particuler choise to insist vpon omitting some others of like nature because wee see that most or all of them do immediatly and principally as is aboue sayd touch the meanes of purchasing of grace of remission of our sinnes and obtayning of saluatiō being maintayned for such by the Catholikes but vtterly denyed reiected by Protestants And here I now vrge two things First if these former doctrines as they are beleeued by the Catholikes do immediatly concerne saluation and become necessary meanes thereof then cannot the Protestants as reiecting all such doctrines and such meanes both in beliefe practise be saued But if by a supposall they be not of that nature but false in themselues and the contrary doctrines true then cannot the Catholikes as beleeuing false doctrines immediatly touching mans saluation and accordingly practising them be saued From which forked argument it may most demonstratiuely be inferred that it is impossible that both the Catholiks and the Protestants the one part beleeuing the other part not beleeuing the foresayd doctrines should both be saued for who neglecteth necessary meanes shall neuer attayne to the designed end of the sayd meanes Secondly I vrge that a false beliefe not only in these articles but also in any other Controuersyes betweene the Catholikes and the Protestants is plaine Heresy And this because euery false beliefe is comprehended within the definition of heresy as being in it selfe an electiō choise of a new or false doctrine wilfully maintayned against the Church of God and therefore it followeth that eyther the Catholikes or Protestants for their persisting in this false beliefe or heresy shal be damned 10. But heere I will stay my selfe wading no further in the disquisition and search of the great dissentions betweene Catholikes and Protestants touching Fayth and beliefe only I will reflect a little vpon the premises of the two last Chapters And heere since it is made most euident first that the Protestants and Catholikes do mainly differ in the sense and construction of the articles of the Creed and consequently seeing the sense and not the wordes make the creed that they both do not beleeue one and the same Creed but haue to themselues seuerall Creedes From whence sufficiently is discouered that want of vnity in fayth among them both which vnity is so necessarily required to mans saluation as in the precedent Chapter is demonstrated Secondly that though by supposition they did beleeue the Creed the sense therof with an vnanimous consent yet it is proued that there are diuers other articles not contayned in the Creed which are indifferently beleeued as necessary to saluation both by Catholike and Protestant Thirdly seeing also there are sundry Controuersies in Religion as is aboue exemplifyed which immediatly concerne saluation being houlden as necessary meanes thereof by the catholikes but disclaymed from and abandoned by Protestants as mayne errours and false doctrines that therefore it is a manifest errour to make the Creed the sole rule of fayth 11. Therefore from all the former premises I do auerre that he who maintayneth that both Catholikes Protestants and consequently men of any Religion notwithstāding that the one side doth necessarily beleeue and maintaine Heresy can be saued or that euery Christian can obtaine heauen is wholy depriued of all true iudgement reason and discourse and for want thereof may deseruedly be ranged among them of whome the Psalmist speaketh Nolite fieri sicut equus mulus quibus non est intellectus Do not become as Horse and Mule which haue no vnderstanding CHAP. VI. The same proued from the authority and priuiledges of the Church in not erring in her definitions and condemnation of Heresies and first by Councells FROM the inuiolable vnity of Fayth we wil next descend to the priuiledges of Gods true church of which priuiledges I will at this tyme take only one into my consideration which is that the church of God is indued with a supreme prerogatiue in not erring in her definitiō of faith or condemnation of heresy This point is warranted by innumerable texts of holy Scripture as where it is sayd Vpon thy wales O Hierusalem I haue set watchmen all the day and all the night they shal not be silēt Isai 72. But God did not set watchmen ouer his Church to teach errours And againe the (a) 1. Tim. 3. Church of God is the pillar and foūdation of truth what more perspicuous And further whereas each man is commaunded to repaire in difficulties euen of lesser consequences to the Church it is threatned by Christ himselfe that who will not heare the Church shal be accounted as an heathen or publican according to that his condemnation Si Ecclesiam non audierit (b) Matt. 18. sit tibi sicut Ethnicus Publicanus where we find no restriction but that in all things wee are to heare the Church Againe Christ himselfe speaketh to his Apostles and in them to the whole Church (c) Luc. 10. He that heareth you heareth me But if the Church could erre neyther would Christ referre vs to the Church especially vnder so great a penalty neyther by hearing the Church could we be iustly sayd to heare Christ Finally the Church is so gouerned by Christ as its head or spouse and by the holy Ghost as its soule as therfore we find the Apostle thus to write (d) Ephes ◠therof God hath made him head speaking of Christ ouer all the Church which is his body And againe one (e) Ephes 4. body and one spirit and yet more The (f) Ephes 5. man is the head of the Church From which Texts it followeth that if the Church should erre in its definition or resolution of Fayth and condemnation of Heresy this erring must iustly be ascribed to Christ and to the holy Ghost and consequently it followeth that the Apostles in making the Creede would haue omitted that Article I belieue the holy Catholike Church For why should we be bound to belieue the Church if the Church could erre 2. This truth I meane that the Church of Christ cannot erre in her sententionall decrees is so illustrious and euident that Tertullian speaking of certaine Heretikes of his time obiecting the erring of the whole church thus figuratiuely or Ironically writeth Age (g) Lib. de preser omnes errauerunt nullam respexit Spiritus sanctus that is goe to belike all the Churches haue erred the holy Ghost hath respected or looked vpon no one Church And S. Augustine Disputare (h) Epist 118. contra id quod Ecclesia vniuersa sentit insolentissimae insaniae est To dispute against any point maintained by the whole Church is extreme madnes To whose iudgement herein most of the more sober and learned Protestants doe indisputably subscribe since diuers of (i) D. Bācroft in ser 1588 Fox act Mon. 464 h. art 4. the deuines of Geneua in their propositions and principles disputed pag. 141. diuers others them
stiling her the pillar and foundation of truth And further it should follow that the Church should thus insufferably erre both in generall Councells as also in the priuate authorities and sentences of all the learned Fathers in the firste times 11. And thus for example the Councell of the Apostles should haue erred (k) Act. 15. in decreeing it vnlawfull to eate in those times blood and strangled meates In like sort the first Councell of Nice (l) Euseb l. 6 hist c. 33. should haue erred in condemning the Quartodecimani for heretikes because they would not keepe Easter day according to the custome of the church The councell of Rome vnder Cornelius for condemning the heresie of the Nouatians who reiected the Sacrament of Pennance as also for condemning the errour of Anabaptisme The councell (m) Vt patet in act 2. of Calchedon for condemning the Heresie of Eutiches and for prohibiting the mariages of Monkes and Virgins and the first Councell of Ephesus (n) Socra l. 7. c. 34. for condemning the heresy of Nestorius both which Heretikes beleiued in the most holy Trinity and acknowledged Christ for their Redeemer The fourth councell of Carthage (o) Can. 79. for sententionally decreeing that prayer and sacrifice for the dead was according to the true faith of Chirst and for pronouncing the denyers therof for Heretikes And finally to omitt other Coūcels the councell of Constantinople (p) Zonaras in vita Constantini Nicephorus l. 17. c. 27 should haue erred for condemning the Heresie of Origen who taught that the Diuels in the end should be saued And thus farre of councels condemning points of seeming indifferency for open wicked heresyes 12. But now graunting that the sayd points as they were houlden by the maintainers of thē were not Heresies that the beleiuers of them might be saued then two maine absurdityes doe ineuitably follow The first is the erring of the whole Church of God in condemning them for heresies they being not Heresies but true doctrines as is said The second the inconsiderate carriadge of the church in these matters For to what purpose or end were all these councells consisting of many hundreds of the most graue and Reuerend men of all christendome celebrated with such labour and trauaile out of all countries and infinite chardges if the doctrines for the impugning resisting condemning wherof they were gathered might be indifferently maintayned and defended on all sides without breach of true faith or danger of saluation The erring of the Church is no lesse manifested in the sentences and condemnation giuen by many of the most ancient famous learned Fathers in the primitiue Church not any one orthodoxall Father contradicting them therein against diuers maintayning opinions that seeme in regard or the Trinity the Incarnation c of small importance if so these opinions be not heresies nor the beleiuers of them Heretikes but men in state of saluation 