The Samaritan Showing Healing, Section 8
SECT. VIII.
YET after all that I have ſaid to evince the Improbability, or rather Impoſſibility of Union among Chriſtians in many things, eſpecially ſuch as are dark and doubtful, and of little uſe or neceſſity, I do not intend to affirm that Chriſtians can agree in nothing, or that all Uniformity of Judgment is impoſſible and impracticable among them; no, I do with much aſſurance ſay, That Chriſtians may, do, and will agree in all the Eſſential and Conſtituent Parts of Chriſtianity, and that Peace and Love may be maintained notwithſtanding very great variety of Opinions, and ſome different practices too in other things.
That Chriſtians will agree in the great Eſſentials of Chriſtian Religion, is apparent; for they do ſo, Greeks and Romans, with all the ſeveral Subdiviſions that are among them, do conſent in one Common Creed, Rule of Life, and Compedium of Prayer and Devotion; all Proteſtants, Calviniſts, Lutherans, and Arminians, or by whatever other title they may be known or called, conſent with them in the great Agenda, Credenda, & Petenda in Religion. In theſe things there is no diverſity among them; thoſe things are ſo obvious in the Scripture, and many of them in the Light of Nature, and by the Providence of God have been ſo ſuperintended, that in the greateſt defections of the Church, and Apoſtacy of Chriſtians, the knowledge and belief of them hath been preſerved and continued amongſt all.
Yea I am paſt doubt, that if only theſe things were made the Conditions of Communion among Chriſtians, with Liberty of Difference in other things, and ſome variety of practices in particular Churches, more Unity, Peace and Love would thereby be produced, and Knowledge, Piety and Godlineſs be more advanced than by any other means in the world. In the daies of the Apoſtles, and in ſome Ages after them, perſons were admitted into the Chriſtian Church, upon their belief and conſent to theſe few plain things; yea upon a bare conſent to the Contents of the Baptiſmal Covenant; and whilſt they continued that Conſent and Faith, they were continued in the Communion of Chriſtians; and I do not yet underſtand why men may not be Chriſtians, and partake in the Communion of Chriſtians upon the ſame terms now as then; I think the Apoſtles were as wiſe men, and knew as well what they did, as any that have come after them in the Government of the Church; and I do not as yet ſee any reaſon why their Laws and Conditions of Communion ſhould be altered. I am afraid the alteration of them hath done more hurt, and occaſioned more miſchief to the Church of God, than they that were the Authors thereof will be able to give a fair account of to God Almighty one day.
It is not to be doubted, but that there was great diverſity of Opinions (and ſome diverſity of Practices) in things of inferiour nature among Chriſtians, and among Churches, even in the Primitive Church; The Jewiſh and Gentile Converts had not the ſame Opinions, nor were not of the ſame Judgment; Some differences there were among them, both in Opinion and Practice, as is obvious in the Scripture: And St. Paul allowed it, and communicated with them therein. And thus it was in the Ages ſubſequent to the Apoſtles, as Euſebius reports from the Letter of Ireneus to Victor Biſhop of Rome, lib. 5. cap. 24. Victor had Excommunicated the Aſiatick Churches, becauſe they would not obſerve Eaſter after the Roman manner, for which Ireneus Biſhop of Lyons in France reproves and admoniſhes him not to Excommunicate and Cut off whole Churches, for obſerving the Tradition of their Fathers; for they had alwaies obſerved it on the fourteenth day of the Month, and would not change it, to comply with the Roman Cuſtom, who obſerved it on the Lord's Day. Ireneus tells Victor, That there was not only a Controverſie about the Time of Obſerving Eaſter, but alſo about the Obſervation of the Faſt that did precede it; ſome thinking themſelves obliged to obſerve one, ſome two, ſome more, and ſome forty Daies; and this variety was not a Novel Cuſtom lately introduced, but had been ſuch long before in the Times of their Progenitors and Predeceſſors; but this brake no Peace, though they differed about the Number of the Daies of Faſting. foreign, The diverſity of the Faſt did commend the Agreement of Faith. He adds that Hyginus, Anicetus, Pius, Zyſtus, and Teleſphorus, which Ruled the Church of Rome before him, though they never obſerved Eaſter after the Cuſtom of the Aſiatiques nor permitted it to be done in their Church, yet they kept Peace with thoſe that came to them from other Churches where it was ſo obſerved; and gives inſtance in Polycarpus, who being at Rome in the time of Anicetus, was treated by him with Love and Honour, and permitted to conſecrate the Euchariſt in his Church: And if Biſhops and Church-men, were as humble, pious, & peaceable as thoſe two Biſhops were, there might be the ſame Peace among them and their Churches, though they differed in ſome Cuſtoms, Practices, and Obſervations.
