The True Way of Concord of All the Christian Churches, Part 3 · Chapter 6
CHAP. VI.
The Vniverſal Church will never unite in General Councils as their Head, or as neceſſary to Vnion.
Sect. I. THoſe that are not for the Abſolute Sovereignty of the Biſhop of Rome over all the World, do yet many of them think that they are very moderate Men, if they hold but the Superiority of Councils above the Pope, or limit the Popes power to the advice and conſent of Councils; taking them to be neceſſary to Unity: But the contrary is very eaſily proved; much more their inſufficiency.
Sect. II. 1. It is certain, that the Church had Union before there was any General Council: The firſt at Nice was 310 years at leaſt, if not more after the Birth of Chriſt. There is none pretended to be before that, by any judicious men. They that inſtance in the Conſultation of the Apoſtles, Elders and Brethren at Jeruſalem, Acts 2. may eaſily ſee reaſon to convince them, that thoſe were but the Apoſtles, Elders and Brethren, that were ordinarily then reſident at one City and Church: And ſuch as pretended not to be Governours of all the Apoſtles, Elders and Brethren who then were abſent, about the world. The Popes and his Cardinals may ſay they are a General Council; but who will believe them? Theſe at Jeruſalem were not ſent from all the Churches, but one of the Churches ſent to them, as fitteſt to adviſe them, and as being men moſt certainly, and eminently inſpired by the Holy Ghoſt.
It's true that Chriſt and his Apoſtles had a Governing power over all the Church: And if they will impoſe on us no other ſort of General Councils as ſo neceſſary, but ſuch as have ſuch office, power and infallibility, and dwell together in one houſe or place, and are not ſent from other Churches as their Repreſentatives, and can prove ſuch a Power, we ſhall ſubmit to ſuch a Council. Pighius hath ſaid enough of that Novelty, and againſt the Governing power of General Councils: That which was not eſſential to the Church 310 years, is not ſo now.
Sect. III. 2. If General Councils be the neceſſary means of Union, it is either for their Laws, or their Judgment; and it is either past Councils, or preſent ones, or both.
1. If it be the Laws of paſt Councils, then one Council that can make Laws enough at firſt, may ſerve without any After-Councils: And if it be enough that there have been General Councils, why is not the Church united by them? Then it is no matter if there never be any more. And why may not Chriſts own Laws ſerve for Church Union?
2. But if it be preſent Councils that are neceſſary for Laws or Judgment, then the Church is now no Church without them.
Sect. IV. 3. There is now no General Council in the world, and yet the Church hath eſſential Union. Nay, as it is long ſince there was one (in their own account) ſo we know not whether ever there will be more: the Intereſt of the Pope being againſt it.
Sect. V. 4. The great diſagreement that is about Councils in the Chriſtian World, proveth that they can never be the terms of Univerſal Agreement.
1. It is not agreed who muſt call them.
2. Nor out of what Chriſtian Countries they muſt come; whether all, or but ſome; and which; the Papiſts ſaying that three parts of Chriſtians may be abſent, or have no right to ſend, being Hereticks or Schiſmaticks; and others think Papiſts to be Hereticks, Schiſmaticks, and Antichriſtian.
3. Nor what Number are neceſſary to make a Council.
4. Nor in what Countrey they muſt meet.
5. Nor what their work is.
6. Nor what Power they have.
7. Nor how far they are to be believed.
8. Nor which are to be taken for approved Councils, and which not.
9. Nor what to do if they contradict each other, or the Pope, or the Scriptures.
10. Nor whether any more Councils be neceſſary, than what are paſt already. But the Papiſts themſelves hold, That they are not the ſtated Head, or Governing Power of the Church, (elſe there were now no Church, becauſe there is no General Council; but as a Conſultation of Phyſicians in extraordinary … of the Churches maladies.
