opinion and ceremony as if nothing less than eternal salvation had been concerned in these niceties whence charity being wholly forgot and lost in these disputes whilst each strove not so much for truth as victory evil suspicions and animosities took place and opened a wide gap for schism to enter Hereupon Altar was erected against Altar and contrary Episcopal Sees established in the same cities and furious and seditious Preachers sounded in the Pulpit an alarum to a holy war as if they had been ready to engage with the professed enemies of Christ in defence of the chief articles of Religion Hence they first lookt upon it as a piece of becoming zeal and as a mark of godliness to abstain from all external communion with each other as if the danger and the guilt had been less to have been present at the Heathen and Jewish assemblies afterwards followed odious crimes laid to each others charge and most abusive and execrable titles and appellations as if there had been a total apostasy and defection from the Christian faith from which most unjust and scandalous censures there arose at last an irreconcileable enmity and hatred which no art no compliance in other matters whilst these evil and perverse opinions were rooted in their minds could be able to remove or mollify But alas so far are these dreadful and fatal heats with which the Church for so many ages has been enflamed from being abated that upon the addition of fresh matter they have burst out with greater violence which is almost irresistible Who is there so far forsaken and devoid of good nature mercy and pity who is not filled with horror when he reflects upon those horrid tumults and distractions with which Christendom is torn asunder at this very day I do not mean those distractions the natural effects of war wherein thousands are daily sacrificed to ambition and other brutal passions but such as different opinions about matters of religion have brought upon the world in which no mercy and charity are shewed to the souls of the adverse party which as far as furious zeal takes place are consigned over to hell by peremptory sentences of excommunication it being accounted a very godly and justifiable pretension to think and judge amiss of those who differ from them in lesser matters In the mean time whilst every one doth foolishly indulge to his ambition same and wit whilst they most partially favour that side which either chance has cast them upon or prejudice education and interest have recommended to their choice whilst the love of the world and a fear arising thence lest there should be any abatement and diminution of their secular pomp and advantage shut out truth and whilst perversness and obstinacy of mind set a bar against mutual forbearance and condescension altho out of modesty each may pretend to wish that an happy end were put to these disputes and endeavour with great earnestness to wipe off the envy of such a charge yet it is too too evident that they are kept up and maintained by pride and peevishness and base interest whilst they do not follow according to the excellent and wise advice of St. Paul after the things which make for peace and things wherewith one may edify another Romans 14. 19. It is the design of this paper briefly to enquire first into the reasons and causes of these differences arising about Religion which are still maintained with so great heat to the great scandal of so holy and venerable a Profession and how it comes to pass that the mild the sweet the merciful temper and genius which Christianity inspires her true Votaries with seems utterly lost amidst the noise and fury of those hot debates that prevail between parties of different communions and then secondly into the proper remedies of these horrid confusions and distractions and see if there be any just reason and ground to hope for the restoring of Ecclesiastical peace and unity to the divided countries of Christendom As to what concerns the first part of my enquiry I shall comprehend the original and causes of the divisions among Christians and which hinder them from uniting in the same common worship and service of God under these four following heads all others being of lesser moment or else easily reducible to one of them The first and principal is this a manifest and great departure from the simplicity of faith In the first beginnings of Christianity when the Apostles every of them in their distinct provinces declared to the world the revelation of God our Saviour it was not as to what concerns the doctrine of faith any great matter of difficulty nor required any great study or deep research to be a Christian. The mysteries of it as to their number were but few as is evident from the Creed which contains a brief form of words clearly and nakedly proposed without any perplexity or ambiguity of expression so that although the matter of some of them do transcend the utmost strength and force of humane understanding and cannot be comprehended by the most sublime and subtle wit whatever yet persons of the meanest capacities and most ordinary understanding cannot complain that they were neglected Now this doctrine of faith was at first one the same every where even in the most distant countries which had no commerce one with another At that time they believed no otherwise at Rome Ephesus Alexandria or Corinth than at Jerusalem The Apostles being guided by the same infallible spirit taught the same necessary articles of faith every where whence arose that admirable concent and harmony