't is impossible there should be any unity among the Christians in Faith and Worship That is 't is impossible there should be any such thing upon earth as one only Catholick Church Of the breach of which unity endless divisions amongst those who adhere to this Principle are apparent and most visible demonstrations Lastly whosoever seriously considers the difficulties of Languages the multiplicity of the occasions and intentions of the Writers the various lections in Copies of the Original the infinite and considerable differences in Translations the equivocation and ambiguity of Words the variety and obscurity of Circumstances together with the weakness of all and ignorance of most men endeavouring by themselves from dead Letters to attain to the knowledge of the sublime mysteries of our Holy Faith transcending all humane understanding and comprehension cannot but conclude that 't is altogether impossible that private Reason should be the only Interpreter and Judge of the true Sense of Scripture for every one to rely upon for his Salvation seeing nothing can be certainly gather'd and concluded out of naked words considered barely in themselves involving so many difficulties and uncertainties in regard to incomparably the greater part of mankind And if a Protestant Preacher will speak out ingeniously in this point he must tell his Auditors in these or such like words Beloved we exhort you to search the Scriptures and whatsoever we say is necessary to Salvation to believe us only so far as your own Reason doth tell you we teach according to the Word of God for that is the Rule and private Reason the sole Judge to give an unappealable Sentence in such Cases This is our Doctrine and this is also your practice but truely Beloved all things rightly considered we must needs confess that 't is an unsteady foundation to build your Faith and Salvation upon for after this way of proceeding you are infinitely obnoxious to dangerous errours and cannot but deceive your selves in matters that concern your everlasting Happiness So he preaching ingenuously Neither indeed can rational security be had in things of eternal Interest 'till reposing our selves in the bosome of the Catholick Church we take her word as well for the Sense of Scripture as the Letter A ground doubtless sufficient for me to justify the change of my Religion and for others to follow me SECT VII An answer to some of the principal places of Scripture upon which Protestants rely for their Rule and Judge of Faith IT being a main fundamental point of Faith to know what is the Rule and Judge of all the rest they who hold the written Word for a compleatly sufficient Rule and Interpreter of its self or give private Reason the Authority of a Judge in expounding it as such a Rule must necessarily ground themselves upon Scripture for this Article And some if not most of the principal places are these To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there 's no light in them Isaiah 8. 20. Search the Scriptures for in them ye think ye have eternal Life and they are they which testify of me Joh. 5. 39. These are written that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing ye might have life thorough his Name Joh. 26. 31. And Paul reason'd with them out of the Scriptures And they search'd the Scripture daily whether those things were so Act. 2. 11. All Scripture divinely inspir'd is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect thoroughly instructed to every good work 2 Tim. 3. 16 17. If any man shall add unto these things God shall add unto him the Plagues that are written in this Book And if any man shall take away from the words of the Book of this Prophecy God shall take away his part out of the Book of Life Apocal. 22. ver 18 19. To all which and whatever other Scripture-proofs Protestants produce for themselves against us I first by way of general reply demand of them whether they bring such Texts as demonstrative arguments evidencing their position or only as probable If only as probable they conclude nothing against us Catholicks who have the judgement and practice of the Universal Church the best Interpreter of Holy Scriptures and conveyer of true Sense standing on our side with infinite advantage against their Novel Expositions But if they produce them as demonstrations how comes it about that any doubt of them seeing every demonstration is such as that granting the Premisses the conclusion cannot be denyed From that of Isaias they urge us thus Behold O Papists the Prophet of the Lord sends the Jews to the written Word of God as the Rule and Judge of what is taught them I answer Doubtless they who affirm this have quite forgot that the High-Priest in all doubts of any moment about Divine Worship was constituted Deut. 17. 