Subjects that are not of their religion or may compell all to those ways of worshipping God which they shall judge best be they right or wrong 6. That Gods Laws are not obligatory to Kings and Kingdomes 7. That Princes or people may preferr their worldly interest before the interest of Religion Souls and God or may set them in opposition against it 8. That Princes must imprison or otherwise punish such as are excommunicated and not absolved by the Clergy without knowing whether the cause be just or unjust by their own exploration 9. That Princes may break Oaths and Covenants when their interest requireth it 10. That subjects have no liberty or propriety in any thing either life wives children or estates but what is at the meer will of Princes to dispose of as they please 11. That it is lawful for subjects to disobey the authority and commands of the higher powers because Christ hath freed us from subjection to men 12. That all Governing authority is originally in the people and by them given to Rulers on what terms they please 13. That therefore the people may depose any Princes where they see cause or may call them to their bar and judge and punish them having themselves the highest governing power 14. That if Princes injure the people the people may therefore rebel take arms against them and depose them 15. Contrarily that no people may defend their lives houses or posterity nor the chastity of their wives by resisting any Tyrants or against the will of Rulers that have no true authority to destroy them 16. That subjects may break their oaths of allegiance whenever their own worldly ends require it or if the Pope disoblige them 17. That if one King wrong another the wronged King may destroy all the others innocent subjects 18. That no war is lawful 19. That it is lawful to defame and dishonour Princes if they are sinners though the contempt tend to disable them from necessary government 20. That none but sanctified persons have true Governing power or dominion 21. That children are bound to obey their parents subjects their Princes and servants their Masters in nothing but what they think is wisely or justly commanded them though it be good or lawful in it self 22. That Parents may not teach children forms of Catechism or prayer nor command them any duty which the child will but say is against his Conscience nor restrain him from any sin which he pleadeth Conscience for 23. That Christian Parents in want may â—ell their Children for slaves to Idolaters or Infidels for supply 24. That Children may disobey their parents in any matters of Religion if the Pope Bishop or Priest so command them XIX Of Duties to our equals or neighbours as such 1. That no man is bound to love another but for his own sake and so far as he is beneficial to him 2. That we are not bound to do another a greater good to the least hurt to our selves 3. That men are not bound to love and preferr the common good of multitudes of their Countrey or the world before their own commodities or lives 4. That no killing of malefactors is lawful by laws and judgement 5. That it is lawful to kill our enemies for meer private revenge or to prevent some evil to our selves though they are innocent 6. That it is lawful to have many wives at once 7. That it is lawful to put away wives or for wives to depart whenever their fleshly or worldly interest seemeth to require it 8. That it is lawful to commit adultery at least by the husband or wives consent 9. That fornication is no sin or no great sin 10. That it is lawful when our need doth urge us to rob steal defraud or oppress others 11. That restitution or reparation is no duty 12. That it is no sin to deceive another by borrowing when we are unable and unlikely to repay and do conceal this 13. That it is not a duty for them that are able to labour in some lawful useful calling for their own maintenance and the common good 14. That it is lawful to lie for our commodity when it hurts not others 15. That it is lawful by backbiting slandering and false witness to disgrace our enemies or be revenged on them 16. That it is lawful for Judges knowingly or rashly to pass unjust judgement against the innocent or just and for advocates or others to promote it 17. That it is lawful for the poor to covet other mens goods and for men to desire and endeavour to draw from others whatever seemeth desirable or needful to our