A briefe treatise of diuers plaine and sure waies to finde out the truth in this doubtfull and dangerous time of heresie Conteyning sundrie worthy motiues vnto the Catholike faith, or considerations to moue a man to beleeue the Catholikes, and not the heretikes. Set out by Richard Bristow priest, licentiat in diuinitie.

The Church that all Christs enimies fight against.

[ XL.IIII] CONSIDER againe, what Church that is, ours or the Protestantes, which the tyrannicall Romaine Empe∣rours of olde before their christendome, did vexe and persecute: and which to this day the Heathen, the Turke, and the Iewe doe acknowledge themseulues to be annoyed by. VVhat company honoring Christ, do they feare but ours? What Church beareth off theyr brunt from the neck of Christendom, but on∣ly ours? Of what Church was our owne Countrie, whē it in such holy warres ioy∣ned with other countries of Christen∣dome, and got thereby immortal glorie? And now that it is reuolted from the same Church, what aide haue Christian

Princes of it toward such warres? Yea, doth not all the world see, that these go togeather: them that fight against He∣retikes, the same to fight against Turks: and they againe that maintaine Here∣tykes, the same to fauour Turkes, to be sory for theyr ouerthrowes, to be glad of theyr preuailing, for Christian Prin∣ces good successe to faine false bonefires for TVRKES good successe to shew forth mery heartes?

Of our Church, I shewed afore, that those Emperours afterward receaued theyr Baptisme: therefore ours it vvas that they afore did persecute For so wit∣nesseth the Prophet Esay, that it is one Church,* 1.1 and the same, which they did first afflict, and after adore. Et venient ad te curui filij eorum qui humili••ue••••t te▪ & ad∣orabunt vestigia pedum tuorum omnes qui de∣trahebant tibi, & vocabunt te Ciuitatem Do∣mini, Sion sancti Israel. And there shal com vnto thee creeping and crouching the sonnes of them that afflicted thee: and there shal adore thy footestepes all that blasphemed thee: and they shal cal thee the Citie of our Lord, the Syon of the

holy one of Israel.

Seing it is euident (I say) that those Potentates neuer to no Church did this honour and Seruice, but only to ours: euydent also it is, that our Church it vvas, which afore they persecuted: that Church, Christes Church, by the con∣fession of al men: therefore our Church, Christes Church, to the eye of such as are content to see. Which yet again may be more plainly seene by this Motiue of S. Augustins, by him proponed, amōgst many others, to the Heathens, to moue them to be Christians: Vid••tis,* 1.2 ipsas huius saeculi potestates, quae aliquando pro simulachris populum Christianum persequebantur, victas & domitas, non a repugnantibus, sed a morientibus Christianis, & ••••ntra eadem simulachra, pro quibus Christianos occidebant, impetus suos le∣gesque vertisse, & Imperij nobilissimi eminētissi¦mū culmē ad sepulchrū piscatoris Petri submisso diademate supplicare. You see, the very Potestates of this world, which once for Idolles did persecute the Christian peo∣ple, ouercome and tamed, not by the re∣sisting, but by the dying of Christians: both against the same Idoles for which

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

〈1 page duplicate〉〈1 page duplicate〉

they killed the christians, to haue tur∣ned their forces and their lawes: and also the high••st top of the most noble Em∣pire, at the Sepulchre of Peter the fish∣er submitting his Croune to mak sup∣plication.

By this it is euident, I say, that our Religion it is, to which from their for∣mer Paganisme those Emperours were conuerted, and to which S. Augustine would haue those other Heathens to conuert And farder yet in the same kind of motiue you may cōsider, what church it was, which all HERETIKES likewise euer impugned, but neuer preuayled. Which very note of his Church our Sa∣uiour giueth:* 1.3 Portae inseri non praeualebunt adue••sus eam, The gates of Hel shall not preuaile against it.

Was it then against the Protestants, that Iouinian lette out of Hell Priestes and Nunnes Mariage? Or were it they, and ••gaine stopped vp that gap & gate of Hel? Was it against them, that Aerius let out of Hel his Heresie of No good to be done to the dead by prayer? Or, were it they, that againe stopped vp that gate?

Was it one Church, against which these Heretikes and many other such like ran out: and another, against which issued out the Arrians, Sabellians, Nestorians, Pelagians, and finally all the rable? Or, vvas it not one Church and the same, which stopped vp both sortes of gates? Not the Protestantes, but our Church, the one sort: therefore not the Prote∣stants, but our Church, the other sort: & therefore againe, not the Protestantes, but our Church, the true Church.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Esa. 60.
• * 1.2

  Epist. 42
• * 1.3

  Mat. 16.