doctrine Now for as much as these thinges be so that is seeing neither this succession of persons is a sufficient true and proper marke of the Churche nor though we should graunt it such pertayneth any thing at all to this popishe vizard What is then the matter wherein we see some at this day so greatly to sticke that no small number as though [a] That is some fearefull terrible thing Gorgons head were caste in the way goe backe Verely this is the strength of the spirite of error that they which are prooued and pure may be made manifest Now let vs heare also suche an other testimonie of their impudencie That the canonicall ordeyning of Ministers i◠not a perpetuall and necessary mark of the Catholique Church they wil haue that to be iudged a Church where there continueth an ordinary calling to the holy ministerie But what other thing is this than after the example of that hostise of Chalcis to set before vs againe the same meate new drest Notwithstanding because here againe I sée some sticke as it were at a rocke and that not without danger of shipwrack I will indeuour and that as it were by the wind of truth hence to deliuer them that are cast vpon this coast Truely Pastors must in deede alwayes be sent by the Lorde but there is not alwayes alike order of their sending if a man bid them declare vnto vs what they vnderstād by the name of ordination which requeste in this question is altogether honest and verie necessarie then the clawes of these Lions wil openly shew themselues They will alleadge that of the Apostle How shall they preache vnlesse they be sent and that saying Rom. 10.15 1. Cor. 14.40 All things ought to be done in the house of God rightly and in order We agrée vnto it They will say that all that order is comprehended in the olde Canons which may not or ought not by any meanes be broken First we aunswere that it is playne by the comparison of the very Canons that one and the same order in the Christian Churches neither alwayes hath beene prescribed nor euerie where kept and that also the diuersitie of circumstances cannot suffer this that one order in these thinges shoulde be euerie where and alwayes exactly obserued and therefore very vnseasonablie is the obseruation euen of the moste auncient and best Canons required as absolutely and necessarilie to be kept And if they be here so impudent that they will deny this thing truely I will conuince them as manifest offenders For if it be vnlawfull Although the canonicall ordination be established for a perpetuall marke of the catholique church yet it reproueth the false church of Rome to omit any thing of the Canons without any exception From whence commeth that greate gaine vnto the court of Rome by dispensation also euen with the law of God neither truely wil I easely suffer my self to be thrust from this exception a But go to we are content here to do these men a pleasure let vs therfore say the disputation of this exception beyng deferred that vocation is an order not onely agreable to the worde of God but also euen to the verie auncient pure Canons by which an ecclesiasticall office is committed to some man Let vs graunt them also yet with no preiudice of the truth that there also the true Church is to be seene where this order continueth sound and pure yet I say that by that meanes it most certainely appeareth that that Popishe Churche is nothing lesse than that catholique church whose name it chalengeth to hir selfe For tell me what is this order to wit that a lawfull knowledge of learning and of manners going before and the order of ecclesiasticall degrees beeing not rashly violated some man by the free consent of any whole Church touching which the question is being appointed to this holy ministerie is ordained by thē of whom he ought that is is put into the possession as it were of his office And if anie man breake this order that is if a fault happen either in the examination or in the election all the pure Canons commaund all that to be iudged of no effect and so they subiect him that ordayneth the minister to moste gréeuous punishmentes That this is so they them selues cannot denie Wherefore I woulde not load many leaues with the alleadging of Canons Now let these men come forth and let them alleadge vnto vs euen one amongst all their clergie in whome this order hath beene thorowly obserued I demaund not whether these thinges prescribed both by the word of God and also by the pure Canons haue bene exactly obserued of them now a long time But this I aske whether there be any vse of election amongest them in the most places seeing that the Romish harlot hath couenaunted with Kings Princes for the abolishment of it and suffereth those bargaines to be printed and set out to sale Now where there remaineth any shew of election woulde a man haue thought any of them coulde haue beene so impudent that they shoulde be so bold as to denie that those offices which the whole world knoweth are openly gotten by purchase and that by buying free voyces which thing is specially practised amongst them that