reach the ability of nature or art for such persons question lesse have conference and hold correspondence with God and de facto Insidels were brought to embrace the Catholick Faith by these motives as the cheifest inducements The truth is That it is not only in all mens opinion morally but as many learned Divines teach metaphysically impossible that that Religion should be false which God hath confirmed with his own Hand and Seal I mean with these Arguments Motives and Marks which the absolute power of God onely could produce for otherwise it would follow that God should induce men into error and be the author of falshood a thing which implies a contradiction and is incompatible with the goodnes and veracity of God and would make the divine will repugnant to it self by commanding men to serve him in the true Religion and yet leading them to a false one by the whole complex of such and so extraordinary motives as these are Thus much for the instruction and conviction of non-christians and such as do not admit the holy scripture to be the word of God Concerning which people I adde that when any of them are come so far as to believe with humane faith which may be in every ones power to do that these motives convince that to be the true church which is confirmed by those divine signes and when they do accept of that Church for such God will undoubtedly raise their humane Faith up to be divine by infusing into them the auxiliary forces of his supernatural grace and light with the habit of divine faith Now for the better understanding how from humane faith a man may ascend to an act of divine faith Note the distinction betwixt these four principles into which an act of faith may be resolved First the extrinsical motives and these are not nor can they be the efficient cause of an act of divine faith but they are dispositions that is they are motives or cause why that Religion or such a point is accepted on for the truth Secondly The Authority of the Churchs and she doth onely propound what is to be believed and gives order and direction how to proceed in the carriage of belief Thirdly The Veracity of God revealing to the Church and by the Church to us divine truths and this is the formall object or cause why the understanding assents to such a thing as a divine truth for therefore we believe that such Books are Divine because God hath revealed to the Church that they are so Fourthly The habit of Divine Faith together with divine grace and these are the efficient cause of an act of Divine Faith All these four principles intervene in the analysis of theologicall Faith but with subordination to one another and not as so many independent first principles of Faith for the first immediate and indemonstrable cause of mans assent is God revealing though the cause of accepting such a faith must be the motives of credibility I conclude this Preface with giving the Reader notice that before I begin with the Meditations of the particular Marks of which I have chosen out onely 16. I thought fit to premise 4 Meditations which are both of most necessary subjects in themselves as also preparatives for the more fruitfull perusage of those which follow And for a clearer demonstration to Sectaries that such and such are put for marks of Christs Church by scripture it self I have of set purpose cited the proofs universally out of the Protestants own Bible A Table of the severall Meditations following MEd. 1. Of the end of Man Page 1 Med. 2. Of divine Faith Page 11 Med. 3. Of Christs true Church Page 22 Med. 4. Of the Marks in generall Page 33 Med. 5. Of Miracles Page 46 Med. 6. Of Sanctity of Life Page 57 Med. 7. Of Holinesse of Doctrine Page 73 Med. 8. Of the Conversion of nations Page 91 Med. 9. Of the Vninterupted and Apostolical Succession of the Pastors of the Church Page 106 10. Of the antiquity of the true church Page 123 Med. 11. Of Vnity in matters of Faith and Religion Page 143 Med. 12. Of the Amplitude and Extent of the Dominions of Christs Church Page 156 Med. 13. Of the Name of Catholick and whose it is by right Page 167 Med. 14. Of the gift of Prophesie Page 176 15. Of easy Decission of Controversies Page 186 16. Of Persecution and Martyrdome Page 198 Med. 17. Of the Prophecies and Promises and Figures of the old Law fulfilled in Christes Church Page 208 Med. 18. Of Temporal blessings Miraculously bestowed on the Defenders and Propagators of the Catholick Religion Page 219 Med. 19. Of the Disasters and Vnhappy ends of the Opposers and Enemies of the Roman Church Page 233 M. 20. Of the Confession of Adversaries Page 249 Of the end of Man The first Meditation and a ground to those which follow after Of the End of Man Of the means to attain it and of the Use which is to be made of that means The first Point COnsider first how the Almighty drawing man by the act of creation out of the darksome abysse of that non-entity or nothing in which hee had laine from all eternity past without any reall being and bringing him into the light of life now a rational and noble creature placed him in this inferiour world but for what end to spend precious time in searching after sensull pleasures in hunting after honours in scraping up riches No the end for which God created thee man was more sublime than so it was a supernatural end an end of the highest perfection and the most to be wished for that can possibly be to serve God in this life and to enjoy eternally the beatisicall Vision of him in the life to come this was that which God intended in creating thee do thou prefix to thy self the same end if thou will be happy Consider Secondly for the better understanding of this mainly fundamental point that this end hath two parts or is twofold So sayes St. Paul Ye have your fruit unto sanctification but your end eternall life And our Saviour intimateth the same in these Divine words Matt. 6. 33. Seek first the kingdome of God and his righteousnesse so that here 's sanctity and eternall beatitude the one is to be practised in this life the other shall be purchased in the next the one is finis maximus and the other is the remote end and as the self same thing may be both the end and the means also respectively so here holinesse of life though it be really mans end in this life for he is created to serve God in this life yet in respect of the finall end which is eternally to enjoy that insinite goodnesse the former is onely the means by which the latter is attainable Gather out of this Fundamentall point a strong resolution and effectuall desire from henceforth to make the consideration of this so noble end thy serious and frequent
is to hazard the winning or losing heaven Heaven is the Wager Resolution shoots the Arrow the true Church is the white let deliberation take right aym and earnestly beg the direction of the Almighty who hath also bent his how and prepared it by saying Lord demonstrate unto me thy wayes and teach me thy paths send forth thy light and thy truth that they may lead me unto thy holy mountain and into the Tabernacles of thy Church Amen The Second Meditation Of Divine Faith The first Point Consider first what Faith is both in respect of the habit and the act Habitual Faith is a supernatural vertue infused by God into the soule of man by which his understanding is illuminated inabled and inclined to believe stedfastly all those things to be true which God hath revealed to his Church It differs much from other intellectuall habits as from Science which relyes on the evidence of the thing Faith on Authority to wit of God From opinion doubtfulnesse suspicion which do not satissie the understanding Faith convinceth it from civil or humane faith which is subject to error but Theologicall and divine Faith is that cui non potest subesse falsum no falshood dare insinuate it self into the company of Divine Faith Actuall Faith is no other thing but the exercise or act proceeding from the habit of Faith it is a firm assent of the understanding believing such particulars revealed by God to wit that one and the self same nature and essence of God is in three distinct persons that Christ is both God and man and yet not two but only one thing that there is heaven that there is hell and the like to be true so that the material things believed are the objects of those acts Consider secondly The insallible certainty which an act of divine faith hath in it the certainty of it hangs upon these two cardinal attributes of divine wisdome and goodnesse by the former of which we are warranted that God cannot by ignorance be deceived by the second we are secured that he will not deceive by revealing that for a truth which is false since both these perfections are in him infinite This infinite authority therefore of God revealing being the motive or formal object of an act of faith for therefore we believe such a thing to be true because God hath revealed it makes these acts most true Gather hence what an admirable benefit the gift of divine Faith is and not the habit onely but the acts also are such since to the producing of every one of them is required a congruous cogitation and a pious affection of the will besides the application of mans endeavour both which are favours from Almighty God Purpose a frequent exercise of producing acts of Faith about those holy misteries which God hath revealed to his Church thou that art a member of it The second Point Consider now the necessity of this virtue of Divine Faith first from the Testimonies of holy Scripture without faith faith Saint Paul it is impossible to please God He that shall be found at his death devoid of this virtue shall not onely not please God a misery great enough but shall moreover inevitably incur the greatest of all miseries eternal damnation He that will not believe shall be condemned fearfull words but spoken by Christ himself heavy news for such as die not Catholicks but told by truth it self Hence resolve that as the means to please God is to begin by true Faith so the means to get true Faith is by becoming a Member of the true Church Consider also that as the eye is the light of the body and the understanding the natural eye and light of the Soule so Divine Faith is the supernatural light of the understanding Nisi credideritis non intelligetis what say you Socinians to this Oracle of divine Truth unlesse you believe what The mysteries of the Kingdom of God and amongst the rest the possibility and actuall gift of infallible Faith How With Divine Faith What will follow Non intelliget is you shall have no understanding of those arcana or sacred secrets into which Faith dives true it is that humane faith and natural reason drawn from the consideration of those things which are marks of the true Church are previous conditions prerequisite to divine Faith whose acts are rational and it an intellectual habit but this is not to make natural reason the formal object or basis and ultimate resolution