Defense of the Discourse Concerning Idolatry in the Church of Rome, Imprimatur – Part 1
Imprimatur, G. Iane R. P. D. Henr. Episc. Lond. à sac. domesticis. June 3. 1676.
A DEFENCE OF THE DISCOURSE Concerning the IDOLATRY Practised in the CHURCH OF ROME, In ANSWER to a BOOK Entituled, Catholicks no Idolaters.
By ED. STILLINGFLEET, D. D. Chaplain in Ordinary to His Majesty.
The two First Parts.
London, Printed by Robert White for Henry Mortlock at the Sign of the Phoenix in St. Pauls Church-yard, and at the White-Hart in Westminster-Hall. 1676.
TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER in GOD HENRY Lord Bishop of LONDON, One of the Lords of His Majesties Most Honourable Privy Council.
My Lord,
I Have heard that in some famous Prophetick Pictures pretending to represent the Fate of England, the chief thing observable (in several of them) was a Mole; a creature blind and busie, smooth and deceitful, continually working under Ground, but now and then to be discerned by the disturbance it makes in the Surface of the earth: which is so natural a description of a restless party among us that we need no Iudge of Controversies to interpret the meaning of it. Our Forefathers had sufficient Testimony of their working under Ground; but in our Age they act more visibly, and with that indefatigable industry, that they threaten (without great care to prevent them) the undermining of our Church, and the Ruine of our established Religion. Which since they cannot hope so easily to compass alone, they endeavour to draw in to their Assistance, all such discontented parties, who are so weak, (if any can be so) to be prevailed on to be instruments to serve them, in pulling down a Church, which can never fall, but they must be stifled in its Ruins. One would think, it were hardly possible, for any to run into a snare, which lies so open to their view; or to flatter themselves with the vain hopes of escaping better than the Church they design to destroy. But such is the admirable Wisdom of Divine Providence to order things so above all humane Discretion, that when the Sins of a Nation have provoked God to forsake it, he suffers those to concurr in the most pernicious Counsels for enslaving Conscience, who pretend to the greatest zeal for the Liberty of it. So that our Church of England in its present condition, seems to stand as the Church of Corinth did of old, between two unquiet and boisterous Seas; and there are some very busie in cutting through the Isthmus between them, to let in both at once upon it, supposing that no strength will be able to withstand the force of so terrible an inundation. It is a consideration that might dishearten those who are engaged in the Defence of our Religion against the common Adversaries, to see that they promise themselves as much from the folly of some of their most seeming Enemies, as from the interest and Power of their Friends:2 Cor. 7.5. thus like S. Paul in Macedonia, we are troubled on every side, without are fightings, and within are fears. If men did but once understand the things which belong to our Peace, we might yet hope to weather out the storms that threaten us, and to live, as the Church hath frequently done, in a tossing condition, with waves beating on every side. But if through Weakness or Wilfulness, those things should be hid from our eyes, the prospect of our future condition is much more dreadful and amazing than the present can be.
If it were reasonable to hope, that all men would lay aside prejudice and passion, and have greater regard to the Common Good, than to the interests of their several parties, they could not but see where our main strength lies, by what our enemies are most concerned to destroy; And that no men of common understanding would make use of disunited Parties to destroy one Great Body, unless they were sure to master them, when they had done with them; And therefore the best way for their own security were to unite themselves with the Church of England. That were a Blessing too great for such a People to expect, whose sins have made our Breaches so wide, that we have too great reason to fear the common enemy may enter through them; if there be not some way found out to repair those Breaches, and to build up the places which are broken down.
For my own part, I cannot see, how those who could have joyned in Communion with the Christian Church, in the time of Theodosius the Great, can justly refuse to do it in ours. For that is the Age of the Church, which our Church of England since the Reformation, comes the nearest to; Idolatry being then suppressed by the Imperial Edicts, the Churches settled by Law under the Government of Bishops, Publick Liturgies appointed, Antiquity Reverenced, Schism discountenanced, Learning encouraged, and some few Ceremonies used, but without any of those corrupt mixtures which afterwards prevailed in the Roman Church. And whatever men of ill minds may suggest to the disparagement of those times, it is really an Honour to our Church, to suffer together with that Age, when the Christian Church began to be firmly settled by the Countenance of the Civil Power, and did enjoy its Primitive Purity without the Poverty and Hardships it endured before. And the Bishops of that time were men of that exemplary Piety, of those great Abilities, of that excellent Conduct and Magnanimity, as set them above the contempt or reproach of any but Infidels and Apostates. For then lived the Gregories, the Basils, the Chrysostoms in the Eastern Church; the Ambroses, and Augustins in the Western; and they who can suspect these to have been Enemies to the Power of Godliness, did never understand what it meant.
