Catholiques in France beleeue it not where the f Voiez â—e Mercure Iesuite 1. part Vniversitie of Paris in the name of all the others in that kingdome hath not long since challenged aboue 30 Iesuites to haue published execrable doctrines touching the killing of Kings and absoluing subjects from their allegiance tending to the ruine of mankind and confusion of all gouernment and many of their bookes of this argument by publique arrest of the Parliament of Paris haue beene condemned to the fire And for this reason the whole g Hist Interd lib. 3. Senate of Venice not one man of that great Body dissenting did by decree chase these men out of their Dominions into perpetuall banishment because the Iesuites haue beene the Authors and Instruments of all tumults seditions confusions and miseries hapning in these times in all Kingdomes and States of the world And for vs Protestants the innumerable massacres of our Brethren in France the Netherlands and elsewhere the barbarous treasons plotted against our late Soveraignes and this state of England are demonstrations sufficient of their burning Charity towards vs. But all their other cruelties are but milde in comparison of this doctrine which pursues our soules after death into the neathermost pit Yet the Mistaker thinkes this may bee affirmed with Charitie For it is improbable the Catholique Church should want Charity Most true not improbable only but meerely impossible the Catholique Church should bee without Charity Far be it from vs to lay this vnjust and vnworthy charge vpon our deere Mother the Catholique Church Charity is the ligament which connects both that whole mysticall Body vnto Christ her glorious Head and each seuerall member one to another The good spirit of truth and loue ever assists and animates that great Body This Mother of all Christians we honour as her dutifull Children and are well assured of her blessing We accuse not Her for want of Charity shee giues no cause but that proud and curst Dame of Rome who takes vpon her to revell in the House of God to let in and cast out at her pleasure pretending that shee alone is the Mother and Mistris in that House vsurping and confining all the priviledges of the Catholique Church to her selfe alone A pretension void of colour and against the principles of reason which forbids to confound a part with the â—hole Though shee haue many waies â—aid the Harlot and in that regard deâ—erved a bill of divorce from Christ â—he detestation of Christians yet for â—hose Catholique verities which she reâ—aines wee yeeld her a member of the Catholique though one of the most vnsound and corrupt members In this sense the Romanists may bee called Catholiques But that the Roman Church â—nd the Catholique are all one is a very vaine and absurd imagination vnknowne h That the Roman Church was anciently esteemed a Topicall or particular Church distinct from others and in and vnder the Vniversall may appeare by Ignatius in tit epist ad Rom. Eccles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ambros. Epist 83. ad med Post Aegyptorum supputationes Alexandrinae Ecclesiae definitionem Episcopi quoque Romanae Ecclesiae meam adhuc expectant sententiam quid existimem de die Paschae Innoc. ad Victricium Epis Rothomag â—initio Quia Romanae Ecclesiae normam magnoperè postulâsti advertant Ecclesiarum regionis vestrae populi qualis servetur in vrbis Romae Ecclesijs disciplina Caelestinus Episc Rom. Epist ad Ioan. Antioc ap Binn in Concil Ephes Gr. lat par 1. § 20 pag. 143. Asserat se Nestorius fidem tenere quam secundum Apostolicam doctrinam Romana Alexandrina Catholica Vniversalis Ecclesia tenet Nicolaus PP 1. Epist 8. ad Michael August ad fin Imperatores Nero Diocletiaâ—us persequuti sunt Ecclesiam Dei maximè Ecclesiam Romanam Idem Epist 70 ad Hincmarum caeteros Galliae Episcopos Conantur Graeci tam nostram specialiter Romanam quam omnem quae linguâ latinâ vtitur Ecclesiam reprehendere quòd jejunamus in Sabbatis c. Et paulo post Opprobria haec vniversali Ecclesiae in eâ duntaxat parte quae latinâ vti dignoscitur linguâ ingeruntur Innocent 3. lib. 2. Epist 200. ad Ioan. Patriarch Constantinopol Dicitur Vniversalis Ecclesia quae de vniversis constat Ecclesiis quae Graeco vocabulo Catholica nominatur Ecclesia Romana sic non est Vniversalis Ecclesâ—â—â— sed parâ— Vniversalis Ecclesiae to Antiquity still loosly miserably begged by the Mistaker his fellowes without offer of proofe Catholique-Roman is in true interpretation vniversallparticular which are tearmes repugnant that cannot be equalled The latter restraines cuts off from the former and therefore to conclude the Catholique Church within that of Rome is to alter the name and nature of it hee that will be only a Roman must cease to be a Catholique It is not then the Catholique Church that we charge or that charges vs but the Roman And therefore all the discourse of our Mistaker touching the great charities of the Catholique Church to her children is very roving and impertinent winde and words without substance All confesse that she diffuses her selfe in all acts of charity after all imaginable sorts So doe her severall members the particular Churches They of the Reformation and especially this of England as amply and bountifully as any in the World and much more effectually and to better purpose then that of Rome It hath beene publikely avowed by some and cannot bee deni'd by a modest Adversary that hardâ—y any age in former times may compare with this of ours since this Church was happily purged from Popery for publique expressions of charity In so few yeares hardly ever so many Churches or Chappell 's built and beautified for Gods service so many Colledges Schooles Libraries Hospitals erected and endowed for the honour of learning and reliefe of the necessitous And for the other part of charity which is spirituall regarding the worship of God and the conduct of soules to their eternall happinesse never did any Church afford more plentifully the meanes of grace nor more abound with all helpes and advantages of piety then this of ours The word of God is diligently preached amongst vs the Sacraments of Christ reverently administred abuses in both are remoued the two extreames of Religion Superstition and Prophanenesse are avoided The ignorant are instructed the disorderly admonished comforts are applied to the afflicted terrours to the impenitent censures and punishments to the obstinate In our Leiturgy policy ceremonies in the government of our Prelates in the dilâ—gence of inferiour Pastors in the whoâ—â— face of our doctrine and discipline weâ— haue a most neere and faire resemblanâ—â— of reverend Antiquity all tending to thâ— gaining of soules to Christ and to guidâ— them in the way of peace In the Church of Rome appeares buâ— little of this true Charity even toward her owne Children Indeed shee bringâ— forth children vnto
Equals the acts and vnion of Charity because they deny what they owe not to her their subiection and seruice this is an vnsufferable and schismaticall arrogance whereof the Church of Rome hath now for many ages beene deepely guilty Many other things are said against vs but surely the most capitall r Valent. in Th. 2. 2. Tom. 3. disp 1. qu. 1. punct 7. in explic quaest § Quibus amnibus Omninò verè Orthodoxè docetur ad Summum Pontificem pertinere explicationem editionem Symboli fidei id est eorum quae à fid elibus credi debent Quae veritas vsque adeo continet summam caput totius Christianae Religionis vt nemo Catholicus esse possit qui illam non amplectatur neque vllus sit Haereticus qui illam non neget Id. ibid. punct 7. §. 40. Postremo idipsum Ab exordio Ecclesiae constat controuersias omnes de religione motas ex D. Petri Cathedrâ fuisse judicatas eosquo tandem solos communi Ecclesiae judicio Haereticos esse habitos qui repugnârint definitioni ejus Cathedrae Heresy Schisme of Greekes Protestants c. is that they refuse to bee commanded and gouerned by him who will needs be perpetuall Dictator at Rome and from thence giue lawes to all the world Communion with the Catholique Church may bee distinguished and measured according to those different degrees of vnion which men may haue with Christ for vpon this vnion that communion is founded Christ may bee considered either as a King or Ruler in regard of the whole visible militant Church or as a Sauiour and Head in regard of his mysticall body or his true spirituall members Among the Kings liege people that liue in outward obedience to his Lawes some carry in secret euill and disloyall affections to him others loue and obey him with th◠heart So it is with our Lord. All tha◠liue within the pale of the Church professe to honour him as their Prince and Gouernour euen though they deny th◠power of godlinesse by hypocrisy o◠dissolution others constantly and vnfainedly serue him in all the duties of holinesse He rules them all as King they are his Subiects but he is a Sauiour onely to these latter who liue and dye in hi◠true faith and feare who are therefore liuing members of his mysticall body to whom he communicates by his Spirit effectuall graces spirituall motion and eternall life This blessed Company is said in Scripture s Col. 2. 19. to hold the head and is called t Heb. 12. 23. the Church of the first born who are written in heauen and u Gal. 4. 20. the Mother of vs all When some of the Ancients speake of the Catholique Church w Clem. Alexandr Strom. lib. 7. pag. 514. edit Heinsianae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iterum in fin libr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Origen contr Cels lib. 6. p. 318. Geaec. Haeschel 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isidor Pelus lib. 2. Epist 246. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Aug. de Bapt. cont Donat. lib. 5. cap. 27. Ecclesiam veram intelligere non audeo nisi in sanctis justis Et sic passim many times they vnderstand it in a strict notion onely for this fellowship of the Saints as it containes all and onely them that haue spirituall vnion and communion with Christ as their Sauiour When Saint Cyprian compares the Church to Noahs Arke the paraleil runnes most fully and properly on the Church in this sence For of the Arke and this Church it is true whosoeuer is without is saued whosoeuer is without perisheth neither of which perhaps is truly said of any visible Church And thus x 1 Pet. 3. 21. S. Peter seemes to apply that similitude and sayes the Arke was a type or representation of the inward Baptisme or the Lauer of regeneration wherein the sprinkling of Christs blood purges the conscience and saues the soule Communion then with this Church is no lesse necessary to Saluation then vnion with Christ nor can he haue God for his Father who hath not this Church for his Mother Which Sentence S. Cyprian the Author y Epist ad Pompeium vses not of the Church of Rome as the Mistaker seemes to beleeue but where he vehemently disputes against it Whosoeuer either wilfully opposes any Catholique veritie maintained by this Church or the Catholique visible Church as doe Heretiques or peruersly diuides himselfe from the Catholique communion as doe Schismatiques the condition of both these is damnable The Scriptures and Fathers cited here by the Mistaker proue this and no more and therefore proue nothing against Protestants who neuer denied it We deny that * What this importeth see the next §. pag. 58. Popery is any part of the Catholique Church or maintaines any one Catholique verity We deny also that Protestants are in any degree dislinked from the Catholique Church or from the Church of Rome it selfe or from any Church or Christian on earth so farre as they communicate with the Catholique The contrary is easily and vsually affirmed but not so easily proved by firme and conuincing Arguments Charity Mistaken Cap 6. 2. THis unity is directly broken betweene Romane Catholiques and Protestants who are not both professors of this one Religion or members of this one Church For they differ in prince and maine points of faith in which the Reformers haue departed from the Church The Protestants are not at unitie among themselues and therefore much lesse with Roman Catholiques Their bitter contentions and speeches one against another declare them to be of different Churches and Religions And hence it followes that R. Catholiques and Protestants are not both saueable in their contrary waies Answer Sect. 3. THe true difference betweene the Romane and Reformed Parts of the church Protestants haue rejected nothing but Poperie that is corrupt superadditions to the faith confessed by learned Romanists to be doubtfull vnnecessary novelties Errors and Abuses of Rome reformed by vs without Schisme Those errors damnable how and to whom Of the dissentions of Protestants among themselues They differ not in any point fundamentall THe a See D. Abbot True ancient Romane Catholique Ch. 2. p. 81. Ch. 3. §. 3. p. 111. p. 113. 114. Protestants never intended to erect a new Church but to purge the old the Reformation did not change the substance of Religion but onely cleansed it from corrupt impure qualities We preach no new faith but the same Catholique faith that ever hath beene preached Whatsoever is good and true in the Roman profession we approue Wee haue abandoned nothing but Popery which is no branch of Religion but the shame and staine of it nor any part of the Church but a contagion or plague in it which dangerously affected the whole body though by Gods great mercy the vitall parts kept out the poison Naaman was still the same man before and after he was cured of his ieprosie
