this Apostasie of the Iesuites is the most abhominable and contumelious against the blessed Trinitie pag. 300. THE TRIPLICITIE OF ROMISH BLASPHEMIE OR THE THREE DEGREES OF ANTICHRISTS EXALTATION Against all that is called GOD. THE THIRD BOOKE SECT I. Contayning the assertions of the Romish Church whence her threefold blasphemie springs HAuing in the former dispute clearly acquitted as well Gods word from breeding as our Church from nursing contentions schismes and heresies wee may in this by course of common equitie more freely accuse their iniurious calumniators And because our purpose is not to charge them with forgerie of any particular though grossest heresies or blasphemies though most hideous but for erecting an intire frame capacioâ—s of all villanies imaginable farre surpassing the hugest mathematicall forme humane fancie could haue conceiued of such matters but only from inspection of this reall and materiall patterne which by degrees insensible hath growne vp with the mysterie of iniquitie as the barke doth with the tree such inconsiderate passionate speeches as heat of contention in personall quarrells hath exstracted from some one or few of their priuate Writers shall not be produced to giue euidence against the Church their Mother whose triall shall be as farre as may be by her Peeres either by her owne publike determinations in this controuersie or ioynt consent of her authorized best approued Advocates in opening the title or vnfolding the contents of that prerogatiue which they challenge for her 2 Our accusations are grounded vpon their Positions before set downe when wee explicated the differences betwixt vs. The position in briefe is this That the infallible authoritie of the present Church is the most sure most safe vndoubted rule in all doubts or controuersies of faith or in all points concerning the Oracles of God by which we may certainely know both without which wee cannot possibly know either which are the Oracles of God which not or what is the true sense and meaning of such as are receiued for his Oracles whether written or vnwritten 3 The extent of diuine Oracles or number of Canonicall bookes hath beene as our Aduersaries pretend very questionable amongst the ancient though such of the Fathers as for their skill in antiquitie were in all vnpartiall iudgements most competent Iudges in this cause were altogether for vs against the Romanists and such as were for their opinion were but for it vpon an error as thinking the Iewes had acknowledged all those bookes of the old Testament for Canonicall Scripture which the Churches wherin they liued receiued for such or that the Christian Church did acknowledge all for Canonical which they allowed to be publikely read Safe it was our aduersaries cannot denie for the Ancient to dissent one from an other in this question or to suspend their assent till new probabilities might sway them one way or other No reasons haue beene produced since sufficient to moue any ingenious mind vnto more peremptorie resolutions yet doth the Councell of Trent binde all to an absolute acknowledgement of those Bookes for Canonicall which by their owne confession were reiected by S. Hierome and other Fathers If any shall not receiue the whole Bookes with all their parts vsually read in the Church and as they are extent in the old vulgar for sacred and Canonicall let him be accuâ—sed So are all by the same decree that will not acknowledge such vnwritten traditions as the Romish Church pretends to haue come from Christ and his Apostles for diuine and of authoritie equall with the written word 4 So generally is this opinion receiued so fully beleeued in that Church That many of her Sonnes euen whilest they write against vs forgetting with whom they haue to deale take it as granted That the Scriptures cannot be known to be Gods word but by the infallible authoritie of the present Church And from this supposition as from a truth sufficiently knowne though neuer proued they labour in the next place to inferre That without submission of our faith to the Churches publike spirit wee cannot infallibly distinguish the orthodoxall or diuine sense of Gods Oracles whether written or vnwritten from hereticall or humane 5 Should we admit vnwritten Traditions and the Church withall as absolute Iudge to determine which were Apostolicall which not little would it boote vs to question with them about their meaning For when the point should come to triall wee might be sure to haue the very words framed to whatsoeuer sense should bee most fauourable for iustifying Romish practises And euen of Gods written Oracles whose words or characters as hee in his wisedome hath prouided cannot now be altered by an Index Expurgatorius at their pleasure That such a sense as shall bee most seruiceable for their turne may as time shall minister occasion bee more commodiously gathered the Trent Fathers immediately after the former decree for establishing vnwritten Traditions and amplifying the extent of diuine written Oracles haue in great wisedome authorized the old and vulgar translation of the whole Canon Which though it were not purposely framed to maintayne Poperie as some of our writers say they haue as friuolously as maliciously obiected yet certainely aswell the escapes and errors of those vnskilfull or ill-furnished interpretors as the negligence of transcribers or other defects incident to that worke from the simplicitie of most ancient the iniuries or calamities of insuing times were amongst others as the first heads or pettie springs of that raging floud of impietie which had well nigh drowned the whole Christian world in perdition by continually receiuing into it channell once thus wrought the dregs and filth of euery other error vnder heauen with the corrupt remainder of former heresies for these thousand yeares and more And vnto many grosse errors in Romish religion which this imperfect translation did not first occasion it yet affords that countenance which the pure Fountaines of the Greeke and Hebrew doe not but rather would scoure and wipe away were they current in that Church Finally though it yeld not nutriment to enlarge or feed yet it serues as a cloake to hide or couer most parts of the great mysterie of iniquitie 6 Yet besides the fauourable construction that may be made for that religion out of the plaine and literall sense of this erroneous translation the Church will bee absolute Iudge of all controuersies concerning the right interpretation thereof So as not what our consciences vpon diligent search and iust examination shall witnesse to vs but what the Church shall declare to them must be absolutely acknowledged for the true intent and meaning of Gods word as it is rendred by the vulgar interpretor To this purpose is the very next decree 7 Moreouer for brideling petulant dispositions it is decreed That no man in confidence of his owne wisdome or skill in matters of faith and manners making for the edification of Christian doctrine shall dare to interpret Scriptures wresting them to his
and the Churches not all in all For vnto that which men cannot know whether it bee true or false they cannot be bound to yeeld absolute or immediate obedience vnto that authoritie which they absolutely beleeue as infallible they are bound to yeeld infallible assent and absolute obedience directly in it selfe and for it selfe But by this supposition men cannot know Scriptures infallibly without the Churches authoritie and yet they must infallibly beleeue the Churches authoritie without Scriptures The Scriptures authoritie therefore is either lesse then the Churches or none at all 6 But be it supposed that priuate mens infallible beleefe of the Churches publike spirit is grouÌ„ded vpon Scriptures acknowledged by vs and vrged by them to this purpose as vpon these it seemeth good to the Holy Ghost vs I haue prayed for thee thy faith should not faile The question whereunto wee demaund an answere is whether this infallible beleefe of the Churches authoritie grounded vpon these places must be wrought in mens heartes by a priuate or publique spirit If by a priuate spirit onely Bellarmine beleeued the Churches publique spirit or those Scriptures truth or true meaning whereon he grounds it Hee and all other Papists such as hee was when hee deliuered this Doctrine neither Bishops nor Cardinals are subiect to the same inconueniences which he hath condemned vs for as Heretiques For all priuate spirits by his positions are obnoxious to errour vnsufficient to plant any infallible perswasion in matters of faith yet such is this article of the Churches authentique spirit of which vnlesse men be so perswaded infallibly perswaded they cannot bee of the minor proposition in any Syllogisme wherein a point of faith is concluded and vncertaine of the minor they cannot be certaine of the conclusion which as Bellarmine rightly obserues alwayes followes the weaker part The infallible conclusion therefore of Bellarmines resolution is vnlesse priuate men may haue publique spirits to warrant the truth of Scriptures and the Churches infallibilitie thereon grounded they cannot truly beleeue any conclusion of faith It remaines then we inquire what inconuenience wil follow if they admit priuate men to be partakers of publike spirits 7 Diuersitie of such spirits they acknowledge not If therefore priuate mens infallible assent vnto the truth or true sence of those particular Scriptures whence they seeke to prooue their Churches infallibilitie must be planted by a publique spirit planted it must be by the same spirit which guides and guiding makes the Church and Pope authentique and infallible both in their proposall of Scriptures and declaration of Scriptures sence Seeing this spirit is one and the same if it can make the Church or Pope infallible in all why may it not make all priuate men by this supposition partakers of it alike infallible at the least in the right vnderstanding of those places which warraÌ„t the Churches infallibilitie or publique spirit For our aduersaries I hope will easily grant that the Churches publique and authentique spirit must be most infallibly beleeued because so expressely taught in those Scriptures cited by Bellarmine to this purpose If this publike or authentique spirit can worke such infallible apprehension of those places true meaning in priuate heartes why not in all others as necessarie for them to know that is in all necessarie to saluation And if thus it doe why are wee bound to beleeue the Pope more then the Pope vs wee being partakers of a publique and infallible spirit aswel as he 8 Or if they hold it no absurditie to say wee must beleeue two or three places It seemeth good to the Holy Ghost and vs Peter feed my sheepe by a pubâ—ique and authentique spirit teaching vs from these to relie vpon the Pope in all other parts of Gods Word because as it must be supposed we haue but a priuate spirit for their assurance by this supposition the Popes authoritie in respect of vs must haue the same excesse of superioritie vnto Scriptures that publike spirit hath vnto a priuate or the Pope who beleeueth all Scriptures by a publike spirit hath vnto a priuate man This publike spirit wherof they vauÌ„t is the same which did inspire the scriptures to Moses the Prophets and Apostles and must by this position be the Pope or Churches immediate ageÌ„t for establishing this inuiolable league of absolute alleagance with mens soules vnto them but of none so absolute to their Creator and Redeemer and the rest of whose written lawes and eternal decrees must be communicated vnto them by a priuate spirit and subscribed vnto with this condition If the Pope shall witnesse them to be his lawes or to haue this or that meaning 9 Nor can our aduersaries dense the truth of this subsequent collection If it were possible for the Pope in matters controuersed to teach contrarie to Gods Word wee were bound to follow him For they themselues argue thus If the Pope could erre in matters of faith faith might perish from the Earth all Christians bound to erre because bound to obey him This prooues that our assent to any Scriptures besides those which teach the Popes authoritie cannot in it selfe be perfect and absolute but subiect to this condition if the Pope be infallible And euen of those places which as they pretend witnesse him to be such there yet remaines a farther difficultie These the Pope beleeues not because they are confirmed to him by his predecessor but directly and immediatly by his publique spirit But may priuate men beleeue them so too No. For these especially and the Churches infallibilitie contained in them are by all our aduesaries consent propositions of faith in respect of vs need by their doctrine the proposall or testimonie of the Church whereon all priuate mens faith must be immediately grounded beleeuing this we shall from it at least conioyned with Scripture beleeue all other parts of Gods Word necessarie to saluation aswell as the Pope doth these former from the testimonie of his publique spirit Wherefore his authoritie must be vnto vs altogether as great as the authoritie of the Godhead is vnto him which is farre greater vnto him then it is or can be to any others for euen that which is acknowledged for Gods Word both by him and vs must be lesse authentique vnto vs then the wordes of this mortall man 10 For though we pardon our aduersaries their former absurdities in seeking to prooue the Churches authoritie by the Scripture and the Scriptures by the Churches though we grant them all they can desire euen what shall appeare in due place to be most false That whiles they beleeue the Popes particular iniunctions or decisions from a presupposal of his vniuersal transcendent authoritie they doe not onely beleeue him or his wordes but those partes of Gods Word vpon which they seeme to ground his infallibilitie yet our former argument holdes still most firme because that absolute assent which priuate men must giue vnto these supposed grounds of their Religion before
there any thing too hard for me The Lord had stricken Iacob with the wound of an enemy and with a sharpe chastice meÌ„â— for the multitude of his iniquities wherefore hee cryed for his affliction and said My sorrow is incurable not considering who it was had done all this vnto him for because the Lord had killed they must belieue hee would make aliue againe Their present wounds inflicted contrary to the rules of politique defence where the best pledges of their future health beyond all hope of State-Surgeons And this is the very Sâ—ale of Ieremiahs assurance from the Lords own mouth Thus sayeth the Lord like as I haue brought all this great plague vpon this people so will I bring vpon them all the good I haue promised them And the fields shall be possessed in this land whereof ye say It is desolate without man or beast and shall be giuen into the hand of the Caldeans Men shall buy fields for siluer and make writings and seale them and take witnesses in the land of Beniamin and round about Ierusalem So absolute and all-sufficient was Moses law in particular actions much more in generall or doctrinall resolution that God himselfe for confirmation of his Prophets this distrustfull peoples faith in a point by humane estimate most incredible thought it sufficient to be a remembrance to the Law-giuer For the Lord here saith to Ieremiah concerning this particular Moses many generations before had vniuersally foretold Now when all these things shall come vpon thee either the blessing or the curse which I haue set before thee and thou shalt turne into thine hart among all the nations whither the Lord thy God hath driuen thee then the Lord thy God will cause thy Captiues to returne and haue compassion vpon thee and will returne to gather thee out of all the people where the Lord thy God had scattered thee Though thou wâ—rst cast vnto the vttermost part of heauen from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee and from thence will he take thee And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed and thou shalt possesse it and he will shew thee fauour and will multiply thee aboue thy fathers By this rule of Moses according to the prediction of Ieremiah doth Nehemiah afterwards frame his prayers to God direct his enterprise for restauration of Ierusalem Wee haue grieuously sinned against thee and haue not kept the commandements nor the statutes nor the iudgements which thou commandest thy seruant Moses I beseech thee remember the word that thou commandest thy seruant Moses saying Ye will transgresse and I will scatter you abroad among the people But if yee turne vnto me and keepe my commandements and doe them though your scattering were to the vttermost part of the heauen yet will I gather you from thence and will bring you vnto the place that I haue chosen to place my Name there Now these are thy seruants and thy people c. O Lord I beseech thee let thine eare now hearken to the praier of thy seruants who desire to feare thy name and I pray thee cause thy seruant to prosper this day and giue him fauour in the presence of this man He saw the truth of Moses diuine predictioÌ„ confirmed by the Kings present grant of his petition speedy restauration of Ierusalem albeit a Prophet by profession had disswaded the enterprise as likely to proue dangerous to his person CHAP. VIII That the societie or visible Company of Prophets had no such absolute authority as the Romish Church vsurpes 1 DId the Records of antiquity afford vs any the least presumption to thinke that absolute beliefe or obedience might safely be tendered by inferiors as due to any visible Company of men without examination of their proposals by Moses writings since they were extant the society of Prophets in all respects the Romanists can pretend had the most probable title to this prerogatiue Their professioÌ„ or calling was publike and lawfull their distinction from all others eminent their persons and places of residence visible and knowne their promises for enioying the extraordinary presence or illuminations of Gods spirit peculiar many of them venerable for their integrity in ciuill dealings and sanctity of priuate life some of them endued with the gift of miracles In all these and many like considerations that fraternity or collegiate society might iustly haue pleaded all the priuiledges a publike spirit can grant to one sort of men before others For if the more or lesse expresse testimony of Gods word for extraordinary assistance of his spirit or the different measure of his illumination or manner of immediate teaching be that which makes som mens spirit more publike then their brethrens this difference was greater betweene the Priests or Prophets and people of old then since God spake vnto the world by his sonne yet what Prophet did once intimate the necessity of his proposall for notifying the truth of Scriptures What one did euer bewray the least desire to haue his interpretations of them vniuersally held authentique or his particular predictions absolutely assented vnto without further triall then his bare assertion without examination of them by Moses doctrine already establisâ—ed 2 Had they beene the infallible Church representatiue had their assertions though giuen by ioinct consent ex Cathedra or in the most solemne manner vsed in those times beene of such authority as the Romanist would perswade vs a Councell of their Prelates lawfully assembled is Gods people had stood bound to embrace whatsoeuer a maior part of that profession had resolued vpon but this inference though necessarily following the supposed premises the Iesuit I know dare not affirme lest Ahabs bloud vntimely shed by confidence in their infallibility cry out against him Yet Bellarmine too well knowing the liquorish temper of this present age for the most part acquainted with none but table-talke Diuinity to bee such as will swallow down any doctrine bee it neuer so idle prophane or poisonous so it bee sauced with pleasant conceit and merriment would put vs of with this iest That as in Saxonie one Catholiques verdict were to be taken bâ—fore sowre hundred Lutherans so should one of the Lords Prophets haue beene followed in those times before fiue hundred of Baals And Ahab no doubt had so done had not the Diuell taught his Diuines then as hee hath done Bellarmine and his fellowes since to take vniuersality as a sure note of the Church traditions and customes of the Elders for the rule of faith and which is the vndoubted Conclusion of such premisses to follow a multitude to any mischiefe So mightily did the opinion of a maior part being all men of the same profession sway with the superstitious people of those times that Ahabs Purseuant conceiued hope of seducing Micaiah whilst they were on the way together by intimating such censures of schisme of heresie of
