Revelation the Church which is but the bare Interpreter No Sir reply'd I I equal not the Church to St. Paul but I say that to pretend one ought to be Believ'd without examining when one thinks to act only as an Instrument of which the Holy Ghost makes use is not to have Dominion over the Conscience as the Example of St. Paul demonstrates Besides I pretend not to equal the Churches Authority to the Apostolical The Apostles were Authors of the Revelation as you have very well said that is they first receiv'd the Truths which it pleas'd GOD to reveal The Church is only the Interpreter and Depositary But saving this essential Difference between the Apostles and the Church I say That the Church is as much inspir'd to Interpret as the Apostles were to Establish and that holding the Grace of Interpretation from the same Spirit which gave the first Revelation to the Apostles she no more exercises Dominion over the Consciences in Interpreting than the Apostles did in Establishing But that both the one and the other cause the Holy Ghost to have Dominion over them according to the Measure which is given to every one It must be prov'd said Mr. Claude that the Church has receiv'd a like Grace There 's no need of proving answer'd I immediately 't is sufficient to shew that the Passage you alledge is not concluding To this there was nothing said But if I remember well Mr. Claude exaggerated a little how strange it was that we would oblige Men to believe the Church like GOD himself upon her bare Word without making use for the Interpretation of Scripture of the Reason GOD has given us that those of Beraea did not so and that the Apostle according to our Opinion was much to blame for letting them examin his Preachings I answer'd That there was a very great Difference between the Faithful already Children of the Church and subjected to her Authority and those that still doubted whether they should enter into her Bosom That those of Beraea were in this last Condition and the Apostle would not by any means propose to 'em the Churches Authority of which they doubted But that the Faithful were not instructed in the same manner after the Councel of Jerusalem There the Apostles decided by Authority of the Holy Ghost Act. XV. v. 28. Act. XVI v. 4. It has seemed good say they to the Holy Ghost and to us What do Paul and Silas Carriers of the Councels Letter after this They went through the Cities as 't is in the Acts What to cause the Counceâ— of Jerusalem's Decree to be there examin'd 'T would have been to examin after the Holy Ghost himself What then They went through the Cities delivering them the Decrees for to keep that were ordained of the Apostles and Elders which were at Jerusalem See the Order The Examen in the Councel the Obedience without examining after the Decision the Examen in those of Beraea that is in those who not being in the Church have yet no Authority to regulate them Submission without examining in those who being already in the Church are only to hear her Decrees 'T is their Happiness to be in a Body which guided by the Holy Ghost can never be deceiv'd and by that means be deliver'd from the Danger of an Examen the end of which would perhaps be Error The Conference had already lasted four Hours I already had from Mr. Claude's Acknowledgment one of the Propositions I would make him confess to wit That every particular Person ought to believe he may understand the Holy Scripture better than the Universal Councels and all the rest of the Church He must yet own the other Proposition no less Important and see how GOD brought him to it As he had spoken much of this Dominion of the Church over Consciences repeating three or four times That we gave her the Respect which was due to none but GOD alone when we believ'd her without Examining I told him he need not make so strange of a thing which they did as well as we and upon that I askt him Whether a Believer at his first Receiving the Holy Scripture from the Church were oblig'd first to doubt and after to examin whether the Book she put into his Hand were truly inspir'd by GOD or no. If this Believer examins and doubts he renounces the Faith and begins the reading of the Gospel by an Act of Infidelity and if he doubts not he then receives without examining the Authority of the Church which presents him the Gospel To this see Mr. Claude's Answer The Believer you suppose who has not read the Holy Scripture and into whose Hands 't is put to speak properly doubts not he is ignorant He knows not what this Scripture is which he is told is inspir'd by GOD. He has heard his Father and those who instructed him say That 't was divinely inspir'd He yet knows no other Authority but theirs and as for what concerns the Scripture he knows not what it is Thus he cannot be said to be Unbelieving or Incredulous And pray Sir said he let me make you the same Argument upon the Church as you make me upon the Scripture The Believer to whom the Churches Authority is propos'd either believes it without examining or doubts If he doubts he is an Infidel If he doubts not by what Authority is he assur'd Is the Churches Authority a thing evident of it self and must be not find it by some Examen This is your Difficulty which you have to solve as well as I either let us quit 'em both or resolve 'em both together I declare to you that I will answer for the Scripture what you shall answer me for the Church I understand you answer'd I but before I explain to you how the Christian believes the Church let us first settle the Matter that is in question Is it not evident Sir amongst you as well as amongst us That when the Holy Scripture is shewn to Children educated in the Church 't is shewn them as a Book inspir'd by GOD and I ask whether they cannot when they are caus'd to read something in it make this Act of Faith I certainly believe that what I am going to read is GODs Word Mr. Claude answer'd here That those of whom I spake to him had yet no divine Faith concerning the Authority of the Scripture but a bare human Perswasion grounded on the Deference they had for their Parents and that they were but Catechumens Catechumens Sir said I. You must not if you please speak so They are Christians they are baptiz'd they have in them the Holy Ghost and Faith infus'd they are in the Covenant according to you they have receiv'd Baptism as a Seal of the Covenant to which they are admitted and as the Covenant is seal'd in them by the exterior Seal of Baptism the Holy Ghost seals it interiorly in their Hearts Know your own Doctrin Upon this said Mr. Claude you know
that one might dispute but I own what you say And well then answer'd I if it be so they are by the Grace of the Holy Ghost and Faith infus'd in condition to make an Act of Faith when the Faith shall be preacht to them and I ask when the Scripture acknowledg'd by the whole Church for a Word inspir'd by GOD is shewn them Whether they are not in condition to make with the whole Church this Act of Faith I believe that this Scripture is GODs Word as I believe that GOD is Mr. Claude would never acknowledge this but always answer'd That they had yet only an human Perswasion about the Scripture and that Divine Faith came not to them till they had read it If they have said I but an human Perswasion they have but a doubtful Perswasion and consequently doubt of that which is according to you the whole Foundation of the Faith In one word they are Infidels No said he they are barely ignorant and you must also say as much of the Faith one has in the Church For 't is not a matter of small difficulty to discern which is the true Church and before one is in a condition to know it of ones self one is ignorant of it or one has at most but a bare human Perswasion on the Faith of ones Parents Thus once again what you shall say upon the Church I will say to you upon the Scripture Let us see Sir answer'd I whether you will say it or whether you will have reason to say it You acknowledge then That a baptiz'd Christian who has neither read the holy Scripture nor heard it read is not in condition to make this Act of Faith I believe that this Scripture is GODs Word as I believe that GOD is Behold a terrible Inconvenience that a Believer cannot make so essential an Act of Faith 'T is not so amongst us For the Believer who receives the Holy Scripture from the Hands of the Church makes with the whole Church this Act of Faith As I believe that GOD is so I believe that this Scripture is the Word of him in whom I believe And I say that he cannot make this Act of Faith but by the Faith he has already in the Authority of the Church which presents him the Scripture I must here proceeded I throughly explicate but simply nevertheless in what Order Christians are instructed concerning the Truth of the Scripture I speak not of Infidels I speak of baptiz'd Christians and I desire you to observe well this Distinction There are two things here to be consider'd The one is who it is that inspires us with the Act of Faith by which we believe the Holy Scripture as GODs Word and we say that 't is the Holy Ghost On this we are agreed The other thing to be consider'd is what exterior Means the Holy Ghost uses to make us believe the Holy Scripture and I say That 't is the Church That it is so we need only see the Apostles Creed that is the first Instruction which a Believer receives He has not read the Holy Scripture and already he believes in GOD and in JESUS CHRIST and in the Holy Ghost and the Universal Church There is no mention made to him of the Scripture but the believing the Universal Church is propos'd to him as soon as the believing in the Holy Ghost These two Articles enter together into his Heart the Holy Ghost and the Church because he who believes in the Holy Ghost necessarily also believes the Universal Church which the Holy Ghost directs I say then that the first Act of Faith which the Holy Ghost puts in the Hearts of Baptiz'd Christians is to believe with the Father Son and Holy Ghost the Universal Church and that this is the exterior Means by which the Holy Ghost insinuates into Hearts the Belief of the Holy Scripture If this Means is not certain the Faith in the Scripture will consequently be doubtful But as the Catholic has always found this Means certain there is not any Moment in which he cannot say As I believe that GOD is I believe that GOD has spoken to men and that this Scripture is his Word And the Reason for which he can at first make this Act of Faith is because he never doubted of the Churches Authority and because this is the first thing which the Holy Ghost put in his Heart with the Faith in GOD and in JESUS CHRIST As to what you ask me how he believes the Church that is not precisely our Question 'T is sufficient that we see he always believes it since 't is the first thing the Holy Ghost puts in his Heart and the exterior Means by which he makes him believe the Holy Scripture The Scripture of which he never offers to doubt since he never doubted of the Church which presents it to him This Sir is our Doctrin and because 't is not yours you necessarily fall into the Inconvenience I have noted Because you believe not the Churches Authority as a thing which cannot fail we shew you a Point of time in which you cannot make an Act of Faith upon the Scripture and consequently in which you cease to be a Believer Mr. Claude told me here That the Child who recited the Creed spake like a Parrot without Understanding what he said and so we ought not to insist much upon that And besides that I affirm'd gratis That to believe the Universal Church was the first Act of Faith which the Holy Ghost put into the Heart of the Baptiz'd Christian to insinuate to him by that means Faith in the Holy Scripture In fine That I answer'd not what he askt me concerning the Church nor how we began to believe her for said he The Holy Ghost is the Principle and not the Motive of Believing That 't was requisite therefore I should explicate how we believ'd the Church and by what Motive and that from my manner of speaking it seem'd as if we believ'd her by Enthusiasm and without any Motive inducing us so to do To this I answered I pretended not That the Church was believ'd by Enthusiasm That for the acknowledging her there were divers Motives of Credibility which the Holy Ghost suggested to his Faithful as he pleas'd That he was not ignorant of them but they were not now in Question Our Business now is said I to know whether the exterior Means which the Holy Ghost uses to make us believe the Holy Scripture is not the Churches Authority I speak not gratis when I say That this is the first thing which the Holy Ghost puts in the Hearts of baptiz'd Christians for in the Creed there is mention'd to them the Universal Church and she is propos'd to their Belief without speaking to them of the Scripture 'T is to no purpose to say That Children repeat at first like Parrots both the Creed and the Name of the Universal Church Let us leave said I the Parrot that speaks only by
