Chapter 7: Of the Church, and Various State Thereof, Especially in the Days of Antichrist; of Miracles and the Head of the Church

Of the Church, and various state thereof, especially in the dayes of Antichrist: of Miracles also, and of the Head of the Church.

Concerning the Catholic Church, our Doctors taught with Saint Gregory; that God has a vineyard, to wit, the universal Church, which from just Abel until the last of the elect that shall be born in the end of the world, as many Saints as it has brought forth, so many branches (as it were) has it budded. That the congregation of the just is called the kingdom of heaven; which is the Church of the just. That the sons of the Church be all such as from the beginning of mankind until now, have attained to be just and holy. That what is said of the body, may be said also of the members; and that in this respect, as well the Apostles and all believers, as the Church itself, have the title of a pillar given them in the Scriptures. That the Church may be considered two manner of ways: both that which neither has spot nor wrinkle and is truly the body of Christ, and that which is gathered in the name of Christ without full and perfect virtues; which notwithstanding by the warrant of the Apostle, may have the name of the Church given to it, although it be depraved with error. That the Church is said not to have spot or wrinkle, in respect of the life to come. That when the Apostle says; In a great house there are not only vessels of gold, &c. but some to honor and some to dishonor (2 Timothy 2:20); by this great house he does not understand the Church (as some have thought) which has not spot nor wrinkle: but the world, in which the tares are mingled with the wheat. That yet in the holy Church also, the evil are mingled with the good, and the reprobate with the elect: and that in this respect it is resembled to the wise and foolish virgins; as also to the King's marriage, by which this present Church is designed, wherein the good and the bad do meet together. So that in this Church, neither the bad can be without the good, nor the good without the bad: whom the holy Church notwithstanding does both now receive indifferently, and separate afterwards at their going from hence.

The number of the good, Gildas complains to have been so exceeding short in his time among the Britons, in comparison of the other; that their mother the Church in a manner did not see them lying in her own lap, albeit they were the only true sons which she had. And for external pressures, our Doctors have delivered, that the Church sometimes is not only afflicted, but also defiled with such oppressions of the Gentiles; that if it were possible, her redeemer might seem for a time utterly to have forsaken her: and that, in the raging times of Antichrist, the Church shall not appear; by reason that the wicked persecutors shall then exercise their cruelty beyond all measure. That in those times of Antichrist, not only more often and more bitter torments shall be put upon the faithful, than before were wont to be; but (which is more grievous) the working of miracles also shall accompany those that inflict the torments: as the Apostle witnesses, saying; Whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all seduction, signs, and lying wonders. Namely, juggling ones: as it was foretold before; They shall show such signs that, if it were possible, the very elect should be deceived, by such a fantastical power, as Jamnes and Mambres wrought withal before Pharaoh. What unbeliever therefore (say they) will then be converted to the faith? And who is he that already believes, whose faith trembles not and is not shaken? When the persecutor of piety is the worker of wonders: and the same man that exercises cruelty with torments, that Christ may be denied; provokes by miracles, that Antichrist may be believed? And what a pure and a single eye is there need of, that the way of wisdom may be found; against which so great deceivings and errors of evil and perverse men, do make such a noise? All which notwithstanding men must pass through; and so come to most certain peace, and the unmoveable stability of wisdom.

Hence concerning Miracles, they give us these instructions. First, that neither if an Angel should show himself to us to seduce us, being suborned with the deceits of his father the devil, ought he to prevail against us; neither if a miracle should be done by any one, as it is said of Simon Magus that he did fly in the air: neither that signs should terrify us, as done by the Spirit; because that our Savior also has given us warning of this before-hand (Matthew 24:24, 25). Secondly, that the faith having increased, miracles were to cease; forasmuch as they are declared to have been given for their sakes that believe not. And therefore that now when the number of the faithful is grown, there be many within the holy Church that retain the life of virtues, and yet have not those signs of virtues: because a miracle is to no purpose showed outwardly, if that be wanting which it should work inwardly. For according to the saying of the Master of the Gentiles; Languages are for a sign, not to the faithful but to infidels (1 Corinthians 14:22). Thirdly, that the working of miracles is no good argument to prove the holiness of them that be the instruments thereof: and therefore when the Lord does such things for the convincing of infidels, he yet gives us warning that we should not be deceived thereby, supposing invisible wisdom to be there, where we shall behold a visible miracle. For he says: Many shall say to me in that day, Lord, Lord; have we not prophesied in your name, and in your name cast out devils, and in your name done many miracles? (Matthew 7:22). Fourthly, that he tempts God, who for his own vain glory will make show of a superfluous and unprofitable miracle. Such as that (for example) was, whereunto the devil tempted our Savior (Matthew 4:6), to come down headlong from the pinnacle of the Temple to the plain, every miracle being vain, which works not some profit to man's salvation. Whereby we may easily discern, what to judge of that infinite number of idle miracles, wherewith the lives of our Saints are every where stuffed: many whereof we may justly censure (as Amphilochius does the tales that the Poets tell of their Gods) for [illegible], Fables, of laughter worthy, and of tears; yes, some of them also we may rightly brand, as [illegible] unseemly fables, and devils' documents. For what (for example) can be more unseemly, and tend further to the advancement of the doctrine of devils, than that which Cogitosus relates in the life of Saint Brigid? That she, for saving the credit of a nun that had been gotten with child, blessed her faithfully forsooth (for so the author speaks) and so caused her conception to vanish away, without any delivery and without any pain. Which for the saving of Saint Brigid's own credit, either Hen. Canisius or the friars of Aichstad (from whom he had his copy of Cogitosus) thought fit to scrape out, and rather to leave a blank in the book, than to suffer so lewd a tale to stand in it. But I will not stir this puddle any further: but proceed on, to some better matter.

