vultis Vides frater Parmeniane sancta germanitatis vincula inter nos vos in totum rumpi non posse loued and pittied and prayed for them Though the peeuish Schismatiques did much abuse this Charitie of good Catholiques towards them For hence they tooke occasion to argue in fauour of their Schisme and Heresie as if their Aduersaries by their owne confession did justifie it and them reasoning thus o Aug. Cont. lit Petil. lib. 2. cap. 108. Petilianus dixit Venite ad Ecclesiam populi aufugite Traditores si perire non vultis Nam vt facilè cognoscatis quòd cùm ipsi sint rei de fide nostrâ optimè judicant Egoillorum infectos baptizo illi meos recipiunt baptizatos Quod omninò non facerent si in Baptismo nostro culpas aliquas agnouissent Videte ergo quod damus quam sit sanctum quòd destruere metuit sacrilegus inimicus Id. contr Crescon Gram. lib. 1. cap. 21. Intentio tua est in parte Donati hominem potius baptizari oportere hanc intentionem hins probare conatus es quòd etiam Nos esse illic Baptismum non negamus Id. ibid. lib. 4. cap. 4. Quaeris a me à quo to baptizari conueniat vtrùm ab eo potius quem ego Baptismum habere confirmo an ab co quem tuus hoc non habere contendit Vide eundem de Bapt. contr Donatist lib. 1. cap. 10. 11. Your selues said they to the Catholiques confesse our Baptisme and Sacraments and Faith for the most part to be good and auaileable We deny yours to be so and say there is no Church no Saluation amongst you Therefore it is safest for all to joyne with vs. Doe not the Romanists at this day in the very same manner abuse the Charity of Protestants And is not this directly that Charme wherewith they worke so powerfully vpon the Spirits of simple people Our answer is the same which S. Austin opposed to the Ancient Donatists in the places cited By the way from that fauourable judgement and opinion which good Catholiques in that age had of the Donatists esteeming them to be their Brethren notwithstanding their Schisme and Heresie these Corollaries may be probably deduced 1. It seemeth that an Hereticall Church where in some Heresy is publiquely maintained by the Guides and Pastors of it is in some kinde the Spouse of Christ and bringeth forth p August â—le Bapt. con Don. l. 1. c. 10. Ecclesia Catholica etiam in communionibus diuersorum ab vnitate separatis per hoc quod suum in cis habet ipsa vtique generat Filios Christo per Baptismum Children to God and Brethren to the Orthodox beleeuers Especially if She baptize her Children in the name of the Trinity as did the Donatists 2. It seemeth that euen in an Hereticall Church Saluation may be had as a child may be borne in a plaguy house and may liue though he hath a running botch on his body In such Churches the very ignorance and simplicity of the Vulgar is a preseruatiue to them against the poyson more hopes of them then of the Learned 3. It seemeth to some q Mr. Hooker lib. 3. §. 1. The Morton of the Church cap. 1. §. 4. cap. 7. §. 10. men of great learning and judgement but herein I had rather leaue the Reader to his judgement then interpose mine owne that all who professe to loue and honour Iesus Christ though it be in much weakenesse and with many errours yet are in the visible Christian Church and by Catholiques to bee reputed Brethren Or to the same purpose wheresoeuer say they a company of men do joyntly and publiquely professe the substance of Christian Religion which is Faith in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world with submission to his doctrine and obedience to his Commandements there is a Church wherein Saluation may bee had notwithstanding any corruption of judgement or practice yea although it be of that nature that it may seeme to fight with the very foundation and so hainous as that in respect thereof the people stained with this corruption are worthy to be abhorred of all men and vnworthy to bee called the Church of God For further illustration and proofe of this opinion these things are said That to beleeue in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world with submission to him is sufficient to constitute a Church wherein Saluation may bee had is warranted as they thinke 1. By Scriptures a 1 Ioh. 4. 15. Whosoeuer shall confesse that Iesus is the Sonne of God dwelleth in him and he in God Againe b ibid. v. 2. Vide in h. loc Tirinum Euery Spirit that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God The like passages are c 1 Ioh. 5. 1. 5. elsewhere S. Peters Faith was the same d Matt. 16. 16 17. with this and the Faith of e Ioh. 11. 27. Martha and of the f Act. 8. 