HEre , it may be some man will aske ; Seeing the Canon of the Scriptures is perfect , and that it is aboundantly sufficient of it selfe to all things , what need is there that the authority of the Churches vnderstanding Quest. should be ioyned therunto ? Surely , because al men do not after one manner vnderstand Ans. the holy Scripture , according to the height thereof ; but diuers men interpret the sentences thereof diuersly , that there may seeme to be as many meanings thereof almost , as men . For Nouatian expounds it one way , Photinus another way , Sabellius thus , Donatus otherwise , Arrius , Eunomius , Macedonius other waies , Appollinaris & Priscillianus by themselues , Iouinianus , Pelagius , Celestius another way , and finally , Nestorius hath a sence by himselfe , And therefore by reason of so great deceipts , and windings of so different errours , it is very necessary that a man should interpret the Prophets and Apostles according as the Catholicke Church doth vnderstand them .

IN like manner , euen in the Catholike Church wee must haue a speciall regard , that we hold that which is , Euery where beleeued alwaies & of all : for this is truly and properly Catholike ( as the very force & reason of the name declareth ) which comprehendeth al things truly vniuersally . Now this we shall doe , if we follow Vniuersality , Antiquity and Consent . And wee shall follow Vniuersality thus , namely if we do confesse this one faith to be true , which the whole Church through out the world confesseth . We shall follow Antiquity , if by no meanes we reiect those interpretations , which we know to haue bene vsed and esteemed of our holy Elders and Forefathers . And Consent in like sort also , if euer in Antiquity we follow the determinations and iudgements of all , or surely of almost all Priests and Doctors .

IN the time of Donatus , from whom sprang the Donatists , when as a great part of Aphrica had throwne themselues headlong into his furious errours , and when vnmindfull of their honour , religion and profession , they did preferre the sacrilegious headines of one man to the Church of Christ , then those Africans could of them all alone be safe within the sanctuaries of the Catholicke faith , which hauing that wicked Schisme in detestation , adioyned themselues to all the Churches of the world ; leauing in truth a notable paterne to them that should come after , namely how , and that also well , the soundnesse of all might be preferred before the fury of one , or but a few .

IN like manner , when as the poyson of the Arrians had now corrupted not some fewe , but almost all the world , so as that well neere all the * * Latini sermonis , that spake the Latine tongue . Latine Bishops being deceiued , partly by force and partly by fraude , knew not well , by reason of a certaine kinde of blindnesse , which had inuaded their vnderstandings , what course they were best to follow , when things were so confused : then whosoeuer was a true Louer & worshipper of Christ , the same by making more account of the ancient-faith , than of nouel-falshood , was preserued from all infections of that contagious doctrine . The danger in truth of which time hath aboundantly shewed what great calamity the bringing in of that vpstart doctrine caused . For then were shaken not small things onely , but euen the greatest also . For not onely alliances , kindreds , friendships , and houses were dissolued , but also Cities , People , Prouinces , Nations , yea , and the whole Romane Empire was vtterly shaken , and put out of order . For when that profane noueltie of the Arrians , as a certaine d d Bellona , & Furia were two heathen god desses : the one was ouer war , the other was the mother of fury . Bellona or Furia , had first captiuated the c c He means Constantius or Valens , or both : who were Arrians both . Emperour , and then brought all the f f Or principall Courtiers . chiefest about him vnder new lawes , it ceased not afterwards to trouble & disorder all things , priuat and publicke , sacred and profane , and to haue no regard of that , which was good and true , but whomsoeuer it listed , to smite them downe , as from some place on high . Then were wiues defiled , widdowes robd , Virgins deflowred , Monasteries demolished , Cleargy-men disturbed , Leuites beaten , Priests banished , prisons , gaoles and mynes filled with the g g Antiquity acknowledgeth men liuing to bee Saints : & not dead men onely , as some do , Saints : the greatest part of whom being driuen out of Citties forbidden to them , and exiled , were euen broken and consumed with nakednesse , hunger , and thirst , amongst deserts , dens , wild beasts and rockes . But all these things did they for no other cause befall , but euen because the superstitions of mans inuentions were taught for heauenly doctrine , because well-grounded antiquity was vedermined by wicked nouelty , because the ordinances of the Elders were violated , because the decrees of the Fathers were repealed , because the determinations of the Ancient were disanulled , and for that the lust of profane and vpstart curiosity contained not it selfe within the most h h Heretiks break from their teachers , exorbitate , & go an whoring after the idols of their owne braines . chaste limits of sacred and vncorrupt Antiquity ?

