Romanism Discussed, Treatise · Article 1 · Section 4 – Section 5
SECT. IV.
The ſucceſſion of Biſhops, Prieſts, and Laicks, required by H. T. is not neceſſary to the being of a true Church.
THat (ſaith he) is the onelyonly true Church of God, which has had a continued ſucceſſion from Chriſt and his Apoſtles to this time. But the Church now in communion with the See of Rome; and no other, has had a ſucceſſion from Chriſt and his Apoſtles to this time; therefore the Church now in communion with the See of Rome, and no other, is the true church of God. For proof of the major he alledgeth Iſa. 59. 21. & 60. 1, 3, 11. & 62. 6. Ezech. 3. 26. Dan. 7. 13, 14. Matth. 28. 20. John 14 16. Epheſ. 4. 11, 12, 13▪ 14.
Anſw. The ſucceſſion he means, is expreſſed p. 45. to be a continued number of Biſhops, Prieſts, and Laicks, ſucceeding one another in the profeſſion of the ſame faith. This ſucceſſion may be either in the ſame place, or ſome place or other indefinite, and it may be ſaid to be continued without the leaſt interruption for the ſmalleſt ſpace of time, or ſo continued that in each age or century there hath been ſuch a ſucceſſion, though with ſome intermiſſion. The ſucceſſion in the profeſſion of the ſame faith, may be either univerſal in every point, or limited to fundamentals. The ſucceſſion may be ſaid to be continued either ſo conſpicuouſly, as that there is an Aſſembly of that people in each age, which any Chriſtians in any part of the world did, or might know, as they do the Commonwealth of the Venetians, or Kingdom of France, o… as heretofore the Roman Commonwealth was known; or elſe obſcurely, ſo as to be known onelyonly to themſelves, and ſome near neighbors. The proof of this ſucceſſion may be conceived to be out of Hiſtory, or other clear Writings, Records, or Monuments extant, expreſſing perſons and their faith, or elſe it may be conjectured from ſome more obſcure intimations. This Author I conceive from many paſſages following, underſtands his major here thus: That is the onelyonly true Church of God, which has had in the ſame place a continued ſucceſſion from Chriſt and his Apoſtles to this time, without interruption any notable time in any age, of a number of Biſhops, Prieſts, and Laicks, ſucceeding one another in the profeſſion of the ſame faith, not onelyonly in fundamentals, but in other points alſo, ſo conſpicuouſly, that all Chriſtians did or might know it as the Roman Empire, French Kingdom, or Venetian Republique may be known, and this to be proved out of Hiſtory, or other clear Writings, Records, or Monuments, expreſſing the perſons and their faith. For ſuch a ſucceſſion this Author would have neceſſary to a true church, which he imagines may be proved to be in the Roman church, and no other. But in this ſenſe his Propoſition is moſt falſe, and no whit proved out of the Texts he produceth, and nullifies the Roman church it ſelf, which he indeavours ſo much to magnifie, as to make it to be the onelyonly true church of God. In oppoſition thereto I ſay, 1. There may be a true church of God, where there are no Biſhops or Prieſts at all. Which I prove, 1. From Acts 14. 23. where it is ſaid, that Barnabas and Paul after they had gathered the churches, they returned to them and ordained Elders in every Church, which ſuppoſeth they were churches ſometime afore they had Elders ordained for them; therefore it follows, there may be a true church without Biſhops, Prieſts, or Elders, ſith thoſe churches were ſuch afore they had them. 2. From the definition of a true church. That is a true church which hath the definition of a true church. H. T. confeſſeth often this Propoſition to be true. But a number of believers in Chriſt who have no Elders, or Prieſts, or Biſhops, hath the definition of a true church; Ergo, The minor is proved from the received definitions. Bellarm. Tom. 2. Controv. l. de Eccleſ. milit. c. 1. Eccleſia eſt evocatio ſive caetus vocatorum, the church is the company of the called out; and other Authors ſpeak conformably. But there may be a ca…ling out▪ or a company of perſons called out, though they have no Biſhops or Prieſts, therefore they may be a ture church of God. 3. That company which hath the eſſential parts of a true church, is a true church of God; But a number of believers profeſſing the faith of Chriſt, hath the eſſential parts of a true church. They are the matter of a church, in that they are men, the form is faith, or the profeſſion of it, no other thing can be rightly aſſigned to be eſſential as conſtitutive of a true church; their governours, order, ſpecial gifts, and other things tending to their well-being, are common accidents, which may be, or not be, and yet the church remain a true church. Therefore a number of believers profeſſing the true faith of Chriſt, without Biſhops, is a true church of God. 2. It is not neceſſary to the being of a true church, that there be a ſucceſſion of Biſhops diſtinct from Presbyters, whom H. T. terms Prieſts. For 1. There are many Fathers and popiſh Writers, who make them but one Order at firſt, Lumbard. ſen…ent. l. 4. diſtinct. 24. Apud vcteres iidem Epiſcopi & Presbyteri fuerunt. The Antients took Biſhops and Prieſts for the ſame; therefore with them there were churches, in which were no Biſhops diſtinct from Presbyters. 2. Where there were two Orders, yet they were not ſo neceſſary, but that the church may be without them; otherwiſe in the vacancy of the Epiſcopal See (which hath in Rome it ſelf been ſometimes ſome years together, often many moneths and days) the church ſhould ceaſe to be a true church of God; for then it would follow, that in ſuch vacancies the Roman church did ceaſe to be. 3. It is not neceſſary to the being of a true church, that there be a profeſſion of the ſame faith in every point; for then the Roman church ſhould not be a true church in Paul's days, in which it is clear from Rom. 14. 