cause to bee confident vpon them then your selues but only to vindicate the honour and dignity of the Scriptures which of your side are too basely sleighted and neglected And as touching this particular place of Saint Augustine notwithstanding all the flourish you make therewith yet shall you never be able to proue what you intend thereby as I come now to demonstrate This booke de vtilitate credendi I haue now twice for your sake throughly read ouer and with the best attention I could In it I find the authority of the Catholik Church made the first motiue or meanes vnto Faith by which we doe beleeue but not the first principle and reason of faith for which wee doe beleeue The occasion of writing it was this Saint Augustine hauing lately through Gods grace escaped out of the toiles of the Manichean Heretiks in which for the space of nine yeares hee had beene entangled is very desirous to recouer from them his friend Honoratus also as yet continuing in his error and held fast by them This he doubteth not through the same grace of God soone to effect may hee but find him duly prepared and disposed For vntill hee be wrought from his hereticall pertinacy and stifnesse vnto a more Christian moderation and equability he shall with all his arguments but wash a bricke as they say and spend his oile and labour to little purpose That which made him so vntoward and hard to be wrought vpon was the faire and plausible insinuation of the Manichees that they pressed no man to beleeue vntill they had first cleared and manifested the truth whereas others terrified men with superstition and commanded Faith before they tendred any reason vnto them Wherefore to remoue this preiudice and to frame him vnto a more indifferent temper he employeth in this booke all his strength and skill labouring to demonstrate the Vtility of beleeuing and how requisite it is to yeeld to authority before with pure minds we can discerne the truth And this is the only drift and scope he aimeth at in this booke neither medleth hee therein with any of the Manichean heresies but reserueth the confutation conviction of them vntill some other time as appeareth by the very closing vp thereof where he willeth Honoratus to remember that he hath not yet begunne to refute the Manichees nor to seâ— himselfe against those toies nor hath opened any great matter touching Catholike Doctrine Whence thus I argue If S. Augustin in this booke dispute against Honoratus from the Churches authority as the last resolution of Faith then hath he opened therein the greatest point of Christian religion and confuted thereby the Manichean heresie inasmuch as the Catholike Church vtterly condemned it But S. Augustin in expresse words affirmeth that he hath not so much as begun to refute the Manichees nor opened any great matter touching Catholike doctrine Therefore he disputeth not from the Churches authority as the last resolution of Faith True it is he is much in commending authority setting forth the benefit of beleeving it But what authority What beleeuing that authority which is grounded vpon the Generall opinion fame and consent of people nations that Beleeuing which is Morall and only prepares the minde to divine illumination If so then certainly cannot St Augustins authoritie be the last Principle of Faith For this is infallibile and absolutelie necessarie as well to the wise as vnwise that but an vncertaine step or staire to raise vs vp vnto God not necessarie to them that are wise What then is it in S. Augustins iudgment Surely the first inducement or Introduction to the search of divine Mysteries For saith he it is authoritie only which moueth fooles to hasten vnto wisdome And againe to a man that is not able to discerne the truth that he may be made fit for it and suffer himselfe to be purged authority is at hand Had hee thought it to be more then so he would never haue considered it without certainty of truth Yet so doth hee even in the passage by you alledged They saith hee that know the Church affirme her to be more sincere in truth then other sects but touching her truth is another question In a word as in other arts and sciences He that will learne must beleeue his teachers so in these heavenly mysteries also would Saint Augustine haue all those that are not initiated such as his friend Honoratus was to beginne with Authority Not that it is a sufficient warranty for whatsoever we learne but for that it is the readiest and likeliest way to bring vs vnto learning N. N. Thus Saint Augustine teaching his friend how he might both know and beleeue the Catholike Church and all that she taught simply and without asking reason or proofe And as for knowing or discerning her from all other Churches that may pretend to be Catholike wee heare his marks that shee is more eminent vniversall greater in number and in possession of the name Catholike The second that shee may be beleeued securely and cannot deceiue nor bee deceiued in matters of Faith he proueth elsewhere