we are One We dye when we cease to be One and we decay when by separation we hasten towards it and we grow weak when by looseness we grow more separable Therefore all Loosening opinions or principles which tend to abate the Love and Vnity of Christians are weakening principles and tend to death Schisms in the Church and feuds or wars in the Commonwealth and mutinies in Armies are the approaches or threatnings of death Or if such â—evers and bloody fluxes prove not mortal the cure must be by some excellent remedy and Divine clemency and skill Discordia Ordinum est reipublicae venenum saith Livy For as Salust saith War is easily begun as fire in the City easily kindled but to end it requireth more ado And the â—nd is seldom in the power of the same persons that began it much less will it end as easily as it might have been prevented It 's like the eruption of waters that begin at a small breach in the damm or banks but quickly make themselves a wider passage Prov. 26. 17. He that passeth by and medleth with strife which is not to him is like one that taketh a dog by the ears Prov. 17 14. The beginning of strife is as when one letteth out water therefore leave off contention before it be medled with or exasperated or stirred up to rage As passion inclineth men to strive rail or some way hurt so all discord and division inclineth men to a warring depressing way against others As Gregory saith When perverse minds are once engaged ad studium contrarietatis to a study of contrariety they arm themselves to oppugne all that is said by another be it wrong or right for when the person through contrariety is displeasing to them even that which is right when spoken by him is displeasing And when this is the study of each member to prove all false or bad that another saith or doth and to disgrace and weaken one another what strength what safety what peace what duration can be to that society IV. UNITY is also the BEAUTY and Comeliness of the Church and all societies Perfect UNITY without Diversity is proper to God But ab Vno omnia that all the innumerable parts of his Creation should by Order and VNITY make ONE UNIVERSE or world that all the members of the Church of Christ of how great variety of gifts degrees and place soever should make one Body this is the Divine skill and this Order and Vnity is the Beauty of his works If the Order and Vnity of many Letters made not words and of many words made not sentences and of many sentences made not Books what were their excellency or use If many Notes ordered and united made not Harmony what were the pleasure of musick or melody And how doth this Concord make it differ from a discordant odious noise The Unity of well-ordered Materials is the Beauty of an Edifice And the Unity of well-ordered and proportioned members is the symmetrie and Beauty of the Body It delighteth mans nature more to read the history of Loves and amiable concord which is the charming snare in tempting Lustâ—books than to read of odious and ruinating discords And no doubt but the many histories of sinful discord and their effects are purposely recorded in Scripture to make it the more hateful to all believers This is the use of the recorded malice of Cain to Abel of the effect of the Babel division of tongues of the disagreement of the servants of Abraham and Lot of the envy of Josephs brethren and of Esau's thoughts of revenge against Jacob and of Jacobs fear of him of the discord of Laban and Jacob of the bloody fact of Simeon and Levi and Jacob's dying detestation of it and his curse of the two Hebrews that strove with each other and one of them with Moses of the Israelites murmurings and mutinies against Moses Abimelech's cruelty against his brethren of the tribe of Ephraim's quarrel with Jephta and the Israelites with the Benjamites and their war of the envy of Saul against David and his pursuit of his and Doegs cruelty against the Priests of Absoloms rebellion against David of Joabs murders and his death of Solomons jealousie and execution of Adonijah of Rehoboams foolish difference with his subjects and the loss of the ten tribes and Jeroboam's reign of the continual wars of Juda and Israel of the many malicious actions of Priests and people against Jeremiah Amos and other Prophets and Messengers of God of the persecuting cruelty of Herod against Christ and the Infants in his jealousies about his Crown of the Jews malicious and foolish opposition to Christ of Christs disciples striving which should be the Greatest and the aspiring request of James and John of the short dissention of Paul and Barnabas c. Are not all these unpleasant histories to us and written to make dissentions odious To this end it is that we have the sad history of the early contentions between the Jewish and the Gentile Christians about Circumcision and the Law and the reconciling assembly Act. 15. To this end we have the sad history and sharp reproofs of the factions and sidings among the Corinthians of the false Apostles envy raised against Paul among the Corinthians and Galatians and of those that preached Christ out of envy and in strife to add affliction to his bonds Phil. 1. of the many heresies that rose up even in those first Churches to trouble desile them and disgrace them To this end we have the abundance of sharp rebukes of contentious persons and such as strove about words and genealogies and the Law and the reproofs of many of the Asian Churches Rev. 2. 3. and the odious description of the hereticks 2 Pet. 2. Jud. c. not only as corrupters of doctrine but in a special manner as Separatists and dividers of and from the Christian Churches To this end we have the sad predictions that two sorts should arise and tear the Churches Act. 20. Grievous wolves that should not spare the flocks and some of themselves that should speak perverse things to draw away disciples after them To this use we have so many vehement obtestations and exhortations against discord and divisions even in those times of vigorous Love and Concord such as 1 Cor. 1. 10 c. 3. c. Phil. 2. 1 2 c. 3. 14 15 16. and abundance such of which hereafter And even those that by their Master are taught not to be too forward in seeing the mote in anothers eye must yet be intreated to Mark them that cause Divisions and offences and avoid them and whereas they that were such pretended to be the most excellent servants of Christ and to speak more sublimely and spiritually for greater edification and advancement of Knowledge than the Apostles did it was no ill censoriousness to judge that being the Causes of Divisions and offences contrary to Christs doctrine of Love Vnity and
making too much necessary to Church Vnion and Communion § 1. ADdition to Christs terms are very perillous as well as diminution When men will deny either Church entrance or Communion to any that Christ would have received because they come not up to certain terms which they or such as they devise And though they think that Christ giveth them Power to do thus or that reason or necessity justifieth them their errour will not make them guiltless Imputing their errour to Christ untruly is no small aggravation of the sin § 2. Nor is it a small fault to usurp a power proper to Christ to make themselves Law givers to his Church without any authority given them by him Their Ministry is another work § 3. And it is dangerous Pride to think themselves Great enough Wise enough and Good enough to come after Christ and to amend his work and do it better than he hath done § 4. Much less when they hereby imply an accusation against him and his institutions as if he had not done it well but they must amend it or all will be intolerable § 5. And indeed Mans work will be like man weak and faulty and full of flaws when Gods work will be like God the effect of Alsufficience power wisdom and Love § 6. And the merciful Lord and Saviour of the Church that came to take off heavy burdens and intolerable yokes will not take it well to have men come after him and as by his authority to make his easie yoke more strait and his light burden heavy and to cast or keep out those that he hath Redeemed and doth receive and to deal cruelly with those that he hath so dearly bought and tenderly loveth § 7. And indeed it is ofter for mens own interest and dominion to keep up their power and honour of superiority that men thus use the servants of Christ than truly to keep clear the Church and to keep out the polluters § 8. But when it is done by too much strictness and as for Church-purity yet this also hath its aggravations For men so far to forget themselves that they are servants and not Lords sinners that have need themselves of mercy unfit to be too forward to cast the first stone to seem more wise and holy than Christ is but specious offending him § 9. And as spiritual priviledges excel temporal so is it an aggravated Tyranny to deprive Christs servants of benefits so precious and so dearly bought As it was not with Silver and Gold that we were Redeemed so neither for the enjoying of Silver and Gold Communion with Christ his body and blood and his Saints in his Ordinances is a blessing so great that he that robs such of it that have right to it may answer it dearlier than if he had rob'd them of their purses O what then hath the Roman Usurper done that hath oft interdicted whole Kingdoms of Christians the use of holy priviledges and duties § 10. Little do many men that cry up faith and Orthodoxness and Catholicism and obedience and cry down Heresie Schism Errour and Disobedience believe how much guilt lyeth on their souls and without Repentance how terrible it will prove to be charged with the cruelties which they have used to good Christians in reproaching them and casting them out of the Church and destroying them as Hereticks and Schismaticks that should have been loved and honoured as Saints But some men cannot see by the light of the fire till they come so near it as to be burned § 11. These self-made or over-doing terms of Church-Union and Concord will prove the certainest Engines of Schism And none are so heinous Schismaticks as they that make unnecessary terms of Union and then call all Schismaticks that consent not to them For 1. these are the Leaders of the disorder when other sort of Schismaticks usually are but followers 2. These do it by Law which is of most extensive mischief even to all that are subject to them when others do it but by local practice extending but to those that are about them or the particular assemblies which they gather 3. These make the Schism unavoidable when private Seducers may be resisted For it is not in the power of good men to bring their judgements to the sentiments of every or any dictator or yet to go contrary to their judgements Ilicitum stat pro impossibili 4. These aggravate the crime by pretending power from God and fathering Schism on so good a thing as Government and causing it as for Unity it self 5. They condemn themselves by crying down Schism while they unavoidably cause it § 12. And this over-doing and making unnecessary termes unavoidably involveth them in the guilt of persecution and when they have begun it they know not where to stop Suppose they decree that none shall preach the Gospel or assemble for holy Communion in publick Worship but those that subscribe or swear or promise or profess or do somewhat accounted sinful by the persons commanded and not necessary indeed however esteemed by the imposer who yet perhaps calls it but Indifferent It is certain that no honest Christian will do that which he judgeth to be sin It is certain that other mens confident talk will not make all men of their minds to take all for lawful which they take for such what then will the Imposers do They will make strict Laws to punish severely all that disobey For say they Our commands must not be contemned nor disobedience tolerated so do the Papists as to the Trent Oath c. so did Charles the fifth a while about the Interim and so many others These Laws then must be executed The Pastors must be cast out the preachers silenced They still believe as Daniel did about praying and the Apostles about preaching that God commandeth what men forbid and it is a damnable sin to forsake their calling and duty no less than sacriledge and cruelty to souls and deserting the Church and worship and cause of Christ and the people will still believe that no mans prohibition can excuse them if they forsake Gods publick worship and comply with sin The Prelates will say that all this is but errour wilfulness and rebellion and they can prove the contrary Their words will not change the judgement of dissenters The Pastors and preachers then must be fined imprisoned or banished for preaching and the people for publick worshipping God when they are fined they will go on when they are out of prison they will return to their work nothing is left then to remedy it but either perpetual imprisonment banishment or death When this is done more will still rise of the same mind and continue the work that others were disabled to perform And the Prelates that cause this will be taken by the suffering people for thorns and thistles and grievous Wolves that devour the flocks and the military Ministers of the Devil The indifferent common people knowing their Neighbours to
