Cyp. De Discrip hab. virg. Nothing in these daies keeps back the most from returning to the ancient religion more then the wicked examples of such as are already in it For the common people esteeme of Doctrine by the conversation of such as professe it nor can they be brought to beleeve it possible to learne the doctrine of liberality chastity modesty from them whom they perceive to be slaves to their riches burning in lusts and even bursting with pride Doest thou wonder why straying scules be not brought home Doest thou marvaile why thou labourest therein without successe It is thy manner of living that makes them to doubt Thy faith if thou have any is mewed up in thy breast but thy sinnes are laid open to the view of all and these prevaile more to draw them into hatred of religion then thy uncertaine faith to bring them into love with it Thou promisest the food of Gods Word to such as are hungry but reachest it out unto them with an uncleane and festred hand and so thou causest them to grow jealous and enemies to blaspheme Gods name Thy sinne certainly is exceeding great before the Lord because thou holdest men backe from the sacrifice of the Lord from the sacrifice not of Rams and Bullocks but of praiers of faith of piety They are turned away from that God whose Ministers they discerne to be desiled with so many abominations By nothing in the world doe Heresies increase more then by the lewd practises of the Clergy and the sinnes of the Laity who do so infect their children with their owne vices that they know not how to turne their hands to any thing that is good This very Heretiks themselves may confirme who being convinced by Scriptures and reasons betake themselves to accusations of the Court of Rome and of the whole Ecclesiasticall State To them I shall give answer in another place In the meane time let them know that themselves are no more to be excused hereby then the children of Israell who withdrawing themselves from the sacrifice of the Lord by occasion of the wickednesse of Hophni and Phinehas fel to worshiping of Baalim and Ashtaroth Now I apply my admonit on onely to those who while they live of the Church are made fat with the Patrimony of Christ and receive large allowances out of the maintenance of our Lord and General doe yet by their slothfullnesse ignorance drunkennesse filthinesse be tray his Tents to the enemy never being any whit affected with the ruine of the soules of them that are ready to perish but placing all peace of the Church in the wealth of it and in the quiet enjoying of Prebends O Good God! If it be beter for him that offendeth but one of these little ones which beleeve in thee that a milstone were hanged about his necke and that he were drowned in the bottome of the sea What mountaines or stones may be sufficient to hang about the necks of so many for the drowning of them who so often scandalize not a few little ones alone but even the whole world great and small little ones that doe beleeve in thee great ones that they may cast off beleeveing and unbeleevers that they might not beleeve at all To all Christians is that spoken Be yee blamelesse and harmelesse the Sonnes of God without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation among whom shine ye as lights of the world holding forth the word of life that I may rejoice in the day of Christ Phil. 2. But to the Bishops and Prelates it is said Be thou an example of the beleevers in word in conversation in charity in faith in purity 1 Tim. 4. And in all things shew thy self a patterne of good workes in doctrine in integrity in gravity sound words that cannot be condemned Tit. 2. And why so he addes the reason That he that is of the contrary part many be ashamed having no evill thing to say of you The Apostles themselves converted the world not by the Word alone but chiefly by their example And by examples it is that it now falls backe againe unto infidelity for while men put away conscience they make shipwrack of faith Because in that they live wicked in the sight of the people they doe as much as in them lies murder those of whom they are observed to lead such a life Every one that lives ill in the presence of them over whom he is set doth what he can to destroy them What then will you may some say proclaime an everlasting warre against all those parts of the Church where the discipline of it is cast aside Either warre or bondage or utter destruction If mens manners be reformed abuses taken away scandalls removed the warre will be very short and a solid peace shall give us entertainment But if God shall be further provoked by our sinnes such as erre shall be confirmed in their heresie those that yet are but wavering and doubtfull shall be altogether turned away from the faith and God will certainely drive out that licentiousnesse and lasciviousnesse ere he leave us as in many places he hath already done If the Bishops and Prelates through the wickednesse of some be growne peerelesse the jealous God will lend the stronger Revenger upon them whereby he may cut off both the wicked and his