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
doe First their prerogatiues they giue to Peter are blasphemous Secondly their allegations to proue that their Popes succeede as full heires to all Peters prerogatiues are ridiculous Whence it must needes follow that their faith is but a compost of folly blasphemy This pretended perpetuity of tradition or suspitious tale of succession from Peter is the best warrant they haue the Church doth not erre in expounding the places alleadged for her infallability and their beliefe of their infallibility in such expositions the onely security their soules can haue that obeying the former decree of worshipping the consecrate host of cōmunicating vnder one kind they doe not contemptuously disobey Gods principall lawes mangle Christs last Will and Testament vilifie his pretious body and bloud Seeing then they themselues confesse the places brought by vs against their decrees to be diuine and we haue demonstrated that mens beliefe of that infallible authority in making such decrees to bee merely humane the former conclusion is most firme that whilest men obey these decrees against that naturall sense and meaning which the former passages of scripture suggest so plainly to euery mans conscience that the Churches pretended authority set aside none would euer question whether they could admit any restraint they obey men more then God humane lawes more then diuine and much better belieue the traditions of humane fancy of whose forgery for others worldly gaine there bee strong presumptions then the expresse written testimony of the holy spirit in the especiall points of their owne saluation 12 Or if vnto the testimony of Gods spirit recorded in Scriptures wee adde history tradition Councels or former Popes decrees or whatsoeuer possibly may be pretended to proue the present Popes authority it must still bee supposed greater better knowne then all that can be brought for it or against it as will appeare if we apply our argument vsed before That authority is alwayes greater which may trie all others and must bee tried by none but such is the Popes declaration or determination of all points in controuersie whether about the canon or sence of Scriptures ouer those which are brought for it whether about the truth true meaning or authority or vnwrittē traditions whether about the lawfulnes of councels or their authentique interpretations in one word his determinations are monarchical may not be examined as S. Austen or others of the ancient fathers writings may by any law written or vnwritten So Bellarmine suteable to the Trent Councell expresly auoucheth The Fathers were onely Doctors or expositors the Pope is a iudge What then is the difference betweene a Iudge and an expositor To explane as a Iudge there is required authority to explane as a Doctor or expositor onely learning is requisite For a Doctor doth not propose his sentence as necessary to bee followed but onely so farre as reason shal councell vs but a Iudge proposeth his sentence to bee followed of necessity Whereof then will the Pope bee Iudge Of expounding Scriptures these places of Scripture which make for his pretended authority Must his sentence herein of necessity be followed By Bellarmine it must albeit wee see no reason for it either out of Scripture or nature It is for Doctors to bring reasons for their expositions but the Pope needs not except hee will nor may wee exact it of a Iudge So hee addes more expresly We admit not of Bartolus or Baldus glosses as wee doe of Empecours declarations Austine and other Fathers in their Commentaries supply the places of Teachers but the Councell and Popes exercise the function of Iudges whereunto God hath designed them But how shall we know that God hath committed all iudgement vnto them seeing wee haue beene taught by his word that hee hath committed all iudgement vnto his sonne Because all men should honour the sonne as they honour the father We reade not of any other to whom the like authority is giuen by God or his sonne yet of one whose very name shall import the vsurpation of like authority that is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Christs Vicar generall vnto whom the Sonne as must bee supposed doth deligate the same iudiciary power the Father deligated vnto him 13. But may a Princes declaration in no case be examined by his subiects Yes though in ciuill matters it may so farre as it concernes their consciences as whether it be consonant to Gods word or no whether it make more for the health of their soules to suffer what it inflicts vpon the refusers or to act what it commands To controle contermaund or hinder the execution of it by opposition of violence or contrary ciuill power subiects may not But for any but man to vsurpe such dominion ouer his fellow creatures soules as earthly Princes haue ouer their subiects goods lands or bodies is more then Monarchicall more then tyrannical the very Idea of Antichristianisme And what I would commend vnto the Reader as a point of especiall consideration this assertion of Bellarmine concerning the Popes absolute authoritie directly proues him as was auouched before to be a supreame head or foundation of the selfe same ranke and order with Christ no way inferiour to him in the intensiue perfection but onely in the extent of absolute soueraigntie For greater soueraignty cannot be conceiued then this That no man may examine the truth or equity of commands or consequences immediately deriued from it though immediatly concerning their eternall ioy or miserie No Prince did euer deligate such soueraigne power to his Vice gerent or deputy nor could he vnlesse for the time being at least he did vtterly relinquish his owne supreame authority or admit a full compere in his kingdome Bellarmines distinctions of a primary and secondary foundation of a ministeriall and principall head of the Church may hence he described to be but meere stales set to catch guls Their conceit of the Popes copartnership with Christ is much better resembled and more truly expressed by the Poets imaginations of Iupiter and Augustus Caesars fraternity Diuisum imperium cum Iove Caesar habet Ioue and Caesar are Kings and Gods But Ioue of heauen that 's the onely ods That Christ should retaine the title of the supreame head ouer the Church militant and the realitie of supremacie ouer the Church triumphant ouer aduersaries are not offended Because there is small hope of raising any new tribute from the Angels and Saints in heauen to the Romish churches vse and as little feare that Christ should take any secular commodity from it which aunciently it hath enioyed 14. But though it were true that we were absolutely bound to obey an absolute Monarchie of whose right none doubts yet may we examine whether euery Potentate that challengeth Monarchicall iurisdiction ouer others or giues forth such insolent edicts in ciuill matters as the Pope doth in spirituall do not goe beyond his authority in these particulars albeit his lawfull prerogatiues in respect of others be
