CHARITY MISTAKEN, WITH THE WANT WHEREOF, Catholics are unjustly charged: for affirming, as they do with grief, that Protestancy unrepented destroys SALVATION.  
Printed with Licence, Anno 1630.   

PREFACE.  
HAVING observed the liberty, which men are grown to take, in not holding it ne-necessary to believe that any one Religion is precisely true; & that for the excusing of themselves from blame, they think fit to lay the fault on others as being too strict in approving and upholding only one; I have thought fit to imply some of my hours upon examining, how much or little reason they have, in a case of this high importance, either to brag of their own charity, or to impeach the opinion of ours. And therefore I shall humbly pray all my Protestant Readers, to bring attention without passion to the perusal of this ensuing discourse; wherein I will hope they shall meet with cause, to be as good to themselves as I wish, or at least to give over mistaking us, though perhaps▪ they shall not care to mend themselves. But certainly if there be any such thing, as Heaven, and God, and Christ, and Faith, and Church, & that indeed there be but one: not only shall they be miserable men in the next life, who apply not themselues entirely to the belief of that, and that alone; but they shall even in this world be worthily held ignorant and imprudent, who tax men as uncharitable for nothing but because they approve not many. For let that, which followeth, be well weighed; and they will see that not only Catholics affirm this truth; but that the belief there of is also avowed both by the practice and principles of the chief Protestants themselves in their writings; howsoever the contrary discourse reigneth too much in the minds and mouths of particular men of that profession, who have many times so much of the good fellow, that they have too little of the good Christian. But I remit myself to that, which follows: which again I recommend to the Reader.   


THAT CATHOLICS ARE both improbably and unjustly charged with lack of Charity, for affirming that Protestancy unrepented destroys salvation. CHAPTER I.  
IF it be a part of honour and justice, for a Cavalier of this world, to defend the rights of the oppressed; and to contribute, if there be cause, with particular care, towards the protection and defence of some excellent, but afflicted Lady, whose fame were blasted by the ill tongues of men: how much more just and honourable will it be for a Catholic (who in this time and place, may well go for a Cavalier of Christ) to defend the honour and fame of his Lady and Mother, which is the holy Catholic Church: She being so innocent, as the immaculate Spouse of Christ our Lord ought to be, and yet with all, so much wronged, as to be taxed for wanting the very wedding ring, and the nuptial to be itself of Charity, whereby she is best distinguished from all pretenders to that Marriage bed, and most evidently marked out to be that very Spouse, which indeed she is? For, that the abounding in Charity should be the distinctive sign of the Church of Christ our Lord, from every other congregation upon earth, he did by the Oracle of his own blessed mouth declare expressly upon record; when speaking to the same Spouse of his, in the person of his disciples he said thus; By this shall all men know, 
Euan. Io. c. 13.  whether you be my disciples or no, if you love one another.  
And least by occasion of these words, a man might chance to think, that the Church were only bound to love her own children, and consequently that Catholics were but obliged to maintain Charity towards their fellow Catholics; our Lord did elsewhere teach us, that we were not only to love our friends, but our enemies also, by his own example of bestowing his sun, 
Matt. c. 5.  and rain, not only upon the just, but upon the unjust also; and that it was to be a sign of a true Pastor, if he were ready even to lay down his life for his flocke, 
joh. 10.  whereby in this case the spiritual good, of no less than the whole world, is to be understood. So that to charge the Catholic Church, that she proceeds uncharitably towards Protestants; and that so far, as through the want thereof, to censure and condemn them to the pains of hell; is as good (as hath been said) as to tell her to her teeth, that she is but a harlot and strumpet, and not indeed the Spouse of Christ, as she pretends. And now therefore I, as a child, though an unworthy one, of this Church, feeling the affront which his mother undergoes upon this occasion, will procure to remove it the best I can; and in the first place to show, how improbable the slander is; and in the second place, how untrue.  
First then at the very first fight, it is wholly improbable, even supposing that the Catholic Church should unjustly & untruly hold (as she is charged by her adversaries to do) that Protestancy unrepented destroys salvation, that yet this should be affirmed by her, through want of Charity, and not rather upon some other motive, namely error in judgement indiscreet zeal of souls, immoderate fear of the justice of God, or the like. For to see the holy Catholic Church dissolve, and even as it were defeat herself of her very self, for the acquiring of all imaginable both temporal and eternal blessing to mankind; & then yet to say, that because she wants Charity, she will not allow men of different Religions a place in heaven, where yet there is room enough for all the world; doth stamp the mark of absurdity upon the very front of the proposition, even whilst it is delivered. Now to see that this Catholic Church is, after a most eminent manner, so expressive, & diffusive of herself towards the good of others, as hath been said, a man needs no more but to have eyes in his head; for the truth thereof is not only to be evicted by reason, but it lies subject even to common sense, and to the observation of every ordinary looker on. For what kind of creature is there, of what condition, what sex, what age, whom the Catholic Church doth not strive to wrap up in the bowels of her pity? & how restless is that solicitude wherewith she doth it?  
As soon as any child is borne, she considering the precise necessity of Baptism, will be sure to initiate him with that Sacrament; wherein other Religions are fare more remiss. When he grows up to years of discretion, she strengthens him with the Sacrament of Conformation. When she finds him once to have drunk of the poisoned cup of actual sin, she strives to make him cast it up again, by the Sacrament of Confession and Penance. To the end that he may not only enjoy some proportion of health, but be able to stand out, and grow, and pass on with strength and comfort, she feeds him from time to time, with the precious Body of our blessed Lord in the Sacrament, of the Altar. If he will bestow himself upon the service of Almighty God in a more particular manner, by taking Priesthood, she not only gives him holy Orders, but she doth it by a Sacrament conferring grace. If he have not spirit for so much as that, but resolves to walk on in the broad way of a married life; that state is honourable, though it be inferior to the former; and she joins him to a wife, by a Sacrament, also conferring grace. If in his last sickness he be assaulted by those sharpest arrows of his invisible enemy, she anoints him towards the combat, & enables him by that Extreme Unction, and by the benedictions and prayers which accompany it, to resist & conquer those adverse powers. When he is giving up the ghost she recomends the soul with most tender, and affectual words, into the hands of God. And it is no sooner discharged from that body, but instantly she makes it her business, to pray for it; and still she prays, and prays, and never gives it over till the world's end.  
But now in the mean time, whilst Christians are leading this mortal life, for such as have a desire to consecrate themselves wholly to God in any Religious Order, by the vows of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience, whether they be men, or women, the holy Catholic Church with excessive Charity, provides means for them, in Monasteries, and other Religious houses, (either by the foundations of Princes and great persons, or else by the ordinary and daily Charities of her devout children in general) that they may be enabled to live, and wholly attend to that sacred function, for the assistance of mankind in the way of spirit (though some after a more contemplative, and some others after a more active or mixed manner) without scattering, or dispersing their thoughts and cares, upon providing for the necessaries of this life.  
She doth also otherwise find means, that secular men & women be succoured, according to all their miseries, whether they be spiritual or temporal. If men be to suffer as malefactors, she hath children, who by special devotion oblige themselves to watch some nights with those poor creatures, of what Religion soever they may be, to prepare them, before they die, for that great passage, If men be taken prisoners by Moors, or Turks, or other Infidels, she nourishes whole Orders of Religious people in her bosom, whose office it is to keep correspondence in those other unbelieved parts; by means whereof the miserable creatures are redeemed, and restored to their former liberty, through the Charity of her children. Orphans, and poor virgins are brought up by thousands; and endowed with marriage money. And persons sick of all diseases, are cherished and relieved, and regaled by whole Armies (as man may say) of christian's, in her Hospitals: yea & they are served and attended (after the example of Christ our Lord) by the own hands of great Princes and Prelates, & of choice & delicate Ladies, & Queens, in the Communion of the holy Catholic Church.  
But then, as much as souls are more worth than bodies, so fare doth the Charity of Catholics, for the instructing, & gaining souls, exceed those former Charities, which they impart for the relief of men's bodies. For where there is question of bringing up youth in virtue; of drawing ignorant and dull people to some reasonable proportion of knowledge in things belonging to their salvation; of reducing men, who are perverted by heresy; of converting men, who are buried quick in the blindness of infidelity; what pains, what care, what vast journeys both by sea and land, what incommodity, what danger, what torment, what death is not most gladly undergone and even desired by worlds of Religious men, who are children of the holy Catholic Church; and who suck the sweet strong spirit of the love of martyrdom, from the breasts of their mother; she being inspired and enriched therewith, by her celestial spouse? In the strength whereof, they bless such as curse them; they pray for such as persecute them; and are ready upon all occasions, in the hope of freeing their enemies from damnation, to run hazard of their own temporal death. Now she who is so profuse in affoarding favours, will be sure precise in not doing wrongs. And so it is notorious to the whole world (as appears both by our innumerable books of Cases of conscience, and by those Formularies also, which are daily set out to instruct and teach men how to examine themselves, and to confess their sins) that she is most strict in keeping us, from judging or speaking uncharitably of any one, and from doing men the least wrong, either in thought, word or deed. And now without recrimmating upon our adversaries, for the want of such great charities, and diligences as these, me thinks I may appeal even to themselves, whether it be even probable (as I said before) that the belief of the Catholic Church, concerning the ill estate of such as die impenitent in the Protestant Religion, can be thought to proceed from want of Charity, and deserve not rather to be imputed, and ascribed, to some other cause.   

Of the intention of Catholics when they say that Protestancy unrepented destroys salvation, and how the speech is to be understood. CHAPTER II.  
THe intention therefore, wherewith Catholics declare that Protestancy unrepented destroys salvation, cannot with any colour of reason, be thought to proceed from want of Charity in them, but indeed from the religious and just care they have to awake men toward the saving of their souls, in the right way; by procuring that they see, that they are to perish, if they continue in the wrong. And the good God of heaven doth best know, that when we speak to Protestants in this kind, our very hearts are sad, as considering how true it is, and how much it imports them to weigh it well; and that yet, the while, in steed of their proffiting by our advice, they malign us for presenting it to them in the best sort we can.  
Nay they calumniate not only our intention, as hath been said, by affirming that it proceeds in us from want of Charity; but they charge us withal, with taking the office of Almighty God out of his hands, by pronouncing judgement upon our fellow servants before their time; and in fine, that we make their Protestancy to be as the sin against the Holy Ghost, which is not capable of any remission at the hands of God.  
But the Case being well considered, will appear to be ill put against us, who are fare from being liable to such aspersions as these. We judge not them or any other: for we know that we all must stand, or fall to our own Master. We love their persons, and we pity them for their errors; and we proceed no otherwise towards them, then as towards creatures who are made after the image of Almighty God, and who were redeemed by the death and Passion of our only Lord and Saviour jesus Christ; and we pray and hope, that before they part out of this life, the merits of the said death & passion of our Blessed Lord may be applied to their souls, by faith and charity and penance, & by those Sacraments, and other conduits & means of conveying, and applying his grace, and spiritual life to their souls, which are only to be found in the bosom of the holy Catholic Church. Without which Sacraments and other means, the merits and blood of Christ our Lord, though most apt and able in themselves, to save a thousand millions of worlds, will never save any one soul. For in fine, the merits of our Lord, and the sinful souls of men, be two extremes of great distance from one another; & can never be brought to meet, but by such ways and means, as the unspeakable power and wisdom & goodness of Almighty God, hath found out for that purpose; and those means are they, which I have already touched. For if the merit of our Blessed Saviour's death, were of itself to save any one soul, without the application thereof by the aforesaid means; no reason at all could be assigned, why any one soul should be lost; as yet the fare greatet part of souls is sure to be.  
So that we speak not so much of Protestants in thy kind as of the profession of heresy which they follow, and we judge no more of them upon this reason, but that whilst they live in that Religion, they estrange themselves from the right means of applying the merits of Christ our Lord to their souls, whereby they might be saved. But yet we hope nevertheless, that God will have so much mercy on many of them, before they die, as to incorporate them into his mystical body, which is his true Church, whereby they may partake the influence of that mercy and grace, which is derived from the head thereof jesus Christ our Lord. And therefore it is plain, that we make not Protestancy to be at a sin against the Holy Ghost, which cannot be forgiven, because it will not be repent; whereas Protestancy both may, and often is repent of, and consequently forgiven: & to the end that it may be so, we declare the grievousness of the sin, and we procure by all the means, we can, to remove the same.  
Nay, we are so fare from accounting it a sin against the Holy Ghost, as that by our saying that Protestancy unrepented excludes salvation, we employ no more, then merely, that it is a mortal sin. For whosoever dies impenitent of any one mortal sin can never be saved, 
S. Paul ad Galat.  and whosoever shall with true penance be sorry and departed from his Protestancy, though it be but in the last minute of his life, will be capable of salvation. So that we judge not men in particular, concerning their salvation of damnation; but yet on the other side, we must not be afraid to affirm (though we are cordially sorry for having cause to do it) that they who die impenitent either of Protestancy, or any other sin which deprives the soul of the grace of God, cannot be saved. For such men as these, are judged already in general, by the mouth of God; but which of them in his particular, shall be taken before he die out of that unhappy heard of goats, and placed in that blessed flock of sheep, by the hand of the good shepherd, we leave to his own unsearchable determination. And therefore as we take not the office of judge out of his hand; because we cannot come to know whether this or that particular sinner may not repent before he die: so yet we may safely say, that a man, who life's in Protestancy, or any other mortal sin; and who is so fare from repenting it (though he be sufficiently informed thereof) as that he will not so much as acknowledge it to be a sin; and who, (for aught we know, or can learn) did no way retract or reverse it, so much, as at the hour of his death; departs this life in a state which is greatly to be lamented: and withal that if he repent himself as little of it indeed, & in the sight of God, as in our sight he seemed to do, there can be no doubt with us (so long as we believe our Religion to be true) but that such a person died without salvation, as departing in the obstinate profession of a different Religion, which we esteem to be false. And the same must they also believe of us, mutatis mutandis, if indeed they believe their own Religion to be true Christian religion, of which Christ himself pronounced. Qui non crediderit condemnabitur.   

