6 pleased untruly to call us idolaters, reflect upon themselves, and consider that this holy father judgeth schismatics (as they are) to be worse than idolaters, which they absurdly call us. And this he proveth by the example of Corah, Dathan, and Abiram, and other rebellious schismatics of the Old Testament, who were conveyed alive down into hell, and punished more openly than idolaters. No doubt,' saith this holy father, but that was committed most wickedly, which was punished most severely.' In another place he yoketh schism with heresy, saying upon the eighth beatitude,P'many heretics, under the name of Christians, deceiving men's souls,' do suffer many such things; but therefore they are excluded from this reward, because it is not only said, Happy are they who suffer persecution, but there is added, for justice. But where there is not sound faith, there cannot be justice. Neither can schismatics promise to themselves any part of this reward, because likewise where there is no charity there cannot be justice. And in another place, yet more ef fectually he saith, being out of the church, and divided from the heap of unity, and the bond of charity, thou shouldst be punished with eternal death, though thou shouldst be burned alive for the name of Christ.' And in another place he hath these words," 'If he hear not the church, let him be to thee as an heathen or publican; which is more grievous than if he were smitten with the sword, consumed with flames, or cast to wild beasts.' And elsewhere, 'out of the catholic church,' saith he, 'one may have faith, sacraments, order, and, in sum, all things except salvation.' With St. Augustin, his countryman and second self in sympathy of spirit, St. Fulgentius, agreeth, saying,t Believe this stedfastly without 6 o Cont. Donatist. 1. 2. c. 6. doubting, that every heretic or schismatic, baptized in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, if before the end of his life he be not reconciled to the catholic church, what alms soever he give, yea, though he should shed his blood for the name of Christ, he cannot obtain salvation.' Mark again, how no moral honesty of life, no good deeds, no martyrdom, can without repentance avail any schismatic for salvation. Let us also add that Dr. Potter saith, 'schism is no less damnable than heresy.' , u 8. "But O you holy, learned, zealous fathers and doctors of God's church, out of these premises, of the grievousness of schism, and of the certain damnation which it bringeth, (if unrepented,) what conclusion draw you for the instruction of Christians ? St. Augustin maketh this wholesome inference: There is no just necessity to divide unity.' St. Irenæus concludeth, 'They cannot make any so important reformation, as the evil of the schism is pernicious.' St. Dennis of Alexandria saith, Certainly, all things should rather be endured, than to consent to the division of the church of God; those martyrs being no less glorious that expose themselves to hinder the dismembering of the church, than those that suffer rather than they will offer sacrifice to idols.' Would to God all those who divided themselves from that visible church of Christ, which was upon earth when Luther appeared, would rightly consider of these things! And thus much of the second point. III. Point. Perpetual visibility of the church. 9. "We have just and necessary occasion eternally to bless Almighty God, who hath vouchsafed to make us members of the catholic Roman church, from which while men fall, they precipitate themselves into so vast absurdities, or rather sacrilegious blasphex Cont. Parm. 1. 2. cap. 62. z Apud Euseb. Hist. Eccles. lib. 6. u Page 42. ▾ Cont. Hæres. 1. 4. cap. 62. mies, as is implied in the doctrine of the total deficiency of the visible church, which yet is maintained by divers chief protestants, as may at large be seen in Brerely and others; out of whom I will here name Jewel, saying, 'The truth was unknown at that time, and unheard of, when Martin Luther and Ulderic Zwinglius first came unto the knowledge and preaching of the gospel.' Perkins saith, We say, that before the days of Luther for the space of many hundred years, an universal apostacy overspread the whole face of the earth, and that our (protestant) church was not then visible to the world." Napier upon the Revelations teacheth, that from the year of Christ three hundred and sixteen, the antichristian and papistical reign hath begun, reigning universally, and without any debatable contradiction, one thousand two hundred sixty years;' (that is, till Luther's time; d) and that from the year of Christ three hundred and sixteen, God hath withdrawn his visible church from open assemblies, to the hearts of particular godly men, &c., during the space of one thousand two hundred threescore years.' And that, the pope and clergy have possessed the outward visible church of Christians even one thousand two hundred and threescore years.' And that, the true church abode latent and invisible.' And Brocard upon the Revelations professeth to join in opinion with Napier. Fulk affirmeth,h‘that in the time of Boniface the third,' which was the year six hundred and seven, 'the church was invisible, and fled into the wilderness, there to remain a long season.' Luther saith, Primo solus eram ; 'At the first I was alone.' Jacob Hailbronnerus, one of the disputants for the protestant g e a Apol. part 4. c. 4. divis. 