the touchstone of the true Pastours of the Catholique Church who may say with S. Paul non ignoramus cogitationes Sathanae we are not ignorant of the cogitations of Sathan and who may also say with S. Iohn Nos ex Deo sumus qui nouit Deum audit nos qui non est ex Deo non audit nos In hoc cognoscimus spiritum veritatis spiritum erroris We are of God he that knoweth God heareth vs he that is not of God doth not heare vs. In this wee know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of errour Now if any will not admitte this manner of trying and discerning the spirit of truth from the spirit of errour but will trust their owne iudgement alone in this matter feare they may iustly nay rather they may be sure as Cassian saith that they shal worship in their thoughts the angell of darkenes for the Angell of light to their exceeding great harme And at least howsoeuer their priuate affection and selfe-loue encline them to thinke well of themselues of that spirite which they permitte to teach them those singuler points of new and strange doctrine yet sure it is that this their perswasion of the goodnes of their spirit is not infallible as the rule of faith must be sith diuers now adaies perswade themselues in the same maner to be taught by the holy Spirit yet one of them teaching against another it is not possible that all that thus perswade themselues should bee taught by this spirit sith this Spirit doth neuer teach coÌ„trary to it selfe And therefore some in this their perswasion must needes be deceaued And therfore who hauing no testimony of euideÌ„t miracle or some other vndoubted proof dare arrogantly affirme that he onely is not deceaued especially in such sorte as to condemne all other and to propose himselfe to himselfe others as the only sufficient rule of faith considering that others who presume perswade themselues altogither in like manner are in this their perswasion deceaued But suppose one could assure himselfe that he were taught by Gods Spirite immediately what is the true faith in all pointes in such sort that he could erre in none as it is not the manner of almighty God to teach men immediately by himselfe alone or by an Angell but rather as the Scripture telleth vs fides ex auditu Faith is bredde in vs by hearing and is to bee required ex ore Sacerdotis out of the mouth of the Priest and is to be learned of Pastors and Doctors whom God hath appointed in his Church of purpose to instruct vs and continue vs in the ancieÌ„t faith but suppose I say that one could assuredly perswade himselfe to be immediately taught of God what is the truth in all pointes How should hee without testimony of miracle glue assurance to others that hee is thus taught especiallie when hee teacheth quite contrary to the Catholike Church which by plaine promises and testimonies of Scripture vvee know to be taught of God Perhaps he will alledge that generall promise of Scripture Omnis qui petit accipit assuring them therby that euery one that prayeth for any thing receiueth it and that he hath earnestly prayed for the spirit therefore he must needes haue it But to this argument we may easily answere that this promise of our Sauiour is not so vniuersally to be vnderstood as though euery one that prayeth for a thing shall infallibly obtaine it without any condition at least in the manner of praying required of our part For we reade euen in Scripture petitis non accipitis eo quod male petatis You aske or pray and receiue not the thing requested because you aske amisse By which place wee learne that to obtaine any thing by prayer requireth a condition of praying wel or in such sorte as is fit the which condition doth as learned men obserue include many circumstances for fault of the due obseruance whereof it may and doth often happen that our prayer is not well made nor in such sort as is fit and is consequently frustrate of the efficacy which otherwise by the promise of our Sauiour it should haue had Now these circumstances being many and diuers of them very inward it is not very easie For any man to be absolutely sure that hee hath obserued them in such sort as is fit and therefore he cannot bee absolutely sure that his praier hath taken effect therefore it is no sufficient proofe whereby one may perswade others that hee hath the Spirit of God to say hee hath prayed for it especially coÌ„sidering that we may finde very many most contray in religion one to another who notwithstanding will say that they daily pray for the spirit and I doubt not but many of them in some sort yea earnestly after their manner doe pray for it yet sure it is that all these being thus contrary haue it not How shal we then be assured that this or that man who