FOr asmuche as of late tyme, manye dyuerse scismes, sectes, and heresies haue sprong vp in the churche of our sauiour Ie­sus Chryst, where with y ^e same onely churche hath bene most contentiously disquieted, most cruelly inuaded, and as it wer most piteously rented, and de­faced, to the extreame perditi­on, and distruction of innume­rable soules, boughte, not with corruptible gold and syl­uer, but with the mooste pre­cious bloud of the immaculate lambe our sauiour christ, espe­ciallye in this realme of Eng­land. I thought it ryght neces­sarye to declare vnto you with no lesse breuitie, than the mat­ter [Page] wyl suffer wherevnto you maye, and shoulde constantly cleaue, for the sure vpholdyng and continuall maintenaunce of your true fayth agaynst the fradulent thrustyng fourthe of scismaticall and erronious opi­nions. That ye shal vnderstād to be y ^e parmanēt word of god & the catholike churche, 1. Tim 3 which is the house of god, the piller & fyrme foundation of truethe: as writeth the apostle Paule. The churche I adde vnto the wrytten worde of GOD, be­cause the sayde worde for hys profundite, & bountifull sence is not to be expounded by the priuate interpretation of thys or that priuate brayne, 1. Pet, 1. but by the vniuersall interpretation of the vniuersall churche, inspired [Page] with the holy gost, bicause it is most playne the churche, to be the faythfull keper of the scryptures, 1. Tim [...] Rom. 3. concredited and cō mitted vnto her custodye, by­cause also, that Chryst, Mat. 29 Ioh. 14.16. who is trueth, promised him selfe and his spirite of trueth to be resy­aunt, and resident in the catholyke churche, to teach it all the trueth, not for a day, a moneth, a yeare or two, but perpetual­ly and continually euen to the worldes ende, and therefore onelye mete, to whome the in­terpretation of goddes worde shoulde be committed, and to whose onely iudgements and determinations in all contro­uersyes of religion, we shoulde fastly stand: wherefore to thēd that you may the better know [Page] the sayde churche, I wyll god wyllyng attempte to open vn­to you accordyng to the proportion of my gyft, what the churche is, wher it is, that it is kno­wen, and how you may know it, that you maye the more cer­teynely kepe your selfes sound in the found fayth therof. For our aduersaryes denying not but confessyng to be a churche, I wyll not spend tyme in pro­uyng it to be, but in declaryng the aforesayde poyntes accor­dynge to my promyse. For the performance whereof, Fyrste you must vnderstand that the militant church of chryst edy­fyed at the fulnes of tyme, What y ^e church is warryng and fyghting against hell gates, Gal. 4. Mat. 16. scisme and heresye, and hauyng souldyers valyante & [Page] faint, stable and instable, good and bad is a communyon, so­cietye and felowshyppe called by god from Gētylitie and Iudaisme, to the profession of one faythe, one Doctrine, 1. Pet. [...] and one kynd of Sacramentes & from darkenes to hys marueylous lyghte: and by the same visible Sacraments brought into the vnitie of one visible body, pro­fessing one fourme of chrystian religion. It is a congregation called, as wel appeareth by the greke word eccleliae deduced, of the greke verbe, [...] which sygnyfyeth to cal out. And al­so by Paule.

Vocati est sinunum corpu [...], Collo. 3. you are called into one body. Agayne. Fiaelis est deus: 1. Cor. [...] perque [...] u [...]cati estis in [...]a­cietatem filij eius iesu Christi Domini [Page] nostri. God is true by whome you are called into t [...]e societie of his sonne Iesu Chryste oure Lorde, so that the churche is a conuocation, a congregatyon and societie called by god out from the dampnable bondage of Sathan, vnto the lyuely cō ­munion, and free company of our lyuely head Iesus Chryst, from darke and blynde igno­raunce, vnto the merueylous lyghte and knowledge of chri­styan verytye. And the same called societie and congregati­on, is knit together (as is said) into one body, not in one place, but in one fourme and professi­on of one fayth, and one Doc­trine, and that by one maner of sensyble Sacramentes, as is manyfest by Saynt Augustē. [Page] In nullum nomen religionis, seu verum: Aug. to. 6. cō, fau li. 19 c 11. seu falsum coagula [...]i homines possunt, nisi alique signaculorum vel sacramentorum nisibilium consortio colligentur.

Men cannot be gathered into ani name other false, other true of religion, excepte they be ty­ed and ioyned togyther by the communion and participatiō, of visible signes, or sacraments out of the whych communyon and societie, are heretykes, scis­matikes, paynymes, and ex­communicates, heretikes, and scysmatykes be not of that cō ­gregation, by cause theye of theyr owne mynde went oute and voluntarylye forsoke the sayde congregation, hauyng it in contempte, and contemptu­ously persecutyng it, nor pay­nymes, be of that societie, by­cause [Page] they nother be, nor at anityme were in the churche, nor do acknowledge it, no nor ex­communicates, bicause they by the publyke sentence of y ^e chur­che, are separate, excluded and put out from the exteriour societie of the churche, vnto theyr repentaunce and amendemēt of lyfe, but thoughe other chri­stians fallynge into deadelye sinne, be not ioined to the good with the vnitie of the liuely spiryte, and bande of charitie, but doo lose the grace of the inter­nall communion, neuertheles they are vnited to y ^e good with a certayne exterior vnion of y ^e visible sacramentes (soo longe as they kepe peace wyth the Doctryne and professyon of fayth) as was Peter the Apo­stle, Mat. 23. [Page] notwithstāding his thryse deniall of chryst, as Iudas not withstandyng his auarice, as such whose doctryne our Sa­uyour Chryst commaunded to be obserued, notwythstādynge theyr euil doynges, and as are ministers also persystynge in theyr seuerall vocations, al­though by some synne mortall they be internally deuided. For as the dryed hand of the man, mencyoned in the Gospel was before the healynge thereof, a membre of hys body, and as a membre, whose bones vaynes and synewes be broken & han­geth outwardly by the skynne continueth styll a membre and a parte of the bodye, euen soo a christian dyuyded inwardelye by synne, but cleauynge to the [Page] body of Chryste the church ex­ternally, by the outwarde vni­on of the professian and vysy­ble fourme of one faith, and by the exterior participation of y ^e vysyble sacramentes, the exte­rior syghnes, 1. Tim 3 and fourmes of petye is externally styl a mem­ber of Chryst his misticall bo­dye the churche, although not profitable and continuethe in the externall societye of the same church. For the militante churche conteyneth good and bad, penitent synners, iust and vniuste, as is euydente by the parable of y ^e field brīging forth good fead & cockle & by y ^e primatiue church, wherin was good penitētes, & false couetous Iu­das, & yet of this church militāt y ^e apostles made mētiō in an artycle of oure faythe as follow­eth. [Page] Credo sanctam ecclesiam catholicam I beleue the holye called vni­uersall churche, congregation & multitude. Obserue here by y ^e way that this article namethe the church holye, not bycause it consysteth of onely iust ryghte­ous and perfect chrystians, for therein be good and bad, iuste and iniuste, M [...]. [...]. constante and in­constante, as is aforesayde as playnelye teacheth also the pa­rable of the nette, comprisynge good fyshes and badde, and as playne is, by the greate house, sygnifyeng the greate vniuer­sall churche, 2. Tim 2 which conteineth vesselles, to honour and disho­ner, and by dyueres other lyke scryptures, but it is named holy, bycause al chrystians which make one church and congre­gation, [Page] be called of our ho­ly god by hys holy worde, vn­to holye lyfe, be sanctifyed and made holye by one holye fayth, and one holye Baptysme, and do persyste in the communion of the same, for Paule wryteth to the Corinthian, churche a membre of the vniuersall churche: 1. Cor. 5. notwithstandynge that therein was the incestuous fornicator: contentious persones, and doutyng in the resurrection of the bodyes, as foloweth, Paule the Apostle by the vocation of Iesus chryste, 1. Cor 15 and by y ^e wyll of God, 1. Cor. 1. Sostenes a chri­sten brother, vnto the churche, of God, whyche is at Corynth, sanctifyed by Chryst Iesu, and called to holynes and holy thinges. Wherefore we maye not [Page] thynke straunge, that the ca­tholyke churche, whereof ho­lye Chryst our sanctyfycation, Ephes. 5 is the vndouted hed, conseruer & preseruer (as writeth Paule) is named the churche of God, and holy, though euell chrysti­ans therein be commyxt with the good, for that notwythstā dynge they be all called by one name, as affirmeth, S. Austen In una domo omnes sub vno sunt nomine. Aug. to. 2. [...]pis. 203. Quam uis enim moribus diuersi sunt, u [...]o tamen nomine censentur et professione.

In one house, all be vnder one name, for albeit they be diuers in maners, yet they be named by one name, and one professi­on. The same affirmeth Am­brose mayster to Austen. In uno domo, omnes sub uno sunt nomine, Ambrosi. 2. timo. 2 uno enim domini sui nomine censent ur omnes.

In one house sayeth S. Am­brose, [Page] all be vnder one name, for all are called by theyr Lor­des name. Which is not disso­nant from the principle. Euerithynge is to be named by the best and worthyest parte. But our Lorde, holynes it selfe, is the best parte, and worthyeste membre of the churche, beyng heade thereof. Therefore the churche ryghtly is called holy, of holy Christ oure Lorde and heade: yea, and of the holy gost resydent therein.

Nowe that I haue briefly opened by the waye, the cause why the catholyke churche is called holy, ye must vnderstād the sayde article, to teache vs the holye churche, to be a com­munion of saynctes, Vincent. Airen. that is to saye: of Catholykes, whereby [Page] we are taughte the catholyke churche to be a communitie, societie, or felowshyppe of ca­tholykes, because they persyste in the communion of the catholyke and vniuersall holy fayth, that was, and is obserued in the catholyke, and vnyuersall churche, and in the communiō also of the holye sacramentes, whereby it is incorporate to oure holy heade Iesus Christ, and clensed in his holy bloude, Ephes. 5. hallowed with his holy spyrit, hath and doth holy thynges, & teacheth holye and holesome doctryne. Of this conuocatiō, communion, and feloweshyp, speakethe the electe vessell of Chryst, Saynt Paule. Multi unū corpus sumus in Christo, Rom. 12. We beynge manye, are one body in Christ. [Page] So that the whole many, and vniuersall multitude, professīg one holye fayth and doctryne, and being partakers of y ^e same holye Sacramentes, are the mystycall body of Chryst, whi­che is the Catholyke churche. Therfore S. Ambrose sayeth: Corpus Christi non unus aut duo christiani sed omnes. Ambros. in 1. cor 6 The bodye of Chryste is not one or two Christians, but all Chrystians. As in a na­tural bodye, one, two, or three, members make not the whole naturall bodye, but all the mē ­bers ioyntlye in theyr places: so the mystical bodye of Christ whiche is the Churche, is not constituted by one or two chri­stians, but by all the Christiās in theyr vocatiō (wheresoeuer they be) ioyned and lynked to­gether [Page] by y ^e communion, and participation of the same Sa­cramentes. The lyke doctrine also S. Paule taught y ^e Ephe­sians, Vnum Corpus, Ephes. 4. You are one bodye. Wherevpon Erasmus dyd wryte as foloweth. Vnum corpus estis omn [...]s, ab uno pendetis capite. You are all one bodye, and do depende of one heade. Thus it is manyfeste, all Christians to be the bodye of Christe, & that the integritie of Christ, his mi­sticall bodye, consystethe by no lesse, then all Christians, and that therof is one head, Christ hymselfe, of whome the sayde bodye, the Catholyke churche dependeth. Albeit that in na­mynge the churche to be Chri­stes body, Christ is named the heade thereof, for elles it could [Page] not be his bodye: yet you may reade many Scryptures, that he is by expresse words named the heade thereof, whereof I wil reherse this one folowing. Et ipsum dedit caput supra omnem ecclesi­am, Ephe. 1. que est corpus ipsius. And GOD the fathermade him (meaning Christ) heade ouer all the vny­uersall churche, whiche is his bodye. Hereby you maye euy­dentlye se, Christ to be head to all the churche, & all the church to be his bodye, and by that worde all, Paule teacheth the churche to be a vniuersall con­gregation. Lykewyse to the Corynthians, and to al christi­ans professynge Christ, as the Corynthes dyd, Paule dydde wryte: 1. Cor 12 Vos autem estis corpus Christi. You be the bodye of Chryste. [Page] Wherevpon Primasius saieth Omnes corpus al be y ^e body of christ for the vniuersall and y ^e whole body of Chryste was and is of all faythfulles, Prima [...] us. and not of Co­rinthe onely. Chris. h [...] 23. in. 1. Cor. 12. Therefore Chry­sostome sayth. Vniuersum corpus, non illa Corrinthiorum est solum sed que vbilibet toto exta [...] terrarum orbe.