of maters of faith Mans intellect hath but a small sphere of activity in Order to a perception of divine things but so sarre forth as it is elevated by Divine Faith As for us who hope we are true believers let not us content our selves with humane Faith but petition Gods divine Majesty for that Faith which is his heavenly gift Lord adauge nobis fidem increase in us Faith true faith infallible Faith divine Faith make us strong in faith that by it we may know thee and whom thou sent Jesus Christ Gather out of this point one reason amongst others why many Sectaries are so bad Paraphrastes and expounders of Scripture and why they hold such Paradoxes and improbable opinions in these main matters of Faith To wit because they want divine and Theological fith so true that truth is unlesse ye will believe ye shall not understand The third Point Consider now what is to be believed and how we are to proceed in the exercise of the virtue of faith this will be facilitated by understanding the precepts of Faith which are two the one Affirmative the other Negative The Affirmative Precept obligeth every one to believe actually and expresly some particular points of Faith and the rest implicitly or in general that is all whatsoever the holy Catholike Church believes yet so in general that every one is bound to be in a readinesse and disposition to embrace and assent to the other particulars when and accordingly as they shall be sufficiently propounded by the true Church Now for a better information of what particulars are expresly to be believed Note that of these materiall objects or points of Faith some are so essentially requisite to salvation that a pure non-knowledgement or not believing them expresly and in particular is destructive of salvation these are called necessary necessitate medii such are these two which Saint Paul mentions in these words but without faith it is impossible to please God for he that cometh to God must believe that he is to wit that there is a God and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him Here it is expresly set down that there is no coming to God no enjoying him without believing that there is a God and that he is a rewarder and these two are to be believed by all even Ethnicks and Infidels But those to whom the Evangelicall law hath been sufficiently propounded must believe besides these two Christ and the blessed Trinity
Other things are onely necessarily to be known and expresly to be believed necessitate proecepti that is by reason of a precept obliging thereunto such are the Creed the Ten Commandements and those of the Church our Lords Prayer and the Sacraments Now lgnorance or want of actuall belief of these is not inconsistent with salvation though negligence in that point is seldom without sin The Negative precept of Faith is of a sarre different nature from the affirmative and obligeth all Christians not to deny or disbelieve any one point of Faith sufficiently proposed by the Church as a truth revealed by God This admits no limitation or latitude the affirmative precept ariseth from the material Points or Objects from which also as they are more or lesse necessary to be expresly known and believed ariseth that distinction of them into points Fundamental and not Fundamental but the negativeprecept is taken from the formal Object which is the infallible testimony of God revealing which being the same in allpoints it makes all fundamentalls a like and here the forementioned distinction hath no place Hence may be inferred what a misery it is to deny or disbelieve any one point which the Church proposeth as a revealed truth It belongs undoubtedly to the goodness of Gods providence over his Church and mâ—ns souls to leave us some infallible means by which we may know clearly and infallibly what he hath revealed and what points we are to believe First because otherwise men would be perpetually perplexed full of frights and fears and alwaies doubtful what were revealed and to be believed what not Secondly God commands us to belive under pain of damnation therefore to disbelieve any one Proposall of the Church is dangerous because a disbeliever of even any one point is neerer incurring that dreadfull sentence than he who disbelieves nothing The Tenents of Roman Catholikes are affirmative those of Sectaries are almost all negative and consequently not acts of belief Hence also they are in greater danger of that Sentence above mentioned were not that also a hard sentence and repugnant to the sweet mercy of God unlesse he should by some means declare unto usplainly and clearly what particulars we were to believe under so dreadful a penalty The scripture so obscure in many places so subject to various Interpretations and one of the things which are to be believed it self cannot be this easie means for it hath never yet nor can possibly end the many main Controverfies about points of Faith so long in agitation This is a Demonstration therefore that the Churches living and clear voice must do the deed What She sayes is true is so O what a misery and madnes is it then to disbelieve or deny any one point that she propounds as a divine Revelation One point alone denied makes an Heretick divests that soul and deprives it of all divine Faith For the proposition of the Church being of the same authority in that as in all the rest either She is to be believed in all or in none and as he that is guilty of the breach of one Commandement is guilty of all for he violates that supream legislative power of God so he that denies giving credit to one proposition of the Church denies her Authority and is guilty of all the rest What he believes then is upon some humane ground and with humane Faith Domine ad quemibimus To whom Lord shall we have recourse in our doubts of Faith Dic Eccleiae Tell the Church hear her The least deviation in matter of Faith is dangerous but easily avoidable if you will hear her She was of some years growth when the Scriptures were not in being and that these were divine dictates not forged fables we had it upon trust from her Why then is not her word taken in all other points as well as in that mainly Fundamental one What strange inconsequence is this to believe her to be an Infallible Propounder in some particulars but not so in others The Third Meditation which is Of Christs true Church The first Point COnsider first that as there is a God whose existency and operations all men may read in the pages of the Elements and in the great Volume of the Universe whose creation and conservation are a Physicall demonstration of a deity to which may be added moral arguments as the opinion and consent of all Nations and of all the wise ones of the world prodigious miracles apparitions of spirits prophecies heathenish oracles sudden and unheard of punishments and the like which have made all excepting some Atheists co 〈…〉 ed believers that there is a God 〈…〉 this is a Patent verity so also is 〈◊〉 which came out of the golden mouth of Saint Chrysostome to wit Siest Deus est colendus if there be a God as it is undoubtedly true there is then he is to be Worshipped nature hath made a great connexion betwixt these two the conspiring consent of all Nations not onely the civillized but even the most barbarout exhibited some kinde of Worship to their Gods the Heathens had their Temples the Jews Synagogues and the Christians have their Churches for that end Consider secondly that as the want or neglect of divine Worship inclines to Atheisme so by this may be gathered what in all likelihood will at lengâ—h become of these modern sects in our Nation once so religious From the Protestants their form of Worship is taken away by Act of Parliament others will have none and the rest will not somuch as have Churches O Times O Tragedies what will this come to but down right Atheisme unlesse they repent and return to that Mother Church from which they had their first tincture of Christianity which Jesus for thy mercies sake effect The second Point Consider first how that the Son of God descended from heaven and invested himself with humane nature thereby to work that great work of mans eternal salvation but by what means and after what manner One drop of his deified blood was a more than sufficient ransome for the whole World any one of those theandrical actions of his was a sufficient summe for the purchase of eternal felicity for all mankind for what end then was it that he spent all the moments which were contained in thirty three years so preciously Why did he shed every drop even till water issued out of his sacred side of that his royall blood The holy Doctours will tell us that he did this for two ends in order to us First to make himself a perfect Prototypon for man to imitate of all perfection by the long exercise of all virtues of which he left so many and so rare examples The second was that he might Found a Church adorn it with all the requisites proprieties and priviledges which might beseem such a Church of such a Founder and that he might leave in it the infinite treasures of his merits to be dispenced out by the Pastors of
say it is so but other Sectaries deprive it not of comely ornaments onely but even requisites and have lest in it nothing but one Sacrament to wit baptisme for their other things is but bare Bread and Wine and that now omitted and abused by many no form of Worship but some one of their ill translated Psalms and that not used by all and Preaching common to all sorts and even Sexes of People Secondly they teach things which are plainly paradoxical and asystata things not onely repugnant to most clear texts of Scripture but quite destructive of good Works and by consequence of the means for salvation for by their private spirit and each mans own interpretation of scripture they measure and square out the whole busines of Faith and Religion in this if they erre and how can they be free from errours they not onely run hazard of but plainly incur damnation for he that will not believe shall be condemned Amay with this pernicious and presumptuous tenent let the Church be your guide hear Her Shee 's exposed to no illusions of self-conceipt or of the wicked spirits whose transfiguring themselves into angels of light she can discover you cannot They deny also that man can merit by his good Works a tenent evidently contrary to all places of scripture in which the word reward is extant for merit and reward are correlatives they inferre one another to say that Christ amongst the other things he merited merited also this that mans good works done in relation to hiâ— passion and in vertue of it should be meritorious does not this more extoll Christs merits and magnifie them more than the negative opinion does many stupendious benefits favors and means for mans salvation Christ our Savior merited amongst the rest this They deny Free will at least to do good in man O imposture What 's this but