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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A34969	Exomologesis, or, A faithfull narration of the occaision and motives of the conversion unto Catholick unity of Hugh-Paulin de Cressy, lately Deane of Laghlin &c. in Ireland and Prebend of Windsore in England now a second time printed with additions and explications by the same author who now calls himself B. Serenus Cressy, religious priest of the holy order of S. Benedict in the convent of S. Gregory in Doway.	Cressy, Serenus, 1605-1674.; Pearson, John, 1613-1686.; Falkland, Lucius Cary, Viscount, 1610?-1643. Discourse of infallibility.	1653 (1653)	Wing C6895; ESTC R29283	288,178	694

that it had no power of wounding as soone as it gets strength it fayles not to dart it out to the destruction of never so many thousands that oppose it I shall for proofe onely desire that men would cast their eyes upon the condition of England since the late Calvinisticall faction there got a fatall opportunity to discharge freely that poyson which for a long time it was forced to keepe closed up in it's entrals where after the best enquiry I could make I could not finde or heare of during the time of these late bloody commotions so much as one single person of the Presbyterian-Calvinist party but did actively oppose his King Nor one single Minister of that party but was a Trumpet io incite to war And all this not to free themselves from any danger they were in for their consciences for before the warre broke out his Majesty had offered them sufficient security but to destroy the present government of that Church and to set up their owne in place of it And as for their Brethren in France to this day it has beene in vaine attempted to perswade them to signifie the least dislike of these their practises the most infamous and scandalous to Christianity that ever were 6. If all these considerations together doe not more then sufficiently prove that without partaking of the scandall I could not adjoyne my self to the communion of these Sects let all the world judge Especially I being before yet remaining absolutely perswaded that it is utterly unlawfull upon praetence of defending Religion or avoyding persecution to oppose actively that peaceably settled Government under which I live Much more to seeke the alteration or ruine of that Government upon designe of introducing that Religion which I thinke to be true And truly I cannot but acknowledge it a great blessing of God that though I had the misfortune to be bred in Schisme yet it was in such a Church the forme whereof having been moulded by authority if not according to the interests of the Civill Governours in which continuing it was besides the obligation of my conscience mine own secular interests also to be loyall to the King with whom that Religion did before stand and is now in great danger to fall for by this meanes I had no tentation at all to study waies to elude those expresse commands of Christ by S. Paul Rom. 13. to be obedient not only for wrath but even conscience sake to my worldly Governour and of Christ himselfe immediately Mat. 5. to seeke for blessednesse by suffering for the righteousnesse of the Gospels sake not by opposing with active violence the Governours that sought the ruine of it much lesse under present here of by persecuting and destroying others Divine Providence seeming on purpose to order the publication of these truly Christian doctrines under the reigne of Tiberius Caligula and Nero then which the sunne never saw more abominable Tyrants and enemies to Religion to the end that in future ages no pretence should serve to dispense from Obedience And this doctrine of Obedience truly Christian which I learned in England being now by Gods goodnesse a Catholique I do and by the grace of God will to my death retaine and the rather because I shall now embrace it meerly for the authority of Christ and in imitation of his Apostles and ancient Christians afterward whose heroicall subjection to persecuting Emperours even then when it was in their power to revenge themselves among other writers Tertullian most divinely expresseth in his Apology and elsewhere and that most victorious Thebaean Legion gave an illustrious example Whereas in England that the interest of state had a great influence even upon this doctrine of obedience appears in this that when Q. Elizabeth conceived it convenient for her worldly designs to take on her the Protection of the low-Countreyes against the King of Spaine She employed D. Bilsou Bishop of Winchester one of her learnedst Cleargymen to write his booke of Christian subjection in which to justifie the revolt of Holland he gave strange liberty in many cases especially concerning Religion for subjects to cast off their Obedience But that book which serv'd Q Eliz. worldly designs by the just judgement of God hath contributed much to the ruine of her successour K Charles For there is not any booke that the Presbyterians have made more dangerous use of against their present Prince then that which his Predecessour commanded to be written justifie her against the K. of Spaine CHAP. XIII Protestants recriminating Catholiques for Rebellion answered 1. I know well that the Lutherans but especially the Calvinists triumph much that they can finde so few Catholiques that have been as wicked in this nature as their best and most authentique teachers most unjustly imputing to Catholique Religion the most abhored desperate acts of a few Traytors and the seditious bookes of a few Authors Whereas not onely all Catholiques in generall doe abhor those Acts renounce and condemne those Writings but the whole body of the French Iesuits in Paris to whom especially the Calvinists declare