concluding finally in this place If thou doest seeme to thy selfe now saith Augustine to haue beene sufficiently tossed vp downe among Sectaries and wouldst put an end to these labours and turmoiles follow the way of Catholike discipline which hath flowne downe vnto vs from Christ by his Apostles and is to flow from vs to our posterity I. D. Out of that passage of St Augustine you obserue two things first what be the Marks by which the Catholike Church may be discerned secondly that shee may be beleeued securely as one that can neither deceiue nor he deceiued As touching the former you say Saint Augustines Markes are these foure Eminence Vniversality Multitude and Possession of the name Catholike Wherevnto I answere first that Saint Augustine maketh none of these things Notes of the Church For three of them namely Eminencie Vniversality and Possession of the name Catholike he doth not at all mention Eminencie I confesse is foisted into your translation but no where appeares in the Originall Of the fourth to wit Multitude all that he affirmeth is this that in his time there were more Christians then of any other religion and that among all Sects of Christians there was one Church consisting of a greater number then all the rest which is not enough to establish it for a marke of the Church Where by the way giue me leaue to demand why whereas Saint Augustine saith Christians are more then Iewes and worshippers of Images put together you render it the Iewes and Gentiles put together For what the reason should bee I cannot conceiue vnlesse it be the same for which you raze out of your Catechismes the second Commandement But I answere secondly that as St Augustine maketh none of them Marks so neither are they Markes for Proper they are not nor Perpetuall and
and Cicero saith that vnhonest men may be callidi ve◠suti subtle and crafty but Prudentes wise they can never bee The reason is evident because whatsoever is not just is not profitable nay nothing is more vnprofitable then to be hurtfully wise insomuch as Socrates seems to haue iust cause when he cursed him who first distinguished betweene profitable and honest Now to bee wise without innocence is very hurtfull vnto publike states for it overthrowes the society of man if one man may aduantage himselfe by the harme of another For as in the fable of Menenius Agrippa the whole body soone perished when the rest of the members to ease themselues wronged the belly so the whole common-wealth will quickly be dissolued if men may be wise for themselues only and hurtfull vnto others Neither is such wisdome hurtfull only to the publike but also to a mans owne selfe For sinne being the only evill that can hurt a man hee hurts himselfe most who to decline a little evill of paine or losse or disgrace commits an evill against his owne soule Whereby first hee looseth the peace of his conscience which is the happinesse of a man yea his heauen vpon earth For the iust man is as bold as a lyon and a good conscience is a continuall feast saith Salomon Nay Epicurus himselfe who placeth the chiefest blessednesse of a man in pleasure confesseth that a man cannot liue comfortably vnles he liue innocently For as oyle preserueth the light of the lampe so doth innocence maintaine peace and ioy in the conscience Againe as by sinne the peace of conscience is lost so it worketh confusion of face in the day of judgement when men shall bee judged not by their worldly wisdome but according to their innocence Oh how many will there at that day cry out with Cicero O me nunquam sapientem aliquando id quod non eram falso existimatum aye me that indeede was never wise but falsely thought to be what I was not And with those in the booke of Wisdome We fooles thought his life madnesse and his end without honor How is hee counted among the children of God and his portion is among the Saints But the innocent heart shall then lift vp a chearfull countenance as knowing that though here it were despised yet there it shall be iustified and rewarded with a crowne of glory O innocence innocence had I the tongue both of men and Angells yet were I not able sufficiently to extoll thee The man that possesseth thee nothing can hurt he is every where secure If he be tempted it maketh for his advantage if he bee humbled it is for his advancement if he fight he conquereth if he be slaine hee is crowned In bondage hee is free in danger safe in tribulation ioyfull the righteous loue him the vnrighteous in their conscience cannot but approue him and God himselfe highly esteemeth of him Alas alas that among men innocence should so little be regarded Every man desireth to haue all other things good a good house good land a good wife good apparell a good horse every thing good but a good and an innocent soule who desireth to haue I cannot but wonder wherein man hath so highly offended his owne selfe that he should thus wish all the things about him to be good and himselfe only to be evill Perhaps thou wilt say if I may