the least three times in the yeare before the Lord in Hierusalem to testifie by their sacrifices their vnion in faith and religion Now after the wall of separation was brokē down which was between the Iewes the Gentiles they both the Iewes I say the Gentiles are brought into one body not only by the preaching of the one gospel of Iesus to them both but also by administring to them the Sacramēts which the lord Iesus hath ordeyned that is Baptisme the sacrament of his body bloud Iesus sayde to his Apostles Matth. 28 Goe teache all nations baptising them in the name of the father the sonne and of the holy Ghoste Here is enioyned both the teaching of the gospel of Iesus also the ministring of the sacrament of Baptisme And with the ministerie of baptisme is the administration of that other sacrament to be ioined which S. Paul did also ioyne in his ministerie 1. Cor. 11 when he did so deliuer the holy supper as he had receiued the same of the Lord. Thus is the church grounded vpō the foundation of the Prophets Apostles that is euen vpon Iesus Christ him selfe who is the verie substance of the doctrine Propheticall and Apostolicall And this is it that S. Paul teacheth when he sayeth that the Church is the piller of the trueth For the worde of God 1. Tim. 3 which is the trueth as Christ sayeth Ioan. 17 doth sustaine vphold the Church as Chrysostom expoundeth that place And to this purpose serueth that which olde father Irene writeth Iren. lib 3 cap. 11. Columna firmamentū Ecclesiae est Euangelium spiritus vitae The piller and the buttresse of the church is the gospell and the spirite of life The gospell is the ground on which the true church is planted and set Likewise the church doeth staye it selfe onely vpon the worde of God is stayed by it without which worde the church could neither be a true churche of Christ nor be stayed in him By the ministerie of the church the trueth is spread abroad vppon the earth among men The true church of Christ doeth truely teach publish the gospell of Christ which is the trueth The trueth worde of God is placed in the church as in a sure well knowen place For God doeth by it shew his power to saue al them which do beleeue Rom. 1. These are therefore the true and infallible markes of the church which is for this cause called the mother of the beleeuers which are engendred and nourished in it by this true and vncorrupted pasture and foode Nowe if there be the saide preaching of the worde of God and syncere administration of the holy sacraments it must needs followe that there are also pastors and teachers to whome this charge of teaching administration is cōmitted And this is the cause why some haue added to these marks this as a third marke of the church that is the ordinarie succession of these pastors and ministers from the time of the Apostles till nowe In deede such a succession is greatly to be liked regarded and embraced but so that this succession be rightly considered examined explicated and applyed to the purpose And so did many of the auncient fathers ayde them selues much against the heretikes which did start vp in their dayes as Irene Tertullian and Augustine did against the Marcionites Manichees and Donatistes But because some men do vse this matter of succession as a weapon against vs as though we were newe heretikes deuisers of newe doctrines therefore you shall knowe what wee doe thinke touching this matter of succession Succession We saye that there are two kindes of succession The one is of doctrine The other is of persons Touching the succession of doctrin we holde that it is an vnfallible rule and marke of the true church But as touching the succession personall wee do allowe it vppon this condition that it be ioyned with the doctrine of the Prophets and Apostles in the substanciall pointes thereof Wee speake of doctrine and not of manners For though there be required in a true pastor sound doctrin and godly life yet it may be through some ignorance that a pastor may fayle in some such point of doctrine as is not a substantiall point of the doctrine perteining to our saluation whome we will that notwithstanding accompt as a true pastor so that he holde the foundation sure and soundly Likewise though he doe faile in some point of manners and doe become faultie yet wee will esteeme him as a pastor and teacher if he doe teach soundly Wee are taught thus to doe by the saying of our sauiour Iesus Christe who teacheth vs to heare the Scribes and Pharisees Matth. 23. which doe sit in Moses chaire Wee must doe that which they teache but we must not doe that which they do Which sentence Tract 46 Augustine writing vpon the gospell of Saint Iohn openeth thus That it is to bee vnderstanded of hyrelings which do teach sounde doctrine and that it is not to be vnderstanded of false teachers For of them Christ sayde Beware of the leauen of the Pharises They which do sit in Moses chaire sayth Augustine do teach the lawe of God and God doeth teach the people by them But if they will teach their owne doctrines heare them not do not as they teache The same thing doeth Augustine in an other place handle that is De verbïs Domini Serm. 49. Because false teachers may succeed the true in the teaching place and so the wolues may succede good sheapheardes we do not therfore receiue and allowe all personall succession For this kinde of succession may giue a cloke to falshod if the succession of doctrin be not ioyned to it as the foundation thereof Moreouer those men which will holde the succession personall simply and of it selfe alone to be a true infallible mark of the true church these men must shewe vs some