Examination of those Plausible Appearances in the Romish Church, Chapter 13
CHAP. XIII. Whether vnion and discord be markes, by which the true Church should bee discerned from the false.
ALL the advantage then that the Church of Rome gets by this clatter of externall pomp, of ceremonies, iurisdiction and authority, by which it is endeavored to make her greatnesse more venerable, stands her but in this sorry steed, to strengthen the suspicion of her falshood into her conviction. On the contrary, the innocent basenesse, simplicity, and humility notable in the true church, maketh her more louely, affording vsus sound matter of a pressing coniecture, & a strong presumption that she is indeed, as well as in stile, The Reformed Church. This perceiued, maketh vsus presage that all the other exceptions which the Church of Rome darteth against vsus will be of the same making with this first: having more plausibility, then soundnesse, partiality, then iustice, colour then strength, as we shall see, by Gods assistance, in the progresse of this examination. Let vsus consider then in the second place, what weight there is in the pretended vnity of the Church of Rome, opposed to the discord surmised to bee amongst vsus.
Now we say that it is not generally true, that vnity should alwaies be a note of the true Church, or discord of the false. We s…y also that the vnity of the Romane Church is in shew only, not in deed: that it is rather a conspiracy, then a vnion; like vntounto that amongst those which were besieged in Ierusalem, who aJoseph. de bel. Judaec. l. 6. c 4.disagreeing betweene them…elues, ioyned forces neverthelesse against those which besieged them, being divided at home, and vnited abroad. And on the other side that our discord is only surmised, and t…at we are in truth vnited, not only against the common en… my, but also betweene our selues.
That it is true that vnion is not a marke of the true Church, nor disvnion, a iust presumption of the false, see we not that in the times of the Apostles, there were great discords in the Church? Some of them were of one opinion, some of another, one thought that the ceremonies of t…e law were to be retained, another that they were not. And this divisiō had made such an alienation of hearts in t…e Church, that b.Gal. 2.11.St Peter himselfe was compelled to be a timeserver, and diversly to apply himselfe, according to places, and persons, vntill he met with a rough censure from St Paul, who resisted him to his face, and sharply rebuked him, for not walking vprightly according to the truth of the Gospell. I vnderstand (saith c.1 Cor. 11.18.the same Apostle, writing to the Corinthians) that there are dissentions among you, and I partly beleeue it, for there must be heresies amongst you also, that they which are approued may be made manifest.
Behold in the meane while dAct. 23.amongst the Iewes, the Scribes, Pharisees, and Sadduces vnited together vnderunder one head the high Priest. Could they then benefit themselues with this pretence, and vpbraid the Christians with their discord? True it is, the Sadduces agreed not with the Pharises in all points of doctrine, but yet, all of them acknowledged one chiefe Priest, all of them ioined together in the same forme of diu…ne seruice, & which is more, the number of the Sadduces was so small, commpared with the other; that it could nor furnish the Christians with iust matter of reto…tion; and if it could, what would this hauehave beene more then reproach, and counter-reproach, crimination, and recrimination; equally true on either side. Now seeing that one of the parties was the true Church, could it be inferred from its diuision, that it was the false? Neither diuision then, nor vnion can be essentiall characters either of the true or false Church. But suppose these markes should bee infallible, what would the Church of Rome get by it? What should wee iudge of her during that long schisme? What may afford her an apology? perhaps a distinction, that the division at that time, was in respect of charity, not of faith, and doctrine. But how will this distinction of schisme in faith, and schisme in charity, heale vp the wound, if both of them be equally, pernicious, equally incompatible with the nature of the Church? The Donatists were not diuided from the Catholique Church in faith, at the first, for all that, they were reputed of as members cut off from her. Their schisme, indeede, at the length begate heresie; as an inflamed vlcer causeth a feuer. And may wee not avouch, that during the last schisme in the Romane Church, the same case hath happened, when the anti Popes were by one another accounted the forerunners of Antichriste: rhe followers of both sides reciprocally called by one another the members of Antichrist. What may here be replyed? perhaps, that in the Christian Church in the time of the Apostles, in the Romane Church since, heretickes and schismatickes were not of the true Church, but mingled with it: as darnell amongst wheat, which maketh no part of the wheat: as mutiners in an army which are not of the army. But what? make not they of the reformed religion the same reply when their discord is cast in their dish? confesse they not that their is indeede darnell in their wheat, but yet not of it, that there are in their spirituall army turbulen-mutiners, but not of their army? Now if so soone after the publication of the Gospell by the Apostles, when that Iudaisme, and Paganisme were assaulted by such strong forces there sprang euen then schismes, and heresies like fogs at the rising of the sunne. If in a time so priuiledged, so flourishing with the frequency, and variety of gifts, and extraordinary graces, notwi…hstanding all this, Sathan striued with might and maine, to make the assault vponupon those, who gaue it to his kingdome confounded with distractions, that he might weaken the assailants, by diuiding them: who will thinke it strange that he hath made the like assay, with the same successe in this last reformation? who will wonder, that he hath raised such an hurly burly of dissonant voices, that Christs voice may not be heard distinctly? Iust as anciently the Iewes making their children passe through the fire, in honour of their Idol Moloch, for feare that their ruef…ll scrietches should call to their hearts for naturall affection, and amaze them with the sound of their owne cruelty, they tooke order, that voices so sensibly lamentable, should bee lost in a rude variety of more clattering, and vnpassionate noises Certes this deuice was effectuall to the Iewes, but it succeedeth not so well with Satan. The cryes of infants were feeble, and might easily bee out-noised: but the voice of Christ, how soft and sweet soever it bee, to those who are his, yet it is a piercing, and a mighty voice. True religion hath had its course, all heresies are either dead, or dye one after annother not by the fu…y of faggots, and gibbets, but by the sword of the spirit, and by the power of the word of the liuing God.