wickednesse together So the Turkes usurped Asia Egypt Greece while the inferior Clergy refused to obey the Bishops and while the Bishops fell off from the chiefe Pastor and their manners exceeded the wickednesse of the very Barbarians themselves And so we see it for the most part to come to passe that when sinnes have once attained to the height all things ruine together and then are they to be accounted to have come to the height when they be committed by a publique law custome and approbation or if they come to breake through all power and force of law and the authority of the Magistrate Religion will perish in Europe unlesse integrity of conversation become correspondent to the purity of the Religion What then may some one that both feareth and needeth a reformation say unto me doe you thinke needfull to be reformed Generally what ever is deformed and whatsoever may by any circumstances become a cause of deformation although it be not in its owne nature such CHAP. XIX Other inferiour helpes to reduce the true Religion THere are very many things which according to the variety of times and places wisdome and ingenious love to godlinesse will suggest as meete to be applied to men in danger of perishing that they may bee saved Without admiration of the Mathematicall Sciences those of Iapan are caught for they delight rather in a prudent unfolding of Morals many of the Indians in benificence The Americans in Ceremonies and Musicke All meanes therefore are to bee attempted for the salvation of men Since that vigilant Dragon turnes every stone to draw them into destruction For that Common-wealth
all or but newly tainted with evill a good Law will soone cause that their riper age shall yeeld a sweet savour of goodnesse Verily I have knowne many Children Authors of their Parents conversion who also when they are growne up and changing the cloake for the gowne have undertaken either a tribe or a place of judgement approve themselves excellent servants to the Common-wealth This we finde many thousands in Germany especially in Bavaria Stiria Carinthia the Netherlands to make good before our eyes If therefore compulsory reformation should doe no good upon old standards in error yet it renders the younger sort a Catholique Fry The Ninth meanes and of all the rest most effectuall is that such as are in authority doe religiously practise and maintaine integrity of life and purity of manners I promised something of the manner of all sorts of men at the beginning Now I adde this advertisment in particular that the Reformation of Religion will prove very difficult and goe on slowly unlesse the Prelates and Doctors shall out-shine the whole Common-wealth not onely in eminent innocency but in reputation also and same of integrity For whereas superstition is so maglignant and slandering-ripe that it will detract from the vertue and esteeme of the holiest men with forged crimes traduce the most blamelesse Athanasiusses by the mouth of calumniating wretches and with purchased perjuries knights of the Post draw them before Tribunalls as if other mens fault were reason sufficient why they should not finally shake hands with their heresies who can doubt but that the wicked prankes of Priests made publique cannot be tolerated without infinite damage to Religion The filthy life of Clerkes of Clerkes I say it againe of Clerkes I meane evill ones made augmented and still doth uphold the heresies that are I have often entred disputation with Hereticks or their disciples and after that with a very little labour their Arguments have bin answered and retorted upon themselves they betake themselves to accusations of our Clergy and object such things as can neither be denied nor defended What therefore shall a Common-wealth doe in this case First let it labour earnestly that such Bishops and Prelates be chosen as are chast liberall sober couragious faithfull dispencers of Gods law and such as will doe their utmost for reformation of manners Let the Princes themselves also bring all the power they can to the work and so the cure wil not be difficult Let a Regular who is either a drunkard or a whoremonger let a scandalous Parish-Priest be opposed in his wickednesse let another capable of the same place and dignity be set up in his room he that is convicted let him be cashiered and his Bishoprick let another man take If the Prelates seeke to cloake and dissemble their vices and not reforme the sinnes of their Clergy let the Vicar of Christ grant full power and authority to Kings and Princes to reforme the Clergy it selfe as of late he hath done to a certaine renowned Prince to the great benefit of his Country But because I have spoken enough of this matter to wit the peace of Germany before and that this place requires the same things to be repeated I choose rather to transfer hither the things there spoken then in other words here to say over the same things againe In the first place I put downe the restitution of Eccleasticall Discipline where it is decaied and the keeping it still on foote where it is in vigor as the most necessary