I know no more reaſon that Biſhops and Churches ſhould quarrel one with another for the ſake of ſome differing Opinions and Practices, than that they ſhould quarrel about the difference in their bodily ſtrength and ſtature (I have inſtanced in the face before) or the various ſorts of Faſhions and Ornaments wherewith they are covered and adorned. Were it not a pleaſant thing to obſerve men huſſing, and raging, anathematizing, & curſing each other, becauſe one wears brown coloured Cloth, and another wears Gray; one wears Serge, and another Freeze; one buckles his Shoes, and another ties them with Strings? And are not many of the Contentions of Chriſtendom indeed founded and eſtabliſhed upon Reaſons of equal weight and value? Are not moſt of the unchriſtian Feuds and Heats that are in England, of this ſort and kind? What if one man fits at the holy Sacrament, another ſtands, and another kneels? Is not a Unity of Affection and Faith reconcilable with this diverſity of geſture? What if one man reads his Prayers, and another repeats them from his Memory? What if one man uſes a Form, and another prayes Extemporately? may they not believe the Common Faith, and live in Love and Peace together? I am ſure this may be, and if it be not ſo, 'tis not hard to tell what is the reaſon of it, nor where the blame muſt be laid.
If Peace and Love may be preſerved, amidſt ſome diverſity of Opinions, in the leſſer things of Religion, and ſome variety of Practices, alſo (as I am very ſure it may, if nothing elſe do hinder it) it may be hoped that the Chriſtian world may enjoy ſome quiet once again, and loſt Charity, Love and Kindneſs may revive among the Diſciples and Servants of the God of Love and Peace; but if nothing will ſatisfie the Guides and Rulers of Chriſtendom, but Uniformity in all things; and no Liberty be given for ſome diverſities of Practices, there will be, nor can be, any Peace or Concord upon Earth; for Chriſtians never will agree in many things; nor is it morally poſſible they ſhould, as I have evinced (I ſuppoſe) at large already.
The truth is, the idle Dream, the fond Imagination of a poſſibility of making Chriſtians of one uniform Judgment and Practice, hath filled the Chriſtian world with variance, ſtrife and contentions, with blood, violence, rapine, and oppreſſion, with proſcriptions and baniſhment: Yea hath left little more than the name of Chriſtian Religion in moſt parts of the world. For that men may be of one Judgment and Practice in Religion, there muſt be Impoſitions, and theſe Impoſitions muſt be inforced by Laws, and the contempt or breach of theſe Laws muſt be penal, and thoſe penalties muſt be ſharp and ſevere, and ſeverely executed, and ſo bring us to ſuch a paſs, or elſe they are only Maukings, and men will laugh at them, and differ ſtill as much as ever.
And ſure it is, that men fearing God, will not debauch their Conſciences, nor ſin againſt God, they will not hazard their Souls to preſerve and ſecure their Lives, their Bodies, and their Eſtates; they will not run the hazard of being damned everlaſtingly, to eſcape the temporary puniſhment of impoſing and domineering Rulers and Churchmen; and therefore they muſt be impriſoned, fined, baniſhed, hanged, and damned too, if it were in the power of their good Friends and Proſecutors to do it. And theſe are the bleſſed Effects of Tyrannical Impoſitions; theſe the means of Peace, Union and Concord among Chriſtians and Churches. But I would fain learn who taught them theſe means, waies and methods of Peace, Unity and Concord. Of all the Creatures upon Earth, a man would ſuſpect they learned it from the Devil, who was a murtherer from the beginning; ſurely they never learnt them from the holy Jeſus, for he never uſed any ſuch methods of Peace, nor taught any ſuch to his Diſciples that I can find in the Goſpels. Ye know not what manner of ſpirit you are of.
And what follows? When they have baniſhed, ruined, burnt and murthered all the Diſſenters of one Age, the next Age furniſhts them with more, to exerciſe their Cruelty upon, and imploy their Rage which they call by the name of Love and and Zeal for Union and Peace: And thus for the maintenance of their Impoſitions and an Imaginary Peace by the means thereof, they are obliged to live in perpetual War, and to maintain ſome Legions in conſtant pay, to ruine and deſtroy thoſe which are much better than themſelves, and dearer to God and Chriſt, as they may alſo dearly know when they come to account to him for it.
