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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03884	A treatise concerning the church Wherin it is shewed, by the signes, offices, and properties therof, that the Church of Rome (and consequently such particuler churches as liue in her communion) is the only true church of Christ. VVritten in Latin, by the Reuerend Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland, Doctour of Diuinity, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by I.L. of the same Society. The third part of the second controuersy.; Controversiarum epitomes. English. Selections	Gordon, James, 1541-1620.; Wright, William, 1563-1639.	1614 (1614)	STC 13997B; ESTC S114238	53,360	142

from the false as for example the vnity of doctrine and continuall succession doth separate and distinguish her from any hereticall Church but all these signes or markes ioyned and vnited togeather do distinguish the Church of Christ altogeather from euery false Church and this is sufficient that they may be calmost true signes in their kind 23. We surely haue already in the beginning of the precedent controuer●y spoken of the true properties of the Church to wit whē we declared that she is the spouse body Kingdome inheritance and citty of Christ for these are propria quarto modo and in this manner they all alwayes and only agree to the true Church of Christ. 24. Moreouer seeing that these properties are so inuisible as that they cannot be perceyued by any sense but only by faith they are not sufficient to conuince Infidels Heretikes and others which want true fayth and for this cause other visible signes are also necessary which may be perceyued by all as also conuince them of which sort are these foure signes which we haue now alledged 25. That in the meane tyme we may omit that the l●te and new vpstart Churches of our Aduersaries are so much worse then the Churches of Iewes and Infidels because sometymes in these some one or other of the aforesayd signes may be found But in our Aduersa●ies Church as we will shew herafter not one of them can be found CHAP. III. That the Roman Church only is the true Church of Christ is proued by the properties of the true Church HITHERTO we haue described out of holy Scripture the true Church of Christ and that by the properties offices and peculiar signes thereof Now it remaineth that we by the same enquire and examine in what parte or place of the world this true Church of Christ may be found the which will easily be done if we declare that all these propertyes offices and signes must needes agree to some one We therefore do affirme that all the offices properties and signes of the true Church do only agree to the Roman Church 2. It is heere notwithstanding to be considered least some perchance by the ambiguity or equiuocation of the word be deceyued that we doe not vnderstand by the Roman Church that which is only at Rome as our Aduersaries go about to perswade the ignorant but plainly euery Church which agreeth in the vnity of the same faith with the Roman and which obeyeth the Bishop of Rome whersoeuer that Church be whether at Rome or elswhere yea euen the furtthest part of the Indyes Moreouer that this Roman Church thus vnderstood is the only true Church of Christ and consequently that out of her we cannot hope for eternall saluation seing that out of the true Church as we haue sufficiently declared before we cannot be saued we will euidently demonstrate by all the properties offices and signes before alledged of the true Church And first we will speake of the properties to wit of those which agree vnto her quarto modo For all these do very well agree to the Roman Church and to no other The which we declare in this manner 3. First the Roman Church is the espouse of Christ. For that she was betrothed and despoused vnto Christ by true faith those wordes of the holy Scripture do plainly testify Your faith saith the Apostle writing to the Romans is renowned in the whole world And a little after S. Paul professeth himselfe to agree in the vnity of faith with the Roman Church that is to professe the Roman Faith and not that of VVittemberge as Lu●her or that of Geneua as Caluin ●i● Whe●●ore with good rigot we professe our selues not only to b● the children of the Catholike but also o● the Catholike Roman Church and faith the which S. Paul also manifestly professeth himsel●e to be 4. But our Aduersaries obiect that the Church of Rome in the Apostles tyme had the true faith but a●terward she forsoo●e and lost it So in tymes past those Heretikes which were called Dona●ists when they were vrged by the arguments of Catholikes were wont to say that indeed the Church of Rome was famous ouer all the