thing without which peace can neither be at all procured nor continue long if it were recovered The almost onely cause of all heresies and persecutions both ancient and moderne hath been the dissolutnesse of the Christian Clergy and people An old soare in the Church and still so much breaking out afresh that in the whole world it could never yet be anywhere found to wax so decrepit as to die away nor will ever be perfectly cured Our Lord saith St. Cyprian would that his family should be tried when he suffered persecution to breake in upon it he speakes of that which was under Decius when a peace of 38. yeers in Africa had gone before And because a long peace had corrupted that discipline which was given us of God a punishment from heaven rouzed againe that faith which had growne sluggish and I had almost said which slept the sleep of death And yet whereas we by our sinnes deserved to suffer far greater evills the most mercifull Lord so moderated all that all that was done against us seemed but a triall rather then a persecution Now every man turned his studies only to the encreasing of his possessions and men forgetting their faith their former zeale and good works which in the Apostles times so eminently shined and what constantly they should have continued to do with unsatiable covetousnes gave themselves wholy up to the enlarging of wordly pelfe In the Priests there was no devout relion in inferiours no sound faith in mens actions no mercy in their manners no discipline In men might be seene a disguised beard in women a painted beauty The eies adulterated from what Gods hand had made them the haire coloured into a lying hue To deceive the simple cunning frauds abounded and treacherous hearts to circumvent their brethren They joyning in marriage with Infidels and prostituted the members of Christ to Pagans They took liberty not only to sweare rashly but which is yet more to breake out into perjury with proud swellings of heart to contemne those that were set over them with venomed mouthes to speake evill of them and with endlesse hatreds to rend themselves in peeces one from another Many of the Bishops whom it would have well became to reclaime others by earnest exhortation and example despising the administration of holy things tooke upon them the ordering of secular affaires leaving the chaire forsakeing the people committed to their charge and roameing about in other mens Provinces they hunted after opportunities of gainefull merchandise the hungry brethren of the Church they supplied not but got as much silver into their hands as they could they pluckt from others their fields by deceitfull baites and sought by usury upon usury to augment their bankes These thinges uttered that holy Martyr touching such as had fallen euen in an age of Martyrs The causes of our calamities have been yet more grievous to wit a greater decay of discipline a mightier domineering of sinnes which at length brake out into heresie and rebellion Nor is it to be wondred at for without care to keep discipline on foote not onely not the peace of religion but even religion it selfe cannot be held fast Discipline is the guardian of hope the stay of faith the leader of the way to life the nourisher and feeder of towardly disposition the mistresse of vertue it causeth a man to abide in Christ to live unto God and brings to the possession of all celestiall promises and rewards
Africa they especially who desired an occasion or were before put into feare of the cruelty of those furious Hereticks or ashamed to offend their owne disciples presently came over to the Church Many also who only by custome drawne downe from their fathes had beene held in error never tell now took it into their thoughts nor would they take paines to enquire or consider how weake a cause that Heresie had to maintaine But so soone as they began to looke into this and that they could finde nothing in it worth the enduring so much as now they were like to suffer for it they became Catholikes with out any difficulty For now carefullnesse did well become them whom security had made so carelesse Many also who were lesse able to discerne the difference of Donatisticall errors from Catholike verity followed the perswasion and authority of all those precedents thus easily given them yet so that when the true Church received into her bosome with joy great troopos of people an obstinate rabble with an unhappy stoutnesse of minde still stuck fast in that plague And yet even of these many faining a conversion communicated others lay skulking by small companies in corners But yet the greater part of these who at first were but counterfeits by litle and little growing better acquainted with the truth and hearing the word preached but especially after conference and disputation by us had with their Bishop at Carthage truly reformed But in those places where the tumultuous rout Whom the smaller number that conceived a better opinion of joyning themselves to the true believers could not withstand prevailed or were the multitude being held under the power of a