reall not imaginary onely the strife betwixt us is ended At that very same time c Bucer his Adherents granted that the very body and blood of our Lord is offered given and received together with the visible signes of bread and wine Iacobus Andreae saith we neither hold with the Capernaites nor admit of Popish Transubstantiation nor maintaine we any Physicall or locall presence and inclusion of Christs body and blood in the blessed Sacrament nor doe we by those words substātially corporally orally understand any thing else but only a true reall presence and participation of his body and blood in this Sacrament Now let us heare the judgement of the Helvetians herein Although they deny that there 's any Transubstantiation of the Elements or any locall inclusion of Christ's body in the bread or any Conjunction of his body and blood with the outward elements remaining after the Sacrament is ended yet they willingly grant that by vertue of a mysticall sacramentall union the bread is Christ's body that his body is truely present and received together with the bread J doe not knowe what two things can possibly be more like than is this Opinion of the Helvetians with that of the Lutherans But if any man suspect that there may privily lurke a diversity of meanings under these so-concording expressions yet are we still to urge and enquire whether that diversity be such and so great as to render the Peace and Union of those Churches utterly impossible and to give just occasion for a perpetuall rent and division amongst them I assure my selfe learned judicious Divines when they are out of the heat of Controversy and look indifferently into the matter will think farre otherwise of it Now as for those other Controversies concerning the ubiquity of Christ's body the Communication of Properties other such like all springing from that former touching the Sacrament he that doth seriously ponder with himselfe what is granted and what denied of each side will easily perceive that neither the one nor the other doth so much as call in question much lesse oppose or overthrow any necessary and fundamentall point of Faith since both sides hold and professe whatsoever the Church Catholike in her Creeds and Generall Councells hath declared to be beleived in these points and whatsoever hath been by her in like manner condemned as erroneous is equally rejected by both But yet notwithstanding all this that we see now and then some men catching at consequences and taking advantage from thence to charge Heresy one upon another it is a matter that deserve's not so much our wonder as our pitty we all of us know 't is the common custome of hot and eager disputants especially when through long agitation of the matter they are inflamed with choller and passion and besides I have already showne in breife what we are to think of such Heresies as are fastned upon men meerely for such consequences as they themselves neither apprehend nor grant For the present this alone may suffice to show the Possibility of a Reconciliation that there 's no one Opinion expresly maintained by either side which is directly contrary to the substance of Faith or destructive of Salvation salutis devoratorium to make use of Tertullian's expression nay whatsoever is such is plainly and expresly condemned by both If of later times any new Differences have been raised amongst those Churches touching Predestination Freewill and the like these can no way be made a sufficient ground of Schisme and separation betwixt them For in all these there is nothing of fundamentall and necessary beleife save onely this that the free grace goodnesse of God in the Predestination of miserable men in the conversion of sinfull men in the freeing of their captivated wills in a word in the finall Perseverance and Salvation of his Elect be so farre forth acknowledged and extoll'd as that whatsoever makes any way for the enstating of them in grace and glory and whatsoever is done by them in reference thereunto all must be ascribed to the speciall grace and mercy of Almighty God on the contrary whatsoever concerne's the corruption of man's nature his obstinacie in sinne the pravitie and servitude of his corrupt will in short whatsoever praecipitate's plunge's wretched men into Hell and everlasting perdition all this we must thank our selves our sins for by no meanes impute any part of it to God So long as these things stand firme and unshaken as without doubt they doe though in the meane time their manner of apprehensions and expressions yea though their Opinions be different in other points which are onely superstructions and belong not to the foundation yet are not these of such moment as that a perpetuall Breach and Division should be made and continued betwixt whole Churches for such petty matters If therefore this were but once agreed upon amongst Divines that their jarres and contentions are not nor ever were about any fundamentall points and such as are of absolute necessity to be known and beleived by all that will be saved then must it also be granted for a manifest trueth that 't is no way impossible but an agreement and Communion may be established this dangerous Schisme utterly rooted out and a blessed Peace setled and preserved amongst the German Churches And thus having proved that a Reconciliation is possible it remaine's that in the next place we consider whether or no Princes Doctors and Pastors of Gods Church and in generall all Christians bee not bound in duty by the law of God every man to endeavour according to his utmost power and ability that such an union may with all convenient speed be setled and established amongst the Reformed Churches 1 And that all men are so bound seeme's to be intimated by that of S. Paul which I alledged before if it be possible as much as in you lie's live peaceably with all men If so great care and diligence must be had to maintaine a civill and externall peace with all sorts of men then surely a spirituall Ecclesiasticall peace amongst Christians is much rather to be sought after and preserved where therefore there is no utter impossibility to hinder why such an Union may not be obtained such men can in no wise be excused who either out of negligence or wilfulnesse disobey the Commandements of God herein Nor can any man justly here pretend that Discords and diversities of Opinions cannot as yet be composed and setled for if it be possible that the Schisme it selfe the Rent betwixt these Churches may be taken away as without all question it may I had rather that a mil-stone were hanged about my neck and that I were drowned in the depth of the Sea than that I should willingly be any hinderance to so good a work so well-pleasing to God and so necessary to the removall of Scandall nay than that I should not with my whole