seke for priesthood and Canonicall persons as they call them that is to say amongst swine and asses which are altogether vncleane beastes to be so bold I saye as to denie it to be anye other thing than an abhominable treading vnder foote of all law both Gods owne and of that purer part of the canon law as they call it And of the triall both of doctrine and maners the lawful witnesses for sooth be those wicked men getting their liuing by no other means but by dayly and open periuries partly in the prouinces of the Church of Rome partly in the lappe of that Romish harlotte And this thing for sooth the high Bishops know not which begin their bulles with these wordes The honestie of life and maners vppon which commending the same vnto vs by a credible ttstimonie c. What say I their lawes of giuing either ordinarie or falling out vpon some as they call them and the lawes of resignation where were they deuised braied strained out at length set out and deliuered to make mad all both the highest and the lowest but in the deuilles kitchin And yet these men for sooth will prooue the Ecclesiasticall calling to remaine in their possession That the false clergie of Rome doth rashly dispute against vs for the laying on of hands But againe let vs heare that that may more conuince these mens shamelesnesse When they dispute with vs of a calling they are wont to vrge the laying on of hands as though the true difference of a lawfull and counterfaite calling consisted in that But I suppose these good men haue not forgotten that which I euen now saide to wit that by al the old canons his
vvorlde in these our daies for true knovvledg and vnfayned godlines vvhatsoeuer the papists doe lyingly and slanderously babble to the contrarie And as touching the matter it is that vvhich ought to be of greatest accompt amongest men and vvhich euen in respect of the bare name and title of it is verie glorious and excellent much more in respect of the substance thereof it selfe And for the manner of handling the things propounded it is short for auoiding of tediosnes it is plaine euen for the capacitie of the simple it is sound in respect of the truthe it propoundeth And it is sufficient not onely to instruct God his childrē but also to stop vp the aduersaries mouths in this matter and vvhat then vvanteth or vvhat can be more acceptable profitable vvherefore I doubt not but it shall haue good entertainment as amongest all the godly generally so particulerly of your vvorship vvho I knovv doth hartely loue the Church and carefully like and tender the causes therof vvhich also hath beene the principall matter mouing me to vndertake this trauaile and to dedicate the same vvhatsoeuer it be vnto your vvorshippe vvhome for sundry good graces that God hath bestovved vpon you I do vnfaynedly loue and reuerence in Christe Humbly praying and earnestly exhorting you according to your measure of light and knovvledge receiued from the Lorde to enforce your selfe to the vttermost of your habilitie euery maner of vvay to the preferring and promoting of these excellent matters and namely those that concerne the reformation of such corruptions as yet remaine amongest vs either touching the ministerie or the discipline of the Church for to this ende hath God endued you vvith all the graces that you haue presently receiued or may hereafter thorovv his goodnesse attaine vnto eyther of vvit vvealth learning credit countenance byrth office honor or vvhatsoeuer els vvherevnto I vvill thorovv God his grace not onely styrre you vp by all the holy and lavvfull meanes I can but also further you in my poore prayers to almighty God in that behalfe that you may daily encrease and continue in the sounde knovvledge of his truth in the stedfast faith of his promises in the sincere zeale of his glorie in vnfained loue of his holy vvord and the exercises thereof and in care and conscience to put in practise those good thinges that are enioyned you therein that your vvhole life maye tende to the glory of God the good of the Church and common vvealth and the faithfull seruice of her maiestie and your death be comfortable to your selfe as beeing the speedy passage to eternall life and profitable vnto others vvhile they be by your example instructed both to liue and die vvell vvhich God graunt for his crucified Christ his sake To vvhose gracious gouernement and good direction I doe humbly commend your vvorship and all yours both novv and for euer London the 16. of this Nouember 1582. Your worships alwaies ready in Christ Jesus T. W. the Lorde his vnworthy A TREATISE OF THE TRVE AND visible Notes of the Catholique Church MEN demaunde at this daie concerning the markes and authority of the church the question beeyng raysed by those who when they see their erroures to bee refelled by the worde of God obiecte vnto men that are vnskilfull of these matters the sacred name of the Church and by heaping vp the disputations of auncient fathers against Heretiques they bring vs into hatred as though we had corrupted both the bookes of Gods worde and also