haec dâ—co haec dicis sed audiamus haec dicit Dominus Auferantur illa de medio quae adversus noâ— invicem non ex divinis Canonicis libris sed aliundè recitamus Let vs heare no more Thus I say or Thus thou saist but let vs heare Thus saith the Lord. Away with those arguments on both sides which are not taken out of the Divine and Canonicall Scriptures i Ibid. cap. 2. Inter nos quaestio eist vbi sit Corpus Christi id est vbi sit Ecclesia Quid ergo facturi sumus in verbis nostris eam quaesituri an in verbis Capitis sui Domini nostri Iesu Christi Puto quòd in illius verbis potius eam quaerere debemus qui veritas est optimè novit Corpus suum It is questioned between vs where the body of Christ is that is where his Church is what then must be done shall we seeke it in our owne words or in the words of Christ the head of the Church I trow rather in his word who is Truth and best knowes his one body k Ibid. cap. 4. Ipsum Caput de quo consentimus ostendat nobis corpus suum de quo dissentimus vt per ejus verba jam dissentire desinamus Let this head of which we agree shew vs his Body of which we disagree that our dissentions may by his word be ended l Cap. 19. vid. etiam cap. 7. 18. passim That wee are in the true Church of Christ and that this Church is universally scattered over the earth we proue not by our Doctors or Councells or Miracles but by the divine Scriptures The Scriptures are the only documents and foundations of our cause Hither is his refuge and appeale from all other sentences The Mistaker was ill advised to send vs to this Treatise which both in the generall ayme in the quality of the arguments and proofes is so contrary to his pretensions If the present Roman Church could with S. Austine and all Antiquity submit to this Iudge or rather Rule of controversies both this in hand of the Church and all the rest of our contestations might bee quickly ended Before I leaue this piece of S. Austine I will leaue this passage out of it to the Mistaker to ruminate vpon m Ibid. cap. 4. Whosoever beleeue aright in Christ the Head but yet doe so dissent from his Body the Church that their communion is not with the whole wheresoeuer diffused but with themselues seuerally in some part it is manifest that such are not in the Catholique Church The Protestants communicate with the Catholique Church in what part or place of the world soever They of Rome say the Church is no where to be found but in their faction none can bee saued but Romanists What will follow from hence He hath so much Logick that he cannot mistake The Herefies recounted by Epiphanius Philastrius and S. Austin in their Catalogues were many of them wild wandring conceits of heads crazed in the Principles of vnderstanding rather frenzies and dotages against reason then false opinions in faith tending to breake the vnity of the Church And iustly said S. Austine No Christian Catholique hee might haue said no rationall creature beleeues them It is true divers of those Heretiques as the Arrians Photinians Macedonians Nestorians Eutychians c did disturbe that vnity by maintaining obstinately their errours against the common rule of faith But they were convicted not by their disobedience to the Church as the Mistaker beleeues but principally by the evidence and authority of Scripture and then after that by the attestation of the Catholique Church which is the faithfull keeper of all Scripture and divine verities as appeares clearely in those Councells and Fathers which haue opposed those Heretiques Epiphanius alone of the three aboue named disputes the matter with the Heretiques and profesfes to fetch his arguments from Scripture n Haeresi 65. Pauli Samosateni num 6. edit Petau 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Vide cund Haer. 76. pag. 989. Haer. 78. pag. 1047. The divine goodnesse saith hee hath fore-warned and fore-armed vs against Heresies by his Truth For God fore-seeing the madnesse impietie and fraud of the Samosatenians Arrians Manichees and the other Heretiques hath secured vs by his divine word against all their subtleties And elsewhere to the same purpose Where by the way the Mistaker must needs obserue as hee saies that the Protestants hold divers ancient heresies and particularly that of denying Prayers for the dead He is very much mistaken in his observation The commemoration of the deceased in the ancient Church which o Ap. Epiphan Haer. 75. Aerius without reason disallowed was a thing much differing from those Prayers for the dead which are now in vse in the Church of Rome Our Roman Catholiques beleeue at least they say so that some soules of the faithfull after their departure hence are detained in a certaine fire bordering vpon Hell till they bee throughly purged and their prayers for them are that they may bee released or eased of those torments On the contrary the generall opinion of the ancient Doctors Greeke and Latine downe almost till these last ages was and is the opinion of the p Graeci in Concil Flor. ante Sess 1. in Quaest de Igne purgat apud Bin. Tom. 4. part 1. pag. 421. edit vlt. Greek Churches at this day that all the spirits of the righteous deceased are in Abrahams bosome or some outer Courts of heauen where though they liue in a blessed condition of peace and ioy and refreshing being secured of glory and the beatificall vision yet they expect the full perfection and consummation of their happinesse till the last day Some of their Testimonies to this purpose are collected by q Spalat de Rep. Eccl. lib. 5. cap. 8. num 98. Sixtus Senens Bibl. S. lib. 6. annot 345. Antonius de Dominis and Sixtus of Siena wherevnto many more might easily be added This opinion seemes directly to overthrowe two new doctrines of Popery Purgatory and invocation of Saints Such Invocation I meane as is intended to the Saints as a worship due vnto them and when they are invocated as Commissioners vnder God to whom he hath delegated the power of conferring sundry benefits deposited in their hands and to bee bestowed at their pleasure which is properly new and Popish Invocation Which r De Beatitud Sanct. lib. 1. cap. 4. 5. Bellarmine well perceiuing passionately labours to overthrowe it and to proue that the Ancients were not of this minde But his proofes are feeble and fall short of the thing in question and being a man of so great reading it may be thought hee spake against his knowledge and conscience Now conformably to this opinion the Ancient s 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Liturg. Basil Chrysost vide Clem. Const lib. 8. cap. 12. Chrysost Liturg Gr. Epiphan Her 75. Cyril Hier. Catech. 5.
superfluities A second reason He addes taken from the office of the Church after the Apostles which is not to make new Articles of faith but onely to consigne and deliver those which she hath received Thus Dr Stapleton Briefly their meaning is ours is the same that the whole Militant Church that is all the members of it cannot possibly erre either in the whole faith or any necessary article of it For such an errour must needs dis-unite all the members from Christ the Head and so dissolue the Body and leaue him no Church which is impossible Christ ever hath had and ever shall haue a true Church on earth now a true Church is all one with a Church not erring in the foundation By these reasonable restrictions of this infallibility they giue us a faire and certaine interpretation of all those promises which our Lord hath made unto his Church for his assistance Such promises are intended not to any particular Persons or Churches but onely to the Church Catholique and they are to be extended not to every parcell or particularity of truth but onely to points of faith or fundamentall Thus we are to understand those passages g Joh. 16. 13. John 14. 16. See the judicious Author of the Answ to Fishers Relation of his 3. Confer p. 49. The spirit shall lead you into all truth and shall abide with you for ever Though that promise was directly and primarily made to the Apostles who had the Spirits guidance in a more high and absolute manner then any since them yet it was made to them for the be hoofe of the Church and is verified i◠the Church Universall But all truth 〈◊〉 not simply all but all of some kinde T◠be led into all truths is to know and beleeve them And who is so simple as to be ignorant that there are many millions of truthes in Nature History Divinitie whereof the Church is simply ignorant How many truthes lie unrevealed in the infinite treasurie of Gods wisdome where with the * Deut. 29. 29. 1 Cor. 13. 12. Church is not acquainted How many obscure texts of Scripture which she understands not How many Schoole questions which she hath not and happily cannot determine And for matters of fact it is apparant and h Bellar. l. 2. de Conc. cap 8. §. Respondeo Quidam granted that the Church may erre So then the truth it selfe enforceth us to understand by all truthes not simply all not all which God can possibly reveale but all appertaining to the substance of faith all truth absolutely necessary to salvation That other promise of Christs being with his i Mat. 28 20. unto the end of the world is properly meant as some k Auth. de vocat Gent. lib. 2. cap. 2. Ecce ego vobiscum i. e. nolite de vestra infirmitate trepidare sed de mea potestate confidere qui vos usque ad consummationem saeculi in omni hoc opere non derelinquam praestiturus ut nullâ sevientium crudelitate superemini In mea enim potestate praedicabitis per me fiet ut inter contradicentes interfurentes Abrahae filii de lapidibus suscitentur Ancients truly giue the sence of his comfortable aide and assistance supporting the weakenes of his Apostles and their Successors in their ministery or in their preaching of Christ But it may well be also applyed as it is by l Leo Serm. 10. de Nativ cap. 5. Idem Salvator noster est super coelorum altitudines victor mortis ascendens usque ad consummationem soeculi univer sam Ecclesiam nō relinquens others to the Church Universall which is ever in such manner assisted by the good Spirit that it never totally failes or falls off from Christ For it is so firmely m Math. 16. 18. founded on the Rock that is on Christ n 1 Cor. 3. 11. the onely foundation that the gates of hell whether by temptation or persecution shall not prevaile against it Not prevaile so far as to sever it from the foundation or cleerly to undermine or o Bernard Serm. 79. in Cant. Non deficit genus Christianum nec fides de terra nec charitas de Eccles -que fundata est super petram Petra a. est Christus Bellarmin de Eccles lib. 3. cap. 13. Quòd Ecclesia non possit deficere ostenditur primùm ex Scripturis Math. 16. Super hanc petram aedificabo Ecclesiam overthrow it The Church may erre and dangerously too but every errour destroyes not the Church The whole Church cannot so erre as to be destroyed For then our Lords promise here of her stable edification should be of no value Lastly that prayer of our Saviour for S. Peter p Luke 22. 32. that his faith might not faile in the native sence of the place regarded onely S. Peters person for whom our Lord prayed and obtained perseverance in the grace of God against the strong temptation which was to winnow him above the rest Yet is it very well referred by q Aqu. 2. 2. q. 2. A. 6. ad 3. Ecclesiae Universalis sides non potest deficere Domino dicente Luc. 22. Ego pro te rogavi Petre ut non deficiat fides tua Aquinas to the whole Church which is never so far forsaken by Christ that it should utterly forsake and fall off from him But the faith of the Church cannot be totally corrupted in the Essentialls of it or abolished yet may it be foulely infected with many vile and unworthy additions though not with direct repugnancies In these promises then there is no foundation to support that very vaine and vaste pretension of the Church of Rome who challenges to her selfe an absolute and universall infallibility in all her proposalls For neither do these promises principally respect the Church of Rome and more then the Church of Corinth Ephesus or the like any further or longer then such parts do cleaue and consent to the whole bodie and Spouse of Christ nor hath the Church Universall the like assurance from Christ that she shall not erre in unnecessary additions as she hath for her not erring in taking away from the faith what is fundamentall and necessarie It s comfort enough for the Church that the Lord in mercy will secure her from all capitall dangers and conserve her on earth against all enemies but she may not hope to triumph over all sinne and error till she be in heaven Hay and stubble and such unprofitable stuffe laid on the roofe destroyes not the house whilst the maine pillars are standing on the foundation The Giant in Gath 2. Sam. 21. 20. was a true man though much deformed with superfluous fingers and toes but if one loose any vitall part he is a man no longer There is not so much danger in adding superfluities as in detracting what is essentiall and necessarie That the Church shall never be rob'd of any truth necessarie to the being of
