A MIRROUR OF TRUTH OF THE HIGHEST CONCERN To all sorts of People Noble and Ignoble Rich or Poor Soveraigne or Subject 1. Rom. 14. To the Greeks and to the Barbarians to the wise and unwise I am a Debtor Printed in the Year 167â— A MIRROUR OF TRUTH The Preface IT is for the Lovers of Peace and naked Truth for whom I write this in a few but substantial words declaring the grounds thereof and no more without the least dispute or Contest with any The Truth KNOW therefore that as all things are Vanity of Vanities but only to Love and serve God Eccl. 1.2 So all Knowledge which is not to that End is blind ignorance And all otherwise seeming Truth plain deceit and falshood For there is no Truth but that which leads to God Truth it self the Beginning and End Alpha and Omega nor any Errour or falshood but what seduces from Him Truth indeed is the chief of all most to be loved and sought after Esd 3.4 All the Earth calleth for Truth and Heaven blesseth it thus Esdras And let it be seriously sought after and firmly embraced above all in this foundation and ground-work of all true Vertue and Perfection Divine Faith without which it is impossible to please God Heb. 11.1 Now Faith is the ground of things to be hoped for and the evidence of things which are not seen If this point be rightly understood well observed the great stumbling-block to Errors Heresies is taken away This is St. Paul's definition of Faith and most true it is Observe then that since Faith a supernatural gift of God is the Evidence of those things that by no sence or understanding can be perceived but only through this free and gracious gift of God why do we so much busy our Understandings to conceive the Articles of our Faith and believe in a manner Nothing but what we would pretend clearely to know and understand All which is incompatible with Faith which must have no other Operation of the Understanding but simple subjection and obedience to that Divine Light And for this reason He teacheth us to bring into Captivity all Vnderstanding in Obedience to Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 As if he should say Good People in vain it is for you to trouble your heads discussion and search in these matters will not quiet or satisfy you The true Rule of Faith you must simply believe because God revealeth and the Church proposeth That which Faith tells you is above your capacity You may as well put the whole Ocean into a small Pitt as the least of these high mysteries into your Understanding you may as well understand the nature of God Himself as the least of them They are all alike little and great high and low as delivered by Faith We may not therefore search them Pro. 25.27 Exod. 19.12 For who is a searcher of Majesty shall be oppressed by Glory And the Beast that toucheth the Mountain shall be stoned These be Edge-tool's there is no jeasting with them Humane reason cannot reach thus high We must simply submit to the Divine Revelatian and the Churches Proposition All the Disputation in the world is to no purpose in these matters We must not contend in words for it availeth nothing but to the subversion of the Hearers It is not Man's Wisdom can teach us these things but the plain evidence of the Spirit of Truth And for this cause St. Paul gave this Admonishment to Timothy saying O Timothy keep that which is committed unto thee 1 Tim. 6.19 and avoid profane and vain babling and opposition of science falsly so called which while some profess they have Erred concerning Faith A Sentence worthy to be written in every Man's heart with indelible Characters for his direction to attain and gain the true Faith which must be committed by the Church to Him and he must take heed of loosing it again through vain Science falsly so called by the curious itching of which we come to breake out in Faith and loose our integrity How come we then to hear these vain bablings and oppositions of Science falsly so called from many who Esteem themselves right believers yea Masters in Israel vaunting of their light from God to know and discern all truth and to dive into the highest Mysteries of Faith yea assume unto themselves a Prerogative Royal proper to Christ only and his Substitutes and Commissioners endued with his Holy Spirit to define what is Faith and what is not O Petty Undertakers who receive no Rule of Faith but their own fancies which they would have all to follow Saying this is no Article of Faith How can we believe a peece of bread or white wafor to be turned into the Body of Christ I see not to what End there should be a continual sacrifice since Christ hath been offered once for all How doth it not derogate from the honour of God to pray to the Saints what power vertue can there be in their Reliques what vain superstition is it to use the signe of the Cross holy water Beads c. How can Man forgive sins How ridiculous is it to think there is a third place or Purgatory with