Memory Let us come to the time when the Christian has the use of Reason and when he can make an Act of Faith By what shall he begin but by what he began to be instructed He believes then the Universal Church before he believes the Scripture In effect make I do not say a Child but any Man whosoever read the Canticle of Canticles in which there is not the least mention of GOD either good or bad In good earnest He believes this Book inspir'd by GOD only because of the Tradition First of the Synagogue and Secondly of the Christian Church that is in one word through the Authority of the Universal Church But let us keep to our Point Let us consider the Christian in the Moment when the Holy Scripture is propos'd to him as the Word of GOD. 'T is the Holy Ghost which makes him believe it we are agreed on that Point But we dispute about the exterior Means of which the Holy Ghost makes use I say That 't is the Church since 't is she in effect which proposes to him the Holy Scripture since he believ'd the Church before he heard of the Scripture since at his opening the Scripture he is in Condition to say I believe this Scripture as I believe that GOD is You say That he cannot make this Act of Faith He is then no Believer and his Baptism is of no use to him We must instruct him as an Infidel saying to him Here is the Scripture which I believe inspir'd by GOD read it Child examin it see whether it be the very Truth or a Fable The Church believes it inspir'd by GOD but the Church may be deceiv'd and thou art not in condition to make with her this Act of Faith As I believe that GOD is so I believe that he himself inspir'd this Scripture If this manner of Instructing strikes an Horror into Christians and leads manifestly to Impiety the Christian must be able at first to make an Act of Faith upon the Scripture propos'd to him by the Church he must consequently believe That the Church is not deceiv'd in giving him this Scripture A◠he receives from her the Scripture he receives from her the Interpretation of it and she no more exercises Dominion over the Consciences in obliging her Children to believe her Interpretations without examining than she does in obliging us to believe without examining the Scripture it self By this Argument Sir reply'd Mr. Claude you would make every one conclude in Favor of his Church The Greeks the Armenians the Ethiopians we our selves whom you believe to be in error we are nevertheless Baptiz'd we have by Baptism both the Holy Ghost and this Faith infus'd of which you have been speaking Every one of us has receiv'd the Holy Scripture from the Church in which he was baptiz'd every one believes his to be the true Church declar'd in the Creed and at the first he even knows not any other Now if as we have receiv'd without examining the Holy Scripture from the Hand of that Church in which we are we must also as you say receive blindfold all its Interpretations 't is an Argument to conclude That every one ought to continue as he is and that every Religion is good This was in truth the strongest Objection that could be made and thô the Solution of this Doubt appear'd clear to me I was in pain how I might render it clear to those who heard me I spake with trembling seeing it concern'd the Salvation of a Soul and I besought GOD who made me see the Truth so clearly That he would give me Words to express it fully and plainly For I had to do with a Man who heard patiently spake clearly and strongly and in fine pusht the Difficulties to the utmost points I told him I must first distinguish their Case from that of the Greeks Armenians and others he had nam'd who indeed err in taking a false Church for the true but believe at least as indubitable That the true Church wheresoever she is must be believ'd and that she never deceives her Children You are said I to him much farther off for I can lay to your Charge That you do not only like the Greeks and Ethiopians take a false Church for a true but what is undeniable and what you your self confess That you will not have us even believe the true After this Distinction which seem'd necessary to me let us come to your Difficulty Let us distinguish in the Belief of the Greeks and other false Churches what there is of Truth what they have in common with the true Universal Church in a word what comes from GOD from that which comes from human Prejudice GOD by his Holy Spirit puts in the Heart of those who are baptiz'd in these Churches That there is a GOD and a JESUS CHRIST and an Holy Ghost Hitherto there is no Error all this is from GOD Is it not true He agreed it They believe also That there is an Universal Church Are they not right in this and is it not a Truth reveal'd by GOD that there is one indeed I expected his Acknowledgment and after he had given it I added That the Greeks and Ethiopians were dispos'd to believe without examining whatever the true Church propos'd to ' em This is what you approve not Sir in this you are separated from all other Christians who unanimously believe That there is a true Church which never deceives her Children I who believe this with them reckon this Belief amongst the things which come from GOD But see where the human Prejudices begin This Baptiz'd being seduc'd by his Parents and Pastors believes the Church in which he is to be the true and attributes in particular to this false Church all that GOD makes him believe in general of the true 'T is not the Holy Ghost that puts this in his Heart Is it not true 'T is without doubt true In this place he begins to believe amiss Here Error begins here the Divine Faith infus'd by the Holy Ghost begins to be lost Happy are those in whom the human Prejudices are joyn'd with the true Belief which the Holy Ghost puts in their Heart They are exempt from a great Temptation and the terrible Pain there is to distinguish that which is from GOD in the Faith of their Church from that which is from Men. But whatever Difficulty Men have to distinguish these things GOD knows them and distinguishes them and there will be an eternal Difference between that which his Holy Spirit puts in the Heart of the Baptiz'd when he interiorly disposes them to believe the true Church and that which human Prejudices have added to it by fixing their Spirit to a false one How these Baptiz'd may afterwards disentangle these things and by what means they may get out of the Prepossession that has made them confound the Idea of the false Church in which they are with the Faith of the true Church
Claude we agree not this Novelty What is in the Scripture is not new Patience Sir I beseech you said I to him None of the Ancient Hereticks agreed the Novelty of their Doctrin they all alledg'd the Holy Scripture for themselves But there was one Novelty which they could not deny to wit That the Body of their Church was not yesterday and you granted it And well in fine said Mr. Claude if the Arians if the Nestorians if the Pelagians had been right at the Bottom they would not have been to blame in their Proceeding To blame or not said I to him is not Sir the Bottom of the Question But it still continues evident That you have the same Proceeding with them the same Conduct the same Defences in a word That in forming your Church you have done as all the Hereticks did and we do what all the Orthodox have done Every one may judg in his Conscience which he had rather resemble and I have no more to say Mr. Claude was not silent on this occasion but told me That this Argument was excellent in Favor of the Jews and Pagans and that they might maintain their Cause by the Reason I made use of Let us see said I to him Sir and remember that you promise us the same Argument The same answer'd he without doubt The Jews and Pagans upbraided the Christians with their newness you know it The Writings of Celsus and so many others are Proofs of it I agree it said I to him and is this all And 't was true proceeded he That Christianity was new if we regard it in the State immediately preceding What said I to him when JESUS CHRIST began to preach could they say to him as I do to you That in the Church he was born in there was yesterday no mention of him non his Coming What then was St. John Baptist Anna the Prophetess Simeon the Wise Men and the Priests consulted by Herod when they answer'd him That the Place of his Birth was Bethlehem Was there any one Moment when CHRIST was not expected in the Church where he was born and so well expected that the Jews expect him still 'T is very true Sir That there was a Necessity this Novelty should once be seen to happen and this Change by CHRIST expected at CHRISTs Coming But JESUS CHRIST is not therefore new Heb. xiii v. 8. He is the same yesterday to day and for ever 'T is true answer'd Mr. Claude but the Synagogue agreed not That JESUS was the CHRIST But reply'd I The Synagogue condemn'd not St. John Baptist but the Synagogue heard without contradicting them the Wise Men Simeon and Anna. JESUS CHRIST gather'd in the Synagogue the then true Church the Children of GOD which it contain'd The Synagogue at last condemn'd him But JESUS CHRIST had already founded his Church He gave it its last Form presently after his Death and the new People follow'd the old without any Interruption These are undeniable Truths And for what concerns Paganism 't is true the Pagans upbraided the Christians with their Newness But what did the Christians answer Did they not shew That the Jews always believ'd the same GOD which the Christians ador'd and expected the same CHRIST That the Jews believ'd all this yesterday and the day before and always without Interruption But Sir once again said Mr. Claude The Gentils agreed not all this What answer'd I was there amongst them any one so unreasonable as to say That there never were any Jews or that this People expected not a CHRIST and ador'd not one sole GOD Creator of Heaven and Earth Did not they shew the Pagans the manifest Beginning of their Opinions and the Date I do not say of the Authors of their Sentiments but of their Gods themselves and this by their own Histories by their own Authors and by their own Chronology Do you believe That a Pagan could have made a Christian confess That the Christian Religion was new or that there never was any Society which had the same Belief the Christians then had as I make you own That all the Hereticks which you and I acknowledg for such came in this manner and that you have done as they did See Sir how you prove That the Jews and Pagans might maintain their Cause by the same Argument I use None can ever do it nor can ever any one deny the evident Fact vvhich I affirm That vve do as all the Orthodox and you as all the Hereticks have done Here the Conversation ended It had lasted five Hours with a great Attention of the whole Assembly We heard one another peaceably We spake on both sides close enough and except the beginning vvhere Mr. Claude a little enlarg'd his Discourse in all the rest he came to the Matter and presented himself to the Difficulty vvithout Recoiling 'T is true he aim'd rather to entangle me in the Inconveniences in vvhich I engag'd him than to shevv hovv he could himself get out But in fine all this proceeded from the Cause and he assuredly said all that his could furnish him vvith upon the Point to vvhich vve had confin'd our selves For my part I car'd not to go from it since 't was that which Mademoiselle de Duras desir'd to have clear'd She appear'd to me toucht I nevertheless retir'd trembling and fearing lest my weakness might have put her Soul in danger and the Truth in doubt I Visited her the next day III. The Sequel of the Conference I was glad to see she perfectly understood all I had said This is what I had promis'd her I had represented to her That amidst the immense Difficulties which the Spirit of Cavilling and the Depth of the Christian Doctrin had caus'd to spring up a-amongst men GOD would have his Children provided of an easy Means to resolve themselves in what concern'd their Salvation that this Means was the Churches Authority that this means was easy to be establisht easy to be understood easy to be follow'd so easy said I and so clear that if you shall not understand what I shall say upon it I am contented you believe me to be in the wrong This in effect must be so when the matter is well handled But I durst not promise my self that I had treated it as I ought I knew with joy and thanksgiving that GOD had turn'd all to good The Arguments that ought to affect affected her She could not comprehend how an ignorant private Person could without an insupportable pride believe he might happen to understand the Scripture better than all the Universal Councels and all the rest of the Church She saw as well as I how weak the Example of the Synagogue was when it condemn'd JESUS CHRIST and how little reason there was to say That the particular persons who believ'd well wanted an Exterior Authority to resolve them when they had in the Person of JESUS CHRIST the greatest and most visible Authority that can be imagin'd I