selves 18. That it is no sin to love the world flesh and life better than God Christ grace and glory 19. That it is no sin to be discontent and impatient in our sufferings nor a duty to deny our fleshly pleasure profit or reputation and life for God and for spiritual and everlasting benefits 20. That it is no duty to love our enemies forgive wrongs and forbear each other in their infirmities and provocations XX. Of Death Judgement Heaven and Hell 1. That the souls of believers go not to Christ and happiness nor the souls of the wicked to misery before the Resurrection of the body at the last judgement 2. That there is no Resurrection of the body at least of the wicked or of Infants 3. That Christ will not come in glory to judge the world 4. That we shall not be judged according to what we have done in the body 5. That the faithful shall not be justified and judged to life everlasting 6. That the wicked shall not be condemned to hell or everlasting punishment with the Devils but without holiness men may see God and be saved 7. That no man can know that he hath certain right to Salvation 8. That there is a fire of Purgatory where those that after shall be saved must make penal satisfaction for some of their sins and from which the Popes pardons and masses and other mens merits may deliver souls 9. That the justified shall not live in Glory with God and Jesus Christ and the Angels and the triumphant Church 10. That there is an aereal life of trial before the final judgement where the justified and wicked souls shall again live under conditions of yet winning or losing their heavenly glory 11. That the Devils and damned shall all be delivered at last and either be saved or have another life of tryal And the Glory of the blessed also will have an end and they must by revolution be tryed in flesh here again 12. That it is not a duty to seek first the Kingdome of God and its righteousness and lay up a treasure in heaven and there have our hearts and conversations and thence to fetch our motives and our chiefest hopes and comforts under all the sufferings of this transitory life and the expectation of our certain change THis or such a Catalogue of dangerous doctrines is not to be
world falsly that it is but Things Indifferent that we deny obedience to and call on us to tell them what it is that we fear if we conform and when we tell them they make this also our crime because they think themselves accused what remedy have we against such men 2. I love and honour all good and pious men that Conform For I consider how variously the same thing is represented to and apprehended by men of various educations converse and advantages so that the same sin materially heinous may formally be much less in some than in others As was Paul's ignorant unbelief and persecution Or else saith the Papist Answerer of the three books for the Jesuites Loyalty Most Princes must be most heinous sinners that make wars against each other in which multitudes are killed when both sides cannot have a just cause unless the supposition that their cause was good by mistake excuse them THE CONTENTS The First Part. THe Reasons for Christian Vnity and Concord after the nature of it described and how much may be hoped for on earth Chap. 1. The Text opened The Doctrines named The method proposed page 1 Chap. 2. The Nature of Vnity and this Vnity of the Spirit opened p. 10. Chap. 3. The necessity and benefits of this Vnity and Peace to all men p. 30. Chap. 4. The Vnity of the Spirit is the welfare of the Church p. 45. Chap. 5. This Vnity is for the good of the World without the Church p. 67. Chap. 6. It is due to the honour of Christ and amiable to God p. 71. Chap. 7. What obligations are on all Christians to avoid sinful divisions and discord and to promote this unity and peace p. 75. Chap. 8. What sort and measure of Vnion may or may not be hoped for on earth p. 79. Chap. 9. That Christ who commanded our Vnion hath himself prescribed the terms p. 98. Chap. 10. No humane terms not made by Christ or his Spirit extraordinarily given to the Apostles are necessary to the Being of particular Churches but divers humane Acts are necessary to their existence p. 100. Chap. 11. The danger of the two extremes And first of despairing of Concord and unjust tolerations p. 114. Chap. 12. The sin and danger of making too much necessary to Vnion and Communion p. 119. Chap. 