might haue burned all the primitiue Church By this one onely rule therefore comprised in a fewe wordes and easie for euery one to vnderstand wee cutte of the Masse Purgatorie prayers for the dead inuocation of Saints the Pope his pardons indulgences and almost all that hath troubled Christendome for this long time But to defeate this rule they would drawe certaine places by the haire to the end to make vs to finde therein their lewd inuentions As for example It shall not be forgiuen in this world nor in the world to come Ergo there is a purgatorie which must be vnderstood as S. Marke hath expounded it by these words It shal neuer be pardoned according to the Hebrew phrase Also if Moses and Samuel were before me to pray for this people I would not forgiue them Ergo say they we must pray vnto Saints Whereas quite contrary by the plaine words of the text a man shall rather gather that it is a vaine thing to call vpon them and the meaning of the Prophet is cleare that as God saith If Moses and Samuel were aliue and should intreat as sometime they did for the sinnes of that people they were become so heinous that yet he would not forgiue them To be short euen altogether like as it was that Ieremie in the chapiter aforegoing when he had made earnest prayer vnto God for the people he answered him that if Moses himselfe who was most deare vnto him should praye vnto him for this people he would not heare him Againe sometime they haue certaine Allegories to proue these matters by But we demaunde of them whether these doctrines are necessarie to saluation yea or no If they be necessarie then we haue another certaine rule That the word of God is cleare to saluation For that same light it selfe is come downe from heauen for to teach vs that hath it not done darkely or about the bush The holy Ghost came downe vpon Christ in the likenes of a doue and vpon the Apostles in great brightnesse their doctrine therefore was plaine and euident and they were not doctors or teachers of darknes Let them therefore alledge one plaine and manifest place not bring places wrested from their proper meaning and altogether from the purpose and we are readie to yeld vnto them And this is the rule which S. Hierome gaue That Allegories darke places proue nothing And S. Augustine saith That al that perteyneth to saluation is plainely and clearely set downe in the Scripture and that that which is darke in one place is plaine and cleare in another Now as concerning the third point we haue a rule which all the auncient fathers haue giuen vs That the holy Scripture is the light to it selfe And that which is darke in it is plaine by it selfe in another place and that therefore the determination of all matters must be drawne from the conference of such places where they are handled Besides we haue two markes to direct our selues by to which the whole Scripture tendeth and they are the glorie of God and charitie towardes our neighbour Moreouer we boldly admittte all the doctors of the auncient Church for the interpretation of matters belonging to this thirde kinde namely in the places and treatises where they expresselye handle them And wheresoeuer they are or shall seeme to be contrary we willingly referre therein our selues to euery man according to his owne common sense and meaning that shal haue readde the holy Scripture As for example there is a controuersie betwixte vs whether these wordes This is my body be a figuratiue speache or no. First of all I conferre or waye together the places of the Euangelistes and I finde in Saint Luke This Cuppe is the newe Testament in my bloud which cannot be expounded without a figure and I knowe that flesh and bloud are both of like importance in the Sacrament Further I consider that the question is here of a Sacrament and that this is the accustomable maner of speaking common to all Sacraments The rocke vvas Christ this is one place Baptisme is regeneration that is another c. Finally I finde in S. Augustine these words In figuratiue speaches saith he alwayes keepe this rule If it be a maner of speach that according to the letter commaundeth thee to do that which is good or forbiddeth thee to do that which is euil streight way thou mayest iudge that there is no figure For thou hast found there the scope and butt of the Scripture to wit the glorie of God charitie But if thou shalt take it according to the letter and it seemeth to commaund thee to do that which is euil or to forbid that which is good then thou shalt streight way iudge that in very deede there is a figure For example saith he Except you eat my flesh and drinke my blood you haue no life in you According to the letter it seemeth that Christ commandeth vs a foule an heinous thing This therefore saith he is a figuratiue maner of speache by which he commandeth vs to communicate with the passion of the Lord thorowly to fixe in our memorie that his flesh was pierced and crucified for vs When I see then that it is in such sort figured that S. Augustine himselfe alledgeth it vnto vs for example of figuratiue speaches I resolue my selfe that this with other textes of Scripture conferred in like sort together proue such maner of speaches in the matter of the Supper cannot be otherwise taken but figuratiuely Nowe by these rules then shal the matter of the supper iustification of faith and workes free will and such other be determined which stand vpon the interpretation of the textes of Scripture which both the one and the other would drawe to their owne meaning and intention I demaunde then of euery Christian man what we may iustly attribute more to the iudgement of the auncient fathers for where we haue a plaine forbidding from God euery one will agree vnto vs that men can doe nothing and that there neede no interpreters Againe where we haue no cōmaundement from his mouth there it lesse behoueth for where there is no text there can be no glose Those matters then remaine out of which these commaundements are taken and interpreted diuersly in which we most gladly admit the interpretations of the doctors of the primitiue Church and the most notable in all ages To conclude then this article we say that the infallible marke of the pure Church is the pure doctrine therof duely administred and the vndoubted touchstone of pure doctrine is the pure worde of God conteyned in the holy Scripture which God hath deliuered to be the rule of his Church That the same is perfect and to be vnderstood of those that desire their saluation yea aswell of it selfe as conferred with it selfe albeit for the decyding of controuersies founded vpon the same we wyllingly admit the interpretations of the most auncient Briefely
as there is no true fayth nor charitie nor Christ so also we ought not to seeke any saluation but in her And therefore if a man would speake properly we should call the Churche a company onely of those whom God hath chosen to euerlasting life in al times places which is to man inuisible who can not enter so farre as to knowe Gods will neyther the hart of man himselfe but is only visible to God who knoweth those that are his as the Apostle saith hath sealed them with his owne seale Notwithstanding forasmuch as charitie hath commaunded vs to presume particularlie of all those that are called the Churche of Christ that they are of the nōber of his elect that as they are bodily there assembled together so also that they are there spiritually incorporated albeit on the contrarie part the doctrine of fayth generally teacheth vs that the wicked to the end of the world are mingled with the good the Goates with the Sheepe the chaffe with the graine the tares with the good corne yet will we commit vnto God the searcher of hartes the knowledge of the inuisible Church will content our selues to search for the visible in his word into which all they must retire themselues in this world which wil be gathered into the inuisible Churche in the world to come Notwithstanding by the way we will note the differences that are betwene these two The inuisible Church cōtaineth none but the good The visible Church contayneth both the good and the bad to witte that onelye the electe this all those indifferently which are brought into her by the preaching of the trueth And for this cause S. Augustine saith of that that she tooke her beginning by Abel and not by Caine who was the elder and contrarywise of the other he saith that the self same begate Abel Enoch Simon Peter all Christians c. as one people hauing also begotten Caine and Cham Ismael and Esau and Simon the sorcerer with his cōfederates The inuisible Church is partly considered in heauen partly in earth cōprehending aswell those which triumph already with their head Iesus Christ our Lord as those which yet fight here beneath in the earth for his name against the world against themselues which shal fight in the same church after vs The visible church is considered properly to consist in them who not onely fight here in earth for the name of Christ but as well those that fight vnder his name with false markes standerds ensignes And for this cause that is considered euen from the first faythfull vnto the last bringing all the states ages of the church into one this according to certaine places times forasmuch as she is not vniuersally visible and to be seene at one push but according to the ages and in her degrees In the inuisible there is a great many sheepe which neuer were gathered into the visible and contrarywise in the visible a great many wolues which neuer shal be receiued into the inuisible And therefore S. Augustine sayth that there are a great many sheepe without and a great many woolues within and S. Paul saith also they are not al Israel which are of Israel For to be in the church or rather to say of the church is to be vnited with Christ incorporated in the company of the faithfull through true faith towards God and charitie towards our neighbor And there is no doubt but that many here and there vnder Paganisme it selfe had this desire which yet bodily they could not accomplish the which notwithstanding they are bound to doe with all their power as contrarywise to be separated from the church is not onely to be without the assemblie but to haue no participation of Christ nor vnion of faith and charitie with his faythfull Of the inuisible it is sayd that the gates of hell shal not preuaile against her Of the visible that she shal be so troubled that a mā shall not finde faith on the earth that charitie shal be as it were quenched insomuch that the elect themselues if it were possible should vtterly quaile And therefore it is not without cause that we say in our Creede that we beleeue the church For if we ought to hold nothing for certaine but that which we see with these carnall eyes there is no dout but that in all the states ages of the church there should many times be foūd such a confusion as the good graine should be altogether hid vnder the chaffe without any appearance of the Churche and yet notwithstanding this was then whē God sayd to Elias that he had reserued in the same 7000. whereof the chariot of Israel the Seer of the Lord I say he to whom the good people ought especially to haue beene knowen could not outwardly knowe one and euen then there when the state of the Church was such as God could not be serued visiblye but in Iewrie All these differences notwithstanding we do not beleeue two Churches nor two espouses of Christ but we beleeue one onelye considered diuersely one in the blade and the other in the graine one in the threshing floore another in the garner one in the mine another now already fyned the one inwrapped yet in the minglings of the world the other before her husband without spotte or wrinckle Altogether like as by a familie we properly vnderstand the children only although speaking more generally we comprehend the seruants them selues by a Citie we vnderstand the vnion of Cittizens albeit many times one part be at cōtention considered apart by it selfe deserueth not but to be rooted out Returning then to our purpose we will call the visible church the company of those which make profession to serue the true God in Christ of which we haue presently to intreate This Church hath had three principall states or ages one without the lawe then say some of the auncient Fathers when man was but in some sort corrupted by the sinne of the first when he was notwithstanding in some sort a lawe to him selfe naturally felt himselfe conuinced of his sinne that is to say he felt his euil to seeke for remedy for the same although in very trueth this state and age of the Church found it selfe no lesse corrupted then the rest The second was vnder the lawe when it began in such sort to accustome it selfe to sinne that it grewe into a natural habite through the same and then for to shewe the sinne therof the lawe was giuen as a glasse in which she might consider her filthinesse and how farre of she was from that shee presumed to the ende she might returne again to be clensed The thirde was vnder grace in Iesus Christ promised to our first parents by by after their fal and who when the fulnes of time was come was sent of the Father who brought remedy to all them that
are that pure Churches that those which minister them impurely are the impure Churches the Church of Rome the most impure of all others which hath so villanously defiled both the one and the other that there remayneth not any more so much as any shewe of the institution of Christ That the other markes which our aduersaries alledge are common both to the pure and the impure Church such as for the most part hold not CHAP. III. THey that perceyue thēselues vanquished in this that they haue not the essential markes of the pure sound Church they would quite cōtrary make vs beleeue that the true Church can not be knowen by the pure sincere administration of the worde Sacraments but by certaine outward markes to wit by antiquitie multitude succession of places and persons by miracles reuelatiōs no otherwise then false coyners which wil not haue men to knowe their money by the finenes of Golde and by the touchstone but by the wayght by the sounde by the coyne the colour which they may easely falsifie They alledge therefore vnto vs antiquitie following that which is sayd vnto Iob of one of his friends Aske for the auncient generation prepare thy selfe to seeke after the fathers Againe dayes shal speake or the multitude of yeares shal teache wisedome To whō I could answere by Iob him selfe euen in the verse next following The masters are not alwaies wise neither do that olde men alwaies vnderstand iudgement Also it is the spirite of God not yeres that ought to speake in man But forasmuch as they make an instance so lowe it behooueth that we giue them a more full answere The questiō is here of the puritie of the Church Nowe the Church is compared to a litle barke or ship and the more she is vpon the Sea the more she leaketh and vnto a house which with age decayeth and falleth to ruine and to a Citie and the policie of it corrupted if once a man drawe it to any other beginning and to a mans body to which yeeres doe bring an heape of al kinde of euils To be short to the most healthful and temporate body in the world age is euen as sickenes it selfe I saye then that antiquitie alone ought to make vs thinke that in the Church there is a great sickenesse and much filthynes and that euen for this cause alone without any longer confutation it behooueth vs to bring a broome to purge it and to call for a Physition so farre is it of that for these things a man should mayntayne that she is pure and sound as they do Furthermore I demaund howe they will aunswere vnto the heathen yea to Saynt Austine him selfe who sayeth that Ierusalem began by Abel and Babylon by Rain Also that the promise was by Isaac and the bastardise by Ismael which was the elder Consequently what would they haue answered vnto the Iewes in the time of our Sauiour Iesus Christe if that antiquitie had beene a true marke of the Church They sayde that they were the children of Abraham Nowe he was called the Father of the beleeuers For they had their genealogie from the creation of the first man They could haue alledged the couenantes that were made of olde betweene God and them And after that Christe was sent vnto them according to these promises vnder the shadowe of this antiquitie they called him the Carpenters sonne a Samaritan one that hath the deuill a Preacher of noueltie and there is great likelyhood that if our masters had beene then there in that time seeing that they keepe the selfe same argumentes they would haue holpen to haue crucified him Nowe we say likewise that Antichrist who was foretolde vnto vs entered into this ruinous house whiles the most part was a sleepe in this dead sleepe of antiquitie in steade of that was said vnto them Watch pray that the subtillest lent him their hād till he had turned all topsituruie and yet men would not know him Furthermore I demaund what they wil aunswere vnto the Greeke Churches the Armenians Ethiopians c. founded by the Apostles as olde as the Church of Rome yea and elder too seeing that the Church of Christ as we know tooke her beginning from the East to the West If antiquitie be a marke of puritie they are pure if they be pure the Latine Church in comparison to their iudgemēt is most impure If they be heretikes impure as the Latine Church doth hold them then it followeth that antiquitie is not a marke to proue the puritie or veritie of the Church Howe then shal we reiect antiquitie nay rather we embrace it with all our heartes a great deale better then our aduersaries but in such fort we embrace it as the auncientest of tymes be asked heard before al our fathers and alwaies according to this most certaine rule that Primum quodque verissimū that the first things are truest that is to say that when there shal be any question of a pure Church we looke into the word of God what she hath bene of olde time that we draw her from the rust of our euils which she hath gotten through age so restore her vnto the beauty integritie of her youth See then how we ought to honour antiquitie to reforme our selues according vnto it and not to suffer our selues to be corrupted with the rust and so to perish vnder the shadow of it This is the rule which our master hath giuen vs When there was question concerning diuorce that Moses had agreed vnto the people for the hardnes of their heartes they had a prescription long inough if prescriptiō might haue had place against the institution of God Notwithstanding he answereth in one woorde It was not so from the beginning that is to say there was no such ordināce of god Tertullian saith Prescriptiō is nothing against the trueth neither time nor authority of persons nor priuiledges of kingdomes For there is no foolish custome which can haue authority against the trueth Now Christ is called the trueth and not custome And if Christ be alwaies more aūcient then al then also is trueth more auncient then al customes Heresies haue alwaies bin vāquished by the trueth not by noueltie and whatsoeuer is contrarie to this trueth it is heresie although it be neuer so olde a custome Cyprian saith we must not regard that which any other hath done before vs but we must regard that which Christ hath dōe which is before all for we must not followe the custome of men but the trueth of god Againe he saith custome without trueth is an old errour the Lord hath said I am the trueth and not I am custome Ignatius saith all my antiquitie is Iesus Christ whō not to heare is manifest perdition See then howe the most auncient sende vs alwaies to laye holde vpon the trueth which is
shoulde say to the ende it should be deliuered vnto the posteritie so as we haue it there registred by foure sworne Notaries of the holie Ghost and expounded in many Epistles of the Apostles Finally these Registers of the kingdome of heauen haue gathered them together by the common care of the Churches wherein they haue bene kept the which haue witnessed that this worde proceeded from them and thereto haue put to their seale and to the ende that no Scripture myght be made equall vnto them and to take away also the foundation of all heretikes which euery where alledge it and bring in to serue euery turne the traditions of the Apostles the Churches haue brought them into one booke which they call the Canon that is the rule and the Canonical Scriptures See then that in the Christian Church we haue now as was vnder the lawe one rule to iudge the right from the crooked a squire to direct our buylding a compasse to guyde our barke a lawe to iudge controuersies and a God in his woorde to determine all matters which shall arise in the Churches All that is agreeable to this word of God is of God for that it is his owne word All that is not agreeable to this worde is of man and no man hath any voyce in the Churche to make any lawes concerning the seruice of god The sonne of mā alone God and man hath onely this power of whom it is onely sayd Heare him Al then that is ouer and besides this ought to haue no place in the Church By this worde thus limited within the bookes of the Canonicall Scripture the primatiue Church hath taken away an infinite nomber of traditions which heretiks haue made to passe vnder the name of the Apostles allowing nothing but that which they haue found contained in the foresayde bookes By the same also they haue stopped the mouth of heresies which sprong vp of the noughtie and vnsound interpretations thereof to be short they neuer complained when they had any thing to doe with heretikes who agreed of this Iudge accompting their matter wonne but rather when they vanquished them which refused the same worde forasmuch as it is impossible to finde a Iudge to them that refuse to be iudged of God. Our aduersaries alwaies cry with open mouth The Fathers Fathers Fathers but beholde whereby the Fathers woulde bee iudged and before whome they would pleade This controuersie sayeth S. August requireth a Iudge let Christ then be Iudge himselfe and tel vs himself wherefore he dyed Let the Apostle also be iudge together with him for in the Apostle also Christ himselfe speaketh It is sayde that he hath not spared his owne sonne c. but hath giuen him to the death for vs See then the Iudge before whome he calleth the Pelagians from whome our aduersaries haue borowed their doctrine Against the Donatistes his ordinarie wordes are We haue founde Christ in the scriptures there also must wee finde the Church Also let it not be heard any more betwene vs I say this thou sayest that but rather see what the Lord sayth for we haue saith he the bookes of the Lord to which we both giue consent we both beleeue and keepe Againe the canonicall Scripture is the rule of all The epistles of Bishops gyue place one to an other and Councels are amended and corrected one by an other but that must correct all Also where shall wee feede the sheepe of the Lorde Vpon the mountaynes of Israel these mountaines of Israel are the altars of the Scriptures of god When any man shall preach according to that from thence take taste thereof and all that is not from thence cast it awaye for feare of straying in the mystes And when the Donatistes alleadged Saint Cyprian vnto him of whome notwithstanding hee maketh a great accompt in all his workes and specially through whome he myght haue ouercome them in many matters I sayeth he allowe not the wrytings of Saint Cyprian for canonicall And yet herein I doe him no wrong for not in vayne was this so healthfull a Canon made in which are comprehēded the bookes which we dare not iudge and through which notwithstanding wee iudge of all bookes as well of infidelles as of Christians That which I finde there agreeable with Scripture I accept it with prayse that which I finde not agreeable to the Scripture by his good leaue I reiect it And there is no doubt sayeth hee in another place but that nowe he seeth all more cleare and bryght then when he was conuersant in darkenes that he will rather be glad to know how comfortable it is for vs that in the writinges of Christian orators and learned preachers a man may finde things to be reproued and that in the writings of those poore fishers that is to say of the Apostles a man shall finde no such thing in them Alledge not therefore to me sayeth he in this case their writings but the Lawe the Prophets the Psalmes the Gospell and the Apostle For from hence it is that I holde the Church is spread ouer all and is not tyed vnto any certayne place And the rule which hee gyueth vs out of the bookes of Cyprian he hath also gyuen out of his owne and out of all the rest and the places also repeated by Gratian in his Decretalles I knowe very wel that Gratian to get credite to himselfe gyueth no lesse aucthoritie to the decretall Epistles of the Pope then to the Canonicall bookes of the scripture impudently corrupting a place taken out of the bookes of Christian doctrine where he speaketh the quite contrarie But this is not worth the confutation And Alfonsus de Castro himselfe who is one of the chiefe pillars of the Papacie doth acknowledge this fault very liuely reproueth him for it The Arriās in a more high matter of the Christian faith woulde escape by the Councilles but he alwayes draweth them to this Let vs not alledge saith he disputing against Maximine their Bish neither thou the Council of Ariminium nor I the Councill of Nicee for neyther I am bound to the aucthoritie of that there nor thou to the aucthoritie of this here but let vs dispute by the aucthoritie of the Scriptures which are common witnesses to vs both cause against cause and reason against reason c. All his bookes are ful of such places especially against the Manichees who denyed one part of the Scriptures following the example of Christ who vanquished the Sadduces in the matter of the resurrection specially by the bookes of Moses because they reiected all the others And yet this is he that so astonished all the heretikes of his time that he put them to vtter silence But to the end that they condemne him not for an heretike whome they haue already so sore suspected it is necessarie to see what others doe holde concerning this matter Basil the great woulde that wee examine all doctrines
