Against the Revolt to a Foreign Jurisdiction, Part 2 · Chapter 7
Chap. VII. Of the second Part of the Design; to bring the Papists into our Communion, as they were in the beginning of Queen Elizabeth's Reign.
§ 1. Dr. Heylin saith, That this was much of A. Bishop Laud's design, and that it was in order to this that he made the Changes which he made. And Dr. Burnet saith, That even Queen Elizabeth thought that if she could some how bring all her Subjects into one Communion, tho' of different Opinions, in one Age they would come to be of one mind: And therefore she was desirous to have kept up Images and other such things in the Churches, till the reasons and importunity of some Divines prevailed with her.
§ 2. If this be done, it must be either by the Papists turning Protestants, or the Protestants turning Papists, or by meeting in some third State of Religion between both, or by continuing in the same Church-Communion without change of their Religion.
§ 3. I. If the Papists come into our Churches by Conversion, it is not then Papists but Protestants that come in. There is no true Protestant that is not earnestly desirous of this. But bare coming in to our Churches and Communion, is not a renunciation of Popery.
§ 4. II. That the Protestants should turn Papists for Union, is not openly pleaded for by them that we have to do with: The name of Papists they earnestly disown.
§ 5. III. If it must be by meeting in some middle way, it must be by a change in the Papists, or by a change in the Protestants, or both.
1. If the Papists change any thing of theirs, it must be either the Essentials of Popery, or also the grosser errours and sins which are its most corrupt Integral part, or only some mutable Accidents or lesser faults and errours.
1. If the Papists hold still that there ought to be one Universal Soveraign Power of Legislation and Judgment under Christ on Earth, and that either the Pope himself, with a General Council, or a Council where the Pope is President and Principium Vnitatis, is this Soveraign, this is the Essence of Popery continued.
2. If the Papists should qu…t this Universal Soveraignty, and yet hold their other grossest Errours (as Transubstantiation, Image-Worship, Praying in an unknown Tongue, forbidding to read the Scripture translated, and such like) They would be still Hereticks, though not Papists.
3. But if they only retain some tolerable Errours, we should be willing to receive all such to our Communion.
2. If the change must be in the Protestants, what is it that they must change? If it be any Truth or Duty which they forsake, or any Sin which they must commit, they cannot honestly so change.
But if it be any Errours or Sins that we must forsake, that is a very desirable Change. Some men do ignorantly charge some Errours on the Papists which they are not guilty of; or lay the Errours of some few upon the most: Some make Errours which are but de nomine to seem to be de re: and lesser Errours seem great: Some take divers Truths to be Errour: And some are ready to call some lawful Customs of the Papists, by the name of Popery, and Antichristian: Some would deny Papists the common Civilities and Liberties which are their due. All such things as these we would have changed. And if altering any indifferent Practice of ours, would win them from their Errour to the Truth, we should so become all things to all men, to save some.
§ 6. IV. But if Papists must come to our Churches whilst Papists without any other Profession of a Change, 1. If it be but to hear Sermons, which Heathens may do, and if they voluntarily do it, I know few that will be against it. 2. But if it be to our Sacramental Communion, I have these Reasons following against it.
§ 7. I. Local Presence will make us really no more of one Church if different Religions make us uncapable, than if we met at several places: Turks and Hereticks are not of our Church, if they should receive the Sacrament with us, if they renounce not their Infidelity and Heresie, if it be known.
II. The Bishops say now that the Conformists whose hearts are against Conformity, are more hurtful and dangerous to the Church than the Nonconformists, as using the publick Encouragements against them. How much more will Papists be more dangerous among us, than without our Churches?
III. It will be a Prophanation of God's Ordinance to give that Sacrament to an uncapable person: And if they be forced against their will to Communicate, the Prophanation will be the greater: The Sacrament delivereth to the due Receiver a Sealed Pardon of all Sin, and a gift of Christ, and right to Salvation; And unwilling Persons are utterly uncapable of these; willing consent even to the forsaking of all for it, being the condition.
IV. It must be gross hypocrisie and dissembling in the Papists to come to our Communion. They take Protestants for Hereticks, and Protestants take them for Hereticks; And their Doctrine is against admitting Hereticks to Communion. They must hear with us their own Doctrines and Practises condemned; and they must hear ours asserted, which they abhor. And what Peace will this hypocrisie keep?
V. It will tempt the Preachers to give over Preaching against any of their Popish Errours, when they know how offensive it will prove to the Auditors: And so the Protestants also will be wronged?
VI. It will overthrow all serious true Church Discipline: when our Church Communion is crouded with men that hold the same Principles which Protestants take to be Heretical, and Treasonable against Christ, and practise what they call Idolatry, and are indeed of another Church, and under a Foreign Jurisdiction. How can our Church Governours censure, and cast out any others that be not greater Sinners than these men whom they would draw in? And what a Church will that be that taketh in all Sinners not worse than these?
VII. How will it look in the Eyes of God, and all just Men, that our Church should ipso facto Excommunicate all those Protestants, how Learned, Pious and Peaceable soever, that do but say that any thing in the Church Government, Liturgy, and Ceremonies is unlawful, according to the Can. 5, 6, 7, 8. and silence Protestants for scrupling Subscription or a Ceremony, at the same time offer Communion to all the Papists that will accept it and come in?
VIII. It will unavoidably cause a far greater Schism in the Church of England than hath yet been made: For it will drive out the best, if not the greatest part from its Communion: Can they think that such men will Communicate with the Papists, meerly because they come into our Churches, who have charged them with Antichristianity, and such a Mass of Heresies and Errours as have done Bishop Downame, Archbishop Vsher ▪ Bishop Morton, Bishop Hall, Bishop Jewell, Bishop Carlton, Dr. Whitaker, Dr. Willet, and a multitude of such? Will they joyn with them that have charged them with Idolatry, as Dr. Reignolds, Dr. Stillingfleet, &c. have done? What though they commit not Idolatry in our Churches, will that expiate the guilt of all the rest?
IX. Will this do more to Convert the Papists, or to Confirm them when they hold us to be no Church, they will not take themselves to be Constitutive Parts of the Church they come in. To tell them that all their Errours and Sins are no greater than are consistent with our Communion, and when we shall tell them that their Roman Church is a true Church, and we come so much over or nearer to them, sure they will rather look we should come one step further, than that they should come to us.
X. If we think it hard to keep out Popery now, how much harder will it be when they are one Body with us▪ and have the most familiar Conversation with us, and stand on equal terms. When masked and Church-Papists have served them most effectually.
For my part I fear no mans Censure, for my open profession, that I hate all Cruelty to Papists or by Papists; and that I would have nothing done to their hurt, unless our own necessary defence against their hurting us, will hurt them. And I am so far from desiring that they may be forced to our Communion, either by the Writ de Excommunicato Capiendo, or any other way, that I would not give them the Sacrament if they voluntarily came to it, without profession of a change of their Understandings, Hearts, and Lives.
If the two Parts of the Design Conjunct (1. Subjecting the Church and Kingdom to a Foreign Jurisdiction, 2. And opening our own Church Doors wide enough for the Papists, to come in, and be imbodied in our Communion) be the way to Cure or keep out Popery, I confess I am mistaken in the way.