13. To cry out of the 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 p. 125. The Second Part. THe Terms of Concord Chap. 1. In General what are the true and only terms of Church Concord and what not p. 135. Chap. 2. Instances of Gods description of these terms in Scripture p. 143. Chap. 3. The true terms of Catholick Vnion and Concord more particularly described as the chief means of hope for the Churches peace p. 162. Chap. 4. What are the terms necessary for the continuance of this Communion and what are the causes of abscission and excommunication p. 177. Chap. 5. What are the terms necessary to the office and exercise of the Sacred Ministry p. 200. Chap. 6. What is necessary to the Constitution administration and Communion of single Churches p. 228. Chap. 7. What are the necessary terms of Concord of those single Churches with one another in the same Kingdome or in divers p. 243. Chap. 8. What is necessary to the Civil peace and Concord of Christians and what is the part of the Christian Magistrate about Religion as to his promoting or tolerating mens doctrines or practices therein p. 248. Chap. 9. Objections answered about Toleration especially p. 267. Chap. 10. A draught or Specimen of such Forms as are mentioned for Approved and Tolerated Ministers p. 279. The Third Part. Of Schism ESpecially the false dividing Terms of Vnion and other Causes of Schism Chap. 1. What SCHISM is and what are its Causes and effects p. 1. Chap. 2. The true Preventions and Remedies of Schism p. 16. Chap. 3. More of the same Twenty things necessary hereunto p. 26. Chap. 4. The Catholick Church will never unite in the Papacy p. 29. 1. What the Papists opinion is of the Terms of Vnion 2. The fifth Monarchy opinion of Campanella de Regno Dei and some other Papists That it is really an Vniversal Kingdome which is claimed by the Pope 3. The Christian world will never unite in one Pope Chap. 5. The Catholick Church will never unite in Patriarchs or any humane Church officers or forms of Government p. 41. Chap. 6. The Catholick Church will never unite in General Councils as their Head or necessary center or terms of Concord p. 52. Chap. 7. The Catholick Church will never unite in a Multitude of pretended articles of faith not proved certainly to be Divine nor in subscribing to or owning any unnecessary doubtful opinions or practices p. 60. Chap. 8. The Catholick Church will never unite by receiving all that is now owned by the Greek or Latine Church the Abassine Armenian the Lutherans or Calvinists or in a full Conformity to any divided party which addeth to the primitive simplicity in her terms of Concord p. 68. Chap. 9. The pretended necessity of an uninterrupted successive ordination by Diocesan Bishops will never unite the Churches but is Schismatical Mr. Dodwells book hereof confuted p. 73. Chap. 10. None of these terms will unite a National Church associated Churches nor well any single Church Though by other means a competent Vnion may be kept in some Churches notwithstanding some such Schismatical inventions as lesser diseases destroy not nature p. 104. Chap. 11. The severity and force of Magistrates denying necessary Toleration and punishing dissenters from uncertain unnecessary things will never procure Church Vnion and Concord but division p. 107. Chap. 12. Excommunicating and Anathematizing in such cases will not do it p. 112. Chap. 13. Any one unlawful uncertain doctrine oath Covenant profession subscription or practice so imposed will divide p. 116. Chap. 14. Vnlimited Toleration will divide and wrong the Church p. 118. Chap. 15. The Catholick Church will never unite in a reception and subscription to every word verse or book of the holy Scripture as in our Translations or any particular Copy nor otherwise known but some will still doubt of the Divine authority of some parts p. 134. Chap. 16. The Church will never unite in any mens Commentaries on the Bible p. 137. Chap. 17. A summary recital of the true terms of Concord and of the Causes of Schism p. 139. Id quod natura remittit Invida jura negant Ovid. ERRATA In the First and Second Parts Page 17. line 19. for more read as p. 19. for affecteth r. asserteth p. 26. l. 11. dele with p. 45. l. 17. for in r. is p. 58. l. 13. r. above p. 96. l. 7. r. to their p. 130. l. 2. r. Placeus p. 225. l. 2. r. condemn In the Third Part. Page 4. line 25. read sin p. 5. l. 11. r.
