day I take to be some part of those innumerable heresyes whereof he accuseth the Sea of Rome to be euery day an authour for otherwise that monstrous Hyperbole of his could haue no proportion and within the number of those other very many Churches which heere he sayth that Rome hath vniustly made her aduersaries must be contayned not only those of the West which are but two or three notoriously knowne but also the other of the East that is to say the Grecians and Arians at the least if the Turkes and Iewes do not also come in to make vp the reckoning of so great a number The fury of Heresy being now ouerblowne wherewith it entred first into our miserable Countrey and the Kingdome hauing been a long tyme setled in a reposed kind of gouernemēt many strangers of good iudgment and well affected to our Nation do wonder to see that it receiueth with tryumph all kind of Fugitiues and Apostata Fryars that come running thither of what life or what religion soeuer they be so long as they professe themselues enemyes to the Church of Rome which many wise men our friends who are lookers on esteeme and affirme to be no lesse dishonorable then dangerous to any well ordered and well gouerned society And in very deed what reputation I pray you can it giue vnto you in the eye of your Neighbour Countreys to see the scumme and vomit of other Nations and their Religious Orders to be so much esteemed and magnifyed among you or what conceit can they make either of your zeale in religion or wisedome in gouernement that open your armes to euery Sectary and your pulpits to euery renegate pretending to preach although his conuersation his intention his priuate opinions or the cause of his comming be neuer so much vnknowne vnto you And at this tyme I pray God it proue not too true that in the shape of a Bishop you haue receiued a most venomous and pestiferous serpent into your bosome For albert as yet he doth not shew his head by discouering his opinions in all the particuler poynts of Christian Religion making demonstration of malice against the Pope alone yet in the windings turnings of this little booke as I haue shewed and especially in destroying all iurisdiction in arrogating to his owne iudgment aboue measure and in challenging liberty to abound in his owne sense he discouereth a most fearefull and deformed body For if this which he pretendeth may be permitted to himselfe and others there is no poynt of Religion which will not presently be called in question euery thing wil be made a quodlibet as the Academikes in Philosophy so you also in Diuinity must hold all things probable and problematicall whereof it will shortly follow that as all the wisedome of the Academy was summed in this one sentence Hoc tantùm scio quòd nihil scio so the Religion of England wil be wholy reduced to this one article hoc tantùm credo quòd nihil credo And the danger hereof is the greater at this tyme because as I vnderstand it is an opinion growing into fashion among you that a man may be saued in any Religion so he belieue in Christ and I haue seene one of your principall Doctours cyted D. Morton in his treatise of the kingdome of Israel pag. 94. who durst to publish in prynt that an Arian might be saued because albeit he deny the Deumity of Christ yet he confesseth Christ to be the true Messies which your Doctour thinketh sufficient for saluation From whence euery man being permitted to abound in his owne sense as the Bishop would haue it your selfe may iudge how easy a matter it is to passe a little further and to thinke that it may suffice to hold that Christ was a great Prophet as the Turkes do or that it is indifferent to belieue whether he be come or no which disposeth to Iudaisme or that a morall life may be sufficient to saue vs in any Religion which is playne Gentility And if this be the vnion of the East and West and of the North and South which the Bishop so much desireth to establish in his Ecclesiasticall Common Wealth I am sure that none but the Diuell can be the head therof and to satisfy the mans ambition if it were to do him good I should be contented for my part that he himselfe should be made the Vicar But thus you see how such as once fall from the Catholike Church which is the body do easily contemne the head thereof who is Christ himselfe and come to loose not only their dewine faith which none can haue but they that belieue the true Church but also to renounce their morall beliefe and former persuasion of that truth of Christianity wherin they were bred which hitherto God be thanked hath been constantly mayntained in our Countrey SECTION XVII The substance of the Bishops 10. bookes being thus confuted the mayne poynt of this other Booke which he maketh the ground of his Conuersion That the doctrine of the Protestants differeth little or nothing from the doctrine of the ancient Fathers is disproued by sundry generall reasons and by the Fathers themselues codemning the Protestants opinions for no lesse then Heresies FOR this important consideration