same Author l. 5. c. 19. taught his Disciples many Traditions not written Again S. Dyony Arcop Hier. Eccl. c. 1. at least even by acknowledgment of the most learned Protestants an Author of the second or third age Those prime Captains and heads of our Hierarchy thought it necessary to deliver unto us those sublime and supersubstantiall Mysteries both in written unwritten instructions Again S. Fab. Pope â—â— Martyr Ep. 1. ad Episc. Orientis speaking of holy Chrisme to be renewed every yeare of which no mention is in Scripture addes These things we received from the Holy Apostles and their successors which we require you to observe Againe Tertullian de Cor. Mil. cap. 4. discoursing as he often does of severall rites and practises not mentioned in Scripture concludes in one place thus Of all these and other disciplines of the like nature if thou shalt require a law out of Scripture thou shalt finde none Tradition shall be alledged to thee for the Author Custome the confirmer and Faith the observer Againe S. Irenaeus Cont. Haer. lib. 3. c. 4. What if the Apostles had not left us Scriptures ought we not to have followed the Order of Tradition which they delivered to those to whom they committed the Churches to which ordination give proofe many nations of those Barbarous people who beleeve in Christ having salvation written in their hearts by the Spirit without characters or inke and diligently observing the ancient Tradition Againe the Fathers assembled in that ancient Councell of Gangres Can. 21. We desire that all those things which have been delivered in divine Scriptures and by Tradition of the Apostles should be observed in the Church Againe S. Basil de Spir. Sanc. to cap. 27. 29. of the dogmes and instructions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 preserved in the Church some we have by written institutions others we have delivered by the secret Tradition of the Apostles Both which sorts have the same authority for as much as concernes piety and there is no man will contradict this that is never so little experienc'd in the law of the Church The same Father in the same Chapter The day would faile me if I should produce all the Mysteries which the Church observes without writing And a little after I account in an Apostolique thing to persist constantly in observing Traditions not written Againe Eusebius Caesariensis de dem Evang. lib. 1. who having said that Christ did not as Moses leave his Law written in Tables or Paper but in the hearts of his Apostles who likewise following the example and intention of their Master Have consign'd their doctrines some indeed in writing and others they have delivered to be observed by lawes unwritten Againe S. Chrysostome 2 Thes. cap. 2. From hence it appeares that the Apostles have not delivered all things by Epistles but likewise many things without writing now both those and these deserve to be equally believed Againe S. Epiphanius haer 61. We must likewise make use of Tradition for all things cannot be taken out of Scripture And therefore the Holy Apostles have given us some things in writing and others by Tradition Againe S. Augustin de Bap. cont Don. lib. 5. cap. 23. speaking against those that maintained that Haeretiques ought to be rebaptised The Apostles sayth he have prescribed nothing concerning this thing But this custome which was opposite to S. Cyprian ought to be believed to have taken its originall from their Tradition as there are many things which the uniuersall Church observe â—â—h and for that reason are rightly beleeved â—â— have been commanded by the Apostles although they are not found in their writings These quotations seemed sufficient to me to shew the generall Opinion of the Fathers to be consonant to the Conclusion before mentioned CHAP. II. The Roman Church agreeing with Fathers in the same Rule of Faith All Sects of Protestants disagree with the Fathers 1. NOw to the end to confront with Antiquity the present Roman and Protestant Churches that it may appeare which of them are the true legitimate children of those Fathers Wee will begin with the Roman Church whose mind we finde clearly expressed in the Decree of the Councell of Trent Sess. 4. concerning Canonicall Scriptures in these words Sacrosanâ—â—a c. Tridentina Synodus c. Perspiciens hanc veritatem c. that is The most holy c. Synod of Trent c. Clearly perceiving that this truth and discipline namely the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles is contained in bookes written and unwritten Traditions which were received from Christs Mouth or delivered as it were from hand to hand from the Apostles to whom the Holy Ghost dictated it hath arrived even to us Following the Oxthodox examples of the Fathers receives and venerates with an equall affection of duty and reverence all bookes as well of the Old as New Testament since one God is the authour of both as likewise the Traditions themselves whether perteining to Faith or Manners as dictated either by Christs own Mouth or by the Holy Ghost and by a continued succession preserved in the Catholique Church Thus far the Councell of Trent 2. Whether the Roman Church has indeed made good this her profession viz. That in this decree shee followes the Orthodox examples of the Fathers besides so many formall proofes before alledged the confession of many learned Protestants will justifie her As Cartwright Cartw. Witgift Def p. 103. speaking of the forementioned or like quotations out of S. Augustin saith To approve this speech of Augustin is to bring in Popery c. So likewise Whittaker Fulk Kemnitius c. Whit. de Laec. Ser. p. 678. 