they ought to ascend up thither for establishing of any Doctrine which must have power and authority amongst Christians And yet have we departed insensibly from this principle We have quitted this saving Tenet by attributing to Man that which is not due but to God alone We have made such Doctrines as are meerly humane to pass crowded amongst those which are handed down to us from God Just as they put off false Money by making it glister as much as may be and then mixing it amongst such as is currant Coin that it may not be suspected This is it that has given scope to contentions and afterwards been the grand cause of Division Some have been of Opinion that whatsoever specious pretences and whatsoever plausible names have been given to the decisions of the most famous Assemblies are all this while but Humane Sentiments which ought to be examined before they are received They say that they are but particular Men who have proposed their Opinions in these Assemblies That many times in these occasions 't is the credit readiness of wit eloquence or some force of argument more specious than solid which makes these Opinions pass for Articles of Faith That those particular Persons who compose these Assemblies may be mistaken notwithstanding all their Lights and Knowledge That by consequence a Company of them how numerous soever they be are subject to defects and to the errours of the Members whereof they are composed Lastly That the very diversity which is sometimes sound in the decisions made by them justifies enough their Opinion and makes us see that all these decisions are subject to tryal Others who are of a different sence maintain that without the decisions of the Councils we should have but an imperfect Rule of our Belief That the Holy Scripture does not comprehend all that which is taught us in the Church That there are also many things in the Holy Scriptures that have need of explaining and interpretation That on these occasions there is none to whom we can have better recourse than to the Church to whom God has promised the ordinary conduct of his Spirit That the Church cannot make her Voice be better understood and declare to us her sence in a fashion more authentique than when she is represented and as it were united in these Solemn Assemblies They are perswaded that when such an Assembly is lawfully gathered it does of Right enjoy an Infallibility equal to that of the Holy Scripture that it is God himself who speaks as much in one as the other In the mean time both one and the other agree in this point that the Scripture is infallible that it is the foundation of the truth and the soveraign Rule of all Holiness The latter also pretend that although they plead in favour of the authority and infallibility of the Church they find argument enough in the Scriptures for maintaining their doctrine and confounding of Errour But let us for the present lay by this controversy of the Authority of the Church and return back to that principle which all agree upon It may be we may draw Rules and Directions enough from thence so that we shall not be obliged to enter upon this other Dispute which shall be more particularly examined in the third Part of this Treatise Let us therefore only hear what Tertullian says upon this Subject Apolog. Chap. 47. Where giving a Reason of the Divisions which he saw in his time about Christian Religion He says that Those who have separated themselves from the Communion of the Church have in the doing it violated their faith to Jesus Christ For he it is that hath taught us the rule of truth which he caused to be delivered to us by those holy Men who had the happiness to hear his Word and receive his divine Instructions That all which is not conformable to that Rule has been invented by new Doctors who came not till after those Blessed Disciples of the Son of God In this manner hath this worthy Man ascended up to the very Fountain Head of this Evil and discovered the Original of those miserable Divisions And St. Augustin in that remarkable passage against Maximin the Arrian Let us lay aside said he all prejudices which we may conceive I from the Council of Nice and thou from that of Arimini Let us both one and the other be guided by the Authority of the Holy Scripture which is no partial witness but is as well common to one as to the other Therefore as when a Man hath once given way to some dangerous Principle what care soever he takes to avoid the ill consequences therof he is sure to fall insensibly upon them Likewise whatsoever corrective may be brought for the taking away from the Antimony its malignant qualities there shall nevertheless break forth some ill effects of it So this Doctrine being once setled that Men must be consulted and followed concerning the Articles of Faith we do give them by little and little an Authority which appertains only to him who is truth it self The consequence of which is that we become in a condition of acquiescing blindly on whatsoever the Caprichio's of Men can invent in matters of Religion Every one believes himself to have as much right herein as his Companion Every one endeavours to make his particular Opinions pass for essential truths Every one condemns as Heretiques and as People out of the way of Salvation all those who do not submit themselves absolutely to their Rule In brief every one maintains that there is no true Church but that which receives the Opinions which he has promoted to whom alone belongs the Right of Governing all that which concerns Religion And although many make a difficulty of attributing insallibility to the Church nevertheless they hold that they ought to submit to these decisions at least if they themselves cannot pass for Deciders All which has much contributed to the forming of Division and to the fomenting it after it is kindled CHAP. IV. That the dislike which has been had at the simplicity of Christian Religion has been an occasion that Men have given it a different aspect from that which it had in its beginning I Do not believe that there is any Christian who will not agree with me that Christianity was never more pure more Holy and more proper to induce its Professors to Vertue than in its Birth That was a time wherein the saving Principles of the Gospel were only received from the mouth of the Son of God and from those holy Men whom he had inspired This was the true Golden Age of the Church abounding in Saints in Confessors and in Martyrs And I believe that this truth will also be granted me that then at that time when Christian Religion was so pure and exempt from Errour its Doctrine was also most simple and most naked It was free from all those subtil questions which some caused to be statted up in the succeding
