Against the Revolt to a Foreign Jurisdiction, Part 2 · Chapter 3
Chap. III. They are deceived who are for the foresaid Papal or Council-Jurisdiction, as if it were the way of Vnity or Catholicism.
§ 1. I Doubt not but the desireableness of Universal Concord is it which draweth many honest well-meaning men into the esteem of the Papal or Conciliar-Jurisdiction. All things have a tendency to Aggregation or Unity as Perfection; and nothing more than Christian Love. This held such good men of old as Bernard, Gerson, &c. from favouring the Reformers, thinking that the Papacy was necessary to Unity: This kept such as Erasmus and Cassander from forsaking them: And this turned Wicelius, Grotius and others to them: And no doubt but this inclineth many in England to the French kind of Church-Government, and to approve, and follow Grotius. But they quite cross their own desires.
§ 2. Catholicism or Vniversal Concord consisteth in that which all the Christian Church is constituted by, and in which all true Christians have still agreed; Quod ab omnibus ubi que & semper receptum fuit, as Vincent Lerinensis speaketh. The Baptismal Profession and Covenant expounded in the Creed, the Lord's Prayer as the Rule of our Desires, and Hope, the Decalogue as the sum of Duty, with the History of Christ's Incarnation, Life, Death, Resurrection and Doctrine in the Gospel-writers, the practice of Baptism, and the Lord's Supper, with Church-Assemblies, for Teaching and Learning, Praying, and Praising God, and this under Elders called thus to Guide their Flocks, with the belief of all the rest of the Sacred Scriptures which are brought to our knowledge: This hath been ab omnibus, ubi que & semper receptum: All Christians agree herein: And in the observation of the Lord's day as a separated time for Sacred Assemblies. And some Ceremonies and other little things most of them agreed in, but not as necessary to their Unity, or Communion, but such as some differed about without violation of Christian Love and Peace, as Socrates and Sozomen shew in divers Instances, and of divers Countreys.
At this day All the Churches agree in these: And this much constituteth men true Christians: And Christ hath commanded all Christians to Love one another, and Live in Peace; and the strong to receive the weak, and not offend the least Believers, nor to please themselves, but others to their edification. The Kingdom of God (which is his Church) is not meat and drink, but Righteousness, Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost; and he that in these things serveth Christ, pleaseth God, and is (or should be) approved of men.
I have proved all this so fully in my Book called The true and only Way of the Concord of all the Churches, that I here dismiss it.
§ 3. But when this pretended Universal Humane Jurisdiction was set up, it quickly divided the Catholick Church, by making new Laws and Constitutions, as if Christ's Laws had not been sufficient for Universal Concord; and as if he that made Ministers the Teachers and Expounders of his own Laws, had given them his Prerogative of Universal Legislation and Judgment. And ever since then the Church hath been torn into those fractions which continue our shame and grief to this day. Those that were ready to receive any Law from Christ by his Apostles, would never all agree in Humane pretended Universal Jurisdiction, nor in the Laws which such pretenders make: Mutable, Local and Temporary determinations of useful Circumstances, by their several Guides, suited to the time and place for Edification, they submit to. But Universal Law-makers they will never all acknowledge and own, And their Canons are swell'd to so great a bulk, and are so confounded with contradictions and uncertainties, that they are Racks and Engines to tear the Church (but utterly uncapable of being the Rule of Unity and Universal Concord.)
§ 4. The thing which Paul feared hath been our Ruine. The Serpent which beguiled Eve (by pretence of advancement and greater knowledge) hath turned us from the simplicity that is in Christ. The primitive Unity is overthrown by departing from the primitive Purity, Simplicity, and Love of all. And they that will ever hope for Universal Concord, must endeavour the restoration of the Universal Terms and Temper. Nothing next to fleshly and worldly lusts, hath done so much to cut the Church into all the Sects which now remain as in a Religious War, as this same pretended Universal Jurisdiction, which our new Church-men mistake for the only cure: Which I have fully proved in my Breviate of the History of Bishops and Councils, and in the Vindication of it against the Accusations of Mr. Morrice.
§ 5. Obj. The Scripture giveth but general Rules, (that all be done to edification, decently and in order) but there must be Laws of Discipline to determine in Specie what is for edification, decency and order.