681. 690 c. Fulkâ— con Purg. p. 362. 397. Kemnit Exam. part 1. p. 87 c. for such like assertions of the Fathers condemne then generally and by name Clemens Alexandrinus Origen Epiphanius Tertullian Augustin Ambrose Hierome Chrysostome Eusebius Baesile Leo Maximus Theophilus Damascene c. 3. In opposition to this decreed Doctrine of the Roman Church and by consequence to the Orthodox examples of the Fathers aâ—â— manner of Sects that have separated from the Church or from one another since Luthers â—â—me agree almost in no other point unanimously except in this That the Scripture conteins in it expresly all things both concerning beliefe and practise which are necessary or but requisite to salvation And by consequence that no man is or ought to be obliged to submit to any Doctrine or precept any further then as it can be proved manifestly to him to be conteined in the written word of God 4. The Church of England Art 6. of English Church in particular makes this one of her peculiar Articles That the Holy Scripture conteineth all things necessary for salvation so that whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an Article of Faith or to be thought requisite necessary to salvation
Fathers And Vincentius Lyrinensis cap. 16. gives us a proper character of their Spirit and language bringing them in thus speaking Vâ—nite ô insapientes miseri qui vulgò Catholici vocitamini c. Come now O ye foolish and miserable wretches who are commonly called Catholiques and learn the true faith which besides us no man understands which has lien hid for many ages past but hath bin of late discovered made known But you must learne it by stealth and in secret for it will be delightfull unto you So of old spake the Heretiques Whether of late they have changed this stile or no yea how much they have changed this to be accounted modest language into a new one full of arrogance pride and fury will sufficiently appeare in the treatises Polemicall of Luther Calvin c. CHAP. XXI The doctrine of the Roman Church concerning the Churches authority The great and apparent reasonablenesse of it 1. I will now subjoyn to the doctrine of the antient Church that of the present Roman Church that being set in view the one of the other we may better judge how well they resemble or what unlikenesse there is between them The substance of what the Church has defin'd concerning this point is conteined in this decision of the Councel of Trent Sess. 4. viz. Praetercà ad coercenda petulantia ingenia decrevit Synodus Ut nemo c. that is Moreover to the end to restrein petulant witts this Synod decrees That no man relying upon his own skill and wresting Holy Scripture to his own sences shall presume to interpret the Holy Scriptures in matters of Faith and manners pertaining to the edification of Christian doctrine against that sence which hath been and is held by our holy Mother the Church to whom it appertains to judge of the true sence and interpretation of Holy Scriptures and against the unanimous consent of Fathers although such interpretations were never at any time to be published abroad The substance of this decree is repeated in the Bull published by Pius IV. concerning the Oath of the Profession of Faith 2. This decision considered simply as the words import in their plaine direct sence seemed to me so strangely reasonable and equall requiring only due reverence to the present Church and implying with a strange ingenuity and assurance a conformity with the doctrine unanimously maintained in the antient Church that I could not believe but that some where or other I should find a far greater burden laid by her upon her childrens shoulders for according to that information which I received from the learnedst Doctours of Controversie among Catholiques who for the most part doe dresse this point in School-language and exalt that language to the utmost importance deducing likewise the most rigid consequences from it I thought the bonds fetters wherein the Roman Church restâ—eined all in her Communion were far more stringent and painfull cutting even to the very bones So that this newly discovered great equity of the Church made me suspicious and thereupon inquisitive therefore I searched my selfe and begg'd of others to search for me into former Councells for somewhat more rigorous and unreasonable and after all I could not find in any declaration or Canon in any Councell universally received any higher or more hardly-to be digested expression of the Churches authority then what is set downe in this decree of the Councell of Trent 3. Then I perceived that it was that as it fell out through mine own unwarinesse to me unfortunate word of infallibility and