Works of Joseph Hall, Section 1
SECT. I. The ſtate of the now-Roman Church.
THERE is no one queſtion doth ſo racke the mindes of men,G. Caſſand. l. de Conſult. Art. 7. Ex articulo hoc de Eccleſia, omnis haec diſtractio, quae hodie eſt in republica Chriſtiana, originem ducit. at this day, as this of the Church: The infancy of the Church was ſore and long vexed with hereſies of an higher nature concerning God, concerning Chriſt, which ſtil ſtrook at the head; but her vigorous & hoary age is exerciſed with a ſlighter quarrell, concerning our ſelues; which yet raiſeth vp the greater broyles eueryevery where, by how much eueryevery man naturally loues himſelfe, more than God. Not to meddle with any forraine queſtions of this nature: Too many ſeeme vntounto me to miſ-conceiue the ſtate of our Church, & the Romiſh, as if they had beene alwaies two; as if from their firſt foundations, they had been ſenſibly ſeuered in time, and place, like to Babylon and Hieruſalem, Aug. de Ciuit.or thoſe two famous Cities, oppoſed in S. Auſtens learned diſcourſe. Hence are thoſe idle demands of ſome ſmattering queſtioniſts; Where our Church hath thus long hid it ſelfe? What yeere and day it came to light? in which age that other Church loſt it ſelfe? Why we hauehave withdrawne our ſelues no further from them? What is become of our ſorefathers? Which was the religion of the former world? From hence hauehave thoſe ſharpe and rigorous cenſures paſſed on both ſides; whether of nouelty, or of the deſperate condition of thoſe ſoules, which hauehave departed out of our owne way. Alas! what monſters both of opinions and queſtions hauehave riſen hence; and hauehave vexed not their owne Authors onelyonly (for the Delphick Oracle ſaid well, It is fit a man ſhould hauehave, as he doth:Iulian Caeſ. foreign. Iudicum, ſi quis quae ſecit perferat, aequum eſt.) but together with them, the whole Church of God? How many ſilly ſoules hauehave ſplitted vponupon this rocke, which had neuer needed any votiue monument of their wracke, if they had but learned to hold no other difference betwixt vsus and Rome, than muſt needs be granted betwixt a Church miſerably corrupted, and happily purged; betwixt a ſickly, languiſhed, and dying Church, and one that is healthfull, ſtrong, and flouriſhing. Neither therefore did that Valdus of France, nor Wickliffe of England, nor Hierom of Prague,Anno. Do. 1160. nor Luther of Germany, euer goe about to frame a new Church to themſelues, which was not; but onelyonly endeuoured (not without happy ſucceſſe) to cleanſe, ſcoure, reſtore, reforme that Church which was, from that filthy ſoyle both of diſorder, & errors, wherewith it was ſhamefully blemiſhed. Al theſe rather deſired to be accounted Phyſitians to heale, than parents to beget a Church: And the ſame hauehave we carefully done, euer ſince, & do ſeriouſly, and ingenuouſly profeſſe of our ſelues this day, Rome is alike to vsus (as it was of old to Hierome) with Eugubium, Rhegium, Alexandria; ſaue that this citie is both more famous,Hierom. Epiſt. ad Euagr. & more neere vsus: Places do not varie either faith, or title: What Church ſoeuer God ſhall call daughter, wee will call ſiſter; and ſo we ſafely may. How many honeſt, and chaſte matrons hauehave we knowne, that hauehave beene aſhamed of a lewd ſiſter, and hauehave abhorred filthineſſe in one of their owne bloud! So it fareth now with vsus: Rome is ouergone with hereſie, with Idolatrie, Let her practiſe her whoredome at home, by her ſelfe; It was not for vsus with the ſafegard of our honeſtie, to dwell with ſuch a partner. Not onelyonly her wickedneſſe hath thruſt vsus out, but her violence: We yeeld therefore, and ſorrowfully complaine with the Prophet,Eſa. 21.22. How is the faithfull citie become an harlot! It was full of iudgement; and iuſtice lodged therein; but now it is full of murderers: Thy ſiluer is become droſſe, and thy wine is brewed with water. Away with the imperious name of a mother: Wee are all the ſame Church (by the virtue of our outward vocation) whoſoeuer all the world ouer worſhip Ieſus Chriſt, the onelyonly Sonne of God, and Sauiour of the world, and profeſſe the ſame common Creed: ſome of vsus doe this more purely,Iren. l. 1. c. 2.3. others more corruptly▪ In the meane time we are all Chriſtians, but ſound Chriſtians wee are not: But how harſlhly doth this ſound to a weake Reader, and more than ſeemes to need reconciliation with it ſelfe; that the Church ſhould be one, and yet cannot be reconciled? certainly yet ſo it is: The dignitie of the outward forme (which comprehends this vnitie in it ſelfe) auailes nothing to grace, nothing to ſaluation, nothing to the ſoundneſſe of doctrine: The net doth not ſtraight make all to bee fiſh, that it hath dragged together; ye ſhall finde in it vile weeds, and whatſoeuer elſe that deuouring Element hath diſgorged.
