ERROR AND HERESY NOT ALWAYS IDENTICAL

How many virtuous and just men, how many saints, martyrs, and ancient fathers of the Church have had their sundry perilous opinions — and among sundry of their opinions this, that they hoped to offer God some amends for their sins by the voluntary punishments which they laid upon themselves. Shall we therefore write such deadly epitaphs upon their graves: “They denied the foundation of faith directly, they are damned, there is no salvation for them”? St. Augustine hath said, “Errare possum, haereticus esse nolo.” [I may be mistaken, but I have not the will to be heretical.] Except we put a difference between them that err and them that obstinately persist in error, how is it possible that ever any man should hope to be saved?

Surely, in this case, I have no respect of any person alive or dead. Give me a man, of what estate or condition soever, yea, even a cardinal or a pope, whom at the extreme point of his life comes to know himself through affliction, whose heart God hath touched with true sorrow for all his sins and filled with love toward the Gospel of Christ, whose eyes are opened to see the truth, and his mouth to renounce all heresy and error except this one – he thinketh God will require merit from his hands.  Shall I think, because of this only error, that such a man toucheth not the hem of Christ’s garment? If he does, wherefore should not I have hope that virtue may proceed from Christ to save him? Because his error doth indirectly contradict[2] his faith, shall I therefore cast him off as one who hath utterly cast of Christ, one who holdeth on not so much as by a slender thread? No, I will not be afraid to say unto a cardinal or to a pope in this plight, “Be of good comfort, we have to do with a merciful God, ready to make the best of that little which we hold well, and not with a captious sophister who gathers the worst out of everything wherein we err.” Is there any reason that I should be suspected, or you offended, for this speech?

Let all sentiment or predisposition be laid aside; let the matter be indifferently considered. Is it a dangerous thing to imagine that such men may find mercy? The hour may come when we shall think it a blessed thing to hear that if our sins were as the sins of the pope and cardinals the bowels of the mercy of God are larger.[3] Shall I cross and gainsay the merciful promises of God generally made unto penitent sinners by opposing the name of a pope or a cardinal? What difference is there between a pope and cardinal, and any Oxford professor, in this case? If we think it impossible for them, after they come within that rank, to be afterwards touched with any such remorse, let that be granted. The Apostle saith, “If I or an angel from heaven preach unto you,” etc. [Gal 1:8] Let it be as likely that St. Paul or an angel from heaven should preach heresy as a pope or a cardinal should acknowledge the truth; yet if a pope or a cardinal should, what could we find in their persons why they might not be saved? It is not their persons, you will say, but their error concerning merit, which excludes them from hope of mercy. Surely not, for they hold it only as an error, even as they hold the truth soundly and sincerely in all other parts of the Christian faith; even as they have in some measure all the virtues and graces of the Holy Spirit and all other tokens of God’s elect children in them.  Let me die if ever it be proved that simply an error doth exclude a pope or a cardinal utterly from hope of life. Surely, I must confess unto you, if it be an error to think that God may be merciful to save men even when they err, my greatest comfort is my error: were it not for the love I bear unto this error, I would neither wish to speak nor to live.

Wherefore, to resume that mother-sentence, whereof I little thought that so much trouble would have grown, “I doubt not but God was merciful to save thousands of our fathers living in popish superstitions, inasmuch as they sinned ignorantly”: alas, what bloody matter is there contained in this sentence that it should be an occasion of so many hard censures! Did I say that “thousands of our fathers might be saved”? I have showed which way it cannot be denied. Did I say, “I doubt it not but they were saved”? I see no impiety in this persuasion, though I had no reason in the world for it. Did I say. “Their ignorance doth make me hope they did find mercy and so were saved”? What doth hinder salvation but sin? Sins are not equal; and ignorance, though it does not make sin to be no sin, yet, it does make the guilt of sin the less, why should it not make our hope concerning their eternal life the greater? We pity the most, and I doubt not but God hath most compassion over, those that sin for lack of understanding.  If I be deceived in this point, the blessed Apostle hath deceived me. What I said of others, the same he saith of himself: “I obtained mercy, for I did it ignorantly.” [1 Tim 1:13] Construe his words, and ye cannot misconstrue mine.

Thus have I brought the question concerning our fathers unto an end.  Although I saw it convenient to utter that sentence … I did not think it expedient to utter more than that one sentence.  I judged it a great deal meeter for us to regard our own estate rather than to curisouly sift over the estates of others and to fear that rebuke which our Saviour thought needful in a similar case: “What is this unto thee?” [Jn 21:22] When as I was forced to render a reason for my speech, I yielded to the request in order to satisfy the questions of men’s minds. I have walked with reverence and with fear: with reverence in regard of our fathers who lived in former times; with fear, considering them that are alive.