and to meete with the danger of Neutrality in Religion so fast increasing in our Countrey as I fynd it most easy so I thinke it most necessary in these desperate tymes to make some cōfutation of these idle dreams and sottish illusions of the Diuell by shewing plainly out of the rule of Fayth and according to the ground of naturall reason that no man can be saued without the perfect loue of God which requyreth perfect obedience both of the vnderstanding in beleeuing the Catholike Church whome God hath appoynted to teach vs and also of the will in keping Gods Precepts and Commaundements Which indeed were a medicyne most appropriate to the diseases of the tyme and a hatchet layd to that root from whence the Bishops tree is already sprung and which spreadeth a pace in the harts not only of the idle youth which I feare but also of those that take themselues to be the wisest men in our Countrey But because I am loath to be ouer troublesome at this tyme and that this Treatise requyreth some hast which growing in my hand from a letter to a booke should haue been dispatched long since not only to giue iust contentment to your selfe expecting my answere to your letter but also to satisfy others who hauing hard the Bishops tale keep one eare open all this while to heare the reply of the contrary party I will reserue the handling of this matter for a fresher pen and for this tyme I will coment my selfe with those authorityes which I haue a leady produced out of the Fathers pronouncing such as are not vnited with the Pope it be confounded with the succession of his seat built vpon the premise of our Saniour to be
treason Especially charging the Pope as he doth with false doctrine which he would haue you belieue to be the cause of his schisme For the Pope being the immouable Rock and the foundation of true Fayth which Christ himselfe hath layd the Bishop in this case fitly resembleth one that launching from the shore whereupon he fixeth his eye should sweare and contest that the land departed from the boat and that the boat it selfe stood still or remayned imoueable In which case I cannot tell whether he in the boat should shew himselfe more ridiculous to the beholders then the Bishop doth manifest himselfe by this occasion to his iudicious Readers And thus much may suffice for the Bishops schisme Heresy is defined by S. Augustine August de vera Rel. c. 5. 6. 7. to be a peruerse doctrine contrary to the rule of truth which himselfe doth better expound where he sayth That it is an opinion declyning from the rule and turning men away from the cōmunion of the Catholike Church where he vnderstandeth the rule of truth to be no other then the doctrine of the Catholike Church for without this ground all other rules are insufficient as hath been shewed and the same if it were necessary might easily be confirmed out of the rest of the Fathers Wherefore the doctrine of the Catholike Church being made knowne and manifested vnto vs either by the common beliefe of all the faithfull or by the vniforme consent and common doctrine of all the Fathers or by a generall Councell or by the definition of the Pope as before I noted hauing conuinced the Bishop of schisme though much against his will let vs see how he can cleare and shift himselfe from the imputation of heresy For first it cannot be denied That whatsoeuer the Catholikes at this day do maintaine to be the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles against the Protestants was the generall beliefe of the vniuersall Church when Luther began to broach his new doctrine And therefore the Bishop condemning the Pope of many errours in poynts of Controuersy betweene him and the Protestants Vbi supra condemneth likewise the vniuersall Church of that tyme which as S. Augustine sayth is most insolent madnes extreme impiety and hayre-braynd or furious ignorance Secondly you haue heard how the auncient Fathers of the primitiue Church haue condemned for heresyes aboue twenty seuerall opinions of the Protestants And therefore the Bishop being now a Protestant is likewise aboue twenty tymes condemned by them And to omit that other seuerall sects of Protestants do all condemne him in like manner the generall Councell of Trent hath defined the doctrine of the Pope against the Protestants to be Orthodoxall and the contrary opinions to be likewise hereticall And the Bishop seeming to belieue that a generall Councell lawfully called and confirmed cannot erre in matter of fayth as hauing the speciall assistance of the holy Ghost leading vnto all truth according to the promise of our Sauiour hath no more reason to contemne the Councel of Trent then to reiect the Councell of Nyce or any other generall Councell Lastly hauing proued by the common doctrine of all the Fathers that the Bishop of Rome being successour of S. Peter cannot erre in defyning of Controuersyes that belong to fayth and that the Fathers put no difference betweene the Catholike and the Roman Church but that the same Church which is