A collection of the works of that holy man and profound divine, Thomas Iackson ... containing his comments upon the Apostles Creed, &c. : with the life of the author and an index annexed.

CAP. XXVII.

That the Romish Church hath most need of some excellent Means, for taking up Contentions, because it necessarilie breeds so many and so grievous.

1 FOr the main Point, as well about the Original of Contentions, and Schismes, as incorrigible continuance in them, onely this Difference I find, That we permitting a sober search of Scriptures unto all, not binding any mans Faith to the Judgement of man, leave a possibilitie to the learned of finding out, a liberty unto all of professing the Truth found, for the health and life of their Souls, without dread or danger to their Bodies. And seeing we bind no man upon pain of damnation, to Believe any point of Doctrine, which is not plainly and expressely set down in Scriptures: we minister no occasion of deadly dissention unto any. For Contentions amongst our selves, they are rather distempers then dangerous disease••, nor do they affect those parts of Religion in which our spiritual Life is properly seated. Yet even these in later yeers had been, and alwayes would be fewer, and their danger lesse, were it not for those Foxes which your Church suborns to bring fire∣brands into the Lords Harvest. And even these your Foxes in this our Land, howsoever, for this publick Mischief against us, and the intended Combustion of our Church, their Tails were tied together by your Churches knot; have yet whet their cankred Teeth as eagerly, and opened their venemous Mouthes as bitterly one against another, as any (but they) could have done either a∣gainst us or any creatures living. But to leave private dissentions amongst your selves; your Church prohibiting men the ingenuous search of Scriptures and free profession of their Conscience, tying them to submit their Judge∣ments at all adventure unto the corrupt Doctrine of your Clergie: hath set open a wide gap to such grosse Opinions, and monstrous Heresies, as no man, vnlesse his judgement had been surprised by your pretended Authority, or

his Spiritual senses lockt up in superstition, sleep, and midnight darknesse, would ever have assented unto, much lesse have tolerated, when men were taught to hold them for Points of Faith, as infallibly true as the Scripture it self, only because your Church hath proposed and practised them.

2 Thus did your Doctrine and filthy Practise of Indulgences (to omit many moe) from some surmises of the Ancient, concerning a third place af∣ter this life; as it were, from a small seed or kernel, by little and little come up to such a mighty growth, that it violently rent, and tore asunder the main Wals of Christs Temple, and caused that irreparable breach and rupture, betwixt the Southern and Northern parts of Christs Church, established in this Western part of the World. And albeit Cassander with divers other learned men in your Church, both before, and about▪ the time of the Trent-Councel, wished a reformation of many Points maintained by you; ho∣ping the Lutheran, and other reformed Churches, would thereby be drawn to Unity with you again: yet what one suspicious Opinion hath that Councel cleared, what bad amended, what harsh or odious one hath it mitigated? Nay, what Possibility hath it left for the amendment of any in Ages to come▪ amongst such as shall acknowledge that Authority infallible, which hath thun∣dred out so many Anathema's to all Gainsayers? Before it was lawful for Cassander and Cajetan, Fspenceus and others, to shew their dislike of your Do∣ctrine, and signifie their desires of amendment; retaining some Reliques or▪ fashion of men, that had been Free-born, not Slaves or Vassals to corrupt and dissolute Tyrants. They used their Liberty of Speech even in those cases, wherein it is not now lawful for any in your Church to mutter, no not so much as to sigh, or groan under that heavy Yoak, which their Forefathers grudged to bear, whose weight and hardnesse notwithstanding you still in∣crease, whilest your upstart Statesmen the Jesuites, (like Rehoboams green∣headed Counsellers) daily seek to make your Ecclesiastick Monarch••s little finger, greater then his Predecessors loins.

3 Some Jesuite or other happily would reply: Had Luther been quiet, the Church had been still at such Peace and Unity, as it enjoyed for many years before. What manner of Peace and Unity was that? Any other then such, as usually is found in any political Argus-eyed Tyrannie, before the sinews of it shrunk or the ligaments be dissolved? where no man may move but he is seen, nor mutter but he is heard; where the least secret signification of any desire of Freedom in Speech, or Liberty in Action, is interpreted for open Mutiny, and the least Motion unto Mutiny held matter sufficient for a cruel Death. These were the Bonds of your Peace and Unity, in this point of your Ecclesiastick Monarchie. As for your Peace in other speculative Points of lesse use or commodity to your state, it was like the revellings, or drunken Consorts of Servants in their night sportings, when the Master of the House is asleep in a retired room. Any School-man might broach what O∣pinion he list, and make his Auditors drunk with it, others might quarrel with him and them, in as uncivil sort as they list, so no Weapon were drawn against the Popes Peace. Albeit in the mean time the Scripture suffered as open Violence and Abuse, as Priscian doth, when drunken or dunstical Grammarians braul in extemporary Latin. As for your Cardinals and States-men they were at league indeed, but it was foedissimum foedus, a League so∣lemnized with more then barbarous and heathe••sh sacrifice, with the bloud of many tho••sand silly Lambs, for whom the Lamb of God had sacrificed his precious Body and Bloud. What number of Hussits, Bohemians, Pi∣cardes,

poor souls of Lions were made a prey unto your Woolvish (I may not say Lions) teeth, seeing as the Italian Poet argues, this Title so ill befits your Popes:

Nec cadit in turpes nobilis ir a feras:

No Lions they: for noble wrath No place in such base creatures hath.

