HE VVHO GATHERETH NOT WITH ME, SCATTERETH ABRODE. Matth. 12.
THE FIRST principall & most necessary groūde of all 1. Cor. 13. woorke agreable to GOD, is, that it be done in charitie, in vnion of Christians, & in the Catholike church: Iohan. 1. 1. Iohan. 2. and all that man doth in the spirit of the Catholike church, is wel liked before God: for that it is as it were dipped in the bloud of his welbeloued sonne IESVS Christ, in whom he taketh his good pleasure: of whose grace and vnction all those that be Catholikes be partakers, flowing from him vpon them as from the head vpon the members. Yea it is IESVS Christ him self which liueth, which breatheth, which 1. Cor. 15. Galat. 2. S. August. in Psalm. 85. & ser. 4. de sanct. Steph. prayeth, and which sturreth in all those that be Catholikes and members of the body of his Church. He prayeth (saieth S. Augustin) [Page 2] for vs, he prayeth in vs, and he is prayed to of vs, As Vnus ipse saluator corporis sui Dominus noster Iesus Christus filius Dei orat pro nobis, orat in nobis, & orarur à nobis: vt Sacerdos noster, orat pro nobis, vt caput nostrum orat in nobis, vt Deus noster oratur a nobis. our Priest, be prayeth for vs: as our head, he prayeth in vs: and as our God, is prayed to of vs. This is the glory, the ioy, and assurance of a Catholike man, that Iesus Christ is in him the chief agent, the which for his reuerence is heard of God in him: and this is the trew firmament of the Catholikes, more firme then the heauen it self. It is not so in heretikes, all that which is of heretikes, is accursed and abomination before God: their faith, their preaching, their prayers, their fastings, their almes, S. Ignat. ep. ad Heron. S. Io. Chrys. ho. 65. in Ioan. al actes of religion comyng from them are nothing els but cursed sacriledge & pollution. If they should raise vp the dead: if they should be more vvise then Angels: If they should haue their faith so great as to moue mountaines: if they should distribute S. Cypr. lib. 2. de vni. Eccles. S. August. lib. de siide ad Pe. all their goods to the cherishing of the poore: if they should kepe heroically continual virginitie: if they should delyuer their bodies to be burned: if they should shyne with an Angelical holines: all this serueth them for nothing being diuided from the body of the Church: al this vvould not any thing appease the rigour of the eternal ire of God vpon them. Core, Dathan, and Abiron, did sacrifice to the same God that Nuus. 16. Moyses did, yea to the only trew and almighty [Page 3] God but for that it was done in diuision from the body of the Church, the earth did open and swalow them vp aliue, with their wiues, their childrē, their hows holds, their Tabernacles, and all their substance: and more ouer, the fyer of God did consume 250. of the chief that were assotiated with them, and 14700. of the people, for that they murmured at that iustice: And the fury of Gods wrathe had consumed all the people wholy, but for the vehement intercession and meditation of the Priesthood of Aaron which did appease the same. God doth not receaue sacrifice but of his Priestes whom he hath ordayned for that purpose, and there is no seruice what so euer agreable to God but that of the children of his Church.
Let not the heretike flatter him self with the holy scriptures, as peruerse men do abuse all the gyftes of God, employing them otherwise then they be ordeyned by his prouidēce: so do they abuse the holy sctiptures them selues. That hath bene alwayes the cloke of impietie of heretikes, they carie against Iesus Christ, the signe of Iesus Christ, sayth S. Augustin, S. Aug. ep. 16. Contra Christum portant signū Christ & cōtra Euā gelium, de ipso Euangelio gloriātur. and take holde of the Gospel to make engines to fight against it. The Arrians would not agree to any one point, if it were not expresly in the scripture. The Mahometanes [Page 4] pretend the gospel to make for them, and alleage the same for their soueraigne aucthoritie. The deuil him self hath cyted the scripture against our sauiour, and thereof it is that he prepareth snares and cordes to strangle such as harken to him, making that which should bring them life, to be deadly vnto them, and conuerting bread in to poyson. It is certain that the scripture is giuen vs of God for our saluation: & this principle can not be shaken. When the holy scripture speaketh, it is the maiesty of God which doth shew his truth and his wil vnto men, vnto the which euery man must beare inuiolable reuerence, and yeld vnto it as to the assured and infallible verditt of God his truth, submitting all his vnderstanding to the yoke and obedience of faith: in suche sorte, that it is treason to God his maiesty and damnable sacrilege for the boldnes of humaine vnderstanding to gaynsay the same, yea or only to be so bolde as to thinke it: for if any one gainsay the same, he cutteth him self from God, and maketh him self a companion of the deuil: he is an heretike, accursed and reprobate, & neuer shall haue parte with God. For the holy scripture is the key which doth open vs Paradise: it is the way which doth guyde vs, the rule which doth teache vs, the [Page 5] lampe which doth ligten vs in the middest oft he darknes of this world: it is the looking glasse where in we behold the face of God, the royall sceptre by the which he doth Gouerne his people, the witnes of his good wil towards vs, and the instrument of his aliance: to the vvhich vvho so doth not bowe downe his vnderstanding, he doth oppose him self against God, with an ingratitude & deuelish presumption. Now al the heretikes of the vvorld haue made shew to agree to this principle, & haue whyted their ruinouse walles with no other colours than those, nor haue no other thing in their mouthes but the texts of the scriptures. What shal the simple man then doe, hearing the word of the maiesty of God in the mouth of Catholikes and of heretikes? This is it whereof I wold informe such as haue care of their saluation, and teach them how they shal neuer be deceyued. S. Gregor Nazianzene sayth that In Orat. ad Athanas. the scripture is like vnto certaine paynted Images, which what way so euer you turne you, you thinke their eye foloweth you; yet notwithstanding, the right looke doth consist [...]. in some one point to the workman intended, & those that are cunnyng in that arte know it very well. Likewise the holy scripture is to be taken in many senses, and farre [Page 6] more then the scriptures of men: for so much as the scriptures do participate of the nature of the author. But so it is that God him self is the author of the holy scriptures: whose vnderstanding being infinite, the sense of his scriptures may be also infinite. Notwithstanding there is one proper sense, certaine, & assured in the scriptures, whiche the holie Ghost hath vouchsafed to reueale vnto men, which is the sense of the Gospel, that is to say, the right, trew, and natural sense of the voyce of the Prophets and the Apostles, which is in effect the gospel. For properly the Gospel doth not consist in figures of letters and dead characters of the writing of the Euāgelists: Those thinges be but as an Image of the sense of the Gospel. But wil you know what is properly the gospel? It is the solemne publication of the sonne of God descended from the bosom of his father, and shewed in fleash for to delyuer mankynd from the state of perdition in which he was, and to reconcile him to God: geuing power to the children of Adam, which beleeue in his name, to be made children of God, renewing them in him self, and regenerating them to God by diuine Sacraments, by the which he hath made them partakers of his iustice, of his life, and of his glory, and hath [Page 7] lifted them vp with him from changeable time to the eternitye of his father. S. Paul doth define the Gospel, to be the mighty povver Rom. 1. of God to saluation, to al those that beleue: that is to say, a vertu supernatural, diuinely infused, ennobling mans nature aboue it self, and eleuating it to a diuine estate, the which of his owne force and faculty he could neuer attayne vnto, no not only conceiue the same: Lab. de prapa. Euang. it is sayeth Eusebius, that Gospel which doth shew the reuelatiō of goods, not these earthly, perishable, & which do decay, but of the true, soueraigne, diuine, euerlasting, and incorruptible goods promised from the beginnyng of the world, and foretold of all the Prophetes, & that which doth giue the meanes to get them. To be short, the Gospel is a nevv resurrection of the worlde, and as it is sayd in the Godspel it selfe, it is the seed of eternitie. All the matter is to knovve vvho be the true sovvers, and dispensators of the misteries of the Gospel, that be sent and auouched of God. For God doth not auouche all those vvhich thrust them selues into this diuine embassage, he hath sayd to the vvicked: vvho gaue the charge to rehearse my iustices & take my testament in thy mouth? And he complayneth him selfe in Ezechiel, of false Prophetes vvhich runne vvithout Psal. 49. Ezech. 13. [Page 8] sendinge. They runne sayth he, and I sent them not, they say the lorde hath sayd it, and I sayd no such worde. Our sauiour him selfe by his Matth. 7. holy mouth doth aduertise vs saying: Take heede of false Prophets which come to you in sheeps clothing, but within they are rauening wolues. Now if in the traficke of this world, we feare to medle with a false marchant, how much more owght vve to feare in the traficke of euerlasting saluation. If then vve vvil not be deceaued, Sainct Paule therein doth geue vs a true meane, vvhen he sayth: How shal they beleue in him whom Rom. 10. they haue not hearde? And how shal they heare without preaching? And how shal they preach yf they be not sent? There neede not so much disputing, nor so much making of bookes, to confound the heretikes. Men do in a maner defile them selues vvhen they examine their doctrine: there is no doute but that God is greatly offended with the ouermuch regarde that is geuen vnto them, and those which wolde that men shulde heare them reason, haue not the spirit of the feare of God. An heretike, before all other thinges should be asked not what he sayth, but of whom he is sent, and the marke of his sending. And so without any more disputing he shal be confounded and put to silence. For [Page 9] neuer heretike was sent of God, they are al of the spirit of the deuil, and al condemned of God, what allegation so euer they make of the holie scriptures. The Samaritanes were heretiques, and did fortifie them selues with the texte of the law of Moyses. Our sauiour hath condemned them with his owne mouth, when being asked of the Samaritane whether God should be worshipped in Hierusalem or in Samaria, he answered: you worshippe that you know not, wee worshipp that Iohan. 4. we knowe: the saluation is of the Jewes. For it is as yf he had sayd yow Samaritanes which be distracted from the Iewes, you shal haue nothing in the treasure of saluation, and you can not but erre. This only voice thundering from heauen, you worshipp that you know not, is a sufficient flash of lightening to ouerthrow all that these deuided felowes frō the Curch can imagine to haue, eyther holie or godlie. Let no mā be ouertakē by the deuil through ignorance of this doctrine. S. Augustin teacheth vs clearly: that although heretikes S. August. in Enchrid. ad Lauren. do preache the name of Iesus Christ, yet that name is not their seur groūd as it is to Catholikes, but remayneth proper to the Church only: for if one consyder aduysedly that which belongeth to Iesus Christ; he shall not fynde it amongst heretikes what so euer, [Page 10] but in tytle and shew only: the effect of the vertue shal not be there: they sound out with full mouth, that they holde the sonne of God for the redeemer of the worlde, but notwithstandyng after they haue pronounced those woords, because they spoyle hym of his vertue & dignitie, that which S. Paule sayth Collos. 2. is truly proper vnto them: that they keepe not the heade, whereof the whole body (which is the Church) by ioyntes & bandes being compacted, groweth to the increase of God. And according to this, Optatus properly sayth that the buylding Opt. li. 3. & 6. of heretykes is but only a wal which hath no corner stone nor couerture aboue, in such sorte that if they make a gate, he that entreth in, is alwayes without, subiect to wyndes, rayne, tempest, theeues, and to wylde beasts. But the Catholike Church is an entier howse in the which God doth dwel, and he dwelleth not in any other. Al that which is inclosed therein, is couerd, wel assured, & out of daunger: of the incommodytyes of the ayre, of theeues, and of all external harme. Furthermore he compareth heresie to artificial trees, which fowlers fashion in likenes of a natural tree, hauing the shew of a true tree, but full of snares and of glew, where the brides searching their life, fynde their death: wheras the Church is a true [Page 11] tree in deed, full of good fruits, without snares and fraude. But aboue al. S. Cyprian hath very wel sayd that heresie and idolatrie be in Lib. de vnit. Eccles. the same damnatiō, as daughters of the same father: when (sayth he) by the coming of Iesus Christ, the light being reuealed vnto the gentiles, and the sonne of saluation shyning to the face of al people, the darknes of idolatry was chased out of the world, Satan seing his seates and temples desolate, and his Idols forsakē of al people on te earth, which did runne vnto the Churches of Iesus Christ, he found a new craft vnder the self same name of Christian, to intangle them that were not wel aduised, and to make them fal from the grace of Iesus Christ: that is, he hath sturred vp heresies, with the which he hath subuerted the fayth, corrupted the truth, and broken the vnite of concorde: in such sorte that those whom he can not longer hold in the auncient way of blyndnes, he hath deceaued by the error of a new way: & so spoyleth men euen within the Church, deceauing them with an other kynd of darkenes, to the end that not contynewing in the vnitye of the Church, they may yet cal them selues Christians, and walking in darkens, they may perswade them selues to haue the light: making them blinde without perceauing their [Page 12] blyndes, yea then when they thinke them selues most sure of the light. For as he is a cunnyng woorkeman to transforme him self often into an Angel of light, he leadeth them in to likelihoodes of truth, that he may so deceiue them in the truth: affirmyng the night for day, death for life, infidelitye for faith, Antichrist vnder the name of Iesus Christ. And ther is not any absurditye how monstrous and foule so euer it be, that he doth not make them receyue, and that very greedelye, and hauing once bleared them with his iugling tricks, he holdeth theyr iudgements so fast tyed and hampered, that they can not see the very open and manyfest truth: so that hauing now no more roote in God, they be cast into a reprobate sense, turnyng to their owne destruction al that is presented vnto them, and sticke not now to stād and fyght agaynst God him self. Now, to them wich suffer them selues to be deceiued, it happeneth (sayeth S. Cyprian) for not searching the truth of faith by the right way, according to the direction of our heauēly Maister, who doth send vs to the chayer of S. Peter, which of his proper auctoritie by prerogatyue he hath ordeined to be head, & as the fountayne & roote of his Church. And this was a greate benefit of God, that he [Page 13] hath giuen a certaine seat to his Church, as auncyently was the chayre of Moyses, to the end that in the doubtful points of faith, men myght haue a place to resorte vnto, as to a certeine Vniuersite, to receiue their iudgement and resolutiō, and so to kepe the vnitie of faith among so many dyuers nations that were to enter in to the Church.