as though by violating all authority of the church we had after the example of the [a] They were so called of one Donatus who baptized such as imbraced his opinions though they were baptized before and made a schisme in the Church about the yeere 334. Donatistes set vp altar against altar to be short as though because wee haue shaken of the yoke of Babilon we had forsaken the Church without the which notwithstanding euen as we our selues confesse there is no saluation And neither doth this subtle kinde of reasoning dryue away the vnskilfull onely from the knowledge of the truth but also causeth some euen amongest them which séemed most stedfast to wauer Furthermore by this occasion very many take counsell betwéene both sides and as in opinions they indeuour to mingle light with darknesse so also in discerning of the true Church they labour to mingle the bastardly or false marks with the true and proper marks therof But except men would willingly be deceiued the deceit of these men might be very easely perceiued and auoyded Men must first define the Church before they enquire any thing of the authoritye thereof For first men should demaund what that Church should be before they determine of the boundes of hir authoritie which order they that doe not follow commit truely that grosse error and worthy of stripes which they call [a] That is the begging or taking of that as granted which is in cōtrouersie Petitio principij Go to then let vs sée what these men meane by the Catholique Church These men holde what so euer they dissemble that the Church in which we ought to abide That the Catholique Church is not rightly called euery congregation in which is a succession of Bishops if we will be saued is an assemblie of Bishops whose calling and names may bee fet from the Apostles them selues We say that this succession which is meerely personall neyther is the Church neither any whit at all pertayneth vnto those that alleadge the same That it is not the church may appear euen vnto very children first by this The order of Bishops is not the church that vnder the name of the church properly taken it is certain that not only the Pastors but also the flocks are comprehended Now it is altogether ridiculous to define a part as the whole it selfe because by that meanes the whole and the parte shoulde be one and the selfe same thing They reply The consent of a byshop and of a flock is not alwayes a note of a true church that they vnderstand together with the Pastors the very flocks them selues cleauing vnto them But this thing is also ridiculous séeing that both hereticall and backesliding Pastors may succeed Pastors of sound iudgement and hereticall flockes true sheepe and some times in deed the Pastors are hereticall and the sheep true contrary wise true pastors may haue hereticall sheepe When that thing falleth out to wit that both the Pastors and the flockes are heretticall the very aduersaries them selues dare not deny but that such a whole Church although it haue had auncestors in deed Apostolicall both the Pastors and the flocks do agree amongst themselues in falling away is yet notwithstanding altogeather a false Churche vnlesse they will take these speeches to wit to be hereticall and vniuersal for one and the selfe same thing But in the latter case at least wise in one part there is found
falsehood although on both sides that personal succession may be found Therfore neither the succession of persons by it selfe neither such maner of consent doth of necessitie prooue a true Church for as much as where both are found yet some times there maye be a false church and there in some sort may be a true church where the pastor dissenteth from the sheepe or the sheepe from the pastor Now that men may by examples both past and present prooue that these things haue too often times fallen out no man I suppose will denie But againe they say that they dispute not of particular Churches which they graunt may fall away but of that Catholique or vniuersall Church 1. Tim. 3.15 which is the piller foundation of truth But how I pray you do they define this catholike Churche Firste by a certayne place as those that will haue catholicke and Roman to be al one Secondly by the multitude Catholique and Roman are not all one as they which vpbraide vs with fewnes Let vs see therfore what manner of arguments these be They be if they be kept within the iust rules of reasoning vnlesse I be deceaued these and such like The church of Rome teacheth so very many in respect of a very few so beleeue and so it was from hand deliuered vnto vs. Therefore this is the catholique truth But who is so far void of all reason that he seeth not here againe Petitio principij and the thing in controuersie to be taken as graunted Shew vs therefore ye Sophisters or at least wise teach vs probablie firste how a part should be the whol that we may graunt vnto you your Romish church to be a principall member of the catholicke church And then from whence I pray you haue ye learned this Romish Church to be ordayned for a