Tim 3.13 what the first Reformers who could not on a suddaine deny all truths left vntouched your second Presbyterian Reformers haue abolished as they haue done here the hymne of Glory which was said in praise of the holy Trinity and for which you haue got the noble exchange of cōtinual praises of the Covenant Presbytery But as the great Councel of Nice did add vnto the ancient hymne of Glory to the Father c. that clause As it was in the beginning c. For confusion of the Arian heresy So also it hath by the same addition prophetically foretold the continuance of it for ever to the confusion of this new sect called Presbytery which is most consonant to that of S. Paul To God be glory in the Church and in Christ Iesus to all generations world without end Amen Ephes 3.21 That Church which hath triumphed over the Arians who corrupted this glorious hymne will also triumph over the Presbyterians who have abolished it Yea this hymne shall not only continue to the worlds end in the Church Militant but it shall be also the exercise of the Church Triumphant which shall never cease for all eternity to sing praise glory vnto the most holy Trinity Thus ended my Catholique friend whose words I found to be more waighty a good space after then they appear'd to me at the time when he spoke them Moreover I remember he desired me to consider that these innovations against our Lords prayer and the hymne of Glory were such blacke actions that the prime Presbyterians who introduced them were ashamed to make acts to forbid them as they had done for abolishing of Episcopacy and some other points but only brought them in by a desuetude as they speake and so wore them out of vse Which sheweth said he that they would gladly haue some things done covertly which they are asham'd to avow publickly CHAP. X. Of the Apostles Creed denyed to be Apostolical by the Presbyterians THERE was hardly any thing that the Presbyterians did which made me stumble so much as their Innovation concerning the authority of the Apostles Creed They were not content with their Reformation or rather abrogation of the Apostolique governement vnlesse they also did deny the Creed to be made by the Apostles and so weare it out of vse as they had done our Lords prayer At the end of of their new Catechisme they speake thus of the Creed Shore Cat. Vvest in fine Albeit the substance of the doctrine comprised in the Abridgement commonly called the Apostles Creed be fully set forth in each of the Catechismes so as there is no necessity of inserting the Creed it self yet it is here annexed not as though it were composed by the Apostles c. In which words they reach covertly two things 1. That the Creed it self is not necessary if we have the substance of it as it is explain'd in the new Presbyterian Catechisme 2. that it needs not be esteemed to be composed by the Apostles But their practise did shew more evidently their meaning For they did not only declare it not to be Apostolical and therefore to be only a humane collection but also they did no more say it neither did they require it to be said any more of others as the custome was formerly at Baptismes And by these means they put it out both of estimation and vse This innovation gave great scandal to many who thought iustly they could thereafter be sure of nothing since their Creed was called in question This was vniversally esteem'd before the Covenant began the badge or mark of a Christian and the principal foundation of the Christian religion The authority of it was held so sacred that it was an ordinary proverbe in mens mouth 's when they would give great assurance of performing any thing they had promised that before they failed They would as soone deny their Creed As it was called the Apostles Creed so it was taught for such so it was believed and esteemed to be It was publickly said in the Church by parents at the Baptisme of their Children and it was required to be said by the people when they were Catechized But all these things were altered and overturned by the Presbyterians The authority and esteem of the Creed was dash't by their denying it to be Apostolicall and the custome of saying it both publikly privatly was taken away so that it was soone worne out both of vse and request If they did this so easily with our Lords prayer which is contain'd in Scripture how much more easily would they do it with the Creed which is not in Scripture and which they pretend to be a meer humane collection And so in a short time they would get it to be altogether slighted as a humane invention and banished out of the memories of men Wherefore being desirous to penetrat this matter more inwardly I found after some diligence that the same grounds which can be brought for the Apostolique authority of the Scriptures are also brought and that in an eminent degree for the like authority of the Creed And therefore if we receive the one we cannot reiect the other I shall briefly collect what I found or hath been shewed vnto me for the Apostolique authority great excellency frequent laudable vse of this diuine Symbol Baron tom 1. Annal. an 44. n. 15. seq Cardinal Baronius in the 1. tome of his Annals doth shew by the testimony of the holy ancient Fathers that the Creed was composed by the holy Apostles a little before they were to part and goe into several Countries to preach the Gospel vnto the Gentils to the end there might be a certaine short clear rule of faith in which they all agreed wherein they were to instruct all persons and by which as by a certaine badge all Christians might he knowen For this cause it was not committed to writing but was delivered by lively voice and imprinted in the hearts of Christians by the faithfull diligence of the Apostles This S. Hierom Hier. epist 61. and S. Augustin do testify The first saith The Symbol of our faith hope which was delivered by the Apostles is not written in paper or inke but in the fleshly tables of the heart The other affirmeth Aug. ser 119. de temp Idem ser 69. de expos Symb. that the Creed was not written that it might be retain'd in the hearts of the faithfull And againe he saith The holy Apostles did deliver a certaine rule of faith which being comprehended in tuelve articles according to the number of the Apostles they called a Symbol by which the faithfull may hold Catholique vnity and tread vnder feete heretical impiety To these two great Doctours Ambro. ser 38. epist 81. agrees also S. Ambrose who saith The holy faith is contain'd in the Symbol of the tuelve Apostles who as skiful Artificers meeting together haue made a key by common
counsel And againe Let vs believe saith he the Symbol of the Apostles which the Roman Church doth ever preserve and keep 's inviolate And if we will ascend higher S. Iren. lib. 1. c. 2. lib. 3. c. 4. S. Clement epist 1. ad frat Domini Basil de de Sp. S c. 27. S Ireneus Bishop of Lions and disciple of S. Polycarpus sheweth that diverse Nations believed without Scriptures by tradition which certainly was of the Apostles Creed S. Clement the disciple of S. Peter Coadiutor of S. Paul doth testify the same Diverse other Fathers may be seen cited in Cardinal Bellarmin tom 1. de verbo Dei non scripto lib. 4. cap. 4. S. Basil doth reckon the Apostles Creed as a principal Apostolique tradition And in a word I found that all Christian Nations and Ages have borne testimony of this truth Moreover I found that in the primitive times this Symbol was holden in so great reverence that in General Councels it vsed to be first recited Baron vbi su pra Aug. de Symb. and lay'd downe as the ground of the whole Ecclesiastique building as Baronius doth shew To this purpose S. Augustin calls it The foundation of the Catholique faith vpon which the edifice of the Church built by the hands of the Prophets and Apostles did rise ad Cat. lib. 3. c. 1. Leo ad Pul. Aug. ep 96. And S. Leo saith that this short and perfect Confession of the Catholique Symbol which is sealed by 12. sentences of the Apostles is so furnished with heavenly armour that by this sword alone all opinious of Heretiques may be cut of As I found such greet testimonies to prove the Apostolique authority of the creed so I did find that the holy Fathers did highly praise the excellency of it as of a worke worthy of such diuine Architects S. Augustin calls it Aug. ser 42. de trad Symb. The comprehension perfection of our faith It 's simple saith he short full That it's simplicity might serve the rudnesse it 's shortnesse the memory its fulnesse the instruction of the hearers Elswhere he calls it the Compend of the Scriptures lib. 1. ad Catech. Id. m ser in Vigil Pentecost And againe he saith This is a Symbol briefe in words but large in mysteries For whatsoever is prefigured in the Patriarchs whatsoever is declared in the Scriptures or foretold by the Prophets c. is contain'd and briefly confessed in it And in his Sermon above cited de Traditione Symboli speaking of the Creed he saith These are not humane words but heavenly mysteries of our Lord. But most notable and efficacious are the words of Rufinus to this purpose The Apostles Rufin in praef de expos Symb. saith he being to part from one an other to preach they lay'd downe this marke of their faith and agreement Not as the children of Noe being to part from each other rearing vp a tower of bricke and slime whose top should reach vnto the heauens but building the fortresses of faith of liuely stones and heavenly pearles which should stand stedfast against the face of the enemy which neither the winds should shake nor floodes subvert nor boysterous stormes or tempests move They therefore being to separate building the tower of Pride were deservedly punished with the Confusion of tongues that not one could vnderstand the speech of his neighbour but these who built the tower of Faith were endued with the skill and knowledge of all languages to the end that the one might be the marke of Sin and the other the monument of Faith Thus Ruffinus Lastly the same holy Fathers do shew the frequent laudable vse of the Apostles Creed in the primitive Church It was first taught and delivered vnto those who desired Baptisme and it was required to be publickly said by them immediatly before their baptisme This custome as Ruffinus sheweth was carefully observed in the Roman Church Ruffin ibid vt supra S. Augustin also doth witnesse how the God-fathers did say it in name of the Infants whom they presented to Baptisme and therefor he earnestly exhorts every Christian when he comes to the yeares of discretion to say frequently the Apostolique Creed which he professed by the mouths of those who presented him to Baptisme and call's it the Mirrour of a Christiā Render saith he your Symbol render it vnto the Lord Aug. homil 42. be not weary to rehearse it the repetition of it is good least forgetfulnesse creep on thee Do not say I said it yesternight I said it to day I say it every day I haue it well Remember thy faith behold thy self Let thy Creed be a Mirrour vnto thee there see thy self if thou believe all that thou confesses thy self to believe and reioyce dayly in thy faith Let it be thy riches the dayly Apparell of thy Soule Do you not cloath your self when you rise So by remembering thy Creed cloath thy Soule least peradventure forgetfulnesse make it naked S. Ambrose calls it the Seale of our heart which we ought dayly to review and the Watch-word of a Cristian Amb. lib. 3. de Virginib tom 4. which should be in readinesse in all dangers By all which irrefragable testimonies the sacred authority great excellency and frequent laudable vse both in publick and private of the Apostles Creed did appeare sufficiently vnto me So that I found for it the consent of peoples and Nations the testimonies of the holy Fathers the Martyrs Saints and Christians of all ages that is of the Vniuersal Church the piller ground of truth which are the greatest assurances that can be had vpon earth And therefore I rested fully satisfyed with them But I was much more confirmed in this resolution when I vnderstood by a serious conference with a friend that there was the same certainty for the Creed that there is for the Scriptures to witt the Tradition or testimony of the Church S. Augustin delivers clearly this truth concerning the Scriptures Aug. cont epist fund c. 5. I would not haue believed saith he the Euangel unlesse the authority of the Catholique Church had moved me c. and that authority being once weakned neither can I believe the Euangel This testimony authority of the Catholique Church was proved to me to be the most easy manifest and infallible ordinary way that can be had on earth to come vnto the certaine knowledge of what books are Scriptures yea it was clearly proved to be the only way so that if once this testimony be weakened there is nothing left but guessings wanderings after the manner of blind men as experience doth shew in the difference between the Lutheranists the Calvinists who agree in all their supposed wayes of knowing the Scripture and yet can never agree in the same Canon of the Scriptures But of this matter we shall haue occasion to speake more fitly hereafter in the question of the Church If then the
Scriptures cannot be certainly knowen but by the testimony authority of the Church and are to be believed for the samâ— as S. Augustin doth affirme the Creed also may be knowen and ought to be believed to be Apostolical for the same very reason since the same testimony authority are for both Yea the Tradition Testimony of the Church for the Apostles Creed hath in a certaine manner some preeminence above that which is for the Scripture For it is more ancieÌ„t more vniuersal more manifest More ancient because the holy Fathers and the whole Church do constantly affirme that the Symbol was composed by the Apostles before any part of the new Testament was written It was more vniversal because it was received every where at the very first plantation of Christianity whereas diverse parts of the Scripture being directed only to some particular Churches could not be communicated but after some space to the whole Church It was also more manifest because there were some bookes of the Scripture doubted of by some of the ancient Fathers till the Vniversal Church did determin the Canon of the Sciptures but there was never any ancient Christian who doubted of or denyed the Apostles Creed there was such a clear and Vniversal tradition for it And besides the Creed in it self is very clear as being a short rule of faith ordain'd for the capacity of the most simple according to which the Scriptures that are more obscure ought to be vnderstood Seing then the whole Church in the primitive times and in all ages hath professed that the Apostles made taught the Creed it remaines most certaine that the Apostles did teach it for greater certainty then this cannot be had If the Apostles taught and delivered it vnto the first Christians then they being so taught were obliged to receive it with the sâ—me reverence wherewith they did receive the Scriptures which were delivered or directed vnto them by the same Apostles And if the first ChristiaÌ„s were so obliged why not also their children their childreÌ„s children so downeward froÌ„ age to age vntill the end of the world shall haue the same obligation If this obligation held in the first age why not also in the second and in every succeeding age Or when should this obligation cease Or why more at one time then at an other since the same assurance remaines at all times Or why should it cease more for the Creed then for the Scripture since the same testimony is for both and if there be any preeminence in this matter the Creed hath it as has been shewed Wherefore as I was by these considerations fully satisfyed of the Apostolique authority laudable vse of the Creed in the primitive Church so I could in no wise approve the Presbyterians innovations against it but rather did much admire of their presumption For by their denying the Creed to be Apostolique I saw they denyed the clear rule and endeavoured to subvert the very foundation of the Christian faith By their taking away both the publick and private vse of it they would haue robbed Christians of the heavenly apparell and spiritual armour of their soules as the holy Fathers above call it And all this they do relying vpon no other grounds but their owne gesses which they oppose and would haue to be preferred to the constant testimony and irrefragable authority of the whole Christian world The Iewes brought at least Aug. in psal 63. v. 7. sleeping witnesses against the resurrection of Christ for which folly S. Augustin mocks theÌ„ and saith that they