promise of God by which hee hath promised to binde his grace to those certaine seates places and countries that in them shoulde be such a sure and continuall succession of holy men Bishoppes succeeding one an other This promise we finde not in the newe Testament Wee learne there that Christe will alwayes haue his christian catholike and vniuersall church the particular members and partes whereof are dispersed scatered abroade throughout the whole vniuersall worlde as it pleaseth God to exercise his iudgementes vppon them whome either he cutteth off for euer or on them whome he doth chastice and afflict for a time and to enlarge his mercies vpon them whō hee leadeth from good to better or that hee doeth call some of them anewe to the true knowledge of himselfe For sometimes the Lord God shewing foorth his iust vengeaunce doeth so cast downe and cutt of all that hee will not leaue so much as a trace of his true church in a place as sometimes he
faithfull man and who hath on his side better authoritie reason than is to be giuen to the whole Councell or to the Pope him selfe And in that great and first Councel of Nice it was long of one poore Paphnutius that the lawe of sole life which since that time hath brought much filthinesse into the church was not then established Againe when shall there so generall a Councell be assembled in which a great number of learned holy men are not left out of the Councell And who can assure vs but that they which are absent may not sometime haue more vnderstanding of a trueth than they all which are present at the Councell It is also wel known how long time now an horrible confusion hath reigned in the church that chiefely in the greatest dignitie of the prelacie So that the greatest desolation in the house of god hath ben is by the means of them by whome it should haue been best furnished Which hath caused some bishops churchmen to cast foorth many grieuous sighes cōplaints most cleare and so lowde that wee do yet heare the sound of them It is knowne also that complaints hereof haue passed the penne of the Pope himselfe at sometimes Pope Hadrian 6. haue slipped out of the mouthes of Popish Bishops at many times as the bookes of the Councels doe testifie Bernard also in his bookes of Consideration in his sermon which he made vpon the conuersion of saint Paul speaketh both openly and truely Alas Lorde saith he they which do loue the first chiefe places in the church and to beare the chiefe rule in it are the first which do persecute thee They haue taken the Arke of Sion they haue taken the castell and afterward haue set the whole citie on fire By this wee may see that they which then had the highest and most principall places in the church were farre out of order The same men doe holde and will holde the same places still Now surely the generall Councels at the time which were haue ben gathered of such persons so euill qualified haue not ben so conducted by the holy ghost but that they might erre And euen so the whole vniuersitie of Paris did think iudge of the Councell holdē at Rome by Pope Leo the tenth of the name therfore they apealed frō him his said Councel Againe if a generall Councell hath receyued this priuiledge that it can not erre in doctrine let vs knowe of what date this priuiledge is and when it was giuen There was yet neuer but one true faith But there haue beene many errours For euen in the church which was in the olde testament the Prophets doe tell vs plainly and the histories of that time do proue that there were errours and foule faults among them which should haue beene the teachers of the trueth Isay 56.10 All their watchmen sayth the Prophete I say are blinde they knowe not thing Iirm. 6.13 they are all dumme dogges The Prophet Iirmiah sayth From the Prophet to the Priest all do deale falsely And because these reproofes should not be restrained to the particular liues and manners of men he sayeth plainly Iir 14.14 They do prophesie false things a lying vision Isai 29.14 Againe Isay sayth that the wisedome of the wise shall perish and the vnderstanding of the prowde shall vanish and that God will stop the eyes of the Prophets euen of the chiefe of them The Prophet Ezechiel sayeth Ezech. 7. that the lawe shall perish through the Priest that is through the fault of the Priest And in deede who did condemne the true Prophets and seruants of the liuing God Iirmiah Micheah and other yea euen the verie sonne of God him self and after him his Apostles who did this but the assemblies Councels of the prelats which were in those dayes If you will saye These things happened in the olde Testament that cannot warrant our times 2. Pet. 2. For first the time of the newe Testament is not priuiledged from hauing of such false teachers Saint Peter telleth vs plainly that as there were false Prophets in the olde time so there should be in the time after him Furthermore of the time of the newe Testament S. Paul speaketh plainly Act. 20. that euen in our time of the newe Testament Wolues shall come out of the midst of the pastors And in another place That the child of perdition shall sit in the temple of God 2. Thess 2. And in conferring the Councelles together the one with the other wee shall finde such contrarieties in them that it will easily appeare that they did not alwayes heare and obey the holy ghost but that Satan transforming him selfe into the forme of an Angel of light hath ruled and ouerruled in some generall Councels Aug. lib. 2. de baptis contra Donatist cap. 31. Augustine saith that the Epistles of particular Bishoppes are corrected by prouinciall Councels and that prouinciall