Christianitie yet do very much transgresse the true limits and rules both of Gods truth and Christian Charitie seeing they Adde many of their Doctrines and impose them upon others as necessary unto salvation or judge and condemn them therein as Hereticks which neverthelesse in themselves and by Gods command are not necessary yea false and not agreeable to Scripture I do not deny but there be some such sort of people found in our Churches which are too too zealous and obstinate in their own opinions and undertake to judge others who will not altogether give their assent to them Which is not sutable to the unanimous Doctrine of our Churches and therefore may not be imputed to the whole Universal Church But that we may well know which of these three divided and dissenting Churches judgeth the other or is judged by them aright or wrong I will first declare but briefly and onely as much as may conduce to the information of the Unlearned Whether the other two the Romane Catholikes and the Lutherans have any sufficient and well-grounded reason to judge and condemn our Reformed Churches as Heretical Then shall I take an opportunitie to shew in the Second Part of this Apostolical Direction Whether and how far our Churches ought to judge and condemn the other Two the Papists and the Lutherans That the Romish Church hath no sufficient ground to judge and condemn our Reformed or Lutherane Churches as far as they agree with us to be heretical we make it good by reasoning thus Because they cannot accuse us or make us believe that our Churches either deny any Article of the Ancient Apostolike Catholike Faith or do introduce and condescend to any false heretical Point But they do condemn us meerly for this because we do not receive some articles of their Modern Doctrine and Religion which they cry up for Vniversal or Catholical and yet either are not necessary unto salvation as they must confesse themselves of the greater part of them or false erroneous and superstitious as we are convinced by the Word of God in our own Consciences For in the first place although they charge and accuse us of all sorts of new Calumnies and slanders of the Papists against the Evangelical Protestants Un-catholike false and partly heretical damnable blasphemous Doctrines As that we make God to be the Author of sin That we do deny all free-will of man even after his regeneration That according to our Doctrine it is impossible even to the believers to keep the commandments of our Saviour That by Faith onely we may be saved and justified though we live never so sinfully That all sins shall be forgiven us if we do but believe that they are forgiven though we do still continue in them That the Justification is wrought meerly by an external imputation without internal renovation and sanctification That Repentance and confession of sins and new obedience and good works are quite unnecessary That we reject all Fasting all Vows and Church-discipline Dignities Orders and Traditions of the Church yea obedience to Magistrates Annihilate the Sacraments or hold them to be but naked bare Signes Blaspheme and despise the Saints in heaven and such-like Points Against which our Churches have always solemnly protested both in their Confessions and Apologies that such was not their faith and opinion but that all these are but meer slanders detractions and mis-constructions Whereupon they have declared themselves with one accord that they would not acknowledge nor hearken to any new doctrine but onely adhere closely to the Ancient doctrine of the primitive Apostolike Church as it is principally grounded upon the sacred Scripture being the main rule of our Faith and as it hath been declared out of the Word of God against all Sects and Heresies with an Unanimous consent of the Primitive Church especially in the General Christian Synods of Nicene Ephesus Chalcedone and Constantinople whose Universal confession of Faith they unanimously maintain of which the Romish Church it self confesseth in the last Council of Trent Concil Trid. sess 3. to be the buckler and shield against all Heresies the Principle whereunto necessarily he must agree that will professe the Christian Faith yea the solid and sole foundation against which the gates of hell shall not prevail Wherefore our Churches cannot justly be charged with any new heretical doctrine because though one of our Divines should defend any new opinion or exposition of the Scripture yet they do not binde themselves to it much lesse enforce it upon others as necessary unto salvation but give way to be examined according to the rule and square of the Word of God When now for all this the Romane Catholikes persist to condemn our Churches as heretical because we will not receive besides such Ancient true Catholike Christian Faith all their modern new-fangled Doctrines and Traditions which they have since added and invented in their Council of Trent and other Popish Councils of late times or in the Decrees of the Popes It behoveth them first to prove and shew firm and certain grounds that those Doctrines of theirs are grounded upon the holy Scripture and the Primitive