together upon all things which regard their common good they should all work upon the same Principle and if they convene any Assembly for the attaining to so good an end no Christian Society should be suffered to prevail by its Authority and power over the rest But all should have the Liberty of proposing their Opinions to be afterwards determined by that which shall be for the common good CHAP. II. The first meanes To lay aside all prejudices against others and to throw off all particular Interests that so nothing may be proposed by us but the Glory of God and the Salvation of Souls WE have already shown that there is nothing ruines more the Peace of the Church than the Interest of particular persons That the greatest obstruction to this Re-union is our prejudice against other Societies which in time strengthens our preconceived Opinions Therefore what we should do out of hand for the successfull carrying on of this design is to cast off all particular Interests and all these prejudices I mean not to own any but the true and lawful Interests that all should meet in one point which is that of the glory of God our own Salvation and the good of those with whom we desire to be rejoined And it is farther requisite to lay aside all those prepossessions of Spirit which may render us less inclinable to those propositions of peace that may be offered us And I am perswaded that were we free from such pre-engagements and prejudices we should favourably hearken to all overtures of reconciliation which should be made us As for the lawful Interests which I speak of are fit to be proposed in this affair they are such as have no regard to any imaginary good but are real solid and essential to Man Also this same good is never separated from the Interests of the Glory of God and the establishment of truth I exclude therefore out of the rank of right motives which should guide us in the search of the true Christianity First of all whatsoever has relation to the advantages and commodities of the present life I put into this number them who thurst after honours riches pleasures and whatsoever is the object of any carnal desire Hither I also refer whatsoever contributes to the satisfaction of our inordinate passions where they revolt from the obedience which they owe to reason I am certain that this Principle will be approved by every one There is no Man who will not confess that things so different can never be match'd together All will agree in the general Thesis that as there is no Union betwixt Light and Darkness So we cannot joyn the strict holiness of the Coelestial Doctrine with the impure liberty of our Passions But there often slip in certain particular Interests the which being more secret and such as do pass more dexterously under the lavour of some specious pretence are not yet less prejudicial to the peace of the Church Such is an inconsiderate and turbulent Zeal in Men which because it seems exempt from those other gross interests of which we have been speaking they appear as though they had only piety for their rule and measure in all their Motions 'T is for the most part observed that this Zeal is nothing but a meer obstinacy and self-conceitedness which can never depart from that which it hath once received This Interest which ordinarily arises either from ignorance from an inveterate custome or from some other such motive engages us so much the more in division by how much it is covered with the appearance of Devotion And I am perswaded that many of those who read this part if they consider it with themselves will confess that I touch upon a String which though small yet is not at all the less intelligible To thâ—se apparent Interests I joyn those of some particular Persons who being willing to pass for sworn Enemies of inconstancy and levity persevere in the profession which they have followed from their Infancy They call it rashness and Inadvertency to depart so readily from those Tenets in Religion which they first embraced and they hold that before they can do it they must be fully convinced of the falseness thereof and the evident peril which they incur by retaining them Wherefore so long as they find any appearance or probability they cannot believe it stands with their prudence to abandon them I have known some of these who have been so strongly prepossessed with this Opinion that they could not forbear showing a less esteem of such as had embraced their sentiments than of those who had still persisted in the contrary party To these specious Interests I must yet add one more and that is a disposition of Spirit which we find many to have who being entred into a Communion believe it would be a shameful thing should it be said of them that they have examined their Religion too late They imagin that should they confess they have continu'd in an errour to these Years and that they had never in all this time perceived the weakness of their former profession People would take all the rest to be want of discretion irreligion and impiety To flatter themselves herein they endeavour to make some kind of superficial consideration which they have made of the Rules of their Sect pass for an exact and profound search into the reasons of their belief After which they maintain it with confidence as not at all doubting but that they are in the right way There are some others who are directly opposite to those of whom I have now been speaking These are such as are inconstant and bid defiance to whatsoever they have formerly believed who imagine that all new Opinions which are proposed to them are far better than those wherein they have been brought up They are like those of whom an Ancient says that out of fear they make all their prudence consist in following every other councel but their own So these timorous Spirits in Religion embrace the first Opinions which are propounded to them and prefer always new Doctrines before those which were received before We should therefore check all those bad inclinations which nature education age ignorance and example may give us For whilst we listen to any one of these voices we shall be but in an ill condition to entertain the propositions of an Agreement All these propositions will at the first instant appear suspicious to us and at last we shall reject them absolutely After this to do well we must cast away from us all these unhappy prejudices against others and high conceipts of our own Opinions which cause almost all the diforders that ordinarily happen in the Church These are so many clouds which darken the understanding and hinder Men from seeing distinctly the Objects upon which they should make their judgment They are a painted Glasses which represent to us all that we look on the clear contrary way as dyed with
