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A37175 An exhortation to brotherly communion betwixt the Protestant churches written by ... John Davenant ... Davenant, John, ca. 1572-1641. 1641 (1641) Wing D318; ESTC R1793 83,948 242

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by the Act of Repentance are made subject to God and his Commandements by the act of Loving and Obeying him No doubt is to be made but that these Churches remaine firmely fastned to their saving Foundation Therefore this saving and undoubted Union of them with Christ ought to bring a Tye and a Band of no meane Consequence to the binding of the Affections of all Reformed Churches together CHAP. IV. Chap. 4 Of certaine Foundations which use to be called Ministeriall and of their Office and Power ALTHOUGH We acknowledge our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ the only personall Foundation of his Church yet do we not deny but that the name Foundation is in a different sense ascribed to others To whom in what respect this high Title is given and what Power and Command they have who are thus intitled it must be afterwards enquired into The name therefore of Foundation is sometimes lent to others but then always in a lessened and restrained acception For they are called Foundations in no other right than because the personall Foundation is layd by their Ministery through the preaching of the Gospell and by the continuation of that preaching always kept in the Church Amongst these Ministeriall Foundations the Prophets and Apostles possesse the prime place Hence the wall of the Heavenly Jerusalem is said to have twelve Foundations Rev. 21.14 and in them the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lambe Also Christians are said to be built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Eph. 2.20 In this sense Peter and Paul and all the Apostles were Ministeriall Foundations because all they as wise Master-builders bestowed their excellent paines in laying that only Foundation of which we spake before Wherefore when the Prophets and Apostles are adorned with this honorable Title it is rather to be referred to their saving Doctrin concerning Christ than to their own particular Persons The power of these was far greater than that of their succeeding Ministers because they were so enlightned and governed by the holy Spirit that they could not at all erre either in Preaching or Writing Therefore we acknowledge their Doctrine as the Doctrine of God and Christ certaine infallible and wholly Divine with Tertullian that saith There is no Divine Word but of God alone In that his booke of the Soule Which Word was thundred both by the Prophets by the Apostles by Christ himselfe But the Papists to these Ministeriall Foundations endeavour to joyne another in words calling it a Second and subservient but in very deed making it a Principall and plainly Divine one This honour the Jesuites thinke fit to be conferred on the Pope alone whom they so appoint to be the Second Foundation of the Catholike Church that in the meane time they maintaine him to be the only Foundation of the Church next unto Christ But there is no need to speake much of this fading foundation and palsy-shaking head the Scriptures being silent of any such sole Ministeriall foundation as the Papists do faine Besides all Protestant Churches long since have cast this filthy Idoll of a secondary head and foundation with others of the like nature to the Moles and Bats as fit for so blind companions We owne no power placed in this secondary foundation of the Papists to subject the Faith of Christians unto it counting those little better than mad when they write and maintaine Bell●● praef●t in lib. d● Rom. Po●● That the power and infallibility of the Pope of Rome is the summe of Christian Religion and his judgment is to bee accounted the square and Rule of Faith But leaving the Pope of Rome le ts come to the Catholique Church which on a farre better title might challenge to her selfe the name of Ministeriall Foundation because the Faith of every one may seeme in some sort to rely upon her For in this even to the end of the World that Doctrine shall bee kept and preached to which those Christians which afford beliefe and obedience are rightly joyned to their foundation and in it shall obtaine eternall Life To this purpose that of Paul to Timothy is often alleadged where he calleth the Church the Pillar and Ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3 15. Neither may we doubt but that in this Holy Catholique Church which wee beleeve in the Creed the truth of the Gospell ever hath and ever will be preserved so farre forth as it shall suffice for the Salvation of those that beleeve it Therefore to know what hath been beleeved received and published of all Christian Churches always and every where is to know all those things which are sufficient for the obtaining of Salvation in Christ the Foundation thereof But this Catholique Church scattered over all the world is presented rather to our mind than outward senses Wherefore when we desire to heare the voyce of the Catholique Church wee are forced to fly to the Church which they call Representative that is to say to a Generall Councell Of which Representative Image of the Catholique Church and of the Ministeriall power therof we will briefly discourse That this Representative Church did excellently discharge the Office of a Ministeriall Foundation in Oecumenicall Synods is witnessed by those foure Councils of Nice Constantinople Ephesus and Chalcedon In which the Divinity of Christ against Arius of the holy Ghost against Macedonius the Union of two Natures in Christ against Nestorius the distinction of two Natures against Eutyches were declared defended and established In these and the like Councils those Doctrines of the Christian Faith which were there in common handled and discussed because therein all that professed Christianity were represented are therefore with great reverence to bee received For it ever belongeth to the Office and lawfull power of this Representative Church to divide and distinguish Fundamentall Doctrines of the Christian Faith from those which were not fundamentall provided alwayes that they passed not the bounds set by the Apostles and Primitive Church to multiply or diminish the Number of these Fundamentals 2a 2ae Qu. 1. Art 7. Resp ad 4. For it is credible what Aquinas observed that the Apostles and others which were nearer to Christ had a fuller Knowledge of the mysteries of the Faith than we that are further off which Cajetan in the same place confesseth to be most true For however that the Apostles and the Fathers of the Primitive Church were not much given to controversall Divinity and disputing about Questions yet were they of all most skilfull in saving necessary and Fundamentall Divinity Moreover after this Representative Church had once published her resolution founded in Gods Word of Fundamentall Articles which were simply necessary to the Salvation of Christians the care and charge also lay upon her to defend fence and fortifie those Articles against all fraud and force of Heretiques For it is the wont of Heretiques to undermine the very Foundation of Christian Religion whilst they retaine the words
