A TREATISE OF THE NATVRE OF CATHOLICK FAITH AND HERESIE WITH Reflexion upon the Nullitie of the English Protestant Church and Clergy By N. N. Printed at ROÃœEN in the yeare 1657. Permissu Superiorum THE PREFACE TO THE READER IF Heresie could have been brought to a stand in its owne opinions it would long since have been sunke in the opinion of all but finding it selfe upon quick sand it is forced to change footing and not to stay long upon the same ground for fear of sinking under ground and falling from its present state of improbabilitie to its ancient state of invisibilitie And albeit by this often shifting it appeares to be brought to desperate shifts yet is it content rather to appeare any thing then utterly disappeare into its owne nothing A Cheate must often change his disguise a Mountebank his market a Sophister his Medium and an Army of defeated disordered Troopes can not long with securitie keepe the same place and posture It is not so hard to rout them as to find them out so unarmed unfortified so disbanded and scattered they are for want of a Commander in chiefe that they are no sooner in sight then put to flight and forced to retreate to some new passage of lesse perill First Scripture alone was thought a sufficient defence but finding it failed them they found it necessary to change and even cut off some parts of this fortification which were of advantage to their enemies After an outwork of Tradition was judged expedient for more securitie although in effect nothing proves of more danger unto them Bishops and Priests formerly cast out as of more expences then profit were soone called back and desired to appeare armed with true Orders received not by extraordinary vocation but by legall succession Faith alone was thought armour of proofe before they had found by experience the need of good workes The Church which in the beginning they gave out for lost and utterly perished for many ages they came at length to seeke out with more solicitude then successe being resolved not to find it in that place in which alone it is to be found and now they seeme willing to open the doores of the Church to all Christians that they in the croud may get in with the rest The pretended clearnesse of Scripture in it selfe or at least as subsigned with the testimony of the private spirit made the definitions of Councells seeme of no use now upon better consideration foreseeing the prejudice they doe to their cause by appealing from the verdict of all Councells in generall they thinke expedient to admit of some in particular but namely such as treated of matters not apertaining to our present controversies by which evasion they engage themselves in greater difficulties then those they pretended to avoyde for no just exception was or can be alleadged against the Councell of Lateran deciding the question of Transubstantiation which may not be urged against those Councells which obliged all Christians to believe the mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation They have been so beaten from place to place and so battered and broken in every place they undertooke to maintaine that divers of the best understanding and least passion would be glad to capitulate and come to an accommodation with us as farre as it may stand with their honour and interest They are content to wave that maine article of the Popes Antichristian tyranny and yeeld him a preeminencie in stead of a supremacie The respect we give Images most will free from the sinne and many from the danger of Idolatrie so it may be left as a matter of superfluitie in which rank they will place our prayers to Saints without imputing hereafter unto us any injury done to Christs mercies or merits Upon the score of Tradition they will graunt us prayer for the dead provided we leave it to their private intention whether it be to diminish their paines or increase their glory As to the reall presence so much excepted against by their Predecessors they refuse not to accept of upon condition they may shape Christs power and words to the narrow model of their own senses and be exempted from the labour of searching so farre into Metaphysick a science not sutable to the grosser heresies of this age as to finde a distinction betwixt the appearance and substance of bread Notwithstanding their want of speculation in the Theoriques they might in this mystery as well as in that of the Trinitie have learned this practicall morall Lesson that Reason is never more reasonable then when it leaves reasoning in things above reason Auricular Confession heretofore traduced for a torture of Consciences and Tyranny of the Clergy many confesse to be of good use but few of necessity and none can be brought to descend to particulars for want of humility in themselves and for want of secrecy in their Ministers Reason of state will make them subscribe to the article of Bishops that the Prince may have so many Peeres of his owne creation and at his owne devotion and a chaine of consequence drawes after them Priests and Deacons for to say the truth their winking so long at the cleare signes of their Bishops invalid Ordination is a shrewd signe of their looking more upon their Votes in Parliament then their functions in the Church They are willing to fall thus farre and yet further from their ancient Tenets with hopes to be admitted as part of our Church and cleared of the reproachfull name of Hereticks as not dissenting in the fundamentall points of Catholick Faith But whilest they talke of fundamentalls they never passe the meere superficialls and they are farre from digging so deepe as to come to the maine foundation of Faith It is in vaine to decide fundamentall matters before we resolve upon the fundamentall motive of Christian beliefe No man calls in question the truth of Gods Word but the question is about the sufficient proposall of it That is a fundamentall article of Faith and undeniable under paine of damnation which is sufficiently proposed as revealed by God we relying upon the infallible and unchangeable Truth of the Churches proposall remayne setled in the same Tenets notwithstanding the opposition of Luther Calvin and other Sectaries whilest they on the contrary accepting Gods Word upon the proposall of private inspiration or human persuasion neither agree with us nor with one another nor even with themselves in different times As to our new English Religion it is very remarkable how the pretended supernaturall inspiration and naturall persuasion hath beene alwayes flexible to temporall respects First they were inspired and persuaded to pull downe Monkes and cry downe the Pope and proceed no further this being sufficient to comply with King Henry the Eighths lewdnesse and coveteousnesse After they went on as farre as they were led by the interest of the Protector Seamour But when Queen Elizabeths illegitimacy made the Popes authority be judged wholy inconsistent with
her securitie then was it time to make him Antichrist and to pursue his party with fire and sword The title of the ensuing Kings not being questioned by the Pope made him an object of lesse hate and his adherents subject to lesse crueltie and the Religion was fashioned to the humor of the Prince yet with some regard to popular faction Lastly the liberty of warre giving licence to those infinite Sects which lay lurking in every corner of the English Church to sally forth and to appeare to the world in their different colours every one tooke notice how few were grounded on those Tenets whereon the Church of England is built and how by leaving the true proposall of Gods Word and the ancient rule of Divine Faith men come to be so unsetled in all points of Faith that their Religion is as changeable as private fancies and publike factions And that all may see how the curse of Cain the first father of Hereticks as being the first opposer of Gods true Worship is fallen by inheritance upon our English Protestants their last change is to turne into Quakers whose Sect is nothing else but Protestancy fallen into a Paulscy and inclining to a suddaine Apoâ—lexy THE INDEX OF THE CHAPTERS CHAP. I. How Protestancy begunne and came into England CHAP. II. Of the nullitie of the English Protestant Clergy CHAP. III. Of Heresie CHAP. IV. In what doth the obstinacy of Heresie consist CHAP. V. Of the Catholick Church CHAP. VI. VVhether all Christians be thâ— Catholick Church or whether it may bâ— composed of any two or more Congregation of them if agreeing not in all matters whatse ever which any one Congregation or Church pretends to be revealed by God CHAP. VII VVhether the testimony of tâ—â— Catholick Church be infallible not onely 〈◊〉 Protestants terme them in fundamentall bâ— also in not fundamentall articles of Faith CHAP. VIII VVhether any reformed 〈◊〉 Protestant Church of the world be the Catholiâ—â— and Apostolick Church And whether thâ— pretended clearnesse of Scripture doth sufâ—â—ciently propose their doctrine as Divine reveâ—â—tion CHAP. IX VVhether any Puritanicall Congregation be the Catholick Church by reason of their pretended spirit CHAP. X. VVhether that Congregation of persons which live in communion with and subjection