voluntarily came or were duly brought 2. And if men will stay without or keep their Children out they wrong themselves and theirs but this breaketh no unity of the Christian Church § 8. There have been also factious persons that tye the validity of Baptism to their sects such as were specially the Donatists supposing that their Prelates had the truest call and power and that all others were Sectaries or Hereticks and therefore their baptism null and void and to be iterated But though in other arrogancies some follow them to this day yet few if any in the nulling of baptism § 9. But a greater and longer stir there hath been about Creeds and professions required as Tests to excuse men from heresie But yet it is to be noted that few of them by these altered the form of baptism but there took up with the ancient Creed the Apostles and the Nicene or Constantinopolitane and required no more but only imposed the rest on Bishops Priests or other afterwards § 10. And is there now any cause of discord here 1. All Christians have been made such by baptism from the Apostles dayes till now Is there any thing in the world that ever came down to us by more certain uniform consenting tradition The very same words of baptism which Christ did institute are every where used to this day And if all ages and Countreys have still baptized persons as believers or Christians and yet be not agreed what Christianity is or what the faith is that baptism requireth it will be a strange incredible shame to them But even Hierome and Hillary that cry out of their new Creeds do tell us that in Baptism the old one was still used to which they did appeal And though the Greeks and Latines differ about their filióque and some small new clauses are found in the Creed that were not in the old Copies which are now found on Record they are not so factious or vain as to nullifie Baptism by any of those differences For the Creed is but part of the Exposition of Baptism and Baptism is true Baptism if no other Creed or words were used but it self 2. And there are few Christians yet that will refuse any of the truly ancient Creeds of which more anon § 11. 3. It is true that there are some humane ceremonies which some Churches adjoin to Baptism and by others are rejected or omitted The most of the ancient Churches used the tasting of milk and honey the wearing of a white garment and Chrisme and now some use the transient Image of the Cross as a symbol of our engagement to a Crucified Christ which others omit as taking it to be so far participant of the nature of a Sacrament of the Covenant of Grace as that it is an usurpation of Christs prerogative for any men without his institution to appoint But yet all these Churches that differ in these Ceremonies agree that the validity of Baptism dependeth not on them Whether they be used or omitted the person is nevertheless baptized § 12. Qu. But what is it that is necessary to the being and validity of baptism Answ This was partly answered before 1. It is necessary to the validity of it in foro Ecclesiae that both the baptizer and the adult baptized or the person that is authorized to Covenant for the infant do Profess to intend real Baptism and not to do it in jeast or to other ends And it is necessary to its efficacy to pardon and salvation that this profession of the Baptized be sincere and that he do it from the heart And it is necessary to free the baptizer from Gods displeasure that his intention be sincere 2. It is necessary that the words of Baptism be such as express all the Essence of it such as are those of Christ which all Christians use I Baptize thee in the name of the Father of the Son and of the Holy Ghost And that no contradictory words which nullifie these be added 3. It is necessary to the validity of it in the judgement of the Church that the adult person and the Parent or pro-parent for the Infant do seem or profess to understand all the words of Baptism so far as is essential to it For ignorantis non est consensus 4. It is necessary to the validity of it to real pardon and salvation that he not only seem to understand it but really do so 5. It is accordingly necessary that the person consent to all the essence of the Covenant that is seem and profess to do it to the Church and really do it to satisfie God and obtain pardon and life by it 6. It is not absolutely necessary to the validity that the Creed or any other profession be used by the baptized besides the words themselves I believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and give up my self to him in this Baptismal Covenant Because understanding and consent may be expressed by those words 7. But it is usually necessary to the bene esse or the best performance of baptism that the adult person or the Parent of Infants do in larger words profess his understanding belief and consent to baptism And it is best that these words be not too many nor too few and that they be for the most part one unchanged form Lest ignorance or heresie deprave baptism by change and variety of words 8. To this end the Churches of Christ have still used the Creed as the summary form of Profession of faith As the Lords Prayer is a summary form of our Desires and the Decalogue of our rule and profession of practice But because Assent is supposed to imply Consent to the particulars Assented to though but Generally professed therefore the Church hath more rarely omitted the Creed in the profession of Assent when yet they have accepted of a more General profession of Consent to the Covenant and promise of obedience 9. But if the adult do before-hand as a Catechumen learn the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalogue and give the Pastor a satisfactory account of his competent understanding of them then that may be supposed and only a General profession of faith consent and subjection be used at the time and in the words of baptism And so much of the constitutive causes of baptism § 13. II. Though no more than Baptism be essentially Necessary because so great a work should be well done and ignorance and errour are very common it is meet that the Church require an understanding Assent to the common Articles of the Creed and an understanding Consent to the Lords Prayer and Decalogue and in general to all that he understandeth to be Gods Word Belief and sincere Obedience And therefore that the adult person and Parent of the Infant be one that hath before been Catechized or examined herein § 14. Though I consent to Ger. Vossius and others that there is no proof at all that the twelve Apostles made the twelve Articles of the
Ariminum Sirmium l. 26. for faith r. force p. 8. l. penult for me r. men p. 11. l. 10. for mutual r. mental p. 24. l. antip r. Wotton p. 38. l. 25. r. Councils p. 44. l. 14. r. Saravia Spalatto l. 17. r. Didoclave p. 5. l. 2. r. Pope p. 55. l. 7. r. Persidis p. 59. l. 8. for the r. de p. 64. l. 2. for no r. not p. 119. l. 30. r. Rulers p. 132. l. 12. for that r. the p. 143. l. 9. for it r. is The First Part. The Reasons for Christian Unity and Concord What it is And how much may be hoped for on Earth CHAP. I. The Text opened and the Doctrines and Method proposed EPHES. 4. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Endeavouring or carefully or diligently studying to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace HAD not the distempers of the minds even of Religious persons and the long and sad divisions and distractions of Christians assured me that this Text is not commonly understood and regarded as the Apostles vehement Exhortation and the importance and reason of the matter do bespeak yea had not the long bleeding wounds of the Church made by its Pastors and most zealous members still cryed out aloud for pity and help I had not chosen this subject at this time But after the complaints and exhortations and tears of the wisest and best men since the days of Christ after the long miseries of the Church and the long and costly experience of all ages the destroying Spirit of division still possesseth the most and maketh some of the possessed to rage and foam tear themselves and all that are in their power it haunteth the holy assemblies and disquieteth the lovers of unity and peace and by the scandals which it raiseth it frighteneth children and unstable persons out of their religion and their wits And therefore after the many books which I have written for Vnity Love and Peace and the many years preaching and praying to that end I find it yet as necessary as ever to Preach on the same Subject and to recite the same things and while I am in this Tabernacle which I must shortly put off to stir you up that after my decease you may have it in remembrance 2 Pet. 1. 12 13 14. And could I persuade the Churches of Christ to seek by fasting and fervent prayer the dispossessing of this distracting Spirit by which only this evil kind goeth out our languishing hopes might yet revive If Paul found it necessary to cry down division and plead for Unity so frequently and so vehemently as he doth to those new planted Churches of Rome Corinth Ephesus Galatia Philippi Thessalonica c. which had been founded by the means of miracles and had so much of the spirit of Unity and Community and had Apostles among them to preserve their peace what wonder if we that are much ignorant of the Apostles minds and of the Primitive pattern and have less of the Spirit have need to be still called upon to study to keep the Vnity of the Spirit in the bond of peace They that preach Twenty or an hundred Sermons for Purity and scarce one with equal Zeal for Vnity and Peace do not sufficiently discern that Purity and Peace are the inseparable fruits of the wisdom from above which live and die together and with them the souls and societies of believers This famous Church of Ephesus is it which Paul Act. 20. had so long laid out his labours in even publickly from house to house night and day with tears which was famous for its greatness and the open profession of Christ where even the price of the vain unlawful books which they openly burnt came to fifty thousand pieces of silver This is the Church that first of the seven is written to by Christ Rev. 2. Whose works labour and patience even without fainting were known and praised by the Lord which proved and disproved the false Apostles which hated the deeds of the Nicolaitans And yet Paul saw cause Act. 20. 