A DISPVTATION OF THE CHVRCH Wherein the old Religion is maintained V. M. C. F. E. Ierem. 6.16 Aske of the old paths which is the good way and walke in it and you shall find refreshing for your soules LAVDA BILE NOMEN DOMINI AT DOWAY By MARCK WYON at the golden Phaenix 1629. TO MY FRINDS IN ENGLAND DEARE FRINDS I haue vnderstood of your troubles and doe take comfort in your constancie Your cause is cleere your religion that which the sonne of God hath taught In former time no other was in England So much you know by the Histories and Chronicles of the country so you haue ben told by your parents who sawe the profession of it with their owne eies so your ancestors doe testifie by their wills and graues Your Churches there were built for the exercise of it as you can prooue by the generall forme of them by the crosses and pictures by the altars made for Masse Euer since the conuersion of the country from Paganisme by Sainct Augustine and his fellowes monkes it hath beene there till of late and S. Augustine brought it from Rome where it had beene common from the time of S. Peeter and S. Peeter learned it of our Sauiour Iesus Christ Those that are learned if they will looke into the Ecclesiasticall History which diuers and of late the worthy Cardinall Caesar Baronius haue compiled may see there looking vpwards to the Apostles time this Religion descending thorough all ages in sacred esteeme euer the preachers gods trumpets proclaiming it the generall councells making roome the martyrs testifying the truth of it with their blood the light of miracles accompanying it all the way and worlds of people waiting on The Societie of those that professe it is the Church and is diffused ouer the World and Catholique it is that Church which in your Creede you doe beleeue This is the spouse of the sonne of God the woman clad with the sunne manifest vnto all that willfully do not shutte their eies by her antiquitie cleere successioÌ„ vniuersality and the twelue-fold Apostolicall glorie doth crowne her heade or beginning Shee hath beene opposed by diuers Heresies but still gotte the victory bringing foorth Saincts to Iesus Christ in the labour of persecution You know the counsell of the Scripture Sonne comming to the seruice of God prepare thy soule to temptation and the affirmation of the Apostle is generall All those that will liue godly shal suffer persecutâ—on The state of the Church heere is militant and those are to be crowned that ouercome The way to heauen is full of crosses mockeries stripes and the sword helpe vs on This way those are gone of whom the world was not worthy afflicâ—ed needie in distresse This way our blessed Sauâ—our went who was heere contemned scourgel crucified It is the King of Heauens high way Our heade is gone before all blood and so entered into blisse the Apostles the Martyrs the Confessoâ—s old Simeon too and little Agnes are gone after him with their crosses and wee are bid if will liue eternally to take vp each of vs one and followe To take the spoile of your goods with ioy is to enbrace and kisse your crosse There is no deliberation when I must leaue gold or god no comparison betwixt a diamond in a gold ring and the deitie in eternitie O my deare frinds you haue each of you a Iewell within your selues richer then all the eie can see without fairer then the sunne it self and farre aboue all the disposition of the stars The vsurers Idol gold waxeth pale if you compare it to the burning sparkles of the chrysolite In your Iewell you may see heauen and earth in the compasse of the vnderstanding It hath engrauen in it the image of allmighty God and is for nature next an angell by grace companion with him as being to beare a part in the heauenly quire and there without astonishment to sing allelluia with those thousand thousand glorious queristers if the fault be not yours The Soule hauing free will had once lost it self you may by the meanes taken to recouer it know the worth The sonne of God came from heauen downe to looke it and redeemed it with that which is better then the world his life Those infinite wrongs which he suffered from men of all sorts â—hose innumerable stripes which he receaued from the soldiers whose crueltie made him all a wound the bitter passion of the crosse which no words are able to expresse was all for our redemption for the soule If you loose it now againe you wrong his loue you depriue him of his right you moue his father whose angry lookes are burning fire to reueng It is horrible to fall into the hands of the liuing God The pillars of heauen do tremble and dreade at his beck He hath measured the water with his fiste and pondered the heauens with a spanne He looketh on the earth and maketh it to treÌ„ble toucheth the mountaines and they smoke If you keepe it well he will make it a heauen wherein he with the father and the holy Ghost will dwell foreuer And your bodies he wil invest with ornaments of glory aÌ„d immortallity and place each of you in a throne with himself in the court of heauen where all are kings You shall dwell in the celestiall Ierusalem whose streete is all of pure gold and walls pretious stone where God is the Temple and the light These things God hath promised vnto those who serue him wherefore aboue all haue a care of your religion Your soule is your Iewel and Religion is the Iewel of your sowle Keepe these well and you shaâ—l be happie though persecution leaue you nothing els Each of you may haue a common wealth a kingdome within your selues if you please No State more happie no gouerment more sweete then that is where loue commaundeth and vertues do obay Let Charitie be Queene in your soule and the Vertues will all bâ— there Let men see the streingth of your faitâ— in your constancie and the sanctitie of it in tâ—e candor of your conuersation Giue all men theâ—r due to whom tribute tribute to whom Feare Feâ—re to whom honour honour In your actiâ—ns be circumspect as it becommeth Christians who beleeue the eies of God and Angels are oâ— them still and that each action is inrowled exactly to be reade and censured in the day of doome Loâ—ke oft on the liues of Saincts and by their example learne how you are to carrie your selues in yoâ—r difficulties you will do things with more ease wheÌ„ you see them doÌ„ne before you those were menâ—s wee are Be not afraid of persecution The protâ—ction of allmighty God is more then a wall of brâ—sse they who trust in him are safe mountaines in ciâ—cuite of the holy cittie and our Lord round about his people Nothing caÌ„ rob vs of our soules vnles wee will and if that be saued wee shall haue all that God hath for wee shal haue him Our
you must consider that the eie of faith ād the corporall eie may both finde their obiects in one and the same thing Wee reade the Scripture ād beleeue the sense The Apostles saw our Sauiour and beleeued he was the Sonne of God The faithfull assēbled when the holie Ghost came amongst them were visible and yet they where the Church First therefore in a word I will declare that the Church of God which soeuer be is visible secondlie I will shewe you the greatnes of it which is the thing I principallie doe intend in this Chapter thirdlie the durance or perpetuitie that you may frame in your vnderstanding the true conceipt of the Church of God 3. And first touching the visibilitie or to speake yet more generallie touching the sensible perceptibility of the thing wee speake of it is cleere that that which makes a continuall noise Visibilitie and is alwaies speaking and in all mens eies and cannot be hid is a thing sensible vnto men that haue eies and eares and if this thing be in all Nations and at all tymes it is sensible to all the world Now this is the condition of the Church of God Psal 18. v. 6. Isa 52. v. 10 which soeuer it be which I prooue thus by Scripture He hath put his tabernacle in the Sunne saith Dauid and Isaie Our lord hath prepared his holie arme in the eies of all the Gētiles and all the endes of the earth shall see the saluation of our God They of the west shall feare the name of our Lord and they of the rising of the sunne his glorie when he shall come as a violent streame 59. v. 19.20 21. which the spirit of our Lord driueth and there shall come the Redeemer to Sion and to them that returne from iniquitie in Iacob saith our Lord. This is my couenant with them saith our Lord. My spirit that is in thee and my words that I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth and out of the mouth of thy seede and out of the mouth of the seede of thy seede saith our Lord 62. v. 6. Mat. 5. v. 15 See S. Aug. enar in ps 47. from this present and for euer Vppon thy walls Ierusalem I haue appointed watchmen All the day and all the night for euer they shall not hold their peace You are the light of the world a cittie cannot be hid situated on a montaine 4. I omitte the allegation of more authorities because hereafter I shall speake more of this matter and these fewe declare and prooue manifestlie the truth of that which I said I goe therefore on to the chiefe point intended in this Chapter which is to shewe Gods eternall and inuiolable ordinance about the Churches vniuersalitie Vniuersalitie Gal. 3. And to begin with Moyses wee haue in him the promise of an ample Posteritie to old Abraham Father of Beleeuers made by God himselfe and expounded by S. Paul of the Church of Christ Gen. 22. v. 17. I will blesse thee and I will multiplie thy seede as the starres of heauen and as the sand that is in the sea shore thy seed shall possesse the gates of their enimies and in thy seed shall be blessed all the Nations of the earth This did God then confirme with an oath and proceeding in the promise 28. v. 14. confirmed it againe to Iacob afterward thy seed shall he as the dust of the earth thou shalt be dilated to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south and in thee and in thy seede all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed Next in the psalmes wee heare God the Father saying vnto his sonne our Sauiour Psal 2. v. 8 aske of me and I will giue the Gentiles for thine inheritance and thy possession the ends of the earth and the Prophet adds in an other psalme all the ends of the earth shall remember and be conuerted vnto our Lord 21. v. 28.29 and all the families of the Gentiles shall adore in his sight All Natiōs whatsoeuer thou hast made shall come and shall adore before thee o lord 65. v. 6. 5. Among the Prophets Isaie In the latter daies the mountaine of the house of our lord shall be prepared in the top of mountaines and shall be raised aboue the little hilles Isa 2 v. 2.3 and all Nations shall flowe vnto it and many people shall goe and shall saie come and let vs goe vp to the mount of our lord and to the house of the God of Iacob and he will teach vs his waies and wee shall walke in his paths And againe vppon thee o Ierusalem shall our lord arise and his glorie shall beseene vppon thee and the Gentiles shall walke in thy light and kings in the brightnes of the rising 60. v. 2.3.4 5. lift vp thine eies round about and behold all these are gathered together they are come vnto thee thy sonnes shall come from a farre and thy daughters shall arise from thy side then shalt thou see and shalt abound and thy hart shall wonder and be enlarged when the multitude of the sea shall be conuerted vnto thee the strengh of Gentiles shall come to thee After him Daniel I beheld in the vision of the night and loe with the clouds of heauen there came in as it were the sonne of man Dan. 7. v. 13.14 and he came euen to the auncient of daies and in his sight they offered him and he gaue him power and honour and kingdome and all people tribes and tongues shall serue him his power is an eternall power that shall not be taken awaie and his kingdeme shall not be corrupted The like is in the rest I adde onelie Malachie which is the last and neerest to our Sauiours tyme from the rising of the sunne euen to the going downe Mal. 1. v. 11 great is my name among the Gentiles and in euerie place there is sacrificing and there is offered vnto my name a cleane Oblation because my name is great among the Gentiles saith the lord of hostes 6. As the old Testament so the newe doth establish the foresaid vniuersalitie of the Church and our Sauiour doth giue commission vnto his disciples and to their Successors to raise such a one All power saith he is giuen me in heauen and in earth going therefore teach yee all Nations Mat. 28. v. 19.20 baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the sonne ād of the holie Ghost teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commaunded you and behold I am with you all daies euen to the consummation of the world Going into the world preach the Gospell to all creatures And in another Mar. 16. v. 15. he declares the issue of the foresaid propheticall speaches against such as would haue imagined they were cōditionall speaches onelie These are the words which I spake to you Luk. 24. v. 44.45.46 when I
