The grand imposture of the (now) Church of Rome manifested in this one article of the new Romane creede, viz: the holy, catholike, and apostolike Romane Church, mother and mistresse of all other churches, without which there is no saluation. Proued to ba a new, false, sacrilegious, scandalous, schismaticall, hereticall, and blasphemous article (respectiuely) and euerie way damnable. The last chapter containeth a determination of the whole question, concerning the separation of Protestants from the present Church of Rome: whereby may be discerned whether side is to be accounted schismaticall, or may more iustly pleade soules saluation. By the B. of Couentrie & Lichfield.

The third Argument, to proue that the Addition of the word, ROMANE, cannot be any Declaration of the Catholike Church, mentioned in the Apostles Creed, is in respect of the visible parts of the same. SECT. 6.

TWo sorts of persons there are within your Romane Church, which you your selues denie to bee any visible members thereof: one is of them you call Catechumenists, who (as it falleth out in the Conuersion of Heathen and Iewes) before they can be baptized, are exercised in learning the prin∣ciples and rudiments of Faith. The other are Excommunicates, who by the publike censure of your Church happen to bee vniustly Anathematized, and disioyned from all Communion therewith. Of the Catechumenists, who are instructed in the Catholike Faith, and bring forth the fruits of Repentance, and yet depart this life without Baptisme, you pronounce, saying, that a 1.1 They are saued, albeit they are not in the Church. In like manner haue you resolued concerning such kinde of Excom∣municates, who may happen to be vniustly Excommunicated, saying, that b 1.2 Because the Church cannot iudge of things that are secret, it may happen that some are vniustly Excommunica∣ted, and excluded out of the visible Church, and neuerthelesse receiued of God, and certainely saued. So you.

We cannot but approue of both your Positions, as hauing Instances in both: for in the number of Catechumenists is re∣ckoned that Christian Emperour Valentinian, a zealous Pro∣fessor

and Patrone of the Catholike Faith, who died vnexpe∣ctedly, before he was baptized: whose Exequies and funeralls notwithstanding Saint Ambrose did solemnize, and in his Ser∣mon did honour the memory of that renoumed Emperour, as one who had beene (as the same Father speaketh) c 1.3 Indewed with the spirit of God in his life-time, and now after his death aduanced vnto ioyes eternall.

Touching Excommunicates, we reade in the Gospell of the * 1.4 Blind man healed by Christ, and, by the malice of the Priests against Christ, Cast out of their Synagogue; whom neuerthe∣lesse Christ did visit, and take into his grace, protection, and Saluation. Tell vs now, if your Romane Church be that Catho∣like Church, without which (as you beleeue) none can be saued, how then it commeth to passe, that these two sorts of Christi∣ans are saued, albeit they be without the said Romane Church? Your Iesuites doe answer, that d 1.5 Such Excommunicates, al∣though they are not of the Communion, which maketh a man to be properly of the Visible Church, yet neuerthelesse they are sa∣ued by their desire to be vnited with the Church. So they, which is full enough for your fuller conuiction.

CHALLENGE.

IF without the Romane Church some may bee actually saued, then the Addition of the word ROMANE caonot be a De∣claration of The Catholike Church, without which there is no Saluation. But the Romane Church is such, without which (as you confesse) some may be actually saued. Ergo, the Addition of the word, ROMANE, to the Catholike Church cannot bee a Declaration thereof. For although All agree in this (as your selues confesse) that e 1.6 Without the Catholike Church there is no saluation: yet haue you confessed two sorts of Christian Professors, namely Excommunicates, and Catechumenists, to bee actually saued, albeit no Members of your Romane Church.

As for being Saued only by Desire, or V••we of being in your Church, it is but a wilde and extrauagant piece of learning, in the iudgement of your owne f 1.7 Iesuite. But we will reason the matter with you. Know you not that the Church Catholike is compared by Saint Petor to the * 1.8 Arke of Noah? that as all which were within that Arke were saued, all without it were drowned (although they Desired neuer so much to haue been admitted into the Arke:) so it is in the Church Catholike; whosoeuer are essentiall members thereof cannot possibly pe∣rish: and contrarily, whoseuer is not a reall and vitall member therein * 1.9 cannot but perish.

Notes

• a 1.1

  Quòd in Eccle∣sia non sint, do∣cent Catechismus Rom. Waldens. & probatur. Bel∣lar. l. 3. de Eccles. milit. cap. 6. initio. Ex Ecclesia ex∣cluduntur Cate∣chumeni, quià nō participant Sacra∣menta. Idem ibid. cap. 20. §. Ratione. Tamen cum con∣tritione & voto Baptismi saluan∣tur. Tolet. Ies. In∣struct. Sacerd. lib. 2. c. 21. ante finē, & Bell. quo supra c. 3.
• b 1.2

  Iudex Ecclesiae in Excommuni∣catione falli po∣test, quia potest iustus conuinci per falsos testes, & sic potest Iudex falli.— & sic apud Ecclesiā mi∣litantem Excom∣municatus, non tamen est Excom∣municatus apud Triumphantem. Abulens. Epis. Defensor. part. 2. cap. 32. p. 46. In foro exteriori & contentioso multi sunt Excommunicati, quoad Deum, qui non sunt quoad Ecclesiam: & è contra, multi Excommunicati quoad Ecclesiam, qui. non sunt quoad deum, quia Ecclesia non iudicat de occultis. Cosmus Philiarch. de offic. Sacerd. Tom. 1. lib. 3. c. 4 p, 89.
• c 1.3

  Sed audio vos dolere, quòd non accepit Sacramē∣ra baptismatis; di∣cite mihi, quid aliud in vobis est nisi voluntas, nisi petitio? — non habet igitur gra∣tiam, quam desi∣derauit? —cer∣te accepit, quia poposcit, qui habuit Spiritum tuum [Sancte Pa∣ter] quomodò non accepit gra∣tiam tuam?

  Ambros. de obitu Valent. Tom. 3 p. 9. And before; vitâ iam fruitur aeternâ.
• * 1.4

  Ioh 19.
• d 1.5

  Respoudeo, Ta∣lem esse Eccle∣sia animo & desi∣derio, quod suffi∣cit illi ad salutē non tamen esse corpore, siue externâ communicatione, quae propriè facit hominem esse de Ecclesia visibili, quae est in terris. Bellar. lib. 3. de Eccles. milit cap. 6. §. Resp. autem. & cap. 3. §. Deni{que} Sic To∣letus de Instruct. Sacerd. l. 2. c. 21. ante finem, & Greg Valent. in 3. Tom. Disp. 1. q 1 punct. 5. Tom. 3.
• e 1.6

  Cùm haec res apud omnes sit in cōfesso, Ecclesiam Catholicam eam esse, extra quam nulla est salus. Greg Valent. quo iam sup. punct. 7. §. 16. Jtem. Est & illud in Ecclesiae Catholicae prae••o∣gatiuis vel maxi∣mum, quod — extra ipsā nemini patet salus. Quae ratio est cur B. Petrus Ecclesiam cum Arca Noë rectissimè compa∣rârit Analys. fidei lib. ••. cap. 4.
• f 1.7

  Mihi non placet, si dicatur ad salutē satis esse votum & desiderium exi∣stendi in Ecclesia, si alias absolutè quispiam manet extra Ecclesiam. Suarez Tract. de trip. virt. Theol. disp 9. de Eccles. milit. Sect. 1. num. 18.
• * 1.8

  1 Pet. 3.20.
• * 1.9

  Vt qui extra Ar∣cam Noē, sic qui, extra Ecclesiam Christi. Cyprian. de Simplicitate Prae∣lat••rum. Cap. 5.