presuming vpon the assistance of this spiritt which he thinketh he hath obtained by prayer setteth a broache a singular and new inueÌ„ted doctrine how shall we be sure I say that such a maÌ„ hath the spiritt of God indeed Some will perchance saye that we may safely beleeue them because they preach nothing but pure Scripture while as for euery pointe of their doctrine they cite still sentences of Scripture But this answere will not serue First because for in the name of scripture they bring forth their false corrupt translations which do differ in some places euen in wordes from true scripture Secondly supposing that they did alwaies cite the true wordes of scripture yet they may easily applye them to a wronge sense or meaninge to witt to that which they falsely imagine being seduced by their own appetite or by their own former error to be the true sense For as S. Austen saieth Ad Imagines phantasmatum suorum carnalis anima conuertit omniâ— sacramenta verba librorum sanctorum a carnall and sensâ—all minde such as heretiques are not without sith heresie it selfe is accounted by S. Paule a worke of the flesh doth conuert or turne all the misteries and words of holy bookes vnto his owne imaginations phantasies Whereupon it commeth to passe that as the same S. Austen saith Omnes haeretici qui in authoritate Scripturas recipiunt ipsas sibi videntur sectari cumsuos sectentur errores All heretickes that receiue and admitte the authority of the Scriptures seeme to theÌ„selues to follow the only Scriptures wheÌ„ they follow their owne errours And as they may seeme to themselues to follow onely the Scriptures when they follow their owne errours so they may seeme especially to the simple people or to those who being seduced by them wholy build their beliefe vpon theÌ„ to preach nothing but pure Scripture wheÌ„ indeed they preach their owne erronious opinions coloured and painted with words of
Scripture as it is the manner of euerie sect maister to confirme his errour with words of Scripture yea the Diuell himselfe doth sometime for his purpose alledge words of Scripture Wherefore there is no reason wherby wee may bee assured that such men haue the Spirit of God but we may finde many reasons to conuince that they haue not this Spirit And to omitte for breuity sake the seeking out of any other euen the singularity or priuatenes of their spirit is sufficient not onely to moue vs to suspect it but also to condemne it and to assure vs that it cannot bee the Spirit of truth as is very well signified by S. Augustine who saith Veritas tua Domine nec mea est nec illius sed omnium quos ad eius communionem publicè vocas terribiliter admonens nos ne eam habere velimus priuatam ne priuemur ea Nam quisquis id quod tu ad fruendum omnibus proponis sibi propriè vendicat suum esse vult quod omnium est à communi propellitur ad sua id est à veritate ad mendacium Thy truth O Lord is neither proper to mee nor him but common to all whom thou dost publiquely call to the common partaking of its warning vs terribly to take heede that wee will not haue it priuate to our selfe least we be depriued of it For whosoeuer doth challenge that to himselfe priuately which thou dost propose publiquely to be enioyed of all and will haue that his owne which is common to all he is driuen from the common to this owne that is to say from the truth to a lie CHAP. X. That the doctrine and teaching of the true Church is the rule of faith THE fourth Conclusion is that this infallible rule which euery one ought to follow in all points of faith is the Doctrine and teaching of the true Church or coÌ„pany of the true faithfull of Christ. This I proue by this reason If our Sauiour Christ hath promised to any coÌ„panie of men the presence of himselfe and the assistance of his holy spiritt of purpose to instructe teach them all trueth giuing withall peculiar charge commission to them to teache all natioÌ„s and to preache to euery creature giuing also warrant to all that they may safely heare them giuing also commandement whereby he bindeth all to doe in all thinges according to their saying and threatning greatly those who will not heare and beleeue them then certainely the doctrine teaching of these men is in all pointes most true and infallible such as if the other conditions required in the rule of faith be not as they are not wanting may well be proposed to all sortes as an assured ground whereupoÌ„ they may safely build an infallible Christian faith For looke what our Sauiour Christ hath promised must needes be performed and whatsoeuer he warranteth or commandeth may safely without danger of errour be done nay must of necessity be done especially wheÌ„ he threatneth those and