That our saying that Protestancy unrepented destroys salvation, proceeds from want of Charity in us, is no less untrue (because there is but one true Church,) then already I have showed it to be improbable, and first this is proved by holy scripture. CHAPTER III.  
HItherto I have been showing how utterly improbable it is, even prima fancy, that we should censure Protestancy or Protestants, through want of Charity; and withal what that motive is, which induces us to let them know the extremity of danger, wherein they are; or that when we hold any such discourse, it is so fare from being an effect of want of Charity in us towards them, as that it only proceeds from our deep compassion of their case, which is the most sweet & precious fruit of that sovereign virtue. My endeavour now shall be, to show that this charge of uncharitableness, against us is not only improbable, but unjust also & untrue. And that in carrying ourselves herein as we do, we not only not swerve from our duty to them; but if we should do otherwise, we should fail of that obedience which we own to Almighty God himself, who exacts the performance of this office, at the hands of his holy Catholic Church. And now for the clearing of this point in such sort as that it may satisfy doubtful minds, it will first be fit to premise some few grounds, upon which I may the better build up that truth, which I am about to declare.  
I will not offer here to prove, that there is a God; because now I have not to do which professed Atheists: nor yet that Christ our Lord is the true son of God, who suffered death for the redemption of the world; because we live not amongst jews. But for as much as there are such differences of opinion, concerning that Religion and Church, which was founded and framed by Christ our Lord: I will briefly show in the first place, that Almighty God did found one Church, and but one; and that he ordained one Religion, wherein he would be served, and but one; and that out of that Communion there is no salvation. In the second place I will make it appear, that the unity which is to be maintained amongst the members of this one true Church, and the professors of this one Religion, is directly broken between Catholics and Protestants. And then I make account, that in the third place, it will follow even of itself, that both Catholics and Protestants are not saveable in both their several Religions, without repentance thereof. And consequently, that no one of us is to be blamed, if conceiving his own to be the only true Religion, he declare the dangerous estate, wherein he takes any other man to be, who communicates and agrees not with him; but rather that he is obliged to let him know it. And now I will briefly put myself to prove the first assertion concerning the unity of the Church, by some texts & testimonies of holy Scripture: and first of the old Testament.  
In the time of Moses, when it pleased Almighty God to draws a visible people to himself, and to give them an express law; and to ordain variety of visible sacrifices, by the oblation whereof they were to do him homage, and appease his wrath; and to institute visible ceremonies for the more devout and exact performance of the same, it was also pleasing to his divine Majesty to appoint, that howsoever the jews were to exercise their Religion in some kinds, in their several Synagogues, yet that sacrifice was not to be offered to him by them, but in the only Temple of jerusalem. He also commanded; that in such cases of difficulty, as might occur; his whole people should be subject to the determination and decision of the high Priest for the time being; and this, 
Deut. cap. 17.  upon no less than the pain of death; from which sentence there was to be no appeal. Let the place at large be well considered, and it will easily appear by the great authority, and power, which was cast upon the individual person of one judge; that there could neither be any other Church, nor any other Religion which might pretend to be true, if it would presume to disagree, & descent from this.  
The same truth is also made evident, by the fearful judgement, which fell upon Core, Dathan, and Abiron, 
Num. 16.  for their act of disobedience against Moses and Aaron; in so much as that the ground opened itself, and swallowed them up alive, with all their goods, into the profound pit of hell, in the sight of the whole paople; for but offering to make a schism from that one Church, wherein he had ordained himself to be served.  
According to this practice under the written law, Almighty God speaking to the Prophet Ezechiel, of the times which were to succeed under the Messiah, made a promise that he would give true Christians a heart which should be most truly one. 
Ezech. 11.  Et dabo eis cor unum. And the kingly Prophet David describes the excellency, and Majesty of Almighty God, by declaring how he reigns in his holy place; and makes them who inhabit that house, to be all after one manner, and to be endued with the same affections and dictamen concerning his services. 
Psal, 67.  Deus in loco sancto suo, qui inhabitare facit unius moris in domo. Those words also of the Canticles; una est columba mea, 
Cant. 6.  perfecta mea, etc. were spoken by the holy Ghost, in the person of God the Father, with intention to design & delineate, the unity of the Church: for so it is interpreted by S. Cyprian, 
De unit. Ecles.  and he expresses himself further thus, upon that occasion; will any man think that he holds fast his faith if he hold not fast this unity of the Church?  
Now the same also is delivered; at least as certainly, in the new Testament; and so much more evidently, and abundantly, as the Church of God under the law of grace, was to be fare more diffused over the whole world, and both for the honour of Christ our Lord, & the safety of his servants, who were so dear bought by himself to be preserved in no less perfect unity than ever it had enjoyed in former times. We see therefore that Christ our Lord made it one of his last suits to his eternal father (when he stood, as it were, even upon the very brim of death) that he would preserve the disciples whom he had given him, he would make them all, 
Io. 37.  as truly one in affection and will touching things with might concern his service, as even the Father & Son were one. And it may be noted here with all, that in this case, he speaks to his eternal Father for our increase of comfort, with a compellation of extraordinary tenderness, saying, 
Io. 17.  Pater sancte, serua eos. etc. Keep them, holy Father etc. to show, how much his heart was set upon this suit. When also he was upon the point of his Ascension up to heaven, he commanded his disciples to teach all nations to observe all those things whatsoever, which he hadun commanded them; 
Matt. 18 v. 9 20.  and he pronounced indefinitely, that whosoever would not believe, should be condemned: which doth clearly relate, not only to this or that particular Article, but to the whole sum of Christian doctrine in general: and thus it may be seen, that he intended to ordain an exact unity in his Church; 
Marc. 16 v. 26.  & that whosoever should fail of believing any one point of Christian doctrine; should be as sure of condemnation, as if he had believed but any one, or none.  
The Apostles planted this one faith, and watered it with all so well, that our Lord gave great increase to it, & the holy Ghost declared, in the acts of the Apostles, 
Act. 4,  That the whole multitude of believers had but one heart and one soul. And that vessel of the holy Ghost, S. Paul, considering how very much this point of unity did import, sends his advice to the Ephesians, 
Cap. 4.  that they should be careful to preserve the unity of the spirit, in the bond of peace; and the word whereby he expresses himself, implies no ordinary kind of care, but a most particular solicitude of mind.  
I should never make an end, if I would press all those places of the new Testament, which declare the intention of our Lord to have his Church one, and only one. The very names, whereby it is described, as for example that of the ark of No; of one Kingdom; one City; one Spouse; one vineyard; one field; one barn; one ship; one net; one body; & many others of like nature, which I omit; show expressly that the Church of Christ our Lord, was to be but One. And especially this point was settled by our Lord, when he made his own Church, to be the only supreme judge even in all spiritual offences and scandals, and much more in Controversies of Religion amongst Christians; requiring, that whosoever would not hearken to, and obey that Church should be held a very Pagan, and Publican; 
Matt. 18.17.  without allowing him so much as any appeal at all, even to the holy Scripture itself. By which only words of our blessed Lord; it is most clearly & naturally proved, that this Church is enriched, with those very qualities, and marks which are avowed by us her children, & contested by the adversaries thereof; as namely with a perpetual visibility; or else he had given us a command which it were not possible for us to obey. For how should we at all times find out, and consult our difficulties, and manifest our complaints to that Church, which at all times could not be seen by the eyes of men, with a most certain infallibility? For otherwise, a man might perish for believing and professing false doctrines, through his obedience to the commaundant of Christ our Lord, in submitting to an erring Church. But especially (which makes most to our purpose) the entire unity of the Church is proved here, by the exact obedience, which we are obliged to exhibit to the same Church. For else, if there might be two several true Churches dissenting from one another, they might hold me for a Publican and Pagan, if I did not obey them both: which were impossible for me to do, they commanding contrary things. And if one of them dissented from the other I must be tossed betwixt two damnations. For if I should obey that true Church erring, I should incur damnation by obeying her, and by embracing and persisting in her errors; & yet if I should not obey her I should incur damnation by the express sentence of Christ our Lord himself, who appoints me to be held a Pagan, if I obey her not. And this shall suffice for this Chapter, wherein we may have seen, what holy Scripture saith to this question: and in the next we shall find, that the Fathers of the Primitive Church, who follow it as their guide, will not fail to utter the same voice.   

The express unity of the Church is proved by the authority of the Fathers of the most primitive times. CHAPTER FOUR  
THe holy Fathers in the most primitive times, who are justly called Fathers, and reverenced as such by us, were yet withal most obedient and humble children, to the holy Catholic Church of their time; and so treading in those very steps, which had been traced out for them by the holy Ghost in holy Scripture, they have showed many ways, how they believed and known, that there was but one true Church, and that the perfect unity thereof, was to be so very carefully maintained, as that whosoever broke it, must everlastingly perish.  
I say they have showed many ways, what their dictamen was herein: for some of them have written whole books, expressly and to no other end at all, but to prove the necessity of unity in the Church of Christ our Lord; as namely S. Cyprian and S. Augustine. Others have written, & framed express Catalogues of all the heresies which had risen in the Church of Christ our Lord from his Ascension to heaven till their own time; expressly showing hereby, that both the unity of the Church was directly broken by the obstinate belief of any one doctrine, which was held in disobedience to the same Church; and withal, that whosoever did so break it, must forfeit the salvation of his soul thereby. And this was done by S. Epiphanius Bishop of Cyprus, by Philastrius Bishop of Brescia, both who are cited to this purpose by the incomparable S. Augustine in his treatise de heresibus ad Quod vult Deum. Where himself also makes an exact Catalogue of all the heresies which had sprung until his time: and where, by the way, I must needs observe in a word, that he recounts diverse heresies, which are held by the Protestant Church at this day, and particularly that of denying prayers and sacrifices for the dead; and then he concludes in the end, that whosoever should hold any one of them, were not Christian Catholic.  
Besides this way of proof, concerning the unity of the Church; I will also cite the Fathers who are full of express and positive texts, whereby upon occasion, they prove the unity of the Church, and I will begin with S. Ireneus, who discourses thus. 
Lib. 1. cap. 3. Hac praedicatione etc.  The Church having received this word preached, and this faith, as was showed before, and having spread the same over the whole world, doth diligently preserve it, as inhabiting one house; and doth likewise believe those things which are taught thereby, as having one soul & one heart, & in the same conformity, she preaches and teaches, & delivers it, as indeed possessing but one mouth. For though there be in the world different expressions, & tongues, yet the virtue and power of Tradition is but one, and the same. And neither those Churches which are found in Germany, nor those others in Spain, nor those in France, nor they which are in the Eastern parts, nor they which are in Egypt, nor they which are in Libya, nor they which are settled in the middle parts of the world, do believe or make tradition of doctrine, any otherwise in one place than in another. But as that creature of God, the Sun, is one and the same in the whole world, so is the preaching of the truth, a light which shows every where, and illuminates all men who will come to the knowledge of the truth. And those Prelates of Churches, who have most power and grace of speech, will deliver no other things but these. For no man is above his master, neither will such an one as hath meaner talents in speech, make this doctrine and Tradition less; but since Faith is but one, and the same; neither doth he enlarge it, who is able to speak much of it; nor that other diminish it, who speaks less.  

De praescrip. aduer. Haeret. Valentinus etc.  Tertullian shows plainly, that whosoever denies any one doctrine of the Church rejecteth all, for thus he sayeth upon occasion. Valentinus approveth some things of the law and the Prophets; some things be disavows; that is, be disallows all, whilst he approves some. And the same Tertullian, 
De praescrip. c. 8. Caeterum multos etc.  doth also elsewhere, in the same book infer, the truth of Catholic doctrine, by the exact unity thereof, whilst he saith after this manner. Quod apud multos etc. That which is found to be one, amongst so many, is not to be thought to have crept in by error, but to have been recommended by Tradition.  
S. Cirill Patriarche of jerusalem, 
Catech. 18.  assigning reasons why the Church of Christ our Lord is called Catholic, doth excellently give this one, amongst the rest; Quia docet Catholicè id est universaliter, &c Because she teacheth Catholickely, that is to say, universally and without any defect or difference, all those doctrines, which ought to be known, concerning things either visible or invisible, celestial or terrestrial.  
S. Cyprian in his book de unitate Ecclesiae, sayeth thus, 
Ecclesia Domini luce perfusa etc.  of the unity of the Church. The Church being strooken through by the light of our Lord doth send her beams throughout the whole world; but yet that light, which is cast so far abroad, is but one, and the same; she spreads her brannches, over the whole earth after a plentiful manner; she extends her flowing streams with great abundance, & to a great distance; but yet is she one head and one root, and one mother, who is fruitful by such store of issue. 
Lib. 1. Epist. 6.  The same Saint also, speaking of the sin of Core, Dathan, and Abiron implies that the one Church must not only be entirely believed, but followed also, in all her doctrines, and directions. For he sayeth that though Core, Dathan and Abiron, did believe and worship one God, and lived in the same law, and religion with Moses and Aaron, yet because they divided themselues from the rest by Schism, resisting their governors and Priests, they were swallowed up quick into hell.  
S. Basile puts such a value upon the absolute integrity of all the whole Christian Doctrine, (which declares what he believed concerning the necessity of unity in the Church) as to express himself after this manner. 
S. Basil. apud Theodoret. l. 4. hist. c. 17. Qui in sacris litteris etc.  They who are well instructed in holy writ, permit not one syllable of divine doctrine to be betrayed, or yielded up; but are willing to embrace any kind of death, for the defence thereof, if need require. That man of God, had been solicited by some to relent for a time, and to yield though it were but to a little; he refused in such sort as you have seen & he did it much disdain to be attented in that kind.  
S. Gregory Nanzianzene speaking of Heretics, who do all break the unity of the Church; seems yet to apprehend them to be worst of all, who whilst indeed they break it, 
Greg. Nazian. Tract de fide. Nihil periculosius &c, Lib. Apo. count. Ruff. Propter unum etc.  do yet seem to do it least; because so they will hardliest be perceived. And he delivers himself in these words. Nothing can be more dangerous, than those Heretics, who when they run straight through all the rest, do yet with one word, as with some drop of poison, infect the true and sincere faith of our Lord.  
S. Hierome shows, that the unity of the Church, and faith thereof, must be so perfect; as that for some one word or two, contrary to the same, many heresies have been cast out of the Church. And S. Leo saith, that out of the Catholic Church there is nothing pure, according to that of the Apostle; whatsoever is not of faith, is sin: and else where he saith also. If it be not one, it is no faith at all. Concerning this one Church, S. Augustine is also most express & clear; For when the Donatists (saith he) calumniated the Catholics, 
In Brevi collat. collat dici tertiae.  as affirming that there were two Churches; one upon earth, which contained both the good and bad; and the other in heaven, which contained none but good: the Catholics made them this answer. That they did not make two Churches, but did only distinguish the two times of the Church, saying that the same One only Church was in one state now, and was hereafter, to be in an other: that now, it had a mixture of evil men, but that hereafter, it should have none: just so, as there are not therefore two Christ's, because once he could dye; and now he can dye no more. And thus the Catholics refuted that slander, which the Donatists had laid upon them; expressly showing, what they had formerly said; namely, that there was but One, and the same holy Catholic Church. And to show more over by the judgement of S. Augustine, 
In explicatione Psal. 54.  that the Church, in her doctrine, was to be truly One; he spoke thus of the Donatists, who called upon the same God, preached the same gospel, sunge the same Psalms, had the same Baptism, observed the same Easter, and the like; In those things they were with me, yet not wholly with me; in Schism not with me; in Heresy not with me; in many things with me; in a few not with me: but in regard they were not with me in a few, their being not with me in many could not help them. Nay S. Ireneus (whom I named before) implies, 
Lib. 2. cap. 3.  not only, That it is necessary for a true Christian Catholic to differ in no one point of the doctrine or faith from other Christians; but he must withal not believe any thing after a different manner; that is to say, upon a different motive, from that, for which it is believed by other Christians. But this point I shall touch hereafter. And for the present it may suffice to have proved the necessity of most perfect unity in the Church, and that indeed no reason can be given, why if there be allowed any more true Churches than One, there should not be admitted, as well two thousand as two. So that now it remains for me, to show also by the judgement of holy Scriptures, and Fathers, that out of this One Church, there is no salvation.   