war in this point being in the yeare 1625. met in a full Assembly have publiquely and unanimously disavowed condemned and detested such seditious positions and writings universally agreeing to condemne that scandall wherein I never yet saw them imitated by any one Calvinist Particularly for English Catholiques their innocence and clearnesse in this point of Obedience was to me sufficiently apparent even before I left that Kingdome besides other proofes testifyed in a Petition offered to the Parliament immediately before the late Commotions as in the name of all of that Religion in England In which the profession of their loyalty was according to the tenour following The Catholiques of England do acknowledge professe K. Charls now reigning to be their true and lawfull King supreame Lord and rightfull sovereigne of this Realme and of all other his Majesties dominions And therefore they acknowledge themselves to be obliged under paine of sin to obey his Majesty in all civill and temperall affaires as much as any other of his Majesties subjects and as the lawes and Rules of Government in this Kingdome doe require at their hands And that notwithstanding any power or pretention of the Pope or See of Rome or any Sentence or detraction of what kind or quality soever given or to be given by the Pope his predecessors or successors or by any authority spirituall or temporall proceeding or derived from him or his See against their layd King and Countrey they will still acknowledge and perform to the utmost of their abilities their faithfull loyalty and true allegeance to their said King and Countrey And they doe openly disclaime and renounce all forreine Power be it either Papall or Princely Spirituall or temporall in as much as it may seem able or shall pretend to free discharge or absolve them from this obligation or shall any way give them leave or licence to raise tumults

such a provisionary enquiry because I remembred that M. Hooker one of the most learned judicious writers that ever that Church had upon such grounds as are before mentioned especially having an eye unto the sacrilegious spirit of Calvinisme his great and almost Propheticall prudence for Prudentia est quaedam divinatio Corn. Nep. in vit Pompou Attice In those very bookes which he wrote to defend the Church said that the English Church was in probability a Church not to continue above fourescore yeares at most Hooker Eccl. Pol. lib. 5. Sect. 79. CHAP. VIII A Reflection upon severall Sects And first upon the Socinians 1. NOw in pursuing this inquiry it scarce entred into my thoughts to admit into debate the Roman Church because the maine foundation thereof namely infallibility I verily beleeved I could powerfully arm'd with Mr. Chillingworths reason evidently and demonstratively destroy 2. Of Sects in separation from the Catholique Church those which I thought most considerable and therefore represented them to my understanding to examine which of them would best approve it selfe to my choyce were 1. the Lutheran 2. the Calvinist 3. the Socinian For as for those fanaticall Sects of Auabaptists Famulists c. they being only confused troops of ignorant dreaming spirits which hitherto have never been able to convert one Parish or Village entirely to themselves and the very dregs of all other Sects where those that were discontented or craised in their understanding ordinarily setled I could not obtaine from my selfe the patience to examine seriously their grounds or to put it to the question whether I should adjoyne my selfe unto them or no. Adde hereto that I could not hitherto understand all their grounds distinctly by reason that I could never meet with any of their writings so obscure they are and afraid of the light 3. Concerning the other three Sects the temper and morallity of the Socinians was much more agreeable to mee then that of the other two But their inexcusable boldnesse of trampling under foot all authority of Fathers and Councells and their licentious introducing blasphemous and long-since-buried Heresies against the fundamentall Mysteries of Faith was to me intollerable Besides neither France nor Italy being able to afford me bookes of Socinian doctrines I was forced to content my selfe with that curiosity which I had had a few yeares before in England where such bookes were but too frequent notwithstanding the care of the late Archbishop of Cant. to hinder the importing them at which time I read over almost all the considerable treatises of that Sect both of controversy and exposition of Scripture The effect of which my curiosity was only an esteeme of the excellency of their naturall parts both for the subtilty and clearnesse of disputation and an acknowledgment that though their principles were of all others most fallacious and their peculiar distinctive doctrines most horrible and intollerable to Christian eares yet they were far more constant to such their principles and lesse incumbred with difficulties and contradictions then the other two In a word that the frame of their building was with all its deformity more uniforme then that of other H●retiques of these times as strong as a building could be that had no better foundation then the moving sand of naturall reason Whereas the other two Sects of Calvinists and Lutherans to whom I had some jealousie that the English Protestants might be joyned relying principally indeed upon private interpretation of Scripture but challenging likewise the suff●ages of the Ancient Fathers especially in some doctrines of meere Tradition as Baptising of Infants c. by reason of the inequality in the foundation the building could not choose but have many rents and declinations in the walls some parts continuing stable and others sinking by