to the Roman Church be the Catholick and true Church of God CHAP. XI VVhether Transubstantiation and the lawfulnesse of the worship of Images be sufficiently proposed by the testimony of the Roman Catholick Church as Divine revelation and whether Protestants have any lawfull exceptions against them CHAP. XII VVhether Protestancy be Heresie CHAP. XIII VVhether any Protestants may be saved CHAP. XIV VVhether Protestancy be manifestly against reason and common sense and how may the most learned Protestants be convinced in disputes of Religion by every illiterate Roman Catholick SECT II. A Dialog between a learned Protestant Minister and a Catholick Cloune CHAP. XV. Of the difference between Christian Faith and the historicall beliefe of Protestants A TREATISE OF THE NATURE OF CATHOLICK FAITH AND HERESIE WITH Reflexion upon the Nullitie of the English Protestant Church and Clergy CHAP. I. How Protestancy begunne and came into England IN the yeare 1516. there was no other Religion in our parts of the world acknowledged Catholick and Apostolick but that which Protestants are now pleased to call Popery In the yeare 1517. Leo the X. Bishop of Rome following the â—cample of other Popes granted and published Indulgenâ—â—s to all such as voluntarily contributed towards the war â—gainst the Turke who at that time was growne formiâ—able and threatned all Christendome having added Syria â—â—d Egipt to the Otteman Empire 2 The Archbishop of Mentz to whom the Pope comâ—itted the businesse of Indulgences in Germany appointed one Iohn Tetzel a Dominican Friar to preach in the publishing of them notwithstanding that for a long time before this office had beene given to the Augustin Friars The preferment of Tetzel was ill taken by Martin Luther who being an Augustin Friar and a famous Preacher expected himselfe should have beene the man named to preach and publish the Indulgences but seeing his hopes frustrated he resolved to write as much against Indulgences and the Pope as he had prepared to preach in favour of both 3 Therefore taking occasion of some abuses which are unavoydable in things that passe through many hands he printed certaine Conclusions and Libells against Indulgences These were condemned and burnt as hereticall by Iohn Tetzel Luthers Competitor who at the same time exercised the office of Inquisitor in Germany This fire did so warme Luther and added such flames to his hot disposition that most parts of Europe felt the smart of it For being once engaged and enraged by Tetzels Declaration against him he would not recant his first error but added others by denying Purgatory the Popes authoritie merit necessitie of good workes c. 4 Amongst others who writ against Luthers novelties one was Henry the VIII King of England composing a learned Booke in defence of the seaven Sacraments the Popes supremacy and his spirituall jurisdiction over all Christendome this Booke moved the Pope to adde to Henry the VIII titles that of Defender of the Faith which had beene the most glorious of all his titles if he had not so violently opposed afterwards the Popes primacy which he then so piously maintained against Luther But being weary of his wife Queene Catharine despairing to have issue male by her and enamoured of Anne Builen because the Pope refused to declare his marriage with Queene Catharine invalid he made himselfe Pope of England challenging all spirituall jurisdiction within his owne Kingdomes and by Act of Parliament made it treason to acknow ledge any spirituall jurisdiction of the Pope in his Dominions himselfe being proclaimed spirituall Head of the English Church This was the occasion and beginning of the pretended Reformation Henry the VIII notwithstanding did stick to the old Religion in all points the Popes primacy onely excepted because he thought no other of the new Religion was necessary to marry Anne Bullen and to enrich himselfe by the spoile of Monasteries He persecuted all other novelties and herefies in such a degree that though many crept into England in his reigne yet very few durst professe them because as many as did were burnt by his command 5 To King Henry the VIII Sect. 2 succeeded his sonne Edward the VI. a child of 9. years old his unkle the Earle of Hartford was made Protector both of the King and Kingdome he was inclined to Zuinglius his heresie Twenty dayes had scarse passed after his Protectorship but his fingars did so eagerly itch to be doing and tampering about innovation in Religion Horinshed Stow and others an 1547. as upon the sixth of March next following he sent away Commissioners into all parts of the Realme to pull doâ—â—ne Images and other Ecclesiasticall ornaments He also invited out of Germany divers Sectaries of what Religion soever but especially
both may be part of the Catholick Church Protestants as wâ— have seen in the former Chapter say that aâ—â— Christian Congregations are parts of the Catholick Church as well as we Roman Catholicks Thiâ— assertion they ground upon the signification of the worâ— Catholick which is as much to say as Vniversal In the saâ— me sense they explicate Catholick Tradition to be onelâ— that which is contradicted by any Christian Church According to this opinion no Congregation of Christian can be Hereticks because Hereticks must be obstinate against the Doctrine of the Universall or Catholick Church but no Christians can be obstinate against thâ— Doctrine of the Catholick or Universall Church seeinâ— themselves are part of it and they can not be obstinate against themselves or their owne Tenets and Doctrine therefore none can be Hereticks This absurd and hereticall sequele is a sufficient refutation of the Protestant principle and their explication of the word Catholick 2 But let us prove directly that neither all Christians nor any two Churches dissenting in their testimonies concerning whatsoever matters of Faith can be the Catholick Church My proofe is this The testimony of the Catholick Church concerning what is pretended to be revealed or not revealed by God must oblige all persons who are informed of it to believe what it saith and proposeth But if all Christians or any two Churches not agreeing in their testimonies suppose Roman Catholicks and Protestants be parts of the Catholick Church the testimony thereof can not oblige any sober person to believe what both say and propose First because one Church contradicts the other and its impossible to believe contradictions at one and the same instant Secondly when witnesses do not agree in their testimonies if they be of equall authority no man is obliged to believe either side but rather is bound in prudence to suspend his judgement Therefore if the Catholick Church be composed of all Congregations and Churches of Christians or of any two Churches not agreeing in their testimonies concerning matters of Faith no man is obliged to believe the testimony of the Catholick Church but rather to suspend his judgement and credit nothing which sequele is absurd and contrary to the Doctrine not onely of Catholicks but also of Protestants Therefore the Catholick Church must not be all Congregations of Christians or any two dissenting but one onely Congregation of persons who agree in one Faith CHAP. VII VVhether the testimony of the Catholick Church be infallible not onely as Protestants terme them in fundamentall but also in not fundamentall articles of Faith 1 THough we Catholicks say that all articles of Faith if once sufficiently proposed are in one sense fundamentall because under paine of damnation they must be believed yet in ananother sense we admit a distinction betweene fundamentall and not fundamentall articles of Faith Fundamentall articles may be called such as no ignorance of them can excuse men from damnation for not being believed Not fundamentalls may be called such articles as if proposed must be believed but if not proposed sufficiently the ignorance of them is excusable 2 But whether these articles be both called fundamentall or onely the first sort of them our controversie with Protestants is the same and the question is not set here out of its proper place because the resolution of it is necessary to answer an objection which Protestants make against the Doctrine of the former Chapter All Christians say they do agree in fundamentall points of Faith as in the Trinity Incarnation c. what great matter is it if they agree not in other things of little importance without the knowledge and sufficient proposall whereof they may be saved as Purgatory Transubstantiation c Why should we be obliged to believe things that are not absolutely necessary for salvation especially seeing Roman Catholick Divines do not deny that ignorance of not fundamentalls is not damnable Therefore all Christians though dissenting in not fundamentalls may be called Catholicks and the universall Church because they agree in all necessary articles of Catholick Religion and though their testimonies do not agree in Purgatory v.g. being an article of Faith why should their disagreement in that petty point invalid their testimony concerning the mystery of the Trinity Incarnation and other fundamentall articles 3 This discourse and