It is proved, both by holy scriptures, and Fathers, that out of One true Church of Christ our Lord no salvation is to be found. CHAPTER V.  
SInce the Church of Christ our Lord, is so truly One, and but only One; it follows easily enough, that no salvation can be had out of this Church; and that every heresy, or schism, is sufficient to deprive any soul thereof. But yet nevertheless, to the end that men may be wholly left without excuse, or rather that they may be the better warned to take heed in time, of those miseries, which otherwise they are to feel for all eternity; I will strengthen also this truth by the authority of some few Scriptures and Fathers of the primitive Church. For so, by degrees, it will easily and of it self appear, that we Catholics are not faulty in that, wherewith we are so much charged.  
The Prophet Esay thus foretelles the quality and condition of the then future Church of Christ our Lord and what shall become of them, who serve it not. 
Cap. 60.  Gens enim, & regnum, quod non seruierit tibi, peribit. That nation, and kingdom, which will not serve thee, shall perish. And now if a whole nation and kingdom shall perish for not serving, what shall become of those private miserable people, who blaspheme and rend it? The same Prophet saith else where, to the same purpose, 
Cap. 54.  Omne vas etc. Every vessel or pot, which is framed against the, shall not succeed or prove well; and thou shalt judge every tongue resisting thee in judgement.  
We have seen already in the new Testament (upon another occasion to prove the unity of the Church) that whosoever obeys not this One Church, is by the order of our blessed Lord himself, to be held for no other than a Pagan or Publican; that is to say for no better than a mere Idolater in his Religion, and for a most infamous and base person in his conversation. And we may see now further that S. Paul, that vessel of election, that man who had been rapt to the third heaven, add who had in his heart such a flaming furnace of Charity, as to desire to be made Anathema for the salvation of his brethren, doth most abundantly declare the woeful state or all heretics and schismatics. He requires men to avoid an heretic if he reform not himself, after one or two reproofs; and he names Haereticum hominem indefinitely, without specifying in particular, what his heresy may be, more or less. He saith also, that an Heretic is condemned even by his own judgement. 
ad Tit. 3  That their speech is like a Cancer which creeps and kills; That they attend to the spirit of error, and the Doctrine of devils; That they are hyppocrites, and liars, covetous, arrogant, and blasphemous; That they take the appearance of piety upon them but yet renounce the virtue and substance hereof; That they are ever learning, but without attaining to the knowledge of truth; That as jannes' and Mambres resisted Moses so do these also resist the truth; being corrupt in mind, and reprobates concerning the faith; but that they shall not prevail, but their folly shallbe made manifest to all, as that of jannes' and Mambres was; That they have itching ears, which they turn away from hearing the truth; 
S. jude.  And S. jude saith they are dumb Beasts, unfruitful trees, twice dead, & rooted up; clouds without water & waves of a tempestuous sea, which beat themselves into the some of their own confusion; for whom, the storm of of eternal darkness is reserved; and that they are men who walk the way of Cain, and Baalam; and who perish in the contradiction of Core.  
By all which kind of language a man may easily perceive, how fare both the Apostle S. Paul, & S. jude also, accounted them to be from salvation, who have divided themselves from the Catholic Church by heresy or schism. And S. Paul saith in clear terms, That the works of the flesh are manifest; 
Galat. cap. 5.  which whosoever commits, shall not possess the kingdom of God, Amongst which he reckons expressly, contentions, emnities, dissensions, and Sects etc. which word Sects in Latin, is Heresy in Greek. Now if any one heresy be damnable; what shall they be, when they come in clusters? And if their souls be to be lost, who fall into enmity and contentions, without repenting themselves hereof; what shall become of those miserble creatures, who violate, malign, and wound the whole mystical body of Christ our Lord, which is his Church?  
As for the Fathers, 
De praes. adversus haeret  they are as bright as day, in this point. Tertullian saith, that if they be heretics, they cannot be accounted Christians.  
S. Cyprian is express, and large in this argument, and saith thus. 
Lib. 4. Epist. 2. & de unit. Eccles.  Adulterari non potest Sponsa Christi etc. The Spouse of Christ cannot be adulterated, she is incorrup and chaste; she knows one house, & purely consernes the Chastity of one bedchamber. It is she who keeps us for God; she sets them forth for his kingdom, whom she hath begotten. Whosoever is separated from the Church, and is joined to an adultres; is separated also from those promises, which belong to the Church; nor shall he arrive to the rewards of Christ, who forsake the Church of Christ. He is an alien, he is a profane person, and he is an enemy. He can no longer have God for his Father, who hath not the Church for his Mother. If a man might have escaped drowning, without being in the ark of No; he shall also be able to escape, who is out of the Church. 
Ibid.  He also saith thus afterwards. They cannot remain with God, because they would not continue of one mind, in the Church of God. Though their bodies should be delivered to be burnt in the fire, or that they should be devoured by wild beasts, such a death would not be a Crown of faith but a punishment of perfidiousness in them; nor would it be a glorious end of their virtue, but a destruction following upon despair. Such a man may be killed, but cannot be crowned. Just so doth he profess himself to be a Christian, as the devil doth often falsely affirm himself to be Christ; according to what our Lord himself did forewarme, and tell us thus, Many will come in my name, saying I am the Christ, and they shall deceive many. But as he is not Christ, though he shall deceive many, under the colour of that name; so neither can that man be accounted a Christian, who remains not in his doctrine and faith. And in another place, he also saith, 
Quisquis 〈◊〉 est lib. 4. Epist. 2.  whosoever he be, and what kind of man soever he be; he is no Christian, who is not in the Church of Christ.  
The like or rather the very same words are used by S. Augustine Serm. 181. the temp. & else where also he saith thus to certain heretics. How can you brag, 
Symb. ad Catecum. c. 10. Quomodo vos came etc. Lib. 2. contra Gaudon. cap. 12.  that you hold fast the Faith, which our Lord left to his Apostles? would you have men so blind and deaf, as not to hear, or read the gospel, where they may know what faith our Lord left to his Apostles concerning his Church? from which since you are divided, and separated, you do no other thing, then rebel against the words, both of the body, and of the head; and yet, the while, you brag, that you endure persecution for the Son of man, and for the faith, which he recommended to his Apostles. And then doth the Saint put himself to show our of Scripture, That this is that Church of Christ, which is spread over the whole world, 
De unit Eccl. Ad ipsam etc.  The same holy Father saith also, No man comes to salvation or life everlasting who hath not Christ for his head; and no man can have Christ for his head, who is not in his body, which is the Church, And else where he discourseth thus, 
Epi. 152. quisquis ab hac etc.  whosoever is separated from the Catholic Church, how laudably soever he may conceive himself to live, yet he shall not have life; but the wrath of God remainesh upon him, for this only crime of being severed from the Society of Christ. And to conclude (for as much as concerns S. Augustine's authority touching this point) let this following speech of his be well pondered, whereby it will appear that Cardinal Petron said well, when he taught that the name Catholic was, not only a name of belief and faith, but of Charity also and Communion, which whosoever should want, would also want salvation, though he were not wanting in points of faith; let us hearken to S. Augustine who delivers himself thus; Et haeretici etc. 
De fide & Symb cap. 10.  both Heretics & schismatics are wont to call their congregations by the name of Churches: Heretics violate Faith by believing false things of God, and schismatics though they believe the same things with us, do yet fly from fraternal. Charity by their wicked divisions; And therefore neither doth the Heretic belong to the Catholic Church, because he loveth not God; nor the Schismatic, because he loveth not his neighbour. For how (saith these Saint elwhere) shall the Schismatic be esteemed to be in Charity with his neighbour, who is out of Charity or Communion with the whole body of Christ, which is his Church. 
Epist ad Dam.   
Saint Hierome writing to Pope Damasus, saith (not only of the Catholic Church indifinitely, but denoting that to be the Roman) that that Church is the Ark, out of which whosoever liveth, shallbe drowned in the deluge, and that that Church is the house, out of which whosoever should eat the lamb, were a profane person.  
Lactantius also saith thus; 
Lib. 4. cap. 30.  Sola Ecclesia Catholica est, etc. It is the Catholic Church alone, which preserves the true worship of God, this is the fountain of truth, this the house of faith, this the Temple of God; if any man either enter not into it, or departed out of it, 
Ibid.  he shall be deprived of the hope of salvation, and eternal life. No man must flatter himself with an obstinate kind of contention for the questions here, about salvation and life, which if it be not watchfully and diligently provided for, it will be extinct and lost.  
Saint Fulgentius hath this dreadful saying, wherewith I will conclude this point. Firmissimè tene etc. be most firmly persuaded and have not doubt at all but that every Heretic or Schismatic, baptised in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost, if withal he be not a member of the Catholic Church can by no means be saved, how great Alms soever he shall give, yea and though he should shed his blood, for the name of Christ; For so long as the sin either of Heresy or Schism (which draws men down to death) shall remain in any man; neither Baptism, nor Alms, nor death endured for the name of Christ, can be of any benefit towards his salvation, who holds not fast the unity of the Catholic Church. And now by this we see what the holy Scriptures, and what the Fathers of the most primitive time affirm concerning the unsaveablenesse of any man, who is not a member of that Church, which formerly hath been so clearly proved to be but One; Nor will I so much distrust either the attention or discretion of my reader as to think that I need press this point any further. So that now in the next place it will only remain to be considered and resolved; whether or no, both the Catholics & the Protestant's can be truly said to be parts & members of this One and the self same Church? for if they can not, the case in question is already judged, and there will be no colour of reason, why either of us should hereafter be charged with want of Charity for affirming, that the other is not saveable without repentance of his Religion.   

