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Reconciler
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Letter Pamphlet
Date
1629
Full Title
The reconciler. An epistle pacificatorie of the seeming-differences of opinion concerning the truenesse and visibility of the Roman Church.
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STC 12709.5
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Sample 1
The original format is octavo.
The original contains contains comments and references,
TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE, AND truly religious, my singular good Lord, Edward Earle of Norwich.
My ever honored Lord:I Confesse my
charity led me
into an error;
Your Lordshippe
well
knows how
apt I am to be
overtaken with these better deceits
of an over kinde credulity. I
A 4
1
had thought that any dash of mypen, in a sudden, and easie advertisement,
might have served to
have quitted that ignorant scandall,
which was cast upon my
naif taken assertion, of the true visibility
of the Romane Church.
The issue proves all otherwise:
I finde, to my griefe, that the misunderstanding
tenacitie of some
zealous spirits hath made it a
quarrell. It cannot but trouble
me to see that the position, which
is so familiarly current with the
best reformed Divines; & which
hath beene so oft and long since
published by mee without contradiction;
yea, not without the
approbation and applause of the
whole representative body of the
Clergie of this kingdome, should
2
now be quarrelled, and drawneinto the detestation of those that
know it not; As one therefore
that should thinke it corosive
enough, that any occasion should
be taken by ought of mine, to ravell
but one thred of that seamless
coat, I doe earnestly desire, by a
more full explication, to give
cleare satisfaction to all Readers;
and by this seasonable reconcilement,
to stop the flood-gates of
contention; I know it will not be
unpleasing to your Lordship, that
through your honorable and pious
hands, these welcome papers
should be transmitted to many;
Wherein I shall first beseech, yea
adjure al Christians, under whose
eies they shall fall, by the dreadfull
name of that GOD, who shall
3
judge both the quicke, and thedead, to lay aside all unjust prejudices;
and to allow the words of
Truth, and Peace; I dare confidently
say, Let us be understood,
and we are agreed.
The searcher of all harts knows
how far it was from my thoughts
to speake ought in favour of the
Roman Synagogue: If I have not
sufficiently branded that Stru~pet, I
justly suffer. Luthers broad word is
by me alread both safely construed,
& sufficiently vindicated. But,
doe you not say, It is a true visible
Church? Do you not yeeld some
kinde of communion with these
clients of Antichrist? What is, if
this be not, favour? Marke well,
Christian Reader, and the Lord
give thee understanding in all
4
4
things: To beginne with thelatter; No man can say but the
Church of Rome holds some
Truths; those truths are Gods,
and in his right, ours; why should
not wee challenge our owne,
wheresoever we finde it? If a verie
Devill shall say of Christ, Thou
art the Sonne of the living God, wee
will snatch this truth out of his
mouth, as usurped; and in spight
of him, proclaime it for our own.
Indeed, there is no communion
betwixt light and darknesse; but
there is communion betwixt
light and light; Now all truth is
light, and therefore symbolizeth
with it selfe. With that light,
therefore, whose glimmering yet
remaines in their darknesse, our
clearer light will, and must hold
5
communion; If they professethree Persons in one Godhead;
two natures in one person of
Christ; shall we detrect to joine
with them in this Christian veritie?
We abhorre to have any communion
with them in their errors,
in their idolatrous or superstitious
practices, these are their
owne, not ours. If we durst have
taken their part in these, this breach
had not beene; Now, who can
but say that we must hate their evill,
and allow their good? It is no
countenance to their errours that
wee embrace our owne truths;
It is no disparagement to our
truths, that they have blended
them with their errors: Here can
be no difference, then, if this communion
bee not mis-taken; no
6
man will say that wee may severfrom their common truths; No
man will say that wee may joyne
with them in their hatefull errours.
For the former; Hee that saith
a theefe is truly a man, doth hee
therein favour that theefe? He that
saith, a diseased, dropsied, dying
bodie, is a true though corrupt
body, doth he favour that disease,
or that living carcasse? It is no other,
no more that I say of the
Church of Rome: Truenesse of
being, and outward visibility, are
no praise to her; Yea, these are aggravations
to her falshood: The
advantage that is both sought and
found in this assertion, is onely
ours; as we shall see in the sequell,
without any danger of their gain.
