The Disarmers Dexterities Examined, Chapter 2 – Chapter 3
CHAP II.
A Reply to his Introduction.
Sect. 1.
The writers that have ingaged against the main body, and authority of the Church of Rome. The reasonableness of insisting on that rather then particular controversies, especially at this time.
IN his Introduction these few things seem to expect some Reply. 1. His pretended admiration, Why the Protestant party, who heretofore seem'd still more willing to skirmish in particular controversies, then bid battell to the main body of the Church, or any thing which concern'd her authori…y, should now print Books by pairs, in defence of this disunion from her and subducing themselves from her Government] annexing afterward his conjecture of the reason, to allay this admiration. Now of this, as far as concerns one of the pair, I am able to give him the one just account, and need not attend to his conjectures, who was not of my Councel in the designment.
And 1. S. W. must be a very great stranger to his own countrey, or willingly dissemble his knowledge, if it were any newes to him, that the Fathers or sons of the Church of England, write Books against the main body and authority of the Church of Rome: 'Tis pity I should be set to prove this: He cannot but have heard of the tract de vera differentia Regiae & Ecclesiasticae potestatis, set out by the Prelates in Henry VIII. his days (and may if be please now view it, under the title of Opus eximium in Goldastus's Monarchia) as also The Institution of a Christian Man, 1537. and, The necessary Doctrine and Erudition, 1543. under the head of the Sacrament of Orders, I. These certainly were as early, and as punctuall, as he could wish, to the main body of th…ir Pretentions, and to omit innumerable others, What was Dr Reynolds's conference with Mr Hart in Queen Elizabeths reign: and of later times, Bishop B…lsons discourse of the true difference betwixt Christian subjection, and unchristian Rebellion, Bishop Davenant de judice & normâ Fidei, The Volumes of Antonius de Dominis, when he was a member of our Church, and yet later, Dr White, Mr Chillingworth, and my Lord of Canterbury, and many others, which are fresh in every mans memory; And it is much juster matter of wonder to me, that S. W. would choose to set out so unauspiciously, as to begin with an observation founded in a visible contrariety to a plain matter of fact, that every man that thinks of, must discern to be so.
2dly. If his observation had all truth in it, viz. That formerly we were more willing to skirmish in particular controversies, yet 'twere obvious to every man, what might now suggest the change of that course, and so could be no reall matter of admiration to S. W. For when the particular controversies have been competently debated, why should more pains and time be spent on them? And when the more general fundamental questions of Romes infallibility, and universal pastorship (on which the case of Schisme depends) comprehend all lesser debates, what more compendious way can be invented, to the ending of disputes, which are not such excellent imployments, that they should be perpetuated, as this, to set the axe to the root of the tree, which when it is stockt up, the branches by necessity of consequence, without any new execution, will soon wither away, but till this be done effectually, the root will still propagate its life and juyce, and controversies will within few years sprout out, and flourish afresh, and so the circle be endless betwixt growth and lopping, and new growth again, when the axe and mattock, brought out together, might soon make a gainfull conclusion, transform and improve the barren weald and bosk into a fruitfull Campania. But beside prudent consideration, there was some kind of necessity which in stead of directing, challenged and exacted this method at this time. It was visible to all what industrie was used by the Romish Missaries, by pretence of our being in schisme, to defame (and so fright us out of) a persecuted profession. And if we may believe their own boasts, it hath succeeded with them very prosperously; and how could we, without the greatest uncharitableness, permit the temptations of our present pressures to be thus inhaunced to any weak seducible Christian, when a little pains would lay it visible before him, that the Bishop of Rome never had from Christ or Saint Peter, or from any other title justly pleadable, any supreme authority, or jurisdiction over this Iland. And so unless an act of due and seasonable Charity be the great unheard of newes, or prodigie; I discern not what could suggest to S. W. the least admiration in this matter.
Sect. 2.
No reasonableness of Schisme pleaded. The Censures of the Church not alwayes seasonable against Schismaticks.
THe second thing that exacts Reply, is his advertisement that it were more seasonable for the Church of England to denounce to those many minute sects gone out from their communion the unreasonableness of their schisme, then plead the reasonableness of their own, and to threaten them with the spiritual rod of excommunication, unl…ss they return, then cry so loud not guilty-]
To this I answer, 1. That S. W. cannot be imagined to have read the first Chapter of the short tract, to which he assumes to give answer, if he can believe himself, when he saith, that we plead the reasonableness of our own schisme: 'Tis there most evident, that I grant all schisme in any that are found guilty of it, to be uncapable of all excuse, or plea of reasonableness, and that I maintain our innocence by denying the fact, and not by defending the justice of it. This then is another foreign what trust is due to S. W. in his affirmations.
2. It must be a misunderstanding of the nature, and aime of the censures of the Church, if he could in earnest think this a fit season, to inflict or menace them, on those sons of this Church, which have at this time divided from us. 'Tis certain that a prevailing evill, a schism arm'd with might, is not either in prudence or charity to be contended with. They that have cast out the Governors of the Church, and trod down their power, are not, till the paroxysm asswage, or some good crisis appear qualified for this kind of application. Our prayers are the special means, from which we hope success, and those we cease not to poure out for them, and for all that have erred, and are deceived. All other fraternal means both for cure and for prevention we take in also in their seasons: and I had thought the so large and punctual representation of the danger and sin of Schism, ch. 1. the definition and specification of the sorts of it, in the following Chapters of the Tract of Schism, had been in some part the denouncing against all that are guilty of it the more than unreasonableness of their schism: And I need not mind him of many other treatises, very particularly addrest, and largely designed to the same end.
