ADVICE TO THE Confuter of Bellarmin With some Considerations upon the Antiquity OF THE Church of England With Allowance LONDON Printed by Henry Hills Printer to the King 's Most Excellent Majesty for His Houshold and Chappel 1687. Advice to the Confuter of Bellarmin with some Considerations upon the Antiquity of the Church of England I Apprehend 't is much easier Confuting Bellarmin over a Pot than by taking Pen in hand and Writing an Answer And yet I fear 't is possible by the Powerful Influence of an Ill Habit that a Man may have so often knock'd down that Roman Champion with a Bellarmin thou Liest under a Bush that he may be blown up with a Vanity of being as Able to meet and overthrow him in the Field of Controversie I don't pretend that this is the case of him who has undertaken to Answer Bellarmin's Marks of the Church but because I am sensible he has engag'd himself in a Task of some Difficulty I presume he would willingly so discharge himself as not to be thus censur'd by Adversaries and upon this score I make bold to present him with a short Advice which are some Observations upon his Second Paper wherein he Examins the Second Note of the Church viz. Antiquity for the First I had not the luck to see If they prove serviceable in his Undertaking he 'l be oblig'd to an Unknown Friend if not there 's only a little Good Will lost and half a Sheet of Paper My First Remark and Advice is that when he is upon Confuting Bellarmin he would take care that what he engages to disprove should be something that Bellarmin asserts otherwise 't will be almost impossible to Confute him And therefore I apprehend the Papists will be apt to think that in the First of the Three things he undertakes to demonstrate viz. That the Plea of bare Antiquity is not proper to the Church he has not at all Confuted Bellarmin because Bellarmin no where asserts that it is He says indeed that whoever at this time will find out the Catholic Church profess'd in the Creed amongst so many Pretenders must not apply himself to any Vpstart Congregation which was never Visible in the World but of late Years but to such a Church which has been of as long standing as ever since Christ and the Apostles days and consequently such a Church to which Antiquity of necessity at this time belongs This Bellarmin asserts but he no were says that Bare Antiquity is a Note of Truth And so the Confuting of this will be thought only a knocking down of an Imaginary Principle of the Answerers own raising but no Confuting of Bellarmin And this leads me to my 2. Advice That when he Confutes Bellarmin he would not say the same thing as Bellarmin do's Which yet he seems unluckily to do in this Paper p. 45. where having own'd that Bellarmin by the Antiquity of the Church means that the True Church must necessarily be Ancienter than the False as God was before the Devil he takes pains to explicate and prove the very same thing and thus strangely seems to Answer Bellarmin by shewing from Reason and the Fathers that what Bellarmin says is true and that Antiquity as by him explicated must of necessity belong to the True Catholic Church 3. That he would be Cautious not to Fight against himself while he 's earnest upon Confuting Bellarmin And therefore when he thinks he has made it out p. 42. That Antiquity is not a Note proper to the Church because there was a time when the Church was New He do's not do prudently within three pages after p. 45. to assert That the Scriptures are the True Antiquity Because every one of his Fresh Men in Learning will begin to argue That if with this Man Antiquity cannot belong to the Church because there was a time when the Church was New How can he say it truly belongs to the Scriptures since there was a time when the Scriptures were New as well as the Church This will not seem proper Arguing for a Confuter of Bellarmin especially since every body knows that the Church was before the Scripture or Written Word and that if Antiquity do's not belong to what was First 't will be very difficult to make it belong to the Latter which was not in being till some years after 4. That he would be careful not to Contradict himself And therefore methinks when he has asserted absolutely p. 42. That Antiquity is not a Note proper to the Church it does not make good Music with p. 45. where he has found out an Antiquity which is proper to the Church This last sort of Antiquity says he is the same with what is First Vnto which we are desirous to go to which we are willing to stand and by which we would be judged Is not this something like saying Antiquity IS and IS NOT proper to the Church 5. That in Quoting Fathers he would only make choice of such as seem to be against his Adversaries and not Those which Favor them And therefore when he is drawing up his Plea against Antiquity p. 47. he might very well have omitted one which Supports his Adversaries and is the very ground of what they maintain and he opposes The words are these There is a short way for Religious and Simple Minds to find out what is Truth For if we return to the Beginning and Original of Divine Tradition Human Error ceases Thither let us return to our Lord 's Original the Evangelical Beginning the Apostolical Tradition And hence let the Reason of our Act arise from whence Order and the Beginning arose Is not this pleading for Antiquity instead of writing against it Is not this the very Doctrin of Bellarmin and the setting up the very Tradition which Catholics appeal to whilst the way to find out the Truth according to the Fathers is by following Divine and Apostolical Tradition What 's this against Bellarmin or his Antiquity Now I come to the Second thing he intends to prove viz. That the present Church of Rome vainly pretends to True Antiquity i. e. to Ancient Truth And in the Perusal of this I must advise him First That when he treats of any Church or Body of Men he would not forget Good manners and Ordinary Civility As he seems to have done p. 49. where he is not contented to charge the Church of Rome with Errors only but in plain English with LIES too As if he thought an Argument would not sound well in Controversie unless 't were put in the Billings-gate-phrase But he proves the whole Charge thus Ib. That Church has not the Mark of True Antiquity which does not hold the same Christian Doctrin it did at the beginning but has introduc'd Errors and Lies under the pretence of Ancient Truth But this is the case of the present Church of Rome as is evident by that Alteration they have made in the Antient Creed Unto which they have added as