8 9 c. by God the supreme Judge to give a definitive Sentence under pain of death to the disobeyers And so they set up the Holy Prophet against Moses and make one Scripture as they Interpret it contradict another This plainly shews they abuse the Text whose genuine Sense will easily appear by light borrowed from the Context Isaias prophesied in troublesome times and the Jews were very sollicitous what the event would be and neglecting to enquire of God had no recourse to the Law and the Prophets but 1 Sam. 28. 6. sought unto them who had familiar Spirits and unto Wizards The Prophet grieved at this Vengeance provoking sin sends them to the Law and to the Testimony where this grand impiety was forbidden and withall puts them in mind of Levit. 20. 6 27. Deut. 18. 9 10 c. their great folly in seeking to such who had no Divine Light for the Revelation of future contingences which could not possibly be in them who undertook it against Gods Word Now in the name of wonder what is this to a Judge of Controversies in points of Faith It is not lawful to consult the Devil to know future events because he is a Lyar and it is a thing forbidden in the written Word therefore the Scripture is the only Rule and Judge of Controversies in points of Faith and Worship among Christians 'T were well such Disputants would learn to be Logicians before they turn'd Controversial Divines To the second Search the Scriptures c. I find so satisfactory an Summa Theolo par c. 7. Answer in Becanus that I shall do little more than translate his words Our Blessed Saviour in this Chapter Joh. 5. 39. is disputing with the unbelieving Jews who denyed him to be the Son of God or sent from him To convince them he makes use of four Topicks First The witness of John the Baptist whom they accounted a Prophet and had formerly told them pointing to our Blessed Saviour Behold
perspicuum est c. 'T is apparent from this place that he St. Paul and the other Apostles delivered many things not committed to writing Which Epiphanius also applyes to the same Haere 61. purpose teaching us Oportet autem Traditione uti c. That we must make use of Tradition seing all things cannot be taken out of sacred Writ The Apostles have delivered some things in Writing and others by Tradition Even as St. Paul says Sicut tradidi vobis As I have delivered to you And no less St. Lib. de spir◠S. Basil It is an Apostolique thing to persist constantly in Tradition not written for saith the Apostle I praise you in that you are mindful of whatsoever thing came from me and observe the Traditions which I have given you And affirms them to be so many that the day would fail him should he enumerate them Moreover That no man will contradict Ibid. it who hath the least experience in Ibid. Church Laws And as potent Patrons of the same Doctrine are St. Iraeneus l. 3 cont Haer. ca. 3 4. Tertullian de corona militis cap. 3. lib. de Praescrip S. Aug. Ep. 118. ad Januarium lib. 5. de bapt cap. 23. The second famous Nicene Council in the 7th Act c. by whom Traditionary points are invincibly vindicated And teach otherwise they could not except their words should contradict their Faith and practice though Protestants who are of a contrary belief are also of a contrary Doctrine and have invented several evasions to darken the evident light of these Texts whereby they alas deceive poor Souls To the native lustre of Scripture if we add the unanimous consent of the Fathers expounding them for us they more manifestly make good against the Protestants that the same Scriptures cannot be an un-errable and compleat Rule of Faith to Christians without Tradition And indeed Catholicks do not deny Scriptures to be a Rule but that they are not the compleat Rule of Faith nor can be a Rule of Faith at all as interpreted by private reason or particular fallibility Congregations which is their new way and practice but as expounded authoritatively by the Catholick Church according to the line of Ecclesiastical Tradition the constant custom of all Ages Now why Religion was setled in the Christian Church by Universal Tradition as a perpetual Rule of Faith rather then written Precepts will presently appear to any one well considering how that way of delivery is far more secure from mistakes and errours than Writings this being notoriously visible in actions common to all mankind in which all sorts of conditions do agree and can read the inward belief of their hearts in those outward well-understood expressions whereas written words are different and if understood by some few eminently Learned yet lyable to a thousand casualties and misapprehensions conveying erroneous Thoughts sometimes even where exactest diligence is observ'd And withall that it is more lasting then written Books which may perish totally by the fury of Persecution or be lost by some accident or other as most certainly