THE FIRM FOUNDATION OF CATHOLIC RELIGION, AGAINST THE BOTTOMLESS pit OF HERESIES: wherein is showed that only catholics shallbe saved, & that all heretics of what sect so ever are excluded from the kingdom of heaven.  
Compiled by JOHN CAUMONT of Champany: And translated out of French into English, by JOHN PAUNCEFOTE the elder Esquire, in the time of his banishment.  
Hoc habet authoritas matris Ecclesiae, hoc fundatus veritatis canon: contra hoc robur, contra hunc inexpugnabilem murum quisquis arietat. ipse confringitur.  S. August. de verb. Apost. serm. 15. 
Imprinted at Antwerp by Arnold Coninx, M. D. LXXXXI.  
Cum Gratia & Privileg. Reg. Mayest.   

HIS Catholic Majesty hath granted and given licens to Arnold Coninx, that he may print the book named The firm foundation of the Catholic Religion against the bottomless pit of heresy, Translated out of the french into English by john Paunsfote esquire, where in defence is made to all printers, for to print the same for the space of three years, without licence of the said Arnold Coninx.  
Given the 15. of Novembre 1591. Subsigned Io. de Buschere   

THE PREFACE OF THE translator.  
AS it hath been often a great grief unto me to consider how many of you (my dear friends and good country men) not all of malice but some of blindness, some other of a foolish fear, others also for lak of instructions and true information of the holy Catholic Church the true spouse of Christ, do daily err and live in schism & heresy, dividing your selves by that means from Christ his mystical body, & hazarding your souls to perish eternally: Even so of late I did not a little rejoice when I hit by chance on a little french treatise, which doth lively express, & as it wear in a table set forth such sufficient, true, & infallible tokens of Christ his Church, that none can be ignorant that is willing to learn, nor no man left in blindness that will open his eyes to see. And albeit my skylin the french tongue is but small, yet the love which I bear to you my dear friends hath supplied that want, and giveth me courage to attempt something above my strength in translating the said treats as well as I could, which I have put to the print, that you may be partakers of it, trusting that you will accept the same as a token of my good will. And if it shall please God to send my labeur so good success, as that any of you all receive benefit thereby: after due thanks to him that is author of all goodness, I pray you remember me in your devout prayers, who have not been unmindful of you here in this my poor banishment. And so hoping you will excuse or amend such faults as you may find either in the translation or printing. I beseech God send you so much light, as to find the way home again to the Catholic Church. Far you well.  
Your loving friend. I. P.   

HE WHO GATHERETH NOT WITH ME, SCATTERETH ABROAD. Matth. 12.  
THE FIRST principal & most necessary ground of all 
1. Cor. 13.  work agreeable to GOD, is, that it be done in charity, in union of Christians, & in the Catholic church: 
johan. 1. 1. johan. 2.  and all that man doth in the spirit of the Catholic church, is well liked before God: for that it is as it were dipped in the blood of his well-beloved son JESUS Christ, in whom he taketh his good pleasure: of whose grace and unction all those that be Catholics be partakers, flowing from him upon them as from the head upon the members. Yea it is JESUS Christ himself which liveth, which breatheth, which 
1. Cor. 15. Galat. 2. S. August. in Psalm. 85. & ser. 4. de sanct. Steph.  prayeth, and which stirreth in all those that be Catholics and members of the body of his Church. He prayeth (saith S. Augustin) for us, he prayeth in us, and he is prayed to of us, As 
unus ipse salvator corporis sui Dominus noster jesus Christus filius Dei orat pro nobis, orat in nobis, & orarur à nobis: ut Sacerdos noster, orat pro nobis, ut caput nostrum orat in nobis, ut Deus noster oratur a nobis.  our Priest, be prayeth for us: as our head, he prayeth in us: and as our God, is prayed to of us. This is the glory, the joy, and assurance of a Catholic man, that jesus Christ is in him the chief agent, the which for his reverence is heard of God in him: and this is the true firmament of the Catholics, more firm than the heaven itself. It is not so in heretics, all that which is of heretics, is accursed and abomination before God: their faith, their preaching, their prayers, their fastings, their alms, 
S. Ignat. ep. ad Heron. S. Io. Chrys. ho. 65. in joan.  all acts of religion coming from them are nothing else but cursed sacrilege & pollution. If they should raise up the dead: if they should be more wise than Angels: If they should have their faith so great as to move mountains: if they should distribute 
S. Cypr. lib. 2. de uni. Eccles. S. August. lib. de siide ad Pe.  all their goods to the cherishing of the poor: if they should keep heroically continual virginity: if they should deliver their bodies to be burned: if they should shine with an Angelical holiness: all this serveth them for nothing being divided from the body of the Church: all this would not any thing appease the rigour of the eternal ire of God upon them. Core, Dathan, and Abiron, did sacrifice to the same God that 
Nuus. 16.  Moses did, yea to the only true and almighty God but for that it was done in division from the body of the Church, the earth did open and swallow them up alive, with their wives, their children, their house holds, their Tabernacles, and all their substance: and more over, the fire of God did consume 250. of the chief that were assotiated with them, and 14700. of the people, for that they murmured at that justice: And the fury of God's wrath had consumed all the people wholly, but for the vehement intercession and meditation of the Priesthood of Aaron which did appease the same. God doth not receive sacrifice but of his Priests whom he hath ordained for that purpose, and there is no service what so ever agreeable to God but that of the children of his Church.  
Let not the heretic flatter himself with the holy scriptures, as perverse men do abuse all the gifts of God, employing them otherwise then they be ordained by his providence: so do they abuse the holy sctiptures them selves. That hath been always the cloak of impiety of heretics, they carry against jesus Christ, the sign of jesus Christ, saith S. Augustin, 
S. Aug. ep. 16. Contra Christum portant signum Christ & contra evangelium, de ipso evangelio gloriantur.  and take hold of the Gospel to make engines to fight against it. The Arrians would not agree to any one point, if it were not expressly in the scripture. The mahometans pretend the gospel to make for them, and allege the same for their sovereign authority. The devil himself hath cited the scripture against our saviour, and thereof it is that he prepareth snares and cords to strangle such as hearken to him, making that which should bring them life, to be deadly unto them, and converting bread in to poison. It is certain that the scripture is given us of God for our salvation: & this principle can not be shaken. When the holy scripture speaketh, it is the majesty of God which doth show his truth and his will unto men, unto the which every man must bear inviolable reverence, and yield unto it as to the assured and infallible verditt of God his truth, submitting all his understanding to the yoke and obedience of faith: in such sort, that it is treason to God his majesty and damnable sacrilege for the boldness of humane understanding to gainsay the same, yea or only to be so bold as to think it: for if any one gainsay the same, he cutteth himself from God, and maketh himself a companion of the devil: he is an heretic, accursed and reprobate, & never shall have part with God. For the holy scripture is the key which doth open us Paradise: it is the way which doth guide us, the rule which doth teach us, the lamp which doth ligten us in the midst oft he darkness of this world: it is the looking glass where in we behold the face of God, the royal sceptre by the which he doth Govern his people, the witness of his good will towards us, and the instrument of his alliance: to the which who so doth not bow down his understanding, he doth oppose himself against God, with an ingratitude & devilish presumption. Now all the heretics of the world have made show to agree to this principle, & have whited their ruinous walls with no other colours than those, nor have no other thing in their mouths but the texts of the scriptures. What shall the simple man than do, hearing the word of the majesty of God in the mouth of Catholics and of heretics? This is it whereof I would inform such as have care of their salvation, and teach them how they shall never be deceived. S. Gregor Nazianzene saith that 
In Orat. ad Athanas.  the scripture is like unto certain painted Images, which what way so ever you turn you, you think their eye followeth you; yet notwithstanding, the right look doth consist 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  in some one point to the workman intended, & those that are cunning in that art know it very well. Likewise the holy scripture is to be taken in many senses, and far more than the scriptures of men: for so much as the scriptures do participate of the nature of the author. But so it is that God himself is the author of the holy scriptures: whose understanding being infinite, the sense of his scriptures may be also infinite. Notwithstanding there is one proper sense, certain, & assured in the scriptures, which the holy Ghost hath vouchsafed to reveal unto men, which is the sense of the Gospel, that is to say, the right, true, and natural sense of the voice of the Prophets and the Apostles, which is in effect the gospel. For properly the Gospel doth not consist in figures of letters and dead characters of the writing of the evangelists: Those things be but as an Image of the sense of the Gospel. But will you know what is properly the gospel? It is the solemn publication of the son of God descended from the bosom of his father, and showed in flesh for to deliver mankind from the state of perdition in which he was, and to reconcile him to God: giving power to the children of Adam, which believe in his name, to be made children of God, renewing them in himself, and regenerating them to God by divine Sacraments, by the which he hath made them partakers of his justice, of his life, and of his glory, and hath lifted them up with him from changeable time to the eternity of his father. S. Paul doth define the Gospel, to be the mighty power 
Rom. 1.  of God to salvation, to all those that believe: that is to say, a virtue supernatural, divinely infused, ennobling man's nature above itself, and elevating it to a divine estate, the which of his own force and faculty he could never attain unto, no not only conceive the same: 
Lab. de prapa. evang.  it is sayeth Eusebius, that Gospel which doth show the revelation of goods, not these earthly, perishable, & which do decay, but of the true, sovereign, divine, everlasting, and incorruptible goods promised from the beginning of the world, and foretold of all the Prophets, & that which doth give the means to get them. To be short, the Gospel is a new resurrection of the world, and as it is said in the Godspel itself, it is the seed of eternity. All the matter is to know who be the true sowers, and dispensators of the mysteries of the Gospel, that be sent and avouched of God. For God doth not avouch all those which thrust themselves into this divine embassage, he hath said to the wicked: who gave the charge to rehearse my justices & take my testament in thy mouth? And he complaineth himself in Ezechiel, of false Prophets which run without 
Psal. 49. Ezech. 13.  sending. They run saith he, and I sent them not, they say the lord hath said it, and I said no such word. Our saviour himself by his 
Matth. 7.  holy mouth doth advertise us saying: Take heed of false Prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but within they are ravening wolves. Now if in the traffic of this world, we fear to meddle with a false merchant, how much more ought we to fear in the traffic of everlasting salvation. If then we will not be deceived, Saint Paul therein doth give us a true mean, when he saith: How shall they believe in him whom 
Rom. 10.  they have not heard? And how shall they hear without preaching? And how shall they preach if they be not sent? There need not so much disputing, nor so much making of books, to confound the heretics. Men do in a manner defile themselves when they examine their doctrine: there is no doubt but that God is greatly offended with the overmuch regard that is given unto them, and those which would that men should hear them reason, have not the spirit of the fear of God. An heretic, before all other things should be asked not what he saith, but of whom he is sent, and the mark of his sending. And so without any more disputing he shall be confounded and put to silence. For never heretic was sent of God, they are all of the spirit of the devil, and all condemned of God, what allegation so ever they make of the holy scriptures. The Samaritans were heretics, and did fortify themselves with the text of the law of Moses. Our saviour hath condemned them with his own mouth, when being asked of the Samaritane whether God should be worshipped in Jerusalem or in Samaria, he answered: you worship that you know not, we worship that 
johan. 4.  we know: the salvation is of the Jews. For it is as if he had said you Samaritans which be distracted from the jews, you shall have nothing in the treasure of salvation, and you can not but err. This only voice thundering from heaven, you worship that you know not, is a sufficient flash of lightning to overthrow all that these divided fellows from the Curch can imagine to have, either holy or godly. Let no man be overtaken by the devil through ignorance of this doctrine. S. Augustin teacheth us clearly: that although heretics 
S. August. in Enchrid. ad Lauren.  do preach the name of jesus Christ, yet that name is not their seur ground as it is to Catholics, but remaineth proper to the Church only: for if one consider advisedly that which belongeth to jesus Christ; he shall not find it amongst heretics what so ever, but in title and show only: the effect of the virtue shall not be there: they sound out with full mouth, that they hold the son of God for the redeemer of the world, but notwithstanding after they have pronounced those words, because they spoil him of his virtue & dignity, that which S. Paul saith 
Collos. 2.  is truly proper unto them: that they keep not the head, whereof the whole body (which is the Church) by joints & bands being compacted, groweth to the increase of God. And according to this, Optatus properly saith that the building 
Opt. li. 3. & 6.  of heretics is but only a wall which hath no corner stone nor coverture above, in such sort that if they make a gate, he that entereth in, is always without, subject to winds, rain, tempest, thieves, and to wild beasts. But the Catholic Church is an entire house in the which God doth dwell, and he dwelleth not in any other. All that which is enclosed therein, is covered, well assured, & out of danger: of the incommodities of the air, of thieves, and of all external harm. Furthermore he compareth heresy to artificial trees, which fowlers fashion in likeness of a natural tree, having the show of a true tree, but full of snares and of glue, where the brides searching their life, find their death: whereas the Church is a true tree in deed, full of good fruits, without snares and fraud. But above al. S. Cyprian hath very well said that heresy and idolatry be in 
Lib. de unit. Eccles.  the same damnation, as daughters of the same father: when (saith he) by the coming of jesus Christ, the light being revealed unto the gentiles, and the son of salvation shining to the face of all people, the darkness of idolatry was chased out of the world, Satan seeing his seats and temples desolate, and his Idols forsaken of all people on te earth, which did run unto the Churches of jesus Christ, he found a new craft under the self same name of Christian, to entangle them that were not well advised, and to make them fall from the grace of jesus Christ: that is, he hath stirred up heresies, with the which he hath subverted the faith, corrupted the truth, and broken the unite of concord: in such sort that those whom he can not longer hold in the ancient way of blindness, he hath deceived by the error of a new way: & so spoileth men even within the Church, deceiving them with an other kind of darkness, to the end that not contynewing in the unity of the Church, they may yet call themselves Christians, and walking in darkens, they may persuade themselves to have the light: making them blind without perceiving their blinds, yea then when they think themselves most sure of the light. For as he is a cunning workman to transform himself often into an Angel of light, he leadeth them in to likelihoods of truth, that he may so deceive them in the truth: affirming the night for day, death for life, infidelity for faith, Antichrist under the name of jesus Christ. And there is not any absurdity how monstrous and foul so ever it be, that he doth not make them receive, and that very greedily, and having once bleared them with his juggling tricks, he holdeth their judgements so fast tied and hampered, that they can not see the very open and manifest truth: so that having now no more root in God, they be cast into a reprobate sense, turning to their own destruction all that is presented unto them, and stick not now to stand and fight against God himself. Now, to them which suffer themselves to be deceived, it happeneth (sayeth S. Cyprian) for not searching the truth of faith by the right way, according to the direction of our heavenvly Master, who doth send us to the chair of S. Peter, which of his proper authority by prerogative he hath ordained to be head, & as the fountain & root of his Church. And this was a great benefit of God, that he hath given a certain seat to his Church, as anciently was the chair of Moses, to the end that in the doubtful points of faith, men might have a place to resort unto, as to a certain university, to receive their judgement and resolution, and so to keep the unity of faith among so many divers nations that were to enter in to the Church.  
