1000 yeares after Christs time And all this is very true as shall appear Anon. XXI To Revenge this Wrong as he thinks done to Beda he falls foul upon the Magdeburgenses for making Jeoffery of Monmoutb to live about 700 years after Christ Jeoffery's Testimony indeed Gauled him sorely and therefore it was to be shuffled off by any means Whether he hath done the Magdeburgenses Right in that thing I neither know nor care For their Errour as to the time of Jeoffery's Life doth nothing invalidate his Testimony But if it were good before their mistake it is so still so that this is only Cavilling Besides though Jeoffery of Monmouth lived in the time of King Stephen which is above 500 yeares since and so is no Yesterdays Author yet the Work it self is much older For he was not the Author but Translator of that History which was written Originally in the Brittish Language and Accounted an Old Book before he was born as Lambard and others have proved and therefore the Testimony is more Considerable and deserves a better Answer after all the Magdeburgenses Account may Refer to the Matter of the Testimony and Time when the thing was Transacted not to Jeoffery's Life and then it will be too Modest and too favourable To less purpose is his time spent in proving Jeoffery to be no Cardinal I should be prone to believe him if I had no other Reason but his Relating a Truth so prejudicial to the Interest of the Court of Rome But if he was not a Cardinal he might be as honest a Man 'T is certain he was a Bishop and as such was a much better Man especially if the Pope would suffer them to be what Christ and his Apostles made them and not Appropriate all that Authority to the Roman See to a Share of which every Bishop hath as good Right and Title as himself XXII At length after a deal of Shuffling Lying and Rayling he comes to the Matter of Jeoffery's Testimony And that he Answers easily and so may any Man who takes no Care to speak Truth but only what may serve his Turn He says There is not a Word in it of not Acknowledging the Pope â—s Supremacy I know not how there should for such a Supremacy as is now Claimed was not then Lick'd into form He might have Remembred that the Transactions there mentioned relate to the time of Gregory the Great then whom no Man wrote more fiercely against the Supremacy Or which is in effect the same thing the setting up an Universal Bishop Or if he had bethought himself of what he elsewhere tells us That the Brstons would not Communicate with Augustines Converts then Dogs he might have made it a strong Argument for their professing Obedience and Subjection to the See of Rome In fine he will have their Answer Amount to no more but this That only they would not Acknowledge Augustines Superiority over them seeing he was sent only to the English And that the Authority of their own Arch bishop was not taken away by his coming for any thing they knew but remained as before 3 Conver cap. 2. sect 14. What pity is it that Augustine did not better inform them it seems they would have been a very obedient People had they known the Pope's Orders and been told the Truth of the Matter But it is an unlucky thing that when a Man with Working his Wits has devised an Answer that would do the Business he should not have the Privilege to make it pass for Truth unless it be so in it self Now all this is spoken by a Figure called Fiction which the rude Vvlgar call Lying For the Britons no more regarded the Pope then they did Augustine I have already set down the Answer of Dinothus Abbot of Bangor to which Jeoffery's words Relate and he who will be at the pains to read it will see That it is as expressly and directly Levelled against the Pope's Authority or Supremacy if it must be so called as could be well fâ—amed They impugne Augustines Authority by denying the Pope and own no Superiour but the Bishop of Caerleon who was to oversee under God over them or according to the Brittish had the only Eye over them under God And this they Confirm by their unanimous Practice despising all Orders from Rome and obstinately refusing all Communion with Augustine and his Successors Yet this and more F. Parsons Chymistry can melt into Obedience and an Acknowledgement of the Pope's Supremacy At this Rate who can doubt of Miracles in the Church of Rome XXIII In the next place he is highly Offended with the Magdeburgenses sor speaking so irreverently of Pope Innocent the First and his Testimony That all the West Churches were Founded by St. Peter on his Disciples and Successors And it is no wonder if Pope Innocent spoke out for himself and it may go a great way where they have not to do with such Hereticks as expect Proofs If this be true why has F. Parsons discovered some such First Founders of the Brittish Churches as were none of Peters Disciples or Successors His Forgetfulness sometimes doth his Holy Father as much injury as the Magdeburgians malice neither doth it carry any force of Truth bâ—cause by rheir