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A37175 An exhortation to brotherly communion betwixt the Protestant churches written by ... John Davenant ... Davenant, John, ca. 1572-1641. 1641 (1641) Wing D318; ESTC R1793 83,948 242

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by the Act of Repentance are made subject to God and his Commandements by the act of Loving and Obeying him No doubt is to be made but that these Churches remaine firmely fastned to their saving Foundation Therefore this saving and undoubted Union of them with Christ ought to bring a Tye and a Band of no meane Consequence to the binding of the Affections of all Reformed Churches together CHAP. IV. Chap. 4 Of certaine Foundations which use to be called Ministeriall and of their Office and Power ALTHOUGH We acknowledge our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the only personall Foundation of his Church yet do we not deny but that the name Foundation is in a different sense ascribed to others To whom in what respect this high Title is given and what Power and Command they have who are thus intitled it must be afterwards enquired into The name therefore of Foundation is sometimes lent to others but then always in a lessened and restrained acception For they are called Foundations in no other right than because the personall Foundation is layd by their Ministery through the preaching of the Gospell and by the continuation of that preaching always kept in the Church Amongst these Ministeriall Foundations the Prophets and Apostles possesse the prime place Hence the wall of the Heavenly Jerusalem is said to have twelve Foundations Rev. 21.14 and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lambe Also Christians are said to be built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Eph. 2.20 In this sense Peter and Paul and all the Apostles were Ministeriall Foundations because all they as wise Master-builders bestowed their excellent paines in laying that only Foundation of which we spake before Wherefore when the Prophets and Apostles are adorned with this honorable Title it is rather to be referred to their saving Doctrin concerning Christ than to their own particular Persons The power of these was far greater than that of their succeeding Ministers because they were so enlightned and governed by the holy Spirit that they could not at all erre either in Preaching or Writing Therefore we acknowledge their Doctrine as the Doctrine of God and Christ certaine infallible and wholly Divine with Tertullian that saith There is no Divine Word but of God alone In that his booke of the Soule Which Word was thundred both by the Prophets by the Apostles by Christ himselfe But the Papists to these Ministeriall Foundations endeavour to joyne another in words calling it a Second and subservient but in very deed making it a Principall and plainly Divine one This honour the Jesuites thinke fit to be conferred on the Pope alone whom they so appoint to be the Second Foundation of the Catholike Church that in the meane time they maintaine him to be the only Foundation of the Church next unto Christ But there is no need to speake much of this fading foundation and palsy-shaking head the Scriptures being silent of any such sole Ministeriall foundation as the Papists do faine Besides all Protestant Churches long since have cast this filthy Idoll of a secondary head and foundation with others of the like nature to the Moles and Bats as fit for so blind companions We owne no power placed in this secondary foundation of the Papists to subject the Faith of Christians unto it counting those little better than mad when they write and maintaine Bell●● praef●t in lib. d● Rom. Po●● That the power and infallibility of the Pope of Rome is the summe of Christian Religion and his judgment is to bee accounted the square and Rule of Faith But leaving the Pope of Rome le ts come to the Catholique Church which on a farre better title might challenge to her selfe the name of Ministeriall Foundation because the Faith of every one may seeme in some sort to rely upon her For in this even to the end of the World that Doctrine shall bee kept and preached to which those Christians which afford beliefe and obedience are rightly joyned to their foundation and in it shall obtaine eternall Life To this purpose that of Paul to Timothy is often alleadged where he calleth the Church the Pillar and Ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3 15. Neither may we doubt but that in this Holy Catholique Church which wee beleeve in the Creed the truth of the Gospell ever hath and ever will be preserved so farre forth as it shall suffice for the Salvation of those that beleeve it Therefore to know what hath been beleeved received and published of all Christian Churches always and every where is to know all those things which are sufficient for the obtaining of Salvation in Christ the Foundation thereof But this Catholique Church scattered over all the world is presented rather to our mind than outward senses Wherefore when we desire to heare the voyce of the Catholique Church wee are forced to fly to the Church which they call Representative that is to say to a Generall Councell Of which Representative Image of the Catholique Church and of the Ministeriall power therof we will briefly discourse That this Representative Church did excellently discharge the Office of a Ministeriall Foundation in Oecumenicall Synods is witnessed by those foure Councils of Nice Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon In which the Divinity of Christ against Arius of the holy Ghost against Macedonius the Union of two Natures in Christ against Nestorius the distinction of two Natures against Eutyches were declared defended and established In these and the like Councils those Doctrines of the Christian Faith which were there in common handled and discussed because therein all that professed Christianity were represented are therefore with great reverence to bee received For it ever belongeth to the Office and lawfull power of this Representative Church to divide and distinguish Fundamentall Doctrines of the Christian Faith from those which were not fundamentall provided alwayes that they passed not the bounds set by the Apostles and Primitive Church to multiply or diminish the Number of these Fundamentals 2a 2ae Qu. 1. Art 7. Resp ad 4. For it is credible what Aquinas observed that the Apostles and others which were nearer to Christ had a fuller Knowledge of the mysteries of the Faith than we that are further off which Cajetan in the same place confesseth to be most true For however that the Apostles and the Fathers of the Primitive Church were not much given to controversall Divinity and disputing about Questions yet were they of all most skilfull in saving necessary and Fundamentall Divinity Moreover after this Representative Church had once published her resolution founded in Gods Word of Fundamentall Articles which were simply necessary to the Salvation of Christians the care and charge also lay upon her to defend fence and fortifie those Articles against all fraud and force of Heretiques For it is the wont of Heretiques to undermine the very Foundation of Christian Religion whilst they retaine the words
