III. schismatic were asked the way to the catholic Church, he CHAP. durst not have shewed the way to his own, saith St. Augustin". Nor is it a question to be asked a Christian, why the true Church should be catholic; the answer being so obvious, that it was apostolic. Say why the faith preached by the apostles prevailed, why the communion settled by their authority (whereas heresies and schisms were known but here and there); and you have said, why the true Church was catholic. We that profess the Reformation are agreed, that this provision of God's goodness is no promise of God against man's malice; [and] that corruption may become catho14 lic for the present age, though not from the apostles. This is the common ground of reforming the Church. If the measure and bounds which it limiteth were also common, all our divisions were at an end. Nor can any private spirit, expounding the Scripture without these bounds, derogate from it. It is a sufficient prejudice against any interpretation of Scripture, that it standeth not with the faith and with the laws of the primitive Church. St. Paul challengeth the prophets at Corinth to shew themselves spiritual men by submitting to his orders: having said, that "the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets;" and inferring, that all their spirits are to be subject to his, being an apostle 1 Cor. xiv. 32, 36, 37. The same is the case to the world's end; the promise of our Lord-" Behold, I am with you to the world's end"-being made to the apostles, and to all that should be Christ's disciples and learn of the apostles to "do all that He hath commanded:" Matt. xxviii. 19, 20. For who can think he continueth in the doctrine of the apostles, departing from their authority in any thing subject to their authority? Or what is not subject to their 15 authority, excepting that which our Lord had commanded before He gave them their authority? His own commands being the condition of salvation; their authority, the means provided to enable us to attain it by observing and learning His commands. So, as it is heresy to depart from the faith which they preached, so is it schism to depart from the au "Quoted in Just Weights and Measures, c. vi. § 9, note f. See Epilogue, Bk. I. Of the Pr. of Chr. Tr., c. iv. § 13, 21; c. xxxi. § 51; CHAP. thority which they left in the Church till the world's end. III. Were not the catholic Church a warrant to particular Churches, they could not reform themselves without the consent of the whole. But, seeing abuses are and were visible at the Reformation, it is necessary to grant, that particular Churches (and secular powers, by whose laws they subsist) may restore that which may appear to have been decayed; but it is also necessary to say, that reformation is the restoring of that which was, not the introducing of that which was not. CHAPTER IV. THAT THE CHURCH IS NO FURTHER VISIBLE, THAN IT IS CATHOLIC. 16 AND thus shall the Church become visible, according to the will and ordinance of God; which, being in decay by the malice of man, though not invisible, yet must needs become hard to be seen, at least to the purpose of God's goodness. For by the discourse premised it appears, why it pleased God to provide, that the true Church should be catholic. That is to say, that, when it was so easy to discern the true Church from all that pretended, being indeed heretics or schismatics, the simplest were left without excuse, if they made a wrong choice. Which if it be true, how can it be in the power of any Church, or of the secular powers that maintain it, being bound to continue a member of the whole Church, to introduce that for reformation, which cannot appear to be restored, but may seem to be innovated? Which how should it be done without owning that ground of reformation which 17 I have delivered; and by consequence those bounds, which the said ground inferreth? And I do very well believe, that none of those, who decline conformity with this Church, would have the face to deny this, had they to do with the now missionaries of the Church of Rome. For it would not serve their turn, in answer to them, to plead, that the pope is antichrist and the papists idolaters; having reason to challenge, that God hath founded a visible Church. It would be absolutely necessary to plead, though the goodness of God hath instituted a visible Church, yet that by the malice Sce Just Weights and Measures, cc. i., ii., and above in c. ii. note p. IV. of man it might be, and is, become invisible, for the diffi- CHAP. culty of finding salvation by it; though absolutely visible, because salvation might always be had in it. It is easy for him, that would answer them with a good conscience, for truth and not for victory, to maintain the Church to be visible, so far as the faith and the laws thereof continue visible; but that, so far as the faith and laws thereof may be disguised from that which was from the beginning, so far it may and is to be said, that the Church, which by God's 18 ordinance is and ought to be visible, by human disorder is become invisible. Which being said, it follows immediately, that, as all estates in the Church are obliged in their several qualities to do their utmost that the Church may be visible (the salvation of all Christians requiring them to resort to the communion of the Church, which they believe to be catholic), so there is no other way to make it visible, but to restore the faith and the laws of the Church, that from the beginning made it visible. And, therefore, no Christian Church or state can have power to reform the Church any otherwise, than by restoring that faith and those laws, which the Church may appear to have had from the beginning. It would be sacrilege, and usurpation upon