a cloak for malice an occasion if not invitation allurement to sin and a stumbling block laid in the way for all to break their necks over this was a trick of Luthers and Calvins devising who after they had shamefully fallen into some enormous sins of the fltsh as they did began to broach this doctrine conformable to the lives they had begun and intended to lead thereby to save themselves from the indeleable stain of sacriledge Apostacy and infamy and because companions contribute to lessen the miseries of disgrace and dishonour by how many the more there be that participate of them therefore they indeavoured by this hellish herefie to inveagle others to adhere to them Many of them hold that the Commandements of God cannot possibly be kept O blasphemy What 's this but to impeach the divine Majesty of tyranny Can that goodnesse that infinite wise legislator impose laws under pain of damnations which are impossible to be kept stand astonisbed you heavens at this And to omlt other their assertions dishonourable to Christian Religion they hold that an act of Faith alone works that great work of mans justification that great change which the Prophet David cals the work of the right hand of him that is on high of a soul transferred from the state of being found guilty of mortal fin and by it of eternal punishment to the state of grace divine adoption and right to the eternal inheritance of the kingdom of heaven to attribute this stupendious effect to one act of faith alone as the cause either efficient or formall of it is an incredible paradox yea an impossibility besides the bad sequels which thence result that by which a man is formally justified is justice intrinsecally inherent in the soul to wit sanctifying grace and this is bestowed upon him for Christs justice to wit his merits nor can Faith alone be the efficient cause of mans justification or sanctification it is indeed a disposition but so is fear penance hopes and an act of the love of God by which act the soul is much more unired to God than by an act of Faith of mans justification therefore the efficient cause is God the formall cause divine grace and the meritory cause is Christ to wit by his merits and passion The bad sequels are many which that opinion of faith alone justifying brings first it hinders the exercise of many other vertues much recommended unto us in the holy Scripture as filiall fear offending God sorrow for having offended him and good purposes of amendment secondly it is a great let and impediment to good Works and the study of vertue for if I can be satisfied and consequently saved by producing one act of Faith only what need is there of spending my time and taking pains to pray fast watch do penance give alms What need you take pains about self-denyal carrying my Crosse and following my Saviour by imitating his vertues the three things he recommends unto us the practice of which since that opinion hinders it who does not see how pernicious it is thirdly it lays open a wide gate for all licenciousnesse sin and wickednesse for if with an act of faith onely you can repair and redress all the misery which sin brings to my soul why should I not feed all my senses with their delightfull objects follow the instinct of my flesh give the bridle to my passions and sacrifice my time my body my thoughts and my endeavours wholly to sensuality Ah deer Redeemer Now I see the reason of that your pitifull complaint Supra dorsum meum fabricaverunt peccatores upon my back sinners have built I see who they are that insteed of carrying their crosses after you and in imitation of you build upon your back and lay not onely all their obligations to Christian duties upon your sacred shoulders by omitting them but heap sin upon sin by offending more freely and lay these upon you also For what do they else who under pretence of magnifying your merits deny all merits of mans best works by denying Freewill to do good do no good by extolling the ability of Faith alone give occasion of remisnesse in vertue of falling into vice and of making shipwrack of all true faith The fourth point Consider now in order to a rectifying of thy judgement in matter of belief and for the better managing of thy life what may be inferred out of the precedent points and amongst other things first some peculiar differences betwixt the Doctrine of Romane Catholicks and that of Sectaries the one is most conformable to the holy Scriptures and our Saviours doctrine and example the other is contrary to these the ones Doctrine favours and honours the church of Christ by teaching that which is most beseeming almighty God and it the other by attributing all to an act of faith makes the Church an imperfect yea a needlesse thing for all the other priviledges and proprieties of it as also the means it hath conducing to salvation are superfluous if an act onely of faith will do all The one teacheth to
end as the Scripture sayes it must and since there is no other but the See of Rome which can with the least shew of probability pretend to have a succession of Bishops uninterruptedly continued from the Apostles time to these our dayes the Romane See must be the Apostolick this being so as most assuredly it is change that simister opinion you misled men which you have had of the Church of Rome so long away with that contumelious language with which you vilifie and slander it lay aside passion and prejudice then let the Romane Religion be paralell'd with any one or all other Sects and after your second thoughts upon this subject you will assuredly frame a better conceipt of that so long continued and so well grounded faith Gather fourthly that the Church of Rome hath been alwayes visible which is proved by its continuall succession of chief Pastors Fifthly that since Christ must have a Visible Church upon earth and since no other but the Roman hath been visiblely conspicuous in all ages it must be Christs Church love it therefore honour it adhere to it Sixthly since there is no true religion without true Priesthood no true Priesthood without true consecration and that by Bishops Apostolically descended and since there are none of those among these later sects what hopes what comfort what security yea or probability of salvation amongst these O Chief Priest Christ O thou whom God hath anointed with the olye of gladnesse before thy fellows be thou ever blessed for sending them as thy Father sent thee be ever praised for giving that eternall Priest hood according to the order of Melchisedech to them which thy Father gave thee Silence we beseech thee all false and lying prophets that say the Lord saith and the Lord hath not sent them Send labourers into thy Vinyard and make the fruits of their labours many and great to thy glory Amen The Tenth Meditation Of Antiquity The first Point Consider first that antiquity is a mark of Christs Church this is most clear out of scripture all those places in which the indefectibility and infallibility of the Church is foretold promised or intimated prove also the Antiquity of it And I will make this my covenant saith the Lord my spirit that is upon thee and my words which I have 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 from hence forth for ever A most ample promise of the Churches antiquity and never failing Vpon thy wals O Hierusalem have I set watchmen all the day and all the night for ever they shall not be silent These so significant words cannot be verified upon the City of Hierusalem since it hath been destroyed but of Christs Church Behold I am with you all the dayes even untill the consummation of the world most expresse words of our Saviour who also said That after the sower had sown good seed then came the enemy and sowed cockle upon it the good seed of Catholick doctrine was first sowen by Christ and afterwards the devill sowed the cockle of false doctrine and heresie upon it Confider secondly the antiquity of Christs Church gathered from other reason And first its very names import thus much it is called the Church of Christ because he founded it when in mortall flesh he conversed with men and therefore it would imply a contradiction to grant it to be Christs Church and yet deny it antiquity it is also called Catholick not onely because it imbraceth all places but all times also and it is called Apostolick because it begun in the Apostles retains their doctrine and keeps their succession 2. Reason dictates to all that truth is precedent in time to falshood which is nothing else but a denyall of truth and consequently posteriour in time to it for the Father of lyes brought falshood into the world when he tempted our first Parents after their creation in the state of Grace and Knowledge of Truth 3. The holy Fathers alwayes urged this mark of the antiquity of the Catholick Church against the Novellismes of the Hereticks and their comming after that the Church of Christ was begun so did Saint Austin urge this mark against the Manicheans and Saint Hierom in his Epistle to Pammachius Hence infer first that that Sect cannot possible be yea or conceived to be Christs true Church w ch begun in such or such a year after that Christs Church was instituted Why because this posteriority of times argues diversity which excludes identity Secondly that that sect cannot possibly be the true Church of Christ which though it began in Christs or his Apostles time yet hath not continued but is now annihilated and why because its antiquity which must not onely be derived from Christs time but the same must also be without interruption continued till the worlds end is come to an end Christs Church having still its being The second point Consider now the Antiquity of the Church of Rome by which Church is understood not onely that Congregation of the faithfull which in the City of Rome and the adjacent places adhere to that Supream Bishop but all others also dispersed over all the earth that are united to the Church of Rome by the same belief by communion in the same Sacraments and by obedience to the same Supream head under Christ the Antiquity therefore of this Church is first demonstrated out of the Scripture it self Saint Paul writ that famous Epistle of his to the Church of Rome in which he gives the members thereof many great Elogiums To all that be in Rome beloved of God called Saints and again your faith is spoken of throughout the whole world When Saint Paul was come near to Rome the faithful for even then there were Christians at Rome at Puteoli and thereabouts before Saint Pauls coming thither went out of Rome to meet him and his fellow prisoners as far as Appii forum He began presently upon his arrival to preach in sine he preached the faith of Christ in Rome without any disturbance for two whole years together Of the Church of Rome Saint Peter also makes mention in these words The Church which is in Babylon salutes you so that both the Antiquity and truth also of the Romane faith is demonstrated out of Scripture Consider secondly the Antiquity of the Romane Church continued conserved uninterrupted in all ages since its being founded in the Apostles time First at all times in every age there hath been apparent a visible body of Professours of the Roman faith this is evinced clearly by that brief Catalogue of Saints put down in the sixth Meditation as also by the never interrupted Apostolick Succession of chief Pastors treated in the preceding Meditation 2. The faith and Doctrine held now by the Church of Rome accords most perfectly with the faith and Doctrine of