13. And thus according hereto Florinus though he taught God to be the authour of sinne might be saued In like sort the Heretikes who in S. Hieromes dayes denyed the possibility of the Cōmandements the Manichees who denyed Free-will the Eunomians who taught that only faith did iustify The Aerians who denyed prayer and sacrifice for the dead and tooke away all fasting-dayes Vigilantius who taught that Priests might marry that we ought not pray to Saints Iouinian who helde mariadge to be better then virginity The Donatists who taught the inuisibility of the Church And finally to omit many others for breuity sake The Pelagians who denyed the necessity of Baptisme in Children All these men I say might be saued notwithstanding the former doctrines if so euery one might expect saluation in their Religion And yet we finde that the foresaid men were branded for wicked Heretikes their doctrines for damnable Heresies as in the seauenth chapter aboue is showed by S. Irenaeus S. Hierome S. Epiphanius Philastrius S. Augustine Theodoret and others diuers of these holy Fathers wryting Catalogues of Heresies did place the foresaid doctrines and their authours within the said Catalogues and this they did without any reluctation or gainesaying of any other ancient and learned Father of their tymes 14. From which consideration I do gather that if those opinions were not iustly condemned for heresies and their authours for Heretikes then not only the Church did fondly erre in so great a matter but also the aforesayd alleadged Fathers to wit S. Irenaeus S. Hierome Epiphanius S. Augustine with many such others should deseruedly be reputed for Heretikes for their condemning of true doctrines for heresies and the beleeuers of them for heretikes and on the contrary side Florinus the Maniches the Eunomians Vigilantius Iouinian the Donatists Pelagius and many other such should be accounted for their teaching of true doctrins orthodoxall Fathers and authours and might haue iustly complayned of their insupportable wronges and indignityes proceeding from the pennes of the foresayd Fathers an absurdity which I thinke no man enioying the benefit of his fiue senses will allow And yet the admittance of our Newtralists paradox inauoydably draweth on this inference 15. Another absurdity accompanying the former doctrine is that Heretikes should be true members of Christs church This I deduce For seeing by the consent of all learned men none can be saued but such as be members of Christs Church for otherwayes Turks and Iewes dying in that state might be saued and seeing the foresayd registred doctrines and the authours are condemned for heresies and Heretikes both by the authority of Gods Church and according to the true definitiō of heresy aboue set downe for the foresayd Heretikes made choyce of those their heresies and did maintaine them most frowardly against the whole Church of God not submitting their iudgments to it it must of necessity follow that if those men could be saued then Heretikes continuing Heretikes are members of Christ his Church then which what paradox in it selfe can be accounted more absurde or in the iudgment of learned men more incredible Considering with what acerbity of comportement the Apostles all the orthodoxall learned pious Fathers both in their writings otherwise haue in all ages entertained Heretikes as aboue I haue manifested in the sixth Chapter 16. Againe supposing the truth of the doctrine of the Omnifidians as I may tearme thē yet obserue how repugnant it is to all reason otherwise absurd euen in its owne nature I will heere passe ouer diuers reasons alleadged in the precedent chapter and insist a little in some few of them The first It is certaine that that faith which belieueth some articls yet belieueth not others which are no lesse true such is the faith of our Newtralists is no true supernatural fayth seeing it beleeueth nothing thorough the authority of God his Church both which reueale and propound all articles alike indifferently to al men to be beleeued Now what more crosse to
excōmunication is inflicted The Apostle in 2. Thess cap. 3. coniureth as it were in the name of Christ that all should auoid all false belieuers in these words We denounce vnto you Brethren in the name of our Lord Iesus Chirst that you withdraw your selues from euery Brother walking inordinately and not according to the tradition which they haue receaued of vs. This place concerneth faith and doctrine as the whole chapter sheweth but if these men here to be eschewed were in state of saluation they ought not then to be eschewed Againe this text cannot haue reference to those who deny the Trinity the Incarnation and Passion seeing the deniers of these high articles are not Brethren in Christ and yet the Apostle styleth them Brethren whome he here reprehendeth 3. Againe the Apostle in another