the pattern of the primitive Church that is the original Standard according to which the local Standard was made If he refuse both these let him not say that he will be tryed by the Scripture but he will be tryed by himself that is to say he himself will and can judge better what is the true sense of the Scripture than either his national Church or the primitive and universal Church This is just as if a man who brings his commodities to a market to be sold should refuse to have them weighed or measured by any Standard local or original and desire to be tried by the Law of the Land according to the judgement of the by-standers Not that the Law of the Land is any thing more favourable to him than the Standard but only to decline a present sentence and out of hope to advantage himself by the simplicity of his Judges Yet Mr. Baxter acquits me that I am no Papist in his judgement though he dare not follow me pag. 22. What soever I am this is sure enough he hath no authority to be my Judge or to publish his ill grounded jealousies and suspicions to the world in Print to my prejudice Although he did condemn me yet I praise God my conscience doth acquit me and I am able to vindicate my self But if he take me to be no Papist why doth he make me to be one of the Popes Factors or stalking horses and to have an express design to introduce him into England He himself and an hundred more of his confraternity are more likely to turn the Popes Factors than I am I have given good proof that I am no reed shaken with the wind My conscience would not give me leave to serve the times as many others did They have had their reward He bringeth four reasons in favour of me why he taketh me to be no Papist I could add fourscore reasons more if it were needful First because I disown the fellowship of that party more than Grotius did pag. 23. It is well that he will give me leave to know mine own heart better than himself Secondly because I give them no more than some reconcileable members of the Greek Church would give them And why some members I know no members of the Greek Church that give them either more or less than I do But my ground is not the authority of the Greek Church but the Authority of the Primitive Fathers and general Councils which are the representative Body of the Universal Church Thirdly because I disown their Council of Trent and their last 400. years determinations Is not this enough in his judgement to acquit me from all suspicion of Popery Erroneous opinions whilst they are not publickly determined nor a necessity of compliance imposed upon other men are no necessary causes of Schisme To wane their last 400. years determinations is implicitely to renounce all the necessary causes of this great Schisme And to rest satisfied with their old Patriarchal power and dignity and Primacy of order which is another part of my proposition is to quit the Modern Papacy both name and thing And when that is done I do not make these the terms of Peace and Unity as he doth tax me injuriously enough It is not for private Persons to prescribe terms of publick accommodations but only an introduction and way to an accommodation My words are expresly these in the conclusion of my answer to Monsieur Militiere If you could be contented to wave your last 4â—0 years determinations or if you liked them for your selves yet not to obtrude them upon other Churches If you could rest satisfied with your old Patriarchal power and your Principium unitatis a primacy of order much good might be expected from free Councils and conferences of moderate Persons What is here more than is confessed by himself that if the Papists will reform what the Bishop requires them to reform it will undoubtely make way for nearer Concord p. 28. I would know where my Papistry lieth in these words more than his They may be guilty of other errours which I disown as well as their last 400. years determinations and yet those errours before they were obtruded upon other Churches be no sufficient cause of a separation But what I own or disown he must learn from my self not suppose it or suspect it upon his own head His last reason why he forbeareth to censure me as a Papist is my two knocking arguments as he stileth them against the Papal Church But if he had weighed those two arguments as he ought he should have forborn to censure me as he doth for one that had a design to reconcile the Church of England to the Pope But I will help Mr. Baxter to understand my meaning better I meddle not with the reconciliation of opinions in any place by him cited but only with the reconciliation of Persons that Christians might joyn together in the same publick devotions and service of Christ. And the terms which I proposed were not these nor positively defined or determined but only represented by way of query to all moderate Christians in the conclusion of my just Vindication in these words I determine nothing but only crave leave to propose a question to all moderate Christians who love the peace of the Church and long for the reunion thereof In the first place if the Bishop of Rome were reduced from his universality of Soveraign Iurisdiction jure Divino to his principium unitatis and his Court regulated by the Canons of the Fathers which was the sense of the Councils of Constance and Basile and is desired by many Roman Catholicks as well as we Secondly if the Creed or necessary points of faith were reduced to what they were in the time of the four first Oecumenical Councils according to the decree of the third general Council Who dare say that the faith of the primitive Fathers was insufficient Admitting no additional Articles but only necessary explications And those to be