objection of Protestants hath damned many a soule because they did not examine the truth of it as they ought But to declare the fallacy of it something must be said of the Churches infallibility Most Protestants do grant that the testimony of the Church is infallible in proposing the fundamentall articles of Christian Religion as in delivering Scripture to be Gods Word and in declaring the mystery of the Trinity c. because Christian and Catholick Faith must admit of no doubts concerning the truth of fundamentalls and if the Church be not infallible in proposing those to us we must necessarily doubt of their truth for though we doubt not that whatsoever God said is true yet we can not but doubt whether he revealed or meant any such thing as the mystery of the Trinity or Incarnation if we do not believe that the Church is infallible in proposing the said mystery God therefore in his Providence can not permit the Church to erre or deceive us in fundamentalls seeing its necessary for our salvation not to doubt of the truth of fundamentall mysteries but if the Church may erre in proposing them we can not but doubt of their truth This reason say Protestants can not be applyed to not fundamentalls because they are not absolutely necessary for salvation and our salvation is the onely motive that God had to make the Church infallible in proposing articles of Religion Therefore none is bound to believe that the Church is infallible in not fundamentalls 4 If the onely motive that God had to make the Catholick Church infallible were our salvation this discourse of Protestants might have some colour of truth but Gods motive in all his actions is not onely our salvation but in first place his owne honour and glory There is nothing concerns Gods honour more then that whatsoever is sufficiently proposed as revealed by him be credited by us without the least doubt whether the matter be great or of little importance Therefore the Churches infallibility and our obligation of believing it ought not to be measured by the greatnesse importance or absolute necessity of the matter proposed in order onely to our salvation but also by the sufficiency of the proposall in order to Gods honour and veracity If a matter not absolutely necessary for salvation be as sufficiently proposed to be revealed by God as the mystery of the Trinity the obligation is as great of believing the one without any doubt as the other The reason is cleare because there is as great an injury done to God by denying or doubting of his veracity and revelation in a small matter as in a great In believing
we are as much bound to have a regard to Gods honour as to our owne salvation and his honour is as much concerned in being believed without the least doubt concerning Purgatory as concerning the Trinity if both mysteries be equally or sufficiently proposed as Divine Revelation 5 Seeing therefore that the selfe same Roman Catholick Church and testimony which proposed sufficiently in the yeare 1516. to Luther and all other Protestants since that time Scripture the mystery of the Trinity c. to be Divine Revelation did in the same yeare and doth now also propose Purgatory Transubstantion and other points which Protestants call not fundamentall to be revealed by God its evident that there is as great obligation of believing without any doubt Purgatory Transubstantiation and others not thought fundamentalls by Protestants as the fundamentalls But these articles which Protestants call not fundamentall can not be believed without some doubt if the Church be not infallible in proposing them as they themselves must grant by force of the parity made with their fundamentall articles Therefore the Catholick Church is as infallible in its testimony concerning not fundamentall articles being Divine Revelation as it is in fundamentalls or if not it must be fallible in both 6 Yet if matters be well considered we shall finde that its impossible to deny any article of Faith though not absolutely necessary and therefore in the opinion of Protestants of little importance but a necessary and fundamentall article must be denyed together with it There is no article of Faith more fundamentall and necessary for salvation then Gods veracity They who deny Purgatory v.g. deny Gods veracity because they who deny any thing that is sufficiently proposed as Divine Revelation deny Gods veracity whether the matter proposed as revealed by him be great or small Neither can Protestants give any other reason why by denying the Trinity Gods veracity is denyed but because the Trinity is sufficiently proposed as Divine Revelation Therefore if Purgatory or Transubstantiation be as sufficiently proposed as the Trinity by denying them and others the like Gods veracity is also denyed So that all articles of Faith if sufficiently proposed are fundamentall and necessary for salvation 7 My second answer to the discourse and argument of Protestants is that witnesses contradicting themselves in circumstances though of little importance are not to be prudently credited in the maine points wherein they agree The testimony of the two old Judges was not valid in the crime of adultery objected by them against Susanna Dan. 13. because though their testimonies did agree in the crime and in what was materiall to condemne her yet they varied in some circumstances not materiall What did it import as to the guilt of Susanna whether she committed adultery under a Fig-tree or a Pine Though it was a circumstance very indifferent and of little importance in it selfe yet the incoherency in it did prove that the two old mens testimonies in the maine were invalid Therefore although not fundamentall articles were not necessary for salvation yet the incoherency in such little matters doth invalid the Catholick Churches testimony even in fundamentalls and the maine points of Christian Religion Therefore it must be granted that the testimony of the Catholick Church either is not prudently credible and infallible in necessary and fundamentall articles or that it is prudently credible and infallible in not fundamentalls It followeth also out of the premises that the Catholick Church can not be all Churches of Christendome because there are not two of them whose testimonies concerning Faith do not differ at least in not fundamentall points of Religion and by consequence the testimony is absolutely incredible because incoherent Against what hitherto hath beene said some may object that the Fathers unanimously testifying fundamentall articles to be revealed by God ought to be credited though they contradict one another in matters not fundamentall Therefore the same may be said of many dissenting Churches or Congregations of Christians why should not the Catholick Church be composed of all Christians agreeing in the principall points of Christian Religion though they agree not in others of lesse importance The example of tke Babylonian Judges in the case of Susanna can not be applyed to the Catholick Church they were not credited by Daniel in the fact which they unanimously testified because the circumstance wherein they varied was so concomitant and connected with the fact it selfe that it was impossible to see one and not the other Therefore the contradicting themselves in the circumstance of the tree did demonstrate that they never saw Susanna commit adultery But no such connexion appeares betweene fundamentall and not fundamentall articles of Christian Religion the Trinity or Incarnation may be sufficiently proposed as Divine Revelation by the testimony of both Protestant and Roman Church though Purgatory or Transubstantiation be onely held by Protestants to be onely a probable opinion of the Roman Clergy and consequently not sufficiently proposed as Divine Revelation because it wants the concurrence of a considerable part of Christianity in the testimony which it gives of those and the like not fundamentall Tenets To the first part of this argument I say that the Fathers in their greatest differences agree in submitting their judgements to the Sea Apostolick or to a generall Councell as to the visible and infallible Judge of Controversies Not to Protestant Churches each one pretending to be Independent of the other and of the Roman also Such independency and obstinacy of judgement is wholy inconsistent with unity of Faith and identity of Church Now to the second part concerning Susanna and the two old Judges I answer that all mysteries of Christian Religion are connected in the motive of beliefe so that we can no more discover a matter of Faith without the motive then a matter of fact without its circumstance Wherefore the motive being the same in all they are all united to the motive and consequently so inseparable one from another that denying one you deny all as denying the motive whereon all and every one do rely If the greatnesse of the matter proposed or the number of proponents and not the quality of the proposall did authorise and induce the obligation of believing whatsoever the Catholick Church testifieth to be Divine Revelation the aforesaid argument might trouble Catholicks but seeing that both the testimony of few and matters not absolutely necessary for salvation may be confirmed with supernaturall signes and with true markes of the Catholick Church and Doctrine there is no necessity of obtruding upon it any Protestant Congregation thereby to give more credit Christians were not very many in the beginning of the primitive times and yet they filled up the number of the Catholick Church The Arrians were thought to be more numerous then the Catholicks and yet it was never thought necessary by any Orthodox to have the concurrence of their suffrage or testimony concerning Religion and declaring what
