The suruey of popery vvherein the reader may cleerely behold, not onely the originall and daily incrementes of papistrie, with an euident confutation of the same; but also a succinct and profitable enarration of the state of Gods Church from Adam vntill Christs ascension, contained in the first and second part thereof: and throughout the third part poperie is turned vp-side downe.

The answere.

I say first, that albeit Gods wil be one as himselfe is one, willing by his owne essence and by one eternall and immuta∣ble act, whatsoeuer he willeth; yet is his will said to be mani∣fold, [ 1] aswel of the holy fathers, as of the schooledoctors. And this is done, for two special considerations. The former is, for the varietie of the thinges which God willeth. The latter is,* 1.1 for the varietie of the maner, by which God seemeth to will thinges. Hereupon arise many diuisions of Gods will, assig∣ned by learned writers for explication sake.

Some deuide Gods will, into antecedent and consequent. Some others diuide it, into the will of signe, and will of good pleasure. Others, into the will reuealed, and will not reuea∣led. Others, into the will absolute, an•• will conditionate, [ 2] and the like. I say secondly, that though Gods will con∣sequent and will of good pleasure, bee euer accompli∣shed vndoubtedly; yet is his will antecedent and will of signe, oftentimes neglected and left vndone. Of the former wil, the prophet speaketh in these words; whatsoeuer pleased y^e Lord,* 1.2 that did he in heauen and in earth, and in the Sea, and in all the depthes. And the Apostle saith: for who hath resi∣sted

his will? Of the latter, we haue many examples in the ho∣lie Scriptures. First,* 1.3 God commanded Pharao by Moses to let his people go, but Pharao would not obey. Secondly,* 1.4 God would haue gathered the Iewes togither, euen as the hen ga∣thereth her chickens vnder her wings,* 1.5 but they would not haue it so. Thirdly, God would haue all men to be saued, as Paul beareth witnesse; and yet we know by the holy gospel, that the greater part shalbe damned.* 1.6

I say thirdly, that Gods will mentioned in S. Paule, and now obiected against my resolution; is only voluntas signi (his will of signe:* 1.7) and not voluntas beneplaciti (his will of good pleasure:) and therefore it can neuer be effectually concluded out of this text, (which hitherto hath euer been reputed the strong bulwarke of poperie, and either dissembled or lightly passed ouer by the grauest writers;) that the pastors of the vi∣sible church alwaies teach the trueth, and neuer swarue from the same. Thus more plainly for the simple and ignorant sort. When the apostle saith,* 1.8 that God placed pastors and doctors in the church, that the people be not carried away with false doctrine; he neither meaneth that the pastors shall alwaies in∣fallibly teach the trueth, nor that the people shall alwaies con∣stantly embrace the truth. I proue it, because the apostle spea∣keth indefinitely and indifferently, of all teachers and of al hea∣rers, of al shepheardes and of all sheepe, neither excepting one nor other; and yet both ye know and we know, that many prea∣chers preach false doctrine,* 1.9 and that many hearers embrace the same. Whereupon it followeth necessarily, that if the Apostle meant as ye woulde haue him to meane; then Christes intent and purpose shoulde be frustrate indeede, which yet is it that your selues impugne. The apostle therfore meaneth only this, to declare voluntate signi, what he would haue his shepheards and sheepe to doe; albeit voluntate beneplaciti, the same be not euer accomplished.

This my explication of S. Paules meaning, is confirmed not only by the holy Scripture, but also by the expresse testimo∣nies of renowmed popish writers. Touching the holy Scrip∣ture; First, it is euident, that God would haue al men saued, for [ 1] so saith the apostle: Deus vult omnes homines saluos fieri.* 1.10 Gods

