The True History of Councils, Part 3 · Chapter 2 – Chapter 3
CHAP. II. Whether we have any reaſon to report the Faults of ſome Biſhops and Councils, from the beginning of their Depravation till the laſt?
§ 1. THat I had great reaſon for it, I think what is before ſaid will evince; when we ſee men deſtroying Chriſtian Love, themſelves, and us, and the Land, could they prevail, by their erroneous endeavour to grant no Concord, Communion nor Peace, to no Chriſtians how conſcionable otherwiſe ſoever, who cannot unite in a ſpecies of Prelacy which they believe (by ſuch evidence as I have given) to be contrary to the Law of Chriſt. To the ſaving men from Hereſie and Schiſm now, our oppoſers (and we) do judge it uſeful, to know how Hereticks and Dividers miſcarried heretofore, that others may beware. And is it not as true if Biſhops be the Dividers? And alſo when the Clergies Ambition and Uſurpation have brought that upon the Chriſtian World which it languiſheth and groaneth under in Eaſt and Weſt, is it not needful to open the beginning and progreſs of the diſeaſe, by ſuch as had rather it were cured, than the Church deſtroyed by it?
§ 2. Among the multitude of Proteſtant Church Hiſtorians and Chronologers, how few are there that do not do the ſame, though in various degrees? He that will read the Magdeburgenſe…, or Lucas Oſiander, Illyrici Teſt. Verit. Melancthon himſelf, and Carion Func…ius, yea peaceable holy Bucholtzer, Micrelius, Meander, Phil. Pareus, Hen. Gut…erleth, &c. yea or Julius or Joſ. Scaliger, Salmaſius, H…ttoman, Hottinger, Morney, ſhall ſee the faults of Biſhops opened before this day.
§ 3. The pious and moderate Papiſts themſelves report and lament them: Such as Clemangis, Pelagius Alvarus, Mirandula, Fer…, Joſ. Acoſta, Lud. Vives, Gerſon, Eraſmus, and many other ſuch.
§ 4. The antient Godly Biſhops are they who for the moſt part have been freeſt in reprehending the vices of the reſt; eſpecially Greg. Nazianzen, and Chryſoſtom, and many antient godly Presbyters have been as free, as Gildas, Iſidore Peluſiota, Salvian, Sulp. Severus, Bernard.
§ 5. And if I have wronged the Biſhops or Popes in this Abridgment, their own Hiſtorians, yea their chief flatterers have wronged them. One Pope angered Platina by impriſoning him: Yet if he be partial, it is for the Clergy, and not againſt them. But who will believe that Binnius, Baronius, Crab, Genebrard, Bellarmine, Petavius, and ſuch others have ſpoken too hardly of them. There is no one man that I took ſo much from as Binnius: And what ſhould move him to name ſo many of the miſcarriages of the Councils, but the neceſſity of reciting the Acts of the Councils hiſtorically as he found them?
§ 6. The Sacred Scriptures record the Crimes of the beſt men in all the Ages of which they write, even Adams, Noes, Lots, Aarons, Davids, Solomons, Hezekiahs, Joſiahs, Peters, all the Apoſtles, &c. And it was not done out of ſpite or malice; but as a neceſſary warning to us all.
§ 7. The falſhood of Hiſtory is an intollerable abuſe of mankind: To know nothing done before our times, is to ſhut up mankind in a dungeon; and falſe Hiſtory is worſe than none. And it may be falſe and deceitful in defect as well as exceſs. He that ſhould record all that was good in the Popes, and omit all the reſt, would be a dangerous deceiver of the world, and do more than hath been done to make all Chriſtians Papiſts. You tell us your ſelves, that he that ſhould write the Hiſtory of Cromwell, c. g. or of any Sect that you are againſt, and ſhould leave out all their faults, would be taken for a falſe Hiſtorian.
§ 8. They that write the Hiſtory of mens Lives, do uſe to record their Parentage, Birth and Education: And ſo muſt he that will truly write the Hiſtory of Church-Tyranny, Perſecution and Schiſm. The end is not well underſtood without the beginning. Who is it that heareth how many Ages the Chriſtian world hath been divided into Papiſts, Greeks, Jacobites, Neſtorians, Melchites, &c. and that ſeeth what work the Papacy hath made, but will ask how all this came to paſs? Did the man that died of Gluttony, ſwallow all at one morſel? or rather one bit after another? And when the Clergy have ventured on one merry Cup, or one pleaſant morſel in exceſa, it's eaſie to make them believe that one, and one, and one Cup more; one, and one, and one bit more, is no more unlawful than the firſt. Princip…is obſta, is the Rule of Safety.