for the Churches proposall we iointly beleeue for God speaking eyther in his written word or by tradition Yet if a man should haue asked him why he did or how possibly hee could infallibly beleeue that God did speake all the words eyther contayned in the Bible or in their traditions he must haue giuen eyther a womans answere because God spâ—ke them or this because our holy mother the Church doth say so For elsewhere he plainly auowes the Bookes of Canonicall Scripture need not be beleeued without the Churches proposall whose infallible authority was sufficiently knowne before one title of the New Testament was written and were to be acknowledged though it had neuer beene hee plainly confesseth withall that hee could not beleeue the Scriptures taught some principall Articles of faith most firmely beleeued by him vnlesse the churches authoritie did thereto moue him against the light of naturall reason Now if for the churches proposall hee beleeue that which otherwise to beleeue he had no reason at al but rather strong inducements to the contrarie as stedfastly as any other truth the Churches infallibilitie must be the true and only cause both why he beleeues the mystery proposed and distrusts the naturall dictates of his conscience to the contrary In fine hee doth not beleeue there is a Trinitie for in that Article is his instance because God hath said it but hee beleeues that God hath said it because his infallible Mother the Church doth teach it This is the misery of miseries that these Apostates should so bewitch the World as to make it thinke they beleeue the Church because God speakes by it when it is euident they doe not beleeue God but for the Churches testimonie well content to pretend his authority that her own may seeme more soueraigne Thus make they their superstitious groundlesse magical faith but as a wrench to wrest that principle of nature Whatsoeuer God saith is true to countenance any villany they can imagine as will better appeare hereafter But first the Reader must be content to be informed that by some of their tenents the same Diuine reuelations may be assented vnto by the Habite either of Theologie or of faith both which are most certaine but herein different That the former is discursiue and resembles science properly so called the latter not so but rather like vnto that habite or faculty by which we perceiue the truth of generall Maximes or vnto our bodily sight which sees diuers visibles all immediately not one after or by another Whilst some of them dispute against the certainty of priuate spirits their aguments suppose Diuine reuelations must be beleeued by the Habite of Theology which is as a sword to offend vs. Whiles we assault them and vrge the vnstabilitie of their resolutions they fly vnto the non discursiue Habite of faith infused as their best buckler to ward such blowes as the Habite of Theologie cannot beare off 6 Not heere to dispute eyther how truly or pertinently they denie faith infused to be a discursiue habite the Logicall Reader need not I hope my admonition to obserue that faith or beleefe whether habituall or actuall vnlesse discursiue cannot possibly bee resolued into any praeexistent Maxime or principle From which grant this emolument will arise vnto our cause that the Churches authoritie cannot be proued by any diuine reuelation or portion of Scripture seeing it is an Article of faith and must be beleeued eodem intuitu with that Scripture or part of Gods word whether written or vnwritten that teacheth it as light and colours are perceiued by one and the same intuition in the same instant And by this assertion we could not so properly say wee beleeue the diuine reuelation because we beleeue the church nor doe we see colours because we see the light but wee may truly say that the obiects of our faith diuine reuelations are therefore actually credible or worthy of beleefe because the infallible Church doth illustrate or propose them as the light doth make colours though invisible by night visible by day This similitude of the light and colours is not mine but Sacroboscus whom in the point in hand I most mention because Doctor Whittakers Obiections against their Churches Doctrine as it hath beene deliuered by Bellarmine and other late controuersers hath enforced him clearely to vnfold what Bellarmine Stapelton and Valentian left vnexpressed but is implicitely included in all their writings But ere we come to examine the ful incoÌ„ueniences of their opinions I must request the Reader to obserue that as oft as they mention resolution of faith they meane the discursiue habite of Theologie For al resolution of beleefe or knowledge essentially includes discourse And Bellarmine directly makes Sacroboscus expressely auoucheth the Churches authority the medius terminus or true cause whence determinate conclusions of faith are gathered From which and other equiualent assertions acknowledged by all the Romanists this day liuing it will appeare that Valentian was eyther very ignorant himselfe or presumed hee had to deale with very ignorant aduersaries when he denyed that the last resolution of Catholique faith was into the Churches authoritie which comes next in place to be examined CHAP. III. Discouering eyther the grosse ignorance or notorious craft of the Iesuite in denying his faith is finally resolued into the Churches veracity or infallibility that possibly it cannot bee resolued into any branch of the first truth 1 IT were a foolish question as Caietan sayeth Valentian hath well obserued if one should aske another why he beleeues the first truth reuealing For the assent of faith is finally resolued into the first truth It may bee Caietan was better minded towardes Truth it selfe first or secondary then this Iesuite was which vsed his authority to colour his former rotten position That the Churches proposall by their doctrine is not the cause of faith but our former distinction betweene belief it selfe it obiect often confounded or between Gods word indefinitely and determinately taken if well obserued will euince this last reason to be as foolish as the former assertion was false No man sayeth he can giue any reason besides the infallibility of the Reuealer why hee beleeues a diuine Reuelation It is true no man can giue nor would any aske why wee beleeue that which wee are fully perswaded as a diuine Reuelation But yet a reason by their positions must bee giuen why we beleeue eyther this or that truth any particular or determinat portion of Scripture to be a diuine reuelation Wherefore seeing Christian faith is alwayes of definite and particular propositions or conclusions and as Bellarmine sayeth and all the Papists must say these cannot be known but by the Church As her infallible proposall is the true and proper cause why wee belieue them to bee infallibly true because the onely cause whereby wee can belieue them to bee diuine reuelations so must it bee the essentiall principle into which our assent or