by this argument as much or more aucthoritie ouer the Scriptures then it I aske of the indifferentest amongest them who shal iudge but the Scriptures And if they iudge the Scriptures who shall pronounce sentence ouer them If the Easte Churches shall then the Romishe Churche hath loste her Cause If the Church of Rome then thys shall hee in another respecte then of keeping the Scriptures If they saye it bee by their pretended prerogatiue of Saynt Peters Seate it is meete that they prooue it by the Scriptures And therefore marke Peters Sea which doeth take vpon it to iudge the Scriptures beyng yet subiecte to the Scripture it selfe Furthermore I praye euerye man to examine this conclusion The Church of GOD hath kept the Scripture The Church beareth witnesse of the Scripture Ergo shee is aboue the Scripture The edictes of a Prince are registred in all his Countries The lawes are gathered together and written by Clarkes All Contractes and bargaines are subsigned by witnesses And yet for all that he that woulde saye that they were aboue the Kinges aboue the lawes contracts hee shoulde make him selfe a laughing stocke If they say that the Lawes of God haue no place neyther more nor lesse then edictes of some Princes except they be agreeable to the worde of God I answere them that it is not the Church of God that hath this priuiledge for shee is the Spouse of Christ and hath learned to obey her husbande without anye examination of his commaundement and must by and by holde her peace assoone as shee heareth his woord For she knoweth also that the wisedome of her husband whose will is the rule of doctrine is not like that of Princes which it is necessarye to examine whether it bee honest and profitable Ciuile or vnciuile but if they be so stiffe for the obteyning of this priuiledge yet let them agree with mee herein that this is that assemblie which hath lyfted vp it selfe aboue all that is called GOD which fearing to bee discomfited by the Spirite of his mouth woulde therefore moussell and stoppe vp hys mouth all that it might The place of Saynt Augustine which they alledge maketh nothing agaynst that which hath bene sayde before I woulde not sayeth hee beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the aucthoritye of the Church constrained or moued me Ni me Ecclesiae Catholicae commoueret authoritas where it is specially to be noted that according to the style of Affricke Commoueret is taken for commouisset that is to say I had not beleeued the Gospell vnlesse the consent of the vniuersall Church had moued mee thereto hee meaneth not that the holy Ghost had not such a style as myght make it selfe sufficientlye knowen from other wrytings of men For he him selfe instructeth vs in this matter in many places Much lesse meaneth hee that the Church shoulde be aboue the Gospell For it is by the Gospell that hee examineth all the Churches of his tyme but rather that the vniuersall consent of the Churches the which receiued such such bookes for the Gospels of Christ made that he could not doubt but that they were so and that the apostles whose names thei did beare were true authours of them No otherwise then as the consent of manye ages acknowledging such and such bookes to be Ciceroes Hippocrates and Platoes doe assure vs that they were theirs These were his very words against the Manichees themselues who denyed part of the holy scriptures in another place Oh vnhappie enemies saith he of your owne soules What Scriptures shal be had in price if the Euangelicall and Apostolicall bee not Of what booke shall men hold the certaine authour if a man doubt that those holy books which the Church holdeth were of the Apostles shoulde not be theirs Who shall knowe whether the bookes of Plato Hippocrates Aristotle Cicero were theirs vnles it be for that frō their time euen vnto ours alwayes mē haue bene perswaded that they came frō hand to hand c. Like as then I beleeue that the books of Manichee are his because men haue beleeued that they came thence frō hand to hand so also I beleeue the booke of S. Matth. because euē vntil vs the church hath so held The questiō is not thē in this place whether the writings of the Apostles haue any voice to determine matters in the church for as we haue already shewed S. Aug. teacheth vs that in a M. places but only whether such and such scriptures were the Apostles yea or no. For the heretikes denied not but that the books of the Apostles had such authority as they must be obeyed but they denyed that they were theirs because that if they had once allowed thē they knew that they must of necessity rest in them And yet they pretēded that they were neuer a whitte lesse the church then the Romane church doth For they helde that Manichee the chiefe of their secte was the holy Ghoste him selfe But this was a blasphemie not yet knowen to the most damnablest heretikes that euer were that the holye Scripture was subiect to the Church and that without her as one of the Popes Chāpions of our time saith it hath no more aucthority thē Esops fables The Iewes haue taught the Gentiles that the Olde Testament was the worde of God and manye of the Gentiles beleeued it better thē the Iewes The Gentiles haue kept for the Christians many good and auncient bookes and haue taught them that such and such were the authours of them and yet for all that they haue not giuen anye credyte vnto them The bookeseller will teach vs that such a booke is Hippocrates woorke and yet for all that hee shall not be a physitian as Hippocrates was For it is one thing to beleeue the word of any some man an other thing to be the authour of a booke This is that which was saide long agoe by a great learned man That the Church is true or vndouted but as we say by occasiō because she beleeueth the trueth of the Scripture but the holye Scripture is simplie true of it selfe For it is the trueth it self There foloweth another argument that the Church is before the Scripture Ergo it is aboue the Scripture When we speake of the Scripture we vnderstand the word of God the which at the first was not written and afterward was written aswell by Gods owne finger as by the pennes of his seruants inspired by his holy spirite as we haue before declared But now I would demaund of them from whence they fetch the beginning of the Church If from the creation of man and before sinne entred immediatly after they were created God gaue them a commaundement that they should not touche the tree of knowledge of good and euill and we must not dispute whether they had authoritie aboue this word for why they hauing disobeyed it all the world from man to beastes sighes and grones for it But will they not
denie that the old and new testament had equall authoritie with this commaundement If they take it after sinne entred God blameth and conuinceth our first parents of their faulte and this is the Lawe And after he promiseth vnto them the seed which shall bruise the head of the serpent this is the Gospell Beholde them then dead in sinne by the Lawe and as it were newe borne by the promise of Christ to come in whome they hoping after this woorde were made the beginning of the Church without this they had bene lost with all their posteritie Wherefore whether we fetche the Church from before the fall of man she hath no power aboue the word of God but is iudged by it and therefore the cōclusion is false Or whether we deriue it after yet the word is before the regeneration of the Church that is to say before the Church and that antecedent it selfe shal be false Moreouer this is an ill argument It was the first in time Ergo the first in authoritie For we haue a hundred Cities in Fraūce more auncient then our first kings and yet notwithstanding without any gainesaying they obey their lawes And the word of God of it selfe is giuen to commaunde wheras the Church is placed in the world but to obey And though it be so that the word of God be in power eternall yet it is most certeine that it must be last in this action because that before he commaund it must needs be that it should first create some men whom it might commaund This then is nothing but plaine sophistrie which is not worthy to be heard in the Church Moreouer I demaund of them whē they make this argument whether they meane to speake of the whole Church comprehending al the states and particulars of the Church into one or whether they speake of particular Churches or of the church of Rome alone If thei vnderstand the whole Church as it is like they do then they speake nothing that makes for them for the church of Rome the whole Church are things farre differing before that Rome was or any Wolfe there gaue suck more then 700. yeres the law of Moses was published in the Church If they speake of particular Churches the Cast churches wil demand the same prerogatiue and by the self same argument they wil set themselues aboue the church of Rome For they are before them in time as euery man knoweth If the church of Rome alone by the vertue of the institutiō of Christ yet they are to bring forth the titles and right thereof and then they cannot bring forth one that hath so much as any outward shewe To be short all this is nothing els but a manifest dotage for if they looke to the beginning of the Church they shall finde neither Rome nor the Pope neither the See of S. Peter nor consequently any authoritie aboue the word of god If they looke to the beginning of Rome they shall there finde the word the law the prophets expositors of long time before and therefore an authoritie farre aboue their church But in this a man may see the poore defence of their Church when for the establishing thereof the word of God must fall downe which is the foundation of the pure Church Now in this whole disputation they can not finde one onely word out of the auncient doctors for there was neuer yet any heretike so mōstrous which durst set it forth till the Councill of Constance where it was first set out by the doctors of the Church of Rome There was the question moued concerning the taking away of the cup of our Lord from the people expresly against the institution of the Sonne of god There could not one place be found out in the Scriptures which might fauour directly or indirectly plainly or darkely so damnable a sacriledge Iohn Hus called them to the holy Scripture and they knewe well that that was full against them Then first they began to aduise of those goodly Maximes or groūds which they haue mainteined euen vntil this day that the Church is aboue the holy Scripture that the Scripture hath no other authoritie then that which the Church giueth it that the Scripture is as they say De bene esse of the wel being but not of the essence or being of the Church that such should be the interpretation as seemeth good to the Church to be short that the word of God was more long and large then the word written and that the Church is more worthie thē it to which some haue sithens added that the Church should be in better case if there were no Gospell written These are the intolerable blasphemies which sprang vp in this councill who also were authors of one other goodly canon forsooth that ouerthroweth al christianitie That we must not keepe faith or promise with heretikes Iohn Hus notwithstanding presseth them yet somewhat more neerely Though it were so saith he that the Church should be aboue the word of God to which you shal neuer haue me to agree Shew me yet that the minde of the auncient Church was euer so that it euer so ordeyned or so interpreted Name me one onely auncient doctor which is not wholly and plainly against it That it is so yea our owne canons do excommunicate all those which cōmunicate not vnder both kinds therefore to communicate vnder one is not to be partaker of the communion but of excōmunication To this argument they yet find another shift more mischieuous then the former that albeit that of one commandement of the Gospel there be at this day another interpretation then was in the auncient Church notwithstanding that that meaning which is receiued in the Church must be accepted as the way to saluation in asmuch as the holy Ghost hath inspired it to the Church That is to say that the Pope his mainteyners according to their good pleasure may cry downe all the auncient interpretatiōs of the Scripture as coynes are and put them into the Mint to make theirs currant Also that as the iudgement of the Church is changed in the Scripture so we must presume that the iudgemēt of God is changed And therefore when that good man Iohn Hus could not content himselfe with these horrible blasphemies their last argument was the halter the hang man to cast him into the fire To make Gods spirit chāgeable his word a nose of waxe God himselfe inconstant in his purpose changing himselfe according to the vanitie ambition of men wil there be founde in the traditions of the Pharisees in the speculations of the Cabalists and Thalmud in the Alcoran of Mahomet any such execrable blasphennes as these are I leaue to the iudgement of euery one whether the spirit of God or the spirit of Satan ruled there in those coūcills That there can be founde no other Iudge of the controuersies of this time but the holy Scripture and how
in the olde Church euen by the testimony of Paynims Finally by the cōsent of al the people they lay their hands vpon thē they giue thē aucthoritie to preach which is the only ceremonie that the Apostles vsed by imitation of the Church of the Iewes after which they began to administer the word sacraments in the Church This is that the auncient Canons saye That the minister of the Church must be ordeined by the election of the Clergie by the consent of the people That a Bishop should not be chosen vvithout a nomber of bishops c. At the request of the Clergie that is to say of the elders vvith the consent of the people Againe that they which are come to a bishopricke by mony or fauour they should not be holden for Bishops neyther haue any right to ordeyne others Nowe wee report our selues to the church of Rome it selfe who are more canonically elected they or we whether these canons haue not bene altogether contemned amongst them for the space of more then these 800. yeres If the questiō be of bishops either ordeyning or ordeyned they come to their Byshoprickes eyther through fauor of the princes court or else by the subtilties of the court of Rome or by paying of mony And there be who are made bishops for the seruice of theyr predecessors before they were borne at that time when it was doubtful whether they should be male or female man or womā The thing it self speaketh euery man seeth it knoweth it before I can speake of it If of the examination which is made by this a mā may iudge what it is like to be whē he seeth a great part of the bishops of the church of Rome that know not whether their Masse be in Greke or Latine their liues are so knowē I touch not those few that behaue thēselues better that theyr Cardinals chosen in the time of Pope Paul the thyrd for a reformation confesse in theyr articles that for theyr wicked liues and horrible outrages the name of God was blasphemed throughout all nations If of the consent of the people which S. Cyprian so much requireth which we see so wel put in practise in the person of Eradius that was S. Augustines successor they present their bishops to the people not to haue their consent to approue thē but to cause thē to worship them for fashion sake only and not altogether in good earnest Now if we come to the simple priestes the ignorant bishops do yet make them of the most ignorant and of the most vitious worse then themselues so that the time whereof the Prophet complayneth hath endured a long time in the Church that whosoeuer would might consecrate his hand We ministers therefore at this day haue the same succession that their bishops had For from the first that reformed the Churches no man could take it away vnto this they haue further added the continuall successiō of the true doctrine But their vocation is farre better and more canonical for besides that they were ordeined by those that the church of Rome had ordeined they are ordeined according to the example of the Apostles and auncient canons which Antichrist and his mainteyners haue vtterly disanulled wheras examining the election of the Romish bishops you shal haue much a do to find one that may rightly be called a bishop Against this which hath bene said nothing can be alledged vnlesse it be that these first reformers of the Church Iohn Hus Luther Zwinglius Decolompadius others from whom ours are descēded they were not bishops but onely priestes doctors To this we answere That a Minister a Bishop in the primitiue Church were al one and that if there be any difference at this day in their titles and myters yet that in their essentiall dignitie they differ not a whitte S. Paule sayeth to Titus I left thee in Candie to the end thou shouldest ordeyne elders in euery citie And afterwards willing to shew him howe he shoulde gouerne there he addeth For it behoueth that a Bishop be faultlesse c. Also it is sayd in the Actes That he sent to seeke the Elders or Seniors of Ephesus But marke the waighty exhortation he maketh to them Take heede sayth he to your selues to the vvhole flock ouer vvhich the holy Ghost hath made you Bishoppes or ouerseers In the Epistle to the Philippians he saluteth the Deacons and Bishoppes of that citie that is to saye the auncients S. Peter also exhorting the Bishops or elders Feede saith he the flock vvhich is committed vnto you hauing an eye ouer them as Bishoppes or ouerseers c. And in deede where Saint Paul rekoneth vp the names of all the degrees in the Church he maketh no mention of bishops but onely of pastors and doctors to the elders it is said Feede teach doe the duetie of Bishops It is then most apparent that elders whome you call priests Bishops were all one And Ireneus also calleth Anicetus Pius Hyginus Bishops of Rome no otherwise then by the name elders This is that S. Hierom saith in a certayne Epistle handling this matter Among our ancients Bishop elder vvere both one but the one is the name of age the other of office or dignitie as the Apostle hath plainly shevved vs. And in another place Before one sayd I hold of Cephas I of Apollo c. all things vvere gouerned in the Church by the cōmon aduise of the Seniors or elders Aftervvardes to auoyde Schismes aduise vvas giuen that one should be chosen aboue others But as on the one side the elders are subiect vnto him so on the other side they must knovv in that that he is aboue the elders it is by custome and not by the Lords ordināce S. Ambrose expoūding the 4. of the Ephe. where the degrees of the Church are largely handled The Bishops sayeth he vvere called at the first Elders vvherupon one succeeded another c. And vpon Timoth. A Bishop is none other but a chief elder S. Gregory in his epistles calleth the Bishops Elders Cardinalles that is to saye the chiefe and Iustinian the Emperour in his Deconomical lawes calleth them Reuerende because they differ nothing from Elders in their essential dignitie but only in this that they kept the first place in the administratiō of Gods seruice that is to saye in order and Ceremonie Gratian in his decretals saith plainly That the superioritie of the Bishop and the distribution of his dioces is from mans lavve not from the institution of the Apostles Peter Lombarde repeateth it in the same wordes And M. Iohn of Paris a doctor of the Sorbonists of the order of Iacobins in his booke of the kingly papal power which the whole facultie of diuinitie approued at that time goeth further For concerning the essentiall
Diuinitie in one Tombe Notwithstanding after that the diuel had cast out his fire against the Apostles and disciples of Christ that he had raysed against them infinite persecutions it must needes be in the end that he yelde himselfe that al the earth acknowledge their lord Let the earth therefore do what it will the word of God endureth for euer And it must be that Antichrist perish be discomfited by the breath of the mouth of Christ that he be abolished by the brightnesse of his comming All kings and al the earth can do nothing against this determination But I beseech the Almightie that it will please him to inspire into the heartes of all Kings and peoples a true desire of knowing the trueth to search for their saluation a true zeale to bring Christendome againe to true vnitie vnder the obedience of Christ a true affâ—â—â—â— on to reigne and to liue in him as they raigne and liue by him to the ende that Kings being well obeyed of their people and the people well commaunded of their Kinges we may see in our dayes one onelye Iesus Christ acknowledged of all peoples Kinges to be the King of Kinges and Lord of Lordes and in his Church the onely mediatour fauiour and Lawegiuer Amen Conclusions THe Church is considered as it is to be seene or not to be seene The Church not to be seene is the companie of those whom God hath chosen to euerlasting life in all times and places The Church that is to be seene is the company of those who are called thereinto and is considered according to certaine times and places There is notwithstanding but one Church but considered diuersely In that which is to be seene as the corne with the chasse in that which is not to be seene as the corne threshed and fanned This visible Church was first without the law afterwards vnder the law tyed to one certain place familie Now through grace it is spred throughout the world one place hauing no more priuiledge then an other whereof it is called Catholike that is to say vniuersall The Catholike Church comprehendeth vnder it all assemblies of Christians in al regions whoÌ„ we call Churches as we call partes of the sea the sea distinguishing theÌ„ notwithstanding by their names as the Church of Greece of Affrike c. Of the parts of the Church as the members of the same body yea though it be vniuersall some are pure and some impure and of those that are impure some are more and some lesse impure The pure Churches are those in which the word of God is purely preached and the sacraments duly administred albeit that in respect of God there is nothing pure The one they call the sound and true Churches the other but unproperly Catholike Churches The impure are those in which the word of God and his sacraments are ill administred whatsoeuer other outward marckes they can pretende And because that al the doctrine of Christ is faith and charitie we cal those that are impure in the doctrine of faith heretical Churches and those that haue separated themselues from the vnitie which they do through lacke of charitie Schismatical And some there are that are both heretical and Schismatical as the Churche of Rome and they that at this day cleaue vnto it for they maintaine many damnable heresies and persecute and excommunicate those that desire reformation Notwithstanding forasmuch as the profession of Christ remayneth there in some sorte we denie them not the name of a Church as we call a man a man howe sicke or brainelesse soeuer he be To discerne the pure churches froÌ„ the impure God hath deliuered vs his worde contained in the scriptures the which is perfect cleere to saluation for it hath for his aucthor the most perfect father of light This is that therfore by which men ought to determine the coÌ„trouersies of this time to reforme the Church as the coÌ„moÌ„ welth according to the lawes abolishing that which God hath there forbidden vs holding that for forbidden in his seruice which hee hath not ordeined looking to that which he hath commaunded and interpreting his wil by it selfe concerning those thinges that are in controuersie The Churches which follow that wil caÌ„not erre for that is the way of saluation and following that God guideth them also by his spirit which enlightneth them and is inseparably ioyned thereto Contrariwise the Churches which departe from it may and doe erre yea and that in the matter of saluation for that they goe out of the way of saluation Neither can they beast of the spirite for God bestoweth it not but vpon his sheepe neither doth he hold any for his sheepe but those that heare his voyce Therfore the Church following mans fantasie not the lawe of God hath greatly erred in all her particular states times euen vntil the crucifiyng of the sonne of God that is to say her owne saluation As in our time we say that the Church of Rome doth adore and worship the sonne of perdition that is to say Antichrist The Church is a body Christ the sonne of God is the head thereof giuing efficacie to the Ministerie of his Gospell through his spirit by the selfe same assisting all those that truely call vpon him And this is that wherein consisteth the administration or gouernement of the head of the Church And as touching the ministerial head no man may be it For the Church by the comming of Christ is spread throughout the whole world none can exercise that ministerie throughout the world but rather euery pastor representeth Christ in his charge And in deede our sauiour Christ before he ascended into heauen ordeyned none such neither did any of the Apostles exercise any such office the whole primitiue Church neuer knewe of it Wherefore following the worde of God and the opinion of the same church we hold that the Papal See which vnder this false title exerciseth tyranny ouer all the world is Antichrist the which without other proofes and circumstances may be verified by his doctrine alone Notwithstanding that this Papal See placed in one part of the Church is not the Churche neither a part of the Church but as a pestilence to the body of the Church which hath corrupted and infected all asmuch as it coulde and had vtterly choked it without the special mercie of God. We doe therefore depart from the papacie and not from the Church from Idoles and not from the temple from Tyranme and not from the common wealth from the plague and not from the Citie being ready entirely to knit and ioyne our selues againe when Antichrist the euil which he hath brought in shal be taken away And in waiting for this we reforme the Ministerie of the worde of God and as nye as we can his seruice according to his institution by the example of the Apostles excommunicated out of Hierusalem which yet notwithstanding is not to
the canker of these heresies fret no farther but may in time be stayed that God may be glorified his poore Church preserued and his gracious blessings fealed amongst vs not onely in our dayes but in the dayes of our childrens children after vs Amen Your good Lordships most bounden and faithfull Io. Feilde To the most excellent Prince Henry King of Nauarre Prince and Souereigne Lord of Bearne c. Peere and chiefe Prince of the bloud royall of Fraunce THIS litle booke which I presume to offer to your maiestie my very good Lord belongeth vnto you by a double right First in respect of the matter for it intreateth of the Church whereof it hath pleased God to raise you vp to be a defender in our coutrey of Fraunce Then in respect of the Authour himselfe for seeing that he hath vowed and giuen himselfe to your maiestie with all that by Gods grace he is able to bring foorth the proprietie and right is in you Wherfore if it shall please you to reade you shall finde herein a little after what ought to be the right condition of the Church of God and what now at this present it is vnder the tyrannie of the Pope in the Church of Rome and consequently what honour God hath shewed vnto you in our time choosing you out from amongst so many great Princes to deliuer it from such a bondage The world will make no accompt of these honours neither is it of the worlde But to a Christian Prince who will consider that God doth hold his Church so deare that he hath giuen his dearely beloued sonne to the death and to the contempt of the world for her sake this honour shal be more precious in his sight then the whole world This vndoubtedly is a great work wherin verely there is much toile for the word of God is certaine that the nations and kinges of the earth for the most part will bande themselues together to maintaine and vnderproppe the kingdome of Antichrist But beyonde this as in all great thinges so in this there remaineth at the end of this toyle a most assured victorie For this thing the word of God telleth vs that it must needes be that that kingdome must fall and that Christ must be acknowledged through all to be the King of kings and Lord of lords yea that they themselues which shall haue mainteyned Antichrist shall hewe him in pieces Of this trauel the worst and greatest brunt is already past God hauing for the comfort of his children deuided it amongest so many great and notable personages which in our time haue trauailed therein and nowe haue rested themselues from their trauailes in that same blessed happines And if so be any thing yet remaine it behoueth that you take good courage For God who hath crowned you will also crowne this good worke by you and as for the forces which now they doe seeme to make what are they else but the gryâ—ng wringings of Antichrist And these griping â—â—â—gings are euident and vndoubted tokens that hiâ—â—â—â—â—h draweth neere God hath made you my very good lord to know his trueth euen from your childhoode and he hath employed you in his woorke in your first youth Hee hath beautified you with great gifts to this ende as strength of body quickenes of spirite valiancie of courage And employing these in his seruice he will crowne them in you with happines honour riches and high aduauancements For these are no other then accessories and he who hath giuen you the principall can giue you these and by him alone also it is that kings reigne and that princes Judge the earth And Sir this is that which he requireth of you This is it that Christendome looketh for at your hands This is that which all good men doe promise themselues This then is the alone and onely marke that your maiestie must ame at And therefore Sir as one of your most lowely seruants I make this humble petition that day and night you may liuely represent and keepe before your presence the dignitie and greatnes of this charge to which God hath called you that you may employ those rare gifts which he hath giuen vnto you for the establishing of his kingdome that you may thinke then to reigne most safely when he shall reigne by his worde in the middest of you This is the most sure and short way that your trustie seruantes can direct you in for the establishing of your highnes I beseech God therefore Sir that it will please him to assist you through his spirite in this worke to gouerne your heart and all your actions and to heape vpon you his blessings both spirituall and temporall to his owne glorie and the benefite of his Church Your most humble obedient and faithfull seruant Du Plessis To the Reader I Pray thee gentle Reader to reade this treatise not as hauing alreadie founde the trueth but seeking for it likewise and I pray thee to read it out before thou iudge of it And if it accord as the doctrine of the trueth I adiure thee in the name of God by thine owne saluation that thou openly declare it For it behoueth that we waite no longer to speake seeing once that wincking at the kingdome of Antichrist our kingdome falleth to ruine in the ruine whereof is the danger of vs all If yet there be founde any doubt they shewing it by writing we shall by the grace of God endeuoure to make it cleare But if there be any which will improue the whole I praye them that they wil answere point by point and reason by reason in the spirite of sinceritie and gentlenes seeking in steade of the prise of victorie the saluation of the people and not the glorie of this world For I protest before God that in this treatise I haue aimed at no thing else but their saluation What the visible Church is and what are the sundry states thereof CHAP. I. GOD through his might the Creatour of mankind vouchsauing of his owne good wil to be the Father thereof would that the Church should be honoured acknowledged as mother of all those of whom he vouchsaueth to be Father in his Sonne Iesus Christ our Lord And forasmuch as we are not saued but in this that God hath allowed vs for his children and that he hath allowed none to be such but those that are regenerated and nourished vp in his Church if we desire our saluation it is necessarie that we acknowledge her in whose lappe we haue it And if we will be heires of the Father we must be vnited in the familie of the mother in which it hath pleased him to beget those againe whom he hath ordeined to be hetres of his kingdome and coheires of his dearely beloued sonne Iesus Christ our Lord. All they that are knit and incorporated into this Churche in true faith charitie are partakers of this inheritance because they are members of the body of Christ and without her
