Chapter 12: Story of Religion

Story of Religion.

The fourth and last part of our Author Discourse, is spent in two Stories: one of Religion; the other of himself. His first of Religion, is but a summary of what was diffused through the others parts of his Treatise, being insinuated piece-meal, as he thought he could make any advantage of it to his purpose. Two things he aims to make his Readers believe, by it; First, That we in these Nations had our Religion from Rome; And secondly, That it was the same which is there now professed. Those whom he tells his Tale to, are, as he professes, such as are ignorant of the coming into, and progress of Religion among us; wherein he deals wisely, and as became him; seeing he might easily assure himself, that those who are acquainted before his Information with the true state of these things, would give little credit to what he nakedly averrs upon his own Authority. For my part, I shall readily acknowledg, that for ought appears in this Book, he is a better Historian than a Disputant; and has more reason to trust to his faculty of telling a Tale, than managing of an Argument. I confess also, that a slight and superficial view of Antiquity, especially, as flourished over by some Roman-Legendaries, is the best advantage our Adversaries have to work on; as a thorough Judicious search of it, is fatal to their pretensions. He, that from the Scriptures, and the Writings extant of the first Centuries, shall frame a true Idea of the state and doctrine of the first Churches, and then observe the adventitious accessions made to Religion in the following ages, partly by men's own inventions, but chiefly by their borrowing from, or imitation of, the Jews and Pagans, will need very little light or help from artificial Arguments to discover the defections of the Roman-Party, and the true means whereby that Church arrived to its present condition. To persue this at large is not a work to be undertaken in this seambling chase. It has been done by others, and those, who are not unwilling to be at the cost and pains in the disquisition of the Truth, which it is really worth, may easily know where to find it. Our present task is, but to observe our Author's motions, and to consider whether what he offers, has any efficacy towards that he aims at.

A triple Conversion he assigns to this Nation. The first by Joseph of Arimathea; about which, as to matter of fact, we have no contest with him. That the Gospel was preached here in the Apostles' days either by him, or some other Evangelist, is certain, and taken for granted on all hands; nor can our Author pretend that it came here from Rome; but grants it to have come immediately from Palestine. Whether this does not overthrow the main of his plea in his whole Discourse, concerning our dependance upon Rome for our Religion, I leave to prudent men to judge. Thus far then we are equal. As the Gospel came to Rome, so it came to England; to both from the same place, and by the same Authority, the same Ministry. All the question is, Whether Religion they brought with them? That now professed in England, or that of Rome? If this be determined, the business is at an issue; We are persuaded Joseph brought no other Religion with him, than what was taught by Peter and Paul, and the rest of the Apostles and Evangelists in other parts of the World. What Religion men taught vivâ voce in any age, is best known by their Writings, if they left any behind them. No other way have the Romanists themselves, nor other do they use, in judging what was the Doctrine of the Fathers in the following ages. The writings of the Apostles are still extant; by them alone can we judge of the Doctrine that they preached. That Doctrine then unquestionably taught Joseph in Brittain; and that Doctrine (blessed be God) is still owned and professed among us. All, and only what is contained in their Writings is received with us, as necessary to Salvation. This Conversion was wholly ours. Quod antiquissimum id verissimum. Being the first, it was certainly the best. Our Author indeed tells us of Crosses, Shrines, Oratories, Altars, Monasteries, Vigils, Ember [illegible], honouring of Saints, (you must suppose all in the Roman-mode) making Oblations and Orisons for the dead, and that this was the Religion in those days planted among us. If this be so, I wonder what we do to keep the Bible, which speaks not one word of that Religion, which the Apostles and Apostolical men preached. Strange! that in all their writings they should not once mention the main parts and duties, of the Doctrines and Worship which they taught and propagated; that Paul in none of his Epistles, should in the least give the Churches any direction in, or concerning, the things and ways wherein their Worship principally consisted and their Devotion was chiefly exercised? But how comes our Author to know, that these things, in the Roman-mode, were brought into England at the first entrance of Christianity? Would he would give us a little Information from what Writings or Monuments of those times he acquired his knowledge. I know it is unreasonable to put an Historian to his Oath; but yet, unless he can plead, that he received his acquaintance with things that are so long past by inspiration, as Moses wrote the Story of the Creation and Ages before the Flood, being destitute of any other Monuments or Testimony that might give evidence to what he says, I hope he will not be offended, if we suspend our belief. Solus enim hoc Ithacus nullo sub teste canebat. This first conversion then, as was said is wholly ours, it neither came from Rome, nor knew any thing of that which is the present Religion of Rome, wherein they differ from us.