of doctrine as if that great work of the conversion of the world to the faith of Christ had not been done apart but had been jointly carried on by the common advice and direction of the College of Apostles remaining in a fixed place For then those here in Britain agreed in judgment with those who were in India when there was no passage through the great and vast ocean known or so much as attempted the polarity of the magnet being then unknown and undiscovered And the like is to be said of the other parts of the world as Irenaeus shews in his first book against heresies chap. 3. where being about to evince the truth of the Catholick faith from the agreement of so many nations differing in language and manners and customs of living so many seas running between he adds that there is the same force of tradition notwithstanding this great variety of language and that the Churches in Germany Spain Gaule in the East in Egypt and Lybia neither believed nor delivered down contrary doctrines but as the Sun the creature of God is one and the same in the universe so the light and doctrine of truth shines every where and enlightens all men who are willing to come to the knowledge of it So that all being admitted by the Sacrament of baptism to the profession of the same faith if chance or
business or curiosity of travelling brought Christians of different nations together upon the first acknowledgement of this faith which shewed that they were Christians they run into each others embraces and found that they agreed in the same points of religion as if they had been bred up under the same masters and had spent their whole time together And indeed it could scarce be otherwise through the piety innocence zeal and constancy of those times not as if there were no opinions started about which they might have different sentiments for that in such great variety and disproportion of understanding and temper was scarce possible but they held fast to the Apostolical doctrine and tradition and provided that their faith in Christ was entire and orthodox in lesser matters liberty of judgment was allowed without censure No one was oppressed with unjust suspicions and prejudices they shunned not such an ones company as if he had been excommunicated but received and embraced him as a Brother and fellow Christian. The holy Apostles who by their unwearied diligence and preaching had form'd and establisht Churches every where that they might make just provisions for the Christians of all ages after their decease thought it highly concerned them to commit to writing the doctrine of faith which they had taught that in case any doubt should arise in aftertimes and new doctrines should be introduced by wanton and over curious wits desirous and over apt to innovate in matters of religion under a pretense of Apostolical tradition these infallible oracles might be consulted as the measure and standard of divine truth Accordingly to these sacred writings they had recourse as to the only rule of faith they derived all the streams of saving truth from these uncorrupt springs here was the tryal whether any one was sound or reprobate concerning the faith so the great truths of Religion were preserved entire there was no trouble given to any one upon the accompt of any subtle or nice questions All equally enjoyed the same right of communion they were present at the same holy offices of religion with a most agreeable piety they all were partakers of the same holy Sacrament from which if any were by the strict discipline of the Church debarred it was wholly to be imputed to the miscarriages of life whereof they were guilty which the Church desired to amend and make them sensible of by this severe course and method But when the pertinaciousness of Hereticks relying upon the quirks and subtilty of unsound wit would in no wise acquiesce in Scriptural propositions of faith when with a sacrilegious boldness they would break into the very secrets of heaven which were above the capacity of humane understanding fully to make out and comprehend when despising and rejecting the revelations of Scripture they disclaimed the profession and acknowledgment of the truths and mysteries of the Christian religion and when by their evil designs arts and practices the weaker sort of Christians whom they had infected with their corrupt and poisonous doctrine were drawn away from the profession of the true faith it then became necessary and most worthy the serious thoughts and care of Constantine the great and the other pious Emperors to call General Councils in order to prevent those disturbances and breaches of the Churches peace which were likely to arise from the change and alteration of faith and all the industry of those great men who were summoned to attend and assist at those solemn and venerable assemblies was laid out and imployed not in inventing and making new Articles but in interpreting and explaining the old ones for both their zeal and piety forbad that they should give way to any innovation or suffer the ancient Catholick faith which was at first delivered to be antiquated and the profession of it disused For to use the words of Vincentius Lirinensis what other thing has the Church of Christ designed and effected by the decrees of Councils but that that which was before simply believed might now be believed with greater diligence that which before was more rarely and gently preached might now be preached with greater zeal and concern and that which was held and maintained more securely