This is certainly the point whereby all heretics in the world have perished, do perish now, and shall always perish: for that they like not, not savour not the Sacrament of the unity of faith in the universal brotherhood of the Church, nor acknowledge that there is one certain Church, the only mother of all the children of God, which is only holy, Catholic, and Apostolic: unto whom jesus Christ her spouse & head hath given the character of the order of his eternal Priesthood, the keys of the realm of heaven, & all authority over his howshould: unto whom he hath promised assistance of his holy spirit until the end of the world: in whom is the will of God, the forgiveness of sins, and the distribution of graces: who only hath the word of God in keeping, the pure doctrine of the Gospel, the true use of Sacraments: to whom only therefore doth appertain to judge of the true sense of the holy scriptures, and to decide the controversies of faith that rise among men: whose judgements in earth be ratified in heaven: which Church, being but one and undivided in faith, yet extending itself in her communion as the beams of the sun, as long and as wide as the whole world, increasing & multiplying daily without end or limit, continueth inseparably united to her head, as the beams to the body of the sun, not living but of his grace, not breathing but of his spirit, and not seeing but of his light: and who so ever keepeth not this unity, he keepeth not the law of God, he hath no faith, and he can neither have the life nor the salvation of jesus Christ. It is S. Paul him 
Ephes. 4.  self that teacheth this Sacrament of the unity of faith in the universality of the Church: as there is not (saith he) but one sole God, lord & father of all, so there is but one faith, one hope, one trust, one body, one spirit: the head of which body, is the son of God jesus Christ, who being himself the spring of life everlasting, doth inspire life to all the body, & doth furnish it daily with strength by his holy spirit. Whosoever is not a member of that body, can not take life of the spirit of jesus Christ: he is a stranger: he is profaned: he is an enemy, he is dead, dry and withered without moisture of all divine grace, and that no part of the promises and rewards of jesus Christ: he is the branch 
johan. 11.  cut from the true stock, appointed to the fire to be burned. If any of those which were out of the ark of Noah were saved, those also shall be saved which are found out of the Ark of the Church. If the river cut from his spring drieth not up: if the branch divided from the tree can bear fruit: if the member cut from the body can take life of the same body: then also the man that is divided and cut from the Church, shall live of jesus Christ. He can not have God for his father, which will not have the Church for his mother: and he can not be united with God, which is not united with the Church. At the same instant that man doth separat himself from the Church, he dieth from jesus Christ, and loseth the grace of the holy Ghost. For even as the universal sensible light is tied to the body of the sun which doth spread and distribute it to all the world, in the absence whereof, there is nothing but darkness: even so all grace of reconciliation to God, was annexed to the body of jesus Christ: yea to this body of his which daily groweth by increase of the chosen, preordinate to life everlasting, which is the body of the Church, which he doth gather together, taking out from the heap of mankind all men of good will, which have been, are, and shall be, to the end of the world: out of which body there is but the wrath and malediction of God. Search where you will: out of this Church, you shall find nothing but death. To be short, he which is not in the Church hath no God: he hath his own proper judgement, his fantasy, and his own presumption for his God: he maketh himself an Idol, & doth worship only his own imagination in place of God. If such a man calleth himself a Christian, that is as the devil often saith he is Christ: and if he be killed for his heresy, that is no martyrdom, burr the reward of his heresy, which is not yet all purged by his own death. Dying he goeth to yield and join himself eternally to the darkness, which he hath worshipped; and to his head which is the devil. There is no martyrdom nor death precious before God but in the catholic Church: in the which only is the grace of the Gospel of jesus Christ: the which only she doth preach in sincerity and truth, and without any hazard or possibility to err: because she taketh her direction of the holy Ghost, & of the tradition of the Apostles, and of the holy scriptures together: which be the three grounds set down by the holy scripture itself: the which doth show that not she only buildeth up the Church, but is also helped of the traditions of the lively voice of the Apostles, to the which she often times referreth men. Keep (sayeth S. Paul) the traditions 
2. Thess. 2. Tenete traditiones quas didicistis, sive per sermonen, sive per epistolam nostram. Act. 15. & 16  which you have learned of me, be it by word or by our epistle: and it is written in the Acts of the Apostles that in all places where S. Paul passed by, he recommended to the Churches, to keep the ordinances of the Apostles and of the elders, which were things not written. When the Apostles had planted the Gospel, they did not say all things at one time, nor in one hour: nor wrote all that they said: but according as occasion was given, they planted their doctrine: so that the holy scripture which we have of the Apostles and of the Evangelists, is not so much a full doctrine of faith, as a witness of the faith that they preached. Now if we will go higher: the law of Moses consisted no less in tradition than in writing: and not only the sense but the letter and text thereof was to be learned by tradition. For they had the scriptures in manner but by half: the pointing being not yet put to the hebrew text. But the holy Ghost always hath in form the Church of the true traditions and the true sense of the scripture, in such sort as the Church and the holy scripture are so linked together, that they both be as an indissoluble chain of gold. The Church is not above the scripture, but the authority of the Church doth show the true scripture. And when the Church hath need of wholesome information, she doth go to the scripture: and if there be any darkness in the scripture, the holy Ghost is given to the Church for to interpret the same. Even so in the old law in all difficulties, that rose, the law of Moses ordained that they should go to the high priest for the time being, and that they 
Deut. 17. Malach. 2.  should follow his verdict, not turning either to the right side or the left, upon pain of death. The Prophets also sent them thither, and in the Gospel itself our saviour commandeth, that if any obey not the Church, 
Matt. 18.  he be degraded from the name of Christian, and holden for an Eathnike: let no man now seek excuses in a corner. God hath appointed at all times the priests of the Church present, to judge the present controversies: and willeth that men should repair unto them: his holy spirit assisteth them to that end. He hath not promised us in them more than in other men, example of holiness: but he hath promised us by them the Oracles of his truth. Oh that all those that do err in faith did know the virtue of the name Catholic, and the horror of the name heretic: how the Catholic in his faith, doth renounce his own reason, his own judgement, his understanding, his will, and all his senses, for to hearken simply and absolutely unto that that the Church doth teach: how on the contrary side, the heretic doth ground & build his faith upon his own judgement. They should know that the name Catholic, is a name of repose in God: a name utterly denying himself, to the end he may be overwhelmed in God: and that to lean and stay upon the Church, is to lean and stay upon God himself: and that contrary wise to stay upon himself, that is to say upon his own judgement, is to stay him self upon the devil: they should know that the Church teacheth the people faithfully, and that she is assisted of the holy Ghost: that she hath the true traditions of the Apostles: and doth take the scripture in the evangelical sense; sayeth nothing of herself, putteth nothing of new, doth not make any article of faith: but only giveth witness of the evangelical sense, and discerneth the good from the evil pasture, even as the holy Ghost doth reveal to her in common. And contrariwise that the heretic is not stirred but of his own particular spirit: hath not any tradition but of his own proper making: taketh the scripture in a sense by himself invented: handling the same as if himself were the author: making himself a prophet to himself, and judge of God: and sometimes setteth himself above all that which is God: in some much that he doth judge by his own private sense, the eternal word of God: in such sort as all heresy maketh a new paradox, & putteth a new sense, never evangelized, not of the holy Ghost, but invented of Satan, by the mouth of one particular man. The spirit of God is not particular, but common: and the same is in common to the Church, to whom hath been given the assurance of the holy Ghost, to show unto her all truth: in such sort, that, as it is certain that the holy Ghost is author of the scripture: so is it certain that the holy Ghost is the soul and life of the Church, by whose direction she can never err, for which cause S. Paul doth call her the pillar and ground of truth. And 
1. Tim. 3.  this is it that S. Augustin did confess, o lord 
S. August. lib. 12. confess. c. 25  (sayeth he) thy truth is not mine, nor this man's, or that man's: but it is every man's, whom thou publicly 
Veritas tua est domine nommea, nec illius, aut illius; sed omnium nostrum, quos ad communiomem publice vocas, terribiliter admones ne privatam veritatem habeamus ne priuemut ea. joan. 8.  callest to the communion thereof, warning us terribly that we take great heed to challenge that in private, lest so we be utterly deprived of it. For he which speaketh of his own telleth a lie. And as many particular opinions as are in the world, so many banners are there displayed by the devil. A true catholic doth estrange himself as much as he can from all particular opinions, and from all attributing to himself, his being, his living, his power and knowledge, and never doth use these terms: I am: I can, I will, as for me, this is my opinion, and such like speeches, which be terms of devilish arrogancy. He dares not so much as to say of himself that he is a part of Christendom, standing as it wear by himself alone: but holdeth this for a principle that he can not so much as think any thing, that good is without the continual dependence of God, and instruction of the Church: unto whom in all simplicity, and in deep humlitie, he leaveth himself to be edified and instructed, even as a little child of his mother: so that it is in a manner easier to pluck a star out of the element, than to pluck a true catholic out of the bosom of the Church. Little jacob when Rebecca his mother commanded him to feign himself to his father that he was Esau, to get thereby his blessing, he answered like a child, that he feared lest the deceit being discoveced, he should procure him self malediction in stead of benediction: but then his mother said to him, that malediction 
Genes. 27.  (my son) be upon me: only obey thou my voice in that I command the: which he did, and was blest: even so it is in our obedience to the Church. If the Church should deceive us, then upon her be the malediction, to us doth appertain the glory of obedience, with the which we be very well assured to obtain the everlasting benediction. But now the Church can not deceive us, yea I say further, that the iniquity of him that is in the Church, is better, that is to say, is less damnable than the good works of him which is in heresy. For if one of the household of the Church have sinned, he hath but committed that sin wherein he is fallen: the which is blotted out by penance in the Church, and he may obtain the promises of the kingdom of heaven: but he which is fallen out of the Church, sinneth always, & in all that he doth: for all that which is not of faith, is sin, as S. Paul saith. Yea although he do penance yet can he obtain no pardon, because in the society where he is, there is no remission of sins: there is no good work meritorius, no penance, no virtue to be rewarded with life everlasting where faith is not: and that person doth not fruitfully fulfil any commandment of God which doth not fulfil the same in the Church. The pretended good works of those which be out of the Church, be like a swift running out of the way, and like great pains taken for a matter of nothing, where no reward is to be gotten. He which runneth out of the lists, shall never carry away the price: he must be first with in the barriers of the Church, seeing that the course of good works shall be crowned according to the merits of the righteousness of each one: I mean according as every one shall show himself valiant and courageous in christian spirit, and according as the new regenerate man in him hath brought forth due fruits, and effects of his regeneration. There is no good without the sovereign good. The sovereign good, is God. God, jesus Christ, and the Church, are three things coherent and fast united together. There is no access to God, but by jesus Christ: and there is no access to jesus Christ, but by the Church: let no man (sayeth S. Ambrose) accept good works, done before faith. Faith is the soul of good works, without the which they be dead, and be not to be rewarded with life everlasting: faith is the soul of our soul, the substance of man, in such sort as man without faith is without substance. True it is that an heretic renouncing his heresy is strait ways clean, and incorporated again to the Church, and as a member, partaker of the prayers of all the universal Church, he is made worthy of the body of jesus Christ, after he hath purely and entirely renounced his heresy: in which case a 
joh. Clim. grad. 15.  fornicator repenting hath need of tears & of time to be thoroughly cleansed, and to extinguish utterly the concupiscence which hath occupied the soul, and defiled the body, the relics of the one being harder to be healed, then of the other: but if the one and the other die in their sin, the heretic shall carry a more rigorous judgement than the fornicator. This point than is without contradiction that in all the universal world, there is but one only Church, which doth administer eternal life: which hath the keys of the kingdom of heaven: in which good deeds be rewarded with life everlasting: which drawing out of the holy Scriptures the right line of interpretation both prophetical and Apostolical according to the sense that hath been preached and taught, giveth her children assured certainty of the good pasture, & knowledge of the evil: whom who so obeyeth not, shall never see God. For this cause S. Paul according to the care which he had more than fatherly of the salvation of men, doth exhort very earnestly to be careful, to keep the unity of spirit: which is to hold themselves, joint, firm, and locked in the bosom of the Church: knowing that every where out of the same dwelleth death, and that every particular assembly out of the same is the synagogue of Satan. All divinity out of the Church is vain, false, bastardly, confuse, full of deceit & impiety. When the heretic allegeth words of the Gospel that is now no more (saith S. Hierom) the Gospel of God. The Gospel in their mouth becometh the word of man, and the word of the devil: the truth is poisoned by their leaven, in such sort that it is altogether unlike to itself: wherein they far as the false and lewd counseilors of a prince or state, who in giving council redounding to their own particular profit, and not of the Prince or common wealth, do betray the Prince and the common wealth: even so, the heretics be traitors to God and to the holy scriptures. And let no man be deceived if sometimes they seem to teach the same doctrine that the catholics do: between the true and the false there is but a hears difference. But now suppose they preached in all & throughout, the self same doctrine of faith and Sacraments, as the catholics do: that they be also otherwise irreprehensible of their life in external honesty: yea finally though they spend their blood for the name of jesus Christ: all this notwithstanding, sith 
S. Aug. lib. de fide ad petro.  they make a body apart, and hold not the unity of the catholic Church they be in state of perdition. The use of the Sacraments, the works of mercy, and the glorious confession of the name of jesus Christ can not profit but unto him which is in the unity of the catholic Church. Which unity who holdeth not, he divideth the body of jesus Christ, which is one and indivisible: and his Church hath not two bodies. jesus Christ is not divided (saith S. Paul) and that point is of so great importance as the creed of the faith, which is daily song in the Church doth expressly show that there is but one Church to the end that all men might know that out of the same there is no salvation.  