happened and that which it reports to us as predictions of things to come FOllowing the distinction made in the foregoing Chapter of all the things which are proposed to us in the Holy Scripture We must first examine what it declares to us as truths which the true Believer ought to receive by Faith These are not all of a like nature and must also be carefully distinguished to take away likewise all cause of contention among Christians I believe therefore they may all be brought under these three Heads As first the Mysteries of Religion which ought to be believed for setting the Conscience at rest and procuring its Salvation Secondly the Historical Narrations which the Scripture makes us of many things that have happened as well in the Disposition of the Order of the Universe as in the Government of the Church under the Old and New Covenant Thirdly the predictions there made as of things which must happen and whereof we see not yet the accomplishment This being concluded we should generally recerve as unquestionable truths whatsoever God has revealed to us in his Word Wherein there are many things which should not neither can they give any matter of contention much less of Division As for Example the Historical Relations of the Holy Scriptures are such that all Christians generally receive â—â—â—m as certain and indubitable and if there be any diversity of Opimons upon any difficulties of Chronology That should not cause a separation in the Church The Opinions may be left to the Liberty of particular Persons to follow therein what they shall judge most probable I say the same of interpretations which may be given to some obscure passages which should not cause any Division be the diversity never so great which is there met with There is but one sole occasion for allowing it and that is when a particular interpretation overthrowes some one of the Fundamental Doctrines or that they would make it to pass as issued out from the very mouth of God himself For all these interpretations are but so many attempts of Man's wit which may fail Insomuch that we should leave to every one the liberty of examining them to receive them afterwards or to reject them without prejudice to Salvation and without breaking the Union which is had with those of contrary Opinions As to what concerns suture predictions neither ought these to be the subject of any Division It may suffice we are all in general perswaded that whatsoever has been foretold in the Holy Scriptures shall have its accomplishment notwithstanding all the obstacles which intersere 'T is sufficient to believe that the first Cause absolutely disposing of second causes will bring about its designs in despite of all resistance of the Creatures This hinders not from advancing our thoughts higher searching into the sense of the prophesie and making our conjectures of the times of its execution We should in this give Liberty to certain particular persons especially when these kinds of Meditations may contribute to the Consolation of true Believers and to excite them more to sanctity It is in this I make that happiness consist which the Book of the Apocalypse attributes to those who read it carefully and understand it But he who would apply himself to this study must not do it but with great precautions Here it is that much strictness must be observed and principally not the least stirring be made but from a principle of deep humility He must on all occasions distrust himself but more in this than any other For although these Oracles be not conceived in ambiguous termes as those of the Pagans were yet are they proposed in obscure and dark expressions They are such hidden mysteries and so profound that they can scarcely be faâ—…omed When predictions are accomplished they change their nature and become Histories easy to be understood But before the Event they must be looked upon with that profound respect as causes naturally a silence But yet if any think they have espy'd some light they may utter their thought with modesty And should rather propose it as a conjecture than as a certain Doctrine For truly there is nothing so dangerous nor so prejudicial to the peace of the Church as the desire of making pass our sence upon things foretold for constant truths There needs but a forc'd Opinion of these Prophesies to stir up a whole Nation to tumult to disturb the peace of States and ruine the Unity which should be amongst Christians The Examples of this are as well known as they are Dreadful to Consider There might some kind of Parallel be made between this Reflection and those dangerous obstinate Opinions wherof we have already made mention and which must be entirely cast away to attain to a perfect intelligence in Christianity CHAP. VI. Fifth Advice Touching the Mysteries of Christian Religion which we must believe as being Revealed in the Holy Scriptures and concerning the distinction which must be made of them AFter having considered methodically of what the Word of God teaches us touching the Rites Ceremonies and outward Order of the Church as also the Histories and Prophesies which it contains After having shown that in all these things there should be no matter of Contention among Christians I have nothing less to examine but what concerns the Rules comprehending the Holy Mysteries of Christianity which Believers should own and receive for their Salvation And because it is a most important matter it must be clearly open'd and explained to remove whatsoever might give any occasion of Contention and procure herein as well as in the rest a Reconciliation of all Christian Societies I cannot now absolutely disapprove the Distinction which all Doctors make in this matter and of which I have already spoken If I acknowledge there be in Religion some important Precepts essential fundamental and necessary to Salvation I acknowledg therein also others less important which might be let alone as where some Errour may slip in Yet this may be done without prejudicing our Salvation â—â—e Peace of Consciences and tranquility of the Church But what I cannot approve of in this is the Application which these Doctors make of this distinction to their Cause They commonly fall concerning this matter into the same faults which have been observed Namely their prejudicate Opinions and particular Interests which for the most part bear sway in the Judgment which they make of what is Fundamental and what is not So that they would oblige all who enter into their Communion to acquiesce in Humane Doctrines as if they were so many Fundamental Points They oblige Men also to Reject the Doctrines which agree not with theirs as if they tended to overthrow the Foundations of Religion although they may not be so prejudicial as they would make them believe For who has Authority of fixing that which is Fundamental and distinguishing it from that which is not If it were left to the disposition of Men every Society