sent from God This appeared plainely in that cousening compannion Mahomet who yet was not so mad as in their opinion Antichrist will be to require that all men should acknowledge and adore him for God CHAP. XVIII A conclusion of the whole Treatise by way of exhortation to separate from the Church of Rome I Said a little more in that matter of Antichrist then I purposed to doe when I entred into it for it was my meaning onely to touch it by the way and that rather because I thought it would bee looked for then that I found it greatly necessarie for what neede I seeke any other reasons to inforce a necessitie of separating from the Church of Rome then those I haue already alleaged Therefore I will now adde a few words of exhortation and so end both the readers and mine owne labour It is reported by Irenaeus by Eusebius of the holy Apostle Irenaeus contra hares lib. 3. c. 3. Euseb eccle hist lib. 3. cap. 25. Saint Iohn that when he spied Ceriâ—thus the hereticke in the bath where he was he made all the hast he could to be gone thinking it dangerous to be vnder the same roofe with him Yea the very Heathen as Tully saith being at sea in a sore storme were much afraie they should Tully de natura Deorum lib. 3. haue beene cast away because they had Diagoras the Atheist abord amomg them I would to God some Protestants were as charie of their soules as I say not the Apostle but the Heathen of their bodies and had as much care to prouide for their eternall saluation as they had to procure their temporall safetie neither the Apostle nor the Heathen had any thing to doe with the impietie of Ceriâ—thus or Diagoras and yet both he and they doubted some euill might befall them because they were in in the companie of such prophane wretches And can any Protestant imagine that he may be free from danger though he ioyne in faith with the Pope of Rome It cost Iehosophat deare though he were otherwise a good King for going to warre with Ahab against a common enemy What said Hauani the Seer Wouldest thou helpe the wicked 2. Chr. 19. 2. and loue them that hate the Lord therefore for this thing the wrath of the Lord is vpon thee What then may they looke for who like the Ladiceans Reu. 3. 16. are luke-warme neyther bote nor cold altogther indifferent whether they be Papists or Protestants They are in better case yet not safe neither who are perswaded that Poperie is erroneous but doe not thinke it so dangerous a matter to be a Papist that a man neede flee out of the Romish Church as Lot did oun of Sodom That I may plucke or thrust these men out as the Angells did Lot I haue undertaken this discoverie of the danger by labouring to informe their judgement with the knowledge of the truth I must now proceed to inflame their affection with detestation of errour The glory of the vnderstanding is truth the height of the affection zeale To be zealous without knowledge is to fight without armes like the Israelites that had not a sheild nor spare amongst fourtie thowsand of them Iudges 5. 8. To haue knowledge without zeale is to haue armes without courage as the Ephraimites had Psal 78. 9. Who went up armed with bowes but turned their backs in the day of battaile In this fight against Popery you haue need of know ledge because your enemy is subtill to deceiue of zeale because your quarrell is great For you are to fight not for your wiues and children onely but also for your God and your religion not against an errour or two that disgrace your profession like a wen in a faire body but against such an heretick as like the disease in the hart will vndermine and ouerthrow the whole state of the body For as Iudas kissed his Lord and Master that thee might betray him so the Pope of Rome vnder a shew of humilitie hath taken the honour of God to himselfe and pretending to be his factour intendeth to rob vndo him Will he with the stubborne Iewes in Mallachy aske mee wherin I will not answer him as the Prophet doth In tithes and offerings What are tithes offerings to supremacy soueraignty This this is the robbery the Sacriledge whereof we accuse the Pope of Rome If he had but taken from his fellow Bishops and appropriated to himselfe the honour authoritie that is common to them with him we would haue holden our peace although this proud Haman could no way haue made recompence to the Church of Christ for the losse she sustaineth thereby Yea though he haue with the euill seruaut in the Gospell imprisoned beaten murdered his fellow seruants for doing their masters work we would as we haue done in dure it with patience and silence Shall I say more Albeit he had maintained as he doth diuers foule and grosse errours against the truth of God we would haue contented our selues with dissenting from him therein without breach of the band of peace But now so standeth the case that he hath claimed and vsurped the prerogatiue of the great God of heauen and earth Should we now forbeare to speake Should we in such a