reason of the yeilding of the Foundation which difformities and inequalities the Socinans avoyded This was all the change that the reading of those Haereticall blasphemies wrought in me none of their subtile wrestings and Chymicall extractions of new sences from fundamentall Texts of Scripture prevailing against the constant universall authority of Gods Church interpreting the same Texts 4. I conceive it unnecessary if not very inconvenient to set downe here the exceptions I had against the severall peculiar doctrines proper to the Socinians for feare lest by undertaking to confute I should endanger to distill the infectious poyson of them in a countrey where God be blessed they are utterly unknowne remembring how subtilly and maliciously the Schollars of Sibrandus Lubbertus in Holland are reported to have abnsed their unwary Master for they having an extreame itch of reading one of the most pernicious Treatises of Socinus which was forbidden to be dispersed knew no better a meanes to satisfy their unlawfull and dangerous curiosity then by perswading their cred●lous Master that it was expected from his eminent abilities to confute so pernicious a booke which he having as he thought sufficiently performed they further told him that it would be injustice and a kind of confession of guilt to publish his confutation without the adversaries Text and by that meanes they made their Master a sower of Haeresy for every one almost bought up the booke for Socinus his sake only scarce any vouchsafing to cast their eyes upon the heavy unskillful confutation 5. Thus I make but a small stay upon the Socinians on whom I looked rather with pitty then resentment Considering withall that they were the almost only Sect which made profession against violence and active disobedience condemning warre absolutely and upon whatsoever pretences Notwithstanding observing that one essentiall marke of that Sect was resolutely to hold no opinion but in every Synod to give leave to the questioning or altering of whatsoever Articles of Faith had been before decided I found that seemingly calm and quiet spirit of theirs lesse alluring because from their owne peculiar complexion and grounds I thus Argued Who can tell whether if they encrease in numbers and power they may not thinke fit to begin with the alteration of that doctrine For I have known when even the Calvinists in Holland and the Puritans in England being in low estate have preached liberty of Prophesying pretended only to desire a freedome of injoying their Consciences in particular promising never to molest any others As by their first published writings and by severall Remonstrances and Petitions by Q. Eliz. to K. Iames in the beginning of hisreigne and to Parliaments in those times And yet the same men being afterwards become numerous powerfull enough to gaine the effect of their Petitions by force never yet allowed any moderate qualification or tolleration to any other CHAP. IX Reflection upon the Calvinists and Lutheran Churches Their first disadvantage in comparison with the English Church 1. HAving passed with so much speed the Socinian Churches I fixed my thoughts more seriously upon the Lutherans and Calvinists to the end to resolve my selfe whether those points of doctrine discipline or

Caesariensis before quoted expresseth it not with ink on paper but by his Spirit in the hearts of his people according to the ancient Prophecies concerning him in the Old Testament And hereupon the Fathers observe that our Saviour left nothing at all in writing neither did he lay any injunction upon his Apostles to write bookes And therefore the same Eus●bius Hist. Ecel l. 5. cap. 8. 24. expresly affirmes That the Apostles had the least regard to writing The like is noted by Saint Chrysostome in his frist Homily upon the Acts where he gives the reason why the booke of the Acts does onely or principally conteine the occurrences concerning S. Paul and not those neither to the end of his life But an assurance of this irrefragable is given by Saint Paul himselfe who in severall places of his Epistles referres to the doctrine setled by orall instruction as when he sayes Gal. c. 1. If any one shall preach otherwise then ye have received let him be Anathema And againe Phil. cap. 4. Those things which ye have been taught and received and heard and seen in me doe ye And againe to shew the uniformity of the doctrine every where he calls it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a forme of wholesome words And againe We write no other things unto you then what you have known And againe 1 Cor. cap. 14. 15. As I teach in all Churches And againe So we have preached and so ye have believed Hence S. Augustine makes this rule The Scripture is wont for brevities sake to be silent of many things which are to be learned from the order of Tradition For this reason it was as antiquity observes that S. Paul kept his residence so long a time in many Cities after he had setled Churches there to the end to inculcate into their memories the substantiall doctrines preached over and over unto them and to establish an uniforme order and discipline among them which by that meanes continued in an exact conformity for severall centuries of yeares in the Catholique Church all the world over as Tertullian S. Basil S. Augustin c. observe 3. Now this way of setling Religion by Tradition and outward practise was much more secure and lasting and far lesse subject to corruptions then writings without unappealable interpreters especially could possibly be If it be objected that memory is not so safe a depositary as written records which are made use of to supply the defects of memory It may be answered that that is true of preserving doctrines meerely speculative