to performe what hee had constantly spoken But what was the chiefe matter of their iust reproofe That they had not beleeued his wordes nor giuen due credence to his workes Dull no doubt they had beene in not esteeming better of both vnwise in not learning more of him that taught as neuer man taught but as in them hee teacheth vs most dull and most vnwise euen fooles and slowe of heart in not beleeuing all that the Prophets had spoken Ought not Christ to haue suffered these things as if hee had said Is it possible your ignorance in them should be so grosse as not to knowe that Christ was thus to suffer and so to enter into his glory 2. You will say perchance they did not well in giuing so little attention and credite to the Prophets whose light should haue led them vnto Christ but now that they haue light on him in person without their helpe onely by his seeking them shall not hee who was the end and scope of all propheticall writings teach them all He will but not by relying onely vpon his infallible authoritie This aedifice of faith must bee framed vpon the foundation laide by the Prophets For this reason happily our Sauiour would not bewray himselfe to be their infallible teacher vntill he had made them by euidence of Scripture by true sence and feeling of his spirit beleeue and knowe the truth which he taught to be infallible Hee had opened their hearts by opening the Scriptures vnto them before their eyes were open to discerne his person for he began at Moses and at all the Prophets and interpreted vnto them in all the Scriptures the things which were written of him Stedfast beliefe then of any mans authoritie must spring out of the solide experience of his skill and trueth of his doctrine These two disciples might now resolue their hearts that this was he who Iohn said should baptize with the holy Ghost and with fire when by the working of his spirit their hearts did burne within them whiles hee talked with them and opened the Scriptures vnto them Though before they had receiued Iohn Baptists witnesse of the trueth as a tie or fest to stay their fleeting faith yet now they would not receiue the record of man there is another that beareth witnesse of him the spirit of trueth which hath imprinted his doctrine in their hearts 3. Would the Pope who challengeth Christs place on earth amongst his liuing members and requires we should beleeue his wordes as well as these Disciples did Christs but expound those Scriptures vnto vs which Christ did to them with like euidence and efficacie could hee make our hearts thus burne within by opening the secret mysteries of our saluation wee would take him for Christs Vicar and beleeue indeede hee were infallibly assisted by the holy spirit But seeing hee and his followers inuert our Sauiours methode by calling the certaintie of both Testaments in question telling vs we cannot knowe them to be Gods word vnlesse it shall please this Romane God to giue his word for them or confirme their trueth seeing this his pretended confirmation is not by manifesting the mysteries of our saluation so distinctly and clearely as Christ did vnto these Disciples nor by affoording vs the true sence and feeling of the spirit in such ardent manner as they enioyed it and yet accurseth vs if we beleeue not his words as well as they did their Redeemers wee may hence take a perfect measure of that mouth of blasphemies spoken of by Saint Iohn according to all the three dimensions contained in the three assertions prefixed to the beginning of this Section Nor can the reader imagine either any other forepassed like vnto it or yet to come likely to proue more abominable if it shall but please him to suruay the length and breadth of it but especially the profunditie 4. The length of it I make that assertion The Pope must bee as well beleeued as either Christ was whilest hee liued on earth or his Apostles after his glorification The breadth His absolute authoritie must be for extent as large and ample as Christs should be were he on earth againe or that commission he gaue to his Disciples Goe Preach the Gospell to euery creature his directions must goe foorth throughout all the earth and his wordes vnto the endes of the world The depth is much greater then the space betweene heauen and hell For if you would drawe a line from the Zenith to the Nadir through the Center it would scarce be a gag long enough for this monstrous mouth so wide as hell cannot conceiue a greater The depth I gather partly from the excesse of Christs worth either arising from his personall vnion with the Godhead his sanctitie of life and conuersation or from his hyperpropheticall spirit and aboundant miracles For looke how much he exceedes any but meere man in al these by so much doth the Pope though supposed as not obnoxious to any crime make his authoritie and fauour with God greater then Christs which is the semidiameter of this mouth of blasphemies The other part equall herevnto in quantitie but for the qualitie more tainted with the dregges of Hell ariseth from that opposition the Popes spirit hath vnto Christ or from the luxury and beastly manners of the Papacie erected by Satan as it were of purpose to pollute the world with monstrous sinnes and to derogate as much from mankinde as true Christianitie doth aduance it finally to make the Christian world as much more wicked as Christs Disciples Apostles and faithfull followers are better then the heathen Nor doth the Pope exact beliefe onely without miracles or manifestation of a propheticall spirit but contrary to all notions of good and euill common to Christians and Heathens and as it were in despite of the prophecies that haue deciphered him for Antichrist What heathen Philosopher could with patience haue endured to heare that a dissolute luxurious tyrāt could not though in matters of this life giue wrong sentence out of the seate of Iustice The Iesuites teach it as an Article of faith that the Pope albeit a dissolute and vngracious tyrant Mankinds reproach the disgrace of Christianity cannot possibly giue an erroneous sentence ex cathedra no not in mysteries of religion But as if it were a small thing thus impudently to contradict nature and grieue the soules of ingenuous men vnlesse they also grieue their God seeking as it were to crosse his spirit by holding opiniōs not onely contradictory but most cōtrary to his sacred rules they importune the Christian world with tumultuous clamours to take that which the spirit hath giuen as the demonstratiue character of great Antichrist the olde serpents chiefe confederate for the infallible cognisance of Christs Vicar the very signet of his beloued Spouse Nor will they I know though friendly admonished cease henceforth to vrge their outworn arguments drawne from antiquity vniuersality from that reuerence
many places bee certaine of it vnlesse Tradition be assistant It is an offer worth the taking that here he makes That the sense of Scriptures is the sword of the spirit This is as much as wee contend that the sense of the Scripture is the Scripture Whence the inference is immediately necessary That if the Romish Church binde vs to belieue or absolutely practise ought contrary to the true sense and meaning of Scriptures with the like deuotion we doe Gods expresse vndoubted commandements she preferres her owne authority aboue Gods word and makes vs acknowledge that allegiance vnto her which we owe vnto the spirit For suppose wee had as yet no full assurance of the spirit for the contradictory sense to that giuen by the Church we were in christian duty to expect Gods prouidence and inuoke the spirits assistance for manifestation of the truth from all possibility wherof wee desperately exclude our selues if wee belieue one mans testimony of the spirit as absolutely irreuoucably as we would do the manifest immediate testimony of the spirit yet Sacroboscus acknowledgeth hee beliues the mystery of the Trinity as it is taught by their Church onely for the Churches authority and yet this hee beleeues as absolutely as hee doth yea as hee could belieue any other diuine Reuelation though extraordinarily made vnto himselfe 3 In both parts of beliefe aboue mentioned the causall dependance of our faith vpon the Churches proposals may be imagined three wayes eyther whilest it is in planting or after it is planted or from the first beginning of it to it full growth or from it first entrance into our hearts vntill our departure out of this world How farre and in what sort the Ministery of men in the Church is auaileable for planting faith hath been declared heretofore Eyther for the planting or supporting it the skill or authority of the teachers reaches no further then to quicken or strengthen our internal taste or apprehension of the diuine truth reuealed in Scriptures or to raise or tune our spirites as Musicke did Elishahs the better to perceiue the efficacy of Gods spirit imprinting the stampe of those diuine Reuelations in our hearts whose Characters are in our braines The present Churches proposals in respect of our beliefe is but as the Samaritan womans report was vnto the men of Sichars Many sayth the Euangelist belieued in him for the saying of the woman which testified he hath told mee all things that euer I did But this beliefe was as none in respect of that which they conceiue immediately from his owne words For they saide vnto the woman Now wee belieue not because of thy saying for we haue heard him our selues and know that this is indeede the Christ. The eare sayeth Iob tryeth the words as the mouth tasteth meates Consonant hereto is our Churches doctrine that as our bodily mouthes taste and trie meates immediately without interposition of any other mans sense or iudgement of them so must the eares of our soules trie and discerne diuine truthes without relying on other mens proposals or reports of their rellish No externall meanes whatsoeuer can in eyther case haue any vse but onely eyther for working a right disposition in the Organ whereby triall is made or by occasioning the exercise of the faculty rightly disposed How essentially faith by our aduersaries doctrine dependes vpon the churches authority is euident out of the former discourses that this dependance is perpetuall is as manifest in that they make it the iudge and rule of faith such an indefectible rule and so authentique a Iudge as in all points must be followed and may not be so far examined eyther by Gods written law or rules of nature whether it contradict not it selfe or them 4 It remaines we examine the particular maner of this dependance or what the Churches infallibility doth or can performe eyther to him that belieues or to the obiect of his beleefe whēce a Romane Catholikes faith should become more firme or certaine then another mans It must enlighten eyther his soule that it may see or diuine reuelations that they may be seene more clearely otherwise he can exceed others onely in blinde beleefe The cunningest Sophister in that schoole strictly examined vpon these points will bewray that monstrous blasphemy which some shallow braines haue hitherto hoped to couer Wee haue the same Scriptures they haue and peruse them in all the languages they doe What is it then can hinder eyther them from manifesting or vs from discerning their Truth or true meaning manifested Doe we want the Churches proposall we demand how their present Church it selfe can better discerne them then ours may what testimonie of antiquity haue they which we haue not But it may be we want spectacles to read them our Church hath but the eyes of priuate men which cannot see without a publike light Their Churches eyes are Cat-like able so to illustrate the obiects of Christian faith as to make them cleare and perspicuous to it selfe though darke and inuisible vnto vs. Suppose they could Yet Cats-eyes benefit not by-standers a whit for seeing colours in darknes albeit able themselues to see them without any other light then their owne The visible Church saith the Iesuite is able to discerne all diuine truth by her infallible publique spirit How knowes he this certainly without an infallible publique spirit perhaps as men see Cats-eyes shine in the darke when their owne doe not Let him beleeue so But what doth this beleefe aduantage him or other priuate spirits for the cleare distinct or perfect sight of what the Church proposeth Doth the proposall make diuine Truthes more perspicuous in themselues Why then are they not alike perspicuous to all that heare reade or know the Churches testimonie of them Sacroboscus hath said al that possibly can be said on their behalfe in this difficultie The Sectaries albeit they should vse the authoritie of the true Church yet cannot haue any true beleefe of the truth reuealed If the vse of it be as free to them as to Catholikes what debarres them from this benefit They doe not acknowledge the sufficiencie of the Churches proposall And as a necessary proofe or medium is not sufficient to the attayning of science vnlesse a man vse and acknowledge it formally as necessary so for establishing true faith it sufficeth not that the Church sufficiently proposeth the points to be beleeued or auoweth them by that infallible authoritie wherewith Christ hath enabled her to declare both what bookes containe Doctrines Diuine and what is the true sense of places controuersed in them but it is further necessary that wee formally vse this proposall as sufficient and embrace it as infallible 5 The reason then why a Romane Catholique rightly beleeues the Truth or true meaning of Scriptures when a Protestant that knowes the Churches testimonie as well as he in both points vncertaine is because the Catholique infallibly beleeues the Churches authority to bee
infallible whereof the Protestant otherwise perswaded reapes no benefit by it but continues still in darknesse labouring in vaine to see the truth of Diuine reuelations without it as much in vaine as if a man should striue to see colours without light For this is Sacroboscus instance Besides the habite of faith seated in the vnderstanding and the supernaturall concourse of the Holy Spirit due to all endued with the habite of faith but necessary in respect of the subiect or partie two things more are requisite on the behalfe of the obiect of which if eyther bee wanting the facultie can neuer performe it proper function Of these two the one is that the proposition to be beleeued be reuealed by God the other that there be a sufficient proposall made to vs that God hath reuealed it For an vnsufficient proposall of any obiect is as none as may appeare by the example of light which proposeth Colours to bee seene For when the light is weake or scant we cannot discerne Colours not that wee want a visible obiect but because we want light sufficient to illuminate the obiect or the space betwixt vs and it Hee addes withall such as disclaime the Churches authoritie and are content with this That Truths of faith are reuealed by God in his Word and hence promise themselues the supernaturall concourse of the Holy Ghost for producing acts of faith are destitute of a sufficient proposer and their presumption such as if a man should perswade himselfe because hee hath Colours before his eyes and God readie to affoord his ordinary concourse as oft as he is disposed to exercise his visiue facultie hee should bee able to see them without light For saith this Iesuite the Prophets are dead Apostles dead Christ goâ—e to Heauen and in stead of al Prophets Apostles or himselfe hath left vs his Church Nor is it to bee expected that God will euery where vpon all occasions supply the want of the externall proposals by the aboundance of internall illuminations as hee did to our first parent or Saint Paul who had his Gospell neyther from man nor by man but by the reuelation of Iesus Christ For those are priuiledges 6 The calumnie intended in this last instance hath often heretofore beene preuented Wee neuer denyed eyther the necessity or sufficiency of the Churches proposall as an externall meane wee accompt no other of that ranke and nature is or could bee eyther more necessary or more sufficient Saint Paul we grant had an extraordinary priuiledge and yet for his priuate information had the Truth proposed vnto him by Ananias though the gifts of his publique Ministery were immediately from God Both the measure of his faith and manner of attayning it were vnvsuall but his faith it selfe once attained no otherwise independent of any externall proposall then ours is and all Christians must be Wee should haue beene more beholden to this professor had he distinctly told vs what it is in their language to haue a sufficient proposer albeit this wee may gather from his wordes late cited and these following The Sectaryes take vpon them to correct the Churches sentence as oft as they list and then they oppose Christ to the Church as if the Church did propose one thing and Christ teach another If they admitted any Church as a sufficient proposer they were bound to conforme their opinions to it in all things As you heard before out of Bellarmine That the Popes decrees may not bee examined whether consonant or contrary to Gods word or the foundations of faith already laid in our hearts and out of Canus That we must beleeue the Church absolutely without ifs or ands Thus beleeuing we haue Gods Word sufficiently proposed without this beleefe or acknowledgement of such authoritie in the Church we haue no sufficient proposall of it but striue as foolishly to heare God speake as if wee sought to see Colours without the light 7 It appeares I hope as clearely to the Reader as to mee that the Churches testimonie or authority by our aduersaries Doctrine benefits none but such as stedfastly and absolutely beleeue it in all things But hee that so beleeues it may by it easily beleeue all other points as he that can perfectly see the light may see Colours by it Want of this radicall beleefe in vs makes our faith in their opinion so vnstable or rather blinde and dead Yet can I hardly perswade my selfe all of them will grant the Church addes any inherent or participated splendor to diuine reuelations whereby they become perspicuous in themselues as Colours are made visible by irradiation of the Sunne Thus much notwithstanding all of them I know willingly would subscribe vnto A Protestant can neyther of himselfe be infallibly perswaded of the Truth of Scriptures or other conclusions of faith nor doth he asolutely beleeue any others that are infallible in their determinations but a Roman Catholike albeit by his priuate spirit he cannot infallibly beleeues them yet he infallibly beleeues the Church which cannot erre in beleefe All then that a Papist hath more then a Protestant is this his beleefe of the Church if once he doubt of this he is where he was Which in plaine termes is as much as to say he beleeues the Church concerning Scriptures not Scriptures That this is the true interpretation of their tenent may easily be gathered from their owne writings For Bellarmine expressely contends and all of them suppose that saying of Saint Austine Non crederem Euangelio nisi me commoueret Ecclesiae authoritas I would not beleeue the Gospell vnlesse the Churches authoritie did thereto moue me to bee true as well after faith is produced whilest it continues as whiles it is in planting Now if a man should say Non crederem Francisco nisi me commoueret Petri fidelitas I would not trust Frances but for Peters word this speech resolued into it naturall or proper sense is aequiualent vnto this I doe not trust Frances but Peter that giues his word for him And in case Peter should proue false or bee distrusted by him that tooke his word for Frances as yet not beleeued but for Peters sake the creditor could haue no hold of eyther Thus if Bellarmine and his fellowes bee as they would seeme to make Saint Austine minded not to beleeue the Gospell but for the Churches authoritie or proposall of it let them speake plainly and properly not in parables or metaphors and so we shall know their meaning to be That they indeed beleeue not the Scriptures but the Church or the Church truly and really the Scriptures onely by extrinsecall denomination 8 Nor can they reply eyther consequently to Sacrobosâ—us instance or their generall tenents that as he which sees colours by the light truly sees colours not the light onely so hee that beleeues Scriptures by the Churches infallible proposall beleeues not the Churches proposall onely but Scriptures as truely and properly The