Such as come near the brink of a deep pit, or of any downright pitch, conceiving the horror of temporal death, all trembling they retire far of, for fear to fall therein: but there is not any deep pit or downright pitch or peril what so ever in this world wherein a man should conceive so much fear to fall as into heresy. For in all heresy dwelleth the horror of eternal death: And to fall from the assured firmament of the Church in to heresy, is to fall from cleaning to God to the bottomless pit of himself: which is as the fall of Satan, when he was headlong thrown down from heaven to hell. Let us then take heed God Christian people of separating of ourselves, how little so ever it be, from the catholic Church, no, not in one only little thought: let us yield universally to all that the Church doth teach, without reserving any thing, what soever it be, to our particular judgement, against the judgement of the Church. Look how much any man reserveth to his own resolution, upon his own proper sense, in matters of faith: so nigh he is to the loss of his life, so far is he in darkness of error, so near is he to death, so much divided from God, so fast cleaveth he to the devil. far from all those which have care of their own everlasting salvation be that deadly presumption, which would share his faith with the Church: that is, would make a choice and particular separation of the points which it pleaseth him to believe, or not to believe with the Church: as if that side whereunto, by our own direction, we resolve to lean, were to us a better evidence, and cleeret testimony than the universal Church. This is, in very deed to censure the Church and to make ourselves judges of the Church, and of the holy Ghost also, which teacheth her. This is to be too too much ignorant of our own ignorance, weakness, and measure of our own state and condition. The judgement of one particular man, how wise so ever he may be, is but as a little candle in the darkness of the night, the which giveth light scant four or five paces in circumference, but is incontinent obscured & environed with the exceeding force of universal darkness. Where the Church, (which, as S. john sayeth, is clothed with the sun, having the moon 
Apoc. 12.  under her feet) doth cast her beams upon the face of the whole earth, taking her brightness from above, and drawing her light out of the sea of the Intelligence divine. Away (say I) with this presumption: far be it from all our friends: far from the chosen and elect of God: far from all those, who have an earnest desire of their own salvation, & would willingly forsake this world, to see God eternally, and to attain unto the glori of eternal felicity. Away with this rashness of particularities in opinions severed from the Church. This is the very cockle of wicked spirits. This is the way to fall in to the hands of the devil: who being not able to wound a man to death, by making him to forsake the Church absolutely, doth yet wound and disfigure the integrity, and sincere pureness of a Christian, in this point at least, that now he is not sound, and sincere, nor such a one as the beauty and state of a christian requireth. Deformed is that member (saith S. Augustin) which is not conformable to the whole. Raither suffer the soul to be divided 
August. Turpis est omnis pars universo suo non congruens.  from the body, with all the torments in the world, than to be divided from the Church, or to dissent from the Church in any one jot only, or in any one sole little point. He that would agree with the Church in all, except one only point, is not a catholic. Faith is more indivisible than the beams of the sun: it is not to be holden by halves: it is a gift of God, and a grace infused: and the gifts of God are perfit. For concerning faith, who so ever faileth in one article is culpable in all. And he is no less drowned, which is but two fingers over head in water, than he which is an hundred fathoms deeper. A man's faith, eye, and honour, are three things that can not endure to be hurt or impaired, how little soever it be. Many of them which have yet some lively root in the Church, and hate heresy, do give to themselves some time's liberty to blame or contemn certain observances and ceremonies of the Church, as in their opinions unprofitable.  
These lo do dangerously err, besides that they show herein their beastliness, and ignorance: for nothing universally received in the Church is of small consequence, or importance. And unworthy are they to have any place in the Church, and to be partakers of the Sacraments of everlasting life, which do disagree with her in the least point that a man can think of. Men ought with more reverence to judge of such things as are approved and allowed of the universal Church. When men debate of human matters, let then human reason take place: but in the doctrine of faith, the only authority of the Church ought to rule. It is not for us to take upon us to confirm, and establish that whereunto we must obey. We must in all submit ourselves wholly to her judgement, without exception of any thing, what soever it be: For so soon as faith is severed from the Sanctuary of the Church, she is out of her natural element: she hath no more vital spirit. The Church hath secret motives, & considerations tending to the utility and preservation of her universal family, incomprehensible to any one private person: yet notwithstanding they have their foundations and grounds very firm and sure. The most excellent Philosophy that ever was in the world, is that of Abraham, which Philo describeth. 
Abraham. Philo.  He reduced all the effects of the second causes to the first cause immediately: he did not attribute to the sun, the light of the day: nor to clouds the rain: nor to eyes the sight: nor to ears the hearing: nor to other next instruments of sense the cause of their faculty, not to the feet force to go: not breathing to the lungs: not concoction to the stomach: not to trees and seeds their yearly fruits: but he reduced all things immediately to him only which spreadeth abroad his benignity, and benevolence largely, frankly, and freely in all places: he bendeth all his forces to him alone, hoping by him only to be aided: and staying himself upon him only: neither trusting upon heaven, nor upon earth, air, beasts, plants or roots, with intent to love them as causes. And (as a man may say) he traversed through all the ranks and troops of the host of all second and instrumental causes appertaining to the OEconomie or general disposition of the universal nature, for to approach unto the sovereign head: the Creator of substances: the giver of forms: the first mover: first cause, and cause of causes: to the end to love him only, and to give him only thanks for all benefits received. And this Philosophy of Abraham was as a shining beam of the innocency of nature before sin: which innocency consisted in cleaning wholly to God, and depending upon God in all things: not resting upon himself, nor upon any creature: whereupon also God loved him more, and was more revealed to him, than to those that love the second causes, and search deeply in to them, not satisfied otherwise with the first. In like manner in matters of faith, those which do rest altogether upon the Church shall rather be illuminated of the holy Ghost, than those which do not give credit to her, but upon a caution or condition of some natural reason. If any would know the way how to render a reason of his faith, and of all observances of the Church S. Peter thereunto doth exhort him. And in 
1. Petr. 3.  deed the study of such a science is the most noble and most worthy that is in the world: only let him be humble, and hold this for a principle or maxim: though he understandeth not the reason of any observances: yet notwithstanding the same is grounded upon some just reason above his capacity. And when he hath laid for his ground this humility, and coming afterward to search the motives and reasons of the Church: then the knowleige of the general disposition, and government of the Church shall teach him considerations more deep, more excellent, more ample, more comfortable, and shall replenish his mind with a clearer light than the knowleige of all natures works: and therein he shall take more pleasure, than if he had in his head the collections and gatherings of all the knowleige in the world fast sowed one to an other, and could give a reason of the whole disposition of natural things in all parts of the whole frame of this world.  
In the primitive Church, Sinesius the great 
Sinesius.  philosopher called by Christians to the state if a Bishop, would not accept the same, but with reservation of some opinions of the ethnical philosophy. The fathers condescended to his desire, assuring themselves, that so excellent a wit would easily cast of all those reservations of his philosophical folly, by conference with wise and learned men of the Church. And in deed this learned man being made Bishop, did soon cast away all reservations of his several opinions: and conformed himself in all points to the Church, condemning himself, and deriding his own vanity, proceeding rather from the root of folly and pride of a philosopher, than of malice. And truly to addict himself obstinately to some particularities of opinions against the universality, 
Genes. 27.  it is the part of one that is ignorant of the first elements and principles of Christianity: and a token of a short and feeble iudgemen, that hath a very shmal beam of brightness, and is so poor of understanding, as he is not able to conceive that the river which he dwelleth next unto, is much less than the Ocean sea: and that the stars be much greater than they appear to his eyes: esteeming the greatest things that he knoweth to be the most that God can do in that kind: and considereth but one thing only, where he ought to consider an hundred thousand, persuading himself evermore to have in the compass of his brain, all that God is able to do, or will do, measuring all things by his own capacity, and sufficiency: which is not only an extreme folly, but also very dangerous. for such folk upon the least motion of the devil will throw themselves from the high pinnacle of the temple down to the ground: I mean from the firmament of the Church, to the bottomless pit of heresy. Will we then be assured never to err, and to have our spirit quiets, peaceable among all the wherl winds and tempests of heresies? this is the only mean: he that walketh in the spirit of the Church, is in the high way: he goeth not in darkness: he goeth by day, and setteh sure footing. The church is to him a bulwark of quietness: a wall of brass: a stay more sure than the firmament of heaven: yea, I say truly, more sure than the firmament of heaven. For rather the heaven shall fall in pieces, and all the whole frame of the world shall fall into confusion, and nature shall err, rather than the Church shall come to error in that doctrine of the salvation, which she doth teach her children. And good reason: for her understanding his higher than the understanding of all nature: for it is the uncreated understanding, the holy Ghost, God himself, which doth govern the same immediately. And for the Church's sake, heaven, earth, and all Nature have been made, and do consist: without whose prayers, the frane of the whole world could not stand one moment. The Angels themselves (as S. Paul saith) are all 
Hebr. 10  to minister to them which receive the inheritance of salvation, which are the children of the church.  
But I will no further open the privileiges of Grace, the heavenly and lively comforts which the children of the catholic Church have. The catholic Church is the only fortress impregnable; the wiseman to her will have his recourse, and shall be saved.  
She is the strong fort of the city of God, founded upon the rock, which can not be undermined: 
Genes. 27.  fortified by the invincible force of the holy Ghost, guarded by heavenly armies, which are camped round about, compassed of all sides with the favour of the almighty. She is the true earthly Paradise, where the tree of life is planted, which all of her house may freely use, and thereby receive nourishment of life everlasting. She is the true house of God, where he doth dispose his graces, and all his goods and the soweraign felicity. And who ever can taste of the fruit of the name Catholic: he shall find 'em self happy, and shall perceive in that he is a Catholic, he is as it were weeded out of himself to be transplanted in God: and being lostin himself, he shall find himself grafted, and rooted in God, in whom he shall stand more surely, more lively, more happily, and be more his own man, than standing in himself: where upon his soul shall be filled with true, sound, perfect, sovereign, divine, and everlasting joy.  
I do not call in question whether the catholic Church be visible, nor where she is being a society, not of Angels, or of souls separated from the body, but of men. She must necessarily be visible, that one may say, there is the Church, pointing to her with the fingar, and showing her to the eye: otherwise (saith S. August.) 
Aug. tract. 1. & 2. in 10.  no man could be assured of the unity, in the which men must necessarily enter, and hold themselves, to the end they may be joined to the head & communicate with all the other members thereof. And our lord should in vain have bidden men resort to the Church, and obey it, if it were invisible to the face of the whole world, so that she can not by any manner of ways be hidden, nor darkened in the earth, no more than the son in heaven. Yea (saith S john Chrisostom) 
S. Chrys. ho. 4. in cap. 6. Efa.  it were more easy to put out the light of the son, than to darken the Church. And those which say that the Church which was planted of the Apostles, and did lighten the Gentiles, is no more extant, and that she is lost many a day ago; and that straight after the Apstoles she was eclipsed of her light, and became an Apostata, in such sort as the world is entered in to darkness as before: and those which do compare her to the Synagogue in the time of Eli: those (I say) are very impudent, and their impudency can not be heard with out indignation, for that it is contumelious to the son of God: as if the son of God (which said, that he is the light of the world, and that he came to renew all, to destroy the works of the devil, and to dispossess him of his reign) had not done that which he promised, nor that which he came for: and as if his light had been as a flash of lightning vanishing away, and not as a son rising, to chase out effectually the darkness of the world. This is a most vile and shameful abasing of Christ's honour and estimation: this is to take from him the deserved inheritance of all Nations, which GOD the father promised unto him: this is (as it were) to spoil him of his dignity and the royal sceptre, and to pluck him down from his throne, and to take from him his royal Diadem, which the father gave him, and to make, that GOD hath not kept his promiss. They which use thighs words are not in the Church themselves saith S. Augustin. 
Aug. in psalm. 101.  Thou sayest: that the Church is not extant, because thou art not in her. Look well to the matter: thou art not in deed in her: but she is and shall be extant, though thou art not. All that the scripture doth teach 
Numer. 20. 3. Reg. 8. Math. 18. Acto. 15. 18. & 20.  feighteth against this impudent saying. It hath been foretold that the glory of the second house of GOD shall be greater than the glory of the first: that she shall reach from one sea to an other: from the Orient 
1, Tim. 3. Psal. 1●. Esa, 2, Dan. 2. Mich. 4. Math. 7.  to the Occident: that she shall fill Asia, Africa, Grece, Italy, all tongues, all nations, and the Isles far of: and that the saviour shall make as it were new heavens, and new earth: so that the Synagogue in comparison of the Church is no more than one star in comparison of the Son, and had but few little spartles of that light whre of the full brightness is spread upon the Church. Origin saith, that the first sign 
jud. 6.  given to Gedeon of the flyse only dewed from heaven, the earth round about remaining all dry, did prefigure the Synagogue: and the second sign of all the earth bedewed, the flyse contynewing dry did prefigurat the Church. In Daniel also, the Church was prefigured by the 
Dan. 2.  little stone cut from the mountain without hand of man, the which having broken the Image of Gold, of Silver, of brass, of Iron, and of clay, which did represent the Empires of the world, became a great mountain, and did fill the whole earth, where upon sanct Augustin doth argue against the heretics: If the jevyes be said to be blind for not having seen the stone being but little, what blindness is that in them which can not see the same being a mountain? so those (saith he) which deny the Church dispersed through the world, do not stumble against the little stone but against the mountain. Esaie expressly foretold, that the Church 
Esa. 2. 54. 66.  shall be as a mountain manifestly, lifted up above the mountains whereunto all nations 
Matt. 5.  shall resort: which our Saviour himself confirmed, saying that his Church is a city set on a mountain which can not be hidden, what shall I say more (saith S. Augustin)? the Church, is she not manifest? do not we show it with our fingar? and those that do not see so great a mountain, be they not blind which against the shining candle, put in a candlestick do shut their eyes? S. Bernard writeth elegantly hereof against the heretics of his time: the stone cut without the hand is become the mountain filling the world; and think you (saith he) that it is within your dens? this is to calunniat all the universal world. Thou mayest easily see the city set upon a mountain, the Church catholic which can not be hidden: Moreover S. Augustin saith, that by God's providence, it 
Aug. in psal. 101.  hath been so disposed, that the testimonies of jesus Christ are obscure in the old prophets, but those of the church are manifest, to the end that men should have recourse to the Church for counsel, to learn of her their salvation. And he saith further that the Church sithence the Apostles time hath not only not lost any part of her light, but also hath always augmented the same, still proceeding and increasing, as the new moon from small light to a greater. If any one (saith he) do not perceive the moon in the first point of her increasing, one might excuse the weakness of his eyes: but he that doth not perceive the same in her fullness, that man is stark blind. From the time of the Apostles, when the Church did not show as yet very much her face upon the art, simple men were deceived by false teachers, saying, here is the Church, here is Christ, wounding (as it were in the dark of the moon) simple and plain meaning folk: but now how blind is he that erreth in the full moon? Pope Leo the 
S. Leo.  first, S. Hilaire, and other ancients, which lived in the main course of mighty heresies 
S. Hilary.  do witness, that the Church was never darkenid sithence the Apostles, by the infection of heresies. The Church (say they) may be diminished in the Globe of multitude of children, but not in light and clearness: much less by the persecutions of tyrants: for (as sayeth Tertullian) the blood of Christians is the seed of the Church, and every martyr is as the grain of wheat falling on the earth, which bringeth forth many. Poor Cicero 
Cic. l. 2. q. Ac.  searching the sovereign God, complaineth, saying, by the dissension of philosophers we are constrained to be ignorant of our Lord, and can not know which is he that we ought to worship for Lord and governor of the world. This can not be sayd of the Church; the contradictions which heretics do make against her, do not darken her, but make her rather better known. and (as Vincentius Lyrinensis saith) 
Vinc. Lyr.  do scour her and make her brighter, giving occasion to catholics to understand clearly and fervently that which before they believed covertly and coldly. And it is certain that the Church had more knowleige of God, in some certain articles in the time of S. Augustin, then in other times before; and in the time of S. Bernard, then in the time of S. Augustin: and at this day more than she had since the time of the Apostles: so that there is now none that seethe not clearly in the light of the Church, except those whose eyes satan hath put out, and which are willingly blind: sith all now do know where is the cheire of S. Peter, the Church Catholic, Apostolic and Roman; which hath the name of Catholic, the succession of Bishops sithence S. Peter to this day; the consent of people, and nations, and many other well known marks, which do distingwishe the same from all false religion, of paynim, of jews, and of heretics, and doth make it sufficiently evident, that none can be excused, neither those which refuse to join unto her, nor those that do departed from her. I will not here set down all the marks of the true Church, as if this present treatise were to that end, but I shall touch only some few.  

