these scriptures as they have written, wherein all the articles of their Creed are plainly delivered, and preached that doctrine which they did preach, and done all other things as they have done, besides the composing their symbol; I say, if your doctrine were true, they had done a work infinitely more beneficial to the church of Christ if they had never composed their symbol, which is but an imperfect comprehension of the necessary points of simple belief, and no distinctive mark (as a symbol should be) between those that are good Christians and those that are not so; but instead thereof, had delivered this one proposition, which would have been certainly effectual for all the aforesaid good intents and purposes, "The Roman church shall be for ever infallible in all things which she proposes as matters of faith."

84. Whereas you say, "If we will believe we have all in the Creed when we have not all, it is not the apostles' fault, but our own;" I tell you plainly, if it be a fault, I know not whose it should be but theirs. For sure it can be no fault in me to follow such guides whithersoever they lead me. Now, I say, they have led me into this persuasion, because they have given me great reason to believe it, and none to the contrary. The reason they have given me to believe it is, because it is apparent and confessed, they did propose to themselves in composing it some good end or ends; as, "that Christians might have a form by which" (for matter of faith) "they might profess themselves catholics;" so Putean out of Tho. Aquinas: "that the faithful might know what the Christian people is to believe explicitly ;" so Vincent Filiucius: "that being separated into divers parts of the world, they might preach the same thing;" and, "that they might serve as a mark to distinguish true Christians from

infidels;" so cardinal Richelieu. Now for all these and for any other good intent, it will be plainly uneffectual, unless it contain at least all points of simple belief, which are, in ordinary course, necessary to be explicitly known by all men. So that if it be a fault in me to believe this, it must be my fault to believe the apostles wise and good men; which I cannot do if I believe not this. And therefore what Richardus de sancto Victore says of God himself, I make no scruple at all to apply to the apostles, and to say, Si error est quod credo, a vobis deceptus sum," If it be an error which I believe, it is you, and my reverend esteem of you and your actions, that hath led me into it." For as for your suspicion, "that we are led into this persuasion out of a hope that we may the better maintain by it some opinions of our own," it is plainly uncharitable. I know no opinion I have which I would not as willingly forsake as keep, if I could see sufficient reason to induce me to believe that it is the will of God I should forsake it. Neither do I know any opinion I hold against the church of Rome, but I have more evident grounds than this whereupon to build it. For let but these truths be granted: that the authority of the scripture is independent on your church, and dependent only in respect of us upon universal tradition; that scripture is the only rule of faith; that all things necessary to salvation are plainly delivered in scripture; let, I say, these most certain and Divine truths be laid for foundations, and let our superstructions be consequent and coherent to them; and I am confident peace would be restored, and truth maintained against you, though the Apostles' Creed were not in the world.

CHAPTER V.

That Luther, Calvin, their associates, and all who began or continue the separation from the external communion of the Roman church, are guilty of the proper and formal sin of schism.

66

THE Searcher of all hearts is witness, with how unwilling minds catholics are drawn to fasten the denomination of schismatics or heretics on them for whose souls if they employed their best blood they judge that it could not be better spent! If we rejoice that they are contristated at such titles, our joy riseth not from their trouble or grief, but, as that of the apostle's did, from the fountain of charity, because they are contristated to repentance; that so, after unpartial examination, they, finding themselves to be what we say, may, by God's holy grace, begin to dislike what themselves are. For our part, we must remember that our obligation is to keep within the mean, betwixt uncharitable bitterness and pernicious flattery, not yielding to worldly respects, nor offending Christian modesty, but uttering the substance of truth in so charitable manner, that not so much we as truth and charity may seem to speak, according to the wholesome advice of St. Gregory Nazianzen in these divine words a: 'We do not affect peace with prejudice of the true doctrine, that so we may get a name of being gentle and mild; and yet we seek to conserve peace, fighting in a lawful manner, and containing ourselves within our compass and the rule of spirit. And of these things my judgment is, and for my part I prescribe

a Orat. 32.

the same law to all that deal with souls, and treat of true doctrine, that neither they exasperate men's minds by harshness, nor make them haughty or insolent by submission; but that in the cause of faith they behave themselves prudently and advisedly, and do not in either of these things exceed the mean.' With whom agreeth St. Leo, saying; 'It behoveth us in such causes to be most careful, that without noise of contentions, both charity be conserved and truth maintained.'

And

2. "For better method, we will handle these points in order. First, we will set down the nature and essence, or, as I may call it, the quality of schism. In the second place, the greatness and grievousness, or (so to term it) the quantity thereof. For the nature or quality will tell us who may without injury be judged schismatics; and by the greatness or quantity, such as find themselves guilty thereof will remain acquainted with the true state of their soul, and whether they may conceive any hope of salvation or no. because schism will be found to be a division from the church, which could not happen unless there were always a visible church; we will, thirdly, prove, or rather take it as a point to be granted by all Christians, that in all ages there hath been such a visible congregation of faithful people. Fourthly, we will demonstrate that Luther, Calvin, and the rest, did separate themselves from the communion of that always visible church of Christ, and therefore were.guilty of schism. And fifthly, we will make it evident, that the visible true church of Christ, out of which Luther and his followers departed, was no other but the Roman church; and consequently that both they, and all others who persist in the same divisions, are schismatics, by reason of their separation from the church of Rome.

b Epist. 8.

I. Point. The nature of schism.

3. "For the first point, touching the nature or quality of schism: as the natural perfection of man consists in his being the image of God his Creator, by the powers of his soul; so his supernatural perfection is placed in similitude with God, as his last end and felicity, and by having the said spiritual faculties, his understanding and will, linked to him. His understanding is united to God by faith, his will by charity: the former relies upon his infallible truth; the latter carrieth us to his infinite goodness. Faith hath a deadly opposite, heresy. Contrary to the union or unity of charity, is separation and division. Charity is twofold. As it respects God, his opposite vice is hatred against God; as it uniteth us to our neighbour, his contrary is separation or division of affections and will from our neighbour. Our neighbour may be considered, either as one private person hath a single relation to another, or as all concur to make one company or congregation, which we call the church; and this is the most principal reference and union of one man with another; because the chiefest unity is that of the whole, to which the particular unity of parts is subordinate. This unity or oneness (if so I may call it) is effected by charity, uniting all the members of the church in one mystical body; contrary to which is schism, from the Greek word signifying scissure, or division. Wherefore upon the whole matter we find that schism, as the angelical doctor St. Thomas defines it, is a voluntary separation from the unity of that charity whereby all the members of the church are united.' From hence he deduceth, that schism is a special and particular vice, distinct from heresy, because they are opposite to two different virtues; heresy c 2. 2. q. 39. art. in corp. et ad 3.