of any Communion in the Christian World may safely joyn in it When any bring their particular Objections whether Romanists or Others they shall receive their Answers As for the Romanists I am apt to think that they would rather adde to it But because we think those to be such Matters as would corrupt it That must be Tried by the Examination of Particulars which is not the business of this place XLIII As for the Ways or Means of Coming to the Knowledge of the Catholicism of any Doctrine I know but two whereon the Ancients laid any Stress Scripture and Tradition The Sufficiency of the Scriptures as a Rule of Faith or that they contain all Matters in themselves necessary to Salvation we not only Maintain but further say That since God hath been pleasâ—d for the securing us from the scailtic of Mens Memories the Mâ—â—guidance of Mistakes the Cheat of Imposâ—ures and the like dangers to Cause his Will to be put in Writing and Compleat the Canon of Scripture The Scriptures are the only sure and infallible Rule of our Faith And whatsoever is fetch'd from those Fountains cannot but be Oâ—thodox and Right Here is our sure Ancho-Hold and in this the Fathers go along with us Nobis saith Teâ—tuâ— de Praescrip Curiositate opus non est post Christâ—â—n Jesâ—m nec Inquisitiâ—ne post Evangeluâ—m And Salviâ—n de Guber Dei lib. 3. p. 67. Si scire vis quid â—â—nendum est habes Literas sacras Perfecta Ratio est hoc tâ—nere quâ—d legeris He that Affects Citations may heap up enough to this purpose Nor doth it do the Romanists Cause any Service That many of their Authors speak so meanly and disgracefully of the Holy Scriptures for 〈…〉 do not well â—ear to Hear the Confessed Word of God 〈◊〉 â—reâ—ted And Mr. 〈◊〉 seems to Me to have been very impâ—â—dent in Entitling Part of his Answer to Dr. Tenison A Conâ—â—tation of 〈◊〉 â—octors Rule of Faith for the Doctors Rule of Faith was no other then thâ— Scriptures And a Conâ—utation of them would of all others be the Work for a Christiâ—n If a difference Arise Who shall Interpret this Râ—le I Answer First That whosoever Interpreteth he is bound to his 〈◊〉 And it is not therefore the sense of the Rule because he saith it but he is therefore in the Right because he gives the true Meaning of it If he speak his own and not the Rules Meaning he doth not Interpret but deprave Secondly I Answer That if the Priests Lips ought to preserve Knowledge and the People to seek the Law at his Mouth then we have a Succession of Lawful Pastors duely Authorized who no more depend on the Romanists then the Romanists on them And so we stand seized of as good Authority to interpret Scripture as any they can justly pretend to And that we use it more duely and rightly may appear hence That we not only diligently use all lawful Means to come to the Knowledge of Truth but Condemn all those ill Arts which obscure or coâ—rupt it We have no Index Expurgatorius to Expunge or Alter any Passages in the primitive Fathers or any other honest Authors if they do not please us yet by this one base unpardonable Artifice the Romanists whilst they have been undermining the sufficiency of the Scriptures have shaken the Authority and weakned the Evidence of Tradition and so disarmed the Church of her best Weapons of Defence for certainly a Tradition is best proved by those who lived in or near those times when it was delivered But how shall we believe their Testimony when their Writings are daily Curtail'd Changed and Falsified at pleasure And had not that God who takes Care of his Church caused the Cheat to be discovered it would have done more Mischief then all the diligence and pains of all the Romanists in the World could ever have made a just satisfaction for But this it is for a particular Church to set up for Infallibility which is a point that can never be gained without putting out the Eyes of all at present living and stopping the Mouths of all that went before them For though I beleeve that God will never desert his Church in all parts of it in Matters necessary to Salvation yet he has not given her any Power over the Faith but She is Tied to that and that alone which was at first delivered to the Saints And if the Roman or any other Church or an Angel from Heaven should teach any other doctrine then what we have received they ought to be so far from being regarded that if we follow St. Paul they ought to be Accursed That we Adhere to the Scriptures the Romanists cannot justly blame us because they themselves Acknowledge their divine Authority For see the Council of Trent doth Sess 4. decret de Caen Script ' but they accuse us as too strict Scripturists upon two Accounts First because we Admit not Tradition to be of equal Authority with the Holy Scriptures Secondly because we receive not several Books as Canonical or of unquestionable divine Authority which they have thrust into the Canon As for Tradition and its Authority I shall Treat of it more distinctly in the next Paragraph and there answer this Accusation As for the Canon of Scripture we own the very same and no other which the Church of God hath Handed down to us after the Canon of Scripture was Compleated As for those Books Called Apocrypha which the Council of Trent first made Canonical it is Apparent That we do not by that Title utterly Condemn them but rather Repute them of an Inferiour or Ecclesiastical Authority because we Read them in our Churches for Instruction of Manners and inciting to good Living And sometimes use them for the Illustration of Doctrine but never to Introduce or Found any Doctrine upon and this is as much as the Ancients allowed them The Jewish Church was the Keeper and Preserver of the Canon of the Old Testament as much as the Christian is of the Old and New now But they had none of those Books in their Canon And therefore if any Assert that those Books do belong to the Canon the Consequence will be That the Jewish Church did not preserve the Canon of Scripture entire and true and for the same Reason any one may suspect the Christian and so render the Authority of the whole dubious So injurious are the Romanists to the Faith it self whilest they set up their own Authority against the whole Church of God Besides if they will not own that we received the entire Canon of the Old Testament from the Jewish Church they ought to tell us from whom we did receive it and to whose Custody it was Committed till the time of Christ and his Apostles But whoever will be at the pains to read the Scholastical History of the Canon of Scripture Written by our Learned Dr. Cosins Bishop of Duresme will be abundantly satisfied that the
Tridentines under pretence of Tradition have Enlarged the Canon of Scripture contrary to the Tradition of the Church of God in all Ages even to their own time Thus when Modern Mens bare word must be allowed a sufficient Authority to Vouch a Tradition a Pretence of Tradition is set up against the truth of it and so Tradition it self rendred doubtful or useless And therefore I shall not trouble my self to pursue those many particular shuffling pleas which they use to Justify themselves in offering violence to the Sacred Canon But if you would know the true Reason which it was their Business to Conceal I believe Spalato hath Hit on it Suas non poterant Naenias ex Sacrâ Scripturâ verè Canonicâ probare ideoque noluerunt permittere uc sibi aliae Scripturae etiam non Canonicae eriperentur quo suas qualescunque haberent pharetras unde spicula desumerent ac praeterea viderent ac praeterea ne viderentur re in aliquâ Protestantibus cedere aut consentire maluerunt etiam falsa tueri definire de Repub. Ecc. lib. 7. cap. 1. Num. 28. XLIV He that doth believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God must of course believe their Sufficiency or that they contain all Matters necessary to Salvation for they give this Testimony to themselves And he that believes them to be the Word of God must believe the Testimony they give either of themselves or others St. Paul saith They are able to make Man wise â—◠〈◊〉 2 Tim. 3. 15. 16. But that cannot be so unless they contâ—in at least all things necessary thereto But though the Scriptures be thus sufficient and contain a certain Sense in themselves yet by reason of the distance of timâ— when they were Wrote through Unskilfulness in Oriental Customes and Phrases â—hâ—re they were Wrote through Ignorance of some partiâ—ular Tâ—ners which â—ome Argumentative part of Scripture is Levelled against and such like Câ—useâ— But above all through the Perversâ—ness of evil Men and Seducers it so falls out That those Scriptures which are of a certain Sense yea plain in themselves are made obscure to us and we eithâ—r become doubtful of thâ—ir Meaning or follow a wrong Meaning for what is or can there be so plain and easie which some wicked Men have not or cannot render intâ—icate and pâ—â—piexâ—d especially to weak Judgements and facile Tempers Now for the Discovery of the true Sense of Scripture in this Case true and genuine Tradition is possibly the best Heâ—p and surest Resuge and to Wrest the Scriptures out of the Hands of Hereâ—icks and Restore the Rule to its true Force right Use and proper Meaning perhaps there is not a surer nor more â—ffectual way for our Llessed Saviour Himself Wrote nothing or at least nothing which he designed to be a perpetual Standard and Rule to all his Followers It is said indeed John 8. 