37. Eunuch And the Faith of all these is approued in Scripture 2. Heretiques themselues must bee acknowledged though a maimed part yet a part of the visible Church g Hooker vbi supr Magaltanus idem probat contra Bellar. in Tit. 3. vers 11. Ann. 2. For if an Infidell should pursue to death an Heretique professing Christianitie onely for Christian prosessions sake could we deny vnto him the honour of Martyrdome Yet this honour all men know to be proper vnto the Church Heretiques therefore are not vtterly cut off from the visible Church of Christ If the Fathers doe any where as oftentimes they doe make the true visible Church of Christ and Hereticall Companies opposite they are to be construed as separating Heretiques not altogether from the Companie of Beleeuers but from the fellowship of sound Beleeuers For where profest vnbeleefe is there there can be no visible Church of Christ there may be where sound beleefe wanteth Infidels being cleane without the Church denie directly and vtterly reject the very Principles of Christianity which Heretiques embrace and erre onely by misconstruction Whereupon their opinions although repugnant indeed to the Principles of Christian Faith are notwithstanding held otherwise and maintained as most consonanâ— thereunto To which purpose the words of h Salu. de Gubern l. 5. Eis traditio Magistrorum suorum doctrina inueterata quasi Lex est qui hoc sciunt quod docentur Haeretici ergo sunt sed non scientes Denique apud nos sint Haeretici apud se non sunt Nam in tantùm se Catholicos judicant vt nos ipsos titulo Haereticae appellationis infament Quod ergo illi nobis sunt hoc nos illis Nos eos injuriam diuinae generationi facere certi sumus quod minorem Patre â—lium dicunt Illi nos injuriosos Patri existimant quia aequales 〈◊〉 credamus Veritas apud nos est sed illi apud se esse
the Church the promises of Christ assure us But that to necessarie truths she shall adde no unnecessarie opinions for that we have no warrant either from the Scripture or any promise of God And were it otherwise the Doctors above mentioned had betrayed the Churches cause in stead of maintaining it For if in all her doctrines and definitions she be infallible why should they restraine her infallibilitie in defining unto matters necessary They should have profess'd her roundly and plainly infallible in all her determinations For to limit her infallibility in defining onely to things necessary and then to say that all defin'd by her is eo ipso necessarie because defin'd is to delude the world and seemingly to yeild something when nothing is yeilded The Romane cause at this day as it appeares by the vulgar Writers of the Popes quarter and among others by our Mistaker wholly depends on this pretended absolute infallibility All Controversies in the issue are reduced to this and decided by it And with great reason if there were any reason in it or for it For if Rome cannot erre or be deceived then without doubt all they erre and are deceived who dissent from her And therefore me thinkes learned men of that partie might do very well to ease themselves and the world of much trouble and paines in the scanning of other questions if with all their strength and witt they can but settle on the Pope or his adherents such an infallibility by any one convicting argument this will instantly and evidently conclude all our other differences No wise man will any way contradict them who cannot any way erre But surely this doctrine that the Church is infallible in all her definitions is so far from being certaine and divine that it is at the best but doubtfull and problematicall and that even by and from their owne principles The Roman Drs deliver us these Maximes concerning the Churches authority 1. r Staplet lib. 9. Princip doctr passim contr Whitak That the truth of Scripture it selfe and of all contained in it relyes in respect of us upon the testimony of the Church so as nothing is credible to us but by the Churches attestation 2. s Valent. Tom. 3. disp 1. qu. 1. pun 1. §. 6. col 29. That the proposition of the Church is so necessary to the act of divine faith that nothing can be beleeved without it 3. That t Bellarm. lib. 4. de Pont. R. cap. 14. §. Respondeo Inprimis untill a doctrine be declared or defined by the Church so long it may be either doubted of or denyed without danger These propositions are their owne Hence wee assume But this doctrine that the Church is infallible in all her decrees and definitions was never yet declared decreed or defined by the Church no not by any Councell or by any Pope And hence we inferre Therefore it is a doctrine which may be doubted of or denyed without danger a doctrine which no man can beleeue by divine faith a doctrine whatsoever it be in it selfe to Christians not credible If any man will deny the assumption he will oblige himselfe to disproue it by a contrary instance Let it be shewed where and when and in what termes the Church hath published any such declaration And suppose which will not be granted that such a declaration had beene made it may be demanded with reason upon what warrant the Church can assume to her selfe a power so divine and boundlesse as to authorize all her decrees in so high a forme that they must be accounted divine and infallible If the promise of God in Scripture be pleaded for this power we haue already shewed how the learned among