sense requireth the stay of a sure interpretation and this is only that which can make a man a true Catholicke Christian. 50. S. Augustine amongst those manifould cōflicts which he had with the Manichees concerning the Catholicke Church her authority openly and ingenuously professed vnto the said Manichees that he would not haue belieued the Ghospell if the authority of the Catholicke Church did not moue him therunto Whence I do obserue that if we receiue the Ghospell vpon the credit of the Church for that the Ghospell would not be belieued to be the Ghospell vnlesse the authority of the Church did tell vs that it were the Ghospell then followeth it necessarily for the argument is drawne à maiore ad minus that much more should we depend and rely vpon the Church and take from her the true sense meaning and exposition of the Ghospell from whom we haue belieued and receaued that it is the Ghospell and therefore saith the same Father to his friend Honoratns Multò facilius mihi persuaderem Christo non esse credendum quà m de illo quidquam nisi ab his per quos credidissem esse credendum I should much more easily perswade my selfe that we ought not to beleeue in Christ at all then that any thing were to be learned cōcerning him of any man but only of those whom I was taught to belieue in Christ. Can any thing be spoken more effectually for the Authority of the Church since this is the sole cause of his belieuing the Ghospell This is the onely motiue of his imbracing the faith of Christ 51. But now whether Protestants do follow this trade and way of true Catholicisme in their sensing and vnderstanding of Scriptures that is not hard to discouer For when wee come to particuler controuersies and to ioyne issue togeather and that they and their aduersaries do alleage Scriptures and expound the same then doth it appeare as cleare as the sunne who followeth a priuate interpretation and who adhereth to the true Catholicke Churches exposition For the Roman Catholicke first desyring to find out the truth and then willing to imbrace nothing but the truth reflecteth vpon the former interpretation of ancient Church when the present controuersy was not yet in hand and consequently when the exposition cannot be so much as in any semblable reason suspected to be wrested or wrongly interpreted by men of those ages who neither feared nor fauoured any party but must needes be according to the common meaning and sense of the Church in those ancient tymes and this interpretation which the Protestants also in some of their better humours do admit for good the Catholicke followeth vpon this as vpon the rock of God his word truly sensed by the Church he stayeth himselfe buildeth his religion 52. Now the Protestāt being guilty in his conscience and knowing well that antiquity detesteth and hath already anathematized his heresy he by all meanes possible by vociferatiōs and exclamations seeketh to extenuate the authority of this Church much like to the theefe or malefactor who arested by the law to abyde the triall of the same beginneth to raile exclaime against his lawfull ludge and iurours and then in his imagination he deuiseth certaine Chymera's and Idea's of his Church in former times in the ayre of his owne braine which lineally saith he but God knoweth how for he knoweth not descended vnto Luther and Caluin c. And from these people partly and partly from himselfe frameth the Protestant his exposition of Scripture and vpon this foundation buildeeh he all his religion of his owne deuice 53. And albeit all Fathers do not allwaies agree in one and the selfe same sense and exposition of Scripture for that there may be be diuers senses of one the selfe same place of Scripture as before you haue heard at large yet doth the holy Ghost so rune and strike vpon the stringes the tonges and pens I meane of these ancient Wortnies of the Church that all the variety that euer I could find yet amongst them sounded forth a heauenly harmony and neither iarred not yet was dissonant from Scripturs verity or faiths Analogy so farre is the Churches vnity from all contrariety And verily this diuersity of antiquity in the execution of Scriptures without all repugnancy or any contrariety was no small motiue vnto me to imbrace the present Roman Catholicke Religion which all so I found in them for I could not but conclude that as one spirit breathing out these Scriptures intended all these senses so the same spirit guided all And therefore no meruaile that neither the ages wherin such Fathers liued nor any succeeding Century of the Church reprehended their expositions For the wisedome of the spirit euer continued in the Church and thereby they know that such variety breeded no contrariety whilst one Father sensed the Scripture literally another Allegorically and another mystically or Anagogically but yet all to a pious sense and with no obstinate proteruity or animosity against that which the Church did hould or determine for truest 54. And now to come vnto some particuler exposition or Scripture by the Fathers let vs instance in the age of S. Augustine for the Protestants are wont to graunt that the true Church florished in his time and his Maiesty also condescendeth to extend the triall of Controuersies to his time and somwhat further The same Father writing of this Church we haue formerly mentioned proued the same first to be visible and obuious vnto euery mans eyes against the assertion of the Protestants inuisibility of the Church and this he confirmeth out of the wordes of our Sauiour registred by the Euangelist Matth. 5. A Citty vpō a hill cannot be hidden that is to say the Church cannot be inuisible which is many times repeated by the same Father to this effect As also forth of those wordes of the Psalmist Psal. 18. In sole posuit tabernaculum suum he put his tabernacle in the sunne that is he placed his Church in the sight of the world to be seene of all men 55. In like manner the same Father applyeth and expoundeth those wordes of Christ Matth. 5 about the Candle placed on the Candlestick to signify the visibility of the Catholicke Church crying out against them Qui contra lucernam in candelabro positamoculos claudant who willfully shut their eyes against the candle placed on the candlestick Qui tammagnam montem non vident who cannot see so great a hill as the Church is And lastly for conclusion of all he giueth his censure of them in these wordes Quid amplius sum dicturus qùam caecos esse What shall I say more of them but that they are blnd Thus did S. Augustine interpret and apply these Scriptures and many more to this purpose as you shall read throughout his whole Tract de Vnitate Ecclesiae contra Petilianum andels where 56. And the same S. Augustine to
proue that this Catholicke visible Church doth not consist of the good and elect only which is another erroneous position of Protestant Religion and proued largely by S. Augustine to haue bene the heresy of the Donatists and Pelagians their bretheren but of good and bad togeather vnto the worlds end and for confirmation thereof he doth produce interpret those Parables vsed by our Sauiour Matth. 3. to wit of the good corne and chaffe in the floore and of the net cast into the sea that brought vp both good and bad fish and lastly of the weedes and good corne commaunded to be permitted to grow togeather Vpon which place S. Leo the first giueth the glosse thus In extremo iudicio sunt quaedam vrenda flammis sunt alia condenda horreis In the last iudgement some things are to be burned with the flames of dānation other thinges are to be gathered into Gods granary All these places and many more both S. Augustine S. Leo many of the Fathers do interprete of the good and bad that are promiscuously mixed in the Church togeather Do our Protestants follow these expositions 57. Thirdly my foresaid Authour goeth yet further for prouing of a third assertion as contrary to the Protestants as they are opposite vnto truth to wit that this publike and visible Church granted once by Protestants themselues to haue bene the true Church could neuer faile or euer fall away to the worlds end For prouing of which assertion he alleageth sundry passages of holy Writ farre different for interpretation from the Protestants sense His wordes be That Church saith he that was once of all Nations he meaneth the Catholicke is it not now Hath it perished They say so that are not in her O impudent voice Is not she because thou art not in her This abominable and detestable voice full of presumption and falsity susteined by no truth illuminated by no wisedome seasoned with no salt vaine temerarious precipitate and pernicious is preuented and refuted by the holy Ghost c. And then doth he cyte seuerall places of Scripture to proue that notwithstanding all exposition and contradiction of Hereticks that the said visible Church bring once collected of all Nations and placed vpon the open hill and mount of this world and conspicuous vnto the eyes of al could neuer possibly vanish away againe or fall frō Christ as Protestants do falsely charge the Mother Romā Church and consequently they would neuer agree to expound these Scriptures as S. Augustine did But whom shall we rather belieue VVhether is a Luther or a Caluin or S. Augustine to be followed Or which Church his or this of the Protestants is likest to go neare the truth and to light vpon the true meaning of the holy Ghost in expoūding these Scriptures For certaine I am their expositions vary and are repugnant one to the other 58. And in this manner might I proceed in disclosing this great Doctor and famous pillar of the Church S. Austine his iudgement for the exposition of Scriptures concerning all controuersies or the most of them betweene the Catholickes and the Protestants at this day wherein the sayd Father is no lesse perspicuous and copious then as if being an eye-witnesse and an eare-witnesse of all poynts now controuerted he had written in these very dayes of sirife amongst vs. And eyther this is or I know not what can be a manifest demonstration that the holy Ghost guided the pen of this worthy Doctor to taxe and prescribe against the manifould heresies of our times As for example touching the doctrine of Purgatory whome Doctor Field out of a fanaticall spirit and spirit of heresie surchargeth and falsely traduceth of heresy what writer of this time can deliuer and set downe his opinion more resolutely then he doth his prouing the same irrefragably both by the allegation and exposition of sundry passages of holy Scripture as namely by those wordes of our Sauiour Matth. 12. It shall not be remitted vnto him eyther in this life or in the next Whereupon this great Doctor inferreth that some sinnes are remitted in the next consequently there must be a Purgatory And so that place of S. Paul 1. Cor. 3. Euery mans worke shal be tryed by the fire of what sort it is S. Augustine doth also apply to proue the same purging fire to remaine for some sinnes or bad workes in the next life And these expositions of Scripture confirming Purgatory deliuered by S. Augustine and oftentimes reiterated in his workes were neuer reprehended by any as false nor the Father taxed as teaching any erroneous doctrine dissonant from the doctrine and beliefe of the Catholicke Church which doubtlesse he could neuer haue escaped had his assertion of Purgatory bene erroneous liuing in the age of S. Ambrose S. Hierome and other learned Fathers who wanted neyther learning nor zeale to haue both matched him and confuted him had he swarued in ought from sound faith and the doctrine of their present Church and consequently Purgatory was then held for no errour or heresy And the like I might aboundantly proue in many other pointes both out of S. Augustine and sundry other of like antiquity learning and sanctity 59. Finally the conclusion of all this mayne Chapter and Treatise of sacred Scriptures must of necessity fall out to be this that not all belieuing of Scriptures nor appealing vnto Scripture nor sensing of Scriptures nor presuming of the spirit is sufficient to make a man a Christian Catholick for that as hath beene formerly noted forth of S. Bernard many men presume of Gods spirit when it is not but their owne spirit or rather the spirit of Sathā and consequently take or rather mistake their owne spirits expositions for the interpretation of the holy Ghost Againe some when they erre in expounding Scriptures are notwithstanding of opinion that they follow Scriptures when indeed they follow their owne errours So S. Augustine obserueth 60. Thirdly others by a peruerse interpretation make of Christs Ghospell mās Ghospell or that which is worse the Diuells Ghospell as S. Hierome noteth and yet all these with the Diuell and all former heretickes pretend to vrge and build vpon Scripture But no meruaile if all these appeale vnto Scriptures vpon a false confidence thinking that the word of God maketh for them when it maketh against them For let these Scripturians be but marked let them be vnmasked that is as Vincentius Lyrinensis excellenly deliuereth the obseruation against them let not only their sayings but their meanings not their wordes but their senses of Scripture be noted then their bitternes shall be detected their madnes disclosed their new poyson vented forth their prophane nouelties reuealed then the hedge shal be cut then the boundes of Fathers shall be translated then Catholicke faith shall be violated and the Churches position cancelled Hitherto Vincentius 61. The only way then to make a man a true Christian Catholicke indeed if