will not doe it and consequently if he haue promised to sende his holy spirit to teach any company of men all trueth it is not to be doubted but that he sendeth this his holy spirit and by it teacheth them all trueth sith the teaching of this spirit is vnfallible we are not to doubt but that this company is in all pointes infallâ—bly taught the trueth If also the same our Sauiour gaue warrant and commandement that they should teach vs that we should heare them and doe in all thinges according to their saying we may not likwise doubt but that they shall be able to teache all sortes of men in all pointes the infallible trueth and that all sortes of men may if they will learne of that company what in all pointes is the infallible trueth For otherwise by this generall commaundement of hearing them and doing according to their saying we should be bouÌ„de sometime to heare beleeue an vntruth and to doe that which were not vpright and good which without blasphemy to Christ his veritie goodnes can no way be thought But so it is that Christ our Sauiour hath in holy Scripture promised giuen commission warranted commaunded and threatened in manner aforesaide Therefore we can not doubt but that their is a certaine company the which is called the true Church of Christ which both is in all pointes of faith infallibly taught by the holy spirit and is likewise to teach all sortes of men in all pointes of faith what is the infallible trueth and therefore the teaching of this companie may well be assigned and proposed to all men as an vndoubted sufficient rule of faith The promise of our Sauiour Christ we haue first in the Gospell of S. Mathew ego â—obiscum sum omnibus diebus vsque ad coÌ„sumâ—ationem seculi I am with you al the daies vntill the ende of the world in which wordes is promised the continuall presence of Christ himselfe who is veritas the trueth it selfe with his Church not for a while then or for a while now but all the daies vntill the end of the world Secondly we haue an other promise in the gospell of S. Iohn Ego rogabo patrem alium paraclitum dabit vobis vt maneat vobiscum in aeterâ—um spiritum veritatis I will aske my father and he will giue you an other paraelite the spirit of trueth that he may remaine with you not only for 600. yeares but for euer And againe in the same S. Iohn to shew vs for what purpose he would haue his holy Spirite remaine among vs for euer he saith Paraclitus quaÌ„â—ittet pater in nomine mâ—o ille vos docebit omâ—â—a suggeret vobis omnia quaecunque dixero vobis the paraclite whom my Father will sende in my name shall teach you all things shal put you in mind of al things whatsoeuer I shall say vnto you And againe Cum venerit ille spiritus veritatis docebit vâ—s omneÌ„ veritateÌ„ WheÌ„ that spirit of truth shall come hee shall teach you all truth The charge and commission is plaine in S. Mathew cuntes docete omnes gentes Going teach all nations And in S. Marke euntes in mundum vniuersum praedicate Euangelium omni creaturae Going into the whole world preach the Gospell to euery creature The warrant we haue in S Luke Qui vos audit me audit Hee that heareth you heareth mee By which wordes appeareth plainely that our Sauiour Christ would haue vs to heare and giue credit to his Church no lesse then to himselfe The commandemeÌ„t is expressed in S. Mathew Super Cathedram MoysisederuÌ„t Scribae Pharisaei Omnia ergo quaecunque dixeriâ—t vobis seritate facite The Scribes Pharisies haue sitten vpon the chaire of Moses All things therfore whatsoeuer they shall say vnto you obserue and doe Out of which words we may gather that wee are bound in all pointes
to do according to the doctrine of the Prelates of the Catholike Church yea although it should happen that their liues were not laudable but bad For although our Sauiour in this place doth only in expresse wordes make mention of the chaire of Moses in which the Priests of the old Law did sit yet he is to be vnderstood to speake also of the chaire of S. Peter his owne Vicegerent in which the Priestes of the new Law doe succeed And this à fâ—rtiori because we haue greater reason to thinke that our Sauiour inteÌ„ded in his doctrine to giue rules to the Priests and people of his new Law which was presently to begin and to continue till the worldes end then only to giue documents to those of the old Law considering he knew that it should so shortly cease Wherefore the ancient fathers do vnderstand that place to bee meant of the Priestes of the new Law and namely S. Augustine who saith thus In illum ordinem Episcoporum qui ducitur ab ipso petro ad Anastasium qui nunc in eadem Cathedra sedet etiamsi quisquam traditor per illatempora subrepsâ—sset nihil praeiudicaret