infirmities of the weake not to please our selves That Church therefore doe's but too much please indulge her selfe which despise's other Churches as unworthy of her fellowship and communion not for any Tyranny that they exercise nor any Idolatry which they approve or practise nor any damnable Heresie which they maintaine but meerely for some mistakes or infirmity of their knowledge This was not the practice of the Fathers in the Primitive Church whose care and diligence in procuring preserving Peace amongst particular Churches disperst and scattered over the whole world stand's upon record in Ecclesiasticall Storie and may be observed in each severall age of the Church But of all other that of Optatus Milevita nus fit's best to our purpose that all the Churches throughout the whole world were by the help and entercourse of those letters by them called Formatae kept in one Communion and fellowship Now those Formatae or Synodicall letters contained nothing at all save onely a bare Confession of the Catholike Faith delivered in their generall Creeds and breifely explained afterwards in opposition to some Heretickes by the unanimous consent of the Church universall met together in generall Councells held at Nice Chalcedon and other places As for those infinite other questions which might be raised and debated amongst private Doctours of each side no Church ever required or expected from others an absolute universall consent therein For if such an universall agreement in all points had been deemed so necessary as that Unity Peace could not possibly have been maintained betwixt particular Churches without it there would then have been more need of huge and high-swollne Volumes of Controversies than of such breife Confessions and Synodicall letters as they made use of for that purpose But if wee refuse to learne of the ancient Fathers of the Church yet let us at length learne thus much from our very adversaries that it is not a thing impossible for severall Churches to live charitably and peaceably together and use the same Service and Sacraments although they differ one from another about some Controversies wherein 't is meerely in vaine ever to look for an universall agreement To say nothing of the contentions betwixt the Thomists and Scotists neither of those between the Dominicans and Jesuites there is one controversie hotly and violently disputed amongst Popish Churches which if taken single and by it selfe is of greater moment than all ours put together I meane that concerning the Infallible Judge in all matters of Faith The Churches of Spaine and Italy will have the Pope to be this supreme Judge authorised by Christ himselfe and so farre illuminated and assisted with an infallible Spirit as that he cannot possibly erre in such Decrees and Determinations as hee give's out with an intention to binde the whole Church On the other side the French Churches deny the Pope any such priviledge throwing him downe from his Chaire of Infallibility and making him liable to errour as well as other men so farre forth that should he refuse to submit to the authoritie and judgement of a generall Councell either in matters of Faith or of Practice they will tell you he 's to be esteemed a Schismaticke and a Hereticke and to be deposed thereupon Behold here a great difference amongst them about the very foundation and the maine pillar of the whole Catholike Faith And yet notwithstanding this so great a variety of opinions they still hold together all of them in one and the same brotherly communion O for Sion's sake let it not be told in Gath nor published in the streets of Ashkelon that the Philistines should be better affected and more desirous of Peace and Unity amongst themselves than the Israel of God is â—ast of all if an union may not consist with a diversity of Opinions in some controversies of lesser moment I would gladly that any man would show me but two Churches in the whole Christian world except they be such whereof one is subordinate to the other which must not necessarily hereupon be divided and as it were by a wall of partition separated froÌ„ each other Unlesse therefore we will grant that a separation from other Churches is not to be made save onely upon a difference in Fundamentalls the Communion of the Church Catholike aunciently so much famed and talked of will be found in the end to be nothing else but an aery and empty sound or name void of all trueth and reality The Donatists of old were wont to say that the Church was perished from off the whole earth save onely from the part of Donatus in whom alone they said it was preserved and our adversaries of Rome herein right Donatists tell us that the Church Catholike is of no larger extent than the Romane As for our selves it become's and behove's us to detest this Schismaticall and factious humour and to foster and cherish a brotherly Communion with all such Christian Churches as neither Heresie nor Idolatry hath cut off from Christ our head and such as have not exercised any usurped Tyranny over other Churches All that hath hitherto beene said touching