the sanctuary But iust in this manner doth the Mimicall Iesuite reply to the former truth I demaund saith he whether the Doctour would approue this consequence Paul preaching to the Athenians confirmed his Doctrine with the testimonie of the Poet Aratus and the Athenians had done well if they had sought whether Aratus had said so or no therefore all Doctrines must be iudged by Poets But what if the Beraeans practise considered alone or as Iesuites doe Scriptures onely Mathematically doe not necessarily inferre thus much The Learned Doctors charitable minde would not suffer him to suspect any publique professor of Diuinitie as Sacroboscus was could bee so ignorant in Scriptures as not to consider besides the different esteeme of Prophets and Poets amongst the Iewes what Saint Paul had else where expressely said I obtained helpe of God and continue vnto this day witnessing both vnto small and great saying none other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come Vnlesse he could haue proued Christs resurrection other articles of Christian faith out of Moses and the Prophets the Iewes exceptions against him had beene iust For they were bound to resist al Doctrines dissonant to their ancient ordinances especially the abolishment of Rites and Ceremonies which Paul laboured most as knowing the Lawgiuer meant they should continue no longer then to the alteration of the Priesthood but in whose maintenance his adversaries should haue spent their bloud whiles ignorant they were without default of the Truth Paul taught as not sufficiently prooued from the same authority by which their lawes were established Nor was any Apostle either for his miracles or other pledges of the Spirit that hee could communicate vnto others to bee so absolutely beleeued in all things during his life time as Moses and the Prophets writings For seeing the gift of miracles was bestowed on hypocrites or such as might fall from any gifts or grace of the spirit they had though the spectators might beleeue the particular conclusions to whose confirmation the miracles were fitted yet was it not safe without examination absolutely to rely vpon him in all thinges that had spoken a diuine truth once or twice In that he might be an hypocrite or a dissembler for ought others without euidence of his vpright conuersation and perpetuall consonance to his former Doctrine could know he might abuse his purchased reputation to abet some dangerous errour Nor doe our aduersaries though too too credulous in this kinde thinke themselues bound to beleeue reuelations made to another much lesse to thinke that he which is once partaker of the Spirit should for euer bee infallible Vpon these supporters the forementioned Doctours reason which the Iesuite abuseth to establish the Churches authoritie stands firme and sound I absolutely belieue all to be true that God saith because hee saith it nor doe I seeke any other reason but I dare not ascribe so much vnto man least I make him equall to God for God alone and hee in whom the Godhead dwelleth bodily is immutably iust and holy Many others haue continued holy and righteous according to their measure vntill the end but who could be certaine of this besides themselues no not they themselues alwayes And albeit a man that neuer was in the state of grace may oft times deliuer that Doctrine which is infallible yet were it to say no worse a grieuous tempting of God to rely vpon his Doctrine as absolutely infallible vnlesse we know him besides his skill or learning to be alwayes in such a state Though both his life and death bee most religious his Doctrine must approue it selfe to the present age and Gods prouidence must cōmend it to posterity Nor did our Sauiour though in life immutably holy for doctrine most infallible assume so much vnto himselfe before his ascension as the Iesuits giue to the Pope For he submitted his doctrine to Moses the Prophets writings And seeing the Iesuits make lesse acount of Him then the Iewes did of Moses it is no maruell if they be more violently miscaried with enuious or contemptuous hatred of the Diuine truth it selfe then the Iewes were against our Sauiour or his doctrine These euen whē they could not answere his reasons drawn from scriptures receiued though most offēsiue to their distemperate humor were ashamed to cal Moses the prophets authority in questiō or to demand him how do ye know God spake by thē Must not the Churches infallibility herein assure you and if it teach you to discerne Gods word from mans must it not likewise teach you to distinguish the diuine sense of it from humā This is a straine of Atheisme which could neuer finde harbor in any professing the knowledge of the true God before the brood of Antichrist grew so flush as to seeke the recouery of that battaile against Gods Saints on Earth which Lucifer their Father and his followers lost against Michael and his holy Angels in Heauen CHAP. XV. A briefe taste of our aduersaries blasphemous and Atheisticall assertions in this argument from some instances of two of their greatest Doctours Bellarmine and Valentian That if faith cannot be perfect without the solemne testification of that Church the raritie of such testifications will cause infidelitie 1 FOR a further competent testimonie of blasphemies in this kinde wherewith wee charge the Church of Rome let the Reader iudge by these two instances following whether the Christian world haue not sucked the deadliest poyson that could euaporate from the infernall lake through Bellarmines and Valentians pennes Valentian as if he meant to outflout the Apostle for prohibiting all besides the great pastor Christ Iesus for being Lords ouer mens faith will haue an infallible authoritie which may sit as Iudge and mistresse of all controuersies of faith and this to be not the authoritie of one or two men deceased not peculiar to such as in times past haue vttered the diuine truth either by mouth or pen and commended it vnto posteritie but an authoritie continuing in force and strength amongst the faithfull throughout all ages able perspicuously and openly to giue sentence in all controuersies of faith Yet as these Embassadors of God deceased cannot bee Iudges shall they therefore haue no saye at all in deciding controuersies of faith You may not thinke a Iesuite would take Iesus name in vaine he will neuer for shame exclude his Master for hauing at least a finger in the gouernment of the Church Why what is his office or what is the vse of his authoritie registred by his Apostles and Euangelists Not so little as you would weene For his speeches amōgst others that in their life time haue infallibly taught diuine truthes by mouth or pen may be consulted as a witnesse or written law in cases of faith but after a certaine sort and manner eyther to speake the truth or somewhat thereto not impertinent as shal bee declared in due place The place he
visible then colours seeing by it alone colours become actually visible so will it necessarily follow that the churches declaration that is the Popes priuiledge for not erring is more stedfastly to be beleeued as more credible in it selfe then eyther the Canon of Scriptures or any thing therein contayned because these become actually credible vnto vs onely by the churches declaration which cannot possibly ought auaile for their beleefe vnlesse it were better beleeued 6 Perhaps the Reader will here challenge mee that this last instance proues not al that I proposed in the title of this chapter For it onely proues the Popes supremacie is better to bee beleeued then that Christ is come in the flesh that God did euer speake to men in former ages by his Prophets and in later by his sonne But this inferres no absolute alienation of our beleefe from Christ seeing euen in this respect that wee beleeue the Church or Pope so wel we must needs beleeue that Christ is come in the flesh and that God hath spoken to vs sundrie wayes for thus much the Pope auoucheth Yea but what if the church teach vs that Christ is our Lord and Redeemer and yet vrge vs to doe that which is contumelious to his Maiestie What if it teach vs that these Scriptures are Gods Word and yet binde vs by her infallible decrees to breake his Lawes and giue his spirit the lie Should we make profession of beleeuing as the Pope teacheth and yet take his meaning to be onely such as Marnixius whom we better beleeue would make it His Holinesse would quickly pronounces vs Apostataes from the Catholike faith Or if this suffice not the indifferent Reader for satisfying my former promise let him haue patience but for a while and I will pay him all 7 Their first maine position That no priuate man can certainely know the Canon of Scriptures to bee Gods word but by relying vpon the present Church inferres as much as hath beene said much more will follow from their second That no man can certainely bee perswaded of the true sense and meaning of particular propositions contained in the general Canon without the same Churches testimony vnto whom the authentique interpretation or dijudication of Scriptures wholly belongs Imagine the former parties now fully perswaded of the Scriptures diuine truth in generall should by the Consistory which late catechized them be questioned about the meaning of some particular places Cons. Wee hope you adore the consecrated host with diuine worship as oft as you meete it in procession Cat. Desirous wee are to doe any thing that becomes good Christians and obedient sons vnto our holy mother the Church but wee cannot satisfie out conscionces how this may stand with the principles of Christianity Your Holinesses for which we rest yours vnto death haue assured vs these sacred volumes are the very words of God and his words we know must bee obeyed Now since wee know these to be his wordes wee haue found it written in them Thou shalt worshippe the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue It is wee doubt our simplicity that will not suffer vs to conceiue how the consecrated Host can be adored as God without open breach of his commandement For to our shallow vnderstanding there is no necessity to perswade vs Christ God and man should bee hid in it These words Hoc est corpus meum mny beare many interpretations no way pregnant to this purpose And it is doubtfull whether Christs body though really present in the Sacrament should retaine the same presence in procession whereas the former commandement is plaine Wee must worshippe the Lord our God and him onely must we serue Consist Yee thinke this Text is plaine to your late purpose wee thinke otherwise Whether is more meet yee to submit your priuate opinions to our publike spirits or vs that are Pastors to learne of you seely sheepe Cat. Therefore are your seruants come vnto you that they may learne how to obey you in this decree without idolatry well hoping that as ye enioyne vs absolutely to obey you in it so yee can giue vs full assurance wee shall not disobey the spirit of God in the former great commandement whose exposition we most desire 8 Would these or like supplications though conceiued in Christian modesty though proposed with religious feare and awfull regard of their persons though presented with teares and sighes or other more euident signes of inward sorrow finde any entrance into Romish Prelates eares or moue the Masters of the Inquisition house to forbeare exaction of obedience to the former or other decree of the Trent Councel Were the forme of the decree it selfe vnto priuate iudgements neuer so contradictory to Gods expresse written lawes or the consequence of practizing as it prescribes neuer so dreadfull to the doubtfull conscience How much better then were it for such silly soules had they neuer knowne the Bookes of Moses to haue been from God for so committing idolatry with stocks and stones or other creatures they had done what was displeasing to their Master iustly punishable yet with fewer stripes because his will was not made known vnto them But now they know it and acknowledge the truth of this commandement To what end That they may bee left without all excuse for not doing it They see the generall truth of Gods Oracles that they may bee more desperately blinded in wilfull peruerting the particulars For what glory could the allurement of silly ignorant men to simple idolatry be vnto great Antichrist Let them first subscribe to the written Lawes of the euerliuing God and afterwardes wholly submit themselues to his determinations for their practise and so the opposition betwixt him and the Deity betwixt his iniunctions and the decrees of the Almighty may bee more positiue more directly contrary The Heathen or others not acknowledging Gods word at all are rightly tearmed vnbeleeuers men thus beleeuing the Scriptures in generall to be Gods word from the testimony of the Church and yet absolutely relying vpon her iudgement for the meaning of particular places are transported from vnbeliefe to misbeliefe from grosse ignorance to wilfull defiance of God his lawes Finally they are brought to know Gods word that they may doubt in this and like fearefull practises enioyned that so first doubting and afterwards desperately resoluing absolutely to follow the Churches iniunction against that sense and meaning of the diuine decrees which the holy spirit doth dictate to their priuate consciences they may without doubt be damned for not abiding in the truth Like their first parents they heare Gods sentence but preferre the interpretations of Sathans first borne before their owne because it must bee presumed hee is more subtle then they Or to referre the two maine streames of this iniquity to their proper heads The first That we cannot know the olde or new Testament to be Gods word but by relying vpon the Church makes all subscribers to
THE THIRD BOOKE OF COMMENTARIES VPON THE APOSTLES CREEDE Contayning the blasphemous Positions of Iesuites and other later Romanists concerning the authoritie of their Church Manifestly prouing that whosoeuer yeelds such absolute Beleefe vnto it as these men exact doth beleeue it better then Gods word his SONNE his PROPHETS EVANGELISTS or APOSTLES or rather truly beeleeues no part of their writings or any article in this CREEDE Continued by THOMAS IACKSON B. of Diuinitie and Fellow of CORPVS CHRISTI College in OXFORD 1. King 18. v. 21. How long halt yee betweene two opinions if the Lord be God follow him but if Baal follow him LONDON Printed by WILLIAM STANSBY and are to be sold by Iohn Budge at the great South doore of Paules and at Brittaines Bursse 1614. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD AND MY HONORABLE LORD WILLIAM BY DIVINE PROVIDENCE L. BISHOP OF DVRHAM Grace and Peace bee multiplied RIght Reuerend Father the sweet refreshing your Honourable fauours did yeeld to such of my labors as hitherto enioy the light when a suddaine vncomfortable blast had sorely nipt them in the very setting makes these last gatherings of that spring seeke that comfortable warmth vnder your benigne protection which the vnconstant frowning season would hardly affoord them in their growth Besides these and other my personall obligements that famous and worthy founder of this Attick Beehiue of whose sweetnesse would God I had beene as capable as I haue beene long partaker had neuer allotted any Cell therein for me or other Countriman of mine but with particular relation to that seat of dignitie which he sometimes did your Lordship now doth and to the encrease of Gods glorie and good of his Church long may enioy Seeing this our great foster Father is now ignorant of his childrens demeanor and knowes not me it shall be my comfort to haue his honourable successors witnesses of my care and industrie to fulfill his godly desire whose religious soule in his life time as his written lawes doe testifie did detest nothing more then idlenesse in the Ministrie specially in his adopted Sonnes The matters I here present vnto your Lordships the worlds view are sometimes in themselues so harsh and hard to be concocted as he that would striue to make them toothsome vnto nice tastes should put himselfe to excessiue paines vnlesse his iudgement be much riper his wit readier his inuention pleasanter his opportunities better and his leisure greater then mine are But it is one and the same point of iudgement not to require exact Mathematicall proofes in discourses of moralitie or a smooth facile Rhetorical stile in Logical or Scholastique conflicts And as by the statutes of that societie wherein I liue I am bound to auoid barbarisme so my particular inclination moues me in controversies especially to approue his choice that said Fortia mallem quam formosa If any professed enemie to the truth we teach will answere me from point to point or attempt not as their custome now is only in scoffing sort but seriously to auert those vnsupportable but deserued imputations I lay vpon the foundation of his Religion I shall I trust be able to answere him the better by continuance of your Lordships wonted fauours whom I still request the Christian Readers as many as reape any profit from my paines on my behalfe to remember with such respect as is due to honorable Patrons of religious studies or cherishers of painefull endeuours in good causes From Corpus Christi College March xxv 1614. Your Lordships in all obseruance THOMAS IACKSON To the indifferent Reader specially to the learned Artists of the two famous VNIVERSITIES CHristian and beloued Reader I haue been detained in this entrie though not longer then the structure of it required yet then I my selfe or thou perhaps could haue wished for speedier dispatch of the maine edifice intended Somewhat notwithstanding to my apprehension I had obserued whereby Artists more accurate but yonger Diuines then my selfe whose furtherance in the like throughout all my meditations I still respect might bee directed for taking sure hold of their slipperie antagonists in this conflict And finding my selfe euery day then other more vnapt more vnwilling at least to bee any Actor in quarrels of this nature because most desirous to spend my mortall spirits in opening the pleasant Fountaines of immortalitie I thought it not altogether vnlawful to dispence with these labours for a while in hope to prosequute them more safely and with better successe hereafter by seconding such as had gone before mee with my small strength for intercepting these despitefull Philistims which continually labour to damme vp these sacred Wells of life Many excellent wits and graue Diuines as well in our English as other reformed Churches I knew had accurately deciphered the speciall characters of the Beast and demonstrated most properties of great Antichrist vpon the Pope But that the fundamentall charter of the Romish Church or the commission pretended by Iesuites for the erection of it should as the manner was to demolish lesser religious houses for building others more magnificent extend to raze the very first foundations of religion as common to Christians Iewes and Turkes that the acknowledgement of such infallibilitie as they Deifie her with should be more incompatible with Christianitie then any Idolatrie of the Heathen that such as absolutely beleeue all her decrees without examination truely beleeue no article of this Creede with the like principall branches of Antichristianisme were points for ought I knew rather touched by the way or proposed as clear in themselues to the indifferent and ingenuous that iudge of the Romish Church by the knowne picture of her misse-shapen limmes then prosequuted at large or with purpose to pull off that artificiall painting wherewith late Iesuites haue so beautified this vgly Monsters face that the world bewitched with gazing too much on it cānot but loue her other deformities though in themselues most loathsome For though the practises enioyned by her bee so vile as would haue caused Rome Heathen to haue blushed at their mention or her other doctrines so palpably grosse that her owne Sonnes heretofore haue derided them and as yet spare to speake ought in particular for their defence yet to salue all this it must suffice that the Church which cannot erre hath now authorized them If any thinke I preiudice the truth of moderate accusations by laying such heauie imputations vpon this doctrine as make it incomparably more detestable then any other hee speakes not inconsequently to his positions if hee hold the Trent Councell was infallibly assisted by the holy Ghost or that the Pope in Cathedrall resolutions cannot erre But he which thinkes foule impieties may bring Romish Prelates out of fauour with the spirit of truth and make them as obnoxious to errors as others are or can perswade himselfe that many practises and opinions by that Church alreadie authorized are in their nature abominable and impious must either accord to me
againâ—â— which wee dispute doe not at all beleeue God speaking in the Scriptures shal be euinced in the third Section of this The present inconuenience which now will they nill they we are to wrest from their resolutions of faith is that indeed and conscience they either acknowledge no authoritie in the Church or Scriptures or else greater in the Church then in Scriptures CHAP. II. Inferring the generall conclusion proposed in the title of this Section from Bellarmines Resolution of faith 1 ASwell to occasion the learned Readers further consideration of their ill-grounded and worse builded faith as for deducing thence the proposed inconuenience it wll not bee amisse to propose Bellarmines resolution of a Roman Catholikes faith One especiall obiection of our Writers as hee frameth it is That faith if depending on the Churches iudgement is grounded but vpon the word of man a weake foundation for such an edifiâ—e that the Scripture was giuen by the Spirit of God and must therefore bee vnderstood by the same not by the Churches Spirit Hereunto Bellarmine answereth The word of the Church i. of the Councell or the Pope speaking ex Cathedra is not the bare word of man He meanes no word obnoxious to errour but in some sort the word of God in as much as it is vttered by the asistance and gouernment of the Holy Ghost I adde saith hee that Heretiques are they which indeede doe leane vpon a broken reed For we must know that a proposition of faith must be concluded in this or the like Syllogisme Whatsoeuer God hath reuealed in Scripture is true but God hath reuealed thus or that in Scriptures Ergo this or that is true The first proposition in this Syllogisme is certaine amongst all the second likewise amongst Catholickes is â—ost firme as being supported by the testimonie of the Church Councell or Pope of whose immunitie from possibilitie of erring we haue expresse promises in the Scriptures as It hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost and vs I haue prayed for thee thy faith should not â—aile But amongst Heretikes the second or minor proposition is 〈…〉 onely on coniecture or iudgement of a priuate Spirit which vsually seemes but is not good Whence seeing the conclusion must follow the weaker part it necessarily followes that all the faith of Heretikes such in his language are all that will not relie vpon the Church is but coniecturall and vncertaine 2 A dreadfull imputation could it be as substanstially proued as it is confidently auouched And the consequence of his resolution generally helde by all his fellowes is of no lesse importance then this that no man can be infalliby assured either of the truth or true sence of any particular proposition in the whole Canon of Scriptures receiued by vs and them vnlesse he haue the Churches authoritie for confirmation of both For vnto vs that onely which the Church auoucheth is certaine and vnfallible that sence of it which the Church giues onely sound if we speake of any particular or determinate truthes 3 How certaine and vnfallible assent vnto all or any Scriptures may bee wrought in mens heartes without any infallible teacher alreadie hath beene and hereafter shall be God willing in more particular sort exemplified In this place it stood the Iesuit vpon to haue giuen a better solution to the doubt obiected which he is so farre from vnloosing that hee rather knits it faster as shall appeare if the Reader will first cal to minde That for the establishing of firme and vndoubted assent to any truth proposed it skils not how infallible the truth in it selfe or the proposer be vn-vnlesse vnlesse they whose beleefe or assent is demanded be as infallibly perswaded of this infallibilitie in the truth or the proposer In this respect our aduersaries pleade their immunitie from errour as an article necessarie to be infallibly beleeued for confirmation of Gods Word alwayes most infallible as all grant in it selfe but not so as they affirme to vs vntill it bee auouched by infallible authoritie 4 Herein they concurre with vs both with the truth That if we beleeue it onely as probable that God spake all those wordes which wee acknowledge to bee most infallible because his our beleefe notwithstanding is not infallible but probable or coniecturall For as a man may haue bad desires of things essentially good so may he haue vncertaine perswasions of truthes in themselues most certaine It is not therefore the supposed infallibilitie of the Church or Pope howsoeuer but infallibly apprehended and beleeued that must strengthen our faith which otherwise as is pretended would be but coniecturall And by the former principle acknowledged aswell by them as vs it necessarily followes that if we be only probably not infallibly perswaded the Pope or Church cannot erre our assent vnto the minor proposition i. vnto any determinate part of Gods Word is onely probable not infallible For by the Iesuites Doctrine we cannot bee certainly perswaded that God spake this or that but by the Churches testimonie The immediate consequence of which two assertions compared together is wee cannot bee more certaine that God hath spoken this or that then wee are of the Churches infallibilitie If then wee bee onely probably not infallibly perswaded that the Church is infallible our beleefe of the minor proposition that is of any determinate truth which men suppose God hath spoken must bee onely probable or coniecturall not infallible Consequently to these collections the learned Papists generally holde that the Churches infallibilitie must be absolutely and infallibly beleeued as you heard before out of Canus Bellarmine and Valentian otherwise as Bellarmine would inferre our beleefe of the minor in any Syllogisme wherein a proposition of faith is concluded can be but coniecturall 5 The proposed inconuenience wee may deriue from this difficultie How the Papists themselues can attaine to the infallible beleefe of the Churches infallible authoritie The Church they thinke hath a publique spirit and publique spirits they know are infallible hence they may perswade themselues the Church is infallible only vpon the same termes they beleeue it hath a publique spirit if their beleefe of this latter be but coniectural their assent vnto the former can be no better Seeing then they must of necessitie grant for this is the principall marke they aime at that all must infallibly beleeue the Church hath a publique spirit the difficultie remoues to this point how this infallible perswasion is or may bee wrought in them Either it must be grounded vpon Scriptures or not auouched vnto them and wrought in their hearts it must be either by a publique or priuate spirit Let vs examine all the parts of this diuision 6 First if priuate mens infallible perswasion of the Churches publike or authentike spirit be not grouÌ„ded vpon Scriptures acknowledged by vs and them the Churches authoritie without all controuersie is much greater then the authoritie of Scriptures if it by this assertion can be any
