A Reply to the Catholic Gentlemans Answer, Chapter 10
CHAP. X. An Anſwer to the Exceptions made to the tenth Chapter.
Sect. I.
The Romaniſts want of charity wherein it conſiſts.
Num. 1 IN his view of Chap: 10. he takes notice of two charges by us brought in againſt them, 1. judging, 2. despiſing their brethren, but contents himſelf with a very brief reply, and that onelyonly to one of them, Thus,
Num. 2 In his 10th Chap: he ſaith, we judge them and despiſe them; as to the firſt I have often wondred, and doe now, that men, pretending to learning and reaſon, ſhould therein charge us with want of charity, for if our judgment be falſe, it is error, not malice, and whether true or falſe, we preſſe it upon them out of love and kindneſſe, to keep them from the harm, that according to our belief may come upon them, but ſince they deny they are Schiſmaticks, and offer to prove it, we muſt not ſay it: yet I think we ought, untill we have cauſe to believe them, ſince our higheſt tribunal, the Churches voice, from which we have no appeal, hath paſſed judgment againſt them.
Num. 3 The want of charity, with which we charge the Romaniſt in this matter, is not their warning us of our danger, which may reaſonably be interpreted love, and kindneſs, and care to keep us from harm, and if they erre in admoniſhing, when there is no need of it, there is nothing ſtill but charity in this; but it is their caſting us out of their Communion on this ſcore, that we conſent not to all their Dictates, that we withdraw our obedience from thoſe, who without right uſurped it over us, their anathematizing and damning us, and being no way perſwadable to withdraw theſe ſanguinary Cenſures, unleſſe we will change or diſſemble our beliefs, and as there cannot be charity in this, any thing that can tend to the mending of any, for how can it be deemed any act of reformation in any, to forſake his preſent perſwaſions, whilſt he is not convinced of any error in them, and ſurely the bare damning of us is not any ſuch matter of conviction; ſo there is a double uncharitableneſs, 1. of being angry without cauſe, and expreſſing that anger in very ill language, of which that of Heretick and Schiſmatick is the mildeſt, and each of thoſe cauſleſſe too, if they be affixt to any particular man, much more to a whole Church, before either of them be ſufficiently proved againſt us: For certainly as the Romaniſt's judgment concerning us, if it be falſe, may yet be but error not malice (by which this Gentleman here juſtifies himſelf from want of charity) ſo our opinions and perſwaſions of the erroneouſneſs of their doctrines and ſinfulneſs of their practices, if poſſibly they be not true alſo, are ſtill as juſtly and equitably capable of the ſame excuſe, that they are involuntary errors, and then by their own rule, cannot juſtly fall under ſuch their rigid cenſures, which belong to none but voluntary offenders.
Num. 4 Secondly, the indevouring to inſnare and pervert fearful or feeble minds, uſing theſe terrors, as the Lyon doth his roaring, to intimidate the prey, and make it not rationally but aſtoniſhtly, fall down before them. And as the offering due grounds of conviction to him that is in error may juſtly be deemed charity, ſo this tender of nothing but frights, without offer of ſuch grounds of conviction, is but leading men into temptation to ſin againſt conſcience, to diſſimulation &c. and ſo the hating the brother in the heart, Lev. 19. the more than ſuffering ſin upon him.
Num. 5 To theſe might be, not unſeaſonably, added a farther conſideration, which hath carried weight with the Fathers of the Church in all times, that ſeeing the Cenſures of the Church were left there, foreign, for edification not for deſtruction, and are onelyonly deſigned to charitative ends, (muſt never be uſed to any other purpoſe) therefore when obedience it utterly caſt off, the band, be it of ſubordination or co-ordination ſo broken, that the iſſuing out of Cenſures cannot expect to compoſe, but onelyonly to widen the breach, not to mollifie but exaſperate, there Chriſtian prudence is to indevour by milder waies, what ſeverity is not likely to effect, and ſo the thunderbolts to be laid up, till there may be ſome probability of doing good by them.
Num. 6 But this is not the caſe, as it really lies betwixt Rome and us, ſave onelyonly as à majori it may be accommodated to us; we have caſt off neither obedience to any, to whom it was due, nor charity to thoſe, who have leaſt to us, nor truth, to the utmoſt of our underſtandings, and yet we muſt be caſt out and anathematized, and after all that, condemned as wilful ſchiſmaticks, i. e. foreign, dividers and condemners of our ſelves, becauſe we quietly ſubmit to that fate, which will coſt us too dear, the wounding and diſquiet of our conſcience, to qualifie our ſelves for a capacity of getting out of it.
Num. 7 What he adds of their higheſt tribunal, the Churches voice, which hath paſſed this judgment againſt us, belongs I ſuppoſe to thoſe Biſhops of Rome, which have ſent out their Bulls againſt us, and therefore I muſt in reaſon adde, that thoſe are principally guilty of this ſchiſme, and ſo their ſucceſſors principally obliged to retract and reform the ſin of it, and after them, all others in the order and meaſure, that they have partaked in this guilt with them.
Num. 8 And there can be no greater charity than to beſeech all in the bowels of Chriſt to return to the practice of that charity, which hath too long been exiled from among Chriſtian Profeſſors.