Canterburys Doom, Branch 1 · Evidence 2 · Floating text 2 · Popish error 28
21. That the Church of Rome is a true viſible Church, and never erred in fundamentalls, no not in the worſt times: That ſhe is the Ancient holy Mother Church; That her Religion, and ours of the Church of England, is all one: That men may be ſaved in that Church and Religion as well as in ours; and that it is a crime to be recanted, to hold Papiſts, as Papists, to be damned.
This main comprehenſive Propoſition, ratifies and clearly demonſtrates to us, the true drift & ſcope of all the former; to wit, a … and reconciliation with the Church of Rome; the foundation whereof was firſt laid by this Arch-biſhops creature, Biſhop Mountague, who determines thus in his Gagge pag. 14. The Articles of our Creed are confeſſed on both ſides and held plain enough. The controverted points are of a larger and an inferior alloy: of them a man may be ignorant without any danger of his ſoul at all, pag. 50. Moderate men on both ſides confeſſe, this controverſie may ceaſe, Eccleſia Romana manet Chriſti Eccleſia & ſponſa, &c. In his Appeal pag. 136. Since there firſt was a Church in England, France, Spain, and Rome, there hath not ceaſed to be a true Church there: pag. 139. The Church of Rome is, and ever was, a true Church, ſince it was a Church. pag. 113. I am abſolutely perſwaded, that the Church of Rome is a true, though not a ſound Church of Chriſt, as well ſince as before the Councell of Trent; In eſſentialls and fundamentalls, they agree, in holding one faith in one Lord.
This Poſition was ſtrenuouſly maintained by Maſter Chomley, and Butterfield (who ſoon after turned Seminary Prieſt) in their Books againſt Maſter Burtons, Babel no Bethel; wherein they justified the Church of Rome to be a true Church, this being the ſubject matter of both their Treatiſes.
Tho. Chuneus, in his Collectiones Theologicae, Dedicated to the Archbiſhop, and Licenſed by Heywood his Chaplain, August 26. 1634. cap. 16. p. 45. 46. determines thus: Quaenam ſit Romana Eccleſia? Cum constet Romanam Eccleſiam, in primariis temporibuss, velut inter ignes Luna Minores, caeteris Eccleſiis praeluxiſſe, caeteriſque Maechantibus caſtam, & pudicam veritatis conſervatricem extitiſſe, nec in peſsimis uſque eo degeneraſſe cenſemus ut in primariis & fundamentalibus Religionis capitibus aberraſſe videatur; quidniquamvis in caeteris forſan vitiatam & temeratam, Eccleſiae tamen nomine honeſtandam cenſeam, &c.
This paſſage Doctor Bastwick taking exception againſt at his cenſure in the High-Commiſſion, read it openly in Court, where the Arch-biſhop publikely juſtified it in his ſpeech, affirming: That the Church of Rome was a true Church, and that it never erred in fundamentalls, in which we differ not, but onelyonly circa fundamentalia.
This diſtinction of his was afterwards thus juſtified in Print by Christopher Dome, in his Innovations unjuſtly charged, pag. 48. Nor is it an abſurd diſtinction (as he unreverendly and abſurdly termed it) that a great Prelate uſed in the High-Commiſſion at the cenſure of Doctor Bastwick, when he ſaid: That we and the Church of Rome differ not in fundamentalibus, but circa fundamentalia pag. 49. The diſtinction is not abſurd, but it may moſt truely and fitly be ſaid, that we may and do differ about, and not in fundamentals: which Doctor Heylin likewiſe ſeconds in his Moderate Anſwer, to Henry Burton, p. 6. 124. 125. No difference between the Church of Rome and England in fundamentalls. Suppoſe a great Prelate in the High-Commiſſion … had ſaid openly, that we and the Church of Rome differ not in …amentalibus, yet how comes this to be an Innovation, &c. The Church of Rome hath done more againſt the Heretickes of this age, than you, or any of your Divines, be he whom he will. But for the Church of Rome, it is a true Church, and that we differ not from them in fundamentalls: ſee the Reconciler.
Doctor Potter, in his booke which he ſubmitted to the Arch-biſhops cenſure, concludes thus; pag. 62. 77. The moſt neceſſary and fundamentall truths, which conſtitute a Church, are on both ſides unqueſtioned. We hope well of thoſe holy ſouls who in former ages lived and dyed in the Church of Rome, &c. Nay, our charity reacheth further, to all thoſe this day who in ſimplicity of heart beleeve the Roman Religion and profeſſe it.
Doctor Pocklingtons, Altare Christianum, pag. 114. Termes Rome by the name of Holy Church, and applauds her canonized Popiſh Saints, ſtiling them, The Holy Saints and Martyrs of Jeſus Christ, whoſe names are written in heaven: And our Proteſtant Martyrs, Traytors, Murderers, Rebels, and Hereticks.
The Archbiſhop himſelfe was a profeſſed maintainer of the truth and viſibility of the faith and Church of Rome, not only in his Speech in the high Commiſſion, at Doctor Baſtwicks cenſure there, and in his Speech in Star-chamber, pag. 36. but likewiſe in his late Reply to Fiſher, Epiſt. Ded. p. 16. And were not this ſo, we ſhould never be troubled with that idle and impertinent queſtion of theirs: Where was your Church before Luther? For it was juſt there, where theirs is now. One and the ſame Church ſtill, no doubt of that; one in ſubſtance, but not one in condition of State and purity; Their part of the ſame Church remaining in corruption: and our part of the ſame Church under Reformation. In the Reply it ſelfe, pag. 370. 371. Rome, but with all particular Churches and no more than other Patriarchall Churches was and is, radix exiſtentiae, the roote of the Churches exiſtence. The Church of Rome and every other particular Church, &c. Indeed Apoſtolike ſhe is, as being the See of one, and he a prime Apoſtle, but not the onelyonly Apoſtolike: Viſible, I may not deny, God hath hitherto preſerved her. And p. 376. Secondly, if the Religion of the Proteſtants be in conſcience a known falſe Religion, then the Romaniſts Religion is ſo too, for their Religion is the ſame. Nor do the Church of Rome and the Proteſtants ſet up a different Religion (for the Chriſtian Religion is the ſame to both) but they differ in the ſame Religion, and their difference is in certain groſſe corruptions.