existence necessary Whatsoeuer is besides is but a shadow or picture borrowed from his infinite being Amongst created entities all essentially depending on Him Accidents haue a kind of existence peculiar to themselues yet cannot so properly bee saide to exist as their subiects on whom they haue such double dependance Nor can the Moone so truely say my beauty is mine owne as may the Sunne which lends light and splendor to this his sister as it were vpon condtion shee neuer vse it but in his sight For the same reason that for which wee belieue another thing is alwayes more truely more really and more properly belieued then that which is belieued for it if the one beliefe necessarily depend vpon the other tam in facto esse quam in fieri from the first beginning to the latter end For of beliefes thus mutually affected the one is reall and radicall the other nominall or at the most by participation onely reall This consequence is vnsound Intellectiue knowledge depends on sensitiue therefore sensitiue is of these two the surer The reason is because intellectiue knowledge depends on sensitiue onely in the acquisition not after it is acquired But this inference is most vndoubted Wee belieue the conclusion for the premisses therefore we belieue the premisses the better because beliefe of the Conclusion absolutely depends vpon the premisses during the whole continuance of it This is the great Philosophers rule and a branch of the former Axiome And some iustly question whether in Scholastique propriety of speech wee can truely say there is a beliefe of the conclusion distinct from the beleefe of the premisses or rather the beliefe of the premisses is by extrinsical denomination attributed vnto the conclusion This latter opinion at least in many Syllogismes is the truer most necessarily true in all wherein the conclusion is a particulall essentialâ—y subordinate to an vniuersall of truth vnquestionable As hee that infallibly belieues euery man is a reasonable creature infallibly belieues Socrates is such Nor can wee say there be two dictint beliefes one of the vniversall another of this particular for he that sayeth All excepteth none If Socrates then make one in the Catalogue of men hee that formerly knew all knew him to bee a reasonable Creature all he had to learne was what was meant by this name Socrates a man or a beast After he knowes him to be a man in knowing him to bee a reasonable creature hee knowes no more then he did before in that vniuersall Euery man is a reasonable Creature The like consequence holdes as firme in our present argument He that beleeues this vniuersall Whatsoeuer the Church proposeth concerning Scriptures is most true hath no more to learne but onely what particulars the church proposeth These being knowne we cannot imagine there should bee two distinct beleefes one of the churches generall infallibility another of the particular Truthes or points of faith contained in the Scripture proposed by it For as in the former case so in this He that from the churches proposall beleeues or knowes this particular The Booke of Reuelations was from God receiues no increase of former beleefe for before hee beleeued all the church did propose and therefore this particular because one of all 4 The truth of this conclusion may againe from a maine pinciple of Romish faith be thus demonstrated Whatsoeuer vnwritten traditions the Church shall propose though yet vnheard of or vnpossible otherwise to be knowne then onely by the Churches asseueration all Romanists are bound as certainly to beleeue as deuoutly to embrace as any truths contayned in the written word acknowledged by vs the Iewes and them for diuine Now if eyther from their owne experience the ioynt consent of sincere antiquitie or testimonie of Gods spirit speaking to them in priuate or what meanes soeuer else possible or imaginable they gaue any absolute credence vnto the written word or matters contained in it besides that they giue vnto the churches generall veracitie the Scriptures by addition of this credence were it great or little arising from these grounds peculiar to them must needs be more firmely beleeued and embraced then such vnwritten traditions as are in themselues suspitious vncapable of other credit then what they borrow from the Church For in respect of the Churches proposall Which is one and the same alike peremptory in both Scriptures and traditions of what kinde soeuer must be equally beleeued And if such traditions as can haue no assurance besides the Churches testimony must be as well beleeued as Scriptures or diuine truthes contained in them the former conclusion is euidently necessary that they neyther beleeue the Scriptures nor the Truthes contained in them but the Churches proposall of them onely For the least beleefe of any Diuine truth added to beleefe of the Churches proposall which equally concernes written and vnwritten verities would dissolue the former equalitie But that by the Trent Councell may not bee dissolued Therefore our aduersaries in deede and verity beleeue no Scriptures nor Diuine written Truth but the Churches proposall onely concerning them And Sacroboscus bewrayes his readinesse to beleeue the Church as absolutely as any Christian can doe God or Christ though no title of the New-testament were extant For that the Church cannot erre was an Oracle reuealed by God proposed by the Church and beleiued by the faithfull before any part of the New testament was written Now hee that without the Gospel of Iesus Christ would beleeue the Doctrines of faith as firmely as with it beleeues not the Gospel which now he hath but their authorities onely vpon which though wee had it not he would as absolute rely for all matters of doctrine supposed to be contained in it 5 Or further to illustrate the truth of our conclusion with this Iesuits former comparison which hath best illustrated the Romish churches tenent That Church in respect of the Canon of Scriptures or any part thereof is as the light is to colours As no colour can be seene of vs but by the light so by his doctrine neyther the Canon of Scriptures or any part thereof can be known without the Churches testimonie Againe as remoueall of light presently makes vs loose the sight of colours so doubt oâ— deniall of the Churches authoritie depriues vs of all true and stedfast beleefe concerning Gods Word or any matter contained in it God as they plead hath reuealed his will obscurely and vnto a distinct or cleare apprehension of what is obscurely reuealed the visible churches declaration is no lesse necessary then light to discernment of colours The reason is one in both and is this As the actuall visibilitie of colours wholly depends vpon the light as well for existence as duration so by Iesuiticall Doctrine true beleefe of Scriptures wholly depends on the visible Churches declaration as well during the whole continuance as the first producing of it By the same reason as we gather that light in it selfe is more
