clouds of speculation but in the plaine propositions of the holy Scriptures to the conceiving whereof there is more need and use of Faith than Art of an obedient Heart than of a subtile and piercing Wit Fourthly as all points justly challenging to themselves the Title of Fundamentall are plaine and naked for the manner of their Expression so ought they to be few and so framed that they do not swell to an infinite number yea that they grow not into so great a bulk burthensome to bee portable in the memory of Gods little ones Hence Aquinas cals them the First things to be beleeved 2a 2ae Qu. 2. de Fide cap. 2. and speciall Articles of the Faith William Paris termes them the Fundatories of Religion Others stile them Radicall Truths But although these first Fundatory and Radicall Doctrines of the Christian Religion may beget and bring forth a great uncertaine and numerous of-spring of Consequenceâ— arising from and following after â—â—â—m yet it beares no proportion with reason that they in themselves should 〈◊〉 many or uncertaine When therefore wee behold that to these First credibles of the Divine Essence and Attributes of the Incomprehensible Trinity of the Hypostatical Union of two Natures in Christ of the Cómunication of his Properties and almost of every Object of Knowledge in Divinity there is annexed so great a traine of severall points as thick Volumes are not able to containe them it is most certainely sure that the greatest part of them is not Fundamentall All Christians ought to heare the Counsell of Learned Nazianzen Orat. de Modest observ in D sp Contemplate saith he on Divine things but stay stil in the Termes Speake the Phrases and Language of the Spirit and if it be possible nothing else Do not thou curiously pry thorow those narrow rifts into the Nature of the Father the Essence of the only begotten Sonne the Glory of the Holy Ghost and one God in three Persons Vse the words accustomed the reason of them belongs to those that are Wiser to inquire Let it satisfie thee that thou hast the Foundation and let alone to Artificers to build thereupon Would to God only Artificers would build upon them would to God they would not mingle their many and almost infinite superstructures with the few and plaine Fundamentals to bee embraced with equall affections and to bee received with honour alike If they endeavour thus to do yet it becomes all pious and prudent Christians to discerne and make a difference betwixt those first and few things to bee beleeved immediately revealed by Christ and his Apostles and those numberlesse deductions of Divines which they according to their severall minds and opinions seeke to thrust and crowd into the same roome with Fundamentals Fiftly it is no Fundamentall point which though furbished and attired in new termes is not the same in effect with the Doctrine expressed in the words of the Holy Scripture For if the addition of our new coyned words importeth any thing more than what is in the Scripture this new accession may bee allowed for a consequent of the Fundamentall Doctrine but it cannot with this new peece bee urged for a direct downeright Fundamentall Doctrine But if the new word or the addition therein for matter of the Sense of the Proposition brings no new thing at all but so that understanding the Termes the effect of both appeares to be the same then wee acknowledge both to bee Fundamentall For the disserence of the expression alters not the nature of a Fundamentall Doctrine where the essence and meaning of the Proposition remaines the same What wee have said somewhat obscurely we will make plaine by an example Christ is God and the Sonne of God This is a Fundamentall Point and so also is this Christ is coessentiall with God his eternall Father For although in the latter there is a new Terme yet it addes no new thing nor affirmes any thing which will cause the cumberance of a toilesome deduction to extract it out of the former but whosoever understandeth the termes of both presently understands that they agree so well as in sense they are the same For no man of sound sense can have a conceit of diverse Gods in the same Essence or substance But if the Doctrine or Proposition deck't in forraign Termes and new language cannot bee annexed to a plaine and cleare Fundamentall Article without a busie and artificiall deducing of it it ought not to bee inserted into the Catalogue of Fundamentals Indeed those which perceive the force of the Consequence or Deduction are bound to afford beliefe to such Consectaries But they to whom it doth not sufficiently appeare that such a Proposition followeth from any Fundamentall point they are not bound to embrace it for a tried Truth much lesse for such a Doctrine without which no hope is left to obtaine Salvation To conclude in a word As often as it is inquired whether any Doctrine bee Fundamentall or no let us not give heed to the clamours of Disputants But have recourse to those Notes which now wee have reckoned up If the Doctrines they presse on us bee not clearely recommended by the Apostles themselves to the Catholique Church in the first preaching of the Gospell if in succeeding Ages they were not Universally received if they bee not suited to the capacity of simple Christians but only fitted to the braines of Philosophers and Logicians if they bee too many and not comprised within certaine bounds Lastly if expressed in such formes of Speech that they cannot bee reduced to an equivalent