I ſhall cloſe up this with a publike Recantation, drawn up and preſcribed by Godfry Goodman, Biſhop of Gloceſter, to one Mr. Ridler Miniſter of Little Deane, about 7. miles from that City: who having many Papiſts in his Pariſh, and preaching in a Sermon there, That Papiſts, as Papiſts were damned, and that the true Proteſtant Religion was the onelyonly true and ſafe way to Salvation: he was upon the complaint of ſome Papiſts, convicted before this Biſhop, and by him enjoyned to make this following Recantation, preſcribed to him, in writing, in the Cathedrall Church at Glocester on Jan. 2. 1636. and for refuſing to make it, he was afterwards on the 5. of March next following ſuſpended from his living.
(IHS)
IN the Name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghoſt, Amen. Whereas I did deliver in a Sermon, lately preacht in this Dioceſſe, That if we are ſaved the Papiſts are damned; I am Note.right heartily ſorry that I ſhould deliver any ſuch doctrine, wherein I muſt acknowledge mine owne errour, and my great fault and offence.
Firſt, againſt his Majeſties Inſtructions, thus raſhly and unadviſedly to affirme, That Papiſts are damned.
Secondly, it is an offence againſt the laws of the Kingdome, For in the eye of the Law we are ſtill one with the ſame Catholike Church: for were we of a diſtinct or ſeverall Church, Then our Church could claim no right or Title to thoſe Priviledges, Charters, Foundations, and Revenues which it enjoyes at this day, for theſe were granted to Papiſts, and for many hundred yeares poſseſſed by them; and ſince there hath beene no new Law for transferring them upon a different or contrary Church; But this is made much more manifeſt by the expreſſe words of the Statute, as it appeares by the Act of Parliament which was made upon the firſt breach with the Papiſts: the words are theſe, That they do not thereby intend to ſeperate themſelves from Gods Catholike Church, but onelyonly for Note.ſome politicall reſpects, to preſerve the Kingdome from Ruine. This was made the 25. of Hen. 8. and it is in force at this day; ſo that to make ſuch a difference between theſe two Churches, as is between damnation and ſalvation; certainly is againſt the Common Lawes, and the Statute Law of this Kingdome; beſides many acts of State, which being above my element, I will not preſume to touch upon.
Thirdly, againſt the Church of England; It is impoſible there ſhould be any greater offence, in regard of the affinity that is between both Churches, for we have the ſame Holy Orders, the ſame Church Service, the ſame Note.Ceremonies, the ſame Fasts, the ſame Feſtivals, and we have generally the ſame Canon Lawes; and therefore through ſides of the Church of Rome they do but give deadly and mortall Wounds to the Church of England who affirme, that Papiſts are damned.
Fourthly it is an offence to Chriſtian Religion; for we are to preach the Meanes how men may attaine Salvation, and to pteach Chriſt as a Saviour, we muſt not raſhly intrude upon his Judiciall power on every ſlight occaſion, to point out thoſe that are damned, as if we would ſhorten the mercyes of God and Monopolize them wholy to our ſelves, there is no militant Church without blemiſhes and imperfections, but as long as the foundation is ſound, that we bebeive in Chriſt crucified, and that we believe the three Creeds, ſo long there is hope of Salvation, Severall churches, though differing in many things, yet may be contained in the bounds of the Catholique church: Thus the Greeke church and the Latine Church, may be ſaved both, though they have difference betweene themſelves; and thus the Chriſtians that lived in thoſe parts of the world, which have beene lately diſcovered [and therefore did never partake with the reſt of the Catholike church] yet no doubt but thoſe may be ſaved.
Fiftly, there is nothing ſo proper to Chriſtians, as love and charity, and a man may be damned as well for want of charity, as for want of faith; and there cannot bee poſſible a greater want of charity, then to exclude men from Salvation: and therefore they who are apt in their owne ungodly malice to damne others, certainely themſelves are damned; Let it ſuffice that if any man ſhall aske God forgiveneſſe of his ſins, as no doubt every man doth, (for it is one part of the Lords prayer,) and theſe ſins doe imply not onelyonly the Tranſgreſſions of our lives, but likewiſe the erour of our faith, ſo that asking God forgiveneſſe no doubt but God is mercifull.
And here I muſt likewiſe expreſſe my great ſorrow and griefe, that I have ſo much offended agaiſt the memory of our forefathers and Progenitors, ſuch as built our Churches, and were the meanes under God, not onelyonly to give us life, but alſo to make us Chriſtians: when I conſider their Piety and their Mortification, ſhall I thinke theſe tended to nothing but onelyonly to damne them? No, God forbid; and therefore in all humility and obedience, I doe here acknowledge my great fault, and do aſke forgiveneſſe of God, of the Church, and of our Reverend Dioceſan, and I deſire you all to teſtifie this my Sorrow and unfained repentance.Note.
By all theſe Authorized Popiſh poſitions, you may eaſily gueſſe at this Arch-Prelates Popiſh intentions, to reduce us backe to Rome.