is true in euerie member of the Church is also true in the whole but euery member of the militant Church is subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners because men in this life are but in parte enlightened and sanctified and therefore still remaine subiect to blindnesse of mind and ignorance and to the rebellion of their willes and affections whereby it comes to passe that they may easily faile either in iudgement or in practise Againe that which may befall one or two particular Churches may likewise befall all the particular Churches vpon earth all beeing in one and the same condition but this may befall one or two particular Churches to faile either in doctrine or manners The Church of Ephesus failed in leauing her first loue whereupon Christ threatneth to remooue from her the candlesticke And the Church of Galatia was remooued to an other Gospell from him that had called them in the grace of Christ now why may not the same things befall twentie yea an hundred Churches which befell these twaine Lastly experience sheweth this to be true in that generall councels haue erred The counceâ—l of Nicene beeing to reforme sundrie behauiours among the Bishops Eldeâ—s would with common coÌ„sent haue forbidden mariage unto them thinking it profitable to be so unlesse Paphnutius had better informed them out of the scriptures In the third councell at Carthage certaine bookes Apocrypha as the booke of Syrach Toby and the Macchabees are numbred in the Canon and yet were excluded by the councell of Laodicea And the saying of a divine is receiued that former councells are to be reformed and amended by the latter But Papistes maintaining that the Church can not erre alleadge the promise of Christ How be it when he is come which is the spirite of trueth hee vvill leade you into all truth Ansvver The promise is directed to the Apostles who with their Apostolicall authoririe had this priuiledge graunted them that in the teaching and penning of the Gospell they could not erre and therefore in the councell at Ierusalem they conclude thus It seemes good vnto vs and to the holy Ghost And if the promise be further extended to all the Church it must be understoode with a limitation that God will giue his spirit unto the members thereof to lead them into all truth so farre forth as shall be needfull for their saluation The second question is wherein standes the dignitie excellencie of the Church Ansvvere It standes in subiection and obedience vnto the will word of his spouse and heade Christ Iesus And hence it followeth that the Church is not to chalenge unto her selfe authority ouer the scriptures but onely a ministerie or ministeriall service whereby shee is appointed of God to preserue and keepe to publish preach them and to giue testimony of them And for this cause it is called the pillar and ground of trueth The Church of Rome not content with this saieth further that the authoritie of the Church in respect of us is aboue the authoritie of the scripture because say they we can not know scripture to be scripture but by the testimonie of the Church But indeed they speake an untruth For the testimony of men that are subiect to errour can not be greater and of more force with us then the testimonie of God who cannot erre Againe the Church hath her beginning from the worde for there can not be a Church without faith and there is no faith without the word and there is no word out of the Scriptures and therefore the Church in respect of vs depends on the Scripture and not the Scripture on the Church And as the lawier which hath no further power but to expound the law is vnder the law so the Church which hath authoritie onely to publish and expound the Scriptures can not authorize them vnto vs but must submit her selfe vnto them And whereas it is alleadged that faith comes by hearing and this hearing is in respect of the voice of the Church and that therefore faith comes by the voice of the Church the answeare is that the place must be vnderstood not of that generall faith whereby we are resolued that Scripture is Scripture but of iustifying faith whereby we attaine vnto saluation And faith comes by hearing the voice of the Church not as it is the churches voice but as it is a ministery or means to publish the word of God which is both the cause obiect of our beleeuing Now on the contrarie we must hold that as the carpenter knowes his rule to be straight not by any other rule applied vnto it but by it selfe for casting his eye vpon it he presently discernes whether it be straight or no so we know and are resolued that Scripture is Scripture euen by the Scripture it selfe though the Church say nothing so be it we haue the spirit of discerning when we read heare and consider of the Scripture And yet the testimonie of the Church is not to be despised for though it breed not a perswasion in vs of the certentie of the Scripture yet is it a very good inducement thereto The militant Church hath many parts For as the Ocean sea which is but one is deuided into parts according to the regions and countries against which it lieth as into the English Spanish Italian sea c. so the Church dispersed ouer the face of the whole earth is deuided into other particular Churches according as the