hath got the better in fine all injustices and outrages would be committed and no malefactours punished without a living judge and that such an one as from whose sentence there is no appeal Now if these instances prove as they do most effectually the requisitnesse of a living judge for the upholding of all true civill judicature and government much more is a living judge necessary in ecclesiasticall in which matters of Faith and Religion and consequently of eternal moment are to be tryed The second Point To understand how easie and efficacious means the true Church of Christ hath for the composing of Controversies Consider first that it belongs to the divine providence which extends it selfe to a care over every the least individuum of the most contemptible species amongst natural things not to let his Church want any thing of those which are required ad melius esse much more to supply it with what 's absolutely necessary as means clear and easie for the judging of Controversies is Secondly what perfection the Jewish Synagogue had in this kinde that à fortiori is to be supposed in Christs Church for it was but the handmaid this the Spouse if the shaddow this the Sun if the type this the reall thing prefigured if it had a living judge an infallible judge who was to shew the truth of judgment and a judge to whose final sentence that people was to stand upon pain of death shall the Church of Christ in which the most weighty controversies of divine Faith and eternal salvation are raised every foot by Hereticks want such means Assuredly no. Consider thirdly the many Texts of Scripture yea and as clear in the confirmation of this as of any point whatsoever by which the Church of Christ is impowred with an infallible authority for deciding Controversies even of the highest nature All power is given to me in heaven and in earth goe ye therefore and teach all Nations Mat. 28. in which words the emphasis of that particle theresore intimateth that a powerfull Commission was given them and consequently of teaching without danger of erring and that it was not given to them onely but also to their successors the ensuing words Behold I am with you alwayes even unto the end of the world Luke 10. Convince He that beareth you beareth me and be that despiseth you despiseth me If he will not hear the Church let him be to thee as a heathen and Publican Matt. 18.17 Our Saviour sayes of his Church that the gates of hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16. And he sayes in most significant words that the holy Ghost shall teach the Church all truth Jo. 16. O divine spirit since you cannot but perform what our Saviour promised this teaching of the Church all truth what do they deserve that accuse it of truth And indeed either the verity of Christs promise or the fidelity of the holy Ghosts performance is questioned when the true Churches Infallible Authority is doubted of or its erring avouched The third Point Consider now that since the true Church of Christ where ever it be now hath his infallible power of resolving all doubts in matters of Faith as the forementioned places of scripture besides many more confirm and since some one of the various religions now extant in the world must be Christs true Church and have this power for still there is a Church and it the Ground and Pillar of Truth Tim. 1.3 let us see what Church sympathizeth best or rather is as some one must be identified with Christs true Church in this point and by good consequence in all others First therefore this infallible judge and composer of all controversies in Christs Church formerly could be no other than either the head of it or some representative body of the Church or both joyntly together no other means of having a living judge can more probably yea or possibly be affigned for all the mombers of the church men women children cannot be collected together into one consult we see also that a Parliament in w ch some one is president above the is the representative body of a Kingdom or Common wealth and what it being a law full one acts is the act of the whole Nation we know more over that in the primitive Church this judge was no other but such an one as is here intended to wit the chief pastor and head of the Church or a General Councel or both and by such a judge was Arius condemned to wit by the Councel of Nice in which Hosius Bishop of Corduba in Spain was Presidentin the place of Pope Silvester who sent him and confirmed the acts of that Councel So was Macedonius condemned in the first Councel of Constantinople So Nestorius in the Ephesine Councel so Eutiches in the Councel of Calcedon so in all suceeding ages Controversies as they rise were decided and Hereticks condemned after the foresaid manner therefore that living judge so necessary must be such an one Consider secondly that the same praxis hath alwayes been held in the Roman Church and is held still eighteen general Councels have been called and confirmed by the supream Bishops or Popes of Rome the first whereof was the Nicene Councel and the last the Councel of Trent in which sate six Cardinalls four Legates three Patriarks thirty two Archbishops and Bishops two hundred and twenty eight besides Abbots Generals of Religious orders and a great number of divines sent by such Bishops as for infirmity or other just reasons could not be present And that this Councell was not of as great Authority as any of the first four were can never be proved all that can be urged against this Councell must be grounded upon that false and ungrounded but dreadfull fince all Sectaries venter their salvation upon on the same supposition that the Roman Church hath fallen from the true and Primitive Faith Prove this your supposition you miserable men which you could never yet prove or be converted or loose your souls of which you run a most desperate hazard by forsaking that Church which is acknowledged by your selves to have been once the true Church meerly upon Luthers hare word that it hath lost the true faith Consider thirdly that since there is no other Church now in the world but the Roman Church which holds the same way and manner of deciding controversies which the Primitivs church held nay nor hath any means to procure such a judge for want of a head to call and confirm a Generall Councel and Bishops to consult enact and see that the inferiour Pastours put in execution what was enacted Hence it follows that the Roman Church is the onely true Church of Christ The fourth Point Consider lastly that since Sectaries reject the authority of the Popes nor can have General Councels and consequently no living judge they must fly either to scripture alone or to the private spirit As for the scripture first it cannot perform the Office
Meditations UPON THE MARKS of the True CHURCH of CHRIST OR Motives of Credibility In behalf of the True Religion And the easiest way to finde it out By H. W. Testimonia tua credibilia facta sunt nimis Thy testimonies are made too credible Psal 92.7 Lord if that which we believe be an errour you have deceived us for this doctrine is confirmed by those signes which could not be done but by you Ricardus de S. Victore 1.1 de Trinitate c. 2. Paris Printed with Licence 1655. The Preface IF the Enemy of mankinde did not shew unto Sectaries the face of Religion in a false Glass in which he makes the very Spouse of Christ she that is so beautifull with so lovely features and of so comely a comportment in her self appear to the deluded eyes of so many souls ill-favoured ugly and in a manner monstruous and on the contrary sets out other Sects though never so contemptable in themselves for beauties most gracious and attractive disputes and â—â—arrels about Religion would be soon composed for the naturall comlinesse of the one and the uglinesse of the others covered onely with a painted exteriour would easily discover themselves My endeavour therefore shall be to unbeguile these people and shew them both parties as they are in their own native colours for effecting of which I have chosen a new medium or at least a new manner ofproposing the old many Elaborate works have been published in Vindication of the true Faith and in confutation of falshood which undoubtedly were convincing enough but because both experience and the ingenuous acknowledgement of many teach that though the intellect in many thousands rest convinced yet the will holds back and will not execute what the understanding dictates ought to be done Therefore I resolving not to be backward in contributing my endeavours towards the common good thought it not a misse to handle this great businesse of Religion by way of Meditation rather than by that of argumentation as being the most efficacious way to move the will besides its being the most clear and easie way of propounding things to the understanding especially since the subject I take in hand is both spiritual and proper for Meditation to wit the marks of the church For who can doubt but Sanctity of life and Doctrine the gift of Miracles and of Prophesying conversion of Souls Martyrdome and the like are a very connaturall matter for Meditation But as the best masters of spirit advise that in delivering matter to Meditate upon some points or considerations be suggested to the exercitant thereby to facilitate the businesse for him and yet that all that may be considered upon such a subject be not ambitiously introduced least the others understanding be prevented and forestalled So have I in this little work endeavoured to proceed setting down upon each matter only some chief considerations which may give the Reader occasion to search further himself I have also added some affections and Colloquies thereby to further the motions of the will As for the matter of the ensuing Meditations to wit the Marks of the Church this I may truly say of them that as they are in themselves a most noble matter and most worthy of a Christians Meditation and Study so are they of all other the most facile 〈◊〉 forcible means whereby to finde out the true Church That Catholick who hath a desire to make a quick dispatch of his Adversary let him encounter him with these Weapons they are an unknown treasure and not unlike to Aristoles Topicks in that they are as it were common places or fountains out of which reasons