I am not ignorant of how ready men are to feed and soothe up themselves in evil.   Shall I incur the high displeasure of the mightiest upon earth, shall I hazard my goods, endanger my estate, put my life in jeopardy, rather than yield to that which so many of my fathers have embraced, and yet found favour in the sight of God? [4] But if the doctrine which I teach be a flower gathered in the garden of the Lord, a part of the saving truth of the Gospel, from whence notwithstanding poisoned creatures do suck venom, I can but wish it were otherwise and content myself with the lot that hath befallen me. St. Paul did preach a truth, and a comfortable truth, when he taught that the greater our misery is in respect of our iniquities the readier is the mercy of our God for our release, if we seek him; the more we have sinned, the more praise and glory and honour unto God who pardons our sin.

But mark what lewd collections were made hereupon by some: “Why then am I condemned for a sinner?” And, saith the Apostle, “as we are blamed and as some affirm that we say, why do we not evil that good may come of it?” [Rom 3:7f] The Apostle was accused to teach that which ill-disposed men did gather by his teaching, though it were clean against his meaning. The Apostle addeth: “Their condemnation who thus do is just.” I am not hasty to apply sentences of condemnation: I wish from my heart their conversion, whosoever are thus perversely affected. For I must needs say, their case is fearful, their estate dangerous, who harden themselves, presuming on the mercy of God towards others. It is true that God is merciful, but let us beware of presumptuous sins. [Ps 19:13] God delivered Jonah from the bottom of the sea: will you therefore cast yourselves headlong from the tops of rocks and say in your hearts, “God shall deliver us”? [cf Mt 4:5-7] God pities the blind that would gladly see; but will God pity him that may see and hardens himself in blindness? No; Christ hath spoken too much unto you for you to claim the privilege of your fathers.

As for us that have handled this cause concerning the condition of our fathers, whether it be this thing or any other which we bring unto you, the counsel is good which the wise man giveth: “Stand thou fast in thy sure understanding, in the way and knowledge of the Lord, and have but one manner of word, and follow the word of peace and righteousness.” [Ecclus 5:10] As a loose tooth is a great grief unto him that eateth, so doth a wavering and unstable word offend. “Shall a wise man speak words of the wind,” — light, inconstant, unstable words? [Job 15:2] Surely the wisest may speak words of the wind: such is the unpleasant constitution of our nature that we neither perfectly understand the way and knowledge of the Lord, nor steadfastly embrace it when it is understood, nor graciously utter it when it is embraced, nor peaceably maintain it when it is uttered.  The best of us are overtaken sometimes through blindness, sometimes through hastiness, sometimes through impatience, sometimes through other passions of the mind, whereunto (God doth know) we are too subject.

We must therefore be contented both to pardon others and to crave that others may pardon us for such things. Let no man who speaks as a man think himself (while he liveth) always freed from scapes and oversights in his speech. The things themselves which I have spoken unto you I hope are sound, howsoever they have seemed otherwise unto some, at whose hands if I have received injury, I willingly forget it.  Although, in truth, considering the benefit which I have reaped by this necessary search of truth, I rather incline unto that of the Apostle, “They have not injured me at all.” [2 Cor 2:5,10] I have cause to wish, and I do wish them as many blessings in the kingdom of heaven as they have forced me to utter words and syllables in this cause, wherein I could not be more sparing in speech than I have been. “It becometh no man,” saith St. Jerome, “to be patient under the suspecion of heresy.”[5] Patient, we should always be; but silent in a thing of so great consequence I could not, beloved, I durst not be; especially the love which I bear to the truth in Christ Jesus being hereby called in question. Whereof I beseech them, in the meekness of Christ, [2 Cor 10:1] those who caused me to speak, to consider that a watchman may cry “An enemy!” when indeed a friend cometh. In such a case, I think a watchman is more worthy to be loved for his care than misliked for his error.  So I have judged it my own part in this case to take away all suspicion of any unfriendly intent or meaning against the truth, from which, God doth know, my heart is free.

Now to you, beloved, who have heard these things I will use no other words of admonition than those which are offered by St. James: “My brethren, have not this faith of our glorious Lord Jesus Christ in respect of persons.” [Jas 2:1] There is nothing hurtful, neither should it be scandalous and offensive to hear the differing judgments of men in doubtful cases.  If this offends you, the fault is yours. Carry peaceable minds, and ye may have comfort by this variety.

Now the God of peace give you peaceable minds and turn it to your everlasting comfort!

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[1] Edited (in fear and trembling) by the Rev. Robert Kemp.

[2] “Overthrow”

[3] i.e. God’s mercy is greater than our sins. Hooker continues, “I do not propose unto you a pope with the neck of an emperor under his foot, a cardinal riding his horse to the bridle in the blood of saints, but a pope or a cardinal sorrowful, penitent, disrobed, stripped, not only of usurped power, but also delivered and recalled from error, converted and lying prostrate at the feet of Christ; and shall I think that Christ will spurn him?”

[4] “Curse Meroz, saith the Lord, curse her inhabitants because they help not the Lord, they help him not against the mighty.” [Jud 5:23] If I should not only not help the Lord against the mighty, but help to strengthen them that are mighty against the Lord, worthily might I fall under the burden of that curse, worthy I were to bear my own judgment.

[5] Jerome, AGAINST JOHN OF JERUSALEM, 2 J P Migne, PATROLOGIOE LATINAE, vol 33]