A vindication of the Animadversions on Fiat lux

1. Your Principle and Practise in imposing upon all Persons and Churches a necessity of the observation of your Rites and Ceremonies, Customs and Traditions, casting them out of Communion who refuse to submit unto this your great Principle of all the Schisms in Europe, was contradicted, written against, condemned by Councils and Fathers, in the very first instance that ever you gave of it. Be pleased to consider that this concerns the very Life and Being of your Church: For if you may not impose your Constitutions, observances, and customs upon all others, actum est, there is an end of your present Church State. Let us see then how this was thought of in the days of old: Victor the Bishop of Rome, An▪ Dom. 96. condemns and excommunicates the Churches of Asia, because they would not join with him in the Celebration of Easter precisely on the Lords day. Did this practise escape uncontrolled? He was written against, by the great Irenaeus, and reproved that he had cast out of Communion [Greek or Hebrew], whole Churches of God, for a trivial cause. His fact also was condemned in the justification of those Churches, by a Council in Palestine, where Theophilus presided; and another in Asia, called together for the same purpose by Polycrates; Euseb. Eccles. Hist. lib. 5. cap. 22, 23, 24, 25. This is an early instance of a considerable Fall in your Church, and an open opposition by Councils and Fathers made unto it. And do not you, Sir, deceive your self, as though the fact of Victor were alone concerned in this censure of Irenaeus and others. The Principle before mentioned, which is the very life and soul of your Church, is condemned in it. It was done also in a repetition of the same Instance attempted here in England by you, when Austin that came from Rome would have imposed ⟨p. 71⟩on the British Churches the observation of Easter according to the custom of the Roman Church; the Bishops and Monks of these Churches, not only rejected your Custom, but the Principle also from whence the attempt to impose it on them did proceed; protesting, that they owned no subjection to the Bishop of Rome, nor other regard, than what they did to every good Christian. Concil. Anglican. p. 188.

1. Your Principle and Practise in imposing upon all Persons and Churches a necessity of the observation of your Rites and Ceremonies, Customes and Traditions, casting them out of Communion who refuse to submit unto this your great Principle of all the Schisms in Europe, was contradicted, written against, condemned by Councels and Fathers, in the very first instance that ever you gave of it. Be pleased to consider that this concerns the very Life and Being of your Church: For if you may not impose your Constitutions, observances, and customes upon all others, actum est, there is an end of your present Church State. Let us see then how this was thought of in the dayes of old: Victor the Bishop of Rome, An Dom. 96. condemns and excommunicates the Churches of Asia, because they would not joyn with him in the Celebration of Easter precisely on the Lords day. Did this practise escape uncontrolled? He was written against, by the great Irenaeus, and reproved that he had cast out of Communion , whole Churches of God, for a triviall cause. His fact also was condemned in the justification of those Churches, by a Councell in Palestine, where Theophilus presided; and another in Asia, called together for the same purpose by Polycrates; Euseb. Eccles. Hist. lib. 5. cap. 22, 23, 24, 25. This is an early instance of a considerable Fall in your Church, and an open opposition by Councels and Fathers made unto it. And do not you, Sr, deceive your self, as though the fact of Victor were alone concerned in this censure of Irenaeus and others. The Principle before mentioned, which is the very life and soul of your Church, is condemned in it. It was done also in a repetition of the same Instance attempted here in England by you, when Austine that came from Rome would have imposed