Sect. VI. 5. It is certain, That the Univer… Church was never united in their ſubjection to Councils; yea, that even at the greateſt Councils called General, at Nice, Conſtantinople, Epheſus and Chalcedon, and the reſt, there were not Delegates from all the Churches without the Empire; nor did they all ſubject themſelves unto them: yea, it is certain, That there never was an Univerſal Council of the Church throughout the World: but that they were onelyonly called General, as to one Empire, and ſo were but as National Councils; This I have elſewhere proved at large, in my Anſwer and Reply to Johnſon for the Churches Viſibility.
1. By the names that did ſubſcribe the Councils: One Johan: Preſidis at Nice, is an Exception there eaſily anſwered.
2. Becauſe the Roman Emperor called them (whatever Papiſts ſay againſt it to the Ignorant) who had no power but of the Empire.
3. Becauſe no Summons was ſent to any (much leſs to all) out of the Empire, as Hiſtory acquainteth us.
4. They were all under the five Patriarchs, and the Metropolitanes of the Empire: The Abaſſines ſubjection to Alexandria, was ſince the revolt of Dioſcorus.
5. We read of no Execution of their Canons out of the Empire, by either caſting out Biſhops, or putting them in.
6. Theodoret giveth it as the reaſon, why James Biſhop of Niſibis was at the Council of Nice, becauſe Niſibis then obeyed the Roman Emperor, and not the Perſian, Hist. Sanct. Pat. cap. 1.
7. The Emperors oft decided their differences, and ſet Civil Judges among them, to keep order and determine, and corrected them, and received Appeals, and cogniſance of their proceedings; All which, and more, prove evidently, that they were but Univerſal as to that one Empire, (…ay rarely, or never ſo much) and not as to the world.
Sect. VII. It is probable, if not certain, that there never will be an Univerſal Council; unleſs (which God forbid) the Chriſtian Society ſhould be reduced to a ſmall and narrow compaſs, when we are hoping its increaſe: For,
1. The differences who ſhall call them, and the reſt before named, are never like to be agreed.
2. Turks, Heathen and Nations in War againſt other, or hating Chriſtians, will never all conſent and ſuffer it.
3. The jealouſie that Chriſtian Princes have of Papal Tyranny, will never let them agree, to ſend their Subjects to it: The Caſe of the Abaſſines, Greeks, Armenians, Moſcovites, Proteſtants, &c. proveth this.
4. The diſtance is ſo vaſt, that the East and West Indians, and Ethiopians, cannot come ſo far to anſwer the Ends of a General Council.
5. Should they attempt it, their Number muſt be ſo unproportionable to the nearer parts, that it would be no true General Council, to ſignifie by Votes the Churches ſenſe.
6. They could not all meet and conſult in one room, if they were truly Univerſal.
7. They could not all underſtand each other, through diverſity of Language.
8. Their preſent difference, and old experience, aſſureth us, that they would fall altogether by the ears, and increaſe the Schiſm.
9. They would not live to get home again ſo far, to bring and proſecute the Concord.
10. The People and Prieſts at home would not agree to receive them.
Sect. VIII. Yea, it is certain, that it would be a moſt heinous ſin to call a true Univerſal Council, worſe than an hundred Murders. For,
1. If young Men came in no juſt proportion, it would but mock the world, and prepare for Hereſie, or Tyranny. If experienced aged Men came from America, Ethiopia, Armenia, &c. and the Antipodes, the Voyage and Labour would murder them.
2. Their Loſſes would be unſpeakable to their Churches.
3. Yea, their abſence ſo many years, would be to their Churches an unſufferable loſs.
4. The benefits were not like to countervail the loſs: (if they did not hurt by differences, or error, or tyranny, it will be a wonder.)