the assistance of the holie Ghost why was it promised vnto the Apostles and their successors why all this if exterior proposition be not necessarie for Gods people and why rather doth not euerie man bid adue to pastors Apostles Bible and all exterior meanes and expect to be illuminated and instructed inwardlie and priuatelie about heauen and diuine thinges Thus euerie man might be master in religion iudge in controuersies and a Church vnto himselfe 10. I will not repeate what you saie aboute the rule of scripture for that I haue said allreadie and hath bene obiected vnto you oft is more then all your fellowes could euer answeare yet as that without the iudgment of Gods Spiritte in the Church men cannot be certaine which is Gods word and what is the sense and therfore you must yeeld at last that the Church is assisted in proposing diuine things by the Spiritte of Allmightie God 11. c. 1. A fourth argument I make out of the promises of perpetuitie made vnto the Church and related in the former booke Heresie Arg. 4 destroies faith if therfore the whole Church were fallen into Heresie it were fallne allso frō the faith it were no more the Church as that is no more a man which hath not a sowle Since therfore it is cleere by the testimonie of God himselfe that the Church cannot faile it is certaine allso that is cannot fall from faith and therfore that Gods prouidence doth perpetuallie assist it to the conseruation of the faith You answeare that the whole Church may fall from Charitie and from the loue of God and therfore from faith allso This would not follow in termes because loue doth suppose faith and therfore if God had not otherwise ordained might be gone and leaue it behind as it doth oft in particular men And peraduenture your selfe do not loue euerie one you knowe or if you do euerie bodie doth not so wherfore loue and knowledge may be parted But omitting this I replie that your affirmation is against the authoritie of holie Scripture Ierem. 31.33 This shall be the couenant which I will make with the howse of Israel saith our Lord speaking of the Catholique Church I will giue my lawe in their bowells and in their hart I will write it Ezech. 37.26 and I will be their God and they shall be my people I will giue my sanctification in the middest of them for euer and my tabernacle shall be in them c. I will despouse thee to me for euer and I will despouse thee to me in iustice and iudgment Osee 2.19.20 and in mercie and commiserations and I will despowse thee to me in faith and thou shalt know that I am the lord By this you haue that the Catholique Church can neuer be separated from the loue of Christ howsoeuer some particular members of it may as some partes of a mans bodie many be without sēse though the whole can neuer be without it And hence I confirme further the infallibilitie before mētioned for holines doth include freedome from errour and constancie in the faith but the Church of God is holie allwaies as here you haue heard and in the Creed you professe to beleeue it therfore it is allwayes free from errour 12. The fift way to prooue the said assistance is the continuall presence of our Sauiour and thus the discourse is made If the Apostles and their successors haue the assistance of our Arg. 5 Sauiour to the preaching of the Gospell and ministring of the Sacraments continuallie till the worlds end then hath the Church diuine assistance since the Apostles and their successors be the Church and our Sauiour God But the Apostles and their successors haue this assistance of our Sauiour as the words of the Gospell do prooue and manifest where our Sauiour to his disciples said Matth. 28 18.19.20 All power is giuen to me in heauen and in earth going therfore teach yee all nations baptizing them in the name of the father and of the sonne ād of the holie Ghost teaching them to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commaunded you ād behold I am with you all daies euen to the consummation of the world You know that a coexistence of two things to the end of the world includes the existence of each of them all that tyme. I was not with you all the yeere because I came awaie before it was halfe donne Since therfore the Apostles had not existence here on earth all the dayes till the worlds ēd which is not yet come though they be dead and gone many hundred yeares agoe it followes that our Sauiour speakes allso in them to their successors and consequently to the Church in all ages whilst the world doth endure And by this meanes I haue what I desire in this place that I neede looke no further first the assistance in these words I am with you before which our blessed Sauiour not ignorant of the difficultie which you would make in this matter put an ecce behold I am with you I haue secondlie the parties whome he doth assist to witt the Apostles which were the Church and in them their successors whilst the world endures that is the Church in all ages in these words I am with you all the dayes euen to the consummation of the world I haue thirdlie the obiect of the assistance that is to what kinde of acts and how farre it doth extend teach all nations baptizing thē c. teaching thē to obserue all things whatsoeuer I haue commaūded you Fourthlie I haue here continuall assistance to visible acts for such are preaching ād baptizing ād these are visible to all natiōs since all natiōs are to heare these thīgs ād to be baptized ād since all nations doe not heare and receaue baptisme at one tyme as wee see by experience but some one tyme some another since allso the assistance to these actes is perpetuall and therfore the actes themselues perpetuallie found in the world it is manifest euen by this promise without going further that there is in the world a perpetuall visible Church Fiftlie that our Sauiour cā thus assist howsoeuer he doth bringe it about I haue in these words al power is giuen to me in heauen and in earth So that if wee beleeue Iesus Christ no further doubt can be made of this assistance 13. Out of the former comes another which is grounded in the obligation Christians haue to heare their pastors and to beleeue their doctrine and it shall be the sixt which I will make thus If all the people in the world be Arg. 6 obliged vnder paine of eternall damnation to beleeue the doctrine which the Church that is the Apostles and their successors do teach it belongs to the goodnes and prouidence of God thus obliging them to haue a care that it be right ād true otherwise he would oblige them to erre and liue amisse which is against the goodnes and therfore against the nature of
it filles no place He is the Creator and may doe as he list The Bodie of our Sauiour in the Sacrament hath not situall extension or Localitie it succeeds into the roome of breade Before breade was vnder those dimensioÌ„s which you see and the body succeeds to bread wherefore the body is now vnder the same It is true that the nature of a bodie requires extensioÌ„ but God is Author of nature and needs nor paie but when he please his DominioÌ„ is absolute Humane nature hath a proper subsistence due vnto it yet in Christ it hath none but diuine 39. To your question how this is donne I answere that other Infidels had the like difficultie in other matters as how he who filles heauen and earth should be in a Mothers armes a little child Almightie God Do you vnderstand how this doth come to passe how is the indiuisible Substance of God in each part of the world all S Chrys in Ep. ad Heb Hom. 2. S Cyrill Alexand. l. 4. in Ioan. c. 13. Reade here an â—xcellen discourse â—o this â—urpose I said God is euery where saith a learned Father but I doe not vnderstand it I say that he is without begining but doe not vnderstand it I say that he hath begott a Sonne c. You should attend to the counsell of S. Cyrill in such high things neuer to question how when God works leaue the way and the knowledge of his worke vnto himselfe As the heauens are exalted aboue the the earth so are my wayes exalted aboue your wayes Isa 55. and my cogitations aboue your cogitations saith allmightie God This how is the Iewes question in this matter as the Father before named doth wel obserue Our Sauiour had said that the bread which he would giue was his flesh 10. 6. aÌ„d that he who did eate it should liue for euer Wherevppon the Iewes moued this questioÌ„ how can this man giue vs his flesh to eate If they had beleeued he was God they might then haue knowne that he was able to turne breade into his flesh and so giue it in the forme of breade to be eaten but they did not beleeue him to be God aÌ„d therefore moued the question how Which question I leaue a while in your mouth and betake my selfe to the text where I finde that he gaue his bodie and blood to the disciples and thus I argue 39. If Iesus Christ true God and therefore allmightie did affirme in expresse termes that the Eucharist which he gaue his Disciples was his bodie and bloode wee are to beleeue it was so since God is Truth and Truth cannot lie but Iesus Christ whom you confesse and I haue declared to be true God l. 2. c. 4â— and allmightie did affirme in expresse termes that the Eucharist which he gaue his disciples was his bodie and blood therefore wee are to beleeue it The Proposition you will not question for you professe you are a Christian l. 2. and if you were none there is inough said in another place to make you graunt it The AssuÌ„ption is cleere in the Gospell THIS IS MIE BODIE Mat. 26. THIS IS MIE BLOOD And further yet that men should not mistake our Sauiours meaning he our Sauiour did adde such attributes to this Bodie and Blood as cannot agree to Breade and Wine Luc. 22. 1. Cor. 11. or is deliuered This is my Bodie which is giuen for you this is my bodie which shall be deliuered for you Was breade giuen for vs were wee redeemed with breade was bread crucified for the redemption of the world Mat. 26. This is my blood of the new Testament which shall be shedde for manie vnto remission of sinnes Was wine the blood of the new Testament was wine shed for remission of Sinnes No it was the true blood of Iesus Christ Luc. 22. This is the Chalice the new Testament in my blood which Chalice shall be shed for you or is shed The Chalice that is the thing in the Chalice is shed for vs. Is this thing wine or blood If wine then you are redeemed with wine wine was in the side of Iesus Christ If the thing in the Chalice were blood then blood true blood the blood wherewith wee were redeemed was there in the Chalice 10. 6. and the Disciples dranke it In an other place he said allso the bread which I will giue is my flesh vnles you eate the flesh of the Sonne of man and drinke his blood you shall not haue life in you my flesh is meate indeede and my blood is drinke indeede he that eateth my flesh aÌ„d drinketh my blood 1. Cor. 10. abideth in me and I in him And the Apostle The Chalice of benediction which wee do blesse is it not the communication of the blood of Christ and the bread wee * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 doe sacrifice vnbloodilie as in the next ch v. 24. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And your Caluin doth acknowledge this sense frangi saith he vppon that place Interpreter immolari 1. Cor. 11. breake is it not the participation of the bodie of our Lord whosoeuer shall eate this bread or drinke the Chalice of our Lord vnworthilie he shall be guiltie of the bodie aÌ„d of the blood of our Lord. He that eateth and drinketh vnworthilie eateth and drinketh iudgment to himselfe not discerning the bodie of our Lord. And you too discerne it not you esteeme it bakers bread You doe not beleeue that it is the bodie of our Lord. You doe not beleeue that it is heauenlie breade That it is the flesh of Christ that the Chalice is the communication of blood that the blood of Christ is drinke and his bodie meate that Christ is is in him that hath eaten this breade This you beleeue not but are content with common bread and wine Common wine with you is the Testament of Iesus Christ it issued out of his side you were redeemed with it and bakers breade was crucified for your sinnes THE SEVENTH CHAPTER The Fathers vnderstood the Reall Presence as wee doe 40. FOr the Reall Presence out of Antiquitie are cited Iustinus the Martyr Ireneus TertulliaÌ„ Hilarius both the Cyrills Ambrose Epiphanius Hesichius Optatus Augustine Ierom Leo Gregorie and others by Zanchez Coccius Garetius and Gualterius Your answere is that all are to be vnderstode of a figuratiue and not a reall Presence You thinke the Bodie and Blood are in heaueÌ„ onelie and no neerer but wine and breade you say are equiuocallie called the blood and Bodie though they be indeede nothing els but signes This deuice doth not satisfie For the Fathers haue directlie expressed all the conditions of a reall Presence to the verie last and will not be contented with your figure This I delare 41. First because in conceauing the Institution of a signe there is no difficultie it was easie to say and for men to vnderstand that breade was a signe or figure of the bodie if
19.21 Matth. 10.100.12 and certainely foretould things to come to himself to his aduersaries to his disciples to Ierusalem to the Gentiles to the Church 42. His miracles were many donne in the sight of his enemies donne oft with a word He cured the sicke gaue sight vnto the blind and life to those were deade Matt. 9. Luk 7. And was so powerfull heerein that he gaue his disciples power to doe the same and so farre that their tutch their word their clothes yea ād shadow there followed miraculous effects Act. 5. Neither was his life onely but this death likewise full of miracle in so much that nature her self was troubled with the horrour of that daie where in he on whō she depended died The earth trembled the rocks burst in sunder the vaile of the Tēple splitte graues did surrēder their deade Matt. 27. Luk. 23. the Sunne was ecclipsed strangely ād a generall darknes ouerspred the whole earth Being put to death in the sight of a world of people and his bodie buried he riseth such was his diuine power from death hauing thereby paid the ransome for mankind Mat. 27. Luk. 24. 1. Cor. 15. and is the third daie againe aliue and appeares and conuerses and giues instruction power and commission to his disciples and lastlie in their sight doth ascend Being ascended he sends the holy Ghost in visible manner vnto them all assembled whereby they receaue an inward testimony of the truth he had taught Act. 1. 2. and are so confirmed and encouraged by the power of this Spirit that they begin confidently notwithstanding the Iewes threates and opposition to diuulge his doctrine 43. And behold Peeter Supremū antiquissimū Theologorum stigium S. Dionys diu nom c 3. of an ignorāt fisherman is now become the Prince and Heade of deuines and maintaineth with the victorie by the knowne successe of many ages vniuersally now manifest the cause of Iesus Christ against all the world He is also so good an Oratour and on the suddaine that with his first speach and this made without studie Act. 2. the winnes in the sight of his Aduersaries three thousand to the faith For the better diuulging of the Gospell in all Nations these Fishermen haue also bestowed on them by their Master the guifte of tongues and instantlie the doctrine of Iesus Christ is vttered in all languages the Parthians and Medians and Elamites and those which inhabite Mesopotomia Iudea and Capadocia Pontus and Asia Act. 2. Phrygia and Pamphilia Aegypt and the parts of Lybia that is about Cyrene and strangers of Rome Iewes allso and Proselytes and Cretensians and Arabians all with admiratiō and amazement heare their owne languages from the mouthes of vnlettered Galileans O heauenly Master o powerfull and diuine spirit o wondrous Schoole o happie Scholers The holy Ghost saith a greate Sainct fills a boy giuen to the harpe and makes him a Psalmist ◠Gregor sup Ezech. he filles an abstinent childe and makes him the Iudge of Elders he filles a neatheard and makes him a Prophet he filles a fisherman and makes him Prince of Apostles he filles a persecutor and makes him Doctor of the Gentiles he filles a publican and makes him an Euangelist Adde heere that he filles a companie of vnlearned men and makes them linguists Deuines Preachers and Apostles 44. The Disciples thus miraculously furnished with knowledge and tongues to the amazement and confusion of all opponents did according to their Masters cōmission resolutely set on their greate taske which was to carrie the good tydings of the Worlds Redemption by Iesus the Sonne of God to all Natiōs and dispersing themselues into diuers partes did preach euery where Mar. 19. our Lord cooperating and confirming their doctrine with signes and woonders And now the World began to turne from Vice to Vertue from