the lets hinderances which render a Communion of severall Churches impossible as also touching diversity of Opinions which may well consist with such a Reconciliation aymes at this that if once it were agreed upon amongst Divines that all those controversies whereabout the Reformed Churches have of a longtime busied and wearied themselves are of that nature that a man may safely be of either opinion and still remaine in Christ holding the substance of saving Faith without incurring any damnable Heresy then must we needs grant that an union and agreement amongst all Protestant Churches may be made and maintained notwithstanding all such Controversies as being indeed not so properly any differences of our Churches as of our Schooles It is not my purpose to enter the lists of those Controversies onely I doe pray and earnestly intreat those learned reverend Divines of Germany that laying aside all passion partialitie they would in the spirit of meeknesse calmely and candidly discusse all those severall controversies which are agitated amongst them for if once we let loose the raines to Passion Judgement must needs give place The maine controversie and which indeed is the fountaine from whence all the rest in a manner are derived is that which stands yet undecided concerning the manner how Christ's body and blood are present in the Eucharist Touching which point the learned a Bucer having well waighed the matter give's in at last this verdict that they agreed in the thing it selfe all the difference was meerely in words and manner of expression 'T was once the speech of b Luther if you beleive teach that in the holy Supper the very body and the very blood of Christ is offered given and received and not the bare signes of bread and wine and that such receiving thereof is true and
letters writ with his owne hand for the dishonesty of Westphalus forceth mee to speake thus foolishly so as to relate it in the very same expression which he himselfe used Afterwards when the Agreement was halfe finished at Marpurge and they were not yet departed from that meeting he affirme's that he retained the same esteeme of Occolampadius and Zuinglius as he formerly had done and he did there solemnly promise to account and respect them hence forth as Brethren Secondly what an intimate freindship familiarity there was betwixt Melanchthon Jacobus Andreae Brentius and our Divines the mutuall Salutations which passed betwixt them can abundantly witnes Melanchthon writing to Calvin begins his Letter after this manner Reverend and Christian Brother I trust we shall have a time to meet and conferre together And afterwards concluding I beseech the Sonne of God our Lord Jesus Christ the Guardian and keeper of his Church that he would guide and protect Thee and us All Farewell most deare Brother Besides what was observed concerning Melanchthon others by our Sturmius he himselfe will by no meanes conceale from us as though saith he Philip Melanchthon did not impart his Opinion touching the Sacrament to Peter Martyr afterwards to divers others with whom he still continued in love and freindship Further Jacobus Andreae and Brentius did unanimously adhere to the Opinion of Luther concerning the Eucharist of whom notwithstanding Calvin thus speaks your Letters worthy Sir and my much honoured Brother speaking to Jacobus Andreae were not a litle welcome to me for as much as I understand by them how that amids these sad and unhappy contentions wherein I am most unwillingly engaged you still continue like affected towards me as heretofore you have been Againe this your moderation of mind I embrace highly applaud Farewell worthy Sir and my much respected Brother I wish all happinesse to Brentius God Almighty ever guide and direct you by his blessed spirit strengthen and sustaine you by his power and shower downe his blessings in abundance upon you And againe in another Letter Brentius salute's you Thus were matters carried amongst theÌ„ and why should not We putting on bowells of meeknesse tread the steps of these Worthies Shall they breath out nothing but mildnesse and sweetnesse and wee nought but rage and fury God forbid I have done with the first Thesis I now proceed to the second The second THESIS That 't is possible for the most hot and rigorous spirits to be reconciled and agreed GIve mee leave to make use of that Maxime of Aristotle so frequently used in the Schooles but in a sense somewhat different Quae conveniunt in eodem Tertio inter se conveniunt such two things as agree in any one third agree likewise betwixt themselves In like manner I conceive that though we differ much in our Opinions about the Eucharist yet there are still remaining amongst us some common Principles and certaine notes or notions out of which any one who is not blinded with prejudice may draw an assertion One is the authority of Scripture sufficient of it selfe to challenge a beleife a second is the cleare light of Antiquity as cleare as the Sunne at mid-day But this is no fit place to discourse at large upon these Three other there are which in no wise may bee passed over seing they are such as are more proper and peculiar to the two adverse parts I wil begin with the first of theÌ„ The Augustane Confession is by the Divines of Saxony esteemed as an Oracle of undeniable and unquestionable authority now if our men allow and approve of that Confession â— doe not see what can possibly make more for the obtaining of a Reconciliation And for certaine Calvin herein agrees with them I desire saith hee as much as any man a sincere and true union so it be such as God hath approved in his word nor doe I reject the Augustane Confession whereunto I did once wittingly and willingly subscribe according to that interpretation which the Author thereof himselfe put upon it Againe I affirme saith hee that in that Confession as it was printed at Ratisbon there 's not so much as one word which is contrary to our