The vnyuersall body of chryst is not the Corinthian churche, onelye, but the churche that is euery wher, through the whole worlde, for the churche of Co­rinthe, was but a particuler churche, parte, or member of y ^t vniuersall church. To be short Paule proueth the same by the symylytude of a naturall body, 1. C [...]. 1 [...] saying. Sicut enim cor [...]us unum est et membrahabet multa omnia autem mem­bra corporis cum sint multa, vnum tamen corpus sunt. ita et christus. For as a [Page] a naturall body is one, & hathe many members, but thoughe all the members of that one body be many, yet they are but on body, euen so is chryste, that is to say, euen so is christ, his churche as Chrisostome, Iherome, Primasius, Theophilact with other olde aunciente wryters, do expounde it, as the bodye & hed in man maketh one mā, in lykewise the whole congrega­tion and flocke of faythfulles, and chryste the heade of them, make on churche. Chrisos. ibidem. And for that cause Chrysostome affyrmeth, chryst in the sayd scrypture, to be put for the churche, naming the churche by the worthyeste and best part thereof. And S. Austen sayeth. Aug. to. 9. ho. 17. trac. 108 Vnus est christus ca­putet corpus. The hed and the bo­dy [Page] is one chryst. Wherefore the bodye, whyche is the churche, maye well be named by christ. As breade also is made of in­numerable graynes, so the mi­sticall body of Chryst the chur­che consysteth of innumerable faythfull members, howe soe­uer they be locally distant, for Vnus panis et unum corpus multisumus. 1. Cor. 10 We beynge manye (sayeth the Apostle, Paule) are one breade and one bodye, that is to saye, we beyng manye (lyke as ma­nye graynes make one breade) do make one body, by on bap­time and one faith incorporate to one heade our Lorde Iesus Chryst. By a folde also of shepe, is sygnified the catholyke churche: as is wrytten in the tenth of Iohn, Io. 10. and by Ciryll vpon y ^e [Page] same so that the catholike churche is called also by scrypture. the foelde or flocke, pasturynge & feadynge through the whole greate felde the worlde, Mat. 13. wher­in is the catholyke churche of y ^e which Iesus Christ is the hed sheperd. Nowe that I haue cō petently declared what the catholyke churche is, my promise byndethe me to enterpryse the declaration wher the same is.

Where y ^e church isBy thys worde catholyke, whych is to say vniuersall, ad­ded vnto the whole Churche, most manyfestly we be taught where Chryste his Churche is, for it declareth the sayde chur­che to strecth out her braūches and members in to all and euery part of the vniuersal world, as well affyrmethe, famouse [Page] Austen. Aug. to. 7. cō. epi. pet. de u­nitate ecclesie. c. 2 Questio certe inter nos versa­tur, ubi sit ecclesia, utrum apud nos an a­pud illos, quae utique una est, quam maiores nostri catholicā nominarunt, ut ex ipso nomine ostenderent quia per totum est, secū dum totum enim catholon grece dicitur.

A question is amonge vs, wher the church is, whether it be among vs, or amonge them (meanyng the donatystes) the whych churche truely is one, y ^e whych our forefathers named catholyke, that they by the ve­rye name it selfe myghte de­clare that it is through all, for thys worde Catholon, is in greke, expressed in and by all y ^e whole. This of Austē, teacheth the holy church to be called ca­tholyke of the forefathers to s. Austen, Aug. to. 2 epi 170 that by that very vocable, we myghte vnderstande, y ^e same not to be affyxed, or tyed [Page] to anye one Realme, nation or people, but to extend to al men of euery countrye, excludynge no man, that doth communy­cate in chrystes one fayth and one baptysme, whiche agreeth to the holy kyng and prophete, Dauyd postula a me et dabo tibi gentes hereditatē tuam, et possessionē tuam termi nos terre. Aske of me (sayeth the heauenlye father to his onelye sonne our sauiour Iesus christ) and I wyl giue to the nations to thyne inheretaunce, and for thy possessiō the extreame bor­ders of the worlde, consonant to Dauid is this of Christ himselfe. Math. 8. Multi ab oriente et occidente ueni­ent et recumbent cum Abraham, Isaac & Iacob in regno celorum. Many shal come from the East, and from the West, whyche shall reste w ^t [Page] Abraham, Isaac and Iacob, in the kyngedome of heauen, Euthimius Euthimi­us. a greke author vp on thys texte, sayeth. That by East and West is signifyed all places of the vniuersall worlde soo that of all the partes of the whole world there be, that do obeye the Gospell taught by y ^e Apostles & their successours, whych hath, doth and shal witnes with mouthe or penne the catholyke faythe, vnto the fur­thesse people of the worlde, ac­cordyng to Chryst, Actes. 1. hys sayinge vnto them, you shall wytnesse me in Ierusalem, in all Iurye, in all Samary, and so fourthe to the vttermoste partes of the Earth. By thys Scryptures, it is most playne, the holy churche to be catholike and vniuersall [Page] and not perticuler, as in England, or any other party­culer realme or countrye, and therefore the Apostles taught it and named it catholyke say­ing, I beleue the holy catholike Churche, whyche is the cōmu­nyon and felowshype of sayn­tes, Vincent. Lirinens. that is to say of catholikes, as expounded it Vincentius Lirinen­sis, aboue a leuen hundred yers past, bycause the church exten­deth to all partes, vniuersallye of the whole world. By Paule also it is euydent, that the churche is vniuersall, saying.

Rom. 10 Non est distinctio iudci, et grecae, There is no difference betwene the I we and the gentle. Act. 10. And by Petre. Non est personarum acceptor de­us, sed in omni gente qui timet deum et operatur iustitiam acceptus est [...]lli.

God doth not partially accept men, nor is an affectionat este­mer of persones, but he that feareth hym, and worketh rygh­teousnes, is accepted of hym in al and euery nation and place, so that no countrye, Prosp. [...]t cap. 29 excludeth from God any person fearyng hym: for as Ioseph made bar­nes throughout all Egypte, to laye therein their whete not moueable with euery wynde, euen so Chryste our Lorde and gouernor, dyd consecrate hys churche thoroughe the wholle worlde: therin to place his faythefull, constant, and immoue­able in all stormes of temptati­ons, moued agaynst the mate­ryall poynte of chrysten relygiō Bye the barnes, the churche is signifyed, bye all egypte, Prosper. all [Page] the worlde is represented sayth prosperus, whereby it is enfor­ced the holye churche to be ca­tholycke and vniuersal, that is to saye, to streatche into euerye realme regyon and natyon of this worlde. Wherewith that singular doctor. S. Austen makethe most manyfestlye. Ecclesia est corpus Christi capitis, Augu, in Psal. 57. non ista aut illa, sed toto orbe diffusa. The church is the body of Chryst the hed therof, not this or that church, but the churche whiche is defun­ded, and spred abroade all the world. It is to be marked that the churche, whych is the misticall body of Chryst, is not a perticuler Churche, included in this or that corner, but a catholyke congregation spreddyng abroade her beames, & braun­ches, [Page] into all nations, for thys purpose maketh fully also this notable saying of Saynt Au­sten folowynge.

Credimus s [...]nct [...]m ecclesiam catholicam, Au. to. 10 sermo. de temp. 181 sciendum est quod eccles [...]am credere, non tamen in Ecclesiam credere debemus. Quia ecclesia non est deus, sed domus dei est, catholicam dicit toto orbe diffusam, quia diuersorum hereticorum ecclesiae ideo ca­tholice non dicuntur, quia perloca, at (que) su­as quas (que) prouincias continentur, hec uero a solis or [...]u vs (que) ad occasum, fidei splendore diffunditur

We beleue the holye catho­lyke churche, we should learne the churche to be, but not be­leue in the church, for the chur­che is not God, but the house of God, catholyke he calleth it, because it is spredde throughe al the worlde. For the conuen­ticles of oure aduersaunt here­tikes, [Page] are not for that called catholyke, because they are con­teyned within certeyne perti­culer places, and theyr owne seuerall prouynces, but thys churche stretcheth from the ri­synge of the sonne, to the go­ynge downe of the Sonne, with the splendēt and shyning lyghte of one fayth. As bye the interpretation of this worde catholyke, s. Austē teacheth vs where the churche is, that is, the churche to be in all places of the worlde, euen frome the east to the west, so he teacheth the vnleafull assemblyes of he­retikes to be but in anguler places, and seueral prouynces. Wherefore they be not the ca­tholyke churche of Christe, but the malignaunte churche of [Page] Sathan. The places also na­med by Peter in the Actes, as Pontus, Galatia, Capadotia, Asia, Bithinia, Phrigia, Pamphilia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, the partes of Lybye. &c. And Smurna, Pergamus, Sar­dis, Thiatris, Philadelphie, Laodicea, the Ephesians, to whome S. Iohn dyd wryte the Apocalypse, The Romay­nes, Corynthes, Galathians, Ephesians, Philippians, Col­locensians, Thessalonians, Hebrues, to whom Paule dydde wryghte. The dispersed tribes to whome Iames dyd wryte. The people dyspersed as straū gers at Pontus, Galathians, Capados, Asie, Bythinie, vnto whom Peter dydde wryte, do testifye the church to be catho­lyke, [Page] and vnyuersall, and vni­uersally to extend into al real­mes, regions, nations, prouinces, and countreyes, throughe the whole vniuersall worlde, and therefore to be, not in this or that countreye onely, but to be in all the worlde, to the vt­termost people of the four par­tes thereof. Psal. 18. For the sounde of the Apostles, and preachers, went into al landes, and their wordes into the endes of the worlde. Therfore I may well conclude with Austens saying folowynge. Sicut per uerba dei noui­mus ubi sit plantatus para [...]isus, Aug, to 7 [...]ont. lite, petil. li. 2 sic [...]er uerba Christi, ubi sit ecclesia, didicimus, per omnes, inquit gentes, incipiens ab Ierusalē. As by the wordes of God, we haue knowen where paradise was sette, Luk. 24. so by the wordes of [Page] Christ, we haue learned wher the Churche is: it is (sayeth Christ) through al nations, be­gynnynge at Ierusalem. So that to persons demaundinge where the churche is, the sayd Austen aunswereth thus. Aug. inc [...] pist. Ioh. tract, 1 Inuenimus ecclesiam, in omnibus gentibus.

We do fynde the churche in all peoples and nations. Agayne in the same place. Ecce habes eccle­siam, per totum mundum. Loo, thou hast the churche thoroughe all the whole world. To thys somwyl peraduenture obiect, that all nations, Iewes, and Gen­tyles beleueth not in Chryste, nor worshyppeth hym, but are infideles, and so inferre y ^e chur­che not to be euery where. To the which obiection, Euthi. in psa, 71 Euthimi­us and auncient greke doctour [Page] shall fyrste make aunswere.

Non dum tamen omnes adorauerunt, tam­etsi ex omni gente sit qui adoret et seruiet, Althoughe of al and euery na­tion and people there be, whi­che doth pray vnto God, wor­shyp and serue God, neuerthe­lesse al do not yet worship him. Thus this notable author af­fyrmeth that although all doo not worshyppe God yet to be some of euerye nation, whyche do worshyppe and serue hym. With the same maketh Saint Augustine, sayinge. Dilectio ex vniuerso genere humano quod defun­ditur toto orbe terrarum, Augu, in Io. tra 67 facitet colligit populum nouum, corpus nouae nup [...]ae filij dei vnigeniti sponsae. Chrystyā loue ma­keth and gathereth a new people the body of the newe mari­ed spouse of the onely begotten sonne of God, oute of all man­kynde, [Page] whych is sprede throu­ghe the whole worlde, so that the newe people is not al man­kynde, but gathered oute of all mankynde. Thys confyrmeth Saynte Ihon in his reuelatyon. Apo. 7. Vidi turbam magnam quam dinumerare nemo poterat, ex omnibus gentibus & tribubus et populis et linguis, stantes ante thronum & in conspectu agni amieti sto­lis albis & palme in manibus eorum

I dyd sea a great multitude which no man coulde nomber, of al gentylles, tribes, peoples, and tounges standynge before the throne and before the lābe clothed with whyght roabes, and Palmes in theyr handes: here is to be noted, that y ^e gret multytude is the greate cathotholyke churche, whiche is not al nations, trybes, & peoples, [Page] but of all nations trybes, and peoples, so that of euery nation some there be, whych doo pro­fesie and worshyppe God ac­cordynge to the mynde of the aforesayde aucthorities, affyr­myng the churche to be vniuersal through al the whole world And Paule receiued the Apo­stleshyp, Rom. 1. that by fayth, Chryste his name myght be obeyed in and amonge all nations, ther­by signifyeng not all natyons, but that in all natyons & con­tryes some wuld by fayth obei his name.