Church is necessary unto salvation Principal Controversies betwixt the Romane Catholikes and Evangelical Protestants For Example Will they condemn us in our exteriour Service or Worship and Ceremonies because we have no Images of the holy and blessed Trinitie of our Saviour of the Saints deceased nor do adore them That we do not pray and call on the holy Angels and the souls of the Saints in heaven especially the Virgin Mary yea that we do not digg and take their bones or other reliques out of their graves and worship them nor pay Vows or make Pilgrimages to them That we do not buy or purchase the Popes Indulgencies celebrate no Masses for the souls of the dead nor make any distinction of meats on certain days or a general weekly Fast neither admit of any Auricular confession to the Priest of every particular sin That we do not administer the holy Communion under one but both kindes or elements of Bread and Wine both to Lay and Clergie-men nor celebrate any Masses without Communicants neither make use of the rest of Ceremonies which they against the first Institution of Christ have forged for their Sacrifice of Masse especially the adoration of the consecrated hostia in the holy Sacrament That we do not observe their great Feast called Corpus Christi-day and the holy days of the Saints That we perform our whole Publike Service not in the Latine Tongue which is unknown to the Laicks but in the known Mother-tongue nor forbid to any Lay-man the reading of the holy Bible in his Mother-tongue but exhort rather every one in general unto it That we tell not our Prayers to God on Beads by fifties and hundreds use not the sprinkling of the holy water nor wear about us Agnus Dei or such like consecrated reliques That we allow not of the Orders
Lord Jesus Christ Fourthly That man solâ Fide onely by Faith is accounted righteous before God Although we understand nothing else by the word solâ but what the Apostle saith 4. Of Justification onely by Faith that he is justified by meer grace through Faith onely for Christs sake without the works of the Law and as some ancient Fathers interpreted it Yet we desire not to impose and inforce that word as necessary upon any man in regard that by many it may be abused and mistaken as if we could be justified and saved by such a Faith which is onely without any good works If that likewise the Papists did not inforce upon us their own expressions and doctrines concerning the merits and satisfaction of works which are yet lesse warrantable by Scripture But as long as they stick fast to this Tenet and opinion of theirs that we are justified also before God by merits of our good works They cannot finde fault with us if we do reply to them by way of retortion that the justification is done by Faith alone and not by merits 5. The true meaning and declaration of Christs words in the Holy Communion Fifthly The declaration and meaning of Christs Word that he called the Bread his Body because it did signifie and represent his Body or because it is a signe of his Body Although we for our part acknowledge this exposition to be agreeable both to the words and very end of the Institution and to all the Articles of Faith and that some ancient Fathers Tertullian Augustine Theodoret and others have expounded it thus As the Papists and Lutherans themselves do not deny the blessed Bread and Wine to be signes and seals of the Body and Blood of Christ given and shed for us Yet we desire not to inforce and presse upon any man such interpretation as necessary unto salvation or as the Word of God it self Whereas many of ours vide inprimis Wolfang Musculum in 26 Matth. pag. 552 554 555. confesse openly that this exposition though it be not erroneous in it self yet is not sufficient unlesse it did shew and expresse withall the sort and nature of those signes viz. not bare naked significative and representative signes nor bare historical symbols and tokens of remembrance but signa exhibitiva exhibiting and certifying pledges and assurances whereby the things signified by them namely the Body of Christ which hath been given for us the Blood of Christ that is shed for us are really and verily by vertue of his promise though not for the nourishing of our bodies but to the cherishing and quickning of our souls delivered and appropriated unto us and likewise really and verily received by us though not corporally and carnally by our mouth but spiritually by faith As the Papists and Lutherans themselves do not deny such spiritual partaking as hath been said before but acknowledge it to be the onely saving Communion Wherefore we for our part teach thereby no new Doctrine as necessary unto Salvation but onely teach that very same they themselves must allow and approve of If but they reciprocally do not inforce upon us their own particular Interpretations as hath been mentioned oftentimes already nor judge and condemn us therefore but give us liberty to adhere to the Words and Declaration of Christ and the Apostle Paul But as long as they intend to obtrude unto us their pretended carnal supernatural eating for a necessary Article of Faith we cannot but