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A41779 A friendly epistle to the bishops and ministers of the Church of England for plain truth and sound peace between the pious Protestants of the Church of England and those of the baptised believers written with the advice of divers pastors and brethren of the baptised congregations, by Tho. Grantham. Grantham, Thomas, 1634-1692. 1680 (1680) Wing G1534; ESTC R10561 15,630 42

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Your Wisdoms know very well who hath said A little Leaven leaveneth the whole lump and that every Plant which the heavenly Father hath not planted must be rooted up and how vain the Worship even of the true God is esteemed by Christ which is taught by the Precepts of Men All which crys aloud that Religion be restored to its primitive Purity that so Men may give unto God the things that are God's and cease to serve him with their own inventions What we shall here propose to these holy Ends is no more than what at present we conceive to be very needful Howbeit we may not prescribe to you but only offer an occasion to your Wisdoms to consider us as Christians not as Enemies For it is evident that those Coercive ways which some encline to and under which we have bin and still are exercised are not like to effect Christian Amity and Unity but rather to make the Breach much wider That then it may please God even the God of Peace to direct your Wisdoms to those wholsome Methods which may be natural to procure and continue a lasting Peace between us in the Truth of the Gospel shall be our Prayer to him for you and in whose fear we humbly make these following Proposals And first I. Concerning the 39 Articles c. As we have already hinted that in our judgment some things in the 39 Articles of the Church do admit of some amendment We shall therefore humbly propose our Doubts in that case that the Fundamentals being secur'd other things may the more easily be reconciled 1. Our first scruple concerns the third Article where it requires Belief that Christ went down into Hell besides his being in the state of the Dead and buried in the Sepulchre Now this Passage is so dubious as that even Mr. Rogers who wrote a Book in defence of the 39 Articles doth confess that the native and undoubted Sence of this Article is not known so that we conceive it ought not to be required as an Article necessary to the Christian Faith 2. In the 8th Article all things contain'd in the three Creeds are required throughly to be believed in some of which is the said clause of Christ's Descension into Hell the meaning whereof is doubtful And some terms in the Creed of Athanasius are so hard to be understood that we think they ought not to be imposed as necessary We humbly conceive the Modesty of Hillary more safe than some os the Zealous Speeches of Athanasius who tells us That whatsoever is used more than the Father Son and Holy Ghost is beyond the compass of Speech the reach of of Sence and the capacity of Understanding And though he had used the Words Three Hypostasis yet he confesses This is to do things unlawful to speak that which ought not to be spoken to attempt things not licensed to put things in peril of the Speech of Men which ought to be kept in the Religiousness of minds And Austin confesses that it ought not to be spoken How the Father Son and Holy Spirit are three A Holy Trinity there is but how it subsisteth God only knoweth And here both the Modesty and Caution of Mr. Calvin also is worth our Consideration who speaking of the Titles or Expressions viz. A Trinity of Persons in the Vnity of the Godhead saith If the Names have not been without cause invented we ought to take heed that in rejecting them we be not justly blamed of proud Presumptuousness I would to God saith he they where buried indeed so that THIS FAITH WERE AGREED OF ALL MEN That the Father Son and Holy Ghost are ONE GOD and yet that the Father is not the Son nor the Holy Ghost the Son but distinct by certain Properties Instit l. 1. c. 1. Sect. 5. 3. The 13th Article would have it believed that no Works done without Faith in Jesus Christ are pleasant to God c. Which we think is doubtful considering how it is said that the Prayers and Alms of Cornelius were come up for a Memorial before God Act. 10. 1 2 3. yet 't is certain he did not then know Jesus Christ 4. The 18th Article seems doubtful where it teacheth that none can be saved who diligently frame their life according to the Light or Law of Nature c. Whereas if God have given them no other Law or Light to walk by we conceive it more safe for us to leave them to the Lord who will not gather where he hath not strewed than thus to censure them 5. The second Paragraph of the 27th Article may well be omited seeing it is granted by learned Protestants that there is no plain Scripture for Infant Baptism Instead of which Paragraph it may safely be inserted that the Infants of Christians should be devoted to God by Prayer and Blessing which may be justified by the Law of Nature and specially by the Words of Christ Mat. 19. 6. 6. The 36 Article not necessary to be imposed as an Article of the Christian Faith seeing that Book of Consecration of Archbishops Bishops ordering of Priests and Deacons is not of Divine Authority and it must needs be more safe to refer the business of Consecrating or ordaining Christ's Ministers of what rank soever to the Rules given in the holy Scripture And hence we do further conceive it is very needful that those severe Sentences of Excommunication contain'd in the Book of Canons and Constitutions Ecclesiastical specially these two contain'd in Can. 5. 9. be recalled For seeing they themselves that composed the 39 Articles were but Men though pious Men and therefore as themselves teach Art 21. might possibly err even in things pertaining to God Therefore as they further say things ordained by them have neither Strength nor Authority unless it may be declared that they be taken out of the Word of God Nor ought the Church to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of Salvation which is either against or besides the Word of God as they also teach Article 20. Thus much of the 39 Articles II. Concerning the visible Church of Christ 1. As it is rightly acknowledged by Christians generally and particularly by the Church of England Article 19. That the Church of Christ is a Congregation of faithful Men in which the pure Word of God is preached and the Sacraments duly administred according to Christ's Ordinance in all those things which of necessity are requisite to the same So it may be as truly observed that none be admitted Members of this Visible Church or Mystical Body of Christ till they give evidence that they are faithful at least by their personal Profession of the Faith of Christ and Willingness to walk in newness of Life according to the Principles or general Rules of the Christian Religion contain'd in the holy Scriptures the Rule of Faith 2. And seeing it is the Work of God through which Man with the Heart believeth unto Righteousness from