and how exceeding visible must be the number of the people who are visibly to be ruled fedd and taught And yet again v. 25. If I have not set my covenant between night and day and laws to heaven and earth surely I will allso cast of the seed of Iacob and of David my servant that I take not of his seede Princes of the seede of Abraham Isaac and Iacob These Levites and Priests shal not be so by birth but they shall be taken out of Italians Africans Grecians the Ilands as Isaias sayth in his last Chap. v. 21. Though your Bible did not interpret the Hebrew names of the Countries These Texts then manifestly tell the perpetuall succession of Priests and Pastours in Christs Church so that we are no lesse assured of haveing lawfull Princes in the Church lawfully still governing the same then we are assured of haveing night and day and the heavens moveing above us and the earth standing under us A point much to be noted yet we may confidently say no Church no Church but the Roman can doe this 6. Ezechiel Chap. 17.22 Thus sayth our Lord. And I will take the marrow of the high Cedar and will set it and will plant it upon a mountaine a mountaine high and eminent On the high mountaines of Israël will I plant it and it shall shoote forth into a budd and shall yeild fruit and it shall be into a great Cedar and all Birds and every foule sball dwell under the shaddowe of the boughes thereof and shall there make theyr nests Behould Christs Church which in her beginning was but a small graine of mustard seede now growne up to the greatnes of such a Cedar as this is And not growne and growne untill at last she was growne quite invisible Memorable is that Text Chap. 36.25 And I will powre out upon you cleare water and you shall be cleansed from all your contaminations and from all your Idolls will I cleanse you and give you a new heart and will put a new spirit in the middest of you and will by my grace make that you shall walke in my precepts and keepe my judgments and doe them Before we goe farther I pray take speciall notice that the Church by the grace of Christ is freed from feare of being abandoned because she did at any time grow to forsake Gods judgments for he will still give her grace to keepe them In that day that I shall cleanse you from all your iniquities and shall make the Cities to be inhabited and shall repaire the ruinous places and the desert land shall be tilled and they shall say This land untilled is become a garden of pleasure And v. 37. I will encrease them with men like a flock as the flock of Hierusalem in her solemne feasts in which feasts many thousand men gathered out of every howshold of that nation did use to goe up to Hierusalem so shall the desert Cities be full of flocks of men How can universality and a most visible numerosity be more fully expressed when even the desert places shall be filled as Hierusalem was thronged and crowded in the solemnityes thereof Daniel Chap. 2. v. 35. makes the Church of a litle stone grow into a moutaine filling the whole earth how ridiculously then do you tell me you can scarce see it for this 1000. yeares before Luther 7. Micheas Chap. 4.1 And it shall be in the later end of the dayes 1. Io. 2.18 the time of the new Testament is called the last howre there shall be the mount of the howse of our Lord prepared in the topp of mountaines and high above all the hills what more visible and people shall flow unto it and many nations shall hasten and shall say Come let us goe up to the mountaine of our Lord and to the howse of the God of Iacob c. And v. 7. I will make her that labours into a mighty nation and our Lord will reigne over them from this time now and for ever So that from this time now and for ever the Church was promised still for all ages to be a mighty or strong nation Never a small invisible unknowne company 8. Zacharias Chap. 14. v. 8. And it shall be in that day liveing waters shall issue forth of Hierusalem halfe of them to the east sea and halfe of them to the last sea in summer and winter shall they be and our Lord God shall be King over all the earth and in that day shall be one Lord and his name shall be one And by and by he tells us at large even to the end of the Chapter how all nations shall be accursed that come not up to adore in his Church A manifest signe of her pepetuall purity in Doctrine For how would God lay such curses ad plagues upon men for refusing to follow the Church erring 9. Malach. Chap. 1.11 tells us the Church shall be extended as farr as the sun beames among the Gentills From the rising of the sun even to the goeing downe thereof great is my name among the Genrills and in every place there is sacrificing and there is offered a cleane oblation because my name is great among the Gentills sayth the Lord of Hosts Behould the true Church all the world over offering a pure and gratefull sacrifice 10. The places of the new Testament are more knowne as that the Church by reason of her continuall university is A Citie upon a Hill still to be seene from all places A Candle upō a candlestick as well seene to the whole world as a cādle to the whole Roome in which it burnes The Apostles are sent to preach to all Nations The litle mustard seed grows to be the bighest of all plants like the Cedar in Ezechiel chap. 17.22 S. Peters nett is even broken with the taking of fish c. But because the new Testament writes no farther then the Acts of the Apostles and contained but small part of them the subsequent conversion of the multitude of Nations of the strenghth of Gentils and of all the Kings of the earth as the above cited Texts declare is to be taken out of historie in which manifestly the truth of all that was foretold doth appeare But all this wholy and intirely was performed by the Roman Church onely that is by such as have beene knowne to have joyned in Communion with her If you say the Roman is not the true Church heere foretold by the Prophets then I pray ponder well how impossible it is for you upon earth to find any other Church to which those manifold Prophecies with any shew of probality can be applied THE FIFT POINT Of the infallibility of the Church and consequently of her fitnes to be judge of controversies 1. NOte that in two manners or wayes things of beleefe and practice may be delivered by a community The first is whē such things once received by the sayd Community are perpetually retained by the same in all places by the
you harden your harts as Aegypt and Pharao did harden theyr hart And so David cryeth to us all Harden not your harts Psal 94 8. And Ezech. 18.31 Cast away from you all your transgressions and make you a new heart and new spirit for why will you dye ô house of Israël for I have no pleasure in the death of him that dyeth sayth the Lord God Wherefore turne your selves and live ye 3. Behold how God himselfe declares that by the grace he offers us we may make our selves a new heart a new spirit turne our selves and live God speaks cleerly in Deut. 11.26 Behold I sett forth in your sight this day benediction and malediction benediction if you obey the Commandements of our Lord malediction if you obey not but revolt from the way which now I shew you Again Deut. 30.15 See I have sett before the this day life and good and contrariwyse death and evill And v. 19. I call for record this day heaven and earth I have sett before you life and death blessing and cursing Choosing therefore life See here the choise left to our freewill So Iosue 24.15 Chuse this day whom you will serve 2. Samuel 24.12 Choice is given the of three things Chuse one one of them which thou wilt And Philem. v. 14. Without thy minde I would do nothing that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity but willingly And 1. Cor. 7.37 He that standeth stedfast in his hart having no necessity but hath power over his owne will doth well 4. Behold we have power over our owne will to do that which is lesse perfect or that which is more perfect For as it there sayd he who giveth in marriage doth well he that giveth not doth better And wee have power over our owne will to do either Yea Gods grace so enables our power that Io. 1.12 As many as received him to them gave he power to become the Sons of God By this his power we clense our hands purify our harts clense our whole selves wee Matth. 12.33 make the tree and fruit good And as it is sayd Io. 3.3 Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himselfe Hitherto of free will in doing good 5. How frees will comes to lead us to all our evill S. Iames tells us c. 1. v. 14. Every one is tempted when he is drawne away of his owne lust and enticed hitherto no sinne but then when I pray note this then when lust hath conceived it bringeth forth sinne Then sinne and only then is hatched when free will yealds her selfe to concupiscence so as to consent to what is suggested Ye did not heare ye did choose that wherin I delighted not Isa 65.12 The Texts allso in the following point confirme free will THE XXXII POINT How this free will is still helped with sufficient Grace 1. IF God gave vs not allwayes that grace which is of sufficiēt force to excite us to the effectuall performance of all the good which we are bound to do or to the avoyding of all the evill which we are bound to avoyd our free will could neither do the one nor avoid the other All the former Texts then which so cleerly prove that wee by Gods helpe can if wee will do what wee are bound to do and can avoyd what wee are bound to avoyd do consequently prove that God allwayes gives such Grace to both effects as wants nothing of perfect sufficiency to produce them but our free consent Hence S. Paul thus exhorts us 2. Cor. 6 1. We then as workers togeather with him beseech you allso that you receive not the grace of God in vaine Excellently the Rhemists upon this Text. It lyeth in mans power and free will to frustrate or to follow this motion of God as this Text plainly proveth which really is the very selfesame that the Councill of Trent sayth Sess 6. c. 5. That by Gods exciting and helping grace we are disposed to cōvert our selves by freely assenting and cooperating to the same grace so that God touching the hart of mā by the illumination of the H. Ghost mā is neither void of all action he receiving that inspiration for he receives it so as having in his power to cast it away Neither can he without the grace of God move himselfe And therfore it followeth in the fourth Canon If any one shall say that the free will of man moved and excited by God doth cooperate nothing att all by giving her consent to God exciting and calling by which he may dispose himselfe to the grace of Iustification and that he cannot dissent if he will let him be Anathema Lett those harken to this who harken so much to the Iansenists And let us go on to speake of this sufficient grace which in the next point wee will shew more fully to be offered to all Of this grace Isaias 5.4 What could have been done more to my vineyard that I have not done in it For Prov. 1.24 I called you and you refused And that you may not say he only called and did not stretch forth his hand to helpe you to come the next words are I stretched forth my hand and no man regarded But ye have set at nought all my cousel And Isa 65.12 When I called ye did not answer when I spake ye did not heare and did choose that wherin I delighted not Though they did choose thus against Gods call yet this his call was so sufficient to have moved them that God tels Ezechiel c. 3. v. 6. that if he had sent him with so strong and powerfull preaching to barbarous and unknowen people They surely would have heard thee But the house of Israël will not heart thee for all the house of Israël are impudent and hard harted They will not be moved by those calls which would move others And because they answered like Protestants c. 33.10 If our transgressions and our sinns be upon us and we pine in them how should we then live God commands the Catholicke doctrine to be thus delivered Say unto them As I live sayth the Lord I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked but that the wicked turne from his way and live Turne ye turne ye from your wicked wayes and why will you dye ô house of Israël Note how still he sayth he excites them sufficiently otherwise vainly had he sayd why will you dye ô house of Israël For they might reply we cannot but dye because thou givest us not the grace to live 2. And as God sayd of Ezechiels preaching that it was sufficient to have converted Barbarians though the Iewes would not be moved by it So Matth. 11. v. 20. of Christ it is sayd He began to upbraid the Citties wherein were done the most of his miracles for that they had not done pennance Wo be to the Corozain wo he to the Bethsaida for if in Tyre and Sidon had bene wrought the miracles that were wrought in thee they had
