A Relation of Christians in the World, Part 7
2 What manner of Christians.
AS I have in the first place reckoned up these severall sorts of Christians before named. So in the Second place my purpose is to set downe what manner of Christians these be, both for soundnesse of Faith, and holinesse of life: For the first, these Christians are all Baptized in the Name of the Father, of the Sonne, and of the Holy Ghost. They receive the Holy Eucharist in both kinds; according to our Lord and Saviours institution. They Believe the Creed, retaine the Canonical Scriptures; yea, from some of these Churches, both we, and the Roman Catholicks, have received the Sacraments, and holy Scriptures. Seeing then that these Christians use the same Sacraments as wee doe: Seeing they believe in Iesus Christ, and professe to fight under the Banner of Christ Crucified, and reioyce in their suffering for his sake: farre be it from us ever to thinke these Christians to bee cast away and reiected from being of the houshold of Faith.
Of these Christians Brocard the Monke testifieth.
Moreover, those whom wee iudge to be damned Hereticks, as the Nestorians, Iacobits, Maronites, and Georgians, and such like are found to bee, for the most part, honest and simple men, living uprightly Terr. Sanct. descrip. pag. 325.towards God and Man. But to answer some particular obiections made by some Roman Catholicke against these Churches.
And first for the Greeke Christians, Greeks.whom some Roman Catholicks account erronious in their opinion concerning the proceeding of the Holy Ghost, whom they affirme to proceed from the Father by the Sonne. Now they doe acknowledge the Holy Ghost to be the Spirit of the Sonne, as well as of the Father; because the Apostle saith, He is the Spirit of the Sonne: and in the Gal. 4. John. 16.Gospell he is called the Spirit of Truth. Now seeing it is no other thing to be the Spirit of the Father and the Sonne, then to proceede from the Father and the Sonne. They agree with us in Iudgement, though they differ in Words, so saith Lombard, Thomas a Iesu, and also Cardinall Tolet affirmeth, the understanding Greeke (saying In Ioan. Cap. 15. not 25.That the Holy Ghost proceedeth by the Sonne) signifieth thereby nothing but that which wee our selves professe. But for full satisfaction in this poynt, Read the Booke lately set forth by the most reverend Father in God, the Lord Arch-Bishop of Canterbury Pag. 24. 25.his Grace, (my Honourable Patron) in which it will appeare: The Greekes to differ from us in forme of Words onelyonly: So the Greekes deny not the Holy Ghost, whom they acknowledge to be the third Person in Trinity, God equall with the Father: Neither are they Hereticall in this poynt, as some affirme them to be: so Condemning and casting into Hell so many Millions of Christian soules, redeemed with the precious blood of his dearest Sonne Iesus Christ, and for this poynt onelyonly: Moreover Guido the Carmelite, Prateolus, and others, impute unto the Grecians divers errors, which Lucianus of Cyprus, a Bishop, a learned Dominican, and a worthy man (as Possevine the lesuite accounteth him) sheweth to be falsely ascribed to them. Possevine biblioth. li. 6. cap. 1.As that they teach, simple Fornication to be no sinne, That it is no sinne to lend upon Vsury: That it is not necessary to make restitution of things uniustly taken away, with other things being meere slanders. Thomas a Iesu writeth, that one of the principall Convers. omn. Gent. l. 7. par. 1 c. 33things that maketh the Grecians so averse from the Latins is, that they are wronged by them by untrue reports, and slanderous imputations. Of the Greeke Communion are the Muscovites, the Russes in Poland, the Georgians, Circassians, Mengrellians, and Melchites, all these observe the Greek Rites.
2 Againe, a great part of the Christians in Asia, Persia, Tartaria, and other Provinces are Hereticks; Who affirme, That there were two Persons in Christ, as well as two Names: But this Errour they have reiected, as Onuphrius writeth, they hold nothing In vita Iulij 3. p. 389. Edit. Col. 1626.savouring of that Errour. These Christians, indeed, make a scruple of calling the blessed Virgin the Mother of God, left they should seeme to make her the Mother of the holy Trinitie and divine Essence.
3 The Christians in Aegypt, Aethiopia, with the Iacobites in Syria, are accused to be infected with the Heresie of Eutyches, wheras they curse Eutyches for an Heretick, for confounding the two Natures of Christ. They affirme, The two Natures in Christ to be so united, that there is one personated Nature arising of two Natures, not personated without mixtion or confusion. As Thomas a Iesu, and others affirme.
4 They scandall also the Abassine Christians for using Circumcision: If you be circumcised, you are falne from Grace, and Christ profiteth you nothing; whereas they circumcise not for any Religion; but only it being an ancient custome of the Aethiopians. They accuse them also of Anabaptisme, For that they wash themselves yearly in the flouds, in memoriall of Christs Baptisme: As the Spaniards do yearly in memoriall of Saint Iohn Baptist: And the like are the imputations laid upon other Churches. To conclude this point, through the mercifull goodnesse of God, all these different sorts of Christians (by reason of delivering certaine points of Faith, mistaking one another; or variety of opinion touching things not Fundamentall; yet) agree in one substance of Faith: and are so farre forth Orthodoxe, that they retain a saving Profession of all duties absolutely necessary to salvation, and are members of the true Catholike Church of God. As these Christians are Orthodoxe in the mayne: so for their holy lives and conversations they are to be admired, and may be exemplary unto others.