ignoraÌ„t vnlearned yet is it the only rule and Canon of faith vnto the skilfull and learned and that whereas the Canon of the Scripture is perfect and is of it selfe alone sufficient inough for all points what needeth the authority of Ecclesiasticall interpretation to be added vnto this Canon To this I answere and first this waie we now speake of must be a way for all semita via via sancta a path a way holy way yea such a way if we belieue Almighty God speaking by the mouth of Isay Stulti non errent per eam the most ignorant and vnlearned cannot mistake it For that Christ the way of all hath left this way vnto all that after his Incarnation Passion for to that time the prophet Isay alludeth therfore the Scripture excluding the Ignorant for want of tongues and other learning the greatest part of it being writen before the said Christs Incarnation and passion caÌ„not be this way Secondly I answer that as the Scripture alone caÌ„not be the way vnto the vnlearned no more can it be the rule vnto the learned for that not only fooles but such as thought themselues both learned and wise haue erred by that waie of Scripture alone and their priuate spirit to help them and hereof we haue as many liuely testimonies and examples as there haue byn learned hereticks in the Church who thinking theÌ„selues wise and learned and yet pretending Scriptures haue run awry so dangerous a way is this way of the Scriptures without the guide of the Church to walke in Thirdly and lastly touching the sufficiency of holy Canon without any addition of Ecclesiastical InterpretatioÌ„ I answere this obiection which is the maine position and foundatioÌ„ for all the Protestants Heresies at this day is as ancient as twelue hundred years ago and it is proposed by Vincentius Lyrinensis in the person of the Hereticks of his time and answered thus To sacred CanoÌ„ saith he the Ecclesiasticall InterpretatioÌ„ must be added because in regard of the Scriptures sublimity all men expound it not in one the selfe same sense but this man that man do diuersly interpret the selfe same places of Scripture that in a manner how many men there be so many senses may be wrested from it For Nouatian expounds Scripture one way Photinus Sabellius Donatus Arius another way c. And therfore in regard of the manifold turnings and windings of seuerall errour and heresy it is very needfull that the line of Propheticall and Apostolicall Interpretation be directed according to the rule of Ecclesiastical and Catholicke interpretation Hitherto Vincentius Lyrinensis 54. And what I pray you are all our materiall contentions with the Sectaries and their owne capitall dissentions amongst themselues falling by the eares and damning ech other to the pit of hell let them pretend neuer so great brother-hood to cozen the world but about the Scriptures and the true sense thereof to wit which are to be receiued into Canon and how they are to be interpreted according to the intent and purpose of the holy Ghost wherein all Heretickes haue vpon their own wilfull electioÌ„ run out of the way as all the ancient Fathers do continually charg them Scripturis pugnantes as they coÌ„plaine contra Scripturas they abuse Gods word against himselfe And Scripturis bonis non bene vtentes the Scriptures are with them as a sword in a madde mans hand they turne it against themselues making that vnto them a sauour of death vnto death which is giuen them by God to become a sauour of life vnto life as S. Paul professed himselfe and all true Pastours of the Church to be For do not Hereticks receaue some Scriptures reiect others And those that they do receaue do they not turne them and wind them add to them detract from them of purpose to peruert them for their purpose Do they not expound them according to their owne fancy braine This was Tertullian his complaint against the Hereticks of his time aboue fourteene hundred yeares agoe And yet more sully to cur point in hand the same Father sheweth that it is but lost labour and vexation of mind to enter into conflict with an Hereticke by Scripture saying Congressio Scripturarum cum Haereticis nihil preficiat nisi planè vt aut stomachi quis ineat euâ—â—sicuem aut cerebri The coÌ„flict about Scriptures with an Herericke serues to no other purpose vnlesse it be to ouerturne a mans stomake or his braines Againe to the same purpose he demandeth Quid premouebis exercitatissmè Scripturarum cùm si quid descnderis negetur si quidnegaueris desendetur tu quidem nihil perdis nisi vocem in contentione nihil consequeris nisi bilem de blasphematione What shalt thou gaine albeit thou be most ready and expert in the Scripture for so much as if thou defend any thing it will be denyed and if thou deny any thing it will be affirmed and thou truly for thy part leesest nothing but spendest thy voyce in contentioÌ„ and shalt gaine nothing but choler by his blaspheming And then afterwardes he flatly concludeth againe against them Wherfore saith he there is no appealing to the Scriptures neyther is the combate to be placed in theÌ„ wherin there is either no victory at all or very vncertaine or at least wise not any certaine can be hoped for Frgo non ad Scripturas prouecandum est nec in his constituendum certamen in quibus aut nulla aut incerta aut parùm certa est victoria So he 55. This was Tertullian his iudgement touching Scriptures cited by the Heretickes in his time And doth not this prescription serue against the Sectaries of our dayes Well then I may conclude with Tertullian his sense that this way of remitting ech man and woman to only Scriptures for certificatioÌ„ of their faith and that promiscuously without an interpreter can be no certaine or possible way euident rule or Canon of faith Now if the Hereticke being thus pressed followed vpon that his grouÌ„d of Scripture alone be inforced for auoyding of all inconueniences and absurdities to adioyne and admit an Interpreter then the question plainely is who this Interpreter shall be and of what faction in Religion for of what Sect soeuer he be to that side will he wrest and draw the interpretation of Scripture Et tunc saith Tertullian tantùm veritati obstrepit adulter sensus quantùm est corruptor stylus And then will an adulterous sense of the Scriptures as much brabble against the truth as he that corrupteth the text it selfe wherof he alleageth this reason for it Holy Writ is so fruitfull to serue for ech matter and point that commeth in question as nothing seemeth to an Hereticke so vaine if it please his fancy but that it may be proued from thence neither do I hazard ought to say that the very Scriptures them selues are
concurre and conioyne themselues with Caluin and the Caluinists in defence of the Apocalyps 39. And yet I do not perceiue how his Maiesties assertion here about these bookes doth not rather agree with the Lutherans then with the Caluinistes for so much as he holdeth all those bookes for Apocrypha no Canonicall Scripture which are named by Bellarmine to be secundiordinis in which second order as before hath beene declared the Cardinall comprehendeth also these Epistles to wit the Epistles to the Hebrewes that of S. Iames and the Apocalyps and consequently it is necessarily deduced and inferred vpon his Maiestyes wordes and discourse that he houldeth these for no Canonicall Scriptures And this is contrary vnto Caluin and vnto the Church of England and vnto his Maiesty himselfe for he auoucheth them to be Scriptures and so vpon my knowledge doth the present Church of England And lastly his Maiesties so long standing vpon the Apocalyps in this his Premonition doth well shew that he esteemeth it for Scripture and this contradiction also must light vpon him who against knowledge and conscience if he hath eyther wrongfully suggested the place of Bellarmine vnto his Matie 40. But my maine Conclusion of all is this that nothing can be certaine as here it is sufficiently prooued when a man once departeth from the Authority of the Church for this is a certaine rule vnto all such a rule as is authorized by God himselfe for then euery man may make and vnmake Scripture at their pleasure vpon their owne perill But sure I am that he can neyther giue nor take away diuine authority from the Scriptures And if you say that neyther the Church can do this I demaund first who art thou that comparest thy self with the whole Church I graunt it to be true but yet let me tell thee this withall that though the Church cannot giue diuine authority to any writing which from the beginning was not truely Scripture nor take away the same from any part of that which from the very beginning was Scripture yet may the Church declare what bookes were written by Propheticall or Apostolicall men as before hath bene said and consequently by the finger of the holy Ghost and so were Canonicall Scriptures and of infallible truth and this might the Church know partly by tradition others not knowing the same might without suspition of heresy doubt of their authority before the said declaration of the Church and partly also by the euer guiding assistance of the holy Ghost in her Synodes when any such weighty matters for direction of the whole Church were treated in which Councells the said Church after due inquisition made and inuocation of the holy Ghost as her common custome is might no lesse conclude and bind all with Visum est Spiritui Sancto Nobis then did they of the first Councell in the Actes of the Apostles which no priuate man hath authority to do though Luther and Caluin presumed to determine the same The fourth Consideration THE briefe summe of all hitherto treated of in this second Chapter concerning the Scriptures is in effect thus much first euery belieuing appealing vnto Scriptures is not sufficient to proue a man a Christian Catholicke for that ech Sectary doth offer this Secondly that tradition without Scriptures might haue continued as sufficient for instruction if God had so pleased according to that of S. Irenaeus before cited and this is proued for that both the Church vnder the law and vnder the Ghospell were instituted ordayned by tradition without Scriptures as appeareth by the very time of the writing of the Scriptures both of the old and new TestameÌ„t after that the Church was first planted Thirdly the written Scriptures are distinguished discerned what is Scripture and what not what Canonicall and what Apocrypha and that by tradition and this is all about the letter of the Scripture only There resteth yet the greatest point of all and of most importance behind and this is how true Scriptures are to be rightly sensed and interpreted For if that of Tertullian be true in the 17. Chapter of his Prescriptions Tantùm veritati obstrepit adulter sensus quantùm corruptor stylus A false glosse marreth the truth as much as a naughty text Or that of S. Hierome Nec putemus in verbis Scripturarum esse Euangelium sedin sensu non in superficie sed in medulla non in sermonum foliis sed in radice rationis Neither let vs thinke that the Ghospell resteth in the wordes of the Scriptures not in the sense of the Scriptures not in the rind or barky letter of the wordes but in the marrow of the meaning not in the wordy leaues but in the root of reason by a right vnderstanding thereof Or that of S. Augustine to the same effect Si in Scripturis fanctis profunda sunt mysteria quae ad hoc absconduntur ne vilescant ad hoc quaeruntur vt exerceant ad hoc aperiuntur vt pasâ—ant if there be profound mysteries in holy writ which are therefore hid that they become not vile therefore sought after that men may be exercised and set on worke therefore disclosed that they may feed Lastly Si mare sit diuina scriptura habens in se sensus prosundos altitudinem Propheticorum aenigmatum as S. Ambrose auerreth If diuine Scripture be a sea contayning in it bottomles depth of profound senses that is the depth of propheticall riddles questions and predictions c. Si machera c. as the same author hath it If it be a sword with a sharpe and cutting edge oh then how warily ought we to walke in this way of sensing Scriptures Quae nihil aliud est nisi Epistola quaedam omnipotentis Dei ad creaturam suam as S. Gregory speaketh which is nothing else but a certaine Epistle of the omnipotent God vnto his owne creature 42. If a subiect should eyther maliciously or negligently misinterprete the letter of his Prince and that in a matter of some great moment should he escape seuere punishment And shall the treacherous hereticke who wilfully and maliciously vpon his owne peruerse choice depraueth corrupteth and misinterpreteth the Scriptures the letter Epistle and proper hand-writing of his God escape deserued condemnation Grande periculum est in Ecclesia loqui ne fortè interpretatione peruersa de Euangelio Christi hominis fiat Euangelium aut quod peius est Diaboli So S. Hierome It is no small hazard to speake in the Church least happily the Ghospell of Christ become the Ghospell of man or that which is worse the Ghospell of the Diuell and all by a peruerse and naughty interpretation Is the Scripture a bottomlesse sea and is there no daunger of drowning nay damning in hell if men be to busy with it to abuse it Is the Scripture a sword as S. Ambrose resembleth it or a two-edged sword for so S.