surmaned Catholike because it is vniuersall is also called the Roman Church because the Roman Church being founded in the Seat of Peter is alwayes conioyned and vnyted with the Catholike Church it followeth thereof that the Bishop being condemned for an Heretike by the Bishop of Rome successour vnto S. Peter and by the Church of Rome founded in the Seat of Peter according to the iudgment of the auncient Fathers standeth likewise condemned in this respect also by the whole Church And therefore hauing so many dreadfull sentences lying heauily vpon him vnlesse he amend and make peace with his aduersary Mat. 5.25 while he is yet vpon the way what can he expect at the day of iudgement but that Christ himselfe withall his Saints and Angells togeather with the whole world should condemne him And with this we will proceed to his second defence which is the authority and example of S. Cyprian wherein he seemeth to set vp his rest SECTION XXXI VVherein is shewed that the authority and example of S. Cyprian alleadged by the Bishop against the Pope ouerthroweth the principall grounds of the Protestant Religion THE words therfore of S. Cyprian in the Councell of Carthage to the Bishops there assembled alleadged by him are these that follow Iudging no man sayth S. Cyprian or depryning no man of our communion though he shal be of a contrary opinion For none of vs doth make himselfe Bishop of Bishops or compelleth his followers with tyrannicall terror to the necessary of yeilding to him whereas euery Bishop is to haue his owne proper iudgement in respect of the liberty and power which is giuen vnto him so that he cannot be iudged of another as he himselfe cannot iudge another But let vs all expect the iudgment of our Lord Iesus Christ who only and alone hath power to place vs in the gouernement of his Church and to iudge of our actions The example of S. Cyprian he propoundeth in such manner as that accusing S. Stephen of indiscretion and that with his excommunications he was falling headlong into the mischiefe of schisme he sayth That S. Cyprian dissenting from the Roman and almost from the vniuersal Church about the Baptisme of Heretikes and being strong in his owne opinion and esteeming Stephen the Pope to erre vehemently and all the rest to be in manifest errour yet notwithstanding he neuer suffered the band of vnion and Christian charity to be broken betweene them but chose to communicate not only with Stephen being of a contrary opinion and indeauour against him but also with those whome he reputed to be altogeather impure being moued thereunto because Stephen had receiued them into communion with him rather then by schisme to make a diuision in the Church of God By which authority and example of S. Cyprian he thinketh to haue clearely discouered where the fault lyeth and to whom the crime of Schisme is to be imputed and so thinke I too And here to curry a little fauour with him or rather to curry him with some fauour because he hath so well deserued it in this allegation of S. Cyprian albeit I cannot learne that euer he read or heard Rhetorike among the Iesuits as he himselfe affirmeth yet I will not deny it but rather I will acknowledge that he hath not been altogeather a Truant in the Schoole of Eloquence For though his booke be very small yet he hath been able to deliuer little or no matter at all in very many words And he seemeth to couer many vntruths vnder the colour of Rhetoricall Hyperboles And in this
more eminent then any other For she is the seat of glory our sanctifycation And our Sauiour also prouiding an Answere against such doubts of little ones that might be led away from the manifestation of the clarity of the Church sayth A Citty placed vpon a hill cannot be hid for to this end the seat of glory our sanctify cation is so exalted that no eare be giuen to them who would draw others away to certayne remnants or peeces of religions saying Behold heere is Christ behold there for by such speaches behold heere behold there they shew but some parts whereas that Citty standeth vpon a hill what hill but that which according to the Prophet Daniel grew and was made a great mountayne Then (e) cont CresconiuÌ„ l. 1. c. 33. we hold and belieue the truth of Scripture when we do that which is pleasing to the vniuersall Church whome the Scripture recoÌ„mendeth vnto vs whosoeuer is affrayd to be deceiued by the obscurity of this question of not rebaptising Heretikes whereof in Scripture there is no example let him informe himselfe therein of that Church whom whithout any ambiguity the Scripture doth demonstrate But if thou doubt whether the Scripture commend that Church vnto thee which is dilated ouer all Nations with most copious numerosity I will load thee with many most manifest testimonyes out of the same authority (f) Epist. 