the Church Keys of Excommunication and Absolution only themselves Otheâ—â— delegate them to Presbyters and thereby tell the People that Presbyters are capable of them Others which is the Case with us in England do commit them to Lay-Chancellors who Excommunicate and Absolve by Sentence commanding a Priest to publish it 3. Some Diocesans may if they please allow the Parish-Priest to be Episcopus Gregis and to exercise so much of his true office in his Parish as shall keep up some tolerable Purity Order and Discipline themselves receiving Appeals and being Episcopi Pastorum 〈◊〉 this is rare I know none such But they leave the Parish-Priest no power so much as to suspend his own Act in administring Baptism or the Eucharist or pronouncing decreed Excommunications or Absolutionâ— when it is against his Knowledge and Conscience no though the People profess that they take him not for their Pastor or Guide at all or refuse to speak with him in case of Ignorance suspected Heresie or Scandal 4. Some Diocesans are learned good and holy Men and set themselves to promote Godliness and encourage the best Ministers such we have had in England as Grindall Jewel Usher and many more excellent Men. But others in jealousie of their places power and interest suspect and set themselves against painful Preachers and strict Men especially if they dissent from them and take them for dangerous Enemies and persecute them and countenance the ignorant Rabble to strengthen themselves against them So that particular Concord will be promoted by some Diocesans but Universal Concord will never be so attained by them Sect. XX. There are many Learned Divines who think that Forms of Church-Government are mutable and not necessary to all times and places and that as Prudence may change other Rites Circumstances and Orders so it may do this And some Papists are of this mind Read Card. Cusanus de Concordia and Gorson de Auferibilitate Papae And the Italian Bishops at Trent were for the dependance of Bishops on the Pope as the Maker of their Order or Giver of their Power And if so it is not capable of being necessary to Catholick Unity which may it self be changed And most Protestants and Papists hold that Men may turn Diocesan Bishops again into Parochial if they saw cause And all confess that Man may set up Bishops 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in every City which in the old sense was in every great Town like our Corporations or Market-Towns which is greatly different from the Roman or the English or the French or the Italian Diocesses Sect. XXI Yea there are very Learned Divines that think no Form of Church-Government is Jure Divino or of Divine determinate Institution so though Doctor Edward Reynolds late Bishop of Nâ—rwich and Doctor Stillingfleet doth not only think so himself but hath cited great and many Patrons of that opinion and brought a great many of Arguments for it in his Irenicon Be these in the right or wrong no Man of this opinion can believe any one Form of Government necessary to the Unity of the Church or fit to be the terms of Universal Concord And it is certain that some will still be of their opinion besides those that account Diocesans unlawful CHAP. VI. The Vniversal Church will never unite in General Councils as their Head or as necessary to Vnion Sect. I. THose that are not for the Absolute Sovereignty of the Bishop of Rome over all the World do yet many of them think that they are very moderate Men if they hold but the Superiority of Councils above the Pope or limit the Popes power to the advice and consent of Councils taking them to be necessary to Unity But the contrary is very easily proved much more their insufficiency Sect. II. 1. It is certain that the Church had Union before there was any General Council The first at Nice was 310 years at least if not more after the Birth of Christ There is none pretended to be before that by any judicious men They that instance in the Consultation of the Apostles Elders and Brethren at Jerusalem Acts 2. may easily see reason to convince them that those were but the Apostles Elders and Brethren that were ordinarily then resident at one City and Church And such as pretended not to be Governours of all the Apostles Elders and Brethren who then were absent about the world The Popes and his Cardinals may say they are a General Council but who will believe them These at Jerusalem were not sent from all the Churches but one of the Churches sent to them as fittest to advise them and as being men most certainly and eminently inspired by the Holy Ghost It 's true that Christ and his Apostles had a Governing power over all the Church And if they will impose on us no other sort of General Councils as so necessary but such as have such office power and infallibility and dwell together in one house or place and are not sent from other Churches as their Representatives and can prove such a Power we shall submit to such a Council Pighius hath said enough of that Novelty and against the Governing power of General Councils That which was not essential to the Church 310 years is not so now Sect. III. 2. If General Councils be the necessary means of Union it is either for their Laws or their Judgment and it is either past Councils or present ones or both 1. If it be the Laws of past Councils then one Council that can make Laws enough at first may serve without any after-After-Councils And if it be enough that there have been General Councils why is not the Church united by them Then it is no matter if there never be any more And why may not Christs own Laws serve for Church Union 2. But if it be present Councils that are necessary for Laws or Judgment then the Church is now no Church without them Sect. IV. 3. There is now no General Council in the world and yet the Church hath essential Union Nay as it is long since there was one in their own account so we know not whether ever there will be more the Interest of the Pope being against it Sect. V. 4. The great disagreement that is about Councils in the Christian World proveth that they can never be the terms of Universal Agreement 1. It is not agreed who must call them 2. Nor out of what Christian Countries they must come whether all or but some and which the Papists saying that three parts of Christians may be absent or have no right to send being Hereticks or Schismaticks and others think Papists to be Hereticks Schismaticks and Antichristian 3. Nor what Number are necessary to make a Council 4. Nor in what Countrey they must meet 5. Nor what their work is 6. Nor what Power they have 7. Nor how far they are to be believed 8. Nor which are to be taken for approved Councils and which not 9. Nor
Governours under the Emperours Civil Government and not over the world nor was there ever such a thing as a General Council of all the Christian world but only General as to one Empire Nor did any of these Councils take on them to make Constitutive terms of the Universal Church or its Union but only to preserve declare and expound them and to make subordinate governing Canons And if they had undertaken more no wise man can imagine that all Christians will therefore confess the right of such a claim and so submit to it The proof of their authority will be so obscure that as such as I cannot see it so there will be so many no wiser than I am as that the exclusion of all Christians that are but of our size will never stand with Catholick Unity And if it were possible to satisfie all the present age 1. that some have such authority from God 2. and who they are 3. and how far it extendeth yet still such will succeed them in whom the uncertainty and dissent will be revived What needeth there more proof than mans incapacity and the experience of so many Generations All Christians agree in Christianity All Christians never agreed on any human◠terms of Unity Pope Council or Monarch One Empire hath pretended to agree in Councils but have been so far from it as that they have been the occasion of their greatest disagreements witness even the Great ones Const 1. Ephes 1. 2. Calcedon which some blessed and some cursed for many generations after and that at Constantinople that made the decree de tribus capitulis divided even the Roman Church so far as that for one hundred years a great part of it renounced the Roman Bishop and set up another Patriarch against him And Abassia and other extra-imperial Churches were never under the Roman or Imperial Government § 12. V. And that the terms of Catholick unity must not be very many things is evident from the foresaid Incapacity of the most to comprehend many things and also from the confession of almost all sorts of Christians Even the Papists who have advanced the Christian Religion to the monstrous magnitude of their vast and numerous Decrees of Councils are forced yet to make them almost all unnecessary under the name of Implicite belief and do narrow the necessary articles of the Christian faith almost to an annihilation while they agree not whether it be necessary explicitely to believe the life death resurrection mediation judgement yea or being of Christ himself or any more than that there is a God and an Infallible Church Of which see Francisc de sancta Clara his Deus Natura Gratia at large And those of our selves that eject Ministers and Christians for dissenting from some of their own impositions are yet contented to admit such as submit to themselves upon very low terms of Christian knowledge to the Sacraments and Communion of the Church And indeed he knoweth not man who knoweth not that universal unity and concord will never be had upon the terms of Many dark uncertain humane or unnecessary things but only on the terms of things Few sure plain divine and necessary CHAP. II. Some instances of Gods description of these terms in the words of the Sacred Scriptures § 1. I Have before proved that Christ instituted the terms of Catholick Unity in Scripture and have cited some texts on the by It will not be amiss for conviction to set divers texts together which will fullier open the terms themselves § 2. The words of the institution of Baptism before mentioned are the most convincing Matth. 28. 19 20. Go ye and disciple all Nations baptizing them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway even to the end of the world Here Christ himself sendeth his messengers and prescribeth them their work and maketh the terms of Baptism the Entering and Constitutive terms of his Church which they were to gather But the Administring or Governing terms are larger even teaching them all things which Christ hath commanded them And this was a Law not only for that age but to the End of the world § 3. It is the same in sense which reduceth all the terms to Believing in Jesus Christ as including Belief in the Father and the Holy Ghost John 1. 12. As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name John 3. 14 15 16 18 36. Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life He that believeth on him is not condemned He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life John 17. 3. This is life eternal that they might know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent John 14. 1. Ye believe in God believe also in me John 15. 1 2 3. Now are ye clean through the word that I have spoken to you abide in me and I in you c. See John 6. Mark 16. 16. Preach the Gospel to every creature He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved and he that believeth not shall be damned It will be needless to repeat all words to the same purpose Matth. 18. 6. He that offendeth one of these little ones that believe in me it were better a mill-stone were hanged about his neck c. And yet must Bishops curse such from Christ and excommunicate them Mar. 1. 15. John 6. 29 69. 7. 39. 4. 35 38. 11. 27 42. 12. 36. 13. 9. 16. 30. 31. 17. 20 21. 20. 31. 2. 11 22. 9. 53. 16. 27. 7. 31. 8. 30. 10. 42. 11. 26 27. 5. 24. 6. 35 40 47. 7. 38. 12. 46. Acts 10. 42. 5. 14. 8. 37. 13. 39. 16. 31. 19. 7. 18. 8. 17. 4 34. 14. 1. 13. 12 48. And all these believers no doubt of no hard numerous humane articles lived in Love and Communion Acts 2. 44. 4. 32. so Rom. 3. 22. The Righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ is unto all and upon all them that do believe for there is no difference 4. 11 24. Abraham is the Father of all them that believe and righteousness shall be imputed to them all Rom. 10. 9 10. If thou confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead thou shalt be saved For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation Gal. 3. 22. 2. 16. Heb. 11. 6 c. 10. 39. 4. 3. 1 John 3. 23. 5. 1 5 10 13. § 4. Other texts that add Repentance to Faith speak but the same sense adding the express mention of the terminus à quo as well
as to Government And that none are of the visible Church that are not the Popes Subjects and that they that refuse such Subjection are Schismaticks or Hereticks or Infidels And that all that own Christ should be compelled by Sword or torment to own the Pope as his Vicar General Sect. III. Campanella de Regno Dei openeth the Mystery of the Fifth Monarchy and alledgeth the texts that are brought for it as intending Christs Reign on Earth by the Pope as his Viceroy And indeed it is an Universal Kingdom or Monarchy which they plead and strive for under the name of the Universal Church But in this they greatly differ whether the Pope have the universal Power of both Swords or but of one that is both Civil and Ecclesiastical and be really the King of all the World And herein they are of three Opinions as to the Subject of this Power and of three Opinions as to the degree Sect. IV. As to the Possessor of this Authority 1. One party say that the summa Potestas is in thâ—â— Pope 2. Another saith it is in the Pope presiding in a General Council or in the Pope and Council agreeing 3. And another party hold that it is in a General Council alone yet so as that the Pope is the Head of the Universal Church as the chief Prelate and Ordidinary Governour though subject to the Legislative and Judicial Power of the Council Sect. V. And as to the Degree of Power 1. Some hold that the Pope is the Monarch of all the Earth having the chief Power of both Swords and that the World is his Kingdom as Gods Vicegerent 2. Others hold that he hath directly only the Ecclesiastical Power but indirectly and in order to Spirituals he hath also the Temporal power of the Sword Or as the most hold that in his own Territories he hath both Powers as to Personal exercise but in other Kingdoms he can himself only execute the Church-power but he may command Kings to execute the power of the Sword for Religion according to his and his Bishops decrees and may force them to it by Anathema's and releasing their Subjects from the Bonds of Fidelity and giving their Kingdoms to others As some say that the King may not be personally Judge in the Courts of Justice but he may make Judges and force them to their duty and depose them if unworthy This differeth little from the former The Monarchy is nevertheless absolute though Kings be the Popes Officers or Lictors 3. But some few hold that the Pope and Bishops have no Power of the Sword at all nor of forcing Kings to use it The Controversie was hotly handled when Popes and Emperors were in Warrs The Volumes written on both sides are published by Goldastus to which William Barkley and some others in France have added more Sect. VI. Rightly therefore doth the Geograph Nubiensis call the Pope A King The Name of a Church maketh not a difference in the thing There be some that think that all Kings should be also Priests and the Popes will grant it so far as to hold that all Bishops should be Magistrates and the Chief Priest be Univerâ—al Kingâ— Cardinal Bertram in Biblioth Patr. saith God had not been wise if he had not set up such a Monarch under him over the World And in 〈◊〉 seu Bulla Sixti quarti Philippo Palatino Rhâ—ni in â—rehero Vol. 2. pag. 162. you may see their Claim in these words Universos Christianos Principes acâ—omnes Christi fideles requirere eisque mandare vice Dei cuius locum quamvis immeriti tenemus in terris To require all Christian Princes and all faithful Christians and to command them in Gods stead whose place on earth we hold though unworthy The Twelfth General Council viz. at the Laterane sub Innoc. 3. and some at Rome under Greg. 7. and many others put this Claim of theirs past doubt Sect. VII Now that the Universal Church will never unite in the Roman Papacy I prove undeniably as followeth 1. Because Christians will never unite in an Agreement to forsake the Scriptures as Gods Word and Law where they will still find that he never instituted such a Roman Monarch The Papists contrary Assertion will never convince the World when the Book it self is open before them They will there find no one man that ruled all the rest no one to whom Appeals were made no one that ever claimed such a power much less that settled any such at Rome or that ever a word was left by Christ to direct the Church to center in the Bishop of Rome Nor that ever the Apostles preached this to the Churches which they must needs have done had it been essential to the Church Catholick or half as necessary as the Papists make it Sect. VIII 2. Because in Scripture Christians will not only find nothing for it but much against it which many Volumes having largely proved Chamier Whitakers White and abundance more it would be vain here to repeat I commend to the English Reader now but Dr. Challoners small Book of the Catholick Church Sect. IX 3. Because were it but as dark and doubtful and uncertain as common Reason and Disputers experience proveth it the universal Church can never unite in a thing which so few can see any certainty in or evident proof of Sect. X. 4. Because the greatlyest reverenced General Councils are against it limiting the Popes power to his Diocese as Nice first doth and declaring him to be National and of humane Institution as being Bishop of the Imperial City and advancing Constantinople from the same Reason as doth the Council of Chalcedon Of which I have largely written against Terret Sect. XI 5. Because the Greek Church hath ever held the Papacy to be of humane Institution Proved briefly 1. Because they ever held the Popes power to stand on the same Foundation with the other Patriarchs But they ever held the other Patriarchs to be of Humane Institution which needs no proofs to men of Reading 2. Because they set up Constantinople first next him and then equal to him and then above him which they had never done had they taken the Papacy to be of Divine Institution For they never pretended any such foundation for the Bishop of Constantinoples power and they were never so desperate as to set up Mans Ordination above Gods 3. Because they took his Power to be limited by the Laws of the Empire and him to be subject to the Emperours All which is known to men that know Church-History Sect. XII 6. Because the common Reason of Mankind will still discern that a humane Monarchy of all the Earth is a dream and Impossibility and that no man is naturally capable of exercising such a power Sect. XIII 7. Because while Baronius Binius Crab Surius and other Histories of the Councils are extant and Platina Anastasius and other Histories of the Popes and while all the old Church-History is extant and all the German
us the Britains rejected them and the Scots would not eat or converse with them The Abassine Empire was never under them nor those of India and Persia And the Councils in which they had the first seat were but of one Empire as is after proved And as for the first three hundred years under Pagan Emperours their own Writers confess the Church of Rome was little set by that is it had no governing power over the rest nor is there any pretence to think they had The first that talk'd very high was Leo the first who called himself the Head of the Catholick Church But by Catholick was then meant usually the Churches in the Empire only and by Head he meant the prime Bishop in order but not the Governour of all Nor was his claim if he meant any more approved by the Churches in that Age. Though the Council of Chalcedon highly applauded him and his Epistle as an advantage to carry their Cause against Dioscorus who had excommunicated the Pope and took him for the prime member of their Council yet they thought meet in their Canons to declare that it was but by humane mutable right in the Roman Empire Let them shew us if they can when and where the universal Church on Earth ever subjected themselves at all to the Pope Much less can they bring any pretense of it for the first three hundred yeas Had they any Meeting in which they agreed for it Did they all receive Laws Ordination or Officers from Rome or from its Emissaries If we were so foolish as to believe that his precedence in General Councils was a proof of the Popes Monarchy yet it 's easie to prove 1. That for 300 years there was no General Council 2. And that it was not the Pope that presided at Nice 3. And that those Councils were but Imperial and not truly Universal But if all the Church ever had been subject to the Pope as being at first except Abassia almost confined to the Roman Empire it doth not follow that it will ever be so again when it is dispersed into so many Kingdoms of the World The Jesuites at first were all under the King of Spain and the Mahometans at first all under one Prince but they are not so now Is it likely that ever all Christian Mahometan and Heathen Kings will suffer all their Christian Subjects to be under the Government of a Foreign Priest But their own Writers agree that the Apostles at first were dispersed into many Countreys besides the Roman Empire and that Ethiopia was converted by the Eunuch mentioned Acts 8. initially its like before Rome and fullyer by St. Matthew And you may see in Godignus Alvarez Damianus a Goez and others full evidence that they were never Subjects to the Pope of Rome I conclude then 1. That Rome is not owned this day as the head of Unity by all Christians 2. That it never was so taken for the Governing and Uniting Head 3. And that the reason of the thing fully proveth that it never will be so I may adde that indeed it is not known among themselves who are the consenting Subjects of the Pope or Members of their Church It is indeed Invisible or a Church not knowable For 1. They are not agreed nor ever like to be what is the essential qualification of a Member of the Church Or what that Faith is that must make a Member Some say it must be the Belief of all the Creed explicitely others of some few Articles others that no more is necessary ad esse than to believe explicitly that God is and that he is a Rewarder of good works and to believe that the Church is to be believed Of which see Fr. a Sanct. Clara in his Deus Natura Gratia 2. And their forcing men into their Church with Tortures Fire and Sword leaveth it utterly uncertain who are Consenters and who are in the Church as Prisoners to save Limbs and Life And if they ever recover England Scotland Ireland Germany and the other Reformed Churches it must be by the Sword and Warrs and Violence and never by force of Argument And if they should conquer us all which is their hope and trust it will not follow that men are of their minds because they cannot or dare not contradict them no more than because they are dead Experience Reason and Scripture then do fully prove to men that are willing to know the truth that the Universality of Christians will never be united to the Roman Papacy Yea that this Papacy is the greatest of all Schisms 1. By setting up a false Head of Union and 2. By cutting off or renouncing three parts of the Christian World even all Christians except the Subjects of the Pope CHAP. V. The Vniversal Church will never unite in Patriarchs or any other humane Form of Church-Government Sect. I. WHether or how far such Forms may consist with Union is a Question that I am not now debating any further than shall be anon intimated by the way But that they will never become the Bond of Union or be received by all and that to make any such thought Necessary to universal Unity is Schism I am easily able to prove Sect. II. And this needeth no other proofs than what are given against uniting in the Papacy in the former Chapter As 1. Patriarchs and other humane Institutions being not of God but Man the whole Church can never unite in them 1. Because they will never all agree that any men have true Authority given them by God to make new Church-Officers and Forms that shall be necessary to the Unity or Concord of the Church Universal 2. They will never agree who those men are that God hath given such power to if they did suspect that such there are A Prince hath no Power out of his Dominions 3. They will never agree that if man made such Forms or Offices they may not unmake them again if they see cause or that their Acts bind all their Posterity never to rescind or change them 4. They will never find that all the Christian World ever agreed herein and so in all Posterity is obliged by their Ancestors 5. Much less will any ever prove that the Institution was Divine Sect. III. If any say that the Apostles settled this Form by the Spirit the Universal Church will never believe it For 1. No Scripture saith so 2. No true credible History saith so 3. If the Apostles settled Patriarchs it was either as their own Successors or as a new Office And it was either by joynt consent or man by man each one apart But 1. Had they settled them as their Successours they would have settled twelve or thirteen But there were but five settled at all besides some new petty Patriarchs as at Aquileia when they cast off Rome 2. No Writer tells us of any meeting of the Apostles to agree of such a Form 3. No nor that ever they settled them 4. History assureth