him the throne of his father David And he shall reigne over the house of Iacob for ever by having still the Kingdome of his Church consisting of those true Israëlits of whom S. Paul spoak and of his Kingdom or Church there shall be no end 5. Isaias every where is very full to this purpose Chap. 49. v. 14. And Sion sayd our Lord hath forsaken me and our Lord hath forgotten me Why can a woeman forget her infant that she will not have pitty on the Sonne of her wombe And if she should forgett yet I will not forgett thee Behold I have written thee in my handes And again Ch 54. v. 9. As in the day 's of Noë is this thing to me to whome I swore I would bring in no more the waters of Noë upon the earth so have I sworne not to be angry with thee nor to rebuke thee For the mountaines shall sooner be moved and hills tremble But my mercy shall not depart from thee and the covenant of my peace shall not be moved sayd our Lord thy Miserator Poore litle one shaken with tempest with out all comfort behold I wil lay thy stones in order and will found thee in Saphires and I will put the Iaspar stone for thy munitions Again Ch. 60. v. 15. I will make thee the pride of worlds a Ioy unto generation and generation v. 18. Iniquity shall be no more heard in thy land wast and destruction in thy borders and saluation shall occupy thy walls and prayse thy gates Thow shalt have no more the Sunne by Day neither shall the brightness of the Moon illighten thee these are to meane lightes for thee but the Lord shall be to thee an Everlasting light and thy Lord God for thy glory Thy Sunne shall go down no more and thy Moone shall not be diminished because the Lord shall be unto thee an euerlasting light and the dayes of thy mourning shall be ended Again Ch. 61.6 You shall eate the strength of Gentils and in theyr glory You shall be proude Everlasting Ioy shall be to theÌ„ I will give theyr worke in truth and make a Perpetuall Covenant with them And they shall know theyr seed in the Gentills Al that shall see them shall know that these are the seed which the Lord hath blessed Again 62.3 Thou shallt be a crowne of glorie in the hand of our Lord and the Diademe of a Kingdome in the hand of thy God Thou shalt no more be called forsaken and thy land shall be called no more Desolate But thou shalt be called my will in her aÌ„d thy laÌ„d inhabited because it hath well pleased our lord in thee and thy land shall be inhabited Thy God shall rejoyce upoÌ„ thee upoÌ„ thy walls IerusaleÌ„ I have placed watchmeÌ„ all the day and all the night for euer they shall not hold theyr peace See here the continuall visibility of the church in her watchmeÌ„ and Pastours of which consequently there must be a perpetuall successioÌ„ And v. 8. Our lord hath sworne by his right hand and by the arme of his strenght if I shall give thy wheate any more to be meate to thy enimies and if the straÌ„ge ChildreÌ„ shall drinke thy wine And he concludeâ—h v. 12. Thou shalt be called a citty sought for and not forsaken That the true Church allso shall have a perpetuall successioÌ„ of Priests and Levites is cleerly expressed in the last chapter of Isaias in wich after the Prophet had named Africa Lidia Italy Greece and the Ilands a farr of he addeth v. 21. And I will take of them to be Priests and Levites sayth our lord for as the new heaveÌ„s and the new earth which I make to stand before me so shall staÌ„d the seed of your name Note that these Levites be now not by birth but by electioÌ„ ordeyned to be such out of severall couÌ„tries Italy Greece and other IlaÌ„ds which names your bible avoids to traÌ„slate 6 S Ieremy is no lesse copious C 30. v. 11. Though I make a full end of al natioÌ„s yet I will not make a full eÌ„d of thee but I will correct thee in measure The church indeed may be chastised for a while but never be brought to consuÌ„matioÌ„ For C. 31.35 Thus sayth our lord that giveth the Sunn for the light of the day the order of the moone and the starrs for the light of the night c. If these laws shall faile before me sayth our lord theÌ„ also the seed of Israël shall faile froÌ„ beeing a natioÌ„ before me for ever If the heaveÌ„s aboue shall be able to be measured and the fuÌ„datioÌ„s of the earth to be searcht out I also will cast a way al the seed of Israël Again C. 32.38 And they shall be my people and I will be theyr God and I will give theÌ„ one heart and one way that they may feare me all days and it may be well with theÌ„ and with theyr childreÌ„ after theÌ„ And I will not cease to doe theÌ„ good And I will make an Everlasting covenaÌ„t with theÌ„ And I will giue my feare in theyr heart that they may not reuolt froÌ„ me Again C. 33.14 Behold the days will come sayth our lord and I will rayse up the good word that I haue spoakeÌ„ to the house of Israël in that time I will make the spring of Iustice to budd forth unto Dauid and he shall doe IudgmeÌ„t and Iustice on the earth This sayth our Lord there shall not fayle of Dauid a man to sitt upon the throne of the house of Israël Christ must successively have his vicar or vicegereÌ„t in al ages aÌ„d of the priests aÌ„d leuites theyr shall not fayle before my face a maÌ„ to offer holocaustes and to burne sacrifices and to kill victimes all days Behold a successioÌ„ of lawful Priests still offering sacrifices expressed by the Priests and sacrifices as were then only known Again it followeth and the word was made to Ierimy saying if my covenaÌ„t with the day caÌ„ be made voide allso my covenant may be made voide with Dauid my seruaÌ„t that there may be not of him a sonne a vicar or vicegereÌ„t to reigne in his throne aÌ„d the leuites aÌ„d priests my ministers yea v. 22. eueÌ„ as the stars in heaueÌ„ caÌ„ not be nuÌ„bred aÌ„d the saÌ„d of the sea be meÌ„sured so will I multiplie the seed of David my servant and the Levites my Ministers Whence it is evident that the number of lawfull Priests by lawfull mission and ordination shall not only never fayle but allso never fayle to be a great number There followeth again in the same Chapter the formeâ— Covenant repeated once more 7. Ezechiel allso speakes very home Ch. 34.22 I will save my flock and it shall be no more into spoyle and will rayse up over them one Pastour who shall Leade them my servent David he shall feed them and he shall be theyr Pastour And I the Lord will be theyr God and my servant David the Prince of them
And v. 28. And they shall be no more a spoyle to the Gentills Againe Ch. 37. v. 23. Neither shall they be polluted any more in theyr Idolls and I will cleanse them and they shall be my people and I theyr God and my servant David King over them and theyr shall be one Pastour over them all They shall walke in my Iudgments and they shall keepe my commandments and they shall doe them and they shall dwell on the Land which I gave to my servant Iacob themselves and theyr Children and theyr Childrens Children Even for Ever And David my servant Prince for ever And I will make a peace to them an Everlasting Covenant shall be to them and I wâ—ll found them and wil multiply them and will give my sanctification in the middest of them for Ever and the very last verse of the last Chapter The name of the Citty from that Day Our Lord there 8. Clearly allso Daniel Ch. 2. v. 44. In the days of those Kingdomes the God of heaven shall rayse us a Kingdome that shall not be dissipated for ever But still continue in quality of a Kingdome and this Kingdome shall not be delivered to another people and it shall consume all the Idolatrous Kingdomes and it shall stand for ever in quality of a Kingdome There is litle need to passe to the New Testament the old sufficing if any thing will suffice Of Christs Gospell S. Paul says 2. Cor. 4.3 If our Ghospell be hid it is hid to them that are lost Either you must confess your selves lost men or you must say that at no Time Christs Ghospell lay hid so as you could not tell who professed it I insist not in the known places as that the Church Matth. 16.18 Is built upon a Rock that the Gates of Hell shall not provaile against it Again it is evident that she must still be visible in all ages that we may still at any time Tell the Church and heare her Matth. 18.17 and be still fedd by her Doctrine and Sacraments For these be the two essentiall markes of a true Church as Protestants say Hence Ephes Chap. 4 v. 11 He gave some Apostles some Prophets and other some Evangelists and other some Pastors and Doctors c. untill we meete al in the unity of faith which will not be till the worlds end These be the light of the world still sett upon the candlestickes never hidd under a busshel Matth. 5.14 A Cittie upon a hill still to be seen And though the mustard seede was the lest at the beginning yet in the growing it proves a Tree and all fowles repaire to it Matth. 13.32 Yea this must be a Church perpetually continuing in such reverence to our B. Lady that her words must be fullfilled Luc. 1.48 All generations shall call me blessed And v. 33. Her Sonne shall retgne in the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end And so himselfe sayth to his Apostles Matth. 