Councels are corrected by the generall The former amended by the later when as by more experience had of things that which was before secret and vnknowen is made more knowen and that which was hidden is brought to light Neither is this rule to be restrained to such exterior things as may be altered changed as the necessitie of the time doth require This worde Emendari which Augustine doeth vse presupposeth a fault committed and afterwarde amended be it in doctrine or maners And Augustine doth not speake there of any external policie but of a point of doctrine that is of the opinion of Ciprian of the Councel of Afrique touching rebaptising If you wil say that our Sauiour Iesus hath promised to be in the midst of two or three which are gathered together in his name therfore he wil be in the midst of a general Councel This may wel be presumed but there is a difference between a presumption a necessary conclusion For since the malice of men proceedeth so farre often times euen to abuse the most holy name of God to fortifie falshod such mē may haue God in their mouth which are his enimies in their hearts The weaknesse of the vnderstanding of men is such that it is often seene howe corrupt affections do blinde their eyes and mindes so that hee which hath none other foundation but the aduise of men is more often in danger to be deceiued than otherwise Is then the doctrine of the church vncerteine will ye saye or can the church erre Of the erring of the church I haue alreadie spoken therfore vnto the first question I answere thus The doctrine which the Lorde our God hath deliuered to be the doctrine of his church is moste certeine and sure But because men do yet knowe but in parte as Saint Paul sayeth in this respect somtime errour is mingled with the trueth in the knowledge of men This is true that the Lorde our God will not suffer that
the substantiall pointes of trueth touching our saluation shall alwayes be buryed in the whole church but the Lord will haue alwayes some number in it sometime litle sometime great which shal vnderstand that which they ought to vnderstande and follow that which they ought to followe So did it come to passe in the time of the Prophet Eliah in Israel and in the captiuitie of Babylon and also in the time of the comming of our sauiour Christ For euen then was founde a number though but a litle number of them whose hearts were touched with the knowledge and taste of trueth as Zacharie Elizabeth Iohn the Baptist Ioseph the virgin Marie Simeon Anna. These did knowe and had the right and sure vnderstanding of the certein fulfilling of the prophecies of the comming of the promised Sauiour And yet they liued in the midst of the corruptiōs of the Scribes Pharisees Sadduces priestes Such interruptions of open professing the trueth happen in the church of God proceeding of the iniquitie of men as a thick mist which after vanisheth away by the heat of the Sunne of the doctrine I meane of the worde of God when it pleaseth God according to his secrete ordinance iudgement wisedome to suffer the same Sunne of his worde to shine foorth with power maiestie then trueth is seen embraced professed of the elect children of God Thinke you now that we will or that we doe reiect al the old Councels Nay verily but this I say that if all the rules giuen in the eldest best of them were put in execution at this daye they woulde make a greater change in the popish or Romish church called catholike than they would or could doe in the church which is nowe reformed by the gospell of Iesus But let the holy word of God be the touchestone to trye examine all that is sayde or done in the church and then it will be easily seene where the true church is Count not this a straunge thing that I require For it is an olde saying receiued before our times of the most catholike doctors Augustine writing to Maximinus the Arrian Li. 2. ca. 14 Is there any generall Councell more allowed or approued than that first Councell which was holden at Nice I trowe not sayeth he And what is that Councell which was holden at Ariminum It was a Councell reiected condemned for good cause Augustine there handleth a principall point of our Christian faith that is the diuinitie of Christ our Lord Sauiour And yet Augustine saith that for his part he wil not be boūd to the Nicene councell neither wil he haue the Ariā bound to the Councell holden at Ariminum but he wil haue the matter tried by the holy scriptures which are the meetest witnesses for both partes It may be that these Romish mē which doe runne away from the scriptures will say that there is great darknesse in the holy scripture I answere that it is most true which saint Paul saith that the naturall man perceiueth not the thinges of the spirite of God 2. Cor. 2. It is true also that saint Peter sayth 2. Pet. 1. that no prophecie in the scripture is of any priuate interpretation But yet this obscuritie is not so great but that the scriptures can expound them selues And therfore doeth our Lord and chiefe master Iesus send vs to the scriptures to nothing else but to the scriptures Search you the scriptures sayth he Ioan. 5. Luc. 16. Abraham beeing required by the damned rich man to sende some one frō the dead to admonish his brethren which yet liued in his old house answered thus They haue sayth Abraham Moses and the Prophets If they will not beleeue them they will not beleeue any that shall come to them from the dead And howe did all those moste auncient and godly Christians before vs which had among them only the scriptures of the Prophets and Apostles before that any commentarie or explication was written vppon