some Scriptures are Whereas Christian Doctrine thus conveyed cannot perish but with the total ruine of all Believers But principally that sacred Scriptures themselves both for Canon Incorruptness and true sense of the Text are necessarily depending on Tradition not It on them being a self-evident Principle that needs no proof Which great and notable advantage will be more evident if we consider that the main end and principal errand of the Apostles being to deliver entirely to the World the Gospel or Law of Jesus Christ what they Preach'd throughout the whole World with their common and united endeavours inculcating it in season out of season and ingrafting it by daily and visible practice in the hearts of Believers must needs descend to us with more certainty and evidence of Truth because accompanied with a higher degree of Tradition than the Books of Scripture which were not any part of their Commission or by any joynt consent intended to comprize the whole Law of Christ but meerly an occasional work of their Apostleship according as the present circumstances did require writt by some single Apostle or Evangelist sent to some particular Church or Person as all the Apostolical Epistles upon whose Authority and Credit the whole Church originally must rely to believe it to be the true Writing of such an Evangelist or Apostle that is to be the undoubted Word of God And this is the genuine reason that while Traditionary Doctrines being on all hands acknowledg'd because founded in Universals which cannot easily fail The true Books of Scripture because at first of particular and unknown Authority agreeing therein with all errorus were cauceously rejected by some particular Churches and could not obtain due veneration and acceptance but by degrees as they were communicated to other Christians by those to whom they were at first delivered and so at last upon diligent inquisition received by the whole body of Believers for Canonical In which examination the Traditional Doctrine being universally Famous and first planted in their hearts and that of Scripture originally obscure and of an after Birth They neither did nor could rationally argue thus The Doctrine we have been taught is the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles because agreeable to this Book But thus this Book attested to us for Scripture may safely be received for the Writing of such an Apostle or Apostolical man as they witness who have already accepted it for such because we have no reason to think they are herein deceived or lye against their Conscience in that we find it conformable to the Doctrine we have been taught and have received by Tradition For to have proceeded è converso had been to prove I say not obscurum per obscurius but clarum per obscurum and contrary to all Rules of Logick and Reason Hence it is that we find the Ancient Fathers expounding some Texts of Scripture for Traditionary Doctrines of the Church which afford sometimes perhaps scarce probable Topicks for those points to which they are applyed Now this they do not as if they founded their belief of such Articles upon the Scriptures St Aug. de Civ Dei l. 20. c. 24. lib. de fide Oper. c. 15. S. Am in ca. 3. ad Cor. St. Jer. in ca. 5 Matt. Origen in eandem locum c. as might be specified in the 1st Corin. 3. from the 12 ver to the 16. and Matth. the 5th ver 25 26. for Purgatory The 15 of the foresaid Epist ver 29. For a state wherein the dead may be help'd by the living Luke the 1st ver 34. For the perpetual Virginity of the Mother of God c. But being in possession of the belief of such points with the present Church of their Age upon the tenure of Tradition they only bring such places for the further confirmation and explanation of their Faith that very probably such
contradicts the Justice Goodness and Veracity of God to authorize any to be a witness of his Truth that might lye and deceive the World in their attestation And methinks it concerns as well English Protestants as Us to maintain the Catholick Church for an Infallible Witness seeing at this distance from the Preaching of Christ and his Apostles they as well as we have no other Infallible assurance then her Testimony whereby to know either which are the undoubtd Books of Scripture or what the true meaning of them And thus that Religion which Protestants pretend to be contain'd in only Scripture must rejecting Church Authority necessarily float in an Ocean of incertainties and we miserably be left in the mysts of conjectures among dead Letters with the twi-light of natural reason to search out Faith and the Eternal Salvation of our Souls Lastly the fore-quoted Texts being so express for the Church to have a Power from Christ to oblige all men under pain of Damnation to believe and submit to her Proposals as to Faith God hath also