7
I say, then, that she is a true church,but, I say withall, shee is a false
Church: True in existence, but
false in beleefe: Let not the homonymie
of a word breed jarres,
where the sense is accorded: If
we doe not yeeld her the true being
of a Church, why do we call
her the Church of Rome? What
speake we of? or where is the subject
of our question? who sees
not that there is a morall trueness,
and a naturall? He that is morally
the falsest man, is, in nature, as
truly a man, as the honestest; and
therefore in this regard as true a
man: In the same sense therefore
that wee say the Devill is a true
though false spirit; that a cheater
is a true thogh false man, we may
and must say, that the Church of
8
Rome us a true though falseChurch; Certainely, there hath
beene a true errour, and mis-taking
of the sense that is guiltie of
this quarrell. As for the visibility,
there can be no question: Would
God, that Church did not too
much fill our eie, yea the world;
There is nothing wherein it doth
more pride it selfe, that in a glorious
conspicuitie, scorning, in
this regard, the obscure paucitie
of their opposers.
But you say, What is this but
to play with ambiguities; That
the Church of Rome is it selfe,
that is, a Church; that it is visible;
that it is truly existent, there can
be no doubt; but is it still a part
of the truly existent, visible church
of Christ? Surely, no otherwise
9
than an hereticall and ApostaticallChurch is, and may be: Reader,
whosoever thou art, for Gods
sake, for thy soules sake, marke
where thou treadest; Else thou
shalt bee sure to fall either into an
open gulfe of uncharitablenesse,
or into a dangerous precipice of
errour. There is no feare, nor favour
to say, that the Church of
Rome, under a Christian face,
hath an Antichristian heart; overturning
that foundation by necessarie
inferences, which by open
profession it avoweth: That face,
that profession, those avowed
principles are enough to give it
claime to a true outward visibilitie
of a Christian Church; whiles
those damnable inferences are enough
to feoffe it in the true style
10
of heresie, and Antichristianisme;Now, this heresie, this Antichristianisme
makes Rome justly odious,
and execrable to God, to Angels,
and Men; but cannot utterly
dischurch it, whiles those main
principles maintaine a weake life
in that crazie, and corrupted
bodie.
But is not this language different
from that whereto our eares
and eies have beene inured, from
the mouthes, and pens of some
reverend Divines and professors
of our Church? Know, Reader,
that the streame of the famous
Doctors, both at home, and abroad,
hath runne strongly my
way: I should have feared, and
hated to goe alone; what reason
is there then to single out one man
B
11
in a throng? Some few worthieAuthors have spoken otherwise,
in the warmth of their zealous
contention; yet so, as that even to
them durst I appeale for my Iudges;
for if their sound differ from
me, their sense agrees with mee:
that, which as I touched in my
Advertisement, so I am now readie
to make cleare by the instance
of learned Zanchius; whose pregnant
testimonies compared together,
shall plainly teach us, how
easie a reconcilement may bee
made betwixt these two, seemingly
contrarie, opinions: That worthie
Author, in his profession of
Christian Religion, which hee
wrote, and published, in the 70.
yeare of his age, having defined
the Church of Christ in generall,
12
and passed thorow the propertiesof it, at last, descending to the subdivision
of the Church militant,
comes to inquire, how particular
Churches may be knowne to be
the true churches of Christ; whereof
he determines thus. Illas igitur,
&c. Those Churches therefore
doe wee acknowledge for the
true Churches of Christ; in which
first of all, the pure doctrine of the
Gospell is preached, heard, admitted;
and so onely admitted, that
there is neither place, nor eare given
to the contrarie: For both
these are the just propertie of the
flocke or sheepe of Christ; namely,
both to heare the voice of their
owne Pastor, and to reject the
voice of strangers. Iohn 10.4 In
which, secondly, the Sacraments
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13
instituted by Christ, are lawfully;and as much as may bee according
to Christs institution, administred,
and received; and therefore,
in which the Sacraments
devised by men are not admitted,
and allowed; In which lastly, the
discipline of Christ hath the due
place, that is, where both publiquely,
and privately, charitable
care is had, both by admonitions,
corrections, and at last if need be
by excommunications, that the
Commandements of God be duly
kept, and that all persons live
soberly, justly, and piously, to the
glorie of God, and edification of
their Neighbour. Thus hee;
wherein; who sees not how directly