161. Because we see the Church of God which is called Catholicke dissused through the world me thinkes we should not doubt of the most euident fullfilling of the whole Prophesy therof If (g) De â—nitat Eccl. the Church of Christ be described by the diuine and most certaine testimonyes of Canonicall Scripture to be in al Nations whatsoeuer they say Heretikes whatsoeuer they bring let vs not beleeue them In many Nations where the Church is they are not where they are the Church is which is euery where How (h) Ep. 48. do we trust to haue receiued Christ manifested in Scriptures if from thence we haue not receiued the Church which is also manifested therein As he shall be accursed who sayth that Christ hath not suffered nor risen againe the third day because we haue learned in the Euangelicall truth that Christ ought to suffer and the third day to rise againe from the dead So likewise he shall be accursed who shall teach a Church beside the coÌ„munion of all Nations because it followeth in the same place of truth that pennance and forgiuenes of sinnes shall be preached in his name to al Nations The (i) In psal 30. Con. 2. Prophets haue spoken more obscurely of Christ then of the Church I thinke the reason was because they saw in spirit that men would make partyes against the Church and not striuing so much about Christ would rayse vp great contentions about the Church Therefore that was more plainly foretold and more openly prophesied concerning which the greater strife and contention was after to insue We (k) Ep. 48. indeauour to demonstrate by this name Catholike that the Church is in all Nations according to the promisses of God and so many and manifest or aâ—les of the truth it selfe Who (l) De vnitat Eccles is so deafe who it so beside himselfe who is so blind-mynded as to speake against those most euident tests monyes alleadging in my places for the vniuersality of the Church but he that knoweth not what he speaketh By (m) Quaest Euang. l. 1. quaest 38. the East and by the West our Lord would signify the whole world through the which his Church was to be diffused c. aptly he teaâ—â—…eth the Church lightning which is wont to come forth with brightnes froÌ„ the clouds Therfore the authority of the Church being cleerly and manifestly established he admonisheth all that would beleeue in him not to beleeue Schismatickes and Heretiks That which he sayth his comming should be known from the East to the West is against those who are named to be in some part of the world and say that Christ is with them that which he sayth his comming shall be knowne like vnto lightning is against those that gather secretly and are hidden as it were in secret places and in the desart for the name of lightning doth appertaine to the manifestation and clarity of the Church There (n) cont ep Parm. cap. 5. is no security or assurance of vnity vnlesse according to the promises of God the Church declared to be placed vpon a mountayne cannot be hid Behold (o) In epist IoaÌ„ tract 1. thou hast the Church ouer all the world do not follow false iustifyers true distroyers be in that hill which hath filled the world They 〈…〉 stumble at this mountayne and when you bid them ascend they say there is no mountain and they sooner breake their foreheads against it then seeke to haue their dwelling in it How (p) In psal 47. great is the hill whereupon we should pray to be heard of God so great sayth he as that it filleth the world Vpon (q) In psal 44. that mountaine which hath filled the face of the earth there let him adore that will receaue there let him aske that will be heard there let him confesse that will be forgiuen In (r) Epist. 165. thy seed all Nations shal be blessed wherfore trusting to these promises if an Angell from heauen should say vnto thee leaue the Christianity of the whole world and follow the part of Donatus thou shouldest hold him accursed because he would separate thee from the whole and thrust thee into a part aliene thee from the promises of God Taking (s) In psal 56. a part and loosing the whole they will not communicate with the whole world Oh hereticall madnes thou dost beleeue with me that which thou seest not that which thou seest thou denyest Thou beleeuest with me that Christ is exalted aboue the heauens which we do not see and thou denyest his glory to be ouer all the earth which we see The (t) De vnitat Eccles cap. 2. Church is one whom our Ancestors named Catholike that they might shew out of the very Name how she is euery where (u) de vera relig c. 7. We must keep the Christian Religion and Communion with that Church which is Catholike and which is called Catholike not only by her owne but also by all her enemyes For whether they will or no the heretikes themselues when they speake not with their owne but with strangers they call the Catholike Church by no other name but Catholike For they cannot be vnderstood vnlesse they distingnish her by that name whereby she is knowne of all the world (x) In psal 57. Let not certayne flouds my brethren trouble you which are called torrents their water runs away it makes a noyse for a while and will quickly cease they cannot long contunue Many Heresyes are already dead and gone they ran in their brooks