contradict it by a more solide exposition and illation grounded upon the Word of God Sixthly Concerning the Doctrine of Gods absolute purpose and decree of election and reprobation we acknowledge and receive it thus far as our adversaries commonly construe our meaning thereof not onely for no necessary Doctrine of Faith but also not for the proper Doctrine and Opinion of our Churches Being that such a term is not expressed in any general Confessions but onely used by some Divines which yet others do rather absolutely forbear because of the misapplication and abuses with all sorts of calumnies that may arise from them And although we finde many disceptations and different Interpretations concerning the eternal Predestination and Reprobation not onely betwixt our Divines but also betwixt the Romish-School Authors amongst themselves and no lesse between the said Lutherans Yet we cannot receive either theirs or our particular opinions for necessary Doctrines which are professed of all Christians without the manifest Word of God and unanimous consent of the Primitive Church not onely because very few men are capable to comprehend the depth and profunditie of those Points but also because it is sufficient for us unto salvation to know onely of the Elect and Predestinated as much as the Apostle expresly teacheth Ephes 1. vers 4 5 6. That God hath chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the World that we should be holy and without blame before him in love having predestinated us unto the Adoption of children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his Will To the praise of the glory of his grace wherein he made us accepted in the beloved Ephes 2. vers 8 9 10. 2 Tim. 1. vers 9. For by grace are ye saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them Contrarywise concerning the Reprobates it sufficeth us to know onely that what Christ himself saith He that beleeveth not is condemned already because he hath not beleeved in the Name of the onely begotten Son of God John 3. vers 18. So that the fault and defect can no wayes be imputed to God who himself taketh no delight in the death and destruction of a sinner but will that he may repent and live not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance Exod. 18. vers 23 32. and 33. vers 11. 2 Petr. 6. vers 9. But the fault and defect lieth absolutely and totally in themselves who loved darknesse rather then light and therefore receive not the love of the Truth that they might be saved John 3. vers 19. So that we are elected not out of any consideration and respect in our selves but out of meer grace in Christ Jesus both unto salvation and the means ordained thereunto through sanctification of the Spirit and beleef of the Truth whereunto he called us through the Gospel 2 Thessal 2. v. 13 14. But the Reprobates are cast away by Gods just judgement because of their sins unbeleef and impenitency unto the just punishment and condemnation of sins according to the Word of the Lord O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in me is thy help Hos 13. v. 9. Moreover all other Disputes and Controversies of the predestinate and reprobates which may be moved and debated on as Why God to one
as it hath been said many times heretofore Which we may illustrate with one or two Examples As the first Chapter of John which the Primitive Church whose Writings and Doctrines are descended and conveyed to us whereof no doubt but it hath together with the Books of the Scripture received also from the Apostles themselves the true meaning thereof at least in the principal necessary points of which this si one hath Unanimously and Undoubtedly interpreted of the Son of God who was in the beginning of all things as the Substantial Word with the Father If the Modern Socinians interpret it of the beginning of the Gospel and the humane nature of Christ to the end that they may deny the Article of Christs Godhead we rightly reject such Interpretation not onely as not necessary but as false and heretical not that it is onely contrary to our Interpretation but that it is so manifestly repugnant to the words of Saint John that the Primitive Church hath with one consent taught the contrary Insomuch also that none of the Ancient Arrians or Photinians to our and all Modern Socinians knowledge ever thus understood or expounded it But Socinus was the first man as he himself must confesse that spun this Interpretation out of his own head wherein at first his own brethren have partly contradicted him Yet since that time hath he together with his followers preferred it as if it were the undeniable Word of God it self and a most necessary Interpretation before the words of Saint John and the Uniform meaning of the Primitive Church Which may not be done without great presumption nor if it be obstinately urged without damnable Heresie principally in such a deep important and necessary Article of Faith as it is accounted not onely by us but the true Primitive Church and the word of God it self On the other side if they in such profound and incomprehensible Mysterie did adhere positively and closely without