own Confession there was a time when Easter was not so exactly observed as now it is whether there was a Stated Church at Rome then or not and that the Conversion of the Britons was at that time I see not any better Account can be Given To Help out this he tells us of Two more Popes Honorius and John the fourth who wrote to the Irish to reduce them from this â—rrour But Honorius will do him small service because in that Account which Beda gives of his Letter Ecc. Hist lib. 2. cap. 19. it is clearly implied that the whole Nation was involved in it and so we have a Pope on our Side to set against him that follows His Pope John was scarce Pope then at Best he was but Elect And the Letter seems to come as I may say from the Chapter in the Vacancy of the See and of those many who joyn in Writing it Hilarius the Arch-Presbyter not John is first mentioned but for once let John have the Credit of it and he then will tell us That this Heresie i. e. concerning Easter was but lately sprung up amongst them and only some few infected with it But now how John and Honorius will Agree about this I cannot tell For once I will be so kind to F. Parsons as to try if I can make them Friends The Brittish and Irish Usage was in this Western part of the World a great Singularity in those days Now if John had a Mind to draw them off from it who can blame him from speaking favourably and representing the Matter as inoffensively as could be The Way to Win Men is not to provoke them and we sometimes seem not to believe that a Man is so bad as we
of Christians is debauched the Propagation of the Gospel hindered the Truth as unjustly as highly dishonoured and the whole design of Christianity in a manner frustrated And if any Man be so in love with Schism as to think this a small Crime or so blind as not to see it I scarce know what I can do more for him except to pray to God to open his Eyes and turn his Heart VI. And yet there is still something further and very considerable to be offered in this Case for nothing is more directly binding then a Precept and nothing more strongly binding then a Precept from him who hath the whole Propriety in us and absolute Sovereignty over us So that if the God of all Power who hath Created us and his Son Jesus Christ to whom he hath Given all Power have expressly required this Unity then the indispenseableness of the duty on our part can be no longer a dispute nor can this be a doubt to any who have but lightly perused the Holy Scriptures for though it may be enough to any Considerate Person That the whole Current of Scripture bears against all Disorderliness Unruliness and Unquietness yet that our Mouths might be for ever stopped the thing it self is Commanded in as plain and express terms as can be desired Thus St. Paul 2 Cor. 13. 11. Be of one Mind live in Peace Thus St. Peter 1 Pet. 3. 8. Be ye all of one Mind And that we might know that this Unity must be as well in Practice as in Judgement we are Commanded as well to walk by the same Rule as to Mind the same thing Phil. 3. 16. And St. Paul takes not a little pains to explain the necessary duty of every Member of Christ in walking orderly in their several stations to this end That there should be no Schism in the Body 1 Cor. 12. 25 I could heap up many more Testimonies but I think it needless for any one ought to be enough to him who owns the Holy Scriptures to be stampt with the Authority of Heaven and to contain what is the Will of God that we should believe and do And if a Word a Nod a Beâ—k from a Master shall command or direct a Servant at his pleasure can we think not only to neglect but to bid open Deâ—iance to the Commands of the Almighty and be guiltless or ' scape Scot-free The Sin in violating any Command is always so much the greater by how much the greater is the Authority of the Person Commanding from whence we may learn how great a Sin is the Violation of that Christian Unity which is Commanded by the Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth VII But still we are further inâ—ormed of how great Moment this duty is from the rewards and punishments that attend the performance or violation of it The Breach of Unity is itself no small punishment for Divisions naturally create Disturbances increase troubles and tend towards destruction Hence St. Paul gives us this Caution Gal. 5. 15. If ye Bite and devour one another take â—eed that ye be not Consumed one of another So that the Advantages which flow from Unity and the Mischiefs which arise from the contrary are sufficient Motives to any Man who minds his own good to follow those things which make for Peace â—ut least this should not be enough all that further can affright us from evil is added And no less then eternal Damnation is made the poâ—tion of Transgressors in this kind For St. Paul telling us what are the Works of the Flesh which they that do shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven Amongst them reckons these Hatred Variance Emulations Wrath Sâ—rife Seditions Heresies Envyings Gal 5. 