that he may abide with you for euer And shall not depart out of thy mouth and out of the mouth of thy seed and out of the mouth of thy seeds seed for euer And for what end That he may teach you all thinges That spirit of truth shall teach you all truth Thirdly he armed it with all power and authority To remit or retaine all sinnes to bind or loose whatsoeuer is to be bound or loosed in earth or in heauen to correct punish with the rod of correction To excommunicate and deliuer vp to Sathā And to determine all questions or controuersies as it should seeme good to the Holy Ghost and it Fourthly he established and cōfirmed it As the pillar and foundation of truth that being in it selfe grounded in truth and also grounding others in the same it should stand so firmely that the gates of hell shall not preuaile against it Fifthly he gaue to it commission and charge to teach all nations and to preach the Ghospell to all creatures Sixtly he gaue vs warrant and security that we might safely heare and obey it He that heareth you heareth me Seauenthly he gaue vs charge and command by precept of obligation that whatsoeuer they shal say to you speaking of the Scribes and Pharisies in Moyses chaire but à fortiori of the Pastours and Prelats in Peters Chaire that doe you Eightly he threats and terrifyes vnder great punishment first of danger and of contempt of himselfe by contemning it He that despiseth you despiseth me Secondly of infidelity and losse of his fauour and grace He that will not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and the Publican Thirdly of hell and damnation for euer He that belieueth not shal be condemned All which doe proue not only an authority and that infallible in the Church to direct and teach vs but also an obligation in vs to obey submit our selues for fayth to the direction and instruction of it And least any should doubt of this Church what it is the holy Ghost explicates the meaning of our Sauiour tells vs that it is Some Apostles some Prophets and other some Euangelists and other some Pastours and Doctours to the consumation of the Saints vnto the worke of the ministery vnto the edifying of the body of Christ vntill we meet all into the vnity of Fayth Which Pastours he will giue vs according to his owne hart who shall feed vs with knowledge doctrine And how shall they feed vs by preaching and proposing to vs the doctrine of fayth for as hearing is a necessary meanes to belieuing How shall they belieue him whome they haue not heard so preaching and proposing what is to be belieued by Church-pastours is necessary to hearing so to belieuing How shall they heare without a Preacher By which is apparently proued the necessity and infallibility of Church authority for a propounding and directing cause in matters of fayth and Religion All which may be confirmed First by authority of holy Fathers among whome I will cyte S. Irenaeus and S. Augustine for the rest Irenaeus that learned Doctour and holy Martyr sayth VVe ought not to seeke among others the truth which we may easily take and receaue from the Church seeing that the Apostles haue most fully layd vp in her all thinges which are of truth that euery man that will may take out of her the drinke of life For which those thinges that are of the Church are with diligence to be loued and the tradition of truth is to be receaued S. Augustine sayth The truth of the Scripture is holden of vs when we do that which pleaseth the vniuersall or whole Church the which is commended by the authority of the Scriptures themselues that because the Holy Scriptures cannot deceaue whosoeuer feareth to be deceaued with the obscurity of this question let him require the iudgement of the Church which without any ambiguity the holy Scripture doth demonstrate In which is affirmed First that all truth is left by the Apostles in the Church not in Scripture only Secondly that the same truth is to be learned and receaued of all by the sayd Church Thirdly that the truth thus receaued is most true and is to be loued and followed of all See more of the Fathers aboue in the first part to whome I add a confirmation out of Luther against himselfe and his followers who sayth that The Church neither can nor ought to teach errours no not in the least thinges since God is the mouth of the Church and as God cannot lye so neither can the Church Secondly by Reason for since of all the rest of the means and rules also of fayth there may be and often is question doubt as for example of the articles which be true which not of reuelation which is reuelation of God which an illusion of the enemy of the motion of the spirit which is of God which of nature which of Sathan of the inclination of the Will which is a pious disposition and which an illuding affectation of tradition which is diuine Apostolicall or Ecclesiasticall which not of Scripture which is true which false of true which is the incorrupted translation which corrupted of the incorrupted trāslation which is the true sense which is false and of the true sense which is to be belieued as fundamentall and necessary which is not to be belieued as fundamentall but only voluntary Of all which since I say there euer hath beene and now is great question contentiō some infallible directing iudge propounding cause is a necessary meane to end these all like controuersies and to settle and resolue vs in the assured certainty of the one or other or els will the contention be euer endlesse and we in our opinions restlesse Among which seeing no other can be assigned but the Church and that God hath giuen so large commission and priuiledge for that end to it as we haue produced it remaines that the Church and Church authority is of all necessary meanes of fayth the most necessary for vs to settle and satisfy vs in the certainty of our diuine fayth And thus much of the order necessity of these six meanes and chiefly of Church-proposition or the Proponent cause How the Protestants want all these six meanes of Fayth SECT III. THE third Consideration is to reflect how that of all these six meanes necessary to diuine fayth the Protestants haue not any one but are defectiue in all These meanes are either External as the credible testimonies which by euidence of reason conuinceth that such a faith is credible and may prudently be belieued and Church proposition which by the credit of authotity assures that the same is true and is to be belieued both which are externall to the person belieuing or Eternall
would haue killed him 2. Before his passion after the raysing of Lazarus to aduise about his apprehension when Caiphas vpon malice aduised his death and as Priest prophesyed of the Iewes saluation by his death 3. At his passion when by false witnes they condemned him as guilty of death and thereupon procured his death In the first the holy Ghost fully assisted them and their Councell that their determination was both true and iust In the second the holy Ghost assisted in part the high Priest in that his verdict of the Iewes saluation by one which verdict proceeded from the guift of prophesy annexed to his Priestly function and in part forsooke him in that is was iniust for that he did vpon malice condemne him In the third the holy Ghost quite forsooke them both in verity of the sentence as falsely accusing Christ of blasphemies and in the iustice of the same as wrongfully condemning him to be worthy of death By which is declared how farre the Priests iudiciary power before Christ did extend it selfe how long it did endure in what manner by degrees it did cease and end out of all is conuinced that neither Prince people or priuate person but the Priest in that tyme had power to decide and iudge all Controuersies of the law of fayth Secondly this authority of Priests and Prelates is proued out of the new Testament and that two wayes 1. By the commission authority which our Sauiour gaue to the Apostles and by their practise of it 2. By the same Commission giuen to the same Apostles not only for themselues and their owne tyme but also for their successours and all tymes ages That our Sauiour gaue this iudiciary power to his Apostles and to them only is proued 1. By the authority and commission he gaue to S. Peter as the head 2. By the same which he gaue to the rest as the principall mēbers and directours of the Church vnder this head To S. Peter as head he first promised it thē he prayed to confirme him in it 1. He promised it in that he promised to make him the foundation of the Church by giuing him the title of a Rocke saying Vpon this Rocke I will build my Church for what a maister is in a house what a gouernour is in a Citty what a King is in a kingdome and what a head is in a body the same is a foundatiō in a building Peter in the Church therefore to Peter was heere promised to be the head the foundation and the Gouernour of his Church 2. In that he promised to make him the Gouernour of the Church in a representatiue manner giuing him keyes of it To thee I will giue the keyes of the Kingdome of heauen For as the deliuering vp the keyes of the Citty to any is a signe of giuing vp the charge and gouernement of it to him so the promise of giuing to Peter the keyes of the kingdome of heauen was a promise of giuing power authority to gouerne as a Iudge the Kingdome of heauen that is his Church 3. In that he gaue him power to bind and loose that is to retaine or remit by way of absoluing or not absoluing to commaund and punish by way of dispensation censure sentence or iudgement not only persons whomesoeuer but also causes whatsoeuer whether of crimes and offences against lawes or in doctrine and opinion against fayth And so the promise was made 1. To the person of S. Peter 2. Of authority to be Iudge and Gouernour 3. In all causes of doctrine or offēces whatsoeuer 4. Christ prayed to his Father for confirmation of this authority vpon S. Peter I prayed for thee that thy fayth faile not and thou once conuerted confirme thy Brethren that is that he might be firme in his fayth and thereby with his power confirme and settle others in the same Out of which Lucius Felix Marcus Leo Agatho Paschalis Popes with S. Bernard after them cited by Bellarmine doe gather the infallibility of S. Peter and the Popes power in iudgment of fayth Lastly Christ inuested S. Peter in this authority and iurisdiction when he gaue him commission and charge to feed his sheep Feed my Sheep feed my Lambes in which he gaue authority to Peter singularly as to one whō he calls Simon the sonne of Iohanna and from whome in particuler he drawes before hand a triple confession of his singular loue