the faith which God hath built His Church upon, and upon the laws, which either the apostles have delivered to the Church or enabled the Church to deliver to posterity, to introduce any thing else for the reformation of the Church. Which,-seeing it must needs bind over the Church and kingdom to the wrath of God, as either destructive, or at least prejudicial, to the sal19 vation of the people,-must needs bind over him, that hath this opinion, to the same, if upon so just an occasion he should forbear to publish and to plead it as he may, without offence. And, therefore, I take leave to blame all those, who declare in behalf of this Church, that it departeth and separateth itself from the Church of Rome. For, seeing it hath been granted in and by this Church ever since the Reformation, that there is and always was salvation to be had in the Church of Rome as a true Church, though corrupted'; I am very confident, that no Church can separate from the Church of Rome, but they must make themselves thereby schismatics. See Just Weights and Measures, c. i. § 1. note d. IV. CHAP. before God; though before the Church they cannot be condemned for such, because the Church of Rome (the authority whereof must needs be ingredient into the sentence) cannot oblige any body to stand to the authority which it so abuseth. For if God have tied all Churches to communion with all Churches, how should it not be schism to profess separation from a true Church? And it is every whit as easy to say, that we intend only to reform ourselves; and that the separation hath come to pass by the rigour of the 20 Church of Rome, excommunicating those that reform themselves without her leave. CHAPTER V. HOW FAR THIS RULE IS OWNED BY THIS CHURCH. HERE it will perhaps be demanded, whether or no the law of this land make this the rule of the reformation which we profess. And my answer is, that in effect and by consequence it doth. it doth. For by maintaining the three creeds to be part of the service, wherewith we glorify God by professing the catholic faith; and by maintaining the four councils", whereby both the faith and the then canons of the whole Church are established; it doth in effect maintain the primitive Church, not only till that time, but beyond it. For seeing it is evident, that the fifth and sixth councils are but appendances of the fourth (tending only to maintain and enforce the decree of it); how can it be doubted, that the law of this kingdom, receiving all councils that have decreed The probable date of the Creed of S. Athanasius (so called), is, according to Waterland, between A.D. 420 and 430. But in Thorndike's time (as may be seen in Waterland's tract on the subject) the currently received date among English divines was probably about A.D. 600. So Voss, L'Estrange, and Bp. Pearson, whose Exposition of the Creed first appeared in 1669. Ussher, however, had dated it before 447. Either way it is clearly included within the time of the first six councils. It is enacted by 1 Eliz. c. 1. § 36, that the first four councils interpreting Holy Scripture should be the test of heresy. See The True Princ. of Comprehension, sect. iii. note o. See The True Princ. of Comprehension, ibid. Both the MS. and the printed text of the book here read, for "law of this kingdom," "article of this Church ;" referring to XXXIX. Art., art. xxi. The text is from the errata to the edition of 1670.-For the "law of the kingdom" here referred to, see above in note a, and True Principle of Compre-' hension, ibid. V. 21 according to the word of God, receiveth and enacteth those, CHAP which tend only to enforce the fourth, which it owneth, for decreeing that faith which the word of God teacheth? Besides the prayer for the prosperity of the catholic Church", whereby we prove ourselves no schismatics to the see of Rome, when we repay the curses of it with our prayers. Besides that injunction of Edward VI.', which obligeth all preachers to expound the Scripture "according to the consent of the ancient fathers." Which, as no man can say, why it should not be in force; so, had it been in force, we need not have come to the question now on foot. And indeed it is in effect that which I demand. For it will be found, that "the consent of the fathers" is not to be had but in the common faith, and in those laws, which the whole Church either enjoined or allowed particular Churches. So that to expound the Scriptures "according to the consent of the fathers," is to expound them within those bounds; and to trouble the heads of Christian people with nothing that is without the same, as if their salvation could be concerned, all being safe within those bounds. Here I must take notice, 22 that the reason, why the Church catholic is to be held, may be miskenned; if it be extended to all that is called Chris Prayer for all conditions of men: Litany: Prayer for the Church militant. See also Bramhall, Schism Guarded, sect. vii.; Works, Pt. i. Disc. iv. vol. ii. p. 594. See above in the Epilogue, Bk. I. Of the Pr. of Chr. Tr., c. xviii. § 8: and Due Way of Composing Differences &c., § 5. There is nothing in Edward VI.'s Injunctions to this effect; nor in Queen Elizabeth's. Thorndike apparently refers to the often quoted canon of 1571:-"Imprimis vero videbunt (concionatores) ne quid unquam doceant pro concione, quod a populo religiose teneri et credi velint, nisi quod consentaneum sit doctrinæ Veteris aut Novi Testamenti, quodque ex illa ipsa doctrina Catholici patres et veteres Episcopi collegerint." Can. of 1571, can. 6; ap. Wilkins, Concilia, tom. iv. p. 267; or in Sparrow's Collection, p. 238.-Cosin, in his Regni Angliæ Religio Catholica, c. v. (Works, vol. iv. pp. 34, sq.), draws the limit at the "Quinque priora patrum sæcula.”—The |