theÌ„selves were sleeping and failed in their search But the Presbyterians bring neither sleeping nor waking witnesses and yet they will blindly iudge in a matter done above 16. hundred yeares ago and boldly pronounce sentence against an ancient fundamental truth which had been received professed by the Christians of all ages But albeit the Presbyterians do reiect the authority testimony of the Church yet I saw if they followed their owne principles they might as easily discern the Creed to be Apostolique as they pretend they can know the Scriptures For the Maiesty of the style the harmony of the parts the purity of the doctrin and the like do concurre in the Creed in an eminent degree as we haue seen above out of the holy Fathers who do so highly praise it for its perfections as a worke Worthy of such heavenly Architects And the matter being considered in it self the Creed in all these qualities is equal if not Superiour by outward apparance vnto the Scriptures For in them there are many seeming contradictions hard to be explained but none in this Many things in Scripture not so full of Maiesty as about S. Pauls cloke c. 2. Tim. 4.13 but the creed is totally replenished with most sublime divine mysteries Therefore if the Presbyterians could by these marks discern the Scriptures they might as easily discern the Creed to haue been made by the Apostles Albeit I admired much how the Presbyterians could vpon so weake grounds deny the Apostles Creed against such invincible authorities yet I was much more stricken with admiration when I considered what they brought in place of it For in place of the Apostles Creed we got the Presbyterians Covenant As that was denyed to be Apostolical so this was cry'd vp to be Divine for it was called Gods Covenant the Confession of faith c. As parents were accustomed at the Baptisme of their children to say the Apostles Creed in which they promised to bring them vp so now they were made promise to breede them in the Covenant which was too long to haue by heart or to be repeated This was truly a rare exchange to deny the Creed to be Apostolique to cry vp the Covenant to be Divine To rob vs of a most ancient clear briefe positive Sacred Confession of faith made by the holy Apostles famous in all ages vniversally received troughout the whole world full of great mysteries divine expressions And to give vs in place of it a new long obscure negative Confession or rather Confossion of faith full of terrible oaths execrations combinations devised by some few discontented heads by cunning and force obtruded vpon this Nation much suspected at the beginning to be nothing but a meer pretence of religion as it was notoriously knowen to be a humane invention and as it 's now at lenth after all its disguises manifested for such vnto the world It 's good fame hath not lasted long neither at home nor abroad It got some footing in England by cunning and worldly interest but these soone failing it was quickly detected and reiected The Christlan Moderator saith to this purpose Christ Mod. p. 2. That the last Reformation setled with so solemn a Covenant and caried on with so furious a zeal is already by better lights discovered to be meerly humane therefore deservedly lay'd aside Therefore to
sin so they belieue that it is not necessary for salvation that children dying without that Sacrament may be saved VpoÌ„ this dangerous doctrin followeth a most dangerous practise Fot they believing baptism not to be necessary suffer many children to die without it and they have also made a law abrogating all private baptism Our first Reformers shew their minde clearly The Scotiâ—h Confession c. of baptism Confess Vvestminst chap. 28. n. 5 Cal. in Antido to Concil ad sess 6. c. 5. lib. 4. instit c. 16. sect 24. 25. cont art Parisiens p. 307. F or Râ—yon de â—ortu progressu haeres lib. 8. c. 11. when they say in their first Confession That baptism isnoto of such necessity that the want of it can be hurtfull to the Salvation of children And they deny also the profitt of it when they subioyn that many have ben baptized and yet were never inwardly purged The same is almost repeated by our new Presbyterian Reformers in their late confession at Westminster where they say that grace and salvation are not so necessarly annexed vnto baptism that no person can be saved or regenerated without it or that all that are baptized are vndoubtedly regenerated These doctrines and practises are dâ—rived from Calvin the first Foundator of Presbytery who taught that the children of the faithfull are holy from their mothers womb are already sanctifyed and have remission of their sins and that they have need of baptism not as of a help necessary but as of seale ordain'd by God to seale in them the grace of adoption And if they die they may be saved without baptism And according to this doctrin he made a law in Geneva that the children to be baptized should expect sermon and he suffered a child to dye without baptisme because it was brought a little late to the Church as Florimond Reymond testifyeth Now I found the opposite doctrin to witt that baptism is necessary for the salvation of infants to be most firmly founded in Gods word to haue been strongly and zealously defended by the holy Fathers and the ancient Church and to be conforme to the general instinct of Christians Therefore the Presbyrian doctrin which is contrary must be against all those And besids I found it to be an auncient heresy and to be so dangerous and pernicious an errour that diverse famous Protestants have abandonned it All which points I shall briefly touch 1. Our Saviour saith clearly in the Scripture vnles a man be borne again of water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God Iohn v. 5. Which place the holy Fathers and the ancient Church vnderstood of baptism Aug. lib. 1. de pecc mer. remiss c. 30. S. Augustin sheweth that this place was so expresse convincing that it confounded the Pelagians who denyed original sin and made them acknowledge the necessity of baptism although not for the remission of original sin which they denyed yet for the attayning of the kingdom of heaven But yet to maintain their errour they foolishly imagined that children might be saved without baptism although without it Vrb. Reg. 1. parte oper in Caetechismo minori fol. 104. 105. 107. they could not enter into heaven Vrbanus Regius a famous Protestant in Germany saith that the right beleeving Fathers and Christians vnderstood this place of baptism And to beleeve saith he that none either man or child can be saved without baptism both the Scripture and the authority of the auncient Church compelleth vs. For the Fathers we shall bring S. Augustin who writeth thus to S. Hierome Aug. epist. 20. ad Hier. Whosoever saith that such children shall have life in Christ who depart this life without participatien of the Sacrament of baptism that man questionlesse gainsayeth the preaching of the Apostles and condemneth the whole Church where such hast is made to runne with children because it is beleeved without doubt that otherwise they cannot at all be quickned in Christ And in another place he saith most earnestly Aug. lib. 3. de origine anâ—mae cap. Do not beleeve do not say do not tea h that children preveened by death before they receive baptism can attayn remission of their original sin if you desire to be a Catholique And that this was not only the belief of S. Augustin but also of the other holy Fathers as of S. Cyprian Nazianzen S. Hierom Câ—nt 3. c. 4. Cent. 4. c. 4 Aug. epist 90 92. S. Ambrose S. Hilarius c. the Centurists themselves do acknowledge yea the Carthaginian Milevitan Councels as S. Augustin testifieth professed the same and condemned their opinion who think that children can be saved without baptism And that the necessity of baptism is conforme to the generall instinct of Christians may appeare by the former testimony of S. Augustin where he sheweth that Christians make such haste and are so earnest to have their children baptised because they believe that otherwise they cannot be quickned in Christ Therefore the Presbyterian doctrin which denyeth the necessity of baptism gainsayeth the Scriptures Fathers and â—s against the common belief of Christians Moreover it was condemned Aug. lib de haeres c. 69. as an old heresy in the Pelagians For they denyed also that baptism was necessary for the remission of original sin There is indeed this difference between them the Presbyterians that they denying original sin thought it not necessary for the remission of it albeit they esteem'd it necessary for the attayning the kingdom of heaven But the Presbyterians graunting original sin believe that baptism is neither necessary for the remission of it nor for obtaining of heaven and so their errour in this point is greater then that of the Pelagians For they promise the kingdom of heaven to children dying without baptism which the Pelagians presumed not to do it being so clearly against the Scriptures That diverse famous Protestants have abandonned this errour and do hold that Salvation is not promised to the children of the faithfull dying without baptism Breirly sheweth in the Protestants Apology Prot Apol. trac 3. sect 4. n. 11. where he cites for this purpose the Confession of Auxburg Vrbanus Regius Hosmanus Bilson Bishop of Winchester and others King Iames also in the conference at Hampton-Court maintain'd that baptism was necessarie by the necessity of command albeit he did not think it necessarie by the necessitie of means All which considerations were more then sufficient motives to make me abandon the Presbyterian opinion and to embrace the Catholique belief concerning the necessity of haptism for the Salvation of infants But finding that the Presbyterians have principally two exceptions against the ancient Catholique doctrin I proposed them to a Catholique for my greater satisfaction First said I the Presbyterians do alleadge that the necessity of baptism is against the power of God by tying him to the ordinary means 2. They
and amongst all doctrines which have been delivered there is none descended more clearly then the irrefragable testimony of the Catholique Church either as she is dilated throughout the whole world or as she is assembled in a General Council whereof the continual practice of the Church from the beginning is a superabvndant evidence From this truth we will briefly deduce some Corollaries 1. Since we neither ought nor can arrive vnto the certain knowledge of our Saviours and his Apostles doctrin but by the testimony of the Catholique Church this Testimony is not only necessary for the knowledge of the doctrines not written but also of these which are written because the true sense of these cannot be infallibly known but by this lively rule of faith 2. The doctrines not written which have been still believed and profest in the Church are truly Apostolical divine as well as these doctrines which are contain'd in Scripture because we have the same infallible assurance for them that we have for these 3. Since the Testimony and authority of the Vniversal Church is the only means by which we can be fully assured what was the doctrin of Christ and therefore is the formal motive of our belief it followes that what ever the Church testifieth to be revealed by God has been truly revealed and ought to be beleeued whither the matters themselvs be great or small And hereby the Protestants distinction of points fundamental not fundamental is quite overturned and shewed to be impertinent Because neither of these points are beleeved for themselv's but for the divine authority revealing them and this cannot be known but by the testimony of the Church by her authority proposing them Therefor the formal motive being the same for all points they are all alike to be beleeved when they are by the same authority of the Church sufficiently proposed and in that case to deny any thing albeit never so small for the matter is a fundamental error and clearly opposite to the formal motive of our faith for which all the points of faith are beleeved and whosoever disbeleeves any thing at all so proposed denies faith to God reiects his authority 4. He who contemnes or neglects the testimony of the Catholique Church in the time wherein he lives which is a testimony beyond all exception most worthie of credit can never come to the full certain knowledge of our Saviours doctrin For that is as it were the first step of the ladder vpon which if one set not first his foote he cannot arrive vnto the top that is vnto the first age wherein Christ his Apostles lived 5. From this principle flow all the notes of the Church As first her Vnity in all points of faith For if she has alway's beleeved nothing but what was received from hand to hand from father to son by the testimony of the Christian world and all persons within her submit to the same supreme authority of one chief Pastor of General Councels the Church cannot but have Vnity in all points of faith Secondly the holynesse of the Church flowes also from the foresaid principle For if the doctrin of the Church was holy at the beginning as all Christians must confesse and the doctrin by this continual testimony remaines ever the same as hath been proved Then the Church is still holy in all her doctrines which all tend to holynesse Thirdly the Church is also Catholique For it is by the testimony of Christians in all Nations that the doctrin of Christ is infallibly conueighed vnto vs. Lastly the Church is Apostolique For it is by her continued testimony that the doctrin of Christ is known in all generations and therefore she must have a continued succession from the Apostles Wherefore to conclude I hope that I have proved now sufficiently the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome by receiving all her doctrines in all ages from her forefathers has ever kept the same doctrin which she first received from Christ his Apostles never changed it and therefore as she was so she still is the spouse of Christ being a fruitefull Mother yet a chast Virgin never parting from Christ for she could never be drawn from the doctrin which she once received from him neither by the bloody persecutions of the Pagans nor by the deceitfull pretexts and allurements of heretiques yea she never did dissemble the least Error in her deerest children Iude v. 3. but as S. Iude exhorts has ever contended earnestly for the faith once delivered to the Saints She has indeed been ever falsly accused as an Adulteresse by all heresies which are themselvs as we have seen before harlots and strumpets But she remaines pure chast Adulterari non potest Cypr. in tract de simplicitate Prelator Osee 2.19 saith S. Cyprian Sponsa Christi c. The Spouse of Christ cannot become an adulteresse she is chast incorrupt What she once knew of Christ she still holds and never at all parts from him as he never parts from his Church to which he said I will espouse thee to my self for ever S. Paul speaking of the great love of Christ to his Church saith that he delivered himself for it Ephes 5.25 c. that he might sanctifie it and present it vnto himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing c. And of the indissolvible coniunction between Christ and his Church he saith This is a great Sacrament Ibid. v. 32. but I say in Christ his Church As the Iewes did loaden our Saviour with lies calumnies so all heretiques strive to defame oppresse his Spouse by the same means but all in Vain For as the innocency of Christ did appear and the whole earth was filled with his praises whereas his enemies were cloathed with shame confusion were scattered through the earth had their Temple destroyed and their Nation ruined So within a short time the vnspotted innocency purity of his spouse is manifested to the shame confusion of all heresies which being accursed by the Church with all their lies calumnies are ever at length destroyed from the face of the earth for as the Wiseman has observed Ecclesiastic c. 3. v. 11 the Mothers curse rooteth vp the foundation If it was a great sin in the Iewes that they not only refused to hear and obey Christ but also falsly accused him and many wayes lyed and blasphemed against him It cannot be a small sin in heretiques that they do not only refuse to hear the Church for which crime alone they are by Christs command to be holden as Heathens Publicans but also they falsly accuse his Spouse which he loves so deerly for an Adulteresse and charge her with Idolatry Superstition all sorts of abomination These calumnies if not blasphemies are the ground of all their new doctrines pretended Reformations By which we may know the rare fabrick