20. And the same Apostle tells us That if any Man did but seem to be Contentious they had no such Custom neither the Churches of God 1 Cor. 11. 16. By which he seems to me to intimate That such Persons do cast themselves out of the Church and consequently exclude themselves from the Hopes of Salvation But that we may not Complain of being Affrighted into Goodness and terrified to our Duty the punishment of the violation of this Duty is not so great but the Reward of its due performance is every way equal And besides those Comforts that are naturally contained in it and flow from it there is no less then eternal Happiness entailed on it Christ himself hath declared That Blessed are the Peace-Makers for they shall be Called the Children of God Mat. 5. 9 And if so then certainly they shall have a portion and inheritance with the rest of his Children and be fellow Heires with Christ VIII Now if all these Considerations were put together and well weighed methinks no difficulties whatsoever should be able to deterr or remove us from our duties or to hinder us from standing fast in one Spirit with one Mind striving together for the Faith of the Gospel For to Him that professeth Himself a Christian and believes what he professeth what can all the Allurements and Temptations all the Joyes Troubles or Torments of this transitory Life Work when set against the pains of Hell on the one Hand and the Joyes of Heaven on the other and yet even this pretence is taken away And that we may not with any Shew of Reason plead any discouragements we are assured that God will supply us with Strength and Succours in our faithful Endeavours that so far as concerns us we shall be able to overcome all difficulties and discharge our Duties And the difference is not much whether there be no difficulties or the difficulties be Conquerable an idle fluggish Person perhaps would desire the former but he that is content to take pains for Heaven and had rather exercise and Varnish his Graces then suffer them through disuse to be sullied and weakned possibly will think the latter more expedient for him I do not say that we shall be furnished with abilities to reduce all others but that unless by our own default we shall not want Assistance to secure our selves And then whatever the difficulties may really be or appear we can have no just cause of Discouragement And I know not what greater Comfort or Encouragement to this Duty could be given us then what St. Paul tells us 2 Cor. 13. 11. Be of one Mind live in Peace and the God of Love and Peace shall be with you CHAP. II. Wherein this Vnity Consists I. THis Unity is a Thing that sounds bravely in the Eares of all Persons and Meets with a General Applause and high Commendation in all Places And indeed it cannot Receive more Praiseâ— then it deserves but when we come seriously and closely to consider what it is and wherein it consists When we think to grasp it it Vanisheth and we fall foully together by the Eares about the Unity we joyntly Extol and make it self the occasion oâ— our losing it the great Reason of which is apparently this That when Men have
fallen in love with some singular way and set â—p their Rest in some dividing Principles they do not fetch the Nature of Unity from the full Precepts of the Gospel which best Teach it and the Practice of the Primitive Church which best Explains it but Catching some Shreds of Scripture for pretence they frame such a Notion of Unity as may suit with their own Scheme and rather then quit any of their darling Errours they will undertake to Wash a Blackmore white I mean to find out such a Unity as shall be consistent with Division and Separation But it is pity to fall out about Unity and therefore leaving such to their vain Imaginations I shall discover my own Apprehensions wherein I think it Consists And if I fail in any part I shall be highly obliged to that person who shall bring Me to a clearer and fuller Understanding of its Nature for certainly did we better understand what it was we should come nearer together and better concur in the Observation and Practice of it II. But before I can proceed I must for my own Security enter a Caveat against the Pretences of extraordinary Cases And therefore do tell my Reader that I shall limit my Discourse to Gods ordinary Way and standing Establishment to which all Persons ought to have Regard I will not here concern my self upon what terms he may stand who is fast Lock'd in a Dungeon or cast upon an uninhabited Coast or made a Slave amongst Infidels or Lies Concealed in a Cave for fear of his Life or any of the like Nature I make no doubt but that for extraordinary Cases God hath extraordinary Mercies but then this is not Applicable to what is common or ordinary There can be nothing more perverse and unnatural then to judge of the stated Case of Things by the Exceptions from it Or to Confound the common Condition of Mankind