INQVIRING therefore often with great desire , and attention , of very many excellent , holy , & learned men , how and by what meanes I might assuredly and as it were by some generall and ordinary way discerne the true Catholicke faith , from false and wicked Heresie . To this question I had vsually this answere of them all , that whether I or any other desired to finde out the Note the answere of many excellent holy and learned men . fraud of Heretickes , daily springing vp and to escape their snares , & willingly would continue safe and sound in religion , that he ought two maner of waies by Gods assistance to defend and preserue his faith , that is first by the authoritie of the law of God : secondly by the tradition of the Catholicke Church .

Here some man perhaps may aske , that seing the Canon of the scripture is perfect & most aboundantly of it selfe sufficient for all thinges , what need we ioine vnto it the autoritie of the church her vederstanding and interpretation . The reason is this , because the scripture being of it selfe so deepe and profound all men do not vnderstand it in one and the same sence , but diuers men diuersly this man and that man , this way & that way expound and interpret the sayings therof , so that to ones thinking , so many men , so many opinions almost may be gathered out of them , for Nouatus expoundeth it one way , Photinus another , Sabellius after this sort , Donatus after that : Arius , Eunomius , Macedonius will haue this exposition : Appolinaris and Priscillian will haue that : Iouinian , Pelagius , Celestius , gather this sence , and to conclude Nestorius findeth out that , and therfore very necessary it is for the auoiding of so greate windings and turnings of diuers errors that the line of expounding the Prophetes and Apostles , be directed and drawen , according to the rule of the ecclesiasticall & Catholicke sence .

Againe in the Catholicke Church , we haue greatly to consider , that we hold that , which hath bene beleeued euery where , alwaies and of all men : for that is truely and properly Catholicke ( as the very force and nature of the word doth declare , which comprehendeth all thinges that be truely vniuersall ) and that shall we do , if we folow vniuersalitie , antiquitie , consent . Vniuersalitie shall we folow thus , if we professe that one faith to be true which the Church throughout the world acknowledgeth and confesseth : Antiquitie shall we follow , if we disagree not any whit in opinion from them , whom all know that our holy elders and Fathers reuerenced and had in great estimation . Consent shall we likewise folowe , if amongest our forefathers we hold the definitions and opinions of all or almost of all the Priests and Doctors together .

WHAT then shall a Christian Chatholicke doe , if some small part of the Church cut it selfe off from the communion of the vniuersall faith ? What else but preferre the helth of the wholle body before the pestiferous and corrupt member . what if some new infection goeth about to currupt not onlye a litle parte but the Wholle CHVRCH ? Then likewise shall hee regarde , and be sure to cleaue vnto antiquitie , which cannot possibly be seduced by any craftye noueltye . What if in antiquitye it selfe , and amongest the auncient fathers , be founde some error of two or three men ; or haplie of some one citie or Prouince ? Then shall he diligently take heed that he preferr the decrees and determinations of the vniuersall auncient Church , before the temerity or folly of a few . What if some such case happen where no such thing can be founde ? Then shall be labour , by conferring and laying together amongest them selues the auncient Fathers opinions , not of all , but of those only which liuing at diuers times , and sundry places , yet remaining in the communion and faith of one Catholicke Church , were probable masters and guides to be folowed : and whatsoeuer he perceiueth , not one or two , but all iointly with one full consent , plainly vsually , constantly , to haue holden , written , & taught , let him know that without all scruple or doubt he ought to beleeue , hold , & professe that faith , that doctrine , that religion . But for more perspicuitie & light of that which hath bene said : ech part is to be made cleere with seuerall examples , and somewhat more at large to be amplified , least to much breuity breed obscurity , & ouermuch haste in spech take away the substance and waight of the matter .