that word understood by me in the most rigorous sence that the terme could import that above all other things made me despaire of ever being able with a good conscience to enter into the Communion of the Catholique Church And yet no such word could I find in any Councell no necessity appeared to me that either I or any other Protestant should ever have heard that word named and much lesse pressed upon us with so much earnestnesse and rigour as of late it hath generally been in disputations and bookes of Controversie Against this word of infallibility that so much by all English Protestants exalted booke of Mr. Chillingworth especially combats and this with too too great success by reason that the Author makes his advantage of that word affixing thereto a sense far more strein'd and exilted then I am sure Catholique doctrine yea or even his learned Antagonist doe require Truly if Mr. Chillingworth would have thought it for his purpose to have proceeded with the ingenuity he professeth and have examined how much latitude might have been allowed him in this point concerning this expression of the Churches infallibility in her Conciliary decisions he would have found that he had much lesse cause to triumph in the furious batteries that he pretends to make against it For first of all the forecited Doctor Veron saith expresly That no mention is found of the word Infallibility in the decrees of the Councell of Trent nor any other received Councell and by consequence according to the designe of his Method that word cannot be as of necessity imposed upon any one A Method commended authorized by three Generall assemblies of the Cleargy of France without contradiction insisted on and prosecuted more then 40. years together by him both in Sermons Disputations and writings and the Author of it enabled to pursue it both by letters Patents of the King of France by the quality of a Catholique Doctour and by Episcopall Mission Againe Bellarmine treating of the comparison between the Infallibility of a Generall Councell and that of Scripture gives the preeminence to Scripture in five severall respects among which the third is That in Scripture there can be no errour neither in points of Faith nor manners nor likewise whether any thing be affirmed pertaining to the whole Church or onely to some few or one particular person whereas Councells may erre in particular judgements And the fowrth That in Scripture not only all sentences but al and every single word belong to Faith whereas in Councells neither the disputations premised nor the reasons added nor illustrations nor explications adjoyned doe belong to Faith but only the simple naked Decrees and not all those neither but only such as are proposed as of Faith c. Hereto may be added that even those naked decrees also are not alwayes necessarily to be understood according to the latitude of the significations of the words and expressions in themselves but onely so far as they are intended to contradict the speciall Heresie condemned by them Hence that famous Carmelite who modestly disguises himselfe under the common title Salmanticensis the miracle of this age both for subtility perspicuity and profound solidity of judgement in that part of his Theological discourse where he treats largely of Angels being to answer an Objection out of the Councel of Lateran hath these words Ad dignoscenduÌ„ an aliquid sit desinituÌ„ ab Ecclesia c.
of a world of wandering perverted souls From his ground it is especially that I in this book both take this fashion and Latitude of stating doctrines of faith recommend it to others when they treat with Protestants And particularly from him did I receive Information that the very expresse terme of Infallibility was not of obligation to be made use of in Disputation concerning the Churches Authority As likewise that the Doctrines of Faith promulgated by the said Authority in the Decrees of generall Councells did admit of many more qualifications and restrictions then popular Controvertists do think good to make use of So that if in this or any other point any expressions found in this book shall seem new or not so relishing to any I must refer them to the said Author and his Approvers who no doubt will ease me of the trouble of making Apologies 5. But leaving this digression I will at last relate the successe I found in reading the Canons of the Church the forementioned books and treatises of the Fathers c. Which was that I thereby gained a distinct knowledge both of the faith of the present Church and what those Ancients believed concerning the Churches Authority and this not by relying upon a few select passages and Texts pick'd out by late Controvertists but by observing the maine designe and intention of those Fathers when the very like Controversies in their times constreined them to consider and unanimously declare what they themselves thought and what they had received from their predecessours concerning the Church Haeresie and Schisme 6. That therefore which I learned from them pertinent to my present purpose I will set downe in foure Conclusions relating to foure principall heads of controversie