It were, no doubt, the most desirable thing in our State and Condition to see the Piety, the Zeal, the Courage, the Wisdom of those holy Bishops revived among us in such an Age which needs the conjunction of all these together. For such is the insolency and number of the open contemners of our Church and Religion, such is the activity of those who oppose it, and the subtilty of those who undermine it, as requires all the Devotion and Abilities of those great Persons to defend it. And I hope that Divine Spirit which inflamed and acted them hath not forsaken that Sacred Order among us: but that it will daily raise up more who shall be able to convince Dissenters, that there may be true and hearty zeal for Religion among our Prelates; and those of the Church of Rome, that Good Works are most agreeable to the Principles of the Reformation. Nay, even in this Age, as bad as it is, there may be as great Instances produced of real Charity, and of Works of Publick and pious uses, as when men thought to get Souls out of Purgatory, or themselves into Heaven by what they did. And if it were possible exactly to compare all Acts of this nature which have been done ever since the Reformation, with what there was done of the same kind for a much longer time immediately before it, if the Protestant Charity should seem to fall short in outward Pomp and Magnificence, it would be found much more to exceed it, in number, and usefulness.
Which makes me so much the more wonder to hear and see, the ill effects of the Reformation in this kind, so much insisted on of late, to disprove the Goodness of it. If some Great men had sinister ends in it, when was there any great Action of that nature, wherein some Persons did not aim at their own advantage by it? Who can excuse all the Courtiers in the time of Constantine, or all the Actions of that Great Emperour himself? Must Christianity therefore be thought the worse, because it did prevail in his time, and very much by his means? And there were some partial Historians in those dayes, that impute the demolishing of Heathen Temples and the suppressing of Idolatry to the Rapine and Sacriledge of the Times. For even those Heathen Temples were richly endowed; and it is not to be supposed, that when such a Tree was shaking, there would be no scrambling for the Fruit of it.
However, we are not concerned to justifie the Actions or Designs of any particular Persons how Great soever: but that which we plead for, is, that the Reformation it self was a just, pious, prudent, and necessary thing; and had both sufficient Authority to warrant it, and sufficient Reason to justifie it.
We read in the Spanish History a remarkable Precedent, which vindicates the proceeding of our Reformation in England. The Gotthick Nation had been infected with Arianism two hundred and thirteen years, when by the means of Leander Bishop of Sevil, the King Reccaredus being duly informed in the Orthodox Faith, called a Council at Toledo, Concil. Tolet. 3. …wherein Arianism was renounced by the declaration and subscription of the King himself, being present in Council; and afterwards by the Bishops who joyned with him, and the Great men; which being done, the Council proceeded to make new Canons and Constitutions, which the King confirmed by his Edict, declaring, that if any Bishop, Priest, or Deacon refused to observe them, he was sentenced by the Council to excommunication; if any of the higher rank of the Laity, the penalty was paying half their estates to the Exchequer, if others, confiscation and banishment. All which is extant in the Records of that Council. The Arian Bishops, as Mariana relates,Marian. de rebus Hisp. l. 5. c. 14, 15. such as Athalocus and Sunna with others, having the old Queen Goswinda and several of the Nobility to joyn with them, made all the disturbance they could, to hinder the Reformation. But, God not only carried it through, but wonderfully preserved the Life of the King, notwithstanding many conspiracies against him; after whose death, the Arian faction was very busie, and made several Attempts by Treason and Rebellion to be restored again; and they once thought themselves sure, when they had gotten Wittericus of their party to the Throne, but his short Reign put an end to all their Hopes. I find some of the latter Spanish Historians much troubled to see all done in this Reformation, by the King, and the Bishops, and Great men, without the least mention of the Popes Authority. Lucas Tudensis therefore saith, that Leander was the Popes Legat, but Mariana confesses,Marian. l. 6. c. 1. that the very Acts of the Council contradict it. He would have it believed, that they sent Legats to the Pope afterwards to have the Council confirmed by him; but, he acknowledgeth, that nothing appears in History to that purpose: and if any such thing had been, it would not have been omitted in the Epistles of Gregory, Greg. Registr. l. 1. ep. 41.who writ to Leander a Letter of congratulation for the conversion of Reccaredus. But then National Churches were supposed to have Power enough to Reform themselves, provided, that they proceeded according to the Decrees of the Four General Councils.