vnder it if they contemne it This is that great benefit which S. Augustine in his booke de vtilitate Credends acknowledgeth that the world in these latter tymes hath receiued of Almighty God who of his infinit goodnes hath prouided that the Catholike Faith being so austere to the eye of flesh and bloud so much aboue reason and so contrary as it is to our corrupted nature should be recommended vnto vs as it were by the generall consent and common beliefe of all people This saith S. Augustine the diuine prouydence hath brought to passe by the predictions of the Prophets by the humanity and doctrine of Christ by the trauells of the Apostles Aug. de vtil Cred. cap. 7. by the contumelyes crosses bloud and death of Martyrs by the laudable life of Saints and in all these things by such myracles as were fit for matters and vertues so great as these according as the oportunity of times required Wherefore seing the assistance of God to be so great and so great the fruite and benefit thereof shall we doubt to cast our selues into the lap of his Church Considering that now euen by the confession of mankind it selfe she hath receaued the prohemynence of all authority from the Apostolike seat by succession of Bishops the Heretikes in the meane tyme hauing barked about her all in vayne partly by the iudgment of the people themselues partly by the grauity of Councells and partly by the Maiesty of miracles hauing been all condemned To which Church not to grant the highest degree of authority is either extreme impiety or precipitate arrogancy For if our soules haue no certayne way to attayne true wisedome and saluation but where fayth beliefe prepareth and adorneth our reason what is it els to resist authority indued or est abbshed with so great labour but to be vngratefull to this help and assistance of Almighty God Thus far S. Augustine of the notable benefit that our faith hath receiued from the Common consent of so many Nations therein which he calleth the confession of mankind and of the wonderfull meanes which God hath vsed for the procurement of this vniuersall testimony vnto the truth thereof For albeit when the Apostles began first to preach all rules and principles of humayne wisedome were inforced to giue place vnto that diuine authority wherewith they were sent to their gifts of Tongues to the myracles they wrought to the power of that spirit which spake by them and to the splendour of those celestiall vertues which proceded from them yet since that time the sweetnes of Gods prouidence hath so ordayned that both these authorityes Humayne and Diuine the wisedome of God and the wisedome that naturally directeth worldly men should be ioyned togeather to the end that all mens wills might be drawne more easily gently and connaturally to imbrace the doctrine of Christ And that all vnderstandings great or small might either be conuinced or conuicted by it The voice of the most the testimony of those that are true and honest and the iudgment example and practise of the wisest being the best part of that light of nature which God hath lent vs for the direction of our liues his infinit goodnes and perfect iustice could neuer haue permitted this authority of the Catholike Church to haue grownâ— to this vnmeasurable greatnes nor could haue made it so inuincibly victorious against all those that haue opposed themselues vnto it confirming the same with so many Prophesies of Scripture and promises of his owne and not only with the ostension of miracles and heroycall constancy of innumerable Martyrs but also with the glory and splendour of so many other benedictions of excellent learning diuine wisedome admirable vnity piety and perfection of vertue as hath been shewed vnlesse it had been so ordayned by him for the recommendation and preseruation of that Truth which himselfe descended from heauen to teach the world and to dye the death of the Crosse for the eternall memory and fructification of it For if in any thing we should be deceiued by the power and greatnes of his authority we might well say it was no fault of ours but rather as S. Augustine affirmeth it were either extreme impiety or precipitate arrogancy Not to be so deceiued what need there any other reuelations or miracles as S. Augustine also obserueth in a case so cleere as this If so many Nations haue been conuerted to the obedience of this supernaturall faith and for so many ages haue been preserued in vnity therby without signes and miracles this it selfe is a most sufficient apparent and perpetuall miracle for the testimony of the truth thereof SECTION XXVI The same Authority and the grounds of Christian Fayth are further declared AS the obiect of reason doth farre exceed the knowledge of our senses so the truth of things supernaturall and diuine do no lesse surmount the light of reason And therfore the end of man and the meanes to attaine vnto it being both of them supernaturall diuine as it was necessary that God should reueale and deliuer the knowledge thereof to his