When in th time of Donatus , of whom came the Donatistes , a great part of Africke fell headlong into his furious error , and vnmindfull of her name , religion , and profession , preferred the sacriligious temeritie of one man , before the Church of Christ , then all those of Africke which detested that prophane Schisme and vnited them selues to the vniuersall Churches of the world , they only amongst them all remaining with in the bosome of the catholick Church could be saued , leauing certainly a notable example to their posteritie how euer after by good custome the sound doctrine of all men , ought to be preferred before the madnesse of one or a few . Likewise when the heresie of the Arians had neere corrupted not a litle parte , but well nigh the wholle world , in such sort that ( almost all the Bishops of the latin Church deceaued , partly by force partly by fraud ) mens minds were couered as it were with a mist , what especially in so great a confusion was to be folowed : then whosoeuer was a louer and a folower of Christ , and preferred auncient faith before new errour , was not touched with any spott of that infection . The daunger of which time doth aboundantly shew , what calamitie entereth in , when a new doctrine is admitted . For at that time not onely small matters , but thinges of great importance were ouerthrowen : for not only alliance , kinred , frends , families , but also cities , common wealthes , countries Prouinces , yea & at length the wholle Romane Empire , was shaken & ouerturned . For when the prophane noueltie of the Arrians , like a certaine Bellona or furie , had first taken captiue the Emperour , afterward subduing all pallaces to her new lawes neuer ceased after that to trouble and confound all things priuate and publicke , holy and not holy , putting no difference betwixt good and truth but as it were from an high place did strike all at her pleasure . Then maried women were defiled , widowes spoiled , virgins violated , Abbeis suppressed , Cleargie men vexed , Deacons beaten , Preistes banished , Dungeons , Prisons , Mines , filled with holy men , of which the greater part banished the citie , like exuls , pined and consumed away amongest desertes , dennes , and wilde beastes , with nakednes , thirst , and hunger . And all this miserie had it any other begining ? but because humane superstition was admitted for heauenly doctrine , well grounded antiquitie , subuerted by wicked noueltie , whilest our Superiours decrees were violated , our Fathers ordinances broken , the Cannons of our auncestors abrogated , and whilest the licentious libertie of prophane and new curiositie , kept not it selfe within the chaste limittes of sacred and sound antiquitie . But perhaps we deuise all this of hatred to Noueltie , & affection to Antiquitie ? Who so thinketh , at least let him geue credit to blessed Ambrose who in his second booke to Gratian the Emperour bewailinge the sharpe persecution of that time , saith thus : But now O God ( quoth he ) we haue sufficiently washed and purged with our ruine and blood , the death of the Confessors , the banishment of Preistes , and the wickednes of so great impiety , it hath manifestly appeared that they cannot be safe which haue violated and forsaken their faith . Likewise in his third booke of the same worke . Lett vs therfore ( quoth he ) keepe the precepts of our elders & not with temerity of rude presumption , violate those seales descending to vs by inheritance . None durst open that propheticall booke close sealed , not the elders , not the powers not the Angells , not the Archangelles : to explicate and interpret that hooke was a prerogatiue only reserued to Christ . The Preistlike booke sealed by the Confessors and consecrated with the death of many Martirs , which of vs dare presume to open , which booke such as were compelled to vnseale , notwithstanding afterward when the fraud was condemned , they sealed againe , they which durst not violate or touch it becam Martirs : how can we deny their faith , whose victorie we so praise & commend ? We commend them I say O venerable Ambrose , we surely commend them , and with praises admire them . For who is so senselesse , that although he cannot ariue to their perfection , desireth not yet to imitate them , whom no force coulde remoue from defending theire auncestors faith : not threatnings , not flatterings , not life , not death , not the King , not the Emperor , not the Empire , not men , not Deuills , those I say whome for maintenance of religiouse antiquitie , our Lord vouchsafed of so highlye and so greate a grace , that by them he would repaire the ouerthrowen Churches , geue life to the dead spiritualtie , restore the ouerthrowne glory of Preistes , blotte out & wash away with a fountaine of heauenly teares ( which God put into the harts of the Bishops ) those wicked , not bookes , but blottes & blurres , of new impiety , finally to restore almost the wholle world ( shaken with the cruell tempest of vpstart heresie ) to the auncient faith , from new error , to olde sobernes , from new madnesse , to auncient light , from new darkenesse . But in this diuine vertew which they shewed in the confession of their faith , this thing is especially of vs to be noted , that in that antiquitie of the church they tooke vpon them not the defence of any one part , but of the wholle . For it was not lawfull that such excelent & famous men , should maintaine and defend with so great might & maine the erroneous suspitions , and those contrary each to other , of one or two men or should stand in contention for the temararious conspiracie of some small Prouince , but they did those by folowing the Canons and decrees of the Catholicke and Apostolicke veritie of all the Preistes of holy Church , rather to betray them selues , then the vniuersall auncient faith . For which fact of theirs they merited so great glorie that they are accounted not only Confessors but also iustly and worthely the Princes of all Confessors . Great therfore & surely diuine was the example of these blessed Confessors , and of euery true Catholicke continually to be remembred who like the seuenfold Candlesticke , shining with the seuenfold giftes of the holy Ghost , deliuered vnto all posteritie a most notable example ; how afterward in each foolish and vaine error , the boldnes of prophane noueltie was to be repressed with authoritie of sacred Antiquitie .

