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ID Title Author Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication) STC Words Pages
A34182 The bishop of London's charge to the clergy of his diocese at his visitation begun Ann. 1693 and concluded Ann. 1694. Compton, Henry, 1632-1713. 1696 (1696) Wing C5663; ESTC R32775 23,015 41

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Intention II. And to your Doctrine Which is the other part of the Charge and is that Depositum which the Apostle so carefully minds him of O Timothy keep that which is committed to thy trust Which Trust is not only generally agreed by Commentators to be the Doctrine of the Gospel but is I think evidently so explain'd from the Words of the same Apostle to the same Person The things that thou hast heard of us among many witnesses the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also Now this is the Foundation of our whole Religion For upon this we build our Faith our Works and the whole Frame of our Righteousness By the sound Expression of this we square all our Religious Thoughts and Actions avoiding prophane and vain janglings and opposition of Science falsly so called which some professing have erred concerning the Faith Our Office for Ordaining Priests takes a just and a wise course to prevent running after every Spirit and taking up Doctrines upon too easie Terms when it exacts this Promise of those that are to be Ordained To teach nothing as required of necessity to eternal Salvation but that which you shall be persuaded may be concluded and proved by the Scripture All other Writings derive their Authority from the Author's Veracity or Judgment the former qualifies him for a good Witness and the second for a good Judge but yet so as to be Tryed by the Touchstone of the Holy Scripture The four first General Councils have a particular Weight 1. From the great Credit of those that sate in them and 2. From the Universal Deference paid to them by all Churches in all Ages Therefore our Constitutions give no Authority or Power to order determine or adjudge any Matter or Cause to be Heresie but only such as heretofore have been determined ordered and adjudg'd to be Heresie by the Authority of the Canonical Scripture or by the first Four General Councils or any of them or by any other General Council wherein the same have been declar'd Heresie by the express and plain Words of the said Canonical Scripture or such as hereafter shall be ordered judged or determined to be Heresie by the High Court of Parliament of this Realm with the Assent of the Clergy in their Convocation By which Words ye see 1. The sure Foundation our Church is built upon the Holy Scripture and what is Authoritatively delivered from it and agreeable to it 2. The just Method for Establishing any Doctrine so delivered not by the confus'd way of setting up private Spirits but according to the Mind of that God who is the God of Peace by submitting to every ordinance of man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as supreme c. that is by the most Publick General and Authentick Consent that a Nation is capable of which with us is that of Parliament and Convocation What had the Apostles to justify St. Paul against the Complaints of the Iews but by convincing them that he walk'd orderly and kept the law However there is a Just and Decent Liberty due to all Christians whereby to Judge for themselves in the Essentials of Religion But yet such a Liberty it is as is beset on each hand with most dangerous Rocks such as threaten Shipwrack to any Vessel that shall Strike upon them For if on the one hand we run into that Popish Extreme to take away all Liberty by an absolutely blind Obedience and implicite Faith swallowing down all that is given without Tasting or Chewing upon it we act more like Beasts than Men and as easily take down Poyson as wholesom Food but on the other hand if with the Fanatick we assume to our selves an unlimited Power of following the Wild-goose-Chase of our wanton and uncertain Imaginations we shall Tear the Church in Ten Thousand Pieces and expose it to all Uncharitableness And therefore a Sober Christian tempers all his Proceedings with Modesty and Humility and has that discreet Jealousie of himself as wherever he breaks Communion to do it upon so certain Grounds that the Grievousness of the Error imposed or the Wickedness of the Fact commanded shall be Notoriously evident Otherwise in the Meekness of Wisdom he defers to the Judgment of his Neighbours rather than to his own and thinks himself in Modesty in common Discretion and in Duty bound for the sake of Peace Unity and Concord to submit to the Determination of his Superiours especially in Authoritative Assemblies For in the multitude of counsellors there is safety And we have a Proverb which is deriv'd from its Authority He that is his own adviser has a fool to his counsellor Indeed it is want either of Judgment or Honesty that makes Men give in so much to their own Opinions and so little to those of others For it is certain the chief End of our being Conversable and Sociable Creatures was that we might be Assisting one to another and the more Important and Universal the Subject is the greater regard ought to be had to its Determination So that not only in Things Indifferent where it is absolutely our Duty to submit but much more in the Weightiest Matters of the Law where our Eternal Welfare is so immediately concerned we ought with the greatest Care and Caution to Proceed and never think we can take too much Advice That Noted Mark of Catholick Truth which Vincentius Lirinensis Prescribes to Submit to that which has been believed in all places at all times and by all goes a great way with every Modest and truly Humble Christian. Because the Starting of Doubts and Questions so Confound the Apprehensions of Men oftentimes that it is very hard for them to come to a Resolution of themselves And in that Case there is no other way to come to the Acknowledgment of the Truth but by a Prudent Deference to Authority For we cannot well imagine it Consistent with the Divine Goodness and Wisdom to suffer an Error so to Prevail or rather to Reign so absolutely in his Church as to bear these three Atchievments I question whether ever any Heresie attained completely to any one of them St. Ierom ye know indeed says The World wondred to find it self become Arian But this Expression must be taken as generally such are by a Trope of the whole for the greatest or at least most Noisie Part. For it it evident from all the Accounts given us of those Days that there were many bore Witness for the Truth even to the Death and more would have done so if their Courage would have served Besides that at all Times was wanting It was an Upstart Heresie that lasted no longer than Supported by Force and Violence which bears no great Analogy with Gods Methods in Propagating the Gospel But Popery seems to lay the greatest Claim to this Character of Orthodoxy and yet when thoroughly consider'd the largest Part of it goes