Bread and the Wine in the Supper of the Lord to be bare signes and Seales whereby the Body and Blood of Christ is but Signified and not really given That we defend Absolutum decretum that God freely without any respect of Faith or Unbelief good or evill works of men hath decreed in his eternall Councell to elect and choose some unto Salvation others the greatest part to cast away and reject as Reprobates unto damnation Also That we understand by Christs going down into Hell the hellish paines and torments Christs Soul suffered Lastly that we hold the Pope at Rome to be the great Antichrist Which Articles of Doctrine are neither plainly expressed in the Scripture nor by the Ancient Doctors of the Church The true Doctrine of the Reformed Churches 1. Of Free-will We Answer First that we do not deny the free will in man in that sence and meaning as some and all the Ancient Fathers have taught out of the Scripture For we confesse 1. That the Naturall man hath a Free-will in many Naturall and Temporall Free indifferent matters 2. In Celestiall Spirituall things to many Outward sins either to commit or to avoid them 3. Yea also to many Outward good works 4. That the Regenerate man hath a true Free-will or which is made Free by the grace of God to true Spirituall works which are acceptable to God Yet so that not onely the beginning but also the continuall help and assistance of Gods grace is required unto it 5. This onely we deny That the Naturall unregenerated man hath naturally without the preventing gracious help and operation of the holy Ghost any Freewill to true Spirituall inward works which are acceptable to God as to Saving Faith Charity Hope and consequently to the true Spirituall outward works which arise from those inward Which also the holy Scripture hath unanimously taught against Pelagius That the Naturall man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can be know them 1 Corinthians 2. verse 14. And that we are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 2 Corinthians 3. verse 5. For it is God which worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure Philipp 2. Verse 13. He that hath begun a good worke in us will also performe it Philippians 1. Verse 6. Without him we can do nothing John 15. Verse 5. For we are by nature the Children of wrath dead in sins Ephesians 2. Verse 5. And he that obeyeth sin is the Servant of Sin Romans 6. Verse 16.20 2 Peter 2. Verse 19. But if the Sonne maketh us free wee shall be free indeed John 8. verse 34.36 And faithfull is he that calleth you who also will doe it 1 Thessalonians 5. verse 24. But if there be besides any other controversie of mans Free-will or Gods gracious help we hold neither theirs nor our particular opinions to be necessary unto Salvation especially for all Christians who oftentimes understand but little or nothing at all of such subtil questions and therefore ought not to judge nor condemne one another Like as amongst the Papists themselves the modern Dominicans and Jesuites cannot agree about these questions nothwithstanding the prohibition made by the Pope not to accuse and condemne one another for errours in Faith 2. Of merits of good works 2. Nor do we deny the merits of good works in that sence as the ancient Fathers use the word Meritum desert or Mereri to deserve viz. That we obtaine thereby temporall and eternall remuneration by grace for Christs sake in vertue of his promise Which we confesse unanimously with them by warrants of the Scripture But we deny onely Meritum de condigno as the Papist School-authors and Divines principally the Jesuites do teach that such in themselves are condigne meritorious works of eternall life so that God is bound to give everlasting life not onely by reason of his truth and mercy for Christs sake but also of right and debt though he had not ingaged himself thereunto by any promise Which condigne meritorious works were never taught either by the Scripture or by the ancient Fathers but are rejected of many Schoole-authors and Divines yea by many moderne Roman Catholicks themselves As the famous Jesuite Vasques confesseth that many Catholickes dissent from us calling us Hereticks but in words but most agree with us in the matter it selfe and condiscend of necessity unto our opinion And the Jesuits themselves are not as yet agreed wherein properly the Efficacy and worthinesse of such Condigne merits of works consisteth Vide Bellarm. de Justific lib. 5. c. 17. Suarez in 3. Thom. Tom. 1. quest 19. art 3. disp 39. Vasq. in lib. 2a. quest 114. disp 214. c. 2. 4. 3. Concerning the Sacrifice of the Masse 3. Of the Masse it is sufficiently evident and manifest that there is nothing plainly and expressly taught and declared thereof either in the Institution of the Lords Supper or in the whole volume of the Scripture And although some or all the Ancient Fathers had taught it yet it could not be received for an Article necessary unto Salvation because they had not taught it out of the word of God and because Faith love and obedience of Christs Commandments and Institution may very well subsist without the Masse But it is certaine that even the Ancient Doctors of the Church never have taught such Sacrifice of the Masse as now a dayes in Popery is professed and held for the Soveraigne Worship and chiefest part of Religion For although they called the Administration of the Lords Supper Missam and that from thence because the Catechumeni those that were