28.20 Behold I am with you all Days even to the consummation of the world His Apostles were not to be in the world even to the end of the world The promise therefore is to be with them in the persons of such as should succed them in teaching and preaching c. Again in the like sense he sayth Iohn 14.16 And he will give another Paraclete that he may abide with you for ever All these Texts demonstrate what we have undertaken to prove And hence it doth unavoidably follow that the Chureh must in all ages have a continuall succession of true Preachers of the word of God and true administration of Sacraments for these two things even according to the 39. Articles of the Church of England are the two essentiall signes or notes of a true Church which must ever accompany her in all ages And if a Church be as S. Cyprian sayth a flock adhering to ther shepherd then as in all ages there is a flock of Christ so there must be a shepherd to whom this flock may and must adhere And therefore a lawfull succession of true Pastors must needs in all ages be found in the Church at lest without any considerable interruption And this is expressed in severall texts here cited Now ponder that this is to be found in no Church but the Roman See more the next Point THE FOVRTH POINT Of the vniversality and vast extent of this perpetuall Church which also must be the converter of Gentiles This no Church differing from the Roman ever was 1. IF the Church were to remaine perpetually in any very small extent or bignesse perhaps we might heare litle newes of her in some ages But te true Perpetuall Church foretold to be in all ages in the Texts now cited is likewise in Scripture no lesse clearly foretold to be in all ages so universally spread aÌ„d so visibly numerous that the very recitall of these Texts is enough to put quite out of countenance any other Church but the Romane especially being that this true Church is so manifestly said to gaine this her vast extent by the multitude of Gentiles which she is to convert to her A thing which evidently must be verified in the true Church and yet is is evideÌ„t that this only is verified in the Roman Church that is no Church but such as was ioyned to her in communion euer converted any one parish of Gentiles 2. The Texts which evidence this vast extent of the true Church are Gen. 13.16 I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth And C. 15. v. 5. Looke up to heaveÌ„ and number the stars if thou canst And he sayd to him so shall thy seed be Again Chap. 22.16 By my owne selfe I have sworne sayth the Lord I will blesse tbee and I will multiply thy seed as the stars of heaven and as the sand that is by the sea And in thy seed shall be blessed all Nations of the earth Now Saint Paul tells us Romans 9.8 Not they that are the Children of the flesh of Abraham they are the Children of God but they that are the Children of promise are esteemed for the seed And if still you contend that these Texts are only for the Iewish Church you must allso remember that Christs Church is the Mistris she the Handmayd and that as S. Paul sayes The new Testament is established in farre better promises Hebr. 8.6 And must florish farre more then ever the Iewish Synagog did Hence Apoc. 7.5 S. Iohn after twelve thousand of every Tribe of Israël were signed saw a great multitudes which no man could number of all nations Tribes peoples and tongues But let us goe on 3. David Psal 2.8 Aske of me and I will give thee the Gentills for thy inheritance and thy possession to the end of the earth Psal 22.27 All the ends of the earth shall remember and he converted to our Lord. All the Kindreds ef the nations shall adore in his sight Again Psal 72.7
In his Christs dayes shall the righteous florish so long as the Moone endureth And he shall rule from sea to sea and from the River even to the ends of the round world Yea all the Kings of the earth shall adore him and all nations shall serve him Psal 98.3 All the ends of the earth have seene the saluation of our God Of what Church is this true besides the Roman 4. In this point of the multitude of Gentiles to be converted none more eloquēt and copious then the Prophet Isaias Chap. 2. v. 2. And in the later dayes the new Testament is called the last houre 1. Io. 2.18 the mountaine of the house of our Lord shall be prepared in the topp of mountaines and all nations shall flow unto it and he shall judge the Gentills c. Again Ch. 49. v. 1. Listen ô you Ilands and attend you people from a farr And then v. 6. It is a small thing that thou shouldest be my servant to rayse up the Tribes of Iacob and to convert the Dreggs of Israël it is too too poore a thing for Christ to be authour of so small a Church as the Iewish Church was Behold I have given thee to the light of the Gentills that thou mayest be saluation even to the farthest part of the earth Kings shall see and Princes arise and adore for our Lords sake Behold these shall come from farr and behold they from the north and the sea and these from the south country Lift up thy eyes round about and see all these are gathered togeather thy are come to thee And v. 19. Thy desarts and thy solitary places in which no body before served God and the land of thy ruine shall now be straite by reason of the inhabitants And yet shall the Children of the Barrennesse say in thine eares The place is straite for me make me space to dwell Then v. 22. Behold I will lift up my hands to the Gentills and to the people I will exalt my signes And they shall carry thy Sonns in theyr armes and thy Daughters upon theyr shouldiers And Kings shall be thy nurcing fathers and Queenes thy Nurses With a countenance cast downe to the ground they shall adore thee and they shall licke up the dust of thy feet Kings prostrating themselves at the feet of Christs Vicar and kissing them Again Chap. 54.2 Enlarge the place of thy tents and streetch out the skinns of thy Tabernacles for thou shalt penetrate to the right hand and the left And thy seed shall inherit the Gentills and shall inhabite the desolate Cities Here note that these things were spoken to the Iewish Church telling her how much the future glorie of Christs Church should exceede her and so to her the Prophet sayd in the first verse Payse ô barren woeman which barest not sing prayse and make joyfull noyse because many are the Children of the desolate Gentills more then of her that hath a husband To witt the Synagogue to which he had been so long espoused So that it is flatly against Scripture to make the Church of Christ at any time so barren as the Synagogue was in the dayes of Elias Allthough even then she had in the field farr above an eleven hundred thousand men besides many thousands of soldiers in her walled Cities as we shewed Point 3. n. 2. much more is it against Scripture to make her so litle as not to be visibile or known And therefore again Ch. 60. v. 1. Arise be illuminated Hierusalem because thy light is come and the glorie of our Lord is risen upon thee Gentills shall walke in thy light and Kings in the brightnes of thy rising Lift up thine eyes and see round about all these are gathered togeather they are come to thee Thy sonns shall come from a farr and thy daughters shall rise from thy side Then shalt thou see and abound and thy heart shall be enlarged when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to thee The strenght of the Gentills shall come to thee the inundation of Camells shall couer thee v. 10. The Children of strangers shall build thy walls and theyr Kings shall minister to thee and thy gates shall be open continually never shalt thou be invisible for day and night they shall not be shutt that the strenght of the Gentills may be brought to thee for the nation and the Kingdomes that shall not serve thee shall perish What nations can serve yea and be bound under paine of perishing to serve an invisible church again v. 15. I will make thee an eternall excellency a joy unto generation and generation and thou shalt suck the milk of Gentills and thou shalt be nourished with the teate of Kings Again Ch. 62. v. 2. And the Gentills shall see thy Righteousnes and all the Kings thy glory 5. Ieremie allso every where fully Chap. 30.19 I will multiplie them and they shall not be few and I will glorifie them and they shall not be small Christs Church still shal ever containe a vast number of people Again 31.34 And a man shall no more teach his neightbour and a man his brother saying know our Lord for all shall know me from the lest of them to the greatest sayth our Lord Thus sayth our Lord that gives the Sun for the light of the day the order of the Moone and Starrs for the light of the night If these laws shall faile before me sayth our Lord then allso the seed of Israël shall faile that it be not a nation for ever before me This text cometh convincingly home to prove that this universality shall be perpetuall and no more faile in any age then the light of the Sunne and Moone As long as they last this Church shall be a flourishing Nation for ever For again v. 37 Thus sayth our Lord. If the heavens shall be able to be measured and the foundations of the earth beneath to be searched out I allso will cast away all tht seed of Israël And then in a Metaphore of a Citie built upon hills farr distant from one another he sayes this so vastly extended Citie shall not he plucked up and it shall no more be destroyed for ever which is a gallant expression of the perpetual universality of the Church for ever retaining a vast great extent in any ages whatsoever The same follows Ch. 33. v. 20. Thus sayth our Lord if my covenant with the day can be voide and my covenant with the night that there be no day nor night in theyr time allso my covenant may be made voide with David my servant that there be not a sonne of him to reigne in his throne and Levits and Priests my Ministers Even as the Starrs of heaven cannot be numbred and the sand of the sea be measured so will I multiplie the seed of David my servant and the Levits my Ministers Now if the number of Priests Pastours and Teachers shall be so great at all times how great att all times
that knows God heareth us 9. Tenthly In declaring the true meaning of the true Scriptures the practise and doctrine of the Church is necessary to be followed as a certaine Guide For example When Christ sayd Doe this in remembrance of me He did impose sayth the Church a true commaund to doe so Yet though Christ no lesse cleerly sayd Iohn 13.14 That we ought to wash one anothers feete for I have given you an example that as I have done So you allso should doe He did not impose sayth the Church any commaund obliging vs to wash one anothers feete For though he sayd we ought to wash one an others feete yet by the practise and doctrine of the Church it is assuredly declard to vs that these words of Christ containe no precept though the former do 10. Eleventhly The same Apostle in his first Epistle Chap. 2.19 after that concerning Heretikes he had sayd They went out from us He turnes his speach to those who still remained in the Church subject and obedient to it and of them he sayth But you have the unction from the Holy one and know all things To witt the spirit of truth residing in the Church to teach her all truth maketh you who are guided by the Church to know all things necessary for your information and instruction 11. Twelfly It is grounded in this infallibility of the Church that her Prelates may exact obedience of her Children in captivating theyr understanding to the faith which she by commission from Christ delivereth unto them 2. Cor. 10.4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty through God casting downe Imaginations or Reasonings and every thing that exalts it selfe against the knowledg and bringing into captivity All understanding unto the obedience of Christ and haveing in a readines to revenge all disobedience So S. Paul But it is most irrationall to say God should impower his Church to force men to follow a Church which being fallible must needs confesse that she may deceive you and enforce you to follow errors Yet this in a Church haveing the infallible assistance of the Holy Ghost is most rationall For there you are to your apparent good enforced to follow truth in place of such error as might be most hurtfull to you Thirteenthly The same S. Paul tells vs that God out of an expresse intention which he had to keepe vs from all wavering and vnsetlement in faith resolved so to assist the Governours of his Church that we might securely relye upon them For Ephes 4 11. