of the Church of Rome be the Doctrine of the Church of England Such are most if not all of these following Articles viz. Art. 6. of the sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation Art. 9. of Original Sin Art. 11. of the Justification of Man Art. 13. of works before Justification Art. 14. of works of Supererogation Art. 15. of Christ alone without Sin Art. 19. of the Church Art. 20. of the Authority of the Church Art. 21. of the Authority of General Councils Art. 22. of Purgatory Art. 24. of speaking in the Congregation in such a Tongue as the People understandeth Art. 25. of the Sacraments Art. 28. of the Lords Supper Art. 29. of the wicked which eat not the Body of Christ Art. 30. of both Kinds Art. 31. of the Oblation of Christ upon the Cross Art. 32. of the Marriage of Priests Art. 34. of the Tradition of the Church Art. 35. of the Homilies Art. 36. of the Consecration of Bishops and Ministers Art. 37. of the Civil Magistrates These besides several others which our Articles do not expresly mention but are commonly the received Principles of our Church are the Inconcileable Points and which all the Wit and Charity in the World can no more thoroughly reconcile than Light and Darkness How far this is true and demonstrated to be so in the following Sheets I shall leave to the Consideration of every intelligent Reader In which I have proceeded with care and impartiality from Point to Point laying down first the Doctrine of each Church from unquestionable Authorities for my own Justification and then for the ease of the Reader I have summ'd it up and set each in Opposition to the other From all which I doubt not but whatever Friendship may be maintained betwixt the Members of both Churches as we are Fellow-Subjects yet it will be evident that there is no possibility of Agreement between them in Matters of Religion or of making One Church of what are so manifestly Two. It 's upon the last sort I am now to proceed and the first of which in order is the sixth Article of the Church of England The Difference between the Church of England and Rome The Sixth Article of the Church of England Of the sufficiency of the Holy Scripture for Salvation Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salvation so that whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an Article of the Faith or be thought requisite or necessary to Salvation In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament of whole Authority was never any doubt in the Church The Names and Number of the Canonical Books Genesis c. And the other Books as Hierom saith the Church doth read for example of Life and instruction of Manners but yet doth not apply them to establish any Doctrine Such are these following The third Book of Esdras The fourth Book of Esdras The Book of Tobias The Book of Judith The rest of Hester And the fourteen Books commonly called Apocrypha All the Books of the New Testament as they are commonly received we do receive and account them Canonical The Twentieth Article of the Church of England Of the Authority of the Church Although the Church be a Witness and a keeper of Holy Writ yet as it ought not to decree any thing against the same so besides the same ought it not to enforce any thing to be believed for necessity of Salvation Homily the first Or an Exhortation to the Reading and Knowledg of Holy Scripture There is in the Scripture whatsoever is meet for all ages and sorts of men These Books ought therefore to be much in our hands in our Eyes in our Ears in our Mouths but most of all in our Hearts Homily second Or an Exhortation c. Surely none be Enemies to the reading of God's Word but such as either be so ignorant that they know not how wholesome a thing it is or else be so Sick that they hate the most comfortable Medicine should heal them or so ungodly that they would wish the People still to continue in blindness and ignorance of God. The Church of Rome The Council of Trent The holy and general Synod of Trent considering that all saving Truth and Instruction of manners is contained in Books written and Traditions not written which received from the mouth of Christ himself by the Apostles or from the Apostles the Holy Spirit dictating delivering as it were from hand to hand have come even to us following the examples of the Orthodox Fathers doth receive and regard with the like Affection of Piety and Reverence all the Books of the Old and New Testament as also those unwritten Traditions pertaining to Faith and Manners dictated by Christ as it were by word of mouth or by the Holy Ghost and preserved by a continual Succession in the Catholick Church and hath thought fit to add the Index of the Sacred Books to this Decree lest it should be