THE CORRUPTIONS

OF

THE CHURCH OF ROME,

IN RELATION TO

ECCLESIASTICAL GOVERNMENT,

THE

RULE OF FAITH, AND FORM OF DIVINE WORSHIP;

IN ANSWER TO

THE BISHOP OF MEAUX'S QUERIES.

BY

THE REVEREND DR. BULL,

LORD BISHOP of St. DAVID'S.

[All the editions of this work prefix the letter of the bishop of Meaux to Nelson, which is printed in the Life, p. 329, &c., and therefore omitted here.]

I.

DR. BULL'S ANSWER.

THE approbation of my writings by so learned

and illustrious a prelate as monsieur de Meaux, especially when joined with the congratulations of the learned clergy of France in general, is so high an honour done me, that if I did not set a great value on it, I were altogether unworthy of it.

But as to the wonder of monsieur de Meaux, I cannot but very much wonder at it, especially at the reasons on which it is grounded. He wonders "how I, that speak so advantageously of the church, &c.,

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can continue a moment without acknowledging "her." Her! What her doth the bishop mean? Doubtless, the present church of Rome, in the communion whereof he himself lives, and to which his design seems to be to invite me. But where do I speak so advantageously of the present church of Rome? Nowhere, I am sure. My thoughts concerning her, I have plainly (perhaps too plainly and bluntly in the opinion of monsieur de Meaux) delivered in the book which he so commends, Jud. Eccl. cathol. c. 5. §. 3, where having spoken of that singular purity of the faith, which was in the church of Rome in the first ages, and taken notice of and extolled by some of the primitive Fathers, I thus conclude: "Oh, that so great a happiness, such purity

"of faith, had always continued in that church! "But, alas! we may now cry out in the holy pro

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phet's words, How is the faithful city become an "harlota " Isaiah i. 21.

But monsieur de Meaux seems to think the Roman and the catholic church to be convertible terms, which is strange in so learned a man, especially at this time of the day. Cannot the catholic church be mentioned, but presently the Roman church must be understood? The book, which the bishop refers to, bears this title, Judicium Ecclesia Catholicæ trium primorum Seculorum, &c. Of the catholic church of the three first centuries I do indeed speak with great deference. To her judgment (next to the holy Scriptures) I appeal against the oppugners of our Lord's divinity at this day, whether Arians or Socinians. The rule of faith, the symbols or creeds, the profession whereof was, in those ages, the condition of communion with the catholic church, (mentioned by Irenæus, Tertullian, and others,) I heartily and firmly believe. This primitive catholic church, as to her government and discipline, her doctrines of faith, and her worship of God, I think ought to be the standard by which we are to judge of the orthodoxy and purity of all other succeeding churches, according to that excellent rule of Tertullian, de Præscript. adv. Hæres. c. 20, 21: "Every descent "must necessarily deduce itself from its first original. If these things are true, it is plain that

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every doctrine which these apostolical, these original and mother churches held as analogous to

a Utinam hæc felicitas, hæc fidei puritas ecclesiæ isti perpetua fuisset! Sed proh dolor! Nunc prophetæ divini verbis exclamare possumus, Quomodo effecta est meretrix urbs fidelis !

"the rule of faith, is to be owned as true, and as "containing, without doubt, what the churches re"ceived from the apostles, the apostles from Christ, "Christ from God; but that all other doctrine is to "be looked upon as false, and no ways savouring of "those truths which have been delivered by the churches, and the apostles, and Christ, and God b." And to the same purpose he discourseth, cap. 31. ejusdem libri.

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According to this rule, the Church of England will be found the best and purest church at this day in the Christian world. Upon which account, I bless God that I was born, baptized, and bred up in her communion; wherein I firmly resolve by his grace to persist, usque ad extremum vitæ spiritum. How far the present church of Rome hath departed from this primitive pattern, will appear hereafter.

Monsieur de Meaux adds, as a farther reason of his wonder, "that I speak of salvation as only to be "found in unity with her." Her! doth the bishop here again mean the present church of Rome? If he doth, I must plainly tell him, that I am so far from ever thinking that salvation is only to be found in unity with her, that, on the contrary, I verily believe they are in great danger of their salvation, who live in her communion; that is, who own her erroneous

b Omne genus ad originem suam censeatur necesse est. Si hæc ita sunt, constat proinde omnem doctrinam, quæ cum illis ecclesiis apostolicis matricibus et originalibus fidei conspiret, veritati deputandam, sine dubio tenentem quod ecclesiæ ab apostolis, apostoli a Christo, Christus a Deo accepit: omnem vero doctrinam de mendacio præjudicandam, quæ sapiat contra veritatem ecclesiarum et apostolorum et Christi et Dei.