mutilation and contention to the words of the Scripture nor added thereunto their own Interpretations and Inferences of their reasoning beyond and against the Articles of Faith we should then have no cause to judge them so sharply though they would not receive or use all our expositions or humane expressions Likewise when Socinus and his followers do wrest and pervert so many manifest places of the Scripture which speak of Christs death that he died for the propitiation satisfaction and remission of our sins to this sense as if he had not appeased Gods wrath against us or which is as much made satisfaction to appease Gods wrath or purchased propitiation and forgivenesse but that he died meerly to this end that he might by his doctrine and example convert us from our sins to God and to pacifie our hearts towards him And account their own Interpretations as worthy and necessary as Gods Word it self So that they grievously slight and revile the Doctrine concerning the reconcilation of Gods wrath against us and the satisfaction for our sins which neverthelesse is so manifestly and evidently taught by so many testimonies of the Scripture that the Universal Christian Church hath professed it with one accord at all times and ever therefore held Jesus Christ for its onely High-Priest Mediatour and Saviour Insomuch that even the greatest Papists though they supply by way of concomitancy the merits of Christ by the Intercession and merits of other Saints and their own merits and satisfaction the daily Sacrifice of Masse Indulgences Purgatory and such like things yet have not denied the propitiation by Christs merits and satisfaction nor any other Sectary as far as we know nor Pelagius himself hath directly opposed it except onely Socinus and perhaps before him Adailerdus Whereas Socinus himself cannot but acknowledge that the Mediatour of the Old Testament Moses hath in some manner appeased by his intercession as Aaron and some other high-Priests by their Sacrifices Gods wrath against his people of Israel and yet will deny such power and vertue of the propitiation for our sins to the most-perfect Obedience Sacrifice and Intercession of our Mediatour and high-Priest Jesus Christ Who seeth not then that they intend arrogantly to prefer their own singular Interpretations before the manifest Word of God and the unanimous consent of the Universal Christian Church and thereby as much as lies in their power shake and subvert the very foundation of our chief consolation in Jesus Christ The Second Objection against the aforesaid Doctrine In the Second place may be objected against the aforesaid ground of Saving Truth and Unitie that neverthelesse the Primitive Christian Church hath condemned many Sects not onely for not receiving the plain words of the Scripture but also for refusing the Interpretations and words of the Church For example The ancient Arrians in the Councell of Nicen and others Chap. 8. for not receiving the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Consubstantial alledging that such a word was not to be found in the Scripture But we Answer to this That they were not condemned even for this bare word but rather because of their peculiar Arrian phrase and expressions and expositions concerning the created Divinitie of Christ Against whom the Orthodoxall and true-beleeving Church did very earnestly insist upon the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which though not in the letter yet it is found in the Scripture more plainly and evidently and more conformably to the unanimous understanding and meaning which the Churches in the first three hundred yeers professed concerning the eternall God-head of Christ not that it was directly necessary unto Salvation but conducible to the confutation of the ambiguous terms and opinions of the Arrians Otherwise there hath been in those times true-beleeving Bishops who though they had rejected the Arrian Heresie concerning the created Divinitie of Christ and yet doubted of the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 because it was not to be found literally in the Scripture were therefore not condemned but tolerated as weak in Faith This very same we may say of all other ancient Sectaries Macedonius Nestorius Eutiches Pelagius which were at all times condemned for their singular new fangled Interpretations out of the word of God according to the unanimous meaning and doctrine of the Churches in the first three or four hundred yeers CHAP. VIII That in the Reformed Churches no new Doctrin as necessary to Salvation is taught IN the third place it will be objected The Third Objection against the aformentioned Doctrine That we our selves defend many doctrines as necessary unto salvation which yet neither in the Scripture were so plainly expressed nor unanimously taught in the Primitive Church I will give but a touch in some few but principall Instances That we deny the free will in man the merits of good works and the Sacrifice of the Masse Which points were with one consent asserted of all ancient Fathers almost That we teach the Justification ex Solâ fide onely by Faith That we hold the