doubted which they are that are received by the sacred Synod They are these following The five Books of Moses Joshua Judges Ruth four Books of Kings two of Chronicles one of Esdras two of Esdras called Nehemias Tobias Judith Hesther Job the Psalms Proverbs Ecclesiastes Canticles Wisdom Ecclesiasticus Isaias Jeremias with Baruch Ezekiel Daniel the twelve lesser Prophets the two Books of Maccabees The New Testament viz. the four Evangelists c. And if any one shall not receive those whole Books with all their Parts for Sacred and Canonical according as they are wont to be read in the Catholick Church and are contained in the ancient Vulgar Latin Edition or shall knowingly and wittingly contemn the foresaid Traditions let him be accursed So that the Church of Rome hath added to the Canon of Scripture truly and properly so called six whole Books viz. Tobit Ecclesiasticus Wisdom Judith the first and second of the Maccabees together with certain other pieces of Baruch Esther and Daniel Mystical Benedictions Lights Incensings Garments and many other such like things are of Apostolical Discipline and Tradition The Ceremonies used in Baptism were without controversie instituted by the Apostles such as Salt Spittle Exorcisms Wax-candles Catechism Par. 2. cap. 2. § 59 60 65 c. See below Articles 19th and 34th of the Church of England Furthermore for the restraining all wanton Wits the Synod doth decree that no one depending on his own Wisdom in matters of Faith and Manners belonging to the Edification of Christian Doctrine wresting the Scriptures to his own sense dare to interpret the Holy Scripture contrary to the sense which Holy Mother Church hath held and doth hold to whom it belongs to judg of the sense and Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures or against the Unanimous consent of the Fathers altho such Iterpretations should never be published The Index
of Prohibited Books with the Rules made by the Fathers of the Tridentine Synod approved by the Authority of Pius IV. Anno 1564. Seeing it is manifest by experience if the Holy Bible be permitted to be read every where without difference in the Vulgar Tongue that more prejudice than benefit doth redound from thence through the rashness of men let it therefore be at the pleasure of the Bishop or Inquisitor that with the advice of the Parish-Priest or Confessor they may grant the reading of the Bible translated by Catholick Authors to such as they shall understand will by such reading receive no prejudice but an increase of Faith and Piety which License let them have in writing But whosoever shall without such License presume to read or have such Bibles he may not have the Absolution of his Sins before he has returned them to the Ordinary The same Index being enlarged by Sixtus V. and reviewed and published by order of Clement VIII Anno 1595. there is added the following Observation about the foresaid Rule It is to be considered about the above written fourth Rule of Pope Pius IV. that there is no new power given by this Impression and Edition to the Bishops or Inquisitors or Superiors of Regulars of granting a License to buy read or keep the Bible published in the Vulgar Tongue seeing the power of granting such Licenses of reading or keeping Vulgar Bibles or any parts of them hath been taken away by the command and use of the Holy Roman Church and the whole Inquisition as also all Summaries and Historical Compendiums of the said Bibles and Books of Holy Scripture written in any Vulgar Tongue which truly is inviolable to be observed So that the power of granting such Licenses and the Liberty of reading the Scripture in the Vulgar Tongue is wholly taken away and accordingly we are told it is so ordered by the General Inquisition of Spain From all which we may observe The Opposition The Church of England The Church of Rome 1. Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salvation 1. All saving Truth is in Books written and Traditions unwritten 2. Whatsoever is not read in Scripture nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any Man to be believed as an Article of Faith or be thought requisite or necessary to Salvation 2. The Church doth receive and regard unwritten Traditions with the like Piety Reverence as the Books of the Old and New Testament And if any one shal knowingly contemn those Traditions he is accursed 3. In the name of the Holy Scripture is understood those Canonical Books of the Old and New Testament of whose Authority was never any doubt in the Church And the other the Apochrypha the Church doth not apply to establish any Doctrine 3. The Books of Scripture are the five Books of Moses c. Tobias Judith Wisdom Ecclesiasticus Baruch the two Books of Maccabees c. And