The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 1 · Chapter 40 – Chapter 41
CHAP. 40. Of the multitude and great number; and that the multitude is not a mark of the true Church.
AMong the marks of the true Church, our Adverſaries, who boaſt of their number, put multitude. As good as ſaying, that to find the Church where we may be ſaved, we muſt get a Cord to meaſure the Countrey, or have Counters to number the perſons. This is very ſtrange, that the true Church ſhould be diſcerned by that mark wherein Pagans go beyond Chriſtians; and that this ſhould be given for a mark of the true Church, which by the judgement of Scripture is rather a mark of Error. Before the flood, the family of Noah was very ſmall in compariſon of all mankind. What was the family of Abraham compared to the reſt of the world? or the people of Iſrael in compariſon of the Empires of Babylon and Perſia? And of that very people of Iſrael ten Tribes revolted. And in the two that remained, many times the Idolaters and profane were the greateſt number. Againſt one Prophet of God, Micaiah, four hundred falſe Prophets riſe, 1 King. 22.6. And after the death of the Lord, the Church conſiſted in very few Diſciples. Thou ſhalt not follow a multitude to do evil, ſaith our God, Exod. 23.2. In the 10. of Luke, the Lord Jeſus calls his Church a little flock. And Matth. 7, he commands us to take the narrow way which leadeth unto life, and ſaith, that few there be that find it; and that the broad way leads unto perdition. And Rev. 13. the Spirit of God foretells a time, when all the earth ſhall run after the Beaſt. Likewiſe Luk. 18.8. the Son of God ſpeaking of the time next before his coming, ſaith, When the Son of man cometh, ſhall he find faith on the Earth? Where ſhall at that time that viſible multitude be, and that Church eminent in number and ſplendor? And when wings are given to the Church to flye and hide her ſelf in the deſart for a time, Rev. 12. it is not like that then ſhe was or ſhall be great in number; for a great multitude cannot be hid.
There was alwayes more Pagans then Chriſtians, and many times hereticks have paſt the Orthodox in number. A time when Arians were the greater number, as Vincentius Lirinenſis ſaith,(a)Arianorum venenum non jam portiunculam quandam ſed pene orbem totum contaminaverat, adeo ut propè cunctis Latini ſermonis Epiſcopis partim vi partim fraude deceptis, &c. The venom of the Arians had defiled not a ſmall portion, but well nigh all the world; ſo that almoſt all the Latine Biſhops were deceived, partly by force, partly by fraud; a deep darkneſs had overſpred the ſpirits. Among thoſe Latin Biſhops were the Biſhops of Rome, Liberius and Felix; the one of which by fear, the other in earneſt, had embraced Arianiſm. And Hierom in his Dialogue againſt the Luciferians ſaith, All the world groaned and wondred to ſee it ſelf turned Arian. And upon the 133. Pſal. (b)Eccleſia non parietibus conſiſtit, ſed dogmatum veritate. Eccleſia ibi eſt ubi vera fides eſt. Caeterum ante annos quindecim aut viginti, parietes omnes Eccleſiarum hîc haeretici poſſidebant. Ante viginti annos, omnes Eccleſias ha… haeretici poſſidebant; Eccleſia autem illic vera erat, ubi vera fides erat.The Church conſiſteth not in the walls, but in the truth of the doctrine. There the Church is where the true faith is; for it is but fifteen or twenty years ſince hereticks poſſeſt all the wals of theſe Churches; but there the true Church was where the true faith was. The Author of the life of Gregory Nazianzen ſpeaks thus, The hereſie of Arius did hold well nigh the whole bredth of the world, being backt with the help of an ungodly Emperor.
Gregory Nazianzen in his Oration againſt the Arians, and concerning himſelf, Where are they that upbraid us with our poverty? (c)foreign?That define the Church by her multitude, and deſpiſe the little flock? As they have the people, ſo we have the faith. They have the gold and the ſilver, we the faith and the doctrine. Himſelf in the verſes of his life,(d)foreign. It is a ſmall people, but of great price before God, who numbereth not the multitude, but the hearts. And in the 32. Oration pronounced before a hundred and fifty Biſhops, he ſpeaks thus to the Adverſaries who boaſted of their great number;(e)foreign. God delighted not in the greateſt number. Thou counteſt the thouſands, but God thoſe that are ſaved. Thou counteſt the infinite duſt, but I the veſſels of election.
The ſecond Tome of Athanaſius, hath an expreſs treatiſe againſt thoſe who judge of the truth by the multitude,(f)Tom. 2. pag. 246. foreign. How miſerable (ſaith he) are thoſe that attribute the ſtrength of reaſon unto the only multitude! He that finding himſelf unable to reſolve a queſtion propounded, and wanting proofs, hath recourſe unto the multitude, confeſſeth himſelf overcome, as having no proviſion to maintain the truth. Why doſt thou boaſt of multitude, as if thou didſt threaten God to build another tower of Babel, &c. That text is very long and very expreſs. In the end he concludes,(g)foreign, &c. Doſt thou ſtrengthen untruth with the multitude? Thou ſheweſt thereby that the evil is ſo much the greater. In the 16. chap. of the 2. Book of the hiſtory of Theodoret, the Emperor Conſtantine who was an Arian, upbraideth Liberius, that he was alone of the party of Athanaſius: to which Liberius anſwereth,(h)foreign. Although I be alone, the word of faith is not thereby weakened. In old time three perſons only were found that reſiſted the ordinance; he durſt not add, of Nebucadnetſar, for fear of offending the Emperor. Pope Nicolas the I. in his Epiſtle to the Emperor Michael, The ſmal number doth no harm where piety aboundeth. The great number availeth nothing where impiety reigneth; yea the more the congregation of the wicked is numerous, the more is ſhe powerfull to compaſs her evil deſigns, &c.(i)Nolite gloriari in multitudine, quia non multitudo ſed cauſa damnationem vel juſtificationem adducit. Glory not in the multitude; for it is not the multitude, but the cauſe that makes one condemned or juſtified.