might now be studied and maintained with greater care and solicitude So that to stop the mouth of heresy and to give it its deaths wound those Heroes mostly and chiefly relying upon the authority of the sacred scripture and calling in to their aid and assistance the constant practice and consent of the Orthodox Christians of the preceding ages and antient and Catholick tradition made a most excellent provision for the security of the Christian faith which Arius Macedonius Nestorius and the other infamous Haeresiarchs had with their false glosses perverted by laying down short forms and professions of faith that so the several mysteries of it upon the belief of which the true religion and the happiness of its Professors depend might be better and more easily admitted and understood By this Test the Catholick Church distinguished those of her communion from the hereticks and by this unity of faith united their hearts in love and affection all who made profession of her doctrine in what part of the world soever they were being acknowledged and received for friends for brethren for Catholicks For there was no need of any other character or recommendation and hence that pious and laudable custom and practice of keeping up and maintaining this Ecclesiastical communion by the Epistolae formatae which were usually sent from one Bishop to another nor did the Bishop of Rome exempt himself upon their instalment had their original nor was there any other proof exacted or demanded of their retaining the profession of the true Christian faith than a firm and hearty assent to those antient Creeds How happy it had been for the Catholick Church if the terms of communion had continued thus enlarged the meanest capacity may easily be sensible of for most assuredly if the antient faith the profession of which has saved so many myriads of Christians had been preserved uncorrupt and entire from the encumbrance and addition of novel opinions which owe their original and propagation to meer phantasy and superstition and secular interest and if all who acknowledge that Faith might have been present at the publick worship and service of God upon the same conditions as in the first ages according to the rules established by the supream Ecclesiastical authority there had not been that great confusion every where in the world as now there is By this just and easy method schism might have been prevented and a liberty of judgment being allowed in matters no way fundamental and essential to faith an eternal peace had been established Of the violation of which we justly accuse the Roman Church which having wholly neglected and laid aside the rules of primitive Antiquity has as mistress of the faith of all Christians obtruded new articles under the specious pretense and
title of Declaration upon their consciences and understandings But what injustice what arbitrary proceeding what tyranny is this that the faith of the Christian world should depend upon the humor and pleasure of the Roman Court and the opinions of the Schoolmen without any regard to Scripture and antiquity and that all other Churches should be excommunicated unless they enslave themselves to her Tenents and that all should be branded with the odious name of Schismatick and Heretick who dare maintain and defend their rights against the imposition of their novelties Let the true faith be examined by the rule of Scripture let the doctrine of the first times be consulted in the proof and tryal of it let the antient canons be restored let no force be put upon the conscience and let all unjust conditions cease and be for ever abrogated the peace of the Church will then return and we may hope to see good days in Christendom Which suggests to me an other hindrance of Ecclesiastical peace and unity which ariseth hence 2. That several opinions and tenents which without prejudice to the true faith we may be ignorant of are too highly valued and esteemed and by an overhasty and inconsiderate zeal are lookt upon as fundamental points necessary to salvation The Apostle Saint Paul takes a particular and wise care in the 14th chapter of the epistle to the Romans lest they who agreed in the Faith of the eternal Son of God the true Messias and Redeemer of mankind and were called by his blessed name should upon some little differences in trivial matters break out into hatred and ill will one to another For there was not the same opinion among them about the ceasing of the Mosaical institutions They who had arrived to a greater degree of faith and maturity of judgment very much rejoyced in their happy change and condition of life that they were delivered from the grievous burden of the Jewish rites and ceremonies whilst others who were not so well instructed and satisfied in the privileges and liberties of the Christian religion very fiercely contended that no one at least no Jew was exempt and freed from those observances Hence proceeded bitter and severe censures one against another as transgressors of the divine law and hereupon they entertained those unjust opinions of one anothers condition as to the other world as if one heaven could not hold two such contrary parties But what says the Apostle to all this he plainly shews that this sharp censorious and fierce temper of mind is most displeasing to him as being most disagreeable to the very rules of Christianity that in an affair of so slight a nature no one runs the hazard of his salvation that the strong were herein to indulge and yield somewhat to the weak in