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and other some Evangelists and other some Pastours and Teachers for the perfecting of the Saints for the worke of the ministery for the edifying of the Body of Christ untill we all come into the unity of faith To what end all this to the end that we hence forth be no more Children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight of men and cunning craftines from which his Providence had not thus secured vs vnles these our Teachers had beē infallible whē defining in a lawfull councill or proposing what is universally taught by them 12. The second sort of Texts proving the infallibility of the Church conteines such glorius Titles given her or such admirable things spoke by Gods own mouth of her as must needs be vain empty and truthles words if the Church ever prove to be a Mistris of errors obtruding them to her Children for divine verities First Psal 132.13 Our Lord hath chosen Sion he hath chosen it for an habitation unto himselfe This is my rest for ever and ever Here will I dwell because I have chosen it Now Christs dwelling place as S. Paul tells vs is his visible Church 1. Tim. 3.15 That thou mayest know how to converse in the house of God The Church of the liveing God He could not be taught how to converse in an invisible Church he speakes then of the Church visible Farr be it from this house to be a store house of errors For how then could it be Christs desirable Habitation and his rest for ever and ever 13. Again Isa 54.4 Feare not for thou shalt not be ashamed neyther be thou confounded for thou shalt not be put to shame What greater shame or confusion to a Church which should be the Pillar and ground of truth to see herselfe growne now to professe open superstition Idolatry and other pernicious errors in whole swarmes How then is that true which follows 14. Thirdly Isai 60.15 I will make thee an eternall excellency a ioy of many generations Fourthly v 18. Thou shalt call thy walls saluation our Lord shall be unto thee an everlasting light Thy Sunne shall goe downe no more and thy Moone shall be no more diminished because our Lord shall be thine everlasting light Words manifestly spoken not of the Elect but of the visible Church on earth even from the beginning of the Chapter for v 10. he tells how Kings should minister to her and how he had struck her when she was the Synagogue in his indignation Which words cannot be understood of the elect or the invisible Church and so he goes still on speaking 15. Fiftly In the like sense Chap. 62. v. 3. Thou shalt be a crowne of glory thou shalt be no more called forsaken as thou wert when thou wert the Synagogue but thou shalt be called my delight in her And sixtly to secure her from all error contrary to his will he adds v. 6. Vpō thy walls Hierusalem I have appointed watchmen And how careles soever thy be by theyr owne nature yet by my continuall assistance all the day and all the night for ever they shall not hold theyr peace To witt by crying downe errours For they had better have held theyr peace that preached publickly errours every where And v. 12. Thou shalt be called a Citie sought for and not forsaken And yet Protestants say they did laudably forsake every visible Church vpon earth by adhering to Luther and his followers who did separate themselves from all Churches visible in the whole world openly professing that as then there was no one Church on earth worth seeking for and so they did not joyne themselves in Communion with any Church then vpon earth but pretended to returne to the Primitive Church as it was above a thousand yeares before which is to say that for this whole last thousand yeares the Church was a Citie forsaken and that for so long her Communion was not to be sought for 16. Seventhly There is a very convincing text to prove the Church to be by divine Providence assuredly provided of faithfull Pastours and Governors Ierem. 33. v. 25 If I have not put my Covenant to night and day and laws to the heaven and earth then will I cast away the seed of Iacob and David my servant that I doe not take from his seed Princes to be Rulers over the seed of Abraham Isaac
and Iacob So that we shall be as sure not to faile of faithfull Princes and Governors in the Church for none but such as are truely faithfull can be truely sayd to be the true sonnes of Iacob and David As we are sure to have night and day the heaven turning over vs and the earth standing still vnder vs. 17. Eeightly The Prophet Ezech. Ch. 34.22 I will save my flock and it shall be no more into spoile But what spoile would that scabb of error make over all Christs flock if it so infected it all as Protestants say it did yea they will have even Idolatry it selfe the most deadly murraine to have infected the whole Church this last thousand yeares and more 18. The third and last sort of Texts to prove this infallibility containe such as plainly say that God will still direct his Church to follow truth or that it shall not revolt from the truth but be a most direct way to the truth that the spirit of truth shall be as it were entailed vpon the doctrine of the Church with which Church this spirit shall ever abide teaching her all truth So first Isa 61.8 I will direct theyr worke in truth and I will make an everlasting Covenant with them of preserving this never fayling truth Secondly Behold how plaine and direct a way to truth is promised the Church of Christ Isa 35. v. 5. Then shall the eyes of the blind be opened c. And a high way shall be there and it shall be called the way of Holynesse the Holy Catholicke Church the way-faring men though fooles shall not erre there in It is therefore a way infallibly leading to truth Thirdly the same Prophet Chap. 59. v. 20. There shall come a Redeemer to Sion and to them that shall returne from iniquity in Iacob sayth our Lord. As for me this my Covenant with them My spirit that is in thee and my words that I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed from this present and for ever With what clearer words could the spirit of truth be entailed vpon the Church present in each age or be more clearly said to Reside ever in her mouth with which she delivers all her doctrine 19. Fourthly Most clearly Ier. 32.39 I will give them one heart and one way that they may feare me for ever I will make an euerlasting Covenant with them that I will not turne a way from them but will putt feare in theyr hearts that they shall not depart from me Note I pray these words I will putt my feare in theyr hearts that they shall not depart frō me Wherefore they did not revolt from him they did not depart from him Fiftly no lesse fully speakes the Prophet Ezech. 37.24 My servant David King over them and there shall be one sheapheard over them all They shall walke in my judgment and observe my statutes and do them Moreover I will make a Covenant of peace with them it shall be an everlasting Covenant with them and I will set my Sanctuary in the middest of them for ever more How fully is all this spoken of a visible Church haveing one theapherd over all Yea the very Heathens shall know who they be as there is sayd Sixtly that according to the Prophet Micheas Ch. 4.5 All people will walke every one in the name of his God and we will walke in the name for our Lord God for ever Which they doe not who walke in a labyrinth of grosse errors for a thousand yeares togeather it followeth I will make Her who was cast of a strong nation and the Lord shall reigne over the from hence forth and for ever 20. Seaventhly Matth. 16.18 The gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it If Hell could ever come to make the Church a Mistris of errours so as to hold them forth for divine verities so many ages togeather the gates of Hell should highly prevaile against her Now I pray note that for many ages there were no Christians which were not eyther manifest Hereticks and held so by the Protestants themselves or which did not as all Roman Catholicks now doe worship and adore Christ as much vnder the shape of bread in the Eucharist as they worship him sitting at the right hand of his father If this be Idolatry the gates of Hell have prevailed against the Roman Church yea and against the Churches in Greece in Armenia in Aethiopia c. who all ever since they were Christians have held this our doctrine and doe still hold it though they adde a world of other errors Where then shall the Protestants find Christ a Church against which the gates of Hell have not a vast long time togeather prevailed They must eyther be forced to make Christ false in this his doctrine or to confesse our doctrine true If it be not how was this Covenant everlasting as hath been so often sayd in the now cited Texts and allso the Text following in which Christ made the everlasting Covenant formerly promised to be made Eightly S. Iohn Ch. 14. v. 16. And he will give you an other Paraclete that may abide with you for ever the spirit of Truth whome the world knows not but you know him because he dwells with you and shall be in you Now the Apostles not being to be for ever and the spirit of Truth being promised for ever we cannot but say that the promise of this spirit of Truth is made also to the successours of the Apostles the Governours of Christs Church to abide in them and be in them as the spirit of Truth directly opposite to the spirit of errour So ninthly Iohn 16.12 Many things I have to say unto you but you cannot beare them now hence appeares how weighty those thinghs were but when the spirit of Truth cometh he will guide you into all Truth To private persons the Holy Ghost is given as the spirit of sanctification but to the Church he is given as the spirit of Truth guiding her into all Truth and so directly excluding all errour from her 22. Tenthly that convincing place of S. Paul shall end all these Texts 1. Tim. 3.15 where speaking of the visible Church in which he teacheth Timothie how to Converse the speakes thus That thou mayst know how to behave thy selfe in the house of God which is the Church of the liveing God the Pillar and ground of Truth Can I leane more assuredly then vpon the Pillar of Truth Can I even wish to have a surer ground then the ground of Truth And yet such a ground is the Church acknowledged in this Text if it be not perverted by such interpretations as be the inventiōs of mē but of men vnable to confirme theyr interpretation by any Text clearer thē this Here thē behold we have produced no fewer thē thirty texts for the infallibility of the Church Whereas not halfe so
