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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A03882	A treatise concerning the properties and offices of the true Church of Christ VVritten in Latin, by the reuerend Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland, Doctour of Diuinity, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English, by I.L. of the same Society. The first part of the second controuersy; Controversiarum epitomes. English. Selections	Gordon, James, 1541-1620.; Wright, William, 1563-1639.	1614 (1614)	STC 13997; ESTC S118148	27,620	62

A TREATISE CONCERNING the Properties and Offices of the true Church of Christ. VVRITTEN In Latin by the Reuerend Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland Doctour of Diuinity of the Society of IESVS And translated into English by I. L. of the same Society The first Part of the second Controuersy Permissu Superiorum M.DC.XIV THE FIRST CHAPTER Of the Properties and offices of the true Church of Christ. IN the disputation of the Church that first of all is to be obserued that whereas our Aduersaries haue brought in and do hold many erroneous opinions they do all proceed out of the ignorance of the true definition and Nature of the Church It is a true saying of the Apostle that they which erre and wander from the true faith are conuerted into vaine talke desirous to be Doctours of the ●aw not vnderstanding neyther what thinges they speake nor of what they affirme For if our Aduersaries did well vnderstand or could conceyue what is imported by the Name Nature of the Church they would neuer affirme so many absurdities of the Church of Christ. We will therfore first of all declare and explicate what is to be vnderstood properly by the name of the Church 2. But this best of all is declared by the Properties of the Church of Christ and by her Offices commended vnto vs in the holy Scripture it selfe and those we call properties which do agree with the Church as she hath relation vnto Christ her chiefe head and Pastour But those we call her offices which the Church exerciseth towards her Children There are indeed many properties of the Church assigned by holy Scripture but it shall suffice vs to alleadge and note these fiue only 3. The first is that the Church is the spouse of Christ. I will betroth thee vnto me for euer saith the Prophet Osee and againe I will betroth thee vnto me in faith and Isaias The bridegrome will reioyce in his bride and thy God she speaketh vnto the Church shall reioyce in thee Christ also by the Prophet Salomon sayth Come o my spouse from Libanus In the new Testament also the Church is called the spouse of Christ. He which hath the bryde saith S. Iohn Baptist is the bridegroome And the Apostle I haue despoused you to one man to present you a chaste Virgin vnto Christ. Lastly S. Iohn Euangelist in his Reuelations saith the brydegrome and bryde do say Come 4. The second is that the Church is the mysticall body of Christ. VVe being marry saith the Apostle are one body in Christ and againe you are the body of Christ and members of member and in another place And he hath made him to wit Christ head ouer all the Church which is his body 5. The third propertie is that the Church is the Kingdome of Christ. Our Lord shall reygne ouer them saith the Prophet Micheas in the mountaine of Syon from hence now and euermore And the Angell as witnesseth S. Luke speaketh thus of Christ. He shall reigne in the house of Iacob for euer Lastly Christ himselfe saith vnto his Disciples the Kingdome of God is within you 6. The fourth propertie is that the Church is the Inheritance of Christ Aske of me saith God the Father vnto his Sonne and I will giue thee all Nations for thyne Inheritance And againe the Prophet Dauid sayth Saue thy people ô Lord and blesse thyne Inheritance And Lastly Blessed is that Nation whose Lord is God thereof a people whome God hath chosen for his Inheritance 7. The fifth property is that the Church is the Citty of God and Christ. glorious thinges are spoken of the Citty of God sayth the Prophet Dauid And againe the mayne streame of the riuer doth cōfort the Citty of God and Christ himselfe saith A Citty placed vpon a mountaine cannot be hydde And hence it is that the Church is called the heauēly Ierusalem and Syon as also the Temple house of God You are come saith the Apostle to mount Syon and the Citty of the liuing God heauenly Ierusalem And in another place You are the Temple of the liuing God Lastly that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to conuerse in the house of God which is the Church of the liuing God 8. But now the offices of the Church are many the which may be reduced to fiue heades For the Church as witnesseth the Apostle is our Mother 9. A Mother exerciseth fiue offices towards her Children First she conceyueth them Secondly she bringeth them forth Thirdly she nourisheth them Fourthly she gouerneth them Fifthly she defēdeth and preserueth them from all daungers till they come to the vse of reason all these thinges the Church performeth vnto vs vntill we meete all with Christ the spouse of the Church and our Father into the vnity of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of God into a perfect man into the measure of the age of the fulnesse of Christ as the Apostle speaketh 10. The first office therfore of the Church is to propound vnto all the word of God