WANT OF CHARITIE Iustly charged ON ALL SVCH ROMAnists as dare without truth or modesty affirme that Protestancie destroyeth Salvation In Answer to a late Popish Pamphlet intituled Charity Mistaken c. By Christopher Potter D. D. Chaplaine to his Maty in Ordinarie and Provost of Queenes Colledge in Oxford OXFORD Printed by the Printers to the University 1633. TO OVR MOST GRATIOVS AND MOST Religious Soveraigne King Charles c. Dread Soveraigne AMongst the many excellent Vertues which have made your Maties Person so deare to God and so precious in the eyes of all your good People the most eminent is your Piety which gloriously shines in the innocency of your Life in the constancy of your Devotions in the justice and mildenesse of Your blessed Government and especially in your tender cares thoughts for the conservation of true Religion and of the Peace of the Church in this crazy quarelling Age. This Piety in your Maty gives me the boldnesse humbly to lay at your Foote this unworthy Piece and the boldnesse also to hope that your Maty will graciously accept it Both because it was undertaken in obedience to your Maties particular Commandement and because in it I plead as well as my Weakenesses will permit for the Faith and Charity of our Church against the Faction of Rome who very falsely pretending to Truth and Vnitie are indeed the true Authors and Continuers of the miserable Schismes of Christendome If here in I have done any acceptable service to God and his Church and to your Maty I have my desire The Father of Mercies crowne Your Maty with all the comforts and Benedictions of Heaven and Earth and continue long the happines of these Your Fortunate Islands in the holinesse and health of their Gratious Soveraigne Your Majesties humble Servant and Chaplaine Ch. Potter Reader THis Answer had beene publique some Moneths agoe if it had not beene delayed partly by sicknesse and the indisposition of my Body and of my Minde also which was ever averse from Contentions in Divinity and now rather desirous to spend in Devotion the few and evill dayes of my life that remaine and partly out of the hope I had to see a second Edition of the Mistakers Work which the strong report of that Part promised or rather threatned But that hope failing and being loath to seeme to faile in my Observance I now commend it such as it is to the blessing of God and to the use and judgement of the Church My Answers without further affectation are true and modest I speake to the Cause not to the Person VVhosoever the Mistaker be he hath my pitty and my prayers He thinkes unworthily of Truth that beleeves it to have need of our Passions My desire is all Personall Defects may be charged on my Selfe none on the Cause I haue not followed the Mistaker in all his wandrings But let Him not take that for a pretext of clamour For if He will be ingenuous He must confesse that I have not omitted without Answer any one thing of moment in all his Discourse Or if He will not Our Readers will confesse it I have onely neglected his repetitions declamatory and injurious speeches and the like impertinencies which being set apart the true Summary of the rest is this that followes Charitie mistaken Chapt. 1. 2. ROman Catholiques judge that Protestancie unrepented of destroyes Salvation For this judgment the Protestants charge them with want of Charity This charge saith the Mistaker is 1. improbable 2. untrue 1. Improbable For the Catholique Church expresses and diffuses her Charitie for the temporall and spirituall good of men in all imaginable sorts Shee is charitable to their bodies in her Monasteries Hospitals redeeming of Captives providing for Orphanes c. and to their soules by converting of Heretiques and Infidels by teaching the ignorant by directing the scrupulous with books of Cases of Conscience c. Charitable to very Protestants their heresies are onely condemned and it is not said that they sin against the Holy Ghost because they may be converted to the faith reconciled to the Church and so may be saved Answer Sect. 1. SOme Roman Catholiques judge charitably of the Reformed Iesuiters furious and destructive in their censures against all that are not of their faction That Faction infamous for their cruelties charged with want of Charity not the Catholique Church The Catholique Church and the Romane ignorantly or cunningly confounded The Catholique truly and really charitable and so the English but not so the Romane not to her owne Children especially not to Protestants Of whom the Mistaker and Others speake and thinke no better then of Infidels Though we entirely professe and embrace the Catholique Faith in all the parts of it Charity mistaken Cap. 3. 4. 2. VNtrue The former judgement proceeds not frō want of Charity but from truth Which may appeare by these grounds of truth which follow 1. Almighty God hath founded but one Church and ordained but one Religion wherin he will be served and out of the communion of this one Church there is no salvation This Vnity of the Church is proved by many testimonies of Scripture and by the consent of the Fathers of the East and West And it is likewise proved by the same authorities that out of the Communion of this One Church salvation cannot be obtained Wherefore all Heretiques and Schismatiques being out of this Church Communion must needs eternally perish Answer Sect. 2. OF the Vnity of the Church VVherein it consists How it is violated Each discord in Opinion dissolves not the Vnity of Faith The Communion of the Church in what sence and how farre necessary Charity mistaken Chap. 6. 2. THis Vnity is directly broken betweene Roman Catholiques and Protestants who are not both Professors of this One Religion or members of this One Church For they differ in prime and maine points of Faith in which the Reformers have departed frō the Church Besides the Protestants are not at Vnity among themselves and therefore much lesse with Romane Catholiques Their bitter contentions speeches one against another declare them to be of different Churches and Religions Whence it followes that Roman Catholiques and Protestants are not both saveable in their contrary wayes Anwer Sect. 3. THe true difference betweene the Roman and Reformed Parts of the Church Protestants have rejected nothing but Popery that is corrupt superadditions to the Faith confessed by learned Romanists to be doubtfull and unnecessary novelties Errors and Abuses of Rome reformed by us without Schisme Those errors damnable how and to whom Of the dissentions of Protestants among themselves They differ not in any point fundamentall Charity mistaken Cap. 6. FVrthermore the Protestants are properly Heretiques at least if not Infidells Heretiques because they reject and disobey the judgement of the Catholique Church For it is not the matter or quality of the doctrine but the pride of the man who prefers his owne opinions before the
decrees of the Church that properly makes the Heretique The Heretiques recounted by S. Augustine Epiphanius and Philastrius in their Catalogues were condemned not so much for their errours which were many ofthem not very materiall as for their contempt of the Church S. Cyprian and the Donatists differed not in the matter of their errour but the obstinacy of the Donatists and their disobedience to the Church made them to be condemned for Heretiques when S. Cyprian was absolved because the Church in his time had not declared her selfe And in the like manner the Novatians were condemned on the same grounds Answer Sect. 4. OF the nature of Heresie The Church may declare convince an Heresie but cannot properly make any Doctrine Hereticall unlesse it be such in the matter of it The words Heresie and Heretique very ambiguous How commonly used by the Ancients Of their Catalogues of Heretiques S. Cyprian though erring in the point of Rebaptization justly absolved from Schisme and Heresie The Donatists guilty of both And the Novatians of Schisme Charity mistaken Chap. 6. AGaine the onely right ground and true infallible motiue of faith by which it is produced and on which it relyes is the revelation of God and the proposition of his Church He therefore who beleeves not every particular Article of Catholique Doctrine which is revealed and propounded by Almighty God and his Church which Church is absolutely infallible in all her proposalls doth not assent to any one even of those which he beleeves by divine faith because he assents not upon the onely true and infallible motiue An assent not grounded on this is no supernaturall divine faith but onely an humane suspicion or opinion or persuasion And such is the faith of Turkes Iewes Moores and all Heretiques particularly of the Protestants Answer Sect. 5. DIvine revelation the principall motiue last object into which faith supernaturall is resolved The testimony and ministery of the Church is of great use for the begetting of faith But the Church hath not an authority unlimited and absolutely infallible in all her doctrines as Some Romanists pretend Others of them reasonably fairly limit the Churches infallibility The Church Vniversall infallible in fundamentall doctrines Not so in points of lesser moment The Mistaker cannot say what he meanes by the Church whereof he sayes so much Of the Church represented in Generall Councells of which VVe speak and thinke more honorably then doe our Adversaries Yet we thinke them not absolutely infallible Of the Pope whom they call the Church virtuall How his Flatterers speake of his authority No Roman Catholique can be assured of his infallibility which is at the most and best but problematicall by their owne principles Charity mistaken Chap. 7. PRotestants object that Roman Catholiques are not at unity among themselves as appeares by many questions wherein their Writers are at variance Answer Catholique Doctors differ onely in matters of Opinion not decided by the Church not in any point of Faith And besides their differences are all fairely carried without any breach of Charity If it be againe objected that learned Catholiques beleeue more then the unlearned Answer This hinders not their Vnitie It suffices the Vulgar to beleeve implicitly what the Church teaches And by vertue of such implicite faith a Cardinall Bellarmine and a Catholique Collier are of the same beleife Answer Sect. 6. DIssentions in the Church of Rome of greater importance then any among the Reformed They differ not onely in Opinion but in matters of their Faith As about the Popes authority and the Popes themselves about their vulgar Latine Bibles Discords among Them uncharitably pursued Some patterns of their mutuall bitternesse and revilings Implicite faith in some points and in some persons admitted VVhat it is which we dislike here in the doctrine of some Romanists Charity mistaken Chap. 8. 9. THe Protestants pretend to be at unitie with the Ancient Church with the Lutherans and even with Roman Catholiques in fundamentall points That distinction so ordinary with them betweene fundamentall points and not fundamentall is vaine without ground No Protestant Writer none of their Vniversities Colledges or Societies of learned men amongst them can or dare define what doctrines are fundamentall or give us in a List or Catalogue of Fundamentalls Some say they are contained in the Creed But those men may be ashamed of that opinion seeing in the Creed there is no mention of the Canon of Scripture or of the number or nature of the Sacraments of justification whether it be by faith alone or by workes or of that doctrine of devills forbidding marriage meats which was the doctrine of the Manichees and not of Roman Catholiques as Protestants perversly affirme and finally since there is such great differences between them and us about the understanding of the Articles of Christs Descent into Hell of the holy Catholique Church and the Communion of Saints Others say the Booke of the 39 Articles of the Church of England declares all the fundamentall points of faith But that also is most absurdly affirmed That Booke declares onely and that in an extreamly confused manner what the Church of England beleeves in most things And in many Controversies betweene them and us it speakes obscurely not touching the maine difficulty of the questions As in the points of the Visibility and infallibility of the Church of Freewill and of the Canon of Scripture Answer Sect. 7. THe distinction between doctrines fundamentall and not fundamentall avowed as most necessary It hath ground in reason and in Scripture The Creed of the Apostles as it is explained in the later Creeds of the Catholique Church esteemed a sufficient Summary or Catalogue of Fundamentals by the best learned Romanists and by Antiquity The Mistakers exceptions to the contrary answered As also his exceptions against the Confession of the Church of England The Conclusion ANSWERE TO Charity mistaken Charity mistaken Chap. 1. 2. ROmane Catholiques judge that Protestancy vnrepented of destroies saluation For this judgement the Protestants charge them with want of Charitie This charge saith the Mistaker is 1. improbable 2. vntrue 1. Improbable For the Catholique Church expresses and diffuses her Charitie for the temporall and spirituall good of men in all imaginable sorts Shee is charitable to their bodies in her Monasteries Hospitals redeeming of Captiues prouiding for Orphanes c. and to their soules by conuerting of heretiques and infidels by teaching the ignorant by directing the scrupulous with bookes of Cases of Conscience c. Charitable to very Protestants their heresies onely are condemned and it is not said that they sinnâ— against the holy Ghost because they may be conuerted to the faith reconciled to the Church anâ— so may be saued Answere Sect. 1. SOme Romane Catholiques judge charitably of the Reformed Iesuiterâ— furious and destructiue in their censures against all that are not of their faction That faction infamous for their cruelties charged with want of Charitie
