VIII. CHAP. that allow not the reformation upon these terms, should be punished; because there are that pretend, that no punishment can be inflicted for disobeying any law of the kingdom by which religion is settleds. But it is time to say, that they make it a very ridiculous thing for the legislative power to make laws for the kingdom, which they can enact by no penalty. And how shall this difficulty be voided, but by demanding nothing, but that which Christianity will require of all Christians,-that no Christian kingdom can have power to introduce any thing for reformation in the Church, but that which the consent of the whole Church either enjoineth or alloweth. Not as if the least tittle of Scripture were not enough, to warrant that which it enjoineth to be the reformation of the Church: but-whereas the sense of the Scripture is that which remains questionable, not the authority of it, that nothing can be the true sense of the Scripture, which the consent of the whole Church contradicteth ; and therefore that, though there be an appearance of truth 41 in such a sense, yet it is not for a Christian kingdom to enact it for law, till it be duly debated. And, that being done, it will infallibly appear in all, which in most things appeareth already;-that the consent of the whole Church cannot contradict the true sense of the Scripture, and that it is nothing else but not knowing the one or the other that makes it seem otherwise. If the Scripture itself is not nor can be owned for God's word, but by the consent of God's people from the beginning, attesting the motives of faith related in the Scripture to have been infallibly done, by sub. mitting to the faith which they enforce; then must the same consent be of force, to assure common reason, that the faith and the laws, wherein the whole Church agrees, came from the authority settled by God, not by any consent of all Christians to fall from that which they profess. And therefore, though a kingdom may force the subjects thereof to call that reformation which they enact, yet they can never make it reformation, in that sense which the salvation of Christians requires, if it be not within these bounds. It See below, c. xxix.; and references there. See Epilogue, Bk. I. Of the Pr. of Chr. Tr., cc. iii., iv.; and Just Weights and Measures, c. xxi. § 1-5. VIII. 42 may be called reformation, to signify a new form; but it CHAP. can never be reformation, to signify that form which should be, unless it signify the form that hath been in God's Church. For that, being one and the same from the first to the second coming of Christ, can authorize no other form than that which it may appear to have had from the beginning. CHAPTER IX. THAT IT CANNOT BE DONE WITHOUT THE SYNODS OF THIS CHURCH. AND therefore, it being granted on both sides, that the sovereign power of Christian kingdoms and states, proceeding duly, obligeth the subjects to submit to the reformation of the Church; and cannot exact legal penalties of them which refuse, upon any other terms: I do except, in the second place, that it ought to proceed in all reformation by and upon the authority of this Church; that is, of the synods. For what doth the whole Church agree in so visibly as in this,—that the authority which God hath instituted in His 13 Church should give law to His Church? And how can a Christian kingdom promise themselves God's blessing upon such acts as they have no power nor right from God to do? For granting there is such a thing as a catholic Church, it is not possible, that any Christian kingdom, which must be a part of it, should have power to enact any thing prejudicial, much less destructive, to the whole; [therefore not] to the visible being, which is the visible communion, of it. And therefore, the faith and the laws of the whole being the condition under which the parts are to communicate, no Christian kingdom can have power from God to give new laws in religion to the subjects thereof, which the Church of the kingdom warranteth not to be according to the laws of the whole Church. If any thing may appear to have been in force in the primitive Church, and by the abuse of succeeding times to have become void; I do not deny, that the secular power may reform the Church by restoring it, though the Church should refuse their consent to it. The reason is, because the Church would be without help, if there were no lawful way to restore the de IX. CHAP. cays of it; which, we agree, have come to pass without the 44 consent of them that are chargeable for the decay of it. Now the faith and the laws of the catholic Church are the birthright of all Christians, purchased by undertaking to profess one catholic Church at their baptism; and Christian powers are to protect their Christian subjects in their birthright. And the authority of the present Church is not seen in the faith and the laws of the whole Church. For it is mere matter of fact, what they are; the evidence whereof (preexistent to the authority of the present Church) cannot be understood to require or to presuppose it. And, therefore, the authority of the Church cannot be violated by reducing the faith and the laws of the primitive Church into force. Nevertheless, in regard that which is decayed can seldom be restored without determining new bounds, which the present state of the Church requires, it is manifestly the office of the Church to determine the same; nor can it be done by Christian powers of this world without assuming to themselves that authority, in which they are to maintain the Church. For though sovereign