few of the mightier sort yeelded conformity to the wrong side the labour of reducing them proved somewhat the longer The same father againe to the letters of Petilian Petilian said But if it had been lawfull to compel any man by law even to those things which are good you your selves miserable men that you are ought to have beene by us compelled to the purest faith But farre be it farre be it from our consciences that we should force any man to our faith Austin makes answer No man indeed is to be compelled to the faith against his will yet obstinacy is used to be chastised with severity yea through the mercy of God with the scourgings of tribulations What because good manners are chosen freely shall not therfore wicked manners be punished with the severity of Law Howbeit revenging discipline of ill conversation is preposterous where the precedent doctrine of good life is not contemned If therfore any lawes be framed against you ye are not therby compelled to wel-doing but only prohibited the doing of evill For no man can doe well but he that comes to it with freedome and love which is only found there where the wil comes off freely maks choice of the action without constraint And the feare of punishments although it know not the comfort of a good conscience yet at last it restrains evill desire within the cloyster of thoughts Notwithstanding who are they that have ordained lawes for repressing your rashnesse Be they not they of whom the Apostle saith they beare not the sword in vaine for they are the Ministers of God Revengers to execute wrath upon those that doe evill What then should a Prince proceeded against all by power and law and compell them to the faith Let him proceed not against all but yet for the good of all If they be few if without tumult it may be effected let him by power to take off Heresies Sorcerers and Idolators from being at all But let the rigor of the lawes be slowly drawne out unlesse where there is danger of contagion Let such as be most dangerous bee taken away the rest the authority of the Prince will soone lead home For of these shame hold back many feare many but vaine assurance that no better way can be shewed them prevailes with most to stave them off from the truth Within a few yeeres an hundred thousands have beene converted to the truth in France in Germany moe Not one of the German Princes that have assayed to draw his Subjects on to unity with the Catholiques hath ever met with any power resisting his decrees in that behalfe made and executed Onely the Netherlanders broke out into rebellion But the cause thereof was not Religion alone nor was that pretended Their Priviledges and liberty was made the cloake The Dominion of a forraigne Nation over them a thing ever abhorred of ingenious men and the exaction of tenths stirred up that people to that sedition * The received opinion of Politicians otherwise minded namely That men are not to be compelled yet remaineth The ground of their opinion is this because by that meanes men will still continue as impious in heart as before adde hypocrisy to their former impiety and spread their wickednesse the further abroad So may you make them worshippers of the purple robe indeed but never of God But these men are farre from the marke and give counsell against not the safety of Religion alone but even the peace of the Common wealth For first by a wholsome Law they are over-ruled that they shall not doe evill not sacrifice to the Divell not spoile Churches not contemne holy things not entitle God to their leud practises not oppugne the truth And albeit they obey against their wills yet safer is it that men so compelled should offend onely in heart then breake out into villanies in deed as well as in will by being permitted to do as they list without coactive restraint It would be in this as in other cases wherein the secular lawes deterreth many who in heart and consent of wil are guilty from attempting their purposes and enjoying their lewdnesse projected Nor doth a law only take men off from evill but brings them usually within the Schoole and Chappell of vertue For it enjoynes things honest and pious and prohibites the contrary It commands I say things pious and to doe them in a pious manner not fained manner If any man shall play the counterfeit let him impute that hypocrisie to his owne wicked heart not to the law Contumacious offenders are compelled by law to honor the Magistrate and rightly is it so ordained Nor is the law therefore not to command things honest because an Hypocrite marâ—es them in the doing but to admonish them to performe willingly what their duty calls upon them to doe And for the most part when they are brought on leasurely by power they set about good things in a good manner and apply their minds to vertue as well as their bodies when they see that they must needes lay their hands to the worke If it so fall out that the obstinacy of some particulars shall at first make resistance yet even those men by time will be wrought more pliable As for those who being of tender yeeres are either not at