but deny the matter of the Articles Thus the Arians in words confessed Christ to be the Son of God but they hatcht a Monster in their hearts when they would not acknowledge him to be coessentiall to the Father Hee is but mocked with a Title to whom the thing signified by that Title is denyed It was lawfull therefore for the Representative Church that is for the generall Councell for the better declaring of the true meaning of an Article to frame and fit a new but apt terme and to compell Christians to confesse Christs Divinity under this forme of words Christ is Coessentiall with God the Father For to be God and to be the Son of God though not in sound in sense are the same as to be coessentiall with God Lastly we do not straiten and confine the power of an Oecumenicall Synod or representative Church only to the declaring and defending of Fundamentall Articles such whereof an explicite and cleare unfolded Faith must be had to Salvation but wee confesse the same also doth extend to any true doctrines and profitable for the edification of mens Soules Yea we conceive this definitive sentence of the Church to bee so armed with the sharp edged sword of Excommunication that they may be separated from the outward Communion of the Catholique Church which dare stubbornly oppose their private opinions against her determinations Notwithstanding if that wherein they do erre be not of the Fundamentall and absolutely necessary Doctrins we ought not to despaire but that some who justly are cut off from the outward Communiō of the Church God in his mercy pardoning their errors arising from the weaknesse of their Understanding may still retain an Inward and saving Communion with Jesus Christ their Foundation For the outward Excommunication is not a certaine or infallible signe of the inward Excommunication Tom. 1 an disp pag. 374. as rightly Luther What we have said of the Power of a Generall Councill we desire should also be understood of any lawfull and free Councill rightly representing the Catholique Church not of those Councils which are meere Vassals to the Pope of Rome and represent the Catholique Church in the same manner as an Ape doth a Man But because it is altogether impossible to call the Catholique Church into a Councill representing the whole body by reason of the Popes Tyranny and other hinderances let us come to explaine what power particular Churches have in this matter If therefore the name of Ministeriall Foundation doth agree to the Representative Church or Generall Councill for the Ministeriall power it hath in publishing explaining and defending that Doctrine which joyneth Christians to their saving foundation it agreeth also in its kind and degree to every particular Church suppose the English French Dutch and others which take their denomination from divers Countries For what the Catholike Church assembled in a Council may and ought to do towards the founding of all Christians in the saving Truth of the Gospell that every Particular and Provinciall Church may and ought to do to those that are under it From this Office the Church of Ephesus wherof Timothy was President is called the pillar and ground of Truth because it is the duty of every Church to defend and maintaine the Truth preached by the Apostles to the World commending and explaining the same to the people and to unsheath and draw the Sword of Ecclesiasticall censures against forgers and Heretiques But least every particular Church should advance her power and authority even to match and equall it with the Catholike Church in a Generall Council we must marke and observe first that the particular Doctours of particular Churches met in a Synod only represent their own and n●t forraigne Churches and therefore to have no power of prescribing to others what they must beleeve or refuse much lesse to cut them off from the Brotherly Communion which they hold with the Catholique Church who either out of conscience or ignorance cannot assent to their Decrees and Determinations For an Equall hath no power over him which is his Equall Herein the moderation of Cyprian is commended who held communion with those Churches whom he conceived to live in a grievous errour The African Churches are commended Apud August de Bapt. cont Donat. lib. 2. cap. ult Idem super gestis cum Emerit Serm. for their not condemning of any nor removing them from the right of communion but continuing in fellowship with those Churches which were of a different opinion and would not rest and rely on their judgement For no particular Church ought so far to tender her own honor as thereby to envy prejudice or dammage the unity of other Churches Secondly we must observe that particular Churches for instance those of Saxony and Switzerland may and ought to commend the Summe of the Doctrin of the Gospell which they professe to such as are subject to their Ministery which abridgement of Doctrine compiled and digested into Articles we use to call the Confession of the Churches or Articles of Religion But a speciall care must be had that in the framing of these Articles we insert not into them any thing that is subtile superfluous and litigious For it is not the part of wise Doctors to stuffe those things which should further Peace and the Edification of Soules with that which may trouble the Learned help the Unlearned little or nothing to Salvation For what is this else than to minister to the Learned matter of striffe and to thrust on the unlearned Wind for Milk and Stones for Bread We ought also to have some respect of neighbouring Churches in these our Confessions which wee set forth and nor to affect in our Articles to expose to the view of all that whence occasion of wrangling may bee given to our neighbour Protestant Churches and matter of rejoycing afforded to the Papists These inconveniencies might easily bee avoyded if it would once enter into the hearts of Divines to sever hard and obscure Controversies from the publike Confessions of the Church and confine them to private exercises in the Schooles For whilst we place and proclaime our Controversies in the light Mat. 10.27 and as it were on the house top of our publique Confessions wee shew abroad the nakednesse of the Reformed Churches which it was farre better going backward with our faces wee should desire to cover Lastly when these Confessions are ordered in this manner it is lawfull and usefull for every particular Church to exercise that Jurisdiction over their owne people which in no case they ought or can usurpe over the subjects of another Church For if their own oppose the received Doctrine of their Church established by publique consent they may both for the errors they scatter and for the disturbance they cause in the Church put them aside from the Communion of their Church so long till they leave off to infect others and trouble the Church with their errours But as soon