Doctrine and if there be any ambiguity to be met with in the sense none is more â—it to be the Interpreter of it than the Author himselfe whose worth will easily obtaine him that honour with all pious and learned men So He. Neither is he singular in this but others there are though of the same Opinion with him concerning the Eucharist who will grant as much a I am of the number of those saith John Sturmius who concerning the receiving of the body blood of Christ approve of the Augustane Confession Hierome Zanchy hath a desire to bring in his verdict too b I professe saith hee that as often as I had occasion to speake any thing about this Point I did alwaies containe my selfe within the compasse of these three heads the first whereof is that in the Lord's Supper not onely bread and wine but the very body and blood of our Lord is truely offered us by Christ and likewise truely received truely eaten and drunke by us The second but this is done not by the mouth and teeth of our body but by a true and an actuall faith The last that therefore this is done by beleivers onely and by none others Now these heads are taken out of God's word nor are they repugnant to the Augustane Confession These things being so those worthy men have the more reason to be entreated by us that besides the said Augustane Confession which was anciently framed and ordained to be the common rule of Faith for all Protestants whereby they might be distinguished from Papists they would not obtrude upon us any other private Opinions of their own to the hinderance of the publike Peace A second Principle of the like nature which even Reason it selfe doth dictate is this that no Antecedent is to be urged and pressed the necessary consequent and sequell whereof may not bee granted by us But now it is well knowne that Luther to remove out of the way the perill of Idolatry did abolish all a worshipping at the celebration of the Eucharist which had formerly been practised and for the same end he abolisht the elevation of the host also that b Brentius likewise did with much earnestnesse oppose their Breaden God for so hee himselfe terme's it lastly that c Melanchthon did reject their Bread-worship in the Lord's Supper Those godly and learned men therefore are to be entreated that they would well weigh with themselves whether or no these same abuses which They with so great applause cryed down and abhorred be not for all that the genuine ofspring of that Vbiquity which at this day is maintained by them Thirdly least any man haply should pretend that no whit is to bee abated of that
renounce these their private Doctrines But for those who hold some erroneous Opinion which yet may consist with Piety Charity and all Christian duties belonging thereunto we think as S. Paul seeme's to have determined a Communion may be held with them Wee may mildly admonish such and when opportunity is offered discreetly reprove and instruct them but to cast them out of the Church and for no other cause to curse and excommunicate them as men in a desperate and damnable estate this in our opinion is neither fitting nor lawfull to be done Now to apply this to the matter in hand we conceive that to this latter sort all those Controversies doe belong which are agitated amongst Protestant Divines touching Christ's presence in the Sacramentall â—ignes touching divine Praedestination and some few other Points For they doe agree in all such Points as conduce either to Piety towards God or Charity towards men they maintain on both sides that the Scriptures are of divine inspiration that they are perfect perspicuous and authenticall they detest with one heart mouth the Tyranny and pernitious Doctrines of the Pope and they equally keep off from entertaining a Communion with him they have the same Sacraments they worship the same Christ they professe the same righteousnesse and holinesse in this life and they expect the same glory in the life to come in a word so great and so wonderfull an agreement is there betwixt them about all saving and necessary Doctrines that did not the history of their affaires and those bitter contentions which have hitherto more is the pitty been fomented amongst them witnesse the contrary there 's no man but would thinke they had a meeting at the beginning and by common counsell consent agreed upon the same Confession of Faith In such a multitude of mysteries who can chuse but admire that there should not be above one or two Points wherein they did not fully agree For even about the Eucharist which is the maine matter of this woefull Division they both of them grant that 't is a Sacrament not a Sacrifice that it is to be eaten not worshipped both the two kindes instituted by our Saviour Christ to wit bread and wine are neither transubstantiated nor divided one from the other by either side they both acknowledge the same use and end of this holy Rite to wit the commemorating of Christ's death the partaking of his body which was crucified and of his blood which was shed for us There is onely one thing about which they disagree namely the manner how Christ's body is given to us and received by us in that Sacrament the thing is the same on both sides onely the manner of it is divers This Difference though it be but small yet is it not wee confesse altogether of no moment but that it should be of so great moment as that it ought to make a breach of charity and affection amongst Brethren a duty so useful and necessary to the Christian world and so miraculously wrought amongst them by the hand of Heaven this we utterly deny Neither doe We alone deny it to say nothing of our Brethren in Poland and almost all the Germans which hold with us who as it is well knowne to all men ever did and at this day doe make the same reckoning and account of that Controversy as we but now did to say nothing likewise of those famous Divines of both sides in Saxony and Brandenburge who as we have been informed were lately