what to do if they contradict each other or the Pope or the Scriptures 10. Nor whether any more Councils be necessary than what are past already But the Papists themselves hold That they are not the stated Head or Governing Power of the Church else there were now no Church because there is no General Council but as a Consultation of Physicians in extraordinary 〈◊〉 of the Churches maladies Sect. VI. 5. It is certain That the Univerâ—â—â— Church was never united in their subjection to Councils yea that even at the greatest Councils called General at Nice Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon and the rest there were not Delegates from all the Churches without the Empire nor did they all subject themselves unto them yea it is certain That there never was an Universal Council of the Church throughout the World but that they were onely called General as to one Empire and so were but as National Councils This I have elsewhere proved at large in my Answer and Reply to Johnson for the Churches Visibility 1. By the names that did subscribe the Councils One Johan Presidis at Nice is an Exception there easily answered 2. Because the Roman Emperor called them whatever Papists say against it to the Ignorant who had no power but of the Empire 3. Because no Summons was sent to any much less to all out of the Empire as History acquainteth us 4. They were all under the five Patriarchs and the Metropolitanes of the Empire The Abassines subjection to Alexandria was since the revolt of Dioscorus 5. We read of no Execution of their Canons out of the Empire by either casting out Bishops or putting them in 6. Theodoret giveth it as the reason why James Bishop of Nisibis was at the Council of Nice because Nisibis then obeyed the Roman Emperor and not the Persian Hist. Sanct. Pat. cap. 1. 7. The Emperors oft decided their differences and set Civil Judges among them to keep order and determine and corrected them and received Appeals and cognisance of their proceedings All which and more prove evidently that they were but Universal as to that one Empire â—ay rarely or never so much and not as to the world Sect. VII It is probable if not certain that there never will be an Universal Council unless which God forbid the Christian Society should be reduced to a small and narrow compass when we are hoping its increase For 1. The differences who shall call them and the rest before named are never like to be agreed 2. Turks Heathen and Nations in War against other or hating Christians will never all consent and suffer it 3. The jealousie that Christian Princes have of Papal Tyranny will never let them agree to send their Subjects to it The Case of the Abassines Greeks Armenians Moscovites Protestants c. proveth this 4. The distance is so vast that the East and West Indians and Ethiopians cannot come so far to answer the Ends of a General Council 5. Should they attempt it their Number must be so unproportionable to the nearer parts that it would be no true General Council to signifie by Votes the Churches sense 6. They could not all meet and consult in one room if they were truly Universal 7. They could not all understand each other through diversity of Language 8. Their present difference and old experience assureth us that they would fall altogether by the ears and increase the Schism 9. They would not live to get home again so far to bring and prosecute the Concord 10. The People and Priests at home would not agree to receive them Sect. VIII Yea it is certain that it would be a most heinous sin to call a true Universal Council worse than an hundred Murders For 1. If young Men came in no just proportion it would but mock the world and prepare for Heresie or Tyranny If experienced aged Men came from America Ethiopia Armenia c. and the Antipodes the Voyage and Labour would murder them 2. Their Losses would be unspeakable to their Churches 3. Yea their absence so many years would be to their Churches an unsufferable loss 4. The benefits were not like to countervail the loss if they did not hurt by differences or error or tyranny it will be a wonder Sect. IX The sad History of Councils too fully proveth that they have been so far from being the causes of Concord and Preventers or Healers of Schisms that they have been one of the most notorious causes of division and distraction Having proved this in a peculiar Treatise A Breviate of the History of Bishops and Councils I must not here repeat it The Council of Nice did best But as Constantine was fain to keep Peace among the Bishops in person and burnt their numerous Libels against each other so wise men think he might another way have better suppressed Arianism and prevented the many contrary and divided Councils which this one did by one word occasion and have prevented the Persecutions which Valens and Constantius exercised And had the time of Easter been left at liberty perhaps it had as much made for Peace What the first Council at Constantinople did the sad Case and sadder description of Gregory Nazianzene tell us whose character of the Bishops not Arians as some talk should not be read without tears by any whence he learned the danger of Councils and resolved never to come to more What all the Bastard Councils did at Ariminum Sirinium Alexandria Milan c. I need not tell And what Schism and Bloodshed was occasioned by the first and second Council at Ephesus yea what streams of Blood Desolation Schism and many Ages deplorable enmity and confusion were caused by the Council of Calcedon I need tell no one that hath read Church History It is true indeed that the Nestorians and Eutychians were condemned in these and the Mâ—nothelites in many following But whether mutual understanding might not have made a better end I appeal to a Thousand years experience and to the nature of the Heresies there condemned which seem to be much formed in and by ambiguous words which a good Explication might have better healed than Anathema's and Bloodshed Of this I spake before and often The Nestorians said that Mary was not to be called the Mother of God but of Christ The Orthodox said the contrary when the Orthodox never meant that she begat the Godhead and the Nestorians never denied that she begate him that is God Where then is the difference but in words one speaking of the Abstract Deity which the other never meant The Nestorians were charged with holding two Persons in Christ instead of two Natures which yet Nestorius plainly denieth but Cyril charged it on him by consequence because he refused the name 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 on the foresaid account thinking that denomination a ratione formali is most apt And it seems one took Nature in the same sense as others took Person meaning the same thing The Eutychians asserted
one Nature only but they meant that Christ had but one Nature as undivided which the Orthodox granted but denied not that the Godhead and Manhood were distinct And what was the difference then but whether the undivided Godhead and Manhood should be called one Nature or two which truly in one sense was two and in another one The like was the Monothelites Heresie for and against which were many Councils about one or two Wills and Operations no more disagreeing than as aforesaid about the sense of One and Two And had not a wise Explication and patient Reconciliation done better service than Cursing did whose doleful effects Hatred Hereticating and Schism continue to this day Should I come to the Councils about Images and that at Constantine that decreed the Tribus Capitulis and the multitudes since that have deposed Emperors and Kings raised Wars set up Popes and Anti-Popes c. Alas how sad a History would it be to convince us that Councils of Bishops have caused most of the Schisms Church-Tyranny Rebellions and Confusions in the Christian world And if the Popes have been restrained or deposed or Schisms at Rome partly stopt by any the flame hath quickly more broke out and condemned Popes have oft got the better of them And if one Council hath said That the Pope is responsible another hath determined the contrary If Basil and Constance decreed That a Council be called every ten years it was not done but was a mockery in the event In a word Councils of Bishops have been but Church-Armies of which at first the Patriarchs were Generals and afterwards Popes and Emperors and came to fight it out for Victory the sequel being usually Schism and Calamity And must this be the only way of Universal Peace CHAP. VII The Vniversal Church will never unite in many pretended Articles of Faith not proved to be Divine nor in owning unnecessary doubtful Opinions or Practices as Religious or Worship of God notwithstanding the pretense of Tradition Sect. I. I Need say no more for proof of this than is said in the first Part. If Preachers say that this or that is an Article of Faith If Popes say it If Councils say it this saying will never unite all Christians in the belief of it It is no belief of God whose object is not revealed by God and perceived so to be and received as such That the sacred Scriptures are written by Divine Inspiration Christians are commonly agreed But that Popes Prelates or Councils speak by Divine Inspiration even when they expound the Scriptures all Christians neither are agreed nor ever will be And till a man perceiveth that it is God that speaketh or that the word spoken is Gods Word he cannot believe it with a Divine Faith which is nothing but believing it to be Gods Word and trusting it accordingly God is true but men are Lyers Rom. 3. Sect. II. Before we can receive any thing as Truth from Man we must have evidence that it is true indeed And that must be 1. Either from the nature of the thing and its causes 2. Or from some testimony of God either concomitant as Miracles were or subsequent in the Effects 3. Or from our knowledge of the Veracity Authority Inspiration and Infallibility of the Instrument or Speaker If therefore any Church or company of men shall tell us that this is a Divine Truth or Article of Faith no more of the World can be expected to believe them than are convinced of it by one of these three proofs The first is the case of natural Revelation and not now questioned The Second none but the Church of Rome do plead for their own belief viz. that they work Miracles and therefore are to be believed in whatever they affirm to be the Word of God Knot against Chillingworth and others of them do ultimately resolve their Faith or their proof of the truth of their Religion into the Miracles wrought in the Church of Rome by which God testifieth his approbation of their Assertions Other Christians that may have more miracles than Papists yet resolve not their proof of Christianity into them but lay more stress on other Evidence and particularly on Christs and his Ministers miracles attesting the holy Scriptures and Gospel to be of God And when we can find just proof of the Papists Miracles we shall be willing to study the meaning of them But hitherto we have not found such proof If any Council in Rome France Germany or England shall say These are Divine revealed Truths and as such you must believe subscribe or swear to them the world will never agree in believing them when no sober man is bound to believe them but as humane uncertain and fallible witnesses according to the measure of their Credibility Sect. III. Long experience fully proveth this No Age of the Church did ever agree in Articles of meer humane Assertion for that had been but a humane Faith That which the Council of Nice said was denyed by the Councils at Sirmium Ariminum c. That which the Council at Ephesus the first and at Chalcedon affirmed they at the Council of Ephesus the second denyed That which the Monotholites under Philippicus innumerable Bishops saith Binius affirmed many other Councils condemned That which the Council at Nice the second decreed for Images was condemned by many other Councils That which the Councils at â—isa Constance and Basil decreed to be Articles of Faith the Council at Florence and others abhorre Much less will a Provincial Synod or a Convocation or a Parliament be taken by all the Christian world to be infallible Sect. IV. And indeed the obtruding of â—alshoods or Uncertainties on the Churches is a notorious cause of Schism For what can you expect that men of Sobriety and Conscience should do in such a case Discern the certainty of the thing they cannot nor can they believe that all must needs be true that is said by a Synod a Convocation or a Parliament And they dare not lie in saying they believe that which they do not And to take all for Schismaticks that dare not deliberately lie or that set not up 〈◊〉 men as Lords of their Conscience instead of God is Schismatical unchristian and inhumane And as mens mere wills ought not to rule their understandings nor the will of Synods of Bishops or others to be the rule and measure of our wills so though we were never so willing to believe all to be true that Councils of Bishops or Princes say 〈◊〉 are not our understandings in the power of our 〈◊〉 We cannot believe what we list To know or believe without evidence of truth is to see without light False Hypocrites may force their tongues to say that they believe this or that at the Command of man but they cannot force themselves indeed to believe 〈◊〉 How then can a book of Articles or the Decrees of a Council or the Laws of a Prince bring the World to any unity
with the People or that he must worship Bread and Wine as his God or that he may give a half-Sacrament of Bread without Wine contrary to Christs Institution the Apostles Doctrine 1 Cor. 11. and all the Churches constant practice till of late And that instead of a Commemoration he offereth a real present Sacrifice for the quick and dead Will all agree to their Image-worship Why then did so many Councils condemn it Will all agree that the Assemblies pray in an unknown tongue He is mad with errour who believeth that ever the Church Universal will receive all these and the rest which pretended Infallibility maketh to be uncurable Errours in the impenitent Roman Sect. 3. And briefly as to the rest there is no Calvinist believeth that ever all the Churches will receive the Lutherane Consubstantiation or Church-Images Nor any Lutherane that believeth that ever all the Church will be of the way called Calvinism a Name even here in England honoured by many that yet disown it as a note of Schism and reproached with the bitterest scorn and accusations by others Indeed the Behmenists the Quakers and some Anabaptists have said that all the Churches would at last and shortly be of their mind But few others believe them nor have cause Sect. IV. That which hath divided the Churches will never be the cement of their Concord But every one of these parties as Sects by that whence others denominate and oppose them have done something to divide the Churches what the Greeks Armâ—â—ans Nestorians Eutychians or Jacobites have done the Papists and others tell you at large what the Abassines do by their Baptizings and other Fopperies I need not declare What the Papists do above all oâ—â—ers I have opened before What the Anabaptists do by differing from almost all other Christians is known What the Diocesans have done in Councils and by silencing others c. enow have shewed What Independents and their way have done towards Divisions and Separations it is in vain in this Age in England to recite And many wise men think that the Presbyterians over violent rejecting of all Episcopacy setting up unordained Elders and National Churches as headed by National Assemblies c. are divisive and unwarrantable As the same men think their making by the Scots Covenant the renouncing of the Prelacy to be the test of National Concord also was And who can think that Erastianism deposing the true use of Church-Government as it hath begun will not still more divide than heal Sect. V. I deny not but Universal Concord may take in almost all such parties but not as such by receiving any of their Errours but as Christians who agree in the common Essentials of Faith and Piety We can unite with sober Anabaptists but not by becoming Anabaptists Christïanity is our Religion and with all that hold the Essentials of Christianity we can hold essential Unity And with those that hold the Integrals most purely we have more and neerer Concord than with the rest that have more errours And if any of these parties be sounder than the rest we love and honour them above the rest and preferre their Assemblies for our local Communion But though my Parlour or Bed-chamber be a cleaner part of my house than my Kitchin or my Coâ—-house I will not say therefore that the whole house must be a Parlour or Bed-chamber or that the hand and the foot are no parts of the body because they are not the head or heart or that all the body must be an Eye or one of the Noblest parts St. Paul hath taught me better than so 1 Cor. 12 We must expect that each party should labour to propagate that which they take to be the truth But to force all to their sayings or persecute or cast off all Dissenters is schismatical whatever be pretended CHAP. IX The pretended Necessity of an uninterrupted Canonical or Episcopal Ordination will never unite the Church but is Schismatical Mr. Henry Dodwells Sâ—hismatical Treatise against Schism considered and confuted § 1. BEcause the City of Rome hath not been conquered and kept by Infidels nor Christianity thence ejected the Papists think that they excell other Churches in an uninterrupted Succession of ordained Pastors and therefore they bend their wits to prove this necessary to every true Church and then to prove others to be no true Churches or Ministers of Christ that want it And because they think that our Pastors can prove no such continued Succession unless as derived to us from Rome and that to acknowledge such a derivation is to acknowledge them a true Church on which we have and must depend therefore they most earnestly manage this Argument against us as their strength Sect. II. And there is lately a young unordained Student of Trinity-Colledge neer Dublin come out of Ireland to propagate this and such like Doctrines in London to which end he hath lately written a large and wordy Volume as if it were only against the Non-conformists Which being new and the most audacious and confident attempt that ever I knew made against the reformed Churches by one that saith himself he is no Papist and being the moâ—t elaborate enforcement of the Papists grand Argument on which of late they build their cause I think it needful to the Readers satisfaction not to pass it by though it will not stand with the order of this undertaken work nor with my want of leisure to write a particular Answer to all the words of so exceeding prolix and tedious a discourse Sect. III. I have oft handled this case already especially in my Disput of Church-Government Disp of Ordination and in my Ecclesiastical Cases in my Christian Directory and that more largely than I must here doe And the Reader that would see more may read the Protestants Cause fully vindicated against Cornelius Jansenius a stronger adversary by Gisb. Voetius in a full Volume de desperata causa Papatus But I shall here first briefly assert the Truth Sect. IV. 1. Christ and his Spirit in his Apostles have already instituted and described the Office of the sacred Ministry and determined what Power and what Obligations to the work it doth contain and what the work is to which they are designed so that it is not left to any Church now to make or amend or change the Oâ—â—â—ce what it is I have described in the Second â—art Sect. V. 2. Christ also and his Spirit in his Apostles have told us what are the necessary qualifications of such as shall receive this Office and be received into it viz. what is necessary to the Being and what to the Well-being of a Minister of Christ And consequently who are utterly uncapable so that Men may by Canons enforce the Execution of these Canons of Christ and may instruct each other how to understand them but they cannot make a Pastor of an uncapable unqualified person no more than they can make currant Coin of forbidden Mettal or Meat of