30. to foretell them prophetically of their temptations to division that they should be tryed by both extreams as other Churches were and are that on one side grievous Wolves or Church tyrants should enter not sparing the stâ—ck and on the other side of themselves should men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples by Schism separation after them And to this excellent Church he seeth cause here to urge the Persuasives to the vigilant preservation of Vnity in this Chapter Having in the three first Chapters instructed them in the high mysteries of Election Redemption and the fruits thereof and magnified the riches of Grace in Christ and the spiritual knowledge thereof that we may know what Vse he principally intended he here beginneth his application 1. With a moving reason from his Person and Condition v. 1. I the Prisoner of the Lord As if he should say As ever you will regard the doctrine and counsel of your Teacher and Christs Apostle now I am in bonds for the doctrine which I preach 2. With words of earnest request I beseech you 3. With the matter of his request 1. In general that they walk worthy the calling wherewith they were called Beza need not have avoided the vulgar and proper translation of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and put quod convenit for worthy for worthiness can signifie nothing but moral congruity 2. Specially this worthiness consisteth in the holy and healthful constitution of their souls and the exercise thereof In their inward disposition and their answerable practice 1. The inward qualifications are 1. All lowliness 2. Meekness 3. Love 2. The fruits of these are 1. Long-suffering 2. Forbearing one another 3. And Studying to keep the Vnity of the spirit in the bond of peace Which Vnity is particularly described in the Terms and reasons of it which are seven 1. One Body 2. One Spirit 3. One hope 4. One Lord. 5. One faith 6. One Baptism 7. One God and Father who is above all and through all and in them all But negatively not in an equality of Grace in all the members for that is various according to the measure of the gift of Christ the free Benefactor I must pass by all unnecessary explication and the handling of the many useful Lessons which offer themselves to us in the way such as these following Doct. 1. It should not depreciate the counsels of Christs Ministers that they are sent or written from a prison or bonds but rather procure their greater acceptance when they are not imprisoned for evil doing but for Preaching or obeying the Gospel and Law of Christ it is their honour and the honour of that doctrine which they suffer for why else keep you days of thanksgiving and Commemoration of the Martyrs On the persecutors part Christ is evil spoken of or blasphemed but by the sufferers he is glorified and therefore he will glorifie
below him to be the Informing soul of the world yet is he more than such a soul to it of Him and through Him and to Him are all things who is All things in all things above all and through all and in us all as is aforesaid and being more intimate to all things as their proper form is the first Vniting principle of all being as he is the first Cause and the End of all And yet it is Above the Creatures to be accounted parts of God for they are not his Constitutive parts who is most simple but slow from him by his Causal efflux and so are by many not falsly called Vna emanatio Divina or a continued effect of one Divine creative or efficient Volition All One as In and Of and To One God and as compaginated among themselves and yet Many by wonderful incomprehensible diversities Ab uno Omnia 28. God is said to be More One with some Creatures than with others as he operateth more excellent effects in one than in others and as he is related to those effects but not as his essence is Nearer to One than to another 29. Accordingly his Vnion with the Intellectual Spirits and souls of men is said to be nearer than with Bodies and his Communion answerably But that is because they are the Nobler product of his Creating or efficient Power and Will 30. And so he is said to be more Vnited to holy souls than to the unholy to the Glorified than to the dammed Because he maketh them Better and communicateth to them more of his Glory and the effects of his Power Wisdom and Love As the Sun is more United to a burning-glass or to a place where it shineth brightly or to some excellent plant which it quickneth than to others 31. Accordingly we must conceive of that Vnion before mentioned Thes 10. of Christ with Believers here and with the glorified hereafter as to his Divine Nature which may well be called mystical and is of late become the subject of some mens contentious opposition and is matter of difficult enquiry to the wisest And yet it is hard to say that in all their hot opposition any sober men are in this disagreed For 1. it is by such commonly confessed that the Spirit of Christ doth operate more excellent effects on believers than on others and on the Blessed than on the damned even making them liker unto God 2. And that this Holy spirit is by Covenant related to them to operate for the future more constantly and eminently in them than in others 3. And that this Spirit proceedeth and is sent from the Father and the Son to do these works 4. And that Christ is Related to each Believing and each Glorifyed soul as one in Covenant self-obliged or a Promiser thus by his Spirit to operate on them 5. And that he is thus Related to the whole Church or society of such persons whereof each Individual is a part So that all this set together telleth us that every Believing and every Glorifyed soul is said to be United to Christ in all these several conjunct respects as to his Godhead 1. In that he eminently operateth Grace and Glory in them that is Holy Life Light and Love by the Holy Ghost And this he doth as God doth all things per essentiam and not as distant by an intermediate Vertue which is neither Creator nor Creature As the very Sun-beams touch the illuminated and heated object 2. By a moral-relative Union by Covenant to that individual person to do such things upon him As husband and wife are United by Covenant for certain uses 3. By a Political Relative Vnion as that person is a member of the Church or Political body to which Christ is United by Promise as aforesaid who denieth any of this and who affecteth more 32. And then our Vnion with Christs humane nature besides the General and special Logical Vnion as he is a Creature a Man of the same Nature with us can be of no Higher or Nearer a sort But differeth from the former so far as the Operations and Relation of a Created Medium differ from those of the Creator That is 1. The humane nature is honoured and used by the Divine as a second cause of the foresaid effects of Grace and Glory on us 2. The humane Nature being of the same species with ours is by a Law obligation and consent related to each Believer and to all the Church as the Root and chief Medium Administrator and Communicator of this Grace and Glory and so as our Relative Head in the foresaid Moral and Political sense communicating those Real Benefits 3. And Christ in his Humanity is the Authorised Lord and Governour of all inferiour means and causes by which and Grace and Glory is conveyed to us as of Angels Ministers Word Sacraments changing Providences c. 4. But whether his own Humane Soul per essentiam immediatam attingentiam do operate on all holy souls and so be Physically also Vnited to them as the Sun is to the quickened plants or animals I told you before I know not yet but hope ere long to know 33. Christs Divine Nature is United to his humane in a peculiar sort as it is not to any other creature But it is not by any change of the Divine but by that peculiar possessing operation and Relation which no other created being doth partake of and which no mortal can comprehend of which I have said more elsewhere 34. All Creatures as such are United in God as the Root or first cause of Nature All Believers and Saints are United in Christ as the Head of the Church as aforesaid and in the Holy spirit as the principle of their sanctification 35. The Political Relative Union of such Saints among themselves is intelligible and sure as having One God one Head one Holy spirit But as I said before how and how far their very substance is One by an Unity analogous to Physical Continuity like the solar Light c. and how far and how they are substantially divers and how and how far the spirit of Holiness doth in a peculiar manner Unite the substances of Holy souls among themselves by Analogie to the Illuminated Air c. and how all souls and Angels are individuate and distinguished I say again is past our reach 36. Seeing Vnion is so naturally desired as Perfection by all creatures known to us it is great mordinateness and folly to fear lest death will by too near an Union end our individuation 37. And as things sensible are the first known by man in flesh and we see that among them Union destroyeth no part of their substance but a sand or Atom is the same thing in Union with others as it would be if separate or solitary and a drop of water hath as true and much existing substance in the Ocean as in its separate state and so of a particle of Air we have reason to
ages of the Christian World hath shewed that they did not well understand it If universal constant undenyable experience be not enough to prove that it is so and hath been so and therefore will be so Let the certain Causes of it be considered 1. Men are born of much different Intellectual complexions and degrees of capacity some are Ideots or natural fools some are half such some are very flegmatick and dull of wit and must have long time and teaching to learn a little and of memories as weak to retain what they learn some have naturally strong wits and as strong memories If these be bred up in the same house will they therefore have the same knowledge and conceptions § 4. 2. And as men naturally differ in quickness and dulness of wit so they do in the temperature of all their humours and bodies which accidentally will cause great difference in their minds A sanguine man hath usually other thoughts and perceptions than a phlegmatick man and a phlegmatick man hath other thoughts and sense of things than the cholerick have And the melancholy man differeth from them all and often from himself As these tempers variously affect the phantasie and the passions so consequently they do usually the Intellect and the Will § 5. 3. The Countreys that men are born in it not by the air and soil at least by the great diversity of Languages Laws Governments and Customs do make much difference in mens conceptions As we see by experience in the difference of many Nations § 6. 4. The very sins or merits of Parents may do much to the hurt or benefit of Children partly by corrupting or bettering their bodily temperature and partly by Gods curse or blessing on their souls As I have fully proved in my Second Disputation of Original Sin § 7. 