pass'd again over the Doubt in which one must be touching the Scripture if one doubted of the Churches Authority She said she never so much as thought that a Christian might doubt one moment of the Scripture and besides she perfectly understood that Mr. Claude rejecting the Name of Doubt acknowledg'd the Thing in other terms Which serv'd only to make appear how hard this Matter was both to think and say since being forc't to own it he thought not fit to do it in simple Terms For in fine not to know whether a thing be or no if it be not to Doubt is nothing It appear'd then clearly That the two Propositions which were in debate were establisht And I shew'd Mademoiselle de Duras in few words That her Church by believing two such strange Things had chang'd the whole Order of instructing GODs Children practis'd at all times in the Christian Church For this purpose I needed only repeat to her what she had heard me say and what she had heard Mr. Claude grant GOD nevertheless put in my heart something more express and I said to her as follows The Order of instructing GODs Children is to teach them before all things the Apostles Creed I believe in GOD the Father and in JESVS CHRIST and in the Holy Ghost the holy Catholic Church the Communion of Saints the Remission of Sins and the rest As much as the Faithful believes in GOD the Father and in his Son JESUS CHRIST and in the Holy Ghost so much does he believe the Universal Church where the Father where the Son where the Holy Ghost is ador'd As much I say as he believes the Father so much does he believe the Church which makes Profession to believe that GOD the Father of JESUS CHRIST has adopted Children whom he has united to his Son As much as he believes in the Son so much does he believe the Church which he has assembled by his Blood which he has establisht by his Doctrin which he has founded on the Rock and against which he has promis'd that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail As much as he believes in the Holy Ghost so much does he believe that Church to which the Holy Ghost was given for a Teacher And he that says I believe in GOD and in JESVS CHRIST and in the Holy Ghost Rom. X. v. 10. when he says I believe confesses With the heart he believeth unto Righteousness and with the mouth Confession is made unto Salvation as St. Paul says and he knows that the Faith he has is not a private Sentiment There is a Church a Society of Men which believes as he does 'T is the Universal Church which is neither here nor there neither at this time nor at another She is not confin'd to one only Country like the ancient Judaical Church nor is she to end as that was Dan. II. v. 44. C. 7. v. 14. and her Kingdom shall not pass to other People as 't is written in Daniel She is at all times and in all places and so dispers'd that whoever will come to her may She has no Interruption in her Succession for there is not any time when one cannot say I believe the Vniversal Church As there is not any time but one may say I believe in GOD the Father and in his Son and in the Holy Ghost This Church is Holy because all she teaches is holy because she teaches all the Doctrin which makes Saints that is all the Doctrin of JESUS CHRIST because she encloses all the Saints in her Unity And these Saints must not only be united in Spirit They are exteriorly united in the Communion of this Church and this is meant by the Communion of Saints In this Universal Church in this Communion of Saints is the Remission of Sins There is Baptism by which Sins are remitted there is the Ministery of the Keys by which whatsoever is remitted or retained on Earth Matt. xvi v. 19. John xx v. 23. is remitted or retained in Heaven Behold then in this Church an exterior Ministery which lasts as long as the Church that is to say always since this Church is believ'd at all times not as a thing which has been or must be but as a thing which actually is See then to what this Church is joyn'd and what is joyn'd to this Church She is joyn'd immediatly to the Holy Ghost which governs her I believe in the Holy Ghost the holy Catholic Church To this Church is joyn'd the Communion of Saints the Remission of Sins the Resurrection of the Flesh eternal Life Out of this Church there is neither Communion of Saints nor Remission of Sins nor Resurrection to eternal Life Behold the Faith of the Church establisht in the Creed It makes no mention of the Scripture Is it because it despises it GOD forbid You shall receive the Scripture from the Hands of the Church and because you never doubted of the Church you shall never doubt of the Scripture which the Church has receiv'd from GOD from JESUS CHRIST and from the Apostles which she always keeps as coming from that Source which she puts into the Hands of all the Faithful Methought this Doctrin truly Holy and Apostolical wrought the Effect it ought to work But there is said I one Word more 'T is what I said to Mr. Claude and I reduce it now to this most plain Argument which every one may equally understand I mean the Learned as the Ignorant and the private Person as the Pastor The baptiz'd Christian before he reads the holy Scripture can either make this Act of Faith I believe that this Word is inspir'd by GOD as I believe that GOD is or he cannot If he cannot he then doubts of it he is reduc'd to examin whether the Gospel is not a Fable But if he can make it by what means shall he do it The Holy Ghost shall put it in his Heart This is no Answer for it is agreed That Faith in the Scripture comes from the Holy Ghost The Question is concerning the exterior Means which the Holy Ghost uses and there can be no other but the Churches Authority Thus every Christian receives from the Church without examining this Scripture as a Writing inspir'd by GOD. Let us go a little farther Does the Church only give us the Holy Scripture in Paper the Bark of the Word the Body of the Letter No without doubt she gives us the Spirit that is the Sense of the Scripture For to give us the Scripture without the Sense is to give us a Body without a Soul a Letter which kills The Scripture without its lawful Interpretation the Scripture destitute of its natural Sense is a Knife to cut our Throats The Arian cut his Throat by the Scripture misunderstood so did the Nestorian so did the Pelagian GOD forbid then That the Church should give us only the Scripture without giving us the Sense of it She receiv'd them both together When she
decides nothing till it be first receiv'd and that JESVS CHRIST's was not so as yet since 't was in dispute whether they should receive it or reject it I am oblig'd to observe That assuredly I heard nothing of all this in the Conference and you will soon see that it were indeed better to be silent than to say such things But since Mr. Claude will have said them he must then also say that because JESUS CHRISTs Miracles were rejected as deceitful Signs by the Envious by the Obstinate in one word by the declar'd Enemies of the Truth These Miracles were not convincing enough to oblige Men to believe JESUS CHRIST on his Word without examining farther and that for Example after he had rais'd Lazarus in express Testimony John xi v. 42. That GOD had sent him those who beheld with their Eyes so great a Miracle were I do not say permitted but expresly oblig'd to examin whether JESVS CHRIST was sent by GOD. He must I say carry the necessity of the Examen to this excess Otherwise 't will be true as I have said That there was then a visible and palpable Authority to which every one ought to submit without examining so that there was never any time when Men were less expos'd to the Temptation of Pride by elevating themselves above all living and speaking Authority since JESVS CHRIST the most living and most speaking as well as the greatest and most infallible that ever was was then on the Earth and that they preferr'd not themselves before the Synagogue but by submitting to JESVS CHRIST whose Miracles as himself said took away all Excuse from those John xv v. 22 23 24. that believ'd not in him Which the Assembly that condemn'd him knew so well that they found no other Answer to his Miracles nor any other Means to resist him but to make him away and with him Lazarus also John xi v. 47. xii v. 10. to stifle if they could at once with the Miracles they had seen the Memory of him that wrought them They must not then here think to dazle People with frivolous Answers and make the Readers lose the Consequence of an Argument by bringing in unprofitable Questions I mean That 't is to no Purpose to start up here the Question concerning deceitful Signs nor to answer That the Synagogue doubted of the Truth of JESVS CHRIST's Miracles The Question is only to know whether this Doubt was not the Effect of an evident Malice and in fine whether it be not certain amongst Christians That there was in JESVS CHRIST's Miracles so full a Demonstration of the Divine Power and so clear a Confirmation of JESVS CHRIST's Mission that every reasonable Spirit was oblig'd to yield without any farther Examination so that there was then a living and speaking Authority to which there was nothing to be oppos'd but a gross Ignorance and a manifest Obstinacy This is the matter in Debate and if after this Explication of the Question they think still to escape by saying with Mr. Claude That JESUS CHRIST's Authority was not receiv'd they must go farther John viii v. 13. and say to JESUS CHRIST himself with the Jews Thou bearest Record of thy self thy Record is not true Then we will answer with JESUS CHRIST John viii v. 13 14 16 18. John v. v. 36. Thô I bear Record of my self yet my Record is true And again I am not alone but my Father that sent me bears also Witness of me And again The Works which the Father hath given me to finish the same Works that I do bear Witness of me that the Father hath sent me And in fine C. xv v. 22 24. They have no Cloak for their Sin If I had not done among them the Works which none other Man did they had not had Sin but now they have both seen and hated both me and my Father The meaning of this is That the Miracles are clear the Authority is incontestable and the Resistance can have no other Ground but a blind Hatred I expect they will yet answer me That JESUS CHRIST added after all this John v. v. 39. Search the Scriptures they are they which testify of me and that they will dare to conclude from thence how one might and ought to examine after JESUS CHRIST so that the Word he pronounc'd shews us not a superabundance of Conviction in the Scripture but an insufficiency of Authority in the Person of JESUS CHRIST If they make yet this Objection we have nothing to do but to hold our Peace and leave JESUS CHRIST to defend his own Cause In the mean time we will conclude That 't is JESUS CHRISTs Authority which we revere in his Church If we say the Church must be believ'd without examining 't is because JESUS CHRIST who teaches and guides her is above all Examen We will not forbear to say also in imitation of JESUS CHRIST Search the Scriptures We shall confound them by this Scripture which they say they believe and we shall see them also faint under this Examination but it shall be after we have forc'd them to acknowledge that we must submit without examining to the Churches Authority in which that Spirit whom JESUS CHRIST has sent to keep his place always speaks There is then nothing less to the Purpose than the Example of the Synagogue and our Pretended Reformed depriv'd of this Example which was their chiefest Strength continue alone to believe themselves every one in particular capable to understand the holy Scripture better than whatsoever in the Universe has Authority to interpret it and to judge of Doctrin and than all the Faithful that appear to them in the Worl'd Which is the Error of the Independents or something worse They will say That this private Person who examins after the Church shall always be well assur'd not to be alone in his Sentiment since there will always remain some secret elected one who will think as he does As if without refuting this Vision it were not a Pride detestable enough to set himself alone above all that is seen and heard to speak in the whole Church besides They will say again 'T is no Pride to believe ones self enlightned by the Holy Ghost But on the contrary 't is the height of Pride That particular Persons should dare to believe the Holy Ghost will instruct them and leave in Error all the Faithful that appear in the rest of the Church Nor is it to any purpose to answer as Mr. Claude does in his Relation John iii. v. 8. in his Relation That the Spirit bloweth where he will For they must shew that this Spirit which reposes on the Humble ceases not to breath on those who believe themselves alone more capable to understand the Scripture than all the rest of the Church since they examin after her and not only to breath upon them but himself also to inspire into them this proud Thought But in fine