but not so of such as may be made as it were visible by practise as almost all Evangelicall doctrines are For as for bookes we see by experience that those which of all other in the world ought to have been preserved with the most exact care and wherein the most scrupulous curiosity was commendable I meane the Sacred Evangelicall writings have not been able to escape the inevitable fate of all bookes especially such as every one almost will thinke himselfe concern'd to transcribe that is to have infinite variety of readings much more then any other bookes that I know of whatsoever and principally in in the originall tongues which were not read in Churches Insomuch as in my hearing Bishop Usher one of the most learned Protestant Prelats in England professed that whereas he had had of many yeares before a designe to publish the New Testament in Greeke with various lections and Annotations and for that purpose had used great diligence and spent much money to furnish himselfe with Manuscripts and Memoires from severall learned men abroad yet in conclusion he was forced to desist utterly from that undertaking lest if he should ingenuously have noted all the severall differences of readings which himselfe had collected the incredible multitude of them almost in every verse should rather have made men Atheistically to doubt of the truth of the whole booke then satisfie them in the true reading of any particular passage An evident signe this is that the ancient Governours of the Church did not suppose that Christian Religion did onely or principally rely upon what was in writing For if they had they would doubtlesse either have forbidden such a multitude of transcribers or have preserved the Originall copies or at least have imitated the exact diligence and curiosity of the Jewish Masorites in their preserving the Old Testament entire for the future namely by numbring all the letters and points and signifying where and how oft every one of them were found in Scripture None of which preventions and cautions notwithstanding have been used in the Christian Church Yea so farre is it from that that at least one whole Epistle of S. Paul to the Laodiceans and that most ancient Gospel in Hebrew secundum Nazaraeos are at this day utterly lost not to speak of severall bookes mentioned in the Old Testament not now to be heard of 4. Well but how casuall soever bookes may prove to be yet it does not hitherto appeare how Orall Tradition and Practise can demonstrate it selfe a way more secure and free from hazard than they I will therefore endeavour to resolve this seeming difficulty by asking these Questions Can any one reasonably say that for example the doctrines of Christs death for mankinde commemorated in the Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist of his reall unfigurative presence there have beene or could possibly have beene more securely propagated and more clearely and intelligibly delivered to Posterity in bookes written which may be lost and will be corrupted by some transcribers and every transcribers copy is as authentique as any others or as they have been in the Tradition and universall Practise of the Church and in a continuall visible celabrating of those divine Mysteries where every action they did performe published the truth which they believed where their thanksgiving for Christs Passion dayly renewed the memory manner and end of it where their prostrations and adorations demonstrated their assurance of his reall Presence where every mans saying Amen at the Priests pronouncing Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi expressed their confession of that Presence with exclusion of all Tropes and Metaphors in the businesse Againe is not the true inward sence of these Christian Doctrines conveyed more intelligibly and represented more exactly lively and naturally by such practises and solemne spectacles than by bare words though they had beene never so eleare and of never so studied a perspicuity With relation to which expresse impossible to be mistaken way of propagating the Mysteries of Christian beliefe and reflecting in his minde thereupon S. Paul in all probability thus reproved the Galatians for their inconstancy in these words of wonder and indignation Gal. c. 3 v. 1. O insensatiGalatae O foolish Galatians who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth before whose eyes Iesus Christ hath been lively represented being Crucified among you As thinking that nothing of lesse power than a charme could

neglect or forgetfulnesse it is rather probable that that Apostolique Person who taught Christianity first in those quarters brought the Creed with that small defect for the very first Creed of all seems to have been much shorter then that now current as conteining only a profession of Faith in the three Persons in the Blessed Trinity in whose names only Baptisme was administred● to which the Apostles or Apostolique persons might afterward adjoyn the other Articles following which addition being made successively it is possible some persons might carry away in their voyages into Africa the breifer C●ee●s before they were so inlarged 3 In the next place concerning the Occasion and end for which the books of the New Testament were written we ought to consider the books of History apart from the others of Doctrine and Prophecy as being distinguishable both in their occasion and end For the Gospells therefore the whole subject of them is a narration of severall passages of our Saviours Life Death Resurrection and Ascension likewise some of the most considerable miracles which he wrought a sum of the principall points of his Doctrine both morall and mysterious in parables concerning his Church c. Now though the memory of