The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 1
CHAP. 1. Of the Nature of the Queſtion of the Church.
SUch is the ignorance and perverſneſs of man, that he gets harm by the moſt ſalutary things, turning his helps into hindrances, and directions to ſalvation into ſtumbling blocks. A truth juſtified by this Controverſie of the Church: For this word Eccleſia (which with us is the Church) is a word importing Union, and calling together the wills, as well as the bodies: Yet it is that which now adays cauſeth the greateſt diviſion of minds; A Bond of Concord, is become an apple of diſcord.
This is the work of Pride and Ambition. For under the title of Church, a Temporal Monarchy is built in this world; whence it is come to paſs, that the word hath loſt its ſignification. For by the Church, which is ſaid to be the Soveraign Judge of doubts concerning the Faith, from whoſe Authority the Authority of Scripture is made to depend, the Aſſembly of the Faithful is not underſtood, but ſome few Prelates that do and undo, and rule according to their pleaſure.
The worſt is, that the word Church is uſed as a Scare-crow to fright ſimple ſouls, and to enſlave their conſciences, pinning them altogether upon the Authority of certain perſons, to diſſwade them from enquiring of the Holy Scriptures, which alone can make us wiſe unto ſalvation. And whereas there be many contrary Churches, there is one among the reſt whoſe Leaders boaſt that they cannot err, that the world may wholly relie upon them about the doctrine and way of ſalvation.
The ill order that is uſed in treating that point, contributes very much towards that evil. For that queſtion is ſet in the van, which ought to be in the rear; this being laid for the Foundation and firſt Principle. That a man muſt believe the Church, before he be taught what the Church muſt believe. They will have the people to follow their Leaders, not enquiring whether they keep the right way, and teach the true Doctrine. But how ſhall a man joyn with the Aſſembly of the Faithful, before he know what it is to be faithful? And how ſhall one know what it is to be faithful, unleſs he know firſt what the Doctrine of Faith is? Among many contending Churches, how ſhall I know the true, and the pure Church, if the rules of Truth and Purity are hid from me, by a Prohibition of reading the holy Scripture, in which only thoſe rules are to be found? Prudent men will know before they chuſe. Only in the moſt important point of all, which is Salvation, the world will chuſe the Church, before they know the things that make it to be the true Church.
For which this reaſon is given, that the work would be too long to examine all the queſtions by Scripture. Wherefore the Divines of the time will reduce all Controverſies to the queſtion of the Church; for (ſay they) he that is ſure that he is in the true Church, is ſure alſo that he hath the true Faith and Doctrine. But they fancy that to be a long work, which in effect is ſhort: For the Faith of the Faithful is content with a few Articles, wherein the ſubſtance of Piety conſiſteth, which are ſet down in the Scripture in ſuch clear terms, that they need no interpretation. And though the labour were long, yet in a thing ſo important, the difficulty muſt not breed neglect; much leſs, to avoid a long way, muſt we take an impaſſable and endleſs way. For ſince one cannot know which is the Aſſembly of the truly Faithful, but by the knowledge of the true Faith, whoſo without knowing which is the true faith, chuſeth the Church which he will joyn to, throweth, as it were, at dice for his Salvation. And though he ſhould light of the true Church, he ſhould be never the better Chriſtian for that; for he ſhould owe his Religion to cuſtom, or to his birth, or to ſome accident, without having any true piety or knowledge of God: He would have been of another Religion, if he had been born in another Country, or if he had met with other Leaders of his blindneſs.
In vain alſo the Controverſies of Religion are begun by that of the Church, to make ſhort work; for it is a thouſand times the longer way. For the only queſtion of the Church, as it is handled in our time, is a ſea without either bottom or ſhore, and the whole body of Divinity is ſhort in compariſon of that. For among the marks of the true Church, they put the ſucceſſion of Chairs in the ſame Doctrine from Chriſt until now: Whereby one is obliged to know all the Hiſtories of the Church over all the world, for ſixteen hundred years, and to ſearch what every Biſhop, who hath been ſitting in that Chair in ſixteen hundred years hath believed, upon every point of Divinity. There contrary Chairs are found, and very often Hiſtories are wanting: For the Expoſition of a paſſage of a Father, there is many times as much (if not more) contention, as for the ſenſe of a Text of Scripture. And after all, that Father is no God, and is fallible, and our adverſaries condemn every Father in many things. Neither can the people get any skill in the Fathers, the Books being Greek and Latine, of infinite length.
Indeed he that is ſure that he is in the true Church, is ſure that he hath the true Faith and Doctrine, at leaſt, as for the foundation, and the eſſential points of Religion. But I deny, that therefore he knows the true Doctrine, becauſe he knows that he is in the true Church; yea, therefore he knows that he is in the true Church, becauſe he knows that the Church in which he is hath the true Doctrine, and is in the communion of thoſe that believe and obſerve it.
How much that method hath ſpoiled Divinity, it is evident and lamentable: For inſtead of treating by Gods Word, of the nature of God, of the corruption of man, of the relation of the Law with the Goſpel, of Redemption by Jeſus Chriſt, of Juſtification by Faith, of the exerciſe of good Works, of the adoration of one God only, and of the ſaving calling of the Faithful, in which points true Divinity conſiſteth; we are drawn by our adverſaries to diſpute of the ſucceſſion of Chairs, and of the prerogatives of the Roman See; Whether the Church be above Scripture? that is, Whether men be above God? Whether the Pope can err? Of the conteſtations of other Patriarchs with the Biſhop of Rome. Of the appeals of the Church of Africa. Of the Suburbicary Towns. Whether the Council of Sardica was univerſal? and a thouſand things of that kinde, of no uſe for ſalvation. We need not then wonder that Atheiſm multiplieth, ſince in our days Chriſtian Religion conſiſteth in diſputes, from which the people get no inſtruction, and the conſciences reap no comfort; and in an infinite heap of allegations of humane paſſages, God hardly finds any place, and his Word is very ſeldom made uſe of. Yea, the uſe that is made of it, is to ſubject the authority of it unto that of the Church: For (ſay they) it is the Church that makes the Scripture to have the force of a Law, and that which giveth authority to Scripture, the Roman Church being the infallible Judge of the ſenſe of Scripture, even of the ſenſe of thoſe very Texts which ſpeak of the duty of the Church, and are employed to eſtabliſh the authority of the Roman Church. By this means the Roman Church is become judge in her own cauſe, and is an infallible Judge of the ſenſe of the Laws to which ſhe is ſubject.
So did not the Apoſtles; for (as you may ſee in the Book of the Acts) they inſtructed the people in the Doctrine of the Goſpel, and alledged the Writings of the Prophets; but ſent not the people to the Church, or to the authority of any ſoveraign and infallible Chair.
We will then enter (with the favour and aſſiſtance of our God) into this matter, which the malice of men hath ſo intangled and beſet with thorns; and as occaſion will require, we will examine the Reaſons and Objections of Monſieur du Perron: Not always following the order of his Chapters, but of the matter, to avoid confuſion; and that we may not be conſtrained to ſay (after him) fifty times over the ſame thing. For to make his Book ſwell, he beats over and inculcates many times the ſame things, which are never the more true for being often repeated.