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IMPRIMATUR,
1687.
Jff^ Battel^
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A N
ANSW-ER
To a B 6 O K, Entituled,
^eaCott and $itttJo^ttp :
O R, THE
M O T I V E S
O F A
Late Proteftant's Reconciliation
T O T H E
TOGETHER
With a brief Account of Augaftine the
Monk, and Converfio:^ of the Englijh, . , .
In a Letter to a Friend.
LONDON,
Printed by f. H. for Brabazon Aylmer^ at the Three Pigeons
over againft the Royal Exchange, in CornhiH. 1687.
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ANSWER
W -■ Toa BOOK, Entituled,
%uim & ^tttlioift^ &c
Have juft now read over a late Book^ entituled, Reajon
and Aiuhority ; I read it with an excefs of pleafure,
being furprized and amazed to find Reafon fo baf-
fled, and a monftrous Authority advanced againfl:
all reafon. Non-fenfe, I perceive, is in famion ;
and if I and You have as little fenie, and are as imperti-
nent as others, I may be i Writer^ and You a Reader.
I perceive by that Book^ that a certain Man has left our P. i, (S 3.
Church without reafon : He was advifed to take reafon ,
and make the beft ufe of it in the choice of his Religion,
and the fetling d* his life and pradlice in order to lalvation ;
but he could find no reafon to ferve hioL He narrowly ef- P. 41 (S 5.
caped being an Atheijl with realpf), and had almofl; denyed
the Being of a God, olr at Leaf); his Providence, with' rea-
fon $ and fomething that lobked like to a demonflration
againfl: the immortality of the Soul had fo confounded
him, that he was up head and ears in the water all foufad,
zvAplungtidm the doubt, and whether he is yet out of it. \^>
we know not. . T s<
B The *
The Man goes on and confidcrs the grounds of Reli-
gion, the Jewijh and the ChrifiioH • and finds littfe reafon
P. 5- to think that the five Bogks commonly afcribed to Mofes^
werfe ever written by him; he finds fo many mijflakes^
and fo niany errours-in the beginning of Genefis^ ritat he
gives you to guefs his meaning, though he will not fpeak
it, to be, that the Jewijh Religion is little elfc than a for- "^
gery, and th^t it has but fmall evidence of a Revelation
'from God Almighty. : - v . : :
Thus leaving the Jewifh Reh'gion, the Man in all haftc
P. 6. goes to the Cbriftian^ zfc\^ confiders the New Teftameot, u
the Boole whici atl Cl^riftians ipf all Agjes have dvir^e3^ >o
be theRecords of th^Chriftian Dodrifie: He does notifky
by whom they were written, but at the reading of the firft
Chapter of St. Matthew he was hair'd out of his wits : He.
met with fuch difficulties , that his reafon could dot an-
fwer,, if he brought any with him to the. reading of it ; -
for it is to be fufpedited that h? ufednpne,, becaufe a Htrje
reafon in fuch a cafe as this,. woulU at this tjirrie: have Iteid i
him to have confulted his Authority. For if he, whiom
this Man calls God's Vicegerent y and the great EliaSy that ^
is fuppofed to fblve all doubts, can fay no more to thi?
(fifficulty,,^ that! he hinifelf could, he' might have; kept
, his Reafon flill, as bad as it was, anid'htive been con-
tent to be ignorant with Reafon, as well as under Au*
thority. / -
Bur, Dear Friend, look about you how ; Thus far our
Authour,; booted, and Ipurr'd, and whipping on, has gone
without reafon': juft now i;eaj(pn comes in a moll unlucky ^
time, I think for no other purpofe but to fool the Man, and
fet him to combate with ah Adverfary that will certainly be
too ftrongfor him ; for inftead of fighting us,he now attacks
Chriftianity it felf, and does all the mifchief hecan to that
Conimon Faith, which he and we profefs : To this end he
revives old 'Controverfies, and ftarts new ones^ and makes
Schemes of Chriftian Do^rine, and tint to fliew to the
World
\
(?)
Wofld th«if Chrlflianity has as w^pak a Foundation as the
^emjk Religion was declared before To have. /
. . vTotbis end» I ii^^pofe^ he tells us the three next things.
gL. ThJtf y*^tf <jf^ the Orthodox did not redei'be into the Canon P. 7-
iof the Script0ite^ fome of the Books that are noj^ in ity for
near aoo years ^ter the death of our Saviour, z. That P. ?•
every Chriftian is not able, by reading of the Scripture,
to compofe fudi a Creed as that of Athanajius., \. That P. 7.
theKerajw ibmelobfcureDodjliieslttrjl'tobeuri a-
toojigft Chriftians; and>hcre lie fersdoSt^n i\\tTrinify^
ConfidfiantiaHty ^ Tranfuhflantiation^ Predefiination^ and
Freewill : every one of thefe are altogether impertinent
*o tjus .Mail's purpofe; ttey niay be of fpme ufe to an A-
theiji ^ztid ferve him that is refolv'd to give a fecret
wound to Chriftianity.; but they figoify nothing to aif#-
fngn Cathplick^ or to him that would plead for Authority
to. deterniine Gontroverfies in Ohriftianity in oppofition
to Reafbn«
^ .1
For i Jfrfi ; All the Churches in the World are now a-
greed about the Books of the New Teftament • and when
the Orthodox in ancient times concurr'd in the acceptance
fif theiBooks that are now in the Canon, they came to
this coticiufion ttierely by the f^eafon of .the\cafe, without
the leaft interpofitioa of any Authority o£ Pope, or Coun-
cil!: the laft Book doubted of was the Revelations; and
the reafons for receiving of that, any man may reade in
JSuJeiius^ lib. 7. cap. 27. as he fets them down in the words Eufeb. w. 7.
of Dionjfitts of Alexandria. . ^^f' ^'7*
Now I cannot imagine to what purpofe :this Gentleman
puts us in mind of this old Controverfie ; if he has Au-
thority for what he does, it may be iomething lor his
own latisfjwftion j I am fure he lias no reafon to offer in
the cafe that can be allowed by any man elfe ; for the
/ .Churdi of Rjme is as zealous to preferve every one of thefe
Books ka their eftcem and reverence, as Ours is : I guefs
B X - that
(4) ■
that poffibly he may be tempted to flicw hb skill in Con-
troverfie, and therefore he lets down with an appearance
of accuracy, th^t inch Books were not recetveJ ktto the Ca^
non hy th OrtboJox for near xoo years after the death of
our Saviour. But here the Man's skill fails him ; for it is
certain that Irenaus quotes the Revelations in feveral pla-
Kcn«tw, /ifc4. ces, as a Book of like Authority with the reft of the New
w;. 37- Teftament j and he himfelf tells us, that he wrote in the
time of Eleutherius ; and BeOarmine lets him down as a
Writer in the Year i8o. after our Saviour's birth, and
^ that will lefl^n the time mentioned of zoo. after his death
by fifty.
This miftake is not worth the noting, if it did not gtVe
us to fee how ready fome men are to lay afide not onely
Reafon, but the Sacred Records of the Chriftian Faith, not
confidering the true confequences of their own Adion %
fince it is moft certain, that if a full Authority be not ai«
lowed to the Books of the View Tejlament^ there can be no
pretence to any, either in JP^/tf or Cmw//, or in any thing \
that is called Church.
But our Authour goes on to a fecond thing, and pro-
ceeds with mote than ordinary caution, and feems as wife
JF- ?• as a certain Spanijb Don :' he treads out the ground, mea*
* itires the length of his Weapon , makes a Speech , and
would tempt a man to think he is refolved to fight ; but
he withdraws fafely, and calls in two others to engage ;
a defire he has to fee the Holy Scriptures and Athamftus bis
Creed to combat one another for his divertifement. Now
which of thefe two he is for, he fays not, nor yet feems to
gueis which would have the better in cafe of a Contraft :
Butalafs! this man miftakes ; thofe two are Friends ; and
if there were any diflference between that Creed and the
Holy Scriptures^ Athanajfus (if he were now alive) would
be the firll man to declare againft that Creed :r it is certain
he learnt, and founded all his Dodrines upon thofe; no
man
(s)
manr read them with greater care and attention ; no man
cites them cAner, or witli greater veneration.
Whether our Authour knew this or no, I cannot tell ;
but after all his preparatory flouriflies, he gives no more
than this dry infipid requeft to the Fathers of our Church,
that they would not teU him that eveny Chriflian^ fuppofe
every Baker, Shoemaker, orCobler, upon a fincere perufal
0f this Holy Book^ muld certainly have compofed the Creed
(f Atbanafios. Now this is a' thing wjiiich never was
ipoken, either by Bijhop^ Preshter^ or Deacon^ or Parijh.
Clerk. ^ Gin any Reverend BiJ^ be prefumed to thinic,
and fay, that the great Athana/us had not more wit and
reafon, more art, more skill in Confequences than every
Cobler and Tinker,or than this Man's two Friends, Nailer
and Muggletonf it is prodigious to think how men dote^
that undertake to write Books againfl: Reaibn..
But whatever this Man does, or can fay, mod: certain
it is, that if Athanajfus was the Compofer of this C reedy
he did it upon a Jincere perufal of the Holy, Siriptures^ by
the power of a good Reafon, and by the skill which he had
in Confequence. As for Authority of Pope or Council be
had none for this Compofition; this Creed lay in obicu*
rity, and was unknown in the Church long after the days
of Athanafius ; and as it was compofed at firft, {o it was
brought into the ufe of the Church afterwards for fome
time without any confiderable Authority, meeely by th^
private reafon of fome that were little more than private
Men.
thirdly y In the next place our Authour lets down Ibme
matters of Faith, great and neceffary, Articles^ as he calls P. 7-
them; and thefe zx^ x}£^ Myfiery of the Incarnation ^ the
Defines of the Trinity^ Confuhjiantiality ^ Tranfuhfiantia^
tiony Preaeftination and FreeemU. Thefe he examined by
bis Reafon, but he does not tell us what account hiskea^
fon gave of them. It is poflihle after a fincere perufal of
th^
the Holy Scriptures ^ that he might find great reafon to
believe the hcamatioH of our Lord, and the Do&tinG of
the Trhityy and by toj^jfecjueftcie thatof Cm^^
and fomething o^a fr^fiinatidni^yidi it is poffihietfaat
from thence he found ntt reafon to believe the Docarineof
Tranfuifi4intiation , for herein many other Mens Reafons
would agree with His. This he does not tell us, but yet
this I wtU prefume in iawwir to hiai j that he 4oes not
• think that the Fathers in the Ouncil of /sri<rc»> -andthofe
in the after CcMncilt^ who fi*ed the Do^arine of the; 7>iV
nity ^nACon/nhfiafttialiry,; I fay, he does not think ^ biit
that they made their Determinations with higheft f cafon •
I will prefume too that he thinks that the Fathers in the
Later an and \trideMmt Councils had reafon to determine
the Dod:rine of Tranfuifiantiation • for though we tWnfc
that in thefe two later Councils, the generality a(9fed by
falfe reafons , by prejudice^ and by worldly intereftj yet
we ^o not doubt but they all, and every one of them, pre^
tended toad with reafon • for certain it ts^ that the pri-t
vate reafon of any fingle man, is a much better guide thari
the private Spirit of a i^aker, or any other : for a Rea-
fon may be urged, and is upon information to be correc-
ted, but the pretence to the Spirit i« noti But if the ma^
jority o{ t\iok Fati9ers at the Cmncil of Nice we!re aWeby
Scripture and Reafon to efttiblifli thofe Dodlrines df the
Trinity and Confuhftantiality to be Articles of the Chriftiari
Faith ; I know not why our Anthour , fmce he has tht
iame Scripture and likp Reafon, might not have done the
fame. Sure lam, that after this Council, Athanajim plea-
ded much in the defence of the truth of thefe Dodtrines,
and that not from the Authority of the Council, but from
Sozom. lib. 7. the true fenfe and meaning of the feveral Texts ; the fame
€dp. 12. way of arguing was ufed in the firft Confiantimfolitan
Council , and fo it continued , till Theodofius , by adrice
of Ne£larius^ which he received from Sijimius^ took ano-
ther method.
After
After- thefe dcaighty pcrfonmrica^ bur Authbur r^
comes in the next place :a little ixieare dcdely to Scrip*
ture^ or the facred Records of Chrtftkifji Religion ; and
fetslbis reafcn to fearcb, and ^xahnne. them^ and,, if poP-
iible, to draw from thence a ichemeiofChrifliainD^
trine. But here, it feems, bis Reaibn wis jaded, and ty<*
red out much more than in all the refi of his Difquifitions,^
perhaps be found not there anything like to the Doctrines
that makd up the ApoAles Cn^<: He does^ not tell thisj^
though be ought to^^ have done ie, if he hadrooipared bii
icbeme with it. But hetells us that be difagreed from, all
Churches^ the Church o^ England in &r 39 Articles^ and P. 8.
the Cattchifmh aj Catktdicks-^ XalvinJfiSy LutJs^erans and
ScciniMHs ':- 1 was pMfed th^ iA his OfMliicRi the Ddftcine '
t£t\^ Church of iRi^^ did no tUM-e agree with Scripture
than that of the Church oi Enghnd. '
^ But though I was pfeafed iii tkis, yet I was not very
coflfident of any advantage from k, becaufeour Authour*
oft querids,, and feem»ro^d%?uU:;^^w Reafon does^
not much differ'friJfti ether Miiis. Tkmyw that God Al-
mighty has givien difTerferit Talents to Men j for Heads,
and Brains, and Wits, as well ^^s Hearts, are not alike in
every Man. I am fure tli^ Ancknts^ by virtue of plain^
honeft reafon , were abte foitnd the Chriftian Dodrine m
die Hiiy Scripfitres; lb did 5t. ffiUheUs^i Si^. Athanafius ,
St. Hitreme^ St. Chfiyfsjieme^ Sx.Anffi(iin^ and the reft^
This-was a light to their feet, and a lamp to their paths,
fUfficient to latisfy thofe good men in matters of Faith ;.
and as this Man fpcaks , in the great and necijfarj Ar-^
tides f.
But though this Man could not find the Chriftian Doc^
trine there, yet it feems that he thought that he found
fomcthing there that pretty wel4 agreed with the drwms
of £^/>» a nd Cerinthm^ zi)d, wkk raofe of his<lea r Friend*, P. 8,
NaiUr and MUggiet&n.
• ■ ' The.
\
t
(8)
T!hejfrfi of thcfcl am much enclinedto believe; and if
I were as impertinent as He is^ perhaps I might give fome
evidence of the fecond.
As for Ehion and Cerinthus this Gentleman is too clo/e,
and will not give us the lead intimation of their Dogms,
wherein hisfchemes did agree with theirs ,• yet I think it
very probable that he might light upon fome of the fame
thoughts with them, becaufe I find a wonderfiill agree-
ment between the Followers of thofe two, and this &^;t*
tleman ; For they had no reverence at all for Scripture^
and very fmali regard to Reafon ; fometimes they would
BJ. EraCni throw away, and eafily rejeA a great part of Scripture^
fm!.^^^' /r^if. Kb. 3. cap. 1 1. and at other times they would receive
all; Iren. lib. 3. cap. ix pag, 3 ox. but upon this condi-
tion, that they might interpret it ; they made noyel In-
ventions to be great and necedary Articles of Faith ; IJ.
lib. 3. cap. 1 1, p. x88. In tantum procejferunt auJaci^ uti
qnod ah his nan olim confer iptum efly veritatis Evanfflium
tltuknty in nthilo conveniens Apofiolorum Evangeliis; they
had a profound venemtion for Authority, and entirely fub-
mitted themfel ves to the Dodrines of £^/M and Cer/ir/i&/tf ;
for they fuppoied that thefe men had a fecret or myflery
derived down- by Tradition to them, which alone was able
to fix the fenfe of Scriptures ; and therefore whenever an
Argument was direded againft them out of Scriptures^
they dill brought it to this Tradition : witliout this they
undervalued and flighted all the Scriptures, and were thd
Inveetersof the chiefeft Arguments againd them that our
Authour and his Friends at this day do ufe. All this will >
irenxui, 7/^.3. appear, if we look upon Irenam^ lib. 3. cap. x. Cum ex
^^P' 2^- Scripturis arguuntur^ in accufationem convertuntur ipfarum
Scripturarumy quafi non reSie baheanty neque funt ex Author
ritatfy & quiavarie funt diliiBy \^ qni^ non poJ^.ej^i%rin*
veniri veritasy ah his qui nefciunt Traddiionem^nonenimper
lit eras tr adit am iUamy fed per vivamvocem : and then tar-p
ther toward the latter end of that Chapter; they chalf
lengjr
leflge fomethrng, that fpeiiks the great confidence they
hstd in their w»V, perhaps as much as the InfalUlHity of a
Mtumfgire My^tfitiml '
The proceedings of thofemen are fo like to the method,
otour Authour^ that ! do not iti the leift wonder, If he
foijnd in his Schemes fomething very agreeable to their
I>D(9rines. Some mens brains, for all what that learned
Spaniard teaches, may be exadly of the fame temper;
and confequentJy their wits of the fame height. I have
heard of a fool, who by thinking the very fame thoughts
with his Brother, could find him out, when all the wife
men in the To'wn could not do it.
Thus fer therefore I will be obliging to ottr Author,
ind give him more Credit, than I will upon fome other oc-^
cafions: I will, though with fome reludancy of reafon,
bdiieve that whilft he was reading the Scriptures, fome
ihotights might come into hisjiiind agreeable enough with
fome of thofe that Eiim and ICttinthus had.
' ^ after this High civility allowed him, I hope he wifl
ilot impofe upon my Faith lo far as to require me to be-
lieve that be fouiid any thing in the Hoh Scriptures that
agreed with the idle whimfies, and jtitd^dreams and blaP
jphemous prate of his two other frields Nailvr and Mh^
gletM. This is fucb an rmpud^ice aS R. Cs afwefl as
FrotefiannmysA abhor j all Popes ^vndComerls that have
ever been, with wrath and indignation would have detef-
ted any man that Ihouldhave dared toputfo profane and
vile a Icafldfal tipon thofe facred writings. . What Amth-
mas would the Councilor Trent \m^ thurtdred out againfl:
iMthery if ever he had wrote or fpoken any thing fo bafe
as this ? It \s certain that there is nothing in Scripture
that can in the lead feem to favour the blafphemfes of thofe
two wretches J and I am unwilling to think that there was
any thing in our Authours fchemes, that would defcrve
the puniihment whkrh they juftly ftrfFcred.
C It
u.-
I'
h is poffible that he might have been of their acq^in^
tance^ and have had v^y particular refpedrs fpr their
Rerfons, and fo. he might be over-eafie. to think, that fbme
of his thoughts might be Hke .unto theirs.
This I am.willing: to.guefs, becaufe I can with confi*
dence prefume that he has^ kept very ill Company, foe
though, his natural temper carries him to fpeak foftand
frooQth things, y<^t in fpight of nature he is forced to be
rude, and faucy. For why cannot he write a Book with-
out pointing his difcourfe at the breafls of the Rif/ft Re^^
njtrend Fathers pfour cJourch • why does he treat them
with contenipt and (corn? why does he prefume todaule
^em, to twitch 'em by the Nofe, and pull em by the Beard^
apd fland over 'em with Fefcue, and Ferula ; and tell eej
that here they were out, and th^e they were out, and
that here, and there, and at every point he can inftrud-
them ? All this comes from want of manners and good
converfe ; Mufj^leton would have done the. &nie^. anid fa
w6uld Nailvr^ and none but fuch as they*
For certainly a refped is due to them for their Chara*
(3^er, and a refpe<%. is due upon their Peribnal accompt f.
they are men of excellent worth, and great learning,,
prudence, piety and integrity ; and fo conlpicuouily emi-
nent in all theie,. that. out Authour is not able to, match-
them in any one Countrey, (though he t,ake. as large a.
view ofBi/hpps.as htdoes o( Converfij^Msin his 14/^. page])'
through Enrope^ Afia^ Africa and America.
But when Re^M,. and the //b/y Scriptures are to, be-,
thrown down;, it is no great wonder, if ihQBiJhQps of the.
Church of i5«g/WM with them^
, I begin tabe waxni, and you my Fricnd,.niay beollen-
dedatitj yet allow, a. little to a jull indignation j it may
well move a man of a cold complexion to fee a pert un- »
Known <:ome up fo briskly to the heads of our Reverend ,
Fjitherjf, and Addrefs to them in a foYmal fpeech, intima^-
ting thoufands of .miilakes^ mifcarriages and errour^in .
tbeni^^
J
tliera J and yet in all that fpcech, the man fays nothing
but what is old, and dull, and fiat infipid (lafF; all and
every thing in it has been anfwer'd five hundred times,
fince the Reformation, and at lead twenty within tbefe
two years* This looks like perverfe Aupidity, for men
to pretend to be writers, when they do not reade; if our
Authout had read the late Books] by this writing he gives
plain proof, that his Reafon ferves as little in drawing up
Floa's for kuthrity^ as it did before in making Schemes
of Ghriftian Dod:rine out of the Scriptures. ^
All that he fays, is this, that he heartily wiifaed that<jod
would have pleafed to have left nsfome unerring Authori-
ty and' Sovereign GuiJe^ p. 6. and then, thzt God has wt left
theWorldmtDOHt Gowrnment^ and given us Laws without
hwfull'^udgts^Md Interftreters^. lo. From thence he pre-
fumes^hat there is fuch a thing, and relblves to go in
aueft after it ; he comes to the Church of England^ and
demands it ithere J they deny that they have any fiichAu*
thority.: . Not content With that, he pats hknfelfto the
trouble to prove^it,p. 1 1. he goes to the Qw ch oi Rome;
they fay, they have it, p/ix, and he prefently believes
them; and after a few rubs removed out of his way, he ^
reviews Bellarm/ne's marks and figns of a true Catholick
Church J and by them endeavours ta ihew that there ^
fiich an unerring Autborityy and Sovereign Guide in the
Church of Rome.
Now^allthis is nothing, but a plahi Pegging of the
Caufe,. or a difcovery how little he knows in this Contro- •
' verfic;; for certain, it is that t^^ Qhxirch oS England^ and
all Qtlicr €rotefiant Churches ever fince the Rejormation^
have demanded, and mod earnefily required one plaits
pofuive proof, that ever God Almighty^ or our Blejfed
JJ^tfT^/ did ever appoint any {uch S vereign^Guide, and un-
erring. Authority in the Church: But theyv could never
receive any plaufible Anfwer to it; by ^11 the ways
whereby a Negative can be proved^ ttey have fliewed that
' C z there
c-
eijierei^ no &ch ovder or appoUicment m it: ]P&y lately
jbrne Writers hav€ afierted with good teafoo, dm fiidi ar
tbk^ IS not agreeable to the methods that Qod has iB^d
m the Governtneot of dbe Worid, aiid that it woidd jaoe
beofany eooftderablet^ to the advancement (rf'picty^
or any emkicnt vmueamoogfli taen; and that the pre*
fence of it ferves oneiy Eofyppc^ft am usHretfonabie XJ&st*-
pation over the Church of Chrifl. Great Volumes, and
Uroag Arg^flWflts remain utlanfwer'd ; and yet at this
time of the day^ th.e dull and ftais old accompts of it^
WtthoQt any new ornaments or new force are lent abroad
without any groundor hope of vid:ofy^ to vindicate die '
iijteredjs of ia^ -
T)m defecvea at fliarper Ceiiiiiee than* I will give, hie
y^t I would have our.^r^Mvr know, that a^lt^ Owtfr/^
to his Old Friends the followers of E^amzsid €erinthu$^
' might have alledgiedin his bclmlf att that which our Au^
thoui here does, and that to.as; muck purpofe ; he might
ha^^^id 1^1^^ he had: wiihed that Gdd hadhft a$^ uner^
ring%uti»riiyfiifi hfs Church i^nd thtt Ged ba J not left
the World mthoHf Government^ and p-uen us Laws vnthmt
UmfuU Judges: and Intorpret^s-i and that therefore he .
prefiimed'tmt iiich an Authority was fomewhere ta be
. ^uod. As for Irej$imsY}AS^ Church, and. tho6 iniCommtt^^
lUPn with^it^ th^.dtd &ot in^the.lea£b pretend to it;, hm
' the followers of £^/m and Cerinthus did fully and loudiy
chftjl^ge ifr • and therefore his Reverend Father Sj Jfenaus
and the reft of t^ Orthodox Bijbops muft have him tx^
cufed; for he will rather put himfelf under an unerring
Authority J thaa trull: to die Guidance cHhofB:^ that con*
fefs themfelves to be no more th^n falliile men.
I^ I i. But to let that pa&, the next thing we find in our An^-
thour is Bellarmin^s JS^tes of a trua Church • I fijppoie,
lie. puts them down to enaeafe the bulk of his Book : H^
could not but know^ that they are of no Authority: with:.
m. And^ Aiifwers are given out to eacb^of them hi thetr ^
. Order:
(13)
Order : Ht migbt have eidded ftreegth afid force to thetn-
WhUft they «e ib bxbk^ .9tta«ked, but he lias ao pre-
ocQceto build ufo^ t^nt, oi^vv^^usdahin^ejf l^y ciisin.
dm befid^^^ he%» AUrmdn.Uviflg:iiasr>the Isatk tight ta
esjpe^iUiy s^vAitage froin theia, fidcauie the chimed of
thke if«tis are grounded nm iayjAgs of ihe Fnfbets ; and
hetfaAthasfafaedepireGtatfedthie true vahie . of the /n«i
Bfoks «f i^S;^ ^ 4' ^^ hardly ^fi^tde anodiery that
he gives any great credit to the writings o£ the fnpkgrs.'
.He there gf^Dttaool^eiftioA'^^iim: the FeHtateuch, P. &
fronai the fiippo^ ioc^medlings df : Efdras^ but doeshoc
well reBe^tW he dezivses tbtt obJG^ion by fevtrat Me--^
dirni'sftom mas Sdmarittm, who were the' firft, and are^
at this day the ehie&fl Adverfanie^^ gresceflOdumnk-*
tour».of EfdfM. Now thefe tery ram keep dofe to the
Mhia Bookt of Mtfcsy. and for this they omr ^ffle pre->^
teaces of leafen ;: but our Anthowr witfaeot- any r^alSba aer
al(' woidd oMhe: advantage by i&^FrQfb^Sy mA thi^w
qsQCenipt ijs^oa Mtfes^ i and aU tins^ iby virtue of the cre--^
^ which at icenls to rgive to the objo^os nnde againft
Bfdras by the Samuritans, Bot^.
: Mc^ tertaioly in tlus heads beyond his ttbill, and -
tglks> withdut booki for be tti whxtit will)- J^iKf^iitfi^^
J!iX«>i(<«ar9.of B^ijrei»'^m^.dxJkii'dofainEiv«s litete^rVied,
as that |brmidal)le force;(i':^a^Mraiidi«^4»^ aildl lendw'
not hoHfimany Nations, whim he bru^ m to hief affi^-
tance, /I sx.; where hehimfelfiays hehasno Ad^r&ty.
