philip S. Iohn Euangelist to Gregory Thaumaturgus shewing a worke of piety to be done of the Apostles at Constantinople in thāks of Iustinian building them a Church of S. Iames to Charles the Great helping him to recouer Galicia from the Sarazens and to Rainerus and Alphonsus Kinges of Spaine against the Moores also of Saint Agnes to Constantine the Great his daughter Geruasius and Protasius to S. Ambrose Potamiena Origens scholler to the torturer foreshewing his martyrdome Felix Nolanus defēding his Citty Nola Thoodore Martyr admonishing Euxouius to auoid meates sacrificed to Idols Cosmas Damian curing Iustinian sore sicke Peter and Paul terrifying Attila from sacking of Rome to omit what is related in this kind by S. Basill of Mamant by S. Nazianzen of his brother Caesarius by S. Hierome of Paula by S. Paulinus of S. Ambrose by Euodius of S. Steuen by Prudentius of Fructuosus and his company by Lucianus of Gamaliel by Palladius of Colluthus by Theodoret of S. Iohn Baptist by S. Athanasius of S. Ammon And who desires to see more may read in Delrio the like apparitions in euery age of christ how some appeared as our Sauiour and Valeria in the first How Potamiena and others in the second How our Blessed Lady S. Iohn S. Cyprian and diuers African Martyrs in the third How our B. Sauiour our B. Lady S. Peter P. Paul S. Agnes S. Agatha Spiridion Artemius Caesarius Triphillus two Bishops and others in the fourth age How S. Iohn Baptist S. Martin S. Geruase and Protase S. Ambrose S. Eulalia S. Fructuosus S. Felix in the fifth age How our B. Lady S. Iohn S. Peter and Paul S. Bartholomaeus S. Steuen S. Eutichius S. Tetricus S. Iohn Silentiarius in the sixth age How our B. Lady S. Iuuenall S. Eleutherius S. Leocadia in the seauenth age and so downeward in all ages vntill this present tyme or neere All which being not only ancient for the tyme as being within the first 600. years but also made credible by the sanctity of them who did appeare by the grant of them to whome they did appeare and by the authority of them who belieued and related that they did thus appeare may in prudence and piety be credited and cannot without leuity and temerity be condemned or reiected And thus much of the variety of spirits and the certainty of their apparitions It remaynes that we shew the difficulty in discerning these spirits and the apparitions of them and by the same conuince the insufficiency inhability of Priuate Spirit to discerne good spirits from bad reuelations frō illusions and true fayth doctrine from false erroneous Of the difficulty to discerne these Spirits SECT II. THE first difficulty of discerning thes spirits ariseth vpō the difficulties which are in particular about these seuerall sortes of spirits the apparitions visible made by them And first of the spirit of God great difficulty hath anciently beene made whether God did appeare in his owne proper body or in one assumed that is whether he had such a body or such partes of a body as appeared in shew and are by scripture attributed to him that is whether he had head eyes hands feet and the rest of the partes of a body or not Also as yet great difficulty is made supposing as it is most certaine that he is a meere spirit whether God himselfe did appeare in assumed bodies or some Angell in his place representing his person if himselfe should haue appeared whether the Father the Sonne or the holy Ghost And if the holy Ghost whether he assumed that flesh of a Doue or of Tongues for example in which he appeared In the like manner as the second person assumed the nature of man and of this Doue thus assumed whether it may be adored and prayed vnto as God and the holy Ghost which assumes it Of the spirits of Angels great difficulties are made of their nature whether it be corporall or meere spirituall if spiritual whether all be of the same or of diuers species or kinds whether all be incorruptible by nature or by grace whether made before or with the world how they can know God and things on earth how they know things to come or contingent and how they can vnderstand one another how by what vertue they moue themselues and other things how they are distinguished in orders and Hierarchies how they haue and performe the custody of men Concerning their assumed bodies it
is the externall litterall sense of the words sometimes doth kill cause errour but the spirit that is the true sense which the holy Ghost intended doth quicken auaileth to saluation But that neither the letter nor the spirit can be a competēt iudge of controuersies is proued 7. Not the letter because the letter or the words in the bare literall sense are occasion of errour and heresy for so they were to the Iewes who in reading of Moyses the Law had the veile set ouer their eyes and vnderstood not Christ contained and signified in the Ceremonies of the law And so it hath beene to all Heretickes who forsaking the sense intended by the holy Ghost proposed by the Church and following the letter expounded by their owne spirit haue falsly vnderstood the scripture grosly fallen into errours Thus the letter deceaued Sabellius who expounding that of S. Iohn I and the father am one of vnity of persons not of substance falsly defended in the deity to be not three but only one person which had three names offices or properties of the father the sonne the holy Ghost creating redeeming and sanctifying mankind as the Patripassiās defended the Father to haue suffered on the Crosse as one and the same person with the sonne Thus the letter deceaued the Arrians who expounding that of S. Iohn The father is greater then I of Christ absolutly and completely as whole Christ not as man according to his humanity did thereupon deny Christ to be God equall to the Father Thus it deceaued the Macedonians who expounding that of S. Paul The spirit searcheth all things euen the profoundites of God concluded not as they ought that the spirit pierceth cōprehendeth all things as God but thus that he who searches doubts who doubts is ignorant who is ignorant is not God and so the holy Ghost who searches all is not God Thus it deceaued the Manichees who held the old Testamēt to be cōtrary to the new because for instance the old said that God created all things That God ceased frō labour the seuenth day That Man was created according to the Image of God And the new said the contrary that the Word created all things That God worketh vntill now And that you are of your father the diuell Not conceauing according to the spirit and true sense that God created all things by the word as by an Idaea that God rested from his worke of creation and yet worketh by conseruation that man was created to the Image of God by nature and of the diuell by malice Thus the Pelagians denying originall sinne to haue descended from Adam to vs literally interpreted that of Ezechiel The sonne shall not beare the iniquity of the father not only of sonnes who are not partakers but also of sonnes who are partakers of the iniquity of the father as all are of Adams sinne in whome all sinned and who receaued as head the promise of keeping or losing paradise by precept of for bearing or eating the apple for himselfe and his posterity after him Thus it deceaued others who applying literally that of S. Iohn The flesh profiteth nothing some in the Apostles time to the resurrection of the flesh others of late to the reall presence in the B. Sacrament the one therupon denyed the resurrection of all bodies the other the reall presence of Christs body both vpon one ground not distinguishing the spirituall from the carnall manner of one and the same body By which they might as well inferre that the flesh of Christ by his incarnation and passion profiteth no more then according to them it doth by his resurrection and manducation By which proofe of authority and examples it is apparent that the external letter of scripture cannot be iudge of controuersies That the internall sense of Scripture cannot be iudge is likwise proued because this true sense intended by the holy Ghost is often obscure hard and vncertaine as is certaine and before proued This obscurity breeds controuersies as experience dayly teaches and that these controuersies cannot be ended iudged by scripture-sense is proued 1. Because scripture-sense is the thing in question contention therfore is the thing to be iudged and decided not the iudge who is to giue iudgment and resolue the parties contending in iudgmēt As for example a question is about the sense of those words of the Gospel this is my body of those of the Creed He descended into hell Catholikes vnderstand them as the words import of the reall presence and of the locall descension both of Christs body Protestants expound them of a figuratiue presence by remembrāce of him in the sacrament and of an infernall suffering of hel-paines in his soule vpon the Crosse Now of these senses which is true which false the sense of the words cannot iudge betweene Catholicks and Protestants but some other iudge is necessary to confirme the one and confound the other so to end the controuersy 2. Because many places of scripture are so hard and obscure as the true sense of them cannot be truly discerned but by Church practise and tradition as for example whether those words of S. Mathew Teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy Ghost do proue a necessity of the vocall pronuntiation of these wordes for the forme of baptisme as all Protestants with vs do grant or require no more but a mentall intention it sufficing only to baptize in the name of Iesus as Act. 8.26 doth insinuate Whether those of S. Iohn Except a man be borne againe of water and the holy Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdome of God inferre a necessity of water for the matter of baptisme as the Lutherans with vs grant and the words import or that the water and the holy Ghost be all one as Caluin expounds Also why the Protestants should not inferre as well a precept and necessity of a sacrament of washing of feet out of those words of our Sauiour And you ought to wash one anothers feet after the example of Christ who did and commanded it as they do out of those of S. Mathew Eat yee drinke yee inferre a necessity of receauing vnder both kinds because our Sauiour did commanded the like Now these and such like require a Iudge to iudge of the sense and reason of them cannot themselues iudge and decide themselues to vs. By which is euident that neither the letter nor the sense of scripture can be a competent iudge of all controuersies of faith and scripture Lastly the same is proued by the analogy of a temporal Iudge in causes ciuill with an Ecclesiasticall Iudge in causes spirituall for as Controuersies aryse in ciuill causes the common-wealth so do they arise also in matters spirituall and
detractiue in euery one And on the contrary how we and our doctrine do honour attribut to the same God and Christ all worthy and due respect of veneration honour in all which as it is affirmatiue in it selfe so it is honourable to God and agreable to reason in all and euery particular point and opinion in controuersy First therfore for God they dishonour and derogate 1. From the blessed Trinity in that as before some of them do deny the distinction of the three persons some the vnity of one nature some the consubstantiality of the Sonne with the Father some the deity of the Sonne from the Father as God of God some the deity of the holy Ghost as God some the prayer Holy Trinity one God haue mercy vpoÌ„ vs. We with the ancient Church acknowledge three persons and one God the second person God of God and consubstantiall with the father and the third person of the holy Ghost proceeding froÌ„ both the father the sonne in them one holy Trinity three persons and one God 2. They and their spirit derogate from the mercy of God in that according to them he is cruell and tyrannicall in that he will not haue all saued will not giue sufficient meanes to all to be saued hath willed appointed and ordained millions of soules to be damned and to sinne that for it he may damne them and accordingly torment theÌ„ for that sinne which he himselfe willed ordained wrought and compelled them vnto We and our Catholicke Church attribute honour to him and his mercy in that according to vs he would haue all saued giues to all sufficient meanes to be saued creates and ordaines all to be saued wils not the death and damnation of any nor doth damne any but those who for their owne fault and sinne by themselues willingly committed against him his good will and goodnesse do deserue 3. They their spirit do derogate from Gods goodnesse in that according to them he who is good al good yet is not pleased pacifyed worshipped or delighted with good works but doth will ordaine commande compell and necessitate bad works and so is the authour of all euill and all euill works in men and doth esteeme impute that which is wicked and sinfull in men for no sinne in them but accounts that which is bad good him that is wicked iust We our Catholik doctrine do attribute due honour to the same goodnesse of God in that according to it God hates detests forbids and punishes all sinne and sinfull actions conuerts sanctifies purifies and make cleane pure and iust all sinners by his grace duely disposing themselues so reputes them as they are become truely iust in that God is delighted pleased pacified and honoured by good workes which he doth will command and reward in man who according to his will by his grace workes them 4. They their priuate spirit derogates from his iustice in that according to their doctrine he is short of iustice in rewarding none who deserue well and do him seruice exceâ—ds all iustice in that he ordaines men to an eternall and intollerable paine who haue deserued none 2. In that he punisheth them for that which he himselfe not only willed and commanded theÌ„ to do but also wrought and effected in them 3. In that he creats and dignifies them with his gifts graces for that end that he may himselfe cruelly torture and torment them and that in hell for no other end but to shew his power iustice ouer them 4. In that he laies precepts vpon them which are impossible for them to performe and commands them to abstaine from that which himselfe forces them to do and wils them to practise that which he giues not power freedome or sufficient meanes to practise We and our Catholicke doctrine do honour and giue due respect to his Iustice 1. In that according to vs he rewards all who deserue well and punisheth none but those who deserue ill 2. In that he punisheth all for their owne fault which they themselues committed and none for that which himselfe willed 3. In that he created all to be saued and gaue them meanes sufficient to be saued in which he shewed his mercy and punisheth with hell those who would not vse those meanes in which he shewed his Iustice 4. In that he gaue precepts and made lawes easy gaue meanes to performe them sufficient punisheth only those who willingly breake them 5. They and their priuate spirit derogate from his omnipotency in that according to their doctrine he is not able to place one body in two places in the B. Sacrament nor two bodies in one place in his natiuity resurrection and ascension nor to draw a Cable rope or camell through a needles eye nor by his absolut power to worke any more theÌ„ already he hath wrought We and our Catholicke doctrine do attribut to his omnipotency that he is able to do all the former and what more he pleases to do which is not either wicked and so is against his goodnesse or not contradictory and so implies in it selfe an impossibility to be done And in these do the Protestants their spirit by their doctrine derogate from God and his Deity from his goodnesse his mercy his Iustice and his omnipotency and impute to him wickednesse cruelty iniustice and impotency In all which we in our doctrine do the contrary Secondly for Christ our blessed Sauiour they their doctrin of the priuate spirit do dishonour him derogate 1. From his felicity beatitude in this life denying him to be viator and comprehensor that is enduring the paine and miseries of mortall men in his body and enioying the felicity and blessednesse of glorious Saints in his soule In which we do honour him belieuing that from the first instant of his coÌ„ception his soule had in his body the same blessednesse as now it enioyes in heauen by the perfect vision fruition of God though by dispensation for our redemption the same did not redound to the glory of his body till after his resurrection 2. From his knowledge they derogate and dishonour him in making him ignorant and defectiue of knowledge in many things and as a scholler to haue profited in his booke and learning of sciences and trades as other children do In which we giue him the honour to haue had all the treasures of knowledge and wisedome to haue vnderstood all the perfection of all sciences and artes and to haue perfectly conceiued all things past present or to come by a diuine infused knowledge from the first instant of his conception in his mothers wombe Thirdly From his primacy and supremacy ouer his Church they derogate and dishonour him in that they deny him as a man sensible and visible to haue beene the head foundation of his Church and to haue had any perpetual visible monarchy
contrary to S. Paul who doth assigne for one of the guifts of gratiae gratis giuen which is not common to all the guift to discerne spirits thereby also do open gappe to all confusion and dissentiō and thus faile not only in the meanes how but also in the persons by whome spirits are to be tryed Out of all which I reason thus That spirit which we are forewarned not to belieue which is to be tryed by another spirit and that spirit by another in infinitum That spirit into which Sathan transfigureth himselfe deceauing many and making many false Prophets and rauenous wolues That spirit which brings in Sects of perdition drawing many out of the Church which causeth so many to blaspheme the way of truth to walke in concupiscence to contemne dominion to allure vnstable soules to promise liberty to speake proudly to depraue Scriptures to turne from the Commandement and to draw disciples after it That spirit which cannot be discerned whether it be the spirit of God man or the Diuell whether of truth or falshood of wisedome or giddines and in regard it hath so great similitude in effect and operation one with another That spirit I say cannot be an infallible rule and iudge to interprete Scripture iudge of fayth decide controuersies and direct euery man in the way of his saluation this is euident and needs no proofe But such is the priuate spirit which euery priuate person and sect-maister challenges to himselfe as is before proued and by experience confirmed in that euery Heretike ancient or late hath by force of it separated himselfe from Gods Church broached so many blasphemous opinions contemned so highly all Church-authority promised licentious liberty of the Ghospell depraued so fowly holy Scriptures and drawne so many into perdition after them all which shall more at large afterwardes be confirmed Therefore it doth follow that this priuate spirit cannot be a rule of fayth able to assure and secure euery one in his beliefe and saluation And thus much of the first proofe out of Scripture against this priuate spirit Out of 2. Pet. 1.20 making the same spirit authour and interpreter of Scripture SECT II. THE second proofe is out of S. Peter who 2. Pet. 1.20 prouing the power and present cōming of Christ first by the eye-witnesse of some in his Transfiguration next by a more firme testimony in respect of the Iewes that is the holy Scripture which he commends for the effect which is to lighten as light in a darke place and for the authour which is the Holy Ghost hath among the rest these wordes Vnderstanding this first that no prophecy of Scripture is made by priuate interpretation for not by mans will was prophecy brought at any tyme but the holy men of God spake inspired with the Holy Ghost In which wordes S. Peter makes first a serious premonition Vnderstanding this first as a point of principall and important consideration Secondly he layes downe his assertion in wordes plaine powerful against this priuate spirit That no prophecy of Scripture that is no sense and meaning of Scripture for so are they called some Prophets because they did expound the secret hidden mysteryes of Scripture and foretell the ioyes of heauen to the iust as S. Ambrose and S. Anselme with all others do expound it is made by priuate interpretation that is according to S. Chrysostome Not by the spirit which many bragge of as the spirit of God but falsly pretending it do speake that which is their owne According to S. Clement Not according to the proper vnderstanding of our owne wit Yea according to Caluin Not by our owne proper sense for what we produce out of it is prophane The sense therefore according to the plaine wordes and generall consenting interpretation of all is No priuate spirit of any priuate man expounding Scripture according to his owne priuate sense and proper conceit and fancy is a fit meanes to interpret Gods holy word of which thirdly he giues this reason because not by mans will or by any selfe seeming humane conceit was prophecy brought at any tyme that is the sacred and holy sense of Gods holy word neuer at any tyme brought forth and penned but the holy men of God the Prophets and Apostles spake and dictated what they wrote inspired with the Holy Ghost that is Because the Holy Ghost was the author of the wordes and sense of holy Scripture in the mouth and handes of those who first penned it Therfore must the same holy Ghost be the expositour of the sense of it in the mouthes of them who rightly vnderstand it And this to be the true sense of this place witnesse besides the former testimonies not only the Rhemists Bellarmine and others but also Caluin himselfe saying The spirit which spake by the Prophets is the only interpreter of himselfe Out of which place and wordes I inferre first that as the true text of Scripture it selfe so also the true sense and meaning of it is a meane and ground of Christian religion first and principally to be knowne Secondly that this true sense is not to be made by any priuate interpretation of the priuate spirit of euery priuate person Thirdly that it is to be made by the same spirit of God which was the first authour and dictatour of it And out of this inference and euidence of wordes I argue thus That spirit which must be the true and infallible interpreter of holy Scripture is and must be the same which was the first author and writer of it as is heere proued but that spirit which first wrote the text of holy Scripture was not a guift or spirit communicated to euery priuate person though faythfull but only to the Prophets and Apostles the first and prime pillars and Pastours of Gods Church as is euident Therefore this and the same spirit or guift which is giuen to expound the same scripture is not a spirit giuen to euery priuate belieuer but only to the Pastours and pillars of Gods Church who as they are the successors of the former first pillars and Apostles so also they receaue the same spirit to interprete the same Scripture which their Predecessours wrote As therfore the true spirit resided chiefly in the first Pastours pillars of Christs Church to write holy Scripture so also the same spirit resides chiefly in their succeeding Pastours and Prelates to expound it and not in euery faythfull and simple belieuer who can only read it Out of 1. Cor. 12.18 prouing the interpretation of of Scripture to be a guift gratis giuen not common to all faythfull SECT III. THE third proofe is taken out of those places of Scripture which attribute this guift of interpreting Scripture not gratiae gratificanti or to iustifying grace which is common to all faythfull belieuers and adopted children of God but gratijs gratis
necessity of grace against Iulian the Pelagian he speaketh of the Fathers in this manner These Fathers I haue cyted no more least it should be too tedious to read them yet such as are not so light that you may scorne to weigh thē yea so great that you may groane vnder the burthen of them These are they whose so great consent ought to moue you and who are not a conspiracy as you call them of ill tongued men but who flourished in the Catholike Church are sound in doctrine and armed with spirituall weapons who fought stoutly against heretickes and haue passed ouer their labours and slept in the bosome of peace VVho hauing liued holily and ouercome the errours of their tyme and departed gloriously out of this world before you came into it These though they were not then present when this Controuersie began and is now on foot so could not by word of mouth giue a definitiue sentence yet when they wrote and sayd these thinges they were then such as had not any either friendship or falling out with you or vs. They were angry neither at you nor vs had compassion of neither What they found in the Church they kept what they learned they teached what they receaued from their Fathers they deliuered to their children You and we did not plead before these Iudges and yet they decyded our cause neither you nor we were knowne to them and yet we do produce their verdict for vs against you we did not about this matter contend with you and yet they pronounce vs victors That which they belieue we belieue what they teach we teach what they preach we preach yield to them and yield to vs consent with them and consent with vs if you will not by them be a friend to vs yet be not for vs an enemy to them which yet you must be if you remaine in this errour therfore leaue it and leane to them Can Pelagius and Celestius Luther and Caluin so farre preuaile with you that for them you dare forsake so many and so great ancient Doctours and defenders of the Catholike fayth ouer all the world Hath tyme made such a confusion of great and small matters Is darkenes so become light and light darkenes that Pelagius Celestius Iulianus c. do see and Hilary Gregory Nazianzen Ambrose c. are blind VVere it not better to yield to them who are better and stronger and to maister your owne presumption then to insist vpon your owne animosity and conceit which you desire should preuaile because it is your owne VVere it not better to yield to these Christian Doctours or rather to Christ in them and to restore your selfe to them from whome you are departed How gratefull would these be to you if you did belieue the Catholike fayth and how terrible must they needes be against you when you oppugne the same Catholike Fayth which they sucked from the teat which they eate with their meate which for milke and meate they gaue to little ones and great ones which they plainely and stoutly defended against their enemies euen you not then borne By such planters waterers builders Pastours nurses the Holy Church increased therefore stood amazed at the prophane termes of your nouelty and as the head of a serpent abhorred troad vnder foot bruised and kickt away your new opinions which did lurke and crawle to deceaue the virginity of the Catholike Church and corrupt the chastity of it which it hath in Christ as did the Serpent seduce Eue. The Fayth of these is to be defended against you as is the Ghospell against wicked and professed enemies of Christ euen that Catholike and Christian fayth which as it was first deliuered in Scriptures so by these Fathers it hath beene hitherto kept and defended and shall by Gods grace euer be kept and defended Thus S. Augustine against the Pelagians their new doctrine for the Fathers and thus we against the Protestantes and their priuate spirit and new doctrine for the same And this may suffice for the testimonies of Fathers THE PRIVATE SPIRITS INTERPRETATION OF HOLY SCRIPTVRE Deciding of Controuersies and iudging of matters of Fayth Confuted by Reasons drawne from the difficulty of discerning of Spirits CHAP. IIII. Of the diuersity of Spirits SECT I. IN the former Chapters we haue confuted the Protestāt priuate spirit by authorityes of holy Scripture and by testimonies of ancient Fathers it remaines that we doe the like by euidence of reason and in this Chapter by reasons drawne frō the difficulty of discerning of spirits of which if the priuate spirit be not able to discerne and iudge which be good or bad which true or false much lesse is it able to discerne iudge the motions and effects of them that is which Scripture the sense of it is true or false which fayth and doctrine is good or bad For the better vnderstanding of which difficulty of discerning of Spirits we may note first how many sortes of varieties and distinctions of spirits there be 1. According to the nature and property of spirits S. Gregory distinguishes them thus Some are without mixture of body some with mixture Spirits without mixture are either increate as God the Father a spirit God the Sonne a spirit God the Holy Ghost a spirit all one God al one spirit good without quality great without quantity euery where without place alwayes without tyme doing all without action mouing al without motion containing all and contained in nothing and present in all by his essence power and presence and yet aboue all or els create which are either happy in glory as the Angells in heauen which are as administring spirits for vs or els damned in hell as the Diuels who as roaring Lyons seeke to deuoure vs both which doe differ either in specie or kind or at the least in degrees of power and greatnes some being in the highest some in the midle some in the lowest Hierarchy euery Hierarchy hauing his order and euery order his particuler Angels and Diuels belonging to it Spirits mixt with bodies flesh are either such as are mixed with flesh and dye with it as the sensuall soule of birds and beastes or such as are mixt with flesh but dye not with it as the reasonable soule of man which is a meane betweene Angells to whome he is inferiour and beastes to whome he is superiour communicating with the one in the immortality of soule with the other in mortality of flesh 2. According to their estate and condition these spirits are some good as God Angels Saints others bad as Diuels men wicked aliue or damned in hell others indifferēt as the natural spirit of man and sensuall of beastes some are blessed in heauen as Angells and Saints others damned in hell as Diuels and the damned soules others in the way and out of danger as
the Diuell that if he were Christ he should shew the Crosse on which he suffered he thereupon and at the signe of the Crosse vanished away and left him How he appeared to other two mentioned by Gerson and S. Bonauenture in the same forme saying I am Christ to whome the one shutting his eyes and saying I desire to see Christ in heauen not on earth and the other saying I am not worthy to see Christ because I am a sinnefull man the Diuell vanished How he appeared to S. Pachomius saying I am Christ and am come to thee my faythful seruant which the holy man by the perturbation of his mind perceauing to be a Diuel with the signe of the Crosse made him to vanish How to Valens a Monke he appeared like Christ accompanied with many Angells and caused him to come forth of his Cell and adore him left him so distracted and raging that they were forced to bind him Of examples of later tymes we read that he molested the holy man S. Ignatius in the founding of his Order of the Society not only interiourly by suggestions which he did at his study when by high and mysticall illuminations he withdrew his attention from his learning the Grammer rules to which he had seriously applyed himselfe but also by visible apparitions when at Manresa in his first entrance into a spirituall course he appeared in the forme of a beautiful person with many colours and eyes compassing the Crosse before which he prayed which S. Ignatius by the pensiuenes and perturbation of his mind discouering caused him by his prayer to vanish 2. That in the Alpes the Diuell hauing seduced a Priest who had the B. Sacrament about him to go in curiosity with him to see a wonder brought him to a pallace most beautiful pleasant where a Lady in a throne was presented by many prostrating themselues before her with rich guiftes vntill the Priest offering the B. Sacrament to her thinking it was our B. Lady she and all vanished away and left him in a strange place many miles distant from his habitation 3. Thirdly to an Hermite and a Religious man deceaued by him in Germany in a desart place to which they were carryed he appeared in the shape of Christ a King and our B. Lady a Queene both glorious set in a rich pallace vpon a shining throne with thousands of Angells and Saints about them and receaued al adoration from them till by the B. Sacrament which the Religious had in a Pixe offered to them al vanished away That he appeared to certaine women about Milan the yeare 1590. in the habit now of a Monke now of S. Vrsula with many Virgins with her and now of our B. Sauiour amōg whome he persuaded one to be Religious and leaue the world and would not desist till she tould him she would not do any thing without the aduice of her Ghostly Father And to conclude we read how while S. Norbert the foūder of the Praemonstratenses was meditating vpon the B. Trinity the Diuell appeared with three heads telling him that for his deuotion he had deserued to see the B. Trinity which by the perturbations of his mind he perceauing to be the Diuell defied him and so was rid of him All which with many more the Diuels apparitions and illusions in histories most authenticall recorded what are they but so many conuincing arguments to proue both the difficulty of discerning spirits and also the impossibility of euery priuate spirit to do it The difficulty to discerne Spirits proued by scripture SECT V. THE last reason to proue the difficulty of discerning spirits is authority which is a confirmation to all the former experiences and examples of holy Scripture and holy men placing the guift of discerning of spirits among the guifts of graces gratis giuen to some the discerning of spirits doth shew that as the rest of the guifts to wit miracles tongues prophesies and interpreting of Scripture of which before and the rest are rare extraordinary and giuen to few and that vsually and necessarily conioyned with grace or fayth in euery faithfull belieuer so also this of discerning spirits is in like manner a guift not cōmunicated to euery faythfull belieuer who hath the spirit of God but rarely and extraordinarily to some who haue the priuiledg of this benefite bestowed vpon them for the benefit of others For as it is proper to God both to be and to be called Ponderator spirituum The weigher and discerner of Spirits in the same manner as he is the knower of harts VVho only knowes the hartes of all the children of men so doth he communicate this guift to some speciall persons whome he makes as the Prophets cal them Proouers and strong proouers in my people who shall know and prooue their wayes in the same manner as in the common wealth are tryers of gold to discerne true from false And to these by a speciall prerogatiue he giues this guift that they may prooue spirits if they be good and try them as Gold is tryed in the fire and separate the precious from the vile declaring when it is good or a good Angell who knocks at the doore and when it is Sathan and the bad Angell who transfigures himselfe into an Angell of light And as this guift is rare giuen only to some so it is for the most part giuen to Superiours who are to direct others in the way of vertue and perfection amōg these to them who are men humble as Cassianus affirmes and very spirituall also because Not the sensuall man but the spirit of God perceaues the thinges which are of God These partly by long experience partly by wholesome documents partly by diuine inspirations attaine to this perfectiō of discercerning spirits By which is apparent that the science of discerning spirits is hard and difficult because it requires so speciall and supernaturall a guift which is so rare and extraordinary and that to speciall kind of persons for the good of others Which is also confirmed by the testimony of holy men who haue laboured much and beene experienced long in this science S. Bernard a man extraordinarily spirituall confesseth that he knew not VVhen the spirit entred or when it departed which way it came or which it went sometyms he could perceaue it to be present or to haue beene present but neither when it came or how it went Gerson a man learned who laboured and writ much about this discerning of spirits after much discussion sayth That it is a most hard thing to discerne among so many spirits since in diuerse and contrary spirits there is sush a similitude of inspirations Thomas à Kempis one much enlightned in spirituall affaires sayth Marke the motions of thyne own nature and my grace for in very contrary and secret manner these are moued and can hardly
