the Land and then being for such his contumacy censured proscribed declared rebell or Traitor to the State vnles he would come in and acknowledge his obedience conformity to that order or Law still pretend that such a Law is no Law but an abuse of authority and say that if they will not allow him the Name and priuiledge of a true subiect but vpon such condition that by his subscription he professe against his conscience his consent to an error in gouernment to which he consent's not or acknowledges for law what he belieues not to be law in this case they for requiring such a condition are rebell's and traitours to the state not he for disclaiming it And I belieue the disparity will not easily be assigned neither will it euer be proued that the Temporall Laick authority of any State or Common-wealth in order to ciuill Gouernment or Command is more sacred and inuiolable then the authority of the Church of God in regard of determining doctrines of fayth or in order to Ecclesiasticall Lawes Constitutions Whence it may seeme a matter worthy the consideration that this spirit of doctrine hath in the very bowell's of it the very Embryâ— of all seditions and rebellions such as if it liue to grouth and strength of age may proue such a monster as may import in tyme the confusion and Anarchy of all State and Gouernment Verily it will appeare as I thinke very manifest that any refractory or rebellious subiect may accommodate this discourse to the maintenance and defence of his rebellion with very good congruity yea and finally retort the Traitor or Rebell vpon the Prince or Authority which proscribâ—s or censures him III. Motiue Because if any credit may be giuen to as creditable records as any are extant the Doctrine of the Catholicks hath byn frequently confirmed and the opposite doctrine of Protestants confounded with supernaturall and diuine miracles III. Remotiue To the third If any credit may be giuen to Records farre more creditable then these the Doctrine of Protestants that is the Bible hath been confirmed and the Doctrine of Papists which is in many points plainly opposite to it confounded with supernaturall and diuine Miracles which for number and glory out-shine Popish pretended Miracles as much as the Sunne doth an ignis fatuus those I meane which were wrought by our Sauiâ—ur Christ and his Apostâ—â—â— Now this booke by the confession of both â—â—des confirmed by inâ—umerous miracles c. III. Promotiue Before I mooue any further I thinke it best to close with you heere I haue already often said and must say it often that the Socinian iudgment is no iudgment at all nor any arrest of sentence but a very waue of a floating sancy and giddy affection which swelling now and appearing bigge soone after break 's vpon the shore and another waue of opinion followes growne from another fancy which is the Trident that moues and commaund's in the Socinian Ocean Not long fince when I know not now what wynd moued your phantastique affection towards the shore of Catholique truth then if any credit might be giuen to as creditable record's as any are extant c. after that the wynd changing and another affection flowing from a new fancy see how this Trident hath turned your iudgment to the quite opposite shore and now if any credit may be giuen to records farre more creditable then these What haue you now fouÌ„d out records far more creditable then these which are as creditable as any are extant then it seemes these records farre more creditable are not extant and yet you haue found them out Or are they now extant which seauen or eight yeares fince when your Motiues were conceaued were not extant Good Syr put them out to the print to the stationers with all possible speed London Oxford will come together by the â—ares for the commodity but be not rash in promising to either least a more liberall offer make you resent They will off at any Price you may compasse another purchase by the gaine of the commodity especially comming forth with the recommendation of a most plausible title as Record's for protestancy neuer extant in print before set forth by M. Ch. lately Roman Catholique now Atturney or adâ—â—cate for Protestants The first edition c. But now in earnest let vs examine these Records of superlatiue credit whereby the doctrine of Protestants that iâ— the Bible do you meane the bible it self or the doctrine of the Bible for there is great difference betweene â—â—ese two and â—othaps you will not easily find out of your Records how the Bible it self hath beene so miraculously confirmed that is declared by miracles that this Bible is the word of God and yet you say This booke confirmed by innumerous miracles I suspect you meant to be obscure and yet willing to haue it so vnderstood that the Booke it self hath beene so confirmed