to make it evident to you beyond all contradiction that the first Reformers under Edward 6. regarded no Church at all that was then extant no not their own Bishops I shall produce you the Testimonies of Burnet and Fox which you may please to exaâ—â—ine at your leisure In the year 1547. the first year of King Edward 6. the English Bishops were required says Burnet to take out new Commissions for their Bishopricks But this was only done saith he by reason of the present juncture because the Bishops being generally addicted to the former Superstition viz. Popery it was thought necessary to keep them under so arbitrary a Power as that subjected them to for they thereby held their Bishopricks only during the Kings Pleasure and were to exercise them as his Delegates in his Name and by his Authority Histor Reformat 2 vol. pag. 6. Observe this how the English Bishops at King Edwards coming to the Crown were generally Papists by Burnets own Confession and to terrifie them into a submission to the pretended Reformation they were compelled by Cranmer and the rest of the Kings Privy Council the King himself being a Child of nine years old to take out new Commissions for their Bishopricks under the great Seal to hold them only during the Kings Pleasure and so at their peril not to contradict the Reformers Somerset Dudley Cranmer c. Thus the Reformation was imposed on the English Church and so could not be the voluntary Act and Deed of the English Bishops consequently 't was null and void in it self Then see pag. 227. of 2 vol. and second Edition where it is confessed by Ridly a grand Reformer that during the Reign of Edward 6. many of the Bishops and most of the Clergy were all the while Papists in heart c. they were afraid of those Harpies of the Reformation whose description you may see Burn pag. 9. 2 vol. second Edition Then see Fox pag. 1180. speaking of King Edwards Reformation For the most part the Bishops of Churches and Diocesses were changed Such as had been dumb Prelates before were compelled to give place to other men that would preach and take pains c. and then saith Fox of the old Bishops some were committed to one Ward some to another Bonner Bishop of London was committed to the Marshalsy Gardiner Bishop of Winchester with Tonstall Bishop of Durham was cast into the Tower. Burnet pag. 150 1 vol. second Edition Tonstall a man of invincible Moderation would do no body hurt says Buruet A learned man and of a sweet Disposition says Fuller another Protestant Historian However he was a Papist had a good Bishoprick and that was crime enough in the opinion of those Reformers Thus it appears out of Burnet and Fox what regard was had in the beginning of the Reformation to the Judgment of the chief Pastors and Bishops of the Church of England For the most part the Bishops were changed some were committed to one Ward some to anothe Fox ubi supra So much for your Answer to this Discourse But I have heard of another Answer and that is It 's certain say some that every man takes up his Religion or Church upon the Dictates of his own Reason and Roman Catholiques themselves being demanded why they embrace this Church rather than that their Answer is because they judge this Church to have good Authority and that none which is to draw matter to their own Judgment But is not this Answer if it be right a good Plea for all Schism and Heresie for Socinianism Independency Anabaptism nay for Roman Catholiques too which is more perhaps than you intend by it For either it justifies the Liberty of every mans Reason to take up what Church or Religion he likes best or it does not if not 't is impertinent to this Discourse if it does then Roman Catholiques are as justifiable at least as any other Church whatever Nay if this be a good Answer there can be no such crimes as Schism or Heresie in the world For allow every man to follow that Church or Religion which he himself judges most consonant to Scripture and you shall never find any body in the wrong Then to what end does the Church of England pray in her Litany From all false Doctrine Hereesie and Schism Good Lord deliver us Moreover this Assertion of yours that Every man takes up his Church or Religion upon the Dictates of his own Reason may be questioned since we are received into the Ark of Christs Church and baptiz'd in the Catholique Faith before we come to the use of Reason and afterwards by our Confirmation we do but ratifie with our own mouth and consent the very same things that were promised and vowed in our Baptism which were in the words of the Common Prayer Book obediently to keep Gods holy Will and Commandments and stedfastly to believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith. And this Article among the rest I believe the holy Catholique Church Now Christ having no more Churches but one as we are taught by the Nicene Creed and Protestants confess there can be no such choice of Churches or Religions as this Answer seems to suppose and then this One Church being holy and Catholique too and never to be extinguished I cannot but admire at the first Reformers under Queen Elisabeth and Edward the Sixth to pretend to believe such an holy never failing Church and at the same time to deliver it for Doctrine in their Book of Homilies that Laity and Clergy learned and unlearned all ages sects of men women and Children of whole Christendom an horrible and most dreadful thing to think have been at once drowned in abominable Idolatry for the space of eight hundred years and more And in their 39 Articles to pass this Censure upon the whole Christian World consequently upon that Church wherein themselves received their Baptism Confirmation and holy Orders viz. as