This is certeinly the point whereby all heretikes in the world haue perished, doe perishe now, and shall alwayes perishe: for that they like not, not sauour not the Sacramēt of the vnitie of faith in the vniuersal brotherhood of the Church, nor acknowledge that there is one certain Church, the only mother of al the children of God, which is only holie, Catholike, and Apostolike: vnto whom Iesus Christ her spouse & head hath giuen the character of the order of his eternall Priesthood, the keyes of the realme of heauen, & all aucthoritie ouer his howshould: vnto whom he hath promised assistance of his holie spirit vntil the end of the worlde: in whom is the wil of God, the forgiuenes of sinnes, and the distribution of graces: who only hath the woord of God in keeping, the pure doctrine of the Gospell, the true vse of Sacraments: to whom only therefore doth appertain to iudge of the true [Page 14] sense of the holy scriptures, and to decyde the controuersies of faith that rise among men: whose iudgements in earth be ratified in heauen: which Church, being but one and vndiuided in faith, yet extending it self in her cōmuniō as the beames of the sunne, as long and as wyde as the whole world, encreasinge & multiplyinge dayly without end or lymit, continueth inseparably vnited to her head, as the beames to the body of the sunne, not liuinge but of his grace, not breathing but of his spirit, and not seing but of his light: and who so euer kepeth not this vnitie, he kepeth not the law of God, he hath no faith, and he can neyther haue the life nor the saluation of Iesus Christ. It is S. Paul him Ephes. 4. self that teacheth this Sacramēt of the vnitie of faith in the vniuersalitie of the Church: as there is not (saith he) but one sole God, lord & father of all, so there is but one faith, one hope, one trust, one bodie, one spirit: the head of which bodie, is the sonne of God Iesus Christ, who being him self the spring of lyfe euerlasting, doth inspire lyfe to all the bodie, & doth furnish it dayly with strength by his holy spirit. Whosoeuer is not a member of that bodie, can not take lyfe of the spirit of Iesus Christ: he is a straunger: he is prophaned: he is an enemie, he is dead, drye [Page 15] and wythered without moysture of all diuine grace, and that no part of the promises and rewards of Iesus Christ: he is the braunche Iohan. 11. cut from the true stocke, appointed to the fyer to be burned. If any of those which were out of the Arcke of Noe vvere saued, those also shal be saued which are founde out of the Arke of the Church. If the riuer cut from his spring dryeth not vp: if the braunche diuided from the tree can bear fruit: if the member cut from the bodie can take lyfe of the same bodie: then also the man that is diuided and cut from the Church, shal liue of Iesus Christ. He can not haue God for his father, which wil not haue the Church for his mother: and he can not be vnited with God, which is not vnited with the Church. At the same instant that man doth separat him self frō the Church, he dyeth from Iesus Christe, and leeseth the grace of the holy Ghost. For euen as the vniuersal sensible light is tyed to the bodie of the sunne which doth spread and distribute it to all the world, in the absence wherof, there is nothing but darknes: euen so al grace of reconciliation to God, was annexed to the bodie of Iesus Christ: yea to this bodie of his which dayly groweth by increase of the chosen, preordinate to lyfe euerlasting, which is the bodie [Page 16] of the Church, which he doth gather together, taking out from the heape of mankynd al men of good wyl, which haue bene, are, and shal be, to the end of the world: out of which bodie there is but the wrath and malediction of God. Search where you wil: out of this Church, you shall fynde nothing but death. To be short, he which is not in the Church hath no God: he hath his owne proper iudgement, his phantasie, and his owne presumption for his God: he maketh him selfe an Idol, & doth worship only his owne imagination in place of God. If such a man calleth him self a Christian, that is as the deuil often sayth he is Christ: and if he be kylled for his heresie, that is no martirdom, bur the reward of his heresie, which is not yet al purged by his owne death. Dying he goeth to yeld and ioyne him self eternally to the darkenes, which he hath worshiped; and to his head which is the deuil. There is no martirdom nor death pretious before God but in the catholique Church: in the which only is the grace of the Gospel of Iesus Christ: the which only she doth preach in sinceritie and truth, and without any hazard or possibilitie to erre: because she taketh her direction of the holy Ghost, & of the tradition of the Apostles, and of the holy scriptures [Page 17] together: which be the three grounds set downe by the holy scripture it self: the which doth shew that not shee only buyldeth vp the Churche, but is also holpen of the traditions of the liuely voyce of the Apostles, to the which she often tymes referreth men. Kepe (sayeth S. Paul) the traditions 2. Thess. 2. Tenete traditiones quas didicistis, siue per sermonē, siue per epistolā nostrā. Act. 15. & 16 which you haue learned of me, be it by woord or by our epistle: and it is written in the Actes of the Apostles that in al places whear S. Paule passed by, he recommended to the Churches, to kepe the ordinances of the Apostles and of the elders, which were things not written. When the Apostles had planted the Gospel, they did not say al things at one time, nor in one howre: nor wrote al that they sayed: but according as occasion was giuen, they planted their doctrine: so that the holy scripture which we haue of the Apostles and of the Euangelists, is not so muche a full doctrine of faith, as a witnes of the faith that they preached. Now if wee will goe higher: the law of Moyses cō sisted no lesse in tradition than in writting: and not only the sense but the letter and text thereof was to be learned by tradition. For they had the scriptures in maner but by half: the pointing beeing not yet put to the hebrew text. But the holy Ghost alwayes hath in formed the Church of the true traditions [Page 18] and the true sense of the scripture, in such sorte as the Church and the holy scripture are so linked together, that they both be as an indissoluble cheyne of golde. The Church is not aboue the scripture, but the authoritie of the Church doth shew the true scripture. And when the Church hath need of wholsome information, she doth goe to the scriprure: and if there be any darknes in the scripture, the holy Ghoste is giuen to the Church for to interpret the same. Euen so in the olde law in al difficulties, that rose, the law of Moyses ordained that they should goe to the hygh priest for the tyme being, and that they Deut. 17. Malach. 2. should folow his verdit, not turnyng either to the right syde or the left, vpon paine of death. The Prophets also sent them thether, and in the Gospel it self our sauiour commaundeth, that if any obey not the Church, Matt. 18. he be degraded from the name of Christian, and holden for an Eathnike: let no man now seeke excuses in a corner. God hath appointed at al tymes the priests of the Church present, to iudge the present controuersies: and willeth that men should repayre vnto them: his holy spirit assisteth them to that end. He hath not promised vs in them more then in other men, example of holynes: but he hath promised vs by them the Oracles of [Page] his truthe. Oh that al those that do erre in faith did know the vertue of the name Catholique, and the horror of the name heretike: how the Catholique in his faith, doeth renounce his own reason, his own iudgemēt, his vnderstanding, his wil, and all his senses, for to hearken simplie and absolutely vnto that that the Church doth teache: how on the cōtrarie side, the heretike doth groūde & builde his fayth vpon his owne iudgement. They should knowe that the name Catholique, is a name of repose in God: a name vtterlie denying him selfe, to the end he may be ouerwhelmed in God: and that to leane and staie vpon the Church, is to leane and staie vpon God him selfe: and that contrarie wise to staye vpon him selfe, that is to say vpon his owne iudgement, is to stay him selfe vpon the deuil: they should knovve that the Church teacheth the people faythfully, and that she is assisted of the holie Ghost: that she hath the trevve traditions of the Apostles: and doth take the scripture in the Euangelical sense; sayeth nothing of her selfe, putteth nothing of nevve, dothe not make any article of fayth: but only giueth vvitnes of the Euangelical sense, and discerneth the good from the euil pasture, euen as the holy Ghost doth reueale to her in common. [Page 20] And contraryvvise that the heretike is not stirred but of his ovvn particular spirit: hath not any tradition but of his owne proper making: taketh the scripture in a sense by him self inuented: handling the same as if him self were the authour: making him self a prophet to hym self, and iudge of God: and somtymes setteth him self aboue al that which is God: in som much that he doth iudge by his owne priuate sense, the eternal woord of God: in such sort as al heresie maketh a new paradox, & putteth a new sense, neuer Euangelized, not of the holy Ghost, but inuēted of Satan, by the mouth of one particular man. The spirit of God is not particular, but common: and the same is in common to the Church, to whom hath bene giuen the assurance of the holy Ghost, to shew vnto her al truthe: in such sorte, that, as it is certein that the holy Ghost is authour of the scripture: so is it certein that the holy Ghost is the soule and lyfe of the Church, by whose direction she can neuer erre, for which cause S. Paul doth cal her the piller and ground of trueth. And 1. Tim. 3. this is it that S. Augustin did confesse, o lord S. August. lib. 12. cōfess. c. 25 (sayeth he) thy trueth is not myne, nor this mans, or that mans: but it is euerie mans, whom thou publikly Veritas tua est domine nō mea, nec illius, aut illius; sed omnium nostrū, quos ad cōmuniomem publice vocas, terribiliter admones ne priuatam veritatē habeamus ne priuemut ea. Ioan. 8. calleste to the communion therof, warnyng vs terribly that we take greate heed to chalenge that [Page 21] in priuate, lest so we be vtterlie depriued of it. For he which speaketh of his owne telleth a lye. And as many particular opinions as are in the world, so many banners are there displayed by the deuil. A true catholique doth estrange him self as much as he can from all particular opinions, and from al attributing to him self, his being, his liuing, his power and knowledge, and neuer doth vse these termes: I am: I can, I wil, as for me, this is my opinion, and such like speches, which be termes of deuelish arrogancie. He dares not so much as to say of him self that he is a part of Christendom, standing as it wear by him self alone: but holdeth this for a principle that he can not so much as thinke any thing, that good is without the continual dependence of God, and instruction of the Church: vnto whom in all simplicitie, and in deep humlitie, he leaueth him self to be edified and instructed, euen as a litle childe of his mother: so that it is in a maner easier to plucke a sterre out of the element, than to plucke a true catholique out of the bosome of the Churche. Litle Iacob when Rebecca his mother commanded him to faigne him self to his father that he was Esau, to get thereby his blessing, he answered like a childe, that ‘he feared lest the deceit being discoueced, he should procure hym’ [Page 22] self malediction in stead of benediction: but then his mother sayd to him, ‘that maledictiō Genes. 27. (my sonne) be vpon me: only obay thou my voyce in that I commaund the:’ which he did, and was blest: euen so it is in our obedience to the Church. If the Church should deceiue vs, then vpon her be the maledictiō, to vs doth apperteyn the glory of obedience, with the which we be very wel assured to obteyn the euerlasting benediction. But now the Church can not deceiue vs, yea I say further, that the iniquite of him that is in the Church, is better, that is to say, is lesse dā nable then the good works of him which is in heresie. For if one of the howshold of the Church haue sinned, he hath but committed that sinne wherein he is fallen: the which is blotted out by pennance in the Churche, and he may obtein the promisses of the kyngdome of heauen: but he which is fallen out of the Church, sinneth alwayes, & in al that he doth: for al that which is not of faith, is sinne, as S. Paul saith. Yea although he do pennāce yet cā he obtein no pardō, because in the societie where he is, there is no remission of sinnes: there is no good worke meritorius, no pennance, no vertue to be rewarded withe life euerlasting where faithe is not: and that persone dothe not fruitfully fulfil any comaundement of God which doth not fulfil [Page 23] the same in the Church. The pretended good works of those which be out of the Church, be like a swyft running out of the way, and lyke great paynes taken for a matter of nothing, where no reward is to be gotten. He which runneth out of the listes, shal neuer carie away the price: he must be first with in the barriers of the Church, seing that the course of good woorkes shal be crowned according to the merits of the rightuousnes of eache one: I meane according as euery one shal shevv hymself valiant and couragious in christian spirit, and according as the new regenerat man in him hathe brought foorth due fruits, and effects of his regeneration. There is no good without the soueraign good. The soueraign good, is God. God, Iesus Christ, and the Churche, are three things coherent and fast vnited together. There is no accesse to God, but by Iesus Christ: and there is no accesse to Iesus Christ, but by the Churche: let no man (sayeth S. Ambrose) accept good woorks, done before faith. Faith is the soule of good woorkes, without the which they be dead, and be not to be rewarded with lyfe euerlasting: faith is the soule of our soule, the substance of man, in such sorte as man without faith is without substance. True it is that an heretyke renouncing his heresie is straight wayes cleane, and incorporated [Page 24] againe to the Church, and as a member, partaker of the prayers of all the vniuersal Church, he is made woorthy of the body of Iesus Christ, after he hath purelie and entierlie renounced his heresie: in which case a Ioh. Clim. grad. 15. fornicator repenting hath need of teares & of tyme to be throughly clensed, and to extinguish vtterly the concupiscence which hath occupied the soule, and defiled the body, the reliques of the one being harder to be healed, then of the other: but if the one and the other die in their sinne, the heretike shal carie a more rigorous iudgement than the fornicator. This point then is without contradiction that in all the vniuersal vvorld, there is but one only Church, vvhich doth administer eternal lyfe: vvhich hath the keyes of the kyngdome of heauen: in vvhich good deeds be revvarded vvith lyfe euerlasting: vvhich dravving out of the holy Scriptures the right line of interpretation both prophetical and Apostolical according to the sense that hath bene preached and taught, geueth her children assured certentie of the good pasture, & knowledge of the euil: whō who so obeyeth not, shal neuer see God. For this cause S. Paul according to the care vvhich he had more then fatherly of the saluation of men, doth exhorte very earnestly [Page 25] to be carefull, to kepe the vnitie of spirit: which is to hold them selues, ioint, firme, and locked in the bosome of the Churche: knowing that euerie where out of the same dwelleth death, and that euerie particular assemblie out of the same is the Synagog of Sathan. All diuinitie out of the Church is vaine, false, basterdly, cōfuse, ful of deceit & impietie. When the heretike alleageth woordes of the Gospel that is now no more (saieth S. Hierom) the Gospel of God. The Gospel in their mouth becometh the woord of man, and the woord of the deuil: the trueth is poysoned by their leauen, in suche sorte that it is altogether vnlike to it selfe: wherin they fare as the false and leud counseilors of a prince or state, whoe in giuing counceil redounding to ther owne particular profit, and not of the Prince or common welth, doo betray the Prince and the comon welthe: euen so, the heretiks be traitors to God and to the holy scriptures. And let no man be deceiued if somtimes they seeme to teach the same doctrine that the catholikes do: betwene the true and the false there is but a hears difference. But now suppose they preached in all & throughout, the self same doctrine of faith and Sacraments, as the catholiques doe: ‘that they be also otherwise irreprehensible of [Page 26] their life in external honestie: yea finallie though they spend their bloud for the name of Iesus Christ: all this notvvithstāding, fith S. Aug. lib. de fide ad petro. they make a bodye apart, and hold not the vnitie of the catholike Church they be in state of perdition.’ The vse of the Sacraments, the woorks of mercie, and the gloriouse confession of the name of Iesus Christe can not profit but vnto him which is in the vnitie of the catholique Church. Which vnitie who holdeth not, he diuideth the body of Iesus Christ, which is one and indiuisible: and his Church hath not two bodyes. Iesus Christ is not diuided (sayth S. Paul) and that point is of so great importance as the creed of the faith, which is dayly songe in the Church doth expressely shew that there is but one Church to the end that all men might know that out of the same there is no saluation.
Such as come near the brinke of a deep pit, or of any dovvneright pitche, conceiuing the horrour of tēporal death, all trembling they retier far of, for fear to fall therin: but there is not any deep pit or dovvneright pitche or peril vvhat so euer in this vvorld vvherein a man should conceiue so much feare to fall as into heresie. For in all heresie dvvelleth the horrour of eternall death: And to fall from the assured firmament of the Churche in to [Page 27] heresie, is to fall from cleaning to God to the bottomles pit of him self: vvhich is as the fall of Satan, vvhen he vvas headlonge throvven dovvne from heauen to hell. Let vs then take heed God Christian people of separating of our selues, hovv litle so euer it be, from the catholike Church, no, not in one only litle thought: let vs yeeld vniuersallie to all that the Church doth teach, vvithout reseruing any thing, vvhat soeuer it be, to our particular iudgement, against the iudgement of the Church. Looke hovv much any man reserueth to his ovvn resolution, vpon his ovvn proper sense, in matters of faith: so nigh he is to the losse of his lyfe, so farre is he in darknes of errour, so near is he to death, so much diuided from God, so fast cleaueth he to the deuil. Farre from all those vvhich haue care of their ovvn euerlasting saluation be that deadlie presumption, vvhich would share his faith vvith the Church: that is, vvould make a choise and particular separation of the points vvhich it pleaseth him to beleeue, or not to beleeue vvith the Church: as if that syde vvhereunto, by our ovvn direction, vve resolue to leane, vvere to vs a better euidence, and cleeret testimonie than the vniuersal Churche. This is, in verie deed to censure the Church and to make our selues iudges of [Page] the Church, and of the holy Ghost also, vvhich teacheth her. This is to be too too much ignorant of our own ignorance, vveaknes, and mesure of our ovvn state and condition. The iudgement of one particular mā, hovv vvise so euer he may be, is but as a litle candle in the darknes of the night, the which giueth light scant fovver or fiue pases in circumference, but is incōtinent obscured & inuironed with the exceding force of vniuersal darknes. Wher the Church, (vvhich, as S. Iohn sayeth, is clothed with the sunne, hauing the moon Apoc. 12. vnder her feet) dothe cast her beames vpon the face of the vvhole earth, taking her brightnes from aboue, and drawing her light out of the sea of the Intelligence diuine. Avvay (say I) vvith this presumption: farre be it from all our friends: farre from the chosen and elect of God: farre from al those, vvho haue an earnest desire of their ovvn saluation, & wolde vvillinglie forsake this worlde, to see God eternallie, and to attain vnto the glori of eternal felicitie. Avvay vvith this rashenes of particularities in opinions seuered from the Church. This is the verie cockle of wicked spirits. This is the vvay to fall in to the hands of the deuil: vvho being not able to wound a man to death, by making him to forsake the Church absolutelie, dothe [Page 29] yet vvound and disfigure the integritie, and sincere purenes of a Christian, in this point at least, that novv he is not sound, and sincere, nor such a one as the beautie and state of a christian requireth. Deformed is that member (sayth S. Augustin) which is not conformable to the whole. Raither suffer the soule to be diuided August. Turpis est omnis pars vniuerso suo non congruens. from the bodie, with all the torments in the worlde, than to be diuided from the Church, or ‘to dissent from the Church in any one iote only, or in any one sole litle point. He that would agree with the Church in all, except one only point, is not a catholike. Faith is more indiuisible than the beames of the sunne: it is not to be holden by halues: it is a gift of God, and a grace infused: and the gifts of God are perfite.’ For concerning faith, who so euer faileth in one article is culpable in all. And he is no lesse drouned, which is but two fingars ouer head in water, than he which is an hundred fathoms dieper. A mans faith, eye, and honour, are thre things that can not endure to be hurt or impared, how litle soeuer it be. Many of them which haue yet some liuelie roote in the Church, and hate heresie, doe giue to them selfes some times libertie to blame or contemne certein obseruances and ceremonies of the Church, as in their opinions vnprofitable.