made by the Authority of a general Council or one so general as can be convocated And lastly supposing that some things from whence offences have either been given or taken which whether right or wrong do not weigh half so much as the unity of Christians were put out of the Divine offices which would not be refused if animosities were taken away and charity restored I say in case these three things were accorded which seem very reasonable demands whether Christians might not live in an holy Communion and come in the same publick worship of God free from all Schismatical separation of themselves one from another notwithstanding diversities of opinions which prevail even among the members of the same particular Churches both with them and us Yet now though I cannot grant it yet I am willing to suppose that I intended not only a reconciliation of mens minds but of their opinions also and that those conditions which he mentioned had been my
can be united upon any other principles but these I am come to his tenth and last Exception It would be an exceeding dishonour to God and injury to the Souls of many millions of men if but under the Popes Patriarchal Iurisdiction in the West the Papists way of Worship were set up and their Government exercised as now The good will of Rome or the name of peace would not recompense the loss of so many thousand Souls as some one of the Papal abuses might procure for instance their driving the people from the Scriptures and other means of knowledge All along he buildeth upon a wrong Foundation It is one thing to set up or to approve the setting up of a false way of Worship which I do not justifâ—e And another thing to tolerate it when and where it is not in our power to hinder it as both he and I must do whether we will or no. I do not only give no consent to the setting up of any unlawful Form of Worship where it is not but I wish it taken away where it is set up already But if it be without the sphere of my activity I must let it alone perforce If a Shepherd when it is past his skill to cure his rotten Sheep shall do his uttermost to preserve that part of his Flock which is sound from infection he deserveth to be commended for those he saved not to be accused as the cause why so many perished that were past his skill and power to cure In a gâ—eat Scathfire it is wisdom not only to suffer those Houses to burn down which are past quenching but sometimes to pull down some few Houses wherein the fire is not yet kindled to free all the rest of the City from danger If the Pope within his own territories or other Christian Princes by his means within their territories will maintain a way of Worship which I do not approve must I therefore nay may I therefore make War upon them to compell them to be of my Religion So we shall never have any peace in the World whilst there are different Religions in the world for every one takes his own Religion to be best But what certainty hath he that so many thousands yea millions of Souls are lost because they live in such places as are subject to the Pope God is a merciful God and looks upon his poor Creatures with all their prejudices Or how doth this agree with what he saith elsewhere that the French moderation is acceptable to all good men And that Nation is an honourable part of the Church of Christ in his esteem It is no very honourable part of the Church of Christ if so many millions of Souls run such extream hazard in it p. 10. His marginal note of their streams of blood and Massacres might have been spared for fear of putting some of them upon a parallel between theirs and ours And for his instance of driving the people from the Scriptures he escapeth fairly if none of them cast it in his teeth that the promiscuâ—us licence which they give to all sorts of people qualified or unqualified not only to read but to interpret the Scriptures according to their private spirits or particular fancies without any regard either to the analogy of Faith which they understand not or to the interpretation of the Doctors of former Ages is more prejudicial I might better say pernicious both to particular Christians and to whole Socities than the over rigorous restraint of the Romanists Whereof a man need require no farther proof but only to behold the present face of the English Church Truth commonly remaineth in the modest And so I have shewed him how little weight there is in his ten Exceptions At the conclusion of his Exceptions he hath this clause Besides most of the evils that I charged before on the Grotian way as censures persecutions c. would follow upon this way It may follow in his erroneous opinion but in truth and really no inconveniency at all doth follow upon what I say The third cause of his dislike of the Grotian way was Because it is uncharitable and censorious cutting off from the Catholick united Society the reformed Churches that yield not to his terms and will not be reconciled to the Pope of Rome Let them take heed that they cut not off themselves for I neither cut them off nor declare them to be cut off If they will not be reconciled to the Pope of Rome upon warrantable and just terms such as were approved by the Primitive Church such as those are which I propose for any thing he doth say or can say to the contrary it is his own unchaâ—itableness not mine Some men would call it Schismatical obstinacy But this reason hath been fully answered before The fourth reason of his dislike of this design is Because it is a trap to tempt and engage the Souls of millions into the same uncharitable censorious and reproachful way When a false Center of the Churches unity is set up and impossible or unlawful terms of concord are pretended thus to