XIII. CHAP. advertised hereof by the letters of Prosper and Hilary yet extant, defended himself by his books De Prædestinatione et Gratid, and De Perseverantia Sanctorum. The book, which Sirmondus the Jesuit lately published under the name of Prædestinatus", is of the same date; premising a catalogue of heresies unto Nestorius, and making the last to be this of predestination, which he refuteth. And indeed, in a council or two under Patiens bishop of Lyons, one Lucidus a priest was forced to recant certain articles of that sense. But Faustus, bishop of Reys in Provence, being trusted by those councils to draw up a defence of their decree, seemed to fall within the consequence of some of Pelagius his positions". And thereupon followed a rescript of Pope Celestine 90 to the bishops of Gaul, yet extant; asserting the doctrine of St. Augustin in divers articles, though without condemning any persons of the other side. The second council of Orange, afterwards, with the authority of the see of Rome, decreed against the said articles: but no less against predestination to death, or to sin; and without condemning either Faustus, or Gennadius, or Vincentius, or their writings. And, therefore, they can no more be counted Semi-Pelagians for a sect, than the other side Prædestinatians". For this new decree, superseding the former, united the parties, and hath been ever since in force in the West. The stirs, that were afterwards under Carolus Calvus upon the same ground in the cause of the monk Godschalcus, cannot be thought to have made any alteration in it; because there were prelates against prelates, Churches against Churches, and synods against synods, in the cause. Always, that council decreed nothing for St. Augustin against the redemption of all mankind, and the will of God that all be saved; and Prospere his apologist, and the author De Vocatione Gentiumf much more, writing about the same time, have asserted both: con See Epilogue, Bk. II. Of the Cov. of Gr., c. xxvi. § 24. * See ibid. See ibid. § 25. note m. * See ibid. § 22, 25. See ibid.; and c. xix. § 23.-Faus tus was bishop of Riez in the province See Epilogue, ibid., c. xxvi. § 24. note a, and § 26. See ibid. § 24. note b, and § 26. b See ibid. § 26, 27. See ibid. § 25. note j, § 27. note a. d See ibid. § 31: and § 24. note b. e See ibid. § 31. note m. 1 See ibid. note n. XIII. demning thereby the late zeal of Jansenius for St. Augustin CHA P. (if not his hatred of the Jesuits); who, thinking to overbear all dispute in the point by his authority and reasons, hath not been afraid to maintain him in those articles; and therefore hath given the Dominicans, whom his opinion seems to comply so much withh, just occasion to join themselves against him with the Jesuits. But his opinion will prove a nihil dicit. That of Arminius, as it necessarily opposes absolute predetermination to glory, so it stands very well with absolute predestination to grace; because it derives the efficacy of grace from that congruity, which, as God's foresight discovers, so His providence uses. And therefore the discreetest of his adversaries, at the synod of Dort,—the English, and those of Breme,-owned the redemption of mankind, and the will of God that all be saved. Those that will not do the same must resolve upon predetermination. And that, I grant, is not destructive to Christianity in the Dominicans; though of itself it be destructive: because, holding free will, they contradict themselves in it, 91 and so have an antidote against it. But in our Fanatics, that take justifying faith to be the assurance of predestination, and the covenant of grace a mere promise of God to those that have that assurance, it is downright heresy. And though the Presbyterians do not profess to hold it, yet, so long as they distinguish not themselves from the Fanatics, but communicate with them, they will be heretics themselves; by the perpetual rule of the Church, which makes them heretics to the Church, that communicate with heretics, and schismatics, that communicate with schismatics. See Epilogue, ibid. § 31. note 1, opinion of the deputies of Bremen, the and c. xxv. § 6, sq. See ibid., c. xxvi. § 33. Acta Syn. Dordrecht., inter Judicia See below, c. xxv. § 2. СНА Р. Duty of a as a Chris a member of the Church. CHAPTER XIV. DUTY OF A CHRISTIAN AS A CHRISTIAN, AND AS A MEMBER OF THE CHURCH. Ir it be part of a man's Christianity to be a member of God's Church, then is a Christian sometimes concerned as a tian, and as Christian, sometimes as a member of the Church. For that which concerns him as a member of the Church, arises from 92 the constitution of the Church; as the effect of that power, which God hath endowed His Church with. Whereas that which concerns him as a Christian, concerns him before the being of the Church: though the consent of the Church in it be the means to bring it into evidence. Whatsoever is necessary to be known for the salvation of all Christians, is of this kind. And whatsoever proceedeth from the power of the Church, as the effect of it, is not necessary to be known for the salvation of all Christians. It is necessary for all Christians to know, that they are to live and die members of God's Church; and, therefore, to conform themselves to the order of it. But that this order is for the best, it neither concerneth them to know, nor to enquire; provided it be sufficient for the