Irâ—n lib. 1. ca. 20. Chrisostome The sectes say they be called of the name of the arche heretike but to vs no man hath giuen a name faithe it self which is catholike surnameth vs so and S. Ierome If thou S. Hieron cont Luciferanos heare those which are called Christians to beare a name not of our lord Iesus Christ but of some other as Marcionites Valentinians know ye certenly that they are not the Church of Iesus Christ but a Sinagoge of Antichrist Now yow poore abused Lutherans and Caluinists be holde the horroure of your bothomlesse pitt you are no more Christians and you haue no part in the saluation by Iesus Christ All aucient Fathers do witnesse with one consent that the only Catholike is in the Church of Iesus Christ and all that bear the name of one particular man be heretikes and excluded from the kyngdome of Iesus Christ Those witnesses can not be reproued and this is one marueilous iudgement of God against heretikes and a comfort for the Catholikes by the Creed of the Apostles it is a necessarie consequens that any Church if it be a true must needes be catholike but there is not a societe in the vvorld which doth possesse the name Catholike saue only the Romain Church All others will call them selues Arrians Lutherans Caluinists the reformed Church Gospellers ProtestaÌ„ts and such other kinds of special names as they haue but Catholikes doe not so for in all parts of the vvorld vvhere the name Catholike Church doth sounde it is intended and vnderstood to be the Romain Churche yea by the heretikes them selues A maÌ„ that passeth by Geneua being asked what he is if he answere I am a Catholik is taken of no man there for a Caluinist Seek not here to blynde your selues against so manifest a trueh but forsake both the sect and also the name of these wicked deceiuers the Archeheretikes of this tyme which will draw you with them selues in to their bottomlesse pitt of euerlasting damnation if you do not enter again in to the Church and mount vp in to the firmament of Catholikes The secound marke of the true Church is the succession of Bishoppes sithens S. Peter to this day which neuer hath bene interrupted the vvhich succession the fathers haue alwayes obiected against heretikes of their tyme as an inuincible argumeÌ„t for euen as to the propagation of mankinde mariage is necessarie so to the procreation of the children of God according to the spirit the order of preisthood is instituted vvhich can not be continewed perpetuallie but by spiritual propagation from those priests whom Iesus Christ did first institute It is not so of kings as it is of preistes for if all the kings of the earth should faile at once the people might create new But if all the priests of the world should happen to fayle it is not in the power of all mankinde to make new Their institution is diuine and not humain Iesus Christ him selfe must come again in person in to this vvorld for to institute som new S. Ireneus Iran li. 3 c. 3. sayth that by this succession all heretikes be coÌ„founded for neuer heretike could shew his next predecessor in communion of doctrin And to proue that the Romain Church is the true Church he rekeneth the Bishoppes of Rome from S. Peter vnto S. Eluther the Pope of his tyme vvhich vvas the twelveth Tertullianus Eusebius Prosper S. Hieronimus S. Augustin Epiphanius Optatus and all the auncient fathers haue vsed this argument against heretikes Tertullian sayth shew the Tertul. lib. de praescr beginÌ„ing of your churches and the orderlie succession of your Bishoppes deriued by succession froÌ„ some one of the Apostles as vve doe shew the orderlie succession in the Romain Church from S. Peter Account sayeth 8. Aug. epist 165. in psal S. Augustin the priests sithens the state of S. Peter and look in to that order of fathers vvhich haue succeded one an other and you shal fynde that the Romain Church is the same stone that the proud gates of hell can not vanquish And he sayth further that the Aug. cont ep fundam succession of priests in the romain Church by one continual line holdeth him in that Church Likerwise Optatus Shew sayth he the first beginning of your chayer you which wil Optatus lib 2. chalenge the holy Church vnto your selues And Epiphanius hauing orderlie recited the names of all the Bishops from S. Peter vnto Siricius then Bishop which was the thirtie eight Epiph. har 27. he addeth Let no man meruail if we be so exact in this recital for by thies things the euident trueth of the Church doth alvvayes shevv it self If then those auncient fathers haue so greatlie estemed that continuation of twelue twentie or forty souerain bishops successors of S. Peter how much stronger is that argument at this day for vs which shew the continuacion of more than two hundred thirtie thre without exception This argument is insoluble and all the heretikes of the worlde caÌ„ not answer the same for the Church can not be without priests nor without Bishops and pastors There must needes be as S. Paul sayth some for the edefying of the body of Iesus Christ Ephe. 4. vntil he come to iudge the worlde And as S. Hierome sayth the Church which is without priests is not a Church and none S. Hierom. can be priest if he be not ordeined by a Bischop being successor of the apostolike priesthode This marke is not only most certain most euident but forcible to know Con. Laud. con 12 do 61. c. the true Church for where the succession of priesthode is there is the succession of doctrine Moyses the prophets our sauiour him selfe in the Gospel doth affirme the same Deut. 17. Math. 2. Now then we shew the succession of priesthode of the soueraign Bishop of this tyme by ascending froÌ„ predecessor to predecessor vpward vntil we arriue at S. Peter and enter as it were in to the side of Iesus Your Caluin seing him selfe by this argumeÌ„t so intangled Caluin that he could not slip away he striueth he wringeth him selfe he tourneth and tosseth he broyleth with so great rage as he speweth out a whole flud of iniures against Popes priests and Bishops Oh the madde dogge seing cleerlie that succession is a verie certein signe of the true Church to which he could not answer whereby he is proued to be a deceiuer sent of the deuil he casteth from the poysonful pit of his harte iniureis sufficient to darken the heauen O ye Lutherans and Caluinists if you be capable of reason if you may be taught by the holie Ghost if you be touched with the desire of your saluation then examin you without passioÌ„ this argument hearken to that which your own consciences shal teache you and be ye not enemies to your own saluation For sithins that you haue not the order of priesthood from any Bishop successor
