An Apology for the Discipline of the Ancient Church, Part 2 · Section 7
SECT. VII. The words of the Letter.
THe fifth and higheſt degree of Church-deformity, is the Oecumenical Church, otherwiſe call'd Romane Catholique; the which in apprehenſion of I know not how many Kingdomes is the very beſt, though in the judgment of Chriſt Jeſus it is the very baſeſt; becauſe the beaſtlieſt and the moſt blaſphemous of all the baſtard-Churches conſtitutions, that ever were till now. Witneſſe what is written, Rev. 13.1, 3, 5, 6. whoſe Paſtors and other Presbyters, the ſin-pardoning Pope, Cardinals, Abbots and others, were owned & acknowledged for to be, and that by not a few if not by them of the ſummond Councels yet in ſeveral Synods, in ſundry Countries. Inſomuch that Churches iniquities were ſo increaſ'd over their heads, and their trayterous treſpaſſes were ſo egregiouſly grown up to heaven, as that the long-forbearing Lord could no longer forbear, but was put upon it, and as it were neceſſitated for to take vengeance on their inventions, as on Aarons golden Calf, and Samuels grievous connivency at the evils of his ſons, ſpoken of Pſal. 96.6, 8.
The Reply.
My reply to this Paragraph ſhall be very ſhort, ſince it concerns not us of the Church of England. I had thought at firſt to have ſaid ſomething of an Oecumenical Church, which you know we call uſually a general Council; but ſince you otherwiſe interpret your ſelf, that by it you mean the Romane Catholick, I will not meddle with it. For we no leſſe then you are againſt all Papal uſurpations.Jun. de Eccl. Rom. cap. 17. I ſhall onelyonly return you the judgment of Junius about this matter. Eccleſia Romana, quod divina habet omnia, à Deo eſt: quod corrupta habet omnia, …ib ipſa eſt: quod divi…a habet omnia, Eccleſia eſt: quod eadem habet corrupta omnia, Eccleſia corrupta eſt: Eccleſia non tollitur corruptione niſi rotati, quam vocant interitum. Eccleſia non tollit partialis corruptio, ſed infirmat: Eccleſia Romana omnia habet corrupta, ſed non omnino, haet non interitus est, fed partialis corruptio ejus disendu eſt. And therefore to your accuſation it is fit for them to anſwer, not for me, who maintain none of their corruptions.
God the Father and our Lord Jeſus Chriſt grant by his eternal Spirit that Spirit of eternal Truth, that all the deceits and fallacies of Satan being laid aſidet, we may daily grow up in Chriſt and his Church, and in the truth of Chriſt and his Church, and that we may confirme and eſtabliſh one another more and more by unfeigned Charity, and the bonds of peace to his glory, and the common ſalvation of our ſelves and all Chriſtians, Amen.