the Succession of this Family then they that are still unwholesome and diseased Philop. I think the sounder the better Family as being of a nearer affinity or consanguinity with the most ancient Progenitours of them all And therefore questionless we are not the less of the Succession of the Apostles for cleansing our selves from After-corruptions and reducing our selves to their ancient Apostolick Purity The Succession indeed is continued in the Church of Rome as a diseased Family is the Continuation of the Family of their Ancestours but the Apostolicall Succession is not onely continued but rectified again and perfected in the Reformation So that I conceive there is no hazard at all to Succession in admitting those due but sharp Invectives in the Apocalypse and other places of Scripture to belong to the Church of Rome they all not amounting to the making her no true Church or no Church but an Idolatrous one a Murtherous one and an Imposturous one As an adulterous murtherous and cheating Wife is a Wife and therefore a true Wife till she be dead or divorced Philoth. XXVII That although the Church of Rome were not a true Church yet it follows not but that the Reformed Churches are You understand me right Philopolis But besides this suppose the Miscarriages of the Church of Rome were at last so high and that for some Ages that she plainly ceased to be in any sense a true Church which yet I must confess I cannot believe no more then that the Church of the Iews ceased to be a true Church when they ston'd the Prophets and shamelesly polluted themselves with Idolatry yet the true Church was continued elsewhere and the truest Church of all the Elect of God every-where There was a Woman in the Wilderness when the Church had become a Wilderness Though I must confess this respects rather the Perpetuity of the Church at large then the continued Succession of Pastours But neither do I hold that necessary that every true visible Church should have a visible Succession of Priests from the Apostles to their time The Ierusalem that is said to come down from Heaven will be a true Church Apoc. 21.2 and will be approved to be so though she could not make this Boast in the flesh that she can number a visible Pastoral Succession upon Earth from S t. Peter at Rome or S t. Iames at Ierusalem And suppose at that call of God's people out of Babylon Apoc. 18.4 Come out of her my people lest you partake of her sins and of her plagues that all the Priesthood had hung together upon Interest and would not have stirred had a whole Kingdome that had reformed without the leave of the Priesthood been no Church nor the Prince had any power to appoint the most able and eminent of his Subjects in the knowledge and practice of Christianity to preside in Rebus sacris in the Affairs of Religion and begin a Succession from them whom we will suppose to order all things according to the Word of God and the Practice of the Apostles and to profess no other Doctrine then what they taught and is evident out of the Scriptures What shall such a Nation as this be no Church for all this in these Circumstances of things O Philopolis Philop. I promise you it is a very nice Controversie Philotheus I know not well what to say to it of a sudden Bath It is a nice point indeed Philopolis But I 'll propound to you a point that is more clear Whether is not every Sovereign Supreme Head of the Church as well in Ecclesiasticall Affairs as in Civil in his own Dominions Philop. Surely he is Bathynous or else he is not absolute Sovereign For I conceive that to be the Supreme to which is committed both the trust and power of ordering all for the welfare of the Subject which consequently must needs include Religion of which therefore of necessity the Supremacy is Judge Whence every supreme Magistrate is if not formally yet eminently as well Priest as King else he were not King or the King not supreme Magistrate as being bound to be ruled by the judgement of the Priest in matters of Religion which unquestionably all Mundane Affairs ought to stoop to Whence it will follow that all Power that does not include the Priesthood in it at least eminently or virtually must stoop to that Judicature But being the Supremacy of any Nation is to stoop to none but God it is plain that he that is Supreme has at least virtually the Sacerdotal Power in himself Bath I profess unto you Philopolis you are so subtil in Politicks that I conceive it will be very hard for any one to evade the force of your arguing Euistor The anointing of Kings and Emperours at their Coronations as also the Emperour's Crown comprehending in it the Episcopal Mitre methinks Bathynous bears a notable Compliance with this Conclusion of Philopolis Cuph. You may as well argue for a communion of Kingship in the Priesthood because the Priests be anointed in the Church of Rome Bath It 's likely they would catch at that greedily enough Cuphophron But in that Kings are crowned as well as anointed Exod. 40.13 15. but Priests anointed and not crowned with royal Crowns it is an