be wise for my selfe no farther then innocence will giue me leaue I shall bee a right innocent indeede liuing but a poore life and nothing set by of any Nought set by of any What not of God not of his holy angells not of his blessed Saints and children For as for wicked men their honouring doth but avile and abase vs. And what talkest thou of a poore life Is not innocencie it selfe great riches If thy chest bee full of treasure thou countest thy selfe rich and canst thou be poore if thy heart be full of innocence Haue theeues and robbers and evill men store of wealth and hath hee no riches in store for thee Yes he hath already bestowed vpon thee the treasures of sanctifying graces and reserueth for thee immortality and glory and eternall life O the blessednesse of that man who is both wise and innocent But where shall a man finde such a Serpent-Doue such a wise innocent If a man should light a candle with Diogenes and narrowly search every corner of the World for him I thinke he should hardly finde any but must be faine to cry out with the Prophet David Helpe Lord for there is not a good man left Of wise and deepe Machiavillians I suppose he may readily finde more then a good many such as subordinate religion vnto policy holding that rule in Seneca Pietas honestas pudor privata bona sunt Reges quâ licet eant piety honesty modesty are the vertues of private men Princes may doe what they list vbi tantum honesta dominantilicent Precario regnatur hee is not an absolute King but raigneth at anothers pleasure who may doe nothing but what is honest and that of Lewis the 11. Qui nescit dissimulare nescit regnane hee hath not the feat of gouerning that cannot discemble These how wise soever they seeme in their own conceits are the veriest fooles in the world they say that all state-policy is built vpon pretence of religion and yet saying it is but a pretence they confesse they build but on a sandy foundation The scripture brandeth them for very fooles Dixit insipiens c. hee is but a foole that saith in his heart there is no good O miseros homines saith Saint Augustine qui cum voluntesse mali nolnut esse veritatem quâ damnantur mali Wretched men who resoluing to be evill would not there should bee a truth to condemne the evill Among these great pollititians who hauing no religion in them yet carefully take it on them our superpoliticke Iesuits may beare the bell Who more pious in shew Who more mischievous in practise Even in their doctrine vnder the title of Catholike faith they teach Treasons and murthers and lying and periuring equivocations making way to the fulfilling of Christs prophecie that in the latter time nor faith nor truth should be found on earth Vnto these wise hypocrites and all others who care more for semblance then substance in religion giue me leaue to say with S◠Chrysostome O hypocrite if it be good to be good why wilt thou seeme to bee that which thou wilt not be If it be evill to be evill why wilt thou bee that which thou wilt not seeme to be If it bee good to seeme to be good it is better to be so if it be evill to seeme to be evill it is worse to be so wherefore either seeme as thou art or be as thou seemest to be But let vs come home to our selues and apply this doctrine a little more closely and particularly That you my Lords are wise as Serpents all
judgement vpon the Conscience and to be the executioner of his lawes or finally hee bindes the Conscience in vaine and to no purpose To say that man is in such sort Lord of the Conscience is vnreasonable because his knowledge and power reach no farther then the outward man To say that man may command God is sacrilegious aduancing man aboue God Lastly to say that he bindeth in vaine and to no purpose is withall to say that their opinion is vaine and that man hath no such power at all To shut vp all in a word vnlesse a man may with as much security obey man as God man who is subject to error and injustice as God who is free from both vnlesse we be all as deeply bound to study the laws of men and to knowe them as we are Gods and to subject our selues as absolutely vnto them it is altogether vnconceauable how humane lawes can bind the Conscience equally with diuine This point being thus cleared it is euident that by conscience in this place wee are with St Peter to vnderstand Conscientiam Dei conscience towards God and to interpret this of St Paul yee must bee subiect for conscience by that of the same St Peter Submit your selues vnto every ordinance of man for the Lords sake as if he should say because God hath bound you to be subiect For God hath laid this obligation vpon man appeares by the very institution of Magistracie For although St Peter call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a humane creature yet his meaning is not that it is not from man but for man and his benefit otherwise S. Paul expresly affirmeth that it is the ordinance of God and Solomon that by him kings raigne The reason mouing God to institute the same