be discerned but by him that is spirituall and inwardly enlightned Ludouicus Puentes also a maister in spirituall wayes sayth That it seemes often an inspiration of God which is an impulsion of Sathan and it often carryes a shew of spirituall loue which is indeed false and carnall loue And thus it remaines conuinced by reasons drawne from the verity and similitude of spirits by the subtilty and craft of Sathan who so often and many wayes transfigures himselfe into an Angell by the infirmity of mans vnderstanding so vnable to penetrate them and by authority of Scripture and testimony of holy men so experienced in this science that the art of discerning of spirits is most hard and difficult in it selfe and aboue the reach and capacity of euery priuate mans ability Out of all which it doth follow First that visions and apparitions are often tymes doubtfull and dangerous and so rather to be feared whether they be true or false and to what end they do tend then to be desired or esteemed as signes of holynesse and perfection For as the guifts gratis giuen Prophesy Curing of diseases and Dispossessing of Diuells c. are giuen sometymes to persons lesse perfect in vertue if not vicious in life and vnbelieuers for fayth witnesse the prophesyes of the Sybils being Gentils of Christ Of Baalam a sorcerer of the starre of Iacob Of Caiphas most wicked of Christ dying for all Of Saul a reprobate who had the spirit and was among the Prophets All which had the gift of prophesy Witnesse also the sonnes of the Pharisies who cast out Diuels the seauen sonnes of Sceua with the exorcists of the Iewes who dispossessed many of Diuels so also these visions and apparitions are neither so proper to holy men but that often they are communicated to bad and wicked nor yet so certaine that they are alwayes of God or good Angells but that they often proceed from Satan and as the visions of those spirits so also the guift of discerning the same is neyther so proper omni and soli to all and only the good and faythfull but that it is sometymes giuen to them who are lesse holy and more wicked of life Whereupon holy and wise learned men as S. Augustine S. Bonauenture and Gerson aduise and persuade that not only such visions and apparitions are to be feared yea auoided and not desired but also ordinary persons who haue them and make shew or ostentation of them are not to be applauded or admired for them as pious but seuerely to be reprehended suspected as proud and dangerous who are not content to tread the high way and beaten path to perfection but will seeke out new by-wayes and walke in wonders aboue thēselues Also many holy persons who haue beene extraordinarily visited from God with them haue alwayes with that warinesse accepted of them that they did vse great diligence to examine them before they would confide in thē Thus Iacob secretly and diligently considered the visions of Ioseph his sonne related to him Iosue doubted therupon examined the Angell who did appeare to him like an armed man whether he was of their side or of the aduersaries Samuel heard our Lord when he called him in the night Samuel Samuel but did not answere till he rose and went to Heli the high Priest to know what he should do Elias seriously deliberated whether our Lord did appeare in the whirle wind or in the commotion or in the fire or in the soft whispering wind And our B. Lady cogitabat did muse or study that is maturely and long sayth Euthymius consider what kind of salutation that was whether of God or the Diuell And the like did the Bishop of Cyprus at the apparition of S. Barnaby And S. Ambrose at the inuētion of Geruasius and Protasius And other holy Saints in all such like occasions fearing alwayes illusions of Sathan insteed of apparitions of Angells Secondly It doth follow that it is necessary to auoid all these and such like dangers to haue euery one a spirituall directour and Maister on whome as better experienced by practise more illuminated by God in his place functiō he may more securely rely then vpon his owne spirit or iudgment For as the wayes in which men walke are many the right way to heauen not easy to be found as in the way being found there are many either pits to fall in or theeues to robbe and spoile vs as the science we are to learne is very heard and intricate to which our natural wit cannot attaine and the diseases infirmities of our body are many great for which we are vnable to trauell so long and laborious a iourney So haue we need great need of a guide to lead vs in a way so vncertaine and dangerous of a Maister to instruct vs in a trade so hard and vnknowne and of a Phisitian to cure vs of so many infirmities and diseases And as no man hath power to absolue himselfe of his sinnes as no man is made Iudge in his owne cause as no man is permitted to minister phisicke to his owne body so God hath ordained that no man shal be instructer directour of his owne soule nor conductour of himselfe in his way to life but stil depend vpon others to direct and instruct him in the same For thus our Sauiour first himselfe for example would sit hearing and asking among the Doctours as though he were a scholler For this cause he sent his vessel of election S. Paul to be instructed by Ananias and would not immediatly himselfe direct him what to doe For this God would not instruct Moyses in the mountaine himselfe but sent him to Iethro a gentill by him to receaue direction how to gouerne his people For this S. Augustine being old refused not to be instructed by his Companions yet yong And thus we read that some who haue had familiar conuersations with Angels were yet permitted by them to hould some errours in doctrine till they humbled themselues to others and by them were instructed For which it is a generall rule that he who will not be a disciple to another shal be a maister of errour and that he who makes himselfe maister to himself puts himselfe to be scholler to a foole All which if it be true in morall sciences mysteries of faith most true it is in discerning of these spirits in which the difficulty is greater the dāger of errour no lesse 3. To conclude it doth follow that since there is such variety of spirits some good as of God of Angels and of Saints and some bad as of diuels of the damned of the flesh and of the world Sith there be so diuers kinds of motions apparitions of these spirits some intellectuall some imaginary some sensible and visible Sith there are so great difficulties to be resolued about these seuerall
for this end be giuen only to them as it was to Moyses to iudge the people then it was not for the same end giuen to all and euery one of the common people and euery ordinary faythfull person among them The third proofe is drawne from the essentiall partes of an authenticall and infallible Iudge because in this spirit are to be found neither ability to know persons nor authority to iudge causes nor infallibility to pronounce a certaine sentence and iudgment First therefore this spirit cannot know and examine the state and disposition the cause and question of the person who is to be iudged neither can the person who is to be iudged know that this spirit remaynes in him who is to iudge or that authority by it is giuen to iudge For this spirit say they who chalenge it is knowne that it is the spirit of God only to them who haue it how then shall it be knowne to others who are to be iudged by it How shall the people know the spirit of the Pastour that they may be directed by it or the Pastour know the spirit of the people that he may direct thē How shall any conuersation in discipline of good life any communication in doctrine of fayth any subordination in obedience to lawes be obserued among these person vncertaine one of anothers spirit and authority by it How shall the sentence of absolution vpon the faythfull or of condēnation vpon the faythlesse be iustly denounced How shall the doctrine of truth be preached or the doctrine of falshood be confuted and the people obliged to belieue the one and to forsake the other How shall iustice be ordered obedience obserued authority maintained lawes executed and penalties inflicted where neither the inferiour can know the spirit of the superiour vpon which spirit his authority dependes nor yet the superiour can any way force or compell the spirit of the inferiour who yet will chalenge an equality of preheminence and priuiledge of the spirit with him Secondly this spirit cannot challenge to it selfe any such power or authority or shew any authenticall warrant from God that it is the spirit of God either in Scripture Tradition or practise of the Church all which a◠before do reiect and condemne it It cannot exercise any function which belonges to this authority as to censure or absolue to oblige or vnity to punish or reward any fault cōmitted or person committing it It cannot with equality of tryall heare or examine the cause nor denounce and pronounce any sentence which can oblige It cannot admonish threaten terrify and enioyne any punishment by the rodde of iustice It cannot compell correct and punish any delinquen◠by way of exteriour iustice or enforce the one party to yield subscribe and submit to the sentence of iustice It cannot bridle in the hand of the one the fury of iniustice or deliuer to the handes of the other the right of iustice It cannot conuince the one of his errour against truth nor secure the other of his possession of truth It cannot compell the one to cease from wronge or giue redresse to the other in his wrong What power hath the spirit of one man to threaten to command to correct or punish the spirit of another What authority can one spirit alleadge which another cannot as well challenge What prerogatiue of spirit can the Pastour assume of which the spirit of the people may not as well presume Vpon what priuiledge can any superiour stand vpon which and the same any inferiour may not or will not as well insist The inferiour can as cōfidently assure himselfe as certainly auouch and as resolutly resolue himselfe that he hath receaued the spirit of the Sonne of God dwelling in him That he hath the spirit of his sonne abiding in his heart by which he cryeth Abbae Father That God hath giuen him also the pledge of the spirit The spirit of adoption VVhich doth giue testimony of his spirit That his spirit doth search all thinges yea the profundities of God That his spirit doth try all thinges yea prophesyes Doth try all spirits if they be of God And that he is a spirituall man doth iudge of all thinges and himselfe is to be iudged of no man because he hath the sense of Christ and knoweth the sense of our Lord that may instruct him Where is then the authority of the Pastour ouer a flocke endewed with this spirit or the power of the superiour to correct a people full of this spirit How shall the one compell to obey and the other haue the liberty of the spirit not to obey What order or subordination what discipline gouernement can be established among such spirits or men ruled and directed by such spirits Thirdly this priuate spirit cannot giue any certainty or infallibility of the verity of his iudgment for it cannot assure and secure any that it is a spirit of God not Sathan of light not darknesse of truth not falshood of a true not a false Prophet It cannot assure secure any that his iudgment for example of predestination iustification certainty of saluation of only fayth is not a presumption and illusion and rather hereticall then Catholike doctrine It cannot assure and secure others either that the spirit is true or that the iudgement of it is vpright or that the doctrine of it is true all sectes and heresies whether Caluinist or Lutheran rigid or milder whether Protestant or Puritan whether Brownist or Familist whether Anabaptist or Arian whether Swenkfeldian or Libertine challeng it for the certainty of their doctrine as true are taught and directed by it as true and yet some or all of them must needes be false as being contrary euery one to another euery one condemning another and all condemned by the authority of Gods Church and by the spirit of God instructing and assisting it By all which it is apparent that the priuate spirit wanting visibility to be knowne authority to iudge and infallibility to secure cannot be an authenticall iudge of controuersies of Fayth Fourthly the fourth reason against this priuate spirits infallible authority to iudge of fayth is drawne from the properties of a rule foundation of fayth before assigned all which are wanting in it For first it wants the promise of any certainty and infallibility it hath no promise or warrāt in Scripture that it is the Pillar and ground of truth the house the temple the kingdome of Christ that hell gates shal not preuaile against it that he who heareth it heareth Christ who contemneth it contemneth Christ and who obeys it not is as the Heathen and Publican that it shall remayne with euery man shall teach euery man all truth and instruct euery man in all which Christ shall speake to him All which yet are promised to the holy Church and the spirit of God in it Secondly It wants
God not only that which was written in paper but also that which was deliuered in preaching by the Apostles We receiue without any addition or diminution that Canon which the auncient Church twelue hundred yeares ago receiued that translation which for as many ages hath been approued that sense which the auncient Fathers Councells and Church euer since Christ allowed that Iudge which hath an infallible warrant from God to iudge truly and impartially of the Canon the text the translation the sense all whatsoeuer is doubtfull And all our practise is to follow the spirit of God speaking in the auncient Fathers Councels Church by which we are secure from errour or falshood about the scripture and sense of it Fifthly For the Church of God they with their priuate spirit dishonor it and derogate from it 1. From the power and authority of it as not hauing according to them any visible head and gouernour assisted with the holy Ghost to direct and gouerne it and to iudge of all causes and controuersies in it and so make it headlesse and vngouerned We honour it in acknowledging it to be a visible and perpetuall Monarchy with a setled and spirituall both Gouernour and gouernement hauing in it an infallible authority to iudge and decide all causes and controuersies 2. They derogate from the visibility perpetuity and infallibility of the same making it not only subiect to errour and corruption but to haue erred and perished or at least become inuisible for many ages We honour it in belieuing that it cannot erre faile perish become inuisible or be corrupted in fayth but that it is the piller of truth against which assisted by the holy Ghost the gates and power of hell and heresy cannot preuaile 3. They derogate from the vnity sanctity vniuersality and succession of the same as notes and markes to distinguish it from all other congregations which they reiect and admit not We reuerence and respect it as one holy Catholike and Apostlike Church which no other congregation is or can be 4. They derogate from the vncontrollable authority stability of the decrees of Councells and from the infallible testimony of the vnanime consent of the Fathers Doctors of the Church both which they at their pleasure censure condemne We receaue imbrace and follow them as guids and directours to truth and as witnesses and testimonies of truth belieuing that which they belieue and reiecting that which they before reiected 5. They derogate from the splendour and beauty of the Church in the state of Prelates in the single life of the Clergy in the retirednesse of the Religious persons in the ornaments of the Churches and in the variety of so many orders and professions all which they reiect condemne as needlesse or superstitious We reuerence and honour the same as tending to the externall honour of God and the magnificence of his Church thereby making the Church beautifull as the Moone elect as the Sunne wel ordered as an Army of men And to cōclude they make the Church the mystery of iniquity a whore a harlot and a strumpet the whore of Babylon drunken with al abominable filth of superstition and abomination of idolatry and antichristianity with which she hath made all the Christian world all Kinges and Emperours and that not for one or two ages but for seauen on ten or twelue or fourteene ages according to diuers opinions drunke with the same cup of superstition abomination idolatry and antichristianity and make it a body consisting of persons whoeuen the best and purest are in all partes and in euery action stayned impure sinnefull vniust and wicked We doe belieue confesse it to be the kingdome the citty the house of God the spouse of Christ the temple of the holy Ghost the pillar of truth which Christ hath purchased washed with his precious bloud made immaculate incontaminate and vnspotted pure holy and perfect before him which no errour of superstition or idolatry can possesse no power of Pagans or Heretikes or Schismatikes or other wicked Christians can suppresse no subtilty of heresy infidelity or Sathan himselfe can supplant destroy or extinguish Sixhtly For the sacraments they from the number of seauen do curtaile fiue and leaue only two and from these two they take away from the one that is baptisme 1. The effect and vertue making it only a signe or seale no cause or instrument of grace and of no more vertue then the baptisme of S. Iohn Baptist 2. They take away all necessity of it making it not needfull for infants whom they will haue saued by the parents faith without it From the other that is the Eucharist they take away both the fruit and the substance of it making it not the reall body and bloud of Christ but only a bare signe and remembrance of it Not any sacrifice offered to God but only a Sacrament signing or sealing grace and therby robbe Christ of all adoration by it as a Sacramēt and of all subiection or acknowledgment of dominion by it as a sacrifice and they robbe the Church of all benifit comfort both by the Sacrament and sacrifice We do admit for seuerall states of persons seuerall sorts of benefits by seauen seuerall kindes of Sacraments all as instruments of Gods power causing grace which assists all sorts of persons in their seuerall states and functions and all excell the Sacraments of the old law For the Sacrament of baptisme we belieue it to be a meanes of regeneration from originall sinne by which all sinne and punishment due to sinne both original actual is fully remitted and by which all persons are admitted into the mysticall body of Iesus Christ in his holy Church and made capable of the benefit of the rest of the Sacraments And for the Sacrament of the Eucharist we belieue that not only i◠conteines the fountaine of Grace but also is offered to God as a sacrifice to apply the vertue of his sacrifice on the crosse for the remission of our sinnes by which is giuen much honour to God and receiued great benefit by Gods Church much comfort to the faithfull both liuing and dead Seauenthly for Faith they and their priuate spirit admit many sorts of faith and in that none at all and make as many faiths as there are priuate spirits in particuler persons and in that destroy all vnity of faith We admit one holy Catholicall and Apostolicall faith one in al and generall to all who in all are directed by one spirit of Gods Church They admit a new and new-deuised faith neuer receiued by any but in some one or other point by condemned hereticks in whom it was condemned We receiue an auncient and euer belieued faith euer receiued and approued by general Coūcells ancient Fathers holy Saints in Gods Church They reiect the grounds of faith as Scripture Traditions Church Councells and Fathers We admit belieue
for the faithfull dying before Christ and Purgatory for faithful dying without full satisfaction 2. The locall place and the materiall fier and the reall suffering of the present paines of hell by the soules of the damned and withall that it is a worke good though not the best to auoid sinne for feare of hell In all which we extoll the iustice of God mixt with mercy in punishing al sorts according to their deserts and deterre men from liberty of sinne for feare of punishment in hell And thus we haue in this second part confuted this priuat spirit which in the former part we proued to be the sole and whole ground of the Protestant faith and saluation 1. By authorities of holy Scripture 2. By testimony of auncient Fathers 3. By reasons drawne from the difficulty of discerning spirits 4. By reasons drawne from a right interpreter of Holy Scripture 5. By reasons drawne from an infallible iudge of controuersies of fayth 6. By reasons drawne from the nature and certainty of fayth 7. By Circular absurdities to which this spirit leadeth 8. By Doctrinall absurdities which follow vpon it and the doctrine of it against Fayth and the Creed against Hope and the Pater noster and against good life morall vertues the ten Commandements and all laws of God Church or CoÌ„mon-wealth In which also we haue made plaine how this their doctrine grouÌ„ded vpon this their priuate spirit doth derogate from God and the Blessed Trinity whome it makes the authour of all sinne a sinner lyer dissembler and tyrant the only sinner and a greater sinner then either the Diuell or man doth derogate from Iesus Christ and his birth life passion and resurrection whome it dishonours in making him neither PhisitiaÌ„ Lawyer Iudge Priest or perfect Redeemer or Sauiour but one ignorant impotent sinnefull and damned doth derogate from the Church of God triumphant in heauen which it dishonours in taking from it knowledge charity in Saints and Angels and honour and reuerence to them and from the Church militant on earth which it dishonours in taking from it all authority visibility vniuersality perpetuity or extancy and being vpon earth so many ages How it derogates from fayth which it dishonours in taking from it all groundes whereon it is to be builded all meanes wherby it is to be attained and in making it contradictory rash presumptuous sinnefull and preiudicious to all Hope and Charity How it derogates from man whome it disables depriues of all Free-will of all inherent grace of all good life and workes of all possibility to obey Gods Commandements to abstaine from sinne to merit any reward How it derogates from all morall vertues and good life from which by many principles it doth withdraw withall doth draw to all vice and wickednesse doth giue the reines to all Epicurean liberty and loosenesse In all which the spirit of our Catholike Church and the doctrine of it is shewed to be contrary and to giue duâ— honour to God to Christ to his Saints Angels Church to Fayth Sacraments and the rest And to be a meanes to encourage all Christians to the practise of all vertue and perfection and to auoid all sinne and wickednes All this we haue carefully painefully laboured to performe in this second Part of the treatise of that pri-Spirit THE PROTESTANTS OBIECTIONS and proofes taken out of Scripture for the defence of their priuate Spirits authority to inrerpret Scripture and iudge of Controuersies proposed and answered CHAP. X. Of certaine obseruations profitable for the solution of Obiections SECT 1. HITHERTO we haue battered that I hope sufficiently the maine fabricke of this imaginary edifice of the Protestant priuate spirit It remaines only for this second Part that we raze demolish the foundation vpon which this their conceit of their priuate spirits authority is built and erected that is that we solue the reasons or rather obiections taken out of holy Scripture vpon which they ground their conceit for which we may note that as our Catholike doctrine doth not deny either the being or permanency of the Spirit of God in euery faythfull both person and Doctour for all faythfull by the spirit of God haue faith or the effect and operation of the same in assisting theÌ„ in the finding out of the true sense of holy scripture for neither are the faithful prohibited from all reading nor the learned debarred from all interpreting of holy scripture so there is a great difference betweene the effect and operation of this spirit in the Protestant and Catholicke as well simple as learned as both do chalenge it and rely vpon it For as for better illustration we may obserue in a naturall body and the spirit or soule of man in which comparison we imitate S. Paul the soule or spirit doth giue information or operation to the whole body and euery part thereof yet so that euery member hath not euery operation all members haue not one action but the head one as to iudge the handes another as to worke the feet another as to walke and the mouth is to receaue the belly to containe the stomake to disgest the meat and so it is proper to the eye to see to the eare to heare and to neither to discourse and reason which belongs only to the braine so in the spirituall body of the Church and the faythfull members of it the spirit of God doth assist all and euery one in particuler as well the meanest as the greatest as well the most simple as the most learned VVho are many but one body in Christ yet so that as euery member is different one from another so the operation of euery one is different and not the same but as some are Lay some Ecclesiasticall persons some secular some Religious some simple some learned some common people some Pastours and Prelates so to euery one of vs is giuen grace according to the measure of the donation of Christ according to the measure of fayth and to euery one for his profit that hauing all gifts according to the grace which is giuen to vs euery one may remaine in the vocation in which he is called wherupon all are not Prophets all are not Doctours all are not Euangelists All are not Iudges of faith and interpreters of holy Scripture though all haue the spirit but God diuiding to euery one as he will giues to some the spirit to heare and obey to others to direct and command to some the spirit to labour and worke by practicall offices to others to contemplate and study by speculatiue functions yet to all so and in that manner that as euery member hath need of another for the eye cannot say to the hand I stand in no need of thy helpe so euery one member hath his gift and the vse and operation of it for the benefite of the whole body with dâ—pendance and subordination to the whole and
interpreted by Prophecy was not doctrine or mysteries of faith but either exhortation to piety for edification and consolation or of things secret as future euents or vnknowne faults or facts done by which the secrets of the heart of the infidell or idiot was made knowne and he conuinced and iudged of all therfore it makes nothing for doctrine of faith and interpretation of scripture 4. This manner of Prophecy howsoeuer and of whatsoeuer it was it was not independent and of it selfe free to interprete what and how it will but so that the rest doe iudge that the spirits of Prophets be subiect to the Prophets And so euery priuate spirit must be subiect to the iudgment of the Church and the Churches spirit Fourthly they obiect those places where it is said that All thy Childrē are taught of our Lord Al shal be docible of God Your selues haue learned of God I will giue my law in their bowels and I will write it in their heart All shall know me from the least to the greatest If any will do his will who sent me he shall vnderstand of the doctrine whether it be of God My sheepe do heare my voice do follow me Yow haue no need that any do teach you but as his vnction teacheth you of all things All these places I say do not either ioyntly altogether or particularly any one mention any priuiledge that euery one hath by the instinct of his owne priuate spirit to interprete holy scripture to decide deep mysteries of faith and to iudge of all controuersies of diuinity which is the point auerred by the Protestants denied by vs and in controuersy betweene both 2. In them is affirmed only that God will giue his inward guift of grace to all sort of persons so sufficiently that they may know him his truth and the true way to saluation and by the same may obserue his Commandements and come to be saued In which yet is neither excluded but rather supposed as precedent and an exteriour proponent cause the ordinary meanes of preaching by Pastours and of instruction by them and subordination to them But yet is not giuen to any one any power or priuiledge to preferre his owne spirit before the spirit of the whole Church or to censure the doctrine which is once adiudged by the same which among the rest this Protestant priuate spirit doth assume to it selfe For which we may note that it is one thing to haue faith sufficient for saluation another to haue the guift of infallible interpretatiō of scripture The former is a guift general to all the faythful though they be as yet little ones who only sucke milke though they be as yet carnal not spiritual thogh they be ignorant of many things and haue many thinges wanting to the perfection of their faith Yet they be sealed with the spirit of the promise the pledge of our inheritance haue the spirit of God dwelling in them and so haue the literall verity of all the former places verifyed in them The later is a guift peculiar and proper only to them who by place and function are spirituall and perfect haue their senses exercised to the discerning of good and euill And haue the guift of discerning of spirits and interpreting of speaches And these are they who as tryers and discerners of fayth interpreters of Scripture and haue the guift and power infallible to direct others in the doctrine of fayth who are ex officio the Pastours and Prelates of Gods Church and are as Bishops to rule to feed the flocke of Christ to exhort and reproue with all authority to controule rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the fayth and to denounce to certaine not to teach otherwise And all by that power which God hath giuen them to edification and to reuenge all disobedience and to bring into captiuity al vnderstanding to the obedience of Christ This is the office of the Prelates and Bishops of Gods Church 3. This inward guift of grace or vnction of the Holy Ghost is only an efficient internall and cooperant cause and so necessary to mooue the vnderstanding and will to assent to that which as certaine is proposed but this iudge or interpreter must be an exteriour proponent cause which must deliuer to vs this sense as certaine which being proposed grace doth enable vs to belieue Now all these and such like places are meant of the interiour guift of grace which is necessary but not ordinarily sufficient without a precedent exteriour and proponent cause which is this infallible Interpreter of holy Scripture in Pastours of the Church Fifthly to those places where it is commanded not to belieue euery spirit but to proue the spirits if they be of God and to proue all thinges and hould that which is good is answered 1. That all and euery person of the body of the holy Church is not directed to make this tryall but only the chiefe that is the Pastours and Prelates as when a man is willed to discerne and see not euery member and part of the body is directed so to do but the chiefe members as the head which is to iudge and the eye to see to whose function it is proper and belonges or as when an Vniuersity is directed to examine and iudge of such a booke and doctrine not euery student but the chiefe Doctours of that faculty are so directed and willed so that not euery person and vnlearned party in the Church is to make this tryall of spirits but only Pastours and Prelates to whose function it is peculiar and proper to iudge and decide all such like questions and doubts 2. This tryall and iudgment is to be made not of questions doctrine already decided and determined by the authority of the Church but of such as are yet doubtfull and vndecided For that which is once determined by the generall consent of the Church or Councell is not againe to be examined and iudged by any priuate mans spirit for so the Decrees of Coūcells were both vaine endlesse that therfore is to be tryed which is not before both tryed and iudged and that by those who haue both ability and authority to do it which makes nothing for this priuate spirit which will both try what is before by any Councell iudged and will by euery simple vnlearned person try and iudge it Sixthly to that of 1. Cor. 2.15 The spirituall man iudgeth all thinges and himselfe is iudged of none It is answered that S. Paul to confound the Corinthians who standing vpon their humane worldly wisedome contemned his vnlearned manner of instruction affirmes that they being men sensuall can iudge only of sensuall thinges but he being spirituall and perfect in diuine wisedome can iudge both of things sensuall and spirituall and
THE TRIALL OF THE PROTESTANT PRIVATE SPIRIT VVHEREIN Their Doctrine making the sayd Spirit the sole ground meanes of their Beliefe is confuted By Authority of Holy Scripture Testimonies of auncient Fathers Euidence of Reason drawne from the Grounds of Faith Absurdity of consequences following vpon it against all Faith Religion and Reason The Second Part which is Doctrinall WRITTEN By I. S. of the Society of IESVS Ezech. 23. vers 3. Vae Prophetis insipientibus qui sequuntur Spiritum suum nihil vident Woe to the foolish Prophets who follow their owne Spirit and see nothing Permissu Superiorum M.DC.XXX Tertullian de praescript cap. 4. Qui lupi rapaces nisi sensus Spiritus subdoli ad infestandum gregem intrinsecùs delitescentes Who are rauenous wolues but deceitfull Spirits and senses lying close to molest the flocke of Christ Caluin in 1. Ioan. 41. Multi falsi doctores titulum Spiritus mentiuntur Insurgunt multi fanatici qui se temerè iactant Spiritu Dei praeditos esse Loquuntur priuato suo nomine prodeunt priuato suo nomine proferumt ex proprio sensu Many false Doctours do feigne the title of the Spirit Many mad men do rashly boast that they haue the spirit of God They speake in their owne name they go out in their owne name and they vtter what they say in their owne name TO THE CHRISTIAN READER COVRTEOVS READER This second Part of the Protestant Priuate Spirit like a nevv-borne Infant is at length after long trauaile come to light I may iustly terme it an Agrippa because it vvas hardly brought forth It caused many great and long gripings in the Mothers vvombe in the Conception and Framing but passed difficulties both greater and longer in the Byrth Printing so hard it is for an Israelite among the Aegyptians to conceaue beare such Infants It vvas in danger to haue byn stifled vnder Midvviues hands one vvas long sought for hardly obteyned and farre fetched and yet as a stranger not so skillfull but that many errours are committed If therefore it come to thy vievv maimed imperfect blame not the Authour excuse the Printer Thou vvilt meruaile hovv this second Part gets birth and breath and comes to light before the first The reason is this like to tvvo Tvvins they strugled in the birth and passing the hands of diuers Midvviues this fell to the lott of one more ready and skillfull and so got the precedence of Birth-right vvhich yet in part vvas its due as being first formed composed and that before the other vvas intended For supposing the Aduersary as common knovvne to vvit the Priuate Spirit vvithout discussing the quarrell it assaulted him at the first and so aymed to vvound Heresy in the head But vvherfore then is this called the second the other the first Part Because the matter or subiect so requires this being a Confutation of the Priuate Spirit the ground of all Protestancy the other a Proofe or declaration that the same Spirit is such a Ground to the Protestāts vvhich at the first supposed vvas aftervvard thought fit to be at large proued that therby it may appeare that this Priuate Spirit is by the sayd Protestant Doctrine made not only a Ground but a sole and vvhole Ground of their Fayth and Religion yea that all other true Grounds are for that end by them neglected and reiected Which proofe of being a Ground the order of Doctrine so requiring because it is precedent to the reproofe of the same there fore the other Part though later composed and diuulged claimes the title of the first this of the second Part. In the meane time if this thus hardly brought forth and thus svvadled in the cloutes of many imperfections both of pen and print may giue thee Content thy Content giue Vente and the Vente help on to the birth of the other my hope shal be that as this Part may satisfy thee in the disproofe of this supposed false Ground so the other vvill more satisfy first in the proofe of the true Grounds assigned by Catholikes next in the contempt of the same Grounds vsed by Protestants and that for the establishing of their false Ground vvhich in the first Part is fully performed Of vvhich if eyther the one or both may ground or cōfirme thee in the Truth true Grounds of Truth this thy good shal be the fruite I desire of my paynes and my paynes shall thinke themselues at thy hands sufficiently requited by thy good prayers vvhich I desyre for my selfe and further endeauours all to the Honour of God and good of his holy Church THE CONTENTS Of the Chapters Sections and Subdiuisions of this second Part of the Priuate Spirit as it is Doctrinall and confuted CHAP. I. CERTAINE Considerations of the Meanes of Fayth necessary for the vnderstanding of this Protestant Priuate Spirit Sect. 1. Of six meanes and helps to attaine Fayth Sect. 2. Of the order and necessity of these meanes Sect. 3. How the Protestants want all these 6. meanes of faith Sect. 4. How the Catholikes and Protestants differ in these six meanes and how the Protestants make their Priuate Spirit the only meanes for all CHAP. II. THE Priuate spirits interpretation of Scripture deciding of Controuersies and iudging of Fayth confuted by holy Scripture Sect. 1. Out of the 1. S. Iohn 4.1 S. Paul 1. Tim. 4.11 Act. 20.30 2. Pet. 2. describing this Spirit Sect. 2. Out of 2. Pet 1.20 making the same spirit authour and interpreter of Scripture Sect. 3. Out of 1. Cor. 12.8 prouing the interpretation of Scripture to be a gift gratis giuē not cōmon to al faithfull Sect. 4. Out of Ezech. 13. describing in false Prophets this Priuate Spirit with the effects and punishment of it Sect. 5. Out of Iob 32. declaring in Eliu his friends spirit the manner of proceeding of this Priuate spirit Sect. 6. Out of Tit. 3.10 shewing the Spirit of an Hereticke Sect. 7. Out of diuers places of Scripture condemning the relying vpon our owne iudgment CHAP. III. THE Priuate Spirits interpreting of holy Scripture and iudging of Mysteries of Faith and Controuersies confuted by the testimony of auncient Fathers CHAP. IV. THE Priuate Spirits interpreting of Scripture and iudging of Controuersies confuted by reasons drawn from the difficulty of discerning of Spirits Sect. 1. Of the diuersity of Spirits Sect. 2. Of the difficulty to discerne these Spirits Sect. 3. Of the difficulty and vncertainty of the rules of discerning spirits Sect. 4. Of the subtilty of Sathan in deceiuing by the similitude of spirits Sect. 5. The difficulty to discerne spirits proued by Scripture CHAP. V. THE Priuate Spirits authority to interprete Scripture and iudge of Controuersies confuted by the true infallible authority and meanes of interpreting scripture Sect. 1. What interpretation authority and meanes are necessary and infallible for the sense of Scripture Subd 1. What interpretation of scripture is necessary 2. Who haue authority to make this