many more Articles as there were at first Ergo. Upon the Consideration of which Proof I advise him 2. Not to be so blindly earnest in kicking down the Church of Rome as to overthrow his own at the same Blow For if the Addition of Articles to the Ancient Creed takes off all claim to the Ancient Truth what becomes of the Church of England which besides the Nicene and Athanasian Creeds has another of a latter date of Nine and Thirty Articles besides another Plot-Creed call'd the Test Can she be the Ancient Church which had only one Creed and but Twelve Articles 3. That he would not advance Absurdities whilst he pretends to shew Bellarmin's Ratiocination to be but Sophistry Bellarmin shews that in all great changes of Religion the Authors of the change may be assign'd the New Doctrin that was brought in the Time when it began c. That therefore since these cannot be shewn in any change pretendedly charg'd upon the Church of Rome there was never any such change This the Confuter undertakes to prove Notoriously False because says he the Body Spiritual is like the Body Natural and therefore as a Man may be worn away with a Consumption to Skin and Bone tho' no body can tell the precise time when or where his Blood began to be tainted So the whole Body of the Church may be corrupted with Error and Heresie tho' it crept in so secretly at first and so indiscernably that 't was not suspected And what 's this to the purpose This shews indeed that a Great Change of Religion may be unknown as to it 's beginning while as yet 't is working in Secret and Indiscernable for what wonder for things while Indiscernable not to be seen But dos it prove that when the Change or Alteration began publickly to be Abetted Maintain'd Propagated appearing in open Contradiction and Defiance to the True Church condemning it's Doctrin and opposing the Articles of her Faith as Erroneous and Heretical that then such an Alteration in Religion could spread it self over the whole Christian World and yet the Authors Promoters Abetters and Embracers of it not to be known or taken Notice of Let him prove but this and he 'll come to the Point We don't doubt but the Seeds of Innovation may like the Tares in the Gospel lie for some time under ground and not be taken notice of while in all outward appearance they are not discernable from the Good Corn. But that they should grow up choke the Wheat every where break it down and consume it and yet not be seen or discern'd this he 'll never prove out of the Gospel What kind of Servants must the Housholder have to suppose this Absurdity And yet upon this ground stands our Confuter and his Whole Church of England She to wipe off the soul guilt of Schism crys out The Church of Rome has Err'd and made Innovations therefore we left her And what Errors and Innovations are these Why She has brought in an Idolatry worse than that of the Heathens Infinite Superstitions Abominations coyn'd New Articles of Faith contrary to all Sense and Reason Stupid Doctrins Absurd and Senseless Doctrins Foolish Doctrins Monstrous Doctrins c. This is a very severe Charge and the Crimes of which she stands Endicted are obvious to every Ordinary Reason and Weak Christian Well but how long has she been polluted with these Doctrins With some Six hundred years with others Nine hundred Eleven hundred Thirteen hundred years And these Errors she propagated over the whole Christian World and with them infected all the Kings of the Earth Well but did not the True Church of Christ stand up against the Church of Rome while she thus left the Faith and corrupted the Faithful Where was the Church of England all this time Did not she withstand these Abominations Preach and make Laws against them and the Abetters Did she assemble no Councils Synods or Convocations to Censure and Condemn them No there was no Church visibly appear'd to oppose the Growth of Popery it spread Invisbly it infected all Christians Insensibly and so came down all over Christendom Imperceptibly to the days of Luther who oppos'd it vigorously tho' neither He nor the Church of England as many are apt to think have so prosecuted those Errors but they continue infected with a great many of them still and don't know it or perceive it Strange and Wonderful News What 's the Forty thousand Pilgrims and the Army in Incognito to this Relation Oates's Narrative is not half so big with Absurdities as this Wonderful Story of Changes and Alterations over the whole Christian World and yet Invisible and Insensible The Errors it seems brought in and propagated by Papists in those Alterations of Religion are now so Palpable so Evident so Clear that 't is not only every Beardless Divine can disprove them and shew them to be Ridiculous but every Smatterer in Controversie every Tinker and Cobler sees them to be against Sense and Reason forsooth and undertakes to prove them Absurd and Foolish And yet these so Palpable so Plain