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A51740
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A letter to a friend, shewing the vanity of this opinion that every mans sense and reason is to guide him in matters of faith.
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Manby, Peter, d. 1697.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing M386; ESTC R31875
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8,647
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7
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A Letter to a Friend shewing the Vanity of this Opinion That every Mans Sense and Reason is to guide him in matters of Faith. This may be Printed March 30. 1688. Patr. Clogher SIR SAint Austin in the first Book of his Retractations tells us of a certain Friend of his named Honoratus a Manichee that was wont to ridicule the Catholique Religion as irrational for teaching men to Believe rather then understand To convince this Person he wrote his Book De utilitate Credendi Wherein he observes the imbecility of all humane understanding and the incapacity of most men to discern betwixt true Reason and the Appearance of it and how Christians are therefore bound to believe One Holy Catholique and Apostolique Church against which the Gates of Hell shall never prevail I pray be pleased to remember our Saviours words to Saint Thomas the Apostle Thomas because thou hast seen me thou hast believed blessed are they that have not seen and yet have believed John 20.29 What great matter is it saith the same St. Austin to believe nothing but what our Sense or Reason can comprehend it being the Excellency of Faith to believe what we do not see To this purpose Ruffinus in the third Chapter of his Ecclesiastical History lib. 1. delivers a passage which hapned at the first Council of Nice about 318 years after Christ The Council being assembled liberty was granted to all learned Pagans to come and object what they could against the Articles of the Christian Faith. Many came and among the rest a Philosopher of great fame for Sense and Reason who disputed very rationally as he thought and despâ—sed all the Answers given by the learned Men of the Council At last one of the Assembly a man of great Simplicity says Ruffinus whose name or quality he does not mention stands up and praying liberty to speak insted of other Resolution to the Arguments of that Philosopher makes a bare Rehersal of his Creed to this effect viz. I believe in God who made me of the dust of the Earth and by the power of his Word created all things This Word is the Son of God who compassionating the lost condition of mankind condescended to assume our likeness and expos'd his Life as a Satisfaction for our Sins I believe his Resurrection from the Grave His Ascention into Heaven from whence he shall return to give Judgment on all our Actions whether Good or Evil c. It pleased God that this plain recital of his Faith was more regarded by that Philosopher than all the other Answers he had receâ—ved Insomuch that he confessed openly whilst matters were controverted in the way of his own Reason he never wanted somewhat to Oppose but now he could not resist the Power of God So that immediately he went forth and was baptized The Plain Man was in the Right not to enter into more Controversie with a Person so opinionated of his own Reason For the Mysteries of our Faith which we receive on the Authority of God and his Church are not to be brought down before the insufficient Tribunal of every Mans Reasons We cannot there fore more effectually put to silence the Arrogance of Schism and Heresie then by those words of St. Paul I have delivered unto you that which I also received 1 Cor. 15. which you are to believe at your peril The first step to Health is to know the root of our Disease the root of all Schism and Heresie is the Opinion of our own Sense and Reason or which is the same thing Scripture interpreted by every Man 's Reason Do but ask a Socinian why he denies the Divine Nature of Jesus Christ He will answer you 't is against Reason and Scripture to believe it but then he means his own Reason and his own Interpretation of Scripture Ask a Protestant why he denies Transubstantiation and he will return you the very same Answer Likewise the Presbyterian and Independent will produce you Reason and Scripture enough as they understand it against the Common-Prayer Book and Ceremonies of the Church of England Thus every Man's Reason or Interpretation of Scripture being set up for his Guide in Religion there must of necessity follow as many Distractions and Subdivisions amongst the Protestants as there are varieties of Reason or Fancy in mens Heads In matters relating to their Temporal Estates wise Protestants are not usually very confident of their own Reason but in matters of Faith not so obvious to humane Sense or Apprehension 't is strange how every one thinks it his wisest course to follow his own Judgment of Discretion presuming so far upon it that he runs headlong with it as though it were every Mans Wisdom to suspect his own Judgment in the Transitory concernments of this Life but not in those of his Soul which are of everlasting importance Now to be so diffident of their own Reason and so apt to submit to other mens advice about the security of their Estates and so negligent in the matter of their Souls what is it in reality but to believe an immortality of their Estates rather than their Souls Well Sir But let us not forget the Answers that are wont to be made to this kind of Discourse First say you if Sectaries mistake Scripture and pretend to Reason what 's that to the true Protestant who makes good use of his own Judgment and Reverences the Authority of the Church Very good but is it not the avowed Principle of all sorts of Protestants that every Man let him be Sectary or what he will must be allowed a Judgment of Discretion to read and interpret the Scripture for Himself so as not to Pin his Religion on the Sleeve of the Church to private men we yield only a Judgment of Discretion saith Bishop Bramhall that is we would not have reasonable Men like Davids Horse or Mule void of understanding To the Pastors of the Church we give a Judgment of Direction and to the chief Pastors or Bishops we give a Judgment of Jurisdiction page 1017. of his Works printed at Dublin Now Sir remember your own Principle every Sectarian Preacher must be allowed his Judgment of Discretion and every little Shopkeeper the liberty of Scripture but what if that Shopkeepers Judgment or Interpretation of Scripture happens to contradict the Judgment of Direction which belongs to the chief Pastors or Bishops of the Church Do you allow any man to read the Bible and then debar him the use of his Reason or liberty of his Conscience Does he mistake Scripture because he cannot see with your eyes or understand as you do And whereas you say the true Protestant reverences the Authority of the Church I pray tell me what Church-Authority did the first Reformers under Edward 6. submit to there being at the death of Henry 8. no such thing as a Protestant Church of England but Mass said in all Churches of the Nation yes and in almost the whole Christian World. And