[Page 30] These lo do daungerouslie erre, besides that they shew herein their beastlines, and ignorance: for nothing vniuersallie receiued in the Church is of small consequence, or importance. And vnwoorthie are they to haue any place in the Church, and to be partakers of the Sacraments of euerlasting life, which doe disagree with her in the least point that a man can think of. Men ought with more reuerence to iudge of such things as are approued and alowed of the vniuersal Church. When men debate of humain matters, let then humain reason take place: but in the doctrine of faith, the only authoritie of the Churche ought to rule. It is not for vs to take vpon vs to cōfirme, and establish that whereunto we must obey. We must in al submit our selues wholie to her iudgemēt, without exception of any thing, what soeuer it be: For so soone as faith is seuered from the Sanctuarie of the Church, she is out of her natural element: she hath no more vital spirit. The Church hath secret motiues, & considerations tending to the vtilitie and preseruation of her vniuersal familie, incomprehensible to any one priuate person: yet notwithstanding they haue theyr foundacions and grounds verie firme and sure. The most excellent Philosophie that euer was in the [Page 31] worlde, is that of Abrahā, which Philo describeth. Abraham. Philo. He reduced all the effects of the second causes to the first cause immediatlie: he dyd not attribute to the sunne, the light of the day: nor to cloudes the rain: nor to eyes the sight: nor to eares the hearing: nor to other next instruments of sense the cause of their facultie, not to the feet force to goe: not breathing to the lunges: not concoction to the stomak: not to trees and seeds their yerelie fruits: but he reduced all things immediatlie to him onlie which spreadeth abroad his benignitie, and beneuolence largelie, franklie, and freelie in all places: he bendeth all his forces to hym alone, hoping by hym only to be ayded: and staying him self vpon him only: neither trusting vpon heauē, nor vpon earth, ayer, beasts, plants or rootes, with intent to loue them as causes. And (as a man may say) he trauersed through all the rankes and troupes of the host of all second and instrumental causes apperteining to the OEconomie or general disposition of the vniuersal nature, for to approche vnto the soueraign head: the Creator of substances: the giuer of formes: the first mouer: first cause, and cause of causes: to the ende to loue him only, and to giue him only thankes for all benefits receiued. And this Philosophie of [Page 32] Abraham was as a shining beam of the innocencie of nature before sinne: which innocencie consisted in cleaning wholie to God, and depending vpon God in all things: not resting vpō him selfe, nor vpon any creature: whereupon also God loued him more, and was more reuealed to hym, than to those that loue the second causes, and search deeplie in to them, not satisfied otherwise with the first. In like maner in matters of faith, those which doe rest altogether vpon the Church shal rather be illuminated of the holy Ghost, than those which doe not giue credit to her, but vpon a caution or condition of some natural reason. If any would know the way how to render a reason of his faith, and of all obseruances of the Church S. Peter thereunto doeth exhort him. And in 1. Petr. 3. dede the studie of such a science is the most noble and most worthie that is in the world: only let him be humble, and holde this for a principle or maxime: though he vnderstandeth not the reason of any obseruances: yet notwithstanding the same is grounded vpon some iust reason aboue his capacitie. And when he hath layed for his ground this humilitie, and comyng afterward to searche the motiues and reasons of the Churche: then the knowleige of the general disposition, [Page 33] and gouernement of the Church shall teach him considerations more deep, more excellent, more ample, more confortable, and shall replenish his mynde with a cleerer light than the knowleige of al Naturs vvorkes: and therein he shal take more pleasure, than if he had in his head the collectiōs and gatherings of al the knowleige in the worlde fast sowed one to an other, and coulde giue a reason of the whole disposition of natural things in al parts of the whole frame of this worlde.
In the primatiue Church, Sinesius the great Sinesius. philosopher called by Christians to the state if a Bishop, vvould not accept the same, but with reseruation of some opinions of the ethnical philosophie. The fathers condescended to his desire, assuring them selues, that so excellent a wit would easilie cast of al those reseruations of his philosophical folie, by cō ference with wise and learned men of the Church. And in dede this learned man being made Bishop, did soone cast away al reseruations of his seueral opinions: and conformed him selfe in al points to the Church, cō demning him selfe, and deriding his own vanitie, proceding rather from the root of folie and pryde of a philosopher, than of malice. And truelie to addict him selfe obstinatlie to [Page 34] some particularities of opinions against the vniuersalitie, ‘Genes. 27.it is the part of one that is ignorant of the first elements and principles of Christianitie: and a token of a short and feeble iudgemen,’ that hath a verie shmal beam of brightnes, and is so poore of vnderstāding, as he is not hable to conceiue that the riuer which he dwelleth next vnto, is much lesse than the Ocean sea: and that the sterres be much greater thē they appear to his eyes: esteming the greatest things that he knoweth to be the most that God can doe in that kynde: and considereth but one thing onlie, where he ought to consider an hundred thousand, persuading him selfe euermore to haue in the compasse of his brain, all that God is hable to doe, or wil doe, mesuring all things by his own capacitie, and sufficiencie: which is not onlie an extreme folie, but also verie daungerous. for such folk vpon the least motion of the deuil wil throw them selues from the high pinacle of the temple down to the ground: I mean from the firmament of the Church, to the bottomles pit of heresie. Wil we then be assured neuer to erre, and to haue our spirite quiets, peacible amōg all the wherl wyndes and tempests of heresies? this is the onlie mean: he that walketh in the spirit of the Church, is in the high way: he goeth [Page 35] not in darknes: he goeth by day, and setteh sure footing. The church is to him a bulwark of quietnesse: a wall of brasse: a stay more sure then the firmament of heauen: yea, I say truelie, more sure than the firmament of heauen. For rather the heauen shal fall in pieces, and all the whole frame of the worlde shal fall into cōfusion, and nature shal erre, rather than the Church shal come to errour in that doctrine of the saluation, which she doeth teach her children. And good reason: for her vnderstanding his higher than the vnderstā ding of all nature: for it is the vncreated vnderstanding, the holie Ghost, God him self, which doth gouerne the same immediatlie. And for the Churches sake, heauē, earth, and all Nature haue bene made, and doe consist: without whose prayers, the frāe of the whole worlde could not stād one moment. The Angels them selues (as S. Paul sayth) are all Hebr. 10 to minister to them which receiue the inheritance of saluation, which are the childrē of the church.
But I will no forther open the priuileiges of Grace, the heauenlie and liuelie comforts which the children of the catholike Church haue. The catholike Church is the onlie fortresse impregnable; the wiseman to her wil haue his recourse, and shal be saued.
[Page 36] She is the strong fort of the citie of God, founded vpon the rock, whiche can not be vndermined: ‘Genes. 27. fortified by the inuincible force of the holie Ghost, garded by heauenlie armies, vvhich are camped round about, cō passed of all sides with the fauour of the almightie.’ She is the true earthlie Paradise, where the tree of lyfe is planted, which all of her house may freelie vse, and thereby receiue nourishment of lyfe euerlasting. She is the true house of God, where he doth dispose his graces, and all his goodes and the souueraign felicitie. And who euer can taist of the fruit of the name Catholike: he shal fynde hem selfe happie, and shal perceiue in that he is a Catholike, he is as it were weeded out of him selfe to be transplanted in God: and being lostin him selfe, he shal fynde him selfe grafted, and rooted in God, in whom he shal stand more surelie, more liuelie, more happilie, and be more his own man, thau standing in him selfe: where vpon his soule shal be filled with true, sound, parfite, soueraign, diuine, and euerlasting ioye.
I doe not call in question whether the catholike Churche be visible, nor where she is being a societie, not of Angels, or of soules separated from the bodie, but of men. She must necessarilie be visible, that one may say, [Page 37] there is the Church, pointing to her with the fingar, and shewing her to the eye: otherwyse (sayth S. August.) ‘Aug. tract. 1. & 2. in 10.no man could be assured of the vnitie, in the which men must necessarilie enter, and holde them selfes, to the ende they may be ioyned to the head & communicate with all the other members thereof. And our lord should in vain haue bidden men resort to the Church, and obey it, if it were inuisible to the face of the whole worlde, so that she can not by any manner of wayes be hidden, nor darckned in the earth, no more than the sonne in heauē.’ Yea (sayth S Iohn Chrisostom)S. Chrys. ho. 4. in cap. 6. Efa. it were more easie to put out the light of the sonne, than to darcken the Church. And those which say that the Church which was planted of the Apostles, and dyd lighten the Gentiles, is no more extant, and that she is lost many a day agoe; and that strayght after the Apstoles she was eclipsed of her light, and became an Apostata, in such sort as the worlde is entered in to darknes as before: and those which doe compare her to the Sinagogue in the time of Eli: those (I say) are verie impudent, and their impudencie can not be heard with out indignation, for that it is contumeliouse to the sonne of God: as if the sonne of God (which sayd, that he is the light of the world, and that he came to renew [Page 38] all, to destroye the vvorkes of the deuil, and to dispossesse him of his raign) had not doen that vvhich he promised, nor that vvhich he came for: and as yf his light had bene as a flash of lightening vanishing avvay, and not as a sonne rising, to chase out effectuallie the darknes of the vvorld. This is a moost vile and shamefull abasing of Christs honour and estimation: this is to take from him the deserued inheritance of all Nations, vvhich GOD the father promised vnto him: this is (as it vvere) to spoyle him of his dignitie and the royal scepter, and to plucke him downe frō his throne, and to take from him his royal Diadem, vvhich the father gaue him, and to make, that GOD hath not kept his promisse. They vvhich vse thies vvoordes are not in the Church them selues sayth S. Augustin. ‘Aug. in psalm. 101. Thou sayest: that the Church is not extant, because thou art not in her. Look vvell to the matter: thou art not in dede in her: but she is and shal be extant, though thou art not.’ Al that the scripture doth teach Numer. 20. 3. Reg. 8. Math. 18. Acto. 15. 18. & 20. feighteth against this impudent saying. It hath bene foretold that the glorie of the secound house of GOD shal be greater then the glory of the first: that she shal reach [Page 39] from one sea to an other: from the Orient 1, Tim. 3. Psal. 1 [...]. Esa, 2, Dan. 2. Mich. 4. Math. 7. to the Occident: that she shal fill Asia, Affrica, Grece, Italy, all tounges, all nations, and the Iles ferre of: and that the sauiour shal make as it vvere nevv heauens, and nevv earth: so that the Sinagogue in comparison of the Church is no more then one starre in comparison of the Sonne, and had but fevv litle spartles of that light whre of the full brightnes is spred vpon the Church. Origin sayth, that the first signe Iud. 6. giuen to Gedeon of the flyse only devved from heauen, the earth round about remaining all drye, did prefigure the Sinagogue: and the secound signe of all the earth bedevved, the flyse contynevving drie did prefigurat the Churche. In Daniel also, the Church vvas prefigured by the Dan. 2. litle stone cut from the mountaine vvithout hand of man, the vvhich hauing broken the Image of Gold, of Syluer, of brasse, of Iron, and of clay, vvhich did represent the Empires of the vvorld, became a great mountaine, and did fill the vvhole earth, vvhere vpon sanct Augustin doth argue against the heretikes: ‘If the Ievyes be sayd to be blinde for not hauing seene the stone being but litle, [Page 40] what blindnes is that in them which can not see the same being a mountaine? so those (saith he) which denie the Church dispersed throwgh the world, doe not stumble against de litle stone but against the moūtaine.’ Esaie expressely fortold, that the Church Esa. 2. 54. 66. shal be as a mountaine manifestly, lifted vp aboue the mountaines whervnto all nations Matt. 5. shall resort: ‘vvhich our Sauiour him selfe confirmed, saying that his Church is a citie set on a montaine which can not be hidden, what shal I say more’ (sayth S. Augustin)? ‘the Churche, is shee not manifest? doe not we shew it with our fingar? and those that doe not see so great a mountaine, be they not blinde which against the shining candle, put in a candelsticke do shut theyr eyes?’ S. Bernard writeth elegātly hereof against the heretikes of his time: ‘the stone cutt without the hand is becomme the mountaine filling the vvorlde; and thincke you (saith he) that it is within your dennes? this is to calūniat al the vniuersal vvorld.’ Thou maiest easily see the citie sett vpon a mountaine, the Church catholique which can not be hiddē: Moreouer S. Augustin saith, that by Gods prouidence, it Aug. in psal. 101. hath bene so disposed, that the testimonies of Iesus Christ are obscure in the olde prophets, but those of the church are manifest, to [Page 41] the end that men should haue recourse to the Church for coūseil, to learne of hir their saluation. And he saith forther that the Church sithens the Apostles time hath not only not lost any part of her light, but also hath alwayes augmented the same, still proceeding and encreasyng, as the new moone from smal light to a greater. If any one (saith he) doe not perceiue the moone in the first point of hir increasing, one might excuse the vveakenes of his eyes: but he that doth not perceiue the same in her fulnes, that man is starke blinde. From the tyme of the Apostles, vvhen the Church did not shew as yet very much hir face vpon the arth, simple men were deceiued by false teachers, saying, here is the Church, here is Christ, vvounding (as it vvere in the dark of the moon) simple and plain meaning folke: but now how blinde is he that erreth in the ful moone? Pope Leo the S. Leo. first, S. Hilaire, and other auncients, vvhich liued in the mayn course of mightie heresies S. Hilarie. doe vvitnes, that the Church vvas neuer darkenid sithens the Apostles, by the infectiō of heresies. The Church (say they) may be diminished in the Globe of multitude of children, but not in light and clearnes: much lesse by the persecutions of tyrannes: for (as sayeth Tertullian) the bloud of Christians is the [Page 42] seed of the Church, and euerie martyr is as the grayne of wheate falling on the earthe, which bringeth foorth manye. Poore Cicero Cic. l. 2. q. Ac. searching the soueraigne God, complaineth, saying, by the dissention of philosophers vve are constrained to be ignorant of our Lord, and can not know vvhich is he that vve ought to worship for Lord and gouerner of the world. This can not besayd of the Church; the contradictions which heretikes doe make against her, doe not darken her, but make her rather better knowne. and (as Vincentius Lyrinensis sayth) Vinc. Lyr. doe scoure her and make her brighter, geuing occasion to catholikes to vnderstand cleerlie and feruentlie that vvhich before they beleued couertly and coldly. And it is certeī that the Church had more knowleige of God, in some certein articles in the tyme of S. Augustin, then in other tymes before; and in the tyme of S. Bernard, then in the tyme of S. Augustin: and at this day more then she had since the tyme of the Apostles: so that ther is now none that seeth not cleerly in the light of the Church, except those vvhose eyes satan hath put out, and vvhich are willingly blynde: sith all now doe know vvhere is the cheire of S. Peter, the Church Catholike, Apostolique and Romain; which [Page 43] hath the name of Catholike, the succession of Bishoppes sithens S. Peter to this day; the consent of people, and nations, and many other wel knowen markes, whiche do distingwishe the same from all false religion, of panims, of Iewes, and of heretikes, and doth make it sufficiently euident, that none can be excused, neither those which refuse to ioyne vnto her, nor those that do depart from her. I wil not here sett downe all the markes of the true Church, as if this present treatice were to that end, but I shal touche only some few.
TWELVE MARCKES OF the true Church.