some part of Gods Word reuealed for our aduersaries acknowledge all points of faith should bee resolued into the first truth Hence if wee descend to any particular or determinate conclusion of faith it must be gathered in his Syllogisme Whatsoeuer the Church teacheth concerning the determinate and true sence of Scriptures whereon points of Faith are grounded is most true But the Church teacheth thus and thus for example her owne authoritie is infallibly taught by the Holy Ghost in these wordes Peter feede my sheepe Peter I haue prayed for thee that thy faith should not faile goe this sence and meaning of these wordes is most true And as true as it is must the sence likewise of euery proposition or part of Scripture by this Church expounded or declared be accounted 2 The Maior proposition of this Syllogisme is as vndoubted amongst the Roman Catholiques as the maior of the former was vnto all Christians but as yet the minor The Church doth giue this or that sence of this or that determinate place may be as vncertaine indeed as they would make our beleefe vnto the minor proposition in the generall Syllogisme before it bee confirmed by the Churches authoritie For how can we be certain that the Church doth teach all those particulars which the Iesuites propose vnto vs wee haue Bookes indeede which goe vnder the name of the Trent Counsell but how shall wee know that this Counsell was lawfully assembled that some Canons haue not beene foisted in by priuate Spirits that the Councell left not some vnwritten tradition for explicating their decrees after another fashion then the Iesuites doe who shall assure vs in these or like doubtes The present Church All of vs cannot repaire to Rome such as can when they come thither cannot bee sure to heare the true Church speake ex Cathedra If the Pope send his Writs to assure vs what Critcicke so cunning as to assure vs whether they be authentike or counterfeite Finally for all that can bee imagined in this case onely the Maior of the Catholicke syllogisme indefinitely taken is certaine and consequently no particular or definite conclusion of faith can be certaine to a Romanist because there are no possible meanes of ascertaining the Minor What the true Church doth infallibly define vnto his Conscience 3 Or if they wil hold such conclusions as are ordinarily gathered from the Trent Councell or the Popes decisions as infallible points of faith they make their authoritie to be farre greater then the infallibilitie of Gods written word yea more infallible then the Deitie This Collection they would denie vnlesse it followed from their owne premisses These for example That a conclusion of faith cannot be gathered vnlesse the minor God did say this or that determinately be first made certaine But from the Pope or Churches infallibilitie conclusions of faith may be gathered albeit the minor be not certaine de fide For who can make a Iesuites report of the Popes Decrees or an Historicall relation of the Trent Councell certaine de fide as certaine as an Article of faith And yet the Doctrine of the Trent Councell and Popes Decrees must bee held de fide vpon paine of damnation albeit men take them onely from a Priests mouth or vpon a Iesuites faith and credit 4 This is the madnesse of that Antichristian Synagogue that acknowledgeth Gods Word for most infallible and the Scriptures which wee haue for his word if it selfe bee infallible For it tels vs they are such yet will not haue collections or conclusions with equall probabillitie deduced thence so firmely beleeued by priuate men as the collections or conclusions which are gathered from the Churches infallibilitie An implicit faith of particulars grounded vpon the Churches generall infallibilitie so men stedfastly beleeue it may suffice But implicit faith of particulars grounded onely vpon our generall beleefe of Gods infallibilitie prouidence or written word sufficeth not This prooues the authoritie of the Church to be aboue the authoritie of Scriptures or the Deitie absolutely considered not only in respect of vs that is all besides the Pope and his Cardinals For that is of more authoritie absolutely not onely in respect of vs which vpon equall notice or knowledge is to be better beleeued more esteemed or obeyed but such is the authoritie of the Church in respect of the diuine authoritie such is the authoritie of the Popes Decrees in respect of Gods Word For the Minor proposition in both the former Syllogismes being alike vncertaine the conclusion must bee more certaine in that Syllogisme whose maior relies vpon the Popes infallibilitie then in the other whose Maior was grounded vpon the infallibilitie of the Deitie 5 Briefly to collect the summe of all The authoritie of the Church is greater then the authoritie of Scriptures both in respect of faith and Christian obedience In respect of faith because we are bound to beleeue the Churches decisions read or explicated vnto vs by the Popes messenger though à Sir Iohn Lack-lattin without any appeale but no part of Scripture acknowledged by vs and them we may beleeue without appeale or submission of our interpretation to the Church albeit the true sence and meaning of it seeme neuer so plain vnto priuate consciences in whom Gods Spirit worketh faith The same argument is most firme and euident in respect of obedience 6 That authoritie ouer vs is alwayes greatest vnto which wee are to yeeld most immediate most strict and absolute obedience but by the Romish Churches Doctrine wee are to yeelde supreme and most absolute obedience to the Church more supreme and absolute then vnto Gods word therefore the authoritie of the Church is greater ouer vs. The Maior is out of controuersie seeing greatnesse of authoritie is alwayes measured by the manner of obedience due vnto it The Minor is as euident from the former reason Our obedience is more absolute and strict vnto that authoritie from which in no case we may appeale then vnto that from which wee may in many safely appeale but by the Romish Churches doctrine there lies alwayes an appeale from that sence and meaning of Scriptures which Gods spirit and our owne conscience giues vs vnto the Churches authoritie none from the Churches authoritie or meaning vnto the Scriptures or our owne consciences 7 Our Sauiour Christ bids vs search the Scriptures Saint Paul trie all retaine that which is good Saint Iohn trie the Spirits whether they bee of God or no Suppose a Minister of our Church should charge a Romanist vpon his allegiance to our Sauiour Christ and that obedience which he owes vnto Gods Word to search Scriptures trie spirits and examine Doctrines for the ratifying of his faith he will not acknowledge this to be a Commandemēt of Scripture or at least not to be vnderstood in such asense as may bind him to this practise What followes if our Clergie charge him to admit it he appeales vnto the Church And as in Schooles simus
women and the chiefe men of the Citie and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas and expelled them out of their Coâ—sts 7 Thus it is as true of graces as natures ordination 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the power efficacy of Christs chiefe Apostles is restrained vnto their proper and limited Sphere God alwayes blessing those endeuours best that are imployed within the precincts of that peculiar charge whereto hee apoints vs. By that which hath beene said it may appeare that Saint Peters and Saint Paules prerogatiues how great soeuer were both personall to expire with themselues although a title of supremacie ouer the Gentiles might be pretended with much greater probabilitie from S. Paul then from S. Peter whose peculiar charge was the Iew as may be yet further manifested by the place most vrged for his his Successors oecumenicall iurisdiction bequeathed as the Romanists suppose in these words Peter feed my laÌ„bes Peter feed my sheep c. 8 But the naturall circumstances of that place compared with the late exposition of the former deads all their blowes thence intended against vs ere they can rightly frame themselues to fetch them A little before these wordes were vttered desirous to approoue his excessiue loue to our Sauiour and manifest more then an ordinrie desire of his companie that had appeared vnknowne vnto him but from Iohns notification girt his coat about him and cast himselfe into the Sea whiles the other Disciples not aboue two hundred Cubits from Land came by ship to meet him After a short dinner passed as the text seemes to insinuate in silence at least not entertained with such varietie of discourse as might either interrupt some priuate intimation made to Peter of future conference or put the former occasion of this following exhortation out of the other Apostles memorie our Sauiour enioynes Simon the sonne of Iona to feed his Lambes againe and againe to feed his Sheep He see him then like a louing Souldier desirous by his aduenturous approach vnto him to recouer his formerr reputation much impaired by denying him Whether our Sauiour checke or cherish this desires I question not much lesse determine His speeches with the former circumstances import thus much Thou hast made profession of more then ordinarie loue vnto mee of readinesse to lay downe thy life for my sake though all others euen these thy fellowes should forsake me willing I see thee by thy present hazard of it to make thy former wordes good But wouldest thou haue mee yet to shewe thee a more excellent way I haue tolde thee it long since thou art conuerted strengthen thy Brethren SIMON the Sonne of IONA if thou desire to prooue thy selfe a CEPHAS or testifie the sincerittie of thy faith and loue which by the powers of darkenesse were of late so grieuously shaken feed my Lambes feed my sheepe yea seeing thou thrice deniedst the Shepheard of thy soule I say vnto thee the third time feede my sheepe Let the memorie of thy forepassed threefolde sinne also let this same my present threefolde admonition excite thee vnto triple diligence in thy charge to shew such pittie and compassion as I haue shewed to thee vnto that lost and scattered Flocke which haue denyed mee or consented to my crucifying Let thy faithfull performance of what I request thee at my farewell bee the first testimonie of thy loue to mee to be lastly testified by the losse of thy life which thou didst promise mee when I gaue mine for my sheep but shalt not pay vntill thou hast fulfilled this my request Verily verily I say vnto thee when thou wast yong thou girdest thy selfe and walkedst whither thou would but when thou shalt be old thou shalt stretch forth thine hands and another shall gird thee and leade thee whither thou woulddest not 9 But here Bellarmine alwayes exceeding wittie either to elude Scriptures whose naturall meaning is euidently against him or to collect a gulling sence from such as nothing at all make for him would inferre that the possessiue My necessarily referres Peters charge or iurisdiction vnto all the flocke that called Christ their Lord owner For seeing after his resurrection there was but one Fold for this great Shepheard to say My sheepe could not distinguish one sort from another and therefore none to be exempted from Peters ouersight But the Flocke though one in respect of the owner which had purchased all with one price did consist of sheep much different in breeding and retaining their seuerall markes some were of the circumcision others of the vncircumcision the former had beene our Sauiours peculiar charge in his life time for he was not sent but vnto the lost-sheep of Israel these he might with note of distinction call My sheepe As if a Shepheard raised to better fortunes should purchase a great many more sheep then hee was wont to looke to himselfe and referre both sorts to seuerall keepers though both to Fold together in the euening he might Signanter say to the one looke well to my sheep though both Flockes were his by right of possession but onely the one his by a peculiar relation of former charge or ouer sight And thus as we haue said before the Iewes were committed peculiarly to Saint Peters care Albeit consonantly to the former exposition of both places alleadged our Sauiour by My sheepe might onely intimate his tender care ouer his flocke without distinction that Peter might more carefully feed as many as he could personally looke to seeing the proofe of his loue to his Lord and Master and of his fidelitie which had failed did consist herein As for Bellarmines other collections that our Sauiour by mentioning his sheep should meane Prelates or Superiours by his little sheep so their vulgar distinguisheth inferiour pastors by his lambes mere Layickes such as haue Fathers but no children in Christ they onely proue that in this light of the Gospell there is a generation of men professing Christianitie yet as apt as grossely to transforme Christs Spirituall loue as the Heathen did his fathers glorie into the similitude of their carnall corrupt affections 10 If it may stand with Christian sobrietie so precisely to determine of particular differences implied in these words it is most likely our Sauiour meant to include all sorts of people according to the different care their diuers estates required some were to be tenderly handled and cherished like lambes others to be lookt vnto like elder sheep and to be fed with stronger meate but with lesse personall or assiduous attendance There is no one kind of argument perswades me more the Romish Church is led by the Spirit of errour then whiles I obserue how they still approoue themselues to be Peters successors in denying Christ and going the wrong way vnto the truth of the Gospell alwayes like vngracious children seeking to enter vpon the inheritance bequeathed without performance of what the Testator principally required Our Sauiour requested Peter in
he loued 11 As wee haue shewed from Saint Peter and Saint Paul and the generall analogie of faith that Simon the sonne of Ionah had his name of Cephas or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from his affinity with the Rocke of saluation or chiefe corner stone hee being as the first wrought stone in that aedifice so doth Saint Iohn whose doctrine pregnaÌ„tly confirmes our former exposition of these words Thou art Peter c. make that very confession which Peter vttered as the surest square or line the perfect Index whereby to try and examine all other stones whether fitting or rightly proportioned to this euerlasting structure Dearely beloued saith he belieue not euery spirit but trie the spirits whether they are of God for many false Prophets are gone out into the world How should they know true Prophets from false such as were true were of God such as were false of Antichrist how should they know such as were of God from such as were of Antichrist Hereby shall yee know the spirite of God euery spirit that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the â—lesh is of God 12 But is euery spirit of God that can frame an orthodoxall conceit of this great mystery and outwardly confesse what they inwardly assent vnto as vndoubtedly true So should the wicked spirits be of God for a spirit of an vncleane Diuell openly said as much in effect as Peter did what he knew by arguments more sure then most Popes doe I know who thou art euen the holy one of God yea many came out of the possessed crying what Peter afterwards confessed Thou art the Christ the sonne of God The mystery it seemes they had conceiued aright because our Sauiour giues them the like iniunctions his Disciples had vpon Peters confession the one he rebuked and would not suffer to say the other hee charged they should tell no man that he was Iesus the Christ because this Rocke was not as yet to be plainely manifested to the world Although it is most probable hee would not haue the vncleane spirits at any time to be proclamers of this mystery for vnto the wicked said God What hast thou to do to declare mine ordinances that thou shouldest take my couenant in thy mouth seeing thou hatest to be reformed and hast cast my words behind thee c. If vncleane spirits may not be permitted to promulge this or like diuine mysteries by the mouthes of men whose bodily members they so possesse as to cause them vtter they know not what may wee without exception safely admit all their cathedrall decisions whose soules and minds they haue wholly transformed into the similitude of their vncleannesse for heauenly oracles for embassages of saluation immediately sent from God for foundations of faith and manners Christ by the same Psalmist hath said To him that disposeth his way aright will I shew the saluation of God 13 But to proceed by our Apostles former rule from which and others of his fully paralell thereunto it is euident that for a iust triall of a spirit speaking by God there must bee both a platforme of doctrine rightly proportioned to the former foundation Christ come in the flesh and a correspondent edification not of verball or schoole consequences but of reall and materiall workes proceeding from liuely faith and inward sanctititie so testifying the habitation of Christ the liuing stone in the confessors heart as Christs owne workes and doctrine did the Godheads bodily dwelling in him the Apostle addes Euery spirit which confesseth not that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God that is is opposite vnto the spirit of God but this is the spirit of Antichrist of whom yee haue heard how that he should come and now already hee is in the world A spirit of Antichrist then is manifested by a contrariety in the forme of doctrine or by an hostility between the very foundations which hee and the spirit of God endeavour to lay so as the edification of the one doth in the issue menace the demolition of the other And as this opposition vnto Gods spirit is greater or lesse so doth it argue the partie in whom it is to participate more or lesse of the spirit of Antichrist In both these respects of opposition or hostility in the foundation or in the issue or consequences of all hereticall temples or congregations that hetherto haue beene or can bee imagined as possibly future the structure of the Romish Church doth most fully answere to the Idea or platforme of that edifice which the Apostle hath foretold great Antichrist should erect 14 For demonstrating which conclusion wee onely suppose what euery one must grant that if the spirit of vncleane diuels hee whose comming is by the power of Sathan in guile and deceit may without preiudice to his grand hostility against Christ in formall tearmes confesse the great mystery of saluation Christ manifested in the flesh for seeing hee must be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 opposite vnto Christ not by way of negation or contradiction but by a positiue contrariety or hostility Christian Religion and Antichristianisme must as all other contraries agree in some one kind or matter and the kind or matter in matters of Religion must bee the obiect If wee here onely set aside an agreement with true professors in that generall transcendent obiect that Christ is the sonne of the liuing God the very first principle of Romish Religion eueÌ„ the specifical difference which makes it Romish is as contrary with the first Element of true orthodoxall christian Religion as fire to water heate to cold For if to confesse Christ come in the flesh put to death and raised againe be as is proued all one as to acknowledge him the chiefe corner stone reiected of men but aduanced by God if this bee the maine foundation of Christianity so all-sufficient that without it no other must bee laid How were it possible more to deny this truth in effect or consequence more to oppugne the whole edifice of our faith then by planting another Rocke another foundation without communication wherewith none can bee supported by the former against the gates of hell 15 But perhaps wee mistake oâ— maligne the Romanist in charging him with shufling in another foundation besides Christ in that sense the Apostle denies any other foundation can be laid Wee rather by too much pressing them with that axiome of his make him contradict himselfe for elsewhere hee saith Wee are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets I will not here dispute whether Saint Paul in that place mean wee are built vpon the persons of the Prophets and Apostles they being placed nearer the rocke or maine foundation it selfe then wee or rather vpon the maine foundation which both the Prophets and the Apostles iointly had laid besides which no other can bee laid Christ crucified and glorifiea For he is both the foundation which wholly supporteth and the
