destroy it she holds it directly, destroys it by consequent. In that she holds it, she is a True Church, howsoever impured: in that she destroys it, what semblance soever she makes she is a Church of Malignants. If she did altogether hold it, she should be sound and orthodox: if altogether she destroyed it, she should be either no Church, or devilish: but, now that she professes to hold those things directly, which by inferences she closely overthrows, she is a truly visible Church, but an unsound one *." Thus I wrote well-near twenty years ago, without clamour, without censure. And, since that, in my Latin Sermon to the Convocation, did I vary ought from this hold? Did I not there call heaven and earth to record, of our innocence, in separating from the Roman Church? Did I not cast the fault upon their violence, not our will? Did I not profess, Lubentes quidem discessimus &c. "We willingly indeed departed from the communion of their errors; but, from the communion of the Church, we have not departed. Let them abandon their errors, and we embrace the Church: let them cast away their soul-killing Traditions, and false appendances of their new faith; we shall gladly communicate with them in the right of the same Church, and hold with them for ever + ?" This I freely both taught and published, with the allowance, with the applause of that most Reverend Synod; and now, doth the addition of a Dignity bring envy upon the same truth? Might that pass commendably from the pen or tongue of a Doctor, which will not be endured from the hand of a Bishop? My brethren, I am where I was: the change is yours. Ever since I learned to distinguish betwixt the right hand of verity and the left of error, thus Ï held; and shall, I hope, at last send forth my soul in no other resolution. And, if any of you be otherwise minded, I dare boldly say, he shall do more wrong to his cause, than to his ad versary. That I differ not from myself, you have seen: see, now, that I differ not from our learned, judicious, approved Divines. That the Latin or Western Church, subject to the Romish Tyranny, unto the very times of Luther, was a true Church, in which a saving profession of the truth of Christ was found, and wherein Luther himself received his Christianity, Ordination, and power of Ministry, our learned Doctor Field hath saved me the labour to prove, by the suffrages of our best and most renowned Divines : amongst whom, he cites the testimony of Calvin, Bucer, Melauchthon, Beza, Mornay, Deering. And if, since that time, it be foully corrupted, so as now that acute author is driven to the distinction of Verè Ecclesia, and Vera Ecclesia; yet, at last, he thus concludes: "But will some man say, 'Is the Roman Church at See and compare the passage at p. 31 of this volume. EDITOR. + "Columba Noæ." See vol. v. p. 170 of this edition. tion varies a little from that of his son. EDITOR. Append. to the Book of the Church; iii, part. chap. 2. The author's transla this day no part of the Church of God? Surely, as Austin noteth * that the societies of heretics, in that they retain the profession of many parts of heavenly truth and the ministration of the Sacrament of Baptism, are so far still conjoined with the Catholic Church, and the Catholic Church in and by them bringeth forth children unto God: so, the present Roman Church is still, in some sort, a part of the Visible Church of God; but, no otherwise, than other societies of heretics are, in that it retaineth the profession of some parts of heavenly truth, and ministereth the true Sacrament of Baptism to the salvation of the souls of many thousand infants, &c." Thus he. Junius, distinguishing betwixt the Church and Papacy, determines the Church of Rome to be a truly-living, though sick, Church; whereof the Papacy is the disease, marring the health, threatening her life and punctually resolves t, Ecclesia Papalis, quà id habet &c. The Popish Church, in that it hath in it that, which pertains to the definition of a Church, is a Church." Doctor Raynolds makes it his position, That the Church of Rome is neither the Catholic Church, nor a sound member of the Catholic; yielding it a member, while he disproves it sound . Paraus: Accusant nos &c. "They accuse us," saith he §, "that we have made a division, in departing from the Church :" Nos verò &c." But we have not departed from the Church, but from the Papacy." Master Hooker is most pregnant for this point. "Apparent it is," saith he , "that all men are, of necessity, either Christians or not Christians. If, by external profession, they be Christians, they are of the Visible Church of Christ: and Christians by external profession they are all, whose mark of recognisance hath in it those things which we have mentioned ¶; yea, although they be impious idolaters, wicked heretics, persons excommunicable, yea and cast out for notorious improbity." Thus he; and, going on, he shews how it is possible for the self-same men to belong to the Synagogue of Satan, and to the Church of Jesus Christ. The passages are too long to transcribe, and the books are obvious. Doctor Crakenthorp, in his learned answer to Spalatensis, defends heretical Churches to be truly members of the Catholic Church, though unsound ones; subscribing herein to the determination of Alphonsus: and, descending to this particular, concludes **, Hæc tamen ipsa tua Romana &c. "This your Roman Church must be accounted both to be in the Church, and to be a Church: not simply, not according to the integrity of faith, not according to any inward virtue, not so effectually that it should avail to Salvation for a man to be in it; but yet a Church it is, in some respects, according to the external profession of faith and of the Aug. de Baptis. contr. Donatist. lib. i. c. 8. et 10. † Jun. de Eccl. lib. sing. c. 17. Hook. Book iiid. of Eccl. Pol. c. 1. ** Crak. Defen. Eccles. Angl. c. 16. Thes. Rain. 5. § Par. in Rom. xvi. Word of God, according to the administration of the Sacraments, according to some Doctrines of true belief, by which, as by so many outward ligaments, she