power hath sovereign right "in all 45 causes and over all persons ecclesiastical," yet is it capable of no ecclesiastical power or right; but is to maintain those, that have it by the laws of the Church, in the use of it. If any thing were done at the Reformation, setting aside the synods of this Church (which I am here neither to deny nor to acknowledge); it must be justified upon this account, that they refused the authority of the whole Church in authorizing the reformation of this Church. If any thing now may appear to be demanded upon the same account; let the authority of the synods be passed by, for their punishment, if they hinder the reformation of the Church by refusing it. But that cannot appear, till it may appear, first, that the matter demanded ought to have the force of law in the Church; having been of force, and since decayed by the injury of time or corruption of men: secondly, that it is of such weight, that religion is like to have more advantage by restoring it, than the unity of the Church shall suffer by violating the regular authority of the Church. What thanks and True Principle of Comprehension, sect. viii. Compare Just Weights and Measures, cc. vii., viii., and c. xxv. § 8, 11: case, IX. I shall have of my lords the bishops for this, I know not; for CHAP. 46 I deny, that they themselves can have any authority in the that shall not be confined within the same bounds. But it is not possible for him, that is the most jealous of the rights of the crown in Church-matters, to say, what danger there can be to this crown in securing the conscience of the kingdom by the authority of the Church. For the acknowledging of those bounds, which the authority of the Church is confined to, as well in respect of sovereign power, in the dominions whereof it subsisteth, as of the rest of the Church, leaveth no plea for it to usurp either upon the crown or upon the Christian subjects of it. And all this I claim by St. Paul, where he commandeth all Christians to "abide in that state" [1 Cor. vii. 20.] in which they are "called" to be Christians. Which cannot otherwise oblige all clergymen to be subjects upon the same terms, as they should be if their sovereigns were not Christians; but that it must oblige all public powers to maintain the clergy in the same rights, which they had and must have had over Christian people, did not the public powers profess the faith. And, therefore, though I do claim, that the synods 47 of the two provinces and their decrees ought to be confined within the bounds so oft said; yet I do demand of all (especially of those that have made the oath of canonical obedience to their bishops), how they can profess to own episcopacy, especially according to their oath, that pass over this right of the synods. For that, which is done without or against their consent, shall make them no bishops; that must receive law from their clergy, if the secular power make their sense of the Scripture law to the kingdom. Whereas I, that take the liberty to prove all this without their authority, can clearly profess, that I think it a point not subject to canonical authority, which I plead for; and that, otherwise, I should think it inconsistent with the oath of canonical obedience which I have made. Compare Rt. of Ch. in Chr. St., c. i. § 4, c. iv. § 3, 62, c. v. § 17, &c.; and Review of it, c. iv. § 3, sq.; Bk. I. Of the Pr. of Chr. Tr., c. xi. § 35, c. xix. § 13: Bk. III. Of the Laws of the Ch., СНАР. CHAPTER X. 48 [Matt. v. 17: Rom. iii. 31.] THE CASE IN WHICH ST. PAUL FORBEARS THE WEAK. COME we now to that scripture of St. Paul to the Romans, upon which the whole plea for "tender consciences" is grounded; and to state the case in which he prescribeth, and see, what forbearance it will enforce in our casek. St. Paul, having shewed the Romans (who, before they were converted to be Christians, had been, some Jews, some Gentiles), that righteousness and salvation comes only by faith or by Christianity and not by the Law or by Judaism also, proceedeth, in the fourteenth chapter of that epistle, to order them to forbear one another; the Jews not to censure the Gentiles for not observing the Law, the Gentiles not to scorn the Jews, if, not understanding the freedom of Christians, they lived as Jews in all or in some things'. It is manifest, who are "the strong" and who are "the weak" with St. Paul, in that he is one of "the strong;" where he says, [Rom.] xv. 1, "We that are strong ought 49 to bear the infirmities of the weak." They, that understand, how righteousness and salvation comes only by faith, notwithstanding that it was to be had under the Law as well as afore the Law; these are "the strong." "One man believes he may eat anything;" though forbidden by the Law; "but he that is weak," and sees nothing else on the table but that which the Law forbids, "eats herbs." "One man makes difference of a day above a day," according to the Law; "another esteems every day alike." [Rom.] xiv. 2—5. These two instances are put for all indifferent things, prescribed or forbidden by the Law. He, that understood the purpose of God in giving the Law (which He intended to "make void," or rather to "fulfil," in due time), so that salvation came not by it, when it was to be had under itm; he is "the strong" with St. Paul: he, that understood it See above in The Plea of Weakness and Tender Consciences Discussed and Answered: and the references there made. See ibid., sect. ii. § 1, note f: and Grotius there quoted. m See Epilogue, Bk. II. Of the Cov. of Gr., c. viii. § 5, 6, sq., 13, 14, sq. |