And now are we come at last to the great point, that touches the head and the foundation of the Church. Concerning which Sedulius observes, that the title of foundation is attributed both to Christ, and to the Apostles and Prophets. That where it is said (Isaiah 28:16), Behold, I lay in Sion a stone, &c., it is certain, that by the rock or stone Christ is signified. That, in Ephesians 2:20, the Apostles are the foundation, or Christ rather the foundation of the Apostles. For Christ (says he) is the foundation, who is also called the corner stone, joining and holding together the two walls. Therefore is he the foundation and chief stone; because in him the Church is both founded and finished. And we are to account the Apostles as ministers of Christ, and not as the foundation. The famous place, Matthew 16:18 (whereupon our Romanists lay the main foundation of the Papacy), Claudius expounds in this sort. Upon this rock will I build my Church, that is to say, upon the Lord and Savior, who granted to his faithful knower, lover, and confessor the participation of his own name; that from petra (the rock) he should be called Peter. The Church is built upon him: because only by the faith and love of Christ, by the receiving of the Sacraments of Christ, by the observation of the commandments of Christ, we come to the inheritance of the elect and eternal life, as witnesses the Apostle, who says, Other foundation can no man lay beside that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus.

Yet does the same Claudius acknowledge, that Saint Peter received a kind of primacy for the founding of the Church (in respect whereof he terms him Ecclesiae principem, and Apostolorum principem, the prince of the Church, and the prince or chief of the Apostles). But he adds withal, that Saint Paul also was chosen in the same manner, to have the primacy in founding the Churches of the Gentiles. And that he received this gift from God, that he should be worthy to have the primacy in preaching to the Gentiles, as Peter had it in the preaching of the Circumcision. And therefore that Saint Paul challenges this grace as granted by God to him alone, as it was granted to Peter alone among the Apostles. And that he esteemed himself not to be inferior to Saint Peter, because both of them were by one ordained to one and the same ministry. And that writing to the Galatians, he did in the title name himself an Apostle of Christ, to the end that by the very authority of that name he might terrify his readers; judging, that all such as did believe in Christ, ought to be subject to him.

It is furthermore also observed by Claudius, that as when our Savior propounded the question generally to all the Apostles, Peter did answer as one for all; so what our Lord answered to Peter, in Peter he did answer to all. And therefore however the power of loosing and binding might seem to be given by the Lord to Peter alone, yet without all manner of doubt it is to be known, that it was given to the rest of the Apostles also: as himself does witness, who appearing to them after the triumph of his passion and resurrection, breathed on them, and said to them all; Receive the holy Ghost, whose sins you remit, they are remitted to them, and whose sins you retain they are retained. Gildas the Briton goes further, affirming that to the true Priest it is said; You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church. That to Peter and his successors our Lord says; And to you will I give the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And consequently, that to every holy Priest it is promised: Whatever you shall bind on earth, shall be bound likewise in heaven; and whatever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed likewise in heaven. Whereupon he pronounces of the good Priests of Britain; that they do lawfully obtain the Apostolical state, and lawfully sit in the chair of Saint Paul: and on the other side of the bad, that with unclean feet they usurp the seat of the Apostle Peter, but by the demerit of their covetousness fall into the pestilent chair of the traitor Judas; and so the ordainers of such, place after a sort Judas the betrayer of our Lord, in the seat of Peter.

Lastly, as Claudius notes, that the foundation of the Church was laid not only upon Saint Peter, but also upon Saint John: so in a certain hymn supposed to be written by Secundinus (known in this country commonly by the name of Saint Scachlin) in the year of our Lord 448, Saint Patrick also is thus commended. He is constant in the fear of God, and unmovable in the faith, upon whom the Church is builded as upon Peter; whose Apostleship also he has obtained from God, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against him. Yes, Christ is there said to have chosen him for his Vicar upon earth. His See likewise of Armagh, is by one Calvus Perennis in the days of Brian king of Ireland (who was slain, as appears by Marianus in the year 1014) termed the city Apostolic. So Desiderius Bishop of Cahors in France, is by our countryman Gaellus saluted both *Papa* and *Apostolicus*: and the Bishop of Kildare in Ireland, honored by Cogitosus, with the style of *Summus Sacerdos*, and *Summus Pontifex*, the highest Priest and the highest Bishop. Those titles and prerogatives, which the Pope now peculiarly challenges to himself, as ensigns of his monarchy, being heretofore usually communicated to other Bishops, when the universal Church was governed by way of Aristocracy.