A treatise of faith wherin is briefely, and planly [sic] shewed, a direct way, by which every man may resolue, and settle his minde, in all doubtes, questions, or controuersies, concerning matters of faith.

CHAP. XII. That this Church, which must be to vs the rule of faith, as it must alwaies continue; so it must also al∣waies be visible.

NOVV hauing proued that the true Church of Christ must alwaies cō∣tinue, without interruptiō, till the worlds end: it remaineth that I shew also in what manner it is to continue; to wit, whether it shall alwaies be visible. That is to say, whether, in all ages, it was and shall be a company of men, who may be seene, and in some sort, plainely knowne to be that company, which men are to beleeue, by faith, to be the true Church of Christ: or that it shal be, sometime at least, inuisible; that no man can see those mē, nor know them, to be that company, which we must beleeue, to be the true Church of Christ.

In which matter

My Assertion is, that the true Church of Christ (of which the places of Scripture afore cited doe speake) must alwaies bee visible.

This I proue.

First by that plaine Prophesie of Isaias

in the 61. chapter. (Which chapter to be vnderstood of our Sauiour Christ & his Church, wee may gather out of S. Luke, where our Sauiour himselfe citeth some words out of that chapter, and expoun∣deth them to be fulfilled in himselfe) the words of the Prophesie are these Faedus perpetuum feriam eis, & scietur in gentibus se∣men eorum, Omnes qui viderint eos cognoscent illos, quoniam isti sunt semen cui benedixit Do∣minus. I will make a perpetuall couenant or league with them, and their seede shall be knowne among nations, all that shall see them, shall know them, that they are the seede, which our Lord hath blessed. How could he more plainely haue fore∣tould the visiblenes of the Church?

Secondly our Sauiour hath ordained this his Church to bee the light of the world; according as he saith, vos estis lux mundi you are the light of the world, and to be a rule or meanes, by which, all men, at all times, may come to the knowledge of that One, infallible, entire faith, which is necessary to saluation, as hath bin pro∣ued. But how can it bee the light of the world, if it selfe be inuisible? (nemo accen∣dit lucernam, & ponit eam sub modio. No man

lighteth a candle, & when he hath done, setteth it vnder a bushell, where it cannot be seene.) And how can it bee a meanes, by which, at all times, the infallible truth may bee made knowen, to all sortes of men; if it selfe▪ at any time, could not be knowne of men? Or if you say, that, some times, it could neither be knowne it selfe, nor be a meanes▪ by which the true faith might be made knowne; then, sith that I proued that it is a necessary meanes, and so necessary, that, without it, according to the ordinary course, there is not suffi∣ciēt meanes prouided by almighty God, to instruct all men infallibly in all points of faith. Then (I say) men, that liued at that time, wanted necessary meanes, wherby they might attaine to the know∣ledge of true faith, and consequently, whereby they might come to saluation, which if it were so. How is it vniuersally true, which is vniuersally saide in Scrip∣ture? D••us vult omnes homines saluos fieri. & ad agnitionem veritatis venire. God would haue all men to be saued, and to come to the knowledge of the truth. For how can he be saide, to haue a true will to saue all men? if he haue not, at all times, prouided

meanes sufficient, whereby, all men may come to the knowledge of true faith, and thereby, by degrees, to saluation. Sith es∣pecially, he hath power to prouide these meanes: and knoweth, that without these meanes prouided, it is vnpossible for men to attaine true faith, and eternall saluati∣on. For knowing it vnpossible, he cannot be saide to will it; sith no wise man wil∣leth that, which he knoweth perfectly to be altogither vnpossible; and much lesse may Almighty God be saide, to will any thing, which is absolutely vnpossible, considering that his wisedome is infinit, and that his will is alwaies ioyned with some worke or effecte, by which, that which he willeth, at least, is made possible to be done. Wherefore to verifie that Al∣mighty God would haue all men saued, we must needes say, that hee hath proui∣ded, for all men, those meanes, which bee necessary, and without which, it is vnpos∣sible for them, to come to the knowledge of true faith, and therby to saluation; One of which meanes, is a visible Church, of which they must heare, & learne the true faith; which is the first, and a necessarie steppe to saluation. The Church there∣fore

must needes be alwaies visible.