And this is that we maintain in behalf of the Church of England, that it receives all the Creeds which were then received, and hath reformed those Abuses only which have crept into the Church since that Time.
This, My Lord, is the Cause, which by Command of my Superiours, I was first engaged to defend; among whom Your Lordships Predecessour (whose constant Friendship and Kindness I must never forget) was one of the Chief. Since that time, I have had but little respite from these (not so pleasing to me, as sometimes necessary) Polemical Exercises; and notwithstanding all the Rage and Malice of the Adversaries of our Church against me, I sit down with that contentment, that I have defended a Righteous Cause, and with an honest Mind; and therefore I little regard their bitterest Censures and Reproaches.
In the midst of such a Croud of Adversaries, it was no unpleasant entertainment to me to see the various methods, with which they have attacked me; some with piteous moans and outcries, others grinning and only shewing their teeth, others ranting and Hectoring, others scolding and reviling; but I must needs say, the Adversary I now answer, hath shewed more art and cunning than all the rest put together; and hath said as much in Defence of their Cause, as Wit and Subtilty could invent (I wish I could speak as freely of his Fair dealing, and Ingenuity.) Him therefore I reserved to be answered by himself, after I had shaken off the lesser and more barking Creatures.
What I have now done, I humbly present to Your Lordships hands; and I am very glad of this opportunity to declare what satisfaction the Members of Your own Church, and the Clergy of this great City have to see a Person of so Noble Birth, so much Temper and Prudence, so firm an Assertor of the Protestant Religion and Church of England, appointed by his Majesty to have the Conduct and Government of them. That God Almighty would assist and direct Your Lordship in those things which tend to the Peace and Welfare of this Church, is the hearty Prayer of
My Lord, Your Lordships most dutiful and obedient Servant, ED. STILLINGFLEET. May 30. 1676.
TO THE READER.
IT hath been long expected that I should have published an Answer to T. G. as the most considerable Adversary that appeared against me; but it is very well known, that before his Book came out, I had undertaken the Answer of several others; which when I had set forth, a Person of Honour, who had been pleased to defend me against one of my keenest Antagonists, was assaulted by him; whom I was in the first place obliged in gratitude, to ease of any farther trouble. Since that time I have applyed my self to the consideration of T. G.'s Book, as much as health, and other business would permit.
And finding such confusion in most Discourses about Idolatry, and that till the Nature of it were fully and clearly Stated, men would still dispute in the dark about these matters, in my last Summers retirement, I set my self to the strict examination of it, by searching with my utmost diligence into the Idolatries practised in all parts of the world, by the help of the best Authors, I could meet with, either ancient or modern; when I had done this, I compared those observations I had made with the Sense of the Scriptures, and of the Fathers of the several Ages of the Christian Church, who had managed the Charge of Idolatry against Heathens, or Hereticks. From hence I framed the First Part of the following Book, wherein I have not only examined and confuted T. G.'s false notion of it, but endeavoured to settle the True one in its place.
Which being dispatched, and the main principles of his whole Book thereby weakned and overthrown; I betook my self to the particular Defence of the Charge of Idolatry practised in the Roman Church in the Worship of Images; and I apprehended nothing of greater consequence in this Debate, than to give a true Account of the state of the Controversie between us; which T. G endeavoured with all his art to blind and confound. After which, I have given a distinct Answer to every thing material or plausible in that part of his Book. Which swelling this Discourse beyond my expectation, I must respite the other part to a farther opportunity; which I may the better do, because the Remainder of T. G's Book hath already received a sufficient Answer from a learned and worthy Person.
THE CONTENTS.
PART I. A General Discourse concerning the Nature of Idolatry.
CHAP. I. T. G's notion of Idolatry examined and confuted. page 1
CHAP. II. Of the Nature of Divine Worship. p. 184
PART II. Being a particular Defence of the Charge of Idolatry against the Church of Rome in the Worship of Images.
CHAP. I. The State of the Controversie about the Worship of Images, between Christians and Heathens. p. 349
CHAP. II. The State of the Controversie about Images in the Christian Church. p. 487
CHAP. III. Of the Sense of the second Commandment. p. 670
CHAP. IV. An Answer to T. G's charge of Contradictions, Paradoxes, Reproach of the second Council of Nice, School disputes; and to his parallel Instances. p. 784