sense with a cleare and of all confessed Fundamentall Article sometimes they may bee Truthes but they can never beâ— counted Fundamentals CHAP. Chap. 7 VII Of the Summe of Fundamentall points contained in the Creed and Commandements so farre as wee ought to Beleeve or Practise MANY of the Papists and somme of ours when we maintaine that the difference betwixt the Reformed Churches is not about Fundamentals presently require of us to bring in a Bill and set forth an acurate Catalogue of Fundamentals so that we may say so many Fundamentals there be of the Christian Faith neither more nor lesse We easily answer the Papists that it were presumption in Protestants who confesse themselves subject to errour to undertake so hard a Taske let Papists rather addresse themselves to the Pope of Rome who alone can speake Oracles and is said to have all Laws Humane and Divine lockt up in the Closet of his Brest But if any of our men shall earnestly maintaine that unlesse this first be done no Brotherly love can be renewed betwixt the Protestant Churches let him try which is somewhat more easie if he can but only reduce the Propositions in Controversie which he desires should be Fundamentall to a certain and stinted number If he shrinkes to do this let him not blame the backwardnesse of others in the same matter Although it be not hard to show the reasons why
and establishing of cleere Articles of the Christian Faith against Hereticks than for the discussing and defining of hard and controversies which are not necessary at all Let us return therefore to that peaceable and Brotherly conference which we lately commended which if it be appointed with that minde and mannaged in that manner it ought we are in great hope very shortly to see an happy agreement of the German Churches This therefore ought first to be setled in the minde of all who are entertained in the Conference that they are not called together that as adversaries they should contend but that as Brethren they should seek and follow all lawfull wayes to establish Peace For if they themselves betwixt themselves saw one another and thinke they must revy contentions they will never perswade Union and Peace betwixt the Churches at variance Therefore let them not so much as offer to enter into the Labyrinths of the wonted disputations but let them aime and direct their meeting to this one marke that they may shew their Churches that there is no cause just enough why they should refuse mutuall Union and so long abhorre from joyning their right-hand of Brotherhood That this may be done let it be stated and determined in the first place concerning every controversie what of old was defined by the Suffrages of the Catholique Church and under the paine of a curse was to be believed of all For about things most Fundamentall there may arise some questions and Problems noâ— at all Fundamentall and which the ancient Fathers if they had been moved in their age would never have offered to have defined within the pâ—rill either of raysing or continuing a Schisme betwixt the Churches For instance That God is one in Essence three in Persons distinguished betwixt themâ—eâ—ves that the Sonne is begotten of the Father that the holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father and the Sonne that these three Persons are Coeternall and Coequall All these are deservedly determined ranked amongst the Fundamentall Articles Now if any should contend that all those things which are disputed of the Schoolemen of the Manner of Proceeding and Begetting are also Fundamentall and necessary to be determined on one side verily he by this his rash Judgement would gaine no favour with Christ or Christs Churches So also That our Lord Jesus Christ is God and Man and hath in one Person the Humane and D vine nature inseparably united together and that we owe our Salvation to God incarnated is a most solid Foundation of our Catholique and saving Faith Notwithstanding whatsoever may be asked and disputed of the unutterable manner of this Union whatsoever of the manner of the Corporall presence in the Holy Supper whatsoever of the properties communicated to the humane nature by the vertue of the Union or of the Operations of the humane nature depending on this Union it doth not presently belong to Fundamentall Faith but to skill in Divinity and perchance not to that neither but sometimes to the curiosity of Divines Let this therefore be the first and chiefe care of the Divines at the conference accurately to distinguish and sever Fundamentalls from those which are not Fundamentall neither to take it for granted that whatsoever seemes to touch and border on a Fundamentall Article is presently Fundamentall After they have agreed on these things care must be taken that these fundamentals be expressed in few cleer words and be propounded to be established with the common consent of the Churches De anima Certa semper sunt in paucis Those things that are certaine are ever comprised in few words saith Tertullian And whatsoever necessary is to be known to the Salvation of Christians whatsoever makes men better or more blessed is set in open veiw Here is no place for subtill distinctions which onely a quick sighted Eagle or some Epidaurian Serpent can perceive and discerne no place for the fringes of long explication or penthouses which we often see jetting out not so much to build up Christians in Fundamentall Faith as for the enlarging of the Doctors opinions