and arguments both to impugn false Sects and also to defend the Orthodox Religion are easily at any time drawn Art thou demanded the reason why thou art a Catholick Answer Because that Religion hath the marks of Christs true church upon it and consequently is it Art thou desirous to find out that onely soul-saving Faith of Christ look where thou canst finde these marks and there thou hast it and where these are wanting assuredly there the true Church is not Hast thou a mind truly to understand how incomparable a benefit God hath bestowed upon thee in making thee a member of that church out of w ch no salvatioÌ„ can be hoped for read and meditate this matter which will inform thee Roman Catholicks indeed have more and clearer texts out of the propheticall apostolick writers than any other Sect can introduce in their own behalf yet the latter have always evasions either by appealing from one sentence to another or else by insisting upon their own private exposition reduce them therefore to this matter of the marks of the Church and you will soon have them fast One thing is worthy yea necessary to be well understood by all and this is that the marks of the Church which are the motives in point of religion may be considered two ways to wit either as they are antecedent to faith or as they are subsequent and things themselves believed with divine faith for all christians who receive the the scriptures for divine must believe with divine faith that Christ gave to his church the gift of working miracles of prophesyings that the church is but one and antienter than all other Sects amongst christians that in it there are holy members that its doctrin is holy and efficacious to convert souls that it hath continued ever since christs time shal do stil untill the world have an end that the prophesies of the old law are fulfilled by christ and his church all these or the most of them must be believed as divine truths by christians for they are expressed in the holy scripture as will appear in the first point of the succeeding meditations So that sectaries must believe the true Church to be where these marks are But the same things may be also considered as they are preceding divine Faith and go before it yea or wholly independent of it and in this acception only they are motives of credibility yet most powerfully perswasive For by demonstrating to Athiests Pagans or other non-Christians out of humane history and out of the scriptures received only for books of humane authority yet held by thousands of prudent and learned men for authenticall and of great credit that such and such prodigious things or miracles and the like may be urged in strange predictions of future things contingent fulfilled in a strange contempt of worldly things and in some other such like rareties are recounted by so many authors of the greatest humane authority this cannot but convince them that there is a Deity that this Diety rules the World by a most wise Providence that the same Deity by order of good consequence is to be worshipped by some form of Religion and that that is in all likelihood yea in all certainty the most credible and true the professors of which are conspicuous by such things as out
it and by means of the holy Sacraments applied to each member of the same St Paul saies and that in most weighty words That the Church is such a thing as cost Christ the spending of his precious blood which argues that it is a rarer thing than Sectaries make it to be Consider secondly What this Church is It is a body a morall or politick body the members whereof are men as the members of a Common wealth or a City or a Colledge are Christs true Church therefore is a Congregation of People called out for so the Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports from others that are not of it and united together in the same belief and profession of all the verities revealed by Christ and in the Communion of the same Sacraments and worship and under the obedience and government of lawfull Pastors which must descend lineally from Christ and his Apostles by a legall and continued succession whereof one is the Head governing under Christ and his Vicar Consider thirdly some inferences which may be drawn from what hath been considered and first a knowledge of who are members of Christs true Church and who are not Three things are requisite in the members thereof 1. One and the same Faith and Belief of all revealed truths and disbelief of no one to wit in those who are come to the use of Reason and have them sufficiently propounded Now for want of this Unity of Belief all Hereticks are excluded and Infidels 2. Communion together in the same Sacraments and form of worship for want of this Catecumens such as are onely in preparation for Baptism are not yet members of it 3. Obedience and subjection to lawfull Pastors and for want of this Schismaticks are excluded And here now you poore souls of so many several Sects try what you are by these touch-stones Gather out of the precedent point three things first how dangerous it is in matters of Faith to follow their own judgment and private interpretation of Scripture 2. What a misery it is to make no use of the holy Sacraments 3 What madnes it is to take for the directours guides of their souls men who can give no account of their lawfull Calling and Mission but instead of Letters Patents from some higher spiritual Superiour bring onely their own bare word to prove what are The third Point Consider now the rare excellency and nature of the Church of Christ this may be evidenced by 3 things most worthy to be remembred and meditated upon The 1. whereof is the marks of it which are rare endowments privileges proprieties distinguishing it most clearly from all other sects whatsoever these marks are handled in the ensuing meditations The 2. is the manifold admirable means helps which it affords those who are members of it in order to their easie procuring their eternal salvation ten of these most full of comfort are briefly handled in the second point of the first Meditation The third thing is the brave Elegium's and great Characters by which the holy Scriptures most deservedly extoll it This Church is stiled and that by Truth it self the Kingdome of Christ yea the Kingdome of heaven this is the body of Christ and the Spouse of that heavenly Bridegroom Christ cals this his Dove his beloved his perfect one his onely one this is his Vineyard and his Harvest this is his House the House of God the Temple of God the Tabernacle of God and the City of God This is a high Mount the Mount of our Lord in the top of Mountains mount Sion and a holy Mountain This for its Light is that Candle upon a Candlestick fair as the Moon choice as the Sun that Woman cloathed with the Sun this for the means and marks it hath is a holy way and so direct a way that even fools shal not err therein This for its ability to confute and conquer Heresies is an Army set in battell ray This for its infallibility is a Pillar and Firmament it is a House built by the Wise man upon a Rock in sine it is the Church of Christ against which all the Forces of Hell shall never prevail For which O may thy name be ever glorified O King of glory and since thou art a Lord strong and powerfull a Lord strong in battaile diffipate those Nations which will have Wars wars against thy Church thy City founded upon a rock and situated upon a hill or rather since thy mercies are above all thy works gather together thou good Shepheard these dispersed if not lost sheep and reduce them back into the sheepfold of thy Church Amen Collect out of this point First how great the ingratitude of those is towards Christ who derogate from the honour of his Church either by laying false aspersions upon it of corruption defection and teaching false doctrine or at least bear not that respect and reverence towards it which they ought both in regard of its excellency and Christs charity in founding it Secondly how great reason there is that every one that is not a member of it but of some other Sect though they imagine themselves to be truly of the true Church do notwithstanding parallel their Sect with that Church of which the Scriptures give such noble characters assuredly if passion partiality prejudicate opinion and love of worldly things be laid aside reason will tell them they are wrong and since notwithstanding some one for there can be but one of the different religions now on foot in Europe must be it for Christ hath a true Church upon earth the result of that deliberation will be that the Roman Catholikes alone have it The fourth Point Having considered that there is a Church what that Church is and the qualities of it the fourth thing remains to be considered to wit for what that Church is Consider therefore that the end and intention which Christ prefixed to himself when he founded the Catholike Church was the glory of God and the salvation of Soules These two are like the two Poles for all the created Universe move for them these are that negotium seculorum that work of ages that primum or first and chiefest thing which must be sought for that unum necessarium for which all other things must be set aside But consider withall that this Church is founded for the salvation of Mankinde not so as a thing indifferent but as essentially requisite and out of which no salvation can be had thus speak the Fathers thus the Scriptures and thus the Figures which represent the Church All that were not within the Ark of Noah perished in the Deluge the member which is cut off from the body cannot live the branch which is not united to the Vine Tree can bring forth no fruit must needs wither is onely fit for the fire the Sheep which remain not in this Sheepfold will be devoured by the hellish Wolves And none received that mysterious penny the