they call her Princes the Princes of Sodome and her people the people of Gomorrhe to be short that they threaten her that God will remoue his tabernacle from thence to others And Saint Paul sayeth that they should be so deceiued for hauing neglected the trueth of God that they shal worship Antichrist in the Church The reason hereof is very cleare that the Church is as the moone a body thicke cloudie which hath no light but from Christ the sunne thereof By meanes that she looketh towards him she is bright and cleare and the more she turneth away from him the lesse brightnesse she hath sometimes she withdraweth her selfe so farre from him so great a masse of earth setteth it selfe betwene them that she seemeth altogether eclipsed Hereof it is that of this vniuersall Church dispersed throughout the whole worlde and gathered together into particular Churches of all the nations thereof wee maye see some vtterly rooted out by the iust iudgement of God as the Philippians Colossians many others of the East which were erected by the Apostles thēselues others to be erected else where through the euerlasting goodnesse of God towards mankinde Some by the corruption of men to be corrupted both in maners and doctrine as those of Greece of Egypt of Affrike c. Others by the presumption of their leaders hauing nothing left sound as the Church of Rome at this day To be short some other gone from heresie to infidelitie as in the coūtries where Mahomet begunne his sect which are altogether the fruites of the first sinne of man who of him selfe turned awaye from God to himselfe and was blinded in his owne loue thinking to be wise enough to guide himselfe without the worde of god Thus much in few words concerning the parts of this visible Church nowe vniuersall But let it suffise for this time that wee resolue our selues that this Church is the Assemblie or Congregation of all those which make profession of Christ throughout the whole worlde that vnder her are comprehended al the particular churches to which the promises of Christ made to this universall Churche belong equally That of the same some are pure and some impure according as they are turned away from God to themselues to be short that the purer churches are impure before God seeing he hath not founde puritie in his angels sauing that he supporteth them in mercie in Iesus Christ his sonne our Lorde That of the visible Catholique Church some partes of it are pure and some impure and which be the infallible markes of the pure Churches CHAP. II. THe Catholique or vniversall visible Church is the assemblie of all those which make profession of the Gospell of Iesus Christ throughout the whole worlde distinguished as we haue sayd into many particular Churches all which do make but one body Of all these particular as members and parts of one the selfe same body some are pure other some are impure some more some lesse sounde and some at this day are sicke euen vnto death which in times past were more healthful according as all are composed of men and therefore are subiect to be partakers with their faultes Those that are of the purer and sounder Churches we call them sound and true Churches cōsenting to the true doctrine which is the name that for the most part the auncient fathers haue giuen them The others wee call the erring hereticall or schismatical Churches according as they erre either in faith or in charitie agaynst the square and right rule of Christ or against the rule of his Church either in the one or in the other notwithstanding euery one in his degree And yet for all this both the one and the other are truely Churches that is to say assemblies that make profession of Christ but they are not pure Churches that is to say seruing God in Christ onely in puritie and veritie euen like as a lying person is truely a man albeit he be not a true man a man ceaseth not to be a man howsoeuer he be disfigured without and inwardly infected with leprosie and in such sorte benommed of his members or else troubled in his senses that he is depriued of the principall actions of a man yea and of those things also in outwarde appearance that make difference betweene a man a beast I meane speache and reason I knowe very wel that the auncient fathers and principally the Latines they cōmonly call the pure Church Catholike by excellencie to distinguish it from the congregation of heretikes but to speake properly there is no particular Church how pure sound soeuer it be that can bee called universall And if we giue them their name because they are partes of the universall Church by the selfe same reason it should agree aswell to the most impure Churches themselues And in deede this worde Catholike was not put in our Creede for to distinguish a pure Church from an impure but to distinguish the Iewish Church in times past tyed to Ierusalem from the Christian Church which by the cōming of Iesus Christ was spread throughout the whole worlde that is to saye to authorize the vocation of the Gentiles against the pretended prerogatiues of the Iewes against which S. Paul hath written in the three first whole chapters of the Epistle to the Romaines and to shewe that according to that that was foretolde by all the Prophets that all people were made one in Iesus Christ which was the principall controuersie that made greatest broyle in the primitiue Church And if a man shall deepely way this thing he shall finde that this maner of speaking vsed of the auncient fathers calling the sound and true Church Catholike came of the reasoning they had against the Schismatikes as against the Nouatians Donatistes and others who tooke vpon them to binde the whole Church to themselues and shut out all the rest of the world besides as namely the Donatistes who tyed it to a little corner of Affrike vnder the colour that they presumed that they themselues were more holy then the rest against whom to the ende to stoppe their mouthes they opposed the Catholike or vniuersall Church according to the Scripture spredde throughout the whole world Nowe it followeth that we search out the true markes of this Church which we call the true pure Church or if we like better the Catholike Church to distinguish it from the impure erroneous Church We haue said alredy that God vouchsafing through his goodnes to be the father of one sort of men would also that his Church should be the mother and we knowe very wel that it belongeth not to the mother alone to bringforth children into the world but she is a true mother who also nourisheth them and careth for them after shee hath brought them forth Nowe through Baptisme we are auowed to be the childrē of God and of children of wrath which we were we are through
his word cherished nourished vp in the faith and she at the first giuing vs sucke and afterwards more fast and strong meate through the Communion of Christ his bodye in the Supper we are more and more vnited to him and by this meane inuested into that heauenly inheritance It followeth then that she is the pure Church and true mother who bringeth foorth vs her children through Baptisme regenerateth norisheth vs through the worde knitteth vs to Christ and so a-amongst our selues one to another through the Sacrament of his Supper that is to saye shee is the true mother in which the worde of God is purely preached and the Sacraments according to the same worde duely administred In the Church of Iuda and Israel Circumcision occupied the place of Baptisme the Passeouer of the Supper the worde of God alwayes keeping his place as the ordinarie nourishment of the children of God and therefore we see that after their entrie into the land of Canaan Iosue being admonished by the Lord to repaire those faults committed in the desert made the people to be circumcised and bound them by an othe if they would be his people to keepe the word of God that is to saye if they would bee his Church Likewise Iosias after so great confusions and mingle mangles when he would reforme the Church in which there was not so much as that visible marke which circumcision had left in the flesh we see that he began there first digging vp as it were the law which had bene buried published the same and made the people to sweare solemnly vnto it And cōsequently he caused a Passeouer to be proclaymed in these woordes Celebrate the passeouer of the Lord your God as it is written in the booke of this couenant that is to say according to the ordināce of the Lord your god Esdras also after he was returned frō Babylon for to reedifie the temple and to restore the Church he began at these foundations he expoundeth the lawe vnto the people and maketh thē to sweare in the forme of that couenant and after to nourish and fortifie them in the hope of their saluation to come he restoreth againe the true vse of the Paschall according to those things sayeth he which were written in the booke of Moses To be short al the true seruants of God after that there came any great scattering of the Church being willing to redresse it they haue alwaies before al other things restored these markes no otherwise then a good Captaine who after a great slaughter confusion raungeth his men into an aray and planteth his standerds in some high place to the end they may shew them selues to all sides Iesus Christ who is the true husband hath giuen vs no other markes to knowe his espouse by For this cause that he calleth the Church his wife he teacheth her her duety which is to obey his worde and not to hearken to the voyce of a straunger not to lose the tokens nor to defile the Iewels and pledges of her mariage but marke how he speaketh in expresse wordes He that is of the trueth heareth my voice And againe My sheepe heare my voice and I knowe them and they followe me and in another place Ye heare not because you are not of god The pure wife and Church then of the trueth is onely she which heareth the voyce of Christ Not a voyce in the ayre or an imaginatiue voyce but that voyce which hath it Echo out of the scriptures and which will resound vntill the end to witte the same that is pronounced by the mouth of his Prophets Apostles vpon which Saint Paul teacheth vs that the Church is founded Christ Iesus being the chiefe corner stone This is the cause why sending foorth his Apostles to erecte the Christian Churches he saith vnto thē Goe and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father c. and teaching them to keepe all that I haue commanded you And in the Actes we reade that the faithfull continued in the doctrine of the Apostles in the Communion breaking of bread in prayers which is no other thing but a briefe description of the true Church of Christ instructed by the worde in true faith and knit together in true charitie through the Communion that is in him The which thing S. Ambrose teacheth vs saying that the Catholique Church is that where God speaketh with his seruāts and S. Augustine also whē he placeth the ministerie of ministers pastors of the Church in the word of God Sacramēts Let vs yet adde hereunto the third mark of this church albeit it be not of the substance but outward to wit the lawful vocation of pastors ministers of the Church which haue the administration of the things aforesaid For seeing that there is question of preaching be it by the word or by the Sacraments which are vnto vs as a word that may be felt and that to preach it behoueth that the ministers be sent it is very necessary that the Church of God haue an order to send forth their pastors But more shal be seene of this point in another place We wil call then the true pure Churches all those wherein we finde the worde of God and Sacraments purely and lawfully administred that is to say as Cyprian saith according to the institution of the Lorde And we nothing doubt to communicate with them that God is there president howsoeuer in some certaine pointes of doctrine there haue bene some errour and in the outward policie some abuse and corruption and impuritie in maners for it behooueth that alwayes we resort thither when the chiefe pointes of the foundation of our saluation be there truly taught seeing we are men the Churches are compounded of men as speache and language consist of syllables and letters of the qualities of which men as long as the Church is in this world she is alwayes a partaker As concerning the false and impure Churches they are not so easely to be defined Trueth soundnes and right are but of one sort but errors diseases crookednesses are without nomber Againe there are many kindes degrees of impure Churches notwithstanding we can say in one worde that al those Churches are impure in which the word of the Lord and his Sacraments are impurely ministred that is are administred both against the honor of God and the saluation of our neighbour and because that the whole Gospel is nothing else but faith and charitie and whole Christ nothing but head and body we may make two principall kindes thereof calling those Heretikes which erre in the faith doctrine of Christ those schismatikes which sunder themselues from charitie and from the communion of his body which is the Church yea although they agree otherwise to the trueth of doctrine in all pointes Nowe as there are many pointes in the
for the ordinarie nourishment of his children The Latine Church to the end she might nourish them with huskes and shales hath hidden it from them buried it in the earth or if for shame she hau◠sometimes deliuered it vnto them it hath bene altogether couered with poyson In stead that this worde shoulde haue directed vs to God for our saluation shee hath sent vs to men which are nothing but perdition yea to the sonne of perdition him self Whereas she should haue assured vs in the infinite merites of one Christ the infinite God the papacie hath turned vs to our own merits which merite nothing but hell and death The whole law was giuen to no other end but to make vs feele our sinnes to search the remedie thereof in the grace of Christ but contrariwise the Romane Church maketh vs to play the Iewes more then the Iewes promising vs saluation of our selues to the ende that making vs to search for it that wayes more feruently shee might therein shewe vs hell She hath receyued the deuill into the Lordes house she hath mingled in his bread of life death and into his cuppe she hath put poyson to conclude if through Baptisme which she hath notwithstanding many wayes profaned she enrouleth children to God as a mother yet is it certaine on the contrary part that through her false worships she nourisheth them vp to the deuil And as concerning saluation in Iesus Christ which is the necke that ioyneth the head with the body Iesus Christ with his Church it is so cut of by mans merits by the merits of Saintes by the Popes pardons and such other wickednesses that the life of the Church holdeth but by a very litle thread the which had bene straightway quite cut off Antichrist had so wel laboured therein had not God through his great mercy sent his seruants in time to represse him As long then as this threade remained there we deny it not the name of the Church no more then vnto a man the name of a man as long as he liueth what sickenesse soeuer he haue yea we are content to call her the spouse so that therewithall shee suffer vs in like maner to call her an adulteresse But we say that she is an heretical Church worse then al the Churches that euer haue bene a wife which prouoketh God to a diuorce a mother which nourisheth vp her children to the diuell and we pray God that he will vouchsafe to take her in childhood being defiled in her blood and that he will washe her in her olde age in the blood of his sonne that he will remember as he promiseth to Ierusalem Samaria the couenant made with her from her youth and that as he hath done alreadye in a good parte of her members it woulde please him to restore her againe to her first puritie and integritie See then as concerning the hereticall and impure Churches in doctrine whereof we mayntaine the Romane and Latine Church to be in the chiefest degree Concerning the Schismatical Churches whether they are plainely schismatical or whether heresie foloweth after a schisme as a feuer doth after a woūd heretikes schismatikes in this sense are all one Of Heretikes we haue spoken as before Of Schismatikes we make here two distinctiōs The cause sayth the Canon maketh a schismatike not the separatiō therfore we say that they which haue giuen others a iust occasion to separate thē selues from their corruptions are the schismatikes not they who haue taken it For this cause the Apostles were not schismatikes although they separated them selues from the Scribes Pharises cut themselues of from their assemblies But rather the Priestes Scribes which put them to death when they submitted them selues to verifie the comming of Christ amidst the Church we shall proue in his proper place that the selfe same in like maner is come to passe in our time of those which haue verified Antichrist in an open councill For the second we say that we must distinguish betwixt the author of a schisme those which followe it That the authors of Schisme forasmuch as they rent thēselues from charitie so by cōsequence from the body of Christ they may be cōpared to Dathan Core Abiram cutting themselues asmuch as in them lyeth out of the booke of life Concerning the others we say that they are the flocke of Christ but euil gouerned by their pastors and principally those which are borne vnder the Schisme forasmuch as neither of both are without blame neither can in any wise excuse themselues And therefore Dathan and his companions were swallowed vp and the congregation which cleaued vnto him was spared but in that it sawe the horrible punishmēt of those whom it had followed it was warned to separate it selfe for feare of the like In like maner Ieroboam his successors which through ambition had made a schisme in the Church were accursed and yet Samaria ceased not therefore at the least to be in the couenant of God neither by reason of her false worships halfe Iewish halfe heathenish To be short ambition the want of charitie wherof it proceedeth these make schismatikes therefore the poore people which do not holde thereof but are caried away with the faction of the mightiest as it were with a streame this although it be a separatiō yet properly it is not a schisme And euen as in factions which are made in a kingdome against the common wealth a good prince punisheth the Captaines through his clemēcie pardoneth the people who were let alone either to go through ignorance or in respect of their authoritie c. euen so it is to be presumed that the father of mercy doeth towards his poore children which for the most part do mourne vnder the ambition of the prelates are not partakers of their subtill coūcels This be simply spoken of the Schismaticall Churches that is to say which haue no notable heresies ioined with their schismes The like thing also may be foūd in the Churches of the heretikes for oftentimes the leaders of the Church are heretikes by their subtilties in certaine things not the people who vnderstand thē not contenting themselues with the simplicitie of the worde which alwayes is most true But we will speake of this more amplie in another place We wil conclude then that the workes of the pure Church are fayth and charitie the worde and the Sacramentes purely lawfully administred The markes of the impure Churches are whē therin they faile in part or be impure the which thing many times falleth out ordinarily together To be short howsoeuer it be when it hath no religion nor no doctrine nor no visible signes to distinguish it frō others We say that the Christian Churches haue their doctrine comprised in the olde newe Testament their Sacraments which are Baptisme the Supper that those which minister the one the other purely
most auncient of all For this is alwaies a ryght rule and to be receiued that those thinges which are nought worth in the beginning are no whit better in the continuāce of time and if a mā cannot prescribe against kings and against the Church in their possessions much lesse he can doe it against God and against the trueth which is the only treasure of the Church Nowe let vs come to multitude it is saide expressely thou shalt not follow a multitude to do euill Also the gate is wide that leadeth to perdition Cōtrary wise feare not my little flocke for it is my fathers pleasure to giue you a kingdome Moreouer we see that all the worlde was brought to one onely Noah and afterwards to Abraham Then God chose one people of Israel the least as he hath said of al peoples and finally of all peoples the least part to wit Christendome which for this cause he calleth a litle flocke According to which S. Austin saith that the Church was sometimes in one Abel and in one Enoch Multitude then shoulde be rather a presumption of the false then of the true Church of impuritie rather then of puritie for asmuch also as man in all things is prone by nature to euill and tendeth not vnto good vnlesse he be as it were drawen by force vnto it If we looke to the number of Painims they will set against vs in al nations almost many against one and againe all nations against one only nation yea and in that nation it selfe all the families of one time against one or two as namely in the time of Noah those which were called the childrē of God mocked him his religion Likewise amongst this chosen people of God the Samaritans bare themselues against Iuda for there were ten tribes against two and in Iuda Israel the idolaters gained against the people of God for Elias cōplaineth that he was left alone against the good Prophet Micheas there arose vp foure hundred false the Prophets crie that all the people were deceiued euen from the Kings to the Priests Prophets In the Christian Church also there shall be as fewe in that place for euen at the beginning it was saide Who hath beleeued our word to whom hath the arme of the Lord bin reueiled we read that it was brought to a small number of persons the schoolemen themselues hold that after the death of our Sauiour in one instant it consisted in the virgine Marie alone In the greatest floure of it we reade that after the death of Constantine his sonne being of the same name fauoring the Arrians there were so few sounde professors amongst the Christians that the Emperour reproched thē that foure or fiue persōs with their Athanasius would trouble the peace of the whole worlde to whom Liberius the Byshop of Rome answered that his solitude or fewenesse did no whit diminish the word of faith In the end we are aduertised that when that sonne of man shall come before which that sonne of perdition must seduce the worlde he shal finde neither faith nor charitie on the earth and that those daies shall be as the daies of Noah Lot c. The eclipse thē of this Moone shal be as it were vniuersall all the whole earth being put betweene the Church and the Sunne therefore if we haue no other direction in these darkenesses then the multitude we shall haue no part with that little number Moreouer the Christians which reiect the Pope in Asia and in Affrica are a great many moe in number then the others If the Pope hold them for pure Churches then is the Romaine Church an heretike for she condemneth them and excōmunicateth them for diuers points of doctrine If not then multitude which is a common argument to the impure Churches themselues can not be alledged for a marke of puritie And yet for all this we cease not to praise GOD for the blessing which he hath giuen vnto his woorde making the same to fructifie and encrease to hundreds and to thousandes likewise we pray that as he hath already drawen a part of Christendome frō vnder the yoke of Antichrist so it wil please him to continue it more more But we say that if in certayne places it seeme that God do retire but few as the Pastor that saueth from the mouth of the Lion an eare of his sheepe as saith the Prophet Amos or according to Ieremie taking one of one towne two of one tribe for to retire them into the restauratiō of his Church yet for this cause we must not cal the trueth into doubt for asmuch as the selfe same trueth hath foretolde vs this the great number is no marke of puritie veritie nor the litle number of falshood and heresie Nowe followeth the succession of place and of persons which they alledge against the succession of true doctrine which we require in the Church As concerning the place there is no doubt but that this is to play the Iewes to enclose Orbem in Vrbe that is the whole worlde in one citie For the Church is not any longer tyed to Ierusalem but we see euery day that God calleth his people euen those which seemed not to be his people and contrarywise he hath permitted by his righteous will that many Christian Churches haue bene turned into the Temples of the Turkes as that of Ephesus foūded by S. Paul and S. Iohn and that of Bōne in Barbary wher S. Austin preached c. And further that is said expressely that the Church of God for a long time by reason of the persecution of Antichrist shall retire her selfe into the wildernes as the common glose it selfe doth expound Moreouer the Church is a citie that is to say one vniō of Citizens vnder the iust gouernement of Christ Now betweene a citie and a towne there is this difference that the one cōsisteth in walles the other in the vnion of the people gouerned vnder the same lawes therefore the citie of Rome was at Veies with Camillus being a banished man though the towne of Rome was in the hand of the enemie And Themistocles saide that Athens was in shippes which the Romanes had taught the poore Carthagians to their cost when they made their Citie to be caried out of their towne To be short the Popes thē selues haue maintayned for lxxx yeeres together that the Romish Church had her sea in Auigniō although they had forsaken Rome Moreouer this argument is common to the Churches Greekes Syrians Armenians Ethiopians c. whom the Pope condemneth in many poynts of doctrine To conclude if euer there were Church that might alledge succession of place it was Ierusalem For of it was said The Lord wil euermore dwel in this Temple Also I haue chosen and sanctified this house to the ende that my name may