Thirdly if the vniuersall Churche of Christ, should, for any space of time, be in∣uisible: it should, for that space, cease to professe outwardly that faith, which, in hart, it did beleeue. For if it did outwardly professe; how should it not, by this pro∣fession, be made visible and knowen? But if the vniuersall Church, should, for such a time, faile to professe the faith; hell gates (contrary to Christes promise) did mighte∣ly preuaile against it. For, were it not a mightie preuailing, that the whol church should faile in a thing, so necessary to sal∣uation? as we know, outward profession of faith to be necessary, both by that of our Sauiour: Qui negauerit me coram homi∣nibus, ego negabo illum coram Patre meo. He, that shall denie me before men, I will de∣nie him before my Father. And: Qui me erubuerit & sermones meos, hunc Filius hominis erubeseet. He that shall be ashamed of me, and of my wordes, him, the sonne of man wilbe ashamed of. And by that of Saint Paule: Corde creditur ad iustitiam, ore fit con∣fessio ad salutem. With hart we beleeue to iustice, with mouth we confesse to salua∣tion. Which place learned men inteprete

to signifie, that profession of faith is, som∣times, necessary to saluatiō; and they say further, that, this sometimes, is so oft, as either the glorie of God, or the profit of our neighbour, doth, of necessitie, require it; the which cases of necessity do happen very often, and great meruaile it were, (or rather vnpossible) that they should neuer haue happened, for so long a time, as the Protestants would haue their Church to haue beene inuisible.

Fourthly if the Church were not visi∣ble, wee could not fulfill that commaun∣dement of our Sauiour, wherein he said: Dic Ecclesiae. Tell the Church. For how can we tell the Church any thing, if wee can not tell where to seeke it; neither if wee did by chaunce meete it, could wee know it to be the Church.

Fiftly, it is certaine, that once, the true Church of Christ, was visible; to wit, when it first began in Hierusalem in the Apostles and Disciples of our Sauiour Christ, and that companie, which by their preaching was conuerted to the faith. But there can no reason be shewed, why it should be visible then, and not now.

If it were needefull to be visible then,

because otherwise it could not bee a Church, that is, A Society of men lincked to∣gether, in the profession of one faith: in the vse of the same Sacramentes▪ vnder the gouernement of lawfull Pastours. For the same reason, it must needes be vi••••ble now; because, (as in the last chapter is proued) there must be a Church now; & therefore it must be a society of mē, professing the same faith: vsing the same Sacramentes: liuing vn∣der the gouernement of lawfull pastours. For all this pertaineth to the very essence of the Church.

If also it were needefull to be visible thē, that those offices & functions, which must bee done in the Church, might bee well perfourmed: to wit, as there were in the Church some pastors, & some sheepe; (as S. Gregory Nazianzene saieth) some to commaund, some to obey: some to teach, some to be taught; some to feede the flock of Christ, some to be fedde: so (that euery one of these, might doe what pertained properly to his duetie) it was needfull, that the pastours must know their sheepe and the sheep their pastours; & that those that should teach, and rule, and minister the Sacraments, must see, and knowe

them, whome they were to teach and rule, and to whome, they were to giue the Sacramentes. And on the contrary syde, the other had need to haue knowē those, of whome they must be taught, whome they must obey, and, from whome, they were to receiue the holesome food of the holy Sacramentes. If (I saye) this reason proue, that it was needefull then, that the Church should be visible and knowen: for the same reason, it wilbe also neede∣full to say, that the Church must be visi∣ble, now, & at all times. For at all times, there m••st be pastours and sheepe in the Church, being the sheepefolde of Christ. And, at all times, these pastors must go∣uerne, instruct, and minister the holy Sa∣craments: and the other must receiue go∣uernement, instruction, and the foode of the holy Sacraments, at their hands. And consequentely, there had neede be some visible tokens, at all times, by which the pastours may knowe their sheepe, least, for want of this knowledge; they may vn∣awares, dare sanctum canibus, & pr••i••cere margaritas ante porcos, giue that which is holy to dogges, & cast margarites before hogges, which our Sauiour commandeth

them not to doe. And on the other side, there had neede be some visible markes, by which the sheepe may know and dis∣cerne their lawfull pastours, & true prea∣chers, from false teachers, and intruding vsurpers. For otherwise, they could not tell, whome to heare, & obey, & whome to repaire to for the Sacramentes: & con∣trary, whome to take heede of, as of false prophetes: whose voice to neglect, as of strangers: and whose poisoned foode of polluted Sacraments to reiect, no lesse then a baite laide to kill them by theeues and robbers; as it importeth greatly eue∣ry one to do.