thinke you 54. But now lastly let vs come to his seauenth and last exposition vpon this article of the Creed The Church of Rome saith he hath most shamefully erred in life Cerimonies and matters of sayth this he should haue proued according as he vndertaketh in other articles from the warrant of diuine Writ but here he leaueth Gods word and runneth to Poets that say Roma mares c. Rome loueth boyes as who would say that this horrible and execrable sinne if it be or haue bene in Rome is not also in other Citties of the world or as if this alone were sufficient to proue his purpose if he could shew that there were many lewd liuers in Rome The thing he ought to proue is this that the whole Church of Rome that is to say the Catholicke Roman Church spread ouer the whole world acknowledging Rome for the chiefe head and member thereof had erred from her publike decrees set forth to be deliuered throughout the whole Church eyther for position of faith or direction of manners for this only is the point in controuersy and not whether any man haue liued loosely in Rome or any Popes haue bene naughty men or may be hereafter So as for the point controuerted he bringeth not one word of proofe and all that he hath scraped together of spitefull slanders contumelious reproaches against diuers Popes and other Prelates of that Citty as in consequence of argument they are nothing to the purpose nor can make any inference at all against the matter in question so are they in fact proued by diuers Catholicke Authours to be shamefull lyes contrary to the testimony of the best and most Authenticall authours that haue written whereof the reader may see effectuall proofes in Bellarmine and others that do answere those slanders against Rome 55. Now then we see how out of this one article of the Apostles Creed which all parts do admit what different doctrine there is drawne by different expositions and I might shew the same in sundry other articles as namely in that which ensueth immediatly after Credo remissionem peccatorum I beleeue the remission of sinnes which article those of the Roman fayth do vnderstād accordingly as the ancient Fathers do and this is not only of the remission of sinnes by our Sauiour his passion and grace thereby merited to this effect but also of the ordinary meanes left by our said Sauiour in the Church for ordinary remission of sinnes and namely by faith and baptisme for such as enter first into the Church and the holy Sacrament of Pennance which is according as anciēt Fathers do call it secūda tabula post nausragium the second table of the soule after baptismes ship wrack for such as sin after baptisme and other Sacraments all which Sacraments other meanes to this effect do worke their effects in the power and vertue of the said passiō of our Sauiour So houldeth the Catholicke But the Protestant that commeth forth with a not imputation saith that this remission of sinnes consisteth only in this that they are not imputed and consequently draweth a farre other sense vpon this article so as I must perforce conclude with that which often hath bene said and repeated that it is not sufficient to admit these Creeds in words as the Ministers of Englād are said to do in their Ordination but the true sense and meaning is especially to be stood vpon which meaning being farre dissonant frō the vnderstanding of the knowne Catholicke Church as lately we haue shewed their orall and verball admission of the said Creeds cannot be sufficient to make them Christian Catholicks or deliuer them from the imputation of being Hereticks for that this very choice and election which they do make of particuler senses and interpretations of the Articles of these Creeds opposite vnto our former rules and Considerations before set downe at large properly and effectually conuince them to be hereticks indeed And so much of this matter for the present THE FOVRTH CHAPTER CONCERNING THE APPROBATION AND ALLOVVANCE OF THE FOVRE GENERALL COVNCELS Which is the third generall head of tryall offered and proposed by his Excellent Maiesty of England AS in the former two grounds of belieuing Canonicall Scriptures admitting the three vsuall Creedes and that only vpon the Churches publicke tradition his Matie hath giuen forth a declaration vnto the whole Christian World of his confident perswasion of being a Christian Catholick and no Heretick euen so in this third generall head I meane in the admitting and receyuing of the foure first Generall Councells his Royall Grace hath not only continued and perseuered in the former declaration of his good intention and perswasion but hath further and much more ratified and confirmed the same as appeareth by these his words where he writeth I reuerence and admit saith he the foure first generall Councells as Catholicke and Orthodoxe And the said Generall Councells are acknowledged by our Actes of Parlament and receiued for orthodoxe by our Church In which words though I must ingenuously confesse that I cannot retayne the least scruple or doubt of the sincerity and candor of his Maiesties meaning but that according to his Noble apprehension and the information giuen him by his Doctors he doth indeed for his Princely part and Person reuerence and admitt the foure first Generall Councels and wil be ready like a pious meaning Prince to receaue al the particuler points of faith concluded therein when they shal be discouered vnto him Yet since this Parlamentary admission of Councells is thē ground of all and must proue the admitting and reiecting of them either good or bad on the Church of Englands behalfe my first demaund shal be but this What hath lay parliaments to do with Religion What busines make they with the Councells of the Church Who designed vnto them this authority to alter chop and change Religion at their pleasure Vpon what ground do they admit some Councells and reiect others Especially hauing excluded from Parlamentall suffrage all their Catholicke Bishops and Clergy men as it is euident they did the thing remayning yet registred vpon Authenticall record fresh in the memories of many now liuing when at the first and second lay Parlaments in the first yeare of the late Queene they banished Catholick Religion out of the land 2. But supposing these foure Councels to be admitted and receiued if we consider how these Councels indeed are acknowledged by our Acts of Parlament how reuerenced and in what manner receaued for Catholicke and Orthodoxe by our English Congregation at this day we shall be fo farre from iustifying the Protestant Parlamentary admission of these Councels or any other of their actions whatsoeuer though neuer so outwardly veiled and couered with a colourable shew of piety as that in very deed we shall discouer nought els throughout the passages of their whole proceedinges but fraud imposture collusion dissimulation hypocrisie and heresie Which
Councell of Trent For iustifiing of which causes eight conditions are required by them to be obserued in that Councell wherof the fourth is That the decisions be made in all Controuersies onely out of Scriptures and not out of Ecclesiasticall Canons or traditions the fifth is That decisions be againe made not according to the plurality of voyces or suffrages but according vnto the norme and rule of Gods word But what this norme or rule is they expound not but do leaue it as they found it stil to be contended about VVherunto if we adioyne two other conditions of theirs which are the last to wit that the Protestant Ministers may giue voyces equally with Bishops in deciding of all questions that if they should not be able to defend their cause yet not only their persons should be secure but their cause also not to be condēned for heresy These I say if we add as the later vnto the former we shall plainely discerne that they had not so much as the least thought to stand vnto that Councell at all but to their owne heads and by these to their owne vnreasonable conditions and vnconscionable to make their controuersies and heresies endlesse and indeterminable For if euery man or at least euery Minister hath authority to determine out of Gods word whē will there be an end 33. And here you see the small or rather no hope that is of agreement betwixt Protestants and Catholickes by way of Generall Councells and that the Protestants reseruing themselues onely to Scripture for the decision of matters and not admitting generall Councells and Fathers to be vmpiring iudges of the sense meaning therof they tread first into the steppes and rake into the sacrilegious ashes of all former ancient condemned heretickes euen for this very point condemned by the Church in many of her generall Councells and secondly by such conditions they make themselues sure and secure from being condemned in such sort as that they will yeald therunto And the selfe same fundamentall reason or rather desperate refuge and euasion of theirs in prophaning and abusing this sacred Sanctuary of Scripture by their prophane spirits and vnhallowed glosses houldeth also for their neuer agreeing amongst themselues by Meetings Conferences Colloquies Disputations Synods or Councells for that the Lutherans and Sacramentaries whether Zuinglians or Caluinists for of these two only I meane to speake at this time standing vpon this resolute principle on all handes that nothing is to be determined but by Scripture and then ech one interpreting that Scripture differently from the other acknowledging no iudge on neither party how is it possible that they should euer come to any end of determination 34. And this will euidently appeare if we cast our eyes vpon those Conuenticles Meetings Conferences Synods Councels Colloquies held betwixt these reforming brethren for the space of threescore years togeather to wit frō the yeare 1530. vnto the yeare 1590. which are set forth by Stanislaus Rescius Embassadour vnto the King of Polonia at Naples vpon the yeare 1596. which do amount to aboue threescore Synods Coūcels Meetings held at Smalcaldium Frankesord Constance Tygure VVittemberge Berna Ratisbone Spire Norimberge Lipsia VVormes Luneburge Maulnbourne Petricouia Varadine Gratz Brunswicke Dresda Alba Iulia Cracouia and diuers other places all these and many more if we looke into with an indifferent eye we shall euer find that they were so farre from concluding any peace in religion or reconciling of their Controuersies by these Synodes and Councells as that they departed farre greater enemyes and more disagreeing in their opinions then when they first met witnes their departure at one meeting of theirs aboue mentioned when they would neyther giue nor take dextras fraternitatis nor dextras humanitatis fellowship of fraternity nor fellowship of humanity which is a token that they haue not the spirit of vniō nor any meanes left them to come vnto it and consequently that the example and president of these first foure generall Councells that determined with authority and vniforme iudgement the controuersies of their times ouer all the world do preiudice all togeather and condemne the Protestants of our age and do conuince that they are not of their spirit or religion and that neyther Generall Nationall Prouinciall or particuler Councells Synods or Meetings can bring themselues to any concord or agreement togeather especially diuision and dissention being a note as it is ascribed by all ancient Fathers peculiar vnto heretickes that they were alwaies irreconciliable and deuided amongst themselues And this was the effect of my second consideration The third Consideration MY third Consideration was that by reading these Councells I did not only find a complete Hierarchy and Ecclesiasticall regiment of the Catholicke Church to be obserued in those former ancient tymes consisting of Bishops Archbishops Patriarches and Prelates gouerning the said Church conforme to that of the Catholickes of our dayes and wholy different from the Protestants Churches which they call reformed though in my iudgment they may more truely be called deformed in that they haue taken away all such Hierarchy of Bishops except only a small glimpse thereof reserued in England for a shew but in many other particuler points also I plainly perceaued their senses opinions and iudgments to be far dissonant from these of our Protestants whether we regard their practice for conuersation and reformation of our manners or respect their doctrine for instruction and information of our iudgments wherof God assisting I shall lay forth some few briefe and punctuall obseruations purposely pretermitting infinite others that may be gathered out of the foresaid foure generall Councells 36. In the first of the foure I meane Nicen and the 3. Canon therof these wordes represented themselues vnto my view Omnibus modis interdixit Sancta Synodus vt neque Episcopo neque Presbytero neque Diacono neque vlli Clericorum omnino licere habere secum mulierem extraneam nisi fortèmater aut soror aut auia aut amita vel matertera sit in his namque personis harum similibus omnis quae ex mulieribus est suspitio declinatur qui aliter praeter haec agitpericlitetur de Clero suo The holy Synod doth forbid by all meanes and determineth it to be vnlawfull for any Bishop Priest Deacon or any other of the Cleargy to haue any externe woman with them except perhaps it be their mother sister grandmother or aunt by father or mothers side for in these all suspition that may arise about dwelling with women is declyned and he that shall do contrary to this shall leese his Clergy Thus that first and famous Councell decreed ratified and enacted for the Angelicall continency of the Clergy in those dayes 37. And the true meaning of this holy Councell is according to the playne purport of the wordes as they are set downe in the Canon to wit that Clergy men could not marry after they