however it is and without disputing any farther since this is no place for it we have shewn that 't is a Doctrin acknowledg'd in the new Reformation That every particular Person ought to examin after the Church and consequently ought to believe That he may happen to understand the Scripture better than she and all her Assemblies Those that abhor this Presumption or that upon Examination find not in themselves this false Capacity have no more to do but to seek their Salvation in another Church than that in which so prodigious a Doctrin is profess'd The Third REFLECTION On another Proposition acknowledg'd by Mr. Claude in the Conference An Explication of the manner of Instructing Christians and That the Churches infallible â—â—thority is necessary for the knowing and understanding of Scripture THE second Absurdity I promis'd to make Mr. Claude and every good Protestant avow is That unless there be acknowledg'd in the Church an Authority after which there must be no more examining nor doubting there is a Necessity of setting a Point of time in which the Believer at the Age of Reason cannot make an Act of Faith upon the Scripture and in which consequently he must doubt whether it be true or false I assign'd for this Point of Doubt all the time in which a Christian for what cause soever has not read the Holy Scripture Mr. Claude here cries out against so detestable a Proposition and I persist to say That he not only own'd it in the Conference but also that in what manner soever he here endeavours to turn things he has not been able to do it so well but that he still confesses it in the Relation In truth this is one of the Places in which I least remember our exact Words But there is still enough to convince him since if this Relation becomes publick every one will see he here acknowledges in formal Terms That he who has not yet read the Holy Scripture believes it to be GODs Word with human Faith because his Father told him so which is the State of a Catechumen and when he has himself read this Book and felt the Efficacy of it he believes it to be GODs Word no longer with an human Faith because his Father told him so but with a divine Faith because he has himself immediatly felt its Divinity and this is the State of a Believer 'T is then true that he has acknowledg'd the Time I undertook to shew when a Baptiz'd Christian is not in a Condition to make an Act of Supernatural and Divine Faith upon the Holy Scripture since he believes it to be GODs Word only by an human Faith and divine Faith cannot come till after the reading of it In what manner soever he turns this human Faith 't is an horrible thing that a Baptiz'd Christian at the Age of Reason cannot make upon the Scripture an Act of that Faith by which we are Christians For thence it follows That a Christian at his first going to read the holy Scripture ought neither to be inclin'd of himself or induc'd by any other to say at opening it I believe as I believe that GOD is that the Scripture I am going to read is his Word On the contrary they must make him say I am going to examin whether henceforth during the rest of my life I ought to read this Scripture with such a Faith 'T is to overthrow the whole Order of Instruction 't is to lose the Fruit of Baptism 't is to reduce Baptiz'd Christians to instruct their Children as if they were not so and that they were yet to deliberate of what Religion they should be And what Mr. Claude says concerning the Scripture the same he must say on the Faith of the Trinity on that of the Incarnation on that of JESVS CHRISTs Mission and the Redemption of Mankind For that which forces Mr. Claude and every Protestant to say That the Believer who has not read the holy Scripture can believe it only with an human Faith to be inspir'd by GOD is That otherwise they must acknowledg an Act of Divine Faith on the Churches sole Authority Which would be to own this Authority as infallible and ruin the very Foundations of all the new Reformation But the same Argument returns upon all the Articles of our Faith and if the Faithful can believe with a divine Faith both the Trinity and the Incarnation and Mission of JESVS CHRIST on the sole Authority of the Church and before he has read the holy Scripture I shall always conclude with equal Certainty That the Churches Authority will be infallible By the Consequence then of Mr. Claude's and all the Protestants Principle we must in reducing the Christians who go to read the holy Scripture to a bare human Faith concerning this Scripture reduce them at the same time to the like on the most Essential Articles of our belief This was not the Method of our Forefathers they did not thus teach Christians to instruct their Children When they baptiz'd them in their Infancy they said in that young Age Credo I believe No matter thô our Reformers have chang'd this Form 't was us'd in the very first Ages and will be always holy and venerable maugre all they can do But this Form us'd towards Children shews us that when they shall have the use of Reason they must be immediatly taught to make an Act of Faith and time must not be lost in exciting them to it They will then be capable of it they may say the same Creed they should have said if they had been baptiz'd at the Age of Understanding and to reduce them to a Faith barely human is to take from them the Grace of their Baptism and justify the Practice as well as the Doctrin of the Anabaptists And I conjure the Gentlemen of the Pretended Reformed Religion not to believe that I alledge here the Anabaptists by way of exaggeration or to render them odious these manners are not beseeming Christians I am ready to make good that the Doctrin taught here by Mr. Claude and which all Protestants must teach with him introduces Anabaptism For if the Acts of divine Faith must be held in suspense till such time as one has read the holy Scripture and be instructed by himself if all the Acts that precede this Instruction are not Acts of Christians since they have for their foundation only an human Faith for the same reason Bapâ—â—â— must be deferr'd till that time and we must not make Christians that at the Age of Reason are uncapable to produce Acts of their Religion The Fourth REFLECTION On Mr. Claude's objecting the same Difficulty to us about the Church as we do to him about the Scripture 'T IS in vain for Mr. Claude to answer us That he will make us the same Argument for the Church as we make him for the Scripture for to do this as we shew him a point of time which even at the use of Reason necessarily precedes
the Reading of the Scripture he must also be able to shew us one that precedes the Churches Instructions but this he will never find Whatever he does we shall always mark him a a Point of time before the reading of the Scripture which is that when the Church puts it into our hand but before the Church there is nothing she prevents all our Doubts by her Instructions 'T is an Error to imagin that we must always examin before we believe The Happiness of those who are born as I may say in the Bosom of the true Church is That GOD has given her such an Authority that we believe at first what she proposes and that Faith precedes or rather excludes Examination To ask now by what Motives GOD makes us sensible of his Churches Authority is to depart visibly from the Question He wants not Motives to fasten his Children to his Church to which he has given so particular and so resplendent Characters This very thing that of all the Societies in the world she is the sole to whom none can shew her beginning or any interruption of her visible and exterior State by any averr'd Fact whilst she shews all other Societies that environ her theirs by Facts which themselves cannot deny this very thing is a sensible Character that gives an inviolable Authority to the true Church GOD wants not Motives to make his Children perceive this so particular Character of his Church But whatever these Motives are not to forestall them here this being no place for it 't is certain that there are some since that in fine we must be able to believe on the Churches word before we have read the holy Scripture and that in the first Instruction we receive without speaking of the Scripture we are taught to say as a fundamental Act of our Faith I believe the Catholick Church Mr. Claude tells us that to authorize the Method by which we pretend to lay the Churches Faith as the Foundation of all the rest the Creed should have begun with saying I believe the Church whereas it is begun with saying I believe in GOD the Father and in JESVS CHRIST and in the Holy Ghost And he considers not that 't is the Church her self which teaches us the whole Creed that 't is on her word we say I believe in GOD the Father and in JESVS CHRIST his only Son and the rest which we cannot say with a firm Faith unless GOD at the same time puts in our Hearts that the Church which teaches us deceives us not After then we have on her word said I believe in the Father and in the Son and in the Holy Ghost and begun our Profession of Faith by the Divine Persons whom their Majesty places above all we add an holy Reflection on the Church which proposes to us this Belief and say I believe the Catholick Church To which we immediatly after joyn all the Graces we receive by her Ministery the Communion of Saints the Remission of Sins the Blessed Resurrection and in fine Everlasting Life The Fifth REFLECTION On Mr. Claude's alledging here the Practice of the Greek Church and the like which is only to embroil the matter and not to resolve the Difficulty 'T IS to shew a desire of embroling matters to alledge here with Mr. Claude the Greek Church the Armenian the Egyptian or Aethiopick and that of the Cophti and so many others which brag no less of being the true Church than the Roman does Those say they who are bred up in these Churches revere their Authority every one of these Churches has Followers as zealous as ours True and pure zeal has no sensible Mark every one attributes his as we do to the Grace of the Holy Ghost and resting on the Authority of the Church in which he is says That the Holy Ghost makes use of this Authority to guide him to the Belief of the Scripture and all the Verities of Christianity This is in a manner Mr. Claude's Objection and thus sometimes when Men cannot free themselves they endeavour to cast others into the like Perplexity as theirs But he will gain nothing by this Address for in fine what cause does he pretend to combat for is it for indifferency of Religions Will he say with the wicked that there is not a true Church in which men indeed act by divine Motions And under pretence that the Devil or if he pleases Nature can imitate or to say better counterfeit these Motions will he maintain that they are every where imaginary GOD forbid we will both of us avoid this Rock He will avow then with me that there is a true Church which soever it is where the Holy Ghost acts thô by looking only on the exterior we cannot always so easily discern who those are in whom he dwells Hitherto we are agreed let us see now how far we can go together We agree that there is one true Church in which the Holy Ghost acts we agree that he makes use of exterior Means to put the Truth in our Hearts we agree that he makes use of the Church and of the Scripture Our question is to know by which he begins whether by the Scripture or by the Church whether I say he makes us believe the Church by the Scripture or rather makes us believe the Scripture by the Church I say that the Holy Ghost begins by the Church and it must be so since 't is manifestly the Church that puts the Scripture in our hands Nevertheless Mr. Claude leaves me here and begins to walk alone but he falls at the very first step into a Precipice For his Fear of acknowledging an infallible Authority in the true Church and of believing that on her word we may make an Act of divine and super-natural Faith concerning the Scripture obliges him to say that 't is not possible to begin the reading of the Holy Scripture by such an Act of Faith and that every Act of Faith which precedes this Reading is an Act of human Faith See the deporable Condition in which he puts a Christian at his first going to read the Holy Scripture Mr. Claude cannot get forth of this Abyss without returning to the place where he began to leave me and saying afterwards with me that there is a true Church wheresoever she is the veneration of which the Holy Ghost first inspires into true Believers that by this Veneration which he at first puts in their Hearts he fixes them to the Scripture which this Church presents them that this Church requires also of all those she can instruct that they adore upon her word the infallible Truth of this Scripture and acknowledges not for her Children those which have only an human Faith for it But say they the Roman Church is not the sole which attributes to her self this Authority the Greek and other Churches will have one believe them on their word and teach that this is the Means to read the Holy Scripture with the