place thus forewarneth The (b) Epist. ad Gall. cap. 5. workes of the flesh be manifest which are fornication vncleanes impurity or dissentions sects c. They which doe these things shall not obtaine the kingdome of God Where wee see is expresse mention made of Sects and that maintainours of any sects in opinion of faith much more of any Heresie which is euer auerred with greater contumacy and frowardnes and with neglect of the Churches authority shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen from which Testimonies we may further conclude that as one only act of fornication barreth a man from the kingdome of God so also one Heresie excludeth him from the same 4. A fourth place is this I desire (c) Epist ad Rom. cap. 16. you Brethren to marke them that make dissentions and scandalls contrary to the doctrine which you haue learned and auoid them for such do not serue Christ our Lord But if such men be to be auoided and doe not serue Christ then no doubt they continuing in that state cannot be saued Againe 1. Tim. 1. the Apostle speaketh of certaine men and saith of them that Quidam circa (d) 1. Timoth 2. fidem naufragauerunt Certaine men made shipwracke about the faith Where the Apostle vseth the metaphor of shipwracke therby to expresse more fully that Heretikes once falling out of the shippe of Christs churche are cast into the sea of eternall damnation To conclude the Euangelist Saint Iohn speaketh of all Heretikes in generall not embracing the doctrine of Christ within which all secondary questions of christian Religion are contained in this sort If any man come (e) 2. Ioan vnto you and bring not the doctrine of Christ receaue him not into your house nor say God saue you vnto him But a man is bound in charity to suffer any one who is in state of saluation to come into his house and to salute him or say God saue him 5. Now what can be replyed against these former Texts It cannot be sayd that they are meant only of such Heretikes as deny the mysteryes of the Trinity the Incarnation of Christ his Passion and such like supreme and cardinall points of Christian Religion this I say cannot be auerred for these reasons following First because those who in the Apostles tymes denyed these principall points of Christianity could not be truely tearmed Heretikes seeing he is truely an Heretike who was once a member of Christs church by fayth but after ceaseth to be thereof no more then all the Iewes or Gentils could not be accounted or styled Heretikes because they neuer beleeued the foresayd mysteryes of christianity Secondly by reason that according to the former definition of Heresy or Heretikes aboue set downe the former Texts haue a necessary reference to all Heresy and heretikes whatsoeuer whether the subiect of the sayd false opinion be small or great Thirdly because that in the former Texts of Scripture there is no restriction of the word Haereticus or Haeresis to the chiefe or highest points of Christian Religion but it is extended to all kind of Heretikes or Heresies whatsoeuer euen by the Apostle without exception who no doubt if he had vnderstood Heresyes or Heretiks only in the greatest points at least in some one Text or other among so many would accordingly haue restrayned his wordes only to those kind of Heretikes and the rather seeing the denyall of those great points only not of others do in our Libertines opinion make the denyers thereof Heretikes But not to leaue the least show of refuge or euasion heerin I will produce some passages of holy Scripture in which the maintenours of particuler errours euen in lesser points then the highest articles of Christianity are censured by Christs Apostles to be depriued of eternall saluation 6. And first we find S. Paul thus to prophesy In (f) 1 Tim. c. 4. the later times certaine shal depart from the fayth attending to spirits of errour and doctrine of Diuells forbidding to mary and to abstaine from meates Heere the Apostle prophesieth according to the iudgment of (g) Hom. 12. in Timot Saint Chrysostome (h) In hunc locū Ambrose (i) Lib. contra Iouin c. 7. Hierome and S. (k) Her 25. 40. Augustine of the Heretikes Eucratites Marcionists Ebionists such like who denyed Matrimony as a thing altogether vnlawfull and prohibited absolutly at al tymes and the eating of certaine meates as creatures impure Now these Heretikes belieued in the Trinity and might in the Incarnation c. and yet euen for these two former Heresies touching mariage and eating of meates and not for the Trinity or Incarnation they are sayd by the Apostle to departe from the fayth of Christ and to attend to the doctrine of Diuels But such as leaue the fayth of Christ and attend to the doctrine of Diuels are not in state of saluation In my iudgement this one authority alone is sufficient to ouerthrow this phantasy of our Newtralists since the wordes