Mystag Miss Muzarab in Bibl. P P. Colon Tom. 15. p. 787. Diâ—nys Eccl. Hier cap. 7. Church in her Liturgies remembred all those that slept in hope of the Resurrection of everlasting life and particularly the Patriarchs Prophets Apostles Martyrs Confessors Bishops Fathers such as led a solitary life and all Saints beseeching God to giue vnto them rest and to bring them at the Resurrection to the place where the light of his countenance should shine vpon them for evermore Signifying by this Memorial their faith as t Vbi supra St Epiphanius hath it that the departed are aliue and subsisting with the Lord and their hope of them as of those that bee from home in another country and that at length they shall attaine the state which is more perfect Some particular Doctors had in these matters particular opinions which must be severed from the generall sentiment and customes of the Church which to this day are conserved in the Greeke u Vide Marci Ephesii Episc Epist encyclicam Churches notwithstanding the pretended Vnion in this and other points at the late Councell of Florence This ancient observation of the Church we condemne not Wee say prayers are to be made for all that are departed in the true faith of Christ that is first Thanksgiuing that they are deliuered from the body of death and miseries of this sinfull world Secondly Requests of Gods mercy that they may haue their perfect consummation in body and soule in the kingdome of God at the last iudgement The Roman writers vtterly condemne the former doctrine and practise of Antiquity z Azor. Instit moral tom 1. c. 20. lib. 8. See of this matter the learned Primate of Armagh in his defence against the Iespite One of them feares not to censure it as absurd and impious By this the Mistaker may feele his errour and see that it is not the Protestants but his owne Doctors that agree with the old Heretique Aerius The vnity of the Church is nothing hindred by diversity of opinions in doubtfull matters It is a great vanity to hope or expect that all learned men in this life should absolutely consent in all the pieces and particles of divine truth The light whereby wee see in this state of mortality is very feeble and very different in regard of the good spirits illumination the capacities of men and their diligences in study prayer and other meanes of knowledge So long as the a Iud. 3. faith once deliuered to the Saints is earnestly contended for and kept entire that is the b Tit. 1. 4. common faith of Christians containing all Catholique and necessary verities so long as men c Phil. 3. 15. 16. walke according to this rule charitably though in other things they be otherwise minded the Church is but one her vnity no way violated For this vnity consists in the vnity of faith not of opinions and in an vnion of mens hearts and affections by true Charity which will easily compound or tolerate all vnnecessary differences Factious and fiery Spirits kindle and fly asunder on small occasions but among wise men each discord in Religion dissolues not the vnity of faith or Charity Points of Religion are well distinguished by d Aqu. 22. q. 2. art 56 q. 29. art 3. ad 2. Thomas and e Staplet dupl lib. 1. c. 12. n. 3. Rel. c. 1. qu. 3. art 6. notab 1. 2. Licet vtile est de rebus difficilibus in Ecclesia aliter atque aliter disputare nec hoc vnitatem violat sed veritatem illustrat Stapleton Some say they are primitiue Articles of the substance of Religion essentiall in the obiect of faith dissention in these is pernicious and destroyes vnity Others are secondary probable accidentall or obscure points wherein the oppositions and disputations of learned men proceeding modestly are tolerable and sometime profitable for finding out the truth Vnity in these matters is very contingent and variable in the Church now greater now lesser never absolute in all particles of truth And therefore those ancient Worthies the Fathers of the Church as they were most zealous to defend even with their blood to the least iot or title the rule of faith as they called it or the Creed of Christians or as the Scripture calls it the f 2. Tim. 1 13. forme of wholesome words the g Heb. 6. 1. 5. 12. Principles of the oracles of God or of the doctrine of Christ so againe they were most charitable to allow in other things beside or without the faith a great latitude and liberty As in a musicall consort a discord now and then so it bee in the descant and depart no tfrom the ground sweetens the harmony So the variety of opinions or of h Firmilianus ap Cypr. epist 7 5. num 5. August ep 86 Socrat. Hist lib. 5. cap. 21. rites in partes of the Church doth rather commend then prejudice the vnity of the whole Indeed in the multitude of opinions there is but one truth but among sundry truths there is but one necessary to salvation that wherein the holy Scriptures as the Apostle saith are able to make vs wise by 2 Tim. 3. 15. the faith in Christ Iesus The keeper of this truth and of the Scriptures in which it is treasured is the Church not of one City but the Catholique Church that is the fellowship of Saints dispersed through the whole World And it is not in deepe or difficult questions but in this necessary faith or truth wherein the Fathers alleadged by the Mistaker justly require an exact and perfect vnity among Catholique Christians To be ignorant of this faith or to erre in it though vnwarily is dangerous but to corrupt or contradict any part of it though but in a word or syllable of moment is damnable The difference betweene the Arrians and the Catholiques was but in one letter the least in the Alphabet yet never was the Church troubled with a more pernicious heresy And many times the addition or alteration of one word or two in the confession of faith had reconciled the Eunomians Photinians Sabellians Macedonians c. with the Catholiques But in this case for the Catholiques to yeeld in a word or syllable had beene to yeeld their cause and to betray the truth Therefore worthily and truly said k Basil 〈◊〉 apud Theodoret Hist l. 4. c. 17. S. Basil to the officer of Valens the Arrian Emperour not a syllable of divine doctrine must be betrayed For though Faith be sound in other respects yet one word saith l Naz. Tract de fide S. Greg. Nazianzen as truly like a drop of poison may taint and corrupt it and as m Hier. Apol 3. adv Ruff. cap. 7. S. Hierome for such a word contrary to this faith are Heretiques justly cast out of the Church But though faith be kept entire yet if Charity be wanting the vnity of the Church is
disturbed her vnion dissolued Schisme is no lesse damnable then Heresy The old n Vide Optat August passim Donatists did not only vniustly separate from the Catholike Church diffused through the World but most vn reasonably arrogantly esteemed their owne faction to be the only Christians hated and censured all of the Catholique Communion as no better then Pagans and appropriated to themselues alone all the benefits of Christ and all the priviledges of his Church And accordingly in effect they renounced the society of all other Christians vanting that life and salvation was no where to be had but in their assemblies And are not the Iesuiters of our times formally guilty of this Donatisme Doe not the Zelotes of Rome thus speake and thinke of themselues and of all other Christians Witnes our Mistaker and his Pamphlet wherein his designe is to shew that Rome compasseth and containeth all Christendome and that Christ hath no servants the Church no members but only those that liue vnder the Popes obedience Briefly the Vnity of the Church Catholique is not hindred by any diversity of opinions or observations in her severall members so long as the substance of faith and the bond of Charity is conserued among them The Mistaker goes on Out of this one true Church no salvation Ch. Mist â— 5. can be had Every terme is ambiguous and therefore the whole proposition true or false as it may be limited Salvation may be had either by the ordinary meanes or extraordinarily The Church notes either the Catholique or Particulars Hee may be in the one who is outed by the others and an interiour Communion may be without the externall A Church may teach many truths and so farre bee true yet by the addition of many errours and abuses become in regard of them a false Church And it may be one in the faith which is not at one either with it selfe or other particulars in opinions Lastly a man may be out of a particular Church either actiuely by a voluntary separation which is iust or vnjust according to the grounds or passiuely by exclusion or ejection being casâ— out by the Church And that may bee done either vniustly by ignorance malice faction c. or justly and this either by suspension for a time from the society of the faithfull or by vtter and finall abdication from the body of Christ This may better appeare in particular instances Infidels are without the Church They haue no distinct knowledge of Christ or explicite faith in him Yet some a Iustin M. in Apol. vtraque Clem. Alex Strom. lib. 5. 6. 7. Chrysost hom 37. in Matth. c. auncient Doctors and many late b Ludov. Vives in Aug. de C. D. l. 18. c. 47. Andrad Orthod Explic lib. 3. ad axiom 6. Genes à Sepulveda lib. 7. Epist 1. ad Petr. 1. ad Petr. Serramum Franc. à victoria Relect 13. Aquinas Lyra Abulensis Bruno Dionysius Carth. Arboreus Durandus c. apud Casal de quadr iustit lib. 1. cap. 12. Cornelius Mus Claudius Seysellus Ambrosius Catharinus Ioan. Viguerius Bened. Pererius Dom. Soto Alph. Salmeron aoud Franc. Collium de Animabus Paganoium lib. 1. cap. 24. vide eum lib. 5. cap. 7. 8. 22. Sotus Canus Vega Thom. Richardus apud Greg. Val. T. 3. disp 1. qu. 2. punct 4. § secunda vero Romane writers are of opinion concerning Pagans before and since Christ that if their life be morally honest by Gods extraordinary mercy and the merit of Christ they may be saued For say they though God in his wisdome hath tied vs to the ordinary meanes he hath not tied himselfe Let the Mistaker here compare â—heir Charity with his They hope well of honest Pagans He rashly damnes the â—est part of Christians Againe a beleeuer may be in no visible Church and yet in a state of saluation For first the ancient Church whilest shee wanted the assistance of the Civill word vsed a very severe discipline to containe her children in obedience and to prevent scandals Lapsed sinners were not restored to her peace nor admitted into the communion of the faithfull but with great difficulty and after the sharpe penance of many yeares But if any were guilty of crimes such as Tertullian calls non delicta sed monstra monstrous impieties as Apostasy Idolatry Fornication Murther and the like c Vide Canones Concilis Eliberitani Arelatensis 1. Albaspin Obser lib. 2. shee vtterly refused to absolue such persons euen at the last houre of their life notwithstanding their repentance Yet for their comfort though they might not haue her mercy she doubted not but that they were capable of d Concil Valent. 1. Canone 3. Gods and vpon their true contrition might by him bee pardoned and saued Secondly the e Concil Nicen. Can. 5. Churches of those happy times so fairely corresponded in their amitie and justice that whosoeuer was excommunicated by one was not receiued or absolued by any other And hence it followeth that f Potest quis esse in Ecclesia animo desiderio quod sufficit illi ad salutem non tamen esse corpore siue externá communicatione quae propriè facit hominem esse de Ecclesiâ visibili que est in terris Bell. lib. 3. de Eccl. milit cap. 6. § Respondeo cap. 3. § Denique externall communion euen with the truest noblest Churches is not of absolute necessity to saluation When one and so all visible Churches denied their peace in that age to some Sinners yet they denied them not Gods pardon Besides that a man may bee g Saepe sinit diuina prouidentia per nimiuÌ„ turbulentas carnalium hominum seditiones expelli de congregatione Christianá etiam bonoâ— viros August de ver relig cap. 6. In foro contentioso exterion multi sunt Excommunicati quoad Deum qui non sunt quoad Ecclesiam è contrà multi Excommunicats quoad Ecclesiam qui non sunt quoad Deum quia Ecclesia non judicat de occultis Cosm Philiarch de offic Sacerd. Tom. 1. lib. 3. c. 4. p. 89. Frequenter fit n qui per Ecclesiam militantem foras emittitur intus habetur in Ecclefiâ triumphante contrà Gloss in Extra Ioan. 22. Tit. 14. cap. 5. solutum in â—â—â—liâ— a true visible member of the holy Catholique Church who is not actually otherwise then in vow a member of any true visible Church appeareth by these instances The poore man in the Gospell adhered the more closely to Christ when he was cast out of the Synagogue which was then the onely true Church the Heathens being excluded and the Christian Church being not yet founded And with whom of his owne ranke could Athanasius communicate in that generall Apostacy of Christendome when that noble Champion stood single in defence of diuine truth h Vidâ— Baron An. 357. Num. 44. all his Brethren the other Patriarches not He of Rome excepted hauing subscribed