It:i» well for hlm^. diatihat impertjoeitc^j and tll^ dM
qot copte tb^her: intO' his'heaii!4i0i;he faflie ttrlfie-;' fat iB
hC)l^jthiOBght but asi nfaich <^xlic Pa^k as he does ofl
the Atheifi^ and Theifi^ pwhaps his> reaibn might havet
be«n as favourable to them, as it yraa toithcrilebthers, /. 4,
asd. then- if BelUrtmn's i^Ti^CT had'^bflie -mtohis way,"
w<h^ koQ^As^but-fhai: thel moniosigjlit luive'tupn-'d 'Cmifem
s^n, ami wroteanotfaer 'Book of>tfa^ ftH)(ti¥es^for.Usre»'
coBaliJtti9n^ to old Pag^mi.k» methk&s it is very pro*
bablQ^v.
I -
babie, that our Authour might have found thefe amongl^
the Pagans c Vtuverfality aftd yifihility^ Zfninterrupt/i
continuance, and .S^ccij^w, tiU thedays of 'C<F;?/?w*f/w •'
laftly, ib»i/y znAVaififrmity: he niight havcc feen there
too that wbicirthey tall a Hi^Triejk and Holy Aliar^ and
2L.Holy Safrifice^ Miracles^ and Religious Colleges] and
^'^^ j^ifiinencje^ and vowed chaftity, zndz great many DoSrikes
Authoritatively imfoftd^ and univerfally received through-
QUt. the. World. - ^ /. .
I will prefume this Gentleman never read leither Paufani*
as J ! or Zoiumiis^ or the Epiftles ofSjmmachus ; and it is
happy: for him that he did not. I will venture the little
skill that I have, that any impartial Reader fhall find^
better flouriihes, fairer turns of the Pen, and more ap."
pearance of Argument in that Speech whkh Symmaehus
makes to the Emperour Kalentimany Theodofim and Arca^
dim in the Name ofRoffie Pagan^ than our Authour gives
us liere againU the Church of England to our Biihti^ps;"
Now^ if; thcfe little thqushts governed him in the change! '
of one Religion, it is well for him, that he never ingaged •
. in the confideration of the other.
But our Authour has BeHarmine's Notes^ and he will
njak^tfofliethingoftheni} by virtue of them he fays he
found. W-w/ he was refolded ^tofind hefrre^ the true Catho^
lick^ or one Church, that may be faid to be true, in op*
pofition to all others. Now upon this foundation he
P. 15. builds apace ; i. That this being one 5^^,. muft haVe
one Ueadix^n Eartlv aqd life after our ^ Saviour's Death
-^zsSx^Peteri and after. St. f^/^^'s, his Succejfours; and
they are the Bijhops oi Rome ; and thofe are every onfe of ^
them in their leveral times not ,only Succejfours to St.
P- J^. Peter ^ but ChriJPs Vicegerents. This their Authority he
fays has been owned by General Councils^ and fo by the'
Cathclifk Church; and they have been in peace aUe p4ijftffi^
P. 16, 17. on of it for many hundred of .years ; and now they cal>not -
be.diyelled of it neither by theoafelves, nor by otters ;
neither in whole, nor in part- All
/
in)
AH thefe tblngs-he^fetstlown,' I fuppoft, ts his owno
,jwnations and fentipients, and would have his Friends to
judge him by theoti as OrthoJajfC an^ a true Convert. He is
not concerned whether they fee itrue. or falfe $ for hc- ,
knows, oripay kndw, that every cue of thefe pr?ten<:e5
has been proved by Dr; 5iiirr<?» to be grofsfalfities, and
^hatalmoft to the evidence pf Petnonfiratio»; ztid yet
pwAHthofir brings not the leaft proof for any one of
them fronj any OU Ant hour. .^ ^ . : »
Indeed be tells us that we have the SuqcpffiotifliBiJhfpfi
ofRowe delivered to us by St, Augufline^ and that is true* p, ,5.,
but he was unlucky to piit us if> mind of that paflage,
and mtk;hiQ9[re becaufe he never read it himfelf, for had
he feen tij?.. \i ^Ss ^pW^- of St, '4^M^^ w here that Sue- >
^ceffipn is (Mentioned* and the .very next to; it • he Alight,
have foundin that great Father^ a full contradiiJtion to all
his thoughts con^iprning the Scriptures, and concerning
Authority^ and then perhaps he would have imployed his
time to better purpofes than ip wjriting x!(\\s\Book.
St. -4»///;r^ in that £/>/y?/tf fet^ down the fucceffion ofi
the Bi^ops ofRome from St, Peter^ and that for no other
purppfe, but to (hew tliat none^of all thofe Bilhops wasa
Donatiji. And that becaufe a, Dw^/{/? had fet down the fuc- ^^jtufimuf^
c;eiri9n of their Bifliops before ; not that he thought, any Eput. 165.
one of them, after St. Peter ^ was a Sovereign Guide^ on
had unerring authority in him, for^he himielf prefently ^
adds to this, that if any of them had been ^Donatifly qt^
worfe, yet the Chriftian Dodrine would not have fuflered
the leaft by it. In allure orJinem - Epifioporum qui ^Incitur
ah ipfo Petro^ ufqne ad Anaflafium^ qui nunc faper eandem
Cathedram fedet^ etiamfi quifquam. tr adit or per iff a tempora
fyhrepjjjfet^ nihil pr^ejudicaret Eccleji^y @ innocemihus
ChrijUanls. This 1 fuppofe our Authout is not willing to
think, becaufe he depends io -much upon AuthoKtty^ aod
fo little upon the Scripturei; but St.. Augujline<\i6^ becaufe j
heielyed upon the Scriptures^ to teach us that Dodf.ine ,
which.
which y^yiif Chrijf^^ndhk AppJlJes)iAd nve^kd to the
World ; and therefore in the j&me Efiftlehe flights ail hiso-
ther Arguments, and 6k6s intirely upon the ^riptures^ as
thofe alone which could givetis afuU and folid evidence for
^SflTs. ^^^ '^"*^ ^^^ Chriftiaii UodtAne; thefe afe his words. Qaaft^
juam noiyHBn tarn de'ijlrs dinmmenits f^rafufnamus^ fuim Jc
ScripturisfanSthy and then he cites a Ttxt. But in the next
Epfftle^zx\6 that againftthe DonatiJ^s^ after fome other veli-
tatipns, and general topicks,- whereof^ Councils was one^
as^ appie^f s 'by thc^ wdrds, -Faeiani ntilte c^ncitia Epifcppi^
• b^coriies to thfe holy Scriptures and triumphs in his Ar-
tunients, and doubts not to defeat his Adverfaries by the
>rceof them. H^ begins with words frequent in his
Au^ufimus writings^ Th ScripturisJidicmus Chryitm^ittScrhtHris
^ "'^ • didklmus Eccltfiam^ hai Stripturas eommuniter haiemusj
quare lianiH eiSy ^ Chr^ufA^ ^ Ecckjidm ccmmuniter re*
tinemt/^ Then he throws out near twenty Texts one af-
ter another,- comments iri Ihort upon them, and never
doubts, but-that he and hi!s Adverferies did iiifficienriy"
underftand them, withdut the afliftance of a Severeign
©/«///(?, oi? an tfnerHflg Authority : ifour Authourliadcon-
fidered this, it might have done him good j but becauie
he is pleafed to find the Succeflion of Roman Biihops in*
St. Auguftiney I will fhew him ( what he feems not to
know ) two veiy confiderable ufes, which that great jRi-
tber made of that topick • the Firft was to conciliate a
moft profound veneration to the Hdy Scriptures • thus
uf//^«/?. contra therefore he writes, contra Faufium Manichatiiny lib. ii.
P^^fi'Ma- cap^ ^^ Diftinlla efls po/leHorum lihriSy exceOentia canonical
ntc . 1 .II. jif^fi^^yifati^ veterisy & novi Tejtamentij quas ApofloUrum
confirmata temper ihnSy per fucceffiones Epijcoporum^ ^ pro^
pagat tones Ecclefiarumy tanquam in fede qu^dam fuhlimiter
conftituta ejh cui ferviat omnisfidelis^pius intelle^us^. A
Second ufe that he made of this confideration of the Sue-
ctfiion of Bi/hops in their S^^, was (in cafe of a difpute
about' a Text ) to evidence what was the firft, and fo the
true
cap, 5.
I
r
V
-f
I
(17)
true Chriftian Dodrine. To this end liq very frequently
in his difputes wkhithQ Do»:itifisj requires them tofearch
what was taught in the Churches of Ci7r/;i//^, Gahtia^ E^
phefus^.Fhilippiy Thejfalonica^ all the Churches that had
the honour to receive AponoikalEpiftles ; Now if all tliefe,
-having feveral Succeflions of Bifliops, fliould agree in any
jom point, that was controverted, St, Augufiine took their
confent to be a good Argument^ that fuch a Do(3:rine was
.original and true ; he fends them indeed to /fwwe too, but
4jpi}a n.o^th@j|^aceompt,.and no higher reafon, than he
•does to thofe.othel: Appfidical Churches,: Now I think I
may prefurae in kindnqfs tp pur Authour, to give him one
advice, and that is (his ; to have a carewlien lie refers to
St. -^/^^i«^,t hat he knows his mind,and that St. Auguftim
4id write what he cites him for j fpr I can tell him, that
a certain perfon, who was of his opinion concerning xSo-
veraignGuidCy^znA unerrhtg Authority to be found in the
Church oi Romcy came at length to believe (and that con-
Jfequentially to his opinion } that the decretal Epijiles of
the fopes^ wxre of the fame Authority with, and to be
reckoned amongft the Canonical Scriptures ; and to con-
i?rm his opinion he cited St. Augujltne for it, and this his
citation had got into Gratiafts Dec return ; but the lad Ro^
man-Corxc(3tourso( Gratian found it to be either grofs for-
gery, or a grofs miftake, and theyJiave done St. ^«^/(/?/w
right,, ftnd a favour .to fuch Perfons as out Authour is, to
Jet them know, that St. Augufiine is no great friend to fuch
foqd and abfurd opinions. You may kcGratiani Decreti
print, J><^rt. Diftip. 19. Cap. 6. Butbecaufeit rtiay befome
tropble to confult that Authour ^ I will^ive you the truth,
and the forgery together. St. Augufiine in his Book^ De
Doflrina Chrijiiana^ Hi. z. cap. S\ . had given us thefe words.
In Canonicjs Scripturis Ecclefiarum Catholicarum piam pluri-
um authoritatem fequatur^ inter quasfane iUa funt^ qu^^Apo^
ftoli^as fejes habere ^ Epiftolas accipere^. meruerunt^ &c.
Now, this was plain and good advice in the examination
3 D . of
>
L-
V
fi8)
^ o^BookXtXiXt mlgtit Be alledged to be Canonical Scrij^ures^ to>
give a preference to the teftimony of thofe Churches that-
were called ApoftoIkalSeats^ and fuch as had the honour to
receive Epijtks from the Apoftles^ as ^^«f , Corinth ^ Philippic
&c. But now a tranfcriber of this^ I fuppofe more knave than
fool, changes the words thus, h Canonicis Script uris Ecclefi*
arum Catholicarum quamplurium Divinarum Scripturarum
folertijfimus tndagat^r autoritatem fequatur , inter quas
fane ilia fint qiios Ap^fiolicafedes hahere^ ^ atea aliime^
ruerunt accipere Epiftolas. This fpeaks quite a different
w thiflg, that the Epijiles of the Apofiolical Seat are to be
accounted Canonical Scriptures. This forgery or raiftake
came abroad, I fuppofe, at the faiHe time with the coun-
terfeit ware of i?/Vir/^)&w • and to this, with the falfe E^if
ties of the moft early Bifhops o^Romey were put into 6ra^
tian i and there it remained as a great Authority in the
belialf of the Sacrednefs and Canonicalnefs oi fatal Epifiles^
until 1 the laft Corre^ours were pleafed honeftiy to re|e<a;
it, and prudently to tefl the World that they dare not own,
^ fuch follies or knaveries..
But farther, bec^ufe our Authour thinks to advantage
himfelf of the Name of St. Augujline^ I will acquaint him
that this Father had no very extraordinary opinion of
Rome^ ox the Bijhops oVit; when he was in quell of the
true Religion, he left £^i9f^ and went to MilaHj and M^
mitted himfdf to the guidance of St. Amhrofe^ and re-
ceived the true Ghriftianity from him. He had all his days
the highed reverence for him, and would have yielded to
his Authoritjy when he would not have yielded to the
Auguflinus Topes: Hetelis US that when Melchiades judged thecaufe
Bpift- 162. of the Donatifts^ he was joyned With fcveral other Bifliops,
Aug. Epift, in the fame Commiffion by Conftantine ; when he names
1^3- thofe two great men Julius ^ijhop of Romf^znd Athanajius^
as orthodox Perfons,and defenders of the right faith^he puts
Athanafius in the firft pkce : It is he that gives thOfe hard
words, Quidam juinomen haiet i^aUidii^ duceStultiti^^ &
Civi'^
Civifatis RanianajaiiantUy Levii'ai SacerJotiius* & Dia- Augufe. qiiaj:
conos Preshjteris coaquare CMtendit^ he tells us wliat it was T^l^Jxt^m^'
that raised his ptaflion ; the Deacons of Rome it feems would ;'.io8.c^io9.
not yield to the Presbyters of other places • upon that he ^*^Lugdun.
fays, Q^ia Romana Ecclefia minifiri funt^ iJcirco honor ahi* ^* ^ ' *'
liores putantur^ ^uam apud cateras Ecclefias^ propter mag-'
nijfcentiam urhis Rom^fna^ qua caput ejfe vidctur omnium
civitatum : Si itaque fie efiy hoc dehent^ & Sacerdotihia
fuis vindicare. And a little after he gives a fuller accompt '
of iti Fides quid par tat vana prafumptio^ immemores enim
tlatione mentiSj eo quodvideant Romana Ecckfiafe effe mi^
nijiros^ nan confderant^ pndillis k Deo d ec return fit ^ & quid
deieant cufiodire^ fed tollunt hac de memoria affidua Sta*
tiones domefUcsSy ^ o^cialitasi qua per fu^fiiones malas^
feu honas nunc plurimum potjeft; auttimentur enim ne male
/i^S^ranty ant cmuntur ut prafient.
But becaiife this Book is accompted by ieveral not to i^^
he St. Ai^ufline^^ though fent abroad by tlie Monks, and
imbliflied in his Name.
I will add farther that St. Auguftin^s thot^hts of Rome^
and the Bifbops of that See^ were quite diflerent from ouir
Authour^s ; for if hd thought that the Sever aign Guide^ '" .
and the unerring Auti^ority had been there ; and that God
depofited thofe great ftqpportsaad fecurities of the Chridi*
an Faith in the Succeffion of the Roman Biihops ; then in
all likelihood when Rome was taken by t\it Goths ^ he
would have lamented and mourned, as a Jew formerly
would have done at the taking of ferufalemy and the cap* .
tivity of the/fi^ir-Fwj?.
But alas there was nothing like it, when this news was
broi^t to St AMgufiinCy all that he faid of it was this,
Ihi multos fratres non haiuimuSy non adhuc haheums. /
Indeed for this exprefiion he feems to apologize in his *«^. 29- * ^
next SermoUy but that not as to the truth of his words, ^ '' ^^**^*^
but as to the ipirit of mind in which he fpake them;
that it was not out of any defign to infult over the mife-
D X H66
fies of others. Befides, he that remembers' what labour
he, and the reft of the African Biihops took, to get the*
concurrence of the Biihops of Romey hmicentius and Zofi^
^ musy to i\\t condemnation of the Pelagian Herefic, may *
well think, that St, Augujiine could have no great reve-
rence for them ; and if We read Erafmus bis Cenfure upon
Innocenfs Epijiles which are printed with St. AuguflhteSj
^ we may poflibly be tempted to entertain mean thoughts of
the 5e/ii^/ of fogreat a5^^.
i^ Thefe are Erafmus his words before the p^^**- Ep. whicfr-
is Innocents. Innocentmfttperiori refpondetfuo tnore^ favas
potius quam eradituSy ^ ad damnandum qum docendum
inflru^ior. But I muft leave this, and follflw our Au-^
^ . thmr. He goes on p. the 1 8*- leaping and skipping ftom
one thing to another : He ipeaks firft of Viilor^ what he
did in calling out the A^atich^ and then' what Gregory
and Qtbersy " whom he calls Chrijfs Vicegerent s^ did in
bringing in converts; and wonders that lb many Profe-
ly tes fliould be made to fo little purpofe. Then he fanfies.
he had feen glorious and wonderful! Privileges in the
Church of Rome; and knows not how they could be for-
feited. After, he falls to his wonted work of whipping
our Bifhops for telling him that new DoiStrines had been
brought into the Church, which were not impofed upon
the faithfuU till the C^/iwi/ of 7r^«/.
Now nothing of all this deferves ananfwcr, becaufe it
hath been fo often given before. But it may be expeded
by fome. -^
As to Fiffor^ he (ays he excommunicated the Bijhops^
of Afia for keeping of Eafier^ contrary to the Inftitutions
of St. Peter and St. Paul, though tolerated hy St. John.
Now this is fit to be faid by a new Ck>nvert, who muft
venture farther, than any man of skill dare do. For firft
the matter of fa(St is doubted,and Fdejiunht laft Editor of
EufehiuSj ( who was all his days a Ron^m Catholicky thinks
: that FiiSor "w^nt no farther,, than to high words and;
threat-
(a.)
threatning- And then as to ^he right of the adHon, Jfre^is.u(eh\u$.iik
meus (who wrote to FiSlar himfeli about it ) fully ihews, 5 ^- ^4-
that it would have been unreafonable, and againilall the'
methods of his Predeceflburs. But then thirdly^ the. re-
lation of our Authour is altogether groundlefs, that St. t
Peter and St. Paul did ihftitute, and St. John onely tolerate. ^ ^
For this is a thjing^ that Polycrates the Prefident of the
Councilor t\\^ Afiaticks never knew, f^i^hr himfelf never
knew, Iren/eus never knew,. Anicetus Bifliop of Rome^
Dor yet St. Poljcarpy that contefted this point with
him, ( who too was St. Johns own Difciple- )
^ never knew. Eufeh. lik $. c. 24. Certainly our Authour
has fome Pldgeon, that whifpers to him Secrets and Myf- ^
teries, that no nian knou% I beg hisl^ye a little to ac-
quaint him with the feiife of his friend St. ^iig/?/?/w in a
like cafe. The Romans challenged to have a command
fromSt.P^/^r for keeping the Saturday- Fajl ;znd thoi^
of the Eaftern Churches quite contrarily aflerted, that
. they were exprefly forbidden, and tha^ by St. jF^^», to
faft upon that day. A Preshyter of the Church of Rome
writes to his friend, and mod. earneftly exhorts him, to*
do as they did, and pleads thus. Petrus Apojfolorum caput ^ .
cosli Janitor y^ BccUfioifundamentumidipfumRomanosedo'-'
cuit. Now St. Augujiine being confulted in the cafe, (lights
all that flaunting Plea of the Romans ^ allows the allegati-f-
on of the Jpafterns to be as good as thofeof the l^e^ ;
and concludes thus, that the ApofUes St. Peter and^ St.
John did not vary. If they gave any rule, it was tlie fame
everywhere. And feeing there ^s a prefect difference, it
muft be faid, that either the Eaftern Church hath varied :
from the rule of St. John ; or elfe the Roman Church has^
varied from the rule of hx. Peter. Now which of. thefa
was the truth St. Augufihie knew not : He himfelf gives-,
h js fenie in thefe words. Epijlola 86 Cafulano. A fter the ^ uguftmut
Plea for Rome, E confrario refertur^ Occident n potih aliqua Ep, 86.Cafii-
Joca^ iniuibus Roma efly nonfervaffe quod Apojioli tradtde- '**no-
runt:
•- I.
rtmt: orient is veri terras^ unit cmpit tffum Evangel turn
ipfum pradkariy in eo quod ah omnibus fimul cum ipfo Pi'-
tro Apoftolis traJitMm efi\ ne Sabhato jejunetur^ fine aliqua
^arietate manfiffe. Upofl this he concludes xhus^intermina^
hilis efi ifta content to ^ generans lites non finiensquieftiones.
Had this great Father known any thing of a Soveraign
Guide^ and unerring Authority feated at Rome ^^ be could
never have doted lafar, as to have made tlws any matter
of queftion. But he knew nothing of that, oSr of Feter
commanding, and jF^^;f onely tolerating^ either in the
one or the other cafe. And I will priefume for once, that
be knew a great deal more than our Authour does.
P. i«. But the fecond skip our AuthoUr takes is to Converfions
and here he fiys he perceives j that according to the com*
mand, and inftitution of our Saviour, his Vicegerent did
fend out his Difciples. Here I want our Authour s Spedacles,
for I can perceive nothing ; I fee no Vicegerent of our Blef*
fed Lord : nor do I fee any command, that he ever gave
to fuch a Perfon : nor do I know whether he means the
Difciples of the Vicegerent, or the Difciples of our Lord.
It is certain our Lord gave a command to the Apofiles to
teach all Nations $ and they and their Succeflburs theBi-
ihops, havea(9:ed according to that command. And if
Gregory Bifhop of Rome^ or any other have been indudri*
ous in that work, we heartily thank and commend them.
But yet I wonder, that our Authour has of a fudden,
* grown fo extremdy blkid, as not to fee, that converfions
may be made to what is bad, as well as to what is good.
Fagans and Mahometans have been induftrious to make
converts : So have all Hereticksy his friends Ehion and Ce^
rinthusy Nailor and Muggleton. Nay this, if he had not
ddpifed, and too long laid afide the Holy Scriptures, he
might have learn'd without the affiflence of his unerring
Authority from one faying of our Blefled Lord, Msth. x 3 ,
iS^lVo untoyoH Scriies and Pharifeesydc.
.After
(23)
After this ^ols piece of ignorance, which he is pleap ^- ^9-
ied to ihew to advantage, with flourilhes of his pen, com-
pariag his reafon with that of our Reverend Bifliops ; he
may excufe nae from telling him how the great Privileges
And Prerogatives of the Church of Rof»e could be forfeited-
until! be hath fhown .me in particular what they were,
that he infills upon. For untill he has proved, that Rome
4id really enjoy fuch Prerogatives, as he challenges on
her behatf ; I will hot undertake to fhew, when and how
^ome forfeited that which Rome never had. Our Authour
may be a So^ifter,^and how far he is beyond that him- ^
felf beft knows f andfohe may think no farther in this
P^ir^graph, than the old trite Cavil, quod non perdidiflri
hahes. And his friends at Ron^ will con him but few
thanks for that.
And now ^our Authour begins to whip bur Bifhops^ and
wo be tosp- He tells them what he had been told,
that there^ere fome late DoHrines introduced into the
Churchy and fuch as were not impofedupon the faithfully he^
fore the Council of Trent. This he (ays he could aftfwer by
alledging, that the protefting againft thofe Dodirines was
in thie feme time. But this he waves, and choofeth ra^ ^
ther to ihew, that the Dod:rines we oppofe were eftabliiht
hy Comicflsh^otG. And here he begins with
I , ^ The popes Supremacy • which he laitb was confirmedi*^ P* 2<v
the Council cfChalcedo^yfjfne of thefirfl four ffriend Councils
om^dhyprmjl(mts)ahve iioo years pnce^^^o Fatlierspre^
font, ^ddt^tmtantoferethicpromifforhiatui Asfermy
parti wonder, who either licenfed or allowed this fii^eri to
^ primed. Will any paanof skill think tp advance a Plea
for the pope's Suptemacy from the Council of Chalcedon}.
It is certain, tlwt nothing was done tliere that might
have any reference to this Pointy which was not difclaim^
ed by the Leg/ttes o( the. Pope upon the place ; and after-
wards highly relented hy Leo the L who was then Pope.^
It is true th^it Anatoliusthon Patriarch o{ Conjlantinoplci
carried .
<•
5 carried on a defign to idvs^nce his Seat • 4nd becaufehe
was Bijhop of N>w /?(?w/, woqld hare the next place after
the Bijhop QJi the 01 J; and {q would have the Pre-emi-
^.P^" *. nence of the Patriarchs of Alexandria ^nd 4ntiocb. In
Dif^^'^f.l^l order to this, in the abfenceof the Popes Lcg^tcs^ Afta*-
tolius and his friends, got the xS Canon of that Council to
pafs, wliicli gives to the Patriarch of Conflantinople X<m.\
m^ia^Sict^ that is, as a learned Roman Catholick comments
eadem^ <equaUa privilegia trihuunt Epifcopo nova Romce
' ac vet€ris Row(e Epifcopo. Now.aiToon as the Legit fes of
the Pope had heard of tliis th6y declared againftit, arid
obtained another Sefton^ wherein they might produce
their Pica againft the validity of this Canon^^ both as to the
form and. matter. But their .objedions were anfwered,
and the Canon pafled agairtft their minds ; though Lucen^
tins one of the Pope's Legates protefted agaiijfl: it, and de-
fired that his Proteftation might be entred i|fti|:h^ A^s of
the Council. And when Leo the Greaty wTW was tlicri '
Pope^ h^ard of tliis, he declared againft it, and wrote a*
gainft it, with a great deal of vehemence and indignation^
as atiy one may fee, who will confult thefe £/>{/?/^y of hisi
the 5 6, 5 7, 5 8 , 6 3 , 66; And Leo could never be brought
to confirm that ytxyCjinon which our Authour tells iisdid
confirm his Supremacy. Now in this cafe I will prefume
thzt\Pdpe to be a better guide, and to have more Autho-
rity than our ^«^^^^r. This is a blunder, and ihewsusj
that new Converts are not men of the greateft skill, and
that fome of them have as little knowledge in Councils^ as
they have irt the Scriptures. This man deferves a greatier
laih than I will give him^ for bringing in his Story with
that pomp and appearance of skill, telling us that this
Council isf)Wfied by Proteftants, the time of its celebrati-
on, the number of Bifliops who \yere in it. And now at
laft it .appears, that, whatever we Proteftants 'doj yet the
/"i?/)^ himfelf wiU hot allow what this man challenges in
Jiis behalf.
But
(as)
But perhaps his rafc is piteous. For tnorc may be requi-
red of new Cwverts , than they are able to perform. He
Jthat takes up a Religion by fubmitting to Authority with-
out reafon; may eafily be confounded^ when he feeks to
give reaibns for what he has done/
For once I will be kind^ and make the beH Apology
for our Autbdur I oiQ^ and I think a good one^ and that
is this*
He is not the firft man of the Church of Rome^ who has
quoted CouwciU to little purpofe. He follows great Exam*
' pleSy and the chiefeft amoi^ them.