not yet Baptized were usually dismissed from it with these words Ite Missa est And although they have attributed the name of Sacrifice to the Holy Communion it selfe yet they did it not in such a sence and meaning that the Priest should offer againe the real and essentiall body of Christ in his hand and mouth and also performe a new Propitiatory Sacrifice both for the quick and dead and for other necessities as for sicke Cattell for good weather as it is taught and expressed in the Councell of Trent Sess 22. c. 2. v. 9. Canon 1.3 But that it is Sacrificium Eucharisticum a Sacrifice of Thanksgiving partly because the faithfull gathered and collected the Bread and Wine upon the Lords Table for the Holy Communion and necessitiy of the poor from whence the Germans retain still the name of Oblateâ— partly because the Holy Communion it selfe is a Commemoration and Representation of the perfect Oblation and Sacrifice of Christ finished upon the Crosse as the principall Roman â—chool authors and Divines themselves do expound it by calling it Sacrificium commemorativum representativum So that we also may say as much not of their Masse but of the Holy Communion as it hath been Instituted by our
we could punctually explain it and many of our Divines have already abundantly and often spent their studie and labour in it Wherefore we refer to the serious consideration of all Christian and pious hearts Whether men have cause and ground to judge and condemn us as Hereticks We for our part are assured that what hath not been for the first Christians necessary unto salvation in so many hundred yeers without which so many thousand Martyrs and so many millions of Christians are piously departed out of this life that cannot be also necessary for us in these last times and we may live and die as religious Christians without it For we need not any other Faith or Religion besides that wherein the Apostles and the Primitive Christians lived and died We have with them obtained like precious faith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Pet. 1.1 The old Commandment which they had from the beginning 1 Joh. 2.7 The great Salvation which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him Heb. 2.3 The Faith which was once delivered unto tae saints Jude vers 3. And this is the true Catholike What is to be true Catholike or the Universal Christian Faith which hath been at all times especially in the Primitive times and as long as we stand fast to it we are indeed the true Catholike Christians Whereas those that adde thereunto any new Doctrine of Faith and Life as necessary which in the Primitive Church was not in use though they bear and boast of the Catholike name yet they are not true Ancient Catholike Christians but New-Catholikes which are equivalent with Vn-Catholikes And that Church which by its own Command imposeth such Doctrines and Traditions as necessary unto salvation though Christ had not commanded but rather forbidden them by his Apostles and yet will condemn and persecute other Churches doth thereby discover it self not to be a true Christian but rather Anti-Christian Tyrannical Church Which also hath need to stand in fear of the Apostolical curse If any man preach any other Gospel unto you though an Angel from heaven then that the Apostles have preached unto you let him be accursed Gal. 1.8 9 And if any man shall adde unto the Word of God God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in it and if any man shall take away from the Word of this book God shall take away his part out of the book of Life Rev. 22.18 19. But we hope that all understanding and conscientious men and such as love Truth and Peace amongst the Romane Catholikes will beware of this malediction and taking seriously to heart this Declaration of ours abstain hereafter from presumptuous judging and condemning us as Hereticks much lesse persecute us with Fire and Sword and Losses of our Goods and Honours as hitherto they have done which certainly doth not proceed from the Spirit of Christ but undoubtedly from the Devil who is that Arch-lyer and Murderer Of which the Apostle also doth faithfully warn us and especially the Romane Church lest it might imagine some special priviledges before others Those that are weak in faith receive you but not to doubtful disputations judge not their thoughts Who art thou that judgest another mans servant To his own master he standeth or falleth But if this warning will do no good to them certainly the other shall at length be fulfilled in them Be not high minded but fear For if God spared not the natural branches the City and Church of Jerusalem take heed lest he also spare not thee Behold therefore the goodnesse and severity of God On them which fell severity but towards thee goodnesse if thou continuest in his goodnesse otherwise thou also shalt be cut off Rom. 11.21 22. CHAP. V. That the Lutheranes have no ground to judge the Reformed Churches to be Heretical WHat we have spoken now of the Romish Church concerning its judging and condemning us the same we may partly well say of the Lutherans which indeed together with us have protested against this judging and condemning of Papists in the forenamed points of controversie and yet no lesse although in fewer points from whence also the Evangelical Churches and estates generally all are called Protestants do judge and condemn our Churches or Teachers as hereticks under the most-odious mens names who