be the only terms they that believe this will uncharitably censure all those for Schismaticks or Hereticks that close not with them on these terms His first office should have been to have proved that my way is uncharitable censorious or reproachful and that my terms are impossible and unlawful which he neither doth nor attempteth to do nor ever will be able to do And until he do it or go about it all his reasons are a pure begging of the question and no better and consequently deserve no answer The fifth reason of his dislike is because it tendeth to engage the Princes of Christendom in a persecution of their Subjects that cannot comply with these unwarrantable terms And that is likely to be no small number nor the worser part but the soundest and wisest and holiest men For if Princes be once perswaded that these be the only terms and so that the dissenters are factious Schismatical and unpeaceable men no wonder if they silence the Ministers and persecute the people It is an easier thing to call them unlawful and unwarrantable terms twenty times than to make it good once It is a fault in Rhetorick and in Logick also to use common reasons such as may be retorted against our selves by an Adversary Such a reason is this and may be urged with as much shew of reason against all Writers of Controversies whatsoever and against Mr. Baxter himself in particular with as much colour of truth as he urgeth it against Grotius or me That if Princes be once perswaded that those terms which he proposeth be true and the contrary errours no wonder if they silence the Ministers and persecute the People Or if they be once perswaded by him that his new Discipline is the Scepter of Christ prescribed in the Gospel then the Episcopal Divines and the Independents are sure to suffer This srivolous pretense will fit
Persons that have no regard to Truth or Modesty or Sobriety towards God or Man and shall be sure to be accounted with at the Day of Iudgment to the great Relief of his tender Heart That are animated by their secular Interest or desire of Revenge that are unacquainted with the Spirit of the Gospel and the Christian Religion that are incompassionate towards the Infirmities of others whereof yet none in the World give greater Instances than themselves that have no thoughts but of Rage and Destruction and that had they Power would render all Christians like the Moabites Ammonites and Edomites that is are for nothing less than Massacres and cutting of Throats c. Sweet Sir Enough enough of these healing Words we are vanquisht for ever with these generous strains of Meekness and Civility Did ever Man pass by such unparallel'd Injuries and Provocations with so much Gallantry and Greatness of Mind What execrable Miscreants must they be that could treat so brave an Adversary with Rudeness and Incivility or assault such an Heroick Ingenuity with ignoble and unhandsom Arts He is too hard for us at all Weapons there is no contending with a Person of such an Adamantine Honour he rebukes us with his Endearments and strikes us dead with his sweet and kissing Looks We yield we yield we cannot resist all this kind and melting Goodness He has requited our Malice with so fair and â—ivil a Character that it were a notorious Calumny to paint any thing but the Devil himself in blacker Colours And if but one half of this Enamouring Description that he has bestowed upon his Adversaries in the very Pangs of Love and Compassion were true or credible no Man that is yet unhang'd unless he had been marked thrice at least with the Honourable Brand of Authority would ever be so mad as to change condition with such cast and irreclaimable Wretches However we accept his kind Offer and his Good Meaning and seeing he is willing to respite his Revenge to the Day of Iudgment Ah sweet Day when these People of God shall once for all to their unspeakable comfort and support wreak their Eternal Revenge upon their reprobate Enemies it is agreed upon for we are not so fierce and fiery but we can wait with as much patience as he for satisfaction And therefore let us by mutual consent forbear all this unnecessary Courtship and Complement for the future and fall on bluntly upon the Argument without hugging and kissing before we draw Sword It is a pretty point of Honour for young Gentlemen but we that are a more sullen sort of Combatants may without any great inconvenience spare the Ceremony And now upon this Proposal it will be found that these intemperate Reflections as he calls them are so far from making the Book unanswerable that they are the only thing to which he has ventured to make any Reply so that it is plain this is not the Reason but purely the Pretence of his Reluctancy For alas the Evidence of the Cause is so bright and convictive as prevents all tolerable Mistakes or Exceptions and as for his bold and bare-faced Falsifications they arâ— all spent in the former Engagement and all his jugling shifts have been so sufficiently laid open to the World that they can never do him or his Cause any service for the future And setting these aside the Argument of the Controversie is so plain and easie that it is not capable of any farther Doubt or Disputation For all their Exceptions especially as they concern the Church of England relate either to the Power it self or to the Matters of the Command the first are directly levell'd against the very Being of Authority and Magistrates of what kind soever according to their general Pretences must not dare to put any Restraints upon their Subjects Consciences lest they invade the Divine Prerogative overthrow the Fundamental Liberties of Humane Nature and undo honest Men only for their Loyalty to God and their Religion