most famous places and that be shall worke strange signes and wonders we conclude on the contrary part that antiquitie multitude succession and miracles are rather at this day the markes of the seat of Antichrist of that whore then of Christ and of his chaste spouse of whome Christ hath giuen vs this one marke He that is of the trueth heareth my voyce He that is my Disciple abideth in my word That the holy scripture is the vndoubted touchstone to try the puritie of doctrine which is the marke of the pure Churches CHAP. 4. OVr aduersaries doe therevpon obiect vnto vs that doctrine as a common argument and that euery one saith that he hath the pure doctrine on his side and therefore that it can not be alledged as a mark of the pure Churches I answere that this is in deede a common bragge of all heretikes but it is not alwaies a common marke but peculiar and proper to the pure Churches For both the true Christians and heretikes may haue antiquitie multitude succession and miracles as we haue already proued but there is none but the sound and Catholike Church that can haue trueth true doctrine which consisteth in faith and charitie forasmuch as she is one and if the other boast of it they haue nothing else but the sound the which by and by vanisheth if it be once put to the touch Likewise we see commonly that they which pleade together pretende euery one that ryght is on their side In meane time who wil say that seeing both twaine saye they haue right that there is no question to dispute of the right but only that he which is in possession should keepe it He that should say so he should make him selfe a laughing stocke should often times giue authoritie title to the vniust possessor against the right owner For besides the opiniōs of parties there are aduocates to debate the right lawe that must iudge thereof Now for to decide the matter wherof there is questiō thanks be to God we haue a good Iudge The question betweene vs is of the pure seruice of god Now it is not in mans power to iudge howe God must be serued much lesse for a poore pesaunt to make bookes how Princes should be dutifully serued For betweene man man there is alwaies a proportion but betweene man and God there can be none For it is God alone which ought only to be heard in this matter not men whose ordinances of the seruice towards god is for their own turne serue only for their owne phantasies This is the cause why God himselfe would be the onely law giuer vnto his people giuing thē a law which containeth whatsoeuer he requireth of men aswel in general as in particular And to cut of al mans inuētiōs he expressely forbiddeth thē to adde any thing thereto or to take any thing therefro for he saith that he will be serued according to his pleasure and not according to that which is good in mens eyes which he hath knit vp for vs in one worde I will obedience not sacrifice The Priests were men very oftentimes they could not content themselues with this but the example of the sonnes of Aaron may be an horrour vnto euery one who for offering straunge fire vnto the Lord not being commaūded they were consumed with fire sent from heauē And whilest men haue loued their owne inuentions they haue loden the people with traditions ceremonies and gloses and whereas the lawe was giuen to conuince them of sinne to the ende they might seeke mercie in Christe they haue founde out other meanes for their saluation But God by his Prophets which he hath sent from time to time betweene the publishing of the law the Gospel hath alwaies helde them to the lawe To the lawe and the testimonie saith Esai hide my lawe amongst my Disciples And if they speake not according to this worde the morning light shall not be giuen vnto them And because they obserued not this sacrifice it was turned to them into a curse God was readie to make a diuorce with his people therefore to cutte of at one blowe all their madnesses Malachi recommendeth to the Church the obseruation of the law and the ordinances giuen from Moses vntill the comming of Elias that is of Iohn the forerunner of Iesus Christ See then the lawe of the Church euen vntill the Gospel of grace was giuen whereof the Prophetes were expositers by which a man may distinguishe the false seruice from the true without hauing anye recourse to the long possession thereof which had but small authoritie to giue power to Ismael him selfe agaynst Israel To be short he of whom it is only said Heare him to teach vs by his example hath giuen so great authority to the lawe that he will haue the people thereby to iudge whether he be Christ or no Search saith he diligētly the Scriptures for you thinke that by thē you shal haue euerlasting life and they are they which beare witnes of me The iudge of the world attributeth so much to the lāw that he wil haue the world to iudge by the same law whether he be the true Messias a deceiuer of the people or the sauiour of the world And why so because it is not the word of Moses nor of Esai nor of any men but euen his who sent him Nowe by the comming of our Sauiour Christ the holy scriptures haue lost nothing but rather haue the greater authority God which hath spoken to our fathers sayth the Apostle sundry times in diuers maners hath in these last times spoken vnto vs by his owne sonne This sōne is God himselfe this is that essētial word this is he by whose cōming the Church waiteth for the manifestation of al things The word then that proceedeth frō him ought to haue an infinite absolute authority therūto must mē adde nothing For it is the infinite wisedome of the infinite father and can teach vs whatsoeuer is necessarie for our saluation And seeyng he hath so loued vs that he came into the world to dye for vs he would not then hide from vs the worde of life To be short he came to lighten vs in darkenesse and hath promised neuer to forsake vs He hath then left vs some light to guide vs and seeing he is that same light it selfe it is such a light as we following it we cannot be deceiued Nowe this then is that same written word of God which is the true image of that essentiall worde in which he hath imprinted all that is necessarie for vs to the glorie of God and all that is expedient for our saluation The Apostles receyued this worde from his mouth to preache the same to all the worlde and herein they were true and faithfull Ambassadors Agayne the spirite of God through which they preached indited it and taught them what they
by the Scriptures which were giuen vnto vs by the holie Ghost reiecting whatsoeuer is not agreeable to them as enemie to our saluation And against all heretikes he demaundeth that onely the Scripture be vmpire Chrysostom calleth it the most exact balaunce the squire the rule and iudge of all doctrine And in a certayne other place the same sayeth that the Scripture is the accomplishment of the holie Ghost as Christ is of the lawe and that without it we may not alledge the spirite Irence calleth it the foundation and pillar of our faith Tertullian sayeth Take from heretikes the bookes of Ethnikes and winne so much of them that they will rest vpon the Scriptures and they can not stande Also let the shoppe of Hermogenes shewe that it is written if they cannot let them feare the curse which is appoynted for them that adde to or diminishe To bee short they all dryue to this poynt that to examine all doctrine to maintayne the true to vanquishe the false we must haue no other touchstone no other Buckler or sworde but this And this was the cause in the thirde Councill of Carthage it was forbidden to read any thing in the Church but the Canonicall Scriptures And the Imperiall lawe distinguisheth Catholikes from heretikes by the Apostolicall and Euangelicall doctrine and Constantine the great the first Christian Emperour hauing assembled that famous Councill of Nicee wherein there were three hundreth and eyghtene Fathers to dispute agaynst the heresie of Arrius he prescribed them this rule We haue sayeth he the bookes of the Euangelistes Apostles and Prophetes which instruct vs in the holie lawe By these bookes then it behooueth vs to resolue all doubtes and questions And this rule also was there so exactly kept that one Minister alone Paphnutius by name alleadging the Scripture made all the rest to chaunge their opinion who without any grounde of the Scripture for certayne politike and humane considerations were readie to haue abolished the marriage of Ministers To be shorte Gerson and Panormitane euen when the Popes thunderbolts and lyghtning excommunications were most hotte durst yet say and write that one poore lay man alleadging a text of the olde or newe Testament ought to be preferred before the Pope yea and before a generall Councill erring through ignorance or of malice against the text of Gods worde which ought to bee thought no more straunge then if they had sayde that the worde of God alone hath more wayght then all the Doctors of the worlde together who are nothing else with all their knowledge but ignorance and vanitie I haue bene long in this poynt because nowe a dayes they alwayes speake vnto vs of the fathers and I pray the readers to take a little payne to reade the places themselues because they shall finde them yet more playne and full then the desire that I haue to be short suffereth me to write at large With Isaie the Prophete therefore we call our aduersaries to the Lawe with Abraham to Moses and the Prophetes with Christ to the Scriptures with all the fathers and Christian Doctors to the olde and newe Testament If this Iudge then which heretofore hath decyded all cōtrouersies which hath bene so reuerently accepted euen of the greatest parte of heretikes themselues can not please thē either they must alledge great causes of refusall against it or else all the worlde will holde their doctrine more suspect then the doctrine of al the heretiks that euer were Their first cause of refusing the holie Scriptures is for that they are imperfect But I demaunde of them if they will require any other perfection then a doctrine sufficient to saluation If they content themselues to be saued Saint Iohn hath tolde vs that that which he hath written is sufficient to beleeue in Christ and to haue lyfe in his name and as concerning the things which are omitted S. Augustine pronounceth that he is rash which presumeth to ghesse what they are Saint Paul also sayth that the holy Scriptures are sufficient to make the man of God perfect and wise to saluation That they comprehende sufficiently the rule of faith and whatsoeuer belongeth to the seruice of god Beholde then sufficiently wherewithall to saue them If they wil not cōtent thēselues with saluation but call the Scriptures imperfect because they finde not there the determination of certaine curious questions which they handle in their schooles and yet they doe the Scriptures wrong for there they shall finde their condemnation Moreouer I demaunde of them from whence this imperfection can come Is this of Christ nay rather he is perfection it selfe And seeyng he came to accomplishe our saluation it must needes bee he of whome the Church must wayte for the reuelation of all things He then coulde beyng perfectly wise and woulde beyng perfectly good teache his Church whatsoeuer myght belong vnto her saluation Or is this imperfection of the Apostles but they receyued this woorde of lyfe from his mouth and after hee sent vnto them his holie Spirite to recorde it and to put them in minde thereof in such sorte that they preached saluation to all nations and as Ireneus sayeth that which they preached by mouth they haue left vnto vs by wryting to be the pillar and foundation of our fayth The whole faulte then commeth not that wayes it remayneth then that the whole imperfection bee in men who not fynding in the Scriptures their imperfections they esteeme it imperfect as they that haue swilled in the snowe waters from the mountaynes call those imperfect which haue not wyde and hanging throtes like themselues for that they haue not their superfluous imperfection We finde in the Scriptures the inuocation of one God alone by meanes of Iesus Christ alone but they would find there the inuocation of Saints We there finde that purgatorie cleansing is in the onely blood of Iesus Christ they woulde finde there that purgatorie which they haue taken out of Virgill and Plato We there finde one onely Mediator but they would finde as manie there as there are saints in their kalender They call these things imperfections in the Scripture which are rather so manie infections in their Church Furthermore I demaunde be it that a man thinke that there wanteth something who shall be so hardie after such a workeman to put to his hande to make it perfect If a man saye the Doctors why then quite contrarie finde it onely perfect in it as in a glasse they acknowledge the imperfections both of others and of themselues If they will bryng in the Church through her traditions why it is shee that hath taught vs to cut of by the bookes of this Canon all that we finde not therein and further shee is forbidden to serue God according to her traditions and commaunded to be a scholer of this word and we knowe that this is not the parte of a scholer to vsurpe aboue
of all our thoughtes and that wee conclude that if wee see nothing the faulte thereof is in our eyes and not in the light They alledge that the Scripture is doubtefull because that Satan alledged it vnto Iesus Christ I aunswere that there is no lawe that a man may not reiect by this argument for all lawes are subiect to be alledged both by good bad But let them also marke that by the same Iesus Christ stopped his mouth Also your Sauiour Christ hath spoken in parables and similitudes we know that similitudes are to make cleare and not to darken and I make their owne consciences iudges whether those parables of Christ so expoūded as we haue them in the scriptures tend to any other end When he would teach vs who is our neighbour he maketh it playne by the similitude of the man descending from Iericho what the kingdome of heauen is by the similitude of the sower what the vocation of the Gentiles is by the prodigall childe and so likewise of other I aske if by these parables we may iudge more clearely or more darkely whether all the gloses or long cōmentaries of the Pharises were able so clearly to expound this matter But they will say you cannot deny but the there are manye darke places for S. Peter himself saith that there are such in the epistles of S. Paul nay but rather we may say that forasmuch as there are only certaine places darke it followeth contrariwise that the Scripture is not darke For this is an euill argument to reason from some to all and hee that sayeth that vpon a garment there are blacke spottes he sayeth by consequence that that garment is not all blacke And as concerning those we say that the light of the Scripture is sufficient for to giue them such light as they neede not dwell anye more in darkenesse vnlesse it be those whome the God of this worlde hath blinded in their vnderstanding as Saynt Paul sayth to the end they should perish that the lyght of the Gospell shoulde not shine vnto them or as Saynt Peter sayeth in the selfe same place which they alledge to the vnstable and vnlearned which peruert the Scriptures to their owne destruction This is the sentence of all the auncient fathers with whome wee conclude thys poynte There are sayeth Saynt Augustine handling this matter certaine harde places in the Scripture and yet notwithstanding there is no other thing but that which is expounded in most expresse wordes in other places whereby the holy Ghoste hath wonderfully measured and tempered the holy Scriptures to the ende that those cleare places shoulde serue healthfully to satisfie the hunger of the readers and those darker places shoulde encrease their appetite to take away all contempt but in that that is spoken clearly in the Scriptures they shall finde all things which conteyne fayth and the waye to liue well to witte hope and charitye And hee that will haue more examples hereof in the foresayde places he alledgeth more Saynt Ambrose There is sayth he much obscurity in the Propheticall writings he speaketh namely of the Prophets but if thou knocke at the doore of the Scriptures with the hand of thyne owne vnderstanding thou shalt gather the sense of the darke places and the woorde of God it selfe shall be that that shall open it vnto thee The most obscure and darke then that is therin may be made plain by it selfe S. Basill If wee be commanded to doe any thing and we knowe not howe let vs take the LORD for our guyde who sayeth vnto vs Searche the Scriptures and let vs followe the Apostles who asked him selfe of the interpretatiō of those thinges which hee had spoken vnto them and of those thinges which hee hath spoken to vs in one place let vs learne to vnderstand those things which he hath spoken in another This is that which Marsilius of Padua disputed against the Pope 300. yeeres agoe that the Lawe of the Gospell is sufficient perfect and plaine of it selfe immediatly to direct vs to euerlasting saluation and to turne vs away from the path of miserie But to thē which finde nothing in the light but darknes I feare that it is to no purpose to alledge plaine places out of the auncient doctors The mischief is that we finde not in the Scriptures in any place neither the Masse nor Purgatory neither the papacie nor the power of one man alone ouer the whole Church and such other inuentions of the prince of darkenesse and therefore we accuse Gods worde to be darke to the ende we may fetch these goodly doctrines from thence by meane of some colde Allegorie that wheresoeuer this light shineth not vnto vs in the Churche wee shoulde knowe that there is nothing but darkenesse But yet see a farther matter then the former for it is so farre of that they will accept the Scriptures for their iudge that they them selues will bee Iudges ouer the Scripture If the Churche saye they had not kept the Scriptures and witnessed of them they had bene of no more authoritye then any other writing Therefore the Churche is Iudge ouer the Scripture and not the Scripture ouer the Churche First I demaunde what that Churche is which hath kept the Scriptures whether this bee onelye the Christian Churche or the Iewish Churche also Nowe wee knowe that the Olde Testament was deliuered from hand to hande vnto vs by the Iewes and therefore the auncient doctours called them the booke keepers of the Churche For they were so curious that they would enter euerye tittle and poynte both the accentes and letters and made a Register of them Therefore the Iewishe Churche was iudge of the Olde Testament when Iesus Christ came and therefore to verye euill purpose our Sauiour Christe sendeth the people to the Scriptures who might more safely haue bene sent to the high Priestes and Pharisees But these Iudges of the Scriptures they iudged Christe to death the Schollers and Students of the Scriptures acknowledged him for their lyfe And at this daye euen by this argument the Iewes shoulde winne the victorye It followeth then whether they renounce this Sophistrye or whether they will mainetayne it that they renounce their Saluation Consequentlye I demaunde of them Whether the Church of Rome aloue haue kept the Scriptures or other Churches also They can not saye that it was the Churche of Rome or the Latine Churche alone For the Ecclesiasticall storye wytnesseth that the Primitiue Churche gathered the Canon of the Registers of those Churches which were founded by the Apostles and to which the same Apostles had written Nowe there is but one Epistle written to the Romaines and all the rest are written to the Easte Churches In like maner the Gospell of Iohn was kept at Ephesits and that of Saynt Marke at Alexandria c. If then the Easte Churches had a greater parte in keeping the Scriptures then the Romaine and therefore
euery one may iudge them by the same CHAP. V. NOw seeing then that they do doubt that the Scripture is not on their side let vs beare at their hands that they refuse it and that they slander it as much as they can let vs also see now whether they can allowe of any other Iudge besides it I would demaunde of them if of all the auncient doctors they would chuse any one which hath bene free from those refusals which they propounde against the word of God or els whether they wil allowe al Concerning any one alone they cannot for in euery one of them there may easely be found either one error or an other but they haue so many errors to defend that to defend all all the errors of all times ages would not suffice Moreouer they would be ashamed to denie that their style is more obscure then the style of the Scripture Also they know in their owne conscience that in the most principal points they are on our side and yet there is not any one of them which they will accept in through al things for as much as they condemne in Irenee the error of the Chiliasts and the interpretation which he made of the Apocalypse concerning the church of Rome in Cyprian Anabaptisine in Tertullian the heresie of Montanus in S. Austine predestination and so like wise of others Will they then receiue all alike for Iudges but then who shal be president in the contrarieties of their doctrine and interpretations For euery one knoweth that there shall be found some euery where If it be the holy Scripture that is the thing which we desire But if they refuse the Scripture as partie or partiall by a more strong reason then we will not accept them for Iudges which are parties against vs In like maner shall it be with the schoolemen if they take them for Iudges although that they be the principall authors of the errors of the Church of Rome for betweene Thomas and Scotus and theyr armies set in battel raye and fighting one against an other who shall be iudge It remaineth then that they chuse eyther one of the Councils or els all the Councils together If they chuse one we knowe that in euery one lightly there is hādled as yet but one thing as for example in the Councill of Nice the matter of Arrius in the Councill of Ephesus and of Chalcedon the matter of Nestorius and Eutyches and so likewyse of others but of these pointes there is no contention betweene vs If they will haue all I demaund who shall be president in the errors which the auncient fathers confesse and in the contrarieties which they nomber who shall redresse them The seconde Councill of Ephesus approueth Eutyches the Councill of Chalcedon condemneth him The second Councill of Nice mainteyneth the worshipping of Images but that of Frankford assembled about the same time by Charles the great pulleth them downe The first Councill of Nice according to the vse of the primitiue Church permitteth the marriage of ministers the Councilles of Neocesaria Mentz and the seconde of Carthage forbiddeth it The Councils of Constance and of Basill doe subiecte the Pope vnder the Church yea they make him equall with other Bishops those of Florence and of Trent vpon paine of the blacke curse haue set him aboue all To be short the Councill of Carthage excommunicateth and curseth him to the deuill that calleth him selfe vniuersall Bishoppe or chiefe Priest and the Councill of Trident excommunicateth all those which hold not the Bishop of Rome for such a one I demaunde then in these contrarieties and a thousand others of like consequence who shall determine the matter shall it be the Church Nowe the Church is that which hath saide sometimes one thing and sometimes another for they holde that the Church is represented by general Councils and those for the most part are such as we haue spoken of These are then Churches contrarying one an other or rather one contrary to it selfe Moreouer if it be the Church yet we deny that it shoulde be the Church of Rome for it doeth not belong say they to a particular Church to iudge of the vniuersall which is represented by generall Councils It remaineth then that they prooue the supremacie of the Church of Rome aboue the vniuersall Church of Christ but if they cannot prooue it by the holy Scripture none of the other Churches will beleeue them for they did not beleeue Christ himselfe bearing witnesse of himselfe but God whom they by the holy Scriptures knewe to haue sent him And seeing other Churches haue their Doctors Councils and Traditions aswell as the Church of Rome It must followe that the Church of Rome must prooue her prowde prerogatiue title by the Scriptures And if the Scriptures must be iudges of the Church of Rome and her prerogatiue the which pretendeth beareth men in hand to iudge all other Churches then there can not be a more competent Iudge then the holy Scripture without which the Church of Rome is nothing more then others and from whom whatsoeuer she hath she must will shee nill shee fetche her pretended preheminence and authoritie Nowe if they obiect that there is no more neede to iudge of our controuersies and that they haue bene oftentimes iudged alreadie by Councils Saint Augustine teacheth vs that Councils may erre and that the former Councils were amended by the latter and therefore he presseth not the Arrians with Councils Secondly yf this point haue any place what will they say then vnto vs why they haue derogated from the first Councill of Nice which is the first Decomenicall Councill in the marriage of Ministers and in the supremacie of the Pope who there was made equall with the other Patriarches And wherefore after the matter was so decided would they haue it yet pleaded agayne in the Councill of Carthage c. Why woulde they haue the Pope to be declared the Vicar of God in earth in the Councill of Trent seeing that the Councill of Carthage had already pronounced him excommunicated out of the Church which would call himselfe the chiefe Bishop and head thereof Moreouer in the most approued Councils the greatest part of the pointes which we dispute of were not yet set out for errors were not hatched but by litle and litle and they began to growe and increase after that the tyrannie of the Pope was brought into the Church who in like maner also played the tyrant ouer the Councils Moreouer we make a great difference betweene Councils and Councils for we willingly accept the first Councill of Nice and such like because that the worde of God gouerned there the which worde God alwayes accompanieth with his Spirite But we doe not so receiue the second Councill of Nice where Idoles were established were the holy Scripture was alledged as it were in mockerie and which by consequent coulde not be accompanied with any other then the spirite of
