Josephs Party-Colored Coat, Part 5 – Part 7
Heresies are worse than Schismes, false doctrines more dangerous than divisions. The former, sinnes against faith; the later, against Charity; and though these two Graces be sisters and twins, yet Faith is the eldest and choycest.
However, as children use to say, they love Father and Mother both best: So let us hate Heresies and Schismes both worst. The rather because schisme is a fit stock to graft Heresie on; yea of their owne accord, old Schismaticks ripened with age, grow young Heretikes, witnesse the Donatists, who (as Saint *Libro de Haeresibus ad quod vult deum.Augustine saith) were but pure Schismaticks at first, and turned Heretikes afterwards.
Quest.What is a Heresie? A demand very important to be answered, seeing Saint Paul saith, Acts 24.14. After the way which they call Heresie, so worship I the God of my Fathers.
Heresie is an errour in the fundamentals of Religion,Answ. maintayned with obstinacy. It must be in the fundamentals. In the Primitive Church many were too lavish in bestowing the name of Heretike on those which dissented from the Church, in [as I may say] Veniall errours. A charitable man would have been loath to have beene of the Jury, to condemne Iovinian for an Heretike, on no other evidence, than that hee maintayned marriage in merit to be equall with Virginity. As therefore by those many Kings mentioned in the old Testament, thirty and one in the little land of Canaan, Iosh. 12.24. is meant onelyonly Toparchs, not great Kings, but Lords of a little Dition, and Dominion; So in the ancient Catalogues of Heretikes [especially of that which *S. Ang. loco prius citato saith of him, Haereses quidem ipse comnemorat, sed … haereses non videnturPhylaster made] we may understand in some of them onelyonly erroneous persons, swarving from the truth.
The next thing necessary in an Heresie, is that it be maintained with obstinacy, which is the dead flesh, making the greene wound of an errour, fester into the old soare of an Heresie. Those two hundred men of Ierusalem, 2 Sam. 15.11. who followed Absolom to Hebron in their simplicity, and knew not any thing; cannot properly be counted Traytors or Rebels: No more can people purely erroneous, who doe not bolt and barre their eyes against the beames of truth, but willingly would imbrace it, if delivered unto them, and maintaine an errour out of conscience, not knowing the truth be accounted Heretikes. Charitable therefore was the cautiousnesse of Epiphanius, who would not condemne the Anthropomorphites for Heretickes, (who mistaking some places of Scripture, which speake of Gods eyes, feet, and hands, conceived him to bee of a bodily substance) but rather imputed it to their simplicity, than obstinacy, Rusticitati eorum tribuens.
Quest.Whether doth every Heretike maintain that which in his owne conscience he knowes to be false?
Answ.No: perchance some Heretikes at first may strive to defend errors, even against the reluctancies of their own judgements, and God may afterwards justly take from them, that light which they thrust from themselves; and as great Lyars tell lyes so long till at last they themselves beleeve them to bee true: so many Heretikes so long mainetaine falshoods against their judgement, till at last being delivered up to a Reprobate Mind, they beleeve their very errours to be truth.
And wee will take just occasion to describe those qualities, which dispose a man to bee a Father, and Founder of an Heresie.
1 He must be abominably proud: Pride is the key of the worke, especially spirituall pride; when one is elated with conceited sanctity above others, chiefly he wil snarle with his Superiours, and quarrel with men in authority, that those are before him in place, which are behind him in piety. 2. To pride add discontentment, that his preferments bare not proportion to his supposed deserts; thus Arius would be an Arian, because he could not bee a Bishop. 3. Learning void of humility. The Serpent was the subtilest of all the beasts in the field, Gen. 3.1. in this kind a Dance is no dish for the Devilstooth. But in default of learning, good naturall parts will serve the turne, especially Memory (which is foreign ▪ a Wonder-working facultie) and a fluent expression▪ so that when hee calleth for words, Gad: Behold a Troope commeth. If both learning and natural parts bee wanting, yet (as when the golden shields were taken away, Rehoboams brazen Shields did the deed, and made as much glittering, 2 Chron. 12.10.) Boldnesse and brazenfac't impudence will supply the place, especially if hee trades with the Vulgar, broaches dregs, and founds a dull and sottish Heresie, which hath no affinity with Learning. To varnish all these, there must bee pretended Piety, and Austerity of life, and how fowle or filthy soever the Posterne or Back-doore be, the doore which opens to the street, must be swept and garnished: put all these together, Pride, Discontent, Learning, (at least-wise good parts, or impudency) pretended sanctity, and they spel together Haeresiarcham, one cut and carved out to be Ring-leader and Captaine of an heresie.