all these excepting perhaps only the severall miracles prophecies c. as much as was suficient for particular persons might and actually was in substance preserved by practicall Tradition as 1. the Mysterious and to us most usefull passages of his Life c. in the publique solemnities appointed from all antiquity in the solemne Fasts administration of Sacraments 2. Morall duties in the publique Confessions and most ancient Penitentiall Canons Love-Feasts c. Yea some of them receiving force almost only from Tradition as not being at all in Scripture at least not so expressely as Mr. Chillingworth requires to points of necessity as unlawfulnesse of Polygamy incestuous marriages in some particular degrees c. Notwithstanding it could not but be infinitely acceptable and satisfactory to all good Christians to be informed as particularly as might be in any thing that concerned so Blessed a Master and Saviour and therefore were these divine books received with all imaginable reverence and joy and preserved with all possible care so farre as thousands willingly exposed themselves to Martyrdome rather then deliver them up to the fire they were read in Churches discoursed on in Sermons illustrated by Commentaries in a word esteemed divine and infallible by all Christians But yet no generall Tradition has come to us that all that is necessary for all persons of all degrees whether single or in Society to bring them to heaven is conteined expresly in these Gospells Which is a certaine proof that the ancient Church did not thinke so or however that they did not think it necessary to thinke so for no one thing generally thought necessary to salvation but has been conveyed under that notion by Tradition orall as well as writing Besides it is clear there is nothing expresse for assembling Synods ordeining severall degrees of Ministers no formes or directions for publike service no unquestionable prohibition of Polygamy incest c. So that although no doubt to some persons in some suddaine desperate circumstances there is in the Gospels to be found enough yea more then enough of meere necessity yea in any one of them yea in two or three verses of any one of them Yet therefore to deduce a generall conclusion that all things simply necessary are conteined in the Gospels is surely very unreasonable and much more thence to inferre a generall Conclusion so as to make it the fundamentall ground of all Sects of Religion and a sufficient excuse for that which if that Conclusion be not o●ely not true but not so evident as that there can be no shew of contradiction is a most horrible sinne namely Schisme or Haeresie this to me seemed to be somewhat that deserved a name beyond unreasonablenesse it selfe and that joyned with infinite danger in a point of the highest consequence imaginable 4. Now the same inconveniences will follow though the bookes of the Acts Epistles and Apocalyse were added to the Gospels to make them altogether to be an entire perspicuous Rule of Faith without any need of an authoritative interpreter For first for the Apocalyse it is a meere obscure Prophecy and can contribute little or nothing to the instruction or discipline of the Church Then the booke of the Acts though it relate some particulars of our Saviour after his Ascension as his Sending the Holy Ghost c. together with a very few passages concerning any of the Apostles excepting some few yeares of Saint Pauls travells yet it will prove but a very imperfect modell for setling of the Church in such a posture and with such qualifications both for doctrine and practise as unquestionable antiquity represents unto us the Primitive Apostolique Church And la●●ly for the Epistles of S. Paul c. it is confessed by all and the Text it selfe justifies it that those Epistles were never intended to be written as institutions or Catechismes conteining an abridgement of the whole body of Christian Faith for the whole Church For 1. They were written only to some particular congregations yea many of them to single persons and no order is given to communicate them to the whole Church I am sure no necessity appeares that they should be so divulg●d 2. They were written meerely occasionally namely by reason that some particular False teachers sowed certaine false doctrines in some particular Churches founded by the Apostles in the confutation of which Haeresies all the doctrinall parts of those Epistles are generally employed So that if those Heretiques had not chanced to have broached those particular opinions those Epistles had never beene written 3. These Epistles especially of Saint Paul the most and the largest are written in a stile so obscure such intricacy of arguing with such digessions interwoven the Logicall Analysis is so extremely difficult that that gift of interpreting was in those dayes a necessary attendant of the Apostles preaching and I am confident that if an hundred men and those generally of the same Sect and opinions were oppointed to resolve the order and method of S. Paul's arguing there would not three of them agree for three verses together Now upon these grounds how improper such writings are to serve for the onely Rule of Faith which even in Mr. Chillingworth's opinion must be so cleare and evident in points necessary that there can be no rationall possibility of diversity of opinions and by cosequence no need of an authoritative interpreter let him that can believe it and let him that dare put it to the tryall when his soules eternall estate depends upon it CHAP. XI The third preparatory ground viz. the clearing of the ambiguity of these words necessary to salvation 1. THese words necessary to salvation being applyed to severall objects and subjects admit of great variety in the application and use