5. And were there no other cause of different conceptions than the different education of children by their parents it would make a very great difference in the world When one is brought up in Learning and another in barbarism one in reading and hearing Gods Word and another in contemning and deriding it One is taught to reverence Gods name and truth and another to blaspheme them or despise them One is taught one Religion and another another One is taught to lay all his salvation on that which another is taught to abhorr And it is not only in Divers Lands but in the same Cities Towns and Streets yea among men that publickly profess the same Religion in Name and Generals that this difference is found § 8. 6. And if Parents make no difference yet Schoolmasters often will With their Grammar learning one teacheth his Scholars to deride such or such a party of Christians as Hereticks Heteroclites or anomalous and others say the same of others as they themselves do like or dislike And Boyes usually take deeply their Masters dictates especially if they be cunning and malignant and such as the Devil and flesh befriend § 9. 7. And it is no small difference that Company and Converse cause Even among Children and Servants in families and Boys at School from whom they are as apt to receive ill impressions as from evil Teachers And therefore variety of company in Youth is like to breed variety of sentiments § 10. 8. And the different Books which they read will make the like difference while one writeth against that which another proclaimeth to be excellent and necessary and all set off the matter with such plausibility and confidence as young and unexercised persons are unable to see through and perceive the error § 11. 9. And when they go abroad in the world the difference among those that they converse with all their lives may well be expected to cause much difference in their thoughts If they be set Apprentices one falls into a family of one mind and another of another And so if they be servants And their friends and companions will occasion as much And if they marry the different judgements of Husbands and Wives may do the same § 12. 10. And especially when differences in Religion have already got possession of all mankind in some degree and they set themselves to enquire after the nature of these differences and being at first unskilful are unable to try and judge aright they must needs fall into great variety of judgements § 13. 11. And the great difference among Preachers and Pastors of the Church will be as powerful a cause of discord to youth and learners as almost any of the rest while one Preacher condemneth that as a dangerous errour and frighteneth them from it as a heinous sin which another extolleth as necessary truth or duty And yet thus it is in many particulars even where men profess the same Religion witness the many loads of books that are written by the Papists against each other As the Dominicans against the Jesuites and the Jesuites against them The Jansenists against both and their odious charges of highest false doctrines and crimes in their provincial Letters and the Jesuits Morals Gulielmus de sancto Amore and his partners against the Fryars The secular Priests against the regulars such as Watson in his Quodlibets and abundance more such like And in what Countrey almost or City do not preachers in some measure differ and breed diversity of senses in the people Which Paul foretold even in the purest times and Church that of their own selves should men arise speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them Besides the grievous Wolves that should enter and devour the flock Act. 20. 30. It must be that heresies must arise that they that are approved may be made manifest In Corinth some were of Paul and some of Apollo and some of Cephas and they had such divisions as shewed them to be much carnal At Rome they judged and despised one another about meats and drinks and dayes Rom. 14. 15. And some caused divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which they had learned Rom. 16. 16 17. In Galati◠they had Judaizing teachers that troubled them And at Antioch some taught them that except they were circumcised and kept the Law of Moses they could not be saved Act. 15. 1 c. In Asia some Churches had Nicolaitans and such as taught them to eat things offered to Idols and to commit fornication and the woman Jezabel that seduced them and some had such as Diotrephes that received not the brethren and cast out those that did and prated even against the beloved Apostle with malicious words Divers Churches had perverse disputers about the Law and genealogies and such as strove about words that profited not but to the subverting of the hearers and some whose doctrine fretted like a Cancer who subverted whole houses whose mouths were to be stopped And the Colossians had such as were for humane ordinances touch not taste not handle not and for worshipping Angels and prying into unknown things Col. 2. And Paul telleth the
Rector of the Bishops under him and their people but only the Orderer or Guide of the Modes and Circumstances of the Council as such And therefore could the Pope prove a right to preside in General Councils orbis Romani vel orbis terrarum which he cannot it were no proof that he is Regent Head of the Church universal The same I may say of the other Presidents § 13. If it hold that God instituted only Congregational or Parochial Churches as for present Communion then it must needs follow that none of the rest instituted by man have power to deprive such single Churches of any of the Priviledges granted them by Christ And therefore whereas Christ hath made the terms of Catholick Communion himself and hath commanded all such to worship him publickly in holy Communion under faithful Pastors chosen or at least consented to by themselves which many hundred years was the judgement of the Churches no humane order or power can deprive them of any of this benefit nor disoblige them from any of this duty by just authority § 14. Nay seeing that the universal Church is certainly the highest species none hath authority on pretence of narrower Communion in lower Churches to change Christs terms of Catholick Communion nor to deprive Christians of the right of being loved and received by each other or disoblige them from the duty of loving and receiving each other Humane power made by their own contracts cannot change Christs Laws nor the Priviledges or forms of Christs own Churches § 15. They that say that these several Church species are of God must prove that God instituted them and that can be only by Scripture or else that he gave some power to institute them since Scripture times which till they prove none are bound to obey them at least when they over rule Christs own institutions § 16. To devise new species of Churches without Gods authority and impose them on the world yea in his name and call all dissenters schismaticks is a far worse Usurpation than to make and impose new Ceremonies or Liturgies § 17. Dr. Hammond Dissert cont Blond Annot in Act. 11. pass affirmeth that it cannot be proved that the order of subject Presbyters was existent in Scripture times and consequently holdeth that Bishops had but single Congregations as Ignatius speaketh with One Altar Now if Diocesans Metropolitans Provincials Patriarchs or Pope as constitutive of Church-species were made after either these new Churches were made by the Bishops of Parochial Churches or by those that were No Bishops or Pastors of any Churches at all For the Apostles were dead and no institution of these but Scriptural can be truly proved And other Churches besides the Catholick and Parochial or single distinct from a compound of Churches there were then none For the lower to make the higher Churches is that which they will not grant who grant not that Presbyters may propagate their own species and deny that power ascendeth ab inferioribus And that men of no Church made all these new Church species is no honour to them § 18. Two contrary opinions herein now reign One of the Papists that think Christ instituted the Pope with power to make inferiour Church species That other is that Christ or his Apostles instituted Diocesans giving them power both as rulers to make Parish Churches or Chapels under them and by Contract or Consent to make the highest species over them Provincial National Patriarchal and say some Papal But as to the Papists so much is said against their supposition that it 's not here to be confuted And it 's certain that single Church order was constituted by no Pope and that all the Apostles had power thereto And as for the latter which affirmeth the lower degrees to make the higher we still want the proofs of their authority so to do of which more afterwards § 19. As for them that say that it is Magistrates that have power to make new species of Churches I grant them that whatever alterations of Church-Orders may be made Magistrates may do much in them The Power of Princes and the Guidance of Pastors and the Consent of the people have each herein their special place But what these alterations or additions are which they may make is the chief question Both the Catholick Church and single Church assemblies being instituted by Christ are not left to them The circumstantiating of other Assemblies and Associations are left to them to be done according to Gods general Law But that making new Political Societies that are properly called Churches or Religious bodies consisting of the Pars regens pars subdita is left to them by Christ I never saw proved any more than the making of new Sacraments But if that could be proved yet that these humane Churches or their makers may change those that are of Divine institution or deprive them of their priviledges or forbid them commanded duty cannot be proved § 20. And it is certain 1. That if Princes or Bishops or the people did institute Diocesan or Metropolitan Provincial or Patriarchal Churches they may yet make more and other species And who knoweth how many new forms of Churches we may yet expect 2. And they that made them upon good reason may unmake them or alter them when they please § 21. But though the Legislator and not the Subjects be the institutor of the Vniversal and particular Church-policies yet men are the constitutive matter and mans consent and faith is the dispositio materiae without which the form is not received and mans welfare is part of the final cause and Ministers are the instruments and Gods word written and preached for the gathering of Churches by such qualification of the persons and also of revealing the Institution of Christ and investing of particular persons in their Church-relations § 22. By all this it appeareth that as it belongeth to Christ to institute the political species of Churches though circumstantiating may be left to man at least undoubtedly of the Vniversal and of the single species so it belongeth to Christ and not to man to institute and describe their terms of Union For this is the very institution of the species And we are not to receive humane Church-policies without good proof of mens authority to make them and impose them CHAP. XI The danger of the two extreams And first of despairing of any Concord and of unjust Tolerations § 1. SOme men having seen the Christian world so long in Sects and contending parties do think that there is no hope of Vnity and Concord and therefore that all should be left at liberty And others think that there is no hope but on terms so wide as shall take such as Christ receiveth not nor would have us receive And on such accounts there were very early great contentions about the qualifications of the baptizers and baptized and the validity of baptism and about re-baptizing As to the Baptizers some thought