he aimes, both at the justifying
of our Churches, and the
14
casheering of the Roman, whichis palpably guiltie of the violation
of these wholsome rules? and indeed,
it must needs be said, if we
bring the Roman Church to this
touch, she is cast for a meer counterfeit;
shee is as farre from truth,
as truth is from falshood: Now
by this time you goe away with
an opinion that learned Zanchie
is my professed adversarie, and
hath directly condemned my position,
of the truenesse, and visibilitie
of the Roman Church: Have
but patience, I beseech you, to read
what the same excellent Author
writes, in his golden Preface to
that nobleworke, De natura Dei;
where this question is clearly and
punctually decided. There you
shall finde, that having passed
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15
through the wofull and gloomieoffuscations of the Church of
God, in all former ages, he, descending
to the darknesse of the present
Babylon, concludes thus a
Deinde non potuit Satan, &c. Moreover;
Satan could not, in the verie
Roman Church, doe what he listed,
as hee had done in the Easterne;
to bring all things to such
passe, as that it should no more
have the forme of a Christian
Church; For, in spight of Satan,
that Church retained still the chief
foundations of the faith, although
weakned with the doctrines of
men; it retained the publique preaching
of the word of God, thogh
in many places mis-understood,
and mis-construed; the invocation
of the name of Christ, though
16
joyned also with the invocationof dead men; the administration
of Baptisme, instituted by Christ
himselfe, howsoever defiled with
the addition of many superstitions.
So as, together with the symbole
of the covenant, the Covenant
it selfe remained still in her;
I mean in all the Churches of the
West, no otherwise than it did in
the Church of Israel, even after
that all things were in part profaned
by Ieroboam, and other impious,
and idolatrous Kings, upon
the defection made by them from
the Church, and Tribe of Iuda;
For, neither doe I assent to them
which would have the Church
of Rome to have no lesse ceased
to be the Church of Christ, than
those Easterne Churches, which
B 4
17
afterwards turned Mahumetan;what Church was ever more
corrupt than the Church of the
ten Tribes, yet we learne from the
Scriptures, that it was still the
Church of God? And how doth
Saint Paul call that Church, wherein
Antichrist hee saith shall sit,
the Temple of God? neither is it
any Baptisme at all, that is administred
out of the Church of Christ.
The wife that is an Adulteresse,
doth not cease to be a wife, unless
being despoiled of her mariagering,
she be manifestly divorced:
The Church of Rome, therefore,
is yet the Church of Christ; but
what manner of Church? Surely
so corrupted and depraved, and
with so great tyrannie oppressed;
that you can neither, with a good
18
conscience, partake with them, intheir holy things, nor safely dwell
amongst them. Thus he againe;
wherein you see hee speakes as
home for me, as I could devise to
speake for my selfe, and as appositely
professeth to oppose the
contrarie.
Looke, now, how this learned
Author may be reconciled to his
owne pen; and by the verie same
way, shall my pen bee reconciled
with others. Either he agrees not
with himselfe, or else, in his sense,
I agree with my gainsayers. Nothing
is more plaine, then that hee
in that former speech, and all other
classick Authors, that speake
in that Key, meane, by a True
Church, a sound, pure, right beleeving
Church, so as their vera is
19
rather verax: Zanchie explicatesthe terme, whiles he joines veram
& puram together; so as in this
construction, it is no true Church
that is an unsound one; as if truth
of existence were all one with
truth of doctrine: In this sense,
whosoever shall say the Church
of Rome is a true Church, I say he
calls evill good, and is no better
than a teacher of lies. But, if we
measure the true being of a visible
Church, by the direct maintenance
of fundamentall principles,
though by consequences indirectly
overturned, and by the possession
of the word of God, and his
Sacraments, though not without
foule adulteration, what judicious
Christian can but, with mee,
subscribe to learned Zanchius, that
20
the Church of Rome hath yet thetrue visibilitie of a Church of
Christ: what should I need to
press the latitude, and multiplicity
of sense of the word, Church;
there is no one term that I know,
in all use of speech, so various; If,
in a large sense, it be taken to comprehend
the society of all that professe
Christian Religion, through
the whole world, howsoever impured,
who can denie this title to
the Roman? If, in a strict sense, it
be taken as it is by Zanchius here,
and all those Divines who refuse
to give this style to the Synagogue
of Rome for the companie of elect