any of them by the olde writers did they not then fetche all their light of the holy scripture onely A Romish man will here drawe vs to receiue the traditions Apostolicall for a moste sure interpretation of the holy scripture Traditions And by Apostolicall traditions he wil meane that which hath beene always receiued in the church through all the church and by them all which haue beene of the church But nowe who can assure vs that these three pointes are to be founde in any of these traditions which they do call Apostolicall traditions I doe not knowe who can doe it There is great diuersitie to be founde in the bookes and writings of the auncient fathers and that in some pointes touching faith And againe touching these wordes alwayes and of all let the Romish men tell vs at what time wee shall begin the account of this alwayes If wee will do well wee must fetch the beginning of this time euen at the church Apostolike And who shall be the firste in this account verily the Apostles them selues must be the first that shal begin this account the historie of whome is faithfully written by S. Luke and by their owne writings wee must take knowledge of them their doctrine and their doings All trueth commeth of God And God hath chosen his Prophets and Apostles to speake in his name vnto vs all that trueth which doeth appertaine to our saluation Therefore wee must alwayes haue and make our recourse to the holy scriptures And yet wee doe not vtterly cast away the aduice of Councels nor of the auncient fathers Wee doe proue that which they do saye by the holy scriptures The which holy scriptures as Augustine doeth saye truely are so tempered by the holy spirite of God that that which is obscurely spoken in one place is clearely expressed in another place of them Some of the Romish rout haue sayd that the whole wil of God touching all that which doeth appertaine to our saluation is not all written by the Apostles and Euangelists By this wicked false saying they make an open way to bring in al that falsehood error vntrueth which men list to deuise And it is the way by which Satan hath entred to destroy the vineyard of the Lorde to sowe therein his darnell of damnation and cockle choking true doctrine and Christian faith I graunt that before the time of Moses God gouerned his church by heauenly visions inspirations and reuelations But the Apostles planted the churches of God by his holy worde written And the malice of men growing with the number of them and the better sort of men decaying together with goodnes it was the good pleasure of the Lorde our God that this doctrine shoulde be written in a tongue common and knowen by which plaine trueth Gods children might receiue all that doctrin which concerneth saluation and might also withstand all subtilties creeping in vnder the couler of traditions or reuelations or custome or other
the holy Church But a man is not saide properly to beleeue that which hee seeth For beleefe is of thinges not seene but of such thinges as God hath promised though they bee not seene with the bodilie eye Nowe of visibilitie I say that as Christ Iesus our Lorde beeing in the worlde to worke the worke of our saluation was visible in the glorie and maiestie of the true Messiah so is his true Church visible in the worlde Iohn 17. For as hee was in the world so are they which are his that is his true Church in the worlde so seene and visible that the children of God the verie elect of God are both illuminate to see it to ioyn themselues to it as Simeon Anna Zacharie and other did see and ioyne themselues to the person of Messiah So did that blinde man which was cured as we doe reade in the gospell Iohn 9. Iohn 4. Likewise did the simple woman whō Christ Iesus did vouchsafe to teach in the same Gospell see more of the glorie and maiestie of the true Messiah in the person of Iesus than did al the bishops priests Scribes and Pharisees which caryed the countenance and credit of the Church among mē And as Obadiah did see 1. Reg. 18. and ioyne himselfe to the true Church of God in the darke dayes of Achab It is also so visible that satan is suffred to espie it and by his members to persecute it euen as hee did the person of our Lorde Iesus who is the heade of his true Church If men wil not content themselues with this sight but will haue their sight satisfied after their fansie with a visible worldly glorie of a church in this worlde more visible than Christ himselfe was whose Church in this worlde shall haue and bee in the same condition that himselfe had in it let these men take heede that they doe not fall into the lappe of the whoore of Babylon and take her for the church of Christ For the whore of Babylon hath her glorious visibilitie in the worlde shee is visible that in great worldly pompe glorie Now thē some will say to what companie or church thē shal I ioyn my self how shal I know finde that church in which I may heare receiue the doctrine of saluation yea if the church be inuisible so that we cannot see it we cānot heare the doctrin therof we shal not come to the true knowledge of GOD to worship him nor yet of our dutie to our king nor our rulers nor yet how we are bownde to obeye them I answere that though the church be invisible in that respect that I haue spoken off yet when it commeth in question to what company or church we shuld ioyn our selues we haue certein sure markes to directe vs rightly in this doubt These markes are The open Markes and true preaching of the worde of God and The sounde administration of the holy Sacramentes which markes are playne and apparant Wheresoeuer these marks are without doubt we