Now if this Right be claimed without Restraint or Limitation then the Consequence is unavoidable That Subjects may whenever they please cross with the Authority of their Governours upon any pretence that can wear the Name or make a shew of Religion But this is so grosly absurd that J. O. nor any Man else in his Wits never had the Courage to assert it And then the Necessity of a Sovereign Power in Matters of Religion is granted and all Arguments that prove it in general necessary to Peace and Government are allowed or at least not contradicted for whoever admits an Ecclesiastical Iurisdiction howsoever bounded and limited admits it and that is enough to the first Assertion of a Supreme Authority over the Conscience in Matters of Religion But then say they there are some particular things exempted from all Humane Cognizance which if the Civil Magistrate presume to impose upon the Consciences of his Subjects as he ventures beyond the Warrant of his Commission so he can tie no Obligation of Obedience upon them seeing they can be under no Subjection in those things where they are under no Authority Now this pretence resolves it self thus that they do not quarrel his Majesties Ecclesiastical Supremacy but they acknowledge it to be the undoubted Right of all Sovereign Princes as long as its Exercise is kept within due bounds of Modesty and Moderatiâ—n Which being granted all their general Exceptions against the Sufficiency of the Authority it self are quitted and they have now nothing to except against but the excess of its Iurisdiction So that having gained this ground the next thing to be assigned and determined is the just and lawful bounds of this Power and that has been already distinctly enough described as to all the most material Cases that can probably occur in Humane Life all which may be summ'd up in this one general Rule viz. That Governours take care not to impose things apparently evil and that Subjects be not allowed to plead Conscience in any other case this is the safest and most easie Rule to secure the Quiet of all that are upright and peaceable and all that refuse Subjection to such a gentle and moderate Government make themselves uncapable of all the Benefits of Society in that if we stop not their Liberty of Remonstrating to the Commands of Authority at this Principle we shall for ever be at an utter loss for making any certain Provisions for the Peace and Security of Commonwealths So that if they will attempt any thing here to any purpose they must again either cancel all Ecclesiastical Power or confine it within narrower bounds of Iurisdiction both which are equally absurd and dangerous the former we have already cashiered as flat Anarchy and the latter is no less because there is no end of the Follies and Impostures or at least the Pretences of Religion so that if they may be suffered to over-rule the Power of Princes then can Princes claim no Power over any
the greatest Pest and most dangerous Enemy of the Commonwealth and whoever wishes well to his Country can never do it greater service than by beating down the Interest and Reputation of such Sons of Belial Had he ever given us any Symptoms of Modesty or Remorse for his old Impostures would he have been true to his own Doctrine of wheeling about with Providence would he but deign to give any Engagements of Loyalty and Allegiance only whilst it is in fashion and reputation and acknowledge his good old Principles to have become wicked and abominable because they are now and so long have been disowned by Providential Revolutions Nay did he not give us manifest Tokens of Rage and Indignation at the disappointment of his former Designs did he not employ all his Industry to discompose our present Setlement did he not make it his business in private and as far as he dares in publick to keep up the old Schism and to keep back the People from returning to Peace and Sobriety did he not train up Nurslings of the Cause in Principles of Enthusiasm and Sedition did he not always thrust forward to appear in the Head of the Mutiny did he not set up his Flag of Defiance against the Church of England and bestir himself with all his Zeal and Power against all Endeavours of Peace and Reconciliation did he not enflame and exasperate the Minds of his Disciples against the Establisht way of Worship and Discipline and chuse rather than see it perfectly setled to let loose Antichrist and call in the Turk in a word did he not shew himself past all hopes of Reformation by his incorrigible Boldness and Confidence he might be allowed some Grains of Mercy and Tenderness But if he be a Person of such a gangren'd Temper and malignant Spirit no body that is not concerned and involved in the same guilt himself can ever be concerned to have such a Caitiff spared Especially when by his Zeal and Pragmaticalness he has advanced himself to some considerable Power and Reputation with his Party in so much that great Numbers of silly People run greedily into Schismatical courses for no other reason than because J. O. steers and drives them He is to his great content become the Head of the Faction and the Oracle of the separate Churches and is consulted in all Cases of Conscience and in all Projects of Anarchy and his bare Authority and Nod is to the Disciples a satisfactory Determination of all Enquiries And if it be so it is not only fit but necessary to take down such an aspiring Mind from its heighth and loftiness to take off all his demure and hypocritical Disguises and to shew him to the deluded People in his own Colours and if it be possible to disabuse them by letting them see that the only thing that lies at the bottom of all his Tumultuatingness of Spirit is Pride