the edification of the Church and the glorifying and pleasing of God our Creator Redeemer and Sanctifier And that the said Maintained Ministers be tyed by the regulating Laws which determine only such circumstances as in genere are necessary to be agreed in for Uniformity and common harmony As of Time Place Parish Bounds what Translation of Scripture to use what Version of Psalms what decent Habit c. not put to profess Approbation of all these but required to use them and censured if they do not 5. That the Tolerated Ministers subscribe all the same things except these last Regulating Laws for Circumstances of Order 6. That either a Catalogue of Errors and Sins be drawn up in the Law which no Minister shall preach or else it be left to the Judges to discern when any is proved to preach against any necessary Article of his subscribed Profession And it is meet that the Catalogue prohibited to the Maintained Ministers be larger than that prohibited to the Tolerated some Errors being tolerable which are not approvable And it is not the first fault that should suspend or silence either of them but obstinacy after a first and second admonition Yea many lesser Errors must be punished only with congruous Mulcts or Rebukes or after that with loss of Maintenance that are not to be punished with Silencing 7. That no other Test Profession Covenant Subscription or Promise be required of any as necessary to Ministery or Communion which may become dividing Snares and Engines But only that where Papal Tyrannies or any other Usurpers claim it dangerous to the Church and Kingdom the Essentials of that Papacy or Usurpation be expresly renounced by all that will have Maintenance or Toleration yet not on this pretence making every claim of Patriarchs Archbishops Bishops Councils or Synods of Presbyters which others think to be a Usurpation to be so dangerous as the Papacy and so the renunciation of them as necessary because such existent persons claim not such Power nor make such Laws for deposing Kings and murdering or exterminating Dissenters which if they do they must be expresly renounced else the keeping out usurping practice is enough 8. The Christian Magistrate must keep Peace among all both the Approved and Tolerated and not suffer any unpeaceable Preaching or Disputes which tend to destroy Love and Quietness nor suffer railing Calumnies against each other to be published or printed § III. 1. Particular Churches and their Pastors should be so far Associated as is necessary to their mutual peace concord and strength And therefore should keep frequent Synods for Correspondency to these Ends and by Messengers and Letters also keep up their Brotherly Concord 2. But whether these Associations of single Churches should be headed by Diocesanes Metropolitanes Archbishops Primates Patriarchs most think is a matter of meer humane Prudence 3. But certainly the Magistrate must see that neither the Synods nor their Heads or Presidents tyrannize 〈◊〉 instead of Assemblies for Concord become an Aristocratical or Monarchical Church-Government nor force not any to approve of them or such humane Forms of Churches much less that they infringe not the Rights and Liberties of the Churches formed by the institution of Christ and his Apostles § IV. Yet more briefly 1. Approving the beâ—â— 2. Tolerating the Tolerable 3. Sacraments fre◠〈◊〉 not forced 4. The Intolerable restrained 5. The test of Toleration being this Whether such Tolerated Worship do more good or hurt in true impartial judgment 6. Magistrates keeping all in peace would heal us FINIS Jam. 3. 17. Act. 20. 28 29 30 c. Act. 19. 19. * See Beza's Conjecture of the summe in loc †Rev. 2. 2 3 4 5 6. 1 Pet. 4. * In Methodo Theologiâ—e Part. 2. Rom. 14. 17. 15. 1 Cor. 12. 13. Gal. 6. 1 2 3. * Such as now worketh in Mr. Eliats in New England and Mr. Thomas Gouge in England towards the Welsh in many worthy Ministers who suffer the reproach and persecutions of men because they will not consent to be as lights put under a bushel Rom. 13. 12 13. Gal. 6. 6 7 8. Mark 3. 24 25. Luke 11. 17 18. * Sicut noxium est si unitas desit bonis ita perniciosum est si sit in malis Perversos quippe unitas corroborat dum concordant taâ—to magis incorrigibiles quanto unanimes facit Greg. Moral l. 33. * See Whateley's notable Diâ—course of this in his Carecloth Doct. 1. * De consol philos l. 4. * Moral l. 9. Gen. 4. 8 9. 13. 7. c. 19. 4. 26. 20. 27. 41. 31. 36. 34. 25 c. 49. 50. 53. Exod. 2. 13. 16. 2. 17. 3. Numb 21. 4 5 6. Judg. 9. 12. 20. 1 Sam. 18. 2 Sam. 3. 15. 19. 1 King 12. c. 2 Chron. 36. 16. Mat. 2. 3. Luke 22. Act. 15. 1 c. 15. 39 40. 1 Cor. 1. 3. c. Prov. 14. 34. 6. 33. 19. 26. Jer. 23. 40. 29. 18. 42. 18. 44. 8. Ezek. 5. 1â— 15. 22. 4. Of this I have written at large in my last Confutation of Johnson Which is the true Church or for our Churches perpetual Visibility 1 Pet. 5. 2 3. See what I have recited out of Philastrius in my book against Johnson called Which is the true Church in the end * Greg. Nazianzene See Mr. Dâ—dwill This second may be spared if the third be well done And instead of both may well be a Catalogue of doctrines erroneous or doubtful which none shall preach or propagate of which after See more against the Magistrates overdoing in the third Part. A. The form Common to all Christians Mat. 28. 19. Mark 16. 16. I. Assent Heb. 11. 6. 1 Cor. 8. 4. Mat. 28. 19. Joh. 4. 24. Psal 90. 2. Gen. 17. 1. Heb. 4. 13. Luk. 18. 19. Psal 117. 2. Deut. 32. 4. Isa 6. 3. Ge. 1. Act. 17. 24. Gen. 1. 27. 1 Chron. 28. 9. Luk. 10. 27. Joh. 17. 3. Mat. 4. 10. 19. 17. Gen. 3. Rom. 5. 12. 3. 23. Gen. 2. 17. Eph. 2. 3. I Joh. 4. 14. Joh. 1. 1 14. 1 Tim. 2. 5. Luk. 1. 35. Rom. 9. 5. Joh. 16. 33. Heb. 2. 14. Mat. 3. 15. Heb. 7. 26. 1 Joh. 2. 6. Gal. 3. 13. 1 Cor. 15. 3 4. Act. 3. 9. 3. 21. Eph. 5. 23. Luk. 1. 33. Act. 3. 22. Heb. 7. 25 26. Eph. 1. 23 24. Rom. 14. 9 10. Joh. 5. 22. 17. 1 2 3. Luk. 24. 47. Mat. 28. 19 20 Mark 16. 15 16. Joh. 3. 16. 1 Joh. 5. 11 22. Joh. 1. 10 11 12. Gal. 3. 27 28. 5. 24. 1 Pet. 5. 8 9. Luk. 14. 33. Tit. 2. 14. 1 Pet. 3. 21. Mat. 28. 20. Heb. 5. 9. Luk. 14. 32. Rev. 22. 14. Joh. 16. 13. Eph. 2. 20. 3. 5. 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. Joh. 3. 5 6. Rom. 8. 9. Gal. 4. 6. Tit. 3. 3 5. Heb. 12. 14. Tit. 2. 11 12. Rom. 8. 13. Heb. 5. 9. 1 Cor. 12. Mar. 16. 16. Joh. 1. 11 12. Eph. 4. 1. to 17. Rom. 8. 1. Act. 26. 18. Rom. 14. 15 1 Thes 5. 12 13. Rom. 16. 16 17. Joh. 15. 1. to 10. 1 Pet. 3. 21. Mat. 7. 21 22. 1 Cor. 7. 14. Rom. 11. 17. Gal. 3. 26 27 28. Joh. 12. 26. 2 Cor. 5. 1 7 8. Act. 7. 59. Act. 17. 31. 2 Thes 1. 7 8. Joh. 5. 28 29. Mat. 25. 46. Matth. 13. 1 Thes 1. 6 10 11. Rev. 22. II. Consent and Desire Rom. 12. 1. Joh. 1. 11 12. Deut. 10. 12. Rom. 8. 8. Heb. 11. 12. 28 29. Isa 56. 4 5. 55. 2 3 4 6. Rev. 22. 17. Luk. 14. 26 29. 2 Cor. 5. 7 8 9. 2 Pet. 3. 11 12. 1 Pet. 1. 4 5. 2 Pet. 1. 3 4. Tit. 1. 3 4. Mat. 7. 7. III. Practice Act. 27. 23. Ps 73. 25 26. Deut. 10. 12. 2 Chron. 20. 20. 2 Cor. 5. 8 9. Mat. 5. 17 18 19. Jo. 15. 10 12 14. Jo. 16. 7. 1 Jo. 5. 20 21. Mat. 4. 9 10. Psal 1. 1 2 3. 37. 4. 104. 34. 89. 7. 2 Tim. 3. 4. 1 Cor. 11. 23 c. Psal 119. 97. Jam. 4. 12. Exod. 20. 7 8. Rev. 1. 10. Rom. 13. Col. 3. 20. Deut. 27. 16. Rom. 12. 19 20. 2 Sam. 23. 3. Rom. 13. 9 10. Luk. 18. 20. Mat. 5. 44 45. 1 Jo. 3. 15 16. Eph. 5. 3 4 5. 1 Thes 4. 6. Lev. 19. 11. Prov. 19. 5. Psal 15. 3. Mat. 19. 19. 7. 12. B. Proper to Ministers of the Gospel Act. 20. 20 c. Jo. 21. 15 16 17. 2 Tim. 4. 1 2. 1 Tim. 4. 16. 3. 2 3 4 5 6. 4. 1 3 15. 1 Tim. 3. 4 5 6 19. 2 Tim. 1. 7 8 9 10 13. 2 Tim. 2. to the end 1 Tim. 6. 16 17 18. Tit. 1. 2. 3. 1 Thes 5. 12 13. Mat. 6. 33. Heb. 13. 17. 1 Cor. 4. 1 2. Mat. 24. 45 46 47 48 49. 1 Cor. 9. 16 to the end 1 Cor. 11. 23. Mat. 5. 16 20. Mat. 15. 8 9. Isa 8. 20. 1 Pet. 5. 1 2 3 4. C. Special duty to Civil Rulers Rom. 13. 1 c. Mat. 28. 19. 1 Tim. 2. 1 2 3. 1 Pet. 2. 13 14 15 16 17 18. 2 Pet. 2. 10 11. Rom. 13. 7. 5. Col. 3. 12 13 14. Jam. 3. 1 14 15 16 17. Jud. 8 9 10. * See the sâ—â—ond Council◠〈◊〉 â—citing and appâ—â—â—ing thâ— former General Council of 〈◊〉 which in other things they opposed yet both condemned this opinion See all this fally proved in my Books against Jâ—hnson of the Visibility of our Church especially in my last called Wâ—ich is the true Church Of this more before See my Last Book against Johnson of this See Sir Thomas Overbury's late Plea for Toleration in Answer to Ataxiae Obstaculum Renouncing Unlimited Toleration
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.
and visible symbol of a Christian and Church-member And that all Christs Church hath so accounted of baptism to this day and true Tradition is in no one point so full and constant as in this And moreover the very nature of the thing it self declareth it Is not he a Christian that believeth according to the sense of the institution in God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and by a solemn Vow and Covenant devoteth himself to him as his God and Father his Redeemer and Saviour and his Sanctifier and Comforter and the witness of Christ and that hereupon hath right to justification adoption and the heavenly inheritance Who is a Christian if this be not § 12. The sense of the Catholick Church is so notorious in this that I think there is little disagreement about it The Papists confess it The Protestants confess it See but Vossii Theses de Baptismo and Davenant de Bapt. and especially Gatakers Ammadversions on that of Davenant All confess that all the antient Churches held that to the duly qualified receiver all sin was pardoned in baptism and the person put into a state of life And therefore was a member of the Church § 13. II. And that Christ commanded all Christians to take each other as brethren and to live in Love and that all men by this were to know them to be his disciples is so fully revealed in Scripture that it is needless among Christians to prove it III. As also that such Christians united to him their Head are eo nomine his Church and living in this Love live as the members of his Church must do § 14. And here three things are to be noted 1. That what was done by the Holy Spirit as given extraordinarily to the Apostles as founders or Architects of the Church to lead them into all truth was truly done by Christ himself the Holy Ghost so extraordinarily given being his promised Agent 2. That yet this work of Instituting Baptism as the terms of Church-union he would not leave to the Spirit in the Apostles but was the immediate author of it himself 3. But yet two things hereabout he left to the Apostles 1. To explain to the baptized the true sense of the general words in the baptismal Covenant 2. And to institute part of the terms of Particular Church Order and Vnity who accordingly setled or ordained Elders Bishops or Pastors in every particular Church which at first was for the most part in every City or great Town where the Gospel was received by any competent number and after they added Deacons and Deaconesses or Widows ad melius esse only and they taught them by word and writing to observe all that Christ commanded § 15. III. And as I have proved 1. That it must be done 2. And that Christ did it so 3. It is part of our proof that no other did it or could do it 1. No other had authority to institute Church-Essentials and to give such necessary universal Laws 2. No other came early enough to do it but as his Ministers after Christ had done it 3. No other had wisdom and fitness enough for it nor were fit to agree to make Church essentials 4. De facto History proves they did it not 5. To undertake it is to invade Christs office The Apostles themselves found it done to their hands Much less can any ordinary Pastors since prove any authority from God or any true capacity in themselves for such a work § 16. And if any pretend to it they must be such as lived before Christ had any Evangelical Church that is of the same species as hath been since the institution of Christian baptism or such as have lived only since The former came not in as competitors The latter were too late to be the doâ—â—s of that which was done before Union is essential to the Church in general The necessary terms of Union are essential to it in specie as the Christian Church For necessarium est sine quo res esse non potest It 's no Christian Church without the necessary terms of Church union And therefore before those terms were first made or instituted there was no Church of that species and after there was such a Church and consequently such terms of its Union none could make them they being made before If any that came after did or shall hereafter attempt to make such terms it must be new ones and not the same that constituted the first Church and then their Church will be new and not of the same species as the first Indeed God did make new Laws of Administration and so may a Kingdom without changing the constitution but not new constituting terms Governing Laws which follow the Constitution are not to make the Kingdom a Kingdom or the Church a Church but to preserve the Church and its order and promote its welfare and the Oath of Allegiance maketh a man a Subject without subscribing to the Governing Laws But as a Subject he consenteth to live under those Laws and if he break them he is punishable according to them and for breaking some of them may be cut off and for some crimes a man may be excommunicate But yet excommunication must be distinguished That which totally cuts a man off from the Church must be but a sentence upon proof that he hath first morally cut off himself Lesser crimes must be punished with the lesser excommunication which is but a suspension and that which Paul speaketh of 2 Thess 3. 15. Yet take him not for an enemy but admonish him as a brother § 17. By all this it is most evident that Christ himself the Institutor and maker of his Church hath made the terms of essential Catholick Vnion and that we have nothing to do herein but to find out what are the terms that he hath made and not to enquire what any men since have made or added as being not authorized thereto CHAP. X. 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 and administration § 1. DIvers men speak diversly of this matter 1. Some say that no form of the Polity of particular Churches is of Divine institution but that God hath left all the forming of them to the will of man 2. Others say that no form of them is lawful but what is of Divine institution And of the first some say that Christ instituted the Papal form and some say General Councils the summam Potestatem to the universal Church and left it to them to form particular Churches Others say that Magistrates are to do it And others that the Diocesane Bishops of every Nation in National or Provincial Synods may do it But all agree that the form of particular Churches must be made by some that had authority from Christ to do it § 2. Of the second sort who hold no
form of a particular Church lawful but what is of Divine institution some hold that only a Diocesan Church that hath many Congregations and Altars is of Divine institution and that the Parochial are not Churches but Oratories or Chapels or parts of a Church Others hoâ—d that only Parochial Churches of one Altar or associated for personal Communion in presence are of Divine institution some that both Diocesane and Parochial Churches are of Divine institution and some that these and Provincial National Patriarchal and the Papal are of Divine institution Thus do mens judgements vary § 3. A third sort hold that God hath instituted some Church forms besides the Universal and left men to make others And here some think that God instituted Patriarchal and left them to make the Diocesan and Parochial some hold that God instituted only the Diocesan and left them power to make the Patriarchal and the Parochial some hold that he made only the Parochial I mean single societies associated for present personal Communion and left them by voluntary associations to make the greater over them § 4. Among these opinions let us first try whether Christ hath instituted any Church form besides the universal and 2. what that is I. And 1. if Christ hath instituted a holy Christian society for ordinary holy Communion and mutual help in Gods publick worship and holy living consisting of Pastors authorized and obliged to Teach and Guide and speak for the flock in Gods publick worship and administer his Sacraments according to Christs word and of a flock obliged to hear them learn obey and follow such their conduct to the foresaid ends then Christ hath instituted a form of a particular Church and its policy But the antecedent is true as shall be proved And the consequent or major is proved à definito ad denominatum This definition containeth the Essentials of a Church No man can deny that to be a Christian Church which hath this definition § 5. Here still it is supposed that the Spirit in the Apostles who were designed to be founders and master-builders and to gather and order Churches and teach them to observe all Christs commands was Christs promised Agent as Tertullian calls him and that Christ did what the Spirit did by the Apostles in their proper work to which he was promised them as their Guide as it is aforesaid § 6. And that Christ and his Apostles instituted sacred ordinary Assemblies of Christians for holy worship and Communion is so clear in the New Testament that it were vain to prove it § 7. And 2. as notorious and past doubt it is that the end of these Assemblies was such as is here mentioned 3. And as plain that such Pastors as are here described were set over all these Congregations and authorized and obliged to the foresaid work that is under Christ the great Teacher Priest and Ruler of the Church to Teach them Gods word to intercede under Christ for them to God and from Christ to them in prayer and Sacraments c. and to Guide them by that called the Keyes of the Church discerning whom to receive by Baptism whom to reprove exhort comfort or absolve Act. 14. 23. Act. 20. 1 Tim. 3. Tit. 1. and many other places shew this § 8. And it is no less plain that the people were bound to continue in their doctrine communion and prayer and to obey them in that which they were commissioned to do Heb. 13. 7 13 24. 10. 25 26. 1 Thes 5. 12 13. 1 Tim. 5. 17. 20. and many other places so that the form of such Churches as consist of such Congregations and their Pastors is past all denyal and just doubt § 9. And as to all other Church-forms Classical Diocesan Metropolitical Provincial National Patriarchal and Papal it is these only that fall under reasonable doubt and controversie And 1. for Classical Churches I can say but this 1. That the General commands of holding Christian Love and Concord and doing all to edification require such Churches as live near together to be helpers to each other and that counsel and correspondency is necessary hereto which the Churches have still laudably exercised by Synods And if these associations for order-sake be agreed on as to stated times and numbers and bounds it is but the circumstantiating of a known duty And if any will call this a distinct Policy or Church-form I contend not against their liberty of speech while we agree de re But I judge it perillous to give the same name to such an Assembly or Association as to a Church of Christs institution lest it seduce men to think that the word is not equivocally used If the Agents of several Kingdoms met at a common Dyet I had rather not call them a superiour Kingdom were their meeting never so necessary An Assembly that is the Pars Imperans of one body Politick having Legislative power is one thing and an Assembly of Agents or Princes for meer concord and strength and help of distinct Kingdoms Schools Armies c. is another thing And I know no proof that such Councils must be ordinary or at stated Times and places but sometimes that is best and sometime not as the case standeth as even the Papists confess And when they begin to degenerate from a Council for Concord to a Majesty or highest Governing power it 's time to cross their claim and interrupt the occasions of it § 10. And if men at such Classes and Councils choose one to keep order as a moderator yea if they fix him it is but the circumstantiating of the Assemblies work But if he will claim hereupon a distinct order office and proper political Church relation so as hence to make himself the Regent part of a species of a Church yea and claim this as of God and unalterable I cannot justifie such a Church-form § 11. This holds as to the Presidents of all ranks of Synods Classical Diocesan Metropolitical Provincial National or Patriarchal To use them as Presidents of Councils for Concord is one thing and to use them as the Pars Imperans or the constitutive heads of a distinct Church species is another Arch-Bishop Vsher told me himself his judgement that Councils were but for Counsel and Concord and not for the Government of each other or any of the members and that they had no proper Governing power either over their Minor part or over any absent Bishops Though each Bishop was still the Governour of his own flock and their power over their flocks was exercised with the greater advantage by their Concord in Councils Dyets and Councils of distinct independent Bishops are not distinct forms of policy or Churches § 12. And if this hold true that the Councils themselves are not thereby Rectors of a distinct political society but for Concord of many then it will follow that a President of such a Council whether Diocesan Provincial National or more General is not as such a