of the place aboue cyted The excuses of Protestants refuted Bern. ser. 17. sâ—per Cant. Tit. 3. 10. 11 S. Pauls iudgment of an Hereticke 2. Tim. 2. 17. Ep. Iudaâ— S. Iudes sentence of Heretickes The detestation of hereticks and heresies by ancient Fathers 2. Iohn 1. 10. 11. De Scriptor Eccle. in Ioan. Lib. 3. aduers haeces cap. 3. Irenaeus ibidem ☞ Cyprian l. 3. cp 1. ☞ Athanasin vita Antonii ☞ The senerity of S CypriaÌ„ S. Athanas. S. Antony in auoyding Hereticks Leo ser. 18. de passions Christicap 4. That Hereticks are no Christians Lib. 2. aduers haereses cap. 9. That Hereticks by no good works can be saued De vnitate Ecclesiae Ibidem Aug. l. 1. de ser. Dom in monte c. 4. et ep 24. ad Donat. presb l. 4. de bapt contra Donat c. 17. et tract 6. in EuaÌ„g loaÌ„ et l. 2. cont Petil. c. 98. et l. 1. cont GaudeÌ„t c. 33. et alibi Heresy the greatest sinn of all other How a maÌ„ may discerne betweene Catholick religion Heresie Aug. de verb. Apost serm 1. In CommeÌ„tar in 24. Matt. v. 36. De praescrip c. 34. The necessity of cleere and vniuersall rule in matters of beliefe Isa. 38. Num. 23. 19. How this generall rule may be found out Ioan. 3. 20. The way of euery mans priuate spirit Whether only scripture be the infallible way Isa. 35. 8. Cont. haer cap. 2. August tract 18. in IoaÌ„ lib 7. in Gen. ad litâ— cap 9. 2. Cor. 2. 16. De praescript cap. 17. Ibidem Ibidem Labor lost to deale with Hereticks by only Scripture Cap. 20. De praescript c. 17. Ibid. c. 39. A perspicuous example In Epist. ad Paulin. Presb. Presumption of Hereticks in the Scriptures The only true way of iudging by the Church Aug. in psal 44. et 47. l. 2. cont Petil. c. 32. de vnit Eccl. c. 14. in Epist. IoaÌ„ tract 1. 2. in Breuic collat 3. diei c. 4. Matt. 5. 14 Ibidem 15. Exod. 13. 12. Iud. 6. 37. 38. 39. 40. Matt. 16. 18. De praesctipt c. 14 The authority of the primitiue Church Ibid. v. 28. Matt. 28. 20. 2 Cor. 11. 16 Dan. 6. 15. Mat. 16. 19 Iren. lib. 3. cont haeres cap. 4. A notable testimony of S. Iren. for the authority of the Visible Church To what triall the ancient Fathers prouoked the heretickes of their tyme. Videsupr The issue of this Consideration How out of the premises euery maÌ„ may iudge in what state he standeth for being Heretick or Catholicke 3. Reg. 22. Whether men may be saued in distereÌ„t Religions Premonit pag. 34. M. Meluin Secret Atheisme Aug. epist 48. ad Vincent Aug. l. 18. de ciu Dei cap. 5â— Lib. 1. epist. epist. 1. ad Magn. Hierom. l. 3. Apol. aduersus Ruff. post medium Basil. apud Theod. l. 4. bist c. 17. NazianzeÌ„ tract de fide Ruff. interprete noÌ„ loÌ„gé ab initio What sort of heresy is more daÌ„nable Leo tract cont Eutich That Protestants opinions are truly heresies Luther in art ad Louaniens Luther condemneth all ZuingliaÌ„s and Caluinistes for hereticks Beware of Iohn Caluin The Caluinists coÌ„demned for heretickes by the Lutherans The war of Iohn Caluin with Iesus Christ. Of the dissention disagreement of ProtestaÌ„ts and Puritans whether they be he resies one to the other Answere pag. 20. The different origen of Ecclesiastical power in the Protestant Puritan and Catholick Church Barorwes booke c. Perpetuall gouerment of the Church The Puritans excoÌ„municated as schismatickes and Hereticks by the Protestants Constitut. Can. 4. 56. Can. 7. 8. Can. 9. 10. 12. English ProtestaÌ„ts do not make one part often of those Christians which coÌ„deÌ„ne thé for heretickes Two important Considerations Hester 1. 1. Cor. 15 28. Act. 26. 9. The daily conuersioÌ„ of so many learned men in EnglaÌ„d Cyprian l. de vnit Eccles Premonit pag. 36. Premonit pag. 36. The belieuing of Scriptures not sufficient to make a man a Catholicke An example of the Authors case himselfe Luther l. cont RegeÌ„ Angliae f. 342. tom 1. The straÌ„g presuÌ„ptuous speach of Luther Luther not euer belieued by vs although he cyte the Scriptures De praescript cap. 42. Abuse of Scriptures by Heretickes Cont. haer cap. 35. See the place it is well worth the reading De praescript c. 4. Controuersies grow endles by appealing only to Scriptures 3. Reg. 22. 20. 21. 22. 23 Ib. v. 24. â— Cor. 2. 25. Scriptures ridiculously alleadged by the Puritan That Scriptures were not writteÌ„ for many yeares after their Church began How Scriptures were first written Deut. 2. 7. Gen. 18. 19. Matt. 23. 20. The Church continued many yeares without written Scriptures Iren. lib. 3. cont har cap. 4. How Hereticks do handle Scripturs How to know what is truly Scripture The place is aboue cited How to know what is Scripture and what is not Apud TrenaeuÌ„ l. 1. c. 20. 22. 29. A pud Aug. l. 32. coÌ„t Faust. c. 2. l. 334 cap. 3. What books are now in Controuersy Hos. 13. ProtestaÌ„ts follow their own choice or electioÌ„ in admitting or reiecting Scriptures 2. Cor. 2 15. 16. Premonit pag. 36. Dan. 6. 15. Bellarm diuision of the bookes of Scripture A sufficieÌ„t Prescription for authorizing these books for Diuine Scripture being 1200 years agoe Touching the Epistle of S. Paul to the He. brewes How Caluin opposeth himselfe to Luther yet agreeth not with the Catholickes Why the Apocalips reiected by Luther is accepted of Caluin Caluinists The conclusion of this Consideration How the true sense of Scripture may be tryed 1. 2. 3. 4. Hier. c. 3. in epist. ad Ephes. Aug. in psal 140. praef prope initiuÌ„ Lib. 3. Ep. epist. 19. Constant. Ambros. l. 3. c. 3. in Lucem Lib. 4. Epist. regist epist. 40. The danger of rash vsing or abusing the Scriptures In CoÌ„mentar ad Galat 2. Lib. 3. in LucaÌ„ c. 3. prope fineÌ„ lib. cap. Cap. 39. praescript The cause of Heresies The hereticall obiection that the Scripture is easy open answered Psal. 1 8. Cont. haer cap. 35. Aug. l. 1. de doctrina Christiana cap. 6. De praescript c. 9. S. August would not haue belieued the Ghospell but for the authority of the Church The difference betweene Catholickes and ProtestaÌ„ts in gathering the sense of Scripture S. Augustines positions of the church Aug. l. 2. cont Petil. c. 33. lib. devnit Eccles c. 14. Aug. in ep loan tract 2. That it â— visible Aug. ibib That it coÌ„sisteth of good and bad That it canot faile or perish Aug. coÌ„c 2 in psal â—01 S. August fully agreeing with the opinion of the moderne Catholicks Aug. l. 21. deciuit c. 13. l. 6. cont IuiiaÌ„ cap. 5. In Psal. 31. prope init Enchir. c. 67. 68. l. de fid oper c. 25. l. 21. de Ciuit. Dei c. 21. 26. The conclusion of this chapter consideratioÌ„ Vincent cont haer cap. 36.
Highest euer with his eternall Protection to preserue your Maiesty to his greatest glory and the true comfort of your loyall Subiects So be it Amen THE FIRST CHAPTER CONTEYNING AN ENTRANCE INTO THIS TREATISE OR TRIAL How much it importeth to be a Catholicke and no Hereticke AND With how great reason his Maiestie endeauoureth to cleare himselfe and his Royall Person from the imputation of Heresy IF this short cut of our transitory pilgrimage heere in this vale of misery be but a moment whereupon eternity of saluation or damnation doth necessarily depend according to that of S. Leo the first Ex qualitate temporalium actionum differentiae retributionum pendeant aeternarum from the quality of temporall actions the diuersity of eternall retributions do depend If Gods secret iudgement towardes his Non in compede aut in pileo vertitur sed in aeternitate aut poenae aut salutis as ancient Tertullian auoucheth that is if it be not a matter of bondage or liberty manu-mission or captiuity that commeth in question to be discussed before the heauenly tribunall but endlesse paine or interminable glory If this neuer-dying life or euer-liuing death be eyther awarded or inflicted achieued or incurred according to mans free choice of faith or infidelity Catholicke Religion or Heresy made heere in the Church or out of the Church as euery man is a member of the Church militant or malignāt then singular is the importance and absolute necessary the decison and knowledge of this one mayne question purposely moued to discerne who is the Catholicke who is the Hereticke since the premised eternity of weale or woe blisse or bale is promised to the one and threatned to the other 2. The very consideration of these two weighty precedent circumstances of eternall glory or endlesse paine wrought such an impression in the hart of his royall Maiesty of England yea such care and such feare and such zeale of clearing himselfe to speake in the phrase of the Apostle that in my iudgement he thought that the weighty counsaile of Tertullian worthy of eternall memory of euery one that hath a soule to saue ought to be imbraced and followed of him to wit Cui seueritati declinandae vel liberalitati inuitandae tanta obsequij diligentia opus est quanta sunt ipsa quae aut seueritas comminatur aut liberalitas pollicetur It is in his place before cyted inferred vpon those premises which went before that is for auoyding of which seuerity and inuiting of which liberality our obedience must vse such diligence as the things thēselues are of moment which either the seuerity doth treaten or the liberality doth promise 3. Hence proceedeth that worthy industry vsed by his Maiesty in clearing himselfe from that foule crime of heresy And hence came that voluntary confession concerning his Maiesties religion inforcing him to break forth into that earnest and serious protestation viz. I will neuer be ashamed to render an accompt of my profession and of that hope that is in me as the Apostle prescribeth I am such a Catholicke Christian as beleeueth the three Creeds c. And then do ensue the foure heads before layd downe a sentence contayning in it a cōfession worthy to be stamped in characters of gould and to be written with a pen of iron and with the point of a Diamond that it may be euerlastingly remembred and neuer buried in ashes of obliuion and if wordes can be witnesses of the mind the hart must nedes be well meaning and sincere whence such wordes proceed For I wil neuer imagine that of his Maiestie which is to common now adayes vnum in ore promptum aliud in pectore clausum where wordes passe as coyned to serue the present time and as they shall make for the most aduantage of the speaker Oh what great pitty were it that his Maiesty should be misled in matters of that importance as immediatly concerne his eternall saluation and the soules welfare of all his subiects especially since he is in regard of religion which vnder his authority is there mantayned to render an accompt to God not only for himsefe in particuler but for al his subiects in generall Such is the burthen of all them who by their place and dignity haue highest authority ouer others 4. Now albeit his Matie doth vpon some occasion or other defer the handling of the Scriptures and the credit due vnto them vnto the fourth and last place yet to me it seemeth most conuenient to treat therof in the first of this my discourse according to the dignity and preheminency of the subiect it selfe But yet before I enter into the lists of this argument I haue esteemed it expedient for sundry causes to premise this other Chapter cōcerning the name and attributes nature and circumstances properties and differences prerogatiues and domages of being a Catholick or Hereticke as also to lay downe some way how to try the same to which purpose I haue thought good to addresse certaine seuerall Considerations which do ensue in euery Chapter The first Consideration CONCERNING the wordes Catholicke and Hereticke these being great wordes they do admit a twofold signification the first is generall and naturall the second more speciall and Ecclesiasticall 6. Touching the generall naturall acception of the wordes they import as much as vniuersall or whole or choice or chooser and howsoeuer vpon the first view and superficiall insight they appeare not to be so greatly opposite and contrary the one to the other but that in diuers respects they may agree and stand togeather for that both the thing which is whole or vniuersall may be chosen and that which is chosen by election may in some sense be whole or vniuersall yet in the speciall and Ecclesiasticall appropriation of these words inuented by the holy Ghost and retayned and brought into Ecclesiasticall vse and Canon by the Christian Church there is such an extreme opposition and irreconciliable hostility in respect of their contrary natures and effects as that nothing amongst Christian men can be more opposite and contradictory no not light darknes heauen and hell vertue and vice saluation and damnation God and Beliall For as Isaac and Ismael the sonne of the bond-woman and the heire of promise could not dwell togeather in one house as Iacob and Esau could not agree togeather in one wombe but contended togeather wherupon Rebecca complayned and expostulated with God If the matter be euen so why am I conceaued In one word to shut vp all in a word as the flesh and the spirit continually iarre and are at difference in one and the same man Euen so the Catholicke and the Heretick as another Isaac and Ismael as another Esau and Iacob as the flesh and the spirit they can neuer dwell togeather in Gods house they can neuer agree togeather in one wombe the wombe of the Church one of them must be cast out of the
