Hall - HP BX5133 .H34 1647

52'0 Noab's Dove. --- dillempmte affeCtions ofmen, that their bufie fpiritsbeingfrirred up have not boy- AI {cd forth into more fearefull divifions. But what are thefe fo grelt ditfentions, and blowesofbloudy warre, whichour adverfaries (0 cry out upon? Forfooth, rather than want, they can faine names of feets to thcmfelvcs · And where they can finde the lea!t difference in thepaperof anyobfcure Autho; ofours, prefently they cryout,new fchifmes, newfeCts; Wh>t maliceis this? whor eager delire ofmultiplyingquarrells ? Ifit had been fo ofold ~ fofmall hides had not ferved to containe theVolumesof A11gNjlim, Epiphaoiw,Phi~ tajlri~«: there had not been fewer fech, than teachers fince the publtlbing of the GofpeU. But let us patfe over the number, andcome to the weight. Let themalicious prattlewhat they will; With fome ofours, the controverfie isnot about any fi>!id lims ofChrillian Faith, but onelyoftheveryfkin; with fome others, not B about the !kin, bm the garment rather, not about the garment it felfe neither,butof the ,._,y hem. There are cmaine fcholaf\ical! opinionsofamiddle ranke, meere Theologicall Corollarics,or perhaps fome outward ceremonies,wherein weditfem: PrinciplesofChrillian Religion there are not. And withall thcfe conrroverfies are but fuch, as that when the heat whetherofzeal,or anger, lball abare,and either part fball well i!nderfland eachother, theywill eafily admit o( aReconciliation.Neither bave rhefe very i\.omanil1s letfer quatrells amongll themfelves; Theycan more hide thdrenmicies, norexercifethemletfe. Iftheybemorewife, they arenot more accordant. Neither is there ( I dare fay) anyheadofReligion, wherein they doe at once differ from us, and agree all with one another. Finally, our ditferences:rre no greater,than were rhofe ofoldfi among the holy Fathers ofthe Church, wbofe quar- c rels notwithllandingare not oodioutly blazoned by pollerity. I let paffe theprivate fcoldingsoftbe Ancients,not without fonx·unpleafing(Ihadalmoll:faid mi!befeeming)rartnetfe. I had rather fer before your eyes (for good loclce fake) thofe puhli~uc altercationsofthe Churches and Fathers, which afterward !hut up in a blclfe concord. What quarrelsarofe attheCounfell ofEphef.,, betweene CJTil of Alex•udria, and Joh" of A•lioch I TheChurches under both, lluck not to counterthunderAnathemaes one again([ another; Therenpon Theodoret rhrull in his fickle into this harvel1;againft whom CJrill~«(by Evoptim inlligation)makesas llton~oppcfition:'TheodmtaccufethC]rilofApolinarifme;C)ril accufes Theodoret ofNe orianifme;The flame ot their rage brake om more&: more, &almoll drew theChrillian world to panies;fo char •ftcrwardswhrn Theodoret would haverntred tbe Councell D of cbalcedon, rhe ./E~yptian,and other reverend Bifhopscryed out, We mullcallour Cfril, ifwe t Jke in Tht~deret:The very Canons call him forth: God abhors him.The like was<lone afterwards in the eighrh Atlion; The Bi010ps openly proclaiming, He is an Hcrerick, aNellorian; Aw•y with the Hcretick. But when them>tter was well fe>nd,and it was found that he willingly fubfcrib'd to theOrthodox Creeds, and the Epiflicof Lto; The whole Synod with one accord cried our, Tlxodorrl is well worth)' ofaSce in the Church, Let theChurch receive herOrthodoxPallor. It is worthyofimmorraliry,that which GrtgoryNazi4nz.en recorderhofholyAth•- naji~M: The Romans feem'd to the Eaflern Churches to follow theherefiesofSabel· litH, in denyingofthree Hypollafes; The Eaflerne Jikewifefeemcd to the Romans, to favour too much ofArri...,,indenying rhree Perfons; thequarrcll grew hot;Then E came that great difpcn(eroffou1 es, and having meekly andmildly called forth both fides before him,he fo handled rhe bnfinelfe,that grantingthem the free ufe oftheir termes, he tied them clofe ro the matter, and firewcd them a light, whereby they mi~htbeho'done•nother:, upon this, withommore adoe, finding themfelves, both, in rhe right, they fall ro mumall imbracements. Neither would it fpeed otherwifc with us, Brethren, (as I doe verily believe) iffome A 1~4najitH from Heaven would bnt joyn our hands rogether. Oh ilonce the gates ofintclline & horrid warreswere !hut up, and theReligious Princes, which are the Nurfing fathers ofthe reformed Churches, would command by vercue ofrheir anthority • Synod to bealfembkd(as generall as it mighr)wherein bothpamrrcelpnd model11y might layforththeiropinions, and li!ch common rcrmes -

RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=