difference betweene a Schisme from them and a Reformation of our selues And it is one thing to leaue the communion of the Church of Rome another to leaue communicating with her in her errors Whosoeuer professes himselfe to forsake the communion of any one member of the body of Christ must confesse himselfe consequently to forsake the whole And therefore her communion we forsake not no more then the Body of Christ whereof we acknowledge the Church of Rome a member though corrupted And this cleares vs from the imputation of Schisme whose property it is witnesse the o August de Vnit. Ecc les cap. 13. Periisse dicunt de caetero mundo Ecclesiam in parte Donati in solâ AphricaÌ„ remansisse See more of them below Donatists and p Hieron aduers Luciferian initio Dialogi Afferebant Luciferiani vniuersum mundum esse diaboli vt jam familiare est eis dicere factum de Ecclesiá lupanar Et mox Vestra Ecclesia Catholicos alloquens Anti-Christi magis Synagoga quà m Christi Ecclesia debet nuncupari Luciferians to cut off from the Body of Christ and the hope of Saluation the Church from which it separates And if any zelotes amongst vs haue proceeded to heauier censures their zeale may be excused but their Charity and wisedome cannot be justified Vnlesse happily they intended not the Church but the Court of Rome which two if any Romane Catholique cannot well distinguish let him read the French Doctor Peter Charron in his third Veritie q Charr Verit. troisiesme Ch. 14. §. Mais les Schismatiques Il faut prudemment distinguer entre l' Eglise Romaine la Court Romaine Ceste Court demeure se couure se nourrit dedans ceste Eglise ainsi que le ver dedans la pomme comme aussi est elle née de sa gresse de son abondance C'est contrè la Court Romaine què Sainct Bernard en tant de lieux autres Anciens ont crié escrit where he likens the Court of Rome in that Church to a worme in an apple and confesses all the maladies and miseries in the one to flow from the other But to forsake the errours of that Church and not to joyne with her in those practises which we account erroneous we are enforced by necessity r Aug. de â—apt contr Donat. lib. 1. cap. 4. 5. Alia causa est corum qui in istos Haereticos imprudentèr incurrunt ipsam esse Christi Ecclesiam existimantes alia corum qui nouerunt non esse Catholicam For though in themselues they be not damnable to them which beleeue as they professe yet for vs to professe to auow by oath as the Church of Rome injoynes what we beleeue not were without question damnable And they with their errours by the grace of God might go to heauen when we for our hypocrisy and dissimulation without repentance should certainly be condemned to hell It is the doctrine of the Romane Schoole that veniall sinnes to him that commits them not of subreption or a suddain motion but of presumption that the matter is not of moment change their kinde become mortall The like may be said of their errours To him who in simplicity of heart beleeues and practiseth them withall feareth God worketh righteousnes to him they shall proue veniall Such an one shall by the mercy of God either be deliuered from them or saued with them But he that against faith and conscience shall goe along with the streame to professe and practise them because they are but little ones his case is dangerous and without repentance desperate We hope and thinke very well of all those holy and deuout soules which in former ages liued died in the Church of Rome For though they died in many sinfull errours yet because they did it ignorantly through unbeleefe s Cypr. Epist 63. Pam. num 13. Si quis de antecessoribus nostris vel ignorantèr vel simpliciter non hoc obseruauit tenuit quod nos Dominus facere exemplo magisterio suo docuit potest simplicitau ejus de indulgentiâ Domini venia concedi nobis verò non poterit ignosci qui nunc à Domino admoniti instructi sumus not knowing them to be either errors or sins and repenting in generall for all their vnknowne trespasses we doubt not but they obtained pardon of all their ignorances For it were an vnreasonable incongruity to imagine that the God of mercy should not be as ready to pardon errours of vnderstanding as wilfull impieties Nay our Charity reaches further to all those at this day who in simplicity of heart beleeue the Romane Religion and professe it But we vnderstand onely those who either haue not sufficient meanes to finde the truth or else such as after the vse of the best meanes they can haue all things considered finde not sufficient motiues to conuince their conscience that they are in errour But they that haue vnderstanding and meanes to discouer their errour and neglect to vse them wee dare not flatter them with so easie a censure And much lesse them that dare professe the Religion of the Church of Rome when they doe not beleeue it or onely beleeue it because some carnall or worldly respect doth blinde or misleade their vnderstanding Wherefore to that demand of our Romanists If we beleeue their Religion to be a safe way to heauen why doe we not follow it We answer we beleeue it safe that is by Gods great mercy not damnable to some such as beleeue what they professe but we beleeue it not safe but very dangerous if not certainly damnable to such as professe it when they beleeue or if their hearts were vpright and not peruersly obstinate might beleeue the contrary The Iesuires and Dominicans hold different opinions touching predetermination and the immaculate conception of the blessed Virgin Yet so that the Iesuite holds the Dominicans way safe that is his error not damnable and the Dominicans hold the same of the Iesuites Yet neither of them with good consequence can presse the other to beleeue his opinion because by his owne confession it is no damnable errour For as the Dominicans might vrge the Iesuites after this manner so the Iesuites might returne it vpon the Dominicans and so the Argument being common to both either it must conclude for both and so both parts of a contradiction must be true or else which is most certaine and euident it concludes for neither And if for neither of them against the other then by the like reason it is vaine for Papists to vse it against Protestants All false opinions are not damnable errours to them that beleeue them yet may they be so manifestly false that there can be no wisedome in beleeuing them If one should beleeue that twice two were not foure all would confesse he held no damnable errour But if the same man should thinke all men bound in conscience
any of our Teachers whom we censure as well as follow and freely dissent from their judgement or approue it when we haue weighed it with reason Wee loue and honour them as our Friends yet so that we honour Truth and loue it aboue all Arist Eth. 1. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Friendship Wherefore the jarres and diuisions betweene the Lutherans and Caluinists doe little concerne the Church of England which followeth none but Christ Yet to speake somewhat in fauour of them and of the truth k See D. Field of the Ch. l. 3. cap. 42. the Append. pag. 819. seqq vlt. edit their dissensions are neither many nor so materiall as to shake or touch the foundation easily reconcileable if men of any moderation had them in handling The bitter speeches of Luther none can excuse and much lesse the virulent Pamphlets and Proscriptions of some of his Disciples who in a preposterous imitation of his zeale are little lesse then furious But the consequence of opinions must not bee measured by the passions or outrages of opinionate men Two Brothers in their choler may renounce each other and disclaime their amitie yet that heat cannot dissolue their inward and essentiall relation There are some doubts and questions saith l August de pecc Orig. contr Pelag. Caelest cap. 23. Sunt quaestiones in quibus saluâ fide quâ Christiani sumus c. Vide eum contr Iulian. Pelag. lib. 1. cap. 2. Enchirid. cap. 59. S. Austine wherein without any damage to that Faith whereby we are Christians a man may be ignorant or suspend his opinion or coniecture amisse through humane frailty In such what wonder if learned men varie in their judgements especially seeing the best of men are here below but men at the best obnoxious to numberlesse passions and infirmities and as the same m Aug. de Ciu. D. lib. 15. cap. 5. Proficientes nondumque Perfecti inter se pugnare possent S. Austine sayes Not perfect but proficient If Charity might still moderate in disputations of this nature if truth were ever aimed at more then victory if men contended for their opinions in a faire and manly fashion that is as n Orat. 3. de Pace p. 220. edit Paris 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 S. Gregory Nazianzen advises with reasons without revilings then might they bee an exercise of great vse and fruit for the discovery of truth But this temper of wisdome and charity is rarely to bee found it hath beene the miserable calamity of the Church in all ages that the pride and confidence of Some either too to learned in their owne opinion or too to ignorant in other mens hath caused these debates to degenerate into vnworthy scandalous contentions The contentions of Catholiques in the ancient Church vpon very trifling occasions were so very bitter and intemperate that they were with scorne obiected by o Cels apud Orig. lib. 3. Euseb de vit Const lib. 2. cap. 60. Chrysost in 1. ad Gal. Pagans and derided in their open Theaters much p Cypr. Epist 8. Basil Ascet lib. de Iudic. Dei Nazianz Orat. 1. 14. Pelus l. 4. ep 55. Vide Baron an 400. n. 51. lamented by men of modesty though excused q Pelus ib. Themist apud Socr. l. 4. c. 27. by some as well as they could Many times the ground of a violent quarrell was not reall but imaginary vpon a meere mistake of one anothers meaning Chrysostome and Epiphanius agreed against the errours of Origen but so passionately contended about the condemnation of his writings r Sozom. Lib. 8. c. 15. Phot. cod 96. that they proceeded to mutuall imprecations one against the other and God heard the rash desires of them both the former dying out of his Bishopricke and the other out of his Country In like manner Cyrill of Alexandria anathematized Theodoret as favouring the Nestorian Heresy yet quickly after s Concil Caleed act ◠in the Councell of Cbalcedon vpon examination of the cause Theodoret was absolued and declared Orthodox t Nazianz. orat 21. in laud. Athan. Hieron epist ad Damas. numero 57. Tom. 3. The Churches of the East and West on a vaine suspition charged each other with Heresy and had beene schismatically divided if Athanasius had not cleared the seeming difficulty The Orientalls professing to beleeue three Hypostases in the glorious Trinity would not admit three Persons and were therefore thought to be Arrians On the contrary the Westerne beleeuing three Persons could not bee induced to confesse three Hypostases therevpō were taken to be Sabellians Here was a great jealousy grounded vpon a great errour which Athanasius easily discovered and restored againe their good amity intelligence shewing that they differed not in judgement all meaning the same thing and that Hypostasis on the one side was the very same in effect with Person on the other This last example much resembles the divisions of the Lutherans and Calvinists as they are called who especially the moderate of either side differ rather informes and phrases of speech u See D. Field Append. to the 5. book pag 819. 869. then in substance of doctrine The first and maine Controversy betweene them is that about Consubstantiation which after occasioned that other of Vbiquity I omit the questions of Predestination being no lesse debated in the Romane Schooles then in the Reformed In both these Controversies the maine truth on both sides is out of Controversy that Christ is really and truly exhibited to each faithfull communicant and that in his whole Person he is every where The doubt is only in the manner how he is in the Symboles and how in heaven earth Which being no part of faith but a curious nicity inscrutable to the witt of man wee should all here beleeue where wee cannot vnderstand and not fall a quarrelling about that which wee cannot conceiue a Just M. in Expos Fid. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 How or why are sawey questions in divine mysteries Their other differences in ceremony or discipline are diversities without discord b Vide Tertul de Virg. vel cap. 1. Firmil apud Cypr. epist 75. August Epist 86. Socrat hist lib. 5. cap. 21. c. All wise men in the world haue ever thought that in such things each severall Church is left to her own judgment and liberty so as shee keepe her selfe to the generall Apostolique rules of Order and Edification and to the generall judgement and practise of the Church vniversall Though the body of Religion in diverse Churches Countries be cloathed in diuerse suits and fashions yet for substance it may bee one in all In all these Contestations as it commonly falls out blessed be God! they that are for truth haue ever beene for Charity and mutuall toleration as appeares by their c Vide Iunij Parei scripta Irenica published writings all tending to pacification Luther himselfe though of a rough