That which is termed our second Conversion, is the Preaching of Damianus and Fugatius, sent here by Eleutherius Bishop of Rome, in the days of King Lucius, in the year 190. as our Author says, Beda 156. Nauclerus, Baronius, 178. Henricus de Erfordia, 169. in the days of Aurelius, or Commodus. I have many reasons to question this whole story. And sundry parts of it, as those about the Epistles of Lucius and Eleutherius are palpably fictitious. But let us grant, that about those days, Fugatius and Damianus, came here from Rome, and furthered the Preaching of the Gospel, which had taking footing here so long before, and was no doubt preserved among many. We know God in his Providence used many various ways for the propagating of his Gospel; sometimes he did it by merchants, sometimes by soldiers, sometimes by captives; as a poor maid gave occasion to the conversion of a whole province. What will hence ensue to the advantage of the pretensions of the Romanists? The religion they planted here, was, doubtless, that, (and no other) which was then professed at Rome, and in most other places in the world, with some small differences in outward observances, wherein each church took liberty to follow traditions or prudential reasonings of its own. When our Author, or any for him, can make it appear, that any thing material in that which we call Popery, was in those days taught, believed, preached, or known among the Churches of Christ, they will do somewhat to the purpose, but the present flourish about the Catholic Faith, planted here, which no man ever denied, is to none at all. It was the old Catholic Faith we at first received, and therefore not the present Romish.

After those days wherein this propagation of Christianity by the ministry of Fugatius and Damianus in this province, is supposed to have fallen out; a sad decay in faith and holiness of life, befell professors, not only in this nation, but for the most part, all the world over; which, especially, took place after God had graciously in the conversion of the emperors to the faith, intrusted them with outward peace and prosperity. I desire not to make naked their miscarriages, whom I doubt not, but in mercy, God has long since pardoned; but it cannot be denied, that the stories of those days are full of nothing more than the oppressions, luxury, and sloth of rulers, the pride, ambition, and unseemly scandalous contests for preeminence of sees and extent of jurisdiction, among bishops, the sensuality and ignorance of the most of men. In this season it was, that the Bishop of Rome advantaged by the prerogative of the city, the ancient seat and spring of the empire, began gradually to attempt a superintendency over his brethren, according as any advantages for that end (which could not be wanting in the intestine tumults and seditions wherewith Christians were turmoiled) offered themselves to him. Wherever an opportunity could be spied, he was still interposing his umpirage, and authority among them, and that sometimes not without sinful artifices, and down-right forgeries, wherein he was always accepted, or refused, according as the interest of them required with whom he had to do. What the lives of priests and people, what their knowledge and profession of the Gospel, of the poor Brittains, especially, in those days were, our own countryman Gildas does sufficiently testify and bewail. Salvianus does the same for other parts of the world. And generally, all the pious men of those ages; while the priests strove for sovereignty and power, the people perished through ignorance and sensuality. Neither can we possibly have a more full conviction of what was the state of Christians and Christianity in those days in the world, than may be seen and read in the horrible judgments of God wherewith he punished their wickedness and ingratitude. When he could no longer bear the provocations of his people, he stirred up those swarms of northern nations Goths, Vandals, Hunnes, Franks, Longobards, Alans, Saxons, &c. some few of them Arians, the most Pagans, and poured them out upon the western empire, to the utter ruin of it, and the division of the provinces among themselves. After a while, these fierce, cruel and barbarous nations, having executed the judgments of God against the ungodliness of men, seating themselves in the warmer climates of those whom they had in part subdued, in part extirpated, as is the manner of all persons in transmigration from one country to another, began to unlearn their ancient barbarism, and to incline to the manners, fashions, and religion of the people, to whom they were come, and with whom after their heats were over and lusts satisfied, they began to incorporate and coalesce. Together, I say, with their manners, they took up by various ways and means the religion which they did profess. And the Bishop of Rome having kept his outward station in that famous city during all those turmoils, becoming venerable to them, to him were many applications made, and his authority was first signally advanced by this new race of Christians. The religion they thus took up, was not a little degenerated from its primitive apostolical purity and splendor. And they were among the first, who felt the effects of their former barbarous inhumanity, in their sedulous endeavour to destroy all books and learning out of the world, which brought that darkness upon mankind wherewith they wrestled for many succeeding generations. For having themselves made an intercision of the current and progress of studies and learning, they were forced to make use in their entertainment of Christianity, of men meanly skilled in the knowledge of God or themselves, who some of them, knew little more of the Gospel, than what they had learned in the outward observances and practices of the places where they had been educated. Towards the beginning of this hurry of the world, this shuffling of the nations, was the province of Brittain, not long before, exhausted of its stores of men and arms, and defeated by the Romans, invaded by the Saxons, Picts, Angles, and others out of Germany, who accomplishing the will of God, extirpated the greatest part of the British nation, and drove the remainders of them to shelter themselves in the western mountainous parts of this island. These new inhabitants after they were somewhat civilized by the vicinity of the provincials; and had got a little breathing from their own intestine feuds, by fixing the limits of their leaders' dominions, which they called kingdoms, began to be in some preparedness to receive impressions of religion, above that rude Paganism which they had before served Satan in. These were they to whom came Austine from Rome; a man, as far as appears by the story, little acquainted with the mystery of the Gospel; yet one whom it pleased God graciously to use, to bring the Scripture among them that inexhaustible fountain of light and truth; and by which those to whom he preached might be infallibly freed from any mixture of mistakes, that he might offer to them. That he brought with him a doctrine of observances, not formerly known in Brittain, is notorious, from the famous story of those many professors of Christianity [illegible] which he caused to be murdered by Pagans, for not submitting to his power, and refusing to practice according to his traditions; whose unwillingness to the [illegible] if they could have otherwise chosen, is that, which, I suppose, our author calls their disturbing good Saint Austine in his pious work. But you neither will this conversion of the Saxons begun by Austine the Monk, at all advantage our author as to his pretensions. The religion he taught here, as well as he could, was doubtless no other than that which at those days was professed at Rome; mixtures of human traditions, worldly policies, observances trenching upon the superstitions of the Gentiles, in many things it had then revived; but however it was far enough from the present Romanism, if the writers and chief bishops of those days knew what was their religion, Papal Supremacy and Infallibility, Transubstantiation, religious veneration of images in churches, with innumerable other prime fundamentals of Popery, were as great strangers at Rome in the days of Gregory the great, as they are at this day to the Church of England.