Emperours by kynges by lerned men making innumerable books out of the vvhich a man vvoulde haue sayed that they could neuer be blotted And notwithstanding by the wonderfull prouidence of God thei be so weeded out of the earth that there remaineth nothing at all nether of the followers nor of their bookes nor of theyr doctrine nor any signe at all but that which is found in the bookes of catholikes who if they had not written their names in their books vve had not knovven that such heresies had euer bene in the vvorld and there is no doute but the flouds of heresies of theis tymes vvil also slyde avvay shortly The fyueth marke of the true Church is the largenes of the raigne And this marke is verie euident in the Catholike Church the which doth fructifie throughout the vniuersal vvorld in both the hemispheres And the sunne doth not streache his beames further then she I know vvel that she hath not the temporal regiment of external Iustice throughout the whole vvorld but she hath euerie where obedient childrē So that there is no tonge nor people nor climat of countrie inhabited vvhere if perhaps the most parte be not carholikes yet at the leaste there are some I say some notable number which assamble them selues in the Church and cōmunicate Catholiklie in the Sacraments of the Church among the Turkes among the Persians among the Tartarians among the Panymes throughout the compasse of the earth for the carholike Church is not restreined vvithin the bonds of Italie Fraunce Spaine Germanie England Polland Rome Hungarie Greece Siria Armenia Ethiope Egipt and other countries vvherof the names are vvel knovvn vnto vs and where the Catholikes be in infinite number but she doth spread her self in to the new world and in all those foure partes of that nevv vvorld vvhere she hath many Churches without mingling of heresies of the East syde in the Indians of the west syde in America towardes the north in Iapon towards the south in Brasilia what heresie is that that euer had such largenes As for the sectes of Lutherans and Caluinists they haue not passed in Asia nor into Africa nor in to Grece nor into many prouinces of Europe Yea euen in the verie springs of mischief in the North where heresies haue most might there are not two townes neighbours possessed of one self sect All heresie is as a serpent A serpent neuer S. August lib. de pasto ca. 8. lib. de vtil credendi cap. 14. 17. departeth farre of from his denne And S. Augustine sayth very wel that the Church is euery where heresie also euery where But the Church is one and the self same euery vvhere where as heresies be not the same euery where but be of great diuersitie the one not knowinge the other Wherof it doth appeare sayth he that none of those is the Catholike Church And he compareth heresies to boughes cut from the vine which abide in the place vvhere they fall vvithout fructifying wher as the Church is the liuelie stocke which doth bring fruit in all hir braunches throughout whereso euer she doth extend her self The sixt marke is the conquest of the world by efficacie of doctrine which is the doctrine of the true Church being liuelie mightie more pearsing then any two edged swoord and cōuerting effectuallie the soules to God The Philosophers sayth S. Athanasius with loftines of learning and magnificence of speche could neuer perswade any one citie to take their laws of them for that sayth he their doctrine was dead and without force and their speche did not proceed of the spirit of God but of the spirit of man Neither did any man euer read that the heretikes conuerted Idolators or Iewes to the faith Their care sayth Tertullian is not to conuert straungers to Iesus Christ but to peruert hys domesticals Tert. lib. de presc har and those which he alredy gotten to him not to geue lyfe to the dead but to giue deadlie poison to the liuing not to lifte them vp which be on the grounde but to make them fall that stand vpright The efficacie of their doctrine is not to edifie it serueth but to distroy and this marke doth shew it self very openlie in thies our dayes Here is now the very large harvest of the new world in ripenes It behooueth to send workmen but from whence doth the Lord of the haruest take them The Church catholike and heresie making both profession to be of Iesus Christ their dueties are to increase the howsehold of Iesus Christ asmuch as they can by conuerting the infidels to the faith This notwithstanding because IESVS CHRIST vvil not be planted in the hartes of straungers by other handes then of his deare spouse therfore the catholikes only are they which preache the Gospel to Idolators and gaine them to Iesus Christe The heretikes haue neuer drawn the least prouince from Paganisme to Christianitie when we haue conuerted thē to Iesus Christ the heretikes come afterwardes to deceiue them But men see that God doth not permit the worke of conuerting them to any other then to his true Church as we being those Soc. l. 4. c. 27. Soz. l. 6. ◠37. Theod. l. 4. only which be the fishers of men those alone which draw the soules of men from the sea of infidelitie to the shoar of Christianitie The heretiks neuer throwe their nettes in sea but after that we haue put the fish vpon the shoar then they put all their gloire to rob and carie away some litle fishe as theues not as fishers Euen so the Gothes being alredy made Catholike demaunding Catholike Bishops for to gouern their churches Valence sent them Arrians for to subuert them The cause why the heretikes can not conuert the infidels to the faith is for that propounding the scripture they doe not propound the true sense vvhich is properlie the svvoard of the spirit The vvordes of the scriptures are but as the sheath which holdes the sworde of the spirite They then fighting not vvith the sworde but vvith the sheath onlye it is no merueil if they doe not pearse the hartes of Infideles Besydes that the heretikes and Idolaters belonge all to one self maister But in the Romain church not onlie at the beginning but euen at all tymes this efficacie hath bene found This is the Romain Church vvhich did first conuert the Englishe men to the faith in the tyme of S. Gregorie the Pope This is the Romain Church vvhich did conuert the Saxons and the vvhole coutrey of Almains in the times of Pope Conon and of Pope Zacharie This is the self same Church that conuerted the Vandales Bulgarians Sclauonians Polonians Danes Norwaies Hungarians Morauians vvith infinite kinges people And it is not past twoo hundred yeares ago syns rhat one only mounke S. Vincent of the order of S. Dominike did conuert to the faith 25000. as vvel Iewes as sararins It is in our tyme that the new vvorlde receiued the
