Of National Churches, Chapter 12
Chap. XII. The Three other Reaſons for Popery anſwered briefly.
Queſt. III. SHould not the Roman Church Policy in reaſon be owned for the advantage of Chriſtianity againſt Infidels?
Anſ. 1. We deny not but Unity, Concord, Power and Riches, and the great number of Adherents, is a great advantage to Chriſtianity againſt Infidels: And all theſe are Gods Gifts, and as ſuch do good.
2. But the abuſe of them though it do not quite fruſtrate the genuine Effects, yet ſo depraveth them, that it's a doubt whether the hurt to the common Chriſtianity be not greater than the advantage. If Unity were maintained in Chriſts way it would have far better Effects than in the Papiſts way.
3. Yet we deny not but the Providence of God hath made uſe of the Roman Power, Numbers, Concord and Riches, to uphold the common Cauſe. But all is not Good that God overruleth and uſeth to good, permitting Man to cauſe the Evil. As a Man may uſe the Cruelty without cauſing it, of a Hound, a Ferret, or a Hawk, againſt the Prey, to fulfil his juſt will.
Had National Kingdom Churches been kept up under true Chriſtian Kings and Paſtors, and theſe Kings and Paſtors in Dyets and Councils, kept due Confederacies by Conſultation and Contract without mutual Juriſdiction, the common Cauſe had been better promoted than it hath been by Popery, that hath ſhamed it and weakened it by Perſecutions, Diviſions, Treaſons and Wars.
Queſt. IV. Whether the Diviſions of other Chriſtians render the Roman Government deſireable for Concord?
Anſ. 1. There are more that Unite in Mahometaniſm, and far more in Paganiſm, than all the Chriſtians in the World. And Satan knoweth how to advantage his Kingdom by Concord, as well as to weaken Chriſts Kingdom by Diviſion.
2. The Biſhops have made the greateſt Schiſms and Diviſion in the Church that ever was made, by ſinful Uſurpation and Corruption, and Impoſitions, and Perſecutions, Unchurching the far greateſt part of Chriſtians, and appropriating the Church Title to his own Sect alone. All the Bloody Murders of the Waldenſes, Bohemians, and other Proteſtants, the Inquiſition, the preſent Wars that France hath involved Europe in, are on pretence of Unity: We like not the Unity that Satan maintaineth, and that at ſuch a rate of Blood.
3. But I have before and elſewhere proved that the Proteſtants for all their Diviſions have a far better Unity than the Papal Church hath, ſo that this Queſtion is elſewhere and here ſufficiently anſwered.
Queſt. V. Whether the Errors of the Proteſtants do not ſo diſparage them as to make the Roman Church more Honourable?
Anſ. 1. That is, ſhould not Men chuſe a Leproſie to cure an Itch? We deny not but where Controverſies ſhew our Differences among our ſelves, one Party muſt needs be in an Error, either de re, or de nomine. But we agree in all that's neceſſary to Salvation and Brotherly Love: And Pride, and Envy, and Malignity, are more the Cauſes of our Diſagreement than our Religion. Eſpecially unskilfulneſs in Words and ſtating Caſes. I have endeavoured to ſhew in many Books (eſpecially my End of Doctrinal Controverſies, my Catholick Theology and Methodus Theologiae) that our Differences are moſt in Words whoſe ſence is not mutually underſtood.
How many Loads of Controverſal Volumes are written by Papiſts againſt each other? And what heavy Charges of Simony, Filthineſs, Hereſie, &c. have even General Councils and Hiſtorians laid on the Popes and many Councils? And note, that the Pope or Council is the Eſſentiating Form of the Papal Church as ſuch; and therefore an Unholy or Debauch'd, or Heretick Head, proveth that the Church is Unholy or Heretical: Becauſe the Form denominateth; and is Eſſential. But it is not ſo with the Proteſtants, that own no Univerſal Head but Chriſt, who is Infallible and perfect.
This much I thought needful to add againſt them, that pretend an Inſtitution of Chriſt, for a Political Univerſal Head, and a Foreign Juriſdiction; above a National Church or Chriſtian Kingdom.
He that would compare Papiſts Errors with Proteſtants, let him read Chamier, Blondel de Eccleſia, Molinaeus of the Novelty of Popery, Rivet, Downame de Antichriſto, Jewel, Whitaker, and other ſuch.
§ 7. How few Biſhops or Church Doctors are for Learning The Reader muſt note that by miſtake § 7. and to the end of the Chapter this is miſplaced, and is the end of the IXth. Chapter.equal to Boetius, Joh. Picus, Franciſ. Picus, Eraſmus, Hutten, Goldaſtus, Freherus, Piſtorius, Faber, Stephanus, (Father and Son,) Mornay, Lord Du Pleſſis, Mich. Hoſpitalius, Thuanus, the two Scaliger's, Salmaſius, Grotius, Sarravius, Juſtellus, and many other Lay-men? And are Kings and Magiſtrates uncapable of Wiſdom?
§ 8. How vaſt is the difference between Governing one Kingdom, and Governing all the World? Do I need to aggravate it? And is not one King with Wiſe Judges, and Juſtices, as capable of Governing one Kingdom, as an Utopian College of Biſhops (that ſome dream of,) or a Pope (and Cardinals) of Governing all the World. Can ſuch ignorant, vicious Monſters as Councils have condemned for the moſt odious Wickedneſs and Hereſie, better Rule at Abaſſia, Armenia, or the Antipodes, than a Good King can Rule in England?
§ 9. Councils conſiſt of the Subjects of many Foreign Princes; and uſually their Princes chuſe who ſhall go: And they that are near the place of meeting will be the moſt: And none can come againſt their Princes wills: And few Biſhops will diſobey their Lords that ſend them, or that they live under: And muſt ſuch Subjects of Papiſts, Turks, Infidels, Heathens, be Maſters of England, of King and People, and of all the Religion in the World?
§ 10. Cannot Biſhops at hand here better try the Cauſe of one accuſed for Hereſie, Fornication, Treaſon, Murder, &c. and that by virtue of a Commiſſion from God, than a meeting of Biſhops out of all the World, a Thouſand Mile off can try it?
§ 11. But I ſhall here paſs by my chief proof of this (that God hath ordained no Humane Government (diſtinct from meer conſultation or Concord and Communion,) above National, Headed by Chriſtian Soveraignty.) Becauſe I have ready for the Preſs a full Treatiſe of it, in Two Books. The firſt proving Hiſtorically by their own words, that Archbiſhop Land, Archbiſhop Bromhall, Biſhop Guning, Biſhop Sparrow, Biſhop Sam. Parker, Dr. Pet. Heylin, Mr. Thorndike, Dr. Saywell, and divers others have written for a Foreign and Univerſal Juriſdiction. The ſecond Book fully diſproving it, and proving that the Kingdom and Church is Sworn againſt it, and that the Parliaments and the Church of England till Laud's days were againſt it: And that this very Parliament and Convention having taken a new Oath againſt it beſides the old Oaths of Supremacy, to ſtigmatize the Church and Nation with the foreſaid Perjury, would dangerouſly preſage the Rune of the Perjured, if not of the Land.