Examination of those Plausible Appearances in the Romish Church, Chapter 7
CHAP. VII. VponUpon what Preiudices we hauehave beene condemned in the Church of Rome.
WEE could easily demonstrate that which we hauehave said, particularly running through all the points of the Reformed Religion, and manifesting the disguisement put vponupon it, to expose it to hatred, and suspicion. But our ayme is to examine vnderunder what pretences, it hath beene & is endevoured to hinder those reasons from beeing at all, or duely considered which hauehave made the reformation of their abuses necessary.
Their master-peece, or chief-trick of policie hath beene, to decline the will and law of God speaking in the scriptures. And as wicked Magistrates, and the corrupters of iustice in a common-wea…th, make th… authoritie of the lawes to depend vponupon theirs, vnderunder good and popular colours of a pretended obscuritie, & imperfection in them, that so there may be a gate opened to al liberty, in substituting in the roome of the lawes, their owne willes, and particular passions. So in the Church wicked Pastours, not daring to accuse the Script…res of falsehood, or to r…fuse subiection to their authority directly, hauehave contriued diuers meanes by which they may auoid their sentence & determinatiō, charging thē with all those defects, which make a writing mee…ly humane, defectiue, & imperfect in its own kind, denying the efficacy and maiesty of the Scripture while they call it a.Coster. En…hir. controu c. 1a dead letter, b.Bordes de abus Missae.of white, and blacke: its clearenesse, and simplicitie, whil'st they blame it for c.Cens. Colon. p 9. And…ad. explis. orthodox lib: 2. p: 69 Eckius in Enchir p…op: 4 pag 69.obscuritie, and d.Pe…rus a so… in defe…s de vno praes. Iud. E…cles. p. 108. co… : 2. Pighius de Hiera: Ecel. 1. c 4.ambiguitie: its eCard. p…rro in t…ct. de i…suffiScript. Pistorius cont. disp. Mentz f. 27sufficiencie, while they dare to accuse it of insufficiencie: its aucthority in respect of vsus, when they make no scruple to teach that it hath no more authoritie, over vsus without the authority of the Church, then fHerman. laudatus à Card. Hosio. lib 3 de author scrip.Aesops fables, gBellar. lib. 4. de verbo Dei cap. 4.or Mahomets Alcoran.
But we suppose that we hauehave by Gods assistance elsewhere suff…ciently shewed how false these censures, or (to speake more fully) these blasphemies are; wee hauehave at least wise performed it in such a manner, that the adversaries of this truth hitherto hauehave not replied any thing. Only the vexation and desperate rage, to see the vanity, and villanie of their vngodly policies exposed starke-naked to the view of the world, hath forced them insteed of dissembling their ex…reame griefe, to vent it in iniuries, and outragious insolencies wo…thy indeed of their persons, and well befitting so desperate a cause, so accursed both of God and men: but doubtlesse most vnbeseeming a Christian, a Doctor of Christians, vnsutable to the gravitie, the sweet demeanour, and gracious mildenesse of truth.
This euent sad in it selfe, hath notwithstanding afforded vsus ioy, in affording vsus a new example of the preuailing force of truth, which faileth not to convince, euen then when shee perswadeth not, and if shee cannot bend her adversaries, yet shee so trample…h them, and so sorely bruiseth them, that albeit they submit not themselues vntounto her, they are neuerthelesse constrained to testifie the vlcer, and wound of their cō sciences by furious railings, like those proceeding from a woman surprised in the shamefull act of adultery. In the mean time this ioy hath encouraged vsus to proceed farther, in discovering by what devises they hinder an examination of the conformity of our Religion, with the rule of faith, as Tertul de praescrip. advers. haeret c. 13. & alibi.Tertullian calleth it; whilst God enableth vsus in the meanes to shew how they hauehave ma…e it an impossibility, to consider religion in its owne naturall guife, representing it so counterfeit, & vnlike it selfe, that as they pourtray it for the most part, it is prodigiously mishapen.
Now to make our religion so obnoxious to hatred and suspicion, that none should vouchsafe to consider its harmonie, and concord with those maximes, and principles which hauehave beene at all times, and are at this time vnquestionable amongst Christians: they hauehave pronounced it an impossibilitie for any Christiā to discerne the truth by the spirit of God dwelling in him. And hauing once appropriated to themselues the title of the Church, …nobled with so many elogies, priviledged by so many promises, that no man may presume to question her authoritie, vnlesse hee forthwith professe himselfe a Iew, Turke, or Pagan: it was easie for them afterwards, to shuffle the doctrine contrary to their abuses besides all examination.
But they, seeing that it was not enough to vsurpe a magnificent title, vnlesse it were after some sort justified; and that contrarily the presumptuous rashnesse of such proceedings might pull vponupon them the generall hatred, and vniversall detestation of all Christians: they hauehave found out (as they imagine) notable pretences to colour this vsurpation, and verefie their title.
All th…se pretences may be reduced to tenne heads, which they propound vntounto vsus after this manner.
1 The magnificent state of their Church: opposed, to the contemptible condition of th…se who call for a reformation of their abuses.
2 Her vnity, and the division of her adversaries.
3 Her antiquitie: and the noveltie of the Reformation.
4 They vrge vsus to confesse, that sometimes they h…ue beene the true Church, if we yeeld that, then they cry out: that therefore they are so still, because the Church perisheth not, as certainly shee cannot either perish, or change in that which is essentiall.
5 They stand vponupon a quotation of times, places persons, when, where, by whom this change was wrought, this defection begunne?
6 They demand, where our Church soiourned so long time, in what citty, yea into what valley, what desert did she retire?
7 They except against the commission of the Authors of the Reformation as false, and counte…feit.
8 They make great braggs of their succession continued without interruption.
9 They boast of having the substance of Christianity amongst them, even by our owne confession.
10 They dazell the eyes of the world with the shew of a multitude of religious persons, which they say hauehave renounced the world, trampled vnderunder their feet the delights, riches, and honours of earth that they may aspire vntounto heaven.
So in the vpshot they make their conclusion, that where these notes are, there is the Church: and where they are not, she cannot be. And so presuming that they may with good right take these notes vntounto themselues, and that we can pretend nothing for them: albeit this truth receiued amongst vsus, dart her most cleere, and liuely rayes into the most passionate, and partiall eyes, yet they alwaies condemne vsus vponupon these prejudices.