6. That He Wrote with his Finger on the Ground But what that was no Body can tâ—ll Eusâ—bius indeed Records an Epistle of his to Agbarus but if the Story be true and I have no mind to derogate from the Reputation of so Learned and Industrious an Historian yet it was to a particular Person in Answer to a paâ—ticular Request And the principal Contents are a Promise That after his Death oâ—e of his Disciples should come and both Cure and Instruct Him Nor was it ever Accounted as any part of Canonical Scripture The Apostles indeed being Led by the Spirit into all Truth not only tâ—ught it to the then present Age but Committed it to Writing for the benefit of â—â—sterity But then they Wrote nothing contrary or disagreeing with what â—hâ—y preach'd and taught both before and after they wrote And there is no doubt but that those Doctrines which they Comprized summarily in the Sâ—ripture were expounded more fully in their daily Conversation aâ—d conâ—â—nâ—ed discharge of their Ministerial Function If there oâ—e any doubt or Controversie did Arise concerning the Meaning of Scripture there could be no better way to determine it then by enquiring in what Sense those Churches understood it which the Apostles had planted St where upon all Occasions they at large Explained themselves for it is certain That the Apostles â—est knew their own Meaning And when they were no longer living to tell it let witty or wicked Men make never such a Bustle or fair Shew it will be very difficult to pâ—rswade any sober Men but that those must needs best know their Meaning to whom the Apostles themselves most amply discovered it Now it being the great Business of Hereticks to corrupt the Scriptures and wrest them to a wrong sense that they might seem to have a sufficient Authority patronizing their Errours When it so Hapned the Ancient Church usually declined the Nice Way of Cavilling and Captious Disputes and feâ—â— to enquire what was the Doctrine and Sense of the Apostolick Churches for it could not be but that those to whom the Apostles had preached all their days must better understand their Meaning then any Upstarts who followed their own Imaginations and were fond of New and pâ—stilent Notions And by this means they not only Silenced Hereticks but wrâ—ng the Sâ—riptures and the Interpretations of Them out of their Hands and then turned them against them And whilst Apostolical Men were living this was a sure Way And so far as such Tradition can be proved to have been preserved genuine and true it is still a good Way And when the Romanists have endeavoured to bring the Cause to this Issue I think they have had no great Cause to boast of their Gains Witness to avoid Naming many the Controversie Managed by Bishop Jewel and Harding But then as to Tradition these Cautions would be observed 1. That this is no prejudice to the Scriptures being the only sufficient Rule of Faith for though the Apostles wrote and taught the same things and so both were alike a Rule to the then living Persons yet when those things were put in Writing it was for this very Reason That a Sure and Certain Rule might be Preserved for Posterity For Tradition might in time be mistaken forgotten or corrupted But the Scriptures would remain unalterable So that the Scriptures are the Rule to us though there are many Helps to lead us to their true Meaning of which perhaps genuine Tradition is none of the worst But this makes nothing against the perfection and sufficiency of the Scriptures which contain all things necessary to Salvation though they do not find us Eyes to see nor Ears to hear nor Brains to Consider though God doth all this and all other Helps abundantly All Arts and Sciences are supposed to be Complete in themselves and to contain Rules sufficient to instruct a Man in them And yet some of the Noblest of them can never be thoroughly Attained unless a Man be first Instructed in the Rudiments of some other Arts or Sciences preliminary and preparatory to them But the
Scriptures being the most perfect Rule as proceeding from the All-wise God and leading to the Noblest End why should not Others or rather all be subservient to them yet this is so far from making thâ—m less that it argues their greater Perfection Secondly That nothing be Admitted as a Tradition which hath not some Apparent Foundation in Scripture for that being the undoubted Word of God whatever is not Agreâ—able thereto much more whatsoever is contrary to it ought never to be admitted But by Reason of our own Weakness or Others Fâ—owardness the Rule in some Cases being not so clear a true primitive Tradition in relation to Matters contained in Scripture may be very useful to lead us to the true Sense as in the Case of Infants Baptism the Observation of the Lords Day and some other Matters For all the Churches of God from the first times having Baptized Infants and duely observed the Lords Day it must be supposed That the Apostles did unanimously so teach the first Churches and consequently that those General Precepts concerning Baptism in Scripture are inclusive of the Children of believing Parents And that those Scriptural Instances of the Observation of the Lords Day were intended to direct our Practice Nor let any Man think that the Romanists will be Gainers by this for I will never deny any Truth for fear of giving Advantage to an Adversary Whatever they can prove from Scripture Expounded by such truly primitive Tradition as shall be agreeable to the two foregoing and the following Cautions I shall freely yield to them or any other Party But if the Matter come to this Issue they must lose all the most Considerable things for which they Contend with us I know they make great Flourishes and pretend Scripture back'd with Tradition for Purgatory and some other Fopperies But what can I or any Man help it if they will use the best means for the worst Ends They know good Rules but use them ill For as for such a Notion of Purgatory which they have set up and such a Use for it as they have devised as there is not any Footsteps of it in Scripture so was it utterly unknown to the primitive Church or if it could have been known would have been Abominated And if Men will have the Impudence to pretend without any colour for their Pretences yet I will not forsake a good Course because they abuse it Thirdly that nothing be admitted as a genuine Tradition but what was universally received and wherein all the primitive Churches were agreed according to that known Rule of Vincentius Lyrinensis Quod ubique quod semper quod ab â—â—…nibus or as he otherwise phraseth it Vniversitatis Antiquitatis Consensio Nothing can be so plainly spoken but the Weakness the Heedlessness or the Malice of some Persons may mistake or corrupt it Thus the Millenary Errour sprang from Papias misunderstanding John the Elder And his Authority again seems to have Influenced Irenaeus and Justin Martyr But this Meeting with Opposition in the Church and being in the End Exploded it hath only the Reputation of a very early Mistake and serves well for an Instance to shew how quickly Tradition may be Corrupted unless the Churches of God be exceeding vigilant What the Apostles taught for the Common Concern of our Salvation in any one Church they taught the same in all and therefore unless they all Agree that there is a Mistake is certain whether there be a Tradition or where it lies is uncertain and so at least it is useless But though here and there a Man might in some particular things mistake the Apoâ—tles and by their means Others might be deceived yet that all Persons of all Churches should clearly mistake the Apostles in any necessary matter notwithstanding they lived so long and daily so Laboured in the Word and Doctrine is a thing incredible And therefore wherein they unanimously Agree concerning the Doctrine of the Apostles no doubt but it is the best Exposition of the Doctrine in the Scriptures the same things being written for our perpetual Instruction which were at first preached for the benefit of the then living Generation Fourthly That Traditions be always deduced from the First Ages of the Church for Traditions are received not made And if they proceeded not from Apostles and Apostolick Persons they can never become genuine Traditions afterwards What was delivered to the first Churches though since neglected lost or forgotten was a true and genuine Tradition and is so still if it can be discovered But if any thing be Vouched as a Tradition though of a Thousand yeares standing and more yet if it came not from the First Churches it is not a Tradition but an Imposture And such are most of the Roman Traditions much like those of the Pharisees of whom our Saviour saith That they had made the Commandment of God of none effect by their Traditions Mat 15. 6. and yet they called them the Traditions of the Elders verse 2. and stood then up for their Antiquity as stoutly as the Other do now But as Tertullian observes lib. de Praeserip Veritas mendacio prior est And therefore here we are to follow not quâ—d Antiquum but quod Antiquissimum Lastly that a Difference be observed as to Traditions according to their Nature and Rife There are Traditions of particular Churches arising mostly from the Orders and Constitutions of some Venerable Apostolick Persons made and prescribed to the Churches which they respectively Governed These Claim a Respect not only upon the Account of their suitableness to Order but also in Honour of the Persons from whom they came but yet they oblige not other Churches None indeed ought to contemn them but they may lawfully either use or disuse them as their present Churth-Governours shall think Fitting for the benefit of the present Churches Some Traditions are more Universal as proceeding from the Apostles themselves but if they be only concerning things in their own Nature indifferent neither are these immutably binding That some such were is Apparent from that of St. Paul to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 11. 34. The Rest will I set in Order when I come But if any Man can certainly tell Me what Orders he made Erit mihi magnus Apollo And perhaps the Apostle never Committed them to Writing lest an over-great Veneration to Apostolical Authority should Run other Churches into an inconvenience For those very Orders though most wisely Fitted to the Church of Corinth might at the same time be inconvenient for other Churches yea for the very self-same Church in following times For though some indifferent things must of Necessity be determined because otherwise the Solemn Worship will unavoidably be disorderly and indecent yet such Orders can never be so Fixed for all â—hurches as to be of a perpetual immutable and unalterable Nature For Climates Customes Times Persons do variously alter the state of Matters so that what is prudently Constituted in one Church may be