Reformation This was not done by any formal act but as a Minister spoke by a desuetude of the principal Covenanters whose example the rest of the Ministers followed But there was one thing which hapned in this matter not vnworthy of remark and is very famous throughout the countrey For whilst the people of a Parish in Anguse were singing at the conclusion of a psalme Glory to the Father and to the Son c. as not knowing of the new alterations they were presently interrupted by their Minister who cry'd aloud No more Glory to the Father No more Glory c. which accident rendred the Presbyterians very ridiculous to the old Protestants Fourthly they proceeded further and strook at the roote of the Christian faith to witt the Apostles Creed denying it to be Apostolicall The contrairy whereof we was taught in our yonger yeares as was believed troughout the whole Christian world And after they had thus denyed the letter and authority of it they proceeded next to corrupt the sense of that Article He descended into hell as we shall see shortly Their inconstancy and changes may be instanced in diverse other points and practises as in their taking the Communion sitting and condemning kneeling as vnlawfull Their deuiding of the bread among themselues wherein they place no small purity of their religion and not taking it out of the Ministers hand as the custome was before Their condemning private Cōmunion and private Baptisme although administrated vpon extream necessity which I found to be pernicious errours especially in so far as concern's Baptisme Their condemning as superstitious the religious observation of Christmasse and of all other festival dayes c. All which are not only contrary to the doctrine of the most famous Protestant Churches abroad but also were contrary to the doctrine lawes practises of this Church at home By which inconstancy of the Ministers and the alterations made by thē the people was not only miserably tossed to and fro and carried about with violent winds of new doctrines but also they knew not what to believe and almost loos'd all belief since they saw that many points which they believ'd before being taught them by their own Pastours were now condemned by the same Pastours who are very like vnto these whom the Apostle S. Iude calls wandering starres Hauing thought seriously vpon these things I made this reflection with my self How can this Scottish Church which changeth like the Moone and is as vnstedfast as the wind be the true Church of Christ which must be firme and stedfast as a rocke How can these Ministers who drawes yea driwes the people into such varieties of faith Ephes 4.11.14 be the true Apostles of Christ seing they were established as S. Paul testifies to conserve the people into the Vnity of Faith They must be false Pastours who do tosse the people to and fro with the inconstant winds of their new doctrines since true Pastours were ordain'd by Christ to keep the people into the constant profession of the old doctrin which was once delivered and generally professed throughout the world and to preserve them from such tossings As the scripture sheweth that inconstancy and lightnesse belongs to false Teachers so I found that the holy Fathers did observe it by experience Iren. l. 1. c. 18. c. 5. S. Ireneus saith They delight to find out every day some new thing Let vs now see their inconstant doctrin c. But 5. Hiero. most pithily describs their humour The feet saith he of those who erre Hier in cap. 16. Ezech. are alway's wavering neither are the footsteps sure which are against the truth but they run here and there and are caried about with euery wind of new doctrin whilst they passe from one falshood into another falshood Therefore seeing the great inconstancy and changes of the Scottish Church I desired to find out a more constant and skifull Guide to rely vpon to lead me vnto the kingdome of heauen CHAP. III. Of the Ministers Dissensions and Divisions AS the Inconstancy of a Church in faith and doctrine gives iust occasion to many of doubting and stumbling at it's religion so Dissensions and Divisions which necessarly flow from such Inconstancy are no lesse but rather more sensible evils and gives greater and more vniuersal scandals For there are many who would take no notice of Inconstancy and yet are awakned by the confusion that ever attends Dissension and Division It 's evident by the light of reason that nothing becomes more the house of God then vnity and order and that confusion and dissension are only fitting for Babel or the house of the Devil and as Vnity tends to preservation so Dissension hastens to destruction Therefore our B. Saviour being to found his Church which was to be a heavenly house vpon earth of admirable order and to stand for ever did pray most earnestly for the Vnity of it S. Thn ch 17. by which he knew it would be both beautifyed and conserved Yea he sheweth that by the admirable Vnity of his Church the world showld know Ibid. ver 21.23 that he was sent from heaven and be made to believe in him Therefore these Churches which haue no Vnity but are torne by Dissensions and Divisions cannot be the true Church of Christ neither can they long laste As Vnity doth designe beautifie and conserve the true Church so Dissension points out deformes and ever at lenth destroies all false Churches Our Saviour saith Luke 11.17 Gal. 5.15 Every kingdome divided against it self shall be made desolate And S. Paul If yow bite and eate one an other take heede you be not consumed one of an other And that this division and destruction befalls to all false Churches Luther himself doth testifie A kingdome saith he divided in it self Luth. tom 3. wit in psal 5. fol. 166. cannot stand neither did Heretiques at any tyme perish by force or art but by their owne mutuall dissensions neither doth Christ our Lord fight against them by other armes then by sending among them the Spirit of giddinesse and dissension Now what miserable dissensions have happened these yeares by past into the Church of Scotland by which it hath been much deformed and a considerable part of it destroyed are knowen far and neare at home and abroad For these dissentious haue been for matter manner and the miserable effects that have flowed from them very remarkable The matter of them concern'd no lesse points then the Governement of the Church established by Christ the authority of the Apostles Creed the vse of the Sacraments of private Baptisme and Communion the vse of our Lords prayer and of Glory to the Father the keeping of holy dayes and the rest of the articles of Perth the Covenant it self the Heade spring of all Dissensions and the authority of the Civil Magistrate c. But the forme and manner of these dissensions hath overcome the matter for it hath been
first Reformation and to restore Episcopacy So that it 's very evident that the Presbyterians do falsly pretend that Episcopacy or Superiority of Pastors is against the purity of their first Reformation and that parity of Ministers or Presbyterian governement is conform to it the contrary being most certaine out of their owne Records Next I found they came as little speed of their pretence of the word of God which is so far from condemning Episcopacy as evil and Anti-Christian that it rather commends it as good and Christian 3. Tim. ch 3. v. 1. S Paul writing to Timothee saith This is a true or faithfull saying If a man desire a Bishops office he desireth a good worke And that we may not contend about names I find the same S. Paul acknowledging in Timothee the power of iudging and ordaining Presbyters in which the power and Svperiority of Bishops principally consists For in the 5. chap. of the same epistle he saith Against a Presbyter receive not an accusation but vnder two or three witnesses And ver 22. Lay not thy hands suddenly on no man He sheweth also that he had left Titus in the isle of Crete to ordaine Priests by cities Tit. ch 1. v. 5. By this I saw as I conceived clearly enough that all Pastors are not equall but some are Superiour to others and that a Bishop and a Minister is not the same as the Presbyterians do pretend since the one hath power to iudge and ordaine which the other hath not Therevpon I made this observation If it be a true or faithfull saying as the Apostle speaks to call the office of Bishop good Then it is neither a true nor faithfull saying to call it evil as the Presbyterians speaks If the office of Bishop be a good worke then it was no good worke in the Presbyterians to condemn it as Anti-Christian For that is not only to contradict the Scripture but also to incurre the curse threatned by the Prophet Esay 5.20 Wo vnto them who call's evil good and good evil More over Christ himself did institute diverse degrees of Pastors in his Church when he choosed 12. Apostles Luce c. 6. and thereafter 72. Disciples Now it appear'd very evident vnto me that as the Apostles were distinguished from the Disciples by their diverse institution Luce c. 10. number and more intire familiarity with Christ by whom they were privily instructed so they were in a higher degree and dignity above the other Disciples which truth is much illustrated and confirmed by the solemn assumption of Matthias who was before one of the Disciples vnto the Apostle ship Act. 1. or as S. Peter sheweth out of the Psalmes the Bishoprike of Iudas Lastly God did institute in the old Testament diverse degrees of the high Priests the other Priests and Levits as Calvin himself confesseth Therefore it seem'd vnto me there was no repugnancy Cal. lib. 4. Inst c. 6. §. 2. why the like goodly Order and Subordination of Pastors might not also be in the new Testament yea rather all reason doth require that these things ought to be in the Church of Christ and that more excellently and perfectly then in the Synagogue of the Iewes since this is but a shaddow and type of the other But although the Scriptures being duely considered seemed clear enough in this matter yet for more security and to take away endlesse ianglings and wranglings which some contentious heads makes vpon the clearest words of Scripture I had my next recours vnto the interpretation of the holy Fathers practise of the Primitive Church And I found that they did not only vnderstand the Scriptures for the Superiority of Bishops over other Pastours but also they condemned the contrary opinion as a wicked heresy in Aerius S. Augustin Aug. lib. 19. de Ciu. c. 19. explaining these words of S. Paul above cited who desireth a Bishops Office desireth a good worke saith the Apostle would shew what the Office of a Bishop is for it 's a name of of labour and not of honour that he may know himself not to be a Bishop Who delights to preside not to profite Hier. ap Cornel in hunc loc S. Hierom sheweth that in the primitive Church the Office of a Bishop was the next degree to Martyrdome for Bishops being the chiefe Leaders of Christians were most diligently searched out persecuted by the Pagans Therefore the Office of a Bishop being so high and excellent so hard dangerous it was no wonder that the Apostle did require so many excellent vertues and qualities in any Dion lib. de Eccles hier c. 5. who desireth that office which he call's a good worke I will only adde to these two most ancient Fathers for confirmation of this truth S. Denys Arcopagita the disciple of S. Paul describing the Hierarchy instituted by God in the Church putteth the Bishops in the first place the Priests in the second and the Ministers or Deacons in the third And S. Ignatius the disciple also of the Apostles and Bishop of Antioch doth shew this excellent subordination of Pastours in the Church for thus he writes in one of his epistles Priests be subiect vnto your Bishop Deacons vnto Priests Ignat. epist ad Taâ—sens and you people vnto Priests and Deacons Who shall observe this comelinesse of Order I would willingly change my Soule with theirs and our Lord be with them for ever The Presbyterians have not only not observed that comelinesse of Order but they have condemn'd it and brought in the vglinesse of confusion and therefore they want this holy Martyrs benediction The holy Fathers also do constantly teach that the Bishops do succeed vnto the Apostles and the Priests vnto the 70. Disciples and therefore the Bishops are greater then the Priests Yea the most eminent among all the holy Fathers were Bishops although diverse of them were advanced to that dignity much against their will And besids all these testimonies I found the practice of the whole primitive Church which was alwayes governed by B shops from the beginning I must professe that considering all these things I was fully satisfyed and resolved not to abandon all these authorities of Scriptures Fathers and the whole ancient Church for the Ministers strong cry's and bare words which they only bring against them all I was much confirmed in this resolution when I found the contrary opinion concerning parity of Pastours which is now maintayn'd by the Presbyterians to be condemned as an ancient heresy by the holy Fathers S. Epiphanius writes thus of Aerius His speech was more furious then became any man for he said what differs a Bishop from a Priest there is no difference the order is one the honour one and the dignity is the same And confuting it a little after Epiph. haeres 75. he saith That this matter is full of fully is manifest to all wise men For that a Bishop and a Priest are not
the same the divine word of the Apostle doth teach And after he hath proved from the words of the Apostle above cited that Bishops who have power of Iudgeing Priests are above Priests then he proves also the Bishops Superiority by their power of Ordination How is it possible saith he that a Bishop and a Priest can be equall For that Order begetteth Fathers vnto the Church but the other hath no power to beget Fathers it only begets Children vnto the Church by the lauer of regeneration and not Fathers and Masters And how is it possible that one can ordaine a Priest who hath got no imposition of hands Aug. lib de haeres hare 53. for Ordination S. Augustin also reckons vp this errour of Aerius in his booke of heresies Yea S. Hierom who of all the holy Fathers doth most extoll the order of Priestood and brings it as would seem in some comparison with Episcopacy excepts alwayes the power of Ordination for thus he writes Hier. epist. ad Euagr. What doth a Bishop except Ordination that a Priest doth not also By all which it is manifest that if the Presbyterians had been living above tuelve hundred yeares ago they had been condemned in this point as Heretiques by the holy Fathers and that with more reason then the Aerians who never proceeded to their hight of arrogance to call the Office of Bishop vnlawfull and Anti-Christian Now against all this what brings the Presbyterians for themselves pure Scripture at least they pretend so which is an ordinary custome to all those whose errours are most against Scripture They bring ordinarly two places wherein they have greatest confidence The first is Math. 20.26 where our Saviour saith vnto the Apostles You know that the Princes of the Gentiles overrule them and they that are the greater exercise power against them It shall not be so among you c. The like words are repeated the 22. of S. Luke v. 24. The second place is 1. Tim. 4. v. 14. where the Apostle saith to Timothee Neglect not the grace that is in thee which is given thee by prophecie with imposition of the hands of the Presbyterie or of the Eldership as some of their bibles translates it I considered diligently these places and the rest which they bring and I could not find in any of them either Superiority of Pastours condemned nor Equality approved much lesse a Iudicatorie of 9. or 10. Ministers with a changeable Moderator established to Iudge over their brethren in all matters Ecclesiasticall There needs no more to know the truth here but to open our ey 's and read the places for impudence it self cannot affirme that the Scripture doth there expresly condemn the one or approve the other Therefore it 's a vaine and false pretence of the Presbyterians to alledge their disciplin to be contain'd expresly in the Scripture After expresse Scripture failes them then they run to their owne glosses and Consequences vpon the Scripiure which they will have the people to believe as Scripture wherein they commit a double deceit 1. To promise pure Scripture and then in place of it to give yow their owne glosses or rather guesses which are not to be found in Scriâ—ture 2. To oblige yow to believe these glosses and humane inventions to be Scripture or as Scripture