interpretation 3. What meanes are to be vsed by these interpreters to make this interpretation and of 4. rules of infallible interpreting of Scripture Sect. 2. That the priuate Spirit cannot haue this infallible authority and be this infallible meanes is proued Subd 1. By reasons drawne from the nature of the Holy Scripture which is to be expounded 2. By reasons drawne from the priuate spirit which should expound it CHAP. VI. THE Priuate Spirits authority to iudge of Controuersies of fayth confuted by reasons drawne from the nature of a Iudge of Fayth Sect. 1. The properties of a Iudge of Fayth Sect. 2. The whole body of the Church cannot be this Iudge Sect. 3. Secular Princes cannot be this Iudge Sect. 4. Lay-people cannot be this Iudge Sect. 5. The Scripture cannot be this Iudge Sect. 6. Bishops and Prelates of the true Church are this Iudge Sect. 7. The priuate spirit cannot be this Iudge CHAP. VII THE priuate spirits authority to iudge of Controuersies of faith confuted by reasons drawne from the nature and certainty of Fayth Sect. 1. The properties of Fayth with the priuate spirits māner of proceeding Sect. 2. The priuate Spirit cannot be a meanes of Vnity in fayth Sect. 3. Nor a meanes of the certainty of Fayth Sect. 4. Nor a meanes of the integrity and perfection of faith Sect. 5. Nor a meanes of fayth which is got by hearing Sect. 6. Nor a meanes of Fayth which requires credible testimonies Sect. 7. Nor a meanes of Fayth which obligeth all to belieue accept of it CHAP. VIII THE priuate spirits authority to iudge of Fayth confuted by circular absurdities following vpō it against Fayth Sect. 1. Of the nature of a Circle the difference of Circles Sect. 2. The Catholikes cleared from the obiected Circle agaynst their doctrine Sect. 3. The Protestants diuers manners of Circles Subd 1. Their Circle betweene the scripture the spirit 2. Between the spirit and Fayth 3. Between election vnderstanding of scripture 4. Between the Spirit of euery priuate man of a generall Councell CHAP. IX THE priuate Spirits Authority to iudge of Controuersies of Fayth confuted by doctrinall absurdities following vpon it against Fayth Sect. 1. Idolatry and heresy compared and of 4. heads and origens of all late Heresies proceeding of the priuate Spirit Sect. 2. Of absurdities which follow vpon the 1. head Of contempt of all Church-authority and relying vpon the priuate Spirit Sect. 3. Of absurdities which follow vpon the 2. head Of sole Fayth Subdiu 1. Agaynst man making him as iust and more certaine of saluation then Christ. 2. Agaynst Fayth making it false contradictory sinnefull rash presumptuous and preiudicious to charity c. 3. Against Christ to whome it is iniurious as a Redeemer Phisitian Lawgiuer Iudge Priest and makes him ignorant sinnefull damned for the tyme. Sect. 4. Of absurdities which follow vpon the 3. head that is Of Concupiscence being originall sinne Subdiu 1. Eight diuers absurdities which follow vpon it 2. The difference between a iust Catholicke and Protestant Sect. 5. Of absurdities which follow vpon the 4. head that is Of absolute predestination to damnation Subdiu 1. Absurdities against man leading to carelesnesse despayre of saluation and inability to be saued 2. Absurdities against God making him the Authour of sinne 3. A Sinner 4. The only Sinner 5. A Lyer and dissembler 6. A Tyrant most cruell 7. A Deuill 8. Obseruations vpon the former doctrine Sect. 6. Of absurdities which follow against Fayth and the Creed Subdiu 1. In generall destroying all Fayth 2. In particular against all the 12. articles of the Creed Sect. 7. Of absurdities agaynst Prayer and the Pater Noster Subdiu 1. In generall making all prayer needlesse or hopelesse 2. In particular opposing all the 7. petitions of the Pater Noster Sect. 8. Of absurdities against the obseruation of all lawes and chiefly the Ten Commaundements Subdiu 1 In generall how all lawes are made impossible and not obliging 2. In particular how many wayes the Protestant dostrine encourageth to the breach of all lawes and to all lewdenesse of life 3. To what vices in particular the same leads chiefly to Slouth Lust Cruelty and Pride 4. Bad life 1. In the common people 2. In the Ministers 3. In the first reformers of protestāt Religiō confessed to be an effect of this doctrine Sect. 9. The conclusion comparing the priuate spirits doctrine with the Catholike Churches doctrine whether leads to the greater honour of God CHAP. X. THE Protestants Obiections and proofes taken out of Scripture for the defence of their priuate Spirits authority to interprete Scripture and iudge of Controuersie are proposed and answered Sect. 1. Of certaine obseruations profitable for the solution of obiections Sect. 2. The obiections for the priuate Spirits authority answered Sect. 3. More obiections proposed and answered CERTAINE CONSIDERATIONS OF SIX MEANES NECESSARY TO ATTAINE FAITH All wanting in the Protestants and suppressed by their doctrine of the Priuate Spirit CHAP. I. Of these six meanes which they be SECT 1. THOVGH according to S. Hierome Haereses ad originem reuocare refut are est To reduce heresies to their origen is to refute them that is to shew not only the tyme when they did begin but also the head or foūtaine from whence they did spring is a sufficient proofe both of their nouelty and falsity so to haue shewed the Priuate Spirit to haue beene the origen Mother which hath begot all late heresyes which as a brood of such a Damme haue descended from her which in the first Part is fully performed is a sufficient proofe that the same heresyes are degenerate from all diuine Verity and are as so many poisoned streames descended from an infected fountaine And though all Sect-maisters who disclaime delude the vsual receaued grounds of Christian religiō such as are Scripture Tradition Church Councels Sea Apostolike and Fathers and appeale euery man to his owne Priuate Spirit do make this their Spirit the origē of their fayth which also in the former part is I hope sufficiently and copiously conuinced that the chiefe and prime Protestants before cited haue done might suffice to conuince their doctrine of falsity for that it is descended frō a Mother of such impiety Though I say this that hath beene thus proued might be a sufficient motiue to breed a dislike of this Priuate Spirit and of the doctrine springing from it yet because that out of it all sorts and sects of heresyes especially lately engendred haue issued as so many vipers out of a dunghill and because the confutation of it is the confutation of all heresies in their origen and as it were a brusing of all late nouell opinions in the head or a strangling of them togeather wiih their Mother in her wombe for to proue the fountaine to be poisoned is to proue the streame to be infected and to conuince the Mother of adultery is to proue the child liable
to bastaâ—dy it is a worke profitable and I hope worth the labour to descend into a particuler confutation of this Priuate Spirit and by speciall and seuerall kindes of arguments such as are the authority of holy Scripture the testimonies of auncient Fathers the principles of holy Fayth the euidency of solid reason the absurdities both doctrinall and practicall that ensue vpon it and the fruits and effects which haue beene produced by it to lay open the deformity falsity and impiety of this Priuate spirit and to shew the inconueniences absurdities and blasphemies which ensue vpon the making it the whole ground of Fayth the sole interpreter of Scripture and the only iudge of all controuersies of Faith Religion which as is before in the former part shewed all Protestants haue done and yet do For the better performance of which vndertaken taske and the more both orderly to proceed and more clearely to vnderstand the same as in the former part we proued six groundes of Christian and Catholike fayth vpon which it is built and shewed that as the Catholikes do imbrace them all the Protestants do reiect and delude them all so it will not be amisse in this part first before we enter the particuler confutation to propose to the iudicious Readers consideratioÌ„ also six helps or meanes by which ordinarily God vseth to worke true Catholicke fayth in the hart of euery true beleeuer and to shew that as they are all and euery one of them concurring to the true fayth of euery Catholik so they are all wanting to all sortes of Protestants and to their faith and religion whereby both Catholikes Protestants may discerne as well by what kind of causes and meanes true Fayth is produced as vpon how solid a grouÌ„d and foundation the same is builded and so al may the better be enabled to iudge whether of the two Religions that is Catholike or Protestant be not only more solidly grouÌ„ded but also more diuinely produced For which we may note that as these six Meanes or helpes are necessary to Fayth so three of them are necessary in respect of the Obiect belieued and three in respect of the Subiect belieuing In respect of the Obiect the first is the Materiall obiect or articles to be belieued which as they are supernatural and aboue the capacity of our vnderstanding so are they to reason not euident and cleare but obscure both in their verity that they are true and in their reuelation that they are reuealed by God and therefore are by fayth for the authority of God affirming belieued And these are the B. Trinity the Incarnation Resurrection Transubstantiation Iustification Glorification and the rest which we belieue The second meane is the Formall Obiect or motiue why we belieue which is the prime verity reuelation or testimony of God who as he hath reuealed all mysteries that we are to belieue and as we are to belieue them because God hath reuealed them so did he at the first reueale them all to the Prophets and Apostles from whome we are to receaue by Scripture or Tradition all reuelations of all mysteries of Fayth whatsoeuer are by any till the worlds end belieued without expectance of new reuelations by any new spirit for so did Christ himselfe make knowne to the Apostles All which he heard of his Father c. And therupon the Apostles are coÌ„manded to preach the Ghospell to all creaturs And all faithfull are sayd to be built vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles that is vpon the reuelations made by Christ vnto them and by them deliuered by Scripture or tradition to vs. The third Meane is the Proponent cause or condition necessarily required to our beliefe which as an infallible rule and iudge is immediatly to propose to vs the verity certainty both of the articles reuealed and of the reuelation of them for as the articles are aboue our capacity and the reuelation may to vs be doubtfull and both are obscure and as the Scripture and Tradition are not only hard obscure but also mute and vnable either to explicate themselues or expresse to vs the resolution of al doubts which may arise therefore some Iudge or Proponent cause in respect of vs is necessary which must be not only infallible and vniuersall in it selfe and able without errour to satisfy all doubts but also knowne and visible vnto vs that by it we may know the verity of all both articles and reuelation as also Scripture Tradition which proponent cause except God had prouided and left vs he had left vs destitute of a necessary meanes to fayth which is to deliuer and declare to vs what God hath reuealed and so had not prouided vs sufficient helps to attaine to the certainty of beliefe And this is the authority of the Church of God or the Spouse of Christ as afterwards shall be proued And thus are necessary in respect of the obiect 1. the Materiall obiect what we belieue 2. the Formal obiect why we belieue 3. the Proponent cause to assure vs of the verity both of what why we belieue In respect of the subiect who belieues are also necessary other three helpes First a Speculatiue iudgement of the Vnderstanding grounded vpon credible Testimonyes and probable reasons of perswasions which doe make appeare euident to mans natural iudgmeÌ„t that this faith is credible and worthy of beliefe and prudently may be accepted as more credible more worthy of beliefe then any other of Pagans Iewes or Heretikes whatsoeuer though it be not as yet for these reasons belieued as true These euident testimonyes of credibility which according to diuers dispositions doe diuersly moue and perswade some of them one person and some another and which are only humane not diuine and leaue as yet an impression only of euident credibility not of diuine verity as they are in Scripture required Thy testimonies are made credible exceedingly so are they ordinarily to men of reason so necessary to their conuersion that the Will which is not moued but with reason or shew of reason for nihil volitum nisi praecognitum cannot giue consent to any Verity of fayth except it first be perswaded by some direction of these motiues of credibility Wherupon ordinarily those who are conuerted from infidelity to Christianity without some one or other of these motiues may be sayd to be too credulous for qui cito credit leuis est corde He that giueth credit quickly is light of hart as on the contrary they who are not moued by them sufficiently proposed are Stulti tardi corde ad credendum Foolish and slow of hart to belieue and thereby are vnexcusable from sinne but they who with desire and deligence with deuotion humiliation and resignation do endeauour and duly doe enquire seeke out the truth of Religion are by inuincible ignorance excused from all sinne of positiue infidelity vntill
of beliefe And the Formall motiue or meanes that is reuelation of God is the formall finall and last resolution why we belieue infallibly such verityes to be true So that if one aske by what we are before prepared and disposed to belieue the truth it is by the credible testimonies if by what we are directed guided to know the truth it is by the Churches propositiō if by what we are assisted and enabled to assent infallibly to this truth it is by the habit of Faith if for what and why we doe actually formally and finally assent belieue the same truth it is for the reuelation of God As therefore the Samaritans at the first were prepared by the womans relation who told them that surely it was the Messias who had told her all that she had done to thinke it probable that he might be the Messias and the woman was as it were a proponent or propounding cause to them of him Many of the Samaritans belieued in him for the word of the woman giuing testimony that he told me all thinges whatsoeuer I haue done But afterwards hauing heard and conuersed with our Sauiour himselfe for two dayes they now sayd Not for thy saying O woman do we belieue for our selues haue heard and do know that this is the Sauiour of the world indeed So all Christians are first prepared by credible testimonies directed by Church authority to the knowledge and certainty of that truth but afterwards when the diuine reuelation it selfe as the word of our Sauiour is made knowne to them then do they now formally and finally not for the testimonies of credibility or Church proposition but for the diuine reuelation it self giue firme and infallible assent and beliefe to the verityes or articles of fayth And thus Catholike fayth is that which is for probable testimonies accepted as credible by Church proposed as infallible by an infused habit effected as supernaturall by diuine verity reuealed as truth infallible and necessary to be belieued This fayth is that which is the beginning and ground of iustification the way and gate to saluation vpō which the Church of Christ is founded and is as the life and soule of it which maketh vs members and partes of Christs Church we being by it and Baptisme inserted into his mystical body which maketh vs certainly infallibly belieue either expresly or implicitè all whatsoeuer articles of sayth God hath reuealed to his Church by his Apostles which is a necessary meane instrument or dispositiō to our iustification and saluation without which none are iustified and by which informed with charity all are iustifyed which is one entire fayth in all faithfull who for one motiue and by one proponent cause do belieue all one doctrine which being one and entire belieue as they ought eyther all articles of fayth explicitè or implicitè or none at all which by refusing to assent to any one article in which is questioned the ground of all is by infidelity lost to all and to conclude which distinguisheth a Catholike from an Heretike in that whosoeuer hath this fayth is a Catholike and whosoeuer wants it or looses it is an Infidell or Heretike and so out of state of grace and saluation And thus much for the order and manner of Gods working of fayth by these meanes in vs. Secondly for the necessity and efficacy of these meanes though all and euery one in particuler be ordinarily necessary to true and diuine supernaturall faith the credible testimonies as exteriour motiues to conuince our Vnderstanding that it may prudently accept of this faith as credible and worthy of beliefe the motion of grace and habit of fayth as interiour assistants that the Will may not resist but piously incline to consent determine the Vnderstāding to assent and that the Vnderstanding may obediently yeild assent to the misteries of fayth the materiall obiects as those which we are to belieue and the formall as that why we are to belieue all which are absolutly necessary to make fayth credible free and supernaturall and without them all faith is but humane false or fained yet in respect of vs and of our certainty of beliefe a proponent cause and that infallible which can be no other but the Churches authority is most important and necessary And first that a proponent cause is needfull all grant because faith being by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ some preacher or teacher is necessary to propose and teach vs what is to be belieued by vs for as fayth depends not vpon reason but vpon authority that of God affirming this or that to be true and commanding it to be belieued so this authority thus affirming this verity must be made knowne to vs by some directing or proponent meanes or els we cannot come to the knowledge of it 2. That this directing and proponent cause must be infallible so that it cannot erre it selfe nor propose to vs an errour or falshood to be belieued for a truth is proued for since God requires of vs a certainty infallibility of fayth and this our certainty must be had by some direction and proposition by which it is proposed made knowne to vs what we are certainly to belieue it must needes follow that this Proponent cause must be certaine and infallible or els our fayth directed and guided by it cannot be certaine Thence it followes that they who admit a proponent cause as the Protestants do their church and yet do admit it to be fallible and subiect to errour as all of them do their Church cannot haue any certaine and infallible fayth at all as wanting a necessary certaine and infallible meanes to propose and teach them this certaine and infallible fayth which is confirmed by S. Augustine who sayth That if Gods prouidence rule and gouerne humane matters we may not despaire but that there is a certaine authority appointed by the same God vpon which staying our selues as vpon a sure step we may be lifted vp to God Thirdly this certaine infallible proponent or directing cause is Church-authority which Church that it may infallibly direct vs we securely rely vpon it first Iesus Christ selected and made it not only his inheritance Which he hath chosen Or his house which he builded and gouerned Or his Temple of which himselfe is Priest but also his dearest spouse VVhich he espoused to himselfe alone in fayth and truth As a Virgin pure and vnspotted without corruption Yea as his owne body And one body with him VVhich as head he nourisheth cherisheth and sanctifieth making her glorious without spot And which he hath purchased with his pretious bloud Secondly he priuiledged it first with his owne presence promising to be with it all dayes euen to the consūmation of the world Next with the presence of the Holy Ghost The spirit of truth
must needs by consequence hould so for the most part do hould that there are no infused and permanent guiftes or habits of fayth which concurre or help to our Iustification but that all is wrought by the motion of a transeunt spirit which motiō as it worketh according to them in them by it selfe only wholy all internall good workes without any cooperatiō of man or mans freewill so it is only a motion which worketh in whome it will when it will and how it will al and whatsoeuer it wil in man to his iustification and saluation by which it is euident that as in all their opinions they are neyther constant nor permanent but are wafted with euery wind of new doctrine and so fly from the beliefe of one thing to another so they are not guided by any permanent guift or quality but by certaine flashes motions of an vncertaine spirit which leads them from one vncertainty to another and so leaues them in al vncertaine 5. That the Protestants want the first of the eternall meanes or helps of Fayth that is the materiall obiects or articles of beliefe which are to be belieued as reuealed by Christ vnto the Apostles and by the Apostles left to their Successours and by them to vs and posterity is proued 1. Because they belieue many thinges as obiects of Fayth which are not reuealed eyther in Scripture or Traditions of which are many instances giuen in the former parte so do they not belieue many articles which are reuealed both in Scripture and Tradition for which cause they reiect all tradition and in it many mysteries of fayth which the Apostles left only by Tradition and refuse many partes of Scripture and that chiefly because they containe many points of doctrine which they will not belieue 2. Because as they admit many points of doctrine into the number of their articles of fayth which the ancient Church condemned for heresies as contrary to Apostolicall doctrine witnesse the ancient condemned heresies of Heluidius Vigilantius Arius Iouinian and others by them reuiued so they cōdemne many pointes of doctrine as erroneous superstitious or idolatrous which the ancient Church receaued for articles of Fayth as agreable to Apostolicall tradition witnesse all the poyntes of doctrine which the Magdeburgenses and others before cyted condemne as errours and staines in the ancient Fathers in euery age since Christ in both which they erre in the materiall obiects of Fayth as well in receauing condemned heresies for Apostolicall verities as in cōdemning receaued Apostolicall verities reuealed by Christ for erroneous heresyes 3. Because as they admit speciall Fayth only whose obiect is only their remission of sinnes and iustification for diuine Fayth by which they are iustified so all other fayth by which they belieue for example the B. Trinity Incarnation Passion and Resurrection and Ascension of Christ with the rest of the articles of faith vsually belieued they acknowledge for no other but for a general Faith common as well to the damned and Diuells as to them which faith in the Diuel and damned as it is no voluntary and free act proceeding from a pious disposition of the Will nor a diuine and supernaturall worke depending vpon any authority of God reuealing but a meere naturall and necessary act of knowledge◠conuincing their vnderstāding eyther by force of experience or by euidence of reason or by apparent and euident notes of credibility or by some manifestly knowne testimonies of God of the verity of that which they belieue and tremble at so in the same manner their Faith of the same articles by their owne confession is not diuine but a meere humane fayth grounded vpon some generall receaued opinion or vpon some meere human authority and so what they conceaue of the generall articles of faith they do not receaue them as any articles of doctrine and supernaturall fayth but as generall receaued positions humane coniectures and their owne selfe-seeming and chosen opinions 6. That the Protestants want all diuine Reuelation for which as the formall cause and the finall resolution they should belieue al which is by God reuealed is proued 1. Because what they belieue they belieue not for that it was reuealed to the Apostles by the Holy Ghost eyther at Pentecost when it did visibly teach and confirme them or in successe of tyme when vpon occasion as at the conuersion of Gentils it did reueale to them all the mysteries euer after to be belieued which Reuelation made to the Apostles is the formall cause of fayth nor yet for that it is proposed to them by Church infallible authority as a condition necessary to know what is reuealed but for that it is reuealed to them a new by their owne priuate spirit from which they receaue all their directions and certainty both what is reuealed why it is reuealed and also by what meanes it is reuealed 2. Because the meanes by which Christ doth manifest and declare vnto vs his diuine reuelations they eyther plainely reiect or wholy subiect to their priuate spirit for the authority of traditions by which part of the diuine reuelations are deliuered to vs and the Proposition of the Church by which we are secured of the certainty of them they reiect and deny The authority of the Scripture which is an other meane by which God hath reuealed his truth and which they chalenge as the only means both of knowledge certainty of diuine reuelations they wholy subiect to their priuate spirit by which they are assured which is true Canon which is true edition which true trāslation which true sense of it And so for diuine reuelation they haue neyther any at all nor yet any meanes to know or attaine vnto it And thus much of the Protestants want of all the necessary helps meanes by which true and diuine supernaturall Catholike fayth is produced conserued and increased in the soule of euery faithfull belieuer and member of Christs holy body and Church How the Catholikes and Protestants differ in these six meanes and how the Protestants make their priuate spirit the only meanes of all SECT IIII. THE fourth consideration is to reflect vpon the aduantage which we Catholiks haue against the Protestāts and the difference that is betweene vs and them in these meanes of Fayth and how that the Protestants do substitute one only deluding and deceitfull meanes that is this their priuate Spirit in place of all the six former meanes of fayth And first for the materiall obiect they professe to belieue 1. only the doctrine which is reuealed in scripture 2. that only which is reuealed in that one parte of Scripture which they are pleased to accept as Scripture by their spirit 3. that only in that part of Scripture which is according to their precōceaued opinion so interpreted by their spirit so that Scripture alone and that not in whole but in part and that part of Scripture as it is
expounded by their priuate spirit containes all the articles of their fayth We Catholiks do professe to belieue first al that which haue been wrot by the Apostles or Prophets in holy Scripture that in the whole bookes of Scripture as anciently they were by a Councell of Carthage S. Augustine others receaued all in that sense as it was by ancient Church expounded 2. all that which hath been by the same Apostls deliuered to posterity by word of mouth and tradition 3. all that which hath beene declared to vs out of Scripture or Tradition by definition of generall Councells 4. all that which by continuance of practise hath beene by holy Church euer reuealed 5. all that which by vnanimous consent of holy and learned Doctours Fathers and Saints hath beene belieued in this we differ and haue the aduantage for the articles we belieue Secondly for the formall obiect of finall resolution of Fayth they belieue what they belieue eyther for that their sense doth so perceaue it or for that their reason doth so persuade it or for that their priuate spirit doth so suggest it and so they make their sense or their reason or their owne priuate spirit and phantasie the formall motiue and finall resolution of their Fayth We belieue what we do belieue for that God hath reuealed it and that not a new and to some one in particuler but anciently to the Apostles and by them generally to all their successours and by successiō to vs so that our doctrine and our beliefe of it is grounded not vpon any our owne sense our owne reason our owne priuate conceit all most fallible and most subiect to illusion and deceit but vpon Gods diuine reuelation as he is the prime verity and verity it selfe and that not newly but of ancient euer since Christ reuealed that not personal made to me or one alone but Apostolical first reuealed to the Apostles themselues that not priuate to euery one seuerally but generall to all faithfull vniuersally that not interrupted at certaine tymes by fits and to certaine persons made knowne but continued by succession at all times by all faithfull and in all places receaued that not fallible without ground subiect to priuate illusion but most infallibly grounded vpon diuine reuelation and Church proposition subiect neither to be deceaued nor yet do deceaue and in this we differ and haue the aduantage for the meanes of Fayth eternall Thirdly for the inward assistance of Gods grace and the cooperation of it they challenge only certayne motions or flashes of a fickle spirit which whether it be by illumination or illusion whether of grace or nature whether supernaturall of God sensuall of nature or diabolicall of Sathan they haue no meanes to discerne or ground to be certaine and by it as dust by a whirle wind they are carryed vp and downe in a round without freedome reason or operation of their owne to what fancy and conceit it violently wheels and forces them We are assisted and enabled by the diuine guift of an internall and permanent spirit or habit of faith which infused into vs and alwayes remayning in vs is at any instant ready with vs and the cooperation of grace in vs to worke both a pious inclination of the will to dispose it without obstinacy obediently to consent and also an actuall assent of the vnderstanding illuminating and enabling it firmely to assent to what is reuealed and proposed Also we admit and receaue besides this habituall Grace other actuall and diuers motions of grace and of it some either excitant first to excite moue vs or adiuuant to assist vs being moued some either operant which workes in vs without vs and our cooperation or cooperant which workes in vs togeather with vs and our cooperation with it some either sufficient by which we are enabled to be conuerted or efficient by which we are actually conuerted And in this we differ from them and haue the aduantage for the meanes of faith internall both for the will and vnderstanding Fourthly for the credible testimonies and motiues of persuasion which may in reason persuade any man prudently to accept any religion as worthy of credit They haue not any which may either induce any which was neuer of it nor reduce any which are fallen from it or establish any who are entred into it that their faith doctrine and religion is credible as is before proued We haue many those forcible reasons perswasions and credibilities which may in prudence persuade any Pagan neuer admitted to it or Heretike reuolted from it or Catholike setled in it that our faith doctrine religion and Church may and ought prudently to be accepted is credible and worthy of beliefe We haue Vnity with the ancient and primitiue Church with the learned and holy Doctours and Fathers with the holy Saints and Martyrs whose faith and life we professe to imbrace imitate We haue Vnity with one head our chiefe Bishop and Pastour whose definitiue sentence doth resolue our doubts doth decide our controuersies doth end our contentions in faith and manners We haue Vnity of faith among our selues all of vs though distant in place though different in manners though contending for temporall state or dominion yet liuing and agreeing in obedience to one spirituall Superiour in vnity of one faith in conformity of one seruice sacraments and ceremonies We haue Sanctity and Holynesse both of doctrine which giues holy precepts and rules to auoid sinne for the loue of God feare of hel to seeke perfection by mortification internall supressing our selfe-will selfe-loue and selfe-conceit and externall taming our passions affections with pennance of fasting watching discipline and the like And also of Good life by frequent exercise of prayer meditation contemplation by dayly practise of pennance of patience in persecution by perfect resignation to holy Obedience Pouerty Chastity We haue Miracles those frequent apparent of prophesying curing of all diseases raising dead dispossessing of Diuels the like all wrought in confirmation either of our faith or sanctity all for the conuersion of Pagans and Heretikes of which in all ages tymes we haue many memorable of most nations now Christian conuerted to our Religion We haue Vniuersality not only of Name by retayning the title of Catholikes by which we are vsually distinguished from al sects no sect doth vsurpe it to distinguish them one from another but also of Place as being generally dispersed in all the parts of the world Europe Asia Africa America and also of Tyme as being reputed the old Religion and being indeed so old as haue byn yeares since Christ his Apostles who institued and imbraced it We haue continued Succession and Ordination of Prelates and Bishops manifestly orderly deduced
differ in the extension of it for we affirme this grace to be extended offered and giuen sufficiently though not effectually to all so that all and euery one of reason haue sufficient meanes and ability to know God by Faith and to loue him by Charity so far as is needfull for their saluation They affirme their spirit to be restrayned offered and giuen only to the elect faithfull whome they make all one and that all others neither haue nor can haue it but are by the absolut will and decree of God debarred from it therby made incapable of it 3. We differ in the manner of operation of it for we affirme that grace doth worke or cooperate with vs and we with it so that the grace of God and our Free-will as two concurring causes though Grace the more principall do ioyntly effect and produce euery good worke of Faith Hope or Charity or the rest in vs whereby our good works haue of grace that they are diuine supernaturall and of our selues that they are voluntary and free of both that they are meritorious of more grace present in vs and of glory in heauen to come to vs. They doe attribute so much to the worke of their spirit in them that they take away all cooperation of our free-will in vs wherby they make man as dead without all action or operation to any spirituall and good workes make the spirit soâ—e whole worker of all in man Fourthly We differ in the nature and permanency of this grace or spirit for we acknowledge grace to be an inherent quality permanent guift infused into our soule which doth enlighten enable our vnderstanding to giue assent by faith to the diuine mysteries proposed and inspire our will to be sorrowfull by contrition for our sins committed which guift once infused is not so permanent perpetuall but that the habit of Charity is lost by mortall sinne against Charity the habit of Hope by desperation against hope the habit of faith by infidelity against faith They or many of theÌ„ deny all infused guifts of faith hope charity or the rest admit only a transeunt motion or operatioÌ„ of the spirit which working in man without mans cooperation when what how and in whome it pleaseth is neuer totally or finally lost after it be receaued doth make a man alwayes faythfull and beloued of God and doth giue that vertue to all his workes though neuer so bad that they make them gratefull and acceptable to him so that according to them no worke of a faithfull man though neuer so bad can make any enmity betweene God him God neither imputing it as an offence to him nor man incurring the displeasure of God for it Fiftly We differ in the effect and operation assigned to it for we assigne the function and office for example Of the guift of faith to be the eleuation enabling of our Vnderstanding to giue assent to what is reuealed by God deliuered in scripture or tradition and proposed by Church authority Of the guift of hope to be the inflammation of the soule to loue God as our chiefest end to desire him as our greatest Good to hope for him as our good absent and to delight in him as our good present Of the guift of charity or grace to be the forgiuenes of our sinnes the sanctification of our soule adoption to be the sonnes of God title and right to the kingdome of heauen and a valew dignity of merit to our good workes They assigne to their priuate spirit a double effect the one of proposing the obiect the other of working in the subiect In respect of the obiect it proposeth to them what they are to belieue and why they are to beleeue it and how they are to know both In respect of the subiect it workes in them say they a firme and infallible assurance of all the former thinges belieued so that they stand sure and certaine not only of the Scripture the sense of it and of their doctrine and verity of it but also of their spirit that it is of the Lord and of their saluation that it is as due to them as it is to vse Caluins owne words due to Christ and that they can no more loose heauen then can Christ nor be no more damned then can Christ In which they attribute to their priuate spirit all the reason of credibility exteriour and all the operation interiour both in the will and vnderstanding which they haue of the certainty of all their faith and saluation By all which is apparent that as they made it the sole ground foundation which is in the former part at large proued on which their faith is built so they make it the sole meanes as is here proued and the totall cause materiall formall finall and efficient both exteriourly reuealing proposing and persuading and interiourly working or rather deluding them in the obstinacy rather then certainty of their supposed faith And this priuate spirit and this effect of it is that which they rest vpon and that which in this second Part we intend by the assistance of Gods grace to confute and disproue THE PRIVATE SPIRITS INTERPRETATION OF HOLY SCRIPTVRE Deciding of controuersies iudging of mysteries of Fayth coÌ„futed by holy Scripture CHAP. II. Out of 1. S. Iohn 4. 1. S. Paul 1. Tim. 4.11 Act. 20.30 2. S. Pet. 2. describing this Spirit SECT I. THE holy Ghost in holy Writ borh foreseeing and also forshewing to vs the abuse of this priuate spirit the better to forewarne vs of it to arme vs against it doth not only in generall as it doth many other abuses but euen in particuler and as it were on set purpose both plainely decipher and describe it also fully confute and condemne it Out of it therefore we will draw our first arguments of confutation and by it conuince of falsity this deceitfull and deceauing spirit And first to begin with the new Testament for the more full instruction of our selues and the plainer confutation of this spirit I will for one proofe conioine in one argument the testimonies of the chiefest Apostles that is of S. Iohn S. Peter and S. Paul First S. Iohn 1. epist chap. 4 v. 1. doth plainely giue admonitions against this spirit 1 Belieue not euery spirit 2 but try the spirits if they be of God Secondly both S. Iohn and S. Paul doe giue the reasons why we should not belieue but try these spirits S. Iohn v. 2. Because many false spirits are gone out into the world S. Paul 1. Tim. 4.11 Because in the last tymes certaine shall depart from the fayth attending to spirits of errour and doctrine of Diuells Againe 2. Cor. 11.14 For that Satan himselfe doth transfigure himselfe into an Angell of light that is doth make shew of workes of piety iustice and deuotion thereby to allure men by opinioÌ„