For thus did Fafcbafinus^ one of the Papers own Legats
in this very CeuncH at Chalcedony and that too in his op«
pofition againft rhis i8th Canan. After he had declared it
was the ?ofes pleafure^ that nothing ihouki be determined
there, concerning his Power, or the Power of the other
Patriarchs ; he alledged in behalf of the Pope's Supremacy ^
that it was fiiced beyond exception or doubt, by thtfixth
Canon of the great Comcil at J^ice^ wherein it was decla-
red, that Ecclefia Romana femper hahuit primatum. Xhe
Biihops wondered they ihould know nothing of this, and
thereupon required the Canon to be read. Pafchafinus pro-
duced hk Copjy and there thofe words were : But the Fa^
tbers not fatisfied, called for others^ and more attefted C^*
pies : and in them there was not the lead wc^'d, intima-
ting any fuch thing. Now this compare of the Copies
made Pafchajinm blufh, and the Fathers of that Council,
think wteit fort of men they had to deal with.
A Roman Catholick tells us this Paflage in thefe words,
Primo refertur a Pafchafino Leonis in Concilia Chalcedo-
nenfi Legato^ A£k. i6. quod Ecclefia Romana femper hahuit
primatum. At ftatim Chalcedonenfes Patres eundem Cano^
nem ex codice fuo^ fine additione ifta retulerunt. Quaprop-
ter confentiunt omnes eruditi^ verba biec non ejfe genuina
fed c^uta.
E Thus
Du PHi,^3iy. ' Thus too in the Council of Carthage^ ¥2.n([inm^L^aee
of Zafimus^ challenged a right for the Pope to receive Ap^
peals^ and that by right of a Canon oi the Council of Nice.
The African Fathers found no fuch thing in their Copy ^
brought thence by deailianm^ one of the Fathers of that
SymdiOifxh, counciL But becaufe Fa^ufiinus iniifted upon the skill,
Be^eS' ^ ^ fc^^ C if you will) of Pope Zofi^
p, 509. ' tnia, and had (hewed that the Pope himfelf, in his Cortimo-?
nitory direded to him^ and the other LegatSy didexprefly
aflert that this was his right, and that according to the
determination of the Council of Nice ; the African Fathers
refolved to fend Meflengers to the three great SeatSy Alex*
andria^ Antiochy and Conjlantinopley to get new CopieSy one
from each of them, attefted under the hands of thofe Pa--
Epift. adCcP' triarchsy and compare them with their own and the Ro^
If S?/" ^^» Copy. At the return of the Meflengers, it manifeQIy
Carthag^a Be- appeared that tlieir own Copy intirely agreed with every
^^^fS-E*^ one of theothers, and that the Council of Nice had not gi-
^ ^^' ven the leaft advantage to the Bifhopoi Rome in the cSfe
• of Appeals. *
Thus it ktvns that Councils are diflerebt things in Rome
from what they are in other places. A Pope or his Le*
' ^ X^'^> csw reade that in them , which no man elfe can.
The Popes feem extraordinarily wife in challenging a;
power to confirm Councils ; but they had as good let it
alone. For it will doe their bufinefs as well, if they fel-
low theie Example, to take from them, and add to then»
Brietii y^ww/i. ^*'hat they pleafe. Both thefe things (I know) are ex*
/«m/^».4ia. eufe^l • and fome tell how Pafchaftnus was led into his
* ^^^' miftake : others fay it was rf mere overfight of Pope Zofi^
mus in quoting the Nicene Council inftead of the Sardican.
To avoid other difficulties; fome are willing to dlow,
that a Pope may be deceived, -and that too when be is in-
larging his Power over the Church Catholick with all art
and fubtilty. Nor do I know what Article of Faith or In-
fidelity might not be eftabliihed in the Church by fuch
miftake^
r
\i
(27)
miftakes aud overfigbts as thefe* It's well for fucceeding
ChridianSy that the Fathers at Carthage and Chakedon had-
eyes in their heads, and did ufe them .too j without giving
xx\k^xo¥0pe^ or Legate\ or Roman Copy. For had they
been as much mcflak^n or overfeen as others, there are e^
nough at this day, that would make advantage of it, and
declaim fufficiently againft us pleading an overfight in the
cafe. But thefe Senies of men are evil things, and mofl:
mifchievous to the Inter^efts oiRome. Thefe tempt men,
iii fpight of all their refolutions, doe they whit they can,
to mifdoubt the DoiSbrine of Tranfuhflantiation. Thefe
flipwed of old what was, and what was not in the Council
of Nice J and are every day telling tales, opening and dif*
dofingfome fine intrigue or other : fo that I cannot but
wander thzt.Rome has not. yet ,taken a full revenge of
thrai/ For if they would oblige men to deny, or at leafl:
mifdoubt their Senfes in every thing as well as one ; md
^require tlie Learned not to fee what they do fee in Councils,
and otdRecQrJsy as w^ll as they require all not to fee what
they do fee In the confecrated Elenientsj then conver-
sions would be eafie, and they, might foon find an intire
fubmiflbn, from all the World, to all the Supremacy they
can wiffi.
, But to let that pafs, it is faid in the defence of Zajimus^
, that he was overfeen, and he eafily might be ; For the C^-
non that he quoted was a true Canon, made at Sardica^
and not at tJtce • and the Council of Sardica^ as to Faith,
intirely receiving and requiring all that which was conclu-
ded at Nice ; made onely Canons concerning Difcipline :
and they were put into the fame Book ; or upon the fame
Roll with thofe of Nice. Wliicii the Pope finding in the
Title at the beginning, might eafily refer all that followed
to it.
This is laid. But the Fathers at Carthage did not judge
it an overfight j but *iiltrigue , ^nd defign : and to witn-
ftand it to the utmoft, made the 3 ifl Canon\ which or-
E.x dains
/.'
i>v
^^
f 675,
(28)
rfains moft ftootfy and rcfojutely j that Tf any hereafter
fhould appeal to a Foreign Potver^ or Tranfmarine fuaka^
tor J J he Jhonld never he received info Commnnion iy any »
Africa. Upon which Canon Zonarof hvs^ ^rwgj^t i •nJp^L
-3? 7^ ^V'^fJutiJdV 'Ex;t^)1aI3t4 i^^dW^^y the hnfing infolence of
the Roman Church is here thrown out : and he adds that the
reafons in the cafe, which were good in Africa^ are good
every- where elfe.
Synod. Edit, h But bcfides, it appears more evidently^ that thofe Fa-^^
Bevercgio, fjj^^rs took thls to be art and contrivance. Becaufe at the
^nd of the Cifuncil they fent. their new attefted Copies tQ
pope Cceiefline^ next Succel&ur but one to Zefimusj with
a Letter in the name of the Council : and therein they tell
him roundly, that they knew their right, and that they
would maintain it : that they had received wrong by thb
intermedling of Faufiinm in the nanie of Zofiwus^ : that
the Council of Nice had committed Presiyters and Bijhops
to the regulation of the Metropolitans • and according to.
wifedom and Juftice they had fixed, that all Controvcrfies
jand Pleas ought to be determined and adjufted ifl the Pla-
ces and Countreys wherefn they arofe : that the grace of
^ the SjHrit is not wanting to the Priefts of Chrift in every
^ place, whereby they^ may judge what is right • and in
cafe of errour or aggrievance, there might be an appeal to
the next Synod. And as to judgments to be revoked Irjr
' Foreigners^ and a new revifion to be made in Places be-
yond the Seas j they knew not how it could be well done.
For in thefe Revifions, many neceflary Witneflcs could
not be produced in fuch diftant Places, by reafon of fick-
titky weaknel?,. and many cafual, but yet realbnable im-
pediments. At la ft they conclude, that all this action,,
which gave them fo much trouble, tended to no good at
ail J but would iring into the Church of Chrilly ^ x3LTtvci>h\
'Th^v tS nJL^r/jLH. Whereupon they hope he will not follow
the Example of his PredeceJ^r^
Thus
Thus fstd thde greai: Fatbei^s^ wAxh&tthy fufiicientl;
intimate, what they thoi^ht ci the A^ion of Zofimu.
. And we, at this diftaoce^ loay gae0^ at fomQ farther
tbongbts of theirs ( which tboy have coacealed }. by ta-^
king a fliort feyiew of the Hifl^rf of iliofe times. Be-^
cauie that will ihewus &)fnethijE)g roove than an Qverfight
kt this biifinefs«
The CowttiH of Nm had done nothkig fer the aggraor
fliring of /?awr. . .
Twoiaod t^ne^ty ^psAn aftef^ anoth^ Ci^/y^rr// was wo^
vtmA Wl &irJlc4li The ntMRJiMY of Biihops^ who edrne thir
ther,.^as2dl/i^«^itf teibQs]^ was.^hu£udred and feventy.
At the firft meeting there happens to be a bresioh anaongf^
riwra. Upba tSmt. ther gjtJaftw p»rt with^nw : ibaJC it
tnajr be to their ownl^att^; . oifceesl gitb«»ed .togpthep,
toi PbiUftftopiSsy where they miblQS Canons j and publish
them, with aittfaority fromithe£»i/e/v«r; asd that in tb(
oSiOie of. the Omotfs of the Sardfcm Couocil. . Thefe for ai
time were the onely SarJican Canons that were know.n iw
0chfir Countries. And becnata tbefe favowed Ari^ifin^
St, Mgnltiuy and St. Hili^y deplar-ed highly againft the Aug. Ep.xt^'i,
SarJican Council^ and the C^ww of it. ror they Icnew/^5^*
ef no otter but thefe. BwiAVfhilil the Eafiern JSi9vips
wejw bkifie at PhUippopalh^ there f»n»iiied at Saa^m a-
bout eighty Biftiops, as foisse gKfet : Sf«f m th^ Je/w*e: Briet ^Wrx.
fa^s not ajQove fcvenfy. Thefc^ that tfiey might Teem to' '» -<«• 347-
doe fomething, agree to 03aJke,C/iiffMrif about Pifcipline :
And becau^b there were n«ne kft therc> but gQod confi-
ding Frie©ds erf Pope jF/i/ior and Athawfim ; Hofim leads^
and tliey all without di^^utc oi> hefitsFiicy follow. He fays, nota: Bevere-^
\%t us doe fiwnetiiii^ la ^lonour tlie' menaory of ^. Feter : fl^^^^^^^^^^^^
and they all agree tQ doc wliat he would have them to ^\^IT^'
doe. Therefore he propofes, and they cpxiclude" to give Sardic condf.
that to the P(^fic which. he never had. tefore, and yet that ^'^^^' ^
was not a power of judging md determioing ip a caufe
upon an. Appeal; but of reqwiog of a rev«w> or fe-
cond
cortd judgment to w made in the Countries by the fame
Judges, with the addition of fotae few others. As foon
as thefe Canons were made, Julias receives them, and tacks
thera to the end of the Canons of the Nicene Council,
where^'they lay 6k)fe for feventy years, and were never
heard to fpeak a -word in the i^^J?tfr* Church for all
that time. Nor yet dare they fo much as ihew their
heads in the E^erh Church in -any Judicatory to this
day. But when Apiarius made his complaints to Zojimus^
^ he was fo^ hardy as" tn toalce tttA of them • and in the
Da Pin, de name of the Canons of the Nkene Councili he fends thera
^J'|"J.f/^ abroad to fight for him. De Marca^ Yih.f, cap. j. Du
Pin^ pag. 113* / : . J
Now in all t&is Narratwm^ from firft to laft, 1 fee nd
manner oSf overfight ,• but great appearance of prudence,*
defign add craft. It Was no overfight for the Friends of
Rome at Sardica^ to make Canons of Difeipline • when all
the EOftem Bifliops, who might oppofe, were out of the
way. •■ • • . ■ ■ " /.
t It was no overfight in Hofim to preface his Canons in
that glozing way 6t doii^ honour to the memory of Saint
Peter. . . ;»
It v^^s no overfight in Julius to tack thefe new Canons
(;that were to give him ^nd his Sticceflburs foch new
powers) to tliofe erf the Council of > Nice. '
It was no overfight in his Succcflburs, to make no men-
tion of thefe for feventy years.
It was no overfight in Pope Zofiwus^ when he refolvcd
to make advantage of th^m j to bring them- forth in the
name and credit of Nicene Canons. (Thus did Leo t\\^
Firft after him. De Marca^ \\b. 7. cap. 7. par. 6.} For
had he called them Sardican Canons, St. Augufiin would
have prefently faid, that they were the Ads of Hereticks,
and in the next moment would have thundred againft '
them, as Falfarians and Counterfeits. . For thofe Men who
made the Sardican Canons, .which he had fcen did con-
demn
demn both Athanafim and Julius ; and then how is it poC- Auguft. e0.
fihk to think, that they would ever have given fuch new ^^3-
and. extraordinary powers to Ju/ius ? After that , the
whole Council would have declared, that whether the Ca-
nons were counterfeit or not, yet no Ad: of any SarMcan
Council liad any more authority in it (after the divifion
of the Fathers) than an Ad of one of tlieir Provincial ,
Synods,,. . ^ j .. ..
Upon the wliolc therefore^ whatever tnea talk pf aiy
overiight in iLoJimis^ it is certain he did what was fit and
neceflary to be done in the cafe. If he would ufe thofe
Cavons to enlarge his power,' he muft call them Nicene Ca-
nons. For thofe onely could be prefumed; to have auitho-i
rity fufEcient,to doe his bufinefs. Thus his own next Pre-,
decellbur Innocent ius t\\G Firft fays in his Epiflle^ ad Cle^.
rum Conftantinopolttanum^ of the N/V^w Canons, that thejy
and they onely were the Canons f which the RofrUin Church
flood to. Alios iuippie Canones Homana m^n admit tit Eccle^
^a. Dii Pin.ii^. Sozome/^ lih^S. x6: De Marca^ lib. 7» .
cap. 12. par. I, & z.
But, good Sir, pardon this digreffion. It has been too^
long, Our Authour forced me to it by his confident al-
ledging the Council of Chalcedony and the Council of Nice^
for the pope's Supremacy. Jn charity I was bound to pity
him, and tell him fomething. which he did not know ; and
thereby (if poflible) to move him to take more care, if ^
ever he writes again. I pitied the World too, to fee it in
danger to be abufed by fuch impertiriencies at this time of
day- Onely allow me the favour to acquaint you, that
Petrus de Marca, fpeaking^f thofe Sardican Canons, lih. 7. ^^^^ ^^^
cap. IS. p^r.^^ ^ 5-. exprefly allerts that they were un- JJ'^'^i^S
known in Africa^ and other Provinces till Zofmus. his days> Sacerdo^.
and withall he (liews how tlie Africans at lait came to fub-
mit to them • and that was upon many, and thofe not
commendable reafons • the firfl of which is^this, Ceffere
tandem oh pertinaciam fedis^Apoft-olim Pontificum; qm nihil
remitttre: _
(32)
remit ten ^uermt tx jure phi kgittm quxfito in tenclli^
Generali OcciJentis Sardicenfi nhnirum j pnefertim dm pof^
feffioni eorutn confenfiffent Aftk^ViiEpifcefij jui ad ctrtam
temptts mortm geffirant Ae fide r its ^ammorum Pontificum.
And tht laft is from the difficulties which the incurfions of
tlie Vandals brought upon them, who being Arians made
it ncccflary for the Churches di Africa nt any rate to pur-
chafe the favour and affiflence of the Romans, --^incurfitf
Vandalorum, Ariani erant\^ ^-in Africa dominahantur ^
hSnG^ViO^^neeeffitate adigeiai ad dr^ijfmam untonem cum Ec^
clefia Domini.
It feems then that the Popes after long contefts prevailed
not by tlie merits of tlieir Caufe, but by their fi^efSy or
pertinacious infifting upon demands right or Wrong • And
by making advantages .of the neceftities of others, when
Fandals^ arid thofe too Arian Hereticks^ had mafter*d
them, and lay hard upon them ; for then thofe Orthodox
Chriflians were forced to yield up their rights to the Popesy
before they could obtain neceffiry reliefs from them. Thus
fa id that wife and learned Roman Catholick. And he him-
feif in the writing c(f this gives us caufe to believe the
truth of this renmfk, for he then found in his ow*n experi-
ence the fame ftiffnefs, and pertiflacity, and therefore puts
in words to plcafe them quite contrary to the defign of
his Difcourfe. For he fliews plainly that they had no
right, and yet was forced to fay they had, ex jure legitime
quafito. He iliews that the Sardic^n Fathers, who made
this Canon, after the feceflioft of the others, could not
make up any (hew of a general Council^ 'yet fays that right
^as obtained in Concilio generalfj Sardicenfi nimirum.
Now, Sir, if you can think that the Roman Biftiops have
proceeded in thefe methods, I hope you will hereafter lefs
puzzle your fel^ and your Friends, with your Queries con-
cerning the prodigious Power of the Papacy ; how it could
get up at firll by liich flender pretences ? and how it could
iiand with fuch weak props l how men could be fo bold
as
s
{
J
( 35 ) ' . ^
ts to challeflge in behalf of the Romd» feithops To Illuftrious
a Siiffematy^ fo unlimittd Authrity^ fo glorious a Ficege-
reftcy^ as the Ficariatjhip of Cl'r/^ himfelf muft fpeak > All
thefewyi be mueh ^afier to you When you have confide^
red thefe two things ; firft, the mighty effedls of a perti^
macims (i^nefi in demands right or wrong j and fecondly, ^
what it is to take all advantages upon the neceflfities of o-
thers, ^fpecially at fuch a time, when thofe barbarous
People, 60th, and Vandals^ and Hum^ and Saxons^ had
overrun fo many parts of the World. •
x.fAfecond point of Controveffie between the Church
oiRme^ and the Church oi England^ which according to
oof Authouf .was determined by ancient Councils, is that
about the Apocryphal Books ; which he fays were taken
int0 the CaH^Hbfthe Old Teflament in the Third Council of P- 20-
Carthage^ fignediy St. Augufliney Baruch onelj'not namedy
€anon ^f. *
Now to this it is fuf?tcient to fay, that the Sjub^edl: is
feichaafted, and there is nothitrg left fo^ another Wrirci* to
Add to it. The Learned DrVoy?;/jrirt his OifccUffe of the
Canon of the Scripture, pamg. 8i. has faid more than e-
nough, for the fatisfadibn of any learned Roman CathoUcky
as well as Protejhant • and if bur Authour . would pre-
fuitofctofe^ly, it \*^ilicdft him rtibre'pwns, tW^ '
ting of i dbzftn fijch Bo6ks is thefe; .But fome fmall re^
turn may be expecSted ; He Ihall therefore have this : That
thb Canon he quotes out of the Couttcil of Carthage^ does Canm. 47. 4.
not provide for the taking of Books into the Canon of Scrip- ^"{.^Ij],")"'^'
tafi J but fof thrbwihg of Books out of the Church, ft ,n SymjicV'
iays at firft, that no :Boo^\ llibuld'bc read in Churches, Bcvcreg,
but thefe; Md then it fays in thcclofe, that they had re-
ceived from the Father Sy that thefe were there to be read.
N6w our Aiithonr knows, that though wc call thefe Books
Apocryphal, ^^et we? reade them iit our Churches ; and that ^ //-,-
as nwch, and more than they do in the Church of ^Jnie ;
and that all of them, except thc^two Books of the Macca-
F • iees.
(34)
i^'.Cofin'i hees. Now as to thefe, they are not mentioned In any of
SchoUft.Hsft. ^i^Q Greek Copies of this Canon ; nor yet in Crefconius bis
^ I II, c? 113. QqH^^Jq^ of the African Canons ; and how they came to
be inferted, we muft remit him to Dionyfius Exiguus for
his fatisfadtioH.
But if our Ant hour had any material doubt concerning
the Church of England s Dod:rine about Canonical j and
Apocryphal Books, he would have done well to have con-
fidered the fentiments of the Dodqurs of the Roman
Church, before he had concluded againft us. Now, I
believe, that Cardinal Cajetan^ where he endeavours to
reconcile the Council of Carthage with Saint At^ufiine^
would have given him reafon enough never to have ufed
this objection againft the Church of England. He lays in-
deed againd Protefiants^ but not thofe of the Englijh Com-
munion, in fine Commentariorum ad Hifi. V. & N. T. He
fur her is Novitie^ fi alicuhi reperias lilros ijios inter Canonic
cos fuppntatos ; vel in Jacris Conciliis^ vel in facris Do^ori'-
Bus I libri ifii non funt Canonic i ad confirmanda ea fua funi
fidei^ pojfknt t amen did Canonic i ad adificationem fideliun^^
utpote in Canone Bihlii ad hoc recepti & antorati. Cum hie
difiin£lione difcernere poteris fcripta Angufiini^ & fcripta
in provinciali Sjnodo Carthaginenfi.
Now this agrees well enoi^h with the Dod:rlne in the
.Articles J and pradice prefcribed in the Ruhrick^ of the
Church of England.
^Cdn. ^popl. And befides, this diftindion has its foundation in 9
^S' very venerable Author ity, for the Apoftolick Canons ipake
a great deal of difference, (and that upon the fame ground}
between fome, and other Bdbks; calling fome of tbefe
ff^auTfuoL , ii cLyio^ venerable^ and holy ; but then of the
Book^ called the Wifedom of&oUmon^ or the Son of Sirach
(and that moft certainly is the bed of the Apocrypha) lay,
it is to be learnt by the Young Men, or the Catechumens^
for the good rules and inftru&ions that are in it : and for
this end it is read in the Church of En^nd^
It
f.
( 35 )
; It is Ipmething more, and to be hinted here j that the Coneii. uod.
Laod/aeaH Council exprefly requires that no Books be ^"^^ ^°-
read in the Church but thofe that we accompt in ftrid;
fenfe Canonical; Can. 60. And in the Canon 5-9. of that
Council it is abfolutely forbidden, that any private Hymns
or Tfalms ( that is, fuch as have been made by private
Perfons, fince the confignation of the Canon of Scripture)
fhould be ufed in Churches. Now if our Authour knows
his Breviary J and allows any Authority to thefc Councils ;
He may have more reafon to objed againft the Church <5f
Rome^ for having4b many private Hymns in their Service,
than againft the Church of England^ for having fo few
Books in that which is properly called the Canonical Scrip*
tures.
This bye-confideration might have given fome flop to ^
a man that was not refolved to run too fail from his
Church.
3. But he mentions a third Dodrine determined in an*
cient Councils againft us • and that is concerning the unlloudy p. lo.
Sacrifice • now this is for want df matter to give words ;
it is certain that the Church of England^ at the end of the
Communion-fervice ^ in the laft CoUe£t^ teaches us to pray
to God, that he would accept this our Sacrifice; and our
Authour knows ths^t it never owned any Sacrifice, but an
unbloudy Sacrifice to be offered there.
I wifh our Authour had told us whether the Sacrifice
which the Church of Rome pretends to offer, be bloudy
or unbloudy*
\ They tell us ordinarily that there is bloud on the Pat-
ten, and bloud in the Cup, bloud with the Body concomi-
tauter J for the benefit of the Laity j and bloud in the Cup
to the fatisfac^ion of the Prieft ; I think lJ#th thefe are of-
fered up according to their Dod:rine, as a Sacrifice propi-
tiatory for the dead and the living.
, They that believe Tranfuh^antiation^ muft believe that
one part of the Sacrifice is really bloud, and nothing ell^
* F X but
(30 ■ ;
but blouj • and they may be concerned to callit a bIoi>
dy Sacrifice, btit not at all to czll it unbbudy. Pope
Z^rhn the Fourth feems to have been of this miftd whcrt
he inftituted the great Feafi of the Bi>Jy (^thriJtyCOtr^
moniy called, Fejtum Corporis Ckrijit : For he did it upon
this occafion ; that a certain HoR being broken by the
Prieft, either bled, or fhed drops of bloud ; they fay mi-
raculoully, but how, or whether true or no^ we know'
rpt. Now this, I prefume, may be caHcl a hhu^yl^fl
or Sacrifice; Brietrus^ Ann. 1264. in thefe 'words tfells us
the (lory. ^ '
Brict Annal Vrhanus quartus ex occajione miraculi de Euchariftia. Ho*
%nAn.ii6^. ^^^ Saceraote frati^ reddenH fan^mntnty Fefttim Corporis
Chrifli inflituit. . .
The inftitution of this Feafi was to give honour to the
Hofiy^ and that not as unlloudy^ but as Houdj • and it was ta
infinuate this Do(9:rine,, that all the other Hofts have bloud
with them, as well as this ; though the bloud does nor al-,
, • ^ ways appear. But, as they fay, then it did ; and if fo, it
came in feafonably to confirm the Dodrine of the Late*-
ran Council zhoMlTrafifulftantiation; and that which fopn
followed after it, the communicating of the Laity in one
Species. So happy was the Church of iR!?w^ thert,, to Imvc
a Miracle, or the ftory of a Miraclfe to coinc in at the nick
of time, to patronage that which old Councils yZxv^ old Fa-
thers y and fenfe, and reafon, and all thdt is in man, mufl;
have difclaim'd and opposed.
But now, after all this, our Authour is moft unlucky,
to put us in mind of the true, ancient, Catholicfc Doc-
trine J and to fummon up old Councils in the defence of a
word, which m^ accept, and ufe with fubmiifion, and
that moft properly • we bdieve the holy Eucharift to be a
Sacrifice, and that in plain and ftricU: fenfe, an wthloudy
Sacrifice • and fo as the ancfcnt Councils^ and Fathers did,
we call it. And though the Dodtours of the Church of
Romexsk the fame word, yet when they reflecjl: upqn the
Dodlriae
f?7)
Dodrine of their own Church, they muft explain them-
felves by a much harder figure,, than we ufejivhen we in-
terpret the words of our Saviour's Inftitutioit
.; But yet our Atftiwr will have the CMncils again ft us*
and he telU u* of a Conmil at CwfiantinopU^ Avhich, he feys,
was a thoufand years agoe^ and that it feenls ufcd thcfe '
words, and fo do we; thofe ^/^ Cwwi/x arc better Frierids
to the freteftdfft Dodrines, than he is aware of,* for the
frot^mts fludied them, and learnt of them, and took
their rules and meafures, in the Rjeforjamation, as near as
rhey could, after the holy Scriptures, from them^
J hen he cites the ninth Council of theApoftles ; now I
wiih he had told us, wliether this was a thouland, or fif-
teen hundred, or two thoufand years agoe: I thought at
ftrfthe meant the 1 5th Chapter of the Ails ofthtApoflles;
But our Authour has declar'd fo much againft the Scrip-
tures , that we can never hope to find his ienfe there ; it
is podible he means the ninth of the Apoftolick Csmoos.
And that is as little to his purpofe, as the ninth Council
of the Apojlles : to be fure it fpeaks nothing againft the in-
terefl: of the Church of England ^ and nothing to the ad-
vantage of the Church of Rome..