are diuine scripture the heresies reprehended no fundamentall points of Religion but of as little or lesser consequence then the Controuersies betweene the Catholikes and the Protestants and yet the maintainers of them are accounted to depart from the faith of Christ and to attend to the doctrine of Diuels 7. A second place shal be that of the former Apostle who writing of certaine Heretiks erring touching the Resurrectiō of the body sayth thus Their (l) 2. Timoth 2. speach spreadeth like a Canker of whome is Hymenaeus and Philetus who haue erred from the truth saying that the Resurrection is already past and haue subuerted the fayth of some These men beleeued all the mysteryes of the Trinity Incarnation c. seeing otherwise the Apostle would haue reprehended them for want or beliefe therein as for the article of the Resurrection yet for erring only touching the resurrection of the body they are sayd to erre from the truth to subuert the fayth of some and that as a Canker neuer leaueth the body till by little and little it wasteth it away so their speaches by degrees poyson and kill the soules of
doe with all seruour and earnestnes maintaine that the church of Christ cannot erre and that what she defineth for truth is most true or what for Heresy or falsehood is hereticall and to be condemned 3. This basis or foundation of the Churches not erring being thus firmely layd we are herevpon to conclude that what points of Religion the Catholike Church of Christ hath condemned for heresies the same are by vs to be reputed for heresies since the Churches cōdemnation or approbation is most infallible the maintainours of the sayd heresies for heretikes and consequētly that such heretikes as departing out of the Church of God by their houlding of the sayd hereticall opinions cannot be saued Now because the iudgmēt of the Church in matters of fayth is by the aknowledgment of all sides discouered two wayes first by the sentence of generall Councells secondly by the frequent attestations of the chiefe doctors of the Church in euery age in their particuler writings they not being contradicted therein by any other orthodoxall Fathers or doctors of the same age I will therefore distributiuely handle both these wayes shewing that both by generall Councels and also by the particuler iudgment of the learned Fathers many opinions though not touching the Trinity the Incarnatiō the Passion or the expresse articles of the Apostles Creed haue bine condemned for plaine heresies and the belieuers of them anathematized for Heretikes 4. And first to begin with Councells the infallible authority of which euen Christ himself hath by his own words often ratifyed as where he sayth VVhere (k) Math. 18. two or three much more when many hūdred venerable Bishops are gathered together in my name I am in the midst of thē And againe speaking to his Church and in it to the assembled Doctours and Pastours thereof I am (l) Math. 28. with you all dayes euen to the consumation of the world Which councels are euer directed and gouerned by the holy Ghost according to those wordes in the Acts Visum est (m) c. 15 Spiritui sancto nobis It hath seemed good to the holy Ghost and vs. And therefore are worthily receaued admitted for the supremest sentence of Gods Church not only by the ancient (n) Atha epist ad Epictetū Aug. epi. 162. Nazianz oratione in Athanasium Cyrill l. de Trinitate c. Fathers but euen by the more learned Protestants since to omit others one of the most remarkable of them thus writeth Synods (o) D. Bilson in his perpetual gouermēt pag. 370. are an externall iudiciall meanes to discerne errour the supremest meanes to decyde doubts But to proceede The Councell of Nice was celebrated though principally for the repressing of the heresy of Arrius denying the diuinity of Christ yet withall touching the Controuersy of keeping the feast of Easter as is apparent out of (p) D. Bilson supra pag. 374. Eusebius (q) Lib. 3. de vita Constantini Athanasius and (r) De synodis Ariminis Seleuciae Epiphanius Now this Councel pronounceth Anathema to al those who besides their denying of the diuinity of Christ shall deny that the feast of Easter was not to be kept according to the custome of the church but according to the custome of the Iewes And these heretikes were called Quartodecimani Heres 70. Andianorū of whom see Tertul. l. de prescrip Augustine heresis 29. And here we are to vnderstand that the worde Anathema vsed and pronounced by this Councell which word is also almost euery where vsed in all their general Coūcells signifyeth asmuch as accursed and in this sense we find this word Anathema to be vsed by the Apostle in seueral (t) Epist ad Rom. 9.1 Cor. 12. c. places so as when a Councel pronounceth Anathema to any for belieuing such and such heresies or not belieuing such and such true doctrines it intendeth to