Rector of the Bishops under him and their people but only the Orderer or Guide of the Modes and Circumstances of the Council as such And therefore could the Pope prove a right to preside in General Councils orbis Romani vel orbis terrarum which he cannot it were no proof that he is Regent Head of the Church universal The same I may say of the other Presidents § 13. If it hold that God instituted only Congregational or Parochial Churches as for present Communion then it must needs follow that none of the rest instituted by man have power to deprive such single Churches of any of the Priviledges granted them by Christ And therefore whereas Christ hath made the terms of Catholick Communion himself and hath commanded all such to worship him publickly in holy Communion under faithful Pastors chosen or at least consented to by themselves which many hundred years was the judgement of the Churches no humane order or power can deprive them of any of this benefit nor disoblige them from any of this duty by just authority § 14. Nay seeing that the universal Church is certainly the highest species none hath authority on pretence of narrower Communion in lower Churches to change Christs terms of Catholick Communion nor to deprive Christians of the right of being loved and received by each other or disoblige them from the duty of loving and receiving each other Humane power made by their own contracts cannot change Christs Laws nor the Priviledges or forms of Christs own Churches § 15. They that say that these several Church species are of God must prove that God instituted them and that can be only by Scripture or else that he gave some power to institute them since Scripture times which till they prove none are bound to obey them at least when they over rule Christs own institutions § 16. To devise new species of Churches without Gods authority and impose them on the world yea in his name and call all dissenters schismaticks is a far worse Usurpation than to make and impose new Ceremonies or Liturgies § 17. Dr. Hammond Dissert cont Blond Annot in Act. 11. pass affirmeth that it cannot be proved that the order of subject Presbyters was existent in Scripture times and consequently holdeth that Bishops had but single Congregations as Ignatius speaketh with One Altar Now if Diocesans Metropolitans Provincials Patriarchs or Pope as constitutive of Church-species were made after either these new Churches were made by the Bishops of Parochial Churches or by those that were No Bishops or Pastors of any Churches at all For the Apostles were dead and no institution of these but Scriptural can be truly proved And other Churches besides the Catholick and Parochial or single distinct from a compound of Churches there were then none For the lower to make the higher Churches is that which they will not grant who grant not that Presbyters may propagate their own species and deny that power ascendeth ab inferioribus And that men of no Church made all these new Church species is no honour to them § 18. Two contrary opinions herein now reign One of the Papists that think Christ instituted the Pope with power to make inferiour Church species That other is that Christ or his Apostles instituted Diocesans giving them power both as rulers to make Parish Churches or Chapels under them and by Contract or Consent to make the highest species over them Provincial National Patriarchal and say some Papal But as to the Papists so much is said against their supposition that it 's not here to be confuted And it 's certain that single Church order was constituted by no Pope and that all the Apostles had power thereto And as for the latter which affirmeth the lower degrees to make the higher we still want the proofs of their authority so to do of which more afterwards § 19. As for them that say that it is Magistrates that have power to make new species of Churches I grant them that whatever alterations of Church-Orders may be made Magistrates may do much in them The Power of Princes and the Guidance of Pastors and the Consent of the people have each herein their special place But what these alterations or additions are which they may make is the chief question Both the Catholick Church and single Church assemblies being instituted by Christ are not left to them The circumstantiating of other Assemblies and Associations are left to them to be done according to Gods general Law But that making new Political Societies that are properly called Churches or Religious bodies consisting of the Pars regens pars subdita is left to them by Christ I never saw proved any more than the making of new Sacraments But if that could be proved yet that these humane Churches or their makers may change those that are of Divine institution or deprive them of their priviledges or forbid them commanded duty cannot be proved § 20. And it is certain 1. That if Princes or Bishops or the people did institute Diocesan or Metropolitan Provincial or Patriarchal Churches they may yet make more and other species And who knoweth how many new forms of Churches we may yet expect 2. And they that made them upon good reason may unmake them or alter them when they please § 21. But though the Legislator and not the Subjects be the institutor of the Vniversal and particular Church-policies yet men are the constitutive matter and mans consent and faith is the dispositio materiae without which the form is not received and mans welfare is part of the final cause and Ministers are the instruments and Gods word written and preached for the gathering of Churches by such qualification of the persons and also of revealing the Institution of Christ and investing of particular persons in their Church-relations § 22. By all this it appeareth that as it belongeth to Christ to institute the political species of Churches though circumstantiating may be left to man at least undoubtedly of the Vniversal and of the single species so it belongeth to Christ and not to man to institute and describe their terms of Union For this is the very institution of the species And we are not to receive humane Church-policies without good proof of mens authority to make them and impose them CHAP. XI The danger of the two extreams And first of despairing of any Concord and of unjust Tolerations § 1. SOme men having seen the Christian world so long in Sects and contending parties do think that there is no hope of Vnity and Concord and therefore that all should be left at liberty And others think that there is no hope but on terms so wide as shall take such as Christ receiveth not nor would have us receive And on such accounts there were very early great contentions about the qualifications of the baptizers and baptized and the validity of baptism and about re-baptizing As to the Baptizers some thought
that only Priests should baptize none appropriated it to Bishops some thought Lay-men might baptize in case of necessity and some thought that women also might do it And some thought that though women or Lay-men might not do it lawfully yet factum valet being done such should not be re-baptized And some thought that those that were baptized even by Priests that were Schismaticks or as they called them Hereticks when they separated from common Concord and Communion must be rebaptized And they thought that if they were baptized in such a Schismatical or Heretical society by whomsoever it was not into the true Church In this case Cyprian and the African Bishops with Firmilian and his Collegues were in the wrong when the Bishop of Rome was in the right And the Donatists thought they were but of Cyprians mind For it seems they had there the greater number of Bishops And the greater number went for the Church and the less for hereticks and so they called themselves the Church though out of Africa the number against them or that meddled not in the quarrel was far greater And all this arose but by the contests of two men for the Bishoprick of Carthage some following one and some the other § 2. This errour of Cyprian and the Donatists arose 1. from their not sufficiently distinguishing the Church universal from the Associated Churches of their Countrey nor well considering that Baptism as such is but our entrance into the universal Church and not into this or that particular Church 2. By an abusive or equivocal use of the name Heretick their doctrine being true of Hereticks strictly so called who deny in baptizing any essential part of Christianity but false of Hereticks laxly so called that are only Schismaticks or deny only or corrupt some lower doctrines precepts or practices of Religion § 3. Therefore the Council of Nice truly decided the case by distinction decreeing the re-baptizing of some as such as the Paulinists baptized and not of others That is All that had not true Christian baptism consisting of all the true essentials were to be re-baptized and not others whatever particular Church they were of § 4. Hereupon also among the Roman Doctors it hath been a great debate whether the Priests Intention was necessary to the validity of baptism The true answer to which is this It is one question what is necessary to the justifying of the Priest before the Church and another before God and another question what is necessary to the validity of baptism to the receiver before the Church and another before God And so I answer Supposing that no man shall suffer for anothers fault but for his own 1. If the Priest profess and Intention to baptize in general and express it in the true words of baptism his act ex parte sui is valid coram ecclesiâ though he dissemble 2. If the Priest dissemble his act is a crime and shall be punished by God 3. If he profess not to intend to baptize the person or to intend it in general but to corrupt it in the Essentials it is as a Ministration invalid coram Ecclesiâ and should be done again 4. If the adult person baptized profess baptismal Consent dissemblingly it is valid baptism coram ecclesiâ as to what the Church must do upon it but invalid as to what God is to do as the performer of the Covenant 5. If the person baptized do not so much as profess consent or profess not to consent nor to intend to be then baptized it is no baptism before God or the Church 6. If he profess to be baptized in general but deny any Essential in particular it is not the true Christian baptism but must be better done § 5. When any came in so great errour as that the Church scarce knew whether it was an Essential part of faith and baptism that was denyed it made the Controversie hard about their re-baptizing Many thought that the Photinians and Arians denying Christs Godhead as of the same substance with the father denyed an essential article and were to be re-baptized if they so entred at first Our Socinians are much worse that deny Christs Godhead in a fuller sence And how doth he believe in Christ that believeth him not to be God which is most eminently essential to him § 6. They that are over-bold in altering Christs terms of Church Union and Communion making them less or more or other if they knew what they do would find themselves more concerned in these controversies of baptizing and re-baptizing and consequently greater corrupters than they have thought § 7. To think that Church Vnion is impossible is to deny that there is any Church and consequently any Christ To think that necessary Concord in Communion is impossible is so great a disparagement to the Church as tempteth men by vilifying it to doubt of Christianity For if Christians cannot live in Unity of faith and love and converse what is their Christianity And such despair of Concord will make men suspend all endeavours to attain it For Despair useth no means § 8. And to take into the Church of Christ such as want the Essentials and Christ would not have received is to corrupt his Church and bring in Confusion and such as will dishonour him and will be more hurtful in the Church than they would be without like rebels in a Kingdom or mutineers in an Army or enemies in a Family The nearer the worse § 9. It is for this use especially that Christ hath committed the Church Keyes to the Pastors And the Key of entrance is the Chief Therefore he that judgeth who is to be Baptized exerciseth the chief act of the Church Keyes And he that Baptized was held to have the Power of judging whom to baptize which was never denyed to the Presbyters till after for order some restrained them § 10. It is a strange contrariety of some Pastors to themselves who judge that all Infants of Heathens Jews Turks or wicked men are without exception to be taken into the Church if any ignorant Christian will but offer them and say over a few words and the Adult also if they can but say over the Creed by rote and a few words more and thus fill the Church with Enemies of Christ and yet when they are in deny them Communion unless they will strictly come up to many humane unnecessary impositions as if far stricter obedience to men perhaps in usurpations were necessary than to Jesus Christ § 11. How far Infidels Catechumens or Heretical or Schismatical Assemblies may be tolerated in the world about us by Magistrates is not here to be enquired but hereafter But that the Churches themselves should not corrupt their own Communion by taking and keeping in uncapable persons the nature of the Church and discipline and its ends and the reproof of the Churches Rev. 2. 3. and the judgement of the Universal Church do tell us CHAP. XII The sin and danger of
be conscionable men of upright lives will become of the same minds and look on the persecutors as the enemies of good men and of publick peace that do all this by pride and domination The ungodly rabble of drunkards prophane swearers adulterers and such like for the most part hating Godliness and strict living will cry up the Prelates and triumph over the sufferers And thus the Land will be divided the Prelates and other prosecutors with the dirty malignant rabble of the licentious will make one party and these will call themselves Orthodox and the Church The sufferers and all that pity them and like them better than the Persecutors will be the other party The conjunction of the debauched and malignant rabble with the Prelates and their party will increase sober mens disaffection to them and make men take them for the patrons of impiety And how sad a condition must such Churches be in To say nothing of the state concussions and diseases that usually follow Whatever ignorant men may dream these prognosticks are most certain as any man that can discern effects in moral causes may see and as history and sad experience prove to all men of reading observation and understanding § 13. And in Pastors of the Church this will be a double crime and shame because 1. It is their office to gather and edifie Christs flock and not to scatter and afflict them 2. Because they should most imitate Christ in tender bowels gentleness and long-suffering bearing the Lambs in their armes and not breaking the bruised reed nor quenching the smoaking flax Nurses or Mothers use not to kill their Children for crying nor to turn them out of doors because they are unclean nor to cut their throats to make them swallow bigger morsels instead of cutting their meat Much less to cast them off for obeying their father 3. Because it is supposed that they best know the will of Christ and should be best acquainted with the wayes of peace And therefore should understand Rom. 14. 15. Him that is weak in the faith Receive but not to doubtful disputations The Kingdom of God is not meats and drinks but righteousness peace and joy in the Holy Ghost And he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God and approved of men that is of wise and good men but not of proud persecutors Rom. 14. 17 18. Wherefore receive ye one another as Christ also received to the Glory of God Rom. 15. 7. If the people were Schismatical and inclined to fall in pieces the Guides and builders should soder and cement them and as pillars and bases in the Church which is the house of the living God as Timothy is called should bear them up that they fall not by division § 14. In a word whoever will impartially read Church History especially of the Councils and Popes shall find that the self-conceited Usurpation of proud Prelates imposing unnecessary devices of their own professions or practices on the Churches and this with proud and fierce impatience toward dissenters and usurping a Legislation which Christ never gave them hath been the great cause of much of the hatred schisms persecutions wars rebellions against Emperours and Kings false excommunications interdicts and the disgrace of Christistianity weakning of the Church and hindering the Conversion of Jews and Infidels and been a chief Granado Thunderbolt or Wild-fire by which Satan much prospered in storming of the Church CHAP. XIII To cry out of the intolerable 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 § 1. TO tolerate all evil that pretendeth Religion is to be no friend to Religion Government or peace To tolerate no error in Religion is for no Prince to tolerate himself his wife his child or any one subject And to pretend to this is to crave self-destruction neque enim lex justior ulla est c. and to proclaim himself ignorant yea grosly ignorant what is a Church a Pastor a Government a Christian or a Man § 2. Multitudes of Books are written for and against Toleration They that are lowest usually write for it Even Jer. Taylor 's Liberty of Prophecying before he was a Bishop was thought a commendable or tolerable Book But most are against it that are in power and think they can force others to their wills But it is wise and just and impartial men that are here the discerners of the truth whose judgements are not biassed by interest or passion nor blinded by unacquaintedness with their adversaries or their cause or perverted by using only one ear and one eye He knoweth not mankind who knoweth not how greatly not only the common gang but even learned men yea and zealous religious men are to be suspected in their evil characters and reports of those that they are speaking against as adversaries It grieveth me to know and think how little most adversaries in this case are to be believed § 3. To describe the due bounds of Toleration is far from being impossible or very difficult to an understanding and impartial man But to stop the mouth or rage of Contradicters and to reconcile the multitude of ignorant proud tyrannical uncharitable interessed factious partial men to such certain measures is next impossible and never yet even among the Clergy was attained since the Spirit of infallibility simplicity and Love departed and the Spirit of darkness pride and malignity in most places got the upper hand § 4. Many and many Books of this nature I have lately read that cry down liberty and Toleration and call for greater severities and describe those whose ruine or sufferings they plead for as ignorantly and falsly as if they talkt of men at the Antipodes whom they had never seen and as if they had never heard their Cause and as cruelly as if they had been preaching to Souldiers and confuting John Baptist or preaching a Visitation Sermon to Bonner or Gardiner And yet the falshoods or injuries set off with so great confidence and well composed words and zeal against schism and error and especially for the Church and Government that it grieveth my soul to think how difficult such men do make it to strangers that must know all on trust from others and men of other business that cannot have while to search into the truth to escape deceit and the consequent mischiefs Zeal for piety is not more abused by Sectaries than zeal for themselves and their power and wealth called zeal for the Church and truth and order is abused by bad domineering men Or else the world had not been embroiled by the Clergy these twelve hundred years at least nor Rome arrived at its pernicious Greatness and power to destroy § 5. And let mens different Religions or Opinions be never so many and notable yet every where the same plea against Toleration is used and the same Arguments seem good for every
must be so And if they are as usually bad as Christ and his Apostles tell us then bad men will rule And operari sequitur esse As men are they will do Great men will have worldly selfish interests clean contrary to the interest of Christ and his doctrine And how great influence Rulers have as to concord or division is easily known 5. And hitherto the Pastors of the Churches have been alas such as Gregory Nazianzen Isidore Pelusiota and many others have described to say nothing of Gildas or Salvian or the sad Characters that most parties give of one another and the accusations that Afflicters bring against those whom they afflict and which the sufferers give of them If Paul then must say All seek their own and not the things that are Jesus Christs no wonder if it be so now and that even General Councils have sadly anathematized one another and thousands of Bishops or Pastors have been cursed from Christ by the rest And how much power proud turbulent ignorant and worldly Pastors have to hinder the Churches Concord hath been found by too long and sad experience 6. And mans nature is sensual and slothful and it will cost so dear by long and hard study to be wise indeed and by mortification and self-denyal to be truly good that few are likely to attain it 7. And education company friends and false writers and teachers will still cherish faction and discord in the world 8. And distance and disacquaintance will leave open mens ears to back-biters slanderers and false reports Men will think it uncharitable not to believe such e. g. as Learned Historians Doctors and their Pastors are 9. And the wars and cross-interests of Princes and States have hitherto by jealousies fomented divisions in the Church 10. And the false wayes and termes of Concord will be kept up in opposition to the true and will not be the least impediment 11. And Lastly Even the Wise and Good that must be the Peace-makers are such but in part and have in them too much of the folly errour and sin of others which will hinder their work yea and make them also troublers of themselves and others § 6. These being not doubtful conjectures but certain Prognosticks the remedy must be suited to the Patients capacity And I. Necessary Essentials all Christians are and must be agreed in But unnecessary things such as I have described are never like to be commonly united in nor is it necessary that they should It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to the Apostles to impose nothing on the Church but Necessary things Act. 15. It was the deceivers and false Teachers which would have done otherwise Against whom St. Paul doth copiously and zealously dispute in his Epistles to the Romans Corinthians Galatians Colossians c. To pretend that as necessary which is not so or to command that as necessary and causelesly to make it necessary which is not so in it self and which we may easily know will never be so judged of nor received by all is but to rack and tear the Church and do mischief for an unnecessary thing § 7. II. As it is certain that nothing but Truth can be fit matter for the Churches Concord so it must be certain Truth that is not only such as whoever believeth is not deceived but such as may be discerned by ascertaining Evidence by all sober willing Christians Not only such as the Learned may be sure of but all that must take it as certain in their profession For no man must make a false profession and say he is certain when he is not Not that all that may be called certainty must needs exclude all doubting but that the Assent be prevalent against such doubting Nor do I mean that it must be certain by natural evidence It is enough if it be so by Divine Revelation And if any be so weak that they perceive not some necessary revealed truth to be certainly so revealed they must be put on no more than to say I do though not with certainty believe it And no probability must be imposed on mens profession when there is notable danger on the contrary side if they should mistake § 8. III. Therefore the terms of Union must be only things plain and intelligible to all sober willing minds For all persons of dull wits and diverting business cannot attain such certainty or firm belief of things which they cannot understâ—nd Belief without understanding is but a dead notion or name or rather a contradiction § 9. As for the Popish doctrine of Implicite faith it is no true belief of any thing but that General verity in which they say the particulars are implicitely contained We must all believe implicitely in God that is That whatever God revealeth is true But he that believeth no more but this is falsly said to believe other things For he may believe this who never understood that God revealed any thing in particular He that never heard of Christ or the resurrection may believe that all Gods revelations are true But to call this an Implicite belief of Christ and the Resurrection is but to equivocate and call that believing a thing which is no believing of it If they hold that to believe that the Church that is the Pope and his Councils is infallible in acquainting us with matter of faith is all that is necessary to salvation though they know not what the particulars are let them say so plainly and not call this a believing of other things or a believing in Jesus Christ or his Gospel § 10. IV. And it is only things of Divine Authority that can be the necessary terms of universal Unity or Concord supposing the necessary media of bringing them to mens notice Had we lived in the time and place where Christ and his Apostles did preach and work their Miracles it had been one thing to determine what were then preached as the necessary articles of faith and another thing how we come to hear know and understand them It must have been by our ears eyes and intellects that we knew and perceived what was said and done And so now standing at the distance of many ages certain history or tradition must bring that to our notice which our eyes and ears would then have brought to it But still the Law and terms of Vnion are no less Divine whatever means do help us to understand them And as for them that will make humane terms seem necessary to Catholick Vnion or Communion that they deceive themselves and others and shall never attain the end but tear the Church by such ill engines is easily thus proved § 11. The Catholick Church never did or will agree what humane power it is to whom this work belongeth whether it be a Pope or Council or some universal Monarch or a Council of Princes by agreement Never such a thing was or will be Popes and Councils were but in one Empire the chief Ecclesiastical