After these times, the world continuing still in troubles, Religion began more and more to decline, and fall off from its pristine purity. At first, by degrees insensible and almost imperceptible, in the broaching of new opinions and inventing new practises in the worship of God. At length, by open presumptuous transgressions of its whole rule and genius, in the usurpation of the Pope of Rome and impositions of his Authority on the necks of Emperours, Kings, Princes, and people of all sorts. By what means this work was carried on, what advantages were taken for, what instruments used in it, what opposition by Kings and learned men was made to it, what testimony was given against it by the blood of thousands of Martyrs, others have at large declared; nor will my present design admit me to insist on particulars. What contests, debates, tumults, warrs, were by papal pretensions raised in these nations, what shameful intreating of some of the greatest of our Kings, what absolutions of subjects from their Allegiance, with such like effluxes of an abundant Apostolical piety, this nation in particular was exercised with from Rome, all our Historians sufficiently testify. Tantaemolis erat Romanam condere gentem! The truth is, when once Romanism began to be enthroned, and had driven Catholicism out of the world, we had very few Kings that past their days in peace and quietnesse from contests with the Pope, or such as acted for him, or were stirred up by him. The face in the mean time of Christianity was sad and deplorable. The body of the people being grown dark, and profane, or else superstitious, the generality of the Priests and Votaries ignorant and vitious in their conversations, the oppressions of the Hildebrandine faction intolerable, Religion dethroned, from a free generous obedience according to the rule of the Gospel, and thrust into cells, orders, self-invented devotions and forms of worship, superstitious and unknown to Scripture and antiquity, the whole world groaned under the Apostacy it was fallen into, when it was almost too late; the yoak was so fastned to their necks and prejudices so fixed in the minds of the multitude. Kings began to repine, Princes to remonstrate their grievances, whole Nations to murmure, some learned men to write and preach against the superstitions and oppressions of the Church of Rome. Against all which complaints and attempts, what means the Popes used for the safe-guarding their Authority, and opinions subservient to their carnal worldly interests, deposing some, causing others to be murdered that were in supream power, bandying Princes and Great men one against another, exterminating others with fire and sword, is also known to all, who take any care to know such things, whatever our Author pretends to the contrary. This was the state, this the peace, this the condition of most Nations in Europe, and these in particular where we live; when occasion was administred in the providence of God, to that Reformation which in the next place he gives us the story of. Little cause had he to mind us of this story; little to boast of the primitive Catholick faith; little to pretend the Romish Religion to have been that which was first planted in these Nations; His concernments lye not in those things, but only in that Tyrannical usurpation of the Popes, and irregular devotions of some Votarys, which latter ages produced.