themselues haue voyded this plea and so restrained those promises that they are by much too narrow to support so wide a priviledge If it bee said that this authority of the Church is a principle admitted by all Christians without any doubt or proofe this is a saying voluntary and and groundlesse For 1. they will confesse every principle in Religion to be founded either in nature or in Scripture or in tradition or in Church definition and in none of these will they find any footing for this 2. All Christians in the world confesse the authority of Scripture to be a principle indemonstrable yet are we by them perpetually urged to proue that authority and that by Scripture 3. Dr u Princ. Doctrin l. ◠c. 21. Stapleton thinkes it not onely fitting but necessary in respect of us that the Church should give testimony to her self especially thē in this point of so great importance consequence cōcerning her infallible authority wherein all Religiō is so much concerned 4. Lastly it is a great errour and vanitie to beleeue that this absolute infallibility of the Church is beleeved by all Christians especially in the sence of our Adversaries who ever by the Church intend that unsound piece which they call the Roman Catholique The Protestants and Greekes expresly accuse this Church and haue convicted her too as they thinke of many grosse and dangerous errors The w See Mr. Brierwoods Enquiries Armenians Syrians Indians Iacobites Maronites Abassines with other innumerable assemblies of Christians haue many doctrines and customes directly repugnant to those of Rome which were an unreasonable presumption and absurditie if they esteemed the Church of Rome so wholly infallible Nay within the Roman Church it selfe many Authors of great learning and judgement by name x Horum omnium testimonia legere est apud Rob. Baronium de objecto fidei Tract 5. cap. 19. Occam Cameracensis Waldensis Panormitanus Antoninus Archbishop of Florence Cardinal Cusan Nicholas Clemangis haue declared their opinion that any particular Churches and particularly the Roman any Councels though Generall any Popes may erre even to heresie and I doubt not but the best learned Romanists at this day are of the same opinion Before wee proceed it will not be from our purpose to note one thing more in passing The Church of Rome pretends that it is an office belonging onely to Her to deliver the entire rule of faith to all Christian people And she pretends further that this divine and infalliable rule is made up of three integrall parts to wit Scriptures Traditions and Church definitions If this be true she doth but loosely discharge her office very ill satisfie the obligation which she hath unto the Christian world For 1. Why hath she not yet defined that her definitions are of divine authority The late Fathers of Trent haue canonized unwritten traditions and equall'd them to Scriptures but why did they omit to canonize the decrees of all Popes Councells Why did they not adde to Traditions their Church definitions and command them both and them all to be received with no lesse devotion then the holy Scriptures 2. The same Fathers have given us an exact catalogue of all the bookes of Scripture but why did they not give
God by her baptisme but then poisons them in theiâ— breeding When they aske for bread she giues them a stone and serpents in stead oâ— fishes To the word of God shee addeâ— and equalls her owne traditions shee reads vnto them that word but in an vnknowne tongue teaches them to pray but in latine which they vnderstand not directs them to call vpon God but withall vpon Saints and Angells to worship God but also dumbe blockes and Images She sends them to Legends and pictures for much of their instruction and for direction of their conscience to such Casuists as their i Aurel. Sorbonicus in vindicijs contra Loemelij Spong nuper editis pag. 516. 517. Omnium maximèintolerandi suntilli Theologiae moralis Institutionum moralium moralium Praeceptorum compilatores penè omnes Iesuitae inter quos Th. S. edidit densum opus de Matrimonio opus non gloriandum sed pudendum tam immani curiositate tam invisa in rebus spurissimis infandis monstrosis diaboâ—icis perscrutandis sagacitate horrendum vt mirum sit pudoris alicujus hominem ea sine rubore scripsisse quae quivis mode stioris ingenij vix sine rubore legat Portenta ista sunt non Scriptaâ— animorum insidiae non mentium subsidia incentiva libidinum schola flagitiorum non honestae disciplinae non scientiae Christianae instrumenta insoelix scientia quae omnes perdere paucos juvare nata est Quae circâ— sordes sterquilinia volvenda revolvenda volutatur owne men say to haue dishonoured Christian Religion with their abominable lessons She feeds them with a dry communion and bids them obey Iesus Christ the Pope if they will be saued Shee hath also her Bishops Priests Masses Monkes Monasteries c. but such as haue nothing almost common with those of the Primitiue times saue only their names In