and Ambition I ever had so good an Opinion of the well-meaning of the Vulgar sort that I am confident great Multitudes would quickly return to themselves and to their Duty did they but see into the Dishonesty of their Leaders and into the Designs of their Practices and I can scarce judge so severely of any Member of his own Rendevouz as to believe he would ever have entrusted his Soul and its Eternal Interest to his Conduct had he but understood the Rankness of his Blasphemies against the Divine Providence And that is one of the chiefest Arts they make use of to keep their People fast to their Communion viz. To bar up their Minds against all ways of being undeceived if they do but light upon a Book that reflects upon their Reputation it is immediately wrested out of their hands and they are frighted from perusing it because as they inform them it is stuff't with nothing but Railing and Wicked and Ungodly Opinions But were they so hardy as notwithstanding their frightful Tales to examine and judge impartially it is not to be doubted but that their Conventicles would quickly moulder away if they did not suddainly vanish and disappear so that at last nothing will be found more serviceable towards the cure of our Schisms and Divisions than to deal plainly and sincerely with the People in acquainting them with the Blasphemous Doctrines and Seditious Practices of these Achitophels And therefore I would advise J. O. for the future to forbear all Publick Attempts against the Church and if he will not he will find all the Rebuke he has hitherto suffered to be but the beginnings of his sorrows and will be brought to the Sledge oftner than he is aware of for if he be not taken down with open and continual Disgraces his Pride will quickly grow raging and insupportable I know he will complain of this as the most intemperate Language that was ever poured upon him by any Adversary but 't is no matter for that as long as I know them and have proved them to be Words of Truth and Sobriety they proceed not from Passion or Revenge but from an upright and composed Mind that upon mature Iudgment chuses this way of procedure as most proper and rational against such an enormous and irreclaimable Offendor I have not skill enough in the Tricks of Hypocrisie to protest my Friendship and Charity to my Enemies in the coarsest Expressions of Rancour and Bitterness as this meek-spirited Man always does with heaping up all the Recriminations that he tells us he might but will not retort and so in one breath vents his Malice and boasts his Charity and were it not for this demure way of darting his Revenge it is manifest from the Genius of his Mind and Writings that Death it self would scarce be more disgustful than an hearty forgiveness otherwise he would not always issue out his Pardons with such spiteful and stabbing Intimations But for my own part I love nothing more than a frank and an open Integrity and endeavour nothing more than to deal clearly and undisguisedly with all Men and therefore having plainly enough told him his own and nothing but his own as to his Principles I need not to protest my unfeigned Love and Charity towards his Person I am too well assâ—red of the Uprightness of my Purposes to condescend to such faint and mis-giving Expressions for it is nothing else but a diffidence of their own Sincerity that puts Men upon such needless Appeals and Protestations And therefore in stead of that I shall only add That I do not in the least tax his private Conversation and for any thing I ever will know for I scorn ever to enquire he may live as becomes a good and an honest Man among his Neighbours and Acquaintance the only thing I lay to his Charge is his insolent and unpardonable Behaviour towards the Publick and 't is purely for the sake and in the behalf of that that I account with him so severely for his old Arrears Which yet I should willingly have spared so
of Grotians is that they are for a visible head of the Universal Church whether Pope or General Council They who are for the Headship of a General Council are no fit instruments for the introduction of the Popes tyrannical power It seemeth he rejecteth the Authority of General Councils either past or to come as well as Popes so dare not we If under the name of the Universal Church he include the Triumphant Church we know no head of the Universal Church but Christ. If he limit it to the Militant Church we are as much against one single Monarch as he we dislike all tyrannical power in the Church as well as he yet we quarrel with no man about the name of Head or a Metaphorical expression But if he think that Christ left the Catholick Church as the Ostrich doth her Eggs in the Sand without any care or provision for the governing thereof in future Ages he erreth grosly So the Catholick Church should be in a worse condition than any particular Church yea than any Society in the World like the Cyclops Cane where no man heard or heeded what another said Particular Churches have Soveraign Princes and Synods to order them but there never was an universal Monarch And if he take away the Authority of General Councils he leaveth no humane helps to preserve the Unity of the Universal Church what is this but to leap over the backs of all second Causes The first Council was of another mind It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us Act. 15. 