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The orthodox faith and vvay to the Church explaned and iustified in answer to a popish treatise, entituled, White died blacke; wherein T.W. p. in his triple accusation of D. White for impostures, vntruths, and absurd illations, is proued a trifler: and the present controuersies betweene vs and the Romanists are more fully deliuered and cleared. By Francis White Bachelour in Diuinitie, and elder brother of Doctor Iohn White.

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Title
The orthodox faith and vvay to the Church explaned and iustified in answer to a popish treatise, entituled, White died blacke; wherein T.W. p. in his triple accusation of D. White for impostures, vntruths, and absurd illations, is proued a trifler: and the present controuersies betweene vs and the Romanists are more fully deliuered and cleared. By Francis White Bachelour in Diuinitie, and elder brother of Doctor Iohn White.
Author
White, Francis, 1564?-1638.
Publication
London :: Printed by Richard Field for William Barret, and are to be sold at his shop in Pauls Church-yard at the signe of the three Pigeons,
1617.
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Subject terms
Worthington, Thomas, 1549-1627. -- Whyte dyed black -- Controversial literature -- Early works to 1800.
Catholic Church -- Controversial literature -- Early works to 1800.
Cite this Item
"The orthodox faith and vvay to the Church explaned and iustified in answer to a popish treatise, entituled, White died blacke; wherein T.W. p. in his triple accusation of D. White for impostures, vntruths, and absurd illations, is proued a trifler: and the present controuersies betweene vs and the Romanists are more fully deliuered and cleared. By Francis White Bachelour in Diuinitie, and elder brother of Doctor Iohn White." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/A15081.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 23, 2024.

Pages

Page 109

Proposition 1. The description of notes made by Papists, agreeth not to their notes.

The Papists describing the notes of the Church in ge∣nerall, teach that they must be euident, proper, and inse∣parable: But succession, vnitie, sanctity, and vniuersali∣ty, as themselues define them are not so; ergo, after their owne description they be no notes. I will proue the As∣sumption by each of the foure notes which I haue na∣med, and which our Aduersaries make their chiefest notes.

1. Succession, as it is defined by Papists, can be no note of the true Church.

Succession is two fold: First, Personall; secondly, both of Persons and Faith. Personall succession alone is com∣mon, and the Greek Church is able to deriue it selfe from the Apostle Andrewa: And notwithstanding personall succession, our Aduersaries deny the same to be a true Church. Also the Scripture teacheth, that Wolues and false Prophets may succeede good Pastors. Act. 20.29. And the Fathers sayb, That as darknesse succeedeth light, sicknesse health, a tempest calmenesse, and falshood truth; so false Shepheards may occupie the seates and roomes of good: And Caiphas in our Sauiours time sate in the roome of Aaron. Whereupon Irenaeus and Tertullian, commen∣ding

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the succession when it was good, yet allow the same no further then it hath conioyned with it, The gracious gift of veritie, and wholesome word of diuine truthc. And our Aduersaries are now come home to vs and acknow∣ledge thisd.

Mixt succession, consisting both of faith and doctrine, can be no note of the true Church, because the princi∣pall part of it, namely doctrine, wherein consisteth the life of succession, is obscure and doubtfull (according to our aduersaries Tenete) and vulgar persons cannot iudge of it; also Heretickes and false Churches may challenge itf. And Cardinall Bellarmine perceiuing thus much, confesseth that the Argument taken from succession is vsed by them, not so much to proue the true Church, as by the defect thereof, to shew there is no true Church with them that want itg.

2. Vnity, according to the Popish description thereof, is no note of the Church.

Popish Vnitie stands principally heerein, that people imbrace the same faith and manner of worship with the high Priest of Romeh; and submit their conscience and practise to his cathedrall determination. But this kind of vnitie is deficient in one of the conditions belonging to

Page 111

the notes of the Church; namely, it is separable: First, it was vnknowne to the Apostolicall Church. Mat. 20.25 Luke 22.24. Gal. 2.7.9. Act. 8.14.

Secondly, the Primitiue Church for the space of the first 300. yeares acknowledged it not, as these examples proue. First, Cyprian, Firmilianus, and all the African Bishops and Churches refuse the determination and the tradition of the Romane Popes, Cornelius and Ste∣pheni, and make them their companions and equals: They stile the Pope their Colleague, their good Brother, their fellow Priestk, They rebuke him with much bitternessel: They taxe him for obtruding vnwritten veritiesm, and for claiming superiority ouer themn, and making himself the successor of Petero: and they affirme, that euery Bi¦shop ouer his owne flocke is equall to himp.

Secondly, all the Bishops of the East refuse the Popes determination in matter of ceremony, and challenge as much prerogatiue from the Apostle Iohn, as the Roman Bishops did from S. Peterq. Aeneas Syluiusr, a famous Papist, who was afterwards himselfe a Pope, affirmeth; that before the Nicene Councell, small regard was had to the Romane Church. This manner of vnitie therefore and sub∣ordination to the Pope, is no note of the church, because it is separable, and was not found in the Church for the first 300. yeares.

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3. Romish sanctity no note.

Sanctity of the Church according to Bellarmines, stands in the holinesse of doctrine, which containeth no∣thing false and contrary to faith, and nothing vniust and repugnant to good manners; according to Stapleton and Gr. Valēcet; the Church is called holy, because it pro∣fesseth sanctifie, and imbraceth an holy religion, hauing in it some principall members, iust, and free from mor∣tall sinne.

But here want two properties of their notes: 1. San∣ctitie described in this manner, is not euident nor easie to be knowne, and before one can know it, hee must haue recourse to the doctrine. 2. It is not proper, either in re∣gard of claime or possession, Heretickes and Schisma∣tickes doe challenge the sameu, and in the outward exer∣cise thereof (whereof vnlearned persons are onely a∣ble to iudge) they haue sundrie times excelled the Or∣thodoxex.

4. Popish vniuersalitie no note, &c.

Vniuersalitie and multitude are not proper to the true Church, but common to Heretickes: Our Aduersaries confesse,y that the Arrians in number exceeded ye faithful.

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And Bellarmine saithz, that the Church is vniuersall, though but one Prouince professe the true faith, if it consent with the former vniuersall Church. And this consent with the former vniuersall Church, is a thing vn∣euident to common persons. The enquiry of it is a matter of skill and learning, and cannot bee performed without examining and comparing the doctrine and re∣ligion of former and present ages of the Church. And thus our Aduersaries euident and visible notes being loo∣ked into, proue vneuident and inuisible, and must in the end be resolued into the doctrine it selfe, as the Touch∣stone of the same.

Notes

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