The True Catholic and Catholic Church Described, Part 13 – Part 14
4. And the same course take they that must needs build our union on insufficient subordinate meanes. Some must have Confessions in words of their own, to which, all that will be accounted Christians must subscribe; or at least, all that would have communion with them. Though we would subscribe to the whole Scripture, or any Confession drawn up in its phrase and matter, yet this will not serve for union and communion. They tell us, Hereticks will subscribe to the Scripture: And I tell them, that Hereticks may subscribe also to their Confessions, and force a sense of their own upon them: and that God never left them to make better Confessions, and fitter to discover heresies, then Scripture doth afford. But if Hereticks will subscribe to the Scriptures, or confessions taken wholly out of them, they should be no Hereticks in our account, till they discover that they maintain some heresie against the sense of the Scripture, or Confession which they subscribed to: And then they are to be censured by the Churches accordingly; not for want of subscribing to a sufficient Confession, but for abusing and contradicting the Confession which they did subscribe; and so to be corrected for it as a crime against a sufficient Law and Rule, and we must not think to prevent it by making a better Law or Rule, which shall tye them stricter, and which they cannot break. Its a strange Rule, which can necessitate the subject to observe it, and which cannot be violated. And its a wild Head that must have new Lawes and rules made, because he sees that malefactors can break these! The Law is sufficient to its own part, which is to be the Rule of duty, and of judgement. It tells men sufficiently, what they must believe and do; but if they will not do it, it judgeth them as offendors. Youl'e never form a Confession, or make a Law that cannot be misinterpreted and broken. The Papists have set up whole volums of Councils and Decrees, for the Rule, forsooth because the Scripture is dark, and all Hereticks plead Scripture. And what have they done by it, but cause more darkness, and set the world and their own Doctors too, in greater contentions, so that now Councils crosse Councils, and they can neither agree which be true approved Councils, and which not; nor when they intend a Decree to be an Article of faith, and when not; no nor what sense to take their words in, and how to reconcile them. And thus men lose themselves, and abuse the Church, because Gods word will not serve their turn as a Rule, for us to unite upon. This is the One Rule that God hath left, and men will needs blame this as insufficient, and mend Gods works by the devices of their addle brains, and then complain of divisions, when they have made them! One Company of Bishops must needs make a company of Cannon Laws for the Church, and all must be Schismaticks, that will not be ruled by them: Another Company that are of another mind, make contrary Canons, and those must be obeyed, or else we are Schismaticks. They must make us our Sermons, and call them Homelies, and make us our Prayers, and call them a Leiturgie: and the fruit of their brains must be the Rule of all others, or else they are Schismaticks. So wise and holy are they, above all their brethren, that none must publickly speak to God, in any words but what they put into their mouths. (Read Dr. Heylins Discourse of Cant. 5. 5. against Ministers, praying in the Church in any other words but what is in the common Prayer-Book.) So they do also by their Vestures and Gestures, and other ceremonies: Nothing hath more divided the Church, then the proud impositions of men, that think so highly of their own words and forms, and ceremonious devices, that no man shall have communion with Christ and the Church, in any other way. Never will the Church unite on such termes. The Rule that all must agree in, must be made by One that is above all, and whose authority is acknowledged by all. Experience might tell these men, that they are building but a Babel, and dividing the Church. In the Lords Supper, where they have limited us to a Gesture, we are all in pieces. In singing Psalms where they left us free, we have no discension. In the places where Garments and other Ceremonies are not imposed, Gods worship is performed without contention, and with as little uncomeliness as with them.) Proud quarrelsom men, that must needs be Lording it over the Church, and turning Legislators, may set all on fire for the promoting of their wayes, and rail at all that will not be under their yoak: but when they have all done, they will find, they are but busily dividing the Church, and their Canons are but fiery Engines to batter its unty and peace. A thousand years experience and more, might have taught us this to our cost. Never will the Church have full unity, till the Scripture sufficiency be more generally acknowledged. You complain of many opinions and wayes, and many you will still have, till the One Rule, the Scripture, be the Standard of our Religion. As men that divide and seperate from us, do use to accuse the Ministers, and then be every man a Teacher to himself; so they use to accuse the Scriptures, and (as the Papists) call them dark, and dangerous, and insufficient: and then every sect must make us a new Rule, when they have disparaged that which Christ hath given us. Then one makes the Pope a Rule by his Decretals, and another a Council, and another the Bishops Canons, or Articles, and another his own suggestions and impulses. Stick close to this One Bible, and let nothing come into your faith or Religion, but what comes thence, and when Controversies arise, try them by this; and if you cannot do it your selves, then take the help of Ministers or Synods, and use them not as Masters, but as helpers of your faith; not to make you another Rule, but to help you to understand this OnelyOnly Rule, and thus you may come to be of one Religion, but never otherwise.
5. To these I may add, the damnable sin of Pride and selfishness (toucht at before.) All men would have Peace: but most would have it on their own termes, yea, and most parties would be the very Center of the Churches. If all the world will come over to them, they will be at peace with them, otherwise not. If we will all sweare allegiance to the Pope, and turn to them, we shall have concord with the Papists: If we will all renounce Presbyterian Ordination, and submit to Episcopacy with all their Canons, forms and Ceremonies, we shall have concord with the rigid of that party. If we will all be for an Office of unordained Elders, that have no power to meddle with preaching or Sacraments, we shall have peace with the rigider sort of that way! If we will causelesly separate and make the Major vote of the People to be Church Governours, we may have peace with men of that way: And if we will be rebaptized, we may have peace with the Anabaptists. But can all the Catholick Church unite upon these private narrow termes? Every man would be the Pope, or the generall Council himself: or rather every one would be the God of the world; that all men may receive the Law at his mouth, and his name may be honoured, and his Kingdom may be set up, and his will may be done throughout the world: This is the nature of self-idolizing Pride. And hence it is, that the Church hath as many dividers as unsanctified men; because every unsanctified man is thus made an Idoll by his pride; and knowes no further end but selfe. Is there never a man of you that heares me this day, that would not have all the Town and Countrey and world to be of one mind? I think there is not one but wisheth it. But what mind must it be? It must be of your mind! or else it will not satisfie you! And alas you are so many, and of so many minds among your selves, that this way will never unite the world! One must have all of his mind, and another must have all of his mind, when no man well agrees with another, and yet none will be brought to anothers mind. But God is One, and his mind is certainly right and good: and the Spirit is One, and the Scripture indited by it is one; and if you would come to that as the OnelyOnly Rule, you might be of One Religion and mind and way? But till then, you do but labour in vain. But you…'e say still, that every sect pretendeth to the Scripture, and there is so many expositions of it, that we see no hopes that this way should unite us: To this I next answer.