28. And so have all the Churches of the World from Christs time until this Age. His fifth note of Grotians To dery the sufficiencie of Scripture in all things necessary to salvation might well have been spared for we all maintain it as well as he but he shuffles into the question such impertinent and confused generalities about the Peace of the Churâ—â— and Traditions as deserve no answer The sufficiency of Scripture is not inconsistent either with prudential Government or the necessary means of finding out the right sense of Scripture When he expresseth himself more distinctly he may expect a Categorical answer His last mark is that they will not be perswaded to joyn on any reasonable terms for the healing of our present divisions This dependeth upon his own interpretation what he judgeth to be reasonable terms We have seen his dexterity in making wounds and would be glad to have experience of his skill in healing them He complains only of illegal Innovations Dare he stand to the ancient Laws If he dare the Controversie is ended If he like not this for we know their exceptions were against the Laws themselves not against illegal Innovations let them name those Laws which they except against and put it to a fair trial whether there be any thing in any of them which is repugnant to the Laws of God or of right reason If they will but do this seriously without prejudice the business is ended I will make bold to go yet one step higher though our Laws be unblamable yet if the things commanded be but of a middle or indifferent nature we are ready to admit any terms of peace which we can accept with a good conscience so as we may neither swerve from the analogy of Faith nor renounce the necessary principles of Government nor desert the communion and ancient and undoubted customs of the Universal Church Such an accord would be too much loss both to you and us He would perswade us that there are two sorts of Episcopal Divines in England the old and the new And that there is much more difference between the old and the new than between the old and the Presbyterians Sect. 67. O confidence whither wilt thou what is the power of prejudice and pride The contrary is as clear as the light we maintain their old Liturgy their old Ordinal their old Articles their old Canons their old Laws Practices and praescriptions their old Doctrine and Discipline against them Then tell us no more of old Episcopal Divines and new Episcopal Divines we are old Episcopal Divines one and all out of his own words I condemn him The old sort of Episcopal Divines that received the publick Doctrine of the Nation contained in the 39. Articles Homilies c. I wholly acquitted from my jealousies of this compliance Sect. 12. If they be old Episcopal Divines who maintain the Doctrine of the 39. Articles and Homilies then we are all old Episcopal Divines In acquitting all them he acquitteth all us If he can shew any thing that I have written contrary to these I retract it if he cannot let him retract his words He might have taken notice of my submission of whatsoever I writ to the Oecumenical essential Church and to its Representative a free general Council and to the Church of England or a National English Synod to the determinations of all which and each of them respectively according to the distinct degrees of their Authority I yield a conformity and compliance or to the least and lowest of them an acquiescence Pref. to the Reply to Bish. Chalc. So far am I and always have been from opposing the Church of England wittingly He maketh a shew as though he could make it appear that the Grotian design was the cause of all our Wars and changes in England but it is but a copy of his countenance How should the Grotian design be the cause of all our Wars when our War began before Grotius himself began his design or to write of the reconciliation of Protestants and Papists which was in the years 1641 and 1642. But without all controversie either the Grotian design was the cause of our Wars or the design and more than the bare design of his own Party The World knows well enough and I leave it to his own conscience to tell him whether of the two was the right Mother of the Child Though he fail in his proofs against Episcopal Divines yet he produceth sundry other reasons to prove that there was such a Plot on foot to introduce Popery into England but they do not weigh so much as a Feather nor signifie any thing more than this how easily men believe those things which they wish He saith Franciscus à Sancta Claras design and Grotius his design seem the very same and their Religion and Church the same Sect. 73. Nay certainly that is more than seemingly their Religion and Church was not the same unless he mean the same Christian Religion and in that sense his own Religion is the same with theirs but in his sense they were not the same This is begging of the question which he ought to prove Grotius was not of the French Communion And for their designs the World is so full of feigned Plots and designs that I do not believe that either of them had any design except that general and pacificatory design which he himself professeth and extolleth every where I