The churche is vi­sible.Nowe that you know what and where the Churche is, ye shal vnderstand, that the same churche is not insensyble inuy­syble and hydden, but sensyble visible, manyfest, and know­en, [Page] as playnelye teachethe the good and godly prophete Da­uyd saying. Psal. 1 [...] In sole posuit t [...]bernacu­lum suum. God hath sette hys ta­bernacle in the sonne, Au. to. 2. epis. 166 whyche tabernacle as wyrteth Saint Austen is the churche sette in y ^e sonne, that is to saye, manyfestly knowen to all men vnto the furthest borders of y ^e worlde. Lykewyse in the canticles, the same Austen maketh thys ex­position. Augu. de cant. ca, 5 Insole posu t tabernaculum su­um, hoc est, in manifesto, posuit ecclesiā su­am. He hath set hys Churche in manyfest syght. With this maketh Chryste him selfe who in­stituted the Churche. Croma i [...] math. 5. Non potest ciuit is abscondi supra montem posita.

The Cytye whych is set vpon the hyll cannot be hydden this Cytye Saynte Austen affyr­methe [Page] to be the churche, whose wordes be these, Facile est tibi uide­re ciuitatem super montem constitutam de qua dominus ait in euangelio, Aug. to. 2 epi 170 ad seuer. quod abscondi non possit ipsa est enim ecclesia catholica. It is easy for the to see the citie set vpon the hyll of whom our Lorde speaketh in the gospell, that it cannot be hydden, for it is the catholyke churche. Hanc ignorare nulli licet, Augusti. Ibidem. ideo secundum uerbū domini nostri Iesu Christi abscondi non po­test. It is not lawfull for anye man to be ignoraunte of this catholyke Churche, therefore accordyng to the worde of our Lorde Iesus Christ, it cannot be hydden, yf it were hydden, and vnknowen, it were law­full to euery man, not to know it, and to be ignoraunt therof. Albeit that this be sufficiente to satisfye anye pers [...]asible persone, [Page] yet you shall reade other mooste playne sayinges, Aug. to. 7. de u­nitate eccles. c. 14 of the same Austen. Non est ista ecclesia operta, quia non est sub modio, sed super cande­labrum ut luceat omnibus qui in domo sunt.

Thys churche is not hydden nor secrete for it is not vnder a busshell or stryke, but vpon the candylstycke, that it maye gyue lyght to all beynge in the house. Whereby it is manifest, that as a candele kyndled is set vpon the candelsticke, Math. 5. to be vi­syble and to gyue light to al be­yng in the house. So the chur­che the house of Chryst, is opē and manifest to all, beyng in y ^e same, you haue therefore (saith Austen) the church to be sprede euerye where, Aug, ibi. and to encrease vntyll the haruest, (whyche is the worldes end.) You haue y ^e [Page] citie of the which he that made it sayde. The Cytye cannot be hydden, that is set vpon a hyll. Ipsa est ergo quae non in aliqua parte terrarum, Augusti. Ibidem. sed ubi (que) notissima est. That is therefore the Churche it selfe, whych is most euydently kno­en, not in any particuler parte onely of the world, but euerye where and in euerye place. Therefore Chryste commaun­ded his faythfulles to cōplaine vnto the churche vpon suche y ^t after due admonyshyon, per­systeth irreformable, sayinge. Dic ecclesie, si autem ecclesiam non audiet rit, Mat. 18 sit tibi sicut ethnicus & publicanus. Tell the churche, but yf he will not heare the Churche, take hym for an ethnycke, and a pu­blycan, yf the church were not vysyble and knowen, it hadde bene a vayne commaundemēt [Page] commaūding to cōplaine to it. To take therfore vanitie from the commaundemēt of Chryst and to graunte trueth and ef­fecte to be therin, we must ne­des confesse his catholicke church to be visible, & that it maye be as it weare fingre pointed as appearethe, bye. S. Austen in this folowyng. Nunquid sic ostē demus ecclesiam fratres mei, Augu, in Io. tract 1 quomodo ostē ditur hominibus noua luna? nōne aperta est? nonne manifesta? nōne obtinet omnes gētes? Shall not we (my brethren) showe the churche, as the new mone is shewed to men? is not the churche euydente? is it not manyfest? rayneth it not in all nations? To the whyche ma­nyfest church, he gaue manifest and visible ministers, as Apo­stles Prophetes, Ephe. 4. euangelystes pastores and doctours, which [Page] are were and shalbe to y ^e worl­des ende vysyble and not inuisible, Math. 5 for to them Christ said. Vos estis lux mundi You are the lyght of the world, which cold not be true, yf they were not sene and perceiued. If the church be not sensible, but insensible, then the sacramentes, the ministerye & ecclesiasticall offyces, the Ec­clesystycall mynysters, the vo­cations to Ecclesiasticall offy­ces: Yea the worde of GOD wrytten and preached shoulde be insensyble, whyche shoulde be agaynste Saynte Paule, saying. Rom. 10 Faythe is by hearynge and hearynge by the worde of Chryste. Seynge therefore by these aucthoryties, I haue al­though brefelye: yet suffisientli proued the catholycke churche [Page] which is eueri where, to be manifestly knowen, I will lyke­wise god helping, proue the sa­me not to erre in the materyall points of our religiō: although some corrupte mēbres be ther­of. The ca­tholyke churche doth nor erre.

For albeit in this vnyuersal churche, whyche is vysyble, be many bad, so well as good, in­iust as iust, folyshe vyrgyns, Mat. 25 as wyse, euel sedes, as good sedes and in the net badde fyshes, as good, Mat. 13 yet we may not thinke y ^e same catholyke vysyble Chur­che, to erre in the necessa­rye poyntes of Chrystyanitye: no more then dyd the apostles in ther belefe, preachinges, & doctryne, bycause trayterous Iudas was of ther felowship, we maye no more brynge the [Page] doctryne, ordinaunces and in­terpretations set fourthe to vs by the vniuersall Churche in doubte, by cause there be some bad therin, then we maye call in doubt the Apostles doctrine bycause euell Iudas was of y ^t congregation. If it be an vn­truthe to affyrme that all the hole company of Aungelles in heauen, dyd erre, bycause some of them dyd erre and fell from heauen. Who wyll affyrme to be a truethe, the whole multy­tude of Chryste hys Churche, whyche the scrypture calleth y ^e kyngdome of heauen, Mat. 13 to erre: bycause some euyll chrystians therein do erre. The arche of Noe, Gene. 7. an expressed fygure of the Church: hauyng therin beastes clene & vnclene hauing therin [...] Cham the wicked chyld of [Page] Noe, wyth the rest that were good, erred not from the tuiti­on and protection of God, nor were drowned, in the deuou­ryng whaues of the ragynge floude, but was cōtynually in the sure certain and safe custo­dye of almyghty God, & so pre­serued & kept in most certeyne safetye, to the full ende of the said floude, shal we then say or thynke, the catholyke churche, of chryst, the verye veretye re­presented by that arke, to erre and wander from Chryst, Ephe. 15. and Chryst his regiment, the hed thereof: seing that he is Seruator corporis sui. The Sauyour and preseruer of hys body whyche is the Church, as teacheth the Apostle Paule. Seyng Christ who is verytye, hathe ben, is, [Page] and wylbe contynuallye with hys church to the worlds end. Ioh. 14. and. 16. Seyng (I saye) that the holye Ghost, the fyrme cōforter hath ben, is, and wilbe without surceasse duryng this worlde re­sydent in the same, to teache it all the truethe, and therein to comforte confyrme and esta­blyshe it. At Antioch were certeyne Iues, which taught the Chrystians, that excepte they were circumcised after y ^e ma­ner of Moyses, they could not be saued, after greate dyspu­tation hadde therevpon wyth Paule, Act. 15. and Barnabas, y ^e Iues woulde not be satysfyed (as sectes commonly be not) in soo much that Paule and Barna­bas, wyth others were sente to the Apostles and senyors at [Page] Iherusalem, for the decision of this question, among the whi­che, certayne that had bene of the pharisaycal secte, and then christened, affyrmed that chri­stians ought to be circumcised and that the churche shoulde commaund the lawe Moysai­call to be kepte, and yet Peter and Iames, with other the congregation there decreed to the contrarye, that the christi­ans shoulde not be cyrcumcy­sed, and were bolde to say and wryte. Visum est spiritui sancto & no­bis. &c. It pleaseth the Holye ghoste and vs, to burden you with no more, but with these necessaryes. &c. Althoughe in this councell and congregati­on were some that erred, as they which had ben Phariseis, [Page] yet we cannot without impietie saye, that the whole holye assemblye dyd erre. Whyche truelye dydde saye: it pleaseth the holye ghost and vs. Wher­fore to affyrme the whole ca­tholyke churche of Christe to erre in matters of our fayeth, and necessarelye appurtenaūt to christian manners, because some euell be amongest them, is a wycked sclaunder to the mistycall bodye of Chryste, and an vngodlye blasphemye to Christe hymselfe, the heade thereof, yea, and to the holye ghoste contynuallye resydente therein, to whose inspirations reuelations, instructions, and regiment, the catholyke chur­che alwaye is obedyently sub­iecte, or els the holy gost wuld [Page] not contynuallye abyde in it, accordynge to Chrystes pro­myse, Ps. 14 [...]. whyche promyse cannot be vntrue, for he is faythfull in all his wordes. So that al­though that euel be mixt with the good in the churche, yet we muste not thynke it to erre in the wayghtye matters, 1. Tim [...] but to stande to it, as to the pyllar of trueth, and not to forsake it, as aduertyseth vs Saynte Cypryan. Ci [...] epi 3 lib. 3. Et si uidentur in ecclesia esse zizannia, non tamen impediri debet aut fi­des aut charitas nostra, ne quoniam zizan­nia in ecclesia esse cernimus, ipsi de eccle­sia recedamus.

Although corrupt seeds do ap­peare, and be sene in y ^e church, Yet our fayth or charity shuld not be lette, molested, nor troubled, so that bycause we se cor­rupte and noughty seades growynge [Page] in the Churche, therfore we should relinquyshe and for­sake the churche, but to suffer the euyll by charytie, beyng studious and carefull to kepe the vnytie of the spyryte, by y ^e bād of peace, as wylleth S. Paule and rather to be stronge in to­leratyng the badde, Ephe. 4. then to be vngodly in forsaking the good But forsake not they the chur­che for corrupte seades, which for naughty chrystians sake do denye, refuse and reiecte the Decisions, determinations & ordinaunces of the churche, & her vnderstandynges of scrip­tures, and in slaunderynge the churche to erre in poyntes of our fayth and of chrysten rely­gyon, bycause corrupted chry­styans be amonge the incor­rupte. [Page] Let vs remember that no man hauynge the ryghte vse of hys wyttes, wyll refuse corne, bycause chaffe or cockle is myxt with y ^e corne, no more can he be estemed a ryght christyan, that reiectethe the vny­uersall churche of Chryste for y ^e baddes sake therin. Forasmuch as they whyche doo forsake the good holesome and true Doc­tryne of any preacher, for hys euyll lyfes sake cānot be accoū ­ted obediente to thys com­maundemente of Chryst.

Omnia quecun (que) dicunt, seruate et facite, que autem faciunt, nolite facere:

Obserue kepe and do you all thynges, Mat. 23 whatsoeuer they doo speake and teache agrea­ble to truethe, but do you not [Page] those thynges, whyche they worke dissonant from y ^e same, then truelye he that refuseth the felowshyppe of the iust for the iniust sake maye not be re­kened an humble chyld to god our father, nor to the vnyuer­sall churche our mother. As y ^e great house wherin be vessels not onely of golde, 1. Tim 2 and syluer, to honoure, but of woade and earth, also to dyshonour, is not to be forsaken and refused for the vesselles sake of dysshonor therein. No more is the catho­lyke Churche, whyche is the greate house nor her determy­nations, to be contempned, for the euilles sake therein permixted with the good, for in the churche the good and the bad, [Page] be to gyther as chaffe is with the corne sayeth Austen.

Mali et boni sunt in ecclesia sed apud here­ticos soli mali sunt. Aug to 9 in Io tr. 6 &c. nos fatemur in ec­clesia catholicorum, et bonos et malos esse, sed tanquam grana et paleas.

Good and euil be in the church but amonge heretykes be one­lye euyll &c. We graunte in the Churche of catholykes to be good and bad, but as corne & chaffe. Here is to be noted that by Austen among the heretiks be none good, but in the chur­che of catholikes, to be not onely euell, but also good, yea and that lyke as corne & chaffe, be together. For as good corne suffereth no detriment ne da­mage by myxture of the chaffe, but is rather conserued & pre­serued good therewyth, lyke­wise [Page] the good people receiueth no corruption, contagion, nor infection in the substaunce of theyr religion, by the societie of the euyll.

