soundness of doctrine. The net doth not straight make all to be fish, that it hath dragged together: ye shall find in it vile weeds; and whatsoever else, that devouring element hath disgorged. The Church is, at once, one, in respect of the common principles of faith; and yet, in respect of consequences, and that rabble of opinions which they have raked together, so opposed, that it cannot, by any glue of concord, as Cyprian speaketh, nor bond of unity, be conjoined. That, which Rome holds with us, makes it a Church that, which it obtrudes upon us, makes it heretical. The truth of principles makes it one: the error and impiety of additions makes it irreconcileable. Neither doth this late and spurious brood of traditions more oppose us, than it doth those very principles of religion, which the authors themselves desire to establish. Look on the face, therefore, of the Roman Church, she is ours, and God's: look on her back, she is quite contrary, antichristian. More plainly, for it is no disputing in metaphors, as Clemens said well, Rome doth both hold the foundation, and destroy it: she holds it directly, destroys it by consequent. In that she holds it, she is a True Church, howsoever imputed: in that she destroys it, whatever semblance she makes of piety and holiness she is a Church of Malignants t. If she did altogether hold it, she should be sound and orthodox: if altogether she destroyed it, she should be either no Church, or devilish: but, now that she professes to hold those things directly, which by inference of her consequences she closely overthrows, she is a truly visible Church, but an unsound. In what she holds the principles, we embrace her: in what she destroys them, we pity her error, and hate her obstinacy. The common bond of Christianity never ties us to favour gross errors, so much as with silence. There is no such slavery in the dear name of a Sister, that it should bind us to give either aid or countenance to lewdness. Have no such fellowship, saith St. Paul, but rather reprove; Eph. v. 11. So we have done; both modestly and earnestly. The same is befallen us, which befel the blessed Apostle; we are become their enemies, for telling the truth; Gal. iv. 16. Behold, now we are thrust out of door; spat upon; railed at; and, when opportunity serves, persecuted with most curious torments: and, lest any mischief should be wanting, obstinacy is now, at last, added unto error; and a cruel rage, arising from impatience: and now their wickedness began to please them more, because it displeased us. And what should we now do, in such a case; we, the despised and rejected patrons of this spiritual chastity? To let fall so just a cause, we might not; unless we would cast off that God, who challenges this plea for only his. To yield and give in, were no other, * Cypr. 1. iii. Ep. 13. Nullo concordiæ glutine aut unitatis vinculo copulari possunt. † Ps. xxvi. 5. ἰκκλησία πονηρευομένων. than to betray the truth of God, and damn our own souls. No course remains, but this one; and here is our only safety; with all our courage and skill, to oppose the wicked paradoxes and idolatrous practices of the Romish Church, till either she be ashamed of herself, or repent that ever she was. SECT. 2. The Commodities and Conditions of Peace. BEAUTIFUL is the name of Peace, as Hilary speaketh *, and truly sacred; and such, as scarce savoureth of the earth. Neither did the Hebrews by any other term choose rather to express all happiness, and perfection of living †. Neither is there any thing, which the angels did more gladly congratulate unto men ‡, or which Christ did more carefully bequeath §, or the apostles more earnestly enjoin. How oft, and how vehemently, doth the Spirit entreat and command us to have peace! "But this," thou say est," is every man's wish, to have peace: but what if peace will not be had?" Lo, then, St. James charges us to make peace, by our endeavours, by our patience. "Once made, and had; what if it will not stay with us?" Then St. Paul bids, to follow those things which concern peace; Rom. xiv. 19. “What if it will needs away, and hide itself?" Yet then St. Peter commands to follow, and enquire after it; 1 Pet. iii. 11. "What if, once found, it refuse to come; as Abraham's servant presupposed of Rebekah?" Even then study to be quiet, saith St. Paul; or, as the word implies, be ambitious of peace; 1 Thess. iv. 11. So let the Author of Peace love us, as we love peace. Who is there, that would not rather wish, with Constantine, quiet days, and nights free from care and vexation **? It was