vultis Vides frater Parmeniane sancta germanitatis vincula inter nos vos in totum rumpi non posse loued and pittied and prayed for them Though the peeuish Schismatiques did much abuse this Charitie of good Catholiques towards them For hence they tooke occasion to argue in fauour of their Schisme and Heresie as if their Aduersaries by their owne confession did justifie it and them reasoning thus o Aug. Cont. lit Petil. lib. 2. cap. 108. Petilianus dixit Venite ad Ecclesiam populi aufugite Traditores si perire non vultis Nam vt facilè cognoscatis quòd cùm ipsi sint rei de fide nostrâ optimè judicant Egoillorum infectos baptizo illi meos recipiunt baptizatos Quod omninò non facerent si in Baptismo nostro culpas aliquas agnouissent Videte ergo quod damus quam sit sanctum quòd destruere metuit sacrilegus inimicus Id. contr Crescon Gram. lib. 1. cap. 21. Intentio tua est in parte Donati hominem potius baptizari oportere hanc intentionem hins probare conatus es quòd etiam Nos esse illic Baptismum non negamus Id. ibid. lib. 4. cap. 4. Quaeris a me à quo to baptizari conueniat vtrùm ab eo potius quem ego Baptismum habere confirmo an ab co quem tuus hoc non habere contendit Vide eundem de Bapt. contr Donatist lib. 1. cap. 10. 11. Your selues said they to the Catholiques confesse our Baptisme and Sacraments and Faith for the most part to be good and auaileable We deny yours to be so and say there is no Church no Saluation amongst you Therefore it is safest for all to joyne with vs. Doe not the Romanists at this day in the very same manner abuse the Charity of Protestants And is not this directly that Charme wherewith they worke so powerfully vpon the Spirits of simple people Our answer is the same which S. Austin opposed to the Ancient Donatists in the places cited By the way from that fauourable judgement and opinion which good Catholiques in that age had of the Donatists esteeming them to be their Brethren notwithstanding their Schisme and Heresie these Corollaries may be probably deduced 1. It seemeth that an Hereticall Church where in some Heresy is publiquely maintained by the Guides and Pastors of it is in some kinde the Spouse of Christ and bringeth forth p August â—le Bapt. con Don. l. 1. c. 10. Ecclesia Catholica etiam in communionibus diuersorum ab vnitate separatis per hoc quod suum in cis habet ipsa vtique generat Filios Christo per Baptismum Children to God and Brethren to the Orthodox beleeuers Especially if She baptize her Children in the name of the Trinity as did the Donatists 2. It seemeth that euen in an Hereticall Church Saluation may be had as a child may be borne in a plaguy house and may liue though he hath a running botch on his body In such Churches the very ignorance and simplicity of the Vulgar is a preseruatiue to them against the poyson more hopes of them then of the Learned 3. It seemeth to some q Mr. Hooker lib. 3. §. 1. The Morton of the Church cap. 1. §. 4. cap. 7. §. 10. men of great learning and judgement but herein I had rather leaue the Reader to his judgement then interpose mine owne that all who professe to loue and honour Iesus Christ though it be in much weakenesse and with many errours yet are in the visible Christian Church and by Catholiques to bee reputed Brethren Or to the same purpose wheresoeuer say they a company of men do joyntly and publiquely professe the substance of Christian Religion which is Faith in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world with submission to his doctrine and obedience to his Commandements there is a Church wherein Saluation may bee had notwithstanding any corruption of judgement or practice yea although it be of that nature that it may seeme to fight with the very foundation and so hainous as that in respect thereof the people stained with this corruption are worthy to be abhorred of all men and vnworthy to bee called the Church of God For further illustration and proofe of this opinion these things are said That to beleeue in Iesus Christ the Sonne of God and Sauiour of the world with submission to him is sufficient to constitute a Church wherein Saluation may bee had is warranted as they thinke 1. By Scriptures a 1 Ioh. 4. 15. Whosoeuer shall confesse that Iesus is the Sonne of God dwelleth in him and he in God Againe b ibid. v. 2. Vide in h. loc Tirinum Euery Spirit that confesseth that Iesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God The like passages are c 1 Ioh. 5. 1. 5. elsewhere S. Peters Faith was the same d Matt. 16. 16 17. with this and the Faith of e Ioh. 11. 27. Martha and of the f Act. 8. 37. Eunuch And the Faith of all these is approued in Scripture 2. Heretiques themselues must bee acknowledged though a maimed part yet a part of the visible Church g Hooker vbi supr Magaltanus idem probat contra Bellar. in Tit. 3. vers 11. Ann. 2. For if an Infidell should pursue to death an Heretique professing Christianitie onely for Christian prosessions sake could we deny vnto him the honour of Martyrdome Yet this honour all men know to be proper vnto the Church Heretiques therefore are not vtterly cut off from the visible Church of Christ If the Fathers doe any where as oftentimes they doe make the true visible Church of Christ and Hereticall Companies opposite they are to be construed as separating Heretiques not altogether from the Companie of Beleeuers but from the fellowship of sound Beleeuers For where profest vnbeleefe is there there can be no visible Church of Christ there may be where sound beleefe wanteth Infidels being cleane without the Church denie directly and vtterly reject the very Principles of Christianity which Heretiques embrace and erre onely by misconstruction Whereupon their opinions although repugnant indeed to the Principles of Christian Faith are notwithstanding held otherwise and maintained as most consonanâ— thereunto To which purpose the words of h Salu. de Gubern l. 5. Eis traditio Magistrorum suorum doctrina inueterata quasi Lex est qui hoc sciunt quod docentur Haeretici ergo sunt sed non scientes Denique apud nos sint Haeretici apud se non sunt Nam in tantùm se Catholicos judicant vt nos ipsos titulo Haereticae appellationis infament Quod ergo illi nobis sunt hoc nos illis Nos eos injuriam diuinae generationi facere certi sumus quod minorem Patre â—lium dicunt Illi nos injuriosos Patri existimant quia aequales 〈◊〉 credamus Veritas apud nos est sed illi apud se esse
praesumunt Hoâ—â—â— Dei apud nos est sed illi hoc arbitrantur honorem diuinitatis esse quod credunt Inofficiosi sunt sed illis hoc est summum Religionis officum Impij sunt sed hoc putant veram esse pretatem Errant ergo sed boâ—â— animo errant non odio sed affectu Dei honorare se Dominum atqâ—â— aâ—are credentes Quanmuis non habeant rectam fidem illi tamen 〈◊〉 perfectam aestimant Dei Charitatem Qualiter pro hoc ipso falsae opnionis errore in die judicij puniendi sunt nullus potest scire nisi Index Saluian an ancient Bishop of Marseilles are very remarkeable concerning some Arrian Heretiques of whom he speakes thus The tradition of their Teachers and the doctrine which they haue learned is to them as it were a Law they beleeue as they haue beene instructed They are Heretiques then but not wittingly Briefly they are Heretiques in our judgement but not in their owne For they esteeme themselues so good Catholiques that they defame vs with the title of Heresie Such therefore as They are to vs such are Wee to them We know assuredly that they are iniurious to the Diuine Generation of the Sonne of God because they say He is inferiour to his Father They contrarily thinke vs iniurious to the Father because we beleeue the Sonne to be equall to Him The truth is on our side but they presume it is on theirs Our opinion truly honours God but they suppose their opinion to be more honourable to Him They are indeed vndutifull to God but this they esteeme a great dutie of Religion They are impious but this they thinke to be true piety They erre then but they erre with a good minde not out of any hatred to God but with affection to him thinking to honour hereby and loue the Lord. Although they haue not the right Faith yet they imagine their opinion to be perfect Charitie towards God How they shall bee punished in the last day of judgement for this error of their false opinion the Iudge alone knowes 3. In the Society of such Professors there is at least there may be true Baptisme administred and rightly for the substance of it And where true Baptisme may be rightly administred there is the Couenant of Saluation in Christ setled and established because the Seale of the Couenant is there allowed And euery Society in which is the Couenant of Grace is a Church of Christ Againe where true Baptisme is there by the Confession of the Romanists euery one by Vertue of that Baptisme if himselfe doe not ponere obieem is made a member of the Church and of Christ an Heyre of heauen And hence it followeth that Children baptized in that Church are regenerated because they doe not ponere obicem And hence againe that that Societie is a Church of Christ and his Spouse which bringeth forth Children vnto God 4. The people of the ten Tribes after their defection notwithstanding their grosse corruptions and Idolatrie yet because they professed by Circumcision and otherwise to honour the true Iehouah they remained still a true Church though a very imperfect and impure Church and were therefore called the i Rom. 9. 25 26. 1 King 16. 2. people of God the beloued of God the Children of the liuing God and God was called the k 1 Kin. 18. 36. c. 20. 28. God of Israel and said to be among them being also euer readie to direct and counsell them by his true l 2 Kin. 5. 8. 1. 16. 1 Kin. 22. 5 7. Prophets and lastly the Kings of Israel are often said to doe euill in the eyes of God that is as it may bee probably expounded in that place whereupon God did as yet looke with the eyes of his mercy as vpon his Church Though in regard of their halting betweene God and Baal they were said to be without m 2 Chron 15. 3. the true God without Priests and Law that is without that pure and comfortable worship of God which his Priests according to his Law ought to haue performed And it seemes by S. Paul that a Christian seruing the true God after a false and deuised manner may be at once both 1 Cor. 5. 11. a Brother and an Idolater And forignorances yea or errours of the vnderstanding though very grosse and perhaps by some thought to be fundamentall it seemes true Faith may be lodged in the same minde together with them The Faith of Rahab in o Heb. 11. 31. commended who surely had no great knowledge of the Messiah to commend her After our Lord had long conuersed with his Disciples and instructed them yet did they not beleeue p Matth. 20. 21. Act. 1. 6. his Kingdome to be spirituall nor q Matth. 16. 22. S. Peter the necessitie of his Passion though immediately before he had made that goodly Confession on which the Church is founded The Christians of Ephesus knew not r Act. 19. 2. whether then were an Holy Ghost or no and many thousand Christian Iewes s Act. 21. 20. did both beleeue the Gospell yet were zealous for the old legall Ceremonies which were by Christ fulfilled and abolished A learned t Synesius apud Phot. Myriobibl cod 26. man anciently was made a Bishop of the Catholique Church though he did professedly doubt of the last Resurrection of our Bodies The Authors of this opinion are oâ— age and abilitie enough to speake for it and themselues The Reader may be pleased to approue or reiect it as he shall finde cause No doubt the errors of Poperie and those other of Vbiquitie Consubstantiation and the like are errours grosse and palpable yet not such as presently and absolutely cut off all that professe and beleeue them from the Catholique Church and all hope of Saluation especially if withall they professe resolutely and heartily to beleeue in Iesus Christ and to obey him according to his word so farre as they can vnderstand it or can be taught it For howsoeuer some skilfull Disputant by Logicall deduction may from those opinions inferre some consequences damnable and destructiue to the Faith yet the erring persons many times doe not see or beleeue that any such consequences follow clearly from their opinions nay they doe happily so farre abhorre them and are so well disposed towards truth that rather then admit any such dangerous consequents they would readily renounce and rectifie their opinions But I finde my selfe digressing I returne and proceed By all this it is manifest that S. Cyprian agreed with the Donatists onely in a part of their errour but not wholly nor in their chiefest errours nor in their faction and obstinacy which made them guiltie of Schisme and Heresie S. Cyprian was a peaceable and modest man dissented from others in his judgement but without any breach of Charity condemned no man much lesse any Church for the contrary Opinion He beleeued his owne Opinion to be true