But rather bye continual companye, famyliaritye and syght of theyr fructles lyfe, do learne to detest and abhorre the same and do vse there leuitie comparable to the lyghte moueable chaffe, to the establyshyng of theyre owne godlie grauytye, and the inconstant, corrupte & deformed errors of the iniuste, to the tryall and confyrmatiō, of their owne constante pure and ryghte doctryne. For as the wicked, euyll vseth y ^e good workes of the vertuous, so the vertuous, well vsethe the yll workes of the wycked, to theyr [Page] owne exercyse and much pro­fytte, accordyng to the exam­ple of GOD hym selfe, who vseth the euylles of the nough­ty to the exercyse, and profytte of the good and holy, that bye the peruersytye of the euyll, the good maye profyte, be proued and tryed: as learne we maye also by Iob, & Tho [...] whiche by tempting Sathan receiued no dāmage, 2. cor. 12. but were proued & tried to their muche good, ac­cordyng to thys of Paule. Vir­tus in infirmitate perficitur. Vertue by infyrmitye as temptatyon, persecution and aduersitie is made perfect, stronge, and in­vynsyble. And as good wheat being winnowed w ^t the wind frō y ^e chaffe, is manyfest & ma­nyfestly appeareth good, so y ^e [Page] good people, by the stormye temptation of the euyl, are tri­ed good, and by the tryall are manyfestly knowē to be good. Therefore Paule wryteth.

1. Co. 11 Oportet hereses esse, ut probati manifestifiant, Sectes muste nedes be, y ^t they whyche be good maye be knowen amongest you, for by scisme, in doctrine, they are stirred to learne the trueth, and bi diuisyon in lyuynge, they are excyted to seke vertue, and to be the more vygylant in Doc­tryne, and circumspecte in ly­uyng, so that the good faythe­fulles, takethe no more detry­ment, by the companye of the badde, then dothe wheate bye chaffe, then golde by the touch of fyre, thē the pacience of Iob and Thoby, by the temptaty­on [Page] of Sathan, 2. cor. 12. then Paule by the sharpe afflyction, messēger of Sathan, in his body, then y ^e Apostles by the companye of traytorous Iudas. And for as much as Sodome had bene preserued and saued from de­struction yf therein had bene but tenne good persones, Gen. 10. why shoulde not we beleue the ca­tholyke Churche of Chryste, wherin be innumerable good to be preserued, conserued and saued holy pure, & cleane from the destroying heresies & damnable errours. To be breife, y ^t holy father and learned Doc­tour Saynt Austen wryteth as foloweth.

Ecclesia dei inter multam palcam, multa (que), Au. to. 2. epist. 110 ad Ianua. cap. 19. zizannia constituta, multa tolerat, et ta­men que sunt contra fidem, uel bonam ui­tam non app [...]bat, non tacet, nec facit.

The churche of God ordeyned and set among much chafe and much cockell, doth tolerat many thynges, and yet neuer­thelesse it nother approuethe, nother concealethe, nother doth those thynges, whych be agaynst the faith, or good lyfe.

Thus you maye vnderstand, that the church in and among the chaffe, which signifieth in­constant and frutelesse christi­ans, and cockle, signifying cor­rupt christians, suffereth mani thinges indifferent, infirmities fraylties and euels not maky­ng agaynst our faythe, nor contagious to christian manners for vnyties sake, as Christ dyd tolerate Iudas a theffe and a traitour, but the churche (saith Austen) nothere dothe it selfe, [Page] nother alloweth in the badde, no nor concealeth, nor yet win­keth at any thyng in any wise repugnaunte to our faythe or chrystyā lyfe, especially it doth not tolerate heretyckes, nor scysmatykes, bycause theye be intollerable euyll, for scysme, vyolation of peace, breache of vnitie, and seperaciō from the inherytaunce of Chryste, the churche spredde through al the whole worlde, and stretchyng into all ages, be intollerable. And no meruel, for the church is the kyngdome of heauen as teacheth the parable of the net and of the tenne vyrgynnes &c. Mat. 13. and, 25

Therfore it erreth not infer­nally, nor doeth tolerate anye thynge that is infernall, for the kingdome of heauen is not the [Page] kyngdome of hell, of falsytye, scysme, nor heresye, leadyng to hell, but of verytye; concorde, and vnytye, bryngyng to hea­uen. No cause is therfore, why we should cal the doctrine of y ^e whole catholyke Churche, in doute, for no person vnfayned­ly, professyng Chryste, wyll af­fyrme any one of the Apostles, whych were but members, of hys mystycall bodye, the sayde churche, to erre in his writing, shall then anye chrystyan per­son holde the whole vniuersall bodye of Chryste, to erre in the greate matters, of our professi­on. Paule was but a chylde, of oure mother the Churche, and yet we are bound to beleue his Doctryne, to be true. For christ spake in hym, as he him selfe [Page] wytnesseth to the Corynthes, saying. An experimentum queritis eius, 2. Co. 13 qui in me loquitur Christus [...] Do you seke experience of Chryste him selfe, whych speaketh in me? Shall not we then beleue the Doctryne of hys, and our holy mother the catholyke Church? spouse moste obedient to oure Sauyour Iesus Chryst, truth it selfe? in whom he hath, doth, Au. to. 9 tract. 89 and wyll speake to the worlds ende, seynge he promysed to be in, Mat. 28. and wyth her contynual­lye no lesse tyme. No man can but beleue it, excepte, any be so peruerse, that wyll denye the Churche to be hys mother.

To whom S. Cypryan saieth. Non potest habere deum patrem, Cipri. de simpl. pr [...] qui non habet ecclesiam matrem. He cannot haue GOD to be hys father, [Page] whych hath not the Churche, hys mother. Lyke wyse in not beleuing y ^e church our mother, we do not beleue god our father & so cōsequently we do degēdre from all filiall nature, to the a­brydgement, of our lyues, here in earth, and to the achiuing of y ^e lōg endles death in hel, wherfore let vs w ^t humble obedience honour our sayde holy mother the Catholyke Church, in em­bracing her preceptes, that we may be longe lyuyng, not one­ly beneth heare in Earthe, but attayne also to the longe lyfe, aboue in Heauen. Hytherto I haue declared the Church, not to erre, bycause some euyll per­sones, be therein, wherewyth, yf any be not satisfied, but doth further affyrme, euery membre of the churche to be a lyer, and [Page] therefore doth infer the whole vnyuersall churche, to lye, and erre. To them Saynt Austen shall make aunswere as foloweth. Deus per seipsum uerax, Augu, in pist. Ioh. tract, 1 tuper deum uerax, nam per te mendax. God is by hym selfe true, but thou art tru by GOD, for by thy selfe thou, art a lyer, so that although eue­ry person of hym selfe, Psa. 115 and by his vityat nature, be a lyer, yet by the pertecipation of goddes grace and truthe in the Chur­che, manye are true, as well appeared by the holye Patry­arches, Prophetes, and many others, before Chryste, his in­carnation, and since that time, by the Apostles, Dyscyples and holy Martyres, wytness­yng the truthe wyth theyr bloude. For elles Dauyd hym­selfe [Page] had lyed in sayinge. Eue­ry man is a lier, y ^e Euangeliste Paule, and other the Apostles had lyed in their preachynges, and erred in theyr wrytynges, the whych no chrystyan harte can suffer to be affyrmed, but admyt, that the Deuyl is some time permitted to haue power on a synguler and pertyculer persone in the Churche, yet it followeth not y ^t he hath powre to seduce the vnyuersal congregation of chryst, his vnyuersal churche. For where Chryst is, there cannot the Deuyl be, cō ­syderynge that no agreament is or can be, 1. Cor. 6 betwene Chryste and Belyall.

But in the vnyuersall catho­lyke church is Christ, therefore is not therein the deuyl, Christ [Page] is therein, for he promysed vn­to the sayd catholyke churche, not onelye the spirite of truth, to teache it all the trueth, but promysed hym selfe also verye verytye, therein to be continu­ally euen to the worldes ende. For that cause Paule calleth the church y ^e temple & house of god. Apo. 20. In y ^e Apocalipse moreouer it is wrytten, the deuyll to be tyed, and shutte vp in hell, that he nether myght, nor maye se­duce the peoples and nacions. Wherevpon S. Austen wry­teth ī his boke de ciuitate dei, these wordes, Au, de ci­uitate dei li. 2. ca. 7 Ad hoc ligatus est diabolus in abisso, ut iam non seducat gentes, ex quibus constat ecclesia. Furthermore the deuyll was tyed and shutte vp in hell, that he myghte not se­duce the peoples, of whom consisteth [Page] the church. Here ye may learne of Austen, that the de­uyll hath not power to seduce the peoples and multitudes of faithfulles, of whom the chur­che cōsisteth. After it foloweth Nec enim dictum, Aug, ibi. ut non seduceret aliquem, sed non ut seduce et iam gentes, in quibus ecclesiam procul dubio uoluit intelligi.

It is not sayde, that he shoulde seduce no manne, but that he shoulde not seduce nowe the peoples, in whom vndoubted­lye he would to be vnderstand the churche. Note here, that s. Austen wryteth, that it was not spokē, that the deuell shuld seduce no man, for so promysed not Chryst, but that he shoulde not seduce the peoples, that is to saye: the whole congregati­on of the church, to whom on­ly [Page] the spyrite of truth was pro­mysed to contynue for euer. Thus playne it is, that the de­uyll maye deceyue and seduce some certayne persones of the churche, and yet cannot seduce the whole multitude, and con­gregation therof. For so longe as an army standeth together in aray, it is impregnable, and inuincible, but deuyded, disse­uered, and scattered abroade, it is moost easye to be vanquysshed. Lykewyse Chrystyans, singularlye, and priuately may sometyme take an ouerthrowe of Sathan: but the mayne ar­my, & host of Christ, y ^e vniuersal militaunte churche, hath so valyanut, puyssaunt, and experte a captayne in the myddes therof, and that continually, that it [Page] cannot goo out of araye at any tyme, to take any notable dis­comforte or ouerthrowe. 1. Co. 10 Non e­nim patietur uos, tentari supra id quod po­testis, sed faciet etiam cum tentatione pro­uentū, ut possitis sustineri For he will not suffre you to be tempted, & assauted aboue youre power, but so wyll do in the temptati­on, that you shalbe able to su­staine it, escape it, and to haue good successe therin, so that he can and will kepe his promise, which was, Mat. 16. y ^t Hel gates should not preuayle agaynst the chur­che. Whiche promyse he made not, to the perticuler members thereof seuerallye, but to the whole churche vnyuersallye. Therfore, although some stra­glynge, waueryng, and wan­derynge Christians, do at any [Page] tyme erre, yet the whole con­gregatiō doth at no time erre, in the weyghtye matters of Christianitie. Yf the churche maye erre, then maye Chryste and the holy ghost erre, which be resyaunt therin, then is not the Churche buylded vpon an immoueable rocke, stone, Mat. 16. and fundatyon, accordyng to scripture, then is not the Churche, the pyller and fyrme vpholder of trueth, 1. Tim. 3 then cannot the churche say truely, it pleaseth the holye Ghoste, and vs, then is not Chryst the Sauyour and preseruer of the Churche, hys body, whych to beleue were to muche vngodlye, but Chryso­stome sayth. Homini si bellum inferas, Act. 15. Ephes, 5 Chris, to. 2. ho. 20. forte uinces aut forte uinceris, ecclesiam uincere nulla uis poterit.

yf thou warre vpon a manne, perchaunce thou shalte ouer­come, or be ouercommed, but no power forse or strength can ouercome the churche. Where­bye you maye wel vnderstand that a perticuler persone of the Churche maye be conquered, but not the whole catholycke churche Non de [...]rit enim dominus ad tuendam ecclesiam suam. Au. to. 2. epis. 169 For our lord wyll not be wantyng to defēd hys churche whych he bought and purchased wyth no lesse, then wyth hys owne moste precyous bloude, the infallyble euydence of hys deare loue to­warde it, which will not suffer it vnarmed and withoute his defence. Vayne therefore be al scysmatycall rebellyons conspirynge against the same. Thus [Page] thys fynyshed, I thinke it expedient to open to you the infal­lyble tokens, whereby ye may know and infallyblye discerne the catholyke Churche, from y ^e factious churche of scysmatiks which tokens (amōgest others that I do ommit bycause oure aduersaryes, moste vntruelye do chaleng to be among them where in dede they nother are nor can be, but in the catholike churche) be these thre, vniuersalitie, antiquitie, and vnitie.

¶ The fyrste token whyche is vniuersality, Vniuer­salitie. although I haue proued sufficyentlye before, in declaryng where the Churche is, the whyche I praye you nowe in thys poynte also to haue in memorye, yet I wyll bryfely saye somethynge more [Page] for it. The scysmatycall chur­ches, be but partyculer multy­tudes in partyculer places, as the donatystes in Affryke, the hussytes in beame, the Luthe­rans in some certeyne prouin­ces of Germany, and the Sa­cramentaryes of late heare in Englande, wherfore it is most certaine, that our late particu­ler church, was not the church of Chryst, whyche is catholike that is to saye, vnyuersal tho­roughoute all the vnyuersall world, as ye may perceyue by the promyse of God, made to Abraham, whych is thys.