TWELVE marks OF the true Church.  
THe first mark of the true Church is the name Catholic, which although all heretics would pretend to be theirs, yet never could they obthain thus much, (saith S. Augustin) 
S. August. lib. count epi. fund. c. 4.  that if a Panime demanded of an heretic the place where the Catholics do assemble themselves, he durst not show his own Synagogue. And S. Ciril saith, if thou goest in a 
Cyril. cat. 18.  city, do not ask where is the Church, nor where the house of GOD is: for the heretics say that they have the Church, and the house of god: but ask where is the Catholic Church, for that name Catholic is proper to the holy Church, mother of us all, that are of right belief: and an heretic would be mocked and laughed at to show his Church for the catholic. Pacianus hath treated of this point expressly where he saith: Christian is my name, Catholic is my surname: that doth name me, this maketh me known: the name catholic is not derived of any one man: it doth not sound any thing of an heretic: it is not referred to any particullar Author; it agreeth to the principal head & body of that tree, whose branches being cut of, are the sects of heretics: but the tree itself liveth, maintained by his root: and continueth alway the same, which is all one whole body, and called Catholic: but every heresy taketh the name of some one which is the author thereof: where upon S. Athanasius 
●than. serm. ●●●nt. Arria.  against the Arrians saith: Christian people never took their names of their Bishop: no, we are christians, and so named, not of the Apostles themselves, but of our lord in whom we have believed by the voice of Bishops and Apostles, Those which have taken their faith of others are by good right surnamed from the chief of their heresy. Lactantius saith, the only Catholic 
●ct. li. 4. c. 3.  Church is that which keepeth the true worship; of God: this is the fountain of truth, the house of faith, the temple of God: in whom if any do not enter, or from whom if any doth departed, he cutteth himself of from hope of life, and of everlasting salvation: but every sect of heretics doth pretend that the catholic Church is on their side: how be it bearing the names of Marcionites or Arrians, they are no more Christians; they have lost their name christian in taking strange names of men. Likewise justine the martyr: S. Ireneus S. john 
S. Chrys. h●. 33 in act. Apost. just. mar. contriph. S. Ir●n. lib. 1. ca 20.  chrysostom, The sects (say they) be called of the name of the arch heretic, but to us, no man hath given a name: faith itself which is catholic surnameth us so: and S. Jerome; If thou 
S. Hieron. count Luciferanos.  hear those which are called Christians, to bear a name: not of our lord jesus Christ, but of some other, (as Marcionites, Valentinians) know ye certainly that they are not the Church of jesus Christ, but a synagogue of Antichrist.  
Now you poor abused Lutherans and Caluinists, be hold the horror of your bothomlesse pit; you are no more Christians; and you have no part in the salvation by jesus Christ. All ancient Fathers do witness with one consent, that the only Catholic is in the Church of jesus Christ; and all that bear the name of one particular man be heretics, and excluded from the kingdom of jesus Christ. Those witnesses can not be reproved: and this is one marvelous judgement of God against heretics, and a comfort for the Catholics: by the Creed of the Apostles, it is a necessary consequens, that any Church (if it be a true) must needs be catholic: but there is not a society in the world, which doth possess the name Catholic, save only the Roman Church. All others will call themselves, Arrians, Lutherans, Caluinists, the reformed Church, Gospelers, Protestant's, and such other kinds of special names as they have: but Catholics do not so, for in all parts of the world (where the name Catholic Church doth sound) it is intended and understood, to be the Roman Church, yea by the heretics themselves. A man that passeth by Geneva being asked what he is, if he answer, I am a catholic, is taken of no man there for a Caluinist. Seek not here to blind yourselves against so manifest a truth: but forsake both the sect, and also the name of these wicked deceivers, the arch-heretics of this time, which will draw you with themselves in to their, bottomless pit of everlasting damnation, if you do not enter again in to the Church and mount up in to the firmament of Catholics.  
The second mark of the true Church is the succession of Bishops sithence S. Peter, to this day, which never hath been interrupted; the which succession the fathers have always objected against heretics of their time as an invincible argument, for even as to the propagation of mankind, marriage is necessary: so to the procreation of the children of God according to the spirit, the order of priesthood is instituted, which can not be continued perpetually, but by spiritual propagation from those priests whom jesus Christ did first institute. It is not so of kings, as it is of priests, for if all the kings of the earth should fail at once: the people might create new. But if all the priests of the world should happen to fail: it is not in the power of all mankind to make new. Their institution is divine, and not human. jesus Christ himself must come again in person in to this world for to institute some new. S. Ireneus 
Iran. li. 3, c. 3.  saith, that by this succession all heretics be confounded: for never heretic could show his next predecessor in communion of doctrine. And to prove that the Roman Church is the true Church, he reckoneth the Bishops of Rome from S. Peter, unto S. Eluther the Pope of his time, which was the twelveth. Tertullianus, Eusebius, Prosper, S. Hieronimus, S. Augustin, Epiphanius, Optatus, and all the ancient fathers have used this argument against heretics. Tertullian saith, show the 
Tertul. lib. de praescr.  beginning of your churches, and the orderly succession of your Bishops derived by succession from some one of the Apostles, as we do show the orderly succession in the Roman Church, from S. Peter. Account (sayeth 
8. Aug. epist. 165. in psal.  S. Augustin) the priests sithence the state of S. Peter: and look in to that order of fathers which have succeeded one an other: and you shall find that the Roman Church is the same stone, that the proud gates of hell can not vanquish. And he saith further, that the 
Aug. count ep. fundam.  succession of priests in the romain Church by one continual line holdeth him in that Church. Likerwise, Optatus, Show (saith he) the first beginning of your chair, you which will 
Optatus lib, 2.  challenge the holy Church unto yourselves. And Epiphanius having orderly recited the names of all the Bishops from S. Peter, unto Siricius then Bishop, which was the thirty eight, 
Epiph. har. 27.  he addeth: Let no man marvel if we be so exact in this recital, for by thighs things the evident truth of the Church doth always show itself. If then those ancient fathers have so greatly esteemed that continuation of twelve, twenty, or forty sovereign bishops, successors of S. Peter: how much stronger is that argument at this day for us which show the continuation of more than two hundred thirty three, without exception. This argument is insoluble: and all the heretics of the world can not answer the same, for the Church can not be without priests, nor without Bishops and pastors. There must needs be (as S. Paul saith) some for the edifying of the body of jesus Christ, 
Ephe. 4.  until he come to judge the world. And (as S. Hierome saith) the Church which is without priests is not a Church: and none 
S. Hierom.  can be priest, if he be not ordained by a Bischop, being successor of the apostolic priesthood. This mark is not only most certain, & most evident, but forcible to know 
Con. Laud. con; 12, do. 61. c.  the true Church. for where the succession of priesthood is, there is the succession of doctrine: Moses, the prophets, our saviour himself in the Gospel doth affirm the same. 
Deut. 17. Math. 2.  Now then, we show the succession of priesthood of the sovereign Bishop of this time, by ascending from predecessor to predecessor upward, until we arrive at S. Peter, and enter as it were in to the side of jesus. Your Caluin seeing himself by this argument so entangled 
Caluin.  that he could not slip away, he striveth, he wringeth himself, he turneth and tosseth, he broileth with so great rage, as he speweth out a whole flood of injures against Popes, priests, and Bishops. Oh the mad dog, seeing clearly that succession is a very certain sign of the true Church, to which he could not answer, whereby he is proved to be a deceiver sent of the devil: he casteth from the poisonful pit of his heart, injuries sufficient to darken the heaven. O ye Lutherans, and Caluinists, if you be capable of reason; if you may be taught by the holy Ghost, if you be touched with the desire of your salvation: then examine you without passion this argument: hearken to that which your own consciences shall teach you, and be ye not enemies to your own salvation. For sithins that you have not the order of priesthood from any Bishop, successor to the Apostles: you are out of the communion of the Church of JESUS Christ; you be without Church, without priesthood, and without any mediation towards God: for that you have not any priest of the order of the Mediator. Your ministers be those that S. Cyprian speaketh of, who without lawful 
S. Cyprian lib. 4. ep. 9  calling, without god's ordinance, without ecclesiastical order, do appoint themselves to be head over rash men, take to themselves titles of Bishops: and like apes, they resemble men's actions; and themselves being not in in the Church counterfeit the face of the Church; arrogating to themselves her authority, & truth; blessing others, being them selves cursed of God: promising life, being themselves dead: calling upon God, being blasphemers: administering priesthood, being themselves profane: presenting themselves to the altar as intercessors to God, being themselves sacrilegious, & provokers of gods wrath: their preaching is not preaching, but prevarication of the word of God: their priesthood is not priesthood, but a service of the devil, and ministery of Antichrist. for Apes be always Apes, and never shall be men: and heretics always heretics, how so ever they do counterfeit, and never shall be Catholics, except they enter again in to the bosom of the Church, where the lawful succession of priesthood of the Apostles doth remain.  
The third mark is Antiquity: for even as the good seed was sown in the field by the householder, before the cockle by the enemy: so it is certain, that the true church is more ancient than the false. Now, that the catholic, Apostolic, and Roman Church is the same that JESUS Christ himself hath instituted, & more ancient than all the sects of heretics, this argument will force them to confess.  
In all notable changes of religion six things are to be marked: the Author: the new opinion: the time when it began: the place where it began: the Impugners that it had: the small number of followers when the same began to make her separation of communion from the religion that it did forsake. first, we know that the Author of the heresy of Arrians was a priest of Alexandria named Arrius: of Nestorians a Bishop of Constantinople named Nestorius: of Lutherans a monk of the order of S. Augustin named Luther. secondly we know that the new doctrine of Arrius imported, that the sun of God was a creature: Of Nestorius, that there was two persons in jesus Christ: Of Luther, that the Eucharist is not a sacrifice, and that man is justified by that only special faith which he hath of his own justification. thirdly we know that the sect of Arrius did begin the year of our Lord 324. that of Nestorius, the year of 431. that of Luther, the year 1517. Fowertlie we know that the Arrianisme did begin in Egypt: the heresy of Nestorius in Thrace: that of Luther in Saxony. fiftly we know that the Arrians were Impugned by Pope Sylvester, by the Council of Nice, by S. Athanasius ' by S. Hilary, and many others: the Nestorians by Pope Celestin, by the Council of Ephesus, by S. Ciril, and many others: the Lutherans by Pope Leo the tenth: by the Council of Trent, by all universities catholics, and by many Doctors. Finally, we know that in the beginning when all those arch-heretics did separate themselves from the communion of catholics, they were small in number, an that even than the catholics were dispersed throughout the world in infinite numbers. None of all those things can be objected by the Lutherans and Caluinists against the catholics. First they have never objected us, the author of our faith contrary to theirs: neither have they named us after any particular man, which they would very willingly have done if they could. Secondly they do not show the beginning of any our new doctrine, if they ascend not up to the Apostles whose novelty is ours, and is our antiquity against all heresies. They are not also able to show any time certain of our falling from the Church: nor the place, neither where it should have begun; nor those which did impugn the same, as new: nor that any counsels have been celebrated against her: nor finally that this our Church catholic, Apostolic, and Romain, did separate itself from some greater, that was before, in such sort as those which did communicate with the Roman Church were few in member, and that the rest of Christians were far more greater. For it appeareth by the epistles of S. Gregory, the Pope which he did write to the Bishops of the East, of Africa, of Spain, of France, of Italy, that almost all the Christians of the world did communicate with him. Now it is a thousand years passed sithence S. Greg: and the doctrine of faith which he did teach, is the same that the Church doth teach at this day.  
The fourth mark is continuance without being interrupted. It is foretold in Daniel, 
Dan. 9  that the reign of the church shall never be dispersed: and in sanct Paul, that heresies 
2. Tim, 3.  can not long stand: the Church being like the brightness of the firmament which shineth in perpetual eternity: Heresy is as a Comet conceived of the vapours of the earth, whereof the flame ceaseth so soon as his earthly nourishment doth fail. The Church in an other sort is as a continual flood which can not dry. Heresy is as a flood of tempest which presently doth fail: whereof S. Augustin saith: Be not you (saith he) amazed to see the floods swelling and roaring 
In illud psa. 97 Ad nihilum d●u●n●ent tanquam aqua de●urrens.  for a tyme. It is a violence of water which runneth down, and shall cease very soon: for the same can not long continue. many heresies be already dead▪ they have run in their channel as long as they could; they be slidden away: the roots be dry: and hardly shall one find the mark where they were. It is very certain that the Church catholic, Apostolic and Roman hath concontinued since the Apostles in her visible brightness unto this day: which thing if heretics do not fully grant, yet do they confess that those things which they blame in the same, were already brought in before a thousand, or twelve hundred years. But what heresy hath ever lasted any thing near that time? yet I will confound them by this argument: Before that Luther did start up, besides the Roman Church, there was not in the world but thes religions, Paganism, judaisme, Machometisme, and the relics of Nestorianisme in Grece. But it is certain by the confession of Lutherans and Calvinists themselves, that the Church of JESUS Christ was not in any one of thighs sects; whereof it followeth that she was in the Roman Church, or else quite extinguised in all the whirled, which can not be. Truly this mark of the true church is famous: for sithence Theobutes and Simon Magus the first arch-heretics until Luther, two hundred divers heresies have had their course, whereof some were upholden by very mighty patrons: by Emperors, by kings, by learned men, making innumerable books, out of the which a man would have said that they could never be blotted. And notwithstanding, by the wonderful providence of God they be so weeded out of the earth, that there remaineth nothing at all, neither of the followers, nor of their books, nor of their doctrine, nor any sign at all, but that which is found in the books of catholics; who if they had not written their names in their books, we had not known that such heresies had ever been in the world: and there is no doubt but the floods of heresies of these times will also slide away shortly.  