Henry's Marriage with her Mother part 5. cap. 2. But for my part I am not of their Humour who take a pleasure in bespattering Princes and to do it by our own can be no Honour to our selves I do not see that any thing Alledged can be any real Prejudice either to Mary or Elizabetâ— for the Succession to our Crown depends neither upon Canons nor Councels much less upon Popes Bulls and Decretals but upon the Constitutions of our Kingdom And it was never yet doubted but that King Henry was Married as well to Katherine as Anue Bolen And if the Marriage was Solemnized the Children are Legitimate by our Laws which abhor all thoughts of any such thing as Bastards in Matrimony 'T is true our Laws permit and Authorize Ecclesiasticks to divorce such Persons who Marry within the degrees prohibited but yet suffer no prejudice to be done to their Issue And if the Parents though too near of Kin were Legally Married their Children shall succeed to their Estates and Rights in the same manner that other Persons Children do where the Marriage was without Exception And it is very hard Measure to deprive a King oâ— that privilege which belongs to the meanest of his Subjects especially in this Case which may endanger to involve a Nation in Confusion and Ruine Let King Henry therefore Answer for his own faults what iniquity soever there might be in his Marrages yet being Married his 〈◊〉 are Legitimated And I doubt not but that Mary and Elizabeth were both in their Turns our Lawâ—ul Sovereigns I will therefore prosecute this no further save with a Request to the Romanists that henceforward they would cease to set the Childrens Teeth on Edge with the soure Grapes the Father Eat and be as ready to Acknowâ—edge Queen Elizabeth a Lawful Sovereign as we are Queen Mary XXXVIII I did once Intend to have thoroughly Examined the Matter of the Reformation but I find that it would oblige Me rather to Write a Volume then a Chapter And after all perhaps I should be accused of needless pains for it hath been often and sufficiently done already And all Answers contain only the Crambe centies cocta or some bold Fictions or tedious Triflings Nor do I think that I can be Constrained to Answer for all that went before me In this Church I was Born Baptized and Bred I had no Hand in the Making Modelling or Altering it Gods Providence cast Me into it and I take it as I found it And if as such it be defensible I need concern my self no further And therefore without troubling my self to Rake the Dead out of their Graves I shall Consider our Church under her present Constitution for if that will not Hold we are gone without more ado But if that be good it is not ten thousand faults of Men who are dead and rotten that can overthrow it XXXIX I have alâ—eady proved that the Romanists themselves made the Breach And it may be more fully proved if need Require But two Schismaticks may fall out and both be in the wrong And therefore that we may Appear to be in the right something must be said to clear up the Justice of our own Cause To this End I shall briefly Examine these two things The Government and the Doctrine of our Church Government will of course take in Discipline as the Fruits of it And Doctrine will include Worship because there is no Abuse or ill Practice in Worship but it is Founded upon some Errour in Doctrine Government seems to Me therefore to belong even to the Essence of every particular Constituted Church because without it Ordinances cannot be discharged Sacraments Celebrated nor those things Performed which they are obliged to do in joynt Communion and as a Body of Men. That this Government be lawful and warrantable it is to be wished that the Governours might be always good but it is absolutely necessary that they have Lawful Authority and are rightly empowered to do some things which other Men may not do He who â—â—ith otherwise must with Corah and his Company lay all in Common which the most Heathenish and Brâ—itish Religions have ever abhorred to do For this perhaps the Romanists will not much quarrel Me But if it were for my present purpose I could accuâ—e him for being false to these Principles by allowing the contrary in Practice But to return to the Business That Authority be lawful it is requisite that it be derived from such who were truly invested with such Authority for Nâ—l dat quod non habet And further thâ—t they have likâ—wise a Power or Authorâ—ty to convey and derive it to others for it is often Personally Lodg'd in Mâ—n and Incommunicable as Knights cannot make Knights nor Lords Lords And therefore a Lawful Church-Authority must be such as descends from those who received it from Châ—ist with a Power to transmit it Now I find not that our Saviour said to any but his Apostles As my Father hath sent me even so send I you John 20. 21. And therefore from those Hands wherein they left it with the like power to transfer it to others must all Lawful ecclesâ—â—stical Authoâ—ity come The Way to Avoid this is either with Erastus and Hâ—bbs who learnt their Politicks from Jeroboams Practice to place all Authority in the Civil Magistrate or else with the Fanaticks to set up the extraordinary Call and Plea of an Authority immediately from God Now though too many of late have put in Practice M. Hobs his doctrine whilst they Rail against his Person â—nd others are drunk with their pretended Visions Revelations thereby Filling Mens Brains with Enthusiasm and in many places making a Nullity of all Ordinances yet these are not the Men I have now to do with and therefore I will not here engage against them And as for the Romanists I think I need not dispute it with them for though they strangely doat on Miracles yet I could never observe them either very fond of exeraordinary Missions or very free in allowing any Ecclesiastical Authority to the Civil Magistrate Now if they will take us at this Lock we are ready to Joyn Issue with them And to prove that we have a good Succession of Lawful Authority They cannot fairly Refuse us here becausâ— this is one of the Prescriptions which Tertullian lays down against Hereticks Edant ergo saith he Origines Ecclesiarum suarum evolvant Ordinem Episcoporum suorum ita per Successiones ab initâ—o decurrentem ut primus ille Episcopus aliquem ex Apostolis vel Apostolicis viris qui tamen cum Apostolis Perseveraverint habuit Auctorem Antecessorcm de Praescrip Now as for a Succession possibly there is not any in the Christian World so strongly Twisted as that of the English Churches If some of the Apostles and other Apostolical Persons being present in this Isle and planting Churches If Ordination from the British Irish French or Roman Bishops or any or all of these
very inconveniently and indiscreetly enjoyned in another And therefore though such Apostolical Constitutions deserve Veneration as being unquestionably bâ—st Fitted to the then present Churches yet it remains in the Power of Church-Governours to lay them aside upon just Occasion and Constitute Others in their Room as may be most for the good of the Churches Again some Traditions concern the Practice of the Universal Church which obtained in all places and these have their Ground and Warrant from Scripture but their particular Determination from church-Church-Authority which is still preserved to us by Tradition Of this we have a clear Instance in the Fasts and Feasts of the Church as Gods Signal Mercies require our Solemn Thanksgiving so our own Sins especially the publick Call on us openly to Humble our Souls before God and to give manifest Testimony of our Repentance Besides to tame our unruly Affections and Fit us for the discharge of our 〈◊〉 Acts of Mortification are very requisite To this the Scriptures direct us and thereof gives us many Instances But when this shall be done I mean publickly for as to private Thanksgiving or Mortification relating to Mâ—ns private Concerns they may usâ— their â—â—scretion provided that they thwart not the Orders of the Church is partly pointed out to us by the times when such Mercies were received or Evil done and partly determined by Ecclesiastical Authority And this even Natural Reason it self doth so fully teach that there never were any Men of any Religion how barbarous soever but they had their Solemn Fasts and Feasts Upon this Account I was very sorry to find a Relation in Mr. Ricaut St. of Turk to this Effect That certain Fanatical Merchants of ours Residing at Sâ—â—…rna and some other parts of the Turks Domiâ—ionâ— being observed to keep neither Fast nor Feast but to use every day alike all Persons presently esteemed them as Men of no Religion and â—ook'd on them as Persons who thought they had no God against whom they could offend nor from whom they had or might hope to receive Favours But though these Men were of our Countrey they were not of our Communion And we are not to Answer for thâ—ir ill Examples who have forsaken us chiefly for this Reason that they might take their full swinge in Running a Whoring after their own Inventions The most Ancient â—eaâ—ts and Fasts are Appointed by the Constitutions of our Church and 〈◊〉 by the Laws of the Land If we regard not some in the Roman Church it is because they are Apparently of later date and introduced by their own Authority which obligeth not us Besides we much doubt of the Popes Skill in discerning these later Saints but more of his power to make them such If it be observed that our own Fasts and Feasts are ill observed among us I grant it to be true but I say it is not our fault Ill Men and ill Times have been and still are too hard for us and not to Complain of the too many Obstructions of Discipline without which no Church can long stand much less flourish which is the Reason that all Parties whatsoever have unanimously combined to hinder the Exercise of our Discipline that by that means they might have opportunity upon all Occasions to make their full blow at the Church it self though our Church hath had the Laws on her side yet she hath ever had the Lawyers without whom the rest could have done nothing her Enemies who have made even the Laws themselves either insignificant or hurtful to Her I speak not of the whole Body of them for there are many Honest and Honourable Persons amongst them But there want not enough who are sworn Enemies of Church-Discipline and all Ecclesiastical Authority who lay Trains and Snares for the Governours of the Church if they execute it And if any Man be Constrained to defend the Sanctions or Rights of the Church they will encourage Parties and make Interests against Him lead him thorough all the Courts in the Kingdom till they have undone him And expose Him as if he were the vilest Man living They will neither suffer the Censures of the Church to take place nor her Rights to be gotten Nay more I will be bold to say that partly by quite discharging some Tithes and by Erecting lewd Modâ—s's and upstart Customes and other Sly Tricks they have deprived the Clergy of one fourth of what the Bare-faced Church-Robbers left And if they be suffered to go on at this Rate they will in some few Generations insensibly Begger all the Livings in the Kingdom Now what can we do against these and many other powerful and inveterate Opponents whom I will not Name Our Constitutions are good We wish and endeavour what we fairly can that they may be kept They must Answer it to God Almighty who will not suffer it But to leave Complaining where we are like to have no Remedy and return to our Matter As to Traditions of Matters of Practice distinction must be made between the Matter of the Tradition and the Circumstances of it Tradition as to Circumstances may differ in different places and may be Altered by the Power of the Church Thus as to the Feast of Easter all Agreed in the Tradition that it was to be observed But divers Churches disagreed about the time of its Observation so that whilest some were Fasting and had not Compleated their Lent others had Entred upon the Feast of Easter Here the Church interposed her Authority and to prevent Disorder and Confusion reduced the Observation to a certain time though it did not take place without a great deal of trouble so tenacious are people of Ancient Usages and therefore ought Governouâ—s to be very tender of disturbing them without wâ—ighty Reasons But then as for the Matter of such Traditions which are genuine and truly primitive as of the Observation of Easter and the first day of the Week commonly called The Lords Day c I cannot perswade my self that even the whole Church hatb Power to Alter or Abrogate them What may be done in Plenitudine Potestaâ—ts I will not dispute because it is a thing I have no kindness for For when Persons will be judges of the Extent of their own Authority they will be sure to Câ—rve liberaâ—ly for themselves And when they will be Acting to the utmost Sounds of it the odds is ten to one that they go beyond them Lastly other Tradâ—tions there may be whiâ—h relate to Doctrine but this could be nothing but what the Apostles taught and therefore must be fetch'd from those they taught it to And so must be derived from the first primitive Churches If it stâ—rted up after it was an Innovation not a Tradition though older then Augustine or Ambrose for there could be no Tradition but from the Apostles and wherein the Churches immediately following them unanimously Agree as to their Doctrine It serves well for the Explanation of the Sense of Scripture as hath been
