The True Way of Concord of All the Christian Churches, Part 3 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII.
The Vniverſal Church will never Vnite, by receiving all that is now received by Greeks, Latines, Armenians, Abaſſines, Lutherans, Calviniſts, Dioceſane, Presbyterians, Independants, Eraſtians, Anabaptiſts, or in full Conformity to any of the preſent Parties, which addeth to the Primitive Simplicity in her terms of Communion or Concord.
Sect. I. I Muſt expect that the Evil Spirit which hath long torn the Church, and made multitudes tear themſelves, and foam out Reproach, yea, and Blood againſt each other, will preſently meet the very Title of this Chapter, with a charge of Pride againſt the Writer, and ſay, What are you, that you ſhould know more than all the Churches in the World? And pre…ume to charge them all with ſo great Error, as not to know the terms of Chriſtian Concord, nor the way of Univerſal Peace?
But I anſwer, 1. Is the Church now United in any of theſe terms or ways? Are they all Papiſts? Are they all of the Greek Church, or Armenian, Abaſſine, &c? Are they all Lutherans, or Calviniſts, &c? If not, why ſhould you conclude that ever they will be? Or that any of theſe are congruous terms of Concord, and that the ſame that doth not heal, will heal them? Will not Chriſtians be the ſame as now?
Sect. II. They never were United on any of theſe terms. I have proved that they were never all Papiſts. And it will be eaſily granted of the reſt (that they were never all Greeks, Lutherans, &c.) And that which never did unite the Church, never will do.
Sect. III. If you think all muſt be united in any of theſe wayes, which of them is it? And why that, rather than any of the reſt?
1. Muſt they all be of the Greek opinions? You ſee that the Papiſts condemn them for Schiſmaticks: And other Churches lament their manifold Corruptions: And the Eaſtern Countries long ſince divided from them. We have here in London a Greek Church new built, and Tolerated; and their work is done ſo ignorantly and unreverently, that they have uſually not twice the number of the officiating or preſent Prieſts who join with them.
2. Muſt they all be Papiſts? Never was more Policy and Cruelty uſed to propagate and prop up any Church under Heaven; and yet they cannot prevail for Univerſal Subjection. Nay, many Kingdoms and Countries are fallen from them, while they uſed ſuch means to keep them, inſomuch that by many of the ſoundeſt Churches, they are taken for no better than Antichriſtian Hereticks. And even the Greek Church ſeparateth from them, and pronounceth them Schijmaticks, and Excommunicates them every year; And they can never obliterate the Hiſtory of their horrid Schiſms and Uſurpations, and inhumane Butcheries, which will alienate many from them. Will all the world ever agree to the Dominion of one Uſurper? Will they all believe the Monſter of Tranſubſtantiation? Will they all agree, That all the Senſes of all men are deceived, who think that they ſee and taſte Bread and Wine, and there is none? And that it is neceſſary to Salvation, to renounce all our Senſes, and the Scripture, that oft calls it Bread after the Conſecration, 1 Cor. 11. Will all agree, That God, who cannot lie by Supernatural Revelation, is the Father of all the lies to Senſe, that perceive real Bread and Wine, and deceiveth them all by his Natural Revelation? Will all men believe. That every lying, fornicating, proud and covetous Prieſt, even many Thouſands of them, can work Miracles at their pleaſures every day in the week, by making Bread no Bread, and turning it into Fleſh and …. And that there are viſible Accidents without a Subject, even, a round nothing, a white nothing, a ſweet nothing, &c. And that there are no ſubſtantial ſ…ns in that Sacrament of the thing ſignified? And that Chriſts true Fleſh was broken, and his Blood ſhed by himſelf in the Sacrament, before it was broken and ſhed on the Croſs? And that two General Councils, who decree as de Fide, that Chriſt hath not now Flesh in Heaven, hath yet heavenly Fleſh in the Sacrament. I know that Auguſtine retracted ſomewhat as an overſight that looked that way: But two General Councils (that at Conſtantinople, called the 7th General by ſome, and that at Nice 2d) which damned one another about Images, yet agreed in this, That Christ hath not Fleſh in Heaven.
The words are, (Bin. p. 378. defin. 7.) [Siauis non confeſſus fuerit Dominum noſtrum Jeſum Chriſtum post Aſſumptionem animatae, rationalis & intelle… carnis ſimul ſedere cum Deo & …atre, atque ita quique rurſus venturum cum Paternâ Majeſtate, judicaturum v… vos & mortuos, non amplius quidem Carnem, neque incorporeum tamen, ut videatur ab i…s a quibus conpunctus eſt, & maneat Deus extra craſſitudinem Carnis, Anathema.