Pope ouer his own family then why the Pope of Rome should bee a father of all christian congregations an absolute Iudge of Scripture or master ouer mens faith Saint Paul commands children to obey their fathers in all things for that is well pleasing vnto the Lord which is as much as if he had said in obeying them you obey the Lord. Again he commands seruants to bee obedient vnto them that are their masters according to the flesh in all things not with eye-seruice as men pleasers but with singlenesse of heart fearing God Both these precepts are conceiued in tearms as generall as any precept for obedience to spirituall gouernours In the precept concerning wiues obedience to their husbands the note of vniuersality is omitted for he saith wiues submit your selues vnto your husbands as it is comely in the Lord not in all things had the Apostle made any mention of obedience vnto spirituall gouernours or were there any hope to comprehend Pastors vnder the name of fathers or masters it would quickely bee inferred the note of vniuersality was purposely added by our Apostle in these latter precepts that men might know absolute obedience without limitation or examination was due vnto the Pope 17 But the holy men of God whose mouthes alwayes spake out of the abundance of their hearts as the spirit gaue them vtterance and were not curious to cast their words in such exact scholastique mouldes as men addicted to artificiall meditations hauing their braines more exercised then their hearts in Gods word vsually doe euen where they seeme to speake most vniuersally for the former are to bee vniuersally vnderstood onely in that subiect or matter which for the present they mind most As when our Apostle commands seruants and children to obey the one their masters the other their parents in all thinges the meaning is as if hee had said yee that are christian seruants be ye most willing to yeeld all obedience that is due vnto masters yee that are Christian children to yeeld all obedience vnto your parents which is conuenient for any children to yeelde to theirs So that the vniuersall note doth rather inioine a totality of heartinesse and cheerefulnesse a perfection of sincerity in performing that obedience which other children ought to their fathers or seruants to their masters then any way extend the obiect of christian childrens or seruants obedience to more particulars then others were bound vnto at the least hee doth not extend the obiect of their obedience to any particulars which might preiudice the sincerity of their obedience due vnto other commanders whilest hee enioyneth seruants to obey their masters in all things he reserues their allegiance intire vnto Princes and higher powers Such must bee obeyed both by masters and seruants by fathers and sonnes Much more doth God when hee inioynes obedience in most ample forme vnto Kings or spirituall gouernors reserue obedience due to himselfe most intire and absolute 18 Yet intire and absolute it cannot be vnlesse it depend immediatly absolutely vpon his lawes vnlesse it be exempt from the vncontrolleable disposall or infallible direction of other authorities Nor can Christ be said our supreme Lord vnlesse our obedience to him and those lawes which hee hath left vs doe limit and restrain all other obedience due vnto any authority deriued from him or his lawes more then a Prince could bee said to bee that seruants supreame Lord or Soueraigne which were bound absolutely to obey his Master in all points without examination whether his designements were not contrary to the publike lawes and statutes of his Prince and Country Wherfore as the oath of Allegeance vnto Princes doth restraine the former precepts Seruants obey your Masters in all things that is in all things that are not repugnant to publike lawes nor preiudiciall to the Crowne and dignity of your Soueraigne so must that solemne vow of fidelity made vnto Christ in Baptisme and our dayly acknowledgement of him for our Soueraigne Lord restraine all precepts in ioyning performance of obedience to any power on earth and set these immoueable bounds and limits to them Obey thy King and Gouernour in all things that is in all things that are not repugnant to the lawes and ordinances of the Great King thy supreame Lord and Gouernour Whilest thou obeyest him thou doest well in disobeying them as well as that seruant that takes Armes against his Master in the Kings defence whilest thou disobeyest him all other obedience is rebellion Yee are bought with a price saith our Apostle bee not yee the seruants of men Seruice according to the flesh hee elsewhere approues he strictly inioynes for that is freedome in respect of this seruitude of minde and conscience in being wholly at any other mans disposition 19 Nor is it more difficult for Christs seruants to discern when gouernours sollicite them to disloyalty against him then for seruants according to the flesh to know when their masters seduce them vnto rebellion so Christian men would feare God as much as naturall men doe earthly Princes Such as feare God are sure of a better expositor of his lawes for fundamental points then seruants can haue for their Princes The transgression of both are easie to discern in the beginning of reuolts or apostasies but the latter more difficult when traitors or vsurpers are grown strong and can pretend faire titles vnto soueraigneties or coine false pedegrees yet is it not impossible for sober and obseruant spirits in such a case to foresee what party to follow vnto such the signes of the time and carriage of the seuerall causes will bewray who haue the true title But this difficulty is none in our spirituall obedience challenged by the Church of Rome for that Church in words confesseth Christ to be the true King and supreame Lord no vsurper which is as much as to say the Pope is an vsurper and a rebell that dares in deeds and substance chalenge the soueraignety from him as you heard in the former dispute by making claime to this vnlimited vnreserued obedience Vpon what grounds especially wee are now to examine by these rules hitherto discussed CHAP. II. The authority of the Sanhedrim not so vniuersall or absolute amongst the Iewes as the Papists make it but was to bee limited by the former Rules 1 ONe especiall place on which they stand is from that Law in Deuteronomy If there arise a matter too hard for thee in iudgement betweene bloud bloud betweene plea and plea betweene plague and plague in the matters of controuersie within thy gates then shalt thou arise and goe vp vnto the place which the Lord thy God shall chuse And thou shalt come vnto the Priestes of the Leuites and to the Iudge that shall be in those daies and aske and they shall shew thee the sentence of iudgement and thou shalt do according to that thing which they of that place which the Lord hath chosen shew thee and thou shalt obserue
Priestes definitiue sentence What construction then can any Iesuite make of these words A diuine sentence shall bee in the lips of the King his mouth shall not transgresse he saith not in execution of iudgement giuen by the Priests but in iudgement giuen by himself seeing it is an abomination to Kings to commit wickednes for the throane is established by iustice And againe Righteous lips such the Priests should as and might haue beene but vsually were not are the delight of Kings and the King loueth him that speaketh right things This place if wee respect either the abstract forme of precept or plenitude of Gods promise for abiliment to performe it is more plaine and peremptory for the Kings then any can bee brought for the high Priests infallibility in giuing definitiue sentence yet doth it not necessarily inferre Kings shall not but rather shewes that they should not or that they might not at any time erre in iudgement so they would stedfastly follow those rules which God had prescribed them For when God saith A diuine sentence shall bee in the lips of Kings this speech doth no more argue a perpetuall certainety in giuing righteous sentence then if he had said A corrupt or erroneous sentence shall not be in the lips of Kings or his mouth shal not transgresse in iudgement For as that which God saith shall not be done oftimes is done so may that which God saith shall bee done bee oftimes left vndone Who is hee then would make this collection God saith Thou shalt not steale that is no man shall steale ergo there can be no theeues no theft committed yet is our aduersaries collection as foolish The Priests lips shall preserue knowledge Ergo they cannot erre in giuing definitiue sentence or againe The spirit shall lead you into all truth they shall be all taught of God therefore the Church shall be infallibly taught by the spirite and shall as infallibly teach others liue they as they list 6 These places shew what should bee done and what God for his part will infallibly performe so men would be obedient to his word but neither doe these or any of like nature include any infallibility of not erring without performance of due obedience in practise of life nor doe they necessarily conclude that men alwayes shall performe such obedience The most which they inferre is this that Gouernours by duety are bound to performe that performing such obedience in practise of life they might bee freer from error in their doctrine or definitiue sentence And it was abstinence and integrity of life that was to preserue sincerity of iudgement in Princes as well as Priests lips for which reason Princes had their precepts of temperance answerable to those rules prescribed for the Priests So Salomon teacheth kings Giue not thy strength vnto a woman nor thy wayes this is to destroy Kings it is not for Kings O Lemuel it is not for Kings to drinke wine nor for Princes strong drinke lest he drinke and forget the decree and change the iudgement of all the children of affliction This place euidentlie shewes that if their Princes were of riotous or intemperate liues they had no promise that they should not peruert the iudgement of the children of affliction The Conclusion hence arising is all the places that can bee brought either for the King or Priests authority rather shew what manner of men they should be both in life and iudgement then assure them of any infallibility of iudgement if they be dissolute in life This was a point neuer dreamt of by any before the Popes notoriously infamous liues did discredite the titles of sanctity and infallibility which from a conceit of their predecessors integrity they haue vsurped and inforced their parasites to frame a distinction of sanctity in doctrine separated from sanctity in life 7 It is questionable whether both Priestes and Princes of Iudah had not an extraordinary priuiledge aboue all other nations both for being infallible in their definitiue sentences whilest they liued according to the lawes which God had giuen them and also for their more then ordinary possibility of liuing according to such lawes Gods blessings as is most probable in both these respects were extraordinary vnto their Princes and Priests yet not so infinitely extraordinary that either of them might without presumptuous blasphemy hope for ordinary integrity such as the more ciuill sort of heathens had much lesse for any absolute infallibility if they were extraordinarily wicked in their liues or vnfaithfull in their other dealings Euen the peoples wickednesse did impaire the force and vertue of these extraordinary blessings promised to their Kings and Priests God gaue them priests as well as Princes in his anger such as should be plyable to their humor not such as should infallibly direct them against the suggestions of the world and flesh for their spirituall good So that these gracious promises both for their spirituall and temporall gouernors sincerity in iudgement did depend in part vpon the condition of this peoples life 8 The vsuall Prouerbe was most true though the words thus inuerted like people like Priests Thus did the wise sonne of Siraâ—h interpret Gods promises both to Priest and Princes Because Phineas the sonne of Eleazar had zeale in the feare of the Lord and stood vp with good courage of heart when the people were turned backe and made reconciliation for Israel therefore was there a couenaÌ„t of peace made with him that hee should be the chiefe of the Sanctuarie and of his people that he and his posterity should haue the dignity of the Priesthood for euer And according vnto the couenant made with Dauid that the inheritance of the Kingdom should remaine to his sonne of the Tribe of Iudah so the heritage of Aaron should bee to the onely son of his sonne and to his seed God giue vs wisdome in our heart to iudge his people in righteousnesse that the good things that they haue be not abolished and that their glory may endure for their posterity 9 For what wee haue said it is most euident that the precepts inioyning obedience vnto ciuill Magistrates are as large ample as any can be found for obedience vnto spirituall gouernours and what limitations soeuer the one did the other might admit during the time of the Law The promises of Gods extraordinarie fauour for directing both in their proceedings were equall to both alwayes conditionall in both cases 10 As for this Law Deut. 17. the very nature of the Text and circumstances annexed thereto inferre no more then this That God would haue a supreame Tribunall amongst the Israelites wherein all conâ—rouersis which could not be ended in inferiour Courts were to bee finally determined lest priuate contentions might grow to publike dissentions or wranglings for petty damages turne to the ouerthrow of the state by disturbance of common peace It may bee admitted then that absolute obedience is here enioyned but not
one of the aptest instances to illustrate the third kind as he makes it of fulfilling prophesies to wit when that which is truely and literally meant of one is fitly applyed vnto another matter or sort of people for the similitude of their nature or disposition Although to speake the truth hee might haue referred it more iustly at least more artificially to the fourth kind there mentioned by him For as shall appeare hereafter this prophesie was alike literally properly and directly meant of both but verified of the former times more immediatly as first in order because that part of it obiect had precedency in actuall existence of the latter more completly as principally intended by the holy Ghost 4 The blindenesse there spoken of was euen then begunne but did encrease from that age vntill the captiuity and continued vntill Christs comming in whose dayes it was augmented and the prophesie fully accomplished as the desolation which followed their blindnesse in putting him to death was greater then that which Nebuchadnezer brought vpon the City and land for the prouocations wherwith Manassâ—th Iehoiachim and other wicked Rulers as well Priests as Laicks had prouoked he Lord by cruell persecution of his messengers sent vnto them This was a disease in their Prelates and Elders lineally descending to the Scribes Pharises who tooke themselues for infallible teachers and free from oppugning such doctrine as their forefathers had persecuted vnto the death The sinne of these later in crucifying Christ was in degree more grieuous because his personall worth was much greater then the Prophets but the ignorance was of the same kind in both for as our Sauiour saith the latter did but fulfill the measure of their fathers iniquity in murthering Gods messengers And as afterwardes shall bee declared such as the Romanists account the Church representatiue most infallible did continually cause or countenance these persecutions The originall likewise of this cruelty continued from former to later generations was the very same in both the one distasted Gods word whilest the Prophet spake them the other vnderstood them not whilst they were read euery sabboth day vnto theÌ„ both fulfilled them in condeÌ„ning Gods messengers shedding innocent blood vpon such grosse palpable blindnes as Isaiah describes 5 It will recreate the attentiue Reader to obserue how the Lord hath confounded the languague of these cunning builders whiles they seeke to raise vp new Babylon from the foundation of the old Synagogue Bellarmine would seeme to make a conscience of blaspheming and therefore hath rather aduentured to be reputed ridiculous in auouching as you heard before without all ground or shew of reason that the infallible authority formerly established in the Synagogue did expire vpon our Sauiours entrance into his Ministeriall function Many of his fellowes knowing how necessary it is for them to defend the publike spirit of the Synagogues and conscious withall how friuolous it would be to say it should vanish by our Sauiours presence who came rather by doctrine and practise to establish then ouerthrow any ordinance of the law resolue though by open blasphemy to maintaine the Scribes and Pharises infallibility vntill the abolishing of Aarons Priesthood That they condemned our Sauiour was in these mens iudgements an error onely in matter of fact not of faith or doctrine and in such case the Pope himselfe may erre whiles he speakes ex Cathedra That the High Priest did not erre in faith they take it as proued because the Euangelist sayth he prophesied It were good one should die for the people 6 Such infallibility as this I neuer shall enuy the Pope and I desire no more then that hee would confirme this last cited doctrine ex Cathedra For no question but all such throughout the Christian world as beare any loue to Christ at all any besides the Iesuites who make no conscience of vilifying their Redeemer for aduancing the Popes dignity by defending his infallibility would renounce his decrees and take him for Antichrist euer after For this was no error de facto vpon false information or priuy suggestion Euen the High-Priests themselues for the inueterate hate which they had borne vnto our Sauiours person and doctrine such as the Romish Church did vnto Hus and Ierome of Prage hold a Councell how they might put him to death and so farre were they from being misled with false information that they suborne false witnesses against him and failing in this seeke to insnare him in his owne confession finally condemne him with ioint consent for auouching one of the maine points of Christian beliefe the article of his comming to iudgement I thinke might Sathan himselfe speake his mind in this case hee would condemne Gretzer and his fellowes if not for their villany yet for their intollerable folly in questioning whether it were an error in faith or no to pronounce the sentence of death with such solemnity against the Iudge of quicke and dead for professing and teaching the maine points and grounds of saith This villanie is too open and euident to maintaine the pollicie of the Prince of darkenesse And if neither feare of God nor shame of the world could bridle the Iesuiâ—es mouthes or stoppe the pens from venting such doctrine yet certainely this Prince of darkenesse their Lord and Master for feare of some greater reuolt will lay his command vpon them and make them in this discoursing age speake more warily though they meane still no lesse wickedly 7 Because this is a point worth the pressing let vs ouerthrow not only their answeres already giuen or arguments hence drawn for their Churches authority but in briefe preuent all possible euasions If any Papist shall here reply that these High Priests and their assistants did not speake ex Cathedra when they so farre missed the cushion this answere as it might perhaps drop from some ignorant Iesuites mouth or pen who is bound by oath to say something and therfore must oftentimes say he knows not what sot the defence of the Church so wee may well assure our selues that the Pope himselfe dare not for his triple Crowne deliuer it ex Cathedra nor will the learned Papists hold this point if it bee well vrged For as these High-Priests error was most grosse and grieuous so was it receiued vpon long and mature deliberation their manner of proceeding was publike and solemne They tooke Iesus saieth the Euangelist and led him to Caiaphas the High priest where the Scribes and Elders were gathered together And lest a Iesuite should haue picked a quarrell at the time of their assembly as if they had met at some vnlawfull howre Saint Luke saith as soonâ—â— as it was day the Elders of the people and the High-Priests and the Scribes came together and led him into their Councell and examined him vpon the very fundamentall point of saith Saying 〈◊〉 thou the Christ tell vs For affirming this which is open infidelity to