wil is, that all men shalbe saued, and come to the acknowled∣ging of the trueth. Whereby we see, that Gods wil and intent is to saue all: and yet doe we know assuredly, that al shal not be saued.* 1.11 For the gospel saith plainly: Multi vocati, pauci ve∣rò electi. Manie are called, but few are chosen. Secondly, it is [ 2] cleere, that God appointed good workes to this end, that men should walke in them; for so saith holy writ: Ipsius enim sumu•• factura, creati in Christo Iesu in bonis operibus, quae praeparauit deus vt in illis ambulemus.* 1.12 For wee are his workemanship, created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes, which God hath ordained that we should walke in them. And yet we see by daily [ 3] experience, that it is farre otherwise. Thirdly, God gaue vs his holie lawe,* 1.13 to the intent that wee shoulde accomplish it: (for so the scripture telleth vs, and no papist doth or can denie the same:) and yet haue we infallible knowledge out of the same scripture, that none liuing can keep & fulfil the law in al points. For if we could haue kept the lawe in al pointes,* 1.14 wee shoulde haue been iustified by the obseruation thereof, and so Chr••stes passion and his satisfaction had been needlesse. In all these pla∣ces therefore, and the like: Ʋoluntas signi must be vnderstood, but not voluntas beneplaciti.

Touching the popish Doctors, the Iesuite Bellarmine hath these words: At fine dubio singuli episcopi errare possunt, & a∣liquando errant,* 1.15 & inter se quando{que} dissentiunt, vt nesciamus quisnam eorum sequendus sit. But without doubt all bishops may erre seuerally, and doe erre sometime, and sometime dis∣sent one from another, insomuch that we cannot tel whom we [ 1] should follow. Out of which wordes, I note first, that God who caused Balaams asse to speake,* 1.16 hath enforced our Iesuite to confesse the trueth. I note secondly, that there is no Bishop [ 2] in the worlde, but hee both may erre and sometime doth erre; and consequently, that the pope of Rome is either no bishop at all by his owne Iesuites graunt, or els that he both may erre, and doth erre indeed.* 1.17 Which point I haue prooued copiously, in my booke of Motiues.

I note thirdly, that by our Iesuites confession, euery bishop [ 3] hath so many errours, that the people cannot tel whom to fol∣low, and consequently that S. Paul meant nothing lesse, then

that the pastors and doctors of the churche, shoulde alwaies teach the trueth.

I note fourthly, that since euery auncient father both may erre, and doth erre, and that by popish graunt; there is no rea∣son [ 4] why the papistes should vrge vs as they doe, to stand to the censure of the fathers in euery thing. Their owne Cardinall Panormitanus hath these wordes: Nam in concernentibus fi∣dem▪ etiam dictum vnius priuati esset praeferendum dicto papae,* 1.18 si ille moueretur mel••oribus rationibus noui & veteris testa∣menti, quam papa. Nec obstat, si dicatur quod concilium non po∣test errare, quia Christus orauit pro ecclesia sua vt non defice∣ret; quia dico, quod licet concilium generale repraesentet totam ecclesiam vniuersalem, tamen in veritate ibi non est vera eccle∣sia vniuersalis sed repraesentatiue: quia vniuersalis ecclesia cō∣stituitur, ex collectione omnium fidelium. Ʋnde omnes fideles orbis constituunt istam ecclesiam vniuersalem, cuius caput & sponsus est ipse Christus. Papa autē est vicarius Christi▪ & non verè caput ecclesiae, vt notat glossa in Clem. Ne Romani de elect. quae notabiliter dicit, quòd mortuo papâ ecclesia non est sine ca∣pite, & ista est illa ecclesia quae errare non potest Vnde possibile est, quòd vera fides Christi remaneret in vno solo, ita quod ve∣rum est dicere, quod fides non deficit in ecclesia. Sequitur: Chri∣stus ante passionem orauerat pro Perro▪ vt nō deficeret fides sua, ergo non dicitur deficere nec etiam errare, si remanet vera fides in vno solo. For concerning matters of faith, euen the iudge∣ment of one that is a meere lay man, ought to be preferred be∣fore the sentence of the pope; if that lay person could bring bet∣ter reasons out of the old and new testament, then did the pope. And it skilleth not if one say, that a councel cannot erre, because Christ praied for his church, that it should not faile. For I say, that although a general councel represent the whole vniuersall church, yet in trueth there is not truely the vniuersall Church,* 1.19 but representatiuely. For the vniuersall church consisteth, of the collection of all the faithful. Whereupon all the faithfull in the world, make this church vniuersall, wherof Christ himself is the head. The pope is the vicar of Christ, but not truely the head of the church, as noteth the glosse vpon the Clementines; which saith notably, that when the pope is dead, the Church

wanteth not an head, and this is that Church which cannot erre. Whereupon it is possible, that the true faith of Christ might remaine in one alone, and so it may truely be said, y^t the faith faileth not in the church. Christ before his passion praied for Peter, that his faith should not faile; therefore the church is not said to faile, neither to erre, so long as the true faith abi∣deth in one onely.

