141 TO THE CHRISTIAN READER. CHRISTIAN reader, of what communion soever thou beest, so thou beest within the communion of the Ecumenical Church, either in act or in desire, I offer this second treatise of Schism to thy serious view and unpartial judgment. The former was a Vindication of the Church of England, this latter is a vindication of myself, or rather both are vindications of both. In vindicating the Church then, I did vindicate myself. And in vindicating myself now, I do vindicate the Church. What I have performed I do not say, I dare not judge; the most moderate men are scarcely competent judges of their own works. No man can justly blame me for honouring my spiritual mother the Church of England; in whose womb I was conceived, at whose breasts I was nourished, and in whose bosom I hope to die. Bees, by the instinct of nature, do love their hives, and birds their nests. But God is my witness, that according to my uttermost talent, and poor understanding, I have endeavoured to set down the naked truth impartially, without either favour or prejudice, the two capital enemies of right judgment;-the one of which, like a false mirror, doth represent things fairer and straighter than they are; the other, like the tongue infected with choler, makes the sweetest meats to taste bitter. My desire hath been to have truth for my chiefest friend, and no enemy but If I have had any bias, it hath been desire of peace, which our common Saviour left as a legacy to His Church; that I might live to see the re-union of Christendom, for which I shall always bow the "knees of my heart" to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is not impossible but that this desire of unity may have Eph. iii. produced some unwilling error of love, but certainly I am 14.] most free from the wilful love of error. In questions of an inferior nature Christ regards a charitable intention much more than a right opinion. error. [Prayer of Manasseh Howsoever it be, I submit myself and my poor endeavours, first, to the judgment of the Catholic Ecumenical essential Church; which if some of late days have endeavoured to hiss out of the schools as a fancy, I cannot help it. From the beginning it was not so. And if I should mistake the right Catholic Church out of human frailty or ignorance (which for my part I have no reason in the world to suspect; yet it is not impossible, when the Romanists themselves are divided into five or six several opinions, what this Catholic Church, or what their infallible judge is), I do implicitly and in the preparation of my mind submit myself to the true Catholic Church, the spouse of Christ, the mother of the Saints, the [1 Tim. iii. "pillar of truth." And seeing my adherence is firmer to the 15.] infallible rule of Faith, that is, the Holy Scriptures interpreted by the Catholic Church, than to mine own private judgment or opinions; although I should unwittingly fall into an error, yet this cordial submission is an implicit retractation thereof, and I am confident will be so accepted by the Father of Mercies, both from me and all others who seriously and 142 sincerely do seek after peace and truth. Likewise I submit myself to the representative Church, that is, a free general Council, or so general as can be procured; and until then, to the Church of England, wherein I was baptized, or to a national English Synod: to the determination of all which, and each of them respectively, according to the distinct degrees of their authority, I yield a conformity and compliance, or at the least, and to the lowest of them, an acquiescence. Finally, I crave this favour from the courteous reader, that because the Surveyer hath overseen almost all the principal proofs of the cause in question (which I conceive not to be so clearly and candidly done), he will take the pains to peruse the Vindication itself. And then, in the name of God, let [Cic., Tus- him follow the dictate of right reason. For " as that scale must needs settle down whereinto most weight is put, so the mind cannot choose but yield to the weight of perspicuous demonstration.” cul., v. 17.] troduction to R. C.'s I EXAMINE not the impediments of R. C. his undertaking [of the inthis Survey. Only I cannot but observe his complaint of "extreme want of necessary booksa," having all his own Preface.] notes by him, and such store of excellent libraries in Paris at his command, than which no city in the world affords more, few so good: certainly the main disadvantage in this behalf lies on my side. Neither will I meddle with his motives to undertake it. I have known him long to have been a person of great eminence among our English Roman Catholics, and do esteem his undertaking to be an honour to the treatise. "Bos lassus fortius pedem figit b" (said a great Father)— "The weary ox treadeth deeper." Yet there is one thing which I cannot reconcile; namely, a fear, "lest, if the answer were longer deferred, the poison of the said treatise might spread further, and become more incurable." Yet with the same breath he tells us, that "I bring nothing new a [Survey, Preface, p. 1. The Pre face is not paged.] b [Hieron., Ep. Ixix., Ad Augustin., tom. iv. P. ii. p. 608.] C [Surv., Pref., p. 2.] I. PART worth answeringd;" and in his answer to the first chapter, that "no other English minister (for ought he knows) hath hitherto dared to defend the Church of England from schism in any especial treatisee." Yes, divers; he may be pleased to inform himself better at his leisure. What? Is the treatise so dangerous and infectious? Is the way so unbeaten? And yet nothing in it but what is trivial? 