Selected quad for the lemma: doctrine_n
Text snippets containing the quad
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A41605
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A Letter from a dissenter to the divines of the Church of England in order to a union
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1687
(1687)
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Wing G1330; ESTC R15793
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3,901
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6
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A LETTER FROM A DISSENTER To the DIVINES of the Church of England In order to a UNION THIS is to let you know Reverend Sirs how sensible I and our Brethren are of the great Change we perceive in your Pulpits that whereas sometime since nothing was heard from thence but Thunder against Dissenters with the terrible Noise of their Spirit of Obstinacy and Disobedience of Rebellion the Sin of Witchcraft of their being Schismatics against the True Church and that nothing was so proper to reduce them into a Christian Temper and within the Pale as the severe Execution of the Laws as Summoning to the commons Seising and Imprisoning c. Now all this Storm is clear'd up into a perfect Calm and instead of Force and Rigor we hear nothing now but of Fair Invitations and most Obliging Calls to a Peaceable Vnion there being now no Difference to be heard of betwixt us but only of a Few Indifferent Ceremonies and that otherwise We are all Joint-Members with You of the same Church This Change I say We are all very Sensible of And as for a Vnion and a good Correspondence you may be assur'd we are all so in love with Vnion and Peace that we could heartily wish to see all Christians at this day as they were in the time of the Apostles of One Spirit and of One Mind But you know what has hinder'd us hitherto from Joyning with Your Church We have always suspected You for Papists in Masquerade The many Ceremonies You have retain'd Your Crosses and Altars and Tapers and Surplices and Bowings Your Confessions and Absolutions and Mass-Forms of Prayer c. have oblig'd us to these Thoughts and that tho' you pretend to have left Babylon yet by the Rags and Livery you brought along with you we could not but still suspect you of her Retinue Of late indeed you have given us some Reason to change our Opinion whilst Popery making some approaches to you and even standing at your Doors you have given her such Sour Entertainment and treated her with so much Severity as if in reality you had no Kindness for her This I say is some Motive to us to change our former Opinion of you And yet on the other hand I see so many Deceits in Villanous Man that I cannot tell how but to be Jealous still I fear Your Religion may like the Weather have its different Seasons and Returns And as sometimes the Dissenters from the Influence of your Church lie under a severe and nipping Winter and at other times again enjoy a warm and inviting Sun-shine so you may be as changeable in respect of the Papists too sometimes for 'em and sometimes against 'em and yet be the same Old Church of England still like the Sun which making different Seasons and Changes in the Year yet never changes it self And this Consideration do's not leave me without some Fears and Jealousies I apprehend you have a way of promoting Popery and yet being against the Papists and that if we joyn with you we may be instructed in real Popery whilst we are taught to hate the Papists and if so I do not see but it would be the same thing to joyn with the Papists as with you This Jealousie of mine has been strengthned of late by some of your Writings and most especially by one which appear'd lately Entitled An Answer to the Compiler of the Nubes Testium wherein the Author whilst he severely lets fly against the Papists do's at the same time maintain and propagate such Doctrins as I have ever look'd upon as the very Essence and Groundwork of Popery You 'll give me leave to make a short List of such as I have observ'd in the perusing that Book and then if you will give me your Opinion and let me know whether really they are conformable to the Doctrin of your Church 't will serve as a Light to direct us what to do whilst you invite us to joyn Communion with you First then he says p. 8. That he can grant that the Bishop of Rome is the Successor of S. Peter 2. That that See is the Center of the Catholic Communion while possest by an Orthodox Bishop 3 That whosoever Separates himself from it professing the true Faith and possessed by a Catholic Bishop is guilty of Schism p. 37. 4. He doubts whether there be really any Comroversie about Tradition betwixt the Church of Rome and the Church of England 5. That the Tradition of the Catholic Church is to be receiv'd 6. That by Tradition we receive the Holy Scriptures and know how to separate the Scriptures from Apocryphal or Supposititious Writings 7. That he is willing and ready to receive any Doctrin not written that hath as perpetual unanimous and certain a Tradition as the Scripture and that he only waits for the proving this and then be is ready to embrace all the Doctrins of Popery p. 38. 8. That there is no necessity of express Scripture for the Constitutions and Practices which his Church enjoyns in order to the more regular and decent Service of God p. 41. 9. That the Tradition of Antiquity is highly useful and necessary for the Interpretation of Points of Faith p. 43. 