the Truth indeed â—bserve this â—ruth vvell If we interpret Scripture according to our own humane sense and understanding and accordingly believe it â—e must â—â—me to true â—isdom by 〈◊〉 Misterious â—â—orance â—â—d to be in â—â—reated â—â—ght by â—indness we thereby make our beleife humane conceit and not divine Faith which must have nothing in it but the pure Revelation of God and Proposition of the Church guided infallibly by his holy Spirrit To speake Truth I know nothing by which People are more deceived then in taking that to be Faith which is merely humane Conceipt and the Invention of Man having nothing Divine but only a gloss and colour of Holy Scripture which truly examined proves but Dross and Counterfeit as by what hath been said doth manifestly appeare to all that are not willfully blind Hereupon St. Augustine saith of such as Obstinately and perversly obtrude and thrust their understandings into these divine Mysteries to which they cannot by such means reach That instead of the right Worship of God and Truth A golden sentence vvorthy to be vvritten in every Man's Heart And besides that it is Augustines it is most venerable for the certain Truth of it they worship their own Vnderstanding and adore their own Errours These are his very words Homini extra Ecclesiam Religio sua est cultus phantasmatum suorum et Error suus Deus suus A Man's Religion who is out of the Church is the worship of his own Phansies and his Errour is his God I wish with all my soul All men would consider and ponder well with true Indifferency and earnest desive to know the truth this solid Truth of St. Augustine That those who are in the Church guided â—y the infallible Spirit of God may contiâ—ue subject to it in true humility without â—y pride of their own understanding â—nd those who are not may unbeguile themselves and acknowledge their errour submitting to her and truly captivating heirunderstandings in Obedience to Faith proposed by her by whose mouth we must heare it not otherwise to be learned and unless we do this by hearing and believing the Church the Evangelist passeth thiâ— cleare and definitive sentence upon us that we should be esteemed as Heathens and Publicans Neither can we ever hope to have God for our Father unless we take the Church for our Mother Much may be said in this matter And the holy Writers Fathers and Saints of God out of their great Zeal to this Fundamental Truth have written abundantly thereof to ground all upon this firm Rock which shall never fail Much I say may be said to prevent Errors and declare the truth of our Faith but this little onely which I have gathered out of them may suffice and will firmly establish us if sincerely practised That is once againe in 〈◊〉 word to suppress the curious itching of ouâ— understanding from medling with these Mysteries of Faith with which it hath no thing to do by way of searching but musâ— simply believe it 's divine light from thâ— Churches proposing through God's Revelation The understanding therefore having nothing to do with Faith but only simply to receive it and propose it to the will to practice upon it It cannot err about it and so as to all Errors in matter of Eaith the understanding by this means is debarred and the proud comb of it cut and these Errors can creep in no other way God keep them alwaies out and us in the Truth and true Faith The Mysteries whereof because we cannot discern them in themselves we must simply believe them as revealed by God and proposed by the Church without further discussion That we may not mistake the true Church of God There are certain infallible \Marks Signs Notes or Proprieties which be inseparable from It and agree with None but it as natural light may evidently discern if considered and duly weighed even by the simplest Man living and supernatural light confirms them so that there can be no mistake of the true Church and consequently of the true Faith if we observe these visible Notes and Marks For none either remayns Infidel or becoms Heretick but who either does not or will not observe them They are such as St. Augustine made choice of to direct himself Heare what he saith and follow his example These worthily saith he keep me in the lap of the Church UNITY THE CONSENT OF NATIONS AUTHORITY BY MIRACLES BEGUN HOLYNES NOURISHED BY HOPE BY CHARITY INCREASED BY ANTIQUITY MADE FIRM AND SURE SUCCESSION THERE KEEPS ME THE SUCCESSION OF PRIESTS FROM THE VERY SEE OF PETER THE APOSTLE to whom our Lord after his Resurection committed the feeding of his Sheep EVEN TO THIS BISHOP THAT NOW IS There KEEPS ME FINALLY THE VERY NAME OF CATHOLICK CATHOLICK which not without cause amongst so many Heresies the true Church alone hath obtained You perceive St. Augustine stuck fast to the Churches Faith after his being an Heretick and all his bickering with Errors through the Motive of these infallible Marks which are proper to it alone and relied not on his own Judgment or wit as great and as strong as it was the like to which perchance was never or ever will be which he found