As for any more solemn judicial process of foreign, admonition, exhortation, discipline, they are not at all times, and so not at this, the proper chosen weapons of our warfare, which being designed to none but charitative ends, for edification, not for destruction, to reduce such as are within reach of that hope, not to riot in the ruine, to seale up, or increase the damnation of any, and being, …s the Apostle saith, foreign, not carnall, they must consequently be far removed from that one (as from all other kinds of) carnality, the expressing impotent passion or revenge, or heaping any other coles of fire on the Opposers heads, but those that are apt and probable to melt them. And had the Romanists used this method, in stead of their other more sanguinary, with meekness instructing, and not with rage fulminating against those, that oppose themselves, the Christian world had not now probably been ingaged in such irreparable ruptures, as with rivers of tears of blood will not be proportionably lamented.
Sect. 3.
The Romanists urging false fundamentals. Our acknowledging them a true Church, No proof that we think their Errors tolerable. The gravity of the matter makes not errors fitter to be prest then rituals. Tediousness in things acknowledged, unjustly charged.
A Third thing there yet remains set down in these words [that we prest them to believe false Fundamentals. Dr Ham: and his friends will not say, since they acknowledg ours a true Church which is inconsistent with such a lapse, they were therefore in their opinion things tolerable, which were upon them; and if not in the same ranke, yet more deserving the Church should command their observance, then copes or surplices, or the Book of Common-prayer, the allowance whereof they prest upon their Quondam brethren.]
In these words there are too many variations from the rules of sober discourse, so many indications of S. W. his temper, that it will not be easie to enumerate them, I shall make tender of some few, foreign.
And 1. when he undertakes for me and my friends, we will not say, that the Romanists have prest us to believe false Fundamentalls, either his words are not intelligible sense, or else they have visibly no degree of truth in them. That any Fundamentals should be false, is a contradiction in adjecto, and is not sense, or intellegible: The meaning therefore, I suppose, is, that some things may be said to be fundamentall, which are not truly such, and that they that press others to believe such doctrines, and to believe them fundamental, presse them to believe false Fundamentals, and then S. W. his affirmation must be. that I and my friends will not say that the Romanists do thus. But herein certainly he knows the contrary, viz. that we affirm them to press many things on us for fundamentals of belief, which are not Fundamentals (by name that of the infallibility of their Church) and that this is of all others the greatest objection, which we have to their dealing with us, as that which renders our reunion most impossible. That we hold nothing de fide, as fundamental, which they do not also hold, we oft affirme, and it is most manifest, but that they have not made more things necessary to be believed, and so de fide, and fundamental, than we do, or can acknowledg to be such, is affirmed without the least ground, or shew of truth, and that was no very fair play in my Disarmer.
2ly. For his proof of this his affirmation, viz. because we acknowledge theirs to be a true Church; either it is assisted by a gross, and discernable aequivocation in the word [true], and then again it hath no truth in it, or else it is far from all probability of concluding, what he infers from it. if by [true] he means to exclude erroneous, even in this degree, as to press for fundamental, that which is not such, nay nor truth neither, then he knows we yield not the present Church of Rome a true Church, but charge it guilty of many errors in belief and practice, and particularly of this, that they define many things de fide, and press them to be so received by us, which we acknowledg not to be such, and so he hath gained little by this our confession. But if by true he means veritatem entis, which alone we acknowledg of it, that it hath the true nature of a Church, but that overcharged with many errors, 'tis impossible he should ever infer from thence, that we say they press us not to believe any thing for fundamental which is not such. This sure they may do, and be foully culpable for doing it, and yet not unchurch themselves by so doing. They that hold the true foundation laid by Christ, but offend by enlarging it beyond the due limits, who adde more than Christ or his Apostles deposited in the Church, do not by this superaddition either renounce, or forfeit all that before they had, the dross doth corrupt the gold, but not annihilate it.
3dly. His affirmation, that they were, in our opinion, things tolerable which were urged upon us, is of the same quality with the former. 'Tis certain we have oft exprest our opinion, that they are such as without hypocrisie, or gross sin against conscience, we cannot admit, and no weight is more unsupportable than that. Another visible lapse you see in relating a matter of fact (for such it is to affirm us to opine, what we opine not) but then that which follows in the fourth place is still more transcendent. The things which they press upon us (and we cannot submit to) are, saith he, more deserving the Church should command their observance than copes-. I grant that articles de Fide are, or should be of far greater importance, than ornaments, or rituals: But what if articles are imposed de Fide, wch have no truth in them, wil the gravity of the matter in that case plead for the imposing them; or can it thence follow that all that the Church of Rome hath defined to be de fide, do better deserve to be commanded, than Copes? Copes are by us, and the Romanist joyntly acknowledged to be things indifferent, and so lawfull to be prudently prescribed by a competent authority; and the lighter they are in the nature of them, the greater obstinacy it is to resist such commands, and causelesly to depart from the Church, rather than do what is thus indifferent. But the weightier the importance of the other is, the more intolerable is the pressure, and the greater the tyranny of imposing them. So beyond all measure improbable are all S. W. his present offers of probation. 'Tis pity thus unnecessarily to insist on it.
What he addes of my tediousness in things acknowledged by both parties, is with no shew of justice suggested (the whole treatise being very short, and in my opinion every branch of it necessary to vindicate our innocence, or to pre-judge theirs) especially when the lesse he hath to oppose, the sooner he might, if he pleased, be at an end of his journey, were it not that he finds as faire colours of answers to reply, and as faire a field to expatiate, when the matter is most grosly true, and granted by him, as he doth, when it is most his interest to oppugn it. I shall propose to my self, not to transcribe this copie from him, but permit him peaceably to speak as much truth, as he will, be it direct, or never so much out of the way, and never disturb him in his course, unless I shall discern some part of my arguing concerned, which the former Replie to the Catholike Gentleman had not opportunity to vindicate. And so much for his Introduction.