that your appeale to it might appeare more specious But then I dare be bold to say that the Bible that is the Scriptures translated by Protestants shall neuer be proued to haue receaued any confirmation at all by any one peece of a miracle therefore in this sense what you say is a meere vaunt void of all truth whereas againe if as translated and set forth by authority of the Catholique Church it hath euer beene miraculously confirmed this is a confirmation of Catholique authority and a shame and confusion of all Sectaries who reiect this authority But I will be so fauourable as to construe your meaning such as you can make good with most ease as that the Protestant-doctrine is the doctrine of the Bible which is no more then euery Heretique would say of his doctrine rather then submit it to the Censure of the Church which Protestant and Bible-doctrine hath been confirmed iointly by miracles out-shining all Popish miracles as the Sunne doth ignis fatuus In which place I will only specify one doctrine of Protestants and insist vpon that which is That the Church of God may erre in definitions of fayth or that it is not endued with infallible authority in order to such definitions Now when will you be so good as to proue vnto vs that this negatiue doctrine hath bene confirmed and the contrary doctrine of Papists confounded with supernaturall and diuine miracles When will you shew vs out of your more creditable records then any extant that those miracles of our Sauiour and his Apostles were wrought in confirmation of those doctrines wherin you oppose the Catholique Roman Church Nay when will you proue that any one of those miracles were not so many testimonies of some point of doctrine which the Roman Church professeth and teacheth at this day Come leaue your brauing dâ— not always â—ly with a Simon Magus in the ayre of verball ostenlation Quid cessas An tibi Mauors Ventâ—â—â in linguâ pâ—dibusque fugaâ—ibus istis Semper erit Come downe and instance in one point
then haue fallen flat into Atheisme therefore their falling thence immediatly into Atheisme is an argument of that former discourse which I haue supposed probably to haue passed in their secret discussions or this or none true Adde vnto this that in that Nation where our Religion hath and doth most absolutely commaund those wise and Gallant spirits were best acquainted with the doctrine taught in it Whervpon blinded with pride or passion or wicked life being not able to discerne the colour of truth by the light of the sunne they despaired to discerne it by candle-light And it is I confesse an experience grounded vpon great reason both of nature and manners Waight's which fall from higher places force their descent through middle obstacles more strongly and therefore fall lowest None but a Iudas called to the eminency of Apostle-ship could haue plunged himselfe into such a depth of desperate treason as to betway to death the Author of life whom when I consider how soone he fell from the spirit of his vocation to be a calumniator fratrum a Diuell as our Sauiour himselfe call's him I am induc'd to thinke he became an Apostle for no other purpose but to know our Sauiour and his doctrine and then betray him And verily I could easily belieue that of the number of those who professe Christianity more turne Atheists of those who haue beene Catholiques then of those who neuer knew Catholique religion as those who haue been bâ—rne and bred in Lutheranisme Caluinisme or the like because from so low a place they do not easily fall so farre Qui iacet in terrâ non habet vnde cadat Who lyes on the ground he fall's no lower vnles perhaps they haue taken these in their way from the Catholique for if they haue so twenty to one vnles they be some duller spirits they stay not there howsoeuer they make shew of such profession but after some short space of entertainment they goe on their iourney from thence to Adiaphorisme in religion where hauing spent some tyme in good fellowship with all professors vntill they haue consumed that litle remnant stocke of Christian or whatsoeuer else beliefe of a God they steale away after a while from thence too keeping on directly in that roade vntill they arriue to the very next Inne and the very last adioyning to the Ferry vpon the bank-side of Death and Damnation commonly called stylo veteri Atheisme now of later yeares the new Academy or Socinianisme By this the Aduocate may see what he hath gained to his Cause by this obiected Calumny Forsooth that reuolt from Catholique religion renders it selfe at last into Atheisme or Socinianisme where such reuolters I make no doubt would be glad to meete him for there men say this indifferent Trauailer dwells though they say again he hath shift of habitations and his iudgment often changeth lodging