was fundamentall and not fundamentall I see no reason why the Catholick Church of this age should court Protestants more â—hen the Church of the fourth and fifth age did Arrians Nestorians c. I am sure the Arrians were more in number then Protestants and much more learned they had a more certaine Ordination of Priests and Bishops and many of them were of as good life and conversation as any Protestants are or were since the beginning of the pretended Reformation Why therefore should Protestants be a part of the Catholick Church and not Arrians or Nestorians If Protestants be admitted as part of the Catholick Church the Turkes Jewes and all others who believe there is one God may with reason complaine that they also are not looked upon as Catholicks For they and we agree in the two fundamentall articles which onely according the opinion of many learned Divines are necessary necessitate medij to wit that there is a God and that he is Remunerator Turkes and Jewes believe this therefore they agree both with us and Protestants in fundamentalls Let us all therefore be parts of the Catholick Church And though Jewes or Turkes be not baptized that can not prejudice them according the principles of Protestants their implicit or conditionall faith will excuse them as well as Protestants from damnation If God revealed the necessity of Baptisme or that Scripture is his VVord saith a Turke I believe both but untill that be made cleare unto me I am not more bound to believe either absoluly and without doubt then Protestants are to believe Transubstantiation I see no reason why this implicite and conditionall faith should not save Jewes and Turkes as well as Protestants if the mysteries not believed by either be equally proposed Therefore Protestants are no more part of the Catholick Church then Turkes or Jewes I am certaine we have no more need of the testimony of the one then of the other to establish what ought to be believed as Catholick Faith or what articles are fundamentall CHAP. VIII VVhether any reformed or Protestant Church of the world be the Catholick and Apostolick Church And whether their pretended clearnesse of Scripture doth sufficiently propose their doctrine as Divine Revelation 1 IN the fifth Chapter num This definition of the Church is clearly insinuated in Scripture Act. 1. v. 8. Luc. 24.48 Ioan. 18.37 Act. 5.32 Act. 2.32 Act. 4.33 Rom. 10. Math. 28. c. 2. it hath beene said that the Catholick Church is a multitude or Congregation of persons whose testimony doth so sufficiently propose their Doctrine or Faith to be Gods Word and the true meaning thereof that it is evidently imprudence and infallible damnation in any person whosoever not to acquiesce in the said testimony and not to believe without the least doubt what it proposeth as Divine Revelation The testimony of the true Catholick Church must not be credible onely to silly soules that believe any thing they heare by reason of their ignorance or because they were not rightly informed it must be credible to the most prudent and informed persons by reason that the said testimony is confirmed with so cleare signes and markes of Gods providence in planting and propagating the Faith professed by the true Church that all circumstances considered no informed and prudent person may judge any other Church to have as much as a probable appearance of the true one when they are compared with the Catholick 2 How the Protestant Churches and Reformation did beginne hath beene said in the first Chapter which supposed let us now examine whether any person can prudently believe that either the Protestant Church of England or that of Stratzburg or Zurick or Geneva be the true Catholick Church of God The ground of the beliefe of these and all other reformed Churches are reduced to two one is cleare Scripture pretended against the Roman errours as they call them the other is the private Spirit whereby they interpret the true sense of Scriptures to be contrary to the Tenets and Doctrine of the Roman Catholick Church This is all the evidence which Protestants have to prove that each of their owne Congregations is the true Spouse of Christ and that the Church of Rome is the VVhore of Babylon Miracles they do not pretend to and as for the two other signes which most of their Authors brag of that is the sincere preaching of the Word of God and the lawfull administration of the Sacraments these two can not be knowne nor perceived untill that whereupon they depend be first known to be the true sense of Scripture or the true Faith be knowne But when the true Faith is knowne we have no more need of signes to bring us to the knowledge of it or the true Church that professeth it then a Pilot hath of markes to be guided by into the haven after he is within safe and at anchor Therefore these two signes of Protestant are not true signes because they are as unknowne and as hard to be found out as the Church it selfe which â—s contrary to the nature and essence of a true signe 3 As for the first ground of Protestancy and Reformation which is the pretended clearnesse of Scripture against the Doctrine of the Roman Church it can as little confirme the testimony of the Church of England or Zurick c. as the Turkes Alcoran First they tell us that Scripture is against Transubstantiation Purgatory worship of Images c. We deny it and bring at least as cleare texts of Scripture for our selves as Protestants do against us They say the words and sense of Scripture are so cleare against our Doctrine that none can deny them Yet we reply that we are not so impious nor obstinate as to maintaine Doctrine point blank against Gods Word and sense Now the question is whether the testimony of Protestant Churches against us or ours in our owne behalfe and defence concerning the clearnesse of Scripture be most credible to sober and prudent men I answer that the testimony of Catholicks of the obscurity of Scripture against Transubstantiation worship of Images c. is not onely more credible then the testimony of Protestants to the contrary but also that the testimony of Protestants saying that Scripture is cleare against Transubstantion worship of Images Purgatory c. may be demonstrated to be false 4 That this may not be thought a vaine undertaking suppose that our controversie with Protestants concerning the clearnesse and obscurity of Scripture in controverted points is to be understood after all combinations and confronting of texts which seeme to have relation oâ— dependence one of the other I suppose also that somâ— Catholick Doctors have read and considered Scripture and all controverted texts as diligently as Protestants aâ— may appeare by their printed Bookes wherein they answer all Objections made by Luther Calvin Iewell c. 〈◊〉 thinke it also no discredit for Protestants to admit thaâ— at least some of our learned men and
time invented when the Councell defined it The Church doth not make new articles of Faith when it defines any controverted Doctrine it onely declares that such Doctrine was delivered to the primitive Church though perhaps it was not proposed generally to all Churches and Catholicks it groundeth the definition upon Scripture or Tradition The same which Protestants object against the word Transubstantiation did the Arrians against Consubstantiality in the Councell of Nice saying it was a novelty and not in Scripture 11 The lawfulnesse of worshipping Images is sufficiently proposed as Divine Revelation by the second Councell of Nice in these words VVe do unanimously professe to stick to Ecclesiasticall traditions which are in force eather by custome or writing whereof one is the making of Images Which is agreable to the Ghospell and profitably invented for the beliefe of Gods true Incarnation This supposed following the beaten rode and the steps of our Divine and holy Fathers and observing the tradition of the Catholick Church wherein the holy Ghost doth inhabitate we define that holy Images ought to be worshipt c. of Christ of our Lady Angells Saints c. For so the discipline of our holy Fathers doth conclude as also the tradition of the Catholick Church which from one end to the other hath received the Ghospell 12 Notwithstanding this cleare testimony of the Catholick Church Protestants confound the worship of Images with idolatry not distinguishing between an Image and an Idol Idol signifies the likenesse of a false God Image is the likenesse of any thing that doth or may exist translating in the English Bible Image for Idol and make the poore ignorant people believe that we Catholicks dare not set downe in our Cathechismes the