neverthelesse rely not upon any man but upon the Nature Word and Doctrine of Christ To whom according to the aforesaid Apostolical Rule we may make appear yet more plainly then to the Papists that they have no ground thus to judge and condemn us and the doctrine of our Church and Worship The principal points of Controversies betwixt Lutheranes and Reformed Protestants 1. In Ceremonies For in the first place what concerneth some controversies about Ceremonies both of their and our worshipping of God as that we use not in the holy Baptism the exorcism or conjuring of the devil to come forth out of the infants or young children because we do not hold them either spiritually or corporally possessed by the devil although they naturally are born in Original sin and we have no warrant to cast the devil out of them by such conjuring and therefore do justly abhor from taking therein Gods holy Name in vain That we have no such Images in our Churches which by their own confession are abused in Popery unto Idolatry but rather approve and justifie the taking away of them if it be done by Christian Magistrates in an orderly way after the example of the Kings Hezekiah and Josiah That also in the holy Communion we use not the Hosties or Wafers but ordinary nourishing bread and observe the breaking of it how can they judge us therefore whereas they themselves hold their Exorcism Images Hosties not even absolutely necessary nor the breaking of the bread in it self erroneous but onely to be adïaphora indifferent things Although we for our part do not account them absolutely indifferent matters but in some regard necessary partly because of Gods command partly because of the example of Christ the Apostles and the Primitive Apostolical Church At least for our selves who should sin if we should against our consciences use the Exorcism or the Images or without any urgent cause omit the breaking of the bread Yet since we judge not nor condemn according to the above-mentioned Apostolical Rule those that do not judge the breaking of the bread necessary but give way to their pretended liberty It were fit they also should not condemn us therein but to impart to us so much freedom that we may herein follow the example of Christ which we may do more safely and without any sin as we likewise permit them to omit it and in stead thereof to follow the example of the Papists In like manner that we in our Catechism punctually retain all the Commandments as they are set down Exod. 20. Deut. 5 and do not omit 2. In the Doctrine
mistake should they judge us presumptuously in our misconstruction of their pretended understanding neither should they bewray any malice and obstinacie in their contradictions But also that they together with us should adhere to the words and meaning of the holy Scripture as far as they are clear and plain to all And diligently enquire further in the fear and worship of God into the true understanding of whatsoever they do not comprehend yet or doubt of And in the mean time walk by the same rule as far as we have already on both sides attained minding the same thing and giving no offence till God reveal unto them and us even what is remaining Phil. 3.15 16. And this doubtlesse is the safest and onely way What are the best and safest means to settle and maintain a true Unitie amongst all true Christians whereby the true unitie of Spirit may be maintained amongst all pious and religious Christians For all those that now adays have the name of Christians on earth do agree therein to this very hour that they acknowledge and receive the Canonical Books of the Prophets and Apostles whereof those of the Old Testament were originally written in Hebrew those of the New Testament in Greek for the Word of God and oblige themselves with one consent to submit their Faith and Consciences unto it So that those that practise it not onely with words but also with true and sincere hearts may without any difficulty in all things agree that are plainly and expresly taught therein nay they are already united therein by the holy Ghost and those that agree in one minde have all whatsoever is necessary to believe and to do unto salvation and are true fellow-members of the Onely Apostolike Catholike Church if together with this Universal Christian Faith they do but tolerate and receive one another as weak Brethren in Faith and other things Chap. 5. that are not so manifest in the Scripture wherein they may thorowly and generally agree Besides this we know no other means on earth that either God hath given and ordained for us or may be invented by mans wit whereby a true Universal Unity may be setled and maintained The pretended Supremacy and Infallibility of the Pope is no fit means for Unity but rather the principal cause of all the Divisions in the Christian Church For as much as concerneth the Supreme Jurisdiction and Infallibility of the Pope which the Jesuites cry up for the onely means of the Catholike Uniformitie That same is rather the principal cause and impediment whereby the Unitie amongst all Christians both in the Eastern and Western Churches is cut off and made impossible in mens eyes Seeing that it is absolutely impossible and inexcusable withal that all Churches and all men of the world should subject and submit in every thing their consciences who acknowledge no other Lord and Master but Jesus Christ to One man Solely who hath no charge and warrant for the same from God Which though