perpetuall rule of truth and from whence haue ye drawen that to be true which is approued of the greatest number Verely ye shall neuer proue this out of the bookes of the old or new Testament For those corrupt argumentes Vpon this rocke I haue builded my Church Mat. 16.18 Luk. 22.23 I baue prayed for thee Peter that thy fayth faile not and that saying of Christe thrise repeated feed my sheepe Ioh. 21.15.16 with men not altogether ignorant of these thinges need not any further confutation But happely ye will prooue it out of the writinges of auncient fathers As though for sooth it were the same thing to commende the faith and religion of the church of Rome as long as it was worthy praise and to establish hir for the catholicke church or a perpetuall rule to the catholicke church And seeing that by the name of the church of Rome if these flatterers will speake that they thinke they doe vnderstand no other thing than the byshop of Rome him selfe what madnesse is this I beseech you to haue the deciding of so great a controuersie to depēd vpon that seat in which their own writers being witnes not so much the monsters of men as Sathan himselfe doth seeme to haue sit so many ages together These men replie that the dignitie it selfe and the authoritie of the seate is not taken away by the faults of the persons euen as the Leuiticall high priesthood was true then also when it was exercised by vngracious and wicked high priestes And neither do we thinke that either the dignitie or els the efficacie of the ministerie may be abolished thorowe the faultes of the ministers which thinge these men yet thinke when it pleseth them as they that hang that their transubstantiation vpon the intēt of their sacrificing priestes a very rotten coard surely but this we say that their principle being graunted to wit that the Byshop of Rome is that head that should stand the catholique church as in stead of a soule it must altogether followe that this head be wyse if they will haue all his members that is the particular Churches to be wise And againe if that be frantick that the whole Churche must be franticke also Now that the Romish Bishoppes haue beene franticke many ages together not onely as priuate men but specially also as Bishops that is to say that euerie one of them almost haue bene not onely the most wicked of all men in respecte of their conuersation which thing these men can not denie vnlesse they woulde rather be conuinced by their owne testimonies but also as concerning the points of our religion whilst that partly they haue neglected all true religion and partly also haue set them selues against it so much that which thing two or three ages ago Petrarcha hath written whose verses they commend Rome hath beene a thousande yeeres at the least the temple of heresie and hath vtterly subuerted as much as was in hir all the offices of Christ yea so far forth that shee hath exalted hir selfe aboue Christe him selfe as the Apostles Iohn and Paule greater than all exception haue fore tolde all the beste approoued writers Gréeke Latin being the Byshops of other churches so interpreting the same vnlesse we haue sufficiently heretofore proued it we are ready again to prooue it before all vpright iudges Let this controuersie therefore be firste decided O yea Sophisters before that ye of this fained foundation as it were graunted vnto you But go to let vs graunt that the Byshoppes of Rome were suche whose so great and large succession is alleadged by these men Who yet vnlesse he be vtterly out of his wittes will therefore conclude that the bishop of Rome is the vniuersall head to whome who so euer doth cleaue is to be iudged a true member of the Catholique Church And yet these be the sophistications of these goodly fellowes which will haue catholique and Roman to be one and the selfe same thing to wit because Paule wrote that in his time Rom. 1.18 the faith of the Romans was famous throughout all the world But how much more rightly nowe may we say that the stenche of that whore hath not onely filled the earth but hath ascended also euen to heauen and that excellent epistle of the Apostle written to the olde Romans ought now truely to be written againste the Romans their successors Let vs now come vnto those who esteeme their catholicke churche The Catholike Church must not be esteemed by the multitude by the number and glorious shew of pages or seriaunts Verely if these men speake truth Christ and his flocke shall iustly be pronounced excommunicat and that multitude shal be the catholicke church which so often times cried out Take him away Mat. 26.23 take him away crucifie him The Apostle also shall be found a lyar writing to the Corinthians Brethren yee see your calling 1. Cor. 1.26 that we are not many wise according to the fleshe not many mightie not many noble to be shorte then these men shall be worthie whom to confute we may take paines when either by reason or examples