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
in Christ the improbability had beene much lesse then now it is in Peters case that the Bishoppe of Rome if any should haue succeeded him But when that people beganne to grow out of loue with the truth fashioning themselues vnto this present world the disease whereof Saint Paul forewarned them it was Sathans policy to present vnto them longing after such a Monarchicall state as their heathenish Predecessors had such shewes of Peters Supremacy and residencie at Rome as by the diuine permission had either crept into some of the Ancients religious cogitations or else in time of darkenesse haue been shufled by the predecessors of these cheating mates late discouered into their writings as fitte baites to entice them vnto this deriuation of that absolute power from Peter to their greater condemnation and our good For God no doubt in his prouidence ordered this their blindnesse to illuminate vs as he did the fall of the Iewes to confirme the Gentiles in faith seeing of al the Apostles Peters prerogatiues as hath beene shewed were most euidently personall all to determine with himselfe vnto which obseruation his owne writings also giue testimony Euen a little before hee was to leaue the world where hee most manifested his earnest desire of preseruing his flocke sound in faith after his death he giues no intimation as shall bee shewed more at large hereafter of any Successor vnto whom they were to repaire His present Epistle he foresaw would bee more auaileable to this purpose then any tradition from him I will not bee negligent to put you alwayes in remembrance of these things though that yee haue knowledge and be established in the present truth For I thinke it meet as long as I am in this Tabernacle to stirre you vp by putting you in remembrance seeing I know that the time is at hand that I must lay downe this my Tabernacle euen as our Lord Iesus Christ hath shewed me I will endeauour therefore alwayes that yee also may bee able to haue remembrauce of these things after my departing 4 As for peculiar direction of later times whence perpetuall infallibility must bee deriued it cannot bee gathered from his writings that hee knew so much as his brother Paul did Albeit in this point these two great pillars of Christs Church more famous then all their fellow Apostles besides for present efficacy of their personall ministery come farre behind the Disciple whom Iesus loued whose written Ambassage was in a peculiar sence to tarry till Christs last comming vnto iudgement as hee himselfe did vnto Christs first comming to destroy Ierusalem and forwarne the nations Besides the doctrine of common saluation necessary for all to know plentifully set downe in this Disciples Epistle his Reuelations containe infallible directions peculiar to euery age And as in some one gift or other euery Apostle almost exceeds his fellowes so if amongst all any one was to haue this prerogatiue of beeing the ordinary Pastor or to haue ordinary successors as Aaron thogh inferior to Moses in personal prerogatiues during his life had after his death this doubtlesse was Saint Iohn who ascribes that vnto the diligent expositors hearers or Readers of his bookes which the Romanist appropriate to such as rely vpon the visible Churches determinations neuer questioning whether it bee that Babylon which Saint Iohn deciphers or no Blessed is he saith Saint Iohn that readeth and they that heare the words of this prophesie and keep those things which are written therein for the time is at hand Blessed they are that reade it with feare and reuerence or so affected as this Disciple was for vnto such the Lord will by meanes ordinary by sober obseruation of the euent reueale his secret entent as he did it vnto him by the extraordinary gift of Prophesie for the testimony of Iesus is the spirit of Prophesie 5 It is euident the spirit of God entended to shew Iohn and Iohn to shew the faithfull all the Eclipses that should befall the Church vntil the worlds end His prophesies since his death were so to instruct the world of all principal euents present or to come as hystories do of matters forepast Now as he in our times wherin God inspires not men with Moses spirit is accounted the best Antiquary that is most conuersant and best seen in the faithfull cords of time not hee that can take vpon him to diuine as Moses did of the worlds state in former ages so since the gift of prophesie ceased hee is to bee esteemed the most infallible teacher the safest guide to conduct others against the forces of hell chiefly heresies or doctrines of Diuels that can best interprete him who first descried them and in his life time forewarned the Churches of Asia planted by Saint Paul and watered by him of the abhominations that threatned shortly to ouerspread them and after them the whole visible Church vntill these latter times doth the Pope then professe more skill in Saint Iohns Reuelations then any other If hee doe let him make proofe of his profession by the euidence of his expositions But from this Apostle hee pretends none at al and we demand but any tollerable proofe of succession from S. Peter 6 A supreme oecumenicall head say the Parasites to the See Apostolique is as necessarie now as in Saint Peters time therefore hee must iure diuino haue a Successour But neither doth Scripture or Reason admit any such head as they haue molded in their braines either then or now As hath beene abundantly proued and their owne instances brought to illustrate the probabilitie of such a deuice contradict them For admit that Christ and earthly Princes stood in like neede of Deputie-Gouernors in their absence would the King of Spaine were he to goe on Pilgrimage vnto his Kingdome of Ierusalem leaue but one Deputie ouer all the Dominions of Spaine and Portugal the West Indies Sicilie Naples and Millaine Or leauing but one would indue him with such absolute power ouer all his Subiects in these Nations as they imagine Christ doth the Pope ouer euery Christian soule throughout the whole world what spirit then may wee think did possesse Bellarmine when he auouched that the church and common weales are different in this case let vs heare the difference The Church Catholike must bee one by communion with one head so must the Liege people of euery Monarch be one by subordination to one Soueraigne whether resident amongst them or farre absent Why may not Christ then though absent be that only supreme head whence vniuersally the Church receiueth vnitie or why may not hee rule in it though dispersed through many Nations as effectually by his Angels and ordinarie Ministers of the Gospell as the Pope doth by his Nuncioes fallible Legates or other inferiour Prelates 7 But though reason and Scripture faile them yet Councels Histories and Traditions may be mustered to their aide These are the first Springes of these many
