Selected quad for the lemma: england_n
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A66189
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An exposition of the doctrine of the Church of England in the several articles proposed by Monsieur de Meaux, late Bishop of Condom, in his Exposition of the doctrine of the Catholick Church to which is prefix'd a particular account of Monsieur de Meaux's book.
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Wake, William, 1657-1737.
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1686
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Wing W243; ESTC R25162
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71,836
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127
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understood and better answer'd if it may be than they have ever hitherto been For to resume yet once more some few of our differences You think you ought to invocate the Blessed Virgin and the Holy Saints Article 3. Now not to repeat what we have before said of the Vnlawfulness of it This we suppose to be first needless because we know we have a more excellent and powerful Mediator that has commanded us to come to him and next Vncertain because you are not able to tell us how nay not to secure us that by whatever way it be our Prayers do always and certainly come up to them If we are mistaken at least we run no hazard in it We address our selves continually to the Throne of Grace where we are secure that we shall be both heard and answer'd But now should you err consider we beseech you how many Prayers you every day lose and what a dishonour you put upon your divine Mediator And if you please consider too how unjust you are to damn us for not joyning with you in a practice that has so great danger so little assurance and not any advantage You suppose we ought to fall down before your Images Not to do this is to be sure no sin Article 4. you dare not say it is To do it may be and you can never secure us it is not abominable Idolatry odious to God and contrary to that holy Faith into which we have been Baptized You damn us for doubting of the number of your seven Sacraments Has God revealed it to you Article 10. Have the Holy Scriptures defined it Or even Tradition its self delivered it to you If it be true Can you yet escape the charge of rashness and uncharitableness to damn whole Churches for so needless a matter should it be false how will you escape that Anatheema your selves you have then so falsely as well as uncharitably denounced against us You require us to believe that children dying unbaptized are excluded the Grace of Christ for ever Article 10. To what purpose this For what benefit Were it as evident as it is indeed uncertain and we are perswaded false our modesty is safe in deciding nothing the Errour of such among us as believe it not is charitable founded upon the sure Mercies and Goodness of God who never inflicts any punishment where there is no fault and in a word has not any the least ill consequence upon it We take as great care to Baptize our Infants as you can do who most believe it But now if your Opinion should be false What answer will you ever be able to make to God for peremptorily defining what was so uncertain and uncharitable and for damning us only because we dare not venture to cut off those from Christ for whom he died and whom we hope he will in mercy receive to him Lastly Article 23. You deny us the entire Communion you pronounce an Anathema against us because we will not confess that one part alone is sufficient Is it not certain that if we err we have yet both Christs Institution and the practice and Opinion of many Ages to absolve us But have you any thing to excuse you if you are mistaken To take it as we do you confess can have no danger are you sure that to deny it as you do may not be a Sacriledge And what shall I say more For the time would fail me to speak of every one of those other points Monsieur de Meaux mentions much more to add many others and of no less consequence which he has thought fit to pass by In all which we have at least this undenyable advantage over you that besides the clearest Arguments that we are in the right the hazard we run is not very great if we should not be Whereas for you neither is there any tolerable proof of the contrary Errours and an infinite danger should you chance to be mistaken These things as both the Character of the Book we have now examined and the Style of many other your latter most considerable Authors give us cause to hope begin to be no longer totally hid from your Eyes so shall we never cease in all our Prayers to make mention of you that you may be perfectly enlightned to discern and impartially disposed to receive and to embrace the Truth In the mean time whilst both you and we mutually address our selves to the Eternal Truth for his assistance whilst as we ought we implore his mercy that he would give us a right understanding in all things remembring this that we are all but Men and that it is not therefore impossible for either of us to err That it may be strength of Passion or prejudice of Education or even vehemency of affection more than the light of Reason has hitherto kept us in a too fond partiality for our own Opinions Let us at least we beseech you agree in that mutual Charity which alone can secure us amidst all our Errours which will both best dispose Gods mercy to shew us what is right and will best incline our Minds to that sincerity which we all pretend to and I hope all really have to embrace it If we cannot yet agree in all the points of our Religion let us consider that neither are the dearest friends entirely of the same opinion in every thing Let us wait Gods pleasure if it be his will to reveal even this also unto us Philip. 3.15 16. Nevertheless whereunto we have already attain'd let us walk by the same rule let us mind the same thing We believe in the same God we rely on the same Redeemer we embrace the same Creeds we attend the same hopes of an Everlasting Salvation And in all these amidst all our other Differences have at least an entire agreement in what is most necessary and shall we hope to the Honest and sincere among us be sufficient for our Eternal Security Let these things engage us to have the same love too to be more sparing in our Anathema's and more zealous in our Prayers for one another to seek and to maintain the Truth but to do it so as not to violate our Charity In a word whether we write or speak to do both as Men who in a little time expect to be brought before a divine Tribunal where we must render a severe account for all these things and one Word spoken with this excellent spirit to close those Divisions that so long have seperated us shall be preferred to ten thousand Volumes of endless and uncharitable controversies that serve only to widen our breaches and heigthen our Animosities FINIS AN ADVERTISEMENT Of Books lately Printed for Richard Chiswell THE APOLOGY of the Church of England And an Epistle to one Siginor Scipio a Venetian Gentleman concerning the Council of Trent Written both in Latin by the Right Reverend Father in God JOHN JEWEL Lord Bishop of Sarisbury Made English by a Per on of Quality To which is added The Life of the said Bishop Collected and Written by the same Hand 8o. The LETTER writ by the last Assembly General of the Clergy of France to the Protestants inviting them to return to their Communion Together with the Methods proposed by them for their Conviction Translated into English and Examined by GILBEBT BVRNET D. D. 8o. The Life of WILLIAM BEDEL D.D. Bishop of Kilmore in Ireland Together with Certain Letters which passed betwixt him and James Waddesworth a late Pensioner of the Holy Inquisition in Sevil in matter of Religion concerning the General Motives to the Roman Obedience 8o. The Decree made at Rome the second of March 1679. condemning some Opinions of the Jesuits and other Casuists A Discourse concerning the necessity of Reformation with respect to the Errors and Corruptions of the Church of Rome 4o. A Discourse concerning the Celebration of Divine Service in an Unknown Tongue 4o. A PAPIST not Misrepresented by PROTESTANTS Being a Reply to the Reflections upon the Answer to A Papist Misrepresented and Represented 4o.