xix. 18 Church, because he had thousands which never bowed 1 Kings their knees to Baal; but whose knees were bowed unto Baal, even they were also of the visible Church of God. Nor did the Prophet so complain, as if that Church had been quite and clean extinguished; but he took it as though there had not been remaining in the world any besides himself that carried a true and an upright heart towards God, with care to serve him according unto his holy will. For lack of diligent observing the difference, first between the Church of God, mystical and visible, then between the visible sound and corrupted, sometimes more, sometimes less, the oversights are neither few nor light that have been committed. This deceiveth them, and nothing else, who think that in the time of the first world the family of Noah did contain all that were of the visible Church of God.. From hence it grew, and from no other cause in the world, that the African Bishops in the Council of Carthage, knowing how the administration of Baptism belongeth only to the Church of Christ, and supposing that Heretics, which were apparently severed from the sound believing Church, could not possibly be of the Church of Jesus Christ, thought it utterly against Reason, that Baptism administered by men of corrupt belief should be accounted as a Sacrament. And Forty therefore in maintenance of Rebaptization, their arguments Concil. are built upon the fore-alleged ground, "That Heretics are not at all any part of the Church of Christ. Our Saviour founded his Church on a rock, and not upon heresy. Power of baptizing he gave to his Apostles,† unto Heretics he gave it not. Wherefore they that are without the Church, and oppose themselves against Christ, do but scatter his sheep and flock: without the Church, baptize they cannot." Again, "Are Heretics Christians, or are they Secundinot? If they be Christians, wherefore remain they not in eodem God's Church? If they be no Christians, how make they Christians? Or to what purpose shall those words of the Lord serve, 'He which is not with me, is against me;' and Matt. 'He which gathereth not with me, scattereth?' Wherefore evident it is, that upon misbegotten children and the brood of Antichrist without Rebaptization the Holy Ghost cannot descend." But none in this case so earnest as Cyprian:‡ * Matt. vii. 24. xvi. 18. * † Matt. xxviii. 19. nat. in Car. nus in Concil. xii. 30. "I know no Baptism but one, and that in the Church only; none without the Church, where he that doth cast out the Devil, hath the Devil: he doth examine about belief, whose lips and words do breathe forth a canker: the faithless doth offer the Articles of Faith; a wicked creature forgiveth wickedness; in the name of Christ, Antichrist signeth; he which is cursed of God, blesseth; a dead carrion promiseth life; a man unpeaceable giveth peace; a blasphemer calleth upon the name of God; a profane person doth exercise priesthood; a sacrilegious wretch doth prepare the altar; and in the neck of all these that evil also cometh, the Eucharist a very Bishop of the Devil doth presume to consecrate." All this was true, but not sufficient to prove that Heretics were in no sort "any part" of the visible Church of Christ, In Con- and consequently their baptism no baptism. This opinion cilio Ni- therefore was afterwards both condemned by a better advised Hieron. Council, and also revoked by the chiefest of the authors vers. La- thereof themselves. What is it but only the self-same error ciferia. and misconceit, wherewith others being at this day likewise ceno. Vid. Dial. ad possest, they ask us where our Church did lurk, in what cave of the earth it slept, for so many hundreds of years together, before the birth of Martin Luther? As if we were of opinion, that Luther did erect a new Church of Christ. No, the Church of Christ which was from the beginning, is, and continueth unto the end: of which Church, all parts have not been always equally sincere and sound. In the days of Abia, it plainly appeareth that Judah was by many degrees more free from pollution than Israel; as that solemn oration sheweth, wherein he pleadeth for the one against the other 2 Chron. in this wise: "O Jeroboam, and all Israel, hear you me : 9-11. have ye not driven away the Priests of the Lord, the sons of xiii. 4. Aaron, and the Levites, and have made you Priests like the people of nations? Whosoever cometh to consecrate with a young bullock and seven rams, the same may be a Priest of them that are no gods. But we belong unto the Lord our God, and have not forsaken him; and the Priests, the sons of Aaron, minister unto the Lord, every morning and every evening, burnt-offerings and sweet incense; and the bread is set in order upon the pure table, and the candlestick of gold with the lamps thereof to burn every evening; for we keep the watch of the Lord our God, but ye have forsaken him." In St. Paul's time the integrity of Rome was famous; Corinth iv. 17. xxiv. 15. many ways reproved; they of Galatia much more out of square. In St. John's time, Ephesus and Smyrna in far better state than Thyatira and Pergamus were. We hope, therefore, that to reform ourselves, if at any time we have done amiss, is not to sever ourselves from the Church we were of before. In the Church we were, and we are so still. Other difference between our estate before and now we know none, but only such as we see in Judah; which having sometime been idolatrous, became afterwards more soundly religious, by renouncing idolatry and superstition. If