Gods appointment so to instruct their brethren in doubtfull cases as they should not need to consult sorcerers or entertaine familiarity with wicked spirits Christ to omit the eminency of his Propheticall function till hereafter besides this common fraternity with his people was in more especiall manner Abrahams seed and in particular sort raised vp by Iehouah his God by intrinsique assumption into the vnitie of his person not by externall assistance or impulsion of his spirit Raised likewise hee was in a strict and proper sense 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from amid this people being as it were extracted out of the pure virgin as the first woman was out of the man by Iehouahs owne immediate hand from his craddle to his crosse most exactly answering to that delineation of the Great Prophet and Mediatour to bee reuealed which was exhibited first in Moses when hee stood before the Lord in Horeb his strange deliuerance from Herodian butcherie whiles al the Infant males besides did perish was fully parallel to the others exemption from Pharaohs cruelty like to Moses hee was in the number of his Disciples in communication of his spirit vnto them in admitting them to more speciall participation of his secrets in the peculiar testifications of his familiarity with God in his fasting in his transfiguration in multitude of miracles But these and the like I leaue to the Readers obseruation 10 The peculiar and proper vndoubted notes of the great Prophet there spoken of will bee most conspicuous in our Sauiour if we compare him first with Moses then with ordinary Prophets according to that difference the Lord himself made between these and Moses If there be a Prophet of the Lord among you I will bee knowne to him by a vision and will speake vnto him by dreame My seruant Moses is not so who is faithfull in all mine house Vnto him will I speake mouth to month and by vision not in darke words but he shall see the similitude of the Lord. Wherefore then were yee not afraide to speake against my seruant euen against Moses It is said signanter he should see the similitude of God not God for as the Euangelist saith No man hath seene God at any time so was it told Moses from the Lords owne mouth that hee could not see his face and liue Yet saw this great Prophet more of God then all the Prophets beside Herein then was Christ like vnto him but farre aboue him that hee was in the bosome of his father not admitted to see his backe parts onely and hath declared him to the world Moses from the abundance of his Propheticall spirit so perfectly foretold the perpetuall estate of his people from the Law giuen to the time of their Messias as the best Prophets may seeme to be but his schollers From participation of that fulnes which was in Christ hath that Disciple whom hee loued farre exceeded Moses as well in the extent waight and variety of matters foretold as in the determinate manner of foretelling them And I know not whether if it were possible to call both Christ and Moses from heauen their presence though more glorious then it was vpon Mount Tabor would be more forcible to illuminate the Iew or Atheist then serious reading the bookes of Deutoronomy and the Reuelation comparing the one with the Iewes known misery the other with Ecclesiasticall Stories the late abominations of the Papacy and Romanists more then Iewish blindnesse The one shewes Moses to haue been the father of Prophets the other Christ from whose immensurable fulnesse Iohn had that extraordinary measur of the spirit to bee the fountaine of Prophesies whose supereminencies and inexhaustible fulnesse may yet bee made more apparent by comparing him not with Moses the symbole or meane but with the other extreame to witte the ranke of lesser Prophets 11 It is rightly obserued by the Schoolemen Lumen Propheticum erat aliqualiter aenigmaticum these ordinary Prophets illuminations were not so euident or distinct as certaine they discerned rather the proportion then featur of truth which they saw but as it were through the couer or in the case not in it self And albeit the euent did alwayes proue their answeres true oftimes in an vnexpected sence yet could they not alwayes giue such answeres when they pleased Nor did the light of Gods countenance perpetually reside vpon them as the Sunnes brightnesse doth by reflexion vpon the starres they had their vicissitude of day and night dayly Eclipses ouercastings many their chiefe illuminations came but as it were by flashes Thus Ieremy in the late cited controuersie dares not aduenture to giue the people a sign for confirmation of his doctrine or other more distinct or determinate prediction besides that of the generall euent about which the contention was That hee knew because the Lord had put it into his mouth would in the end condemne his aduersarie of presumption But after Hananiah had outfaced him with a sensible signe of his owne making breaking the yoake which he had taken from Ieremiahs necke on which the Lord had put it and boldly auouched in the presence of all the people Thus saith the Lord euen so will I breake the yoke of Nebuchadnezzar King of Babel from the necke of all nations within the space of two yeeres the word of the Lord came vnto Ieremiah again and sends him backe with this message to his aduersarie Heare now Hananiah the Lord hath not sent thee but thou makest this people to trust in a lie Therefore thus saieth the Lord Behold I will cast thee from off the earth this yeere thou shalt die because thou hast spoken rebelliously against the Lord. So Hananiah the Prophet died the same yeere in the seuenth moneth Not long after this euent were both Prince and people of Iudah rooted out of the land the Lord had giuen them because contrary to Moses admonition they reuerenced the Prophet that spake presumptuously and would not hearken vnto the words which the Lord had put in Ieremiahs mouth Elisha likewise to whom Elias had giuen a double portion of his spirit in respect of his fellowes of all the Prophets vnlesse Elias might be excepted most famous for the gift of miracles a liuely type of the Messias in raysing from death and giuing life had his spirit of Diuination but by fittes and needed Musicke to tune his spirites vnto it He gaue the barren Shunamite a sonne of whose death notwithstanding hee knew not as the Lord of life did of Lazarus in his absence nor ruled hee by her vnusuall gesture or strange signes of sorrow distinctly diuine the true cause of her comming onely when Gehezi went to thrust her away he said as much as hee knew Let her alone for her soule is vexed within her and the Lord hath hid it frō me and hath not told it me 12 But from the perpetuall and internall irradiation of the Deitie bodily or personally
such as the Apostle speakes dwelling in Christ and incorporate in his substance this spirite of prophesie if without preiudice so wee may call it did neuer waine was neuer eclipsed alwayes most splendent in him as light in the Moone at the full As hee neuer foretold any thing which came not to passe so could hee at all times when he pleased foretell whatsoeuer at any time should befall his friends or foes with all the circumstances and signes consequent or precedent From this brightnesse of his glory did Iohn Baptist who was sent from God as the morning starre to vsher this Sunne of righteousnesse into his Kingdome become more then a Prophet for distinct illuminations concerning matters to come A Prophet hee was in the wombe and bare witnesse of that light which enlightneth euery man that commeth into the world before hee came into it himselfe or saw this bodily Sunne when he could not speake he daunced for ioy at his presence and at his first approach after Baptisme hee thus salutes him Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world What Prophet did euer so distinctly prophesie of his passion and so fully instruct the people what was foresignified by the sacrifice of the Paschall Lambe yet was Iohn himselfe secured by the former rule that he spake this by the spirit of the Lord not out of fancy not presumptuously For til this Baptisme he knew him not but he that sent him to baptize with water he said vnto him Vpon whom thou shalt see the spirit come down and tarrie still vpon him that is hee which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost And he saw it so come to passe and bare record that this was the sonne of God From this more then Propheticall spirit of Iohn manifested by this and the like testifications of Christ all afterwards approued by the euent did the people gather Christ not Iohn to be that great Prophet mighty in wordes and deed For after hee had escaped the violence offered him at Ierusalem and went againe beyond Iordan into the place where Iohn first baptized Many saith the Euangelist resorted vnto him and said Iohn did no miracle but all things which Iohn spake of this man were true And many belieued in him there For his workes sake not doubt but for these as accompanied with the former circumstances of place and Iohns predictions Iohn had witnessed hee was the sonne of God mighty in deed and word and reason they had to think his works were the works of his father that his priuiledges were the priuiledges of the onely begotten sonne and heire of all things When Iohn though a Prophet and more then a Prophet for his portion of the diuine spirit was yet restrained by reason of his approach that was before him from doing such wonders as meaner Prophets had done To such as rightly obserued this opposition betweene Iohns power in words and his defect in deedes or Christs superabundant power in both the case was plaine Iohn was but the Cryer the other in whose presence his authority decreased the Lord whose wayes hee was sent to prepare 13 If vnto the variety of Christs miracles compared with Iohns predictions and other prophesies wee ioine his arbitrarie vsuall manner either of foretelling future or knowing present matters of euery kind many such as no Prophet durst euer haue professed to belong vnto himselfe our faith may clearely behold the sure foundation whereon it is built That hee euen hee himselfe who had said by the Prophet I am the Lord this is my Name and my glory will I not giue vnto another neither my praise to grauen Images Behold the former things are come to passe and new things do I declare before they come forth I tell you of them did at the fulnesse of time manifest his Glory in our flesh by the practise there mentioned of fortelling things strange and vnheard of to the world Prophesies of former times were fulfilled in his personall appearance and made their period at the beginning of his preaching Whatsoeuer concernes the state of the world chiefly the Gentiles since came from him either as altogether new or was refined and renewed by him For what man among the Nations yea what Master in Israel did from the Law or prophets conceiue aright of the new birth by water and the spirit or of that euerlasting Kingdom whereunto onely men so borne are heires predestinate These were the new things which he only could distinctly declare before they came forth 14 That their Messias was to bee this God here spoken of by Isaiah dwelling and conuersing with them in their nature substance might haue beene manifested to the Iewes had they not beene hood-winked with pride and malice from that common notion euen the most vulgar amongst them had of his diuine spirit in declaring secrets and foretelling things to come What one miracle done by Christ did euer take so good effect with so great speed in best prepared spectators as his discouery of Nathaniels heart in presence and outward cariage in so great distance Rabbi saith Nathaniel thou art the sonne of God thou art the king of Israel Though faith be the true gift of God onely wrought by his spirit yet no question but Nathaniel was more inclined to this confession from the generall notion of the Messias diuine spirit euen by it hee was capable of that promise habenti dabitur And our Sauiour highly approues and so rewards this his docility Because I said vnto thee I saw thee vnder the figge tree belieuest thou thou shalt see greater things then these What were they Miracles Yes for so hee saith to him and the rest of his hearers Verely verely I say vnto you hereafter shall you see heauen open and the Angels of God ascending and descending vpon the sonne of man Then miracles it seems were more effectuall to confirme faith then this experience of his Propheticall spirit not of themselues but ioyned with it or as thus foretold by him and foresignified by Iacobs vision which compared with the euent whether that were at his ascension or no I now dispute not did plainely declare him to be the way and the doore by which all enter into the house of God 15 Vpon the first apprehension of like discouerie made by him did the poore Samaritane woman acknowledge hee was a Prophet and vpon his auouching himselfe to be more then so she takes him indeed for the expected Messtas of whom shee had this conceit before That when hee came he should tell them all things From this preconceiued notion working with her present experience of his diuine spirit able to descrie all the secrets of her hart shee makes this proclamation to her neighbours Come and see a man that hath told mee all things that euer I did is not he the Christ Vpon their like experience fully consonant to the same common notion or conceit
of the Messias did a many of that City conceiue faith from the womans report but moe because of his own words And they said vnto the woman Now we belieue not because of thy saying for wee haue heard him our selues and know that this is indeed the Christ the Sauiour of the world From the like but more liuely experience of his discouering secrets did his Disciples make that confession Now know wee that thou knowest all things and needest not that any man should aske thee By this we belieue that thou art come out from God 16 The manifestation of this Propheticall spirit did giue life vnto his greatest miracles in working faith for his Disciples belieued in him after his resurrection because he had foretolde his reedefying the temple in three dayes space Which speech of his the foolish Iewes not knowing his body to bee the true temple wherein their God did dwell after a more excellent manner then betweene the Cherubins take as meant of the materiall Temple which had beene 46. yeeres in building But saith Saint Iohn Assoone as he was risen from the dead his Disciples remembred that he thus said vnto them and they belieued the Scripture and the word which Iesus had said Nor did they compare these two together by chance for our Sauiour often inculcated this Methode as of purpose to imprint the former oracle of Isaiah in their hearts To assure them of his going to his father he expresly tels them Now I haue spoken vnto you before it come that whē it is come to passe yee might belieue Foretelling the persecution of his Disciples he addes These things haue I told you that when the howre shall come ye might remember that I told you them That glory likewise which God had professed hee would not giue to any other he foretels should bee giuen him and so demands it as if He that did glorifie and He that was glorified were both one Father Glorifie thy Name Then came there a voice from heauen saying I haue both glorified it and will glorifie it againe How had hee glorified it before By glorifying this great Prophet who did fully expresse but farre exceede Moses in all thinges wherein former Prophets did resemble him but came farre short of him When was hee so glorified At his transfiguration vpon Mount Tabor which none without sacrilegious impiety could haue foretolde as likely to befall himselfe saue hee alone that had not as Moses onely seene the similitude of the Lord but being in the forme of God thought it no robbery to bee equall with him Yet this Prophet of whom we speake though like to his Brethren in shape and substance to assure them hee should come in the glory of his father foretelles his Disciples that some of them should not die vntill they had seene the Kingdome of God come with power which was accomplished in that transfiguration where as Saint Peter witnesseth He receiued of God the father honour and glory when there came such a voyce vnto him from the excellent glory This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased Yea so wel pleased as for his sake the world might henceforth know how ready he was to heare all that through faith in his name should call vpon him euen such as had displeased him most For this cause the Codicill annexed to the diuine will and Testament here signified immediately after to be sealed with the blood of this best beloued soune was that reciprocall duety before intimated in the Law Heare him as is specified by three Euangelists For more publike manifestation of his Maiesty as then reuealed but to a few was that glorious commemoration of it lately mentioned celebrated againe in the audience of the multitude This voice saith our Sauiour came not because of me but for your sakes And in that place againe after his wonted predictions of things should after come to passe as of his victory ouer death he testifies aloud to all the people that he was the great Prophet foretold by Moses sweetly paraphrasing vpon his words And Iesus cried and said He that belieueth in me belieueth not in mee but in him that sent me And if any man heare my words and belieue not I iudge him not for I came not to iudge the world but to saue the world Hee did not accurse such as would not acknowledge his authority or derogated from his person or miracles nor needed he so to do for he that refuseth him and receiueth not his words hath one that iudgeth him the word which he had spoken it shall iudge him in the last day This was that which Moses had said And whosoeuer will not hearken vnto my words which he the great Prophet shall speake in my Name I will require it of him to wit in the last day of accompts For I haue not spoken of my selfe but the Father which sent me hee gaue me a commandement what I should do and what I should speake And I know that his commandement is life euerlasting the things therefore that I speake I speake them so as the Father said vnto me VVhat is this but that speech of Moses improued to it ful value according to the circumstances and signes of those times and as it concerned the Lord and Prince of Prophets I will raise them vp a Prophet frō among their brethren like vnto thee and will put my wordes in his mouth and hee shall speake vnto them all that I shall commaund him 17 This being the last conference our Sauiour was willing to entertaine with the Iewes this his last farewell giuen in Moses words warrants mee to construe that speech of S. Iohns though hee had done so many miracles before them yet belieued they not on him as I haue done the like before to wit that not his miracles considered alone but with Mosaicall and Propheticall writings or common notions of the Messias thence conceiued or especially as they concurred with his owne predictions did immediatly condemne the Iewes Vnder the name of workes his words are comprehended such at the least as foretell his admirable works or in generall all those solemne inuocations of his Fathers name in such predictions as had hee not beene the sonne of God would rather haue brought speedy vengeance from heauen vpō his head then such glorious testimonies of his Diuinity And to me our Sauiour seemes to call his very words works in that speech to Philip Beleeuest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me the words that I speake vnto you I speake not of my self but the father that dwelleth in mee hee doth the workes Howsoeuer as all the workes of God were created by this eternall word so did his words giue life vnto his greatest workes his Diuinations were to his miracles as his humane soule was to his body And no question but the conception of their faith
