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Show - ~ J-:.. ~ . ..._ ..... ;;:::.~;;·· ·~~ .An Advertifoment, touching the ControverfieJ AN ADVERTISEMENT;. TOUCHING THE C 0 NT R 0 V E R S I E S, OF TWE CHURC OF E N · G L. A N D. Tis but Ignorance, if any Man fi~d it frr.ange, RJ'4;B~~~ that the State of Religion, (efpectal~y, m the Dayes of Peace~) fi10uld be cxerct~ed., and troubled with controverjies: For as It ts, t he Conditw'n of the church Militant, to be ever under Tri;ls; So it commeth t~ paffe, that when the Fiery Trial!, of Perf ecutton, ceafet~, there fucceedeth another Triall, whic~, (as It were, ) by contrary Blafl:s of Do&rine, doth fift, an~ wt~nowe, Mens Faith; And proveth, whether.they Know God artght; E ~en as that other, ot AffliCtions, difcovereth, w~ether they Love ht~, better then the World. Accordingly, was ~t foretold, by chrij, f:tying; That itt the latte)' times, it Jhmtld be far~; Lo here,. foe there u chrijt: Which is to l:e underfiood, not. as Jf the ve~y Perfon ?f chrift, fhould be a!fumed,· a~d c?unterfeitted? But hts Authonty and preheminence, ( whtch ts to be Truth 1t felf,J tbould be ch~llen~ed and pretended. Thus have we read, an? feen, to be fulfilled: that which followeth, Ecce in Defer!o; Ecce m Pen~tralibus :While fome have fought the Truth, ~n the Conventtcl:s, and aonciliables, of Hereticl{f, and Se.ttartes; others., 1n the Extern~ Face, and Reprefentation ~ of the Chur ch; And both Sorts have been [educed. Were 1t then) that the C ontro-verjiu, of tbe Church, of Engiand. -------'=-- verjies, of the church, of England, were fuch, as they did Divide, the Vnity of the Spirit; And not onely fuch, as do unfwa!h her) of her Jiands, (the B111tds of Peace;) yet could it be no Occafion, for any pretended Catholic/z., to judge us; or for any Irreligious rerfon, to defpife us: Or ifit be, it fhall but happen to us all, as it hath ufed to do; To them to be Hardned)and to U$ to Endure,the good pleafure of God. But now, th'!t our contentions, are fuch, as we ' need not, fo much, that gener:all c.mon., and SentoJce, ofC/Jrifl~ propounded againfi Heretic~<!; Err.J.tiJ, nef cientes Scrip11tras, & poteflatemDei. You do Err,not J.(nowing the Scriptm·e~& the Porr:er of God; As we need, the Admonition, of s.James; Let every Man bejwift to ' heur,j/ow to JPeafzJlow to wrath; ~nd that the Wound, is no way> dangerous, except we pay fo~ it! with our Remedies: As the Fonner SortofMen, have leffe Reafon, to make themfelves 111Hji'c/ z, in cur t:ifcord; So I have go~d hope, that Nothing iba11 difpleafe our Sdves;wch fhall be GncereJyj& modefl:ly propounded> for the ap pealing of thefe Dijfentians. For if any fhall be offcm-ded, at this voyce; Vos e.ftis fratres; ye are brethren, why ftrive f"e? He fhall give, a great prefumption: ag~infi himfelf, that he is the Party, tha~ doth his Brethren wrong. · , . . TheControvctjiu themfelves~I will not enter into.; As judging, that the Difeafe, requireth rather R~fi,then any other cure. t hus much we all know, and confefs; t~at they be not.ofthe Highefi Nature: For they are n~t, touch~ng~.rh~ higp Jtfyjleries of Failh. 3 (uch as deta·ined the Churches, for .IJlany yeares, ~ftcr their firft Peace: what time the Heretic/zi move4 curious ~eftion:r, and made ftrange Anatomiei, of the NaiJ~ru, aod perfon, _of chrift: And the Catholic/z Fathers, were corpp~ll~d., to follow ~hem, with all Subtilty ofDecifions, and Det~rmipa!ions, to exclude them, from their EvajionJ, and to take them in their Laby~inths: So as it is rightly faid; Illis temporibuf, ingen~e[a R.u ~fui·t, e.ffe Ghriflianum: In thoje dayes, it was an ingenious, ant/.fubtj(J {hhtg; to be a Chriflian. Neither are they,concerning the-great parts,ofthe Worfhip ofGod; Of which it is true; that,Npn fervatur unitds in Ctedendo, niji eadem fit in Colen do: There:will be k_ept, no unitj i~Believing, except it be entertained, in wor:fhipping: Such as were thecontroverjies, of the Ea.ft, and weft, churcheJ, touching Itnager : .and fuch, a:; ar tnany of thofe, between tJle Church of Rome, and Vi'; As about the Adoration of the Sacrament, and the like: But we contend, ~bout Ceremoniei, and ThingJ· IndiffeJ~.eht; About the Extern roOicy, and Government of the 9hurch. In which kind, if we would but remember, that the Ancient, and True Bounds, ofUnity, are, One Faith, One Eaptifm; An~ not, One eerem.ony, One Po!licy; If we would obferve the League, amongfl: c hriflians, that ts penned by our SaviOHr; He that ii not againjt us, is with us : .If we could, but comprehend, that Saying ; Differenti£ RituNm commendlfl1Jt unitatem Dotlrin£; The Diverjitiu of Ceremonies, ,do Jet forth, the unity ofDol1rine; And that, Habet Religio q1u font /.Eternitatis:~ habet quit font Y 2 Tem· |