Scriptures and Religion must all stand at the courtesie and suffrage of the Roman Conclaue 2 They teach that much of the object or matter of faith is not contained in Scripture any way that the Church hath an unlimited power to supply the defects of Scripture and that she may propound any doctrines as necessary to salvation which haue no other ground but her owne authority which is equall to that of Scripture There are many things saith y Mel. Canus Loc. lib. 3. c. 3. fund 3. Canus belonging to the faith of Christians which are neither manifestly nor obscurely contained in the sacred Scriptures And Doctor a Princip Doctrin li. 12 c. 5. initio Stapleton Very many things necessary to salvation and necessarily to be beleeved are not comprehended in the Scriptures but are commended to us onely by the authority of the Church And againe b Id. Relect. Contr. 4. qu. 1. art 3. ad arg 12. Etiamsi nullo ScripturaruÌ„ aut evidenti aut probabili testimonio confirmetur The Church may propound define matters of faith without any evident nay without any probable testimony of Scripture Do not these words of Stapleton imply that the Church of Rome propounds many things to the beliefe of Christians without any probability from Scripture With what ingenuity then or conscience do they pretend Scripture in each Controversie against us since by their owne confession many of their assertions are meere unwritten Traditions leaning onely on the authoritie of their Church On the contrary for the fullnesse and sufficiency of Scripture in all necessary points we have the full consent of Antiquity and of many learned Writers of their owne even of Bellarmine himselfe whose plaine words to this purpose have been already noted And the same Cardinall though herein as not seldome contradicting both himselfe and his fellowes c Bellar. lib. 3. de verb. D. interpret cap. 10. ad arg 15. Sciendum est propositionem fidei concludita li Syllogismo Quicquid Deus revelavit in Scripturis est verum hoc Deus revelavit in Scripturis ergò hoc est verum Ex propositionibus hujus Syllogismi prima certa est apud omnes secunda apud Catholicos est etiam firmissimas nititur enim testimonio Ecclesiae Concilii vel Pontificis grants that a proposition is not de fide unlesse it be concluded in this Syllogisme whatsoever Gâ—â— hath revealed in Scripture is true but thâ— or that God hath revealed in Scripture ergâ— it is true If matters of faith must be revealed in Scripture as this reason supposes then the proposall of the Church cannot make any unwritten veritie to become matter of faith Yet to salve the soveraigne power of His Church he makes all the strength and truth of the minor in this Syllogisme to depend on the testimony of the Church and by consequence the truth of the conclusion which ever resembles the weake Premisse So as if this be true there is no truth in the Scriptures or in our Religion without the attestation of the Church 3. They teach that the Church is infallibly assisted in her proposalls and doctrines so as she cannot erre And this dreame hath made Rome sencelesse of her errours and careles to seek any remedie nay utterly incapable of remedie For to mindes really possessed with this fond persuasion and prejudice the most convincing reasons the most plaine Scriptures the most pregnant authorities of Fathers which proue the Church of Rome may erre or hath erred are all lost and made ineffectuall and seeme not strong arguments of the truth but strong temptations against it And this imagination of their Churches infallibility is to them at once both a sufficient reason of what is most unreasonable and a sufficient answer for what is most unanswerable That the Church is infallible we do not absolutely deny wee only deny the Church to be absolutely infallible Some of the most able Writers of the Roman partie do so fairly limit this priviledge that in their sence we do without difficulty admit it Their limitation is double regarding 1. the subject of this infallibility 2. the object of it First for the subject they plant this infallibility only in the Church Universall or the Catholique body of Christ on earth comprehending all his members not in any particular Church or any representation of the Church in CouÌ„cels Generall or particular much lesse in any one member of the Church no not in him who pretends to be the Head So d Walden lib. 2. Doct. fid art 2. cap. 19. §. 1. Ecclesia Universalis fideÌ„ habet indefectibilem non quidem in Generali Synodo congregata quam aliquoties errâsse percepimus Sylv. Sum. verb. Ecclesia cap. 1. §. 4. Ecclesia quae non potest errare dicitur noÌ„ Papa sed congregatio fideliuÌ„ Et vide gloss in cap. 24. qu. 1. call A recta Waldensis Sylvester and others 2. For the object or extent of this infallibility they grant it reaches not to all points or questions in Religion that may arise but only to such Articles as belong to the substance of faith such as are matters essentiall fundamentall simply necessary for the Church to know belleue To omit e Maldon in Iohan. 14. 26. Dubium est an illud docebit omnia referendum sit ad illud quaecunque dixi vobis quasi non aliud docturum Spiritum sanctum dicat quà m quod ipse anteà docuiffer Non repugnabo si quis ita velit interpretari Charron vetité 3. chap. 5. §. lc second poinct L infallibilité de l'Eglise ne s'entend que des choses qui concernent la substance de la foy laquelle ne reçoit point de contrarieté divet sité changement pource nulle correction reformation ou amendement estant vne tousiours immuable non reformable dit Tertullien de virg Veland Et ibid. saepe others Dr f Staplet Princip Doctrin lib. 8. controv 4. cap. 15. Stapleton is full and punctuall to this purpose He distinguishes controversies of Religion into two sorts Some saith he are about those doctrines of faith which necessarily pertaine to the publique faith of the Church Others about such matters as doe not necessarily belong to the faith but may be variously held and disputed without hurt or prejudice to faith To the first sort he restrains the infallibility of the Church But in the second he yeelds that the Church may sometimes erre either in her discourses or in her conclusions that without any violation of Christs promise made to the Church for infallibilitie And of this assertion He giues diverse good reasons The first and chiefest taken from the end for which infallibility was given to the Church It was given saith He for the common salvation of the faithfull and not for the satisfaction of unprofitable curiosities or for the search of unnecessary subtleties For as nature so God is neither defectiue in necessaries nor lavish in
us the like list of divine and infallible Traditions Is it because they are numberles and cannot be recounted Or because it may be a thing full of danger to confine them to any certaine number least some be omitted Or because they are not yet agreed which are divine Traditions Or is it as Dr. y Defens author Eccles l. 1 cap. 2. §. 5. Stapleton excuses his Church on the like occasion because that Church hath not yet throughly weighed all her Traditions either for want of opportunity or by reason of other thoughts distractions which have not permitted her seriously to consider of this busines But there cannot be a busines of greater moment in Religion or more worthy of the Churches care then to deliver the rule of truth clearely and precisely by which all doctrines in the Church are to be squared and examined And therefore the Church of Rome herein so carelesse cannot be excused from supine negligence Now to returne from this short digression So far as truth and reason will permitt we have yeelded an infallibility to the Church That is infallibility in the Essentialls of faith to the Church Vniversall And this confession satisfies the best of our Adversaries who demand no more But when our Mistaker talkes so often of the infallibility and supreme judgment of the Church He meanes somwhat els by the Church Though surely he knowes not well what he meanes or at least will not be forward to let us know his meaning whether he meanes the Church representative which is a Generall Councell or the Church virtuall which is the Pope in whether of the two he plants this infallibility as in the Proper Subject it will perplex him to say and whatsoever he say he shall touch a sore and find strong opposition within his owne partie First for Generall Councells we give them all the respect which is due unto them and much more then do the most of our Adversaries We say that such Generall Councells as are lawfully called and proceed orderly are great and awfull representations of the Church Catholique that they are the highest externall Tribunall which the Church hath on earth that their authority is immediately derived and delegated from Christ that no Christian is exempted from their censures or jurisdiction that their decrees bind all persons to externall obedience may not be questioned but upon evident reason nor reversed but by an equall authority that if they be carefull and diligent in the use of all good meanes for finding out the truth it is very probable the good Spirit will so direct them that they shall not erre at least not fundamentally But they are not absolutely freed from all error Such a Councell is but an assembly of men and those sometimes not of the most able and sufficient The Church Universall may have many more able members out of the Councell then she hath in it For though that represeÌ„ting body have all the legall power or binding strength of the whole yet it hath not all the naturall power or wisedome which is in the whole The Catholique Church cannot possibly communicate her strength or power in that kind to any Councell Yet suppose the best of men to be in that meeting even they are but men when all is done neither all of them equall in the endowments of nature or grace nor any of them perfect being every one subject to all the infirmities and passions which attend our nature Their meeting then cannot make them infallible in all things though the act that is hammered out by so many heads must needs in reason be perfecter then that which is the issue of one mans sufficiencie But happily they are infallibly assisted No doubt the holy infallible Spirit assists at all such holy meetings but how Math. 18. 20. far or in what manner is all the doubt The good Spirit ever assists the endeavours of the devout and diligent so far as is necessarie and is ready to guide them that are desirous to be guided by him But his guidance is not a violent rapture or a wild Enthusiasme but in searches of truth He ever directs us to the infallible rule of truth the Scripture And it is possible that a Generall Councell may misapply or misunderstand or neglect that rule weakly or wilfully and so erre notwithstanding the Spirits assistance A lawfull Councell may in some things proceed not lawfullie and so erre saith a Bellar. lib. 2. de Concil cap. 7. §. Respondeo Concilium Bellarmine nay saith he b Id. ibid. c. 8. § Alii dicunt it may chance to be most manifestly convicted of an intolerable error His meaning is they may be deceived where they follow not the instructions of the Pope as c Id. ibid. c. 11. in titulo elswhere he expresses himselfe We say and with more reason no Councell is further priviledged then it follows the instructions of Jesus Christ and of his Scriptures whose warrant all unerring Councells have had for their decrees and all Councells must have that will not erre Besides d Bellar. de Concil l. 2. c. 12. § Dicuntur igitur CoÌ„cilia per ratiocinationem deducunt conclusiones iterum ibidem §. AlteruÌ„ discrimen Patres in Concilâ—is debent rem ipsam quaerere id est conclusiones investigate disputando legendo cogitando the Fathers in a Councell are discursive in their deliberations they use the weights and moments of reason for the drawing out of conclusions from their principles Wherein e Staplet Relect Cont. 4. qu. 2. notab 2. Ecclesia in singulis mediis non habet infallibilem Sp. S. directionem sed potest in illis adhibendis probabili interdum non semper necessariâ collectione uti it is confessed they may mistake by ignorance or negligence being not herein infallibly directed and making collections sometime but probable Now falâ—ible principles can never produce an infallible conclusion Yet f Relect. contr 4. qu. 2. Notab 4. Stapleton here hath a new pretâ—y device that the Church though she be fallible and discursive in the Meanes is yet propheticall and depends upon immediate revelation and so infallible in delivering the conclusion Which is a fancy â—epugnant to reason and and to it selfe for to inferre a conclusion by argument or discourse and yet to expect the same conclusion from immediate revelation his is to argue and not to argue to inâ—er it yet not by inference A conclusiâ—n follows the disposition of the Means and results from them A proposition immediatly inspired without discourse may be a divine prophecy or an oracle but it is not a conclusion And what use can there be of diligence or discourse in Councells if all their conclusions come by divine inspiration Propheticke infallibility is a meere g 1. Cor. 12. 10. gift of God which cannot be acquired or increased by studie neither can a Prophet be discursive in that which he delivers from God as an infallible truth