great S. Beda for the latin But for that I will not be prolixe and because I hasten to my second Consideration which is the very maine Conclusiō of all my whole discourse hitherunto I will knit vp all with that goulden admonition of Vincentius Lyrinensis an Author which who so readeth and belieueth it is impossible if he will professe any religion that he should be ought els but a Roman Catholicke well his wordes are these Let vs hould that saith he which hath bene belieued generally of all for that this is truly and properly Catholicke as the very nature signification of the name doth import And then for further explication he giueth a threefold prescription for a more sure and infallible direction and this is vniuersality Antiquity and Consent all which he must as time and occasion serueth adhere vnto that will be accompted truly Catholicke And yet in the beginning of his fourth Chapter he illustrates the first Prescription of Vniuersality most pertinent for our purpose at this time by way of supposition and question moued and answered His wordes are these VVhat then shall a Catholick Christian doe if any parcell of the Church shall cut it selfe of from communion of the vniuersall faith This is the questiō moued the answere followeth VVhat els forsooth should he doe but that he preferre the health of the whole body before any one pestilent and corrupted member thereof 20. And hereupon I began to enter into a serious Cōsideration and a seuere examination of my owne Conscience in a secret recollected and most retired conference betwixt God and my owne soule touching matters of religion as they shall eyther doome me or saue me at the last day First I considered yea and seriously within my owne hart debated demaunding of my selfe whether the Protestants Church and doctrine wherof I then was a reall and formall member and Professor had not cut it selfe of yea departed and separated it selfe from the vnion and communion of the vniuersall faith and from the sauing and conuerting Ghospell of Christ his Kingdome which was first to be preached to all Nations as Christ promised that it should come to passe before the worldes great destruction and generall consummation This was my first demaund and the answere returned vnto me by the Catholicke Church of ancient Fathers vpon view of their doctrine and comparing it c. nay by the spirit of God since it was promised to be the guider and directour of his Church I say the answere returned was that the Protestants Church doctrine had abandoned both Catholick name Catholick faith and therefore as beames cut of from the sunne as boughes violently broken of frō the tree and streames and channels parted and separated from their originall fountaine as S. Cyprian speaketh they were to perish vanish and come to naught And now what course remained for me to take if I regarded at all the welfare of my soule but to follow the sage weighty counsaile of my foresaid authour Vincentius Lyrinensis my Authour indeed being the only meanes next vnder God of my Conuersion from heresy to Catholicke Religion and that is to prefer the health and welfare of the whole body before any one pestered and infested member therof His meaning in plainer termes is that in time of Schisme and Heresy or in particuler Countries Apostacy from the Catholicke Christian faith and religion euery Catholicke Christian that is already in the Church must hoouer vnder the winges of the Church by retyring into her lap and bosome in time of any danger And he that is an Hereticke and of an hereticall Congregation and consequently forth of the Church must endeauour by all means possible to become a Catholicke by returning againe vnto the Communion of Catholick Religion out of which it is impossible there should be any saluation 21. This first Consideration I enlarged yet further extending it by a second supposition to witt if the Protestants Church and doctrine be Catholicke indeed as they would beare the world in hand it is then it hath bene generally reaceaued of Christians ouer all Christendome in that sense as it is now in opposition against the Roman Church then the Protestants can produce visible Churches of theirs that haue bene extant from the Apostles time downwards hitherto that haue held the selfe same points of doctrine the selfe same number of Sacraments other such differences as now Protestant Churches haue in them from the Roman thē according to that most sure prescription of Tertullian they can Edere origines Ecclesiarum suarum euoluere ordinem Episcoporum suorum Declare the beginnings of their Church they can turne ouer and bring forth an orderly succession of Bishops running on as he saith from the very beginning and continuing without any interruption to the Apostles tyme then can they proue that the first Bishop that held these differences was instituted and ordayned by some Apostle or Apostolicall man for so saith Tertullian could the Church of the Smyrneans proue their succession of Bishops from S. Policarpus ordayned by S. Iohn and the Church of Rome proue from S. Clement placed by S. Peters in one word then according to another prescription of Tertullian can they proue that the doctrine of their Church as now it standeth in contradiction with ours conspireth with the doctrine of the originall Apostolicall and mother Churches and that they hold that very doctrine which the Church receiued from the Apostles the Apostles from Christ and Christ from God and that the same hath cōtinued by neuer interrupted succession from that time to this of theirs These things if they shall euer be able soūdly and substantially to proue on their part then shall I acknowledg that they and their Religion are Catholicke indeed and that out of their Church there is no saluation 22. But if these things haue bene by them attempted and could neuer yet be proued by them nay if their affirmatiue haue bene disproued by a negatiue in all the forenamed notes markes prescriptions of the Church and against Hereticks as is already too apparently knowne to the whole Christian world then let them at the last vpon so manifest a conuiction ingenuously confesse that the denomination of Hereticke rather then the appellation of Catholuke doth properly apertaine vnto them 23. And albeit I cannot but vnderstand that the Hereticks of ancient times and all moderne Sectaries in these our vnhappy dayes both in Germany France Holland Scotland and England doe ambitiously affect this renowned name of Catholick to haue it giuen vnto their hereticall Cōgregations nay which is more howsoeuer they do fraudulently sometimes cloath themselues in sheepe skinnes when surreptitiously they inuest thēselues with this high title supreame dignity of a Catholick though in points of doctrine amongst themselues they be neuer so much opposite the one to the other ech condemning other for Hereticks nay damning themselues amongst themselues and
places of his body as there were seuerall wounds in the same shed his most pretious bloud for the sinnes of the world and redemption of mankind if after all this done and suffered for man he should haue left him no certayne meanes or infallible way for his obteyning the fruites therof by discerning betweene heresy and Catholicke religion 50. Furthermore since heresy as all ancient and moderne Orthodoxe Deuines notify is nothing els but to choose or make choice that is yet more plainly to adhere obstinately to a mans owne priuate opinion and proper election when soeuer different points of religion are proposed vnto him if thē there be not some perspicuous apparant rule and reason left by Christ to conuince vnto ech mans conscience and vnderstanding or at least to make a sufficient conuiction which is truth and which is not which is Heresy and which is Verity which to be imbraced and which is to be abandoned I say if this way rule and reason be not most clearely left in the Church whereby a man may guide him selfe then why may not a man make his proper choice and vse that benefit of his owne election in spirituall matters which God hath bestowed vpon him in morall and ciuill affaires permitting therin a choice to his free will Why may he not choose or be a chooser which in our sense and the Churches acception and appropriation of the word importeth an Hereticke without so greiuous and damnable a sinne as Heresie is by vs already disclosed to be Why should a man be damned by his owne iudgment be left inexcusable for that no plea of pretended ignorance will serue his turne since being such a chooser or hereticall man as S. Paul calleth him and brandeth him for he cannot say Nemo corripuit as S. Chrysostome S. Ambrose Theophilact Oecumenius ioyntly expound the place For if the meanes and way of conuiction decision be not infallible it should seeme that man may make his choice but this particuler choice and election out of a mans owne head and priuate iudgment which makes a choosier or Hereticall man is seuerely prohibited and condemned and that by the iudgment of S. Paul as you haue heard at large therfore it must follow by force of necessary and ineuitable consequence that Almighty God out of the depth of his mercy wisdome equity and piety hath left vnto vs some euident vniuersall certaine and infallible way for deciding of all doubts and controuersies in Religion For so he promised when Isay prophesied thus saying That at the comming of Christ there shal be a holy path and a way and it shall be vnto you a direct way so as fooles may not erre therin Thus he prophesied And is there any doubt that he performed it Hath he promised and shall not he make it good Hath he spoke it shall he alter the thing that is gone out of his lippes Atheisme Heresy and Infidelity may question it but all religion piety and Christianity will vndoubtedly belieue the same 51. Wherfore this ground being presupposed and granted as a chiefe principle in Christian Religion that there is some such way left vnto vs whither we must haue recourse in all doubtfull causes and controuersies of Religion the Question then is betwixt the Protestants and those of the Catholicke Roman Religion where and what this way is how we may come to the notice of it and in what manner it is to be followed after it is once found out The Protestant commonly of what Sect or faction soeuer he be auerreth that the written word of Canonicall Scripture is this infallible way directory-guid and this he doth not in my conscience so much for any honour and reuerence that he beareth vnto the oracles of Gods sacred Writ as he would falsely beare the world in hand he doth but only vpon an hereticall intent that he may auoid therby the iudgement of the Church And no meruaile for Qui malè agit odit lucem the guilt of his Heresy flyeth the censure of the Church Some others do add that when the Canon of Scripture is not perspicuous and obuious vnto euery man then for explication of the word they may inquire of the spirit of God which inspireth ech man and that will instruct him and lead him vnto all truth But now this falsely supposed and imaginary spirit can be no infallible rule of direction For that S. Iohn hath giuen vs a Caueat touching these false spirits Beloued belieue not euery spirit but try the spirits whether they be of God for many false Prophets are gone sorth into the world And was not this the common tricke of all condemned Heretickes and heresies Did they not all of them plead the spirit of God against the liuely authority and speaking voice of the Church Doth not the whole ranke of ancient Fathers that wrote against thē thunder out that terrible comminatiō threatning a fearefull woe and vengeance vnto all priuate lying and deceyuing spirits Vae illis qui sequuntur spiritum suum Woe be vnto them that follow their owne spirit Lastly haue not all ancient Heresies and Heretickes Arians Nestorians Pelagians c. beene vniustly condemned and therefore must not their heresies be raked out of the ashes of Hell againe and set fresh footing in the Church if the rule of interpreting Scripture be ech man his priuate spirit It cannot be denyed for that all of them vaunted of the spirit as the Sectaries do at this day Well then the conclusion is that this vaunting of the spirit is nothing else but a horrible belying and presumptuous blaspheming of the spirit of God making that spirit of vnited verity a spirit of distracted heresy And therfore this their priuate spirit can be no rule to direct them any longer And so much of this way in following euery man his owne spirit 52. And now for the former way of following Canonicall Scriptures for this only rule and sure direction though this be euer to be graunted as most true that the holy Scriptures breathed by the instinct of the spirit be diuine and of infallible truth and direction when they are by the Church both known to be Scriptures rightly interpreted by the assistance of the spirit in the Churches voice sense yet forasmuch as the Scriptures sublimity fitteth not with euery meane and ordinary capacity for the most part of people are vnlearned and cannot read or vnderstand what they read much lesse those learned tongues wherein the Scriptures were originally written It followeth euidently that the Scriptures alone can be no sure vniuersall infallible way for the discerning of Catholicke Religion and discouering of heresie Or at least wise this rule is not generall to all as it ought to be for as much as all must haue sufficient meanes left for their saluation 53. But here me thinketh I heare the Protestāt obiect that howsoeuer the Scripture is no way for the