briefe with all possible artifices shee labours to keepe her poore Laity hoodwink't in ignorance for blind men are more tractable and obedient vnto their leaders She tells them it is Creed enough for them to beleeue only in the Catholique Church that is to resigne vp to her selfe their vnderstanding But if any of them be farther curious to know more especially if they will be prying into that dangerous booke the Bible shee sends them into the Inquisition to be there better catechized Thus she deales with her owne But for all vs that are in her opinion Heretiques if her power were answerable to the malignity of her desires no remedy wee should all passe through the Inquisition into Hell Here is the image of the Romane charity so much magnified by the Mistaker Though we deny not Romanists may be really charitable in some kinde But doth not that Charity such as it is both begin and end at home Contrary to the nature of true Charity which beginneth at home and then enlargeth it selfe to others even to enimies The Mistaker talkes highly of their redeeming of Captiues endowing of Hospitalls But in conscience what thinkes hee would not a needy Iew be sooner relieved in any Roman Hospitall as they are in the City of Rome then a poore Protestant And a captiue Turke as soone ransomed as a Calvinist Nay we are so little beholding to them for any charitable affection towards vs that the civility of faire language is thought too good for vs. Our writers are denyed the honour of their k Ind. Hispanicus Bern. de Sandoual edit Genev. p. 167 à Conrado Gesnero adde Auctore damnato ib. per Iacobum Frisium adde Auctorem damnatum p. 168. vnum integerrimum simistri judicij dele virum integerrimum ib. doctissimus Simlerus doctissimè exposuit dele doctissimus doctissime ib. doctissimi diligentissimique viri dele doctissimi diligentissimique ib. clarissimus medicus dele olarissimus learning or morall parts and if any modest man among them doe but l Poss Bibl. select pag. 130. de Bodino vniversa hâc tractatione haeresin sapit quod Lutherum Calvinum Melancthonem caeterosque honorificè nominet fairely mention any of our names he is said to savour of heresy Briefly their people are taught by their principall m Staplet Orat. de Haeresi Magiâ ad fin sicut cum Magis ac Maleficis commerci a habere pacem inire matrimonia facere omnia Christianus abhorret non secùs cum Haereticis eadem commercia repudianda sunt Sicut Magos publicá authoritate arcemus civitate pellimus poenis atroeibus afficimus eodem studio ac vigore in Haereticos vti oportet Sicut Magici libri apud Christianos nusquà m tolerantur ferro flammâ excinduntur idem de Haereticis statuendum est Doctors to esteeme vs no better then Doggs Infidells Magitians that haue professedly to doe with the Divell to abhorre all commerce truce and treaties with vs to burne our Bookes and pursue our persons with fire sword and farre and wide to chase vs out of their coasts Thus are we hated reviled persecuted cursed euen into eternall fire by the Roman Charity If this be Charity there is no such thing as malice in the world The mercies of the wicked are cruell Prov. 12. 10. But it seemes the Mistaker thinkes it favour and Charity enough to vs to grant that though our Protestancy bee a damnable sinne yet it is not the sinne against the Holy Ghost For that sinne excludes repentance but Protestants may repent and be converted and reconciled to the Roman Church and so may bee saued And therefore we are not vtterly conclamati past all hope of life or recouery This yet is more favour then wee could expect from that Pope n Caus 25. qu. I. can Violatores who makes every wilfull offender against the Canons a blasphemer against the Holy Ghost And yet the Mistaker herein is no more favourable to vs then hee is to Iewes or Mahumetans I presume hee thinkes no Infidells to sinne against the Holy Ghost vpon their repentance and conversion hee will grant they may bee faued Iust so he thinkes and speakes of vs. We haue a great obligation to him for his charity Well if we will be saued wee must renounce our errours be converted to the faith reconciled to the Roman Church Our faith is the same which the Apostles or the Apostolique Church deliuered in their Creed the same which the Catholique Church in the Creed of Athanasius calls the Catholique faith into this faith wee haue beene baptized in this wee liue and hope to dye To renounce this faith were to abiure our Christendome I hope the Mistaker would not wish vs converted from our Creed Though some of his Ghostly Fathers seeme very meanly to esteeme it As appeares by that o Censura Symboli Apostolici ad instar Censurae Pari siensis Censure which lately they published vpon it or rather against it wherein they say many Articles of it seeme to be ambiguous dangerous false scandalous hereticall c. They