The fiveth mark of the true Church is the largeness of the reign. And this mark is very evident in the Catholic Church, the which doth fructify throughout the universal world in both the hemispheres; And the sun doth not streache his beams further than she. I know well that she hath not the temporal regiment of external justice throughout the whole world: but she hath every where obedient children. So that there is no tongue, nor people, nor climate of country inhabited, where (if perhaps the most part be not carholikes) yet at the least there are some. I say some notable number; which assamble themselves in the Church and communicate Catholiklie in the Sacraments of the Church: among the Turks, among the Persians, among the Tartarians, among the paynims, throughout the compass of the earth: for the carholike Church is not restrained within the bonds of Italy, France, Spain, Germany, England, Polland, Rome, Hungary, Greece, Syria, Armenia, Ethiope, Egypt, and other countries whereof the names are well known unto us, and where the Catholics be in infinite number: but she doth spread herself in to the new world, and in all those four parts of that new world, where she hath many Churches, without mingling of heresies: of the East side in the Indians: of the west side in America: towards the north in japon, towards the south in Brasilia: what heresy is that, that ever had such largeness? As for the sects of Lutherans and Caluinists, they have not passed in Asia, nor into Africa, nor in to Grece, nor into many provinces of Europe. Yea even in the very springs of mischief in the North, where heresies have most might, there are not two towns neighbours possessed of one self sect. All heresy is as a serpent. A serpent never 
S. August. lib. de pasto. ca 8. & lib. de util. credendi cap. 14. & 17.  departeth far of from his den. And S. Augustine saith very well that the Church is every where, heresy also every where: But the Church is one and the self same every where, where as heresies be not the same every where: but be of great diversity, the one not knowing the other. Whereof it doth appear (saith he) that none of those is the Catholic Church. And he compareth heresies to boughs cut from the vine which abide in the place where they fall without fructifying: where as the Church is the lively stock, which doth bring fruit in all her branches throughout whereso ever she doth extend herself.  
The sixth mark is the conquest of the world by efficacy of doctrine, which is the doctrine of the true Church, being lively, mighty, more piercing then any two edged sword and converting effectually the souls to God. The Philosophers (saith S. Athanasius) with loftiness of learning, and magnificence of speech could never persuade any one city to take their laws of them, for that (saith he) their doctrine was dead and without force; and their speech did not proceed of the spirit of God, but of the spirit of man. Neither did any man ever read that the heretics converted idolaters or jews to the faith. Their care (saith Tertullian) is not to convert strangers to jesus Christ, but to pervert his domesticals, 
Tert. lib. de presc. har.  and those which he already gotten to him▪ not to give life to the dead, but to give deadly poison to the living: not to lift them up which be on the ground, but to make them fall that stand upright. The efficacy of their doctrine is not to edify; it serveth but to destroy, and this mark doth show itself very openly in thighs our days. Here is now the very large harvest of the new world in ripeness. It behoveth to send workmen: but from whence doth the Lord of the harvest take them? The Church catholic, and heresy making both profession to be of jesus Christ, their duties are, to increase the household of jesus Christ as much as they can, by converting the infidels to the faith. This notwithstanding because JESUS CHRIST will not be planted in the hearts of strangers by other hands then of his dear spouse, therefore the catholics only are they which preach the Gospel to idolaters, and gain them to jesus Christ. The heretics have never drawn the least province from Paganism to Christianity. when we have converted them to jesus Christ: the heretics come afterwards to deceive them. But men see that God doth not permit the work of converting them, to any other then to his true Church: as we being those 
Soc. l. 4. c. 27. Soz. l. 6. ●. 37. Theod. l. 4.  only which be the fishers of men; those alone which draw the souls of men from the sea of infidelity, to the shore of Christianity. The heretics never throw their nets in sea, but after that we have put the fish upon the shore, than they put all their gloire to rob and carry away some little fish, as thieves & not as fishers. Even so the Goths being already made Catholic, demanding Catholic Bishops for to govern their churches; Valence sent them Arrians for to subvert them. The cause why the heretics can not convert the infidels to the faith is, for that propounding the scripture, they do not propound the true sense which is properly the sword of the spirit. The words of the scriptures are but as the sheath which holds the sword of the spirit. They then fight, not with the sword, but with the sheath only, it is no marvel if they do not pierce the hearts of Infideles. Besides that the heretics and Idolaters belong all to one self master: But in the Roman church, not only at the beginning, but even at all times this efficacy hath been found. This is the Roman Church which did first convert the English men to the faith in the time of S. Gregory the Pope: This is the Roman Church which did convert the Saxons and the whole country of Almains, in the times of Pope Conon, and of Pope Zacharie: This is the self same Church that converted the Vandals, Bulgarians, slavonians, Polonians, Danes, Norway's, Hungarians, Moravians, with infinite kings & people. And it is not past two hundred years ago sins that one only monk S. Vincent of the order of S. Dominike did convert to the faith 25000. as well jews as sararins. It is in our time that the new world received the faith of the Roman Church. And it is not many years ago sins that some Turks & some jew were baptised at Rome and other places in the Roman Church. The Lutherans & Caluinists can not boast themselves to have converted to their sect neither Panimes nor Turks, nor jews, whereupon it doth appear that they be of the spirit of the devil, sithence that all their force is no manner of way to get the Infidels, but only to destroy the Christians.  
The seventh mark is the conformity of doctrine with the Primitive Church. Now that the ancient fathers did teach the same doctrine that we do at this day, and condemned for heretical that which we condemn, their books bear witness thereof; of the which I will say further, that who so ever readeth them shall necessarily frame to himself a catholic spirit, and shall never after drink the venom of any heresy. For all thighs fathers, as they were well instructed upon what states the holy Ghost doth rest himself: so do they breath out nothing but humility, abatement of presumption, abnegation or denial of themselves, a sovereign reverence to the Church, a perpetual flame of charity, and a care of spiritual unity, and as a man might say, an indivisibility with the Church.  
The eight mark is holiness of doctrine; (that is to say) when the profession of doctrine doth not contain any falsehood concerning matter of faith; nor injustice concerning manners: by the which mark, it is convicted that there is no true Church in the world but the catholic Church. For there is not a sect in the world be it of the Panimes, jews, Turks, or of heretics as well old as new, but it doth contain in her doctrine some manifest impiety, or some injustice directly contrary to reason▪ as the sect of Caluin doth make God author of sin: and as much the cause of the treason of Judas, as of the conversion of S. Peter: and doth teach that the christian can not do any good work. Besyds that, all their writings be impugnours of chastity, of virginity, of Religion: inveihing against fasting, against vows, against all orderly devotion in the church: establishing all vice: provoking to despair: & labouring to extingwishe the seed of immortality in the hearts of men. But the Church catholic is perfaictlie holy and immaculate in her doctrine: she doth teach many things in her mysteries above reason, but nothing against reason: she doth teach to avoid sin; she doth correct transgressors; she doth comfort the penitentes: she doth exhort all her children to walk holily, justly, religiously in all their ways; and to have their very thoughts holy, purging, illuminating, & making them perfect for to present them holy to God. Come (saith S. Augustin) to our Churches; there is nothing set forth to see, or to follow which is impossible; nothing unjust, nothing impure: there be insinuated the commandments of the true God, or his marueilles declared, or his gifts praised, or his graces demanded. And there is no perfect joy nor true consolation in the world but there: for that there is not any remission of sins in the world but there.  
The ninth mark is holiness of life, aswell in priests as in the people. I know that this mark although many do cavil at it, yet is it forceible: & more notorious in catholics, than in all the sectaries of the world. S. chrysostom saith, that all the kinds of justice that the servants of God have in truth, the servants of the devil may have the same in dissimulation. The devil (saith he) hath his meek men, and his humble men: he hath his chaste men, his alms givers: his fasters, and all kind of goodness that god hath created for the salvation of men. The devil hath brought in the same kind for to deceive them: to the end that between the true good and the good feigned there should be a confusion, by the which the simple not being easily able to discern the true good from the good feigned, whiles they searching the men of God, they light upon men of the devil: and there is not any thing but only charity, that the unclean spirit can not counterfeit. All appearance of justice is found in deceivers except only charity, which is not found but in the only servants of God: The holy Ghost hath reserved to himself only this virtue of charity, in such sort, that by no other action of justice a man may so well discern where the holy ghost is, as by the virtue of charity.  
All heresies at te beginning come masked with a superficial holiness, which for that it is not of the spirit of God, can not soundly be there settled. And as the ape learned by art to hold the candle after he hath stood some small while in stead of a candelstik, at the sight of a nut cast before him leaveth all for to run after it: even so they can not long time endure without manifesting the spirit whereof they be. And as their father was a murderer from the beginning, so they be come strait ways thieves, kindlers of 
joh. 8.  dissension, worse than Panimes and Barbarians, and above all other vices, Pride is to them peculiar. whereof S. Augustin saith: Insundrie places there be sundry heresies, but one 
Aug. l. de past.  only mother pride hath engendered them all, as also our only mother the Catholic Church hath brought forth all faithful Christians dispersed throughout the world.  
And all thes heresies do springe by accident of some evil occasion. Egesippus speaking 
Egesipp. apud Eus. lib. 4. hist. cap. 22.  of the first heretic, saith thus. than the church was called a virgin, not being yet corrupted by adulterous doctrine, but one Theobutes for that 
Theobutes.  he was denied a bishopric; did begin to trouble and corrupt all things. It appeareth in the ecclesiastical 
Act. 8. Tert. con. Valen. Epiph. he ●4. Theod. l. 3. 5  history that Simon Magus, Valentin, Marrian, Arrius, and all those old monsters did spring out from thence: for disdaining that others were preferred before them, they made a sect for to revenge themselves, 
Apoc. 16. I. Coch. in acts Luth. 15 17. Luth. in ep. ad Argen. l. con. Aug. & l. de missa sing.  being eloquent and of great wit, and of those that S. john calleth false Prophets issued out of the throat of the dragon: unclean and devilish spirits, practising the kings of the earth. Luther witnessed his own motive in the first disputation against Ecchius, crying out, this cause is not begun for the love of God: Himself hath written that willingly he would have denied the presence of jesus Christ in the Eucharist, if the scripture had not been so clear; for that thereby (saith he) he did see that he might do much heart to the Papacy. He boasteth himself, that kings, Princes, and Popes were not worthy to untie the latch of his shoes: he said that he would that they should hold him for a holy man whether men would or no: that he did not esteem much a thousand Cyprian's, a thousand Augustins: And for to show more plainly that his father is the king over all the children of pride, he saith, that the devil did teach him that the mass was an evil thing, and that persuaded by the 
Conrae. Gesn. in Bibl. Luth.  reasons of the devil he did abolish the mass. His own followers themselves, have described him to be a man full of a malicious spirit and without charity, Erasmus saith, that he was a manifest deceiver; and that he 
Eras. ad vultu.  did never see one of those which have followed him that did a mend themselves, but many impaired. One of his own ministers whriteth in this manner, to the end that all the world may know that they be not Papists, and that they do not trust any whit at all in good works, they do none at all: and having changed the spirit of humility into arrogancy, & redoubling their first dissolutions without fasting, without alms, 〈◊〉 
Luth. in 〈◊〉 ●up ●uan●.  call that kind of life an evangelical 〈◊〉 Luther himself hath acknowledged that his own disciples gave themselves to be more revengeful, more covetous, proud, unmerciful, unruly, and much worse than they had been, then when they where Papists. Which thing the principal Lutherans perceiving, and that their corruption was chiefly caused for that they had taken away auricular confession, they where desirous to restore the same again by way of policy: & for to constrain the people there to, they did present a request to the Emperor Charles the fift, who refused to hear, them, except they would unite themselves again to the Church. His disciples Caluin and Beza 
Soto in 4. libr. sent. ubi de c●fess. auric.  did not so much as cover themselves with sheeps skins, but being very noon-devils DEMONIA MERIDIANA have painted out themselves as Apostatas of nature, publishing their sins like Sodom, and not hiding the same; hell itself could not cast forth more filth than the school of those abominable Pentapolitaines or Gomorits. They have digged out of the earth the books of impiety and ethnical corruptions which our forefathers had buried. They have thereof made commentaries, and put them in french for to infect therewith the world: An horrible thing, that they have not been ashamed to call themselves waldins: to write that they help them 
Beza imag.  selves with empoisoning; with witch craft, with Magic, and with the devilish art for to dispatch themselves of their evil willers. I would never have believed that Satan had been so impudent, if I had not seen the same in their books. They do revile all ancient fathers with shameful injuries, exalting the old heretics so far, that they call S. Herome a perverse spirit, 
Cal. in har. evan.  and wicked: & JOVINIAN which was an heretic they call an holy man: and say, that S. Hierom and S. Augustin in that, that they did gainsey JOVINIAN were themselves heretics. And it is a wonderful doltish folly in them whom they have bewitched, that they do not recover any space of time, for to consider their illusions: and whereof it cometh that in their writings do appear so many injuries, such false accusations, and lies, and not any light of Charity, or grief of scandel of their neighbours, turning all accidents of disorder in to mockery or matter of detraction, in their behaviours. The fabulous goddess Ate in Homer, did never make so many calamities as they have made where they have passed by. If their sectaries seeing their steps did cast their eyes towards them, for to consider by the motion of what spirit they have burned our Churches, martyred, cruelly our priests, destroyed our houses, & committed a million of in humanity's, they should see that such things be not the marks of the true church. The spirit of God is not in a tempest of wind overthrowing the monteignes and breaking the stones; it is not in a thundering commotion; it is not in in fire which doth destroy where it passeth: it is in a sound of a spirit, calm, and gentle, working no harm nor ruin, but creating a new & reviving in such sort, as the scripture saith that he did manifest himself to Elias. As for the Catholic people, it is too true that there be many wicked, yet there are also many that fear God, love their neighbour, and endeavour to keep themselves undefiled of this world: which had rather lose their goods & their lives then the grace of God. The catholic people is as the grange of a labourer full of sheaves of corn, whereof their doth not appear to the eyes but the chaff: Yet if one come to thrash the sheaves and put the grain bore apart, there will be found a good heap. I know men see not the good people go together in troops, but that the flood of corruption which hath sway, hath overthrown many, and that it seemeth, (as saith the Prophet) that Satan doth reap the field and gather the vines, and that God doth not but glean or leaze after him. But yet I say there be a good number which do set themselves against the evil, and continue still standing upright, holding themselves fastened to GOD and will be rather crushed to pieces then to separate themselves from him: Who if they fall sometime by infirmity, yet they rise again quickly, maintaining their custom of well-doing, and praying unto God incessantly that he will fortify them: and when they must resolve themselves, will forsake all the respects of the world for the honour of God.  