that heard him preach was as immediately from those words of eternall life which issued from his mouth as ours is from the Word preached by his messengers To what other vse then could miracles serue saue onely to breed a praeuiall admiration and make entrance for them into his hearers hearts though his bodily presence at all times was not yet were his vsuall workes in themselues truely glorious more then apt to dispell that veile of preiudice commonly taken against the meannesse of his person birth or parentage had it been meerely naturall not occasioned through willfull neglect of extraordinary meanes precedent and stubborne opposition to present grace most plentifully offered His raising others from death to life was more then sufficient to remoue that offence the people tooke at that speech If I were lift vp from the earth I should draw all men vnto me To which they answered Wee haue heard out of the Law that the Christ bideth for euer and how sayest thou that the sonne of man must be lift vp Who is that sonne of man 18 To conclude then his distinct and arbitrary foretelling euents of euery sort any Prophet had mentioned many of them not producible but by extraordinary miracles withall including diuine testifications of farre greater glory ascribed to him then Moses or any Prophet euer challenged was the demonstratiue rule according to Moses prediction whereunto all visible signs and sensible miracles should haue beene resolued by their spectators as knowne effects lead contemplators vnto the first and immediate causes on which their truth and being depends That Encomium This is my beloued sonne in whom I am well pleased Heare him with the like giuen by Iohn Baptist Behold the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world vnto all such as tooke him for a true Prophet did more distinctly point out the similitude peculiar to him with Moses expressed in the forecited place of Deuteronomy literally though not so plainly as most Readers would without direction obserue it seeing euen interpreters most followed either neglect the words themselues in which it is directly contained or wâ—est their meaning Vnto him shall yee hearken according to all that thou desiredst of the Lord thy God in Horeb in the day of the assembly Their request then was Talke thou with vs and we will heart but let not God talke with vs lest we die Here the whole multitude bound themselues to hear the word of the Lord not immediately from his mouth but by Moses For whiles the people stood a farre off he onely drew neere to the darkenesse where God was This their request and resolution elsewhere more fully expressed the Lord highly commended I haue heard the voice of the wordes of this people which they haue spoken vnto thee they haue well saide all that they haue spoken Oh that there were such an heart in them to feare me and to keepe all my commandements alway that it might goe wel with them and with their children for euer If we obserue that increment the literall sense of the same words may receiue by succession of time or as they respect the body not the type both which they iointly signifie the best reason can be giuen of Gods approuing the former petition and Israels peculiar disposition at that time aboue others will bee this That as posterity in reiecting Samuel reiected Christ or God the second person in Trinity so here the Fathers in requesting Moses might bee their spokesman vnto God requested that Great Prophet ordained to bee the author of a better couenant euen that promised womans seed their brother according to the flesh to be Mediator betwixt God and them to secure them from such dreadfull flames as they had seene so they would hearken as then they promised vnto his words as vnto the words of God himselfe esteeming him as the Apostle saith so farre aboue Moses as he that builds the house is aboue the house And in the Emphasis of that speech Whosoeuer will not hearken vnto my words which he shall speake in my name I will require it of him purposely resumed by Moses with these threates annexed as if hee had not sufficiently expressed his mind in the like precedent Vnto him yee shall hearken the same difference betweene Moses and the Great Prophet then meant is included which the Apostle in another place expresseth He that despiseth Moses Law dieth without mercy vnder two or three witnesses Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye he shall be worthy which treadeth vnder foot the son of God and counteth the blood of the Testament as an vnholy thing Vntill the soueraignety of the Law and Prophets did determine that EncomiuÌ„ of Moses did beare date There arose not a Prophet since in Israel like vnto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face but vanished vpon the Criers voice when the kingdom of heauen beganne to appeare The Israelites to whom both promises were made did farre exceed all other nations in that they had a law most absolute giuen by Moses yet to bee bettered by an euerlasting Couenant the former being as an earnest penny giuen in hand to assure them of the latter In respect of both the name of a Soothsayer or Sorcerer was not to bee heard in Israel as in the nations which knew not God much lesse expected a Mediator in whom the spirit of life should dwell as plentifully as splendor doth in the body of the Sunne from whose fulnesse ere hee visibly came into the world other Prophets were illuminated as those lights which rule the night are by that great light which God hath appointed to rule the day at whose approch the Prince of darkenesse with his followers were to auoide the Hemisphere wherein they had raigned In the meane time the testimonies of the Law and Prophesies serued as a light or candle to minish the terrors of the night Euen Moses himself and al that followed him were but as messengers sent from God to sollicite his people to reserue their alleageance free from all commerce or compact with familiar spirits vntill the Prince of glory came in person 19 Thus without censure of their opinion that otherwise thinke or teach albeit the continuance of Prophets amongst this people were a meane to preuent all occasions of consulting forcerers or witches yet the chiefe ground of Moses disswasion from such practises acording to the literall connexion of these words The nations which thou shall possesse hearken vnto those that regarde the times and vnto sorcerers as for thee the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so with those following hitherto expounded The Lord thy God will raise vp vnto thee a Prophet was the consideration of their late mighty deliuerance by Moses the excellency of their present law and their expectation of a greater law-giuer when the first couenant should waxe old and Prophesies for a long time faile vnto strict obseruance
grace it selfe would rather haue held the Negatiue For if wee beleeue as the Papists generally instruct vs that wee our selues all priuate spirites may erre in euery perswasion of faith but the Church which onely is assisted by a publike spirite cannot possibly teach amisse in any Wee must vpon termes as peremptory and in equall degree beleeue euery particular point of faith because the Church so teacheth vs not because wee certainely apprehend the truth of it in it selfe For wee may erre but this publike spirite cannot And consequently wee must infallibly belieue these propositions Christ is the Redeemer of the world not Mahomet There is a Trinity of persons in the diuine nature for this reason only that the Church commends them vnto vs for diuine reuelations seeing by their arguments brought to disproue the sufficiency of Scriptures or certainety of priuate spirites no other means possible is left vs. Nay were they true wee should be onely certain that without the Churches proposall wee still must be most vncertain in these and all other points because the sonnes are perpetually obnoxious to error from which the mother is euerlastingly priuiledged The same propositions and conclusions we might condicionally belieue to be absolutely authentike vppon supposall they were Gods word but that they are his word or reuelations truly diuine wee cannot firmely belieue but onely by firme adherence to the Churches infallible authority as was in the second Section deduced out of the Aduersaries principles Hence it followes that euery particular proposition of faith hath such a proper causall dependance vpon the Churches proposall as the conclusion hath vpon the premisses or any particular vpon it vniuersall Thus much Sacroboseus grants 3 Suppose God should speake vnto vs face to face what reason had wee absolutely and infallibly to belieue him but because wee know his words to bee infallible his infallibility then should be the proper cause of our beliefe For the same reason seeing he doth not speake vnto vs face to face as hee did to Moses but as our aduersaries say reueales his will obscurely so as the Reuealer is not manifested vnto vs but his meaning is by the visible Church which is to vs in stead of Prophetes Apostles and Christ himselfe and all the seuerall manners God vsed to speake vnto the world before he spake to it by his onely sonne this Pantheas infallibility must bee the true and proper cause of our beliefe And Valentian himselfe thinks that Sara and others of the old world to whom God spake in priuate eyther by the mouth of Angels his sonne or holy spirit or by what meanes soeuer did not sinne against the doctrine of faith or through vnbeliefe when they did not belieue Gods promises They did herein vnaduisedly not vnbelieuingly Why not vnbelieuingly because the visible Church did not propose these promises vnto them 4 If not to belieue the visible Churches proposals be that which makes distrust or diffidence to Gods promises infidelity then to belieue them is the true cause of belieuing Gods promises or if Sara and others did as Valentian sayth vnaduisedly or imprudently in not assenting to diuine truthes proposed by Angels surely they had done only prudently and aduisedly in assenting to them their assent had not beene truely and properly beleefe So that by this assertion the Churches proposall hath the very remonstratiue roote character of the immediat and prime cause whereby wee beleeue and know matters of faith For whatsoeuer else can concurre without this our assent to diuine truthes proposed is not true Catholike beliefe but firmely beleeuing this infallibility we cannot erre in any other point of faith 5 This truth Valentian elsewhere could not dissemble howsoeuer in his professed resolution of faith hee sought to couer it by change of apparrell Inuesting the Churches proposall onely with the title of a condition requisite yet withall so dissonant is falsity to it selfe making it the reason of beleeuing diuine Reuelations If a reason it be why wee should belieue them needs must it sway any reasonable mind to embrace their truth And whatsoeuer inclines our minds to the embracement of any truth is the proper efficient cause of beliefe or assent vnto the same Yea efficiency or causality it selfe doth formally consist in this inclination of the mind Nor is it possible this proposall of the Church should moue our minds to embrace diuine Reuelations by any other meanes then by belieeuing it And beliefe it selfe being an inclination or motion of the mind our minds must first be moued by the Churches proposall ere it can moue them at all to assent vnto other diuine truthes Againe Valentian grants that the orthodoxall or catechisticall answere to this interrogation Why doe you belieue the doctrine of the Trinity to be a diuine reuelation is because the Church proposeth it to me for such Hee that admits this answere for sound and Catholike and yet denies the Churches proposall to bee the true and proper cause of his beliefe in the former point hath smothered doubtlesse the light of nature by admitting too much artificiall subtlety into his braines For if a man should aske why do you belieue there is a fire in yonder house and answere were made Because I see the smoake go out of the Chimney should the party thus answering in good earnest peremptorily deny the sight of the smoake to bee the cause of his beleefe there was a fire hee deserued very well to haue eyther his tongue scorched with the one or his eyes put out with the other Albeit if wee speake of the things themselues not of his beliefe concerning them the fire was the true cause of the smoake not the smoake of the fire But whatsoeuer it be Cause Condition Circumstance or Effect that truly satisficeth this demand Why doe you belieue this or that it is a true and proper cause of our beleefe though not of the thing beleeued If then we admit the Churches proposall to bee but a condition annexed to diuine reuelations yet if it bee an infallible medium or meane or as our aduersaries all agree the only mean infallible whereby we can rightly beleeue this or that to be a diuine reuelation it is the true and only infallible cause of our beleefe That speech of Valentian which to any ordinary mans capacity includes as much as we now say was before alleadged That Scripture which is commended and expounded vnto vs by the Church is eo ipso euen for this reason most authentike and cleare He could not more emphatically haue expressed the Churches proposall to be the true and prime cause why particular or determinate diuine reuelations become so credible vnto vs. His second Sacroboscus hath many speeches to be inserted hereafter to the same effect Amongst others where Doctor Whittaker obiects that the principall cause of faith is by Papists ascribed vnto the Church he denyes it onely thus far What we beleeue
recordes and declarations written or vnwritten to be most authentique they cannot be certaine whether euer there had beene such an Emperour as they plead succession from or at least how farre his Dominions extended or where they lay This manner of plea in secular controuersies would be a meane to defeate him that made it For albeit the Christian World did acknowledge there had beene such an Emperour and that many parts of Europe of right belonged vnto his lawfull heire Yet if it were otherwise vnknowne what parts these were or who this heire should bee no Iudge would be so mad as finally to determine of eyther vpon such motiues Or if the Plaintiffe could by such courses as the World knowes oft preuaile in iudgement or other gracious respects effect his purpose hee were worse then madde that could thinke the finall resolution of his right were into the Emperours last will and testament which by his owne confession no man knowes besides himselfe and not rather into his owne presumed fidelitie or the Iudges apparant partialitie So in this controuersie whatsoeuer the Pope may pretend from Christ all in the end comes to his owne authority which wee may safely beleeue herein to bee most infallible that it will neuer prooue partiall against it selfe or define ought to his Holinesse disaduantage 10 Here againe it shall not be amisse to admonish yonger Students of another gull which the Iesuite would put vpon vs to make their Churches doctrine seeme lesse abominable in this point lest you should thinke they did aequalize the authority of the Church with diuine reuelations Valentian would perswade you it were no part of the formall obiect of faith It is true indeed that the Churches authority by their doctrine is not comprehended in the obiect of belieefe whilest it onely proposeth other Articles to bee beleeued No more is the Sunne comprehended vnder the obiects of our actuall sight whilest we behold colours or other visibles by the vertue of it But yet as it could not make colours or other things become more visible vnto vs vnlesse it selfe were the first and principall visible that is vnlesse it might bee seene more clearely then those things which wee see by it so wee would direct our sight vnto it so would it bee impossible the Churches infallible proposal could make a Romane Catholikes beliefe of Scriptures or their orthodoxal sense the stronger vnlesse it were the first and principall credible or primary obiect of his beliefe or that which must bee most clearely most certainely and most sted fastly belieued so as all other Articles besides must be belieued by the beliefe or credibility of it This is most euident out of Sacroboscus and Bellarmines resolution or explication of that point how the Churches proposall confirmes a Roman Catholiques beliefe To giue this doctrine of their Churches infallibility the right title according to the truth it is not an Article of Catholike beleefe but a Catholike Axiome of Antichristian vnbeliefe which from the necessary consequences of their assertions more strictly to be examined will easily appeare CHAP. IIII. What maner of causall dependance Romish beleefe hath on the Church that the Romanist truly and properly beleeues the Church onely not God or his word 1 THe 2. main assertions of our aduersaries whence our intended conclusion must be proued are these often mentioned heretofore First that wee cannot be infallibly perswaded of the truth of Scriptures but by the Churches proposall Secondly that without the same wee cannot bee infallibly perswaded of the true sense or meaning of these scriptures which that Church and we both belieue to be Gods word How wee should know the Scriptures to be Gods word is a probleme in Diuinity which in their iudgement cannot be assoiled without admission of Traditions or diuine vnwritten verities of whose extent and meaning the Church must be infallible Iudge It is necessary to saluation saith Bellarmine that wee know there bee some bookes diuine which questionlesse cannot by any meanes be knowne by Scriptures For albeit the Scriptures say that the Books of the Prophets or Apostles are diuine yet this I shall not certainely belieue vnlesse I first belieue that Scripture which saith thus is diuine For so wee may read euery where in Mahomets Alcoran that the Alcoran it selfe was sent from heauen but wee belieue it not Therefore this necessary point that some Scripture is diuine cannot sufficiently be gathered out of Scriptures alone Consequently seeing faith must rely vpon Gods word vnlesse wee haue God word vnwritten we can haue no faith His meaning is wee cannot know the Scriptures to be diuine but by Traditions and what Traditions are diuine what not wee cannot know but by the present visible Church as was expresly taught by the same Author before And the finall resolution of our belieuing what God hath said or not said must bee the Churches authority To this collection Sacroboseus thus farre accords Some Catholiques reiected diuers Canonicall Books without any danger and if they had wanted the Churches proposall for others as well as them they might without sinne haue doubted of the whole Canon This he thinks consonant to that of Saint Austin I would not belieue the Gospell vnlesse the Churches authority did thereto moue me He addes that we of reformed Churches making the visible Churches authority in defining points of faith vnsufficient might disclaime all without any greater sinne or danger to our soules then wee incurre by disobeying some parts of Scripture to wit the Apocryphall books canonized by the Romish church The Reader I hope obserues by these passages How Bellarmine ascribes that to Tradition which is peculiar to Gods prouidence Sacroboscus that to blind beliefe which belongs vnto the holy Spirit working faith vnto the former points by the ordinary obseruation of Gods prouidence and experiments answerable to the rules of Scriptures 2 Consequently to the Trent Councels decree concerning the second assertion Bellarmine thus collects It is necessary not onely to bee able to read Scriptures but to vnderstand them but the Scripture is often so ambiguous and intricate that it cannot bee vnderstood without the exposition of some that cannot erre therefore it alone is not sufficient Examples there be many For the equality of the diuine persons the Holy Ghost proceeding from the Father and the Sonne as from one ioint originall Originall sinne Christes descension into Hell nd many like may indeed be deduced out of scriptures but not so plainely as to end controuersies with contentious spirits if we should produce onely testimonies of Scriptures And wee are to note there bee two things in Scripture the Characters or the written words and the sense included in them The Character is as the sheath but the sense is the very sword of the spirite Of the first of these two all are partakers for whosoeuer knowes the Character may reade the Scripture but of the sense all men are not capable nor can wee in
thence propagated to the Scriptures Hence it is that consequently to his positions most repugnant to all truth hee thinkes after the church hath sufficiently auouched the Scriptures diuine truth in generall wee cannot infallibly distinguish the true sense and meaning of one place from another but must herein also rely vpon the churches testimony and onely belieue that sense to bee repugnant that consonant to the analogie of faith which shee shall tender albeit our priuate consciences bee neuer so well informed by other Scriptures to the contrary The truth then of our former conclusion is hence easily manifested For seeing they hold both the Scriptures and their distinct sense to bee obscure and vnable to ascertaine themselues vnlesse the Church adde perspicuity or facility of communicating their meaning to priuate spirits such after the Churches proposall cannot possibly discerne them any better or more directly in themselues then they did before but must wholy rely vpon their Prelates as if these were the onely watchmen in the Tower of Gods church that could by vertue of their place discerne all diuine truth Others must belieue there is an omnipotent God which hath giuen his law a Mediator of the new Testament but what the meaning either of Law or Gospell is they may not presume otherwise to determine then weake sights do of things they see confusedly a farre off whose particular distance or difference they must take onely vpon other mens report that haue seene them distinctly and at hand 11 To illustrate these deductions with the former similitude of the prime and secondary visibles Let vs suppose for disputations sake that the Sunne which illuminates colours by its light were further indued as wee are with sense and reason able to iudge of all the differences betweene them which it can manifest to vs and hence challenge to bee a Pope or infallible proposer of colours This supposition the Canonist hath made lesse improbable For Deus fecit duo luminaria God made two lights that is by his interpretation the Pope and the Emperour Or if you please to mitigate the harshnesse of it let the Man in the Moone whom we may not imagine speechlesse bee supposed the sunne or Pope of colours Mercurie or Nuncio As the Papists say wee cannot know Scriptures to be Scriptures but by the infallible proposall of the Church so it is euident wee cannot see any colour at all vnlesse illuminated or proposed by the Sunnes light But after by it wee see them suppose wee should take vpon vs to discourse of their nature or determine of their distinct properties as now wee doe and the sunne or Pope of colours by himselfe or his Nuncio should take vs vp as Duke Humphrey did the blinde man restored to sight which hee neuer had lost Yea who taught you to distinguish colours were you not quite blinde but now as yet you cannot discerne any colours without my publike light and yet will you presume to desine their properties and distinguish their natures against my definitiue sentence knowne Must not hee that enables you to see them enable you to distinguish them seene Must you not wholly rely vpon my authority whether this bee white or that blacke If a man vpon these Motiues should absolutely belieue the sunnes determinations renouncing the iudgement of his priuate senses could hee truely say that hee eyther knew this colour to be white or that blacke or another greene Rather were he not bound to say I neither know white from black nor blacke from blew nor blew from greene but I know that to be white which the Sunne the onely infallible Iudge of colours saith is white that onely to bee blacke that blew and that greene which he shall determine so to be I may thinke indeed that the snow is white or coales blacke but with submission to the Sunnes determination 12 And yet as you haue heard at large out of the Trent Councell and best Apologies can bee made for it the Church must bee the infallible Iudge of all Scripture sense and must absolutely be belieued without all appeale to scriptures not conditionally as shee shall accord with them The conclusion hence issuing is most infallible and on their parts most ineuitable Whosoeuer absolutely acknowledgeth this authority in the Church or Consistory yelds such obedience vnto it in all determinations concerning the Canon of Scriptures doth not belieue eyther this or that determinate proposition of faith or any definite meaning of Gods word The best resolution hee can make of his faith is this I belieue that to bee the meaning of euery place which the Church shall define to bee the meaning which is all one as if hee had said I doe not belieue the Scriptures or their meaning but I belieue the Churches decision and sentence concerning them Hee that belieues not the Church saith Canus but with this limitation if it giue sentence according vnto Scriptures doth not belieue the Church but the scriptures By the same reason it followes most directly he that belieues not the true sense and meaning of scriptures but with this reseruation If the Church so thinke or determine doth not belieue them but the Church onely For as the Schoolemen say Vbi vnum propter aliud ibi vnum tantum He that serues God onely because hee would bee rich doth not serue God but his riches albeit he performe the outward acts of obedience Or if wee loue a man onely for his affinity with another whom wee dearely loue wee truely and properly loue but the one the other onely by way of reflexion or denomination in such a sense as wee say a man appeares by his proxie that is his proxie appeares not he In like sort beleeuing the sense of Scriptures onely from the supposed authentique declaration of the church or because wee belieue it wee infallibly belieue the Church alone not the Scriptures but onely by an extrinsecall denomination 13 Yet as a man may from some reasons lesse probable haue an opinion of what hee certainely knowes by motiues more sound or as we may loue one in some competent measure for his own sake and yet affect him more entirely for anothers whome wee most dearely loue so may an absolute Papist in some morall sort belieue the Scriptures for themselues or holde their orthodoxall sense as probable to his priuate iudgement albeit hee belieue them most for the Churches sake and that sense best which it commends But this his beliefe of the Church being by their doctrine more then morall or conditionall doth quite ouerthrow all morall or probable beliefe hee can possibly haue from what ground soeuer of scriptures themselues For as I said before when the Church shall determine ought contrary to his preconceiued opinion the more probable or strong it was the more it encreaseth his doubt and makes his contrary resolution more desperate yea more damnable if habituall because 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 extremely contrary to the doctrine