infinite other such like Infidel questions if they knew what they asked For by these and the like questions they seem to shew they believe no more then they see reason for according to their own conceits And so in Truth and very deed they have no Divine Faith at all which is above humane reason and understanding and not by it to be judged Yea these prophane voices sound so high that they themselves will rule and be Judges of that which they constitute the rule of Faith I meane the holy Scriptures admitting and refusing what they please as the Machabees the book of wisdom the Epistle of St. James with much more And why because they like them not and so judge them not to be Scripture And the like is not onely of the word of God it self As God himself is inscrutable to our understandings so is his holywrit Lib. 32. contra-Faustum 〈◊〉 19. but also of the true sence and meaning of it of which they will have no other Judge but their own sense and meaning so that we may say unto them what St. Augustine said to Faustus one of their own Crew You seem to do that saith he which taketh away all Authority of Holy Scripture making every ones Mind the Interpreter of it As God himself is the Authour of holy Scripture so must â—â—e be the sole â—â—terpreter â—â—y His Holy â—nd infallible Church what in every place he please to make the sense meaning of it That is not to be subject to the Scriptures in believing but to make the Scripture subject to Him Not liking any thing because it is right written by Supream Authority but therefore it seems to be right written because it likes Him Thus this Holy sublime wit shews
the Truth indeed â—bserve this â—ruth vvell If we interpret Scripture according to our own humane sense and understanding and accordingly believe it â—e must â—â—me to true â—isdom by 〈◊〉 Misterious â—â—orance â—â—d to be in â—â—reated â—â—ght by â—indness we thereby make our beleife humane conceit and not divine Faith which must have nothing in it but the pure Revelation of God and Proposition of the Church guided infallibly by his holy Spirrit To speake Truth I know nothing by which People are more deceived then in taking that to be Faith which is merely humane Conceipt and the Invention of Man having nothing Divine but only a gloss and colour of Holy Scripture which truly examined proves but Dross and Counterfeit as by what hath been said doth manifestly appeare to all that are not willfully blind Hereupon St. Augustine saith of such as Obstinately and perversly obtrude and thrust their understandings into these divine Mysteries to which they cannot by such means reach That instead of the right Worship of God and Truth A golden sentence vvorthy to be vvritten in every Man's Heart And besides that it is Augustines it is most venerable for the certain Truth of it they worship their own Vnderstanding and adore their own Errours These are his very words Homini extra Ecclesiam Religio sua est cultus phantasmatum suorum et Error suus Deus suus A Man's Religion who is out of the Church is the worship of his own Phansies and his Errour is his God I wish with all my soul All men would consider and ponder well with true Indifferency and earnest desive to know the truth this solid Truth of St. Augustine That those who are in the Church guided â—y the infallible Spirit of God may contiâ—ue subject to it in true humility without â—y pride of their own understanding â—nd those who are not may unbeguile themselves and acknowledge their errour submitting to her and truly captivating heirunderstandings in Obedience to Faith proposed by her by whose mouth we must heare it not otherwise to be learned and unless we do this by hearing and believing the Church the Evangelist passeth thiâ— cleare and definitive sentence upon us that we should be esteemed as Heathens and Publicans Neither can we ever hope to have God for our Father unless we take the Church for our Mother Much may be said in this matter And the holy Writers Fathers and Saints of God out of their great Zeal to this Fundamental Truth have written abundantly thereof to ground all upon this firm Rock which shall never fail Much I say may be said to prevent Errors and declare the truth of our Faith but this little onely which I have gathered out of them may suffice and will firmly establish us if sincerely practised That is once againe in 〈◊〉 word to suppress the curious itching of ouâ— understanding from medling with these Mysteries of Faith with which it hath no thing to do by way of searching but musâ— simply believe it 's divine light from thâ— Churches proposing through God's Revelation The understanding therefore having nothing to do with Faith but only simply to receive it and propose it to the will to practice upon it It cannot err about it and so as to all Errors in matter of Eaith the understanding by this means is debarred and the proud comb of it cut and these Errors can creep