is yet knit to the Orthodox and Catholic Church." Thus he, fully to my words and meaning. I might swell up the bulk with many more: a catalogue whereof Brierley hath, for his own purpose, fetched up together *. I will only shut up this scene with our late most learned Sovereign, King James; who, in the Conference at Hampton Court, with the acclamation of all his judicious hearers, avowed, that no Church ought further to separate itself from the Church of Rome in doctrine or ceremony, than she hath departed from herself when she was in her flourishing and best estate, and from Christ her Lord and Head. Well, therefore, doth my reader see, that I have gone along with good company, in this assertion: although I am not ignorant, that some worthy Divines of ours † speak otherwise; in the height of zeal denying the Church of Rome to be a True Church, to be a Church at all; whose contradiction gives colour to this offence. But, let my reader know, that, however their words are opposite, yet not their judgment: a mutual understanding shall well accord us in the matter, however the terms sound contrary. Our old word is, "Things are as they are taken." The difference is, in the acceptation of "True" and "Church;" both which have much latitude, and variety of sense. While, by True, they mean right believing; and, by Church, a company of Faithful, which have the Word of God rightly understood and sincerely preached, and the Sacraments duly administered: it is no marvel, if they say the Church of Rome is neither True nor Church: who would, who can say otherwise? But, while we mean, by a True Church, a multitude of Christians professing to agree in the main principles of religion, how can they but subscribe to us; and, in this sense, yield the Church of Rome both a Church, and Truly Visible? So as, shortly, in a large sense of "True Church," these Divines cannot but descend to us; in a strict sense of both, we cannot but ascend to them in fine, both agree in the substance, while the words. Certainly, in effect, Master Perkins saith no other §, while he defines his Reformed Catholic to be one, that holds the same necessary heads of religion with the Roman Church; yet so as he pares off and rejects all errors in doctrine, whereby the same religion is corrupted: wherein that well-allowed author speaks home to my meaning, though in other terms. That the Roman Church Pet. Baro, Conc. ad Clerum. Bunny, Treat. of Purif. D. Some, against Penry. Peter Mart. Epistle. Answer to Machiavel, p. 8. D. Covel. Fregevil. Polit. Ref. B. of St. David's Chap. D. Williams of the Church. Confer. p. 75. †Zanch. Miscell. de Eccles. Whitak. Quæs. 6. c. 1. pp. 444, 445. in quar. Perk. ` in 1. ad Galat. Cameron. Zanch. ubi suprà. In quo purum Dei Verbum Orthodoxè intellectum et sinerè prædicatum, Sacramenta sola et legitimè juxta institutum Christi administrata, &c. § M, Perk. Ref. Cath, holds the necessary heads of religion, gives it a right, in my sense, to a true visibility: that it holds foul errors, whereby the doctrine is corrupted, makes it false in belief, while it hath a true being. This, then, may give sufficient light to that passage in my sixth page*, whereat some have heedlessly stumbled. That, which I cited from Luther out of Cromerus, I find also alleged by Doctor Field + out of Luther himself. The words are, that "under the Papacy is the very kernel of Christianity; much good, yea all." Know, Reader, the words are Luther's, not mine: neither doth he say, "in" the Papacy, but "under" it; under it, indeed, to trample upon, not to possess; or, if to possess, yet not to enjoy. Their fault is not in defect of necessary truths, but in excess of superfluous additions. Luther explicates himself: for his "kernel" is the several Articles of Christian Belief; his "all good," is Scriptures, Sacraments, Creeds, Councils, Fathers: all these they have; but, God knows, miserably corrupted. That they thus have them, is no whit worse for us, and little better for themselves: would to God they were theirs, as well in true use as in possession! It was an ill descant, that a nimble Papist made upon those words of Luther, which yield them the Kernel of Christianity. "If we have the kernel," saith he, "let them take the shell." Soft, friend, 'you are too witty. Luther did not give you the kernel, and reserve us the shell: he yielded you both kernel and shell, such as it is; but the shell rotten, the kernel worm-eaten. Make much of your kernel; but, as you have used it, it is but a bitter morsel. Swallow that if you please; and save the shell in your pocket. Neither think to go away with an idle misprision: "We are a True Visible Church: what need we more? why should we wish to be other than we are?"-Alas, poor souls! a true visibility may, and doth, stand with a false belief. Ye may be of a True Visible Church, and yet never the nearer to heaven. It is your interest in the true mystical body of Christ, that must save your souls; not in the outwardly visible your errors may be, and are, no less damnable, for that ye are by outward profession Christians; yea, so much the more. Woe is me, your danger is more visible than your Church. If ye persist wilfully in these gross corruptions, which do by consequent raze that foundation, which ye profess to lay, ye shall be no less visible spectacles of the wrath of that Just God, whose Truth and Spirit ye have so stubbornly resisted. The God of Heaven open your eyes, to see the glorious light of his truth; and draw your hearts to the love of it: and make your Church as truly sound, as it is truly visible! Thus, in a desire to stand but so right as I am in all honest judgments, I have made this speedy and true Apology; beseeching all readers in the fear of God, before whose bar we shall once give an account of all our overlashings, to judge wisely and uprightly of what I have written in a word, to do me but justice in their opinions; and, when I beg it, favour. Farewell, Reader; and God make us wise and charitable! * See page 230 of this Volume. EDITOR. † Append. ubi suprà, |