world in the Apostles tyme but in their tyme she perished in all the other partes of the world and remayned only among the Donatists in Africke whome S. Augustine refuteth very well and we imitating him herein will vse this kind of argument That the faith of the Roman Church was once the true and sincere faith the holy Scripture doth expresly testify but that the same Church afterward forsooke or lost her former faith is no where extant in holy writ therefore we must not belieue that which is so expresly against the Scripture 5. And this argument indeed vrgeth much more our Aduersaries then the Donatists seing that they teach that we must belieue nothing which is not expresly in Scrip●ure but this is no where to be found expressely therin to wit that the Roman Church forsooke or lost her faith which she had receyued from the Apostles And truly there can be no greater signe of the want of learning and iudgement then to think that that Church forsooke and lost her fayth whose faith euen the expresse word of God doth so greatly commend vnto vs vnlesse this her forsaking and loosing of her former true faith can be proued out of the same word of God 6. Our Aduersaries indeed say that they will proue it in some particuler pointes of faith but they will neuer be able to performe their promise as in euery particuler Controuersy will appeare 7. Moreouer God promiseth to this espouse of Christ by the Prophet Isay the which he also confirmed with an Oath that she should be inuested and adorned with diuers Nations and people For so speaketh God to the Church Lyft vp thy eyes and looke round about thee and see all these are gathered togeather they are come vnto thee As I liue saith our Lord thou shalt be inuested with all these as with an ornament thou shalt cōpasse them about vnto thy selfe as a spouse So the Roman Church hath alwaies had and still hath many Nations and people subiect vnto her wherwith she is inuested and adorned the which euen our Aduersaries cannot deny 8. Secondly the Church is the visible and mysticall body of Christ but in the Roman Church there hath alwaies byn and now also there is the visible body of Christ consisting of diuers members and states as also of Doctours and Pastors wherof S. Paul speaketh writing to the Ephesians and Corinthians 9. Thirdly the Church is the Kingdome of Christ but in the Romane Church there hath alwayes now also there is the visible Kingdome of Christ that such an one as the Prophet Isay describeth when he sayth that Kings and Queenes shal be thy nourses For there hath euer beene since the conuersion of Nations many Kinges and Monarkes who haue agreed in vnity

thē a mā as manifestly appeareth by S. Peters answere Arise for I also am a mā therfore Cornelius was to be admonished corrected for adoration is eyther good or bad according to the cause or reason for which it is exhibited Now the cause for which Catholikes exhibite the same to the Bishop of Rome is very good to wit the excellent power of Christ or rather Christ himselfe gouerning ruling his Church in his Vicar and therfore this adoration is good and gratefull to God but the cause of Cornelius adoration was fond and false and therfore his adoration was naught and worthily reprehended 14. I know our Aduersaries often obiect th●● Pope Alexander the third did insole●tly ●rample vnder his feete Frederike the Empe●o●r ●ut ●his foolish fable is soundly and copiou●ly refuted by Baronius citing the testimonies of such as were present and haue committed to writing all that p●ssed in which there was nothing vnusu●ll but the Pope admitted from Frederike the accustomed adoration He that desireth more concerning the kissing of the Popes feet may read Ioseph Stephanus who hath written a whole booke therof it is sufficient for vs to haue briefly proued the same by many euident testimonies of holy Scripture CHAP. X. Of generall Councells GENERAL Councells doe represent the whole body of the Catholike Church wherefore we will now speake a little of them for seeing that we haue already spoken of the head of the Church it remayneth we treat of the body therof But this we will do briefly For our Aduersaries now adaies graunt many thinges concerning this matter which in tymes past they denyed To the end therfore tha● the true state of this Controuersy may the better be vnderstood three thinges are to be considered which our Aduersaries hauing now learned by experiēce to be true do willingly graunt vnto vs. 2. The first is that these Councells ●re very profitable that the authority therof is not to be despised For seing that the Apostle warneth vs to obey euery true Pastor much more are we bound to obey many assembled togeather For which cause our Aduersaries would