namely 1. Of the Rule of Faith that is Scripture and Traditions unwritten 2. Of the Judge of Controversies that is the Catholique Church 3. Of the unity of the Church and the danger of Heresy Schisme 4. Of the perpetuall Visibility of the Church To all which Propositions respectively I will adjoyne the doctrine of the present Roman Church conteined especially in the Councell of Trent And likewise the beliefe of Protestants Concluding with an examination whether the Roman or Protestant Churches do best conform themselves to the universal Ancient Traditiō cōcerning the Church her authority c. 7. When all this is done at their perill be it if any imputing to me sinister intentions of which they cannot be judges shall say it was either worldly discontent or ambition and not an evident conviction of truth and resolution to save my soule that moved me finally to declare my selfe rather a follower of that part which to my understanding followes an universall and uninterrupted agreement of such Teachers as both sides agree not only to have approached neerest to the fountaine of truth Christ and his Apostles therefore to have had meanes of informing themselves in Apostolicall Tradition incomparably beyond us But also to have been extreamly cautelous and learned and so not easily obnoxious to be mistaken or deceived And likewise unquestionably pious and vertuous and therefore abhorring any intention of seducing others for temporall respects Rather then three or foure new teachers in whom there is not only a visible want of all these good qualities but on the contrary such as have not been able to forbeare to declare themselves to be worse men more polluted with Lust Gluttony Sacriledge Pride Malice Envie c. then without their own confession their adversaries could with a good conscience have accused or but suspected them And the effect of whose innovations ha's manifestly been nothing but Atheisme profanenesse bloodshed confusion and ruine The second Section Conteining a stating of foure fundamentall points of Controversie in foure Conclusions CHAP. I. The first Conclusion concerning the Rule of Faith Testimonies of Fathers acknowledging Doctrines Traditionary as well as Scripture to be a Rule of Faith 1. ACcording to my promise in the last Chapter of the former Section I will consequently set downe the fundamentall truths of Catholique Religion in foure Conclusions respecting foure generall points of Controversie The sense of which Conclusions I found evidently and uniformly delivered by the ancient Fathers and by the light of the said truths through Gods grace and goodnesse I became entirely undeceived and by their direction I was led as it were by the hand into the Gates of that City which is set on a hill the holy Catholique Church of Christ. Now of those this is the I. CONCLUSION The entire Rule of Faith comprised in the Doctrines delivered by Christ and his Apostles immediately to the Church is conteyned not only in Scripture but likewise in unwritten Traditions 2. FOr the former part of this Conclusion viz. That the Rule of Christian Faith obedience is no other then the Doctrines and Praecepts delivered immediately by Christ and his Apostles to the Church And by consequence that the present Church pretends not to any new Revelations or Power to make any new Articles of Christian Faith or to propose any Doctrines under that title other then such as Shee has received by Catholique Tradition it will be unnecessary paines to prove out of the Fathers since I doe not know any Christians who deserve that title that doubt of it Indeed the Calvinists earnest to find all occasions to heighten their Schisme charge the Catholique Church as if she admitted within this compasse other Doctrines Decrees and Decretalls c. But most unjustly since there is no warrant or ground given them to lay this aspersion upon the Church and all Catholiques generally renounce it 3. But as for that which followes in the Conclusion viz. That this Rule of Faith is not conteined entirely and expresly in Scripture alone but likewise in unwritten Traditions In this lyes the maine difference betweeen the Catholique Church and all other Sects both ancient and moderne They all and alwaies conspiring in this that the Scripture is to be the only Rule and themselves judges and interpreters of the sence of it at least for themselves or if not they no body however not the present Church and on the contrary Catholiques in all ages unanimously joyning in the contradiction of that ground and affirming that all Doctrines of Faith were not indeed no◠ever were intended to be entirely express'd in Scripture And that Scriptures ought not to be interpreted by any private spirit or reason any other way then according to the line of Ecclesiasticall Tradition 4. Concerning the Rule of Faith therefore let us aske our Fathers that were before us how they were instructed in this point and among them the first testimony will be afforded us by S. Ignatius to this effect quoted by Eusebiu◠Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 35. Ignatius saith he exhorted the Churches to hold themselves inseparably to the Tradition of the Apostles which Tradition for surenesse sake he thought good to reduce into writing Againe S. Polycarpus saith the