intimation that both the Kingship and Priesthood in some sense is in the King but onely the Priesthood in the Priest But a more notable Correspondence then this of Euistor's occurrs to my phancy that is the Vision of the twenty four Elders with the robes of Priests and the Crowns of Kings upon them Apoc. 4.4 which assuredly intimates that in the best state of the Church every Sovereign will be confessedly both Priest and King over his own people Philoth. You say well Bathynous And it is very remarkable in that Vision that there is no one visible Head of the universal Church such as the Pope pretends to be but every Sovereign is there set out as a Kingly Priest or a Priestly King in his own Dominions Philop. Gentlemen you have finely adorned my dry Reasonings with your Historicall and Propheticall Observations all which jointly considered do easily bear me into a full and settled persuasion that every Christian King has so much of the power of the Priesthood in him and of the Autority of our Heavenly King and Priest Christ Iesus that being enlightned with the true belief of the Gospel and being destitute elsewhere of a Priesthood to officiate in the Church or rather of such as may consecrate men to that Function himself may raise a Succession of them by his own power Exod. 29.5 6. and they ordering all things according to the Word of God and practice of the Apostles that the whole Nation yielding obedience to these Precepts and Institutes does ipso facto become a true visible Church of Christ. What think you Bathynous Bath Nay I am abundantly satisfied For you know Extra Ecclesiam non est Salus And it is
will bring thee to ashes upon the Earth in the sight of all them that behold thee as you hinted to us yesterday Philotheus Philoth. By the iniquity of thy Traffick that is to say more particularly by the wicked sale and trade of Pardons and Indulgences sent out by Pope Leo the tenth in Luther's time from whence Luther first took fire Bath Why it hits marvellously well does it not Philotheus Philoth. It does Bathynous and is the same now you put me in mind of it that I offer'd at yesterday But to proceed Therefore will I bring forth a fire from out the midst of thee that is I will bring Martin Luther out of his Monkish Cell from amidst all his Superstition and false Devotion a man of so hot and fiery a complexion that his phancy was filled with nothing but flying Fire-brands in the night and he shall devour the Papacy by the fire of his zeal Bath Which he has done in a very considerable measure already The Atchievement whereof stands as a pledge of the future Consummation of what has been begun so successfully XXV Of the Obnoxiousness of Luther and other Reformers Euist. I hope so too Bathynous And yet to speak impartially and according to the truth of History the Instruments God made use of in the first Reformation of the Church were not altogether of so unexceptionable demeanour and tenour in Doctrine and Practice as that we should much build our faith upon the worth of their persons But I must confess that Luther was one that made himself the most obnoxious Bath What you say Euistor admit it were true it does not one whit prejudice the cause of the Reformation For the Reformation is not into the Opinion of any weak and fallible man but into the knowledge and belief of the infallible Word of God And therefore it is vainly and to no purpose alledged by the Romanists That Luther was of so big and boisterous a spirit That he was impatient of a single life That he was mistaken in his judgement in severall things in some things inconstant to himself vehement and uncontroulable in all and opposing all gainsayers with rudeness and bitterness of speech For notwithstanding all these Complexionall Infirmities yet I cannot but believe that he had a substantial Sincerity underneath a firm belief in God and Iesus Christ and a lusty Indignation against the bloudy Tyranny the gross Idolatry and base and unworthy Cheats and Impostures of the Church of Rome Whenas on the contrary his Antagonist Pope Leo was not onely an open abettour of these but a close Infidel or Atheist as appears by that wicked saying of his to Cardinall Bembo wherein he did insinuate that the whole History of Christ is but a mere Fable Was not Luther think you holy enough to grapple with such an Holiness as this Leo the tenth I must confess I cannot think so very highly of Luther as some do and yet I think him to have been a very happy Instrument in the hand of God for the good of Christendome against the horrid Enormities of the Papal Hierarchie And though he might not be allowed to be the Elias the Conductour and Chariot of Israel as some have styled him yet I think at least he might be accounted a faithful Postillion in that Chariot who was wel accoutred with his wax Boots oiled Coat and Hood and who turned the Horses noses into a direct way from Babylon toward the City of God and held on in a good round trot through thick and thin not caring to bespatter others in this high jogg as he himself was