But if they chance to ruine all Diſſenters, and none ariſe in ſucceſſion to them, then muſt men grow to a careleſneſs & indifferency in all Religion; they ſhall retain the name, and perform and exerciſe ſome of the exteriour parts and formalities thereof, but as for the Power of it, and a conſciencious reverence and veneration for the Authority and Laws thereof, they are utter ſtrangers thereunto. Impoſitions and Proſecutions upon the breach of thoſe Laws that do enforce them, puts a period to all ſearch and enquiry; it gives a check to all endeavours after an Encreaſe in Knowledge: For if men uſe the means thereof, they will differ in their Sentiments and Apprehenſions, and thoſe differences will expoſe them to the publick Rods and Axes; and therefore they muſt grow utterly negligent therein, chuſing rather to be ignorant with ſecurity, than to obtain Knowledge to their ruine and deſtruction; and whatever puts a period to all endeavours after Knowledge and Underſtanding doth certainly ruine and deſtroy the Power of Religion. For Ignorance introduces Irreligion, Formality, and Superſtition, but is no Mother to, or promoter of true, internal, hearty Religion and Devotion. And this is one of the diſmal Effects that Impoſitions and Laws for the inforcing of men have had in Popiſh Countries, eſpecially in Spain and Italy. There's nothing left in thoſe Countries, but the name of Chriſtianity, and ſome outſide Formalities of Worſhip and Devotion; they know nothing of the Power of it: And I am not without fears, that if the preſent Impoſitions in England be continued, and the Laws proſecuted, and Diſſenters ruined and deſtroyed thereby, that (unleſs God raiſe up others) the Life and Power of Religion will decay, and Tepidity, Formality, & Indifferency, with an encreaſe of Senſuality and Prophaneneſs ſucceed thereunto.
And really, ſuch a State peradventure may be acceptable enough to ſome men; for ſo they may live in Plenty and Peace, and have what may careſs their ſenſes, and pleaſe and gratifie their luſts, they care not much what becomes of the Honour of God, or the Souls of Men. Thus 'tis in Popiſh Countries; the Pope and his Cardinals, the Biſhops, Abbots, and moſt of the Clergy, live in Honour, and at eaſe; they abound in all things that are grateful to the Fleſh; they withhold not their hearts from any Joy; but whether the People ſerve God or the Devil, whether they be ſaved or damned, is very little their concernment. Let them believe as the Church believes; let them be obedient to the Orders thereof; let them advance no Opinions contrary to its Inſtitutions, and for other things they are at liberty, and may do as they liſt. There is no ſin like Inconformity, and breaking the Orders and tyrannous Impoſitions of the Church. They may break all God's Commandments with more ſecurity than any one of them. Some there be do not fear to ſay, That there are others in the world that are much of the humour of thoſe Catholick Gentlemen; and many there be that do not know very well how to confute them.
Let it not be ſaid that I impute all ſeriouſneſs in Religion, to variety and differences of Judgment and Opinion; I mean no ſuch thing. I impute it to an encreaſe of Knowledge, and skill in the Scriptures and Doctrine of Chriſtianity, to which diverſity of Opinions, and ſome diverſity in Practices too is, for ought that I can ſee, unavoidable; nor is there any way of preventing one without the other. This the Papiſts ſee well enough, and therefore forbid the Reading of the Scripture to the Vulgar; and ſome Proteſtants ſee it too. See Biſhop Bramhall's Vindication againſt Mr. Baxter, who ſhall ſcape fairly (he ſays) if none caſt it in his teeth, that the promiſcuous licence which they give to all ſorts of people, qualified or unqualified, not only to Read, but to Interpret the Scripture according to their private ſpirit, or particular fancies, without any regard either to the Analogy of Faith which they underſtand not, or the Interpretation of Dectors of former Ages, is more prejudicial, I might better ſay pernitious, beth to particular Chriſtians, and to whole Societies, than the over rigorous reſtraint of the Romaniſt. p. 116, 117. There are more may ſee it in due time, and 'tis to be ſuſſpected, that thoſe that commend that Book, and have eſpouſed ſome other notions of that Author, concerning Patriarchal Power, and the Obligation to obey the Laws of Univerſal Councils, till they be repealed, (which how they ſhall be I cannot tell) may have ſome kindneſs for the ſame Opinion, and ſome illuminations concerning it, though it be too early in the morning, as yet to propoſe them to publick Conſideration.
However I have entertained the perſuaſion which I think I am not ſo like to forſake, that Knowledge with ſerious Piety, and Godlineſs, though mixed with ſome real Errours, Diviſions, and Miſtakes (for in variety of judgment concerning the ſame things all cannot be true) is more eligible, than Union, and ſameneſs of apprehenſion, with Ignorance, Prophaneneſs, Formality, and a form of Godlineſs without the Power of it. A living man, though ſomething miſhapen and deformed, is better than a lifeleſs Statue, though it be never ſo beautiful and comely; and moſt Parents had rather have their Children alive, though by their little pieviſh humours and quarrels, they give them ſome trouble and vexation, than to be deprived of them, having nothing but their pictures and lifeleſs Marbles, which never need their Umpirage to reconcile their animoſities and waſpiſh feuds.