Ecclesie innocentibus Christianis quibus prouidens Dominus ait de praepositis malis quae dicunt facite quae faciunt facere nolite Into that order of Bishoppes which is deriued from S. Peter himself vnto Anastasius who now sitteth vpoÌ„ the same chair although some traytor had crept in in those times he should nothing hurt the Church and the innocent Christians for whome our Lord prouiding saith of euill Prelates what they say do what they do do not The threates we may gather First out of S. Luke when our Sauiour faith Qui vos spernit me spernit Hee that despiseth you despiseth me Signifying that look what sinne it were not to heare but to despise our Sauiour Christ himselfe that wee should account it the same to despise not to giue eare and credit to the Catholike Church Insinuating therby that the like punishment is to be expected for the saide contempte Secondly in S. Mathew the same our Sauiour expressely saith Si Ecclesiam non audierit sit tibi sicut Ethnicus publicanus If he wil not heare the Church let him be to thee like an Ethnicke and a Publican Finally in S. Marke after hee had giuen charge coÌ„mission to preach the Gospell to euery creature hee pronounceth this threate to those that will not beleeue saying Qui non crediderit condemnabitur hee that will not beleeue shall be condemned Thus you see our Sauiour Christ hath promised to his Church the continuall presence of himselfe and of his holy Spirit to teach that coÌ„pany all truth Wherof followeth that it is infallibly taught al truth Moreouer hee hath giuen charge and commission to that Church to teach vs and hath warranted and commanded vs in all pointes to heare and do according to the saying of this Church which proueth that it appertaineth to this Church to instruct vs in all pointes of faith and that we ought to learne of it in all matters of religion what is the fallible truth consequently that the doctrine of this Church is the rule of faith Worthily therefore doth S. Paule call this Church columnam firmamentum veritatis The pillar and ground of truth Worthily also saith S Austen Scripturarum à nobis tenetur veritas cum id facimus quod vniuersae placet Ecclesiae quam earundem scripturarum commendat authoritas vt quoniam scriptura sancta fallere non potest quisquis falli â—etuit huius obscuritate questionis ecclesiam de illa consulat quam sine vlla ambiguitate scriptura sancta demonstrat The truth of the Scriptures is holden of vs when wee doe that which pleaseth the vniuersall or whole Church the which is commended by the authority of the Scriptures themselues that because the holy Scripture cannot deceiue whosoeuer feareth to bee deceiued with the obscurity of this question let him require the iudgement of the church which without any ambiguity the holy Scripture doth demonstrate by which wordes hee sheweth plainely that the sentence of the Church is of infallible and vndoubted truth that the way not to bee deceiued in an obscure question is to aske and follow the iudgement of the Church Wherefore worthily also do we all say Credo Ecclesiam CatholicaÌ„ I beleeue the Catholike Church worthily also may I conclude that neither Scripture alone nor naturall witte and learning nor priuate spirit nor any other thing but onely the teaching of the true Church of Christ is that ordinarie meanes which Almighty God hath prouided whereby all men may learne that one infallible entire faith which I proued to be necessary to saluation CHAP. XI That the Church whose doctrine must bee to vs the rule of faith must alwaies continue without interruption from Christ his time till the worldes end COnsidering what had bene proued in the former Chapter about the infallible authorite of the doctrine of the true Church I hope no Christian will denie but that so longe as this Church doth continew we haue of it a sure pillar and a firme foundation whereupon we may safely build our beleefe For either a maÌ„ must denie that euer our Sauior did make any such promise gaue such charge and commission left any such warrant sett forth such a commaundement or thundred out any such threates as before is rehearsed which were to denie the scriptures which scriptures are generally receiued by all Christians no otherwise theÌ„ as they are the vndoubted worde of God or els he must wrest the interpretation thereof both from that which the wordes of themselues naturally yeeld also from the common sense and vnderstanding either of al or the most learned and almost of the vnlearned also of the whole Christian world or els he shal be forced to confesse that which not I but S. Paule hath saied ecclesia est columna firmamentum veritatis the Church is the pillar and ground of trueth Onely it may