III. [Rev. xvii. to "strip the whore naked"." But I think the crown of Eng- SECT. land had better take it for a dream, than undertake the consequences of it by taking it for God's will revealed by Scrip- 15, 16.1 ture. As for the account of religion: ask but Geneva', whether the late usurper would not have served their turn for a head of the protestant party, as well as the crown of England; and say, how desirable that headship is in point of religion, which such a miscreant could wear. And, therefore, the only religious choice in this case hath nothing in the account of secular interest to discourage it. That is to say, there is a cheerful hope of God's blessing upon a resolution of owning the whole consequence of that profession, which the reformation of this Church materially owneth,—of unity with the catholic Church ;-which whole consequence consisteth in owning the faith and the laws of it. Then is there a certainty of friendship with all Christian powers in all causes and against all persons which shall make religion a pretence of altering allegianced; this being the common cause of all Christian powers, to hold all, that make such pretence, common enemies both to their common Christianity and to their several sovereignties. [IV.] As for the consequence, which this principle might have [Consehad in preventing the schisms, that have fallen out in the quence of this princiReformation, to weaken and in fine to destroy it: first, in that ple as regards the which concerneth the holy eucharist between the Lutherans schisms and the Calvinists, there is this advantage in it; which it among will tie the parties to retire to, in case neither of both can the Re See Just Weights and Measures, cc. ii. § 5; and Disc. of Forbearance or Penalties &c., c. vii. Dr. Vaughan of University College, London, published in 1839, in _two volumes, under the title of The Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell and the State of Europe during the early part of the Reign of Louis XIV. &c., a series of letters between Dr. John Pell, resident Ambassador with the Swiss Cantons, Sir Samuel Morland, Sir William Lockhart, Secretary Thurloe, and others, in 1654-1658, which (in conjunction with the evidence adduced above in Just Weights and Measures, See Disc. of Forbearance or Penal- d See above in sect. [I.] e See Epilogue, Bk. III. Of the Laws of the Ch., c. i. § 3. notes g, h; c. iii. § 5-15; and Hospinian, Bucer in his Scripta Anglicana, and others there quoted. those of IV. formation about the holy eucharist.] : SECT. make their opinions to belong to the faith which is manifest to all that move for mutual toleration between them. The advantage is this:—that it evidenceth the [inclination] of the parties to this forbearance, demonstrating the office of charity in preferring the unity of the Church before the opinions, which they cannot be forced by dispute to renounce. It is true, the consequence hereof will be, that transubstantiation must of necessity be counted one opinion that ought to make no breach. But let him, that is troubled at that, take notice thereby, that he is out of charity inasmuch as he dislikes it. Then, there is one thing, as well received by this Church as by the catholic Church, which, though it be not enough to determine the question, yet makes such a step towards it, that the rest may appear not to endanger the faith. For he, that acknowledgeth the Body and Blood of Christ present in the sacrament, not by virtue of the faith which it is received with, but by virtue of the consecration of it which the Church giveth (which the English liturgy as plainly professeth as the liturgies of the ancient Church); he shall need to fear no defect in his faith: knowing, that there can be no faith, which was not so from the beginning; and that there is no act of the Church within the time limited to decree the manner of the change. Whereas, make the faith of him that receives the cause of the presence, and there will remain no cause either of sacrament or consecration or Church, to do that, which faith does without elements. For who doubts, that faith eats and drinks the Flesh and Blood of Christ without the sacrament, if the consecration and the office of the Church and the sacrament itself be not neglected? Besides, how can he, that receives, "eat and drink his own damnation" for "not discerning" and considering "the Lord's Body," if It be not present, but made only present by his faith? The petitioner no way doubts, that the manner of the presence is to be cleared, [1 Cor. xi. 27, 29.] See Epilogue, ibid., c. ii. § 8, sq., See Epilogue, ibid., c. v. § 36-38. of Gr., c. xvii. § 12; Bk. III. Of the See Epilogue, Bk. III. Of the IV. neither by transubstantiation, nor by consubstantiation, nor SECT. by those that derive it not from the consecration; but by some of those Church-writers, that dealt in the point at the time when it seems to have been first questioned, under the successors of Charles the Great, and the sayings of some of the ancient fathers that concur in the same!. But because he cannot deny, that several opinions were then lawfully professed; and, therefore, that none can ever be necessary to salvation for all to believe: he thinks it advantage enough for the catholic Church in this point, that those, who have the truth, are assured by the authority thereof, that they are to tolerate those, who have not attained the same. [V.] quence of those of formation But the schism of the Arminians, as to the cause of it, [Consecomprehendeth the Lutherans also; standing divided from the same the Calvinists as well upon the point of grace and free-willm, principle as regards as of the sacramental presence. And of that it may be the schisms said, that, had they contented themselves with that which among the ancient Church hath