The true and only way of concord of all the Christian churches the desirableness of it, and the detection of false dividing terms / opened by Richard Baxter.

CHAP. VII.

The Vniversal Church will never unite in many pretended Articles of Faith, not proved to be Divine: nor in owning unnecessary doubt∣ful Opinions or Practices as Religious, or Worship of God; notwithstanding the pretense of Tradition.

Sect. I. I Need say no more for proof of this than is said in the first Part. If Preachers say that this or that is an Article of Faith; If Popes say it; If Councils say it, this saying will never unite all Chri∣stians in the belief of it. It is no belief of God whose object is not revealed by God, and perceived so to be, and received as such. That the sacred Scriptures are written by Divine Inspiration, Christians are com∣monly agreed; But that Popes, Prelates or Councils speak by Divine Inspiration, even when they expound the Scriptures, all Christians neither are agreed, nor ever will be; And till a man perceiveth that it is God that speaketh, or that the word spoken is Gods Word, he cannot believe it with a Divine Faith, which is nothing but believing it to be Gods Word, and trust∣ing it accordingly. God is true, but men are Lyers, Rom. 3.

Sect. II. Before we can receive any thing as Truth from Man, we must have evidence that it is true in∣deed: And that must be, 1. Either from the nature of the thing, and its causes; 2. Or from some testi∣mony of God either concomitant (as Miracles were) or subsequent, (in the Effects;) 3. Or from our knowledge of the Veracity, Authority, Inspi∣ration and Infallibility of the Instrument or Speaker.

If therefore any Church or company of men shall tell us, that this is a Divine Truth or Article of Faith, no more of the World can be expected to believe them, than are convinced of it by one of these three proofs: The first is the case of natural Revelation, and not now questioned: The Second none but the Church of Rome do plead for their own belief, viz. that they work Miracles, and therefore are to be believed in whatever they affirm to be the Word of God. Knot against Chillingworth, and others of them do ultimately resolve their Faith, or their proof of the truth of their Religion into the Miracles wrought in the Church of Rome, by which God testifieth his approbation of their Assertions: Other Christians that may have more miracles than Papists, yet resolve not their proof of Christianity into them, but lay more stress on other Evidence, and particularly on Christs and his Mini∣sters miracles attesting the holy Scriptures and Gospel to be of God. And when we can find just proof of the Papists Miracles, we shall be willing to study the meaning of them: But hitherto we have not found such proof. If any Council in Rome, France, Ger∣many or England shall say, These are Divine revealed Truths, and as such, you must believe, subscribe or swear to them, the world will never agree in believing them, when no sober man is bound to believe them, but as humane, uncertain and fallible witnesses, according to the measure of their Credibility.

Sect. III. Long experience fully proveth this: No Age of the Church did ever agree in Articles of meer humane Assertion; (for that had been but a humane Faith.) That which the Council of Nice said, was denyed by the Councils at Sirmium, Ariminum, &c. That which the Council at Ephesus the first, and at Chalcedon affirmed, they at the Council of Ephesus the second denyed: That which the Monotholites under

Philippicus (innumerable Bishops saith Binius) affirmed many other Councils condemned: That which the Council at Nice the second decreed for Images, was condemned by many other Councils: That which the Councils at ••isa, Constance and Basil decreed to be Articles of Faith, the Council at Florence and others abhorre. Much less will a Provincial Synod, or a Con∣vocation, or a Parliament be taken by all the Christi∣an world to be infallible.

Sect. IV. And indeed the obtruding of ••alshoods, or Uncertainties on the Churches, is a notorious cause of Schism: For what can you expect that men of Sobriety and Conscience should do in such a case? Discern the certainty of the thing they cannot; nor can they believe that all must needs be true, that is said by a Synod, a Convocation or a Parliament: And they dare not lie, in saying they believe that which they do not: And to take all for Schismaticks that dare not deliberately lie, or that set not up 〈◊〉〈◊〉 men as Lords of their Conscience instead of God, is Schismatical, unchristian and inhumane.

And as mens mere wills ought not to rule their understandings, nor the will of Synods, of Bishops, or others, to be the rule and measure of our wills, so though we were never so willing to believe all to be true that Councils of Bishops or Princes say, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 are not our understandings in the power of our 〈◊〉〈◊〉. We cannot believe what we list. To know or believe without evidence of truth, is to see without light. False Hypocrites may force their tongues to say that they believe this or that at the Command of man; but they cannot force themselves indeed to believe 〈◊〉〈◊〉. How then can a book of Articles or the Decrees of a Council, or the Laws of a Prince, bring the World to any unity of Belief, in things not evidently of God?

Sect. V. What I say of Divine Faith, I say of Points of Religious Practice: For though all things be∣lieved be not to be done, yet all things to be done as commanded by God, must first be believed to be com∣manded by him: And to believe and do, is somewhat more than only to believe.

Sect. VI. But it's one thing to say, This is Gods Command; and another to say, This is our Command. The first none will agree to, that see not evidence to believe it. The second is, 1. Either according to Gods Command (to drive Men to obey it.) 2. Or beside his Command. 3. Or against his Command.

1. Those Laws of Men which are according to Gods Laws, those only will obey who discern them so to be, on that account: Therefore it must be in evi∣dent Cases, or they will be no measure of Concord as such.

2. Those that are but besides Gods Laws, Men should obey, so far as they can find that the Comman∣ders have power from God to make them; And how few such will be matter of Universal Concord?