Submission of a divine Faith And well if it be so it remains only to choose between these Churches But then the Calvinistical Church is gone at the very first brush she degrades her self as I may say from the Title of the Church since she finds not in her self Authority enough to cause all those whom she begins to instruct to make an Act of a Christian and an Act of divine Faith not even on the Truth of the Scripture whence 't is suppos'd she ought to learn all the rest But Mr. Claude asks how one shall choose between these Churches Shall it be by Enthusiasm It would be by Enthusiasm as I have observ'd in the Conference if the true Church had not her particular Characters that distinguish her from others She has without going any farther or searching any deeper her Succession in which none can shew her by any positive Fact Interruption Innovation or Change This is what no false Church can so clearly glory of as the true because by glorying of it she would visibly condemn her self There will be then always in the Instruction which the true Church shall give her Children concerning her Condition something that no other Sect can or dare say 'T is by this we would convince if it were in question the Greeks the Ethiopians the Armenians and other Sects which seem in this respect more deceiving because of the apparence of Succession that they shew which also makes them way to attribute to themselves with a little more ground the Authority of the Church But as for the Calvinian Church there is an end of her because she has not so much as an apparent and tolerable Succession and that she dares not as we have now shewn by Mr. Claude's acknowledgment attribute to her self this Authority without which there can neither be any certain Instruction nor any assur'd Foundation of Divine Faith nor in fine any Church 'T would be then in vain for us to lose time here in disputing with the Egyptians and Greeks the Succession they brag of 'T would be no great Labor to shew them the exact Moment of their Innovation The Pretended Reformed know it as well as we and can themselves shew it them when they please So when they pross us to do it 't is not that they think to engage us in a thing impossible or even obscure and difficult but 't is in a word that in so bad a cause there is always something got by digressing and making the consequence of an Argument be lost Thus I had reason to tell Mademoiselle de Duras in one of the Instructions of this Book that if any one disgusted with the Calvinistical Church was tempted to embrace the Religion of the Cophti or of the Greeks 't would be then time to shew them in these Churches that inevitable Moment of their Novelty which they can no more deâ—y than can the other Sects but since the Calvinists with whom we have to do agree it and that none thinks of leaving them but to come to us when we oblige any one to leave them by shewing from their Ministers own Confession the enormous Absurdities of their Doctrin the work is perfected and all the rest on that occasion would be to no purpose And to the end the Method of the Conference and the State of the Question which is there treated may be throughly understood it did not aim directly to establish the Roman Church but only to shew that there is some-where or other a true Church to which we must submit without examining and besides that this cannot be the Calvinistical Church since she will her self have one examin after her which makes her acknowledge the Absurdities we have remark't and by this acknowledgment lose the Title of the Church This done there 's no more question to preach the Roman Church that is that Body of the Church of which Rome is the Head since to him that will choose between two Churches the excluding of the one is the establishing of the other without any need of disputing farther for this purpose Besides that the Roman Church so evidently beare these Characters of the true Church that there is scarce any man of good Sense even amongst our Reformed but agrees that if there be in the world an Authority to which we must submit 't is that of this Church But however when one sees the Absurdities one is forc'd to own in Calvinism for want of having acknowledg'd in the Churches Authority the true Principles of Christian Instruction one soon retires from a Church whose Method and Instruction is so manifestly defective and one is sufficiently sollicited by the Remains of Christianity which one feels within himself to return to the Church from whence he departed The Sixth REFLECTION On Mr. Claude's reducing as much as he can this Dispute to the Instruction of Children VVE see in Mr. Claude's Discourses that press'd by this want of Authority which ruins all Instruction in his Church he affects to reduce our Dispute to the Instruction of Children and thinks he has found an Advantage by making this Instruction depend on Parents and Nurses who are better known at that Age than the Church and her Ministers By this means he thinks to conceal from us the Churches Authority in the first Exercises and first Acts of Faith we make before we have read the Holy Scripture But he ought first to consider that the Argument I made him regarded not only Children Children are not the only Christians that have not read the Scripture Mr. Claude is not ignorant that there were in the beginning of Christianity not only particular men but also whole Nation which according to the Report of St. Irenaeus had not the Holy Scripture and without reading it ceas'd not to be true Christians The Debate then between us is in general concerning all those that have not read the Holy Scripture of what Age soever they may be and what way soever they may have hapned not to have read it For 't is of those and if they will 't is of those whom St. Irenaeus mentions or of their like that I enquire concerning the Faith with which they believe the Scripture and prepare to read it as being inspir'd by GOD. If they have but an human Faith as Mr. Claude says they are not Christians and if they have a Divine Faith as must be acknowledg'd unless we will fall into an horrible Absurdity 't is then true that Divine Faith without ones having read the Scripture immediatly follows the Churches Doctrin and establishes her infallible Authority 'T is on this Authority that every Christian who takes the Scripture in hand begins by believing with a firm Faith that all he is going to read is Divine and he stays not his believing the truth of this Scripture till he has read it all he believes the first Chapter before he has read the second and he believes all before he has read the first Letter or so much
as open'd the Book He forms not then his Faith by the reading of the Scripture this Reading finds his Faith already form'd this Reading does but confirm to a Christian all he already believ'd and all he had already found in the Churches Belief He believ'd then before all things that the Church deceiv'd him not and by this he began to make the Acts of a Christian Children are not instructed in any other manner When they hear their Parents 't is the Church they hear for our Parents are our Teachers only as they are Children of the Church 'T is for this reason the Holy Ghost sends us to them Ask thy Father and he will shew thee thy Elders and they will tell thee St. Basil Ep. 29. so great a Divine justifies himself and at the same time confounds the Hereticks by alledging to them the Faith of his Mother and of his Grandmother St. Macrina and he herein imitates St. Paul who praises Timothy for having an unfeigned Faith 2 Tim. 1. 5. which dwelt first in his Grandmother Lois and his Mother Eunice The meaning is that true Doctrin ought always to descend from hand to hand and that there shall always be a true Church to which none can ever shew her beginning nor find in her State those Marks of Interruption and Novelty which all other Sects bear on their Front Christian Parents joyn'd to this Church joyn their Children to her and put them at the feet of her Ministers to be there instructed 'T is not to be imagin'd that Children in whom Reason begins to appear because they know not how to rank their Discourses are incapable of resenting the Impressions of Truth They are seen learn to speak in an Age yet more infirm in what manner they learn by what they make the Distinction between the Noun and the Verb the Substantive and the Adjective neither themselves know nor can we who have learnt by this Method well explicate so deep and hidden it is We learn almost in the same manner the Churches Language A secret Light guides us in both these States in the one 't is Reason in the other Faith Reason discovers it self by little and little and so does Faith infus'd by Baptism We must have Motives to fix us to the Churches Authority GOD knows them and we know them in general in what manner he ranks them how he makes these innocent Souls perceive them is the Secret of his Holy Spirit However 't is certain that this is done and by this he begins As this is the first Christian Act we make and as on this Foundation all is built so it subsists for ever The time will come when we shall know more distinctly why we believe and the Churches Authority will from day to day become stronger in our minds The Scripture it self will fortify the Chains which bind us to her but we must always have Recourse to the Original that is to believe on the Churches Authority What Age soever we are at 't is by this we begin to believe the Scripture we continue also on the same Foundation and St. Augustin was already perfect in the Ecclesiastical Science Cont. Ep. Fudam 5. when he said He would not believe the Gospel if the Authority of the Catholick Church did not oblige him to it I could were it in dispute shew the same Opinion in the other Fathers We must always re-ascend to the first Principle and this is the first Principle that fixes us to the Church Let them not reproach to us this Vicious Circle The Church makes us believe the Scripture the Scripture makes us believe the Church This on both sides is true in different Respects The Church and the Scripture are so made for one another and do so perfectly suit with one another that they support each other like Stones in an Arch which mutually keep up the Building All Nature is full of such Examples I bear the Staff on which I lean the Flesh binds and covers the Bones which sustain it and all things in the whole Universe mutually aid one another So it is with the Church and the Scripture There was but one Church such as JESVS CHRIST founded to which such a Scripture as we have could be address'd that is such an one as durst promise the Church in which this Scripture was made an eternal continuance If any one receives the Scripture by the Scripture I will prove to him the Church if he acknowledges the Church by the Church I will prove to him the Scripture but since we must begin on one side I have clearly enough shewn by Mr. Claude's Confession that if we begin not by the Church the Divinity of the Scripture and the Faith we ought to have in it is in Danger Wherefore the Holy Ghost begins our Instruction by fixing us to the Church I believe the Catholick Church Amongst our Adversaries one must examin before he believes and he must before all things examin the Scripture by which he examins all the rest 'T is not enough to have read some particular Verses some Chapters some Books till such time as one has read all conferr'd all examin'd all Faith continues in suspense since 't is by this Examen that 't is form'd Amongst the true Christians one believes at first Thy Faith hath saved thee saith JESVS CHRIST Thy Faith Tertul. de Praescrip 14. observes Tertullian in that divine work of Prescriptions and not thy being verst in the Scriptures There 's no need of passing through Opinions through Doubts through the Uncertainties of human Faith I never chang'd says St. Basil What I believ'd from my Infancy Ep. 79. has only been strengthned in my following years Without passing from one Opinion to another I have only perfected what was at first given me by my Parents As a Grain which is sown of little that it was becomes big but continues always the same in it self and without changing its Nature takes only Increase so is may Faith increas'd and this is not a Change in which one passes from worse to better but an Accomplishment of a Work already begun and the Confirmation of Faith by knowledge In this manner we pass not as amongst our Reformed from a State of doubt to a State of Certainty or as Mr. Claude loves better to speak from an human Faith to a divine Divine Faith is declar'd at first by the Churches first Instructions and this could never be did not her infallible Authority prevent all our Doubts and all Examination 'T is thus Cont. ep Man 4. as says St. Augustin 't is thus I say That those believe who not being able to arrive at Vnderstanding secure their Salvation by the simplicity of their Faith If we must always examin before we believe we must begin by examining whether there is a GOD and hearkning for some time with a kind of Suspension of Mind to the Arguments of the Wicked That is we must pass to the Belief
