A treatise concerning the church Wherin it is shewed, by the signes, offices, and properties therof, that the Church of Rome (and consequently such particuler churches as liue in her communion) is the only true church of Christ. VVritten in Latin, by the Reuerend Father Iames Gordon Huntley of Scotland, Doctour of Diuinity, of the Society of Iesus. And translated into English by I.L. of the same Society. The third part of the second controuersy.

THE FIRST CHAPTER. Of the false and true Signes, or Markes of the Church in generall. (Book 1)

HAVING in the precedent Cōtrouersyes declared, that Christ and all that good is, can only be found in the true Church, and that out of it there is nothing but euerlasting dam∣nation: now it remayneth that we en∣quire which is that true Church; where it may be found, and how it is described and set forth in holy Scripture; for all the sectes of heresies go about to challenge her vnto themselues, yea euen those who otherwise haue a very bad conceyt and opinion of her. For they see very well that out of her they can expect or hope for no saluation. But to the end we may

not erre in matter of so great moment, we will seeke out the true Markes and Signes, wherby the true Church may be certainly knowne and discer∣ned from euery faile and counterfait Church.

2. Our Aduersaries doe commonly set downe two signes or markes of the true Church,* 1.1 to wit, the sincere preaching of the word of God, and the lawfull administration of the Sacraments.* 1.2 B••za addeth a third signe to wit, the Ecclesiasticall discipline practised a∣greable to the word of God. The Lutherans an∣nexed vnto these a fourth signe, to wit, an Obedience towards ministers O•• this fourth signe we will speake a little after, for it is reduced to the vnity of the Church. But the three signes set downe by the Caluinists are altogeather foolish and friuolous, the which we proue thus.

3. First by the very nature of a signe. For euery signe of it owne nature is a sensible thing,* 1.3 as all teach, follow∣ing therein S. Augustine; and our Aduer∣saries confesse this to be true when they treat of the Sacraments: Yea Caluin wri∣teth, that this was alwaies as it were a matter of faith in the Church. And so do all teach now who are of vnderstan∣ding. Truly non•• will say, that which

is only belieued in the Sacrament, is a signe, but that which is seene. But these signes of the Church prescribed by our Aduersaries can neyther be seen nor per∣ceyued by any sense. Yea not euen by our vnderstanding, vnlesse it be illumina∣ted by faith. For by faith only are they perceyued: because none can know which is the sincere preaching, lawfull admini∣stration of the Sacraments or Ecclesiasti∣call discipline prescribed by Christ, but by faith: wherfore they who say that these are the signes and markes of the Church do not indeed know what they say; euen as if one should affirme, that in the Sacrament of baptisme the ablution and the wordes are not signes, but the effect of baptisme which is not seene, which euery man seeth how absurd it is.

4. The second reason. Euery signe of anything must be more manifest and better knowne then the thing it selfe whose signe it is, because it is put for that end that it may be a signe or token wherby that other thing may be known, but these signes of the Church alleadged by our Aduersaries, are more obscure and vncertaine then the Church it self. For the Church is at the least often tymes vi∣sible as they thēselues confesse, but these

their signes be neuer visible but alwaies inuisib••e, for they can only be knowne by fait••, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 we haue already declared, but that which is by faith belieued is necessarily obscure,* 1.4 because faith as witnesseth the Apostle, is the arg••ment of things not appearing, & hence it is, that all sectes do bragge and boast that they haue these signes, because indeed they cānot be clearly seene of any.

5. The third reason, our Aduersa∣ries do ••lledge in va••ne these signes, for therfore do we enquire for signes and Markes of the Church that they which are ignorant of ••er, may therby come to know her, for they who already know any thing do not need any signes, as for example, he who already knoweth very well this Citty needeth no markes or signe therof wherby he may know it. But he stādeth in need of signes who ne∣uer saw this Citty. So in like manner they w••o are out of the Church and know her not, do most of all need some signe and markes wherby to know her, but these which our Aduersaries assigne, can be knowne by none but by those who are already within the Church and know her very well, hauing the true faith 〈…〉〈…〉 therof, but they cannot be vnderstood by those who know not the

true Church, to the end they may seeke and fynd her, because they are only per∣ceyued and knowne by faith, they are therfore alleadged in vaine by our Ad∣uersaries.

6. But neyther can these signes be knowne of all those who are in the Church, but only of the more learned in the Church. For euery one of the com∣mon people cannot discerne which is the sincere preaching of the word of God, or the law∣full administration of the Sacraments, and the Ec∣clesiasticall discipline prescribed by the word of God, for it is necessary that he who knoweth all these things well, should also vnderstand almost all the holy Scri∣pture. Moreouer there is as yet a very great controuersy among ou•• Aduersaries themselues concerning these three signes, whiles that some of them doe contend, & striue, that this is the sincere preaching of the word of God, others that some doe say that this is the lawfull administration of the Sacraments, others that some doe say, this is the discipline prescribed by the word of God, others assigne another quite different from this.