Thus it is, and will be, as c^en as (hen adventure to
write 5(?tf*i without skilL
4. Thefimrth point our Authour gives us as determined ?.za^
in Councils, is that of the veneration and r^orjhip of Saints
Re lick Sy as alfo of Martyrs ^ and holy Images ; which j he
fajSj was (according to Apoftolical Tradition) eftablijhedin
the fecond Council ^ Nice^ with the general concurrences of
ancient Fathers.
This Council indeed fpeaks to the point, for which it is al-
ledged ; but becaufe 6ur Authour is pleas'd to fortify it with
concurrences ; TU give him account Of fome other Councils^
tfaat as to time , do almofl concur with this ; they treat
upon the fame fubjed:, and determine as refolutely $ and
when he has ballanced all the concurrences together, per-
haps
( 38 )
haps he may find as little pleafure in this all^ation^ as in
all the reft.
The firft Cotmcil that ever determined any thing about
the ivorjhip of Images was at Confiantinople ^ Anno 7$^
♦ See tJje jiBs * This Called it felf the feventh general Council^ and fo it
Niccni^cwi ^^^ cfteemed for thirty ytars after.
cii in Binnius, Thls Condemned the worihip of Images, and declared
f.eii. Col. that it was abominable, that Images were Idols, and the
fdis.^^ Worfliippers of them Idolaters j and that all and every !•
mage was to be thrown out of Chriftian Churches ; and
they fpake as high in this way, as any have done fmce the
t J(?<?Binniut Reformation- t This appears by the ASs 2X\6 Canons of
hisCotteaion, ^jje fecond Nicene Council where thofe Fathers fpeak a-
Mbefore\ and •/!•:..
B4l(ainu»4»/ gainltlt.
Zonarai on the A little more than thirty years after, another Council v^asS^
Xammonhe ^^^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ i This cancelled the Ads of the former,
fecond Nicene and called it Mi ^t feventh general Council. This decla*
CoimciL red the mrjhip of Infiages to be lawfully but gave no requi«
fite bounds and meafures to it, nor yet taught the expedi-
ency of it. >
Thiswas done when /r^irr, an Imperious Woman, in the
behalf of her young Son, fway ed the Empire. But feven
years after this, Charles the Great gets another Council to
meet at Francfort; there met three hunJreJ BiQiops^ wha
unanimoufly as much damned the feconJ Council at NicCj
as that had damned the former : Walafridus Strahp^&c:
Ado Viennenfisy & Regino' Prumienfis tell us, that in this
Francfort Council ; PJeudofynodus Graca pro adorandis Imd*
gtnihus hahita^ & falso feptima vocata , a^ Epifcopis dam^
nata ejl. And Hincmarus Bhemenfis tells us : Tempore Ca^^
roli magni Imperatoris^ juffione Apofioliae fedis^ generalis Sy^^
nodus in Francia convocante pnefato Imperatore ^ celehrata
efl^ ^ fecundum Scripturarum t r ami tern ^ traditionemque
majorum , ipfa Gracorum Sjnodus defiru&a & penitus ahdi*
cat a efi. And a little after he tells , that by the Autho-
rity of this Synods the veneration of Images was fomewhat
reprelled :
►^
\
I
(39)
rcprefled : But yet Pope Adrian was of another mind, and
his Succeflburs, after the death ofCharleSy Pupparnm fua-
rum cbitum vehementius promoverunt^ flirred much to ad^
vance this worjhip; to which he gives a name which I Ihatl
not Englifh : inlomuch, that Lewis^ the Son of Charles^ was
forced to write Hiarper againft the worfbip of Images, than
his Father had done. Now this is materia}, and it might
in reafon have (lopt our Authour from laying any great
df^k upon the fecond Nicene Council* And all this he
knew, or might have known; for. Dr. Beveredge^ in his — isfof^f Bcvc-
learned ifotes upon that CowtciL had laid all this before ^^"^»c^«-
"^'^^ ficundum.
But to add a little more; in the year %%$. Ludovicus
Tius called another CouncU at Paris , and this declared asi
much againft the woi^ip cf Images^ and the fecond Council
at Nice J as that at Francfort bad done before. The Alls
of this Council lay in obfcurity, unknown a great while j
but they were printed in the year 1596. and fince that
time the Friends of the prefent Church oi Rome have no-
thing to fay againd: them , and nothing for themfel ves ;
but that Jonas Aurelianenfis difputed in that Cmw// for
Images againft Claudius taurinenfis. But yet for all his — fieiiarmi.
Arguments, the unanimous determinations of the reft of ]i^«*^f?^»
the Fathers was againft them. Arid befides, this very Jo- Aiu^lit
nasy though he had fomething to fay againft Claudius^ yet Jona. AurtUa-
he faid not enough to ferye the Intereft of the prefent ^^^
Church of Rome^ Yox BeMarmine^ de fcriptorihus Eccleji^
afticiSf tells us , that he wrote three Booiis pro defenfone
facrarmn Jmaginum ; But he adyifes men to reade them
with caution ; becaufe (he fays} t^at he^ and Agabardm^
and all the chief Writers of the French iNation in that age,
are in one and the fame errour j who, though they will
allow fome worlhip for Images, yet they deny that any,
religious worfhip is to be given to them.
Thus our Authour mi^t have feen, that we have a-
gaioft them three Councils for one ; One in the Eaft be-
fore
/
. (40)
fore that of Nice, moft high and pofitive agaihft Image-
worfhip : and two in the fVeJi : and thofe not onely de«*
daring againft that Worfiiip, but as pofitively cafratinj
and annulling the Jffs of that fecon J Nice»e Council whicl
allowed it; and thefen^^o convened by the dire<9:ion of
two gpeat Princes, Charles the Great^ and Lewis the Pious^
who w ere the beft Friends that ever the Church of Rome
had. And w^ith thefe Councils agree, or very near agree^
all the chief Men of skill and learning, who were Writers
in that age in the IVeJl: And then in the £4/?, it is moft
certain that the fecrnd Nicene Council had no Credit, or
Reputation, or Authority a great while jifter; for ali the
HiJiorioHs that write of the Times after the Depofition of
Irene the Emprejs^ tdl us of three or four Emperours iOH
mediately fucceeding,- who fully declared againft Images,
and their worfiiip ; threw them out of Churches, and fe-
verely punilhed all thofe that pleaded in defence of them.
And nothing is fo common amongft them, as kv^r^ and
bitter complaints againft the Perfecution of the Icono-
clafts.
All this is true matter of fad, and it is enough to de-
preciate the credit of the fecond Nicene Council, and that
perhaps with our Authour himfelf.
But yet, for all this, it may puzzle fome others, to find
that xYmfeconJ Nicene Council appears in the World, as
the feventh General Council} and that in ancient as well
as modej^n Colkdtions j and not onely in the ff^ejf^ but in
tbcEafi.
The confideration of this is befidc my buffnefs ; but
yet it is ftrange, and^furprizing, and would tempt a man
to venture at a guefs, which perhaps may move others to
fpeak fomething in the cafe that is more material.
. I have heard of a fr/rverb^ or proverbial faying • that
three things joined together will doe wonders • and they*
are thefe, A little good litck^ and fome Arty and a great
deal of Face. ^ *
Now
/
i
>i
' tJow the JhcMj Nicewe Council has had on its Tide all
thefe three moft mtiirkat>iy. Fitfiy as to gW Inck^ about
the time of thk CHmcH^ ivhilft Irene vc^ EmpreTsi there
hapned a mod prodigious llrange Mirade at Berytui in
An /iMrge of our Saviour being wounded by, a j^^m in •— Bnetii Atu
the breaft gave out, as my Authour fays, fo much btoud, ^^ '" ^^
: as being abided , would be fufficient to be kept , and .
ihown in all the Churches of the Eafi and TVefi c This was
foon <:arried Abroad ; and a little of it, as mod facred-^and - ^
venerable, was repofited in moft of the famed Churches :
Some of this we iind was ihown at Mantua • and great
noile and talk there was about it ; perhaps fome were for
the Miracle, and ibme againd it ; And it is likely that
Charles the Great had not faith enough to believe it | for
in the year 804. he got Pope Leo the Third to deter-
inine the Controvcrfie, whether that bloud came from the
Image at Berjtui , or no ; and at that time he gave his
judgment again ll the Image ; but when be added , that
the bloud there ihown came out of the fide of our Saviour,
an honed Jefuit dar6 not credit him.
Brietius (ays, de hoc viderint eruditi. Kow when this — Brict. An-
bloud was ihown in Churches far and near, in the Eaft naici, An.%o/^
and IVefty it could not but conciliate great veneration to ^
facred \x&k%ts in the People. lt<x they £iw the bloud,
and it was Ihown with a great deal of devotion ; and the
Priells and Monks told the ftory no doubt with confidence
enough ; and ic being fold in fo many places, and {o oft,
and after die iame manner. How the jftrn^ blafphemcfd our
Saviour, and how he fcofied jit his facred Image ; and theii
how impudently he pierced it ; and then, how that very
bloud came from it ; the People could not but believe the
ilory ; and believing that they could not but have a higll
opinion of their Images ^znA a gt^t readiae& tareceive the
Doctrine and Pradice of giving wbtdiip to them. '
This
>i
(4»)
• This^ Miracle happening in //"westimc^ or y is ^fgiiert
feys, » little before; but yet tftcf t)^ CmfiantuHfpotitdn ,
CouficU, that had condwuied Imagie^worfliip, came inas
ftaf«n»bly to the afliftence of Images y za^ Jm^-nw:fiii^
fersy as heart could wifli ; if it had been contrived with
craft, and /leight» it could not have happened in a more
convenient time.
This may be iaid to he g^Jkck; moft certainly tliit •
Miracle, or ftory of a Miracle, did great fervice to iktfe^
ccnJ Nicene Counail ; it was a moft poweriyll mover ca
gain credit ,and authority for it.
z. But feeomHy^ -there was Art ufed to give credit to
this Cwncil ; and that much more tiian it had, or oould
deferve; and yet not more than it wanted : For fecfing that
in the Wefi the illuftrious nam$;s of Charles the Great^ and
Lewis the PmSj were openly alledged, and ev^-y-where
known againft it. And the naiiie kA Irene ^ after her De^
pofiticfiy would rather have blemiihed than honoured it;.
And no Em^r$ur for a ^od while after her could be named
9 friend or favourer crif it ; therefore ^fffiinian was fetched
from his grave to ratify it.
Within leis^than a hundred years after thisCM^ri/, a no-^
toriois piece of foigery was contrived to cheat them that
were not unwilling to be couaened.
Jufliniatis Novell wherein he confirmed the firjl fou»
General Coancilsj was fent abroad,* inlarged with the ad->
ditions of three Councils more, whereof this was tl^ lail,,
and it was done for the fake of this* '
Bat now, though this was ft very impudent cheat, for fn^ ,
fiinian was dead two hundred years before this Council; y^
Photius and j&4//4fiyM (whether willingly or unwillingly,^
who knows} were csKtched with it. See T^r.Bevereagt^s
Jtfotes^ upon the jic0 Canon of the ftcMii Nicene Council ;
where this trick is difeovered, and a broAd intimation gi-
ven, thatemny osorc like uoiio it oiighr i>e added..
Now
f43) • ■
; N6W ^h Arts as thefe, with fucte& atteading thciri;
and..fo great, as to deceive fiich moi as PbotaSf and Bal*
famn^ may eifi^y be tbotighc able enough^co ^pport th<^
worft Giufe in tl)e World j^ and we need^iot wonder tA
^ the /2rr0«(/ Nif^M Council in credit, and authorit^^
itnce it had fuch mighcy fottes^ Miracles, and Forgery t»
fight for it And both thefe unaccountably fuccelsfuU •
the oiie in aimzing the Vulgar, and the other in blunde-
ring Men of the b^ skill : All tfape eSed;, which I know>
that fiieii a Story as this can. have up(xi an indifferent Per^
ion, and fuch as hath not totally laid afideiiis JS/i/r, \% to
move him to reade twice or thrice tl^t Paf&ge of St. fatd^
'a; Tm^ 3b. 9 j (<)• ' ' , . . ..
' %i A thirJ advanctge tjiat the ftcofid Ifkefti' Coancit
hms^ &<ad; is Faee. Now porbaps our Autlmr may at ^ft
be at a little puzzle to ^nd this word, heee ; and willing
to fpell the meaning of it ;• but he. may foon eafe himfelf
^f iardier- tfeottght^ if he refleds Init offhio^f, atidlits
fnm hsetr'^^9r'v(i thii Jtf«i', towards; the Rsvcreod F^tberi
hi'CSQt Church ; How -'he heads, and be^rdfi> thetn , and
talks faucily to ^ttdx andfeemstoitrtun^ in^b conque{l
over them ; whert he.has neicber Setlifej nor Reafm^ nor
Scfifmr^ mtCit^cH kst^SMtii it's wsU lie htt/<^tf« for
if ftehad'flot «biit^ aH thia^^fe wbofd fiiil him : iiothai
to inaftowe ail the> agr4xalde effiaOs-ctf this JB^i^y if per^
chance he finds any : But yec Jr fooft be fiud, that the fame
(^»our.<4Mr<&M/ takes, pthors ha.ve trodden before bim^.
FolTAiJkae Petifiit JeMtica ^s a^t^VK^iojg of th^ Sar-^.
tk9i»^iMit;''$&m:%: Kb, 7*^ «^i nj". palog. f ;> thir it wa j
remitter e valuer unty is likewife true in this cafe. ......
- ' TheComtii was codd^mned, and aK the :^tf ^ of it-Qul-
IsdaDd cai&ted^ with M <au^airi^ kfttM^Ci^Mii^^vi fy
fitras/ru^^^itdi^lfc^MWsiaUmrefi anddppi^i^ed in itl- Andl
cften^^teto the niatterofi^v' thewiaFmipcif images $ no
man has yet taught any cq^^cterable g6od o^.eKpediency
G z that
■(4i)
that can come to Chriftians by k The Objedjbfts a-
gainfl: it are prefling and Qrong^ a danger, at lieafl:, cd a
great Sin ; and that Sin fufpeded to be Idolatry, and b
^Hedged to be by the CouncUs at Conftantinople^ and Paris.
All the feemin^ Anfwers made to thde Objediions were
retorted, and fully replyed to wirh briskneis and fmart-
> nefs by €laudhis laHrinenfis in IjiJovkus Pirn his times:
Vide Appends- And the rejoinder of J^onas Aurelianenff does not fatisfy
€emfigur. i. ffj^ff^y^ij,^ himfclf. And nothing has appeared* fmcc ia
the World But the (ame things over and over agaiii ; or a
^' ha Ay rallying up of the brokeaand ihatteied remains^of
^ thote Ancient Controvertifts*.
This, I think, is enough to perfuade ap indifferent Byer^
fiafider,. tdiat Face^ or Confidence, or Pertinecity |»s had
a great influence in givii^ that Authority to the Sfcfitki
^iceiut Council which, is challenged for ii at this day.. )
I beg pardon. for this digrefCon ; it may feem impertt?
sent to foffle^ atnd not altogether to to o^vs. It may
perhaps give odcafioa to the niore Learned to - examine^
more (lri(3:ly the Authprity tbatt j$ qommohly aUmired
with no very good realbn^ tO' fomeothjsr Councils.
I will opely add this one thing, for the confideratioa
of my Couptrey-ijien j that whetuhfr Pecr,ee of this <r««p
til was firit brought into l^ritm^ Hi gave iofiotte diifdka^
fiire and difcostent to our PriDdec^IburSi the old Britam z
BevdT^ An^ The Learned Dr. J^ex^fr^i^rgives us this in his Notes u^on
KmificunJi.fira Britanmca Decrctum prafeHfuSy^diJcAdpr^dk.im^
t' '^5- pnihus^ itm temporis^ excipkh/it^ 'Hjifioriu.nofiri Ro^rks
Hmtdemi^^ 5mto4: Dnntlm^fis ,* aliiqua^ . uifirtim trad't^
ierunu
^' 20- $. The next thing that our Aathoup jgives us, as deter-
mined;in ABciostCouneils^ is that.of .Gommunion under
^Dne Kind ; wluchf 'h^;fay$ij Wftb deoennined tohefif/fhi^H*
hy the CouncH of Cof^amt 't ^low here I will difpatdi in
4^rt by telUng this one thing, to our Aathut ^ That in
V
(45.);
my opinion b^ might as weil %avo told me of a Council of
^ews met together to condemn our Saviour, as oiztCoimcii
of Ck^ifii^fts ibait h^ye prefurped to alteri and chang^ the
iiK>(i facred lollitution ofourLord. .. . ;
The bleiled Sacramei>t^ is mod venerable, as it' camq
from him; It receives its beingi nature^ virtu^ gracej^
from his good-will and pleafure , front his^ inUitution.
Without this inditution it is nothing : For there is nq
reafon for ChriHians to comnranicate hitthe Lord's Sup-
"per ; to eat his Body, and to drink his Bloyd ;^ but ohelf
this, that it pleafed the Lord to give that Rulie and Order
to them.
Had he pleafed, be might have given us the Bread
.without the Cup , or the Cup without t];ie Bread ; ^nd if
lie had pl^aied, he migl^t, have omitted bqtn^ ^^ $ut; (incq
he has given the fame order.for both ;. ChriiHans areun^;
der the fame c4^gatk)n, 4md have. the. iame right: to
bathy . as to on^ ; aw tha^ all Cbriilians^ as well Laity^ as
IPheils, for there ^; but one or^er given i ^9^4 Council
may fsw4^1 debar the Priells froqathe Cup, as rne, Laity •
and they may as Mf^^^ nUll: the wh^cile Sacrament^ as
But {yacti gijtr ^^^fMr.has meorioned the Council of
p^^qr wai prp^a^^^ a. kte
mgenious, and difcreet Difcourfe, publiihed bgffa./'eifytfm^
i^qmlity^ of the Authoritji pfOfifciby zn^B^tepf Faith.
He may: ther^ find>^[Be. remarks concemi fypnnciJi
qtOm^(uic4^ that may doe him^ ^ore gfiod than all the
COUOCUS tlMt e.V^^^^ V . V ; J,' - .wL
' 6^ The^^i^xt thi{ig our Aitthoiir nK^n^lpiisj^ p. tu
and the Cw«c// of FlorencCy fftakijbing^t^^
DoBrikc :c$m€rHmg ^.^^ Novf aS; ta^lu${ enoi^h, has .been^ -
written already^; Til b§ kind to our Authqur, and^or h^
Me^/av;Ilothing,^^^ «•/ ^jid tha^^
flqt.¥ffi?f prpfitor ady^mtage^ ¥>,M?IS ?.
expe<^ irom it ^ For it is thetrade of Inaufgencei and
Maffes.
jUafes th^t keeps ujp tRe talk of it • as it Is a point of ffg-
c\ifmo\\\Mnie is rlo tUdte cbnciirncd to" defend it than
'^ we. \ The Doctrine detivesf from Heathens^ efpecially-th^
Foets J .tind it may giv« ^Vie ^enrertairi to Wits, atid kffe
Pfe'r(bn¥. ;'^e that !iai ncftlilng to doe, may tranfdrftie half
a fcorfe Legend f\ wliich riiay poflibly make ouf Jut hour
bluJh, and be*wifer than to alkdge Councils in defente of J
». zi. J'^; qfhe feft Pc^nt which our /Airthour gives iw, is^ the
Do^tiffc-of Tranfuhfiaft^atioky which he fays vxuxonfikmtl
, « thr great Council ofLkt'eran- in which neak thirteen hun»
dred Fathers affifled : and in /even or eight other Cokncifs
Befvre that of Trent j and aU the controverted Points parti'-
' (ui(^fyy'' kna hr'ii^ declared' fy fme^of jvur feh&s^ to
^ haif^Jek^^^
Mve'a'*tBufmdj^arsj^^ .: ;. > ^ ^.'
i - Hertf bar Authouris unhappy itr every thirlg he fays. ''
Firfi^ lit c^lh tht LateranCcmdlGr^^^ He mclSis
beikral\ |orithak isthd ristnie vt^ldh miifl: '^ujde its Autho- ^
f ity, ind* nfilic it tqrtfteferabl^ \ ^nd fo fd«fe -^iref called
if, but wftlr the mcaheR appeSra!r*te cf reafon that ever
was offered; fotth^Saracem then gave too mutjh-buft-i
!<; •{
• -And then ftc^^^'Hi^ '(^yi. there w^- ii^f'<thft*teiS
liuncfred fathers affift^inthisGdimcai. ftowUf fifelad
Ibokcid tfjidn BintauSy or £rfW^, he would' hav^fomidiior
above four luindrgd BUbops .there, aniJ they are' thfeiJiteiY'
1^0B^lffla#Hv^^\rj?^ r<o^ Tor F4/*tf;/i**^<A*«->/:
^ TOri9,7^^the end -of this he tacks a St^ry liPJiigiiftm
the Mmlf, -as if he ; thoi^t, or wdold perfwade^i^ihers^
ib''6f thb lLrf^tf«« CduiWyX^or-h'^
r^7^>)t^/(^iM , ^ai^, and things ^% dei'i¥e%d
iifj|hcr^i) ^'iMtcrmCoKoaai { and thk G>tiacH was
not
J
ooc iQ bei(% for more than fix hundred years after the
Death o^ Auguflm\ BeJet^dls m^JJk zi cap.s. that^hc
was di^b^qia^he ;jear4i3^ and this. jt^^i(i/ci/ i]|e|: npi;
till the year \%is-^ Xhus mifetaJbly unhappy is .our 'Aii^
thaur in his impertinent $a,llie$. But lie mult hear qibre ""^
of Akffifiine h^eafcer. At prefent our Authonr^s buTmefs
is to gain credit and belief to the Dodlrine of TraHfuhftaH-
iiatioH from the Authority of the faunh Later am Council,,
under Innocent the Third. Now to this I anfwer, - /
Firfi , That oo Laieran Council can be prefunied ta
have any confiderable Authoi^ity in it ; efpecially not that. -
which is challenged in. the behalf of Great, or General .
Councils : which is a fubmiflion of Judgment, and an in*
tire refignation of Faith to the Decrees of it /
^condly^ This particular fa^th Lateran Council is^
liable to more Objedlions than all the reft ; and fome of
them fuch as are fo fliarp and pungent to the fenfe of an
Englifii-man^ ^lat he can fiiarfi^ b^ them without difguH: : ^^
and Imtred ; and therefore it may be prefttmed, tliat wbat^n '
ever credit and authority that Cm^ci/ can give to tr^nfuh*
fiantiatim abroad, yet it can giye Uttle or none to it ia
Ef^land.
• . f. No Lateranr Council^ caft be -prefupicd tp have any^
€on(iderable;Authority in it ;. and that for thefe reaibns.
I. Becaufe theie Zi7/^/ai^ Councils come too near to the^ '
vfdi^Sam fecuUm i that is, to aa Age wbprein gpodJjear-^
ojijQg was buried :ail?ep^ and Ig^oi^ce^^nd^Darkqefs ba4
overfpread the World.,, , Thx^ Romaniftsi^ Well as .iPm^n Beiiarm. in
fimts complain of, and tell us, that neitheif Learned Ms^ti^,^^»oiogu
nor Writer, was known to have lived in it.' Now before *^ ^"' ^^^*
Learning was gpt up and dref^d,- Ambition and Iptere(]^
|kad dpiaeiagreac deal pf bufiijel? iaclie World ; ^and wbc!{%
it is kpQWQ that tiiey have been a<^ing, all Men .tifually arq.
fo fi^piciouit) as not to jbeover ready to gjiv? mY.&^
<^ir.
• . %i Thofe
' X. Thofe i4/^rtf« Councils caine too thick, ^or we have
BVq of them in Icfs than one hundred yeaA z Since that
tAi^erfaJfchal tlie Second generally omitted^ is-ccrtakify a
ii/er'i^Council, as' BaiuziuSy in tlie EditicfeF of Ptirus de
il4arcai h^s evidently ihown, Tdm. %. pag» 4\i. To thefe
might be added at lead three niore, and all alike 0^r«mr-
iikai ; for all the diftin(%iori that Lahhh makes \^ ithoutr
- any reafoh, is but to felve the credit of tiie former Grf*
ledtours. . *
''3. The matter of fome of them was of no great con-
cern ; this may be prefumed , becaufe the beft Cofties of
tlieir ASls zn^ Canons lay by the walls fo long ; For they
were iiot well undcrftood , till the curiofity and induftry
ofBaluzjuSy and fome others, lately brought them ta
Pctrus dc Rght ; this appears by Baiuzins in the Book of Pttrus ^e
^ordu fj^' Marca j and by comparing of Binnius his Councils with
f^^"^ ^ ^' " 4. Mbft of them W(?re convened for ill purpoies, to ad-
%%^^^^' (^ance tlie Papal Power, and to leflen the rigbts-of Princes :
To this ehd convened, or at lead aimed the Councils urt*
der Pafchal II CaSiftus-W, Alexander III. and that under
Innocent HI.
But the laft.is our bufinefs, where the Second thing is
to be fpoken to. I fay tfietcTdre
* ~
•* II. This Lateran Council, under Innocent HI. is liable
to fo many objediions, that no man, elpecially ail Englifh^
; man J can have any- great regard fcir the Dodrine o\Jran^
ffdftahtiation upon the Authotky oi k. Thiswill appear
if we confid6f, •
I. That the 70 Ads or Canons of this Council were
never heard of for full three hundred years after the Conn-
til'; and they were-firft brought to light by Cocklans,
^ X^utber sAdvprhry ; who, about io ytars after Luther i
eppofition againft tlie Church Hf Romej either found them,
or pretended to find them in fome ^erman library-, and
'* ^ lent
^
(ap) \f
fbntthem jto Piter Cralh^ who printed them in the Year *
1537. and annexed them to the reft of the CouncHsy as if ^^
they had been the true • A^s of that Later oh Qpuncil j for '
which he had no Authority, but M^h'at he received from
Cvcbtaus.
