Catholic Communion Defended Against Both Extremes, Preface
THE PREFACE.
DID not the Thoughts of a better promised World, afford me Comfort and Relief, the Thoughts of the Case of this so much forsaken Earth, would break my Heart, my Faith and Hope: To see so much of Earth yet Unchristian, and so few of the Christian Nations either in Knowledge, Love or Holiness, answering their Holy Profession, but damning one another, and more themselves: And to see how great a hand the Clergy of almost all Churches, have in this, by notorious, implacable Contention; and to see how little hope there is of a Remedy. If Princes and Patrons chuse Wise, Holy, Peaceable Men in England, will they do so in France, Flanders, Spain, and other Popish Lands? And either there they will expect the same Royal Power; make the Pope and his Agents the Electors, which is worse. And with such, the Love of Money, Vain-glory, and Self-opinion, Worldliness, Pride, and Ignorant Error, will keep up Envy, Strife and Persecution, Confusion, and every Evil Work.
O how sad is the Case of the Laity, that must hear Men pretending to great Learning and Authority, with raging Confidence damning the Opinions and Persons of each others, and calling to Princes to destroy those that they cannot convince, and that will not take them for their Masters; pretending that subjection to them and all their ensnaring Laws, is necessary Communion. And with such Confidence do they Write and Talk, that it must be very expert and setled Christians, that can tell who is in the Right; but the Crowd believe them that have most Interest in them, or that speak the last word, or that have greatest Power.
There is but one way possible to cure all this (besides wise and godly Princes) which all Peace-makers have still agreed on, Even to Unite in the Divine Authority and Primitive Simplicity, of Doctrine, Worship and Discipline, and to bear with others in smaller Matters. (Supposing the Determination of such mutable Circumstances which belong to each Minister his Place). Christ hath promised Salvation to all that practically so agree. He hath commanded them all to Love one another, even as themselves; and to receive one another, as Christ received us. Baptism devoting us to the Father, Son, and holy Ghost, then made men Christians and Catholicks. The Creed, the Lords Prayer, Ten Commandments, were thought a sufficient Test, as to the Orthodox Exposition of the Baptismal Covenant. Upon these Terms the Church Formed into Pastors and Flocks, lived in Loving Communion, in the Lords Supper, and in holy Doctrine, Prayers, Praises, and doing good to all they could. The Kingdom, (that is, the Church) of God, and Christs Reign therein, consisteth not in Ceremonies and lesser things, but in Righteousness, Peace, and Joy in the holy Ghost: The Unity necessary hereunto, was that described, Ephes. 4.3, 4, 5. One Body, One Spirit, One Hope, One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God and Father of all: And the keeping of this Unity was in the Bond of Peace, with all lowliness and meekness, with long suffering, forbearing one another in Love, v. 2, 3.
These Terms were made for our Love and Communion, by Christ, the Maker of the Church, the Author and Perfecter of our Faiih. These Terms are few, sure, plain, possible; as Christs Yoke is easie, and his burden light, and his Commands not grievous: These Terms all Christians are actually agreed and united in. He knows not Mankind, that doth not know, That the ignorance, weakness, and badness of Man is such, as that it is impossible, that all good Christians should unite otherwise, upon things hard, dark, doubtful, and numerous. The Primitive Simplicity, Purity and Love, are the only Terms of Universal Concord in the Church on Earth.
But now by Preachers with wordy confidence, these only healing terms are accused as the way of the most damning Schism. O the subtilty of the Serpent that beguiled Eve! O the folly of Men that will be thus drawn away from the simplicity of Christ, by takeng the only Remedy against Schism, to be the chiefest cause. They have made Associations and Confederacies of Men, to set up New Forms of Churches, Church-Government or Communion, by multitudes of Clergy-Laws or Canons of their own, to be necessary to Ministry and Communion, and consequently to avoid Schsm, and consequently to Salvation: By which Arrogancy, and Impositions, and Arbitrary Laws, and Censures thereupon, the Christian World is now almost all broken into Sects, condemning and censuring one another; into Greeks, Muscovites, Armenians, Georgians, Nestorians, Jacobites, Abassines, Maronites, Papists, Protestants, &c. And of all these, the Papists pretend to a Power of Government by Legislation and Iudgment over all the Christians on Earth; some placing it in the Pope as chief, some in a Council, or the Colledge of Bishops, as chief; of which, the Pope is the prime Member; most in Pope and Council agreeing. This Sect unchurcheth all Christians, save themselves, and have made so many Canon-Laws, as none can understand and keep.
Some that yet do not own the Pope, tell us, That yet the Church on Earth is one Political Body, not unified by its Relation to Christ, the Head and Form (He is not Visible enough, say the Papists, to Head a Church that may be called Visible): But it is unified by a certain Confederacy of Communion among themselves, which sometime they call an Universal Government, and say, they have power to make Universal Laws; and sometime say, It is not One Unifying Government, but One Communion, and yet make Laws which all must hold Communion with: They say and unsay, and know not what to say: They cannot tell us what are the necessary terms of that Communion, nor how to know with what Nations and Churches we must hold it: But this they agree in, That Christ, the Finisher of our Faith, hath left Faith, Worship and Government so unfinished, that Bishops of all the World, or many Nations (they know not who), must make us more Laws (and when they will have done, and compleated Religion, no man knows): And that all that will be Christians, must on the Terms of these Canons, have Communion with them, and refuse not one thing that they command: And therefore must all be learned enough to know, that all that they command is lawful: And if any withdraw for an Oath, or Covenant, or Ceremony, tho he mentally own them as true Churches; or if for dissent he be excomunicated by them, he must worship God in no other Assembly, but live like an Atheist till he be convinced of the Lawfulness of their Impositions: else all that so worship God are damnable Schismaticks, and so are all that communicate with them. So that I know but few on Earth that they damn not for breaking their Canons, tho they would keep all the Laws of Christ: And every where they that have strength and possession, presume that it is they that must thus be the Standers and Rulers of all others about them. It is an utter Maze which they make the Terms of catholick communion, and consequently of Salvation, instead of the few plain, certain things which Christ made necessary. We can get but few of the vulgar to understand the sense of Baptism, the Creed, Lords Prayer, and Ten Commandments; And our churches are much made up of such, and our Parishes have too many Sadduces, Infidels and Hobbists; yet all must be supposed to know, 1. That all the Bishops and Priests are truly called and authorized (when few know what maketh them Pastors indeed). 2. And that all their words, ceremonies and impositions, are not repugnant to God's Word. 3. And that all are to be avoided whom their Canons and Lay-civilians excommunicate. 4. That it is a company of true Bishops and Churches in other Nations, whose communion they own. 5. That all are Schismaticks that they so judg, and their churches no true churches of page missing