of several distinct Churches who are all Members of that Mystical Body he walks among the Candlesticks he holds the Stars in his right hand The Angel of every distinct National Church is to be the mover of the Orb to guide it by the Light of Divine Truth spoken by the Spirit of the Churches the Temporal Power may be Supreme Head of the Church as they are a Society of Christian Men but neither the one nor the other can justly pretend a Power over the Angel of another Church or the Dominions of another Prince for that is the Prerogative of the Son of God who Unites them in his Right hand and who alone can challenge the Title of that Name of King of Kings and Lord of Lords NOR will this Independency of Churches one upon another which is only in point of Jurisdiction and Limits which was anciently practiced and commanded by the Decrees of Councels give the least disturbance to their Charity and Vnion so long as they maintain the same Universal Doctrine of Faith as to the substance and all acknowledge one Catholique Church and themselves Members of it Nay it is observable that this incroachment of the greater Churches upon the less and indeavouring to aggrandize themselves by imposing upon all other Churches a Soveraignty and Dominion never intended for Christian Religion and striving by force to oblige them to use their Rites and Ceremonies in indifferent Circumstantials and not only so but to receive all their Opinions as matters of Faith were the first occasion of the most remarkable Schisms and Divisions and the loss of Peace and Unity and still continue so to this very day Whereas did they all resolve to content themselves with their own Precincts and not indeavour 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and act out of their own Provinces but would permit others to make use of such indifferent Rites as the Governours of the several Churches judge necessary and expedient in their respective Charges and if any Controversies should arise in Point of Doctrine resolve amicably to compose them by hearing what the Spirit saith to the Churches and how the Universal Church has already determined in the same or like Affairs according to the Rule of Scripture would they study more to propagate Peace and Vnity than Dominion and Soveraignty to increase Piety and Purity of Life more than outward agreement of Rites and Ceremonies the ancient Happiness of the Church in her first and Vnambitious Age when the Office of Government was the surest way to Martyrdom would in a great measure be restored to the Members of the Catholique Church and there would be that Vnity which is by God Commanded and by all good Christians not only to be desired but promoted to the uttermost of their Power Were it possible that this true and ancient Temper Modesty and Moderation of Primitive Christianity might obtain in the World the Names of distinction with the occasions of them would be taken away one would not be of Paul another of Apollos another of Cephas one a Romanist another a Calvinist Lutheran Hugonot or a Zuinglian but all would be of Christ but alas what hope so long as the Church of Rome will be Vniversal and will exclude all those who Refuse the tyranique Yoak of both her Declared and Implicit Faith and to be subject to her absolute Dominion not only from the Name of Churches and being Parts of the Church Universal but from the Communion of Saints from all hopes of the Resurrection of the just nay even from her Purgatory too which is very severe if there be such a place as admits of Hope for Sinners after Death and in a word from all possibility of the Life everlasting How disterent is this from the ancient Charity and Doctrine of St. Peter and St. Paul whom they believe the Founders of their Church for they incourage us to hope we may receive the Benefit of the Common Salvation Act. 10.35 for God is no respecter of Persons but in every Nation he that feareth him and worketh Righteousness is accepted of him for with him there are no Distinctions neither Greek nor Jew Col. 3.11 to v. 16. Circumcision nor Vncircumcision Barbarian Scythian Bond nor Free but all are Christs who have put on as the Elect of God holy and beloved bowels of Mercy kindness humbleness of Mind meekness long-suffering forbearance one of another and forgiveness one towards another if there be differences as Christ also forgave us and above all things they who have put on Charity which is the bond of Perfection and whose Hearts are ruled by the Peace of God But in regard that this is to be dispair'd of and may well seem forreign to the Design of these Papers let us come to consider what Influence this ought to have upon us as to Vnity amongst our selves which without Excluding our Neighbours from our Charity though they do us from theirs and Heaven is the principal Intention of this Discourse CHAP. VI. HAVING shewn that the Peace and Vnity of the Catholick Church Militant upon Earth depends in a great Measure upon this Justice in preserving the Common Faith of Christ as the bond of Vnion not only among our selves but with that part of the Church which is now Triumphant in Heaven and in order thereunto in allowing every distinct and National Church their particular Bounds and Jurisdiction free from Incroachments and Invasion permitting them a freedom of Using such Rites and Customs in the Celebration of Divine Worship as the Governors of each