Superstition to Religion from Idolatrie to God againe 45. The Enemie of vertue ād of all good proceeding who affecting diuine honour fell frō heauen and cōtinuing his desire thought to compasse it heere on earth perceauing of the motion nowe begunne and seeing his ministers contemned his Idols ouerthrowne vncleane Spirits commaunded out of men and a generall reformatiō in the way began to storme and raised a most bitter persecution against the Church wherein by his instigation Iewes Gentiles and Heretickes with witte power and malice were to oppose her and the world made a Theater of the combat 46. The particulars are to long for this place and therefore I remit you to Baronius to reade there what the Christians did suffer in the tymes of Nero Domitiā Traian Marcus Aurelius and Sueuerus commanders of the Roman World when confessing the faith of Iesus Christ in all places on all occasions before all kind of people their number did increase daily in the face of torment and the sword of Persecution preuailed nothing but to lay open their constancie to the world Prouinces Ilands Castles Fortresses Tents Campes Tertull. Apol. ad Gent. c. 37 Courtes Pallaces Senates Market places all were full and the Kingdome of Christ discouering it self further thē the Roman Empire was outstreched into all corners beleeued in all places reuerenced of all Nations euery where raigning adored euery where After the forenamed followed other most bitter persecutiōs by Decius Dioclesian Maximinian Wherein the Priests were tormented the Churches pulled downe the Bookes burnt ād the furie was such being with extreame violence borne into all prouinces Citties Townes in the Roman world that it threatned an vniuersall extirpation yeauen to the last Christian man and yet could not the nūber of beleeuers be diminished Wee reade of seuēteene thousād martyred in one month and that in Aegypt a part of Africke there were 144000. put to death ād 700000. banished from the same place in Diocletiās tyme. Reade Euseb Baron Spondan by which if wee guesse at the multitude which did suffer in all the tyme of the ten persecutions in all the world the number will appeare infinite and our faith be confirmed with a world of blood So earnestly did the Deuil by these tyrannicall cruel meanes oppose the Church which notwithstanding when all was donne was greater then before Constant in so much that Christianity got the Empire and then securely spred it self ād Rome as Leo the greate truly said S. Leo serm 1. de Nat. Apost being made the See of Peeter came to rule more vniuersallie by diuine Religion then by tēporall Soueraignetie for though enlarged by many victories she had extended the right of her Empire by sea and land yet that which the toyle of Warre subdued was lesse thē that which Christian peace did bring vnder 46. Out of this admirable plantation of Christianitie and so powerfull a proposition and persuasion of the truth vnto the World that it was esteemed aboue all things els deerest otherwise to men the Fathers make excellent discourses to shew the diuine power of our Sauiour
donne It is not common bread it is not breade it is not that which nature made The Fathers breade is made the bodie of Christ that in the Sacrament is flesh it is the flesh of Christ made of bread the nature is changed nature it selfe is changed it is changed by Gods omnipotencie it is transelemented The senses may be deceaued beleeue theÌ„ not beleeue the words of Christ It is not breade though the tast esteeme it so it is changed not in shape but in nature it is the flesh which suffered for vs that which did hange vppon the crosse the price of our redemption It is the Lord of Angells he is heere on earth and thou receauest him He is sacrificed on the Altar the Sonne of God is againe sacrificed for vs the LaÌ„be that taketh away the sinnes of the world is offered in sacrifice by Priests without slaughtering Wee offer an vnbloody sacrifice in the Church it is offered euery where it is the same which Christ offered The victime is dispenced from the Altar wee doe eate the lambe entire Christ he is the feast the Angells tremble when they behold that wherwith wee are fed Christ is worshipped on the Altar wee adore the flesh of Christ in the mysteries the mysticall signes are adored as beiÌ„g that they are beleeued to be That in the Chalice is not wine it is blood it is that which did issue out of the side of our Sauiour VVee drinke blood wee drinke blood with our mouthes it is powered into our mouthes that which faith beleeueth the same wee receaue with our mouth wee receaue the bodie and blood of Iesus Christ with our mouth into our bodies into our members So the Fathers Our B. Sauiour This is my body this is my blood I conclude with S. Hilarie S. Hilar. l. 2 de Trinit There is no place left of doubting of the truth of the flesh and blood for now both by our Sauiours profession and our beleefe it is trulie flesh and truelie blood And these being receaued and drunke do bringe to passe that wee be in Christ and CHRIST IN VS THE EIGTH CHAPTER Of Transubstantiation 56. IN the Councell of Trent is defined the conuersion of breade and wine into the bodie and blood of Christ which conuersion is there and in the Lateran Councell termed by a proper name transubstantiation To these Councells and to the AuncieÌ„t Fathers aboue cited you oppose a fewe obscure sentences One out of an Epistle of one Iohn of ConstaÌ„tinople falslie attributed to S. Chrysostome Another out of one Gelasius whom to make your argument seeme the stronger you stile Pope but falslie as Baronius and others haue demonstrated against your Caluin The third out of Theodoret a knowne Aduersarie of your cause Ep. ad Caes Mon. 57. The first Chrysostome saith the nature of the breade remaines Answere It is false sainct Chrysostome saith expreslie it is changed as you shall heare anon The Epistle which you cite is a refutation of Eutichianisme which beganne many yeares after S. Chrysostome was deade Chrysostomus videtur traÌ„substantiationoÌ„ confirmare nam ita scrible moÌ„ vidos paneÌ„ num vinuÌ„ num sicut reliqui tibi in secessum vadunt absit nec sic cogites nam sicut cera c. Magdeb cent 5. c. 4. col 517. the Author of it is also against you for he saith in the same place that there are not in the Sacrament of the Eucharist two bodies but one and that one the bodie of the soÌ„ne of God This man you see was not yours in this point his doctrine take it all is not curraÌ„t among you for if there be in the Eucharist onlie One bodie and this One the bodie of the sonne of God then breade in substance is not there because the bodie of Christ and naturall breade be not one and the same bodie by the nature he meaneth the proprietie or naturall qualitie of the breade which is allso called the nature and this doth remaine 58. The second Gelasius saith De Duab. naturis the substance or nature of breade doth not leaue to be Answere The meaning of this man is that it is not annihilated but the substance is turned into another thing and so as it remaines not in it selfe for it is turned but in the proprietie or proper accidents tast colour c. All this the same Author teacheth in the verie same place in these words they the substance of breade and wine do passe into a Diuine substance the holie Ghost effecting it yet remaining in the proprietie of their nature wherefore this maÌ„ whosoeuer he be is noe ProtestaÌ„t in this for he that holds the substance of breade and wine to be conuerted by the power of God into a Diuine substance the bodie and blood of Christ is no meere Figurist nor of your Schoole but this Author did old it as you finde in his owne words therefore he was not a Protestant as you are Theodor. Dial. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 manent enim in prioris substantiae figura forma or manent enim in riri esentia c. Idem Dial 2 Idem transsubstantiationem videtur â—apere quod Theodoretusscribit sicut ergo Symbola c post innocationem 59. The third Theodoret saith our Sauiour deliuering the SacrameÌ„t called his bodie breade aÌ„d that which is in the Cuppe he called his blood he chaÌ„ged the names aÌ„d gaue his bodie the name which belonged to the signe and to the signe the name which belonged to his bodie Answere Reade further and you meete the solution of your difficultie The reason of the change of names was because he would haue such as partake the diuine sacraments not to heede the nature of those things which are seene the signes but for the change of names to beleeue allso the change that is made hy grace You replie out of another place the mysticall signes after consecration depart not from their nature but abide still in their former substance and figure and forme and may be seene and touched as before Answere It is true that the signes are not changed for those are Accidents those remaine but the substance whithin the signes or Accidents is changed The things are chaÌ„ged by reason of that which is interiour and within they are not changed by reason of that which is exteriour and without exposed to the sense mutantur alia fiuÌ„ c. Magd. cent 5. co 517. Ibidem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Theodoret proceeding saith they are vnderstood to be that they are made that is the bodie and blood of Christ and are beleeued and adored as beiÌ„g the things they are beleeued to be No man beleeues that breade is flesh No man doth beleeue these propositions to be true breade is a maÌ„s bodie breade is flesh flesh is breade No maÌ„ adoreth breade Now the Mysteries Theodoret saith are adored as being indeed the things which they are beleeued to be
euen as he christ is iust Moreouer you cannot deny that the Apostles and many other haue had charitie or loue Rom. 13 10 and loue is vitall and inherent and is the fulnes of the lawe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ibid. v. 9. Rom. 5.5 and He that loueth his neighbour hath Fulfilled the lawe The Charitie of God is powered foorth in our harts by the holie Ghost which is giuen vs. Wee beleeue that a man which hath charitie may by Gods grace auoid sinne You say No Lut. in 2. Gal. calu de Lib. ar l. 1. all his actions you say are sinnes The scripture 1. Io 3.9 Sinne. eschued 1. Io. 5.18 â— habit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Euery one that is borne of God committeth not sinne because his seede abideth in him and againe euery one which is borne of God sinneth not but the generation of God preserueth him and the wicked one toucheth him not 51. Libertie or power to make choise of good to Saluation by the assistance of Gods grace aÌ„d to eschewe that which is bad Allso to make choise of the better in good things occurring wee acknowledge You denie Lut. art 36. Cal. CoÌ„f. fâ—d p. 108. 2. Inst c. 3. Deut. 30. v. 15.19 Libertie The scripture I haue set before thee this day life and good aÌ„d coÌ„trariwise death and euill that thou maist loue our lord thy God aÌ„d walke in his waies aÌ„d keepe his coÌ„maÌ„dements c. I haue proposed vnto you life and death blessing and cursing Choose therefore life that both thou maiest liue and thy seede 1. Cor. 7. â—7 And the Apostle He that hath determined in his hart being setled not hauing Necessitie but hauing Power of his owne Will and hath iudged this in his hart to keepe his virgin doth well Therefore he that ioyneth his virgin in Matrimonie doth well and he that ioyneth her not doth better Let me adde one more out of Genesis Gen. 4 7. Vide S. Aug. l. 15. de ciuit c 7. Ps 118. v. 112. S. Ierom â— 8. Sept. ibid. 1. Cor. 9 2â— The lust thereof shall be vnder thee and thou shalt haue Dominion ouer it wee beleeue that good works may be done in conteÌ„plation of a reward or crowne You say No. Luth. in Fest OO SS Calu. in Antid sess 6. c. 16. Dauid I haue inclined my hart to do thy iustifications foreuer for Reward aÌ„d the The Apostle Euery one that striueth for maistrie refraineth himselfe from all things and they certes that they may receaue a corruptible crowne but wee an incorruptible wee beleeue that meÌ„ haue reward for their works giuen them by Gods iustice You say No. Luth in 2. Gal. Caluin in 4. Rom. Matt. 16.27 Reward and Merit Apoc. 22.12 The Scripture The sonne of man shall come in the glorie of his Father with his Angells and then will he Render to euerie one according to his works Behold I come quicklie and my Reward is with me to Render to euery man according to his works Thou sawest a fewe names in Sardis which haue not defiled their garmente and they shall walke with me in whites Apoc. 3.4 because they are Worthie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because they merit and deserue it 2. Tim. 4.8 And the Apostle There is laid vs for me a Crowne of Iustice which our lord will Render to me in that day a iuste Iudge and not onelie to me but to them allso that loue his comming Wee beleeue that a man may increase in Iustice according to that in the Reuelation he that is iust let him be iustified yet and let the holie be sanctified yet Apoc. 22.11 And wee beleeue that men are not iustified by faith onely Ia 2.24 workes iustifie but allso by works done by the Assistance and helpe of Gods grace You say By faith only Luth. in 2. Gal. Cal. in Antid sess 6. c. 9. The Scripture A man is iustified by works and not by faith onelie 52. VVee beleeue that vppon S. Peeter by grace made a Rocke the Church was built You say no. Luth. in 16. Matth. Caluin ibid. The Scripture Mat. 16.18 Primacie Thou art Peeter a rocke and vppon this rocke will I build my Church In the Syriacke in which laÌ„guage our Sauiour spake the thinge is yet cleerer for in both places for that wee reade Peeter and Rocke is the same word Cephas thus thou art Cephas and vppon this Cephas will I build my Church Moreouer the circumstances of the text and the connexion of the speache doe conuince that the Church was built on Peeter and the Fathers vnpartiall Iudges so vnderstood it witnesse your owne men for here I am not to alleage Antiquity Dâ—naeus Dan. Conâ— 3.16.277 pessimè Zanc. de Eccles c. 9. c. 8. col 94 The Fathers interpreted naughtilie those words of Christ Matth. 16. Thou art Peeter c. of the person of Peeter Zanchius another greate Protestant The Fathers exposition vppon this Rocke that is vppon Peeter is not admitted and Luther the great Apostle of Protestancie Here all Lut. in 2. Pet. c. 5. fol 490. either Fathers or Doctors as many as hetherto haue interpreted Scriptures haue stambled as when that of Matth. 16. Thou art Peeter c. They interprete of the Pope Wee beleeue that one of the Apostles peculiarly was made Pastor of the Church You say No. Luth. in Assert art 25. Calu. 4. Inst c. 6. The Scripture Peeter feede My Sheepe Io. 21.18 Wee beleeue that the Apostles and their Successors had power to forgiue and to retaine sinnes You say No. Calu. 3. Inst c. 3. 4. c. 19. Luther here so ouerlasheth oÌ„the affirmatiue side that in his booke de Clauibus he auoucheth the keies to apertaine to all Christians equallie euery way Omnibus modis Luthers Ghostly Father And in another place de abrog mi. pr. he houldes that if the Deuil should absolue it were valid Dum vitant stulti vitia c. In the scripture power to forgiue sinnes I do not say to declare them forgiuen or hidden and not imputed as you mince it but to forgiue and detaine Sinnes is giuen to Men only and to some Io 20. v. 22 Absolution not to all The scripture Whose sinnes you shall forgiue they are forgiuen them and whose you shall retaine they are retained Wee beleeue that power was giuen to S. Peeter and to the Church to release men by way of indulgence from temporall punishmeÌ„t remaining due for sinne You say No. Luth. Cap. Babil Caluin l. vnic Inst cap. 9. The scripture VVhatsoeuer thou Peeter shalt binde on earth shall be bound allso in the heauens Matt 16 19 Indulgences and VVhatsoeuer thou shalt loose in earth it shall be loosed allso in the heauens 53. In the matter of the Eucharist the ProtestaÌ„t schoole is diuided about the reall Presence and you follow Caluine So do Iewell Perkins Rainolds Wittaker BilsoÌ„ White c. And howsoeuer some of your