BVt ( it will bee thought ) perhaps wee faine these things through hatred of nouelty and loue of Antiquity . Whosoeuer iudgeth this , let him giue credit at the least to blessed Ambrose , who in his second book to the Emperour , Gratian , himselfe bewailing the bitternes of the time , saith : But now , almighty God , quoth * * In sine cap. vlt. he , we haue beene sufficiently punished by our owne destruction and bloud-shed for the slaughters of the Confessours , the banishments of the Priests , and for such wicked villany . It is cleare enough that they , which violated the faith , cannot be safe . In like manner , in the third booke of the same worke : Let vs , therefore keepe ( saith he ) the commandements of the Elders , that wee be not bold through vnciuill rashnesse to breake the seales , that are hereditary . Neither the Elders , nor the Power , nor the Angels , nor Archangels durst open that sealed booke of prophecy : the prerogatiue of explaning that Reu. 5. 3. 5. was reserued for Christ alone . Which of vs dares vnseale the i i That is , the holy Scriptures : so called , because it is giuen them to keep , and teach : I meane Ministets , which book is then said to be vnsealed in our Authors sense , when it is violated and corrupted . Sacerdoticall Booke , sealed of Confessours , and consecrated now with the martyrdome of many ? which they , that haue bene compelled to vnseale it , yet afterwards haue sealed , when the fraud was condemned : they that durst not violate it , were Confessours and Martyrs . How can wee deny their faith , whose victory we do extoll ? Wee praise them I say , O venerable Ambrose , wee praise them indeed , and praysing wee wonder at them . For who is he , that is so mad , who though he be not able to ouertake them , yet would not wish to follow , whom no violence hath driuen from defending of the faith of the Elders ? Not threatnings , not flatterings , not life , not death , not the palace , not Sergeants , not the Emperour , not the Empire , not men , not diuels , Whom ( I say ) the Lord , for their constant imbracing of holy Antiquity , deemed meete for so great an office , as by them to repaire Churches ruinated , to quicken spirituall people extinguished , to put on the Crownes of Priests , that were deiected , to deface ( a fountaine of vnfeigned teares being infused from heauen into the Bishops ) those wicked ( I say ) not letters , but litures ( blots or dashes ) of nouell impiety , and finally , to call back now almost all the world being strucken with the tempest of suddaine heresie : ( I say to call it backe ) to the ancient faith , from vp-start falshood : vnto ancient soundnesse , from furious and vnsound newnesse , and to the ancient light , from the blindnesse of nouelty .

BVt in this certaine Diuine vertue of Confessions , that we are also euen most of all to mark , that then in the very Antiquity of the Church , they vndertooke the defence , not of some part ; but of the whole body . For it was not lawful for men so great , and of such quality , to mantaine with so great contention & indeauour , the straggling & selfe-thwarting coniectures of one or two , or to striue for the rash consent of some little Prouince : but following the decrees and determinations of Apostolique and Catholicke truth , made by all the k k That is , the Ministers of the Gospell : so called , because they did offer the people to God , as a sacrifice : killing their flesh with the Word , as with a sacrifycing Knife . Priests of the holy Church , they choosed rather to betray themselues , then the faith which was held of old vniuersally . Whereby they obtained also so great a degree of glory , as that they were rightly and worthily counted not Confessours only , but the Principall of Confessours also . It behoueth therefore all true Catholikes vncessantly to meditate on this notable , and indeede diuine ensample of those same blessed men : who shining like the l l He alludes to the Candlesticke in Exod. 25. seuen headed Candlesticke , with the seuenfold light of the holy Spirit , haue shewed their posterity a most euident way , how the boldnesse of prophane nouelty may in all the vaine bablings of errours bee m m Or ouerthrowen , quasht , stayed , broken , c●nteratur . hence forth cooled with the authority of sacred Antiquity .