CHAPTER VI That both Catholics and Protestants can not possibly be accounted to be of one and the same Religion, Faith and Church.  
HItherto I have insisted upon the former part of this main discourse: wherein I undertook to show (and do conceive myself to have complied with my word) that there is but one true Religion & one true Church; out of which there is no salvation.  
It will now remain that I prove the second part of my undertaking, which is that both the Catholics & Protestant's, can by no means account themselves to be professors of that one true Religion, and obedient Children to that one true Church; whichsoever be that true Church, by the address & conduct whereof men may hope to save their souls. For clear demonstration whereof it will be fit, in the first place to show, what that is, which makes a diversity in Religion; and without which men may still be of the same Religlon, though there be difference of opinion between them.  
The very name of a Christian Religion, whereby Almighty God is to be worshipped, implies a doctrine which must be believed, Sacraments which must be received, discipline which must be embraced, & Prelates or Governors which must be obeyed: & therefore that which make a Religion to be entire, is the belief of the same doctrine, and the participating of the same Sacraments, and obedience to the same discipline and Prelates or Governors, so fare as men do not obstinately reject any part thereof, or refuse to submit thereunto. Whosoever doth this, and conformes his interior, by way of belief, to the same doctrine and Sacraments, and his exterior, by way of obedience, to the said Prelates and discipline, may justly be held to be one of the same Religion: and whosoever refuseth to do this, fails of that.  
But so also, on the other side, whensoever the Church hath not decided, & propounded, and commanded a doctrine to be believed by her children, and hath not enjoined such a part of discipline to be embraced, a man (so that he commit no scandal in the manner of it) may  both in the one and in the other, from other men, and may think and do, as he sees cause; without offending the unity of Church, or incurring thereby the crime either of heresy or schism, as I shall show more at large afterwards upon an other occasion. It must therefore be considered whether Catholics and Protestants be of one Church or not; or rather it is to be seen: for indeed in this case men have not so much need of their wits, as of their eyes, for the resolving of the question. But yet still to the end, that even the weakest stomaches may be made strong enough to digest that morsel which is coming toward it, I will show by several arguments that we are fare from all possibility of passing for professors of the same Religion, & for members of the same Church, so long as we continue as we are.  
For who perceives not at the first sight, that we resolutely differ from one another, in the prime and main points of Christian Religion? We embrace not all the same Scriptures; we differ about no fewer than five Sacraments of seven, which Catholics believe with all reverence, and they reject withal contempt. Yea and even concerning those two, in the receiving whereof we both agree, namely the Sacrament Baptism & of the Communion, there are so many differences and debates amongst us about the necessity of of the one, and the real presence of our Lord in the other; that upon the matter we can be thought but to agree in words.  
We differ about the authority of all traditions unwritten, which is the very foundation of our belief of the holy Scripture itself; and consequently, of all the other greatest points. We differ about the Primacy of S. Peter, and his successors; yea and about the infallibility of general Counsels; and so therefore about the supreme judge on earth of all our controversies in Religion. We differ, about the justification of souls, and the value which the death and grace of Christ our Lord hath imparted to the works of the children of God. We differ in a world of particulars, about the article of holy Catholic Church, and namely whether it must always be visible or no even, to the eyes of men; and whether it must always be free from error and fallibility. We differ about the Communion of Saints, & whether we may either pray for them who are in Purgatory, or to them who are in heaven. And we differ not only about these, and many other most important points, as men who are ready to relinquish their opinions, if they be commanded: but we are on both sides resolved to persist; though both the Catholic Church in her counsels, and the Protestants in their several Confessions, have declared that their own opinions are true, and the contrary false: and though we on the one side have cast excommunication upon the new deniers of those doctrines of ours, which we have received from Christ our Lord, & his Apostles; and they on the other, have filled their parts of the world, which scurrile & blasphemous invectives against those said Doctrines of ours; and have taken upon themselves to be the reformers of the Church, though without either ordinary mission, or miracles; and to be true publishers of the gospel, and even the very illuminatours of the world.  
And now therefore let that be considered once for all, which hath formerly been showed, about the style of holy Scripture & Fathers, which speak those said things of Heresies and Heretics, without specifying in particular, what they are. And let it also be called to mind, what Catalogues the Fathers of the Primitive Church, have made of heresies, whereof many (abstracting from the pride and disobedience, which thereby is committed against the Church) are neither of so great importance in themselves, or at least not great at all, in respect of those many most important Articles, which are mutually affirmed or denied between the Protestants and us. For what imported it all, that some were so foolish, as to hold all men bound by Scripture to put of their shoes when they prayed: & yet S. Augustine cited them for heretics in his Catalogue. But the pride wherewith they presumed to abuse Scripture, and to impose such a fond law upon men's consciences & a resolution not to leave it, when they were commanded by the Church, was that which made it heresy in them. Or what Article of the Creed? or what book of Scripture? or what sacrament of the Church, did the Quartodecimani deny; or what error did they introduce, but only the celebrating of Easter at another time, then was ordained by the Church? and yet for this doth S. Austin enrol them in the rank of heretics. & the same I might exemplify in many other particulars.  
Presumption and pride, which is expressed by choosing, & obstinately maintaining of any doctrine or discipline, contrary to the judgement and commandment of the Catholic Church; and by refusing to submit therein to the same Church; is that wherein the very life & spirit, of Schism and Heresy doth consist.  
And the question is not here, whether the point, upon which the Schism or heresy is grounded, be in itself of so great importance yea or no? but whether there be in the heart of any private man or men, such a diabolical degree of obstinacy and pride, as to prefer their own sense and judgement, in things belonging to the faith and worship of our Lord God, before the resolution and direction of his holy Catholic Church, which is his spouse, his kingdom, his house, his Sanctuary and his city, which was made the treasure house of grace, the foundation and pillar of truth, the depositary of the holy Ghost, and the heir of most faithful and firm promises, that even the gates and power of Hell itself should never be able to prevail against it. And now I say, if there be found such a sin as this in the soul of man, as to prefer his own poor dictamen before the decrees of this Church, it is so very enormous, so barbarous, so wholly out of the way of all Religion, of reason, of nature, and even of common sense; & it savours of such a spiritual and infernal presumption (so much the more cordially to be first lamented, and then detested, because it is cloaked under the colour of the gospel, and Christian liberty, and I know not what of that kind) that really it can deserve no other place or degree of punishment, than Hell itself.  
And now that all this is true; namely that heresy consists not in the material belief of a false doctrine (for the contrary thereof perhaps, was not sufficiently propounded to be believed) but in the disobedience to the Church, after it is propounded, that famous example of S. Cyprian and the Donatists may serve for proof. For S. Cyprian was of the first who fell upon the doctrine of rebaptisation of such as had been baptised by Heretics; and the Donatists afterward succeeded in the same. But in S. Cyprian it was but error, because the Church of his time, had not absolutely condemned it; but growing after to condemned, in the Donatists time; it was Heresy in them not to forsake it. Which drew Vincentius Lirinensis to make this exclamation, O admirable change of things! the authors of an opinion are held Catholics; and the followers of the self same, are judged heretics. And S. Cyprian himself declares the same in substance, upon a like occasion concerning others. For when one inquired of him, what that erroneous doctrine was, which Novatianus the schismatic had taught; his answer to his friend was directly this. Thou must know that we should not be curious what that doctrine is which he teaches, since he is out of the Church; teaching clearly thereby, that not the quality of the doctrine, but the pride of the man, is that which makes the heretic.  
And in deed if this were not the rule, whereby heresies and schisms must be known, it were impossible to conclude what were an heresy or a schism; and so also there should fall out to be no heresy in effect at all, which might not be compatible with salvation. Now this opinion, is not only contrary to the current of holy Scriptures and Fathers, and to the belief and practice of the Catholic Church of all ages; but even of the Protestants themselves, who condemn not only us, but one an another also as is abundantly showed the Author of the Protestants Apology, etc. for the Roman Church and especially in the place cited in the Margin; 
fol. 408.  where he cities Luther expressly saying thus. We seriously censure the Zwinglians, and all the Sacramentaries, for heretics, and as alienated from the Church of God. And I protest before God and the world, that I agree not with them, nor ever will: but will have my hand clear from the blood of those sheep, which these heretics drive from Christ, deceive and kill. And again, in the same place, Cursed be the Charity, and concord of Sacramentaries for ever, and ever, to all eternity. And a little before his death, he protesteth saying: I having now one of my feet in the grave, will carry this testimony and glory, to the tribunal of God; That I will with all my heart condemn and eschew Carolostadius, Zuinglius, Oecolampadius, & their disciples; nor will have familiarity with any of them neither by letter, writing, words, nor deeds, accordingly as the Lord hath commanded: Thus he saith with very much more to the same effect. And to make this yet more evident by the like testimonies of the Zwinglians, & Caluinists: the Tigurine Divines say thus; Nos, condemnatam & execrabilem vocat sectam etc. Luther calls us a damnable and execrable sect; but let him look, that he declare not himself an Archheretick; since he will not nor cannot have any society with those that confess Christ. But how marvelously doth Luther here bewray himself with his devils; what filthy words doth he uses? & such as are replenished with all the devils in hell For he saith that the devil dwelleth both now and ever, in the Zwinglians; and that they have a blasphemous breast insathanized, persathanized, and supersathanized; and that they have beside, a most vain mouth, over which Satan beareth rule, being infused, perfused and transfused into the same. Did ever man hear such speeches pass from a furious devil himself? In so much as Zuinglius saith of him, Behold how Satan doth endeavour wholly to possess this man. And Oecolampadius also forewarns Luther, lest being puffed up by arrogancy & pride he be seduced by Satan. Whereunto might be added sundry other like testimonies. This contention between Luther and his followers on the one party, and the Zwinglians or Caluinists on the other, is yet further testified, not only by the almost infinite writings of on against an other yet daily increasing; but also by the known mutual proscription or banishment of each other, from their several territories or dominions. So fare were they from reputing one another for members of one and the same Church. Thus fare go the words of the said Apology, where you shall find the places both of Luther and Zuinglius and Oecolampadius, and the Tigurine divines, exactly cited.  
Hear also further, what Nicolaus Gallus saith (who was an eminent Minister at Ratisbone) of the difference amongst the Protestants themselves. Non sunt leaves &c, 
In The sib. & Hypothes.  The dissensions which are amongst us, be not light, nor concerning light matters; but about the greatest Articles of of Christian Doctrine; of the law, and the gospel; of justification and good works; of the Sacraments, and use of ceremonies. Hear also what Conradus Schlussenburgus another famous Lutheran Protestant saith, in the very Title of his book against the Caluinists, Theologiae Caluinisticae libri tres etc. Three books concerning Caluinian divinity, wherein it is showed as in a Table to the eye, out of two hundred & three and twenty public writers of the Sacramentaries (with particular setting down the pages, the words, & the names of the authors) that the said Sacramentaries have no true belief of almost any Article of Christian Faith. This book was printed at Frankford in the year 1594. Read also but the very Title of two of Graverus his books (who was a famous professor of Lutheranisme; the one is this; Absurda absurdorum absurdissima, Caluinistica absurda. The absourd & most absourd doctrines & Caluin etc. and the other, Bellum joannis Caluini & jesu Christi, printed 1598. The war of john Caluin against jesus Christ. And lastly, do but read this Title of book written by Aegidius Hunnius, who was a most famous Lutheran, and succeeded next to Luther himself in possessing his Chair at Wittenberg. The Title is this Aegidij Hunnij Caluinus judai. ●ans id est, etc. Caluin playing the jew; that is to say, A discovery made by Aegidius Hunnius, of the jewish Interpretations and corruptions, whereby john Caluin, ●ath not been afraid, to corrupt (after a detestable manner) most illustrious places, and testimonies of holy Scripture concerning the glorious Trinity, the Deity of Christ, & of the holy Ghost; and especially of predictions of the Prophets touching the coming of the Messiah, his Nativity, Passion, Resurrection, Ascension, & sitting at the right hand of God. Printed at Wittenberg in the year 1592.  
I forbear both to press this evidence, & I will no further seek to prove by way of Authority, that both Catholics and Protestants are not savable, as not being to be accounted, to be of one and the same Church and Religion, no not yet even the Lutherans and Caluinists. For in a word, that reason strikes even at the root, which is drawn from the nature & propriety of faith itself. And even that alone, if it be well considered, will unanswerably convince, not only that they are of different faith & Church, who differ in so many Articles of so great moment, as these wherein we profess one selues to disagree: but that they also, who differ in any one single point, which is propounded and commanded by the Catholic Church: yea and more over, that they who differ not in any points at all, if yet they assent not, upon the only true infallible ground, which is (as hath been said) the revelation of Almighty God, and the Proposition and Direction of the said Catholic Church; not only have the self same faith, with that Church; but that they have no supernatural and true faith at all, even of those other doctrines, which they most earnestly think themselves to embrace; and consequently that it is wholly impossible for them to be saved, if they die impenitent.  
The reason whereof is excellently delivered by S. Thomas, and many other divines who unaunswerably prove, that whosoever believes not the whole corpse of Christian Doctrine, hath no true supernatural faith at all, and doth not rightly believe any one Article thereof. He may have a kind of material faith, concerning those articles, to which he gives assent, but not a certain and true and supernatural faith, unless he believe them upon the right ground thereof; which is, The speech, or revelation of Almighty God, propounded and commanded to believed by the Catholic Church. For example, if I should believe, that Christ our Lord died for the sins of the world, either because I had only read it in some learned book; or in regard that I had been told so by some friend, whom I much esteemed and loved; or else because I thought it likely, in respect of some congruity thereof to other things; or finally upon any other humane and fallible motive whatsoever; it is clear that I could have no supernatural faith at all, even concerning that one single article of Catholic doctrine. And the same is to be said of the rest, whether they be many or few, great or small. And the undoubted reason hereof is, because I give not my firm assent to it upon the only true infallible motive, which is the revelation of God, & the proposition of his Church. For whatsoever is less than this, cannot erect and qualify an act of supernatural faith, with must be absolutely undoubted and certain; and otherwise it is no true faith at all, but opinion and persuasion, or humane belief. He therefore with believes not every particular Article of Catholic Doctrine, which is revealed and propounded by Almighty God and his Church, doth no assent even to any one of them, which he believes, upon the said only true and infallible motive. For if he did, he would as certainly, or rather indeed could not choose, but as willingly believe all the rest, since they all come recomended to him by the same Authority. And now if there be truth in this, which indeed cannot be called into any question, the Catholics and Protestants are fare enough from being of one faith and Church; since it is demonstrated that besides the main differences, which run between us, either they or we have not really any true and supernatural faith at all of any one doctrine of the Church, wherein yet we seem to consent together. For as Turks and Moors who believe in God the Father, have yet no true supernatural faith even of that one single Article, nor the jews of any thing contained even in the old Testament; so neither hath any heticke, of any thing contained either, in the old or new; since they all resemble one another in this, that whatsoever they believe, it is not done upon that motive, which only can make an act of true and supernatural faith.  
And thus it shall suffice me to have proved (according to the main project of this discourse) that there is but one true faith, which is the foundation of the only one true Religion, which is exercised in one only true Church, wherewith Christians are bound to communicate; and that out of this Church, there is no salvation to be found; and lastly that both Catholics and Protestants can by no means be accounted for members of one and the same true Church of Christ our Lord.  
But Protestants (Qui nolunt intelligere ut bene agant) though their reason tell them that all this is true, do yet find their Religion to be so unsoundly built, that they can hardly be drawn to an acknowledgement thereof. And therefore they are wont to say, that such unity of faith, as this whereof we have spoken, is a kind of impracticable thing in this life; that the holy Scripture speaking thereof is not to be understood in such a rigid sense; that the Fathers of the primitive Church, were too precise that way; that their discourse of this kind was metaphysical; and that salvation is no so hard to be obtained; but that there is room enough in heaven for both Religions. And finally they object, that there is no such exact unity as I have her described, even amongst us Catholics; and that themselues maintain a sufficiency of unity in faith, both with the Fathers of the primitive Church, and with their own fellow brethren the Lutherans; yea & some moreover will be so courteous, as to profess that they agree, even with us modern Papists, in all Fundamental points of faith. But I will consider in the next chapter, both how little reason they have in what they object herein against us; and in what also they allege for themselves.   