Satan It is sayde say they God created man to his owne image therefore we ought to haue Images Also no man lighteth a candle for to hide it vnder a bushell Therefore we ought to set Images vpon altars Also God is named maruellous in his Saintes therfore we ought to beholde his glorie in Images I aske of them what man he is that will rest him selfe vpon a sentence giuen vpon these proofes for Images Nowe there are an infruite number of the like where a man may plainely see the style of the spirite of Antichrist alleadging the Scriptures much worse then Satan did to our Lorde Iesus Christ To be short if a man will not iudge in a Court by former sentences is there any reason to refuse the selfe same order in matters of conscience and against the sentences themselues that a man knoweth to haue beene giuen the parties being therein neither hearde nor called But admitte that the holy Scriptures be the rule to compasse all doctrines they will yet aske me foran ende in so great contrarietie which is amongst vs who he shal be that shall expound and apply them Concernyng vs we are parties against them and as couching them they are parties against vs who shall be iudge here then for saye they Let the Scripture be so great a Iudge as men would haue it yet it speaketh not for to determine and pronounce the sentence To this I answere first that when a man is assured of the squeere in the measure or of the compasse in the shippe there is no Mason so sclender witted which doeth not knowe in applying it which is straight and which is crooked nor Mariner so vnskilfull that doeth not perceyue whether the shippe keepe her right course or noe And therefore let them onely graunt vs to guide the preceptes of our saluation accordyng to the rule of saluation conteyned in the olde and newe Testament and we will therein submitte our selues not onely to a free and lawfull Councill but also to learned and vnlearned to the ministers and common people and to all Christians for whose saluation it was written who by them selues shall finde in this worde the iudgement of the worde and shall pronounce definitiue sentence for the same Furthermore in euery arte there are certayne principles and groundes whereupon vndoubtedly depende all the rest Geometry hath her Axiomes Physicke her Aphorismes and the Eiuill and Canon lawe their generall rules by which they will scanne all difficulties which shal aryse in their lawes Nowe say I that diuinitie also hath her rules grounds and the lawe of God hath her certaine principles able to decide al controuersies which are amongst vs yea and those so much the more strong and easie as we are most assured that there is no kinde of doubt contradiction or contrarietie in them to make them voyde or vnstable Nowe we haue three sortes of differences or controuersies with the Church of Rome the one sort consisteth in thinges playnely forbidden in the worde of God the other in things which are not commanded and the last in the interpretation of certaine pointes which are eyther forbidden or commaunded which both of vs receyue but diuersly Concerning the first kinde we haue a rule in the lawe of God that we must rather obey God then man. This is so easie that euen litle children may comprehend it When then we shall see that men command one thing and God another we cannot doubt which we ought to obey By this rule we cut of images reliques and all kinds of idolatrie which are committed in the Papacie which are expressely forbidden in an hundred places of the word of God. Concerning the second we haue an other rule God is the onely lawgiuer vnto his people Thou shalt not saith he neither adde nor diminish from my lawe Christ saith God will not be serued according to our traditions but according to his commaundements S. Iohn and S. Paule say that the holy Scripture is sufficient for our saluation Chrysostom saith Where the Scripture holdes it peace there man must holde his peace S. Hierome Pratling without proofe of the Scripture ought to be of no credite This is a rule commonly giuen to all peoples and wherof also the people are capable Let the people now read the old new testament and let them marke if they finde any one worde directly or indirectly secretly or plainely which speaketh nie or farre of of the sacrifice of the Masse of Purgatorie of the inuocation of Saintes and such other points which are in controuersie betwene vs Contrary wise if they shall not finde therein from line to line that Christ is the onely sacrifice once offered vp for all that there is one onely washing in the bloud of Christ that there is one onely God to be called vpon in the name of Iesus Christ If they finde there the doctrines which we cōdemne then let them condemne vs and cry fagot and fire against vs If not then let them be iudged by the rule which is afore touched which they haue abused and haue caused men to search their saluatiō in those thinges which the Doctor of their saluation hath not taught them consequētly wherin they can finde nothing but destruction Yea I say more that if the learned would take paines to read after the holy Scripture the doctors of the primitiue Church they shal not find there any one word therof or if they do find any such place it shal be in such sort that they shal be in more doubt thē if they had spoken nothing Whereof then they will of them selues conclude forasmuch as Christ his Apostles haue taught nothing thereof nor the primitiue Church hath beleeued nothing nor they that came long after haue written any thing but that which is doubtful that these are such things whereof we ought not onely to doubt with the doctors but also whereof the Church ought to keepe silence with Iesus Christ As for example 400. yeres after the death of Christ the Church knew not what it was to call vpon Saintes there was not found one word in the auncient writers vulesse it were for the condemnation of those which did it according to the imitation of the Painims in seruing their gods Of Purgatorie the first doctors of the Church speake not one word S. Augustine who was long after sometimes saith that there was one sometime that there might wel be one sometime that it was no great matter whether there were one or whether there were none And S. Gregorie who was after him he began to beleeue by certeine visions that there was one and this was 500. yeeres after the death of Christ Of the Masse it was altogether like for we may marke the beginninges proceedinges and increase peece by peece euen vntill our time and yet forsooth these were made articles of our faith and for these men burned the Christians for which euen by as good reason they
because we finde not this puritie in the Church of Rome but the quite contrary neyther the lawe of God obeyed by made subiect to the wyll of the Pope and his vpholders we holde the Church of Rome most impure and we marke the Pope that gouerneth there for a notable marke of Antichrist lyfting vp him selfe aboue GOD for that he setteth the lawe of God behinde his owne commaundements and vaine inuentions That the visible Church may erre yea and that in matters of fayth and those which concerne our saluation CHAP. VI. BEcause our aduersaries knowe very well that they can not defende neyther by the holy Scripture nor by the example of the primitiue Church the false doctrine which beareth swaye amongst them in the most principal points of Christian religion yf a man should examine them by piecemeale therefore they haue thought good to defende all at once to wit to maintaine that the Church can not erre especially in matters that doe concerne saluation For say they seeing that Christ is the head of the Church he guideth the same by his spirit and this spirit is the spirite of vnderstanding which inspireth into her in time and place all that is necessary for to leade her in such sort that she can not erre But as they defēding this bulwarke assure themselues to defende all theyr Babylon so is it also as certaine that this being once wonne they can not any longer stande When they speake of the Church in this matter they vnderstand properly the Cleargie represented by a generall Councill and not the common people of whom they make no state the which thing many of themselues condemne as repugnant to holy Scripture notwithstanding I am content in this matter to speake after their maner to the ende to auoyde all cauils and starting holes Iesus Christ is the head of the Church as of one body not of that there nor of this here neyther of one nor of other but of all Churches alike Now this head is vnto the Church as reason vnto a man to wit to rule to guide the same by his commaundement Now so far forth as desire doth obey reason the body the head man is in good case his senses his mouings accions are in theyr perfection there is nothing in him which sauoureth not the good gouernment of reason Contrariwise when the desire will cast of obedience to reason and wil not be subiect to his gouernement but giueth it selfe to drunkennesse riot and all kinde of excesse then entreth he into a distemperature of all his body the vitall partes are therewith offended he loseth one member one sense after an other sight hearing and all the powers depart away from him To be short by the iust iudgement of God reason it selfe oftentimes is taken from him because he made no accompt to obey it I say that the selfe same may fall out and many times doeth fall out in the Church Now so farre forth as the Church doeth obey vnto Iesus Christ her head he arkeneth vnto his commaundements which is reason it selfe followeth his gouernement which is set foorth in the Scripture she can not erre in the path of saluation shee is sound pure and perfect and also he taketh pleasure to leade her and inspireth into her his holy Spirite to the ende to inlighten her in the middest of darkenesse it selfe But when she treadeth his gouernement vnder her feete and maketh no accompt to hearken vnto him but presumeth to be wyse ynough of her selfe to gouerne her selfe then is it no marueile if she fall as it were in pieces and lose one sense after an other if her eyes leade her into the pit and if the spirit of God abandon himselfe and forsake her because shee made no accompt of the worde with which he is inseparably ioyned knit together For as it is most certaine that Christ doth not suffer his flocke to erre so is it also as certaine on the other part that he doth not accompt any for his sheepe but chose which heare his voyce and those heare his voyce which hearken vnto him speaking in the Scriptures and making them clearely to vnderstand his will. God hauing first sent his Prophets hath nowe in the ende sent from heauen his owne worde which hath sayd to vs Search the Scriptures and this is that same worde also which hath sent the holy Spirite to the Apostles If we then wyll feele the Spirit it behoueth that we heare the word for the Spirit is sent from the word but the cleargie of Rome doe make no accompt of this word In stead of hearkening vnto it it will be heard afore it in steade of obeying vnto it it will make commaundements of it selfe in respect of which those of Gods haue bene neglected yea it hath abolished cut of certaine commaundements wholy and that openly It followeth then that it can not boast neither of the spirit neither of the leading thereof forasmuch as this spirite proceedeth from the sending of the essentiall word who hath left vs his word in the holy Scriptures So we see the a king wil cōmunicate his authoritie to a parliamēt to the end to make them obey his lawes to distribute them to his people but if the parliamēt shal abuse them to the end to make it self obeyed aboue the king and the lawes themselues he will straightwayes take his authoritie from it Nowe God and his lawe in respect of the Church are farre greater then these for there can be no proportion of that which is infinite to that which is finite And therefore is it any wonder if he haue taken from the prelates of the Church of Rome the gifts of his spirit when they woulde giue authoritie to their vaine traditions aboue the lawe it selfe and that vnder the shadow of his Spirite We say that the spirit and the word are inseparably ioyned and knit together and that without great sacriledge they cannot be separated forasmuch as Iesus Christ who is the word it self hath so taught vs When that same cōforter shall come that same spirite I meane of trueth he shall leade you saith he into all trueth for he shall not speake of himselfe but whatsoeuer he shall heare that shall he speake He shall glorifie me for he shall receyue of mine and shall shewe it vnto you and shall bring all thinges to your remembrance which I haue tolde you c. If this spirite heare the worde and speake nothing of his owne by a more strong reason the Church shoulde if she be gouerned and lead by the same spirite He sayth also vnto his Apostles I vvill be vvith you till the ende of the vvorld This he vnderstandeth by the vertue of his spirite but he had sayd before in the selfe same verse Teaching them to obserue al things vvhatsoeuer I haue commaunded that is to say my worde And therefore Saint Paul preaching the word both by liuely voyce
and also by writing doeth neuerthelesse call his ministerie The ministerie of the spirite because it is the spirite that giueth efficacie and power to this worde The Scripture is called the olde and newe Testament or Couenaunt and in all couenaunts there are conditions of both parties Concerning the olde we see that the saw was kept in the Arke vpon which God manifested his presence vnto his people when he gaue them counsell and in all that time wherein the people forsooke the lawe of God to serue Baal we see that God likewise aunswered not vnto their demaundes not vouchsafing to assist those by his spirit which made no accompt of his word And as concerning the newe Beholde my couenaunt that I make with them saith the Lord My Spirite that is in thee and my vvordes vvhich I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seede for euer c. He ioyneth the spirite with the worde in plaine wordes as if the couenaunt were conceiued in these woordes My spirite shal be in thee but marke this that the wordes that I haue put in thy mouth do not depart out of thy mouth for euer Neither ought we to saye that this is to much to abase the spirite of God to bring it backe to the worde For this is alwayes to measure God by himselfe and this also is the onely measure that he hath giuen vs. For if spirites are to be discerned by doctrine as Saint Iohn teacheth vs and doctrine as we haue already proued by the worde conteyned in the holy Scriptures it followeth then that the spirite of God must be considered in the holy Scriptures the which were left vnto vs by the Apostles and gathered by the primitiue Church to the ende that there wee might haue a liuely portraiture and drafte of the Spirite who had taught the Apostles according to the word to discerne the spirites of Sathan who without any allowance of this worde durst teache false doctrines in the Church The Church then is ledde by the Spirite of God in the vnderstanding of his will but in asmuch as she searcheth for it in his worde that is to saye to him that searcheth the will of the Lord in his word the Spirite is therein giuen vnto him for an interpreter But to those that make no accompt of the text there needeth no interpreter and therefore to those that neglect the worde to followe their owne inuentions the Spirite of God is not giuen for an interpreter For the spirite of man and the Spirite of God are not mingled together vnlesse that a man forsake his owne spirit and his owne fancies to be ledde and conducted by the Spirite of god To all those therefore that alledge the leading of the Spirite without the word we wil answere with Saint Iohn Chrysostome that which followeth Many saith he boast of the Spirit but they which bring their owne pretend the spirite falsely As Christ witnesseth that he spake not of himselfe in asmuch as his doctrine was taken out of the Lawe and the Prophetes in such sort if any man bring vnto vs vnder the title of the spirit any doctrine not conteyned in the Gospell we beleeue it not For as Christ hath fulfilled the Law and the Prophetes so the holy spirite hath fulfilled the Gospell Now Chrysostome had in hand in this Sermon to extoll the Spirite for there he taught that the holy Ghost ought to be worshipped as the true god And yet notwithstanding Chrysostome thought it no abasing to the Spirit when he measured it according to the Gospell no more then did our Sauiour Iesus Christ when he measured it according to the Lawe and the Prophets They obiect vnto vs that GOD is sure in his promises and that therefore hee keepeth the couenaunt that hee hath made with his Church We aunswere that in verye deede the worde of GOD endureth for euer but in all these sayd couenauntes there is alwayes a condition If ye keepe my vvorde how soeuer through his mercy he many times beareth long with our iniquities And therefore we must not conclude God is sure therefore the Church cannot erre But much rather to say Seeing that the Church erreth so greatly and so oftentimes forsaketh hun it must needes be that God is sure in his promises and full of mercye For it is certaine that very often hee keepeth his couenaunt with her how corrupt and diseased soeuer she bee and euen then when she prouoketh him to a diuorce so as she treadeth the contracte of marriage vnder her feete and when she hath enlarged her bedde as the Prophete sayth to all commers as it maye plainely be shewed in all times and states of the Church When our aduersaries will proue that the Church is before the Scripture they beginne it at Adam This therefore is the place from whence we must beginne God hauing created Adam he forbad him to eate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and euill that is to saye He commaunded him to order all his affections and desires according to his holye will and to seeke all his felicitie and all his knowledge in this onely point of cleauing vnto god If he did not he signified vnto him by this that he shall die the death that is to saye he shal be separated from God which is the soule of our soule as our soule is in our bodies In this couenaunt we see a plaine condition Adam altogether full of graces as hee was then loued rather to followe his fantasie then to be ordred according to the worde of God and to hearken rather to the voyce of Sathan then of his Creator Iust punishment followed vpon him and vpon all his posteritie man remayning corrupted not onely in his body and outward senses but also in his reason and in his vnderstanding in such sort that reason it selfe for the most part serued to no other ende but to make them so much the more vnreasonable and vnderstanding nothing but to make them searche curiosities that might withdrawe them from their saluation And yet for all this we may marke in our foolish vnconstancie the constant loue and goodnesse of our Creatour towardes vs his vnworthy treasures when he promised euen presently after to our first parents the seede that should brufe the head of the serpent in which alone they might obtaine mercy This then was a conditionall couenaunt broken of mans part by the sume of the first Adam and repayred againe in the person of the second by the assured goodnes and onely bountie of the Creator Now if this Church euen from her first roote was thus polluted if from her beginning euen then when she was full of knowledge and incegritie and when she enioyed the presence of God she failed so shamefully because she turned away from the worde of her God to her owne desires can it be that any man nowe a dayes in obscuritie
he which made it to be set vp Vnder Manasses Idolatrie was so monstrous so publique and so smitter sall that there appeared not any face of the people or Church of God and the cause thereof is by and by added as before to wit that the lawe of God had beene a long time hidden and buried in such sort that none coulde knowe any more what it was And if men marke what was the state of the Church of Israel he shall see that it was nothyng but publique continuall Idolatrie euen from the beginning of their schisme vntill theyr vtter ouerthrowe These impieties then in the visible Church of that time were not as a folly or sicknesse which passeth lightly away but rather which is here clearely seene vnder the raigne of three or foure Kinges the true seruants of God was tanquam lucida quaedam in furiosis interualla that is to say were as certaine good modes and seasons of right reason in a common rage folly This is that time of which the Prophets cried out You you are called by the name of Israel and you sweare by the name of the Lorde but you serue him not in trueth and in righteousnesse You haue said vnto a piece of wood thou art my father to a stone thou hast begotten me You you haue prostituted your selues vnder euery greene tree You haue abandoned me by the space of innumerable dayes and you haue gods according to the number of your Cities c. To be short all the Prophets which were sent euen vntill the comming of Christ and in all the Prophets all the Chapters are in a maner nothing els but testimonies of the idolatries and adulteries of the Church with strange gods who for the same threatten her and signifie vnto her a diuorce if she do not returne vnto the lord In meane while he that shal marke what maner of band companie that was in this time which our aduersaries call the Church vnderstanding the Cleargie the Priests the Scribes the ordinary prophets a man shal find that the true Prophets which were sent frō God had no greater enemies then they were that they were these that imprisoned them put them to death as troublers of the Church yea so farre foorth that our sauiour Christ sayth that it could not be that a prophet must be murthered out of Ierusalē And whē they said vnto them Turne you vnto the law of the Lord reforme the Church forsake your Idolatries burden not the people with so many of your vaine traditions c. they had the selfe same answere that our aduersaries haue We are the temple of the Lord we are the Church we are the watchmen of the people the law shall not perish from the Priest nor the counsell from the wise nor the word from that Prophet our Church whatsoeuer they say cannot faile Come then let vs strike them with our tongue and let vs not harken to their words But the Prophets shew them very wel how the promises of God ought to be vnderstoode Say ye not Here is the temple of the Lord for I haue abandoned Silo which I haue chosen and I wil reiect you also if you continue c. Say ye not that the lavv shall not perish frō the priest c. for for a lōg season Israel and Iuda was without the true God without a Priest without a Teacher c. Seeke therfore the Lord c. Your Priests saith the Lorde haue broken my lavve and they haue defiled my holy places They haue not saide Where is the Lorde thei vnderstood not my word thei haue not knowē me Your Prophets haue prophecied lies saying The Lorde hath saide thus wheras the Lord neuer spake it They haue prophecied in Baal haue gone after the things that are vaine Your watchmen are blind your prophets are snares of the fouler Thou vvilt demaund a vision of the prophet but the lavv shall perish frō the Priest and the counsell from the auncient the night shal be vnto you for a vision c. The Sunne shall go dovvn ouer the prophets the day shal be darke ouer thē They shal all couer their lips because they shall receiue no answere from god Seeke therfore the Lord you shal find him c. Beholde how the true Prophets who in comparison of these prelats were accompted the of scouring and muck of the world beate backe all their vaine presumptions that they had of not being deceyued To be short the Church of that time was throwen downe farre beneath that of Samaria and of Sodom Her prelates were called the princes of Gomorrha her Councils and assemblies conspiracies and coniurations against the Prophets of God her sacrifices whorish and adulterate And of all those that the Lorde sent to exhort them to reformation there can hardly be found any one that a little while escaped the crueltie of this assemblie which drewe all the titles and prerogatiues of the Church to it selfe In the middest notwitstandyng of this horrible confusion God knew his Church For if the Lorde sayth Esai the Prophet had not restored euen a small remnant they had bene as Sodom and should haue ben like vnto Gomorrha And he saith in another place Behold me Lord my children that is to say the disciples that thou hast giuen me Finally when the Iewes would not hearken to the wholesome exhortations of the Prophetes God would euen constraine them by his mercy and therefore sent them euen saluation it self from heauen to witt Iesus Christ his onely Sonne our lord But the Church behaued it selfe towards him euen likewise He had no greater enemies then the Priestes the Scribes the Doctors the Pharisees that is to say as our aduersaries speake the cleargie and those which had the Lawe committed vnto them and those which seemed to be the light of the Iewishe Church If he spake any thing of the reformation of the Church then said they he would destroye the Temple if of the grace of God by the Messias then he blasphemed against the Lawe if of the kingdome of heauen then he strooke at the maiestie of Cesar if he wrought any miracles that was by the deuil if he alledged the Scriptures then they demaunded of him where were the letters of his Doctourship reproching him that hee was a Carpenters sonne To be short all their arguments against Christ are euen the same that our masters vse against vs We are the children of Abraham we are the keepers of the Scriptures It belongeth to vs to expounde them and not to you who haue not receyued holy orders as we haue done And yet notwithstanding all this these were they that with their gloses traditions and vnwritten verities with their successions interpretations and councills most cruelly persecuted him euen to the snatching him out of the hande of the heathen magistrate who iudged him innocent that
