may clearely prooue that an vnwritten doctrine may bee receiued into the rule of Faith which thing to this day they haue not done what they are like to doe heereafter you may iudge by that which is done Now suffer not your selues to bee blind-folded Take a courage vnto you and a discerning spirit to vnderstand the things that concerne you so neerely And whereas I haue proued that the Pope was neuer admitted Iudge of Faith before the Trent Councill it may be that some of these blinde seducers may tell you that the Pope hath beene a Iudge and helde a Iudge in Christendome by some long time before which in some sort is true but not against me For hee hath bene by diuers reputed a Iudge of controuersies of right and wrong in such things as come to bee pleaded by the Canon Law But of matters of Faith he was neuer held to be a Iudge Therefore the Popes Canons doe confesse that Dist. 2. for exposition of Scriptures and matters of Faith the Expositors of Scriptures are to bee preferred before the Popes as for their learning and godlinesse farre excelling the Popes in the knowledge of the Scripture but in causis definiendis that is in deciding of causes and ending of suits which come to bee pleaded in the Popes Courts the Popes are preferred for the height of their place And this is all that their owne Cannons haue yeelded to them before the Trent Councill I warne you of these things before hand that your selues may bee the better able to iudge of any answer which may be returned against mee And I thinke that this warning may suffice to instruct you against their idle answeres so that I shall not need to trouble my selfe any further I haue bene short in collecting these directions for these causes First because in this scribling age I would not trouble the Church with vnneedfull writings Secondly because I would inuite the moe Readers who may bee content to reade a short Booke whereas length doth often deter such as either haue not much leisure or are coy of their pains Lastly because if any will answere it they may see that I haue somewhat helped them in shortnesse And therefore they may bee the better contented to set downe my words Now whereas your seducers pretend that they loue the saluation of your soules and glorie so much in the name of the Church you must bee carefull to trie the spirit that speaketh in them for it is as great a fault to beleeue eury thing without triall as to beleeue nothing It is Saint Iohns exhortation to you Dearely 1. Ioh. 4. 1 beloued beleeue not euery spirit but trie the spirits whether they are of God for many false prophets are gone out into the world If S. Iohn had cause euen in the beginning of the Gospel to warne the people against seducers what great cause haue we to warne you For these false Prophets are now growen both in number and in cunning But their multitude and cunning would vtterly faile them if they did not presume vpon your ignorance Wee labour to plant knowledge in all and are desirous that euery man might know the things needfull for his saluation they labour to holde all in ignorance their hope is not in the goodnesse of their cause for they see the ruines of Babylon falling euery day Only their care is to blinde you and keepe you ignorant They know well that if you had knowledge to discerne their subtilties it is not the pretence of the Church that could so much preuaile whereas now the very bare name of the Church doeth trouble and entangle many of the simple as a snare to catch the ignorant a iust iudgment of ignorance Wherein they deale with you as the Arrians did deale with a company of vnlearned Bishops and Priests in the Councill of Ariminum For the Arrians hauing procured the exile of the most worthie and best learned Bishops perceiuing that the companie that was left though they were not very learned yet would not be perswaded directly to disanull any thing that had beene concluded before in the Councill of Nice did abuse their ignorance in proposing the matter For they demanded of them whether they would worshippe Homoousion or Ruffin lib. 10. histor Eccles Christ they not vnderstanding what the Greeke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did signifie reiected it with a kinde of execration being as they thought opposed against Christ Whereas if they had vnderstood the matter aright they would haue knowen that this word agreed most fitly with Christ as best expressing his diuine nature Euen thus your Priests and Iesuits deale with you for when they haue told you somewhat of their Church and that out of the Church there is no saluation adding some trueths to some appearances and framing your fancies after their owne deuised paterne If then they aske you this question Whether will you rather forsake the Church of God or the allegeance to your Prince Some ignorant men but moe women that know not these subtilties but thinke all to bee true that these men tell them in corners must needs answere that rather then they would forsake