but that 's his ordinary and more constant rendeuous Calumnies against Miracles SECT VI. THe next Calumny and second in number of the Pretermissions strikes at Heauen and expect that he will haue a fling at God himselfe afore he hath done by mouing iealousy and suspicion of all miracles and histories and records of Saints whiles he would make men belieue the Catholique Church approueth forging of Miracles and lying Legends so he writes which is indeed a notorious Calumny and had he not made so much hast in running back from the Catholique as though he had come thither only to fetch fire of faction he might haue acquainted himselfe better with the practise of the holy Church in this very point of Miracles and relations concerning Saints He might haue admired their exactnes of scrutiny and all the way 's of industry to find out the truth and to reiect whatsoeuer hath the face or least shew of counterfait or vnsound Knowing well that neither truth can be of any durable consistency with falshood they expell one another euen naturally as light and darkenes but besides this Non tali auxilio nec defensoribus istis Roma caret the Catholique Church needs no such subsidies the pillar of truth craues no support of lyes and forgeries She hath in her Archiues records and euidences of this kind so authentique so authorized so testified that blindnes it selfe by no other Exorcisme but that of manifest truth hath beene compelled to see them and confesse them No otherwise then those Ministers of Pharao digitus Dei hic est But giue them leaue to question Saints and miracles who questionles had neuer yet any no not when the tyme most required them to countenance their extraordinary mission when they ran out of the Church to reforme it or as to cry fire fire when they carried it in their bosomes Calumny against holy Ceremonies SECT VII THe third passe or figuratiue omission in these word 's Not to obiect to you thirdly is a spurn'or kick as he goes by Pref. at the weake and silly Ceremonies and ridiculous obseruances so he of the Catholique Church Ans Indeed if they were only Ceremonies without the substance whereunto they relate they were surely silly Ceremonies but if euery least Ceremony include a mystery greater then hath euer entred into his little weake state or vnderstanding who is then ridiculous but he who laugh's at what he know's not yea euen therefore because he knowes it not Yet had the man but stayd to haue learned his Catechisme among vs he might haue knowne the vse and meaning of our Ceremonies now hauing come into the Church as Cato came vnto the Theater only to go out againe what meruaile if he returne a ridiculous censurer of what he only saw and vnderstood not Such post-hast were hardly tolerable in a Spie much lesse in one who comes to see and censure Of whom if I should aske what in particular were sylly and ridiculous in those ceremonies or whether the Church hath not authority to prescribe Ceremonies if the Church of England allow of ceremonies no whit more substantiall then the Roman to say no more will he be strong inough thinke you to find out a disparity Or will he rebell against all I belieue by these and many other the like passages of his booke the Chayres who haue subscribed it litle obserued how lowd an All-arme is sounded to mutinies and seditions and rebellions against all Church-gouernment But now alas euen this may seeme a thing ridiculous indeed in vs who reprehend his laughing and deriding the waiting Gentle-women or maides of Honour who geeres the Queene hir selfe For did he allow of any such thing as Religion Queene of vertues he would not grudge hir due attendance and obseruance of holy Ceremonies nor would he I thinke be so vnmannerly as to find fault with such as please the Queene Calumny against Ecclesiasticall Persons SECT VIII A Fourth Calumny with which he will not trouble vs is Pref. A great part of your doctrine specially in the points contested makes apparently for the temporall ends of the
falshood spring originally either from the frailty and ignorance of man or from the malice of the Diuell whose worke all Heresy and Falshood is To dissolue which worke of the Diuell the consubstantiall Word of the Eternall Father became man that man in him might become victorious ouer all falshood and Heresy which is the doctrine of flesh bloud the schoole and Iesson of the world which makes a party against Christian Religion Pref. Againe What if saith he the names of Priests and Altars so frequent in ancient Fathers though not in the now Popish sense be now resumed Answ I would fayne know when he will be so good as to shew vs the different sense of these names in the vse of ancient Fathers from the now Popish sense Neuer But at the least by this nominall Conformity the Church of England is put