perchaunce seeme to some of those that doe at this day oppose themselues against the authoritie of the Church that this was true for S. Paules time and perhaps for some 3.4.5 or 6. hundred yeares after but not to be presumed vpon in latter times and namely when Luther began his reformation as they tearme it or now a dayes Against these men I set downe this assertion The true Church of Christ which the forenamed testimonies of Scripture do commend was and is to continew without interruption till the worldes end This I proue First out of the very wordes of those promises which I cited out of S. Mathew S. Iohn For how can Christ our Sauiour or his holy Spirit be with his Church in such sort as there is promised to witt till the worldes end and for euer and especially as is saied in S. Matthew omnibus diebus
praedicabunt nisi mittantur How shall they beleeue him whom they haue not heard how shall they heare without a preacher how shall they preach vnlesse they be sent Therefore the true Church which only hath preachers truely sent of God must first be found out that by it we may heare and know which is the true faith Therefore of the two the true Church is rather a marke whereby we may know the true preaching and consequently the true doctrine of faith then contrary that as heretiques say the doctrine should be a marke whereby all men must know which is the true Church Thirdly true faith is included in the true Church and as it were enclosed in her belly as S. Austen saith vpon those words of the Psalme Errauerunt ab vtero â—â—quuâ—i sunt falsa In ventre ecclesiae saith he veritas manet quisquis ab hoc ventre separatus fuerit necesse est vt falsa loquatur Truth remaineth in the belly of the Church whosoeuer is seperated to wit by difference in doctrine froÌ„ this belly of the Church must needs speake false Therfore like as if a man had golde in his belly we must first find the man before we can come to see the golde it selfe so we must first by other markes find out the true Church which hath the gold of true faith hidden in her belly before we come to see the gold of true faith it selfe Sith especially we cannot see it vnlesse shee open her mouth and deliuer it vnto vs that we cannot being spiritually blind certainely know it to be true not counterfeite but by giuing credit to her testimony of it According as the same S. Austen saith Euangelio non crederem nisi me ecclesiae authoritas commoueret I should not beleeue the Gospell it selfe vnlesse I were moued by the authority of the Church For if we had not the testimony of the Church how should we haue bin infallibly sure that there were any Gospel at all or how should wee haue knowne that those bookes which beare title of the Gospell according to S. Mathew Marke Luke and Iohn Are true Canonicall Scripture rather then those bookes which are writen in the name of Nicodemus and S. Thomas bearing the same title or inscription of Gospell Fourthly if the true doctrine of faith in all particuler pointes must bee fore knowne as a marke whereby to know the true Church then contrary to that which hath bin proued the authority of the Church should not be a necessarie meanes whereby men must come to the knowledge of the true faith For if before wee come to know which is the true Church we must by other meanes haue knowne which is the true faith what neede then is there for getting true faith already had to seeke or bring in the authority of the same Church Fiftly If before we giue absolute and vndoubted credit to the true Church we must examine and iudge whether euery particuler point of doctrine which it holdeth be the truth with authority to accept that only which we like or which seemeth in our conceipt right and conformable to Scripture to reiect whatsoeuer wee mislike or which in our priuate iudgement seemeth not so right and coÌ„formable then we make our selues examiners and Iudges ouer the Church consequently we preferre our liking or disliking our iudgement and censure of the interpretation sense of Scripture before the iudgement and censure of the Church of God But it is absurd both in reason and religion to preferre the iudgment of any priuate man be he neuer so witty and learned or neuer so strongly perswaded in his owne mind that he is taught by the Spirit before the iudgement definitiue sentence of the Church of God the which is a company of men many of which both are alwaies haue bin vertuous wise and learned which is chiefe is such a company as according to the absolute and infallible promises of our Sauiour hath vndoubtedly the holy Spirit among them guiding them and teaching them all truth and not permitting them to erre as before hath beene proued But you may perhaps