with that which is rarely and only at some times the sad Misfortune of some few And it is not possible to Guess whither those Mens Errours will lead them who in stead of observing what are the Exceptions from a General Rule do frame to themselves a General Rule from exempt Cases and so overthrow the common Standard And I must Confess that I have not been a little scandalized to find this very thing done in a great Measure by Men otherwise of Eminence Learning and Piety III. Now though this Christian Unity be a Harmony of many parts many of which must concur to make it true and all ought to meet to make it Compleat The first Bond in this Common Tye or that from whence it takes its first Rise and Beginning is that Faith which was once delivered to the Saints And he that doth unfeignedly embrace it is so far forth united both to all those whoever heretofore received it And all those who now live in Profession of it but yet we must go a great way further or else we shall come short Home IV. For though this Unity principally relates to the Catholick Church of God Comprehending all Ages and places which is that Body whereof Christ is the Saviour and to whom the great and precious Promises are primarily made yet if we would speak rather usefully then magnificently we are not so much to Consider in this Case the Church we are united to as the means whereby we are united to it and therefore as Men on Earth we are to consider our selves in statu viatorum as Men that are not only bound to believe but to profess the Faith of Christ Crucified for our Blessed Saviour hath told us That if we be Ashamed of Him and his Words He will be Ashamed of us when He cometh into the Glory of his Father Mark 8. 38. as Men so indispenseably bound to that Profession that they must not only hazard but even Actually lose all that is near and dear to them rather then depart from it for the same Christ hath told us That if a Man come to him and hate not Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also he cannot be his Disciple Luke 24. 26. as Men who are bound to embody in a common Fraternity and Society that they may joyntly as well as openly make this Profession not forsaking the Assembling of our selves together as the manner of some is as the Apostle teacheth Heb. 10. 25. In a word seeing we here live in expectation of the Promises we must submit to all the termes and conditions of the Covenant upon which God hath made their Performance to depend And being the whole tenure of the Gospel doth oblige us on Earth to joyn in a visible Fraternity to a visible Profession to particular duties to visible Professors and to a real not imaginary Obedience to them who Rule over us and Watch for our Souls I see not how we can Challenge the Name of Christians whilest we cast off all Care of these Duties And hence it is Apparent That we cannot be United to that great Catholick Mystical and Invisible Church of God but by becoming Members of his visible Church on Earth as being that part of his Church wherein he hath placed and to which the greatest part of our Duties do particularly Relate To Arrive to the state of Glorified Saints and Angels that Church without Spot or Wrinkle is our Hope and Endeavour But whilest we are on Earth we are only on our Way towards it and are particularly of that part of Gods Church wherein grow Tares as well as Wheat to be distinguished and separated in Gods good time And by our faithful sincere Obedience in this we do through Christ Jesus Require and Preserve a Right and Title in time to be made the immediate Members of the other V. This being our present state and condition our Unity ought certainly to be agreeable and suitable to it and therefore must be visible amongst the visible Professoms of the Gospel and what that is or wherein it consists is my present Business to describe But first from the foregoing Premisses I would make this Inference That a Believer at large is only a Christian in Fieri his Faith alone without the other Duties and Accomplishments which the Gospel prescribes to all Christians is not sufficient to give him the full Title of a Christian 'T is true he hath laid a good Foundation but unless he proceed to build thereon he can no more be said to be a Christian then an Artificer can be said to have Erected a fair House when he hath only laid the Ground-Work And the Reason is plain because Faith in its own Nature doth not only incline but oblige to Obedience And I therefore not only more chearfully Obey Gods Commands because I believe Him faithful who hath promised but I must condemn my self as utterly inexcusable if I disobey Him at the same time that I pretend to believe in Him Hence it is observeable That the word Faith