Christ his Church they will renounce the obedience of any earthly Prince And thus is your zeale and ignorance abused by craftie companions But if you might vnderstand that you doe not forsake the Church but are more confirmed therein by yeelding alleagiance to the King then doubtlesse you would not bee vnwilling to acknowledge your owne errours and the craft of your seducers And here as I haue bene desirous to helpe you so I heartily entreat you to helpe your selues by louing and seeking the trueth Disdaine not to take helpe of any My labour hath beene to bring endlesse contentions to a short issue for your satisfaction onely I exhort you to trie the spirits because many false prophets are gone out into the world trust neither vs nor them vntill you haue tried for we are all contentious men though some contend for the trueth and some against it Trie before you trust and remember that S. Chrysostome gaue this exhortation to his hearers That they should be more carefull in trying the doctines which are deliuered to thē then in telling of money which is deliuered to them Suffer no false and counterfeit stuffe to be thrust vpon you at the motion of vaine men who themselues know not the trueth and haue no care to liue according to the trueth And iudge your selues who are your best friends and who are they that in reason may best be thought to hold the trueth they who call you to the knowledge of Gods word or they that would holde you in ignorance they that desire you to examine their doctrines by the rule of Faith or they that bid you take their doctrines vpon their bare word they that make the Scriptures iudge of themselues of their doctrines of the Pope and all or they that make the Pope Iudge of the
from this pestiferous generation who deuise still how to holde you in the bondage of their superstition and consider what account they make of you vpon whom they vent such stuffe altogether presuming vpon your simplicitie hoping that you will take all without discussing whatsoeuer they deliuer Men of common reason will neuer put confidence in such men as are conuinced once for liars If this bee true which they haue so confidently written and by which they haue so notoriously abused you in slaundering of the Ordination of our worthie and reuerend Bishops then might you haue cause to be offended with our Church But if this vpon triall bee found a manifest and absurd lye then what cause haue you to trust them in any thing whose whole studie is to abuse your simplicitie and credulitie who hauing forsaken the trueth labour to drawe after them so many as they can into the societie of their Apostasie respecting neither trueth nor conscience so they deceiue by any meanes And thus praying to him that keepeth the Keyes of Dauid and openeth and no man shutteth and shutteth and no man openeth that hee of his infinite mercie will open your eyes to see your hearts to vnderstand his word and trueth and therein your owne Saluation I rest Yours in the seruice of your Faith GEORGE CARLETON SHORT DIRECTIONS TO KNOVV the true CHVRCH THE Church is either the Catholike Church or particular Churches The Catholike Church is defined in the Scripture The body of Eph. 1. 23. Iesus Christ and the fulnesse of him that filleth all in all The Apostle describing this Church sayth By one Spirit we are baptized 1. Cor. 12 13. into one body And againe You are the body of Christ and Vers 17. members in particular And againe Christ is the head of the Eph. 5. 25. Church and hee is the Sauiour of the body He is before all things Col. 1. 18. and by him all things consist and hee is the head of the body the Church So that in the Scriptures of the New Testament we finde no definition of the Church but either in these wordes That it is the body of Christ or in words that signifie the same thing We finde no other Head of the Church but Christ himselfe Particular Churches are visible Assemblies who professe the true Faith and holde the ordinances of Christ and are gouerned by diuers visible heads or gouernours as Saint Gregory the Pope sayth Peter Lib. 4. Epist 38. ind 13. the Apostle of Christ which was the first member of the Church Paul Andrew Iohn what other are these but heads of particular Assemblies Singularium plebium capita so sayth Gregory And againe The Saints before the law the Saints vnder the Law and the Saints vnder grace all these making vp the body of Christ or members of the Church So Gregory vnderstood the Church that Saint Peter was a member onely but not a head of the vniuersall or Catholicke Church But of a particular Church sayth S. Gregory Peter was a head Yet no otherwise then as S. Iohn was the head of another particular Church S. Paul of another S. Andrew of another And so other heads or gouernours of other particular Churches because no Apostle could guide all particulars or the whole This was the ancient doctrine and knowledge of the Church These particular Churches though in respect of the places wherein they were gathered they be many and in that respect called in the plurall number Churches in Scripture Rom. 16. 