to be too shallow to dive into these high Mysteries of Faith If any one think his wit deeper and sounder then this great Saint's was And that these reasons were not sufficient Motives I will not contest with his over-weened conceipt of himself but let him runn headlong whither the spirit or rather sprite of pride will drive him I know as the Apostle tells me Every Man hath not Faith and that there must be Heresies But woe to them that are infected with them They are blind and obstinate and Condemned by their own Judgments There is no End of disputing with them and so I leave them and come to propose those Marks which may serve any well minded Man to finde out the true Church Mother of all true Faith and Religion These are the Marks or Signes of the true Church of Christ THe Church of Christ must be One ONE That the true Church of Christ and the Religion professed by it be but One is most necessary for since the Divine Providence governs the Church we must needs grant that the Government thereof is the best of all being the chiefe of all as ordered by him by whom Kings raign and govern And the best Government of a Multitude is Monarchical That is when One Head and Chief governs the whole multitude This is manifest by the End and Scope of Government being the Peace Vnion of the Subjects which is most excellently enjoyed when One governs the whole Church for by that means all Occasion of Schisme is taken away Moreover the true Militant Church which is a Company of Faithful Believers under One chief Pastour is so much the Perfecter by how much more like it is to the Triumphant What the
A MIRROUR OF TRUTH OF THE HIGHEST CONCERN To all sorts of People Noble and Ignoble Rich or Poor Soveraigne or Subject 1. Rom. 14. To the Greeks and to the Barbarians to the wise and unwise I am a Debtor Printed in the Year 167â— A MIRROUR OF TRUTH The Preface IT is for the Lovers of Peace and naked Truth for whom I write this in a few but substantial words declaring the grounds thereof and no more without the least dispute or Contest with any The Truth KNOW therefore that as all things are Vanity of Vanities but only to Love and serve God Eccl. 1.2 So all Knowledge which is not to that End is blind ignorance And all otherwise seeming Truth plain deceit and falshood For there is no Truth but that which leads to God Truth it self the Beginning and End Alpha and Omega nor any Errour or falshood but what seduces from Him Truth indeed is the chief of all most to be loved and sought after Esd 3.4 All the Earth calleth for Truth and Heaven blesseth it thus Esdras And let it be seriously sought after and firmly embraced above all in this foundation and ground-work of all true Vertue and Perfection Divine Faith without which it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.1 Now Faith is the ground of things to be hoped for and the evidence of things which are not seen If this point be rightly understood well observed the great stumbling-block to Errors Heresies is taken away This is St. Paul's definition of Faith and most true it is Observe then that since Faith a supernatural gift of God is the Evidence of those things that by no sence or understanding can be perceived but only through this free and gracious gift of God why do we so much busy our Understandings to conceive the Articles of our Faith and believe in a manner Nothing but what we would pretend clearely to know and understand All which is incompatible with Faith which must have no other Operation of the Understanding but simple subjection and obedience to that Divine Light And for this reason He teacheth us to bring into Captivity all Vnderstanding in Obedience to Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 As if he should say Good People in vain it is for you to trouble your heads discussion and search in these matters will not quiet or satisfy you The true Rule of Faith you must simply believe because God revealeth and the Church proposeth That which Faith tells you is above your capacity You may as well put the whole Ocean into a small Pitt as the least of these high mysteries into your Understanding you may as well understand the nature of God Himself as the least of them They are all alike little and great high and low as delivered by Faith We may not therefore search them Pro. 25.27 Exod. 19.12 For who is a searcher of Majesty shall be oppressed by Glory And the Beast that toucheth the Mountain shall be stoned These be Edge-tool's there is no jeasting with them Humane reason cannot reach thus high We must simply submit to the Divine Revelatian and the Churches Proposition All the Disputation in the world is to no purpose in these matters We must not contend in words for it availeth nothing but to the subversion of the Hearers It is not Man's Wisdom can teach us these things but the plain evidence of the Spirit of Truth And for this cause St. Paul gave this Admonishment to Timothy saying O Timothy keep that which is committed unto thee 1 Tim. 6.19 and avoid profane and vain babling and opposition of science