and he likewise is Constituted by the other Bishops his Suffragans without any manner of Account Given or Subjection made to any other Church And here by the way take Notice That the Britons kept close to the true and most early Antiquity in paying a just deference to him who was Episcopus primae Sedis without using the Names of Metripolitan or Arch-bishop which were termes of later date XVIII I was never an Admirer of Personal Quarrels and therefore was never fond of heing engaged against particular Persons But that Arch-Traytor to his Countrey F. Parsons hath made such a Blunder and Bustle in this Matter that it may seem needful to return a particular Answer to some things alledged by him If scurrilous Language and Impudence be necessary Properties in an accurate Lyar scarce any Man was ever better Accomplished Only one Qualisication he wanted without which all the Learned have thought a Man can never dextrously Manage that Trade for either he had a very frail Memory or else thought all other Men to be very short-Sighted and would swallow down all his Assertions without any Examination If a Conjecture of any Protestant fall in his Way whether of any moment or not he Teazeth it with all his might and cunning and yet the greatest part of his Proofs are meerly Conjectural and often very â—roundless He is highly Offended with Sir Francis Hastsngs for saying That the first Teachers of Christian Faith in Britain were rather Grecians and of the East Church in Asiâ— then of the West Roman Church And for this he peremptorily says That there is no Author at all 3 Conver. cap 1. sec 4. I will not insist on it that they were Grecians they might be of the Jewisb Nation But with F. Parsons good leave even the Romans themselves owe their Conversion to the Easterlings either Jews or Grecians for they were bâ—fore them in Christianity And considering the early Conversion of the Britons it could come from none other unless Travelling thorough the Western Parts of the World made them of the Western Church and no other And if he were living I would desire him to tell me what Countreymen Ssmon Zelotes and Joseph of Arimathea were whom he himself makes great Instruments of our Conversion Besides the Feast of Easter was then Celebrated uncertainly and the Controversie not risen and not determined till long after And it is an Argument that we were not under the Authority of the Bishop of Rome because these Isles did not submit to their Determination But afterwards cap. 3. sect 7. forgetting himself he Acknowledgeth That Coleman Alledged a Tradition from St. John and Anatolius So that his Saying will be true when St John and Anatolius can be proved to be of the particular Church of Rome and Bishop Colâ—man and Beda to be no Authors XIX He proceeds telling us That it is a Notorious Lie of John Fox in saying That St. Beda Affirmeth this Custom of Keeping Easter with the Jews to have been here in Britain in his time as though all Britain had used it whereas in divers places he doth expressly Attribute â—he same to the Scots that dwelled in the Island of Ireland principally as also to some of them that dwelt in Britain and to some Britains themselves But all the English Church saith he was free from it Indeed it is a Mistake both in Parsons and Fox if they thought any of them kept it with the Jews in the strict sense For in that famous Northumbrian Disputation their Enemy Wilfrid doth not deny their Keeping it on the Lords Day but accuseth them with a false Account from the Fourteenth to the Twentieth of the Moon But if there were any other some who kept it the Roman way I would know who they were what were any of their Names and in what paâ—ts of these Islands they dwelt Here all Instances utterly failed the Jesuite and therefore he subtilely passeth it by never offering at any proof But I need not insist on this because I haue already proved that all the Christians of these Isles till Augustines time kept Easter the same way and different from the Roman Beda himself tells us That Wilfrid was Confident that his Doctrine was Omnibus Scottorum Traditionibus jure Praeferendam So that as Confident as he was yet they were all against him by his own Confession without anâ— of F Pâ—rsons Exceptions And in the Beginning of the Dispute Coleman's Assertion is this Pasca hoc quod agere soleo à Majorâ—â—us meis accepi qui me huc Episcopum miserunt quod omnes Patres nostri viri Dâ—o dilecti codem modo Celebrasse noscuntur Bed Ecc. Hist lib. 3. cap. 25. As for his English Church being sree i. e. from this Errour nothing could be said more impâ—rtinent and ridiculous For if he mean before Augustine's time his English Church were then all Pagans If he speak of what was in or after Augustine's time it is nothing to the purpose for no Body denies but that Augustine brought in the Roman way the Dispute is concerning what was the Practice here before And now F. Parsons may take his Lye again as being the true Father of it XX. Upon this false Foundation he frames this Trifling Argument which he seems to make great Account of That the Britons can no more be said to be of Eastern Conversion then a Man could say the first Preachers to them were Pelagians because in Beda's time some Reliques of the Pelagian Heresie might be sound amongst them To which I Answer That the Case is quite otherwise And if in Beda's or any others time the Britons had been found as unanimously Agreeing in the Pelagian Heresie as they were in the Paschal Solemnity and no Footsteps appearing that it had been otherwise any Man would Conclude That their first Preachers had been Pelagians or Men infected with the same Heresie if they were not known by the same Name And thus he ought to have laid his Argument to make the Parallel run true to the Reality of the Cases But he was more Crafty then so for that had been to Confute himself Next he triumphs over Fox for saying That Beda affirms this Custom concerning Easter to have been in Britain almost 1000 yeares after Christ Whereas saith he Beda was a much older Author and died in the Year 735. Well but what if all this should be done by Miracle without one I know not how it could and Beda should appear almost 300 yeares after his Death to some drowsie Monk and tell him this Tale F. Parsons if it had made for him would have Hugg'd such a Revelation But after all it is only a mistake if not a wilful One though Fox's heedless way of Expression gave too much Occasion for it for his meaning is this That Beda affirmeth Easter to be so kept by the Britons in his time and that the same Custom continued after his time amongst them so long as to be Practised almost
1000 yeares after Christs time And all this is very true as shall appear Anon. XXI To Revenge this Wrong as he thinks done to Beda he falls foul upon the Magdeburgenses for making Jeoffery of Monmoutb to live about 700 years after Christ Jeoffery's Testimony indeed Gauled him sorely and therefore it was to be shuffled off by any means Whether he hath done the Magdeburgenses Right in that thing I neither know nor care For their Errour as to the time of Jeoffery's Life doth nothing invalidate his Testimony But if it were good before their mistake it is so still so that this is only Cavilling Besides though Jeoffery of Monmouth lived in the time of King Stephen which is above 500 yeares since and so is no Yesterdays Author yet the Work it self is much older For he was not the Author but Translator of that History which was written Originally in the Brittish Language and Accounted an Old Book before he was born as Lambard and others have proved and therefore the Testimony is more Considerable and deserves a better Answer after all the Magdeburgenses Account may Refer to the Matter of the Testimony and Time when the thing was Transacted not to Jeoffery's Life and then it will be too Modest and too favourable To less purpose is his time spent in proving Jeoffery to be no Cardinal I should be prone to believe him if I had no other Reason but his Relating a Truth so prejudicial to the Interest of the Court of Rome But if he was not a Cardinal he might be as honest a Man 'T is certain he was a Bishop and as such was a much better Man especially if the Pope would suffer them to be what Christ and his Apostles made them and not Appropriate all that Authority to the Roman See to a Share of which every Bishop hath as good Right and Title as himself XXII At length after a deal of Shuffling Lying and Rayling he comes to the Matter of Jeoffery's Testimony And that he Answers easily and so may any Man who takes no Care to speak Truth but only what may serve his Turn He says There is not a Word in it of not Acknowledging the Pope â—s Supremacy I know not how there should for such a Supremacy as is now Claimed was not then Lick'd into form He might have Remembred that the Transactions there mentioned relate to the time of Gregory the Great then whom no Man wrote more fiercely against the Supremacy Or which is in effect the same thing the setting up an Universal Bishop Or if he had bethought himself of what he elsewhere tells us That the Brstons would not Communicate with Augustines Converts then Dogs he might have made it a strong Argument for their professing Obedience and Subjection to the See of Rome In fine he will have their Answer Amount to no more but this That only they would not Acknowledge Augustines Superiority over them seeing he was sent only to the English And that the Authority of their own Arch bishop was not taken away by his coming for any thing they knew but remained as before 3 Conver cap. 2. sect 14. What pity is it that Augustine did not better inform them it seems they would have been a very obedient People had they known