X. They are fo ill put together, that every man who
reads them, muft mifdoubt d&em. . For fome of them are -
iiv the ftyle of Coff ciliary Aiis^ and others fpeak after th^
manner of a Uarratir^ who tells what was done in a .^
CoanciL Thus (peaks the nth, 33d, 59th, y eft, 61 ft. In
the nth we find thefe words • In Later anenS Concilia pi3^
fuit inJlittttioHe prcvifum. 33. EveSlionum & perfonarum
meJiKritatem clferuent in Lateranenfi toncilio definiturn. ^
39. De nmlth ProviJentUfuit in Later anenfi Concilio prohi-^
iitum.^ See the reft, and you will find that thefe and ^
thofe words there ufed, fpeak plainly that thefe are not '
Canons oi a Council. From thefe and other Ar^mtnxsHifi. of pU
Peter Waljh has wellguefled. That the words oi Matthew ^^ Hpnonfi. _
PariSy who fays that Innocent propofed 70 capitula to the ''^**^^*
Fathers of this Council^ which to fome did feem eaCe, and
to others burthenfonje, gave occafion to fome CoBekor to
put together what he found* in the t)ecretals under the
name pf Innocent ius in Concilia Lateranenfi ; and give to
his Col le(3:lon the Name of the nSs of the Later an Council;
it is i4ain that Gregory IX. who put put the Decretals^ did .
allow the fame Authority to the A^s of a Pape^ and efp^ ' '
cially his VnclOy this Innocent III. as if they had been the
A^s of a Council. And his Propofitions in the Lateran
Council^ though -never accepted or agreed to by the Council^
would have as much Authority as the reft of the Decre-
tals have.
III. But then thirdly it is to be obferved farther; That
jvhether thefe reputed Canons were Propofitions of Pope '
Innocent y or real ASs of the Council^ yet no great ftrefs can
be laid upon them, becaufe all things were then done in
H extra-
qctraordinary hafte. We cannotTRt ^hfe^y J^fn-ftpi^
9iiy n^n, th^t in thii; Council there yf^z^ any fqcb tliing
as delibe]:adpn 5 or ooiirultationi noargymienc yf^s ufed^
either i/>ric^^ or c<^^ i -ffa.Ve^jfpn (tfeye^ pQ ,9bMi$«j ftefflcj^
ved ; not a word is mentioned what this, or thai^ .^j: thg
Qth^ Viyi fa^idi AU things pa^ i^na hi|4d^, a(i€f | qi^fite
different ^lanneff froim whf^^ was pf^ by ;th^ 4pQfltesf
in^ theii^ Council, 4^s 15, But mor^.clpfely to ^w
^refent .^uTinefs as to. t^a^¥0^^fkfh^ :the. Ppiftfine pf
Brier. -rfiww/w which oyr AuthoMr fiiys was herepopfirpi'^J } a^nd Briefing
^ ^^ *2iS- fays, th^t the iJam of ft mas henf a^itiid ^ Jn tc N(h
men TranfuhJlaHtiationis admiffum fuh ; it if to be ob*
ferved, that if we fp?ak ftri^ly, the v^ry Name of Tran^
fuhflofftiation is not to be found in all the C?/^<e/^* and
there is but onq PaflJLg^ in it thj^t refers either to the;
Naine, or Po&rine,. (:aiaffut»ff^ a Roma^ Cathikk^ is
his hAcaJkStioH of C(?«wi/j found fo little of |t^ that in
his Notes upoa this CouhcU^ he has not one remark upo0
. this Point. Nor yet has Laibe any thing confiderjable of \
it, though he tak^ j^the Notes <f\ BimiuSy and gives u& ^j
the Errouir§ of 4lmflricy which gave occafion to this Doc-
trine : yej the truth i%. fpmething of it is in this Council^
in the nrft CjwiK of it : D|it i^ c<?nje5 in fp fneakingly, aid
fp unliR^j' tq ^ ^Wf/Aif^ ^xysm^g a Dparine #Ar
fide; that^an eaiie ^Re^de? .might not pbfepve it^ and tbq
njpre accuratq-^wpuld have np gseai regard for it. It
feems to be llurrcd upctfi .|he World, or dpfign'd to pafe
like a whifper thorough artificial conveniences, where
they that are ne?.? ihallrpef^^ivq liirjie of it, \xi%n diftancft .
it will .be npi^ip ^nd joucL; Til6iW,o;:df. in.the firft Caf^ktd^
are thefe. Vna verb efi fidelium univerfalk Eccleji^ extra
quam nuQus omnino falvatur. In qua idem ipfe Sacerdosy
(S. Sflcrificiufn Jefus Chriftus : cipus corpus ^fapfgfiis in Sa^
■iccipiathus ipji eh fuiy qutfdaixepifip/etfeHii^rd.'T^dCe'i^
the words, and befides thefe we ha^re nothing that refers
to this matter trt'the whqlfe €"<>/*#«/; arid all -that we havfe
is no tnorethin'Onfe feai'batdui' Wbifd'hookfed hi by *■ /U- '
"^ktH^^ wltHoift hi^ fil^lteitid'Shd detei-infeftMe-fenfe. •
Now this is forf>ri$ii1g, and aiifiazing, that Ghriftiairis
ik>tjjd be oblked , and that with ip&\\ of damnatittrt, to
feteliere i t)d^in^ fo difficult, strtd fo incredible, as thjrt
'^J^akfit^oHiiaiioH, and tharohaly by Virtue of ;i »(7r«/
^hafieeftis tq bfe ilUrred upon them;; moft'V^e fdr^hiif deny
our Serifs, and oiir Reiafons, aiid forg€l our fclves t<J be
MfeD ? mirft this be accounted Authority fufiieient to awe
Conlcicnces, and filbjtigate Faith, and -Captivate Under-
«artdiflgs^ God Almighty never did this', aifid tI«JBIefled
'3^ya^ l^kfe'^aliiiyi *nd ftrfly, Whert^^ te required obd-
dience under fiich fevere penalties. '
li TraHfukfiaMiathk b'fe </?/«/<?, nfecseflary to fee beKeved
itn»dfer to-Sftlvitioh, certaftily we ought to have better
^tbundi-fo'r i>,rt»n the -LiftstaH'dvmil- eaff grvft Fot
any indifferent Perfon would require, in fuoh il<»»fe as
this, that tWPitlkrs df the Cktieil' tiio^ld hn/fh iifed all
application of mirid^ carl, aiitflftdvjftry, and hearty hiJm- \
'ble prayer to: God-^r hi^ direidlioa, befotdthey had de*
termiil'd fuch a Poiri« ,- And lakt fudj a burthen '^oh
ChriJUdns ; '■ but olthiH kiki't\We^mkitmh^f(m%hei^.
IV. I add farther, thatas thertf appears bttf fittle ground
for aiiy liian t& fefelieve TfmfuhftintiMiott by virtue^f the
haieraA QmiKil;'{6 \>D^m fe fliudi Wfe -for: iltf "^H^ip'tnalk
to receive eithef* thk/br^aky x»ber Do<aplfi*iitt-ft$eiNamc?,
and by the Authority of it. kxi En^ifh-mm zm^tth
think of it withdut Wrath andindigdatioh-;: For'tM^Was
tailed in the YeAr- ixi f . &bout tWo year^rffte* tiite- great
hiortificfttion df oSiX King J^hh by^tbi^Fl^c InmtU Hi.
ime of the great r^afeits for' it vi^t to ihevt/^^te the We)<]d
the T9^& :yi^ary, aiid England's Slavery. Fwjte thence tt
H X was
^( 5> > : I
In ddditkni' was that hc wrote his Letter to tell the Barons^ that;£;^
i^munnn ^^^^ ^^ ^^' ^^^ '*^ ^^^ *^ P^ofaL Here it was that he
^uZtum^Z^' expanded his Plumes, and fliewed his pride and his glory; ^
£J/>w»f Lab- Here he made known to the World that fandulphu did
SS«Mo- "^^ S^ beyond commifliob, when he told King "John that
«4/?. Burton, he ought to obey his Lord the JP«/^, tarn in terrenis quam
Edit, Oxon. in fpirituatihus^ as weO i/i earthly matters as in fpirituati \
?^g^^^^ nor yet zGt^A beyond commiffion, when he llreflcd this
unhappy Prince fo, far^ that he was forced to refign up his
Kingdoms lo the Pope; and could not be reietled in his
Rights, tilMie.lmd fubmicted to become triiutary^ Fajfal
and Liege-man to this Pope^ and his Succeffbursy.znd untill
AnnaksMo^ .he had taken tl^t flavifli bafe Oath^ which was framed in
iM^^ Burton. f|^^ f^^^ ^,^^5 whcrewith rafals ^hd ViBains were ^ont
to bind themfelves to th^ir proper Lords; wlMcfi may be
feen with many other (trange Claufes contained in it, ia
the Annaliof Burton Mon^flery^ p. zyo. Oxford Edition*
That all thefe things, were done by command, . appears
by the Aihot PrapolitioRS of /^^/»tf Innoeenf ifj>tljis Later ]
ran Council. >, ^ /- ; • \
Here he breathes in tlie Spirit of a Conquerour, and
• fpeaks as IJniverfal Monarch of the World • he gives and
takes away at pleafure, aod makes £!a\ys fbi; the keeping
or forfeiting Efiates. He tells whV PfWoesifhall be depce
fed, and when, and Jiow far tli^ir Subjei3:s ihall be free to
ViJeAJdit. _ make head againft them^j and upon occafion nbtonely to
^^rJii^^^^ hut to kill them. There h? acftually determined
turn in Edit, of the Rights to the Empire in the Caufe depending be-
Labb. tween Otbo uid Frederick ; and there he gave away the E-
ftate, Lands and Pofleffions of Raimundm Count of Thalouz
to Simon MouMford.
And as he dealt with Princes, fo he did with private
Perfons ; for there be^adjudged the^ates of all Peifons to
be liable to forfeiture, apd confifcation, Upon iiich faults
cog^mitted ; and not onely theirs, but thofe of their Abet-
tpfS) HarbourerS) or Receivers of them j as appears not
onely
iss)
onely in the Council^ but in the Decretals^ lik ^. tit. 7. . ^
tap. 13. All this he did, and it will be no wonder that
'he did all this, if we confider how niuch his mind
was elevated by his vidory over King John; and to
what a d^ree of pride and haughtineis he was grown ;
indeed it was ib much , that no words can exprefs it ,
except his own : And whoever confults that rcmar- inSMmbeea
kable Refcript of his to King John , and his Heirs , 9J^'^^''"*,
wherein he lets down his Tide to England^ ^»./^'?^^^^'» cic^S^
ret memoriam I may fee z fufficient foundation to ex-£. i.
pedJ: all the reft of thofe Actions which infucd after-
wards.
This may be faid of him, that he was fo far )uft, that
he Was not partial to any, but he treated all alike ; for as
he trampled upon Princes, and Laity; fo he moft tyran-
nically , and infolently treated the Clergy too. For in
the Year ixi6. as we fee in the Chronicle de Mailros^ chronica 3e
pag. 1^4. Oxford Edition ; we have a ftrange complaint ^}^o%^a^/^
of the Religious againft him, that he went beyond all -' ^^'^'
Rule and Order, Law^nd Canon. Inauditarri^ inufita^
tarn Dominus Fapa Legato concejferat autoritatem^ faciendi.
videlicet^ ut it a dicam^ qnicquid animo ip^us federet • in
ClerOy & Populo per Jngliatn^ Scotiam^ ^ Wales ^ cpnfii^
tuiOy tranjfonendt & deponendi^ & alios ponendi^ ffifpcn^,
dendiy & excommnnicandij ^ ahfolvendi^ Epifcofos^ Ah^
hates , & alios Ecclefiarum Pralatos^ & Clericos. This I
prefume made Matthew Paris give him that Character,
/. X45'. as a thing well known by the experience of Prince
and People j Noverat Rex^ & multiplici didicerat experi-
entity qi^d Papa fuper omnesmortalesambitiofuseraty ^fn-
perhuSy pecufiiaque fititor infatiahilisy & ad omnia fcelera ^
pro pramiis datis , vel promijfis cereus & proclivis.
Now fuch a Man, as this is, w|Lnts a great deal of ad-
vantage, which another in his place might have had, ia
order to the giving credit or authority to his AcStions :
And if a Council under him be intirely inflaved to him,
and
u-
(54)
-and fo much at his difpofe, that it docs not appear to po-
flerity that any one man in it, did upon the place fpeak 4
Word either for or againft the prefumed A^s of it j and if
yet it be at ieaft probabfe,: that all thofe A^s wef-e not
Conciliarily paft, but mere Propofitions of the Fi^/p hitfl-
" fclf ; without any confent, approbation, or regular deter-
mination of the •Council, I think no man living can loofc
upon himfelf as'copcluded by them, or udder' an obligatiort
frohi them. ^ ' '^ - " * ." *
' But an Englifh-man muft have an inward reludtancy and
abhorrence to lee his JFaith increafcd, and his Creed inlaiv
ged^* and himfelf put into a new danger of being adjudged
^ Heretkky by a fleight and trick of that Man, who witli
intolerable pride and infolence trampled upon the Crowd
and Dignity of a Kir^g oj England; and as loon as he had
done that, with an unheard-of confidence challeflges ' to
make Laws about Kingdoms, Eftates , and PatrijponieS,
wherein he fubjedts them to forfeiture and confifcation up^
on the accompt of Hcrefre. ' And at the fame tinfrc he fllurfe
in a word to a pretended Canon, itiat requires 'a DodJrine
• to be believed againft all fenfe and reafon , and fuch as
will indanger all men that- are willing to ad rationally^
and difcreetly, according to their beft wits that God hath
given them, tobe adjudged and condemned for ileteticks.
This, certainly muft appear hard to Bnglijh-men tb h^vt
their Eflates brought into fuch perils and hazards, efpe-
cially fince they learn from one of their own Countrey,
Mat. Parisy who was a Monk y /and fo bound to^great re-
gards for a Po/te; and wrote in the Year l^S4. that thi^
Innocent was not onely intolerably ambitious , but infi-
nitely covetous^ and fo may be prefumed repiHy to defigrt
a,nd aim at forfeitures, and not near fo much to regard
the clearing and letting the Chriftian Faith, as to make a
gin and a trap to catch People, and feife upon their E-
ftates under the name oiHereticks : He that obferves how
iheakingly that IV^rd comes into the firft CapHidum of the
" * reputed
(55;
repvAQd Lateran Cmcil^ rnay eafily perftisde hinjfelf of
the likelihood of fome of thefe thoughts. And if any one
fliall rub up his naemory, and add ^ to thefe the finenefs,
and great nianagement^ of Rome , when they made the.
Canons of the Sardican Council to pals in the World under
the name of.the IJkem ; And in oppofitio^i to a plain ma-
nifefl: difcovery of the Errovir, yet to lihis day to bear up
fo high, as to challenge fome great Authority unto them ;
whereas in their own nature they can deferve but very lit-
tle, being made by the broken remains of a Council^ when
the greateft numbers were gone, and none remained, but
the foil Friends and Dependants upon Rome.: hnd to this
let him add the Remarks that Father Paul gives upon the
fjril ASt of the Council of Trent^ wherein thofe words ,^
troponentihus Legatis^ were fo clpfely couched, and fo fu-^
pinely pafled, that few heard them, and fewer apprehen-
ded the confequences of them, yet all the infuing Deter-
minations of that Council were intirely guided and gover-
ned by the fatal Powers of them.
. . He that thinks of thefe, and many other fuch like things,^
may apprehend, that there is fuch a thing as art and
Height in the World : and if he does tliat, he will not be
over forward to give any extraordinary Authority to fuclj.
a Later an Council^ intirely governed by fuch a Man, a&
Tope Innocent III. efpecially in fuch a Dodtrine, which it.
Iglf durft fcarcely fpeak out, but impofpth upon you in it^
by giving you onely one Word^ and that a iar kircus one^
in all the prefumed A^s of it. And that comes in, as it
were, by fur prize, and moft amazing, without any deli-^
beration, or cpnrukation ; but yoy have it there, before
you in the reading of it can* be aware j and perhaps toaj
before the Fathers^ who were convened , in that Oi^wi/,
themfelves couJd.be. ^ • -
Thefe Confiderations I think fuiHcient to perfuade any
man to think himfelf under no great obligation to believe
fran^hJtanii^ionhyN^x^^ of.thlp Authority of .this Council'^
- and
6--
(5«)
^nd I prefume it will leaft of ailaffed: the Faith of an
Englijh'Man.
I Ihall onely add one thing more concerning this Late* •
' ran Council y which fome perhaps may tliink worthy of a
remark ; and that is this :
Mdit.dd ' This Lateran Council "^'^s not onely famous for new
ConciL Later, p^^;^/;;^^ t)ut new Do^ours. For here we find not oneJy ^'
i:X!Labb. Tranfuhjlantiationy but St. Dominick. He was at this Coun- '
cil ; And he and that Doiftrine were in one and the fame
condition there, in a like obfcurity j fomethiog perhaps/
but hot much taken notice of j but he and that went on ,
from thence to be moft confpicuous and remarkable ;
They for fome time after gave the great noife and talk to j^
the World J whereever Jranfuhjiantiation came, the Fa^
thers of the Inquifition^ who were the Order of Domini*^
cansy foon followed after ; and thofe Perfons that were
not fubdued under the power of that DoHrine^ were fiiffi-
ciently awed by the Terrour of thefe Fathers. For where-
as the Senfes or Men were bbftinate and refradlary againft
tlieir efpoufed Dodrine j thofc Men made ufe of one Senfc i
to oppofe all the reft • for by Rods, and Scourges, and '
Burnings, they fo affeded the Senfe of feeling, that this
in a moft compendious way ftilled and filenced all the o-
thers. Thus Tranfuhftantiation grew great • And he that
would argue for it from the Authority of the Lateran \
Council^ does but trifle-; it is, and muft, and can be no
otherwife prevalent, than by the Authority of thefe Da* !
minican Fathers. \
The Order of thefe was confirmed the year after this
Lateran Ccuncily and that by InncKent III. Thus effeiStually J
did tliis Pope doe his bufinefs, when he made a new Doc- \
trine^ and a new Law , he provided a new Order of Men, '
and a new Office to promote it j and it is no wonder if by
^ fo dging he brought a new face of Chriftianity into the
hntt Annates^ ^^^^^^^^^ ^^^fi^^^ ^^^^^ ^^Y^ »" ^is Annals in his r€-
in An. 1216. mark upon the Order of Dominicans and the Francifc^ns^
An. ixi6.
(S7)
An.i%i6. Aliam CbrifiUnitatifaciminJHxit. And L^»
fUy belie^^ hini| that the Chrijiianity which began to ap-
peal and was mod visible in the World foon after this
Lateran Council^ was as different from the PrifnitiveChri^
fiianitj ^ as St. Dominick was diilarit in time from St* Ft-
ttr ; or as his Rules were different from tlK>fe in St. fettr'i
EfifiUs.
Now I have done with our Authour's Allegations from
G)uncils. And here according to faihion I might be
tempted to talk a little of vid:ory, and tell my Readier
what I think I have done. But here I am (lopped , for
cur Autbour hzsipofftH hio^elf of this Poft : He has given
us m the wax Paragraph^ p. xi. fuch a J^irgonoi words
that are defigned to fpeak a yidory ,. but moft certainly
ihew an intolerable vanity, that. I cannot imitate him.
For after he. had refle(3:ed upon his doughty performaii*
ces; How he had found the Pope's Supremacy in the Cmji-
cil o£ ChalcedoH : and the Books called Apocrypha^ put in-
to a higher rank than we place them, as he thought by
the Council of Cartha^ ; And the unhloujy Sacrifice decreed
hy the ninth Council of the Apoftles • And the adoration pf
images eftalltjhed In the fecond Council at Nice^ with the
general concitrrences of Ancienf Fathers i And Tranfuh^ait^
tiation owned and confirmed hy 1 300 Fathers in the great -
Lateran Council y and he might a^ well have faid 13000,
and all to like purpofe ; whilll never a man amongO; them
fpake one word, eitlier to prove, or difprove, or approve
that, or any other Dodlrine in the Co^ncil^ asfat* as it appsirs. .
Ancl^ft^r thatxhe.l^^^^ that all tfietQ DoSfrines^ ^
ahd I prefumie tie means th^ Lateran Council too , were
brought into England by Augujlinetht Monk^ which Com*
cil was not in being till more than /x hundred years were .
paft after the death of Ayguftine, ., v j;i >
Wheh,1 fay, out'Authour hadTeep that ht.ha4.done all ;
this, he fmiled, and cockt his Beaver, and admired his
Atchievements, and then forthwith fpeaks his glories Jn
I thefe
l^eh words, wliich I will fet down here mperpetaam rci
mem&riAm^ that all fuch Cooqwrors, as lie is, may never
want wor<li wherein to exprefj their glorieft or rficirlbf-
Ii«s: Thi»hefey&' ' ; -
?. ai, hdeeiy Pafhtri^ vbhw I had tMlgintiy t^mini this
ftut^^ mjA fokiid it' fnofl tvideftt; kejvftd the pdJJtirHtj of
<iny jiifi^ . or reafonahle contradi£lion ; I was much fc^nda^iz^d
or thi di^m^fnuity of ymf' IVnttn ; wht^ t^hUfi they accufe
otbefyoff^SMcj^ imps fl^h^ and mpudencdy 'dare advmce fo
grvhty and demMfiraMexxf^fhood in- mafter\df/piit ^ that
nothing hut fM$rmo€ cof 'excttfe t-hem j Ji they exptrje them*
[elves to the greatefi cenfure of riifhne^ and mdifcrction^ as
mcharitail'e^^ 4mL nnjufi to- thofi )x>h(fm< the^ cnu. their Ene*
fj^eSy as alfo unfafe-^ and iifu^ng tbe\redt4litj of their.
Frie^idp. * • '. • ' •, "^ ■
I admired to fee thcfe words in this pfece, and am yet
ptizzkd to think, what could joft nowinfpire him with all
this puffinefs^; He knew that he had never read one of
thefe Councils -and that he had tf ahfcribed from others,;
witlioiir skiU j or care : and lie could not btit |aio\iv that'
foroe of \m Allegations are mod trite^ and coonnori, ahcl'
a»fwe/d mdft iFulIy, and largely, by niaWiertefe niiijibers.*^
Why theft does he feem liere thus to adiftirfr l^is Ads, and *
put down fuch an« «tra.vagant ram ^P isfi^^ think;^*
tliat the 4pifit of his bld^ Friends; l^S^r^^^^gr^
carac in lo his^ftcAce at the Writing of iWife^'
^QS u$ OOQ Ar^M^ moi^ brtlife^n^ht^^ of:
fiacej and what great expe^nees there are from it j I;
do miidi. bejiwe *hlat bttr Autl^our may hope for more foc- ;
cefs from that one Paragraph] \\\2iB from all his AHegatioriS »
out OhC4fimW£^ -* ... L J ^ ^ » •
Oiir
( s> }
jfMbmtr.in thfe ncKt Paragnrph' teKs m lie rfengns
to be bfiefy add tlier^re laying afide other Controver-
j^s,. lie^fillrinfift txiely nfon:tm^ and they are thefe^,
i IJiii^jiliitfaarity: aod ioTaUibUKy of tlie R^anCarbh V. 12.
« . . >.
H. 1^ Doiftrine t)f Trmfiilfidntiathn.
Tbef irft of thefe I ihail eonrider, and leave the Second
to otJitTyS, who both have, and will give full fatisfadrion^
in thaViPoiitt^. if Jie were But capal)te of receiving it And \
l^efiinae I havi^ %^tt\ hioi n>ore than he can anfwer in the
JXtSsuoa^ \S^\i\\v^ Latenn Coumil. ;
* % X|».A\fthoKty:and InfaUiWityof^^
liokxhurch i -T^ he undertakes t^ Unfidtr bow far it may p^ 21.
leatifi mJ 4pftar: ntifanaiie i^ at$ impafliil Reader. Thefe
: W'drdf are ^nbt worth the notice^ but that they tempt o»c
a little ftt^icioo^ that they are here fet for a refer ve, in
cafe of oppofition^; for if it be.faid, as nroft truly h: may,
that elteretf' ntit t)ne pliain proof, cttlier of the fuprcme
Authotky, or-fnfalltbility of the Romatt Church in all this
Diibourfe ; 'Our jinthonr ihay rfeply that he nevw under-
took %b give it : All that he engaged fc* Wa^ uppearantet^ P. 25,
jand thit- be. iMfi performed, % ufing th6. v^ords ofr.;
tumbling >and cofiiog tliem as Hay-iYlahers tk) their mown
Grafs ^ trtie while Authority is upper mdft, ami ioon aft4r
Ifl&IUbiHty ; Authority m(M lead in InfaUik»lity, and In-
fallibility muft ^vindicate Authority ; but where either of
tlicfeis to befouAdi the Man nekher provtes, nor knows;
arid plainly 6ys, that Ire ii not concferned, vvhetlrer there
.be dny fuch thing as iQ&llibility or no! : p, 14. he fays;
Were Jthere_j$0 InJ^ffihility Qm J helitvf thert^ ts) i ivo^td p. 24.
fiill fuhmit my Rtafon^ and regulate my ConfcitHte ^ accor^'
iding r^ the Decrees (^ the fapremey lawful J^ctlejiafiical :^/i-
thority^ This is my beliefs pray Hame me not. All this is
nothirtg elfe but appearances j for neither is the Qiurch of
England^ nor the Chtirch of R^wie concerned in his belief,
- I 1 * or
er biis fancy, or his opinion^ for thefe may b^ wife ,
may be foolifli ; may be well, or may be ill grounded.
But yet it is admirable to fee what great command he has
ever his Riafan and iritf CanfciemeyXbax hecan make them tura^
which way he pleafes* and if he does but fuppoiea Supreme
lawfuS Authority to be in Ehion^ or Certntbus^ ^alhry or
- Mu^ieton^ or the Church of Rofne; He can be a Convert to
' any of them, to day to this, and to morrow to the quite
contrary;. and that with as mxrcirrf^iry anJ as ffod confii*
ence^ to the one, as to the other : For which way foever
he turns, he may fliU fay, thii is my helief^ pray hlamor
me not.
His laft Converfion was to the Church otRamey and he
intimates that he changed upon this belief, that there was
a Supreme lawfuB Ecclefiafiical Authority^ to be found there :
but he has not the leaft reafon to prove it ; though it
mult be confeft that he has ibme appearances ; wh^h I
will impartially confider ixv their order.
I • He gives us fome Citations from Protedants, Pag. ^^,
z 3 . from Luther one, and from MelanHhon another, (whoitt
he calls the Phoenix of Learning ; a fine word, I wonder
from whence he borrowed it) another from Somaijiue^ or
Salmafius ; Another he would give from GrotOu ; but whtt
it is, hebas forgot, he diinks it is fomewhere in bis Anno^
tationsupon the H(m Tejiameni. And then, to make weight,
he throws in the Names of facoh Cartwrighty Pfufi^ and
P- 19- Beza. And from hence he argues in thefe words ; thefe
eminent Proteflants were men of great learning j and they
had fear chty and underjiood Scripture^ and H^orj^ and if
my judgment concurs with theirs in this point (^as I profefs
it doth) then%ave I found that lawfuB Supreme jiuthority^
Now thefe are dangerous words from the mouth of a
new Convert ; it is M^eii for him that he is not nd^ in
Spain; for if he fhould make fucb a declaration there^
That his judgment concurs with the jutlgment of Luther^
Melanilhon^ Bufi^ and ^aca, in the Point of the Pope's
Supremacy^,
Sn^remacy^ or the Supremacy of the Church of Rime ; he
might perhaps be in danger of the InquifitiM. All the
World knows the judgment jof thbievmeniin tht$ point;
and if he were before the Faihhrs o£ the Inqiufthit^ they
would not be put oS^ with a fmall Gtatibn found they
know not where ; and perhaps inferted by they know not ^
whom : He had done much better to have miftrufled his
Copy, than to depend upon fuch an^AiJegaeiom /
oure lam, that if he made any life of thofe mens judg-
medts,^ or Jaid any great ilreis tqxm the words^ which he
cites under their Names, in. his fearch or prefumed difco^
very of a 'Supreme Aiithority of the Church of Rome; he
nfed both bis Reafim and his Cfufcience very hardly.