respective Church shall judge to be nearest the Rule of Scripture the Constant Usage and Determination of the Catholique Church in the best Ages and of the best Men in all most conducive to the Great End of all Religion by promoting the Happiness of Mankind both here and hereafter before we proceed any further it will be requisite to answer what may and will be certainly objected by all Dissenters FOR if an Independency of Churches of Distinct Nations and Polities so long as they agree in matters of Faith may be permitted a distinct Jurisdiction different Rites and manner of Worship to the increase of Charity Peace and Unity why may not the same be likewise practised by several Churches in the same Nation To which I answer That as Vnity in point of Faith is the Bond of Vnion in the Vniversal Church so Obedience to the Supreme Government of any Nation is that which Vnites them into one Polity and distinguishes them from all other People who do not own that Subjection and Obedience And this Vnion of Obedience is also that which preserves and maintains them as well as Constitutes them a distinct Political Body from all other Nations Herein lies their Strength herein their Security their Safety and Happiness For as I may be Lawfully permitted to disobey the King of Spain or France nay and ought to do it in many Cases for the Interest of my Nation but cannot disobey my
dispersed at a common Charge would induce one to believe the Case were our own and particularly one intitled An account of the Growth of Popery and Arbitrary Government c. where the Writer does Greg. Naz. Or. 1. as Nazianzen says Arm himself to be Eloquent against the Truth abusing that the better to abuse others into a belief of the most Notorious Calumnies and Sarcasms against the Government the King and his Ministers the Judges and who not As if all conspiring to alter the Establisht Government both Civil and Ecclesiastical And is as Industrious as Malicious to set us all into a Flame To do this at a Season when we are under the apprehensions of a Forrein War for the defence of our selves and all Europe against the danger of a Neighbour too near not to be feared and grown too great to be suffered looks and certainly is a Design of the greatest Mischief and if the Authors are not Dissenters either from the Church of England or from all Religion as well as from the Court of England and the Interest of England the World is strangely mistaken the Sibboleth which lisps so demurely in every Page plainly shews that it was Penn'd by the Men of Ephraim who have a design to Quarrel with our Royal Jephtha their Deliverer by the unparallel'd Amnesty from the Ammonites of their former Delinquencies THESE are the proper effects of Jealousies and Misunderstandings between a Prince and his People the natural result not only of Diversity of Government in the Church Tollerated but permitted even by Connivence And what can be the end of Disunion between these two whom God has joyned together and no man ought to put asunder and who ought to live together in all the happy Caresses of a Conjugal Affection what can be expected from such a Divorce but a troublesome Raign to the Prince an uneasy Life to the People who must always be under the apprehensions of dismal Revolutions and unhappy Days and whilest neither of them esteems themselves secure they both become Miserable Whereas on the contrary Unity in the Government of the Church being as before was said Political as well as Religious will remove all these unnecessary Fears and Imaginary Dangers it will beget Love and a mutual Confidence in each other between a King and his Subjects which is the only happiness of the Crown as well as of the Nuptial State Of which one may say as the Poet. Faelices tèr ampliùs Quos irrupta tenet Copula Nec malis divulsa Querimonijs When there is no Murmuring or Complaining but the one Obeys with Pleasure what the other Commands with Love and love the one as much to be Commanded as the other to Command But alas this is so far from being hoped for so long as there is this Disunion in the Political Government of the Church as it would be if there were so in the Political Laws of the State it being as impossible to satisfie all Parties with the one as with the other and there being notwithstanding the same reason that those who are dissatisfied should yet yield Obedience as well to the one as to the other since they are both of the same Nature and levell'd at the same End FROM what has been said it is evident that a Disunion in the Political Government of the Church in the same Nation Lays the perpetual Foundation of Dreadful Changes and Revolutions in the Government of the State and by sowing Jealousies Fears and Discontents in the Minds of Men it gives continual Opportunities to the Ambitious Covetous Envious Proud and Discontented to run the Nation into Civil Broyls and Intestine Quarrels for which reason Solomon gives this necessary Caution to all those who will be the Disciples of true Wisdom My Son fear thou God and the King and meddle not with those who are given to change Which of necessity all Dissenters must be whilst they believe themselves the only People who Worship God in Spirit and Truth and therefore contrary to the manifest Design of the Gospel were they what they pretend or believe indeavour their own Establishment by force and violence the confusion and utter