in a state by this regard more iustifiable against Bapists then before being hereby enabled to say to Papists whensoeuer these names are obiected we also vse the names of Priest and Altars and yet belieue neither the corporall presence Pref. nor any proper or propitiatory Sacrifice Answ But to omit that the ancient Fathers most frequently mention a Proper sacrifice too yea and a reall and corporall presence of Christ his body and blood in that sacrifice of the Altar wherin the Priest is sacrificant that all these things names are equally frequented by the vse of ancient Fathers it were well to consider whither this euasion will lead vs to wit into the very Hell of Sonanianisme Will you proue the Fathers belieued the Trinity Why Because there is frequent mention in them of three Persons Father Sonne and the Holy Ghost We Socinians also vse these names and yet we belieue not the Trinity in the now Popish sense nay they might apply this euasion to whatsoeuer mystery of fayth now generally belieued by Christians and of frequent mention in the holy Fathers Pref. Lastly sayth he what if Protestants be now put in mynd that for exposition of Scriptures they are bound by a Canon to follow the ancient Fathers which whosoeuer doth with sincerity it is vtterly impossible he should be a Papist Answ There spake a Iewell Behold the Phenix newly hatcht in his ashes already flush now this was well flowne surely he was resolu'd to strike home And an Hyperbole flyes from him with as great facility as an euen Truth but I know his shift that the Fathers had some priuate opinions which the Church hath antiquated and Catholiques now hold not orthodox therfore they who follow them will this Aduocate say cannot be Papists But this consequence is not worth a rush for those Fathers neuer held those opinions in opposition against the Church but were alway's ready to follow what the Church would determine in those points of doctrine as then vndefined like as they most readily imbraced all her doctrines already defined By which two Catholique properties their actuall conspiring in things defined and preparation to conspire in things to be defined they were truly Papists and whosoeuer follow 's those Fathers in this it is vtterly impossible he should not be a Papist The rest ensuing in his vindication of English Deuines is partly nothingelse but animosity of deniall and offering as it were to course sense with reason to proue by reason that the eyes of men see not what they see or see what they see not partly meere impertinences nothing to disprooue that change and alteration which his Aduersary describes but neither censures nor reprehends at all as this Sophist would make men belieue which done then after his solemne manner of conclusion he triumph's sicut exaltant victores captâ predâ quando diuidunt spolia as victor's are wont to exult hauing gotten some booty when they deuide the spoyles For euen so he deuides his presumed victory amongst his friends giuing euery man his share Pref. And thus my friends I suppose are clearely vindicated from your scandal's and Calumnies Answ No doubt as clearely as those were truly Calumnies and scandal's which were either none or they were his and of his owne making as I suppose I haue clearely proued His Answere to some personall Imputations SECT XXXVII Pref. IT remaineth now that in the last place I bring my selfe fairely off from your foule aspersions Answ Thus the Aduocate now his owne Clyent But by his leaue if this method can stand with the order of Charity which they say begins at home sure it doth not with the order of good Rhetorique according to which order he should first haue remoued his personall preiudices that he might be heard more fauourably in the behalfe of his Clyents or friends God himselfe may seeme to haue prescribed this order Peccatori autem dixit Deus Psalm 49. quare tu enarras Iustitias meas God said to the Sinner why dost thou preach my righteousnes God himselfe would not be iustified by a sinner Which very words of the holy King when that great Origen after his lapse moued by some intreaty of friends to say something out of the Chaire had chanc't to fall vpon them at the first ouerture of the booke are reported by some to haue drawne teares from his repentant silence insteed of speach of explicatiō By this rule then he should not in the last but rather in the first place haue iustified himselfe that so all rubbs of exception against his owne Person being taken away his iustification of other men might haue found a smoother way to the acceptāce of indifferent iudgments But I can as easily pardon his fayling in the rules of Rhetorique as of Logick of which he makes so loud profession and which he hath taken for his Cynosure in Religion in place of the Church of God yet if