of the very same opinion concerning these Points when they had fairely discussed them at Lipswich whither they were come with their Princes But one thing there is which we cannot here omit to mention a matter perhaps not so well knowne to forraine nations yet such a matter it is as we confidently beleive will be most welcome and acceptable to all good peaceable men to wit that the Reformed Churches here in France whereof there are good store have alwaies been of that same Opinion touching these Controversies they have given testimony of this their Opinion both heretofore sundry waies and likewise now very lately by an expresse Decree made in a generall Synod held here at Charenton neare Paris in the yeare 1631. For when upon occasion of a citizen of Lions unto whose daughter a certaine young German of the Augustane Confession as they call it was a suiter it was questiond how we are to account and esteeme of such as are commonly termed Lutherans all the Brethren which were there met out of all the Provinces of France and sent thither from their several Churches did unanimously vote thus That seeing the Churches of the Augustane Confession doe agree with the other Reformed Churches in all the Principles and fundamentall Points of true Religion and that in their Discipline and forme of Divine worship there is neither Idolatry nor Superstition such of the Faithfull of that Confession as shall with the spirit of Charity and in a truly peaceable way joyne themselves unto the publike Assemblies of the Churches in this Kingdome and desire to communicate with them may without the abjuration of their former Opinions which they hold contrary to the beleife of these Churches be admitted to the holy Table contract marriages with the faithfull of our Confession and present themselves in the quality of Godfathers to the children which shall be baptized upon their promise given to the Consistory that they will never solicite such children directly or indirectly against the Doctrine beleived and professed in our Churches but shall content themselves with giving them instruction onely in those Points wherein we all agree We are not ignorant how that many objections may be made against this Decree by such as have a mind to contend cavill but such objections they are most of them as have but litle strength and validity in them and such as can no way stand in comparison with those waighty reasons wherewith the Christian Faith and Charity doe furnish us It is not our purpose to insist on every particular onely in general we think it not amisse to put men in minde of two things which if they were observed with that care as it fitting both sides perhaps would henceforth judge more mildly and charitably of each other than hitherto they have done First then speciall heed would be taken by us that the assertions and Opinions of private men though Doctors though of never so great esteem and repute amongst their own men be not father'd on that whole Church wherein such men live as the common and generally received Doctrine of them all For what can be imagined more unequall than that one man's crime or commendation should be imputed to all and what by him hath been spoken well or ill should be rewarded or punished in others who were so farre from deserving any such matter as that many times such things are fastned on them as they never so much as once heard of
brother He that is a proficient is never ashamed Hitherto have I laid down the meanes and manner how an Union may be setled and continued betwixt severall and independent Churches But because it may and often doth happen that there are divers men both learned and unlearned living in the same Church and within the Dominions of the same Prince whose consciences whether rightly or misinformed will not suffer them to subscribe to the common and more generally received Opinion in these Controversies let us in the next place enquire what course is best to be taken concerning such men And here the Governours of each severall Church if they have any regard respect to the safety of their weak Brethren they must see that they doe not intermixe with the publike Confessions and Articles of Religion which they would have received and assented unto by all such as live under their Jurisdiction any curious and unnecessary Controversies nor any decisions of nice and subtle Questions but rather they must take care that such publike Confessions be framed and temper'd to the capacity of the common people so as they may instruct edify the ignorant and promote the salvation of all Herein they should doe well to consider the wisdome of our Fore-fathers whose ancient Confessions unlesse we corrupt stuffe them with new Opinions of our own on purpose to disturb the publike Peace no sober and discreet man will refuse to subscribe unto them Neither is there any necessity why we should burden our publike Confessions with any such additions of our own since God himselfe hath ordained to bring his people to heaven and happines not through the rough knotty paths of perplex'd intricate Disputes but by the smooth and compendious way of Faith Charity Why then such strifes and contentions about words What make Schoole-nicities amongst Church-Confessions the Salvation of Christians is wholy placed in beleiving and serving God as that great Athanasius sometimes gravely spake Adde to this that they will have much adoe to maintaine a firme peace with other Churches who cease not to persecute men and expell them their Communion as if they were Hereticks onely because they maintain that Doctrine which those other Churches hold and professe for in so doing what doe they else but tacitly charge Heresy upon other Churches whom though in word they acknowledge for their Brethren yet they hereby show that in their hearts they much disapprove and dislike them Lastly unlesse the publike Confessions of Churches be cnofined to such Points onely as are fundamentall