since almost each Saint wrought so many Ponder this Admire this Gloria haec est omnibus Sanctis ejus this glory of working miracles is proper onely to the Saints of Gods Church and therefore those who have been priviledged with power to work these are the Saints of his Church The third Point Consider now what confirmation any of these modern Sects hath from Miracles none at all Luther and Calvin knew full well that Miracles were great marks signes of true doctrine and therefore to authorize themselves they attempted these Luther began to dispossesse a certain Wench a spiritual daughter of his but insteed of delivering her from the injury himself fell into his hands for the Devill setting upon him almost kild him as Staphysus eye witnesses report His second attempt was to raise from death a man drowned in the river Elbe Nesenus by name he comes to the place with a retinue of his new Prosellytes and others he views the body mutters some obscure words seconded with various changes of his countenance but the man stirred not at which Luther went away not a little confounded Calvin agreed underhand with a poore man called Bruley upon promise of some temporal succour that he should fain himself sick and seemingly grow worse and worse and at length die all this begun to be acted as was agreed upon Calvin is called to the poor mans house he comes with a great deal of gravity and resentment people flock apace and a greater blind is made just as the man dies Calvin takes hold of his hand and conjures him in the name of God to rise but by the just judgement of God the man proves to be really dead the poor mans wife conscious of their combining together charges Calvin with the death of her husband and discovers to Calvins shame the whole designe and thus stands the case with Sectaries in point of Miracles no no God will not with his seal confirm lyes heresies blasphemies The fourth Point Consider now some sequels derived out of the former points first one of the main reasons why Sectaries calumniate inveigh so much against some Miracles for many they cannot deny done by the Roman Catholikes is because they have none themselves and by good consequence they have not the true Church amongst them since they have not this mark which the Scripture attributes to Christs Church Secondly that the above mentioned holy fathers were all Roman Catholicks even for this very reason if there were no other to wit because they recount the Miracles of other Saints praise them and urge them as an impregnable argument against Hereticks this thing is most worthy of consideration Thirdly that the Church of Christ is onely amongst the Roman Catholicks since onely true miracles many and most strange ones were done by them and are done by them even in these our dayes And now thou O Lord who art wonderfull in thy Saints work thy wonted wonders and restore sight to those souls who have the eyes of their under standings so in a manner put out by ignorance passion or malice that they cannot see this mark of mighty Miracles upon thy Church Open with that thy Ephphata those Ears that will not hear thy Church which thou commands upon pain of being reputed no better than Heathenish should be heard Say to the lame Rise and Walk direct the footsteps of those that stray even out of that in which fools cannot go amisse that so all may return to thy Church their best House and Home Amen The sixth Meditation Of Sanctity of life The first Point COnsider first that sanctity and perfection which consists in a perfect accomplishment of the divine Will and a conformity of humane will to it is a mark of Christs true Church The holy Scriptures are most copious in the proof of this Sanctity becomes thy House O Lord unto the length of dayes to wit for ever thus King David expresses this mark immediately after that of miracles and the other marks in these words Testimonia tua credibilia facta sunt nimis to those that are members of Christs Church saies Saint Paul The Temple of God is holy which Temple you are and God himself sayes Beye holy because I am holy our Saviour inculcated this truth often Ye have not chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that you go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain and again he sayes in plain terms that by their fruits you shall know them Man is the Tree saies S. Austin and his actions are the fruit in fine our Lord sayes to all the members of his Church Be ye perfect even as your heavenly father is perfect Hence appears evidently that sanctity and perfection is a mark of Christs true Church And Hence must be inferred that where this is wanting there the true Church of Christ hath no being where this is truly found there is the true Church discovered Be thou therefore an impartial judge in this point of Sanctity without which in some degree there is no salvation to be hoped for 1 beg the assistance of divine grace that no self ends or worldly interests no prejudice or passion may disturbe thee or hinder thee in this search after true Sanctity and the Communion of Saints which are onely to be found in the holy Catholike Church The second Point To understand how truly true Sanctity and perfection hath been taken to heart alwayes amongst Roman Catholicks Consider these three things following First the means their Religion affords them for the acquiring of true Sanctity Secondly The use they make of such means Thirdly The number and multitude of their Saints Consider therefore 1. That all the helps and requisites which the study of perfection can stand in need of are to be had amongst them to acquire the benefits of divine grace and justification as also to increase the same and to recover them again being lost As 1. The holy Sacraments are the main means now who makes any doubt but that the Roman Catholicks make most frequent and Religious use of these but especially the holy SACRAMENT of the ALTAR and that of Confession which is alwayes accompanied with the exercise of many Acts of other vertues as humility sorrow good purposes victory over ones self Faith Hope and Charity they find by daily experience to be great helps to vertue 2. Their form of worship and that divine Sacrifice of holy Masse which all antiquity ever honoured is both a motive to all acts of vertue a means to obtain vertue and a work upon which all vertues attend it is both impretatory and propitiatory in the highest degree 3. Another great furtherer most efficacious means to vertue is Prayer both mentall and vocall to the good and frequent performance of which as the Roman Catholicks are most conformable to the Counsell of our Saviour by being most addicted to it of all
one is that the Church of Rome hath been apparently visible in all ages An other that since Christ must have a true Church upon earth and since one of the marks of it is appears by the scriptures conversion of Nations by the doctrine and since no other Sect hath this mark the Church of Rome which hath alwayes had it must be and is Christs true Church a third that when any are converted to the Roman church from insidelity or heresie they amend their lives and live more vertuously than before But those that were Roman Catholicks when they fall and betake themselves to any other Sect they grow worse and worse as we see it sals out by experience in almost every one that revolts from the Catholicks to any other Sect and the reason of this is clear because liberty and temporall ends are their motive not any quarrel they have against the probability and truth of the Catholick Tenents If I stay with the Catholicks I must not onely confesse my sins and be truly sorry for them but I must also seriously purpose amendment of my life and repair what soever dammages my neighbours same or fortune have suffered by my malignant tongue or fraudulent dealing Wave these obligations and go once to Church and by this I may evade the misery of sequestration and live free from sears siding with the Sect most countenanced and cryed up will secure me and mine With such thoughts the wicked spirits inveagle those fraile ones which like unto Fishes at first sight lay hold on the bait but mind not the hook no efficacy of doctrine moves such men But thou Rationalist be thou led with motives grounded upon eternity and let that doctrine which all Nations have experienced to be efficacious finde no resistance in thee and thou heavenly Physician who said that the healthfull had no need of such artists but the sick onely look upon the distempers of this distracted Nation in point of Religion England that when time was lent Evangelical light to so many others sits now in darknesse and in the shadow of death but thou who art the way make her walk in thee thou that art the truth make her believe in thee that since thou art life she may live in thee till all Nations meet in the Unity of Faith AMEN Of the uninterrupted and Apostolical succession of the Pastors of the Church The first Point COnsider first that as Christ our Saviour founded the Catholick Church so as that it should last to the end of the world so also he ordained that in it there should be lawfull Pastors succeeding one another so long as the Church was to continue this the scripture teacheth in expresse terms He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and other some Evangelists and other some Pastors and Doctors to the consummation of the Saints unto the work of the ministery unto the edifying of the body of Christ until we meet al in the unity of faith Consider secondly that this continued succession was to be propagated by a legall descent from Christs Apostles both scripture and reason proves this truth for if all true members of the Church must like living stones be built upon the foundation of the Apostles to the end that all the building fitly framed together may grow unto a holy Temple in the Lord much more necessarily must the Pastors be built upon them and as that family ceases is extinguished when once the line of descendents from the first of that family is by death interrupted so the lineal but morall or politick descent of Pastors from the Apostles ceases and is extinct when such an interruption is made as that Pastors cease to have their spirituall birth to their Functions by that legitimate consecration and jurisdiction which is derived from the Apostles the want of which also in the first of a new Episcopal See illegitimate him and all his descendents now that this descent from the Apostles be legall it requires a calling from God or Vocation No man takes to himself this honour but he that is called of God as Aaron was this vocation is the door in at which every shepherd that is a true one must enter in to the sheepfold of Christs Church for he that entreth not by the door into the sheepfold but climbeth up some other may the same is a thief a robber saies the good shepherd Christ a severe césure for such as are not true Priests and get into the Office of Pastors onely by self-intrusion or by the deputation only of some secular power devoid of all Ecclesiastical jurisdiction Consider thirdly the manner of this legall Calling which Saint Paul sayes must be from God as Aaron was divine calling or vocation is twofold extraordinary and ordinary the former is when God by himself immediately cals one as he did the Prophets Moses and the rest and this extraordinary manner of calling was absolutely necessary in the first plantation of the Church For the first Pastors to wit the Apostles could not be called otherwise because they were the very first themselves The Ordinary calling is also from God but not done by him immediatly but by the concurrance of others The first of the line of those which were ordinarily called was called after the extraordinary manner by God immediately so was Aaron called but Aarons successors were ordained by others so the Apostles who were called extraordinarily ordained other Bishops and Priests and these Bishops afterwards made others according to the order prescribed by Christ to be held in his Church and thus both vocations were truly from God Now to understand the better what the lawfull calling of a true Bishop or Priest is and by this means to be able the better to distinguish who are lawfull Pastors and who not Consider these things first the Election or designation of the Person and this belongs properly to Church men though the People or secular Princes have been sometimes permitted to depute and propose to the Church such persons as they desired thought sit but this makes not a man either Bishop or Priest the next thing after Election or Approbation is Consecration or Ordination and this act is to be performed onely by Bishops this act is it which makes a true Bishop or Priest and without this consecration all the Princes of the world by any their deputation of persons to Episcopall or Priestly Function can never make them true Bishops or Priests The third thing is Jurisdiction which is given by a Superiour Prelate to the Consecrated person and this is called Mission for he is sent with faculties to govern souls and feed them with the holy Sacraments and the word of God These faculties for so they are called are the Priests Commission and the giving of them with lesser or greater limits as also the assigning him these subjects in particular and not others is only in the hands of Spiritual Prelats and in