In semine tuo benedicentur omnes gentes. All natyons shalbe blessed in thy sede, Gen. 22. that is to sai, in Christ as interpretethe it, Gal. 3. S. Paule in hys Epystle to the Galathi­ans, [Page] so that by God his bene­diction through al nations.

A solis ortu vs (que) ad occasum [...] no­men domini From the rysyng of y ^e sonne to the goynge downe of the same, Psa. 112 the name of our lorde is praysed and gloryfyed, as wytnesseth the Prophet Da­uyd. Accordynge wherevnto Chryst sayde to hys Apostles. Et eritis mi [...]i testes in Iherusalem, Actes. 1. et in om­ni Iudea et samaria et us (que) ad ultimum ter­re. You shall wytnes me in Ie­rusalem, in all Iurye Sama­tye, and so in all places vnto y ^e vttermost partes of y ^e worlde. Thus ye maye perceyue that our hed Iesus Chryst renew­ed not, nor newely builded his mysticall bodye the churche, to be included wythin any perty­culer corner or part of y ^e world [Page] but to be vnyuersall in Iheru­salem in all Iury in Samarie and from thence in all realmes and countreyes euen to the ex­treme partes of the Earth, af­ter the auncyent prophecy of y ^e sayd good kynge and prophete Dauyd, Psa. 71. whych is thys. Domina­bitur a mare us (que) ad mare et aflumine, us (que) ad terminos, orbis terrarum. (He mea­nyng Chryst) shal rule from sea to sea, and from the sea vnto y ^e extreame endes of the worlde, and therefore Saynte Ihon the Apostle sayeth. Ipse est propiti­atio pro peccatis nostris, 1. Ioh. 2 Aug. tra. 5, in epist Iohan. 2. non pro nostris tantum sed pro peccatis totius mundi.

(he meanynge Chryste) is the propitiatiō for our sinnes, and not for our synnes onleye, but for all the synnes also, of all the whole world, that is to saye of [Page] all faithfulles dyspersedde tho­rough the world as vnderstandethe it S. Austen. The same doctryne. S. Paul taught the Romaines Per quem accipimus gra­tiam et apostolatum ad obediendum fidei in omnibus gentibus pro nomine eius. Rom. 1. Bye whom we haue receiued grace and thapostolicall embassye. That by fayth hys name may be obeyed, in all nations and countryes: by these and other greate nomber of scryptures, all and euery catholyke writer affyrmethe the Churche to be vniuersall, and not nacyonall, not I saye affyxed to this or y ^e nacyon. Whereof ye shall here that olde aucthor Irene­us. Iren. li. 1. cap. 2. Ecclesia per vniuersum orbem vs (que) ad fines terre seminata, et ab apostolis & [...] Discipulis eorum accepit eam fidem, quae est in vnum deum. The Churche be­ynge [Page] sowen and planted tho­rowe out the vniuersall world to the furthyest endes of the same, receyued of the Apostles and of theyr dysciples, that fai­eth whych is in one God. The selfe same saying hath Epipha­nius in hys fyrst boke of his se­cond Tome, so that I shal not nede to rehearse it, but nowe here that greate clerke Saint Austen. Aug. to. 2. ad b [...] ­ni. ep. 50 Ecclesia catholica sola est cor­pus Christi, cuius ille caput et saluator cor­poris sui, extra hoc corpus, neminem, uiui­ficat spiritus sanctus

The vnyuersall Churche, one­lye is the body of Chryst, wherof he is the hed and the Saui­our of hys body, out of this bo­dy the holy Ghost gyueth lyfe, to no man. By this we are taught, corner & partyculer chur­ches, [Page] not to be the bodi of christ but the catholyke & vnyuersal Church onely, & that out of the same, catholik & vniuersal churche, the holy Ghost gyueth lyfe to no man. Let vs therefore beware of corner churches, wherin is not the lyfe gyuing spirit, and earnestly followe y ^e coun­sayle giuen by the same Austē, Augu. de agone Christia. cap, 29 whych is thys. Nec eos audiamus qui sanctam ecclesiam quae vna catholica est, negant per orbem esse diffusam. Let vs not here them, whych do deny the holye Churche, whych onely is vnyuersall, to extend tho­rough the whole world, wherefore it is manyfest, that corner Churches, in thys or that nati­on dyssentyng in relygyon frō the whole not to be the chur­che, nor of the church of christ [Page] for Chryst sayd not that Gene­ua or thys, or that countrye is the fielde, Mat. 13 but sayd y ^e vniuersal world is y ^t fylde, wherin y ^e sede of god vniuersalli is sowē doth and shall growe vntyl haruest the worldes end, which if they dyd remembre, they wuld not saye that Geneua or thys or y ^t country onely hadde receyued gods worde, but that in euery countrye through all the vny­uersall worlde, it is embraced, consyderyng that by Salomō In multitudine populi est dignitas regis. Pro. 14.

The honoure of a Kynge, is in the ample multytude of people, and contraryly in paucitye or fewe is the debilitie & weakenes of a king, if we therfore wyll acknoledge our hea­uenly kyng to be of honoure & [Page] puissaunce, we muste confesse hym not to be a pertyculer or a nacionall king and hed of this or that nation onelye, but to reygne in euery countrye tho­rough the whole world, Psal. 2. except we shoulde saye that Chryste hath lost hys inherytaunce the vnyuersall churche, spred tho­roughe the vnyuersal worlde, and that he is dryuen to a cor­ner of Germanye, to be but a dymye anguler kyng, or coun­tye, whych were a playne blas­phemye, soo that, whatsoeuer multytude settythe fourthe a doctryne dyssentyng from the vnyuersall doctryne of the vniuersal Churche, maye well be iudged, not to be of the catho­lyke Churche of Chryst. Of the whych churche we be sayeth. Vincentius Lirinensis. Lirine [...]. Si hanc fidem uerā [Page] esse fateamur, quam tota per orbem terrē, confiretur ecclesia. Yf we confesse thys fayth to be true, whyche the whole Churche through y ^e whole worlde dothe confesse. Agayne. Si id teneamus, quod ubi (que) cre­ditum est. Yf we holde & kepe that, whiche is euerye where, and in euery country beleued. Some peraduenture wyll in­ueye agaynst this, sayenge. The flocke of Christe is lytle, Luk. 12. Math. 7. and the way to lyfe is narow, therefore the churche cannot be large and greate. To that aunswereth that holy and re­nowmed father S. Austen in his epystle, ad Vincentium, agaynst the Donatistes, Augu. to 2 epi 48. Ipsa est de cuius pau­citate dicitur in comparatione multorum malorum. Quia augusta & arcta uia est, que ducit aduitam, Gen. 22. & pauel sunt qui ambulant in illa. Et rursus ipsa est, de cuius mul­titudine [Page] dicitur, sic erit semen tuum, sicut stelle celi, et sicut haraena maris, ijdem quippe fideles sancti & boni: et in comparatione plurimorum malorum, pauci, & perse ipsi multi sunt, quia multi filij desertae, Gala. 4. magis quam eius, quae habet uirum, & multi ab o­riente & occidente uenient & recumbent cum Abraham Isaac & Iacob in regno coe­lorum. Math. 8. Et exhibet sibi deus populum habun­dantem, emulatorem bonorum operum, & multa milia, quae numerare nemo poterat, ui [...]entur in Apocalipsi, ex omni tribu et lin­gua in stolis albis, palmis (que) uictricibus. Apoca. 7.

That is the churche, of whose fewnes it is spoken in compa­rison of manye euyll. For the streight and narrowe way is, whiche leadeth vnto lyfe, and fewe there be whiche walcke in it: and contrarylye, that is the church, of whose multitude it is sayde, so shall thy seede be as the starres of the firmamēt, [Page] and the sande of the sea, for the same faythfulles be holye and good, and in comparison of manye euell, be fewe, and by them selues the same be manye: for the chyldren of her whyche is desolate of a husband, be more in noumbre, then the chyldren of her which hath a husbande, and manye shal come from the East and from the Weste, and shal rest with Abraham Isaac and Iacob, in the kyngedome of heauen, and God doth exhi­bite vnto hym selfe an abun­daunce of people, followers of good workes. And many thousandes, whom no man can nū ber, be sene in the apocalypse, of all and euery trybe, & tonge, in whyte robes, and victorius palmes. Here is to be noted, [Page] that S. Austen affyrmeth the catholyke churche of Christ, to be of a fewe noumber, yf it be conferred with the euyll mul­titude, whiche beynge compa­red to the good, incomparably in number do excede. The pyl­grems and sober passengers, thoroughe the narowe waye, are but a small multitude, be­ynge compared vnto the huge noumber, raungynge and ro­uynge thoroughe the breade wayes. Christe his redolente flocke of meke lambes, is but a lytle flocke, in comparyson of the greate stynckynge hearde of the deuyls sturdy rammishe goates, but yf the streyght pas­sengers thorough the narowe waye, and the lyttle flocke of Chryst, be accompted by them [Page] selues, without collation, and comparison to the euyll, wan­derynge thoroughe the broade waye, they be manye and innumerable, lyke as be the sterres in the fyrmament, and y ^e sande in the sea, as moost manyfestly appeareth by the scriptures a­boue alleged of the sayde Au­sten and is truely called by the Prophete Dauyd Ecclesia magna, the greate church and congre­gation, Psa. 21. because it extendeth in to all the furtheste partes, and borders of the worlde, and by­cause it conteineth many thousandes whom no man can nō ­ber, as is alledged oute of the Apocalypse.

Antiqui­tie.Nowe to the second token which is antiquitie or aūcietie wherby ye may descerne y ^e auncient [Page] catholyke Church, y ^e my­sticall body, of our sauyour Iesus, from the late spronge vppe anguler Churches, Whereof Sathā is the hed, for the chur­che whereof Chryst is the hed, is of suche antiquitie, y ^t he him selfe, whyche is. Antiquus dierum, Dani. 7. y ^e olde auncyent, and which sayd Antequam Abraham fieret, ego sum. Before Abraham was made, or borne, I am, dyd founde it: and that before anye wrytten Scryptures, for Adam, Eue, Abell, Seath, Noe, Abraham, Lothe, wyth many other faith fulles, ware before Moyses, a longe tyme, before the cōmaundement, wrytten in stonye ta­bles, and before Scryptures, wrytten in an outwarde sub­staunce. And the same Church [Page] Chryst beyng vysyble heare in Earth, accordyng to hys pro­myse, Mat. 16. mentioned in Mathew, whych was, vpon this rocke, and fyrme foundation, I will buylde my Churche, dyd new­lye edyfye, renewe and repaire out of hys owne syde, as wyt­nesseth Saynte Chrysostome, sayeng.

Chris, to. 2. homil. ad Neo­phitos 26 Ihero. to 4. sermo. de resur. domini. Prosper. de promis et predic par. 1. ca 1 Ex latere suo Christus edificauit ecclesiam sicut de latere Adam eius coniunx Eua pro lata est. Nam hac de causa Paulus quo (que) testatur dicens. De corpore eius et ossibus eius sumus, latus uidelicet illud significans, nam sicut de latere illo, Deus fecit feminā procreari, sic et de suo latere Christus aquā nobis et sanguinem dedit: unde repararetus ecclesia. Chryst builded his chur­che oute of his owne syde, lyke as out of the side of Adam his wife Eue was brought fourth for Paule also wytnesseth, for [Page] that cause saying, we be of his body and of hys bones, sygni­fyeng surely hys syde. For as God dyd procreat the woman oute of the same syde, euen soo Chryste gaue out of hys owne side, water and bloude, where­by the church should be repai­red and renewed, so that al the fyrst orygynall beyng of chryst his church, was not originally begone euen at the giuyng of water and bloude, oute of hys syde, but the newe buyldynge, reperation, and renewynge thereof, as sayeth the Prophet Amos, & Sainte Chrisostome, Amos. 9 Acte. 16. and the reedifyeng to a perfec­tion, accordyng to thys of Da­uyd. Deus uirtutum respice de celo, Psal. 79. et Vide, [...]t uisita uincam istam, et perfice cam quam plantauit dextera tua.

Loke downe o God of power [Page] from Heauen se and vysyt this vyneyard and make it perfect whych thy ryght hande hathe planted, Thus the Prophette desyred not the extirpation of godds olde vyneyard, and the plantynge of a newe, but desy­red the perfectynge of the olde, by hys myghty power, al rea­dy planted. The whych vyne­yarde is the Churche, as affir­meth the Prophet Esay. Esaye. 5. Vinea domini domus Israell. The vineyard of our Lorde is the house of Is­raell, and the Chrystyans be y ^e spyrytuall Israelytes.