only terms of peace and concord let us see what exceptions Mr. Baxter is able to bring against them CHAP. VI. Mr. Baxters exceptions answered HE saith he cannot consent that these which I grant should be made the terms of union pag. 25. What then Suppose I did name improper terms of pacification not only in Mr. Baxters judgement which I ought not altogether to depend upon but in very deed Is there no remedy but I must needs be the Popes Stalking Horse presently and have a design to reconcile England to him This is over severe My design is rather to reconcile the Pope and his party to the Church of England than the Church of England to the Pope He may make use of my way if it like him Much good may it do him If not he ought to thank me for my good will and propose a better expedient himself if he can But I must tell him before hand that if it be a general one like those which he hath hitherto proposed it will signify nothing Observe Reader how he is every way mistaken I make demands and he calls them grants or concessions I propose some terms as preparatory to a treaty and he calls them terms of peace He saith he cannot consent to these terms and yet he hath consented to them already that if they would reform what the Bishop requires them to reform it will undoubtely make way for nearer concord To make them adaequate terms or conclusive Articles of Peace was never any part of my meaning All the exceptions which he bringeth against my way are taken out of my answer to Monsieur Militier I have seen some silly exceptions against it from a Jesuit and have answered them but he is the first Protestant that I have met with who doth disapprove it If the efficacy or influence of it upon him be different from what it is upon others I cannot help it Books have their success according to the prejudice or qualifications of their Readers On this side the seas it hath been more happy to confirm many to convert some and particularly the Transcriber of the Copy which was brought to the Press who was then one of their Proselytes to irritate no Man but the common Adversaries who vented their splene against it weekly in their Pulpits as thinking that the easiest way of confutation Thus one sucks honey and another poison out of the same flower He pretendeth that the old Episcopal Divines are of his partie some of them have approved it and thanked me for it If they be not of his party I hope he will not suspect them at Geneva as Factors for Popery They have allowed it and translated it into French and Printed it without any fear of introducing Popery into their City by it God forbid that we should esteem the practice of the Primitive times to be Popish They who admit that for a conclusion need not wonder if the more rational persons turn Apostates But it has ever been the trade of this proud and envious race of men to fasten an hated name upon every thing they understand not And it is to be feared this great Divine may in time write a Book to prove Greek the Language of the Beast and he may as reasonably do it as charge me with Popery only because I pretend to more knowledge in Antiquity than he knows himself to be guilty of His first particular Exception is this If when he excludeth Universality of Iurisdiction by Christs institution he intend to grant them which yet I know not an Universality of Iurisdiction by humane institution as agreement then it would be but to set up an humane Popery instead of a pretended Divine But this I charge not on him as his judgement though some will think it intimated p. 25. If he do not charge it on me then why doth he publish his own or other mens thoughts in Print to my disadvantage I know not how to acquit the Printing of groundless jealousies and suspicions of innocent Persons from downright calumny Especially suspicions of such things which the Persons suspected had publickly disclaimed in Print long before any such suspicion was broached These are my very words in my replication to the Bishop of Chalcedon p. 249. It were a hard condition to put me to prove against my conscience that the Universal Regency of the Pope is of humane right who do absolutely deny both his Divine right and humane right And in my Schisme garded p. 15 I have made it evident that the Popes Authority which he did sometime exercise in England before the Reformation when they permitted him and which he would have exercised always de futuro if he could have had his own will was a meer usurpation and innovation If I deny both the Popes divine right and humane right to Soveraign Jurisdiction and regulate his powers by the Canons of the Church If I make the Papacy a meer usurpation and innovation he hath no need to fear my setting up of an humane Popery But I have just cause to require reparation of him So his first exception is a false groundless suspicion But doth he make no difference indeed between a Divine Papacy and an Humane Papacy So it seemeth by his words If the Pope do hold a Soveraign power in the Church by divine institution then whatsoever he doth though he draw millions of Souls to Hell after him yet it is not in the power of a general council to call him to an account or to depose him or to reform him But if his right be only humane all this may justly be done and hath been done If he have a Soveraignty by divine right he may give his non obstantes to the Canons of the Fathers at his pleasure then all power in the Church is derived from him But if he hold the Papacy not from Heaven but from men then other Bishops do not derive their power from him singlely but he from them jointly then he is stinted and limitted by their Canons and cannot dispense with them further than the Church is pleased to confer a dispensative power upon him within the bounds of his own Patriarchate Against divine right there is no prescription but against humane right men may lawfully challenge their ancient liberties and immunities by prescription A Papacy by divine right is unchangeable but a Papacy by humane right is alterable both for person and place and power So an humane Papacy if it grow burthensom is remediable But a pretended divine Papacy when and where and whilst it is acknowledged is irremediable So much a pretended divine Papacy is worse than an humane His second exception follows But that St. Peter hath a certain fixed Chair to which a primacy of order is annexed and an headship of unity is not a truth and therefore not a principle necessary to heal the Church Whether it be a truth or no is not much material We have no Controversie with the Church