be conscionable men of upright lives will become of the same minds and look on the persecutors as the enemies of good men and of publick peace that do all this by pride and domination The ungodly rabble of drunkards prophane swearers adulterers and such like for the most part hating Godliness and strict living will cry up the Prelates and triumph over the sufferers And thus the Land will be divided the Prelates and other prosecutors with the dirty malignant rabble of the licentious will make one party and these will call themselves Orthodox and the Church The sufferers and all that pity them and like them better than the Persecutors will be the other party The conjunction of the debauched and malignant rabble with the Prelates and their party will increase sober mens disaffection to them and make men take them for the patrons of impiety And how sad a condition must such Churches be in To say nothing of the state concussions and diseases that usually follow Whatever ignorant men may dream these prognosticks are most certain as any man that can discern effects in moral causes may see and as history and sad experience prove to all men of reading observation and understanding § 13. And in Pastors of the Church this will be a double crime and shame because 1. It is their office to gather and edifie Christs flock and not to scatter and afflict them 2. Because they should most imitate Christ in tender bowels gentleness and long-suffering bearing the Lambs in their armes and not breaking the bruised reed nor quenching the smoaking flax Nurses or Mothers use not to kill their Children for crying nor to turn them out of doors because they are unclean nor to cut their throats to make them swallow bigger morsels instead of cutting their meat Much less to cast them off for obeying their father 3. Because it is supposed that they best know the will of Christ and should be best acquainted with the wayes of peace And therefore should understand Rom. 14. 15. Him that is weak in the faith Receive but not to doubtful disputations The Kingdom of God is not meats and drinks but righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost And he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men that is of wise and good men but not of proud persecutors Rom. 14. 17 18. Wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received to the Glory of God Rom. 15. 7. If the people were Schismatical and inclined to fall in pieces the Guides and builders should soder and cement them and as pillars and bases in the Church which is the house of the living God as Timothy is called should bear them up that they fall not by division § 14. In a word whoever will impartially read Church History especially of the Councils and Popes shall find that the self-conceited Usurpation of proud Prelates imposing unnecessary devices of their own professions or practices on the Churches and this with proud and fierce impatience toward dissenters and usurping a Legislation which Christ never gave them hath been the great cause of much of the hatred schisms persecutions wars rebellions against Emperours and Kings false excommunications interdicts and the disgrace of Christistianity weakning of the Church and hindering the Conversion of Jews and Infidels and been a chief Granado Thunderbolt or Wild-fire by which Satan much prospered in storming of the Church CHAP. XIII To cry out of the intolerable mischiefs of Toleration and call for sharper execution while dividing snares are made the terms of Vnion is the work of ignorant proud and malignant Church-destroyers § 1. TO tolerate all evil that pretendeth Religion is to be no friend to Religion Government or peace To tolerate no error in Religion is for no Prince to tolerate himself his wife his child or any one subject And to pretend to this is to crave self-destruction neque enim lex justior ulla est c. and to proclaim himself ignorant yea grosly ignorant what is a Church a Pastor a Government a Christian or a Man § 2. Multitudes of Books are written for and against Toleration They that are lowest usually write for it Even Jer. Taylor 's Liberty of Prophecying before he was a Bishop was thought a commendable or tolerable Book But most are against it that are in power and think they can force others to their wills But it is wise and just and impartial men that are here the discerners of the truth whose judgements are not biassed by interest or passion nor blinded by unacquaintedness with their adversaries or their cause or perverted by using only one ear and one eye He knoweth not mankind who knoweth not how greatly not only the common gang but even learned men yea and zealous religious men are to be suspected in their evil characters and reports of those that they are speaking against as adversaries It grieveth me to know and think how little most adversaries in this case are to be believed § 3. To describe the due bounds of Toleration is far from being impossible or very difficult to an understanding and impartial man But to stop the mouth or rage of Contradicters and to reconcile the multitude of ignorant proud tyrannical uncharitable interessed factious partial men to such certain measures is next impossible and never yet even among the Clergy was attained since the Spirit of infallibility simplicity and Love departed and the Spirit of darkness pride and malignity in most places got the upper hand § 4. Many and many Books of this nature I have lately read that cry down liberty and Toleration and call for greater severities and describe those whose ruine or sufferings they plead for as ignorantly and falsly as if they talkt of men at the Antipodes whom they had never seen and as if they had never heard their Cause and as cruelly as if they had been preaching to Souldiers and confuting John Baptist or preaching a Visitation Sermon to Bonner or Gardiner And yet the falshoods or injuries set off with so great confidence and well composed words and zeal against schism and error and especially for the Church and Government that it grieveth my soul to think how difficult such men do make it to strangers that must know all on trust from others and men of other business that cannot have while to search into the truth to escape deceit and the consequent mischiefs Zeal for piety is not more abused by Sectaries than zeal for themselves and their power and wealth called zeal for the Church and truth and order is abused by bad domineering men Or else the world had not been embroiled by the Clergy these twelve hundred years at least nor Rome arrived at its pernicious Greatness and power to destroy § 5. And let mens different Religions or Opinions be never so many and notable yet every where the same plea against Toleration is used and the same Arguments seem good for every
Baptism the term of Christian Catholick unity and concord as necessary ad esse and the Creed as needful and apt ad bene esse ordinarily § 22. There is a controversie raised as aforesaid by Donatists and other Sectaries so now by the Papists whether the person baptized must not also own 1. the Ministry in general 2. the particular Minister that baptizeth him 3. and the particular Church into which he is received 4. and subject himself by profession to such pastoral power To all which I shall distinctly answer § 23. I. To the first 1. what is connoted is not alwayes a necessary part of the contract A man cannot be baptized but he must know that some one hath power to baptize him 2. It is more needful of the two that the Apostolical office and power be known and believed than the successive ordinary Ministry Because the belief of the truth of the Gospel more dependeth on their testimony as commissioned and qualified with those extraordinary gifts of the spirit which are its seal and proof 3. It is of great use to our faith and obedience to understand that Christ hath settled an authorized Ministry to preserve and preach his Word and administer his Sacraments and guide his Churches to the end of the world and he that knoweth not this wanteth an integral part of Christianity and a great and needful help to his edification and salvation 4. Yet none of these are absolutely necessary to the essence of Christianity If any lived where the ministerial office were not known or should by misleading so far err as to think that any judicious Christian or any Christian Magistrate or master of a family might preach and administer the Sacraments if yet this man believe in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost as his Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier and be accordingly devoted to him in baptism this man shall be saved notwithstanding his ignorance or errour about the Ministry yea though he knew not of the office of the Apostles but took them for lay men For the promise is that whoever believeth in Christ shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 16 18. by what means soever he was converted to the faith It is not only He that is converted by a Priest shall not perish Nor is it ever said He that believeth in the Apostles or Priests shall not perish but he that believeth in Christ which essentially includeth the belief in the Father and the Holy Ghost And therefore Paul calleth them carnal as guilty of Schism that said I am of Paul and I of Cephas because they were not baptized into the name of Paul or Cephas but of Christ And he thanketh God that he had baptized few of them lest they should say that he had baptized them into his own name And yet are the Apostles foundations or bases and pillars in the Church because Christ used them as the first great keepers of his word and seals and the means of converting unbelievers and it 's hard and rare to believe in Christ without knowing and believing that they were his commissioned Ministers § 24. II. But though it be a duty to choose a true Minister to be baptized by yet it is not at all necessary to the validity of baptism to know that the baptizer is such Indeed not one of many can be sure as not having seen his ordination nor knowing of his necessary qualifications Many things may deceive them and all baptism by Lay-men is not null as the Fathers held and the Papists now hold and confess § 25. III. And as to reception into a particular Church I have proved before that it is no work of baptism as such but a consequent act in order of nature alwayes and oft of time The Eunuch Act. 8. was baptized into no Church but the Universal There be some few rigid mistaken brethren called Independents in New England that think indeed that all baptized persons must be baptized into a particular Church but others even of that party are wiser herein It is very fit that every one that can be a member of some particular Church But some cannot as Travellers Merchants Ambassadors c. who reside among Infidels only and those that live in Countreys where the Pastors by tyranny refuse to admit any to their communion who will not say or do some unlawful thing But yet Baptism as such is no such thing nor hath such an effect Much less is it a profession that such a particular Church is sound § 26. IV. And as to subjection to the Clergie It is true that Baptism essentially subjecteth us to Christ and this includeth an obligation to obey him in all things which we know to be his Law And it is true that just obedience to the Guides of the Church is his command But it followeth not that every man knoweth this nor that every disobedience unchurcheth us It is his command that we pray continually and in all things give thanks and that we speak not an idle word and use not vain jeasting c. But it nullifieth not Christianity that we culpably offend in one of these Nor doth our baptism contain our promise that we will never sin nor that we will obey a command which we understand not but that we will be Christs subjects and obey him sincerely so as that when we fail by weakness we will renew our repentance Christ also commandeth every child subject wife servant to obey their parents Princes and Magistrates Husband and Master And he that is baptized bindeth himself also to obey these Laws sincerely if he know them But it followeth not that it is essential to Baptism to oblige us to subjection to parents husbands masters but only to Christ who commandeth us to obey them Even as subjects take not an Oath of Allegiance to every Justice Constable or Messenger but only to the King who yet commandeth us to obey his Judges Justices Constables c. § 27. To pretend that Baptism as such doth subject men to the Bishop of Rome or to the Bishop of Alexandria Antioch Paris London or to the Pastor of a single Church is a perverting the sence of it and to be answered as the Apostle did others Were ye baptized into the Name of Paul CHAP. IV. II. What are the terms necessary for the continuance of Church-Communion and what are the lawful Causes of abscission or Excommunication § 1. IT is granted that as there is somewhat more necessary to the continuance of our pardon justification and right to glory than was to our first reception so also to our continuance as members of the Catholick Church That is the bare profession of faith and consent and subjection or Covenanting with Christ for future sincere obedience is enough to our first reception by baptism But some performance of this Covenant is necessary to our continuance The reasons are 1. Because the Covenant or promise is necessary not meerly for it self but for the