they urge and presse as the most necessary point to Salvation and Unitie yet could not obtain it of some Romane Catholikes themselves who extol the General Councels above the Pope Neither the general Councels are sufficient means for Unity in these last times Nor are Concilia Vniversalia in these last times the true means for Unitie For it hath been a meer Impossibilitie in these last thousand yeers since the Ancient Romane Empires destruction and division in the East and West and shall be impossible till the end of the world to indict and gather any true Universal Councel composed of all Christian Churches of the whole world And grant that they could be called yet they could not establish any other Unitie then by reiteration and renovation of that which with one accord hath been taught in the Primitive Universal Christian Church out of the evident and undoubted Word of God For the whole Christian Church on earth though its meeting at once in one place were possible could not presume to take upon it self such power to astrain and oblige its posterity to any other Doctrine and Religion further then they are bound by their Predecessors or rather by God himself through our Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles If any man though an Angel from heaven preach any other Gospel unto you then that ye have received let him be accursed Gal. 1.8 9. Nor the Confessions formulae of any particular Church And so shall neither the Protestants or any other particular Churches in any place of the world and much lesse other dispersed Sects to and fro be able to establish a tolerable Ecclesiastical Peace and Unitie either by their vehement disceptations and disputes or exhortations to Peace or by Colloquia and conferences or by National and Provincial Synods or per Synodales formulas or any other means as long as they insist and adhere to their own particular Interpretations Consequences and manner of expressions and will of necessity judge others thereby Seeing chiefly it is not to be expected nor desired nor approved that all Christians of the whole world should submit and agree unto any particular Church or to the Interpretations of their Teachers which are not manifest and evident to all by warrants from the Scripture But far more will thereby the Divisions and Separations about the Interpretations and Inferences in making necessary Articles of Faith thereof by endlesse altercations and disputes as woefull experience doth sufficiently testifie increase and grow dangerous even to their final ruine and destruction For Chap. 7. if you bite and devoure one another take heede that yee be not consumed one of another Gal. 5. v. 15. And how many thousand Christians yea whole Churches are in the East South and West which know nothing or can know any thing either of the Decrees of the Popes or of the Councell of Trent nor of the Confession of Augspourge or of other confessions of the Protestant Churches in Europe much lesse of the Formula Concordiae Saxonicae how is it then possible that we should undergoe to settle by such meanes and writs a true Unity in the Universall Church of Christ or to bind and oblige other Churches thereunto Now notwithstanding wee conceive also no hope to obtaine a totall and universall reconcilement of the modern unhappy differences and divisions in matters of Religion Even by an Vniversall consent and agreement upon the holy Scripture as far as it is plain and evident to all sides Amongst those that are inclined and given to contradictions and contentions because God himself by his just judgement sendeth Divisions Heresies and Sects partly for punishment partly for triall 1 Cor. 11. v. 19. Yet I make no doubt In what manner how far the manifest word of God is the onely meanes of Vnitie but all Pious and religious hearts which love Truth and Peace whereof yet a great number is to be found every where and even in the middest
of them that hate and abhore reconciliation may without any difficulty be United nay are already United by the Spirit of Christ upon the evident word of God in the Vniversall saving Faith and sincere love and obedience of Christ who also upon this only solide and firme ground of the universall saving truth and unity may in safenesse quiet and pacifie their own Conscience amongst so many Divisions and Seducing Spirits and withall declare themselves upon good grounds against all different dissenting parties and yet shew themselves peaceable and without scandall CHAP. VII That even these are the safest meanes to restrain all Erroneous Sects THere may be severall objections made against this our Declaration The First Objection against the aforementioned Doctrine As first that in this manner a great gap would be opened to all Sects Arrians Photinians Socinians Weigelians Anabaptists Arminians or of what name soever who though they referre themselves on all sides to the Scripture yet they obscure and pervert the plainest and most evident places of it so that at length we should retaine nothing but the bare words and letters of the word of God nor them also without controversie and disputes But if we do seriously consider the matter this will be rather the only true sure easie and most efficacious meanes not only to maintaine Peace and Unity amongst true beleevers but also to silence and restraine all erroneous Sects yea to cut of all occasions least they disturbe seduce or teare the Church of God any more by their perverse