he affoard vs but truth in any method or order whatsoeuer for my part I can be satisfied Let vs now behold how he wipes off those foule aspersions They are only a number of false and impious doctrines petty charges which he saith he will not name in particular in that professeth his owne discretion and prouidence not to assist his Aduersary in spreading of his owne vndeserued defamation And yet for all that some man would thinke so many and mighty imputations should deserue an Apology Now in one word and that a word which no Socinian cares for he answers all Pref. Whosoeuer teaches or holds them let him be Anathema Againe The summe of all those charges cast vp by your self is this Nothing ought or can be certainely belieued further then it may be proued by euidence of naturall reason whosoeuer hold's so let him be Anathema Answ You haue his Laconique Answer to all Now Syr if the man be yet a Socinian as the presumption that he is is very graue and grounded what hath he said in saying let him be Anathema What waight hath this imprecation in the Socinian schoole Truly as much as a feather blowne to and fro by
inough that he quit the Catholique for temporall ends Pref. But it is incredible that if he had such ends or desires he should make choyce of Socinianisme Because sayth he Socinianisme explicates the law's of Christ with more rigour and lesse indulgence and condescendence to the desires of flesh and blood then Catholique doctrine doth Answ How true this is I will not heere dispute but giue it true So did the Manichaans so the Donatists so the Tertullianists so some other Heresies explicate some points of Christian doctrine and some sentences of Scripture more rigidly and more repugnantly to flesh and blood then the Catholique Church did and therfore those Explicator's were Heretiques and their rigor of doctrine Heresy because a man may be an Heretique vs well for the more as for the lesse But what is this to the surpose that Sucinianisme explicates the Law 's of Christ with greater rigour if it bind no man to belieue them or to belieue that they are the law 's of Christ the Sonne of God and therefore obligatory but leaues euery man free to his owne reason to belieue so much of them as he think's fit where is then the rigour So the doctrine of Caluin explicate's the lawes of God the Ten Commaundments not only hard but impossible to be kept Loe the rigour of explication Loe. but therefore he bind's no man to keep them Loe the indulgence of application That Socinianisme is the readiest way to temporall Aduancements SECT XLI ANother reason of incredibility that if the Motiue to abandon the Catholique Church had beene temporall respects or ends he would haue imbraced Socinianisme is this as followeth Pref. Socintanisme is a doctrine by which no man in his right mynd â—an hope for any honour or preferment either in this Church or state or any other Answ This I deny and auouch the quite contrary which is this that in any Protestant or not Catholique State a Socinian is most capable of aduancement My reason because Socinianisme bindeth no man to professe it publiquely nay it imposeth no obligation to any exterior act whatsoeuer which may yield the least sent or suspicion of it nay rather by the maine principle of it sana ratio right reason such as they terme right which so appeareth to euery man in particular they are obliged to exhibit no signe or shew at all which may hinder or crosse their designes therefore Socinianisme obligeth rather to all exteriour conformity Since therefore all Heresy is subiect to change and alteration alterable by the authority by which it stands the Socinian of all other is most ready to change with it and to conforme himselfe to any Church or state whatsoeuer as the waxe as yet vnprinted is capable of any impression and the Eye hauing in it self no colour receaues the formes or idols of all colours Therefore in such a Church or State no Sect is endued with so great aduantages as Socinianisme is which can without any difficulty or demurre put on the guise and liuery of any profession The Socinian can be a Puritan to day to morrow a Protestant the third day an Arminian and the fourth an Arrian and after so or so or neither so nor so Nor can I doubt but this is indeed the very principall cause why so many make this choyce For the Socinian is the only He who sayles with euery wynd whiles other professors some out of tendernesse or scruple iniected by the principles of their doctrine dare not yeild to the countermaund of secular authority others out of animosity of opposition or as it were the pride of their choyce will not conforme others out of the extreme hate of what they feare the hate I say of that truth which they feare will preuaile will not come in and while all these either by their