to Arrianisme and cast him out of their communion Voluntary and vngrounded separation from the Catholique communion is without doubt a damnable Schisme yet may it bee much mollified or malignified by circumstances Tertullian was a man passionately zealous euen to superstition It appeares in part by his Treatise de Coronâ militis where he justifies the vanity and peeuishnesse of a common souldier who made scruple to weare on his head a Crowne of Lawrell as if the Christian religion had forbidden it And accordingly when the Church thought fit to remit a little of her ancient rigor in the manner and time of her fasts in the receiuing of penitents after publique satisfaction in allowing second marriages and the like Tertullian ill expounding this just relaxation to be a meere dissolution of good discipline hence tooke occasion being also prouoked by some claumnies and contumelies of the Romane Clergy to fall off from the Catholiques to the party of Montanus great pretenders to mortification and in that separation as it is likely he died Yet why may wee not hope that God pardoned the errours of his honest zeale i Nicol. Rigaltius in prefat Obseruat ad 9. libros Tertulliani Quae Tertulliani dicuntur haereses eae vix aliud praecipiebát quà m martyria fortiora jejunia sicciora castimoniam sanctiorem nuptias scilicet vnas aut nullas In quibus quicquid peccauit id omne virtutis amore vehementiore peccâsse videatur Id. mox ibid. Verosimile est Montani dogma quale extitit primordio quidem sui Christianis austerioribus probabili Tertullianum tenuisse non quale posteà quum sequacium quorundam imposturis fraudibus acu Phrygiâ interpolatum ab Ecclesiis passim Catholicis despui caepit his greatest fault being an excesse of indiscreet piety And if separatiō such as hath been said from all visible Churches doe not exclude from heauen much lesse doth a separation from the Church of Rome worke such an exclusion Whilest the Church of Rome stood in her puritie her amity and communion was very much esteemed deseruedly by other Churches yet neuer esteemed by any to be of absolute necessity for saluation Nor did Antiquity beleeue that a separation from the Romane communion in some regards whether actiue or passiue did induce or implie a disunion with the Catholique Church or a rejection from Gods fauor and Kingdome Many proofes here of might be alleaged but these few which follow may suffice When Pope Victor withdrew his communion from the Churches of Asia for their Easter day and Pope Stephen from those of Africa Cappadocia c. for rebaptizing their censures were much slighted and their pride and Schisme in troubling the peace of the Church much condemned by k Euseb lib. 5. cap. 23. z. p. Sec. Lation Cyprian Epist 74. 75. men of the greatest note for learning and piety in those ages S. Austin himselfe and with him 217. Bishops of Africa and their Successors for a hundred yeares together if their owne l Bonif. 2. Epist ad Eulal Alexandi Lindan Panopl Eu. lib. 4. cap. 89. in fine Salmeron Tom. 12. Tract 68. § Ad Canon Sander de visib Mon. lib. 7. num 411. records be true were all seuered from the Romane communion for maintaining the liberties of their Churches against the pretensions and forgeries of the Sea of Rome in the matter of appeales Yet during that separation many holy Soules were sent vp vnto God by Martyrdome vnder the persecution of the Vandales The fifth generall Councell condemned three Chapters casually omitted in the Councell of Chalcedon the Bishop of Rome at length consenting Many Bishops of Liguria and Istria mistaking the Councels meaning imagined the Councell of Chalcedon to be thereby dishonoured m Sigon de Occid Imper. lib. 20. Therefore in a full Synod of their owne they renounce the communion of their owne Patriarch of Rome and erect a new Patriarch at Aquileia which was after translated to Venice and there in name at least continues till this day And the Bishops of Ireland on the same occasion as n Baron Tom. 7. an 566. num 21. Baronius reports when they perceiued that the Church of Rome did both receiue the condemnation of the three Chapters strengthen the fifth Synod with her consent they did all joyntly depart from that Church and cleaue to the Bishops of Italie Africk in that cause Whereby it appeares that they did not take all the resolutions of the Church of Rome for vndoubted oracles but when they thought that they had better reason on their sides they preferred the judgement communion of other Churches before it The most ancient Brittish Irish Bishops did so stiffly adhere to the Churches of Asia in their celebration of Easter that the o Baron ad an 604. num 65. D. Vsher Treat of the Relig. of the ancient Irish Ch. 9. 