Orthodoxy and his Life the very Standard of the Episcopal Function He was saies that Encomiast the most holy Eye and Light of the World a Pillar of the Faith and a second John the Baptist yet did these Meletian Schismaticks when they were otherwise sound in the Faith join with the Arrian Hereticks in loading this holy man with false accusations and hell-bred Slanders calling him Sathanius accusing him as Arsenius Euplus Pachomius and others of the Meletian Schism did of Murder Dan. on Aug. de Haeres c. 48. and the like hellish Crimes as in the Council of Tyre and other places till at last by that black art of Slandering they prevailed with the Emperor to banish him Of the notoriousness of their Slandering there is among many others which a late Writer gives from Sozomen Dr. Cave the Life of Athan. Sect. 5. n. 3. Theodoret and Ruffinus this instance The Meletian Bishops in the Synod of Tyre accused Athanasius of ravishing a Woman whom they had prevailed with to come into the Council and to own and attest the Fact who accordingly declared that Athanasius in her own House violently forced her into lewd Embraces Athanasius came into the Court attended with Timotheus one of his Presbyters who was by agreement with Athanasius to take his part upon him The Judg calling upon Athanasius to Answer to the matter of Fact he stood silent But Timotheus turning to the Woman Woman saies he was I ever in your house did I ever as you pretend offer violence to you Yes yes saies the Woman you are the man that forcibly pressed upon me and stained my Chastity and Honour The cheat thus plainly discovering it self put the Contrivers of it to the blush but no end to their false Accusations They proceed to accuse him of Oppression Murder and like the modern cry of popishly affected of compliance with the Thurificati till at last he was deprived of his Bishoprick and Banished Ibid. Sect. 4. n. 6. The like they did to Eustathius Bishop of Antioch and others of the Catholicks that opposed them and endeavoured the Unity of the Church And tho the Arrian Hereticks joyned with the Meletian Schismaticks in these Diabolical practices against the Orthodox Christians yet were these principal in it Vt Meletiani saies Danaeus pene Soli divinum illum Athanasium conarentur opprimere c. In the first General Council of Nice in which were 318 Bishops besides innumerable Presbyters Deacons and Acoluthi an Assembly of men so venerable for their Age their confessions and constancy in the Faith for the Gravity of their Manners the Wisdom Learning and Reason of their Arguments and Discourses and meeting out of all parts of the Christian World was certainly the most August and Venerable Assembly that ever the World saw either before or since In this Council the Arrian Heresie being condemned they proceeded to take into consideration the Meletian Schism Ep. Synod Nice ap Socr. l. 1. c. 9. ap Dr. Cave the Life of Athan. they deprived Meletius of all his Episcopal Jurisdiction and Power lest he should excite the same Troubles and Factions which he had formerly raised in the Church of God And tho the Meletians were at that time sound in the Faith yet on no other account then the Separation did this venerable Council declare in their Letter to the Church of Alexandria That in strict Justice they deserved no Pity The Council of Sardica did the like Having deposed Gregory a Meletian Bishop they decreed in that Council That all Ordination made by him should be null and void which is in effect to decree that a Schismatick is ipso facto divested of his Ministerial Function and no true Minister on the account of his Schism DONATISTS THE light of the Gospel had scarce been well fix'd and diffused in the World but the Devil stired up the Pagan Emperors of Rome to extinguish it by persecuting the Professors of it with the most grievous Torments and Tortures that the most twisted Malice and Subtilty of Earth and Hell could devise and that in such measure that in the Dioclesian Persecution which lasted for ten years there were put to Death Seventeen thousand in a Month. And of the Decian Persecution Nicephorus saies It was as easie to number the Sands of the Sea as to reckon up all that suffer'd Martyrdom in that one Perscution under Decius This bloody work continued with its little Intermissions for about 250 years viz. from the Reign of Nero Anno Dom. 54. to the Reign of Constantius Clorus Anno Dom. 304. These Flames of Persecution were scarcely extinguished and peace and quiet restored to the Church but new Heats and Lights were raised by the pride and discontent of Schismaticks which infested the Church of God till Mahometanism and Popery divided the greatest part of the World and were more pernicious to Christiany than all the ten Persecutions Among these Schismaticks the Donatists were chief who were as St. Augustine shews at large sound in the Faith but as ‖ Ep. 50. let O. P. he saies De sola communionae infaeliciter litigarunt contra unitatem Christi rebelles inimicitias perversitate sui erroris exercuerunt They quarrelled only about Church-Communion as the Novatians and Meletians in another part of the World did and through the Perversness of their Error exercised saies he Rebellious enmity against the Unity of the Church For the right understanding of the rise and progress of this Schism we must note that