As if one who had promised to give an other a quantity of gold and in place of it would give himonly brasse and then after this deceit would also oblige him to esteem the brasse to be Gold But albeit these glosses and consequences be not in Scripture yet it may be they are cleare of themselves and necessarly deduced from the Scripture as the Presbyterians pretends I found this pretence also to be false For if they were so evident and necessary then men of iudgement would easily see such glosses and make such consequences But the holy Fathers who were not only men of great Iudgement but were also most Eminent for learning and holynesse never made any such interpretations and consequences vpon the Scripture Therefore the Presbyterian glosses c. cannot be clear and evident which such holy and piercing ey 's could not see or if they saw them it was only to condemn them as hath been shewed And albeit this authority be more then sufficient to overthrow the pretended clearnesse of all these new glosses yet when I considered that the most learned of all the Protestants side as all the Lutherans in Germanie Suedland and Denmark who have their Superintendents and the late Protestant Church of England Scotland and Ireland and which is to be much here considered the Scottish Church at its first Reformation never made any such Interpretations vpon these Scriptures but had their Bishops and Superintendents then I esteem'd it a madnesse to imagin that these Presbyterian glosses could be clear and necessary which neither the holy Fathers the whole primitive Church and so many Learned Protestants and all their Churches could not see And albeit the French Protestants do admit of the Consistorial disciplin yet they do not declare Episcopacy to be absolutly Anti-Christian or that their forme is only Christian much lesse do they think it so necessarie as to overturne Kingdomes Commonwealths for setting it vp Of which Beza and du Moulin may be sufficient witnesses Beza cont Errast fol 1. Mons Moulin buck 30. aâ—t sect 12. The first saith Whosoever doth iudge this disciplin not only vnprofitable but hurtfull to their Churches Let them enioy their owne sense And much more to this purpose The other saith In so much as coÌ„cerneth Ecclesiastical disciplin we do not hold that equality of Pastors is absolutely necessary Who esteem not that order a point of faith or a doctrin of Salvation we live thanks be to God in brotherly concord with our neighbouring Churches which follow an other forme where there are Bishops some Superiority In Veron tom 2. contro de Hier. And Mons r Blondel a famous Minister in France hath lately written a booke entitled of the Primacy in the Church where he teacheth that although Superiority of Pastours be not by Divine right yet it is not against Divin right and therefore neither is equality of Pastours by Divine right All which are very far from the doctrines and practises of our Scottish Presbyterians who stands very single and bare of all authority Divine and Humane having all the world against them not only the holy Fathers and whole ancient Church but also all the old Protestants both Lutherans and Calvinists And if we shall add vnto these the Independents and Anabaptists and other new Protestants who admits of an equality among Pastours but condemns Presbyterian power and Tyranny their small authority and number is yet much diminished and the clearnesse of their glosses is much obscured Lastly if we will take away from the Presbyterians number all these who by deceit or force were gain'd vnto it their authority will appeare
to abolish the hymne of Glory which was ordinarly sung in praise of the holy Trinity This Innovation seem'd very strange and gaue great scandal to many For besids that it had been vsed from our infancy and was sung publickly in all Churches at the conclusion of of the Psalmes it contain'd not the least apparance of evil but rather did appear to tend much to the honour of God to whom all praise glory principally belongs And albeit it be not word by word in one place of the holy Scripture as our Lords prayer is yet the sense and the like words if not the same are to be found in it For what is more expresly contain'd in the new Testament then the Father Son and holy Ghost in whose name we are all baptized and which all true Christians do acknowledge to be one true God And what is more cleare in Scripture then that Glory is due vnto God S Paul saith to the King of the worlds immortal 1. Tim. 1.17 Pet 2. epist 3. ch ver 18. Iude ver 25. invisible only God be honour and glory for ever Amen S. Peter also speaking of Christ saith to him be Glory both now and to the day of eternity Amen And S. Iude to the only God our Saviour by Iesus Christ our Lord be Glory magnificence empire and power before all worlds and now for all worlds evermore Amen There is nothing more frequēt in the Revelatiō then redoubling of this Glory to God S. Iohn saith that he heard every Creature in heaven and vpon earth saying Apocal. 5.13 to him who sitteth on the throne and to the Lambe benediction honour glory power for ever and ever Therefore since the giving of Glory to God is the principal exercise of the Saints in heaven why may it not or rather why ought it not to be the exercise also of the Saints on earth S. Iohn saith he heard a voice come out from the throne saying Apoc. 19.5 Say praise to our God all you his Servants and you that feare him little and great Why then should the Presbyterians hinder both little great to sing this hymne of praise Glory vnto the holy Trinity Why should they goe against their owne former practise and that custome which was observed by their first Reformers and which is yet keep 't in all the more ancient Protestant Churches How could one of their Ministers interrupt the people when they were singing that hymne by crying out no lesse ridiculously then scandalously No more Glory to the Father No more Glory Indeed if the Presbyterians denyed the mystery of the holy Trinity as the Arians did they might vpon that false ground had some pretence of reason for this innovation but acknowledging the truth of that Divine mystery they appear'd very vnreasonable for abolishing that hymne which was ordinarly said in praise of it and which hath so good ground in the holy Scriptures Being therefore desirous to know this matter from the source I had my next recourse according to my accustomed methode vnto the primitive Church the holy Fathers And there I found that this hymne was most ancient an Apostolical tradition that it was highly esteem'd and much vsed by the Catholique Church in the primitive times that as some heretiques did much endeavour to pervert it so the Catholiques did labour as diligently to preserve it in the same purity as it had descended vnto them by continual practise and tradition And lastly I found that God did approve the laudable vse of this hymne by some notable miracles All which we shall briefly shew Basil ad Amphiloch de sp 5. How the hymne of Glorification was vsed from the very tyme of the Apostles S. Basil the Great doth largely shew For when the Sacrament of Baptisme was administrated by them in name of the Father of the Son and of the holy Ghost the faithfull answered Glory be to the Father to the Son and to the holy Ghost Which custome of glorifying God the same holy father doth affirme to be an Apostolical tradition which had been every where observed throughout the whole Church Of this matter Cardinal Baronius treateth amply in his third tome anno 325. Where he also sheweth that this hymne was of so great authority and esteeme in the ancient Church that when the holy Fathers in the Councel of Constantinople were to establish a rule of faith against some Heretiques who denyed the Divinity of the holy Ghost they would haue inserted in that Symbol a testimony from this hymne of Glory for the Divinity of the holy Ghost in these words Who with the Father and the Son Baron tom 3. anno 323. n. 174. is adored and Con-glorifyed And albeit this hymne was much vsed in the Church from the beginning yet it was sung more frequently in honour of the blessed Trinity after the Arians began to corrupt it How the Arians did strive to change and pervert this hymne the same Card. Baronius sheweth out of Sozomen Baron ibid. n. 173. for as they had changed the forme of Baptisme by saying I baptise thee in the name of the Father by the Son in the holy Ghost so also they corrupted the hymne of Glorification by singing Glory be to the Father by the Son in the holy Ghost Which diversity bre◠a dissension in Antioch between the Catholiques and the Arians whilst they would keep the ancient custome and the others would bring in their corrupt innovation Therefore the great Councel of Nice Baron ibid. n. 176. which had condem-the Arian heresy for the more confusion of it gave order to continue these hymnes in the Church which were in vse to be sung formerly in praise of the holy Trinity and especially the hymne of Glorification which the Arians had changed and endeavoured to pervert as they had impiously denyed the mystery of the holy Trinity in whose honour it was said And from this time that hymne began to be more frequently vsed so that the Countrey people would sing it whilst they were busied about their ordinary labours For how much the Arians did strive to suppresse and pervert it so much the Catholiques did labour to preserve and celebrat it For which cause S. Ambrose did conclude all the new hymnes which he made to be sung by the people during the time of the persecution which he suffered of the Arians with the hymne of Glorification as S. Augustin testifieth Ang. lib. 9. Confes◠c. 6.7 Ambros in Auxent And therefore being accused by the Arians for hauing deceived the people with the verses of his new hymnes he answered I do not deny that c. What is more powerfull then the Confession of the Trinity which is celebrated every day by the mouths of the people They labour all earnestly to confesse the faith they know to praise in verse the Father Son holy Ghost and they are all become Teachers who scarcely
S. Ambrose Let vs therefore keep the precepts of our Elders and not with temerity of rude presumption violate those seals descending to vs by inheritance To the same purpose Origen writeth In our vnderstanding saith he of the Scriptures Orig. tract 27. 〈◊〉 we must not depart from the first Ecclesiasticall Tradition nor believe otherwise but as the Church of God has by succession delivered vnto vs. By this way also all heresies have been clearly discovered condemned Theodoret l. 1. hist c. 8. Theodoret expresly witnesseth that the heresy of Arius was condemned by the doctrin not written which had been always profest in the Church For there was no end by Scripture the Arians pretending that as well as the Catholiques Tertullian saith There is no good got by disputing out of the texts of Scripture But either to make a man sick or mad And the reason is because albeit you would bring never so clear Scriptures the heretiques will expound all according to their pleasures and they never faile also to bring Scriptures for themselvs so that the victory is vncertain or not so evident but by the constant belief of the Church all heretiques are clearly confounded S. Athanasius by this means confounds the Arians Behold saith he we have proved the succession of our doctrin delivered from hand to hand from father to son But as for yov ô new Iewes and Sons of Caiphas Athanas lib. 1. de decret Niceni CoÌ„ what progenitors can you name for your selvs By this means also the Error of rebaptizing those who had been baptized by heretiques was refuted and the custom of the Church to the contrary prevailed over all S. Cyprians reasons and many authorities collected from the Scriptures Aug. lib. 2 de bapt c. 9. As yet saith S. Augustin there had been no General Councell assembled in that behalf but the world was held in by the strength of Custom which was opposed to those who would bring in that novelty S. Stephen Pope and Martyr wrote to S. Cyprian in these words Nihil innovetur nisi quod traditum est Let nothing be changed nothing received but what has been delivered Herevpon I proposed this difficulty that some things were believed after the definition of a General Councel which were not believed before Therefore it would seem that the Church has not always relied on that principle to believe nothing but what was delivered by the constant testimony of their immediat Ancestors To which the Catholique answered that the clearing of this difficulty would manifest the strength evidence of the former proof First said he it is evident that the principal if not all the points maintain'd by Catholiques and now questioned by Protestants did ever appear externally in the profession practise of the whole Church and were not defined by anterior Councils Therefore according to S. Augustins rule they are Apostolical Aug. lib. 4. de baptis c. 24. For that saith he which the vniversal Church doth hold and was not instituted by Councels but has been still retayn'd in the Church is most iustly believed to have descended from no other authority than from the Apostles Therefore this obiection makes nothing for the benefit of Protestants who condemn many things which were publickly vniversally profest and practised in the Church before they were by any Councils authorized Secondly These points of faith which were determined by General Councels were not defin'd as new doctrines For either they were generally constantly believed by the whole Church till some heretiques began violently to oppose them or there were some points not so generally believed practised throughout the whole Church but some Catholiques did with submission to the iudgmeÌ„t of the Church doubt of them Now it is evident that the Church in the points of the first kind believed the same thing after the definition of a General Council which she believed before as we haue seen out of S. Athanasius concerning the Divinity of Christ which was believed as well before the great Councell of Nice as after it Neither were these other points of which some Catholiques doubted defin'd as new doctrines but the whole Church assembled in a General Council after due examination having found these points to have descended by sufficient approued testimony or tradition and being assisted by Christ the head of his body which is the Church the holy Ghost the Guide of it according to our Sauiours promise special necessary providence over his Church proposeth them to be vniversally believed without any more doubt And whosoever after this definition of the vniversal Church of her supreme authority call these things any more in question become heretiques are cast out of the Church But all good Christians who had any doubt before for want of the Churches proposeall having now got that do acquiesce and are put out of all doubt for to oppose the whole Church Aug. epist 118. ad â—anuar as S. Augustin observes would be most insolent madnesse This whole matter is clear in the question of rebaptization For it was decided by a General Council according to the custom or Tradition which was opposed before the Council to S. Cyprian Therefore the same thing was a matter of faith was believed before the Council although some did not know it to be such till the Church did interpose her supreme authority declare it to be so S. Augustin shewes how much himself relies on this iudgment and that S. Cyprian would have yielded to it if in his time it had been interposed Aug lib. â— de bapt c. 4. Neither durst we saith he affirm any such thing if we were not well grounded vpon the most vniforme authority of the vniversal Church vnto which vndoubtedly S. Cyprian also would have yielded if in his time the truth of the question had been cleared declared by a General Council established Vpon the other part these who after the determination of the Council maintaynd the same error of rebaptization were esteemed Heretiques Vincent cont he es c. 9. which made S. Vincentius cry out thus O admirable change the Authors of one self opinion are called Catholiques and the followers of it Heretiques And the reason of the difference is because as S. Augustin observes An erring disputer may be suffered in other questions not diligently tried not as yet strengthned by the full authority of the Church Aug. serm 14 de verbis Apostol in these matters an error may be suffered But after the iudgment of the Vniversal Church which is the highest authority on earth has past and condemned any error then it is no more to be suffered then these who will not hear the Church are by our Sauiours command to be esteem'd as Heathens Publicans By which the difficulty proposed is clearly answered the proof stands good That the Church has alwayes believed that which from father to son has been delivered