faith of the Romaine Church And it is not many yeres ago syns that some Turkes some Ievves vvere baptized at Rome and other places in the Romain Church The Lutherans Caluinists can not boaste them selues to haue conuerted to their sect neither Panimes nor Turkes nor Iewes vvhervpon it doth appeare that they be of the spirite of the deuil sithens that all their force is no maner of waye to get the Infidels but only to distroy the Christians The seuenth marke is the conformitie of doctrine with the Primitiue Church Now that the auncient fathers did teach the same doctrine that we doe at this day and condemned for heretical that whiche we condemne their bookes beare vvitnes therof of the vvhich I wil say further that who so euer readeth them shal necessarelie frame to him self a catholike spirit and shal neuer after drinke the venim of any heresie For all thies fathers as they vvere well instructed vpon what states the holy Ghost doth rest him self so doe they breathe out nothing but humilitie abatement of presumption abnegation or denial of them selues a soueraigne reuerence to the Church a perpetual flame of charitie and a care of spiritual vnitie and as a man might saye an indiuisibilitie with the Church The eight marke is holines of doctrine that is to saye vvhen the profession of doctrine doth not contein any falsehood concerning matter of faith nor iniustice concerning maners by the vvhich marke it is conuicted that there is no true Church in the vvorld but the catholike Church For there is not a sect in the vvorld be it of the Panimes Iewes Turkes or of heretikes as vvel olde as new but it doth contein in her doctrine some manifest impietie or some iniustice directly contrary to reason as the sect of Caluin doth make God authour of sinne and as much the cause of the treason of Judas as of the conuersion of S. Peter and doth teache that the christiaÌ„ can not do any good worke Besyds that al theyr writings be impugnours of chastitie of virginitie of Religion inveihing against fasting against vovves against all orderlie deuotion in the church establishing all vice prouoking to dispaire laboring to extingwishe the seed of immortalitie in the hartes of men But the Church catholike is perfaictlie holie and immaculate in her doctrine she doth teach many things in her misteries aboue reason but nothing against reason she doth teache to auoide sinne she doth correcte transgressors she doth comfort the penitentes she doth exhorte all her childreÌ„ to walke holilie iustlie religiouslie in all their wayes and to haue their verie thoughts holie purging illuminating making them perfect for to present them holie to God Come sayth S. Augustin to our Churches there is nothing set foorth to see or to follow vvich is impossible nothing vniust nothing impure there be insinuated the comandementes of the true God or his marueilles declared or his giftes praysed or his graces demaunded And ther is no perfect ioye nor true consolation in the vvorlde but there for that there is not any remissioÌ„ of sinnes in the world but there The ninth marke is holines of lyfe aswel in priests as in the people I know that this marke although many doe cauil at it yet is it forceible more notorius in catholikes thaÌ„ in all the sectaries of the world S. Chrysostome sayth that all the kindes of Iustice that the seruants of God haue in truth the seruants of the deuil may haue the same in dissimulation The deuil sayth he hath his meeke men and his humble men he hath his chaste men his almes giuers his fasters and all kinde of goodnes that god hath created for the saluation of men The deuil hath brought in the same kind for to deceiue them to the end that between the true good and the good faigned there should be a confusion by the which the symple not being easelie hable to discerne the true good from the good faigned whiles they searching the men of God they light vpon men of the deuil and there is not any thing but onlie charitie that the vncleane spirit can not counterfeit All apparence of Iustice is found in deceiuers except onlie charitie which is not found but in the onlie seruants of God The holie Ghoste hath reserued to him self onlie this vertue of charitie in such sort that by no other action of Iustice a man may so wel discerne where the holie ghost is as by the vertue of charitie All heresies at te beginninge come masked with a superficial holines whiche for that it is not of the spirit of God can not soundlie be there setled And as the ape learned by arte to hold the candle after he hath stode some small while in stead of a candelstik at the sight of a nut caste before him leaueth all for to runne after it euen so they can not long time indure without manifesting the spirit wherof they be And as theyr father was a morderer from the beginning so they be come straight waies theeues kindlers of Ioh. 8. discention worse then Panimes and Barbarians and aboue all other vices Pride is to them peculiar whereof S. Augustin sayth Insundrie places there be sundrie heresies but one Aug. l. de past only mother pride hath ingendred them all as also our onlie mother the Catholike Church hath brought foorth all faithfull Christians dispersed throughout the world And all thes heresies doe springe by accident of some euil occasion Egesippus speaking Egesipp apud Eus lib. 4. hist cap. 22. of the first heretike sayth thus then the church was called a virgin not being yet corrupted by adulterous doctrine but one Theobutes for that Theobutes he was denied a bishoprike did beginne to trowble and corrupt all things It apeareth in the ecclesiastical Act. 8. Tert. con ValeÌ„ Epiph. he â—4 Theod. l. 3. 5 historie that SimoÌ„ Magus Valentin Marrian Arrius and all those olde monsters did spring out from theÌ„se for disdeining that others were preferred before them they made a secte for to reuenge them selues Apoc. 16. I. Coch. in actis Luth. 15 17. Luth. in ep ad Argen l. con Aug. l. de missa sing being eloquent and of great witt and of those that S. Iohn calleth false Prophetes issued out of the throat of the dragon vncleane and deuelish spirits practising the kinges of the earth Luther witnessed his owne motiue in the first disputation aginst Ecchius crying out this cause is not begunne for the loue of God Him self hath written that willinglie he would haue denied the presens of Iesus Christ in the Eucharist if the scripture had not bene so cleare for that therby sayth he he did see that he might do much hart to the Papacie He boasteth him self that kinges Princes and Popes were not worthie to vntie the latche of his shoes he sayed that he would that they should holde him for a holie man whether men would or no that he did not