and Evident Errors were receiv'd over the whole Christian World without the Opposition of the True Church of Christ for above a Thousand Years What! Never a Church of England Disputant never a Cobler Tinker never a Divine all this time to shew and Confute these Errors Where was this Pure Church of England all this while This Church which our Confuter of Bellarmin is sure is the True Ancient Church where was she when these Errors were every where taught publikly profess'd and propogated Could she not then See Errors so Plain and Obvious But how should she See when her Nine days were not out till a Thousand years after But the Confuter has found out Changes in Religion which grew insensibly as the Communion in one kind And concerning this 4. I advise him in his next to prove that a Diversity of Practice is an Alteration in Religion And especially of such a Practice which Christ left indifferent in respect of the Laity and without any Positive Command of their receiving it in both kinds as Luther owns who says that in this Point Christ has left no Necessary Precept In Ep. ad Bohem. And in his Book de Vtraque specie If you come says he to a place where the Sacrament is given only in One kind receive it in one The like Indifferency is acknowledg'd by Melancthon Centur. Ep. Theol. p. 252. Spalatensis too for whom I presume the Confuter has some respect l. 5. c. 6. de Repub. Eccles has these words I affirm that the Receiving the Sacrament in Both kinds is not so under a Precept but upon a considerable cause tho' Private and of Private Persons it may profitably and lawfully be receiv'd under the Species of Bread alone And certainly what Private Persons may lawfully do when they judge convenient as this Author Ib. says Exempla Antiqua docent is evident from the
Practice of the Ancients cannot be unlawful in the Church And may be done without any Alteration in Religion Besides this he has found another change in Religion and Faith viz. concerning the Papal Authority and here he pretends to shew by whom this was brought into the Church Victor says he p. 53. Began the Dance Zozimus followed it Celestine carried it on And in relation to this 5. I advise him to be cautious for the future how he goes so far back into the Primitive times to look for Authors of pretended Alterations in the Church of Rome Because it being Generally believ'd that the Church of Rome was Pure and Vncorrupt in those First Ages his Readers will be apt to think that what was then Practis'd and own'd by those Primitive Christians was no Error or Alteration but an Apostolical Truth and that he that comes above fifteen hundred years after and urges such a Charge against those times must have no small stock of confidence For how can Men possibly think otherwise when they consider that Pope Victor who is here endicted liv'd in the Second Century and was chosen to that See of Rome in the Year 203. which was above an hundred and twenty Years before the First General Council of Nice The Some Others he there mentions as Maintainers of the Papal Authority together with Zozimus and Celestine were all Bishops of Rome either before or in the time of the First Four General Councils Receiv'd and acknowledg'd here in England And can any Man think that if the Excercise of that Authority as maintain'd by those Popes was such an Alteration such an Innovation such a Tyranny as 't is now pretended that those First Councils of so many Learned and Orthodox Prelates would have taken no notice of it Is it not likely in those Assemblies there were some as Zealous for preventing Innovations some as Wise and Learned and Understanding in the Scriptures as our Church-Divines are now a days Or did there want in those Councils some Church of England Lay-men a Learned Tradesman some Quick-sighted-penetrating Barber or perchance a Lecturer or Confuter of Bellarmin to put those Fathers in mind of their Duty and tell 'em of the Alteration brought into the Church to shew 'em Victor beginning the Dance Zozimus following it and Celestine carrying it on Well these are very hard things and certainly he that believes these and afterwards pretends to boggle at Transubstantiation must needs be a Dissembler And the Absurdity of this pretence still grows the more Monstrous when we reflect that St. Irenaeus Optatus Augustin and other Antient Fathers urge the continu'd Succession of these very Bishops of Rome as an Argument of the True Orthodox Faith and Religion profess'd in that Church without the least mention or hint of any such pretended Alteration And Fulk Calvin with other Protestants say that these Fathers specially nam'd the Succession of Bishops in the Church of Rome because the Church of Rome continued all that time in the Doctrin of the Apostles as it was founded by them And yet now at last when it is to serve the turn these same Bishops must be branded as the Setters up and Promoters of Tyranny and Vsurpation But what better shift can those make who cannot justifie themselves but in condemning the Church of Rome The only way they have to look Fair is by Blackning her and what wonder they are so industrious in throwing dirt in her Face Besides this the Confuter has brought a Third Instance of Alteration in the Church of Rome viz. The creeping in of Images into the Church And in reference to this 6. I advise him to consider better for the future what Alterations he charges upon the Church of Rome especially not to mention such which if to the purpose would as certainly lay his own Church and cause upon their backs as he thinks he dos the Church of Rome For here among the Alterations relating to Images he says the Historical use of them came not into Churches till above 300 Years after Christ and the Rhetorical use of them viz. the stirring up Devotion not till 300 Years more and for this reason besides others he condemns the Church of Rome for Innovation in Religion And yet these very Practices are allow'd too by the Church of England as Mr. Montague confesses in his Appeal to Caesar c. 19. 