Dioclesian in the heat and heighth of his Persecution had put forth an Edict that Christians should deliver up their Bibles and the Writings of the Church to be burnt which Edict was prosecuted with so much rage and vigor that many Christians to avoid the Storm deliver'd up their Bibles to the great Scorn of their Enemies for which they were called Traditores The Persecution being over some of the Orthodox refused to receive them into Communion notwithstanding the greatest evidence that could be given of their true Repentance the difference broke out into open Schism and Faction and gave Birth to that unhappy Sect of the Donatists in the year 298 which was about twelve years after the Meletian Schism was made when Constantine the Great was Emperor and Silvester Bishop of Rome in this wise Botrus and Celesius two Presbyters being in Competition with Cecilian for the Bishoprick of Carthage Cecilian a man of note for Learning and Integrity was by the general Suffrage of that whole Church chosen Bishop Botrus and Celesius discontented hereat Opt. p. 14. Danae on Aug. de Haeres c. 69. with some others that had been proceeded against by Cecilian refused to hold Communion with him and particularly Lucilla a Spanish Lady rich and factious thinking her self affronted by Cecilian's sharp reproof of her Superstitious practice in kissing the Reliques of some Martyr before her receiving the Sacrament in Discontent and Anger joyns her self to Botrus and
the Catholick Martyrs and Orthodox Christians of the Primitive time and all in imitation of those Jewish Worthies Samuel Elias Phineas c. who living under a perfect Theocrasie had that real and miraculous impulse of Gods Spirit and that immediate Guidance and Commission from Heaven which the most fervent and daring Zealot in the Christian World never could without rank Phanaticism so much as pretend to And as their Principle so their Practice At the first starting of Presbytery in Geneva Anno 1535. When the Bishop of Geneva would not admit of the Presbyterian Innovations Viret and Farellus with their Followers presently turned Zealots drove the Bishop out of Town and set up Calvin in his stead disclaiming all Allegiance to their Duke and Bishop From Geneva the Presbyterian Discipline was sent into France where the Abettors of them called Albigenses propagated it at first by their Arch-Zealot the Earl of Tholouse's murdering Trincannel the Viscount and chief Governour of the City Beziers and dashing out the Bishops teeth In the Low Countries Presbytery was first set up at Embden in Friezeland by renouncing all Allegiance to their Prince and taking up Arms against him and setting themselves in form of a Common-wealth In Scotland the Earl of Bothwell and his Accomplices rose Forces to Depose and Murder the King under pretence of removing the Popish Lords and promoting the Presbyterian Discipline The Gowries Conspiracy to kill King James was so approved of by the Presbyterian Ministers of Edenburgh that they refused to give thanks for the Kings Deliverance tho commanded by the Kings Proclamation so to do And as the Circumcillian-Zealots of whom hereafter were taught these practices by their Donatist Bishops and Ministers so were these Presbyterian Zealots by their Ministers as may be seen in the writings of Knox Buchanan Willock the * Thes 358 368 147 136 151 c. Holy Commonwealth Of all which the Murder of King Charles the first the late Murder of the Archbishop of St. Andrews and the late Conspiracy of 83. against King Charles the second are all most barbarous and bloody Comments In short that the Presbyterian Sectaries now called Dissenting Protestants are perfect Zealots Enthusiastick Zealots is evident from hence That ever since the Reformation from Popery there has not been in any Protestant Countrey any Rebellion Massacre Tumult Treason or Murders considerable but what Papists or Phanatick or both had a hand in as a means of Propagating their Religion on the same grounds and principles as all former Zealots did GNOSTICKS THese were the first and worse Schismaticks first and worst Rebels in the Christian Church * Dr. Cave on the Life of St. Paul The first Founder of them was Simon Magus who not being able to attain his ends of the Apostles in getting power to confer miraculous gifts resolved in discontent and revenge to make Schisms in the Christian Church So that as the first Schismatick in the World was a Devil so the first Schismatick in the Christian World was a Witch He began his Schismatizing first at Samaria the first place that embraced the Christian Faith Dr. Hammon Annot. Acts 8.12 14. Tho their Schisms and Errors were broached in the Apostles times yet they had not the name of Gnosticks till after when they assumed it to themselves on pretence of greatest Knowledg above other men and particularly in mystical Interpretations They pretended to be well acquainted with the Holy Scriptures to know all the Mysteries of the Old Testament which pretended knowledg is that saies Dr. Hammond which the Apostle charges Timothy to avoid Annot. on 2 Pet. 1.5 1 Tim. 6.20 calling it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. knowledg falsly so called from whence they called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gnosticks i. e. knowing Persons or the knowing Party And by a strange Liberty which they took in Interpreting the Scriptures brought in as the Apostle calls them damnable Doctrines such as resisting Magistrates Liberty in the exercise of Uncleanness for which they were called Borboritae whereby they greatly strengthened their Faction And as they pretended to greater Knowledg so to greater Piety and Holiness than others as * Dr. Ham. Annot. 