Now that faith is most catholic that all the patriarchs, prophets, and apostles believed, and that they themselves believe. They only add patcheries of their own, and therefore they have a new faith, but we the same. They believe the two sacraments, but they add their own. They believe the Scriptures, but they add traditions. They believe salvation from Christ, but they add works; believe we must call upon God, but they add saints to Christ in invocation and mediation. They have destructive additions of their own, which spoileth all in the conclusion. What they have we have ; but their patcheries neither they nor we have ; and there- fore is not our faith more catholic, that holds the same things with the patriarchs and prophets, more than they that have only mere additions of their own ?
That wherein they differ from us is not catholic in their own confession, for they have it not out of Scripture, nor catholic with us in regard of the divided church that they had. It was neither the faith of the ancients, patriarchs, nor prophets before Christ, nor of the ancient fathers since Christ ; and therefore they are fain to fly to traditions and their own devices, and to make articles of their own, as Pius IV. made not many years since as many articles of his own as there be articles in the creed. For they say the present church is led by the Spirit of God infallibly, and according to the present state of the church things must be expounded. Therefore they be true catholics that hold with the ancient church, and them too, in such things as be true. And therefore we deserve the name of catholics, and they of neutralists. For is not that more catholic which is the same with ancient pariarchs, with ancient fathers since Christ, and the same with them, than that wherein they differ from us ? Indeed, that wherein they differ from us is merely the act of a private spirit of the one, not as if they did only add and still retain truth, but they defile whatsoever passeth from them. For they do change some things, add some things, * Cf. Joshua ix. 5. — G.
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take away some things. Tlicy change the government of Clu'ist into a tyranny, making the pope head, the sacrament of the Lord's supper into a sacrifice, and transgress every article of rchgion. They take away the cup in the sacrament, and then their additions are destructive additions. If they add, they overthrow all. As Paul saith to the Gulatians, ' If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing,' Gal. v. 2; and if you look to be saved by the law, you shall miss of salvation ; and ' whosoever teachcth another doctrine dift'crent, is anathema, is accursed,' 1 Cor. xvi. 22. Their additions arc destructive additions. If they were perfective, it were another matter, but they add something to faith which overthroweth faith, and something to Christ which takes away Christ. They do not hold to the head, but have another head than Christ, other mediators, and other rules of faith. They do not agree in the principles of faith. They agree that the word is the word ; but then to take away the edge of it, they add something to weaken it : their own expositions, traditions, and applications. So that they have what we have, yet they change all points of religion ; and the additions are against the foundation, and destructive. Not that but divers of them go to heaven, but it is not by their tenets. But they hold contradictions ; and in the hour of death they cleave to the one, and forsake the other. Howsoever, for cavil sake, they hold merits and right- eousness with obedience of Christ, yet they that belong to God amongst them, at time of death renounce that religion, and cleave only to Christ and obedience of Christ by justification to faith. But my meaning is not to take up time in these things, but only to breed a love of the religion we have, that hath a justification in the main tenets we hold from the enem}', from the ancient church, from the Christian church, having one spirit of faith. And to say truth, they have the old spirit, as in Kevelations, the spirit of Egypt, for so is Rome called, and the spirit of Sodom, and, as it is for the most part called, the spirit of Babj^lon ; for they have a cruel and bloody spirit ; and the filthy spirit of the Sodomites, and the idolatrous spirit of Egypt, and the tyrannical city of Babylon : for they have the same spirit with them. But for ancient tenets of religion, we may safely say, that in the main points of religion we have the same spirit of faithful Abraham, the patriarchs, David, the prophets, apostles, and ancient fathers ; therefore we may be bold.
i There is one faith from the beginning of the world to the end of the world, the faith of the elect : ' faith once given,' as Jude calls it, ver. 3.
I cannot press this point, but make this use further of it. We have the Spirit of faith, and the same Spirit of faith with them that were before. Therefore let this comfort us, that if we truly believe, we are brought into communion and fellowship with the church that hath been and shall be to the end of the world, that is now in heaven ; for we have all one Spirit. Though instead of faith they have vision, yet we have all one Spirit. Is it not a sweet thing to have communion with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets and apostles? And so we have, if we be true believers, by the same Spirit of faith. Perhaps we difier in the measure and degree, because the necessities of one are more than the necessities of another ; as in organ pipes the same breath is in all the pipes, but some sound little and some have a greater sound, answerable to the making of them, yet one breath makes them all sound. So there is the same Spirit in all the church, but some have little, some great measure, accord- ing as their necessities and places in the church are ; and therefore it is of great comfort, and it may teach us, as a comfort, that we have communion