Lastly no place for Metaphysicall formalities and abstracted notions which may trouble the heads of the learned and deterre the mindes of the unlearned from the Catholique Faith it selfe but neither bow the hearts of these or those to the embracing of the Faith of Fundamentall Articles But now when those things which belong to the Fundamentall and common Faith of the Churches are comprised in few words and plaine but sound formes of speeches and those set aside and left alone which are not as yet agreed on It follows in the next place that all peaceable Divines endeavour to make all throughly to be perswaded of this That we must no longer sight in hostile manner with the danger of the Churches losse of Peace and scandall of Schisme for those things whereof Christian people may be ignorant without fault or losse of Salvation How wholsome and necessary this Counsell is the rashnesse and contrary practice of the Roman Church doth easily prove For whilest they not at all content with the Articles of the Apostles or Nicene Creed endeavour to thrust upon the Christian world new Articles of the Conventicle of Trent Epist ad Stephan ad Jubajaâ— prefa ad Concil Carthag they have left the everlasting matter of an everlasting Schisme betwixt the Churches How more advisedly did Cyprian that most holy Martyr and most learned Father of his age who professes that he would offer violence to none for difference in opinions or violate the Lords Peace with his Colleagues or remove any man from the right of Communion because he was otherwise minded than himselfe With which Christian charity and gentlenesse erring Cyprian deserved better of Gods Church than Stephen Bishop of Rome being in the right opinion and rending the Churches as much as lay in his power with his Schismaticall spirit Relying on the Example of this most holy Martyr and on the judgement of Augustine in this matter I doubt not to affirm that those Doctors amongst the Dutch Churches which are deceived Vide Aug. de Bapt. l. 2. cap. 5. and yet are ready to retaine Brotherly Communion with others are held more excused from Schisme before God than they who maintaine the true opinions in those controversies and in the mean time disdaine to hold Brotherly Communion with other Churches desiring the same Consent therefore being had in Fundamentalls although the Doctors cannot fully and perfectly agree in other things yet in this let them all agree that with one mouth and heart they cry out together to God Nulla salus bello pacem te poscimus omnes In war no safty Peace we all desire thee But if any here should demand what must be done with those controversies which cannot be composed least by occasion of these the Peace and Union of the Church may either be hindered or troubled and broken againe after once it is made
things they professe the same Communion who are admitted to the same holy Supper But in very deed as by this mutuall Communion we doe not professe that we all have attained a perfect or the same degree of knowledge in Diviniry so neither doe we by this deed protest that we have a perfect consent amongst our selves in all heads of Doctrine in Divinity or altogether the same opinion of every question If the Communion of Christians amongst themselves should stand on these hard termes scarce could Peter and Paul have held Communion amongst themselves Sure the Church of the Corinthians had been broken into shivers but in these our times it had not been easie to finde many divines of great credit who could with a safe conscience be partakers together of the Lords Supper All Rulers therefore of Churches ought being guilty of their own and the common infirmity to beware least whilst they exact require from their own people a too harsh and not at all necessary confession they seem to shake and weaken the most sweet and most necessary Communion of Christians amongst themselves So much concerning the Governors of the Churches Wee come now to the Ministers or any other Christians which desire Communion with the Chruches wherein they live and yet cannot worke upon their consciences with any entreaties to approve and professe all the received opinions of the same Church It shall be their duty to afford and expresse themselves teachable and humble not obstinate and proud in the maintaining of those opinion wherein they step aside from the common opinion of the Church but he is to be counted teachable and humble who willingly and submissively lendeth his cares and heart to the Church teaching him who rejects not the doctrine propounded unto him out of a vitious disposition of his Rebellious will but is hindred by the weaknesse of his understanding that he sees not the Truth in these hard controversies which those who are more learned and accurate perchance with no difficulty can discern Now because 't is the priviledge of God alone to search hearts it is our part ever to encline to the most favorable side and to presume of every one where the contrary appeares not by manifest evidence that rather out of conscience than stubbornnesse he is detained and hindred from affording his consent They who shall behave themselves in this manner are not for every stubble of erroneous opinion to be parted and kept off from the Churches Communion wherein they live Yet on those terms and conditions they are not to be driven off if they presume not at all to oppose the common Judgment of the Church or to extoll and spread their private opinions