as they repent of their errors they are to be received againe into the Bosome of their Mother Thus may they deale with their own But when they are to meddle with Churches not at all subordinate unto them they may hold Divine concord and keepe Gods Peace with those which think and teach otherwise than themselves as we may see it in Cyprian Epist. 72. ad Stephanum 73 ad Julianum It will not be from the matter after this our discourse of Particular Churches to adde something concerning some famous and eminent Doctors in the same For private Doctors are also in their distance to be accounted Ministeriall foundations who in the maintaining expounding defending preaching or writing the Truth of the Gospell have imployed their commendable paines And here amongst the principall Doctours of the Reformed Churches wee reckon those Worthyes Luther and Philip Melancthon not fearing to joyne unto them Bucer Calvine Martyr and others whom we need not to name But of all these though exellent Divines of our Age we ought so to esteeme as accounting them Stars but not Deities in our Churches nor do we reverence them as the Prophets and Apostles inspired by God but value them as godly Men worthily learned and raised up by God for the generall good of the Church withall confessing them to bee but ordinary Ministers and subject to their mistakes Besides we must beware that we do not suffer the Churches themselves to be sirnamed by Epithets from these famous Men. Lactan. Instit lib. 4. cap. 30. For to put off the Name of Christ and to put on and weare humane and outward names is far from Christians and most times is the fuell of endlesse dissention That therefore of Nazianzens ought wonderfully to please all prudent and pious Christians Orat. 30. I reverence Peter yet will I not be called a Petrian I honour Paul yet will I not be called a Paulian If private Christians can not take this in good part how much lesse is it fitting to nick-name a whole Church from a single man Last of all I may adde this concerning private Doctors It is a most in jurious thing that a whole Church should be indited guilty of the errors of that Doctor whatsoever hee bee which hath or doth use his Ministery therein unlesse it doth appeare that that Church by their publique assent doth approve and maintain his errors But where is there one of an hundred amongst common Christians who so searches the books of their Doctors that he giveth his consent to all their Opinions Yea where is there one amongst those Doctours themselves which doth not from his whole heart abhorre such errors when his adversaries charge him with them Lastly where is there one to be found amongst the Learned in any Church who hath so sworne to defend the words of Luther or Calvin or any other writer but that he thinks it lawfull to depart from them where they depart from the Truth Now seeing it is manifest these things are so if these which wee call Ministeriall Fundamentals sometime in some things do shake or stagger we must not pin their Personall errors upon the whole Church Apud Luth. Tom. 1. disp de Author Eccles pag. 439. B. For the Church properly so called doth not allow whatsoever ill Doctours mingled in the Church do allow as rightly Melancthon to which we adde neither every thing which good Doctors have taught ill CHAP. CHAP. 5. V. Of the Doctrinall Foundations of the Christian Faith in Generall and how farre they are to bee beleeved under the necessity of Salvation THE Doctrine of the Holy Scripture contained in the Books of the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles is that Foundation on which alone the Faith of Christians may safely rely because of the most certaine authority of God revealing it Nor must we give eare to the Papists when they object Augustin Confes lib. 6. cap. 5. Irenaeus li. 3 cap. 1. Whence know you those Books to have been given to mankind by the Spirit of the most true God If God as yet hath not perswaded me in this point he hath not as yet perswaded me that I am a Christian For the will of God hath commended the Scriptures unto us to be the Foundation and Pillar of our Faith If the Romanists will give no credence neither to Augustine nor Irenaeus they ought notwithstanding undoubtedly to beleeve Peter 2 Pet. 1.19 20 21. who calleth the voyce of the Scriptures a voyee more sure than that which came down from Heaven and not brought by the will of man but holy men of God spake it as they were moved by the holy Ghost Therefore the holy Scripture so propoundeth the foundations of our Faith and fastens the Rule of our Doctrine that the Faith of Christians only trusteth and reposeth it selfe on those Revelations which are contained in the canonicall Books I will say nothing against that fantastick imaginary Doctrinall foundation which the Papists trislingly defēd to be in a word not written and couched in the privy cabinet of the Popes breast because I conceive so profane and grosse an error in a matter of so great moment amongst wel instructed Christians is not worthy of a confutation He that seeks for the Doctrine of Salvation and Eternall Life out of the Scriptures shall find it no sooner than if hee looked for the Tree of Knowledge and Life out of Paradise But although wee straitly maintain that no fundamentall Doctrine of Faith is to bee sought for out of the Bookes of the Old and New Testament yet wee do not defend that all things contained in these books are fundamentall points so necessary to be known and beleeved that if any of these be unknown or denyed of any we should presently adjudge them to have falne off from the foundation of Salvation Many things in the Books of both Testaments are Historicall some things are dogmaticall which are truly affirmed and profitably placed there and yet are accounted not to come into the Number of Fundamentall points Numberlesse things there are which by true firme consequence may be deduced out of the Scriptures and yet mount not up to this high pitch of honour Therefore those things only are to be set apart and owned for Fundamentals without the plaine and explicite Knowledge whereof none can be saved in which as well Negative infidelity not at all to know them as positive infidelity to refuse to beleeve them doth condemn Now such are all those things without which we can neither savingly beleeve in Christ nor rightly call upon God in Christ and worship him to the obtaining of eternall Life In a word without which Christians can neither have pious affections towards God nor exercise the Religious Acts of Faith Hope and Charity being absolutly necessary to Salvation These two things beene yeelded and granted that our Faith is to trust on the Scriptures alone and that all every one of those things