determined, truth and peace might the Reboth have been preserved. After so many and so eager respecting debates, as well within the communion of the Church of grace and free-will.] Rome as within the Reformation, it cannot be said, that the Church hath attained one grain of truth more, than is contained in those decrees of the Church which the occasion of Pelagius his heresy brought forth: I mean those Gallican councils, which were held upon occasion of the dispute that arose in those parts concerning absolute predestination as well to glory and shame as to effectual or only sufficient grace". This dispute was lastly determined by the second council of Orange, and the articles thereof yet extant, containing the whole truth concerning effectual grace, that the Church is trusted with: which if they be duly accounted the bulwark of faith, they, that see they cannot be the less in 1 See Epilogue, ibid., c. iv. § 37, sq. m See ibid., Bk. II. Of the Cov. of Gr., c. xxi. § 6, c. xxv. § 18, c. xxvi. § 34 and Just Weights and Measures, c. xiii. § 4. "See Epilogue, Bk. II. Of the Cov. of Gr., c. xix. § 23, c. xxvi. § 22-26. • See ibid. P See ibid. V. SECT. love with them because the authority of the see of Rome had a hand in them, may see, what service that authority hath done the Church in this cause, and believe it may do the like in others, should it but retire to the same bounds. For whereas there had passed before two councils in the case of one Lucidus a priest, that maintained absolute predestination both to glory and to shame; the one at Lyons, the result whereof we have in a letter of Faustus one of the council, subscribed by the greatest part of it, containing the articles which he was to renounce if he would not be condemned; the other at Arles, the result whereof we have in a letter of Lucidus to the council, containing the articles which he doth renounce: the second council of Orange, coming after both these, and therefore carrying the force if anything of difference may appear, cannot be said to have derogated from these in any particular. It is true, Faustus, writing two books, De Gratia et Libero Arbitrio, in defence of the councils and of these articles, hath incurred the censure of a council at Rome under Gelasius I. pope, which makes the work apocrypha'; as it doth also the writings of Joannes Cassianus in the same cause". But this censure signifieth no more but that the Church warranteth not their books and doctrine. For neither were the persons condemned; and when the see of Rome under Pope Hormisda was earnestly solicited to condemn the books and writers, it is plainly refused. And, therefore, both letters, and both councils so far as concerns those letters, remain authorized by that rule of the law, which obliges all them, that own the articles of Orange to be an exception to the doctrine contained in the articles of the two foregoing councils, to acknowledge that nothing is derogated from that, to which the articles of Orange make no exception. Whereunto if we add the constant sense of the Greek fathers", as well since the condemning of Pelagius (wherein it is manifest, that the eastern Church did concur with the western), as afore; it will appear, that the truth of Christ, as well as the peace of His Church, requireth, that the efficacy of grace be main See Epilogue, ibid., c. xxvi. §22, 25. Ibid.; and c. xxvi. § 26. note y: but see Tillemont, Mém. Eccl., tom. xvi. Vie de Fauste, art. 7. "See Voss., as quoted in Epilogue, ibid., c. xix. § 18. note y. V. tained upon such grounds and within such terms, as to SECT. maintain a possibility of being saved to all that fail of salvation within the pale of the Church. And therefore the petitioner hopes, that he hath done no bad service to the Church in so distinguishing, that predestination to grace effectual or only sufficient be held to be absolute, but to glory or shame, to proceed upon supposition of such helps as may save any man within the Church, doing what he may do by those helps, and with respect to what he shall have done or not done by the same. Though, hoping he cannot be singular, walking within those bounds to which the Church consenteth, he hopeth also, that in this opinion he shall not be found above [them] but assureth himself, that all the contentions of these times have not advanced one grain of truth more than these alternate articles contain. And of this he hath a sure argument;-that, this controversy reviving under the successors of Charles the Great upon occasion of the monk Godscalcus, that party, that was the most jealous of the efficacy of grace upon God's predestination, hath admitted some of these articles, which since are pretended to have been repealed or at least antiquated by the articles of Orange, being the later in timey. [VI.] But when he alloweth, that this dispute ought to have [The opistaid within the bounds limited by the ancient Church, he nion, that whosoever never fall must for the interest of the common faith and salvation ex- is once in the state pressly caution, that the same consent ought to exclude and of God's shut out of the Church, all that hath been disputed or decreed, grace, can that whosoever is once in the state of God's grace can never totally and finally fall totally and finally from it, as consequent to the faith of from it, to God's predestination to effectual grace. They, that shall be wholly have found the consent of the Church in the efficacy of grace and shut upon God's predestination, shall never be able to produce out of the Church.] any writing allowed by the ancient Church, that ever questioned the interruption of God's grace upon the forfeiture of See Epilogue, Bk. II. Of the Cov. of Gr., c. xxvi.; and Just Weights and Measures, c. xiii. See Epilogue, Bk. II. Of the Cov. of Gr., c. xxvi. § 25, 27. excluded |