are bounde to beleeue that there the true Church is and that companie wee ought to esteeme to bee the faithfull Church which doth professe the religion of the Lord our God as it is taught in his holy word Thus the Apostle doth call the companie dwelling in Corinth and the Galathians faithfull and Sainctes and giueth vnto them the name of the Church in generall although there were amonge them great faultes aswell in ignorance of doctrine as corruption of life Which thing also he taught 1. Cor. 3. when hee saide that all they which did holde the foundation did not alwayes builde vpon it golde or siluer or precious stones but also stubble and hay Thus wee speake of the Church in sounde and substantiall trueth We doe not make of it a fantasticall thing conceiued onely by imagination neither are we carried away in the fonde conceites of the Donatistes or Catharians nor in the furious frensies of the Anabaptistes Let mee therefore nowe speake somewhat of the marks witnesses of the Church which ought well to bee knowne marked because by them we may be directed rightly to that Church in which saluation is to be had Neither is there any one thing by which Sathan our olde enemie doeth labour more to deceiue men then by the title wrong opinion of the Church There are two marks as I said most certaine and infallible by which the true Church is knowne and discerned from all other conuenticles and assemblies of men The first is the pure preaching of the worde of God The second is the sincere administration of the holy Sacramentes To these some haue ioyned the true discipline and the fruite of obedience to the gospell preached And in truth there ought to be such a christian policie for the gouernement of the church as the lorde of the church Christ Iesus hath ordeined such obedience shewed to the gospell as it commaundeth But because the abounding force of our sinnes are such that often times these two last things do not so fully apeare in their maiestie and excellencie as they ought to doe therefore we doe rest our selues vpon the two first named markes The preaching of the word is a most sure and certeine marke token of the true church of Christ And therefore the preaching of the gospell is compared to the seede sowen Matt. 13. and by the preaching of the gospell it is sayd 1. Cor. 4. that the Corinthians were begotten vnto God For this cause also is the preaching of the gospell called the pasture in which the children of God do feede It is the nurriture with which they are nourished And Christ Iesus sayeth My sheepe do heare my voice Ioan. 10. and that they do not heare the voice of a strāger Yea Christ teacheth vs how by hearing and not hearing the worde of God wee shall know them which are of God For he sayeth Ioan. 8. He that is of God heareth Gods words Ye therefore heare them not because ye are not of God They which are of God doe heare receiue and obey his worde they are his true church They which do not heare nor receiue his worde are not of God are not his true church The second sure tokē of the true church is the sincere administration of the holy sacramēts For it is the good pleasure of God to call feed his flock not onely by the voice of his gospel and worde sounding in their eares but also by mouing their eyes and other senses bodily And therfore he ordeyned that his sacraments should be certein witnesses visible seales of the vnion of his childrē with him selfe of one of them with another And this was one cause why it was sayd to the people of God Gen. 17. that he that was vncircumcised should be rooted out from among the people of god To this end also did all the heads of housholds apere at
chosen So were the Deacons chosen And hereto do those rules serue which S. Paul doth giue in his Epistles writē to Timothie and to Titus touching the admission of church ministers You see nowe what the ordinarie calling is out of which we may easily gather what the extraordinary calling or vocation is which hauing an authoritie from God is lawfull notwithstanding that one or two pointes appertayning to an ordinarie calling bee wanting in it The Lord hath oftentimes vsed the seruice of men called to the ministerie of the word by such an extraordinary calling as appeareth by the holy scriptures Moses had no ordinarie calling by men Iirmiah Ionas had none Daniel Amos and diuerse other of the Prophetes had no ordinarie calling by men and yet the Lord God called these men such like to the ministerie of the word whē they which kept the place of the ordinary calling did abuse the same Thē I say then God vsed to lay to his hand extraordinarily to the worke which they that had their ordinarie calling did not onely neglecte but bring into ruine Thus the Lord god himself did and yet he did not bring any disorder or confusion into his house by this meane But thus did he to correct and reforme that confusiō disorder which was brought into his house by them which vnder the colour of ordinarie succession did ouerthrowe all good order peruerted it This doth the writings of the prophets witnes in which the priests are chiefely reproued If you will say that the men whome the Lorde did thus call extraordinarily had yet some outwarde miraculous testimonie of this their heauenly calling It is so in deed of some but it was not so in all I doe not finde that many of the Prophets did come of the race of Aaron nor that the ordinarie imposition of handes was layde vppon them Nor that they testified their vocation and calling by working straung signes and miracles If you will say that these prophetes teachers which had this extraordinarie calling did content themselues