was yet with you that all things must needs be fullfilled which are written in the lawe of Moyses and the prophets and the psalmes of me then he opened their vnderstanding that they might vnderstand the scriptures and he said vnto them that so it is written and so it behoued Christ to suffer and to rise againe the third daie from the dead and penance to be preached in his name and remission of sinnes to all Nations begining at Ierusalem I neede not adde any more for by this is aboundantlie showne that the Christian Church was by the intentiō of God the Father and of his sonne Iesus Christ to be in the communion of all Natiōs and Catholique in this positiue sense and that all this infalliblie was to be and would be fullfilled And thus much noe Iewe nor Christian turne about which waie he will can denie 7· Now further least one should foolishlie conceaue that in the primitiue tyme it had gotten to this amplitude fullie and then decaied I proceede and shewe that the same Church is vniuerfall for tyme likewise and indeed this tergiuersation might be refuted by experience because the world knowes that many Nations came into the Church since that tyme which is S. Augustines argument against the Donatists who thought by that meanes to deceaue the Catholiques and delude their arguments of vniuersalitie but here I will prooue it by Scripture And first I might vrge to this purpose the testimonies allreadie cited both because the extent of the Church vnto all Nations doth consequentlie reach vnto all tymes Perpetuitie all Nations and people being not at one tyme conuerted and Christian as allso because some doe expresse a perpetuitie but the Scripture being full I will adde more God the Father in the Psalmes speaking of his sonne amongst other things saith Psal 88. v. 28.29.37 38 I will put him as the first begotten high aboue the kings of the earth and I will keepe my mercie vnto him foreuer and my testament faithfull vnto him I will put his seede for euer and euer and his throne as the daies of heauen c. His seede shall continue for euer and his throne as the sunne in my sight and as the moone perfect foreuer Isa 62. v. 3 4. And of the Church thou shalt be a crowne of glorie in the hād of our Lord and a diademe of a kingdome in the hand of thy God thou shalt be no more called Forsaken and thy land shall be no more called Desolate but thou shalt be called my will in her and thy land inhabited because it hath well pleased our Lord in thee and thy land shall be inhabited I will make a league of peace to them an euerlasting couenant shall be to them Ezech. 37. v. 26.27.28 and I will forme them and will giue my sanctification in the middest of them foreuer and my tabernacle shall be in them and I will be their God and they shall be my people and the Gentiles shall knowe that I am the Lord the Sanctifier of Israel when my sanctification shall be in the middest of them for euer The God of heauen will raise vp a kingdome Dan. 2. v. 44. that shall not be dissipated for euer and this kingdome shall not be deliuered to an other people and it shall breake in peeces and shall consume all those kingdomes and it selfe shall stand for euer To which the newe Testamēt doth consent Luk. 1. v. 33 Mat. 16. v. 19. he Christ shall raigne in the house of Iacob for euer and of his kingdome there shall be noe end Vppon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it 28. v. 20. I am with you all daies euen to the consummation of the world Ioh. 14. v. 15 I will aske my father and he will giue you another paraclete that he may abide S. Aug. de vnit Eccl. c. 13. Mat. 13. v. 30. with you foreuer c. The like is in many other places amongst which S. Augustine doth vrge that of S. Matthew let both growe till haruest because our Sauiour doth expound himselfe by the field to haue vnderstoode the world by the good seed the children of that kingdome v. 37. c. by the cockle the children of the wicked one by the haruest the end of the world so that both are to growe vntill then Lastlie that I leaue not the Apostle of the Gentiles out in this busines He Christ gaue some Apostles Ephes 4. v 11.12 and some Prophets and other some Euangelists and other some Pastors and Doctors to the consummation of the Saincts vnto the worke of the ministerie vnto the edifying of the bodie of Christ vntill wee meete all in the Vnitie of faith and knowledge of the sonne of God 8. This congregation Vnitie Io. 10.16 or Church notwithstanding the foresaid greatnesse ad extension is but one being one fold and one bodie vnder one Pastor and one head Iesus Christ Ephes 4 v. 16. of whome saith the Apostle the whole bodie compact and knit together by all iuncture of subministration according to the operation into the measure of euerie member maketh the increase of the bodie vnto the edifying of it selfe in Charitie By which words wee are taught likewise that this bodie is heterogeneall that is See more of this in the 3. Book 6 c consisting of diuers kinds of parts as mans bodie is whereunto this mysticall bodie is compared hauing in it eies mouth feete and the like in proportion 1. Cor. 12 which may be vnderstoode more fullie out of the Epistle of the same Apostle to the Corinthians 9. And thus farre I haue proceeded in the Scripture shewing you there the Church of God built on a rocke against which the gates of hell cannot preuaile a perpetuall kingdome if you beleeue God that shall not be dissipated corrupted deliuered to another people that shall stand for euer shall haue no end a people that shall be no more forsaken no more desolate They shall haue the Spirit with them abiding with them not departing from them and Iesus Christ with them all dayes to the consummation of the world and the Sanctification of God in the middest of them for euer Into their communion shall come the streingth of Nations the multitude of the sea all kings and people and tongues all the families of the Gentiles all Nations what soeuer They shall be dilated to the East West North and South and shall be multiplied as the dust of the earth as the sand of the Sea as the starres in heauen They shall be as the sunne in the sight of God and as the daies of heauen They shall haue pastors and Doctors to the worlds end the word of God shall neuer out of their mouthes and thy shall not hold their peace daie nor night for euer 10. Compare this now to your Church to your companie which wee haue searched and
Pastors alwayes exercising their holy function and Gods word in their mouth euer for this Church he doth inquire shewe him this Church and he will trouble you no longer for the rest he shall haue there A third shift is to send him to the primitiue Church and to tell him that indeede then was this communion with all Nations this ample Church which the Scripture doth commend was then but since it decaied and now you are building it againe This iourney were to longe for him he is not able to reade bookes otherwise he would not trouble you nor your Congregation at all for he should easilie find the thing himselfe wherefore that he may be directed by the iudgment of other men better seene in that busines he desires to know which aÌ„d where is the preseÌ„t Catholique Church and by that Church he will be directed about former tymes he desires therefore D. Luther to tell him where the Catholique Church is now for such a perpetuall one the Bible speakes of This question must be answered the man that doth aske it may be any that is in England for example and it might haue bene answered in Lurhers time who was your Master for which reason I tie the question to that tyme for the more perspicuitie and leaue the man with you to answer for your Master 14. Your fellowes finding here no way to flie the question do confesse that the knowne Church of the world in Luthers tyme that which had communion with the Pope was the Catholique Church and labour to finde her in errour and Apostasie So White Field and other of your companions so Luther so Caluin Of errours I will speake hereafter I looke now for the Church only because this is to be found first before we dispute of further matters And thus I vrge That Church which all the world doth say is the catholique church wee likewise Arg. 1 if wee will not be ridiculouslie sensles must beleeue to be the Catholique church as wee must beleeue that is Rome which the world VVee professe the Church of Rome it selfe in all ages to haue ben the visibâ—e Church of God So white Defence c. 41. in the name of his fellowes wee most firmely beleeue all the Churches in the VVorld wherein our Fathers liued and died to haue ben the true Churches of God in which vndoubtedly saluation was to be found Field Church l. 3. c 8 and c. 47. Wee neuer doubted but that the Churches wherein those holy men S. Bernard S. Dominick c. did liue and die were the true Churches of God and held the sauing profession of heauenly truth See him allso in the sixt Chap. of the same Booke Wee confesse that all Christian good is in the Papacie and that from thence it came downe to vs. Luth. Epist cont Anabapt ibid. I say further that in the Papacie is the true Christianitie yea the true kernell of Christianity and vppon the 28. of Genes Wee Confesse the Church to be among the Papists for they haue Baptisme Absolution the text of the Gospell and there are many godly among them Wee deny not that the Churches remaine vnder the Popes tyraenny but they are such as with sacrilegious impietie he hath profaned c. Caluin 4. Inst c. 3. and vppon 2 Thessall 2. he confesseth the Church coÌ„municating with the Pope to be Temple and Sanctuary of God sayth is Rome and that London which the world sayth is London But the whole world sayth that the company of Christians in communion with the See of Rome is the catholique church for so your fellowes so your Masters so wee so Iewes so Pagans and no other can be found wherefore since Gods word and promise of a perpetuall and vniuersall Church must needs be true wee must beleeue that it is this 15. Moreouer the Religion which you call Papistrie is now spred ouer the face of the earth in allmost all Nations and was confessedly the generall Religion of the christian world before Luther for many hundred Arg. 2 yeares together wherefore this Religion is catholique aÌ„d this companie the catholique church of God You answere first that the GreciaÌ„s agreed not with vs. But this makes not for Protestancie And moerouer in your sense it is false for though they haue not beene coÌ„tinuallie in our communion all this tyme yet in this time they haue beene in our communion And so haue the ArmeniaÌ„s aÌ„d others too which is all that I haue said and sufficient for to demonstrate that our communioÌ„ hath beene catholique in the tyme I haue spokeÌ„ of And if you will pleade for theÌ„ that allso their Schisme hath bene somtymes thus catholique I answere as before that Grecisme was neuer generally the faith of Christendome nor any other faith whatsoeuer but that only which wee professe not the Grecian I say not the Aethiopian not the Armenian not the Berengarian the Waldesian the Lutheran the Caluinian none at all and herein the Histories of all Countries and the memories of all Nations beare me witnesse Secondly you say that Mahomet hath seduced a great part of the world and so restrayned the latitude which wee pretend Whereunto I answere first notwithstanding Mahomete and his coÌ„panie that the communion of the christian world hath beene with vs and with no other which is all I desire I answere secondly that our communitie hath gained more in the meane tyme then euer the PagaÌ„ tooke away by an infinite increase both in this old and allso in the newe world Witnesse all those Nations in Europe which haue beene conuerted since that Impostor came besides the dailie and admirable increase in India Iaponia Brasile China and other places You answere thirdlie that all thosâ— worlds of people haue beene in errour But this is impertinent for here I looke only for the church that wee may finde it and when we haue found it we will inquire then whether it hath erred or no. And that this is the Catholique Church is euident because no other is or hath beene in the generall communion of Nations but only this nor euer any for the latitude of communion equall to it 16. I goe now futther and prescribe against you for our church and Religion thus That Arg. 3 Faith which in the Christian world hath beene generally beleeued to be diuine Quod vniuersa tenet Ecclesia nec Concilijs institutum sed semper retentum est non nisi authoritate Apostolica traditum rectissimè creditur S. Aug. l 4. de Bapt. c. 24. and looking vpwards towardes the Apostles tyme no other origen of it can be found is verilie to be beleeued to be such But such is the faith of this coÌ„munitie for it hath beene the generall beleefe of the Christian World as I haue shewed and that no other origen of it can be found I prooue cleerly because whensoeuer you or any other begin later we shewe easilie that it was before And this because you persist without ground in your