if any one shall not receive these whole Books with all their parts for Canonical he is accursed 4. The Scripture were intended for and are to be read by all 4. The Scriptures ought not to be read by the Vulgar 5. The Scriptures are useful for all 5. If the Bible is permitted to be read by all more prejudice than benefit doth arise from it 6. The Church is a Witness and Keeper of Holy Writ 6. It belongs to the Mother Church of Rome to judg of the Sense and Interpretation of Scripture The 7 th Article of the Church of England Of the Old Testament The Old Testament is not contrary to the New for both in the Old and New Testament everlasting life is offered to mankind by Christ who is the only Mediator between God and Man being both God and Man. The Council of Trent The Saints reigning with Christ do offer Prayers to God for Men and it is good and profitable to invoke them The most Holy Mother of God by her Intercession doth reconcile God to Sinners She is the Mother of Mercy and Advocatress of the Faithful The Opposition The Church of England The Church of Rome Christ is the only Mediator between God and Man. The Virgin Mary and Saints are Mediators in Heaven See more Article 22. The 9 th Article of the Church of England Of Original or Birth Sin. Original Sin standeth not in the following of Adam as the Pelagians do vainly talk but it is the fault and corruption of the nature of every Man that naturally is ingendred of the Off-spring of Adam c. The Church of Rome The Council of Basil. We do define and declare c. the Doctrine that declares the glorious Virgin Mary to have been always free from Original and Actual Sin Holy and Immaculate is to be approved retained and embraced by all Catholicks as pious and consonant to Ecclesiastical Worship the Catholick Faith Right Reason and Holy Scripture and that for the future it shall be lawful for none to Preach or Teach the contrary The Council of Trent This Holy Synod doth declare That it is not its Intention to comprehend in this Decree concerning Original sin the blessed and Immaculate Virgin Mary the Mother of God but that the Constitutions of Pope Xystus IV. of happy memory are to be observed under the Penalties therein contained which it doth inforce Of the Sense of these two Councils in this matter see Joh. Baptistae de Lezana Apol. pro immacul Concept cap. 13. The Opposition The Church of England The Church of Rome Original Sin is the fault and corruption of the nature of every person naturally ingendred of the Off-spring of Adam So that none is excepted but our B. Saviour The Virgin Mary was free from Original and Actual Sin. The 11 th Article of the Church of England Of the Justification of Man. We are accounted Righteous before God only for the Merit of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ by Faith and not for our own Works and deservings Wherefore that we are justified by Faith only is a most wholesome Doctrine and very full of comfort as is more largely express'd in the homily of Justification The first part of the Homily of Salvation Because all Men be Sinners and therefore can no Man by his own Acts Words and Deeds seem they never so good be justified and made righteous before God but every Man is constrained to seek for another Righteousness or Justification to be received at Gods own Hands that is to say the forgiveness of his Sins And this Justification or Righteousness the forgiveness of our Sins which we so receive of Gods Mercy and Christs Merits embraced by Faith is taken accepted and allowed of God for our perfect and full Justification Faith doth not shut out Repentance Hope Love Dread and the Fear of God to be joyned with Faith in every Man that is justified but it shutteth them out from the office of justifying that is meritously as
The Church of England teacheth The Church tho a Witness and Keeper of the Holy Writ yet ought not to decree any thing against the same nor to enforce any thing besides the same to be believed for necessity of Salvation p. 37. The Church of Rome holdeth It belongs to the Church of Rome to judg of the Sence of the Scripture and it 's in her Power to forbid receiving the Sacrament in both kinds tho Christ so instituted and delivered it The Fallibility of the Church The Church of England teacheth As the Church of Jerusalem Alexandria and Antioch have erred So also the Church of Rome hath erred not only in their Living and manner of Ceremonies but also in matters of Faith So that their claim of Infallibility is but a vain brag and nothing else p. 31 35. The Church of Rome holdeth The Church of Rome cannot err being taught by the Holy Spirit suggesting all Truth from day to day General Councils The Church of England teacheth General Councils may