with that part of the church office which is to teach and to reprooue but they did not meddle with the sacrifices This is not altogether true For Samuel who was not of the stock of Aaron 1. Sam. 7. did sacrifice in Mizpah as it is written And Eliah beeing a Galaadite did sacrifice in Carmel 1. Reg. 18. Again it is no maruel if the prophets of that time did not extende their commission of their extraordinary calling to circumcise and sacrifice for that was the charge and priuiledge then expressely committed to the stock of Leui for that time Thus you heare what is the church and what bee the markes thereof and what is to bee thought of the vocation or calling of the Pastors and teachers of the church And thus doe wee at this present approue our christian church the ministers thereof by the rule of Gods word Tom. 4. fol. 160. And in this behalfe doth that make for vs which Augustine writeth in his booke of 65. questions and in the last question where he teacheth that wee shall knowe that he is sent of God who is not chosen by the flatterie of a fewe men but he whō life good manners and the doing of the Apostolike Priests do commend who seeketh not to be aloft but to be profitable to others Of the authoritie of the church Nowe let vs come to the authoritie of the church and speake a little thereof It doth appeare by that which is said before that wee do not take away any thing of those high and glorious titles whiche the holy ghost doeth giue vnto it We say that it is the body of Christ but so that part thereof is yet in pilgrimage looking for the full inioying of the heade Iesus Christ This is the house of God which hee doth dayly builde so that it groweth stil more and more It is gouerned by the spirit of God stil fighting against the fleshe It is purified but so that it is by little and little brought towards that perfection of beauty in which is neither blemish nor I pot It knoweth God truely but yet in part In which kinde of speaches I doe vse the very wordes of the holy scripture Out of this Church is no saluation For life and saluation is no where else but in Christ Iesus alone and onely neither doeth the Lorde Iesus powre foorth his quickning power grace but onely vpon his owne members The vnion and assembling of them together in their head Iesus is called and is the true church of Christ If you aske me whether this church being in this worlde can erre and whether it be in authority aboue the holy scripture or else it be subiecte to the holy word of God Howe the Church may erre To the first I answere that it is out of doubt that the members of the church counting each one by himselfe in particular may erre And that there are of them which do erre in doctrine maners of life For they knowe but in part 1. Cor. 13. as S. Paul saith And Iohn saith 1. Iohn 1. If we do say that we haue no sinne we do deceiue our selues And in this number we may and do recken the olde doctors For many faultes are to be founde in them and therefore they are not to be receiued in al things without exception Thus doe we thinke of the members of the church in particular whose imperfections doe not so prevaile but that of them knitte together in trueth is made a true church For they do by little and little growe and goe forwarde in the knowledge of God and of his trueth and holinesse of life But if wee will consider the partes of the Church more generally as it is diuided into diuerse Diocesses and Prouinces we say playnely that it may erre Card. Lotha It is also confessed by one of the chiefe capitaines standing for the Pope his Lorde that particular churches and prouinciall Synodes may erre and haue oftentimes erred Which thing long experience hath prooued true Let vs then consider the church in the vniuersalitie thereof which is as some say considered in that it is in a generall councell represented There is no cause why we shoulde thinke that all the power and giftes which the holy ghost doeth bestowe vpon the vniuersall church shoulde be restrayned to a certaine number of prelates gathered together in a generall councell which are not alwayes the best learned nor the best men which are in the whole chuch although they doe there represent the whole multitude of them which did sende them thither For it falleth out often times that a simple man shal be founde to haue better vnderstanding than the greatest man in the whole assembly Panormitan Which caused one famous Canonist to write vppon the chapter Significasti tit de Electionibus that sometime more credite is to be giuen to one priuate man beeing a
deuice of man whatsoeuer Now if the doctrine of our saluation were written but in parte how shal we do for the rest which is wanting Saint Iohn doth not speake so scantly of the holy scriptures as these Romish mē do For he saith that the thinges Ioan. 20. which hee hath written are written to this ende that we beleeuing them might haue life that is saluation for that is life indeede Then is there no other doctrine necessarie to saluation but that which is written in the holy scriptures And that which is written in the holy scriptures suffiseth vnto saluation Saint Paul teaching vs what the vse of the scripture is teaching vs all I say in the person of his scholer Timothie 2. Tim. 3. saith that they doe make the man of God not onely euery faithful minister Pastor but euery faithful man perfect and fully perfited Then a mā nedeth not any vnwritten verity or traditiō as they are called Apostolike Yet I do not deny but that there haue beene alwayes vnwritten traditions touching order and manner of doing in the church but not so in poyntes of doctrine