Thys spyrytuall vyneyarde Chryst hys churche, is newlye buylded and brought to a per­fection, by propagation, dila­ting, and enlargynge the same out of Iurye in to all regyons and contreies, by connecting [Page] and coupplynge the Iues and Gentyles, the olde church and the newe together in one, Ephes. [...] him selfe being the hed corner stone by repayrynge and renewyng it with a more habundante spiryte, wyth a more plentythe of grace, wyth open verytyes, w ^t a newe and perfect lawe, new and perfect sacramentes, with newe priestehoode, and newe perfect sacrifyse, the olde imperfectes beynge abolyshed. And so the churches old worne garmentes the fygures put of, she proceded not into a corner, but into all the worlde, not vnder a veyle couertelye, hyddenlye, and inuisiblie, but manifestlie, openlye, and vysiblye, adorned wyth a newe vysyble habyte, & tyre, as it were wyth a newe [Page] distynct shape from her selfe, in her olde forme before the ful­nes of tyme vnpolished yea she came fourth of Chryst his side all perfect and newe in the water and bloude, Galat. 4. guyshyng oute of hys sayde syde.

Ephe. 5.For Paule sayth, that Chryst gaue him selfe euē to death for his Church, to sanctyfy it, clensing it, in y ^e lauacre of water by y ^e word of lyfe, & dyd washe vs from our synne in hys bloude, as teacheth Saint Ihon. Apoc. 1. And as the Church was fyrst was fyrst buyl­ded before the wrytten scryp­tures, of the olde Testamente, so was the same reedifyed, re­pared, and renewed before the wrytten Scrypture of y ^e newe Testament For Chryste & hys Apostles preached, before that [Page] any externall wrytyng or printyng was therof, as it is most playne to all men, exercysed in readyng of Scrypture, and y ^e auncient learned writers. And yet no true chrystyan woll de­fend the doctryne of Chryste, & of hys Apostles then vnwryt­ten to be vntrue, but to be of no lesse verytye vnwrytten, then after beyng wrytten. For it is not true, bycause it is wrytten, but bycause Chryst (who is ve­rytie) spake & taught it, which verytye vnwrytten aunciette to the veritie, after writtē, toke not aucthoritie of y ^e after writ­tē verity, for then Chryst beyng Mayster, and his worde vn­wrytten taught by mouth one­ly, had taken aucthoritie of the worde after wrytten by Ma­thewe [Page] and Ihon, but hys Apostles and seruauntes, yea and of the writtē word by Marke, & Luke, but Dyscyples to his Apostles, y ^e which notable incō uenience to auoyde, we muste rather affyrme the wrytten worde by the Dyscyples and minysters, to receue credence and estimatyon of the vnwritten worde taught by Chryste hym selfe there mayster. And that bicause the worde writen was, and is conformable and agreable by the testimonye of the church, to the auncient vn­wrytten word, which the sayd churche had receued of Chryst truethe hym selfe. Soo that y ^e wrytten truth came not after to brynge aucthoritie to the vnwrytten, but godlye to ad­monyshe, [Page] put in mynde, & wit­nes to the chrystian posteritie, that the churche auncient to y ^e wrytten worde, had receyued the same of Chryst hys mouth, and vsed it, before the outward wrytyng thereof, and that we shold beleue Iesus to be Christ the very sonne of god, and that so beleuynge we myghte haue lyfe eternall by hys name. Wherefore the antiquytye of of the Churche, is not to be re­iected, but moste reuerentlye & obedyently to be embraced, as teacheth that great clerke S. Basyll. Basil. de spū sanct. Veneranda sunt uetusta dogmata, quod obantiquitatem, ceu canitiem quā ­dam, habeant quiddam reuerendum.

The auncient decres and ordinaunces, are to be reuerenced, bycause for their olde antiqui­tie, and as a man myght saye, [Page] for theyr hore auncietye, they haue certayne great reuerente matter in them.

Eccl. 6.That notable wyse manne Iesus Sirache gaue this commaundement. Non te praetereat narratio seniorum. &c Forget not the saiynges of the elders for they haue learned the truthe of there forefathers, & of them thou shalte learne vnderstan­dyng, and thou shalt learne to geue whā nede is, a wise aun­swere.

Shall we then contrary to Goddes word leaue our aun­cyettes, and elders, to followe the fonde sayinges, of oure in­constant and rashe yonglyngs and yong phantastycall ima­ginations, whych Iesus Sy­rache, Pro. 22. maketh wyse Salomō, [Page] in his prouerbs. Ne transgrediaris terminos antiquos, quos posuerūt patres tui. Passe not out of the olde aun­cient borders, whych thy fore­fathers hath appoynted. The borders and lymytes vndou­tedly he dothe passe and trans­gresse as wryteth that holye & learned clerke Alexandre the fyrst. Alexa. 1. epist. 1. Qui statuta patrum postponit at (que) confundit. The whych regardeth not but omitteth confoundeth, and dysordereth the determy­natiōs of our auncient fathers The scrypture commaundeth vs to be myndefull of olde auncyent tyme paste, Deu. 32. and to aske our forefathers, & they should tel and teach vs, but now some endeuorynge to tourne ante­chrystly the rootes of trees vp­warde, to sette the carte before [Page] the horses, to make all ryght ordre preposterous, and to con­founde all Chryst hys ordinaū ces and doctrine, do teach con­trary to Chryst, to contempne antiquitye as dotage, and to aske and beleaue the inuenile successoures, bearinge men in hand, dampnable ignoraunce, to be in our holi learned aunci­ents, & knowledge with wise­dome to be in their after com­myng posterytie, to thend that chyldren shuld contrary to the scrypture, sette their fathers to scole. It is therefore verye no­table, that by scrypture it selfe, we are premonyshed, taughte and commaunded to be ware and cyrcumspecte, that in no wyse we vyolate the lawes, ordynaunces, and determynati­ons [Page] of oure holye forefathers, but wyth reuerente obedience to obeye and followe them, by­cause next vnto goddes holye worde, and hys catholyke churche, our most comfortable godlye and infallyble staye, con­systeth in them, persistyng in y ^e vnytie of the Catholyke faith, and the same hath delyuered, vnto their successours, as thoughe it were with one penne wrytten. Yf therfore any que­stion or doubte doo aryse, wee must (sayeth that olde wryter, Lirinensis) haue recourse to the sayinges of our holye fathers, Vin. Lir. whych in their seuerall tymes, contynuynge in the vnytye of Chryst hys churche, hath bene approued maister, and therfore y ^e auncient learned father Leo, [Page] wryteth as foloweth. Leo epist. ad Martianam Augustum. Qui etiam­si principuis meritis optuno (que) iudicio, legi time fui [...]set ac solemniter ordina [...]us, contra reuerentiam tamen canonum paternorum, contra sancti spiritus instituta, contra anti­quitatis exempla, nullis posset suffragijs ad iuuari. Whosoeuer althoughe he beyng of excellent meryte and of excellent iudgemente were leafully and solemnely ordred, yet doyng agaynst the reuerēt canons of our auncient fathers agaynst the ordinaunces of y ^e holy Ghost, agaynst the exam­ples of antiquitye, he can by no suffragies, be holpen. Marke heare I praye you, that thys synguler clarke, of our aduersaryes, neuer reproued, affirmeth amongest other thynges, that agaynst examples of antiquiti we can bi no suffrages nor praiers [Page] be holpen. Wherfore in the name of our sauyoure Iesus Chryst let vs bannyshe and exyle all the prophane newe doc­trynes, accordyng to y ^e mynde of Paule in Tymothe, who commaunded vs not to eschew antiquities, 1. Tim [...] nor olde nor auntient, but newe doctrynes, seing therfore newe doctrynes are to be auoyded, antyquyty is to be embrased, and seynge by Paule that newe doctryne is prophane, ātyquity must nedes be sacred and holye, the whych sacred antyquytye (saieth Vin­centius Lyrynensis) an olde aucthor we shall folowe Si ab his sensibus nullate [...]s recedamus: Vincentius. quos sanctos maiores ac patres nostros celebrasse manifestum est.

Yf that we do by no meanes go backe from those vnderstā ­dinges, [Page] & iudgementes, whom it is playne our holy aunciet­tours, and forefathers, to haue preached and publyshed.

Of the same antiquitie Saint Paule admonyshed the Cor­rinthians saying: If any man appeare to be contentious, he must vnderstand that we haue no such custome, nor the church of God, whereby it is mooste playne, that the church of God in S. Paules tyme dyd much and highly esteame customes, how much more then shoulde auncient customes, prescrypti­ons, and traditions deryued, deduced & brought from chry­stes primatyue Church, to the next age, and so frō age to age, contynuallye vntyll thys pre­sent, be much estemed, earnestly [Page] embraced, and reuerentlye obeied of vs in these latter daies wherein many arroganthedes are desyrous of neuer receiued doctrines, procedyng of proud singularitie, cōtrary to our euer approued and r eceyued doc­tryne, religion, customes, pre­scriptions and traditions euen from the begynnyng.

The whych Saint Iherome, hauing in muche remembrāce sayd reuerentlye. Ieron. ad Oceanu [...] et pan [...] [...]llam senex tene­bo fidem in qua puer natus sum I being an olde man, wyl kepe y ^t fayth that I a chylde was borne in, knowyng ryght well not one­ly vnyuersalytie, but also anty­quytie of the vnyuersall Doc­tryne and relygion to be a sure and an vndouted token of the catholyke Churche, and there­fore [Page] he dyd wryght vnto Theophilus. Scito nobis nihiless [...] antiquius, quam nec Christi iura, Ihero. in Theophilum, nec patrum transire terminos, Knowe thou O Theo­phile, nothyng to be vnto vs, more acceptable, than not to transgresse & passe the lawes, of Chryst, and the determina­tions of our forefathers. Galat. 1.

And no merueyle for Paule hym selffe called immedyatlye by Christ, and bountifully breathed wyth the Holye ghoste, ascēded to Iherusalē to know hys auncyettes and predyce­soures the apostles, Galat. 2. and to consulte wyth them, leste he hadde renne in vayne, that is to saye, lest he had not beleued as they beleued and had not preached, Tertulli. contra Merchio nem. li. 9. as they preached.

Forasmuch as Paule so nota­ble [Page] Apostle, and the chosen vessell of Chryste, dyd soo muche esteame the aucthoritie of hys aunciettes, with the whyche he desyred to aduaūce his faith & preachinge, howe much more then shall it become vs igno­raūtes and graceles, in comparison, to obeye and folowe the vniuersall antiquitie of the ca­tholyke doctryne, an infallible sygne of the catholike Church? And not to enclyne to a Doc­tryne neuer receyued nor prac­tysed in Chryst hys vniuersall church, but in all ages, and in al countryes, professing Christ, iustly condempned for heresye. Therefore most plaine it is, the late Doctryne heare in Eng­lande, not to be a sounde, but a corrupte Doctryne, not catho­lyke, [Page] not vniuersal, but party­culer and, pertiall, not ackno­ledged, nor knowen, but stra­unge to Chryst his auncient catholyke Church, the onely treasure house of GOD, and of the ryght wourshyppyng of God. Here bicause I wold be loth to be tedious, I wyll surcease to speake any more of antyquyty, and procede to the declaration of the thyrde sygne, whych is vnytie. Vnitie Where is not consent, vnytie, and agreament in doc­tryne, there is scisme, diuision, and heresye. Wherefore the catholyke Churche (whereof Chryst is the hed) who is oure peace, Ephes. 2 and hath made of bothe Iues, and gentyles, before dy­uyded, in relygion, one bodye, is not a myshapen, confused, & [Page] disordered multitude, but it is a conuocation, moste ordrelye shapen, of moste consonant or­dre, and proportion, and that of beleauyng people, vnyted and lyncked togyther in one religion of our Sauyour Chryste, by one fayth and his visyble sacramentes, Aug. [...]ōt Faust. lib 9. ca. 11. and therefore the Apostle Paule taught the Coryn­thyans, broughte then by false teachers, into scysme, to em­brace vnytye, saying. Obsecro uos per nomen domini nostri Iesu Christi, 1. Cor. 1. ut id ipsum dicatis omnes, & non sint in nobis scismata, sitis autem perfecti in eodem sensu, et in eadem sententia.

I exhorte you in the name of our lorde Iesus Chryst, that ye all saye one thynge, and that there be no scismes among you but be ye perfect in one sence & one mynde. The same vnytye [Page] Paule teacheth by the simily­tude of a corporall body, which as it is compact of many members, in such a harmonye, that ther is mutual cōmunion & participatiō of cōmē & mutual nurriture cōmoditi & helth among them, euen so the mystycall bo­dy of our Sauyoure Iesu, the Churche, is knytte together in one spyrytuall socyetye, wyth suche a vnytye, that there is a common and a mutuall parti­cipation, of the whole mysty­call body, the vniuersal church in those spyrytuall thynges, whyche be spyrytual nurriture of the soules, in chrystian rely­gyon, vnto the atchyuynge of lyfe eternall, scysme and con­tentiō be so contrary vnto the vnytye of Chrystes Churche, y ^t Paule dyd wryte vnto the Co­rynthyans, [Page] beyng in diuisyon and contention, these wordes ensuyng. 1. Co. 11 Si quis autem uidetur conten­tiosus esse, nos talem consuetudinem non habemus, ne (que) ecclesia dei. Yf any man do appeare to be contentious, he must knowe y ^t we haue no suche custome, nether the church of God. Note here that contention concernyng faythe and chrysten life, is not among the catholykes, the vniuersall congregation of God, accusto­med to vnitie, and not to con­tentious diuisiō. And therfore we reade in scrypture Deus qui inhabitare facit vnanimes in domo. Psa. 67.