not be gathered together without the Commandment and will of Princes And when gathered may err and sometimes have erred in things pertaining to God p. 39. The Church of Rome holdeth It belongs to the Pope to call and direct General Councils and being so gathered they have ever the assistance of Gods Spirit and so cannot err Christ the only Mediator The Church of England teacheth Christ is the only Mediator between God and Man being both God and Man in whom alone the Conditions requisite in an object of Worship are to be found whence it followeth that we must call neither upon Angel nor Saint but solely upon him as our Mediator And to make them Intercessors to God is after the Gentiles Idolatrous usage p. 19 41 46. The Church of Rome holdeth There are other Mediators of Intercession in Heaven besides Christ such as Angels and Saints and more especially the Virgin Mary who is the Mother of Mercy and Advocatress of the Faithful and it is good and profitable to invoke them and to have recourse to their prayers aid and help And those that deny they are to be invocated or affirm the Invocation of them is Idolatry are accursed Original Sin. The Church of England teacheth Original Sin is the Corruption of the nature of every man naturally ingendred of the off-spring of Adam And all offend in many things Christ only excepted p. 20 30. The Church of Rome holdeth The blessed Virgin is not comprehended in the decree of Original Sin and never sinned so much as Venially in all her Life Images The Church of England teacheth Image-worship was abhorred in the Primitive Church as abominable and contrary to all true Christian Religion And to fall down before Images c. is to give that honour to Stocks and Stones which the Saints themselves refused when alive p. 44. The Church of Rome holdeth The Images of Christ the Virgin Mary and other Saints are to have due honour given to them by kissing them uncovering the head falling down before them lighting up Candles to them c. by which Christ is adored and the Saints are venerated Relicks The Church of England teacheth To worship and honour the Relicks of Saints is to pass the folly and wickedness of the Gentiles The Romish Doctrine concerning Worshipping and Adoration of Images and Relicks is a fond thing grounded upon no warranty of Scripture but rather repugnant to it p. 44. The Church of Rome holdeth The Relicks of the Saints are to be venerated And all that hold the contrary are accursed Purgatory The Church of England teacheth There are two places only in the other World the one proper to the elect and the blessed of God the other to the reprobate And the souls of men passing out of the body go to Heaven or Hell. And the Romish Doctrine concerning Purgatory is a fond thing vainly invented and grounded upon no Warranty of Scripture but rather repugnant to it p. 41. The Church of Rome holdeth There is a Purgatory or place of Torment in which the Souls of good Persons not sufficiently purged have their Sins expiated and they thereby are prepared for the Kingdom of Heaven And the Souls there detained are helped by the Masses Prayers Alms and other good Works of the Living And if any one shall say there is not such a place or that there remains no guilt to be expiated by penitent Persons in Purgatory or that those that are there are not helped by Masses c. he is accursed Merits The Church of England teacheth The good works are pleasing unto God yet to put any confidence in them as by merit and deserving of them to purchase to our selves or others remission of Sin and everlasting Life is meer Blasphemy and great derogation to the blood-shedding of our Saviour Jesus Christ p. 24 25. The Church of Rome holdeth Justified Persons truly deserve eternal Life and the good Works of such are truly and properly Meritorious and are fully worthy of Eternal Life And whosoever thinketh otherwise is Accursed Supererogation The Church of England teacheth Works of Supererogation or such as are over and above God's Commandment cannot be taught without arrogancy and impiety and it 's an ungodly practice to make sale of them and to perswade the people that thereby the Sins of other men might have satisfaction made for 〈◊〉 p. 27 28. The Church of Rome holdeth There are Works of Supererogation which are done more than Precept and a Person endued with Divine Grace may satisfie for another and pay in the name of another what is due to God and the value of such Works is to be so disposed of for that purpose by such as Christ hath made dispensers of his Treasures Indulgences The Church of England teacheth The Romish Doctrine concerning Pardons is a fond thing vainly invented and grounded upon no warranty of Scripture but is rather repugnant to it p. 