And if the Canons of Councells be divinely inspired then they must be admitted into the Code of holy Scriptures as of equall authoritie with them which though h Vide Can. loco lib. 5. c. 5. qu. 3. some grosser Papists admit yet the i Bell. de Concil lib. 2. c. 12. wisest dislike and deny Upon these or the like grounds Bellarmin leaves his companion Stapleton to walke alone in this dangerous path and avowes to the contrarie k Ibid. §. Dicuntur igitur that Councells neither have nor write immediate revelations Yet may some decrees of Councells in regard of their matter and consonancy to Scripture be of divine and infallible truth as those of the first Councells against Arrius Macedonius and the rest If in other things of lesser moment or in any thing they erre or mistake the Universall Church hath meanes of remedie either by antiquating those errors with a generall and tacite consent or by representing her selfe againe in an other Generall Councell which may review and correct the defects of the former as the great Councell of Chalcedon did with the second of Ephesus So sayes l De Baptis contr Donat. lib. 2. cap. 3. S. Augustine Provinciall Councells may be corrected by plenarie and plenarie Councells the former by the latter But still all examined by Scripture and submitted to it as the same Father m Aug. ad Donat post Collat. ca. 15. Item l. 3. contr Maxim de unit Eccl. cap. 18. 19. constantly teaches But if our Mistaker will be ingenuous and speake out he will confesse that he meanes by his infallible Church onely the Church virtuall that is onely the Pope In whom alone all the vertue and power of the Church is eminently conteined by whom all Councells must be judged and all Controversies determined on whom the whole frame of the Romane Catholique faith depends and into whom it is lastly resolved For this is the new Catholique doctrine of his new Masters especially of the Fathers of hiâ— society who teach with great consent that n Bell. lib. 4. de Rom. P. c. 3. §. Secundò probatur Quilibet Successor Petri est petra fundamentum Ecclesiae every Successor of S. Peter is thâ— rocke and foundation of the Church thaâ— o Skulkenius Apol. pro Bell. cap. 6 pag. 255. Pontificia potestas est velut cardo fundamentum ut uno verbo omnia complectar summa fidei Christianae Vide Bell. Praef. in lib. de R. P. the Popes authority is the hinge foundation and in briefe the summe of Christian faith that p Gretser Defens cap. 10. lib. 3. 〈◊〉 verb. Dei pag. 1450 1451. per Ecclesiam intelligimus Pont. Romanuâ— Et per Ecclesiam Papam interpretantur Non abnuo Franc. Albeâ—â— Corollar Theolog. Tom 1. Corol. 4. punc 7. num 35. 36. Dico primo quòd praeter veritatem primam revelantem est in universo aliquâ— regula infallibilis animata rationalis qualis est Ecclesia Quò◠autem haec regula animata rationalis sit summus Pont. Romanus nâ—â— est hîc locus proprius probandi sed inter recentiores videndus Valent. 22. q. 1. Card. Bell. Medina-Dico secundo stante hâc regulâ rationâ—â—â— infallibili omnes Articuli fidei ultimatè resolvuntur in ipsam tanquâ—â— in rationem formalem quâ in proponendo by the Church is understood the Pope in q Greg. de Valentiâ— Anal. fid lib. 8. cap. 7. §. Porrò Authoritas quae in uno Pontifice reâ—det authoritas dicitur Ecclesiae Conciliorum whom alone resides all the authority of the Church and oâ— Councells that r Bell. l. 4 de Roâ— P. cap. 3. §. At contra Apparet totam firmitatem Conciliorum esseâ— Pontifice non partim à Pontifice partim à Concilio vide Long. à Coriâ— in Sum. Concil praelud 6. the strength of all Councells depends upon him alone that s Gretser defens cap. 1. lib. 1. de verâ— Dei p. 16. Id solum pro verbo Dei veneramur ac suscipimus quod noâ—â—â— Pontifex ex Cathedra Petri tanquam supremus Christianorum Magâ—ster ac omnium Controversiarum Judex definiendo proponit he iâ— the supreme Master of Christians and judge of all Controversies and whatsoever â—e propounds out of his chaire and that â—nely must be received as the word of God that his judgment is so absolutely infalâ—ible t Valent. Anal. fid lib. 8. cap. 3. ad 6. object sive Pontifex in definiendo studium adhibeat sive non adhibeat modò tamen controversiam definiat infallibiliter certè definiet that whether he be carefull or negligent in his definitions it matters not let him but define and without doubt he defines infallibly that u Jesuitae in Regulis Patavii inter schedas relictis An. 1606. quum illinc ob interdictum discederent reg 13. Apud Paulum Soarpium Theologum Venerum in Histor Interd lib. 2. if he who is the Hierâ—rchicall Church define that to be white which the eye judges to be blacke it must be so admitted that w Bell. de R. P. lib. 4. cap. 5. §. Quod autem Si Papa erraret precipiendo vitia vel prohibédo virtutes teneretur Ecclesia credere vitia esse bona virtutes malas nisi vellet contra conscientiam peccare if he should erre and command the practise of vice or forbid the exercise of vertue the Church were bound in conscience to beleive vices to be good and vertues to be bad This is plaine dealing Scriptures are obscure unlesse the Pope interpret them All Fathers and Councells may erre unlesse the Pope confirme them The Church without him is a bodie without an head an house without a foundation Controversies cannot be decided but onely by his definition and in that there can be no error nor any appeale from it But this being so these men deale not plainly with us when they pretend often in their dispuâ—ations against us Scriptures and Fathers and Councells and the Church since in the issue their finall and infallible argument for their faith is onely the Popes authority But infallibly there is nothing in Scripture which favours this infallibility unlesse the Pope may be admitted to expound it which he will do infallibly for his owne advantage And as little in reason or in Antiquity The Ancient Church was very carefull to conserve the puritie of the faith against heresies Some x Tertullian Vinc Lirin Fathers have written purposely of the plea's or prescriptions which the Church hath against them and how Catholique doctrine may be discerned and maintained to wit by authority of Scripture and tradition of the Catholique Church If they had beleived the Bishop of Rome to be the infallible Judge surely without more a doe they had appealed all Heretiques to his Tribunall And what needed the Christian Emperours anciently and sometime at the request of the Bishops of Rome themselves to
have gathered together so many Bishops from so distant parts of the world to celebrate Generall Councells if this had bene then knowne or imagined that Councells can conclude nothing to purpose without the Pope and that his sentence alone must cleare all controversies and silence all Heresies Nay his judgement hath bene formally opposed and rejected anciently by particular Doctors men of eminency and esteeme in the Catholique Church by Councells Provinciall and Generall by the Churches of the East for above 800 yeares now past and the onely cause of that Schisme is by the Greekes cast upon the vast ambition and pretensions of the Bishop of Rome y Nilus Thessalon de causes dissidii inter Graecos Latinos 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who refuses to have the grounds of that dissention fairly heard and discussed in a Generall Councell but in a Masterly fashion will needs be judge himselfe in his owne cause and have all men besides stand by and obey him as his Schollers And here in the West it is not long since the Councells of Constance and Basil deposed some Popes and decreed against all that as inferiors they may be sentenced by Councells And their judgement herein hath been ever constantly avowed and maintained by the best learned a Vide Vigor in Comment ad Resp Synod Basil Em. Richer de Ecclesiastica Polit. potestate Iac. Leschass de libertate Eccl. Gallicanae ap Laur. Bochell Decret Eccles Gall. l. 4. tit 21. Revision du Concile de Trente liu 4. c. Romane Catholiques of France as a branch of the liberties of the Gallican Church and by the Sorbon it selfe till of late b Du Val Similes some of that bodie have been corrupted by the practises of the Iesuites to flatter the Pope contrarie to their owne ancient Maximes and as I verily thinke contrarie to their owne judgement For however the Authors of this imagination can be content to abuse simple people persuading them that the Pope is infallible yet I am persuaded c Franc. à Victor Relect. 4 de Potest Pa. Concil prop. 12. ad fin Da mihi Clementes Linos Sylvestros omnia permittam arbitrio eorum Sed ut nihil gravius dicatur in recentiores Pontifices certè multis partibus sunt priscis illis inferiores they are so far from beleiving it themselves that they secretly deride all those that beleive it well knowing it to be but one of their holy frauds devised for the advancement of their Catholique cause If this then be the infallible ground and motive of our Mistakers faith without doubt all his faith in this point and so in all the rest which depend on this is but a fancy and comes far short of a probable opinion Especially considering that in all this conceit of the Popes authority and infallibility there is no certaine ground for a divine faith to build upon nay there is nothing but uncertainties and probabilities Divine faith must have a firme and divine foundation that cannot faile or deceive it cannot relie on conjectures on which onely this pretended infallibility relies As may shortly appeare by this that followes S. Peter sate many yeares Bishop of Rome and there he died Well grant this though it seemes it can hardly be proved For Bellarmines first reason for it is so weake that himselfe sayes onely d Bell. lib. 2. de Rom. Pont. cap. 4. §. Restant suadere videtur it seemes to persuade it doth not convince but persuade and but seeme to do so There God commanded him to fix his Chaire and to leave his full power to his heyres and Successors the Popes But what certainty of this Indeed saith e Bell. lib. 2. de Rom. P. cap. 12. §. Observandum est tertiò Bellarmine it is no where expressed in Scripture that the Pope succeeds S. Peter and therefore happily it is not of divine right that he succeeds him f Bell. ibid. §. Et quoniam lib. 4. de R. P. cap. 4. §. Accedit yet it is not improbable that God commanded him to fasten his seate at Rome and it may be devoutly so beleeved Happily it is thus and happily otherwise This is not improbable nor that This may be beleived and may not be Here 's some little feeble ground for opinion none at all for faith a conjecturall certainty here may be no certainty of faith at all Yet further if S. Peter left this priviledge of infallibility to his Chaire surely he left it onely to his lawfull Successors such as were lawfully elected and ordained Bishops of Rome not to intruders But here againe we have nothing but meere uncertainties For first Onuphrius and other Romane Writers have noted six twenty severall Schismes in the Sea of Rome wherein two Antipopes and sometime three have each one pretended to the Chaire and pretended also their claime to be just and reasonable disabling their concurrents as unjust and unreasonable The last of these Schismes continued above 40 yeares from Vrban 6. untill the Councell of Constance during which time all these Westerne parts were distracted perplexed g Plat. in Vrb. 6. Adeò perplexum fuit Schisma ut etiam doctissimi viri conscientiosi non valerent discutere cui esset magis adhaerendum as Platina saies the most learned and devout men being not able to judge which of the pretenders was the true Pope If the faith of Christians did then depend on the infallible Pope then infallibly all that while Christians had no meanes to setle their faith in any thing that should be questioned Againe by the Popes owne h Leo PP apud Gratian. Cons 1. qu. 1. Can. Gratia Gratia si non gratis datur vel accipitur gratia non est Simoniaci autem non gratis accipiunt igitur gratiam quae maximè in Ecclesiasticis ordinibus operatur non accipiunt Si autē non accipiunt non habent nec gratis nec non gratis cuiquā dare possunt Quid ergò dant profectò quod habent Quid autem habent Spiritum utique mendacii Bull. Iul. 2. Si contingat Simoniacè quenquam ad Pontificatum promoveri electio ipsius seu assumptio ad Pontificatum co ipso nulla existat nec ullam electo seu assumpto administrandi facultatem vel in spiritualibus vel in temporalibus tribuat à nemine pro Pontifice Romano habeatur Imo liceat omnibus Electum talem ut Magum Ethnicum Publicanum Haeresiarcham evitare Canons all ordinations of men promoted symoniacally or for money are meere nullities of no validity Now it is cleare out of their owne i Baronius ad an Chr. 912. §. 8. Romae tunc dominabantu◠potentissimae ae què ac sordidissimae meretrices quarum arbitrio mutabantur sedes dabantur Episcopi quod auditu horrendum atque infandum est in Sedem Petri earum amasii Pseudo-Pontifices intrudebantur Nusquam cleri eligentis vel consentientis poste