to make it evident to you beyond all contradiction that the first Reformers under Edward 6. regarded no Church at all that was then extant no not their own Bishops I shall produce you the Testimonies of Burnet and Fox which you may please to exaâ—â—ine at your leisure In the year 1547. the first year of King Edward 6. the English Bishops were required says Burnet to take out new Commissions for their Bishopricks But this was only done saith he by reason of the present juncture because the Bishops being generally addicted to the former Superstition viz. Popery it was thought necessary to keep them under so arbitrary a Power as that subjected them to for they thereby held their Bishopricks only during the Kings Pleasure and were to exercise them as his Delegates in his Name and by his Authority Histor Reformat 2 vol. pag. 6. Observe this how the English Bishops at King Edwards coming to the Crown were generally Papists by Burnets own Confession and to terrifie them into a submission to the pretended Reformation they were compelled by Cranmer and the rest of the Kings Privy Council the King himself being a Child of nine years old to take out new Commissions for their Bishopricks under the great Seal to hold them only during the Kings Pleasure and so at their peril not to contradict the Reformers Somerset Dudley Cranmer c. Thus the Reformation was imposed on the English Church and so could not be the voluntary Act and Deed of the English Bishops consequently 't was null and void in it self Then see pag. 227. of 2 vol. and second Edition where it is confessed by Ridly a grand Reformer that during the Reign of Edward 6. many of the Bishops and most of the Clergy were all the while Papists in heart c. they were afraid of those Harpies of the Reformation whose description you may see Burn pag. 9. 2 vol. second Edition Then see Fox pag. 1180. speaking of King Edwards Reformation For the most part the Bishops of Churches and Diocesses were changed Such as had been dumb Prelates before were compelled to give place to other men that would preach and take pains c. and then saith Fox of the old Bishops some were committed to one Ward some to another Bonner Bishop of London was committed to the Marshalsy Gardiner Bishop of Winchester with Tonstall Bishop of Durham was cast into the Tower. Burnet pag. 150 1 vol. second Edition Tonstall a man of invincible Moderation would do no body hurt says Buruet A learned man and of a sweet Disposition says Fuller another Protestant Historian However he was a Papist had a good Bishoprick and that was crime enough in the opinion of those Reformers Thus it appears out of Burnet and Fox what regard was had in the beginning of the Reformation to the Judgment of the chief Pastors and Bishops of the Church of England For the most part the Bishops were changed some were committed to one Ward some to anothe Fox ubi supra So much for your Answer to this Discourse But I have heard of another Answer and that is It 's certain say some that every man takes up his Religion or Church upon the Dictates of his own Reason and Roman Catholiques themselves being demanded why they embrace this Church rather than that their Answer is because they judge this Church to have good Authority and that none which is to draw matter to their own Judgment But is not this Answer if it be right a good Plea for all Schism and Heresie for Socinianism Independency Anabaptism nay for Roman Catholiques too which is more perhaps than you intend by it For either it justifies the Liberty of every mans Reason to take up what Church or Religion he likes best or it does not if not 't is impertinent to this Discourse if it does then Roman Catholiques are as justifiable at least as any other Church whatever Nay if this be a good Answer there can be no such crimes as Schism or Heresie in the world For allow every man to follow that Church or Religion which he himself judges most consonant to Scripture and you shall never find any body in the wrong Then to what end does the Church of England pray in her Litany From all false Doctrine Hereesie and Schism Good Lord deliver us Moreover this Assertion of yours that Every man takes up his Church or Religion upon the Dictates of his own Reason may be questioned since we are received into the Ark of Christs Church and baptiz'd in the Catholique Faith before we come to the use of Reason and afterwards by our Confirmation we do but ratifie with our own mouth and consent the very same things that were promised and vowed in our Baptism which were in the words of the Common Prayer Book obediently to keep Gods holy Will and Commandments and stedfastly to believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith. And this Article among the rest I believe the holy Catholique Church Now Christ having no more Churches but one as we are taught by the Nicene Creed and Protestants confess there can be no such choice of Churches or Religions as this Answer seems to suppose and then this One Church being holy and Catholique too and never to be extinguished I cannot but admire at the first Reformers under Queen Elisabeth and Edward the Sixth to pretend to believe such an holy never failing Church and at the same time to deliver it for Doctrine in their Book of Homilies that Laity and Clergy learned and unlearned all ages sects of men women and Children of whole Christendom an horrible and most dreadful thing to think have been at once drowned in abominable Idolatry for the space of eight hundred years and more And in their 39 Articles to pass this Censure upon the whole Christian World consequently upon that Church wherein themselves received their Baptism Confirmation and holy Orders viz. as the Church of Jerusalem Alexandria and Antioch have erred so also the Church of Rome hath erred not only in their Living and manner of Ceremonies but also in matters of Faith. Article 19. Now for the Church of Rome to be a true Church of Christ retaining all the fundamentals of Christian Religion as all ingenious Protestants confess and particularly Bishop Bramhall and at the same time to be drowned in damnable Idolatry and to err in matters of Faith is a strange Riddle among the Protestants and harder to conceive then Transubstantiation An Error in the Essentials of Faith saith he destroys the beeing of a Church But if Papists be not out of the way of Salvation nor out of the Pale of the Church notwithstanding their Idolatry the Wound is not mortal their Idolatry it seems is very harmless and why the same Bishop Bramhall gives you the reason viz. they who are Idolaters only materially not formally that is against their meanings resolutions and intentions are no Idolaters in the eyes of God or discerning