2. and in his Defence printed ann. 1571, page 426. b In his Exposition upon the Creed, page 400. Propos. 37. page 68. e Ibid. in cap. 11. page 145. g Fol. 110, & 123. d Ibid. cap. 12. page 161. col. 3. h Answer to a counterfeit Catholic, page 16. i In præfat. operum suorum. k party, in the conference at Ratisbon, affirmeth, that the true church was interrupted by apostacy from the true faith.' Calvin saith,It is absurd in the very beginning to break one from another, after we have been forced to make a separation from the whole world.' It were over-long to allege the words of Joannes Regius, Daniel Chamierus, Beza, Ochinus, Castalio, and others to the same purpose. The reason which cast them upon this wicked doctrine was a desperate voluntary necessity: because they being resolved not to acknowledge the Roman church to be Christ's true church, and yet being convinced_by_all manner of evidence that for divers ages before Luther there was no other congregation of Christians, which could be the church of Christ, there was no remedy but to affirm, that upon earth Christ had no visible church; which they would never have avouched, if they had known how to avoid the aforesaid inconvenience, (as they apprehended it,) of submitting themselves to the Roman church. 10. "Against these exterminating spirits, Dr. Potter, and other more moderate protestants, profess, that Christ always had, and always will have, upon earth a visible church: otherwise, saith he, m our Lord's promise of her stable" edification should be of no value.' And in another place, having affirmed that protestants have not left the church of Rome, but her corruptions, and acknowledging her still to be a member of Christ's body, he seeketh to clear himself and others from schism, because, saith he, the property of schism is' (witness the Donatists and Luciferians) to cut off, from the body of Christ and the hope of salvation, the church from which it separates. And if any zealots amongst us have proceeded to heavier censures, their zeal may be excused, but their charity and wisdom cannot be justified.' And elsewhere he acknowledgeth, that the Roman church k In suo Acatholico vol, a. 15. c. 9. p. 479. m Page 154. n Matt, xvi. 18. o Page 76. 1 Epist. 141. hath those main and essential truths which give her the name and essence of a church.' 11. "It being therefore granted by Dr. Potter, and the chiefest and best learned English protestants, that Christ's visible church cannot perish, it will be needless for me on this occasion to prove it. St. Augustin doubted not to say, the prophets spake more obscurely of Christ than of the church: because, as I think, they did foresee in spirit that men were to make parties against the church, and that they were not to have so great strife concerning Christ: therefore that was more plainly foretold, and more openly prophesied, about which greater contentions were to rise, that it might turn to the condemnation of them who have seen it, and yet gone forth.' And in another place he saith,' 'How do we confide to have received manifestly Christ himself from Holy Scriptures, if we have not also manifestly received the church from them?' And indeed to what congregation shall a man have recourse for the affairs of his soul, if upon earth there be no visible church of Christ? Beside, to imagine a company of men believing one thing in their heart, and with their mouth professing the contrary, (as they must be supposed to do; for if they had professed what they believed, they would have become visible,) is to dream of a damned crew of dissembling sycophants, but not to conceive a right notion of the church of Christ our Lord. And therefore St. Augustin saith,s' We cannot be saved, unless labouring also for the salvation of others, we profess with our mouths the same faith which we bear in our hearts.' And if any man hold it lawful to dissemble, and deny matters of faith, we cannot be assured but that they actually dissemble, and hide Anabaptism, Arianism, yea Turcism, and even Atheism, or any other false belief, under the outward profession of Calvinism. Do not protestants teach that preaching r Epist. 48. S. Aug. de Fide et Symbol, c. 7. q In Psa. 30. com. 2. |