I am loth to cite them § 32. X. The next lamentable Schism and Cursing arose from the Decree of the Constantinopolitan Council de tribus capitulis The Cursing one another for owning or not owning the Council of Chalcedon still continuing and Learned Theodoret with Theodore of Mopsuest and Ibas having been formerly by Dioscorus Ephesine Council condemned and deposed as Nestorian hereticks and the Council of Chalcedon having restored them upon their just subscriptions a crafty Eutychian perswaded the Emperour that he might reconcile all the Eutychians to the Council of Chalcedon if he would but condemn some ill words in the writings of these three Bishops which the Emperour called a General Council together presently to do The one half the Bishops absent thought this was a condemning in part of the Chalcedon Council And Vigilius Bishop of Rome being then at Constantinople refused to subscribe and after excommunicated Menna the Patriarch The Emperour caused him to be dragg'd through the streets by a rope to reconcile him The flames of the Church were by this Council much increased and by condemning three dead mens writings the living were more engaged in a doleful war At last Pope Vigilius consented to the Council whereupon a great part even of the Western Churches and Italy separated from and renounced the Pope and chose them another Patriarch at Aquileia to be their chief Church-Ruler in his stead And this continued about an hundred years till Sergius reconciled them so far was the universal Church even then from taking the Pope or Church of Rome for the Head or any essential part of the Church-Universal And all this was about the Exposition of some doubtful words in three mens writings And can any sober man now think that the right or wrong Exposition of every mans or those three mens writings was a thing that salvation lyeth on or that these are the terms of Christianity and Church-membership § 33. It would be but matter of shame and sorrow to go on and add the later and more shameful instances of Anathematizing especially about Images several Emperours and Councils hereticating each other What an Engine the Pope and Prelates made Cursing men from Christ to get dominion over Emperours and Kings to subdue Kingdoms and to turn Love and peace into wrath and wars and bloodshed and pernicious divisions To recite their damning of Loyalty under the name of the Henrician heresie their damning all that about Transubstantiation renounced not the belief of all their senses and rational perception of sensate things and that renounced not also the belief of all the sound mens senses in the world and consequently the belief of God as he is the God of Nature making his revelation to our understandings by our senses making it necessary to salvation to take God for the deceiver of the senses or apprehensions by sensation of all the world How they have decreed the burning or exterminating of all others that do not thus believe Transubstantiation and deposing temporal Lords that will not exterminate them and absolving their Subjects from their Oaths and Allegiance and giving their dominions to others Did I but recite to you how ridiculously they hereticated Gilbert Porretane and some other learned men and how such exposed the Councils of Bishops to scorn by detecting their ignorance by some questions which they could not answer should I tell you what work their long and numerous Schisms and two or three Popes at once made for the great Councils of Constance and Basil and also what work those Councils made themselves it might melt the heart of a lover of Christianity into grief and tears § 34. I conclude this that the hereticating and Cursing men for doubtful words or want of skill in aptness of expressions yea or for errours which consist with saving faith in Christ is so far from being a means of the Churches good that it hath been the grand engine of Satan to exercise Tyranny excite hatred and Schism and Rebellions and do most lamentable mischiefs in the world and therefore carefully to be avoided § 35. II. And what I have said of words I may partly say of actions Anathematizing men for doubtful actions or for such faults as consist with true Christianity and continued subjection to Jesus Christ is a sinful Church-dividing means § 36. More particularly I shall shew after in the third part of this book that it is not all the same things that make a man uncapable of present Communion in this or that single or particular Church or in a compound Church Diocesane Metropolitane Provincial or National or Imperial which make him uncapable of continuing in the Universal Church Much less doth every continued disobedience to a Bishops or Councils Canons or Commands make him Excommunicable from the Church Universal § 37. But most abominable was it in the Roman Popes and Prelates to shut up all Churches interdict whole Kingdoms and excommunicate the innocent people because a King displeased them or denyed them subjection or obedience And as old Robert Grosthead Bishop of Lincoln in his Epistle to Pope Innocent IV. recorded by Matth. Paris truly tells them It is the work of Satan and next Antichristianity one of the greatest sins in all the world thus to silence Christs Ministers and hinder the preaching of the Word of God and the exercise of his publick Worship Which it concerneth all unjust Silencers to consider § 38. But yet somewhat more tyrannical and abominable is it for one man the Bishop of Rome to damn all the Church of Christ on earth that will not be his Subjects as the Vicar-General of Christ and own his Usurpation and so to cut off and damn the far greatest part of the Christian world But the best is procul à Jove procul à fulmine the remote Churches feel it not and do but deride it and to the nearer parts his thunderbolt doth not kill all so many nor kindle so many fagots as once it did nor is any one ever the more condemned by God for such Papal condemnations § 39. But when I speak of particular Church-Communion I shall shew that there is some lawful suspension called by some the Minor excommunication which cuts not a man off from Communion with any Church much less from the universal or from Christ § 40. Not approving of or practising a doubtful or indifferent humane form of Liturgy or ceremony or circumstance or mode is no just cause of cutting off a man from the Universal Church Because notwithstanding that he may be a true Christian and a member of Christ and his Church and therefore must not falsly be declared to be none § 41. Not taking this or that man to be ones Bishop or Pastor who is obtruded yea or justly set over that Church nor yet particular acts of disobedience to him meerly as such are no good proofs that a man is no true Christian or member of Christ and his Church and therefore are no just cause
the Father and the Holy Ghost nor Sanctification Consolation and Sealing to the Holy Ghost than to the Father and the Son and so that they are not hence relatively distinguishable to us and by us at all III. Of the Person of Jesus Christ 1. That Christ is but a Creature or not eternal or not of the same Divinâ— Essence as is the Father 2. That Christ hath no humane created soul but the Divine nature was to his body instead of a soul 3. Or that a superangelical created nature united to his Divine nature was instead of a humane soul to his body 4. That Christs body was not derived from the Virgin Mary but only passed through her as water through a Channel 5. That the Mother of Christ alone was as much the cause of his soul and body as our Fathers and Mothers both are of ours 6. That the Virgin Mary was not the Mother of him that was God and man 7. That she was the Mother and actual cause or procreator of the Godhead and of Christ as God 8. That Jesus Christ was two Persons a Divine and Humane 9. That he had not two distinguishable natures viz. the Divine and Humane 10. That he had not two distinguishable understandings wills and operations 11. That the Body of Jesus Christ was incorruptible in and by its own nature and constitution and not only by its union with the Deity and by Gods will decree and preservation 12. That he was begotten by Joseph or some other man 13. That Christs humane nature soul or body suffered no real pain nor was capable of suffering any 14. That he was not of the line of David after the flesh 15. That he had original sin guilt or vitiosity 16. That Christ is not now God and man in heaven 17. That the Glorified Body of Christ is now formally flesh and blood so called univocally as ours having the same formal constitutive essence 18. That every Priest maketh Bread and Wine by the Consecration in the Eucharist to become no longer Bread and Wine but the very Body Flesh and Blood of Christ or that God so maketh it or the Priests speaking those words And so that all the consecrated Bread and Wine since Christs days till now are made Christ's flesh and blood and yet his flesh and blood no whit increased 19. That all believers are by union part of the Natural Person of Christ 20. That the humane nature of Christ is now the Godhead or is become a proper part of the second Person in the Trinity as such And here presumptuous men must take great heed of medling too far some Scholastick Divines say It is errour to say that Christs humane nature is a Part of his person because his Person was perfect from eternity and the Divinity cannot be a Par. of any thing Others say that It is erroâ— to say that the Humane nature is no part of Christ 〈◊〉 seeing it is no part of the Divine Essence or nature therefore it is a part of his person Others say that it is only an Accident of Christ some think that if it were not for fear of the clamours of Ignorant Hereticaters that will call it Nestorianism it were soundest and safest to say that the word Person is equivocal And that as it is taken for the second eternal person in the Trinity the humane nature is no part of it But as it is taken Relatively for the Person of the Mediator the humane nature is a part And so that Christ hath two persons but not univocally but equivocally so called IV. Of the Holy Ghost and the Holy Scriptures 1. That the Holy Ghost is but a creature or not God of the same essence with the Father and the Son 2. That the Holy Ghost is but the Angelical nature or species and as the diabolical nature and many Devils are called singularly the Devil so the many Angels are called the Holy Spirit 3. That the Immortal part of man called his Spirit is the essence of the Holy Ghost 4. That the Holy Ghost as operative on man is not a valid witness of the truth of Christ and Christianity in the world 5. That the Holy Ghost did not impregnate the Virgin Mary or that Christ was not conceived by him 6. That Adam had not the Holy Ghost or true Holiness 7. That the Prophets spake not by the Holy Ghost Or that their prophecies are of Private interpretation that is objectively to be interpreted of such private persons and things as they immediately spake of and which were but types of Christ or grace 8. That the Holy Ghost in the Prophets was not the Spirit of the Redeemer and sent by him 9. That the miracles of Christ and his Apostles were not wrought by the Holy Ghost 10. That the Holy Ghost may set the seal of true uncontrolled miracles to a lie 11. That the Canonical Scriptures were not indited by the Holy Ghost as infallible records of the Divine will 12. That they are but for a time till a perfecter Law is made called The Law of the Spirit 13. That they are imperfect without the supplement of Roman Tradition as part of the Rule of faith and life 14. That they were but occasional writings never intended for the universal law or rule of faith and holy living 15. That there are in the true original as they came from the Apostles some errours 16. That in the present received Originals there is any errour inconsistent with true saving faith and practice 17. That we are not bound to believe the Holy Scriptures to be Gods word but by the authoritative proposal of the Church of Rome that is A general Council subject to the Pope or called or approved by him as authorized thereto by Christ or that we must believe that the Pope or Council are authorized by Christ before we are bound to believe in Christ himself 18. That the Scriptures are not intelligible in necessary things till the Church Council Pope or Fathers expound them to us 19. That the Scriptures have no such imâ—â—ss or excellency by which they manifest themselves to be of God supposing necessary conveyance and ministerial explication 20. That we must not understand any text of Scripture but as the consent of ancient Fathers expoundeth it 21. That the Spirit now given to Poâ—â— Councils or to individual Christians is as much the Rule of faith and life as 〈◊〉 holy Scriptures or that the Spirit is not given now to us 〈◊〉 to teach us to understand believe love and practise Gods word indited by the more emmenâ— inspiration of the Apostles and Prophets â—ut also to inspire us as infallibly to know more than is revealed in the Scripture and that as needful to Salvation Or that it is not so much the Spirit extraordinarily inspiring the Apostles as the Spirit as inspiring ourselves which is every mans rule of faith and life 22. That the Light which is in Heathens Infidels and all men is this
derogateth from his glory XIV Of Baptism 1. That Baptism was instituted only for the first times or for reception of Infidel countreys when converted and not for to be continued in Christian Countreys and Churches 2. That outward Baptism by water will save the adult that have not true Repentance and faith and sincere consent to the baptismal Covenant 3. That all the children of Infidels Heathens Hereticks or wicked men are certainly saved if they be baptized and have Godfathers professing Christianity though those Godfathers be wicked hypocrites and take not the infants by adoption or otherwise as their own nor really intend to educate them as they promise and if they die before they actually sin and that this is certain by the word of God 4. That all the baptized are delivered from all culpable pravity of soul or inherent sin 5. That it is certain that all baptized Infants of what parents soever have special grace infused into their souls by the Holy Ghost in Baptism 6. That baptism entering all into the Catholick Church obligeth all the baptized to the Bishop of Rome as the supreme head or pastor 7. That the Infants of believers dedicated to God are holy only as legitimate and not bastards but are not as a holy seed under promise to be entered into the Church and Covenant of God by baptism but all baptized in Infancy must be taken as no visible Christians till they are rebaptized 8. That none that sin grosly after baptism are upon their repentance to be received into the communion of the Church 9. That it is not necessary to baptism of the adult that they make any covenant promise or vow to God nor to the baptism of Infants that Parents or Proparents devote them to Christ by entering them into an obliging Vow or Covenant 10. That Baptism was not instituted to invest the baptized in his right to pardon and life but only to enter him into the visible Church where as a disciple he may learn how to come to such right and pardon hereafter 11. That the adult duely baptized have no right to the Communion of the Church though they profess to continue their Covenant-consent and none disprove the truth of their profession unless they have some higher qualification and title XV. Of the Lords Supper 1. That the Lords Supper is but an ordinance for young or carnal Christians but they that have the Spirit must live without it as being above outward signs and ordinances And so of the Lords Day 2. That the Bread broken and Wine poured out to be eaten and drunk are not the representative Sacramental body and blood of Christ delivering us the real benefits of his sacrifice to be received by faith 3. That after the words of Consecration duly uttered there remaineth no true substance of bread or wine but all is turned into the very body and blood of Christ 4. That the wine may justly be denyed the Laity and they be required to communicate by receiving only the bread consecrated or the body of Christ as they call it without the other half of the Sacrament 5. That Christs flesh and blood is really and properly sacrificed by the Priest 6. That ordinarily the Priest is to partake alone and the people only to be Spectators 7. That the consecrated host being Christs body is to be adored as very God 8. That this sacrifice is to be offered by the Priest for the living and the dead and to ease the pains of Purgatory 9. That God himself here deceiveth the soundest senses of all men making that to be no bread or wine which their senses and intellects of things as sensate apprehend as such 10. That it is heresie and deserveth extermination or death to deny these things of the Sacrament and to believe our senses that there remaineth true bread and wine after Consecration 11. That unbelievers and wicked men in the Eucharist truly eat the real body of Christ 12. That the bare receiving of the Sacrament though without true faith and repentance will procure pardon of sin from God and Salvation XVI Of the Church 1. That the Church of Christ as visible is lost or ceased or hath been lost since the Apostles days so that there was a time when Christ had no visible subjects and disciples 2. That the Church differeth from Heathens and Infidels only in opinion and not in real holiness 3. That only the Clergy or Rulers are the Church of Christ 4. That Christ hath instituted a vicarious visible Head of all the world or of all the Church on earth under himself to whom all Christians must be subject as their chief Pastor 5. That this Head or universal Church Monarch is the Bishop of Rome or else a general Council 6. That this Head or chief Ruler Pope Council or both hath universal Legislative power to make Laws obliging the whole world or the whole Church 7. That this Head is made the judge to all Christians what shall be taken for articles of faith and what for heresie and all are bound to believe such judgement or at least to acquiesce in submission to it 8. That no one is bound to believe the Scripture or the Christian Verity but for or upon the proposal of the Pope Council or both 9. That such judgement and proposal is certain and infallible 10. That this Church and its authority must be believed to be given by Christ before men can believe in Christ himself 11. That this Pope Council or both have power from Christ to excommunicate such as deserve excommunication throughout all the world and to judge who deserve it 12. That the Pope hath power to call general Councils out of all Christian Churches or nations on earth and to preside in them and to approve or reject and invalidate their decrees 13. That all Churches are bound to send Bishops or Delegates to â—uch Councils if required by the Pope 14. That a General Council approved by the Pope is infallible in all points of faith else not 15. That the Pope or Council or both may judge all Christian Kings and depose such as they judge deserve it and give their Countreys to others and disoblige their subjects from their Oaths of Allegiance 16. That they may interdict Gods worship to whole Countreys and Kingdomes and the Clergy must obey such interdicts 17. That whom they or the Clergy judge hereticks all are bound to avoid as hereticks be they never so falsly judged such 18. That at least in ordine ad spiritualia the Pope hath power over Princes and their Crowns 19. That the Clergy owe not obedience to Princes nor may be judged by them 20. That the universal Church can have no errour in any point which God hath revealed in his word 21. That the universal Church hath erred or may err in points essential to Christianity or absolutely necessary to Salvation and so become no Church and Christ no King or Head of it 22. That no one is a