against his brother and every one against his neighbour citie against citie and Kingdome against Kingdome S. Augustin saith it is the iust iudgment of God Aug lib. de agone Christi c 29. lib 1. de bapt c 6. that those who seek nothing else but to divide the Church should themselves be miserably divided And so he shewes how the Donatists were cut into small threds S. Chrysostom affirmes that the sin of dividing the Church is so great that nothing doth so provoke the anger of God So that when we have done all other manner of good Chrysâ—st hom 11. in ep ad Ephes we deserve no lesse severe punishment for dividing the Vnity fulnesse of the Church then those who pierced divided Christs own body Salomon saith that there are six things which our Lord hates Proverb 6.16.19 and the seventh is abomination to him which is He who soweth discord among brethren How much then must he hate and abhorre those who sow discord in his Church which is his body and his spouse for which he died and for the Vnity whereof he so ardently prayed And therefore it 's no wonder to see the curse of division fall ever among them And as this division and contrariety ariseth naturally from their principall doctrin the ground of all the rest besides Gods iudgment on them so they have no way to take it away when it doth arise For albeit they pretend the word of God to be their Iugde of Controversies to which they promise all obedience yet this Iudge could never hitherto end any controversy among them and indeed it is not the word but the sword which decides all their Controversies The iust contrary is in the Catholique Church For albeit all heresies and sects do first arise out from her 1. Cor. 11.19 as the Apostle saith There must be heresies and S. Iohn affirmeth They went out from vs but were not of vs yet they do not arise from the nature of the Churches doctrin or from her principles which are constant immoveable all tending to Vnity but from the malice of the Devil And when they arise the Church loseth not her Vnity thereby For if these coyners or followers of new doctrines do not submit themselvs to the iudgment of the Church they are iudicially cutt off from that body from which they first cut themselvs by misbeleef and by this means the rest of the body is preserved entire and at Vnity within it self So that when any question ariseth the Church has a solid way to take away all Controversie and to preserve Vnity But the Protestants principles tend to division and they have no means to take it away as has been shewed Since then it is so evident by the Scripture that the Church of Christ must have Vnity it is no lesse evident that that cannot be the true Church which wants Vnity and is full of Dissensions Divisions as the Protestant Church appeares now evidently to be even to the weakest vnderstandings by her great Schismes and divisions both in doctrin government And therefore he who believes a Church of so great division or confusion to be the true Church cannot be said to follow the Scriptures but rather to controul them and to follow his own fancies Whereas the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome by her admirable Vnity both in doctrin disciplin all the world over even to the least article or point of faith may be easily seen to be the true Church of Christ which was founded by him and he by the same Vnity may be known to be the true Messias who was sent from heaven CHAP. XXXIII The true Church proved by her holynesse THE second mark whereby the true Church is described in the Nicen Creed is Holynesse I beleeve One holy c. Church which property is also assign'd to her in the Apostles Creed I beleeve the holy Catholique Church Besides these authorities the very light of Nature and the Scripture show that the true Church ought to be holy For this being a society of people ordain'd by God for a most holy end to witt to enioy himself who is the Holy of Holies for all eternity must have holynesse of doctrin to direct them and holynesse of life to bring them to so holy an end This the Prophet David sheweth Psal 92 vers vlt saying Holynesse becometh thine house O Lord for ever S. Paul saith that Christ delivered himself fâ—r his Church that he might sanctifie it c. that he might present it to himself Ephes 5.26.27 a glorious Church not hauing spot or wrinkle or any such thing but that it may be holy and vnspotted It is evident then by the â—reed by the light of Nature and by the Scriptures that the true Church must be Holy And the holynesse of it for our present purpose consists principally in two things to wit in holynesse of doctrine holynesse of life Therefore that Church which teacheth impious doctrin and wherein there is little or no holynesse of life cannot be the true Church Let vs then briefly see to which Church whither to the Protestant or to the Church in Communion with the sea of Rome this mark of Holynesse doth best agree First concerning doctrin I find that the first Apostles of Protestants teach doctrin directly repugnant to the goodnesse of God to the Nature of man to the holynesse of the Christian Sacraments to the observation of Gods commandments besides many other particulars Calvin the great Foundatour of Pressbytery teaches that God is the Author of sin for thus he writeth Cal lib. 1. instit cap. 18 par 3. Now I have clearly enough shewed that God is called the Author of all these things which these Controwlers to witt the Papists will have to fall forth by his idle permission onely And such things which according to Catholiques God willeth not but only permits are sins of which Calvin there speaks as of the blindnesse and tyranny of Achab of the incest of Absalon and the like of which he calls God the Author Again he saith Man by the iust impulsion of God Ibid par 4. doth that which is not lawfull for him to do And of Pharao he saith Deus voluit vtique illum iussui suo non obtemperare immo vt ei repugnaret In Rom. pc 454. ipse in eo effecit God willed him not to obey his Commandment yea he himself wrought that in him that he might disobey it Many more places are collected by Becan in a Treatise which he wrote on this subiect de Authore peccati Where he cites diverse testimonies of Beza and other Protestant Authors to the same purpose Now that this is an impious opinion and against the very clear light of nature is evident For all men conceive by natural instinct that God is not only good in himself but also goodnesse it self the Author and fountain of all goodnesse But
get no more rest Next as you falsly pretended your faith to be contain'd in the word of God so now as groundlesly you pretend the Catholique faith to be condemned by the same word which as yet you could never make good in any one point It is true indeed that the Catholique Church is condemned by the Church of Scotland But it is as true that the Church of Scotland is condemned by the Catholique Church which is of far greater authority and which has iudged condemned all former Heresies and Triumphed over them Now followes your dismall song with your abiurations detestations of the Faith Order Disciplin of the Catholique Church and first you strick at the Visible head and Governour of it vnder Christ whom you call Anti-Christ detesting his Authority which you call vsurped The principal reason for which you beleeve this strange article of your faith to witt that the Pope is Anti-Christ is because he claimes Primacy over other Bishops and extends his care over the whole Church which he affirmes to be committed to his charge as vnto S. Peters Successor If your reason were good then S. Peter himself had been the first Anti-Christ For both the Scriptures and Fathers show that he received from Christ the primacy over the other Apostles and that the care of the whole Church was entrusted to him S. Mathew shewes that Peter was the first of the Apostles The names saith he Math. 10 2. of the Apostles are these the first Sâ—mon who is called Peter Now Peter was not first in calling but in preeminence For as S. Ambrose saith in 2. Cor. 12. Andrew first followed our Saviour before Peter and yet the Primacy Andrew received not but Peter The same is showed by the change of his name which Christ promised in the 1. of S. Iohn and thereafter performed Math. 16. in S Mathew where he said Thou art Peter or a Rock and vpon this Rock will I build my Church c. And I will give vnto thee the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven c. This change of the name of Simon into Peter foretold by Christ and thereafter performed by him is not without great mystery and these excellent privileges which our Saviour promised to him of the keyes of the Kingdome of heaven of binding and loosing do show that he was particularly to grace and advance him above others which he performed after his resurrection when he said to him Feed my sheep feed my Lambs giving him thereby the charge of his whole flock 5. Iohn 21.16 The same Supremacy of S. Peter may be showed by many other preeminences recorded in Scripture as how Christ prayed particularly for him that his faith might not faile and payed Tribut for him but for brevities sake they are omitted Now we shall briefly see how the holy Fathers vnderstood these Scriptures S. Gregory the great saith Greg. lib â— â—pâ—st 7 â— It is manifest to all persons who know the Gospell that from our Lords own mouth the â—â—re of the whole Church was 〈◊〉 to S. Peter the Prince of the Apostles for to For what end saith he did Christ shed his blood Chrysost lib. 2. de Sacerdotio Aug. epist 86. but that he might purchase these sheep the care of which he committed to S. Peter and his successors S. Augustin calls S. Peter the Head of the Apostles the Gate-keeper of heaven and the Foundation of the Church S. Cyprian saith Cypr. epist ad Iulian. We hold Peter the Head and Roote of the Church And in a word all the holy Fathers affirm the same They do likwise acknowledge that the Bishops of Rome are S. Peter successors in that supreame Authority S. Athanasius writing to Pope Liberius saith Athanas epist ad liber Ep. ad Felicem For this cause the Vniversal Church is committed to you by our Lord Iesus that you should labour for all men And again writing to Pope Felix he saith Thou art Peter and vpon thy foundation the Pillars of the Church that is the Bishops are fortified S. Augustin saith Aug. ep 165. in the Romaâ— Church the Principality of the Apostolique Chair did ever flourish And elswhere Number the Priests from the Sea of Peter Aug. in psal cont part Donati and in that order of Fathers see who succeeded to another This is the Rock which the proud gates of hell do not overcome To which we shall only add the testimony of S. Bernard who writes thus to Eugenius Thou art he to whom the keies of heaven are delivered â—ern l. 2. de consid c. 8. and to whom the sheep are committed there be other Porters of heaven other Pastor of flocks but thou â—â—st â—â—â—erited in more glorious and different sort For they have every 〈◊〉 their particular sâ—ock but to thee all Vniver-â—â—◠〈…〉 of all the Pastors themselvs But thou wilt ask me how I prove that even by our Lords word For to whom of all I say not only Bishops but Apostles were the sheep so absolutely and without limitation committed If thou lovest me Peter feed my sheep He saith not the people of this kingdome or that Citie but my sheep without all distinction So S. Bernard By which Authorities Testimonies both of the Scriptures and Fathers you see what solid ground the Popes authority hath that it was confer'd by Christ on S. Peter and that it has been acknowledged by the holy Fathers Christian world in the Bishops of Rome his Successors Therefore you very rashly have reiected this authority which has been established confirmed by Christs special providence vnto this day but more wickedly do you call it an vsurped Tyranny and beleeve the Pope for vindicating and exercising the same authority to be the great Anti-Christ whereas you ought to acknowledge him to be the Vicar of Christ These who honour reverence the Authority of the Bishops of Rome of the Apostolique Sea follow the example of all the holy Fathers and auncient good Christians but these who now a dayes endeavour to dishonour and revile them have the Heretiques for their Predecessors who never caried good-will to them S. Augustin shewes that the Donatists called the Apostolique Sea the Chair of Pestilence but that is nothing to the Epithets of the Covenanting Ministers Who exâ—eed in railings and blasphemies all that ever spoke when they fall vpon this point making thereby the simple people beleeve that Anti-Christian article of their faith that the Pope is Anti-Christ But the holy Fathers tooke it for an vndoubted mark that these who did not acknowledge the Popes authority and were not of his Communion belonged not to Christ but to Anti-Christ S. Hierom writing to S Damasus saith who gathereth not with thee scattereth that is who it not Christs is Anti-Christs Having now seen that the Pope whom the Covenanters call malitiously Anti-Christ is the Vicar of Christ it remaines evident that his Authority is lawfull
the bond but also the Sacrament of Marriage is commended By which few Testimonies these 5. Sacraments which you reiect are as clearly proved out of the Scripture as these two which you admit Yea although they had not been mentioned in the Scripture yet they are all with reverence to be received seing they are demonstrated by divine Tradition which is of no lesse infallible authority then the Scripture it self as has been proved above and this Tradition is evident both by the consent of the holy Fathers and by the constant beleef practice of the whole Church which has vsed these Sacraments in all ages according to the ends for which they were instituted And thefore the Catholique doctrine concerning the number of the Sacraments which flowes from such pure fountains is pure true not corrupted as you do calumniate Whereas indeed your doctrine and that of your first Reformers in this matter is not only full of corruption but also of confusion For Luthers followers admit three Sacraments to witt Ap. Becan in Man lib. 1. c. 8. Baptism Eucharist Penance as may be seen in their Catechismes Zuinglius receives also three but not all the same for in place of Penance he puts Matrimonie And Calvin reckons also three for to Baptism the Supper Cal. lib. 4. Instit c. 19. par 32. he adds Order So full of confusion even at the beginning were these builders of Babylon following neither Scriptures nor Fathers but their own fancies Wherein you are not behind with them swarving from the doctrin of your Master Calvin and according to your own imaginations admitting only 2. Sacraments which two also in effect you destroy by robbing them of all vertue and efficacy as has been shewed above chap. 21. in fine You accuse next the Catholique Church of corruptions concerning the vse of the Sacraments But it is sufficient against your accusations that these vses of the Sacraments which you most blame as private Baptism private Communion c. are known to have been observed by the holy Primitive Church are in themselvs laudable and tend much to the devotion comfort of the faithfull and are also approved by diverse learned moderate Protestants Whereas your doctrines practises make your Sacraments altogether gracelesse and almost Vselesse and Comfortlesse for which you are blamed by diverse Protestants Moreover you are enemies also to the very Ceremonies with which the Sacraments are administrated in the Catholique Church It is not sufficient for you to have taken away the fruite of Grace from these heavenly Trees planted by God in the Garden of his Church as in a heavenly Paradise vnlesse you pull away also the Ceremonies which serve as leaves and Ornaments to them You detest all Ceremonies not contain'd in the word of God By which you lay down a most false deceitfull principle as if no Ceremonies were to be vsed which were not expresly there For first the Scriptures containes not expresly all doctrines but referres vs to the Church and to Traditions as we have seen above How much lesse then doth it contain all Ceremonies Secondly As our Saviour when he did institute the Sacraments did not prescribe the particular forme by which they should be celebrated but left that to the wisdome of his Apostles so his Apostles did not set down that manner in writing S. Augustin expresly affirmes the first part Aug. ep 118. ad