indeed it had been but justly distinguishing of men called Hereticks as I before said the Council of Nice did naming the Paulinists and all had been ended But if not this was no juâ—â— cause of Excommunication § 20. II. The same I may say of the unhappy Controversie of the time of Easter about which Victor and Polycrates strove wherein Irenaeus so much reproveth Victor as most wise and good men ever since have in their judgements done § 21. III. And truly I think on several accounts that the Novatian heresie was not such as deserved Excommunication from the Catholick Church though they sinfully separated from those concordant particular Churches which by advantage got the name of the Catholick For 1. wise men are not agreed what the heresie was But the skilfullest agree that it was not a denyal of pardon before God in another world to the penitent but only of Church-pardon and admittance to Communion And some of their accusers told them that their first founders denyed such Church-pardon only to those that denyed Christ or lapsed against Christianity in time of persecution good Christians that came out of prisons being too unwilling to receive those when the storm was over that had saved themselves by denying the faith and that the denyal of it to other criminals came in after by degrees on supposed parity of reason 2. And I find it confessed by their adversaries that the wicked lives of the Catholicks occasioned this addition and that the Novatians were otherwise Orthodox and of better lives than most of the Orthodox 3. And I find that the proudest and worst Bishops such as Nestorius were their sharpest Adversaries and that the best lived lovingly and as brethren with them Chrysostom once threatned their Bishop in Constantinople but went no further and recalled it at the next word Atticus and Proclus kindly kept peace with them And though Socrates and Sozomen are by many accused as being Novatians for speaking well of them I see no reason to believe it unless every man that chooseth rather to speak truly of dissenters than maliciously and slanderously be therefore of their opinion But if it were so it would be so much the greater honour to the Novatians with them that discern that we have no ancient Church-historians that write more credibly than Socrates and Sozomen or in whom the footsteps of veracity may by a stranger be easilier discerned If their historians are truest it 's like they were not the worst men And to say Let men be never so pious such an opinion cuts them off from Christ deserveth indignation rather than confutation § 22. IV. Nestorius himself was so turbulent an enemy to heresie and toleration that while he would needs be an Orthodox persecutor he fell under the reputation of being a most damnable heretick His zeal arose against the supposed heresie of calling Mary 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the mother or parent of God But he never denyed that she was the mother of him that is God Hereupon Cyril as turbulent a man and more if Isidore Pelusiota and other good men say true charged him with asserting two persons in Christ as well as two Natures which his own express words deny And who best knew his own opinion but himself On the other side the Nestorians accused the Cyrilians of heresie as confounding the two Natures and blasphemously making a Creature God and saying that God was but so many months or so many years old Though the extraordinarily Learned David Derodon have written to prove Nestorius Orthodox and Cyril an Eutychian hereticâ—â— yet truly it is evident in the history and their 〈◊〉 that they meant the same thing and strove but about words and skilful speaking in which Cyril carryed it by his greater learning and by Nestorius his succeeding St. Chrysostome in the hatred of the Court. Plainly One spake of the concrete and the other of the abstract One of Him that was God and the other of the Godhead and both true Nestorius spake formally that is strictly for denominatio est à formâ and Cyril Materially Nestorius said Mary was not the Parent of the Deity or of Christ as God but only of the humanity and partly of the Union and therefore was not aptly to be called The Mother of God but of Christ who is God Cyril said that Mary was not the Cause or Parent of the Godhead but yet because of the Union of the two Natures was to be called The Mother of God And is it not evident that they strove but about words which Sophronius in Council after plainly opened and could not be heard O doleful that two mens sinful striving who should be judged to speak best while they meant the same thing and did not know it should set most of the Christian world under Anathema's and in a flame of wrath and mutual condemnation to this very day But suppose some difference had been in their sence was it any renouncing of Christianity and such as cut them off from Christ § 23. V. Cyril so carryed it by wit and Grandeur and the countenance of the Court that all went for right that he had said And he had said as is yet visible in his writings largely cited by Derodon that Christs Natures were two before the Vnion as if the humane had existed before and afterward but one Eutyches imitated him and was accused for it otherwise Dioscorus honouring his predecessour Cyril took his part thinking 〈◊〉 which carryed it then would carry it now But the Court and stream was changed and he was deceived and when they had fought it out and Flavian Bishop of Constantinople was mortally hurt Eutyches went for the heretick and yet the name of Cyril was honoured still as Orthodox And now that Church war was revived which drew streams of consecrated blood and shook the Empire and dolefully continueth to this day The banished Eutychians prevailed in the East and South and even beyond the Empire as far as Ethiopia and the Abassines Copties and others are called by many Eutychian hereticks who know not what that heresie is but only honour the names of Cyril and Dioscorus and condemn those that condemned them and being now from a later propagater of the party called Jacobites are the greatest number of Christians in those Countreys And thus the pride and contention of Prelates under pretence of zeal against heresie and errour have set the meer names of differing leaders to be the means and marks of Schism to this day § 24. And that still it was the same thing that they meant will appear to a diligent reader of the history and the contenders words The undenyable truth is as Nazianzene before lamented few Bishops were learned understanding men but such as the more ignorant sort of our Curates and too many of them worldly proud and factious following the Court and those Patriarchs that were most able to promote or eject them after Christian Emperours had once made them the Rulers
all Foxes tails cut off Or if it be about any point that Papists are concerned in that a man calleth men from erroneous Extremes to Truth and Peace he is presently suspected to be of the mind of Cassander Wicelius Grotius or such as they Even Jacob Behmens writing so much for Love and against Wrath hath made some suspect a Treatise that is written for any extensive Christian Love Could Satan but engage a man of ill fame to preach and write fervently for any fundamentall point of Religion I am afraid with many it would make it suspected Sect. XII It is also of great moment for the preventing or remedying of Schism to choose a sit season to manage the remedies Were not men very proud and selfish the fittest season would be times of Civil peace and prosperity And indeed a common peace of many Countreys will hardly be well prosecuted in any other times because it needeth sedate minds and quiet entercourse and friendly communication which warrs and exasperations are against Nor is it a fit time to heal a particular person when he is fined imprisoned persecuted or oppressed For his sense and passion will stop his ears and drive him further from those that he suffers by so far are they mistaken who take violence and severity to be the way But yet Prâ—sperity hath greater hinderances of Love and Peace than Sufferings for then usually the lovers of the World called in Scripture the Enemies of God as they strive most for wealth and power do obtain it and being made Lords and Prelates they think there is no sure and honourable Peace but by all mens submission to their wills and dictates Pride never knoweth the way of Peace but trusteth to insulting passionate violence which cureth Schism as Brandy will do a burning Feaver which may rarely be lodged in such frigid matter as may accidentally cure it which ordinarily would kill And a Schismatick may be such a timerous worldling as that suffering may drive him into outward complyance But Conscience so respecteth God as to count man and all that he can do as nothing Religion is a worshipping and obeying God as God and whoever preferreth any mans Power or Interest before him so far hath no true Religion at all But if a sufferer be to be cured it must not be by him by whom he suffereth but by another that pitieth him and lamenteth his sufferings But usually Pride and carnal Confidence in Prosperity hinder men from that condescension and moderation which is absolutely necessary to Love and Peace Wantonness and Contention are the usual fruits of greatness fullness and worldly ease so that Civil Peace and Religious are too often strangers and being dryed in the Sun-shine we are crumbled to dust And it is Gods ordinary way to cast contentious Wranglers into the Furnace and melt them till they may be cast into one mold Ridley and Hooper were reconciled in Prison When men that fell out are all taken Captives by a common Enemy they are sooner reconciled When men all suffer for the same common Cause and are together in Gaols or Banishment or reproach then go trie whether they will hearken to peace It was the great shame of the English Fugitives in Qu. Maries dayes to fall out at Frankford in their Exile In a word both Prosperity and Adversity have their proper helps and hinderances of Concord but usually times of common Civil Peace are the hopefullest times to treat for a common