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. XXVIII.

That of two Senses, in which the Excellency of the Romish Churches pretended Means for retaining the Unity of Faith, can only possibly be defended, The one (from the former discourse) proved apparently False; The other, •…•… self, as palpably Ridiculous.

1 WHen you affirm the Infallibility of your Church to be so excellent a Means for taking up all Controversies in Religion: you have no choice of any other, but one of these two Meanings; Either you mean, It is

so excellent a means de facto, and doth take up all Controversies: or else, it would be such as might take up all, if all men would subscribe unto It.

2 If you take the former Sense or meaning: we can evidently take you (as we say) with the very manner of Falshood. For this claim of such Au∣thoritie (as we partly shewed before) is the greatest eye-sore to all faithful eyes that can be imagined, and makes your Religion more irreconcilable to the Truth. And for this Church of England, as in it some dissent from you in many Points, others in fewer, some more in one, some more in another, so in this, of your Churches Infallibility, all of us dissent from you most evi∣dently, most eagerly, without all hope of Reconcilement or agreement, un∣lesse you utterly disclaim the Title in as plain terms as hitherto you have challenged it. Your dealing herein is as absurdly impious and impiously in∣solent, as if any Christian Prince or State should challenge another, as free and absolute as himself, for his Tributarie, or Vassal, and traduce him for a seditious member of Christendome, because he would not compose the Quarrel thus injuriously sought, with the surrender of his Crown and Dig∣nitie.

3 Princes may conclude a Peace, for civil and free commerce of their People, though professing sundry Religions: and they and their Clergie might perhaps procure a mitigation of some other Points, now much in Con∣troversie: but Though all others might, yet This admits no terms of parly for any possible Reconcilement. The natural Separation of this Island from those Countries wherein this Doctrine is professed, shall serve as an everlasting Emblem of the Inhabitants divided hearts at least in this Point of Religion: and let them, O Lord, be cut off speedily from amongst us, and their Posterity transported hence, never to enjoy again the least good thing this Land affords: let no print of their Memory be extant so much as in a tree or stone within our Coast: or let their Names by such as remain here after them be never mentioned, or al∣wayes to their endlesse shame; who living here amongst us will not imprint these or like Wishes in their hearts and daily mention them in their Prayers,

Littora littoribus contraria, fluctibus undas, Imprecor arma armis, pugnent ipsique nepotes.

Which words, though uttered in another case, applied to this, sound thus much to all wel-affected English or Brittish ears,

Let our and for ain Coasts joyn battel in the Main, Ere this foul blasphemy Great Brittain ever stain. Where never let it come, but floating in a floud Of ours, our nephews, and their childrens childrens bloud.

4 The Leaven of the Pharisees, whereof our Saviour willed his Disci∣ples to beware, was sweet Bread in respect of this pestiferous Dough, whose poison is so diffused througout the whole Body and Masse of Romish Religi∣on, as it hath polluted every parcel therein, and makes even those particular Points to be damnable in modern Papists, which in the Ancient holding them from other Grounds, were pardonable. Such as held a kind of Purgatorie, or third Place after this life, Evangelical Counsels, Invocation of Saints, or the like, because they thought the Scripture taught them, were deceived in these particular Scriptures, but yet reserved their faithful Allegiance to Gods Word in general. Nay, even those particular Errours and mistakings of the

sense of Scriptures, were witnesses and pledges of their Obedience unto the Scripture, or Word of God; when they therefore Believed them, because they were immediately perswaded in Conscience that the Scriptures (the Rule of their Conscience) did teach them. But while you hold the same O∣pinions, not because you are perswaded in Conscience (immediately ruled by Scripture) that they are contained in Scripture, but because the Church, which as ye suppose cannot erre, doth teach them; or to speak more plainly, whiles you your selves either Believe, or teach others to Believe them or the Scri∣ptures concerning them; because the Church, whose Authoritie in this and all other Cases you acknowledge for the infallible Rule of your Faith com∣mands you so to do: you hereby openly renounce your own, and sollicit the the people to alienate their Allegiance from God and his Word: and the passing over, or yielding up of stedfast and absolute Assent unto any particu∣lar Point in your Religion, upon these Grounds, is as evident a witnesse of high Treason, committed against GOD by the partie thus believing; a swearing of that Fealtie, or Allegiance to a pretended Vicegerent, or Depu∣ty, which is only due to the Prince himself, would be in a natural and sworn subject. Wherefore the supposed Infallibility of your Church is no such ex∣cellent Means of taking up all Controversies, if your meaning be in the former sense proposed. For it is so far from taking up all, that it puts an Imposibility of having any betwixt you and as taken up, unlesse you abjure it quite; for it makes all the rest of your Opinions deadly, to such as stedfastly Believe it, or for it, them.