of him to his traps of errours damnation Thirdly both S. Peter S. Paul do shew in what sortes of persons is this spirit what fruits and effects it produceth in them S. Paul briefly calls the persons Rauening wolues who after his departure will enter among them and men who arising out of themselues will speake peruerse thinges and draw many disciples after themselues S. Peter more fully describes the effects of it shewing That it makes false Prophets and lying maisters who bring in Sectes or as it is in the Greeke heresies of perdition Who blaspheme the way of truth walke in the concupiscence of vncleanesse contemne dominion allure vnstable soules promise liberty speake proud thinges of vanity entangle those who flye from co-inquinations of the world and turnes from the holy Commandement and knowne way of Iustice and being vnlearned vnstable depraue the Scriptures to their perdition These are the effects of this spirit which that we should not belieue for the foresayd reasons the Apostle did giue the foresayd caueat or admonition In which we may note First for the former admonition that there are diuers reasons why we are not to belieue euery spirit 1. Because there are so many and diuers spirits As one the spirit of God which is of God Another the spirit of man which is in man Another the spirit of the world which is of worldly thinges Another the spirit of the Diuell which is euill One which is the spirit of truth Another the spirit of lying and errour One the spirit of wisedome and vnderstanding Another the spirit of giddinesse 2. Because the effects of these spirits are often doubtfull not certaine of what spirit they proceed 3. Because the similitude and manner of their operations motions is many tymes great and hard to be discerned 4. Because the art and meanes how to discerne and iudge of them is very hard not certaine 5. Because the guift of discerning them is extraordinary rare and giuen to few of all which is fully treated in the ensuing Chapters therefore great reason there is not to belieue the suggestion of euery spirit great danger there is in following the direction of euery priuate spirit great discretion must be vsed before that any man though learned and holy much more simple and sinnefull can either in wisedome and prudence giue credit or with safety and security rely himselfe his fayth and saluation vpon any priuate spirit or motion of it Reason therfore and experience confiâ—mes the doctrine and caueat of S. Iohn That we should not belieue euery spirit Secondly we may note for the tryall of these spirits 1. How and by what rule this tryall is to be made 2. Who and what sort of persons are to make it and apply the rule For the rule and meane of trying these spirits Catholikes assigne it to be the spirit of Gods Church or of the chiefe Pastours in it gouernours of it as consenting or at the least not dissenting one with another and as vnited and no way separated by schisme or heresy from their head so that what spirit soeuer is squared by this spirit directed by it and conformable in fayth and manners to it is infallibly the spirit of God And what spirit of whomesoeuer is contrary to it diuided from it or separated from communion or society of it is certainly not the spirit of God but of man the world or the Diuell And this is a way certaine to try spirits and discerne which is true or false good or bad of God or the enemy For sith the spirit of God is as God is one and not diuided One God one Lord one spirit one and the same spirit In one spirit we are baptized into one and in one spirit made all to drinke And sith the Church of God is directed by this one and the same spirit this spirit of truth this Paraclete the Holy Ghost which shall teach all truth It followes that whosouer are partes of this Church and members of this body You are the body of Christ and members of member must haue their spirit vnited with it ordered by it and subordinate to it And see whatsoeuer spirit is contrary to it or diuided from it cannot be the spirit of God but the spirit of the enemy of God This is apparent out of authority of holy Scripture The Protestants for the most part will haue this rule of triall to be Scripture for so is their common Tenet that al spirits are to be tryed by the word of God yet some of them of more quick insight finding this to be insufficient Because sayth Caluin they who say thus say somewhat but not all for except we haue the spirit of prudence to discerne it will little auaile to haue the Scripture on the fingers ends therefore they assigne the consent of Church or Councel for vnity sake thus saith Caluin to be this publicke rule or meanes against those mad men who bragge of the spirit But being vrged yea Caluin vrges it himselfe whether a man shall rest on the Councels determination he resolues Noe. For sayth he euery spirit of euery priuate belieuer shall iudge of this decree and determination of the Councell If so then as the publicke Councell shall try and iudge the spirit of euery priuate man so the spirit of euery priuate man shal againe try iudg the spirit of the Councel And then what end or pause wil be of trying and iudging betweene euery priuate mans spirit the Councells spirit And what certainty can be in either This therefore is a round or circle no meanes or rule to try spirits if they be of God as in the eight Chapter is more fully declared And this for the rule of trying spirits For the persons who by office haue right to try spirits and apply this rule and meanes though the Catholikes prohibit none yea perswade all for their owne satisfaction to do it so they do it by the direction of the former rule according to the modell of it yet the proper office function to do it they assigne only to the Pastours and directours in Gods church who by the authority of their function and the ability of their learning should in reason be more fit to discerne these spirits and direct the people in the discerning of them and also by this direction establish keep a subordination of inferiours to Superiours or of the sheep to the Pastour and nourish and maintaine an vnity of of Faith and doctrine among both The Protestantes giue this right and office of discerning spirits to all and euery faythfull person to whome they giue liberty euery one to try and iudge their Pastour yea all Pastours Prelates CouÌ„cels and their spirits Whereby as they infringe all Ecclesiasticall subordination so they are expresly
datis or graces freely bestowed which are speciall to some persons only and those not alwayes Saints holy men For which we may note that S. Paul 1. Cor. 12.18 of the 9. guifts of the Holy Ghost which there he recounts and of which foure to wit 1. curing diseases 2. working miracles 3. prophecy of future euents 4. discerning of spirits are transeunt motions and fiue to wit 1. Wisedome 2. Knowledge 3. Fayth 4. Kindes of tongues 5. Interpretation of languages are according to Deuines permanent habits of these I say doth S. Paul assigne 5. both them and their proper function to be about the deciding or explicating of matters of beliefe interpreting of holy Scripture that is 1. Wisedome which is to explicate the high mysteries of the Trinity Incarnation predestination and the like 2. Knowledge which is to explicate either matters of manners what we are to do and how to liue or mysteries of fayth by examples comparisons and philosophicall reasons 3. Fayth which is eyther without feare to professe and preach what is belieued or by contemplation to penetrate and explicate the deep mysteries of beliefe 4. and 5. to wit Kindes of tongues interpretation of languages which is to explicate obscure and hard places of Scripture to interprete hymnes and prophecies in strang languages and to translate the Scripture into other tongues All which in their seuerall function and in diuers manners are imployed in discerning iudging and interpreting of mysteries of fayth difficulties of scripture Secondly we may note that these guifts doe not necessarily depend and follow vpon iustifying Grace and so are not common to all faythfull or true children of God but are speciall guifts graces bestowed some vpon one person some vpon another euery one as the spirit of God pleases v. 11. not all vpon euery one This is apparent first out of the text which sayth That to one certes by the spirit is giuen the word of VVisedome to another the word of Knowledge to another Fayth to another Interpretation of languages to another Grace of doing cures of miracles of prophecy of tongues of discerning of spirits v. 8.9.10 c. Againe Are all Apostles as heades Are all Prophets as eyes Are all Doctours as tongues Are all miracles and hauing the grace of doing cures as handes Do all speak with tongues Doe all interprete the Scripture as Maisters no surely For he hath giuen some not all to be Apostles Some not all to be Prophets Other some not all to be Euangelistes Other some not all to be Pastours and Doctours to the consummation of the Saints into the worke of the ministery c. Eph. 4.11 Secondly the same is apparent by the comparison of this mysticall body with a naturall body which also the Apostle vseth v. 14. c for as all members haue not the same operation but some haue one some another the eyes to see the hands to worke the feet to walk the head to discourse so in the mysticall body all and euery one though faythfull haue not the same and all guiftes but some one some another as some haue the guift of cures some of miracles some of tongues so also some haue the guift of Wisedome Science and Interpretation but all haue not euery one of them therfore some must as Maisters teach some as Scholers learne some as heades direct and instruct some as members be directed and instructed so that as all members are not one member so neither hath one member all operations or functions but according to diuision of graces is also diuision of ministrations and operations v. 4. Out of which it doth follow first that the guift of interpretation of holy Scripture and explicating of high mysteryes of fayth is a guift not generall and common to all the faythfull as depending and following necessary vpon Fayth or grace but speciall and particuler to some as gratis giuen to whome it pleaseth God to giue it Secondly that all faythfull and iust persons cannot be directed by this extraordinary guifte in their iudgement of fayth decision of controuersies and interpretation of scripture because it is not giuen to euery iust man as is proued not yet only to the iust but sometymes to the vniust as to those who cast out Diuells in our Sauiours name and yet he knew them not that is did not approue and commend them And out of these I argue thus To interprete Scripture and decide Controuersies of Fayth is a guift not giuen generally to all the iust or faithfull by vertue of their iustification but extraordinarily bestowed vpon some only as a grace gratis data but the priuate spirit according to the Protestant doctrine is a guift giuen to all and euery faithfull by vertue of their iustification not gratia gratis data to some therefore the Protestant priuate spirit cannot be a guift giuen to interprete in euery one the holy Scripture and iudge of all controuersies of fayth The Maior is the doctrine of the Holy Ghost The Minor is the doctrine of the Protestants And so the conclusion following out of both is most certaine Out of Ezech 13. describing in false Prophets this priuate spirit with the effects punishment of it SECT IIII. THE fourth proofe is out of the Prophet Ezechiel who chap. 13. doth describe and decypher to vs 1. This priuate spirit what it is 2. the persons in whome it is 3. the effects which it worketh 4. the punishment which ensues vpon it Therefore he describes that spirit to be the same with this priuate spirit that is The spirit of their owne hart which the Prophets follow v. 3.2 This spirit is in the men-prophets The Prophets of Israell that prophecy v. 2. in the women-prophets The daughters of the people which prophecy v. 17. both of them being the people of God and chosen Israelites 3. The effects of it are 1. Blindnes they see nothing v. 3. 2. Vanity They see vaine thinges 3. Lyes They diuine lyes saying Our Lord sayth whereas I haue not spoken v. 7. chap. 22.28 saying Peace and there is not peace v. 10. 4. Fraud which as Foxes in the desertes v. 4. tyed by the taile of malice and seuered in the heades of doctrine doe destroy the vinyards of Christ Cant. 2. as dawbing of a wall made by the dawbers of clay or morture but without temper of chaffe or straw v. 11. As cushions and pillowes made by delicious women and layd vnder mens heades to lull them in security and catch their soules In both which with faire exteriour shew and hopefull promises they deceaue the people feeding some with a security of future good terrifying others with danger of future euill that they might kill the soules that is denounce that they shall be killed who dye not and viuificate the soules that is declare that they shall liue which liue not lying to the people that belieue lyes v. 19.4 The
punishment it brings with it is woe to the foolish Prophets v. 3. woe to them that sow cushions and make pillowes I will destroy the wall and accomplish my indignation in it my hand shall be vpon the Prophets in the councell of my people shall they not be and in the Scripture of the house of Israell they shall not be written neither shall they enter into the land of Israell v. 9. They shall diuine no more and I will deliuer my people out of their hands v. 21.23 Loe heere is described the nature the authour the effect and the punishment of this spirit In all which if we compare spirit with spirit person with person effect with effect and punishment with punishement we shall find the priuate spirit of the Protestants properly described in this false spirit of the false Prophets This false spirit of the false Prophets was a spirit of their owne a spirit of their owne hart that is of their owne inuention according to their fancy because as sayth the Prophet Hieremy They did falsely prophecy to you in my name and I sent them not sayth our Lord. The priuate spirit of the Protestants is a spirit of euery mans owne and his owne hart euery one hath his owne spirit and that priuate and singular to himselfe Euery one sayth his spirit is of the Lord whereas our Lord hath not sent either them or their spirit These false Prophets were some men some women all Prophetes of Israell v. 1. Daughters of my people v. 17. all reputed among the faythfull children of God and yet false Prophetes and false Prophetesses were they both The Protestants who chalenge this spirit are all Prophets that is interpreters of the word of God they are in their opinion all faithfull elect children of God all endued with this spirit which is giuen to all common to al men women by it euery one of them doth prophecy and interprete Scripture The fruits and effects of this spirit were Blindenesse Vanity Lying and Deceit by which they in hypocrisy made faire shew of piety but within wanted temper of good morter of true piety to daw be their wall and with flattery layd soft cushiōs of hopefull promisses vnder the elbowes of euery mans humour to please their fancy and all to catch soules and deceaue Gods people v. 10.18 The Protestants spirit which vaunts so much of knowledge verity sincerity and piety what is it but a trappe baited with so many faire baites to catch so many soules Their Church what is it but a wall without temper or morter of the true spirit or word of God to vphould it from falling and erring Their doctrine what is it but cushions and pillowes of faire promises of certainty of truth and saluation deceauing all who belieue it Killing or denouncing damnation to them who dye not and Viuificating or assuring saluation to them who liue not Their Preachers or Prophetes what are they but as their blind vaine lying and deceitfull spirit by which they are guided that is men most blind in errours of doctrine most vaine in ostētation of truth most lying in falsely accusing others and most deceitfull in shifts euasions against manifest truth Lastly as the punishment which fell vpon these Prophets their blind lying vaine deceitfull spirit was not only a woe and a curse of Gods indignation against them a diuision dissolution of the wall among themselues but also a separation of them from the councell of Gods people from the house of Israel and from entrance into the land of promise so the punishment which fals vpon this spirit them who are deluded by it is no lesse then a dissolution of all vnity in Religion a separation from the Church of God from the body of Christ from the society of Saints from the vnity of whose spirit by the singularity of this their priuate spirit as they are separated in this life so by incurring the woe indignation of God against them as well as the former Prophets they must needs be diuided from him and his kingdome in the next life And this is the fruit of this spirit in all Prophets and professours of it and the end and punishment of them who are conducted by it Out of which it followes 1. That as this priuate spirit was in the old Prophets so it is in these new Preachers interpreters of the word of God as in them it inuented new and false prophecies and predictions so in these it deuiseth new and false errours in fayth and vaine and deceitfull expositions of scripture 2. That as in them it was a spirit of blindenesse lyes vanity and deceit by which many were lead into dangerous and damnable errours fell into great and grieuous punishments so in these Preachers and interpreters it hath the same effect and brings vpon them the like punishments 3. That as then before Christ this spirit possessed and seduced both men and women prophets prophetesses so now euer since Christ it hath done the same as S. Hierome notes of the tymes before him Simon Magus had his Helene Nicolaus his troupes of women Marcion his Minion sent before him to Rome Montanus his Prisca Priscilla Ptolomeus his Flora Apelles his Philomela Arius the Emperours sister Donatus his rich Sucilla Elpidus his Agape and Priscilianus his Galla all prophetesses of like spirit with the prophets all hands and helpers to diuulge their heresies So in these our later dayes euery new maister had his mistris and euery Preacher his partner all participant of the same spirit thus had Dulcinus his Margaret Luther his Catherine Caluin his Ideletta Buraea Beza his Candida and euery new Doctour as Carolostadius Oecolampadius Bucerus Martyr Sanctius and who not euery one his sister and yoake-fellow in the spirit of the Lord. Out of all which I conclude argue thus That spirit cannot be a fit interpreter of scripture nor a sufficient iudge of controuersyes which is a spirit of euery one 's owne hart a spirit blind lying vaine and deceitfull a spirit seducing men women a spirit which separates from the society of the faythfull and infers a woe and indignation of God But such is the priuate spirit which in the old Law seduced false Prophets and in the new Law deludeth the false Preachers as holy Scripture of the former experience of the later doe both testify Therfore this priuate spirit cannot be a sufficient iudge of Fayth a fit interpreter of holy Scripture Out of Iob 32. declaring in Eliu his friends spirit the manner of proceeding of this priuate spirit SECT V. A Fifth proofe is out of Iob 32. The patience of Iob hauing beene tryed in the losse of his cattle his family his children and in the vexation of his body vpbraiding by his wife was after all this assaulted by his friends These sayth the Glosse represent the fashions of Heretikes
who vnder the shew of aduising vse the arte of seducing for which Iob before he began to dispute with them sayd he would shew them to be Fabricatores mendacij cultores falsorum dogmatum 13.4 Framers of lies and worshipers of false opinions Of these three of them being conuinced by the speaches of Iob and made silent therby the fourth Eliu the Busite a young man of a more feruent spirit the sonne of Ram that is Excelsus or Proud a new maister riseth vp angry against Iob because he sayd he was iust before God v. 2. against his friends because they could not answere Iob with reason v. 3.5 And beginning first to commend himselfe and his silence Because I was young I was affraid to speake and then to condemne his elders saying That the ouldest are not the wisest neither doe the old wen vnderstand iudgment And lastly to shew of what race he is come and to our purpose he sayes As I see the spirit is in man and the inspiration of the omnipotent doth giue vnderstanding v. 8. and I also will answere my part and will shew my knowledge for I am full of wordes and the spirit of my belly streyneth me behould my belly is as new wine without a vent which breaketh new vessels I will speake and take breath a little I will open my lippes and will answere v. 18.19.20 God hath made me as he hath made thee chap. 33. v. 6. Heare yee wise mē my words and yee learned harken to me cap. 34. v. 2. Heere is a description of a new spirit and of one full of it a Caluinist or Puritan in the highest degree he hath the spirit of God the inspiration of the Omnipotent vnderstanding aboue others his belly is full of the spirit and words seeking vent as wine out of a new vessell he will speake talke and answere that which his Auncestours and wise men could not he hath reason which they had not he is inspired by the Omnipotent which they are not he is inspired that Iob is vniust because he sayd He was iust before God v. 2. that the ancients are destitute of wisedome and iudgment of the spirit of God of all truth verity that he hath the spirit of truth and that all truth is to be learned of him this spirit in a hoat Puritan sayth as Sedechias the false Prophet who had a lying spirit in his mouth sayd to Micheas the true Prophet Hath the spirit of the Lord left me and hath it spoken to thee No sure for the spirit of God hath forsaken the whole Church to which yet it was promised by Christ so that it hath erred is fallen and become Antichristian but the spirit is certainly in me it infallibly teaches me truth tels me the meaning of scripture assures me of saluation it cannot depart from me and my mouth the mouth of my seed for euer thus sayth the Caluinist out of his spirit as this Eliu and Sedechias sayd out of theirs Out of which I argue thus That spirit which is the same with the spirit of these false Prophets who were so seduced and armed by it against the Saintes and Prophets of God cannot be a fit spirit to interprete Scripture iudge of doctrin and to make a sole ground of beliefe but such is the priuate spirit now and alwayes hath beene in all former Heretiks and false Prophets therefore it cannot be a fit iudge of controuersies and an infallible interpreter of Scriptures Out of Tit. 3.10 shewing the spirit of an Hereticke SECT VI. THE sixth proofe is taken out of an admonition giuen by S. Paul against Heretikes Tit. 3.10 in these wordes A man that is an Heretike after the first and second admonition auoid knowing that he that is such an one is subuerted sinneth being condemned by his owne iudgement In which wordes we are to note First who is an Heretike that is to be auoided 2. The reason why he is to be auoided First therfore as Heresy is a voluntary errour in the vnderstanding against some verity of Fayth obstinatly defended by him who hath once belieued so an Heretike is he who hauing once professed the Christian fayth doth erre in some article of it doth with obstinacy defend his errour for which is requisite 1. That he haue receaued the Christian fayth at least in Baptisme by professing it 2. That he erre in some point or points of fayth not in al for then he is an Apostata 3. That he be obstinate in his opinion or errour of which sort are not they who according to S. Augustine defend their opinions though false and peruerse with no stubborne stomack or obstinate hart especially if it be such as themselues by bold presumption broached not but receaued it of their deceaued parents and doe seeke the truth warily and carefully being ready to be reformed if they find it such These are not to be reputed among obstinate Heretikes But those according to the same S. Augustine Who in the Church of God haue any crazed and peruerse opinion if being admonished to be of a sound and right opinion they resist obstinatly and will not amend their pestiferous opinions but persist in the defence of them are thereby become Heretikes going forth out of the Church and are counted for enemies that exercise vs. Againe He i◠an Heretike that when the doctrine of the Catholike fayth is made plaine and manifest to him had rather resist it and chose that which himselfe held According to whome and the Doctours of our tyme he is sayd to be obstinate in heresy who willing witting doth maintaine any thing against the Catholike Church or which is all one who knowes and reflectes that his opinion is contrary to the sentence of the Catholike Church and yet neglecting the authority of the Church which proposeth it for true doth persist in his opinion And this is an Heretike who after admonition being growne thus obstinate is to be auoyded reiected and refuted Secondly the reason why we are to auoyd an Heretike is because that such an one sinneth in obstinacy and is subuerted without hope of amendement being condemned by his owne iudgement 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is sayth Tertullian Because he chose that for which he is damned by willfully adherring to his owne opinion and conceit where the origen of his sinne subuersion and condemnation is his prefering his owne selfe-seeming conceit before the determination of the whole Church of God which is proper to those who rely vpon their owne spirit and prefer it before all euen the whole Church of God Out of which it followes first that the origen of all heresies is a mans owne proper and priuate conceit which he preferring before the iudgement of the whole Church chooseth to follow his owne opinion rather then the determination of the Church And out of this I argue thus All who rely and build vpon
their owne priuate spirit iudgement and opinion for matters of fayth religion preferring it before the sentence of the whole Church and Pastours of it are Heretikes sinnefull subuerted to be auoided according to S. Paul but such are all those who make their priuate spirit the rule and iudge of their fayth religion and exposition of Scripture as is apparent because neglecting the direction of the spirit of God which directs his whole Church they preferre before it their own priuate spirit which directs themselues therefore are iustly condemned and so to be auoided as Heretikes Out of diuers places of Scripture condemning the relying vpon our owne iudgement SECT VII THE last proofe which I will vse is out of these places of Scripture which as in generall they exhort vs not to be wise in our owne conceit nor to trust in our owne opinion iudgement so in particuler they do condemne this relying of euery man vpon his priuate spirit which is nothing els but his conceit and opinion First the Wiseman sayth Leane not vpon thy owne prudence be not wise in thy owne conceit The way of a foole is right in his owne eyes but he that is wise heareth counsaile There is a way that seemeth to a man iust but the later end thereof leades to death◠I say sayth VVoe to you that are wise in your owne eyes and prudent before your selues Moyses sayth You shall not doe there the thinges that we do heere this day euery man that which seemeth good to himselfe Of all which S. Paul giues a reason and denounceth a punishment because hauing not glorified God they are become vaine in their imaginations and their foolish hart hath beene hardened for saying of themselues that they be wise they are become fooles And to them that are of contention obey not the truth wrath and indignation In the flame of fire giuing reuenge to thē that know not God and that obey not the Ghospell Out of which places I argue thus They who leane on their owne prudence are wise in their owne conceit are vpright in their owne eyes are wise and prudent before themselues doe that which seemes good to themselues say themselues are wise these become vaine foolish contentious hard-harted know not God obey not truth resist the Ghospell and are cursed according to holy Scripture But such are all they who in mysteries of fayth in matters of religion and in expositions of Scripture forsake the direction of the spirit of God promised and giuen to his Church and rely and depend vpon their own spirit or self seeming conceit who by it choose their fayth and vpon it ground their saluation as all Protestants do who are guided by this priuate spirit therefore in this miserable and desperate case of ignorance vanity folly obstinacy and cursednes are all those who in their fayth religion and exposition of Scripture are thus guided directed and instructed by their priuate spirit And if these sayinges of Scripture be verified in affaires morall or domesticall publique or politique which are in the compasse of our naturall iudgement reason of which they are properly vnderstood and in which experience also teaches that they who in any arte science or negotiation most rely vpon their owne iudgement and follow their owne wayes do often commit the greatest errours and fall into the deepest dangers wheras they who are aduised by others and goe the ordinary way doe for the most part proceed more securely and succeed more prosperously Then much more is the verity of them confirmed in mysteries of fayth which are aboue our capacity in verities of religion which are not measured by reason and in explication of Scripture which is a booke sealed and that with seauen seales which none in heauen or earth could open or looke vpon but the Lambe nor any spirit interprete it but that which did make it In all which euery mans proper iudgement must needes be weake and euery ones priuate spirit doubtfull whether it can attaine to the true and proper vnderstanding of them All which is confirmed by the authority of that famous Doctour S. Augustine who sayth Quis mediocriter intelligens non plané viderit c. VVho though of meane capacity doth not plainely see that it is more profitable and secure for the simple to obey the wise then to liue according to ones owne direction and if this course be safer in small matters as in tilling of ground marrying of wiues education of children and ordering of ones family much more it is in religion for humane thinges are more easy to be knowne and in diuine things there is more danger of sinne and offence And againe No science or trade though meane and easy is learned without a Maister what therefore can be more audacious and temerarious then to seeke to vnderstand bookes of diuine mysteries without Interpreters And againe Men to vnderstand a Poet do seeke for a maister Asper Cornutus Donatus and others and darest thou without a guide aduenture vpon the diuine bookes which be full of diuine mysteries as all confesse and darest thou giue thy iudgement or interpretation of them And thus is this priuate spirit defining of fayth decyding of controuersies and determining of religion confuted by authority of holy Scripture expresly confuting and condemning it and the aforesayd function assigned to it He who wil see more testimonies to proue the right Iudge of controuersies and the infallible interpreter of Scripture which are the authority of Gods holy Church and the chiefe Pastours of it let him read Bellarmine where he shall see the practise and testimony of antiquity and the euidence of reason all at large cited for the same THE PRIVATE SPIRITS INTERPRETING OF HOLY SCRIPTVRE AND Iudging of Mysteries and Controuersies of Fayth confuted by the testimony of holy Fathers CHAP. III. WE haue confuted this pretended power and authority of the priuate spirit by the authority of Gods holy Word it remaines that we do the same by the testimony of ancient holy Fathers For which we may note that as S. Augustin alleadging the Fathers before him against the Pelagians sayd That he would not assume to himselfe to alleadge the sentences of all Fathers nor yet all the sentences of them whome he alleadged but some sayings of some few which yet are such as will cause our aduersaries to blush and yield if eyther feare of God or shame of man will ouercome so great an obstinacy in them So we will not vndertake to alleadge either all the Fathers or al the testimonies of those whom we alleadge no more then we haue done al the Prophets or Apostles or all the authorities of them whome we haue cyted which labour in both we leaue to thē who are more expert in both yet I hope we haue collected some and those in euery age such as being wel pondered
seriously discussed may suffice to satisfy the Reader that in their iudgement this priuate spirit is an vnfit Interpreter of holy Scripture and an vnable iudge to decide matters of Fayth Secondly we may note that though none of the ancient Fathers did in particuler write of this subiect nor yet on set purpose confute it yet these sayinges and sentences of theirs sought and picked out as so many dispersed flowers of their seuerall gardens and coupled togeather as into one nose-gay may serue for a taste of their generall opinions iudgement in this matter especially since their assertions were neuer contradicted nor their persons euer censured by any for them Thirdly we may note that those Fathers who doe either attribute this prerogatiue of interpreting Scripture to the Church or Pastours of it as the most cyted by Bellarmine before quoted doe or derogate the same from all humane and proper wit and iudgement as some of these heere cyted in their words do do both of them as much as if in expresse tearmes they had done it condemne this priuate spirit and power of it as incompetent for a Iudge of Fayth 1. because they who interprete Scripture and assigne the Fathers Councells or Church for approued and authorized Iudges in this case must needs condemne those who forsake them and oppose themselues and their iudgement against them which all they doe who rely vpon their priuate spirit and prefer their iudgement of it before the iudgement of the Church and Fathers 2. Because all who are guided by this priuate spirit and rely vpon it doe in effect rely vpon their owne iudgement and opinion and so either erroneously mistaking themselues or abusing the spirit do insteed of the spirit of God make their owne conceit fancy or imagination the iudge and vmpire of all These being supposed we will descend to particulers and cyte some of these Fathers and their testimonies in thei◠seuerall ages First therefore to begin◠〈◊〉 the first age of the Apostles to descend downe 〈◊〉 S Clement the scholer of S. Paul and coetaneall with the Apostles sayth It is to be obserued that when the law of God is read it ought not to be read or vnderstood according to the meaning of euery mans owne wit for there are many thinges in holy Scripture which may be wrested to that meaning which euery one volūtarily presumes to frame to himselfe but this cannot be Loe the sense which euery ones wit and iudgement which they call their spirit presumes to frame cannot be a true and infallible sense of Scripture In the second age Irenaeus a Doctour and Martyr whō S. Hierome calles Virum Apostolicum an Apostolicall man speaking of the Heretiks of his tyme sayth Euery one sayth that his owne fiction which he hath deuised of himselfe is wisedome that he vndoubtedly vnspottedly and sincerely doth know the hiddē mysteries These Heretikes made the inuention of their own braine the vndoubted spirit of wisedome to vnderstand the hidden mysteries of Fayth Tertullian speaking of Heretikes who differ among themselues sayth Euery one doth tune what he receaues according to his owne liking in the same manner as he who taught them made it according to his owne liking Againe shewing that diuersity of doctrine brings corruption of scripture he sayth They who are resolued to teach otherwise then the Church must change the meanes of doctrine that is scripture since how came the heretikes to be strangers and enemies to the Apostles but by the diuersity of doctrine which euery one according to his owne liking either made or receaued Againe VVho are rauenous wolues but subtill senses and spirits that lye close to molest the flocke of Christ VVho are false Prophets but false Preachers VVho are false Apostles but adulterous Ghospellers Againe He is to be counted an Heretike who forsaking that which was first doth choose to himselfe that which was not before Againe Heresy is called in Greek of Election by which one chooseth to beginne or follow it therefore S. Paul sayd that therefore an Heretike was damned because he chose to himselfe that for which he is damned It is not lawfull for vs to introduce any thing vpon our owne opiniō nor to follow that which others introduced vpon their owne opinion And he calles Adams sin an Heresy because he chose it rather vpon his owne then Gods election Heere are deceitful spirits euery one 's owne spirit liking will purpose resolution opinion and election described to be that which makes men Heretikes and strangers from God rauenous Wolues false Prophets and adulterous Ghospellers and damned Heretikes and changes the sense of Scripture Out of which the same Tertullian affirmes That heresy is a matter of humanae temerity not diuine authority which alwayes so amends the Ghospell vntill it corrupt it That all doctrine is true not which came from a priuate spirit but which agrees with the Apostolicall mother and originall Churches and that is without doubt to be held which the Church receaued from the Apostles the Apostles from Christ Christ from God all other doctrine is preiudicated as that which sauoureth against the verity of the Church of Christ. Againe That to deale with Heretikes by Scriptures is but to turne ones stomacke or breake his braine to loose his speach by contending to rayse choler by hearing their blasphemy since what the most expert Scripturist can alleadge they will deny and what he denies they will defend eyther by denying Scripture or by adding or detracting from it Valentinus sayth he receaued that which was most for his purpose and formed the Scriptures to his owne opinions but not his opinions to Scripture And so as S. Augustine saies They contend not for the true meaning of Scripture but for their owne opinions making that which is the opinion of their owne to be the meaning of Scripture In the third age Clemens Alexand. in his learned bookes Stromatum which he wrote according to Baron anno 204. shewing not only that Heretikes alleadge Scripture but also how they vse it sayth Though they who follow heresies presume to vse the propheticall Scriptures yet they neither vse all of them nor these they vse entirely but choosing those sayings which are doubtfull they draw them to their owne priuate opinions This is one of the chiefest sleightes of this their priuate spirit to wrest doubtfull sentences to their owne aduantage make that which is vncertaine in it selfe certaine and a point of Fayth In the same age S. Cyprian that Doctor suauissimus Martyr beatissimus as S. August calles him speaking of some whome the Diuell leades from one blindnes of the world to another darkenesse of errour sayth They call themselues Christians and while they walke in darknes they thinke they are in light the Diuell flattering and deceauing them who transfigures himselfe into an Angell of light