touching faith and saluation Nowe because men haue long time abused the name of tradition we must learne to knowe which are traditiōs to be allowed receiued and which are not to be allowed This is easie to be done if we will set before vs some pointes by them frame our iudgement First we must put a iust difference betwen doctrine and matter of rites and orders of the church In doctrine the Apostles deliuered in the worde by them written onely and wholy all that which they had rceiued of the Lord. To this then I adde that if the traditions offered to vs be agreeable to the worde of God and are meete and fit for edifying then are they to bee receiued For this is a thing assured that niether the Apostles nor the true Pastors did appoynt any orders or maners of doing which were either directly or indirectly contrarie to the doctrine of the gospell nor such as should turne any man neuer so little from the seruice of God which is spiritual This being obserued of vs it shal be easie for vs to discerne the doctrin frō traditions and the false traditions frō the true It was accompted with the old father Tertullian a very straunge thing that any man should say that he had omitted to teach any thing either by word of mouth or by writing of that which doth apertain to our saluation I will say further that all that which the Apostles did deliuer as traditiōs in matter of order rites maners of doing are not to be kept perpetually For according to the rule of charitie they ordeined touching the strangled not to eat blood Act. 15.29 conforming their tradition herein to the infirmitie of the Iewes Some like thing may be noted in the doings of S. Paul in the person of Timothie Act 16.3 Act. 18.18 yea and in him selfe also which thinges can haue no place at this day but onely in this that the generall rule must be obserued that wee must apply ourselues to the commoditie profite of our neighbour in those thinges which are indifferent The like thinges may bee gathered touching the traditions and manners of doing which they applyed to their time As where he speketh of kissing and of hauing the heade vncouered in signe of authoritie 1. Cor. 16. 1. Cor. 11. which are thinges contrarie to the manner of doinges in these dayes in many coūtries where men woulde count it very straunge that men shoulde kisse one an other or that a man should kisse any womā other than his own wife And also to speake at this day with the head bare and vncouered is a signe and token of subiection not of authoritie All these thinges are well to be considered before wee doe receiue any custome or tradition as Apostolike For the name of the Apostles is not to bee abused to trouble the Church in any thing as it was abused in the controuersie about the keeping of the day of the Pasque which wee call Easter And likwise when some abused the name of the Apostles and the authoritie of the Church of Hierusalem Actes 15. labouring vnder this pretence to mingle Iudaisme with Christianisme as it is written in the Actes of the Apostles There it was ordeined that the consciences of men shoulde not be charged with any such yoke Wee can not thinke therfore that the Apostles did inuent so many ceremonies as are nowe vsed in the obseruation of which is set the forgiuenes of sinnes and merites For they haue plainely protested the contrarie neither woulde they giue place to the ceremonies of Moses of which God him selfe was the author Long agoe did Augustine complayne of the multitude of ceremonies Ep. ad Ianuarium and humayne traditions brought into the Church But what would he haue saide if hee had liued in such a time as ours is To be short therefore we do require that the holy scriptures which are in this point most plain cleare may guide vs to discerne betweene the traditiōs which are good and which are badd holy and prophane hurtful and profitable necessarie and superfluous These thinges being decided it shall be easie to determine this question touching traditions and so wee may come to touch a seconde question which is dropped downe to vs from Rome Whether the church be aboue the scriptures that is whether the church bee aboue the scriptures which is as vnhandsome a question as if one should aske whether the child be aboue the father the scholer aboue the schole-master the wife aboue the husbande or man aboue God But indeede the true church of Christ will not in this matter make any quarrel against god For if it shoulde it shoulde fall in the quarrell and be condemned It is to no purpose to say that the church was before the scriptures For though it were so yet the word of God is more auncient than the church For by the worde the Church is conceiued engendred made named the church That which doeth ingender is before the thing that is ingendred as the father and mother are and haue their beeing before the childe Some will alleadge the saying of Augustine I shoulde not beleeue the scriptures if the authoritie of the Church did not moue me In that place Augustine speaketh of himselfe as he was when he was a Manichee When two contrary parts shal fal into debate touching the truth of an Instrument or writing to whō shall they haue recourse but to the Notarie which keepeth the recorde But yet it will not bee saide that the writinge is grounded vppon the authoritie of the Notarie for that the recorde is true although no man liuing doe beare witnesse thereof So I aunswere them which doe thinke that the holy scripture is not otherwise founded but vppon the determination of the church This verily were a
