The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 11
CHAP. 11. Teſtimonies and Reaſons of the Adverſaries for the perpetual Viſibility of the Church.
AGainſt this our Adverſaries beſtir all their ſtrength. M. du Perron in Chap. 2. oppoſeth it with many texts, Iſai. 2.2. And it ſhall come to paſs in the laſt dayes, that the Mountain of the Lords houſe ſhall be eſtabliſhed in the top of the mountains; And all the hils ſhall flow unto her. [For ſo he alledgeth that Text.] But that Text promiſeth not a viſibility, and perpetual eminency to the Church, and at all times. It is a prediction of a time, when at the preaching of the Goſpel, many Nations ſhall be converted: which happened in the time of the Apoſtles and their Diſciples. This is made plain by the following words; For out of Zion ſhall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jeruſalem. He ſpeaks of a time, when the Word of God muſt be carried from Judea and Jeruſalem to the Gentiles, which came not to paſs but in the Apoſtles time.
The ſame anſwer will ſerve for two other Texts which he brings; The one out of Iſa. 60.3. The Gentiles ſhall come to thy light, and Kings to the brightneſs of thy riſing. The other is out of chap. 61.9. Their ſeed ſhall be known among the Gentiles, and their off-ſpring among the people. Theſe Texts promiſe a time when the Church ſhall be much exalted in the ſight of the Nations, but ſpeak not of viſibility and perpetual ſplendor.
To theſe Texts he adds two of the New Teſtament. The firſt of Mat. 5.14. You are the light of the world. A City that is ſet on a hill cannot be hid. By the City(a)Lib. de unitate Eccleſiae. Auſtin underſtands the Church. Baſil in his abridged definitions in the 277. Interrogation holds that thereby good works muſt be underſtood, becauſe it is added, that men may ſee your good works. But the true expoſition is that of Hierom in the ſecond Dialogue againſt the Pelagians, and of Chryſoſtom in the Homily upon this place; Who ſay, that by the City ſet on a hill the Apoſtles are underſtood, whom Jeſus Chriſt cals alſo the light of the world, and becauſe both their perſons and preaching were to be ſet forth in the ſight of all Narions. Thus God ſaid to the Prophet, Jer. 1.18. Behold I have made thee this day a defenced City. Yet ſuppoſe that this City ſet upon a mountain be the Church; What can be gathered from it, but that the Church ſhall be eminent and viſible as long as it is ſet upon a hill? But this Text doth not ſay that it muſt always ſtand there. The Church of God is in a moving and wayfaring condition. God hath often removed her from one place to another.
The ſecond Text which he alledgeth out of the New Teſtament, is, Mat. 18.17. Tell it unto the Church; But if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an Heathen man and a Publican. This we may call playing with the word of God. The queſtion is, whether the Church, which is called Catholick or Univerſal, be viſible? Is it any thing to this purpoſe to bring a Text where, by the word Church the Paſtors of a particular congregation are underſtood? For that Text ſpeaks of differences and offences between two Brothers, which to appeaſe the univerſal Church is not convocated. Beſides, they that are commanded by the Text to make their addreſs unto the Church when they have received ſome wrong from their neighbours, belong unto the Church: But here the queſtion is, whether the Church be always viſible to them that are without?
M. du Perron was not aſhamed to alledge Pſalm 19.4. He hath put her tabernacle in the Sun, to prove that God hath made his Church viſible and eminent. But that Text is falſified, which is thus, according to the Hebrew truth.See Sixtus Senenſis editionis Venetae, pag. 220. where he ſpeaks thus. Genuinus ac proprius hujus literae ſenſus & expoſitio ſit Deum poſuiſſe Soli tabernaculum in coelo. In them (that is in the heavens) he hath ſet a tabernacle for the Sun. A man that hath recourſe to ſuch proofs, ſhews himſelf conſcious of a great weakneſs of his cauſe.
Having ſo ill alledged Scripture, he brings in the Fathers to no better purpoſe. Cyprian in his book of the Unity of the Church, ſaith, That the Church clad with the Suns light, ſpreads her beams over all the world. He ſpeaks of the Orthodox Church of his time, which was of a large extent: But he ſaith not that it ſhould be ſo for ever. Alſo he alledgeth Chryſoſtom in the fourth Homily upon Iſaiah, and makes him ſay that it is more eaſie to put out the Suns light, then to obſcure the Church. But that Text is falſly interpreted: For the word foreign of Chryſoſtom ſignifieth to be, put out and utterly aboliſht, not to be obſcured. This falſification is notorious.
Out of the ſame Chryſoſtom, in the ſame place he alledgeth this, The Sun is not ſo manifeſt, nor his light, as the actions of the Church. Yea to them that are of the Church, and have eyes to ſee. But as for them that are out of the Church, and are blind in their underſtanding, M. du Perron hath confeſt before, that the Church is to them inviſible.
Of Saint Auſtin, whom M. du Perron makes his main ground, as one that giveth often multitude for a mark of the true Church, we will ſpeak hereafter, and ſhew that it is a deceitful mark.
Here one may ask, How then ſhall it be poſſible for the ignorant to be ſaved, if the Church ſometimes be out of ſight? For how ſhall they joyn with a Church which doth not appear? That Objection hath the like force againſt our Adverſaries: For they acknowledge that there is, and ever was in the world a multitude of Nations that know neither Chriſt nor Chriſtian Church, which therefore cannot aggregate themſelves unto the Church, ſince they do not ſee her. That Objection then doth not ſtrike at us, but at God, who knoweth the wayes to bring to ſalvation thoſe that belong to his election.