all ancient rules and Canons of the Church fayle not is first to admit and reuerence that for Scripture which the vniuersall Catholicke Church hath by lineall descent of tradition deliuered and commended vnto vs for Scripture and that after all doubts and controuersies discussed about the same and not that which Luther or Caluin who could make vnmake Scripture at their pleasure or our owne priuate spirit shall conceipt to be Scripture and secondly for the sense and true meaning of the Scripture if we haue any care of that or imagine that it doth import vs at all we are no lesse to stand to the iudgement of the sayd Church for the exposition and interpretation therof then we did before for the deliuering of Scripture vnto vs. And so much for this Chapter THE THIRD CHAPTER CONCERNING THE SECOND POYNT OR GENERALL HEAD PROFESSED BY HIS MAIESTY Concerning his belieuing of the three Creeds receiued by the CHVRCH AS the former offer so constantly auerred by his Matie of England concerning the belieuing of all Canonicall Scriptures was a signe and liberall token of a Religious inclination Zealous affection and Pious disposition as before hath beene intimated and related euen so no lesse Religious Zealous and Pious is this assertion also here so coÌ„fidently asseuered by his Highnes touching the acceptance and admittance of the Three ancient Creeds and that in the very same sense as the ancient Fathers Councells that made them did vnderstand them For these are his Maties very words which I haue thought good heere to relate wishing them to remaine vpon an euerlasting and time-out-wearing Record And that for these two principall reasons first that I may not vndutiâ—ully forget to deferre and bring the iust descrued honour and the most highly respected commendation vnto my Soueraigne Lord the King most due to his Grace for this his Confession which also out of a true Subiects loue and loyalty towards his Prince I could sincerely wish might neuer by any the least cloud of errour in his Royall vnderstanding be eclipsed or obscured and secondly for that I trust my former brethren of the Protestanticall Church of England will eyther now at last stand to their grounds of Creeds Councells Fathers Scriptures voluntarily chosen by the Lord and Head of their Church that hitherto vpon my knowledg would neuer be confined within the lists and limyts of any euen tryall or els that my Lord the King will easily out of the depth of his iudicious Vnderstanding vnmaske and discouer these men for such as they be euen wolues in sheeps cloathing false Ghospellers Antichrists deceauers seducers impostors And now to come to the words theÌ„selues as they are substantially couched together in his Maties Booke of Premonition they are laid downe as followeth 2. And now for the point of Heretick I will neuer saith he be ashamed to render an accompt of my profession and that hope that is in me as the Apostle prescribeth I am such a CATHOLICK CHRISTIAN as belieueth the three Creedes that of the Apostles that of the Councell of Nyce and that of Athanasius the two later being Paraphrases to the former and I belieue them in that sense as the Ancient-Fathers and Councells that made them did vnderstand them To which three Creedes all the Ministers of England do subscribe at their Ordination And I also acknowledge for Orthodoxall those other formes of Creeds that eyther were deuised by Councels or Particuler Fathers against such particuler Heresies as most raigned in their times Hitherto extend the wordes of his Maiesty And can any thing be spoken more honorably then this This forme of Confession punctually and so substantially deliuered by his Highnes I can neuer sufficiently coÌ„mend for that this is so farre from sauouring of any spice of Heresy as that here is nothing els but true Catholicke Diuinity For what can be more required for more full supplement of a Catholicke Christian mans Confession then to belieue the three Creedes in the very selfe same sense as the holy Apostles ancient Fathers and generall Councells did vnderstand them And now if the Ministers of England that do subscribe vnto them in their Ordination would keepe and confine themselues within that sense which the ancient Christian Church did both constantly and religiously hold and would not of their owne fancy presume to add any other new glosse or priuate interpretatioÌ„ of their own brayne the world should neuer haue seene and heard such breaches and tumultes such vproares and out-cryes such inundations and innouations and all about Religion as now there are 3. But the truth is as S. Augustine affirmeth Quòd fieri potest vt integra quis teneat verba Symboli tamen non rectè credat de omnibus Symboli articulis A man may hold and professe all the wordes of the Creed he meaneth the Apostles Creed and yet not haue a true beliefe of all the articles of the said Creed Nay S. Augustine in his booke de fide Symbolo goeth yet further saying Sub ipsis paucis verbis in Symbolo constitutis plerique haeretici venena sua occultare conati sunt Most part of Heretickes haue gone about and endeauoured vnder these few wordes of the Apostolicall Creed to couer their poysoned heresies So as the belieuing of these Creeds in generall they conteyning but Capita credendorum Vniuersall heades of thinges to be belieued is not sufficient to make a man a Christian Catholick except also we giue our firme asseÌ„t vnto all the particulers that necessarily may be reduced or deduced from those generall heades For better explication wherof I haue thought it conuenient in this place to addresse certayne Considerations that heere ensue The first Consideration AS the skilfull and carefull Phisitian imployeth noe lesse industry sparing neither Counsaile in phisicke nor prescription in dyet for the conseruing and continuing of the bodily health of his patient vntill he haue brought him to former health and full strength then he did bestow paines and trauaile in recouering him of his infirmity and raising him from the bed of his malady euen so the Apostles as so many soueraigne soules best phisitians most painefully and diligently watched ouer the soules of men their sick patients to vphould and continue them in Christian piety and Catholicke verity as well as they had cured them of their spirituall leprosy and raysed their soules which had long laine sick vpon the bed of heathenish infidelity and all that they might recouer full strength in sauing and belieuing faith and grow to be perfect and whole men in Christ Iesus And here you haue the occasion motiue drift reason intention of Christs holy Apostles in compiling the perfect platform of wholsome faith and Christian beliefe I meane this methodicall and Apostolicall forme of Creed which inuolueth in it eyther explicite or implicite in plaine wordes or necessary supply whatsoeuer belongeth to the obiect of our faith And therfore saith S.
Augustine Sancti Apostoli certam regulam fidei tradiderunt quam secundum numerum Apostolorum c. The holy Apostles did deliuer a certaine rule of faith which rule being comprehended in twelue sentences according to the number of the 12. Apostles was called by them by a Greeke word and borrowed metaphor Symbolum a Symbole or collation of many thinges togeather And their intention as is before intimated was that by this Symbole signe and summe of Christian faith and doctrine Catholicae fidei veritas ab haereticae prauitatis falsitate discernatur as Vincentius Lyrinensis speaketh of his goulden rule of faith deliuered vnto him from all his ancestors that the truth of Catholicke faith and verity might be discerned from the falshood of hereticall prauity This haue our ancestors left vs by tradition And for the first in stitution of it it was in this sort as the history of Antiquity the very life of memory hath by writing registred and commended it vnto vs. 5. After the glorious visible Ascension of our Sauiour from the lowest pitch and vale of the earths misery into the highest toppe of heauen and bosome of his Fathers eternity this being terminus ad queÌ„ aswell as it was terminus à quo in that great motion of heauen Christs Incarnation and mans Redemption the place whither he ascended as it was the place whence he descended according to that Exiui à Patre veni in mundum relinquo mundum vado ad Patrem I say after this Ascension descension of the holy Ghost in the visible shapes of fiery tongues vpon the Apostles in abling them and qualifying them with the tongues of nations for the conuerting of nations then the Apostles being ready to separate themselues and to depart into all parts of the earth to preach the Ghospell for the conuersion of the whole world they did compose and lay down a perfect platforme of their future preaching and others belieuing by deuising a certaine squared rule and Canon of fayth and that not so much for their owne direction being so assisted with the inward inspiration of the spirit that they could not possibly erre in their doctrine though their teaching was euer to be conforme vnto these heades as for the Christian Churches instruction and premunitioÌ„ that by hauing recourse vnto these general heads of fayth commeÌ„ded vnto them by the true Apostles they might more easily discerne and auoyd the hereticall doctrine of all false disciples VVherefore the Apostles being assembled togeather and met as it were the second time in Councell being ech of them seuerally replenished with the holy Ghost and all of them ioyntly directed by the selfe same neuer-erring spirit who was both now and euer in such assemblies as these to sit as President in the Church I say being thus prepared euery one proposed as he belieued and all being put togeather in the vpshot did make the shot or symbole of a breife yet entire methodicall summe of Christian doctrine including all points of faith either to be preached afterwardes by the Apostles or to be belieued by their disciples And this summe did the Apostles theÌ„selues appoint to be deliuered by tradition or from hand to hand vnto euery one that belieued ad directionem ad distinctionem both for a direction vnto that which they were to preach and others were to belieue as also to discerne and put a difference betwixt all faithfull Christians and misbelieuing Infidels 6. Thus S. Augustine whose sense I haue kept though I haue somewhat dilated vpon his wordes relateth the matter which before him had beene recorded by Ruffinus in the Exposition of this Creed so that S. Augustine borroweth not only sense but the selfe same words also for the most part are taken from Ruffinus And further the said Ruffinus doth adde another signification of the word Symbole besides a collation or contribution of many things vnto one saying that it signifieth also a signe or badge wherby one sort of souldiers are distinguished from others And in this acception also of the word it consorteth well to our present purpose that by this briefe summe of Doctrine as by a badge or cognisance true Catholicke Christian men may be distinguished heere from Infidels and Hereticks since after death there is such an externall distinction and separation to be made And for this purpose at the beginning this Creed serued but afterwards charity the loue of God and Christian piety decaying and the malice of men exceedingly multiplying vpon the earth this breife and playne summe would not serue the turne against infernall and hereticall subtility for that as S. Augustine before hath well obserued sundry sortes of Hereticks presumed to shrewd their heresies vnder the articles of this Creed peruerting also the meaning and misunderstanding aswell the wordes thereof as the sense so as in fine the bare and outward profession of belieuing this Creed became at last to be no certaine argument of prouing a man to be a true Christian Catholicke except other due conuincing circumstances concurred as we haue before shewed of the Canonicall Scriptures themselues 7. Furthermore the Fathers and Doctors of the Church do ioyntly affirme and expresly S. Augustine in the place before cyted that albeit the wordes be few and briefe of this Creed yet are they so substantiall punctuall and materiall as that they containe the full and entyre summe of whatsoeuer is to be belieued by vs his wordes be these Quicquid praefiguratum est in Patriarchis quicquid denunciatum in Scripturis quicquid praedictum in Prophetis de Deo ingeniâ—o vel ex Deo in Deum nato c. Whatsoeuer was prefigured in the Patriarkes whatsoeuer was denounced in the Scriptures whatsoeuer was foretold in the Prophets eyther of God the Father vnbegotten or of God the Sonne begotten or God the holy Ghost or of receyuing any Sacrament or of the death of our Lord or of the mystery of his Resurrection all this is briefly contayned in this Creed so that the obseruation hence deduced must needs be this that albeit in the bare wordes of the Creed many thinges belonging to fayth are not literall and syllabically expressed yet were they implyed comprehended and intended by the Apostles and namely and particularly about the admitting of Sacraments of their nature number necessity efficacy manner of administration and the like as S. Augustine doth here expound which yet in the wordes are not expressed but were locked vp with in the sacred breast and closet of the Church as in the safest treasury there to be expounded dilated amplified more largely and particulerly vnto the faithfull as eyther the Churches necessity requiring or hereticall pertinacy and importunity oppugning should at any time or occasion require which exposition of the Church as the soundest Commentary vpon the Creed he that in all humility of iudgment and opinion submitteth not him selfe to belieue obay cannot be truly said to belieue this Creed notwithstanding