he speakes of weekes of ages were without example in the Scripture and indeede ridiculous for they make 49000. yeeres and till then the Iewes were to expect their Messias If weekes of Iubilees they take vp halfe the tyme that is 24500. yeers whereas the Temple is allready burnt and the cittie quite ouerturned more then 1500. yeers agoe Olympiads the Scripture neuer compts Iosephus de Bel. Iud. l. 9. c. 10. neither would the tyme agree with the citties ouerthrowe in any sort but reacheth more then a thousand yeeres be yōd it In fine these are sillie shifts without ground and may by the Prophecie be controwled easily To looke into the thing further and consider exactly what yeere these weekes began what yeere precisely they ended Also why the whole sūme was deuided into three parts is not necessarie though there be in the text a light to find it out It is sufficient and euident that the tyme is past more then 1500. yeeres agoe Agge 2. v. 8 9. 34. A third Prophecie Thus saith the Lord of hosts as yet there is one little while and I will moue the heauen and the earth and the sea and the drie land And I will moue all Nations And the desired of all Nations shall come and I will fill this howse the second Temple then standing with glory saith the Lord of hosts Great shall be the glory of this last howse more then of the first That temple which was to be so honoured in the cōming of the Messias the hope of the Gentiles and was indeed more glorious in regard of his presence then the former built by Salomon is now rased to the ground more then 1500. yeeres agoe wherefore this Prophecie is fullfilled long since 35. The Iewes obiect against vs that the Messias is to come in glorie ād Maiestie Iesus came in humilitie and pouerty and therefore they will not beleeue he is indeede the Messias In this discourse these Iewes erre against the Scripture which they admit and their errour is in this that they distinguish not two commings or aduents one to redeeme the other to iudge the world one in humilitie the other in Maiestie one past the other future in the end of the world And here because the Iewes denie the former cōming of the Messias that is in humilitie to suffer for the redēption of mankind I will recite it out of the Prophets where it is so manifestly foretold that it cannot be denied or eluded Reioyce greatly o daughter of Sion Zach. 9. v. 9 behold thy king will come to thee the iust and Sauiour himself poore c. His looke among men shall be inglorious and his forme amōg the sonnes of men Isa 52.14 He shall not crie nor accept person neither shall his voice be heard abrode Isa 42. v. 2 3.4 the brused reede he shall not not breake and smoking flaxe he shall not quench he shall bring forth iudgment in truth he shall not be sad nor turbulēt till he set iudgmēt in the earth ād the ILANDS shall expect his law There is no beautie in him nor comelinesse and wee haue seene him ād there was no sigthlines and wee were desirous of him Despised and most abiect of men A MAN OF SORROVVES AND KNOVVING INFIRMITIE and his looke as it were hid and despised whereuppon neither haue wee esteemed him he surely hath borne our infirmities and our sorrowes he hath caried and wee haue thought him as it weare a leper and striken of God and humbled But he was WOVNDED FOR OVR INIQVITIES he was broken for our sinnes 〈…〉 c. the discipline of our peace vppon him ād with the waile of his stripe were healed All we haue strayed as sheepe euerie one hath declined into his owne way and our lord hath put vpō him THE INIQVITIE OF ALL VS He was offered because himself would and opened not his mouth as a sheepe to slaughter shall he be led and as a lambe before his shearer he shall be dumbe and shall not open his mouth Therfore will I distribute vnto him verie manie and he shall deuide the spoiles of the strong for that he hath deliuered his soule vnto DEATH and was reputed with the wicked and he hath borne the sinne of manie and hath prayed for the transgressours Before you heard out of an other Prophet After sixtie two weekes CHRIST shall be SLAINE Dan 9.26 ād it shall be noe more his people that shall denie him Zach. 12.10 I will powre out vppon the howse of Dauid and vppō the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and of prayers and they shall looke vppon ME whō they haue PIERCED They haue digged my hands and my feete Psal 21. v. 18. vppon my vesture they haue cast lotte All this and more the Prophets doe relate of the Humilitie and Passion of the Messias expreslie against the Iewes who are scandalized in that which was manifestlie there declared longe before 36. They obiect secondly that they are to be saued when the Messias comes Iuda is interpreted the cōfession of God See Galat. l. 5. c 11. domus Iuda Congregatio confitentium Deum Indeede the Church of the Messias the Congregatiō of those that perseuerantly adhere to him is to be saued And when all Nations haue entered the remnant of the Iewes will acknowledge our Sauiour too which will be before his second comming But at his first cōminge it is cleere by the Scripture that the Iewes would reiect him and put him to death and that the Gentiles would receaue him as they haue donne and doe and will doe till all Nations haue entered into his Church So that the Iewes obstinacie though it be grosse is not strange to vs for wee are assured of it by the Scripture and of their desolation together with the cause of all I will sett this downe brieflie too First their fact puttinge the Messias to death Secondly their desolatiō there vppon Thirdly God turning his fauoure to the Gentiles Fourthly the Iewes acknowledgment of our Sauiour or conuersiō in the end The fact Dan. 9.26 After sixtie two weekes Christ shall be slaine and it shall not be his people that shall denie him Zach. 12.10 c. I will powre vppon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace c. and they the inhabitants of Ierusalem shall looke vppon me the author of grace and God of Israel whom they haue pierced The desolation followeth in the words of Daniel and is also in Osee Dan. 9.27 Ose 3 4. Many daies shall the childrē of Israel sitte without King and without Prince and without Sacrifice and without Alter and without Ephod ād without Theraphim God Casting thē of and turned to the Gentiles I haue no will in you Iewes saith the lord of hosts Malach. 1. v. 10.11 and guifts or oblation I will not receaue from your hand for from the rising of the sūne euē to the going downe greate is my
name among the Gentiles and in euery place there is sacrificing and there is offered to my name a cleane Oblation because my name is great among the Gentiles saith the lord of hosts The Iewes acknowledgment in fine Ose 3 5. The childrē of Israel shall returne saith Osee immediatly after the words aboue cited of their Desolation and shall seeke the lord their God and Dauid their King and they shall dread at the Lord and at his goodnes in the last daies And Isay In that day the residue of the howse of Israel and they that shall escape of the howse of Iacob shall not adde to leane vppon him that striketh them Isa 10. v. 20.21.22 but they shall leane vppon our Lord the holy one of Israel in truth the remnant shall be conuerted the remnant I say of Iacob to the strong God For if thy people o Israel shall be as the sand of the sea the remnant there of shall be conuerted Consummation abridged shall make iustice ouer flowe Our blessed Sauiour foretold vs of it too whose speach the Iewes haue seene verified allready in part and therefore they might beleeue him in the rest Luk. 21. v. 20.24 When you shall see Ierusalem compassed about with an armie then knowe that the desolation therof is at hand c. There shall be greate afflictiō vppon the lande and wrath on this people And they shall fall by the edge of the sword and shall be led into all Nations and Ierusalem shall be trodē of the Gētiles till the tymes of Natiōs be fullfilled 37. In findinge out the Person of the Messias there is no difficultie for he was to come with miracles and by his workes to declare himselfe He that will take directions out of ould Scripture for to finde him must attende vnto the circumstances there determined as when from what place in what maner he was to come And he may find him thus without more adoe Looke out one borne at Bethlem before Ierusalē was ouerthrowne whose cariage was humble Mich. 5.6 Dan. 9. v. 26.27 Zach 9. v. 9. 12. v. 10. Isa 49.6 and actions wōderfull who was refused by the Iewes and put to death and hath beene acknowledged followed ād adored by the Gentiles euer since and this is he And in him to whom these fewe circumstances do agree are verified all the Prophecies and all other circūstances foretolde as you will find if you runne them ouer Moreouer that all the circūstances heere named agree pūctuallie to Iesus the sonne of Mary euery Iewe euery Gentile knoweth Neither is it possible now to make them agree to any other since God cannot deceaue nor time runne backe nor that be vndone which is already donne 38. The later Iewes except also against the Deitie of the Messias beleeuinge that he was to be pure mā Wee beleeue that in God there are three Persons in proprietie all distinct in substance and nature one And that the second of these diuine Persons the Sonne and Word coeternall with the Father did for redemption of mankinde assume and vnite vnto himselfe the forme of man or humane nature So that the same Person hauinge two natures is reallie God by reason of his diuine nature the God of hosts the God of Israel the onely God and By reason of his humane nature he is reallie also man In Iesus therefore the Messias Coll. 2.9 Phill. 2.6.7 our Sauiour doth dwell the fullnes of the God head corporally And he when he was in the forme of God thought it no robberie himselfe to be equall to God but he exinanited himselfe takinge the forme of a seruant made into the similitude of men Heb. 1. v. 3.4 and in shape found as man Who beinge the brightnes of the glorie of the eternall Father and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the figure of his substance and carryinge all things by the word of his powre makinge purgation of sinnes sittteth on the right hand of the Maiestie in high places beinge made soe much better the Angells as he hath inherited an more excellent name aboue them Coll. 1. v. 16.17 In whom were created all things in heauen and in earth visible and inuisible whether Thrones or Dominations or Principalities or Potestates all by him and in him were created and he is before all and all consist in him Thus far the Apostle now heare a peece of S. Iohns deuinitie Io. 1. v. 1 2.3 In the begininge was the Word and the Word was with God and God was the Word This was in the beginninge with God All things were made by him and without him was made nothinge 1 Io. 5. v. 7 There be three which giue testimony in heauen the Father the Word and the Holie Ghost and these three be one This great mysterie wee are taught in the schoole of Iesus Christ And though it be very high as concerninge the subsistence of the Deitie in it selfe yet is it easilie defended against all the aduersaries of our fayth No Iew Pagan or other that doth refuse our Creed being able to prooue that he who hath made other things frutefull Isa 66. v. 9. hath not a supereminent fecūditie in himself or that God being intellectuall doth not produce a Word infinite as his intellection and equall to himself and consubstantiall Or that these two diuine Persons Father and Sonne by their comprehensiue mutuall loue doe not produce a third Person immanent also and infinite as the loue and therfore in substance all one with the Father and the Sonne though distinct in proprietie as proceeding from them both 39. But wee are heere briefely out of the Prophets whom the Iewes receaue to declare the diuinitie of the Messias And this wee can easilie for though the old Scripture hath not all mysteries so cleerlie God reseruing vnto himself the reuelation of some till he came in Person yet there is enough for our purpose I will here onely repeate a part of that I finde The places are so forcible that they cannot be auoided and therefore the Iewes haue ēdeuoured to corrupt the text but too late for the cause was wonne on our side longe before and the auncient Rabbines are for vs. Ps 2. v. 6.7 I saith the Messias am appointed Kinge ouer Sion c. and the lord said to me King of Siō Thou art my Sonne I this daie of eternitie haue begotten thee And Dauid The lord said to my * his Word Paraphr Chald. the Messias Antiq. Heb. Ps 109. v. 1.7 v. 3. Psal 44. and cited allso by to this purpose by the Apostle Hebr. 1 lord sitte on my right hand an honour importing equalitie with thee the begining in the daie of thy strength in the brightnes of holy things from the wombe before the daie starre I begat thee And Thy throne o God for euer and euer a rod of equitie the rod of thy kingdome thou hast loued iustice and hated iniquitie therefore thee God thy God hath annointed
with oile of exultation aboue thy fellowes In Isaie Isa 45. v. 14.15 Thus saith our Lord the labour of Aegypt and the merchandise of Aethiopia and of Sabaim the high men shall passe to thee and shall be thine they shall walke after thee the Messias they shall goe boūd with manicles ād they shall ADORE THEE ād shall beseech thee ONLIE in THEE he speakes still to the Messias is God ād there is NO GOD beside thee Verily thou art God hidden in the forme of man the God of Israel a Sauiour God heere auouches that another distīct personallie frō himselfe is God the only God God hidden which speach is verified in the Messias and cānot possiblie be verified of any pure man Goe further ād you shall finde in Ieremie the greate name tetragrammaton that incommunicable name of God giuen and by God to the Messias Behold the daies shall come saith our Lord Ierem. 