have sayd lovest thou me more then these if he had not here intended to give him higher dignity in Pastorship then to the rest If every one of the other Apostles be sheep of Christ S. Peter is here made Pastor to every one of them for he is commanded to feed them Note again and principally that the whole flocke of Christ his lambes his sheepe his subjects and theyr Rulers did not consist of those only men who then lived but much more of all such faithfull men as were to be of the flock and Church of Christ even from his days to the end of the world Wherefore this high Pastorship beeing as we sayd chiefly instituted by Christ out of his love and care to his flock and not meerly out of the desire of honoring S. Peter was by ordinary course of succession to be devolved to all posterity 8. And that no man should say that this succession shall everfaile Thus sayth our Lord Ier. 33.17 David shall never want a man to fitt upon the throne of the house of Israël and of the Priests and Levits there shall not faile a man c. And he adds that his Covenant should sooner be made void with the day and the night then his Covenant should be made voide with David his servant That there be not of him a sonne to reigne in his throne and Levits and Priests his Ministers And the Prophet Esau in his last Chapter tells us that in the new law these Levits shall not be borne Levits of the Tribe of Levi or any particular Tribe or Nation but by election they shall be chosen to be Levits out of severall Nations particularly of Italians Graecians Affricans and the Ilands a farre of though the English Bible doth not translate these names I will take sayth he of them to be Priests and Levits But shall there not still be one chiefe Pastour of these never decaying races of Priests and Levits yes there shall And they shall have one shepherd or Pastor over them all Ezech. 37.24 THE EIGHT POINT That this our chiefe Pastor or Pope is not Anti-christ 1. BEcause there is never a pulpit in Englād in which the Pope hath not been preached by all our Ministers to be not only Anti-christ but allso the Anti-christ who is so much spoken of and detested in Scriptures I thought fitt to make my deare country men see with theyr own eyes how unconscionably these theyr Ministers so universally deale with them in this point in which they can not but see if indeede they reade and will understand how flatly and point blank this doctrine is against most manifest Scripture 2. First The Scripture teacheth clearly that Anti-christ is one particulare determinate man and not any ranke of severall distinct men successively living one after the other as Popes do Hence 2. Thess 2.3 Anti-christ is called That man of sin the sonne of perdition The adversary And Apoc. 13.14 An image shall be made of this particular person where as no such image can represent those hundreds of Popes who have sitt in S. Peters chaire Again there it followeth that this particular man shall have a speciall name and such a peculiar number shall expresse this name For it is the number of a man A man I say and not many mē succeeding one an other as Popes are Whence it followeth The number of him is six hundred sixty six Of that Him whom Christ allso insinuated to be one particular man when he sayed Io. 5.43 If an other shall come in his Name him you will receave Whereas no one of the Popes was yet receaved by the Iewes Wherefore of the Pope it is false to say the Iewes have received him And this is the second reason why the Pope according to Scripture is not Antichrist 3. Thirdly this one particular man shall not come untill we be close bordering upon the very last end of the world Mark 13.24 But in those days after that tribulation of Anti-christ the Sunne shall be darkned Popes have beene ever since S. Peters days and that which you all call Popery hath beene as you confess above these thousand yeares and yet the Sunne shines upon the world as clearely as ever 4. Fourthly this one speciall man shall reigne but a short time where as these Popes upholders of confessed Popery have reigned these many Ages Anti-christ shall reigne but three yeares and a half a time and times and halfe a time Dan. 7.25 And Apoc. 12.14 Hence Dan. 12.11 this time is further expounded to be a thousand two hundred and nynety days And the Church a litle after this persecution began shall fly into the wildernesse for a thousand two hundred and sixty days And for this time of 1260. days the two wittnesses shall prophesy Apoc. 11.3 For the persecution of Anti-christ shall last but two and fourty months as it there expressy sayd And Apoc. 13.5 Power was given to the beast to continue two and fourty months The time therefore of Anti-christs reigne shall be short For the elect the days shall be shortned Matth. 24.22 So Apoc. 20.3 it is sayed that the diuel shall be lett loose for the short time of Anti-christs reigne After these things he must be loosened a litle time That is after Christ hath bound up the divel during the long time of the new Testament described there by the complete and perfect number of a thousand yeares he shall be lett loose for the short time of the reigne of Anti-Christ 5. Fiftly all the Ministers in England or out of England can never be able to shew that the Pope did ever kill two such wittnesses as Anti-christ is clearly sayd to kill Apoc. 11.6 That is two witnesses who shall prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days cloathed in sackloath who shall have power to shutt the heavens that it may not raine in the days of there prophesy and power of the waters to turne them into bloud And to strike the earth with all plagues as often as they will If your Ministers will prove the Pope to be Antichrist they must not only proue that he did kill two such witnesses as they are for the true Anti-christ must doe this but allso they must prove that the Pope did kill two such witnesses in Ierusalem leaving theyr bodyes lying in the streets thereof For this allso the true Anti-christ must do because it followeth v. 7. The beast shall kill them And they re bodyes shall lye in the streetes where theyr Lord was crucified that is in Ierusalem 6. Sixtly Hence appeares that the chiefe seate of Anti-christ shall be at Ierusalem where he shall most shew his power and glory whence it was allso sayd before that the Iewes should receave him and the Holy Fathers commonly say he shall be borne a Iew of the Tribe of Dan which is the cause why that Tribe was not numbred with the rest Apoc. 7. neither could the Iewes receave him if he were not borne a Iew. None
1. Kinges 18.22 I even I only remaine a Prophet of our Lord. And in the next Chap. v. 10. I even I only am left which again he repeates v. 14. I answer that at lest he is told presently by God v. 18. That there were left in Israël seven thousand men whose knees had not bin bowed before Baal And in the former Chapter it is manifest he knew of an hundred Prophets For v. 13. Abdias told him I hidd of the Prophets of our Lord an hundred men by fifty and fifâ—y in caves Wherefore he knew well that there were many faithfull amongst whom so many Prophets were known to him yea hence it is cleare that he was not the only Prophet left Wherefore those words I only I remaine a Prophet of our Lord are to be understood thus I only I remaine a Prophet standing openly to oppose theyr fury amongst the Apostated Tribes of Israël For Elias knew full well that not all the Children of Israël but only tenne Tribes were faln from God 1. Kinges 12. He knew allso that the still faithfull Tribe of Iuda including Benjamin afforded Roboam an hundred and four seore thousand chosen men to fight against the other revolted tenne Tribes v. 21. which is again repeated 2. Chron. 11. with a notable declaration how much the true Church even then florished in Iuda and Benjamin Roboam himselfe building fifteene cities inclosed with walls And v. 13. the Preestes and Levits that were in all Israël resorted to him out of all theyr coasts And v. 16. Of all the Tribes of Israël whosoever had given theyr heartes to seeke theyr Lord God of Israêl came into Ierusalem to sacrifice and they strengthned the Kingdome of Iuda All this Elias knew very well and also that which follows to witt that Asa reigned over all Iuda in all pietie and peace 2. Chron. 14. And he built other fenced cities in Iuda And v. 8. Asa had of Iuda an army of three hundred thousand and of Benjamin two hundred eighty thousand And he defeated tenn hundred thousand Ethiopians And 2. Chr. 17. Iosaphat who lived in the day 's of Elias was yet greater then Asa his Father both in piety and power For v. 10. The Dread of our Lord came about all the Kingdomes of the Lands that were about Iuda Neither durst they make battell against Iosaphat And he built many strong cities and stupendious was the number of his forces v. 14. of Iudath under Abnath Three hundred thousand and two hundred eighty thousand under Iohanan And two hundred thousand under Amasias And two hundred thousand under Ehada And two hundred eighty thousand under Iosobad All these make Eleven hundred thousand and sixty thousand soldiers And yet the Scripture sayth All these were at the hand of the King besides others whome he had putt in Walled cities in Iuda Behold the Iewish Church even at her lowest ebbe Christ's Church is the Mistris and of higher dignity Wherefore at all times after her beginning you must find me at lest as many visible Professors of her doctrine as the Iewish Church had in her meanest coÌ„ditioÌ„ For the new testameÌ„t is established in far better promisses Heb. 8.6 As also appeares by the texts which here shall be cited All which texts coÌ„vince such a perpetuall coÌ„spicuous and visibly florishing state at all times that no church differing from the RomaÌ„ caÌ„ be shewed to have had any thing like it 3. The other only considerable objection is that perhapes these promises made by God to his Church concerning his allwaise protecting her were made upon this condition that he would do this if she should persever to keep his commandments for so all his promises to David and Salomon are made I answer that it is evideÌ„t that some promises which feeme made to them and their posterity are not to be litterally understood of their posterity according to flesh but as they by grace be sonnes of Christ who was the sonne of David And diverse of these promises are made so absolutly that absolutely they admit of no such condition Take for proof hereof that convincing Text Ps 89.4 I have made a covenant with my chosen I have sworne to David my servant thy seed will I establish for ever and I will build up thy throne to all generations All which is only verified in Christ Who in his Church hath giveÌ„ hâ—m the seate of David his father and he shall reigne in the house of Iacob for ever and of his Kingdome there shall be no end As the Angel sayd Luke 1.32 After this promise of everlasting perpetuity to his Church lest any ony should thinke his promises might be made void by any sins of hers or to be made only upon condition of theyr walking in his commandments he addeth in the same Ps v. 29. And I will putt him the first begotteÌ„ high aboue the kings of the earth I will keepe my mercy unto him for ever and my Testament faithfull unto him I will putt his seede for ever and ever and his throne as the days of heaven But if his Children shall forsake my law this can not be possibly in your doctrine spoken of the Elect and will not walke in my Iudgments If they will prophane my Iustices and not keep my commandments I wil visit theyr iniquities with a Rod and theyr sinnes with stripes But my loving kindness I will not take a way from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail My covenant will I not break nor the thing which is gone out of my Lips Once I have sworn in my holy if I ly to David his seed shall continue for ever And his throne as the Sun in my sight and as the Moon perfect for ever This Text speakes home to prove what I inteÌ„d to witt that these promises be made upon Christ The son of David the son of Abraham Matth 1.1 and as S. Paul teacheth that only those who believe in Christ be the rue children of Israël and Abraham so they only be the true children of David and concerning them is verified the promise which as is here sayed for no fins of theirs shall ever be frustrated Not as though the word of God had takeÌ„ no effect but they that are the Children of the Promisse are counted for the seed Rom. 9.6 4. And in this sense the Sacred Text speakes 2. Sam. 7.16 And thine house and thy Kingdome shall be established for ever before thee thy throne shall be established for ever According to all these wordes did Nathan speake to David So Psalm 72.5 They shall feare thee as long as the Sun and Moone endure through out all generations He shall have dominion allso from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the Earth In whom can these Texts of Scripture be verified but in Christ ever raigning in his Church diffufed even in a florishing condition over the face of the earth According to what is sayd Luke 1.32 The Lord God shall give