and that fully as concerning those thinges which are necessary to saluation sincerely clearly and without any errour For the word of God is the incorruptible seed wherby we are conceyued and borne againe as Christ and his Apostles do testify But the Church performeth this both by word writings whiles she conuerteth Gentils Mahumets Heretikes and Atheists and Christ enioyned this office vnto the Church in those wordes preach you the Ghospell vnto euery creature 11. The second office of the Church is lawfully to administer the Sacraments For by these also we are regenerated and nourished strenthened gouerned and defended This office also Christ enioyned vnto his Church when he commaūded her to Baptize administer the other Sacraments 12. The third office of the Church is to feed those who are borne to Christ not only by the Sacraments but also by the word of God Feed saith S. Peter the flock of God which is among you But the Church feedeth the weaker and ruder sorte of people with milke and not with stronger meates as the Apostle speaketh hence it commeth to passe that the Catholike Cathechismes are taught so much in the Church But she nourisheth those which are stronger in faith with sol●de meates and not only with milke 13. The fourth office of the Church is to gouerne according to those wordes of S. Paul Take heede to your selues and to the whole flocke wherein the holy Ghost hath placed you Bishops to rule the Church of God Hence it ensueth that there haue byn so many Assemblies and Councells called togeather that heresyes might be condemned manners reformed and Ecclesiasticall order well established in all thinges also that for this office there are chosen Preachers Pastors Administrators of the Sacramēts and all other thinges are ordayned which do concerne the right gouernment

Church also inuisible I answere that this is a very weake consequence for otherwise we might reason thus None is a man but by a reasonable soule but the soule of man indued with the vse of reason is inuisible therfore the whole man also is inuisible Also no Scripture is to be accounted holy but by the authority of God but this authority is inuisible therefore the Scripture also is inuisible For it is not necessarie that a thing may be called visible that the chiefe part or reason thereof be visible but it sufficeth if any part therof be visible as manifestly appeareth in all visible substances for their chiefe partes to wit their substantiall matter and forme are thinges inuisible 4. Secondly I answere that the faith wherby a man is made a member of the visible Church is not only an interiour faith which is not to be seene but that which is euidently seene and declared by exteriour signes as for example by confessing publikely the said faith by receauing the Sacraments and such other exteriour acts The which is so true that this exteriour profession of our faith only without the interiour faith sufficeth that a man become a member of the visible Church as Bellarmine well proueth seing that otherwise none could be certaine of his Prelate or Pastour because none can see the faith or mind of āother 5. Hence also it is that not only the predestinate and iust men are members of the visible Church but also such as be hypocrit●es and wicked men who professe their faith according to those wordes of Christ Euery branch in me not bearing fruit he will take it away And if any abide not in me he shal●e cast forth by which words Christ sheweth that they also who doe not remayne in him that is to say those which are not predestinate and those which do not bring forth any fruit that is to say bad Christians are in him that is to say in his visible body which is the Church the which also almost all our Aduersaries confesse as we haue said before and Bellarmine proueth more at large 6. The sixt argument our Aduersaries deduce out of the Apocalyps wherein it is said that a woman inuested with the sunne which signifieth the true Church fled into the desert and remayned there for the space of 1260. dayes that is to say as our Aduersaries interpret it a thousand two hundred and sixty yeares Out of which they infer that the Church remayned inuisible as it were in the desert these thousand two hundred and sixty yeares last past I answere that this is a vitious argument for many reasons For first it is very absurd to thinke that the Church of Christ did ly hidden and inuisible these thousand two hundred sixty yeares past For therupon it would ensue that the Church of Christ was inuisible then when it most florished was spread abroad ouer the whole world as for example in the tymes of S. Augustine Ambrose Hilary Athanasius Hierome Chrysostome Cyril c. Yea in the tyme also of all the auncient Councels the which our Aduersaries themselues do admit in their confession of faith For all these Fathers and ancient Councells haue byn within the space of the forsaid thousand two hundred and sixty yeares the which our Aduersaries do account from Pope Siluester till Luthers tyme wherfore this place of the Apocalyps is not to be vnderstood of yeares but literally of daies only 7. Moreouer it is not certain that by this word desert is vnderstood any solitary place or such as is depriued of all the society or comfort of men For Primasius S. Augustines scholler saith that by the foresayd word is signified the whole world the which also that desert signified through