1 THe first marke of the true Church is the name Catholike, which although all heretikes would pretend to be theirs, yet neuer could they obthain thus much, (sayth S. Augustin) S. August. lib. cont. epi. fund. c. 4. that if a Panime demaunded of an heretike the place where the Catholikes doe assemble them selues, he durst not shew his owne Sinagogue. And S. Ciril sayth, if thou goest in a Cyril. cat. 18. citie, doe not aske vvhere is the Church, nor where the house of GOD is: for the heretikes say that they haue the Church, and the howse of god: but aske where is the [Page 44] Catholike Church, for that name Catholike is proper to the holy Church, mother of vs all, that are of right beleif: and an heretyke vvould be mocked and laughed at to shew his Churche for the catholike. Pacianus hath treated of this point expressely where he saith: Christian is my name, Catholike is my surname: that doeth name me, this maketh me knowne: the name catholike is not deriued of any one man: it doth not sound any thing of an heretike: it is not referred to any particullar Authour; it agreeth to the principal head & body of that tree, vvhose braunches beinge cutt of, are the sectes of heretikes: but the tree it selfe liueth, mainteined by his roote: and cōtineweth alwaye the same, vvhich is all one whole body, and called Catholike: but euerie heresie taketh the name of some one which is the authour therof: where vpon S. Athanasius [...]than. serm. [...]nt. Arria. against the Arrians sayth: Christian people neuer tooke their names of their Bishoppe: no, we are christians, and so named, not of the Apostles them selues, but of our lord in whome we haue beleued by the voice of Bishoppes and Apostles, Those which haue taken their faith of others are by good right surnamed from the cheefe of their heresie. Lactantius sayth, the only Catholike [...]ct. li. 4. c. 3. Church is that which keepeth the true worshippe; [Page 45] of God: this is the fountein of trueth, the house of faith, the temple of God: in whom if any do not enter, or from whom if any doth depart, he cutteth him self of from hope of lyfe, and of euerlasting saluation: but euerie sect of heretikes doth pretend that the catholike Church is on ther syde: how be it bearing the names of Marcionites or Arrians, they are no more Christians; they haue lost their name christian in taking straunge names of men. Likewise Iustine the martyr: S. Ireneus S. Iohn S. Chrys. h [...]. 33 in act. Apost. Iust. mar. contriph. S. Ir [...]n. lib. 1. ca. 20. Chrisostome, The sectes (say they) be called of the name of the arche heretike, but to vs, no man hath giuen a name: faithe it self which is catholike surnameth vs so: and S. Ierome; If thou S. Hieron. cont. Luciferanos. heare those which are called Christians, to beare a name: not of our lord Iesus Christ, but of some other, (as Marcionites, Valentinians) know ye certenly that they are not the Church of Iesus Christ, but a Sinagoge of Antichrist.
Now yow poore abused Lutherans and Caluinists, be holde the horroure of your bothomlesse pitt; you are no more Christians; and you haue no part in the saluation by Iesus Christ. All aucient Fathers do witnesse with one consent, that the only Catholike is in the Church of Iesus Christ; and all that bear the name of one particular man be heretikes, and excluded from the kyngdome of Iesus Christ. Those witnesses can not be [Page 46] reproued: and this is one marueilous iudgement of God against heretikes, and a comfort for the Catholikes: by the Creed of the Apostles, it is a necessarie consequens, that any Church (if it be a true) must needes be catholike: but there is not a societe in the vvorld, which doth possesse the name Catholike, saue only the Romain Church. All others will call them selues, Arrians, Lutherans, Caluinists, the reformed Church, Gospellers, Protestāts, and such other kinds of special names as they haue: but Catholikes doe not so, for in all parts of the vvorld (vvhere the name Catholike Church doth sounde) it is intended and vnderstood, to be the Romain Churche, yea by the heretikes them selues. A mā that passeth by Geneua being asked what he is, if he answere, I am a Catholik, is taken of no man there for a Caluinist. Seek not here to blynde your selues against so manifest a trueh: but forsake both the sect, and also the name of these wicked deceiuers, the Archeheretikes of this tyme, which will draw you with them selues in to their, bottomlesse pitt of euerlasting damnation, if you do not enter again in to the Church and mount vp in to the firmament of Catholikes.
2 The secound marke of the true Church is the succession of Bishoppes sithens S. Peter, [Page 47] to this day, which neuer hath bene interrupted; the vvhich succession the fathers haue alwayes obiected against heretikes of their tyme as an inuincible argumēt, for euen as to the propagation of mankinde, mariage is necessarie: so to the procreation of the children of God according to the spirit, the order of preisthood is instituted, vvhich can not be continewed perpetuallie, but by spiritual propagation from those priests whom Iesus Christ did first institute. It is not so of kings, as it is of preistes, for if all the kings of the earth should faile at once: the people might create new. But if all the priests of the world should happen to fayle: it is not in the power of all mankinde to make new. Their institution is diuine, and not humain. Iesus Christ him selfe must come again in person in to this vvorld for to institute som new. S. Ireneus Iran. li. 3, c. 3. sayth, that by this succession all heretikes be cōfounded: for neuer heretike could shew his next predecessor in communion of doctrin. And to proue that the Romain Church is the true Church, he rekeneth the Bishoppes of Rome from S. Peter, vnto S. Eluther the Pope of his tyme, vvhich vvas the twelveth. Tertullianus, Eusebius, Prosper, S. Hieronimus, S. Augustin, Epiphanius, Optatus, and all the auncient fathers haue vsed this argument [Page 48] against heretikes. Tertullian sayth, shew the Tertul. lib. de praescr. begin̄ing of your churches, and the orderlie succession of your Bishoppes deriued by succession frō some one of the Apostles, as vve doe shew the orderlie succession in the Romain Church, from S. Peter. Account (sayeth 8. Aug. epist. 165. in psal. S. Augustin) the priests sithens the state of S. Peter: and look in to that order of fathers vvhich haue succeded one an other: and you shal fynde that the Romain Church is the same stone, that the proud gates of hell can not vanquish. And he sayth further, that the Aug. cont. ep. fundam. succession of priests in the romain Church by one continual line holdeth him in that Church. Likerwise, Optatus, Shew (sayth he) the first beginning of your chayer, you which wil Optatus lib, 2. chalenge the holy Church vnto your selues. And Epiphanius hauing orderlie recited the names of all the Bishops from S. Peter, vnto Siricius then Bishop, which was the thirtie eight, Epiph. har. 27. he addeth: Let no man meruail if we be so exact in this recital, for by thies things the euident trueth of the Church doth alvvayes shevv it self. If then those auncient fathers haue so greatlie estemed that continuation of twelue, twentie, or forty souerain bishops, successors of S. Peter: how much stronger is that argument at this day for vs which shew the continuacion of more than two hundred thirtie thre, without [Page 49] exception. This argument is insoluble: and all the heretikes of the worlde cā not answer the same, for the Church can not be without priests, nor without Bishops and pastors. There must needes be (as S. Paul sayth) some for the edefying of the body of Iesus Christ, Ephe. 4. vntil he come to iudge the worlde. And (as S. Hierome sayth) the Church which is without priests is not a Church: and none S. Hierom. can be priest, if he be not ordeined by a Bischop, being successor of the apostolike priesthode. This marke is not only most certain, & most euident, but forcible to know Con. Laud. con; 12, do. 61. c. the true Church. for where the succession of priesthode is, there is the succession of doctrine: Moyses, the prophets, our sauiour him selfe in the Gospel doth affirme the same. Deut. 17. Math. 2. Now then, we shew the succession of priesthode of the soueraign Bishop of this tyme, by ascending frō predecessor to predecessor vpward, vntil we arriue at S. Peter, and enter as it were in to the side of Iesus. Your Caluin seing him selfe by this argumēt so intangled Caluin. that he could not slip away, he striueth, he wringeth him selfe, he tourneth and tosseth, he broyleth with so great rage, as he speweth out a whole flud of iniures against Popes, priests, and Bishops. Oh the madde dogge, seing cleerlie that succession is a verie [Page 50] certein signe of the true Church, to which he could not answer, whereby he is proued to be a deceiuer sent of the deuil: he casteth from the poysonful pit of his harte, iniureis sufficient to darken the heauen. O ye Lutherans, and Caluinists, if you be capable of reason; if you may be taught by the holie Ghost, if you be touched with the desire of your saluation: then examin you without passiō this argument: hearken to that which your own consciences shal teache you, and be ye not enemies to your own saluation. For sithins that you haue not the order of priesthood from any Bishop, successor to the Apostles: you are owt of the communion of the Church of IESVS Christ; you be without Church, without priesthood, and without any mediation towards God: for that you haue not any preist of the order of the Mediator. Your ministers be those that S. Ciprian speaketh of, who without lawful S. Ciprian lib. 4. ep. 9. calling, without gods ordinance, without ecclesiastical order, doe appoint them selues to be head ouer rash men, take to them selfs titles of Bishops: and like apes, they resemble mens actions; and them selues being not in in the Church counterfait the face of the Church; arrogating to them selues her authoritie, & truth; blessing others, being them [Page 51] selues cursed of God: promising life, being thē selues dead: calling vpon God, being blasphemers: administring priesthood, being thē selues prophane: presenting thē selues to the altar as intercessors to God, being thē selues sacrilegiouse, & prouokers of gods wrath: their preaching is not preaching, but preuarication of the woord of God: their priesthood is not priesthood, but a seruice of the deuil, and ministerie of Antichriste. for Apes be alwayes Apes, and neuer shal be men: and heretikes alwayes heretikes, how so euer they doe counterfait, and neuer shal be Catholikes, except they enter again in to the bosom of the Church, where the lauful succession of priesthood of the Apostles doth remain.
3 The third marke is Antiquitie: for euen as the good seed was sowen in the field by the house houlder, before the cockle by the enemie: so it is certein, that the true church is more auncient than the false. Now, that the catholike, Apostolike, and Romain Church is the same that IESVS Christ him selfe hath instituted, & more auncient then all the sects of heretikes, this argumēt wil forse them to confesse.
In all notable chaunges of religion six things are to be marked: the Author: the new opinion: the tyme when it began: the place where it began: the Impugners that it had: the small [Page 52] number of folowers when the same began to make her separation of communion from the religion that it dyd forsake. first, vve know that the Author of the heresie of Arriās was a preist of Alexandria named Arrius: of Nestorians a Bishop of Constātinople named Nestorius: of Lutherans a monk of the order of S. Augustin named Luther. Secondlie we know that the new doctrine of Arrius imported, that the sunne of God was a creature: Of Nestorius, that there was two personnes in Iesus Christ: Of Luther, that the Eucharist is not a sacrifice, and that man is Iustified by that onely special faith which he hath of his own iustification. Thirdlie we know that the sect of Arrius dyd beginne the yere of our Lord 324. that of Nestorius, the yere of 431. that of Luther, the yere 1517. Fowertlie we know that the Arrianisme dyd beginne in Aegipte: the heresie of Nestorius in Thrace: that of Luther in Saxonie. Fiftlie we know that the Arrians were Impugned by Pope Syluester, by the Councel of Nice, by S. Athanasius' by S. Hilarie, and many others: the Nestorians by Pope Celestin, by the Councel of Ephesus, by S. Ciril, and many others: the Lutherans by Pope Leo the tenth: by the Councel of Trent, by all vniuersities catholikes, and by many Doctors. Finally, vve know that in the beginning [Page 53] when all those archeheretikes did separate them selues from the communion of catholikes, they were small in number, an that euen then the catholikes were dispersed throughout the world in infinite numbers. None of all those thinges can be obiected by the Lutherans and Caluinists againste the catholikes. First they haue neuer obiected vs, the autor of our faith contrary to theirs: neither haue they named vs after any particular man, vvhich they wolde verie willinglie haue done if they could. Secondly they doe not shew the beginninge of any our nevv doctrine, if they ascend not vp to the Apostles vvhose nouelty is ours, and is our antiquitie against all heresies. They are not also hable to shew any tyme certain of our faling from the Church: nor the place, neither where it should haue begun; nor those which did impugne the same, as new: nor that any councels haue bene celebrated against her: nor finally that this our Church catholike, Apostolike, and Romain, did separate it self from some greater, that was before, in such sorte as those which did cō municate with the Romaine Church vvere fewe in member, and that the rest of Christians were farre more greater. For it appeareth by the epistles of S. Gregorie, the Pope [Page 54] vvhich he did vvrite to the Bishops of the East, of Afrike, of Spaine, of France, of Italie, that almoste all the Christians of the world did cōmunicate with him. Now it is a thovvsand yeeres past sithens S. Greg: and the doctrine of faith vvhich he did teache, is the same that the Church doth teach at this day.
4 The fowerth marke is continewance without being interrupted. It is foretould in Daniel, Dan. 9. that the raigne of the church shall neuer be dispersed: and in sanct Paule, that heresies 2. Tim, 3. can not long stand: the Churche being like the brightnes of the firmament vvhich shineth in perpetual eternitie: Heresie is as a Comet conceiued of the vapours of the earth, vvhereof the flame ceaseth so sone as his earthly norishement doth faile. The Church in an other sorte is as a continual flud which can not drye. Heresie is as a flud of tempest vvhich presently doth faile: wherof S. Augustin sayth: Be not you (sayth he) amased to see the fluds swellinge and roaringe In illud psa. 97 Ad nihilum d [...]u [...]n [...]ent tanquam aqua de [...]urrens. for a tyme. It is a violence of vvater vvhich runneth downe, and shall cease verie sone: for the same can not long continue. many heresies be alredie dead▪ they haue runne in theyr channel as long as they could; they be slydden away: the rootes be drie: and hardlie shal one finde the marcke where [Page 55] they were. It is verie certein that the Church catholike, Apostolike and Romain hath cō continued since the Apostles in her visible brightnes vnto this day: vvhich thing if heretikes doe not fullie grant, yet doe they confesse that those things which they blame in the same, vvere alredie brought in before a thowsand, or twelue hundred yeres. But vvhat heresie hath euer lasted any thing near that tyme? yet I vvil confound them by this argument: Before that Luther did start vp, besydes the Romaine Church, there was not in the vvorld but thes religions, Paganisme, Iudaisme, Machometisme, and the relikes of Nestorianisme in Grece. But it is certein by the confession of Lutherans and Caluists them selues, that the Church of IESVS Christe was not in any one of thies sectes; vvhereof it foloweth that she was in the Romaine Church, or els quyte extinguised in al the vvhorld, vvhich can not be. Trulie this marke of the true church is famous: for sythens Theobutes and Simon Magus the first Archeheretikes vntil Luther, two hundred diuers heresies haue had their course, wherof some were vpholden by verie mightie Patrones: by Emperours, by kynges, by lerned men, making innumerable books, out of the vvhich a man vvoulde haue sayed [Page 56] that they could neuer be blotted. And notwithstanding, by the wonderfull prouidence of God thei be so weeded out of the earth, that there remaineth nothing at all, nether of the followers, nor of their bookes, nor of theyr doctrine, nor any signe at all, but that which is found in the bookes of catholikes; who if they had not written their names in their books, vve had not knovven that such heresies had euer bene in the vvorld: and there is no doute but the flouds of heresies of theis tymes vvil also slyde avvay shortly.
5 The fyueth marke of the true Church is the largenes of the raigne. And this marke is verie euident in the Catholike Church, the which doth fructifie throughout the vniuersal vvorld in both the hemispheres; And the sunne doth not streache his beames further then she. I know vvel that she hath not the temporal regiment of external Iustice throughout the whole vvorld: but she hath euerie where obedient childrē. So that there is no tonge, nor people, nor climat of countrie inhabited, vvhere (if perhaps the most parte be not carholikes) yet at the leaste there are some. I say some notable number; which assamble them selues in the Church and cō municate Catholiklie in the Sacraments of [Page 57] the Church: among the Turkes, among the Persians, among the Tartarians, among the Panymes, throughout the compasse of the earth: for the carholike Church is not restreined vvithin the bonds of Italie, Fraunce, Spaine, Germanie, England, Polland, Rome, Hungarie, Greece, Siria, Armenia, Ethiope, Egipt, and other countries vvherof the names are vvel knovvn vnto vs, and where the Catholikes be in infinite number: but she doth spread her self in to the new world, and in all those foure partes of that nevv vvorld, vvhere she hath many Churches, without mingling of heresies: of the East syde in the Indians: of the west syde in America: towardes the north in Iapon, towards the south in Brasilia: what heresie is that, that euer had such largenes? As for the sectes of Lutherans and Caluinists, they haue not passed in Asia, nor into Africa, nor in to Grece, nor into many prouinces of Europe. Yea euen in the verie springs of mischief in the North, where heresies haue most might, there are not two townes neighbours possessed of one self sect. All heresie is as a serpent. A serpent neuer S. August. lib. de pasto. ca. 8. & lib. de vtil. credendi cap. 14. & 17. departeth farre of from his denne. And S. Augustine sayth very wel that the Church is euery where, heresie also euery where: But the Church is one and the self same euery [Page] vvhere, where as heresies be not the same euery where: but be of great diuersitie, the one not knowinge the other. Wherof it doth appeare (sayth he) that none of those is the Catholike Church. And he compareth heresies to boughes cut from the vine which abide in the place vvhere they fall vvithout fructifying: wher as the Church is the liuelie stocke, which doth bring fruit in all hir braunches throughout whereso euer she doth extend her self.