But what Troops of such harmlesse souls were slain, burnt, and tormented, for their longing after the Liberty of the Sons of God, nor we, nor you that live this day can know, nor shall be known until the Register of the Book of life be opened. And howsoever they went (as their Lord and Master the great Shepheard of their souls had done before them) like sheep unto the slaughter, whilest their friends and kinsfolks cries were drowned with your Jewish Melody, and joy at their Destructions; yet we assure our selves, (and ye might dread Gods further Judgement by the event) it was the Cry of their innocent Bloud which fill'd the Court of Heaven, and in a just revenge of their Oppression procured Luthers Commission for Germanies Revolt. And yet say you, Luther was the Cause of Dissention in Christs Church: why so? Because he burst your former Unity, whose only Bond was Hellish Ty∣rannie. Of such a dissention, and of the breach of such an Unity, we grant he was the Cause; and you have no just cause to accuse him of dissention, or dis∣obedience for it. For all kind of Unity is not to be preferred before all kind of Dissention or Revolt. He that will not dissent from any man, or society * 1.1 of men, upon any Occasion whatsoever, must live at perpetual Enmity with his God, and War continually against his own Soul. For there is an Unity in Rebellion, a Brotherhood in Mischief, a Society in Murther both of Body and Soul. Wherefore unlesse you can prove your Cause or Title, for ex∣acting such absolute submission of mens souls, and spirits unto your Church, or Popes Decrees, to be most just and warrantable by Commission from the Highest Power in Heaven: Luther, and all that followed him, did well, in preferring a most just, most necessary, and sacred War, before a most unjust, and shamefully-execrable Peace: A Peace, no Peace, but a banding in open Rebellion against the Supream Lord of Heaven and Earth, and his Sa∣cred Laws, given for the perpetual Government of Mankind throughout their generations.

4 To presse you a little with your Objections against us and our Doctrine, * 1.2 for nourishing dissention: Our Church (say you) hath no Means of taking up Controversies aright. If this were true, yet (God be praised) it mini∣streth no just occasion of any dangerous Quarrel. But be ours, as it may be: hath your Church any better Means for composing Controversies of greatest moment, that raign this day throughout the Christian World? Or doth it not by this insolent, proud, tyrannical claim of Soveraigntie, and imperial Umpiership over all other Churches in all Controversies, give just cause of the greatest dissention, and extremest Opposition, that can be imagined could be given in the Church of Christ? The whole world besides cannot minister any like it. Nature and common Reason teach us, that a man may with far safer Conscience take arms in defence of his Life and Liberty, then in hope to avoid some pettie loss or grievance or to revenge some ordinary cause of pri∣vate discontent: the Quarrel in the one, (though with resistance unto our Adversaries bloud) may be justifiable, which in the other (albeit within the compasse of lesse danger) were detestable. But Grace doth teach us this

Equitie, Skin for Skin, all that ever a man hath, the whole world (and more if he had it is to be spent in the defence of Faith, the only seat of our Spiri∣tual Life, or for the Libertie of our Conscience. You alone teach, that all men should submit their Faith to your Decrees without examination of them or appeal from them: we usurp no such Authoritie, either over yours, or any mens Consciences. You challenge our Soveraign Lord, and all his People, to be your ghosily Slaves: we only stand in our own defence: we exact to such absolute Service, or Allegeance, either of you, or any other the meanest Christian Church, no nor our Prince and Clergie of the natural members of our own. They only seek (would God they sought aright in time) to keep them short at home, whose long reach might hale over Sea your long-sought Tyrannie over this People of Brittany, happily now divided (Lord ever con∣tinue this happy Division) from the Romish world. Unlesse your Means of taking up so great Contentions (as hence in equitie ought to arise) be so su∣perexcellent, that it can make amends where all is marred, (for which I can∣not see what Means can be sufficient, unlesse you either let your Suit fall, or prove your Title to be most just by Arguments most Authentick and strong you evidently impose a necessitie of the greatest Contentions, and extremest Opposition that any abuse or wrong, losse or danger, possibly to befall a Christian man (either as a Man or Christian, either in things of this life or that other to come, either concerning his very Life and Libertie whether Tempo∣ral or Spiritual or whatsoever else is more dear unto him) can occasion of breed.

5 That which ye usually premise to work such a prejudice in credulous and unsetled minds, as may make your sleight pretences of Reason or Scri∣pture (to be sifted anone) seem most firm and solid to ground you Infallibility upon, is, the supposed Excellency of it, for taking up all Controversies in Religion, and so of retaining Unitie of Holy Catholick Faith in the Bond of Love, If indeed it were so excellent for this purpose, you might rest contented with it, and heartily thank God for it. Yea, but because you have this excellent Means, which we have not, nor any like unto it, yours is the true Catholick Church, and ours a congregation of Schismaticks. What if we would invent the like? would that serve to make ours a true Church? Or tell us, what Warrant have you for inventing or establishing your supposed most excel∣lent Order for taking up Controversies? Was it from Heaven? or was it from Men? If from Heaven, we will obey it; if from Men, we will imitate you in it, if we like it. But first let us a little further examin it.

Notes

• * 1.1

  In this sense Christ is said to have come, not to send Peace, but a Sword unto the World.
• * 1.2

  That this very challenge of this insallible Authority of the R••mish Church for en∣ding all Con∣troversies ••••th necessarily 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the greatest Di•…•…∣tion from it that can be in all rel••gi••us minds.