If lastly it were needfull to be visible, then, that those, which were out of it, might ioyne themselues vnto it, and be∣come members of it; thereby to partici∣pate the graces and benedictions, which Christ our Lord communicated only to it; and to escape the deluge of eternall damnation wherewith, all was sure to be drowned, that were found, out of it, as it were, out of another Noë his arke. This reason also requireth and vrgeth, that the Church must be visible now, and at al o∣ther times. For if, at any time, it were not

visible; how could men, that were out of it, come vnto it? or how could they at∣taine saluation, if they did not enter into it? sith at all times, the merits and fruites of Christs Passion are inclosed in it: and the meanes, of saluation, and to escape e∣ternall damnation, are only found in it. The Church therefore is visible at all times. For at all times, that Prophesie of Isaias must be true, wherin our Lord spea∣keth thus to the Church, Aperientur portae tuae iugiter, die ac nocte non claudentur; vt affe∣ratur ad te fortitudo gentium, & reges earum adducantur; Gens enim & regnum quod non seruierit tibi peribit. Thy gates shalbe con∣tinually opened, day and night they shall not be shut; that the strength of nations and the kings therof may be brought vn∣to thee; for the nation and kingdome which shall not serue thee, shall perish.

Sixtly the only reason and ground, by which, heretiques hold the Church to be inuisible, is, because they imagine the Church to consist onely of the elect or onely of the good. But this is a false ground, as appeareth by the name of Church in Greeke Ecclesia which euen by the etymology of the word doth sig∣nifie,

the company of men called; now sure it is, that moe are called then elected, as our Sauiour saith, multi vocati pauci electi. Againe, this ground is shewed to be false, by those parables, in which the Church is compared to a floare, wherein wheate and chaffe are mixed. And to a mariage, to which came good and bad. And to a net, wherin are gathered al sorts of fishes, good and bad. And to ten Virgins, wher∣of fiue were foolish and excluded from the celestial marriage. This ground is al∣so shewed to be false out of S. Paule, who commandeth the Corinthians, to expell an incestuous person out of the Church. Er∣go, before this expulsion, there was such a person in the Church, and therefore, the Church doth not consist, only, of those, that be good.

Lastly, the ancient Fathers did teach, that the Church is visible. Origen saith Ec∣clesia plena est fulgore ab oriente vs{que} ad occi∣dentem. The Church is full of brightness from the East to the West. Ecclesia (saith S. Cyprian) Domini luce perfusa, radios suos per orbem spargit. The Church being bright, with the light of our Lord, doth spreade her beames throughout the world. Faci∣lius

est (saith S. Chrysostome) solem extingui quàm ecclesiam obscurari. It is more easy that the Sunne should be extinguished, then that the Church should be obscured, that is to say darkened and quite without light. S. Augustine also alluding to (or ra∣ther expounding) those words of our Sa∣uiour Non potest ciuitas abscondi supra montem posita. Saith, Ecclesia supra montem constituta abscondi nō potest. The Church being built vpon a mountaine, cannot be hid. And againe, in another place, he saith. Quid am∣plius dicturus sum quàm caecos, qui tam magnū montem non vident; qui, contra lucernam in cā∣delabro positam, oculos claudunt? What shall I say more, but that they are blind, who doe not see so great a mountaine: who shut their eyes, at the candle, sette vpon the candle-sticke?

Notes

• Is••▪ ••.61.
• Luc. 4.
• Isa. 61.
• Math. 5.
• ••. Tim. 2.
• Math. 10.
• Luc. 9.
• Rom. 10.
• Math. 18.
• Oratione de mode∣rat. in dis∣put. ha∣benda.
• Matth. 7.
• Isa. 60.
• Math. 20.
• Math. 3.
• Math. 23.
• Math. 13.
• Math. 25.
• ••. Cor. 5.
• Hom. 30. in math.
• Lib. de Vnitate Ecclesiae.
• Lib. 4. in cap. 6. Isa.
• Lib. 3. & ep. parm. cap. 4.
• Tract. 2. in epist. Ioan.