case look for commendation of modestie and peaceablenesse Haue we no more zeale of the glory of our father our King our God Hath the loue of our most deere Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ deserued no more kindnes at our hands If we could be so monstrously vnthankfull the very stones in the Church walls and the becames in the roofes would cry out against vs and him For hath he not made himselfe a foundation of the faith of all men yea the next and immediate foundation of all diuine faith so that nothing may be taken for matter of saith but vpon his authoritie Neither doth this authority of his lay hold on vs only which are as it were of the lower house but it reacheth also to the vpper house of the Apostles themselues For by vertue of that commission saith Ioh. 21. 15. Bellarmine The rest of the Apostles were made subiect to Peter and his successours the Bishops of Rome O ridiculous conceit O presumptious ambition was it not enough for you to trample on the necks of other Christians many of whom were at the least equall to the best of your Popes for learning and piâ—tie but that you may bring the Apostles heads vnder your Idols girdle Heare O heauen and hearken O earth The holy Apostle Saint Iohn liued by the record of Histories till the yeare after our Lords birth 100 Saint Peter was as it is also written martired at Rome in the yeare 68 therefore there were 32 yeares betwixt the death of Peter and Iohn In these 32 yeares not to reckon Linus who is thought to haue bin Pope there were 4 seuerall Bishops of Rome Clemens Cletus Anacletus and Euaristus By popish
to be found in the Councell of Trent Sess 4. which is the place I alledged ere-while It is committed singularly to Peter and his successors that they should teach all men what is to bee held concerning the doctrine of faith For the expounding whereof he saith a little after Sect. Si etiam that The Lord speakes of a singular office of teaching the whol Church by appointing and decreeing what is to be beleeued of all men And againe he saith that The Councels Popes execute the office of a Iudge committed Cap. 10. Sect. Respond aliud est to them by God What the Office of a Iudge is he shews in the same place a few lines before To explication after the manner of a Iudge there is authoritie required A Iudge deliuereth his sentence as a thing that necessarily must be followed To conclude hee tells vs in the same tenth chapter that Sect. Septiâ—um argumentum Christians who are sure the Church cannot erre in expounding the doctrine of faith are bound to receiue that doctrine and not to doubt whether those things be so or no. This matter Bellarmine makes plaine to all men by shewing the manner of this Office in this sort The Scripture for Cap. 10. Sect. Respondeâ— Christus It selfe needs not the witnes of men for it is most true in it selfe whether it be vnderstood or not but for our sake it needs the witnes of the Church because otherwise wee are not certaine what bookes are sacred and diuine nor what is the true and proper meaning In the same Chapter he giues vs to vnderstand what manner of foundation the testimony of the church is The word of God deliuered by the Prophets and Apostles is the first Sect. Respondeo Ad hoc foundation of our faith for therefore we beleeue whatsoeuer we beleeue because God hath reuealed it by his Prophets and Apostles But we adde that besides this first foundation there is another secondary foundation needfull to wit the testimony of the Church for we know not certainly what God hath reuealed but by the testimony of the Church Therefore our faith cleaueth to Christ the first truth reuealing those mysteries as to the first foundation It cleaues also to Peter that is to the Pope propounding and expounding these mysteries as to a secondary foundation And to make the matter yet more plaine he speakes thus in the same tenth chap. Sect. Respondeo verbum We are to know Sect. Respondeâ— verbum that a Proposition or article of faith is concluded in such a Syllogisme as this Whatsoeuer God hath reuealed in the Scriptures is true But this God hath reuealed in the Scriptures Therefore this is true Of the first of these Propositions no man makes any question The second is held for certaine truth amongst all Catholikes for it is grounded vpon the testimony of the Church that is the Councell or the Pope By which it appeares how little Mr. Fisher vnderstands the doctrine whereof he makes profession or how vnaduisedly he deliuereth his opinion For whereas Bellarmine will haue a two-fold foundation primary and secondary Mr. Fisher will acknowledge but one namely the authority of God speaking by the mouth of the church Christian beleefe saith hee ought onely to bee Treat of Faith in the Preface Sect of which point grounded vpon the authority of God speaking by the mouth of the Church We haue seene Bellarmines opinion of this matter which indeed agrees very well with the words of