occasion unto their being offered me. When we had last the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews in hand, and of that epistle these words, "In these last days he has spoken to us by his Son;" Heb. after we had thence collected the nature of the visible church ofi. 2. Christ, and had defined it to be a community of mena sanctified through the profession of the truth which God hath taught the world by his Son; and had declared, that the scope of Christian doctrine is the comfort of them whose hearts are overcharged with the burden of sin; and had proved that the doctrine professed in the church of Rome, doth bereave men of comfort, both in their lives, and in their deaths; the conclusion in the end, whereunto we came, was this, the church of Rome, being in faith so corrupted as she is, and refusing to be reformed as she doth, we are to sever ourselves from her; the example of our fathers may not retain us in communion with that church, under hope that we so continuing, may be saved as well as they. God, I doubt not, was merciful to save thousands of them, though they lived in popish superstitions, inasmuch as they sinned ignorantly: but the truth is now laid before our eyes. The former part of this last sentence, namely, these words, "I doubt not but God was merciful to save thousands of our fathers living in popish superstitions, inasmuch as they sinned ignorantly:" this sentence I beseech you to mark, and to sift it with the severity of austere judgment, that if it be found to be gold, it may be suitable to the precious foundation whereon it was then laid; for I protest, that if it be hay or stubble, my own hand shall set fire on it. Two questions have risen by this speech before-alleged: the one, Whether our fathers, infected with popish errors and superstitions, may be saved? the other, Whether their ignorance be a reasonable inducement to make us think they might? We are then to examine, first, what possibility; then, what probability there is, that God might be merciful unto so many of our fathers. 10. So many of our fathers living in popish superstitions, yet by the mercy of God be saved? No; this could not be God hath spoken by his angel from heaven unto his people concerning Babylon (by Babylon, we understand the church of Rome): "Go out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her Apoc. plagues." For answer whereunto, first, I do not take the words xviii. 4. to be meant only of temporal plagues, of the corporal death, sorrow, famine, and fire, whereunto God in his wrath had condemned By sanctification, I mean a separation from others not professing as they do. For true holiness consisteth not in professing, but in obeying the truth of Christ. Matt. Gen. xix. 15. Babylon; and that to save his chosen people from these plagues, he saith, "Go out," with like intent, as in the gospel, speaking of xxiv. 16. Jerusalem's desolations, he saith, "Let them that are in Judea flee unto the mountains, and them that are in the midst thereof depart out:" or as in the former times to Lot, "Arise, take thy wife and thy daughters which are there, lest thou be destroyed in the punishment of the city:" but forasmuch as here it is said, "Go out of Babylon;" we doubt their everlasting destruction, which are partakers therein, is either principally meant, or necessarily implied in this sentence. How then was it possible for so many of our fathers to be saved, since they were so far from departing out of Babylon, that they took her for their mother, and in her bosom yielded up the ghost? 11. First, for the plagues being threatened unto them that are partakers in the sins of Babylon, we can define nothing concerning our fathers out of this sentence: unless we shew what the sins of Babylon be, and what they be which are such partakers of them that their everlasting plagues are inevitable. The sins which may be common both to them of the church of Rome, and to others departed thence, must be severed from this question. He which saith, "Depart out of Babylon, lest ye be partakers of her sins," sheweth plainly, that he meaneth such sins, as except we separate ourselves, we have no power in the world to avoid; such impieties, as by their law they have established, and whereunto all that are among them, either do indeed assent, or else are, by powerful means, forced in show and appearance to subject themselves. As for example, in the church of Rome it is maintained, that the same credit and reverence that we give to the Scriptures of God, ought also to be given to unwritten verities; that the pope is supreme head ministerial over the universal church militant; that the bread in the eucharist is transubstantiated into Christ; that it is to be adored, and to be offered up unto God, as a sacrifice propitiatory for quick and dead; that images are to be worshipped, saints to be called upon as intercessors, and such-like. Now, because some heresies do concern things only believed, as the transubstantiation of the sacramental elements in the eucharist; some concern things which are practised and put in ure, as the adoration of the elements transubstantiated: we must note, that erroneously the practice of that is sometime received, whereof the doctrine that teacheth it is not heretically maintained. They are all partakers of the maintenance of heresies, who by word or deed allow them, knowing them, al though not knowing them to be heresies; as also they, and that most dangerously of all others, who knowing heresy to be heresy, do notwithstanding in worldly respects make semblance of allowing that, which in heart and judgment they condemn: but heresy is heretically maintained, by such as obstinately hold it after wholesome admonition. Of the last sort, as of the next before, I make no doubt, but that their condemnation, without an actual repentance, is inevitable. Lest any man therefore should think, that in speaking of our fathers, I should speak indifferently of them all; let my words, I beseech you, be well marked, “I doubt not but God was merciful to save thousands of our fathers:" which thing I will now, by God's assistance, set more plainly before your eyes. 12. Many are partakers of the error, which are not of the heresy of the church of Rome. The people following the conduct of their guides, and observing as they did, exactly that which was prescribed, thought they did God good service, when indeed they did dishonour him. This was their error: but the heresy of the church of Rome, their dogmatical position opposite unto Christian truth, what one