of the Church together She seem'd astonisht at this Proposition But I added That there was yet believ'd in her Religion something far more strange which was That there is a Point of Time when a Christian is oblig'd to doubt whether the Scripture was inspir'd by GOD whether the Gospel is a Truth or a Fable whether JESUS CHRIST was a Deceiver or a Teacher of the Truth When she appear'd yet more amaz'd at this Proposition I assur'd her that both this and the other I just before mention'd were necessary Consequences of the Doctrin receiv'd in their Religion concerning the Churches Authority and that I doubted not but I could force Mr. Claude to own ' em I declar'd to her the Reasons of my Assertion and shew'd her at the same time what a Mark of Falsity 't was amongst them to see how on one side they deny'd that we must believe without examining what the Church decided and that on the other they were fain for the establishing of Order to attribute to the Church the Authority they had deny'd her She let me know that she understood this Discourse and that she remembred she had read it in my Book but that thô she saw not any way to answer it she could scarce believe but that 't was answer'd in her Religion The Countess de Roye came to tell her that Mr. Claude who had promis'd to meet me the next day could not do it having receiv'd a Prohibition Mademoiselle de Duras testify'd a very great Discontent at this Proceeding I would have retir'd and left her with her Sister but she requested me to repeat what I had just before represented to her I did it in a few words and answer'd some Objections that were made me The next Morning Mademoiselle de Duras came to my House with a worthy Person of her Religion whom I knew nam'd Mr. Coton She had made use of him to engage Mr. Claude to the Conference and he brought her word that Mr. Claude had accepted it She desir'd me to repeat what I had said the day before I did so and Mr. Coton confess'd he knew not what to answer and that he had a great Passion to hear Mr. Claude upon this Point He and Mademoiselle de Duras made me some Objections concerning the frequent Revolts of the People of Israel who had so often forsaken GOD the Kings and all the People as the Holy Scripture speaks during which the publick Worship was so extinct that Elijah thought himself the only Servant of GOD till he learnt from GOD himself that he had reserv'd to himself seven thousand men 1 Kin. xix v. 18. which had not bow'd the Knee unto Baal To this I answer'd That for what regarded Elijah there was no difficulty since 't was apparent from the very words that it concern'd only Israel where Elijah prophecy'd and that the Divine Worship was so far from being at that time extinct in Juda that 't was there under the Reign of Josaphat in the greatest lustre it had been since Solomon's time The thing pass'd for manifest and I observ'd only how little Sincerity there was in the Ministers to produce still this passage after the Cardinal du Perron had given it so decisive an Answer As to what hapned in Juda it self I would yet make the Objection stronger than they had propos'd it by considering the State of GODs People under Ahaz 2 Kin. xvi 2 Chron. xxviij who shut up the Temple caus'd Vrijah the Priest of the Lord to sacrifice to Idols and fill'd all JERVSALEM with Abominations and afterwards under Manasseh 2 Kin. xxi 2 Chron. xxxiij whose Impieties transcended those of Ahaz But to shew that all this made nothing to the question I desir'd 'em only to observe that Isaiah who liv'd during all the Reign of Ahaz for all these Abominations of the King of the Priest Vrijah and almost all the People never separated from the Communion of Juda no more than did the rest of the Prophets who liv'd at the same time and in all the other which shews that there is always a People of GOD from whose Communion 't is never lawful to separate 'T is written also 2 Kin. xxi v. 10. that in the time of Manasseh GOD spake by the Mouth of all his Prophets and threatned this impious and all the People But these Prophets who reprehended and detested the Impieties of this People separated not from the Communion And to see into the bottom of the Matter we must said I consider the Constitution of the ancient People It had this peculiar to it self that it was multiply'd by carnal Generation by which as well the Succession of the People as of the Priesthood was kept up that this People bore in their Flesh the Mark of the Covenant to wit Circumcision which we do not read to have been ever discontinu'd and so thô the Priests and almost all the People should have prevaricated the State of GODs People subsisted always in its exterior form whether they would or no. Nor could there fall out any interruption in the Priesthood which GOD had ty'd to Aaron's Family But 't is not so with the new People whose exterior Form consists in nothing but the Profession of JESUS CHRISTs Doctrine so that if the Confession of the true Faith should be extinct for one only Moment the Church which has no Succession but by the continuance of this Profession would be wholly extinct without any possibility of ever rising again either in its People or Pastors but by a new Mission I added besides that I would not say the true Faith and true Worship of GOD could be wholly abolisht in the People of Israel so that GOD had no more any true Servants on Earth But I find on the contrary first that 't is clear that maugre the Corruption GOD still reserv'd to himself a sufficient Number of Servants who participated not in the Idolatry For if it were so in Israel which was schismatical and separated from GODs People as GOD himself declar'd to Elijah it must with far greater reason have been so in Judah which GOD had reserv'd to himself for the perpetuating his People and Kingdom till the Time of the Messias When therefore it is written that the King and all the People had forsaken GODâ— Law it must not be understood of all the People without exception but of a great Part and perhaps of the greatest Part which the Ministers did not deny Secondly 'T is not to be imagin'd that GODs Servants and the true Faith were preserv'd only in secret but that in all the succession of the ancient People the true Doctrine always shone forth For there was a continual Succession of Prophets who instead of adhering to the Peoples Errors or dissembling them roâ—â— up against them with force and this Succession was so constant that the Holy Ghost fears not to say 2 Chron. xxxvi v. 15. That GOD rose up night and morning
should then have believ'd our Lord to be the true CHRIST have judg'd better than all the rest of the Synagogue together See then an indubitable Case in which one may without Presumption do what you think so presumptuous In effect proceeded he 't is no Presumption not to give to the Church what belongs only to GOD alone We cannot give him any thing greater than to believe him blind-fold as you would have us believe the Church But you know that St. Paul at least as much inspir'd as the Church forbears not to declare to the Corinthians That he will not have Dominion over their Faith 2. Cor. i. 23. The Church ought yet less to do it than he We must not then believe her simply on her Word we must examin after her and make use of our Reason as those of Beraea did who examin'd the Scriptures Acts xvii v. 11. to see whether the things were there as St. Paul had preacht them When Mr. Claude held his Peace Here said I are many things But we must first take in hand this indisputable Example you have propos'd to us Upon this I remonstrated to him That the Christian Church had great Priviledges above the Synagogue even considering the Synagogue in the time of its greatest Glory But not to mention this 't was a strange thing to compare the Synagogue falling at the very Moment when its Hardning and Reprobation was clearly markt by the Prophets with the Christian Church which was never to fall But in fine Sir reply'd he one might have then made to this private Person the same Argument you make to us To alledge the Prophets was to no purpose for 't was concerning the Application of these Prophecies to JESUS CHRIST that the Synagogue doubted Thus a private Person could no more believe in JESUS CHRIST without believing at the same time that he understood the Scripture better than all the Synagogue and this is the Argument you make to us There were but few People at the Conference and they were all Hugonots except the Mareschalless De Lorge I saw two of these Gentlemen look on one another at this place with Complacence I was toucht that a Reasoning so visibly ill should make such an Impression on these Spirits and I besought GOD to grant me the Grace that I might by something that should be clear destroy the odious Comparison which was made of his always well-beloved Church with the faithless Synagogue at that very Moment he had assign'd for her Divorce You say then Sir said I to Mr. Claude that the Argument I make may authorise the Error of those private Persons who condemn'd JESUS CHRIST on the Faith of the Synagogue and on the contrary condemn those of Presumption who believ'd JESUS CHRIST alone before the whole Synagogue Yes Sir said he the thing is so repeating his Discourse afresh Let us see then said I whether my Argument has this unhappy Consequence It consists Sir in saying That the Churches Authority being deny'd there is no longer any exterior Means which GOD can make use of to dissipate the Doubts of the Ignorant and inspire necessary Humility into the Faithful To the end such an Argument may be made concerning the time when JESUS CHRIST was condemn'd it must be said that there was not then any exterior Means any certain Authority to which one ought necessarily to submit Now Sir who can say this since JESUS CHRIST was upon the Earth that is the Truth it self which appear'd visibly in the midst of Men the Eternal Son of GOD to whom a Voice from on high bare Witness before all the People Matt. iii. v. 17. This is my well-beloved Son hear ye him who to confirm his Mission rais'd the Dead heal'd those that were born blind and wrought so many Miracles that the Jews themselves confess'd never any Man had done the like There was then Sir an exterior Means a visible Authority But 't was contested 'T is true but 't was infallible I do not pretend Sir that the Churches Authority should never be contested I hear you you Sir who contest it But I say it ought not to be so by Christians I say That she is Infallible I say That there never was any time when there was not on the Earth a visible and speaking Authority to which Men were oblig'd to submit Before JESUS CHRIST we had the Synagogue when the Synagogue was to fail JESUS CHRIST himself appear'd when JESUS CHRIST retir'd he left his Church to which he sent his Holy Spirit Bring again JESUS CHRIST teaching preaching working Miracles I have no longer need of the Church but also take from me the Church I must have JESUS CHRIST in Person speaking preaching deciding with Miracles and an infallible Authority But you have his Word Yes we have without doubt a Word Holy and Adorable but such an one as suffers it self to be explicated and manag'd how one will and makes no Reply to those that misunderstand it I say we must have an exterior Means of resolving Doubts and this Means must be certain And not to go over again the Reasons already alledg'd now there is nothing else requir'd but to answer your Objection concerning the Error of the Synagogue I aver you are so far from being able to say That there was not then a certain exterior Means or speaking Authority to which Men were oblig'd to submit their Judgments that you must avow there was one the highest and most infallible that ever was which is that of JESUS CHRIST and so that there was never any time when the Argument I use against the Protestants could less be made which is That they want an exterior infallible Means to determine Doubts about the Scriptures After I had said this I perceiv'd there was no Reply to be made me In effect There was not a Word said to me upon it thô I held my Peace to hear what Answer would be made I will not say that Mr. Claude stood silent 't is an Effect not much to be expected in Conferences of this nature He repeated something of what he had already said and insisted afresh on what the Apostle himself had declar'd That he had not Dominion over the Consciences I was glad that he return'd to this Passage which I had an intent of Explicating at first but was fain to go to what was most pressing which was the Example of the Synagogue This being done I only askt Mr. Claude whether the Apostles Meaning when he said to the Corinthians We have not Dominion over your Faith was that they must examin after him He saw well that it was not and confest it I concluded Nor does the Church Sir pretend to have Dominion over the Faith when she requires us to believe it in her Decisions because she gives not this Authority to her self no more than St. Paul did but to the Holy Ghost who inspires her You equal then said Mr. Claude to St. Paul Author of the