4. and 1. Cor. 7. 17. and 2. Cor. 8. 18. and Apoc. 11. 4. and in many other places yet in respect of the faith which they professe they are but one for the Church is but one not two not many And euery particular Church that would prooue it selfe a true Church of Christ must proue that by the vnitie which it holdeth with the Catholicke Church which is but one For euery particular Church holding vnitie with the Catholike Church by reason of that vnitie is one with it And euery particular assembly that holdeth not this vnitie with the Catholicke Church is no true Church of Christ but an assembly of Heretickes But now the question betweene the Papists and the reformed Churches will bee whether of them two do hold this Vnitie with the Catholicke Church For if we proue the reformed Churches keep this Vnitie wee prooue them assuredly to be the true Churches and if wee prooue that the Papists haue broken off this vnitie with the Catholike Church then are they prooued to be no true Church but an assembly of heretickes that haue forsaken the Church To prooue this wee must declare what this Vnitie is and wherein it consisteth which thing being declared will euidently declare where the true Church is The Vnitie of the Church is fourefolde For though others may make moe parts yet all may be comprised in these foure For the Church is one first by the Vnitie of the Body secondly by the Vnitie of the Head thirdly by the Vnitie of the Spirit fourthly by the Vnitie of Faith All these are necessarily required to prooue a Church to holde Vnitie with the Catholicke Church And albeit where one of them is found they are all found yet because the Scriptures and Fathers speake distinctly of them wee will distinctly declare them The vnitie of the Body is an vnitie whereby all the members of the Church are knit together with the Head in one body For as the body is one and hath many members and all the members of 1. Cor. 12. that one body being many make but one body euen so is Christ sayth the Apostle This may be called mysticall Christ or the mysticall body of Christ that is his Church For this is the true Church the proper Church the Scripture doeth not acknowledge any other Catholike Church sauing this which is the body of Christ In which body all beleeuers are knit to Christ as the members of one body with the head And in this body euery member receiueth Eph. 4. 16 grace from the Head and the whole body according to the measure of euery member receiueth increase of the body to the edifying of it selfe in loue Thus is euery member of the body that is euery member of the Church ioyned vnto Christ by faith and loue And herein standeth the vnitie of this Body From this Vnitie the Papists are fallen away for they teach that the members of their Church as they call it neede not to haue any inward grace but it sufficeth if they make onely an externall profession of faith and haue the cōmunion of the Sacraments which by very sense is perceiued So saith Card. Bellarmine Lib. 3. de Ecclesi◠cap. 2. lib. 3. cap. 2. de Ecclesia It followeth that the Popish Church hath not vnitie with the Catholike Church which is the body of Christ For there is but one Church that is the body of Christ and the members of this Church are
thinke it sufficient to receiue the outward signe of the Sacrament of Baptisme without inward grace as these men teach but hee holdeth the inward spirituall grace to be needfull and therefore declaring that spirituall grace he sayth Wee are baptized by one Spirit into one body For seeing that by the grace of Baptisme men are regenerate and made the sons of God therefore this vnitie which the Church hath by the Sacrament of Baptisme is defined by the Apostle not to be externall perceiued by sense as these teach but to be internall and spirituall For by one Spirit we are baptised into one body that is by one Spirit wee are regenerate and are made members of this holy body the Church And therefore the Apostle ioyneth these three things together One Lord one faith one Baptisme Ephe. 4. 3. as if he should say One head one rule one body of beleeuers regenerated by baptisme We are forced from euidence of the trueth to vnderstand Baptisme from the words of the Apostle not of the externall perception but of the inward grace of the Sacrament because what he meaneth by one Baptisme himselfe declareth when he sayth By one Spirit wee are all baptised into one body The summe is this vnitie which the Church hath from the Spirit is a spirituall grace without which inward spirituall grace no man can haue the communion of the holy Ghost or be a member of Christ his Church in the vnitie of one Spirit But without this inward spiritual grace a man may bee a member of the Church of Rome therefore the Church of Rome is not the Church of Christ forasmuch as that Church is fallen away from the vnitie of the Spirit which knitteth