member of the universal Church who is not a member of some particular Church 23. That none are in the universal Church who are not the subjects of Diocesan Bishops 24. That a man not baptized by one that hath Ordination from a Diocesan Bishop is no member of the universal Church 25. That a member of the visible Church cannot be certainly known because it cannot be known what is essential to a Christian seeing it depends on the sufficiency of the proposal of truths which cannot be known of many or most XVII Of Gods worship preaching and Ministers and his day 1. That there are more Gods than one and several Countreys may worship their several Gods 2. That if we keep our hearts to God we may bow down before Images as Idolaters do 3. That it is not necessary that we actually love God above once a year or once a month or week at most 4. That if we fear Gods wrath and love one another we may be saved without any other love to God 5. That no higher Love to God is necessary than to love him for our selves and others as a Benefactor and means to the Creatures good 6. That Gods word is not to be trusted as infallibly true 7. That because God will be spiritually worshipped outward bodily worship is not necessary to spiritual persons 8. That he that loveth trusteth and serveth God so as yet he loveth trusteth and serveth the flesh and the world and sinful pleasure more prevalently may yet be saved without more 9. That outward worship without inward love and holiness may serve to Salvation 10. That we may give Divine worship to Angels or glorified souls or to the Cross or Images 11. That if prayer move not or change not Gods will it is needless to use much prayer 12. That it is lawful to require the people to pray and praise God in an unknown language instead of words which they understand and such prayer and worship they must preferr or use if the Pope or Bishops command it 13. That any man may make himself or become a Pastor or Teacher of the Church in office who thinketh himself fit without mans election or ordination 14. That none are true Ministers of Christ who are not sent by the Bishop of Rome or some authorized by him or ordained by such 15. That no Ministers are owned as such by Christ nor are the Sacraments administred by them valid that are not ordained by Diocesans or by such as had an ordination themselves by an uninterrupted succession from the Apostles down by Diocesan Bishops or a Canonical succession 16. That all Ministers ought to cease preaching the Gospel and all Churches or persons publick worshipping God who are forbidden by the Pope as some say or by Bishops as others say or by the King or Magistrate as others 17. That it is sinful for Presbyters to preach say some or to pray say others publickly in any other words save those that are written down for them or prescribed by the authority either of Pope Council Bishops or Civil Magistrates 18. That it is sinful to instruct the people or to pray to God or praise him in a form of words premeditated or prescribed by any other or agreed on in Councils 19. That it is sinful to joyn with any Pastor who speaketh any unlawful words in preaching prayer or other ministration 20. That it is unlawful to hold Communion with any Church where scandalous sinners are present or are tolerated members 21. That men may lawfully change the essential or integral parts of Gods commanded worship by diminution or additions of the like 22. That spiritual men are not bound to be members of particular Churches or put themselves under the guidance of any Pastors 23. That all the people are bound to believe all that to be Gods word which the Bishop or Priests tell them is so 24. That the people are bound to do in Gods worship whatever Bishops or other Rulers command them without examining and judging whether it be agreeable to the Law of God 25. That Pope Bishops or Priests can forgive sin even as to the punishment in another life by immediate pardoning power in themselves and not only by preparing men for pardon and offering and declaring it and delivering it ministerially by application from Gods word and in order hereto judging who are capable of Consolatory and Sacramental applications 26. That God pardoneth in heaven all that the Priest pardoneth on earth though erroneously and by mistake 27. That God will condemn to hell all that an erring or malicious Pope Bishop or Priest condemneth 28. That it is lawful to separate from and disown Communion with all parties of Christians differing in things not necessary to Gods acceptance except that one party which we judge to be rightest or allowed by the higher powers 29. That the first day of the week was not separated to Divine worship in commemoration of Christs resurrection by the Spirit of Christ in his Apostles or is not to be observed to that holy use any more than any other day 30. That it is lawful to swear unnecessarily and to use Gods name lightly and vainly in our talk 31. That perjury is lawful for our safety or in obedience to man 32. That Popes Councils or Bishops can dissolve the obligations of our Vows to God or Oaths of fidelity to Princes though the matter be lawful and good and otherwise God dissolve them not 33. That all Oaths and Vows are to be interpreted as not binding us longer than it is for our commodity or safety 34. That we may take Oaths imposed in words whose common sense is false or sinful though not otherwise expounded by the imposer because in charity we must suppose always that our Rulers mean nothing against Gods word or their own or the peoples good 35. That it is unlawful to break any Vow or Oath which was unlawfully imposed on us by man or unlawfully taken by our selves though the matter of it be good or lawful 36. That no Vow bindeth us to that which we were bound to before That all Vowing is sinful and all swearing when lawfully called for the attesting truth and ending strife XVIII Of our duty to our Rulers and Pastors and their duty 1. That Christianity so nullifieth all natural and civil relations or obligations that Children subjects and servants owe nothing to Parents Rulers or Masters but what they are bound to in meer justice and gratitude to them as benefactors or by voluntary consent and promise 2. That Parents owe nothing for their children but bodily provision and not to educate them in Godly and Christian doctrine and practice 3. That Princes may seek their own pleasure and wealth against the common good or above it 4. That they may lawfully make war upon neighbour Countreys only to enlarge their power or dominions or satisfie their pride passion or wills 5. That they or Bishops may fine imprison banish or put to death all
renounced by Ministers but to lie before the Church Rulers to tell them what to forbid Ministers to preach and moderately and wisely to rebuke or restrain the offenders as wisdome shall direct them according to the quality of the persons and the offence and their frequency obstinacy or impenitency in offending Not that every one should be ejected or silenced that holdeth or preacheth any one such errour but only those who consideratis considerandis are found to do more harm than good The Third Part OF SCHISM OR The False Dividing Terms and Means OF UNITY and PEACE CHAP. I. What Schism is and what are its Causes and Effects Sect. I. SCHISM or Divisions among Christians is by the Common Confession of all Christians a sin against God and a dishonour and hurt and danger to the Church but especially to the guilty But what it is and who are the guilty men are not so much agreed on Each Party laying it upon the other and one taking that for Damnable Schism which another taketh for his greatest Duty And while the guilty are no better known the Division is continued and few repent Sect. II. SCHISM or Division or Rents among Christians is considerable I. As to the Agents when it is by 1. Many 2. Few 1. The Pastors or Rulers 2. The People either 1. The Learned 2. The Ignorant II. The Terminus as it is dividing 1. In a Church and not from it 1. From their Government 1. Of one 2. Of More 1. Few 2. Many 1. Sound 2. Unsound 3. From the Universal Church 2. Communion 2. From a Church III. The Act As 1. In kind 2. In degree which both are either 1. Inward 1. Of Mind 1. Dividing Opinions 1. Of Doctrines 1. Of Faith 2. Practice 1. Worship 2. Conversation 2. Of Persons by consent 2. Ignorance of necessary means of Unity 2. Of will and passion 1. Wrath and uncharitableness 1. To things 2. Persons 2. Love to 1. Division 2. Dividers 2. Outward by 1. Words 1. Of Persons 1. Single 1. Rulers 2. People 2. Collective the Church 2. Things of 1. Doctrine 2. Practice 1. Towards God 2. Towards Men 2. Deeds 1. Separating 1. Morally by merit 2. Actually 2. Promoting Schism 1. Drawing Others 2. Resisting 1. Uniting Persons 2. Uniting Means Doctrine Acts IV. The Effects 1. On Christians 1. Single 1. The Dividers 2. Others viz. 1. Pastors 2. People 1. Weak 2. Strong 2. Collective 1. That Church 2. Other Churches 1. Church 2. State 3. Families 2. On those without 1. Unbelievers 2. Enemies All these things should here distinctly be considered A large Scheme of the Causes Nature and Effects of Schism and Contentions with the Remedies c. I have prefixed to my Book called Catholick Theology Sect. III. Of all the sins that men charge on one another there is none used by Accusers more partially and less regardably than the charge of Heresie and Schism the words usually signifying no more but that the accused differ in judgment from the accusers and are not so obedient to them in matters of Religion as they expect Insomuch that whoever can but get uppermost or get the major Vote doth usually make it his advantage to call himself Orthodox and Catholick and all Dissenters Hereticks and Schismaticks By which means Heresie and Schism are greatly promoted while many that else would hate and oppose them are tempted by this usage to take the words to be but proud mens reproach of the innocent Sect. IV. The full opening of all the parts of Schism will be a work so long as may tire the Reader I will therefore first give some notice of them transiently and briefly and then examine some things that are by others supposed to be the Causes and shew how uncapable divers means are of being terms of real Union and Concord which some men venditate as the only or necessary terms Sect. V. 1. A Schism made by Many is in some repects worse than by Few and in some not all so bad The sins of many hath more guilt than of one Their ill success is like to be greater Those will fall in with the multitude who would despise a singular tempter The Donatists prevailed in Africa by their number It seemeth by their Bishops in their Councils that they were the greater part It is not impossible for the far greater number to be the Schismaticks But yet the guilt of singularity is more upon a single Separatist or few that dare separate from the whole or most of the Churches Sect. VI. 2. The Bishops and Pastors are liable to the sin of Schism as well as the ignorant people Yea as Mutinies seldom happen in an Army at least to any great danger unless they be headed by some Commander so seldom hath there been any Heresie or Schism in the Church of which some Bishops have not been the Leaders or Chief Promoters since Bishops were great in the world at least and before they or some Elders were the Chief To instance in Paulus Samosit Apollinarius Novatus and his followers Maximinus and the Donatists Nestorius Dioscorus Severus and the multitudes more which Church-History mentioneth and which made up the Councils at Ephes 2. Arrinene Sinnium Milan divers at Constantinople Alexandria and multitudes more would be but to suppose my Reader a stranger to such History which here I must not do for then I cannot expect that he should take my word Sect. VII It is a far greater sin in Bishops and Pastors to be Schismaticks than in the People because they are supposed to know more the Good of Concord and the Means and the Mischiefs of Schism and the Causes and Remedies And it is their Office to be the Preachers of Unity and Peace and to save the People from the temptations which would draw them into such guilt Sect. VIII Bishops and Pastors have greater temptations to Schism than the People and therefore have been so frequent in the guilt especially Pride and Covetousness in them hath stronger Faith And 1. Striving who shall be Greatest and have Rule 2. Who shall be thought Wisest and most Orthodox have been the cause of most of the Schisms in the world And 3. Sometimes especially with the Presbyters and People it hath been who shall be thought the Best and Holiest persons But the two former have done much more than this Goodness being that which corrupt nature doth not so much contend for or the reputation of Holiness as for Greatness and Wisdom the commoner baits of Pride Therefore Controversies and Power and Riches have been the usual matters of Dissension Sect. IX 3. True Learning tendeth to prevent and end Controversies which Ignorance cherisheth as it did with the Egyptian Monks that turned Anthropomorphites But a smattering in Learning which amounts not to solidity and a settled mind is the common cause of Heresies and Schism while praters must needs be taken for wise and to know more than others while they know nothing as they ought to know
French Italian Belgick English and other later Histories the horrid wickedness of Popes and the Mischiefs they have brought upon the World and the blood they have shed to settle their Kingdoms will be known to Mankind and will not suffer men universally to believe that God ever made such Governours essential to his Church or necessary to its Unity Sect. XIV 8. Because Kings and States will never become all so tame and servile as to resign their Kingdoms so far to an universal Monarch and to become his Subjects especially after the sad experience of his Government Sect. XV. 9. Because if the people were never â—o blind there will in all generations arise wise and Learned persons who will know all these things and never consent to Popery Sect. XVI 10. Lastly from Experience The Universal Church now doth not nor ever did unite in the Roman Papacy and therefore never will do That now they do not is past doubt with those that know the Papists are but the third or fourth part of the Christian World Bishop Bramhall saith they are but a fifth part The great Empire of Ethiopia the Christians in Egypt Syria Mesopotamia that are falsly called by them Nestorians and Eutychians or Jacobites who parted from the Greeks upon the ejection of Diosecrus by the Council of Chalcedon the Armenians Circassians Mengrelians Georgians those scattered in the Persian Empire the Greeks scattered throughout the Turkish Empire the Empire of Moscovie the Kingdoms of Sueden Denmark England Scotland and Ireland the Subjects of the Dukes of Saxony Brandenburgh Lunenburgh Hanover Osnaburgh Holstein the Prince of Hassia the Palsgrave of the Rhine Ducal Prussia Curland Transilvania all the Protestant free Cities in Germany Dantzick and others tolerated in Poland those in Hungary some in Walachia and Moldovia Belgia called the Low-Countreys with Friesland Embden Geneva c. the Protestant Cantons of Helvetia those in Rhoetia in Piedmont c. and those tolerated in France Our Plantations in the West-Indies or America viz. New-England Virginia Barbados Bermudas Jamaica and the rest All these are Christians that unite not in the Pope nor are subject to him I know they say that these are Hereticks and Schismaticks and no parts of the Church But that is too easie a way of arguing and no Cure at all for Christians discord By this way of reasoning they may prove that all the Christian Church or World is united in the Pope if he had but ten Subjects because all the rest are no part of the Christian Church or World as a mad man proved that all the World was his because he thought his House and Land was all the World But Christ will not so easily lose his Church nor be disputed out of his Inheritance by so gross a fallacy If you argue None are parts of the Christian Church but the Popes Subjects All the Popes Subjects unite in the Pope Ergo all parts of the Christian Church are united in the Pope You must prove your Major to Christ better than ever you did before he will be so deposed from his Kingdom and lose those whom he so dearly bought The Bishop of Constantinople Alexandria Ephesus Canterbury may say the like that none are Christians but their Subjects but this is it that I say the World of Christians are not united in Sect. XVII And as it is so now it was so in the last Age And though some of them cheat Women by telling them that all the Christian world before Luther were united in subjection to their Popes they must burn all their own Church History and Councils and make men ignorant of what is past in former ages before this will be believed by men that can read Latin and Greek certainly they do not believe it themselves They cannot though they would Was all the West subject to the Pope when so many hundred thousand were murdered for being against him When the Bohemians were so persecuted by warrs when Spain it self hath been accused of such Heresie when most of Germany stuck to the Emperours and despised the Popes when France and England have been censured and Interdicted by him and obeyed not his Interdicts when for many Ages most of Italy hath been a Field of warr and fought against him when Rome it self hath so oft driven him away But especially when upon the Constantinopolitane Decree de tribus Capitulis Pope Vigilius was forsaken by much of Italy and the West and all his Successors for about an hundred years and the Patriarch of Aquileia set up as their Head instead of Rome till Sergius after reconciled them And all this while were not the Greeks Moscovites Armenians Syrians Abassines and all the rest before mentioned in Asia and Africa c. from under the Pope I have oft asked and ask again was all Christendome subject to the Pope of whom their Melchior Canus saith Lecd Com. cap. 7. fol. 201. That not only the Greeks but almost all the rest of the Bishops of the whole World have fought to destroy the Priviledges of the Church of Rome and indeed they had on their side the Arms of Emperours and the Greater number of Churches and yet they could never prevail to abâ—â—gate the Power of the One Pope of Rome Was all the Christian World under him when their Raynerius saith cont Wald. catal in Bibl. Patr. To. 4. p. 773. The Church of the Armenians and Ethiopians and Indians and the rest which the Apostles converted are not under the Church of Rome Was all the Church under him before the Turks conquered the Greeks when the Greek Church alone and the rest in the Eastern Empire were twice as many as all the Western Churches and Abassia and all in the East and South without the Empire were also from under him Yea and when their own Jacobus de Vitriaco writeth Histor Orient c. 77. who dwelt at Jerusalem That the Churches of the Easterly parts of Asia alone exceeded in number the Christians either of the Greek or Latine Church And their Brochardus that lived also there saith that Those called Schismaticks by us are far better men than those of the Roman Church Sect. XVIII If they say that at least for the first six hundred years all the Church was governed by the Pope I answer It is more probable which Marnixius and many Protestants affirm that for the first six hundred years there was not one Papist in the world that is One that took the Pope to have the Governing power over all the Church on Earth The oft cited words of Gregory the first and Pelagius plainly shew that they abhorred the Claim The Pope was from the year 300. till 600. and after the first Bishop in the Roman Empire 1. Under Councils and Emperours 2. Not Ruling the other Patriarchates but sitting before them in Councils 3. And this by Mâ—ns Ordination only in one Empire 4. And had no Rule in any of the extraimperial Churches in the World even here with
down Sect. XI 3. They turn all the Parish-Churches into Chappels or meer parts of one Church and Unchurch them all in the judgment of those that take a Bishop to be essential to a Church And all will not agree to Unchurch all such Parishes Sect. XII 4. It maketh true Discipline as impossible as is the Government of so many score oâ— hundred Schools by one Schoolmaster or Hospitals by one Physician without any other Schoolmaster or Physician under him but Ushers and Apothecaries which all Christians will not agree to Sect. XIII 5. It is contrary to the Practice of the Primitive Churches and casteth out their sort oâ— Parochial Bishops as I have elsewhere fully proved 1. From the Testimonies of many such as that oâ— Ignatius before cited 2. From the custom of choosing Bishops by all the People 3. And of managing Discipline before all the Church 4. By the custom mentioned by Tertulliâ—â— and Justin Martyr of receiving the Sacrament onely from the hand of the Bishop or when he Consecrated it 5. By the custom of the Bishops onely Preaching except in case of his special appointment 6. In every Church the Bishop sate on a high Seat with the Presbyters about him 7. The Bishop onely pronounced the Blessing 8. Many Canons after when the Churches grew greater command all the People to be present and communicate with the Bishop on the great Festivals These and many more Evidences prove That in the Primitive Times the Bishops had but single Churches and every Altar and Church had a Bishop Sect. XIV 6. The very Species of the old Churches is thus overthrown and the old office of Presbyters therewith which was to be assistant Governors with the Bishop and not meer Preachers or Readers And all these Changes all Christians will not agree to Sect. XV. 7. Especially the sad History of Councils and Prelacy will deter them from such Concord when they find that their Aspiring Ambition and Contention hath been the grand Cause of Schisms and Rebellions and kept the Church in confusion and brought it to the lamentable state in East and West that it is in Sect. XVI 8. And constant Experience will be the greatest hinderance As in our own Age many good Men that had favourable thoughts of Diocesans are quite turned from them since they saw Two thousand faithful Ministers silenced by them and that it is the work of too many of them to cast out such and set up such as I am not willing to describe And such Experience After-Ages are like to have which will produce the same effects When Experience persuadeth Men That under the name of Bishops they are Troublers Persecutors and Destroyers they will account them Wolves and not agree to take them for their Shepherds It will be said That Good Bishops are not such It 's true and that there are Good Ones no sober Man doubteth But when 1300 years Experience hath told Men That the Good Ones are few in comparison of the Bad Ones ever since they had large Dominions and Jurisdictions And when Reason tells Men That the worst and most worldly Men will be the most diligent seekers of such Power and Wealth and that he that seeketh them is liker to find them than he that doth not and so that Bad men are still likest to be Diâ—cesans And when the divided scattered persecuted Flocks find that the work of such Men is to silence the most conscionable Ministers and to be Thorns and Thistâ—es to the People though they wear Sheeps cloathing Men will judge of theâ— by their fruits and the Churches will never be united in them Sect. XVII 9. The greatest Defenders of Episcopacy say so much to make Men against them as will hinder this from being an uniting course I wiâ—l instance now but in Petavius and Doctor Hamâ—â—d who followeth him and Scolus who saith 〈…〉 Clara led them the way These hold That the Apâ—stâ—â—s setled a Bishop without any subject sort of Presbyters in every City and single Congregational Church And Doctor Hammond Annot. in Act. 11. Dissertat adversus Blondel saith That it cannot be proved that there were any subject Presbyters in Scripture-times but that the word Presbyter every where in Scripture signifieth a Bishop And if so 1. Men will know that the Apostolical Form was for every Congregational Church to have a Bishop of its own 2. That no Bishop had more setled Congregations than one For no such Congregation could worship God and celebrate the Sacrament of Communion as then they constantly did without a Minister And one Bishop could be but in one place at once and so without Curates could have but one Assembly 3. And Men will be inquisitive By what Authority Subject Presbyters and Diocesan Bishops and Churches were introduced after Scripture-times in which they will never receive universal satisfaction If it be said that the Apostles gave Bishops Power to make a subject order of Presbyters and to turn Parish or Congregational Churches into Diocesan and so to alter the first Forms of Government when they were dead this will not be received without proofs which never will be given to satisfie all Nay it will seem utterly improbable and Men will ask 1. Why did not the Apostles do it themselves if they would have it done Was not their Authority more unquestionable than theirs that should come after If it be said that there were not qualified Men enow it will 2. Be asked Were there not like to be then greatest Choice upon the extraordinary pouring out of the Spirit 3. Do we not find in Corinth so many inspired gifted persons in one Assembly that Paul was put to limit them in their Prophecying yet allowing many to do it one by one And Acts 13. there were many Prophets and Teachers in Antioch And at Jerusalem more and at Ephesus Acts 20. and at Philippi Phil. 1. 1 2. there were many Bishops or Elders And such Deacons as Stephen and Philip c. would have served for Elders rather than to have none 4. Doth not this imply that after-times that might make so great a change may also do the like in other things 5. And that Diocesans and subject Presbyters be but humane Institutions and therefore Men may again change them 6. Doth it not dishonour the Apostles to say that they setled one Form of Government for their own Age which should so quickly be changed by their Followers into another species All these things and much more will hinder Universal Concord in Diocesans Sect. XIX Yet I must add that there is great difference between Diocesans both as to their Government and their Persons whence some Churches may comfortably live in Concord under them though 〈◊〉 be divided and afflicted under them 1. Some Diocesans have Diocesses so small that Discipline is there a possible thing Others as ours in England have some above a thousand some many hundred or score Parishes which maketh true Discipâ—â—â— impossible 2. Some Diocesans exercise