finely bespattered from others The meaner the Romanists make our first Reformers Euistor the greater disgrace returns upon themselves That the Corruptions of their Church were so gross that even men but of an ordinary life and judgement could both discern them and detest them at once If God by ordinary Instruments wrought extraordinary things the more was his Glory and the less hazard of eclipsing the luster of the Sacred Apostolicall Foundation or of disturbing that Number that is so holy and celebrious in both History and Prophecy throughout the Scripture Vnexceptionable Reformers had been a means rather to captivate us again to the flesh to carnal respects and personal Dotages then to promote the Dispensation of the Spirit which must be the upshot of all The Ministry of Luther and the Reformers was rather to recover to us the use of the Scripture then to dictate a Law to us from their own infallible and unexceptionable worth to break off the Papal Yoke rather then to put us into new Fetters The Word of God then it was hid like a precious Cabinet and sunk in that Augeae stabulum the overflowing Corruptions and down-bearing Tyrannies of the Church of Rome which that noble Heros Luther like another Hercules by removing the filth was to bring into the sight of the world again And would you then have had him and his Fellow-labourers not such as they were but such pure spruce Gentlemen in white Spanish-leather Pumps in clean Linen Stockins and Holland Doublets with all other correspondent Elegancy and unexceptionable Neatness and in this pure and splendid plight to have taken into hand their Shovells Wheel-barrows and Muck-forks to rid away this stinking Dunghill Christ did not owe his wicked Corrivall for the Government of the World so much respect And for such course work there was more need of a resolute robustuous courage such as Luther had then of any such externall Sanctimony or accuracy of Wit and Judgement as not to be taken tripping any-where in either Reason or Conversation Wherefore all Arguments against the Reformation from the quality of the Reformers are very weak both because they were substantial good men in the main notwithstanding what oversights soever they may be pretended to have committed through humour or passion or unavoidable surprize and also because it is not their Authority we stand to in matters of Religion but to the Scripture in the Recovery of the use and enjoyment whereof they were gloriously instrumental and lastly because all their particular judgements are swallowed up not to be seen nor look'd upon any farther then they appear in the common judgement of Reformed Christendome represented in the Harmonie of their publick Confessions But for God's carrying on the Reformation in particular Circumstances in his taking the Kingdome to himself and judging the little Horn if all be not so plain and pervious to our understandings yet let us the rather take up the Psalmist's form of Devotion and say Psalm 97 1 2. The Lord reigneth let the Earth rejoice Clouds and Darkness are round about him Righteousness and Iudgement are the habitation of his seat Philop. Bathynous has suggested many material Considerations in the behalf of the Reformation against all possible Cavills of the Adversarie touching the first Reformers whom I am very well assured that according to the Genius of that Church they
most delicious and Seraphick Lives that I could ever imagine any to doe upon this Earth The Prelibation of those future Joys and Glories that you in a manner make present to you by so firm a Faith and clear Prospect of things is an Anticipation of the Happiness of Heaven at least of that Heaven that is to be upon Earth when the new Ierusalem shall descend from above I am so infinitely transported with your excellent Converse that I am almost out of conceit with my own condition of Life and could wish I had never been engaged in the care of a Wife and a Family or any other Secular Occasions that I might joyn my self for ever to your blessed Society Of such unspeakable pleasure has this five days entertainment been to my minde Philoth. God forbid Philopolis that the Sweet of Contemplation should ever put your mouth out of tast with the savoury Usefulness of Secular Negotiations To doe good to men to assist the injured to relieve the necessitous to advise the ignorant in his necessary affairs to bring up a Family in the fear of God and a chearful hope of everlasting Happiness after this Life does as much transcend our manner of living if it ended in a mere pleasing our selves in the delicacy of select Notions as solid Goodness does empty Phantastry or sincere Charity the most childish Sophistry that is The exercise of Love and Goodness of Humanity and Brotherly-kindness of Prudence and Discretion of Faithfulness and Neighbourliness of unfeigned Devotion and Religion in the plain and undoubted Duties thereof is to the truly regenerate Soul a far greater pleasure then all the fine Speculations imaginable Philop. You 'll pardon this sudden surprise