the Pope's Orders and been told the Truth of the Matter But it is an unlucky thing that when a Man with Working his Wits has devised an Answer that would do the Business he should not have the Privilege to make it pass for Truth unless it be so in it self Now all this is spoken by a Figure called Fiction which the rude Vvlgar call Lying For the Britons no more regarded the Pope then they did Augustine I have already set down the Answer of Dinothus Abbot of Bangor to which Jeoffery's words Relate and he who will be at the pains to read it will see That it is as expressly and directly Levelled against the Pope's Authority or Supremacy if it must be so called as could be well fâ—amed They impugne Augustines Authority by denying the Pope and own no Superiour but the Bishop of Caerleon who was to oversee under God over them or according to the Brittish had the only Eye over them under God And this they Confirm by their unanimous Practice despising all Orders from Rome and obstinately refusing all Communion with Augustine and his Successors Yet this and more F. Parsons Chymistry can melt into Obedience and an Acknowledgement of the Pope's Supremacy At this Rate who can doubt of Miracles in the Church of Rome XXIII In the next place he is highly Offended with the Magdeburgenses sor speaking so irreverently of Pope Innocent the First and his Testimony That all the West Churches were Founded by St. Peter on his Disciples and Successors And it is no wonder if Pope Innocent spoke out for himself and it may go a great way where they have not to do with such Hereticks as expect Proofs If this be true why has F. Parsons discovered some such First Founders of the Brittish Churches as were none of Peters Disciples or Successors His Forgetfulness sometimes doth his Holy Father as much injury as the Magdeburgians malice neither doth it carry any force of Truth bâ—cause by rheir own Confession there was a time when Easter was not so exactly observed as now it is whether there was a Stated Church at Rome then or not and that the Conversion of the Britons was at that time I see not any better Account can be Given To Help out this he tells us of Two more Popes Honorius and John the fourth who wrote to the Irish to reduce them from this â—rrour But Honorius will do him small service because in that Account which Beda gives of his Letter Ecc. Hist lib. 2. cap. 19. it is clearly implied that the whole Nation was involved in it and so we have a Pope on our Side to set against him that follows His Pope John was scarce Pope then at Best he was but Elect And the Letter seems to come as I may say from the Chapter in the Vacancy of the See and of those many who joyn in Writing it Hilarius the Arch-Presbyter not John is first mentioned but for once let John have the Credit of it and he then will tell us That this Heresie i. e. concerning Easter was but lately sprung up amongst them and only some few infected with it But now how John and Honorius will Agree about this I cannot tell For once I will be so kind to F. Parsons as to try if I can make them Friends The Brittish and Irish Usage was in this Western part of the World a great Singularity in those days Now if John had a Mind to draw them off from it who can blame him from speaking favourably and representing the Matter as inoffensively as could be The Way to Win Men is not to provoke them and we sometimes seem not to believe that a Man is so bad as we
in this Matter are such as may with equal if not more advantage be â—eturned upon themselves 'T is true we are not desirous to Molest others we wish Peace to the Churches Reasonable things would Content us and therefore we generally keep on the defensive part and stand all their Attacks and Opposition But if by such foul dealing they will continually provoke us till we change the state of this Scribling War and bring it into their own Countrey what Work will this make For if they will Vouch those Arguments to be good against our Orders And we prove that they are of no less force against their own or that we have other stronger Reasons against them whither will they then go for Ecclesiastical Authority their pride and stomach is too great to Truckle to the Greek or any other Church or to Borrow any Authority from them But if they should they ought to Consider whether the same Arguments will not follow them yea more whether divers of their Hot-spurs have not Carried them thither already If so all their Labour is in vain And if their Arguments be good all Church power and Succession is lost This indeed doth not so fatally affect us as it doth them because we for good Reasons deny those Arguments to be good and so keep up our Succession and Ecclesiastical Authority But what will become of that Church or what Remedy is left for it which obstinately maintains the Validity of such Arguments when they are proved as valid against her self especially it being a Church of that pride and ambition as to scorn to own any Authority in any other Church which she hath not more fully in her self Now if rather then not destroy our Orders they will what in them Lies overthrow all Ecclesiastical Authority and Succession though thanks be to God they cannot do it yet it is Apparent that they will hazard the very Worship of God and shake the very Foundations of Religion rather then be frustrated in their malicious Purposes and ambitious Designes And this I take not to be any strong Temptation to prefer their Communion before all Others XL. As for our Doctrine we are willing it should come to the Trial And I know no better Way to Try it then by its Agreement with what was Taught by our Saviour and his Apostles This is the Way Tertulliaen prescribes us both for the Security of the Church and Exclusion of Hereticks For after some things premised he makes this Inference Const aâ— proinde omnem Doctrinam quae cum illis Ecclesiis Apostolicis Matricibus Origiualibus Fidei conspiret Veritati deputandam id sine dubio tenentem quod Ecclesiae aeb Apostolis Aposto'i à Christo Christus à Deo suscepit Roliquam vero omnem doctrinam de Mendaâ—io praejudicandum quae sapiat contra Veritatem Ecclesiarum Apostolorâ—â— Christi Dâ—i And again speaking of Hereticks in general Ipsa 〈◊〉 doctrina â—orum cum Apostolicâ comparata ex diversitate contrarietate sâ—a Pronunciabit negue Apostoli alicujus Autoris esse neque Apostolici And then shewing how later Churches or such which shou'd at any time after be Constituted might defend themselves against Hereticks He saith thus Ad hanc itaque formam Provocabuntur ab illis Ecclesiis quae licèt nullum ex Apostolis vel Apostoliciâ— Aâ—ctoâ—em sâ—am proserant ut mulâ—ò Posteriores quae denique quotidie instituuntur â—amen in eâdem fide Conspirantes non minùs Apostolicae deputantur pro Consanguinitate doâ—trinae de Praescrip Now let this be the Test and in our Defence we say with Tertullian Postcrior nostrares non est immò omnibus Prior est Hoc crit Testimonium Veritaetis ubique occupantis Principatum de Praescrip Now let them Charge us if they can with Maintaining any Doctrine as of necessity to Salvation which came not from Christ or his Apostles and when they can prove that all these did they shall make Me believe any thing Only by the Way I cannot but take Notice of the difference between this good Old Father and the present Romanists in their Resolution of Faith or in the last Result Standard and Trial of Faith The One Refers us to what our Saviour taught by Commission from the Father and the Apostles by Authority from Him and to Examine Matters by their Agreement herewith The other without more ado Resolves all into the Authority of the present Roman Church The One saith It is the Way of Truth because the same that Christ and his Apostles Taught The Other saith We cannot be deceived because the Present Roman Church Voucheth it to be Right Now though for my own part I Adhere to the Opinion of the Father and therein of the Ancient Church yet I must Confess that the Romanists whether right or wrong have laid their Plot well for if they can once bring a Man to swallow this Proposition That the Roman Church is the only certain Rule and Judge of Truth Or That all thinge must give Way to their Determinations Then as for Particulars his Work is done and he is bound with an implicit Faith to swallow them all without any scruple or the least Examination Now this is sure and quick Work but too quick for Me who as a Christian lying under an Obligation upon occasion to Render a Reason of the Faith that is in Me would be willing to know a Reason that I may be able to do so That the Roman Church saith so will be no Reason till she produce a better Charter for her Authority then she hath yet done And till I and Oâ—hers can be satisfied by good Reason or Evidence of such Authority For if a Reason be Required of Me my Answer that Others say so will be none unless I can convince them by good Evidence that their Say-so is of sufficient Authority and indubitable the Plea indeed of Indefectibility were good if it were true But they rather urge that because it serves their Turns then that they have any good Evidence of it And the Father who directs us to trace Truth to the Apostolical Churches supposes that particular Churches may fall from it Sicut saith he Apostoli non diversa inter se docuissent ita Apostolici non contrarià Apostolis edidissent nisi illi qui ab Apostolis desciverant aliter praedicaverunt de Praescrip The Romanists indeed lay their Scene wisely they understand well enough what would do their Business and accordingly fail not to plead what must do it with those who Admit their Plea without proof The Consequence or Building would be good if the Antecedent or Foundation were sound But you must not narrowly Examine that lest a Rotten Bottom tumble all the stately Pageant down again If the Roman Church be indefectible by Vertue of any Promise made to St. Peter then other Churches may use the same Arguments and lay Claim to the same Privileges as well as they And our own Church