in the Eucharist said that they did vvoorshippe Ceres and Bacchus And aboue al the Panimes Tacitus by his writings doth shewe him self to be a manifest sclanderer of matters Tac. l. 4. hist both Christian and Iudaical But yet to take the historie as if there vvere no errour in the name of Serapis and that the deed vvere auerred in the person of Vespasian it vvas not a blinde man in deed nor a lame man indeed which were healed by Vespasian For Tacitus doth write that the Phisiciens assembled did saye that the disease of those two were curable that in the one the facultie of sight was not lost and that the same might come again if they did take from him the impediments As to the other he sayd that it was easye to helpe his legges Therefore if the diseases which naturalie might be healed haue bene cured by the craft of the deuil that is not a true miracle And it is credible which Tertullian sayth that those diseases whereof the deuil which Tert. in Apol. did hinder in the one the vse of the eie and in the other the vse of the legges to the end that he might seme to heale vvhen he did cease to hurt and to the ende that he might darken the true miracles of Iesus Christ and of the Apostles The true certen euident and vnforged miracles haue neuer bene but in the Catholike Church in the vvhich at all times according to necessarie occasion God hath wrought them in the beginning in infinite number but sithens that heuenlie plant hauing cast his rootes throughout the earth and hauing no more need of such vvatering they haue bene lesse frequented for that it is not for the benefite of the Church to haue so often miracles And yet not witstanding for the space of these thowsand yeres there hath no age passed without miraclcs in the Catholike Church authentiklie witnessed and with out gainsaying as the miracles done by Tharasius S. Malachie S. Bernard S. Frauncis S. Dominike and others which haue made the blinde to see restored hearing to the Antonin part hist cap. 23. deafe holpen the lame and raised the deade And it is not much more then a hundred yeares from S. Vincent he which did conuert 25. thowsand Iewes and Sarasins of whom 38. dead men weare reised from death to life Anthoninus which was of his time hath written the same And all the people Christians Iewes and Turkes did see the same Of our time it hath bene written from the Indiens newlie discouered that Francis Xauier priest a Iesuit hath healed some of the palsey some deafe some domme some blinde and raised one dead and hath done other miracles witnessing that he was of the spirit of the Apostles And all those holie persons were Catholikes Manie haue written that Caluin other new heretikes haue suborned poore people for to counterfait them selues to be dead to the end that they might raise them again in the assemble of people for to authorise their impietie the which counterfaiting to be dead haue dyed indeed in the act of their feyning to the confusion of the deceiuers In conclusion the marke of the true miracles is not found in any place of the world but in the Catholike Church The eleuenth marke is the vnhappie end of the archeheretikes of princes their protectors and the prosperitie of those that haue defended the Church I know how much a mā must leane or trust to this marke I know that God doth oftē spare the wicked and doth fatten them vvith prosperities shevv him self more austere and hard to his true children to the end to a vvake them again and that they remain not setled in the earth Therfore our faith hath other sounde groundes sufficient vvithout authorising her by euentes vvhich may haue by the wil of God motiues vnto vs incomprehensible and may happen somtimes vvith disaduantage in respect of the vvorld to the true children of God as roddes and fatherlie chastisementes But vve see ordinarilie that God doth shew him self so good a father and so fauorable towardes those vvhich be couragiouse to defende his Church that ouer and aboue the most happie eternitie vvhich is assured vnto them he doth reward them also temporallie and strikes vvith ignominie and calamities those vvhich be enemies to him Among the Archeheretiks Simon Magus caried by the deuil in the ayr at the prayer of S. Peter did fall downe and all brused died shamefullie Manicheus was flaine a liue by the king of Persia Montanus did hang him self Arrius being about to goe into the Church sodeinlie died of an horrible death casting out his intrailes Nestorius vvas eaten of vermin Luther died sodenlie the same night that at sopper he had tippled square gossiped and made all the companie to laugh Zvvinglius vvas slaine in vvarre against the Catholikes Corolstadius slaine of a deuil by the testimonie of his own disciples Caluin died yet more miserably Among princes Iulian the Apostata was slaine from heauen and his bodie vvithout buryenge vvas swalowed vp of the earth Valens burned a liue of the Arrian Gothes vvhom he had fauored Anastasius vvas striken vvith thunder Hunerick king of Vandals eaten vvith vermin The 3. Herods as also Nero Domitian Maximin and all the other persecutors of Christians be miserablie dead either be killing them selues or being cruellie killed by their owne men Contrariwise all the Emperours and Catholike kinges which haue defēded the church haue bene glorious in the vvorld God hath made thē triūphe ouer their enemies hath giuen them their desires The examples of Constantin of Theodosius the elder yonger of Honorius of others doth proue the same So longe as Heraclius vvas a good catholike he prospered against the Persians after that he bekame an heretike he vvas vnhappie and died miserablie Likewise Iustinian And to be short sithens that the Emperours of the east did vvithdraw them selues from the Romain Church they grew from daie to daie in decaie vvaxing weakar and weakar till they lost the Empire It is apparent that the Emperours of the west haue floris hed more or lesse according as their deuocion vvas more or lesse to the church As for Fraunce vve can not denie that euer it hath bene in greater glorie and more redowted to the world than when it vvas a refuge to Popes and hath neuer declined so much as vvhen it hath bene against them And of our kings those which haue done most for the Romain Church haue bene the most happie most beloued of the people and most dreadful to their enemies In our time in the yere 1531. the Catholike Suissers had fiue battailes against the heretik Suissers and in them all the Catholikes did vanquishe the heretikes making finalie a peace in the first article the heretikes did write this clause that from thense forth they would leaue in peace their confederates concerning the point of their true indoubted and catholike faith And the catholikes this clause