countries are seuerall in which it is seated as into the Church of England and Ireland the Church of Fraunce the Church of Germanie c. Againe particular Churches are in a twofold estate sometime they lie hid in persecution wanting the publicke preaching of the word and the administration of the sacraments sometimes again they are visible carrying before the eyes of the world an open profession of the name of Christ as the moone is sometime eclipsed sometime shineth in the full In the first estate was the Church of Israel in the daies of Eliah when he wished to die because the people had forsaken the couenant of the Lord brokeÌ„ down his altars slaine his Prophets with the sword and he was left alone and they sought to take away his life also Behold a lamentable estate when so worthie a Prophet could not finde an other beside himselfe that feared God yet marke what the Lord saith vnto him I haue left seuen thousand in Israel euen all the knees that haue not bowed vnto Baal and euery mouth that hath not kissed him Againe it is said that Israel had bin a long season without the true God without priest to teach and without the lawe Neither must this trouble any that God should so farre forth forsake his Church for when ordinarie meanes of saluation faile he then gathereth his Elect by extraordinarie meanes as when the children of Israel wandered in the wildernesse wanting both circumcision and
Creede is concerning God and the church For in these two points consisteth the whole summe therof Lastly I say that it is gathered forth of the scripture to make a difference betweene it other writings and to shew the authoritie of it There be two kind of writings in which the doctrine of the church is handled they are either divine or Ecclesiasticall Diuine are the bookes of the old new Testament penned either by Prophets or Apostles And these are not only the pure word of God but also the scripture of god because not only the matter of them but the whole disposition thereof with the stile the phrase was set down by the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost And the authoritie of these bookes is diuine that is absolute and soveraigne they are of sufficieÌ„t credit in and by theÌ„selves needing not the â—estimony of any creature not subiect to the ceÌ„sure either of meÌ„ or angels binding the coÌ„scieÌ„ces of all meÌ„ at all times being the only fouÌ„datioÌ„ of faith the rule canoÌ„ of all truth Ecclesiasticall writings are all other ordinary writings of the church consenting with scriptures These may be called the word or truth of God so far forth as their matter or substance is consenting with the written worde of God but they cannot be called the scripture of God because the stile and phrase of them was set downe according to the pleasure of man And therfore they are in such sort the word of god as that also they are the word of men And their authoritie in defining of trueth falshood in matters of religion is not soveraigne but subordinate to the former and it doth not stand in the authority pleasures of men councels but in the consent which they haue with the scriptures Ecclesiasticall writings are either generall particular or proper Generall are the Creedes and confessions of the Church dispersed over the whole world and among the rest the Creed of the Apostles made either by the Apostles themselues or by their hearers disciples apostolical men delivered to the Church conveyed from hand to hand to our times Particular writings are the confessions of particular Churches Proper writings are the books confessions of private men Now betweene these we must make difference For the Generall Creede of the Apostles other universall Creeds in this case not excepted though it be of lesse authoritie then Scripture yet hath it more authoritie then the particular and priuate writings of Churches and men For it hath bene received and approved by universall consent of the Catholike Church in all ages and so were neuer these in it the meaning and doctrine can not be changed by the authoritie of the whole Catholicke Church and if either the order of the doctrine or the wordes whereby it is expressed should upon some occasion be changed a particular Church of any cuntry can not doe it without Catholike consent of the whole Church yet particular writings coÌ„fessions made by some speciall Churches may be altered in the words in the points of doctrine by the same Churches without offence to the Catholicke Church Lastly it is receiued as a rule of faith amoÌ„g all churches to try doctrines interpretations of scriptures by not because it is a rule of it selfe for that the scripture is alone but because it boroweth his authority from scripture with which it agreeth And this honour no other writings of men can haue Here some may demaund the number of Creeds Answ. I say but one Creede as there is but one faith and if it be alledged that we have many Creedes as besides this of the Apostles the Nicene Creede and Athanasius Creede c. I answer the severall Creedes and confessions of Churches containe not seuerall faithes and religions but one and the same and this called the Apostles Creed is most ancient principall all the rest are not new Creedes in substance but in some points penned