7. But our Aduersaries do in very truth confound the offices of the Church with the signes therof. For to preach sin∣cerely

to administer the Sacraments law∣fully, and to appoint the discipline of the Church rightly,* 1.5 are the offices of the Church, as we haue declared before, and not the signes therof: these signes therfore being reiected which our Aduersaries do assigne, it remayneth that we enquire out the true signes of the Church.

8. But this is first to be presupposed as it were the ground of all that we are to speake of this matter. That euen natu∣rall reason it selfe doth clearly demōstrat, that there is some true Church of God heere vpon earth. For this is one of those first principles of fayth,* 1.6 which are as eui∣dently proued by naturall reason as that there is a God. Wherfore the Apostle pla∣ceth these two, amōgst the fi••st grounds of our faith he that cou••ueth to God, saith he must belieue that he is, & is a rewarder to thē that seeke him. But they which so seeke after God, that they may be rewarded by him, are without all doubt in the true Church.

9. Moreouer naturall reason it selfe doth euidē••l•• teach vs, that it is an absurd thing to thinke that there is no way left by God, for men to obteine their eternall saluation, seeing that this is quite opposite to the prou••dēce of God, & to his infinite goodnesse: but there is no other way be∣sides

the Church as we haue declared be∣fore;* 1.7 but because there are so many & so di∣uers opiniōs of men cōcerning this so ne∣cessary a way to saluatiō, there are also cer∣taine signes & markes thereof set downe, that we may the better vnderstand which is indeed the certaine and most true way.

10. Out of these which we haue now said, followeth first, that that which we haue insinuated before is most true, to wit, that it is more certaine & euidēt that there is the holy Scripture,* 1.8 seeing that it is ma∣nifest by naturall reason that there must needs be some Church of God heere vpon earth, the which is not so euident of the holy Scriptures.

11. The second thing which ensueth is, that to these signes of the true Church these two cōditions are altogeather neces∣sary. The first is, that they must be such as that they may not only be perceiued by fayth, and our vnderstanding, but euen by sense it selfe, for otherwise they cannot be true signes, as we haue already proued. The other is, that they be knowne and manifest to all men, euen vnto Insidells, seeing that o∣therwise they cannot help them, or con∣uince and bring them to the true Church.* 1.9 For the Church of Christ, as the Prophet te∣stifieth,

is a direct way,* 1.10 so that sooles, that is to say Infidells, cannot erre by it.

12. Of these signes of the true Church Bellarmine, Coccius, and Thomas Bozius Eugu∣binus discourse at large, who hath gathered twenty fower signes in all of the true Church, all which he manifestly proueth to agree to the Roman Church, out of these Authors more signes may be re∣quired.

13. But we regarding our inten∣ded breuity, will only alledge fower, which are set downe in the Nicene and Constantinopolitan Creed, that is to say, that this true Church is One, Holy, Catholike, and Apostolicall. For these fower signes are so certayne that they cannot be reiected euen by our Aduersaries. First because they are expressely set downe in holy Scrip∣ture, as we wil shew in the next Chapter. Moreouer our Aduersaries do professe that they admit and receiue three Creeds to wit, the Apostles Creed, the Niceene, and that of S Athanasius.* 1.11 But in that which we call the Nicen Creed, these fower signes of the Church are expressly set downe, wherof we will now speake more par∣ticulerly.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Calu. l. 4. Inst. c. 7. sect. 9. & 10.
• * 1.2

  Beza in sua confess c. 5. Artic. 7. Cent••ria∣tores Lu∣ther. ••. Cen∣tur. l. 1. c. 4. & l. 2. cap▪ 4.
• * 1.3

  S. Aug. Tom. 3. l. 2 de doctrina Christiana cap. 1. & 3. Calu. l. 4. Inst. cap. 17. sect. 11.
• * 1.4

  Heb. 11. v. 1.
• * 1.5

  Supra c. 1. huius con §. 9. & seq▪
• * 1.6

  〈◊〉〈◊〉 Hebr. ••. c.
• * 1.7

  Cap ••2. hu∣ius contro∣uersiae.
• * 1.8

  Supra c. 14 huius. con∣trou. §. 5. in fine.
• * 1.9

  Isai. 3.5. v. 8.
• * 1.10

  Bellarm. pertotum l. 4. de Ec∣cles. m••litā∣te. Bozius in duobus volum. de signis Ec∣clesiae. Coc••ius Tom. 1. per totum, l. 8.
• * 1.11

  Rupell. Cō∣fess. Artic. ••. in fine.