way a

schisma

WHATSOEVER S. W. alias Mr. Serjeant doth intimate to [In what the contrary (for he dare not cough out), it is a most unde- Church niable truth, that no particular Church (no, not the Church becomes of Rome itself) is exempted from a possibility of falling into tical.] errors in Faith. When these errors are in essentials of Faith, which are necessary to salvation necessitate medii,' they destroy the being of that Church which is guilty of them. But if these errors be in inferior points, such as are neither absolutely necessary to salvation to be known, nor to be believed before they be known; such an erroneous Church, erring without obstinacy and holding the truth im

I.

PART plicitly 'in præparatione animi,' may and doth still continue a true member of the Catholic Church; and other coordinate Churches may and ought to maintain communion with it, notwithstanding that they dissent in opinion. But if one Church before a lawful determination shall obtrude her own errors or opinions upon all other Churches as a necessary condition of her communion, or after determination shall obtrude doubtful opinions (whether they be erroneous or not) as necessary articles of Christian Faith, and so not only ex-292 plain but likewise enlarge the ancient Creeds, she becometh schismatical; as, on the other side, that Church which shall not outwardly acquiesce after a legal determination and cease to disturb Christian unity, though her judgment may be sound, yet her practice is schismatical.

[Mr. Serjeant's prevarications.]

This is the very case betwixt the Churches of Rome and England. She obtrudeth doubtful opinions as necessary articles of Faith, and her own errors as necessary conditions of communion; which Mr. Serjeant every where misseth and misteth with his "prevarications." I cannot more fitly resemble his discourse than to a winter torrent; which aboundeth with water when there is no need of it, but in summer, when it should be useful, it is dried up so he is full of proofs (which he miscalleth "demonstrations""), where there is no controversy between us; and where "the water sticks" indeed, he is as mute as a fish.

He taketh great pains to prove that the Catholic Church is infallible in such things as are necessary to salvation".Whom doth he strike? He beateth but the air; we say the same. But we deny, that his Church of Rome is this Catholic Church, and that the differences between us are in such things as are necessary to salvation. Here, where he should "demonstrate" if he could, he favours himself.

He proveth, that it is unreasonable to deny that, or doubt of it, which is received by the universal tradition of the whole Christian worlde.-What is he seeking? Surely he doth not

IV.

seek the question here in earnest; but as he, who sought for DISCOURSE a hare under the leads, because he must seek her as well where she was not, as where she was. We confess, that writing addeth no new authority to tradition. Divine. writings and Divine tradition, Apostolical writings and Apostolical traditions, if they be both alike certain, have the same authority. And what greater certainty can be imagined than the universal attestation of the Catholic symbolical Church of Christ? But the right controversy lieth on the other hand. We deny, that the tradition whereupon they ground their opinions, wherein we and they dissent, is universal, either in regard of time, or place.

He endeavoureth with tooth and nail to establish the Roman Papacy jure Divino; but for the extent of Papal power, he leaveth it free to princes, commonwealths, Churches, Universities, and particular doctors, to dispute it, and bound it, and to be judges of their own privileges'. Yet the main controversy, I might say the only necessary controversy, between them and us, is about the extent of Papal power, as shall be seen in due place. If the Pope would content himself with his "exordium unitatis,"—which was all that his primitive predecessors had, and is as much as a great part of his own sons will allow him at this day,—we are not so hard hearted and uncharitable, for such an innocent title or office, to disturb the peace of the Church; nor do envy him such a preeminence among Patriarchs as St. Peter had (by the confession of his own party) among the Apostles. But this will not be accepted; either he will have all or none; patronages, tenths, first-fruits, investitures, appeals, legantine courts, and in one word, an absolute sovereignty, or nothing. It is nothing, unless he may bind all other Bishops to maintain his usurped royalties, under the pretensed name of "Regalia Sancti Petri," by an oath contradictory to our old oath of allegiances, although all these encroachments are directly destructive to the ancient laws and liberties both of the British and English Churches. So we have only cast off his boundless tyranny. It is he and

[Ibid., Pts. ii. and iii. (see also Pt.

i. sect. 5. p. 40; sect. 6. pp. 49, 50), and Appendix, sect. 1. pp. 501, 502.]

[See Just Vindic., c. iv. vol. i. p. 149. note x.]

I.

PART his Court, who have deserted and disclaimed his own just regulated authority; as appeareth by the right stating of the question. But Mr. Serjeant, lapwing-like, makes the most pewing and crying when he is furthest from his nest.

[Who Mr. Serjeant is.]

[Matt. vii. 24, 25.]

What he is, I neither know nor much regard. I conclude he is but a young divine, because he himself styleth his treatise "the prentisage of his endeavours in controversy." And is it not a great boldness for a single 'apprentice' (if he do not shoot other men's bolts after he hath bestowed a little rhetorical varnish upon them) to take up the bucklers against two old doctors at once, and with so much youthful presumption of victory, that his titles sound nothing but

disarming," and "dispatching," and knocking " down," as if Cæsar's motto "I came, I see, I overcame " were his birthright? He that is such a conqueror in his "apprentisage," what victories may not he promise himself, when he is grown to be an experienced master in his profession? But let him 293 take heed, that his over daring do not bring him in the conclusion to catch a Tartar, that is, in plain English, to lose himself. The cause which he oppugneth is "built upon a rock;" though the wind bluster, and the waves beat, yet it cannot fall.

I hear moreover by those who seem to know him, that he was sometimes a novice of our English Church, who deserted his Mother before he knew her. If it be so to do, he oweth a double account for schism, and one which he will not claw off so easily. And if no man had informed me, I should have suspected so much of myself. We find strangers civil and courteous to us every where in our exile, except they be set on by some of our own; but sundry of those who have run over from us, [have] proved violent and bitter adversaries without

p. 2.

[Schism Dispatched, Pt. i. sect. 1.]

i [Plutarch., in Vitâ Cæsar., tom. iv. p. 153. ed. Bryant.]

[See Wood's Athen. Oxon., vol. iii. p. 496. ed. Bliss; and Dodd's Ch. Hist., vol. iii. Pt. viii. bk. 2. art. 5. pp. 472-477. John Serjeant (so called by Wood and Dodd, others give him the name of William), of St. John's College, Cambridge, was appointed secretary to Morton, Bp. of Durham, in 1639 or 1640; turned