The avoiding of three objections, which they make against us, to disprove our unity in faith amongst ourselves; and of a fourth allegation, whereby they would show that they hold as much unity both with the Lutherans, and even with us Catholics at this day, as they are bound to maintain. CHAPTER VII.  
THey first strive to impeach our unity in faith, by objecting that variety of opinions in some points which they find by our books, to be amongst us; whereby they would infer, that there is also amongst us a diversity of belief and faith; and there is nothing more usual with them then this discourse. But the answer is shortly and clearly this. That wheresoever they find our Doctors to be of a contrary opinion, they shall also find those points in question, not be have been defined by the Church; but left at liberty to be debated and disputed, as men see cause. Such are a world of difficultyes between the Thomists and Scotists; de auxilijs, between the Dominicans and the jesuites; wherein either side defends that which they take to be the truth, opposing the contrary opinion, by all the arguments that occur. And both sides, the while, are resolved, & ready to submit, to the judgement & definition of the Church whensoever it shall be declared; so captivating their understanding to the obedience of faith, as the Apostle exhorts. And in the mean time, they preserve the spirit of charity, in the bond of peace. If our adversaries could sh●w that they erected Altar contra altar, or that they were resolved not to obey to the definition of the Church, when it were declared, they should have reason on their side: but otherwise they are either very ignorant, or else full of malice, who make this objection. And let them either show, what jesuite and Dominican breaks communion with on another, or else betake themselues to some better proofs.  
The next objection is yet more stupid than the former; and I wonder how Caluins' rage against the Church could put him so fare out of his wits, as that he would ever take it into his mouth. For it is he, who (being pricked by our noting their want of unity towards their fellow brethren) thinks to re●ort it back upon us, by saying that we are not in case, to object any such thing against them; forasmuch as that forsooth, we have as many sects amongst us, as we have several Orders of Religious men; and then he rekons up Benedictans, Carmelites, Dominicans, Franciscans, & whom else he will. Wicked man, who well known, that no one of those holy Orders, doth differ in any one point of doctrine from any of the rest, & are so fare from breaking communion with them, as that still they prevent one another in all honour and good respects, according to the advice of the Blessed Apostle; and much more do they exhibit all possible reverence and obedience to the same Church, and the Prelates thereof. The difference which indeed reigns amongst them, is who shall strip themselves soon of all earthly encumbrance, and so fly the faster to heaven. They have several Rules indeed which were framed by their several Founders, those men of God; whereby they might the better direct their course to this journey's end, according to those several spirits which our Lord imparts to several persons. For though any man may be good in any lawful state of life, but especially in some holy Order of Religion; yet because men are not only of several constitutions in body, but of as several dispositions also in mind; and that some are apt for contemplation, others for a more active life; some for corporal austerities, others for mental reflections and mortifications; some for catechising, preaching and confessing, others for silence and recollection;  omnis spiritus laudent Dominum, it was most agreeable to the sweet providence of Almighty God, to inspire his eminent servants with several spirits, who might erect several Orders at several times, which several natures might affect, and so apply themselves to God, both more cheerfully & more fruitfully therein; especially if they conserve that spirit, with which the Order was first endued. And as well & wisely might Caluin have confessed a difference of Religion amongst themselues because some men wear gowns & others cloaks; as to have argued a disunion amongst our Religious men, because of their difference in habit or diet, either from other Orders, or else from secular people.  
I hear them also make a third objection, against our unity in points of faith; in regard of the difference between our learned and unlearned men; for in consequence thereof they say, that some one of us believes incomparably more, than an other. For the clearing of this point I will open a certain distinction, the subject whereof they are wont to lay to our charge as a crime: but if they lend me a little patience, the same will serve them for a light, to let them see that themselues are out of the way.  
This distinction, is of Explicite and Implicit faith. A man is said to have Explicite faith of any Article or doctrine, when he hath heard it particularly propounded to him, and hath some particular knowledge thereof, and gives particular assent thereunto. But as for Implicit faith of any Article or doctrine, a man is then said to have it, when he believes that concerning it, which the Church teaches them explicitly, who are capable thereof; although for his own part, he have not perhaps so much as heard of it in particular; or if he did, he hath forgot it; or if he remember it, he hath not capacity enough to apprehend, or understand it. But howsoever (as I said) he is resolved to believe both of that and all things else, as the Church teaches; & will give an Explicite consent to it, when he shall be informed hereof, & be made able to understand it; & hath this firm resolution, that he will never hold he contrary either of that, or of any other thing, which they Church shall require him to believe.  
This I say is our doctrine concerning Explicite and Implicit faith, and I dare confidently affirm, that whosoever considers the same indifferently, and with a resolution to receive satisfaction if there be cause, and not to be still cavilling, whether there because or no; will confess, that not only the doctrine of Explicite and Implicit faith, doth not only not impeach our unity in belief, in regard that some men believe some things more Explicitly, ●hen others do; but that, if it were possible to abolish this doctrine (which indeed it is impossible to do, because it is rather delivered us by the voice of nature itself, which hath ordained a different capacity in the minds of men) it would be wholly impossible to maintain any Church in any unity of faith at all. For example; will any man amongst them be so absurd, as to conceive that any plough man, or Trade's man, or silly Woman, doth believe the same things Explicitly, concerning Original sin, or the relation which runs between free will and grace, and a hundred other questions of this nature, which may be Explicitly believed by some principal Doctor of divinity amongst them, who have particular studied these questions? And if they confess they cannot, will they be content that we shall infer thereby, that there is no unity of faith maintained amongst them? Infallibly they will not: and therefore it is but reason, that they measure, as they would be measured to; and that they acknowledge that if dissension in point of faith, could depend upon the Explicitenesse, or Implicitenesse of a man's believing several doctrines, there would be, in effect, as many several faiths, amongst unlearned Christians, as there are several capacities. For as much as we can hardly find, two such men, whereof the one believes just as much Explicitly and no more, than the other doth; because the notice, and the attention, and the capacity, and the memory, and the profession, is ever in effect more or less in one, then in another, and according to the more or less of these circumstance, will the Articles Explicitly believed be either more or less. The truth concerning this particular holds not only in the Catholic Church, but in all congregations which profess any Religion whatsoever, consisting of several Articles & parts. They who are learned and have eminent endowments of nature, and apply themselves with particular industry, must ever believe Explicitly more points of their Religion, whatsoever it be; and those others who are of contraries qualities, must believe Explicitly fewer points. And this is also clear, that the more points of any Religion, which a man believes Explicitly, the fewer doth the leave himself to believe Implicitly; and so on the contrary side, the more he believes Implicitly, he reaches so much the fewer with an Explicite faith. He may & must believe all the Articles, and Doctrines of his Religion, with a true, entire, most certain and supernatural faith; but that he should believe them all with an Explicite faith, is neither necessary, nor possible. But by believing as much as he can with an Explicite faith, and what he can not, with an Implicit; a Cardinal Bellarmine, and a Collier; nay the simplest Catholic woman in the whole world, and the most glorious Mother of God, if she lived still on earth, should be absolutely & fully of the self same Religion & faith wi●h one another. So that the sw●rd of our adversaries proves a buckler to us; and that objection which they make to disprove our unity in faith, (under which they would both shelter their weakness, when we justly object their departure from the Church against them; & also authorise their malice, when they have a mind to cast the scandal of affected ignorance upon us) proves a foundation to us of that truth, which shows how our unity is made perfect.  
These are the three objections, which Protestants are wont to make against our unity in point of faith. And now there remains an allegation or argumt, whereby they procure to defend themselves against our objection, that they want unity amongst themselves. For in virtue hereof they affirm, that they ought not to be held in disunion, either with the Fathers of the primitive Church, or which the Lutherans or such other fellow ghospellers of theirs at this day, or indeed even with us Catholics; if things, as they say, may be considered with moderation: and all this they take to be secured, by distinguishing points of faith, into Fundamental and not Fundamental; and then by saying that they agree both with the Fathers, and Lutherans, and sometimes (of their courtesy) even with us, in all fundamental points of faith, and that they differ but in points not fundamental. It is a matter of great moment, that this particular conceit be carefully sifted and discovered; and therefore I will ask leave that the next Chapter may be spent about it.   

That Protestants have no reason in alleging the distinction of fundamental, & not fundamental points or faith; as intending to prove thereby, that they are in unity with the Fathers of the Primitive Church, of their fellow Brethren the Lutherans, yea and some times with Catholics at this day. CHAPTER VIII.  
BOth Luther and Caluin, & their next disciples, yea and many Protestants also of these days, have familiarly in their sermons, and no less frequently in their books, taken liberty, with every pennefull of ink to dash as it were damnation into our eyes; and directly to affirm, that they departed from the Communion of the Church of Rome, because forsooth they found it to be the seat of Antichrist, the Synagogue of Satan, the very Centre of superstition and Idolatry; and finally, that bloody tyrant, which exercised all immaginable cruelty against the Saints of God for many ages, and which poisoned the world with false & profanes doctrines, of extreme dishonour unto Almighty God. And indeed with what colour could certain single, base, and filthy men have presumed to departed from the visible Catholic Church of Christ our Lord, and to erect their conventicles as they did, if they had not are lest professed, that they could not find salvation there? For if they had said that they might have found it there, they could not so much as have pretended to justify their departure from thence. But yet nevertheless now that many modern Protestants have been taught by time, that the straits, into which they fall, are great by protesting against our salvation in that kind, they have been content now and then, to desire better quarter at our hands; and to affirm that the differences between them and us, concern not the fundamental points of faith, but only such as are not fundamental; that therefore for their parts, they hold we may be saved, if we lead good lives in our Religion: and that they desire the like attestation of us for them; and t'has it is but tyranny and cruelty in the Catholic Roman Church, which keeps from allowing it; since upon the matter, the Religions of us both are the same, & the Churches in effect the same. And this is that, which lightens, as they think, our charge of them; and still keeps theirs heavy upon us, as being uncharitable in not allowing them salvation.  
This discourse of theirs, and their standing so much upon fundamental points of faith, in the sense which they use, is a mere Chimaera: but it is frequented by them, through a high kind of craft. For though it be most true, that some doctrines are in themselves of fare more importance, than some others; because the knowledge thereof, may be necessary for the performance of some duty which is required at our hands; or else because they may contain the very heads and first grounds of Christianity, more than others do; and therefore do exact a more explicit belief at the hands of Christians, and consequently may be accounted in some respects more fundamental: yet so, on the other side, there is no doctrine at all concerning Religion, the belief whereof is not fundamental to my salvation, if the Catholic Church, which is the spouse of Christ our Lord, propound and command me to believe it. For there is no error in faith, which may not be made damnable by the manner of holding it, when it is done so obstinately, as that in defence thereof, a man denies the authority of the Catholic Church.  
This is unanswereably proved by the mere Catalogues of heresies, which have been made by several Fathers of the primitive Church, and especially by S. Austin, in his treatise ad Quod vult Deum; which I have touched before, and which I earnestly exhort my reader to peruse at large. For therein he noteth divers, which consist but of single erroneous doctrines, and they of little importance in themselves, as was declared in a former chapter. But yet for as much as they were obstinately embraced, they were there declared to be so fundamental, as that he was no Christian Catholic, who believed any one of them; yea or who should afterward believe any other, which might chance to be condemned by the Catholic Church.  
Look back upon the example of S. Cyprian in the 6. chapter: for there you will find, that the self same doctrine of Rebaptisation, which was not fundamental to him, in regard that the Church had not then defined it; the same, I say, was fundamental afterward to the Donatists and made them Heretics, because than it was defined, and yet still maintained by them. Look back to see in the same place, what the nature of true faith is: which is not only, that it be absolutely entire in itself; but that the means of propounding the Articles thereof be also both certain, and absolutely infallible: or else there will be no faith at all. See also in the same Chapter, where the form and spirit of heresy is found to consist in the pride and disobedience, wherewith any doctrine or discipline of the Church is disobeyed; and then withal cast an eye upon that, which you may find in the fifth Chapter of this discourse, about the judgement, which is pronounced there, both by Scriptures & Fathers about the unsaveablenes of any soul, which is guilty of the least heresy, or schism and separation from the one and only true Church of Christ our Lord. For by this means it will appear most evidently, that the distinction of Faith, into Fundamental and not Fundamental points (to the purpose of permitting it in a man's liberty to leave any one of them unbelieved, wirhout prejudice to salvation) is both frivolous, dangerous, and utterly false: and so I shall be excused from growing into length by making unnecessary repetitions, which I am most careful to avoid.  
But in the mean time, I should be glad to know, of the authors of this distinction, what points of their faith, which are controverted either between them or us, or between the Lutherans and them, are fundamental, and which are not fundamental? The very nature of the words seem to show; that a fundamental point of faith, is such an one as is most necessarily to be believed; and that whosoever believes it not, cannot be saved. And that so also on the other side, a man may take his liberty, either to believe as he sees cause, or not to believe any doctrine, which is not fundamental, without incuring the sentence of damnation. Upon this it follows, that there is nothing in all Christian Religion, which according to their grounds it imports a man more exactly to learn, than what is fundamental and what not; nor which it more imports the Doctors and guides of the Protestant Church to make known to all that people, which they pretend to guide in the way of salvation. And yet nevertheless, there is absolutely no one thing, which hath been so frequently & importunately desired, as that they would give in, some exact list or Catalogue of all, and the only fundamental points of faith: and yet is there no one thing, wherein we are so little satisfied, and which upon the matter, they do so absolutely refuse. And yet (as hath been here expressed) if according to their grounds a man should fail of believing any one fundamental point of faith, by his not knowing (through their fault) that the point, which he believed not was fundamental, he must be sure to perish and that for ever.  
But the Protestants are wise enough in their own way, and well they know what they do, in order to their own ends, both when they frame the distinction of fundamental and not fundamental points of faith; and when also they refuse to give in a Catalogue of which is which. For by making first the distinction, and then by concealing the particulars contained under the branches thereof, they save themselves harmless amongst ignorant people, from being convinced to be of a different Communion and Religion, both from the Fathers of the primitive Church, on the one side; and from their fellow sectaries of this age, on the other. Whereby they gain a kind of reputation with their vulgar auditors and readers, as if th●y maintained a sufficiency of unity with both.  
Whereas if either they framed not the distinction of fundamental at all, or else would clearly let men know which points alone were fundamental; then this would follow. That whensoever we should convince them of any particular doctrine, which is denied by them, and which yet was believed by the ancient Fathers, they would be obliged to profess, that either that point was not fundamental, which would disable them from railing at us for believing the same; or else that the Fathers were of a different Religion in fundamental points from them; and that in their opinion, those very Fathers could not be saved; which would put them to much prejudice another way. And so upon the same reason, they would also either be forced to renounce the communion of the Lutherans, if they were found to differ from them in fundamental points of faith; or else to avow expressly, that those points, which they believed differently from them, were not fundamental, which would be of no less danger & disreputation to them.  
But now, when we urge them (for example sake) with the doctrine of praying to Saints, of prayer for the dead, or the like, out of the ancient Fathers; & that once we bring them from denying via facti, that the Fathers taught that doctrine, which yet they will be sure to confess as cautelously as they can; they then tell us straight, that those Fathers were but men, and had their errors. We ask them then, if those errors deprive them of salvation? They say no; because those points forsooth, were not fundamental: and thus, as hath been said, they will seem to keep a kind of quarter with the Fathers. In the self same manner when we urge them in the name of Lutherans, with the Real Presence of of the body of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar, or with their casting the Epistle of S. james and divers others out of the Canon of holy Scripture; by their forbearing to avow and declare that these points of Religion are fundamental, they go invisible to the eyes of simple people; and still make a shift to seem to be in unity with the Lutherans; when yet the world knows and we have seen, that Luther himself declared them directly to be heretics.  
Not only doth this distinction of their doctrines into fundamental and not fundamental save their credits amongst weak men, by making them believe that they join in unity of faith, both with the Fathers of the primitive Church, and Lutherans; but they enable themselves also thereby, to affirm (with some very little show of colour, though it have no truth at all) that they have had a continual visible Church in all the ages since Christ our Lord; without being so easily detected to the contrary. And their way is this. When they are pressed by us to show a continual visible Church of their Religion, (which they know well enough that they are not able to produce) those adversary's of ours, who are of any ingenuity at all, are wont clearly to confess, that indeed they have had no continual visible Church. But so also they declare, that there is no necessity at all that the Church must have been continually visible to the eyes of men. The rest, who see how absurd this doctrine is, say that indeed there must always have been a visible Church; but then again they subdivide themselves in that opinion. For some few of them affirm (when they are urged by us to show that visible Church of theirs) that theirs, and ours, do make but one true Church; and so in showing the visibity of ours, they do withal (as they say) show their own to have been visible. And these men tread in this way, because they well know, that no other Church but ours can indeed be showed to have been visible through all ages since Christ our Lord.  
But a third sort of men there is, who pretend to show a Church distinct from ours, which hath continually been visible, in the profession and practice of the Protestant Religion. Wherein Fox hath showed the way to the geese, who follow him. For in fine, when they are put to name their particular professors of former ages; they do but muster up those several single false doctrines, which have been held by other heretics by retail, during ten or twelve ages since Christ our Lord; many of which Doctrines together, themselves do now profess in gross. For what other men of former times did they ever, or can they ever name, as men of their Religion, but such as believed some one or two of those heretical doctrines, which now themselves embrace; and wherein they are contrary to us? But by that reason, our adversaries might say as well, that both they and we, yea and all those others also, are of one and the same Religion, because we all agree together in many points, though we differ in many more; and though we be excommunicated by one an other. And if their belief may be examined, whom our adversaries cite out of former times, as men to whose communion in Religion they now lay claim, it will be found, (as hath abundantly been proved) that both those former were express heretics (even in the Protestants own opinion as well as ours) for their misbelief of other things; and that those doctrines, wherein those former heretics agreed with us, and dissented from the Protestants, are now most unjustly condemned by them in our persons; howsoever (for the hideing of their own misery) they are content to wink at the self same opinions in them, who were their predecessors in heresy.  
But all this while, it must still be noted, that they make themselves able to dance also in this Net by the distinction which they have framed of fundamental and not fundamental. For if this had not been devised, but that it might have been declared, that the obstinate belief of any one single heresy deprives a man of salvation; and therefore that there is no means to make any one man to be of the same Religion with any other, but by being wholly of the same Religion; so fare forth at the least, as that he must not obstinately deny any one doctrine thereof, whether it be important more or less, when once, as hath been said, it is lawfully and sufficiently propounded, and commanded to be believed by the true Church: it would instantly have been made as patent and clear, as it is true & certain, that neither when Luther rebelled from the Church of Christ our Lord, nor in any age before his time, there was in the whole world, any one kingdom, or country, or city, or town or family of men, or pastor, or flock, yea or any one single person, so much as of Luther's own, and much less of the now Protestant Religion, which is now forsooth so fare refined beyond his.  
To conclude, the making of this distinction between fundamental, & not fundamental points of faith, and the resolving not to declare which is which, doth save them, with a great part of the ignorant world, from the imputation of Rigour, in their proceeding with us. For how could they persecute, as they do, without extreme note of cruelty? yea or even how could they descent without apparent impiety, from our belief and practice of those doctrines, wherein we have had, and still have prescription of so many ages; if the contrary thereof should be confessed by themselves not to be fundamental? We must not therefore wonder, if that they stick so fast, as they do, to this distinction: for hereby it appeers, that they have wit enough to keep themselves warm, which they could not do so well without this cloak upon their backs.  
It is also more them probable, that one reason, why they are so unwilling to give in any Catalogue of the fundamental points, is because they know so well how ridiculous they would make themselves by the infinite variety of their Catalogues. For if it be so familiar with them to be of different minds concerning particular doctrines, how much more would they be so, in this which is a root of many branches, or rather a monster of many heads. And so there can be no doubt, but that some of them would not be more resolute in restraining the fundamental points into a narrow compass, than others would be in enlarging them to a broader. I will consider what is said by most of them to this purpose: & because this chapter is grown into length, you shall expect that which follows in the next.   