the Councell where it challengeth the office of interpreting the Scriptures For in that clayme it presumes that the diuine truth is already reuealed and that it is the first foundation of our faith to which the office of the Church is added which is but a secondary foundation Now by these places of the Counceâ—l and Bellarmine it is cleare that The foundation of the Romish faith is the authority of the Church This foundation of faith say wee is false and erroneous That our Sauiour Christ and his Prophets and Apostles are the foundation of faith wee beleeue and acknowledge and in this we and they agree That secondary foundation which lyeth in the authority and testimony of the church we refuse as false and naught and in this lyeth the true difference betwixt vs and them in this point as besides other De Script quaest 5. cap. 3. Apol. part 2. chap. 3. diuis 2. 11 Dr. Whitaker hath noted and the reuerend B. Iewell And this indeed is the main reason why we may not ioyn with them If they demand of vs VVhy we receiue not this authority of the church for a foundation of faith VVe answer Because we find no commission in the word of God wherby any such office is conueyed vnto it Neither deale wee herein any otherwise then reason and law direct men to do in the like case For is any man so destitute of reason or so ignorant of the law that he would receiue a man for L. Chancellour L. Treasurer or Lord Chiefe Iustice that were not able to shew any commission for the hauing and executing such an office And shall wee in a businesse of such importance that concernes our free-hold not onely for our present being of the church but for our future becomming heires of glory in heauen giue credit to men vpon their bare word without sight of their commission VVerfore doth our Lord and Sauiour so often in the Scriptures plead his authority from God warranted by the old Testament and vpbraid the Iewes with lightnesse and folly for being ready to receiue one that should come in his owne name If then the Papists would haue vs beleeue that their church is appointed to bee a foundation let them shew their warrant for it and we will accept it and build our faith vpon it But we looke that their commission should be very plain and certaine because it is of such a matter as no naturall reason can conceiue to be true For who would imagine or beleeue that the Apostles who had a little before receiued full power of order and iurisdiction ioyntly and equally with Peter as Bellarmine himselfe confesseth should suddenly De Rom. Poâ—t lib. 1. cap. 12. Sect. vt autem haue their authority abridged and be made subiect to Peter yea to his successors too as it fell out with S. Iohn to learne of them which wee bookes of Scripture and what was the meaning of the seuerall places or texts and what was true what false in Diuinity Besides the matter it selfe is of such importance by their doctrine that without the constant beliefe thereof and obedience according thereto there is no possibility of saluation For Whosoeuer saith Bellarmine will not be sed by Peter De verb. Dei lib 3. cap. 5. Sect. quartum that is learne of him or his successors as iudges and determiners what he is to take for matter of faith and what is the sense of the Scripture is none
diuinitie S. Iohn was so subiect to these successours of Peter that he was to receiue from them assurance of the truth that he deliuered of them he was to know whether his owne Epistles were the word of God or not yea whether they were his owne Epistles or not they or some of them were to assure him from God that his Reuelation was from God and not from the deuill if any doubt arose about any sentence in his Gospell Epistles or Reuelation he could not know by diuine faith what the true meaning of the place was but was to learne that of Euaristus then Pope whose office it was to deliuer an interpretation of the text to the Apostle or to allow of the interpretation made by the Apostle if he iudged it to be true Poore S. Iohn was an vnderling in all this businesse the Pope was Magister fac totum Most glorious Lord Iesus thou didst vouchsafe to shew thine extraordinarie loue to this thy holy Apostle tookest order to haue it made known to all posterity wouldest thou so much abase him as not onely to take from him the honour thou hadest bestowed vpon him by making him inferiour to S. Peter to whom before he was equall in authoritie and dignitie but also to appoint him to lacky if occasion fell out vpon foure Popes one after another to learne of them what was diuine reuelation or the word of God what was not Wherefore didst thou solemnely promise thy Apostles and Iohn amongst the rest that thou wouldest send them the comforter the holy Spirit to lead them into and to direct them in all truth Alas it was a poore comfort for them so to be taught by him that they must be faine to trauell or send to Rome to know whether he had taught them right or no. But who can be