Ianuar. saying Christ did not command in what order thereafter the Sacrament should be taken that he might leave that place to the Apostles by whom hs was to order his Church The second part is also evident For we never read where S. Paul who writing to the Corinthians concerning the holy Eucharist said 1. Cor. 11. ver vlt. The rest I will dispose when I come did expresse that manner or order in the Scripture And the same may be said of the other Apostles Thirdly Some Rites and Ceremonies vsed by Christ himself recorded in Scripture were changed by the holy Apostles according to the instinct of the holy Ghost for the greater honour of the blessed Sacrament and have been from the Apostles times observed throughout the whole Church without Scripture Aug. ep 118. c. 6. This S. Augustin doth testify Neither saith he because Christ gave the Sacrament after meat ought we having dyn'd or sup't assemble to receive that Sacrament or as these whom the Apostle reproves and corrects mingle it with their Tables c. For it seem'd good to the holy Ghost that for the honour of so great a Sacrament our Lords body before all other meat should first enter into the mouth of a Christian and therefore this custom is observed throughout the whole world Fourthly the Church can institute ceremonies for greater decency and Order and for the more honour of God For if Iacob a private man vsed a new Ceremonie by erecting a stone by powring oyle vpon it and giving it the title of Bethel Genes 28. If the Synagogue of the Iewes made a new feast by the advice of Mardocheus Ester 9. why not also shall the Church of Christ have the same authority If such was the power of a private man and of the Handmaid How much more ought the power be of the Free-woman the holy Church the immaculate Spouse of Iesus-Christ Or what can be more ridiculous and profane then to grant that power to these and deny it to this Or to think that the Catholique Church which is governed by the Holy Ghost in all truth according to Christs promise should not have so much wisdom as to ordain aright some few Ceremonies Therefore your former principle is very false for many reasons yea it is so false that yourselves doe not observe it For where have you Scripture for the Godfathers God-Mothers which you require at Baptism Where have you scripture for taking your Communion fasting from the hands of one another not from the hands of your Minister and for many such rites customes besides your stoole of Repentance When did your Ministers observe that ceremony of washing the feet of others which was vsed by Christ Iohn 13.5 before the celebration of the Eucharist When did either they or their Elders anoint the sick according to S. Iames precept Whereby it is evident that you observe some Rites which are not contain'd in the scriptures and others you neglect which are there particularly recommended As then it is clear that the Church of Christ may vse ceremonies which are not expressed in Scripture so these Ceremonies which she observeth are most commendable because they are most auncient and were vsed in the primitive times as Coccius shewes by the testimonies of the holy Fathers they are most observeable because they were instituted by the holy Apostles and Pastors of the Church who had both authority and wisdom to institute those which are most convenient And lastly they have been confirmed by the long
little the Model and Methode of it In the first place are set down the Occasions of that Honorable new Converts doubts concerning the Truth of the Protestant Religion such as are the Ministers Inconstancy in Doctrin Disciplin their great Dissensions and Divisions Their Tyrannizing over mens Consciences Their Contradicting their own Principles c. In which matters some late histories or passages are interlaced without expressing the names of persons therein concerned because that was not necessary since the things here touched are publique late fresh in all mens knowledge and Memories within the Countrey and the persons also well enough known Neither is it the digrace of any mens persons Hier. Apolog. 3. cont Ruffin c. 11. which S. Hierom calls the Machines of Heretiques but the correction of their Errors which is here intended After the occasion of the doubts is shewed in some few chapters then followeth the Triall of the last pretended Presbyterian Reformation in the principal points thereof as its condemning of Episcopacy the abolishing the hymne of Glory to the Father c. the denying the Apostolical authority of the Apostles Creed neglecting to say our Lords Prayer c. In all which points the Presbyterians are found to go against the word of God the Primitive Church the former doctrines practises of many among themselvs against their first Reformers and many learned Protestants So that this last pretended Reformation is shewed to be nothing but a reall Deformation destroying not only the Apostolique office government established by Christ in his Church but also the two chief Pillars or heads of the Christian Religion to witt our Lords Prayer and the Apostles Creed Then followeth the Trial of the first pretended Reformation which is also shewed to have destroyed in effect the other two chief Pillars of Christianity to witt the Divine Commandments and Holy Sacraments and to have brought in a most Erroneous doctrin of Iustification by Faith only expresly against the Scriptures holy Fathers So that these two pretended Reformations are shown to have made vp between them the hideous work of Desolation After this the whole Protestant Church by the vndenyable principle of the perpetuity of Christs Church is proved not to be the true Church of Christ And by the same vndenyable principle the Church in Communion with the Sea of Rome and she alone is demonstrated to be the true Catholique Church of Christ and to have in all ages still continued in the same doctrin which she received from Christ his Apostles notwithstanding the calumnies of Heretiques Then lastly the same truth is proved by the Marks whereby the true Church is clearly designed in the Scriptures as by her Vnity Sanctity Vniversality Apostolical Succession by which marks the holy Fathers also did prove the true Church in their times To which is subioyned a brief Examination of the Presbyterian Covenant or Confession of Faith which although it was much Idolatrized of late is shewed to be nothing but a Denyall and Abiuration of the holy Faith with many execrations and blasphemies against it This briefly Courteous Reader is the Scope and Methode of the ensuing Treatises which the Author thereof earnestly wishes may tend to thy profit That if thou be a new Converted Catholique thou mayst be coÌ„firmed thereby in thy holy Faith If one who after many tossings in Errors art seeking the Truth thou mayst be assisted to find it where only it can be found if lastly thou be one who not through malice but through negligence or ignorance adheres vnto Errors thou mayst be stirred vp to try them and to seek diligently the Truth which is a work most worthy of thy paines Neither is it so hard as some do imagin to find the Truth since God Almighty according to his infinit goodnesse wisdom has prepared the way to heaven so much the more certain easy to be known how much more Error and deceit in it brings greater losse with it and therefore he has promised so plain and direct a way vnto Eternal happinesse that fooles may not erre by it Esay 35.5 Whence it is evident if thou seekest this way with diligence and after the right manner thou mayst have great confidence by Gods grace to attayn vnto it But then thou wilt seek it in the right way according to the advice of the glorious Doctor S. Augustin to his friend Honoratus if thou dost vse fervent and frequent prayer Aug de vtilâ— credâ—s 15 16. strivest to have peace and tranquillity of mind if thou wilt hear that Church which God hath established on earth with so great authority and which is called Catholique both by her own by strangers For it is by Authority only whereby men can come vnto the knowledge of Divin Truth and there is no Authority equall vnto this wich began by Miracles and is most famous for Multltudes of peoples and Nations and therefore if thou proceedest orderly at this Authority thou oughtest to begin as the same holy Father affirmes But if thou contemnest so great Authority and only openest thy eares to the Enemies and Calumniators of so famous a Society which has been also calumniated by all the former heretiques as well as by these of this Age thou canst not be excused neither canst thou arrive vnto the possession of solid Truth Therefore if thou be wise follow the former advice of S. Augustin who was so wise so learned a Doctor and who had such great knowledge and experience in this affaire And if thou wouldest take a short and compendious way to come vnto the Truth Try only that one question of the Church according to the marks abovementioned whereby it is clearly designed in Scripture and thou wilt not only soone find that they cannot agree to thy New Inconstant Church but also thou wilt quickly see that they agree to the Catholique Church which has ever endured and against which Hels gates could never prevaile and so with the true Church thou wilt find aâ—l Truth because it is ever governed by the Spirit of Truth and is the Pillar and ground of Truth This is the right manner for thee to attayn vnto the Truth and to true Happâ—nesse To which that God Almighty may direct and bring thee shall be earnestly desired by thy welwisher F. W. S. A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS Chap. I. THAT God by the Confusion of Error stirres vp many to seek the Truth p. 1. Ch. II. Of the Ministers Inconstancy and of the Alterations made by the late Presbyterian Reformation p. 8. Ch. III. Of the Ministers Dissensions Divisions p. 15. Ch. IV. Of the Presbyterians Rigour and Tyranny over Protestants p. 26. Ch. V. Of the Presbyterians contradicting their own Principles p. 34. Ch. VI. Of the Presbyterians Disobedience to the Civil Magistrate and of their pretext of Piety p. 46. Ch. VII Of Episcopacy condemned as Anti-Christian by the Presbyterians p. 53. Ch. VIII Of our Lords
vpon his wisdome For as it 's certaine that God made these lawes so it 's no lesse evident in the Scriptures that God vseth admonitions exhortations propounds rewards and threatens punishements to induce men to observe his lawes Now what Magistrate would be esteemed to be in his right wits who would not only make lawes impossible to be kept but also spend time in making exhortations propounding rewards to perswade men to do impossibilities But the Presbyterian doctrine makes God who is not only wise but wisdome it self subiect to both these follies which are most grosse absurdities And therefore since his lawes admonitions exhortations cannot be but prudent reasonable they do ever suppose the possibility of that which they enioyne and wherevnto they exhorte 3. The Presbyterian doctrine is not only iniurious to God but also it is very preiudiciall to man for it would rob him of the most excel-cellent of all vertues to witt the love of God For none can love another vnlesse he be good iust or at least appeare to be so But how can God appeare to be so who is described by the Presbyterians as if he were the most cruel Tyrant in the world to command impossibilities then to punish man eternally for not doing them Therefore if the Prerbyterian doctrine were true no man could love God as good gratious but rather would hate him as vniust Tyrannous 4. The Presbyterian opinion is a great enemy to piety vertue For if the Commandements be impossible none will strive to keep them and by this meanes a wide gate is opened to all impiety This is acknowledged by the forementioned Minister M. Shelford who saith Were the law impossible to be kept then all the exhortations threatnings in Gods word should be idle then all mens labours would wax lazie then good life which is after the rule would be exiled for that no man will strive against the stream Wherefore great enemies are they to Christian growth reward in the way of Godlinesse who are against this doctrine to witt of the possibility to keep the Commandements Lastly if the law were impossible then all men would be freed from subiection obedience to it for who can be reasonably tyed to things meerly impossible And this was the vse that Islebius one of Luthers Schollers made of his doctrine wherevpon he began the sect of the Anti-nomians as Sleidan doth testify in the 12. book of his history Having therefore found such clear testimonies of Scriptures Fathers such weight of right reason for the ancient Catholique doctrine I could not either in reason or conscience reiect all these and follow the Presbyterians groundlesse fancies which are against the very ground of faith to witt the holy Scriptures For the Presbyterians do teach that the commandements are impossible even with Gods grace And the Scripture saith they are easy light not heavy which is more then if it had affirmed that they were meerly possible Againe the Presbyterians by affirming the commandements are impossible do averre that never any did keep them doth or shall keep them The Scripture shewes in expresse termes that Abraham Zachary Elizabeth and others did keep them and that God hath promised many should keep them S. Iohn affirmeth that he who saith he knoweth God keepeth not his commandements is a liar the truth is not in him The Presbyterians do professe that they know God and that they neither do nor can keep his commandments and yet they will not be esteemed liars but rather true Professours For my part I am not able to reconcile such manifest contradictions as are in this matter betwixt the Scriptures the Presbyterians And therefore seing I cannot adhere to both I choosed rather to abandon the Presbyterians in thiâ— matter then to forsake the Scriptures I was much confirmed in this resolution when I saw the Catholique doctrine and sense of the Scriptures to be so clearly in the holy Fathers that by no shifts their testimonies can be shunned But I will add to these testimonies already brought one or two more which seem'd to me very clear efficacious How I pray you saith Sainct Augustin is it impossible vnto man to love Aug. ser 47. de Sanc to love I say a bountifull Creator a most loving father and then also to love his own flesh in his brethren but he who loves has fulfilled the law as the Apostle teacheth Wherefore the same holy Father admiring the great goodnesse bounty of God Rom. 3. who requires nothing of vs but to love him who is so good in himself and so gracious to vs he speaks thus vnto him What is man that thou wilt haue thy self to be beloved by him Aug. lib. 1. Confes c. 5. and if he do not love thee thou threatens him with great punisments But is not this punishment great enough if I do not love thee S. Chrysostome to the like purpose saith God commanded nothing impossible in so much Chry. hom 19. in Heb. hom 18. de Poenit. that many go beyond the very commandments And then he sheweth who these were to witt S. Paul S. Peter even all the quire of Saints Lastly the holy Fathers do not only prove the Catholique doctrine by the Scriptures and most solid reason founded vpon the goodnesse iustice of God but they condemne also the contrary opinion as a flat blasphemy against God Which censure is approved likewise by some Protestants Truly I cannot resist these reasons authorities and follow the Presbyterians to make a doctrine which is against the Scriptures and is condemned as blasphemy by the holy Fathers by some Protestants a principal article of my faith CHAP. XIV A Consideration of the Presbyterians principall grounds against the Possibility of keeping the Divine Commandements HAVING received aboundant satifaction in this matter concerning the Catholique doctrin I will briefly run through the Presbyterians principal grounds against it which in this search I did not leave vnconsidered 1. I found they acknowledged the Novelty of their doctrine 2. They brought no pure Scripture to prove it notwithstanding they pretend to believe nothing but Scripture 3. The Scriptures they bring are privatly expounded by them against the holy Fathers ancient Church against the Scriptures themselves in other places 4. They lay down some false Maximes and weak reasons whereon they build their imaginary faith or rather most dangerous errour Calvin acknowledges the novelty singularity of his doctrine Cal. lib. 2. Instit cap. 7 sect 5. in these words That we said the observation of the law to be impossible is briefly to be explained confirmed for it was wont commonly to be esteemed a most absurd opinion in so much as Hierome did not doubt to denounce a curse to it but I care nothing what Hierome thought Cent. 2. â— cap. 4. The Centuriators also of Magdeburg do acknowledge