33. v. 14.15.16 and I will raise vp the good word that I haue spoken to the howse of Israel and to the howse of Iuda c. I will make the SPRING OF IVSTICE to bud foorth vnto Dauid the same is also in the 25. c. v 5.6 and HE shall doe iudgment and iustice in the earth In THOSE DAIES shall Iuda be saued ād Ierusalē shall dwell confidently ād this is the name they shall call HIM By Rab. Aaron Rab. Iacob 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 THE LORD our iust one Note heere by the waie that the poīts in Hebrew were inuented more thē four hūdred yeeres after Christ Elias Leuita Iudaeus Praefat 3. ante Massoreth Hammassoreth Genebr Chr. ad an 76. Zach. 2. v. 8 9. and therefore in reading you may take them of againe for in the poīting many texts are corrupted In an other of the Prophets Thus saith THE LORD OF HOSTS after glorie he sent ME to the Nations that haue spoiled you for he that shall touch you toucheth the apple of mine eie because loe I lift vp my hand vppon them and they shall be a pray to those that serued them Marke diligently in the begining who speakes saying that he is sent and you will find him to be the Lord of hosts HE is sent ād is sent by the Lord of hosts allso one diuine Person sending the other The same Person the Lord of Hosts doth continue still his speach and saith and you shall knowe that the Lord of hosts SENT ME. Praise and reioyce o daughter of Sion because loe I COME and will dwell in the middest of thee v. 9.10.11 SAITH OVR LORD And many Natiōs shall be ioyned to our Lord in that day ād they shall be my people and I WILL DWELL in the middest of thee and thou shalt knowe that the Lord of hosts hath sent ME to thee The same God of Israel in an other Chapter affirmes himself to be pierced by the inhabitants of Ierusalem as indeede he was in his passiō The words I put downe before Zac. 12.10 To giue the spirit of Grace is an act proper to God and they are these I will powre out vppon the howse of Dauid and vppon the inhabitants of Ierusalem the spirit of grace and prayer the God of Israel speakes ād they shall looke vppon ME The God of Israel VVHOM they HAVE PIERCED It is cleere then that the God of Israel hath flesh ād blood by Incarnatiō how els could he be pierced Before he foretold his comming in flesh and blood Isa 7.14 A virgin shall conceaue and beare a sonne and his name shall be called Emmanu-el God with vs. c. 35. v. 5. And in an other place God himselfe VVILL COME and will same you then shall the eies of the blind be opened and the eares of the deafe c. Againe the God of Israel in an other place I my selfe THAT SPAKE Isa 52.6 loe I AM PRESENT All which do manifest the ttuth of that which wee reade in Baruch This is our God and there shall none other be esteemed against him Baruch 3 v. 36.37.38 He found out all the way of discipline and deleuered it to Iacob his seruant and to Israel his beloued After these things he was seene VPPON THE EARTH and was conuersant with men THE FIFT CHAPTER Of the Introduction of Christianitie into the world 40. IN the begining of the former Chapter I proposed vnto my self a briefe discourse of the introductiō of Christianitie into the world and the propagatiō of the Church in the tymes primitiue but Atheists ād Iewes did interrupt me so that all the Chapter was spent with them Hauing there shaken them of I will now resume the subiect and will as then I said relate not dispute He that hath raised this greate building whereof I haue spoken in this Booke the Church I meane diffused in all Nations is Iesus borne at Bethlem Sonne of Marie This all doe know and confesse Pagans Iewes Atheists And this greate worke well considered doth argue in him more then was euer in any other vpon earth no one of what qualitie so euer no Scholler No Monarch none that euer liued hath euer donne the like to vnite I say so maay Nations for so long a tyme in so obscure a Creede by such meanes as he hath donne These things wee see are donne they are vndeniable let vs looke on the begining to see how and if wee keepe a setled eie on our Master and his proceedings wee shall discouer that he was indeede the God of nature conuersing here visiblie amongst men 41. His doctrine was of Sanctitie of Saluation of the power and the knowledge and prouidence and soueraigne will of God Of the last end and chiefe Obiect of mans Being Of the perfection of the next life in immortalitie and the dispositions thereunto Of the horrour and effects of sinne and of the goodnes of all vertue whereof he did exhibite himself a diuine forme and example to the world by practising them all in the heroicke and most perfect manner Reflect vppon his cariage in his passion the bitterest in all respects that euer man suffered and you will finde his behauiour in each particular to be diuine In his rule there is no vertue wanting so perfectly did he comprehend what morall Philosophers could neuer attaine vnto and beyond all these he teacheth Faith relying on the prime Verity Hope reposed in Gods infinite Mercie and Charitie louing the diuine Goodnes for it self Whatsoeuer in speculation men knew cōcerning God the highest Obiect he deliuered it more cleerelie all discouering further his prouidence mercie and iustice about man and which is furthest out of our sight the Sacred Mysterie of the Trinitie the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost subsisting in one infinite Nature and communitie of blisse Moreouer he did looke into mens thoughts and discouer what he pleased Matt. 9. 26.1 in the presence and to the confusion of those who sought occasion to traduce him Luk. 18
of sinne out of the soule so that it cometh in to the Church purer then the Sunne and there findes the breade of life breade of Angells the medicine of immortalitie the fouÌ„taine of all good and consummation of Sacraments the holie Eucharist to feede vppon Euery where there are Altars wherevppon is Sacrificed vnbloodilie the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinne of the world according as IESVS our high Priest Priest for euer according to the Order of Melchisedech did institute and ordaine In the way to these Altars are Tribunalls wherein those doe sitte who can open Heauen to the PeniteÌ„t where the Priest doth forgiue trespasses comitted against God Heauen approuing the Sentence of a man I will giue to thee Peeter Matt. 16. 18. the keies of the kingdome of heauen Whatsoeuer you shall loose in earth shall be loosed also in heauen whose sinnes you shall forgiue they are forgiuen them Ioan. 20. and whose you shall retaine they are retained Heere are the Doctors Euangelists Prophets and Pastors of whom wee reade in S. Paul Heere are Isaies Kings and Queenes Abrahams Starrs the Temples of the Holie Ghost and Gods Elect. All Tribes and People and tongues all Nations all the ends of the Earth doe come hither and adore in this Mount of our Lord in this House of God Heere the Holie Ghost still abideth illuminating directing Sanctifying and before him a hundred thousand harts burne euer in the flames of diuine loue Here some are weeping for their sinnes others meditating on the Passion others teaching and instructing the people others defining in generall Councell others conuerting Nations others adoring the souueraigne will of God others suffering for his sake In the Quire innumerable tongues are imployed daie and night in the praise of their Creator and Redeemer And round about are Watchmen that neuer hold their peace Lift vp thine eyes o IERVSALEM round about and see all these are gathered together they are come vnto thee Thy somes are come from a farre and thy daugthers are risen from thy side See and abound let thy hart maruaile and be dilated for the multitude of the Sea is conuerted and the streingth of Gentiles comes vnto thee Enlarge the place of thy tent and stretch out the skinnes of thy Tabernacles spare not make long thy cords and fasten thy nailes behold thou doest penetrate to the right hand and to the left thou art dilated to the East and to the West and to the North and to the South The Gentiles doe walke by thy light and Kings in the brightnes of thy rising Kings are thy nourcing Fathers and Queenes thy Nources The children of them that humbled thee come crouching now aÌ„d adore the stepps of thy feete Thy God hath established thee his throne as the dayes of heauen and hath made thee the pride of worlds a ioy vnto generation and generation thou art a crowne of glorie in the hand of our Lord and the Diademe of a kingdome in the hand of thy God 50. This Church the SPOWSE of Iesus Christ holding in her hand the BOOKE OF GOD doth contemplate and behold therin as in a glasse her OWNE SELF she beholds there her owne greatnes her owne proportion her owne face And such is the rare puritie and perfection of this glasse shee beholds there also her doctrine her inwarde composition her life and sowle The proposition of the Obiect is supernaturallie made vnto her in most cleere and euident circumstances And by the infallible operation of the All-teaching Spirit she is directed in her act By these two powerfull certaine meanes she is so constaÌ„tly setled in her faith that if the world shrink vnder feete shee will not leaue the truth Repeate now the first Chapter and reade there in PROPHECIE that which worlds of people since haue beheld with their EIES and still do reade I saie and consider it diligentlie to the end you may see how one is verified in the other that Prophecie in this Church and this Church in that Prophecie And hereby you will vnderstand at leingth by gods grace both that Prophecie and this Church to be from one and the same cause and prime author whose prouidence and power are so vniuersallie eminent that none can frustrate his designe or hinder an euent which he foretold and therfore both diuine and both from God 51. From this Church and from no other I take my direction for eternitie My owne witte might runne amisse I might mistake in the estimation of the Spirit in mee if I went alone And I were mistaken manifestlie if I followed any that swarued from the Spirit of this communitie And an other communitie like this the world neuer sawe The consent of so many worlds of people in an obscure Creede is an euident argument of a supernaturall cause vniting their vnderstandings It was ouer the world before Constantine and yet all Princes were against it in this consent and consequently of a diuine Spirit mouing them For all these Nations were neuer much lesse all this tyme of sixteene hundred yeers actualy subiect to any one Prince or State and the light of nature doth vnite many in one principle or Conclusion but by way of euidence which is not here in our Creede Further wee knowe that Schollers neuer yet agreed so generallie in things subiect vnto the naturall power of their vnderstanding neither can any man aliue finde out or assigne and defend against a Scholler any naturall cause of this vnitie in beleefe The infinite miracles illustrious and vndeniable in this Church are an euident argument that the Author of nature is in it changing the common course of things to the astonishment of the world thereby to drawe the eies of all vppon this Companie where they may see and learne the seruice of their Creator The vniformity of this Companie of Gentiles to the descriptioÌ„ made before in Prophecie and the Reprobation of the Iewish Nation left now without Temple without Sacrifice without Prophet without miracle without any argument of Gods presence and true seruice amonge them are an euident argument that this Companie and the Messias Church described in the Scripture are all one VVherefore worthily did our predecessors and wee doe worthily rest in the communion of this companie And since mortall man with his industrie caÌ„ goe no higher nor better resolue himself in diuine and heauenly â—â—â—ires being heere arriued he meetes with Gods prouidence to conduct him to securitie Is a man moued to beleeue by example aÌ„d consent here are worlds in our communion and this so ample as the like is no were to be fouÌ„d Is he moued with Miracles here are infinite The blinde see the lame walke the deade arise and of this wee haue as greate euidence as man can desire Is he moued with the common and vniforme resolution of the learned heere are generall Decrees made in Councells Oecumenicall by the wisest of all the world the prime Schollers and grauest men comming
the Church in later tymes did conforme her iudgment to the iudgment of the church in former tymes and esteeme it infalliblie This is true at all tymes from the Apostles to this daie therfore all the Church of all this tyme is against your affirmation and your affirmation against the Spirit of all this Church pastors and people 〈◊〉 and learned auncient and moderne 53. Fourthlie 4. Confir If all Christians be warranted by Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and true God to heaâ—e the Church and to 〈…〉 iudgment then is it vnpossible that the generall resolution of the Church in matter of faith though not fundamentall in your sense be false and coÌ„tradict the eternall truth because God being truth and goodnes obligeth not men to erre and to contradiction But all Christians are so warranted Luk. 10. v. 16. He which heareth you heareth me he which contemneth you contemneth me It is therfore vnpossible that the generall resolution of the Church in matter of faith though such as you call not fundamentall be false therfore it hath by Gods prouidence the assistance of the Spiritt of truth in euerie such generall resolution 54. Fiftlie If the whole Church theÌ„ all Bisshopes all Fathers though consenting all together aÌ„d teaching vniformely may haue erred in matters of faith which are not of your fundamentalles 5. Confir Whence it followes that whatsoeuer they haue said or beleeued or receaued aboue those fewe fundameÌ„talles may be false aÌ„d consequentlie nothing nothing at all in matter of faith is certaine but onelie those fewe fundamentalles Why then may not the rest of deuinitie yea all the rest of the scripture be false and why may not old damned heresies howsoeuer in the primitiue tyme abhorred be true If you offer to answere that you â—â—owe certainlie those things to be false and the rest of the scripture to be true I replie that you doe either pretend to know this by the spiritte and therby you admitte what before in your distinctioÌ„ you denied or you pretend to know it by your witte and then you entangle your selfe more in in the bryers for how will you make it euident that your witte cannot erre in these matters if all other wittes might haue erred 55. Hauing lighted here on the consideration of the fonde esteeme you haue of your owne witte aboue the world I begin to see that you affect a place farre aboue the qualitie of your person though this disorder in affection be in a manner secrette from your selfe You iudge and determine controuersies in matters not fundamentall as you speake and this men see aÌ„d your forwardnes herein hath enforced me to this answeare Now you take this office of determining these controuersies froÌ„ the Church as wee haue seene oft before aÌ„d if you would acknowledge it to be there I neede write no more of this matter This throne was high but you affect a higher yet which I shew for either in this matter of determining these controuersies you giue place to the Spiritt as to the iudge or you doe not if you doe the Spirittes holie assistance is exteÌ„ded further then to your fundamentalles if you doe not you sitte in the throne aÌ„d iudge for you determine them against vs. Let Christians tell me now whether you vsurpe the place or not 57. Sixtlie your errour is fuÌ„dameÌ„tall 6. Confirmâ— therfore the opposite which the Churche beleeue this a fundamentall truth And consequentlie in your prâ—ciples you must coÌ„fesse that she doth not erre in it for you say she erreth not in fuÌ„dameÌ„talls That your errour is fundameÌ„tall I prooue because that errour is fundamentall which is the ground of infinite errours but yours is the grouÌ„d of infinite errours because it takes away the certaiÌ„tie froÌ„ all Gods word and all deuinitie those fewe pointes onelie excepted which you call fundamentall 58. Moreouer to touch your fundamentalles also 7. Confirm It takes away all certaintie in them first because you leaue noe meanes to knowe which they be and secondlie because you leaue noe meanes to know they be diuinelie reuealed if it were knowne which in particular they al were for the authoritie of the Church proposeth equallie the whole Scripture and therfore if it sufficeth for any chapter or point it sufficeth