Master Bezaes sermons upon the three chapters of the canticle of canticlesMaster Bezaes sermons vpon the three chapters of the canticle of canticles

7 The spouse having spoken of the matter of this Coach, cometh unto the Pillars which he saith, are of silver, and made by this King Solomon. And what are these Pillars else but such as God hath chosen and given to be the principal pieces of the Coach, and whose ministry he useth for maintaining and preserving of it, as the Pillars under-prop and stay up the building? I mean the Prophets and Apostles as the principal master-builders, and as it were the hand of this king to put this Coach in readiness: as the Pastors and Doctors finding it ready made, as we have above declared, are put in trust to maintain and keep it whole in all his parts and pieces, 1. Cor. 12.28. Ephe. 41. And this is the cause why the Apostle saith, that the Church is founded upon the Prophets and Apostles, Ephe. 2.20. because the Apostles received this grace to have ended that which the Prophets had as it were hewed out and squared: as it is said, that the wall of the City descending from heaven had twelve foundations, and in them the names of the twelve Apostles, Apoc. 21.14. & how is this, but that yet at this day the true Church hath no other object of her faith then the doctrine taught by the faithful Apostles of the Lord? Ephes. 3.12. But, some man will say, is there then any more then one foundation of the church and the government thereof? No truly. But there are moe layers of the foundation, but there is but one foundation only. If we respect then the work of every foundation-layer, we shall find, that there are so many foundations, that is to say, so many foundation works as there are foundation-layers, one working here, & an other there: as in the restoration and building up again of the City of the terrestrial Jerusalem, every one wrought in his quarter but all was one and the same wall upon the old foundation, Nehem. 2. and 3. Here we have then the definition ⟨p. 370⟩of the truly Catholic Church, namely that it is it for the building whereof every Apostle hath built for his part, by one & the same doctrine founded upon one sole foundation, one and the same Church: none of the builders being master above his fellow-builder, although Nehemiah as Lieutenant of the king governed the whole, as a faithful magistrate ought to procure above all things, that God reign and bear rule in the midst of the people whom he hath committed unto his charge.