they might crucifie him Now I demaund of our aduersaries what they can require in the outward estate of a Church that was not in this Church here If it be antiquitie they were from Abraham If it were calling they were Priestes and Scribes If it be a place this was the Lordes house If it be a councill this was solemnely holden against Christ in Ierusalem who was there expressely condemned Be it whether they consider the assemblye of the people or of the Prelates this was the visible Church And yet they cannot denie but this Church hath most foullie erred in the matter of saluation crucifying Saluation himselfe vnlesse they will denie that Christ was our saluation But the reason hereof is very apparant which is that they sought him not in the Lawe and the Prophetes but in their traditions Caballs or vnwritten verities For the shepheards in the fields knew him and the pastors of the people set their doggs vpon him This also is the reason that they were likened to an earthly King deuiding the kingdomes of the earth among their owne whereof it came to passe that there was not any one which promised not himself acrowne or the gouernment of some countrey whereas they sawe that the true Christ was poore naked euil intreated not so much as promising to his a place to laye their heads in To be short it is so farre of that they shoulde haue acknowledged him for the true Christ for that as they pretended they were the visible Church that if they had accompted any for such a one this should haue bene an infallible argument to them that had readde the Scriptures that he could not haue bene the Christ forasmuch as it was expressely foretold by the Prophetes that they should not knowe him Behold then what is fallen out to the Iewes sayth Saint Paul To whom be longeth the adoption and the glory the couenauntes and the ordinance of the Lawe and the seruice of God and the promises Of whom also the fathers are descended and of whom also according to the flesh Christ himself came c. To witt that for hauing reiected the Lord of glory their pouertie was made the riches of the Gentiles their reiection the reconciliation of the world In such sort that God in steade of turning away from mankinde for the blindnesse of his owne people hath taken occasion thereby to adopt al peoples for his people Let vs not say therefore any more that the Church cannot erre because that God is firme in his promises but rather that God is truely sure in his promises and constant in his mercies forasmuch as he maketh no diuorce with her albeit she hath abandoned him and strangely played the harlot so inlarging the bowels of his compassion towards mankinde and turning his great wrath into so inspeakeable mercie as at this day we see in our time in the great number which he hath withdrawne and dailye doeth withdrawe from the Swynishe filthe of the Popedome It remayneth then nowe that we see whether that the Christian Church which is vnder grace hath had any more speciall grace not to erre wherin we haue alwaies to call to our remēbrance that the Church at this day is vniuersall that is to say spred throughout the whole world and that the promises of God are not any longer tyed to any one place or to any one people but are stretched ouer all peoples and places where he is serued and worshipped Nowe this vniuersal Church hath goodly great promises I wil make an euerlasting couenant vvith them saith the Lord I vvill put my sanctuarie in the middest of them for euer I vvill be their God and they shal be my people Behold that which Ezech. the Prophete hath foretold of the couenaunt made by the comming of Christ with his vniuersall Church Iesus Christ also saith himselfe I vvill be with you vntill the ende of the world Also I vvill send you my spirit vvhich shal teach you all things c. But to the ende that hereby we do not imagine as the Iewes did our selues to be a visible Church which is alwayes of one sorte whatsoeuer she doe the condition is euermore added If you shall heare my voyce if you be my people if you shall teache that vvhich I commaunde you if you shall loue me and abide in my vvord For if you shal not abide therein saith our Lord you are not my disciples and those which are not his disciples cannot boast that they are taught by his Spirite to the ende not to be deceyued The prerogatiue then that is in the visible Christian Church is not that she cannot erre in her particular parts but rather that being vniuersall when one part doth fall the other doth help it vp and when the one doth goe astray the other may bring it into the way againe yea and the particular members do their dutie when the more apparant leaders of the Church do guide it to destruction Againe on the other side in that she is vniuersal it ought a great deale rather to beat downe this same particular presumption of not being deceyued in the whole Church forasmuch as when there is a temple either ouerthrowne or prophaned that sacrifices as in times past cease not any more but rather of the ruines remainders others may be els where builded vp againe where there was neuer any such S. Paul feared lest that the Serpent which seduced Eue through his subtiltie should turne the Church of the Corinthians from Christ and his simplicitie if she were turned away from his Gospell He meaneth then that she might erre He also chideth the Galathians who after they had Christ drawne as it were liuely before their eyes and crucifyed amōgst them that they were so suddenly carried awaye to an other Gospell This therefore is not onely a thing possible but a thing I say which heretofore hath come to passe euen whiles the Apostles liued To be short he warneth the Thessalonians that Antichrist that sonne of perdition should sitt in the temple of God that is to say in the Church there to confound al things and that euen in his time this mysterie of iniquitie began to work It could not be then that she erred in light matters onely but euen in the matter of saluation forasmuch as she had receyued imbraced her perdition euen in the middest of her owne bowelles The which thing if we shal marke by experiēce we shal finde that euery where where Iesus Christ sowed the truth and the good graine by the hands of his Apostles the deuill that watcheth whiles that the husbandmen slept sowed there his darnell lying and finally there so besturred himselfe in tilling plowing it that he choked the seede of our Lord in many places vntill that he had brought to passe that he was acknowledged for the master of the haruest The zeale of those of the
prayed to God acknowledged his owne infirmitie and hereof also it came that hee that esteemed more of him selfe then al his companions should stumble and fall more shamefully then all they The Churche of Rome therefore shoulde rather drawe this conclusion from thence which is more agreeable to the text that as he trusting to much to himselfe renounced God and did worse then all the rest so likewise it maye doe when it is made to beleeue that it can not erre And therefore it should followe that according to his example it should weepe at the crowing of the cocke and acknowledge all the faultes thereof Thirdly if this followe Christ prayed for Peter Ergo the Church of Rome which is founded by him can not erre then must it followe also that the Churches which were founded by the other Apostles can not erre For Iesus Christ drawing neere to his Crosse prayed most earnestly for his Apostles and for all those which shoulde beleeue in him through their preaching to the end they might be one in the Father in him that is to say that they might be inseparably knit vnto him And yet the Romish Churche hath excommunicated them as heretikes and hath holden them as cut of from saluation It foloweth then either that this conclusion is false Iesus Christ prayed Ergo it can not erre or else that hee ment the inuisible Church against which hell gates cannot preuaile Fourthly S. Paul vnderstood not this subtiltie forasmuch as we see that hee admonisheth the Romanes called from amongest the Gentiles that they should not proudly aduaūce them selues against the Iewes vnder this shadowe that they were entred into their place For saith he the naturall branches were cut of through vnbeleefe and thou art engrafted in by faith and if God haue not spared them take heede least he also spare not thee that is to say take heed that thou fal not from faith as they haue done he meaneth then that he thought them not to be without the compasse of the danger Neither did Cyprian likewise writing to the clergie of Rome saying That the praise which S. Paul attributed to the Church of Rome that their faith was made knowen throughout the worlde shoulde be turned to their shame if they did not perseuer to inherite this faith Nor S. Hierom also whē he saith That after that couetousnes was entred into the Church as it was into the Empire the Law should perish from the Priestes and the vision from the Prophets Nor all the ancient fathers when they tooke Rome for that Babylon in the Apocalyps for the seat of Antichrist as we shal see hereafter And therfore they should doe a great deale better to followe their olde glose vpon this place of S. Luke that as in praying for him he saith O Peter I haue kept thee that thy faith shoulde not faile euen so also comforte the poore weak ones by thy example of repentance to the end that by their sinnes they fall not into despaire but that they hope for mercye as hath bene shewed vnto thee Finally besides all these foresaide reasons betweent the Antecedent Christ prayed for Peter the consequent The Church of Rome can not erre there are infinite thinges to proue betweene these two sentences to wit That S. Peter was head of the Apostles of the church That he was at Rome That he was B. there That he particularly founded any church there That he had this prerogatiue aboue the rest that he coulde not erre That he either tyed it or coulde tye it to that chaire either for the popes or for the Romish Church The which things ought first to be plainely proued before we can come to any such conclusion Let vs come then to ours following our promises and notwithstanding their obiectiō of this place let vs conclude with the holy Scriptures and the practise of all times this present disputation Our Lord Iesus Christ hath deliuered to his Church the holy Scripture as a compasse to a shippe for to conduct and guide it to Saluation Looking vnto this compasse she can not be deceiued for it sheweth alwayes vnto her her marke whatsoeuer winde do driue her and not looking vnto it she can not but erre and goe out of the way no more then all the pilots or Shipmasters of the world together know without a good cōpasse to keep their course one only houre To the churches which follow his worde he hath promised thē the presence of his spirit From these which make no accompt of it he withdraweth him selfe accompting thē vnworthy of his presence which disdaine to harken to his voice Hereof it is that the Church in all her estates and places hath greatly erred gone out of the way but more this then al the rest which hath bene more bold to intermedle without the leading of the worde which hath most presumed of her owne abilitie to witte the Romishe Church If she haue no other priuiledges and promises then the visible and vniuersall Church there is no doubt but she may erre For we haue seene by her owne confession that she hath erred euen in the matters of saluation in her most notable mēbers If she haue any speciall priuiledge as that which shee alledgeth of Saint Peters Seate yet for all that as wee haue proued that exempteth her not neither from errour nor heresie But to the ende men may see howe vaine and weake this foundation is whereupon they woulde builde an article of so great weight it followeth that wee examine those titles by vertue whereof shee pretendeth this priuiledge That the Pope or Bishop of Rome is not head of the vniuersall visible Church by any right of the lawe of god CHAP. VII WHen we demaund of our aduersaries vpon what their traditions are founded which they make equall with the articles of our fayth which haue not anye shewe of foundation in the holye Scripture they answere vs that they are the ordinances of the Church If hereupon wee will beate them downe alledging that the Church must be gouerned after God his will conteyned in his woorde and that such doctrines are not agreeable thereunto they reply that the Church can not erre in the matters of Saluation If wee proue farther vnto them by the discourse of all times that often tymes shee hath abandoned the pure seruice of God to follow her owne inuentions euen vntill shee hath bene defiled with al abhominable idolatries they reply that the Romish church hath this particular priuiledge that it can not erre because it is S. Peters seate the head of the Apostles of al the Church And therfore by this meanes all the controuersies in a maner that we haue with thē come to be brought to this question Whether the B. of Rome or the sea of Rome for they are different in themselues be head of the church In this quality there is attributed to the pope power to change the
the seruice of God there was this other thing in it that it was but a litle countrey and in that countrey one onelye Citie Ierusalem and in that City but one Temple where men ought to sacrifice so that there one gouernour and one high Priest might suffise in steade whereof the whole world by the comming of Christ the Messias is become one Temple and al the people but one flocke which must be fedde by the worde of God a thing that no one mā may presume to do Not that I would denye but in the heart of one Pope there may bee ambition enough to couet the whole world for this were to deny the truth of all histories but rather I woulde saye that there was not any one of thē that was not ready to haue forfaited lost the crown if he failed to instruct by the preaching of the word of god the least diocesse in the world Of this allegation then they conclude nothing to their aduantage vnlesse they wil become Iewes enclose the whole world in one Citie make voyde the benefit of the death of Iesus Christ which is cōmon to al the world But contrariwise we may by the way drawe this consequence That seeing Moses as they say was head of the cōmon weale and Aaron of the seruice of God that the Pope ought to content him selfe with the one without farther intermedling with the other to the preiudice of all the princes kings of the earth Nowe if they replie that they are able ynough to exercise the estate of the generall lieutenantshippe of Christ throughout the whole world without calling them to the practise which yet neuer was seene I demaund whether this be by the spirit of Christ or by their owne If by theirs why then this is the spirit of the prince of this world for to couet and not to conduct and miserable is that Church which is left to be guided by the vaine spirite of these men who thinke themselues to haue such abūdance Nowe if it be by the spirite of Christ I do require thē either that they will agree that this spirite following the promise of Christ to his ministers doeth giue power to the ministery of the worde pronounced by them whereof followeth that euery Bishop and pastor in his ministery occupieth the roome of Christ visibly or else that they proue vnto vs by fit agreeable texts that Christ hath enclosed the roote of his spirite so in the heart of the Pope that none can be partaker of it besides himselfe To be short the kingdome of Christ consisteth in this that he gouerneth his owne giuing power to the preaching of his worde and to his Sacramentes by the vertue of his spirite and the ministerie of his Gospell consisteth in the administration of that worde and of his Sacramentes Nowe there is not any man that can boast to giue and dispense the holy Ghost for he proceedeth not but frō the Father and the Sonne None then vnlesse it be Christ God and man can be the essential head of the Church Likewise no man can preache the woorde exercise the ministerie throughout the world none therefore can bee the Ministeriall head of the whole Church But rather eche minister pastor in his owne right vnder the Pastor of pastors Iesus Christ our Lorde Nowe let vs come to that which our aduersaries say that Saynt Peter was the ministeriall head of the Church If he were so they must needes graunt that this was by the institution of Christ for otherwise and without his commaundement he would neuer haue presumed to haue takē vpon him such a dignitie Likewise if our Lorde haue placed him in any such degree and so necessary as they saye for the Church they will graunt me that Saynt Peter hath exercised this office for otherwise it had bene to leaue the Church for a pray and confusion If then Christ haue not instituted it nor S. Peter exercised it it must followe that he was neuer the ministeriall head of the Church Concerning the first poynt The whole Gospell throughout teacheth vs nothing but humilitie that we should become litle children and poore in spirite c. Christe setteth forth himselfe for an example to his Apostles and willeth that his Apostles be examples to the whole worlde I am sayth he your master and yet notwithstanding I am amongst you to serue you Also when there was strife amōgst the Apostles at two sundry times who should be chiefe Christ pronounceth this determination He that wil be the greatest or chiefe amongst you let him be a seruant to al. And he saith vnto them Learne of me He sayth not sayth Saynt Augustine to worke miracles nor to make a newe worlde but that I am milde and humble of heart And as touching S. Peter he is brought vnto Christ by his brother Andrewe to the end to be his companion and not to be called the chiefe or to haue any primacie attributed vnto him Agayne when they were sent foorth to preache they went two by two as companions which excludeth all superioritie When Christ promiseth that they shall iudge the twelue tribes of Israel sitting vpon twelue thrones he giueth not him a place aboue the rest to gouerne in Whē the triumphant Church likewise is described vnto vs by Saint Iohn it is sayd that the Citie hath twelue foundations and vpon them the names of the twelue Apostles of the lambe without mentioning of any great stone for Peters throne aboue the rest To be short when the Apostles receiued the holy Ghost the power of binding and loosing commaundement to preache throughout all the worlde and when the holye Ghost it selfe descended downe vpon them this was when they were al gathered together without any prerogatiue of one more then the other Hitherto then in the principall places where the primacie should haue beene shewed we see not so much as any appearance thereof Against these places playnely denying and forbidding the primacie they alledge vnto vs that which Iesus Christ hath said vnto Peter Tu es Petrus super hanc petram c. Thou art Peter and vpon this rocke I will builde my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuayle against it Nowe vpon this place our aduersaries ground this proposition The Church is founded vpon Saynt Peter And we will drawe another The Church is founded vpon Christ which is the rocke and vpon the confession of his name That of theirs is foūded vpon this that it is sayd Tu es Petrus that is to say Thou art Peter That of ours vpon this that it is said Super hanc Petram non super te Petrū that is to saye Vpon this rocke not Vpon thee Peter And hereof it is that our Sauiour Christ hath clerely distinguished Petrum a Petra that is to say Simon Peter from the liuely rocke whereupon he hath builded his Church changing
vs wherein it consisted If they can not then it followeth that all the Apostles were ministeriall foundations as well as he and not founded vpon him and so likewise must it be of all the Churches which were founded by them as Saint Ierome saith vpon the seconde Chapter to the Galatians And according to this S. Paul saith that the faythfull are buylded vpon the foundation of the Prophetes and Apostles Christ being the chiefe corner stone And he gloryeth that he had preached the Gospel in many places without buylding vpon the foundation of any other Saint Iohn likewise That the Citie of God is set vpon twelue foundations wherein are the names of the twelue Apostles of the Lambe Whereof it followeth that all the Apostles are the foundation of the Church aswell one as another and moreouer that Saint Paul hath buylded without any foundation not building vpon Peters ministerie or else the Peter was not that foundation Againe we demaunde of them if this ministerie consist not in the edifying of the Church by the preaching of the Gospel Forasmuch as the Apostles which were all preachers of saluation in Christ were therein master buylders and all they are buylders which buylde vpon the foundations which were layd by them vpon that liuing rocke Nowe if they were all master buylders why then Saint Peter was not the foundation for he coulde not be both the foundation and a master buylder both together It followeth in the selfe same place Tibi dabo c. I will giue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen That which thou shalt binde in earth c. Of this text we further drawe two contrary propositions Theirs is Christ hath giuen here to Peter alone the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and so consequently to the Bishop of Rome and to his successours Ours contrariewise is that Christ here hath promised the keyes to all in the name of Peter and hath giuen them to all his Apostles and after them to all those which lawefully exercise the Ministerie of his Gospel If we knowe what is meant by the keyes and what it is to binde and to loose it wil be easie for vs to iudge whether of these two propositions be true Christe Iesus pronounceth Wo be to you Doctors of the lawe because you haue taken away the keye of knowledge ye haue not entred in your selues and those which woulde wyllyngly haue entred in ye haue forbidden Nowe these Doctours were those who had charge to teach the worde of god These keyes then are no other thing but the charge to preache the kyngdome of heauen and to open the gate thereof by the preaching of the Gospel And concernyng byndyng and loosing Saint Iohn expoundeth what they meāt by these wordes to retayne and to remit sinnes the which is not done but in preaching the forgiuenesse of sinnes displayed in Iesus Christe to all those that beleeue the preaching of the Gospel The keyes then is the charge to preach the woorde to bynde and to loose is the effect of this word which to one sorte turneth to their saluatiō to the other to their greater damnation Whereupon Saint Paul calleth his Ministerie The Ministerie and word of reconciliation and else where The Ministerie of vengeaunce vpon the disobedient which Esai before had called the acceptable yeere of the LORD and the daye of vengeaunce Nowe forasmuch as no one alone can exercise this Ministerie in euerie place nor towards all It followeth therefore that one alone can not haue these keyes nor this charge of byndyng and loosyng which by the comming of Christie extendeth it selfe to all places They demaunde then wherefore it was saye to Peter I will giue thee IESUS Christe had sayde vnto all Whome thinke ye that I am And he in the name of all had answered Thou art Christ c. And therefore in his name he promiseth to all his Church the power of the keyes which he promiseth also afterwardes to all in the eyghtenth Chapter and after his resurrection deliuered them to all the Apostles equally and without any difference in these wordes Receiue the holy Ghost To all those to whom you shall remit their sinnes they shal be remitted c. That then that was promised here in these wordes I will giue vnto thee c. and not I doe giue thee which sheweth the time to come was then fully accomplished universally to all as in the person of Peter it was there promised to all To be short If as Saint Gregorie saith Saint Peter was not head of the Apostles til it was after his repentance in vaine then do they vpon this place trouble their braine pretending that by that place this power was giuen vnto him And if they will say that the same was meāt there by the keyes promised vnto him by the deliuerance of the keyes which was after his repentance giuen vnto all we conclude that they were here promised vnto all The which we saye not to the ende to derogate any thing from S. Peter whose readines to confesse the sonne of God and zeale toward our Sauiour was incomparable but to discouer the subtiltie of the Pope and of his poleshorne generation that of the keye of knowledge giuen to Saint Peter hath made a key of power and of the preaching of the worde a tyranny ouer all the princes and people of the earth and of the kingdome of heauen a temporall monarchie notwithstanding that there is nothing more cōtrarie to the whole doctrine that Christ hath taught his Apostles As for the auncient doctors they haue vnderstoode it no otherwise then we doe Saynt Cyprian Our Lord in the person of one man gaue the keyes to all to shewe the vnitie of all The others neuerthelesse were euen the same that Peter vvas companions in like equal honour in equall povver but he vvould begin by one man to shevv that the Church is one Saynt Hierome expounding this selfe same place The ignorant Bishops and elders sayth he tooke hereby occasion to vsurpe I know not what maner of Pharisaicall authoritie thinking that they had power to bynd and loose at their pleasure But to bind loose ought to be no other thing but to declare by the word of God Gods sentence Beholde then the Pope in the stead of Cephas a Caiphas euen by the difinitiue sentēce of S. Hierom a minister of the Romane Church And else where All the Apostles had one the selfe same iudicial povver For Christ after his resurrection sayth vnto them Receiue the holy Ghost vvhose sinnes ye shal remitte they shal be remitted in heauen c. All the Church likevvise in his elders Bishops but specially Peter receiued it to the ende that euery one should vnderstand that he that separateth himselfe from the vnitie of faith cannot be absolued from his sinnes nor enter into heauen He sayth from the vnitie of fayth not from the vnitie of Peter nor
and thereupon he addeth Which feedeth the flocke and yet eate not of the milke He was then a pastor thereof and yet noue wil deny but that al the rest were pastors aswel as he To him it was said by the spirit of God Thou shalt be a vvitnesse for me before all men which is a great deale more general Then feede my sheepe and yet notwithstanding none will conclude that the other were but vnder witnesses For our Lorde like wise had saide vniuersally to all You shall be witnesses vnto me euen to the end of the worlde Wherefore then say they are these words here directed to Peter alone Because that as Peter alone had denyed him thrise so likewise he asketh three times whether he loued him for that by his triple deniall he had lost his Apostleship so by that threefolde commaundement his commission was renewed to the ende his companions should neuerthelesse esteeme him for an Apostle This therefore was rather a consolation for his infirmitie then a marke of dignitie Saint Augustine who was otherwise curtous inough found out no other meaning of this place For see what he saith vpon Saint Iohn where he hath playnely expoūded this place In stead saith he of that threefolde deniall behold a triple confession to the end the tongue should not lesse serue to loue then to feare and that it seemed not that present death drue from him more words then present life that is to saye Christ That this then shoulde be the office of loue to feede the flocke of our Lord seeing that that was the office of feare to haue denied the pastor himselfe What meaneth this then If thou loue me feede my sheepe that is to say Feed not thou thy self but feed my sheepe feed thē not for thy selfe but for me not for desire to beare dominion but for charities sake to helpe thē This expositiō also both Hylarius Cyril haue vpon the same place Also Christ recommended his Lambes to Peter euē he which fed Peter himselfe Vnderstād thē brethrē with obediēce that you are the sheepe of Christ as all we which heare his vvord Feed my sheepe S. Aug. therefore thought it to be as much spoken vnto him who was B. of Bōne in Affrike as to the B. of Rome following the admonitiō of our Sauiour himselfe That vvhich I say vnto one I say vnto al. S. Cypriā Al are pastors but there is but one flocke vvhich all the Apostles haue fed vvith one vvhole cōsent Also there is but one Bishopprick vvherof euery B. in solidum vvithout separatiō holdeth his part this is repeted by Gratian in his decretalles in expresse words which some of the schoolemē yea the sorbonists thēselues haue expoūded in these words The priesthood or ministerie is the soule of the Church the vvhich is vvhole in all and vvhole in euery part To be short it cannot be founde for many ages after the death of our Sauiour that this place hath bene alledged by the Bishop of Rome for any strength or povver that he shoulde be acknovvledged pastor of pastours And if they wil in this behalfe beleeue their owne Masse booke behold what they sing euery day It is very meete right healthfull to pray vnto thee at al times O eternall pastor that thou shouldest not forsake thy flocke but shuldest keep it by thy holy Apostles with a cōtinuall protectiō to the end that it may haue for gouerners guides such as thou hast established vnto it for vicars of thy worke pastures Behold therfore al the Apostles euē by their owne Masse it selfe to be rectors pastors and vicars immediately from Christ and immediately established from him And if in Peters owne cause they will be content to haue Saint Peter iudge him selfe The Elders which are among you I beseeche vvhich also am an Elder sayth he Feede the flocke of Christe which is committed vnto you not as hauing lordship ouer the heritages of the Lord but as examples of the flocke And when the chiefe shephearde shall appeare ye shall receiue an incorruptible crowne of glory He that will play the Sophister as they do vpon these words feede the flocke will conclude that Peter hath resigned his Church to thē But it suffiseth vs that S. Peter calleth not himselfe pastor of pastors but sendes them to the principal pastor who is Iesus Christ our lord And in that some obiect these wordes There shal be one fold and one shepheard applying it to the Pope they doe yet worse The scope of the text sheweth vs that Christ speaketh of the vocation of the Gentiles therevpon S. Gregory in their glose saith That this is spoken because Christ hath ioyned both the Iewe the Gentile in his faith Theophilus because all the sheepe haue but one marke to wit Baptisme but one pasture that is to say the word of God. But see one other place frō whence they haue not feared to begin to triumphe as if they had gottē a sword in their hād to defēd this interpretation Iesus Christ drawing neere vnto his passion saith vnto his Apostles When I sent you without bagge or scrip c. lacked you any thing they answered Nothing But nowe he that hath a bagge let him take it and likevvise a scrip he that hath none let him sell his coate and bye a sword For I say vnto you that the same which is written must be fulfilled in me he was reputed vvith the vvicked Then the Apostles saide Behold here two svvords And he said vnto thē It is inough There is none but clearly seeth by the drift of the text alone that he forewarneth his disciples of the enterprise that should be made against him for which notwithstanding they must not prouide any carnal weapons In meane season see the wandering conclusion which the Popes fetch from thence in their extrauagaunts It is said Behold here tvvo svvords ergo Saint Peter that is to say the Pope and his successours are heades all the worlde thorowe aswell of the Temporall as of the Spirituall This is that goodly decree of Boniface the eight for which king Philip the faire was excommunicated which decree beginneth Vnam sanctam ecclesiam c. that is to say that we must beleeue one holy vniuersall church endeth with this cōclusion we declare say dispute of and determine that for to obtaine saluation it is necessarie to euery creature to be subiect to the Pope of Rome But here is no question of S. Peter for he is not particularly named but of al. Also there is no questiō of bearing rule but to be persecuted And Iesus Christ him selfe cutteth of all this at one blowe when he made Peter to put vp his sworde into his sheath And yet notwithstanding they haue bene so impudent that they haue enterprised vpon the sight of this place to beare iurisdiction ouer the whole worlde both