Philotheus for your wholesome Instruction has reduced me again to the right sense of things I am fully convinced that all Speculation is vain that tends not to the Duty of Practice nor inables a man the better to perform what he owes to God to his Prince and Countrey to his Family Neighbours and Friends Which is the onely consideration that makes my parting with this excellent Society any thing tolerable to me at this time being so fully instructed by you that I am not to live to please my self but to be serviceable to others And therefore I shall endeavour not so to leave you as not to carry away the better part of you along with me Cuph. XLIII His Complement to Cuphophron and his Friends with Cuphophron 's return thereof upon Philopolis You mean Euistor and Hylobares do you not Philopolis Philop. I mean not Persons but Things the endearing memorie of the sincere Zeal and sound Knowledge of Philotheus the free and profound Judgement of Bathynous the Prudence and Sobriety of Sophron and the Gaiety of Temper and singular Urbanity of my noble friend Cuphophron to whom I return many thanks for his repeated favours and civilities since my arrival hither as I do to Philotheus also and the rest of this excellent Companie for their great Obligations and shall impatiently expect an opportunity of making some requitall In the mean time I leave my thanks with you all and bid you farewell Cuph. Not the Memory O Philopolis but the Reality of all those Accomplishments you reckon up of right you carry away with you because you brought them along with you hither Nor will we take leave of so accomplished a person till needs must We will wait upon you to morrow morning to see you take horse and then wish you a good Journey In the mean time we onely bid you Good-night Philop. That will be too great a favour Philoth. That 's a Civility very well mentioned Cuphophron We will at least doe that if not carry them part on their way Hyl. And I will defer my manifold Acknowledgements to Philotheus till then THE END A brief DISCOURSE Of the true Grounds of The Certainty of FAITH IN Points of Religion FAith and Belief though they be usually appropriated to matters of Religion yet those words in themselves signifie nothing else but a Persuasion touching the Truth of a thing arising from some Ground or other Which Persuasion may be undoubted or certain to us that is to say We may be certainly persuaded without any staggering though the Grounds be false and the Thing it self false that we are thus firmly persuaded of So that the being firmly persuaded is no sure sign to others nor ought to be to ourselves that either the Grounds or the Belief it self is true 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may very well arise from an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Peculiarity of Complexion or the Besottedness of Education may be so prevalent as very forcibly to urge Falshood upon our belief as well in things Natural as Religious either upon very weak and false Grounds or no other Grounds at all but that of Complexion and Education Passion or Interest or the like But the true Grounds of the Certainty of Faith are such as do not onely beget a certain and firm Faith but a true one and this in virtue of their own Truth and Solidity as being such as will appear true and solid to all impartial and unprejudiced Examiners that is to say to all such as neither Complexion nor Education nor Passion nor Interest does pervert their Judgement but have their 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 clear as the Eye to discriminate Colours Whence it is plain that the first and most necessarie Preparation to the Discovery of the true Grounds of the Certainty of Faith is Moral Prudence in such a sense as the nature of it is described in a late Moral Discourse entitled Enchiridion Ethicum lib. 2. cap. 2. This ought to be antecedaneous to our judgement touching either Autority or Reason But for a man of a polluted spirit to take upon him to dissent from the Constitutions of the Church he is born under is a very rash and insolent Attempt As if God were more bound to assist a single Wicked man for the finding out of Truth then a multitude or as if a man could more safely or more creditably err alone then with a company that has the stamp of Autority upon them But if thy endeavour be to perfect Holiness in the fear of God and to walk in all Humility before him and before men thou mayest by such rational Grounds as these examine the Fidelity of thy Teachers and the truth of their Doctrines of Religion First then It is plain that Certainty of Faith presupposeth Certainty of both Reason and Sense rightly circumstantiated For forasmuch as Faith properly so called is nothing but an unwavering Assent to some Doctrine proposed upon the ground of infallible Testimonie there must be some Reason to persuade us that that Testimony is infallible that is to say that they that testifie are neither obnoxious to Errour in the things they witness of nor have a mind to make others to erre or