Scripture testifieth surely the whole substance of that one ribbe must have been in many places or else Eve would have been a very litle woeman or Adam must have had very great ribbs Again our Protestants commonly read thus Act. 3.21 Whom the heavens truly must conteyne we read Receive untill the time of Restitution of all things HeÌ„ce they inferr that after Christs Ascension the heavens at all times must conteyne his body Therefore say they after his Ascension his body can not be on earth This theyr owne Text shall refute them thus The heavens must at all times after his Ascension conteyne his body But after his Ascension the earth allso did conteyne his body Therefore his body can be conteyned in two distant places And if in two why not in three and more Make the Scripture judge of this point and it will clearly cast you for did not Christ after his Ascension appear in his true body to S. Paul Act. 9. Who sayd who art thou Lord and he I am Iesus v. 5. And v. 17. Ananias sayth to him The Lord even Iesus that appeared unto thee in the way that thou camst That he appeared in his owne true body I prove by evident Scripture For by reason of this his apparition S. Paul numbers himself amongst those who with theyr owne eyes had seen Christ risen again in his true body For labouring to prove Christs Resurrection in a true and not in a phantasticall body as some Heretiks will have it he proves it by eye witnesses who all must have seen Christ now risen in his true body or else theyr testimony is vainly brought to prove a true Resurrection of the flesh he then bringing eye wittnesses who had seen Christ now risen in his true body makes himself as true an eye wittnesse of this as any other For thus he speakes 1. Cor. 15. v. 4 c. He rose again and was seen of Cephas after that of the eleven Then he was seen of more then five hundred Bretheren together moreover he was seen of Iames then of all the Apostles And lastly of all he was seen allso of me To witt in his true body or else all others may be sayd to have seen him in a phantasticall body and allso because any other manner of seeing him had been to no purpose to prove the true Resurrection of dead bodyes which is here his drift Where supposing himself by these eye wittnesses to have proved this he presently sayth v. 12. How do certaine amongst you say that there is no resurrection of the dead Yet againe Act. 22. v. 14. But he Ananias sayd to S. Paul the God of our fathers had preordeyned thee that thou shouldest know his will and see that Iust one and heare the voyce of his mouth Therefore he appeared in a true body which had a voyce and a mouth of flesh Buth as Christ sayth Luke 24.39 A spirit hath no flesh and bones as you see me have Yet again Act. 23. v. 10. S. Paul seeth Christ on earth for when there was made a great dissention the Tribune fearing lest Paul should be torne in peeces by them commanded the souldiers to go downe and take him out of the middest of them and to bring him into the Castle And the night following the Lord stood by him and sayd Be constant for as thou hast testifyed of me in Ierusalem so must thou testifie of me at Rome allso Here we have that very Lord of whom S. Paul did testify standing by him in the Castle farr distant from heaven by which is evident in how distant places Christs body may be To disprove so many cleare Texts give me but on if you can that S. Paul did not see Christ after his Ascension in his true body vpon our earth if you can not do this you are cast by Scripture in this point which proveth that one body can be at the same time in two distant places 8. Lastly they object that so great a body as Christs Body is can not be in so smale a compasse as a litle bitt of bread We still answere out of Scripture First Matthew 19 v. 26. where speach is of making the great body of a Camel passe through a needles eye Christ sayth with men this is impossible Where note that Christ here according to three Evangelistes speaks of such a passage through a needles eye as is in possible with men so that though with men there is no such thing possible as penetration of severall parts of the same great Camels body brought into so smale a compasse as is a needles eye yet not so with God With God all things are possible Secondly God can put two different bodyes so as to take vp only the place of one body therefore he can put al the parts of one body so as to take up only the rome of the lest part with which he can penetrate al the rest Thus Iohn 20. v. 19. When the doores were shutt where the disciples were gathâ—red together for feare of the Iewes Iesus came and stood in the midle So that as at his birth his body penetrated through his Mothers wombe at his Resurrection through the great stone of his monument and as at his Ascension he did not make a hole through the body of the heavens but his body was penetrated with those heavenly bodyes so here it penetrated through the shutt doore or wall and so two bodyes were in one place at once by which allso we prove that one body may as easily by his power be in two places at once Wherefore it is to you who against Scripture thus stand still alleadging Philosophy that we must say with S. Paul Col. 2.8 Beware least any man deceive you by Philosophy and vaine fallacie according to the Tradition of men and the elements of the world and not according to Christ against whom you cite Aristotle THE XIII POINT Of Communion under one kind PRotestants complaine we take half of the Sacrament from them We complaine they have taken five Sacraments from us and grace from all seven And as for this Sacrament they have taken both the body and blood of our Saviour from it and left only bread and wyne If we had taken wyne away no great hurt wyne beeing nothing but wyne To the purpose we have a full compleate and perfect Sacrament when we have such an outward signe as signifyeth and conteyneth invisible grace The consecrated bread alone doth this in this therefore we have a full compleate and perfect Sacrament Christ speaks this clearely Io. 6. v. 48. I am the bread of lyfe your fathers did eate manna in the desert and they dyed This is the bread that descendeth from heaven that if any man eate of it he dye not I am the lyving bread that came downe from heaven If any man eate of this bread he shall live for ever Behold as full an effect of the Sacrament as is any where promised to both kinds And he beeing
which we call austerity of life such as that of Iudith was both great and voluntary as allso that of Rechabites or Sonns of Ionadab how great and voluntary was the austerity of Holy David though a King His knees were weake through fasting Psal 109.24 I am weary with my groaning All the night make I my bed to swimme I water my couch with my teares Psal 6. v. 6. By reason of the voice of my groaning my boanes have cleaved to my skin Ps 102. v. 5. I have eaten ashes like bread and mingled my drinke with weeping v. 9. His prayers allso farre exceeded any commaund given him Psal 119. 148. Mine eyes have prevented the nights watches that I might meditate thy word I prevented the dawning of the morning and cried And v. 62. At midnight I will rise to give thanks to thee And v. 97. Thy Law is my Meditation all day And 164. Seven times a day I do prayse the. Daniel c. 9.3 of himselfe sayth I did put my face to my Lord God to beseech and pray him in fastings sackcloath and ashes And Nehemiah 9. v. 1. The Children of Israël came together in fasting and sackclaths and earth upon them What the Ninivites did is wel knowne Of Iacob as wealthy as he was the Scripture tells us how sleeping on the ground he used a stone for his pillow and so was favored with that heavenly vision Gen. 28.11 so all Israël is sayd Ioël 2.12 Turne ye to me with all your heart with fasting with weeping and with mourning 5. Now in the new Testament Christs doctrine would have made the great sinners of Tyre and Sidon do pennance in sackloath and ashes Matth. 11. v. 21. He sayth to all He that will come after me lett him take up his crosse Great and voluntary was the austerity of S. Iohn Baptist He shall be great before our Lord. Wine and sicer or strong drink he shall not drinke Luc. 1.15 The Child grew and waxed in spirit and was in the desert untill the day of of his Manifestation or shewing in Israël v. 80. That is from his childhoode untill he was above 30. yeares old He was cloathed with Camels haire and a girdle of skinne about his Ioynes and he did eate locusts and wilde honie Mark 1. v. 6. And he did eate so sparingly that of him Christ sayth Iohn came neither eating nor drinking Matth. 11.18 Of his Disciples often fasting we reade Matth. 9. v. 14. And they were instructed by him of whome Christ sayd amongst the Children of woemen there hath not risen a greater then Iohn Baptist Christ allso promised there that his Disciples should do as Iohns did that is fast often when the Bridgrome should be taken from them 6. They did but what S. Paul taught 2. Cor. 6. v. 4. In all things approving our selves as the Ministers of God in much patience in tribulations in necessityes in distresses in strypes in prisons in seditions To these which all perhaps were not voluptary he exhorts us voluntarily to adde In labours in watchings in fasting in purenesse or Chastity For as we shall be partakers of his sufferings so shall we be of his consolation 2. Cor. 1.7 Mortify your members which be upon earth Col. 3.5 But before I passe hence I must observe what is sayd of Holy Anne Luk. 2. v. 37. Shee was a widdow untill eighty and fowre yeares living even untill that age shee departed not from the Temple by fasting and prayers serving God night and day Behold by what exercises God is served Who commaunded her this The desyre of serving God more perfectly 7. Heare S. Paul of himselfe 1. Cor. 9.27 I keep under my body and bring it into subjection least perhaps whilst I preach to others my selfe may become a cast away or reprobate Who commaunded him Desire of securing his saluation Again Col. 1.24 I Paul who now rejoyce in suffering for you and do accomplish or fill up that which is behind or those things which want of the affliction of Christ in my flesh for his body which is the Church Behold an other reason which was to suffer thereby to satisfy for the sinns of others of which text more when we shall speake of satisfactory good works in the next point n. 6. 