Synopsis papismi, that is, A generall viewe of papistry wherein the whole mysterie of iniquitie, and summe of antichristian doctrine is set downe, which is maintained this day by the Synagogue of Rome, against the Church of Christ, together with an antithesis of the true Christian faith, and an antidotum or counterpoyson out of the Scriptures, against the whore of Babylons filthy cuppe of abominations: deuided into three bookes or centuries, that is, so many hundreds of popish heresies and errors. Collected by Andrew Willet Bachelor of Diuinity.

THE SECOND PART OF THE QVESTION, whether the Catholike Church be inuisible.

The Papistes.

THey do affirme that the Catholike Church is and hath bene alwayes visi∣ble: [error 15] not so visible, because it might be seene, but that it hath bene alwayes actually visible, & not seene onely vnto the mēbers of the church, but notori∣ously knowē to the whole world. Rhemens. annot in Math. cap. 5. Sect. 3. Neither do they meane any particular Church so to haue bene visible, but the vniuer∣sall catholike church, which they define to be a visible cōgregatiō of all faith∣full men. Canisius. cap. de fide & Symbol. articul. 18. Bellarmin. lib. 3. de Eccles. cap. 12. ration. 7.

1 The foundation of the Church is visible: therefore the Church is visi∣ble: the proportion they proue thus: for whether we affirme Christ, or Peter to be the foundatiō of the Church: both of them are now visible in him which is the Vicare of Christ, and Peters successor.

We answere. First, we vtterly denie either Peter to be the foundation of the Church, or els the Pope to be his lawfull successor: for Peter is no more the foundation of the Church, then all the Prophetes and Apostles. Ephe. 2.20. whose doctrine is the foundation, not their persons. And as for the Pope, we care not so much for outward successiō in place, which notwithstanding they can not proue to haue bene perpetuall without interruption, as we do require a succession of faith and doctrine. Secondly, we affirme that Christ is the foun∣dation, but not the visible beholding of Christ, with the carnall eyes, but be∣leeuing in his name, for when Peter had vttered that notable confession of Christ, he said that flesh and bloud had not reuealed it but his father in hea∣uen: but if the beholding of Christ, had geuen Peter a sight of the foundation, thē flesh had reuealed it vnto him, his carnall eyes had brought him to Christ. Thirdly, we may much better returne this argument vpon them selues: that

because the foundation of the Church, which is faith in Christ, is inuisible, therefore the Church is inuisible.

2 They heape vp many places of Scriptures, but to small purpose as Math. 18. tell the Church. Actes. 15. when they came to Ierusalem they were re∣ceiued of the Church, Philip. 3.6. Paule persecuted the Church: how could the church be persecuted, how could it receiue the Apostles, if it were not vi∣sible? Bellarmin. cap. 12.

We answere, what goodly reasons here be: a particular church such as was at Ierusalem may be seene, Ergo the catholike and vniuersall. Secondly, a parti∣cular church may be sometime visible, Ergo alwayes. Thirdly, the church is visible vnto the faithfull, as in time of persecution, for to Paule it was not knowen, when he persecuted it, but onely to the brethren, Ergo it is visible to the world. For these three points they must proue that the catholike church not a particular is visible, that the Church is not sometime but alway visible, yea and to the world, or else they say nothing: for shame masters make bet∣ter arguments.

3 He hath set his tabernacle in the sunne. Psal. 19. The Church is as a Ci∣tie vpon an hill, Math. 5. Ergo it is alwayes visible. Bellarmin. ibid. Rhemist. Math. 5. Sect. 3.

We answere. First, the Apostles them selues, euen at this time, when Christ spake these wordes vnto them, were not so in sole, or in monte, in the sunne, or vpon the hill, that they were seene of the world, nay they were not seene nor acknowledged of the Scribes and Pharisies in Iewrie: the Church is seene of the faithfull, it is visible to them that search for her out of the Scriptures: they that cā see the mountaine, shal see the Citie, the mountaine is Christ, the Citie is the Church. No marueile if the Church be not alwayes visible to the world, for they see not, neither do they know Christ. Secondly, the church is said to be on a hill: because the truth seeketh no corners, heretikes and false t••achers flye into the desert and into secret places, Math. 24. ver. 26. But the truth is not a∣shamed: the Apostles confessed Christ, euē before Kings and Princes, Marke 13.19. so Augustine expoundeth it. Cont. Faustum. lib. 13. cap. 13.

The Protestantes.

COncerning the catholike church, we hold, that because, it is an article of our faith, it is alwayes vnto the world inuisible, and not to be espyed but by the eyes of faith. Fulk. Math. 5. Sect. 5.

Concerning particular churches▪ if by visible, they vnderstand that which may be seene, so we graunt they are alwayes visible. Fulk. Act. 11. v. 24. If for that which is actually visible: we say it is not so alwayes visible to the world, nay it may sometimes be so hid and secret, that the members know not one another. Fulk. in Math. 5. Sect. 3.