life so neither is it commanded Of this perfection S Paul speaks when he saith Philip. 1.12 Et ver 15. Not that I haue now received or now am perfect but I pursue if I may comprehend And yet immediatly thereafter he calleth himself and others perfect in another inferiour degree of perfection Let vs therefore saith he as many as are perfect be thus minded 2. They are called perfect who although they do not alwayes actually love God think vpon him yet they consecrate themselves totally to Gods service and leave willingly all worldly things to please him according to that of our Saviour If thou wilt be perfect go and sell all thow hast give to the poore c. This perfection is not commanded but onely counselled as the holy Fathers constantly teach and albeit it be not commanded yet many by Gods grace do attayne vnto it Lastly they are called perfect who are ready to foresake loose all before they loose the love friendship of God This last kind of perfection is required of all men as God said to Abraham Genes 17.1 Math. 5. Genes 6. 1. Cor. 2.6 walk before me and be thou perfect and Christ said to his disciples be ye perfect The Sripture calls some perfect in this sense for it saith that Noe was a iust and a perfect man And S. Paul saith we speak wisdome among the perfect To this state a proportionable degree of perfection in keeping the commandments is required which by Gods grace may be performed Of this perfection S. Augustin speaketh when he saith that the iustice by which the iust man liues Aug. cont duas epist Pelag. lib. 3. c. 7. albeit for the capacity of this life it be not vndeservedly called perfect yet it is little in regard of that great iustice which the equality of Angels doth containe Hence it may easily appeare in what sense the Commandments of God ought may be kept perfectly and in what not To wit they may be kept perfectly in all the parts not one excepted and in some degree of perfection although they cannot be kept perfectly during this life in the highest degree which is not commanded nor required of vs. If the Presbyterians followed this sense they were not to be reproved but they haue a quite contrary meaning For they deny all possibility of keeping the Commandments any wise perfectly either in parts or the lowest degree of perfection as may be seen in their new Catechisme where they say that no man is able by any grace received in this life to keep the Commandments perfectly but every one breakes them dayly in thought word deed c. So that their sense of the impossibility to keep the Commandments perfectly is most false if not blasphemous For either God commandeth that perfection which they say is above their force power or he commandeth it not If he commandeth it not then they may fulfill the law perfectly because it is a law no further then it commandeth and if so far it may be fulfilled then may it be fulfilled perfectly Therefore it is false which they say that it cannot be fulfilled perfectly If they say that overplus of perfection which is above their power is commanded as they do ordinarly then they make God to be a Prince vnreasonable in commanding vs to do that which is not in our power to do and to be Tyrannous cruell in punishing vs eternally for not doing that which was above our reach to perform All which do make against the wisdome goodnesse iustice of God and therefore these opinions are condemned by the holy Fathers by some Protestants as blasphemous Thus spake the Catholique Moreover I remember he shew me that there was a notable difference in this matter betwen the Catholiques the Presbyterians For the last said he do free themselves and put the blame of all their wickednesse and sluggishnesse vpon God alleadging that he hath given them a law impossible to be kept even with all the help grace that he gives them But the Catholiques do free God of all blame impute iustly their breaking of the law to their own wickednesse alone S. Hierome shewes the humour of the Presbyterians in these words Hier. epist ad Celant We cry against God and we say that we are oppressed with the difficulty or impossibility of his Commandments Neither is it sufficient that we do not keep his Commandments vnlesse We pronounce the Commander to be vniust whilst we complaine that the Authour of equity hath Commanded not only hard things but also impossibilities The Church of Christ said the same Catholique hath been troubled in this matter with two opposite heresies to witt of the Pelagians the Calvinists The first taught of old that the Commandments were possible to be kept without the grace of God and the others of late teach that the Commandments are impossible to be kept even with the grace of God The Church of Christ keeps the medium of truth between these opposite errours Against the first she teacheth that the Commandments may be kept but not without Gods grace and against the second that they may be kept with Gods grace And therefore against both these enemies as well to one another as to grace she defends the grace of God Against the first she shewes the necessity of grace and against the second she maintaines the power efficacy of it But there is this notable difference between Pelagius Calvin in their opposition of grace that the first is an open enemy to it and the second is a great friend in words but no lesse enemy in deeds For whilst he vndervalues all the faculties and natural powers of man he would seem to cry vp grace to give all the glory to God But when he teacheth again that grace is not able to purify our soules or make vs able to walk in the Commandments of God he quite overthrowes grace God who of his mercy delivered this Island from the first heresy may also in his own time deliver it from the second Thus he But I did oppose vnto him that which I heard some Ministers say that God might iustly command things impossible to man fallen because it is sufficient that they were possible to man before his fall and seing by his own fault they became vnpossible God may iustly exact them without the least imputation either to his iustice or goodnesse To this he answered that the authorities of the Scriptures holy Fathers are for the possibility of the law after the fall And the Fathers shew by most solid reasons that God could neither with his iustice or goodnesse impose impossible lawes after the fall punish the transgressours of them with eternal paines Therefore this reason or rather pretence of the Ministers being no Scripture but rather against Scripture the holy Fathers who knew found reason as well as the Ministers is not to be regarded 2.
a more excellent foode then Manna Iohn 6.33 to witt the bread of life his own flesh But if the Sacrament were meer bread and not Christs body it would not be more excellent then Manna which was called the bread of Angels but much inferiour to it as is evident 4. Christ who is goodnesse and wisdom it self would not for tropes and figures have vsed so many asseverations as are set down in the 6. chapter of S. Iohn Neither would he have suffered so many of his disciples and others to go away from him after so many doubts proposed by them but he would have cleared the matter vnro them Lastly If this liberty be once graunted to expound the Scripture figuratively when we are not forced to it by any other Scripture or article of our faith then nothing will remaine but vncertaine opinions of divine things and so by this means the whole mysteries of the Christian religion may be denyed or overturned For there is no more requisite according to this licentious rule but that some few Novelists think a mystery impossible albeit all the holy Fathers ancient Church did ever esteem it not only possible but also a truth reveal'd by God and an article of their faith And so diverse heretiques have imagined the mysterie of the Incarnation of the holy Trinity and such like principal articles of the Christian religion to be impossible and therefore have expounded all the Scriptures which speak of them figuratively as the Presbyterians do here For these reasons besides the authority of the holy Fathers it appear'd sufficiently evident to me that the words of Christ concerning the holy Sacrament ought to be literally plainly vnderstood and not figuratively This truth also of the reall presence was shewed to me to betestifyed and confirmed from heaven by miracles both auncient and modern which are related by famous and faithfull Authors For either some singular benefites have been obtain'd by the faith of this holy Sacrament as expulsion of Devils deliverance from shipwrack and the like or some punishments have fallen vpon those who either did not beleeve the reall presence or vsed the Sacrament irreverently or some visions and apparitions of Christ in the forme of a child or flesh have been seen to confirm those who were doubtfull of the reall presence Of the first sorte Prosp de promissi Praed Dei c. cap. 6. S. Prosper bringeth an example which fell out at Carthage how a young Arabian maide who by a certaine sin made her self an habitation to the Devil by whom she was so miserably vexed some dayes that her throat being stopped she could receive no meat or drink was at length delivered by the Communion of the sacred body of our Lord. But most famous is that miracle which S. Bernard by the holy Sacrament did at Milan before innumerable people For he cured a woman who had been possessed many yeares by the Devil and was rather a monster then a woman In vita S. Bernardi lib. 2. cap. 3. by holding the holy Sacrament above her head and saying O wicked Spirit here is present thy Iudge Here is the highest power resist now if thou canst Now said he the Prince of this world shall be cast forth This is that body which was taken of the body of the Virgin which was stretched on the tree of the crosse which lay in the sepulchre which in the sight of his disciples ascended vnto heaven I command thee O wicked Spirit in the terrible power of this Maiesty that going out of this hand maid of our Lord thou presume to touch her no more God approved the truth of S. Bernards faith which was alwayes the faith of the Catholique Church by granting his desire Flor. Reym de ortu haeres lib. 2. cap. 12. The like miracle was done in this last age at Laon in Picardie on the person of a young woman named Nicolas Obry as is related with many admirable circumstances by an eye witnesse Florimond Reymond Counsellour of the Parliament of Burdeaux by which miracle he professeth himself to have been drawen out of the gulf of heresie Ambros in Orat. funeb de obitu Satyri S. Ambrose doth also relate how his brother Satyrus by the great faith he had of this holy Sacrament was miraculously delivered from shipwrack How God hath punished those who have abused or blasphem'd this holy Sacrament both auncient and modern histories do shew S. Cyprian relateth many of these miracvlous punishments Ott Mileâ—it cont Parmen lib. 2. For. de ortu haerâ—s lib. 4. c. 10. which fell out in his time so that some were filled with vnclean Spirits others were turned into madnesse S. Optatus doth shew that the Donatists who threw the holy Sacrament of the Catholiques vnto dogges immediatly thereafter felt the divine iudgment for the dogges becoming enraged did set vpon their own Masters and tore them in pieces The above named Florimond doth relate how an Arian woman of Cracovie in the yeare 1579. looking out at her window and seeing the holy Sacrament caried in procession cry'd out Behold the beare which the Papists carie and adore But immediatly she was punished For the Devil seazing on her did so torment her that blaspheming she expired in her husbands armes Moreover Idem lib. 4. cap. 6. the same-Author sheweth that a Iew having made himself Christian did steale out of a Catholique Church three consecrated hosties with which he fled to Hungarie where he sold one of them to a Iew in Presburg and with the other two he went to another town called Nickesburg where he assembled diverse of his companions to shew their outrage against the Sacrament Whence it came to passe that one of the company taking a knife did stob the sacred hostie which was lying on a table saying if thou be the God of the Christians shew it by some miracle The blow was no sooner given but the blood did spring vp by which they were astonished and in the same houre thunder came from heaven which destroyed that house and consumed into ashes that wicked company except only three who half burnt were left to be witnesses of their wickednesse and having escaped the fire of heaven were severly punished by the hand of man as the Author recounts This miracle was so much the more famous that the table and the two hosties of which one was pierced by a knife were found entire among the middest of these ashes and were collected at the sight of innumerable people This miracle fell out in the yeare 1580. I passe by many more which were showen me to this purpose Paul Diac. in vâ—ta S. Greg. Ioann Eiar in vita eiusd Greg. lib. 2. c. 41. Lastly for the comfort of the faithfull or for confirmation of the doubtfull some visions have appeared in the holy Sacrament That which is recounted in the life of S. Grego the great is very remarkable The historie is briefly this
When S. Gregorie was giving the Sacrament to the people he came to a woman who smiled when he said to her the body of our Lord Iesus Christ preserue thy soule wherevpon the Pope did withdraw his hand lay'd the SacrameÌ„t on the altar After the holy solemnities were ended he enquired at the woman why she had laughed in so dreadfull an action She in end confessed that she could not acknowledge that bread which she had made with her own hands to be the body of Christ Then S. Gregorie prayed God earnestly for her and obtain'd that the bread even in external forme should be turned into flesh by which miracle he both reduced the woman vnto the faith and confirmed the people in it The faith of S. Lowis King of France Bosius li 14 de signis Eccles p. 145. ex Villanaeo an 1258. concerning this Sacrament is much celebrated For when he being advertised that a most beavtifull child had appeard in the holy Sacrament was desired to come and see this miracle he refused to goe saying that these miracles were done for these who doubted but for himself he was most certaine that Christ Iesus was truly present in the Eucharist An other such apparition was seen at Doway in the yeare 1254. continueda good time Spond suppl anno 1254. n. 16. so that great numbers of people came from diverse parts to see it and the memory of it is every yeare celebrated in that town with great solemnity By all which considerations I was sufficiently satisfyed of the Catholique belief concerning the reall presence which I found to be containd in the holy Scriptures beleeved by the holy Fathers and by general Councels and to be confirmed by miracles And therefore I could not any longer believe the Presbyterian doctrin which against all these authorities makes the body of Christ to be as far distant from the Sacrament as the heavens are from the earth 1. I perceived that they scarcely pretend to have Scripture for them but are enforced to runne from the clear words of it to their tropes figures Aug. lib. 3. de doct Christ c. 10. which S. Augustin observed long ago to be the custom of erroneous persons So soone saith he as the opinion of any errour hath once prepossessed their minds they esteeme all to be figures which the Scripture saith to the contrarie And therefore albeit the Scripture saith not once but foure times that the Eucharist is the body and blood of Iesus Christ without ever saying in any one place that it is not his body but only a figure of it they beleeve the one which it saith not and not the other which it affirmes Against them S. Iohn Damascen saith efficaciously Damas lib. 4. Orthodo fidei The bread wine is not a figure of the body blood of Christ God forbid it were that but it is the divine body of our Lord he himself saying this is my body 2. They passe from the Scriptures Fathers and found their negative faith vpon their senses and some carnal reasons Chrys homil 60. ad popul Antioch Against which vaine pretences S. Chrysostom saith well Let vs beleeve God every where let vs not oppose him although that which he saith seem absurd to our sense vnderstanding Let his speech overcome our sense and reason which in all things we ought to do cheefly in the mysteries not only looking to that which lieth