Religious peace but for smaller quarrelling parties common suffering is a better time Sect. XIII Whoever will be the Instruments of healing Schisms must necessarily preserve his Reputation with those that he would heal or at least with the common sort of religious persons For if once he be commonly ill spoken of the best things which he saith will be despised If he be a Prince if he be commonly reputed a sound and a good man all that he doth will have a good interpretation But if he be taken either for an enemy to Piety or to the Doctrine which prevaileth all that he doth will be suspected for acts of malice Constantius is praised by Hilary himself and many others for a man of laudable disposition and conversation and yet his being for the Arians made all ill taken that he did and he did much that deserved it Theodosius junior and Anastasius were very pious Emperours and great lovers of Peace and strenuously laboured to have kept the Bishops from Schism and Church-warrs but being supposed to favour most that party which the others called Hereticks all that they did was ill interpreted and suspected to be in favour to the Hereticks It is therefore very necessary that a Peace-making Prince be down-right honest and impartial and shew himself conscionable in all his Actions and a lover of Mankind and injurious to none but a special favourer of the good and an enemy to Wickedness Debauchery and Malignity in all For this will make people love and trust him without which nothing will be done And what I say of Princes I must say of Pastors and Preachers If a man be never so zealous for Concord if he be commonly supposed to be an ignorant man or a wicked man or an unconscionable crafty Politician or a Heretick or dangerously erroneous or one that is partial or hath any ill Principles or Designs or a Persecutor or whimsical Fanatick all his Endeavours are like to do but little good The general love and honour that Arch-bishop Usher Bishop Davenant Dr. Preston Mr. Gataker Mr. Fenner Mr. Watton Dr. Stoughton c. had with all sorts of sober men in England made those conciliatory moderating Principles to be regarded which from other men have been received with suspicion if not contempt and scorn Sect. XIV Were there no more said of all this subject but that of Rupertus Meldenius cited by Conradus Bergius it might end all Schisms if well understood and used viz. Si in NECESSARIIS sit UNITAS in NON-NECESSARIIS LIBERTAS in UTRISQUE CHARITAS optimo certe loco essent res nostrae Unity in things necessary Liberty in things unnecessary and Charity in both would do all our work Sect. XV. Or briefly all must be done 1. By the LIGHT of Reason and Sacred Truth adapted to the Understandings of the people and seasonably proposed with good advantage to convince them 2. By the LOVE of Pastors Rulers and Dissenters heaping coals of Fire on their heads 3. By the POWER of Magistrates encouraging men of Truth Piety and peace and restraining men from propagating intolerable Errors and all sorts from violating the Laws of Humanity Christian Sobriety and Charity and the publick peace and not permitting them on pretence of Religion openly to revile and abuse each other so as to keep up mutual hatred and diabolical Calumny and by licentious tongues to wrong each other These few things would better heal the Churches than all the violent and compound Medicines which worldly Jugâ—ers
with the People or that he must worship Bread and Wine as his God or that he may give a half-Sacrament of Bread without Wine contrary to Christs Institution the Apostles Doctrine 1 Cor. 11. and all the Churches constant practice till of late And that instead of a Commemoration he offereth a real present Sacrifice for the quick and dead Will all agree to their Image-worship Why then did so many Councils condemn it Will all agree that the Assemblies pray in an unknown tongue He is mad with errour who believeth that ever the Church Universal will receive all these and the rest which pretended Infallibility maketh to be uncurable Errours in the impenitent Roman Sect. 3. And briefly as to the rest there is no Calvinist believeth that ever all the Churches will receive the Lutherane Consubstantiation or Church-Images Nor any Lutherane that believeth that ever all the Church will be of the way called Calvinism a Name even here in England honoured by many that yet disown it as a note of Schism and reproached with the bitterest scorn and accusations by others Indeed the Behmenists the Quakers and some Anabaptists have said that all the Churches would at last and shortly be of their mind But few others believe them nor have cause Sect. IV. That which hath divided the Churches will never be the cement of their Concord But every one of these parties as Sects by that whence others denominate and oppose them have done something to divide the Churches what the Greeks Armâ—â—ans Nestorians Eutychians or Jacobites have done the Papists and others tell you at large what the Abassines do by their Baptizings and other Fopperies I need not declare What the Papists do above all oâ—â—ers I have opened before What the Anabaptists do by differing from almost all other Christians is known What the Diocesans have done in Councils and by silencing others c. enow have shewed What Independents and their way have done towards Divisions and Separations it is in vain in this Age in England to recite And many wise men think that the Presbyterians over violent rejecting of all Episcopacy setting up unordained Elders and National Churches as headed by National Assemblies c. are divisive and unwarrantable As the same men think their making by the Scots Covenant the renouncing of the Prelacy to be the test of National Concord also was And who can think that Erastianism deposing the true use of Church-Government as it hath begun will not still more divide than heal Sect. V. I deny not but Universal Concord may take in almost all such parties but not as such by receiving any of their Errours but as Christians who agree in the common Essentials of Faith and Piety We can unite with sober Anabaptists but not by becoming Anabaptists Christïanity is our Religion and with all that hold the Essentials of Christianity we can hold essential Unity And with those that hold the Integrals most purely we have more and neerer Concord than with the rest that have more errours And if any of these parties be sounder than the rest we love and honour them above the rest and preferre their Assemblies for our local Communion But though my Parlour or Bed-chamber be a cleaner part of my house than my Kitchin or my Coâ—-house I will not say therefore that the whole house must be a Parlour or Bed-chamber or that the hand and the foot are no parts of the body because they are not the head or heart or that all the body must be an Eye or one of the Noblest parts St. Paul hath taught me better than so 1 Cor. 12 We must expect that each party should labour to propagate that which they take to be the truth But to force all to their sayings or persecute or cast off all Dissenters is schismatical whatever be pretended CHAP. IX The pretended Necessity of an uninterrupted Canonical or Episcopal Ordination will never unite the Church but is Schismatical Mr. Henry Dodwells Sâ—hismatical Treatise against Schism considered and confuted § 1. BEcause the City of Rome hath not been conquered and kept by Infidels nor Christianity thence ejected the Papists think that they excell other Churches in an uninterrupted Succession of ordained Pastors and therefore they bend their wits to prove this necessary to every true Church and then to prove others to be no true Churches or Ministers of Christ that want it And because they think that our Pastors can prove no such continued Succession unless as derived to us from Rome and that to acknowledge such a derivation is to acknowledge them a true Church on which we have and must depend therefore they most earnestly manage this Argument against us as their strength Sect. II. And there is lately a young unordained Student of Trinity-Colledge neer Dublin come out of Ireland to propagate this and such like Doctrines in London to which end he hath lately written a large and wordy Volume as if it were only against the Non-conformists Which being new and the most audacious and confident attempt that ever I knew made against the reformed Churches by one that saith himself he is no Papist and being the moâ—t elaborate enforcement of the Papists grand Argument on which of late they build their cause I think it needful to the Readers satisfaction not to pass it by though it will not stand with the order of this undertaken work nor with my want of leisure to write a particular Answer to all the words of so exceeding prolix and tedious a discourse Sect. III. I have oft handled this case already especially in my Disput of Church-Government Disp of Ordination and in my Ecclesiastical Cases in my Christian Directory and that more largely than I must here doe And the Reader that would see more may read the Protestants Cause fully vindicated against Cornelius Jansenius a stronger adversary by Gisb. Voetius in a full Volume de desperata causa Papatus But I shall here first briefly assert the Truth Sect. IV. 1. Christ and his Spirit in his Apostles have already instituted and described the Office of the sacred Ministry and determined what Power and what Obligations to the work it doth contain and what the work is to which they are designed so that it is not left to any Church now to make or amend or change the Oâ—â—â—ce what it is I have described in the Second â—art Sect. V. 2. Christ also and his Spirit in his Apostles have told us what are the necessary qualifications of such as shall receive this Office and be received into it viz. what is necessary to the Being and what to the Well-being of a Minister of Christ And consequently who are utterly uncapable so that Men may by Canons enforce the Execution of these Canons of Christ and may instruct each other how to understand them but they cannot make a Pastor of an uncapable unqualified person no more than they can make currant Coin of forbidden Mettal or Meat of