And in this they ſay, that the Conſtantin. Council which they are condemning, was in the right; ſo that they anathematize the Church of Rome, which think that Chriſt hath Fleſh in Heaven, and in the Euchariſt, which they deny, yet ſaying that he hath a Body. And let thoſe that would pervert the word [Craſſitudinem] note, that he doth not diſtinguiſh of Chriſts fleſh and ours as two ſorts, and ſay, extra carnem Craſſam, but, deny him to have fleſh, and ſay, extra craſſitudinem carnis, as an eſſential property of fleſh: And one of theſe Councils the Papiſts own.
Will all Chriſtians agree that every Prieſt muſt firſt make his God, and then eat him? or that he muſt communicate alone without communion with the People? or that he muſt worſhip Bread and Wine as his God? or that he may give a half-Sacrament of Bread without Wine, contrary to Chriſts Inſtitution, the Apoſtles Doctrine, 1 Cor. 11. and all the Churches conſtant practice till of late. And that inſtead of a Commemoration he offereth a real preſent Sacrifice for the quick and dead? Will all agree to their Imageworſhip? Why then did ſo many Councils condemn it? Will all agree that the Aſſemblies pray in an unknown tongue? He is mad with errour who believeth that ever the Church Univerſal will receive all theſe and the reſt, which pretended Infallibility maketh to be uncurable Errours in the impenitent Roman Sect.
3. And briefly as to the reſt, there is no Calviniſt believeth that ever all the Churches will receive the Lutherane Conſubſtantiation or Church-Images? Nor any Lutherane that believeth that ever all the Church will be of the way called Calviniſm; a Name even here in England honoured by many (that yet diſown it as a note of Schiſm,) and reproached with the bittereſt ſcorn and accuſations by others.
Indeed the Behmeniſts, the Quakers and ſome Anabaptiſts have ſaid, that all the Churches would at laſt (and ſhortly) be of their mind; But few others believe them, nor have cauſe.
Sect. IV. That which hath divided the Churches will never be the cement of their Concord: But every one of theſe parties as Sects, by that whence others denominate and oppoſe them, have done ſomething to divide the Churches: what the Greeks, Arm… ans, Neſtorians, Eutychians or Jacobites have done, the Papiſts and others tell you at large: what the Abaſſines do, by their Baptizings, and other Fopperies, I need not declare. What the Papiſts do above all o…ers, I have opened before. What the Anabaptiſts do, by differing from almoſt all other Chriſtians, is known. What the Dioceſans have done in Councils, and by ſilencing others, &c. enow have ſhewed. What Independents and their way have done towards Diviſions and Separations, it is in vain in this Age in England to recite: And many wiſe men think, that the Presbyterians over violent rejecting of all Epiſcopacy, ſetting up unordained Elders, and National Churches as headed by National Aſſemblies, &c. are diviſive and unwarrantable; As the ſame men think their making by the Scots Covenant the renouncing of the Prelacy to be the teſt of National Concord, alſo was.
And who can think that Eraſtianiſm, depoſing the true uſe of Church-Government, as it hath begun, will not ſtill more divide than heal?
Sect. V. I deny not but Univerſal Concord may take in almoſt all ſuch parties: but not as ſuch, by receiving any of their Errours, but as Chriſtians, who agree in the common Eſſentials of Faith and Piety. We can unite with ſober Anabaptiſts, but not by becoming Anabaptiſts. Chriſtïanity is our Religion, and with all that hold the Eſſentials of Chriſtianity, we can hold eſſential Unity: And with thoſe that hold the Integrals moſt purely, we have more and neerer Concord than with the reſt, that have more errours: And if any of theſe parties be ſounder than the reſt, we love and honour them above the reſt, and preferre their Aſſemblies for our local Communion. But though my Parlour or Bed-chamber be a cleaner part of my houſe than my Kitchin, or my Co…-houſe, I will not ſay therefore that the whole houſe muſt be a Parlour or Bed-chamber; or that the hand and the foot are no parts of the body becauſe they are not the head or heart; or that all the body muſt be an Eye or one of the Nobleſt parts: St. Paul hath taught me better than ſo, 1 Cor. 12: We muſt expect that each party ſhould labour to propagate that which they take to be the truth: But to force all to their ſayings, or perſecute or caſt off all Diſſenters, is ſchiſmatical, whatever be pretended.