subversion of the Government which does oppose them and their pernicious Practices so dishonourable to Christian Religion and the Protestant Cause so destructive of Peace and Charity so contrary to the common good of all Society and the Happiness of Mankind in General and in particular to the safety and security the Settlement and Establishment of that Church and Nation of which they are Members and to which by the Rules of Religion they owe all Obedience CHAP. XI NOR will the Mischief of this Disunion in the Political Government in the Church confine it self at home or be contented with making us unhappy among our selves but will most certainly Expose any Nation to the Power and Attemps of Foreign Enemies for Vnity in any Government is like the state of Health in the Natural Body where the Muscles are firm and Robust the Nerves strong the Ligaments compacted the Joynts close the whole Strength intire and vigorous and every Member obedient to the Head whereas on the contrary want of Vnion renders the Body Politique crazy and infirm the Head may command the Hands or the Feet but they are out of joynt and cannot move or if they do it is with so much Pain or Trouble with such a Feebleness and Languor as is next to Impotence it self and when any People are in this Condition they become an Easy Prey as well as a great Temptation to any Foreign Power FOR first This render them contemptible to their Foreign Enemies for Men always make a Judgment of the strength of any Nation in proportion to their Vnity among themselves for what does it signifie though a Nation be never so Rich or Populous if they be not Vnanimous their Enemies must needs thus Argue with themselves What though this People abound in Money and swarm with Inhabitants so long as they are like a Rope of Sand it is a sign of the goodness of their Country as well as the Weakness of the Nation there will be the better booty and the cheaper Victory the Conquest will pay us well for our Pains and our Pains cannot be great to subdue a People who are already half Conquered by their Civil Dissentions we are not to go to dispute a bloody Conquest but a certain Victory Their mutual Fears have alienated the Affections of the People from their Prince and they who have been so Prodigal to waste all the stock of Loyalty which was left them as a Patrimony from their Ancestors will easily be tempted to sell the Reversion of their Allegiance to a new Soveraign Nor shall an Invader ever need to fear a Party who for ready Money in hand and large Promises of future Payments and Gratifications in whatever they demand which he may Pay he knows as he pleases will not either actually joyn with him or
however retard all the Counsels and necessary Preparations which shall be made against him for the defence of the Publique Nor will they be wanting by fair Pretences or by the Golden Key where that is permitted to be used to open themselves a way into the Counsels of their Prince places of Trust and Importance thereby to betray him and gratifie his Enemies by opening them a Passage into his Dominions and an easy Dore of Conquest AND therefore Secondly When by Reason of danger from abroad there is the greatest necessity of Vnity at home when they should be mustering Men for the Common Defence of the Publique they will be most busy in Mustering up whole Armies of Complaints Grievances and Faults in the Government when they should be raising Money to defend the Crown and Government in order to the Common Safety they will be raising Fears Jealousies and Disturbances in the Minds of his Subjects to distract and divide them then will they be most busie at the Mint to coyn false Reports and counterfeit Rumors strange Discoveries and Conspiracies against the Peoples Liberties and Religion and animate all these Disorders by telling the Credulous that now is the Time or never in the necessity of Publique Affairs to advance their Private Interest For should the Prince return Victorious over his Foreign Enemies and settle an honourable Peace abroad he would be in a Condition to turn his Arms against them and indeavour to secure and settle his Peace at home and should they lose this Opportunity of his Necessity possibly they may never meet with the like again And should the Prince fail of Success in the Defence of his Crown and Country which they will take all the Care they can that he shall the assistance they have given his Enemies though by no other way but secret Correspondencies and clogging the wheels of Affairs to make them move heavily and by consequence unsuccessfully will intitle them to the Favour of the Victor if it prove an intire Conquest or however if it comes to a dishonourable Peace to his Protection For he must be Master of very little Policy who will not indeavour to support and incourage a Party in the Dominions of his Enemies who shall be able upon all Occasions to do him such considerable Services BUT Thirdly This Disunion of any Nation among themselves does not only render them Lame and Impotent at home but Ruines their Hopes of Confederations for their Assistance and Security abroad For the Leagues and Amities of Foreign Princes and States have always their Foundation laid in their own Interest and Advantage and who will enter into Leagues Offensive and Defensive for their Common Security with a People who by reason of their Intestine Divisions are in a condition