shewn But then it becomes not our Rule though it is an excellent Help for a Rule ought to be full obvious and useful He that will pretend it full has doubtless an Aking Tooth at the Holy Scriptures to explode them as Useless and then he will leave us no Rule at all for this pretended Rule is neither obvious nor useful as a Rule For to fetch the Doctrines of the Christian Religion from the unanimous Consent of all the Apostolick Churches is a Work for which not one in a thousand is capable Nay take twenty for one of their own Priests and either they are not able or shall not be suffered to Attempt it And is this Fit to be set up for a Rule in a Matter of the Eternal Salvation of all Men which the most cannot and many if they could must not use This and some other Reason I could give make me suspect that the â—ridentines in defining the Scriptures and Tradition to be Received Pari Pietaetis affectu ac reverentiâ had this in their Eye that under the pretended Authority of Tradition they might foist in those Corruptions which they knew the Holy Scriptures would by no means patronize But to leave this Matter and draw a Conclusion from the Premisses if according to our Constitutions for we are not to Answer for the Miscarriages of any particular Persons both our Doctrine and Discipline our Government and Worship are good and justifiable then we cannot be Hereticks If the Roman Patriarchate extended not to these Isles then the Maintaining or Re-assuming our just Liberties cannot make us guilty of Schism as to his Patriarchship but the first is proved therefore the latter must be true XLV I should now have done with this Matter were there not one Trifle in my Way Men who are Resolved not to be Convinced will be sure to say any thing rather then be put to Silence And so the Romanist when driven from all his Posts Cryes out You were once of the Roman Communion anâ did Pay Obedisnce to the Bishop of Rome There was a Coaluion and therefore there must be a Schism Now though the Answer of this is plain from what hath been said yet some Men must be particularly Answered in every Impertinence or else they will Cry up their Tristings for unanswerable Arguments Whoever denied there was a Schism Do not we bewail it and heartily wish that Peace were Restored to the House of Israel That all Churches held a sweet Correspondence and all Christians might Communicate in all Churches wheresoever they came without any Scâ—uple of Conscience as in the primitive times But our Enquiry is Who are in the fault And that the Romanists are the guilty Party I have in some Measure proved and shall do it more fully hereafter if it shall please God to Vouchâ—afe me Life and Leasure But to say the Truth there is a subâ—il Gincrack in this Objection which when they speak out runs thus You were once Vnited and Lived in Obedience to the See of Rome and are now gone off from it What do you tell us of Corruptions Faults or ill Actions of the Church of Rome You cannot be safe till you be reconciled and again Vnited to it because that Church is the Mother and Mystress of all Churches and the Source of all Authority This is indeed a nimble Way to take for granted the main Matter in dispute And if they could as easily prove it as they are ready to beg the Question it would go very far But by the Way take Notice how streightly She hath bound all other Churches in Fetters and what a swinging Priviledge She hath Cut out for her self Let her do what She will all others must follow Her Let her do nâ—ver so iâ—l none must so much as Accuse Her Let her hold here and She is safe enough It is well Conâ—rived if these wicked Cross grain'd Hereticks would but believe it They who Claim such ample Privileges ought to produce their Charter But when they come to proving they produce nothing but such wretched stâ—ffe that Men are at a loss to return them an Answer by being struck wiâ—h Admiration at their Impudence That other Churches have as good Authority as the Roman is already pâ—oved and shall be more fully in due place And therefore this Asserâ—ion is an insolent Affront and Abuse to all the Churches of God But yet 〈…〉 Answer That supposing some Pâ—eeminence did belong to the Church of Rome thâ—t cannot Justify them in an ill Cause If ever any Church should Claim to be the Fountain of all Authority the Jewish Church whether as Mosaical or Christian seems to bid the fairest for it Upon that Stock as I may sâ—y were the Christians Grafted What Prâ—eminence St. Paul allows the Jews above the Gentiles you may read Rom. the 11th and elsewhere And what particular Respect all the Apostles had to the Jews how forâ—earing they were towards them how yielding to them how tender of them and now careful and desirous to Maintain Communion with them the Scriptures every where Testify But yet when they became obstiâ—ate and spake evil of Christianity even St. Paul himself depaâ—ted from them and separated the Disciples Acts 19. 9. Now we have cast off a Usurped Authority and Reformed some insufferable Abuses For this the Pope not only with the Jâ—ws speaks evil of us but thrusts us away and Curseth us Let him pretend what Privilege he will if we be Schismaticks we are Schismaticks with St. Paul And in so good Company we are nothing concerned though the Pope and his Teazers Rail and Bark at us all the Way we go It must needs be saith our Saviour Matt. 18 7. that Offences come but Wâ— to that Man by whom the Offence cometh So deplorable Schisms there be and perhaps more or less will be till the dissolution of all things put an end to them But then Wo be to that Man who to Maintain his enormous Greatness tramples on his Fellow Bishops and Tyranâ—izeth over all Christians and unless they will buy Peace at his unconscionable Rates will not suffer the Wounds of the Church to be healed nor her Breaches made up Nay if they should yield to him it might indeed be some kind of uniting like Brethren in iniquity but then it would be only a debauching not regulating the Church So that it was not for nothing that Marcellus the second in a Silent Melanâ—holick posture Leaning his Head on his Hand at length broke forth into this Expression I do not see it possible how a Man in this High Dignity â—aâ— be saved But let them look to that for having put in an Answer to the Claim of the Western Patriarch and briefly Justified the actual Separation I shall now Examine whether the so much boasted Councel of Trent can do them any better service CHAP. V Of the Câ—uncel of Trent I. THough the best things by the Frowardness and Contrivance of wicked Men and Seducers may
be abused to the worst Ends and pâ—rverted contrary to their Nature to serve the most pernicious Designes as hath been too often the Fate of Councels yet it ought not to be denied but that General Councels or others are of greatest Use and Benefit to the Church of God when lawfully called and duely managed where serious continued and unanimous Prayers are put up for Gods Assistance where Matters are freely and fairly debated and where not only the Intentions but Endeavours of the Parties are wholly bent to discover the Truth of God not to Gratifie any Party of Men. For if God have promised to be with two or three who are Gathered together in his Name Surely he will not be wanting to the Governours of his People and the wisest and soberest of Christians when Met together to discover to the Christian World the poison of Hereticks and to serve the Necessities of his Church provided that they take due Couâ—ses And it is Agreeable to Reason that a Considerable Number of good and able Men Assembled together in the fear of God where Matters are freely and fully debated and all Moral Industry used should be better able to discover Truth from Falshood then any single Person or any small Number of Men. And where Men are satisfied of the Regularity of their Proceedings though they should not be so well satisfied in their Determinations yet the Authority of the Persons and unexceptionableness of their Proceedings would be an Awe at least upon all sober and Rational persons and make them cautious of disturbing the Churches Peace Nor doth it seem to be without Encouragement and Direction that the primitive Christians in difficult Cases Fled to General Councels as their Sovereign Remedy For the Aposties themselves set them a Precedent and the first Councel at Jerusalem though small yet perhaps the most General that ever was was a Pattern worthy Imitation For though the Apostles had severally the Holâ— Ghost and were the Persons purposely Chosen to make known to Mankind the extraordinary Revelations of Gods Will and so might have determined any Question concerning any such Matter by their own Authority yet the Quarrel arising between the Jews and Gentiles concerning Circumcision and in the Consequence concerning the whole Ceremonial Law of Moses though they knew that one great End of Christs Coming was to abolish it to fulfil its Types and set up a more spiritual Worship yet the whole Church being divided by this means into two Parties they would not determine the Matter till Met in Councel together that a full debate and their unanimous Consent might give the greater satisfaction to all And indeed their Proceedings are an admirable Copy for all following Councels to write after even they who best might do not Magisterially give us their Naked Decrees and Definitions for though they had the Holy Ghost and in their Decree did say It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us yet they do not say this before they had undeniably provod that it did seem good to the Holy Ghost and therefore ought to them For St. Peter clearly proves that God Himself had already determined the Matter in the Case of Cornelius And then Barnabas and Paul as clearly proved Gods further Confirmation of it by Miracles and Wonders wrought amongst the Gentiles whilest they Preached the Gospel to them So that here was nothing left for Men to say against the Decrees of the Councel unless they would Argue against God And though the same degree of Evidence and fulness of Authority do not Attend after Councels yet it would be a great means to procure submission to them when their Imitation of the Apostles and Care of the Churches did Appear by their Accompanying their Determinations with the clearest Evidence that might be II. Some Romanists will needs have every General Councel i. e. such as they Call Lawful to be as infallible as that of the Apostles but methinks they should allow some difference if it were only for this Reason That the Apostles did infallibIy and fully discover to us the whole Truth of God in order to the Salvation of Man All that come after them have nothing more to do then to enquire after that Truth which they taught and which Rests upon their Authority as Inspired by the Holy Ghost And therefore certainly there is a great difference between them and those who follow them and are bound to build upon them and are certainly in the wrong whenever they depart from them Infallibility is a word that sounds high and promiseth all that Man can desire And therefore the Romanists themselves would have it upon no other termes but so that they may have both the possession and the use of it But when we come to look for this Salve for all Sores we know not where to find it for they themselves are so miserably divided that they know not where to place it And then how can we or indeed they themselves be any thing the better for it Some say it is in the Church some say in Tradition some say in a General Councel some in a Councel together with the Pope some in a Councel Confirmed by the Pope though these two last are often odâ—y Jumbled together and some say in the Pope alone when he defines pro Cathedrâ and that is a Mystery too Now in all and each of these they entangle themselves in some palpable Contradictions and woful Absurdities that a Man might wonder that ever such Learned Men should Appear in their Defence did we not see by Experience that extravagant Interest as well as great Oppressions often makes wise Men mad The truth is all these are set up as a blind as shall appear in its proper place And if their General Reasons to prove that there must be some sort of personal Infallibility be good there must be another sort of Infallibility set up then any of these and such as they themselves will by no means approve and which none have pretended to but the worst of Enthusiasts And yet â—heir Reasons must prove this if any Such lewd Opinions do Men Run into when they will take upon them to prescribe to God rather then obey him And indeed it hath sometimes struck Me with horrour to see how boldly they tell us what God must do and how presumptuously they charge him with breach of Promise as Neglect of his people if he do not make good all their Contrivances As if God were bound to do whatsoever their working Brains can think fit to Advance their unworthy and unchristian Interests No doubt but God will not fail on his part if we neglect not our own But to Tye Him to serve our humours or baseness is to provoke Him to desert us in those things which are really most needful for us But these things I must not here particularly pursue nor shall I engage in the Dispute concerning the Infallibility of General Councels both because whatever they pretend