the Church of Jerusalem Alexandria and Antioch have erred so also the Church of Rome hath erred not only in their Living and manner of Ceremonies but also in matters of Faith. Article 19. Now for the Church of Rome to be a true Church of Christ retaining all the fundamentals of Christian Religion as all ingenious Protestants confess and particularly Bishop Bramhall and at the same time to be drowned in damnable Idolatry and to err in matters of Faith is a strange Riddle among the Protestants and harder to conceive then Transubstantiation An Error in the Essentials of Faith saith he destroys the beeing of a Church But if Papists be not out of the way of Salvation nor out of the Pale of the Church notwithstanding their Idolatry the Wound is not mortal their Idolatry it seems is very harmless and why the same Bishop Bramhall gives you the reason viz. they who are Idolaters only materially not formally that is against their meanings resolutions and intentions are no Idolaters in the eyes of God or discerning
men neither are they out of the pale of the Church nor out of the way of Salvation pag. 396. of his Works printed at Dublin Thus Sir your Answers are so fâ—r from excusing the Liberty of this thing calâ—'d every mans Judgment of Discretion that they expose the vanity and uncertainty of it for you see how the first Reformers by vertue of their Judgment of Discretion did attaint all Christendom of damnable Idolatry for the space of 800 years and more and how Bishop Bramhall by vertue of his Judgment of Discretion pronounces them only material Idolaters that is no Idolaters in the eyes of God or discerning men nor out of the Pale of the Church or way of Salvation His Reason you shall hear by and by In the mean time you shall find nothing in all this Paper that denies the modest use of our Reason in matters of Religion It only intimates the uncertainty of Reason that a wise man cannot trust it when it contradicts the received Faith of the Church And truly unless it be governed by the Grace of God that is with Humility and Charity it runs as naturally into Schism Heresie and Rebellion as a Cockatrice Egg into a Serpent Give me leave to recomâ—end to your consideration these following Texts of Scripture and then conclude with a few passages out of Bishop Bramhall Knowledge puffeth up but Charity edifieth and if any man think that he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know but if any man love God the same is known of him 1 Cor. 8.3 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit there is more hope of a Fool then of him Proverbs 26.12 Be not wise in thine own eyes fear the Lord and depart from evil Prov. 3.7 Charity never faileth but whether there be Prophecies they shall fail whether there be Tongues they shall cease whether there be Knowledge it shall vanish away For we now see through a Glass darkly but then face to face 1 Cor. 13.8 Be of the same mind one towards another Mind not high things Be not wise in your own conceits Rom. 12.16 All this have I proved by Wisdom I said I will be wise but it was far from me Eccles 7.23 For vain man would be wise though he be born like the wild Asses Colt Job 11.12 Wo unto them that are wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight Isa 5.21 Trust unto the Lord with all thine heart and lean not unto thy own Understanding Prov. 3.5 These Texts though I say it had been good Advice for the first Reformers Cranmer Cromwell Ann Bolen Ridly Latimer Dudley Somerset c. whose Charity or Modesty a man can never admire when he seriously reflects upon these words of their Book of Homilies viz. Not only the unlearned and simple but the learned and wise not only the People but the Bishops not the Sheep but also the Shepherds themselves who should have been Guides in the right way as blind Guides of the blind fell both into the pit of damnable Idolatry in the which all the World as it were drowned continued until our Age that is until Henry 8 and Edward 6. by the space of above 800 years unspoken against in a manner 3d Part of Homily against Peril of Idolatry Now Sir If Roman Catholiques may be allowed a little use of their Own reason and choice of their Own Church as well as others I pray satisfie me by what Authority or Mission from God did those Reformers damn all the Christian World And set vp this Altar in England against that in France Spain Germany Italy Burnet Hist 2 Vol. page 14. 2d Edition Greece c. reforming the daily Sacrifice for so the Communion was called in the primitive Church as Burnet confesses into once a month in all Cathedrals and thrice a year in all Parâ—sh Churches Had they any Commission or had they none If they had not as undoubtedly they had none to authorize such immodesty then remember the Divine Indignation against Uzzab for presuming to put forth his hand uncommanded to support the Ark from falling 1 Chron. 