taken Objectively is often in Scripture-phrase used to Signifie not only Revealed Truths but Precepts of Life even the whole Gospel of Christ Jesus or the Law of Faith And where it speaks distinctly of it yet it will have the other to follow it Commanding us to add to our Faith Vertue 2. Pet. 1. 5. And to Shew our Faith by our Works Jam. 2. 8. And accordingly the first Converts to Christianity upon their Owning the Faith thought themselves Obliged to go on to what the Law of Faith Required Thus the Eunuch when Convinced by Philip that Jesus Christ was the Son of God doth not Acquiesce in that Faith but proceeds as far as his present Circumstances would permit and of his own Accord bespeaks Philip See here is Water what doth hinder me to be Baptized Acts 8. 36. And consonantly hereto it is Observable That the primitive Church did Vouchsafe the Title of Fideles to no Adult Persons but such as were in full Communion And did Men perswade themselves that their Faith did so indispenseably oblige them to all Christian Duties that without their sincere Endeavour even Faith it self became defective it would make a fair Advance towards Unity And till they do so I see no Reason to hope for it VI. But now to Return to the thing in Hand As we are Men on Earth and Probationers for Heaven our Unity must be such as is Required by this our state and consequently must consist in such matters as Unites all the visible Professors of the Gospel into such a Body or Society which God hath instituted and designed for his Worship on Earth But then we are to Consider That as we are United to the Catholick invisible Church of God by being United to his visible Catholick Church on Earth so we are United to this visible Catholick Church by being United to some true part of it or by becoming Members of some particular Church for no Member can be United to the Body all over or to the whole immediately but is United to the Body by being United to it in some part For the Body is not one Member but many 1 Cor. 12. 14. And as these fitly Framed altogether make the whole so by Vertue of this Union each Member hath a Communication with the Whole and is both capacitated to discharge his Duty to the Whole and to Receive Supplies from and claim an Interest in the Whole VII Now being that our Belief in the Son of God and that he is the Head of the Body his Church if considered Antecedently to and separately from other Christian Duties doth rather capacitate us to become Christians then denominate us so it will follow That to have the benesit of our Belief we must take care to be Admitted into that Body which it qualifies us to be Members of Now in all manner of Societies of what Nature soever Members are Admitted by some Signal Ceremony and known Form of Proceedings that thereby they may be known to Others to be Members of that Society and may undisturbedly do the Exercises and enjoy the Priviledges of that Society Now this Formal Way of Admission into the Christian Body or Society is by the Sacrament of Baptism And that even by our Saviours own Command and Institution for when they are so well Instructed as to believe he will have them Received by being Baptized Go ye saith he Mat. 28. 19. Teach all Nations Baptizing them in the Name c. And though Unbelief alone be sufficient to put a Man into a state of Condemnation yet Belief alone without Baptism doth not ordinarily put a Man into the state of Salvation This is our Saviours own Doctrine Mark 16. 16. He that Believeth and is Baptized shall be saved And he that believeth not shall be damned And the Reason is plain for though Unbelief as rejecting the Covenant of Grace and its Author is alone able to exclude us srom all benefit of it yet Belief though it lay hold on the Covenant is not able alone to secure to us the benefits of it if considered abstractedly and separately from the other necessary Conditions of it for he that expects the benefit of a part must observe not one but all the necessary termes and conditions of it from hence it may appear how necessary it is that we be all Partakers of that one Baptism And this Consideration ought to Alarm those Persons to examine well the Grounds whereon they proceed who separate from all other Christians making it the singular part of their Religion to deny Baptism even to the Children of Christian Parents for though God is not bound up to withhold his Mercy where the default is not in the Persons themselves yet we have no certain Rule to assure us that he will afford such Mercy out of the way that he hath prescribed but it is purely in his good pleasure And if Baptism be ordinarily the Way of Admission and Entrance into that Body whereof Christ is the Saviour then such Persons by denying them Baptism do what in them lies to damn them which doubtless is a very unchristian part And though it be true in relation to Persons out of the Covenant that they must first be qualified not only with an actual but a professed Faith without which they are not capable of Admission yet in reference to Persons in Covenant the Case is quite otherwise for the Covenant is not to them alone but to their Seed And the Childreâ— being sanctisied in their Parents do follow their condition and