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A29830
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Catholick schismatology, or, An account of schism and schismaticks in the several ages of the world : to which are prefixed some remarks on Mr. Bolde's plea for moderation / J.B.
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J. B. (J. Browne)
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1685
(1685)
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Wing B5116; ESTC R37483
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61,193
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209
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Catholick Schismatology OR An ACCOUNT OF SCHISM AND SCHISMATICKS IN The several Ages of the World To which are prefixed some Remarks on Mr. Bolde's Plea for Moderation Eccl. 2. Wo to them that have a double heart and to the Sinner that goteh two manner of ways Augustini Epist 166. Lett. G. Constantinus contra partem Donati severissimam legem dedit hunc imitati Filii ejus talia praeceperunt Quibus succedens Julianus desertor Christi inimicus libertatem Parti Donati permisit reddidit basilicas eo modo putans Christianum nomen posse perire de terris J. B. LONDON Printed for Anthony Steevens Bookseller in OXON 1685. To the Worshipful ROBERT FOLEY Esq One of His MAJESTIES Justices of the Peace for the County of Worcester May it please your Worship 'T IS not long since thrusting such Books as this into the Press was like thrusting ones hand into a nest of Hornets when neither Innocence nor Majesty nor any thing that 's sacred could be sufficient Fence against the pungent and venomous Detractions of a waspish sort of Sectaries And then indeed it was but needful in behalf of such Books as this to ask the Patronage of some such as your self whose stanch Loyalty in the late distinguishing and perilous times those days of Danger and Rebuke was yet so truly Heroick as to dare to look Faction in the face and oppose it even then when most Insolent and Domineering A practice on grounds of Reason so truly Generous on grounds of Christianity so Religious as makes your late Promotion a due Debt to your Merit as your Merit is to your self But now blessed be God that by wonted Miracle of Preservation has made the King great in his Salvation has in great measure given him the Hearts of his Subjects and the Necks of his Enemies has turned our threatned Captivity back and made our English Zion like to be the praise of the whole Earth So that now the design of this Dedication is cheifly this To publish to the World my grateful acknowledgment of your great Favours presuming that the good design of this little Book will help to satisfie for its great defects especially if it be interpreted as Divines interpret Parables Quae non sunt argumentative ultra suum Scopum The Scope or Intention of it being no more than such an imperfect Schismatology as may instruct but the vulgar Reader in some little of that great agreement between the Modern Schismaticks and those of Old which I take to be a Novel expedient whereby to endeavour as every honest man ought the exposal of that pernicious Sin of Schism the depluming of that Church monster of all such thievish Bravery and popular Decoy as erroneous conscienciousness and specious Pretensions to Sanctity beyond holier Persons than themselves to expose this vile Sin to the publik view like Aesops Crow to be reviled and hooted at as the very pest of Societies and bane of Christianity fatal to Churches and Kingdoms detestable and odious to God and Good Men worse said the Fathers than a Dionys ap Euseb l. 6. Idolatry b Opt. l. 1. Sacriledg or c Chrysost ad Eph. p. 823. Heresie and yet now a days so little made Conscience of This is chiefly the design of this little Book and my acknowledgments to your Worship is the design of its Dedication as also to beg the encouragement of your Worships Approbation and to contribute a wish to the long continuance of your happiness here and the compleatment of it hereafter which is honoured Sir the hearty prayer of Your Thankful and Obedient as much Obliged Servant J. B. Catholick Schismatology OR An Account of Schism and Schismaticks in the several Ages of the World The Introduction THO the first two thousand years of the World called the Patriarchal Ages which was from the Creation to the giving of the Law to Moses were called by the Jewish Rabbies the two thousand years of emptiness because of that little that is recorded of the Transactions of those times yet is not the Holy Scripture silent in this matter but speaks of Schism and Schismaticks as coaeval with Sin and Satan St. Jude speaking of the Separatists of his time the Gnostick-Schismaticks