to need Assistance from others but not afford their Allies any considerable help in their Necessity His late Majesty was a dreadful Example of this Truth for did not all Europe stand gazing at our Flame without ever so much as offering their Mediation to Extinguish it which of all his Confederates or Allies came in to his relief did they not permit his Crown to be taken off his Head and his Head from his Body without any concern although it was the Common Case of all Crowned Heads and a President which their Posterity may have cause to repent that ever it was permitted but shall never able to rase out of the Records of Time And though this was a private and Intestine Quarrel and therefore not esteemed the concern of our Allies yet does it manifestly prove that since all Alliances are managed by Interest if they come to believe that to assist us against a Forrein Power be as little their Advantage they will be as slow and backward to do it then And there is nothing can more forceably perswade them into such a Belief than by our own Disunion and Division to put our selves out of a Capacity of being serviceable to their Interest by the ability of mutual help and Assistance in their time of Need. So that it must be pure Compassion for their own Affairs and to keep the Ballance from inclining too much to one side that must be the Motive to incourage them to lend us their hand and since that cannot be expected till they see us ready to Sink let any person Judg into what a Miserable Condition we must be reduced before we receive that Help or they come in to our Aid Whereas when any Nation is powerful by being Vnanimous their Friends and Allies will upon the first Summons be ready to assist them not only for their own Interest and because they expect the like Kindness upon the like Occasions but because they will be unwilling and afraid to disoblige a Power which but by withdrawing it self from them may expose them to Dangers and Hazards Or resenting it as an Injury and Affront may at one time or another remember it with thoughts of Revenge So that there is nothing can be more apparent than that Disunion in any Nation weakens its Force and strength at Home and Abroad and exposes it to the Danger of Foreign Enemies whilest it gives them all the Invitations and Assistances they can desire to accomplish their Conquest and its Ruine BUT bedsies all this there is something more in this Disunion in point of Church Government in our Nation which is particularly dangerous to the present Government And that is that it Naturally inclines all the several Parties to Antimonarchical Principles and to entertain kind thoughts of Polyarchy in the State as well as Anarchy in the Church and of all others to Democracy rather than Optimacy For where the Government is Elective and Mutable every several Party will endeavour to make such an Interest in all such Elections as to have a considerable number of the Governours to be of their Perswasion By which Method they entertain a constant Hope that they shall be able not only to continue that Liberty to their Way but also to increase and Augment it Nor is it possible by any Arguments to perswade them that Monarchy is the best Form of Government and which is strange the former experience of the Tyranny of the late Common-Wealth which was Established upon the Ruines of our Peace and Prosperity the tossings and Tumblings the Uncertainties and Rollings of that raging Sea of Confusion is not convincing but that they will Embarque themselves in it upon the same Design although they know it is a Red-Sea of Blood and leads us all to a Desolate Wilderness How contrary and repugnant this Government is to the Fundamental and Established Laws of these Nations I need not tell But what must they be who pretend for Religion to overthrow all the Foundations of the Earth and put them out of Course unless God hold up the Pillars of it as hitherto he has done in despight of the raging of the People However it afords us a clear discovery of the Tempers of those
affraid he had bestowed upon them Labour in Vain for that they were relapsing to Jadaism and to the observing of Days and Years according to the Mosaick Law THIS has been a Constant Quarrel amongst Christians this bred those Mortal Divisions betwixt the Eastern and the Western Churches which has almost intirely ruin'd one of them and not advantaged the other as to Truth for whilest both pretended to be the only true Church of Christ by that exclusive Arrogance they were both so far False and this Unlawful claim was the Mother of the Doctrine of Infallibility in the Catholique Church which if it be understood of any particular company of Men and not of the whole Body of the Faithful which are in all Churches have been or shall be guided by the Spirit of God into all truth must be False for whoever is infallible must be without Sin which none can be in this imperfect State For if we say we have no Sin we deceive our selves and the Truth is not in us and the Maxim is undoubtedly true Quod predicatur de singulis universalium predicatur etiam de universalibus singularium If all men are Sinners they are fallible if every man is a Sinner then are all men here in this Mortal State So that if men would with Justice and Modesty allow degrees of Truth and that every Church possessed some so long as they retain the foundation of one only