receiv'd the Gospel of St. Matthew and the Epistle to the Romans and the rest she understood them This Sense which she receiv'd with the Scripture she has kept with the Scripture and the same exterior Means which the Holy Ghost uses to make us receive the Holy Scripture he uses also to give us its true Sense All this comes from the same Principle all this is the Sequel of the same Design As then there is nothing to examin after the Church when she gives us the Holy Scripture so there is nothing to examin when she interprets it and proposes its true Sense Wherefore you see that after the Councel of Jerusalem Paul and Silas said not Examin this Decree but they taught the Church to observe what the Apostles had judg'd In this manner has the Church always proceeded I would not believe the Gospel says St. Augustin were I not mov'd by the Authority of the Catholic Church Ep. 5. Cont. Manich. And a little after Those whom I believ'd when they said to me Believe the Gospel shall I not believe when they bid me not believe Manicheus This Society of Pastors establisht by JESUS CHRIST and continu'd until now giving me the Gospel has also told me That I must detest Hereticks and evil Doctrins I believe both together and by the same Authority After this manner were Christians instructed in the primitive Times Tertull. praescrip adv haeret 18. 37. in which Hereticks were told That they were not receivable to dispute of the Scripture because without Scripture they could be shewn that Scripture is not for them that there is nothing common between them and Scripture And observe if you please That all Christian Societies except the Churches newly reform'd have kept this manner of Instructing Mr. Claude and I said That the Greek Church the Ethiopian the Armenian and others were deceiv'd indeed in believing themselves the true Church but all at least believe That there is nothing to examin after the true Church There is no other manner of teaching the Faithful If we tell them That they may understand the Holy Scripture better than all the rest of the Church together we nourish Pride we take away Docility None says it but the Churches which call themselves Reformed Every where else they say as we do That there is a true Church which must be believ'd without examining after her This is believ'd not only in the true Church but also in those which imitate the true Church The Pretended Reformed is the only Church which says it not If the true Church which soever she is says it the Pretended Reformed is not then the true Church because she says it not Let them not tell us The Ethiopian says it the Greek says it the Armenian says it the Roman says it which shall I believe If your Doubt consisted in choosing between the Roman and the Greek 't would be necessary to enter into this Examen But now 't is agreed in your Religion That the Greek Church the Ethiopian Church and the rest are in the wrong against the Roman and if they were true Churches you ought in leaving the Roman which as you say was not to have sought Communion with them They are not then the true Church No more are you For the true Church believes That we must believe without examining what the true Church teaches You teach the contrary You call your selves the true Church and you say at the same time That one must examin after you Which is to say That one may be damn'd in believing you You renounce then from that time the Advantage of the true Church You are not the true Church You must be left 'T is here the Beginning must be If any one in leaving you be tempted to unite himself to the Greek Church he shall be answer'd Mademoiselle de Duras having heard these things nothing seem'd to me capable to trouble her but the Habit contracted from her Infancy and the fear of afflicting her Mother for whom I knew she had all the Tenderness and all the Respect that such a Mother deserves I also saw she was concern'd for the Reproaches that were made her of having human Designs and especially of having delay'd the doubting of her Religion till after a Donation made her by her Mother Your own Conscience said I to her best knows in what Condition you were when this Donation was made you whether you had any Doubt and supprest it in prospect of procuring your self this Advantage I did not so much as think of it answer'd she You know well then said I to her That this Motive has not any part in what you do Continue therefore in Peace provide for your Salvation and let Men talk For this Apprehension of having human Respects imputed to you is it self a sort of human Respect and that of the most delicate and most to be fear'd She requested me to repeat in Mr. Coton's Presence what had been said through a Desire she had that he should be Instructed with her He was sent for we agreed on the Facts Mr. Coton with an extream Sweetness made me some Objections about the Doctrin I had explicated I answer'd them He told me he was not exercis'd in Dispute nor vers'd in these Matters He said true he refer'd himself to Mr. Claude I pray'd GOD to enlighten him and departed to return to my Duty After another Conference which Mademoiselle de Duras and I had at St. Germain in the Dutches of Richelieu's Apartment she told me That she believ'd her self in condition to take her Resolution within a little while and that there was nothing more to do But to pray GOD to conduct her well The Success was such as we wisht On the 22. of March I return'd to Paris to receive her Abjuration She made it in the Church of the Reverend Fathers of the Christian Doctrin The Exhortation I made her tended only to represent to her That she was returning into the Church which her Fathers had forsaken That she would not henceforth believe her self more capable than the Church more illuminated than the Church and fuller of the Holy Ghost than the Church That she would receive from the Church without examining the true Sense of the Scripture as she receiv'd from her the Scripture it self That she was henceforth going to build upon the Rock and that her Faith must fructify in good Works She felt the Consolation of the Holy Ghost and the Assistance was edify'd by her good Example The End of the Conference REFLEXIONS ON A Writing OF M r. CLAUDE'S REFLEXIONS On a WRITING of M R. CLAUDE ' S. YOU have seen in the Advertisement which is at the Beginning of this Book That after Mr. Claude had read my Recital he made an Answer to the Instruction I had given Mademoiselle de Daras joyning to it a Relation of our Conference which he had drawn up as he affirms in that Writing the next day after ouâ— Meeting
Reformation have not been able to change the necessary Condition of Humaniâ—â— which for the hindring Divisions and quieting Mens Minâ—â— requires a final Decision independent of all new Examination either General or Particular The Christian Church is not exempt from this Law and the more regular she is the more her Constitution dependâ— on an entire Submission of Mind the more need she has of such an Authority Wherefore from the very beginning of Christianity GOD himself has put into the Hearts of all true Christians That they must no longer search nor examin after the Church has determin'd This inviolable Tradition has wrought its Effect in our Reformed maugre their Principles Nor do I wonder at it Reâ— de 〈◊〉 S. 29. St. Basil very wisely and very truly said That Tradition made men speak more than they would and inspir'd into them things contrary to their Sentiments And if our Reformed will not ow to Tradition this last and final Resolution and this Submission so solemnly sworn 't is then Necessity and Experience that has forc't them to it 't is because there must an End be put to the Doubts and Examinations of private persons by an absolute Authority if they will have Peace and uphold Humility 't is that if they neither have nor exercise this Authority they must make a shew of having and exercising it and at least give the Idea of it 't is in a word because one may indeed discourse and answer Arguments by Words but the natural Ignorance Infirmity and Pride of Mans Mind requires other Remedies The Second REFLEXION On one of the Propositions acknowledg'd by Mr. Claude in the Conference and on the Examen he prescribes after the Judgment of the Church I Pretended to shew is the Conference That by denying the Churches infallible Authority one falls into these two Inconveniences and I said not into one of the two but inevitably into both of them The first is That every particular person how ignorant soever he may be is oblig'd to believe That he may understand GODs Word better than the most universal Synods and all the rest of the Church together The second That there is a time when a Baptiz'd Christian is not in condition to make an Act of Faith upon the Holy Scripture but that whether he will or no he shall find himself oblig'd to doubt whether it be inspir'd by GOD. I have not seen any of the Pretended Reformed in whom these two Propositions have not caus'd an horror and who has not told me he should be so far from ever believing them himself that he should detest those which did Let us see then how it continues fixt by the Conference that they are Consequences of the Pretended Reformeds Doctrin and such manifest Consequences that they are own'd by the Ministers And indeed not to depart from Mr. Claude's Relation he himself asserts in it That after all Ecclesiastical Assemblies every particular Person ought to 〈◊〉 whether they have well understood GODs Word or no When he had spoken of human Interests which often is he said 〈◊〉 the Truth in the most authentical and most universal Assemblies of the Church For to destroy this Answer and shew that 't was in the bottom nothing but a Civil I 〈◊〉 him whether all passing in Order and without the appearance of any human Interest in the Deliberation every private Person must not yet examin He acknowledg'd he must and 〈◊〉 it still in his own Relation maintaining That there is not any Absurdity nor any Pride in a private Persons 〈◊〉 that he may understand GODs Word better than all Ecclesiastical Assemblies what good Order soever is kept in them and of whatsoever Persons they 〈◊〉 be 〈…〉 This Proposition and Doctrin will appear 〈◊〉 to every docible Spirit But to the end the thing may be 〈…〉 let us make Application of this Doctrin in a particular Example The Calvinistical Church since these 〈◊〉 or 〈◊〉 years from her first beginning to be establisht has not held any Assembly more 〈…〉 more 〈◊〉 than the Synoâ— of Dâ—rt Besides all the Churches of the 〈…〉 all the rest of the same Belief that of England that of 〈◊〉 those of the 〈◊〉 those of 〈◊〉 those of Switzerland that of 〈◊〉 and the â—est of the German Language were there by their Deputies and receiv'd it and to the end nothing might be wanting to it if the 〈…〉 Churches of this Realm were hindred from 〈…〉 at it they adopted all its Doctrin in the National Synod of 〈◊〉 1631. where all the Articles of 〈…〉 and sworn to by the whole Synod and afterwards by all-the Provinces and all the particular Churches Since that time none of the Pretended Reformed 〈◊〉 this Synod The 〈◊〉 alone who were there 〈…〉 blame is Doctrin and relate the Cabals and the Share Policy and the Interests of the House of 〈◊〉 had in it All also have yielded and if there be any thing that can be said 〈◊〉 have been receiv'd with an unanimous Confeâ—â— by all the Churches of the Pretended Reformation 't is without doubt the 〈◊〉 of this Synod And nevertheless I will 〈…〉 Whether any private Person whatever of his Church may rely upon an Authority so great amongst them as this is without examining any farther if he be press'd to Answer positively Yea or No to so precise a Question and in a Fact so well circumstantiated he must say No and that in fine notwithstanding all this they were but men how able how illummated how holy soever they are imagin'd still subject to fail whose Sentiments if one should follow blindfold and without examining he would equal men to GOD. Thus according to the Maxims of the new Reformation every private Person even to the most ignorant women ought to believe that they can understand the holy Scripture better than an Assembly compos'd of whatever is greatest in that whole Church which he acknowledges to be the only one where GOD is purely serv'd and not only better than this Assembly but than all the rest of the Church and than all that he knows in the whole Universe This is what Mr. Claude has acknowledg'd to me This is in Substance what he still says in his own Relation and this is what every Minister whether he will or no shall own in a Conference in the presence of any one that shall desire it unless he obstinately resolves not to answer positively In which case he will be seen to shuffle and this Tergiversation will be stronger than an Acknowledgment since 't will not only shew that the Acknowledgment is inevitable but 't will also make appear that he is sensible of its pernicious Consequences And what I say of the Synod of Dort Mr. Claude and every other Minister will be forc'd to say of the Council of Nice of the Council of Constantinople of that of Ephesus of that of Chalcedon and the rest which they and we receive with common accord And when they shall say it