man among ten thousand did ever understand? Of them which understand Roman heresies, and allow them, all are not alike partakers in the action of allowing. Some allow them as the first founders and establishers of them: which crime toucheth none but their popes and councils: the people are clear and free from this. Of them which maintain popish heresies, not as authors, but receivers of them from others, all maintain them not as masters. In this are not the people partakers neither, but only the predicant and schoolmen. Of them which have been partakers in this sin of teaching popish heresy, there is also a difference; for they have not all been teachers of all popish heresy. "Put a difference (saith St. Jude), have compassion upon some." Ver. 22. Shall we lay up all in one condition? Shall we cast them all headlong? Shall we plunge them all into that infernal and everlasting flaming lake? Them that have been partakers of the errors of Babylon, together with them which are in the heresy? Them which have been. the authors of the heresy, with them that by terror and violence have been forced to receive it? Them who taught it, with them whose simplicity hath by slights and conveyances of false teachers been seduced to believe it? Them which have been partakers in one, with them which have been partakers in many? Them which in many, with them which in all ? 18. Notwithstanding I grant, that although the condemnation of them be more tolerable than of these; yet from the man that laboureth at the plough, to him that sitteth in the vatican; to all partakers in the sins of Babylon; to our fathers, though they did but erroneously practise that which the guide heretically taught; to all without exception, plagues were due. The pit is ordinarily the end, as well of the guide as of the guided in blindness. But woe worth the hour wherein we are born, except we might promise ourselves better things; things which accompany man's salvation, even where we know that worse and such as accompany condemnation are due. Then must we shew some way how possibly they might escape. What way is there that sinners can find to escape the judgment of God, but only by appealing to the seat of his saving mercy? Which mercy, with Origen, we do not extend to devils and damned spirits. God hath mercy upon thousands, but there be thousands also which he hardeneth. Christ hath therefore set the bounds, he hath fixed the limits of his saving mercy within the compass of these terms: "God sent not his own Son to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." In the third of St. John's Gospel, mercy is reJohn strained to believers: "He that believeth shall not be condemniii. 17. ed: he that believeth not, is condemned already, because he believeth not in the Son of God." In the second of the Revelation, mercy is restrained to the penitent. For of Jezebel and her sectaries Rev. thus he speaketh: "I gave her space to repent, and she repented not. Behold, I will cast her into a bed, and them that commit fornications with her into great affliction, except they repent them of their works; and I will kill her children with death." Our hope therefore of the fathers is, if they were not altogether faithless and impenitent, that they are saved. ii. 22. 14. They are not faithless that are weak in assenting to the truth, or stiff in maintaining things opposite to the truth of Christian doctrine. But as many as hold the foundation which is precious, though they hold it but weakly, and as it were with a slender thread, although they frame many base and unsuitable things upon it, things that cannot abide the trial of the fire; yet shall they pass the fiery trial and be saved, which indeed have builded themselves upon the rock, which is the foundation of the church. If then our fathers did not hold the foundation of faith, there is no doubt but they were faithless. If many of them held it, then is therein no impediment but many of them might be saved. Then let us see what the foundation of faith is, and whether we may think that thousands of our fathers being in popish superstitions, did notwithstanding hold the foundation. 15. If the foundation of faith do import the general ground whereupon we rest when we do believe, the writings of the evangelists and the apostles are the foundation of Christian faith : "Credimus quia legimus," saith St. Jerome. O that the church of Rome did as a soundly interpret these fundamental writings whereupon we build our faith, as she doth willingly hold and embrace them. John 16. But if the name of foundation do note the principal thing which is believed, then is that the foundation of our faith which St. Paul hath to Timothy: "God manifested in the flesh, justified 1 Tim. in the Spirit," &c. that of Nathanael, "Thou art the Son of the iii. 16. living God: thou art the king of Israel :" that of the inhabitants i. 49. of Samaria," This is Christ the Saviour of the world:" he that iv. 42. directly denieth this, doth utterly rase the foundation of our faith. I have proved heretofore, that although the church of Rome hath played the harlot worse than ever did Israel, yet are they not, as now the synagogue of the Jews, which plainly deny Christ Jesus, quite and clean excluded from the new covenant. But as Samaria compared with Jerusalem is termed Aholath, a church or tabernacle of her own; contrariwise, Jerusalem Aholibath, the resting place of the Lord: so whatsoever we term the church of Rome, when we compare her with reformed churches, still we put a difference, as then between Babylon and Samaria, so now between Rome and the heathenish assemblies: which opinion I must and will recall; I must grant and will, that the church of Rome, together with all her children, is clean excluded. There is no difference in the world between our fathers and Saracens, Turks andpa inims, if they did directly deny Christ crucified for the salvation of the world. 17. But how many millions of them were known so to have ended their lives, that the drawing of their breath hath ceased with the uttering of this faith, "Christ my Saviour, my Redeemer Jesus?" Answer is made, that this they might unfeignedly confess, and yet be far enough from salvation. For behold, saith the apostle," I Paul say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ Gal. v. 2. They misinterpret, not only by making false and corrupt glosses upon the Scripture, but also by forcing the old vulgar translation as the only authentical: howbeit, they refuse no book which is canonical, though they admit sundry which are not. |