CHAP. LII. The second Degree of Peace desirable
CHAP. LII. The second Degree of Peace desirable.
T he second Degree of Peace desirable, below the former, is, That if we cannot live under the same particular Pastors, and join in the same
Assemblies, yet we may hold a distant Catholic Communion in several Assemblies, without condemning or persecuting one another; and may afford the special Love of Christians to each other.
This will not be done as long as we take each other for Heretics; and therefore the causes of those censures must be removed, partly by a nearer agreement in our Principles, and partly by a greater Moderation in our
Censures of one another. And this a man would think among Christians might be obtained. The terms on which it must be had are these.
Suffer us to confine ourselves in Worship and Church-government to the Word of God; and the Determination of our particular Churches or Pastors about mere Circumstantials left to their determination, and do you confine yourselves accordingly, or not extending your practice beyond the Canons of the four first General Councils, and the rest called [Canones Ecclesiae
Universalis] (published by Justellus, Tillius, or the Codex Dionysii Exigui)
and for matters of Faith, we will all profess to receive the Scripture, and whatever is contained in the said Councils and the three Creeds, and to insist upon no more as necessary. And on these terms we may live in Love as Brethren.
Here note, 1. That in matter of Faith we will not be bound to take more than is in the Scripture, and yet we will take all as aforesaid that is in the Creeds, because we are persuaded that there is no more than is in the Scripture. 2. We will not tie each other to profess on what Grounds we receive the Doctrine of these Creeds and Councils. If you receive it as Tradition superadded to Scripture, and if we receive it as being the same with Scripture Doctrine, or a meet Exposition of it, we will leave each other in this without examination to their liberty, as long as it is the same things that we believe. 3. In matters of Worship and Government we may not be compelled to take in all that is in all these Councils; but only we will promise not to go beyond them, and take in anymore, and so shall you: so that if some of us confine ourselves to the Holy Scripture, and others will go further, as far as all those Canons do extend; we will yield to live as Brethren in Christian Love, and forbear the censuring of one another. And herein you may well condescend to us, when in many things you have cast off the Canons of those Councils yourselves; and abundance of them concern not our times or Countries, and so many of your own Writers confess that all things necessary to Salvation are in the Scriptures, and that Canons are mutable, and Churches may vary in these lesser things.