more largely for the exposition of it that men might better avoid the heresies of their times Futther it may be demaunded in what forme this Creed was penned Answ. In the forme of an answer to a question The reason is this In the Primitiue Church when any man was turned from Gentilisme to the faith of Christ and was to be baptised this question was asked him What beleeuest thou then he answered according to the forme of the Creede I beleeve in God c. And this manner of questioning was used euen from the time of the Apostles When the Eunuch was converted by Philip he said What doth let me to be baptised Philip said If thou doest beleeve with all thine heart thou maiest Then he answered I beleeve that Iesus Christ is the sonne of God By this it appeares that although all men for the most part amongst vs can say this Creede yet not one of a thousand can tell the ancient and first use of it for commonly at this day of the simpler sort it is said for a prayer being indeede no prayer and when it is used so men make it no better then a charme Before vve come to handle the particular pointes of the Creed it is very requisite that we should make an entrance thereto by describing the nature properties and kindes of faith the confession and ground whereof is set foorth in the Creede Faith therefore is a gift of God whereby we giue assent or credence to Gods word For there is a necessarie relatioÌ„ between faith gods word The coÌ„mon property of faith is noted by the authour of the Hebrews when he saith Faith is the ground of things hoped for and the demonstration of things that are not seene For all this may be understoode not onely of iustifying faith but also of temporarie faith and the faith of miracles Where faith is said to be a ground the meaning is that though there are many things promised by God which men do not presently enioy but only hope for because as yet they are not yet faith doeth after a sort giue subsisting or being vnto them Secondly it is an euidence or demonstration c. that is by beleeuing a maÌ„ doth make a thing as it were visible being otherwise invisible abseÌ„t Faith is of two sorts either common faith or the faith of the elect as Paul saith he is an Apostle according to the faith of Gods elect which also is called faith without hypocrisie The common faith is that which both elect and reprobate haue and it is threefold I. is historicall faith which is when a man doth beleeve the outward letter and historie of the word It hath two partes knowledge of Gods worde and an assent to the same knowledge it is to be found in the deuill and his angels So S. Iames saith the devils beleeve and tremble Some will say what a faith haue they Answ. Such as thereby they understand both the Law and
stands in two things the first is to gouerne the Church by such power and authoritie whereby he can and doth prescribe lawes properly binding the consciences of all his members the second is by grace to quicken and put spirituall life into them so as they shall be able to say that they liue not but Christ in them As for the Supremacie of the sea of Rome whereby the Pope will needs stand ministeriall heade to the Catholike Church is a satanicall forgerie For the headshippe as I may tearme it of Christ is of that nature or qualitie that it can admitte no deputie whether wee respect the commaunding or the quickening power of Christ before namâ—d Nay Christ needes no vicar or deputie for hee is all-sufficient in him selfe and alwaies present with his Church as hee him selfe testifieth saying Where tvvo or three are gathered togither in my name there am I in the middest among them And whereas all commissions cease in the presence of him that giues the commission it is as much pride and arrogancie for the Pope to take unto himselfe the title of the heade and universall Bishoppe of the Church as it is for a subiect to keepe him selfe in commission in the presence of his King The seconde rule is that there is no saluation out of the Church and that therefore euerie one which is to be saued must become a member a citizen of the Catholike and Apostolike Church such as remaine for euer out of the same perish eternally Therefore S. Iohn saieth They went out of us they were not of us for if they had beene of vs they woulde have remained with vs but this commeth to passe that it might appeare that they are not all of vs. And againe that such as be holy are in the citie of God but without that is forth of the Church are dogges inchaunters whoremongers adulterers c. And the Arke out of which all perished figured the Church out of which all are condemned And for this cause Saint Luke saieth that the Lorde added to the Church from day to day such as shoulde be saved And the reason hereof is plaine for without Christ there is no saluation but out of the militant Church there is no Christ nor faith in Christ and therefore no saluation Againe foorth of the militant Church there are no meanes of saluation no preaching of the worde no invocation of Gods name no sacraments and therefore no saluation For this cause euery man must be admonished euermore to ioyne himselfe to some particular Church being a sounde member of the Catholike Church The thirde rule is that the Church which here wee