That Protestants neither do, nor dare declare what are their fundamental points of faith; whereby yet they would pretend that they live in the Communion of the one true Church of Christ our lord CHAPTER IX.  
IT is usual with many to affirm that the Apostles Creed contains all the Fundamental points of Faith: but these men when they are pressed, grow soon ashamed of that opinion; when they are told that in the Creed, there is no mention made at all, either of the Canon in holy Scripture, or of the number, or nature, yea or so much as of the name of Sacraments. Besides that there are so great differences between them and us about the understanding of the Article of the desce●t of Christ our Lord into Hell, and that other of the holy Catholic Church; and that also, of the communion of Saints, which we believe and they deny to involve both prayers for the dead, & prayers to Saints, as that we should not be much the better, either for our knowing or confessing that the Creed contains all the Fundamental points of Faith, unless with all there were some certain way, how to understand them right, and especially unless under the Article, which concerns the holy Catholic Church, they would understand it to be endued with so perfect infallibility, and great authority, as that it might teach us all the rest. For indeed according to that sense, not only the whole Creed, but even that single Article of the holy Catholic Church might be said to contain the reason of all our Faith so Fundamentally, as that we should need no other guide then that.  
But if we understand it otherwise, the Scripture itself speaks of particular errors, which are damnable in them, by whom they are embraced; and yet they are not at all against any express doctrine of the Creed. As namely where S. Paul calls it a doctrine of devils, to forbid marriage, and meats: which, by the way, is not to be understood of the chastity, and fasts of the Catholic Church (as Protestants do most perversely affirm) which knows that those things are lawful, but that yet it is most grateful to God, when his servants, for his love, deprive themselves of those delights; but of the heresy of the Manichees, as S. Austen doth expressly declare, who forbade both marriage and meats, as being abominable and impure through the institution thereof, which they said was derived from a certain second ill conditioned God, of their own making. In like manner S. Peter saith, that S. Paul in his Epistles had written certain things, which were hard to be understood, and which the unlearned and unstable did pervert to their own destruction. S. Austen declares upon this place, that the places misunderstood concerned the doctrine of justification, which some misconceaved to be by faith alone, by occasion of what S. Paul had written to the Romans. And of purpose to countermine that error, he saith that S. james wrote his Epistle, and proved therein that good works were absolutely necessary to the act of justification. Here upon we may observe two things; the one that an error in this point alone, is by the judgement of S. Peter to work their destruction, who embrace it: and the other, that the Apostles Creed which speaks no one word thereof, is no good rule to let us know all the fundamental point of faith.  
Others say, that the book of the 39 Articles declares all the fundamental points of Faith, according to the Doctrine of the Church of England; but that also is most absurdly affirmed. For as it is true, that they declare in some confused manner (which yet indeed is extremely confused) what the Church of England in most things believes; so is it as true, that they are very careful, that they be not too clearly understood. And therefore in many controversies, whereof that book speaks, it comes not at all to the main difficulty of the question between them and us; and especially in those of the Church, and Free will. For whereas there are two main Controversies concerning the Church; namely whether the Catholic Church of our Lord must not ever be visible to the eyes of men, though at some times more gloriously then at others; and whether the said Church be infallible in the definitions of Faith (in both which points we hold the affirmative and they the negative;) they dare not declare in this public manner what they hold therein. And so also in that of Free Will, 
Art. 10.  they only affirm thereof in haec verba. The condition of man after the fall of Adam is such, that he cannot turn, & prepare himself by his own natural strength, & good works, to faith, & calling upon God; wherefore we have no power to do good works pleasant, and acceptable to God, without the grace of God preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us, when we have that goodwill. Now this is true Catholic Doctrine, which we believe better them they. But they declare not the while, whether or no a man have freedom of will to do a good work or not to do it, when first he is inspired, and moved to it by God Almighty's grace; which we affirm, & they deny, & which is the only knot of our question, & the point upon which so many other Catholic Doctrines depend.  
So also do they play at fast and ●oose, when in the sixth Article, of holy Scripture, they enumerate all those books of the old Testament, which they allow to be Canonical; wherein by the way, they are rather jews than Christians, for not admitting the books of judith the Maccabees, & diverse others into the Canon. And they trifle, also when they tell us, that they understand those only books both of the old and new Testament to be Canonical, of whose authority there was never any doubt in the Church. For they know as well as we, that the Apocalips, the Epistle of S. james, S. jude, and one of S. Peter's, were not acknowledged till proofs were made, during the space of three or four hundred years after Christ our Lord. And yet these men have been pleased out of their great grace, to admit them, though the Maccabees must be rejected, because they speak of prayer for the dead. But observe in the mean time, what this book of Articles sayeth concerning the Canonical books of the new Testament. It saith only this. All the books of new Testament, as they are commonly received, we do receive, and account them for Canonical. But why do they not particularly enumerate all the books which they acknowledge to be of the new Testament, as they had done them of the old? but only because they must so have named those books of S. james and others for Canonical, which the Lutherans have cast out of their Canon. A mad piece of unity, God wots, when these reformers of the Church, according forsooth to Scripture (if you will take their word) cannot so much as agree about the very Canon itself of the Scripture.  
But abstracting from all these insincerities, wherewith that book of Articles is full fraught, they do not so much as say, that the Articles of Doctrine, which they deliver are fundamental, either all, or half, or any one thereof; or that they are necessarily to be believed by them, or the contrary damnable if it be believed by us; but they are glad to walk in a cloud, for the reasons which have been already touched.  
Master Rogers indeed, in the Analysis which he makes of those nine and thirty Articles, speaks loud enough by way of taxing the doctrine of the Church of Rome, as being contrary to that of the Church of England; and he gives it as many ill names, as his impure spirit can device; & affirms amongst other things, that many Papists, and namely the Franciscans blush not to affirm that S. Francis is the holy Ghost: 
Fol. 23.  And that Christ is the Saviour of men, but one Mother jane is the Saviour of women, a most execrable of Postellus the jesuit; 
Fol. 14.  with a great deal of such base trash as this. And yet his book is declared to have been perused, and by the lawful authority of the Church of England permitted to be public. But yet, even Master Rogers himself, is not so valiant as to tell us in particular which point of their Doctrine is fundamental to salvation, and which is not.  
Much less is there any appearance that ever the Church of England should do it; since even now we have seen, that it dares not, in divers points, so much as declare in public manner, that it professes the express contrary of what we held. Nay we are not likely to see the fundamental points of Faith, whereof they talk so loud, to be avowed by so much as either of the Universities, yea or yet by any one College, or society of learned men amongst them. And the reason of their reservation in this kind is plain▪ For if, when they writ jointly, and in a body, they should be convinced of any absurdity or error, by the testimony either of the ancient Fathers on the one side, or the Lutherans on the other, their main cause would receive a mortal wound; because so their Church, o● Universities or Colleges would plainly appear to be controlled, and confuted, either by the Fathers, or their fellow ghospellers: whereas now when they speak or write, but in the name or persons of particular men, one of them will not think, that himself, or his cause is much prejudiced, if any other of them be found guilty of error; and in such cases, it is usual for them to say, what care I if Doctor Morton say this, or Doctor White say that? and the like. For this reason it is, that I have heard some Catholics affirm, (and that, to my thinking, with great reason) that they would hold it to be no ill work for them, if the pretended College of Chelsy, or any other, were founded by Protestants expressly for writing books of controversy, by common consent. But I believe I shall not see them halt upon that leg, for fear lest they should be found to be lame of both.  
On the otherside, at times, they make eager invectives against us, for declaring so many, yea and all the Doctrines of our Church to be Fundamental; so far forth as that whosoever refuses obstinately to believe any one of them, doth forfette the salvation of his soul. And in the strength of this zeal of theirs, Doctor Dunne in a sermon made before his Majesty at his first happy coming to this Crown, doth bitterly exclaim against the Catholic Roman Church as making every toy to be Fundamental. Where, by the way, he takes his pleasure upon us, & says that we Papists will not let Protestants be saved, though they believe the same Creed, and the same faith with us; unless withal they will believe, the same Mathematics, and govern themselues by the same Calendars, which to omit other poornesses of his, was so weak and mean a jest, so misbecoming of that Audience and of the place he held, as being fit indeed for some Ordinary, them for a Chapel or Church; and withal so very untrue, if he were in earnest, that unless the pride of his own conceit had raised up a dust to put out his eyes, he could not but have seen the senselessness of what he said, even whilst he was speaking: since we the Roman Catholics in this kingdom do rather govern ourselves at this day, by the less perfect Calendar, which now is used in this place, then by the other, which is both the better (even by the judgement of learned Protestants) & is authorized by the Catholic Church abroad. Letting he world see thereby, how willingly we can accommodate to them in all things, which belong not merely to Religion. But Master Doctor forgot himself worse shortly after. For having gravely admonished men before, not to account things arbitrary to be necessary, nor to call superstructions foundations, nor to esteem that every little thing in Religion should be able to deprive a man of salvation, he takes the pains to wipe out with a wet finger the whole substance, and drift of all his own discourse, by saying to his effect: That difference in belief, in points, which are not very important, is not to prejudice a man's salvation, unless by not believing them he commit a disobedience with all, for (saith he) Obedience indeed is of the Essence of Religion. Which upon the whole matter, is the very thing we say; and the very thing whereby he crosses the whole scope of his own sermon. For if a man's disobedience to the proposition and direction of the Church, concerning an inferior point of Doctrine, do impugn the very essense of Religion, it will follow that their distinction of points Fundamental or not Fundamental (whereby they would infer that a man can not lose his salvation but for misbelief in some few main points of Religion, and not in the rest) is absurd and vain, and detractive both of Doctor Dunnes Doctrine last mentioned, and of their own objection of uncharitableness against us, for saying that men dying in different Religions cannot be saved. And withal that this distinction will not secure them from committing the crime of separation from the Church of Christ our Lord, and in swerving from the directions thereof; in which case, all the Doctrines of the Church are found to be Fundamental towards salvation.  
And this shall serve for a discharge, both of what they object against our unity in faith, and of what they allege in the behalf of theirs. And in the mean time, I conceive that I have also sufficiently secured and settled those two main grounds upon which this whole, discourse is turned. Namely first that there is but one true faith, and one true Religion and Church, out of which there is no salvation: and secondly that both Catholics and Protestants can not possible be accounted to be of that one Religion, Church & Faith. And now for the final proof of this last point according even to their practice as well as ours; let my Reader but look upon the body of their laws made against us, and especially upon the Preambles thereof, wherein they plentifully show how hateful an opinion they have of our Church; Let him look upon the several Acts of State, which have issued from my Lords of the Counsel; Let him look upon the proclamations, which have been made and published from time to time; Let him look upon the large commissions, which have been granted to Pursivants, whereby that scume of the world, hath been and is enabled, both to ransom & ransack us at their pleasure; Let him look upon those speeches, which have been uttered in both houses of Parliament, not only against the professors, but even the profession itself of our Religion; and how his most excellent Majesty, hath been importuned by their Petitions, to add more weight to our miseries: for thus it will easily be seen, how false how rotten, how superstitions, how Idolatrous, how detestable, how damnable, and even destructive of all truth and goodness they profess themselves to esteem our Religion, and in fine that we carry such a mark of the Beast in our foreheads as must needs, in their opinion, shut up the gates of Heaven against us, and set open the jaws of Hell to devour and swallow us up. So that certainly we are no more of one Church with them in their opinion, than they are of one with us in ours. And now there will remain no more but a short Recapitulation of what hath been delivered more at large, for the finishing of this discourse, to which I will now betake myself.   