to him aboue the rest He giues also him authority to feed that is to exercise all pastorall charge and function which requires 1. That he feed with spirituall food all his sheep within the fold of his holy Church according to Ezechiel Are not the flocks fed of the Pastours And Psalm 22.1 Our Lord doth gouerne me in greeke feed me nothing shal be wāting to me he hath placed me there in a place of pasture 2. That he cure the sheep that are sore gather those who are dispersed reduce them that wander and defend those who are assaulted by the wolues according to that of Ezechiel And my sheep were dispersed because there was no Pastour and they came to be deuoured of the beastes of the field and were dispersed My flockes haue wandered in all mountaines and in euery high hill That which was lost I will seeke that which was cast away I will bring againe and that which was broken I will bind vp and that which was weake I will strengthen and that which was fat and stronge I will feed them in iudgment 3. That he rule gouerne discerne iudge and chastise according to that of Scripture Thou shalt feed that is gouerne my people Israel and be Captaine ouer Israel Thou shalt rule them in an iron rod. Behould I iudge betweene beast and beast of Rams and of Bucke goates Betweene the fat beast and the leane Out of which is apparent 1. That our Sauiour gaue to S. Peter in these wordes feed my sheep a pastorall charge ouer al his sheep that is all Christians who are the sheep of Christ 2. That this pastorall charge consists in collecting curing directing defending and iudging these sheep of Christ 3. That Peter by this charge had power to preach minister Sacraments correct offenders and iudge of all doctrine as chiefe head and Gouernour in the Church of Christ And so it is conuinced that this iudiciary authority was giuen to S. Peter as head of the rest That the same was giuen also to the rest of the Apostles is proued because as Christ did communicate to his Apostles power and authority which was proper to himselfe to forgiue sinnes VVhose sinnes you forgiue in earth shal be forgiuen in heauen and to offer Sacrifice Do this So also to the same did he communicate these priuiledges proper to himselfe that as he was Maister of all One is your Maister Christ so also he made them Maisters
not only of Infants but also of Nations that they should teach all Nations As he was light of men so they should be the light of the world As he gaue testimony to the truth so they should giue testimony and be witnesses of him to the end of the earth That as the Father did sanctify him so he prayed to his Father to sanctify them As he was sent by his Father into the world so he sent them As by a voice from heauen it was sayd of him heare him so by his owne mouth he sayd of them he that heareth you heareth me The Apostles therefore were appointed for Maisters specially sanctifyed made the light of the world ordained witnesses of his truth sent with authority and commission as himselfe was for that end that they should be heard and obeyed as himselfe was and the same power they receaued from him not only themselues challenged and practised after him and with him but also their Successours after them and with them For as Christ was giuen a light of the Nations so they sayth S. Luke were also the light of the nations As the spirit of God was on him to euangelize to the poore so God chose them sayth S. Luke that the Gentils by their mouth should heare the word of the Ghospell and belieue As he did reconcile the world to himselfe so he sayth S. Paul placed in them the word of reconciliation As he came an Embassadour from his Father to be a messenger of iudgment to the world so sayth S. Paul we are Legates for Christ. As our Sauiour sayd of himselfe He that is God doth heare the wordes of God therefore you heare not because you are not of God so doth S. Iohn say of them He that knoweth God heareth vs and he that is not of God heareth vs not Therefore as Christ thought it no robbery to be equal to his Father in diuinity so they thought it no iniury to him to be in some sort participant with him in his power and authority And that Christ gaue this authority to the Apostles not only for themselues and their owne time but also for their successors and for all ages so that it is to reside and remaine in the Pastours and prelates of holy Church their successors continually till the end of the world is euident for if he haue this authority as necessary for the peace and gouernement of his Church and if the Church stand as great need of it in all ages as in that time of the Apostles as it is certaine it doth then without doubt it was as well giuen to the Pastours of the future tymes of the Church as to them of the present for which end Christ sayth S. Paul gaue some Apostles some Prophets some Euangelists some Pastours and Doctours and for what end For the consummation or perfection of Saints that is of all faythfull for the worke of the ministery to teach his truth for the edification and propagation of his body to conserue and increase his Church for the vnity of fayth vntill all concurre in one least men be wauering and vncertaine in faith like little ones least they be carryed with euery wind of doctrine least they be circumuented by craftines in errour All which dangers as they remaine in all tymes so the remedy prepared against them must remaine for all tymes Whereupon S. Peter did not only himselfe exercise this authority but at his departure gaue the same to the Pastours of Pontus Galatia and Bythinia to whome he writ his Epistles willing them to feed the flocke of God which is among them S. Paul did not only practise it himselfe but also left it to the Pastors of Ephesus to rule the Church of God To Titus to ordaine Priests through all Citties in Creet as he had disposed To Timothy to commend to faithfull men what he had heard of him and willed the conuerted Iewes to obey their Gouernours and be subiect to them because they watch as being to giue an account of their soules Whereupon not of the Apostles only but of all Pastours and only of Pastours it is sayd My spirit which is in thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed frō this present for euer What is this word my spirit which is in thee but to compare the prophesy and the performance the Paraclete the spirit of truth which the Father will giue to you What are the wordes in thy mouth but the wordes and vnderstanding which thou Father gauest to me I gaue to them and they receaued of me What is thy seed and seeds seed but those who are to belieue by their word in me What is from this tyme for euer but that I will be with you euen to the consummation of the world And so doth the prediction of the Prophet concurre with the performance of our Sauiour To all Pastours and only of Pastours it is sayd Sonnes are borne to thee for thy fathers and thou shalt make them Princes ouer all the earth that is according to S. Augustine for Apostles thou shalt haue Prelates To al Pastours and only to Pastours it is sayd He that heares you heares me And He that knowes God heares vs and he that is not of God heares vs not That is sayth S. Cyprian all Gouernours who by subordination succeed the Apostles Because sayth S. Augustin In the chaire of vnity he hath placed the doctrine of verity Of al and to all Pastours it is sayd How shall they preach except they be sent No man assumes to himself honour but he that is called of God as Aaron To all and only of Pastours it is sayd If he heare not the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and Publican that is sayth Chrysostome and Theophilact if he heare not the Pastours of the Church And if he be worthy to be esteemed so who despises them that admonish him of his fault much more worthy is he to be deemed so who despises him who instructs him in fayth To all and only Pastours it is sayd That the gates of hell shall not preuaile against the Church In so much that all the promises of Church-stability and perpetuity in fayth cōsists chiefly in this infallible authority of the Pastours who are to instruct in fayth direct in fayth and to iudge of fayth and what promises are made to the Church are made chiefly to the Pastours as the principall partes of it and by thē to the rest as inferiour To them therefore is giuen the word of reconciliation the dispensation of the mysteries the function of Embassages the
testimony of truth to all Nations They are the Fathers who beget spirituall children by the preaching of the word who nourish them with the food of the Sacraments who rule them by good lawes and discipline and who defend them with their spirituall power authority They only haue the Keyes of the house of Dauid which they shall open and none shut The keyes of the Kingdome of heauen against which hell-gates shall not preuaile and the kingly Priesthood All because in and by their priestly function and authority Christ doth forgiue sinnes doth reconcile to him the world doth make lawes doth exercise his power and establish his kingdome of heauen and doth raigne in the house of Iacob for euer And thus is the iudiciary authority of the Church in the Pastours and Prelates of it lawfully ordained and peaceably vnited proued by the testimony of holy Scripture The same is further proued by the practise of the Church in all tymes and ages for when any Controuersy did arise any new opinion did start vp or any practise was doubtful and questioned the decision and iudgment was referred neither to the whole body of all belieuers nor to the Princes Kinges and Emperours the chiefe Protectours of the Church not to the Lay-people the greatest number in the Church not to the Scripture written word only which is a rule not properly a Iudge in the Church but to the chiefe Pastours and Prelates the Directours Gouernours of the Church who collected togeather in some Councell either prouinciall which sufficed in cases where the cause was either not important or other could not be collected or generall which was gathered when the cause was great the aduersaries potent and the assembling conuenient had the hearing examining and iudging of the cause referred to them and did censure the persons and put a finall determination to the cause question Thus we read that the question about the obseruation of Legall Ceremonies was determined in the Councell of the Apostles at Hierusalem The Controuersy about the obseruation of Easter on the 14. day as the Iewes vsed or the Sunday after as is now by Christians vsed was by diuers Councels decided as at Rome vnder Pope Victor at Hierusalem vnder Narcissus