8. S. Timothey Disciple to S. Paul having great weaknes of stomack and frequent infirmities in the midst of so great labours did notwithstandin so continually drinke water at all his meales that S. Paul thought it necessary to write to him thus 1. Tim. 5.23 Drinke not yet water but use a litle wine for thy stomack ād thy oftē infirmityes So that you see that before he did not so much as drinke a litle wine though it were the common drinke of that countrey and though he were so weakned by sicknesse and labour Thus voluntarily absteyning from wine so good a creature of God Who commaunded him this abstinence Love of Perfection THE XXIV POINT Of satisfactory good workes 1. THese voluntary austerities of which we spoake in the former point and all such painfull and laborious good workes when they are performed in state of grace are held by vs Catholicks to have a great satisfactory vertue by which the paine due to our sin is forgiven and is more or lesse cancelled as the works are more or lesse perfect For wee teach that after the sin it selfe is forgiven by our true repentance and humble Confession there yet remaines the guilt of temporall paine to which that sin makes us still lyable as I shall prove in the next point which if you please you may reade before this Protestants thinke they much magnify the Passion of our Saviour by saying that by vertue of that alone all sinns and all paine due to all sinns are quite forgiven But first I aske them if nothing else be required on our parts They are forced to confesse something else required for they are constrained to acknowledge First that we must be baptized Secondly that we must lay hould of the Passion of Christ by the hand of Faith Thirdly that besids this faith wee must have true repentance Fourthly they must needs say that allso you must have a will to receave the Body and Blood of Christ Vnlesse you eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood you shall not have life in you Io. 6.53 Fiftly they must needs allso say that either the observation of the commaundements is necessary as we shall shew point 36 or at least a good will and serious endeavour to keepe them He was made to all that obey him the cause of eternall saluation Hebr. 5.9 So that obeying him is required on our parts to have him be effectually to us the cause of eternall salvation 2. By this discourse it is evident that though the Passion of Christ in it selfe be of a sufficient worth and value to satisfy for all the sinns of the world yea of a million of worlds and allso for all the paine that
receiving of it because that worship is done to the person signifyed by this signe But that which presseth you farr more is that S. Paul sayth He that eateth and drinketh unworthyly is guilty of the Body and Blood of Christ 1. Cor. 11.27 Now of this beeing guilty of Christs Body and blood it is impossible for you to give any other reason but that the abusing of the signe or figure of Christs body is a high abuse done to the body it self The same is proved out of Samuel 2. c. 6.16 where of Davids dauncing before the Arke it is sayd Michol saw David dauncing before our Lord. You see the honour thus done as much to the Ark as our bowing or kneeling or prostrating is done to the Images is referred not to the Ark but to our Lord and is layd to be done before him 2. First then I say wee neither are nor can be accounted guilty of Idolatry upon this account No understāding mā can deny but this hath been the practice of the only true visible Church for a thousand yeares at lest therefore no Idolatry can be in this practice For Idolatry destroyeth the very essence of a true Church Moreover the Scripture manifestly tells us that all Idols after the coming of our Saviour shall be quyte abolished in his known and visible Church For how can otherwise be understood that Isa 2.18 Idols shall he utterly abolish That of Ezech. 36.25 I will power upon you cleane water And from all your Idols I will cleanse you And Chap. 37. v. 23. Neither shall they defile themselves any more in theyr Idols And therefore Micheas Ch. 5. v. 13. Thy graven images allso I will cut of and thy standing Images out of the midst of thee Therefore in Christs Church there can not be found the use of such Images as were unlawfull that is of such as should be made to be adored as Gods whence the next words are And thou shalt no more worship the work of thine hands Now all those words are evidently spoken of what should happen after the coming of the Messias for in the beginning of this chapter is the famous Text prophesying that Christ should be borne in Bethlem And then he prophesyeth the ensuing benefits of his birth Zacharias allso speaking c. 13. v. 1. of this time sayth In that day shall be a fountaine lying open to the house of David and it shall be in that day sayth the Lord of Hostes I will cutt out the names of Idols out of earth and they shall bee remēbred no more And yet what a remēbrance of Idols would it be to see all Churches in the whole visible Church filled full of statues Images and pictures exposed to all to be worshiped if the worship used in these Churches be Idolatrous A most urging Argument and cleer demonstration Yea among the Iewes as prone as they were to Idolatry there was by Gods appointment a Religious use of Images 3. Thus God to Moyses Thou shalt make a mercy seat of pure gold Two Cherubins also thou shalt make of beaten gold on the two ends of the mercyseat Let one Cherub be on the one end and the other on the other end And the Cherubins shall stretch forth theyr wings on high covering the mercyseat with theyr wings Exod. 25. v. 17. And thus Moyses by the command of God made the Propitiatory that is the Oracle or mercyseat of the purest gold Two Cherubins allso of beaten gold on either side of the Propitiatoryes even to the mercyseat ward were the faces of the Cherubins Exod. 37.9 It is no smale signe of honour that these Cherubins pictures were made of gold as allso that they were placed before the Oracle it self The Holy of Holies Hence S. Paul sayth Hebr. 9.5 Over it were the Cherubins of glorie shadowing the mercyseat When this Tabernacle came to be placed in Gods Temple The Temple it self had graven Cherubs in the walles 2. Chron. 3.7 And v. 10. And in the most Holy house he made two Cherubins of image worke and theyr faces were towards the house v. 13. So that the people adored towards them v. 14. He made the vaile of bleue and purple-crimson and wrought Cherubins thereon Note here how all the people kneeled immediatly before these pictures when they prayed yea graven Cherubins were in the walles as I sayd placed before them which way soever they turned 4. There is allso a memorable passage of Osee the Prophet Chap. 34. where lamenting the great desolation of the Temple he particularly allso laments the want of that Religious use of Images in Gods Temple Because sayth he many dayes shall abide many dayes sit without King without Prince without Sacrifice and without an Image or statue and without Theraphim that is without Images which word of Images some of your Bibles have some put the word Theraphim which properly siggnifies a Statue Image or Similitude either of Indifferent use as the statue which Michol put in Davids bedde Sam. 19.16 is called Teraphim or of an Idolatrous use as Gen. 31. v. 19. Rachel stole the Teraphim Idols of her Father or of Religious use as in this place of Osee where the want of Teraphim is bewailed with the want of Sacrifice and Altar And hence the Ancient Rabbies proved that Images of Angels are not contrary to the Decalogue The same we may say of the Images of Saints not then used because as then the Saints were not in heaven But theyr Images now may so much the more be allowed because they can be pictured in theyr own true likenes and shape which Cherubins and Angels could not no more then God Where for simple people you may note that it litle imports whether the Picture be just like the person pictured It is sufficient it serves perfectly to represent him as these Cherubins and Angels were represented perfectly enough to our Imaginations by theyr Images or statues which were nothing like them 5. A further proof for Images is out of S. Paul Phil. 2.10 He hath given him a name above all names that at the name of Iesus every knee should bowe We have from hence that because this name is above all names therefore every knee is to bowe at it Why so because it is a name representing Christ by our eares as his Image represents him to our eyes Only the Image beeing a more lively representation especially to those who know not the person is the farre more noble Remembrance of the two And as to bowe at the name of Iesus was and is commanded the English reformed Church by theyr Canons so to bowe at the more perfecter Representation of Iesus can not be but as lawfull an act of Reverence to his person The Iewes out of Reverence to God dared not to pronounce his most sacred name of Iehova for so you are pleased to read this name now as the honour done to the name of any person so the honour done the Image of such a person redownes
Moyses v. 8. They have made them a molten Calfe and have worshiped it and sacrificed thereunto And sayd these are the Gods of Israël who have brought thee out of the Land of Aegypt You see God himself sayth they have worshipped it and Sacrificed thereunto that is to the very Calfe and not to the true God And they did not acknowledge that the true God had delivered them from Aegypt but they did attribute theyr delivery to the Gods to witt the Aegyptian Gods Wherefore the true God sayd in that place of Exodus just now cited They have quickly revolted forgetting me who so very lately did so many wonders to deliver them all which they now ascribe to the Aegyptian Gods And that you may see I say this most groundedly I shew the same expresly sayd in other Scriptures Moyses speaking of this very act of Idolatry here committed sayth Deutr. 