a speech, worthy of an Emperor and a Christian, that fell from Jovianus, about that querulous libel of the Macedonians: "I hate contention; and those, that are inclined to concord, I love and reverence ++." Our adversaries would make us believe they profess and desire no less, with an equal zeal of charity and agreement. God be judge betwixt us both; and, whethersoever persists to hate peace, let him perish from the face of God and his holy angels. Yea, that this imprecation may be needless, he is already perished: for, as Cyprian, according to his wont, gravely, "They cannot come to the reward of peace, which have broken the peace of God, with the fury of discord ‡‡. ++ Socr. l. iii. c. 21. lg. James iii. 18. præmium venire non possunt, qui pacem Domini discordiæ furore ruperunt. And, surely, what but the flames of hell can determine the ambition of these fiery and boiling spirits? Basil observes well *, That God's fire gave light, and burned not: contrarily, the fire of hell burneth without light; and, therefore, is well worthy of those, who, despising the light of truth, delight themselves in the flames of contentions. Those are the true haters of peace, which do wilfully patronize errors contrary to the Christian Faith. So long as we must dwell by these tents of Kedar, we shall too justly complain, with the Psalmist, I love peace; but, in the mean while, they are bent to war; Ps. cxx. 5. And, as for us, which profess ourselves the ingenuous clients of peace; since we must needs fight, it is not for us to do nothing: for that blessed Choir of Angels, before their Peace upon earth, well sung, Glory to God in the highest heavens; Luke ii. 14 and St. James describes the wisdom of God to be first pure, then peaceable; James iii. 17: and that Chosen Vessel implies no less, when, to his charge of peace, he adds, if it be possible t. That is as impossible to every good man, which ought not to be done; as that, which cannot be done. Neither, indeed, as the rule of lawyers runs, can we be said to be able to do that, which we cannot honestly do. God, saith St. Paul, is not the author of confusion, but of peace. It is a wicked peace, it is no peace, that necessarily breeds confusion. That peace is worthy of a defiance, which proclaims war with God. And, I would to God, that peace, which Rome either can perform or dare promise, were of any better, of any other nature. Well, then let it be our present task, carefully to discuss St. Paul's condition of possibility; and teach how vain it is, to hope that a true, holy, and safe peace can be either had or maintained with our present Romanists: whether we regard THE ADVERSE AND STUBBORN DISPOSITION OF THE ONE SIDE; or, THE NATURE OF THE MATTERS CONTROVERTED; or, lastly, THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF THOSE MEANS, WHEREBY ANY RECONCILIATION MAY BE WROUGHT. These three shall be the limits, wherein this our, not unprofitable, nor yet unseasonable work, shall suffer itself to be bounded. CHAP. I. IMPOSSIBILITY OF RECONCILIATION, FROM THE OBSTINATE AND ADVERSE DISPOSITION OF THE ROMANISTS. AND, as for the first, I suppose we need not labour much. Indeed, God can easily make the wolf to dwell with the lamb, and the leopard to lodge with the kid; Is. xi. 6. How easy is it for him, so to soften the adamantine hearts of men, by bathing them in the blood of that Immaculate Lamb, that they should melt into pure love! But, as the times now are, it would be no less miraculous to find a Popish heart truly charitable to us, than to see the lions fawning upon Daniel. Even where there is strife about indifferent things, there is necessarily required a conspiring of the minds of them which would be reconciled; neither is it enough, that one side is content, together with arms, to lay down hatred: and how will our Romanists endure this? Surely, that hatred of Eteocles to his brother, or that of Vatinius, is but mere love to this of Papists. Alas! when, and where, are we not spat upon, as the most desperately heretical enemies of the Church? Rome admits Jews into her bosom, from whose hands their Pope's Holiness disdains not to receive the book of the Law of God; but Protestants she may not endure. That, which Socrates complains †, as injuriously done by Theodosius, a Grecian Bishop, against the very Macedonian Heretics, is daily done by them against us. No Arians, no Circumcellion Heretics, were ever more cruel: and these idle fablers, in the mean time, slander us to the world, as guilty of the same outrageous proceedings against them. What heresy is