in France vnder Irenaeus in Pontus vnder Palma at Corinth vnder Bachillus and lastly at Nice vnder Pope Syluester Thus was the Nouatians and their sect denying pennance and absolution to them who failed in persecution condemned by the Prelates and Bishops of Italy at Rome of France at Arles and of Africke at Carthage Thus was Sabellius and his heresy denying the Trinity of persons condemned by the Prelates of Aegypt at Alexandria The Donatists and their schisme denying the validity of Baptisme ministred by Heretikes cōdemned at Rome Arles and Carthage and other places by the Bishops of the same Countryes Paulus Samosetanus and his errour affirming Christ to be pure man was condemned by the Bishops of Asia in two Synodes at Antioch Thus were the Manicheans condemned at Ancyra the Archontickes at Neocaesaria Eustachius at Gangra in Armenia Priscillianus at Toledo in Spaine Pelagius in Palestina Melitum Carthage Constantinople And Macedonius Apollinaris Photinus Sabellius Eunomius at Rome Berengarius at Vercells and Rome Luther and his fellowes at Ments Treuers and Colen in Germany and Macline Cambray and other places in the low-Countryes All which and many more were censured and iudged by the Bishops called in Synodes Prouinciall In like manner by the Prelates collected in generall Councells were censured and iudged the causes of greater heresies and contentions As that of Arius in the first Coūcell of Nice and the diuinity of Christ defended That of Macedonius in the second generall at Constantinople and the deity of the Holy Ghost confirmed That of Nestorius in the third generall at Ephesus and the vnity of one diuine person in Christ decreed That of Eutiches in the fourth generall Councell of Chalcedon and the verity of two natures in Christ concluded That of Peter and Seuerus of Antioch Petrus of Apamea Cyrus of Edessa Anthymius Acatius of Constātinople in the fifth generall at Constantinople and their persons with Origens errours condemned That of Cyrus of Alexandria Sergius Pyrrhus and Paulus of Constantinople and their Monothelite heresy of one will in Christ in the sixth generall at Constantinople condemned and the two wills in Christ determined That of Leo and Copronymus Emperours and the Image-breakers with them in the seauenth at Nice censured and the worship of Images defended That of Photius and the deniers of the procession of the holy Ghost from the Sonne in the eight generall at Constantinople reiected and Ignatius the Patriarch confirmed All which were in the Greeke Church In the latin and West Church Bishops also proceeded and iudged in the generall Councels as in the ninth and tenth generall at Lateran against the Sarazens and Anti-popes vnder Calixtus II. and Innocent II. In the eleuenth and twelfth also of Lateran against the Waldenses and Ioachim the Abbot vnder Alexander the III. and Innocent III. In the thirtenth fourtenth of Lyons against Fredericke the Emperour and the errour of the Greeks vnder Innocent IV. and Gregory the X. In the fifteenth at Vienna against the Begards and others vnder Clement the V. In the sixteenth at Florence against the Greeks vnder Eugenius the IV. In the seauenteenth at Lateran vnder Leo the X. against Schismatikes And lastly in the last at Trent vnder Paul III. Iulius the III. and Pius the IV. against the Lutherans all Heretikes of late In all which and others examination was made and iudgment giuen not by Princes Lay-people or the whole body of the Cleargy but only by Bishops and Prelates the chiefe Pastours of the Church who only and not the former were as appeares by authority of Scripture and the continued practise of the Church the true authenticall and infallible Iudges of controuersies of Fayth and Religion The priuate spirit cannot be this Iudge SECT VII IT remaynes to proue that this infallible and authenticall authority to iudge of controuersies of Fayth neither doth nor can reside in euery particuler faythfull person nor that the priuate spirit of euery one which is heer intended can be a competent Iudge of all controuersies of Religion This is conuinced by diuers proofes drawne from diuers heades The first proofe is drawne from the former reasons which disproue this authority to reside either in Princes or in the lay-people or the whole community of all faythfull belieuers for all the reasons which proue against them and their spirit proue much more against euery priuate person and this spirit in particuler The second proofe is drawne from the former reasons which proue this authority to be communicated only to the Prelates and chiefe Pastours of the Church for if the spirit of God
but to belieue what euery one will and best likes to reiect what he will not belieue or doth dislike him and so to make euery one 's owne will conceit or affection the rule of his fayth and beliefe Thirdly it followes that euery Protestant is not only as sure of his own saluation as he is of Christs that he cānot be damned except Christ be damned which Luther Caluin Zuinglius expresly though absurdly hold but also that he is as iust holy as any Confessour Martyr Apostle or the Mother of God yea euen as Iesus Christ himself For sith all are iust according to them not by any iustice internall and inherent in the soule but externall and imputed by Fayth which fayth apprehending the iustice of Christ which was in him makes it the iustice of euery one in particuler for which he is accounted iust it followes that this iustice of Christ which is equally imputed to all the iust doth equally couer all sins maks equally iust all persons yea all as iust as Iesus Christ whose iustice is theirs and with whose iustice they are equally couered and thereby counted equally iust before God Whence ensues that all are as iust at the first instance of their iustification as Christ was both at first and euer till his ascension and that they cannot increase in iustice be made more iust and iustified still because from the first instant of their iustification they haue all the iustice imputed to them which Christ had euer inherent till his ascension in him are as iust at the first as he euer was at first or last Which though absurd senselesse and impious yet it hath not wanted expresse defenders among them as Luther who affirmed all faythfull to be as iust as Peter Paul our B. Lady and all Saints As Bucer who affirmed euery minister to be as iust as was S. Iohn Baptist then whome was not by the testimony of our Sauiour a greater among the borne of women And Zuinglius who affirmes that God fauours no lesse euery faythfull Christian then he doth Christ himselfe and that euery one hath as great right to heauen as Christ hath Fourthly it followes that not only all faythfull Christians but that all people whether good or bad Iewes o◠Gentils Christians or Pagans yea all who euer haue liued or euer shall liue in this world shal be all saued as sure as Christ is saued This is deduced out of the Protestant doctrine two wayes first out of diuers their positions which by many of them chiefly by Caluin are belieued and taught as 1. That only fayth doth iustify and that it being once had cannot be lost 2. That this fayth is promised to all faythfull and their seed as it was to Abraham and his seed that therefore all the children of the faythfull are sanctifyed in their Mothers wombe as being within the Couenant made to their Parents and their seed as Caluin stifly maintaines 3. That the Sacraments and chiefly Baptisme are seales or signes of fayth and so are to be ministred only to the faithfull and the children of the faythfull for which Farellus at Geneua refused to baptize a child whose parents were Papists and Caluin approued the fact 4. That therfore the children of the faythfull shal be saued though they neuer be baptized as the English Catechisme teachs because they are borne of faithfull Parents so are in the couenāt and sanctifyed before they be borne If al this should be true it would follow that because the couenant and promise of fayth and saluation was made for example to Abraham and his seed that because Abraham had fayth was sealed with the signe of fayth was iust by Fayth must continue in fayth and was saued by fayth that therefore his seed Ismael and Isaac and as Isaac so his seed Iacob and Esau and as Iacob so all his seed all the twelue Patriarches his sonnes were likewise included in the couenant were all borne of faythfull parents all sanctifyed in their Mothers wombe all sealed as faythfull with the Circumcision the signe of faith all made iust by fayth all continued in the same fayth and so all saued in heauen by vertue of that fayth And as they so their seed and children and their childrens children from generation to generation must be likewise included in the Couenant be likewise sanctifyed in their Mothers wombe be likewise sealed with the signe of the Couenant or Circumcision be likewise iust by fayth continue iust in fayth and be likewise saued by fayth And the same which it inferred of Iacob and his children and childrens children vnto the worldes end may also be inferred and auouched truly either more generally of Adam and all his posterity or more particulerly of any one faythfull and his posterity for euer For if Adam and Eue or this particular faythfull person were faythfull iust and saued then their children after them and their childrens children for euer were likewise faythfull iust and saued because as the Parents had the promise of fayth made to themselues and their children so their children were borne sanctifyed of these faythfull parents were sealed with the signe of fayth Circumcision or Baptisme were made iust continued iust by fayth were saued as iust by fayth and as these children so also all their children and childrens children by the same reason were all included in the couenant or promise of Fayth were al born sanctifyed by fayth were all to be sealed with the signe of fayth were all made iust by fayth all cōtinued iust by fayth so are all saued by fayth and so all the posterity of Adam Nati natorum quotquot nascentur abillis as they were included in the promise of fayth made to their parents and them and therby were all faithfull and continued and ended all faythfull so were they all saued By which it should follow also not only that all the whole world should be saued and none damned but also that fayth iustification and saluation should descend by inheritance from generation to generatiō as Landes should by entayle which cannot by any fine or recouery be cut off sold or lost And as they are all thus faythfull iust by fayth apprehending the iustice of Christ and had the iustice of Christ equally imputed to them for their iustice so are they all equally iust as iustifyed by the same iustice of Christ and all equally iust with Christ as hauing the same iustice theirs which was Christs and so are all iust and perfect as any Saint or Christ are all as certaine of saluation as any Saint or Christ and shal be all as blessed in heauen as is any Saint or Christ with whome as they had the same iustice in earth so for the same they shall haue the like glory in heauen Which absurdity as of all absurdities it is most absurd so doth it follow out of the