6 The sixt marke is the conquest of the world by efficacie of doctrine, which is the doctrine of the true Church, being liuelie, mightie, more pearsing then any two edged swoord and cōuerting effectuallie the soules to God. The Philosophers (sayth S. Athanasius) with loftines of learning, and magnificence of speche could neuer perswade any one citie to take their laws of them, for that (sayth he) their doctrine was dead and without force; and their speche did not proceed of the spirit of God, but of the spirit of man. Neither did any man euer read that the heretikes conuerted Idolators or Iewes to the faith. Their care (sayth Tertullian) is not to conuert straungers to Iesus Christ, but to peruert hys domesticals, Tert. lib. de presc. har. and those which he alredy gotten to him▪ not to geue lyfe to the dead, but to giue deadlie poison [Page 59] to the liuing: not to lifte them vp which be on the grounde, but to make them fall that stand vpright. The efficacie of their doctrine is not to edifie; it serueth but to distroy, and this marke doth shew it self very openlie in thies our dayes. Here is now the very large harvest of the new world in ripenes. It behooueth to send workmen: but from whence doth the Lord of the haruest take them? The Church catholike, and heresie making both profession to be of Iesus Christ, their dueties are, to increase the howsehold of Iesus Christ asmuch as they can, by conuerting the infidels to the faith. This notwithstanding because IESVS CHRIST vvil not be planted in the hartes of straungers by other handes then of his deare spouse, therfore the catholikes only are they which preache the Gospel to Idolators, and gaine them to Iesus Christe. The heretikes haue neuer drawn the least prouince from Paganisme to Christianitie. when we haue conuerted thē to Iesus Christ: the heretikes come afterwardes to deceiue them. But men see that God doth not permit the worke of conuerting them, to any other then to his true Church: as we being those Soc. l. 4. c. 27. Soz. l. 6. [...]. 37. Theod. l. 4. only which be the fishers of men; those alone which draw the soules of men from the sea of infidelitie, to the shoar of Christianitie. [Page 60] The heretiks neuer throwe their nettes in sea, but after that we haue put the fish vpon the shoar, then they put all their gloire to rob and carie away some litle fishe, as theues & not as fishers. Euen so the Gothes being alredy made Catholike, demaunding Catholike Bishops for to gouern their churches; Valence sent them Arrians for to subuert them. The cause why the heretikes can not conuert the infidels to the faith is, for that propounding the scripture, they doe not propound the true sense vvhich is properlie the svvoard of the spirit. The vvordes of the scriptures are but as the sheath which holdes the sworde of the spirite. They then fighting, not vvith the sworde, but vvith the sheath onlye, it is no merueil if they doe not pearse the hartes of Infideles. Besydes that the heretikes and Idolaters belonge all to one self maister: But in the Romain church, not onlie at the beginning, but euen at all tymes this efficacie hath bene found. This is the Romain Church vvhich did first conuert the Englishe men to the faith in the tyme of S. Gregorie the Pope: This is the Romain Church vvhich did conuert the Saxons and the vvhole coutrey of Almains, in the times of Pope Conon, and of Pope Zacharie: This is the self same Church that conuerted the [Page 61] Vandales, Bulgarians, Sclauonians, Polonians, Danes, Norwaies, Hungarians, Morauians, vvith infinite kinges & people. And it is not past twoo hundred yeares ago syns rhat one only mounke S. Vincent of the order of S. Dominike did conuert to the faith 25000. as vvel Iewes as sararins. It is in our tyme that the new vvorlde receiued the faith of the Romaine Church. And it is not many yeres ago syns that some Turkes & some Ievves vvere baptized at Rome and other places in the Romain Church. The Lutherans & Caluinists can not boaste them selues to haue conuerted to their sect neither Panimes nor Turkes, nor Iewes, vvhervpon it doth appeare that they be of the spirite of the deuil, sithens that all their force is no maner of waye to get the Infidels, but only to distroy the Christians.
7 The seuenth marke is the conformitie of doctrine with the Primitiue Church. Now that the auncient fathers did teach the same doctrine that we doe at this day, and condemned for heretical that whiche we condemne, their bookes beare vvitnes therof; of the vvhich I wil say further, that who so euer readeth them shal necessarelie frame to him self a catholike spirit, and shal neuer after drinke the venim of any heresie. For all thies [Page 62] fathers, as they vvere well instructed vpon what states the holy Ghost doth rest him self: so doe they breathe out nothing but humilitie, abatement of presumption, abnegation or denial of them selues, a soueraigne reuerence to the Church, a perpetual flame of charitie, and a care of spiritual vnitie, and as a man might saye, an indiuisibilitie with the Church.
8 The eight marke is holines of doctrine; (that is to saye) vvhen the profession of doctrine doth not contein any falsehood concerning matter of faith; nor iniustice concerning maners: by the vvhich marke, it is conuicted that there is no true Church in the vvorld but the catholike Church. For there is not a sect in the vvorld be it of the Panimes, Iewes, Turkes, or of heretikes as vvel olde as new, but it doth contein in her doctrine some manifest impietie, or some iniustice directly contrary to reason▪ as the sect of Caluin doth make God authour of sinne: and as much the cause of the treason of Judas, as of the conuersion of S. Peter: and doth teache that the christiā can not do any good worke. Besyds that, al theyr writings be impugnours of chastitie, of virginitie, of Religion: inveihing against fasting, against vovves, against all orderlie deuotion in the church: [Page 63] establishing all vice: prouoking to dispaire: & laboring to extingwishe the seed of immortalitie in the hartes of men. But the Church catholike is perfaictlie holie and immaculate in her doctrine: she doth teach many things in her misteries aboue reason, but nothing against reason: she doth teache to auoide sinne; she doth correcte transgressors; she doth comfort the penitentes: she doth exhorte all her childrē to walke holilie, iustlie, religiouslie in all their wayes; and to haue their verie thoughts holie, purging, illuminating, & making them perfect for to present them holie to God. Come (sayth S. Augustin) to our Churches; there is nothing set foorth to see, or to follow vvich is impossible; nothing vniust, nothing impure: there be insinuated the comandementes of the true God, or his marueilles declared, or his giftes praysed, or his graces demaunded. And ther is no perfect ioye nor true consolation in the vvorlde but there: for that there is not any remissiō of sinnes in the world but there.
9 The ninth marke is holines of lyfe, aswel in priests as in the people. I know that this marke although many doe cauil at it, yet is it forceible: & more notorius in catholikes, thā in all the sectaries of the world. S. Chrysostome sayth, that all the kindes of Iustice that the seruants [Page 64] of God haue in truth, the seruants of the deuil may haue the same in dissimulation. The deuil (sayth he) hath his meeke men, and his humble men: he hath his chaste men, his almes giuers: his fasters, and all kinde of goodnes that god hath created for the saluation of men. The deuil hath brought in the same kind for to deceiue them: to the end that between the true good and the good faigned there should be a confusion, by the which the symple not being easelie hable to discerne the true good from the good faigned, whiles they searching the men of God, they light vpon men of the deuil: and there is not any thing but onlie charitie, that the vncleane spirit can not counterfeit. All apparence of Iustice is found in deceiuers except onlie charitie, which is not found but in the onlie seruants of God: The holie Ghoste hath reserued to him self onlie this vertue of charitie, in such sort, that by no other action of Iustice a man may so wel discerne where the holie ghost is, as by the vertue of charitie.
All heresies at te beginninge come masked with a superficial holines, whiche for that it is not of the spirit of God, can not soundlie be there setled. And as the ape learned by arte to hold the candle after he hath stode some small while in stead of a candelstik, at the sight of a nut caste before him leaueth all for to runne after it: euen so they can not long time indure without manifesting the [Page 65] spirit wherof they be. And as theyr father was a morderer from the beginning, so they be come straight waies theeues, kindlers of Ioh. 8. discention, worse then Panimes and Barbarians, and aboue all other vices, Pride is to them peculiar. whereof S. Augustin sayth: Insundrie places there be sundrie heresies, but one Aug. l. de past▪ only mother pride hath ingendred them all, as also our onlie mother the Catholike Church hath brought foorth all faithfull Christians dispersed throughout the world.
And all thes heresies doe springe by accident of some euil occasion. Egesippus speaking Egesipp. apud Eus. lib. 4. hist. cap. 22. of the first heretike, sayth thus. then the church was called a virgin, not being yet corrupted by adulterous doctrine, but one Theobutes for that Theobutes. he was denied a bishoprike; did beginne to trowble and corrupt all things. It apeareth in the ecclesiastical Act. 8. Tert. con. Valē. Epiph. he [...]4. Theod. l. 3. 5 historie that Simō Magus, Valentin, Marrian, Arrius, and all those olde monsters did spring out from thēse: for disdeining that others were preferred before them, they made a secte for to reuenge them selues, Apoc. 16. I. Coch. in actis Luth. 15 17. Luth. in ep. ad Argen. l. con. Aug. & l. de missa sing. being eloquent and of great witt, and of those that S. Iohn calleth false Prophetes issued out of the throat of the dragon: vncleane and deuelish spirits, practising the kinges of the earth. Luther witnessed his owne motiue in the first disputation aginst [Page 66] Ecchius, crying out, this cause is not begunne for the loue of God: Him self hath written that willinglie he would haue denied the presens of Iesus Christ in the Eucharist, if the scripture had not bene so cleare; for that therby (sayth he) he did see that he might do much hart to the Papacie. He boasteth him self, that kinges, Princes, and Popes were not worthie to vntie the latche of his shoes: he sayed that he would that they should holde him for a holie man whether men would or no: that he did not esteme muche a thowsand Ciprians, a thowsand Augustins: And for to shew more plainlie that his father is the king ouer all the children of pride, he sayth, that the deuil did teache him that the masse was an euil thing, and that persuaded by the Conrae. Gesn. in Bibl. Luth. reasons of the deuil he did abolishe the masse. His owne followers them selues, haue described him to be a man full of a malitious spirit and without charitie, Erasmus sayth, that he was a manifest deceiuer; and that he Eras. ad vultu. did neuer see one of those which haue folowed him that did a mend them selues, but manye impaired. One of his owne ministers whriteth in this maner, to the end that all the world may know that they be not Papistes, and that they do not trust any vvhit at all in good vvorkes, they doe none at all: and [Page 67] hauing chaunged the spirite of humilitie into arrogancie, & redoubling their first dissolutions without fasting, without almes, [...] Luth. in [...] [...]up [...]uan [...]. call that kinde of life an euangelical [...] Luther him self hath acknowleged that his owne disciples gaue them selues to be more reuengeful, more couetous, proude, vnmercifull, vnrulie, and muche worse then they had bene, then vvhen they vvhere Papists. Which thing the principal Lutherans perceiuing, and that their corruption vvas cheeflie caused for that they had taken away auriculer confession, they vvhere desirous to restore the same again by vvay of policie: & for to constraine the people there to, they did present a request to the Emperour Charles the fifte, who refused to heare, them, except they would vnite them selues againe to the Church. His disciples Caluin and Beza Soto in 4. libr. sent. vbi de c [...] fess. auric. did not so much as couer them selues vvith sheepes skinnes, but beinge verie noon-deuils DEMONIA MERIDIANA haue painted out them selues as Apostatas of nature, publishing their sinnes like Sodome, and not hiding the same; hell it selfe could not cast forth more filth then the schoole of those abhominable Pentapolitaines or Gomorits. They haue digged out of the earth the bookes of impietie and ethnical [Page 68] corruptions vvhich our forefathers had buried. They haue thereof made commentaries, and put them in french for to infecte therwith the vvorld: An horrible thing, that they haue not bene ashamed to call thē selues waldins: to write that they helpe them Beza imag. selues with empoisoning; with witche craft, withe Magick, and with the deuelishe arte for to dispatch them selues of their euil willers. I would neuer haue beleued that Sathan had bene so impudent, if I had not seen the same in their bokes. They do reuile all auncient fathers with shameful iniureis, exalting the olde heretikes so farre, that they call S. Herome a peruerse spirit, Cal. in har. euā. and wicked: & IOVINIAN which was an heretike they call an holie man: and say, that S. Hierom and S. Augustin in that, that they did gainsey IOVINIAN were thē selues heretikes. And it is a wonderful doltish folie in them whom they haue bewitched, that they doe not recouer any space of time, for to consider their illusions: and whereof it cometh that in their writinges do appeare so many iniureis, such false accusations, and lyes, and not any light of Charitie, or grief of scandel of their neighbours, turning al accidents of disorder in to mockery or matter of detraction, in their behauiours. The fabulouse [Page 69] goddesse Ate in Homer, did neuer make so many calamities as they haue made where they haue passed by. If their sectaries seing their steppes did cast ther eyes towardes thē, for to consider by the motion of vvhat spirit they haue burned our Churches, martired, cruellie our priestes, destroyed our howses, & committed a million of in humanities, they should see that such thinges be not the markes of the true church. The spirit of God is not in a tempest of wind ouerthrowing the monteignes and breaking the stones; it is not in a thundering commotion; it is not in in fier which doth distroy wher it passeth: it is in a sound of a spirit, calme, and gentle, woorking no harme nor ruine, but creating a new & reuiuing in such sort, as the scripture sayth that he did manifest him self to Elias. As for the Catholike people, it is too true that there be manie wicked, yet there are also many that fear God, loue theyr neighbour, and endeuor to kepe them selues vndefiled of this world: which had rather lose their goodes & their liues then the grace of God. The catholike people is as the graūge of a laborer full of sheaues of corne, whereof their doth not appear to the eies but the chaffe: Yet if one come to threshe the sheaues and put the graine bare apart, there [Page 70] wil be founde a good heape. I know men see not the good people goe to gether in troupes, but that the flud of corruption which hath swaie, hath ouerthrowen manie, and that it semeth, (as sayth the Prophet) that Sathan doth reape the field and gather the vines, and that God doth not but gleane or leaze after him. But yet I saye there be a good number which doe set them selues against the euil, and continue stil standing vpright, holding them selues fastened to GOD and wil be raither crushed to pieces then to seperate them selues from him: VVho if they fall somtime by infirmitie, yet they rise againe quickly, mainteining their custome of weldoing, and praying vnto God incessantlie that he will fortifie them: and when they must resolue them selues, will forsake all the respectes of the world for the honour of God.