the which the Children of Israel passed before they came to the land of Promise Euen as by the sayd land of Promise was also signified the euerlasting lyfe Some others will haue the foresayd word desert to signify a departure or forsaking of all sinnes and vices and all other pleasures of this world according to that saying of the Prophet Osee. I will carry and lead her into the desert and I ●ill speake vnto her hart And that of Dauid Behould flying away I went farre off and I remayned in the desert 8. Lastly albeit we should graunt that this desert were some wyld or forsaken place yet neuerthelesse it could not be gathered thereby that the Church of Christ eyther was or euer shal be inuisible For neyther this womā which fled into the wildernesse signifyeth th● whole Church of Christ but some one famous Church the which Antichrist shal persecute most of all because it will strongly oppose it selfe against his impiety and wickednesse And in the end of the forsaid vision S. Iohn playnly affirmeth that the Dragon after the deliuery of that woman shall make warre against the rest of her seede who keep the commandmēts of God and haue the testimony of Iesus Christ therfore besides that woman there will be some out of the desert who will publikely professe the true faith of Christ against whom for that cause the Dragon will fight 9. But that we may now conclude this controuersy of the visible Church seing that Christ our Lord came into this world that he might make open and knowen the way to eternall sauation not to one Nation or age only but inded to the whole world and all posterity it is a very absurd thing to thinke that this one only way to eternall saluatiō which is the true Church of Christ remayned hidden and vnknowen to all Nations for so many ages past CHAP. VII That this visible true Church of Christ cannot erre in matters of fayth NOTHING can be sayd more absurdly thē that the true Church of Christ can erre in matters of fayth and yet there is nothing which the Sectaries of this tyme do hold and defend with greater pertinancy not without iust cause for they see very well that it cannot be denyed but that the true Church of Christ hath for these many yeares past remayned still among Catholikes only visible as afterward we shall more clearly declare but if they should also graunt that this visible Church cannot erre they should ouerthow themselues by their owne confession Wherefore to the end they may still haue some corner or hole to slip out at they affirme that the true Church of Christ both hath erred still doth erre in points of faith Then the which nothig certainly is more absurd especially seing that they affirme that it hath erred not in things of small moment but in the principall and chiefest poynts of fayth which are playnly necessary to eternall saluation yea also that it hath fallen into manifest Idolatry Moreouer that it hath not only fayled staggered in fayth hath publikely taught many errors against fayth but hath also compelled and forced by threats and torments all to Idolatry And lastly

that it hath donne thus not only for the space of one yeare but for a thousand or at least 900. yeares All which how absurd they are we will now declare 2. But to the end that all which we are to say hereafter of this matter may be the better vnderstood we must note heere that when we affirme that the Church cannot erre in fayth that by this word fayth we vnderstand not only that inuisible fayth which is in our mind but also visible that is to say the publike doctrine of the whole Church which is proposed or set downe to be belieued of all Wherfore when we affirme that the Church cannot erre in matters of fayth we affirme also that the doctrine or points of fayth the which the Church of God setteth downe as the most certayne and vndoubted word of God cannot be false but the very word of God it selfe which I will clearly declare by these arguments 3. The first argument is deduced out of all those properties and offices of the true Church before alledged out of Scripture For the true fayth being once taken away all the foresayd properties of the Church must needes perish and all her offices must cease For the Church cā neyther be the spouse of Christ nor the body nor the Kingdome nor the inheritance nor the tēple of Christ without faith but neyther can the Church without faith the true doctrine therof eyther conceyue bring forth nourish gouerne or defend Christ●es flocke And in this manner the church of Christ for so many ages had lost all her properties had intermitted all her proper offices contrary to so many and so cleare promises of holy wit● before alleadged 4. The second argument is deduced out of most cleare testimonyes of holy Scripture which teach that the Church cānot erre in faith For first Christ himself affirmeth that the gates of hell shall not preuaile against the Church But if the Church could erre in faith the gates of hell for so many ages past had preuailed against her 5. Moreouer God speaketh thus by his Prophet Isay of the Couenant of the new Testament This is my league with them saith our Lord my spirit which is in thee and my words which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth out of the mouth of thy seed out of the mouth of the seeds seed saith our Lord frō hence forth euen to the worlds end But in our A●●●rsaries opiniō the words which God hath put into the mouth