1 Joh. 1.10 Let. H. Irenaeus saies they called themselves the Spiritual this is the Character of the Gnosticks saies he to live in all Carnality and Uncharitableness and yet pretend themselves to be the most perfect men But the greatest pretension was that Christian Liberty which the Gospel instated them in and on these accounts they separated themselves opposed the Apostles and Governors of the Church deposed the Orthodox Christians as Carnal and not having the Spirit and looking on all others beside their own Party as Ignorant they pretended to know more than the Bishops saith ‖ Dr. Ham. Annot. Preface to 2d Ep. of John Ignatius Yea than the Apostles themselves saies Epiphanius Against these Gnostick-Sectaries St. Peter St. Paul St. James and St. John direct their Epistles chiefly and St. Jude his Epistle wholly where in less then six verses he gives more than sixteen distinctive marks whereby they may be known Mr. Jenkins on the place 1. The first is their insolence against Government ver 8. They despise Dominion and speak evil of Dignities i.e. were sawcy with the Government of Antimagistratical and Tumultuous Carriage to'ards Governours for which cause the Apostles press no one Doctrine in all their Epistles more than Loyalty and Obedience not only to the good and gentle but to the froward and wicked not to good Governors as good but to Governors as Governors and the Ordinance of God 2. A second mark the Apostle gives of the Gnostick-Sectaries is their discontent and murmuring against Governors Mr. Jenkins on the place ver 16. They are Murmurers Complainers never content with any Government The Greek word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports a secret muttering and grumbling 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Grunnio to grunt like a Swine importing a speaking against another secretly with hatred and impatience Like some now-adays who if for committing a spoil in Gods Harvest Justice takes them by the Ears with hideous outcrys they call all the compassionate Herd to condole their suffering and that they call Persecution and the suffering days of the Saints Are any of them cut off by the hand of Justice for their Seditious Villanies How doth their Party murmur against the Magistrate that they suffer wrongfully c. As the Rebels Korah and his company did against Moses and Aaron Numb 16.41 Ye have killed the people of the Lord the people of the Lord when God had declared from Heaven most miraculously that they were Rebels and that his Wrath was kindled against them on the account of their being so 3. A third mark is Erratick Zeal verse 13. Wandering Stars so called Dr. Manton on the place as for inconstancy and unsetledness pretending to be Stars and great lights that a reindeed
the Heathens to Christianity by severity and force but by severity and force he endeavoured to keep the Christians in unity and to that end enacted many severe Laws against the Dissenters of those times such says Augustine as did in conventiculis suis separatim congregare And 't is remarkable that though the Laws made against those Donatist-Dissenters were not only great pecuniary mulcts but banishment and seizing their Goods for the Emperours use as I understand those words ut fisco vinâ—icarentur yet doth the holy Father account these laws so favourable as not to punish but admonish only Lit. O. and having spoke of the Paganish Idolaters being punished with death for their Idâ—latry as that seveâ—ity which the Orthodox and Donatists both did approve of and rejoice in he adds Lit. O. P. that the wickedness of Schism is worse than that of Idolatry which is a broad intimation that that holy man thought Schism a Capital crime And here I cannot but take notice of his calling the wholsome execution of the Poenal Laws by the odious name of Persecution and not only so but like the Donatists of old and the Jesuits of late doth wrest and rack the holy Scripture to make it speak its sence of it Witness that very Text on which he preached his printed Sermon Gal 4 29. As he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit so it is now where the Apostle doth plainly make the party prosecuting to be the party persecuted It was Isaac and Sarah that corrected Hagar and Ishmael and yet says the Apostle Ishmael he that was born after the flesh was the party persecuting tho the party suffering By which we may understand says St. Augustine upon the place that the Church rather suffers persecution by the pride and wickedness of carnal men Ep 48. Lit. L. by their Ishmaeliâ—ish reproaches when she endeavours to amend them by temporal punishments and corrections than they by the Church so that whatever the true Mother doth in this case though it may seem harsh and bitter yet she doth not render evil for evil but endeavour by wholsome discipline to expel sin not out of hatred or desire to hurt but out of love to cure Whereby it doth plainly appear that the execution of the poenal Laws against Dissenters