first Commandement at full as it is in Scripture because it forbiddeth worship of Images whereas out of the very text it appeares that God forbids onely the likenesse of any thing to be adored as God or made to that purpose In Canisius the Jesuite his Cathechisme is set downe the first Commandement as it is in Scripture In all other Cathechismes the substance of the first Commandement is set downe for in adoring but one God is implyed we must not worship any other things as Gods It might be as well objected against our Cathechismes that in the last Commandement we put in briefe onely these words Thou shalt not covet another mans goods omitting oxes and asses c. which these wise Objectors put us in minde of Cathechismes being briese instructions for childrens memory require the shortest expression of the substance of every Commandement 13 But when Catholicks urge Protestants with the same Commandement because they have their owne statues and pictures made which are as much prohibited by the Commandement as the statues or Images of Saints they can finde an explanation for the text and distinguish betweene civill and religious worship we honour say they Kings and Princes Images with a civill worship onely and not religiously as ye do the Images of Saints which religious worship is due to God alone I would faine know why can not religious worship have a latitude and be more and lesse supreme and inferror as civill worship hath Its civility not onely to worship Kings but also noble men and others ho are their servants but the supreme civilâ— worship is due onely to the King himselfe an inferior deâ— gree is due to his servants to every one according his calling What inconveniency is it to hold the same with proportion of religious worship The supreme religiouâ— worship which is called Latria is due to God alone why may not there be an inferior degree of religious worshiâ— due to Saints and their Images religious worship being onely an exterior acknowledgement of some religious oâ— supernatur all excellency in the person worshipt Saint Poter is knowne because he was a Saint and not because hâ— was a Fisher Sure Protestants will not deny that thâ— Saints who enjoy God have a supernaturall excellencâ— bestowed upon them by his Divine Majesty Thereforâ— the Saints and by consequence their Images may be hoâ— noured with a religious worship of an inferior degree 14 As for the danger of idolatry amongst the commoâ— people we Catholicks have no reason to apprehend any having so long experience of the contrary We resort more to the Church or Chappell where one Image is the another according the graces which we receive our selâ—s or the miracles which we credibly heare to be done 〈◊〉 others To perswade us not to believe any such miraâ—es is to take away all beliefe and society amongst men â—s evident some miracles done at these Images are true â—ough some may be false For its impossible that all the â—atholicks and many Hereticks should conspire togeâ—er to deceive the world and damne themselves for a â—ing which if false imports most of them nothing If â—ere be miracles the worship of Images can not be unâ—wfull because God induceth not men by miracles to â—nne rather there is an obligation of believing that it is â—ry lawfull And as for the danger of idolatry there is 〈◊〉 more in worshipping Images then there is that the â—mmon people of England should cry up an Image or atue of the King for their King and rebell with it aâ—inst himselfe CHAP. XII VVhether Protestancy be Heresie BY Protestancy I meane all and every point of that Doctrine of Protestants wherein they differ from any Tenet which Roman Catholicks hold as a point of Faith The articles of Christian Religion in which they and we agree â—n not be properly called Protestancy because they are infferent to both and were believed by us Roman Cathoâ—ks long before any Protestants were seene or heard of 〈◊〉 the world Most of the articles of Protestancy are neâ—tive that is not ot believe Transubstantiation Purgatory 〈◊〉 lawfulnesse of praying to Saints or worshipping them in â—ir Images c. so that to be a Protestant is not to beve Protestants on the other side say that to be a Caâ—lick is to overbelieve and to be a Protestant is to beâ—ve onely that which is necessary But then we aske who all be Judge of what is necessary and superfluous Not â—man Catholicks say they because they are a part and â—cerned By the same reason we may exclude all Proteâ—nts from judging and not onely Protestants but all Christians because every Church of Christendome pretends to believe all that is necessary all therefore and evâ—ry one may be excepted against as a part and concerneâ— So that if Roman Catholicks be excluded from determâ— ning what is necessary to be believed we must be judge by the Turks Pagans or Jewes in the controversies 〈◊〉 Christian Religion and of Scripture Me thinks we Caâ— tholicks are beter conditioned more prudent and moâ—â— provident in our beliefe then Protestants because thougâ— we should believe too much we can not be damned foâ— want of necessary beliefe we may lend some to oâ— Neighbours and reserve to
there must be good correspondence betweene both Rationall creatures are saved by a rationall way There is a generation of men that thinke none can enter into the true Church by Faith if he leaves not his wits behind him at the doore so great an antipathy they conceive is betweene Faith and Reason that to embrace the one is to renounce holy and exclude tâ—e other This errour proceeds from confounding the mystery believed with the beliefe It s very certaine that the truth of Divine mysteries ought not to be censured by human understanding because they are above its reach that which seemeth to man very improbable may be an infallible verity But that we fall not into extreames on the other side its fit we know that no person is bound to believe any mystery he understands not before he seeth reason to believe it though that reason cleares not the mystery yet it makes manifest our obligation to believe it None is bound to part with his ovâ—ne Religion or opinion before he knoweth upon what score There is nothing so much and so properly our owne as our thoughts our lands and all other properties may be forced from us our thoughts can not they remaine free though our selves should be slaves Seeing therefore its a right of nature not to part with our owne goods being in possession unlesse better evidence be produced by others then we can shew for them the same right must be extended to our thoughts even in matters of Faith because the Law of grace doth rather perfect then destroy the Law of nature and equity 3 To prove that Protestancy is manifestly against reason it s enough to prove that it is manifestly against reason to believe as Protestants do There is not one article of any Protestant Church opposite to the Roman Catholick Faith that is not manifestly against reason in this sense This assertion may be proved first because Protestancy is Heresie as hath beene proved in the 12. Chap. and Heresie is manifestly against reason for Heresie involves obstinacy and an obstinate man is manifestly unreasonable because he is guided by his will not by his understanding None can properly be obstinate if not convinced convinced none can be but by cleare reason or by lawfull witnesses to whose testimony evident reason commands all men give credit and submit their judgements if there be not cleare evidence against it All Common-wealths do acquiesce in and take the word of honest men in both publick and private affaires as in punishing Malefactors disposing of inheritances c. That the Catholich Church hath a great multitude of lawfull witnesses and testimonies against Protestancy hath beene demonstrated Therefore Procestancy is manifestly against naturall reason which dictates to all rationall creatures to conform themselves to the testimony of lawfull wicnesses when they have no evidence against the said testimony Protestants can not pretend evidence of reason against Catholick Tenets because they are above reason Evidence of the private spirit is ridiculous and incredible to others therefore unfit for the true Catholick Church as hath beene proved in the 9. Chap. There remaines onely their pretended evidence or clearnesse of Scripture which hath beene alsoo confuted in the 8. Chap. Other lawfull witnesses against ours they have none unlesse we grant that an invisible Church never heard of before Luther hath lawfull testimonies And as for the sentences of some Fathers which they wrest in their owne behalfe we produce others against them of the same Fathers in which they explaine themselves Therefore it s manifestly against reason to believe as Protestants do because they have no prudent ground for Protestancy their Faith is not above reason but below it that is unfit to be embraced by any rationall creature 4 Another manner of proving Protestancy to be manifestly against reason is by this cleare principle When witnesses and testimonies are contrary they onely are to be believed who confirme what they say with visible and evident signes Reg. 3 Salomon judged that the child about whom there