of the Church had departed many ages out of her mouth 6. Lastly the Apostle affirmeth that the Church is the Pillar and stability of truth But if the Church could erre in faith and teach publikely against the word of God it should be the Pillar rather of falshood then of truth Some of our Aduersaries do āswere vnto this place that the Church is called indeed the Pillar of truth because it doth not erre when it followeth and is agreable vnto the word of God yet neuerthelesse it erreth when it disagreeth from the word of God But this is a very friuolous answere For according vnto this interpretation euery Church of Heretickes of Iewes Turkes yea of the Diuels themselues should be the Pillar of truth For none of these erreth when it is agreable to the word of God But a Pillar is that which necessarily and alwaies vpholdeth that which it strenghtneth and whose pillar it is wherfore the Church should not be the Pillar of truth vnlesse it alwaies sticke and be ioyned with the truth and vphould it Caluin therfore conuinced by the euidency of the truth writeth that if true Church be the Pillar of truth it is most certaine that the Kingdome where lyes falshood reygneth cannot be the true Church Thus Caluin 7. The third argument is deduced out of diuers Absurdities which ensue out of the doctrine of our Aduersaries The first adsurdity is that the Apostles Creed were false wherin we belieue the holy Catholike Church For that Church cannot be holy which wanteth the true faith which teacheth falsities and wickednes which forceth all men to Idolatry 8. The second absurdity is that Christ himselfe and the holy Ghost should erre and teach thinges both false and wicked For the doctrine of the Church is not so much the doctrine of the Church as it is of Christ of the holy Ghost VVho heareth you saith Christ heareth me and in another place The Paraclete the holy Ghost whome my Father will send you in my name he will teach you all thinges And the Apostles said It seemeth good to the holy Ghost and to vs. Lastly God himself by his Prophet speaking vnto the Church affirmeth that his holy Spirit is in the Church and that he hath put his words into the mouth of the Church which shall neuer be taken out of her mouth from henceforth till the end of the world Wherefore if the Church could erre in the doctrine of faith Christ also the holy Ghost and God himselfe should erre 9. The third absurdity is that a building could cōsist stand without a foūdation For the sayth of Christ is the foūdation of the Church if yet sayth the Apostle you continue in the sayth grounded and stable And in another place he teacheth that the Church is grounded vpon the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets but the foundation being taken away the building must needs fall This absurdity is so manyfest that it forced Caluin to confesse this very truth which now we teach to be euidently conuinced out of S. Pauls words If sayth he the doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets be the foundation of the Church take away that doctrine and how can the building stand Thus Caluin 10. The fourth absurditie is that the true Church should consist and be without her prop●r and essentiall forme no otherwise then if one should say that a true and liuing man might consist and be without his soule For the true fayth and the true preaching thereof are as it were the essentiall formes of the Church Caluin also acknowledgeth this absurdity when he writeth that the fayth of the Church being taken away there must needes follow the vtter ouerthrow of religion euen as the life of man is ouerthrowen and taken away if he be stabbed with a dagger or deadly wounded at the hart 11. The fourth argument is deduced out of the manifest contradictions which follow of the contrary doctrine For they who cōtēd that the true church of Christ doth erre in fayth do not indeed know what they say for that is the only true Church of Christ which retayneth and kepeth still the name the sincere fayth of Christ but that is the fal●e Church of Christ which only professeth the name of Christ but erreth in fayth Wherefore to say that the Church of Christ erreth in fayth is all one as to say that the

true Church is not the true Church but the false which implieth a contradiction 12. The fift argument is deduced out of those things which our Aduersaries do graunt vnto vs. For the common doctrine of our Aduersaries is as we will shew hereafter that the sincere preaching of the word of God and lawfull administration of Sacraments are the markes and signes of the true Church without which it cannot consist therfore it necessarily followeth that they must also admit that the true Church cannot erre in fayth and in the true preaching of the word of God For that Church cānot sincerely preach the word of God who fouly erreth in points of fayth and in the true preaching therof Caluin also out of diuers places of Scripture doth proue that it is a false Church and not a true which erreth in the principall points of fayth and ●he acknowledgeth that the true Church cannot erre therein they being necessary to saluation Beza in like manner writeth that the true Church cannot erre in the chiefe poyntes of fayth albeit he saith that it erreth in lesser matters the which distinction of poynts of fayth he hath takē out of Caluin The Church therfore cānot erre at the least in chiefe points