Jude 6. compares them first to the fallen Angels the first that sinned those Schismaticks from the Church triumphant Jude 6. Where he plainly intimates That as the Devil was the first Sinner so was he the first Schismatick Saies the Apostle The first that left his first estate which was Communion with the Church triumphant From this he descends to compare them to some of the first Schismaticks from the Church Militant He instances first in Cain Jude 11. They have gone in the way of Cain or which is all one they have followed the Principle and Practise of Cain i. e. are Cainites As those that go in the way of or follow the Principles and Practise of Aerius Donatus Novatus are called Aerians Donatists Novatians And thus do some of the most learned Nonconformists interpreat those words The way of Cain Dr. Manton and Mr Jenkins Exposition on Jude i e. say they the way of Cains Separation Cain was the first Separatist saies Dr. Manton He went out from the presence of the Lord that is from the Church saies he where the presence of Gods Grace is And therefore Cains example is produced because saies that Expositor he was the first and chief of those that departed from the true Church and pure Service of God KORAHITES THus saies the Apostle of the Separatists of his time Jud. 11. They have perished in the gainsaying of Korah This Korah was one of the Sons of Levi of great esteem among the People and great interest in many of the Princes and no doubt was accounted an able and godly man only thus he was a factious Levite dissenting and murmuring against Moses and Aaron the King and the Priest was his only fault Whoever consults the History of Schismaticks from the times of the Apostles to this present Age and compares them with the Modern ones in their professed opposition as well to the Monarchical as Episcopal Government must give them Extraction from this famous Triumvirate Korah Dathan and Abiram Aeri Red. Preface combined in an Association against Moses and Aaron the Supream Prince and the High Priest Dathan and Abiram descending from the line of Reuben the eldest Son of Jacob thought themselves more worthy of the Sovereign Power than Moses who descended from the younger House and Korah thought himself so much neglected in seeing Elizaphen the Son of Vzziel made Prince of the Kohathites The principal Family of the Levites next to that of Gerson when he himself descended of the eldest Brother and therefore thought that if there were not a Parity but an Episcopacy among the Jewish Ministers that himself was as fit for the chief Priesthood as Aaron Hereupon having compared their grievances they resolved on a Conspiracy
the most horrid and detestable undertakings such as rebelling against Princes Assassinating Nobles c. in pretence for the Honour and Glory of God The account Dr. Hammond gives of them is briefly thus Annotat. on 1 Pet. 4.15 Lett. G. The Jewish Zealots pretending to a perpetual immunity from all humane Power as being the only Children of God and upon that account to be subject to no men especially Heathens but to enjoy an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or perfect immunity would force all men to joyn with them against the Romans i. e. The publick peace calling themselves 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Benefactors and Saviours of the Nation and plundering all that would not be as Seditious as themselves under pretence of Zeal for the Law of God and making all men perform their duty Agreeable to this is that of Dr. Cave in the life of St. Simon the Zealot from Maimonides Josephus c. They were saies he a Sect of the Pharisees mighty Assertors of the Law and of the strictness and purity of the Jewish Religion assuming a Liberty to themselves to question and punish notorious Offenders without staying for the formality of the Law and when they thought good executing capital Vengeance on them Thus saies my Author from Maimonides when a Blasphemer cursed God by the name of any Idol the next Zealot that met him had power to kill him without bringing him before the Sanhedrim Thus in imitation of Phineas who in a great passion for the Honour of God did immediate Execution on Zimri and Cosbi they took upon them to execute Judgment in extraordinary Causes and that at first not only by the Connivence but good leave of the Rulers and People till in after-times under a pretence of this their Zeal degenerated into all manner of Licentiousness and wild Extravagance and they not only became the very pest of the Commonwealth at home but open'd the door for the Romans to invade them to their final ruin They were continually prompting the people seditiously to throw off the Roman Yoke to vindicate themselves into their native