faithfull men gathered into
one mysticall bodie under one
head, Christ; washed by his blood,
justified by his merits, sanctified
21
by his Spirit, conscionablie waitingupon the true ordinances of
God, in his pure Word, and holie
Sacrame~ts, who can be so shamelesse,
as to give this title to the Roman
Church? Both these sentences,
then, are equally true; The
Church of Rome is yet a true Church,
in the first sense; The Church of Rome
long since ceased to bee a true Church
in the second. As those friendly souldiers
therefore, of old, said to their
fellowes why fight
we? Stay, stay, deare brethren, for
Gods sake, for his Churches sake,
for your soules sake, stay these busie
and unprofitable litigations;
put upon both sides, your angrie
pens; Turne your Swords into
Sithes to cut downe the ranke
corruptio~s of the Roman church;
22
and your Speares into Mattockes,to beat downe the walls of this
mysticall Babylon; There are enemies
enow abroad, Let us bee
friends at home; But if our sense
be the same, you will aske, why
our termes varie, and why wee
have chosen to fall upon that manner
of expression, which gives advantage
to the Adversarie, offence
to our owne? Christian Reader,
let me beseech thee, in the bowels
of Christ, to weigh well this matter,
and then tell me why such offence,
such advantage should bee
rather given by my words, than
by the same words, in the mouth
of Luther, of Calvin, of Zanchie, Iunius,
Plessee, Hooker, Andrewes,
Field, Crakenthorpe, Bedel, and that
whole cloud of learned and pious
23
Authors, who have, withoutexceptio~, used the same language?
And why more by my words,
now, than twentie years agoe, at
which time I published the same
truth, in a more ful and liberall expression.
Wise and charitable
Christians may not be apt to take
offence where none is given. As
for anie advantage that is hereby
given to the Adversaries, they
may put it in their eye, and see never
the worse. Loe, say they,
we are of the true visible Church;
this is enough for us; why are we
forsaken, why are we persecuted,
why are we solicited to a change?
Alas, poore soules, doe they not
know, that Hypocrites, leud persons,
reprobates, are no lesse members
of the true visible Church?
24
what gaine they by this but a deeperdamnation? To what purpose
did the Iewes crie, The Temple
of the Lord, whiles they despighted
the Lord of that Temple? Is
the sea-weed ever the lesse vile, because
it is dragd up together with
good fish? They are of the visible
Church, such as it is; what is this
but to say, they are neither Iewes,
nor Turkes, nor Pagans; but misbeleevers,
damnablie hereticall in
opinion, shamefullie idolatrous
in practice; Let them make their
best of this just Elogie; and triumph
in this style; may we never
prosper if we envie them this glorie:
Our care shall be, that besides
the Church sensible, as Zuinglius
distinguisheth we may be of the
Church spirituall; and not resting
25
in a fruitlesse visibilitie, wee mayfinde our selves livelie limbes of
the mystical body of Christ; which
onelie condition shall give us a
true right to heaven; whiles fashionable
profession, in vain cries,
Lord, Lord, and is barred out of
those blessed gates, with an, I know
you not.
Neither may the Reader think,
that I affect to goe by-waies of
speech: no, I had not taken this
path, unlesse I had found it both
more beaten, and fairer: I am not
so unwise, to teach the Adversarie
what disadvantage I conceive to
be given to our most just cause, by
the other manner of explication.
Let it suffice to say, that this form
of defence more fully stops the adversaries
mouth in those two
26
maine and envious scandals,wich hee casts upon our holy
Religion, Defection from the
Church, and Innovation; than
which, no suggestion hath wont
to bee more prevalent with
weake, and ungrounded hearts,
what wee further win by this,
not more charitable, than safe
Tenet, I had rather it should be
silently conceived by the judicious,
then blazoned by my
free penne; shortly, in this state
of the question, our gaine is as
cleare, as the Adversaries losse:
our ancient Truth triumphes
over their upstart errours, our
charitie over their mercilesse presumptions;
Feare not therefore,
deare brethren, where there is
C
27
no roome for danger; Suspectnot fraud where there is nothing
but plaine, honest, simplicitie
of intentions; censure
not where there is the same
Truth, clad in a different, but
more easie habite of words;
But if any mans fervent zeale
shall rather draw him to the liking
of that other, rougher, and
harder way, so as in the meane
time he keepe within the bounds
of Christian charitie, I taxe him
not; let everie man abound in
his owne sense; Onely let our
hearts, and tongues, and hands,
conspire together in peace with
our selves, in warre with our
common enemies.