it is not that which they would have as also because they have Received such Answers already in that Matter from Spalato the most Reverend A. B. Laud the Learned Dean of St. Pauls and others that it is now altogether a Needless Labour III. He that takes his Aim though never so carefully yet may sometimes miss his Mark And if that should be my Misfortune in what I write in this place I may in Equity expect the more favourable Usage For though in a good Sense a Councel may be said to be the Church Representative as I shall shew anon Yet I have Considered and Considered again and can by no means Reconcile to Reason that Notion or Proposition in the sense which some Men take and Explain it That a General Councel is Representative of the diffusive Body of the Church For if it be so it must either be by Institution from God or Delegation from Men. But that God in any Case hath Appointed the whole Body of Christians to choose certain Persons as their Representatives whose Acts by vertue of such Election shall be as binding as if it had been done by all and every Man I think can no where be found for my own part I could never see any Footsteps of it or any thing like it If on the other Hand it be by an unprescribed spontaneous Delegation from Men it must either be by the whole Body of Christians Met together for that purpose or by Parts Assembled in particular Churches The First I think if it be not impossible is altogether impracticable as the state of the Church now is Nor was it ever put in Practice when the Church being less closer and better united did not labour under those difficulties which now it doth As for the second it hath neither Scripture nor Antiquity on its side and for that Little which some may wrest to look that way it is so very little that it may thence Appear that the Churches of God never thought it necessary For though Paul and Barnabas and certain others were sent up to Jerusalem about the Controversie between the Jews and Gentiles Acts 15. 2. Yet there is not any Circumstance to lead us to think otherwise but that they went by Order or Agreement of these Governours of the Churches among whom that Controversie had been debated but could not be finally decided by reason of the turbulency of the Jews and not by Election of the People And when the Councel Met at Jerusalem though all Christians had freedom to Appear in it yet when the Apostles and Elders are said to come together to Consider of the Matter verse 6. they Met by their own Authority And further if a Councel be so the Church Representative that in Order to its being a Representative it be necessary that the Persons Appearing be Elected from the Church-Members of particular Churches the Consequence will be That the first four Famous General Councels were not lawful Councels for they Met by the Emperours Summons not by Election from the People And therefore upon this Supposition could not be duely Convocated Besides if a Deputation of the People or Church-Members be necessary let the Honour or Orders of the Persons deputed be what it will they must Represent mostly as Laymen for such are Incomparably the far greater Number But we read not of any Bishops Sitting in Councel but as Bishops and subscribing as Bishops and taking place there by vertue of their own Authority as Bishops not by any Deputation unless perhaps some Person Appeared for some absent Bishop as well as himself or as the Legate of some Bishop But then a Commission or Deputation from that absent Bishop was sufficient without so much as Consulting any Church-Members I do not say but that some Persons were Chosen on purpose to be sent to Councels but then they were either such Priests or Deacons as the Bishops thought Fit to take along with them or were pitch'd on by the Advice of their Clergy And we have a Custom amongst our selves that Two out of every Diocess be Chosen and sent to the Provincial Synod or Convocation And though it is Reasonable that some should be there who by daily Inspection and Experience understand the Countreys Affairs and the Circumstances of the Rural Clergy upon whom not the least part of the Burthen lies yet the great Reason iâ— this That the Determinations of the Convocation may pass into the Law of the Land which they cannot do unless the Convocation consists of such Persons as the Law requires whose Acts must be Ratified by the King also to that purpose But then those Persons so Choseâ— are only the Proctors of the Clergy not Deputies of the People And Câ—nonâ— for the Church might be made without them though not Laws of the Land And indeed the Romanists themselves though they talk loud of a Councels being the Churches Representative yet sometimes they are as dumb again and willing to let it sleep or to shift it off When they have to do with private Persons or such whom they Call Hereticks then they talk big of their pack'd Councels and what a Madness it is to withstand the Representative of the whole Church of God This looks great and seems to carry no small Authority with it But if DiscouÌ„rse happen of a Councel in Relation to the Pope then they are as Mute as Fishes or Mince the Matter and will by no means be induced to speak out as to any such Authority in Councels of themselves And it is well known That the Tridentines were never suffered to use the Phrase Repraesentans universalem Ecclesiam though many stickled hard for it the Pope being in no small fear that an Inferencâ— would be thence drawn That any Member how great soever was Inferiour to the Representative of the whole Body of Gods Church the Consequence of which might have been fatal to Himself But the Question concerning the Right to or Exercise of Authority in any diffusive Body of Men whether Ecclesiastical or Civil perhaps deserves a more thorough Examination then it hath ever yet undergone And consequently whether any can And if any then who and how far they can make a Representative I may perhaps have Occasion to discourse of it hereafter but shall not in this place IV. He that proceeds only in a destructive way gives too much Advantage to Loose Wits and in stead of Instructing unsettles weak Heads It is therefore but just that he who opposeth what he thinks a Mistake should set down what he thinks right lest he do more hurt by leaving nothing to build upon then he doth good by discovering an Errour which perhaps might be harmless if Consequences of too great moment were not Wire-drawn from it If therefore we should say That a Councel i. e. as far as Relates to such Churches whose Bishops Appear in Councel is the Church Authoritative and in Consequence the Representative as bringing with it all that Authority Christ
left in his Church and which he Lodg'd in his Church-Officers by Vertue of which Authority they Represent and not by any Deputation from the People or Church Members I think that with submission to better Judgements it would be much more plain in the Explication and facile in the Reasons of it And thence would Evidentâ—y Appeâ—r the true Grounds of the different force of their Decrees and Canons For in what Relates to Discipline and exâ—ernal Government every Bishop haâ—h Power to make Orders in his own Church And when they are Met in Councel together for the Agreement and Harmony of Churches and better upholding Communion they may make Rules binding all those Churches and in all things lawful and honest they are to be obeyed For in their Hands God left the Government of his Church as a Church And it is no less then an Apostolical Command in â—eserence to Church-Governours Obey them thâ—e have the Rule â—ver you and submit your selves c. Heb 13. 