Prophets and Apostles obliging all men to beleeue them so it was also expedient that there should be some certayne meanes ordained and established by Almighty God wherby we might infallibly know what it was that was so reuealed vnto them For otherwise if there be not such supernaturall and certaine help to attaine the knowledge of those Diuine Misteryes which do so much exceed the power and faculty of human vnderstanding to perswade our selues that we shall be able to arriue to any certaine knowledge of them by any human diligence or naturall endeauour alone were as wise a matter as for a man to go about to read in the darke or for him that hath no eyes to iudge of colours Nay it were much more ridiculous For such a kind of darke reading or blind iudgment might be practised or aduentured for some little wager or to make men pastyme but Christians that make their beliefe the rule of their life and death laying not only their fortunes but also their soules vpon it vnles they haue some Diuine help and infallible assistance of the spirit of God to know those things which they beleeue to haue beene reuealed to the Apostles and can no way be discerned by human reason they can neuer be excused from meer madnes and ridiculous folly Vpon what grounds the Catholiks beleeue the doctrine and preaching of the Apostles which is the Ghospell and the obiect of their fayth to haue beene reuealed from the mouth of God and that the Church is perpetually infallibly assisted by God himself in the preseruation of the foresayd doctrine from all stayne or touch of errours hath beene shewed already Almighty God hauing so magnified and fortifyed the authority of his Church as if the will of man be not too much peruerted it is impossible for his vnderstanding to resist it And therefore as S. Augustine sayd
God yet receiuing it from their Alcaron which is the ground of their fayth and teacheth them many vntruths their perswasion of the vnity of God is no beliefe but errour Or as the Iewes albeit they receiue the old Testament as you know yet because they rely vpon the interpretation of their Rabbins which is subiect to errour their ground being deceitfull their faith is nothing but deceipt and therefore no faith at all So in like manner the Protestants albeit they follow a rule which according as they vse it doth propound vnto them many things that are true yet propounding likewise very many that are false and being thereby deceitfull as hath been declared they belieue the truth it sheweth no more then they belieue the falshood whereof it is manifest they belieue nothing at all And for this cause the authority of the Church being the only ordinary meanes to make vs know the rule of faith Matt. 18.17 our Sauiour himself sayd that such as would not heare the Church were no better then Infidells because consequently depryuing themselues of the rule of Faith they loose all true Faith and diuine fidelity From whence likewise is inferred that common principle of Christendome that out of the Church there is no saluation because without Faith it is impossible to please God and without obedience to the Church in matter of beliefe there can be no faith at all From hence also the Councell of Nyce as witnesseth the Creed of Athanasius read in your Churches euery Sunday togeather with the auncient Fathers hath concluded that denying one article of the Catholike Faith or not belieuing the same wholy and inuiolably no man can be saued Because he that obstinatly denyeth or doubteth of any one poynt of Faith denieth the authority of the Church without which we cannot certainly know the rule of Faith therby loosing his faith is no better thē an Infidel as our Sauiour hath declared SECTION XXVII VVherein two Motiues that is to say Feare of danger and the Instigation of a certayne spirit which induced the Bishop to change the place of his aboad are propounded and examined THESE therfore are some of the reasons which euery Catholike man though neuer so simple is able to giue of his beliefe and are so euident and iustified in themselues that there is no man hauing sense of God if he put them in the Ballance of his Iudgment but he must needs feele their weight in his mind and in his will the diuine power and vertue of them Whereas on the other side this learned man the Bishop after 10. yeares study writing to edify the world with his Motiues can bring forth nothing but that which appeareth at the first sight to be false as you haue heard hath receiued sentence of Iudgment three tymes already being once of old condemned by the auncient Fathers and twyce more in our age by the Protestāts themselues who first condemned the Fathers as being against them and afterwards also condemned the heretical doctrine of one another And this may suffice to haue spoken of those dispositions and other considerations which the Bishop accuseth to haue been the causes and motiues of his change in religion It followeth now to examine the groundes that induced him to change the place of his aboad