1. Take notice hereby of the just cause that the true Christian Catholic Church,1 and the Orthodox Fathers of that Church had,2 to detest, and abominate, as they did, the unchristian, uncharitable, and unmerciful opinion and practise of the Novations in denying repentance to such as had once denied the Christian faith: and in refusing to admit them into the Christian Church again, though with all the testimonies ⟨p. 80⟩of penitential humiliation and contrition that they could express they desired it, and made free offer of all the satisfaction that the Church should require. Most proudly and odiously they styled themselves [Greek or Hebrew] Puritans, as if they had been forsooth the purest in the world,3 yea and they only the pure ones: whereas they are of all the most impure: denying repentance whereby sins are purged away. Their extreme severity, or rather cruelty, being directly contrary to the mind of God, our gracious and merciful Father,4 manifested in his Word by his own free and rich grace offered to penitents, by the directions given to his people to receive such, and by their constant course in entertaining such, the Catholic Church adjudged Novatus to be accounted an Heretic, and put Novatians into the Catalogue of Heretics. For bowels of mercy ought no where so to be enlarged as in the Catholic Church; that as a true mother, ⟨p. 81⟩she neither proudly insults over her children that fall, nor hardly pardons them being amended.
1. Take notice hereby of the just cause that the true Christian Catholike Church,1 and the Orthodox Fathers of that Church had,2 to detest, and abhominate, as they did, the unchristian, unchar•table, and unmercifull opinion and practise of the Novations in denying repentance to such as had once denied the Christian fai•h: and in refusing to admit them into the Christian Church againe, though with all the testimonies ⟨p. 80⟩of penitentiall humiliation and contrition that they could expresse they desired it, and made free offer of all the satisfaction that the Church should require. Most proudly and odiously they stiled themselves 〈non-Latin alphabet〉 Puritans, as if they had beene forsooth the purest in the world,3 yea and they onely the pure ones: whereas they are of all the most impure: denying repentance whereby sinnes are purged away. Their extreme severity, or rather cruelty, being directly contrary to the minde of God, our gracious and mercifull Father,4 manifested in his Word by his owne free and rich grace offered to penitents, by the directions given to his people to receive such, and by their constant course in entertaining such, the Catholike Church adjudged Novatus to be accounted an Heretique, and put Novatians into the Catalogue of Heretiques. For bowells of mercy ought no where so to be enlarged as in the Catholick Church; that as a true mother, ⟨p. 81⟩shee neither proudly insults over her children that fall, nor hardly pardons them being amended.
- 1The error of Novatians.The errour of Novatians.
- 2Quomodo contra Novatian•: c•ntendendum sit, qui penitē tiam salutarem negant. Aug. •uaest. mixtim. c 102.Quomodo contra Novatian•: c•ntendendum sit, qui penitē tiam salutarem negant. Aug. •uaest. mixtim. c 102.
- 3Cathari, qui seipsos isto nomine, quasi propter mundiciam superbissimè atque odiosissimè •ominant, paenitentiam de negant, Novatum sectantes haereticum: unde etiam Novatiani appellantur. Aug. de Haeres c. 38 [Greek or Hebrew], id est mundos se vocant, cum sint omnium immundissimi, negantes paenitentiam per quam peccata mundantur. Hier. in Hos. 14.Cathari, qui seipsos isto nomine, quasi propter mundiciam superbissimè atque odiosissimè •ominant, paenitentiam de negāt, Novatum sectantes haereticum: unde etiam Novatiani appellantur. Aug. de Haeres c. 38 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, id est mundos se vocant, cum sint omnium immundissimi, negantes paenitentiam per quam peccata mundantur. Hier. in Hos. 14.
- 4Novatus quasi haereticus semper, & perfidus omnium sacerdotum voce damnatus. Cypr. Epist. l. 2. Epist. 8. Synod. Afric. 2. Aug. ut supr. Nusquam tam vigere debent viscera misericordiae quam in Ecclesia Catholica, ut tanquam vera mater, nec peccantibus fitijs sup•rbē insultet, nec correctis difficilè ignoscat. Aug de Agone Christian c. 30.Novatus quasi haereticus semper, & perfidus omnium sacerdotum voce damnatus. Cypr. Epist. l. 2. Epist. 8. Synod. Afric. 2. Aug. ut supr. Nusquam tam vigere debent viscera misericordiae quam in Ecclesia Catholica, ut tanquam vera mater, nec peccantibus fitijs sup•rbē insultet, nec correctis difficilè ignoscat. Aug de Agone Christian c. 30.
