Sainct Austines religion collected from his owne writinges & from the confessio[n]s of the learned Protestants, whereby is sufficiently proued and made knowen the like answearable doctrine of the other more auncient fathers of the primitiue church / written by Iohn Brereley.

S. Austin teacheth that the Church of Christ is Catholicke or vni∣uersal. SECTION. 2.

THough the very name of Ca∣tholicke be so vngratful and odious to the auncienter heretickes, that the(g) Donatists termed the sam an humane fiction, which yet saith (S. Austin) are wordes of blasphemie; as also to the more nouel sectaries, D.(h) Fulke confessing that, some Lutherans haue altered the word of the Creed, and for Catholicke, put Christi∣an. And(i) Beza styling it, The most vaine tearme Catholicke: yet S. Au∣stin so highly esteemed thereof, that he said,(k) We must hould the com∣munion of that Church which is named Catholicke, not onely of her owne, but also of her enemies, for wil they, nil they, Heretickes, and Schismatickes, when they speake not with their owne fellowes but with strangers, cal the Catholicke

Church, nothing els but the Catholicke Church, for they could not be vnderstood vnles they discerne it by this name, wherewith she is called by the whol world. And though it be common to Protestants with former here∣tickes in wordes to style them selues Catholickes, yet saith S.(l) Austin; whereas al heretickes would be called Catholickes, yet if a stranger aske the way to the Catholicke Church, no here∣ticke dare shew his owne Church or house. And the like saying is to be seene in S.(m) Ciril. And euen so at this day the name Catholicke, is or∣dinarily appropriated to vs Roman Catholickes by M.(n) Fox, Sleiden, Iacob, Wilkes, Dresserus, Humfrey, and al other writers.

Yea this name Catholicke was so powerful with S. Austin, as that he made it one special motiue (as now the like it should be to vs) for to preserue and keepe him in the Chur∣ches bosome, saying hereof,(o) Lastly the very name Catholicke houl∣deth me &c. which wordes are so

vndenyable, that D.(p) Fulke gran∣teth that, Among many other thinges which kept S. Austin in the Church, the name of Catholicke was one.

But to passe from the name to the thing it selfe, or reason of the name, that the true Church should be cal∣led Catholicke, not (as D.(q) Fulke with old hereticks pretendeth) only in reguard of it obseruing al the commaundements of God, which very assertion S.(r) Austin confu∣teth, saying to the hereticke, thou seemest to haue said somewhat wittily, when thou expoundest the name Catho∣licke, not by the communion of the whole world, but by the keeping of al the com∣maundements &c. But in reguard of it becomming and continuing after it first encrease Catho∣licke & dispersed ouer the world: In proofe whereof S. Austin as the very(s) Centuristes do obserue) al∣ledgedgeth many testimonies from the sacred Scriptures saying,(4) Therefore let vs heare some few from the Psalmes song so long agoe, and let vs see with great ioy that they are accmo∣plished.

And then immediatly after both there, and cap. 9. he alled∣geth testimonies from the Psalmes, ouer many to recyte, and right wor∣thy of the readers perusal and ob∣seruation. And speaking of the(u) Prophets, How many and how manifest are the testimonies (saith he) of the Church dispersed through al nations ouer al the world, from whence I wil recite some few, leauing more to the leasure of the readers fearing God. And then reckning vp a number of Esaies pro∣phecies to this purpose, he affirmeth many more, which (saith he) are so many that from Esay alone, if I should gather al, I should exceede the measure of fitting speach. And in reguard of his so many and plaine predictions, S.(w) Austin affirmeth that, Esay prophesyed so, that by some he was tear∣med rather an Euangelist then a Pro∣phet: concluding also directly to the point, that as heretical conuen∣ticles connot be called Catholicke in reguard they do but preauile for cer¦taine times & incertaine prouinces so againe the true Church is called Cath▪

in reguard of i•• foretold large & la∣sting extent; for thus S.(x) Austin writeth, the Church possesseth the whole which she receiued of her hu••band in dowry &c. Eu••ry congregation of what heresy so euer lurketh in corners, she is a concubine not a matron. O Arian he∣resy why dost thou insult? why dost thou puf? why dost thou also for a time vsurpe many thinges? &c. And he vrgeth the Donatists saying,(y) If yours be the Catholicke Church, shew it to stretch out in beames ouer the whol world, shew it to extend it bowes with plenty of fruict ouer the whol earth, for hence by the Greeke word also it is named Catho∣licke. And againe it is called in Greeke(z) Catholicke, because it is spread ouer the whol world, it is lawful for none to be ignorant of her. And whereas D.(a) Fulke obiecteth to the contrary that, the Church is not called Catholicke, because it should be euery where &c. The Popish Church is not in euery part of the world, for Mahomet sect is the greater part, many countries are Idolaters, and most of them that professe are not in the felowship of

the Popish Church. This very ob∣iection S. Austin answeareth against Cresconius the Donatist in these wor∣des,(b) Thou disputest foolishly against the most manifest truth, that therefore the world doth not communicate with vs, because as yet there are many of barba∣rous nations who haue not beleeued in Christ, because vnder the name of Christ there are many heresies different from the communion of our society &c.

Notes

• (g)

  Aug. tom. 7. l. 1. cont, Gaudent. c. 33. prope init. et post med.
• (h)

  Against Rhem. Test. in Act. 11.26. sec. 4.
• (i)

  Praefat. Noui Testamenti. Anno. 1605. And see the Lutherans in colloq. Altem∣berg. in Re∣spons. ad ac∣cus. corrupt. fol. 154. 353.
• (k)

  Tom. 1. de vera religione. c. 7. paul. an∣te med.
• (l)

  Tom. 6. l. cont. epist. fundam. c. 4. circ. med.
• (m)

  Catech. 18.
• (n)

  Act. mon. p. 613. Sleid. in the english hi∣story. l. 7. fol. 96. et l. 10. fol. 127. Iac. in his reasons taken out of Gods word. p. 23. 73. 74. 24. Wilkes. in his obedience, pag. 39. Dres. in Millenar. 6. p. 214. Humf. in vita Iuelli. p. 102. 100.
• (o)

  Tom. 6. cont. epist. fundam. c. 4. circa med.
• (p)

  Against Rhem. test. in Act. Apost. c. 11. v. 26. see, 4.
• (q)

  Ibidem.
• (r)

  Tom. 2. ep. 48. ad Vincen∣tium paulo ante med.
• (s)

  Cent. 5. c. 4. col. 410. & col. 414.
• (4)

  Tom. 7. de vnit. Eccles. c. 8. initio.
• (u)

  Ibidem. c. 7. initio.
• (w)

  Tom. 5. de ci∣uit. Dei. l. 18. c. 29. post. init.
• (x)

  Tom. 9. de Symbolo. l. 4. c. vlt. circa med. and see To••. 10. de tempo••e. ser. 131. post med.
• (y)

  Tom. 7. cont. Gaudent. l. 2. c. 2. circa med.
• (z)

  Tom. 2. epist. 170. ad Seue∣rinum. ante med.
• (a)

  Answeare to a counterfeare Catholicke. p. 95. & against Purgatory. p. 14.
• (b)

  Tom. 7. cont. Crescon. l. 3. c. 63. fine.