Auſtin is the only Father, to whom it happened to go about ſometimes to diſcern the true Church by the multitude; for diſputing with the Donatiſts, whoſe Church was ſmall, compared to the Orthodox Church, he maintains in ſeveral places, that the true Church is alwayes eminent and in greater number then the ſociety of Hereticks. Which text M. du Perron ſets forth with a great ſhew, and alledgeth them upon all occaſions. But Auſtin muſt not be believed againſt himſelf, and againſt the other Fathers, much leſs againſt the Word of God, and againſt experience. Himſelf, chap. 19. of his Book de catechizandis rudibus, ſpeaks thus,(k)Neque hoc nos movere debet quia multi diabolo conſentiunt, & pauci Dominum ſequuntur, quia & frumentum in comparatione palcarum valde pauciorem habet numerum. We ought not to be moved that many conſent with the devil, and few follow the Lord; for wheat alſo is very ſmal in compariſon of the ſtraw. And in the 6. Sermon upon the words of the Lord in St. Matthew, (l)Quod tunc corpus ejus in turba patiebatur, hoc patitur Eccleſia ejus; à turbis premitur, à paucis tangitur.The Church of Jeſus Chriſt ſuffereth that which himſelf ſuffered in the crowd of the people; She is oppreſt by the crowd, but few perſons touch her. Where by thoſe that touch the Church, he underſtands the faithfull. See Auſtin upon the 128. Pſal. where he ſaith, that the Church in old time was in Abel only, another time in Enoch only, and after Enoch in the only family of Noah; for in all theſe texts he diſputeth not againſt the Donatiſts Note alſo that thoſe Churches, the multitude whereof Auſtin oppoſeth unto the Donatiſts, are at this time contrary to the Roman Church.
CHAP. 41. Examination of the proofs which M. du Perron brings to prove that the true Church had alwayes the greateſt number.
THe Cardinal in the 88. chap. of his firſt Book againſt the King, brings many texts of Scripture which promiſe unto the Church a great confluence of nations. As that which is ſaid to Abraham; Gen. 22. In thy ſeed ſhall all nations be bleſſed; and thy ſeed ſhall be like the ſtars of Heaven, and like the ſand of the ſea. And in the 2. chap. of Haggai, v. 9. The glory of this latter houſe ſhall be greater then of the former. And Cant. 8.8. We have a little ſiſter and ſhe hath no breſts, And Iſa. 54.1. Sing O barren, for more are the children of the deſolate then the children of the marryed wife.
Theſe texts are Propheſies of the vocation of the Gentiles, by the preaching of the Goſpel, and were fulfilled in the time of the Apoſtles and of their Diſciples, and in the ages in which the Goſpel was much propagated, and the Church much increaſed; whoſe multitude hath much exceeded that of the Church of Iſrael, which was incloſed in one only nation; but the Chriſtian Church receiveth all nations; and muſt, not all at one time, but ſucceſſively, be carried over all the world. So is underſtood the text of Pſal. 2. I ſhall give thee the nations for thine inheritance, and for thy poſſeſſion the uttermoſt parts of the earth. And this of Pſal. 72. He ſhall have Dominion from Sea to Sea. And that of Acts 1. And you ſhall be witneſſes unto me unto the utmoſt parts of the earth. Which texts are abuſed, if one will prove by them that the Church muſt alwayes extend over all the world, or fill the whole earth all at one time. That never was and never ſhall be, but ſhe muſt go ſucceſſively over all the world, and paſs from one people to another. Which ſucceſſion may as well be done, the Church being ſmall as great; as one may carry through the houſe as well a little candle as a great one. St. Paul doth plainly intimate this, Rom. 10.18. where he applieth to the preaching of the Apoſtels, that which is ſaid of the Sun and Stars, Pſal. 19. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world; for the Sun and Stars give not their light to the earth all at once, but ſucceſſively, to one part after the other.
With the like abuſe theſe texts are imployed to prove that at all times the true Church muſt be the moſt populous; for there is not one of all theſe texts that ſpeak of a perpetual multitude and eminence. They are Prophecies that peculiarly regard the calling of the Gentiles in the time of the Apoſtles and their Diſciples, in which there was a very great confluence of people converted to the faith. This clearly appeareth in the text of Iſa. 2. where God promiſeth, that many people ſhall go and ſay, Come ye and let us go to the mountain of the Lord; for preſently after that promiſe Iſaiah addeth, For out of Zion ſhall go forth the Law, and the Word of the Lord from Jeruſalem; where it is evident, that he ſpeaks of a time when the Word of God was to be carried among the nations from Jeruſalem and Judea; which hapned not but in the Apoſtles time.