of the Church vicar of the souerain head essential Iesus Christ and successor of S. Peter in that vicareige to whom al Catholikes which are dispersed throughout the world are ioyned as members to their head Loe here 12. markes of the true church That is to say 1. The possessiō propertie of the name Catholike 2. The succession of the Apostolike priesthood 3. Antiquitie 4. The long cōtinuance without interruptiō 5. The largenes of the kingdome 6. The victorie of the whole world by efficacie of doctrine 7. The conformitie in doctrine with the primitiue Church 8. The holynes of doctrine 9. The holines of life of the possessours 10. The gloire of miracles 11. The Infelicitie of the impugners and prosperitie of the Protectours 12. And the vnion of the members with their head the successour of S. Peter These are comprised in fower woordes of the Creed that is to say in that she is one Holy Catholike and Apostolike I doe not enter here into the groundes of the doctrin of the Catholike Church The principal scope of this present treatise was onely to shew that out of the Catholike Church man can not be saued whatsoeuer thing he doth whereunto I haue added these outeward markes the which without farder disputation may be sufficient to euery Christian mā to resolue him selfe touching all difficulties whatsoeuer for all the controuersies which haue bene are and euer shal be in the faith doe rest therein and are reduced to that onely head to finde the true Church Which being ones found a man is out of all hazard and peril of errour For all agree vpon this principle that there is but one Church and that the same can not erre being as saith S. Paul The piller and seur grounde of truth And therefore whosoeuer shall doubt of any thing as of Sacramentes of the Inuocation of saincts of praying for the dead or of any other point of lerning he must onely marke that which the Church doth teach thereof and then therevpon to resolue him selfe more assuredly then if an Angel of heauen were descended expressely to informe him of the same And euery other cōgregation which shal call it selfe the church teaching the contrary must needes be conuinced of falsehood of being sent from sathan of heresie and of impietie All the markes of the Catholike Church are euidenly found in the Romain Church The respect of the name Romain is not to the town of Rome but the to chaire of S. Peter which hath that highnes of glory to haue bene cheefely and especially priuileged by the prayer and promise of our sauiour who prayed for S. Peter to that ende that his faith might not faile and founding vpon him his Church hath promised vnto him that the proud gates of hel shall neuer preuail against her as in fact we see that sathan hath ouercome the Churches of the other Apostles and ouerthrowen their chaire In Hierusalem in Alexandria in Ephesus and els where But not the chaire wherewith S. Peter hath innobled the citie of Rome This Church is onely inuincible insupplantable immouable frō her foundation It is she that hath born away the victory of the whole world She hath destroyed Paganisme ouerthrowen Idolatrie expelled al heresies tamid kingdomes Empires ouercome the Philosophers driuen away the darkenes of the world hath gained to god all men of good will She hath troden down and always shal tread down the head of sathan She hath ben euer sithēs S. Peter an obiect vnto the world very apparant as a moūtain of vnderstāding A burning light not to be quenched and an infallible Pole starre directing the way of God To her onely in the troublesome and tempestous sea of variable opinions of men we must haue regard She is the quickening plant that God hath planted in earth hauing her Roote in heauen Yt is not possible for men to root her out no more than it is to throw downe God from his heauenlie seat vpon whom she is founded All the heresies of the world haue bent them selues against that Church Titans Hypocrites and euel Christians haue assaulted her but she remaineth victorious ouer all her enemies not by the merits of men but by the efficacie of that prayer which our sauiour made to his father for the faith of S. Peter and to make his promise effectuall The promises of the truth it selfe can not be vaine Iesus Christ sayd of the temple of Hierusalem that there should not one stone remayne vpō an other and so it came to passe The Iewes edeuonred them selues with might and maine to build the same again but fier came from heauen and placed it self in the foundations for to hinder their intreprise He said of his church that it should endure as long as the world shal remain And men doe see that hither to she remaneth as long as the world hath indured heauen and earth shall passe but the woordes of our Sauiour shall not passe Let these wicked Spirites heretikes Schismatikes Hypocrites and deuelishe men lay their embushes conspire make warre and doe all they can against that Church yet shal they get nothing They fight against the prayer and promise of our Sauiour they doe fight against GOD him selfe The deuils haue not gotten the victory in heauen against the Angels neitheir shall they get it in earth against the Church Many Angels did fall many members of the Church doe fall dayly But as the kingdom of Angels was neuer wholly ouerthrowen so the whole Church shall neuer be vanquished Hel may shake the earth but not the heauens The Church is not an earthly building a building of Adam a building of no other foundation then natural It is an heauenly building whollie supernatural and diuine whereof not man but God him selfe is the foundation and founder and the holy Ghost is the Architect which hath gathered together the liuely stones This building is not made of men borne by nature as the children of Adam but of men made heauenlie regenerate by grace as the children of God Faith which is the bond of the bodie of that Church is aboue the heauen the obiect of that faith which is IESVS Christ Author of that regeneration doth appertain more to heauen by his diuine person then to earth by that humain nature Therefore a thowsand hels shal neuer be able to preuaile against that church whosoeuer thou art therfore which hast separated thy self from that Church what so euer thing thou doest thou art not apparteining to IESVS Christ thou art a member of sathan and a pray of euerlasting damnation Goe about the earth and the see trott vp and downe the world and goe where thou wilt searching the truth thou shalt not find the same out of this Church The Church Catholike Apostolike and Romain is the same of whom doth spring rise as from a center all the droctrine of Christianitie the chaire of S. Peter is the chaire of Iesus Christ and of the truth it self al other