Waters whereon the great Whoore sits From what historie therefore doe they beleeue the Pope is Peters successour from historie canonicall or diuine no Secular Monkish or Ecclesiasticall at the best vpon which the best faith that can be founded is but humane and their professed villanie in putting in and out whatsoeuer they please into what writing soeuer Gods word only excepted makes it more then doubtfull whether many ancient Writers did euer intimate any such estimate of the Romish Church as is now fathered vpon them or rather this foule iniquitie late reuealed whilest some haue beene taken in the manner hath beene long time concealed as a mysterie of the Romish state But they beleeue not this succession from expresse written historie but from Tradition partly From Tradition of whom Of men what men Men obnoxious to error and parties in this present controuersie yet neither partiall nor erroneous while they speake ex Cathedra saith the Iesuit But who shall assure vs what they haue spoken ex Cathedra concerning this point The Councels What Councels Councels assembled by the Pope Councels of men for the most part as ill qualified as carnally minded and so palpably carried away with faction that to attribute any diuine authoritie vnto them were to blaspheme the holy Spirit Councels which the Papists themselues acknowledge not of sufficient authoritie vnlesse they follow the Popes instructions from whom likewise they must receiue their approbation The Pope must assure vs the Councell which perhaps elected him reiecting a Competitor euery way more sufficient doth not erre But that the Pope is lawfully elected that so elected he cannot erre in this assertion who shall assure vs hee himselfe or hâ—s Predecessors This then is the last resolution of our faith if it relie vpon the Church 8 We must absolutely beleeue euery Pope in his owne cause First that he himselfe is secondly that all his Predecessors vp to Saint Peter were infallible When as many of them within these few hundred years late past by their owne followers confession were such as whatsoeuer must deriue it pedigree from them may iustly be suspected to haue first descended from the father of lies such as not speaking ex Cathedra were so far from the esteeme of absolute infallibility that such as knew them best did trust them least in matters of saecular commodity and if they were found vnfaithfull in the wicked Mammon who will trust them in the true Not Papists themselues vnlesse they speake ex Cathedra Then belike our Sauiour did not foresee this exception from his generall râ—ie or Iudas by this knacke might haue proued himselfe or any other knaue as faithfull a Pastor as S. Peter 9 But if a Pope shall teach ex Cathedra that he is Peters lawfull successor and therefore of diuine infallible authority in expounding all the former places wee must notwithstanding our Sauiours caueat belieue him Why Because it must bee supposed he hath diuine testimony for this assertion As what either diuine history diuine tradition or diuine reuelation Diuine history thy disclaime nor can impudency it selfe pretend it It may bee hee hath the perpetuall traditions of his predecessors But here againe wee demaund what diuine assurance they can bring forth that euery Pope from Saint Peter downewards did giue expresse cathedrall testimony to this perpetuall succession in like authority Suppose what no Iesuite dare auouch vnlesse hee first consult his superiours whether hee must not of necessity say so for maintenance of the Popes dignity that this assertion had beene expresly conueyed from Saint Peter to the present Pope without interruption yet if any one of them did receiue it from his predecessor hauing it but as a priuate man or vpon his honesty hee might erre in deliuering it to his successor so might the third in belieuing him For no beliefe can bee more certain then it proper obiect or immediate ground If That bee fallible the beliefe must needs be vncertaine obnoxious to error and at the best humane No better is the Popes testimony vnles giuen ex Cathedra and no better is the ground of his owne beliefe of what his Predecessors told him vnlesse they tolde it him so speaking Wherfore though this present Pope should teach ex Cathedra viua voce that hee is Peters lawfull successor yet vnlesse hee can proue that none of his predecessors did euer neglect so to auouch the same truth it is euident that hee speakes more then hee can possibly know by any diuine testimony either of history or vnwritten tradition It is euident againe hee bindes vs to beleeue that by diuine faith which hee cannot possibly know himselfe but onely by faith humane For the onely ground of his assertion is this supposed perpetuall tradition and this is but humane vnlesse it bee perpetually deliuered ex Cathedra No is there any other meanes possible vnder the sunne nay either in heauen or earth for to know matters of this nature forepast but either the testimonie of others that haue gone before vs who either were themselues or tooke their relations vpon trust from such as were present when the things related were acted or else by reuelation from him who was before all times and is a present spectatour an eye witnesse of euery action 10 Our knowledge of matters forepast by the former means though Popes themselues be the relators vnlesse their relation bee cathedrall as hath been proued are but humane and fallible Things known by immediate reuelation from God are most certaine because the immediate Relator is most infallible Doth the Pope by this meanes know what his Predecessors or Saint Peter thought concerning this perpetuall succession or generally all matters concerning this point long since forepast He may as easily tell vs what any of his successors shall doe or say an hundred yeers hence And thus much if this present Pope will vndertake the Christian people then liuing may safely belieue what the Pope then being shall say of this or both of their predecessors But to belieue man as an infallible prophet of things past which cannot approue himselfe a true foreteller of things to come were to inuert Gods ordinance and mocke his word For it hath been a perpetuall law of God that no maÌ„ should euer be belieued more then man or by any faith more then humane though in matters present whereof hee might haue beene an eye witnesse vnlesse he shewed his participation of the diuine spirit by infallible praediction of things to come or euidencie of miracles fully answering to the prediction of Gods word already written as shall bee shewed at large in the next section 11 If wee put together the first elements of Romish faith as they haue beene sounded apart they make no such compound as the simple and ignorant Papists who in policy are taught to read this lesson as little children vntaught will by gessing at the whole in grosse without spelling the parts belieue they