not yielding or by direct opposition run hazard of their fortunes yea liues and liberty the smooth-faced Socinian arides euery change derides the folly of Non-conformants swims aloft like a Corke fall's and rises with the waues whatsoeuer stormes against religion or be the seas neuer so rough he will neuer drowne in briefe he is the one Pamphylus and Eutrapelus of tymes and fortunes the only State-humourer and State-complyer He might passe for a very wiseman in some heathen Philosophy a very Atheist in Christianity And tell me now is not this man in the high rode-way of preferment if which he must if he be true to his principles he can but keep his owne Counsell or impart it only to his confidents Adde vnto all this that wheresoeuer rules of Policy or Reasons of State sway the Gouernment more then rules of Piety or Religion the Socinian will be thought the fittest instrument for imployment in State-affaires who wil be wrought to any circumstance of aduantage who will vndertake yea and make good way through all those difficulties which neither Religion nor Honesty would venture vpon For who can question the aduantage which he hath ouer a Religion-bound Conscience who himselfe hath either none or a Socinian one which is so flexible changing with euery turne of fancy or affection varying with euery variety of occasion All which demonstrates to vse his word's that this foule aspersion is no false one or at the least not so cleanly wip't out but that notwithstanding all his purgations and compurgations it stick 's as fast and deepe as euer it did The Aduocates misconstructions of his Aduersaries Direction declared to be a iust and charitable Admonition SECT XLII AS for the fountaine whence this Aduocate supposeth these aspersions to haue proceded from a hart sayth he abounding with the gall and bitternes of vncharitablenes Pref. and euen blind with malice towards him I verily think whosoeuer knows both parties will neuer belieue this censure neither as proceeding from the one nor as against the other The Censurer will neuer deserue so much credit as to be delieued nor the Censured so much discredit as to be suspected of so much malice Besides that as I am informed his Charity and curtesy extended to this plainant in tyme and place haue deserued a better construction were he not growne now so forgetfull of all that he learned among Catholikes that he hath forgotten to construe Charity in any Christian language either words or deeds He might haue construed this foule aspersion which he so call's no aspersion at all but an Admonition and a needfull one least others might receaue infection from his contagious pen. He might haue interpreted it as proceeding from Zeale not a peruerse Zeale as his words are to his superstition which himselfe this Aduocate immediatly after call's the Catholique Cause Now to call the Catholique cause or Religion superstitioâ— is indeed to vse the phraze of the Chayre a very Bull. And howsoeuer he construes it out of his owne not Zeale which were a mere Solecisme in Socinianisme but his ouer and ouer and many tymes peruerted iudgment yet other more sober and
to himselfe a glorious Church hauing neither spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing And is all this come at length to a de iure not de facto to a what should be only not a what is And is this that state of beauty no lesse permanent then spotles wherein tyme which withers and wrinkles all the beauty of fields ' and flowers ' aruit foenum cecidit flos should cause no fading or impayring because 1. Pet. 1. Verbum Domini manet in aeternum that word of truth is euerlasting which as the forme and soule of beauty in this glorious spouse should neuer abandon her Now doth Christ Iesus thus sanctify his Spouse or no hath he purchast her this permanent Beauty or no If no then is he frustrate of his designe which was to espouse vnto himselfe a Church which should de facto indeed not deiure of duty only be euer Holy for though it be placed in the particular choice of euery single man to be holy or no thus and in such sort that no man is or shall be holy or vertuous of force or against his wil or not freely yet it is not in the particular choice or power of any particular man or men no nor in the malice of Hell it selfe to effect that Christ Iesus shall not haue a holy Church on earth euen to the worlds end For this was the intent of his precious death bloud-shed vt sanctificaret that he might de facto fanctify his Spouse that he might acquire vnto her a perpetuity of beauty not a duty only to preserue it And this intent can neuer be frustrate and yet it should be if the spouse of Christ should only of duty alwayes be holy but were not so indeed Or tell me is she spotlesse who should haue no spot's but hath them Is that a faire