say that those men so doing are to be accursed and abandoned from God But no man is to be accursed or abandoned from God for belieuing or not belieuing points of indifferency but for belieuing of such errours as cannot stand with his soules saluation 5. Also you shall reade Act. 15. of the Councell assembled in the Apostles time the occasion and reason thereof was for that certaine contentious men maintaining that the Gentiles cōuerted to the Christian fayth might eate meats offered vp to Idols blood and strangled beasts contrary to the custome of the Iewes the Apostles being assembled bearing with the weaknes of the Iewes in the infancy of the Church decreed the prohibition of eating blood and strangled meates After which decree once established it is certaine that it had bine a mortall sinne immediatly to haue eaten of blood and strangled meates so as before it being a point of indifferency is now made necessary This appeareth from the text first from those wordes Certaine going forth from vs haue troubled you with wordes subuerting your soules But men do neyther depart out of the Church by maintaintng certaine opinions nor by their example therein can they subuert other mens soules if their doctrine and practise thereof do stil remaine about things indifferent Secondly from that other passage It hath seemed good to the holy Ghost and vs to lay no further burthen vpon you then these necessary thinges where we find that the prohibition of such meates is ranged by the Apostles in regard of those tymes amoung those things which are necessary Againe neyther would the Apostles haue gathered themselues so solemly neither would they haue ascribed the decreeing of it to the worke of the holy Ghost if the subiect of the question and difficulty then discussed of by them had concerned matters only of indifferency 6. Now from the example of this Councell I do gather that if a Councell by its owne authority may decree that the eating of certaine meates being otherwayes of their owne nature indifferently to be eaten without sinne shal be vnlawful and shall repute and hould the impugners thereof for men departed from out of the Church of Christ then a fortiori what doctrine soeuer a Councell shall condemne of its owne nature for heresy the same is to be reputed by all good Christians for heresy and the defendours thereof for Heretikes 7. The third Councell of (u) Cau. 47. Carthage wherat S. Augustine was present decreed that the booke of the Maccabees with some other bookes should be acknowledged as canonicall and pronounceth an Anathema and condemnation to all those who should not belieue them as canonicall scripture from whence it may be concluded that seeing the booke of the Machabees teacheth prayer for the dead that therefore this Councell alloweth this doctrine and condemneth the contrary doctrine for heresy 8. The doctrine of the Nouatians who taught that there was not power in the Church to reconcile men to God but only by Baptisme excluding and denying thereby the sacrament of Pennance was condemned with the
taken from the former definition of fayth as that the Apostle himselfe presently after the former wordes beginning to instance in the seuerall obiects of fayth among diuers other examples setteth downe that to belieue Noas flood or the deluge of the world by water for sinne is an article of fayth for thus he sayth By fayth Noah hauing receaued an answere concerning those thinges which as yet were not seene fearing framed the Arke for the sauing of his house 16. But to proceed further if the articles of the Trinity the Incarnation and the like be the only essentiall points of a true Christian fayth it is more then wounderfull that the Apostle vndertaking to set downe the true definition of an auaileable fayth and exemplifying it in seuerall obiects should wholely and silently omit the sayd articles of the Trinity Incarnation Passion c. he in that chapter not expressely speaking one word of them And thus much touching the definition of fayth giuen by the Apostle from which definition we conclude that who seeketh to haue a true fayth necessary to saluation besides the mysteryes of the Trinity the Incarnation c. must belieue diuers other dogmaticall articles of Christian Religion And therefore answearably heerto we assure our selues that when our Sauiour sayd He (q) Marc 16. that beleeueth not shal be condemned He did speak of the belieuing at least implicitly of the whole corps of Christian fayth and doctrine and not only of any one part thereof for so in this latter manner it would be both false absurd In like sort where our Blessed Sauiour in the same chapter sayth to his Apostles Preache the Ghospell to all Creatures He did vnderstand the whole Ghospell which contayneth many other points besides the Trinity Incarnation Passion c. 17. In this next place we will descend