for of such he speaks is so far from being Persecution that in that case the party Prosecuting is the party Persecuted with Ishmaelitish reproaches as being Persecutors c But the best account of the true notion of Persecution is in the learned Dr Hick's Sermon of Persecutiand thither I refer the Reader 6. Mr. Bolde's 6th Argument is no more than this It was never known that any Indifferent Ceremonies were universally imposed in a knowing age and the opinions of all good men did agree to them Which is no more in effect than if he had said That because some good men have not agreed to the use of some Ceremonies therefore the Church must prostitute her authority to every Sceptick Innovator in altering her ancient Constitutions 7. Hâ—â— 7th and last is taken from our condescentions to the Papists in a â—â—nâ— our Rubrick Publick Service and Articles in order to the bringing of the Papists to join with us in our worship c. He instance in the Churches expunging that passage in the Littany where we prayed to be delivered from the tyranny and all the detestable enormities of the Bishops of Rome c. 'T is true that for the first Eighteen years of Queen Elizabeth few of the Popish Recusants absented themselves from our Churches till Pope Pius the Fifth by his interdictory Bull would have all communion with us renounced and in meer hopes of uniting and bringing them over to the Reformed Religion there was that condescention and compliance made and the like and greater concessions were indulged or offer'd at least to the Nonconformists in Queen Elizabeths time till it did appear that they would be satisfied with no other concessions than what were judged inconsistent with the safety of Church and State Mr. Bold having finished his Seven Arguments against Imposition of Church-Ceremonies and execution of poenal Laws has this one Story more that when the Emperour took a Bishop in compleat Armour he sent the Armour to the Pope with this word haeccine sunt vestes Filii tui Whereby Mr. Bolde would insinuate again as the Precedent words shew that only Arguments and Reasons and not coercive means are to be used with Dissenters The error of this hath its refutal from some of my last Citations out of St. Augustine Ep. 48. Litt. T. And therefore no more but to return the Story Paulus Emilius Val. Max. a Noble General when several of his Souldiers took on them to prescribe and suggest to him their several models of management and discipline Acuite vos gladios says the General mind you your Swords and your business be ready to obey and execute what shall be commanded you but leave the discipline and management of affairs to me your General q. d. let Governours and Government alone keep you your station and mind your business in opposing the Enemy and obeying your Commanders but do not dare to medle with controlling directing or prescribing to those whom it is your business to obey But if these bold Soldiers that prescribed thus saucily to their General should have turn'd Runagadoes and been caught by him like this Pleader with his Militant Apologies for Dissenting Enemies going over into the Enemies Camp no doubt but he would have given them the very edge of Martial Law Thus have I faithfully remarked all that I judge any thing argumentative in Mr. Bolde's fraudulent Plea which is indeed nothing else but arrogant dogmatizing and prescribing to Superiours instead of Pleading for licentious and disorderly Toleration on pretence of Moderation of the sworn enemies of the Church and Government under the name of Dissenters I see little else in his Book but what is fairly reducible to one of these heads Impertinency or Scandal of the former sort is his spending so many Pages in telling who they are he pleads for they are says he more particularly men of such Learning as Mr. Baxter Mr. Hickman c. Mr. Hickman I know not Mr. Baxter's Learning no honest man will envy He must be acknowledged a Learned man If he had not skill in fencing he could not be so quarrelsom Arrius was stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was accounted the most logical and one of the most learned in his time But what of that The Orthodox Bishops thought him never the more fit for Church-toleration or comprehension But speaking of Impertinencies the very name forbids me insisting on the thing And so of his scandals also which are so detestable and notorious that it were a scandal to publish but the rehearsal of them witness the Story of the Register p. 40 which for its scandalous reflections on the Ecclesiastical Government there 's nothing in Martin Mar-Prelate H'ye any work for the Cooper or the Cobler of Gloucester can exceed So of those whom he charges with sitting as the Reader must compute it Sixteen or Seventeen Hours together in a Tavern or an Ale-house p 19. His fraudulent suggestions touching the great evil of imposing Church-ceremonies with many the like which run through his Book like a vein through his Body and which I cannot repeat without sin and shame Or if I could that It would even tire an indefatigable Reader to lead him through all the dark and dirty Labyrinth of his defamatory Libel I must therefore be abrupt in this Appeal to the Reader whether it be not the part of a most abominable Church-Traytor to play the CHAM with the Church in such a treacherous and deceitful manner FINIS