of Belief in things not evidently of God Sect. V. What I say of Divine Faith I say of Points of Religious Practice For though all things believed be not to be done yet all things to be done as commanded by God must first be believed to be commanded by him And to believe and do is somewhat more than only to believe Sect. VI. But it 's one thing to say This is Gods Command and another to say This is our Command The first none will agree to that see not evidence to believe it The second is 1. Either according to Gods Command to drive Men to obey it 2. Or beside his Command 3. Or against his Command 1. Those Laws of Men which are according to Gods Laws those only will obey who discern them so to be on that account Therefore it must be in evident Cases or they will be no measure of Concord as such 2. Those that are but besides Gods Laws Men should obey so far as they can find that the Commanders have power from God to make them And how few such will be matter of Universal Concord 3. Those that are against Gods Laws no good Christians will knowingly consent to Sect. VII And I have before truly told them what great diversity of capacities and understandings there be in the world so that even in common matters that are still before our eyes at least in many or most few persons long agree In matters of Fact at any distance or matters of Prudence Husband and Wife Parents and Children Master and Servants daily differ Mens faces scarce differ more than their understandings It is only in few plain easie things that all Men are agreed And are ever all Christians like to agree in many humane dark opinions Or will it be taken for certain to all Men because it is so to some of clearer understandings or because a self-confident Imposer vevehemently asserteth it They know not themselves they know no Man that presume to unite the Church this way Sect. VIII Therefore the Popish numerous Decrees de Fide are but so many Engines of Schism made on the pretence of declaring Points of Faith If they were Articles of Faith before they may be maniâ—est to be so in the Divine Revelation that is the Holy Scriptures But for the Council to tell a Man This or That is in the Bible but we cannot shew you it there nor can you find it if you search but you must take our words as infallible This is not a center that the Christian world will ever unite in And if it be an Article of Faith either the Church held it before the Council declared it or not If they did then it was known without a Councils Declaration And what need a Council to declare that which all the Church did hold before and was in possession of But if not then either it was an Article of Faith before or not If it was then the Church before held not that Faith and so was Heretical Corrupt or wanted Faith and so by their own reckoning who will not endure the distinction of essentials from the rest was no Church If not then the Council declared that to be an Article of Faith which was none It must be such before it can be truly declared such else a false Declaration that it was such did now make it such But if they had openly professed That by Declaring it an Article they meant the Making one they must prove 1. That they are Prophets and have new Revelations even of Faith 2. And that the Scriptures were not sufficient measures of the Churches Faith to the end of the world 3. And that the Churches Faith is alterable and crescent and the old Church had not the same Faith which the present Church hath And will the Christian world any more agree in such absurdities than in a Quakers of Familists professing that he speaketh by Inspiration If the Members of the Council before they came thither were no wiser nor honester than other Men nor their words more credible how shall we know that when they are there they are become inspired and their words are Gods own words But if it be said That they neither make new Articles of Faith nor declare what is in Scripture by Exposition but declare the Verbal Tradition of the Apostles I ask 1. If so big a Book as the Bible contain not so much as all the Churches Creed 2. Where hath this Traditional Faith been kept till now If by all the Church then it was held possessed and known before that Declaration If but by part of the Church then it was but part of the Church that had the true Faith and one part was of one Religion and another part of another And which part was it that kept this Tradition And how come we to know that they were righter than the rest that had it not If it was Rome only then they had a Faith different from the rest of the Churches And how shall we know that they are not as true and sound as Rome But how hath this Tradition been carried on and kept right Was it by Writing or by Word If by Writings why are they not cited seen and tryed Other men can read as well as Popes and Councils If unwritten was it by publick Preaching or private Talk If the former then it was commonly known and declared before the Council declared it If by private Talk how shall we be sure 1. That they were honest men that would keep private the Publick Faith especially being Preachers that by office were to publish it 2. And that it hath been well remembred and carried on without alteration And were it preached or whispered mans memory is so frail and words so uncertain that for the Church or a piece of the Church to carry down from the Apostles from Fathers to Children so many Articles more than are in all the Bible and so hard and mysterious and by many now controverted and this not by writing and to be sure that no mistake hath been made by oblivion or misexpression this is a thing that the Church will never unite in the belief of And was it in a set form of unchangeable words that all these Articles or Expositions were carried down till now or not If yea we should have had that Form deliver'd us as we have other Forms the Creed Lords Prayer c. If not how shall we know that the Fathers and Children had the same understanding of the matter and changed not the Faith by change of words And it 's like that all the Churches since the Apostles delivered not these Articles down in the same words when in several Countries and Ages they spake not the same language And it is a wonder that they would never write their Faith for their Children to learn when the Jews Deut. 6. and 11. were commanded to teach their Children by writing the Law upon the very Posts of their Houses and their
Gates And it is a greater wonder that Parents and Children should through so many Generations and Countries have so unerring surâ— a memory And it is strange how their own Commentators come to differ about the sense of Thousands of Texts of Scripture if the Churches Tradition have publickly and notoriously delivered down the meaning of them If not how Councils come to be the infallible Commentators and Declarers of the Sense of Scriptures But if really such men believe themselves it will be long before either by fraud or force they can make all others believe such things Sect. IX Gods wisdom appointed a few great and necessary things to be the terms of the Churches Unity and Love but Ignorance and Pride by pretences of Enmity to Error and Heresie have plagued and torn the Churches by Decrees and Canons and led us into a Labyrinth so that men know not where they are nor what to hold nor what the Christian Religion is nor who are Orthodox and who are not so great a work it is to understand such Voluminous Councils and then to be sure that they are all right even when they condemn and damn each other That which hath been the chief Cause and Engine of Division will never become the means or terms of the Unity or Concord of all the Churches But such are the multitude of unnecessary uncertain humane Decrees Laws and Canons of Faith and Religion whatever the proud and ignorant say to the contrary CHAP. VIII The Vniversal Church will never Vnite by receiving all that is now received by Greeks Latines Armenians Abassines Lutherans Calvinists Diocesane Presbyterians Independants Erastians Anabaptists or in full Conformity to any of the present Parties which addeth to the Primitive Simplicity in her terms of Communion or Concord Sect. I. I Must expect that the Evil Spirit which hath long torn the Church and made multitudes tear themselves and foam out Reproach yea and Blood against each other will presently meet the very Title of this Chapter with a charge of Pride against the Writer and say What are you that you should know more than all the Churches in the World And preâ—ume to charge them all with so great Error as not to know the terms of Christian Concord nor the way of Universal Peace But I answer 1. Is the Church now United in any of these terms or ways Are they all Papists Are they all of the Greek Church or Armenian Abassine c Are they all Lutherans or Calvinists c If not why should you conclude that ever they will be Or that any of these are congruous terms of Concord and that the same that doth not heal will heal them Will not Christians be the same as now Sect. II. They never were United on any of these terms I have proved that they were never all Papists And it will be easily granted of the rest that they were never all Greeks Lutherans c. And that which never did unite the Church never will do Sect. III. If you think all must be united in any of these wayes which of them is it And why that rather than any of the rest 1. Must they all be of the Greek opinions You see that the Papists condemn them for Schismaticks And other Churches lament their manifold Corruptions And the Eastern Countries long since divided from them We have here in London a Greek Church new built and Tolerated and their work is done so ignorantly and unreverently that they have usually not twice the number of the officiating or present Priests who join with them 2. Must they all be Papists Never was more Policy and Cruelty used to propagate and prop up any Church under Heaven and yet they cannot prevail for Universal Subjection Nay many Kingdoms and Countries are fallen from them while they used such means to keep them insomuch that by many of the soundest Churches they are taken for no better than Antichristian Hereticks And even the Greek Church separateth from them and pronounceth them Schijmaticks and Excommunicates them every year And they can never obliterate the History of their horrid Schisms and Usurpations and inhumane Butcheries which will alienate many from them Will all the world ever agree to the Dominion of one Usurper Will they all believe the Monster of Transubstantiation Will they all agree That all the Senses of all men are deceived who think that they see and taste Bread and Wine and there is none And that it is necessary to Salvation to renounce all our Senses and the Scripture that oft calls it Bread after the Consecration 1 Cor. 11. Will all agree That God who cannot lie by Supernatural Revelation is the Father of all the lies to Sense that perceive real Bread and Wine and deceiveth them all by his Natural Revelation Will all men believe That every lying fornicating proud and covetous Priest even many Thousands of them can work Miracles at their pleasures every day in the week by making Bread no Bread and turning it into Flesh and 〈◊〉 And that there are visible Accidents without a Subject even a round nothing a white nothing a sweet nothing c. And that there are no substantial sâ—â—ns in that Sacrament of the thing signified And that Christs true Flesh was broken and his Blood shed by himself in the Sacrament before it was broken and shed on the Cross And that two General Councils who decree as de Fide that Christ hath not now Flesh in Heaven hath yet heavenly Flesh in the Sacrament I know that Augustine retracted somewhat as an oversight that looked that way But two General Councils that at Constantinople called the 7th General by some and that at Nice 2d which damned one another about Images yet agreed in this That Christ hath not Flesh in Heaven The words are Bin. p. 378. defin 7. Siauis non confessus fuerit Dominum nostrum Jesum Christum post Assumptionem animatae rationalis intelleâ—â—â—â— carnis simul sedere cum Deo â—atre atque ita quique rursus venturum cum Paternâ Majestate judicaturum vâ—vos mortuos non amplius quidem Carnem neque incorporeum tamen ut videatur ab iâ—s a quibus conpunctus est maneat Deus extra crassitudinem Carnis Anathema And in this they say that the Constantin Council which they are condemning was in the right so that they anathematize the Church of Rome which think that Christ hath Flesh in Heaven and in the Eucharist which they deny yet saying that he hath a Body And let those that would pervert the word Crassitudinem note that he doth not distinguish of Christs flesh and ours as two sorts and say extra carnem Crassam but deny him to have flesh and say extra crassitudinem carnis as an essential property of flesh And one of these Councils the Papists own Will all Christians agree that every Priest must first make his God and then eat him or that he must communicate alone without communion
Communion 9. This cannot be from God but by a continued Succession of persons orderly receiving Authority from those who had Authority to give it them viz. Bishops from those first times of the Apostles to ours at present 10. That the Holy Ghost is the Instituter of this Order and to violate it by administring without such Ordination is to sin against the Holy Ghost the Sin that hath no other sacrifice and promise of pardon 11. That the Ordained have no more or other power than the Ordainers intend or profess to give them 12. That it is certain that the Bishops of all former Ages intended not to give Presbyters power of Ordaining or Administring out of their Subjection Ergo they have it not Sect. XXI This and a great deal more to this purpose is his matter To gather all the Confusions Contradictions and Absurdities of that wordy Volume would be tedious and little profitable to the Reader only these three things in general I tell such as may be in danger of infection by it 1. That he never agreeth with his Adversaries of the state of the question nor so much as explicateth the terms nor doth any thing beseeming a Disputant to make himself understood 2. That not only by denied false Suppositions he maketh all his Discourse useless to the Nonconformists but also at the first giveth them their Cause and confirmeth them 3. That while in his Preface he disowneth Popery it is the very sting of their Argumentation which he useth And that which yet by consequence overthroweth not only the Churches Ministery Sacraments and Salvation of the Protestants but of all Christians on Earth and of none more certainly than of the Papists All which I undertake when called to prove Sect. XXII It were tedious to mention all his ambiguous confounding terms For a few 1. He that layeth so great a stress on Episcopacy never tells us what he meaneth by a Bishop when he ought to know that with the chief of his Adversaries the Controversie is very much in that For as Grotius de Imper. Summ. Pol. and many others they take the chief Pastor of every Parish-Church especially that hath Curates under him for a Bishop at least if he be Pastor of a City or Town so called of old 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 when others deny him to be a Bishop that hath not many Altars or Parishes under him 2 Some take him for a Bishop that is but the prime Presbyter or different from the rest but Gradu non ordine call'd Episcopus Praeses And others deny him to be one unless he differ Gradu as another Officer in specie 3. Some take him to be a Bishop that hath no Presbyter but Deacons under him and that in a single Assembly as Doctor Hammond on Act. 11. Dissertat Others deny him to be one that is not over Presbyters 4. Some take him to be no Bishop that is not elected or consented to by the people and the Clergy if there be any Others hold him to be one that hath the consent of neither but only the Pope or the Archbishop or the King electing and imposing him and some Bishops consecrating him 5. Some hold him to be no Bishop unless three Bishops Consecrate him Others say one may make him Bishop 6. If three Bishops Consecrate one and 〈◊〉 another he tell◠〈…〉 that Church 〈…〉 see examine◠〈…〉 Church against 〈…〉 Sect. XXIII 〈…〉 repeateth the necessity of being in an 〈…〉 by it when he must need◠〈◊〉 that th◠〈◊〉 or definition of it is the very first point of 〈◊〉 between us and the Papists By the tenor of his discourse the Reader may suspect that he meaneth some Universal Society of Men on Earth under some one visible humane Head either Monarchical or Aristocratical or Democratical a Sovereign who is â—ersona Civilis and Pars Impâ—rans Constitutiva But if so Protestants we at least deny any such thinking this the prime essential difference between us and the Papists the second being whether the Pope or his Council be this Head and he never tells who this supposed Head is So he frequently talketh of necessary Communion with a particular Church and never tells us what he meaneth by it Nor can I gather often whether he means a Diocesane Church or a Provincial or a National But I perceive that he meaneth not a Parochial when yet he knew that the Adversaries take those for particular Churches Sect. XXIV 1. So he oft talks of the necessity of Successive Canonical Ordination and never defineth either Ordination or Canonical Ordination when he must know that some take Imposition of Hands to be essential to Ordination and some deny it and hold that Letters may do it on the absent besides other differences 2. And some take those to be obligatory Canons which others contemn as of no authority The Papists are not agreed what Canons are valid And the Dissenters and this Disputer are not agreed in England Many besides Dr. Heylin say That the Popes Canon Law is yet in force in England except some Particulars that were cast out Others believe not this what is said against the Authority of the English Canons I will not recite 3. And some take it for Canonical Ordination if it be done by one Bishop and Presbyters Others say No unless by three Bishops 4. Some say it is not Canonical without the Clergies and Peoples Election or Consent as aforesaid and others find it necessary to their Cause to deny this Sect. XXV He calls Men oft to Catholick Unity and never tells us what it is or how it may be known Abundance more such Ambiguities make his Disputes to me unintelligible Sect. XXVI Or if he be to be understood in these and such like then he goeth all along by a begging of the questions which are denied 1. He should have rather proved than taken it as granted that those are not Bishops whom we hold to be such 2. And that it is not the Visible Church which we take for such 3. And that it is not a Particular Church which we take for such 4. And that it is no Regular Ordiâ—â—tion which we take for such 5. And that it is no Catholick Unity which we take for such And so of the rest Sect. XXVII 2. He supposeth that there is but one Episcopal Communion in the places where Men live or never tells us if there be divers Bishops which it is whose Communion is so necessary when he knoweth that Grotius thought that of old Churches were formed in imitation of the Synagogues and that one City had divers Churches and Bishops as well as divers Synagogues And Dr. Hammond thought that Rome Antioch and other Cities had two Churches and Bishops one of Jews and another of Gentiles and that Peter and Paul had two Churches at Rome And he knoweth I suppose not only that there were Novatian Bishops in the same Cities with the Orthodox but that oft and long Constantinople Antiâ—ch
saying That for one infallible old Gentleman at Rome we have Thousands of Hot Spirits in England that pretend to more of the Divine Perfections than ever he did For if the Holy Ghost doth personally indwell in Sectaries then they are personally possessed with all the glorious Attributes of the Godhead pag. 26. And 28. The Idolatry of the Papists will be as excusable at the great day of Accounts as the unreverent Rudeness and superstitious Sowreness of the Sectary And p. 29. The gross Usurpation and Invasion of the Priestly Office by Sectaries to erect Churches c. throws more dirt upon the Christian Religion than the grossest Errors in the Roman Church c. Answ 1. I know none so worthy of the Name of Sectaries as the Papists that damn all Christians save themselves and feign themselves onely to be all the Church 2. It 's like by these Sectaries he meaneth those that are not Re-ordained or have not uninterrupted Episcopal Ordination And if all such Reformed Churches are so much more dirty and injurious to Christianity than the grossest Errors of the Papists it 's better be of the Papal Church than of them 3. Doth pretending to the help of Gods Spirit in Praying and Preaching and Living arrogate more than pretending to Papal Infallibility in the Office of an Universal Monarch and Judge of the sense of all Gods Word The word Personal I have heard used by none but this and such Accusers But what he meaneth by it who can tell First If it refer to the Person of the Receiver how can the Holy Ghost dwell in any man and not dwell in his person Secondly If it refer to the Person of the Holy Ghost what Christian before this man did ever doubt that took the Holy Ghost to be God whether the Person as well as the Essence of the Holy Ghost be every where Doth not the Scripture say That the Holy Spirit dwelleth in Believers Rom. 8. 11. 1 Cor. 3. 16. 2 Tim. 1. 14. c. and God dwelleth in us 1 Joh. 4. 12. 15 16. And that we are an habitation of God by the Spirit Ephes 2. 22. Is Gods Word worse than Popery Or is not this to reproach God and his Word and Spirit more than the Reformed Churches do by not having Bishops who are accused by Mr. Dodwell to sin against the Holy Ghost Thirdly But if Personal should mean the mode and title of Union as if by Hypostatical Union like Christs the Holy Ghost and Believers be made one Person who are those Sectaries that hold such a thing who shew the state of the English Religion And this is one of the men that cry out against Toleration and tells us that There can be no stability of Government in England till there be a settlement in Religion No settlement of Religion but by uniting Affections No uniting Affections but by unity of Religion And so on Therefore Rulers must force all to be of one Religion Next to the thought of the Heathen and Apostate Nations case it is one of the saddest to me that Rulers and People that have too little studied such matters should lie under the temptation and horrid abuse of Clergymen that write and talk at such a rate as this man doth 1. Will he maintain That there is no Union of Religion wherever men are not of one opinion form or mode in every Circumstance Rite or Ceremony or every accident or integral of Faith Are any two men in the world then of one Religion any more than of one visage or slature c 2. If this man had Rulers that differed from him as much as he doth from the Nonconformists would he and could he presently change his judgment or would he falsly profess a change lest he should not be of one Religion with his Prince or rather must it not be he or such as he that must be the standard of that one Religion to all 3. Doth he believe That Prisons or Flames will make men of one Affection Would such usage win himself to love the judgment and way of those that he suffered by 4. Or if men of many Opinions and Affections be forced into the same Temple as a Prison doth their corporal presence make them of one Religion and Affection It is a doleful thing to hear Preachers of the Gospel cry out for Blood Flames or Prisons to make whole Kingdoms of one Religion confessing how unfit they are to do it themselves who have undertaken the Office that should do it Woe to the Princes Church and People that have not wit and grace to escape the snares of such ignorant Tyrannical Counsellors Abundance more such Pamphlets have lately endeavoured to destroy Love and Peace and infect the Land with Malice and Cruelty § XII The Roman Doctrine and Laws for exterminating and burning Hereticks is the top and perfection of this hypocritical wickedness which murdereth Gods Servants and depopulateth Countries on pretence of Charity Unity and Government And when so many Princes became guilty of serving this bloody Clergy that never knew what manner of spirit they were of it was Gods wisdom and justice to permit the same Councils of Bishops and the same Popes to decree their Deposition which decreed their Subjects extermination Lateran sub Innoc. 3. what can be more contrary to Nature to Humane Interest or to the Doctrine Example and Spirit of Christ And whose blood is safe while such blood-sucking Leeches are taken for the Rulers of the world and the Physicians of Souls § XIII All this I perceive is on occasion of Objections but superadded to what I fullier said before Part II. Chap. 8. But I still say That Toleration must have its due bounds and not extend to intolerable Doctrines Practices or Persons To proceed then Every one that will must not be Tolerated to be a publick Pastor and Preacher no not of the Truth For some insufficient men may by that manner bring a scandal or scorn on the sacred Doctrine and Worship of God and taking Gods Name profanely and in vain is worse than silence much less should men be suffered to preach or dispute down anys Point of Christian Faith or Duty § XIV In a word The Prince that will escape the dangerous Extreams of Licentiousness and oppressing Persecution must 1. Have an eye to the Holy Scripture and Apostolical Institution and to the Law of Nature together as his Rule 2. He must make the true publick Good which lieth in mens spiritual welfare his end 3. He must make the promoting of Obedience to God and his Laws the chief work of his Office and of his own Laws 4. He must abhor and avoid all carnal Interests contrary to the Interest of Christ and mens Souls 5. He must do all with Caution from a Spirit of Love and a Care to preserve mens fear of God 6. He must take heed of Partiality or hearkning to the counsel either of Atheists prophane men or of an ignorant proud and cruel