10. Pope did therefore cut them off from his communion yet they persisted and neglected his anger as vaine and without danger Like Instances might be numberlesse By all which it is cleare that of old a totall Communion with the Church of Rome euen in her good dayes was not accounted so precious and necessary as is now pretended On the contrary men generally beleeued that Christians might liue and dye in the peace of God though they were at warre with the Pope and keepe the vnity of the Church Catholique though they fell off or were cut off from that of Rome The degrees of communion with particular Churches may be many and different The ancient Catechumeni and Penitents by degrees attained the spirituall fauours of the Church being in some respects within her communion without it in others So in the punishment of sinners the Church was wont to temper her censures according to the quality of offences Her censure for the most part was onely medicinall for the sinners benefit to reclaime him from euill by suspending him from her society the comfort of her publique prayers and Sacrament not denying him her inwar◠communion and Charity Sometime was a mortall censure by Anathema against malicious incorrigible wicked nesse In the former shee intended to purge the sinner by depriuing him 〈◊〉 while of her society in the latter to purge her selfe by cutting him off from the body of Christ And this Tertullia◠truly calls p Apologet. cap. 39. maximum futuri judic◠praeiudicium a Sentence which will bee verified in the last judgement according to that of our Lord q Matt. 18. 18. Whatsoeuer yo◠shall binde on earth shall be bound in heauen Whosoeuer is thus cursed justly by the Church shall neuer haue the benediction of God vnlesse hee make his peace by true and timely repentance Particular Churches owe each to other the mutuall offices of loue and communion so farre as may be but they owe onely to the Catholique Mother of all Christians the duty of obedience If then any Particular will deny to her
but a man before distempered after sound and healthy In the prime grounds or principles of Christian Religion wee haue not forsaken the Church of Rome wee leaue her onely in her intolerable errors and abuses Shee hath mingled with Gods Bread her owne sowre leauen and with good milke some drammes of poison We haue cast out onely this poison and leauen and feed Gods people with the true bread of life and the sincere milk of his word Where the late Popes wander in by-paths we leaue them that wee may more safely walke with the old good Bishops of Rome in the old and good way And in the issue that which distinguishes a true Papist from a true Protestant is no more but this the former will needs be a Romane the latter only a Catholique The difference at this day betweene the Reformed part of the Westerne Church and the Romane consists in certaine points which they of Rome hold for important and necessary articles of the Christian faith which the Protestants cannot beleeue or receiue for such Whereas contrarily the things which the Protestants beleeue on their part and wherein they b Voiez Vray vsage des Peres par Iean Daillé Ch. 1. iudge the life and substance of Religion to be comprized are most if not all of them so evidently and indisputably true that their Adversaries themselues doe avow and receiue them as well as they For they are verities cleerely founded vpon Scripture expressely acknowledged by all Ancient Councells and Doctors of the Catholique Church summarily deliuered in their Symboles or Creeds vnanimously receaued by the most part of Christians that haue ever beene in the world Such are the verities which make vp the faith of Protestants and which are c Semper vbique ab omnibus credita Lirin properly Catholique hauing carried the consent of all ages and Parts of the Church vniversall And if all other Christians could be content to keepe within these generall bounds d Erasm Epist ded ad Arch. Warhamum Praefat. 2. Tomo Epift. S. Hieron speaking of the Apostles Creed faith Nunquam suit sincer or castiorque Christiana fides quà m cùm vnoillo eoque breuissiino Symbolo contentus esset Orbis Vide eundem in Praefat. ad Hilar. in Paracles ad Lector ante Edit N. T. an 1519. Bafil the wofull Schismes and ruptures of Christendome worthy to be lamented with teares of bloud might the more easily bee healed and all the Disciples of the Prince of peace blessedly vnited in an holy linke of Faith and Charity of Loue and Communion The piety and wisdome of Antiquity did thinke fittest to walke in this latitude and cleerely rested satisfied with the simplicity of such a Catholique confession But no bounds of reason could ever limit the vnbounded extravagancies and excesses of the Court of Rome That body of faith which the Ancients thought complete enough to them seemes defectiue Therefore they haue adjoyned to that old Body many new Articles And to those twelue which the Apostles in their Creed esteemed a sufficient summary of wholsome doctrine they haue added many more in their new Romane Creed Such are for instance their Apocryphall Scriptures and vnwritten dogmaticall Traditions their Transubstantiation and dry Communion their Purgatory Invocation of Saints Worship of Images Latine Service traffique of Indulgences and shortly all the other new Doctrines and Decrees canonized in their late Synod of