As for our priests it can not be dissembled, but that there be dreadful scandals, and all good people have their hearts wounded to see the disorders that be in them: those men that deserve high punishment have there the highest honours, and the minds of the comen people, which are moved more by by example, than by reason, do fall by to much marking the manners of many prelate's. But what so ever confusion there be, yet are there some found not unworthy, dispersed here and there, doing their charge with reverence. The grief is that the greater part doth surmount the better; and there are not to furnish every where. It is our part to pray that when the judasses' & traitors shall be gone into their places, GOD will give us Mathiasses. for to supply their roomths again. In the mean time, good or bad as we have them we honour them, as ministers and dispensers of the ministries of God. We know that we must always make distinction between the vocation and the person. In mines of gold and silver, one shall not find the gold all pure: there is but one little vein upon a grain of the earth: Yet men let not for that, to take that vein and leave the earth. Now the gold and the silver be the Sacraments and the word of God: the earth is the corrupted manners. The holiness of the church consists not in the persons, but in the Sacraments saith Optatus. The priests for the reverence of their priesthood ought 
Optatus.  to be as Melchisedech without father, without mother, without genealogy, 
Hebr. 7.  kings of peace and of justice: that is to say, all spiritual, all pure, all holy, without fleashelie affection, as if they were descended from heaven, not subject to the passions of men: if they be not such, if they preach the good and do the evil, they be like the carpenters of the ark of Noah, which taking no care to save themselves did not enter therein: or like the candle which giveth light to others and consumeth itself; or as the marks which show the way and stir not from their place. No did not cast himself in to the water because of the uncleanness of the beasts which wear in the ark: so we must not departed from the Church for the vices of men. If a sick man should refuse the remedy of a Physician, for that the physician himself is subject to the like disease, he were misadvised. The grace of the Sacraments is not of less force for the evil life of a priest: and the divinity can not be impeached by the corruption of persons. If the beams of the sun do not defile themselves passing by unclean places; much less do the Sacraments of god, which be remedies purging all contagions. A man must never ground his religion upon the perfection of creatures: for that were idolatry. It is upon the word of God that he must make his foundation. And I will say more, that it was expedient for us, to have for our pastors, men taken from among men, which be of fles he and blood as we are, weak and unperfect as we, and can have compssion on us, for to distribute the Sacraments according as our weakness doth require. If God had given us Angels for pastors, they would have required too great perfections of us. God hath given to priests the ministery of his gifts. It is of priests that our Saviour doth say, as thou hast sent me to the world, sol I have sent them into the world. I have given them thy word, and I do not pray only for them, but for those which shall believe in me by their word. How contemptible so ever the person of the priest be, I consider God in him, and not the man: and honouring the contemptible man, in that he is the vicar of God, I honour God more, than if I honoured a holy man which were perfect: because I do it not for any other respect than for the love of God: where as in holy men, it is the holiness of life & the prerogative of virtues which maketh them venerable. To be short, we must not only receive jesus Christ in his own person, but we also must receive the holy Ghost in his Church: As jesus Christ is the head, so the holy Ghost is the soul of the Church; and the chair of jesus Christ shall not have less privileige than that of Moses. From Moses unto the Messiah, the Synagogue always taught the truth: so the chair of Messiah shall teach the truth, to the end of the world. The grace of the chair is of that force, that the same doth constrain those to say well which do not well: but many in that chair do the one & the other. For conclusion of this mark: Among Catholics there be good people, & all may be such: but among heretics there be none good, nor none can be.  
The tenth mark is the gloire of mirakles, which be divine operations surmounting 
Exod. 4. Math. 10. joh. 15. Mar. vlt. Haebr. 2. Aug. li. de uti. ●red. & 22. de c●uit. Dei c. 8. Tert. l. de praes.  the ability of all creatures, as to raise the dead, to make the blind to see, to help the lame, and to cure diseases which are naturally incurable. And this mark is necessary for to persuade a new faith, or an extraordinary sending, even according as the scripture and all the fathers do teach. But never were there true miracles in the world but among the jews and the Catholics: The jews have not had any, sithence jesus Christ. The Mahometists have never made any: & Mahomet saith in the Alcoran, that the miracles have been given to jesus Christ, and the sword to him. The Panimes also never wrought any true miracles. Those which they report touching an ox and an Image which did speak, water carried in a siue by a vestal virgin, a razor that did cut a whetstone, and 
Tit. Livius. Cicero. Val. Max.  such like, be all light toys tending not to the vinification or bettering of any creature, but be secret tricks which the devils might easily do for to amaze and to maintain the follies of Paganism. But true and lively miracles bringing sound comfort to men, never Satan nor his angels, nor the false prophets, nor the Panimes, nor the heretics 
Suetonius. Corn. Tacitus.  have ever done any. Those that SVETONIUS and TACITUS have written of Vespasian, that he did make one that was blind to see with his spittle, and heal one that was lame, and an other that had a dry hand, those be the miracles of jesus christ, which those profane persons would rob him of, for to attribute them to their Empereur: and they themselves discover their theft by their own writings. TACITUS doth write that the said blind man said to Vespasian, that he had in revelation of the God Serapis, to come to him. Now the Panimes, which had not yet heard then of JESUS Christ, did think that the Christians did worship Serapis, as it doth appear an epistle of the Empereur Adrian to Seruianus consul, as appeareth in Vopiscus where he saith: that in the town of Alexandria they that worship Serapis were Christians. whereby one may see that the Author of the healing of that blind, was the God of the christians. The cause of the error in the name Serapis, cometh of that, that then throughout all the world, men talked of the miracles that jesus Christ and his Apostles had done in jury, and the countries round about: and did not declare them according to the pure truth, as commonly things which be done in countries far of, be disguised and altered by them which report them: & the Panimes at all times have been rash & foolish to judge of things to them unknown, giving for history that which they did imagine, according to their darkness, as it appeareth even by the scripture itself. Even so the Syrians being overcome by the jews, said that the God of the jews was the God of Mountanes, and 
3. Reg. 20. 4. Reg. 18.  that they must entrap him in the valleys. Even so Rapsaces did judge that Ezechias had destroyed the altars of the God of the jews, when he destroyed the idols. Likerwise the Licaonians did call Barnabas jupiter, & S. Paul, Mercury, for that he was the chief speaker. In like manner the Panimes in the time of 
Act. 14.  the Apostles understanding that the Christians did worship jesus Christ in the Eucharist, said that they did worship Ceres and Bacchus. And above all the Panimes, Tacitus by his writings doth show him self to be a manifest slanderer of matters 
Tac. l. 4. hist.  both Christian and judaical. But yet to take the history, as if there were no error in the name of Serapis, and that the deed were averred in the person of Vespasian: it was not a blind man in deed, nor a lame man indeed which were healed by Vespasian. For Tacitus doth write that the Phisiciens assembled did say, that the disease of those two were curable: that in the one the faculty of sight was not lost; and that the same might come again, if they did take from him the impediments: As to the other, he said that it was easy to help his legs. Therefore if the diseases which naturally might be healed, have been cured by the craft of the devil: that is not a true miracle. And it is credible which Tertullian saith, that those diseases whereof the devil, which 
Tert. in Apol.  did hinder in the one the use of the eye, and in the other the use of the legs, to the end that he might seem to heal, when he did cease to hurt, and to the end that he might darken the true miracles of jesus Christ, and of the Apostles. The true, certain, evident, and unforged miracles have never been but in the Catholic Church, in the which, at all times according to necessary occasion God hath wrought them, in the beginning in infinite number: but sithence, that heavenly plant having cast his roots throughout the earth, and having no more need of such watering; they have been less frequented. for that it is not for the benefit of the Church to have so often miracles. And yet not witstanding for the space of these thousand years there hath no age passed without miraclcs in the Catholic Church authentically witnessed, and with out gainsaying: as the miracles done by Tharasius, S. Malachi, S. Bernard, S. Francis, S. Dominike, and others, which have made the blind to see, restored hearing to the 
Antonin. part. hist. cap. 23.  deaf, helped the lame, and raised the dead. And it is not much more than a hundred years from S. Vincent, he which did convert 25. thousand jews and Saracens, of whom 38. dead men wear raised from death to life. Anthoninus which was of his time hath written the same. And all the people, Christians, jews, and Turks did see the same. Of our time it hath been written from the Indiens newly discovered, that Francis Xavier priest, a jesuit hath healed some of the palsy, some deaf, some domme, some blind: and raised one dead, and hath done other miracles, witnessing that he was of the spirit of the Apostles: And all those holy persons were Catholics. Many have written that Caluin & other new heretics have suborned poor people for to counterfeit themselves to be dead, to the end that they might raise them again in the assemble of people, for to authorize their impiety: the which counterfeiting to be dead, have died indeed in the act of their feigning, to the confusion of the deceivers. In conclusion, the mark of the true miracles is not found in any place of the world, but in the Catholic Church.  
The eleventh mark, is the unhappy end of the arch-heretics, & of princes their protectors, and the prosperity of those that have defended the Church. I know how much a man must lean or trust to this mark; I know that God doth often spare the wicked, and doth fatten them with prosperities, & show himself more austere and hard to his true children, to the end to a wake them again, and that they remain not settled in the earth. Therefore our faith hath other sound grounds sufficient without authorizing her by events, which may have by the will of God motives unto us incomprehensible: and may happen sometimes with disadvantage (in respect of the world) to the true children of God, as rods and fatherly chastisements. But we see ordinarily that God doth show himself so good a father, and so favourable towards those which be courageous to defend his Church, that over and above the most happy eternity, which is assured unto them, he doth reward them also temporally: and strikes with ignominy and calamities, those which be enemies to him. Among the Archeheretiks, Simon Magus carried by the devil in the air, at the prayer of S. Peter did fall down and all bruised died shamefully: Manicheus was slain a live by the king of Persia. Montanus did hang himself: Arrius being about to go into the Church, suddenly died of an horrible death casting out his entrails: Nestorius was eaten of vermin. Luther died suddenly the same night that at sopper he had tippled square, gossiped, and made all the company to laugh. Zwinglius was slain in war against the Catholics: Corolstadius slain of a devil by the testimony of his own disciples. Caluin died yet more miserably. Among princes, julian the Apostata was slain from heaven, and his body without burying was swallowed up of the earth, Valens burned alive of the Arrian Goths whom he had favoured. Anastasius was stricken with thunder: Hunerick king of Vandals eaten with vermin: The 3. Herod's, as also Nero, Domitian, Maximin and all the other persecutors of Christians be miserably dead, either be killing themselves, or being cruelly killed by their own men. Contrariwise all the Emperors and Catholic kings which have defended the church, have been glorious in the world: God hath made them triumph over their enemies, & hath given them their desires. The examples of Constantin, of Theodosius the elder & younger, of Honorius & of others, doth prove the same. So long as Heraclius was a good catholic, he prospered against the Persians: after that he bekame an heretic, he was unhappy and died miserably: Likewise justinian. And to be, short, sithence that the Emperors of the east, did withdraw themselves from the Roman Church, they grew from day to day in decay, waxing weaker and weaker till they lost the Empire. It is apparent that the Emperors of the west have floris head more or less, according as their devotion was more or less to the church: As for France we can not deny that ever it hath been in greater glory and more redowted to the world, than when it was a refuge to Popes; and hath never declined so much as when it hath been against them. And of our kings, those which have done most for the Roman Church, have been the most happy, most beloved of the people, and most dreadful to their enemies. In our time, in the year 1531. the Catholic Suissers had five battles against the heretic Suissers, and in them all the Catholics did vanquish the heretics: & making finally a peace, in the first article, the heretics did write this clause: that from thence forth they would leave in peace their confederates concerning the point of their true indoubted and catholic faith. And the catholics this clause: that they would leave their confederates in peace touching the point of their faith, without adding this words true, indoubted, Catholic. In Germany 1547. Charles the fift with a small number had a marvelous victoire of the Lutherans, which had an army of more than threescore thousand men. In France the Catholics have always for the most part overcome the heretics, as at the battle of dreuz, of jerna, of Mountcounter, and seldom or never have the heretics in just battle overcome the catholics, neither in France, nor in flanders, nor in Almain, nor else where: and we shall see doubtless (with the grace of God) that those which at this day put themselves in force to defend the Church, God shall crown them with honour and glory, and shall heap unto them goods, prosperities, and temporal blessings, & shall cause his wrath and all maledictions and shames to reign upon the persecutors, and upon the secret traitors which do favour heresy.  