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
lay more stress or an outward act of man and point of order than he doth § 26. 3. And as to the Nature and Use of the thing Order is for the sake of the thing ordered and the persons for whose good it is And therefore not to be set against them § 27. 4. And Christ himself hath oft taught us this way of judging When he bids us Go learn what this meaneth I will have mercy and not sacrifice And when he oft reproveth Jews and Samaritans for striving about circumstances setting them against spiritual worshipping of God And when he saith The Sabbath was made for man and not man for the Sabbath And Paul when he saith All things are yours whether Paul or Apollos and Let all be done to Edification All which tell us that the End is a certain Canon to the means and to be preferred and that Morals must be preferred before Rituals and Rituals never set against them And methinks they should be of this mind that deny the Scripture to have unchangeably fixed all Rituals and yet confess that Morals are fixedly determined § 28. 5. And even Popes have been taken for Popes upon Election before Consecration And Arch-bishops with us have no superiours to Consecrate them but such Inferiours as promise them obedience at their own Consecration § 29. X. To the tenth question There be some called Erastians who hold the King to be so mixta persona like Melchizedeck as that he is also the chief Priest and hath the chief power of Ordination and that he might administer the Sacraments if he would and that his Appointment is an Ordination which the people are bound by reception of the person to consent to There are others that think that though the investing act must be performed by a Bishop yet he is bound by the Kings choice and command to do it as a Minister of God and the King But as I never saw either of these well proved so very few comparatively receive them and therefore they will never unite the Churches And Christs giving the power of the Keys himself to the Apostles and their Successours in the Ministry seemeth to me to contradict them Sure I am that Christs Church hath not thus been founded or edified And yet Magistrates have a great and honourable part even in the Government of the Church I speak not for all those Popish Councils and Canons which nullifie all Ordinations of Bishops either chosen or presented by Civil Rulers or Great men that are Secular nor of those that pronounce even a Pope an Usurper that is so introduced But of the Councils and practice of the sounder ages that were still against this 2. However if Clergy and people were proved to be bound to Consent to whomsoever the Prince shall choose yet till they do consent he is no Bishop to them You may could that be proved prove them culpable for not consenting but not prove him their Bishop as the Scripture and all Church custome and Canons and Reason shew § 30. XI To the eleventh case I answer That the Priests or people sin who disobey a lawful command of the King and not otherwise But sin or not sin it nullifieth not the Ordination or Priesthood meerly that it is against the will of the Prince All the Bishops and Priests in the world or most were made against the will of Princes for three hundred years And Christ gave the Keyes to other hands § 31. XII and XIII To the twelfth and thirteenth cases I answer together If a heretick whose denyal of an essential of Christianity is notorious and maketh him equal to an Apostate ordain his Act is null as without all authority And the mans Priesthood or Episcopacy is null if he have not a sufficient cause and proof of it besides or without this The same I say of one excommunicate for such a cause But if the Heresie be only a schism or some lower errour consistent with Christianity and Priesthood or the excommunication only on such a cause then the ordination in sensu passivo is not null meerly on that account that it was done by such a heretick or excommunicate man As is commonly agreed on But yet if this Bishop or Presbyter be ordained by a heretick or excommunicate man of a lower order to this or that particular Church caeteris paribus the people may see reason to refuse him and consent to another that hath a better ordination unless in a Church so corrupted that the Ordainers and Excommunicators authority is not to be regarded and help up which hath too oft faln out But regularly none ought to ordain a man to any Church before the election or consent of the flock though it may serve ad esse officii if the consent come after But if three Bishops ordain one man to be Bishop of such a Church and three others ordain another to the same that is the true Bishop quoad esse which the Church to which he is ordained doth accept by their consent before or after Yea though it were the worser party of Bishops that ordained that man § 32. As to the point of successive-right-ordination uninterrupted from the Apostles I hope afterward in due place to prove that to the Church universal such there hath been de facto in all the necessary parts But that to any particular Church or any individual persons ministry such uninterrupted course of ordination in being notice or proof is utterly unnecessary and that the Papacy hath no such to shew § 33. To conclude To the Being of the true Relation of a Bishop or Presbyter is necessary only 1. The Subject which is a Qualified Christian man sufficiently notified and offered 2. The Fundamentum Relationis Christs Law or Charter giving him his power and obliging him to his work 3. The mutual consent of Pastor and flock in the Relation to a particular Church is partly Dispositio subjecti and partly as it is Gods means a modus fundandi or conditio tituli 4. The Terminus of one ordained to the gathering of Churches sine titulo or not to any particular Church is objectively first men unconverted to be called and next men converted to be edified and as Effects the work to be done and the good to be done by it And in those ordained to particular Churches it is the work and the effect on them 5. The Correlate is 1. Christ to whom we are related as his Ministers as the efficient of our office 2. The people to whom we are related as the end and that 1. we are Ministers to the world to be converted 2. To the Universal Church to be edified 3. and mostly to particular Churches to be guided 6. The Relatum then is such a person Authorized and obliged to Teach Worship and Rule under Christ the Prophet Priest and King of the Church the foresaid flocks or Christians to the foresaid ends § 34. II. So much for what is necessary to the Being of the sacred