was partly his soueraigne Lordship ouer man by right of creation by which he may order and dispose of him at pleasure partly the great loue he beareth vnto humane society which his infinite wisdome saw could not so well be maintained if euery man should be left to himselfe and orderly gouernment were not setled among them Herevpon hee ordained some to be in authority some to liue in subiection commanding the one to rule according to justice and equitie the other to submit themselues with all lowlinesse and humility as I meane touching subiection hath in the first part which is the Dutie beene sufficiently declared Now man being thus by the commandement and ordinance of God bound Conscience cannot bee free but as man shall either subject or not subject himselfe so is Conscience bound to testifie for or against him and to excuse or to accuse him If then yee breake the commandement of God and refuse to be subject there is one who will surely accuse you and will not spare a witnesse whose testimony is omni exceptio ne majus better then a thousand witnesses that will testifie against you even your Conscience But to whom will it accuse Vnto that great and dreadfull Iudge of the whole world whose wisdome can not be deceaued whose justice cannot be corrupted and the execution of whose sentence cannot be avoided And what will the sentence be Perpetuall imprisonment in the bottomelesse dungeon of hell therein eternall torments both of body and soule which although it be not presently executed vpon you yet the worme of conscience instantly will begin to gnaw vpon your soules fill you so full of vnspeakable horror and anguish that your life shall be but a death and this world a hell vnto you But if on the contrary side yee shall for the Lords sake and in obedience to his ordinance yeeld subjectiō vnto the higher powers and vnder them liue dutifully in all godlinesse and honestie then shall your consciences testifie nothing but good of you and excuse you vnto God he shall justifie and acquit you your soule shall bee replenished with vnspeakable peace and comfort so as yee shal haue a heaven vpon earth and in heauen it selfe in due time such ioyes as nor eye hath seene nor eare heard nor ever entred into the thought of man To conclude and summe vp all if either we will keepe a good conscience that we may both here and ever be blessed or will avoid the sting of an euill conscience and the miseries that attend vpon it wee must of necessity be subject Yee must needs be subject not only for wrath but also for conscience And thus haue I finished the second part also which is the Necesstie of the dutie It only remaineth now to adde a word or two by way of vse and application There is a generation of whom both St Peter and St Iude speake that despiseth all gouernment and speaketh evill of Dignities cleane contrary vnto the doctrine of my Text which commandeth all to be subject and to honour and obey the Magistrate But these are not all of the same kinde for some despise it out of an erronious judgment others out of an euill habit and custome They that despise it vpon errour are either Anabaptists or Papists The Anabaptists a fanatical fantastical sect vtterly mislike all gouernment and subjection among Christians It is not without cause that S. Iude calleth such kind of people Dreamers for so indeed they are and their dreame is this that Sin is the cause of Subjection and although it were ordained and allowed to the Iewes because they were but infants yet fits it not vs Christians that are in the state of perfection Shall I dispute against this dotage and shew that even among those blessed spirits that are free frō sinne still persist in the truth there are Thrones Dominations Powers Principalities Angels and Arch-angels That if man had continued in his integritie yet government should haue beene inasmuch as man naturally is sociable and disciplinable the morall law commands to honour father and mother the end of gouernment is Peace with Pietie and Honestie and one man euen then should haue stood in need of another That finally there is now as great a necessity thereof as was among the Iews and that the new Testament would neuer haue commanded Subjection or to pray for Magistrates if it were a sin for a Christian to be a Magistrate But I will not vouchsafe them the honour to dispute with them let it suffice in this honourable auditory barely to affirme first that a Christian safely may be a Magistrate secondly that none is fitter then he because no man better knowes the dutie of a Magistrate then he Lastly that no man can so compleatly and perfectly performe the office of a Magistrate but hee because no man vnderstands the true religion which he is to maintaine and by which he is to gouerne but he As for Papists although they doe not thus reject all government yet doe they many waies both in doctrine and practise avile and abase it For first they giue vnto the Pope a supremacie ouer Princes euen vnto Deposition and depresse