patient in this indignity offered to the holy Spirit Shall a wretched and ignorant man that I say no worse sit in iudgement to giue sentence of thy diuine Maiestie whether thou hast inspired thy seruants with truth or no Diddest thou instruct the Apostles as the deuills amongst the heathen did their counterfit prophets that they either knew not what they vttered or could not be assured what they meaned without the Pope like an Oracle made them vnderstand themselues as Daniell told Nebuchadnezar his dreame and the interpretation thereof If these things seeme to be as indeed they are absurd monstrous impious blasphemous what is the doctrine thinke you vpon which they are grounded I will repeate it againe that all men may learne to know and detest such foolish wickednesse and wicked folly S. Peter saith Bellarmine was made by Christ ordinary pastour of the whole Church his ossice was to determine what was matter of faith The Bishops of Rome Peters successours haue the same authoritie of ordinarie pastourship which he had Whosoeuer will not be thus fed by Peter and his successours belongeth not to the sheepefold of the Lord Iesus This is the arch whereon the Popes supremacie is built For the vpholding of this all the Romish Clergie are in armes If you hold not this whatsoeuer you hold you can be no true Roman Catholike From whence ariseth the impossibility of reconciliation betwixt vs and them wee cannot bee members of their Church but we must ioyn with them in this acknowledgment of this Papall authoritie They cannot renounce this opinion but they must withall viterly dissolue their Church the forme whereof as we heard out of Bellarmine consisteth in this very manner of gouerment This is thâ— boÌ„d these the ligameÌ„ts by which the whole body of their Church is coupled and knit together From the Pope thus feeding that is teaching and gouerning as from the head all life and motion is conueyed into the rest of that huge chaos take away the head all life and motion ceaseth and the parts fall asunder one from another that it can no longer be accounted the Church it was nor as they hold any Church at all We see the prophecie of the Apostle Paul fulfilled God hath sent these men strong delusions to beleeue lyes 2. Thes â— 11. For what greater delusion can there be then for a man to beleeue that of euery Pope that no Pope euer beleeued of himselfe or of any of his successours And shall we notwithstanding all this still halt betwixt two opinions Shall we suffer our selues to be so swallowed vp by the cares of this world that we can haue no leasure to know what belongeth to our saluation Shall wee so melt away in continuall voluptuousnesse that we will not spare one houre to learne which is the right way to true happinesse Shall we so please our selues in wilfull ignorance that we despise the knowledge of truth in matter of religion Doe these things concerne Preachers onely If our fore fathers had been of that minde the troups of holy Martyrs that now gloriously follow their puissant victorious leader the Lord Iesus in triumph would haue beene very thinne Oh that you could see them with your bodily eyes How many blessed Saints should you behold now triumphing in heauen that were as you are not Preachers but ordinary professours of the truth Brethren deceiue not your owne soules cast not your selues away wilfully Are not the people to be saued by the same meanes by which the Preachers are Is not the same faith in the Lord Iesus which must saue the Ministers required of the people also The Lord indeed hath giuen vs speciall charge to studie and know the holy Scriptures to what end think you surely as for our owne comfort so for your instruction The affaires of the world in your seuerall callings draw you away from oppâ—rtunity of studie the Lord in mercy to you hath commanded vs to labour in it that your want may be supplied by oâ—r aboundance Now especially hee looketh for this dutie of vs because he will now especially make tryall of your knowledge and constancy Do you not see many fall dayly on your right hand and on your left It is not your strength but Gods mercifull prouidence that holdeth you vpright he hath graciously vouchsafed to keepe you hetherto from occasion of being seduced he hath afforded you more time yet before the temptation like an armed man shall assault you if you prepare not now for the day of battell the enemy will surprise you are you be aware when you shall not be able to make resistance Many of you scarce know a friend from an enemie you are not able to discerne which be your owne colours It is an easie matter to carry you into the middest of Dothan while you seeke for the Prophet whom you know not if you meete him As he that walketh into the fields where there grow as well poysonous weeds as wholesome herbs if he know not the one from the other may as easily light vpon that which shal kill him as that which shal nourish him So he that is ignorant