13. If they had any do me or your self the kindness to produce it that we may see the contents of it and there is an end of the Controversie But do not pretend a Mission from the Church of Rome or from Christ by the hands of Roman Catholique Bishops For that 's like taking up Arms by the Kings Authority against the Kings Person And by the same pretence a Lutheran Minister having received his Orders from a Roman Bishop may Preach against the Sacraments of the Church of England Besides that it serves as well us Roman Catholiques to Preach against your Church since you can never invalidate our Mission without destroying your own Do not Roman Catholiques Lutherans c. think they understand the Doctrine of Christ as well as you or what extraordinary things do you pretend to I conclude with these passages out of Bishop Bramhall and I promise you his own words fairly First see page 133 of his works printed at Dublin where you shall find him answering this Objection that we meaning the Protestants have Schismatically separated our selves from the Communion of our Ancestors whom we Believe to be Damn'd c. He Answers First for our Natural Fathers the Answer is easie we do not condemn them nor separate our selves from them Charity requires both to think well and speak well of them but Prudence commands us to look well to our selves so say the Presbyterians and Independents excusing their not Communicating with the Church of England we believe our Fathers might partake of some Errors of the Roman Church We do not believe that they were guilty of any Heretical pravity observe this but held always the Truth implicitely in the preparation of their Minds and were always ready to receive it when God should please to reveal it unto them upon these grounds we are so far from damning them that we are confident they were saved by a general Repentance c. Then see page 68. of his whole Works If men might not be saved by a general and implicite Repentance they were in a woful Condition for who can tell how oft he offendeth Psal 19. and if by a general and implicite Repentance why not by a general and implicite Faith Why not by a general and implicite Obedience So as they do their utmost endeavours to learn their Duties and are ready to conform themselves when they know them c. In vain doth he meaning S. N. a Roman Catholique demand whether the Church of Protestants were extant in the World before the Reformation as if Protestancy were of the Essence of the Church As the Errors of the Roman Church were accidental to it so likewise was the Protestation against those Errors and the Reformation of them which might either be present or absent sine interitu subjecti Mark Sir what is the English of thâ—s
but that there was no such absolute necessity of Reformation as that Christs Church could not subsist without it He proceeds A Garden is the same before it be weeded and after To be purged doth not give a new Being to the Body The Glory of Christs Church was not extinguished by Superstitious Errors but only eclipsed page 1013. of his Works For the extent of our Separation we have not left the Catholique Church but only the Roman Church saith he Now I pray setting aside the Roman Church name me that Church under the Sun whose Sacraments and Liturgy the Church of England embraces Does she communicate with the Greek Church No that Church is for Mass the Corporal Presence Invocation of Saints Prayers for the Dead c. Does she Communicate with Lutherans Calvinists Anabaptists c. No no Lutherans are for the Corporal Presence the Crucifix over the Altar c. The Calvinists and Anabaptists have no Orders of Priests and Bishops therefore 't is a question whether they have any true Sacraments at all For we as for our parts believe saith Bishop Bramhall Episcopacy to be at least an Apostolical Institution approved by Christ himself in the Revelation Ordained in the infancy of Christianity as a remedy against Schism and we bless God that we have a clear Succession of it page 133. of his works printed at Dublin So that I cannot but wonder at those words of his page 1018. We have not left the Catholique Church but only the Roman Church Good Sir Name that Church in Europe Asia Africa or America whom your Reformers have not left tell us in what City or Province we shall find it Then observe these words ibid. p. 1018. We would admit the Church of Rome to be a Sister if that would content them yea an elder Sister and rather than fail to be a Mother Church to the Saxons or ancient English but we may not allow them the place of a Lady and Mistress And further We believe the Holy Ghost doth lead the Catholique or Universal Church into all Truths which are simply necessary to Salvation and preserves it from all such damnable Errors as are destructive to saving Faith. pag. 1018. The difficulty Sir is to find out this Catholique Church the Provinces or Cities where it dwelt before the Reformation or since if it be not in O Brazeel the Isle of Pines or the New Atlantis And when we have found it out what is the reason the Church of England does not communicate with its Sacraments and Liturgy since the Holy Ghost doth lead it into all Truths which are simply necessary to Salvation and preserves it from all such damnable Errors as are destructive to saving Faith as the Bishop asserts positively ubi supra These are the Questions that you may please to answer at your leisure If there be any such Church out of England what needs any Separation from her Sacraments or Altars where is the danger of communicating with her did the first Reformers under Edward 6. believe themselves when they repeated this Article of their Creed One holy Catholique and Apostolique Church if so why did they attaint all the Christian world of abominable and damnable Idolatry for the space of 800 years and more Farewell SIR Give me leave to add by way of Postscript that if you do not like this Paper I shall desire to know your Reasons and when I know them perhaps I shall not like ' em You allow every man his Judgment of Discretion that is a liberty to think or not think as you do in matters of Religion Stick to that Principle and I see not how you can find fault much less persecute any mans Opinion without contradicting your self But I have worse news than that to tell you the Good People of these Nations never dreamt of a thing call'd a Republick or Free State before the blessed days of Reformation that is until Scripture came to be understood according to every mans Judgment of Discretion FINIS