As for our priests it can not be dissembled, but that there be dreedfull scandals, and all good people haue their hartes wounded to see the disorders that be in them: those men that deserue high punishment haue there the highest honours, and the mindes of the comen people, which are moued more by by exemple, than by reason, doe fall by to much marking the maners of manye prelates. [Page 71] But what so euer confusion there be, yet are there some found not vnworthie, dispersed here and there, doing their charge with reuerence. The grief is that the greater parte doth surmount the better; and there are not to furnishe euerie where. It is our parte to praye that when the Iudasses & traitors shal be gone into thir places, GOD will giue vs Mathiasses. for to supplie their romthes againe. In the mean tyme, good or bad as we haue them we honor them, as ministers and dispensers of the ministeries of God. We know that we must alwaies make distinction betwene the vocation and the person. In mines of golde and siluer, one shal not finde the golde all pure: there is but one litle vein vpon a grain of the earth: Yet men let not for that, to take that veine and leaue the earth. Now the golde and the siluer be the Sacramentes and the vvord of God: the earth is the corrupted maners. The holines of the church cōsisteth not in the persons, but in the Sacramentes sayth Optatus. The priestes for the reuerence of their priesthood ought Optatus. to be as Melchisedech without father, vvithout mother, vvithout genealogie, Hebr. 7. kinges of peace and of Iustice: that is to say, all spiritual, al pure, all holie, vvithout fleashelie affection, as if they vvere [Page 72] descended from heauen, not subiect to the passions of men: yf they be not such, if thei preach the good and do the euill, they be like the carpenters of the arke of Noe, which taking no care to saue them selues did not enter therin: or like the candle vvhich giueth light to others and consumeth it self; or as the markes which shew the vvay and sturre not from theyr place. Noe did not cast him self in to the water because of the vncleanes of the beastes vvhich weare in the arke: so vve must not depart from the Church for the vices of men. If a sike man should refuse the remedie of a Phisition, for that the phisition him self is subict to the like disease, he were misaduised. The grace of the Sacramentes is not of lesse force for the euill life of a priest: and the diuinitie can not be impeached by the corruption of persons. If the beames of the sunne do not defile them selues passing by vncleane places; much lesse doe the Sacramentes of god, wich be remedies purging al cōtagions. A man must neuer ground his religion vpon the perfection of creatures: for that vvere idolatrie. It is vpon the vvord of God that he must make his foundation. And I vvill say more, that it vvas expedient for vs, to haue for our pastors, men taken from among [Page 73] men, which be of fles he and blood as vve are, weake and vnperfect as wee, and can haue compssion on vs, for to distribute the Sacraments according as our weaknes doth require. If God had giuen vs Angels for pastors, they would haue required too great perfections of vs. God hath giuen to priestes the ministerie of his giftes. It is of priestes that our Sauiour doth say, as thow hast sent me to the worlde, sol I haue sent them into the world. I haue giuen them thy word, and I do not praie onlie for them, but for those which shall beleue in me by their word. How contemptible so euer the person of the priest be, I consider God in him, and not the man: and honoring the contemptible man, in that he is the vicar of God, I honour God more, than if I honored a holie man which were perfect: because I doe it not for any other respect than for the loue of God: where as in holie men, it is the holines of life & the prerogatiue of vertues which maketh them venerable. To be short, we must not onlie receiue Iesus Christ in his own person, but we also must receiue the holie Ghost in his Church: As Iesus Christ is the head, so the holie Ghost is the soule of the Churche; and the chaire of Iesus Christ shall not haue lesse priuileige than that of Moises. From Moises [Page 74] vnto the Messias, the Sinagogue alwayes taught the truth: so the chaire of Messias shal teach the truth, to the end of the world. The grace of the chaire is of that force, that the same doth constraine those to say wel which do not wel: but manie in that chaire do the one & the other. For conclusiō of this marke: Among Catholikes there be good people, & all may be such: but among heretikes there be none good, nor none can be.
10 The tenth marke is the gloire of mirakles, which be diuine operations surmounting Exod. 4. Math. 10. Ioh. 15. Mar. vlt. Haebr. 2. Aug. li. de vti. [...]red. & 22. de c [...]uit. Dei c. 8. Tert. l. de praes. the habilitie of all creatures, as to raise the dead, to make the blind to see, to helpe the lame, and to cure diseases which are naturalie incurable. And this marke is necessarie for to persuade a new faith, or an extraordinarie sending, euen according as the scripture and all the fathers doe teach. But neuer were there true miracles in the worlde but among the Iewes and the Catholikes: The Iewes haue not had anie, sithens Iesus Christ. The Mahometists haue neuer made anie: & Mahomet sayth in the Alcoran, that the miracles haue bene giuen to Iesus Christ, and the sword to him. The Panimes also neuer wrought any true miracles. Those wich they report touching an oxe and an Image vvhich did speake, water caried in a siue by a vestal [Page 75] virgin, a rasor that did cut a whetstone, and Tit. Liuius. Cicero. Val. Max. such like, be al light toyes tending not to the vinification or bettering of anie creature, but be secret trickes which the deuils might easilie doe for to amaze and to maintein the folies of Paganisme. But true and liuelie miracles bringing sound counfort to men, neuer Sathan nor his angels, nor the false prophets, nor the Panimes, nor the heretikes Suetonius. Corn. Tacitus. haue euer done any. Those that SVETONIVS and TACITVS haue written of Vespasian, that he did make one that was blinde to see with his spitle, and heale one that was lame, and an other that had a drie hande, those be the miracles of Iesus christe, which those prophane persons wold rob him of, for to attribute them to their Empereur: and they them selues discouer their theft by their owne writtings. TACITVS doth write that the saide blind man sayd to Vespasian, that he had in reuelation of the God Serapis, to come to him. Now the Panimes, which had not yet hearde then of IESVS Christ, did thinke that the Christians did worship Serapis, as it doth appeare an epistle of the Empereur Adrian to Seruianus consul, as apeareth in Vopiscus where he sayth: that in the towne of Alexandria they that worshippe Serapis were Christians. [Page 76] whereby one may see that the Author of the healing of that blind, was the God of the christiās. The cause of the error in the name Serapis, cometh of that, that thē throughout al the world, men talked of the miracles that Iesus Christ and his Apostles had done in Iurie, and the countres round about: and did not declare them according to the pure truth, as cōmonlie things which be done in countries fer of, be disguised and altered by them vvhich report them: & the Panimes at al times haue bene rashe & folishe to iudge of things to them vnknowen, giuing for historie that vvhich they did imagin, according to their darknes, as it appeareth euen by the scripture it self. Euen so the Siriās being ouercome by the Iewes, said that the God of the Iewes vvas the God of Mountanes, and 3. Reg. 20. 4. Reg. 18. that they must intrappe him in the valleis. Euen so Rapsaces did iudge that Ezechias had destroied the aultars of the God of the Iewes, whē he destroyed the idols. Likerwise the Licaonians did call Barnabas Iupiter, & S. Paul, Mercurie, for that he was the cheef speaker. In like manner the Panimes in the time of Act. 14. the Apostles vnderstanding that the Christians did vvorship Iesus Christ in the Eucharist, said that they did vvoorshippe Ceres and Bacchus. And aboue al the Panimes, Tacitus by his writings doth shewe him [Page 77] self to be a manifest sclanderer of matters Tac. l. 4. hist. both Christian and Iudaical. But yet to take the historie, as if there vvere no errour in the name of Serapis, and that the deed vvere auerred in the person of Vespasian: it vvas not a blinde man in deed, nor a lame man indeed which were healed by Vespasian. For Tacitus doth write that the Phisiciens assembled did saye, that the disease of those two were curable: that in the one the facultie of sight was not lost; and that the same might come again, if they did take from him the impediments: As to the other, he sayd that it was easye to helpe his legges. Therefore if the diseases which naturalie might be healed, haue bene cured by the craft of the deuil: that is not a true miracle. And it is credible which Tertullian sayth, that those diseases whereof the deuil, which Tert. in Apol. did hinder in the one the vse of the eie, and in the other the vse of the legges, to the end that he might seme to heale, vvhen he did cease to hurt, and to the ende that he might darken the true miracles of Iesus Christ, and of the Apostles. The true, certen, euident, and vnforged miracles haue neuer bene but in the Catholike Church, in the vvhich, at all times according to necessarie occasion God hath wrought them, in the beginning [Page 78] in infinite number: but sithens, that heuenlie plant hauing cast his rootes throughout the earth, and hauing no more need of such vvatering; they haue bene lesse frequented. for that it is not for the benefite of the Church to haue so often miracles. And yet not witstanding for the space of these thowsand yeres there hath no age passed without miraclcs in the Catholike Church authentiklie witnessed, and with out gainsaying: as the miracles done by Tharasius, S. Malachie, S. Bernard, S. Frauncis, S. Dominike, and others, which haue made the blinde to see, restored hearing to the Antonin. part. hist. cap. 23. deafe, holpen the lame, and raised the deade. And it is not much more then a hundred yeares from S. Vincent, he which did conuert 25. thowsand Iewes and Sarasins, of whom 38. dead men weare reised from death to life. Anthoninus which was of his time hath written the same. And all the people, Christians, Iewes, and Turkes did see the same. Of our time it hath bene written from the Indiens newlie discouered, that Francis Xauier priest, a Iesuit hath healed some of the palsey, some deafe, some domme, some blinde: and raised one dead, and hath done other miracles, witnessing that he was of the spirit of the Apostles: And all those holie [Page 97] persons were Catholikes. Manie haue written that Caluin & other new heretikes haue suborned poore people for to counterfait them selues to be dead, to the end that they might raise them again in the assemble of people, for to authorise their impietie: the which counterfaiting to be dead, haue dyed indeed in the act of their feyning, to the confusion of the deceiuers. In conclusion, the marke of the true miracles is not found in any place of the world, but in the Catholike Church.
11 The eleuenth marke, is the vnhappie end of the archeheretikes, & of princes their protectors, and the prosperitie of those that haue defended the Church. I know how much a mā must leane or trust to this marke; I know that God doth oftē spare the wicked, and doth fatten them vvith prosperities, & shevv him self more austere and hard to his true children, to the end to a vvake them again, and that they remain not setled in the earth. Therfore our faith hath other sounde groundes sufficient vvithout authorising her by euentes, vvhich may haue by the wil of God motiues vnto vs incomprehensible: and may happen somtimes vvith disaduantage (in respect of the vvorld) to the true children of God, as roddes and fatherlie [Page 80] chastisementes. But vve see ordinarilie that God doth shew him self so good a father, and so fauorable towardes those vvhich be couragiouse to defende his Church, that ouer and aboue the most happie eternitie, vvhich is assured vnto them, he doth reward them also temporallie: and strikes vvith ignominie and calamities, those vvhich be enemies to him. Among the Archeheretiks, Simon Magus caried by the deuil in the ayr, at the prayer of S. Peter did fall downe and all brused died shamefullie: Manicheus was flaine a liue by the king of Persia. Montanus did hang him self: Arrius being about to goe into the Church, sodeinlie died of an horrible death casting out his intrailes: Nestorius vvas eaten of vermin. Luther died sodenlie the same night that at sopper he had tippled square, gossiped, and made all the companie to laugh. Zvvinglius vvas slaine in vvarre against the Catholikes: Corolstadius slaine of a deuil by the testimonie of his own disciples. Caluin died yet more miserably. Among princes, Iulian the Apostata was slaine from heauen, and his bodie vvithout buryenge vvas swalowed vp of the earth, Valens burned a liue of the Arrian Gothes vvhom he had fauored. Anastasius vvas striken vvith thunder: Hunerick king of [Page] Vandals eaten vvith vermin: The 3. Herods, as also Nero, Domitian, Maximin and all the other persecutors of Christians be miserablie dead, either be killing them selues, or being cruellie killed by their owne men. Contrariwise all the Emperours and Catholike kinges which haue defēded the church, haue bene glorious in the vvorld: God hath made thē triūphe ouer their enemies, & hath giuen them their desires. The examples of Constantin, of Theodosius the elder & yonger, of Honorius & of others, doth proue the same. So longe as Heraclius vvas a good catholike, he prospered against the Persians: after that he bekame an heretike, he vvas vnhappie and died miserablie: Likewise Iustinian. And to be, short, sithens that the Emperours of the east, did vvithdraw them selues from the Romain Church, they grew from daie to daie in decaie, vvaxing weakar and weakar till they lost the Empire. It is apparent that the Emperours of the west haue floris hed more or lesse, according as their deuocion vvas more or lesse to the church: As for Fraunce vve can not denie that euer it hath bene in greater glorie and more redowted to the world, than when it vvas a refuge to Popes; and hath neuer declined so much as vvhen it hath bene against [Page 82] them. And of our kings, those which haue done most for the Romain Church, haue bene the most happie, most beloued of the people, and most dreadful to their enemies. In our time, in the yere 1531. the Catholike Suissers had fiue battailes against the heretik Suissers, and in them all the Catholikes did vanquishe the heretikes: & making finalie a peace, in the first article, the heretikes did write this clause: that from thense forth they would leaue in peace their confederates concerning the point of their true indoubted and catholike faith. And the catholikes this clause: that they vvould leaue their confederates in peace touching the point of their faith, vvithout adding this vvords true, indoubted, Catholike. In Germanie 1547. Charles the fifte vvith a small number had a marueilous victoire of the Lutherans, which had an armie of more then threescore thowsand men. In Fraunce the Catholikes haue alwaies for the most part ouercome the heretikes, as at the battell of dreuz, of Ierna, of Mountcounter, and seldome or neuer haue the heretikes in iuste battel ouercome the catholikes, neither in Fraunce, nor in flaunders, nor in Almaine, nor els vvhere: and vve shal see doubtles (vvith the grace of God) that those vvhich at this daie put [Page 83] them selues in force to defend the Church, God shal croune them vvith honour and glorie, and shal heape vnto them goods, prosperities, and temporal blessings, & shal cause his vvrath and all maledictions and shames to raigne vpon the persecutors, and vpon the secret traitors vvhich doe fauour heresie.