for euery chapter and euerie point And the Spiritte of God did equallie direct the writer in all and it is Gods word all and therfore if the Spiritts direction or Gods authoritie serue to warrant some it serues to warrant all and if it be not able to warrant all it is vnable to warrant any at all 59. You thinke I haue done now but harke further Your assertion doth scandalize the Christian world if it may be scandalized for you take away all certaintie from the word of God in all pointes and partes but some twelue propositions which you call fundamentall 8. Confirm denying that there is at all any meanes to know certainlie that the rest is Gods word This I proue and I take the Gospell of S. Iohn or to declare it more fullie I take all the Bible and argue thus Either the Spiritte of God doth assist his Church to know certainlie that all in the Bible ouer and aboue your fuÌ„dameÌ„tall pointes is the word of God or it doth not Make your choise If it doth not there is no way to know certainely that it is the word of God for men of themselues and without Gods assistance all might erre especiallie in obscure matters as those are and in this especiallie which is to know whether God spake those wordes or noe If it doth the field is ours for euerie thing there is not one of the fundamentalles 60. The same argumente may be made of the sense of any place for either the place is fundamentall and such are fewe by your accompt or the place is not fundamentall and then excluding the assistance of the Spiritte you haue noe waie to be assured of the sense 61. Let vs oÌ„ to the triall of this argumeÌ„t OpeÌ„ your Bible turne to the first Chapter of Genesis and reade the first verse In the begining God created heaueÌ„ and earth Of this verse I demauÌ„d eight things First whether you be certaine that it is the word of God and how SecoÌ„dlie whether it be a fundamentall place or be not Thirdlie how you doe know certainlie that it is or that it is not fundamentall Fourthlie whether there be meanes to knowe certainlie the sense if neede require Fiftlie what are the meanes which may assure men of the sense Sixtlie whether there be any meanes to knowe certainlie whether in these words be more literall seÌ„ses theÌ„ one Seuenthlie whether the assistance of the Spiritte be or be not necessarie to the certaine knowledge or assurance of these things Eightlie whether this assistance be promised to the Church or to others out of it as to Heretiques and pagans These eight things I demaund about that verse and when you
haue answeared them I goe to the second verse and demaund all the same And theÌ„ I goe to the third aÌ„d demauÌ„d all the same And when this Chapter is done I goe to the next and so on forwards thorough the Bible verse after verse till I come to the last verse in the Apocalyps or Reuelation 62. You will peraduenture meruaile that I doe include that booke too because it is full of obscure mysteries notwithstanding I will alonge thorough that allso with all these demaunds for there are meanes to knowe that it is the word of God and the Assistance of the spirit is sufficient to open the sense of each verse when the circumstances doe require it and you dispute against vs out of it and alleage vnder the title of manifest Scripture free from all ambiguitie the deepest mysteries that are there Moreouer the Prophecies there contained will be manifest in the end as the prophecies in the ould Testament of the Messias aÌ„d his Church are now opeÌ„ to the world The spiritte allso doth open to learned men many thiÌ„gs in the scripture which are hiddeÌ„ froÌ„ the vulgar aÌ„d are not yet by generall decree defined because the coÌ„moÌ„ exigeÌ„ce of the Church requires not the open and publique notice of theÌ„ yet these might be defined if need were as many things by occasioÌ„ of your heresies infesting and endangering Gods people haue bene of late 63. You will allso woÌ„der that I speake of many senses but I haue reasoÌ„ to saie as I doe because Gods word is full of sense as before I said and some tyme so many seÌ„ses doe occurre in the same speach that it is not easie to determine which God intendeth or whether he doth inteÌ„d more theÌ„ one And that I goe not further to fetch examples the words now cited are very hard In the begining God created heauen and earth what is this begining what kind of making doth he speake of what doth he meane by heauen and earth * In the begining God created heauen and earth It is not easie to finde the sense of these words as you will conceaue if you attend and ponder each the begining What is it is it the begining of time which he meanes or the begining of the works of God before he made time or is this begining Gods eternall word or what other thing is signified by these 64. Sainct Augustine a greate Scholler and a man of the Church primitiue and one of Gods elect did search with great diligence and earnest prayer in his ould age for the sense of this place as you may reade in the twelfth booke of his Confessions where hauing acknowledged the scriptureâ—â—o be so profound that it is horrour to looke into theÌ„ he brings many senses of these words and after a longe discussion Aug. l. 12. Confess c. 31. and serious Weighing of the difficultie concludes thus when one saith the prophet vnderstood that which I doe and another that which I. I thiÌ„ke I speake more religiouslie why not both if both be true and if any bodie seeth in these words some third thing or fourth or some other at all whatsoeuer why may not he be beleeued to haue seene all those things by whom one God hath tempered holie writ to many mens iudgments which were to see diuers things then he adds something in commendation of that full kinde of stile and in fine resolues In any wise when he wrote these words he vnderstood and thought whatsoeuer truth wee could find and whatsoeuer wee could not or cannot yet but may be fouÌ„d in them Marke this deuinitie well and remember whose it is 65. I forbeare to speake of the Assistance giuen to the prophets and Euangelists aÌ„d Apostles in all they did write and publish as Gods word which doth affoord me an other argumeÌ„t as hard for you to answere as the former I will not here discouer the gap you laie open to infinite Heresies about admitting about vnderstanding the word of God I loathe to let the world see how scandalous your doctrine iâ—â—â—w you oppose Christianitie vnder the colour of reformatioÌ„ aÌ„d doe what you can to shake the fouÌ„datioÌ„ of the faith that others may stagger in all as you peraduenture doe aÌ„d so the deuill get the day But all your endeuours poore men come to short you shoot your arrowes against heaueÌ„ which they hurt not but wouÌ„d your selues in the returne The Church of God is built on a rocke and a fewe words defend it such is the power of the words of Iesus Christ against all that Heretiques and Pagans and Persecutors and impostors and deuills Matt. 16.18 can attempt Thou art Peeter and vppon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it These words haue defended it these sixteene hundred years against all aduersaries whatsoeuer and wee were fooles if now wee should be afraid Wee are safe wee are secure The sonne of God is our foundation the holie Ghost is our direction and our Lord round about vs for euer I conclude and because you seeme to take the SCRIPTVRE the SPIRIT IESVS CHRIST for iudges of controuersies when you talke at home before your parish to stop this bragge of yours I heere present this controuersie of ours about the assistance to the SCRIPTVRE to the diuine SPIRIT to IESVS CHRIST in these termes whether the Spirit be to teach some truthes onelie which you call fundamentall or others allso which you call not fundamentall The answeare is ALL. Io. 16.13 The Spirit of truth shall teach you all truth These be Gods words I beleeue them and here I rest THE FOVRTH CHAPTER Shewing how Catholikes all beleue the same though some more distinctly then others and the reason why Heretickes agree not 66. THat I may impart vnto you now the manner of discourse which I forme vnto my selfe sometymes in this businesse you must vnderstaÌ„d that the all-teaching Spirit or Holie Ghost is the Spirit of Vnitie aÌ„d that his Organ is the Church wherin he remaines aÌ„d teaches as I haue declared This Spiritte by the foresaid organ or mouth of the Church deliuers the true sense of the Scripture and those which beleeue and submitte their vnderstaÌ„dïg to this iudgmeÌ„t aÌ„d visible tribunall are all one in faith euerie one beleeuing ALL which the Church thus assisted doth hold aÌ„d beleeue and therfore all the same If I thought you coÌ„ceaued not my meaniÌ„g I would deliuer my selfe plainer thus The doctrine of the Catholique Church all together or the collection of points which it holds is but one summe of doctrine or collection of points And not onelie the bodie of the Church takeÌ„ in grosse but euerie Catholique doth beleeue it all And therfore take any two Catholiques whom soeuer where and whensoeuer they liued and their beleefe is the same to the last point or title because each beleeues all that the other beleeues as I haue said But the thing which troubles you
nothing i conuerted into the veritie of his flesh that our Sauiour maketh not of breade his bodie and of wine his blood I referre the comparison and iudgment to your self or to any other man learned or vnlearned and goe on 44. Thirdlie out of that which is allreadie said I may conclude with ease that the Fathers thought the substāce of breade ād wine remained not in the Eucharist For that which is changed conuerted transelemented into an other thing is no more existent in it selfe and you haue heard them say that the nature of breade and wine is changed conuerted transelemented into the body ād blood of Christ whēce it followes that it is not existent in it selfe But you shall heare them further affirme that in the formes or accidēts of breade and wine there is not breade ād wine S. Iren. l. 4. c. 34. but flesh ād blood It is not common breade but Eucharist consisting of two things the earthlie the species and the heauenlie the Bodie Let vs giue credit to God euerie where let vs not oppose against him though what he saith doth seeme to our sense and to our thinking to be absurd let his saying master our sēse and our reason S. Chrys hom 83 in Matth. Let vs doe this in all things and especiallie in the Mysteries not regarding alone the things which lie before vs but holding fast his words for by his words wee cannot be cozened our sense 1 may easilie be deceaued his words cannot be vntrue our sense is often times beguiled Seeing therefore that our Lord hath said This is my Bodie let no staggering or doubt lay hold on vs but let vs beleeue it and see it with the eies of our vnderstanding for nothing that is sensible is giuen vnto vs here by Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in sensible things indeed yet All that he giueth is 2 insensible It is 3 not that which nature made but that which the blessing hath consecrated S. Ambr. de Myst in c. 9. by the blessing euen nature it selfe is changed Conceaue it not as bare breade and bare wine for it is the holie bodie and blood of Christ for though sense doth suggest this that it is breade and wine vnto thee yet let faith confirme thee S. Cyrill Hier. Catech c. 4. that thou iudge 4 not according to the tast but rather take it as of faith most certaine without doubting the least degree that the bodie and blood is giuen thee And a little before VVith assurance let vs receaue the bodie and blood of Christ for in the 5 forme of breade the bodie is giuen to thee and in the forme of wine the blood c. Ibid. Knowing and beleeuing most assuredlie that that which appeareth breade is 6 not breade though it seeme so to the tast but it is the bodie of Christ and that which appeareth wine it not wine as the taste doth iudge it to be Theophil in c 26. Mat. but the blood of Christ. Breade is transelemented by an ineffable operation although to vs it seeme breade because wee are weake and haue a horrour to eate rawe flesh especiallie the flesh of man for this reason breade appeareth but in essence and 7 substance it is not breade S. Ansel in c. 11. pri Cor. To the 8 exteriour senses it seemeth to be breade but knowe by the sense of your vnderstanding that it is my bodie not another but the same in substance which shall be deliuered to death for your redemption 45. The Protestant Opinion our 1 sense cannot erre The substance giuen vs is 2 sensible breade it is 3 that which nature made Of the substance contained vnder those accidents iudge 4 according to the tast The Protestant explication of this point a mans bodie is not in the 5 forme of breade it is breade and wine 6 the sense is to be beleeued in essence and 7 substāce it is breade it is not that bodie which was deliuered but that 8 which it seemeth to the exteriour sense that is plaine breade Compare this to the Fathers words and iudge of the differēce in this point 46. Fourthlie out of the former places of the Fathers it is Further cleere that they beleeued the bodie of Christ in the Eucharist to be the same bodie which is in heauen and the same blood which issued out of his side to be in the Chalice I will adde a place or two more of this S. Aug. l. 12. cōt Faust c. 10. The blood of Christ hath a loude voice on earth when all Nations hauing receaued it do answere Amen This is the shrill voice of blood which the blood it selfe doth make out of the a mouthes of the faithfull redeemed with the same blood V. Beda in c. 10 pri Cor. ex S. Aug. Serm ad Neoph. In the breade you shall receaue that verie b thing which did hang vppon the Crosse and in the Cuppe you shall receaue that which was powered out of the side of Christ Our Lord doth patientlie sustaine Iudas a diuel S. Aug. ep 162. a thiefe his betrayer he permitteth him to receaue among the innocent disciples that which the faithfull doe knowe c the price of our Redemption S. Chrys hom 24 pr. Cor. Ibid. That which is in the Chalice is that which did d issue from our Sauiour his side This bodie the Sages did reuerence in the cribbe thou seest it not in the cribbe but e on the Altar This mysterie makes the earth to be a heauen vnto thee Ibid. Open heauen gates and looke in or rather open the gates of the heauen of heauens and then thou wilt see that which is said to be true For looke what is there most preciouse I will shewe it vnto thee f heere on earth For euen as in royall pallaces the walles and the gilded roofes are not esteemed the most magnificent thing of all but the royall Person seated in his princely throne so is the kings bodie in heauen Now this mayest thou see heere on earth For here I shewe thee not Angells nor Archangells nor heauens nor the heauen of heauens but I shewe vnto thee him who is the verie Lord of all those things Thou perceauest now in what manner thou dost behold heere on earth that thing which is most precious and most honourable of all other and how thou doest not see it onely but allso doest touch it and that thou doest not touch it onely but allso doest eate it and eating of it returnest to thy howse S. Chrys de sacerd l. 6. At the tyme of the Sacrifice the Angells stand about the Priest and the whole companie of the celestiall powers doe make a noise and the place round about the g Alter is full of Angelicall quires in honour of him who h is there sacrificed which thing those will beleeue easilie who do consider the great Sacrifice which is then donne 47. The Protestāt opiniō Blood