NEITHER is this any new thing , but alway vsuall in the Church of God , that the more religious a man hath bene the more ready hath he allwayes resisted nouell inuentions , examples wherof many might be brought , but for breuity sake I will only make choyce of some one which shall be taken from the Apostolique sea by which al men may see most plainly with what force alwayes , what zeale , what indeuour the blessed succession , of the blessed Apostles haue defended the integrity of that religion which they once receaued . Therfore in times past Agrippinus of venerable memory Bishope of Carthage , the first of all mortall men maintained this assertion against the deuine scripture , against the of the vniuersall Church against the minde of all the preistes of his time against the custome and tradition of his forefathers that rebaptization was to be admitted and put in practise . Which presumption of his procured so great domage and hurte to the Church , that not only it gaue all heriticks a paterne of sacrilege but also ministred occasion of errour to some Catholickes . When therfore euery where al men exclaimed against the nouelty of the doctrine , and all priestes in all places , each one according to his zeale did repugne , then Pope Steuen of blessed memory , bishop of the Apostolique sea , resisted in deed with the rest of his felow byshopes but yet more then the rest , thinking it as I suppose reason so much to excell all other in deuotion towardes the faith , as he was superiour to them in authoritie of place . To conclude in his Epistle which then was sent to Afrike , he decreed the same in these wordes . That nothing was to bee innouated , but that which came by tradition ought to be obserued . For that holy and prudent man knew well , that the nature of pietie could admitt nothing else but only to deliuer and teach our children that religion and that faith which we receaued and learned of our forefathers , and that we ought to folow religion whither it doth lead vs and not to lead religion whither it please vs , and that nothing is more proper to Christian modestie and grauitie , then not to leaue vnto posteritie our owne inuentions , but to preserue and keepe that which our Predecessors left vs . What therfore was then the end of that wholle busines ? What else but common and vsuall , to wecte antiquitie was retained , noueltie abandoned . But perhaps that new inuention lacked patrons and defenders ? To which I say on the contrary , that it had such pregnant wittes , such eloquent tonges , such number of defendants , such shew of truth , such testimonies of scripture , but glosed after a new and naughtie fashion , that all that conspiracie and schisme shoulde haue semed vnto me inuincible , had not the very profession of noueltie it selfe , so taken in hand , vnder that name defended , with that title recommended , ouerthrowen the very ground of so great a schisme . To conclude what force had the Councell or decree of Africke ? By Gods prouidence none , but all things there agreed vpon were abolished , disanulled , abrogated , as dreames , as fables , as superfluous . And O strange change of the worlde , the authours of that opinion are iudged and thought Catholickes , the folowers accounted & reputed Heretickes , the masters discharged , the schollers condemned , the writers of those bookes shall be children of the kingdome of Heauen , the maintainers of those books shall burne in Hell . For who donbteth but holy S. Ciprian , that light of all Saintes , that lanterne of Bishops , and spectacle of Martirs , with the rest of his companions shall raigne with Christ for-euer . And contrariwise who is so wicked to deny that the Donatists and such other pestilent Heretickes , which by the authority of that Councell vaunt that they do practise rebaptization , shall burne for euer with the Deuill & his Angells . Which iudgement in mine opinion seemeth to haue come from God , for their fraudulent dealing especially which endeuoring vnder the cloake of an other mans name , coningly to frame an heresie commonly laye holde of some darke sayings of one auncient Father or other , which by reason of the obscuritie may seeme to make for theire opinion , to th end they may be thought that whatsoeuer I know not what they bring forth to the worlde , neither to haue bene the first that so taught neither alone of that opinion : whose wicked deuice in mine opinion is worthie of dubble hatred , both for that they feare not to sow their poisoned seed of heresie amongest others , and also because they blemishe the memorie of some holy man , & as it were with prophane handes cast his dead ashes into the wind bringing infamously that to light , which rather with silence were to be buried , folowing therin the steps of their father Cham , who not only neglected to couer the nakednes of venerable Noë , but also shewed it to others to laugh at , by which fact of his he incurred so great a crime of impietie that Gen. 9 his posteritie was subiect to the malediction of his sinne : his blessed brethren doing farr otherwise , who neither with their owne eies would violate the nakednesse of their reuerend father , nor yet permit it to remaine vncouered for other to behold , but going backward as the holy text saith they couerd him : which is as much to say that they neither approued with harte , nor blased with tong the holy mans fault , and therfore they & their posterity were rewarded with their fathers blessing . But to returne to our purpose .