more besides Origen sheweth 6. The Papists ordinarily take liberty to differ from the Commentaries of divers of the most Renowned of the Fathers 7. And the learnedst men of the Papists themselves do differ from one another 8. And no General Council that pretend to be the Judge of thesense of the Scripture durst ever yet venture to write a Commentary on it 9. No nor any Pope nor any by his appointment or a Councils is written by any other and by them approved as infallible By all which and much more it is evident That subscribing wholly to any Commentary will never unite the Churches of Christ Sect. II. And no wonder when that 1. God hath composed the Scripture of such various parts as that all are not of the same neceâ—sity or intelligibility but some are harder than the rest to be understood and many hundred Texts are such that a man that understands them not may be saved 2. And Pastors as well as People are of various degrees of understanding and all imperfect and know but in part Sect. III. Yet are good Commentaries of great use as other teaching is but not to be subscribed as the terms of the Unity or Liberty of the Churches Sect. IV. Nay those particular Expositions which General Councils the Pretenders to deciding judgment have made are not to be subscribed as infallible as I have before proved by the quality of the men and by their many Errors and contradicting and condemning one another CHAP. XVII A Summary Recital of the true Terms of Concord and some of the true Causes of Schism THE Sum of all that is said of Schism and Unity is this § I. Schism is an unlawful separating from one or many Churches or making Parties and Divisions in them and is caused usually either 1. By unskilful proud Church-Tyrants Dogmatists or Superstitious Persons by departing from Christs instituted terms of Concord the Christian Purity and Simplicity and denying Communion to those that unite not on their sinful or unnecessary self-devised terms and obey not their ensnaring Canons or Wills or malignantly forbidding what Christ hath commanded and excommunicating and persecuting men for obeying him 2. Or else by erroneous proud self-conceited persons that will not unite and live in Communion upon Christs instituted terms but feigning some Doctrine or Practice of their devising to be true good and necessary which is not or something to be intolerably sinful that is good or lawful do therefore cast off their Guides and the Communion of the Church as unlawful on pretence of choosing a better necessary way § II. 2. The necessary means of Unity and Church Concord are these 1. That every Catechized understanding person professing Repentance Belief and Consent to the Baptismal Covenant and the Children of such dedicated by them to Christ be Baptized And the Baptized accounted Christians having right to Christian Communion till their Profession be validly disproved by an inconsistent Profession or Conversation that is by some Doctrine against the Essence of Christianity or some scandalous wilful sin with Impenitence after sufficient Admonition And that no man be Excommunicated that is not proved thus far to Excommunicate himself And that the Catechized or Examined person be put upon no other profession of Belief Consent and Practice as interpreting the Sacramental Covenant but of the Articles of the Creed the Lords Prayer and Decalogue understood and the general belief of consent to and practice of all that he discerneth to be the Word of God 2. That in Church Cases and Religion I. The Magistrate have the onely publick judgment whom he shall countenance and maintain or tolerate and whom he shall punish or not tolerate nor maintain and never be the Executioner of the Clergies Sentence without or against his own Conscience and Judgment II. That the Ordainers being the senior Pastors or a Bishop or President with other Pastors which is to be left to the concurrent judgments of themselves and the people be the Judges of the fitness of the Ordained person to be a Minister of Christ and the said Pastors in their respective particular Churches be the Key-bearers or Judges who is to be Baptized and admitted to Communion in the Church and who not and not constrained to Baptize or to give or deny Communion there by the judgment of others against their Consciences though in case of forfeiture or just cause they may be removed from that Church or from the sacred Office III. That the People of that Church be the private discerning Judges who shall be their Pastors to whose conduct they will trust their Souls if not so far as to be the first Electors at least so far as to have a free consenting or dissenting power and they be not forced to trust their Souls with any man as a Pastor against their Consciences And that every man be the private discerning Judge of his own Duty to God and Man and of his sin forbidden and of his own secret Case whether he believe in God and Christ and purpose to obey him or whether he be an Atheist or Infidel or secretly wicked and so fit or unfit for Baptism and Communion so that though he be not to be received without the judgment of the Pastors yet he may exclude himself if conscious of incapacity and therefore that none be forced by corporal Penalties or Mulcts to be Baptized or to Communicate 3. That the Christian Magistrate make three sorts of Laws one for the approved and maintained Churches and Pastors another for the Tolerated and a third sort for the Intolerable I. And that a sufficient number of the ablest soundest and worthiest Ministers be made the publick approved maintained Preachers and Pastors And where Parish Bounds are judged necessary that all persons living in the Parish be constrained to contribute proportionably to maintain the Parish Ministers and Temple and Poor and to hear publick Teaching and to worship God either in that or some other Approved or Tolerated Church within their convenient reach or neighborhood II. And that the Tolerated Ministers tryed and licensed have protection and peace in the publick exercise of their Ministery though not Approbation and Maintenance III. But that the Intolerable be restrained by sutable restraints 4. That the Approved and Maintained Ministers be put to subscribe their Belief of Consent to and resolved practice or obedience of all the Sacred Canonical Scriptures so far as by diligent study they are able to understand them and more particularly of the Christian Religion summarily contained in the Sacramental Covenant and in the ancient Creeds received by the Universal Church the Lords Prayer and the Decalogue as it is the Law of Christ and expounded by him in the Holy Scriptures And that they will be faithful to the King and Kingdom and as Ministers will faithfully guide the Flocks in holy Doctrine Worship Discipline and Example of Life labouring to promote Truth Holiness Love Peace and Justice for the salvation of mens Souls
Sins are not within his Cognizance 3. To do the work of Parents Pastors Tutors or Physicians is no part of the Office to which he is appointed and authorized 4. But he may drive on all these to do their duties by due means 5. It is unlawful to seek to cure a lesser Evil with a greater That is to be numbred with the things which the Prince cannot do which he cannot do by lawful means or such as do more hurt than good 6. The Mischiefs before enumerated against the Princes Safety and Honour and against Love and Justice and Conscience and Religion are so great as that no Severity must be used which procureth them and doth not a greater good 7. The punishing of small Faults by great Punishments is Injustice and Unlawful 8. Abundance of Infirmities and humane Frailties and Errors are such as must be endured so they be but by Doctrine Love and gentle Reproofs rebuked and disowned without Punishments Ecclesiastical or Corporal else there will be no Love or Peace 9. Preachers must not be suffered to persuade Men from the Faith Love or Obedience of God in Christ against any Article of the Creed or Petition of the Lords Prayer or Precept of the Decalogue or any essential part of the Christian Religion 10. If such speak a damnable Error or Heresie by Ignorance or Heedlesness they must have a first and second Admonition and they 〈◊〉 repent But if they forbear not upon Admonition they do it studiously and wilfully and such are to be Silenced till they Reform because the Preaching of one that opposeth an essential Point of Religion will do more harm than good except among Heathens or where no better Preachers can be had 11. It will not be unmeet for the Rulers to draw up either a Catalogue of integral Points of Religion of great moment which all shall be forbidden to Preach or Dispute against or else a Catalogue of Errors contrary to such which none shall have leave to propagate But it is not every one that violateth the Law that is to be forbidden to preach Christs Gospel but lesser pecuniary Mulcts may be sufficient punishment to many and the bare denying them preferment or maintenance and casting them among the disowned that are but tolerated may be better punishment and more effectual in case of tolerable Faults than the more severe 12. Rulers should do much more to restrain from Evils than to constrain to Religious Duties And those Evils are of these sorts First Such as blaspheme God Secondly Such as draw the Hearers Souls into damnable Error or Sin Thirdly Such as tend to overthrow the Honour and Safety of the Governors Fourthly Such as tend directly to breed Hatred in men against each other and kindle the fire of Contention and Enmity Fifthly Such as draw men from the common duties of Justice towards Neighbors or Relations into Fraud and Injury 13. It is the greatest part of the Magistrates duty about Religion First To see Gods own Laws kept in Honour Secondly And to keep Peace by Church Justices among Clergymen and People that are apt to take occasion from Religion to abuse and calumniate one another 14. Yet Rulers may and must compel Persons that are grosly ignorant or erroneous to hear what can be said against their Error and for their Instruction As Parents so Magistrates may compel Children and Subjects to be Catechized and to hear Gods Word and may compel them to hear such Teachers as have the Rulers Licence either as Approved or Tolerated to Teach 15. Men ought not to be compelled to receive the Sacraments of Baptism or the Lords Supper by the Sword or Force because it is to receive a sealed Pardon of Sin and Donation of Christ and Life which no unwilling person hath right to or doth receive For to say I am unwilling is to say I receive not and so the reception of the outward sign is Hypocrisie Prophanation and taking the Name of God in vain 16. Yet those that being Baptized and at Age avoid Communion are after Admonition to be taken for Revolters so far and to be declared such as so far cast themselves from the Communion of the Church And the Christian Magistrate may well deny them many Priviledges in the Commonwealth which he should appropriate to sound persevering Christians 17. Places in Government Trust Burgess-ship and Votes in Elections of Governors and such like are best appropriated to the Approved part of Christians and some the Tolerated but never granted to Apostates proper Hereticks or any that are intolerable 18. Pastors of the Churches should not be constrained to give the Sacrament of Baptism or the Lords Supper to any one against their Consciences because First It is their Office to be Judges who is to be Baptized and to Communicate This is the power of the Keys Secondly If they may not judge of the very Act which they are to perform they have not so much as that judicium discretionis which belongeth to every man as a man and so must act brutishly Thirdly If they may administer against Conscience when they think it Sin the same reason would hold for all men to sin whenever a Ruler commandeth them that judgeth it no Sin what Bounds shall be set against absolute blind Obedience Fourthly Whereas the Objection is from Inconveniences As Then every Pastor may deny Men Sacraments I answer 1. So every Tutor Physician c. may abuse his Trust 2. Therefore men must have care whom they choose and trust 3. There are better Remedies than sinful slavery in the Minister even consulting with Synods of Ministers or where Bishops rule appealing to them 4. The persons that expect the Sacrament may have it from some other Pastor that is willing It is a less inconvenience that a single person remove or else communicate in another Assembly than that the Pastor whose Office is to use the Church Keys be enslaved to sin against his Conscience 5. We suppose that of ancient right the Church is not to have a Pastor over them whom they consent not to Therefore if the Church find themselves wronged by the Pastors Fact they have their Remedy They may admonish the Pastor and if he hear not tell the Bishop Synod or Magistrate for I am not now determining the case of superior Bishops but tell what is the actual Remedy where such bear Rule And if he hear not the Church Synod Bishop or Magistrate they may desert him and choose a fitter Pastor and yet neither Excommunicate nor Silence him but the same man may be more sutable to another Flock which will desire him They that object Inconveniences in this motion should consider First That a Mischief and Sin is worse than an Inconvenience Secondly That there is nothing desirable here without Inconveniences which may furnish an unwise Contender with Objections Thirdly That they that cry up the Canons and Traditions Custom or judgment of Antiquity Bishops Councils Fathers and the Catholick
Church should not hastily set their own Wit or Authority against them all who for 600 if not nearer 1000 years after Christ did not only judge that Bishops must come in by the Peoples Election and Consent but that he was to be accounted an Usurper and no Bishop of theirs that had it not Fourthly And we have reason to think St. Cyprian and the Carthage Council of Bishops as wise as the Objectors who in the Case of Martial and Basilides before described judged that the People ought to forsake an uncapable scandalous Pastor though other Bishops even he of Rome absolved him And that the chief power of choosing or forsaking was in them and if they did otherwise it was not the contrary Sentence of Bishops that would excuse them before God It is easie to say St. Cyprian erred and we are in the right and this would overthrow all Government But neither the persons that object nor their Reasons have ever yet seemed to me sufficient to make me prefer their judgment even in this before Cyprian and the African Fathers XI In all probability FREE SACRAMENTS administred by such Ministers of Christ as by the Christian Magistrates Licence are either Approved or Tolerated would heal most of all the Discords about Religion in England I mean Sacraments not constrainedly but freely given and received I shall tell you why I think so by instances 1. The Thing call'd Strict Presbytery with a power of Classes and National Assemblies composed of Ordained and Unordained Elders as a Judicature whose Excommunication is to be enforced by the Magistrates Sword is approved by few of my acquaintance in England But those that Prelatists calâ— Presbyterians here commonly are Ministers that desire but the exercise of so much of their proper Office and the freedom of a Christian and a Man as not to be forced to administer Sacraments against their knowledge and conscience to the uncapable because a Lay-Chancelor or a Diocesane that knoweth not his Neighbours and Flocks so well as he shall say that they are worthy and command him to renounce his knowledge in obeying them And if God had made all such Ministers to be only the Lay-Chancellors or the Diocesanes Agents or Servants to Baptize and give the Lords Supper only in the Chancellors or Bishops name as a Messenger and if it be done amiss that not we but the Chancellor or Bishop should answer it to God then we could joyfully thus obey them But while we believe That we must answer our selves for our own actions and that we must Baptize and give the Lords Body and Blood in Christs Name and not the Bishops we dare not obey Men before God nor renounce our own judgment in the matters of our own Office and Trust Therefore it would satisfie us had we but freedom in our Ministerial action not to go against our Conscience however blind malice would make the world believe that it is some Papal Empire even over Princes that we desire Nay we desire That if the Magistrate will allow us Parish-Churches and Maintenance and Countenance in our work that any person that cannot remove his dwelling without great detriment and cannot be satisfied in our Order of Worship and Communion but can receive more Edification from another Minister may have leave to join in Communion with any other Approved or Tolerated Church keeping the Laws of Loyalty and Peace Why should I envy anothers desires or benefits Or think it hard that any can profit more by another than by me Or why should I be against it And we desire not that the People may be Ordainers or Church-Governors or have the power of the Keys but that if any Flock cannot be satisfied after full hearing to rest under the conduct of our Ministery they may freely chooâ—e another and remove us And for my own part as I never did so I wonder how any ingenious Minister can obtrude himself on any People and pretend to be their Pastor against their wills As my Conscience condemneth it as against God and them so I confess my Prudence is against it for my self and I am not so base as to endure such a life 2. And as for the Party called Independant I have reason to think that it is the main of that Toleration which they desire For Mr. Philip Nye who led them more than any one man known to me did purposely write to prove That the Christian Magistrate may set up Teachers all over his Dominions whom the People upon his Command are bound to hear But that to take any for their Pastors he thought they might not be compelled 3. And even the Anabaptists would be contented with the same liberty if they be but near as peaceable as Mr. Tombes was who wrote for even Parâ—chial Communion and persuaded the Anabaptists to it Though few so far followed him most I think would be contented with Free Sacraments in which I include the Eucharistical Lords-day worship § X. And what harm will this do where Love prevaileth and where Pride and Envy make not 〈◊〉 Priests to think all wrong them that do not Adore or Idolize them or give them more than is their due What harm will it do me if an hundred of my Parish hear and prefer another man by whom they can profit more than by me What if they worship God in other sound words or in Cloaths of another make or colour as long as they are restrained from reviling and the breach of Peace Are they any better in my Auditory with censuring or dissenting â—â—dgments hearing me against their wills than where they can freely join in Love and Peace If a bad or weak Minister grudge at all that go to an able Conformist in the next Parish few wise men will think that he doth it more for God or for his Brothers Soul than for himself and yet that person breaketh the Canon that goeth to the next Parish as well as he that goeth to a Nonconformist And why should we be more impatient with this man than with that § XXI The Pamphlets that are spread abroad for Rigor and Severity of late under the pretence of Conformity do many of them savor so rankly of Church-Tyranny and a bloody Mind and Principles and are made up of such Reasons as give us just cause to suspect that more of them are written by Papists than some think I instance in one called A Representation of the State of Christianity in England and of its decay and danger from Sectaries as well as Papists Printed 1674 for Benjamin Tooke in which the Staâ—e of Religion here is unworthily slandered and the Follies of some few such as the Quakers pretended to be the State of our Religion and words beseeming Mad-men which we never hear fathered on those that he pleaseâ— to call Sectaries and they are represented as 〈◊〉 of the Creed Lords Prayer and Commandments and what not that is reverend good and holy and the Papists much preferred before them