faith who were not so fully enlightned as they were that they who thought that there was an obligation still lying upon them to observe the law of Moses had not upon this accompt abjured the faith of Christ and that they who on the contrary thought that there was no obligation lying upon them had not been guilty of the breach of a divine law that they were not to abstain from communicating with each other that in these matters a liberty of judgment was not to be denyed so they had a right faith in Christ that this common faith in which both parties agreed was a sufficient ground of Christian communion and lastly that they were to be more studious of peace and mutual edification than of useless controversies which contributed little or nothing to the advancement of Christianity or to their own mutual benefit and advantage or to the encrease of piety and good manners With what greater modesty and moderation had such as having laid aside all thoughts of peace for the sake of opinions of far lesser moment have gone about to make divisions in the Catholick Church have carryed themselves if they had imitated this Apostle in this his most exemplary meekness and lenity Hast thou faith Sayes this wise and excellent person have it to thy self before God. Let every one enjoy his own private opinions of which sort there may be many for the sake of which we cannot without the highest injustice give way to furious passion and strife at least if they cannot retain them in their breasts but have an itch of venting them let them not impose them upon others as oracles as if all who do not assent to them were in a deplorable condition The case is the same about particular Churches as about private men whilst each retains the entire doctrine of the Catholick Church let them make what laws articles and constitutions they shall think fit to oblige their own members to uniformity this certainly being a privilege which is essential to every national Church in order to its better establishment If these controversies concerning private and particular opinions had been confined to the Schools with a salvo to conscience and free judgment by the fierce disputants on either side the Church might have received no prejudice and damage by them and have been wholly uninterested in their quarrels For this is to be allowed and permitted to humane wit to be naturally prying into secrets and mysteries and mostly to please it self in new speculations and this it may do lawfully enough so it doth not pass those due boundaries which Scripture the Creeds of the Catholick Church and sober reason have set and fixt Let the Schoolmen over-run with the itch of curiosity wrangle eternally if they please seeing they not onely delight in it but make it their trade and business to perplex and entangle the most obvious truths although it is very apparent that in these eager and sharp contentions they aim more at victory and reputation than at truth and let them enjoy the fame and credit of being accounted great Sophisters and wits Let them flatter themselves that they can explain the most difficult problem and satisfy the most confounding objection with their nice and subtil distinctions let them enjoy their phansy or their judgment without the least disturbance and censure seeing some are so in love with their errors that they hate to be better instructed and to go about to convince them is the way to disoblige them provided all this be done as a tryal of wit and as an exercise of a plodding brain I add further let any particular Church to prevent all disputes which may have an influence upon its peace and which by the cunning contrivance of designing men may introduce schism and disorder make a body of articles and canons to be subscribed by all who are entrusted with the administration of holy things as an instrument of peace and concord and where they pretend to state and determine controversial points let them be esteemed by those of that Church never so pious never so credible never so probable no harm can possibly arise so long as the summary of the
Christian doctrine is not violated so long as they are not ranked with the fundamental articles of faith so long as they do not impose them upon other Churches who are no way subject to a forraign jurisdiction much less upon the whole body of Christians in all the parts of the Universe under the pretence of Apostolical authority and under the heavy penalty of an Anathema But that there should be no difference put between the novel opinions of the Schoolmen and the Oracles of Scripture that the same deference and honour should be paid to humane authority very obnoxious to passion and error which only infallible truth can justly challenge that the phansies of private men as they were at first should many ages after by a pretended Church-power be reckoned as fundamentals and lastly that we should be obliged to profess our assent to rash sanctions and definitions which a corrupt part of the Church for secular ends and advantages hath decreed and established this this is that which scandalizeth Christendom and obstructs its peace This was the just complaint of the former century which made way for the Reformation and which a conviction of the truth and reasonableness of it extorted from the mouths of several Romanists who yet had not the courage to relinquish the communion of that Church though confessedly corrupt in matter of doctrine discipline and worship This was the trouble and heart-breaking of several excellently learned and