say that in Scripture we are willed not to beleeue euery spirit but to try spirits whether they bee of God or no and that therefore we must examine and try the spirit of the Church by looking into euery particuler point of doctrine which it teacheth I answere That in that place of Scripture it is not meant that it belongeth to euery particuler man to try all spirits but in generall the Scripture giueth the Church warning not to accept euery one that boasteth himselfe to haue the Spirit and willeth that they should trie those spirits not that euery simple or priuate man should take vpon him to trie them but that those of the Church to whom the office of trying spirits doth appertaine to wit the Doctors and Pastors which almighty God hath put in his Church of purpose Vt non circumferaâ—ur omni vento doctrinae that we may not be caried away with euery wind of doctrine and Vt non simus paruuli fluctuantes that we may not be litle ones wauering with euery blast of those that boast themselues to be singulerly taught by the Spirit So that this trying of spirits is only meant of those spirits of which men may well doubt whether they be of God or no theÌ„ also this trial beloÌ„geth to the Pastors of the Church But when it is certaine that the spirit is of God we neither need nor ought doubtfully to examine or presuÌ„ptuously to iudge of it but submitting obediently the iudgement of our owne sense and reason wee must beleeue the teaching of it in euery point Now it is most certaine that the Spirit of the true visible Church is of God as out of holie Scripture hath bin most euidently proued And therefore our only care should be to seeke out those markes by which all men may know which particuler coÌ„pany of meÌ„ is the true Church of Christ whose doctrine we neither need nor lawfully may examine and try in doubtfull manner but must obediently and vndoubtfully in all points beleeue as the only assured and infallible truth CHAP. XV. That these foure properties Vna Sancta Catholica Apostolica that is to saie One Holy Catholique Apostolique are good markes by which men may know which is the true Church SITH our Sauiour Christ hath thought good to plant a visible Church vpon earth which he would haue to continue vntill the worlds end for this speciall inâ—ent and purpose that all men in all ages by meanes of it may learne the doctrine of the true faith the true worship of God the right vse of the Sacraments the holesome lawes of good life and generally all good thinges that appertaine to the glorie of God and the saluatioÌ„ of our soules wee haue not any reason to doubte but that the same our Sauiour for the exceeding loue which of his part
without interruption euen from the Apostle Saint Peter vnto Clement the eight the Bishop of Rome which liueth at this daie The which succession from the Apostles which we haue and the Protestants want the ancient fathers did much esteeme and vsed it as an argument partly co confound the Heretiques partly to confirme themselues in the vnitie of the Catholique Church So doth Irenaeus who saith Traditionem ab Apostolis annunciatam hominibus fidem per successiones episcoporum peruenientem vsque ad nos indicantes confundimus omnes illos qui quoquo modo vel per sui placentiam malam vel per vanam gloriam vel per caecitatem malam sententiam praeterquà m oportet colligunt Shewing the tradition from the Apostles and the faith coÌ„ming vnto vs by succession of Bishops we confounde all them who any way through euill coÌ„placence of themselues or vaine glorie or through peruerse opinion doe collect and coÌ„clude otherwise then they ought So also doth Saint Austen who saith Tenet me in Ecclesia Catholica â—b ipsa Sede Petri Apostoli cui pascendas oues suas Dominus commendauit vsque ad praesenâ—â—â— Episcopum successio Sacerdotum The succession of Priests from the very seate of Peter the Apostle to whome our Lord commended his sheepe to be fedde vntill this present Bishop doth hold me in the Catholique Church See the same Saint Austen Epist. 150. Optatus l. 2. cont Parmen Saint Epiphan Haer. 275. Saint Cyprian l. 1. epist. 