was so great a dispute betwixt the two women did belong to her who shewed a visible and sensible horror against the dividing of the infant into two parts Though the other was confident enough in testifying the child was her owne yet because her testimony was not confirmed by any exteriour and visible signe the contrary testimony was preferred and believed by Salomon If we will judge of Religions as wise and rationall men we must examine which of all Christian Churches testimony is confirmed with evident and visible signes No Protestant Church all of them being invisible for so many ages can pretend so evident and visible signe The Roman Catholick Church doth not onely pretend to visible signes but they are so evidently appearing in the said Church that no Protestant can deny them without forfeiting his judgement or his ingenuity The visible signes of the true Church must have so evident a relation to God the Author of both Church and Faith that whosoever will reflect upon the said signes can not prudently deny that they are a sufficient proofe of God being the Author of the Doctrine or Faith confirmed by them There can not be a more rationall and sufficient proofe of any Doctrine being taught by Christ and his Apostles then a continuall succession from them to us both of Pastors and Doctrine delivered from age to age by the Doctors of the Church See this in Esay 59.21 Psal 45.16 Ephes 4.11.12 5 As for our succession of Pastors it is confessed by Protestant Our succession of Doctrine from the Apostles to this present must also be granted because they could never tell us though continually pressed in that particular point when did the Roman Church fall from the true and sincere Faith which confessedly it once professed And And truly before Protestants prove that the Roman Faith was changed in any age they must first prove that all the Pastors and Doctors of that age did conspire together to damne both themselves and posterity or if they did not conspire to so incredible a thing it must be necessarily said that in that age wherein the first change of any article of Faith happened all the Catholicks of the world weremad or slept for the space of a hundred yeares because if they were awake and sober its impossible but in some parts of the world nay in every part and Countrey some learned and honest men would contradict so damnable and abominable practises and advertise future ages of the innovation of Christian Religion contrary to cleare Scripture and the knowne beliefe of all Catholicks in former ages It s as evident therefore that we Roman Catholicks have not changed that Faith which we received from the Apostles as it is evident that there was not any age wherein all the world conspired to damne themselves and their posterity or as it is evident that there was not any age wherein all the world was so benummed stupified or
inchanted that no Writer had the use of his fingers to set downe in writing a matter of so great consequence having notwithstanding the free use of their penne in relating a thousand other changes of lesse importance We have no reason to judge that former ages were lesse vigilant and carefull in preserving the purity of Christian Religion and the true sense of Scripture then the present is because their vigilancy appeareth by their suppressing of Heresies in every age which suppression and protestation against the said Heresies of every respective age was never judged or condemned for an innovation against the Doctrine received from former times but rather is a confirmation of it so that the exceptions made by Berengarius VValdo and other such persons against Roman Catholicks doth rather strengthen then weaken the Doctrine of the Roman Church seeing their exception was so strongly and constantly cryed downe by all the world for innovation 6 Some have said that as gray heares grow in a mans head and the corruption of a language growes on by little and little without particular notice taken of the precise time so the change and corruption of Religion hath crept in insensibly in the Roman Catholick Church But this is a most silly similitude as if men were as much concerned to watch the new growth of every gray heare or the mispronunciation of every word as the Pastors and Doctors of the Church and all Christians are concerned to observe the beginning of a new article of Faith or as if this were no more observable or making no more impression upon mens mindes or no more change in the practise of the Church then a gray haire in a mans head or an odde word in common speach Put the case that in this age to fertile of sopperies some great and considerable part of Christianity should set up a calfe to be adored for the God of the Christians would this be no more remarkable then a gray haire in a mans head No lesse remarkable is it to hold up a wafer cake for the like adoration and over and above to oblige people to sweare that it is no bread Is it credible or possible that if in Berengarius his time this had beene begunne that the whole world would not have cryed out against it and not onely the Doctors out of Scriptue but the very children out of their Cathechismes had cryed it downe or that so many Bishops and learned men assembled in so many Councells namely in that most univerfall compleate Councell of Lateran should have declared so hard a matter to be a necessary pâ—int of Christian Faith and that so many ages since should have universally accepted it and defined it againe in other Councels if it had been a meer innovation and not an ancient tradition and beliefe of the Catholick Church The like may be said of the respect we give to Images or any other articles of our Faith 7 Another evident and visible signe confirming the testimony of the Roman Catholick Church alone Ioan. 14.12 is Miracles whereof in all ages we have good store to spare to the Protestant Churches which never could produce one cleare Lib 22. de Civit. Dei cap. 8 prope sinem and undeniable Miracle whereas Saint Austine telleth us how that in the presence of him and othes a devout woman called Palladia who being sore diseased and repairing for her health to the monument of Saint Stephen recovered suddainly her health by praying to the Saint a thing now condemned by Protestants as superstition or idolatry and injurious to God Ad sanctum Martyrem saith Saint Austine orare perrexer at I. Aug. lib. 22. de Civit Dei cap. 8. II. Nazian in Cyprian saith Omniapotest pulvis Cypriani cum fide c. miraculum usque ad nos transmiserunt Chrysost in libro contra Gentiles III. Eusebius hist l 7. c. 14. Athan de Passione imaginis Christi in Berito alleaged in 2 Concil Nicen. act 4. IV. S. Chrysost de Sacerdot to lib. 6. c. 4. V. VI. S August de Civit. Dei l. 22. c. 8. circa mediuw S. Gregor hom 37 in Evang. S. Beda hist l. 4. c. 22. ante med VII S. Hieron in vita Hilarionis versus finem S. Athanasius in vita Antonij VIII Epiphanius haer 30. ante med Theodoret. hist l. 5. c. 21. IX Cyprian in serm de lapsis post med S. Ambros in Orat. funebri de obitu fratris sui Satyri cap. 7. X. Optatus lib. 2. contra Donatistas Bernard in vita Malachiae XI Evagrius l. 4. c. 25. XII Ioann Clymachus in lib. Climax grad 4. Beda hist l. 5. c. 14. XIII S. Bernardus in vita Malachia quae mox ut cancellot attigit collapsa similiter velut ad somnum sana surrexit c There is not any point of our Faith wherein Protestants differ from us but God hath worked miracles in confirmation of it against our adversaries See the Saints and Fathers cited in the margen for proofe of this Assertion and in particular concerning 1. Prayer to Saints 2. Reliques 3. the Image of Christ 4 reall presence 5. Sacrifice of Christs Body 6. Purgatory and prayer for the dead 7. the great vertue of the signe of the Crosse 8. Holy water 9 reservation of the Sacrament 10. Holy Chrisme 11 Adoration of the Crosse 12. Confession of sinnes to a Friest 13 and extreme vnction 8 Another cleate and visible signe of the true Church is the conversion of the Kings Apocal 20.11 Esay 49.24 and Nations of the Gentiles Onely the Roman Catholicks can challenge this marke not onely in former ages but also in this present as is notorious to our very adversaries in both the indies Iason China Persia c I have heard of some Catholick Countreys perverted by Protestants as England Scotland Sweâ—â—land c. but never of any converted to Christianity It were tedious to runne over all the signes of the true Church these are sufficient to demonstrate that the testimony of Catholicks ought to be preferred in matters of Religion before the testimony of Protestants because outs is confirmed by visible and supernaturall signes their 's with none unlesse you will take for true miracles Iohn Fox his ridiculous dreames and stories which he relates in his Acts and monuments a Booke so condemne by most wise men that one of them hearing a certaine person to be much taken with the reading of it concluded him to be a very silly man and of lesse judgement then he was esteemed by others that were ignorant of his being so addicted to Fox 9 If Protestancy be as contrary to reason and common sense as hath beene hitherto proved what wonder is it that any illiterate Catholick should convince the most learned Ministers and pillars of Protestant Churches unlesse it be supposed that we are deprived or at least know not how to make use of our reason and common sense Controversies of Christian Religion are not to be decided