1 To the Hebrues it is thus written. cap. 13. v. 18.23.24. you are not come to the moūtaine, which might be touched, but to the Citie of the liuing God, the

celestiall Ierusalem, &c. Ergo the church is inuisible, and here opposed to the visible hill of Sinay.

Bellarmine answereth, that this is vnderstood of the triumphant church in heauen, not of the militant vpon earth.

To this we make answere, the Apostle vnderstandeth the whole vniuer∣sall church in heauen and earth, which both make but one familie, Ephe. 3.15. for here he nameth not onely the spirites of iust men which are in heauen, but the faithfull vpon earth, whose names are written in heauen: the congregatiō (saith he) of the first borne: the wordes are 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, a gathering together, collection or cōgregation, which must needes be vnderstood of men vpon earth. Againe (saith he) ye are come, not ye shall come: they had now left the smoking mountaine Sinay, and were come to Sion, the church vnder the Gospell. Wherefore this is a most firme and inuincible argument: the catho∣like church is the vniuersall number of Gods chosen in heauen and in earth, Ergo inuisible.

2 We will giue an instance: In the dayes of Elias the church was not vi∣sible, for he camplaineth, and saith that he was onely left alone, 1. King. 19.10. Ergo the church is not alway visible.

* 1.1The Rhemistes answere. First, at that time the church was visible in Iudaea, the souldiers were numbred to 1000. thousand, 2. Chron. 17. We aunswere againe. First, belike they haue taken a more exact account of them then the Lord him selfe: for he (saith he) had reserued 7000, 1. King. 19.18. that had not bowed their knees to Baall, they say there were ten hūdred thousand. Againe Elias, if he had knowen such a number, could not haue bene left so comfort∣lesse, as in grief of hart to desire to dye. But be it graunted that the church was visible in Iudaea at this time, though it were not so to Elias: yet where was that visible church in the dayes of Achaz, and Manasseh, when Iudaea fell also to I∣dolatrie? Thirdly, to beleeue that there is an holy catholike church is an article of our faith, Ergo it is inuisible.

Bellarmin answereth. First, the holinesse of the church is inuisible. We reply, so the church is partly visible, partly inuisible by his confession. First, why thē do ye define the catholike church to be a visible cōgregatiō, if it be not wholly & altogether visible? they know that difinitio must cōuenire definito, the definitiō must agree wholly to that which is defined: but now it is not: for they say, the catholike holy church is partly visible as it is a church, partly inuisible as it is holy. Secondly, do we not say in the Creede, Credo Catholicam, as well as Cre∣do Sanctam, I beleeue a catholike church, as well as I beleeue the holy church? then it is also inuisible, as it is catholike, because this also is part of the article: see I pray you what shifting is here?

Secondly, he answereth, that some thing is seene in the church, some thing beleeued: for we see that visible companie of men, which make the church, but whether that companie be the true church, we do not see it, but beleeue it.

We reply againe. First, the Iesuite hath not yet proued that some thing is

seene in the church, some thing beleeued: but one thing is seene, namely the congregation as they are men, another thing is beleeued, that they are the church: the sight and beliefe now by his owne confession are not both in the church. Secondly, we denie that the vniuersall cōpanie of the catholike church, which is the number of the predestinate can be seene, therefore all is beleeued, and nothing seene. Thirdly, he saith that by faith we know which is the true church: Ergo by faith we know which are the members of the church: Ergo by faith the mēbers do know them selues to be of the Church: therefore faith is requisite in the true members of the church: thē vnfaithfull men can not be true members of the church, which point the Iesuite strongly before main∣tained against vs. Mendacem oportet esse memorem, a lyar had need haue a good memorie: lest he tell contrarie tales, and so hath the Iesuite here, for before he denied that faith was requisite to make a true member of the church: here he saith that without faith a mēber cā not be knowen, much lesse therfore made.

3 The Rhemistes confesse in these very words, that in the raigne of (their imagined and supposed) Antichrist the externall state of the Romane church, and publike entercourse of the faithfull with the same shall cease, and that there shalbe onely a communion in hart with it, and practise in secret, Annot. in. 2. Thess. 2. Sect. 10. Where then (I pray you) shalbe your tabernaculum in sole, ciuitas in monte, candela splendens in domo: your tabernacle in the sunne, your Citie in a mountaine, your candle shining in the house, that is, say you, in the world. Math. 5. Sect. 3. Ergo out of their owne wordes we conclude, that the church shall not alwayes be visible, and notoriously knowen in the world.

Lastly, we will conclude with Augustine. Aliquando in sola domo Noah Ec∣clesia erat: in solo Abraham Ecclesia erat: in solo Loth & domo eius Ecclesia erat: in solo Henoch Ecclesia erat: Sometime the church was onely in Henochs house,* 1.2 sometime onely in Noah, some time in Abraham alone, in Loth & his house. How then hath the church bene alwayes so visible and notoriously knowē to the world, when it hath layen hidden some time in one house, yea in one man.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Annot. in Rom. 11. ver. 4.
• * 1.2

  Enarrat. in Psal. 128.