are bâ—rn to Priviledges in the Church which those without cannot claim And thâ—refore ought not particularly to be denied this without which they are not by the ordinary Laws of the Covenant Entitled to the Rest But I will prosecute this no surther my business being rather with Adult Persons then Children For though their Salvation is by being of the Body yet they have small Inflâ—ence on Christian Communion and until they lose that Name are scarce able to disturb or break the Unity of the Church which is the thing I am to Explain VIII The Parts of our Christian Unity are so close Knit together that they seem to Lead Us by the Hand from the one to the other so that it may seem somewhat a wonder how Persons should for the Generality be so wofully mistaken about them For having thus laid the Foundation of Faith and being Actually Admitted by the Sacrament of Baptism it will I suppose be easily Agreed on all Hands That Persons are not only Admitted to the Priviledges and Benefits of the Society but come under an Obligation to observe the Laws and do the Duties of the Society for no Society whatsoever whether Sacred or Civil ever admitted any to their Priviledges without Tying them up to their Rules 'T is true that in some Societies there are certain Honorary or Titular Members but it is indeed only a Title For where they are excepted from duty they are excluded from
know he is because we would not harden him with shame but have a desire to make him better But when Men purposely and designedly speak sparingly their Woâ—ds are not to be brought as an Evidence of the whole Matter But the Truth is they had little knowledge of our state but by uncertain Relations Gregory the Great himself when he saw the English Children Sold in the Market knew not whether their Nation was Christian or Pagan Augustine even for some time after his Coming hither knew not the Usage of the Britons yea even Laurentius his Successor had much such an opinion of the Irish as F. Parsons till Time and Experience undeceived him And therefore such Forreigners as were far more ignorant of our Affairs we may justly except against as incompetent Witnesses especially they being the very Men who taught these Men their Errour which their Eyes and Eares after Convinced them of XXIV But now comes the Knocking Argument to this Effect That neither Damianus and others sent by Eleutherius nor St. German and his Fellows who came twice hither to oppose the Pelagians make any mention of this Usage which they would have done and Amended it too had they found it here Because saith he both Pope Pius and Pope Victor had before Condemned it for Heretical I could thank the Jesuite for this Argument for it mortally Wounds his own Cause I will not again dispute the Mission of Damianus or Deruvianus or what other Names the Jesuite will give Him nor will I insist on it that Germanus and Lupus were sent by the French at the Request of the Britons and not by the Pope But if that Usage was universally practised by the Britttish and Irish and no good Instance appear that it was ever otherwise as I have already proved and that it continued for a long time after then it will unavoidably follow that the Britons were not under the Roman Jurisdiction nor thought themselves bound to stand to the Popes Determination Yea further that these very Men whom he saith the Pope sent were of the same Mind or else dealt very unfaithfully in making no stir about it Nay being the French Churches did Communicate both with Brittish and Irish at that time when they not only Maintained this Usage in opposition to Rome but refused Communion with their Bishops It is an Argument that they neither thought the Bishop of Romes Decrees did bind the Britons nor that the thing was so Heretical in it self For certainly they would never have so freely and Friendly Maintained Communion with them had they stood in open opposition and professed disobedience to their proper Patriarch By this a Judgement may be made of the Rest of F. Parsons Arguments I shall follow him no further It is not the Observation of Easter which we dispute with Rome but we urge the Practice of the Britons and Irish to prove the Liberty of these Islands XXV Now to avoid Tediousness in this particular having left the Ancient Britons in possession we must suppose they held it till it can be proved they were ejected Now the first so far as I can yet find who Attempted this to any purpose was Henry 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he being a Wise as well as a potent Prince thought the Subjectiâ—g the Welch Bishops to the Metropolitan See of Canterbury might be a means to keep the Welch in order and so sar as concerned his own Kingdom he herein dealt not only like a Politick Prince but even the Laws of the Church did Countenance him But then by the same Act he submitted all the Welch Bishops to the See of Rome as things then stood and so Compleated the Popes Conquest of these Isles which thing