A recapitulation of the whole discourse, wherein it follows upon the confession of both parties, that the Catholics, and the Protestants, are not both of them saveable in their several Religions, without repentance thereof before they die; and that Catholics must therefore be no longer held uncharitable for saying so: but those Protestants are showed to be Libertines, who say the contrary. CHAPTER X.  
SInce the Faith, Religion, & Church, hath been proved both by Scriptures and Fathers, as also by unanswearable reasons, which have been drawn both from the very grounds of true Faith, and from the nature and spirit of Heresy and Schism, and finally by the Confession of both parties, to be but only one; and that out of that one, there is no salvation to be obtained: Since the difference concerning the Doctrine of faith between Catholics & Protestants, are so many, so important, and so resolutely maintained, concerning both the Canon of Scriptures, the number & nature of Sacraments, the authority of traditions, the supreme judge of Controversies, the visible head of the Church, the justification of over souls, the value of our good works, the liberty of our will, the possibility of keeping the Commandments, the relations which run between the men of this life on the one side, and both the souls in Purgatory, and the Saints in Heaven on the other: Since, besides our differences in points of Doctrine, we swerve also from one an other in points of discipline, and have separated ourselves & have mutually excommunicated one another: Since we hold them to live in heresy and schism, and they us in affected ignorance, gross superstition and Idolatry, and are daily making Sermons and books and edicts and laws against one another: it is certain that either both they, and we must not be saved, if we die unrepentant of our several Religions; or else that the whole world hath been in a dream of three thousand years old, ever since Moses' time, which furnished us, with the first proof that there must be unity in Religion, and obedience in the professors thereof, & that such as should obstinately transgress, were ordained to be put to a first death, which might serve them for a Preface to their second destruction.  
Which truth being once granted, I trust they will not take it ill, at our hands, if we hope well of ourselves in our own way; and consequently if we conceive that we have no cause to hope well of them, if they die impeditent in theirs, they have no reason to be offended with us: and the less since the Lutherans declare so expressly and resolutely that the Resolution of the Sacramentaries, that is to say, of our English Protestants, is also damnable, as hath been seen. And this not only for the heresy which they hold in point of the Sacrament, but for many others also, as appears by those authors of theirs, whom I cited before. So that still I see less and less colour, why they should except against us, as if we wanted charity, for saying that of them, which when they list, they not only take liberty to say of us, but even of one another also; and yet do not think that they offend Charity therein.  
As for us, we neither do, nor can with any reason conceive, that they break the law of charity towards us (supposing their own Religion to be true) in that they allow not salvation to us, if we die in ours; which consequently must be false. And if ours be a false Religion, (as it must needs be, if their Church be true, and that we obstinately refuse to obey it) we cannot be saved by the profession thereof. And so therefore, on the other side, if ours be true (as even they must give us leave to think it, and as infallibly we believe it to be) theirs must then be no less false, then ours is true. Now supposing this on both sides, it will not be want of Charity in either of us, both to hold, and declare, the others Religion to be incompatible with salvation: nay it will be want of Charity if we do it not.  
For men are not so made for themselves, as that they must not also procure to do their neighbours good, and especially in that, which most imports. And besides the general tie of one part of mankind to another (whereof we are put in mind so many ways) the holy Scripture itself is often pointing us out to our duty in this kind; and most especially it doth in one passage of Ecclesiasticus lay a direct obligation upon us, in these most binding words; 
Cap. 17.  Mandavit unicuique Deus de proximo suo. God hath laid a charge upon every man, that he look to his neighbour. Which as it warrants not the busy or meddling humour of any private man, to intrude himself into the secret affairs of another, nor obliges him so much as even to the reprooffe of his known sins, (when he hath neither charge over that person, nor hath hope of amendment by it, and when it is not agreeable otherwise to the circumstances and rules of charity, which ought to be conducted and carried on by Christian prudence;) so yet on the otherside, it lays not only a counsel, but a strict commandment, not only upon some one, but upon every one; not to omit opportunity, whereby a man may prudently be in hope, either to do his neighbour any important good, or else to divert him from any thing, which may do him any considerable hurt.  
Now if a private man must not only be excused, if according to the rules of Christian piety and prudence, he assist his neighbour in doing well, and declaring the danger wherein he is, if he do otherwise, but he shall not be excusable in the sight of God, if he discharge not this duty; how much more highly shall the Church of Christ our Lord be both authorized, and obliged to instruct Christians in the right way, and to reduce such others as are in the wrong, by making them understand their danger of everlasting damnation?  
Nay we see by that which passed between Almighty God and the Prophet Ezechiel, that he was appointed to stand Sentinel over the house of Israel, and to hear God's word out of his own mouth, and so to announce it to his people in his name; and that God said thus to him, Si dicente me ad impium etc. 
Ezechiel cap. 3.  If when I shall say to the wicked man, thou shalt dye the death, thou declare it not to him, nor advice him to return from his wicked way, that he may live; that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but I will require his blood at thy hands. But if thou anounce it to him, and that yet he will not return from his sin and from his wicked way, that man indeed shall dye in his own sin, but as for thee, thou shalt have freed thy soul from death.  
Now therefore if a single Prophet, being called to that office by Almighty God, be obliged, under the pain of his own damnation, to advice men to departed from their wickedness; how much more precisely will this obligation lie upon the Church of God, which hath the charge over all Christian souls, to teach them that Doctrine which is true, and to let them see the danger wherein they are of hell fire, if they continue to profess that which is false? For the word of God, whether it be written in holy Scripture, or unwritten and so delivered from hand to hand by Tradition, is his revealed will; and the Church is his Embasadour Leidger in this world, to declare and announce that word and will of his to mankind; and to bring them into league with God, as S. Paul affirmed of himself, and of the other Pastors and Doctors of the Church; 
2. Cor. 5  Legatione pro Christo fungimur etc. We are Ambassadors on the part of Christ, with instructions for the reconciling of man to God. And accordingly S. Paul was careful to let men see their case, and to declare the danger wherein sinners were. For we have seen how he warned men to take heed of the speech of heretics as of a Cancer; and else where, to avoid them if they did not first reform themselves, after they had been reproved once or twice; as also that such as departed from the unity of faith were people who attended to the spirit of Error, and to the Doctrine of devils; and a great deal more of that kind, which you shall find related before in the ninth chapter: which clearly and fully shows what opinion the holy Scripture hath of heretics.  
Besides all this if a man shall eternally be damned for committing of one theft, or one act of simple fornication, unless he repent himself thereof before he die, 
Gal. 5. Consulta. decapes. relig.  which is clear by S. Paul's express text: much more, as Father Lessius shows, shall he incur those eternal torments for heresy, which is a most grievous kind of infidelity, and which includes in itself so many other most horrible sins, as namely blasphemies, contempt of Sacraments, scoffs and scorns, a profanation of holy things, a hatred and persecution of true Religion, disobedience to the Church and her Prelates; sacrilege, pride, obstinacy, schism and rebellion against the supreme Ecclesiastical Magistrates. How great torment therefore, I say, shall any man eternally endure, for the sin of Heresy, which is more grievous than thousands of fornications and thefts?  
It will not therefore serve a man's turn towards eternal life, if being out of the Communion of God's Church, he carry himself otherwise as sweetly, as civilly as can be devised; and that men praise him for a worthy person, an honest man, the best neighbour in a whole kingdom, one who owes no man a penny, one who is courteous to all the world, who never swears an oath, nor gives offence to any, in any kind. These are all goods things, but these are not all those good things, which are required of him who will be saved. For whilst such an one is so kind and civil to man, he is both unkind & cruel towards Almighty God, if he be rebellious to that Church which was purchased by the death of his only son. But it seems we are still made of that mould, whereof S. Hierom speaks after this manner, Nos in Dei iniurijs benigni sumus; 
In c. 16. Matt.  in propri●s contumelijs odia exercemus. We are easy & remiss towards such as are iniuriours to God; but we are revinge full, when there is question of righting those wrongs which are done to ourselves. But withal, he alleges the example of Hely in the book of kings, against this ill custom, saying, Si peccaverit vir in virum, 
1 Reg. 2.  placari ei potest Deus: si autem in Deum quis peccaverit, quis orabit pro eo? If one man offend an other, God may yet be appeased towards him: but if any man sin against God, who shall pray for that man? A very different dictamen from that which reigns now in the world; where a man, who gives men no offence, shall be celebrated by men for a kind of Saint, though withal his whole life be consumed in sinning against God, by infidelity, by secret blasphemy, by heresy, and by all that pride and malignity which it involues against God and his Church, together with contempt & scorn, as hath been said, of all those devout Ceremonies, and almost all those holy Sacraments, which his divine Majesty hath ordained for our eternal good, with so much cost to himself.  
But Saints and men of God, who see with clearer eyes than others, make a contrary judgement of these things: and so also are they very remiss, when wrong is done but to themselves; but rigorous, when perverse men will needs be putting affronts upon Almighty God. The Ecclesiastical story is full of examples in this kind. See but how S. john carried himself towards Cerinthus, & Polycarpe to Martion, and S. Antony to the Arrians; and a thousand others. And lest it should be thought that Saints fall not foul, but only upon such Heretics as deny the very prime Articles of Christian Religion, which concern either God the Father, or the immediate person of Christ our Lord himself: cast but an eye upon S. Bernard, that mild & merciful man of God, & see how he treats the heretics of his time, who had too much affinity with those of ours, as you will perceive by his censure of them; but yet it was for certain points which seemed not to trench so deep into the Christian Faith. But howsoever, he speaks of them in no gentler a still then this, 
Serm. in Cantic. 66.  Videte detractores, videte canes; irrident nos, quia baptizamus infants; quòd oramus pro mortuis; quòd Sanctorum suffragia postulamus. Behold these detractours, beh●ld these dogs. they scoff as us, because we baptise infants; because we pray for the dead; and because we beg the prayers of the Saints. So that still we see into this truth, more and more. That how smooth soever the face, and how sweet soever the words, and how civil soever the carriage be; yet if heresy be in the heart, it is of all others the most odious and offensive thing, both to Almighty God, and to all good men, who have his honour in high account. Yea and even how kind, and civil soever they seem to their neighbours and friends in moral things, such especially as they see often, and salute, and converse with; yet you may observe by that saying of S. Bernard, that they are cruel enough to such as they see not. And with all their civility and courtesy and suavity in ordinary conversation, they can find in their heretical hearts, at a clap to rob all dead men, of the help & comfort of the prayers of the living; & all living men, of the prayers of the Saints who are in heaven, & the same Saints, of all the honour which Catholics pay to them here on earth; to omit in this place, their infinite & innumerable detractions, & slanders, & reproaches of the whole Church of God. Al which I have not said, either by way of aggravating their sins, or of alienating men from their persons; which I esteem, and love, and desire to serve with my whole heart; but only, to the end that they may know their own case, and consider well, what kind of thing heresy is, and how hateful in itself to God, and man; that so, by the divine goodness, they may grow to change, both their names and natures; & pass from being enemies, to become children of that one true Church, out of which there is no salvation.  
In the mean time it is more them clear, that the charge, which Protestants lay upon us, as wanting Charity, for saying that their Religion unrepented destroys salvation; must needs be now transferred from us, and imputed with as much reason to him, who hath laid (as hath been seen) an obligation even upon all Christians, and much more upon the Church, and the Pastors thereof, to declare the dangers which they incur, who are departed from the Communion of the holy Catholic Church. And as truly, yea & much more probablely, may they affirm, that the holy Fathers of the Primitive Church wanted Charity, for the strictness, which they used in condemneth men to Hell, as heretics, for their obstinancy in holding some one single Doctrine of itself, which yet was not sometimes so very important. 
Gal. 5.  That S. Paul wanted charity, when he excluded men from heaven for those sins of frailty, to which we are daily solicited, even by the very nature and condition of our own flesh and blood; and in particular also for dissensions and sects, which signify heresy in that place. That the holy Ghost wanted charity, being the hand which guided the Apostles finger, to write so severely as he did. That Christ our Lord wanted Charity, in commanding that men should be held for no better than Pagans, 
Matt. 16.  and Publicans, if in any thing of scandal, and much more of doctrine concerning faith they disobeyed the Church: for his precept of obedience was indefinite, and therefore our obedience must not be limited, only to this, or that. That God the Father himself wanted Charity, who sent Chore, Dathan, and Abiron alive, 
Numb. 16.  and headlong into hell, for a mere act of schism, and commanded that whosoever would not obey the sentence of the Priest for the time being, should, without any other remedy, be put to death. And lastly that Luther himself, and his most learned Disciples wanted Charity, not only for defaming the Church of Rome, as the seat of Antichrist, the whore of Babylon, and the Beast of the Apocalips, which prints the mark of damnation upon the foreheads of her Children; but for condemning also all Caluinists, for their heresy, concerning the blessed Sacrament, besides many others, which are both imputed and proved upon them, by the Lutherans.  
As for Luther and his Disciples, it costs me little to lay them a side, as not importing much what they say, save that their authority is argumentum ad hominem, against all such Protestant Libertins, of this nation, as so unjustly charge us with want of Charity towards them, for saying that if they die in Protestancy, they cannot be saved. But that which I have showed a part rei; namely that the Fathers of the Primitive Church, that the blessed Apostle S. Paul, nay that God the Father, the Son, & the holy Ghost have both practised, and imposed upon all Christians, and especially upon the Church and Churchmen to declare the danger wherein sinners are to lose their souls, by continuing in sin; must needs suffice to exempt us in the judgement of any indifferent moral man, from offending against Charity for doing the like.  
It is not therefore want of Charity in us, to affirm the danger of their state, who are in error, out of a most Christian desire to see them delivered from the same: but it is too evident, that their mislike of us, upon this occasion, proceeds in them out of Libertinisme and their too great good fellowship in matters of the soul, and out of the mean conceit, which they have framed in their minds, of the unity of Faith, and of Communion both in Doctrine and discipline with the Catholic Church, and of the entireness of the infallible truth, and the unspotted service of Almighty God.  
And what indeed do they, but show by their whole course, that they desire and resolve, to believe, and profess according to the occasion; and to comply with the superior powers of this world; and to obey the motions of appetite and sense, without being ever so much as told, if they can choose, that they must lose heaven for their labour? Whereby it may be seen, that the children, are in this, as like their Mother as they can look. For who perceives not, that the Protestant Church, doth rather carry a respect to outward Conformity, then to real unity in matter of Religion; & that indeed, they are but as in jest, when there is speech of saving souls in any one Church, rather than in another.  
It is true that they make both laws and Canons, whereby they oblige me, under a world of penalties, to frequent their Churches, and to receive their Sacraments; but without caring greatly, whether men believe their Doctrine to be true or no. For I put this case. If a man who were known to be wholly affected in his heart to the Catholic Faith, should yet, for the saving of his lands or goods, resolve to comply with their laws by going to their Churches, and by receiving their Communion; yea and withal should declare in company the day before, that he was resolved to do so the day after, for the only saving of his estate, and for the showing of his obedience to the King's laws; though yet withal, he were persuaded that their Sacraments were unlawful, and their Church impure: would that Minister, refuse to let him go to his Service, and or to communicate with the rest? Infallibly he would not; and we see daily that they do not in like occasions. For that Church, as I said, aspires not to Unity, but Uniformity.  
But the proceeding of the Catholic Church is very different, and hath that divine truth, which was committed by our Lord to her care, in so high account, that if she have but just cause to suspect, that any man believes not in his hart, as she teaches; she is so fare from obliging him under pecuniary mulcts, to repair to her service and Sacraments, that she will by no means, admit him thereunto, till he have first clear himself of that suspicion, and sufficiently showed himself free, from any such want of belief. Thus doth the Catholic Church of this age proceed, and thus also did the same Church proceed in the most Primitive times: In so much as that then there were, and now there are, certain men deputed, belonging to particular Churches, who were called Ostiarij. Whose duty was and is, to attend within at the Church doors, of purpose to hinder their being present at the celebrating of divine Mysteries, whom they may know to be obstinately averst, either from believing any part of the Doctrine, or from living under the discipline, of the Catholic Church.  
This Church, which is enriched and endowed with the holy Ghost, and consequently with spiritual Fortitude, which is one of the seven prime gifts thereof, proceeds like a body, which knows itself to belong to an omnipotent head; and fears not to avow, both what it saith, and what it doth. And as, on the one side, she expresses all the suavity which can be conceived, and is most ready to wrap up the most enormous sinners of the world, and the most mortal enemies which she hath, in the very bowels of her compassion, if they will come to God in the way of penance; so yet withal, on the other side, if men will presume to be so vastly proud, as to prefer their own fancies before her wisdom, which was sent down from Heaven for, the direction of the world; and if, notwithstanding her most charitable endeavours to reduce them, they will yet add contempt and obstinacy to their other sins, she threatens them with the danger wherein they are; and she goes on so fare, if she find cause, as to separate them, in the quality of heretics, from her Communion; and proceeds not against them as against Traitors to Princes, or states, according to that poor shift of Protestant's (whose guilty Consciences make them not dare, though their hearts be well bend that way) to punish our Priests capitally, as for a corrupt Religion; but they set upon them impudent and false pretext of Treason. For as the Catholic Church is most perfectly charitable, so withal she thinks she cannot express that virtue better, then by clearly distinguishing between truth and false hood, and by exhorting men to embrace the one, and to avoid the other; so fare off is she from demeriting, by letting Protestants know that if they die impenitent in that Religion, they lose their souls.   