Itis certain that Z^i^^'r did ijpeak varioufly of th^
Power ; fometimes higher and fometimes lower, as appears
to any one that reads either his Iforks^ or Caffande/s Ci-
tations from him : And as to Melan^bon the Pbesnix of
Learnrngj I am not concerned to fearch what he wrote to '
xhQ Cardinal Belay. And it maybe^ I am civil in doing
it«. He was a Wit that once charged it as an incivility
upon his Acauaintance, that he ihould take fo much pains^
to prove hii|^ a. Lyan It is certain that dtilanHhon in his
Loci Commit^esj where he treats profefledly upon this Sub-
ject, decfaires fully and roundly ag^inft all this that is ci-
ted from him: And therefore I prefume that his judgment
does not concur with Melan^haus ; for if it does, he is no
new Convert • for he has found nothing that can call for a
fubmiOTion of Reafon^ and Confcience : nothing like to that
Authority and Infattildtty of the Ronm Catholiek Churchy
which a new Convert is bound j:o defend
But becaufe our Autbour^ in defence of the Authority
and InfaOihiliiy of the Roman Churchy has given fucli Cita-
tions from Proteft4ntS'y Til indeavour to requite him by
one from a very good Roman Catholiek ; and tliat is Caf
fander. He in his Book^ de Officio pii bominisy fpeaks to
this purpofe ; That there arefome^ wbo hecaufe they fee yet
remaining
(At)
^.\difwn:j[ram\49tipiity^ or tbt firf\ Chriftimy piS km>
jxf^. \the '^^M^f/^^ (sit is^ thtu^. itJe
^p^tmm \t^.fikMj/fiiiH^ i&at hsvtt crApt i« iy
non Dcum faciunt : ejufiu^rBip^^MmmTvi cau Bdife'^^heynmeaitfieit^
ferunt,C3fentent0mr/frt>if.. .tumitftif'^ raMJ:m<^e.bwdettnhimuuH^afKdl
tfbTJ^ilf'^r^ui^'S:- t/>theViame.OruilesrJ^dm.hifs.JbM-mU.
taUitfucm Met nsniam con* ^ tt,tt -tx^^^tttr/'s ^ »
fiimum : bos nonviJd'm^ :^fftAil9 nU^wffOithl '^I\^.M emfr:i$U.th4t
minus pfeudoc^hlici^ &H* - yi$iwmf<liw^d ibefs'thenMit fifftdfe Cmho*
t^ Thus &id ihat .good ^ mth conoantag the Sticklers for
RtmMn Authority , Md InfaJUhiliiy ; and that ki a time
<wben he ^oacdndsd imdr tanidliy to bring in. peaoc^ mA
good temper •amiDdgftlCisnftians. J and had emfeavdurcd
pafTionately to perfuade oien to lay aftde HI Latiqgiaage, and
odious Names, foch as one Party threw at another ^« aH
which he lays were ra^ up out of Hell: iiich as thefe;
Fapift^ Antichrifiians^ Minifien of Satan • and on the o-
tlierficte, Hereticks^ Schifmaticks^ Apofiates. Though he
heartily wiih'd thefe Names out of the World, yeti» couki
be content that twD or three of ttem were always ready
to be thrown in the teeth' of fucli Perfons as our Autho»
would feem to be.
. This remark 1 giTC to (hew our Awthour that I do not
fee down the Sayings and Opinions of others, without
confidering iirft what weight and ftrefs is to be Jaid upon
them.
For r mud cotifefs that it is to me a firandal and matter
of offence to find this^t of ifuthorities,which GurAnthoMr
uieSj in the fame order, and in the fame words, in ano-
t her; kte B^oi in titled Pax vohis j this feems to Ipeak that
the
the Aiifhufs ofbothf hefc tfaiifcribed, in* never connderecf
Arhat force was in their Citations. Istiib fair deaFmg witfta
iyfeo*s awn Gonfcience, or wkh his Rcadfery t when' he i?
weighing of- Rdigions, ^il^ofierihg motives oFReconci--
Jktioii, efthefto htnfffetfy or to others , to i<il thiis' fu-
pinefy ? Tfii$ h worfe than to take^iJotirney to E/liklurgh
VBpoa the next-Haekney, and never confider whether he be
a Jade or no. A jdurney to H^ven isr long, . fo be fiire of
gpcateft importance-,- &e that ta^ vf^k nfe# ^!%i0tf to
caf»y hiiHn*hitlM?r', Ji'aiAjV«tedi»fe'<yc!», tl»tn3'»*arsi>arid'hfearf,-
aiid Iwad too? St; /^/'had ^fon %hfertpe^adl\fffed'-us wf
v»9rk'9tttiu^ SahatipMwH^feir and tretiSlhigi 'Bttt^aUtncrr;
wilt nQt'<toe fhls^: ihfey^rehi* totymuchHikfte; -'
- -ThsijA hitt^t%*&Vad8fe«ISin' Wi^hottt-r^aftii^^and^'frr 'lphte>
oTre»fe« Bftahg^tKfei^ll^W,CoaBirtWkaf^^-m^^^^
tion which the gjceit Apoffle requires.
If I atff nW^ftiiieh'out in mf giiel* (wKlc&I'rauft-leavc
to theK^jid€«»e jUd^lftierif, when- 'h« hai'comfJared'thrs Set '
oi CMl^m^ \JK«i;«idl^'in Fdsi mUy ?Pa^. ffyffi^y <ve .
have he>es*ile o? tlw ta«)ff' "^ret^hed Mate iHat' ever wai -
iiftd bjf a^««Wiftfr." "'-I^is'rtot^^ thaW thi?? '^^iiaVeHnfee
with femif ^fty1rt^^«r'Mer^,\.wf*om F^^^ for^ ; whi^;
or'51'heijes <» towKit'^tJ t&Sy weire l^eft,"Friever*cofl*''
flawed ^ ^dl' 5^^>»*ei!»*^<JFioii*!&dn^ thbtj^i? t&^-'aid<\
n^ retrad 4hdnaH; ; ''^:/tidmitth'ii>ndi&s .'iv^&'tHim- *tM^''
f»P}i \aiid whm'-ihh^ Jmh&ri^y Ui^thetk 'i> 1k0iBilJty^
' That is the fJirft MflkfliVeto^erffifada tfiat t^ Roman-Co-^
Heikk-ChmhlfisLi Stopfetoe '^tBbriiltj^^Vei' all," AndiiiiH- •
Jibillty i« the^WStife-ttflfc:'' ' '• •\'^^^-^ ^v.Qv^^^X .:'.a ,•.■!.:
• HefhouWnoW procfek^o afeSljnd.''^ cq.. i ;-' i I.. :':
. But inilead of that we-have-, Fa^. 1-4, a^, 2:^, 27. a"
•difcouttfe' upon a new Sirtyei^ j[ lo far is ©w Awthottr •froTO' '
njtkttig ihefe'lDoa»i9«^>&'^j^/>^vr >^h^^%a^i;^,- thIat-JKtrVo '
long tegethe* htflU'enifep'^^tfl^lMft for'theimielvesl-vHit •
prelent bufinels is to talkj and talk he will of Separation, "
CUT
y
(^4)
^ or how the Church of Romt can be faid to have feparated
either from her felf, or from the Catholick Churchy ei-
tber whole, or part ; and where that whole or part re-
mained from whence the Church of Rime feparated ? and
then again where ihe remained, and where ihe may be
found; and here he is urgent and importunate, and will
have an anfwer, and that from the Bifhops themfelves ;
for he comes up clofely to the beards of them^ and tells
them, Ingoodfflifh^ Fathers^ my Salydtion is highly coi§^ ,
certid intbisqu^ion^ and J mufibe fatisfied. He prevents
them from giving fuch and fuch anfwers, and fwaggers it
bravely out in thcfe words. T U fooner ftiffer myfilf u he
knockt down tvith a true Protefiant Flaylj than mth fuch a'
FreteJloHt .Anfvfer y ^and ^\^^ he ^iAs^ /rem this reafintt'^
iU aifd im^rtawt reiueji^^yanjh/^ never heat me whilft: /.
live.
. The Man grows warm, and it is well for fome, that
tUey are^out of his, way $ who Iqiows what he may doe^
. The pcc^fionof all this oqife and cli^nour he gives us,
in the Z4tb P^e, in thefe words ; Tm bad eften told me,
that She (the Church of /Jwir) had fallen from ker f rtini*
true purity y andfeparat^ her felffrm the. one hofy Catho^
hck and ApoJ^olick Church. Anfwer to Protefiant Queries,
p. lo. declared alfo to he jMtichrefHan ; and the trne Church
latenf and invifibk, hy that famws Napper to f^if^ James, :
j^ocard, Fulk, Sebaft. Frmctis,Hofpinia)(], ^Wm^^ others.
^ Now what is all this to th^.BiihQps of\tbe Church of
Eitgland? mufl they anfwer for every thing that has been
faid by Fulk, and Brocard, and Napper, or as you call
him, that famous Napper ? I pray tu>w famous is he t has
any o^ the Bifhops ox England cited him thefe forty years ?
does any of this Church reade him^ pr depend upon him ? «
if your fiudies have been upon fiich Authouf s^ the Church
of RmehAwt no great prize of you^ and thck Motives,
as bad as they are^ were goodnmough to mike you a
Convert.
But
But yet there remains one Expreffioft cited out of a lit-
tk Bmk, which it may be few of the Bifliops of England
evter faw ; but yet they muft give an accompt of it, and
all the confequences he can ^ther from it ; for he fays,
j>. 26. his Salvation is highly concerned in it; And it is a
reafonalde anJ^mprtant retpitft.
And milk the Bifhops ot England be accomptabk for
every little writing, which they know nothing of ? would
thtSHbofs of ^fn$e think it fiiir, diat all the impertinen*
ees of our Ant hour ihould be charged upcm them ? cer*
tainly no.
Bnt he armies ^ that if the Church of Rome wts once a
pure 4md uncorrupted Church , fie remains fo ft illy for fhe
canne'ttker fef^rat€fpom her felf^ nor froril^ the Catholick
Church.
Now if this Argument be good, he himlelf is bound to
aniwer for all the confequences that can come from a pre*
filmed lepairation, either from it (elf, or from the Catho^
lick Church; for we have oft proved, and are always
ready to prove that the Chu^h of Rome is not the fame^
as to purity and incorrupt ion^ which it was. It is changed^
it is altered, mukkudes of Innovations have overfpread it,
and grew: numbers of Errours by little and little (as Caf
famekrizys) have crept in, and prevailed over it. .
But yet for all that, we own and aflert that there is a
Church of Romey as weU as a Church of ]tt\x^hmy Aiexa^
drm^ and Antioch , and that^ though this , as well as they
have erred y not onelyin^ their livings and manner of Cer-ewo^
niesy but alfo in matters of Faith. So fpeaks the Church
of England in her 19th Article. And if fhe be a Church,
ih© mud be a Member of the Catholick Church, for every
part muft be contained in the whole.
None of us doubt but that the Church of Rome receives
all the <^anenical Scripturesy that we do, and has the fame
Creed y and the fame Sacraments that we have ; And fo (lie
muO; be a Church. But yet ihe is corrupt , and foully
K ftained.
t V
*.i
(66)
flained, by the many additions that have been made to her .
Faith, to her Sacraments, to her Worlhip, to her Go-
vernment, and to her primitive rule of Faith ; and all this
in virtue of an ufurped Authority^ and vainly pretended In*
fallilility.
All thefe things we charge upon Rome^ and we think
the Charge high enough ; and if our Authour could
have diftinguiflied betwixt Errour and Schifm, he might
have fpared all his impertinent Queries concerning Sepa-^
ration from her felf, or Separation from the Catholick
Cliurch ; and where that Cathdick Church is to be found ;
for all this is but trifling in an over eager purfuit of Con-
fequences from a poffible fenfe.of a word. If Rohehzs
thus erred, Ihe may be faid to have left, and gone from,
or be feparated from that firft, holy, Catholick and Apo«
flolick Church, without the making of an open Schifm,
or Schifmatical Separation. For feeing particular Chur-
ches are called Catholick, as the Catholick Church in Smyr'-
nay Eujeh. Iih/\. cap. ly. and the Catholick Church of ^-
lexandria upon the accompt of their continuance in the
true Faith with the reft or the Church of God, or from their
coherence with that Church, which was properly and
originally called fo ; upon which accompt Clemens Alex^
andrinus^ Stro. y. joins thofe two words together, rlwd^-
^aticuf Kf Kot^?itKluu 'ExxAnaiar,^ the Ancient and Catholick
Church. So far then as any Church now in being fliall de-i
part from the Dodrine of that Ancient Catholick Church,
^nd profefs great and many Errours, and broach ngiw
Dodrines unknown to the Primitive Churches, and lay
mighty ftrefles upon them, fo as to make them neceflary
for Communion here, and to Salvation hereafter : Such a
Church may be faid to depart or feparate it felf, frpm thai
ancient J one^ holy^ Catholick ^ and Apoftolick Church.
And now our Authour may have that fatisfadion, which
he fays he muft have, and I agree with him that his Sal-
vation is highly concerned in it. He \yould know where
that
(tf7)
that Catholick Church, from which (lie {Rome) feparated,
remained y and where fhe maj he found • lam forry he
knows it not, but he may cafily be taught that Ihe was,
Snd is in Heaven. .
. There are z\\ the gloriotis Company of the ApoflleSj the
goodly feUowfhip of the Prophets , the nolle Army of Mar^
tyrs • There are all the Servants and Saints of Jefus Ch'rifiy
who have lived and died in the true faith of him; and
thither all the faithfull Members of the true, holy Catho-
Jick Church now living, hope by the grace of Jefus Chrifl^
in the methods of the Gofpel, by keeping clofe to the Faith
that was once delivered to the Saints^ in their due times to
come, and be received into that moft happy and everlafting
.Communion, " Thk « my opinion^ and for once I will pray
our At^tbour not to hlame me for it.
I know he may bring againft me Supreme lavofutt Au-
thority ^ in the name of pope John XXll. who really de-
. {ignea, and heartily indeavoured to make the contrary
Dodrine to pafs for an Article o( Faith; and if;he had li-
ved a little longer, would have declared ex Cathedra^ that,
the Souls of the Saints do not conic to blifs and happinefs
untill the general Refurredlion. I befeech him not to
.meddle with thisj but if he does. Til promife to defend
,my Opinion from Scripture^ and Fathers^ and Councils^
and doubt not by my little Reafon fufficiently to repell
him and his Authority too.
But if he can think with me, that the Members of the
firfl: Churches, the holy Apoftles and blefled Servants of
.our Lord, are in blifs and happinefs, and is willing tojijtd
therti, and be with them ; He ought then to think again
of the change of his Religion, a;nd of this accompt that he
has given of the Motives to it j for if he ferioufly refleds
upon his own Salvatbn, and is heartily concerned for it,
he will , be aftiamed, and repent of all his rude and un-
feemly treatment of the Jleverend Fathers of this Churcli.
It is not huffing and braving that fpeaks a religious Mind ;
R 1 it
' ( <^5 )
if IS not fayiflg, IngoaJfaitb^ Fathers^ my Salvation is con^
cerned in it^ that (peaks a pious and hearty fenfc of that
great blefling of God. He that with humility and rcve*
rence fludies the mind and good pleafure of his Savi-
our, cannot rant; wliere he is ignorant, defpifc his bet-
ters ; trample upon thofe whom he calls Reverend Fathers :
Such ad:ions may be agreeable to a Man that has no ienle
of Salvation. He that has thrown off one Religion, and
forgot to take up another ; He that can eafily fay, janJfo
goodnight to Ckriftianitjy may doe this: But a Convert to
any Sedtor Party of Chriftians (or fuch as arc willing to
. be reputed Chriftians.) flioukl not doe it Becaufe liich
anions fpeak a Man to be proud and ambitious, and de-
figning upon this World, and fomething worfe than I am
willing to fay.
I muftftop, on^ in requital for fome Texts of Scrip-
ture, which, P.x^.hs advifes us to confider : I requeft
him to reade tnefe. Rev. 2. s. Remember from whence thou
art fallen^ and repent^ and doe the firft works. Eph.4.14.
That we henceforth he no more Children^ tojfed to and fro ^
and carried ahmt with every wind of Do^rine^ ly the Jleight
of menj and cunning craftineJS^ whereby they He in wait to
deceive. % Cor. x. 17. We tire not as many^ which corrupt
the word of God; hut as of fincerity^ but as of God ^ in thi
/&*' of God fpeak we in Chriji. Our Authour goes on, p.% 7.
P-^7- fiut I mud not follow him in all his Impertinencies, I
ihall fpeak of Auguftine the Monk afterwards. And fliall
at preient bnely teach him one thing, which he there fzys
he does not underfliand. And that he gives us in theie
words. Hqw you Jhould rife a pure Church^after you had
he en buried fo many hundred yean in a corrupt Churchy I do
not eafily underjiand.
Thus be fays, but yet certainly he may underfland it ;
for the fame way that I advife him to take, that he noray
become a good man, was taken by oui^ Fredeceffours^ ^nd
by virtue of that proceeding they ceafed to be a corrupt
Church,
Church, and became a pure oncj find that .was by re^
niembring from whence jhey were fallefl^ and by ttpesh
tance, and by reformation j they law the Errours which
^me had tai^ht, and proudly impofed ; they were forry
to have been fo long abufed j they withdrew thcmfelve?
from ilavery, and knockt off the chains and fetters, that
an unjufl Power had laid "" upon them; they fludied and
learnt their true Rites and Liberties , their duties to God,
and to their Saviour, and to their Prince; and when they
knew thefe, they pradifed them. And fo they did their
iirft works ; that which Cbrift and bis Af^ftles taught, and
ib became a pare Churck
This was then done, but fuch an anfwer as this will not
iatisfy our 4uihour; for he inquires in the next Paragraph
by what Authority thi^ could be done, and w<^ not
have us t^ prettndto Jerhjc AKtb$rity fram the Church 0/
Rome, when /he Wfu in her fufUj ana ferfeShf^^
Now this is wonderfully wife, to inquire by what Au-
thority we prefiune to obey God, to amend our ways, to
throw off Errours, to follow Truth.
Let him be adiired, that we ihalj not (nretend to have
derived Authority from RiBtme^ neither in her corrup-
tion, nor in her purity to doe this. And our Aiithwr in
riie next faragrc^ owns that we need not, in cafe the one
be anErrour, and the other be a Truth. But he add$, vpe
are nmi> Jeeki^g for that 'AHthoritjf which fhaU if dare this
Xrath; and fet ferth this Br roar.
Now diis is boneft ly faid, that he is feekif^ for that Af^
thority. I afu fure he has made no dilcovery of it as yet.
He undertook, p^g^^h ^^* ^o ^^^ that and the Infalli-
bility of the Church of Rome ; and has talkt out eight Pa-
ges, and has not given us the leafl Argument for either of
them, now, he fa) s, he \sjeeking for it ; and he may feek
all his days at this rate ; for he leeks, juO: as one did for
the Hare, in the top of the Steeple.
If
\
- , <70 -
' If there were any fuch Authority and Infallibility as he
pretends, it muft be as apparent, and as vifible, as the
Church it felf, there would need no long feeking for it.
He muft be blind, or fool, or mad, that did not fee ic^
or know it.
I rather .think that our Authour is feeking for Argu-
ments to prove it ; and in this he is Unhappy, for he finds
none.
But Tag. i8, X9, 30. he endeavours for one, and that is
to this purpofe • that there are Errours and Herefies in the
World. He tells us of, iS(7f/»i^»j, oi Luther^ and Calvin y
and £tfza, and I know not how many more of late days.
P. 30. And from thence, p. \o. he talks in thefe words j Fathers^
..ifthefe instances he not fuffic tent to require a Supreme Judge
to determine the right Faiths and Jilence the wrongs then, and
then, and I know not what ; but at laft, then pray excufe.
me^ if my reafony and piety ^ and the reverent notion which I ^
'have of a Jufi Godj and a mercifull Saviour y totally force
my Judgment y and Confcience to dijfent from you in this par^
ticular.
Now this is no Argument , that there is fuch an Au-
thority in the Church, (either Eaftern or Wefierny Roman
or Gnecian) but a wheedling Difcourle to perfuade weak
Perfons, that there may be fuch an oiie j becaufe in our
Authour s Opinion it would be fit or requifite, or proper
for God Almighty, in this method to dired the interefts
of his Church. And to bring People on to this belief,
here is an audacious and prefumptuous intimation, that
God would neither be wife, nor good, in cafe he did ittiot.
Here we beg our Authour s pardon ; we will believe
God to be wife, and good, and mercifull, whether he fets
up fuch an Authority or no : He knows what is fit, and
requifite, and proper, much better than fucK pert confi- .
dent men. He permits fins great, and moil enormous io
the World, thoUgh he. could as eafily give a flop to them
as to Errours and Herefies.
"There
^ (71)
There are Errou^s amongft froteflants^ ^nd therfe are Er-
rours amongft Romaniftsi and if the Temporal Authority
did not doe more than the Spiritual, they themfelves
would complain of many more, than now they do.
There are Errours and -tterefies of late days, and there
were fo from the firft beginnings of Chriftianity , in all
times and places ; St. Paul tells of fome in his days , and
Ignatius of others, and Irenceus of others, and thofe moft ,
grois, and vile, and filthy. -►
' Now if Qod had made provifion of the pretended Au-
thority and Infallibility to give flop to them ; it were
miofl: improbable , if not impoffible that ever thefe flioiild
have been.
" Their exiftencc therefore is plain argument and demon-
flration, that there are no fuch powerful! means fet up,
and appointed by God, to prevent, hinder^ (lop, or fi*
lence them. He has done enough againll them, as he has
done againft all fins j it is prefumption not to acquiefce
in his Wiledom, or to challenge that he rauft doe that-
which we cannot prove that he has done.
But our Authour leaves this, and lays he muft proceed, p, ^o.
p. 30. and that he does, yet not to evidence the Authority
and Injallihility o{i\it Roman Church by better Arguments •
but to plead the intereft -of it , in general, from the per-
formances of Augufiine the Monk.
This is an Argument that pleafes him ; he had been
nibling at it three times before, ^.18. p.zi. p.^y. There he
intimates that this Augufiine firft taught the Englijh Nation
Chriftianity j and that he taught them thofe very Dodtrines
•as Chf iftian Truths which we at this Jay oppoje : He fays,
p. z I . That all the Controverted Points^ particularly^ and
by namCy were declared by fome of your f elves to have he^n
brought into England by Augufiine the Monk above a thou-
fand years Jince.:
I fuppofe he means that his Friend the famous Napper^ or
fome of his Apocalyptical Acquaintance,had declared t h is.But ^
after
c.
after all,he comes to treat more clofel v upon this Argument,
fag. 50, ^i, 3x. I ihall confider what he fays, and therr
give a full accompt of the whole matter. But, before I
begin, I mufl: complain^ (^for it is a grief) that I have an
Adverfary fo weak, and yet fo confident.
For thofe two learned Men, their Mr. Creffey\ and ouf
Reverend Dean of St. Paurs have accurately confidered and
weighed all the particulars of this Difpute, and made the
bed ad vantages of it. But the man knows nothing of their
Writings. Pope Gregory he names, and Bede he names,
h\xt gives us not any ground to think that ev^er he has read
over Bedes Hiftory, or confulted Pope Gregory's Epijtles •
and both thefe ought to have been well fludied by a Wri-
ter upon this Subjed, if he had due regard for Truth, or
his own Credit. .
I. Firft, he fays. If you tell me a Story of the Ahhat of
Bangor ; / anfwery that the particular ground^ of it is evi^
demy falfe and forged. Now Bede is the man that tells
us a Story of the\^^^^/ of Bangor ^ and the nuttibers of
Bede,/. 2, c.z. Monks in that Ahhey. And the Story^ as it lies in Bede^
gives all the advantage to Proteftants that they «m wilh»
Hi. 1. qip. X. . And if there be fomething added to th^t
Story from an Ancient Record found and publiftied by
Sir Henry Spelman • the skill and integrity of that excel-
lent Perion would perfuade an indifl^rent man not pre-
fently to damn it for a forgery ; for he was not likely, ei-
ther to contrive one, or to be cheated with one. But be
this what it will, the Story that Bede gives is fufficient for
our ufes, and that, I hope, he will not fay is falfe of^
forged. ' , *
P. 30, X. He fays, that the Britains received the Chriflian Faith
in the Apojiles days ; hut being perfecuted by Romans ^ Pi^s
. and Saxons J Religion fled to the Mountains j and bordering
parts of Wales, at the fame time the Church of Rome was no
leJS affliB^d by the Heathen Emperours. This is grofs igno-
ranee to talk of Saxons perfecuting the Britains^ and Re-
ligion
ligidn flying, iotQ Wales in the titnei of the Heathen. Bmpe-
tours. Did. the Man never hear of the name of Ctmfttmtine^
and of the Qtfines of tha& glorkmslOirifttan Emperours
that fuGceedec^ him intkt.Eaft. Zf^ fifiT^ f di more than
two hundred years before the flying into Wdtfs ? I hope
he will not call them perfecHting Heathen Emperours^ who
brought the Empire into the Churchy , . ' ;
The famous ConmU at T^ict ^KraSs oeldbrated in, the Year
3^ 5'. arni.the coming oF the Saxons ymdttHengifi into Bri^ ^
tain was not till the Year 450, and it was near a hundred
years after that, before the Britains Mi^ere difpoflefled of the
refl: of their Countrey, and forced to fccute themfelves a-
naongft the Mountains of Wales.,
This our Authourm^t eafily have known, if^hc had
read Bede , but he knew it not • therefore he adds, Na
winder if in thefe days and circumflances there wm hut little
correfpondence ietween Rome and Wales.
This now is worfe and worfe; what ! a -little corres-
pondence between Rwie and Britain y wlien Confiantius
was in Britaiuy and Confiantiney and Theodefius^ and Max*
imi0y and the moll of the chief Roman Commanders, in
their diftindt times. What! little correfpondence between
them } though three of the Britijb Bilbops \yere at the
Council 6i Aries; and as many very probably at Ube;
and as many certainly at the Council of Ariminum ; and
oiSardica. Did this Man never hear of the names oiPe^
lagiusy znACwleJlius; or of PaSadius j znd Patricias^ and
hundreds of others who came from Ron$e to Britain, or
wect from Bfitain to Rome in all this bng tnik of time i
I would be willing to think that I millake a little, ra-
ther than judge that be.millakesibgrony.
