other men by himself, and his companions; but we are not, like them, making merchandise of the word of God. After these idle discourses, he passeth from me to that reverend, renowned, and worthy divine, doctor Humfrey1, in his time the light and ornament of the university that bred him, whom such a silly novice as M. Theophilus durst not have looked in the face while he lived. But it is easier to insult upon a dead lion than a living dog; and that maketh him bark against him but such was his great reading, variety of learning in all kinds, profound science, and mature judgment, as made him so highly esteemed at home and abroad by all that knew how to judge of things aright, that the scornful speeches of this renegado, concerning his rhetorical flourishes, will never be able to diminish or lessen the good opinion that most deservedly all wise and good men hold of him. Yet let us see what it is that this grave censurer reprehendeth in D. Humfrey surely he knoweth not what himself. D. Humfrey, speaking of the ancient commemoration or commendation of the dead, saith, "We retain it in our colleges;" which is most true: but he hath spied, as he supposeth, three differences: for (1) as he saith, the commendation and commemoration then used was at the altar; but we have no altar (2) in the holy sacrifice; but we admit no sacrifice: (3) with intention to relieve the dead; but we have no such intention. For answer whereunto, I say briefly (for he deserveth no large answer), that we have altars in the same sort the fathers had, though we have thrown down popish altars; that we admit the Eucharist to be rightly named a sacrifice, though we detest the blasphemous construction the papists make of it. And lastly, that the fathers did not intend to relieve all them they remembered at the altar; no more do we: that they accompanied their friends' souls going out of their bodies, to stand before God with their prayers and good wishes: that they prayed for their resurrection, public acquittal in the day of Christ, and perfect consummation, and so do we: that they never knew any thing of purgatory, nor never prayed to deliver any one from thence; no more do we : and that therefore D. Humfrey might well impute frenzy to the Romanists, as challenging the fathers in this and other points, whereas they are destitute of all defence from them. That which he inter 1 Pag. 38. laceth of "frothy volumes'," in which we silly men, for lack of his direction, spend our time, is less to be esteemed than any bubble or froth upon the water for all men know that this Church never wanted worthy men, matchable with the proudest of the adverse faction in the study of the fathers, councils, histories, and schoolmen: neither is there any decay of these kinds of study now, thanks be given to God, as both our friends and enemies (I think) will bear us witness. Thus doth this champion end the first part of his book, having played his prizes very handsomely, as you see. (HIGGONS, BOOK I. Part II. § 1.) In the second part, first he endeavoureth to prove the perpetual visibility of the Church, which he saith, I teach "sincerely and effectually;" though with some mixture of "corruption in my discourse" concerning the same: but telleth us not what those corruptions be; and therefore I know not what to say to him till I hear farther from him. Secondly, he laboureth to shew that the visible Church is free from damnable error, which we willingly yield unto; but that which he addeth3 touching the not erring of general councils, is not so clear as it appeareth by that which I have elsewhere noted out of Picus Mirandula and Waldensis. There is extant an excellent conference between Nicholas Clemangis and a certain Parisian schoolman, touching this point, wherein he willeth him considerately to think upon it, lest as he thinketh it to be a matter of rashness to affirm that general councils may err, so likewise it be not altogether free from temerity and rashness pertinaciously to defend, that general councils cannot err, unless it were proved by most strong authorities, or certain reasons: and farther addeth, that though it were most certainly proved that councils cannot err, yet it were not fit for them that meet in councils to rely upon this 1 "I am bold to assure you, loving countrymen, who spend your pretious time, and exercise your noble witts in many froathy volumes." p. 39. 3 Pag. 45. 2 Pag. 44. persuasion, lest under the shadow, and upon the occasion of this confidence, they might proceed with less consideration, and more lightly than they should: but to make us doubt that councils may err sometimes in their determinations, he bringeth sundry reasons; whereof one is, that the most part of men that are in the Church (he speaketh of the Church in his time) are merely carnal, seeking the things of the world, and no way savouring the things of God, or regarding the good of the Church: that these men are reputed the wisest, and most sufficient to manage the affairs of the Church: that when councils are to be holden, either they are chosen, or put themselves into such employments. And consequently, that things being carried in councils by voices, there is little reason to expect any great good, either for the due settling of the persuasion of men in matters of faith, or the reformation of such things as are amiss in matters of discipline and manners. Whereupon he telleth of the ill success of the Council of Pisa, and of another called at Rome by Balthazar then pope into the midst whereof an owl came flying, making an horrible noise, and sat upon a beam in the midst of the room where the synod was holden, as she had been president of the assembly, and could not be made to give place till she was beaten down dead: yea, concerning the Council of Constance, wherein the long-continued schism, by reason of the antipopes was ended, and