immolated there is no vnbloodie d Sacrifice which is the flesh of Christ the lambe of God is not on the e Altar he is not offered in sacrifice by the Priest the Sonne of God is not f againe sacrificed for vs the sacrifice is not g dispenced from the Alter Compare 52. Seauenthly the Fathers did beleeue that the bodie of our Sauiour was present to our bodies and mouthes when wee receaue the Eucharist which is another euident argument that they thought it substaÌ„tiallie present here on earth where our bodies are for a thing which is in heauen only cannot be so present Wee denie not that wee are Spirituallie ioyned vnto Christ by true faith and sincere Charitie S. Cyr. Alex l. 10. in Io. c. 13. but that wee haue 1 no coniunction with him at all according to the flesh that verilie wee denie and affirme it to be contrarie to the diuine Scriptures aÌ„d because you are readie to runne to the Incarnation it followes a little after Doth he Nestorius thinke perchance that wee knowe not the force of the mysticall benedictioÌ„ coÌ„secratioÌ„ which being done in vs doth it not make Iesus Christ to dwell in vs 2 corporallie also with the communication of the flesh of Christ which thing he doth prooue there by Scripture and after declare with an example S. Aug. l 2. cont Adu Leg. c. 9. Wee receaue with faithfull hart and 3 mouth the Mediatour of God and man man Christ Iesus giuing vs his bodie to be eaten and his blood to be drunke though it seeme more horrible to eate maÌ„s flesh then to kill and to drinke mans blood then to shed it S. Leo. serm 7. de Ieiun meÌ„s 7. You ought so to communicate of the holie table that you doubt nothing at all of the truth of the bodie and blood of Christ for that is receaued with 4 the mouth which by faith is beleeued S. Greg. Dial. l. 4. c. 58. S. Greg. Nyss orat Catec c 37. His blood is powered into the mouthes of the faithfull Our Sauiour by his flesh entereth into all the faithfull and mingleth himselfe with their 5 bodies to the end that man being vnited to that which is immortall may attaine to be made partaker of Incorruption Wee are made 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hearers of Christ when wee haue receaued his bodie and blood into 6 our members S. Cyr. Hi. Catec 4. So the Fathers vnderstanding the bodie of Christ indeed to be in those dimensions and so to be in our bodie reallie when the Sacrament is in it and to be receaued with our mouthes Whereas you denying that he can be reallie here and in heauen too must gape as wide as heauen if you will receaue the signes and the bodie too with your mouth for the signes are here and the bodie and blood according to you are onelie there in that one place 53. The Protestant Opinion The flesh of Christ is 1 not neere vnto our flesh Christ is not 2 in vs corporallie Christ is not receaued with the 3 mouth that which is beleeued is neuer 4 in the mouth neuer neerer then heauen is to the earth the blood of Christ is no where but in heauen it is in no bodies mouth at any tyme. the flesh of Christ is not neere our 5 bodies it is as farre of as heauen is from earth the bodie of Christ is neuer 6 in vs. Compare 54. That which troubleth you did not moue the Fathers to discredit the word of God as you doe His omnipotencie was in the begining of their Creed as it is in ours Heare what they say of your doubtes The first S. Cyr. Hi. Catec 4 S. Chrys ho. â—3 Mat. Sense telles vs it is bread S. Cyrill though it seeme breade it is not bread S. Chrysost let our Sauiours words master our sense and reason His words cannot be vntrue our sense is many tymes deceaued The second It is not possible for one to haue his owne bodie in his owne haÌ„ds S. Augustine In what manner this may be vnderstood of Dauid or another pure man wee cannot finde S. Aug. in in Psal 33. conc 1. but wee finde it fulfilled in Christ for Christ was caried in his owne hands when commending his owne verie bodie he said this is my bodie for then he caried and held that bodie in his owne haÌ„ds If you did beleeue it were reallie in the Sacrament as the Fathers did you would neuer sticke at this nor at any other thing for all are grounded in the Sacramentall being The third Christ could not eate himselfe the Sacrament he might and did eate S. Ierom. He S. Hieron Ep. ad Hedib q. 2. Christ was the Banquetter and the Feast the eater and the thing eaten Wee drinke his bloode c. The fourth Christ is ascended S. Chrys hom 2. ad Pop. Ant. therefore his flesh is not here S. Chrysostom Christ both left vs his flesh and ascended hauing it The fift the bodie should by this time be all consumed for many thousands haue receaued it S. Grerie S. Greg. Nyss orat Cat. c. 37. Wee must enquire how it can possibile come to passe that the one onelye bodie of Christ which is allwaies thorough out the world imparted to so many thousands of the faithfull may be wholie in euerie one in particular and allso remaine whole and entire in it selfe His answere These things he Christ bestoweth by transelementing thorough the vertue of benedictioÌ„ the nature of those things which appeare of breade and wine into it his bodie The sixt A mans bodie cannot be in that forme S. Epiphanius When he Christ had giuen thankes he said this is my bodie and blood S Epiphaâ— in Ancora and yet wee see that it is not of equall bignes nor yet like for it hath no similitude with the image of that flesh which he tooke vpon him nor with the Diuinitie it selfe which cannot be seene nor with the lineaments and shape of members For this is of a round figure aÌ„d according to the power insensible yet he vouchsafed by his grace to say this is my bodie and blood neither may any man refuse to giue credit to his words The reall Presence a fundameÌ„tall point For he that beleeueth it not to be true falleth altogeather from grace and saluation 55. Being here come to the end of this Chapter I wish you now to consider how vnpossible a thing it is for you to make it euident that Antiquitie was with you against vs and to make such as haue witte and learning to beleeue it That which wee beleeue wee finde in the Fathers and the iudgment belonges not to you or me but to the Church which if the cause were obscure by the diuine Assistance promised and present to her could determine it but this cause is cleere the Fathers haue giuen as faire euidence as wee could wish Wee cannot yet expresse our meaning better then they haue
of it which he declares largelie in old Heretiques and the same wee see in the moderne by experience and then concludes that it is therefore verie necessarie in regard of so many windings of errour to direct the line of propheticall and Apostolicall interpretation according to the rule of the ecclesiasticall and Catholique sense 83. This is heere sufficient for Traditions diuine and Apostolicall which the Spiritte of the Church being to leade vnto all truth doth distinguish from such as are false and superstitious and doth easilie defend against all you can say The Scripture hath not one word against them as anie man will easilie see who doth but marke what he doth reade and will not take speaking for writing which the most ignorant with attention can distinguish in them selues being able to doe the one and not the other And the Fathers are cleere as you haue seene requiring euer tradition as indeed it is required for the Scripture and for the sense though the written word be perfect within its owne bouÌ„ds You allso though you loath it neuer so much must needs admitte of it for the Scripture for the number of Canonicall bookes for the pars of them for the sense and for other things you being not able anie other way in the world to answeare anie man who would denie them or to persuade him to beleeue that you haue the word of God or anie part of it Moreouer this doctrine is by generall consent of the Church defined in the Councells of Nice and Trent and hath beene the meanes whereby the Catholique Church hath conserued vntill now the word of God and therefore the contrarie open Heresie being opposite vnto Gods expresse words which I haue put downe in the begining of this chapter and to the beleefe of the old Fathers of generall Councells and of the Church 84 The text all scripture is profitable c. is answeared in the first booke c. 4. It is profitable true but it is not all sufficient It is sufficient too in one kinde for the written word but nor in all kinds not all-sufficient Tradition and diuine Assistance are necessarie too each in their kinde doth concurre Tradition is more generall then writing it deliuers the scripture and the sense of it and can teach also without writing and did before the Scripture was extant This Tradition relieth vppon the diuine Assistance whereof I haue discoursed largelie the third booke and neede not repeate it heere Particular causes in this lower world are sufficient in their kinde a horse to generate a horse a man to generate a man but the effect is not produced without the concurrence of higher causes The Sunne and a man saith the Philosopher produce a man The inferiour and superiour causes are sufficient in their kinds and yet vnles the prime and most vniuersall cause doth concurre nothing is produced You are to prooue that the Scriture is sufficient in all kinds if you will exclude tradition To all your peaching your mouth is profitable and sufficient too in that kinde you need not two mouthes but wthout a tongue you cannot doe it Mouth and tongue are profitable and sufficient in their kindes but you cannot doe it without braines braines and witte are profitable and sufficient in their kinds but all will not serue without learning So that you see the argument is not good it is profitable and to all therefore all-sufficient 85. And thus I am come at last to the end of this part also hauing answeared the chiefest things which you oppose in the decrees of the Church and shewed how the Church representatiue is vniustlie accused of errour The Decrees of generall Councells were beleeued before Caluin had any Schoole and will be when he hath neuer a Scholler In them is the highest TEACHING AVTHORITIE in the world and therefore the Schollers of Iesus Christ must beleeue what they define The sheepe are not to choose their pasture ould wiues and plowmen are not to decide Controuersies in Religion they are not to asceÌ„d the Chaire and expound Scripture to the world No the Pastors must doe this Mat. 28. Act. 20.10.21 Ephes 4. The Apostles aÌ„d their successors were sent to teach God put Bisshops to rule the Church he charged Peeter to feede his flocke The pastors are to teach The sheepe to learne 86. In generall Councells the Pastors are are assembled their Authoritie is vnited there to moue the Whole to teach the Church The Church is to followe their common direction and therefore it belonges to Gods prouidence to assist them defining And the whole Church vniuersallie doth beleeue that such Councells are assisted and cannot erre learned vnlearned people and Pastors all beleeue it and all the Church as I shewed you before cannot erre The Apostles did beleeue it allso and so vnderstood the promise of Iesus Christ Act. 15. Io. 16. when he said that the holie Ghost should teach them all truth God rules and moues the lower world by the higher The heauens vertue doth begette and conserue things heere on earth To the heauens for the regularitie of their Motion he hath addicted an Intelligence Our Sauiour hath so disposed his Church that the Laitie are mooued and gouerned in matters of Religion by the Clergie Rom. 20. Rom. 10. The Pastors begette and conserue in the people faith by preaching the the word of God And to the Pastors for the Regularitie of their Motion he hath left an Assisting Spirit Io. 16. the Holie Ghost the Spirit of Truth The Christian truth is to be learned in the Schoole of Iesê° Christ this Schoole is the the Catholique Church The highest CHAIER in it is a Perfect Oecumenicall COVNCELL No man hath or can with any apparence pretend as will appeare in the examination a fuller participation of the TEACHING POWER then such a Councell 87. To make an end therefore coÌ„sider well what I do saie That definitioÌ„ which the Catholique Church vniuersallie Of Church proposition there is more in the third booke where I haue allso told you how the diuine authoritie aÌ„d the Church authoritie doe moue both in seuerall kinds to the same acte doth take for a sufficâ—eÌ„â— direction of her faith by way of Proposition IS FREE froÌ„ errour Otherwise the Catholique Church vniuersallie might erre which is vnpossible as I haue declared in the third booke Now the Catholique Church vniuersallie doth take the definition of the Councell which SHEE ESTEEMETH Oecumenicall to be a sufficient direction of her faith by waye of Proposition as I haue declared there also And hence it comes that the definition of a Councell ESTEEMED by the Catholique Church Oecumenicall is free froÌ„ errour Will you haue another way without recourse to such a Councell Take this What the Bisshops diffused those I meane who are in the Catholique communioÌ„ do vniformelie teach is true If you should oppose that they are many and that you cannot know the doctrine of them all being diffused I would answere that by their communion with the See Apostolique their doctrine is knowne sufficiently for this purpose aÌ„d their communion is very manifest vnto all Where you must note that it is the exteriour professioÌ„ which I atteÌ„d vnto PropositioÌ„ this is easilie knowne and this as farre as it is vniforme in ALL Bishops in the Catholique communioÌ„ be they many or few so they be all is WARRANTED by the Holie Ghost and by this exteriour proposition or commoÌ„ doctrine whatsoeuer els any of them thinke secretly in their mindes I am to be directed Ephes 4. Mat. 28.10.16 He Christ gaue Pastors that wee be not wauering Teach all Nations and behold I am with you The spirit of truth shall teach you all truth If you dispute againe meddle not with points not yet agreed vppon among vs. Talke not of things controuerted in our Schooles at this daie The proposition which you oppose if you will oppose me must be a Catholique proposition agreed on generally by the Church Other things I can dispute in our owne Schooles and with such as know them better then you doe