in no other way God keep them alwaies out and us in the Truth and true Faith The Mysteries whereof because we cannot discern them in themselves we must simply believe them as revealed by God and proposed by the Church without further discussion That we may not mistake the true Church of God There are certain infallible \Marks Signs Notes or Proprieties which be inseparable from It and agree with None but it as natural light may evidently discern if considered and duly weighed even by the simplest Man living and supernatural light confirms them so that there can be no mistake of the true Church and consequently of the true Faith if we observe these visible Notes and Marks For none either remayns Infidel or becoms Heretick but who either does not or will not observe them They are such as St. Augustine made choice of to direct himself Heare what he saith and follow his example These worthily saith he keep me in the lap of the Church UNITY THE CONSENT OF NATIONS AUTHORITY BY MIRACLES BEGUN HOLYNES NOURISHED BY HOPE BY CHARITY INCREASED BY ANTIQUITY MADE FIRM AND SURE SUCCESSION THERE KEEPS ME THE SUCCESSION OF PRIESTS FROM THE VERY SEE OF PETER THE APOSTLE to whom our Lord after his Resurection committed the feeding of his Sheep EVEN TO THIS BISHOP THAT NOW IS There KEEPS ME FINALLY THE VERY NAME OF CATHOLICK CATHOLICK which not without cause amongst so many Heresies the true Church alone hath obtained You perceive St. Augustine stuck fast to the Churches Faith after his being an Heretick and all his bickering with Errors through the Motive of these infallible Marks which are proper to it alone and relied not on his own Judgment or wit as great and as strong as it was the like to which perchance was never or ever will be which he found to be too shallow to dive into these high Mysteries of Faith If any one think his wit deeper and sounder then this great Saint's was And that these reasons were not sufficient Motives I will not contest with his over-weened conceipt of himself but let him runn headlong whither the spirit or rather sprite of pride will drive him I know as the Apostle tells me Every Man hath not Faith and that there must be Heresies But woe to them that are infected with them They are blind and obstinate and Condemned by their own Judgments There is no End of disputing with them and so I leave them and come to propose those Marks which may serve any well minded Man to finde out the true Church Mother of all true Faith and Religion These are the Marks or Signes of the true Church of Christ THe Church of Christ must be One ONE That the true Church of Christ and the Religion professed by it be but One is most necessary for since the Divine Providence governs the Church we must needs grant that the Government thereof is the best of all being the chiefe of all as ordered by him by whom Kings raign and govern And the best Government of a Multitude is Monarchical That is when One Head and Chief governs the whole multitude This is manifest by the End and Scope of Government being the Peace Vnion of the Subjects which is most excellently enjoyed when One governs the whole Church for by that means all Occasion of Schisme is taken away Moreover the true Militant Church which is a Company of Faithful Believers under One chief Pastour is so much the Perfecter by how much more like it is to the Triumphant What the
Church is and the Triumphant hath but One governor the Lord God himself So the Militant Church hath but one head and Chief God's Vicegerent and Deputy In the Old Law there was but one High Bishop Osee 2. Cangregabuntur Filii Judae filii Israel pariter ponent sibimet Caput unum The Children of Judah and the Children of Israel likewise shall be gathered together and they shall Place one head over them Even so in the New Law there must be but one Head and Chief fiet unum Ovile Vnus Pastor Joh. 10. And there shall be made one Sheepfold and One Pastor Neither can this be understood of Christ and this time only For Christ after his Ascension into Heaven would not leave the Church without a Guide Joh. 12. Pastor and Head His Flock without a Shepheard And therefore naming Peter his Vicar particularly charged him to Feed his Flock and would have him to Confirm his Brethren as Head Which Christ very plainly expressed saying Luke 21. Tu es Petrus super hanc Petram aedificabo Ecclesiam meam portae inferi non prevalebunt adversus eam Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it For no power infernal either by Tyrants Hereticks or other instruments of Satan could ever extinguish or overthrow this Church built upon Peter and his Successors And to thee saith ovr Saviour will I give the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven c. Neither may it be replyed this Power and Dignity was granted to Peter only and not to this successors For Christ instituted a Church to continue for ever always to be built and Augmented