and cleane and bright like to heauen Secondly how can they in the first petition say Hallowed be thy name and hope that they by true loue honour and obedience to God can sanctify and make holy his name by their life and actions who belieue that euery action they do euen the best they can do is a sinne and that mortall damnable Surely to pray that by actions which are prophane we may sanctify Gods name that by workes which are offences to God we may please God that by deedes which are damnable and deserue hell we may prayse God and deserue heauen is a prayer not only so hoplesse as it is not possible but also senslesse that no reasonable man can be imagined to make it Thirdly how can they wih confidence say Thy kingdome come that is that Christ may raigne as a King either in his Church by fayth or in the faythfull by grace or in heauē by glory who belieue and professe that Christ was not able to preserue his Church for so many ages togeather without errour of Antichristianity and Idolatry no not so much as in extancy or visibility nor yet hath power by grace so to raigne in any his seruants as to maister any sin or temptation to sin or to performe any one commandement or to do any one action which is iust and not sinnefull Surely weake is that King poore is that Kingdome where neither the King hath power to protect his subiects from the inuasion of the enemy nor the subiect hath ability to performe any action which may tend to the honour and seruice of the King Againe what needes any man to pray that either Christ may raigne in him by grace present or that he may raigne with Christ in glory to come who is certaine and sure by his speciall fayth as all Protestants say they are that both he is for the present in state of Gods fauour and also shal be for the future in state of glory in heauen Surely he that belieues this needs not to pray either for pardon of sinnes which he is sure are pardoned or for his obtaining heauen which he is sure to obtaine Fourthly how can any one in the third Petition say Thy will be done in earth as it is in heauen Vnderstanding that Gods will should by vs be performed in doing good deedes and auoiding bad that we should conforme our selues to the will of God both in the materiall obiect by doing that which he will haue done and in the formall by doing it both for the end and after the manner as he will haue it done who belieues 1. That man hath no freedome or power to worke the will of God 2. That Gods will is wrought in euery action as well bad as good 3. That the will of God in performing his commandements is impossible 4. That good workes in this life are neither meritorious nor necessary nor yet possible 5. That in earth euery man and euery action of his is sinnefull and vncleane and in heauen euery Saint Angell and euery action of theirs is good pure and perfect For as it is needlesse to pray that Gods will be performed which ineuitably shal be performed both in good and bad actions in which man hath no liberty or power so it is bootlesse to pray that men may either be freed from sinne or may do good workes or may fullfill Gods commandements or may do his will in earth as Saints and Angels do it in heauē because according to their beliefe all this in this life is impossible and neither euer was nor euer shal be by any at any tyme performed In vaine therefore is it for vs to pray that we may conforme our selues to the will of God either in the affirmatiue precept in doing that which he commaunds or in the negatiue precept in omitting that which he forbids either in the materiall obiect in doing what he commands or in the formall in doing how and why he commands sith both and all are either necessary and so must be done or impossible and so cannot be done Fifthly how can any man say Giue vs our dayly bread Vnderstanding either of temporall sustenance for the reliefe of the body or of Sacramentall food the body and bloud of Christ who belieues either that the decree will and ordinance of God doth impose an infallible and an ineuitable necessity vpon all things whereby all thinges necessary wil be prouided for vs as God hath ordayned without our prayer or that the Eucharist is not the true body and bloud of Christ but only a figure or signe of it because the beliefe of the former takes away all necessity of praying for temporall sustenance and the misbeliefe of the latter opposes all desire of the supersubstantiall bread of the body of Christ in the Eucharist Sixthly how can any man with confidence say Forgiue vs our trespasses as we forgiue them that trespasse against vs Vnderstanding by trespasses his debts or sinnes by forgiue remit or take away the same For if Fayth be precedent and presupposed to prayer as it is for els how can we as we ought with fayth and confidence aske and pray and the same faith as they say doth assure vs by a certaine and infallible perswasion that our sinnes are already forgiuen or not imputed then surely in vaine needlesse yea foolish is our petition to haue them remitted or not imputed 2. If euery good worke be a sinne as they defend and that mortall then by sinne and that mortall such as is the saying though neuer so deuoutly of this prayer and petition is sinne remitted and so comitting of sinne should be a meanes to obtaine remissiō of sinne which is most absurd as though the committing of a new offence should be a motiue to pardon the old 3. If no sinne be remitted in this life but only couered and not imputed then in vaine and hoplesse is our prayer for remission and taking away our sinnes as of a thing impossible and needlesse and bootlesse is our prayer for the not imputation of the same because as before in the elect they are already not imputed in the reprobate they neuer shal be imputed either therefore fruitlesse and hopelesse as a thing impossible is the remitting and taking away of our sinnes or needlesse fearelesse as a thing certaine is the not imputation of the same by this petition demanded sith the one is impossible to be obtained and the other is certainly already possessed and enioyed needlesse therefore or hopelesse is this petition of forgiuenes of our sinnes by their principles Seauenthly how can any man with confidence in the sixt petition say Lead vs not into temptation that is into no danger or occasion of sinne into no consent or act of sinne to to come who belieues 1. That God wills and workes all sinnes and occasions of sinnes 2. That as he hath already decreed so euery action and
all and because they haue none they affirme that none are now wrought or if any be wrought that they are false feygned or diabolicall For Holinesse of life they confesse it to be so far from them that as Luther confesseth Men are dayly worse being possessed now with seauen Diuells more then before yea with whole troupes of Diuells and are more couetous crafty cruell and wicked then when they were Papists And the like is confessed by Caluin Musculus and others cyted by Becanus and the Protestants Apology If we seeke for Vniuersality they are ashamed to stile themselues by the name Catholike which is vniuersall but by the name of Protestant or for distinction of Protestants by the name Lutheran Caluinist or the like Vniuersality of place they cannot challenge because their doctrine neuer extended out of the limits of a few Northern countryes in Europe nor euer entred Africa Asia or America Vniuersality of tyme they cannot chalenge because their Church had its first being but about an hundred yeares agoe and this so apparently that we can nominate the yeare when the authour who the place where the opinions what the mantainers and abetters by whome this doctrine had first being in the world and the opposers who at first did yet continue to gainsay it so as they disclaime expresly from this marke not only denying it to be any marke of the Church but also confessing that their Church was according to some of them seauen hundred to others a thousand to others twelue hundred to others foureteene hundred yeares euer from Christ as before is proued either not at all or altogether latent and inuisible If we seeke for Succession of Ordination from the Apostles they either beg it from the Romā Church which they account Antichristian or els take vp a new one at their owne handes and are Prelates and Pastours of their owne creation and for want of ordinary vocation from Christ are content with an extraordniary of their owne inuention By which and much more for breuity omitted is euident that all testimonyes of credibility sufficient to make their doctrine seeme probable and worthy of credit are wanting to them and their Church 2. That the Protestants want the two externalll meanes of fayth which is Church-infallible proposition by which they should be assured confirmed in the certainty of their diuine reuelation mysteries reuealed in the certainty of their spirit and motions by it and in the certainty of their Scripture and meaning of it is proued because whether we take the Church Authoritatiue for the chiefe Pastours and Prelates by whose authority it is gouerned or Representatiue for the general Councels in which the whole body in the assembly of Bishops is represented or Collectiue for the whole multitude of all faythfull belieuers through the whole world dispersed Take it I say in which of these senses you will in all which it is the true Church of God and of infallible authority yet in none of these doe the Protestants receaue any infallible direction or confirmation frō it For if we respect their Pastours and Prelates they are not directed by them or obedient in fayth to them but by the liberty and priuiledge of their spirit euery priuate person hath authority to censure and iudge them If we respect generall Councells they disclaime all as before is proued or if they approue any it is so farre as their Decrees do agree with the fancy of their spirit to which they subiect them and so longe as they are pleased to obserue what is commāded by them in which they will be free without