endowed her with Infallibility in bringing to our knowledge revealed Verities seeing otherwise such a Power in the Church and a correspondent obligation in her Children would not bear an equal proportion And therefore these two are inseparably link'd together a Power to bind to Believe and Infallibility in the Obliger Christ assisting his Church with his Holy Spirit to guide her Infallibly into all Truth because he hath invested her with a Power to bind to believe and giving her a Power of obliging to believe because he hath made her Infallible in such Proposals It seeming most conformable to the Divine Goodness and Providence that such an externe proponant of Faith should be established as might afford no just cause to suspect whither it be true or no which is proposed and in all reason no greater assurance can be desired then to have an absolute certainty that that Authority cannot err in points of Faith to whom we must in such Proposals captivate our Wills and Understandings For this is but to assent upon undoubted evidence then which nothing is more agreeable to mans nature Neither is it rational to believe that God who is essential Reason and Wisdom ruling all his Creatures according to the several Dispositions Imprinted in them would impose such a Duty on Discoursive Entities upon other terms Blessed be God who hath so carefully provided for us in giving us a Law which is the only means to Salvation and also an authorized guide to direct us in the certain knowledge of it namely the Catholick which cannot possibly lead us into errour as hath been formerly shewn Thus certainly these Scriptures witnessing the Churches Authority are agreeable to reason now let us see what further light can be added to them from the Writings and universal practice of Antiquity SECT VIII The Churches Authority or Infallibility taught and asserted by the Ancient Fathers IF I should produce what Antiquity affords us on this Subject I should rather transcribe Books than Passages so Copious and Industrious have the Fathers been on all occasions to press a point so necessary S. Athana coni Aria S. Hier. S. Aug. Pole St. Cyp. de vnit Ecc. Tert. c. especially in their Polemical Discourses against Hereticks to vindicate their dear Mother the Church in her Just Rights and Priviledges against all Rebellious contradictors of her Authority And thither I refer such as desire more ample satisfaction for the present I shall content my self with some few choice places and they are these We must believe saith Irenaeus â— l. cont hae ca. 49. those Priests that are in the Church those that have a Succession from the Apostles who together with the Episcopal Power according to the good pleasure of the Father have received the certain gift of Truth We must not believe saith the English Protestant Church those who in their Episcopal Chaires have had an un-interrupted Succession from the Apostles seek not for the Law of God from their Lips for they are fallen from the Truth yea General Councils can err and have erred in Art 21. of the 39. their Definitions having no certain gist of Truth by Divine assistance Thus they flatly contradicting good Irenaeus and Ancient Doctrine Now whom shall we believe The old Saint or the new Protestant Give him a little more Audience for he proceeds thus The Church Cap. 62. l. praed shall be under no mans judgement for to the Church all things are known in which is the perfect Faith of the Father and of all the Dispensations of Christ and firm knowledge of the Holy Ghost who teacheth all Truth But say he what he will Protestants will assume a Power to judge and condemn her of no less gross and damnable Errours then Idolatry and Superstition to justify that thing they call the Reformed Church Though it were no difficult matter for them to perceive the Injustice of such Proceedings when the same Saint goes on and tells them and us That it is easie to receive the Truth from Gods Church seeing the Apostles have most fully deposited in her as in a rich store-house all things belonging to Truth For what if there should arise any contention of some small questions ought we not to have recourse to the most Ancient Churches and from them receive what is certain and clear concerning the present question Thus far he And if this course is to be taken in small questions doubtless much more in matters of high concern as many points are now controverted between Us and Protestants In such to be left to our own private conjectures and Interpretations would be most unsafe and unreasonable And had Protestants taken the course here prescribed by the Saint for the inquisition of Truth when they first raised questions about Religion as in such cases all Christians ought to do could ever such a thing as the Protestant Church have had a beeing or existence For 't is as