Ephesians — Chapter 4

5. One faith.) Vnitie of the Cat. Church. As rebellion is the bane of ciuil Common-wealths and Kingdoms, and peace, and concord, the preseruation of the same: so is Schisme, diuision, and diuersitie of faith or fellowship in the seruice of God, the calamitie of the Church: and peace, vnitie, vniformitie, the special blessing of God therein: and in the Church aboue al Common-wealths, because it is in al points a Monarchie tending euery way to vnitie: But one God, but one Christ, but one Church, but one hope, one faith, one baptisme, one head, one body. Wherof S. Cyprian li. de vnit. Eccles. nu. 3. saith thus: One Church the Holy Ghost in the person of our Lord designeth & saith, One is my doue. This vnitie of the Church he that holdeth not, doth he thinke he holdeth the faith? He that withstandeth and resisteth the Church, he that forsaketh Peters chaire vpon which the Church was built, doth he trust that he is in the Church? When the blessed Apostle S. Paul also sheweth this Sacrament of vnitie, saying: One body & one Spirit &c. Which vnitie we Bishops specially that rule in the Church, ought to hold fast and maintaine, that we may proue the Bishoply function also it self to be one and vndiuided, &c. And againe, *There is one God, and one Christ, and one Church, and one Chaire, by our Lordes voice founded vpon Peter. Another altar to be set-vp, or a new Priesthood to be made, besides one altar, & one Priesthood, is impossible. *Ep 40. Schisme detestable. Whosoeuer gathereth els-where, scattereth. It is adulterous, it is impious, it is sacrilegious, whatsoeuer is instituted by man's furie to the breach of Gods diuine disposition. Get ye farre from the contagion of such men, & fly from their speaches as a canker and pestilence, our Lord hauing premonished and warned before-hand, They are blind, leaders of the blind &c. Among heretikes as many faiths as wils. Whereby we learne that this vnitie of the Church commended so much vnto vs, consisteth in the mutual fellowship of al Bishops with the See of Peter. S. Hilarie also (li. ad Cinstant. August.) thus applieth this same place of the Apostle against the Arians, as we may doe against the Caluinists. Perilous and miserable it is, saith he, that there are now so many faiths as wils, and so many doctrines as manners; whiles either faiths are so written as we wil, or as we wil, so are vnderstood: and wheras according to one God, and one Lord, and one Baptisme, there is also one faith, we fal away from that which is the only faith, and whiles moe faiths be made, they begin to come to that, that there is none at al.

11. Some Apostles.) The Heretikes foolish negatiue argument against the Pope answered. many functions that were euen in the Apostles time, are not here named: which must be noted against the Aduersaries that cal here for Popes. As though the names of Bishops, Priests, or Deacons were not as wel left out as Popes: whom yet they can not deny to haue been in vse in S. Paules daies. And therfore they haue no more reason, out of this place to dispute against the Pope, then against the rest of the Ecclesiastical functions. The Popes office is called an Apostleship. Neither is it necessarie to reduce such as be not specified here, to these here named: though indeed both other Bishops and Prelates and specially Popes may be conteined vnder the names of Apostles, Doctours and Pastours. Certes the room and dignitie of the Pope is a very continual Apostleship, and S. Bernard calleth it Apostolatum. Bern. ad Eugen. lib. 4. c. 4. & c. 6. in fine.

13. Vntil we meet.) Continual succession of Bishops, an euident argument of the true visible Church. The Church of God shal neuer lack these spiritual functions, or such as be answerable to them, according to the time and state of the Church, til the worlds end. Whereby you may proue, the Catholike Church, that is to say, that visible companie of Christians which hath euer had, and by good recordes can proue they haue had, a continual ordinarie succession of Bishops, Pastours, and Doctours, to be the only true Church: and these other good fellowes that for many worlds or Ages together can not shew that they had any one Bishop, or ordinarie yea or extraordinarie officer for them and their Sect, to be an adulterous Heretical Generation. The Fathers refuted Heretikes by the succession of the Bishops of Rome. And this place of the Apostle assuring to the true Church a perpetual visible continuance of Pastours and Apostles or their Successours, warranted the holy Fathers to trie al Heretikes by the most famous succession of the Popes of Rome. So did S. Irenæus, li. 3. c. 3. Tertullian, in præscript Optatus, li. 2. cont. Parmen S. Augustine, in ps. cont part. Donat. & cont. ep. Manic. c. 4. & Ep. 165. Epip. hæres. 27 and others.

14. With euery wind.) Heretical blasts carie away the inconstant only. The special use of the spiritual Gouernours is, to keep vs in vnitie and constancie of the Catholike faith, that we be not caried away with the blast or wind of euery heresie. Which is a very proper note of Sects and new doctrines that trouble the infirme weaklings of the Church, by certaine seasons of diuers Ages: as sometime the Arians, then the Manichees, another time the Nestorians, then the Lutherans, Caluinists, and such like: who at diuers times in diuers places, haue blowen diuers blasts of false doctrine.

Doe good to the humble, and giue not to the impious “prohibite to giue him bread, left therin he be mightier thenthou: 7. for thou thalefinie double euils' in al the good , whatfoeuer thou shalt doe to him: becaufe the Higheft hateth finners , and wil repay vengeanceto the impious.8. A freind shal not be knowen in profperitie,and an enimie shal not be hid in aduerfrie, g.In the profperitie of a man,his enimies are in forow,and in affliction a freind is knowne.10, (b)Gredite not thyne enemie for cuer:foras.abraffe pot his wickednes rufteth:11.and if humbling himfelfhe gee crouching, be aduifed in thyanind, and-bewareof him.12. Place him not by thee, neither let him fit on thy right hand, left perhaps turning into thy place, he feeke after thy feate:and atthe laft thou know my words, and be pric- ked in myfayings,13.Who wil haue pittie vpon the inchanter {triking of a ferpent,or of anie that come neere to beafts ? fo alfo he thatkeepeth companie with awicked man, and is wrapped in his finnes. 14. For one houre he wil rarie with thee:but if thou decline,he wil not abide it.1 5.In his lipsthe enimiefpeaketh {weetly,and in his hart he lyeth in wayte,that he may ouerthrow thee into the pit .t6. ‘In hiseyes the enimic weepeth: and if he may finde.a time,he wil not be farisfied with bloud: 17. and if euils happen to thee, thou shalt finde him there firft. 18. In his eyes the enimie weepeth , and asit were helping thee, he wil vndermine thy feer,