obligation to obey them If we respect the whole body of the Church they in their generall Tenents doe generally hould that it may erre and faile in doctrine and fayth and for practise do boldly affirme that for many ages it hath fallen and failed not only in doctrine of Idolatry superstition and heresy but also in very extancy and being of a Church as hauing beene inuisible not extant but dead buried and corrupted for so many ages togeather as in the first part is proued and thus they cut off al infallible authority of Church proposition which more then the other meanes they do in plaine tearmes expresly reiect and condemne 3. That the Protestants want the first internall means of Faith that is a pious disposition or inclination to belieue what is proposed by the Church as reuealed by God is proued because as a pious inclination of the will moued by the grace of God doth apply and determine the Vnderstanding of a willing and well disposed person either to labour and seeke out such motiues testimonies as do make the truth of Religion seeme probable or to assent to such as are already proposed vnto it so the obstinate disposition of a willful Protestant doth refuse to giue any credit or beliefe to any reasons though neuer so euident or to any definition of the Church though euery way most certaine but resolues with out amendement to persist in his preiudicate opinion notwithstanding any reason or authority to the contrary By which his obstinacy 1. He fals into heresy by willfully following his owne opinion which he chooses and carelesly contēning the authority of the Church in that it defines 2. He looseth his fayth which he receaued in Baptisme fals into infidelity partaking with Heretikes 3. He belieues no articles of fayth to which he assentes though truly firmly and for the testimony of God by any diuine and Catholike fayth which depends vpon an infallible meane that is Church proposing authority but by humane fayth wholy relying and lastly resoluing his beliefe eyther vpon the authority of some deceauing maister or vpon the testimony of some wrested Scripture or vpon the euidency of some deluding notes and markes or vpon the seeming apparency of his owne spirit and conceit 4. He separates himselfe from the vnion of the body of Christ from the benefit of the merits of his passion from the communion of his Saints both in earth and heauen and from all participation of hope of glory in Gods Kingdome to come so remaines as a dead member cut from the body as a dry bough deuided from the tree as a darke glimse of light separated from the Sunne as a small streame stopped from the current of the fountaine all which as they do presently decay and dry or come to nothing so he 4. That the Protestants want the two internall meanes and help of Fayth that is the infused and permanent guift of fayth inherent in the Vnderstanding and both enabling and illuminating it to the producing of the act of diuine supernaturall fayth is proued Because Protestants who hold that Fayth doth iustify and that Iustification is not by any inherent guif and quality but by the extrinsecall fauour of God not imputing our sinnes vnto vs
and the Parlament ordaines all which are against vnity and certainty of al faith and religioÌ„ Lastly it would follow that for 300. years after Christ wheÌ„ the Emperours were pagan and not Christian either pagans must be iudges and deciders of the true sense of scripture and of all controuersies of faith or that there was for that time no iudge of them at al also when Princes become hereticks as Constantius and Valens did or Apostata's as Iulian did that either true Christians should be obliged to obey and follow Pagans Apostata's as iudges and vmpiers of their faith or else that they by falling into heresy or apostacy should loose their regall power and authority and subiects should be freed from their duty and obedience to them None of which our Protestants will admit as being indeed too too absurd The Lay-people cannet be this Iudge SECT IIII. FOVRTHLY that this infallible authority is not in the lay people and priuate persons of the Church is proued 1. Because they want knowledge and vnderstanding to discusse and penetrate either the articles which are belieued or the meanes for which they are to be belieued as being for the most part men simple and vnlearned for which cause they were neuer admitted to any Councels as Arbitrators or Iudges of faith but alwaies directed by their Pastours in their obedience to faith 2. Because they haue no warrant or commission giuen them for this end either expressed in any Scripture or approued by any Tradition or practise of the Church or mentioned by any testimony of Fathers or Councels therfore are not to assume or exercise it till they proue it 3. Because of al sortes they are the most fallible vncertaine and vnconstant in their opinions and practises and therfore are left alwayes to be ruled ordered as the people are in the temporall common-wealth not to rule and gouerne as Magistrates and Iudges 4. Because it would follow that all should be Iudges Pastours to determine none should be subiects to obey or sheepe to be fed that the Church gouernment should be Democraticall of people which of all is the worst that euery maÌ„ should haue a religion of his owne without any vnion with any or subordination to any that the people should preach and minister Sacraments as well as Priests or Prelates should excommunicate censure and punish one another as well as Bishops make decrees for faith and manners as wel as Councels In respect of all which inconueniences and absurdities which are so many testimonies against this authority of the people our Sauiour did speake to the people in parables and without parables he did not speake to them but to the Apostles and Pastours he gaue knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdome of heauen To the people he spake of things easy and publicke as their sins and vices vertues good life but to the Apostles and that separated from the people of his death resurrection the holy Ghost the day of iudgment and such like mysteries With the people he did conuerse before his death not after his resurrection he manifested not himselfe to all the people but to the Apostles as Pastours and witnesses preordained of God he appeared after his resurrectioÌ„ did eate and drinke with them and commaunded them only not the vulgar sort to preach to the people To the people it is said Obey your Prelats be subiect to them but to the Pastours take heed to the whole flocke wherin the holy Ghost hath placed you Bishops to rule the Church of God To the people it is said suffer the cockle to grow but to the Pastours take away the euil one from among your selues To the people it is said do that which they the Pastours say but to the Pastours He who heareth you heareth me and he that knoweth God heareth vs. By heaâ—ing of them is knowne which is the spirit of truth which of errour Of the people it is said How shall they belieue him whome they haue not heard how shall they heare without a preacher But of the Pastours How shall they preach vnlesse they be sent All which conuince that our Sauiour intended to make the people not Pastours but sheep not rulers but subiects not iudges to commaund but seruants to obey in matters of faith and religion The Scripture cannot be this Iudge SECT V. FIFTLY That the scripture cannot be this iudge to determyne and end al controuersies is proued 1. Because this scripture in respect of vs requires a iudge it selfe to determine and assure vs which is true Canon true originall text true translation true sense the rest as before therefore to vs it cannot be a iudge 2. Because all or the greatest difficulties all or the maynest questions and all oâ— the hoatest contentioÌ„s which haue passed either among Catholike Doctours or betweene Catholicks and Hereticks are about the scripture and the sense of it none of which scripture it selfe could euer yet end and decide without some other iudge and vmpier plainly to pronounce sentence in the cause and immediatly vnder punishment to oblige the parties to belieue and obey the sentence 3. Because the scripture is mute dumbe vnable to speake heare or pronounce sentence and is apt not only to be lost alteted and corrupted as de facto it hath beene but also to be drawne wrested and interpreted to contrary senses and opinions by any sort of interpreters in any cause and question as the lamentable practise of so many hundred of heresies hereticks in all ages doth witnesse 4. Because the scripture in it selfe is neither cleare and euident nor doth euidently and expresly containe and declare all the senses of it selfe all the mysteries of beliefe all the questions of controuersies all doubtes in diuinity many things being both now by Protestants and Catholicks belieued and hauing beene by all faithfull in all ages practised which neither for practise were grouÌ„ded vpoÌ„ only scripture nor for the doctrine of theÌ„ are expressed in any scripture 5. Because many haue beene conuerted to faith without any reading or knowledge of scripture many controuersies haue beene decided without any sentence of scripture many faithfull haue liued in the world and beene directed in their faith before any writing of scripture As for example all in the old Law for 3000. yeares before Moyses all in the new law for a good time after the sending of the holy Ghost dispersion of the Apostles and many nations after Christ for 200. years who witnesse Irenaeus neuer did see nor heare of the bible and many thousands of saints and soules who did neuer see read heare or vnderstand any Scripture at all and yet did liue holily in earth and do raigne gloriously in heauen 6. In the scripture are two things the letter and the sense as the body the soule The letter according to S. Augustine doth kill that