to preiudice the truth of ours by raysing a suspition in the ignorant of our bad dealing as if wee taught the contrary 3 His second fortresse is that neither our Sauiour Christ nor his Apostles did euer taxe the Prelates or inferiour Priests by these names directly but alwayes vnder the name of Scribes and Pharises lest they might thereby seeme to reprehend the Priesthood or seat of authority And this they did that men might know honour and reuerence to bee due vnto the Prelacy or PriesthOod although the Priests or Prelates in their liues and persons were not so commendable The consequence is not amisse albeit his reason bee not so firme and the corollary which hee hence deduceth most malitious Hence saith hee wee are giuen to vnderstand that the heretikes of this age which vpon euery occasion inueigh against Bishops Priests especially the Pope doe but ill consent in manners with our Sauiour and his Apostles But did neither our Sauiour Christ nor his Apostles taxe the Priests Prelates by their proper names for that reason which Bellarmine brings Wee may suppose I trust without offence that Gods Prophets did not go beyond their commission in taxing the chiefe offences or offendors of their times that our Sauiour or his Apostles might vpon the like or greater occasions haue vsed the same forme of reprehension the Prophets did or other more personall The true reason why so they did not was because they had no such respect of persons or titles as Bellarmine dreames of but aimed chiefly at the fairest for such vsually gaue greatest countenance to foulest sins And who knowes not now in the Synagogues latter dayes the glorious titles of Scribes and Pharises had in a sort drowned the names of Priests as the reputation of Iesuites hath of late yeeres much eclipsed all other titles of inferiour ministers heretofore more famous in the Romish Church It was likewise the high esteeme of these two Saint like sects which seduced most silly soules throghout Iewry to follow traditions contrary to Gods lawes as the Iesuites late same hath drawne most of the blind Churches children which goe more by eare then eye sight to account villany piety and falshood subtlety As our Sauiour and his Apostles reprehended the Rabbies or Priestes in their times not vnder the names of Priestes and Leuites but vnder the glorious names of Scribes and Pharisies then reputed the onely guides of godlinesse so would they were they now on earth as wee in imitation of them taxe the Romish Clergy especially vnder the names of Iesuits or other more famous orders in that church But the Sect of Scribes and Pharises being not knowne in Malachies time nor any other order so glorious then as the order of Priests he tels them their owne in their proper names And now O yee Priests this commandement is for you So did Micah and Zephania and euery Prophet as their demerites gaue occasion 4 His third fortresse is that whatsoeuer Christ saith of Moses chaire must he conceiued to make more for Saint Peters and such as sate therin Why our Sauiours admonition should make more for the Popes authority within his owne territories then it did for the Scribes and Pharises or High Priests authority in the land of Iewry I see no reason that it may concerne the people liuing vnder the Pope and Clergy of Rome as much as it did the people of Iewry then subiect to the High Priest Scribes and Pharises I will not deny for such Iudges as they were the Popes of Rome in their seuerall generations may bee nay would God they were not Let vs see then what infallibility in giuing definitiue sentence Bellarmine can proue out of the fore-mentioned place The words are plaine Whatsoeuer they bid you doe that doe What all without any exception nay you doe the Papists wrong if you collect so Whatsoeuer they speake ex Cathedra Then the proposition though most vniuersall for the forme is restrained by our aduersaries themselues vnto such doctrines onely as they taught ex Cathedra And iustly seeing this restraint hath more apparent ground in the Text then any other Therefore it is said they sit in Moses seat they are infallible not alwaies because they somtimes sit but whiles they sit in Moses seat or giue sentence out of it what is it then to giue sentence out of Moses seat to pronounce sentence solemnly and vpon deliberation If vnto all their doctrines or definitiue sentences so prononnced men had beene bound in conscience to yeeld obedience the Pope as shall bee shewed anone had neuer sate in Peters chaire yea Peter himselfe had been in conscience bound to be an Apostata from Christ But what is the meaning of these words They sit in Moses seat all therefore whatsoeuer they bid you that obserue and doe That is all that Moses first said and they recite This is a strange interpretation indeed will the ignorant or illiterate Papist reply yet to omit many others of their owne a late Iesuites whole skill in expounding Scriptures saue onely where doting loue vnto their Church hath made him blind none of theirs few of our Church haue surpassed When hee commands to obserue and doe all that the Scribes Pharises say whilest they sit in Moses seat hee speakes not of theirs but of Moses his doctrine the meaning is as if hee had said whatsoeuer the law or Moses recited by the Scribes and Pharises shall say vnto you that obserue and doe but doe not yee according to their works This he takes to bee Saint Hilaries and Saint Hieroms exposition of the place If any man yet further demand why our Sauiour did not speake more plainely Whatsoeuer Moses saith obserue and doe rather then Whatsoeuer the Scribes and Pharises say obserue and doe Maldonat in the same place giues two reasons The first because our Sauiour did now purpose to taxe the Scribes and Pharises hypocrisie which hee had not taxed vnlesse hee had shewed that they taught otherwise then they liued The second that in this Chapter hee intended to reprehend the Scribes and Pharises sharpely and therefore it was expedient hee should first commend them for some things lest all his reproofes might seeme to proceed from passion or want of iudgement Thus farre Maldonat vnto whose answere wee may adioyne that our Sauiour Christ as Maldonat also wel hath noted did speake these words vnto such as had seene his miracles and heard his doctrine and yet could not bee his dayly auditors with his other Disciples but were to repaire to the Scribes and Pharises as vnto their ordinary teachers and instructers in the Law Here if wee consider the humor of rude and ignorant people for such may wee suppose most of his auditors were as yet it was very likely they would either be slow to heare or ready to distast any doctrine that should proceed from the Scribes and Pharises mouthes whom they had heard so much discommended by
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