face which should be so and is not hath she no wrinkles who should haue none Rem But God hath neither decreed nor foretold that his true doctrine should de facto be alway's visibly profess't without any mixture of falshood Prom. What because he hath not foretold it to you who haue lost your eares of hearing or haue stop't them with humane reason or dwell too neere the Catadupa and the noise of waters or conuerse with bleating or bellowing cattle in fine haue your attention taken vp in the traffick care and tumult of earthly commodities that you cannot heare the musick of the Sphear's or the harmony of heauenly Truth And haue all men forfaited their eares since you haue beene deafe on the left eare or forgotten what you haue heard heretofore with the right But to other men it hath beene told and foretold in all the languages of the world they haue heard it foretold in those words of Esay Esay 35. Eterit ibi semita via via Sanctorum vocabitur hae erit vobisvia directa c. and this shall be a direct or straight way so that fooles shall not mistake it But Socinians are no simple fooles they may mistake it Now if this way be humane reason humanum est errare nothing human as such is exempt from error If the Scripture be this way the wisest may erre in interpreting it and then it is no way or at least not the way of Saints nor the true and straight way when a false interpretation hath distorted it But the doctrine of the Church is that Via Sanctorum the way of Saints wherein the spirit of truth residing according to promise interprets holy Scriptures which then becoms a way and a straight way wherin a Foole shall not erre 1. Cor. 3. Ibid. a Foole I say who hath made himself a foole that he may be made wise by Christian wisedom which is folly to the world and to Socinianisme as the wisedom of the world and Socinian Reason is madnes and folly to God and Christian Religion Againe they haue heard foretold in those words of our Sauiour Math. 28. 16. Ecce ego vobiscum sum c. and those other Et portae tuferi non praualebunt aduersus eam the power of hell shall not preuaile against it the preseruation of the Church of God from error of doctrine from all falshood of heresy They vnderstand it decreed by God Ephes and foretold by S. Paul Et ipse dedit quosdam Apostoles alios prophet as c. ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerij which worke of ministery necessarily supposeth visibility of the Ministers and ministred in adificationem corporis Christi for the edifying or building vp the body of Christ which is his Church the members whereof being to accede throughout all ages to this mysticall body by the Visible ministery of those Visible ministers Prelates Teachers and Gouernours inferre a necessity of true doctrine visibly taught or to be taught them by those their Prelates without which truth of doctrine they could not be the regenerate issue of the spirit of Truth They haue likewise heard the Church of God called by S. Paul 1. Tim. 1. Domus Deiviui columna firmamâ—ntum Veritatis the house of the liuing God the pillar and proppe of truth Of the house of God it is said Domum tuam decet sanctitudo Domine Psalm 92. in longitudinem dierum sanctitude becomes thy house O Lord for euer which fanctitude consistes in the rectitude of the vnderstanding and will of man rectified by truth of doctrine both in fayth and manners Ibid. And this is sure that visible house wherin S. Timothy was to be wary and to know how to conuerse for the edification and example of others who should be eye-witnesses and eare-witnesses of his doings and sayings This Church is also the pillar and proppe of Truth which proppe or pillar surely shall stand while truth hath need of a proppe which shall be in order to mankind while man is mortall obnoxious to errour and lapse in question of diuine truth To this pillar of Truth Isa 59. Johan 14.16 Johan 16.13 the spirit of God is by speciall Couenant tied to the worlds end or is himself this pillar of Truth and that spirit of truth which shall teach the Church and by the Church omnem veritatem all truth that is all necessary truth which necessary truth certainly excludes all falshood in doctrine of fayth and manners which are the points in contestation between the Catholicks and Protestants All this and much more the Fathers and Doctors of the Catholique Church haue heard and belieued as foretold and decreed by God concerning the Visible profession of true doctrine in the Church of Christ without any mixture of falshood and the continuance of such Visible Profession de facto not de iure only Nor if you can glosse these Scriptures to anothersense shall they cease for that to tell vs this truth to whom the Catholique Church doth so interpret them and who as sonnes of obedience haue learned to turne the