Ans. There are three sorts of these determinations: 1. Of things necessary or meet for all the Christian World to be obliged to: 2. Things meet for some Countreys to be obliged to: 3. Things variable, which Congregations may use variously, and also change as occasion changeth. It grieveth us to read how some Learned men that write on this Subject, abuse the World by confounding these.
The first Christ hath determined sufficiently in the Scripture, and no mortal men have any power to make Laws Ecclesiastical or Civil to bind all the World.
The second of these the King may determine by the Counsel of fit men who understand the case; e. g. what Translation of the Bible in the English Tongue is fittest to be commonly used in the Publick Churches. And if the King determine it not, the Pastors in Synods may do it by way of voluntary consent, but not as having as a Major Vote the Regiment of the Minor, and of the absent or dissenters.
The third belongeth to every Pastor over his own Flock, and may be altered as there is occasion; viz. At what hour to meet, how long to Pray and Preach, in what words, and variable methods; what person to admit to Baptism as fit, and to Church-Communion; and what individual to Reprove, Exhort, Catechize, Excommunicate, &c. A General or Provincial Council need not be called for any such thing as these.
§ 6. Saith Dr. Beveridge, Proleg. That which Right Reason gathers from Scripture is of God, for Right Reason is of God.
Ans. True: But to gather it as Governours of all the World, or of other mens charges (as if the Right Reason of the King of France would give Laws to the King of England,) is one thing; and to gather it by a discerning Judgement to teach our Flocks as Expositors, or to guide our own Practice, is another thing.
§ 7. The Instance which he addeth of the Trina Immersio in Baptism, sheweth that such things were never made Laws for the Universal Church; for the Church never used them universally, nor continued them, but quickly changed them.
§ 8. Ibid. Saith Dr. Beveridge, General Councils are those to which all the Bishops of the whole World were called: It's not necessary that they be all there, but that all be called, and may come, if they will. But the five Patriarchs must be there, or send their Letters. There was no General Council which was not called by the Emperors command.
Ans. 1. All the Bishops of the World were never called to any Council, nor near all. 2. What Authority had the Roman Emperors to call Bishops out of other Princes Dominions? 3. There is no Historical proof that ever they did any such thing. 4. The Subscriptions of the Councils shew that the Bishops were only out of the Roman Provinces (except some odd person, as Joannes Persidis at Nice, which no man can give account of.) 5. Half the Bishops of the Empire were not at the Councils. 6. If calling them make a Council General, though they come not, then calling a Congregation, though they come not, maketh it a Congregation: What if none come? What if few come? Who knoweth how many must come to make it a General Council?
§ 9. Against what I have proved against Johnson alias Terret, that Councils were General, but as to the Orbis Romanus, (as National) I never heard but one Objection regardable, and that is, out of T…rrians or Pisanus Arabick Canons of the Council of Nice, which place Ethiopia under Alexandria: But, 1. Dr. Beveridge and many others have told us how little credit is to be given to those Canons, lately vended by ignorant unlearned Men. And is it credible that all the Eastern and Western Churches should be ignorant of them?
2. Ludolphus in his new Ethiopick History labours to prove that, the first planting of Religion in Habassia was by Frumentius and Edesius, and that the old Writers mistook Habassia for India: And if so, Habassia could ha… no Bishop at Nice (and certainly had none there, nor any to be subject to Alexandria, save Frumentius whom Athanasius ordained, and so by a voluntary Submission depended on him, as a Child on his Father.
But whereas Ludolphus thinks Christianity was not in Habassia till Frumentius days, because they had no Bishops or Pastors before; I answer, 1. His Conjecture that it was Habassia that Frumentius went to, and is called India, is uncertain. 2. He confesseth the Ethiopick Tradition is that Christianity was there before. 3. And it is not improbable that both agree, viz. That the Eunuch, Act. 8. brought Christianity thither, but being a Lay man ordained no Pastors, and so they had none before Frumentius. 4. But whoever well considers the whole History of the Southern and Eastern Churches, may easily discern that Habassia was never subject before to the Imperial Alexandria, but began their subjection voluntarily to Dioscorus, who had been Patriarch of Alexandria, after he was Banished.