'Nothing new that deserves an answer?' I hope to let him see the contrary. He who disparageth the work which he intends to confute, woundeth his own credit through his adversary's sides. But it seemeth, that, by surveying over hastily, he did quite oversee all our principal evidence and the chiefest firmaments of our cause. I am sure he hath quite omitted them: I shall make bold now and then to put him in mind of it. [1. The first point noted in R. C.'s Preface.] Three essentials of a true Church. Hence he proceedeth to five observable points, which he esteemeth so highly, that he believeth they "alone may serve for a full refutation of my book." Then he must have very favourable judges. His "first point to be noted" is this, "that schism is a substantial division, or a division in some substantial part of the Church;" and "that the substantial parts of the Church are these three, profession of faith, communion in Sacraments, and lawful ministry." I confess I am not acquainted with this language, to make "profession of faith, communion in Sacraments, and lawful ministry," which are no substances, to be "substantial parts" of any thing, either physical or metaphysical. He defineth the Church to be a "society." Can these be substantial parts of a society? As much as rationability, being but a faculty or specifical quality, is a substantial part of a man, because it is a part of his definition, or his essential difference. But I suppose that by "substantial" parts he means essentials, as we use to say the same Church in substance, or the same religion in substance, that is, in essence. And if so, then he might have spared the labour of proving it and pressing it over and over. For we maintain, that an entire profession of saving truth, a right use of the Word and Sacra d [Surv., Pref., p. 2.] e [Ibid., c. i. sect. 1. p. 2.] [Ibid., Pref., p. 19.] g [Ibid., p. 3.] [Ibid., c. v. sect. 6. p. 93.] III. ments, and an union under lawful pastors, being taken DISCOURSE jointly, do distinguish the Church essentially from all other 144 societies in the world. We have been told heretofore of other notes of the Church,' which did not please us so well, as antiquity, and universality, and splendour, &c., which may be present or absent, with the Church or without the Church; as if a man should describe money by the weight and colour and sound, or describe a king by his crown and sceptre, or describe a man, as Plato did, to be "a living creature with two legs without feathers,"-which Diogenes easily confuted by putting a naked cock into his school, saying, "Behold Plato's mani." Such separable communicable accidents are not notes 'kal avтò κaì ȧeì'—absolutely and at all times, but 'κal' eтeроv кaì TÓTε'—accidentally and at some times; whereas these three do belong unto the Catholic Church, and to all true particular Churches, inseparably, incommunicably, and reciprocally, and are proper to the Church 'quarto modo'-to every true Church, only to a true Church, and always to a true Church. Yet I foretell him, that this liberal concession will not promote his cause one hair's breadth as will appear in the sequel of this discourse. : difference Church These and a perfect other, Church. Being But yet this essentiality must not be pressed too far, for Great fear lest we draw out blood in the place of milk. I like between Stapleton's distinction well, of the nature and essence of a a true Church, from the integrity and perfection thereof). three essentials do constitute both the one and the both the essence and the perfection of a Church. perfect they consummate the integrity of a Church; being imperfect they do yet contribute a being to a Church. It doth not follow, that, because faith is essential, therefore every point of true faith is essential; or because discipline is essential, therefore every part of right discipline is essential; or because the Sacraments are essential, therefore every lawful rite is essential. Many things may be lawful; many things may be laudable; yea, many things may be necessary 'necessitate præcepti,'-commanded by God, of Divine institution, that are not essential, nor necessary 'necessitate medii.' The want of them may be a great defect; it may be a great Controv. i. Qu. v. art. 1.] [Diog. Laert., lib. vi. § 40.] |