Clergy And must hearken to wise pious considerate peaceable and experienced Counsellors and avoid the examples both of Rehoboam and of Jeroboam and be neither an Oppressor nor a Corrupter § XV. And to conclude good and wise men may well know their duty whom to silence and eject and whom to tolerate if they are but true to God by this one Rule They may by hearing all the case and knowledge of the Persons discern whether that mans Preaching consideratis considerandis is clearly like to do more good or harm and do accordingly But then they must not judge of good and harm by carnal sinful lusts and interests and by the counsels of selfish partial men but by wise and just reason guided by the Word of God § XVI And in all doubtful Cases choose the safer side and when the danger of overdoing is the greater as in case of Persecution rather do too little than too much And prefer not Ceremonies before Substance nor tything Mint Annise and Cummin before Love Truth and Judgment and the great things of the Law And be sure that you learn what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice that you may not condemn or accuse the Guiltless CHAP. XV. The Catholick Church will never unite in a Reception and Subscription to every Word Verse or Book of the Holy Scripture as it is in any one Translation or any one Copy in the Original now known § I. THis needeth no other proof than the reason of the thing and common experience 1. All Translations are the work of imperfect fallible men we have none made by the Spirit as working infallibly in the Apostles unless as some think the Greek of St. Matthews Gospel be a Translation The pretences of Inspiration of the Seventy two that are said to be the Authors of that Greek Translation of the Old Testament is not yet agreed on in the Church nor whether it was more than the Pentateuch which they Translated The Authority and Reasons of Hierome still much prevail Sect. II. And the Vulgar Latine most valued by the Papists is yet so much matter of Controversie between them that when Sixtus Quintus had stablished a corrected Edition Clement the 8th altered it in many hundred places after Sect. III. And all Protestants acknowledge the imperfection of all their own Translations English Dutch French c. And in the same Church of England we have the publick prescribed Use of two different Translations of the Psalms one sometime directly contrary to the other as Yea and Nay and one leaving a whole Verse which the other hath Sect. IV. And we know of no man that pretendeth to be sure that he hath a Copy of the Hebrew and Greek Text which he is certain is perfectly agreeable to the autography or first draught And the multitude of various Readings put us out of all hope of ever having certainly so perfect a Copy All therefore have the marks of humane frailty which cannot be denied Sect. V. And no wise and good man should deliberately deny this and so justifie falsly every humane slip But yet there is no such difference among Copies or Translations as should any way shake our foundations or any point necessary to salvation doth depend upon For in all such points they all agree Sect. VI. Object But if Copies and Translations differ and err how can we make them our rule of judgment Answ I say again They agree in as many things as we need them for as a Rule of Judgment And where they differ it being in words of no such use and moment that hindereth not our being Ruled by them where they agree The Kings Laws may be written in divers Languages for divers Countries of his Subjects And verbal differences may be no hinderance to their regulating use no more than the King himself doth lose his authority if his hair turn white Sect. VIII Object 2. But what then must all subscribe to if not to all the Bible Have you any other measure or test Answ We must subscribe That we believe all Gods Word to be true and all the true Canon of Scripture to be his Word and that we will faithfully endeavor to discern all the Canon And we must expresly subscribe to the Essentials of Christianity of which before and after Sect. VIII It was a considerable time before many Churches received the Epistle of James the 2d of Peter that to the Hebrews the Revelation c. And no doubt they were nevertheless true Christians And if now any believe all the Essentials of Religion and should doubt only whether the Canticles or the Epistle to â—iâ—â—mon or the two last of John or that of Jude were Canonical he might for all that be a true Christian and more meet to be a Bishop than Synesius was before he believed the Resurrection or Neclarâ—us before he was baptized c. Sect. IX The Churches are not fully agreed to this day about the Canonical Books of Scripture more than the Papists call some Books Canonical which we call Apocryphal And it is said that the Abassines and Syrians have divers not only as Ecclesiastical but as Canonical which we have not nor know not of Though we have good cause to judge best of our own received number by the proof well produced by Bishop Consins and many others yet have we no cause to unchurch all Churches that differ from us Sect. X. No Church therefore ought to cast out all Ministers that doubt of some words in any Translation or Copy or of some Verse Chapter or Book who hold the main and all the necessary Doctrines No such Test was imposed on the primitive Christians And it 's sad to hear the report that even the sound and humble Churches of Helvetia should lately make it necessary to the Ministery to subscribe to the antiquity of the Hebrew points though it may be a true and useful Assertion CHAP. XVI The Catholick Church will never unite in the subscribing to any mens whole Commentaries on the Bible § I. THis is yet more evident than the former 1. They do not at this day nor ever did agree in any mens Commentary They have great respect to the Commentaries of some of the Ancients and others but subscribe them not as infallible Though the Trent Oath of Pope Pius swear men not to expound the Scriptures otherwise than according to the agreeing Exposition of the Fathers it is well known 1. That they never told and proved to us who are to be taken for Fathers and who not 2. It 's known that few of them have written large Commentaries and fewer on all the Bible if any 3. That they oft differ among themselves 4. And the best have confessed their own Errors 5. And more have been found erroneous by others and are by us at this day 6. Yea they have cast out and condemned one another as the Case of Nazianzene Epiphanius Chrysostom Theophilus Alexand. Cyril and Theodoret and many
peace they did not serve the Lord Jesus whose great and last command was Love which he made the Nature and character and badge of his true disciples but by those good words and fair speeches deceived the hearts of the simple and deceivable Here there are four words especially to be noted 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we translate good words is commonly translated flattery but as Beza well noteth it signifieth a speaking of things that are plausible in themselves for some good that is in them and that are pretended to be all spoken for the hearers good as Satan pretended when he tempted Eve yea perhaps to be necessary to their salvation or to make them the most knowing and excellent sort of Christians 2. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth both to Bless them as ministers do that desire their happiness and to praise them and speak well or highly of them And so almost all sects and divided bodies are gathered by flattering the hearers into a conceit that thus they shall become the surest and most excellent Christians and all others are far inferiour to them 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 It is the Hearts of such hearers that are deceived and not their heads or reason only or chiefly For the good words first take with them by moving their Passions or affections And then the Praise fair promises and speeches kindle a kind of secret spiritual pride and ambition in the heart as Satans words did in Eve to be as Gods in Knowledge And the Heart thus infected and puft up promoteth the deceit of the understanding 4. And this is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hominum minime malorum as Beza translates It is not simple fools but such simple persons as we call harmless or innocents as the Vulgar Latine translates it well meaning men or not ill men People that fear God and have good desires and meanings are for want of Judgement and watchfulness overcome by dividers And on the contrary the amiable examples of Vnity and Concord and their happy effects are recorded in Scripture to make us in Love with them but none so eminent as that of the first Christians It is very remarkable that when Christ would shew the world the work of his Mediation in its notable effects and when he would shew them the excellency of his disciples about the common world and of his Church under the Gospel above that under Moses Law he doth it by shewing them in the power and exercise of Vniting Love Love was it which he came to exercise and demonstrate his Fathers and his own Love was that which he came to kindle in their souls and bring them to possess and practise Perfect Love is the perfect felicity which he hath promised them Love and Unity are the matter of his last and great Command These are the Characters of his genuine disciples and of the renewed Divine Nature in them It was Love and Vnity which must in them be the witness of Christs spirit and power to convince the unbelieving world And therefore it is Love and Vnity which is the matter of his last excellent prayer for them John 17. 22 23 24 25. 15. 12 17. 13. 34. 1 John 3. 14 23. 4. 21. And all these his preparations precepts examples and prayers were accordingly exemplified in the wonderful Love and Concord of his followers When the day of Pentecost was come in which the Holy Ghost must be most eminently communicated to them they were all with One accord in one place Acts 2. 1. The Apostles had an Vnanimity and Concord before proportionable to the measure of their grace which was preparatory to their reception of the eminent gift of the Spirit which increased their unanimity And v. 41 42 43 44 45 46. the three thousand that were suddenly added to the Church continued stedfastly in the Apostles doctrine and fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers And all that believed were together and had all things common and sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had need And they continuing daily with one accord in the Temple and breaking bread from house to house did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart praising God and having favour with all the people What greater demonstration could be given that Christ is the great Reconciler the messenger gift and teacher of Love the Prince of Peace and the great Vniter of the divided world both with his Father and Himself and with one another In this text Acts 2. and marvellous example you see the design and work of the great Reconciler When men fall out with God they fall out with one another when they depart from the only Center of Vnity they can have no true Unity among themselves when they lose the Love of God they lose the Love of Man as for Gods sake and interest And he that cannot see and Love God in man can see nothing in man that is worthy of much love As he that loveth not a man for his soul and its operations more than for his body loveth him not as a man And few have any great Love to a dead Corpse Cicero could say It is your soul that we speak to and converse with were that departed we should speak to you no more God is more to every man than his soul If God were not their life and amiableness all men would be unlovely loathsome carkasses Therefore wicked men that cannot Love God and Goodness can Love none thoroughly but themselves and for themselves or as Bruâ—es by a low or sensitive kind of love For it is self that they are fallen to from God and Man And yet while self is carnally and inordinately loved instead of God and Man it is but destroyed and undone by that inordinate idolatrous love And he that loveth Himself to his own destruction with a Love more pernicious than anothers hatred doth love his friends but with such a kind of killing love as I have seen some Brutes kill their young ones with the violence of their love that would not suffer them to let them alone Thus all love to man saving a pernicious love doth dye where the love of God and goodness dieth And Cain giveth the world the first specimen or instance of depraved nature in envy and wrath and finally in the murder of his Brother and undoing Himself by setting up and adhering inordinately to himself But when Christ reconcileth God and Man he reconcileth Men to one another For he teacheth men to love God in Man and Man for God with a Holy noble reasonable kind of Love And so to love all men as far as God hath an Interest in all And to Love all Christians with an eminent Love as God is eminently interessed in them And this is Christs work on the souls of men and much of his business which he came for into the world And therefore he would have his