10. That he Honors the Saints in observing Days in honor of them And seems to grant all that is produc'd in Nubes Testium upon that Subject viz. In visiting Churches in honor of the Saints whose Memory is there preserv'd in assembling together in honor of the Saints and Celebrating their Memory with a Religious Solemnity so to be partakers of their Merits 11. That it is generally piously believ'd that the glorifi'd Saints do Intercede for the Church Militant p. 49. 12. That the Honor which in Primitive Times was paid to the Memories of Saints was nothing but what was highly just and that herein they are Imitated by us says he as well as by any other Christians p. 50. 13. That the Fathers kept the Relics of Saints with Respect and Veneration and believ'd that God often wrought Miracles by them and they might do it too says this Author p. 51. 14. That the Fathers practis'd Praying for the Dead and own'd it as advantageous to the Souls departed Every word of which we freely grant says this Author p. 53. That the Fathers in the First Ages us'd Oblations and Prayers for the Dead no body denies says he We do confess withall That these Prayers were offer'd up also for pardon of Sins p. 65. 15. That it is the Opinion of his Church that Christ's Body is really present in the Eucharist p. 66. 16. That that Consecrated Food is the Flesh and Blood of Jesus Christ These are some of the Points which I observ'd in reading that Book and here for a better understanding I desire to know of you Whether these are truly and really your Doctrine The Book I see has the Standard Mark 't is Licens'd by the Archbishop of Canterbury's Chaplain and so must be suppos'd
to contain nothing but what is agreeable to your Church And if so how can we choose but be Jealous of your Calls to Vnion and Fair Invitations whilst we see you holding out Reformation in one Hand and so much Popery in the other What means your so Good Opinion of the Pope of Tradition of honouring the Saints of their Intercession for us of honouring their Memories or Monuments of owing a Respect and Veneration due to their Relics of allowing Prayers for the Souls departed as advantagious to them and for the Pardon of their Sins of believing Christ's Body to be really present in the Sacrament and that it is his Flesh and Blood What means I say all this Is this the Doctrine of your Church to which you invite us to joyn If it be I must tell you plainly You are the Men I always took you to be if not Papists altogether at the best but like those Imperfect Animal's of Aegypt which beginning to move out of Mother-dirt are left unfinish'd and in Colour and Scent and the greatest part are nothing but Mother-dirt still and into it do naturally return For my Part if I could come so near Popery as this I should make no Difficulty of taking t'other Step. For 't is thither all this do's naturally tend What we desire therefore is That in all your Exhortations to Vnion you would suppose us to be rational Men and not willing to do any thing till we see and know what it is we are to do If you would have us Vnite let us know to what we are to unite give us a Scheme of your Doctrines of your Practices to which you expect our Submission and Assent And when we have this before us upon Consideration we shall be better able to know what to do And particularly as to the Points above if they be according to your Church tell us so If they be not be plain with us and condemn them Who knows but the Author of these Positions may be some Jesuit in Disguise who under a Feign'd Shew of defeating Popery designs nothing more than to promote it One other Point I desire you to add to these which is that mention'd by Dr. Tillotson in his Sermon at Whitehal April 4. 1679. p. 17. Where he says That Private Persons in understanding obscure Texts of Scripture and the more difficult Points in Religion must rely upon their Guides Because in these Cases says he every Man is not capable of judging himself and therefore he must necessarily trust others and likewise submit to what is determin'd and establish'd by public Consent and Authority unless upon clear Evidence of the Falshood or Unlawfulness of it And in Case Men be perverse and Disobedient Authority is Judg and may restrain and punish them To this Point I desire you to speak clear and plain that so if we come to you we may know Whether in any Points of Religion we must necessarily go blindfold and rely upon others And that if we cannot submit to all that is determin'd by your Authority we must be unavoidably restrain'd and punish'd This Point is of some concern because this trusting to others Judgment in Matters of Doctrin joyn'd with that of Tradition abovemention'd which authorises Constitutions and Practices without any Authority of the written Word we can easily foresee whither they lead what is there that may not be impos'd upon us upon these Principles Whilst we in the mean time must be oblig'd either to submit or else be punish'd as perverse and Disobedient Be positive in laying open these things to us Let us know which are the Difficult Points which we must necessarily trust to others and how many they are that so we may know the End of our Belief We desire Satisfaction in these Particulars and when this is done we shall know better how to follow your Calls You 'l pardon this Importunity and in a Friendly Answer consider our Circumstances make things as favourable as you can and above all things remember That to hear little of Trusting and less of Punishing will be most acceptable to Reverend Sirs Yours LONDON Printed and are to be sold by Randal Taylor near Stationers-Hall MDCLXXXVII