Thus farre have I Right Honourable
28
in a desire of peace,poured out my selfe into a plaine
explication, and easie accordance:
Those whom I strive to satisfie,
are onely mis-takers; whose
censures, if some man would
have either laught out, or despised,
yet I have condescended to
take off by a serious deprecation,
and just defence.
It is an unreasonable motion
to request mindes prepossessed
with prejudice to heare reason;
Whole Volumes are nothing to
such as have contented themselves
onely to take up opinions
upon trust, and will hold
them, because they know where
they had them: In vaine should
I spend my selfe in beating upon
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such anviles; but for thoseingenuous Christians, which
will hold an eare open for justice,
and truth, I have said enough,
if ought at all needed.
Alas, my Lord, I see and
grieve to see it; It is my Rochet
that hath offended, and not I;
In another habit, I, long since,
published this, and more, without
dislike; It is this colour of
innocence that hath bleared some
over-tender eyes; Wherein I
know not whether I should
more pittie their errour, or applaud
my owne sufferings; although
I may not say with the
Psalmist, What hath the righteous
done? Let mee I beseech your
Lordship upon this occasion,
30
have leave to give a little vent tomy just griefe in this point.
The other day I fell upon a
Latine Pamphlet, homely for
style, tedious for length, zealously
uncharitable for stuffe, wherein
the Author onely wise in
this, that hee would bee unknowne
in a grave fiercenesse
flies in the face of our English
Prelacie; not so much inveighing
against their persons, which
hee could bee content to reverence
as their verie places. I
blest my selfe to see the case so
altered: Heretofore, the Person
had wont to beare off manie
blowes from the function; now
the verie function wounds the
person: In what case are wee,
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31
when that which should commandrespect, brands us? What
blacke Art hath raised up this
spirit of Ærius from his pit? Wo
is mee, that zeale should breed
such monsters of conceit: It is
the honour, the pompe, the
wealth, the pleasure hee saith
of the Episcopall Chaire that is
guiltie of the depravation of our
Calling; and if himselfe were
so overlayd with greatnesse, hee
should suspect his owne fidelitie.
Alas, poore man, at what
distance doth hee see us? Foggie
Ayre useth to represent everie
object farre bigger than it
is. Our SAVIOVR in his temptation
upon the Mount, had
onely the glorie of those Kingdomes
32
showed to him, by thatsubtile Spirit, not the cares, and
vexations; Right so are our dignities
exhibited to these envious
beholders; Little doe these men
see the toyles, and anxieties that
attend this supposedly-pleasing
eminence.
All the revenge that I would
wish to this uncharitable Censurer,
should bee this, that hee
might bee but for a while adjudged
to this so glorious seate
of mine; that so his experience
might taste the bewitching pleasures
of this envied greatnesse;
hee should well finde more danger
of being over-spent with
worke, than of languishing with
ease and delicacie.
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33
For mee I need not appealeto Heaven: Eyes enow can witnesse
how few free houres I
have enjoyed, since I put on these
Robes of sacred honour. In so
much as I could finde in my
heart, with holy Gregorie, to
complaine of my change; were
it not, that I see these publique
troubles are so many acceptable
services to my GOD, whose
glorie is the end of my being:
Certainly, my Lord, if none but
earthly respects should sway me,
I should heartily wish to change
this Pallace which the Providence
of GOD, and the bountie
of my gracious Sovereigne
hath put mee into for my quiet
Cell at Waltham, where I had
34
so sweet leasure to enjoy God,your Lordship, and my selfe:
But I have followed the calling
of my GOD, to whose service
I am willingly sacrificed; and
must now, in an holy obedience
to his Divine Majestie,
with what cheerefulnesse I may,
ride out all the stormes of envie,
which unavoidably will alight
upon the least appearance
of a conceived greatnesse; in the
meane time, what ever I may
seeme to others, I was never less
in my owne apprehensions; and,
were it not for this attendance
of envie, could not yeeld my
selfe any whit greater than I was;
what ever I am, that good God
of mine, make mee faithfull to
35
him; and compose the unquietspirits of men, to a conscionable
care of the publique peace; with
which prayer, together with the
appreciation of all happinesse to
your Lordship, and all yours, I
take leave and am:
Your Lordships truly devoted
in all hearty
observance and
dutie,
IOS. EXON.