there in all times, which that Romulean wolf and her bawling clients are not wont to cast upon us? One while, we are the scholars of Simon Magus; because we do but once mention grace and salvation; for what have we else to do with that wicked sorcerer? another while, we are fetched from the cursed school of Eunomius; for that we attribute too much to faith; and yet no more, than that holy heretic St. Paul. One while, we are Pepuzians, that ascribe too much to women: then we are Origenists; for holding the image of God to be defaced in man: then, contrarily, Proclians; for holding the sin of concupiscence not enough defaced. One while, we are the followers of Sabellius; because, I think, we lived in the same age with Servetus: another while, of Eutiches; because we lived in the time of Swinckfeldius; for what business have we ever had else with those branded heretics? We are Pelagians, one while; for holding the wages of sin to be death then we are Donatists; for admitting none but the just into the Church of the elect. Sometimes we are Manichees; for denying free-will: straight, we are Arians; for refusing traditions: then, Novatians; for taking away penance. Another while, we are Erians; for rejecting oblations for the dead, and fastings: then, Jovinianists; for not allowing a slippery and vanishing faith: the followers of Vigilantius; for disclaiming the adoration of relics: of Nestorius; for disliking the asseveration of the sacramental bread. Now, we are Xenaites; for demolishing of images: then, we are Lampetians; for disallowing the servitude of idle vows ‡. Bellar, de Notis Eccles. 1. iv. c. 9.- Nota Sexta sic accus. Luth. Cal. Brent. Bellar. ib.-Re ipsá Calvinistis in Angliá mulier quædam est summus Sacerdos › It matters not, whether the foul mouth of that hired strumpet accuse Timotheus the Presbyter, or Athanasius the Bishop, so that somebody be smitten. It matters not what be spoken, so it be malicious. That is fully resolved of, which Nazianzen hath *: "No man shall hold in the reins of a riotous and lawless tongue." For, as Jerome saith + well, "it is the pastime of the wicked, to slander the good." That, therefore, which was the solemn fashion of the Lindians, never to do service to their Hercules without railing; the same is too ordinary with these public heralds of our patience. "Our daily furnace," as Austin speaks wittily, "is our adver saries' tongue." How easily might I here unload whole carts of reproaches, that have been heaped together by the scurrilous parasites of Rome! What rivers of blood, what bonfires of worthy saints, might I here shew my reader! All these the world knows and feels too much. And, as for those honest and goodnatured men, which would needs undertake to be sticklers of these stripes, as Cassander, Fricius, the Interimists, and that nameless Apologist of the French; how ill have they sped on both parts! With whom it hath no otherwise fared, methinks, than with some fond shepherd, that thrusts himself betwixt two furious rams, running together in their full strength, and abides the shock of both. Neither may it ever succeed better to these kind Philistines, which will be bringing this ark of God into the house of Dagon. And, for us, since we must needs be put to it, we shall not here, as it often falls out in other quarrels, strive to our loss. Abraham fared well, by the dissentions of Lot: all the milk and honey of whole Palestine hereupon befel to him; whereof he should else have shared but the half. Doubtless, these contentions, through the goodness of God, shall enrich us with a great increase both of truth and glory. It is not Cassander's speech ¶ only, but every wise and honest man's, that the Creed is the common cognizance of our faith; and we all do, with one voice, willingly profess it. Surely Theodoret, when he would, by a favourable report, allay the bitter contentious of those ancient Christians of Antioch, writes thus: "Both parts," saith he **, "made one and the same confession of their faith; for both maintained the Creed of the Nicene Council." And yet this position is spitefully handled by Cardinal Bellarmin; and can scarce draw breath, since his last stripes: "What Bellar. Anno 1532.-Test. Surio apud Bell. I. i. de Chro.-Ibid. Hæres. 16. + Bonos carpere malorum solatium est. Hier. ad Theop. advers. Joh. Hier. + Quotidiana fornax nostru, adversariorum lingua. Aug. Confes. 1. x. c. 37. § And. Fricius Modrevius lib. de Emendanda Rep. Examen Pacifique de la Doctrine des Huguenots. **Theod. Hist. l. iii. c. 4. ¶ Lib. de Offic. Boni Viri. |