holie scriptures The Samaritanes were heretiques and did fortifie them selues with the texte of the law of Moyses Our sauiour hath condemned them with his owne mouth when being asked of the Samaritane whether God should be worshipped in Hierusalem or in Samaria he answered you worshippe that you know not wee worshipp that Iohan. 4. we knowe the saluation is of the Jewes For it is as yf he had sayd yow Samaritanes which be distracted from the Iewes you shal haue nothing in the treasure of saluation and you can not but erre This only voice thundering from heauen you worshipp that you know not is a sufficient flash of lightening to ouerthrow all that these deuided felowes frō the Curch can imagine to haue eyther holie or godlie Let no mā be ouertakē by the deuil through ignorance of this doctrine S. Augustin teacheth vs clearly that although heretikes S. August in Enchrid ad Lauren. do preache the name of Iesus Christ yet that name is not their seur groūd as it is to Catholikes but remayneth proper to the Church only for if one consyder aduysedly that which belongeth to Iesus Christ he shall not fynde it amongst heretikes what so euer but in tytle and shew only the effect of the vertue shal not be there they sound out with full mouth that they holde the sonne of God for the redeemer of the worlde but notwithstandyng after they haue pronounced those woords because they spoyle hym of his vertue dignitie that which S. Paule sayth Collos 2. is truly proper vnto them that they keepe not the heade whereof the whole body which is the Church by ioyntes bandes being compacted groweth to the increase of God And according to this Optatus properly sayth that the buylding Opt. li. 3. 6. of heretykes is but only a wal which hath no corner stone nor couerture aboue in such sorte that if they make a gate he that entreth in is alwayes without subiect to wyndes rayne tempest theeues and to wylde beasts But the Catholike Church is an entier howse in the which God doth dwel and he dwelleth not in any other Al that which is inclosed therein is couerd wel assured out of daunger of the incommodytyes of the ayre of theeues and of all external harme Furthermore he compareth heresie to artificial trees which fowlers fashion in likenes of a natural tree hauing the shew of a true tree but full of snares and of glew where the brides searching their life fynde their death wheras the Church is a true tree in deed full of good fruits without snares and fraude But aboue al. S. Cyprian hath very wel sayd that heresie and idolatrie be in Lib. de vnit Eccles the same damnatiō as daughters of the same father when sayth he by the coming of Iesus Christ the light being reuealed vnto the gentiles and the sonne of saluation shyning to the face of al people the darknes of idolatry was chased out of the world Satan seing his seates and temples desolate and his Idols forsakē of al people on te earth which did runne vnto the Churches of Iesus Christ he found a new craft vnder the self same name of Christian to intangle them that were not wel aduised and to make them fal from the grace of Iesus Christ that is he hath sturred vp heresies with the which he hath subuerted the fayth corrupted the truth and broken the vnite of concorde in such sorte that those whom he can not longer hold in the auncient way of blyndnes he hath deceaued by the error of a new way so spoyleth men euen within the Church deceauing them with an other kynd of darkenes to the end that not contynewing in the vnitye of the Church they may yet cal them selues Christians and walking in darkens they may perswade them selues to haue the light making them blinde without perceauing their blyndes yea then when they thinke them selues most sure of the light For as he is a cunnyng woorkeman to transforme him self often into an Angel of light he leadeth them in to likelihoodes of truth that he may so deceiue them in the truth affirmyng the night for day death for life infidelitye for faith Antichrist vnder the name of Iesus Christ And ther is not any absurditye how monstrous and foule so euer it be that he doth not make them receyue and that very greedelye and hauing once bleared them with his iugling tricks he holdeth theyr iudgements so fast tyed and hampered that they can not see the very open and manyfest truth so that hauing now no more roote in God they be cast into a reprobate sense turnyng to their owne destruction al that is presented vnto them and sticke not now to stād and fyght agaynst God him self Now to them wich suffer them selues to be deceiued it happeneth sayeth S. Cyprian for not searching the truth of faith by the right way according to the direction of our heauēly Maister who doth send vs to the chayer of S. Peter which of his proper auctoritie by prerogatyue he hath ordeined to be head as the fountayne roote of his Church And this was a greate benefit of God that he hath giuen a certaine seat to his Church as auncyently was the chayre of Moyses to the end that in the doubtful points of faith men myght haue a place to resorte vnto as to a certeine Vniuersite to receiue their iudgement and resolutiō and so to kepe the vnitie of faith among so many dyuers nations that were to enter in to the Church This is certeinly the point whereby all heretikes in the world haue perished doe perishe now and shall alwayes perishe for that they like not not sauour not the Sacramēt of the vnitie of faith in the vniuersal brotherhood of the Church nor acknowledge that there is one certain Church the only mother of al the children of God which is only holie Catholike and Apostolike vnto whom Iesus Christ her spouse head hath giuen the character of the order of his eternall Priesthood the keyes of the realme of heauen all aucthoritie ouer his howshould vnto whom he hath promised assistance of his holie spirit vntil the end of the worlde in whom is the wil of God the forgiuenes of sinnes and the distribution of graces who only hath the woord of God in keeping the pure doctrine of the Gospell the true vse of Sacraments to whom only therefore doth appertain to iudge of the true sense of the holy scriptures and to decyde the controuersies of faith that rise among men whose iudgements in earth be ratified in heauen which Church being but one and vndiuided in faith yet extending it self in her cōmuniō as the beames of the sunne as long and as wyde as the whole world encreasinge multiplyinge dayly without end or lymit continueth inseparably vnited to her head as the beames to the body of the sunne not liuinge but of his grace not breathing but of his