2. that one believed he might eat all things, another who was weak did eat herbs. Ver. 5. One man eſteemeth one day above another, another eſteemeth every day alike. In after Ages the differences in the Roman church it ſelf, if reckoned, would make a large catalogue. 4. It is not neceſſary to the being of a true church, that the company and their profeſſion be ſo viſible, as that they may be diſcerned as the Roman Senate was, or the Venetian Republique, and French Kingdom are. For then the diſciples which were aſſembled, the doors being ſhut for fear of the Jews, John 20. 19. had not been a true church of God, nor the woman in the wilderneſs, Revel. 12. 14. nor thoſe that wand red in dens and caves of the earth, in deſarts and mountains, Heb. 11. 38. then the Saints in perſecution ſhould not be bleſſed, as Chriſt ſaith, Matth. 5. 10. but curſed, as ceaſing to be the true church of God. 5. It is not neceſſary to the bring of a true church, that there ſhould be in it a ſucceſſion of Biſhops, Prieſts, and Laicks, profeſſing the ſame faith; for then the firſt company of ſuch profeſſors, though called out of the world, ſhould not be▪ a true church of God, for want of ſucceſſion. 6. Much leſs is it neceſſary, that there ſhould be a ſucceſſion in the ſame place. For then when Chriſt removed the candleſtick, that is, the church out of it's place, as he threatens, Revel. 2. 5. though believers ſhould come to dwell there a thouſand years after, they ſhould not be a true church, becauſe of the interruption of ſucceſſion in that place: the church at Jeruſalem after the perſecution had not been a true church, if the Apoſtles had been ſcattered as well as the reſt, Acts 8. 1, 2. Doth a church perſecuted and drive… out of a place ceaſe to be a church, becauſe they and their ſucceſſors are removed out of their dwellings? Suppoſe the place waſted and deſtroyed, ſhall that deſtroy the being of the church which was there before? 7. Much leſs is it neceſſary that there ſhould be a continuance without any notable interruption in each age. For there may be many hinderances of elections of Biſhops, and ordinations of Prieſts, there may be ſcatterings of the Laicks, as was at Jeruſalem, Acts 8. 1. and yet the being and verity of the church continue. 8. If a church muſt be judged no true church, becauſe no Writings or Monuments have kept the catalogue of Biſhops, Prieſts, and Laicks, profeſſing the ſame faith, from Chriſt till this time, a church ſhall be condemned as no true church, for want of Writings and Monuments, or becauſe they are now loſt by reaſon of the inundation of barbariſm and barbarous people, who ſpoil Learning and Arts, which yet Popiſh Writers acknowledge to have happened in the ninth Age, tearmed by Genebrard, Chron. l. 4. the unhappy age, for want of learned Writers; and H. T. himſelf, p. 25. ſaith, In this tenth Age or Century I find no General Council, nor yet provincia…, in which any controverſie of moment was decided.
SECT. V.
None of the Texts alledged by H. T. prove a neceſſity of ſuch a ſucceſſion, as he imagines, to the being of a true Church.
AS for the Texts he alledgeth, they are all ſo impertinently alledged, that it's likely, had he not preſumed he ſhould meet with very credulous Readers, he would not have mentioned them, or at leaſt he would have ſhewed how he proves his Propoſition from them, it being neceſſary to do ſo, if he had a mind to inſtruct, and not impoſe on his Readers. The firſt Text, Iſa. 59. 21. is no promiſe of ſuch a ſucceſſion in any viſible church, as H. T. ſpeaks of, but of a continuance of Gods Word and Spirit with the perſons there meant, which ſeem to be peculiarly the Jews, by the Apoſtles alledging Rom. 11. 26. However they are onelyonly the Elect who can be there meant, ſith the promiſe is made good to none other, none other have the Spirit of God not departing from them, not any whole viſible church among the Gentiles, from whom the Spirit of God may depart. In the three next Texts, Iſa. 60. 1, 3, 11. Iſa. 62. 6. Ezek. 37. 26. the very words apply the promiſes to Hieru…alem and the people of Iſrael, ſo that if they ſpeak of any continued ſucceſſion in any viſible church in all Ages, it muſt be the Jewiſh, which it is certain hath had no ſuch ſucceſſion, but is broken off from the true Olive to this day; and therefore cannot be meant of them in H. T. his ſenſe, till they be reingraſſed. The next, Dan. 7. 13, 14. ſpeaks not of the continued ſucceſſion which H. T. imagines of every true viſible church, but of the duration of Chriſts dominion, which ſhall not paſs away to another; that is, there is no kingdom which ſhall ſucceed to it, as there did to the former Monarchies, nor ſhall it be deſtroyed, as they were, but ſhall be continued to Chriſt without any ſucceſſion. So that this Text mentions not H. T. his ſucceſſion, but excludes ſucceſſion of any other to Chriſts dominion. Matth. 28. 20. intimates a ſucceſſion to the end of the world, of teachers, and ſo doth Epheſ. 4. 11, 12, 13, 14. but not in every true viſible church, nor ſo conſpicuous, as that all may know and diſcern the church, as men diſcern the aſſembly of the people of Rome, nor ſo apparent, as that there may be produced a catalogue of Biſhops, Prieſts, and Laicks, profeſſing the ſame faith, from Chriſts time till now. Much leſs doth John 14. 16. prove ſuch a ſucceſſion, it being onelyonly a promiſe of the Spirits abiding with the Apoſtles for ever; which is no promiſe to the Biſhop of Rome, or any other viſible church now.