interpretations and opinions namely First That we know that their own particular interpretations inferences must not be necessary unto Salvation because they do either assert affirm some new doctrin which is not so manifestly and expressly asserted in the word of God or deny some what which is not so plainly denied therein That both we and other Christians can in conscience acknowledge and receive the same or the Primitive undoubted true-beleeving Church could have unanimously received such a meaning sence thereof Which is a certain infallible sign that it must be either a false perverted or at least an unnecessary interpretation or meaning and that we therefore may reject it as unnecessary with a good conscience but they may not with a safe conscience disturbe the Church of God with such unnecessary new doctrines Secondly When they cry up such interpretations and opinions of theirs though we certainly know them not to be necessary not only for necessary articles of Faith or Gods Commandements and their owne words for meere words of God Then we know further undoubtedly that they are just such Prophets as God hath warned us from Who shall presume to speak in his name that which he hath not commanded them to speak Deut. 18.19 20. Who shall say The Lord spoke thus when he did not speak it Exod. 13. Especially when they are so obstinate in their opinions that they judge and condemne others for the same or revile and blaspheme the contrary doctrine or otherwise knowingly purposely and wilfully draw thereby some distractions and divisions upon the Church of God For which reason we have good cause to shun and eschew them according to the doctrin of Christ and the Apostles Tit. 1.10 2 Tim. 3.6 to avoid them Rom. 16.17 to withdraw ourselves from them and have no company with them 2 Thes 3.6.14 2 Joh. 10. Who by judgeing others and causing therewith divisions and sects separate themselves from the Assembly of Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Jude 19. And also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being condemned of themselves Tit. 3.11 Who also ought to be instructed in meeknesse of spirit and convinced by sounder better surer and plainer interpretations and inferences out of the word of God and sometimes sharply rebuked Tit. 1.9 10.13 2 Tim. 2.24 25. And to restraine them with all other spirituall meanes that Christ hath Ordained least they may prejudicate and hurt the Christian Church by their seductions and spread farther their leaven and sow tares Thirdly How much more when they by their own interpretations and conclusions in doctrine of Faith and life do not only affirme or deny some what which in the word of God is not so expressly affirmed or denied but also do affirme some things which are so evidently and expressly denied therein or deny some things which are so expressly affirmed therein that all learned Christians who will but understand them and not out of carnall affections sticke unto them may comprehend them without any difficultie nay it being evident and palpable to every one that those Interpretations and opinions of theirs are but meerly strained and spun out of their own fancies and not grounded upon the text and words of the Scripture it self or equivalent places of it Especially the true Primitive undoubted Church having with one accord taught absolutly the contrary Those if they in such a manner obtrude and urge their own forced Interpretations or rather perversions of the Scripture both without and against the manifest Word of God as necessary as the Word of God it self and thereby deny or pervert the true necessary Articles of Faith or Precepts of God and that obstinately as hath been mentioned before They are not onely like to those Prophets who presume to speak in the Name of the Lord that which he hath not commanded them to speak but also like them that speak in the name of other gods Deut. 18.20 because they will thrust as out of the way which the Lord our God hath commanded to walk in Deut. 13.25 From whom he hath warned us that we should not believe nor hearken unto their words though they shew great signes and wonders Deut. 13.1 2. Matth. 24.24 25. Whereby I hope every one may see that by the often-mentioned ground of the manifest Scriptures not onely no occasion is given to the erroneous Sects but rather the Sectaries mouth may be stopped with much facility and safety and with more efficacie then by many subtil and endlesse Altercations and Disputes or by all-Excommunications and Persecutions of Hereticks although we do disapprove also this to be used against manifest obstinate Blasphemers as Servetus was who vomited such terrible and horrid Blasphemies and contumelious words against the holy and blessed Trinity that they are noways to be suffered amongst Christians Or when they under the colour of Religion plot Tumults and Insurrections against legal Magistrates as formerly Munzerus and the Anabaptists at Munster did which is not justifiable though it happeneth for true Religion much lesse for erroneous Doctrines sake But those that peaceably and closely adhere to the words of the Scripture without maintaining and introducing singular By-Interpretations and opinions of theirs as hath been told those I say though they do not receive ours or any other particular Churches true Interpretations and expressions we cannot nor will therefore judge as Hereticks but ought to tolerate and receive as weak brethren in faith