because they choose to themselves amongst all articles which the Catholick Roman Church proposed to the first Authors of ProtestaÌ„cy Luther Cranmer Calvin c. before the pretended Reformation what they think fit and most probable All the rest though equally proposed to them by the testimony of the said Roman Church as Divine Revelation they reject as fabulous or apocryphall because it suites not with their liberty fancy and manners Hence it is that all Hereticks are damned by their owne proper judgement and opinion for he that makes choice of some articles and rejects others when all are equally testified to be revealed by God doth not believe the very articles he chooseth because God revealed them but because he is of opinion that God revealed them and not the others which he rejects not regarding the testimony of the Church proposing all equally as revealed A Jew believes that the Messias is not come because he thinks God revealed Christ not to be the Messias and yet his Faith is not supernaturall Protestants therefore may believe what they please because they think God revealed it and yet their Faith be neither Christian nor supernaturall their owne persuasion alone is not sufficient 〈◊〉 supernaturalize their beliefe The difference between historicall and Christian or supernaturall beliefe is not that Christian beliefe alone hath for its object supernaturall mysteries a man may believe the mystery of the Trinity or Incarnation with as historicall a beliefe as the history of Iulius Cesar The difference consists in this that the understanding doth meet with so great and manifest difficulties in crediting what is sufficiently proposed as Divine Revelation to be really revealed and true that it may appear to any indifferent and rationall man God doth concurre more particularly to the assent of what is proposed as Christian Faith then he doth to the assent we give stories Chronicles or any other human history though containing never so strange and extraordinary events To believe not onely strange and to the sense of man improbable things but also to believe them with a prudent beliefe not out of ignorance or misinformation without the least doubt or suspicion of falshood is so much above the way and faculty of nature that the Faith whereby this is done must of necessity be an extraordinary and supernaturall gift of Gods omnipotency Now let us examine whether Protestants do so straine their understanding by their beliefe even of supernaturall mysteries that it may be evidently called an extraordinary gift of Gods omnipotency To be brief I do say that Protestants have no more supernaturall Faith in believing the Trinity or Incarnation c then in believing any strange or extraordinary accident that Iohn Stow recounts in his Chronicles and consequently their Faith is meerly historicall My reason is this Protestants believe as articles of Faith onely those points wherein all Christian though hereticall Churches agree to be clearly contained in Scripture or to be delivered by Tradition of the said Churches Whatsoever is controverted amongst Christians they look upon it as not necessary to be believed It s true most of them tell you they believe the Apostles Creed others come as far as Saint Athanasius his Symbol some are pleased to admit of the 4. first generall Councells The motive of this their beliefe is not because the true Catholick Church testifieth that God revealed what they believe but because no Christian Church or Sect wherewith they converse â—oth contradict any of these points Such things as are contradicted or controverted by any are not believed as articles of Faith If this be not meerly historicall and human belief there is none at all What man is there whether Turck or Jew that doth not believe after this manner whatsoever is reported by many and condicted by none whose authority hath any weight in his opinion The reason why Turcks stick to their Alcoran and the Jews to the Law of Moyses notwithstanding all our contradictions and testimonies of the one being wicked and the other abolished is that they have a prejudice against us Christians they value not any thing we say in matters of Faith If Protestants had not the same prejudice by their education against Turcks that Turcks have against Christians they would make the Catholick Church yet more universall then at the present they do the Alcoran perhaps should be part of the Bible those onely should be articles of Faith wherein both agree not onely all Hereticks but Turcks should be members and part of the Catholick Church Many are of opinion that the liberty of life which Protestants have warrante by their new Religion is the strongest motive of their obstinacy in it and of propagating the same Though this be true in some persons it can not be applyed to all Protestants some of them give the Devil his due have morality and come near the old Pagan Philosophers in their life and conversation But there is not one amongst all the Protestants of the world especially of the English Church or Common prayer men that is not inveagled and carried away with a liberty of believing onely that as an article of Faith which is not contradicted by any Christian Congregation or Church however so different from his owne Why should Papists saith every Protestant impose unnecessary articles of Faith upon us why should any one be obliged to believe what is not clear in Scripture There is no liberty more earnestly sought after then that of the understanding all men are naturally taken with it no captivity is more troublesome then that of proper judgement its impossible without a supernaturall favour and grace of God to bâ—dle the inclination and ordinary course of that faculty which of its own nature is so curious and vehement that it can not be quiet untill it knowes the reason of what we heare To believe is to captivate and confine the understanding to a dungeon of darknesse Not to believe is to leave it at its own choice and liberty this last is naturall and agreable to our inclination and by consequence is no proper effect of a supernaturall power It s impossible therefore that it should be Christian Faith or a supernaturall gift of God In this sense the way of heaven is straight because Christian and not historicall beliefe is the foundation or first step to salvation we must force our selves to it by straining our understanding to believe and not give it liberty to accept and reject what we please making our selves Judges of all Controversies concerning Scripture and Christian Religion Let the negative articles of Protestancy be examined as Protestants they have no affirmative and we shall finde that nature and not grace leads them to that liberty which they assume to themselves of shaking off not onely the yoke of interior acquiescence and exterior obedience to the decrees definitions of the Catholick Roman Church but also it will manifestly appear that Protestants and all men are solicited by a naturall
propension to make our selves Scripture as our selves shall interpret it or which is the same the Rule or Judge of Controversies Therefore it s no supernaturall action nor no meritorious act to believe after this manner as Protestants do for men have no difficulty in believing themselves and they believe themselves not God when their own interpretation of Scripture is followed against that of the Church It remaines now a reason be given Why do Protestants believe the most obscure and difficult mysteries of Christian Religion if their Faith be meerly historicall How can they without a supernaturall power and favour believe that the Scripture is Gods Word the Trinity the mystery of Incarnation c. To this doubt I answer that as I said in the beginning of this Chapter there is no difficulty in believing the most improbable and extravagant things when they are told us by persons we credit and are not contradicted by any whose testimony we value In matters of Religion Protestants value no men but Christians and such mysteries as they believe are not contradicted by any Christians at least in our parts of the world They believe therefore all they believe because they have been told so by their Parents and others who had the charge of instructing them and not because God revealed it which is the onely motive of Christian and supernaturall Faith It s a received principle that he who denyes one article of Christian Religion believes none at all It can not be said that he believes none with historicall beliefe as Protestants believe the mystery of the Trinity Incarnation and Scripture to be Gods Word The meaning of all Divines is that he who denyes one article of Faith believes none at all with Christian or supernaturall beliefe This is most true for to believe like a Christian is to believe the mysteries of Christian Religion because they are sufficiently proposed as Divine Revelation by the testimony of the Church