The twelueth marke, is the vnion of the members vvith their soueraine head, which is the successor of S. Peter, in the gouernement of the vniuersall Church. Our Sauiour being desirous to giue vs suer and setteled centre in the sphere of his church, from the vvhich all the lines of the doctrine of saluation should be drawen to the circumference of the vvorld, did chose the chaire of S. Peter, that is to say, the place consecrated by the seat and martirdom of S. Peter, the vvhich by prerogatiue of honour he did appoint to be head of the vnitie of his Church, making him, not his successor (for it is IESVS CHRIST him self, vvhich is alwaies the onlie true head of his Churche, remaining vnmouable and immortal, and vvhich neuer shal haue successor, making it fruitful alwais him self onlie, by his holie spirit.) But making him his depute, liftenant, and vice gerent in earth, in the outward [Page 48] ministerie and soueraine iurisdiction of his Church, and after him all his successors in the same sorte: So that the soueraine Bishoppes be vicars of IESVS CHRIST, and not successors: and successors of S. Peter not his vicars. who so euer wil take from the church, that Monarchie called the vicareige of IESVS Christ, he vvold haue a floke vvithout a pastor: an armie vvithout a leader: a bodie vvithout a head: a building vvithout foundation: and the starres vvithout their sonne; that is to save, he would haue the dispersiō of the flocke, the discomforture of the Armie, the death of the bodie, the ouerthrow of the building, the darkning of the starres; he would haue a confused chaos, disordered & voyd of all proportion, and an Anarchie or gouernemēt, more horrible, more confused and more disordered, than the bottomlesse pit it self; he deserueth not to be heard. God vvhich is the author of order and not of confusion, vvhich hath appointed an order among the Angels, wil not that we goe mingle mangle in the societie of this world. We know wel as touching the power of the order, vvhich concerneth the real bodie of the person of Iesus Christ, all priestes be equal to S. Peter, and to the soueraine bishoppe in the priesthood: But as touching [Page 85] the Iurisdiction vvhich doth concerne the bodie misticall of the church, there it is where there are different degrees, and where one soueraine head of all priestes is requisit, which may hold the principalitie ouer all the Ckurch. Who so euer dissembleth to Thirtie tvvo prerogatiues of S, Peter. see in the text of the gospel the principalitie of S. Peter, and of his successors, he is a rebel to light, and fleeth the truth, of set purpose, and doth shew that he is stirred by the wickednes of a poisoned hart: for these prerogatiues of S. Peter, which are witnessed in the gospel are to be considered. First that S. Matthew manifestlie and expresselie hath Matth. 10. giuen to S. Peter the title of chief of the Apostles, And all the Euangelistes, making mention of the holy college of the Apostles, doe giue alwaies the first place to S. Peter. That S. Peter is only he among the Apostles to whom our sauiour hath chaunged the name, and hath giuen him one of his owne names, most famous, wherbie he is often signified, noted, or designed in the scriptures (that is to saie) the rocke: for in those two that were surnamed sonnes of thunder, the name was not chaunged, they had onlie the gyft of vehemencie. Now God did neuer put new name, but when he made some great new benefite in the vvorld, giuing vvith the [Page 86] name the efficacie of the which it doth signifie: as naming Abraham he gaue him to be made a father of manie nations: euen so naming Peter, he gaue him the firmnes of the rocke and of stone, for to ground vpon him some great new building. Let it be also cō sidered that S. Peter is only he among the Apostles: to whom the father euerlasting did reueale, that Iesus vvas Christe, the sonne of the liuing God. For al the other holding their peace, & suffering the ignorant opinō of the cōmon people to preuaile which had so base an imagination of IESVS Christ, that they did esteme him only, for either Elias, for the zeale of the lawe; or Hieremie for the holines of lyfe: or Ihon Baptist by reason of his baptizing: or some prophet for to reueile the things to come: S. Peter only put him self forward not hauing respect to the substance of fleashe and blood; but passing on beyond those corporal and humain thinges, by reuelation of the soueraigne father he did see with the eies of the minde the sonne of the liuing God; and confessed the gloire of his deitie, pronouncing with hart & mouth theese wordes, or rather that sound of the diuinitie and humanitie of IESVS Christ: Thow art Christ the sonne of the liuing God: as if he had said, thow art not Elias, [Page 87] which was taken vp into heauen, thou art Iesus Christ which art descended from heauen for to lift vp man from the earth: thou art not Hieremie, or Ihon baptist sanctified in the woumbes of thir mothers, But Iesus Christ sanctifying the world: thou art not a prophet to whom are reuealed the things to come, but Iesus Christ which hast present in thy sight all eternitie. Those woordes, be verie high, but the sense vnderstood by S. Peter, is yet much higher: And it was necessarie that it should so be, that he which ought to hold the chaire of Iesus Christ, for to teach all the world the true religion, should haue that loftines of faith, that greatenes of knowleige, that feruour of loue, and confesse the same, by the which his cō fession, as Iesus Christ, had made him to know God: so S. Peter had made Iesus Christ to be knowen: Whervpon Iesus Christ hath therfore loued him aboue all the other, hath therfore declared him verie happie and hath giuen him that greate participarion of his name, rocke. And to the end that that name should not be void and idle, he promised him rhat vpon that stone, he would build his Church, and that the gates of hell should neuer preuaile against the same: that he would giue him the keies of the kingdome [Page 88] of heauen, and that all that he sholde bynde and vnbynde in earth should be bound and vnbound in heauen: he hath not spoken of giuing the keyes to the other Apostles. So the church is builded vpon the faith and confession of S. Peter: And the faith which is the seed of our regeneration is called the faith of S. Peter: Let that also be considered which is spoken of in S. Luke, that the people pressing Luc. 5. on our sauiour for to heare the word of God: our Sauiour seing neare the lake two shippes, went vp into the one which belonged Luc. 5. Io. 21. to S. Peter, where being set, he did teache the people. And those that sailed in the other shippe transported them selues into that of S. Peter, with Iesus Christ. 5 Let it be further considered that the two miracles. done by our sauiour in the taking of fishes, 6 were done in the ship of S. Peter, and by the ministerie of S. Peter. 7 That S. Peter, also is only he among the Apostles, that our sauiour made goe vpon the waters: 8 for whom only he paied tribute: 9 for whom only in particular he praied to his father, to the end his faith should not fayle: 10 to whom onlie he gaue charge to confirme the faith of his bretherē:11 of whom, as head of others, he did require more loue then of others. 12 whose feet he did first vvashe accordng to S. Augustin: to [Page 89] 12 whom he did first appeare after his resurrection: 13 to whom only he foretould his death and death on the crosse: 14 to whom onlie he said three tymes feed & gouerne my sheepe, meaning his Church: 15 whome more preciselie than others he commaunded to folowe him: 16 who onlie, vvhen the disciples were scandalized at the vvordes of our sauiour, saying that he vvolde giue his bodie to eate, answered for all the Apostles, and sayd: Lorde thow hast the wordes of life euerlastlng, and we beleeue the same: 17 whom onlie among all the disciples our sauiour did baptize with his owne handes. First Euodius immediat successor of S. Peter in the Bishopryke of Euodius in lib. Anthioche hath written, that our sauiour [...]. did baptize onlie the virgin his mother among women; and S. Peter onlie among men, and that S. Peter did baptize S. Andrew S. Iames, S. Ihon, and the others: That S. Perer also as head of the Apostles, after the ascension of our sauiour did assemble the church for to chuse an Apostle in the place of Iudas:18 19 That S. Peter after the sending of the holie ghost, did first preache and conuert in two sermōs eight thowsand soules: That he Act. 1. did the first miracle on the lame man, which was at the gate of the temple. That he as soueraine iudge did condemne the fraude and [Page 90] hipocrisie of Ananias and Saphira, whom he did kill with his woord: That he knew and did condemne the first notable Archeheretike Simon Magus: 22 that to him was directed, as to the head, the vision of that sheete, 23 Let downe from heauen, hauing of all sortes of beastes, and comandement to preache to the Act. 1 [...]. gentiles; 24 the which vision doth concerne the direction of the vniuersal Church: that for him as head of the Church prayer was made without intermission in al the Church, Act. 15. which is not sayd of anie of the others. 25 That he in the Councel of the Apostles did speake first as head: 26 That he in the most holie Creed of the Apostles did begin first, by that high woorde Credo, therby making the christian religion, a religion of faith, for whose sake S. Paul saith that he went vp expresselie into Hierusalem; 27 note also, that S. Peter him selfe doth testifie, that God chose him emong the Apostles, that by his mouth the Gentiles should heare the woord of the Gospel, and beleeue: 28 Let it be also considered that after that the twelue Apostles had receiued the holie Ghoste and the gifte of all tounges, hauing distributed among them selues all the earth, therin to plant euerie one in his quarter the Gospel of Iesus Christ; S. Peter as head of the twelue, is sent to the head of the [Page 91] world, to the Queene of cities, the cheif citie of the Romain Empire; to the end, that the law of trueth which did reuele, it self for the saluation of all people, might sprede it self abroode more easilie from the head to all the bodie of the world: and vvhere the vvorld had the head of his Empire, there the prince of the Apostles hath had his seate: in the citie of Rome: in the which (hauing first giuen order to the affaires of the East) he comes him self to make his aboade, for to forme and set in order the affaires of the west, and of all the world: where hauing ended his course before the tyme of his death 2. Pet. 1. Iesus Christ made vnto him yet one prerogatiue more, 29 by appearing vnto him, and saying to him, that he would be glorified by his martirdome within the citie of Rome:30 Let it be further considered that the Churches founded by S. Peter, (that is to saye Antioche, and Alexandria) haue bene named the chief In Con. Calced. Patriarchal Churches, and did goe before all the others in the Councels. 31 Let it be considered Optatus lib. 2, that in the primatiue Church, in the testimonial letters that they gaue to those that went in to farre coūtries, & did chaunge their habitations, to the end they might be receiued where they went to the cōmunion, Sidon Apol. l. 7. ep. 2. there was put downe in subscription after [Page 92] the first letters of the names of the father, of the sonne and of the holie ghoste, the first letter of the name of S. Peter, for witnes, that such a one was Catholike. Finallie let it be considered that the Church hath made a feast, or holie dare of the chaire of S. Peter, fos to praise God for the soueraign benefit that he hath done to his Church, to giue him a chaire eminent aboue the others which shold alwais be certein, vnto whom al the world may haue recourse, & of whom all the world ought to be instructed as sayth Optatus: the which feast is very auncient. For Bede and S. Augustin, make mention therof. Optat. li. 2. Bed. in Thetl. Aug. ser. 15. de sanct. But in none of the other Apostles are the prerogatiues found to be called of our sauiour into the feloushippe of his name, and of his office and pastoral care: and euen of his death: to be the mouth, of the other Apostles in all occurrent affaires, nor the other prerogatiues, the which haue bene attributed of all the aucients, to the supremacie and principalitie of S. Peter: which being euident in S. Peter, it is superfluous to speake of them in his successors. For it is well knowen that our sauiour giuing a head to his Church hath not intended to giue onlie the same for the time of S. Peter; as if the Church had had no need therof after him. But it is the [Page 93] custome of GOD to make the first formes of thinges as moulds, and afterwardes to let the same be continewed by succession: & propagation according to their nature.
TESTIMONIES OF THE fathers, and of Councels, for the supremacie of S. Peter.
IT should not be neede full to procede here any farder. But because heretikes be so impudent liars, as to sey that the auncient fathers haue neuer geuen to S. Peter nor to his successours Bishops of Rome, those names of Prince, of Head, or of Soueraigne, I will bring forth some testimonies for to confound them.
S. Irene, being nere to the tyme, of the Iren. l. 3. c. 3. Apostles, sayd. That it muste necessarilie be, that all the vniuersall Church, that is to say, all the faithfull which be in all the world should resorte to the Romain Church for her most high principalitie, and doth adde, that in this Church, the true traditions of the Apostles, and the faith vvhich geueth life, hath always bene kept.
S. Ciprian, he which forsaketh the Chaire of sainct Peter vpon the vvhich the Cyp. l. de v [...]ita. eccl. & ep. 55. 69. Church is founded, doth he think to be [Page 94] in the Church? Moreouer he doth call S. Peter the head, the fountain the Roote, and the matrice of the Church: He doth attribute to him the supremacie of the Apostles in preheminence of excellent grace, he saith that vnfaithfulnes can not haue accesse to the chaire of S. Peter, and that the cause of all heresies procedeth of this, that men be not obedient to one onelie Bishop, vicar of Iesus Christ.
S. Hierome: Among the twelue Apostles, one ys chosen head for to take away all occasions Hieron. cont. Io [...]a. 71. of schisme, And being in the holy place of our lords natiuitie in Iurie, he did write to Rome to Pope Damasus in these termes: Loe here the faith which I haue learned Hieron. ad Damas. pap. in the Catholike Church: If I doe erre in any maner of fassion as Ignorant, or as misaduised: I desire that you correcte me, sithens that you haue the seate and the faith of S. Peter. And if you allow my confession, I protest then bouldelie against whosoeuer shal reproue me: that I am not ignorant, & that he is wicked or an heretike. Your citie of Rome is happie, where the faith of the fathers kepeth it selfe vncorrupted. Here the euil children haue consumed their Patrimonie. Here the good graine is degenerate into cockle, whereas your Rome being allwayes [Page 95] fertile with diuine seede, watered with heauenlie graces, fructified in one selfe same puritie. Now in the vvest, the sonne of Iustice doth rise: Here in the East, that Lucifer vvich did fall from heauen, hath set his throne: I pray yow therefore to teach me that which I ought to keepe secret or vtter, concerning the fayth, I shunne euerie heretike, I folowe yow onelie, I am the sheepe vvhich demaundeth succour of the Pastour, I speake to the successour of the fisher, to the disciple of the Crosse, I hould me to your holines, that is to say, to the chaire of S. Peter. I know that vpon this Rocke the Church is gronded, that vvhosoeuer out of this house doth eate the Lambe, he is prophaned, he is not of Iesus Christ: he is of Antechrist. Moreouer he calleth the Romain Church a verie pure fountain, vvhich doth not receiue Illusions against the faith: vvhich hath neuer norished heresie: vvhich hath allwayes continued immaculate, Ruffinus Ruffin. in sym. sayd also that neuer heresie tooke beginning at Rome.
S. Augustine: who knoweth not the principalitie of the Apostleship of S. Peter is Aug. tract. 55. & 124. Ep. 164. lib. de Bapt. to be preferred before any Bishoprike? The Principalitie of the Apostolike chaire, hath allwayes had force in the Romain Church: [Page 96] S. Peter as concerning his person, by nature, was but a man, by grace a Christian; But by more abundant grace, that on & selfe same man, is the cheef Apostle: and for the supremacie of his Apostleship doth represent the vniuersall Church. And speaking of the Repentance of S. Peter: Our Lord (sayth he) hath healed the disease of all the bodie in the head: and in the verie toppe of Aug. ser. 144. de paen. Pet. the Church. And praying for S. Peter he hath prayed for all; for that the benefit of the head doth redounde to the people. He doth moreouer call the Pope father of the Christian Aug. in q. vet. & nou. Test. q. 75. Amb. ser. 47. people.
S. Ambrose saith, our Lord ascending into the onely ship of the Church, whereof S. Peter is the gouernour, that ship doth so swimme in the high See of the world, that the vvorld perishing, she shall kepe safe: (as did the Arke of Noe in the shipwrake of the world) those whome she shall haue receaued. And as the flud being passed, the doue brought into the Arke the signe of peace: euen so after the burning of the vvorld, to those whom the Arke of the Church shall represent, Iesus Christ shall bringe the signe of his peace & of his Ioye. He sayth further, that Peter is the vicar of the Loue of Iesus Christe towards vs: that he is the stone of [Page 97] Churches, which, as an vnmouable Rocke, conteineth the heape and Ioining together of all Christian building: That, not S. Andrew but S. Peter hath had the primacie and care of Churches. Optatus emong the markes, of the true church putteth the chaire Optat. li. 2. of S. Peter for the first, and cheefe. There is (saith he) but one onely chaire, which hath bene set at Rome, where the head of the Apostles, S. Peter hath bene president: in whom the vnitie of the chaire is kept of all, and he should be a Schismatike, and wicked man who against that singular chaire; would set vp an other.
S. Leo. Of all the world onely S. Peter Leo ser. 3. is chosen president for the vocation of the gentiles, & for all the fathers of the church: And allthough there be many priestes and many pastours, emong the people of God: Yet S. Peter doth gouern them all: And it was so ordained by great prouidence, that in euery place there should be one head: in the great townes other superiour heads hauing more ample Iurisdiction; by whose meanes the care of the vniuersall Church should come to the seat of S. Peter: and that nothing should be disagreing with his soueraigne head.
Prosper. Rome is the seat of S. Peter: [Page 98] A Hatchet of heresies: the head of all the Prosp. lib. de Ingratis. world: That which she can not possesse by Armes, she doth hold the same by religion.
S. Gregorie: It is most cleere vnto al those that know the Gospel, that the care & principalitie of the whole Church hath bene giuen to S, Peter, Prince of all the Apostles, by the voice of our Lord him selfe.
S. Bede. S. Peter hath specially had the keyes Bed. in vigil. S. Andr. of the kingdome of heuen, & the principalitie of Iudicial power, to the ende that, al the faithful which are in the world, might vnderstād, that whosoeuer doth separat him self from the vnitie of the faith, & of the societie of S. Peter, he can not be absolued from the bandes of his sinnes, nor be brought in at the gate of the kingdome of heauen.
S. Bernard, A man doubtles very holy, and very farre of from al flattery, obseruing euery where the seueritie of brotherly correction, vsed these termes to Pope Innocent: we must Ber. ep. 190. bring to your Apostleship all the perils and scandals which rise in the Church, being a thing mete that the detriments of the faith may be restored in that place, where the faith cā not receiue detrimēt: for this is the prerogatiue of that seat. And to Pope Eugen. Thou Bernar. l. 2. de consider. art the great priest, the soueraign Bishop, Prince of Bishops, Inheretour of the Apostles: [Page 99] In Primacie Abel: In Patriarchie Abraham: Moises in authoritie: S. Peter in power: Iesus christ in vnctiō. The others haue euerie one flokes assigned a part: to the all flockes are cōmitted, & thou art not onely Pastour of Sheepe, but Pastour of Pastours.
Among the Greekes, Origen saith that the gouernement of the Church hath bene giuen to S. Peter: that S. Peter is the cheefe or head of the Apostles, hauing more power and perfection then others.
S. Greg. Nazianz. The disciples of Iesus Christ, all great & excellent, & wourthie to be heades, haue neuer the lesse bene very wel content, to be put behind S. Peter vpō whose faith the church hath her foundation.
Io. Chrisost. Our lord hath shed his blood Chrysost. lib. 2. de sacerd. for to get together the sheepe of whō he hath giuē the charge to S. Pe. & to his successours. Hieremie was father to one nation, but Iesus Christ hath set S. Peter ouer all the world.
S. Basil: Iesus christ him self is trulie the Basil. de paenit. immouable Rocke, S. Peter is so by Reason of that Rocke: Iesus christ giuing him his dignities, doth not spoyle him selfe of them, nor hath any thing lesse. Theoph. in illae verba Confirma frat [...]es tuos. Theoph. bringeth in our sauiour speaking to S. Pet. Thou whō I haue made Prince of the disciples; who after thou hadest denied me, [Page 100] hast again receiued the Primacie of all, the preheminence of the whole world, who art after me the stone, and the foundation of the Church, confirme the others, and be to them a good example of repentance.