§ 10. It is a dreadful Judgment of God that the Understandings of Learned men should be so far forsaken, as to make the Major part of the Christian World not only the Pattern, but the Law-givers to the rest, renouncing hereby the common Experience of Mankind: It is God's great Mercy that all Christians agree in the Essentials of Christianity: else they were not Christians. In Christianity we are united to them all. But, 1. Even among the Heathens few were Philosophers; And among the Philosophers few sound, and few of one Mind; And others, as well as Seneca said, A wise man must be content with few Approvers: The Multitude will not understa…. 2. Even Nature maketh but few Men of strong Wits. 3. Education giveth few Men the advantage of sound teaching, and great helps and leisure. 4. Few Men have patience to hold on in hard Studies till they digest the truth. 5. Few Men escape the snares of Temptations to byass them to some corrupt opinions or way. 6. Few Men escape the fleshly worldly inclination, which ever followeth worldly interest. 7. He would be thought no Wise Man himself, who would refer a Controversie about the Translation of a Hebrew or Greek Text, or a difficulty in Divinity, Philosophy, Astronomy, Criticism, &c. to the Major Vote of the University or Ministers of England, (or Drs. either;) K. James had more wit than to make the Majority of the Clergy the Judges of his Translation of the Bible. 8. We see among Godly Persons what various degrees of Knowledge and Virtue, and consequently different Opinions there be. 9. It's actually known that most of the Churches and Clergy in the World are very ignorant and erroneous: The Abassines, Copthies, Syrians, Armenians, Georgians, Circassians, Mengrelians, Greeks, Moscovites, generally unlearned Ignorant men: The multitude of the Parish Priests among the Papists are so: And too many among the Protestants. If King James had not chosen Six extraordinary men for the Synod of Dort, there had been worse work there than was.
And must we condemn God's Law of Insufficiency to be the Universal Law, that we may come under the Universal Legislation of such men as these? Should we not rather pity and pray for the Ignorant erroneous Majority of Churches, and study how the few that are wiser, may help them into a clearer light?
And how should it be otherwise? who chooseth the Clergy? In a great Part of the Churches the Turk who is their Enemy chooseth them, or as bad: He receiveth into the Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, unlearned Fellows that give most Money, and they dare not displease him: And all the Bishops of his Dominions in the entrance and exercise of their Office accordingly are liable to corruption by servile dependance on the Infidels. In Moscovy and other Countries ignorant and barbarous or tyrannical Rulers choose them. Among Papists and Protestants, the Pope and Princes choose the Bishops, and Lay-Patrons choose the Priests, for the most part.
§ 11. To Unite in Sin (as the necessary terms of Universal Concord) is foolish and sinful. But to Unite in all that is held by the greater part of Christians is to Unite in much Sin—Ergo—
§ 12. It is only Vniversal Laws which are the Rule of necessary Vniversal Concord: But it is only Christ's own Laws (Proclaimed and Recorded by the Spirit in his Apostles and Evangelists) which are Vniversal Laws, Ergo it is only Christs own Laws which are the Rule of necessary Vniversal Concord.
I challenge all the Church Usurpers in the World to answer this Argument, better than by deceiving words.
The Major is grounded on the natural Notice of Mankind. It is Duty only which we speak of. Duty is made Duty by a Law, or Command of Authority: Universal Duty must be made such by an Universal Law.
The Minor is thus proved. No Universal Law can be made but by a rightful Vniversal Law-maker. But there is no rightful Vniversal Law-maker but Christ: Ergo no Vniversal Law can be made but by Christ.
The Major is undeniable. The Minor is thus proved.
1. None can be a rightful Universal Law-maker but such as hath a rightful Vniversal Power of Government, and that in Soveraignty: (For Legislation is the first and chief part of Soveraignty.) But none but Christ hath a rightful Universal Power of Government or Soveraignty. Ergo— Minor, None can be a rightful Universal Governor or Law-maker, to whom God never gave such Power: But God never gave such Power to any but Christ: Ergo, &c.
None can be a rightful Universal Law-giver and Governor who is naturally uncapable of it: But all on Earth are naturally uncapable of it. Ergo, &c.
If there be any rightful Universal Governor on Earth, it is either a Pope, or some Patriarchs, or a General Council, or the Pastors of all the Church on Earth diffused: But it's none of these Four (as I have oft proved, and am ashamed to repeat.)