not of every Church but of the true Catholick one which onely giveth lawfull authority and sends Preachers and Doctors to instruct the people God hath not promised his helpe and supernaturall inspiâ—ations which are necessary to believe with Christian Faith to them who are unsent uncalled unconsecrated but onely to such lawfull Ministers as are appointed and ordained by them who derive their Doctrine and succession from the Apostles through a never interrupted line That no Church but the Roman Catholick doth propose sufficiently as Divine Revelation the Doctrine which they preach hath been proved in the 8. Chapt. whence it followeth that out of the Roman Catholick Church there can be no true Faith nor salvation and that to deny one article of Faith in the least matter is to deny all because the motive of our beliefe is denyed as much in a little matter as in the greatest See the 7. Chap. The motive being denyed or rejected nothing can be believed with Christian Faith because of the motive depends all An infallible argument of denying the motive of Christian Faith is to contemne the testimony of that Congregation of men which hath the signes of being the true Catholick Church as a legall and orderly succession of Doctors and Doctrine conversion of Nations Miracles and markes of so eminent and extraordinary sanctity of life that the like was never found in Heathen Philosophers but farre exceeds all that hath beene discovered in any that wanted supurnaturall grace as is the entire renunciation of all the worldly pleasure profit and honour an inflamed affection towards God and his glory with an unfatigable zeale of the salvation of soules and desire of suffering for Christs sake whereof we Catholicks alone have an infinite number of undeniable examples No other but the Roman Church can as much as pretend to have the signes of the true Church as miracles remarkable either in number or quality c. Therefore whosoever denyes one article of the Roman Religion denyth also the motive of Catholick Faith which as we have proved is proposed onely by the testimony of the Roman Catholick Church and consequently he who doth not stick to it believes nothing at all with Christian and supernaturall Faith The very Devils and damned soules have the Protestant or historicall beliefe God who is Author of all graces and favours both naturall and supernaturall grant to all Protestants that pretious gift of Faith without which it is impossible to please His Divine Majesty or to obtaine the end whereunto we were all created FINIS
yours Cath. Because we never heare of any cleare and undeniable miracles I am sure ye have none to confirme the articles wherein ye Protestants differ from us no nor any that lookes like miracles when they are compared with ours 14 Minist Seeing thou dost not desire to speake of miracles let us returne to Scripture Grant that the texts of Gods Word which we bring against Popery were not cleare must they not therefore be believed because forsooth they are obscure Christian Faith must be obscure honest fellow Doth not thy Parish Priest instruct thee thus Cath. My Pastor and Confessor both tell me that the mysteries of Christian Faith are obscure but never incredible Min. Now friend I have caught thee Is it not incredible that there is no bread in the Sacrament of the Altar Why therefore dost thou believe Transubstantiation as a mystery of Faith Cath. It is rather incredible there should be any bread in the blessed Sacrament for if there were why should all Catholicks deny a thing that hath so great appearance Whether bread be there or no Priests have the same almes for saying Masse no gaine acrues to them by Transubstantiation On the other side its impossible that all Catholicks should be so mad as to contradict their own senses if God had not commanded them not to credit their eyes and tast in this Divine mystery but rather to rely upon his words and believe that the blessed Sacrament is his Body if it be Christs Body it can not be bread because our bodies are no bread and Christs Body is of the same nature with ours 15 Min. Alas poor ignorant soule Christs words must be understood spiritually he himselfe told the Disciples that his words are spirit and life Cath. Iohn 6. I heard our Pastor the last Sonday explaine that same text to confirme Transubstantiation For he said that Christ is in the Sacrament truly and really but with a spirituall presence and that we receive his very Body and Bloud though not in a corporall manner there is some difference quoth he betweene eating of Christs Flesh and eating a piece of beefe This onely was Christs meaning when he said that his words were spirit and life which no way can prejudice Transubstantiation though some Puritans thinke that they are contrary to the reall presence Whether bread be there or no Christs true Body and Bloud is received in the Communion according Protestants so that it concerns them as much as Catholicks to interpret these words of Christs as we do unlesse ye will become Calvinists by saying that ye eate Christs Body by Faith that is ye believe to receive him when ye do not which is a lying and false Faith or that ye receive his grace but not himself and that is to deny in plain termes the reall presence All this did our Pastor teach in the Cathechisme 16 Min. Well in this matter none is bound to believe your Pastor or his Cathechisme we believe that Christ is really present in the Sacrament but how he is there we do not examine neither ought the Roman Church or the Councell of Lateran impose Transubstantiation upon us as a thing necessary to be believed Cath. I have heard talke much of that Councell of Lateran they say there were present thereat the Pope and two Pattiarchs of the East 70. Metropolitans 400. Bishops and 800 other learned men out of all parts of the world If Transubstantiation was not a necessary article of Faith they did very ill to declare it one and condemne as Hereticks all such as denyed it Yet me thinks the testimony of so many learned men is of greater weight I pray Sir pardon me if I offend you I do not intend it then the testimony of any reformed Church to the contrary I never heard of such a Councell in any Protestant Church It s true I heare that the Ministers of Stratzburg and of the Church of Zurick look as reverendly as the Protestant Church of England and have set forth as exact a Confession of their beliefe as ye have done of yours in the 39. articles but I could never learn that any of you had such an Assembly as the Councell of Lateran or of Trent Therefore ye can not blame Catholicks to preferre the testimony of these Councells before the testimonies of the Church of Stratzburg Zurick or that of England which was modeld as our Priests tell us by six Bishops and six other men or the major part of them seven of them were sufficient to cast Christian Religion take away Sacraments alter the matter and forme of them and change the ancient ceremonies Without doubt its more reasonable to rely upon the Councell of Trent then upon the twelve or seven persons that invented the Common prayer Booke and the Ritual of the English Church 17 Min. Hast thou ever heard of one Fr. Paulo who writ the History of the Councell of Trent and describes how the holy Ghost was sent in a bag thither from Rome Cath. I have heard much of that man they say he was no Saint at least of our Church and had a spleene against the Pope If what he writes were true not onely the Bishops and others who were in the Councell of Trent had beene mad or Impostors but all the Catholicks of the world who accepted the same as a true Councell ought to be declared and recorded naturall fooles It s more credible that Fr. Paulo was a lying Knave then that all the Catholicks of the world are naturall fooles or that all the Bishops of the Couuncell were Impostors Therefore I can not believe his History of the Councell of Trent Truly his expression of the holy Ghosts journey in a bag proves him to have been a profane fellow They say his history is both solidly and elegantly confuted by Palavicini the Jesuite It s strange to me how sober Protestants can believe such fopperies and wicked practises of the chief Prelats and persons of the Catholick Church 18 Min. Hold there friend Dost thou thinke that onely the Roman Catholicks are the whole Catholick Church ye are but a part Cath. I am sure Roman Catholick alone were the whole Catholick Church before that Luther and Calvin begun their pretended Reformation They and all ye Protestants differ from us in Faith Therefore ye are no part of the Catholick Church that was called so in the year 1516. If God hath Instituted another Catholick Church since and ye make that appear I am content to call ye Catholicks but untill then Master Doctor you must excuse me Min. Ye and we believe the same things onely ye differ from us in some petty matters not necessary to be believed as Transubstantiation Cath. Do you call that a petty thing which the Catholick Church defined to be a matter of Faith who shall be the Judge of what is necessary or not necessary to be believed Min. Not your Pope nor his Councels because y are a part and have a prejudice