and generally received by all the Reformed Churches this inconvenience must of necessity follow thereupon that many learned pious and peaceable Ministers shall be driven out disenabled from exercising the Ministery in those Churches wherein they live But if any man doubt whether or no such men may lawfully entertaine a holy and spirituall Communion one with another in the same Church who yet agree not amongst themselves in all Points of Divinity this as I conceive is a matter out of all doubt and question For as touching that blessed Communion which is betwixt Christians at the receiving of the Lord's Supper it consist's cheifly in these particulars that by the common bond of the blessed Spirit we are all united to that sole head of the Church Christ Jesus that by the same Spirit and by Faith and Charity we are united amongst our selves and linked together as it were into one body that lastly like men fed at the same table we are all of us nourished up unto eternall life with the same quickning food to wit the body and blood of Christ in all these particulars doe they professe a Communion whosoever approach and are admitted to that holy Table But now as we doe not by this mutuall Communion professe our selves to have attained all of us either to perfection or to an equall measure of knowledge in Divinity so neither doe we hereby professe that there is an absolute and exact agreement amongst us about all Points of Divinity or that we are all of us in one and the same Opinion about all Disputes and Controversies If no Communion could be had amongst Christians but upon such hard termes as these I beleive it would hardly be found betwixt S. Peter and S. Paul certaine I am the Church of Corinth must of necessitie have fallen in peices and in these times of ours there would not easily be found many Divines of note and eminence which could with a safe conscience communicate together at the same holy Sacrament and Supper of our Lord It is therefore the duty of all Church-Governours as being conscious to themselves of the common infirmities of all men both themselves others to take heed least while they exact of their People a too strict and punctuall Confession of more than what 's necessary they thereby wound and weaken the sweet Peace and Unity of Christendome than which nothing more necessary So much for Church-Governours Come we in the next place to such Ministers and other Christians of what state and condition soever as desire to continue in the Communion of those Churches wherein they live but yet their Consciences will not permit them to allow professe all the common and received Opinions of the said Churches Such men must see that they show themselves teachable and tractable and not persist after a proud and pertinacious manner in defence of those Opinions wherein they dissent from their Church Now such a one is to be accounted teachable and tractable who lends a willing and attentive eare to the instructions and information of the Church who doe's not dissent from her out of any perverse and peevish humour but meerely out of the weaknesse of his judgement being not able in such profound Points to discerne that Trueth which men of greater learning and more acute wits easily see and perceive And because it is the peculiar prerogative of Almighty God to search the hearts it behoves us Christians to encline alwaies to the more favourable and more charitable side and where we have not cleare and evident reasons for the contrary we ought to judge of every man that he denies his assent rather out of conscience than contumacy and perversenesse They who thus behave themselves are not to be excluded and expelled the Communion of those Churches wherein they live for petty mistakes and errours in their Opinions but yet with this caution and condition that they take not upon them to oppose the received Opinion of the Church or to publish spread their own private Opinion amongst the common people Nor can they justly dislike of this caution or take it ill whosoever have a desire to live peaceably in the Communion of the Church for admit that the private Opinion of some Divine or any other Christian be true and the publike judgement of the Church erroneous yet neverthelesse if the Errour be such as doe's not prejudice a Christian
gratuitous Next that they would not in the patronizing and vindicating of Divine Grace suffer themselves to be outstript by Papists nay Jesuites and the prime Doctors too of that sect Bellarmine Tolet Pererius Suarez Salmeron Maldonat who have all of them exploded this Doctrine of Praedestination upon the foresight of Faith and Workes as pure Pelagianisme Last of all it is some wisdome for a man to profit by his enimy there came out a book two yeares agon written by Will de Gibieuffe of the Oratorian Order Priest and Doctor of the Sorbon dedicated to the present Pope Vrban wherein are inserted the words of Pope Clement the eighth concerning the Auxilia Gratiae the summe whereof is this that this whole Doctrine ought to be squared and conformed to S. Austin's judgement in the Point of Grace that the same S. Austin ought be acknowledged and followed as a guide and leader for asmuch as that good Father seeme's to have omitted nothing which concernes the said Controversies and because saith he many of our Praedecessours have stood up so stoutly for that Doctrine of S. Austin concerning Grace as if they desired to have it continued in the Church as her right of inheritance it is not meet I should suffer her to be deprived of this her patrimony Thus farre that Pope unto whose judgement J will not say for the authority but the trueth of it I nothing doubt but Calvin himselfe were he now living would subscribe And he that shall read Calvin's writings will quickly grant that in these Controversies he had more than an ordinary share of S. Austin's Legacy Thus you see Sir how that partly your importunity who are such an earnest Factour for Peace and partly my own zeale in so necessary a Cause have made me exceed the accustomed bounds of a Letter wherein if you finde not much judgement yet may you behold my care desires for Christian Peace The author of all true peace our Lord Jesus Christ strengthen and enable you by the power of his holy spirit cheerefully to goe thorough with this so waighty an employment for the publike Peace of his Church Farewell THOMAS DURHAM Postscript That we should thus first seek and sue for brotherly love unity is so farre from being any prejudice to our cause as that it is rather to be counted an honour to us in that we herein follow the precept and practice of God himselfe of whom the Evangelist saith 1. Joh. 4. 