before vs but also holding fast his words For we cannot be deceived by his words our sense may be easily deceived these cannot be false this is often deceived Because therefore he hath said this is my body let vs not be holden by any doubt but let vs beleeve and comprehend it wiâ—h the ey 's of of our vnderstanding Cyrill Alex. lib. 4. in Ioan c. 13. S. Cyrill speaks no lesse efficaciously against those who pretend this mystery to be against reason and impossible compareing them to incredulous Iewes A malignant minde saith he doth presently reiect as frivolous false what it doth not vnderstand yeelding to none nor thinking any thing to be aboue it self as we shall find the Iewes to have been For when it became them who had seen the divine vertue the miracles of our Saviour to receive his speech willingly and if any thing seemed difficult to have asked the resolution of him they did the quit contrarie and cryed out together against God not without great impietie How can this man give vs his flesh neither did it come into their minde that there is nothing impossible with God for since they were sensual as S. Paul speaks they could not vnderstand spiritual things and so great a mystery seemed to them to be follie But let vs make great profit by other mens sins Let us have a firme faith in these mysteries Let vs neuer speak nor think that word How That 's meerly Iudaical and the cause of great punishment Thus S. Cyrill 3. The Presbyterians do wrest our Saviours words by a figurative interpretation against all reason as hath been shewed Then I found this Presbyterian doctrin Apud Bellar. lib. 1. de Euch. cap. 1. Gualt Chronolog saecul 1. cap. 1. Elien resp ad Apolog. Bellar. c. 1. Casaub ans to Card. Peron 1. instance fol. 32. English to have been an ancient heresie of Simon Magus and Menander and thereafter of Berengarius who at his death did recant of the Albigenses and of diverse others Yea Gualterus brings some testimonies of the holy Fathers to shew that Iudas the traitor denyed the reall presence and did not believe our Saviours words in the 6. chapter of S. Iohn Lastly diverse famous Protestants have abandoned that doctrin of Calvin As Bishop Andrews who writes thus against Bellarmin We agree faith he with yow of the matter all the contention is about the manner a presence I say we believe not lesse reall then yow Casaubon made the like profession in name of King Iames of the whole Church of England And whereas I heard so much cryed out against Transubstantiation as a thing impossible and a noveltie lately introduced into the Church I found both these allegations to be false For the holy Fathers do shew both the possibility and the verity of it out of the Scriptures Cyrill Hieros Catech. 4. Mystag Ambros l. 4. de Sacram c. 4. lib. de mysterijs initiand cap. 9. S. Cyrill saith Christ changed once water into wine which is near vnto blood and is he not worthy to be believed of vs that he hath changed wine into blood S. Ambrose having shewed the power of Christs speech how by it he gave a being to the world which had no being before saith How much more then operative is it that these things which were might have a being and be converted into another Again the same holy Father calls this change a conversion of nature substance bringing examples out of the old
be visible before Luther which we shall shortly run over CHAP. XXVII That the Protestant Church was not visible in the primitive Church or the holy Fathers nor thereafter in the Roman Church IT was very ordinary for the old Protestants of the late English Church to alleadge that the ancient Fathers were of their religion and that their Church was conforme to the primitive Church In which matter M. Iewels appeale to the Fathers of the first 6. hundred yeares is very famous But that pretence is idle in regard of our present question 2. it is false First it 's idle because were it true as we shall see it to be most false that these Fathers of the first 5. or 6. hundred years were Protestants yet could not that suffice to prove them a continued succession of 1600. years For I enquire what became of the Protestant Church after the Fathers to the time of Luther Did it perish or not If it perished then it is not the true Church which must be perpetual according to the first vndeniable principle above setled If the Protestant Church did not perish but remain'd visible for 900. years between the Fathers Luther then the question remaines where was it in what kingdome Province or Citie which-can never be shewed Yea some famous Protestants do acknowledge Peâ—kins expos symbol p. 266. whit that all that time the Protestant Church was not to be seen Therefore although the Fathers were granted to have been Protestants the Protestant Church cannot be continued by them after their time Secondly its most false that the Fathers were Protestants 1. Because the Christians of the sixth age must needs know better what was the religion and tenets of them who lived in the fifth age by whom they were instructed and with whom they conversed th n Protestants can do now But these Christians have protested on their salvation that it was the very same with theirs receiv'd from them by word of mouth Therefore if the Christians of the sixth age were not Protestants neither were the Fathers and Christians of the 5. age Protestants and so you may go vpward even to the Apostles This reason shall be more cleared hereafter 2. It may be known that the Fathers were not Protestants by the points already examined For they did not beleeve Iustification by faith only the impossibility of keeping the Commandments They did not deny the necessity effect of baptism they did not deny the real presence which are principal articles of the Protestant religion but taught the quite contrary as hath been seen Therefore according to the second principle above setled they were not Protestants 3. Not to descend to particular doctrines this same truth may be shewed by the little account Protestants make of the Fathers whom they would highly esteem if they made for them and in a word by the open Confession of the chief Protestants that the Fathers were against them in many things Luther as if he were a little after cups speaks very intemperatly of the Fathers In the writing saith he of Hierome there is not a word of true faith Luth. in colloq c. de patrib or sound religion of Chrysostome I make do accompt Basil is of no worth he is wholly a Monk I weigh him not a haire Cyprian is a weak Divine c. Idom de seruo arbitr cap. 2 And generally he affirmeth that the authority of the Fathers is not to be regarded If the Fathers had been Pâ—otestants Luther had not so vnderva ved them nor disclaim'd their authority Calvin also ingenuously confesseth that the Fathers are against him in many points Cal inst lib. 3. cap 5 sect 10. It was a custom saith he about 1300 years ago to pray for the dead but all of that time I confesse were caried away into error He granteâ—h also that the Fathers taught satisfaction free will merit fasting in Lent c. All which Whitaker confirmes Vvhit cont 2 q. 5 c. 7. li. 6. eâ—nt Durieum P. Mar. de voto It 's true saith he what Calvin the Centurists have written that the ancient Church did erre in many things as touching limbe free will merit of works c. And again he saith The Popish religion is patched vp of the Fathers errors Peter Martyr accords to him So long saith he as we stand to the Councels and Fathers we shall remaine alwayes in the same Errors An other famous Protestant said more clearly If that be true Duditius ap Bezam Epist 1. which the Fathers have professed by mutual consent it is altogether on the Papists side This open Confession of the Protestants chief Reformers and best Schollers sheweth evidently that the holy Fathers were not Protestants And therefore the Presbyterians who disclaime the holy Fathers yeeld them to the Papists are much more sincere ingenuous in this matter then the late English Protestants who laid claime to the Fathers deceitfully made the people beleeve that they were Protestants which they were enforced to deny when they were dealing with Schollers as may appeare by the former testimonies By all which it is more then evident that the holy Fathers and primitive Church were not Protestants and therefore the Protestant Church cannot be shewed to be visible in theÌ„ much lesse can the visibility of it be continued after them Wherefore we must go and seek out this visible Protestant Church els where for here it cannot be seen The last valiant attempt was made by some famous Protestants who after they had seen that all their neighbours and Predecessors had wearied themselves in vaine by travailing all the world over to find out a visible Protestant Church before Luther which could not be found had in end their recourse vnto the Popish Church as vnto a City of refuge in this great straight They taught two things 1. That the Roman Protestant Churches are all one Church as agreing in all fundamental points of faith although they disâ—gree in not fundamentals and by this distinction they think to answer easily that hard question where was your Church before Luther To witt they say it was the ve y same with the Roman which they acknowledge to be a true Church keeping all the fundamental points of religion which are necessary to salvation albeit she had some errors not fundameÌ„tal which do not destroy the nature of the Church but only make it si k and weak And so by this means they think to avoid all the inconveniences into which other Protestants do fall For hereby it is shewed that the Church did not perish nor was invisible nor was only visible for a time but was perpetually visible 2. They deny that the Protestant Church made any real substantial separa ion from the Roman and affirm that all which they did was only to free themselves of some errors which as sicknesses though not in themselves mortal had crep't in vpon the Roman Châ—rch which being often
can it be but wonderfull to consider that this Church being dilated throughout the world in so many diverse remote Kingdomes Provinces Countreys of different languages Customs worldly interests and some of these being enemies to others in worldly affaires should all agree in the Vnity of the same Catholique faith as if they were one man Whereas all other Churches which go out from this vnder pretext of greater purity although they do not fill the earth but are comprized in small bounds fall into such horrible dissensions and divisions that they never rest till like generations of vipers they destroy one an other and oftentimes the later destroies the former as we have seen in our time The Church in Communion with the sea of Rome may be known to be the true Church by this admirable Vnity for which Christ prayed and Christ by it may be known to have been sent from heaven who had establish't vpon earth so large a Kingdome of such admirable Vnity If the Vnity of the Catholique Church were not a special blissing of God how could it fall out to her alone How could it have continued so long among such great multitudes of people as have been and are of her Communion How comes it to passe that Vnity could never be conserved among heretiques who although but few and new could never shun the curse of Division which ever destruction followes at the heels For my part I cannot resist vnto this clear reason As this Vnity in the Catholique Church proceeds principally from the blissing of God so secondarly it flowes from the ordinary means which his divine wisdome has appointed and whereof all false Churches are destitute As first from this principle that she beleeves nothing but what has descended vnto her by the constant testimony of her forefathers in all ages from the time of Christ his Apostles By which means it has been shown that she cannot but keep Vnity in faith Secondly She receives the Decrees of all General Councils which in all reason ought to be believed to preserve that which was delivered by the Apostles and if any doubt arise about the sense of the Scriptures are more able to interpret them then any other persons To which therefore all the members of the Catholique Church do modestly wisey submit their iudgments they never ransack any matter of faith once defined but it remaines ever inviolable And lastly All Catholiques submit themselves to one Supreme Pastor whom they acknowledge to be establish't by Christ over the whole Church From whom the holy Fathers do affirm that the Vnity of the Church doth much depend This person appoynted by Christ they shew out of the Scriptures to have been S. Peter to whom Christ said Math. 16.19 Iohn 21 16.18 Cypr. in tract de simplicite Praelator I will give thee the keys of the Kingdome of Heaven c. and again Feed my sheep feed my Lambs Vpon which S. Cyprian saith That Christ might shew Vnity he establish't one Chaire and he disposed by his authority the Origin of that Vnity to proceed from One c. The Primacy is given to Peter that one Church of Christ and one Chaire might be shown S. Hierom seeing the necessity of One head Hieron lib. 1. cont Iovinian for keeping Vnity saith excellently One is chosen that a head being appoynted Occasion of schisme might be taken away And that the Bishop of Rome is successor to S. Peter in that same Dignity Primacy and that the Vnity of the Church depends vpon his authority all the holy Fathers do affirm The same S. Hierom writing to S. Damasus Bishop of Rome saith Hier ep ad Damasum With the Successor of the Fisher with the Disciple of the Crosse I speak c. I am ioyn'd in Communion with thy Holynesse that is with the Chaire of Peter vpon that rock I know the Church is built who gathereth not with thee scattereth S. Augustin affirmes Aug. cont epist fundament c. 4. that the Succession of Priests from the seat of Peter to whom our Lord after his resurrection commended his sheep to be fed vntill the present Bishop held him within the lap of the Church There is nothing more ordinary with the Fathers then to reckon out the succession of the Roman Bishops from S. Peter vnto their time Aug. epist 166. Cypr. epist 73. 45. S. Augustin tearmeth the sea of their residence the Chair of Vnity and S. Cyprian calls it the beginning of Vnity the roote of the Catholique Church As by these means the Vnity of the true Church is preserved so for want of them there can be no constant Vnity in false Churches For they all reiecting the infallible testimony authority of the Catholique Church by which we are certified of our Saviours doctrine as has been shewed put their own election and private iudgment in place of it and their iudgments being diverse they make diverse faiths having no Compasse to steer by but the Scriptures which they diversly interpret according to their pleasures Neither do they submit themselv's to the sentence of any Church for they beleeve that all Churches may erre neither is their own Church constant in her sentence for one Assembly ransacks and condemns as heresy and Anti-Christian what another has defined approved as Christian truths Neither have they any supreme Pastor to whom they obey And in a word they have no bond to ty them together except sometimes worldly interest or the hatred of another religion And when these interests faile when by mutual assistance ioyn't forces they have subdued or overturned that Church which they esteem their Common adversarie then they instantly begin to be miserably scattered divided as fresh experience sheweth how after the destructiō of the late English Church the brethren of Scotland and England became hugely divided notwithstanding the solemne League Covenant which had before so straitly tyed them together Yea it is impossible for the wit of man to make it otherwise For besides that it is impossible that many men can a long time adhere to the same falshoods as we suppose all heresies to be the nature of man being so strongly bent vpon truth this confusion division followes from the nature of their principal doctrin which is the ground work of all the rest to witt that every one should have liberty of reading interpreting Scripture and iudging the Preachers doctrin thereby From which ground there must needs arise variety of sects in religion according to the various conceipts and apprehensions of people Moreover God in his iust iudgment sends ever the curse of division among heretiques for according to their sin so are they punished They endeavoured to divide the Church and themselvs are divided and so at length destroied This God promised by the Prophet Esay when he said Esay 19.2 I will set the Aegyptians against the Aegyptians and they shall fight every one