If Papiſts intending the recovery of England to the Pope ſhould ſay [Let us but firſt get them under the Oaths, Covenants and Practices which we will call Conformity, and ſo caſt out moſt that dare not ſin, and by this engage them as two Armies in contrary Intereſt to fight againſt each other, and it will be an eaſie matter to bring the ſwallowing Party to go further by degrees, and to believe that as a Pariſh Church muſt not be independent as to the Dioceſan, nor the Dioceſan to the Metropolitical or National, ſo neither muſt a National be independent as to the Univerſal: And that the Univerſal therefore muſt have its known ſtated Government as well as the National,] Were it not neceſſary here for him that would ſave the Land from Popery to ſh…w the danger of the firſt degrees.
The uſual Method is not to uſe Boccalines Roman Engine, which will help a man to ſwallow a Pompion that he may get down a Pill, but to ſwallow a leſſer Pill firſt and a bigger next, till the Pompion will go down. Infancy is before manhood.
§ 9. But the great neceſſity was as aforeſaid, from the revived or rather Continued attempts, of imitating the fatal ambitious and Contentious malady. If Priſcillians, or Gnoſticks ſhould riſe now among us, were it not our duty to ſet before them the hiſtory of the miſcarriage of their predeceſſours. And when men are ſo much ſet on reſtoring an Univerſal Supremacy, is it not meet to ſhew them where, and when, and with what ſucceſs the aſpiring humour did begin. If we have ſmall viſible probability of eſcaping, we muſt yet before we come to Smithfield, ſatisfy our Conſciences that we betrayed not the Church.
CHAP. III. Of Mr. M's notice that I am Unlearned.
§ 1. MR. M's Preface Contracteth the Chief things which he hath to ſay againſt me in his book, that the Reader may find them there all together. And of theſe [that I am unlearned] is not the leaſt. And if that be any of his queſtion I aſſure him it ſhall be none of mine. I am not yet ſo vain as to plead for my Learning: Yea, I will gratify him (though he accuſe me of being againſt repentance) with an unfeigned confeſſion that my ignorance is far greater than his accuſation of unlearnedneſs doth import. Alas I want the knowledge of far more excellent things than languages. I do but imperfectly know my ſelf, my own ſoul, my own thoughts and underſtanding: I ſcarce well know what knowing is. Verily if no knowledge be properly true that is not adequate to the object I know nothing: And ſubſcribe to Zanchez, quod nihil Scitur, (by ſuch as I.) Alas Sir I groan in darkneſs from day to day, & I know not how to be delivered! How little do I know of that God whom the whole Creation preacheth, and of that Society which I hope to be joyned with for ever, and that world which muſt be my hope and portion, or I am undone. Many whom I am Conſtrained to diſſent from upbraid me with my ignorance, and I ſuppoſe it is that for which they ſilence me, reproach, hate and proſecute me; even becauſe I have not knowledge enough to diſcern that all their impoſitions are lawful (or elſe I know not what it is for) But none of them all can (and will) tell me, how I ſhould be delivered from this ignorance: If they ſay, [It muſt be by hard ſtudy] I can ſtudy no harder than I have done. If they ſay [I muſt be willing to know the truth] I take my ſelf for ſure that I am ſo: If in that alſo I am ignorant, in thinking that I know my own mind when I do not, what elſe then can I hope to know? If they ſay [You muſt be impartial] I think I am ſo, ſaving that I muſt not deny or caſt away the truths already received. If they ſay [You ſhould read the ſame books which have convinced us] I read far more of the Papiſts and Prelatiſts and other ſects that write againſt me, than of thoſe that are for me. And the more I read the more I am confirmed. And when theſe men preach and write againſt the Calviniſts, they render them odious as holding that men are neceſſitated to ſin and to be damned, and that it is long of Gods Decree which cannot be reſiſted: Therefore I ſuppoſe they will not lay the Cauſe on God. I do then confeſs my Ignorance, of matters a thouſandfold greater and more needful than thoſe which they mention in their accuſations. I confeſs my ſelf unlearned: But I intreat them that tell me of my diſeaſe (which I know to my daily grief much better than they) to tell me alſo how I may be cured. If they ſay that it muſt be by Fines and Impriſonment it hath been tryed & I am yet uncured: I hope they will not pronounce me remedileſs and not tell me why, who uſe themſelves to ſpeak againſt thoſe that preach men into deſperation; would they but tell me the ſecret how ſo many thouſands of them came to be ſo much wiſer than I, in far ſhorter time, and with far leſs ſtudy, it would be (if true) an acceptable deed of Charity; rather than to tell me of the Ignorance which I cannot help. Could I but know needful truth in Engliſh, I would joyfully allow them to glory of being more skilful in all the Oriental Tongues, and alſo in French, Iriſh, Spaniſh and Italian, than I am.