THE CONCLUSION.  
IN the mean time it is a most woeful case, chat whilst they will be blaming us for the want of Charity in condemning them, there should be so few of them, who have so much compassion and Charity towards themselves, as to fly from their extreme danger of eternal death. And that such a world of worthy people being drawn up by pride in the understanding part of the mind, and dragged down by the disorderly affections of the will, should be so very glad to cast themselves away, and that for ever.  
Our Lord give all men grace, to feel in their very hearts, what a huge misery it is, to be in state of any mortal sin, but especially of this present Heresy, which both is grievous in itself, and is beside, a continual nursery of other sins, by means of those corrupt principles, even concerning life, which under the false colours of purity, & piety, & Christian liberty, & the light of the gospel, it is wont to infuse into the heart of man.  
For when they teach men, that there is no merit belonging to good work, (though they be confessed by us to flow, but from the grace & goodness of Christ our Lord) what courage do they give men to be frequent, and cheerful in doing of good works? And what cause can they assign, why men should abstain from sin, when they teach them that the best works which are performed by the greatest Saints in the world, are no better than sins, and they in their own nature mortal? Nay when they teach men that the commandments of God are not possibly to be kept by any man, (even with the help of that divine grace, which hath been purchased and merited for us, by Christ our Lord, and is communicated to the souls of his servants by faith and love) what reason can they have, either to exhort men to keep God's Commandments, or to reprove them for infringing the same? Yea & yet further, when they profess that men have not so much as Free will to do any one good work at all, even when they are first moved, and assisted towards it by the good grace of God, (for without that grace, all Catholics profess that no man is able so much as to think one good thought in order to salvation) with what sense can they encourage men to do any thing which is good, or with what justice can they punish them for omitting the same: since it hath no dependence at all, in the least degree upon their own Free will?  
If therefore now at last, they would give me leave, I would beseech them to look with steadfast eyes, upon the dangerous state wherein they are; and beside to consider, that our Lord is so highly good in himself, and hath been so gracious to us, that he deserve to be adored, and served, though all the world say nay. And they are happy miseries which are endured in honour of such a Majesty as his; whose infinite power, & wisdom, are as if they were but mere instruments of his infinite goodness, for the conveying of graces down to us, and the drawing of us thereby up to him.  
The sins of this world, and especially of Heresy and Schism, which are the very roots and sources of millions of sins, give matter of sad meditation to the mind of those men, who behold these things with a clear sight, yea and even although (by way of supposition) there were no voluntary and malicious sins committed in the world, yet were it misery enough for a man to live out of the communion of the holy Catholic Church with loss of time, in doing good, wherein such inestimable Treasures might be acquired. For supposing that a man be a true member of that Church, (for as much as concerns his belief;) and that (for as much concerns his life) he be in state of grace, there is no moment of time, wherein by the mercy of God (which is ever both preventing, and cooperating with the will of man) the same man may not procure increase of grace, either by the doing of some one good deed, or by the saying of some one good word, or by the producing of some one good thought, to the honour and glory of our Lord God. Nor is there any weakness of body, or want of learning, or of other habilities of the mind, or any distress in fortune, which can clip the wings (that is to say the holy affections) of the soul, from soaring, and struggling thus towards heaven. Now for every degree of new grace, there is, in correspondence, a distinct degree of glory, laid up to be possessed in heaven. This glory is a thing of such incomparable, and sovereign quality and excellency, as that the Blessed Apostle saith thereof, That neither the eye hath seen, 
1. Cor. 2  nor the ear hath heard, nor the heart hath comprehended any such thing as that.  
A poor man's eye in this world might at ease discover a million of times more greatness and glory, then ever the greatest, and most glorious Monarch did enjoy. And yet a man's eye may be said scarce able to see any thing, if it be compared with the infiniteness of those other things, whereof we may have news by our ears. For who can see so many things, as the tongue of others can tell him of? But yet, neither can all that, which we may even hear, hold any manner of proportion with those worlds of other things, which by the faculties of our mind, we may conceive. For when all is seen which can be showed, & when all is heard which can be told, it remains for us to imagine other manner of things than all those; and to multiply and frame by fancy, upon a minute's warning, both innumerable more species, and incomparably more excellent, than those former were. So that it is no mean expression, for the Blessed Apostle to use, when he saith that the glory and joy of heaven, doth excel all that which can be seen or heard by the sense, or which can even be conceived by the hart of man, And yet means of high even by this expression, the Apostle himself dares not venture or presume to tell us how great those joys are; but only, that other things are not so great as they. And thereby he may rather be accounted to deliver what they are not, than what they are.  
This joy and glory, is so high, and great, and deep as that one instant thereof would incomparably exceed and out strip, in true account, all the sensual joy and glory, which hath been found and felt, by all the mortal creatures of flesh and blood put together, from the beginning of the world till the end thereof; though all that glory and joy, could be cast and summed up into one single act of glorying, and enjoying. For the honour and pleasure of this world, carries no proportion at all, with that of the next, any more than idle dreams do with strong truths, or vain shadows with substance, which is substance indeed. For in this life, whatsoever delight is felt, the mind of man is still too hard for the body, and over works it; & doth secretly, either give or take a kind of lie and insatisfaction, even in the top of all the greatest pleasure which it feels, though dull people understand not, or observe not this. But if, for any one instant, a soul could have any one glimpse of celestial bliss, and be ingulfed with all the faculties thereof, upon an object of such infinite perfection, as God is, and that this were done, without the interposition, or interpretation of any creature, but that the whole soul might touch and mingle and unite itself for that instant with that sovereign object; O how fully would the soul be satisfied! O how base, & how bestial would all the delight and glory of this world, both appear and be, in respect of that!  
We may see some traces of this truth, by a consideration of those supernatural visitations, and spiritual illustrations, & elevations, whereby our Lord hath been pleased to descend into the souls of innumerable servants and Spouses of his, even in this life; that so they might be enabled to take in, as it were some little sent and air of that eternal bliss, which is prepared for them in the next. Yea & how many have there been, who formerly, being all immersed in the pursuit of terrene honour, and delight, have by the means of some one celestial visitation, been instantly, and for ever estranged (and that with extreme contempt) from the care of all the carnal joy and greatness, which this world was able to afford them, one have been fixed with a perpetual eye, upon the most ardent love, and most loyal faithful service of our Lord God.  
The stories of our Saints lives, and our own experience in conversation with spiritual persons, which through the goodness of God are never wanting in his holy Catholic Church, hath made us not only see this truth, but even as it were, to touch it with our finger's ends. And yet there can be no doubt, but that all the spiritual visitations, and consolations, and ecstasies, and rapts, which ever shall be, or have been felt and suffered in this life, by all the servants of God, (and yet in some one of them, we know that S. Paul was taken up into the third heaven, and that he was possessed with the understanding and feeling of so high mysteries, as it was neither lawful, not possible for man to express) are most poor and mean things in comparison of any one moment of joy in Heaven. And the reason hereof is clear. For whatsoever spiritual gift is imparted in this life, is but by image and representation; but in the next, it is in substance, and face to face, with God himself, where he is seen, as he is indeed.  
If then one instant of celestial glory be not only so fare exceeding all carnal joy and pleasure, which is but dust and trash, being compared with that other; but that also even the highest spiritual gust and joy, which is experimented in this life, be not able once to subsist, in sight of one moment of that glorious joy, which is felt in heaven (though it be but for one instant) how infinitely must we find ourselves obliged to this immortal God of ours, who hath vouchsafed, not to tie us to instants of time, in the fruition of that glory; but to enlarge and extend it, I say not to years, or ages, or worlds of time, but as fare as perfect eternity itself? In comparison whereof the time of all this world, from Adam to this day, and a million of millions as much time as that, and as many more millions as all the hearts of all men can comprehend and count, are not so much in durance, as one minute is, being compared with all those million of time. And yet all this eternity of such glory, as I have described, is vouchsafed to us by the inexhausted goodness of our Lord God for having produced any one single act of Faith and Love, which yet we see may be innumerably multiplied with so much case. For any one single thought, which is directed to the glory of our Lord God, doth increase the same grace in our souls, and consequently lays up a distinct degree of that eternal glory, whereof we have spoken. So that, it is a clear and constant truth, that for every other good thought (which may be conceived in any one moment of time) we shall have an increase of eternal glory, in a distinct degree, beyond that which otherwise we should have had; and we shall for ever see more perfectly the immortal Essence of Almighty God, and love it more, and enjoy it more, than we should have done, if we had not produced that one single act of mind, which yet (as I said) may be done by any ignorant or silly creature in the world, in any one moment of his time. And yet withal, we are so miserable, as not to lament, that this time should be lost, not only upon toys, and consequently upon not increasing this stock of immortal treasure; but even upon committing of sins, which do no thing but horde up an eternity of immense torments for us, instead thereof.  
We Catholics must be thankful, and beg grace withal, that we may continued where we are; and we must beg it also for such others, as are not, and will not be so happy yet; to the end that contemning all the vain delights and honours of this world, which may entice them, and all the disadvantages & troubles which may threaten them, they may give themselves up now at last, to be received into the bosom, of the holy Catholic Apostolic Roman Church; and so, to be embraced by those strong arms of that divine protection and comfort, which Christ our Lord, her Spouse, hath endued her with, for the saving of those souls, for which he died. Our Lord God make them so happy, as to receive this blessing: and let all his Saints and Angels ever glofiry his holy name, for having imparted it to us.   
FINIS.   

A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS.  

CHAPTER 1. THAT Catholics are both improbably, and unjustly charged, with lack of Charity, for affirming that Protestancy unrepented destroys salvation.  
Chapter 2. Of the intention of Catholics, when they say that Protestancy unrepented destroys salvation, & how that speech is to be understood.  
Chapter 3. That our saying; that Protestancy unrepented destroys salvation, proceeds from want of Charity in us, is no less untrue (because there is but one true Church) then already I have showed it to be improbable; and first this is proved by holy Scripture.  
Chapter 4. The express unity of the Church is also proved by the authority of the Fathers of the most primitive times.  
Chapter 5. It is proved both by holy Scriptures, & Fathers, that out of this one true Church of Christ our Lord, no salvation is to be found.  
Chapter 6. That both Catholics & Protestant's cannot possibly be accounted to be of one & the same Religion, Faith, and Church.  
Chapter 7. Three objections are avoided, which they make against us, to disprove our unity in faith amongst ourselves; and so also is an allegation about Fundamental, points of faith whereby they would show, that they hold as much unity both with the Fathers, and with the Lutherans, yea and even with us Catholics at this day, as they are bound to maintain.  
Chapter 8. That Protestants have no reason, in alleging the distinction of fundamental and not fundamental points of faith, as intending to prove thereby, that they are in unity, with the Fathers of the Primitive Church, or of their fellow brethren the Lutherans, yea and some times with Catholics at this day.  
Chapter 9 That Protestants neither do, nor dare declare what are their fundamental points of faith; whereby yet they would pretend that they live in the communion of the only one true Church of our Lord.  
Chapter 10. A recapitulation of the whole discourse, wherein follows, upon the confession of both parties, that the Catholics and Protestants be not both of them savable in their several Religions without repentance thereof before they die; and Catholics must therefore be no longer held uncharitable, for saying so: but those Protestant's are showed to be Libertines, who say the contrary.  
The Conclusion.    

FAULTS ESCAPED in the printing.  
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