amongst the people Nor ought they to take this in ill part who are desirous to entertaine Peace and Ecclesiasticall Communion for suppose the opinion of any private Doctor or Christian to be true and that to be erroneous which useth to bee defended by the Church yet if the error be in a matter or opinion which hinders not the Salvation of Christians farre better is it that the true opinion of any private Doctor whatsoever lye hid in the dark than that the publike authority of the Church bee in the broad light openly trampled upon or the Peace of the Church be shaken by this altogether unnecessary bickering of contrary opinions as with the struggling of windes crossing each other But if any one perswadeth himselfe that that opinion which he defends against the judgement of the Church be of so great moment that the Salvation of men doth depend from the knowledge thereof if he cannot perswade the same to the Rulers of his own Church he must either depart unto another Church or else for the good of the Soules in that Church to which he is subject patiently to undergoe the censure imposed upon him These are the things most learned Duraeus which I though fit at your request to write and send unto you If they may be usefull to you or any other towards the furthering of the Union of the Churches I have abundantly satisfied mine own desire and purpose They without doubt may suggest more and better things to whom the present estate of the German Churches is better known and looked into This thing alone remaines for me to doe humbly to pray to the God of Heaven that he would bow the hearts of Princes from their Soules to desire this Union of the Churches that he would enlighten the mindes of Divines to finde out and apply those meanes whereby it may foonest be established that he would kindle the hearts of all Christians to embrace and propagate this Peace to all Posterity The God of peace grant this for his Sounes sake our only Mediatour and Procurer of Peace with the Father to whom with the Holy Spirit be all Honour Glory and Thankesgiving for ever and ever Amen FINIS AN EXHORTATION to the restoring of Brotherly COMMUNION betwixt the PROTESTANT CHURCHES FOUNDED IN THIS That they do not differ in any Fundamentall Article of the Catholique Faith IN DOMINO CONFIDO LONDON Printed by R. B. for Richard Badger and John Williams 1641. An Exhortation to the restoring of Brotherly Communion Chap. 1 betwixt the Protestant CHURCHES CHAP. I. Of the discommodities and occasions of these Discords together with the Remedies briefly declared WHAT Cicero the Oratour said once of the Discords betwixt famous men Orat. de harusp respons that may we now truely say of the Dissentions betwixt severall Churches that they usually end either in the destruction of them all or in the injurious domineering of the Conquerours over the party subdued Now though it is to be hoped that there is none amongst the Reformed Churches which affecteth a sole and absolute Command over the rest Yet is it much to be feared least all by these dayly and deadly contentions which God forbid hasten their own overthrow Whose present condition the godly bemoane and by the miseries fallen on some guesse the dangers hanging over all unlesse they schooled with their calamities at last begin to be wise and heartily study the advancing of Peace For whilst this strife groweth hot amongst Brethren they afford their enemies constant matter of rejoycing and insulting over all Churches and not only of rejoycing and insulting but also arme them with infinite opportunities to hurt and oppresse them Nor do they order the matter well for their own people which will have even the unlearned to be distracted about such endlesse Controversies which perchance the Learned are never able to determine If Schollers only were to enter the Lists and to combat with Schollers the danger were lesse but it is too plaine that Christians of all sorts and sides are summoned to the fight whose minds are no sooner entangled in these needlesse controversies but they are cal'd away from the most necessary duties of charity and fruits of new obedience Moreover these dissentions betwixt the Reformed Churches hinder the more
many are one body with Christ and every one one anothers members From the connexion with this foundation depends and followes of necessity the connection and communion betwixt severall Churches and private single persons 1 Cor. 12.12 Eph. 4.16 except were account no credit to be given to the Apostle Of every single man Reason 3 and much more of every single Church we must presume well till the contrary doth apeare Therfore the Churches of Saxony are bound to presume that those of Swizerland do adhere to Christ their foundation till they can prove it to bee otherwise by some evident or at least wiseprobable reason Now they are so far from being able to prove their Separation from Christ that most evident Reasons and of Proofe against any doubt present themselves to the eyes and hearts of all that they are savingly united with Christ Eph. 4.5 6. who hold this One Lord one Faith one Baptisme Who duely worship one God and Father of all who is above all Either these things ought to suffice that Churches bee carefull to keepe betwixt them the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace Eph. 4.3 or Paul the Apostle knew not what might availe to the soddering of this unity together If any object that the Churches of Switzerland are not