Truth and Falsehood, Book · Chapter 6
What the Catholike Church is, that is mentioned in the Creede. CHAP. 6
THE PROTESTANTS
VVE ſay with the Apoſtle Saint Paul, that the catholike church which is ſpoken of in the Creede,s. Tim. 3. Is the houſe of God, the pillar and ground of truth. And with the fathers, that it is the companie of all the faithfull of all times, and of all places. And with Saint Iohn, The Bride of the Lambe, Apoc. 21, 9.and the bodie of Chriſt. And therefore that the wicked and faithleſſe are not of this Church, nor can be counted of this companie.
THE PAPISTS
BVt the Church of Rome to get a Catholike Church, admit good and bad to be of their Church, namely reprobates, wicked,Bellar. de Eccle. li. 3. cap. 2. and vngodly ones. Neither do thinke that they neede any inward vertue to bee of their Church, but onelyonly that they profeſſe religion, and be vnderunder the Pope. Well may they in ſome ſort ſeeme to hauehave a Catholike Church, becauſe all is fiſh that comes into their net, but holy & apoſtolike it ſhal not be, nor Catholike as in the Creed is meant.
Wherein this is worthie to be reproued in them, that whereas they crie out in worde and writing, The Catholike church of Rome, and vnleſſe you beleeue the Catholike Church, you cannot be ſaued. And for proofe hereof they alledge this article, I beleeue the Catholike church, yet when they ſhould tell vsus what this Catholike church is, wherevnto we muſt ſo neceſſarily be ſubiect, they onelyonly paint vntounto vsus I know not what Romiſh Church,The catholike church in ye Creed, and the Romiſh contrary. which is no more like the true Catholike church, than that church of Iſrael, when it was ſtarted aſide from the true worſhip of God, was like to the true church of God that remained amongeſt the people of the Iewes, as by theſe few reaſons may appeare. The catholike church is One, Onethat is to ſay, one companie, and vnited and knit togither by one ſpirite, and the ſelfe ſame graces, but the reprobate and vngodly (who fill vp a place in the Romiſh catholike church) neither are one company with the Saints, nor vnited to them by the ſame ſpirit and graces, to be partakers of the communion of Saints: Therefore that catholike and the Romiſh catholike Church are not all one. Secondly, that Church is Holy, Holyand that not in part, but perfectly, euen without ſpot or wrinckle. Ephe. 5.26.27For in our Creed we doe not ſpeake of the church that is, but that ſhalbe, not that which we ſee with our eye, but by faith, not that which is perfected, but hoped for, which we ſhall not in deede behold with our eyes,Reuel. 21 vntill it come downe from heauen, as ſaint Iohn ſpeaketh of the heauenly Ieruſalem,Apoc. 11 which (as witneſſeth ſaint Ambroſe) doth repreſent the Church that ſhall bee after the ende of the world. Apoc. 21Of which minde is alſo ſaint Auguſtine. But the Romiſh catholike church is of omnigatheroms, as people goe to faires or markets, of all ſorts and qualities. And although a man hauehave not one good thing in him, not one crum of honeſtie, hee is good enough to make vp a number in the Church of Rome, but ſuch a church is not holy, and therefore not that that is mentioned in the Creede. Thirdly that church is catholike,Catholike. that is (as all the godly hauehave acknoledged it) the mother of all Chriſtians, the companie of all the ſaints both in heauen and vponupon earth. But the Romiſh catholike church receiueth only them that acknowledge the biſhop of Rome to be their head. If then they dare not affirme the pope to be the head of them that are in heauen, I truſt they will not from henceforth charge vsus to be iniurious to the church of Rome, if we affirme it not to bee the true catholike church. If they reply, that the church may bee called catholike in other reſpects than in that only which I hauehave mentioned. I graunt it. But the queſtion amongſt vsus in deed is, whether the church of Rome be the true catholik church, which euen by our creed we are bound to beleeue. Which the papiſts affirm, & therfore would hauehave the world to imagine that we deſpiſe the catholike church which is mentioned in the creede, when we vponupon iuſt cauſes depart from that Romiſh church, which hath ſet it ſelfe, theſe many yeares againſt Gods church. As for the principal arguments wherby they would proue that they ſay, do nothing touch the catholike church, which is the thing in queſtion, but only the ſtate of the church in this life, and therefore are not worthie the repeating. But among other abſurdities which they are forced to grant, for to defend this their vntrue aſſertion, this is blaſphemous, although they all defend it, That ſome of the members of Chriſtes bodie ſhal not be ſaued. As though there were not vertue inough in Chriſt, to quicken all them that are grafted into him, whereas in truth, He that hath the ſonne hath life. That is alſo abſurd, that if the wicked and reprobate bee of the church of Chriſt, as they ſay, thē they are members of two bodies, for they are of the church malignant, as they muſt needs confeſſe: which is as falſe as that one hand may belong to two men. Laſtly how abſurd is it that the catholike church ſhould acknowledge the Pope for her head? Shee is a citie or houſe, ſhe can therefore hauehave but one foundation: ſhee is a fruitfull Vine, ſhee can hauehave but one roote: ſhe is a Doue, ſhe can hauehave but one mate: ſhee is Chriſts bodie, ſhe can hauehave but one head: ſhee is the Lambs bride, ſhe can hauehave but one huſband. The foūdation of this houſe, the roote of this Vine, the mate of this Doue, the head of this bodie,Eph. 1. &. 5. the huſbande of this wife, is Chriſt. Although moſt impudently the Biſhop of Rome, and moſt blaſphemouſly, doe take vppon him to be the huſbande to that wife alſo,C. quoniam, de Immunitate. 6. or elſe, to take Chriſts wife from him. We (ſaith hee) being vnwilling to neglect the vpright dealing or iuſtice of vsus, and of the Church our ſpouſe. What greater blaſphemie than this can there be? Saint Paule ſayeth,2. Cor. 11.2. I hauehave prepared you for one husbande, not for two, and he nameth him to be Chriſt, who though he bee abſent, yet is he alſo preſent, abſent in fleſh, but preſent in power and ſpirite, and ſo will he bee alwayes with his, Math. 28.20 Iho. 14.16.17.18euen vntounto the end of the worlde. So that the church hath no neede of that miniſteriall head, that cannot bee but in one place at one time: ſeeing Chriſtes ſpirit is his Vicar in his church,Ter. preſcipt. which can be in all places at once, as the church is ſcattered in many places through the whole world.