and subornes his owne Ministers as Ministers of iustice affirming night to be day damnation to be saluation and shadowing desperation vnder pretence of hope perfidiousnes vnder pretence of Faith Antichrist vnder the name of Christ Againe shewing how heresies and schismes arise out of disobedience of the people to one Pastour and Iudge in place of Christ he sayth No man should make any stirre against the colledge of Priests no man after diuine iudgement after the suffrage of the people after the consent of fellow-Bishops should make himselfe iudge not now of the Bishop but of God No man should deuide the vnity of Christs Church by discord being proud should by himselfe coyne and set abroad a new heresy Againe The beginning and endeauour of Heretikes and Schismatikes is to please themselues and to contemne their Superiour with swelling pride they goe out of the Church and set vp a new Altar breake peace and vnity Againe In doctrine as well diuine as philosophicall it is neyther safe nor fit that persons vnlearned and ignorant of that which belonges to those sciences should venture to discusse that they know not and to be maisters of what they are ignorant In all which the effect of the priuate spirit is described to be to question examine that which is determined by Bishops and Councels to make it selfe iudge of all to diuide the vnity of the Church to broach new heresies and in conceit and respect of it selfe to contemne all superiority to teach that they know not and to be maisters of what they vnderstand not In the fourth age S. Ambrose a man so worthy that S. Augustine reuerenced him as his Father who begot him in Christ so praysed him that he not only calles him happy the flower of latin writers but all the Roman world sayth he with me admire him his grace constancy labours perils both in workes and wordes Yea sayth he Pelagius the Heretike so extolled him that he durst not reprehend him his exposition of Scripture but acknowledged that in his bookes aboue others did shine the brightnesse of the Roman fayth This holy Saint and Doctour sayth Those are Heretikes who by the wordes of the law impugne the law for they set a proper sense vpon the wordes that they may commend the wickednesse of their owne opinion by the authority of the law Againe It is a very dangerous thing if after so many prophesies of the Prophets after the testimonies of the Apostles after the bloud of Martyrs thou darest presume to discusse the ancient faith as new after so many guides dost remaine in errour and after the toiles of so many departed this life darest contend in idle disputation let vs reuerence therefore our owne Fayth in the glory of Martyrs Heere is this priuate spirit and two effects of it the one to interprete Scripture according to euery mans owne liking the other to examine and question againe that which hath beene iudged by the Pastours of Gods Church and to censure them and their iudgement both condemned by S. Ambrose S. Hierome one whome Prosper calles Vitae exemplum mundi magistrum An example of life and the maister of the world whome S. Augustine calles One most learned skillfull in three tongues desires to conferre with him to adhere to him and to be instructed by him sent his books to be censured of him and commended others as Orosius who trauelled for that end from Spaine to Palestine to learn of him And whome Damasus the Pope and many from all the partes of the world consulted with about obscure places of Scripture This great lampe of Gods Church sayth Heretikes whatsoeuer they speake they thinke it to be the word or the law neither doe they vouchsafe to know what the Apostles or Prophets thought but doe apply certaine incongruous testimonies to their owne sense and meaning as though it were not a great most wicked manner of teaching to depraue the sentences of Scripture and to draw them contrary to their sense vnto their owne will A deuise proper to this spirit to thinke all it sayes to be Scripture and to wrest all scripture to its owne liking Againe he sayth That Heretikes of the guifts of Nature haue made to themselues Idols not which they receaued of God but which they made out of their owne braine That they haue turned the holy speaches and senses of Scripture into Idols which they haue framed out of their owne heart That hauing lost their iudgement they worship the Idols which they haue framed of their owne hart and are possessed with the spirit of spirituall fornication That of the sense of Scripture they haue made Idols of diuers opinions and abominations of offences That they vse the diuine wordes and testimonies to their owne sense and do giue them to drinke to those whome they deceaue and with whome they haue fornicated That in all questions they follow not the authority of Scripture but the opinion of human reason That they snatch certaine sentences out of Scripture and sowing them togeather doe set them to that matter to which they cannot agree and so do set them as pillowes vnder euery ones elbow to delude them Thus doe sayth he all heresies deceaue and draw to death by faire promises all sortes of ages and sexes giuing them not solid bread of Scripture but broken and cut peeces of crummes Thus did the Manichees Gnostikes Marcion take testimonyes out of the pure fountaine of Scripture but did not interpret them as they were written but cōuerted the simple meaning of Gods word to signify that which themselues would haue All this they did bragging of their receauing the spirit of God which yet they had not but the spirit of the Diuell by which they were carryed into diuers factions Such an Angell and diabolicall spirit did possesse and fill Philomela Apelles his virgin Cōcerning which spirit he concludes that It is called Heresy ab 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of election by choosing euery one that doctrine which seemes to him better vnderstanding the Scripture otherwise then the Holy Ghost meant it by which he is an Heretike The sūme of which gathered out of these dispersed places is that all Heretikes being deceaued by the spirit by their owne opinion and their owne selfe seeming conceit do choose to themselues what sense of Scripture seemes most pleasing to them and therby make it an Idoll of their owne inuention by which they deceaue themselues and delude others Eusebius confirmes the same saying of the Seuerians That they interpret the sense of Scripture according to their owne liking In the fifth age S. Augustine one so highly commended both by ancient Fathers and late Protestants that as before is at full cyted they both count him as a maister of all learning as
a fountaine incorrupted a Doctour among the Interpreters of Scripture as a Sunne among Planets as the greatest of the Fathers the worthiest Deuine that euer Gods Church had This great Doctour and Saint sayth Heresies haue no other origen then this that euery Heretike prefers his owne opinion drawne from his owne proper spirit before the commō opinion of the Church Againe Nothing makes them Heretiks but this that misvnderstanding the Scriptures they obstinatly defend their owne opinions The holy Scripture is dangerous to these who will wrest it to their owne peruerse hart who whē they ought to liue according to the will of God they liue according to their owne will and they will haue that to be the meaning of Scripture which is their owne when that which is the Scriptures ought to be theirs Againe Thy truth O Lord is neyther myne nor this mans or that mans but all mens whom thou callest publickly to the communiō of it and whereby thou dost terribly admonish vs that we seeke not to haue truth priuate least we be depriued of it for whosoeuer doth challenge to himselfe that which thou dost propose to be enioyed by all and will make that proper to himselfe which is common to all that man is driuen from the common to his owne proper that is from truth to falsehood Wherupō he reprehends the Pelagians because they vnderstood the Scripturs according to their own priuate sense the Donatists because eyther by too much louing their owne opinion or enuying their betters they went so farre vpon their diabolicall presumption as sacrilegiously to separate holy communion and bring in schisme or heresy and the Manichies You see that your worke is to take away all authority from Scripture and make euery mans mind and conceit authour of what is to be belieued or not to be belieued in holy Scripture that is that you will not subiect your selues to Scripture but will make Scripture subiect to your selues Thus doth S. Augustine condemne this spirit for that it doth prefer it selfe and owne opinion before the commō iudgement of the Church doth falsely interprete Scripture doth draw the meaning of Scripture to its owne wil yea the will of God to the same And he condemnes the Pelagians Donatists and Manichies for that by it they expounded Scripture and deuided themselues from the communion of holy Church With S. Augustine agrees Cyrill of Alexandria Heretikes should do well if they would seeke the true sense of Scripture and not turne all according to their owne will And with them both Vincentius Lyrinensis If any would seems a Prophet or Maister that is maister of spirituall thinges let him chiefly desire vnity and equality that is that he do not prefer his owne opinion before others nor doe departe from the generall opinions of all men Because all doe not take the holy Scripture in one and the same sense some do interprete one way others another way the same sentences so that as many senses are made as there be men Therefore it is very necessary by reason of many turninges and windinges of errours that the line of Catholicall and Apostolicall interpretation be directed according to the rule of the Ecclesiasticall and Catholike sense Heere is aduise giuen not to wrest all to our owne liking and spirit but to keep vnity and direct the interpretation of Scripture according to the rule of Catholike sense After all these Venerable Beda the honour of our Nation in the eight age sayth As the Prophets did write deliuer and speake not their owne wordes but the wordes of God so also the Reader of them must not vse his owne proper interpretation least he decline from the sense of the truth Therfore we affirme that no man presume to expound Scriptures according to his owne pleasure What more plaine I will adde to these the testimonyes of Luther and Caluin vttered in confutation of others but against themselues Luther x speaking against Swenkfeldius sayth It must not trouble vs that some do glorify of the spirit and little esteeme the Scriptures But sayth Luther good friend the spirit goes this way that way I also was in spirit and haue seene spirits if I may glory of my owne perhaps more then they shall see in a yeare and my spirit doth shew it selfe in something where theirs is yet in a corner Note that the Swenkfeldians and the Caluinists agree in that both of them rely on the Spirit and make it the ground of their Fayth they differ in that the former refuse scripture and rely only on the spirit these later admit scripture but both for canon and sense of it subiect it to their spirit so that the spirit in the one reiects scripture in the other it censures and Lordes it ouer scripture Whether is worse let any be iudge Caluin also speaking of the same Swenkfeldians sayth If that spirit was good it would be the same with the spirit of the Apostles and ancient faythfull people but their spirit would not be iudg without scripture so say we If Caluins or the Caluinist spirit were true it would be the same with the spirit of the ancient Church and Fathers Also against the Vbiquitarians he sayth Satan hath bewitched their mindes with horrible witchery c. And Satan by turbulent spirits doth endeauour c. Mans hart hath so many secret places of vanity is subiect to so many holes of lyes is couered with so much fraudulent hypocrisie that it often deceaues it selfe Againe Many false Doctours belye or counterfeite the title of the spirit many mad men start vp who rashely make ostentation that they are endued with the spirit of God They are fooles who amazed at the honourable title of the spirit dare not enquire after the matter it selfe Many braggo of the spirit yet speake in their owne priuate name goe out in their owne name vtter out of their owne sense Thus do these Patrons practisers of this priuate spirit wound themselues in thus stabbing the same in their aduersaries For what they affirme against them is verified against themselues But what can these Spiritualists as we may call them say to all these testimonies of Fathers Or rather what shall we say to them about the same I conceaue nothing can be sayd better then that which S. Augustine in the like case of originall sinne sayth against the like Heretikes the Pelagians for hauing cyted most of the Doctours before his tyme both of the Greeke and Latin Church as Irenaeus Athanasius Cyrill Nazianzen Chrysostome Basil Olympius Reticius fourteene more whose workes are not now extant as Eulogius Ioannes Ammonianus Porphyrius Fidus Zozimus Zoboenus Nimphidius Cromatius Iouinus Eleutherius Clematius all greeke Doctours and Cyprian Hilary Ambrose Innocentius yea Hierome of his owne tyme all Doctours of the Latin Church and all to proue originall sinne and
is doubtfull difficult whether they informe them or assist only in them how and of what matter they doe make and frame them how and what operation or motion they exercise in them whether any vitall or externall operations as of eating or drinking or any sensual or external as of hearing or seeing or any internall as of passion or affection or any intellectual as of discoursing and discussing of sinning and meriting how they illuminate one another the higher the lower how they present visions and cogitations to men whether to their phantasie only by the phantasie to the soule or imediately to the superiour part of the soule also Of the Diuels great difficulties be made how they fell frō grace by what sinne of pride or enuy into what place of hell only or the aire earth also in what number more then the blessed or fewer how they are tormented with materiall fire and how they carry their tormēts with them while they torment others and yet the fire torments not those others in whome they are how they enter possesse and torment men in what number by whole legions in what manner with such instruments of tortures how they frame and assume bodies whether of dead men of beastes and the like or made of the ayre how they can abuse women and beget children how they cause thunders lightenings stormes how they tempt men oppose the Angels hate God and all good how they are deuided into orders Hierarchies how a subordination and confusion stands among them with many such like Of the soules departed are many difficulties as whether in person Samuel himselfe or a Diuell for him appeared before Saul whether Moyses from Limbo and Elias from Paradise before Christ whether their apparitions be internall only to the phantasie and imagination or externall corporally to the senses also If internal whether the soules can or Angels for them do produce these phantasies If externall whether their apparitions be personal in their own presence or representable by Angells for them If personall in their owne presence whether the soules in Purgatory ōly or those in heauen and hell also do in presence personally appeare If all of them whether present in their own bodies in which they liued or in others by them assumed If in assumed and made bodies whether made by themselues or by Angels for them If in bodyes made by Angells whether they can informe and giue life or els inhabite giue only motion to them If only motion what quantity they can moue greater then their owne body was or lesse to what distance further off or neerer By what vertue naturall or superadded they can moue them What operation they can exercise in them whether naturall of working mouing or vitall also of eating and sleeping or sensual also of delectation or auersion and which is most intellectuall of reasoning speaking If they vse reason whether they know what is done on earth how they know it by reuelation from God or by relation from Angells or by Species or formes of their owne retayned of old or acquired anew Whether they vnderstand where they are and what they doe Whether they in Purgatory can by prayer and satisfaction be freed Whether they who are in heauen or hell can increase their ioyes or paines With many more such like Of all which if one should aske any ones priuate spirit or the diuers spirits of diuers ones and seeke for a certaine resolution of them what answere would their spirit affoard Or what agreement would be among them or their answers or what certainty can be builded vpon any of them Surely such is the difficulty in all these and many more doubts that let any one spirit of one man or many spirits of many men resolue them the hearer shall find such opposition in their resolution and so great difficulty in discerning which of these is a good spirit which a bad which vision is imaginary which corporall which effect is of God which of the Diuell which is to be belieued and followed which to be forsaken and abhorred that he shall find himselfe more doubtfull then before and deeper plunged in difficultyes the further he proceeds in inquiries And thus much of the first reason of difficulty to discerne the difference of spirits Of the difficulty and vncertainty of the rules of discerning Spirits SECT III. THE second difficulty of discerning these spirits ariseth vpon the variety and multiplicity of the rules meanes which on the one side men holy learned experienced after much practise of deuotion great labour of study long experience of tyme either by illumination frō God or by diligence industry or by subtility of obseruation haue made obserued and in large Treatises left to posterity for the discerning of these Spirits And which on the other side are so vncertaine and doubtfull that what by the infirmity of man to discerne them what by subtilty of the euill spirit to deceaue in them few can with any certainty and infallibility rely and depend vpon them First therefore for my owne and the Readers instruction I will set downe the rules out of diuers and large treatises collected which vsually are giuen for discerning these spirits and next shew the grounds and reasons of the vncertainty and fallibility of them and out of both inferre the insufficiency and inability of euery mans priuate spirit to make an infallible estimate and iudgment of them and therby to rely for himselfe and his estate of saluation vpon this his spirit and the opinion of it SVBDIV. I. Rules to discerne which are good spirits and which are bad AND first for the meanes signes or rules of discerning these spirits good or bad though there be no great difficulty or vncertainty in discerning spirits which are euill as the spirit of the Diuell and his instruments the flesh and the world for that the good spirit of God of an Angell or of grace cannot suggest those wicked cogitations nor performe those vnlawfull actions which the bad spirits both can and do as for example they can neither lye deceaue blaspheme nor persuade heresy infidelity periury and sacrilege nor commit vncleanesse and lewdnesse by way of Incubi or Succubi nor obey Inchaunters Magicians Witches for wicked vses nor worke and leaue in good soules doubts troubles and despaire of God saluation neither vse they to appeare in horrible and deformed shapes of beasts and monsters All which and such like are proper to the bad spirit sufficient rules signes to discerne him by these fruits and effects Yet because the bad spirit the Diuell both can and doth often counterfeit and in shew performe the same exteriour actions which the good spirit doth as by examples shall afterward be shewed therefore I will propose only the Rules and signes which are giuen for the discerning of the good spirits of which is the most difficulty and vncertainty and
and speach of God are discerned and knowne by a certaine proper diuine and spirituall taste and sweetnes which men accustomed to them and practised in them can by a supernaturall instinct of grace as a child doth his mother by a naturall instinct of nature better discerne in thēselues then expresse to others and fullier satisfy and content themselues with them then giue any reason of them saying with the Prophet Dauid that they taste and see that our Lord is sweet with the Apostle that they aboūd in knowledge and all vnderstanding approuing the better things yet they know not with the Euangelist whence it cometh or whither it goeth why it is caused or how long it remaines but only they tast and feele it and so rest satisfied in it Thirdly that the spirit of God doth worke in the heart a true and solid humility whose acts and effects are 1. To feare refuse or at the least vnwillingly accept these extraordinary visitations being offered preferring the ignominy of mount Caluary before the glory of mount Thabor 2. To conceale and hide not relate and speake of these gifts being receaued but discouering them only in confession for counsell and that lesse willingly then sinnes 3. To desire to be contēned in matters not only honorable of the world but spiritual as to be reputed wicked by persons not wicked but good so long as no scandall is thereby likely to ensue 4. To wonder that so worthy guifts should be in so vnworthy a person that God should bestow so much good vpon one so bad 5. To feele rather a shame and confusion for the deformity of sinne then a ioy contēt in the dignity of the gift 6. Not to desire these great and extraordinary visitations but more ordinary acts of loue purity and humility 7. Not to esteeme of ones selfe better for them but to account others more holy without them 8. Not to presume vpon any security or fauour for hauing them but rather to feare greater obligation vnworthinesse and ingratitude for not well vsing them Fourthly that the spirit of God doth worke a perfect obedience first of the will against selfe loue secondly of the vnderstanding against selfe conceit both of them first to the will of God to runne the way of his commandements secondly to the will of man that is superiour vnder God to be ruled by him Thus did the holy Hermites accept it as a signe of Gods spirit in Simeon Stelites when being commanded to come to them and giue an account of his austere life he presently obeyed and prepared to descend from his rocke to them Fifthly that the spirit of God doth worke vpon this resignation a true mortification First exteriour of the body to tame the pride of the flesh Next and chiefly interiour of the mind to asswage the rage of passion and affection both for that end to attaine to purity not only of mind but also of body because visions and apparitions much more motions and inspirations though they come saith one in the likenesse of Saints of our Lady or of Christ are alwayes suspitious if they bring impurity of sensuall motions Sixthly that the good spirit of God doth bring with it peace and tranquillity ioy and gladnesse comfort and consolation of the mind expelling feare bridling passions supressing affections and subiecting all manner of perturbations to reason and grace And though it cause some terrour desolation or perturbation yet it is at the first entrance when it begins and that in sinners in whom it finds resistance whom yet in the end it leaues in comfort and consolation And though it be short and for the most not of long continuance yet it is not only frequent often coming and often going and alwayes leauing a good relish after it but also effectual in euery one according to his state as in an incipient in the purgatiue way rooting out vices in a proficient in the illuminatiue way planting of vertues in a perfect man in the perfect way exercising perfection of action and contemplation And these and such like be the rules and signes they giue to discerne good spirits SVBDIV. 2. Difference betweene good and bad Spirits THE same holy men the better to distinguish these spirits giue also certaine distinctiue signes by which comparing the effects of the good and bad spirits togeather the difference betweene them may the better be discerned And first for exteriour visions apparitions shapes or shewes of good and bad spirits they assigne differēce First in forme that good spirits appeare alwayes in the shape of man and that comely and beautifull the bad spirit in the shape often of beasts and monsters and these vgly and deformed 2. In matter that the good spirit persuads alwayes to verity vertue but the bad spirit alwayes to falshood and wickednes eyther in the beginning or end 3. In workes that the good do help and assist vs in doubts or infirmityes the bad do reuenge and punish our defects or iniquities 4. In place that the good appeare in places holy in which piety is practised the bad in places prophane where wickednes is cōmitted 5. In tyme that good appeare ordinarily in the light as Angels of light but the bad in darkenesse as Angels of darknesse 6. For persons that the good appeare to good men to encourage them in goodnesse the bad to bad men to draw them to more badnesse 7. For holy thinges that good do affect and desire but the bad do fly abhorre thinges holy and consecrated as the presence of the Blessed Sacrament of Reliques Agnus deies holy-Water the signe of the Crosse the name of Iesus the inuocation of Saints with many other of which examples are copious and certaine in diuers good Authours Secondly for the internall motions of the good and bad spirit they assigne these kindes of differences That the good spirit obserues an order and conueniency of age and state in persons of tymes and seasons in affaires communicating wisedome grace and guifts agreable 1. To the state of persons Religious or secular 2. To the dispositions of yeares for those which are young or old 3. To the conueniences of tymes ioyful or sorrowfull reducing by degrees and meanes in order and season all sortes of persons from great sinne to great perfection The bad spirit obserues no such order but confusedly and vpon the sodaine seemes to eleuate to high thoughts wonderous actions which are nether ordinary nor profitable for the presēt makes shew to exalt on the suddaine from the deepest of sin to the highest step of perfection thereby to exalt them to pride and selfe-conceit and to feed them with nouelty and curiosity That the good spirit desires nothing in particuler for it selfe and owne profit or delight nothing with importunity and impatience but all with resignation to the will of
God so farre as it may be to his honour and glory The bad spirit desires much for its owne will pleasure all with importune and vnseasonable vehemency and perturbatiō That the good spirit moues to inward humility contempt of ones selfe and the more it increaseth in vertue the meaner conceit it workes of ones selfe and the better of others The bad spirit moues to outward humility in exteriour thinges that it may seeme humble and lowly but workes an inward conceit of ones selfe and willfullnesse in all actions and proceedinges That the good spirit causes one to confide much in God and distrust much in ones selfe The bad spirit causes one to esteeme highly of his owne conceit to presume much vpon ones owne force and litle to feare his owne state danger That the good spirit is willing to suffer much for Gods cause and the more it suffers the more it is contented The bad spirit murmurs and repines and is impatient at al crosses and afflictions and is disquieted and vexed against those by whome they are any way caused or procured That the good spirit is mercifull and compassionate shewing pitty and mercy where it may shew iustice seuerity The bad spirit is seuere fierce cruel and reuengefull euen vpon those who do subiect and humble themselues That the good spirit shews a respect and reuerence euen to the Saints seruants of God for the honour it bears to God and also to their Reliques and Images for the respect it beares to them The bad neglects both and refuses to giue any respect or honour to either That the good proposes the yoke of Christ as easy the grace of God as sufficient and superaboundant to keep his Commandements thereby to enable men to performāce thereof The bad proposes the performance of Gods commandements as impossible and Gods mercy as facill before sinne is committed thereby to allure to sinne his iustice as rigide and terrible after sinne be committed thereby to draw into desperation That the good spirit if it worke any miracles illuminate with any reuelations or reueale any secrets of the hart or euents to come doth do all peaceably without any extraordinary motions of sobbing sighing exulting or grieuing without ostentation of any such guift or grace moderatly without any vehemency of desire of them or conceit of ones selfe or contempt of others for them compassionatly without aggrauating of offences receaued or benefits exhibited and humbly with submission to the iudgment of superiour authority and with conformity to their censure and correction The bad doth all contrary it proceedes in perturbation without peace in vehemency without discretion in exagerations without measure in obstinacy without relenting in any thing from that which it once conceaues That the good spirit vses those wayes and spirituall meanes which God hath for that present age tyme and place accommodated as most fit for the spirituall good of soules then liuing Therefore as in former ages he prescribed the instinct of naturall reason in the law of Nature the vse of ceremonies in the law of Moyses and either strange guift of miracles and languages or ardent desires of martyrdome or rigide austerity of pennance in the primitiue ages of the law of Grace so now in these ages not communicating so frequently the guift of miracles nor affoarding so vsually the benefit of martytdome nor exacting so seuerely the former austerity of pennāce it moueth vs to a more zealous performance of these deuotions which in this tyme the Diuell more violently oppugnes to wit frequentation of Sacraments vse of meditation duties of obedience veneration of Saints visitation of Reliques and holy places and the like The bad spirit peruerts all this order it affects nouelty it seekes curiosity it followes after rarities it ayms at singularity it lookes for prodigiosities and contents it selfe with nothing but straines to extrauagancy it seemes to know all striues to do all seekes to go beyond all and flyes in his owne conceit aboue all both measure reason discretion That the good spirit keepes in all a tranquility of the mind with a conformity in all thinges to the will of God whether it be the rooting out of vices the planting of vertues the exercise of mortification and deuotion all conioyned with a pure iniention of not seeking ones owne but Gods honour and with a discreet moderation in being neither too credulous in belieuing all nor too obdurate in belieuing nothing but with aduice and temper to examin all and not rashly to receaue or reiect any The bad spirit runs in all the contrary race in some thinges it is troubled and disquieted with feares and scruples in others loose dissolute without care or conscience at sometymes feruent and headlong in deuotion beyond measure at others stupide and dull without sense or feeling in some practises of small importance violent vehement and impatient without reason in others of moment negligent carelesse and heedlesse without any esteeme or regard in purposes of good wauering and inconstant in iudgment of others credulous and temerarious All which omitting much which might be sayd more may suffice to discerne the multiplicity of signes of good spirits and the difference of them from bad It remaynes to shew that neither these rules to discerne good spirits from bad nor the difference betweene good spirits and bad are so certaine nor the applying them to euery particuler euent so easy that the spirit of euery priuate man can of it selfe proceed in it and securely rest himselfe vpon it SVBDIV. 3. The difficulty to iudge of these rules and differences of Spirits NOtwithstanding therefore that these rules signes of a good spirit and these differences from a bad be by spirituall men well and truly thus assigned and notwithstāding that it be true that they serue for good and morall directions to discerne those spirits and that any man may proceed probably in his iudgment vpon them yet that they neither are in themselues so certaine and infallible nor yet are for so certaine assigned that euery man may infallibly rely and rest vpon them without any further directour but that these both may and often do faile in many particuler euents and that many are deceaued in the vse and application of them is by these reasons heere briefly and by examples afterwardes more at large produced euidently proued First because such is the excellency both in nature and operation of these spirits especially Angells and Diuels aboue the nature and capacity of man and such is the weaknes and obscurity of mans vnderstanding in these sensuall organs of our corporall frailty and such is the inconstancy and vncertainty of euery priuate spirit in euery particuler person that admit these rules and differences were certaine yet neither is the vnderstanding of euery man so intelligent that he knowes them nor his spirit so quicke-sighted that it can discerne them