no temporall Princes power whatsoever Gather out of the premisses First that that Church cannot possibly be Christs Church which wants Bishops Secondly that these are only true Bishops and Priests who are lawfully descended from the Apostles Thirdly that those only are legally descended from the Apostles who have these two things Succession and Consecration both Apostolicke A true Pastor must succeed to some one of the Apostles ether immediatly as Saint Liuus succeeded Saint Peter and as Saint Policarpe succeeded Saint John or else mediatly as S. Ignatius succeeded S. Evodius who was ordained Bishop by S. Peter his Consecration also must be Aposto lick that is this Priest must be consecrated by a Bishop which Bishop must be consecrated by other Bishops and these by others till at length an assent by degrees be made up to the Apostles Fourthly that Spiritual dignity is of a far higher nature than temporal both by reason of its lineal descent and that never interrupted from Christ as also by reason of its Function which is about things Speritual and Divine The second Point To under stand how lawfully the pastors of the Church of Rome are called Consider first that the Protestants doe not stand in denial of this but plainly grant it yea they pretend for the lawfulnes of their own calling no greater argument then that they have their succession from the Church of Rome conscious to wit that there can be no true power either of order or Jurisdiction nor any true legislative power Ecclesiasticall at all but it must descend by succession from Christ and his Apostles and this they acknowledge the Church of Rome to have pretending with all that themselves are united to the same line of Communication in that Apostolick succession Consider secondly this their lawfull calling confirmed by this Negative Argument Christ must have and hath a Visible Church upon earth somewhere this Church must have a Visible succession of Pastors for this is the main thing in which chiefly the visibility of the Church appears since where the succession of Pastors ceaseth there the flock is lest ungoverned unfed exposed to dispersion and perishing and thus the Church would come to faile not onely in visibility but even in its existency Now this Visible succession must be derived from the Apostles and that without ever being interrupted otherwise the Church would not be Apostolick contrary to the scripture and the Nicene Creed nor remain the same unto the end of the world contrary to our Saviours promise and St. Pauls forementioned words And since there is not any sect which either doth or can with any shew of probability pretend to have a See Apostolick or a never interrupted visible succession from the Apostles but onely in the Church of Rome there it must be and consequently their calling yea only theirs lawfull True it is the Greek Church had Apostolick Sees to wit at Hierusalem Antioch and Alexandria each of which had an Apostle or Evangelist for its first Bishop but for the space of these last nine hundred years since the begining of which time the Persians Sarazens and Turks have kept possession of those Countries the succession in these hath been obscure interrupted as good as none And this by the just judgement of God for the Schisme and persidiousnes of the Greek Church as also to make the Roman See Apostolick more clearly to appear to be the Mother and Mistress of all Churches Consider thirdly that the lawfull Calling of Pastors amongst the Roman Catholicks is further positively demonstrable from the succession of their Popes For the better understanding of which note first That the ancient Fathers were most exact in registering the names of the Popes as they succeeded one another so did Saint Ireneus Tertullian Eusebius S. Austin S. Hierom and others the like diligence hath been used by other Roman Catholicks in all succeeding ages even to this present Popes dayes who is called Innocent the 10. and is the two hundred thirty and nine from S. Peter Note secondly that the forementioned holy Fathers used to produce the succession of Popes as an impregnable argument to prove that to be the onely true Religion which had these chief Pastors on its side Now if the succession of twenty or thirty of them were of such force in the judgment of these learned Doctors to convince Hereticks how forcible an argument against these modern Sects must a long Catalogue of 239 make Note thirdly that none were ever acknowledged by the Roman church for true and lawfull Bishops or Priests but such as were ordained either immediately by the Apostles or by their successors now conformablely to these truths here noted this follows and is most certain that from every true Priâ—st now living by passing from the Bishops which consecrated them to those that ordained these and so on upward a line of spiritual pedegree uninterruptedly ascends to the very Apostles This orderly series or scale of succession proves evidently the Pastors of the Roman Religion to be lawfully called and sent Here 's solidity here 's security those that will get out of their labyrinths of errours doubts or fears must do it by the conduct of this line begin go on this is your way to the Apostles and Christ The third Point Consider now how the case stands with other Sects in point of lawfull calling and first for Luther the ringleader of all modern sects that his calling was not extraordinary it is certain for he could never shew his extraordinary Commission to wit Miracles the gist of Prophecy or these other supernatuall endowments which God alwayes gave to his Prophets and Apostles whom he sent extraordinarily and that this exacting of Miracles in this case is most just and reasonable it is hence proved if some new upstart should pretend he were immediately sent by God to preach against such or such a Sect the onely means that Sect could use for silencing and confuting such an one were to demand Miracles of him and if some new impostor should pretend he were Christ or urge his being sent extraordinarily to Preach against Christ or any other mystery of Faith which were believed by all Christians as the mystery of the Incarnation or Passion the reality of supernatural Faith and divine grace or the like against such a fictitious pretender not onely Roman Catholicks but all other Sects amongst Christians also ought to bid him shew his Commission sealed with Miracles As for Luthers ordinary calling true it is he was lawfully ordained Priest by the Church of Rome but a Priest cannot ordain other Priests much lesse Bishops so that no succession could be propagated by him It is true also that he had jurisdiction which must flow from the spring head of all true ecclesiasticall jurisdiction Christ and his Vicar and was lawfully sent after his being consecrated to govern and seed souls but his faculties or commission were given him with these limits and conditions which not only the
the Holy Fathers in all points this truth hath been of purpose moved at large by many learned writers nor can Sectaries instance any one particular thing w ch the Roman Catholicks now hold as a point of faith which was not held by the Holy Fathers yea every particular point is granted even by Protestants themselves to have been the Doctrine or practice of the holy Fathers 3. Going out or separation is specified in the Scripture and by the holy Fathers as a note of novelty and heresie now certain it is that Sectaries could never assign any known time in which the Church of Rome went out and separated it self from any Society of Christians antienter than it self and this they grant which is a signe it is the antiontest of all Churches still and the only true 4. Of all sects of Hereticke the beginning of them withall the notable circumstances is known set down by writers No known beginning since the Apostles time of this Roman Religion which now is extant was ever mentioned by any authour whatsoever nor can be and this the very Adverfaries grant which is a sign that it is the most antient of all Religions and the very same which was established in Rome by the Apostles 5. since all Sectaries grant that the Romane Religion remained truly Catholick and Orthodox for many hundred years after the Apostles time it is and must be granted by all to be still the same unlesse evidence and that convincing can be brought in against it out of good and warrantable authours when Rome lost its true Religion in what point it did erre against its former true faith who taught that false saith first and what number adheard to it at first who stood in opposition against it who condemned it and what body of people stuck still to the true Religion for Christs true Church was still visible somewhere and to what countrey or town did any of them repair for Rome stood still for the Pope and he in it to exercise the true Religion in certain it is that most of all these circumstances would have been most exactly recorded if any such thing had happened that the Vicar of Christ should promulge an Heresie to be believed by the whole Church and that the true Church should lose its true faith which had been the greatest change and strangest point of news that ever the world had heard of since Christs time and no one Authour at least recount the circumst-nces of that great wonder is plainly incredible especially since the particular points and passages of all other heresies yea of all considerable points of news done in any Nation are alwayes commended to posterity by some Writers at least by some one the deep silence of all