falsly so called which while some profess they have Erred concerning Faith A Sentence worthy to be written in every Man's heart with indelible Characters for his direction to attain and gain the true Faith which must be committed by the Church to Him and he must take heed of loosing it again through vain Science falsly so called by the curious itching of which we come to breake out in Faith and loose our integrity How come we then to hear these vain bablings and oppositions of Science falsly so called from many who Esteem themselves right believers yea Masters in Israel vaunting of their light from God to know and discern all truth and to dive into the highest Mysteries of Faith yea assume unto themselves a Prerogative Royal proper to Christ only and his Substitutes and Commissioners endued with his Holy Spirit to define what is Faith and what is not O Petty Undertakers who receive no Rule of Faith but their own fancies which they would have all to follow Saying this is no Article of Faith How can we believe a peece of bread or white wafor to be turned into the Body of Christ I see not to what End there should be a continual sacrifice since Christ hath been offered once for all How doth it not derogate from the honour of God to pray to the Saints what power vertue can there be in their Reliques what vain superstition is it to use the signe of the Cross holy water Beads c. How can Man forgive sins How ridiculous is it to think there is a third place or Purgatory with infinite other such like Infidel questions if they knew what they asked For by these and the like questions they seem to shew they believe no more then they see reason for according to their own conceits And so in Truth and very deed they have no Divine Faith at all which is above humane reason and understanding and not by it to be judged Yea these prophane voices sound so high that they themselves will rule and be Judges of that which they constitute the rule of Faith I meane the holy Scriptures admitting and refusing what they please as the Machabees the book of wisdom the Epistle of St. James with much more And why because they like them not and so judge them not to be Scripture And the like is not onely of the word of God it self As God himself is inscrutable to our understandings so is his holywrit Lib. 32. contra-Faustum 〈◊〉 19. but also of the true sence and meaning of it of which they will have no other Judge but their own sense and meaning so that we may say unto them what St. Augustine said to Faustus one of their own Crew You seem to do that saith he which taketh away all Authority of Holy Scripture making every ones Mind the Interpreter of it As God himself is the Authour of holy Scripture so must â—â—e be the sole â—â—terpreter â—â—y His Holy â—nd infallible Church what in every place he please to make the sense meaning of it That is not to be subject to the Scriptures in believing but to make the Scripture subject to Him Not liking any thing because it is right written by Supream Authority but therefore it seems to be right written because it likes Him Thus this Holy sublime wit shews
which is alwaies pure and holy tending to Vertue View and Consider the Tenets and practises of Both true and false and then judge The Religion which is true and holy is that WHich hath Calendars full of approved Known Saints of all Ages and Professions A kallendar of 〈◊〉 approved known Saints whose Sanctity none dare or can justly oppose That which hath wrought evident and true miracles in all Ages from the beginning till this hour True Miracles and shall work upon occasion to the Consummation of the Saints That which hath converted all nations to the Faith of Christ from Judaisme All Nations Converted c. Idolatry Heathenisme c. and whose teachers and Professors have been of known sanctity and holy Life To name One for all St. Augustin our Apostle of the holy Order of St. Bennet who converted England to the Faith of Christ from blind Idolatry and Heathenisme Sent by St. Gregory the great then Pope of Rome of the same holy Order That which hath built all the Churches Churches Monasteries Nunneries Hospitals built c. Monasteries Nunneries Colledges Hospitals c. in Christandom endowed them with rents instituted the Universities distinguished the Multitude into Parishes proportioned the Tyths annexed the glebe Land ordayned the Bishoppricks lymitted the Diocesses and decree'd the Ecclesiastical Lawes so full of learning and Piety that they are now all good and learned Mens Studyes besides infinite other good Works of all sorts That which from the Flower of her Infancy the Apostles themselves being such ever had still hath Religious Orders and ever shall have infinit Multitudes of Beleivers of either sex professing Poverty Chastity and Obedience the three cheif Evangelical Counsels so highly commended and practised by Antiquity not onely as Sonveraigne divine helps to perfection but also as Beautiful Ornaments to Christs Church raysing the Professors to a supream degree of Grace and glory Witnessed and