NEither is this a new thing truly : for this custome was alwaies vsed in the Church , that the more any man flourished in religion , the more ready he was to withstand nouell deuices . The world is full of such examples . But , for breuity sake , wee will make choyce of some one , and this especially from the Apostolicke Sea . In times past therefore Agrippinus , of venerable memory , Bishop of Carthage , held rebaptization first of all men , against the Canon of the Word , against the Rule of the Uniuersall Church , against the iudgement of all his Fellow-priests , against the n n Or against the custome & ordin ances contra morem & instituta . manner and customes of the Elders . The which presumption caused so great a mischiefe , as that it ministred a forme of sacrilege , not onely to all heretickes , but gaue occasion of error to some Catholickes also . When as all men therefore euery where vpon the nouelty of the thing cryed out against it , & all the Priests on euery side , did euery one indeuour to resist it , then Pope Stephen , of happy memory , Bishop of the Apostolike See , with the rest of his Fellowes , but yet aboue the rest withstood it ; deeming it , as I suppose , a thing beseeming , if hee did excell all the rest as much by deuout affection to the faith , as hee did surpasse them by the authority of place . Finally , in an Epistle which was sent into Affrica , the Apud Cypri . Lib. 2. Ep. 7. said Stephen ordeined in these words : That nothing should bee renewed , but that which is deliuered . For that holy and wise man knew , that piety doth nothing else allow of , but that all things should with the same faithfulnesse bee reteined for the Children , with the which they were receiued of the Fathers , and that we ought to follow religion , not which way wee would lead it , but rather by that way it would lead vs , and that that is the propertie of Christian modesty and grauity for men not to deliuer their owne deuices to them , that so come after , but to keepe the things receiued of their Elders . What therefore was the issue then of all the matter ? Surely what else , but that , which was vsuall , and accustomed ? Antiquity namely reteined , and nouelty exploded .

BVt peraduenture then that Obiect . new deuise was destitute of means to defend & beare it out . Yea verily , there was for it so Ans. great acutenes of wit , so great aboundance of eloquence , so great a number of maintainers , so great likelihood of truth , so many Oracles of Gods word , but indeede after a new and naughty manner vnderstood , that me thought all that conspiracy could by no meanes be destroyed , vnlesse that selfe same vndertaken , defended , & commended profession of nouelty , had forsaken the alone cause of so great an enterprise .

To conclude , what force had that Affrican Councell or Decree ? Truly none , through the gift of God : but all things were abolished , made void , and troden vnder foot , as dreames , as fables , as things superfluous .

AND ô the wonderfull change of things ! The Authors of the same opinion are accounted Catholickes : but the Followers are iudged Heretickes . The Maisters are absolued , the Schollers are condemned . The writers of the bookes shall bee the children of the Kingdome , but Hell shall receiue the Defenders . For who would doubt that most blessed Cyprian , the Light of all the Saints , both Bishops and Martyrs , together with the rest of his fellowes , shall reigne eternally with Christ ? Or who on the contrary is so sacrilegious , as to deny that the Donatists , & those other pestilent wretches , which doe bragge that they rebaptize by the authority of that Councell , shall burne for euer with the Diuell ? Which iudgement truly to me seemeth to bee promulged of God , for their craftinesse especially , who when they go about to forge an heresie vnder another bodies name , do commonly lay hold of the writings of some ancient man something too couertly set out , which in respect of their darknesse , doe as it were , serue for their owne opinion : that that , which , I know not what , they doe bring forth , they may seeme to thinke , neither first , nor all-alone . Whose wickednesse I iudge worthy double hatred : either therfore , because they are not afraid to proffer the poyson of heresie vnto others : or therefore also , because they do with a wicked hand blow vp , and winnow the memory of euery holy man , like ashes now raked vp , and diffame those things with a reuiued opinion , which ought in silence to be buried ; altogether following the foote-steps of their father Cham , who not onely neglected to couer the nakednesse of venerable Noah , but told it also to the rest , that it might be mocked . Whereby hee did so grieuously sinne against child-like piety , as that his very posterity became obnoxious to the curses of his sin : those brethren being blessed , and farre vnlike , who would neither distaine the nakednesse of their reuerend father with their owne eies , nor haue it lye open vnto other mens , but couered him , as it is written , with their faces backward : which is neither to approue , nor disclose Gen. 9. the error of the holy man : and therefore are they blessed in their posterity . But let vs returne vnto our purpose .