32.16 They provoked him with strange Gods The God of Israël can not be called a strange God And the next words are They Sacrificed to Divels not to God And yet you say they Sacrificed to the true God which allso is expresly cōtrary to the next words They Sacrificed to new Gods that came newly up to Gods whom they knew not To Gods whom theyr Fathers feared not What more clear David allso manifestly Psal 106. v. 19. They have made a Calfe in Horeb and they worshipped the molten Image they forgott theyr Saviour who had done great things in Aegypt A strange thing indeed it was that all those strange wonders should be so soon forgot But it is that very thing for which God so often blameth them So that Moyses with great reason wondred how Aaron could be brought to be partaker in this sin and as astonished he asked him Exod. 32.20 what hath this people done to thee for I am sure they must have used great violence and force to bring thee to this that thou shouldest bring upon them an heinous sin Aaron for his excuse allegeth the violence offered to him Now whereas Aaron proclaimed this solemnity as the solemnity of the Lord of Israël he did so because he denounced that the very self same honour should to morrow be solemnly given to this Idol which was formerly given to the God of Israël And seeing that they resolved to giue to this new God all other honours they would allso give him the honour of the highest name Iehova a name yet famous among them So you might lately see a Quaker say to Iames Nayler Thou art my Christ as S. Paul sayd of the Gentils Rom 1.21 that whereas they knew God yet they did not glorify him as God And they changed the glorie of the incorruptible God into a similitude of a corruptible fourfooted beast So might we say of these Iewes Now I answer what was added of Ieroboams renewing this Idolatry For he allso did worship false and strange Gods as appeares by what God spoak by his Prophet Ahias 1. Kings 14.3 Thou hast gone and made thee other Gods and cast me behind thy back So that he did not honour for of him these words are sayd the God of Israël in those Idols but casting him of he honored other Gods yea in Chap. 12.32 He Sacrificed unto the Calves that he had made But how then say you did they call the God of Israël Baali I answer that as a Quaker calling Iames Nayler Iesus Christ doth make Christ to be no better man then Iames Nayler and so doth as good as call Christ Iames Nayler Even so these Iewes taking Baali for theyr true God did say that in effect theyr true God was no better then Baali and so they vilifyed him as much as if they had called him Baali giving all honour to Baali that was due to God yea even the honour of beeing theyr chief God as wee sayd of Aaron 10. Thus I have answered at large this theyr best argumēt upon which chiefly they must build theyr uncharitable and heinous accusation of the whole visible Church to have been guilty of the highest of Crimes that is of Idolatry it self Alas how farr short doth this objectiō come of making good so foul an accusation which is most injuriously made if it cannot be better proved then by this weak argument THE XLI POINT It is Laudable to worship the Reliques of Saints 1. ALL the worshipe we give to the Reliques of Saints is only such respect as insensible Creatures are capable of as to be kissed costly inshrined touched worn and used with reverence c. And all this is meerly for the respect we beare unto the person whose Reliques they be By the worship done to the Ark we shall fitly both prove and declare the honour of which such insensible holy things are capable The Ark of God was only that portable litle chappel in which God was pleased to speak and impart his mind to the High Priest consulting him with due Ceremonies And yet see I pray what honour God would have done to this Ark though it were a creature insensible of Honour and only capable of beeing honored for his sake to whom it had relation And this relative honour was exceeding great and extended to manyfold strange expressions of Reverence Yet all these honours were farr from beeing Idolatrous yea God by this so much worshiped Ark confounded Idolatry For 1. Sam. 5.4 Dagon fell upon his face unto the earth before it Let us see what reverence God declared due to the Ark. When without respect they had looked on the Ark of our Lord he smote of the people fifty thousand Chap. 6.19 And 2. Sam. 6.6 Because Vzzah put forth his hand to the Ark of God and took hold of it For the oxen shook it God smote him for his errour and he dyed by the Ark. Whence David fearing want of due piety in himself sayd how shall the Ark of our Lord come to me And so he caused it to tourne into the house of Obededon where it was three months And our Lord blessed him and all his house We may then hope for blessings by wearing Reliques by having Saints Bodyes buried in our cities c. And when Salomon placed the Ark in the Temple 2. Chron. 5. v. 2. He gathered to geather all the ancients of Israël and all the Princes of the heads of families of the Children of Israël into Ierusalem to bring the Ark from the citty of David which is Sion See here this most stately and goodly procession to bring the Ark. And all that were gathered before the Ark Sacrificed Sheep and Oxen which could not be tould nor numbred for multitude v. 6. And God graced this Procession and Translation of the Ark by a miraculous Cloude filling the house of our Lord so that the Priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloude v. 14. Laugh not then at our Processions made in Translations of Reliques this beeing done for the Ark. Now of other Reliques 2. Kings 2 v. 13. Elizeus
a number that for three dayes they could not take away the spoiles for the greatnes of the prey v. 25. And v. 28. The fourth day they entred into Ierusalem with Psalteries and Harpes and Trumpets into the house of our Lord. Thus by a Pilgrimage and Procession returning thanks for so great a victory got purely by a Pilgrimage and Procession accompanied with fasting and prayer as we usually accompanie our Pilgrimages and Processions How often do Protestants read these places and for want of practise in these devotions never understand them or note them 7. Againe what shall or can they say to that pious fact of Naaman generall Captaine of Syria cleansed from his Leprosie by washing seaven times in the river Iordan God prescribed the waters of the Holy Land for his cure though he had better in his Country as he sayd 2. Kings 5.12 But it is for a farr other reason why I speak of Naaman It is because beeing hartely converted by this miracle and resolved to serve only the God of Israël he sayd to Elizeus v. 17. Shall not then I pray thee to thy servant be given two mules burthen of earth For thy servāt hence forth will offer neither Burnt offering nor Sacrifice but unto the Lord. Where I observe that he apprehending how hard it was for one of his quality to come in Pilgrimage to Ierusalem and Sacrifice there and knowing himself because he was a stranger to be licensed to Sacrifice else where would notwithstanding carry the earth of that Holy Land a Land chosen by God for his service that upon the Holy earth he might raise an Altar and so do his devotions in a Holy place as well as circumstances permitted Yet how do our Adversaries scoss at us if we bring a little earth from about our Lords sepulcher or Mount Calvary upon which he shedde his blood more sanctifying that earth then ever earth was Sanctifyed When Daniel was captive and could not go to the temple to pray yet His windowes beeing open in his chamber towards Ierusalem he kneeled upon his knees thrice a day and prayed and gave thankes to his God as he did afore time Dan 6.10 Behould this was his usual devotion to turne towards a Holy place and pray when in body he cold not go thither 8. In the new Testament you have Matth. 2. the three sages or Kings coming an exceeding long Pilgrimage to adore in personall presence our new borne Saviour allthough they knew fullwell that he did as well see and heare all the respect and devout prayers performed to him by them in theyr own Countries as farr of as they were Yet they personally would shew theyr respect by waiting on him in person So we Catholikes personally will honour S Peter in presence of his body at Rome by going to that end so long a Pilgrimage allthough we full well know he could hear our prayers made at our own houses yet we know those prayers to be more acceptable to him as hath formerly been shewed concerning prayers made in Holy places expecially when those prayers receive so great force from so painfull and devout a Pilgrimage Again in the new Testament you have allso Io. 12. v. 20. That there were certaine Greeks who came up to worship at the feasts These Greeks were not obliged to the Iewish Law But theyr devotion exhorted them to this long Pilgrimage And though they were by birth descending from the Gentils yet theyr coming to worship makes it evident that they were true believers Now that this theyr Pilgrimage was gratfull to our Saviour it appeares by his divine providenc ordering things so that they should be introduced in to see him at such a time as a voyce came from heaven saying I have glorifyed it thy name and again I will glorify it v. 28. Likewise Philip by Gods speciall providence was sent to instruct convert and baptise that noble Eunuch of Candace Queen of Aethiopia who was come to Ierusalem to adore though he lived as farre of as Aethiopia A grattfull Pilgrimage to God though not commanded him by God See Acts 8. v. 26. evident therefore it is that some places are to be held more Holy then others and upon that account we do laudably go in Pilgrimages to them that is we go to them for devotion sake to do our best duty to God in those places Again because our Saviour was transfigured on Mount Thabor S. Peter calls that Mount a Holy Mount 2. Pet. 1.18 When we were with him in the Holy Mount So say I because our Saviour was so disfigured at Mount Calvary and all besprinkled that place with his sacred bloud that is allso a Holy Mount And farre more grattfull to God be all the devotions which are made in that Holy place 9. There is a memorable passage of Iohn e. 5.2 to confirme all that hath been sayd or that is believed or practized among us in this Point For there is in Ierusalem by the sheepmarket a Poole having five Porches in these lay a great multitude of persons blind lame withered expecting the stirring of the water And an Angel of our Lord descended at a certaine time into the Pond and the water was stirred and he that had gone down first into the Pond after the stirring of the water was made whole of what infirmity soever Interpreters affirme this great and constant miracle which was true though the former Scriptures never did sett it downe to have therefore been given to the water of this Pond which made so great recourse of Pilgrims to that Place because the Carcasses of the sheep Sacrificed in the Temple were washed in this Pond or else because the blood of them did runne into it Shall not the bloud of Martyrs Sacrificed for Christ more Sanctify any place where it was shedde thē the bloud of sheep Sacrificed in his honour Scarce any Relique hath lesse relation to the person whose Relique it is then this miraculous Pond had to that great Lord to whose honour these beastes were sacrificed Yet this Pond had an Angel of God deputed to look after it The miracle was constant and infallible And so no wonder a great multitude of persons came from remote places in pilgrimage to this place so allso many came or were brought even to S. Peters shadow as we noted in the former Point n. 5. His bones and other Reliques have a farre stricter relation to him then his shadow 10. Lett no man think that miracles now cease All England knowes that our Kings by touching with certaine Ceremonies cured and still cure the Kings Evell and all France knows theyr Kings do so to this day The first for S. Edwards sake the other for S. Lewis Our Saviour speaks home when he sayth and he sayth it without limiting any time He that believeth in me the workes that I do he allso shall do and greater then these shall he do Io. 14.12 Believe to find no true belief where there be no