nor the Prophets did euer so much as once intimate such absolute power should be acknowledged in that great Prophet of whome they wrote wee suppose the imagination of the like in whomsoeuer cannot bee without reall blasphemie Yet suppose Christs infallibility and the Popes were in respect of the Church Militant the same the Popes authoritie would be greater or were their authoritie but equall his priuiledges with God would bee much more magnificent then Christs That which most condemned the Iewes of infidelity in not acknowledging Christ as sent with power full absolute from God his father were his mightie signes and wondâ—rs his admirable skill in Gods word alreadie established but chiefly his sacred life and conuersation as it were exhibiting vnto the world a visible patterne or coÌ„spicuous modell of that incomprehensible goodnesse which is infallible Now if we compare his powerfulnesse in words and workes with the Popes imperfections in both or his diuine vertues with the others monstrous vices to equalize their infallibilities were to imagine God to bee like man and Christ at the best but as his faithfull seruant the Pope his Minion his Darling or some of his age For such is our partialitie to our owne flesh that oftimes though the Wise man aduise to the contrarie a lewde and naughtie sonne in that hee is a sonne hath greater grace and priuiledges then the most faithfull seruant in the fathers house So would the Iesuites make God dote vpon the Pope whose authoritie bee his life neuer so vngracious if they should denie to bee lesse then Christs in respect of vs their practises enioyned ex Cathedra would confute them For much sooner shall any Christian though otherwise of life vnspotted be cut off from the congregation of the faithfull for denying the Popes authoritie or distrusting his decrees then the Iewes that saw Christs miracles for contradicting him in the dayes of his flesh or oppugning his Apostles after his glorification Nor bootes it ought to say they make the Popes authoritie lesse then Christs in respect they deriue it from his rather because they euidently make it greater then Christs was it cannot bee truly thence deriued or if it could this onely proues it to bee lesse then the other whilest onely compared with it not whilest wee consider both in respect of vs for Christs authoritie as the Sonne of Man in respect of vs is equall to his Fathers whence it is deriued For the Father iudgeth no man but hath committed all iudgement vnto the Sonne 2 But wherein doe they make the Popes authoritie greater then Christs First in not exempting it from triall by Christs and his Apostles doctrine neither of which were to be admitted without all examination of their truth for as you heard before Gods word was first vttered in their audience established by euident signes and wonders in their sight and presence of whom beliefe and obedience vnto particulars was exacted And it is a rule most euident and vnquestionable that Gods word once confirmed and sealed by experience was the only rule whereby all other spirits and doctrines were to bee examined that not Propheticall visions were to bee admitted into the Canon of Faith but vpon their apparent consonancie with the word alreadie written The first Prophets were to be tried by Moses the latter by Moses and their Predecessors Christs and his Apostles by Moses and all the Prophets for vnto him did all the Prophets giue testimonie The manifest experiments of his life and doctrine so fully consonant to their predictions did much confirme euen his Disciples beliefe vnto the former Canon of whose truth they neuer conceiued positue doubt 3 Againe there had beene no Prophet no signes no wonders for a long time in Iudah before our Sauiours birth yet hee neuer made that vse either of his miracles or more then Propheticall spirit which the papists make of their imaginary publike spirit he neuer vsed this or like argument to make the people relie vpon him How know yee the Scriptures are Gods word How know yee that God spake with Moses in the Wildernesse or with your Fathers in Mount Sinai Moses your Fathers and the Prophets are dead and their writings cannot speake Your present Teachers the Scribes and Pharises doe no wonders Must you not then belieue him whome daily you may behold doing such mightie workes as Moses said to haue done that Moses as your fathers haue told you was sent from God that Gods word is contayned in his writings otherwise you cannot infallibly beleeue that there was such a man indeed as you conceiue hee was much lesse that he wrote you this Law least of all can you certainely know the true meaning of what hee wrote Hee that is the onely sure foundation of faith knew that faith grounded vpon such doubts was but built vpon the sand vnable to abide the blasts of ordinarie temptations that thus to erect their hopes was but to prepare a rise to a grieuous downefall the ready way to atheisme presumption or despaire For this cause hee doth not so much as once question how they knew the Scriptures to be Gods word but supposing them knowne and fully acknowledged for such he exhorts his hearers to search them seeking to prepare their hearts by signes and wonders to embrace his admirable expositions of them And because the corruption of particular morall doctrines brought into the Church by humane tradition would not suffer the generality of Moses and the Prophets already belieued to fructifie in his hearers hearts and branch out vniformely into liuely working faith he laboured most to weede out Pharisaisme from among the heauenly seed as euery one may see that compares his sermon vpon the Mount with the Pharises glosses vpon Moses If the particular or principall parts of the law and Prophets had beene as purely taught or as clearely discerned as the generall and common principles His Doctrine that came not to destroy but to fulfill the law in words and works had shined as brightly in his hearers hearts at the first proposall as the sunne did to their eyes at the first rising For all the morall duties required by them were but as dispersed rayes or scattered beams of that diuine light and glory which was incorporate in him as splendor in the body of the sunne Nor was there any possibility the Iewes beliefe in him should prosper vnlesse it grew out of their generall assent vnto Moses doctrine thus pruned and purged at the very roote Had yee belieued Moses saith our Sauiour yee would haue belieued me for he wrote of me but if yee belieue not his writings how shall yee belieue my words For which cause they were in conscience bound to examine his doctrine by Moses and the Prophets otherwise they might haue belieued the sauing truth but falsly and vpon decitfull grounds The stronger or more absolute credence they had giuen vnto his words or workes without such examination the more