It is god whych maketh peo­ple of one mynd, to dwel in his house, whych is the Catholike Churche.

Wherby it is most manyfeste that scysme, diuysion and contē tyon [Page] be manyfest sygnes of the vnleafull assembles of herety­kes, and vnity the most vndouted and manyfest token of the leafull and godly congregati­on of faythfulles, y ^e whych vni­tie plainlie to declare, the scriptures affyrme to be but one church as ye maye reade in the genesis. Gene. 6. We had but one arcke the expresse fygure of y ^e church, therfore Chryste hath but one churche, that the veryty maye aunswer the figure. Also in the seconde booke of Moyses it is written. Cipri. de coena do­mini. In vna domo commeditur agnus The lambe shalbe eaten in one house, the which house Saint Cypryan vnderstandeth to be the churche, saying. Vna domus est ecclesie in qua agnus editur. There is one house of the churche in the [Page] whych the lambe is eaten. The lyke saying hath S. Au­sten addynge vnto Churche, this worde Cotholyke, which is thys. In una domo agnus comeditur, Aug. de sermo. de uigil. pen tec. quia in una ecclesia catholica uera hostia redemptoris immolatur. The lambe is eaten in one house, bycause the true and very hoste and obla­tion of our redemer, is offered in one catholyk Church. Thus Saynt Austen teacheth to be but one churche, and the same to haue the tytle of Catholyke, whych sygnifyeth vniuersall, to the condempnation of the particular Churche, of scysmatykes, and in the same one ca­tholyke Church not a figure of oure redeamer, but the verye true hoste of our redemer, to be offred. The whiche catholyke [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] Churche, Ioh. 10. Chryste also calleth, Vnum ouile, Rom. 12 One folde & flocke, & Paul both to the Romanes, & also to y ^e Ephesyans, Ephes. 4. affirmeth the multytude of faythfulles to be one body, and therefore S. Austen agaynst the Donatists sayeth. Aug. cōt Donatist li. 1. ca 10 Vna est ecclesia, que sola catho­lica nominatur.

The church is one which only is named catholicke, for y ^e vni­on whereof Chryst becam the hedde coppelinge corner stone, Ephe. 2. wherupon and by whome the vniuersall edyficer the vnyuer­sall churche of bothe Iues and Gentyles, shoulde be buylded, brought, and reconsyled in to one body. To be brefe, Epiphanius a notable greeke wryter, hath wrytten of thys vnytye as foloweth. Ecclesia velut vnam [Page] habet animam et idem cor, et predicat, Epiphan. to. 2. li. 1. Iren. li. 1, capi. 3. docer et tradit, velut vno ore predita.

The Churche hath as it were one mynd and one hart, & preacheth, teacheth, & giueth tradi­tions as it were endued wyth one mouth, as had the prima­tyue Church, by this testimony of Luke folowyng. Actes. 4. Erat omnium qui credebant cor unum et anima vna. Of all whych did beleue, was one hart and one mynd. So much dyd Chryste our head requyre vnytie in hys Churche, that he requyred it in two or three, and to thē made most comfortable promyse saying. Mat. 10. Yf two of you doo agree vpon earthe of anye thyng, whatsoeuer they aske, it sha [...]be gyuen them of my fa­ther, whyche is in Heauen, as was vnto the three Chyldren, Dani. 3. agreyng in one fayth, in y ^e bournyng [Page] furnace. To commende amonge other godly thynges vnto vs thys moste necessarye vnytie, our peace maker Iesus Chryst, ordeyned his very real body and bloude, in those thin­ges, which be of many reduced and brought to one, as in brede and wine, for of many graines is made one breade whych euidentlye proueth an indiuisible societye, & an inseparable vny­ty to be in and among y ^e whole vnyuersall multytude of bele­uyng people, spredde abroade in al the worlde, whych notw ^t ­standynge theyr corporall dy­staunce, be broughte into one bodye by consente of myndes, vnitie of faith, of Sacraments and of charytye, the bande of peace, as is manyfeste by thys [Page] text of Paule, the Apostle. 1. Co. 10 Vnus panis et unum corpus multi sumus.

We beinge many are one bred and one body for all we parta­kyng of one bread the bodye of Chryste, do declare our selues (although many in nomber) to be one lofe of bread, compact of many graynes, that is to saye, to be one body of Chryst, counited of many members, hauing one fayth, one baptysme & one Lorde. And as al the members of Chryst, are by one fayth and one maner of Sacramentes, made one body, so are they by the same, vnited to one hed our Iesus Chryste, of the whyche inseparable vnitye, that nota­ble vnyon and cōiunction of y ^e husbande wyth the wyfe, is a greate Sacrament and a ho­li [Page] perfect signe, as this of Paul wytnesseth Sacramentum hoc magnum est, ego autem dico in Christo et ecclesia. Thys is a greate sacrament, but I speake of Chryste and of hys church, that is to saie, this sacrament (meanynge matry­mony) is a greate & a worthy sacrament not of nor in it selfe, but bycause it is by deuyne in­stitution a holye perfecte Sa­cramente, and sygne of the in­diuisible vnyon and vnitye of Christ the hed with the church hys bodi. To be brefe, al Christ hys sacramentes, mysteryes & doctryne, do tende fully and holye to the auauncement of vnitye and concorde.

Aug. to 2 epis. 152. Quisquis ergo ab ecclesia catholica fuerit seperatus, quantumlibet laudabiliter se ui­nere existimet hoc solo scelere, quod a christi unitate defunctus est, non habebit uitam [Page] sed ira dei manet super eum. Whosoe­uer therefore shalbe seperated from thys catholyke Churche, albeit he thinke hym selfe to liue neuer soo cōmendable, yet for thys onelye myschyfe, that he is separated from the vnitie of Chryst, he shal not haue lyfe, but the wrathe of God resteth vpon hym. Ephe. [...]. Thus you may euidently vnderstand vnitie to be a sure token of the Catholyke Churche, from the which those fragementes, that be dyuided and broken, doo publyshe and thrust fourth dyssonante, pug­naunt and contrariant Doc­tryne, by the vyolente perswa­syon, and instructiō of y ^e proud spyryte of error. As nowe in our tyme, it is mooste open to euery learned man, what a cō ­tagious [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] noumber, of contrary sectes hath issued, yea brast out of the puddle sprynges, of Lu­thers heresies, as Corall Esta­dians, Ecolampadiās, Swinglyans, Anabaptystans, Libertines, yea Nouatians, and Ar­rians, with many other, wherof euery one disagreeth from another, and frome verytye it self, consenting against cōsent, agreyng almoste in nothynge but against agrement, diuided in all thinges but in persequu­tyng the vnytye of Chryst hys vnicall churche (as Pilate and Herode in nothynge accorded but onlye agaynste our peace Chryst hym selfe) beyng more vyolent, Luk. 23. then the Iues, whych wolde not deuyde Chryst hys coate, wythout seame or parti­cion, [Page] sygnyfyeng the vnytye of hys churche, saying. Non scindamus cam. Ioh. 19. Let vs not cutte or deuyde it. They are not therfore to be credyted, nor to be taken for y ^e churche, nor for members therof, but to be fledde, eschewed, abhorred, as sedicious mēbers of the dyscorderable of Sathā whych syttynge in the chayre of pestilence, doo with pestyfe­rous doctryne, Psal. 1. corrupt and dissolue, soo muche as in them is, the quyete concord of Chryste, hys mistical body, the vniuer­sall church, and do resist y ^e tru­the as Iannes and Mambres resysted Moyses. Thus we knowynge what the Churche is, where it is, and that it is sensible, vysible, and manifest, 2. Tim. [...] and the infallyble tokens, as [Page] vnyuersality antiquitie, & vni­tye thereof, whereby it is dys­cerned from the Churche scys­matycall, we cannot without extreame iniury of our hed Iesus Chryst, and the holy Ghost contynually resydent therein, forsake the holy vnitye, vniuersalytye, and antiquitye of hys holy Catholyke churche, to fo­lowe the newelye publyshed & the late crept in prophane fan­tasy, diuised in the deuyded cō uentycles, of heretycall scysmatykes, conspiryng agaynst the whole aunciet church, for whosoeuer forsaketh that olde aūci vniuersal church, only consen­ting in one true doctrine, they forsake Chryst hymself, the hed thereof, and the spyryte of God abydynge therein.

We cannot forsake the bodye [Page] but we must nedes forsake the hed Iesus Christ who is truth we cannot depart from y ^e house of god the church, but we must nedes depart frō god dweling in y ^e same house And as god is vnitie, & y ^e god of vnitie, so hath he vnited to him one spouse, y ^e catholike church of vnite, wherof euery faythfull seuerally ac­compted is a chyld, and as he is but one hed, so hathe he but one mystycal body the church, vnited, to hym, by one faythe, and one baptysme, of the whi­che body euery Chrystian rekened singulerly a part is a member. As he is nother a partyall nor a partyculer God, of thys or that country, but God of all realmes, Empyres, and naty­ons. Likewise his onely spouse and bodye, the Churche, is not [Page] a pertyculer multitude of peo­ple in thys or that nacyon one­ly, but of y ^e vniuersall christian multitude in al natiōs, realms & cōtries, through out y ^e whole world. As god is not a yoūg or a newe god, lately sprong vp, lykewyse hys sayde spouse & mistical body, is not yōg newe and late, but of olde antyquyty euen from the beginnynge.

Wherefore you can in no case excuse your selfes at the drede­full day of Iudgement, but y ^e you may well dyscerne y ^e new and late spronge vp scysmaty­call churches, dissentyng from the vniuersall aunciette cōsent of the vniuersall aunciett con­gregation of Chrystes faythe­fulles, agreyng constantlye in one faith & in one true religion from Chrystes time continually [Page] and perseuerātly to this day and soo wyll contynue to the worldes ende.

So that it is in you, whether that you wyll beleue that late vpstarted anguler and perty­culer Churche of contentious dessention, whereof lying Sathan is the hed, or the vniuer­sall aunciett church of vnytye, the hed wherof is Chryst, who is verytie. Whosoeuer wilbe, partaker of the lyuely sucke, & sappe, descendyng from y ^e lyue­ly hed Iesus Chryste, into hys onely body the catholyke churche, and into euerye synguler, member thereof.

Let him not dismēbre him selfe from that lyuely body by anye kinde of newe doctrine, dystrepant from the olde auntiette & [Page] vnyuersall doctryne receaued from Chryst and his primatiue churche, for he that dismēbreth hym selfe from the church, dys­membreth himselfe from christ the hed thereof Non tenens ca [...]ut, ex quo totum corpus per nexus et coniunctiones subministratum et constructum, Collo. 2. Ephe. 4. cre­scit in augmentum dei.

Not hauyng nor holdyng the hed, of whom the whole bodi by ioyntes and ioyninges re­ceauyng nurriture and cōpact in one, groweth to a godly perfection, the whole body is the whole vniuersall Churche, the hed is Chryst, who is lyfe, and the ioyntes wherwith the bo­dy is ioyned to the hed, Ioh. 14. be faith charitie and the Sacramēts, by whome spyrituall nurrysh­ment, and lyfe, be deriued into [Page] the said vniuersal body y ^e church and to euery member thereof, so that consequētly, he that disseperateth him selfe frō Christ, seperateth hym selfe from lyfe, let vs not therfore forsake the vnytye of Chryst hys churche, for that holi martyr and excel­lent clarke. S Cipryan sayeth also. Hanc vnitatem qui non tenet, Cipri. de simp. pre dei legem non tenet, non tenet patris et filij fi­dem, vitam non tenet, et salutem.

He that kepethe not thys vny­tie, kepeth not the fayth of our father, and of hys sone, he hath not lyfe and saluation, and to thend that we should kepe this vnytye peace and concord, we are called into one bodye the Churche, as writeth Paule to the Collossyans. Collo. [...]. In whose ho­ly lap the vniuersal aunciett cō sēt, & the sea Apostolyke, kepte [Page] that aunciette father, and in­comparable clerke, S. Austen as is uydent by this follow­yng. Aug. to 6 in epi. ma ca. 4. quā uocant fū damenti. Multa sunt, quae me in ecclesie gremio iustissime tenent, tenet me consensio popu­lorū at (que) gentiū, tenet authoritas, miraculis, inchoata, speuutrita, charitate aucta, ue­tustate firmata, tenet ab ipsa sede petri A­postoli, cui pascendas o [...]es, suas post resur­rectionem suam dominus, commendaui [...], us­que ad presentem episcopatum, successio sacerdotum, tenet postremo ipsum catholice nomen quod non sine causa interiam multas hereses, sola obtinuit.