sound in the point of the presence of Christs body in the Eucharist in the manner of the eating of it in the Communication of Christs properties and in many other heads of Knowledge in Divinity I would aske of him but this one thing for here is no place to dispute of these matters whether hee conceives these errours to be of such moment that they pluck up the erring Church from its foundation so that they suffer it not to have the same Lord the same Faith the same Baptisme the same God and Father of whom the Apostle speaketh If hee dare not affirme this the Churches may object to those who deny to entertaine Brotherly Communion with them De Schismat Donat lib. 4. in initio that of Optatus Milevitanus You will not keep and hold peace with us that is with your Brethren whom one Mother Church bred in the same bowels of the Sacraments whom God the Father in the same manner received to be his adopted sons But if any shall stil proceed to distract and rend asunder those Churches which are conjoyned in this personall foundation we conceive those words of Isayah fit to be objected against him Destroy them not for a blessing is in them Esay 65.8 We may draw a strong argument from the practice of the Apostles Reason 4 to be used against those who think the Brotherly Communion betwixt Churches may be dissolved for the errours of particular persons For the Apostles did never so much as offer this they never divided asunder or clasht together whole Churches which did stick to Christ the foundation of mans salvation taking advantage of the occasion or pretence of their errors whatsoever It is well known that there were divers errours brought into the Churches of Corinth and Galatia it is well knowne that they were maintained of great men and of great account and yet Paul never went about to perswade the purer and sounder Churches of the Ephesians Philippians and Collossians not to retaine Brotherly Communion with those Churches more impure 1 Cor. 1.2 Gal. 1.3 5 11. 6 18. Yea morover he acknowledgeth those Churches which are full of errors and troubles for the Sanctified Churches of Christ nor disdaineth he to grace and honour those that erred and were deceived with the name of Brethren Indeed it is never lawfull for us to approve and allow those errours which are scattered in other Churches but it is ever lawfull for us to professe Brotherly communion with the Congregations of particular Churches whilst they professe and retaine saving union with Christ the Foundation of the Catholique Church Even as the good ought not otherwise to be separated from the evill in the Catolique Church Aug. de Fide ad Pet. Diaco cap. 43. than by the difference of their works So Churches which are sound in any point ought not to be separated from those which are erroneous save only by their dis-agreeing from their errors Tom. 4. de fide ope To desire by the gulfe of wicked Schismes to part the good from the bad is rather the rashnesse of men which be mad than the strictnesse of those which are diligent saith Augustin Now we say It savours more of rashnesse than care of the truth by wicked Schismes to desire to part the not erring Churches from those which be erronious Piety commands us to depart from those heretiques who overturne the very Foundation because this is necessary But Charity forbids us by unjust dissentions to start asunder from those erring Churches who stick to the foundation because this is Schismaticall Betwixt particular Churches all those offices should be performed Reason 5 which tend to the mutuall edification and nothing to the destruction of the body of Christ I confesse it partaines to edification for us to shew wandring Churches their errors but I maintaine it tends to their destruction that those Churches which we confesse remaine conjoyned to the very foundation wee should disjoyne them for any errors they defend For it was never heard spoken that one Church brought backe another into the way of truth or joyned it closer to Christ by raylings revilings cursings and renouncing of Brotherly Communion The counsels must be more mild and plaisters more lenitive which must be applied to the healing of an erroneous and setling of a shaken Church As for these intentions and decrees of separation and breaking off Communion they have not only hither to been vaine and uselesse but also mischievous and much more forcible to the disturbing than building up of the Churches If therefore any Church be not as yet pluckt asunder from its Foundation it belongs to the neighbouring Churches to restore such a one in the Spirit of meeknesse Gal. 6.1 and not with hostile cruclty to cut them off and cast them away They who are founded in the same Christ Reas 6 and rooted to the partaking of Eternall life ought to be founded and rooted in mutuall Charity but no Protestant will deny but that the Protestant Churches are founded in the same Christ our Lord and Saviour It ought therefore to be well weighed and considered whether the office and nature of Charity it selfe doth not wholy detest this to make an endlesse Schisme and rent betwixt Churches for some diversity of opinions It was Augustine's judgement that Christian Charity could not be kept Contr. lit Petiliani li. 2. c. 77. contra Donat 1.15 c. ibid. cap. 12. except in the unity of the Church and that those who persist in discord belong to the lot and portion of Ismael For who will say that there is not brotherly hatred in a Schisme when there is