they shall proue that there are more wise men than fooles Now then I thinke it doth sufficiently appeare that by this bare successiō which they brag of that true catholike church wherein we must abyde cannot be discerned from the false Churche from which we ought of necessitie to depart But yet before that we conclude this place we muste refell an argument which these Sophisters would haue to be deemed such a one as cannot be ouercome For say they Hovv the fathers vsed the argumēt of personall succession the fathers so dispute from the succession of bishoppes against auncient heretiques But againe what can be more corrupt than this subtle kind of reasoning for this is that which is well knowne euen to children which they are wount to call an elench [a] The fallacie of composition or diuision is a false conclusion made by a wrong application of wordes alleadged or spoken referring that to one which is alleadged or spoken to an other or a fallacy of composition and diuysion First therfore I deny that any of the auncient fathers were mynded to vse the recitall of Bishops but to haue recourse rather euen to the Apostles And why so that the authoritie of doctrine rather than of persons shoulde be mainteined But these men obiect vnto vs the succession of their bishops not in déede bishops so far letting passe the mention of that Apostolicall doctrine that they woulde haue it accounted a wicked thing to demaund it at his handes that woulde proue him selfe to succeed the auncient byshoppes Now I pray you howe many authors of blasphemies haue sit in those chiefe seates of Alexandria Antioche Constantinople yea what seat will these men shew me somewhat more famous where some hereticall bishops haue not helde their seate And as touching the Romish chayre from which these men by a rottē coard hang the catholique church Honorius the [a] Monothelites were certain heretiks about the yeare 565 who affirmed that there vvas but one will and one action in Christ denying that ther was in him two naturall willes and actions which might aunsvvere to his two natures Monothelite openly condemned of the sixt general councell and priuately of Agatho another Roman Bishoppe And Iohn the 22. thinking euill touching the soule of man in like manner condemned of the colledge of Sorbon in Paris were sounde to haue sit in that seate To let passe [a] Liberius for ambitions sake fell into the Arrian heresie Liberius [b] He while Siluerius the Pope liued by the ayde of Belisarius the captaine of the Emperors armie obteined the popedome Vigilius and [c] He meaneth of Anastasius the 2. who fell into the heresie of Arrius and Eutiches which heresies Acatius also him selfe did propound about the yeere 484. Anastasius whom I see of some to be excused although Gratian. 2. Disti 19. reckeneth this last also as an Acatian heretique amongst the condemned Popes But if any man would obiect that these are blotted out of the number of Byshops and therfore are not comprehended in that title or role of succession yet this he shal be inforced to graunt vs to wit that the succession of the seat of Rome was then at the least broken of when these were therefore blotted out which persons notwithstanding they themselues as yet number in their Catologue because they had declined from the Apostolicall doctrine Whervpon followeth that which Tertulian rightly affirmeth that religion ought to be proued or tried not by the persons Tertulian but the persons by religion But here truly I confesse that I do somwhat ouershoot my self for seeing the question is of doctrine what doth this appertaine to the Byshops of the Churche of Rome whome all Christendome knoweth nowe so manye yeeres to haue beene for nothing lesse carefull then for anye doctrine eyther true or false but onely for to establishe and enlarge theire owne tyrannie But they will say no man hath condēned these Popes I confes it For who would haue taken to himself this lawful authority against their tiranny who had perswaded all men that they ought to be iudged of none Therefore there hath bene not of late onely but many ages together not an interruption but a full abruption or renting of the succession of Rome from the body of the catholique true church except peraduenture these men iudge that it is something lesse eyther to belleeue nothing or to teache nothing than to be an Heretique And I beséeche you what impudencie is this True doctrine ought to go before true succession to haue the knowledge of trueth to hang vpon succession wheras on the contrary these men themselues can not deny but that the trueth ought necessarily to go before succession And these Sophisters The Christian church in the time of Christe coulde not be knovvne by the succession of Persons if they had bene in the times of Christ by what Bishoply succession would they haue acknowledged the true church surely not by the title or name of the Leuiticall high priests because that priesthood was then at an end and Christ cannot be called the successour of Aaron vnlesse Iudaisme be agayne established wherefore also he is sayd to be made a high priest Heb. 7.16.17 not according to the order of Leui but according to the