also that we should all obey their synodicall assemblies Heereupon sayth Caluin Truly we do willingly graunt that if there happen debate about any doctrine there is no better nor surer remedy then if a Synod of true Bishops assemble togeather where the doctrine in controuersy may be discussed Thus he And euen naturall reason it selfe conuinceth this to be true as Caluin also confesseth For it is an easier matter for many assembled togeather to discerne the truth from falshood then if any one should attempt it at home 3. The second thing which our Aduersaries graunt is that Generall Councells when they are assembled togeather in the name of Christ do not err in matters of faith for they confesse that Christ promised this to two or three assēbled togeather in his name Thus Caluin and he addeth that they may erre when they are not called togeather in the name of Christ the which no Catholike did euer deny as will appeare heereafter 4. The third thing which they admit is that the first Generall Councells were lawfully assembled and that they did erre in points of fayth Thus Beza expresly who admitteth also the fifth sixt generall Councell he sayth that all th●se of his Rel●gion are of this opinion Caluin also of the auncient Councells writeth thus I re●●rence them from my hart and wish them to be had in their due honour with all men And a litle after whē he treateth of the anciēt Coūcells he saith that besides those f●ure first general Councells to wit Nicaenum Cōstantinopolitanū the 1. Ephesine Chalcedonense he admitteth also such other auncient Councells the which cannot be vnderstood but of the fifth and sixt For a little after he plainly reiecteth the seauēth 5. Heere it is also to be noted that Luther in the beginning reiected wholly all generall Councells but the Caluinists afterward by reason of Seruetus and other Anti trinitarians ●ere forced to admit the first foure Councells ●oreouer by reason of the Vbiquitarian Lutherans who cōfounded the properties of the two natures of Christ they were cōtreined to admit also the fifth and sixt And these things euen the Caluinists themselues do graunt vnto vs. 6. But Catholikes te●ch these fiue things of the generall Councells The first is that a generall Councell cannot without the word of God m●ke any new articles of fayth but her office is to explicate clearly and propose the word of God to be belieued of all the which the Church hath receaued from Christ and his Apostles For a lawfull generall Councell defineth nothing in matters of fayth which eyther is not extant in the holy Scripture or may not be gathered by the Traditions of the Apostles or ●astly may euidently be deduced out of both The which the Councell of Trent doth manifestly profes●e for now we must not expect new reuelations from heauen Wherfore it is a meere ●launder that Cal●in sayth that Catholikes teach that the Church hath authority ●o make new articles of ●a●th and that Catholikes despising the word of God do co●ne at their owne pleasure new points of fayth 7. The second is that we acknowledge that Generall ●ouncel●s may erre in matters which do not belong vnto our fayth and in this sense say●● S. Augustine One full and perfect Councell may be ●orrected by another Not in sayth the which is neuer changed but in Ecclesiasticall Constitutions the which according to the diuersity of tymes both are and should often be changed Whereupon in the same place he writeth that things ordeined be●ore may be changed by those which come after when we see by experience that is opened and made knowen which before was hidden and secret For the experience of new matters which happen may change or correct the Ecclesiasticall laiues Constitutions but it canno● alter and change matters of ●ayth 8. Wherefore Caluin wrongfully obiecteth against vs that S. Leo the Pope reprehended the Councell of Chalcedon seeing that Caluin him●el●e acknowledgeth in the same place that to appertaine nothing to f●●th which S. Leo reprehended And he also confesseth that Catholikes teach that Councells may erre in those thinges which nothing concerne fayth And no lesse foolishly Caluin reprehendeth the first Councell of Nice about matters which do not belong vnto fayth 9. The third is that we acknowledge those Councells may erre which eyther are not lawfully assembled or do not proceed lawfully in their busines they haue in hand For such Councells indeed are not assembled togeather in the name of Christ and of this sort was the Councell of the Arians holden at Ariminum that of the Eutichians at Ephesus the seauenth Constantinopolitane Councell of the Image-breakers the which therefore our Aduersaries doe in vayne obiect against vs. 10. The fourth is that albeit a Councell be