his grace and to man also and that the other doth as much derogate and take away all honour and giue all dishonour to the same Which that we may the better vnderstand we may coÌ„ceaue how the Diuell that Rebell against God and the enemy of man as he labours by all meanes to auert man froÌ„ the loue of God and to conuert him to the loue of the creature so his chiefe desire is to depriue God of his honour due to him and to deriue the same to his creatures thereby to draw man to an affectation of Deity to rob God of his honour and to giue it to man Thus in paradise he perswaded our first Parents that they should be as Gods as himselfe had before in heauen attempted to be like to the highest For this end this Pluto or Lucifer of his Proserpina that is Infidelity his spouse begat two daughters the first and eldest is Idolatry the next and second Heresy Idolatry he begat in the law of Nature which raigned long from soone after Adam vntill some yeares after Christ Heresy he begat in the law of Grace which presently after Christ rebelled and sought to tyranyze against Christs Church Idolatry insteed of one God made many and the true honour of one God diuided to many false Gods Heresy insteed of one fayth introduceth many false opinions diuides the vnity of Christs Church in many sects Idolatry was ingendred as snakes of dunge out of the corruption of vertue and piety and out of the increase of lust ambition and cruelty Heresy in like manner sprung vp out of disobedience pride and lust being like as one egge is to another to Idolatry of one Viper begat another of one Heresy many till at length a whole brood and sinke full of viperous Heresies burst out and infected a great part of the Christian world When therefore by the light of iustice Christ Iesus Idolatry the elder sister with her the long night of Pagan darknesse was expelled according to that of Apollo Me puer Hebraeus diuos Deus ipse gubernans cedere sede iubet tristemue redire sub arcâ—m and the true light of Christian verity piety shined in the Church of Christ then began the second sister Heresy as an obscure mist to couer the sunne of true fayth and to bring in a new darkenes of nouell and erroneous opinions into the Church of God And as Heresy is a kind of idolatry both being vipers of one venter or rather idolatry it selfe for so do S. Cyprian Tertullian Hierome Augustine and other Fathers expresly tearme it because not only the authour but the worke being all one and the same Heresy doth frame out of mans braine a new Idoll of false opinions and proposes them as diuine reuelations from God whereby it either detracts from Christ and his truth which is simple totall and indiuisible some point of verity or els addes to the same some falsity in the same manner as Idolatry takes from God his true deity and honour due only to him and giues the same to man to whom no deity or Godhead is due so this heresy following the stepps of Idolatry hath in this our late age made the same manner of beginning progresse as Idolatry did in the first age Wherefore it will not be amisse to obserue the manner and to compare the progresse and fruit of both First therefore Idolatry the first borne of Satans imps the greatest enemy of God hauing raised vpon earth a generall commotion and rebellion against the only true God and Lord of heauen and earth and wrought in man a conceit of deity and an affectation of the diuine excellency thereby to depriue God of his only and all due honour and to deriue the same vnto man his creature and vassall did first feine in the mindes of men an imagination that before the world was made all was a Chaos that this Chaos made to it selfe finem fundum a depth a bottome like an egge which being sitten and hatched brought forth a man-woman called Planeta this man woman broughr forth substance motion and generation of these was begot Caelum and Terra Heauen and Earth Heauen begat six men called Titans that is Oceanus Ceus Tyus Hyperion Iapetus and Cronus who was Saturne The earth begat six women Thya Rhea Themis Mnemosyna Thetis and Hebe which marrying one to another of Saturne and Rhea were borne Pluto Neptune and Iupiter Saturne receauing from some Oracle that he should be expulsed by his sonnes deuoured Pluto and Neptune intended to haue done the like to all his male children but Rhea to saue Iupiter gaue a stone insteed of the child to be eaten by Saturne which stone being deuoured thrust out of Saturns belly Pluto Neptune the one into Hell the other into the Sea wherby they were made Gods Pluto of Hell and Neptune of the Sea and Iupiter being sent by Rhea his mother to Heauen was made the God of heauen Thus were Saturne and Rhea made parents of Gods and Iupiter the chiefe God this Iupiter was notorious first for cruelty for he not only killed his Vncles the Titans and deuoured his daughter Medea and tormented his sonnes Tantalus and Titius but also butchered and tormented his owne Father Saturne secondly for lust he passed so farre that by incest of his owne sisters Iuno and Ceres he begot of Iuno Vulcan the God of Smithes and of Ceres Proserpina the Queene of Hell as likewise out of his owne braine he begat Minerua and out of his thigh Bacchus Also by adultery of other mens wiues he begat Mercury of Maie the wife of Atlant Apollo and Diana of Latona the wife of Cea the graces Thalia Euphrosine and Aglia of Hermion the wife of Cleanus Eudimion of Phenissa the wife of Alphion Musaeus of Helena the wife of Pandion with many others Not thus content he transformed himselfe into diuers shapes as of an husband and begat of Alcmena Hercules and of Cassiopeia Andromedes of a Sheepheard and begat of Mnemosyna the nine Muses of a Satyre and begat of Anthiope Amphion Zetas of an Eagle and begat of Egina Eacus of a Vulture and begat of a Nymphe the Palisci in Sicily of a Swanne begat of Hellen Leda and of a Goose Nemesis like a Bull he begat of Europa Minous Rhadamantus Sarpedon like a Beare he begat of Mantea Arctos and like a pismire Mirmedon of Euradremusa being also transformed and shewing himselfe as a starre he begat Castor and Pollux of Leda as Gold Perseus of Danae as a Shower of raine Ganean of Manta Thus a man as wicked as great was made the greatest God his chiefe actions of wickednes cruelty parricide incest adultery fraud were deifyed for diuine And as the God Iupiter so also the other Gods begat younge Gods and made them like themselues Gods thus Neptune of a Sea-nimph begat TritoÌ„ of Amphitrite the Cyclopes
only a shadow a faigned diabolicall Fayth not a true diuine and supernaturall Fayth tending to iustification by which euery Christian belieues these articles 2. Is oppugned the vnity of God Deum by Caluin who houldes that the Sonne hath an essence distinct from the Father By Beza and Stegius who hould that the essence is diuided into three persons 3. By Luther who houldes that the Diuinity is threefold 4. By Melancthon who houldes that there are three Diuinities or essences in God By Sanctius who entitles his booke De tribus Eloim of three Gods 5. By the Tritheits in Polonia who expresly hould there are three Gods and three Eternalls 6. Is oppugned the God-head it selfe and his mercy and goodnesse 1. By all those who make God the authour willer commander and worker of sinne and damnation because so is his will and pleasure Who make him a sinner a great sinner the only sinner Who make him a lier a dissembler a tyrant and transforme him into a very deuill himselfe as is before proued and deduced 2. By those who make the diuinity of God passible as with Eutiches the auncient condemned hereticke Luther and Iacobus Andreas do 3. By those who affirme the diuinity to haue beene not only a mediatour betweene God and man as Caluin and Beza did but also to haue beene obediēt to God as Melancton and after him many Lutherans Tigurins also did And further to haue exercised the office of a Priest offering sacrifice to God as Iewell did affirme All which opinions do make many Diuinities in God one inferiour to another because where one is a mediatour is obedient doth offer sacrifice to another there must be a subordination subiection and distinction there one must be inferiour and distinct from the other and so there must be many distinct Diuinities and these inferiour one to another which is contrary to the nature of diuinity God-head 4. Is oppugned the person of the Father and with him the whole B. Trinity by Luther who affirmes that the diuinity is as well three and of three sorts as are the three persons that the word Trinity is an humane inuention a word which sounds coldly and is not to be vsed but insteed of it the word God and did therupon thrust out of his Letanies that prayer Holy Trinity one God haue mercy on vs. And did leaue out of his Germane bible those words of S. Iohn alleadged by Athanasius Cyprian Fulgentius to proue he blessed Trinity against the Arrians There are three which giue testimony in heauen the father the word and the holy ghost and these three are one To all which also Caluin subscribes who not only affirmes that the prayer Holy Trinity one God haue mercy on vs doth displease him as sauouring of barbarisme but also wrests all those places by which the Fathers out of the old and new Testament did proue against Iews and Arrians the diuinity of Christ to a contrary sense and meaning as the Lutherās in diuers bookes on set purpose against him haue conuinced And Danaeus his successor after Beza followes him who affirmes that the same word Trinity and the same prayer Holy Trinity haue mercy on vs is a foolish and dangerous prayer All which are directly contrary to the auncient orthodox and Catholicke doctrine of the B. Trinity three persons and one God 5. In the same first article is oppugned the omnipotency of God almighty by Beza VVhitaker others who affirme 1. That God cannot place one body in two places by replication or other wayes that is Christs body in heauen and on the altar at the same time 2. That God cannot place two bodies in one place by penetration one of another that is that Christs body with the stone of the sepulcher at his resurrection with the dores of the house at the entring to his disciples and with the solidity of the heauens at his ascensiō could not be togeather in one place but the stone dores or heauen were diuided opened or resolued into some liquid matter 3. That God cannot draw a camell or a cable-rope as it is said in the Ghospell though a needles eye 4. That God hath no absolute power to do any more then he hath already done 5. That the position of the archangell Gabriel Any word is not impossible with God is not generally to be belieued nor vniuersally to be admitted Al which if they be true that is if the diuinity be passible be a mediatour be a priest and be three and distinct as the person are if God be the authour and worker of all sinne and euill if the word Trinity and the prayer Holy Trinity haue mercy on vs be to be left out as barbarous foolish and dangerous if God cannot place one body in two places or two bodies in one place cannot draw a cable-rope through a needles eyes can do no more then he hath done then is the Deity the vnity the Trinity the goodnes and the omnipotēcy of God all which are by this first article belieued by this doctrine and these Doctours oppugned and so the Fayth of the first article reiected Secondly