Which albeit he setteth downe very confusedly I find they may be reduced to 3. principall heads The first therfore was his danger in staying The second his spirit that compelled him to go And the third his zeale forsooth of truth and peace that drew him on As concerning his danger he confesseth that in Rome notice was taken of his writing against the Roman doctrine and that more then once he had been admonished and reprehended for it by the Popes Nuntio or Agent residing in Venice In which respect he had iust cause to feare that the Venetians not to maintayne a manifest heretike in their State might easily be induced to deliuer him vp to the Nuntio especially at that tyme they hauing need of the Pope in respect of their warrs and that the Nuntio would haue sent him vp to the Holy House in Rome where he should haue byn receiued with such kindnes as was agreable to his deserts Wherby it appeareth vpon the matter that being entred so far into Heresy as he could not go back without great infamy he sound Italy to hoat for his foot fled from thencefor no other good respect but only because he could stay no longer without the horrible feare of extreme danger By the way of this discourse he putteth himselfe into a great chafe against the Pope laying aside his disguise of Monsignor fate voi he sheweth himselfe a plaine Italian Facchine without any truth ciuility or modesty And like your Collyer of Croydon being a myte out of Towne he taketh his pleasure of the Pope rayleth against him most despiciously And who is there that hath but soone the state of Germany Spaine France or Italy and thereby knoweth as he must needs the great reputation and authority of the Catholike Clergy and especially of the Bishops the heads of the Clergy but will admire at his impudency to heare him say That Catholike Bishops now adayes haue nothing but the name of Bishops That they are not permitted by the Pope to haue any gouennement of their Churches That they are vilde and contemptible and which is no lesse vntrue then the former That they are made subiect to Religious Orders for Religious men except they be Bishops or indued with Episcopall authority haue no exteriour iurisdiction at all neither ouer Bishops nor any secular persons To the rest where he sayth That the Church of Rome is wholy become a temporall Monarchy a vineyard only to make Noë drunke a flocke whose bloud the Pastours sucke and the like What shall we say but that he sheweth himself to be far worse then one of Noë his accursed children and to be no better then a wilde Boore that would destroy the vineyard of Christ or a rauenous Wolfe that howleth against the Shepheard Neither all that went before being most false will I grant that to be true where he sayth That Christ hath placed him for a dog in his flocke For the truth is that he thrust himselfe in for a dogge as I haue shewed long ago But now at length it hath pleased God to put him out for a Curre and so he sheweth himselfe to be in barking against his Maister In the end making these vntruthes some colour and occasion of his departure at length he concludeth that to auoyd the Popes malice which was so neer vnto him and the ordinary effects therof which he sayth to be poyson and punyards it was altogeather necessary for him to run away Leuit. 26.36 Iob. 15.21 An ill conscience feareth the sound of a flying leafe and the noyse of feare is allwayes in his eare where peace is he suspecteth treason In which respect although it
hidden What shall I say more sayth S. Augustine vpon these words of our Sauiour but that they are blynd who cannot see so great a mountayne From hence also it doth necessarily follow that the doctrine of the Church is infallible and priuiledged from errour For according to the Protestants themselus that only is the true Church wherein the word of God is truly preached and the Sacraments truely administred And therefore if the Church should erre it should cease to be the true Church and should not contynue but the Gates of hell should haue preuayled against it Matt. 16.18 which is directly against the Scriptures And in particuler this priuiledge from errour is expresly promised in the old Testament Esa 59.21 in many places as where the Prophet Esay speaketh therof in these wordes This is my couenant with them sayth our Lord My spirit which is in thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart from thy mouth nor from the mouth of thy seed Oze 2.19.20 nor from the mouth of thy seeds seed from this tyme forth for euermore And where in Oze God sayth of his Church I will espouse thee for euer and I will espouse thee to me in iustice and iudgment in mercy and commiseration and I will espouse thee vnto me in sayth for euer Ephes 4.11 Epipha in Aâ—corato circa princ Matt. 16.18 Matt. 17.18 1. Tim. 3.5 IoaÌ„ 14.26 according whereunto it is also sayd in the new Testament That there should be Pastours and Doctours in the Church for euer that we be not carryed about nor deceiued with new doctrine that the Gates