20. 21. who likewise besides this Ib. approves the giving Respect and Reverence to them as was done by Pope Gregory in Rememoration and more effectual representment of the Prototypes Now if this use of Images leaves the Church of Rome without all Title to Antiquity what better has the Church of England If this be enough to un-church the Church of Rome dos it not at least make the Church of England Stagger But if these Practices and the like be enough with the Confuter to charge a Church with the Guilt of Innovation and Alteration in Religion I believe against the next Edition he may easily find more of the like Nature to add to his Margin viz. the wearing the Surplice the Cope and Lawn Sleeves the saying of Litanies and Common-Prayer with many others which were not all practic'd from the time of the Apostles but are of a more modern date These are the chief Remarks I observ'd in the perusal of this Paper if the Confuter will but consider them well I may expect his next to come out more exact at least as far as his cause will bear I have only one thing more to observe and that is his Conclusion in which after he has Confuted as he thinks all the claim of the Church of Rome to Antiquity he asserts the Church of England as establish'd by Law for the only True Antient Primitive Church And this is a thing I cannot tell possibly which way to make Sense of For how can this Church of England which started into the World only an hundred and fifty years ago be the True Antient Primitive Church of Christ which has been visibly extant in the World above these sixteen hundred years ever since Christ and his Apostles Where were her Pastors her Teachers her Prelates for a thousand years before Edward the Sixth Where were her Nine and Thirty Articles her Homilies her Common-Prayer Book her Test Don't every body know that Christ and his Apostles had never a hand in these they being all fram'd of late years the Where the When the By Whom and the Wherefore being as well known as the way to the Parliament-house T is true the Act in Confirmation of the First Common-Prayer Book says that this Book was compil'd by the Aid of the Holy Ghost But the Great Alterations and Additions that were made by the same Parliament in the same Kings Reign even in things of Weight and Moment are enough to make any Man Jealous and to suspect that that Holy Spirit which is Vnchangeable was not very particularly assistant in such a Changeable Matter and that if the Parties concern'd had seriously thought it had been effected by his Aid they had not so soon applied themselves to the mending it As to this Church therefore as far as concerns it's being Establish'd by Law the World knows when 't was done and that as Establish'd by Law it sometimes Pray'd for the Dead and as Establish'd by Law it dos not Pray for the Dead But where this Church was before 't was Establish'd by Law that is not so easie to tell We know that this Church separated from the whole Body of Christians and that it joyn'd to no Congregation of Believers or Church then in being if it did let it be shewn to which If it did not we must judge it as Modern and Novel as the Separation and if She be True that there was before that time no True Church of Christ in being throughout the whole Christian World which is as Absurd as well can be Let not the Confuter therefore boast too much of his Church's Antiquity 't is not enough to pretend that She believes the Creed but 't is to be prov'd that She believes it entirely and fully in that Sense as 't was taught by the Apostles and profess'd by the Primitive Church this she must shew as to those Four Articles He descended into Hell I believe The Holy Catholic Church The Communion of Saints The Forgiveness of Sins She must shew likewise that besides believing the Creed She Denies nothing of what was taught by the Apostles and was the Belief of the Pure and Primitive Church He that denies all the Sacraments may say he believes the Creed and yet he is not of the Church of Christ He that shou'd subscribe Negative Articles in the denial of Original Sin and the Necessity of God's Grace may boast he believes the Creed and yet is nothing better than a Pelagian He that will be a True Member of Christs Church must believe the Catholic Faith Wholly and Entirely as we profess in the Athanasian Creed Let him prove this of the Church of England and then he 'll shew her to be the Antient Church But alas When this Pure and Entire Belief is denied to the Church of Rome notwithstanding her Continu'd Succession of Bishops and Pastors from Christ's time to this and her determining nothing but in a General Assembly of those Prelates whose charge it was to do it Who can believe that this is found in the Church of England who awaking out of a thousand years sleep of Ignorance Errors and Idolatry as they own in a confusion and hurry of affairs jump'd into this Pure and Entire Faith of Christ in the Parliament-house by the help of a few Bishops Divines and Laymen Certainly if the Bishops of the whole Christian World err'd for above a thousand years notwithstanding their frequent Meetings and Conferences about Faith and Religion 't is very hard to believe that our Parliament did not Err especially when the Spirit that mov'd in those times of Reforming had so much of Lust Avarice Rapine Confusion and Sacriledge that 't is not likely it should protect from Error but rather lead them to it And if it did not let those believe it that can FINIS