Many thynges saythe Austen there be, whych do kepe me in y ^e lappe of the catholike church The consent of the people and nations kepeth me, the aucto­rytie therof begonne by mira­cles, nowrished by hope, encreased by charytye, confyrmed & established by antiquitie ke­peth me.

The successyon of prystes frō the seate of Peter thappostle, vnto whome our Lorde com­mytted after his resurrection, his shepe to be fedde, vnto this present Byshoprycke, last of all kepeth me the churches name of catholyke, bycause not with out matter, amonge so manye heresyes, she onely hath had y ^e vyctory. This obedient chylde of our holy mother the church, Saint Austen, declareth four pryncypall poyntes, which did holde hym in obedience vnto her, whych be these, consent of al chrystiā nations in one faith the antiquitie of the churches aucthoritie, and the vniuersali­tye of the same, sygnifyed by y ^e name of Catholyke, yea and y ^e aucthoritie of the sea Aposto­lyke [Page] of Peter, frō whence pro­cedethe the successyon of prye­stes in the Church, of Chryste, agaynste the whyche sea, Hel gates hath not preuayled, but from Peters tyme to thys day hath contynued the nexte hed vndre Chryst of the catholyke churche, and hath stand in the fayth thereof, and so shall perseuer to the worldes ende. And yet agaynst al other the Apo­stles seas, hel force hath so auailed, that it hath thē subuerted, Forasmuch as these fore poyn­tes dyd kepe Saynt Austen, in humble obedience vnto the Churche, out of the whyche is no saluatiō, what shal al good chrystyans recken one suche, whom the fame nothynge doo moue, surelye that they haue [Page] Chryst and his Church in con­tempt, and that the spyryte of truthe resydente in the church is with them of no credence, & yet they know the Church, for that, that the spyryte of verity is contynuallye resyaunt ther­in, to be called in scrypture the house and temple of God, as for examyle An uescitis quod templum dei estis, et spiritus dei habitat in uobis? 1. Cor. 3.

Do not you knowe saythe Paule, that you be the temple of God, and that the holy gost, doth dwell in you?

Wherevppō that olde aunty­ent and excelent clarke Lactā ­tius, Lacta. de uera sap. li. 4. c. 30 groundyng hymselfe dyd wryght thys folowynge Sola igitur catholica ecclesia est, quae uerum cultum retinet, hic est fons veritatis, hoc est domicilium fidei, hoc templum dei, quo si quis non intrauerit, uel a quo si quis exi­uerit [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] aspe uitae ac salutis eterne alienus est It is y ^e onely catholike church whych hath in it the true worshyppinge of god, thys is the fountayne of truth, this is the mansyon house of faythe, thys is the temple of God, wherein yf any do not entre, or oute of whom yf any do depart, he is a straūger & far distant frō hope of lyfe, and saluation eternall. Wherewyth accordethe, that holy learned Bysshoppe & S. Epiphanius saying. Est uia regia, sancta dei ecclesia et iter ueritatis. Epiph. 10 1. Cap. 2,

The holy Churche of God, is the Heauenlye Kynges hygheway, and the path of truthe. Wherefore seyng that saluati­on and truth be onely in chry­stes catholyke and vniuersall churche, and not in particuler [Page] conuenticles, let vs in all kynd of scysmes, diuisions, factions, sectes, ehresyes, and erroures, cleaue sticke, and stande, with constant obedience to the inui­olable iudgement, determyna­tion, and traditiō, of the catholyke Churche. For seynge that Chryst is in the myddes of .ii. or .iii. gathered together in his name, it muste nedes followe y ^t he is in his own body the churche, the whole socyetye & vny­uersall congregation, of all be­leauynge people, lyncked and gathered together, by consent in his name, and vnited to him as the body to the hedde.

Than cannot we but graunte that the church of Chryst must nedes be the true interpretesse of holy scrypture, and truly to [Page] decide and determyne the controuersies which mani do stir vp after euery of there pryuate immaginations, for as Saint Austen accurseth hym y ^t other beleaueth to haue aucthorytye or hath in reuerente any scrip­tures, Aug, ser, 129 besides those scryptures which the catholycke churche hath receaued.

Lykewyse vndoutedly he curseth such, as make or do beleue or reuerenceth any interpreta­tions, made of the scryptures, agaynste and contrarye to the Churches interpretations, for beynge not leafull to receaue Scryptures vnproued by the catholyke Churche, it is not leafull to receiue straung interpretations thereof, and not approued by the same Church, cō syderyng, [Page] that in the Churche onely, is the truth, as wytnes­seth that olde author Ireneus wrytyng these wordes. Iren. li. 3. cap. 4. Vbi ecclesia, ibi spiritus, et ubi spiritus dei, illic ecclesia et omnis gratia, spiritus autem ueritas. Where the Church is, there is the spyryte of God, and where the spyrit of Godis, there is the Churche and all grace. And y ^e spyryte truely is trouth, which moste playnelye agreeth with the Doctryne of Paule. 1. Tim 3 Psal. 88. Domus dei est ecclesia dei uiui, colūna et firmamētū ueritatis. The house of god, is the Churche of God, the pyller & the fyrme vpholdyng of truth. And therefore the sayd Irene­us wryteth also thus. Iren. li. 5 pag. 319. Ecclesiae predicatio uera et firma est, apud quam una et eadem s [...]lutis uia in uniuerso mundo ostenditur. The preachyng of y ^e chur­che is true, firme, and soūde, in [Page] whome is one verye waye of saluation, shewed and many­fest through the whole worlde For euery where sayeth he the Churche preacheth the truthe, Lykewyse Orygen taughte y ^t onely to be the beleaued truth, Orige. in prodemio petiarchō whych in nothyng dysagreeth from the churches tradytion, and therefore Sainte Austen, dyd wryte as foloweth. Aug. contra epist. Man. ca 5 Ego ue­ro non crederem euangelo nisime catholice ecclesiae commoueret authoritas I wold not beleaue the Gospell yf the authoritie of the Churche dyd not moue me thereto for if the Churche had not approued & wytnessed the truth of y ^e Gos­pell, we shoulde haue bene no lesse vncertayne of it then we are of the Gospelles ascrybed, to Thomas Bartylmue and [Page] Nychodeme, ye maye further reade in Chrisostome. Chrisost. tom, 2. in Manh. 10. mundo. Ecclesia habet veres oculos, [...]idelicet ecclesiasticos at (que) doctores, qui vidēt in scripturis misteria dei, de quibus dicuntur videntes. The churche hath true eyes, that is to saye preachers and teachers whych doo se the mysteryes of god Wherefor theye are called Videntes, that is to saye seynge, perceyuynge, and vnderstan­dynge the sayde mysterye, To be bryfe Saynt Hilary, calleth the church the mouth of Christ saying. Os christi ecclesiam esse, Hilari. in psal. 137. et prophetica & apostolica aucthoritas est. The prophetycall and the apostolycall aucthorytye is, that y ^e church is the mowthe of christ The same affyrmythe Austen saying. Au. in Io. 15. t [...] 88 Christus per ecclesiam suam loquitur gentibus. Chryst speaketh [Page] to the gentyles, and people by hys churche, for Chryste sayde Non uos estis qui loquimini, Mat. 10. sed spiritus patris uestri qui loquitur in uobis. It is not you which do speake but y ^e spiryte of truth which speketh in you, Luk. 10. he therfore that heareth you my mowthe, heareth me. Wherfore in all controuersyes and dowtes arysynge or wrested out of written scriptures, which can nether heare, iudge, nor speke the wyll and plesure of god therin conteyned.

We muste nedes take for oure refuge and perfect instruction the lyuely temple of God, the lyuely orgayne, and instrumēt of the holy Ghost the churche, lyuely and fully represented by the general counsailes, as this realme is fully represented by [Page] the parliamēt, bycause all and euery member of the Churche nor all and euerye member of thys realme, cannot be assem­bled conueniently together in one place, the whych generall counceles aucthoritie. is most holsome & sounde, as teacheth Saynt Austen. In so doynge, we shall follow the example of the good chrystians of Anty­och, whiche when Paule and Barnabye were molested and troubled with the great dissention, and seditious disputatiō, of their aduersaries the Iues, did send vnto the Apostles and prystes in Ierusalem, for the discussion of the question, con­tended vpon accordyng to the olde lawe commaundinge the Iues in all diffycyll and dout­full Deut. 17 [Page] mattyres to ascende vnto the prystes, and not to the law it selfe, and of them to requyre the truth and the mynd of the lawe, Agge [...]. 2. from y ^e which they shuld declyne to no syde, for the lawe is to be requyred as affirmeth the prophet at y ^e pristes mouth. Mala. 2, To the whych chrystyan bro­therne, y ^e Apostles and prestes gathered to gether in one, dyd wryght. Actes. 16 Visum est spiritui sancto & nobis It pleaseth the holy ghost and vs. They sayde not it pleaseth the holye ghoste and scrip­ture, which is but a dead dōbe and a not speakyng letter, but it pleaseth the holy ghost & vs, vs the temple of oure lyuynge God, 2. Cor. 3. the Epistle and scripture of Chryste, wrytten, not wyth yncke, but with the spirite, of [Page] our lyuyng God, 2. Cor. 3. not in stonye tables, or in other outewarde substaunce, but in the fleshye tables, and inward substaūce of mans harte, wherefore doubtes moued out of Scripture, are not to be determined bi the deade lettre written w ^t yncke, but by the liuely scripture written with y ^e holy Ghost in faithfull mennes hartes, for scryp­ture wrytten with yncke al­thoughe it conteyneth Godds most vndouted truthe, yet by­cause it heareth not, speakethe not, compareth not, nor pondereth the matters incontrouer­sye, it cannotte iudge, nor pro­nounce sentence of the truthe. The holy counsell thereof assē bled at Iherusalem, sayd it pleseth the holy ghost and vs, the [Page] lyuely scrypture of Chryst, the speakyng mouthe and lyuelye instrument of the holy ghoste, Whose determination, Act. 15. whan the bretherne had readde they ioyed in the comforte receiued theirin, wherefore let vs relynquishe the dissentions, and contentions proceadynge oute of priuate presumptuous braines and humbly obeye and ioyful­lye receyue the decisions and determinations of Chrystes catholyke churche, whome the spyryte of verytye teacheth to speake all the truth. [...]o. 16. Let vs (I saye) follow the counsell of S. Austen Diuinam ueritatem in una ecclesiateneamus, Aug con­tra cona­ [...]is. post cellat ca. 19. et humanas, lites aliquando fi­niamus Let vs kepe sayth Austē Godds truth whych is in the church of vnitie, and so lett vs [Page] once fynyshe humayne contē ­tions. Non enim dissensionis est deus, 1. Cor. 14 sed pacis. For god is not the god of dissensiō, but the God of peace. To whose mouthe. which is y ^e vnyuersall catholycke church, Io. 10. and to the doctryne proceding out therof, as obedient shepe of his flocke, we are most boundē to herkē and obeye accordyng to thys of Chryst, my shepe do here my voyse, doo beleue mye wordes, and do folowe me, soo that hys Disciples doo heare, beleue, and followe him, spea­kyng in his chosen and lyuelye mouth the churche, for the ma­nyfolde wysedome of God, Ephe. 3. is made open and knowen by his Churche, as affyrmyth Paule. Wherefore the Churche being his owne mouth, muste nedes [Page] expounde, interpretate & open hys owne Scrptures, mooste agreable to his owne mynde, and synce that in the mouthe of two or three wytnesses, Mat. 19. consysteth euerye matter, 2 Cor. 15. then the Testimonye of the mouthe of Chryst the vniuersall churche, must neds & of necessitie stand.

And hys churches true eyes, as preachers and teachers cal­led by the churche, the mouthe of Chryste, doth truly see, and perceue the misteries of y ^e scriptures. Let vs leaue therefore our arrogante presumptions, the mother of all heresy in hādlyng of the holy worde of god, [...]co. 3. the whiche God resysteth and let vs wyth meke humilitie, 1 Petre. 5 to whome god giueth grace, sub­mytte our priuate fallible iudgmentes, [Page] to the infallyble aun­ciet Consent of the whole vni­uersall Catholyke Churche. whych w ^t one harte and mynd beleuethe, wyth perfecte eyes seeth, & wyth one mouthe preacheth one truthe, as affyrmith the ancthorytyes before reher­sed, let (vs I say) duryng this our Pilgremage in the desert of this worlde, walke in the catholyke churche, the heauenly kynges hygh way, the way of truth, the which truthe they y ^t be out of the church, 2. Timo, [...] be alwaye sekynge and neuer fyndynge that we may in the end of this our sayd iorneye heare in the Mylytant Church, acheue vp to the Churche aboue tryum­phant.

Where we maye in truth, [Page] vnytye and peace honor wyth one harte, 2 Cor. 13. one mynde, one mouth, our euer lyuing god of peace, to whō eternal, be al praise honor, & glori eternallye. A­men.