the iniquity of those times would either not afford him Eyes to see or not power to prevent Accordingly he prefers Bernardus a Norman and his Chaplain to the Bishopâ—ick of St. Davids But Liberty and Power are both sweet things and Bernardus being got in possession grows resty and Asserts his Rights and the Priviledges of his See And here the Pope first got the â—ingering of the Cause so as to make his true Advantage of it 'T is true Bernardus appeared Conâ—ident and swagger'd bravely but in vain did he think to carry a Cause in the Court of Rome against the Archbishop of Canterbury's Purse and the Pope's Interest when at the same time and in the same thing he also Cross'd his own Kings design There is no doubt but that his Holiness swallowed this long-look'd for Morsel with a great deal of pleasure and greediness And yet the Sentence did not fully and quietly take place till a long time after whiâ—h possibly is the Reason that our Authors so differ in Alligning the time of this Submission for the Welshmen could not yet forget what they once were and upon all Occasions strugled hard to retain their Government amongst themselves so that as Affairs went with the English this matter either got or lost Ground If the English Power was at leisure to wait on the Welsh Men and awe them then the Welsb Bishops were the Popes and his Grace of Canterbury's Grumbling Servants But if the English Affairs were so involved that their Countrey had a little Rest the one was as ready to Cast off the Ecclâ—siastical as the other the Civil Yoke And thus Matters seem to have stood Wavering till Henry the third or Edward the first times But about the thirty second year of Henry the third Matt. Paris Hist Maj. Hen. 3. page 715 the English Forces so Harrassed Wales that the Ground lay Untilled Cattel neglected the Famine Raged amongst them The Bishop of St. David died overcome with Grief for the miseries of his Countrey and the Bishops of St. Asâ—ph and Bangor were reduced to that miserable Condition as to Beg their Bread in a Countrey wasted with Fire and Sword But when Matters were somewhat Composed St. Davids the Metropolitical See of Wales was sound to be so Impoverished that it was thought a despicable Preferment for an Arch-Deacon of Lincoln though Thomas Wallensis in Commiseration of his Countrey did accept it And here thâ— Brittish Ecclesiastical Liberty seems to have drawn its last Breath or to have given only some few Gasps after yet if we place its Fall in Henry the Fiâ—st his time it will have lasted above 1000 yeares but if in Henry the third's time it will be above 1200. But henceforward 〈◊〉 till the Reformation I think it must be Acknowledged that the Pope Rode in fuâ—l Triumph over all pâ—rts of these Isles And though in some Matters he Met with smart Opposition yet he Exercised an Authority nothing less then Patriarchal It remains now therefore to be enquired whether this his Intrusion or Possession did create him any Right or any such Right but that the Churches in these Isles as Matters then stood might Reform themselves and lawfully Re-assume their former Liberties XXVI Were it not that the Romanists make a Flourish with
Tridentines under pretence of Tradition have Enlarged the Canon of Scripture contrary to the Tradition of the Church of God in all Ages even to their own time Thus when Modern Mens bare word must be allowed a sufficient Authority to Vouch a Tradition a Pretence of Tradition is set up against the truth of it and so Tradition it self rendred doubtful or useless And therefore I shall not trouble my self to pursue those many particular shuffling pleas which they use to Justify themselves in offering violence to the Sacred Canon But if you would know the true Reason which it was their Business to Conceal I believe Spalato hath Hit on it Suas non poterant Naenias ex Sacrâ Scripturâ verè Canonicâ probare ideoque noluerunt permittere uc sibi aliae Scripturae etiam non Canonicae eriperentur quo suas qualescunque haberent pharetras unde spicula desumerent ac praeterea viderent ac praeterea ne viderentur re in aliquâ Protestantibus cedere aut consentire maluerunt etiam falsa tueri definire de Repub. Ecc. lib. 7. cap. 1. Num. 28. XLIV He that doth believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God must of course believe their Sufficiency or that they contain all Matters necessary to Salvation for they give this Testimony to themselves And he that believes them to be the Word of God must believe the Testimony they give either of themselves or others St. Paul saith They are able to make Man wise â—◠〈◊〉 2 Tim. 3. 15. 