3. Those that are against Gods Laws, no good Christians will knowingly consent to.

Sect. VII. And I have before truly told them, what great diversity of capacities and understandings there be in the world, so that even in common matters that are still before our eyes, at least in many or most, few persons long agree: In matters of Fact at any distance, or matters of Prudence, Husband and Wife, Parents and Children, Master and Servants, daily differ: Mens faces scarce differ more than their understand∣ings: It is only in few, plain, easie things, that all Men are agreed: And are ever all Christians like to agree in many humane, dark opinions? Or will it be taken for certain to all Men, because it is so to some of clearer understandings? or because a self-confident Imposer ve∣vehemently

asserteth it? They know not themselves, they know no Man, that presume to unite the Church this way.

Sect. VIII. Therefore the Popish numerous De∣crees de Fide, are but so many Engines of Schism made on the pretence of declaring Points of Faith. If they were Articles of Faith before, they may be mani••est to be so in the Divine Revelation, that is, the Holy Scri∣ptures: But for the Council to tell a Man, [This or That is in the Bible, but we cannot shew you it there, nor can you find it if you search, but you must take our words as infallible:] This is not a center that the Christian world will ever unite in.

And if it be an Article of Faith, either the Church held it before the Council declared it, or not: If they did, then it was known without a Councils Declaration. And what need a Council to declare that which all the Church did hold before, and was in possession of? But if not, then either it was an Article of Faith before, or not. If it was, then the Church before held not that Faith, and so was Heretical, Corrupt, or wanted Faith, and so by their own reckoning (who will not endure the distinction of essentials from the rest) was no Church. If not, then the Council declared that to be an Article of Faith, which was none: It must be such, before it can be truly declared such; else a false Decla∣ration that it was such, did now make it such: But if they had openly professed, That by Declaring it an Ar∣ticle, they meant the Making one, they must prove,

1. That they are Prophets, and have new Revelati∣ons even of Faith.

2. And that the Scriptures were not sufficient mea∣sures of the Churches Faith to the end of the world.

3. And that the Churches Faith is alterable and crescent, and the old Church had not the same Faith

which the present Church hath. And will the Chri∣stian world any more agree in such absurdities, than in a Quakers of Familists professing, that he speaketh by Inspiration? If the Members of the Council before they came thither, were no wiser nor honester than other Men, nor their words more credible, how shall we know that when they are there, they are become inspired, and their words are Gods own words?

But if it be said, That they neither make new Ar∣ticles of Faith, nor declare what is in Scripture by Expo∣sition, but declare the Verbal Tradition of the Apostles; I ask,

1. If so big a Book as the Bible, contain not so much as all the Churches Creed;

2. Where hath this Traditional Faith been kept till now? If by all the Church, then it was held, possessed and known before that Declaration: If but by part of the Church, then it was but part of the Church that had the true Faith, and one part was of one Religion, and another part of another.

And which part was it that kept this Tradition? And how come we to know that they were righter than the rest, that had it not? If it was Rome only, then they had a Faith different from the rest of the Churches; And how shall we know that they are not as true and sound as Rome?

But how hath this Tradition been carried on, and kept right? Was it by Writing, or by Word? If by Writings, why are they not cited, seen and tryed? Other men can read as well as Popes and Councils: If unwritten, was it by publick Preaching, or private Talk? If the former, then it was commonly known and declared, before the Council declared it. If by private Talk, how shall we be sure,

1. That they were honest men that would keep

private the Publick Faith, especially being Preachers that by office were to publish it.

2. And that it hath been well remembred and carried on without alteration. And were it preached or whis∣pered, mans memory is so frail, and words so uncertain, that for the Church, or a piece of the Church to carry down from the Apostles from Fathers to Children so many Articles, (more than are in all the Bible) and so hard and mysterious, and by many now controvert∣ed, and this not by writing, and to be sure that no mistake hath been made by oblivion, or misexpression, this is a thing that the Church will never unite in the belief of.

And was it in a set form of unchangeable words, that all these Articles (or Expositions) were carried down till now, or not? If yea, we should have had that Form deliver'd us, as we have other Forms (the Creed, Lords Prayer, &c.) If not, how shall we know that the Fa∣thers and Children had the same understanding of the matter, and changed not the Faith by change of words? And it's like that all the Churches, since the Apostles, delivered not these Articles down in the same words, when in several Countries and Ages they spake not the same language. And it is a wonder that they would never write their Faith, for their Children to learn, when the Jews, Deut. 6. and 11. were commanded to teach their Children, by writing the Law upon the very Posts of their Houses, and their Gates: And it is a greater wonder, that Parents and Children should through so many Generations and Countries have so unerring sur•• a memory.

And it is strange how their own Commentators come to differ about the sense of Thousands of Texts of Scripture, if the Churches Tradition have publickly and notoriously delivered down the meaning of them.

If not, how Councils come to be the infallible Commentators, and Declarers of the Sense of Scri∣ptures.

But if really such men believe themselves, it will be long before either by fraud or force, they can make all others believe such things.

Sect. IX. Gods wisdom appointed a few great and necessary things to be the terms of the Churches Unity and Love; but Ignorance and Pride, by pretences of Enmity to Error and Heresie, have plagued and torn the Churches by Decrees and Canons, and led us into a Labyrinth, so that men know not where they are, nor what to hold, nor what the Christian Religion is, nor who are Orthodox, and who are not; so great a work it is to understand such Voluminous Councils, and then to be sure that they are all right, even when they con∣demn and damn each other. That which hath been the chief Cause and Engine of Division, will never be∣come the means or terms of the Unity or Concord of all the Churches: But such are the multitude of un∣necessary, uncertain humane Decrees, Laws and Canons of Faith and Religion, whatever the proud and igno∣rant say to the contrary.