all the members of the Church together The fourth vnitie whereby the Church is knowen to be one and the same alwayes is the vnitie of Faith For the true Church from the Apostles hauing receiued the true faith hath helde the same vnto this day and must holde it without change vnto the end of the world And therefore the ancient Fathers were wont to prooue the Church to be alwayes the same in many generations and successions because the same faith was alwayes helde in the Church without change whereupon S. Hierome commenting vpon the 23. Psalme vpon these words Haec est generatio quaerentium dominum sayth Ecclesia ex pluribus personis congregatur tamen vna dicitur propter vnitatem fidei that is The Church is gathered together of diuers persons and yet it is said to be one for the vnitie of faith Then they who hold not this vnitie can neuer prooue that they haue the vnitie of the Church which Christ redeemed with his blood which the Apostles taught and planted The faith of the Church is said to bee one because the rule of faith is one and the same from the beginning of the Church to the ende the rule of faith is the doctrine of faith contained in the holy Scriptures This is the rule that ruleth the Church for the Church must teach the true faith and that is the true faith which the Church teacheth out of the holy Scriptures so that wee must not take whatsoeuer the Church teacheth without any limitation or rule For the Church hath a rule to teach by this rule is the rule of faith taken out of the holy Scriptures so long as any particular Church teacheth according to this rule so long is that Church to be heard but if a Church once fall away from this rule of faith then it ceaseth to be a true Church of God as many particular Churches haue fallen away because they haue forsaken this rule of faith First therefore I will proue out of the Scriptures and ancient fathers that the true Church is knowen by the rule of faith And then I wil demōstrate that this rule of faith is no other thing then the true doctrines of faith conteined in the Scripture By which meanes it wil appeare what is the true Church and where it is to bee found The Apostle proouing that the Ephesians were a true Church of God saith You are no more strangers Eph. 2. 20. but felow citisens with the Saints and of the houshold of God are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Christ Iesus himselfe being the chiefe corner Stone In which wordes hee declareth what the true Church is an assembly of Saints the houshold of God vpon what foundation it is built for the doctrine of the faith vpon which the Church is built is called a foundation And because this doctrine is cōteined in the holy scriptures written by the Prophets and Apostles therefore it is called the foūdation of the prophets Apostles Then the church is built vpon this foundation that is vpon the faith cōteined in the Scriptures written by the prophets Apostles And if any Church change once this foundation that ceaseth to be a true Church of Christ Of diuers testimonies of fathers I will cite a fewe Clemens Alexandrinus saith Wee Libr. 7. stromatum say that the ancient and Catholike Church is knowen to be in the vnitie of one Faith which faith is contained in the proper Testaments or rather in one Testament which in diuers times is Contra omnes hereses one Athanasius saith The Orthodoxe Church truely reading and exactly examining the holy Scriptures doeth edifie it selfe vpon the Rocke The Authour Hom. 49. of the imperfect worke vpon Matt. saith If any would know what is the true Church how shall hee know this but onely by Scriptures S. Austin saith In the Epist 60. Scriptures we learne Christ in the Scriptures we learne to know the Church of Christ. Vincentius Licinensis saith The Church of Lib. contr heres cap. 32. Christ is a carefull keeper of the doctrines committed to her shee changeth nothing of them at any time she diminisheth nothing she addeth nothing shee cutteth off nothing necessary shee putteth to nothing superfluous shee looseth not her owne shee vsurpeth no strange doctrine Bede saith The In Iohn lib. 1. c. 12 foundation of the Church is the soundnesse of the Faith of the Apostles and Prophets According to these speake the rest because wee would not stay too long vpon testimonies Whereby it appeareth that this hath beene the common doctrine of the Church that the true Church is knowen by holding the rule of faith which true faith the Prophets and Apostles haue written and declared to the Church So that heerein standeth the ministerie of the Church in preseruing this faith for euer sound which by the holy men inspired of God to write the Scriptures is left to the Church Or as S. Iude faith Iude 3. To contend earnestly for the faith which was once deliuered to the Saints Now that this rule of faith is no other thing sauing only the true doctrine of the Scripture it will appeare if wee briefly consider the testimonies of the Scriptures and doctrines