To prevent these mischiefes, let such men pray to God for Humility (that vertue which is most worth, yet costeth the least to keepe it) and beware of spirituall pride, which is the Hectick Fever of the soule, feeding on the very moisture of the heart of Piety. Let them beware of discontentment, which is a direct quarrelling with God, who is the fountaine of all preferment, though men may be the channell; and hee who hath the least from him, hath more than he deserveth: And grant preferment is denyed thee, bee not so childish to cast away a Crowne, because thou canst not get a counter; willingly throw away thy soul, and foolishly revenge the fault of the times, (as thou countest it) upon thy selfe. Lastly, if God hath bestowed good parts upon thee, pray to him to sanctifie them to thee, otherwise the greatest memory may soone forget it selfe, and a fluent tongue may cut his throat that hath it.
So much for the Character of an Arch-Heretike. But those whose barren wits want pregnancy to be the Mothers of Heresies, may notwithstanding serve for dry Nurses to feed and foster them; and to this purpose the Devil will make use of them.
A plaine Follower of an Heresie may bee thus described: First he must be ignorant, for hee that knowes nothing will beleeve any thing; these bee Maidens for their Religion; and therefore the opinion, which first woed them, first wins them, first come first served. Old Seducers, as it is 2 Tim. 3.6. Creepe into houses, and leade captive silly women laden with sinnes, led away with divers lusts, ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth. Secondly, desirous of Novelty: It is an old humour for men to love new things, and in this poynt even many Barbarians are Athenians. Lastly, (what resulteth from the two former) they must have the persons of men in much admiration, doting on some fancied mans parts and perfections, and entertayning any thing he saith, because he said it.
To prevent these mischiefes, that men may not be Followers of Heresies, let the meanest parted labour to attaine to some competent measure of knowledge in matters of salvation, that so hee may not trust every spirit, but be able to try whether he bee of God, or no; beleeve no man with implicite faith in matters of such moment; for hee who buyes a Iewell in a case, without ever looking on it, deserves to be couzened with a Bristoll Stone, instead of a Diamond. Secondly, kill the itch of novelty in thy soule, practising the Prophets Precept, Ier. 6.16. Thus saith the Lord, Stand yee in the wayes, and see, and aske for the old pathes, where is the good way, and walk therein, and yee shall find rest for your soules: Lastly, love and admire no mans Doctrine for his person, but rather love his person for his Doctrine. And now to returne to the very words of the Text.
There must be also Heresies.
There is a double Must, or a two-fold necessity of things being; first an absolute necessity; when the thing hath in it selfe the cause of its necessary being: Thus God alone Must Be: (for what can bee, if being it selfe be not) and must bee good, and must bee true. Secondly, a conditionate Must, or a necessity, ex hypothesi, which must needs bee if such a thing be granted before. As suppose the Sun be risen, and it must bee day. Such a conditionate necessity is this in the Text: For upon the presupposition of these two things which cannot be denyed; that the Devill goeth about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devoure, and that the flesh lusteth against the spirit, making men prone to all wickednesse; hence it followeth ther must be heresies. Thus he that beholdeth a family, and findeth the Master to be carelesse, the Mistris negligent, the sons riotous, the servants unfaithfull; hee may safely conclude that family cannot bee safe, but must be ruined: There must be heresies; paralel to that, Luke 17.1. It is impossible but that offences should come: But farre bee it from us to conceive that God imposeth a fatall necessity, or by the irresistablenesse of his Decree, urgeth or enforceth any to bee Heretikes; their badnesse he wisely permits, but in no wise is the cause or Author thereof.
Among you.
You Corinthians, though men of excellent parts and endowments, are not priviledged from having heresies among you; yea happily because of your excellent naturall gifts are more disposed thereunto. Or take it generally among you Christians, for properly heresies have their rise, and originall out of the Church, and issue thence, according to the 1 Iohn 2.19. They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had, &c. I see not therefore how Epiphanius can well make Platonists and Pythagoreans to bee Heretikes (the latter for their opinion of Transanimation) seeing neither of these were ever of the Church.