The Church is at once One in reſpect of the common principles of faith; and yet in reſpect of conſequences,Cyp.l. 3. ep. 13. Nullo concordia glutine aut vnitatis vinculo copulari poſſunt. and that rabble of Opinions which they hauehave raked together, ſo oppoſed, that it cannot by any glew of concord (as Cyprian ſpeaketh) nor bond of vnity, be conioyned: That which Rome holds with vsus, makes it a Church: That which it obtrudes vponupon vsus, makes it hereticall; The truth of principles makes it one, the error and impiety of additions makes it irreconcileable. Neither do … this late and ſpurious brood of traditions more oppoſe vsus, than it doth thoſe very Principles of Religion, which the authors themſelues deſire to eſtabliſh: Looke on the face therefore of the Roman Church, ſhe is ours, and Gods; Looke on her back, ſhe is quite contrary, Antichriſtian: More plainly; for it is no diſputing in Metaphors as Clemens ſaid well: Rome doth both hold the foundation, and deſtroy it; ſhe holds it directly, deſtroies it by conſequent: In that ſhe holds it, ſhe is a true Church, howſoeuer imputed; In that ſhe deſtroyes it (what-euer ſemblance ſhee makes of piety, and holineſſe) ſhe is a Church of malignants:Pſal. 26.5. foreign. If ſhee did altogether hold it, ſhe ſhould be ſound and Orthodox, If altogether ſhe deſtroyed it, ſhe ſhould be either no Church, or deuilliſh: but now that ſhe profeſſes to hold thoſe things directly, which by inference of her conſequences, ſhee cloſely ouerthrowes, ſhe is a truly viſible Church, but an vnſound. In what ſhee holds the principles, we embrace her; in what ſhe deſtroyes them, we pitty her error, and hate her obſtinate.
The common bond of Chriſtianitie neuer ties vsus to fauour groſſe errors, ſo much as with ſilence; there is no ſuch ſlauerie in the deare name of a ſiſter, that it ſhould binde vsus to giuegive either aid,Eph. 5.11. or countenance to lewdneſſe; HaueHave no ſuch fellowſhip (ſaith S. Paul) but rather reproue: So wee hauehave done, both modeſtly, and earneſtly; The ſame is befalne vsus, which befell the bleſſed Apoſtle; we are become their enemies, for telling the truth.
Gal. 4.16.Behold now we are thruſt out of doore, ſpet vponupon, rayled at, and when opportunitie serues, perſecuted with moſt curious torments; And (leſt any miſchiefe ſhould be wanting) obſtinacie is now at laſt added vntounto error and a cruel rage ariſing from impatience; and now their wickedneſſe began to pleaſe them the more, becauſe it diſpleaſed vsus. And what ſhould we now doe in ſuch a caſe; wee, the deſpiſed, and reiected Patrons of this ſpirituall chaſtitie? To let fall ſo iuſt a cauſe, wee might not; vnleſſe wee would caſt off that God, who challenges this plea for onelyonly his. To yeeld, and giuegive in, were no other, than to betray the truth of God, and damne our owne ſoules; No courſe remaines but this one, (and here is our onelyonly ſafety) with all our courage, and skill, to oppoſe the wicked Paradoxes, and Idolatrous practiſes of the Romiſh Church, till either ſhe be aſhamed of her ſelfe, or repent that euer ſhe was.