order of Melchisedec Therefore the holy men at that time acknowledged the Catholique church without the marke of personall succession to wit by the comparison of the doctrine of the Prophetes with the doctrine of Christe him selfe and the Apostles Which is so farre true that on the contrarye none haue lesse acknowledged Christe than they that haue cleaued to a Byshoply succession Therefore that personall succession is no true and perpetuall marke of the Catholique Church These men happely beeing driuen from the Leuiticall succession will againe obiect another succession from the Prophetes But neyther so shall they speake the truth if they sticke in the persons them selues for the succession of Prophetes was not perpetuall no more than the succession of Priests yea rather it was broken of a long time especially after Malachie They wil also obiect vnto vs that saying Mat. 23.2 The Scribes Pharises sit in Moses chaire But agayne they shold remember the same Christ to haue said Take heed of the leauen of the Pharisees Mat. 16.6 And therefore by that saying of Christ we are not called backe to a succession of persons but to a succession of doctrine But I haue besides an other thing more peremptorye as they them selues speake to aunswere againste that in which these men falsly boast themselues to followe the authoritie of the Fathers in discrying the church by which thing also their wilines may more and more be made manifest I denie therefore The auncient fathers vsed not the argument of personall succession against all heretiques that any of the auncient fathers haue at any time made mention of this succession but either against Schismatiques whilest
matter say that the Church of Christe is a schoole in which the worde of the Lorde is not onely barely to be read as out of the letter written but also to bee taught that it maye bee rightly vnderstoode and so to be taught that exhortations corrections and consolations both openly and priuately maye bee vsed which in Paul is vnderstoode by the name of Prophecying Rom. 12.6 Moreouer this also wee adde which thing ought here chiefly to bee marked that the interpretation of those scriptures are to be set no where else then out of the scriptures themselues not onely because the word of God is able to giue credite to it selfe but also because that trueth is reuealed vnto vs no where els then in the writings of the Prophetes and Apostles For that saying of Austen is well knowen and is most true That the scripture is to be expounded by the scripture Neither shall it irke me heere to put downe that nonotable place out of the 49. Homelie of the imperfect worke vpon Mathew because it agreeth altogeather with our times He that will know saith he which is the true Church of Christ let him not know it but onely by the scriptures And by and by after Christians therefore beeing willing to receiue the certainetie of true fayth let them flie to nothing but to the scriptures otherwise if they shall haue respect to other thinges they shall stumble perish not vnderstanding which is the true Church and by this meanes they shall fall into the abhomintaion of desolation which standeth in the holy places of the Church But to whom shall belong will these men say the interpretation of scriptures Verily all be not Prophetes all be not teachers But againe Esay Esay as crieth that both Priestes and Prophetes haue erred in their vision neither would Christ haue admonished Math. 16.6 Math. 23.2 That the leauen of the Pharises should be auoyded if we shoulde without exception haue consented vnto them That sit in Moses chayre Neither should the false Prophetes be eschued if all the Prophetes did speake the truth neither would Caiphas and the whole Synode of the Priestes haue condemned Christ if the holy Ghost had beene tried without exception to those that sit in Aarons seat What then Antiquitye or noueltye maketh nothing at all to instruct men to discerne the true interpretation of scripture from the false Let these men therefore heare at length that which we haue so often times cryed out vnto deafe men to wit that we do not simply reiect neither the old nor the new counsels whether they be particular or generall vnlesse they be plainly theeuish that we do not simply refuse neither old nor new writers vnles they be manifestly either superstitious or ridiculous or by cōmon consent abrogated That we doe not simply cast from vs the writings neither of auncient nor new writers whether they be Ecclesiasticall or Laicall as these men call them for God is no accepter of persons and often times euen by the basest sorte he confoundeth the pride of the most wise vnlesse they be plainly wicked superstitious or foolishe But this onely we require which the most learned and euery the most religious of the old writers monish carefully to be don to wit that all these thinges should be diligently examined according to the rule of the written word of God For antiquitie and authoritie of those that wryte may in deed set some collour of truth vpon falshood but that it shoulde