apparitions so great similitude in their motions and apparitions so many rules and differences vpon long experience haue beene giuen to discerne them and so great skill cunning is requisite to apply them Sith there be so many and so dangerous wayes to take as of Pagans Iewes Turks Heretikes all differing condemning one another all depending vpon the motions of these spirits Sith such and so high is the excellency of the nature of these spirits to be discerned such and so weake the infirmity of man to discerne them such and so subtile malicious and powerfull is mans enemy the Diuell to deceaue in them by counterfeit dissimulation of piety or by forged illusions insteed of reuelations or by outward apparitions in forme of Saints Angels or God all by verity of examples confirmed Sith so speciall extraordinary so rare and vnvsuall is this gift of discerning these spirits Sith I say all this is so as is proued with what reason and iudgment can any man make this priuat spirit or rather selfe-seeming conceit of his owne braine a competent sufficient and infallible iudge to discerne and decide al these questions and difficulties arising vpon them What braine-sicke madnesse senslesse presumption is it for euery silly simple and vnlearned person man or woman all of which challēg this spirit to assume so much to themselues and presume so farre vpon their owne conceit as to discerne and declare which of euery one of these spirits is of God the deuill or nature which is good or bad which true or false either in thēselues or others and vpon this presumption to ground the certainty of their religion faith and saluation What greater temerity and rashnes can there be then to build a worke so great and important as is the eternity of saluation or damnation vpon no more solid and certaine a ground then is the proper conceit of euery priuate motion of an vncertaine spirit Surely if men were not blind or bewitched and that either willfully or foolishly blinded or bewitched and both so deeply that they eyther will not or cannot see what both sense reason doth dictate to their owne conscience what both authority and testimony of God and holy men doth lay before them what both examples experience of so many ages doth confirme vnto thē surely they could not but often doubt and distruct many tymes stagger and relent their owne iudgment conscience doubtlesse pricking them in this their ostentation of the certainty of their spirit they could not but sometyms enter into consideration yea and feele a sensible touch of trepidation in soule and stand in a wonder and amazemēt at themselues how they dare venture so far and stand so confidently in so weighty a matter vpon the judgement of so vncertaine vnconstant vnwarranted yea corrupted deceitfull and partiall a Iudge as is this their priuate spirit conceit imagination What man of reason and discretion or of care conscience will not hould it farre more secure and safe in these points of eternity with euery good Catholike to ioyne his spirit with the spirit of the Saints and seruants of God now reigning in heauen to subiect his spirit to the spirit of Gods holy Church heere on earth guided infallibly by an infallible spirit of God and by conforming themselues to this spirit to imbrace and follow that Fayth and religion that doctrine and discipline that sacrifice and sacraments which so many Saints and holy men so many Confessours and learned Doctours so many Churches and Councells in all ages throughout all Countryes belieued in their harts professed by their liues defended by their writinges and sealed and confirmed with their liues bloud And thus much for the first reason against the priuate spirit drawne from the difficulty to discerne spirits THE PRIVATE SPIRITS AVTHORITY To interprete Scripture and iudge of Fayth confuted by reasons drawne from the true and infallible authority and meanes of interpreting holy Scripture CHAP. V. VVhat Interpretation Authority and meanes are necessary infallible for the sense of Scripture SECT I. SVBDIV. 1. What Interpretation of Scripture is necessary THE better to vnderstand the reasons drawne from the infallible authority and meanes of interpreting of Holy Scripture by which the priuate spirits authority is confuted we may consider 1. What interpretatiō that is which is required as necessary 2. What authority as infallible is required to this intetpretation and in whome it is resident 3. What meanes are to be vsed and followed as certaine by these Interpreters to this interpretation Out of all which may be inferred and proued the insufficiency of the priuate spirit to be eyther authour or meanes of this interpretation of Scripture First therefore when we speake of the sense and interpretation of scripture we speake not of that sense and interpretation which is only probable and credible but of that which is certaine and infallible Not of that which is only for the pulpit and documents of manners or which is for the schooles and subtiltyes of diuinity but of that which is for doctrine of Fayth and articles of beliefe Not of that which is only to confirme and increase vs in that fayth which we already belieue but of that which is to persuade and produce fayth a new eyther in our selues when and why we first belieue or in others whome we persuade first to belieue And this is that sense of Scripture which as it is being rightly vnderstood in the sense which the holy Ghost intended a firme and solide foundation of true fayth so being falsly vnderstood and wikedly peruerted by false teachers it is the Mother or nurse of al heresies For as nothing is persuaded as worthy of beliefe but which is true or vnder the shew of truth and as the scripture is by all granted to be most true so all vse the text of Scripture as a meane to persuade that which they would haue to be belieued as true the true teachers in the true sense the false in the false sense both cyting the wordes and text but the one in that sense and meaning which the holy Ghost intended the other in that which they themselues inuented Which course of false sense as the Diuell first beganne when he would haue by Scripture persuaded Christ to cast himselfe downe headlong saying It is written he hath giuen his Angels charge ouer thee So the members of Sathan follow the same way and labour by the same Scripture to seduce the members of Christ as the faythlesse the faythfull the sacrilegious the religious the Heretikes the Catholikes For the Iewes would by Scripture haue proued that Christ was not only not Messias saying Search the Scriptures and see that from Gallilee a Prophet ryseth not but also that he was a malefactour and such a one as ought to dye saying VVe haue a law and according to our law he ought to dye And the same is continued both by Turkes
who receaue both the old and new Testament but interpreted according to Mahomets Alcaron and also by all Heretiks who seek to fill their books not oÌ„ly with words of Scripture but sayth Vincent Lyrin with thousands of testimonies thousands of examples thousands of authorityes out of the Law the Psalmes the Prophets the Apostles which expounded after a new and ill manner would thereby throw downe soules from the tower of Catholike fayth to the pit of wicked heresy being as our Sauiour sayth of them false Prophets or teachers who vnder the garments of sheep that is sayth Vincent Lyrin the wordes of the Prophets and Apostles are rauenous VVolues infesting the fold of the Church and deuouring the flocke of Christ and saying Christ is heere or there that is as Origen expounded it in this or that text of Scripture who thus transfiguring themselues into the shew of Apostles or preachers of Christ do labour to transfer the people into another Ghospell who depraue the Scripture to their owne and others destruction And by the wordes of the Law sayth S. Ambrose impugne the Law and do frame a false sense of the wordes of the Law that they may confirme their owne peruerse opinions by the authority of the Law Against al whome we may note the wordes of S. Hilary saying That Heresy is about the vnderstanding not the text of Scripture the sense not the words is the sinne And of S. Hierome That the Ghospell is not in the wordes but the sense of scripture not in the outward rine but in the inward marrow not in the leaues of wordes but in the root of the sense SVBDIV. 2. Who haue authority to make the Interpretation of Scripture SEcondly this sense and meaning of scripture because it is not facil and easy to be knowne to all by reason of the great obscurity in the wordes the great fecundity in the sense and the great profundity in the mysteries or articles belieued which cannot by euery one nor by any one without the assistance of the same spirit which penned it be vnderstood therfore is necessary some authentical certain and infallible authority for the true vnderstanding of this authenticall certaine and infallible sense of scripture This authority because it is in the Catholike Church chiefly in the Pastours and Prelates of the same for the better gouernement of it in true doctrine vpon whom God hath bestowed the infallible assistance of his holy spirit as is afterward proued therfore their authority is necessary for the finding out the true and certaine sense of scripture Whensoeuer therfore the chiefe Pastour or Pastours of the Church vsing the meanes for it appointed of which in the next proposition do either ex Cathedra or in a Councell confirmed approued or by a generall consent propose deliuer and declare any sense or exposition of scripture as true and to be belieued as an article of faith in any controuersy against heretikes then is that sense to be receaued for their authority as authenticall certaine and infallible From whence ensues that though in matters of Philosophy and reason we must rather attend what is said theÌ„ by whome it is said and respect rather the force then the authority of the person who sayes it yet in matters of faith we must first respect them who preach and the authority and commission of their person and by it iudge of their doctrine preached For if the person be lawfully sent if he haue lawfull commission if he be a lawfull pastour not deuided by heresy or schisme from the whole body then the people are to attend to him and for his commission to receaue his doctrine but if he want mission commissioÌ„ if he teach of himselfe and his owne authority if he produce the doctrine not of the Church-proposition but of his owne inuention let him teach what he wil proue it how he wil he is not to be heard nor belieued by the common and vulgar people to whom it belonges to be obedient subiect to the authority of their Pastour not to iudge of the verity of his doctrine more then in generall whether it be consonant or dissonant from the vniuersally receaued doctrine of the Church for they are to obey their Pastours to remaine in the same rule in the faith first deliuered in that which they heard from the beginning to auoid profane nouelties of words not to receiue any other Ghospel or doctrine but that which they learned and receaued from the beginning leauing the particulars to the testimony of others either equal to their pastour in function or superiour to him in authority Which point is to be noted against the Manichees of old and the Protestants of late who respect not the authority of the Preacher but the force of his reason attend not to the commission of the Pastour who he is that teacheth but to the plausibility of his doctrine what it is and how far it is pleasing to their priuat spirit disposition or iudgment SVBDIV. 3. What meanes are to be vsed to make this Interpretation and of foure Rules of infallible interpreting of scripture Thirdly The meanes which are to be obserued vsed and followed by these Pastours or Prelats for the securing vs of this true sense of scripture are these 1. The rule of faith that is the Catholike and vniuersally receiued doctrine of faith and piety which was deliuered by the Apostles receiued by posterity 2. The generall practise or obseruatioÌ„ custome or tradition of the whole Church in pointes where the doctrine is not certaine 3. The auncient exposition or consent of the holy fathers and doctours of the primitiue Church where the former do not appeare 4. The decrees and definitions of the Councels either generall or prouincial approued by generall and the conformity to them in all expositions doubtfull Thâ—se are as so many rules or conducts according to which the certaine and authenticall sense of scripture is by the Pastours of gods Church to be squared and guided First that the rule of fayth is to be presupposed obserued and followed in the finding out the true sense of scripture is proued 1. This rule of Fayth is by S. Paul who often doth mention it called sometymes a rule which bringeth peace VVho haue followed this rule peace be on them Sometimes a rule in which they are to remaine to auoid dissentions Let vs remaine in the same rule that we may iudge the same Sometymes his rule which he deliuered to them and by which they are to increase in fayth Your fayth increasing according to our rule Sometymes a reason of Fayth according to which is giuen the guift of prophesy or interpretation of scripture Donations or prophesy according to the rule of Fayth And in effect it is no other but the doctrine they receaued the fayth preached through the whole world the disposition
and found and that by industry and reading of the words and text the spirit is to be found Whereupon they make the words of scripture as they are heard or read not only the organ or instrument of faith as much as wee make the Sacrament instrument of grace but also the sole instrument which with diligence read or heard they prescribe as the only meanes to receiue faith and saluation For first as a man consists of body and soule and the body of it selfe being senslesse dead is the inferiour â—â—rt the soule being life and giuing life is the principal part without which he is not man So the Scripture consists of the words or text which is read or heard and is only the body barke or couering of Gods word and of the sense and meaning which is vnderstood belieued and is the life soule and substance of the scripture Now the words as they are written or spoken consisting of letters syllables words are dead without life and common to Gentils Iewes and hereticks with the faithfull yea in the same manner as the law is called a law of sinne so are they by S. Paul said to Kill to be ministration of death Because according to S. August the letter read and not truly vnderstood or not performed is occasion of heresy and sinne some gathering out of it as out of the flower poison of heresy like the spider others hony of faith like the bee The sense and meaning as it is truly vnderstood belieued which is properly the word of God is an effectuall meanes more piercing theÌ„ any two-edged sword an operatiue vertue to saluation but to whome to all that belieue And to whom it is so proper that it is by faith only conceaued and attained and by faith only belieued vnderstood Secondly As the bare letter words and text of scripture without true sense are not the word of God so they do not containe the spirit of God or the holy ghost in them neither is the holy ghost thus inherent resident or to be sought found in the scripture but in the hart and soule of the writers of scripture that is the Prophets or Apostles in whom as it did remaine and dictate to them what they writ so did it reueale and manifest to them the true sense meaning of the same though perhaps not alwayes the whole complete meaning and all senses of the scripture for by reason of the fecundity of senses in Gods word many or al of them were not according to S. Augustine alwayes reuealed to the same Apostles or prophets but some reserued to the authour of it the holy ghost it selfe And as the spirit of God is not inherent or resident in the bare words sillables or text of scripture so the spirit or spiritual true sense of scripture is not to be sought or found only in or out of the bare words and their grammaticall signification but out of the rule of faith expounded according to the Ecclesiasticall and Catholike doctrine of beliefe Not by humane labour and industry of study but by the meane of faith and diuine reuelation For the words are translated into other languages different from that in which they were originally written and haue diuers and various significations and senses as litterall moral allegoricall and anagogicall and are by seuerall expositions drawne to suport diuers seuerall yea contrary faithes and religions Also great labour diligence and study haue beene vsed by many men of great wit learning and knowledge in the expounding seeking out the true sense of scripture who yet haue beene so far from finding it as that they haue inuented many false and heretical meanings and therupon grounded many wicked and damned heresies Out of al which it doth follow that the words of scripture and the diligent and frequent reading or hearing of it are so far from being a necessary meanes of faith much lesse the sole whole meanes to it that faith is a meanes necessary presupposed to the vnderstanding of scripture For if the scripture consist not in the words and letter only but in the sense vnderstanding principally and if the sense depend not vpon the bare words but vpoÌ„ the Ecclesiastical catholicke rule tradition of faith as is proued then must faith be prerequired as a help and meanes to find out the true sense of scripture And they who will read scripture must bring faith with them as a help and meanes to vnderstand the scripture and not ground their faith vpon their reading of scripture which being diligently read though it may serue to coÌ„firme and nourish faith in ones selfe or to illustrate and defend it to others and in both being according to the rule of faith interpreted a light to direct them in the way of piety and to enflame them with the heat of Charity yet it can neither be a first and firme ground to cause and produce first and certaine faith in any for a man must bring faith to belieue it nor a sufficient meanes to resolue all points of faith necessary to saluation as besids other reasons the practise of so many heresies diuided pretended to be grounded all vpon it doth conuince and the experience made for example of three persons Iews Turks or Pagans all ignorant of Christian religion all turned to a bare text of the bible all willed to seeke out and resolue in particular articles formerly or presently controuerted in Christian religion will no doubt by their seuerall contrary resolutions confirme the same And thus much of the rule of faith as a necessary meanes of expounding scripture The second meanes of expounding the holy scriprure is the generall practise or obseruation the publike Custome or tradition of the whole Church in the exercise of any religious seruice or worship or in the practise of any sacrifice sacrament or ceremony in which as the Church it selfe cannot erre so it may be a guide in expounding the scripture to keep others from errour that where the doctrine of the Church is not euident there the practise and obseruation of the same may serue This practise we will proue by the practise of the chiefe Doctours in Gods Church for by this did the ancient Fathers expound many places and conuince many Heretikes By this practise admitting the lapsed to pennaÌ„ce did Epiphanius conuince the Nouatians who reiected them By this practise of saying Glory be to the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost did S. Basil conuince Origen about the deity of the holy Ghost vrging his owne practise with the rest against Origens owne doctrine against the rest By this practise of baptizing in the name of the Father the Sonne the holy Ghost did Theodoret conuince Arius who denyed the equality of the Sonne with the Father By this practise of exorcising breathing vpon Infants in the SacrameÌ„t of Baptisme did
S. Augustine affirme the Bishops of Palestine to haue expounded that of Rom. 5. in whome all sinned of originall sinne deriued from Adam by propagation not imitation only By this same practise of the Church praying for the conuersion of Infidels and perseuerance of the faythfull did he proue against the same Pelagians grace of predestination and perseuerance By the same practise did he reconcile those places of Scripture of eating all that is set before vs and of not eating with sinners And to omit many other by the same practise of the Church not rebaptizing them baptized by Heretikes did he refuse to adhere to S. Cyprian and his opinion and confuted him and all the Bishops of Africa Cappadocia Bythinia and the rest who maintained the contrary And to conclude by this practise which he had learned publikly Eusebius did also alleadge Iustinus Miltiades Tatian Clemens Irenaeus Meliton and others against Artemon The same that did these Fathers did also the generall Councels The first Councell of Nice by the testimonyes which they had from the Fathers witnes Athanasius did decree against Arius The Councell of Ephesus following the confessions of the Fathers sayth it selfe and alleadging sayth Vincent Lyr. in particuler Most of the East and VVest Doctours as Maisters Confessours witnesses Iudges held their doctrine followed their counsell belieued their testimony obeyed their iudgment and so pronounced their sentence of fayth against Nestorius The Councell of Calcedon following sayth it selfe the holy Fathers the faith of the Fathers the exposition of the Fathers doth determine what is pious and Catholike fayth against Eutiches The sixth generall Councell witnesse both the letters of Pope Agatho and the Synode it selfe doth produce the testimonyes of Fathers for the exposition of scripture and thereby condemned the Monothelites The seauenth generall Councell and the second of Nice doth the same witnesse the letters of Pope Adrian against the Image-breakers And the Councell of Vienna witnesse the letters of Pope Clement in their definitions So that all antiquity whether in priuate disputations or in publike definitions hath alwayes vsed the testimony of Fathers as a meane in declaring the authenticall sense of scripture against Heretikes The fourth and most infallible meane of expounding the Scripture is a Councell either generall or prouinciall confirmed by a generall in which whatsoeuer is not obiter by the way nor as a proofe only but on set purose and as a conclusion or definition deliuered and defined that is without all question or examination to be receaued as a certaine infallible and authenticall sense of scripture Which to omit all testimonies before cyted for the authority of Councels is proued by the practise of the faythfull in all Councels for in the Nicen Councell were many places of scriptures for proofe of the consubstantiality of Christ produced and discussed and the Orthodoxe Fathers vrged and pressed diuers Texts of the same The Arians answered and interpreted them and vrged likwise many against the same The conclusion was the Fathers of the Councell preuailed and concluded both the doctrine of Christs diuinity the sense of the places of Scripture alleadged for it This definition was to all posterity so forcible that though the Arians vsed all force of temporall power which afterward was wholy for them though they summoned as Athanasius saith aboue ten Coūcels or Conuenticles against that one though they sought in a Councell at Hierusalem to restore their Bishops deposed and in a Councell at Antioch to bring in a new forme of faith couched in words not vnlike to the Nicene forme and in a Councell at Smirna did affirme craftily the Sonne to haue beene before his mother and before all times and not a creature like to others though in the Councell at Ariminum they deceaued many Catholicke Bishops and cunningly obtruded 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 like substance for the same substance which in greek differed only in a letter though they sent Legates into Italy France and al places with faire shewes and promises of vnion of subscribing and of submitting themselues but cunningly and disemblingly as the Protestants did at the first and chiefly Melanchton Bucer about Transubstantiation yet to all posterity and succeeding ages those places of scripture haue euer beene receaued and beleiued in that sense which the Councell then interpreted and vrged them so that that Councel hath beene a rule euer since for the exposition of them to all faithfull and true belieuers in Christ In like manner in the Councell of Ephesus hauing discussed diuers places before controuerted whether they were spoken of the natures or persons of Christ resolued that they were to be vnderstood of plurality of natures not persons in Christ And though Nestorius the eloquent Patriarch of Constantinople and many Bishops with him withstood the Councell and though Theodoret the most learned Catholicke Bishop of that age long opposed S. Cyrill about the same yet the authority of the Councell so far preuailed both then and euer since that all faithfull euer after haue alwayes receaued expounded them in the same sense as true and condemned the contrary as false And the like might be produced of other places for the humanity of Christ against the Manichees and Apollinarists For his two natures against the Eutichians and Monothelites For the holy Ghost against the Macedonians Eunomians And so for transubstantiation against Berengarius and the Sacramentaries which for breuity are omitted And thus much of these foure rules or meanes to wit 1. The rule of Faith 2. The practise of the Church 3. The consent of Fathers and 4. The decrees of Councels by which the Pastours and Prelates of Gods Church are to be directed and vpon which we may infallibly rely for any true certaine authenticall infallible sense of scripture There be other helps which are good and profitable as the consideration of the antecedents and consequences of places the conference of one place with another the obseruation of Scripture-phrases and the skill examination of the originall texts but because they are neither certaine nor infallible but only probable yea often doubtfull and somtimes deceitfull nor yet proper and peculiar to Christians but cōmon to Iewes Pagans Heretiks and all sortes and also not to our purpose for the present therfore we will omit them and shew that the priuate spirit which the Protestants most insist vpon and which we vndertake to confute neither is nor can be any certaine and infallible meanes of interpreting scripture as they do both in doctrine and pactise mantaine That the priuate spirit cannot haue this infallible authority and be this infallible meanes SECT II. THESE being supposed for the finding out the authority certaine and meanes necessary for true interpretation of holy scripture it remaines to be proued that the priuate spirit of euery particular man neither hath in it any certainty or authority nor yet
can be a fit meanes vpoÌ„ which any certaine and authenticall exposition of scripture can be grounded Which is to be performed two wayes 1. By reasons drawne from the property and condition of the holy scripture and the sense and meaning of it 2. By reasons drawne from the property and condition of the priuate spirit and the vncertainty and deceitfulnes of it SVBDIV. 1. By reasons drawne from the nature of holy Scripture which is to be expounded FIrst therefore for the holy Scripture such is the difficulty of it which ariseth partly from the ambiguity of the words including diuers significations partly from the fecuÌ„dity of the significatioÌ„s affording multiplicity of senses partly from the profundity of the matter inuolued in misteries obscure and exceeding our capacity such I say is the difficulty of the scripture which aryseth out of these grounds that no priuate man nor any priuate spirit of any man can secure himselfe of the certainty of any much lesse of all of them For if we respect the words and text of scripture this spirit cannot vpon any ground assure any man that either this booke rather then another is the diuine word of God or of this booke that this is the true and complete Canon or of this Canon that this is the first and originall text or of this text that it is the right authenticall translation or of this translation that any one rather theÌ„ another is the true and Canonical sense or of these senses that one more then other containes all articles and points necessary to saluation all which are yet necessary to be expounded This spirit cannot expresse and assure what booke is Canonicall and what not It cannot accord the Lutherans and Caluinists whether the Epistle to the Hebrewes of Iames 2. of Peter the 2. and 3. of Iohn nor the Catholikes and Protestants whether the bookes of Machabees Toby Iudith Hester c. be canonicall or not It caÌ„ giue no reason why there should be admitted into the Canon of scripture the Gospels of Mathew Marke Luke and Iohn and not the Gospels of Thomas Nathanael Matthias Thadaeus Bartholomew Iames Iohn c Andrew Paul Nicodemus the Hebrews the EgiptiaÌ„s with that of Peter or the Nazarits It can giue no reason why the Epistles of S. Paul Iames Iohn Iude Peter should be admitted and why not those of Barnabas of Luke the rest of S. Peter of S. Paul that to the Laodiceans the 3. to the Corinthians the 3. to the Thessalonians It can giue no reason why the Acts writ by S. Luke should be admiteâ—d and not the Acts writ by Peter by Paul and by Andrew Thomas Iohn Philip and Matthias nor the Periods of Paul Thecla nor the Constitutions of the Apostles or the booke of Hermes or Enoch why the Apocalyps of S. Iohn should be amittted not the Apocalyps of S. Peter Paul Thomas Stephen Elias nor the death of our Lady the circuite of S. Iohn the sentences of Bartholomew the ascension of Esie all which haue beene extant and by some challenged as Canonicall as may be seene in Doctour Stapleton It cannot resolue and assure what bookes were originally writ in Hebrew what in the Chaldean what in the Greeke or Latine tongue who they were that writ the bookes of the old Testament and whether they be the same which were first written and the same sound and vncorrupted Whether this Hebrew text be the same either in Character or letter of which is question or in wordes of which many doubt which was first written What is the sense signification phrase or stile of any Hebrew word Whether the Greeke of the Septuaginte which the Apostles followed be sound and incorrupted and to be preferred before the Hebrew Whether the ancient Latin vulgar or others of later translation as of Erasmus Luther Oecolampadius Bibliander Beza Castalio Tremelius and others be to be followed Whether of any English translations the Catholike translation of the Rhemist or the Protestants of Tindall of King Edward of the Bishops of Geneua or of King Iames are to be receaued as true which is to be rejected as false None of these can the priuate spirit in euery ordinary man nor yet in the learned Protestant certainly decide and resolue It cannot satisfy and assure when the wordes are in the literall or mysticall sense to be vnderstood And for the literall when it passeth from speaking of thinges carnall to thinges spirituall from temporal to eternall from the kingdome of Israell to the kingdome of Christ as often in the Psalmes and Prophets it doth As for exaÌ„ple from the Kings of Syria and Israell to our B. Lady Christ From the King of Babylon to Lucifer From Salomon to Christ From the barly Bread to the sacramentall Bread And for the mysticall sense when it is to be vnderstood morally for manners when allegorically of Christ or the Church militant when anagogically of glory or the Church triuÌ„phant When the same wordes beare a proper and when a figuratiue sense and of the figuratiue sense when the figure is Synecdoche the part for the whole When Metonimya the signe or cause for the effect When it is Catechresis by which the inuentour of a thing is called Father Cittyes are called Daughters posterity is called House c. When by Hiperbole or exageration the whole world is put for much all for many When by Liptote or diminution Idols are called vaine thinges â—oxious vnprofitable When by Analoge one person tyme number gender or signification is set for another When by Hendâ—adis two thinges are put for one as signes and tymes for signes of tymes When by Prolepsis or anticipation places citties are named by names which afterward were giueÌ„ them When by Analoge or mutation one sense as seeing is set for another as hearing tasting c. When by Hetorosis the abstracte as abomination for the concrete as abominable By Haebraisme causalites or similituds ar omitted tenses are changed persons or matters are supposed when an occasion is set downe for a cause the euent for the effect the diuel for sinne eternity for a long time When sinne is meant for sinne it selfe or for a sacrifice or punishment of sinne God for an angell a desire of doing for the deed an act as of seeing for the obiect of feare for the thing or person feared When lawes are called by names of precepts statutes iustice iudgement testimonies or testameÌ„t When works of the law of nature or of faith are tearmed only works or faith When Christ is taken for the person of Christ the head or for the body of Christ the Church or for both When father is meant essentially for God or personally for the first person only When by the Church is meant the Church militant or triumphant the whole body or principal members When Predestination is to glory or to grace When obduration is actiue
by our selues or permissiue by God When Christian liberty is for liberty from sinne or misery frō the law of Moyses or Christ or from obedience to Princes or Prelates c. All which and many more are difficulties vsuall and controuerted in the scripture both of the old and new Testament This priuate spirit in euery man cannot explicate when the figure is not only in the words but in the matter when one thing is a figure of another as the paschall lambe of Christ the red sea of baptisme the māna of the Eucharist mount Sion of the Church or when one thing is a figure of many things as Ionas of Christ and the Iewes the rocke of the baptisme of the faithfull and the punishment of the vnfaithfull the flood of Noe of baptisme and of damnation When one and the same thing is a figure in one sense not in an other as the fornicating wife of Osee was of the Iewes as she sinned in fornication before mariage not as she liued chast after mariage This spirit cannot explicate in euery one many seeming contradictions as that the sonne shall not beare the iniquity of the father and that God doth visit the iniquity of the fathers vpon the Children to the third and fourth generation That the gifts of God are without repentance and God repented that he made Saul King That In the Arke was nothing els but two Tables of stone and In the arke were the pitcher of manna the rod of Aaron and the Tables That Do not answere a foole according to his folly and answer a foole according to his folly That i God made not death and life and death are of God That The disciples should take nothing in the way not a rodde and should take nothing in the way but a rodde That If I giue testimony of my selfe my testimony is not true and If I do giue testimony of my selfe my testimony is true That Mary came to the monument when it was yet darke and She came when the sunne was risen That A man is iustified by faith without works and A man is iustified by works and not by faith That t If I did please men I should not be the seruant of Christ and I please al men in all things That S. Pauls companions at his conuersion with many others did heare a voice and did not heare a voice All which with many more many very learned both ancient as S. Augustine and moderne as diuers Interpreters haue with great paines in great volumes laboured to reconcile This spirit cannot vnfould many bookes Chapters and places in scripture most difficult as the first Chapter of Genesis about the creation of the world the bookes of Kings Paralipomenon and the Acts of the Apostles about Genealogies and reignes of Kinges The Prophesy of Daniel about the seauenty weekes Of Ezechiel about the Temple Of S. Iohn in the Apocalips about the Angels the seales the trumpets the phyals the dragon the whore and the rest in which saith S. Hierome are as many misteries as words If one should aske this spirit in euery ordinary Protestant how it will explicate and reconcile Moyses who according to the Hebrew and vulgar edition omits Cainam betweene Arphaxad Sala and with him 130. yeares in the genealogy of Adam with S. Luke who folowing the greek of the Septuaginte doth adde Cainā How it will accord the Hebrew text which accounts but 292. yeares from Noe to Abraham with the Septuaginte who account 942. yeares adding more then the hebrew 100. yeares almost to euery generation or person How it will accord the hebrew text which from Adam to Noe reckons vp but 1656. yeares with the greeke of the Septuaginte which reckons vp 2242. yeares somtimes adding somtimes detracting from the former How it will make an agreement betwixt the history of Moyses in Genesis and the relation of S. Luke in the Acts. 1. in Abrahās departure out of Haram Moyses by computation affirming it to haue beene before the death of his Father Thare for Abraham was 75. years old when he departed and was borne in the 70. yeare of his Father Thare who liued 205. and so Abraham departed out of the Land when Thare his Father was 141. yeares old that is 60 yeares before he dyed and yet S. Steuen sayth he departed after Thare his fathers death 2. In the tyme of the Israelites mansion in Aegypt Moyses by computation affirming it to haue beene but 215. yeares which S. Paul confirms accounting from the promise to Abraham till the departure out of Aegypt but 430. years that is 215. before the entrāce and 215. after the entrance till their departure and yet S. Luke and S. Steuen affirme from the entrance till the departure to haue beene 400. 3. In the number of persons that entred into Aegypt with Iacob Moyses saying that they were but 66. or 70. and S. Steuen and S. Luke saying that they were 75. 4. About the buriall of Iacob in this 1. in the place Moyses saying it was in Hebron ouer against Mambre and S. Luke and S. Steuen saying it was in Sichē 2. In the seller of the field or sepulcher Moyses affirming Abraham to haue bought it of Ephrem the sonne of Seor and S. Luke and S. Steuen of the sonnes of Hemor Which Hemor sayth Moyses sold it to Iacob not Abraham and was according to Moyses the Father of Sichem not as S. Luke and S. Steuen say the sonne of Sichem 3. In the buyer of the same sepulcher Moyses affirming that Iacob S. Luke that Abraham bought it of them 4. In the price of the sayd sepulcher or field Moyses affirming Iacob to haue bought it for a 100. Lambes or to haue got it by the sword or bow from the Amorrhoites S. Luke and S. Steuen affirming him to haue bought it for siluer If one should aske how the bookes of the Kinges and Paralipomenon and the Acts can by this spirit be explicated and made agree 1. In the yeares of Saul who 1. Reg. 13.1 is sayd to haue beene a child of two yeares old when he began to raigne and to haue raigned two yeares and yet 1. Reg. 9.2 he is sayd before his raigne to haue been higher by the shoulders vpward then any in Israell and Act. 15.12 to haue reigned 40. yeares 2. About the computation of tyme from the diuision of the land vnder Iosue to Samuel which according to S. Luke and S. Paul in his speach in the Synagogue at Antioch Act. 13.20 according to the Greeke and Protestant edition are 450. yeares but according to the computation made by raigne of the Iudges are but 345. For 3. Reg. 6.1 the Temple was built 480. yeares after the departure out of Aegypt from which if there be deduced 50.