But he will not allow it> for he will have all the Wocld
Xo fee how ignorant he is : He adds to this thefc-words 5 ^
But IV hen the church (J^r^i^ht from her fu^terjraffeifus: rji^fn^p * p, 31.
geSy andfet upon a Hill) began to enlarge her felf\ and fro- ;
pqgate the Gofpel^ GfQf^vy the Great ftnt Auguftine f/»
L Monk ^
/
Certain^ fa& dosiCthifdftirh^l: ^M^;^^^
his PredecBJftmn wtttixxviA^rtht f^rfecH^^ HmhehEM^
fcrmrs • for now iie>i^ys ^\ th^yjSh^rch4».uhMgktfr€m
her fuhterraneous nfuM$\f And nm» P^voa^fft^upontheHi^^
learan this) I • bbpeiDW* ftom his Ef>i?jid« the fkfhjm Naf^^'-
per. What is become^ of ftwa and thirty Bi/ho|« of BotHty
fo many thcte^vitrt between Syk^Jiefi (wbois feidtahave .
Uptized the:Empocoiir-^t?#j2i»^^ and this Qr^^ry the
Great ^ did they all fleep ?.>did they dde ^nothing for the
Churoh,- tihac fhe irmft b^flud no^w to inlarge her felf ?
There was near three hundred years pa^ft from Conflantine's, *
pofieflibn- of ^the Empire^ to this rnkfioii of Augufiine the
Mank • and was the Gharch all that time 'm futttrraneom
refuges i - r^ . ^ ' , ' ? .
V^he^v^^tiktidfubNtrim^tu refuges^ from whence
the Church came ? and' where was the Hill> upon which
the .Church was fet^ in this Gregorys days ? I know that
Jubn of Cm^Mtahifle was then mod ambitious, and in«
deavDured t0 mpuntup his Seat to higher power and dig-
nity, than that of ifi?»«? it felf* He challenged all the
proud 7/r/jr/ that the-f^<^/>^J afterwards ufurpt; and de*
ftgned to fet his Church uf^nthe Hill. But Gregory the
Firfi. wfote:againft:*him, and charged: him with pride and
arrogancyv and iaidpltiinly, that whatever Bi(hop Qwhfi''
ihGtRomaH <ir€d9^af$tiHopolitan^ ihould afliime thofeT/*-
tksy he would be Anikhriftiani or at Jeaft the Forerunner
0f Anticbrift. It .i$ certafn that Gregory the Great was con-
tent to Iceep thifi^s as he fdund them ; he did not fet the
Qnirdi'UpcHi&tiiH,' orinkrgttits^^wer. The Romanifts
can fcawe pordoa-him^ for the great fubmifflwi and d^e-
rence which he yielded to the Bmferaur^ and the large ex-
pre/Tions M^hicb he ttfed in his ConteA againft John ^Co$^
^antinoph ;
'fidntmfie'i 9otthg'Fntis^mt$ flrongfy atgttc &aai chem
ag^ttdll the pKteoces of the jpi0^e5 tbe^
. But odr i^irAErMr ^ik) thatQK^Qty fint Ays^^
tti&ke a difcovery of ^ DfiknoMraiianc).; i bnc in thm iie is
vlike hinilelf, ftilL miflakedp : ^ \ ,-.. . -.. ^
: .:fmry&xggoty.ki}&fp\htm fliattef&\weill bdre ;: iir>knov
;: ind then: £iiii/ibdA/iKi^v;^A^^^ I
and^ tktt lie perf<irfhed ta^ hery.rad. hes ^
Chriiti«n Offices ih^^tbe Chus^&Ii oS^St. M^iA^i^tiibiktrCM' Bede, ub. i.
And G/'d;gi?ry hioifelf fays ini^luntti^ fJiK^'.l»^6m
-this id^j^fimc^t^ ihbigftg ^/]Rri»te^ : iodMAt^dclbsecfid by
r^hffb/in iteb paffige Itt^r, cXbaLt'lhs^JTiv^^^ wqre
-« V/'e»^^^Afl[lftir^^\AB^9rtlm Greg. Epifi.
^ /imi ^pc^iiiremy cufk: zebts: ^ifimhum ieki mbh ^li ^agii^
e/wfff )i '.iimiidiivferm 1>ei pnasot^ustHkc^di^mn \jSgih
' o^kmMemuidmfktliitione Jiicty qtmntmm Ben ilmkaimit aJju-^
.tr<grr^j:iUtidto the:£nne purpofe^ wiritei ik theinekt £*
off tjtir j^^^^r-boixli^ea' this^ he'ti/t)tiId:o6t :bive:&id Greg. £/. 59,
: tliat Gn^ryf ftHtiiMfftfiine to ficimo matters tieH(\keKe\im
^tbitlmgimtfml'vf^knce. . . \ »
But be god; on, 'and tetls us^ tbut the Sritam htew hhn
-^Mt iQthatis il3]igikliiK^J^i^rr//^^er kud amfitinei hh Cemmif-
fion by Miracles. ; '1 . r * . * • . . » *
L X Now
. V
(7-5,) . '
. Now what had be to doe with them, or theyii'irfi hliii >
his CommifTion was ta convert the Saxms^ or the Englifh
from their Paganifm to Chr^iamty^ as Gregory {^ys in th*
Bedc, lih. I. foremenrioned RpiftU^ and sflSr^ iir thefe words. . Ml^t
^^f ^^' Servum Dei Augullinum, ' ^ alios cem^lures praedicare Ver^
. f bam Dei^ ^eiffi^Aa^orimi Be/k calls hifm Aj^lorum Apo*
: JiohiSj cot hem he w^s lent, to them he came; and he
, had more work to doe amongft them than he was able to
. perform :; Thd BritaiMs nsrero notiin the lead concerned in '
; ItisiGDinhBifioiir • ,f6t they^^ChnllJAes^ : a^d vdty ^ood
u% fiat the great. Errmirs J which Auguftine./^M^ 4:iif(';ir^
^bemy't^re chi^j/iiwo'^ Their. Ajiatick
the ieepiwg bf Eafiei^ > ^i/. dijfent fniftthe £mm Ch^nh in
' Aietoi thttfirXUxif ttefey their J^ti^ Err9kr^zb6xxt kee-
;. jaog of Ea/^er ^ T]x^Britaiifs.obSsiVtd the RyJe which
they had received . with their Cbriftiantty * and they re-
> iceived thaty as our 'Attthwt hy^^.iii.the jds^xpf the^ Apo^
\ ' '' ^iHa. The ^TJiUrir^j reifeWc^
^Mom^Mirtyr Polyi^rp defended it iloMy .ailn 'Apoftofi-
^Hcal Tradition I a whole Council under Folytrates^ in the
Yjedx j^^. dedlaired it to be the Rule of St« jFbibff, taught
-^tuid pKaii4%Kl^^him« /^UpoR.ih^^
- iet^ditfinUk^^ibiean be no ]gf^t one. For thereismo Tra*
jji fi ^ fi l l^l^ Ariae Qe^ttm Rmney pr any ^<far.Chufch^
wfaicftifcragr ilandk upon the credit of Tradition^ .Andhas
no fiippott AomjScfipture^ that can be better evidenced
to come from an Apoflle^ and with the firft Chriftianity,
> than this Tradition which thj^Mritnin^^ S(Ms^ Ajtaticks^
iCifaksyaliQdmdin very early times, to have received in
one and the mme way. For if this l)e lb great an Errour,
tbou^ it befo well attefied, and foftroi^y urged to be
Sin AJppJldical Tradition ^ what fectvlty c^d. we have for
the truth of any other rW/A/w whatfoever. ^
The
( 77 )
The great St.Auguflm fliews us in his ^pifile Cafulano^ s. Anguft.
that the name of Su Peter can give no more Authority to ^P- ^6.
a Tradition, than the name of iSt. 'John ; nor has any Tra-
dition more grounds of credit> becaufe k comes to us by the
way ofRame^ than if it cam6 by the way olEpbefus ; the Ea*
ftern Church is as creditable a Conveyancer of Tradition, as
the Weftern. . Therefore if the Britatns muft be accpfed of
any gt^at erf our for foUowtag of th>i?^ Tradition, the R(h
man Church mud be highly (:()n4emne4 f<n: requirii^ the
obfer^^tnce of fo many thiBRs^ by virtue of Tradition,
,^ when they have not the ]eali appearance of fuch Argu-
ments, as the Britains bad, to prove their Traditions Apo-
ftdicaL The BrMai$s kept clp^ to their fir A Rule, ne*
ver in the leaft .yasied fronj it. The Roman Church, oft
changed and altered ; aqd that before this Augkfkne the
Jtfoffk's days, a$ the Learned Degn of St. Paufs has accu-
rately lhown,in hi».Difcourfe againft Mr.CreJTey. And
. wlien thofe of tb^ Rm4» Comn>union argued againfl the
Ajfatkksy and Bri fains , they Couldi q^ diiprove the Tra-
.dition, or (hew that this pca^ice was an Innovation ; but
. they alleged Reafons, and external Arguments, to ihew
.the inconvettiency of it, from the milchiefs that might
come by fucb * compliance witb the jFwjI Tbus the Ta-
: bles were changed^ Rpmanifis were for Reafon againft Trar
.^ition ; and fo they ever will be, when it is for their la^
tereft. ,
, z. The fecood Errour charged upon the BritaJfnSy is
diffent from the Chun^h pf Rom^ if the ^Jminiftrhfg of Baf^
tijm^ Now; this, \ fuppofe,' is put in to makevWeight in
the Accufatipa : foR though Bede has thofe. wo& yet he
.tells not wherein their pradice difier'd from /he Romans^
nor yet wherein they were to be blamed ; and has not one
word in ,aU his Hiftory befides,^ wherein l^ft bJaroes either
the Britains^ br thi Irifhy whom he calls .00 tn^language
of thofe times) Scots^ for any errour in the adminliiration
of Baptifm. He fays, lib. %. cap. 4, of tilt Scots that they
had
(7«)
B€dc, lib.i. lia^ the fame wistys and methotis that the Britains'h^d^
^^f' ^- Jhnilem vitam ac prefejjionem egtffe j and there liaving bee|),
According to Bed^^ fevef al t^j^^oces between the RomcMifls^
^nd the ScM$^ ib 4e(ler InoitttnSf had This been their
-fault, this w(M tiaVe l:ieea charged too lopcM them.
P. 31. :Our Authonr adds^ Ai^Ugh in-fome ether nutttentbey
^iffer^d from the Chur<h of Rome, yet Auguftioe pnmifed
tutoltrait thtmy fp&iiiJed fhiy ^vtmld te&ify tbefay #ift&
^*he SritifhBiJh&fs eonJ^}edi(^ ;;. J ^^ ' ' t
This is the worftTifTag* in all oflf /<«?i(^(?i«r's Bo»k : fdr
it is manifefily faife, |)bint*blank agaiiA iede's Wdr^,
ivho e3q)refly fays, that they would not confentjIOfd
then in the thanner of <king ^ the^I^t&ge , there is that
^fHing afnd juggle, ^that pfolnly flidW3 he defigned falf-
Bcdc, //A. 2. hood. The words in Bede are tfaefc j iJi in triius his mihi
<^^P'^' ehttmftrare vuitisy ut Pafchdfuo tempore ceUiretis^ ut mi^
"nijlerinm Saptizandiy que Deo yenafamir^ juxtdmorem Rd^*
ininx faniire £cclefi^y^& Apeft^ic^ Ecilefia eompUath' ;
ut genii Angforufmi^Mf ifoiifcuni pra^dhetis vef^uM D0fiihi^
tat era fute agitisy qnamvis morihus noflrk <Mtr4f^a a^uanl^
miter cunda toleraimus. At iSi nihil horum fe f^urds^ ni^
que ilium pro Archiepifcopo haiiturvs ejfe refpondehant.
There tattnot be a iiore plain denial than tiiis. Mow then
totnes ant Authouf^ to iSxy that' they a»/euf^d f TfMttnth
is, he ieems refoivcdto^lay it, true, or faife, and there,
fore he leaves. the laft \vordSj wherein Bede declares thfe
Bedc, lib. 2. Britaim difleht; and adds to them thefe; Cum Brif^nes
^^%\ I 'cMfitekikrhifeOexifeJi i^rqm ejfeviamja^tiay qmim pta^
dicaret i^tiguftteos ; Kp/(?, //ivi. cap, z. Arid from tbttnefc
would infer,^t3iat th^ Brk^ins did conftfit. But theft
words belong to another matter ; they are part 6( Bedels
Narration of thefirft meeting that Augufiiue had with the
iSritains* (ben itittms'Au^he did a Miracle, and th6
Britaim had a-great fenfe of it, ' and did confeffi tbat Augu^
flines way was the right way : Bot yet for all this ilound,
and ha/ly words, they immediately recolle<aed themfelves,
and
aod in the next mamenfc teH him, aa Bedei fayi; /^^ fe Bede, nii.z.
tpfifihs^ T^at. mtbmt thi ha^e aiui confent ef their own :
CUr^^dnd^Laitiy^or a^ynsd^^ (whickvm uftutit ftirthwith
caBed^ they csuU. not deipdrt frtmthtirancknt Cu^ -
Thus we fee that the Britains who tonfeffed^ as our Au-
thour fay Sy yet would not confenfy till they had the Opi-
nion, and Judgment of a Spodi and when Augtfime pro-
pofed his Matters to the iSyweu/,. they flatly: denied either
to receive his Dodnine, or himfelf as thei© ArMiJhcpi. So
then it is plainly falfe, that t\\& Britains confented. But
yet our A^thoar puts down that Coafdlkm^ firft^ in Ef^JiJhy
and aiter another quite difierent difcourfe he putsit down in
Latine ; and that on purpofe to prove^^riMg^^A Now this
muft be defigned to cheat, and couzen fome* I hope he;
meant it for the Rowan Cathalicks ; I do not fear that any. :
P/'(?/^jj5;/ can be gulled by fuch a fleight •
But from thisDifcourfe our -^«/^i»robfer vies that it^
may be inferred that Augufline^ and thcLfir/ri^fiirj agreed i» .
Siibftantials : this may be allowed , if he means onely
thofe things which are neceflarily to be held by every
one that is a Member of the true, Catholick, Apoftolick
Church. They agreed in th^ lame Samouty in tHe fame
Scriptures y in the fame.Cre^^, and in all the Doi^rine^
that was maintained and declared in the Jirfi^ four General
Councils.
But this will not fuffice, for our Authour imagines that
they agreed in all the Dodrihes which the Chui^cb of Rome
at this day indeavours to impofe upon others. In-order .
to this, pag^'iz. he difcour les : After off tbisj tan vere ie^
lieve that the Britains^ who earnefily contraditted Auguftine
in thefe JmaBer matters^ and were fo tenacious of their own
Cuflomsy would have Jilently received fa many^ and'* incompa^ ^
rahly greater points of Faithy had they in like manner Mfa^
greed from him therein ? credat Judaeus Apella.. -
Here
; I
(8o)
Here our Aufhour is much to be blamed, beckufe be^
will not permit us to give him civil Language ; he does
not onely betray his ignorance, but what is much worfe •
in this Paragraph he challenges to have skill in Bede^ and ^
Bede is the man that oontradids him in every thing he
fays. For Bede tells us, that the Britains neither received
greater points of Faith , nor lefler ^ from Augufiine the
Monk, nor his Companions. But for more than one hun-
dred years after Augufiine's arrival, they efteemed all his
teachings to be vain, and trifling, and little better than
Paganifm. He concluded his Hijiorym the Year y%$. as
appears, lih. 5. cap. %^ and he himfelf tells us in his £//-
towe^ that Augufiine came into England in the Year 597.
Lih.z. cap. 10. Yet he fays, Cam ufque hodie maris /itBritonumj Fidem
Religionemque Anglorum pro nihilo habere ; nejue in aliquo '
eis magis communicarey quhn Paganis. That the Britains^ ac*
. cording to their ufual waj^ had no ejieem at all for the Faith
and Religion of the Englifb ; and that they would no more
comniunicate with them^ than with the * Pagans.
Lib. 2. cap. 4. And Bede does not oneiy iay that the Britains had fo
mean an opinion of the Romans^ and their Difciples ,• but
Jikewife that the Scots (or Irijh^ had the fame. For
where hfe gives us part of the Letter that Laurent ius^ MeU
lit us y and "juftus fent to xSxe. Scots j He fays, that when
they had tried the Britains^ they thought the Scots might
be better. Cognofcentes BrittoneSy Scgttcs meliores pntavi^
musy but yet they found both alike. For Daganius their
Bifhop would f^either eat at the fame Table ^ nor in the' fame
Houfe with them. Dagamus Epifcopus ad nos veniensnon
folkm cibum no b if cum y fed nee in eodeVn HofpitiOy quo vef
ceiamuty fumere voluit.
In the hmt page he lays that Laurentiwy' znd the reft, .
wrote to the Britains too ; Sed quantum haic agendo frofe-
cerit adhuc prafentia tempora declarant: Tliat is, that .
the prefent oppofition , which the Britains made againtt
the Romanifls in Bede's days, fuffiqently Ih^weth that Lau*
rentius
,(-iO
i^m tWias «LiKfe w§ \i%^'^nrMm M^, %t:/{9pi
no fegard for the Romans tc^^flg pf ;Faiit^ ^r ^ellgiqp,
fo Ar asit ^ife'^ koBi ik4x, gw^,. , .^ _ #»
. • . Fr<?iA tl^efe . two, R4i%^ f^yM^ ^^HnS^f^ «9jde Henr. Kun-
the remark which he has, lit. 3. Hift. Jsec Britanjtfii^ififc J^^^^" ^'^*
Scot OS veOe commtmicare cum Anglis^ & eorum Epifcopo fan^^ ' /
£to Auguflifio^ magis quam Paganis.
This is fufEcient to fliew our ^^^/'(^^r s prefumption in
ailedging£i?^(? to patronize his vain Opinations concerning
the Brttains^ if w^\gi\?e credit to him, the Britains did
-not receive , either fo many, or fo great points of Faith
from Augufiine the Monk • for they received none at all.
And therefore his Confequerice which he ^rawsjFrom
thence, is like his Pr?mifles, good for nought' ^ That is
this }^j^at the. DoSlrines (jhefe two Points excepfeity their - .
^yA^hk iS^«i, and the difference about Baptifm^ which
Auguftine taught the Saxons y had been delivered ta the Bri*
tains from the Apoftles.
For feeing we have an acknowledged difierence in thefe
two Points in Auguflin^s days, and other differences (as I
ihall ihew} brake out afterwards, and we find no manner
of agreement between Auguftine and the Britains ; and no
communication between his Followers and them forttn
hundred yoars after, but an extreme averfion and abhpr-
'^renceoF'tTiemr, arid theff ways •* he caif no" inore argue
for the truth of Auguftine's DoiStrines from the confent of
tht Britains J than he may for the truth of all the Dodtrines
which the prefent Church of Rome teaches, from the con-
fent of the prefent Church of England • we oppofe tliem,
ancj^fo did they ; we, and they too, rejed: their Novelties,
their unjuft Ufurpations, their unreafonable Impofitions;
And though the terms of Communion which they would
^My ^pl&n us, are much harderthan thofe which Auguftine
OTOrecFto tiK Britains^ yet we thank God our charity
M continues
(8*)
contidues towards them ; we call them ChrUUans, ancf
treat them as ChrifUans, (which the old Britam wodd
not do) and with meelmeft and humility we oideavour
to ihew them their ErroiiHr& '
HMs is enough to the Cafe of Amyifiine^ and. of Bedi%
Relatioa^ it. And enoug^h to the Firft Part of this Att"
Sir
1687,
I am Timrs,
V >
•
r o u ■ »
%
- - «
• >
.J
r
{«3)
4
AiriefAcicdmtof Angvi&ine, and th,
Converfion ofthe'Engliih, taken out
^f BedeV Ecclefiaftical Hiftdr y ,
AZ/guJiiHeaher he had been received •gratioufly by
Ximg Etheihert^ Icnew not what he had to doe. He
Was fent to preach plain Chriftianity to thofe that
were willing to learn it : But he had a mind to doefome-
thing elfe, and therefore foon fent to Pope Gregory for his Bedc, lib. i.
refolution of certain Queftions ; moft of which our modern ^^P- ^7*
Hiflorians cenfure as Legal and Leviticalj and think them
all^ excepting three^ to be of little ufe. Two of thefe are re-
markable, the jfrfi concerning his own power, which he
wouldhave extended not onely over Britain^ but to France;
in this latter he was reprefled, and told that the Pope could
not, nor oi^ht to grant it, becaufe his PredecejfoHrs had
before faled it on the Bijbof of Aries ; yet over th€ Bijhops
oi Britain he gives him all the power which he could wilh.
Omnes Epifcopos Britanniarum tua fraternitati committimusy Bcde, lib.tl
ut indo^i Joceantur^infirmi perfuafione rohorentur^ perverfi cap 27*
^utoritate corrigantur. Now it was unreafonable in Augufiine ^' ^'
to ask this^ and iiyuftice in Gregory to grant it : For both
muft heeds know, that this was an invafion of (he Rights
of Bijbops againft the Canons of the Church j againft the
Sixth of the Nicene Council^ and the Eighth ohhc JEphe^ne^
which fays exprefly, that if the Rites of Churches are ta-
ken away^ and that by any /^o/r/^ re* wliatfctever, that Fad
fliould be null and invalid. This (Father ^an^i* fays} gave Bamefius
juil caufe and reafon to the Briti/h Bilhops to with Hand c^^/>%«.
Anfli^ ; iuid videbatur Auguftimis dxsf^vCv^q ag^re cum iii^ co* ^^'** ^'
gendo eos ut reciperent eum pro Archiepifcopo^ ^ mandatis ex-
terorum fa fubaerent. Cum antiqui mores Ecclejia fua: pojlu-
larenty ut omnia inter fa Synodice agerent^ turn pro Epifao-
M X porum
(H)
/ porjum crJiffatioKiSuSy turn prf ^liis negotiis E^iefiaflicis.
Be^cy lib. I. ThefecMd'coAMtt^t^QMery otAiig)(fiW^
lnm\ ^^ Rituals^ F^tms of Wjxtjhip^ Mljfals or Ltturgtes j in
this he proposed \\oStf k fotneS to pafs, feting the Paith is
the fame ivery*u>fj€reythat there is a d^erence in Miffklsy
one form or ufage in Rome, and another in France. Now to^
this, tfe? Vope gave him a wife antj good anfwer> if he made
life of it ; That he fhoUl^ gather from eVeT}r place, what*
ever fie foUrid beft, and flioft pleafmg to Afmighty God ^
not having refpedl to places, but to things j and if the Forms
and Ufages of France were better than thofc oi Rome, he
might freely take them, without giving any partial reipe^
Bede, lik I. |;p ^^^ pjg^g where he* had been bred j If on enim pro locisi
^^P^l'. ^^ res, fed pro tonts i^eius^ locafunt amanda. This wa$ a moft
worthy d iredtion of Gregiry the Great • and if Augufiine had
followed it^ no doubt his Rules and Orders had been vene-
rable and good : But it is more probable he did it not. Be-
caufe he was over bufie iri faulting the Britifh Churches j.
He charges them with forae things as intolerably ^ and ci-
ther things, which he intimites to be many, as contrarjr
to Roman Ufages. Cetera guiB^ agitis, quamm morihics ndfirjs
Bcde, lib. 2, contraria equanimitefcunBatolerahlmu^ Now X\iQ Britifh:
^f" 2. 3nj French Churches, as they had the fame Faith, fo they
had much thefam'e Rituals, Miffals and Liturgiei. * They
had frequent Comfnunicafibns ond with' another ; and in,
difficulties about Religion, they Were moft friendly, and
ready to give mutual aid? and afTiftances • Three Britifb
Bedc, iih.\. Bifhops were at the Co^lat Arles^ in France • and two
cApfii. French Bifhops^ ^VGermah, and ^t: Lupus, by order of a
Council, at the requeft pf'the Britains, came into Britain to
flop the Pelagian Here fe, to reform Errours, and compofe
Differences there. Agiliertt4s who was afterwards JB/yJe''^'
of Paris, came from France into Ireland, and (laid a con-
fidcrabfe time there to ftudy Divinity, and improve his
. Bcdc lik 3. ^^^^' ^^ ^^^^ ^^^y Scriptures. Agillertus natione GaUus le^
caf, .7, gendarum gratis Scripturarum in Hyherni^ nonpatvo tempore-
demo*
t
H
Emeritus j And others went from Brkam into Fraftceup^
on the fame account.
From hence we may eafily prefume, that the Britijkjrifh
and French Churches had in mod things the fame Rules .
and OrJers aniongft them j St. Jerome kySy Epifi.s^. 6aU Jerome, js^. 58*
7/4? & Britannia Ecclefia umtm Chrijlum^ unam oifervant
rtffitam Fidei. Upon this accompt it feems not ynlikdy,
that Angt^ine might think he had as many exceptions a-
gainft the French Churches, as againft the Btitijh. As he
feults the ways and methods of the Britains^ l>ecaufe they
were different from the Cuftoms of the Romms^ moriius
Mtfiris contraria. So he offers it to the Po^e^ as a thing Bede, ub- 2.
worthy of confi deration, that the French Mijfals were not ^^A »•
the feme with the /?(?w(^,
In both cafes he feems to govern himfelf by one and the
feme reafon, and that is this • that the FormSy VJagesznd
Mi ffals of Rome were tht h^R^ Bad thtrcfote all other Chur^
ehes ought to be brought into the feme liietbods with that.
Frbm hence it appears that th«re was a di&rence amongft
the -ftwiwwy themlelves. Pi^/v^rdg^ry was df one mind, a^d
Augufiine of another. Tope Gregory thot^it there were
pious^nd ufefull Inffitutions in other Places, as well as at
Rome; fome as good, aad fome better. A^ therefore he
gave ady ict to Augufiine to pick and choofe » every Coun*
trey whatever he thought to be beft, or moft fekable to
the People, whom he ihouH convert to the Cbriftian Faith.
