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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A51484	A peaceable method for the re-uniting Protestants and Catholicks in matters of faith principally in the subject of the Holy Eucharist : proceeding upon principles agreed-on and waving points in dispute : upon occasion of the late conceit concerning the perpetuity of faith touching that great mystery / written in French by Lewis Mainbourg.	Maimbourg, Louis, 1610-1686.; T. W.	1672 (1672)	Wing M293; ESTC R26797	72,644	198

if they do not pretend to the honour of a victory neither do they hold themselves obliged to yield it unto us And thus the war continues still since at the conclusion of all our Disputes they find themselves still in a condition to rally their forces to begin the battel again resolutely to deny what we maintain and to maintain what we deny 6. This is clearly to be seen in that famous Contest which has lately made so much noise in the world by occasion of a Book written concerning The perpetuity of the Faith of the Catholick Church in the matter of the Holy Eucharist The Author of the said Book and of in Defence has in three several Works proposed his reasons why it seem● impossible that that change of Belee● in point of the most Blessed Sacrament should have happened as they are pleased to charge us chiefly because this could not have been done without some remarkable opposition which notwithstanding we find not at all to have been made in any Age of the Church until the appearing of the Sacramentaries On the contrary he makes it appear that in those very dayes in which this strange Innovation is pretended to have been brought into the world this Doctrine of ours was the common belief of the whole Church which had also received it from former Ages And this he shews by an exact inquiry into all the Authors of the Greek and Latine Church who lived from the seventh unto the tenth Age which is the time they allot for this their pretended alteration and by the general consent of all the Eastern Churches from that time unto this very day Mr. Claude who was the man ingaged himself from the beginning in this quarrel resolved in point of honour to maintain it to the very last And instead of yielding unto the Truth as it would have been honourable enough for him to have done and to have given that glory unto God which is his due chose rather to keep up that credit which he had gotten amongst his own party by publishing there other Treatises in which to give him his due he has done as much as Wit could do in pursuit of his Resolution to defend a very bad Cause for his own and his parties reputation For he pretends to prove by more Reasons than one which he advances with a great deal of freedome and fair shew such as is apt enough to surprise a man at first sight that that alteration or change was not at all impossible Nay he endeavours to lay down the very manner how this came to pass at such time as the Church was fallen off from that particular and distinct knowledge of the truth of this great Mystery into a more confused and general belief o● it which reflected not precisely upon either Real Presence or Absence it was easy to fall upon the belief o● such things as some did add by way of illustrating the matter and which they were apt to present and the World insensibly to receive under the specious pretence of rendring the Mystery more full of Majesty And being far from giving ground upon the last piece which was set out against him and upon which a finall Conclusion of the difference was to be hoped it is commonly reported that he is already prepared to enter again into the List with more earnestness and resolution the● ever to the end to maintain a Dispute in the which being resolved to come to no agreement with his Adversary he opposes him in every petty matter and circumstance For making use of all the Art and Subtilty humane Wit affords which is alwayes sufficiently furnished with some ground or other for contradiction and tracing him in all those by-wayes which the nature of disputation leads into he every where opposes him and by a necessary sequel obliges him to a Contest concerning the matters of fact which he alledges concerning the Authors he cites concerning their interests concerning their inclinations concerning their intrigues concerning the meaning of their expressions concerning the force of his and their reasons concerning the Critical and Historical part In a word he runs quite counter to him in every thing denying as Tertullian has it whatsoever his Adversary maintains and maintaining whatever he denies So true it is that it being once resolved never to yield in such kind of encounters there will never be wanting matter for Dispute even in such things which otherwise appear evident and uncontroulable 7. I make no doubt but the Author of that Learned Work of the Peertuity c. will be able to stand his ground and to gain yet more with the same advantage which so good a Cause has hitherto afforded him The honour which is gotten by the happy mannaging such Disputes is proper for those Great Wits and able Persons who take such pains chiefly for the satisfaction of those who have the same abilities For this cause as I dare not pretend to make one of that number having no other aim in this my undertaking but to serve those who hold not themselves obliged to give themselves the trouble of tedious searches into Greek and Latine Authors so do I willingly and entirely give up that Honour unto him and make choice rather of another Method inferiour indeed in outward shew but much more easy and at the least full as profitable if I obtain the end of my endeavours which is to reduce Protestants by a sweeter way and without contest For this end it will be necessary as we have already infin●ated that we make choice of some Rule which is out of Contest between us of some fixed settled Points of some certain Principles which are equally agreed upon by both Parties and from whence by necessary consequence clear and certain Conclusions are deduceable which may unite all understandings in the same Belief concerning this great Mystery To this end I am resolved to alledge nothing in this little Treatise but what Monsieur Claude himself is pleased to grant us and what our Adversaries themselves make use of for the establishing their Pretenses Although absolutely speaking as I touched before there is not any thing which is not subject to exceptions cavils and contentious wranglings even in things themselves most evident supposing a resolution obstinately to defend a Party engaged for and that it comes to be accounted a Point of Honour so to do I cannot for all that understand how that can again be questioned which has once been granted and of which they have at another time endeavoured to make their own advantage So that I cannot well fear lest the Principle which I shall advance should fall under that contest which I so industriously endeavour to eschew For in the establishing of it and in applying of it to our present subject my special care shall be to lay aside all those general Pleas which may be subject to Contest and to make use of none but such as Monsieur Claude himself and his Friends shall

