Series 5 > Religious Controversy in Scotland 1625-1639

64
RELIGIOUS CONTROVERSY IN SCOTLAND
Nor do I think the Jews [68v] themselves dare contend that no one has belonged to God
except the Israehtes, since the increase of Israel began on the rejection of his elder brother.
For in very deed there was no other people who were specially called the people of God;
but they cannot deny that there have been certain men even of other nations who be¬
longed, not by earthly but heavenly fellowship, to the true Israelites, the citizens of the
country that is above.... And I doubt not it was divinely provided, that from this one case
[Job] we might know that among other nations also there might be men pertaining to the
spiritual Jerusalem who have lived according to God and have pleased Him.
Heer he saith that the Jews durst not deny this.Would he not then have thought
them bould, who under the New Testament acknowledge none to be capable of
salvation but such as acknowledge the pope’s sovereign power, at least in
spiritualibus? If the pope himself, St Peter’s successor, should have occasion to be
among or meet with some of those Christians who are not subject unto him,
would he not (if he be led by that Spirit St Peter was) say as he sayd in Cornelius
his case? ‘Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons, but in every
nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousnes, is accepted of him.’59
Their next motive (which must follow upon the former) is by making their
proselites beleive that none living and dyeing in our communion can be saved,
which peremptory, bold, and uncharitable assertion is grounded upon two propo¬
sitions, the one whereof is true, the other false. At conclusio sequitur partem
deteriorem.60 It is true that extra ecclesiam non est salus:6' but it is false that all who
are without the communion of the Church of Rome are extra ecclesiam. For first,
data non concesso,62 that theirs were the only orthodoxe church in the world, yet
will it not follow that it is the only catholique. For all that are baptized and
profess the faith of Christ are Christians, as long as they renounce not their
baptisme and faith; else haereticks and shismatickes, when they join themselves
to the orthodoxe church, should be made Christians by being baptized there,
though baptized before elsewhere. Christians therefore they are, and members
of the Christian church, which is it wee call the Catholique church, in opposi¬
tion to the synagogue, or auncient church of the Jews. Now when wee say that
extra ecclesiam non est salus, wee understand it of the Christian church, the
Catholique church, not of any particulate, be it never so orthodoxe: and even
heretiques and schismatiques are within the Catholique church.Therefore putting
the case the church wee live in were hereticall or schismaticall (quod Deus avertaf5),
yet were wee within the visible Catholique church and so not excluded from all
possiblity of being saved by that received axiom, extra ecclesiam non est salus. For
59 Acts 10:34-5.
60 ‘and the conclusion follows the weaker premise’.
61 ‘there is no salvation outside the church’.
62 ‘for the sake of the argument’.
63 ‘which God forbid’.