and Tide did serue them But of the particular temptations and opportunities that did first driue the Romanists into this harbour as also of inueterate errors in other points and reliques of Heathenish dispositions whereby they two others after them elsewhere according to my promise if God permit At this time it shall suffice to haue waded thus farre in these vnpleasant passages for discouering the enemies weakenesse in his new Fortifications or Repalliations rather of such breaches as our ancient Worthies haue made in their imaginarie Rock of strength Now as my soule and conscience in the sight of God and his holy Angels can assure me these imputations of blasphemie sorcerie and preposterous Idolatrie I haue laid vpon this fundamentall point of Romish faith are most true though much lesse exaggerated then it deserues so againe I must confesse it hath in some sort euer gone against my conscience publikely to discipher or display her abominations For my little experience of this present ages temper too well instructs me what great offence is oftimes hereby giuen to men as weake in faith as strong in their perswasions of it to slatter themselues in their hypocrisie or make them seeme vnto themselues men rightly religious or throughly sanctified whilest they measure their loue to true religion by their hatred vnto this doctrine of Deuils or compare themselues with Priests and Iesuites as they are painted out in their natiue colours by eloquent and learned Pastors But his iniquitie be vpon his owne head that thus peruerts my labours vndertaken for his good vnto his harme For vnto a quite contrarie purpose haue I set forth this survey of Romish blasphemie in a larger volume then first I meant it euen to stirre vp my selfe and euery Professor of true religion vnto serious amendment of our liues to hold fast our faith by holding vp hands pure from briberie and corruption by lifting vp hearts and mindes void of all guile and hypocrisie ardently zealous of euery good worke vnto the Lord our God continually least such swarmes of Caterpillers and Locusts as haue chosen Beelzebub for their God deuour this land Mortis modus morte peior To thinke such should be the instruments of our woe will vnto most of vs I know farre surpasse all conceipt of any other woe it selfe or miserie that in this life can befall vs. And yet whilest I consider what God hath done of old to Israell his first borne and Iudah his owne inheritance the ouerplus of our ingratitude towards him for all his goodnesse especially our wilfull continuall abusing these dayes of peace more and more sweet and gracious then Ierusalem it selfe the vision of peace did euer see so long together without interruption I am and haue beene as my publique meditations can testifie for these few yeares of my ministerie possessed with continuall dread least the Lord in iustice enlarge his threatnings denounced against Iudah vpon this Land Fearefull was that message vnto Hierusalem I will bring the most wicked of the Heathen and they shall possesse their houses but more terrible is our doome if this sentence be gone out against vs I will plague you by the wickedst amongst the Christians by men more cruell proud and insolent then Babylonian Turke or Insidell or any other enemie of Christs Church hath beene or could be vnlesse Christians or Iesuites in name or shew they were meere Antichristians or Bariesus heart and affection Such titles we readily giue and willingly heare giuen vnto Loyolacs infamous broode But if our wayes shall continually proue as odious vnto our God as these termes import that Societie is vnto vs what haue we done Surely tyed our bodies to the stake of iustice by the wickednesse of our hands and proud imaginations of our polluted hearts whiles our tongues in the meane while haue set our cruell executioners hearts on fire more grieuously to torment to consume and deuour vs. 11 But though likelihood of their preuailing against vs bee without our repentance great and their crueltie if they should preuaile more then likely to be most violent yet this their hope it cannot be long Tu quoque crudelis Babylon dabis impia paenas Et rerum instabiles experiere vices The Lord in due time will turne againe the captiuitie of his people and the now liuing may liue to see these sonnes of Babel rewarded as they haue long sought to serue vs. Their shamelesse Apologies for equiuocation and this old charme of Templum Domini which like vnluckie birds alwaies flocking or frogs croaking against ill weather they haue resumed of late with ioynt importunate cryes albeit with these they bewitch the simple choake the worldling or carelesse liuer that accompts all serious thought of Religion his greatest trouble sound vnto harts setled in grace or minds illuminated with the spirit of truth but as the last cracklings of Lucifers candle sometimes shining in the Roman Lantherne as the morning starre or an Angell of light but now so farre spent and sunke within the socket that it recouers it wonted brightnesse but by flashes nor can his nostrils that is able with the least breath of his displeasure from heauen in a moment to blow it out any long time endure the smell Euen so O Father for thy sonne Christ Iesus sake euen so O Christ for thine Elect and chosens sake impose a period to our grieuous sinnes against thee and our enemies malice against vs infatuate their policies enfeeble their strength and preuent them in their Deuillish purposes that seeke to preuent thee in thy iudgements by setting the world in combustion before thy comming Amen The continuation of matters prosecuted in the first BOOKE THe ingenious Reader I trust rests fully satisfied that for planting true and liuely faith in euery priuate Christians hart experiments answerable to the rules of Scripture without absolute dependance vpon any externall rule thereto equiualent are sufficient the assistance of the holy spirit whose necessity for the right apprehension of diuine truthes reuealed the Romanist nor doth nor dare denie being supposed That Valentians heart did tell him thus much and secretly check him for his ridiculous curiositie to make way vnto his circular resolution of faith before refuted his diffident speeches immediately thereto annexed vpon consciousnesse no doubt of it insufficiencie will giue the Reader though parciall iust cause of suspicion If a man saith hee bee yet further questioned seeing aswell the diuine reuelations as the Churches infallible proposall are obscure and ineuident what should impell him to enter into such a labarynth of obscurities as to imbrace the doctrine of faith by the former methode to wit beleeuing the reuelation for the Churches proposall as for a condition vnto beliefe requisite and the Churches proposall againe for the reuelation being the cause of his beliefe then let him come vnto the second processe or methode and expound the reasons and clearer motiues whereby hee was and euery discreet man may be induced to
cum pecuniae onere produxit in forum quasi pro sponsoribus praesens pignus Macrob. Saturn l. 1. c. 6. Why Peter was called Cephas Math 16. v. 13. 14. 15. c. Iohn 1. v. 49. a PronomeÌ„ hanc non potest referri ad Christum Petram sed ad Petram Petram debet enim referri ad aliquod proximum non ad remoâ—um proxime ante dictum fuerat non Christo sed Petra tu es Cephas id est Petra deiâ—de licet Christus dici pâ—sset Petra tamen hoc in loco non est vocatus petra à Petro confitente sed Christus filius Dei viui debet autem referri Hanc cum qui nominatus est Petra non ad cum qui non est appellatus hoc nomine Bellar. lib. 1. de Rom. Pont. cap. 10. Vide Deut. 32. Ps 18. â—s 19. vlt. Tu vero considera verborum Prophetae amplitudinem poteratâ—d cere Miâ—tam vobis Messiam seâ— voluit tam insigne beneficium verbis insignibus Metaphoricis explicare Est autem transtatio sumpta ab â—icantibus quae verborum amplitudine minuit rei magnificentiam maiestatem Plinius in 28. Isaâ—e ver 16. See the latter Annotation out of Bellarmine aâ— the 25. §. of this Chapter and Malâ—onat in Matthei 21. ver 42. * Omnes quos â—egi praeter Hilarium existimant sensum esse sore vt diaboli potentia Ecclesiam quidem exerceat vunquam vero apprimat Sed non solent portae vincere sed resistere itaque non potuâ—t offendendendi vis per portas significari sensus igitur nisi fallor est fore vt Ecclesia super Petram à Christo fundatae omnem diaboli potentiam expugnet ita vt nulla arte nullis viribus possit resistere Hoc enim multo maius est verbis magis consentaneum Portas enim inferi non praeualituras aduersus Ecclesiam phrasis Hebraica est 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 non poterunt ad versus illam id est non poterunt illi resistere * Vid. Maldonatum in versum 42. cap. 21. Math. Bellar. lib. v. de Pont. Rom. cap. 17. d Psal 18. v. 31. v. 46. e Psal 19. v. 14. * Isa 28. v. 16. Vide Forerium in hunc locum * The word in the Originall signifieth to make haste therefore any kind of haste according to the difference of the matter or obiect in this place aequiualent to the latine proripiat a word signifying haste but haste caused by shame or feare of mens presence from which the party ashamed seeks with coÌ„fused speed to hide himselfe Et cum damareÌ„ quo nunc se proripit ille Tityre coge pecus tu post carecta latebas This is true of faith which the Apostle saith of loue 1. Ioh. 4. v. 17. Herein is loue perfect in vs that we should haue boldnes in the day of iudgement for as he is euen so are we in this world Vid. Luc. 21. v. 25. 26. of the confused state of the wicked * Rom. 10. v. 9. a Rom. 10. v. 11. * Math. 16. 23. a Psal 118. v. 23 * Acts 4. v. 10. Math. 21. * Ver. 40. * Ver. 41. * Ver. 42. c. 1. Pet. 2. 7. 8. 1. Iohn 4 v. 1. Vide Tyram in hunc locum * Psal 50. v. 16 Psal 50. v. 25. * No man hath seene God at anytime If we loue one another God dwelleth in vs his loue is perfect in vs. Hereby know wee that wee dwell in him and he in vs because hee hath giuen vs of his spirit And we haue seen and doe testifie that the Father sent the sonne to bee the Sauiour of the world Whosoeuer confesseth that Iesus is the sonne of God in him dwelleth God and he in God Vide cap. 2. ver 16. Iohan. In what sense the Papist deny Christ to be come in the flesh * 1. Cor. 3. v. 11 * Eph. 2. 20. Nor doth that place Reu. 21. ver 14. proue any more then that by the Apostles ministery the Church was erected * Dicuntur fundamenta omnes Apostoli ratione gubernationis Omnes enim suerunt capita rectores pastores Ecclesiae vniuersae sed non eodem modo quo Petrus Illi enim habuerunt summam atque amplissi nam potestatem vt Apostoli seu legati Petrus autem vt Pastor ordinarius Deinde ita habuerunt plenitudinem potestatis vt tame Peteus esset caput eorum ab illo penderent non é contrario Bellar. lib. 1 de Rom. Pont. c. 12. * Cephas Syriace significat â—etraÌ„ vt nos supra docuimus Hieronymus test â—tue in cap. 2. Epistolae ad Galat. Graeâ—d autent significat caput vt lib. 2. conâ—ra Paâ—menianum annotauiâ— Optatus de demum vnum est ex celeberinis Christi nominibus Nihil enim frequentius in Scripturis Christâ—s appellitur qùam Petra Christus ergo cum solo Petro suum ipsius nomen communicans nomea illud quo ipse significutur vt 〈◊〉 caput Ecclesiae vniuersae quid aliud indicare voluit quam se faccre Petrum fundamentum caput Ecclesiae 〈◊〉 Ibidem cap. 17. a Heb. 8. v. 13. * The differeÌ„ce betweene Christ and the Pope much lesse by the Papists opininion then betweene the Pope and other Bishops * Nâ—s non negamus imo defendimus contra negantes verbuÌ„ Dei ministratum per Apostolos Prophetas esse primum fundamentum nostrae fidâ—i Ideo enim credimus quidquid credimus quia Deum â—d per Apostoles Prophetas reuelauit sed addimus praeter hoc fundamentum primum requiri aliud fundameÌ„tum secundarium id est Ecclesiae testificationem Neque enim seimus certò quid Deus reuelauerit inisi ex testimo monio Ecclesiae propterea sicut legimus Christum esse lapidem fundamentalem fundamentum primum Ecclesiae ita legimus Matth. 16. de Petro super hanc Petram aedisâ—abo Ecclesiam meam Itaque sides nostra adheret Christo primae veritati reueclanti mysteria fundamento primario adhaeret etiam Petro id est Pontifici praeponenti explicanti haec mysteria vt fundamento secundario Bellar. de Verbi Dei Interpret cap. 10. Respons ad 13. * Of all Peters prerogatiues those most vrged by the Romanists as alike appertaining to his successors are most personal * Vide Bellar. lib. 2. de Romano Pontif. cap. 12. Parag. vltitimo and the annotation §. 21. * The Papâ—sts either admit many foundations or build all the Apostles beside S. Peter vpon their moderne Popes v. cap. 8. §. 13. * The Papists conceiue of Christ but as of another Romulus * Daniel 2. v. 44. * 2. Thes 2. cap. 8. ver * The Pope successor vnto the checke not to the promise giueÌ„ by Christ to Saint Peter * Math. 16. v. 22. c. * Bellarmâ—ne apphes all that is spoken in Peters commeÌ„ dacions vnto-his successors whom he will not haue sharers in his reproofes Ea quae
and allegiance which most Kingdomes of Europe haue for these thousand yeeres and more borne to the See of Rome or from the bloudy victories ouer all other inferiour Churches or priuate spirits that haue oppugned her These or like allegations in their iudgement abundantly proue their Church to be Christs best beloued the Pope to be his Deputy or rather his corriuall here on earth whose words sound as the word of God and not of Man albeit the spirit hath plainely foretold that the beast which had his power from the Dragon and should open his mouth vnto blasphemies against God to blaspheme his name and his tabernacle and them that dwell in heauen should haue power giuen withall to make warre with the Saints and to ouercome them yea ouer euery kindred tongue and nation so as all that dwell vpon the earth should worshippe him whose names were not written in the Booke of life of the Lambe which was slaine from the beginning of the world 5 To the Iesuites bragges that no visible Church since the world beganne did either spread it selfe so farre or flourish so long as theirs hath done I onely oppose that of our Sauiour Ex tuo ipsius ore iudicabere serue nequam Thine owne confession shall condemne thee thou bondslaue of Sathan For if the Romish Hierarchy bee or hath been in the worlds eye the most potent and flourishing that euer was This description of the Beasts power cannot agree so well to any as vnto it Nor doth the Scripture any where intimate the true Church militant should dominere ouer all Nations or be so triumphantly victorious as they boast theirs hath beene To thinke the Antichrist whom they expect should in three yeeres space subdue as many Nations as haue beene tributary to the See of Rome is a conceit that iustifies the Iew as well in his credulity of things to come which are impossible as in his hypocriticall partiality towards his present estate which hee neuer suspects of Apostasie Vnto this obseruation the Reader may adde other like descriptions of this scarlet Whore all so fitly agreeing to the Papacy as hee that will not acknowledge it for the Kingdome of great Antichrist hath great reason to suspect his heart that if hee had liued with our Sauiour he would scarce haue taken him for his Messias nor can the Iesuites bring any better reasons why the Pope should not be the Antichrist then the Iewes did why Christ should not be the Great Prophet Yet this I say not to discourage such as doubt whether the Pope bee that Man of sinne or to bring them out of loue with their beliefe which may be sound without expresse or actuall acknowledgement of this truth not as yet reuealed vnto them as those two Disciples no doubt were neither hypocrites nor infidels albeit they mistrusted the report of Christs resurrection for they were farther from approuing the practises of the Iewes against him then from actuall acknowledgement of it If any man thus doubt whether the Pope be Antichrist so hee doe not approue his hatred and warre against Gods Saints or his other diuelish practises Gods peace bee vpon him and in good time I trust his eyes shall bee enlightned to see the truth in this particular as those two Disciples did in the Article of the resurrection 6 Seeing wee haue proued the Popes authority so farre to exceede Christs it may seeme needlesse to compare it with the Apostles Yet lest any Iesuite should except that their authority might be greater after their Masters glorification then his was before let vs a while examine what they assumed vnto themselues what they gaue vnto the Scriptures before extant CHAP. XIII That the authority attributed to the present Pope and The Romish rule of faith were altogether vnknowne vnto Saint Peterâ— the opposition betwixt Saint Peters and his pretended Successors doctrine 1 TO beginne with Saint Peter the first supposed to be enstalled in this See of Rome It may be presumed that this Supremacy ouer his fellow Apostles were it any was in his life time whiles his miracles were fresh the extraordinary efficacy of his Ministery dayly manifested as well knowne amongst the faithfull as the Popes now amongst Romane Catholickes If necessary it had beene to acknowledge him or his successors as a second Rocke or foundation the commendation of this doctrine vnto posterity had bin most requisite at the time he wrote his second Epistle as knowing then the time was at hand hee should lay downe his Tabernacle when hee endeuoured his auditors might haue remembrance of his former doctrine to make their calling and election sure If euer there had beene a fitte season for notifying the necessity of the See Apostoliques infallibility all the circumstances of this place witnesse this was it If any they to whom hee wrote were most bound to obey it Their faith had beene planted by him his present intent and purpose was more and more to confirm them in the truth wherein they were in some measure established And being thus mindfull will hee not make choice of meanes most effectuall to preuent heresie or Apostasie What are these then absolute reposall in his and his Successors infallibility Had this beene the best rule of faith hee knew his fault were inexcusable for not prescribing it to such as most willingly would haue vsed it His personall testimony and authority was I confesse as great as any mortall mans could be with his owne eyes he had beheld the Maiesty of our Lord Christ whom hee preached vnto them If any trust there bee in humane senses this Saint of God could not possibly be deceiued If any credence to bee giuen vnto miracles or sanctity of life his flocke might rest assured hee would not deceiue his workes so witnesse the sincerity of his doctrine or if his eyes were not in these his auditors iudgements sufficient witnesses of this truth he further assures them when his Lord receiued of God the Father honour and glory there came such a voice vnto him from the excellent glory This is my beloued sonne in whome I am well pleased And this voyce sayth he wee heard when it came from heauen being not a farre off but with him in the mount If Saint Peters seat or chaire had beene as the Pole-starre whereto our beliefe as the Mariners needle should bee directed lest wee floate wee know not whether in the Ocean of opinions were the bosome of the visible Church the safest harbour our soules in all stormes of temptation could thrust into this Apostle was either an vnskilfull Pilot or an vncharitable man that would not before his death instruct them in this course for the eternal safety of their soules whose bodily liues hee might haue commanded to haue saued his owne Had perpetuall succession in his See or Apostolicall tradition neuer interrupted beene such an Ariadnaes thread as now it is thought to guide vs through the Labyrinth of errors Such was