be true which disagreeth neuer so little from the writings of the Prophets and Apostles that truely it can neuer bring to passe Furthermore The Creeds of the ancient Synodes the iudgement of the fathers against heretiques are at no hand reiected by vs yea rather they are strongly defended against aduersaries although not as yeelding credite themselues experience it self more than sufficiently declareth that there haue beene long time since builded vpon the foundation layd by the Apostles not onely bay and stubble but also yron and rust to be short lies vppon trueth All which thinges muste at the length be consumed by the light and fire of Gods word Now least these men shoulde agayne complaine that what soeuer hath bene established by counsell after consell in the auncient Churche shoulde by this meanes be called into doubt we confes that we doe acknowledge the Créedes which were alwayes approoued by the common consent of the whole Church to wit the Creed of the Apostles Nice Athanasius his creed the creed of Constantinople Chalcedon togeather with the curses pronounced in the second counsel of Ephesus againste Nestorius And that we both with mouth and hart detest al heresies which either by open or secret consent of the whole Church were out of the word of God condemned in those 4. councels and also ouer throwen in the fifth and sixth councels of Constantinople And all other heresies whatsoeuer which afterwarde eyther newlye sprong vp or are newly polished not that the truth hangeth vpon any Synods or Creedes but because we acknowledge that the thinges which are prescribed and established in them The conclusion of the disputation of the true Christ who is the only true perpetual and absolute necessary note of the true Church may be rightly iudged by the writings of the prophets and Apostles so far of is it that we take away the authority of the church or dispise the consent of the godly either ancient or new writers which thing our aduersaries falsly shamlesly obiect vnto vs. Now the summe of al these things is this that Christ is the true perpetual necessary to be short the onely marke of the Church yea I say the true Christ that is suche a one as he from the beginning hath most perfectly touching the matter and maner of saluation reuealed him selfe both in the writings of the prophets and of the Apostles Mat. 12.13 For that saying standeth sure He that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad and that saying 1. Pet. 2.7 that christ is that corner stone of the foundation vppon whome the whole building riseth vp And that onely head which ministreth vnto his body that is vnto the true catholique Church al féeling and mouing To be short Iohn 10.7 Iohn 14.6 Iohn 11.25 he is the dore the way the resurrection and the lyfe Therfore whersoeuer that word is heard as it ought to be there in deed Christe raigneth and where Christe raigneth there in deed we iudge the Catholique visible Churche to be neither tied to any certaine place nor vnto the multitude for where that dead carkas is Mat. 24.28 to wit Christe crucified there be those Egles there is saluation Act. 4.12 where that onely name is in which we must be saued there be the children of light where that sonne shineth there be the true sheepe Where the voyce of that sheepeheard is heard Mat. 18.20 although two or three onely throughout all the world
shall be truely gathered together in his name And to speake in fewe wordes where that true seede is sowen there is the Lords field and there that haruest groweth which shall neuer be burned But againe because it falleth out partly thorough the weaknesse of mans wit euen in the moste excellent men partly through the wickenesse or negligence of the pastors that scarce at any time since the time of the Apostles the doctrine of Christ hath beene so preached in the Church but that some blemish hath priuely crept in which thing appeareth to bee done euen by the Epistles of the Apostles and that whilest they also were liuing Finally because the Lord hath apointed not onely that the worde shoulde be taught but also that it shoulde not be taught of euery man And for this cause hath appointed certaine lawes touching this order I must here again declare two things to wit how farre it shoulde be necessarie that that onely marke of the true Church that is to say the preaching of Gods worde shoulde be pure and how much we should giue to the ordination and succession of the Pastors themselues Therefore How farre it is necessary that the doctrine of fayth should be pure in the Church that the Church eyther particular or general may be a true church as touching that former point I put downe three thinges One is that although there be nothing set out vnto vs in the holy Scriptures which is not most profitable and verie necessary as it were vnto saluation yet there are certaine chiefe points and as it were grounds of our religion which are to be discerned from the rest The second point is that there haue beene some matters which in times past haue beene rudimentes of the