17. And this is so clear from the Practice of the pâ—imitive Church that to bring a few Instances were only to light a Candle to the Sun But then those Regimental Rules or Orders were not binding to those Churches whose Bâ—shops were not there either by themselves or their Delegates and Consenting to them though they were bound to observe them whenever upon any Occasion they came to any of those Churches on whom they were laid And also had a Power to Receive and Confirm them if they found them convenient for their Churches and so to make them Obligatory ex post facto though they themselves were not at the Councel And it is further Observable That Constitutions of this Nature were never thought to be so unalterable and binding But that not only foâ—lowing General Councels might alter them but even Provincial Councels in some Cases mighâ— Reseind what more General Councels had Appointed For no Laws are binding contrary to their own End and Design Now the End and Design of their Constitutions being the Peace and Bâ—nefit of the Churches and for the most part in Matters of themselâ—es by Nature indifferent or mutable It can hardly be that in all things their General Sanctions should Hit the Condition of all Churches for Climates alter Men much And the Humours Inclinationâ— and Customes of People much vary in different places yea not seldom in the same place in different Ages So that what is convenient easie and useful in one place may be inconvenient uneasie and unprofitable in another If therefore by Reason of the Condition of some particular Church or Churches which was not well made known to the General Councel some of their Constitutions should prove to be really and truly Burthensom and Ossensive to such Churches If there be no Prospect of another General Councel near at Hand a Provincial Councel of their own who understand their state and necessities may Relieve them by making other Orders more Fit and Practicable for them but always with Honour and Observance of those Constitutions where they do take place and without any Contempt or disrespect where they are laid aside To this Effect is that Answer of our Learned Dr. Beveridge to his fâ—â—ward Observator Nemo nescit Synodos Posteriores sape aliâ— nonnunquam â—entraria constituisse ac quae prioribus constituta fuerant idque licèt Priores iâ—ae acuâ—â—â—icae sive Vniversales Posteriores singularium tantummodò Provinciarum Synodi 〈◊〉 quod sexcentis sinecesse â—sset exemplis demonstrare licet Cod. Can. Ecc. â—â—i lib. 1. cap. 3. In these things if I mistake not consists the greatest 〈◊〉 most direct Power of Councels for these things are to be received and observed by vertue of their own Authority And hence it is Observable That in most ancient Councels the greatest Part of their Canons relate to Discipline and Government And they never Caâ—ed to meddle with Matter of Doctrine unless the Troubles of the Church and unquietness of Hereticks constrained them to it And though in this Case not only Men in inseriour Orders but even prudent Lay men may be Consulted with and have liberty â—o Advise and freely spâ—ak their Thoughts that the state of the Church may be the better known yet the decisive Voice is in the Bishop And that the Contrary Asserted by Spalato is a great Mistake I shall happily have Occasion to prove when I come to speak of the Nature Power and Rights of Episcopacy in opposition to the Roman See whose Usurpations have not only diminished but in a manner destroyed that Order to the irreparable damage of Gods Church and without the Restoration of which to its just Rights I see not how the Church can hope for either Unity or Peace V. But though in Relation to Government and Discipline the Power of Bishops in Councel is very great yet in Matters of Doctrine it is by no means the same For he that Committed to their Trust the Government of his Church gave them no Power over the Faith Rules for Discipline may alter as Cases alter But the Gospel of Christ Jesus must be yesterday and to day and the same for ever No Monckish Evangelium aeternum nor Fanatick Evangelum armatum must be suffered to thrust this out of doors What Christ and his Apostles delivered to the Saints at first must be the Rule to the last And therefore here the Business of Councelâ— is not to Appoint but Enquire Not to Constitute but declare They have no Authority to make us a New Gospel or any New Article of Faith but to discover the Old And therefore here their Authority goes equal pace with their Sincerity Diligence and Skill And if these Qualifications be truly in them and duely used It â—s all the Reason in the world that we should Acquiesce in their Determinations and that not only because we cannot have any better or more able Body of Men to decide the Controversie But also because we have good Grounds to believe that God will Afford them his Assistance for the Promise made to the Disciples of beiâ—g with them always to the End of the World is not capable of any other Construction but of his Affording not only to them but to their Successors sufficient Aid and Assistance to preserve discover teach and declare that Truth and Doctrine which our Bâ—â—ssed Saviour and his Apostles taught and left with them to be taught to thâ— End of the World for the Salvation of Souls And though even Laymen as being all Concerned in the Common Salvation may Challenge a Right to Appear in Councel in orderly Manner and Number yet certainly the greatest Authority lies in them To whom God hath Committed the Care of all the Churches and who must Answer for others Souls as well as their own Where therefore the Pastors of the Church are Mâ—t together about Matters relating to the Necessities of the Church and are Honest Industrious and able I doubt not but that in Matters of Religion
could derive a Lawful Authority to us we do not want it We have more Ways of Conveâ—ance and consequently of God more Evidence of our Authority then the Romanists themselves And if the Rest were laid aside we have the same which they have and so cannot have less so little Reason had the Author of Church-Government to Conclude his Book with such a passionate Invective against our Anâ—ocatacresies Indeed could that Infamous Fable of the Naggs-Head Ordination have been made good it would have made a foul Breach in our Succession if not put a full stop to it But never was a most malicious Contrivance more miserably Baffled Several Learned Pens have not only cleared the Mâ—tter of Fact but disproved the probability yea the very possibility of such a thing so that if any thing more can nothing more need to be spoken to it If therefore any Romanist will still urge it in this particular I shall leave him as a Man either past shame or given upto strong delusions to believe a Lye Their other Objections are of two Sorts Either against the Legality or the Validity of our Ordination But because Others have Answered them fully in every minute particular I shall Content my self with two General Answers First That the Neglect or Oversight if any such were of some Circumstances Required by Law though it may make the Persons obnoxious yet it doth not invalidate the Ordination Our Laws Allow Persons to be Married only betwixt Eight and Twelve in the Forenoon Yet if it Happen that they be Married at Ten at Night the Marriage is good though the Persons be punishable Some Circumstances in the Managery of Ordination may be Regulated by the Civil Power i. e. So faâ— as it hath Regard to the State But the Ordination it self and the Vaâ—â—dity of it proceeds from a Power so distinct from the Civil that no Civil Authority or Sanction can either make or disannul it And therefore such Objections whiâ—h are made only against the Legality of our Ordination do tacitely suppose the Validity of it And so if they were true are little or nothing to the purpose As for the other sort of Objections which relate to the Validity of our Ordination those indeed would be fatal if they were sufficient But before I Return my General Answer thereto I desire it may be observed That there is more of Interest then Matter in these Objections For the Church of Rome hath such a Jealousie of this small Church that they think not themselves safe while it is in being Now if they could invalidate our Ordination it would take away our Ministry our Ordinances and consequently our Church so that this is a â—low at the Root And therefore right or wrong they Resolve to stick on this which may Win some to them keep Others from us and Alarm all And though their Arguments be never so weak yet being Managed by subtile Heads they will Appear the more Considerable because few Persons are able to judge of a Case of this Nature But if we were reduced to that statâ— that they thought themselves out of all danger from us our Ordination might easily pass A pretty instaâ—ce of this hapned in the time of the Rebellion The Loyal Clergy of this Church being either starved at home or driven out into other Countreys and little or no Hopes appearing that they should ever be Restored Dr. Basier amongst other places any place being then better then Home Travels to Jerusalem And after the mention of his Reception from the Grteks he thus sets down his Entertainment by those of the Roman Way As for the Latins they Received Me most Courteously into their own Convent though I did openly Profesi my self a Priest of the Church of England And after some Velitations about the Validity of our Ordination they procured Me Entrance into the Temple of the Sepulchre at the Rate of a Priest that is Half in Half lesâ— then the Laymens Râ—â—e And at my Departure from Jerusalem she Pope's own Vicar Called Commissarius Apostolicus Generalis gave Me his Diploma in Parchment under his own Hand and Pâ—blick Seal In it stiling Me Sacerdotem Ecclesiae Anglicanae S. S. Theologiae Doctorem But there was no need to have Travelled so far for an Instance it being well known that King Edwards Bishops were Admitted in the time of Queen Mary without Re-ordination so that it is not the validity of Ordination but our Non-submission to the Pope which lies at the bottom It is true that a Dispensation from Rome was talked of but that was only a Blind A Dispensation may Reâ—ch Circumstances but not Essentials If their former Ordination had been invalid and null they ought to have been Re-ordained for no Dispensation nor all the Popes in the World can make those to be true and valid Orders which never were so in themselves He may as well Build Castles in the Air or Erect stately Palaces without any Materials as to make those really and truly to be Orders which never were â—o It is one thing to Dispense another to Ordain Seeing he did only dispense it is plain that he accused them of no more then some Irregularities in the Circumstances of their Ordination which though we shall not yield yet I think it unnecessary to dispute because not being Re-ordained their former Ordination must be supposed good 'T is true they very devoutly burnt Ridley and one or two others without degrading them as Bishops And thence Conclude that they were never truly such i. e. They set up a Novel Opinion and prove it by their own wicked Actions And the proof will be good when they are as infalâ—ible in Matter of Fact as they pretend to be in Matter of Right But it is no New thing for the Court of Rome to make quite contrary Determinations as to the self-same thing as their present Interest leads them When Queen Mary first came to the Crown and they wanted Help then King Eawards Bishops are to be Invited in and Acknowledged with the slight Salvo of a Dispensation that the Pope might seem to do something But when they were a little setled in the Saddle and could Ride over all who stood in their way Then none of his Bishops were to be Acknowledged who did not fully Comply with them i. e. those who joyned with them were good Bishops those who opposed them were no Bishops though the Orders of both stood upon the same Foundation and were either valid or null for the same Reason But to avoid the tediousness of discussing the whole Matter I shall now only Give this General Answer That in this Way of Arguing they take the Course to undermine and destroy all Succession and Church-power This I am apt to think that many of them well enough see But they think that we â—â—â—â—…er do not or will not and so they are safe enough whilest it only serves to Route us The Arguments whereon they lay the greatest stress