the peace of the Church restored, he saith, that many things fell out in it which were not fruits of the Spirit, but works of the flesh, as contentions, emulations, dissensions, sects, clamours, outcries, mockings, and the like. But of the erring of councils, I have elsewhere treated at large, and therefore will not insist upon the repetition of the same things in this place. Only let us hear what Master Higgons can say for their not erring. He thinketh to strike the matter dead with the resolution of Gerson, a man, as he saith, highly advanced by me. It is true that I esteem of Gerson as of a most learned, judicious and godly man, that mourned for the confusions he saw in the Church in his time, that reproved many abuses, gave testimony to many parts of heavenly truth then contradicted by those carnal men of whom Clemangis speaketh, who counted gain to be godliness, and scorned all that lived as beseemeth Christians, traducing them as hypocrites, and I know not what else. Yet I think no man will infer, upon any commendation that I have given him, that I must of necessity embrace as true whatsoever he saith. Waldensis is a man highly esteemed by our Romanists, yet will they not allow his opinion, that councils may err. Alphonsus à Castro, Adrian the pope, and other, who teach that the pope may papally err, are highly prized by them: yet will they not grant that the pope may err as they teach: but what is it that Gerson saith? surely, that "Whatsoever the pope and a general council of the whole Church determine, must be received as true1." It is true indeed that he saith so, but it appeareth by the words immediately following that he speaketh not of a general council consisting of the bishops of the West only, such as was the Council of Trent in our time; but of a general council, consisting both of Greeks and Latins; and therefore he saith, if the Grecians dissenting from the Latins in the article of the proceeding of the Holy Ghost, and not admitting the determination of the West Church, shall say, that the council that defined that the Holy Ghost proceedeth from the Father and the Son, was not truly general, that they were not duly called to the same, and consequently, that notwithstanding their dissenting they are not to be judged pertinacious, obstinate, and subject to the curse; it were diligently to be considered what they would say, or some fitting means were to be found out, that all things might be brought to an agreement, without persisting in a peremptory proof of the same article against them: for that men disposed to resist would hardly ever be convinced in this point. And further, he wisheth men to think upon it, whether, as some determinations of doubts and questions passed and agreed on in Paris, are said to bind none but those that are within the diocess of Paris, so it may not be said in like sort, that the determinations of the Latin Church bind the Latins only: and secondly, whether that which is defined and holden as an article of faith, may not be made to be no article, by bringing things to the same state they were in before any determination passed. Which thing he exemplifieth in a decree of Bonifacius, voided by one of his successors. To what purpose Master Higgons allegeth the opinion of Gerson touching the not erring of general councils, I cannot tell; for I am well assured never any such council as yet approved purgatory, 1 Part. IV. de Unitate Græcorum, consid. 6. [Tom. II. col. 116.] and prayer to deliver men out of it, nor I think ever will. But whatsoever we think of councils, there is no question to be made but that the "Church is free from damnable error," as Master Higgons, in the title of his chapter, undertaketh to prove1. But whether it be free from all ignorance and error, as he seemeth in the discourse following to enforce, it is not so clear; neither doth that text of St Paul touching the house of God, which is "the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth," nor any other authority or reason brought to that purpose, prove the same; and particularly, touching that place of St Paul to Timothy, it is evident the apostle's words are to be originally understood of the Church of Ephesus; and that he maketh the glorious title of pillar and ground of truth common to that particular Church, with that which is universal; and consequently, that this title proveth not every Church or society of Christians to which it agreeth, to be free from error; unless we will privilege all particular Churches from danger of erring. If any man doubt whether the apostle give the title of pillar and ground of truth to the Church of Ephesus, it is easily proved by unanswerable reasons. For (as Lyra, writing upon the words of the apostle, rightly noteth) the apostle writeth to Timothy, and giveth him directions that he may know how to behave himself in the Church of God; that is, how to order and govern it. Now the Church which Timothy was to order and govern was not the universal Church, but the Church of Ephesus; therefore the Church wherein he was wisely to behave himself, was but a particular Church; and the same Church in which the apostle directeth him how to behave himself, he calleth "the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of truth," therefore he giveth this title to a particular Church; though he restrain it not to it, as Master Higgons untruly saith I do 3; so that I have not eluded the gravity of this testimony, as he is pleased unjustly to charge me, but I give the right sense of it; whence it followeth, that seeing particular Churches may be said to be pillars of truth, this title doth not prove that society of Christian men to which it agreeth to be free from all error. From the reprehension of our opinion in that we think the Church subject to some kind of error, he falleth into a 1 Pag. 45. 2 1 Tim. iii. 15. 3 Pag. 46. |