visible as the Sun that there was no pre-existent form of Faith in the whole Christian World according to which they modeliz'd their Religion in England and with whom they communicated when they divided from the Church of Rome their Catholick Mother If great St. Austin was not little in esteem with our modern Hereticks they might receive full satisfaction from him in this point if they would Impartially peruse his Writings against the Donatists and other Enemies of the Churches Faith and Unity That of his is very remarkable against Crescontius Though saith he there cannot be produced Lib. 1. cap. 33. from Scriptures any examples of such a thing yet the Truth of the same Scriptures is held of us in this matter when we do that which pleaseth the whole Church which the Authority of the same Scriptures commendeth that because the Holy Scriptures cannot deceive us whosoever feareth to be deceived with the obscurity of this question let him require the judgment of
been manifested in the precedent Section And for further confirmation I here ask whether Hoc est Copus meum Hic est Sanguis meus be not plain words without any Ambiguity in their Grammatical construction We Catholicks indeed taught by the universal Tradition and practice of the Church doubt not of the Sense of them But can Lutherans Calvinists and English Protestants maintain their meaning to be clear and perspicuous among whom above fourty several Interpretations some flatly repugnant to each other are found about them Can such variety and contrariety proceed but from obscurity Either from that or else some of them must wilfully contradict Scripture and resist the Holy Ghost by maintaining a dangerous Doctrine against their own knowledge and Conscience But who those are I leave them to wrangle upon their own grounds eternally among themselves In the interim I 'm sure upon Catholick Principles they all stand unanswerably convicted of wilfull Heresie Besides Christ's real descent into Hell is an Article of Faith yet the Calvinists deny it against Scripture Acts 2. v. 27 and 31. as plain Acts 2. 27 31. in our judgment and so think the English Protestants also as the Apostles Creed They bring no other Scripture for their Negative but flatly deny this place to be evident and concluding Now what must be done to end this Controversy in a fundamental point The clearest Text Scripture affords is already produced to give them satisfaction 't is unsuccessful and they raise clouds of new invented Interpretations to hide it from their own and others eyes Can Scripture now judge and conclude this Controversy Moreover the Lutherans and English Protestants agree with Catholicks in asserting the necessity of Baptism to Salvation grounding themselves on that of St. John Except Joh. 3. 5. a man be born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God The Calvinists hold the contrary and by no means will allow Water there mention'd to be taken literally for natural Water but drink it all up with a dry Metaphor How can they convince them if Scripture alone be judge If with us they urge them with the consent of Fathers Universal Tradition and practice of the Church so interpreting these words of our Blessed Saviour the Controversy is at an end Or if Calvinists will be yet contending they can speak nothing Solid or Rational in their own defence To all which may be added that judicious and accute Observation of an able Controvertist That though Apology for Tradit p. 137. one intent and end of writing St. John ' s Gospel was to show the Godhead of Christ which the Arians afterwards denyed yet the design prov'd so unsuccessful that never any Heresie was more powerful and spreading than that which oppos'd the Truth intended by his Book So he yea and it is most certain the Arians at this day do make more use of that Gospel than any other part of Scripture to beat down the Divinity of the Son of God A manifest argument that Scripture was never intended by the Author of those Sacred Oracles for the final decision of controverted points but for something else proper and agreeable to the nature of dead writings However we make no question but all Catholick Doctrines are contain'd in the Bible by Rational deductions with infinite advantage above what our Adversaries can produce for their defence upon the same grounds as hath been made to appear by able Controvertists before any Impartial and understanding Judges More need not be said in a matter condemned by the common sense and experience of the whole World SECT VI. That private Reason in Controversies of Faith is not the Interpreter and Judge of the true Sense of Scripture for every Christian to rely upon for his Salvation SOme English Protestants of Critical Heads to qualifie the absurdance of the former Thesis still holding close to the written Word for