Trent These and the like very vaine imaginations our Mistaker calls the prime and maine points of Christian Religion Let him but change Christian Religion as his faction hath done into the Romane faith and he saies true hee is not mistaken Vpon these and the like new Articles is all the contestation betweene the Romanists and Protestants while they are obtruded on the one side as vndoubted verities and on the other side reiected as humane inventions cunningly devised to advance ambition and avarice without any solid ground or countenance of Scripture Reason or Antiquitie The most necessary and fundamentall truths which constitute a Church are on both sides vnquestioned and for that reason e Iunius lib. de Eccl. cap. 17. Falluntur qui Ecclesiam negant quia Papatus in eâ est D. Rain Thes 5. negat tantùm esse Catholicam vel sanum ejus membrum See the iudgment of many other of our writers in the Advertisement annexed to the Old Religion by the Reverend Bishop of Exeter The very Anabaptists grant it Fr. Johnson in his Christian plea pag. 123. learned Protestants yeeld them the name and substance of a Christian Church though extreamely f August de Donatistis Nonideo se putent sanos quia dicimus eos habere aliquid sanum De Bapt. contra Donat. lib. 1. cap. 8. defiled with horrible errors and corruptions And if they had fairely propounded their new opinions to bee discussed by the learned with reservation of liberty in iudgement conscience to themselues and others they had erred much more tolerably and much lesse disturbed the peace of the Church But they are farre from this modesty and moderation With vnsufferable tyranny the prevailing faction amongst them presses them vpon all Christians as matters of faith not only of opinion not as disputable problemes but as necessary truths hauing both canonized them in their Councell of Trent with a curse against all gaine-sayers and put them in their Creed by Pope Pius the fourth who hath obliged the whole Clergy of Rome to affirme that Creed by their subscription and solemne oath obliging also all Christians to beleeue it vnder paine of damnation In the latter ages before the Reformation though the Court of Rome by cunning and violence had subdued many noble parts of Christendome vnder her yoake yet the servitude of the Church and her misery was somewhat more supportable because these base and pernicious adjections were not yet the publique decisions or tenets of any Church but only the private conceits of the domineering faction Yet still the best learned and g Notissimae sunt querelae Bernardi Occhami Marsilis Clemangis Alvari Gersonis c. de corrupto Ecclesiae statu vide Espenc in Tit. 1. Digress â— conscientious of Europe called as loud as they could or durst for a Reformation Rome heard their complaints and h Adrian 6. PP Instruct pro Franc Cheregato in Fascic ror exper pag. 173. Sciâ—nus in hac sanctá sede aliquot jam annis multa abominanda fuisse abusus in spiritualibus excessus in mandatis omnia denique in perversum mutata Nec miâ—um si aegritudo à capite in membra à summis Pontificibus in alios iuferiores Praelatos descenderit Omnes nos id est Praelati Ecclesiastici declinavimus vnusquisque in vias suns nec fuit iam diu qui faceret-bonum non fuit vsque ad vnum Subiecimus colla summae dignitati ad deformatam eius sponsam Ecclesiam Catholicam reformandam c. Staplet Relect. Contr. 1. q. 5.
and vehement spirit yet before his death being tempered by milde Melancthon that honour of Germany did d Admon Neustad de libro Concord cap. 6. pag. 236. much relent remit of his rigor against Zuinglius and began to approue the good counsells of peace And among the Lutherans all are not of the same intractable disposition As they in Polonia for instance e Vide Corpus Confess ibi Poloniae Consensum where the followers of Luther Calvin haue long liued together in a faire and brotherly concord communion notwithstanding their severall opinions which they still retaine Since then our discords are of no higher degree wee say as f Prudent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 § vlt. concordia laesa est Sed defensa fide quin concordia sospes Germanam comitata Fidem sua vulnera ridet Prudentius a Christian Poet of the vnity of his times It hath beene a little violated but is defended by Faith her sister in whose company being safely come off shee laugheth at her wounds as being easily curable Charity mistaken Cap. 6. FVrthermore the Protestants are properly Heretiques at least if not Insidells Heretiques because they reiect and disobey the indgement of the Catholique Church For it is not the matter or quality of the doctrine But the pride of the man who prefers his owne opinioâ—s before the decrees of the Church that properly makes the Horetique The Heretiques recounted by St Austine Epiphanius and Philastrius in their Catalogues were condemned not so much for their errours which were many of them not very materiall as for their contempt of the