The twelfth mark, is the union of the members with their sovereign head, which is the successor of S. Peter, in the government of the universal Church. Our Saviour being desirous to give us sure and settled centre in the sphere of his church, from the which all the lines of the doctrine of salvation should be drawn to the circumference of the world, did chose the chair of S. Peter, that is to say, the place consecrated by the seat and martyrdom of S. Peter, the which by prerogative of honour he did appoint to be head of the unity of his Church, making him, not his successor (for it is JESUS CHRIST himself, which is always the only true head of his Church, remaining unmovable and immortal, and which never shall have successor, making it fruitful always himself only, by his holy spirit.) But making him his depute, lieutenant, and vice gerent in earth, in the outward ministery and sovereign jurisdiction of his Church, and after him all his successors in the same sort: So that the sovereign Bishops be vicar's of JESUS CHRIST, and not successors: and successors of S. Peter not his vicar's. who so ever will take from the church, that Monarchy called the vicareige of JESUS Christ, he would have a flock without a pastor: an army without a leader: a body without a head: a building without foundation: and the stars without their son; that is to save, he would have the dispersion of the flock, the discomforture of the Army, the death of the body, the overthrow of the building, the darkening of the stars; he would have a confused chaos, disordered & void of all proportion, and an Anarchy or government, more horrible, more confused and more disordered, than the bottomless pit itself; he deserveth not to be heard. God which is the author of order and not of confusion, which hath appointed an order among the Angels, will not that we go mingle mangle in the society of this world. We know well as touching the power of the order, which concerneth the real body of the person of jesus Christ, all priests be equal to S. Peter, and to the sovereign bishop in the priesthood: But as touching the jurisdiction which doth concern the body mystical of the church, there it is where there are different degrees, and where one sovereign head of all priests is requisite, which may hold the principality over all the Ckurch. Who so ever dissembleth to 
Thirty two prerogatives of S, Peter.  see in the text of the gospel the principality of S. Peter, and of his successors, he is a rebel to light, and fleeth the truth, of set purpose, and doth show that he is stirred by the wickedness of a poisoned heart: for these prerogatives of S. Peter, which are witnessed in the gospel are to be considered. First that S. Matthew manifestly and expressly hath 
Matth. 10.  given to S. Peter the title of chief of the Apostles, And all the Evangelists, making mention of the holy college of the Apostles, do give always the first place to S. Peter. That S. Peter is only he among the Apostles to whom our saviour hath changed the name, and hath given him one of his own names, most famous, whereby he is often signified, noted, or designed in the scriptures (that is to say) the rock: for in those two that were surnamed sons of thunder, the name was not changed, they had only the gift of vehemency. Now God did never put new name, but when he made some great new benefit in the world, giving with the name the efficacy of the which it doth signify: as naming Abraham he gave him to be made a father of many nations: even so naming Peter, he gave him the firmness of the rock and of stone, for to ground upon him some great new building. Let it be also considered that S. Peter is only he among the Apostles: to whom the father everlasting did reveal, that jesus was Christ, the son of the living God. For all the other holding their peace, & suffering the ignorant opinion of the common people to prevail which had so base an imagination of JESUS Christ, that they did esteem him only, for either Elias, for the zeal of the law; or Hieremie for the holiness of life: or John Baptist by reason of his baptizing: or some prophet for to reveal the things to come: S. Peter only put himself forward not having respect to the substance of flesh and blood; but passing on beyond those corporal and human things, by revelation of the sovereign father he did see with the eyes of the mind the son of the living God; and confessed the gloire of his deity, pronouncing with heart & mouth these words, or rather that sound of the divinity and humanity of JESUS Christ: Thou art Christ the son of the living God: as if he had said, thou art not Elias, which was taken up into heaven, thou art jesus Christ which art descended from heaven for to lift up man from the earth: thou art not Hieremie, or John baptist sanctified in the woumbes of their mothers, But jesus Christ sanctifying the world: thou art not a prophet to whom are revealed the things to come, but jesus Christ which hast present in thy sight all eternity. Those words, be very high, but the sense understood by S. Peter, is yet much higher: And it was necessary that it should so be, that he which ought to hold the chair of jesus Christ, for to teach all the world the true religion, should have that loftiness of faith, that greatness of knowleige, that fervour of love, and confess the same, by the which his confession, as jesus Christ, had made him to know God: so S. Peter had made jesus Christ to be known: Whereupon jesus Christ hath therefore loved him above all the other, hath therefore declared him very happy and hath given him that great participarion of his name, rock. And to the end that that name should not be void and idle, he promised him that upon that stone, he would build his Church, and that the gates of hell should never prevail against the same: that he would give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and that all that he should bind and unbind in earth should be bound and unbound in heaven: he hath not spoken of giving the keys to the other Apostles. So the church is builded upon the faith and confession of S. Peter: And the faith which is the seed of our regeneration is called the faith of S. Peter: Let that also be considered which is spoken of in S. Luke, that the people pressing 
Luc. 5.  on our saviour for to hear the word of God: our Saviour seeing near the lake two ships, went up into the one which belonged 
Luc. 5. Io. 21.  to S. Peter, where being set, he did teach the people. And those that sailed in the other ship transported themselves into that of S. Peter, with jesus Christ. Let it be further considered that the two miracles. done by our saviour in the taking of fishes, were done in the ship of S. Peter, and by the ministery of S. Peter. That S. Peter, also is only he among the Apostles, that our saviour made go upon the waters: for whom only he paid tribute: for whom only in particular he prayed to his father, to the end his faith should not fail: to whom only he gave charge to confirm the faith of his brethren: of whom, as head of others, he did require more love than of others. whose feet he did first wash accordng to S. Augustin: to whom he did first appear after his resurrection: to whom only he foretold his death and death on the cross: to whom only he said three times feed & govern my sheep, meaning his Church : whom more precisely than others he commanded to follow him: who only, when the disciples were scandalised at the words of our saviour, saying that he would give his body to eat, answered for all the Apostles, and said: Lord thou hast the words of life everlastlng, and we believe the same: whom only among all the disciples our saviour did baptise with his own hands. First Euodius immediate successor of S. Peter in the bishopric of 
Euodius in lib.  Antioch hath written, that our saviour 
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉.  did baptise only the virgin his mother among women; and S. Peter only among men, and that S. Peter did baptise S. Andrew S. james, S. John, and the others: That S. Perer also as head of the Apostles, after the ascension of our saviour did assemble the church for to choose an Apostle in the place of judas: That S. Peter after the sending of the holy ghost, did first preach and convert in two sermons eight thousand souls: That he 
Act. 1.  did the first miracle on the lame man, which was at the gate of the temple. That he as sovereign judge did condemn the fraud and hypocrisy of Ananias and Saphira, whom he did kill with his word: That he knew and did condemn the first notable arch-heretic Simon Magus: that to him was directed, as to the head, the vision of that sheet, Let down from heaven, having of all sorts of beasts, and commandment to preach to the 
Act. 1●.  gentiles; the which vision doth concern the direction of the universal Church: that for him as head of the Church prayer was made without intermission in all the Church, 
Act. 15.  which is not said of any of the others. That he in the Council of the Apostles did speak first as head: That he in the most holy Creed of the Apostles did begin first, by that high word Credo, thereby making the christian religion, a religion of faith, for whose sake S. Paul saith that he went up expressly into Jerusalem; note also, that S. Peter himself doth testify, that God chose him among the Apostles, that by his mouth the Gentiles should hear the word of the Gospel, and believe: Let it be also considered that after that the twelve Apostles had received the holy Ghost and the gift of all tongues, having distributed among themselves all the earth, therein to plant every one in his quarter the Gospel of jesus Christ; S. Peter as head of the twelve, is sent to the head of the world, to the Queen of cities, the chief city of the Roman Empire; to the end, that the law of truth which did reveal, itself for the salvation of all people, might spread itself abroad more easily from the head to all the body of the world: and where the world had the head of his Empire, there the prince of the Apostles hath had his seat: in the city of Rome: in the which (having first given order to the affairs of the East) he comes himself to make his abode, for to form and set in order the affairs of the west, and of all the world: where having ended his course before the time of his death 
2. Pet. 1.  jesus Christ made unto him yet one prerogative more, by appearing unto him, and saying to him, that he would be glorified by his martyrdom within the city of Rome: Let it be further considered that the Churches founded by S. Peter, (that is to say Antioch, and Alexandria) have been named the chief 
In Con. Calced.  Patriarchal Churches, and did go before all the others in the Counsels. Let it be considered 
Optatus lib. 2,  that in the primitive Church, in the testimonial letters that they gave to those that went in to far countries, & did change their habitations, to the end they might be received where they went to the communion, 
Sidon Apol. l. 7. ep. 2.  there was put down in subscription after the first letters of the names of the father, of the son and of the holy ghost, the first letter of the name of S. Peter, for witness, that such a one was Catholic. Finally let it be considered that the Church hath made a feast, or holy dare of the chair of S. Peter, fos to praise God for the sovereign benefit that he hath done to his Church, to give him a chair eminent above the others which should always be certain, unto whom all the world may have recourse, & of whom all the world ought to be instructed as saith Optatus: the which feast is very ancient. For Bede and S. Augustin, make mention thereof. 
Optat. li. 2. Bed. in Thetl. Aug. ser. 15. de sanct.  But in none of the other Apostles are the prerogatives found to be called of our saviour into the feloushippe of his name, and of his office and pastoral care: and even of his death: to be the mouth, of the other Apostles in all occurrent affairs, nor the other prerogatives, the which have been attributed of all the aucients, to the supremacy and principality of S. Peter: which being evident in S. Peter, it is superfluous to speak of them in his successors. For it is well known that our saviour giving a head to his Church hath not intended to give only the same for the time of S. Peter; as if the Church had had no need thereof after him. But it is the custom of GOD to make the first forms of things as moulds, and afterwards to let the same be continued by succession: & propagation according to their nature.   

TESTIMONIES OF THE fathers, and of Counsels, for the supremacy of S. Peter.  
IT should not be need full to proceed here any farther. But because heretics be so impudent liars, as to say that the ancient fathers have never given to S. Peter nor to his successors Bishops of Rome, those names of Prince, of Head, or of Sovereign, I will bring forth some testimonies for to confound them.  
S. Irene, being near to the time, of the 
Iren. l. 3. c. 3.  Apostles, said. That it must necessarily be, that all the universal Church, that is to say, all the faithful which be in all the world should resort to the Roman Church for her most high principality, and doth add, that in this Church, the true traditions of the Apostles, and the faith which giveth life, hath always been kept.  
S. Cyprian, he which forsaketh the Chair of saint Peter upon the which the 
Cyp. l. de v●ita. eccl. & ep. 55. 69.  Church is founded, doth he think to be in the Church? Moreover he doth call S. Peter the head, the fountain the Root, and the matrice of the Church: He doth attribute to him the supremacy of the Apostles in pre-eminence of excellent grace, he saith that unfaithfulness can not have access to the chair of S. Peter, and that the cause of all heresies proceedeth of this, that men be not obedient to one only Bishop, vicar of jesus Christ.  
S. Hierome: Among the twelve Apostles, one is chosen head for to take away all occasions 
Hieron. count Io●●a. 71.  of schism, And being in the holy place of our lords nativity in jury, he did write to Rome to Pope Damasus in these terms: Lo here the faith which I have learned 
Hieron. ad Damas'. pap.  in the Catholic Church: If I do err in any manner of fashion as Ignorant, or as misadvised: I desire that you correct me, sithence that you have the seat and the faith of S. Peter. And if you allow my confession, I protest then boldly against whosoever shall reprove me: that I am not ignorant, & that he is wicked or an heretic. Your city of Rome is happy, where the faith of the fathers keepeth itself uncorrupted. Here the evil children have consumed their Patrimony. Here the good grain is degenerate into cockle, whereas your Rome being always fertile with divine seed, watered with heavenly graces, fructified in one self same purity. Now in the west, the son of justice doth rise: Here in the East, that Lucifer which did fall from heaven, hath set his throne: I pray you therefore to teach me that which I ought to keep secret or utter, concerning the faith, I shun every heretic, I follow you only, I am the sheep which demandeth succour of the Pastor, I speak to the successor of the fisher, to the disciple of the Cross, I hold me to your holiness, that is to say, to the chair of S. Peter. I know that upon this Rock the Church is gronded, that whosoever out of this house doth eat the Lamb, he is profaned, he is not of jesus Christ: he is of Antichrist. Moreover he calleth the Roman Church a very pure fountain, which doth not receive Illusions against the faith: which hath never nourished heresy: which hath always continued immaculate, Ruffinus 
Ruffin. in sym.  said also that never heresy took beginning at Rome.  
S. Augustine: who knoweth not the principality of the Apostleship of S. Peter is 
Aug. tract. 55. & 124. Ep. 164. lib. de Bapt.  to be preferred before any Bishopric? The Principality of the Apostolic chair, hath always had force in the Roman Church: S. Peter as concerning his person, by nature, was but a man, by grace a Christian; But by more abundant grace, that on & self same man, is the chief Apostle: and for the supremacy of his Apostleship doth represent the universal Church. And speaking of the Repentance of S. Peter: Our Lord (saith he) hath healed the disease of all the body in the head: and in the very top of 
Aug. ser. 144. de paen. Pet.  the Church. And praying for S. Peter he hath prayed for all; for that the benefit of the head doth redound to the people. He doth moreover call the Pope father of the Christian 
Aug. in q. vet. & nou. Test. q. 75. Amb. ser. 47.  people.  
S. Ambrose saith, our Lord ascending into the only ship of the Church, whereof S. Peter is the governor, that ship doth so swim in the high See of the world, that the world perishing, she shall keep safe: (as did the Ark of Noah in the shipwreck of the world) those whom she shall have received. And as the flood being passed, the dove brought into the Ark the sign of peace: even so after the burning of the world, to those whom the Ark of the Church shall represent, jesus Christ shall bring the sign of his peace & of his joy. He saith further, that Peter is the vicar of the Love of jesus Christ towards us: that he is the stone of Churches, which, as an unmovable Rock, containeth the heap and joining together of all Christian building: That, not S. Andrew but S. Peter hath had the primacy and care of Churches. Optatus among the marks, of the true church putteth the chair 
Optat. li. 2.  of S. Peter for the first, and chief. There is (saith he) but one only chair, which hath been set at Rome, where the head of the Apostles, S. Peter hath been precedent: in whom the unity of the chair is kept of all, and he should be a Schismatic, and wicked man who against that singular chair; would set up an other.  
S. Leo. Of all the world only S. Peter 
Leo ser. 3.  is chosen precedent for the vocation of the gentiles, & for all the fathers of the church: And although there be many priests and many pastors, among the people of God: Yet S. Peter doth govern them all: And it was so ordained by great providence, that in every place there should be one head: in the great towns other superior heads having more ample jurisdiction; by whose means the care of the universal Church should come to the seat of S. Peter: and that nothing should be disagreeing with his sovereign head.  
Prosper. Rome is the seat of S. Peter: A Hatchet of heresies: the head of all the 
Prosp. lib. de Ingratis.  world: That which she can not possess by Arms, she doth hold the same by religion.  
S. Gregory: It is most clear unto all those that know the Gospel, that the care & principality of the whole Church hath been given to S, Peter, Prince of all the Apostles, by the voice of our Lord himself.  
S. Bede. S. Peter hath specially had the keys 
Bed. in vigil. S. Andr.  of the kingdom of heaven, & the principality of judicial power, to the end that, all the faithful which are in the world, might understand, that whosoever doth separat himself from the unity of the faith, & of the society of S. Peter, he can not be absolved from the bands of his sins, nor be brought in at the gate of the kingdom of heaven.  
S. Bernard, A man doubtless very holy, and very far of from all flattery, observing every where the severity of brotherly correction, used these terms to Pope Innocent: we must 
Ber. ep. 190.  bring to your Apostleship all the perils and scandals which rise in the Church, being a thing meet that the detriments of the faith may be restored in that place, where the faith can not receive detriment: for this is the prerogative of that seat. And to Pope Eugen. Thou 
Bernar. l. 2. the consider.  art the great priest, the sovereign Bishop, Prince of Bishops, Inheretour of the Apostles: In Primacy Abel: In patriarchy Abraham: Moses in authority: S. Peter in power: jesus christ in unction. The others have every one flokes assigned a part: to the all flocks are committed, & thou art not only Pastor of Sheep, but Pastor of Pastors.  
Among the Greeks', Origen saith that the government of the Church hath been given to S. Peter: that S. Peter is the chief or head of the Apostles, having more power and perfection than others.  
S. Greg. Nazianz. The disciples of jesus Christ, all great & excellent, & worthy to be heads, have never the less been very well content, to be put behind S. Peter upon whose faith the church hath her foundation.  
Io. Chrisost. Our lord hath shed his blood 
Chrysost. lib. 2. de sacerd.  for to get together the sheep of whom he hath given the charge to S. Pe. & to his successors. Hieremie was father to one nation, but jesus Christ hath set S. Peter over all the world.  
S. Basil: jesus christ himself is truly the 
Basil. de paenit.  immovable Rock, S. Peter is so by Reason of that Rock: jesus christ giving him his dignities, doth not spoil himself of them, nor hath any thing less. 
Theoph. in illae verba Confirma frat●es tuos.  Theoph. bringeth in our saviour speaking to S. Pet. Thou whom I have made Prince of the disciples; who after thou haddest denied me, hast again received the Primacy of all, the pre-eminence of the whole world, who art after me the stone, and the foundation of the Church, confirm the others, and be to them a good example of repentance.  
S. Thomas citeth out of S. Cirill these words, As jesus Christ hath received of the father the sceptre of the Gentiles; even so hath he plainly committed it to S. Peter and to his successors; and hath not given that which is his own to any other but unto S. Peter.  
Epiphaneus: Oecumenius: Euthymius: and all the rest of the ancient Greeks', do speak of this matter conformably to the Latins: And Origen, and S. Hierome have applied that place of S. Paul to the Romans', (your faith is preached through the universal world:) in the sense of the principality of the Roman Church: As if S. Paul should give thanks to GOD for the conversion of that place, which should be the oracle of the universal Church, and whereof dependeth the conversion of the whole whirled.  
Ephrem the Syrian saith, that, as Moses was head of the society of the Hebrews; even so was S. Peter of the Church of Christians: And as the one was Prince of the old Testament: so the other is likewise head of the new.  