sealed with the Blood of holy Martyrs and Confirmed by Miracles That which hath been testified and sealed with the blood and sufferings of such Martyrs and Confessors as are allowed by the adversaries thereof and all Points and Articles of her holy Doctrine confirmed by most authentical and approved Miracles which no other Contrary Religion ever was or shall be able to do sufficient to convince the whole World if they were not extreamly blind and perversly Obstinate That which hath instituted the Feasts Fastingdays and feasts Holy Rites and wholesom Ceremonys Fasting dayes and all good Ceremonies and Observations used through out the the whole Church As Christmas Easter Ascension Whitsontide Corpus Christi the Vigils and Feasts of the Apostles and other Saints the fast of Lent Emberdays Abstinence from flesh On Frydaies and Saturdads very wholsome commodious even to Common Wealths and private Families Rites likewise and sacred Forms and Ceremonies observed in administring the Sacraments Consecrations Coronations instalments and all other solemnities which carry with them Veneration State and decency That which professeth not the large The Narrow way of Morification and Penance and Broadway but the straight and narrow such as the holy writ affirms to be the way to Heaven as Annual Confession to a Priest Pennance Restitution Satisfaction performance of Vows Mortification of the old Man and the like injunctions observed by none but those of the true Religion Libertinisme being the sole Profession and the very soul of all Sectaries in One kind or Other That unto whose society whosoever truly enters Change of Manners upon Conversion lives forthwith in more feare and love of God hatred to sin and changes his former life into a better That which most hath The most learned holy and able Men. and in former Ages ever had and ever shall have the most Famous Men for wit Judgment reading writing true schollership and solid Vertue Qualityes of all Other most likely to discern and abandon errors to her Teachers Doctors and instructers That which hath excelled in spirituallity True spirituallity and whose beleivers have interiourly Conversed with God in a most experimental and Ineffable way and thereby satisfied their Propension not possible to be satisfied out of the true Faith and Religion and have chosen the best part never to be taken from them And this is most evident by many Admirable Books written by the Practisers of this spirituality and professors of this only true and holy Religion That whose publick Church-service is performed Publick Church Service and executed with that Reverence Venerable gravity Majesty And the several parts and ceremonies so admirably and aptly composed and ordered for annual Commemorations and representing of our Saviours Incarnation Birth life Passion Burial Resurection Ascension Coming af the Holy Ghost the institution of the blessed Sacrament of the Altar and other passages aswel of Christ our head as of his Members the Saints That whose Secular The single â—ife of the Clergy Secular and Regular and regular Clergy live without wives free from Care of providing for Wife and Children and the second sort no way distracted with Affairs and incumbrances of the World but Cloistred unles some of the more Able and Vertuous be through special want and to Gods greater Glory called to Episcopal Sees and other employments in the Church pass their whole time in Prayer watching Fasting Continual study of Scriptures with daily Conferences for the full and perfect Understanding of them Add to this that all their Priests and beneficed Clergy are bound to say every day an Office in their Breviary â—ound to say â—â—e Breviary A Book of that Excellency that none but the Spirit of God could have composed it and which alone is sufficient to make them Devout and learned That finally though there be many other motives of Holiness in this true Church which by reason of her Holy Doctrin Royal Loyal and divine Obedience subjection to all Power Civil and Spiritual and Ordinances keeps all subjects in due allegiance to their Temporal Kings and Princes and to all power spiritually constituted over them And hath evermore blessed Popes Bishops Abbots Superiors Kings and Princes Magistrates and Subjects with Constant and permanent Peace true Happiness Prosperity and Victorys true Glory temporal and Eternal together with unfeigned Love One to another neighbourly and just Commerce And in a word so that all things go on with Order Love Justice and Peace Now as the true Church and Religion hath these glorious fruits and evident Effects So have all Heresies and Sects the clear Contrary Foul and monstrous Fruits and Effects And most apparently abominable to all who are not wilfully blind and perversly Obstinate Consider then on the Contrary side how the False Church and Religion is That which is void of Saints A Calendar of Hipocritical ridiculous Saints Foxes Acts and monuments sufficiently witness and hath no other but vile hypocrites such as after some time even those of the