a compleatly sufficient Rule of Faith make private Reason the Interpreter and Judge for every Christian A Principle which though it may seem plausible and gain followers because it makes every one Sui juris independent and his own Master a thing so desirable and sweet to flesh and blood yet no less than the other doth it contradict the whole Christian World always teaching Vt Scripturas ipsas sic Scripturarum sensum pure imperturbate solum ad nos Traditionis alneo deferri That the pure and uncorrupted sense of the Scripture doth depend upon Tradition as well as the Scriptures themselves And accounting it a giddy Spirit of Heretical rashness Scripturae interpretationem ex proprio ingenio petere To refuse to give ear to the voice of the Church and give ear to the Whisperings of private Reason which is so exterminating a Principle and destructive of Religion that it doth not ruine this or that or some few Catholick Truths but like a general deluge with an irresistable torrent sweeps away the Church it self by overthrowing the unity in Faith the Life and Soul and Essence of it 'T is a subject would afford a large field of Discourse but I shall content my self with brevity and I hope others also Whosoever shall desire more ample satisfaction I refer him to the Exomologesis of Mr. Cressy where 't is solidly confuted in answer to Mr. Chillingworth the great Patron and first publick Assertor of it with approbation The principal Arguments which convinc'd me for I was one of those very unreasonable Rationalists when I was a Protestant and with which I rest fully satisfied are these following First if private reason be the only Interpreter and Judge of Scripture for every Christian I desire those who are minded to give a satisfactory Answer to those places of Sacred Writ which in my poor judgement cannot stand with their position St. Peter teacheth us 2 Pet. 1. 19 20 c. That no Prophecy of the Scripture is of private Interpretation but Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy-Ghost That is as the Sacred Pen-men of Gods Word writ by Inspiration of the Holy-Ghost being his publick Instruments to reveal the Divine Verities to the World so those Sacred Oracles are not to be interpreted Authorative by the private Reason and Will of men but their true sense and meaning if call'd in question is to be received from the Governours Concilium Trid. Ses 4. of the Church whom God has authoriz'd to declare his will unto his People Of which he gives a convincing reason in his 3d. Chap. telling 2 Pet. 3. 15 16 17. us That in his dear Brother Paul's Epistles are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own destruction This is not compatible to the definitive Sentence of a Judge in any Controversy which must be so clear and perspicuous that the most unlearned or refractory cannot doubt or mistake after pronunciation Neither
Salvation Is therefore Faith excluded No doubtless For without Heb. 11. 6 Faith 't is impossible to please God Or because The Just shall live by Rom. 1. 17. Faith are not good works necessary What means then St. Paul to tell us That though we have all Faith 1 Cor 13. 1 2 c. without Charity tt profiteth us nothing He also teaches us That whosoever Rom. 10. 9 c. calls on the Name of the Lord shall be saved Is it therefore enough of it self to bring a man to Heaven The Truth is Prayer saves us good Works save us Faith saves us Hope saves us and therefore properly enough they are said to do it severally though only conjointly they are sufficient And when St. John tells us He writ the Life and Death of Jesus Christ that thorough Faith in his Name we might be saved He little dream'd that in after Ages a Generation of men would arise that should affirm he taught That his Gospel did comprise in particular all fundamental points of Faith sufficient for the Salvation of mankind To that in Timothy I answer First 't is evident by the Gontext that the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament being such as Timothy had learn'd from his Childhood when little if any of the New could be written and divulg'd out of which I am confident our Adversaries will not pretend to determine all points of Catholick Doctrine acknowledg'd by themselves necessary to Salvation which quite overthrows their Argument from this place Secondly suppose we should grant it to be understood of the Scriptures of the New Covenant yet it will not follow from hence that therefore they are a compleat and perfect Rule of Faith whereby to judge all Doctrines whether they be revealed verities or not when from the 4th Verse 't is clear to any understanding eye that St. Paul exhorts Timothy to hold constant to the Faith received principally upon the tenure of Tradition Which is our Catholick Rule and to which we must stick close as he elsewhere teaches