pious persons in those times and doth still distract the minds of all good men even of considering Romanists not infatuated with superstition and furious bigotry who pray for the restoration of Catholick unity among all Christians But such a schism so detestable so deplorable and so big with dismal effects consequences and events has been brought into the Church by corrupt interest by base and disingenuous artifice and subtilty and by the highest immodesty and by downright force and violence and this confirmed by the free holy oecumenical council of Trent as they call it when God knows it was neither free nor holy nor oecumenical as that all hope of reconciliation among the different professions and perswasions of Christians is taken away unless the Authors of this schism shall offer terms of an accommodation fit to be accepted that is by annulling or suspending for ever the authority of the Tridentine council which is a thing not to be expected from them or rather unless the Princes of the Roman Communion shall force the Pope to call another Council and in case of refusal shall assemble several Bishops and Doctors of their respective countries to debate the controversies which are now on foot and to determine them by Scripture primitive Antiquity and Apostolical Tradition It will yield just matter of astonishment to the serious Reader to consider that the institution of the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist which Christ left to his Church in remembrance of his passion and death and for a pledge of his love and as a mark and token of the mutual love of Christians and of their faith in him crucified whom that Sacrament does truly and efficaciously represent and exhibit should by the subtilty of the Devil and the perverse disputings of interested persons be so far abused and perverted that they should hence take occasion of envying eternal salvation purchased by his precious bloud and of denying it too as much as in them lyes to such as are partakers of those holy mysteries according to his original institution For what other reason can be alledged for that fury which under the notion and pretext of zeal has taken up arms as if the cause of God were concerned in it and has brought that great confusion upon the world unless because they have different notions and sentiments about this tremendous mystery and disagree somewhat in their explications of it What great quantity of Christian bloud has been spilt by an enraged party upon the accompt of these unhappy Sacramentary quarrels which have ended in bloudy wars and Massacres What great havock and wast have they made both by fire and sword of thousands of their Fellow Christians beyond the fury and madness of the Heathen persecutions who were in all other points innocent and were therefore burnt and had their throats cut only for this one great crime because they would not admit believe and acknowledge contrary to scripture reason sense and experience the portentous and extravagant fiction of Transubstantiation There is no Christian but believes Christ to be really and truly that is spiritually and to all the real effects and benefits of his Passion and death and by the efficacy of his grace and Spirit present under the sacred Symbols which yet retain their true and natural substance as well as qualities and that he receives the mystical body of Christ after the consecration according to the words of the institution upon which the faith of all Christians is founded and what has been professed in all ages and justly esteemed the badge of Christian communion by all sober persons whose judgments have not been perverted by passion and unjust prejudice If every one without any curious enquiry into this mystery had contented himself with the plain and simple belief of it and with all due care had intended the worthy partaking of it if the Church of Rome had not first of all in the Lateran council and after that in the council of Trent rashly determined the manner of the presence of Christ in the sacrament if the Lutherans and others had onely determined for themselves without prescribing to or condemning others and if an explicite belief of this monstrous opinion had not been made a necessary term and condition of communion how might we have adored before the same altars from which we are now excluded as profane unworthy and excommunicate persons and from which we have reason to abstain and fly as the primitive Christians did from the sacrifices of Idolaters and have been present at the most solemn services of religion with the same zeal to the great advantage of Christian charity and devotion No Priest would then have been afraid to admit any devout lay-person approaching the holy sacrament with due preparation and no lay-person would then also have been afraid to receive it from the hand of such a Priest rightly ordained and constituted The like may be said of many other points of religion which without any prejudice to the doctrine of Faith are disputed and controverted but whilst all other interpretations and expositions being laid aside men boldly decree and determine this or that opinion to be de fide whilst the niceties of the Schoolmen and the positions of contentious and Polemical Theology which idle men relying too much upon their subtil wit and false and sophistical way of arguing have introduced are in such esteem and vogue with some as to be lookt upon as necessary appendages of the Christian religion and whilst articles of faith which were altogether unknown