One Eritrianus in the time of Emperor Emmanuel; It doth appear manifestly by evidence of the thing itself, that our saviour hath appointed S. Peter Prince & head for ever, not only of the Latins and of Greeks', but of Armenians, of Arabians, of jews, of Madianites, of all the people of the East, and of the West, of the South, & of the North.  
The General Counsels, which be as it were, the chief, seat of the holy Ghost, do testify the Primacy of the chair of S. Peter, as it doth appear in the first Council of Nice, where it is said that the Roman 
Concil. Nice.  Church is the Rule of the others.  
In the Council of Chalcedon, where Pope Leo is called Bishop of the universal Church, 
Chncil. Cal. 1. Act. 16.  to whom the keeping of God's vinyeard was committed, by our saviour.  
In the Council of Constantinople, where Menas the patriarch was precedent, it is said: 
Concil. Const.  we follow the Sea Apostolic, & it we obey, with them which communicate with it, we communicate: those which are condemned by it, we condemn also.  
In the seventh Synod of Carthage the seat of S. Peter hath primacy through all the world, being head of all the Churches of God.  
In the Council of Lateran: where the Greeks' & the Latins were. In the general Council of Lions, & in the Council of Florence, 
Conci. Lat. c. 5.  by consent of the Greeks' & of the Latins, it is said & defined, that the holy Apostolic Seat and Bishopric of Rome, doth hold the Primacy over all the universal world, that the Pope is the true vicar of jesus Christ, father and doctor of all the Christians and head of all the Church.  
He should make a great volume, which would gather together all the testimonies of the supremacy of S. Peter, & of his successors over the Church. This point was so clear in the primitive church, that certain heretics, 
Theod. lib. 5. c. 14. act. coll. Carthag.  for to procure authority to their sect, did feign to have communion with the Roman Church, so far forth, that the Donatists did suborn a Bishop of their sect, whom they caused to remain at Rome secretly, that they might say that they had that mark of the true church, which is of the chair of S. Pet. And they suborned an other, which did practise 
Optat. lib. 2.  with some rascal fugitives of the city of Rome coming from thence. for to prove by them that he was bishop of Rome & successor of S. Peter, but these companions being convicted of this falsehood were confounded and made ridiculous.  
The emperors themselves have acknowledged the bishop of Rome to be head of the universal Church: and they have called him, Pastor of Pastors, father of fathers, and the top of the crown of the Clergy. And that so public, as the Paymin Authors make mention thereof, as it appeareth in Amianus Mancellinus. which named Pope Liberius sovereign Bishop of the Christian law, and the Emperor Constance caused S. Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria to be sent to the same Pope, of purpose to cause him to be condemned by him which hath the sovereign authority over the Christians.  
Thus by these testimonies as well of the Gospel, as of the ancient fathers, & Counsels, and by the practice of the Church itself, sithence the Apostles to this day, it is manifest that there hath been one sovereign head in the ministery of the Church, vicar of the sovereign head essential, jesus Christ, and successor of S. Peter, in that vicareige: to whom all Catholics which are dispersed throughout the world, are joined as members to their head.  
Lo here 12. marks, of the true church, That is to say, 1. The possession & property of the name Catholic 2. The succession of the Apostolic priesthood, 3. Antiquity, 4. The long continuance without interruption. 5. The largeness of the kingdom: 6. The victory of the whole world, by efficacy of doctrine, 7. The conformity in doctrine with the primitive Church, 8. The holiness of doctrine, 9 The holiness of life of the possessors: 10. The gloire of miracles: 11. The Infelicity of the impugners, and prosperity of the Protectors: 12. And the union of the members with their head, the successor of S. Peter. These are comprised in four words of the Creed, that is to say, in that she is one, Holy: Catholic. and Apostolic. I do not enter here into the grounds of the doctrine of the Catholic Church; The principal scope of this present treatise, was only to show that out of the Catholic Church, man can not be saved whatsoever thing he doth, whereunto I have added these outward, marks, the which without farther disputation may be sufficient to every Christian man, to resolve himself, touching all difficulties whatsoever, for all the controversies which have been, are, and ever shall be, in the faith, do rest therein: and are reduced to that only head, to find the true Church. Which being once found, a man is out of all hazard and peril of error. For all agree upon this principle, that there is but one Church: and that the same can not err, being (as saith S. Paul) The pillar and seur ground of truth. And therefore, whosoever shall doubt of any thing, (as of Sacraments, of the Invocation of saints, of praying for the dead, or of any other point of learning) he must only mark that which the Church doth teach thereof, and then, thereupon to resolve himself more assuredly, then if an Angel of heaven were descended expressly, to inform him of the same. And every other congregation which shall call itself the church teaching the contrary, must needs be convinced of falsehood, of being sent from sathan, of heresy, and of impiety.  
All the marks of the Catholic Church are evidenly found in the Roman Church: The respect of the name Romain, is not to the town of Rome but the to chair of S. Peter, which hath that highness of glory, to have been chiefly and especially privileged by the prayer and promise of our saviour, who prayed for S. Peter, to that end that his faith might not fail: and founding upon him his Church, hath promised unto him that the proud gates of hell shall never prevail against her, as in fact we see that sathan hath overcome the Churches of the other Apostles, and overthrown their chair, In Jerusalem, in Alexandria, in Ephesus, and else where: But not the chair wherewith S. Peter hath ennobled the city of Rome, This Church is only, invincible, insupplantable, immovable from her foundation: It is she that hath born away the victory of the whole world. She hath destroyed Paganism, overthrown Idolatry, expelled all heresies, tamid kingdoms & Empires, overcome the Philosophers, driven away the darkness of the world, & hath gained to god all men of good will. She hath trodden down, and always shall tread down the head of sathan: She hath been ever sithence S. Peter, an object unto the world very apparent, as a mountain of understanding, A burning light not to be quenched, and an infallible Pole star, directing the way of God. To her only in the troublesome and tempestous sea of variable opinions of men, we must have regard. She is the quickening plant that God hath planted in earth, having her Root in heaven: It is not possible for men to root her out, no more than it is to throw down God from his heavenly seat, upon whom she is founded. All the heresies of the world have bend themselves against that Church: Titans, Hypocrites, and evil Christians have assaulted her, but she remaineth victorious, over all her enemies, not by the merits of men, but by the efficacy of that prayer which our saviour made to his father for the faith of S. Peter, and to make his promise effectual; The promises of the truth itself can not be vain. jesus Christ said of the temple of Jerusalem, that there should not one stone remain upon an other: and so it came to pass, The jews edevonred themselves with might and main to build the same again, but fire came from heaven and placed itself in the foundations, for to hinder their intreprise. He said of his church, that it should endure as long as the world shall remain, And men do see that hither to she remaineth as long as the world hath endured: heaven and earth shall pass, but the words of our Saviour shall not pass; Let these wicked Spirits, heretics. Schismatics, Hypocrites, and devilish men, lay their ambushes, conspire, make war, and do all they can against that Church, yet shall they get nothing. They fight against the prayer and promise of our Saviour: they do fight against GOD himself. The devils have not gotten the victory in heaven against the Angels, neither shall they get it in earth against the Church: Many Angels did fall, many members of the Church do fall daily: But as the kingdom of Angels was never wholly overthrown, so the whole Church shall never be vanquished. Hell may shake the earth, but not the heavens. The Church is not an earthly building, a building of Adam, a building of no other foundation then natural: It is an heavenly building, wholly supernatural and divine, whereof, not man, but God himself is the foundation, and founder: and the holy Ghost is the Architect which hath gathered together the lively stones: This building is not made of men borne by nature, as the children of Adam; but of men made heavenly, regenerate by grace, as the children of God. Faith which is the bond of the body of that Church, is above the heaven, the object of that faith, which is JESUS: Christ, Author of that regeneration, doth appertain more to heaven by his divine person, then to earth by that human nature. Therefore a thousand hells shall never be able to prevail against that church whosoever thou art therefore which hast separated thyself from that Church, what so ever thing thou dost, thou art not appertaining to JESUS Christ: thou art a member of sathan and a pray of everlasting damnation. Go about the earth and the see, trot up and down the world, and go where thou wilt searching the truth, thou shalt not find the same out of this Church. The Church Catholic, Apostolic and Roman is the same of whom doth spring & rise as from a centre, all the droctrine of Christianity; the chair of S. Peter is the chair of jesus Christ, and of the truth itself, all other chairs are the chairs of pestilence. Take away from before thy eyes those clouds of evil opinions heaped together and thickened by false reports against ecclesiastical persons, and do hinder the to see the truth, if there be any spots in those persons which be set in the chair of S. Peter, it must needs be that all the true children of God find themselves thereby inwardly wounded, and pray to God to make them clean. But in the mean time what so ever they be in their manners, those are particular matters personal, and separated from the chair, which is a dignity, authority and matter universal. I know that in many there is not a crumb of the holiness of S. Peter; & that they be scandelouslie gone a stray from the life Apostolic, but they teach the faith of S. Peter & the Apostolic doctrine. Look not then upon the faults of the persons: have regard to the promise and to the prayer of our saviour. If the defects of the ministers be of more force with the or bear more sway with the, for to alienate the from the church, than the reverence of the prayer and promise of our saviour, to keep the there; thou art unworthy of any other prayer and promise of our saviour. The chair of S. Peter is the mistress of the faith: I would that she were also the example of holy life. But what so ever scandal there hath been in some, thou shalt find others in the priesthood and people, that better know the faults wherein they are, than they self: more learned also, and less reproachable in their manners, and in all points less imperfect than they self: and are in joy and in peace of their conscience in this Church. There they receive the sacraments of life everlasting they exercise the works of charity, and there attend the judgement of God. Do not say apart to thyself that thou dost worship jesus Christ; that thou dost believe the Gospel; and that thou dost resolve thyself according to the express word of God; even so said Arrius, Manicheus, Pelagius, and all the ancient heretics: Thou dost not worship jesus: It is thy imagination and thy particular fancy (whereof thou dost make an Idol) which thou dost worship: Thou dost bow thyself down before the word of the deceiver that hath seduced the; & not before the word of God: That which the Church doth teach, is the express word of God: That which the heretic doth teach, is the express word of the devil, which doth usurp the judgement of the express word of God, and doth use the same for a bait, to make the swallow up the hook of error. This now is the very greatest of all sins, for whereas all that a man may say of the formality of sin, it is no other thing but the turning away and going far of from God, There is no crime which separateth more from God, than heresy: and there is not a sinner that jesus Christ doth hate so much, as the heretic. The sins of works, Adultery, Meslanghter, covetousness and other, do deprive men of the grace of God, but they do not drive a man from the Church, neither do they cut away the root of life which is the faith by the which a man may find the way to enter again into grace: but heresy doth not only take away grace, but doth also cut away the root of life, & doth deprive men of the participation of all good things that be in the church. The scripture saith: that faith is the substance of things to hoped for: that without faith, it is impossible to please God: that the just of God do live by faith: that is to say briefly, that faith is the foundation of all Christian building. Now heresy doth take away from us faith; then only heresy is a sufficient cause why the heretic can never well ground his hope, can never do work agreeable to God, nor can never have the life of the just of God. The other sins be as a tile taken from the coverture, or as a stone drawn from the wall, which doth much hurt to the building: But heresy is as it were the undermining of the foundation, which doth destroy the whole building. To be short, this kind of argument is plain and very true, that no man can save himself without the Sacraments of the Church: The Sacraments be not administered but by the priest, the priests be not made but by the Bishops, Bishops be not made but in the Roman Church, than what so ever thing that man doth, it is impossible by all impossibility to save himself out of the Catholic, Apostolic and Roman Church. Do not resist these arguments: the more thou dost enforce they self to avoid them by evasions, so many more halters dost thou put about thine own neck, & smitest the axe in to thine own foot: And what so ever thy tongue doth speak to the contrary, thy soul doth fight against the: and thy conscience shall never be in rest, as long as thou shalt be in heresy.  
And S. Hierom upon those words of S. Paul; 
Hier. in epi. ad Tit. c. 3.  that an heretic is subverted and condemned by his own proper judgement, saith very well thus, the fornicator, the adulterer, the manslaer and other evil doers, be driven out of the Church against their wills by the priests: But the heretics of themselves, without constraint do deprive themselves of the Sacraments of salvation, and of all the good things which be in the Church, damning themselves wittingly, and throwing themselves down headlong from their proper freedom, in to the bottomless pit of everlasting perdition.  
For conclusion I will exhort the, as the Angels of God did exhort the handmaid Agar, that was departed with her son from the house of Abraham, whom to bring home again, finding her in the wilderness taking the way towards Egypt, he said to her: poor il advised Agar, servant of Sara, from whence comest thou? and whether goest thou? turn again to thy masters, and humble thyself under her hand: as if he would say, think on thy estate, that thou comest from a noble house, rich, full of the blessings of God: that thou goest to cast thyself as a strayed sheep into the throat of the wolf, in the land of malediction: And all these things well thought on, turn again to thy masters: and humbling thyself under her hand, thou shalt be happy in that house. Even so will I say to every heretic, think that thou comest from the house of the living God, which is the Catholic, Apostolic, & Roman Church, in the which only is the grace of jesus Christ and the remission of sins, and all blessings of God: and thou goest in to the sect of a deceiver, which is one particular man, by whose mouth sathan having divided the from the body of the only Church, it must neds follow that thou fall in to the bottomless pit of heresy, which is the bottomless pit of death and everlasting damnation.  
Take then the exhortation of the Angel, comforter of Agar, if not, thou shalt soon meet an other Angel which shall be thy destroyer. 
1. Cor. 10. Heb. 9  If thou hast erred until this time, cut the thread of thy errors: renounce heresy, and all newness of opinion; be the disciple, not of any particular man what so ever he may be, were he more holy and more eloquent than an Angel, but only of the Catholic Church, the which can never err; for so much as she is governed by the holy Ghost; and that JESUS Christ is her head, which is the seur ground of the Catholics: unto the which I pray God give us the grace to cleave, and continue firm and sure, & that we be found lively members of his body, when we shall be judged.   
SO BE IT.   

Libellum hunc, Gallice intitulatum Du firmament des Catholiques contre l'Abisme des heretiques fideliter è Gallico in Anglicanum idioma, per nobilem virum Joannem Pauncefote translatum, ac per eximium Dominum Dom. Thomam Stapletonium Anglum, S. Theologiae professorem examinatum ac manu eius propria approbatum) Ac postremo ex primaria copia (manu dicti D. Stapletoni subsignata) fideliter (teste venerabili Domino D. wilhelmo Clederow Prefbytero Anglo) transscriptum tuto posse imprimi, ac prelo committi praesentium tenore attestor ego infrascriptus. Antwerpiae 9 Octob. Anno 1590.  
Michael Hetsroey Bruegelius S. Theologiae Licentiatus Canonicus Cathedralis Ecclesiae B. Mariae Antwerpiensis, librorum Censor.