41 42. The Church of Rome holdeth The Church hath a power from Christ to pardon Offenders and whatever Debts here or hereafter in Purgatory a man oweth to God for the satisfaction of his Sins may be remitted by the Indulgence of the Church and whosoever saith that the Church hath no such Power or that such Indulgences are unprofitable is Accursed Prayers in a known Tongue The Church of England teacheth It 's a thing plainly repugnant to the word of God and the Custom of the Primitive Church to have publick Prayers in the Church or to minister the Sacraments in a Tongue not understood of the People p. 49. The Church of Rome holdeth It 's fittest every where to have the Mass Celebrated in Latin or a Tongue not understood by the People and it 's for that reason so injoyned And whosoever saith it ought to be otherwise is Accursed Sacraments The Church of England teacheth There are only Two Sacraments Ordained of Christ viz. Baptism and the Supper of the Lord and the other Five commonly called Sacraments in the
THE DIFFERENCE Between the CHURCH of ENGLAND AND THE Church of Rome IN Opposition to a late BOOK INTITULED An Agreement between the Church of England and Church of Rome The Second Edition LONDON Printed for Ric. Chiswell at the Rose and Crow n in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXVII Imprimatur October 6th 1687. H. MAVRICE THE DIFFERENCE Between the CHURCH of ENGLAND AND THE CHURCH of ROME THE Author of a Book newly published called The Agreement between the Church of England and Church of Rome saith There has been of late a great cry That the Clergy of the Church of England are now the chief if not the only Opposers of Popery and Defenders of the Protestant Religion And therefore to put a Check to the insulting talk of our Clergy who would be thought the only Champions against Popery 't is become necessary in the present Juncture to emit such an Essay as this To shew an Agreement between the Church of England and Rome and that the Controversy lies only between the Church of Rome and the Protestant Dissenter This I confess is an Expedient of Expedients and as it 's necessary for the relief of those who are so successfully beaten out of their late Pleas of Misrepresentation that they sullenly declare Vntil that be yielded they 'l not dispute So it may be necessary in this present Juncture for the charming that Adder which has yet been deaf to all the Arguments of Flattery Interest and Fear and to put an end to that Answering Replying Rejoyning and Sur-rejoyning which for some Months he saith both sides have been employ'd in For if there be an Agreement in Opinion between both Churches there will be no further occasion for Disputing between them and if the only Opposers of Popery the Clergy of the Church of England are convinced of it there will be no further Disputing nor Opposition Since those between whom the Controversy then only lies viz. the Church of Rome and Protestant Dissenter are it seems upon terms of mutual Cessation But now left those of the Church of England that after all the Complaints made against them for Misrepresentation will not grant any such thing properly and in a strict sence and 't is likely not in any sence should be as obstinate and hard to be convinced in this case Therefore to put it out of dispute if he be to be credited he has with some clearness demonstrated the Agreement of Opinion between the Church of England and Rome to be exact and full And if Demonstration and clearness of Demonstration will not do it nothing will. But it 's some mens way to talk most of Infallibility Self-evidence and clearness of Demonstration when they are farthest from it and I began presently to suspect our Author's credit when I found him to shift his Ground as if he did distrust his own Demonstrations As for instance 1. He had no sooner began to demonstrate this exact and full Agreement of Opinion but by way of Prevention he declares He would not incumber his Discourse with a Catalogue of Agreements in the great Doctrines of Christian Religion and Matters of Opinion but would confine himself to Matters of Government and Worship which chiefly concerns mens Practices How demonstrate the Agreement of Opinion and yet forbear medling with Matters of Opinion to undertake it and then to except the thing he undertakes And then to confine himself to Matters of Government and Worship as if there were not as much Reason to shew an Agreement in Doctrine as Practices or that Matters of Government and Worship were not also Matters of Doctrine 2. When he seems to come to the Point he confines himself to viz. Government and Worship yet he fails again for it 's only in some parts of Worship which he ventures to say that the Agreement