10. He first loved us THE OPINION OF THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD IOSEPH HALL Bishop of EXCETER THose Articles of Religion wherein the Divines of both sides doe fully agree are abundantly sufficient both for a Christian man's salvation and likewise for the establishing of a firme lasting Peace in the Churches of God As for the rest I would not have them reckoned amongst the Apostle's {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} foolish Questions doubtlesse they are such as may perhaps not unfitly bee sent to the Divinity-Schooles there to bee throughly discussed but by no meanes ought they to disquiet the Peace either of any Christian soule or of God's holy Church What doe we professing Christian Charity and love if we still obstinately refuse to indulge our Brethren this litle liberty of dissenting from us in doubtfull difficult Schoole-questions Seeing wee know very well that our good and gracious Saviour passed over with silence and toleration great and greivous Errours in comparison of these if it be granted that these are Errours and that too even in such as were of his owne houshold and retinue There are but three things about which the reverend Divines of both sides professe themselves to differ THE first is whether or no our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be truly omniscient omnipotent and omnipresent not only according to his Divinity but also according to his humane nature by vertue of the personall Union That the Lord Jesus to wit God and Man is in both his natures omniscient omnipotent and omnipresent is confest on each side this being granted the word according is a meere Schoole-nicity How farre the vertue of that hypostaticall union extend's it selfe the holy ghost is silent and a Christian may safely be ignorant of it Let the Doctors if they list dispute and busie their braines as much as they please about this matter it will be enough for a Christian to knowe that he hath a Saviour who is both God and man to whom all these attributes truely belong and appertaine Nay even Divines themselves have enough wherein they may rest satisfied so long as this be granted on both sides that even the humane nature considered personally is omniscient omnipresent omnipotent which wee all of us roundly and readily professe without any doubt or scruple O what enimies are we to Peace if we will yet needs quarrell amongst our selves ◠In all this I wish we would carefully remember that usefull distinction of John Gerson esse quaedam de necessitate fidei quadam verò de fidei devotione that there are some things essentiall and necessary to Faith other some things which shee piously and devoutly beleives but yet they are not of such necessity as the other the former are such as may not so much as bee once doubted of but these latter may admit of an {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} we may safely either suspend our assent unto them or positively dissent from them The second Article wherein they differ is concerning the manner of receiving Christ in the Eucharist Both agree that Christ's body is truly and really given taken and eaten in this Sacrament together with the outward Elements All the question is concerning Vnworthy receivers An unworthy Question truly it is that the publike Peace should any way be disturbed about it We willingly grant both of us that even such as are Vnworthy doe eat that which by a sacramentall Union is Christ's body and that therefore they are guilty of the body and blood of Jesus Christ What doe wee now making any more adoe about the manner of their eating whether it be Orall or not Let Christians make this their care that they thēselves may be found worthy Communicants and let them not trouble themselves to knowe how those which are unworthy are partakers of Christ How farre the vertue of that Sacramental Union extends it selfe and whether the manner of this eating be Orall or Spirituall let the Schools dispute it Christians need not be too curious in enquiring after it nor is it fit wee should disquiet the Churche's Peace by refusing to indulge mutually one another a liberty of Opinion in such nice Points The third Article is that fatall Point of Praedestination about which Divines of both sides expresse themselves variously but yet modestly and discreetly In many things and such as are of most moment their judgements on both sides are the same as that election is most free proceeding from the meere