according to Christes holy ordinance but they do forasmuch as in thē lieth corrupt the sacrament of baptisme the administratiō thereof with their manifold very grosse ceremonies thogh they leaue the substāce of it vnchāged And they do take vpon them boldly to change as they say both the substance of the other sacrament that is of the bodie and bloode of Christ our Sauiour and also the ende why it was ordeined so that they doe not leaue vs of this holy sacrament neither the doctrine in truth nor the substance of it nor the ende and vse of it as their deuises of the Transubstantiation and sacrifice of their masse do declare to all the worlde Therefore the imposition of the handes of Popishe Bishoppes beeing them selues straungers to the gospel is vtterly vnmeete for them which are called to do the office of a minister of the gospell The olde true Priestes in the old Testament did not receiue imposition of handes of any of the Priestes of Baal or other Idolatrous priests In the Ecclesiasticall historie we do read of diuerse godly fathers and Pastors which woulde not receiue the imposition of handes of such Bishops as were heretikes Neither truely ought the ministers of the gospell of Iesus seeke to haue anye imposition of handes of the popish priestes or bastardly Bishops of Poperie which are both Idolaters heretikes Surely this is not necessarie neither were it comely The ministers and preachers of the gospell they haue this good testimonie of their vocation First that they are called to preache the gospell Then they haue ben examined tryed by those to whome the gouernement of the church is in those matters committed Thirdly they are found meete for the vocation and chosen to it Last of all they are with solemne prayers admitted into the charge and put in possession of it admitted and accepted of the people And this is of force sufficient in trueth to proue the lawfulnes of their ministerie and sufficiencie of their calling They need not oyle no not the consecrated oyle to which the Popish Bishops doe attribute a maruellous vertue of consecrating and blessing They neede not the blind blessing of any of the popish Bishops no more than they neede the shearing or shauing of their crownes which toyes are the cognisance of the sworne soldiers of those Bishops which are the tryed peticaptaines of the Pope the very priestes of Baal Those two horned beasts do among them of Rome take on them onely the authoritie to lay on handes Let them if they wil lay their hands on them in their popish priesthood which are like to them selues On the ministers of the gospell which haue nothing like to them in the ministerie of it their handes are not to be layde Esr 4.2 The restorers of Hierusalem woulde not receiue the offered helpe of their neighbours which were mockers of their labours and enemies to it And shall wee then seeke your helpe ô you Papistes or receiue your profered seruice to helpe vs forwarde in the worke of the Lorde committed to vs No no ye are deadly enimies to the worke of the Lorde and mockers of it Therefore wee will not admit your handes to be layde on vs. If the Lorde of his mercy shall turne the hearts of any of the popish clergie and giue them grace to loath their order and giue them a desire to serue the Lorde Iesus in the ministerie of his holy gospell and the church shall neede their seruice let them come to vs to be tryed and examined of vs and if they be founde meete and the church haue neede of their seruice they shall receiue of vs imposition of handes And where is that commission giuen whereby the popish Bishops alone do claime the authoritie to lay on their vnholy hands vpon the hoministers of the gospell Truely neither can wee finde it in the olde nor in the newe Testament And in his time Hierome did write to one Euagrius that the imposition of hands by the Bishop as it was then vsed was no ordinance of God but onely a custome Let the tryall of a true minister then not rest vpon custom or encroching vnder the couer of ceremonies but let it rest in the true substance of the ministerie which is in doctrine and doing the office of an Euangelicall minister The Romish rulers wil driue vs to proue our calling either by doctrine or by miracle Touching doctrine the word of God approueth our ministerie sufficiently We neede not to auow the working of miracles For the beleeuers of the doctrine which is preached by vs do proue it for vs in that their vnfeigned conuersion to God is miraculously wrought in thē by the power of his worde This doeth shewe forth the lawfull faithfull and fruitefull labour to which we are called by the grace and blessing of God This is no strange matter if you consider that which Saint Paul saith to the Corinthians that they by his preaching of the Gospell and his ministerie in it beeing called and conuerted from idolatrie to knowe and worship the lord God in trueth from wickednesse to holinesse of life were as he sayth the seales of his Apostleship in the Lord. 1. Cor. 9. And by what authoritie can they of Rome who are most of all men out of rule lay this lawe vppon the Lord our God that he cannot or shall not extraordinarily call at his pleasure any meet man to the ministerie of his holye worde vnlesse the same man do first passe vnder their bastardly handes be approued of them who are moste meete to be reproued of all other as both by their institution and execution it is proued Therefore amend your selues ô you hollowe hypocrites of Rome and leaue your vniust carping of vs. Turne your wallet and pull out the beame that sticketh in your owne eyes The Lorde amende you if it be his holy will prosper the preaching of his holy gospel by the ministerie of the ministers of the gospell for euer Amen FINIS