of hell by which is meant Heresy shall not preuayle against it that he who did not beleeue the Church should be compted as a Heathen or Publican that it is the Piller and foundation of truth that the holy Ghost should teach all things and suggest all things to the Pastours therof that God would giue them the spirit of truth IoaÌ„ 14.16 to remayne with them for euer In conclusion if you list to see more of the largenesse of these induments and of the flourishing greatnes of the Church of Christ you may read 4. whole Chapters of the Prophesyes therof in Esay 60.61 and 62. and Micheas the 4. which I thinke no man can read without the acknowledgement and admiration of them SECTION XXIII The force of the former Motiue is further declared out of the authorityes of S. Augustine and out of the effects of the contrary Doctrine AMONG all the ancient Fathers as there is none more opposite to the Protestant Ministers then S. Augustine so there is none more respected in outward shew and more esteemed by them which is vnto vs on the other side a notable argument of the excellency of the one and of the impudency of the other Now therfore if the word of S. Augustine be of force with you whome in regard of his antiquity learning wit vertue his aduersaryes themselues do so much respect read but the 6. Chapter of the first booke of that worke which is called Confessio Augustiniana for it cannot be that relying vpon the sayth of S. Augustine which could be no other then the sayth of the whole Church but that your vnderstanding should be wholy conuinced by it In regard wherof considering that it would be to long to alleadge the testimonyes of the rest of the Fathers and that men now a dayes are loath to seeke after that which they are affrayd to find with some temporall preiudice although it be the means of their saluation I thinke good to shew vnto you before I go any further the weight and force of this motiue out of the iudgment sayth and perswasion of S. Augustine For this was that which oueruled him so much as that he spared not to say I (a) Aug. cont epist Fundam c. 5. would not beliue the Ghospell vnles the authority of the Catholike Church did mooue me thereunto I (b) cont Faustum lib. 15. c. 3. must needs beleeue the acts of the Apostles if I beleeue the Ghospell because both those Scriptures the Catholike authority doth equally commend vnto me It being of necessity that one of those bookes must be fals speaking of the acts of the Apostles and of some other Apocriphy booke to which do you thinke we should rather giue credit either vnto it which the Church began by Christ himselfe continued by the Apostles with a constant course of succession euen vnto those tymes dilated ouer all the world doth acknowledge approue to haue beene deliuered and conserued or vnto that which the same Church doth reiect as vnknowne Those whom I beleeued saying vnto me Beleeue the Ghospell why should I not obey saying vnto me beleeue not Manichaeus Choose which thou wilt If thou sayst Beleeue the Catholikes they admonish me not to beleeue you Wherfore beleeuing them it is of necessity that I beleeue not you If thou say Beleeue not the Catholiks thou canst not with any reason compell me to beleeue Manichaeus because I beleeued the Ghospel it selfe by the preaching of the Catholikes If thou say thou didst well to beleeue them preaching the Ghospell but thou didest not well to beleeue them discommending Manichaeus dost thou thinke me such a foole as without any reason giuen to beleeue what thou wilt haue me and what thou wilt not not to beleeue Be not deceiued with the name of truth speaking as to the person of the Catholike Church the truth thou only hast in thy milke and in thy bread but in this Church of the Manichies or any other which is not Catholike there is the name of truth but the truth it selfe is not And of thy great ones thou art secure I frame my speach to thy little ones I call to thy tender issue that with garrulous curiosity they be not seduced from thee but rather let him be accursed of them who shall preach otherwise then that which they haue receiued in thee Know (c) Conc. ad Cathecum cap. 20. beloued that true sayth true peace and eternall saluation is only in the Catholike Faith For it is not in a Corner but it is euery where if any man depart from it and deliuer himselfe ouer to the errour of Heretikes he shall be iudged 〈◊〉 fugitiue seruant and no adopted sonne neither shall he rise to eternall life but rather to eternall damnation By (d) cort Faust l. 13. cap. 13. what manifest signe therefore I being yet a little one or a yong scholler and not able to discerne the pure truth from so many errours by what manifest token shall I know the Church of Christ in whome with so great manifestation of things fortold I am compelled to belieue the Prophet followeth on and hauing as it were orderly heard the difficulty or doubt of mynd of this new beginner Hier. 17. he sheweth him the Church of Christ fortold to be the same which is more apparant and