be of necessity to be beleived Let us view a comparison betwixt things humane divine although what similitude can there bee'twixt Earth and Heaven Man consists of a soule and a body united one to the other and yet notwithstanding each part hath its severall properties and actions which are usually attributed and that very rightly too to the whole the whole man hath the use of sense doth understand eat walke sleep dye thus much even sense reason doth unanswerably evince will any man hereupon say that this also is of equall necessity to be knowne man according to his body hath the use of sense and reason and according to his soule he doth eat walke sleep and dye Truly the same that Reason is in respect of intelligible matters the same is Faith in things spirituall and divine I am not ignorant how much they differ in their Subjects yet neverthelesse the necessity of the things which are either to be known or beleived is alike different in both Such Trueths therefore as are certaine such as are necessarily to be beleived and apparently fundamentall let us all unanimously embrace and professe them as for the rest let Divines if they please busie their heads with them but let not the plaine common sort of Christians trouble themselves about them more than needs But if it may seeme to make any thing for the publike Peace that we come as neare as we can one to another in the formes and manner of expression let us but say as * Hier Zanchy sometimes alledged out of Innocent and the Schoole-men that even Christ's humane nature according to its personall essencâ— is omni present c. and I see no reason why both sides may not nay will not readily consent and agree to it Here let us fixe let neither side proceed any further beyond this and wee are safe In the Point of the Sacrament this is certaine and fundamentall that the true and essentiall body and blood of Christ is truely present offered and received in that holy Supperâ— but whether or no it be corporally present in the Bread Wine whether or no by a supernaturall vertue of the conseâ—rated Elements it be orally received and eaten even by wicked and unworthy Communicants this is a matter of Theologicall Dispute and such as in the judgement of Luther Melanchthon Justus Jonas Ofiander Brentius Stephanus Agricola yea of Oecolampadius Zuinglius Buâ—er Hediâ— ought not to infriâ—ge Christian love and Charity And upon this promising signe was begun that famous Agreement at Marpurge in the yeare 1529. That likewise is well worthy to be kept in perpetuall memory which is related concerning the meeting at Witemberge in the yeare 1536 by Ludovicus Rabus Pastor at Vlme in his History of Martyrs with whom agree's Iohn Swiccius Pastor at Constance cited by Hospinian who was there present at that time and 't is to be seen likewise in the English writings of Bucer there were present at that Meeting of the one side Capito Bucer Musculus and the rest of the more eminent Divines out of the cheife Imperiall Cities in high Germany of the other side Luther Philip Ionas Pomeranus Cruciger with other Doctors Preachers of Witemberge and after some expostulations and divers Speeches to and fro wherein both sides freely fairely delivered their Opinions at length Luther stepping a litle aside with his Associates and conferring with them about it concluded with these words If yee beleive and teach that in the holy Supper the very body and the very blood of Christ is offered given and received and not the bare â—ignes bread and Wine and that such giving and receiving is true and reall not onely imaginary the strife betwixt us is at an end and we doe acknowledge receive you as our deare Brethren in the Lord All this Bucer Capito and the rest plainely and freely affirmed whereupon they joyned hands and so parted Indeed the waters were then calme and quiet not tossed with any stormy and tempestuous winds and therefore they did clearely shew and represent the face of Trueth Why doe not we in like manner now at last begin to be wise And having passed those tempestuous and troublesome times which afterwards followed why doe we not sit downe and rest our selves in this old and safe harbour of Peace and Unity Concerning the Point of Praedestination how doth the Church of Christ groane under the burden of a number of huge high-swolne Volumes Yet when wee have done all we can and wearied our selves and the Christian world with our wrangling pens this will still remaine to be knowne and beleived by all men 1 that God from all eternity out of his meere good pleasure did immutably elect some unto Salvation 2. that none were elected by God nor shall be saved who doe not beleive in Jesus Christ and persevere in this Faith 3. that none can beleive in Christ save onely they whom God is pleased to enable hereunto and to worke it in them by the effectuall grace of his Spirit 4. that God did not damne no nor reprobate any man but with an eye to sin so that all the cause the blame of men's Damnation lie's in themselves but the cause of Election and Salvation is in the meere grace and mercy of God Now all this is confeston both sides â— know right well there are infinite Questions Controversie a raised about this Point Let every man on God's name enjoy his owne Opinion I will not prescribe to any man For my selfe if any man be desirous to know what my Opinion herein is I freely professe my selfe to adhere to the Articles of the Church of England and to the judgement of our English Divines who voted in the Synod at Dort wherein my selfe was presen 〈…〉 But what is there in this profound Point about which vulgar and illiterate Christians need to trouble themselves save onely that plaine obvious Trueth confest by all For the rest let Divines dispute them in the Schooles but it were well if they would forbeare to medle with them in the Pulpit How are the very same Controversies and others of greater waight and moment still on foot in the Church of Rome and yet so warily and wisely doe they carry the matter that the publike Peace is notwithstanding preserved amongst them Let vs learne wisedome from them who professe nought but enmity towards us Would but Christian Princes by their Authority decree Divines fairely and moderately containe and keep themselves within these bounds of Disputation and Controversie bounds indeed larg and spatious enough wee should have a lasting firme Agreement the Church would flourish in Peace and Tranquillity and lastly Trueth would bebome victorious and triumph over the common Enimy That this may be brought to passe as we all wish and desire it should the honourable States and Delegates did very wisely propose and advise that a publike Meeting of peaceable