beleeue is onely one As Christ himselfe speaketh My dove is alone and my vndefiled is the onely daughter of her mother And as there is onely one God and one Redeemer one faith one baptisme and one way of saluation by Christ onely so there is but one Church alone The Catholicke Church hath two partes the Church Triumphant in heauen and the Church Militant on earth The Triumphant Church may thus be described It is a companie of the spirites of iust men triumphing over the flesh the devill and the vvorlde praising God First I say it is a companie of the spirites of men as the Holy Ghost expressely tearmeth it because the soules onely of the godly departed as of Abraham Isaac Iacob Dauid c. are as yet ascended into heauen and not their bodies Furthermore the properties of this companie are two The first is to make triumph ouer their spirituall enemies the flesh the deuill the worlde for the righteous man so long as he liues in this world is in continuall combâ—te without truce with all these enemies of his saluation and by constant faith obtaining victory in the ende of his life hee is translated in glorious and triumphant manner into the kingdome of glorie This was signified to Iohn in a vision in which hee saw an innumerable company of all sorts of nations kinreds people and tongues stande before the lambe clothed in long vvhite robes with palmes in their handes in token that they haue beene warriours but now by Christ haue gotten the victorie and are made conquerours Their second propertie is to praise and magnifie the name of god as it followeth in the former place saying Amen praise and glorie and vvisedome and thankes honour povver and might be vnto our God for evermore Hence it may be demanded whether Angels be of this triumphant Church or no Ansvvere The blessed Angels be in heauen in the presence of God the father the Sonne and the Holy Ghost but they are not of the mysticall bodie of Christ because they are not under him as he is their Redeemer considering they can not be redeemed which neuer fell and it can not be prooued that they now stande by the vertue of Christs redemption but they are under him as hee is their Lord and King and by the power of Christ as hee is God and their God are they confirmed And therefore as I take it wee can not say that angels are members of the mysticall body of Christ or of the triumphant Church The Church Militant may be thus described It is the company of the elect or faithfull living under the crosse desiring to be remooved and to be with Christ. I say not that the Militant Church is the whole bodie of the elect but only that part thereof which liueth upon earth and the infallible marke thereof is that faith in Christ which is taught and deliuered in the writings of the Prophets and Apostles and this faith againe may be discerned by two markes The first is that the members of this companie liue vnder the crosse and profite by it in all spirituall grace And therefore it is saide that we must through many afflictions enter into the kingdome of heaven And our Sauiour Christ saieth If any man will come after me let him deny himselfe and take vp his crosse every day and follow me The second marke is a desire to depart hence and to be with Christ as Paul saith Wee love rather to be removed out of this body and to be with Christ. And againe I desire to be loosed and to be with Christ which is best of all Where yet we must remember that the members of Christ doe not desire death simply and absolutely but in two respectes I. that they might leaue off to sinne and by sinning leaue to displease God II. That they might come to enioy happinesse in heauen and to be with Christ. Touching the generall estate of the Militant Church two questions are to be considered The first how farre forth God is present with it assisting it by his grace Answere God giues his spirit unto it in such a measure that although the gates of hell cannot preuaile against it yet neuerthelesse it remaines still subiect to errour both in doctrine and manners For that which
beleeueth in Christ by reason of this union hath an unspeakeable prerogatiue for hereby he is first united to Christ and by reason thereof is also ioyned to the whole trinitie the father the sonne and the holy ghost and shall haue eternall fellowshippe with them Thirdly sundrie men specially Papistes deride the doctrine of iustification by imputed righteousnesse thinking it as absurd that a maÌ„ should be iust by that righteousnesse which is inherent in the person of Christ as if we should say that one man may liue by the soule of another or be learned by the learning of another But here we may see that it hath sufficient foundation For there is a most nere and straite union betweene Christ and all that beleeue in him and in this union Christ with all his benefites according to the tenour of the couenant of grace is made ours really therefore we may stand iust before God by his righteousnes it being indeed his because it is in him as in a subiect yet so as it is also ours because it is giuen unto us of God Now there is no such union betwene man maÌ„ for that cause one man can not liue by the soule of another or be learned by the learning of another Fourthly from this fountaine springs our sanctification