Exfingulis ergo qnihfque Ecclejii^y pta pia^ fu/e Religiofa^ Bede, lih:u
qua redafunt elrge^ & hi^ee juajt infafii^ulum colk£l^^ apud cap. 27,
Angler urn menfes in cofffuetudinem depone. Whatever yoajind
ih any Church ivherefoever^ that is pious, religious and ri^t^
take it, and teach it to the Englijh, and iringit into ufe andi
cuftonK dmongfl them. Herein he ihewed himfelf to be great,
and wife, as well as Chriftian • but Augt^ine'^^s altoge-
ther Romany he would take nothii^, and fcarcely allow of
any things that he himfelf had not been ufed to at Rome.\ *
He aftcd qijite contrary to the Popes diredtions, , He gave:
himfelfi
(«0
hlmfclf up to that fondnefs and partialky, which Gregory
above all things hated. He was for Places, and not for'
Things J and inftead of teaching the plain Chriftianity to
Saxons^ he bufiqd himfelf to bring the Falhions of Rome ity-
xo Wales : hereby he loft the advantages which the pru-
dence of Gregory had laid out for him. He exafperated and
difguflec^both the Briti/h^ and Scotijb (or Irijb Churches)"
and had but fmajl fuccefs ainongft the Engli/b ; for the
Chriftianity he planted amongft them wa§ but fliort liv'd.
As foon as Ethelhert was dead, Augujiine's new Converts,
turned Renegadoes to their old Paganifm ; his Companions,
Becjf, lih.z. Mellitus and JhJIuSj were forced to fly • and Laure»tius
^^f' 5- ^ vvho roiraculoufly was- ftopped, as 'Beae fays) began 4i'
new work, and with much pains and labour, after the re- .
turn of Mellitus and "jufius^ cflfofted but little.
Faulinus^ and other Miffionaries ^ came after, and did
ibmething. But if we believe Bede^ the Saxons were as
much obliged for their Converfion to the Scots^ and to the^
French^ as to the Romans ; He commends the Labours of
Columlafif Aidan^ ofCed^znd Ceaddq^ and Finan^ and Colman^-
and Trumherey and Agilbertus^ and Felix^ as highly as any
of the Romans. By the unwearied labours of thefc Men,
Chriftianity found 4 refurredion, and after death was re-
ftbred to life again ; it Hved and flouriihed, and fpr^d it
felf to moft parts of this IJland.
Her6 it muft be obferved, that in the tinies of thefe Men,^
Chriftianity had one advantage which it wanted before;
and that is this. That a Man of a quite different temper ,
from Augufline was then Arehhijhop o{ Canter hury : For f{o»
noriusy who was third Succeflour to Augujiine^ did as in-^
duftrioufly avoid all needlefsContefts, as Augnftine did pre- ^
cipitately run upon them. He feems to be a Man intirely
of Gregorys fpirit and temper ; He was for goodnefs,^d .
piety, and fmcere Chriftianity, and would not ftand up-
on Ritualsy and Vfages of Rome • upon nicety and pun^i-
lib ; {6 as for their fakes to give dift urbance to fuch as were
' faithfuir
. ( 87 )
£utbM in teaching plain Chriftian Dodfrines. That which
Aitgufiine accompted intolerable, apd did what he could
to extir^te, and.mufl: be thought to be too much imbitte-^
red againft the Profeflburs of it, if he outliv'd the flaugh-
ter of the Monk$^o{Bangory Honor m could tolerate ; for he.
kept communion and tistir correfpondence with Aidan and
the Scots; though they continued in the Afiatkk Errour^
as our Authour calls it ; or obferved their Eafter Feaji at a
difier^nt time from what the Romans wobld haVe them to
keep it;: and that according to the fame rule which Augw^
fiine fo highly faulted in the Britijh Church, Bede tells us. Lib. 3, eapjx^.
Hac diJfonantiaFafchalis vivente Aidano patienter ah om^
niius tolerahatur ; quia etfi Fafcha contra morem eorum^ qui -
ipfnm miferantj facerenon potuit r opera tamenfidei^ pieta^
tiSi & dileilionis juxta morem omnilms Sanffis confuetum di^
lig(mter exequi curavit ; undt ah onmiluSj etiam his qui d^
Fafcha aliter fentiehant^ merito diligebatur^ necfolum h me^
iiocribus verum ai ipfis quoque Epifiopis^ Honor io Cantuario^
rum J & Felice Orientaiium An^orum^ vcnerationi hahitus efi. \
By this it appears^ ^ziHonorius^ and Felix too, the iSi-
fhop of the Bafi Angles ^ were Men of a different temper
from Augu^ine^ of a higher and more inlarged>Spirit ; they
looked upon Chriftianity as a thing much different, and
infmicely preferable before Roman Ulages, Cuftoms anid De-
fierminationSi
Whilfi; this^Spirit governed, much was done in the pro-
pagation of Chriftianity amongft the Saxons^ by Aidan^ Fi-
nan J zodColmafty all Scots ^ ai)d fucceffively Sifl>ops of JJn-^
disfarn. Finan ordained i^ii^ifM^Biihop of the Ater<ians^ and BcdcV lA.^i^
Ctf^ Bifliop of the Eafi SaxonSy by whofe Labours they re- cap.zu
ceived again the Chriftian Faith, which they had caft off
ever fuice, the Expujfion of MellitHS^ that is for near, fifty Bedc, ub.^
And'he wenron with'greatfucce6in?his Diocefe, rai-
fmg up Churches, and ordaining Priefts apd Deacons ; ma--
jortamoritattinoepum opus exp}ens^ Fxcit perhoaSccle^
(88) .
^mimjiirioiaftizsiHiiiaJjievareMt, •
And Bede tells us, that at the death of DenJJeiJit^ Arcb^
htjhop otCantertury ^ there was in all BritMB but one Bi-
jho^p ordained by the Romans; ^ whkh lie caWs Canonically
ordained, and that was fVim ; and that he >va5 ioiiidc con-
cerned for AtmfiiHts oipinion in the Pafchai GontroveriSfc,
that he joined to himielf two Britifb ftiflaopB in the Ordi-
Bede, ?/t. 3. nation of Ceadddy to be Anhbifh^f of T^rk. Wmi ^ampm
-^'^?- 2 • in pKtetatem Ordmationis^ duoius 4e Brit>MUfn gente Efifip-
pH^ qui Dmihiicum Paji:ha diem ftcm morem Camaicuni-c^kr
irant. Non^pim erat tmk ulks^ excefiip iih WiHl^^tota
Britannia C^7i0nice Or^inat us. < . . .1 -
Thus things wra t on eafily, with gneac fuooefs, M^grei t
deKght J the Gofpel was preached among che^^x^Mi by
thde Sc^tSy tiH W^i//r//fais r^w Hett^cifis
was a fprightfuU Youog-fliatf, atid ddfirows vto wife hinorf&If
to Ibme greater eniinency tha;n others, np^ tha t ac^mpc
he travelled abroad to J^rtfw^,and iRMi^^*andinadekMs4}u(fi-
nefs to krfbrtti himieilf 6f the Ufages andJ^adtices that^were
ttere. At Rome lie iludied the Controverfie about E^^^
«nd there tinder Bomface he learnt the new Circle, aind ma-
ny other things than: concerned Eode^iaftical IDiTdij^eyiis
Bede, lib. 5. B^e 6y^. ^HnpHtum Fitfcka raHmatilemy tf aU^ m§uUa^
^9af, 2oi ^^^ ^^ patri^ ne quiver at y Ecclefiaflicis Difciflim ^mmlio^
day Sfdem Mag^re iradente percepit i at Ins reborn from
theftce, he ftag^d ill /^r^w^ wrth I>ii^^^
oM^^ 'and there hadhis^Gro^iS ihlatv^, Ah^^-uPhkfiii ejf^tsr
^""f' *^' cdperat^ ^nd was defigiied to bethe'Si^^/s Heir-^-' S^ •?«
tanto habitus amarey tit haredem fihi iUum fdoere. eOj^MPtt.
- So^a?«/<?ftys,-thetighA^^
thofe two together^ unlefs he thought that Dalfinui^ ^ifcl
Wilfrid to6 had-i great-deal ixiore df >ddf^s iiport the
World, than the .fotf^/^aihops and ilfo^^ : •
He returfls home, iiod. young ^/c^r/^ was <ionxmkt^
to
IT
\
. -
t
to his tuition 5 him lie entertains with Difcourfes about
RomCy and France^ ^hoMlEcclefiaJlicalDifcipline^ Eafier ^nd Bedc, i,y^.
TMfure ; and gains fo far upon his Pupil, that he thought <^^t* 25
WilfriJ's skill in Ecclefiaftical Affairs infinitely beyond that
of the Scots. Hujus Do^rinam omnihus Scotorum traditioni-
lus jure prafercndam fciehat. And now began the old Que- Bc(ic,utfrsiit.
ftion to Itir again, Bede fays ; Defuntlo Finano^ cum Colmak^
ms in Epifcbpatufucceieret^ & ipfe m'tffus a Scotia^ Graviar
de chfervatione tafcha^ necnon & de aliis Ecclejiaftka vita
difciplinis^ controverfia nata eft. Caiman^ Bijhop o\ Lindisfarn^
was for keeping up i^^Cufioms of his Anceftours^ and fVil^
frid was for bringing in the Vfages of Rome.
The particular matters in queftion were about Eafter and
Tonfure^ or the time when that Feafivfzs to be kept, and
the right way of fliaving Priefts Crowns. Moi& ergo que- Bede, ub.-^.
fiionede Pafch^ veltonfura^ vel aliis rehus Ecclejiafiicis. Up- ^^f' ^5-
on thefe a Synod was called, King Ofwi and his Son Alfrid
wasjjjere,' and the A'i/irg'made a Speech at firll, wherein
he talks, as if he thought the moft irpportant Affairs of
Chriffian Religion were then to be determined ; quod opor^-
teret eos qui uni Qeo fervirent^ unam vivendi regulam tenere^
' necdifcr,epareinceleirationeS4crameHtorumCa^leftium;That Bedtt^utprm.
they who Jerved the fame Gody Jhould have the fame, rule of
livings and have no difference intheufeof the Heavenly Sa*
craments.
In this Synod Colman and Wilfrid difputed in the behalf •
of their feveral ways of calculating the time of Eafter,; the
one alledging a Tradition from St. John^ and the other
from St. Peter : And King Ofwi at laft, who little under-,
flood the force of either Argument, determined for Wil-
frids Opinion; and tliat becaufe he would not lofe the fa-
vour of St. Peter: for feeing both theDifputants agreed that
Chrift had faid unto St. Peter; I will give unto thee the Keys
tof the Kingdom of Heaven; The King (kid, If he he the
Door- keeper y I will not offend him^ left there he none to open { / -.^^
when I come there; fo Bede telis us in the end of the x^k\\
Chapter^ Lih. 3. N Imme-
<
L.
frhmecfiately after this, Colnian finding himfclf and hi<
DotSrine in contempt, leaves his Bifliqprick, and goes over
into Ireland^ traStaturHS cum fm^ quid de kis factre dtieiat j
and there went along with him ail fiich as would not re-
ceive this new Reform in the Points of Eafitr and Tonfure.
%v^t^ ith 3. jffifnsptis his qmi feqm vvlt^runt^ idtfl fui Paftba C^tho/ickm^
tap. %6. ^ Tonfuram corona (Nam & de hoc juafih non minima r-
'rat^ recip^rt noleiauf. And a very little while after, all
the reft of tlie Scots throughout all Btgland^ either ftibmit-
ted to the new Orders, or returned to their Own Countrey :
Bfcic, lib. 3. f^f Scotti omneSy fni inter Anglos mor^iantaty ant his manns
^''^ ^ ' darenty aut redirent in patriam.
Here the: Engli/h Chriftians fuffered a great lofe, who of
a-fuddain were deprived of tlie Minifteries of fo many ex«
cellent Perfons, (^ who had taiight them, converted them,
baptised them, and oft communicated the Holy Sacrafflcrtt
- to them) and that onely for the fake of two U6g«s brought
from Romf • the one of which is"cettainly imperdiliedt, and
fuch as deferves not in the lead to be conteftcd j and the
other was thought tolerable by Honor ius and PeliXy and the
beft of thofe that were bufied in the converfiofl of the En-
glifh. It is deplorably to think, that for thfc fake of thefe,
the £;i|;//>^ Chriftians ftiotifd lofe theiir Teachers ; who, if
wc believe Bcdes accompt, were moft extraor Aiiary Per-
fons, of great piety, fevere vettue, and moft finc€r« g<)6d*
Bcde, Hh 3. nefs. Bede fays : Quanta^ parcimonitty cttjuf^e cOntinentia
€dp. 2d. /»rrif /j(^ (Colmannus) crnn fradicefforihus fmsy tefi^ha^
tur etiain lociis iSe^ quern re^hut j uhi aheuntiius eis except^
Ecclejf^ paucijfftma domm reperfsi funty @>c. They were Men
of great felf'denialy they had a good Church for the fervice of
Cody lut very few Houfes for themf elves , and thofe onely
fuch y as necessity of living did require ; they had no money
or flock but in Beafls : what money the rich gave unto them^
they prefently difiriluted to the poor • and they had no need
^f anyy fon the great oneSy who came to their Churchy came
thither for no other caufe hut to fay their Prayers^ and to
ktar
\
he^ thn Word of Co J* and if the King himfetf cMe thithei^
he faid hii Travel s^ awd avoay he went • or if he wanted a re-
feSioky he and his Atteiidants were content to partake of the
daily Provifron for the fraternity of tlmr Houfe. The whole
care of the fe Teachers was to ferve God^ and not the World •
to proi^ide for the Hearty and not for theBeSy : from whence
it cafM to paj^ that Religion was then in great veneration *^
lohereewr a Clerk or a Monk came^ he was received hy the
People as the Servant of God.- If they faw him on the roud^
they ran t4^ hifh^ and rejoyced in the hrimblefi poflure to re^
eeit^hii'hleffing. They , afte>ided to his InflruSlions^ and £jc*
bert^mns* ameiferf iUrds Day they caine in crowd Sy either
to the Chi^hy or fo their Monafiery^ to learn the Word of
Gotd. If ^ friefi camt ^ chance into a Village^ the People
gathered together ^ and took care that they might hear the
Word of Life from him : For upon Ho other accompt did the
Priefis* or Clerks go airoady lut to preachy to baptize ^ to
'txifit the Shk\ aftd to fake'cofre ef Sotth; attdfojar were
Ph^yfrtmdeft^ofwdrldhgreat^ejS, that theywotild not ac*
cept of Efbafesy andLands^ to B$tild Mbnafteries^ upon them^
where they were not co^(l rained iy more than ordinary inftance
frorn the Secular Pewers.
' This afecortjpt Bede, nW Friettd' to them, but to the ad-*
visrfe Pirtfjr; gives <rfttiein;aYfc^the*ieft)te it miiflfbepre^-
fi»ft«d tw be ttlid Thdfc Scots (pt IrifH) thtti^wcrfe nfiof^
admiiwbte PepfisttS, great Eitemples of Vertue! and Pifet^^
i* bl^ng df God^ and at* hortoor to a Nation. But fuch'
was cheweakrtefs^ oi* the huminif of thofe tiuiesi thatiili
thefe Were to be thrown out, to ni44ce way ht dde recep-^
tibnof aiftw mmifhW&%ti, W^/^r>'i/'had the afcendarit, Bcde, kj,
aWd^ ht would havft it' fo; KvA good Sr. Chad itlioflgft the <^^h 20.
reft was htttA to Idsive the Btjhoprick of Xork^ that WiU
fVid^ by virtue of the Power and Authority of that Seat\
migfeo be bettferritfebled to earty on ht^Refertnation accor-
ding^ tb'hiS;n6^Dfeflgni and Prtyjedh.
This StfeVf dtfervcs fome Remariis and Cofrfidehtiohs-j
N X and
(5^2)
and if the prefent Romanifis would refledt upon it, they wi!I
find caule to ceafe their boafts of the performances of their
Predeceflburs in the converfion of the Englifh Nation.
I will add one thing, that as AugufHne had no great fuc-
ccfs in his bufinefs, fo neither had Wilfrid in his; For he
\ydL% twice thrown out of his Bijhoprick; and twice went
to Rome to make Complaints; and though he was a Maa
of Parts, and had a zeal for that which he thought good^
yet the effecSsof his tumultuoufnefs followed him; and h6
that gave troubles to others, had troubles hifnfelK
One Paflage farther there is in BeJe that rauft not fee o-
mitted , that is, concerning Theodore y his ele(2:ion to be
Archhifl?op of Canterbury y and his miffion hitlier; it feems
Egherty King of Kent^ and Ofm^ Ring of the HJorth-Hum^
hrianSy had agreed, after the death of DeufdeJit^ to fend
• IVighart to Rome to be confecrated there ; and that feme
Bedc, lih.^ coniiderable time after the Bijhoprick had been void. Cef^
^^P* «• faate non pauco tempore Epifcopatu : IVighart dyed of the
Plague at Rome. Fitalian^ then Pope^ confiders whom to
fend over in his Head ; he thought firft of one Adrian^
who refufed tlie Archhi/hoprtck^ and commended one An^
drewy who likewife refufed ; then Theodore was thought of,-
and approved, yet Theodore could not he confecrated till
he had received a new Tonfure. Bede fays be was bprn at-
Tharfm in Citicia^ and had the Tonfure of St. Tavd^ after
the manner of the Orientals ; Hahuerat Tmfuram more Orp-;
I entalium Sanili Pauli Apojloli. And therefore he was flayed
at Rome (though the Englijb Nation much wanted their.
Archii/hop) four months, till his Hair was grown, th^t
the Crown of St, Peter might be rightly fhoi;n ort his Head,
quatuor expeilavit menfiSj donee illi coma crefieret ; quo in
coronam tonderi poffet. It feems the fanie temper that WiU
f rid brought into England was then regnant zt Rome; and
a great (Irefs was laid upon the right Cut , and wonder-
fully accurate they were in diftinguilhing the Tonfure of
St, Peter from tliat of St. Paul^ and of Simon Magw^ as
Bede
X
Bede ftiews. And Mr. Creffey in hksChurch-hiftory , after Bede, lib. 5.
a pundual relation of the ftaie of this worthy Controverfie, ^^^^^ ^-^
exprefly fays. That the Popes of this age took care^ fhat itbis! cafAi.
St. Peter'j Jcnfure Jhould onely he received in Britain. «• 1 7 •
This fpeaks hoW vain and trifling the Romans then were j
and it is amazing to compare the thoughts and defigns of
thefe, with the accompr thit Bede gives of thoie ex-
cellent iSc^/j, who were forced to leave England for their • ,
fakes. .
But Theodore^ as he had been ufed himfelf, fo he was
forced to treat others ; his firft great bufinefs was to fecure
the two Points of Eafter and Tonfure^ and he durft not but
doe it ; for he had a Spy over him, to watch his motions •
and to urge him to keep clofe tojhe prefent humour of
Rome. Bede tells us that Adrian came over with him, ut
ei DoHrina Cooper at or exiftens diligent er attenderet^ n€ quid Bcdc, lik 4.
iffe contrarium veritati fidei^ Gracorum more^ in Ecclefiam ^^P- '•
cuipraeffet introduceret. Here we may obferve the vaft
difference between the Counfels and Defignments o[ Gre-
gory the Greaty and thofe of Pope Fitalian. Gregory en-
courages and exhorts his Miffionary Augufiiney to gather
and take up in every Countrey any Ufage, or Pradice, or
Mode, or Form , that i^ pious, and religious, and tp the
glory of God} and to have no regard for Places, but
Things ; no more for the Ufages of Rome^ than for thofe of
France. But Fitalian ties his Mijfionary Theodore to keep
clofe to all the ways and methods of Rome. He would iiave
him fliew Rome in every thing he did,. and to be intirely
of i\it ^Roman cut. He. was altogether for place, and not
for thing : He had no concern for what was pioiis, and
what religious, and what of good ufe in other Places. He
was for that oncly which was done at home. And though .
Chriftianity was once mod pure, and moft glorioufly had .
flouriihed in the Eaftefn Churches, yet he particularly cau-
tioned and provided , that Theodore ihould lay afide his
• firft'
(^4)
firft Works , and the Inftkutioro of his Fat her ^^ ancf the
Traditions of the Eafty and intifely govern himfelf accar--
ding to the Ufiges of Rori^e.
Now theeffed: of this is moil remarkable • though
theodbrt fubmitted to all this, and came with refolution
to pleafe them, whofe,€reattjres he was; yet being a lear-
ned, ftout, and mod reverend FrtfAi^^, he was forced in a-
little time to run into open oppofition againft flww?. For
Wilfrid^ the great Stickler for Roman Fafliions, indeavoti*
ried to outdoe him, and would always be one ftep beyond
him in the way of Romanizing^ He could not confecrate
a Bijhopy but Wrlfrid had foniething to Iky againft k ; nor
make a Synodal Conjlitutim^ but he had much to fault in'
it. And fa troublefome he was, that Theodore was forced
to throw him outof his S//^e?/^r/r^ .• upon this Wilfrid^i^
pealed to /?w«f, and got the Pope s Bull ixyr his fefettle-
ment ; yet Theodore would nor reyerfe his Scirtence • and'
Ring E^crt added a fecond of Banifhment againft him :
And neither would' obey, although the Pope threatened
deprivation^ and exxromtnunication to all thofe that would'
not receive him.
Indeed in the fceond year of Alfrid he returned again,,
but foon was baniihed again^; and then again he appealed
to Rome: and though he had favour tfiere^ yer fir receii* *
ved no benefrt from it here. For Vf^ilfrid himfelf being;
fummoncd to appear at a Sjnod^ upbraided the Engliflrhi-^
fhops • That they had appfed the Papers Command^ for two
and twenty years: ; and wondered that they durfi prefer the
Conflitntions i?f Theodore, hefere the Bull of the Popt.
But for all his talk, the Synod had no more regard for
the Bulli than the ^/^, or the .4rr^^/7^(?/^ had ; for they
added a third Sentence of Excommunication ag^infthim*
and hi^ A'dherents. And as long as Theodore lived, tliis
Fapal Buii was nor in the leaftrcgarded j but Wilfrid the
great Romamzer^ Itanpvator and Reformw, who l^ad van^
quisled
(si)
.quiflicd the good and truly Chrifttan Scvts (or Irijb^ and
thought lie merited much in his Gont6fts about Eaficr and
Tonfurey found himfclf fufficiently beaten by one who was
a mere Creature of Rome.
AU this may be feen in Bee/ey and in the Life of JV/l- Bede, -//i. 5.
fr/Jy written by Stephen Heddius. - ^^f\ ^^•
This (hort Narratiort nlay deffefve fome few thoughts •
from any candid Reader • whether he be Vapifi or Vrote-
fiant^ Romanizer or Cuth^lkk^ and what is more than all
tliofe names, plain Chrijlian. Here any oiie may fee fome-
thing of the firft Chriftianity, and fomething of that which
was iiiperadded to k ; the firft mc^ venerable and good,
the other vain and trifling. In the Advices of Gregory to
Afigkfiiftey and in the Lives attd ftraiilioes of Aid^n^ Finan
vtnd Col/yian ; we have a tnoft generous fenfe of Piety and
Religion^ and noble Defignments moft agreeable to thoie
of our Saviour and his Apoftles. In the Aims of Angufiiney
Wilfrid and ^italian , we have that which is low and
mean • great values put upon Uttk things ; The Name of <
St. Peter oft ufed, and nojthing elfe; the Soul and Temper
of him feems totally to be laid afide. Great noife, and
ftir, and cortfidcnce imployed to advance that which was
of no ufe : And the fame Arts irtgaged in the Service
^hich die great St, Augujlhe and St. Amhrofe defpifed Ahz. Ep.%6.
and trampled upon, when tl^y found them formerly ap- Cafoiana
pearing in like cdes.
Befides, we may here itst what m^cbiefs have come
from thofe Men, whbhave made it their bufinefs to fab*
jecl the Faith and Worlhrp of Cfariflians to the Determi-
nations and Ufagcs of one City. Wilfrid certainly gjve
much trouble, and great diflufbance to Theodore^ to King^
Eghrty to King Alfrid; to England y to Rome; and all
this to very little purpofe.
If any one now has a mind to fatisiy himfelf in the
difierence between the old Catbolicky and the old RwMni-
zer^
Btdc, uk 3. «r, he rfuiy compare the accompt 'which Eeie gives ;df
c4/> 26. Caiman and his /'r^^/^c«/7i^«r/, 'w.ith^jthe Elogium which he
Bcdc, /xi. 5. gives of >4rcdf,, JF//^r/^/'s. Sijcceflbar j the ^rji of thefe T
c^/>. 21. i^^y^ tranflated, aiidithe oth?r otir Adverlkries may doe,
when thcyJthifyk^Midi ' " -
' • V The end. .,.
I.
^ • > t^
■ . ; : SsGi^^IiQpks lat^y. Printed (or Btrai, 4f^mr' ; .
A)^Trtmfepfth^Toft^s Sufremacy : to which k aliijfL%<^ DiJ^
coftrfe cfnca-nwg the Unity of the Church. By i?r. f iaac Bai'-
jow. 7 •-,'<•
A^Bjf^ourfeagainfiXrd^fi^^^^ By Dr.T\\\otiovi. '
\ "A Dtfiffutfe coffterniftg'Jhe Adoration off the Hvfi'^ as it fs Taught
aH^Pia^iifed in i^e church ,.»..,• , ..^
A Dlfcciirfe of:fhe Comhiunion in Ont Kind : In Anpw^er to a Trea-
tifeofthe£fjhopof}sicwi(s. ; ^ . ,
[_A Difccurfe agaipfi Purgatory.
A Requifi to Rcfnan Ctitholicks to Anfwtr the Series ufan thefe
fheirfollo*wiffg Tenets, (yii.X / . ';:
§ I. Their Dibine Service in 4n Unknown Toftgue. *\\. Their ia-
king aTi^ayltheCt^j from thi Pedph. ; 111. Their vnthboldhig^ik Scrip-
inrts from the^ Laicks. IV. Tlfe Adoration of Images-, . V-. Thelh^
vocation of Saints and Angels. VI. The DoStrin^f Merits VH. "Bjsrt
%0tcfy\ '. VjUI \^Their Seven S'acrapmt^. IX. Their Pxi^s, Intention
^n^^ Baptiff^. X. ' The I^imh of unbaptix»U Infants. Xj. Ty^fub'*
fiantiaticn. XII. The Propitiatory Sacrifice of the Mafs.r XIII, Pri-
vate' MaJJes. XIV. The Sdcr/imenr of Penance. XV. The Sacra-
ment of Marriage^ with the Clergies Refir ain't therefrom. XVI. Tleir
Sacrament of Extre'am Unilion. XVII. Tradition^ XVJIJ. That
thread'bare^^efiicnyfVberewas. your Church iefore.\m\iQt^. XIX The
Infallibility of the Pofewifh his Councils. XX. 7^^ Pope^s Supremacy;
XXL The Pcpe's Depofmg Power. XXII. Their Uuchatitabknefs to
all other Chrijliam. / ../:., j
, iTffw in the Prefs^ A Difcourfe of the Sacrifice of the Mafs. In 4**,
y
/
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