Sect. IX. The ſad Hiſtory of Councils too fully proveth, that they have been ſo far from being the cauſes of Concord, and Preventers or Healers of Schiſms, that they have been one of the moſt notorious cauſes of diviſion and diſtraction. Having proved this in a peculiar Treatiſe, (A Breviate of the Hiſtory of Biſhops and Councils,) I muſt not here repeat it. The Council of Nice did beſt: But as Conſtantine was fain to keep Peace among the Biſhops in perſon, and burnt their numerous Libels againſt each other, ſo wiſe men think he might another way have better ſuppreſſed Arianiſm, and prevented the many contrary and divided Councils, which this one did by one word occaſion, and have prevented the Perſecutions which Valens and Conſtantius exerciſed: And had the time of Eaſter been left at liberty, perhaps it had as much made for Peace.
What the firſt Council at Conſtantinople did, the ſad Caſe, and ſadder deſcription of Gregory Nazianzene tell us, whoſe character of the Biſhops (not Arians as ſome talk) ſhould not be read without tears by any, whence he learned the danger of Councils, and reſolved never to come to more.
What all the Baſtard Councils did at Ariminum, Sirinium, Alexandria, Milan, &c. I need not tell.
And what Schiſm and Bloodſhed was occaſioned by the firſt and ſecond Council at Epheſus: yea, what ſtreams of Blood, Deſolation, Schiſm, and many Ages deplorable enmity and confuſion were cauſed by the Council of Calcedon, I need tell no one that hath read Church Hiſtory. It is true indeed, that the Neſtorians and Eutychians were condemned in theſe, and the M… nothelites in many following: But whether mutual underſtanding might not have made a better end, I appeal to a Thouſand years experience, and to the nature of the Hereſies there condemned, which ſeem to be much formed in and by ambiguous words, which a good Explication might have better healed, than Anathema's and Bloodſhed. Of this I ſpake before (and often.) The Neſtorians ſaid, that Mary was not to be called the Mother of God, but of Chriſt. The Orthodox ſaid the contrary: when the Orthodox never meant that ſhe begat the Godhead, Of this more before.and the Neſtorians never denied that ſhe begate him that is God. Where then is the difference but in words, one ſpeaking of the Abſtract (Deity) which the other never meant?
The Neſtorians were charged with holding two Perſons in Chriſt, inſtead of two Natures: which yet Neſtorius plainly denieth, but Cyril charged it on him by conſequence, becauſe he refuſed the name foreign on the foreſaid account; thinking that denomination a ratione formali, is moſt apt. And it ſeems one took Nature in the ſame ſenſe, as others took Perſon, meaning the ſame thing.
The Eutychians aſſerted one Nature only, but they meant that Chriſt had but one Nature, as undivided, (which the Orthodox granted) but denied not that the Godhead and Manhood were diſtinct. And what was the difference then, but whether the undivided Godhead and Manhood ſhould be called one Nature, or two; which truly in one ſenſe was two, and in another one. The like was the Monothelites Hereſie (for and againſt which were many Councils) about one or two Wills and Operations, no more diſagreeing than as aforeſaid, about the ſenſe of [One] and [Two.] And had not a wiſe Explication, and patient Reconciliation, done better ſervice, than Curſing did, whoſe doleful effects (Hatred, Hereticating and Schiſm) continue to this day.
Should I come to the Councils about Images, and that at Conſtantine, that decreed the Tribus Capitulis, and the multitudes ſince that have depoſed Emperors and Kings, raiſed Wars, ſet up Popes, and Anti-Popes, &c. Alas how ſad a Hiſtory would it be, to convince us that Councils of Biſhops have cauſed moſt of the Schiſms, Church-Tyranny, Rebellions and Confuſions in the Chriſtian world. And if the Popes have been reſtrained, or depoſed, or Schiſms at Rome partly ſtopt by any, the flame hath quickly more broke out; and condemned Popes have oft got the better of them: And if one Council hath ſaid, That the Pope is reſponſible, another hath determined the contrary: If Baſil and Conſtance decreed, That a Council be called every ten years, it was not done, but was a mockery in the event. In a word, Councils of Biſhops have been but Church-Armies, of which at firſt the Patriarchs were Generals, and afterwards Popes and Emperors, and came to fight it out for Victory, the ſequel being uſually Schiſm and Calamity. And muſt this be the only way of Univerſal Peace?