in the second article attributed to S. Iohn is oppugned the worke of the whole Trinity the Creation of heauen and earth 1. By Caluin who will haue only the Father properly to be creatour of heauen and earth as to whome alone the name of God by excellency is due and the Sonne to be the Vicar of the Father and to haue the second degree of honour after him 2. By Stenberge Seruetus Blandrata Somarus Francus others cyted by Kellison who deny the Diuinity of the holy Ghost as the third person in the Trinity and admit only a vertue from the father which they call the holy Ghost But if the father be only God if the sonne be inferiour as his vicar and second to him if the holy Ghost be only the vertue of the father not a person distinct from him then is only the father and not the sonne and the holy Ghost with the whole Trinity the creatour of heauen and earth Wherby the second article is oppugned Thirdly In the third article attributed to S. Iames the greater is oppugned the diuinity of the sonne second person Iesus Christ his only sonne our Lord. 1. By Luther who detested the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or consubstātiall signifying the sonne to be of the same substance with the father and made the diuinity of the sonne passible with Eutiches as I haue shewed before 2. By Caluin Beza and Whitaker who admit Christ to be sonne of the father but not to be God of the father or of the essence of the father or God of God as the Nicene Creed expresseth but God of himselfe and withall affirmes that the father doth not continually eternally beget the sonne 3. By Caluin Beza others before cited who make Christ as
in soule and that not to the lowest Hell but only to the graue or buriall and so Act. 2. Thou shalt not leaue my soule in hell they change soule into carkasse and hell into graue translating it Thou shalt not leaue my carkasse in the graue as Beza and Bucer 5. By those who admit his descension to haue beene in soule but yet suffering the very paines of hell and of the damned either after his death in hell as Luther Gerlachius and some other mentioned by Beza or before his death in the garden and vpon the Crosse as Caluin VVillet and others before cited 6. By those who question this article as suspected to haue beene intruded into the Creed after it was made as Caluin All which opinions as they either deny any Limbus Patrum to haue euer beene or any reall torments of hell as yet to be or as they affirme Christ to haue descended only in vertue and merit not in body or soule or only in body to the graue or in soule to suffer the paines of hell either after death in hel or before death vpon the Crosse and in the garden are all contrary to this part of this article in which is affirmed Christs descending into hell that is in soule to Limbus to free the Fathers and Patriarches there and to carry them with him into heauen Secondly his Resurrection from the dead in the same article is oppugned 1. By those who according to Beza deny all resurrection as yet of Christs body more then of other mens 2. By the Vbiquitarians who affirme his body to haue had immensity and therby to haue beene euery where in all places euer after his Incarnation 3. By Caluin Beza and other who deny his Resurrection with the guift of subtility or penetration and affirme that his body could not pierce through the stone of the sepulcher or enter the doors to his Disciples without either the remouing or altering of the nature of the dores and stone by resoluing them into some liquid matter 4. By Caluin and others who deny the rysing againe of his bloud that was shed vpon the Crosse thereby the resurrection of his whole and entire body All which as they deny either any resurrection at all or the complete Resurrection of Christs body or the resurrection of the same with subtilty or penetration do euery one oppugne this article of Christs resurrection from the dead in such due sense as it ought to be belieued Seauenthly in the seauenth article attributed to S. Bartholomew is oppugned both the ascending of Christ to heauen and his sitting at the right hand of God the Father by power and dignity equall to him in person and excelling all creatures in his humane nature 1. By the Vbiquitarians who by the all-presence of Christs body in euery place take from it all possibility of ascending to a new place 2. By Caluin who by giuing to Christ a power not equall with God but Vicary or deputary to him and an honour not the same but only second in degree to Christ after God the Father by denying al situatiō either of sitting or standing of Christs body in heauen doth oppose both his Ascension and sitting at the right hand of God 3. By the same Caluin and others who deny all Ascension through the heauens by way of penetration and admit it only by diuision and by cutting off the heauens 4. By those who yield the Patriarches a priority and deny Christ the primacy of tyme in ascending to heauē All which as they either affirme an euery where presence of Christs body or a difference of honour between◠Christ as God and God the Father or as they deny either any penetration of Christs body through the heauens or any priority of his ascending before other soules are all opposite to the manner of Christs ascension and sitting at the right hand of God in glory Eightly in the eight article attributed to S. Matthew is oppugned the Cōming of Christ to iudge the quicke and the dead by their generall doctrine that God is authour and worker of all sinnes that the Commandements of God are impossible that man hath no freewill that there is no reward for good deedes that all sinnes be mortall and damnable For these supposed no way is left to discusse rightly the differēce of sinnes to punish iustly mens sinnes or to reward duly their good deeds Ninthly In the ninth article attributed to S. Iames the lesser is oppugned the beliefe of the holy Ghost and of the Catholicke Church both which S. Augustine makes one article Of the holy Ghost in that some as hath been shewed make it only the vertue not the substance of God others expung it out of their Letanies Others as the Geneuians deny the adoration of it Others as before do make it the authour worker of all sinne the sauiour of all sects who by a perswasion they cōceiue of it do euery one assure themselues of saluation which authority reason and experience conuince to be false Of the holy Catholicke Church in that some reiect the name Catholicke as vaine and change it into Christian others leaue it wholy out of the Creed as superfluous and all of them do generally affirme the Church for many ages to haue beene latent inuisible erroneous adulterous and antichristian without either head to gouerne it or authority to end any controuersies and to conserue vnity or to punish offenders in it and without any sanctity in the professours of it whom they make all to be sinners and that in all sinnes generally and in great sins mortally then how can such a Church be truely holy vniuersall and infallible in deciding the beliefe of articles determination of controuersies Tenthly In the tenth article attributed to S. Simon is oppugned the Communion of Saints and forgiuenesse of sinnes The communion of saints is oppugned 1. The communion of saints in earth one with another by denying all meanes of vnity in faith vnder one head and Iudge 2. The communion of saints in earth with the soules in purgatory by denying all prayer for the dead 3. The communion of Saints in earth with the Saints in heauen by denying all honour or praying by vs vnto them and all knowledge and praying by them either for vs in earth or others in purgatory The remission of sinnes is oppugned by denying al power of priesthood in Gods church to pronounce any sentence of absolution all vertue in Sacraments to haue any operation as instruments in the remitting of sinne all infusion of grace to blot out and wash away all vncleannesse and deformity of any sinne either originall or actuall which according to them are neuer remitted or taken away but only couered and not imputed Eleuenthly In the eleauenth article attributed to S. Iudas Thaddaeus is oppugned the resurrection of the body by all who before oppugned the resurrection of Christs body and
by many who now a dayes euen in England admit a resurrection in a like body but not in the same body which was before Twelthly In the twelth article attributed S. Matthias is oppugned the life euerlasting 1. By Luther who one while affirmes that the soule is made by propagatiō ex traduce not by creation and that the immortality of it is a popish fiction out of the dunghill of the Popes decrees anotherwhile that the soules of the iust of many damned do sleepe senselesse vntill the day of iudgment and that dogges sheep oxen and fishes shal be in heauen for our recreation 2. By Caluin who affirmes that the soules of the blessed remaine sleeping in the porch are not as yet entred into the kingdome of glory that faith is remaining in heauen that it is foolish temerarious to enquire where the soules of the iust are and whether as yet they be in glory or not All which many such like opinions of theirs as they are the inuention of this priuate spirit and are both absurd wicked or blasphemous so are they all plaine contrary to the Apostles Creed and do directly oppugne the articles of it And thus much of this priuate spirits doctrine as it oppugneth the articles of the Creed and in them all faith and beliefe Of absurdities against Prayer and the Pater noster SECT VII SVBDIV. 