Ephraim "be joined unto idols," the counsel of the Pro- Hos. phet is, "Let him alone. If Israel play the harlot, let not is. Judah sin." "If it seem evil unto you (saith Joshua), to Josh. serve the Lord, choose you this day whom you will serve; whether the gods whom your fathers served beyond the flood, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell: but I and mine house will serve the Lord." The indisposition therefore of the Church of Rome to reform herself, must be no stay unto us from performing our duty to God; even as desire of retaining conformity with them could be no excuse, if we did not perform that duty. Notwithstanding, so far as lawfully we may, we have held and do hold fellowship with them. For even as the Apostle doth say of Israel, that they are in one respect "enemies," but in another Rom.xi. "beloved" of God: in like sort with Rome, we dare not communicate concerning sundry her gross and grievous abominations; yet touching those main parts of Christian truth wherein they constantly still persist, we gladly acknowledge them to be of the family of Jesus Christ;* and our 25. * ["The Church of England doth confess, that The Church of Christ is a company of faithful people, among whom the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments rightly administered according to Christ's Institution, &c.: And that, The Church of Rome hath erred, not only in manners and Ceremonies, but also in matters of Faith: Article XIX. Which by the Reverend Fathers of our Church is expounded thus, 'Without Christ the Church is no Church; neither hath any right or claim without his promise, nor any promise without his Word.' (Jewel's Reply against Hard. Art. 2. p. 99.) The Church of Rome being as it is now, utterly void of God's Word, is as a lantern without light.' (Ib. Art. 6. p. 366.) 'We have departed from that Church which they have made a den of thieves, and in which they have left nothing sound, or like to a Church; and which themselves did confess to have erred in many things, even as Lot in old time out of Sodom, or Abraham out of Chaldea, &c.' (Apol. Eccl. Angl. 1581. p. 191.) The general error and defection of the Popish Synagogue from Christ's true Church foreshewed in the Scriptures, is now manifest to the world by dissention from Christ and his holy Apostles' doctrine, and from the doctrine of the Churches by the Apostles founded. (Noel. confut. Dorman. cap. i. p. 57.) And for this cause, they call the heresy of that Romish Church, Apostasia Romanensium ab Ecclesia, The apostacy of the Romish rabble from the Church : and they call the Pope, Apostatam, Antichristum, an apostate, antichrist. (Fulk. ad cavil. T. Stapl. ferè in princi.) And, bind up in one bundle, hearty prayer unto God Almighty is, that being conjoined so far forth with them, they may at the length (if it be his will) so yield to frame and reform themselves, that no dis Idolaters, superstitious persons, Papists, and Atheists (Whitgift, Def. of Ans. p. 179); constantly affirming, that among English Christians no other thing is meant by the name of Papists, than heretics and traitors, antichristians, and apostates, enemies to God, their Prince, and their Country. (Fulke, Rejoind. to Brist. reply to p. 27.) Now we find in you these peremptory affirmations, 'With Rome we dare not communicate concerning sundry her gross and grievous abominations; yet touching those main parts of Christian truth wherein they constantly still persist, we gladly acknowledge them to be of the family of Jesus Christ?' and a little before, We hope that to reform ourselves, if at any time we have done amiss, is not to sever ourselves from the Church we were of before. In the Church we were, and we are so still.' (p. 201.) And, in another place, you would have men to acknowledge, that it is due' to the Church of Rome, 'to be held and reputed a part of the House of God, and a limb of the visible Church of Christ' (Book V. sec. 68): and your principal reason seemeth to be, because you say, 'That which separateth utterly, that which cutteth off clean from the visible Church of Christ, is plain Apostacy, direct denial, utter rejection of the whole Christian Faith, as far as the same is professedly different from Infidelity.' (Ibid.) Here you seem unto us to come forth as another Elias, to bring again the people unto the God of their fathers. (Mal. iv. 6.) They say, that the Church of Rome hath erred, not only in manners, but also in matters of Faith: you! you call them back; and say, 'sundry gross and grievous abominations.' They say that the Church of Rome, as it is now, is utterly void of God's Word; as a lantern without light; and, that it is a den of thieves in which they have left nothing sound, or like a Church, but is like Sodom, &c.: you call them back; and say, that they have main parts of Christian truth wherein they constantly persist.' They affirm, and that constantly, that there is a general error and defection of the Church of Rome foreshewed in the Scriptures, and therefore called them Apostates, and matched them with Atheists: seeing it is now made manifest to the world, that they are departed from the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles, &c. You call them back, and say, 'We gladly acknowledge them to be of the family of Jesus Christ,' and, 'To be held and reputed a part of the House of God, and a limb of the visible Church of Christ.' And, therefore, you are bold to affirm, that 'We sever not ourselves from the Church we were of before: in the Church we