Church S. Cyprian and the Donatists differed not in the matter of their errour but the obstinary of the Donatists their disobediencs to the Church made them to bee condemned for Heretiques when St Cyprian was absolued because the Church in his time had not declared her selfe And in like manner the Novatians were condemned on the same grounds Answere Sect. 4. OF the nature of Heresy The Church may declare convince an Heresy but cannot make any Doctrine Hereticall properly vnlesse it be such in the matter of it The words Heresy and Heretique very ambiguous How commonly vsed by the Auncients Of their Catalogues of Heretiques St Cyptian though erring in the point of Rebaptization justly absolued from Sohisme and Heresy The Donatists guilty of both And the Novatians of Schisme BVt though wee doe agree in the substance of Religion with all true Christian Catholiques in the world yet all this cannot winne vs the Charitable opinion of our Mistaker For notwithstanding all this he beleeues vs to be not only Heretiques but no better in effect then Infidells And hee giues his reason which he saies strikes at the roote and vnanswerably convinces His custome is to giue vs only words it is well that he offers vs reason which we shall be ever willing to heare and consider of His reason then First wee are Heretiques because in many opinions wee disobey the Church and Heresy properly consists not in the matter or quality of the false doctrine beleeued but in the pride of him that maintaines it in contempt of the Church Our faith then is defectiue because wee beleeue not all that is commaunded by the Church But 2. which is worse we haue no true faith at all no not of those things which we truly beleeue For though we firmely assent to many truths yet we doe not beleeue them vpon the only true and infallible motiue or vpon the right ground which is the revelation of God and the proposition of his Catholique Church The faith which relies not on this ground is not any true faith but only an humane opinion or perswasion Answ If wee did not dissent in some opinions from the present Romane Church wee could not agree with the Church truly Catholique But the Mistaker after his fashion is ever begging what will never bee granted or proved that his Roman Church is all one with the Catholique What Optatus said of the Donatists who arrogated to themselues alone Optat. lib. 3. the name and priviledges of the Church exclusiuely to all others the same say wee of the Popes part Vestra pars quasi Ecclesia est sed Catholica non est Their Church is truly so called in some sort being a corrupt member of the Catholique but the Catholique Church it is not The Catholique Church is carefull to ground all her declarations in matters of faith vpon the divine authority of Gods written word And therefore whosoeuer wilfully opposeth a iudgement so well grounded is iustly esteem'd an Heretique not properly because he disobeyes the Church but because hee yeelds not to Scripture sufficiently ' propounded or cleared vnto him So saith a August de Gen. ad lit lib. 7. cap. 9. Omnes Haeretici Scripturas Catholicas legunt nec ob aliud sunt Haeretioi nisi quòd eas non rectè intelligentes suas falsas opiniones contra earum veritatem pervicaciter asserunt IdeÌ„ habet Epist 222. St Austin and b Hier. in Galat. cap. 5. Haereticus est quicunque aliter Scripturam intelligit quaÌ„ sensus Spiritûs S flagitat licèt de Ecclesiâ non recesserit St Hierome expresly The best c Divinae Scripturae integra firma regula verita tis Dist 37. c. Relatum Bellarm. de verb. Dei lib. 1. c. 2. Sacra Scriptura regula credendi certissima tutissimâ—que est Gers de exam doctrin par 2. consid 1. Oper. part 1. pag. 541. Scriptura nobis tradita est tanquà m regula sufficiens infallibilis pro regimine totius Ecclesiastici corporis vsque in finem cui se non conformans alia doctrina vel abjicienda est vt haereticalis vel vt suspecta impertinens ad religionem prorsus est habenda learned in the Church of Rome confesse that the Scripture was giuen as a sufficient and infallible rule for the government of the whole Church so as any doctrine not conformable therevnto must either bee rejected as hereticall or suspected as impertinent to religion It is confessed also that the Church d Almain in 3. D. 25. q. 1. Resolutio Occham est quòd nec tota Ecclesia nec concilium generale nec summus Pontifex potest facere Articulum quod non fuit Articulus Sed in dubijs propositionibus potest Ecclesia determinare an sint Catholicae Tamen sic determinando non facit quod sint Catholicae quùm prius essent antè Ecclesiae determinationem Sic etiam Turrecremata Adrianus apud Can. lib. 12. cap. 8. Sâ—tus in 1. D. 11. q. 1. in fine In nova Haeresi veritas prius erat de side etsi non ita declarata Bonavent in 1. D. 11. A. r. q. 1. ad fin Haereâ—â—â— multa quae erant implicita fidej nostrae compulerunt explicare hath no power to make any Article of faith or to adde any thing to the doctrine of faith Her