Catholique Churche and may in other times also be rudiments of some particular churches yet for all that those points cease not to belong to the true Churche The third is that the religion and marke of the Churche either vniuersall or particular is not to be measured by some thing that this or that Pastor teacheth by worde or writing neither by that that some sheepe by them selues haue thought this Or by the disputations of some whether they be many or few but by that doctrine which is commonly receiued in the Churches so that it be agreable to the word of God That all the points of christian religion are not of the foundation thereof Now because these questions are called into controuersie go to let vs confirme them by sure reasons examples As touching the firste the thing it selfe sheweth that there may be variaunce touching some things yet the soundation of christian religion remaine safe And againe some things cannot be taken away but that the whole building be vtterly ouerthrown He that denieth Christ to haue come in the fleshe Iohn 4.3 is not of God but is the spirit of Antichrist Therefore the companies of the * They denied Christ to haue come in the flesh Dochitae of the * The Marcionistes of whome he speaketh here did hold that Christ was not true man Marcionits and of such like be not the Church of Christe whereby it is prooued that the point touching both the natures of Christe is an article of Christian religion belonging to the foundation Againe the Churche of Ierusalem wherin who was better learned than Peter knew not the calling of the vncircumcised and yet what true Churche was there then in the worlde if the Church of Ierusalem were not it Therefore the point concerning the calling of the vncircumcised is not of it selfe of the points of Christian religion which concerne the foundation Therfore there is some difference betweene those thinges which are set forth vnto vs in the scriptures to be beléeued The second also may be prooued by a more euident example For who doubteth That there are some rudiments of particular Churches VVhich thing also in times past fall out in the Catholique church but that if euer there were any where a true and almost onely and wholy Catholique Churche that was Christes owne houshold being conuersaunt and that according to the fleshe with those his twelue disciples Who likewise is ignoraunt that the point of the resurrection the foundation wherof is the resurrection of Christ himselfe is of so great waight that the Apostle doth rightly pronounce that that beeing abolished the whole fruit of the Gospell shoulde be abolished but that very congregation could scarce beleue that Christ was yet risen And Thomas gaue not credite to his own very fellow disciples yea the disciples would not haue beléeued euen their owne verye eyes if the Lorde had not sayd Luke 24.39 VVe may not determine of the falshood or truth of any church by the doubting of either many or few A spirit hath not flesh and bones And that third thing is confirmed by the examples of the Churches of Achaia and Galatia which doubtlesse the Apostle would not haue called the churches of Christ and therefore true churches if hee had therfore thought that the church of Corinth had denied that article of the resurrection of the flesh the churches of Galatia had reiected the benefite of their liberty purchased by Christe because some in Corinth yea perhaps some of the pastors themselues did doubt of the poynte of the resurrection and the most part of the Galathians called backe agayn the vse of circumcision and other ceremonies seeing that yet notwithstanding Gal. 5.2 the same Paul sayth If ye be circumcised Christ doth profite you nothing and seeing that he affirmeth that those which vrged circumcision not of ignoraÌ„ce but of stubbornnes they were remoued alway vnto another gospel Gal. 1.6 Phil. 3.2 therefore he openly calleth theÌ„ Apostatates or fallers away and compareth them to Dogs that is to say to vncleane beastes But it is an other thing to erre through igâ—â—â—aunce than obstinately to resist the truth as wiful fellowes are wont Heresie which is without the Church if it be of some point of the religion that toucheth the foundation is an other thing than being deceiued or an error which requireth and suffereth it selfe to be taught To be shorte the Eclipse of the Sunne is an other thing than the absence of the same and the euening is an other thing than the darkenesse of the night yea the night it selfe which the day succeedeth is an other thing than the darknesse were Gen. 1.2 when they couered the depth These things then being put downe That some errours may creepe into the Catholique church yea and that in some point of faith which concerneth the foundation it shal be easie to iudge that euery error doth not take away the name of the true church and with al that to be most false which the aduersaries say to wit that the Catholique Church caÌ„not erre and yet that euery error doth not abolish the name of the Catholike Church For as touching this latter point if