meanes is where hee disputes whether the Pope be bound to consult other authoritie besides his owne or vse any meanes to search the truth before hee passe sentence ex cathedra that is before he charge the whole Christian World to beleeue his decision This he thinkes expedient but so farre forth onely as if it please his Holinesse to enioyne the beleefe of some particular point vpon the whole World all must beleeue that he hath consulted Scripture and antiquitie as farre as was requisite for that point as you shall after heare 2 That in such controuersies he includes the meanes of knowing Scriptures to bee the word of God is euident out of his owne words in the forecited place For the knowledge of Scriptures he would haue to be an especiall point of faith yet such as cannot be proued by Scripture but by this liuing and speaking authoritie as he expressely contends in the eleuenth paragraph of the same question His conclusion is If it bee necessarie there should be some authoritie though humane yet by diuine assistance infallible to sit as mistresse and Iudge in all controuersies of faith and not to be appropriated to any deceased as is alreadie proued it remaines that it be alwaies liuing in the Church alwayes present amongst the faithfull by succession hee meanes of Popes Thus you see the present Pope must be Iudge and Christ his Apostles must be brought in as witnesses And yet whether there were such a Christ as Saint Mathew Luke Marke and Iohn tell vs there was or whether the Gospels which goe vnder their names be Apocryphall and that of Bartholmewes onely Canonicall we cannot know but by the Popes testimonie so that in the end he is the onely Iudge and onely witnesse both of Christ the Apostles and their writings yea of all diuine truthes at least assisted with his Bishops and Cardinals Which Bellarmine though otherwise a great deale more wary then Valentian hath plainly vttered Vnlesse saith he it were for the authoritie of the present Church of Rome he meanes the Trent Councell the whole Christian faith might be called in question so might all the acts and decrees of former Councels his reason was because wee cannot know these antiquities but onely by tradition and historicall relation which are not able to produce diuine firme infallible faith 3 Thus whilest this great Clerke would digge a pit for the blinde for he could not hope I thinke this blocke should stumble any that hath eyes in his head he is fallen into the middest of it himselfe by seeking to vndermine vs he hath smothered himselfe and buried the cause he was to maintaine For if without the Trent Councels testification wee cannot by diuine faith beleeue the Scriptures or former Councels to bee of diuine authoritie How can such as were borne within these thirty yeares beleeue that Councell it selfe which ended aboue fortie yeares agoe Few this day liuing were auditors of the Cardinals and Bishops decisions there assembled not hearing them their faith must needs be grounded vpon heare sayes Againe if it bee true the Scriptures cannot be knowne to be diuine but by the authoritie of the present visible Church if this Church doe not viua voce confirme all Christians in this fundamentall truth their faith can not be diuine but humane VVhat the Pope or his Cardinals thinke of these pointes is more then any liuing knowes vnlesse they heare them speake and then it may be a great question whether they speake as they thinke Pope Alexander the sixts decisions should haue beene negatiue like the fooles boult in the Psalme There is no God No Christ No Gospell for so his meaning might haue beene interpreted as they say dreames are by contraries seeing hee neuer spake as hee thought Lastly if the Trent Councel were so necessary for the confirmation of Scriptures and other Orthodoxall writings how detestable was your Cleargies backwardnesse to affoord the Christian World this spirituall cōfort For whether feare it were the Popes authoritie should bee curbed or meere slouth and neglect of matters diuine that did detaine them their shifts to put the Emperour off the Reader may sufficiently coniecture from Sepulueda at that time Chronicler to the Emperour in his Epistle to Cardinall Contarene one of the Popes Legates in that Councell That my intermission of writing and silence in that question concerning the correction of the yeare hath beene so long I wish the fault had laid in my slouth or forgetfulnesse that I might haue beene hence occasioned to acknowledge and deprecate the blame rather then as now I freely must impute the true cause to the negligence of you Romane Priestes whome I perceiue to wax cold and to thinke of nothing lesse then of calling the Councell with hope whereof as heretofore I was excited so now despaire hath made me dull For I see well that such as are most bound to haue a vigilant care of the Churches publique welfare and not to foreslow any opportunitie of increasing her dignitie neuer so much as mention the Councell at this time as necessarie as alwayes vsefull but when Christians eyther are alreadie or are likely to be at variance In one word neuer but them when there is sure hope it may bee hindered by their discord For when peace gets it turne and all is quiet not a word of the Councell So as what they aime at by these vnseasonable edicts is so manifest as will not suffer the slowest capacitie to liue in doubt or suspition 4 This great Learned Antiquaries Learned aduice in another Epistle sent to the same Cardinall then imployed by the Pope in the Councell was not to suffer matters decreed in any former Councell lawfully assembled together to bee disputed or called in question Sufferance hereof was in his iudgment no lesse preiudiciall to the State Ecclesiastique then vnto the temporall it would be to permit malefactors trauerse the equitie of publique lawes established and knowne after sufficient proofe or confession made of Capitall offences committed against them The marginall quotations of the Trent Councell compared with this graue admonition which had antiquitie-customes Canonicall as the Author vrgeth to giue it countenance may serue as a perfect index for our instruction with what preiudice the Bishops there assembled came to determine by whose manuduction or set rules they drew their supposed inerrable lines of life Now it is impossible any determination that takes it force from multitude of voyces shoud be eyther in it selfe more certaine or more forcible to perswade others thē are the motiues or inducements that swayed the suffragants so to determine and these in this case could by Bellarmines reason be but historicall perswasions or presumptions For no Iesuite I thinke will say these Bishops had the Popes sentence ex Cathedra to assure them before hand what Councels had beene lawfully called and fully confirmed or whether all the ancient Canons they afterwardes reestablished were alreadie as authentique and certaine as
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
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