were and we are so still.' We are here in a strait except you help us out for if we believe you, we must think our Reverend Fathers to have misled us all this while, either of malice or ignorance; if we believe them, we must think that Master Hoo. is very arrogant and presumptuous to make himself the only Rabbi! We pray you therefore, to reconcile these two judgments, that men fall not away to look back into Egypt; or else explain your mind further, and shew us some clear demonstration of that you intend; Whether you be not sorry that we are departed from the unity of that See, or that you think they err not in matters of Faith; and that all these great disputes about the Church, and bloody dissentions and conflicts, come by oversight and too great zeal, and for want of knowledge in our Reverend Fathers, and in all those millions of learned men that have frankly given their blood for the detection and departing from that Church, as from antichrist and an apostate? And here we pray you to shew us out of divine Truth your Rule to discern a Congregation to be a member of the visible Church: Whether whosoever holdeth any one 'professed truth differing from Infidelity,' may be a member of the visible Church? And whether you mean by 'Infidelity,' nothing else but that which is not taught by the Gospel of Jesus Christ; and they which hold any part of that which you call supernatural truth (that is, as we take it, of that truth which men know no otherwise but by the Word of God) they are not fallen into an Apostacy,' &c.? And here we crave your judgment of the Turk, How your Rule fitteth them? For, as we think by reading his Al-coran, he holdeth some 'main' points of 'Christian truth;' as, namely, these, There is one God;' and that he created all things without labour or weariness; and that he preserveth the things created;' 'Faith is given and augmented of God;' he forbiddeth the adoring of saints and images;' affirmeth God to 'hate and abhor the art of magic;' and teacheth 'the resurrection of all men from the dead' (Read Azoara 2, 10, 15, 17, 20, 29, 45, 56.) Shew us now, Whether the Turk be not of the family of Jesus Christ?' Lastly, we pray you to open unto us, that seeing you say the Church of Rome is the House of God,' Whether a man continuing in that House, and never coming out to hold the true belief of Christ, as we do in England, but renouncing and persecuting it to the death; whether such a one may be saved? If yea, why need we sever ourselves to so 6 xv. 6. Heb. traction remain in any thing, but that we all may "with one [Rom. heart and one mouth glorify God, the Father of our Lord with and Saviour, whose Church we are." As there are which ii. 6.) make the Church of Rome utterly no Church at all, by reason of so many, so grievous errors in their doctrines; so we have them amongst us, who, under pretence of imagined corruptions in our discipline, do give even as hard a judgment of the Church of England itself. But whatsoever either the one sort or the other teach, we must acknowledge even Heretics themselves to be, though a maimed part, yet a part of the visible Church. If an Infidel should pursue to death an Heretic professing Christianity, only for Christian profession' sake, could we deny unto him the honour of martyrdom? Yet this honour all men know to be proper unto the Church. Heretics therefore are not utterly cut off from the visible Church of Christ. If the Fathers do any where, as oftentimes they do, make the true visible Church of Christ and heretical companies opposite; they are to be construed as separating Heretics, not altogether from the company of Believers, but from the fellowship of sound Believers. For where profest unbelief is, there can be no visible Church of Christ; there may be, where sound belief wanteth. Infidels being clean without the Church, deny directly and utterly reject the very principles of Christianity; which Heretics embrace, and err only by misconstruction; whereupon their opinions, although repugnant indeed to the principles of Christian Faith, are notwithstanding by them held otherwise, and maintained as most consonant thereunto. Wherefore being Christians in regard of the general truth of Christ which they openly profess; yet they are by the Fathers every where spoken of, as men clean excluded out of the right believing Church, by reason of their particular errors, for which all that are of a sound belief must ་ great trouble from her gross and grievous abominations, if they be not such as can extinguish our Faith to our destruction? If no, why do you not join with our Reverend Fathers to abandon that house where there is no salvation? Of God's House it is said, it is 'the ground and pillar of truth' (1 Tim. iii. 15); the 'habitation of God by his Spirit' (Eph. ii. 22); and the glorious rest of Christ,' (Isai. xii. 10); in which God loveth to 'dwell,' and wherein he hath delight,' and the same he will 'bless' in 'victuals,' 'priests,' and 'saints' (Psal. cxxxii. 13-16); so that such as 'be planted' in that 'House,' shall flourish in the courts of our God, they shall still bring forth fruit in their age,' &c. (Psal. xcii. 13, 14). Shew us we pray you, Whether these things may be applied to the Church of Rome rightly and essentially; and what comfort we may have by departing from her Communion, if she be a 'part of the House of God,' &c.? And these things we pray you to aver, not by human witness, but by that which cometh down from Heaven: so did Elias. (Rom. ii. 11.)”—A Christian Letter, p. 17.] |