will be found exact and full As one sensible that tho there is nothing in the Liturgy and Prayers of the Church of England which he instances in as to the matter of them but what every Christian may allow and so what the Pope may as well as he saith did approve yet that their Missal and Breviary contain such Prayers to the Saints and for Souls departed c. as can be by no other Figure made to agree with the Worship and Prayers used in the Church of England than one part of a Contradiction can be reconciled to the other 3. It 's further worthy of our Observation That the Agreement he pretends to prove is not from the avowed Doctrine of either Church but by some Quotations he produces from two or three particular Authors on the part of the Church of England and from such as on their own side are rejected by the governing part of their Church So for instance he saith of the Church of England They are the avowed Principles of some of the Clergy and late Writers And when he undertakes for the Romish Church he tells us That a great if not the greatest part grant to the Pope but a Primacy for the sake of Catholick Concord c. For Proof of which he appeals to the Councils of Constance and Basil and the Priviledges of the Gallican Church And yet the Acts of those Councils were reprobated in succeeding Councils and so far as concerns this case were utterly disallowed as Bellarmin saith And of what little Authority the Gallick Priviledges have been accounted at Rome there needs no more evidence than the case of De Marca as it 's represented by this Author So that let his Quotations which he pretends to be very just in be admitted yet his Argument from thence for an exact and full Agreement as to this matter amounts to this only Some of the Church of England are for a Primacy for Concord-sake and some of the Church of Rome are for no more therefore the Agreement betwixt the Church of England and Rome is very exact and full in those points And if this be his way of Demonstration it might to as good purpose be shewed That there is also in several Points this kind of Agreement between those that he saith the Controversy only lies between viz. the Church of Rome and the Protestant Dissenter 4. When he offers at a Demonstration from these particular Authors he attempts not to prove it so much from what they say as from what he himself infers from it So much he acknowledges for when he had charged Dr. Sherlock to have found out a Divine Institution for the Popes Primacy This being so gross as he could not father it upon him but he should soon be detected he brings himself off with this This I confess the Doctor doth not expresly carry any further than the Combinations of a National Church and Primacy that is he says no such thing 5. When he doth find out some things in which the Churches are agreed they are such things as the Church of England agrees with the
Ancient and most other Churches in viz. Episcopacy and a Liturgy and it had been to the like purpose if he had also shewed their Agreement in the great Doctrines of Christian Religion And yet even here he fails again for he that concludes In a word the Agreement between the English Clergy and the Romanist about the immediate Divine Right of Episcopacy is so full c. doth before acknowledg that Ordination by Presbyters is granted in the Church of Rome to be valid and regular and that all those that hold the Supreme Jurisdiction of the Pope over the whole Catholick Church visible do hold the Divine Right of Bishops to be but mediate mediante Papa So that he is gone from an Agreement of Churches to an Agreement between Persons from a full Agreement in Opinion to an Agreement in Government and Worship from Worship to some parts of Worship from Demonstrations to Inferences and framed Propositions of his own from an Agreement at last to a Disagreement And now we may look back with some comfort to his bold offer and clear demonstration at the beginning when he saith The Author hath with some clearness demonstrated the Agreement of Opinion between the Church of England Men and the Church of Rome to be so exact and full that if the Government should so design it were but dictum factum according to their Doctrine and a Cassandrian Peace might be patch'd up presently with Rome He advances as if he were a kind of Plenipotentiary but it may be suspected he that has this way of Demonstration is not like to be very fortunate in the Negotiation Thus much shall suffice for our Author's way of Demonstration and his Attempt to shew the Agreement between the Church of England and Church of Rome leaving a fuller Answer to some of his particular Discourses to an abler Pen. But yet there remains another part toward a just state of the