have a Rule and a Law which he is to follow in giving Judgement that his Sentence may be just and secure This Rule is the Word of God which rightly applyed renders Judgement highly equitable Now the Synod of Dort acknowledges that an Assembly of lawful Pastors representing the Body of the true Church is this Judge to whom it appertains to judge of the true sence of the Word of God and afterwards to resolve according to this Rule any cause depending 12. I do now earnestly beseech our Brethren of the Reformed Churches to reflect seriously upon these two Propositions I am now about to make The first is That as the Word of God is infallible in it self so certainly the Judgement of him who truely judges according to this Rule is also Infallible and consequently they are obliged to believe that the Church when she Judges according to this Rule or the Word of God does not onely not err but that she also cannot err The second is that they are bound as well as we to believe that the Church of God deciding controversies of Faith does judge according to the true sence of the Word of God because upon the matter it is concerning this very sence that she gives Judgement between the Parties who give it a different sence and who are oblig● in Conscience to submit to her Judgement under pain of being Schismaticks and Hereticks as their Synod of Dort has positively declared From hence follows by necessary consequence according to their own Principles that they are bound to believe with us that the True Church of Jesus Christ is infallible in the Judgement she judicially pronounces touching matters of Faith 13. I think there can now be no 〈◊〉 but they are obliged according to their own grounds to acknowledge the infallibility of the Church of Christ But I am contented for the present not to press them so far nor to make use of that right which I might justly challange It is sufficient that the Synod which in these Gentlemens opinion represents the True Church is lawful judge in this case as the Synod is self declares obliging them in Confidence to adhere to and obey the Decisions made therein It is not then lawful for them who are of that Church and are at Difference amongst themselves to condeman the Synod of Error then judgement ●s given in order to the clearing Points of Faith confessed among them They have no power to frame a different Judgement from that of the Synod and adhering to it to sepor●are themselves from communion with the rest They are bound to acknowledge the Authority of the Synod which is lawfull Judge and submit unto it believing that what is there desined 〈◊〉 Truth it self stand this without any necessity of entring upon the question of its Infallibility I demand nothing more for the prese●s I will content my 〈◊〉 with what themselves do grant That Church of which the Partins Contesting are members be she fallible or infallible has full Power to Debide differentes and 〈…〉 oblige under the pen●ry of being Schismaticks And now having as I make my self believe give Monsient Claude all the satisfaction he can in 〈◊〉 require concerning this Point I 〈◊〉 on my course perceably and quietly and make bold to give him notice that 14. Here is that the Prescription that 〈◊〉 Point an●●oisputable P●●ciple to which a receisary adhfione required when there arise Disputes between Parties for the discovering whether an Opinion be or be not contrary to the true Rule of Faith which is the Word of God and whether we stand bound to believe it as a Point of Faith Were it antecedently distinctly believed as such or no. Disputation will only serve to render the Debate eternal Both Parties will go on challenging the true sence of Scripture and Tradiuon on their sides Books shall be written without number for the asserting of it and that without any hopes or appearance of any end of these learned indeed but redious Contests which prove many times so intricate and confused that every one standing his ground and being strongly and willfully resolved not to yield reproaches his Adversary with affected Obstinacy against known Truth We must then make up to that unquestionable Point in which both Parties meet and which Tertullian so boldly establishes as the principal Rule or Prescription for the ending all differences which may arise about the agreeing or conformity with the Word of God which every one is so ready to challenge to himself This Learned Father having said in his twentieth Chapter A quibus traducem fidei semina doctrinae caeterae deinde Ecclesiae mutuatae sunt quotidie mutuontur ut Ecclesiae fiant Ataque tot ac tantae Ecclesiae una est illa ab Apostolis prima ex qua ommes Quid autem praedicavevint id est quid eis Christus revelaverit híc praescriham non alite p●obari debere nisi per easdem Ecclesias quas ipsi condiderunt ipsi eis praedicando tam vivâ qu●d ●iunt voce quàm per epistolas postea de Praes c. 21. that the Apostles who were sent by our Blessed Saviour Founded many Churches in several places and that many others came from these by communication of the same Doctrine and that they all of them together make but one true Catholick and Apostolick Church he adde in the next Chapter that true Prescription is that nothing be received but what he revealed unto his Apostles whom he sent to Preach his Doctrine unto the world But in case there does arise any Contest concerning any particular Point and that we be in some trouble or doubt whether they Preac●●ed it or no and by consequence whether they learned it of their Master or no behold here his solid Rule or Prescription in this great maxime that this is not to be made out or cleared by any other means but by those Churches which they founded either by Preaching or by Writing and which as we lately touched all of them make but one only Church To this Church then it does belong to determine what our Blessed Saviour did reveale in his Holy Word whensoever there is any cause of doubt in such Contests as do arise and what she defines what she declares in the case whatever former times did believe it now to be held as matter of Faith 15. As Protestants do acknowledge this Verity as I have made it appear so do we also most willingly submit unto it and intirely profess that the holy Church is lawful Judge of Controversies and that as Tertullian sayes addresses are to be made to her upon difference of Opinions that we may learn what the Son of God revealed unto his Apostles that is what is the true meaning of Holy Scripture and what Consequences are to be drawn from those Principles We have a very pregnant example of this in that famous Contest which has been for some Ages past between Catholicks concerning the Immaculate Conception