WE haue therfore much to feare the sacrilege of a changed faith of a violated religion : from which fault not only the discipline of the ecclesiasticall decree doth restraine vs , but the authoritie also of the Apostles censure deterreth . For all men know how grauely , how seuerely , how seriously the blessed Apostle S. PAVL inueigheth against certaine which with Gal. 8 great leuitie Were so soone transferred from him that called them into the grace of Christ vnto another Gospell , which is not an other : That had heaped vp to them 2. Tim. 4 selues masters according to their owne desires , auerting their eares from truth , being conuerted to fables : Hauing damnation because they haue made voide their 1. Tim. 5. first faith . Whom those men had deceaued of whom the same Apostle , in his epistle to the Romanes thus writeth I beseech you brethren to marke them that make dissentions and scandalls contrarie Ram. 16. to the doctrine which you haue learned and auoide them , for such doe not serue Christ our Lorde but theire owne bellie : And by sweet speaches and benedictions seduce the hartes of Innocents . That enter into houses and lead captiue seelie women 2 Tim. 3 loaden with sinnes , which are lead away with diuers desires , alwaies learning and neuer attaining to the knowledge of trewth . Vaine speakers and seducers who subuert wholle houses teaching Tit. 1 the thinges they ought not for filthy lucre : Men corrupt in their minde , reprobates concerning the faith : Proud , 2. Tim. 3 and knowing nothing but languishing about questions and strife of wordes , that are depriued of the truth , that esteeme a 1. Tim. 6. 1. Tim. 5. gaine to be pietie : And with all idle they learne to go from house to house not only idle but also full of wordes and curious , speaking thinges which they ought not : 1. Tim. 1. Which repelling a good conscience haue made shipwracke about the faith : Whose prophane speaches do much grow to impietie , and their speach spreadeth as a cancre . But that is also worth the noting which is written of them . But they shall 2 Tim. 2. 2. Tim. 3. prosper no further for their follie shall be manifest to all as theirs also was . When therfore such kind of men wandering vp and downe through Prouinces and cities to set their errors to sale , came also vnto the Galathians , who after they had heard them and were delighted with the filthie druges of heretiall Nouelty casting vp againe the heauenly Manna of the Apostolicke and Catholicke doctrine . The Apostle vsed his authoritie decreeing very seuerely in this sort . But although we ( quoth he ) or an Angel from heauen euangelize vnto you beside Gal. 1. Euangelize signifieth such preaching of good tidings as concerneth the gospell Anathema signifieth accursed be he that which we haue enangelized be he Anathema . What meaneth this that he sayeth But although we , why did he not rather say But although I : That is to say , although Peter , although Andrew , although Iohn , yea finally al though the wholle companie of the Apostles euangelize vnto you otherwise then we haue enangelized , be he accursed . A terrible censure , for maintaining the possession of the first faith , not to haue spared him selfe , nor any other of the Apostles . But this is a small matter : Although an Angell from heauen ( quoth he ) Euangelize vnto you , beside that which I haue Euangelized be he Anathema he was not contented for keeping the faith once planted to make mention of mans weake nature vnlesse also he included those excellent creatures of Angells . Although we ( qhoth he ) or an Angell from heauen not because the holy Angells of Heauen can now sinne , but this is the meaning of that he saith : Although ( quoth he ) that might be , which cannot be , whosoeuer he be that goeth about to change the faith which was once planted , be he accursed . But peraduenture he vttered those words slightly and cast them forth rather of humane affection then decreed them by any reason grounded in Gods word . God forbid : For it followeth , and that very earnestly vrged , very often repeated . As I haue foretold you ( quoth he ) & now againe I tell you If any body euangelize vnto you beside that which you haue receaued be he Anathema . He said not if any man preach vnto you beside that which you haue receaued let him be blessed , let him be commended , let him be receaued , but Anathema , that is , separated , thrust out , excommunicated , least the cruell infection of one sheepe with his poisoned company corrupt the sound flocke of Christ . But peraduenture this was giuen in commaundement only to the Galathians : then likewise were these precepts folowing commaunded only to the Galathians , to weete . If we liue Gal. 5. in the spirite , in the spirite also lett vs walke , lett vs not be made desirouse of vaine glorie , prouoking one an other , enuying one an other and such like which if it be absurd to say , & no man doubteth , but that they were indifferently commaunded to all then certaine it is , that as these precepts touching maners include all , so likewise those concerning faith and doctrine , exclude none And therfore as it is not lawfull for any to prouoke one another , to enuie one another , euen so it is vnlawfull for any to admitt or to receaue any other faith or religion then that which the Catholicke Church euery where teacheth , or haply shal we be so mad to say that then it was commaunded to curse and anathematize him that preached any otherwise then before had beene preached , & that now it is not commaunded , then was that likewise which is there saide . But I say walke in the spirite and you shall not fulfill the desires of the flesh , then only commaunded but now is not ; which if it be impious and dangerous so to beleeue , then of necessitie it followeth that as these precepts of life & manners are to be kept of all ages , so likewise those set downe against innouating of religion & changing of faith , are commaunded to all posteritie , wherfore to preach vnto Christian Catholicke men , besids that which they haue receaued neuer was lawfull , no where is lawfull , at no time shall be lawfull .