Liberty excelling the Pharisees in their outcrys for property and priviledg against their Rulers Prerogative and when they had turned all things into hurry and confusion themselves in the mean time fished in those troubled Waters Josephus frequently bewails them as the great Plague of the Nation He tells us that they scrupled not to kill many of the Nobility under pretence of their holding correspondence with the Romans Lib. 4. De bell Judaico and betraying the liberty of their Country boasting that thereby they were the Benefactors and Saviours of the People Joyning themselves with the Idumeans they slew the High-Priest profaned the most Holy Places and committed all manner of outrages yet stiled themselves the Zealots pretending greatest Zeal for the Glory of God Nor has this Phanatick Zeal this kind of Zealots been wanting wherever Schism has prevailed in the after Ages of the World The Donatists had among them an Order of men called Circumcelliones that were wholly designed and set apart for these Zealotick exploits they were as so many Hectors to fight for the Donatists on all occasions and were exactly among the Donatists as the Pseudo-Zealots were among the Pharisees Ep. 48.166 Quas caedes c. saies St. Augustine what Slaughters and Outrages did they not commit when Julian restored the Churches to them and gave them Power and all this by believing that they were inspired by God to do such extraordinary things which they were ready to attempt whenever their Brethren or their own Lust did prompt them to it the Donatist Bishops instructing them soundly in this That they did certainly dye Martyrs who suffer'd Death for Religion sake as they called their Rebellious and most Murderous undertakings Nor hath this Zealotick temper been more discernable in any than in the Schismaticks of this latter Age. At the first planting of Presbytery in Scotland History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland p. 387. in Mr. Knox's Disputation with Ld. Secretary Lethington about the Power of Princes i◠being asked whether the Subjects ought to suppress the Queen supposing her an Idolater or Papist Mr. Knox's Answer was That not only Idolatry ought to be suppressed but the Idolater also ought to die But by whom said the Secretary Lethington by the People of God said Mr. Knox for the commandment was to Israel saies he Hear O Israel the Statutes and the Ordinances of the Lord thy God yet commandment is given That if Idolatry be committed in any City the whole body of the People rise and destroy the City sparing neither Man Woman nor Child Secretary But there 's no command given to destroy their King Knox. If he be an Idolater or Papist I find no Priviledg or Exemption given to him more than to the People to offend Gods Majesty Secretary I grant that but People may not be Judges to their King to punish him tho he be an Idolater Knox. God is the Vniversal Judg to him as well as to the People so that what his word commands to be punished in one is not to be absolved in the other and that the People yea or a part of the People may not execute Gods Judgments against their King being an Offender you have no other warrant for than your own Imagination Whereupon the Lord Secretary Lethington calling for his Papers produced the Authority of Luthor Melancthon Musculus and Bucer for the Doctrine of Non-resistance in any case And in another place History of the Reformation of the Church of Scotland p. 393. Mr. Knox saies That God has armed Subjects against their natural King and commanded them to take Vengeance on him according to Divine Law and that accordingly Gods people have executed Gods Law against their King having no further regard to him in that behalf than if he had been the most simple Subject in the Realm And in a Sermon before a great part of the Nobility Ask of the Queen saies he that which by Gods word you may justly require Page 358. and if she will not agree with you in God you are not bound to agree with her in the Devil And when the Queen asked him Whether he allowed that her Subjects should take her Sword into their hand His Answer was They sin not that bridle Kings when they Transgress For which he instances in Elias's not sparing Jezabel's false Prophets and Baal's Priests tho King Ahab stood by And Samuel's not sparing to slay Agag King of Amalek and Phineas's killing Zimri and Cosbi tho no Magistrate and in the People's conspiring against Amaziah King of Judah their following him to Lachish and killing him And so throughout all Ages among Hereticks and Schismaticks and none else there have always been such rebellious Pseudo Zealots acting quite contrary to the Gospel-Religion and to the Precepts of Christ and his Apostles and to the practice of all