1. In generall making all Prayer needlesse or hopelesse SECONDLY This doctrine oppugneth the petitions of the Pater noster and all manner of prayer and deuotion to God for which we may note that as by faith we come to know God and his reuealed verities so by this hope we are animated to attaine to the fruition of God all that is good for vs. An effect of this hope is prayer by which we are emboldened in hope to obteine to speake to God and aske of him what we stand in need of Prayer therfore as it is according to S. Augustine an eleuating of the mind and a sacrifice to God a reliefe to man a terrour to Sathan a safegard to the soule a comfort to the Angells the perfect glory the certaine hope and incorrupted preseruer of all religion As it is an incense moūting vp to heauen a messenger we sēd to God where our selues cannot yet come a ladder by which we climbe to the throne of God and God descends to our vale of misery a hand which we reach to heauen which God returnes filled with benedictiōs to vs againe so it is not only a speciall vertue commended vnto vs by Christ who wils vs to pray and to pray often yea without intermission but also a chiefe practise the particulars wherof Christ himselfe did deliuer to vs both for the matter what and the māner how we should pray and make our petition This he did in the Pater Noster and the seauen petitions of it which being a compendium of all we are to aske as the Creed is of all we are to belieue we make in it besides the preparatory preface which teaches vs to haue confidence in God in that he is to vs not only a maister but a Father charity to our brethrē in that he is our Father and we all brethren his children by creation and adoption and a Reuerence both to Gods Maiesty as residing in heauen and also to his Saints and seruants in whom specially as in the heauens he dwels and reignes by grace as S. Augustine expounds it besides I say this preface or preparation we make seauen petitions of seauen seuerall things vnto God in which we desire blessings at Gods hands either positiue of good things to be obtained or preseruatiue from euill things to be auoided The positiue blessings we craue are either spirituall or corporall the spirituall are 1. the sanctification of Gods name in the first petition that is either true knowledge of him or right honour to him or constant perseuerance in him 2. The coming of his kingdome in the second that is the dilatation of his Church on earth the increase of his grace in our harts the obteining of his glory in heauen 3. The obedience to his will in earth as it is in heauen in the third that is as Gods will is done by Angells so it may be done by man as it is done by the iust so it may by sinners as it is wrought in the spirit so it may be in the flesh The corporall blessings we craue are our dayly bread in the fourth that is either temporall food for the body or doctrinall for knowledge of the vnderstanding or sacramentall of the Eucharist and whatsoeuer is conuenient for both soule body these are the four first petitions of positiue blessings The preseruatiue blessings are from euils from which we desire to be freed those either euils past as sin forgiue vs our trespasses in the fifth against God our neighbours or ourselus by commissiō or omission by thought word or deed or euils present lead vs not into tēptation in the sixt that is permit vs not to fall into any occasion or danger of sin by concupiscence of the flesh vanity of the world and malice of the Diuell Or euils to come deliuer vs from euill in the seauenth that is from all paine due to sinne originall or actuall by affliction in this life or by torments in the next life either in Purgatory or in hell and from whatsoeuer may hinder vs from God and all goodnes in this or the next life In which are summarily contained all the thinges pertaining to the honour of God or necessary for our body or soules in this life or the next It remaines to shew that the former positions of the Protestants do make all these petitions needlesse or fruitlesse needlesse as of thinges certaine which need to be asked fruitlesse as of thinges impossible which cannot be obtained which is shewed two wayes first in generall of all prayer secondly in particuler of these petitions In generall thus 1. That prayer is needlesse which prayes for that which is certaine cannot faile vs as either already past or assuredly possest or to come as for example that Christ should be borne or crucifyed which is past or that I should be a man or an English man which I am sure I am or that to morrow the Sunne should ryse or that men should rise at the day of iudgment which they are sure to do Againe that prayer is fruitles which prayes for that which is impossible to be had as for a mother to pray that she were a Maid and Virgin againe or for that an old man to pray that he were young againe and might neuer dye both which are impossible though not both equally But according to the Protestant grounds such are generally all their prayers for if they pray for remission of sins for the fauour of God for perseuerance in Fayth or for the glory of heauen their
animate them to increase in grace goodnesse and perfection They make the auoiding of bad or the doing of good works the keeping of Gods commandements or the performing his will to be impossible and therby disharten men from attempting either to keepe his precepts or to obey his will or to please him in any worke or action We belieue his yoake to be sweet and his burthen easy and the obeying of his commandements auoiding of sinne by grace to be possible facile and therby encourage all to labour that they may obey his precepts and performe his holy will and pleasure They make no bad works to be imputed to the elect and no good works to escape punishment in the reprobate and therby make the one fearlesse carelesse of any bad and the other hopelesse and desperate to do any good We make good works in all to be good and in the good to be meritorious and bad works in al to be bad and to deserue punishment and depriue men of Gods fauour till by repentance they be washed and pardoned and therby inuite all to do good and to auoid bad and repent them of bad They hould that no sinne in the faithfull can depriue him of faith which once had can by no sinne be lost and therby lull men in a security of saluation and allure them to a liberty of sinne which they belieue cannot depriue them of Gods fauour We hould that grace once had may be lost and is lost by mortall sinne and therby warne men carefully to keep Gods grace diligently to preuent sinne before it be committed and presently to report after it be cōmitted Tenthly For good Works they their priuate spirit hould that no good works are good iust perfect or meritorious yea that none are necessary or possible but that al are sinfull and therby make it bootlesse and needlesse to striue to do them We hould that good works are not only good but may be perfect meritorious of an eternal reward wherby we animate all to the working of them They hould that cōtinency virginity is no vertue but a suggestion of Sathan wicked diabolicall and a rebellion against God in religious persons and that matrimony is a state more noble perfect spirituall then it and therby induce all to marry We hould that single life chastity and continency is a vertue more perfect noble and holy then marriage and therfore is preferred by God as more spirituall before marriage and more to be esteemed by men is more honourable They hold that fasting and punishing the body by mortification watching discipline is no vertue is needlesse and no part of pennance or satisfaction but a killing of ones selfe wherby they withdraw men from austerity strictnesse of life We hould that it being vsed discreetly and in measure is good and pious as commended in the old and new Testament and practised by all Saints and holy persons therby animate all to it They hould that the forsaking the world liuing in a retired Religious life is a meere human tradition and an vnprofitable will-worship of God We hould that it is a meane of perfection an imitation of an Apostolicall life and therfore cōmendable in them who can vndertake it They hould that vowes of perfection are a curiosity presumption pride contrary to God not to be vsed by Christians We hould that to vow obedience pouerty and chastity are gratefull to God great helps and meanes to perfection as counsailed in holy scripture and laudable in all the professours of them In all which as they take from all sinne all punishment due to it all offence to God inseparable from it and all malice annexed to it as they take away all difference by which one sin is damnable rather then another all feare which may bridle any from committing sinne in which they make men fearlesse of sinne and carelesse to commit it so they take from good works in generall all goodnesse and participation of good al iustice and vprightnesse before God all valew and dignity by grace all benefit and grace of merit all hope or comfort of pleasing God all necessity of doing them and all possibility of doing them without offence of God And from good works in particuler they take away also from all vowes their obligation to be performed from chastity all possibility to be obserued from fasting pennance and mortification all necessity to be vsed from prayer and deuotion all meanes to obteine that they aske and from charity all efficacy to iustify before God and from all and euery one in their proper kind all power and necessity to do them all courage and alacrity to do them hopefully Al which is contrary in vs our Catholicke doctrine Eleauenthly From the glory of heauen the ioyes of it they and their priuate spirit do derogate in affirming 1. That neither any reward is iustly giuen in heauen for any good done vpon earth nor any crowne of iustice in that life for suffering of iniustice in this nor any lawrell of Martyrs Confessours or Virgins there for the confessing the name of Christ 2. That in heauen are no differences of mansions or diuersity of degres of glory and that all are like and al equall in glory and beatitude euen to the Apostles and the mother of God wherby they remoue a strong motiue to draw men to labour for perfection in this life that they may attaine to a higher place of glory in the next We and our Catholicke doctrine doe belieue 1. That God doth iustly reward in heauen all our good deedes done on earth and doth giue crownes of glory for our sufferings for him and bestow variety of glorious lawrels by gifts of accidentall beatitude for our glorifying him in any eminent manner of perfection 2. That as starres so Saints do differ in clarity hauing their seuerall mansions places and glory according to their degrees of grace and merit wherby al are encouraged to aime at perfection in hope of so high a remuneration For hell and the place and paines of it they and their priuate spirit take from it 1. The difference of places as Limbus patrum puerorum Purgatory 2. The materiall and reall fier of hell denying as many do all true fier and admitting only a metaphoricall and imaginary fier 3. The suffering of soules in it before the day of iudgment 4. The corporall place or prison of hell admitting only a torment of cōscience before the day of iudgment 5. The lawfulnesse to auoid sinne for feare of hell which they make a sinne and vnlawfull by all which they make the paines and torments of hell to be lesse feared and sinnes for the feare of them lesse auoided We and our Catholicke doctrine do hould 1. The difference of places according to different estates and deserts as the Limbus puetorū for children dying without Baptisme the Limbus patrum