S. Thomas citeth out of S. Cirill these woordes, As Iesus Christ hath receiued of the father the scepter of the Gentiles; euē so hath he plainlie cōmitted it to S. Peter and to his successors; and hath not geuen that which is his own to any other but vnto S. Peter.
Epiphaneus: Oecumenius: Euthymius: and all the rest of the auncient Greekes, doe speak of this matter conformably to the Latines: And Origen, and S. Hierome haue applied that place of S. Paule to the Romaines, (your faith is preached through the vniuersall world:) in the sence of the principalitie of the Romain Church: As if S. Paul should giue thancks to GOD for the conuersion of that place, which should be the oracle of the vniuersal Church, and wherof dependeth the conuersion of the whole whorld.
Ephrem the Syrian saith, that, as Moises was head of the societie of the Hebrewes; euen so was S. Peter of the Church of Christians: And as the one was Prince of the olde Testament: so the other is likewise head of the new.
[Page 101] One Eritrianus in the time of Emperour Emmanuel; It doth appear manifestlie by euidence of the thing it selfe, that our sauiour hath appointed S. Peter Prince & head for euer, not onely of the Latines and of Greekes, but of Armenians, of Arabians, of Iewes, of Madianites, of all the people of the East, and of the West, of the South, & of the North.
The General Councels, which be as it were, the cheefe, seat of the holy Ghoste, doe testifie the Primacie of the chaire of S. Peter, as it doth appeare in the first Councel of Nice, where it is sayd that the Romain Concil. Nice. Church is the Rule of the others.
In the Councel of Calcedon, where Pope Leo is caled Bishop of the vniuersal Church, Chncil. Cal. 1. Act. 16. to whom the keping of Gods vineyarde was committed, by our sauiour.
In the Councel of Constantinople, where Menas the Patriarche was president, it is said: Concil. Const. we folowe the Sea Apostolike, & it we obey, with them which communicate with it, we communicate: those which are condemned by it, we condemne also.
In the seuenth Synod of Carthage the seat of S. Peter hath primacie through al the world, being head of all the Churches of God.
[Page 102] In the Councel of Laterane: where the Greekes & the Latines were. In the general Councel of Lions, & in the Councel of Florence, Conci. Lat. c. 5. by consent of the Greekes & of the Latines, it is sayd & defined, that the holie Apostolike Seate and Bishopricke of Rome, doth hold the Primacie ouer all the vniuersal worlde, that the Pope is the true vicar of Iesus Christ, father and doctor of all the Christians and head of all the Church.
He should make a great volume, which would gather together all the testimonies of the supremacie of S. Peter, & of his successors ouer the Church. This point was so cleere in the primitiue church, that certain heretikes, Theod. lib. 5. c. 14. act. coll. Carthag. for to procure authoritie to their sect, did faigne to haue cōmunion with the Romain Church, so farre forth, that the Donatistes did suborn a Bishop of their sect, whom they caused to remain at Rome secretely, that they might say that they had that marke of the true church, which is of the chaire of S. Pet. And they suborned an other, which did practise Optat. lib. 2. with some raskall fugitiues of the citie of Rome coming frō thense. for to proue by thē that he was bishop of Rome & successour of S. Peter, but these cōpanions being conuicted of this falshood were cōfounded and made ridiculous.
[Page 103] The Emperours thē selues haue acknowleged the bishop of Rome to be head of the vniuersal Church: and they haue called him, Pastor of Pastors, father of fathers, and the toppe of the crown of the Clergie. And that so publiklie, as the Paymin Authors make mention therof, as it appeareth in Amianus Mancellinus. which named Pope Liberius souerain Bishop of the Christian law, and the Emperour Constance caused S. Athanasius Bishop of Alexā dria to be sent to the same Pope, of purpose to cause him to be condemned by him which hath the soueraign authoritie ouer the Christians.
Thus by these testimonies as wel of the Gospel, as of the anciēt fathers, & Councels, and by the practise of the Church it selfe, sithens the Apostles to this day, it is manifest that there hath bene one soueraī head in the ministerie of the Church, vicar of the souerain head essential, Iesus Christ, and successor of S. Peter, in that vicareige: to whom al Catholikes which are dispersed throughout the world, are ioyned as members to their head.
Loe here 12. markes, of the true church, That is to say, 1. The possessiō & propertie of the name Catholike 2. The succession of the Apostolike priesthood, 3. Antiquitie, 4. The long cōtinuance without interruptiō. 5. The [Page 104] largenes of the kingdome: 6. The victorie of the whole world, by efficacie of doctrine, 7. The conformitie in doctrine with the primitiue Church, 8. The holynes of doctrine, 9. The holines of life of the possessours: 10. The gloire of miracles: 11. The Infelicitie of the impugners, and prosperitie of the Protectours: 12. And the vnion of the members with their head, the successour of S. Peter. These are comprised in fower woordes of the Creed, that is to say, in that she is one, Holy: Catholike. and Apostolike. I doe not enter here into the groundes of the doctrin of the Catholike Church; The principal scope of this present treatise, was onely to shew that out of the Catholike Church, man can not be saued whatsoeuer thing he doth, whereunto I haue added these outeward, markes, the which without farder disputation may be sufficient to euery Christian mā, to resolue him selfe, touching all difficulties whatsoeuer, for all the controuersies which haue bene, are, and euer shal be, in the faith, doe rest therein: and are reduced to that onely head, to finde the true Church. Which being ones found, a man is out of all hazard and peril of errour. For all agree vpon this principle, that there is but one Church: and that the same can not erre, being (as [Page 105] saith S. Paul) The piller and seur grounde of truth. And therefore, whosoeuer shall doubt of any thing, (as of Sacramentes, of the Inuocation of saincts, of praying for the dead, or of any other point of lerning) he must onely marke that which the Church doth teach thereof, and then, therevpon to resolue him selfe more assuredly, then if an Angel of heauen were descended expressely, to informe him of the same. And euery other cō gregation which shal call it selfe the church teaching the contrary, must needes be conuinced of falsehood, of being sent from sathan, of heresie, and of impietie.
All the markes of the Catholike Church are euidenly found in the Romain Church: The respect of the name Romain, is not to the town of Rome but the to chaire of S. Peter, which hath that highnes of glory, to haue bene cheefely and especially priuileged by the prayer and promise of our sauiour, who prayed for S. Peter, to that ende that his faith might not faile: and founding vpon him his Church, hath promised vnto him that the proud gates of hel shall neuer preuail against her, as in fact we see that sathan hath ouercome the Churches of the other Apostles, and ouerthrowen their chaire, In Hierusalem, in Alexandria, in Ephesus, and [Page 106] els where: But not the chaire wherewith S. Peter hath innobled the citie of Rome, This Church is onely, inuincible, insupplantable, immouable frō her foundation: It is she that hath born away the victory of the whole world. She hath destroyed Paganisme, ouerthrowen Idolatrie, expelled al heresies, tamid kingdomes & Empires, ouercome the Philosophers, driuen away the darkenes of the world, & hath gained to god all men of good will. She hath troden down, and always shal tread down the head of sathan: She hath ben euer sithēs S. Peter, an obiect vnto the world very apparant, as a moūtain of vnderstāding, A burning light not to be quenched, and an infallible Pole starre, directing the way of God. To her onely in the troublesome and tempestous sea of variable opinions of men, we must haue regard. She is the quickening plant that God hath planted in earth, hauing her Roote in heauen: Yt is not possible for men to root her out, no more than it is to throw downe God from his heauenlie seat, vpon whom she is founded. All the heresies of the world haue bent them selues against that Church: Titans, Hypocrites, and euel Christians haue assaulted her, but she remaineth victorious, ouer all her enemies, not by [Page 107] the merits of men, but by the efficacie of that prayer which our sauiour made to his father for the faith of S. Peter, and to make his promise effectuall; The promises of the truth it selfe can not be vaine. Iesus Christ sayd of the temple of Hierusalem, that there should not one stone remayne vpō an other: and so it came to passe, The Iewes edeuonred them selues with might and maine to build the same again, but fier came from heauen and placed it self in the foundations, for to hinder their intreprise. He said of his church, that it should endure as long as the world shal remain, And men doe see that hither to she remaneth as long as the world hath indured: heauen and earth shall passe, but the woordes of our Sauiour shall not passe; Let these wicked Spirites, heretikes. Schismatikes, Hypocrites, and deuelishe men, lay their embushes, conspire, make warre, and doe all they can against that Church, yet shal they get nothing. They fight against the prayer and promise of our Sauiour: they doe fight against GOD him selfe. The deuils haue not gotten the victory in heauen against the Angels, neitheir shall they get it in earth against the Church: Many Angels did fall, many members of the Church doe fall dayly: But as the [Page 108] kingdom of Angels was neuer wholly ouerthrowen, so the whole Church shall neuer be vanquished. Hel may shake the earth, but not the heauens. The Church is not an earthly building, a building of Adam, a building of no other foundation then natural: It is an heauenly building, whollie supernatural and diuine, whereof, not man, but God him selfe is the foundation, and founder: and the holy Ghost is the Architect which hath gathered together the liuely stones: This building is not made of men borne by nature, as the children of Adam; but of men made heauenlie, regenerate by grace, as the children of God. Faith which is the bond of the bodie of that Church, is aboue the heauen, the obiect of that faith, which is IESVS: Christ, Author of that regeneration, doth appertain more to heauen by his diuine person, then to earth by that humain nature. Therefore a thowsand hels shal neuer be able to preuaile against that church whosoeuer thou art therfore which hast separated thy self from that Church, what so euer thing thou doest, thou art not apparteining to IESVS Christ: thou art a member of sathan and a pray of euerlasting damnation. Goe about the earth and the see, trott vp and downe the world, and goe [Page 109] where thou wilt searching the truth, thou shalt not find the same out of this Church. The Church Catholike, Apostolike and Romain is the same of whom doth spring & rise as from a center, all the droctrine of Christianitie; the chaire of S. Peter is the chaire of Iesus Christ, and of the truth it self, al other chaires are the chaires of pestilence. Take away frō before thy eyes those clouds of euil opinions heaped together and thickened by false reportes against ecclesiasticall persons, and doe hinder the to see the truth, if there be any spottes in those persons which be sett in the chaire of S. Peter, it must needes be that all the true children of God find them selues therby inwardlie woū ded, and praye to God to make them cleane. But in the meane time what so euer they be in their maners, those are particular matters personal, and separated from the chaire, which is a dignitie, authoritie and matter vniuersal. I know that in manie ther is not a cromme of the holines of S. Peter; & that they be scandelouslie gone a straie from the life Apostolike, but they teach the faith of S. Peter & the Apostolike doctrine. Looke not then vpon the faultes of the persons: haue regard to the promise and to the prayer of our sauiour. If the defectes of the ministers be of more force with the or beare more swaie [Page 110] with the, for to alienate the from the church, than the reuerence of the prayer and promesse of our sauiour, to kepe the there; thow art vnwoorthie of any other prayer and promesse of our sauiour. The chaire of S. Peter is the maistresse of the faith: I wold that she were also the example of holie life. But what so euer scandal there hath bene in some, thou shalt find others in the priesthood and people, that better know the faults wherin they are, then thei self: more learned also, and lesse reprocheable in their maners, and in all pointes lesse imperfect then they self: and are in ioye and in peace of their conscience in this Church. There they receiue the sacraments of life euerlasting they exercise the workes of charitie, and there attend the iudgement of God. Doe not say apart to thy selfe that thou doest worshippe Iesus Christ; that thou doest beleeue the Gospel; and that thou doest resolue thy self according to the expresse word of God; euen so sayd Arrius, Manicheus, Pelagius, and all the auncient heretikes: Thou doest not worship Iesus: It is thy imagination and thy particular fansie (wherof thou doest make an Idol) which thou doest worshipe: Thou doest bowe thy self downe before the woord of the deceiuer that hath [Page 111] seduced the; & not before the woord of God: That which the Church doth teach, is the expresse woord of God: That which the heretike doth teach, is the expresse woord of the deuil, which doth vsurp the iudgement of the expresse woord of God, and doth vse the same for a baite, to make the swallow vp the hooke of error. This now is the verie greatest of al synnes, for wheras al that a mā may say of the formalitie of sinne, it is no other thing but the turning away and goyng farre of from God, There is no crime which seperateth more from God, than heresie: and there is not a sinner that Iesus Christ doth hate so much, as the heretike. The sinnes of workes, Adulterie, Meslanghter, couetousnes and other, doe depriue men of the grace of God, but thei doe not driue a man from the Church, neither doe they cut away the roote of life which is the faith by the which a man may find the way to enter againe into grace: but heresie doth not onlie take away grace, but doth also cut away the root of life, & doth depriue men of the participatiō of all good things that be in the church. The scripture sayth: that faith is the substāce of thinges to hoped for: that without faith, it is impossible to please God: that the iuste of God do liue by faith: that is [Page 110] to say breflie, that faith is the foundation of all Christian building. Now heresie doth take awaie from vs faith; then onlie heresie is a sufficient cause why the heretike can neuer wel ground his hope, can neuer doe worke agreable to God, nor can neuer haue the life of the iust of God. The other sinnes be as a tyle taken from the couerture, or as a stone drawen from the wall, which doth much hurt to the building: But heresie is as it were the vndermyning of the foundation, which doth destroye the whole building. To be short, this kinde of argument is plaine and verie true, that no man can saue him selfe without the Sacraments of the Church: The Sacraments be not administred but by the priest, the priestes be not made but by the Bishoppes, Bishoppes be not made but in the Romain Church, then what so euer thing that man doth, it is impossible by all impossibilitie to saue him self out of the Catholike, Apostolike and Romain Church. Doe not resist thees argumēts: the more thou doest enforce they self to auoide them by euasions, so many more halters doest thou put about thine owne neck, & smitest the axe in to thine owne foot: And what so euer thy tounge doth speake to the contrarie, thy soule doth fight against [Page 113] the: and thy conscience shal neuer be in rest, as longe as thou shalt be in heresie.
And S. Hierom vpon those words of S. Paul; Hier. in epi. ad Tit. c. 3. that an heretike is subuerted and condemned by his owne proper iugement, sayth verie wel thus, the fornicator, the adulterer, the manslaer and other euil doers, be driuen out of the Church against their willes by the priestes: But the heretikes of them selues, without constraint do depriue them selues of the Sacraments of saluation, and of all the good things which be in the Church, damning them selues wittinglie, and throwing them selues downe hedlonge from their proper fredome, in to the bottomlesse pitt of euerlasting perdition.
For conclusion I will exhort the, as the Angels of God did exhort the handmaide Agar, that was departed with her sonne from the house of Abraham, whom to bring home again, finding her in the wildernes taking the waie towardes Aegipt, he saied to her: poore il aduised Agar, seruant of Sara, from whence comest thou? and whether goest thou? tourne again to thy maistres, and humble thy self vnder her hand: as if he wold say, thinke on thy estate, that thou comest from a noble house, riche, ful of the blessings of God: that thou goest to [Page 114] cast thy self as a strayed sheepe into the throte of the woolf, in the land of malediction: And all these things well thought on, turne again to thy maistres: and humbling thy self vnder her hand, thou shalt be happie in that house. Euen so will I say to euerie heretike, thinke that thou comest from the house of the lyuing God, which is the Catholike, Apostolike, & Romaine Church, in the which onlie is the grace of Iesus Christ and the remission of sinnes, and all blessings of God: and thou goest in to the sect of a deceiuer, which is one particuler man, by whose mouth sathan hauing diuided the from the bodie of the only Church, it must neds folow that thou fall in to the bottomlesse pitt of heresie, which is the bottomlesse pitt of death and euerlasting damnation.
Take then the exhortation of the Angel, comforter of Agar, if not, thou shalt soone mete an other Angel which shal be thy destroyer. 1. Cor. 10. Heb. 9. If thou hast erred vntil this tyme, cut the threde of thy errours: renounce heresie, and all newnes of opinion; be the disciple, not of any particular man what so euer he maye be, were he more holy and more eloquent then an Angel, but only of the Catholike Church, the which can neuer erre; for so much as she is gouerned by the holie [Page 115] Ghost; and that IESVS Christ is her head, which is the seur ground of the Catholikes: vnto the which I pray God giue vs the grace to cleaue, and continue firme and sure, & that we be found lyuelie members of his body, when we shal-be iudged.
SO BE IT.