and must therefore have allways a Head or Foundation upon which it may be built Christ surely would not have his Church now in a worse Condition then at that time since the government is allwaies necessary And as Peter was then Christ's Vicar and Pastour of his whole Church So must his Successors necessarily have now the same Power and Authority over the true Church throughout the whole world from which we must receive the true Faith And whosoever dissents and breaks from the Union with this Church and declines the Doctrine thereof forsakes the Truth of Christ leaves the royal high way and runns astray i◠dangerous paths of his own Invention Hence ariseth the great disunion and Confusion amongst Hereticks and their division into sundry sects and Various Opinions by reason of their uncertain Rule of Faith which is their own Understanding and Privat Spirit Whereas the Rule amongst Catholicks and true Believers is most certain and solid to wi◠the Judgment of the Church they having nothing of their own in it And therefore daily experience shews and teaches us our adversaries being not able to deny it that those of the true Church thought of divers Countrys and Kinghoms spread through out the whole world in all times and places yet all agred in the same Doctrine necessary to Salvation as in One Sacrifice One Uniform number and Administration of Sacraments c. The Spouse of Christ the Holy Church hath but One and the same Faith over al◠the world in all times and Places It is worthy observation and the like can never be shewn out of the true Church to see the Unaminous concord and agreement betwixt the holy Doctors of the Church in Faith and Doctrin though they taught in divers Ages and Places St. Gregory S. Augustin St. Ambrose St. Jerom. St. Augustin only and St. Jerom saw each other and were Contemporary And on the Contrary side amongst those out of the Church what Discord and Babylonical Confusion every One following his own spirit Luther Calvin Beza Zuinglius so many heads so many Heresies They are carried on headlong with Giddyness they yield to nothing but Error St. Jude describing in his Epistle such misled People and Hereticks saith Jude 10. But these blaspheam the things they know not and whatsoever they naturally know as beasts without reason in those things they Corrupt themselves And no marvel for as there is but One way to Truth so there are many ways to runn into Error and deceit Let us therefore cleave close to this Rock of Vnity let us not forsake this One Church which hath no division It is like our Saviours garment it must not be divided Our dear Saviour prayed for his Church that it might be One saying Jo 17. Father I Pray not that thou wouldest take them out of this world but that thou keep them from Evil. They are not of the world as I am not of the world Sanctify them with the Truth Thy Word is Truth I sent them into the world and for their sakes I sanctify my self that these also may be sanctified through the Truth I pray not for these alone but for them also who shall believe in me through their word that they also may be One in Vs That the world may believe that thou hast sent me This Prayer of our Saviours was heard and granted and therefore we must be On◠in Faith if we will be of his Church And observe He prayed not only for his onely then present disciples but for them also who should believe through their preaching their successors even to the end of the world that they should continue still One without Division And consider well how our Saviour concluded his Prayer with this strong motive of Unity to belief Even saith he that they may be One in us that the world may beleive that Thou hast sent me You see our Saviours reason why they should be One is that he may be beleived to be sent This Vnity therefore is an unanswerable motive to the true Religion and an assured infallible mark thereof Where therefore Vnity is not there is no true Religion And where it is we may there surely trust our souls and rely on that Faith And as we are One in Faith so shall we be in Glory for such was our Savionrs Prayer in the same place saying Father such as thou hast given me my will is that where I am they may be also with me that the may see my Glory which thou hast given me God therefore grant that through this Vnity we may come to his Glory to which We cannot arrive but by Holiness And therefore 〈…〉 The true Church as it is One so must it also be holy ANd this is another Mark as evident Holyness infallible and certain as the former to wit Holiness which cannot be found out of the true Church For the holy Ghost hath no influence but upon the members of the true Church by their Fruits we shall know them I mean not but there are wicked men misdemeanors amongst the true Beleivers yet so that there are many also most holy and vertuous which is sufficient to shew the Holyness of the Church together with the Doctrin thereof