they will say nothing new or unusual in their Religion Calvin said it in formal terms when speaking in general of all the Councils of the precedent Ages 4. Instit c. 9. he writ these words I pretend not in this place that all the Councils must be condemn'd and all their Decrees vacated Nevertheless proceeded he you will object to me that I so order them as to permit every one indifferently to receive or reject what the Councils should have establisht by no means that 's none of my Intent You would say â—he were very far from it The Majesty of Councils and the Authority of so great a Name moves him at first but the Consequence of his Doctrin makes him soon forget what he seem'd willing to say to their advantage For see how he concludes When says he the Authority of a Council is alledg'd I desire first it be consider'd in what time and for what cause it was assembled and what Persons assisted at it afterwards that the principal Point be examin'd according to the Rule of the Scripture so that the Councils Definition have its weight and be as a Prejudice but that it hinder not the Examination This is what all this careful Enquiry after Time Matter and Persons in fine terminates in to wit That at what Time soever a Council is held what Matter soever is there treated and or what Persons soever 't is compos'd every one indifferently for that was the Question should examin the principal Point by GODs Word and believe he can understand that Divine Word better than all the Councils See how far these Gentlemen pâ—sh the Examen They drive it yet much farther since they will have one examin after the Apostles This is not a Consequence which I draw from their Doctrin 'T is their own very Proposition and Doctrin in formal Terms and particularly that of M r. Claude For upon what I saith in the Exposition Exp. Arâ— 19. that after the Council of Jerusalem Act. XV. v. 18. and the Decision of the Apostles where they said It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us nowe had any thing more to examin and that in effect Paâ—l and Barnabas with Silas as 't is written in the Acts Act. XVI v. 4. went through the Churches teaching them not to examin what the Apostles had done but to keep the Decrees they had ordain'd Because I concluded thence That they gave the Form to all following Ages and taught us how in all times the Faithful ought to submit to the Churches Decisions without examining after several Answers but all frivolous they were fain at last to answer me clearly That one ought yet to examin after the Council of the Apostles 'T is the 〈◊〉 't is the first that answer'd the Exposition who writ in these terms We do not see that the Apostles publisht their Decision with an absolute Order it should ' be obey'd but they sent Paul Barnabas and Silaâ— for to instruct the Faithful to keep this Ordinance that is evidently to perswade them the Motives and Grounds of it which says not that they were forbid to examâ—â— This is what the Anonymus says The Place is remarkable you will find it in the Nineteenth Article of the first Answer in the fourth and last Observation he makes on the Council of the Apostles Page the 328 th This is not a particular Sentiment of this Authors since there is plac'd in the Front of his Book the Approbation of four Ministers of Charenton of which Mr. Claude is one to the end he may not say I charge him with a strange Doctrin in imputing to him that of this Anoâ—â—mus Thus 't is not the unbelieving Jews and Gentiles 't is the Faithful the Christian Churches that ought to examin after the Apostles and after the Apostles assembled and after they have pronounc'd It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us And this prodigious Doctrin is taught in a Church which vauâ—â—â— of hearing nothing but the pure Words of the Apostles See whither the Ministers and the Pretended Reformed and particularly Mr. Claude are forc'd by their Belief to carry the necessity of the Examen There was nothing left but to say we must yet examin after JESVS CHRIST and that with all his Miracles and all the Authority given him by his Father he had not enough to oblige men to follow him on his Word and without examining Mr. Claude said it in our Conference and says it again in his Relation I desire the prudent Reader to believe that in a Matter of this importance I will neither impose upon him nor exaggerate Let him follow me only with attention and he shall see the Truth plainly appear You have seen how I objected in the Conference That unless there were acknowledg'd a living and speaking Authority to which every particular Person is oblig'd to submit without examining private Persons would be brought to the Presumption of believing they could understand the Holy Scripture better than all the Councils together and than all the rest of the Church To prove that in this there was not any thing so presumptuous or absurd Mr. Claude answer'd me that in the time when JESUS CHRIST was upon the Earth the Case had hapned when a private Person ought to raise his own Judgment above that of the Synagogue assembled which condemn'd JESUS CHRIST That this was so far from being a Sentiment of Pride that 't was the Act of a perfect Faith This Answer I confess struck an Horror in me For to make it good one must say That in the time when the Synagogue judg'd JESUS CHRIST and he himself was on the Earth there was not upon Earth any living and speaking Authority to which Men were oblig'd to submit without examining So that one ought to examin after JESUS CHRIST it not being permitted to believe him on his Word I made this Answer to Mr. Claude and shew'd him That they were then so far from a necessity of every ones determining himself by a particular Examen and setting himself above every living and speaking Authority that there was at that time one the greatest which ever was or could be to wit That of JESUS CHRIST and of the Truth it self to whom the Father publickly bare Witness by a Voice from Heaven by the greatest and most visible Miracles that were ever wrought and in fine by the most resplendent as well as the most certain Means the Divine Omnipotence could make use of If I observe in the Conference there was no Answer to this Argument 't is very apparent that in effect there ought to be none Mr. Claude nevertheless in his Relation says he answer'd me That JESUS CHRISTs Miracles made one of the Matters in Question That there were false Miracles which Moses in Deuteronomy advis'd the Israelites to take heed of That the Synagogue had judg'd JESUS CHRISTs Miracles to be done in the Name of Beelzeâ—ub That in fine an Authority
whether dispers'd or re-united whether always subsisting or sometimes wholly extinct shall clearly find according to his Principles without any need of the Ministery all necessary Aliments For also of what use is a Ministery to them in which Error prevail And would not the Scripture alone be more commodious and more instructive to them This is what the 〈◊〉 should say to avoid the Inconveniences into which we cast them But Mr. Claude neither durst nor ever will dare to do it because he would find in it Inconveniences yet more insupportable and more visible 'T is in a word because he sound that by pushing the Authority and sufficiency as I may say of the Scripture independently of all Ecclesiastical Ministery they must at last destroy the Scripture it self In effect Rom. 1. ◠10. he found in the Scripture that the Scripture ought not to be Vid. Sup. p. 50. as the Philosophy of 〈◊〉 the Rule of 〈◊〉 Republick in Idea but of a People always subsisting which this Scripture calls the Church He has found that this People ought to be always visible on the earth since they ought not only to believe with the Heart but also to confes◠with the Mouth and to use his Terms make Profession of the Christian Truth He has found that the Scripture was entrusted in the hands of such a People to be their unchangeable Rule that there should be always Interpreters establisht by GOD the Author of this Scripture as well as the Founder of this People and that so the Ministery destin'd by GOD to this Interpretation was as eternal as the Church it self If he writ these great Words GOD always preserves in the publick Ministery all that is necessary for the guiding true Believers to Salvation Man Ans 4. q. he cannot found this Assurance on any human Industry Let GOD leave the Ecclesiastical Ministery to it self it must fall If then it be certain that GOD will always keep there all that is necessary to Salvation GOD himself must have promis'd it and the Eternity of the Ministery cannot be founded but on this Promise Mr. Claude also finds it in those Words Thou art Peter Matt. xvi v. 18. and the rest 'T is thence he concludes with us that JESUS CHRIST in speaking to a Church that confesses and confesses without difficulty by her principal Ministers since 't is by St. Peter in the Name of the Apostles to a Church joyn'd to an exterior Ministery and using the Power of the Keys has promis'd her that Hell should not prevail against her consequently supported by this Ministery and therefore he affirms that GOD preserves always in the publick Ministery all that is necessary to the Salvation of GODs Children Another Promise of JESUS CHRIST's Matt. xxviii v. 19 20. directed to those that baptize and those that teach and concluded by these powerful Words And lo I am with you alway even unto the end of the World makes Mr. Claude as well as us say that JESUS CHRIST promises the Church to be with her Ibid. to baptize with her and to teach with her without interruption even to the end of the World Thus according to this Minister this Promise regards the Church as joyn'd to the Ecclesiastical Ministery which makes him also conclude that JESUS CHRIST promises the Corruption shall never be such in the Ministery but that there shall still be enough to entertain the true Faith of his Elect even to the end of the World In fine Eph. iv Man Ans Ibid. a third Passage to wit that of St. Paul to the Ephefians makes him conclude with us that the Ministery shall last even to the end of the World and continue in a degree and in an Estate sufficient to edify the Body of CHRIST and bring all the Elect to the Perfection of which St. Paul speaks GOD then must concern himself with it without whose Assistances continually present neither such a Stability nor such an Integrity can be expected in the Ministery After he had thus begun to believe he should have finish◠the Work and given Glory to GOD even to the end Mr. Claude was not far from the Kingdom of GOD when he said that GOD would render himself superior enough over human Infirmity to preserve always manger the Efforts of Hell a Church which should confess the Truth and an exterior Ministery which should furnish true Believers with the Aliments necessary to Salvation He ought then to proceed to the end and believe that the same Hand which would hinder Hell from prevailing so far against the Ministery as to deprive it of these necessary Aliments would hinder it also from prevailing so far as to make any Error have dominion in it and that so much the rather as what he believ'd manifestly comprehends what is left to believe For if he believ'd on the Faith of the Divine Promise that there should be always a Church with which JESUS CHRIST would not cease to teach that is without difficulty that he would not cease to teach with the Doctors of this Church he ought by the same means to believe that he would teach there all Truth JESVS CHRIST not being come Joh. xvi v. 13. nor having sent his Holy Spirit to his Apostles to teach them some Truths but to teach them all Truth as himself declares in his Gospel Nor would it be to any purpose to say that Mr. Claude Promises in the Ministery only sufficient Aliments which can comprehend no more than the Fundamentals of the Faith as our Reformed find them amongst the Lutherans For JESVS CHRISTs Doctrin containing nothing but what is profitable Is 48. v. 17. agreeably to this Word I am the Lord which teacheth thee profitable things if we find not in the Ministery JESVS CHRISTs Doctrin entire we shall never find that Degree requir'd by Mr. Claude nor that Estate sufficient to bring all the Elect to the Perfection of which St. Paul speaks 'T would be then something to believe that by the Promise GOD would always keep without interruption in the Ministery all essential Truths for 't would be to acknowledge in the Church with which JESUS CHRIST teaches a beginning of infallible Authority by acknowledging this Authority at least in respect of the first Truths of Christianity But to finish the Work and not to believe by halves we must also believe that JESUS CHRIST in teaching teaches all and confess in his Church an absolute Infallibility Thus we must not say with the Ministers and their incredulous Flock This Ecclesiastical Ministery is of men subject to fall one may doubt after them for this would be to yield to the Temptation and no longer to believe the Promise We must say 't is of men with whom JESUS CHRIST promises to be and teach always then manger human weakness and all the Endeavours of Hell Rom. iv v. 18. against hope we believe in hope that we shall find eternally in their common