Controversy and that is as he well observed to let the World know how far these Churches differ as well as wherein they are agreed But that was a Province he had no mind to Prosecute as being tho more to the purpose yet not so much to his design For certainly he that will demonstrate the Agreement to be full and exact must either suppose there is no Difference or if there be that the Difference is not considerable enough to hinder the Agreement But if there be a Difference and the Difference in points Diametrically opposite and irreconcilable it is to no purpose to shew their Agreement were it so to be full and exact in others And that this is the case and the Disagreement far greater than the Agreement I shall endeavour to prove and that not from an Author or two or far-fetched Consequences and forced Interpretations and dubious Expressions but from sufficient Authorities and the avowed Principles of both Churches Such are the 39 Articles the Catechism the Homilies and Liturgy of the Church of England Such again are the Councils more especially the Council of Trent the Catechism ad Parochos the Rhemists Annotations the Missal and Breviaries according to which and the like a Papist Represented as the Mode of speaking has been of late doth believe In order to which I shall premise 1. That there are some Articles which both Churches do in express Terms agree in called by our Author the great Doctrines of Religion viz. Art. 1. of the Holy Trinity and so how Socinians can subscribe the Articles of the Church of England as this Author affirms I understand not Art. 2. of the Word or Son of God Art. 3. of the going down of Christ into Hell Art. 4. of the Resurrection of Christ Art. 5. of the Holy Ghost Art. 7. of the Old Testament Art. 8. of the Three Creeds Art. 12. of good Works Art. 16. of Sin after Baptism Art. 18. of obtaining eternal Salvation only by the Name of Christ Art. 23. of Ministring in the Congregation Art. 26. of the unworthiness of Ministers Art. 27. of Baptism Art. 33. of Excommunicate Persons Art. 38. of Christian mens goods Art. 39. of a Christian mans Oath Against these the Jesuit Johan Roberti hath little or nothing to object in his small Tract purposely written in Opposition to our Articles But of these Articles it is to be observed there are some which each party differs as much from the other in when they come to explain themselves as if there had been no agreement in Terms Thus it happens in Articles 3 d 7 th and 15 th as shall afterwards in part be shewed 2. There are other Articles wherein both Churches do agree in the Sence tho they differ in Terms or that are not so much Controversies between Church and Church as between private Doctors in each Church Of this Opinion is a Learned Forreigner of the Reformed Religion about the matter contained in Articles the 10 th and 17 th of Free will and of Predestination and Election Of the former he saith The difference that our Adversaries will object between them and us upon this point of Free-will is only imaginary and a meer cavil Of the latter he concludes Since we agree in the Fundamentals of this Doctrine as we have already set forth and that our Dissent is but with a few of their Doctors it would not be very hard I should think to find out such a bias of Temperament drawn from the Word of God in proposing of these Opinions and in Terms so proportioned to their Sublimity as all humble and moderate Spirits would find sufficient for their Satisfaction 3. There are other Points which are matter of Liberty and left undetermined in the Church of England And so She doth receive into her Communion as well those that deny as affirm But on the contrary the Church of Rome hath determined several Points of this Nature to be Matters of Faith and anathematized those that do not so receive them Thus they are accursed by the Council of Trent that say We are formally justified by the Righteousness of Christ the only formal cause of our Justification being the Justice of God as it s there declared cap. 8. or that we are justified by the alone Imputation of Christ's Righteousness Or that shall say Justifying Faith is nothing else than a trust or confidence in the Divine Mercy forgiving Sins for Christs sake c. In which and the like unless the Church of England will curse those whom She doth bless and cast out of her Communion such as She receives into it She can no more be reconciled to the Church of Rome than in those other Points that for the matter of them are held and declared by her self to be false and erroneous 4. There are Articles which the two Churches do in whole or in part so differ in that the Doctrine of the Church of England cannot be the Doctrine of the Church of Rome nor the Doctrine