of faith euē in our Aduersaries iudgmēts 13. Our Aduersaries heape togeather a great many of arguments but they are such as may easily be answered For wher● as they know that their arguments are but weake and almost nothing wor●h they endeauour by the multitude thereof to oppresse the truth or at the least to obscure ●ide it Many of them when they manifestly see that it is impossible that the true Church can consist or be without faith they craftily feygne that the Controuersy betwixt vs is not of this matter but of some other far different that is to say of that vvhereof none euer doubteth so dealeth Caluin with vs. For when he had confessed that to be the false Church and not the true which erreth in principall poynts of fayth consequently that the true Church cannot erre herein as out of his owne words we haue already declared at the last he feigneth that the controuersy in this matter is not whether the Church can erre or no but whether she may erre if she take not for her companion the word of God and that we affirme that whatsoeuer she shall decree eyther without or besids the word of God that the same is to be accounted as a most certayne oracle of God But that he and his affirme that therefore the Church cannot erre because it permitteth it selfe to be directed and gouerned by the sayd word of God and because it teacheth nothing but out of the word of God But this is a meere slander F●or there can no Catholike be found who doth not acknowledge that the Church permitteth it selfe to be directed in all things by the word of God seing that the sole word of God is the obiect of ●aith as we haue sayd be●ore wherfore the true Church proposeth nothing els vnto vs to be belie●ued with a Catholike fayth but the most sincere and true word of God But in this matter only is the controuersy betwixt vs and our Aduersaries that they acknowledg only the written word of the holy Scripture to be the true word of God but we not only acknowledge the written word but also that which was preached and deliuered vnto vs by Christ and his Apostles Wherof we haue said inough in the precedent disputation 14. Some others by friuolous distinctions endeauour to hyde this their error and to obscure and darken most cleare perspicuous matters wheras notwithstanding in very truth they can say nothing els but that which we haue already taught For they inuent and imagine a twofold Church the one pure the other impure wherein they place euen Heretikes themselues this which is impure say they erreth in faith but not that which is pure But we acknowledge only one holy Catholik Church of Christ with the Creed of the Apostles that of the Councel of Nice we willingly yield vnto them their impure Church wherin the Heretikes are For none doubteth but that such a Church may erre But as this is a false not the true Church of Christ so of it is not this present Controuersy but only of the true and pure Church of Christ. 15. Others distinguish the Church into visible and inuisible and they say that the inuisible Church cannot erre but the visible may erre But we haue now already declared that the true Church of Christ must needes be visible Wherfore this distinction is now sufficiently refuted And truly it importeth but a little whether that their inuisible Church can erre or not erre seing that it cannot be seene or knowne of any and consequently cannot be profitable vnto any 16. There are also some of the later Sectaries who distinguish and deuide the Church into the Church of the Saints which are in Heauen and into that which remayneth fighting heere vpon earth And they say that the Church triumphāt of Saints cannot erre in faith or in the doctrine of faith but the Church militant may erre But this is a ridiculous distinction First because the Saints haue not fayth but a cleare vision of God for as the Apostle witnesseth Fayth concerneth things which doe not appeare wherefore if at any tyme faith perished vpon earth without al doubt it could not be ●ound in heauen neyther must we expect the doctrine of fayth from heauen as the Anabaptists doe who seeke for reuelations from heauen● but we must looke to receiue it from the Church militant vpon earth Moreouer the properties and offices of the Church of Christ before alledged out of holy Scripture do not agree as is manifest to the Church triumphant of Saints but to the Church militāt vpon earth For neither is that Church of the Saints betrothed vnto Christ by fayth neyther are the Saynts those who preach vnto vs the word of God who administer the Sacramēts vnto vs who execute the other offices of the Church but men liuing vpō earth wherfore they runne in vaine to this heauenly Church wherof we do not heere dispute 17. Moreouer that is also a very weake reason wherby they thinke that they conuince that the Church militant vpon earth may erre This Church sayth he militant vpon earth is imperfect and therfore the may erre euen in explicating the doctrine of fayth for otherwise a perfect effect might proceed from an imperfect cause So he As though forsooth there could be no other imperfection in the Church besid● infidelity or error in explicating the doctrine of fayth or as though the whole perfection of the Church consisted in fayth only and in the doctrine thereof and not also in charity and other giftes of God as the Apostle declareth at large Or lastly as though this perfection of the Church