esteme muche a thowsand Ciprians a thowsand Augustins And for to shew more plainlie that his father is the king ouer all the children of pride he sayth that the deuil did teache him that the masse was an euil thing and that persuaded by the Conrae Gesn in Bibl. Luth. reasons of the deuil he did abolishe the masse His owne followers them selues haue described him to be a man full of a malitious spirit and without charitie Erasmus sayth that he was a manifest deceiuer and that he Eras ad vultu did neuer see one of those which haue folowed him that did a mend them selues but manye impaired One of his owne ministers whriteth in this maner to the end that all the world may know that they be not Papistes and that they do not trust any vvhit at all in good vvorkes they doe none at all and hauing chaunged the spirite of humilitie into arrogancie redoubling their first dissolutions without fasting without almes 〈◊〉 Luth. in 〈◊〉 â—up â—uanâ— call that kinde of life an euangelical 〈◊〉 Luther him self hath acknowleged that his owne disciples gaue them selues to be more reuengeful more couetous proude vnmercifull vnrulie and muche worse then they had bene then vvhen they vvhere Papists Which thing the principal Lutherans perceiuing and that their corruption vvas cheeflie caused for that they had taken away auriculer confession they vvhere desirous to restore the same again by vvay of policie for to constraine the people there to they did present a request to the Emperour Charles the fifte who refused to heare them except they would vnite them selues againe to the Church His disciples Caluin and Beza Soto in 4. libr. sent vbi de câ—fess auric did not so much as couer them selues vvith sheepes skinnes but beinge verie noon-deuils DEMONIA MERIDIANA haue painted out them selues as Apostatas of nature publishing their sinnes like Sodome and not hiding the same hell it selfe could not cast forth more filth then the schoole of those abhominable Pentapolitaines or Gomorits They haue digged out of the earth the bookes of impietie and ethnical corruptions vvhich our forefathers had buried They haue thereof made commentaries and put them in french for to infecte therwith the vvorld An horrible thing that they haue not bene ashamed to call theÌ„ selues waldins to write that they helpe them Beza imag selues with empoisoning with witche craft withe Magick and with the deuelishe arte for to dispatch them selues of their euil willers I would neuer haue beleued that Sathan had bene so impudent if I had not seen the same in their bokes They do reuile all auncient fathers with shameful iniureis exalting the olde heretikes so farre that they call S. Herome a peruerse spirit Cal. in har euaÌ„ and wicked IOVINIAN which was an heretike they call an holie man and say that S. Hierom and S. Augustin in that that they did gainsey IOVINIAN were theÌ„ selues heretikes And it is a wonderful doltish folie in them whom they haue bewitched that they doe not recouer any space of time for to consider their illusions and whereof it cometh that in their writinges do appeare so many iniureis such false accusations and lyes and not any light of Charitie or grief of scandel of their neighbours turning al accidents of disorder in to mockery or matter of detraction in their behauiours The fabulouse goddesse Ate in Homer did neuer make so many calamities as they haue made where they haue passed by If their sectaries seing their steppes did cast ther eyes towardes theÌ„ for to consider by the motion of vvhat spirit they haue burned our Churches martired cruellie our priestes destroyed our howses committed a million of in humanities they should see that such thinges be not the markes of the true church The spirit of God is not in a tempest of wind ouerthrowing the monteignes and breaking the stones it is not in a thundering commotion it is not in in fier which doth distroy wher it passeth it is in a sound of a spirit calme and gentle woorking no harme nor ruine but creating a new reuiuing in such sort as the scripture sayth that he did manifest him self to Elias As for the Catholike people it is too true that there be manie wicked yet there are also many that fear God loue theyr neighbour and endeuor to kepe them selues vndefiled of this world which had rather lose their goodes their liues then the grace of God The catholike people is as the grauÌ„ge of a laborer full of sheaues of corne whereof their doth not appear to the eies but the chaffe Yet if one come to threshe the sheaues and put the graine bare apart there wil be founde a good heape I know men see not the good people goe to gether in troupes but that the flud of corruption which hath swaie hath ouerthrowen manie and that it semeth as sayth the Prophet that Sathan doth reape the field and gather the vines and that God doth not but gleane or leaze after him But yet I saye there be a good number which doe set them selues against the euil and continue stil standing vpright holding them selues fastened to GOD and wil be raither crushed to pieces then to seperate them selues from him VVho if they fall somtime by infirmitie yet they rise againe quickly mainteining their custome of weldoing and praying vnto God incessantlie that he will fortifie them and when they must resolue them selues will forsake all the respectes of the world for the honour of God As for our priests it can not be dissembled but that there be dreedfull scandals and all good people haue their hartes wounded to see the disorders that be in them those men that deserue high punishment haue there the highest honours and the mindes of the comen people which are moued more by by exemple than by reason doe fall by to much marking the maners of manye prelates But what so euer confusion there be yet are there some found not vnworthie dispersed here and there doing their charge with reuerence The grief is that the greater parte doth surmount the better and there are not to furnishe euerie where It is our parte to praye that when the Iudasses traitors shal be gone into thir places GOD will giue vs Mathiasses for to supplie their romthes againe In the mean tyme good or bad as we haue them we honor them as ministers and dispensers of the ministeries of God We know that we must alwaies make distinction betwene the vocation and the person In mines of golde and siluer one shal not finde the golde all pure there is but one litle vein vpon a grain of the earth Yet men let not for that to take that veine and leaue the earth Now the golde and the siluer be the Sacramentes and the vvord of God the earth is the corrupted maners The holines of the church coÌ„sisteth not in the persons but in the Sacramentes sayth Optatus The priestes