5 Your meaning then must be; That this Infallibility of your Church would be an excellent Means for taking up all Controversies, if all men would subscribe unto it. Indeed I must confesse, there would soon be an end of all, or ra∣ther, no controversies should ever be begun, if every man would resolve with himself, not to dissent from others, but let them hold what they list, he would hold the very same: or if all men would bind themselves to abide some one Mans, or a Major part of some few or more determinate persons Determinations without more ado. In this case one might say of his Judge, He shall determin for me; and another might reply, nay but for my Opinion; the third might say, He shall judge as I will have him; and the fourth reply, or rather as I will: and yet never a one dissent from other, but all agree. All of them might have the Judges Sentence at as absolute command, as the Shepheard had the Weather. For every one might have him determin as he plea∣sed, because all of them were fully resolved to be pleased with whatsoever he should determin. If you dream of such an Unitie in Faith, or such a manner of composing Contentions; it must be further disputed, whether this were not an open Dissention or solemn Compact for moving a general Apostasie from the true Faith. And they that labour for such an Union in points of Faith and Salvation, do in effect solicite the whole Christian world to run hand in hand, but head-long, into open Insidelitie, lest perhaps by breaking companies, some might slide into Schisms and Heresies. Should the Ramists and Aristotelians, or generally all the Professors of Secular Arts and Sciences in our Universities, bind themselves under penaltie of Expulsion, or by so∣lemn Vow, never to swerve from the Bedle of beggers or John-a-dogs his de∣terminations, and resolutions in any point of Logick, Philosophie, or Meta∣physicks; would this be a sweet match to take up all Controversies, or Con∣tentions between Colledge and Colledge, in our Schools? were this so excel∣lent a way, to retain the Unitie of the Truth, and skill in those Faculties? or rather the only readie way to make all bond-slaves to Errour, Ignorance, and

Falshood? And yet might we, with more safety, delegate greater Authority in these cases to every one, then we may to any living in matters of Faith and Religion; over which, or over our selves in respect of which we have no lawful Power or Authority. For this, and other Reasons, should we be more afraid to subscribe unto any mortal mans Authority, as unto a Judge most absolute and infallible, whose decrees we may not resist, from whose Sen∣tence we may not appeal in matters of Faith: then to refer our seves wholly unto the sole Judgement of the meerest natural Fool living, in matters of se∣cular Learning and natural Knowledge. For, (besides the danger hence ac∣crewing to our selves) GOD our Creator, Christ our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit our Comforter and Instructer, have far greater interest in our Souls and Consciences, then either Aristotle or Plato, or any other Philoso¦pher, or Philosophie it self hath in our Opinions, or Perswasions.

6 But though Gratitude to our God could not move us; are those blessed hopes of Immortality so little worth, as upon every light or no occasion we should adventure their eternal losse? And yet idly, desperately, and frantick∣ly, adventure it we do, unlesse such as urge us with solemn subscription to this more then Monarchical Supremacy over our souls (enstamped not with any Roman Caesars but Gods own Image & Superscription) can shew us suffi∣cient Warrant, that thus to offer up not only the calves of our lips, but even our Faith (the best Tribute our hearts can yield) wholly into Christs pretend∣ed Vicars hands, be not a witnesse of our Rebellion against Christ himself the Supream Lord as wel of them, that challenge this Authority, as of us, of whom this servile subjection is exacted. All the warrant or Evidence, which in this case they can pretend, must either be drawn from the Rules of Reason or from the Scriptures, the Rule (as we contend) of Faith; which for this reason may justly controul all pretended Rules of Natural Reason. And (as we have said before) if the Pope be (as usually he is) but homo 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 with a witnesse: then both Scripture and Reason teach us, that he can∣not perceive the things of God, nor the Meaning of his Spirit; for, as our Apostle saith, they are foolish unto him. And if they be foolish to him; then is he as foolish a Judge of them, and of all things that must be Spiritually discer∣ned, as the meerest natural Idiot would be of natural Philosophie, or other secular Arts or Sciences. Even to this one place of Scripture, uttered by the Spirit of God, and the Ministry of that Apostle, no sufficient Answer can be given, without the evident Testimony of the same Spirit (under some Pro∣phets, Apostles, or Evangelists hand) either mitigating or restraining that sense which the words naturally import, and we collect: whose Probability in it self, and Consonancy with other Scriptures, are so great, that we stand bound by our general Allegiance, which we ow unto GODS Spirit, to suspect all men for Incompetent Judges, or witnesses in matters concerning GOD; un∣lesse we know certainly of what Spirit they are, or have great Inducements to presume them of a better Spirit, and in more favour with the Spirit of God, then they themselves report their Popes to be.

Notes

• •…•… whether from the known or possible fruits of the Romish Churches Means (so excellent, as is pretended) •…•… Argument can be drawn to work a prejudicial conceipt in mens minds, (That it were •…•… Authority to their Church) before they come to direct examination of the main point (what •…•… Scriptures.)
• See 〈◊〉〈◊〉 14, •…•… 5, &c.