salvation of all, and enjoin nothing destructive to the salvation of any. This is the next obligation to that, which concerneth a Christian as a Christian. How ana deny the § 2. The sacraments of baptism and of the eucharist were baptists instituted by our Lord in person, before He left the world. faith; how So was also the power of the keys, consisting in admitting they are to to them and excluding from them. Upon this power He ciled with founded His Church; leaving the forming of it to His apostles, whom He trusted it with, by virtue of the same. It seems therefore, that these sacraments concern Christians be recon the Church. XIV. as Christians, and not only as members of the Church. I CHA P. have shewed, how baptism concerns the salvation of all Christians'. Whereby it appears, what presumption of heresy there is in the sect of the anabaptists. For did they think the profession of Christianity to be the condition, in consideration whereof all that are baptized are saved; they could not take that baptism of the Church for void, whereby there can be no doubt that a Christian is obliged to the profession of a Christian. Because they believe not the condition of salvation to be the covenant of baptism, therefore they make it void, being received before knowledge. Whereas the greater question is, whether the Church be obliged to take their baptism for baptism, or not. For though the School make good all baptism ministered in due matter and form of words ", yet the Church never declared this general reason, why it alloweth the baptism of those 93 heretics, whom it did not rebaptize, because they were baptized with the due form of words; but only appointed such and such heretics to be baptized (as voiding the baptism which they received from heretics), others to be received with imposition of hands". Now of those heresies, whose baptism the Church alloweth to be valid, though unlawful, none did ever question the article of "one baptism for remission of sin;" which they, that own not Christianity for the condition of salvation, do destroy. So did the Gnostics; and their baptism ought to be void. They, who agree in their opinion (though not in the grounds of it); how is the Church tied to allow their baptism? But because the Church is not tied to make it void, and to baptize them again, returning to the profession of the true faith; let it suffice, that it appeareth hereby, how necessary this sound profession is for the restoring, not only of anabaptists, but of all other sects that distinguish not themselves from them, to the Church. § 3. They have, indeed, another pretence for rebaptizing. For that they may dip the whole body, they will leave the 1 Epilogue, Bk. II. Of the Cov. of Gr., cc. ii. sq. and Bk. III. Of the Laws of the Ch., c. vi. § 11. m See Bingham, Antiq. of Chr. Ch., XI. iii. 11, and Schol. Hist. of Lay Bapt., Pt. I. c. i. § 20; and Maskell, "See Epilogue, Bk. III. Of the Their error in rebaptizing for CHAP. Church to baptize in rivers. Would they do this, did they XIV. think the profession which is made "with a good conscience," want of dipping. to be that which "saveth" in baptism, as the apostle teach[1 Pet. iii. eth? The order of this Church requireth dipping, "so it be 21.] warily done;" and certainly, if it be not "the cleansing of the flesh," it is not the endangering of life, that "saveth." Now, when sprinkling is used instead of dipping without regard to the danger of the child, in regard to a wrong opinion in the point, or to the causeless tenderness of mothers and friends, especially of the woman-kind; though the sacrament be not void, not being ministered as it ought to be, the offence is given by him that so ministereth itp. What concerns salvation in ment of rist. § 4. As the performance of Christianity is necessary for the salvation of him, that first attained the state of salvathe sacra- tion by undertaking Christianity; so is the sacrament of the the eucha- eucharist necessary for the salvation of him, that is come to the state of salvation by the sacrament of baptism. Which if it be true, then is it necessary for the Church to profess, and for all Christians to know and believe, that the benefit of the eucharist depends upon the sincerity of that resolution, wherewith he that receiveth it stands to his Christianity; and, 94 on the other side, that, so doing, he fails not of the Body and Blood of Christ in that sacrament, and by consequence of His Spirit which it conveyeth. If therefore the unity of the Church be a part of the common Christianity; then is it necessary to this effect, that it be celebrated in the unity of God's Church. For, otherwise, no man need to argue that it is void; that it is celebrated and received to no effect: seeing it is celebrated and received to so bad effect, as to make all [1 Cor. xi. that come to it "guilty of" Christ's " Body and Blood ¶." 27.] § 5. I claim further, that,-seeing it can be no sound part of God's Church, that observeth not all the laws of God's are conse- whole Church,-if the eucharist be not consecrated by that the Body means, by which the Church from the beginning hath always consecrated the eucharist, then it is not celebrated in the How the elements crated into and Blood of Christ, See Due Way of Composing Dif- warily." P See Due Way &c. § 51. See Epilogue, Bk. III. Of the Laws of the Ch., c. xxx. § 13: and Conclusion, § 12, 14—20. |