he should protest confesse openly ten thousand times that he admitteth all the words and euery syllable therof 8. It is also to be considered that it is most worthy of a Christian man his obseruation especially if he hath eyther care or make any conscience to preserue himselfe sound in the faith and therby to saue his soule that albeit the ancient Fathers do with vniforme verdict affirme that these articles of the Apostolicall Creed were set downe by the holy Apostles replenished and directed with no small measure of the holy Ghost as now hath bene obserued I will not stand to discusse at this present whether euery seuerall article of the twelue which it conteyneth were set dowue by seuerall Apostles though diuers graue and ancient Fathers do affirme it yet were these articles neuer held for Canonicall Scripture no nor yet are they at this day eyther by Catholicke or Protestant And if any man reply that they are consonant vnto Scriptures and may be thence deduced I deny not that only I say this is nothing to argue that authority that they haue obteyned in the Church since that all other writings of orthodox men are both consonant vnto Scriptures and to be deduced from them and yet they are not held in that esteeme as the Creed but my consequence that hereupon I inferre is this that something must be graunted of necessity besides Canonicall Scriptures to haue bene necessarily belieued in the Christian Catholicke Church and that by tradition only without any other foundaation and that from the very beginning of Christian Religion 9. This appeareth by the former words of S. Augustine that this Creed came down along through the Cēturies of the Church by tradition and Ruffinus saith in his exposition of this Creed Idcirco haec nonscripta funt chartulis atque membranis c. therfore did the Apostles deliuer these thinges not written in paper and parchment but to be retayned in mens hartes to the end it might be certaine that no man should by reading haue the same for that writinges are accustomed to come also into the handes of Infidels aswell as Christians but that it should be sufficient to haue learned the same from the tradition of the Apostles And this is the reason that Ruffinus giueth of the tradition of the Creed 10. The very same hath S. Hierome his wordes are cleare In Symbolo fidei spei nostrae saith he non scribitur in chartis atramento sed in tabulis cordis carnalibus c. In the Creed that conteineth our fayth and hope which being deliuered by tradition from the Apostles is not written in paper and inke but in the fleshly tables of our harts c. And all this doth euidently conuince vnto the iudgement of any vnderstanding man that these articles of the Apostolick Creed were deliuered by word of mouth vnto Christians and the Church was put in trust with them to teach them vnto her children before that any Scripture of the new Testament was committed to writing and that many thinges of great moment about the mysteries of Christian Religion were left to be vnderstood and expounded therin and that according to the wisedome learning and iudgment of the whole Catholick Church especially concerning Sacraments which are not expressed And this is the cause why S. Augustine and other Fathers before him do often reiterate and frequently vse that impsoving kynd of speach Norum fideles the faithful do know what belongeth vnto these matters which purposely they did not reueale vnto the eares of new Christians least infidels might take any aduantage thereby to the disaduantage of the Church So as my conclusion of this must of necessity hould correspondence with that former conclusion touching the argument of Scriptures to wit whosoeuer he be that neuer so opēly plainly professeth that he doth accept admit and belieue this Creed of the Apostles but refuseth the vnderstanding thereof expounded by the Church and deliuered in her sense he belieueth it not at all to saluation neither shall it auaile him any more to admit the words and not receiue the sense then if at once and altogeather he reiected both wordes and sense 11. And here may some demaund But where now shall we be sure to find this exposition of the Church esspecially in these distracted times of schisme whē so many seuerall Sects plead for the Church crying out according to Christ his Propheticall prediction Here is Christ and there is Christ heere is the Church there is the pure Chospell here is the word truly preached there are the Sacraments sincerely administred c To this I answere we shal easily come by this orthodox exposition of the Creed if we haue recourse vnto the publike doctrine of the Church deliuered from age to age euen vntill our time throughout euery Century of the Church and this Church is euer visible vnlesse it be vnto such as are blind as S. Augustine hath already obserued 12. S. Ambrose in his tyme remitted vs vnto the Church of Rome the supreme Pastor whereof was then Siricius for our direction herein Credatur Symbolum Apostolorum saith he quod Ecclesia Rom ana intemeratum semper custodit seruat Let faith be giuen to the Apostles Creed which the Roman Church hath euer kept and preserued inuiolated yet was this vpon the very point of 400. yeares after Christ his Ascension So as in that tyme and in this great Saint and Doctors iudgement the Roman Church was then the best and surest direction to know the true contents and meaning of this Apostolicke Creed and consequently if our English ministry who at their Ordination do subscribe vnto this Creed would follow also the same direction for the true vnderstanding and sense thereof all matters would quickly be reconciled controuersies accorded but in default of this and for that pride and selfe will hath so be witched the minds of many that they cannot in humility stoop downe their priuate censures vnto the publike iudgement of the Church it commeth to passe that this great discord and difference that now is raygneth betwixt Catholicks Protestants and amongst Protestants themselues concerning the exposition thereof And this shall appeare in part in the next ensuing Consideration of this Chapter But yet before we enter into the other Consideration we shall speake a word or two of the other Creedes mentioned here by his Maiesty 13. The other Creedes then are the Nieene concluded as S. Ambrose noteth with the suffrages of 318. renowned Fathers alluding to the iust number of Abrahams souldiers when he rescued Lot and of S. Athanasius And these were written vpon occasion of heresies afterwards arising and impugning some fundamentall poynt consequently were but explications of the former as his Maiesty doth learnedly and excellently obserue and therefore these do principally depend theron This is euident if we reflect a litle vpon the principall subiect of the 2.
Creedes for do not they both expound and vnfould that high and obstruse mystery of the Godhead of Christ his identity and equality of substance power and glory with God his Father witnesse those wordes added and vsed in the Councell of Nice about 310. yeares after Christ Deum de Deo Lumen de Lumine Deum verum de Deo vero genitum non factum consubstantialem Patri God of God Light of Light very God of very God begotten not made being consubstantiall to the Father c. Witnesse S. Athanasius his Creed that was made by him in Rome for Confession of his fayth some 15. yeares after that againe wherein there is found that exact manner of speach distinguishing the persons of the Blessed Trinity Qualis Pater talis Filius talis Spiritus Sanctus Such as the Father is such is the Sonne and such is the holy Ghost and then he setteth downe more particulerly the distinctiue appellations and peculiar proprieties belonging vnto euery person as the Father vnbegotten the Sonne begotten of the Father the holy Ghost proceeding asmuch as if in plaine tearmes he had said the Father distinguished with this personall propriety of begetting a Sonne is a Father and no Sonne the Sonne distinguished with his personall propriety of being begotten is a Sonne and not a Father the holy Ghost distinguished by his personall propriety of proceeding is an holy Ghost neyther Father nor Sonne 14. By all which we see the exceeding great authority of the Church in determining these different manners of speach in disclosing this ineffable and inutterable mystery of the Trinity which are not found at all totidem verbis in the Scriptures and therefore were denied by the Scripturian Heretickes for as learned Hosius noteth and it is the obseruation of S. Ambrose against one only article of our Sauiours consubstantiality with his Father they alleaged 50. places of Scripture I meane the Arians who did beare great sway and insinuated themselues into the fauour of the Emperors for the better supporting of their damnable heresies as the Protestants do creepe into the fauour of our King at this day for the vphoulding of their errors and therefore great pitty it was that the Protestants and Arians had not liued in one age togeather that they might haue ioyned hands ech one with another who do so neare resemble ech one the other in their behauiour and manner of proceeding 15. VVell then we see that the former mysteries of the Diety and Trinity could be determined by no other power and authority vpon earth then by that supreme power of the Church for that expresse warrant of Scripture there was none in their pretence for many of these wordes that are now vsed and frequented by the Church in the explication of these Creedes were not then in vse but inuented and applied afterwads by the Church according to the present necessity And yet notwithstanding haue they beene so acknowledged and receaued euer since by all Christendome that the authority of the Church in that behalfe determining and expounding hath stood inuiolable and such as haue not admitted the same haue euer beene reputed and accompted for wicked and damned Heretickes And this is to be noted with attention as before I haue partly touched in generall that albeit the Councell of Nice representing the whole Christiā Church of that age did not nor could not make any new article of beliefe that was not true before but only did more fully and plainely explane and declare such things as the impudency and importunity of Heretickes called into doubt and question so did not the said Councell explayne all that belonged to the diuine persons for they left at Credo in Spiritum sanctum I belieue in the holy Ghost and there brake of not vnfoulding any thing particulerly touching the procession of the holy Ghost from the Father and the Sonne about which there was afterwards so great strife and contention and is to this day with the later obstinate Greekes affirming the same Person to proceed only from the Father not from the Sonne but left that by Gods prouidence to be expounded afterwardes by other Councells when that poynt should be called into question and so it was So that it is more then euident vnto euery one that will not wilfully shut his eyes against the cleare sunne shine of truth that there is left continuall power in the Church to explayne and determine with authority and that irrefragable and vnresistable any doubt neuer so weighty about the Persons of the Trinity or any other article of beliefe or any other high point of diuine mystery that shall arise among Christians and that vnto the worlds last ending euery one vnder paine of dānable obedience against Christs spouse and the holy spirit the director thereof is bound to submit and captiuate his iudgment and vnderstanding thereto and not to stand in contention against the same And thus much of these three Creedes in generall how they are to be reuerenced now let vs descend vnto the seuerall articles and positions therof in particuler The second Consideration NOvv succeedeth our second Consideration about the examining of certaine particulers of these three Creedes how they are receiued and belieued You haue heard before how the Ministers of the Church of England do subscribe vnto the same at their Ordination Now let vs examine whether this English Cleargy notwithstanding all their subscription thereunto do indeed truly belieue them and expound them in the selfe same sense interpretation and meaning as the Generall Councells and ancient Fathers that collected them meant them as they do perswade his Matie they do A man would think that so solemne an Oath taken before an Ecclesiasticall Iudge at the Tribunall of the Church and that for preseruation of Religion and conseruaaion of the integrity of ancient faith laid downe in ancient Creedes and generall Councells should religiously bynd before God and men people of their quality and condition but behold heresy that neither feareth God nor reuetenceth man obserueth no band at all but draweth euery thing to euery mans particuler iudgment and censure and therefore it doth little auaile the ministers of the Church of England to reuerence and receaue the wordes of the Creed whilst they reiect the Churches sense and true meaning of the same to sweare vnto them in wordes by subscription at their Ordinatiō but to forsweare them in deedes by a peruerse and sinister interpretation and exposition And this God willing shal be made good against them in the subsequent Considerations directed and addressed for this especiall purpose 17. First then it is set downe and denounced in the Creed of S. Athanasius read euery sunday in the English Church by order of the communion booke that VVhosouer doth not belieue wholy and inuiolably the Catholicke fayth shall without doubt perish euerlastingly By which Catholicke fayth he vnderstandeth the whole Catholicke fayth and euery article or