us Though an Angel Gal. 1. from Heaven should preach the contrary This Timothy was to do this Traditionary Depositum he was to keep whether ne had been ver'd or no in the Old Scriptures or any New written and deposited in the Church Yet withall he puts in mind of a peculiar advantage to confirm his Faith received by Oral Tradition And make him a perfect man of God or Bishop throughly furnish'd unto all good works proper to his Pastoral Office in that from his Infancy he had been brought up in the knowledge of the Holy Scriptures which are able to make men wise unto Salvation through Faith in Jesus Christ and are profitable for Teaching for Arguing for Reproving for Instructing in Righteousness the Flock committed to his Charge And thus indeed it makes against themselves and for us highly who makes use of Scripture for a Rule of Faith as regulated and expounded by Tradition But to force the words to speak what they would prove from hence cannot be without manifest absurdity and contradiction As if the Apostle should say Timothy continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of knowing of whom thou hast learned them And yet do not trust Oral Tradition though from the mouth of an Apostle but the Scriptures only for your Religion Thirdly weigh well the words themselves in the ballance of right Reason and they will easily be found too light to carry the cause on their side All Scripture divinely inspired is profitable for teaching for arguing for reproving for instructing in Righteousness c. True 't is so taken collectively yea distributively every verse of Scripture is profitable for some such end and purpose as is here specified And what then Therefore it is sufficient to regulate our Faith in all points necessary to Salvation and to determine all Controversies in Religion Good God! As if what is profitable for our Salvation must presently be sufficient for all things required to it Speak ingenuously is there such a word as sufficient or compleat Rule of Faith or sole Judge of Controversies or words equivalent contained in this Text Or doth St. Paul say that Scripture is all-sufficient of it self to perform these Offices without the Churches Interpretation Because 't is profitable in the hand of a Learned Bishop to Teach to Dispute to Correct to Instruct the Souls for whom he must give an account to God Is it therefore a sufficient Rule for every learner and ignorant Christian to square and cut out his own Faith by to interpret and judge of according to his own private Reason and to compose himself a Creed though contrary to Fathers Councils and the whole Christian World Does St. Paul say this Will this Text justify such an inference Yet this he must say or this place concludes nothing against Catholicks To the last out of the Apocalypse and not the least they rely upon in this Controversy I shall give a brief answer as seeming to me of all other most impertinent and non-concluding For the true meaning thereof is plainly this Whosoever shall presume to add to these Divine Revelations any other than what I have already described in this Book and endeavour to obtrude them upon the Church with the stamp of my Authority to gain credit to them or shall deny any Prophesies herein contain'd to be written by me let such a wretch expect the Vials of Gods Vengeance to be pour'd on his accursed head for so wicked an Imposture and Infidelity Which being evident thus must run their Argument God will severely punish those who shall add deceitfully or substract maliciously from St. John ' s Prophesies therefore the Bible ' s a compleat Rule of Faith and the sole Judge of Controversies about Religion An inference too gross to be confuted Yet from particular premises they draw an universal conclusion and on such weak and absurd reasonings from Scripture build their Church But how English Protostants will defend their Brethren the Lutherans from the wrath of God I say not for diminishing but even taking away this whole Book of St. John's Revelations from Sacred Canon I know not Thus therefore it appears there is nothing here produced by our Adversaries that proves evidently the all-sufficiency of Scripture for a Rule and Judge to decide all Controversies in Religion that the above-cited Texts but being throughly examin'd either conclude not for them or for us So much we are beholding to our Antagonists To conclude after an impartial and full examination to the best of my Abilities I finding the foundation of Protestanism to be really groundless and built upon meer uncertainties I forsook it and my own self to rely on the Catholick Church for my Salvation I renounced my own deceitful and weak reasonings upon Scripture to believe what the Fathers have plainly and unanimously taught what hath been declared in approved Oeneral Councils and what hath