from the departure till the diuision of the land and also 40. of Samuel and Sauls raigne 40. of Dauids togeather with 4. of Salomons raigne which in all make 134. as they are collected out of Scripture there remaines from the departure out of Aegypt till the building of the Temple not 450. years as S. Luke relats but only 345. 3. About the raigne of Ioram King of Iuda and Ochozias his sonne after him for Ioram began to raigne when he was 32. years old raigned 8. years which for his whole life is 40. yet Ochozias his sonne who succeeded him is sayd to haue beene 42. yeares old when he began to raigne 2. Para. 22.2 by which he being 42. yeares old when his Father dyed being but 40. should be two years elder then his Father who begat him a question to S. Hierome inexplicable 4. About the raigne of Ioachim or Iechonias King of Iuda who is sayd 2. Paral. 36.9 to haue beene but eight yeares old and 4. Reg. 24.8 to haue beene eighteen years old both of them when he began to raigne 5. About Ioram King of Israel who is sayd to haue begun his raigne 4. Reg. 1.17 in the second yeare of Ioram King of Iuda and yet 4. Reg. 3.1 to haue begun the same in the eighteen yeare of Iosaphat who was Iorams Father and raigned 25. yeares 6. About the supputation of tyme as it is counted by the raigne of the Kings of Iuda and of Israel for from the beginning of the kingdome of Israel in the first of Roboam King of Iuda till the end of the same in the sixth of Ezechias when Samaria was taken are 260. yeares according to the raigne of the Kinges of Iuda and yet in the same tyme according to the raigne of the Kinges of Israel are only 240. yeares To all which if we adde the difficult places which according to S. Peter are in the Epistles of S. Paul as for example how are to be interpreted that of 1. Cor. 3.11 Gold siluer hay stubble the day of our Lord fire and to be saued by the fire That of 1. Cor. 15.29 How to be baptized for the dead That of Hebr. 6.4 It is impossible for those that fall to repent If we adde the difficult places which in the Euangelists are hard as for example in S. Marke who cites the Prophet Esay for Malachy In S. Matthew who cites Ieremy for Zachary In S. Luke who adds a generation of Cainam to the same cyted by Moyses and makes 40. Generations from Dauid to Christ where S. Matthew makes but 28. In S. Iohn who maks the day of Christs Passion the day before the festiuall day the rest of the Euangelists the day of the feast If we add the difficult places of which many holy and learned men of ancient time doubted sent for explication some to S. August as Marcellinus a Noble man and Martyr Volusianus gouernour of Rome and Paulinus Simplicianus Euodius and Honoratus all Bishops Some to S. Hierome as Marcella and Principia Suna and Fratella Hebidia and Algasia noble and religious women as Vitalis Dardanus Euagrius Damasus holy and learned Bishops And lastly if we adde all those places which all ancient and moderne Heretikes haue in so many articles of fayth abused and corrupted for the establishing of their new inuented heresies If I say we adde all these to the former it will by them appeare that the priuate spirit in euery man can be neither a competent nor yet a sufficient meanes to expound and interprete the true certaine sense of Scripture neither in places difficult to be vnderstood nor in points necessary to be belieued And this is the first kind of reason drawne from the nature of scripture against the priuate spirits interpretation of it SVBDIV. 2. By reasons drawne from the priuate spirit which should expound Scripture SEcondly other reasons are drawne from the nature and condition of the priuate spirit which whether it be in a priuate person who wants lawfull ordination and authority or in publike Doctour Pastour or Bishop who diuided by heresy or schisme doth not conforme his spirit to the comon spirit of Gods Church and generall rule of Fayth yet that it cannot be a competent Iudge of fayth and decider of controuersies is proued by these reasons First because this priuate spirit is excluded as vnable and vnfit to interprete the scripture and that by scripture it selfe for S. Peter hauing commended the propheticall word or the wordes of Scripture made by the Prophets as being a candle shining in a darke place doth giue this Caueat as principally to be vnderstood that the sense of it is not to be made by any priuate interpretation that is though the scripture be a light yet as it is a light not to Gentils Iewes or Infidels who vnderstand it not so it is not a light to Heretikes who by the priuate spirit make a priuate interpretatiō of it why Because by mans will Prophesy was not at any tyme brought but the holy men of God spake inspired by the holy Ghost that is as the holy men of God the Apostles inspired by the holy Ghost spake and dictated the word of God when it was made so the interpreters of the same word ought not to bring in any exposition of the same word of God vpon their owne will and sense but vpon the inspiration of the same holy Ghost when by them it is interpreted so that we should receaue the sense of scripture from the same spirit from which we receaued the text of Scripture As therefore no priuate spirit but one and the same spirit of the Prophets and Apostles of Christ made the scripture so no priuate spirit but the common spirit of Pastours and Prelates of Christs Church should determine and iudge of the sense of Scripture Of which place and others see more in the first Chapter Secondly because as truth and faith is not priuate to one nor singular in any but common to all and generally receaued by all the faithfull for so saith S. Augustine Thy truth O Lord is neither myne nor this mans or that mans but all mens whom thou callest publickly to the Communion of it terribly admonishing vs not to haue it priuate least we be depriued of it for whosoeuer will challenge that as proper to himselfe which is giuen as common to all and will haue that only to himselfe which is for all men that man is driuen from the common to his owne that is from truth to falshood so also the spirit of truth is not priuate to any one but common to all the faithfull for if the spirit of the teacher be not common with the spirit of all teachers it is not a spirit as it ought to be which is one keeping an vnity of spirit in the bond of peace making mē of one mind in one spirit labouring together
oecumenicall Councels all of impartiall and authenticall authority which they do not And by this Catholiques are more secure of the true sense of scripture then they haue their faith better grounded vpon the scripture then they and haue their spirit better warranted by God more secured that it is from God and surer combined with the spirit of the auncient Catholicke and Apostolicke Church with the spirit of the holy and learned Doctours and Saintes of God with the spirit of the generall and receiued Councels of Gods Church none of which they haue And by this we haue our beliefe grounded vpon a certaine infallible authenticall sense of scripture which they haue not And thus much of this priuate spirit that it cannot be a fit and certaine Rule or meanes truly and infallibly to interprete the holy scripture THE PRIVATE SPIRITS AVTHORITY To iudge Controuersies of Fayth confuted by Reasons drawne from the nature of a Iudge of Fayth CHAP. VI. The properties of a Iudge of Fayth SECT I. THOVGH the Iudge of the sense of Scripture and of controuersies of faith be all one and therfore that which hath beene spoken of the one might also suffice for the other yet because faith extends it selfe larger then the scripture because the true Iudge of faith from the false may be the more clearly discerned the functiōs of this priuate spirit may be also more plainly confuted therfore I adde in this Chaprer these reasons drawne from the office of a Iudge of Controuersies to shew the insufficiency of this spirit to be a iudge of thē In which we may note for this iudiciary power and authority 1. What it is and what properties and conditions it requires 2. In whome it is and who are to exercise this authority 3. How it is to be ordered and what rules are to be followed in the exercise of it which being distinctly and fully considered the inability and insufficiency of this spirit to make a Iudge of faith will more clearly appeare First therfore we may note that as in a temporall Common-wealth where contentions arise offences are committed and tittles are questionable that besides the lawes established there are necessary also Iudges to determine causes to decide titles and to punish offences so also in the spirituall Common-wealth of the Church where controuersies are of a higher nature questions no fewer in number and the offences more grieuous in quality some personall Iudge or iudges are no lesse yea more necessary to discerne verity in all doubts to establish vnity in all contentions and to punish obstinacy in persons who offend Some Iudge therfore is necessary as well in spirituall causes as in temporall as well for matters of doctrine as of iustice and as well in pointes of faith as of manners This Iudge because all faithfull belieuers are obliged to belieue and obey his sentence as true and iust though not in consequences appendixes of faith yet in materiall and substantiall foundatitions of faith though not in schoole questions pulpit conceites which infringe not the solidity of faith yet in maine articles and principall mysteries of faith vpon which is cōposed a complet edifice of true religion though not in probations and allegations for the proofe of pointes of faith yet in the determinations and conclusions of the points or articles themselues though not in case when is intended only to confirme the weake to satisfy the curious or to confound the proud yet in case when is intended to condemne any doctrine as heresy vnder anathema and to declare and define expresly for the common and publicke good of the whole Church any verity of doctrine formerly by the practise of the Church receaued or by the assent of the faithfull at the least virtually belieued Because I say all faithfull are obliged to belieue and obey this Iudge and his sentence in pointes and articles substantiall defined and concluded by sentence definitiue against heresy for the good of the whole Church therfore it is necessary that this Iudge vpon whome depends the verity of beliefe and the saluation or damnation of so many who by a true or false faith are saued or damned haue these properties or conditions in him in his authority 1. That he be visible and manifest in person so that he may know and be knowne heare and be heard speake and be spoken vnto and therby haue a publicke Court giue publick audience examine publicke causes pronounce publicke sentence betweene parties who contend and in contentions which are debated 2. That he haue power and authority warrant and commission to giue Iudgment pronounce sentence and to compell parties to obedience and performance 3. That he haue warrant of infallibility in this his sentence that he cannot erre or determine errour deceaue or be deceaued in this his verdit corrupt or be corrupted by partiality in his iudgment All which are as it were essentially necessary for this iudge for if he be not publicke knowne in person others cannot haue accesse to him nor he vnderstand the causes of others if he be not certaine and infallible in his sentence he cannot determine matters of certainty nor can others be secured by him if he want authority and power to oblige and compell he cannot end the controuersy and establish peace and vnity in the Church which is the end of his iudgment Further because this Iudge is to haue this infallible authority and that all are obliged to rely vpon him and his iudgment that he may the more securly proceed in his iudgment and others more confidently rely vpon it therfore he must haue some Rule likwise infallible and certaine by which he may be directed in his iudgment and some solid foundation vpon which he may build his definitiue sentence This rule or foundation because it is to be a rule ground of iudgment and that for persons in number so infinit and for causes in substance so important therfore it can require no lesse then these and such like properties for the solidity of it and the security of iudgment by it In respect of it selfe 1. That it be so certaine infallible that it can neither deceaue or be deceaued 2. That it be so continued and not interrupted that it cannot decay or perish 3. That it be so firme and immutable that it cannot be changed or corrupted In respect of the persons whom it is to direct 4. That it be so knowne and visible that it may be discerned by all sortes who haue need of it 5. So markable notable that it may be a signe distinctiue to distinguish true from false beleeuers 6. So necessary and important that without it no certainty can be had 7. So vniuersal general that it may satisfy all sortes of people Iewes or Infidels Heretikes or Catholikes yong or old vnlearned or learned In respect of the matter or mysteries which are to be determined 8. That it be so fundamentall that
continuance and duration for as it is a priuate spirit in euery one and can continue no longer then the person in whome it is and with whome it begins and ends liues and dyes so it hath no promise of Scripture to endure from age to age from generation to generation from Saboth to Saboth as long as the Sunne and Moone shall endure till the end of the world to the seed and seeds seed for all generations All which are yet promised to holy Church and the spirit of God in it Thirdly it wants immutability and freedome from alteration or change for as we see it changes in euery place tyme and person yea as often as the Moone breeding as S. Hilary sayd of the Arians a monthly yearly fayth and as one of them confesses What to day they hould you know but what to morrow neither you nor they can know in what head of religion do they agree who oppugne the Bishop of Rome if you examine all from the head to the foot you shall almost find nothing affirmed by one which another will not auerre to be wicked the Deuines do dayly differ from themselues coyning a monthly fayth Thus it changes in all doctrines and in opinions of Scripture some affirming this part to be scripture which others deny some inuenting one sense and others a contrary and it so alters from sect to sect from heresy to heresy from Catholike to Lutheran from this to Caluinisme from that to Anabaptisme from thence to Arianisme and so on to Iudaisme Turcisme and Atheisme And as this alteration de facto workes in Protestants so also it hath no promise of constancy that it is a Rocke a pillar a foundation as the Sunne before God as sure as the day and the night that it hath an euerlasting couenant which shall stand for euer and for an eternall glory and not be giuen ouer All which is yet promised to the Church and the spirit of God in it Fourthly it wants Visibility and publike manifestation to vs not only that it is the spirit of God of which before but much more in whom it remaines for as that which is in one cannot manifest it selfe to another so others cannot manifestly know that it is in any one Aske for example the Lutherans who follow Luther and his spirit the Caluinists who follow Caluin and his spirit the Anabaptistes who follow Rotman and his spirit the Aâ—ians who follow Seruetus and his spirit the Libertines who follow Quintinus and his spirit or any Precisian who follow a precise preacher and his spirit how they know that Luther doth enioy this spirit more then Caluin or Caluin more then Rotman or Rotman more then Seruetus or Seruetus more then Quintinus or any one of them more then the Pope and Catholike Church vnder him They can giue no reason more for one then for another shew no cause why they follow one spirit more then another or why they should be persuaded confirmed directed to the fayth of any one more then another This spirit therefore hath not the conspicuity and visibility of being as a tabernacle in the Sunne the Sunne in my light a candle vpon a candlesticke or seauen candlestickes in the Temple a citty vpon a hill a mountaine in the top of mountaines eleuated aboue the little hills that it may be seene and knowne of all the world All which yet are agreable to the Catholike Church and the spirit of God in it Fifthly this spirit wants combination or connexion by which it may combine all faithfull in one bond of Vnity and Concord and so distinguish a true Church from a false a right belieuing Catholike from a deceitfull heretike and a right way to heauen from an erroneous path to perdition It is priuate and particuler in euery man diuerse and contrary in most men It did suggest of old one beliefe for example in Sabellius another in Marcion another in Nestorius another in Apollinaris and Eutiches and it hath suggested of late one in Luther another in Zuinglius a third in Caluin a fourth in Munzer a fifth in Seruetus and aboue 220. in this last age in so many new Maisters and founders of new sects all whose hartes are diuided and like the Aegyptians run togeather against the Aegyptians and by diuision make the kingdome of Christ desolate And yet all of them call this their spirit of the Lord all build their beliefe vpon it all are directed by it in their contrary doctrine and beliefe Aske any one or all of them how they are instructed who they follow by what they are directed all answere by this spirit all appeale to this priuate spirit and yet all want that spirit which keepeth vnity of the spirit in the body of peace which should continue them in one minde in one agreement and iudgement in one hart and soule in one way and path and make them all one as Christ was one in his Father Which spirit notwithstanding resides and dwels in the Catholike Church Sixthly this spirit wants Vniuersality as vnable to resolue all doubts and questions which arise either about Scripture in the obscurity profundity and multiplicity of senses or in the seeming contradictions figuratiue locutions and seuerall interpretations of the wordes the various Texts and reading the many dissonanceâ— of yeares in numbring the different translation of words from the originall or which arise about the mysteries belieued as the vnity of the God-head the Trinity of persons in the Blessed Trinity the person the natures the wills the body the soule of Christ the nature of grace free-will sinne iustification sacraments Church prayer to Saints for the dead Purgatory and thousands such like which this spirit could neuer decide and end either in tymes ancient or of late but with contention it begunne all these differences in contention it proceeded in them and neuer ceased till by contention it consumed it selfe and ended them It cannot sufficiently conuince any one either Pagan or Infidell either Turke or Iew either Heretike or obstinate Person that they are in errour and haue not the spirit of God as well as true Christians It cannot conuert reduce or confirme any to the verity of true fayth who is either ignorant of Fayth or staggering in his fayth or obstinate against faith It can giue no probable reasons of persuasion propose no credible testimonies of inducement deliuer no conuincing arguments of certainty of fayth and doctrine and in effect can shew no grounds sufficient in prudence to persuade any iudicious man to accept as credible the religion of ChristiaÌ„s more then of Iewes Turkes or Pagans therefore it cannot extend it selfe to all Nations enlarge the place of his Tents stretch out the skins of his Tabernacles increase the sea with knowledge sucke the milke of Gentils and be nursed with the
Tette of Kings it cannot conuert the multitude of Iles bring in the riches of the Gentills preach pennance and remission of sinnes from Hierusalem to the vttermost of the earth from North to South from Sabaoth to Sabaoth from the ends of the earth All which yet as they were promised to holy Church so are they performed in it and by the spirit of God in it Seauenthly this spirit wanteth all warrant and Commission from God either expressed in holy Scripture or mentioned in the Creed of the Apostles or deliuered by any Tradition or defined by any Councell or contained in any rule of Fayth or deduced out of any principle of Religion or confirmed by any practise of antiquity that all men must rely on it be ruled by it and be obedient to it for the certainty of their Fayth and Religion we find no preheminence or prerogatiue attributed to it that it is either the Kingdome the Citty the Inheritance the House the Temple the Spouse or the body of Christ which yet the Church of God by his spirit in it hath We read of no authority it hath either to bind or loose sinnes or to offer sacrifice or to minister Sacraments or to instruct in all Truth to teach all Nations or to punish offenders with the Rodde of correction of censure of excommunication giuing vp to Sathan which yet the Church of God by his spirit hath We haue no expresse warrant or commaund to do what it shall say to vs do to heare and obey it as Christ himselfe and that vnder paine of despising Christ of being an Ethnicke and Publican and of damnation All which yet we haue of the Church of Christ and of the spirit of God dwelling in it and directing it All which properties and conditions since they ought to be in a rule iudge of faith as is before shewed and are all and euery one wanting in this Protestant priuate spirit as is heere manifest it remaines euident that for these reasons it cannot be a sufficient or competent Iudge of all controuersies of Fayth and Religion THE PROTESTANT PRIVATE SPIRITS AVTHORITY To iudge of Controuersies of Fayth confuted by Reasons drawne from the nature and certainty of Fayth CHAP. VII The properties of Fayth with the priuate Spirits manner of proceeding SECT I. THIS priuate spirits authority to expound Scripture and to resolue questions of Fayth we haue confuted by reasons drawne from the nature of an infallible both Interpreter of Scripture and Iudge of fayth It remaines that we coÌ„fute the same by reasons drawne froÌ„ the nature and infallible certainty of Fayth of which this spirit is assigned by the ProtestaÌ„ts to be a principall if not a sole and whole meanes or instrument to cause it For which we may note that the Protestants doe 1. ground their saluation vpon only fayth which say they doth only iustify 2. They ground this their fayth vpon only Scripture which according to theÌ„ containes al things necessary to be belieued 3. They ground this their Scripture and the sense of it only vpon the priuate spirit by which alone excluding all authority of Tradition Church-Councells or Fathers they expound the Scripture so that the priuate spirit is to them the principall or sole ground of their sense of Scripture their Scripture-sense the principal or sole ground of their fayth this their fayth the principal or sole ground of their saluation What certainty therefore they haue of Scripture Fayth or Saluation dependes vpon the certainty they haue of this their spirit which if it faile and proue not to be true and of God but deceitfull and of Sathan then failes with it the truth of their sense of Scripture the truth of their Fayth and Religion and the truth of their hope or certainty of saluation Whereupon it followes 1. That they can haue no more certainty of their fayth and saluation then they haue of this their spirit which is the ground of their fayth and saluation 2. That what conditions or properties are required to certainty of Fayth the same are required in this spirit which is to them the prime mayne in effect the sole meanes or grounds of faith 3. That if we demonstrate that the properties and conditions which are necessary to fayth are wanting in this priuate spirit then we conuince that this priuate spirit cannot be either a sufficient ground wheron to build faith or a competent Iudge wherby to determine controuersies of Fayth Which being supposed let vs examine these properties of faith what and how many they be and applying them to the priuat spirit shew that they are all euery one wanting in it 1. Therfore this diuine and supernaturall faith as it is necessary to saluation for according to S. Paul Without faith it is impossible to please God And according to S. Augustine It is certaine that none can come to true happinesse except he please God and hat none can please God but by faith for faith is the foundation of all good things faith is the beginning of mans saluation without faith none can come to the fellowship of the children of God because without it neither in this world doth any man obtaine the grace of iustification nether in the next shal he possesse eternall life so also it must necessarily haue these properties or conditions that is it must be one certaine entire and Catholike faith manifested by diuine reuelation diâ—ulged by Apostolicall mission and preaching confirmed by miraculous operations and made credible by conuincing testimonies of credibility All which as they are peculiar to true faith either connexed to it or concurring with it so are they all wanting to this priuate spirit and haue no affinity or similitude with it as in particuler shal be shewed The priuate spirit cannot be a meane of vnity in Fayth SECT II. THEREFORE Fayth is one witnes S. Paul One Lord one Baptisme one Fayth witnes S. Leo Except it be one it is not Fayth Witnes Irenaeus All belieuing in one and like manner all points all teaching deliuering in one and the same manner all thinges and all hauing one soule and one hart which though it differ in language yet is the same in tradition One I say in all persons both in the materiall obiect because the same articles of Fayth are belieued by all and also in the formall obiect because for the same motiue and in the same manner they are belieued by all in all places tymes Which one fayth as one soule in many partes of the body doth make one Church in all the partes of the world But that this priuate spirit neither is nor can be one in all who claime and challeng it as neither inclining and mouing them all to belieue either one and the same thing or in one and the same manner or for one and
miserable That it cannot be meanes of the integrity and perfection of Faith SECT IIII. THIRDLY Faith as it is one and certaine so it must be entire and Catholicke that is the doctrine of it must both in all points be wholy and entirely belieued also by all persons be vniuersally and Catholikly professed It must be in all and euery point completely belieued because euery point by God reuealed and by the Church proposed to vs is of equall verity certainty and necessity of beliefe Therefore as the keeping of all the Commandmēts doth oblige all and the breaking of any one is a transgression of the Law so the belieuing of all articles of faith either actually and expresly as the learned doe or virtually and implicite as the vnlearned do who expresly belieuing the principall and most necessary to be expresly knowne do in not doubting or oppugning the rest virtually belieue al the rest in that they belieue them as the Church doth teach them doth in like manner oblige all and the voluntary doubting or misbelieuing of any one is an heresy against fayth and doth violate the integrity which should be in Fayth of which the fundamentall reason is because all articles of fayth are belieued for one and the same infallible motiue and reason that is for the reuelation of God made knowne by infallible proposition of the Church of which whosoeuer denies the authority in one point infringes the infallibility of the same in all points for if the reuelation of God or proposition of Church may faile in one it may faile in all so can giue no certainty of any Out of which followes that an Heretikes who obstinatly misbelieues one article reuealed and proposed is intensiuè no lesse an Infidell that is as destitute of any diuine fayth as is ◠Pagan who belieues not any one Christian article at all because what he belieues in any he belieues not vpon a right true and solid motiue of beliefe that is the reuelation of God and proposition by Church which if he did he would for the same belieue also the rest It must likewise be Catholikly and vniuersally belieued that is what was by the first faythfull the Apostles others in the first ages belieued must also be by the succeeding faythfull in the next ages likewise belieued and what is in most places and Countryes and hath been by the most faythfull in most Countryes generally belieued the same must also by others likewise faythfull in other Countryes be generally belieued By which Catholik beliefe of the same doctrine in all or the most places persons and tymes is made one Catholike Church among all persons in all places and all tymes But that this Protestant priuate spirit cannot produce any such one and the same fayth either entire and whole in euery point or Catholicke and generall in all persons places and tymes that it cannot incline all persons in all tymes and places to belieue all points of one entire Catholike fayth is proued First because it is neither one in all persons neither hath any lincke or combination of any vnity to combine in one all persons as neither proposing to all persons all articles of fayth by one the same motiue nor combining all persons dispersed in tyme and place in one lincke of one Fayth for it is singular seuerall priuate and proper in euery one without any subordination or connexion among any as is apparent by the former instāces of Luther Zuinglius Caluin Rotman Osiander Illyricus Quintinus Seruetus Blandrata and others who all as so many ruptures out of one Riuer hauing broke the bankes of Catholike vnity did at seuerall tymes and places diuide themselues into seuerall currents of opposition and runne al a course contrary one to another without meanes or hope of euer meeting or reuniting againe Secondly because it is a spirit of separation diuision and disunion in that whomesoeuer it possesses it doth separate them as disioynted members from the vnion of Gods holy Church the spouse and body of Christ and doth diuide and cut them into seuerall peeces and mammocks of sects schismes and heresyes For as euery one receaues a new part or portion of this new spirit he chooses to himselfe a new opinion of doctrine labours to erect and set vp a new Conuenticle of new belieuers and makes himselfe the head or follower of a new sect or heresy and so all sect-maisters or Heretikes who in all ages from Christ downewardes haue separated themselues from his Church and erected a new fayth and Synagogue haue had their origen and beginning from this spirit haue made their progresse and proceeding by this spirit and haue ended themselues and their dolefull and desperate presumption in the obstinacy of this spirit In all which the scope and marke they aymed at was thereby to free themselues from all order and subiection thereby to arrogate to themselues all authority and dominion thereby to exercise what liberty they best affected and to belieue and teach what doctrine they most fancied and best fitted their conceit humour Thirdly because this spirit is inuisible insensible inperceptible and vnable to be knowne or vnderstood as they graunt by others or any saue only they who imagine they are possessed with it And as it is inuisible and vnknowne so it is composed of an inuisible and vnknowne company meeting in inuisible and vnknowne congregations ministring inuisible and vnknowne Sacraments making an inuisible and vnknowne Church consisting of inuisible and vnknowne both Pastors who preached and people who heard the doctrine of it for many ages togeather of which they can assigne neither tyme when nor place where nor people who were taught by them can produce no acts or monuments no recordes or registers either of people who belieued professed this their faith or of Princes who did honour and defend it or of persecutours who did oppose and persecute it or of any men women or children who were baptized and liued or dyed in it They can nominate no Citty or Country no Priest or Prelate no Prince or Potentate no Confessour or Martyr who belieued professed honoured and defended in paper or pulpit by word or sword the fayth of this spirit and why Because the directour is a spirit inuisible which compasseth a Church of persons insensible who preach a doctrine incredible and performe actions not memorable All which is nothing els but an inuinsible argument of an impossible fiction inuented in the idle braines of braine-sicke spirits to disguise the nouelty of a new new deuised Religion And this is all the integrity or vniuersality of Fayth that this priuate spirit can effect or affoard That it cannot be a meanes of Fayth which is got by hearing SECT V. FOVRTLY This Faith which is thus one and certaine thus entire and Catholicke is also ordinarily by one and the same way and meanes imparted vnto vs that is by Hearing this hearing proceeds from Preaching