And the place is very pregnant for prouing the point The bench being set the Ministers ech in time and order spake but God knoweth how few wise and true words were spoken amongst them The first starts vp and expounds it of Christ his suffering vpon the Crosse a second vnderstands it of the Graue a third extended it to Christ his sufferings of hell torments in soule and the fourth yet added and interpreted it of Christs being in the state of the dead The Moderator for such a one they haue in all their Exercises he as wise as the rest insteed of mending all he marreth all for he commendeth all approueth all and receiueth all and then falleth out into a wonderfull admiration of the diuersity of the gifts of the spirit that euery one of his fellow labourers in the Ghospell should haue his seuerall exposition and yet all to agree and all to be intended by the holy Church But this is iust according to Tertullian his prescription Nihil interest haereticis licèt diuersa tractantibus dum ad vnius veritatis expugnationem conspirent it importeth not amongst hereticks though so many men be of so many mindes whilst they can conspire to impugne one truth And do not so many seuerall and erroneous expositions banded against one true meaning of the article forcibly make good this prescription and note of Tertullian 37. And for my part as then so now I am of absolute opinion that if all my brethren and their Moderator with them had bene as farre out of the towne as they were euery one of them from the truth of the text and meaning of the holy Ghost in that place they would neuer more haue returned either to wiues or Cures or made such an other fanaticall exposition tending only to the ouerthrow of the Article 38. But yet my second obseruation goeth farre beyond all this and for the nouelty and absurdity of the exposition it deserueth to be registred in the record of eternall memory that all the world may take notice of the palpable blindnesse of heresy and it is of diuers stipendary Preachers who as they seuerally succeeded one the other in a very eminent place of that Kingdome so they diuersly expounded the article one of them expounded it of hell torments in Caluins sense a second succeding of the graue in Beza his meaning the third and last because he would be sure to proue himselfe an hereticke addidit de suo he found out such an exposition as was neuer heard of before vnlesse it were by one Iacob a turbulent and Schismaticall spirit that opposed himselfe against the Bishop of VVinchester impar congressus I say no more touching this article His exposition in plaine words was this Christ descended into hell that is sayth he he ascended into heauen and this he thought he proued substantially out of the Greeke wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which said he signifieth no more thē that Christ went 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is said he to an inuisible place and this must be proportioned according to the dignity of the person and consequently must be heauen For what place can be fit for the Sonne of God being thus in the state of the dead but heauen And so as before his conclusion for a full and perfect exposition of this article was he descended into hell that is he ascended into heauen And is not this as Luther merily gibeth at the Canonicall exposition of Hoc est corpus meum as if a man taking vpon him to interpret this text God created heauen and earth should interpret it thus acroked staffe was made a kite or the cuccow did eat vp the kitling bones and all For certaine I am there is as much truth and correspondency betwixt the one as the other Oh miserable Preachers o thrice miserable people that thus suffer their eyes to be put out and their soules to be deluded beguiled and betrayed by such hereticall impostors 39. And now to proceed forward and to see what the Church of England doth hould in this point M. Thomas Rogers Minister of Horninger and Chaplaine to the Lord of Canterbury hauing taken vpon him to set forth in print of late The faith doctrine and religion prosessed and protected in England for so are his wordes in 36. articles agreed vpon as he saith by the Bishops and Clergy of England when he commeth vnto this article he seemeth not to know what to say for hauing laid forth this article of Christs descent into hell he hath these wordes That Christ went downe into hell saith he all sound Christians both in former times and now liuing do acknowledge howbeit in the interpretation of the article there is not that consent that were to be wished And so after he hath set downe diuers opinions of others forgetting to put downe his owne he passeth and posteth the matter ouer in such sort as that no man can tell what they of England do hold or what it is that is agreed vpon by the Bishops or whether they hold any thing at all though in the title of his booke he doth promise to set downe 39. Articles vniformely agreed vpon by the said Bishops and Clergy belike he found no concord or agreement in this behalfe only he recounteth the aduerse opiniōs which he holdeth for opposite erours and aduersaries to the truth and then going on futher he sayth But vntill we know the natiue and vndoubted sense of this article and mystery of Christian Religion we persist aduersaries vnto them that say that Christ descended not into hell at all or that Christ descended into the place of euerlasting tormentes or indured in soule the paynes of damned spirits c. which opinions you haue heard now to haue bene partly of Caluin partly of other Protestants so as with them the Church of England holdeth not nor yet with the Papists sayth he for that presently he addeth for an opposite errour vnto them That Christ in soule went downe into Limbo lake to fetch from thence the soules of our forefathers which soules saith he before Christs death as Papists dreme were shut vp in the close prison of hell Now then to reflect vpon the premises and out of them to inferre the conclusion the illation must needes be this Though all partes do in wordes admit this article of Christ his descent into hell yet do they greatly differ in the sense and the ministers of England as it seemeth haue no certaine faith therin at all neither do they ascribe so much assistance of the holy Ghost to their Church which the true Church could neuer want as to be able to explaine the natiue and vndoubted sense of this article and Mystery of Christian Religion to vse M. Rogers wordes so as their beliefe herein is only negatiue as their whole Religion is which is to belieue that all others are deceiued besides themselues and yet do they affirme nothing in particular And let
Ecclesiasticall power piety purity sanctity the rest I would aske first how this so visible a Church so conspicuous for maiesty so illustrious for sanctity so adorned and beautified with all sorts of heauenly grace and eclestiall verity should or could afterwards grow to be inuisible be spoiled of her dignity bereaued of her authority be robbed of her sanctity and loose all her graces and verity Or how of the spouse of Christ is it possible that she should become the enemy of Christ of the Church of God the Sinagogue of Sathan Protestants principles may imagine this but this ouer throweth the very principles of all Christian Religion For how can the later be preserued inuiolably if the former be so vnstable Or from whome can we sucke the pure milke of Christian Religion or receaue the stronger food of the high mysteries of Diuinity if it be not from the breasts of the Church If it be not from the hand of our mothers learning wisdome and tradition And now to follow this heathenish and irreligious principle of the Protestāts a little further if the Church I meane the former mentioned visible Catholicke Church of these generall Councells if this I say haue thus fallen by false doctrine as the Protestants imagine then this Apostacy and defection must eyther beginne first from all or from one or from a few only To the parts then if from all how is it possible that so great a body nay Christes owne body mysticall for so S. Augustine calleth it founded by the bloud of Christ propagated by the mynistery of the Apostles watred continually with the bloud of many millions of Martyrs dispersed ouer the visible face of the whole world I say and demaund how is it possible that this Church should be corrupted all at once and that by willing corruption of affection and iudgment 12. But if this defection vainely and ydlely supposed by the Protestants did beginne eyther from one or arise from a few priuate men contrary to the mayne current of the Churches doctrine and tradition which had continued and lineally succeeded in the Centuries of the Church from Christs time to the Councell of Chalcedon then would no doubt the Prelates of the Church which now were in possession of the Ecclesiasticall keyes and practice of the power and authority of the same by censuring and condemning Archbishops Abbots Patriarches as hath bene seene haue resisted seuerally punished these supposed noueltyes and new fangles in religion And truly albeit we should set aside the promise and prouidence of our blessed Sauiour for cōseruing this his Church which he had bought with so great a pricc as his owne pretious bloud and brought vnto such eminent greatnes at this very time of the Councell of Chalcedon which was more then foure hundred yeares after his Ascension yet in all humane reason setting the light of religion apart it cannot be so much as imagined how such a body Christ his body with such a vigilant Senate and head ouer it should by secret stealth or little and little be infected corrupted poysoned and consumed as their phrase is with Popery heresy superstition or innouation and all without sense or feeling resisting and complayning or any record left therof in Authour of Antiquity And yet if we will giue credit vnto the Protestants and suffer their religion to set the least footing in the Church we must against all sense reason faith and religion imagin and belieue all this and much more to wit that such and so potent a body so fortified with defences by our Sauiour was so stolen away frō it selfe and from God also as that it was lost peruerted corrupted conquered by the gates of hell made Babylon the seat of Antichrist and Citty of Sathan before any man was aware of it and are not these positions of Protestants monstrous Paradoxes strange Idea's Chymera's which no man of perfect sense can belieue 13. I read in the ancient Fathers that were inlightned with so great a measure of Gods holy spirit very earnest reprehensions and seuere inuectiues against the absurdity of these imaginations Let S. Augustine one that was wont to be full of reuerence in some of the Protestantes mouthes speake for all Illa Ecclesia saith he quae fuit omnium gentium iam non est periji Hoc dicunt qui in illa non sunt ô impudentem vocem illa non est quia tu in illa non es Vide ne tu ideo non sis nam illa erit etiamsi tu non sis That Church which was propagated and spread ouer the world consisting of all nations as now at the time of Chalcedon is it now no more Is she perished or vanished away So say those that are not in her O impudent voyce Is not she because thou art not in her See lest therefore thou be not for she will be though thou be not 14. Thus S. Augustine in his dayes argued against the Donatists who said then iust as our Protestants do now when they were pressed with the authority of the Catholicke visible Church that indeed that had bene for a time the true Church but that afterwardes it perished it fayled and fell into Apostasy Apostatauit perijt it did apostatate and perish except onely in the people who onely in their owne iudgment made the true Church indeed 15. And can any thing in the world be more like then this to our case Doe not the Protestants and the Donatists so conspire togeather that a man cannot distinguish them by their voice The Protestants acknowledgeth the whole body of the Christian Catholicke Church vnder these foure Councells for the space almost of fiue hundred yeares togeather neyther can he chose but confesse since the poynt hath ben so often extorted from him the outward lustre Hierarchy Gouerment and Authority thereof But if you aske him fiue hundred yeares after then he will answer with the Donatist suit non est it was the true Church but it is not now or at least wise not in that perfection of authority as then it was And if you demaund of him fiue hundred yeares after that againe about the time that Luther sprang vp he will not stick flatly to blaspheme with the same Donatist Apostatauit perijt it hath fallen into Apostacy it hath perished which speach you haue heard S. Augustine before call impudentem vocem an impudent voice but presently after in the very same place he termeth it by farre worse Epithetons as blasphemous to the holy Ghost which though I haue touched before yet will I repeate it heere againe for the better impression of it in our memory and the greater detestatiō of the like sinne 16. Hanc vocem saith he abominabilem detestabilem praesumptionis falsitatis plenam nulla veritate suffultam nulla sapientia illuminatam nullo sale conditam vanam temerariam praecipitem perniciosamp raeuidit Spiritus Dei The spirit of God in the 101.