time to time howe they are groūded vpon mans lawe and that which wee call positiue They holde that S. Peter was crucified vnder Nero in the yeere of our Lorde 69 and that Clement succeeded him Others say that Linus succeeded him then Saint Iohn yea and Iames himselfe If we beleeue those bookes supposed to bee Clements they shoulde haue obeyed Clement as head of the Church for he succeeded as they saye in Peters Authoritie he ought to haue no lesse authoritie then the popes at this daye who can dispense with Paules epistles A wonderfull case that the primitiue Church when they made the Canon of those bookes that should haue authoritie in the Church that they should rather put in those bookes of Iames and Iohn then of Clement the principall heire and successour of the holy ghost by the vertue of Saint Peters chaire A wonderfull matter further that this Clemēt made so smal accompt of succession so necessary in the Church seeing that in his epistle which he writeth to Iames Bishop of Ierusalem he calleth him our Lordes brother the Bishoppe of Bishops and gouernour of the Church of Ierusalem and of all others throughout all the worlde But yet a more wonderfull matter that they shoulde bee found so impudent in the light of good learning that at this day shineth as to foūd the papacie vpon those gaye bookes of Clement in which there are so many falsehoodes Clement writeth to Saynt Iames after Peters death and teacheth him the institution of our Lorde when as the Scripture witnesseth that S. Iames was martyred long before in Ierusalem and that as long as hee liued he was to teach Clement such matters and not to learne them of him And yet this is one of the notablest authors that they can alledge But let vs proceede We holde the Apostles Creede from the beginning of the Christian Church And we there finde the Catholike church But this article of the faith that pope Boniface the eight made is not therein That if we will be saued we must acknovvledge the pope to be the soueraigne Lord. Saint Cyprian saith That there is but one Bishoppricke of vvhich euery Bishop holdeth his parte vvholy vvithout any diuision Also that none of his time either called or made him selfe Bishoppe of Bishops eyther made through tyrannie his companions subiect to his obedience Also he complaineth that certaine prophane men and Schismatikes vvith drevve them selues to the bish of Rome who saith he hath none but certaine desperate wicked fellovves that stay vpon him making thē selues beleeue that the Bishops of Affricke haue lesse povver then the Bishops of Rome And in very deede he calleth not Stephen Cornelius bishops of Rome other thē brethren cōpanions handleth Stephen rudely enough in manye places To be short a litle after his death the church of Affricke decreed in the councill of Carthage that none should be called the prince or chiefe of ministers or the first Bishoppe but onely according to the dignitie of Cities the Bishoppe of the first See. Irenee very liuely reproueth Victor the Bishop of Rome who through a certaine shamelesse ambition had excommunicated the Churches of Asia for disagreeing about the Passeouer The Ministers saith he vvhich haue helde the eldershippe of the Church ouer vvhich thou novv doest gouerne Anicetus Pius Higinus c. haue not done as thou hast done neither they also vvhich vvere vvith them Tertullian who otherwise is wont to attribute verye much to Saint Peter scorneth the Bishop of Rome his great ambition which then began to shew it selfe albeit in a certaine place he maketh a long narration of the praises of the Church of Rome yet he teacheth not neither neere nor farre of that which is the principall to wit that it was the infallible seat of the holy Ghost by Peters successiō And yet these are for all that the very firste of all antiquitie and in whose time the Church of Christ more florished then at any time In the time of Constātine as the church had more liberty so it had also more ambition then Bishops begā first to think on miters that before time thought nothing els but to be martyrs That same famous Council of Nice was then called together by Constantine the Emperour to the ende to decide the matter of Arrius The B. of Romes deputies were there but they sate onely in the fourth place Yea one decree was there made by which certaine limits were attributed to euerie patriarke ouer which the Canon gaue them equall authority which the Bishop of Rome was wont to haue ouer the neighbour Churches of his citie They went about by infinite meanes to corrupt the canons of this councill as the histories do witnesse vnto vs But Cusan the Cardinal alledging this Councill acknowledgeth the trueth in these words By this we see saith he how much authoritie the Pope hath gotten in our time against the sacred auncient constitutions and altogether through the lēgth of time and custome of a slauish subiectionall obedience And yet in meane time Iulius with standeth it not neither doe his Legates alledge to the fathers of the Councill their Tibi dabo I will giue vnto thee nor their Pasce oues meas Feed my sheep for as yet they were not studyed so deeply therin but they rested onely in the ordinance of the Councill which afterwardes was confirmed by the Councils of Antioche and of Constantinople And this was about the time that they woulde deuise the donation of Constantine to pope Syluester confuted by so many learned men so long time agoe that none but such as are ignorant will beleeue it But if they will beleeue the original which is kept in Vaticā in the popes library in goldē letters let thē also beleeue these words which are written added in the end Quam fabulā longi tēporis mēdacia finxit that is to say in the proper words of ill latine This is a fable which an old lye hath forged Or if they wil therin beleeue the legend of Pope Syluester then let them also beleeue that which it sayeth that then was hearde a voyce from heauen saying Hodie effusum est venenum in Ecclesiam that is to say At this day poyson is shedde into the middest of the Church In the first and seconde Councill of Ephesus Cyrillus and Dioscorus Patriarches of Alexandria did gouerne there though the Bishoppe of Rome there had his deputies And it forceth not to saye that the seconde was not lawfull For this can not be knowen but by the yssue but it sufficeth that in the beginning and then when men thought that it was verye lawfull and that in such a time as the ceremonies were kept there Leo the Bishoppe of Rome neyther his deputies did not there striue for the chiefe place because they thought it to haue no good grounde In the Councill of Chalcedon
they deeme spoyled him selfe of his Empire to enriche them Chrysost sayeth Whosoeuer of the Bishoppes shall desire primacye in earth he shall find confusiō in heauen he that shall desire to be the chiefe he shall not be reputed in the nomber of the seruaunts of Christ Gregory the great Bishop of Rome when the Bishop of Constātinople would attribute vnto him selfe that Supremacy he sayth not that he doeth wrong to Saint Peter or that hee withholdeth vsurpeth the right of the Bishoppes of Rome but rather he protesteth that this vvas a prophane title full of sacriledge and the fore-running of Antichrist and that this was to say with Lucifer I will ascend aboue the cloudes and will make my selfe equall to the high God. That none of his predecessours tooke vpon them to be aboue their brethren cōpanions And if there vvere any such amongst thē he falling downe al the Church should stūble fal vvith him That this vvere to destroy all christianitie And after many such other woordes he pronounceth this generall sentence That vvhosoeuer shal call himselfe vniuersal Bishop or shall desire to be so called that he is the forerunner of Antichrist forasmuch as through pride he axalteth him selfe aboue all As touching him self he flatly refused it and prayed Eulogius the Bishop of Alexandria not to giue him this proude name Hee acknowledgeth that the Bishoppes of Alexandria and Antioche are as well in Peters chaire as they of Rome to be short that Peter Paul Andrevv Iohn c. they are al particular heads of the people vvhom they gouerne but all members vnder one head vvhich is Christ hovvsoeuer they holde Peter for chiefe amongest them I beseech the readers that they will take paines to reade vpon this matter the epistles of Saint Gregory and there they shall finde the condemnation of this Supremacie more expressely then yet I haue said To conclude the Emperours haue called generall Councils the patriarks and. Metropolitanes those that were Nationall and prouincial They that were Patriarkes euery one was president ouer the See of his patriarchshippe and not the Bishoppe of Rome nor his deputies in general councils The patriarks or chiefe Bishoppes went not to seeke their Palls at Rome but were Canonically elected ouer those places The Bishoppe of Rome as appeareth by those Epistles them selues of Gregorye the great when hee was chosen exhibited vnto them the confession of hys fayth by a Synodall Epistle as they did to him Eche one of them had an Ecclesiasticall iudgement ouer his owne and none appealed from them no not the Bishoppes them selues beyond the Sea who had no Patriarke in the Sea of Rome I demaunde then by what marke they can shewe vs that Supremacy in the aunciēt Primitiue church be it but by the positiue lawe of man And yet notwithstanding wee see the course from time to time and from Councill to Councill vntill the yeere of our LORD sixe hundred and more when Phocas the Emperour killed his master Maurice and inuaded the Empire and to get fauour of the Romanes after so cursed and detestable murther gayned Boniface the third their Bishop declaring him to be head of the Church and Bishoppe of Bishoppes against that that Gregory his predecessour had a litle before so hotelye fought against If the Church had bene so long time without a head what did the members then And if Iesus Christ were the head then why lesse nowe Also whēce commeth it that when the Bishoppe of Rome was not acknowledged for such a one it had such strength and alwayes afterwards grewe weaker and decayed Againe is it not notable that all the auncient Churche was ignorant of so healthfull a doctrine hidden in the holy Scripture and that Boniface the third shoulde be the firste that shoulde fynde it out That such so necessary priuiledges should be concealed for the space of sixe hundred yeeres in the most happy ages and to the most quick sighted persons which euer were That so many Christian Emperors should make no account of it and one Phocas an execrable murtherer should be the first to giue authority vnto it But as the papacie must needes spring of the ruines of Rome the second beast of the Carrion of the first so also must it needes he that the supremacie of the Bishop of Rome as that of the first kings was must bee founded and buylded vpon murther Against these decrees of the generall councills they blush not to alledge vnto vs those goodly bookes of Clement whereof we haue spoken a litle before that same ridiculous epistle of Anaclet That Cephas is asmuch to say as head of the church that same authentical reuelation of Pope Marcellus of Peters seate to be remoued from Antioch to Rome and such other beggerly trumperie of that decree which some euen of their owne side do deride Also certaine other epistles of Pope Leo who laboureth therby asmuch as he can to make vs credit the latine Church But we know that none must be iudge in his owne cause and if as Gerson Panormitan say One lay man may set himselfe hauing the holy Scripture on his side against a vvhole generall councill vvhich erreth from it By a more strong reason maye the whole primitiue Church oppose it selfe all the whole Scripture hauing al the general councils on her side that were for the space of 600. yeres against the tyrānie of one man alone which cannot alledge any thing but his owne ambition yea against the decretall epistles of some Popes yet for the most part but shuffled in vnder the name of some of the auncient fathers I will not denie notwithstanding that a good time the bishops of Rome had not attempted to establishe a spirituall monarchie at Rome according to the example of the temporall which made them to be enuied For the Church of God began by Abel as Saint Augustine saith and Babylon by Cain and likewise it is not to be doubted but that very quicklye after the foundations of the Christian Church were layde Sathan layd also the foundations of Antichrist In Paul his time the mysterie of iniquitie began to worke when one said that hee was of Apollo another that he was of Paul and another of Cephas Victor the bishop of Rome enterprised to excommunicate all Asia for the feast of Easter but he was most liuely reprooued by Irenee Steuen also receiued the schismatiques of Affricke against the Sentence of the Churche that they should not appeale beyond the Sea but Cyprian calleth him proud and ignorant and the councill of Affricke holden about the selfe same time setteth it selfe against him Iulius in the time of Constantine beganne to establishe his Empire but the councill of Nice limitted him his power bringing him to the bound and skantling of others Yea in the sixth council of Carthage where Saint Augustine was present three bishops of Rome one after another
were so impudent as to falsifie a decree of the council of Nice bringing foorth in steade thereof the articles of the councill of Sardes yet corrupted and falsified pretending that from all parts men might appeale to the bishop of Rome But the fathers of the councill had learned well to saye that they would not beleeue those productions and therfore sent to the originalls and they being seene they pronounced the quite contrary Leo the first receiued Eutyches condemned by Flauianus the bishop of Constantinople for a time mainteyned him against him whereupon his heresie first tooke footing and grewe which might then at once haue bene quenched But none approued this vsurpation To be short in the time of Chrysostome this ambition was so great amongest them that he complained that to obteine supremacie the bishops of Rome had filled the Churches with blood had defiled the Supper of the Lord with murthers vntill they had vtterly for it destroyed whole cities And he that will see the ciuil warres for they likewise name them which were at Rome betweene Damasus and Vrsicius in the time of Saint Hierome whether of them should be bishop and afterwards betweene Laurence and Symmachus he maye reade them in Ruffinus Amian Marcellin and their owne Pontificall it selfe And howsoeuer it were all the contentions that were made by the bishops of Rome in the auncient Church yea till the time of the murthering of Phocas for the supremacie looke how many they were they were alwaies arguments from age to age and as determined sentences against them in so much that they alwayes lost their cause whatsoeuer instāce they made or whatsoeuer diligence they vsed in pleading of it But they will obiecte vnto me that neuerthelesse the bishop of Rome hath helde the chiefe place amongst the Patriarches I agree thereto but yet I deuie that it was to commaunde others And in deede it is expressely said that he shall not be called vniuersall bishop but onely the bishop of the first See. I say moreouer that this is not in respect that he was the successour of S. Peter and lesse by vertue of those places alledged out of the holy Scripture But because that in seates there must be a first a second place according to humame order I say that this was ordeyned in consideration of that order wherby the citie of Rome was set aboue others If it had bene by the Scriptures it should haue bene a wonderfull thing that for 600. yeeres together these mysteries should haue bene hidden from the Church If in respecte of the founder why not rather at Antioche and at Alexandria after Gregorie or to all other bishopricks after Cusan who saith that all bishops are Peters successors equall in the essentiall dignitie although they differ in the administration and gouernment as the bishops of Spaine themselues haue disputed in the last councill of Trent Moreouer that Hierusalem should be the first and not the fourth seeing the Saluation of the world did there gouerne Or why is Antioche whereof Saint Peter was bishop put after Alexandria which can alledge nothing but the succession of Saint Marke his disciple To be short what hurt hath Saint Iohn the welbeloued disciple of our Lord done vnto them who so long time preached in Ephesus which notwithstanding is not nombred amongst the patriarchall cities Or what newe Apostle hath founded Constantinople three hundred yeres after the death of our Lord to attribute vnto it the second See But there is none that hath but a litle iudgement that doth not well enough marke that all the preeminences of these Sees rather proceede from the rancke and places which their cities holde then from the establishment of Christian religion Rome was then the seat of the Empire and the glorie of all the world good learning there flourished it was the chiefe of all the peoples of the earth and therefore when all the bishops were gathered together they gaue the bishop of Rome the first place for ciuilitie and courtesies sake Likewise wee reade in the histories that Alexandria and Antioch were after Rome the most famous cities and according to that degree which their gouernours helde they also helde their bishopprickes And concerning Ierusalem that was so greatly accompted of for the first originall of true Religion and therefore likewise was not reckoned in the least place for Plinie calleth it the head of all the East but yet her place was ill kept after she had lost her first glorie Afterwards Constantinople came to be builded which was called the second Rome And then also we see the councill of Constantinople where there were sixe hundreth bishops who gaue vnto it the second place which had not bene done if they had had regard to the degree of the founder and not to the degree of the citie by reason of whose might also this dignitie was confirmed vnto it by the Emperour Iustinian Aquila in Italie was called the second Rome Also there was a Patriarchship there established yea Rauenna it selfe was a long time holden not to be subiecte to Rome and it had her owne Cardinalls apart and by themselues and as Venice beganne to growe great so it had the Patriarchship of Grado for it To be short he that shall marke from countrey to countrey the erection of patriarchships and archbishopricks he shal finde no other consideration then this the same that Pope Lucinus saith alledged by Gratian That at the first they instituted Primates of the Church according to temporall policie Also Pope Clement himselfe saith That where there were chiefe Priests of the Painims there they established Primats of Christians the which is repeated in the same wordes by Peter Lombard in his fourth booke of Sentences The councill of Chalcedon wherein notwithstanding the earnest requests of Pope Leo the first the second See was giuen to the Citie Constantinople vseth also the same woordes The fathers vpon good righte with one consent agreed that the priuiledge of the first See should belong vnto olde Rome because of the Empire there and wee also moued with the same consideration agree that the second shal be at new Rome And in the 12. Act of the same council the reasoning betwixt the bishop of Nice of Basianopolis is grounded vpon the dignitie of the cities And to cut of all such controuersies this Canon was there passed That these Cities onely shoulde be holden for Metropolitans to which Kings and Princes had done this honor by their statutes And the Council of Thurin there addeth That if the earthly superioritie were translated from one Citie to another that then the right of the Archbishoprick should be translated likewise To be short when the seate of the Empire was translated to newe Rome that is to say to Constantinople we see that the Bishop of that place by by tooke vnto himselfe the primacie whereof they held euen as much as they coulde and when that
religion in great detestation one sort of thē be stiffe in Iudaisme the other perswade thē selues that all religion is nothing else but an instrument of policie I aske then for conclusion for what worse we shoulde looke from Antichrist thē to make Christ vnprofitable to Christians abhominable to Iewes and Painims shall we waite til he preach Atheisme and godlesnesse in Temples yea but they which see but the sunne moone and the order of all thinges will spit in his face What then till he preach the gods of the Romanes And what difference shal we make betweene the worship of Castor and Pollux that of Saint Ratherin and of Saint Nicholas seeing that both the one the other maketh vs quite to forget our saluation And forasmuch as he hath left preaching in the Temple of which it must needes be that he tooke possession it foloweth therefore that the Pope none other is Antichrist who vnder the name of Christ hath spoyled Christ of his place Nowe adde vnto his doctrine which is the essentiall marke the circumstances of persons Simoniakes Magicians Atheists whoremasters and Sodomites of the place where Antichrist should be to wit in the citie with seuen hilles described in the Apocalypse of the times of sixe hundreth sixtie sixe which falleth out iustly to the time that the Pope made himselfe to be acknowledged for vniuersal Bishop exempt from the subiection of any other and there can remaine no more doubt that this shoulde not be he Nowe if any man would yet demaunde testimonies of the auncient fathers from tyme to tyme first we haue this that all the doctrine of the olde Church is expressely contrarie to the doctrine of the Popes which we haue before mentioned they not beyng able anye maner of way to staye or settle them selues thereon And concernyng the markes although they spoke of them afarre of yet they drawe so nye thereto that those which they delyuer vnto vs to knowe hym by cannot be vnderstoode of any other then of him alone Saint Irenee who is a most auncient doctor of the Church the scholler of Polycarpe and Polycarpe of Saint Iohn who wrote the Apocalypse disputing of Antichrist sawe him no where else but in the Citie of Rome and in the Romishe Church For namely he saith that the latine Church shoulde be his seate and that he proueth after the opinion of his predecessours by the nomber of 666. mentioned in the Apocalypse which was foūd in these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is to say latine and the latine Church I alledge not this to play the Cabalist vpon letters but to shew that then they sawe that this monster must be borne at Rome which we see at this daye through the speciall grace of GOD to decaye and totter Saint Chrysostome vpon the Epistle to the Thessalonians Towardes the declyning or decaying saith he of the Romane Empire Antichrist shall come and not without cause For this Empire beyng so renoumed none will easely be subiect vnto it But this being destroyed hee shall inuade the power of the Empire being voyde and shall take it to hym selfe in somuch as hee wyll take vppon hym the Empire both of God and men For as all kyngdomes which were before the Romane Empire were destroyed euen so shal the kingdome of the Romanes be destroyed by Antichrist and he by Christe after that he shall haue no more power The same teacheth that he shall cōe vnder the visard of holines and of myracles of superstitions counterfet godlinesse Now I reporte me to all that haue read histories if the Pope haue not growen and come to it by the ruine of the Romane Empire and if it were by any other way then fayned religion Saint Hylary Take heede sayth he of Antichrist It is a vilennie that you should be so mad at the walles You abuse your selues in reuerencing goodly buyldyngs for the Church of God For that is the place where Antichrist shall haue his seate It must not therefore be that we search for him as some suppose amongest the Barbarous but in the most cleare and manifest place of the visible Church Saint Hierome the Minister writing vnto Marcella This Babylon saith he and this vvhore clothed vvith Purple vvhich is paynted foorth vnto vs in the Apocalypse can signifie no other thing vnto vs but Rome and he repeateth the same in the lyfe of Saint Marke and Cusan the Cardinall addeth That Bede and all the auncient interpreters haue so expounded it Saynt Augustine Babylon is the first Rome Rome the second Babylon Also expoūding that place of Saint Paul in the second to the Thessalonians Antichrist shall come towardes the ending of the Romane Empire and he shall not be a prince or one man alone but a multitude of men are belonging vnto him who together with him shal be called Antichrist and he shall sitte in the Temple of God as though he and his were the Church of God it selfe And in another place He shall renewe Idolatrie he shall scatter the doctrine of the Gospell and to this ende he shal keepe Magicians Coniurers and Enchauntters c. Nowe euery one knoweth the false miracles wherewith he hath abused the people to lead them away frō Christ And he that will see howe many of the Popes came to their popedome by magicke and sorcerie that is to saye howe they were created by the deuill and no more successours of Peter but of Simon the Magician Let them reade that which their owne story wryters haue written thereof as Cardinall Benno Peter the Monke Volateran Sabellicus and Platina which I willingly omitte least I make the readers quake for horror of such wickednesse Saynt Gregorie Byshop of Rome as hee was more neere vnto it then others so hath he spoken therof more clearely then those that went before him Let it not seeme a light thing sayeth he vnto thee that Antichrist shall auouche himselfe to be God For I say confidentlye and boldely vnto you that vvhosoeuer shall call himselfe vniuersall Bishoppe or Minister and vvilbe so called hee is the very forerūner of Antichrist In other places he sayth That he is Lucifer vvhich aduaunceth himselfe aboue Angels and vvill sette himselfe at the right hande of God That this is to bring to ruine the vvhole Church c. Nowe he spake this the more frankely because it was at that time that the Byshoppe of Constantinople attributed vnto himselfe that title But beholde that a litle after his death his vniuersall foretelling was accomplished in the person of Pope Boniface the thirde his successour who to accomplishe that that the Spirite of God had foretolde vs by his Apostles doth so much preuaile by his threatninges that he obtayneth that title of Phocas the Emperour the murtherer of Mauritius and his children and the Popes following haue buylded