of one point with another The first ground of all they make Gods free and irrespectiue election or predestination of some to his grace and saluation his like reiection condemnation of others to damnation 2. To these elect and only to them God giues true fayth and certaine assurance of their saluation 3. To these faythfull only to them he giues the infallible assistance of this his priuate spirit 4. To this spirit and only to it he giues the true and certaine vnderstanding of the holy Scipture the sense of it So that 1. Election 2. Fayth 3. The spirit 4. Vnderstanding of Scripture is as a chaine of many lincks whereof all are so connected euery one with another as he that hath one hath all and he that wantes one wantes all For say they the vnderstanding of scripture is giuen only to them and to all them who haue the spirit the spirit is giuen only to them and to all them who haue fayth Fayth is giuen only to them and to all them who are elect and so all and only the elect are faithfull all and only the faithfull haue the spirit all and only they that haue the spirit vnderstand Scripture And so à primo ad vltimum all ōly the elect must haue true fayth spirit and vnderstanding of Scripture In which election is the mother and foundation the vnderstāding of Scripture the fruit top of al their perfection This is the connexion of their doctrine concerning their faith and saluation Now as cōcerning the knowledge infallible assurance of all these which according to their groundes euery one of them must haue of himselfe to wit that he is elect faithfull and hath the true spirit of God the right vnderstanding of scripture As concerning I say the assurance of all these and the meanes of this assurance whereupon depends their saluation if any shall demand of them whereupon they ground this their certainty and assurance of all these that is their election fayth spirit scripture-sense which are inseparable and infallibly according to them ensuing one vpon another it will appeare by their answere that they haue no groundes at all but that they runne in a round and Circle rowling and wheeling from one ground or principle to another and from that to the former backe againe without any firme or setled groūd and resolution whereon to stay themselues and their fayth whereupon they skip forward and backward from one to another that is from the scripture to the spirit and from the spirit to the scripture againe from the spirit to fayth from faith to the spirit againe from faith to election and from election to fayth againe and so from election to scripture againe and from scripture to election backe againe For aske a Protestant how and by what meanes he vnderstands the Scripture He answers by the spirit And aske him how and by what meanes he knowes that he hath the true spirit He answers by Scripture And so knowes the scripture by the spirit and the spirit by scripture Againe aske him how and by what meanes he is assured of his faith He answers by his spirit and scripture but how is he sure of his spirit and scripture by his fayth backe againe Further aske him how and by what meanes he is assured of his election He answers by his fayth his spirit or the scripture and yet his election is the ground of his fayth spirit and vnderstanding of scripture So that 1. The scripture proues the spirit and the spirit the scripture 2. The spirit proues his fayth and his fayth the spirit 3. His faith proues his election and his election is the ground of his fayth with it of his spirit and knowledge of scripture also So that as many linckes as are in their chaine so many Circles and circular proofes are made by them and all in vaine and to no purpose at all as shall be shewed And first of their first circular proofe betweene the scripture and the spirit it shal be plainely proued that they fall directly and headlong into Aristotles proper and so much condemned Circle prouing the scripture by the spirit and the spirit by the scripture againe in one and the same kind of cause to one and the same person and by one sole and whole manner of proofe In all which we haue before cleared our selues and our doctrine from the obiected Circle against vs. For which we may obserue two principles of Protestant doctrine the one that the scripture only is the rule and meanes to come to the knowledge of the certainty of all thinges to be belieued wherupon they reiect all Tradition vnwritten word of God and rely only vpon the written word for the sole and complete rule of fayth The other that this written word is to be interpreted and vnderstood only by the spirit of the Lord which as it is particuler and priuate in euery man so euery man must be directed by his priuate spirit in the vnderstanding and interpreting of the scripture and in the collecting out of it what he is to belieue wherupō they reiect all authority of Church Councels or Fathers and make only the priuate spirit the Rule and Iudge of interpreting scripture as in the first part is at large proued Which being supposed it will euidently appeare how the Protestants runne this Circle betweene this priuate spirit and scripture For aske a Protestant how he knowes infallibly which is scripture and which is true sense of it He answeres by the internal testimony of the priuate spirit assuring him it is so Aske him how he infallibly knowes this his internall testimony of his spirit is the testimony of the holy Ghost He answers by the scripture assuring him it is so for my sheep heare my voice Aske him againe how he knowes infallibly this is scripture and this the true meaning of this scripture He runnes backe to the testimony of his spirit And againe how he knowes that this his testimony of his spirit is the spirit of God He returnes to the scripture againe Thus he wheeles in a round betweene scripture and spirit prouing the scripture by the spirit and the spirit by the scripture an vnknowne spirit by an vnknowne scripture and an vnknowne scripture by an vnknowne spirit one vnknowne by another as vnknowne And if Aristotle did hould it an absurd demonstration proof to proue the Conclusion by the premises and the premises againe by the conclusion in the same manner of proofe which was as he reasons as much as to proue A by B and againe B by A. which is either idem per seipsum or ignotum per aequè ig notum And if S. Augustine did count it absurd for the Manichees to proue their Fundamental Epistle to be Canonicall because Manes held it to be so and Manes to be a Prophet or Apostle because his Fundamētall Epistle did affirme him to be so wherein he
election and election must be first knowne before scripture both first knowne and both meanes to know first ech other If both be first which shal be last If both go before which shall follow after Let any ProtestaÌ„t by his spirit vnfold this ridle solue the argument so leaue leape out of the Circle And thus much of the third Circle and circular manner of proceeding betweene election and scripture SVBDIV. 4. The Circle betweene the Spirit of euery man and a generall Councell FOVRTHLY one Circle more which I obserued out of Caluin in his Commentaries vpon S. Iohn vpon these wordes Try spirits I cannot omit because it is notorious and important as being betweene spirit and spirit that is betweene the spirit of euery priuate person and the spirit of a generall Councell and with it I will close vp this Chapter of circular absurdities Caluin in the foresaid place affirmes 1. though against himselfe and his owne fellow Sectaries That many false Doctours do belye and counterfeit the title of the spirit That Mad men ryse vp who rashly brag that they are endewed with the spirit That They are fooles who amazed at the empty sound of an honourable title of the spirit dare not inquire after the matter it selfe That Many boast of the spirit yet do come in their owne priuate name and do speake out of their owne proper sense and meaning All which is true but proper to the Protestants 2. He sayth Because of these so many false and counterfeit spirits he enquires how we shal proue and try these spirits To which he answers that they who assigne the word of God as the meane and rule to discerne these spirits Neque nihil neque totum dicunt say somewhat but not all For except sayth he we haue the spirit of prudence it will little or nothing auaile to haue the VVord on our fingers end whose interpretation or sense is not certaine to vs. Therefore according to Caluin the scripture alone is not the complete rule or meanes to try spirits What then 3. Therefore he sayth Euery priuate man hath power and freedome to iudge of spirits that is euery faythfull The faythfull therefore by their priuate spirit shall try and iudge of spirits But heere he obiects if so then there will be no certainty of fayth but all Religion will perish because there are so many mad spirits which brag of themselues that they are the spirit of God that Quot capita tot sensus how many men so many opinions What then must be the remedy 4. Therefore he admits that the publike iudgment of the Church and the determination of an holy Councell is necessary to suppresse mad spirits and to settle vnity This is well for so haue CouÌ„cells some authority but how farre shall al men and their priuate spirits be obliged to rely themselues and rest their iudgment vpon this determination of the Councell Shall there be a pause and rest of triall and all spirit heere rest and be silent No surely that he will not admâ—t Wherefore 5. he addes and concludes in which he ouerthrows all that God will not haue vs tyed to the decrees of euery Councell though holy and pious because sayth he it may be they did not call rightly vpon God it is certaine that they for the most haue erred What then Heere must be an examen of the Councell that the spirit of it may be tryed The Councell therefore which was made iudge must againe be iudged but by whom By euery faythfull man who by his priuate spirit hath as before power and liberty to try all spirits euen of Councels and to call as he sayth in another place in question all spirits of all Prelates Bishops and Councels to the rule of gods word Loe heere his circular vaine deluding manner of proceeding There are many mad and bragging spirits it is true These spirits must be tried it is true The Councell is the fittest and surest meanes to try them it is true But what Shall this Councell which hath power to try iudge of these spirits be againe tryed and iudged by euery one of these spirits which will as all will Iudge it selfe the spirit of Prudence According to Caluin it must Then which what is more fond or friuolous What more circular and endlesse That which tryes shall by the same be tried againe He that did iudge shall by him whome he iudges be iudged againe The Councell shall try and iudge euery priuate spirit and euery spirit shall try and iudge againe the Councell And why Because forsooth it may be doubted whether the Councell did rightly call vpon God As though forsooth the same may not as well and much more be doubted of these priuate spirits Among which are so many mad foolish and bragging spirits which need a tryall and that by a Councell as is grauÌ„ted Surely if this be admitted then are tryalls endlesse and circles will runne on forward backward in infinitum The Councell shall iudge the spirit and the spirit shall iudge the Councell againe and the Councell it againe and so againe and againe without end one shall iudge and re-iudge another If this be not a Circle what is If this be not a worke endlesse and infinite what can bee If this be not a meere illusion and deluding of man and a ground groundlesse a question endlesse a Circle infinite a proceeding vaine and senselesse in which yet the Protestants proceed in their grounds of Fayth I will refer it to the iudgement of the indifferent reader and so conclude that the ProtestaÌ„ts run in a round of Circles prouing one thing by another and this other by the same and that in the first grounds principles of their Fayth and saluation THE PRIVATE SPIRITS AVTHORITY To iudge of Controuersies of Fayth confuted by Doctrinall absurdities following vpon it against Fayth CHAP. IX Idolatry and Heresy compared and of foure heads and origens of all late heresies proceeding of the priuate Spirit SECT I. IN the last Chapter we haue shewed the Circular absurdities which do follow vpon this priuate Spirit in the proofe of Protestants groundes of their Fayth and saluation In this we are to proceed to the Doctrinall absurdityes which follow vpon the same against all faith piety and reason Wherein first we will lay downe the principall points of the Protestant fayth and the consequences ensuing vpon it and afterwardes we will shew what absurdityes do follow first in generall out of the same heades and doctrine next what in particuler do follow 1. Against the articles of the Creed and all fayth 2. Against the petitions of the Pater noster and all hope and prayers 3. Against the ten Commandements all morall vertue good life And lastly by comparing the Catholicke and Protestant doctrine togeather we wil shew how the one doth giue all honour and glory to God to Christ to his Saints his Church his Sacraments his law
of Christs Church it begat in the braine of Manes Marcion Sabellius Arius Macedonius Nestorius Eutiches and others the wicked errours against the B. Trinity of one God three Persons in the Deity against the sacred IncarnatioÌ„ of one person and two natures in the person of our B. Sauiour Christ by which as by so many bastardes of impiety such an infinit brood of heresyes haue since that tyme beene ingeÌ„dred in the Christian world that the increase of theÌ„ hath filled or rather defiled a great part of the East Church both in Asia Africke and left behind them the stincke of no fewer then 300. rotten heresies and hereticall opinions So also in this last age of Christ it begat in the braines of an Apostata Frier Martin Luther which it coupled with a like Apostata Nunne and of other Apostataes Bucer Martyr Bale Knox c. whome it wiâ—ed in like incestuous bed of double Apostacy and of all sort of impurity such a number of brats or rather vipers of hereticall opinions and errours as neither the number of them can be recounted of which some haue found out 300. and more nor can the mischiefe of dissention and cruelty be conceaued with which they haue pestered the most florishing Kingdomes of Europe and brought in an horrible confusion and desolation in place of former piety and religion In which we may obserue that as Idolatry made Chaos or confusion the mother of all so hath Heresy made the priuate spirit which is nothing but a Chaos or confused conceit which euery one hath of his owne opinion the mother and conceauer of all hereticall opinions As Idolatry diuised that out of Planeta the Man-woman or fruit of Chaos issued HeaueÌ„ and Earth and of them so many Gods Goddesses so hath Heresy caused that out of the commixtion of a Friars and Nuns concupiscence such a number of hereticall opinions and wicked practises should receaue their origen and progresse As the Pagans made Iupiter a man of life most wicked and exercised in all practise of cruelty and incestuous carnality a God and the chiefest among the Gods so do the Protestants canonize Luther a man of a most carnall proud and enuious both disposition course of life as an Apostle an Euangelist a Prophet and a man of God As Saturne the false God by Idolatry was made the Father of many Gods chiefly of three Iupiter Neptune and Pluto who also begat many petty Gods and filled the world with many innumerable false Gods whereby adoration was giuen euen first to men then to the basest and meanest creatures so Luther the false Apostle and Prophet by the instigation of his priuate spirit did beget and deuise foure most monstruous imps of hereticall doctrine and impiety out of which as so many vipers such a number of erroneous and wicked opinions haue flowed that the light of true fayth and Religion hath beene obscured and the beauty and splendor thereof hath beene attributed to most false errours fond heresyes And thus hath Heresy succeeded and imitated her elder sister Idolatry Now these foure heades or principall heresies which the priuate spirit the eldest daughter of Heresy did beget in Luther and his followers braines and out of which as sequels issued such a number of falsities and heresies are these The first is that the Church and Bishop of Rome is fallen from being the spouse of Christ to be the very Antichrist himselfe as wholy opposite to Christ and corrupted with all abominable errours of idolatry and superstition out of which haue issued these and such like brats of heresy that therefore the visible and knowne Church was latent inuisible and not extant for many ages and that true fayth and doctrine was banished from the same visible Church which was only the Roman Church and that for many ages some of them say six some ten some twelue some fourteen ages euen since the Apostles tyme all which tyme truth lay smothered ouerwhelmed and buried in the dregges of Antichristian errour superstition and idolatry That all the Councels Prouinciall or Generall were the assemblies of Antichrist All the Fathers and Doctours were deceaued and subiected to Antichrist All the Christian people Princes or Prelates liued in the externall obedience of Antichrist That no lawfull mission or vocation no right ordination or consecration no continuall succession or deriuation of Pastours was for all this tyme to be found in the Church That no preaching of the word of God no administration of Sacraments no offering of sacrifice no saying of seruice no discipline of Church orders and gouernment was holy and lawfull for so many ages till God extraordinarily raysed vp Martin Luther and by his spirit reformed all Whereupon since that tyme hath ensued as the fruits of the wombe of this priuate spirit and new doctrine all neglect and contempt of Church orders lawes or obseruances as of Masse and Mattins of fasting and festiuall dayes of single life and chastity of obedience and pouerty of pennance and mortification of confession and satisfaction of benedictions and peregrinations and of all Workes of austerity piety and deuotion Hence hath ensued all rapine robing of Churches Church-goods and Church-ornaments all destruction of Monasteries and Religious houses all prophanation of holy thinges all cruelty against Priests Religious men all incestuous and sacrilegious lewdnesse against vowed persons all rebellion against Princes for Religion all contempt of them and their lawes as not obliging in conscience and all liberty of life and manners to practise whatsoeuer profit or pleasure proposed as most plausible to euery mans humour and disposition The second and next ofspring of this spirit was Iustification by only fayth in which as they all agree in generall so it hath beene the mother of many notorious new impietyes from whence as out of a Troian-horse issued these and such like prophane paradoxes as that this fayth is a sole fayth not informed with charity or good workes a speciall fayth assuring certainty of saluation a perpetuall faith neuer lost a rare fayth giuen only to the Elect a fayth couering not curing sinnes imputing not making vs iust apprehending not possessing the iustice of Christ A faith that admits no good workes no merit no profit no necessity yea no possibility either of being iustifyed by any or of hauing power to do any good workes at all because all works euen the best workes of the best men are sinnes and that mortall deseruing eternall damnation though by fayth not imputed to the elect Hence it is that the keeping of the law is impossible that no lawes oblige in conscience that grace is not sufficient that man hath no free-will and cannot but sinne and offend that Sacraments are not instrumeÌ„ts and meanes but seales and signes of this iustice and iustification by fayth that Baptisme is to be giueÌ„ only to the faithfull and children of the faythful that the Eucharist is a signe or figure
according to the order and proportion of the whole that as the necessity and conueniency of the whole body doth require so the operation and function of the part is accommodated and applied and so all the parts and members of the Church being by one spirit combined and vnited togeather as members of one body and in vnity of one hody do euery one belieue as they are directed by the head and do proceed in all with subordination to the head and worke in all for the vse and benefit of the whole suffer for the defence of the whole and so by a communion both with themselues and with the whole do all labour for the whole conserue the whole and keep still an vnion and communion with the whole and are directed according to the faith the rule the reason and the Iudgment or direction of the whole body or Church of Christ As long therfore as euery member and his spirit hath this direction subordination and vnion with the whole body of the Church and the spirit of it so long doth it prooced in order and vnity and so farre it is agreable to the spirit of God directing his holy spouse the Church but when this spirit doth beginne to be singular of it selfe to deuise a new doctrine to teach otherwise then the rule of faith hath prescribed or to assume the authority of a new maister When it deuides it selfe from the spirit of Gods Church and doth oppose it selfe against it or extoll it selfe aboue it when it will not be subiect and subordinate to it but doth erect a Cathedra of authority of its own or an opinion of doctrine of its owne against it then it is an euident signe that it is not a spirit of vnity and concord but of dissention and diuision so not an inspiration of God to be imbraced but a suggestion of sathan to be reiected Out of which rule may be obserued the difference betweene a Catholicke and a Protestant spirit in expounding of scripture and withall the weaknesse or rather impertinency of the Protestant obiections for their manner of interpretation of scripture by this their spirit For first we distinguish betweene them who without offence lawfully may expound and who by authority haue warrant infallibly to expound holy scripture Of the former sorts are all faythfull Christians who hauing vnderstanding sufficient and a pious intention do with humility beginne and according to the rule of fayth proceed in seeking out the right sense of Scripture and so none who are thus able and thus proceed are barred from either reading or expounding to their own coÌ„fort the Holy Scripture as our aduersaries do falsely calumniate vs. Of the later sort are the Pastours and Prelates of the Church who hauing lawfull ordination and succession and continuing in vnity and subordination do either deliuer the sense of Scripture as it is taught by holy Church or els confirme and explicate any doctrine of fayth when they are collected in a generall Councell And these thus vsing the lawfull meanes and obseruing the vsuall rule of fayth haue authenticall warrant by the infallible assistance of the holy Ghost that they cannot erre in deliuering any sense of scripture as a ground of fayth and beliefe The Protestants doe giue not only liberty but also authority to all not only Pastours and Prelates but also Artificers and common people as well vnlearned as learned to frame to themselues such a firme assent to this or that seeming to them infallibly true sense of holy Scripture euery one according to his owne preiudicate conceit or priuate spirit that thereupon they dare aduenture the certainty of their Fayth and the hope of their saluation Secondly we make a difference betweene a sense of scripture produced in the Schooles to proue or confirme a schoole question a sense declared ex Cathedra to ground an article of faith or betweene a preachers conceit deliuered in the pulpit to exhort to good life and manners and a doctrine proposed by the Church as reuealed by God necessary to be belieued In which for the former we giue a liberty to any preacher to frame out of his own coÌ„ceit any sense which not being opposit to true fayth may moue the auditory to piety good life but for the later we confine the ranging liberty of the wit and inuention euen of the Doctours Pastours in Gods Church prescribe as fayth Vincentius Lyrin that They teach that which is deliuered to them not which is inuented by them that which they receaued not that which they deuised that which is of publike tradition not of priuate vsurpation that of which they are not authours but keepers not beginners but followers not leaders but lead In which cunningly caruing faythfully placing wisely adorning like another Beezeler the pretious pearles of diuine fayth by adding splendour grace and beauty they are to illustrate more clearely that which was belieued more obscurely and to deliuer to posterity more fully explicated that which by their forefathers being not vnderstood was with reuerence belieued Alwayes so teaching that which they learned that they teach after a new maÌ„ner but not a new doctrine That is as afterward he sayth That they interprete the diuine Canon according to the tradition of the whole Church and the rules of Catholike fayth that is Vniuersality Antiquity and Consent and if any part do rebell against the whole or nouelty oppose antiquity or if dissent of a few controule the consent of all or the most then mâ—st they preferre the integrity of the whole before the corruption of a part the veneration of antiquity before prophanation of nouelty and the generality of a Councell before the temerity of a few The Protestants giue a liberty by the priuiledge of their spirit to euery not only Preacher but priuate person to expound the most difficult and important places of Scripture namely of the Apocalyps S. Pauls Epistles not only for the schooles in scholasticall questions or in pulpit for exhortations to good life but in deepest articles greatest controuersies of Fayth euery one as his spirit shall suggest and thereupon they direct them to ground their fayth the saluation of their owne soule and of many others who rely vpon them Whereby as sayth Vincentius Lyrinensis They make it a solemne practise to delight in prophane nouelties and to loath all decrees of antiquity and by making ostentation of a false opinion of knowledge do make shipwracke of all fayth Thirdly the Spirit of a Catholike will not presume to expound any text of scripture contrary to that sense which either the rule of fayth or the practise of the Church or the decree of a Councell or the consent of Fathers hath receaued as true and authenticall but in al will receaue follow that which is determined and decreed in theÌ„ The ProtestaÌ„t spirit will censure reiect and condemne any sense though neuer
so a spirituall man iudges of all thinges in generall that is both of spirituall thinges which are diuine and mysticall and also of humane thinges which are terrene and sensuall but a sensuall man iudges only of temporall thinges of the world and not of spirituall which are of God The reason therfore is de generibus singulorum that a spirituall man iudges of all sortes of thinges both diuine humane but not de singulis generunt that he can iudge in particuler of all kindes or spirituall thinges as when a man is sayd to eat of all thinges it is meant that he eates of all kinds of meat both flesh and fish not of euery particuler peece of both 2. Euery spirituall man doth iudge spirituall thinges but according to such rules and directions as euery thing is to be iudged that is thinges manifest and certaine he iudges according as they are iudged already and determined thinges vncertaine and obscure according to the rule of Fayth and the authority and testimony of Councels Fathers Tradition and Church as before is explicated not according to his owne selfe-seeming spirit and conceit in which his spirit is still subordinate to the spirit of Gods Church and directed by it 3. Because euery faithfull Christian is not alwayes spirituall that is perfect hauing his senses exercised in the discerning of good and euill for some haue need of milke and not of strong meat and euery one that is partaker of milke it vnskilful of the word of iustice for he is a child Therfore this iudgment especially of misteries of faith is not for al imperfect though faithfull Christians but only for persons spirituall that is perfect and vnderstanding in spiritual learning wisdome And so it makes nothing for the priuate spirits iudgment in euery faithfull Christian And because spirituall persons haue not euery one a spirit for all spirituall things for to one certes by the spirit is giuen the word of wisdome and to another the word of knowledge according to the same spirit and to another Prophecy to another discerning of spirits all which one and the same spirit worketh And all are not Apostles Prophets or Doctours nor worke miracles do cures or speake with tongues And because some mēbers are more some lesse honourable or base some more weake some lesse and some haue offices functions some more honourable some lesse some to see and direct others to walke and be directed euery one according to his nature function though one and the same spirit worke all these therefore all persons who are spirituall haue not all spirituall offices guifts but some the guifts of prayer and contemplation some of mortification and humiliation some of obedience patience others of discerning of spirits and others to whō by their office it belongs of iudging of faith and scripture as before And therefore though spirituall men iudge all things spirituall and temporall yet euery spirituall man doth not infallibly iudge and discerne euery spirituall thing no more then euery faculty of the soule as sensitiue vegitatiue or rationall doth performe all and euery function of feeling growing and reasoning but euery one his proper function And as the function of the eye is only to see and of the hāds to worke and the feet to walke so they who will giue the function of seeing and iudging of the sense of scripture and misteries of faith to euery person in the body of the Church do as much as if one should attribut the function of seeing to the handes and feet for as in a body naturall so in the body mysticall which is S. Pauls comparison some are principal members some inferiour so euery one hath his proper function in the Church as the bishops are eyes to discerne truth the princes are armes to defend the body and the people are the rest of the parts of the body to be directed The function therfore of one is not to be attributed to another but euery one in his place and degree is to exercise his owne function in his proper office and worke By which is apparent that those and such like places of scripture do make nothing for the authority and power of this priuate spirit in euery one to discerne and iudge of all places of scripture and misteries of faith except the Protestants as they attribut to euery spirit power to do euery thing so they will out of euery place of scripture inferre any thing so ex quolibet proue quodlibet as their spirit doth direct and teach them And thus much of the first manner of arguments or obiections drawne from the guift of the spirit of God and grace impertinently applied to proue this their priuate spirits authority Other obiections answered SECT III. THE second manner of obiections are drawne from the meanes which are prescribed in scripture for the due right Vnderstanding of holy scripture which are prayer meditation and diligent seeking enquiring out the true sense of scripture out of scripture and such like by which the Protestants seeme to backe much their spirits proceeding for so doth Caluin professe to imbrace that sense of scripture which by meditation annexed the spirit of God doth suggest by vertue of which spirit he contemns all what any humane wisdone can oppose For which they obiect that Dauid did meditat day night in the law of God That Timothy did from his Childhood learne the Scripture which might instruct him That S. Peter did will them to attend and looke into the propheticall word as to a candell shining in a darke place That S. Paul affirmes that faith faithful persons are built vpon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles That they of Beroea did search the scriptures if the things were so as Paul did teach And that Christ did will the Iewes to search the Scriptures For all which we are to obserue 1. That these meanes are good and profitable but not sufficient of themselues for a certaine and infallible exposition of scripture for besides them is required the infallible assistance of the holy Ghost for an infallible sense of scripture to be relied vpō 2. That these meanes are to be vsed by those who haue power and authority to expound scripture to whom though they be necessary yet are they not of themselues either sufficient or infallible either to euery priuate person or to others without other helpes and assistances of the holy Ghost 3. That priuate persons when they vse apply duely these meanes may giue a probable exposition of scripture either for their owne consolation and confirmation in faith or for the edification and aduise of others but cannot rely vpon it either as a sole and solid foundation of their beliefe or as a generall rule for the true and certaine exposition of all the difficult and abstruse places of scripture For as S. Augustine saith such is the