whereby wee die to sinne are renewed in righteousnes and holines Wormes and flies that haue lyen dead all winter if they be laid in the sunne in the spring time begin to reuiue by vertue thereof euen so when we are united to Christ are as it were laide in the beames of thiâ— blessed sonne of righteousnesse vertue is deriued thence which warmeth our benummed heartes deade in sinne and reviveth us to newenesse of life whereby we begin to affect and like good things and put in practise all the duties of religion Firstly hence we haue the protection of Gods angels for they alwaies wait and attend on Christ and because wee are made one with him they attend upon us also Lastly by reason of this union with Christ euery beleeuer commeth to haue interest and to recouer his title in the creatures of God and to haue the holy and lawfull use of them all For we must consider that although Adam created in the image of God was made Lord over all things in heauen earth yet when he fell by eaâ—ing the forbidden fruite he and in him all mankinde lost the title and use of them all Now therefore that a man may recover his interest hee must first of all be united and made one with Christ and then by Christ who is Lord and King ouer all shall he recouer that title in the creatures of God which hee had by creation and be made Lorde ouer them againe But some will say if this be so then a Christian man may haue and enioy all creatures at his pleasure and therefore the goods of other men Ans. The reason is not good for in this life we haue no more but right unto the creature right in it that is actuall possession is reserued for the life to come Therefore wee content our selues with our allowed portions giuen unto us by God by his grace using them in holy manner expecting by hope the full fruition of all thinges till after this life Againe if all title to the creatures be recouered by Christ it may be demanded whether infidels haue any interest to their goods or no Ans. Infidels before men are right lordes of all their landes and possessions which they haue obtained by lawfull meanes and in the courtes of men they are not to be depriued of them but before God they are but vsurpers because they hold them not in capite that is in Christ neither haue they any holy and right use of them for to the uncleane all things are vncleane And they must first of all become members of Christ before they can hold enioy them aright use them wel The duties which are to be learned of the doctrine of this vnion are manifolde And first of all wee are taught to purge our handes and heartes of all our sinnes and especially to auoide all those sinnes whereby mens bodies are defiled as drunkennesse uncleannesse fornication for they driue away the spirit of God from his owne house and dissolue the bond of the coniunction betweene Christ and vs. Secondly we must euery one of us which professe our selues to be members of Christ labour to become conformable unto him in holinesse of life and to become new creatures for this union requireth thus much Let a man take the griftes of a crabbe-tree and set them into good stockes yet will they not chaunge their sappe but bring foorth fruite according to their owne nature euen sowre crabbes but it must not be so with us wee are indeed wild oliues and the braunches of wilde vines yet seeing we are perswaded that wee are grafted into Christ and made one with him we must lay aside our wild and soure nature and take upon us the nature of the true vine beare good fruite haue good iuyce in us and render sweete wine Thirdly wee are taught hence to be plentifull in all good workes consideriag wee are ioyned to him that is the fountaine of grace And therefore Christ saieth I am the true vine and my Father is the husbande man every braunch that beareth not fruite in mee hee taketh avvay and everie one that beareth fruite hee purgeth it that it may beare more fruite And the Prophet Esai compares the Church of God to a vineyarde with a tower and a wine-presse in it And God himselfe comes often downe vnto it to see the fruites of the valley to see if the vine budde and the Pomegranates flourish And further wee must bring forth fruite vvith patience For the Lorde of this vineyarde comes with crosses and afflictions as with a pruning knife in his hand to pare and to dresse us that wee may be fit to bring foorth fruite plentifully in duties of pietie to God and in duties of loue to all men yea to our enemies Crhistian men are trees of righteousnes growing by the waters of the sanctuary but what trees not like ours for they are rooted upwarde in heauen in Christ and their graines and branches growe downward that they may beare fruite among men Hitherto we haue heard what the Church is now to beleeue the Church is nothing else but to beleeue that there is a companie of the predestinate made one in Christ and that withall we are in the number of them Before wee proceede any further three rules must be obserued touching the Church in generall The first that Christ alone is the head of the Catholike Church that hee neither hath nor can haue any creature in heauen or earth to be his fellow herein For the Church is his body and none but he can perfourme the duty of an head unto it which dutie