that the gates of hell should neuer preuaile against the same that he would giue him the keies of the kingdome of heauen and that all that he sholde bynde and vnbynde in earth should be bound and vnbound in heauen he hath not spoken of giuing the keyes to the other Apostles So the church is builded vpon the faith and confession of S. Peter And the faith which is the seed of our regeneration is called the faith of S. Peter Let that also be considered which is spoken of in S. Luke that the people pressing Luc. 5. on our sauiour for to heare the word of God our Sauiour seing neare the lake two shippes went vp into the one which belonged Luc. 5. Io. 21. to S. Peter where being set he did teache the people And those that sailed in the other shippe transported them selues into that of S. Peter with Iesus Christ Let it be further considered that the two miracles done by our sauiour in the taking of fishes were done in the ship of S. Peter and by the ministerie of S. Peter That S. Peter also is only he among the Apostles that our sauiour made goe vpon the waters for whom only he paied tribute for whom only in particular he praied to his father to the end his faith should not fayle to whom onlie he gaue charge to confirme the faith of his bretherē of whom as head of others he did require more loue then of others whose feet he did first vvashe accordng to S. Augustin to whom he did first appeare after his resurrection to whom only he foretould his death and death on the crosse to whom onlie he said three tymes feed gouerne my sheepe meaning his Church whome more preciselie than others he commaunded to folowe him who onlie vvhen the disciples were scandalized at the vvordes of our sauiour saying that he vvolde giue his bodie to eate answered for all the Apostles and sayd Lorde thow hast the wordes of life euerlastlng and we beleeue the same whom onlie among all the disciples our sauiour did baptize with his owne handes First Euodius immediat successor of S. Peter in the Bishopryke of Euodius in lib. Anthioche hath written that our sauiour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 did baptize onlie the virgin his mother among women and S. Peter onlie among men and that S. Peter did baptize S. Andrew S. Iames S. Ihon and the others That S. Perer also as head of the Apostles after the ascension of our sauiour did assemble the church for to chuse an Apostle in the place of Iudas That S. Peter after the sending of the holie ghost did first preache and conuert in two sermōs eight thowsand soules That he Act. 1. did the first miracle on the lame man which was at the gate of the temple That he as soueraine iudge did condemne the fraude and hipocrisie of Ananias and Saphira whom he did kill with his woord That he knew and did condemne the first notable Archeheretike Simon Magus that to him was directed as to the head the vision of that sheete Let downe from heauen hauing of all sortes of beastes and comandement to preache to the Act. 1◠gentiles the which vision doth concerne the direction of the vniuersal Church that for him as head of the Church prayer was made without intermission in al the Church Act. 15. which is not sayd of anie of the others That he in the Councel of the Apostles did speake first as head That he in the most holie Creed of the Apostles did begin first by that high woorde Credo therby making the christian religion a religion of faith for whose sake S. Paul saith that he went vp expresselie into Hierusalem note also that S. Peter him selfe doth testifie that God chose him emong the Apostles that by his mouth the Gentiles should heare the woord of the Gospel and beleeue Let it be also considered that after that the twelue Apostles had receiued the holie Ghoste and the gifte of all tounges hauing distributed among them selues all the earth therin to plant euerie one in his quarter the Gospel of Iesus Christ S. Peter as head of the twelue is sent to the head of the world to the Queene of cities the cheif citie of the Romain Empire to the end that the law of trueth which did reuele it self for the saluation of all people might sprede it self abroode more easilie from the head to all the bodie of the world and vvhere the vvorld had the head of his Empire there the prince of the Apostles hath had his seate in the citie of Rome in the which hauing first giuen order to the affaires of the East he comes him self to make his aboade for to forme and set in order the affaires of the west and of all the world where hauing ended his course before the tyme of his death 2. Pet. 1. Iesus Christ made vnto him yet one prerogatiue more by appearing vnto him and saying to him that he would be glorified by his martirdome within the citie of Rome Let it be further considered that the Churches founded by S. Peter that is to saye Antioche and Alexandria haue bene named the chief In Con. Calced Patriarchal Churches and did goe before all the others in the Councels Let it be considered Optatus lib. 2 that in the primatiue Church in the testimonial letters that they gaue to those that went in to farre coūtries did chaunge their habitations to the end they might be receiued where they went to the cōmunion Sidon Apol. l. 7. ep 2. there was put downe in subscription after the first letters of the names of the father of the sonne and of the holie ghoste the first letter of the name of S. Peter for witnes that such a one was Catholike Finallie let it be considered that the Church hath made a feast or holie dare of the chaire of S. Peter fos to praise God for the soueraign benefit that he hath done to his Church to giue him a chaire eminent aboue the others which shold alwais be certein vnto whom al the world may haue recourse of whom all the world ought to be instructed as sayth Optatus the which feast is very auncient For Bede and S. Augustin make mention therof Optat. li. 2. Bed in Thetl Aug. ser 15. de sanct But in none of the other Apostles are the prerogatiues found to be called of our sauiour into the feloushippe of his name and of his office and pastoral care and euen of his death to be the mouth of the other Apostles in all occurrent affaires nor the other prerogatiues the which haue bene attributed of all the aucients to the supremacie and principalitie of S. Peter which being euident in S. Peter it is superfluous to speake of them in his successors For it is well knowen that our sauiour giuing a head to his Church hath not intended to giue onlie the same for the time of S. Peter as