kinde of Authors in this businesse till Luthers time condemns this wretched Apostata and all that band against the Church of Rome upon that ungrounded and impious supposition of deadly sin of schisme of Hesie and obligeth all whom invincible ignorance excuseth not under pain of the same sins to return to the communion of the Church of Rome again Ponder further the antiquity and consequently the verity of the Roman Church upon this ground She was once in possession yea for many ages of the honourable title of being the most ancient and true Church Now this is her most just plea she hath still possession and melior est conditio possidentis of what her adversaries once her children grant was long hers by right Now by what law surely neither by the civill nor natural can she be thrust out of possession since her adversaries who are the Plaintiffs in this unjust action can prove nothing against her Deniall serves the Defendant the other must positively prove that which they can never prove Ponder lastly the Antiquity of the Roman Catholick Religion from the common sense or consent of all people from which arose that phrase of the Vulgar sort calling it the old Religion All these considerations questionless convince that the Roman Catholicks are the most antient and consequently the true Religion for here the one infers the other Si hi tacuerint lapides clamabunt if these arguments proclaim not with a voice loud enough the antiquity of the Roman Religion the very stones will speak in its behalf all ancient monuments even Gravestones and Church Windows all Abbies Collegies Churches and Chappels of which many lye buried in their own ruines for this Religions sake and crosses now groveling upon the ground for their too much favouring the antient Religion are strong witnesses of this truth Thou therefore that art wavering and carried about with every winde of doctrine harken to what the ancient of daies sayes to the of this ancient Religion Stand in the wayes and see and inquire of the old paths which is the good way and walk therein The third Point To understand the better that none but Roman Catholicks can justly pretend Apostolick antiquity consider first that rule which S. Hierom gives as a touch stone to try heresies by to reduce an heresie to its first beginning is to confute it this is it and it is well grounded in reason and Saint Irenaeus before him used the same rule and by it confuted the Valentineans and Marcionists Consider secondly this other proof of heresies novelty and salshood to wit going out and separation the scriptures make going out a distinctive mark of Hereticks Saint John speaking of Hereticks sayes They went out from us 1 Jo. 2. 19. Saint Jude sayes These are they which segregate themselves Jud. 19. Saint Paul sayes Out of our own selves shall arise men speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves Act. 20. 30. And the Apostles together in Councel said We have heard that certain going forth from us have troubled you with words subverting your souls Act. 15. 24. And our Saviour gave us all his expresse admonition against being seduced by Hereticks in these words Go ye not out Mat. 24. 26. So that going out is a badge or character of an Heretick and Novelist Hence inser that since Berengarius Waldo Wyckliffe Hus Luther Carolstadius Peter Maryr Bucer Oecolampadius Ochinus Zuinglius Calvin and Beza who had all been originally Româ—n Catholicks went out from that Church they are convicted to be Novelists Hereticks and Schismaticks and since both their going out of the Church of Rome is confessed by all and easily made manifest even by this alone their heresies are easily reduced to their first beginnings and consequently according to Saint Hieromes rule confuted As for Luther who led the Van of all these troups of modern Sectaries he in the year 1517. went out of the Church of Rome and began a new sect and in the year 1529. he and his adherentâ— gave to themselves their own posterity the name of Protestants a name never heard of before the occasion of the imposition of that new name was taken by their protesting
and particularly Atheists too to many of which are now abroad under the notion of Sectaries and indeed this confusion of modern Sects produceth Atheists as efficacious arguments to convince them of the unreasonablenes and stolidity of their infidelity and to bring them to Christianity for though they deny our scriptures to contain oracles of Divine Truth yet they admit them or at least may be brought by discourse to admit them as worthy to be ranked amongst the best monuments of humane History Now this their humane authority is sufficient to convince and move them if it be effectually shewed for example to an Atheist that such such things were foretold by Isay or Daniel Authors to whom all the best wits amongst Christians give credit and that the said predictions are recorded to have been fulfilled by Authors of the greatest repute Prophesies fulfilled The second Point Consider first some of the chief Prophesies fulfilled and by whom the four Monarchies to wit the Chaldean that of the Persians and Medes the Grecian and the Roman like rivers running one into another at length lost themselves in their Ocean the Monarchy of Christs Kingdome to wit his Church the great extent of which its never being overcome its superiority and predominance over all other Kingdomes and its perpetual durance are foretold by Daniel cap. 2. but particularly in the 44. verse this is apparently fulfilled in the Church of Rome yet and in no other Sect. The Preaching of Christs Gospel to the Gentiles and the Conversion of them is foretold in many places of scripture but mark the words of Isa cap. 66. v. 19. I will send of those which shall be saved of them to the Gentiles into Affrica and Lydia into Italy and Greece unto the Ilands a far off that have not heard of my same neither have seen my glory and they shall declare my glory to the Gentiles These names are left in the Protestant Bible untranslated out of the Hebrew which is strange and argues that the Translatours had no minde that a place so particularly expressing the conversion of the Gentiles by the Church of Rome should be intelligible Call to minde you enemies of the Church of Rome the religious submission humble gâ—nuflexions inclinations of the body and exteriour reverence and comportment even of the greatest personages exhibited to Priests Prelates and Popes Then read these words of Isa c.49.v.23 Kings shall be thy nursing Fathers and Queens thy nursing mothers they shall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth and lick up the dust of thy feet and in the 60. cap. verse 14. The sons also of them that afflicted thee shall come bending unto thee and all they that dispised thee shall how themselves down at the soles of thy feet Now consider whether these places do not foretell and in a manner describe the forementioned exteriour reverences Malachy Prophesieth of Christs Church thus In every place a pure offering is sacrificed and offered to my name The sacrifice of holy Masse so acknowledged and reverenced by all the holy Fathers is daily offered to God by every Priest almost extant in any part of the world and by it is fulfilled that prophesie Adde to these the gist of working Miracles the gist of prophesie the unity antiquity amplitude sanctity and some other Marks of the Roman Church onely mentioned in the first points of the particular meditations all these you will finde to be prophesied and fulfilled onely in the Roman Church The blessed Virgin Mary in her Canticle Magnificat prophesied of her sacred self in these words For behold from benceforth all generations shall call me blessed Now as it is evident that all generation of Roman Catholicks have complyed with this prophesie so Sectaries may be ashamed to exhibit no kinde of honour to her nay not so much as this or any other honorable appellation but rather speak undervaluingly and disrespectfully of her whom not withstanding the whol torrent and generality of the holy Fathers extols with such Elogium's and that deservedly both in respect of her being the mother of God Queen Mother to the King of Kings as also in regard that her life was the perfectest copy that ever was taken out of the Prototypon of all perfection Christ her son and our Lord The Roman Catholicks consonant to the ancient Fathers and consequently both of the same Religion by reason of their Union in this and other opinions honour this great Theotocos as such a personage whereas most of these modern Sectaries Nestorian-like make no more of her than if she were one of the vulgar yet all England for almost 900 years together as all Catholick countries doe still honoured her with due respect and reverence Consider secondly that the Types and figures of the old law which were representations of what was afterwards to be in the Church of Christ are fulfilled in the Church of the Romane Catholicks and in that only For the Synagogue as it was a figure of Christs Church so the Alters Priâ—sthood Sacrifices which being correlatives infer one another as the want of any of them argues the want of true Worship and Religion were types not only of the priâ—st hood and sacrifice which Christ himself exercised and offered when he was amongst men in mortall flesh but also of the daily sacrifices and eternall priesthood which he left and ordered to be exercised and offered in his Church now since there must be some analogy and similitude betwixt the thing prefigured and the figure such as is clearly to be seen in the priesthood and sacrifice of Masse daily offered in the church of Rome of which other Sects have nothing that can any way answer to those former types It follow evidently that the Church of the Romane Catholicks is that which was prefigured by these and consequently is Christs true Church As for particulars the Manna of the Israelites with its proprietits was a type of the Sacrament of the reall body of Chrift and its effects this is truly fulfilled in the Roman Religion Sectaries in this point still Judaize and of Christs reall body have still only a figure for they acknowledge their Bread and Communion to be no more Nor is it so good a figure of Christs reall body as the Jews Manna was of which also as some of it was alwayes kept in the Tabernacle so is the holy Eucharist kept in the Tabernacle in Catholick Churches Melchisedecks Bread and Wine was a figure of Christs reall body and blood Secturies have still nothing but his bare Bread and Wine they are still in the figure but Roman Catholicks have the reall thing they have reall priests and offer up to God the real body and blood of Christ though in a mysticall manner The Jews Pascall Lambe was both a Sacrament and Sacrifice so is the holy Eucharist and as the Pascal Lambe was offered in memory and in thanksgiving for the benefit of their deliverance out of the AEgyptian