haue cut vs quite of from the Church of Rome haue proceeded agaynst vs by fire and fagot by the sworde by warres by massacres cruell murthers Finally we see that they will giue no place to our worde that they will not giue vs audience in a Council that they excōmunicate chase vs from the Church of Rome Therfore following the example of the Apostles when they were excōmunicated from the Iewish synagogue for hauing preached Christ we haue begun to gather our selues together to serue the Lord first secretly in corners afterwardes more freely neither can we communicate with those Idolatries brought in by Antichrist nor at the first dash driue him from his seat for that the Princes of the earth with their power vpholde him therefore we are enforced to deliuer our selues all those that wil hearken vnto vs from his seruitude bondage Nowe I aske what our aduersaries can finde fault with in this our doyng either in the matter it selfe or in the maner of our proceeding If they looke vpon the matter we separāt our selues not for light matters but for manifest idolatrie for making voyd the crosse of Christ for perditiō which reigneth in the place of saluatiō To be short we withdraw our selues from this prince of cōfusion who is reuolted back against our lord And we report vs euen to their own iudgement whether they thinke it not lawful to separate our selues frō the cōmunion of Antichrist sitting in the chayre of Iesus Christ For if euery one wynke therat who shal discouer him and if euery one cleaue vnto him who shal chase him away and if all the world hold their peace where is the spirit of the mouth of the Lord which shal destroy him Nowe if they shall deny that he is Antichrist we wil submit our selues to proue it then there is no questiō of our separation but of our doctrine If they will reproue vs for the maner of our proceeding therein condemning vs they condemne the Apostles who hauing ouerrunne all Israel ran into a thousande dangers to the end they might make Christ to be receyued into his owne house in the middest of the temple finally perceyuing thēselues to be stopped euery way by open force by excōmunications imprisonments c. they receyued him secretely into their priuate houses and did preach him in smal assemblies till at last they brought all the worlde into his subiection But notwithstanding this they crie out that wee haue broken the Communion of the Church that we haue set altar agaynst altar that we are Schismatikes c. which were the outcries of the Pharises against the Apostles You violate the Temple the altar the lawe c. And hereupon kings and nations haue armed themselues on all sides against vs This therefore is the thing that we must presently make answere vnto First the Communion of the Church doeth not consist in a locall vnion neyther the separation in remouing of places For there are a great many without if we looke to the place who yet are within according to charitie and many againe in place that yet if we consider faith are without but the true Christian Communion consisteth in the vnion of faith and in the vnion of charitie which S. Augustine calleth the nerenesse or rather the neyghbourhoode and dwelling together as I may say of hearts and agreement in doctrine and the true separation in the diuersitie or contrarietis of the selfe same things Nowe concerning the vnion of faith it consisteth in that heauenly doctrine which is comprehended vnto vs in the olde and new Testament tending onely to this poynt to make vs feele our sinne and to shewe vs a remedie therfore in one onely Iesus Christ crucified And this is that for which according to the example of all the auncient seruants of God we suffer and are killed and for withdrawing our selues from vnder the yoke of Antichrist that shamefully treadeth it vnder his feete we are persecuted excommunicated and murthered We are therefore vnited in the faith with the Patriarkes Prophetes Apostles Martyrs auncient Doctors and generally with the whole Church that was before the lawe vnder the lawe and vnder Grace yea and vnder the tyrannie of Antichrist If they will denie it we wil submitte our selues to proue it There is not therefore any more question to cauill at our separation which is nothing else but as an escape to the ende to resort to true doctrine and if they confesse it denying vs to be vnited with them they confesse then that they are not vnited with the ancient fathers and therfore they ought not to thinke it straunge that we renounce the communion of the Papacie Concerning the Communion of charitie or loue which consisteth in suffering and bearing the euilles one of another in not lightly condemning one another we holde all them for the true members of Christ which worship one God in spirit in trueth and hope for their saluatiō in one Iesus Christ alone the sonne of God come in the fleshe and crucified for the sinnes of the worlde which is the foundation of saluation to all men We desire all vnion and agreement with them in whatsoeuer countries and regions they are and whatsoeuer corruptions may be yet remaining amōgst them not onely in maner but also in certayne poyntes of doctrine bewayling the bodyly seruitude which they endure and praying the Father of lyght that it wyll please him to enlighten them more more by his holy spirit Contrary wise euery mā knoweth that the Popes Consistorie hath excōmunicated al the East Churches 600 yeres agone only for this that they would not submit themselues to the Bishoppe of Rome which is an article that concerneth only but his ambition and that the Pope hath left them to be inuaded of the Turke in despite whereof they had rather endure all extremitie then to acknowledge him to be head of the Church And concerning the vnion of charitie amongst them which yet cleaue to the Pope there is nothing more deare vnto them then their own liues we haue bene put to the fire water sword for opening the trueth vnto them praying God euery day that he wil enlighten them by his spirit On the other side the Romish Consistory doth pursue vs by al meanes to death and that by the space of these three score yeeres and more and so many people continually groning for a free generall Council they haue not had onely so much charitie as to grant vs eyther generall or nationall to deliuer vs from the error they pretend vs to be in answering for al that to so many princes who haue iudged it necessary That these matters are already decided and ought not any more to come in question this is euery way a friuolous answere as wee haue shewed before But I demaunde what Parliament is it yea euen amongst the heathen so barbarous and so farre from humanitie
we will aske no better to remaine still with them They will yet further reproch vs that Christ haunted the temple notwithstanding the marchandize that was there committed there is a great difference betweene the marchandize that was there and the idolatrie that at this day hath place in the Church of Rome But againe let them suffer vs as the Iewes did our sauiour Christ to whippe out the marchants of the whore that buy and sel mens soules by their simonies out of the church and we are all ready to frequent it To conclude they cast vs in the teeth that Iereinie preached in Topheth where abominable idolatrie was cōmitted they ought also to adde that which the text saith expresly that he preached there against idolatrie Also that Amos the Prophet prophesied in Bethel in Amasias his chappel they should adde thē that this was to signifie vnto him the horrible vengeance that God had prepared to fal vpon his head Also that the man of God prophecied wel in Bethel in Ieroboams time but they should also adde that this was to signifie vnto him that his Priestes should one day be sacrificed vpon the same altar But we will yet say more vnto them Let thē but suffer vs to preach in theyr Churches amongst theyr Idols we wil make them to fal downe at the only worde of God without euer touching or laying hande vpon them Let them but suffer vs to place the arke of God and his holy couenant in the midst of their Temples and they shall within a short space finde al their Dagons in peeces We refuse not then to goe to preach there For this is it we desire with all our heartes to make the trueth knowen vnto euery one But we can not come there and holde our peace for accursed is he which heareth his God blasphemed without protesting against it and seeth his brother deceyued and doeth not direct him But we after the example of Ieremie of Amos and of the man of God wil protest before kinges before peoples yea in the face of al their abomi natiōs we haue done it haue sealed our protestatiōs with our own blood But we wil not sacrifice after their exāple vpō the altar that king Achas caused to be made after the paterne of the altar of Damascus although that Vrias the hie priest wincke at it Much lesse wil we worship in Dan Bethel For they neuer did it we wil not I say cōmunicate in any wise with the sacriledges impieties brought in by Antichrist for this were great wickednes to do it treason against God to cōceale it more then sensles blockishnes to all not to search it out inexcusable blindnes in the light which at this day shineth euery where to communicate with these workes of darkenesse Moreouer they obiect vnto vs If you hold the pope for Antich our seruice for idolatry how thē do you receiue our baptism or if you holde that for good howe is it that you cōmunicate not with our Church First God hath had such pity of his church that he hath suffred antichr to chāge nothing in the bapt of Christ in that which is of the substāce therof although he had bewrapped it with many superstitiōs altogether like as he suffered not circūcision which was the marke of the couenāt to be quite abolished neither amōgst the Samaritās nor in Iuda whatsoeuer idolatry was there cōmitted We say then that the church of Rome through baptism brought forth childrē to god but that through her idolatries she nourished thē vp to the deuil altogether like as Ezech. saith that Ierusalē Samaria engēdred childrē to God as an adultrous womā doth to her husbād vntil she be diuorced but afterwards she sacrificed thē to Moloch that is to false gods Secōdly we say with S. Aug. that it is not the heretike that baptizeth as long as baptisme remaineth soūd but Christ by the hand of the heretike wherein we folow the practise of the primitiue church the determination of the 1. coūcil of Nice That they which were baptized by heretikes renoūcing their heresie they shall not bee rebaptized except those that haue bene baptized by the Samosatens who kept not the essētial words of baptisme whō to speak properly they do not rebaptize because with out these they coulde neuer be baptized but by the grace of God wee haue bene baptized in the name of God and not in the name of Antichrist or of his idols Thirdly baptisme in our infācie brought vs into the house of God but it is not enough to be receyued into his familie if we serue him not according to his commandemēts For then we depriue our selues of the benefite receyued by baptisme the which as S. Augustine sayeth is turned into our greater condemnation This therefore is vnto vs as the law of nature in a common weale which bindeth vs to the duetie of good citizens of simple plaine enemies that we shoulde be we become traytors and parricides if we serue a Tyrant which hath inuaded it and if we beare armes against the Lawes thereof For albeit we be borne vnder tyrannie yet we are borne for the common weale and enrouled in the Register of Citizens not within the lists of the tyrants slaues yea euen though the tyrant or his officers keepe the Register Now to the Citizen which is borne vnder tyranny who hath serued a tyrant who afterwardes acknowledging his fault withdraweth himselfe to the defenders of the cōmon libertie there is no neede of newe letters of his naturall birth although by his former deedes he made himselfe vnworthie So likewise we say that to him which is bound vnder the popedom who hath maintained Antichrist and ioyned himselfe to his faction and to euery other Heritique which hath fought against Christ there nedeth no second Baptisme when he returneth to his dutie For albeit he had renounced Christ yet Christ hath not renounced the right he hath ouer him and his Baptisme is so little defaced that of a simple enemy which he should haue bin without Baptisme he is become a traitor and guiltie of hie treason against his maiestie And therefore there needeth nothing but an vtter abolishment of his fault and not a renuing of his baptisme Fourthly Yea but there is no baptisme but in the Church and when you separate your selues frō vs you then separate your selues frō the church The answere There is no Baptisme but in the Church and we deny not also that the Church of Rome is a Church For in that we affirme that Antichrist ruleth there we consequently hold that it is the Churche inasmuch as he can not sit any where but in the Church But it is one thing to separate our selues from the Church of Rome defiled by Antichrist and another thing to depart from the cōmunion of the vniuersall church as we haue already declared Againe we depart not
frō the tēple but from the idolatry cōmitted in the temple nor from the cōmon weale but frō the tyrāny which oppresseth the cōmon wealth nor from the city but from the pestilence which infecteth the city nor frō the cōmunion fellowship of the people to whō we wish al happines saluatiō but frō the conspiracie of Antichrist of his mainteiners we therefore renounce not their baptisme but we ratifie it By the same we are bound to serue God to renounce the deuil following the same we seeke to serue God according to his word renounce all idoles By these letters of natural birth we are bound to mainteine the lawes of the ancient christian cōmon wealth which is the church folowing thē we set vp againe before vs the law of God the only lawgiuer of the church would deliuer the church frō al new impositions burdens which Antichrist hath laid vpon their consciences By baptisme we haue made an oth vnto christ the pope would turne our seruice from Christ to his idols to him selfe we therfore set Christ against Antichrist and the church against his cōspiracy And this is that for which by the grace of God we haue bin baptized into the Church how tyrannicall and disordered soeuer it hath bene But the ministers therof whō you pretēs to be of Antichr they haue baptized you In deed they haue put water on my head but Christ hath baptized me The tyran or his officers which he hath established after his fashion haue made me lift vp my hande giue him an oth but they haue made me to make it to the cōmon welth not to the tyran in the name of Christ not in the name of Antichrist The forme of the othe hath remained entire sound albeit the estate were chāged To folow therfore the tenor of mine oth I will retire my selfe into the army of true citizēs I wil seek out the true church in the place wherunto it hath withdrawen it self I will renounce the communion of Antichrist who vnder colour of mine oth maketh me to breake mine othe To conclude this point It is sayde vnto vs Preach the trueth We haue done it but they haue excommunicated vs It is said consequently vnto vs Flye from idoles and departe out of Babylon We haue done it but yet then when the obstinacie of men against the trueth hath compelled vs Finally after the example of the Apostles beeing shut out of Churches by the magistrate we haue gathered together the faithful into houses and haue builded the true Ierusalem at Pella If men marke this deede in it selfe they cannot finde faulte with it For wee stande grounded vpon the expresse woorde of god Nowe if anye man further saye howsoeuer it ought to be done that yet it belonged not vnto our Ministers to do it There is no farther question but of their vocation and calling which shal be handled in the chapter next following That the Ministers of the reformed churches haue a lawfull calling to reforme the Church CHAP XI FOrasmuch as our aduersaries cā neither deny the corruption which is entred into the Church nor the tyranny of Antichrist with other things depending therof from the which we go about by the word of God to set it free to the end to hold vs from entring to the groūd of this matter from ripping it vp againe they at lēgth vse this pretty shift aske vs whatcalling our ministers haue to reforme the church to preach in it This is euen the same that Zidkiiah the false prophet saide vnto Micheas What way went the spirit of the Lord frō me to speake to thee And the Pharises to Iesus Christ Thou art a Carpēters sonne who hath sent thee To whō we may answere in one word with Iesus Christ The words which we preach beare witnes of vs. They likewise cast in our teeth their long succession That they are the children of Abraham S. Peters heires c. To whō Iesus Christ hath answered for vs Ye are Abrahās seede but the deuil is your father from whō ye are come s Paul Brethrē be not deceiued for Antichrist shall sit be vvorshipped in the tēple of God. But forasmuch as hertofore they haue made whole books vpon this point it is needefull to handle this more largely When fire shall take holde of any Citie or towne or an enemie shall scale it in the night if the least Burgesse shall giue an alarme yea admitte it be but a straunger whiles the watchmen sleepe no man will demaund by what tytle he did it and much lesse punish him for it but rather men wyll runne to the water and to the walles they will see where it is and euery one accepteth him thankfully that warned them When contrariwyse we discouer Antichrist sitting in the Church whō we haue submitted our selues to conuince before the face of a Councill and in his owne presence in steade of hearing vs of examining our reasons of going to the holy Scriptures where he is liuely painted out they fall to examine vs of our condition and by what authoritie we aduertise them yea they put vs to a worse death then if we had betraied the common wealth If the gouernours of some places shoulde doe the like when men giue them aduertisements what place shoulde not soone fall into the handes of the enemies And what prince is there that would not hold them for traitors and iudge that they had conspired with his enemies There is no question here of our condition qualities but of the qualities of Antichrist of his doctrine It standeth with the duetie of those that warne vs and it concerneth the saluation of all and of our selues If the aduertisement and warning be true it is the saluation of the Church if it be false it is ours The questiō is then to examine the circumstaunces of the warning and not the qualities and condition of those that warne vs In the conspiracie of Catiline the Senate lent theyr eare to a base woman agaynst the greatest And when the Gaules would by night haue inuaded the Capitole of Rome the watchmen spake not a worde and the dogges were dumbe there was nothing but the Geese that cryed and yet euery man ranne thither and made accompt therof and had not this gagling bin this notable Citie which afterwardes conquered the whole world had byn lost When therefore we shal be the most vile contemptiple of the Church we deserue to be heard yea seeing we desire not to speake in the eare as slaunderers but in the face of the Church yea in the eare of himself that hath accused vs not frō our selues but frō god Cōcerning the reformatiō of the Church after the scattering which the Pope his haue made in it we knowe that there must be a lawful callyng but we maintayne our selues to be therein better warranted and grounded then
they who haue nothyng but theyr boasting and vaunting although they haue the greatest titles honors in the world to be on theyr side If therefore our aduersaries aske vs what was the calling of our first Ministers which refourmed the Church in these last times we answere that it was the same vocation and succession whereof they themselues doe bragge but the same vocation which they abused our men haue endeuoured to vse will and to that vaine succession wherewith they decked themselues they haue added the succession of true doctrine which they had corrupted without which all succession is nothing els but a continuing of abuse and error Wickleife Iohn Hus Luther Zwinglius Decolompadius Bucer and others of that schoole from whence the Ministers which haue gathered Churches from vnder Antichrist are descended were Priests as they cal them and doctors in diuinitie As Priests Pastors they had charge to preach the trueth vnto the people to minister the Sacraments vnto them according to the institutiō of our lord As doctors they were called to expound diuinitie in their readings in theyr bookes and they were bounde by the ordinary othe of al vniuersities to declare the trueth vnto the Church to confute al doctrines repugnant against the word of God and what then might to expell it Now in their time they found that the word of God was hid vnto the people that the honor which was due to God alone was turned to men to Images that the blood of Christ was troden vnder foote that the sacrament of the supper was partly turned into Idolatry partly denyed to the poore people To be short that all the holy scripture was prophaned poysoned with the Popes gloses popish interpretations And when they shewed these thinges to the Bishops and Metropolitans according to the order of their Church they made no rekoning of thē they were the first that persecuted thē because they themselues were the infected parte of the Church I aske therefore if theyr vocation commaunded them not to goe farther to witte to preach the trueth vnto the people and purely to administer the holy Sacraments And if they had done otherwyse whether they had not bin forsakers of theyr calling contenmers of theyr othe made vnto God and abusers of the people Both two therefore say I both our aduersaries and our first ministers had one and the same ordinarie outward calling But herein is the difference that that which ours haue followed the other haue forsaken that which ours haue done of duetie by reason of their charge the other haue cōcealed Ours haue ledde their sheepe vpon the mountaines of Israel into good pastures the others haue deuoured them or els left them for a pray to the beastes of the field or els driuen them to the fennes and marishes where they haue starued A magistrate shall be called to the gouernment of a common wealth where he shall finde the good lawes corrupted by the negligence or malice of those that went before his Courts full of iniustice the offices subiect to factions briberies and corruptions and he would reforme all this and bring it to the censure of the lawes He that will further nowe aske him by what right he doth this should he not make him self a laughing stocke because he followeth steppe by steppe his calling He hath not sworne to mainteyne abuses but rather to mainteyne the lawes and to prouide euery way that he can for the good and preseruation of the Common wealth Nowe contrarywise if he wincke at that which is euil he should doe directly contrary to his calling Euen so likewise haue our first Ministers done first requiring reformation and afterwards putting to their handes according to their duetie And if we could aske of the Apostles who are their true successors they would not tel vs Such as haue a triple crowne or such a cope or such a miter but those that preach the word of God after our example For so had they learned of the true master That he which doth the wil of God his father is his mother his sister and his brother At the preaching of these first men the pastors of the Churches were awakened in England in Bohemia in Germanie in Scotland in Denmarke in Swedenland and afterwardes many in Fraunce in Spaine and in Italie it selfe and these were sent to bethinke them of their duetie Consequently some whole Realmes were reformed the bishops themselues that there had preached lyes preached the trueth in the selfe same Church pulpit Of these for the most part if our aduersaries will demaund succession it is on their side for they haue succeeded from bishop to bishop frō the first which preached there the Gospell If they aske a vocation why it is euen their owne for they were called to be bishopps and pastors and they haue performed the office which they had forsaken The difference therefore as we haue said is in this onely point that they feede the people with pescod shales and the others in the pasture of life they defile their flockes with the filthinesses of Antichrist and these wash them in the blood of Iesus Christ Beholde then concerning the calling of our first Ministers which hath whatsoeuer may be good in the pretended calling of our aduersaries and this point further That our men lawfully exercise it and the other do but withhold it in vnrighteousnesse And although some of our men as in so corrupt a state of the Church as we haue seene it in our time without wayting for their calling or allowance of them that vnder the title of pastors oppressed the Lords flocke were called by those Churches to which they vowed their ministery yet this ought no more to be thought straunge then in a free common wealth where the people without wayting either for the consent or voyces of those that playe the tyrants shal haue chosen according to the lawes good and lawful magistrates Concerning the vocation of Ministers which were sent by the former and since by vs we haue herein obserued the example of the Apostles and the canons of the primitiue Church If the question be of their persons we haue lawfully examined both their doctrine and maners And this is the rule of Saint Paul That a bishop must be apt to teach and blamelesse If of the persons which make this examination why it was not one man alone but many ministers bishops and elders duely called before to this Church that is to say the Presbyterie or eldershippe as Saint Paul calleth it or as Saint Cyprian calleth it the ecclesiasticall Senate During this examination whereupon dependeth the election the Church continueth in prayer and fasting as we reade in the ordeining of elders in the Acts. Being found meet they are published to the people to the end that if any man hath ought to say against their election he might repaire before the assemblie as we reade was practised