[ 1] Out of these wordes I note first, that by the opinion of the great Papist Panormitan, a meere lay mans iudgement euen in matters of faith, ought to be accepted and receiued be∣fore the popes constitution; if the lay man bring better reasons out of the scriptures,* 1.20 then the pope doth. Which saying doubt∣lesse is the foundation of the doctrine, this day established in the church of England, & in all other reformed churches through∣out the world. Neither doe we craue more of the papistes, then their owne doctors will affoord vs. I note secondly, that a ge∣nerall [ 2] councell may erre, because it is not the catholike or vni∣uersall church indeed.

I note thirdly, that that church which cannot erre, is not the [ 3] visible companie of pastors and doctors, but the inuisible socie∣tie of all the faithfull in the worlde. Where by (inuisible) I meane not, that any of the elect is inuisible in his corporal consi∣stence, but that the vniuersall congregation of the faithfull as vniuersall, is inuisible: that is to say, that no one mortall man seeth or knoweth all true beleeuers in the church. In which sense is truely verified the saying of Elias, when hee cried out that he only was left alone.* 1.21 For albeit it be true, that there was a visible church in Iudea vnder the good kinges, Asa and Io∣saphat,* 1.22 euen when Elias made his complaint that he was left alone: and although also that Abdias had told Elias, that hee had hid an C. prophets by L. in a caue, so as Elias could not be ignoraunt of a visible church in the worlde; yet is it most true with all this, that the vniuersall church as vniuersall, was in∣uisible to Elias; and that there were many thousandes of true beleeuers euen then in Samaria, whom ••lias neither saw nor knew. And therefore did God answere him, saying: I haue re∣serued to my selfe seuen thousand men, which haue not bowed the knee to Baall.* 1.23

I note fourthly, that howsoeuer the visible bishops and pa∣stors erre, yet doth not the vniuersal church erre, so long as the [ 4] faith remaineth in any one whosoeuer. I note fiftly, that as in the time of Elias, there were seuen thousand faithfull persons [ 5] whom he knew not: euen so were there in those daies,* 1.24 when Martin Luther began his reformation, many thousandes a∣mong the papists that sincerely beleeued the gospel, whom hee neither saw nor knew.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Let this solution be wel obserued, and neuer for∣gotten.
• * 1.2

  Esay. 46. verse 10 Psal. 135. ver. 6.
• * 1.3

  Rom. 9. ver. 19
• * 1.4

  Exod. 4. ver. 22 Math. 23. ver. 37
• * 1.5

  1. Tim. 2. v. 4
• * 1.6

  Mat. 20. ver. 16
• * 1.7

  Voluntas signi non beneplaciti.
• * 1.8

  Ephes. 4. v. 14.
• * 1.9

  Marke this well for Christes sake.
• * 1.10

  1. Tim. 2.4
• * 1.11

  Mat. 20. ver. 17
• * 1.12

  Ephes. 2. ver. 10
• * 1.13

  Exod. 18.20. Deut. 6.5. Luc. 10.28. Math. 22.37. Mar. 12.29.
• * 1.14

  Rom. 7. per totum.
• * 1.15

  Bellar. lib. 2. de conc. c. 2.
• * 1.16

  Numb. 22.28.
• * 1.17

  Euery bishop may erre.
• * 1.18

  Panorm. de elec•• cap. significati. p••ope finem.
• * 1.19

  A lay mans iudg∣ment is to be preferred before the popes.
• * 1.20

  Loe▪ the papistes acknowledge our doctrine.
• * 1.21

  3. Reg 19.10
• * 1.22

  3 Reg. 15 & 18. & 22. 3. Paral. c. 16. &c. 17.
• * 1.23

  Rom. 11. v. 3.
• * 1.24

  The church inui∣sible among the papistes.