6. S. Athanas. Orat. 2. contra Arrianos who pronounceth them to be Heretiques qui â—â—unde quà m à tota successione Cathedrae Ecclesiasticae origineÌ„ fidei suae deducunt who deriue the beginning of their faith from any other ground then from the whole succession of Ecclesiasticall chaire And this saith he is eximium admirabile argumentum ad haereticam sectam explorandam an excellent and admirable argument wherby we may espie out and discerne an hereticall sect The which argument these Fathers would neuer haue vrged and extolled so much if they had not thought that this succession was an vndoubted good marke of the Church and that with this lawfull vninterrupted Apostolicall succession of Doctors and Pastors the true Apostolique faith and doctrine was alwaies conioyned The which to be conioyned we may easily proue out of Saint Paule himselfe who saith Dedit Pastores Doctores ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerij in aedificationem Corporis Christi donec occurramus omnes in vnitatem fidei agnitionis Filij Dei in virum perfectum in mensuram aetatis plenitudinis Christi Signifying that Christ our Sauiour hath appointed these outward functions of Pastors and Doctors in the Church to continue vntill the worlds end for the edification and perfection thereof and especially for this purpose vt non simus paruuli fluctuantes circumferamur omni vento doctrinae that we may not be little ones wauering and carried about with euery winde of doctrine Wherefore that this ordinance and appointment of Pastours and Doctors in the Church made by our Sauiour Christ may not bee frustrate of the effect intended by him wee must needes say that he hath decreed so to assist and direct these Pastours in teaching the doctrine of faith that the people their flocke may alwaies by their meanes bee preserued from wauering in the ancient faith and from being carried about with euery wind of new doctrine The which cannot be vnlesse with succession of Pastors be alwaies conioyned succession in true doctrine at least in such sort that all the Pastors cannot at any time vniuersally erre or faile to teach the ancient Apostolique faith For if they should thus vniuersally erre then all the people who doe and ought like sheepe follow the voice of their Pastour should also generally erre so the whole Church which according to Saint Gregorie Nazianzene consisteth of sheepe and Pastors should contrary to diuers promises of our Sauiour vniuersally erre So that we may be sure that the Ordinary Pastors shall neuer be so forsaken of the promised Spirit of truth that all shall generally erre and teach errors in faith or that there shall not be at all times some sufficient company of lawfull succeeding Pastors adhering to the succession of S. Peter who was by our Sauiour appointed chiefe Pastor of whom we may learne the truth and by whom we may alwaies be confirmed and continued in the true ancient faith and preserued from being carried about with the winde of vpstart errour The which being so it followeth that the true Apostolique doctrine is inseperably conioyned with the succession of lawfull Pastors especically of the Apostolique sea of Rome Wherefore we may against all Heretiques of our time as the auncient Fathers did against Heretikes of their time vrge this argument of succession especially of the Apostolicall succession of the Bishoppes of Rome We may say to them as Saint Augustine saith to the Donatistes Numerare Sacerdotes ab ipsa sede Petri in illâ— ordine Patrum quis cui successit videte Number the Priestes from the seate it selfe of Peter and in that Order or rowe of Fathers see which succeeded which Wee may say with Irenaeus Hac ordinatione et successione Episcoporum traditio Apostolorum ad nos peruenit est plenissima ostensio vnam eandem fidem esse quae ab Apostolis vsque nunc confirmata est By this orderly succession of Bishoppes the tradition of the Apostles hath come vnto vs and it is a most full demonstration that the faith which from the Apostles is confirmed euen vntill now is one and the same We may tell them with Tertullian Nos communicaâ—us cum ecclesijs Apostolicis quod nulla aduersa doctrina facit hoc est testimonium veritatis We doe communicate with the Apostolique Churches which no contrarie doctrine doth and this is a testimony of the truth CHAP. XVII The Conclusion of the whole discourse NOVV to make an end considering all this which I haue said and proued to wit that there is but one infallible entire faith the which is necessary to saluation to all sorts of men the which faith euery one must learne by some knowen infallible and vniuersall rule accomodate to the capacity of euery one the which rule cannot be any other but the doctrine and teaching of the true Church the which Church is alwaies to continue visible vntill the worlds end and is to bee knowen by these foure markes Vna Sancta Catholica Apostolica One Holy Catholique Apostolique the which markes agree only to the Roman Church that is to say to that company which doth communicate and agree in profession of faith with the Church of Rome whereupon followeth that this Church or company is the onely true Church of which euery one must learne that faith which is necessary to saluatioÌ„ CoÌ„sidering I say al this I would demand of the ProtestaÌ„ts how