to those passages of holy Scripture which do much magnify the efficacy and vertue of fayth And accordingly hereunto we find it is sayd He (r) Mare vltimo that beleeueth and is baptized shal be saued but he that beleeueth not shal be condemned Againe our Sauiour sayd to the blind men praying to receaue their sight According (s) Mat. 9. to your fayth be it vnto you And further Without (t) Heb. 11. fayth it is impossible to please God And more Our fayth is the victory which ouercōmeth the world 1. Ioan. 1.5 Now in these many other such texts for breuity omitted I demaund what fayth is vnderstood or meant If it be answered a true entyre and perfect fayth belieuing al points of Christian Religion proposed by Gods Church it is true and that which I seeke heere to proue if an vnperfect and mungrill fayth beleeuing some point of Christian Religion and reiecting others and so an erroneous fayth being partly false and partly true I say it can neuer deserue these prayses giuen by the Euangelists and Apostles neither can it produce such supernatural effects aboue specifyed no more then darkenes can produce light since Truth himselfe hath taught vs that (u) Luc. 6◠we cannot gather figges of thornes nor grapes of bushes 18. Now in this third place we will touch that inseparable attribute of true Christian fayth which is vnity in fayth and doctrine This marke is so indissolubly annexed to the true fayth of Christ as that we find his Apostles euer ready most seriously to inculcate the same to their disciples Thus accordingly the Apostle exhorteth the Ephesians saying Be you (x) Ephe 4. careful to keep the vnity of the spirit in the bond of peace And immediately againe There z is one Lord one fayth one Baptisme Where we see that vnity in fayth is expressely set downe As also in another place I beseech (a) 1. Cor. ◠you that you all speake one thing bee you knit togeather in one mind and one iudgment and as this was the exhortatiō of the Apostle so we read that the first belieuers followed the same of whō S. Luke Acts c. 4. thus sayth The multitude that beleued were of one hart one soule And hēce it proceedeth that the Church of Christ which comprehendeth the professours of this vnanimous fayth is styled by Gods holy writ to be one (b) Rom. 12. Cant. 6. Ioan. 10. body one spouse and one flocke of sheep a truth so euident as that besides the frequent testimonyes of (c) Atha orat 1. con Aria Chrys op imperf in Mat. ho. 20. Tert. de praescript Irenaeus d. 1. c. 5. confirming the same euen the Protestants do subscribe in iudgment hereunto For thus Luther himselfe to omit others writteth A (d) Tom. 3. Wittē in psal 5. fol. 166. kingdome deuided in it selfe shall not stand neyther haue any Heretikes at any tyme beene ouercome by force or subtilty but by mutuall dissention neyther doth Christ fight with them otherwayes then with a spirit of giddines and disagreement 19. Now then this vnity of fayth is so to be vnderstood as that it is not repugnant therto that one and the same point should at one tyme not be houlden as necessarily to be beleeued the which after it hath vndergone a definitiue and sententionall decree of Gods Church is necessarily to be belieued As for example it was not necessary in the beginning of Christianity to beleeue that the booke of the Machabees the Epistle of S. Iames S. Iude the second epistle of S. Peter the 2. and 3. of S. Iohn to be Canonicall Scripture till they were defined so to be by the third Councell of Carthage Can. 47. at which S. Augustine was present But after this Councell had by the assistance of the holy Ghost defined them to be Canonicall then it was and is heresy to deny them to be Cononical And the reason of this disparity is because it is Gods good pleasure and wisedome not to reueale to his Church al articles of fayth in the beginning and at one tyme but at seuerall tymes and vpon seuerall occasions as to his diuine maiesty best seemeth expedient Thus the fayth of a Christian is capable of dilatation and of a more lardge vnfoulding or exposition but not of any contrariety in beliefe change or alteration And thus to insist in the former example it may well stand with Christian fayth in the beginning not to accept the former bookes for canonicall till the authority of the Churche had pronounced them for such but it standeth not with true fayth that one man should positiuely beleeue as an articie of fayth that the Machabees and the rest of the bookes aboue specifyed are not canonical Scripture but the prophane writtinges of man And another man should at the same tyme beleeue as an article of fayth that they are canonicall Scripture since the one of these contrary beliefes must be Heretical 20. This verity then of the vnity of fayth being warranted by the word both of God and man as is aboue sayd we will take into our consideration the Catholike and