true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent whom to know is Life eternal if they would strive more for Peace and Purity than for this Supremacy and impossibility of being the only true Church they would certainly have more Truth because more Charity Peace Vnity THERE were Seven Churches in Asia though now nothing but the Names and those scarce Legible in their Ruins to which our blessed Lord commands St. John to write Rev. 1 2 3 Chapters What thou seest write in a Book and send it to the seven Churches which are in Asia unto Ephesus and unto Smyrna and unto Pergamos and unto Thyatira and unto Sardis and unto Philadelphia and unto Laodicea Every Church was a Golden Candlestick and every one had a Star which was the Angel Guardian or Governour of the Church and which Christ held in his right hand These Candlesticks were all of Gold but some more refined and purer Mettal than others the Stars were all bright and shining but some more dim and obscure than others for one star exceeded another star in glory 1 Cor. 15.41 42. even in the Firmament of the Church as well as in Heaven And doubtless if that place be true shall hereafter for so is the Resurection of the Dead From this Instance of the Seven Churches these Deductions seem evidently to follow FIRST That several Nations are several Distinct Coordinate not subordinate Churches for so the Son of God calls these Seven which yet were comprised in the lesser Asia and People of one Language though of distinct and separate Polities which seems to be that which differences Nations and not Languages SECONDLY That distinct and several Coordinate Churches may all be true Churches and Vnited in the Common Bond of the same Faith and Charity who yet may not be of equal Purity two only are here commended for their Purity viz. Smyrna and Philadelphia the other are condemned Ephesus for having forsaken her first Love her Zeal and Devotion Pergamos for the Doctrine of Balaam and for suffering the odious Sect of the Nicolaitans Thyatira for suffering Jezebel a woman to teach contrary to the Express Command of God and therefore to seduce the People by eating things offered to Idols Sardis for having a name to live but being dead Loadicea for being luke-warm neither hot nor cold a Church of Latitudinarians all these are threatned and reproved but not rejected from the name and being of Churches THIRDLY That the holy Catholique Church is composed of several distinct National Churches for we must not think the Son of God could be guilty of an impropriety of Speech he distinguishes them by the places where they were planted and by their degrees of Purity as so many several Churches without giving them any precedency on preheminence one over another he does not direct the Angels of the several Churches to Rome or Alexandria or Jerusalem or Antioch though all then famous Churches for redress of their Errors he does not send them to St. Peter or his Successors the Catholique Apostolique Roman Church as the Pillar and Ground of Truth not a word of the Sancta sedes Apostolica Petri Cathedra Ecclesia Principalis nothing of the Romanorum Fides ad quos perfidia habere non potest accessum which place of St. Cyprian the Romanists boast so much of whilest they indeavour to appropriate the word Catholique only to their Church which is as good sense as that any one man is humane Nature But for the redress of their Errors amendment of their Lives and reformation of their false Doctrines he gives them all this short Direction He that hath an Ear let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the Churches and that to every one of them distinctly so that what the Spirit of God speaks to the Churches was to be the Rule of Faith Life and Doctrine and what was it which the Spirit spake unto the Churches was ever any Tradition said to be spoken by the Holy Spirit No certainly nothing was ever spoken by the Spirit to the Churches but the Books of the Holy Canon which all Ages have consented to without the least Addition or Diminution as the late Bishop of Durham Dr. Cosins has made appear more distinctly till such time as the Absolutissima Syndus Tridentina as they call the Trent Session for some passages which seem favourable to Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead was pleased to adopt these into the Holy Canon though nothing is more evident than that till then they were Esteemed only Humane Writings and Apocryphal however hereby they have given a Specimen of the Power they pretend over our Faith for by the same Authority they may impose Aesops Fables and the Alchoran as matters of Faith Neither did the ancient Churches when Heresies sprung up resort to Rome for infallible Determinations but to Oecumenical and General Councels not Esteeming their Determinations valid neither unless agreeable to the Holy Scripture which was always accounted the Norma or Rule by which they were to be guided and at which Councels the Pope did assist not as the Head but as a Principal Member and the respect he had given him was as Patriarch of the Imperial City and the Western Churches and not as Monarch of the whole Catholick Church and even some later Councels as that of Basil have undertaken to reform Errors and Abuses and to depose the Pope being found guilty of them LASTLY It may from hence be concluded That Christ himself is the only head of the Catholick Church which is composed