16. But that cannot be so unless they contâ—in at least all things necessary thereto But though the Scriptures be thus sufficient and contain a certain Sense in themselves yet by reason of the distance of timâ— when they were Wrote through Unskilfulness in Oriental Customes and Phrases â—hâ—re they were Wrote through Ignorance of some partiâ—ular Tâ—ners which â—ome Argumentative part of Scripture is Levelled against and such like Câ—useâ— But above all through the Perversâ—ness of evil Men and Seducers it so falls out That those Scriptures which are of a certain Sense yea plain in themselves are made obscure to us and we eithâ—r become doubtful of thâ—ir Meaning or follow a wrong Meaning for what is or can there be so plain and easie which some wicked Men have not or cannot render intâ—icate and pâ—â—piexâ—d especially to weak Judgements and facile Tempers Now for the Discovery of the true Sense of Scripture in this Case true and genuine Tradition is possibly the best Heâ—p and surest Resuge and to Wrest the Scriptures out of the Hands of Hereâ—icks and Restore the Rule to its true Force right Use and proper Meaning perhaps there is not a surer nor more â—ffectual way for our Llessed Saviour Himself Wrote nothing or at least nothing which he designed to be a perpetual Standard and Rule to all his Followers It is said indeed John 8. 6. That He Wrote with his Finger on the Ground But what that was no Body can tâ—ll Eusâ—bius indeed Records an Epistle of his to Agbarus but if the Story be true and I have no mind to derogate from the Reputation of so Learned and Industrious an Historian yet it was to a particular Person in Answer to a paâ—ticular Request And the principal Contents are a Promise That after his Death oâ—e of his Disciples should come and both Cure and Instruct Him Nor was it ever Accounted as any part of Canonical Scripture The Apostles indeed being Led by the Spirit into all Truth not only tâ—ught it to the then present Age but Committed it to Writing for the benefit of â—â—sterity But then they Wrote nothing contrary or disagreeing with what â—hâ—y preach'd and taught both before and after they wrote And there is no doubt but that those Doctrines which they Comprized summarily in the Sâ—ripture were expounded more fully in their daily Conversation aâ—d conâ—â—nâ—ed discharge of their Ministerial Function If there oâ—e any doubt or Controversie did Arise concerning the Meaning of Scripture there could be no better way to determine it then by enquiring in what Sense those Churches understood it which the Apostles had planted St where upon all Occasions they at large Explained themselves for it is certain That the Apostles â—est knew their own Meaning And when they were no longer living to tell it let witty or wicked Men make never such a Bustle or fair Shew it will be very difficult to pâ—rswade any sober Men but that those must needs best know their Meaning to whom the Apostles themselves most amply discovered it Now it being the great Business of Hereticks to corrupt the Scriptures and wrest them to a wrong sense that they might seem to have a sufficient Authority patronizing their Errours When it so Hapned the Ancient Church usually declined the Nice Way of Cavilling and Captious Disputes and feâ—â— to enquire what was the Doctrine and Sense of the Apostolick Churches for it could not be but that those to whom the Apostles had preached all their days must better understand their Meaning then any Upstarts who followed their own Imaginations and were fond of New and pâ—stilent Notions And by this means they not only Silenced Hereticks but wrâ—ng the Sâ—riptures and the Interpretations of Them out of their Hands and then turned them against them And whilst Apostolical Men were living this was a sure Way And so far as such Tradition can be proved to have been preserved genuine and true it is still a good Way And when the Romanists have endeavoured to bring the Cause to this Issue I think they have had no great Cause to boast of their Gains Witness to avoid Naming many the Controversie Managed by Bishop Jewel and Harding But then as to Tradition these Cautions would be observed 1. That this is no prejudice to the Scriptures being the only sufficient Rule of Faith for though the Apostles wrote and taught the same things and so both were alike a Rule to the then living Persons yet when those things were put in Writing it was for this very Reason That a Sure and Certain Rule might be Preserved for Posterity For Tradition might in time be mistaken forgotten or corrupted But the Scriptures would remain unalterable So that the Scriptures are the Rule to us though there are many Helps to lead us to their true Meaning of which perhaps genuine Tradition is none of the worst But this makes nothing against the perfection and sufficiency of the Scriptures which contain all things necessary to Salvation though they do not find us Eyes to see nor Ears to hear nor Brains to Consider though God doth all this and all other Helps abundantly All Arts and Sciences are supposed to be Complete in themselves and to contain Rules sufficient to instruct a Man in them And yet some of the Noblest of them can never be thoroughly Attained unless a Man be first Instructed in the Rudiments of some other Arts or Sciences preliminary and preparatory to them But the