persons because they being rude and infirm could never be secure of their belief if it were to depend on medium's and principles which they could not comprehend and secondly in respect of the learned among whom there would be no end of disputing if it were permitted to them to examine whether the Principles upon which Councells build their Conclusions were firm and concluding enough In a word otherwise Religion would not be faith but Science and Philosophy 7. To set down his words at length We must observe that to the Churches infallibility in teaching it is sufficient that she be infallible in the substance of faith in publique doctrine and things necessary to salvation This is manifest because this is the end of the infallibility given viz. For the consummation of the Saints and the edification of the body of Christ that is to the publique salvation of the faithfull Now God and nature as they are not defective in necessaries so neither are they superabundant in superfluities neither is the speciall Providence of God to be deduced to each particular The which Providence as it doth permit many particular defects in the Government of the Universe and this for the beauty of it as S. Augustine de Civ lib. 11. cap. 18. observes so likewise doth it permit many private erroursâ— in the Church and even in the most learned men an ignorance of many things not necessary and this not onely to shew a beauty in opposltion but for the salvation of the Teachers to whom it is expedient to be ignorant of many things that in this regard power may perfected in weaknesse that is may be repressed from pride Thus Stapleton with great solidity and likewise with much becomming warinesse states this Question CHAP. XXXIII Upon what grounds Stapleton may be conceived to have stated this question with more then ordinary latitude 1. TO this determination of Stapleton I will subjoyn the thoughts I had during my â—â—bâ—te with my self about this great and most important controversie together with the grounds upon which I believed that he had been more moderate and condescending in this point then generally other Catholique Controvertists are 2. But first by the way it may be observed that when he speaks of the voice and determination of the Church in the question proposed he means the decree of the Church speaking in a generall Councell representatively in which sayes he the Church is infallible namely with that restriction expressed by him in his last observation viz. in delivering the substance of Faith in publique doctrines and things necessary to salvation Other Catholiques there are which in this matter speak more restrictively then Stapleton hath expressed himself as to name one Panormitan whose words and opinion though for the most part disclaimed by Catholique Writers yet not hitherto consured by any that I know as hereticall they are these Although a generall Councell represent the whole universall Church yet in truth the universall Church is not truly there but only representatively because the universall Church is made up of a Collection of all believers and that is that Church which cannot erre Panormitans meaning to make his words tollerable I conceive is That the decrees of a generall Councell are not absolutely and necessarily to be acknowledged the infallible Doctrines of Faith till they be received by all particular Catholique Churches because till then they cannot properly be called the Faith of the universall Church or of the body of all faithfull Christians to which bodâ— the promise of infallibility is made And this was the doctrine of Thomas Waldensis and some other Schoolmen c. An opinion this is which though not commonly received yet I do not find it deeply censured by any yea the Gallican Churches reckoned this among their chiefest Priviledges and liberties that they were not obliged to the decisions of a Generall Councell till the whole body of the Gallican Clergy had by a speciall agreement consented to them yea which is more till out of the said Decrees they had selected such as they thought good to approve the which they reduced into a Pragmatick Sanction and so proposed them and them only to the several Churches there My Author from whose credit I received this is Thuanas who protesteth in a discourse to K. Henry the IV. related by himself that it could not be found in any Records of that Kingdome that ever any Generall Councell had been any other â—â—y received in France This were a priviledge indeed to the purpose if it could be made good as it is much to be doubted 3. But as for the Opinion of Waldensis it ha's found many abetrours in these latter ages for Fr. Pious Mirandâ—la in his eighth Theoreme de Fid. Ord. â—red saith Those Decrees may justly be â—â—lled tho the Decrees of the universal Church which are either made by the Pope the Head thereof or by a Councell in which the Church is represented in matters necessary to Faith and which are approved by the Church her self In like manner Petrus a Soâ—â— instanâ—ing in the second Councell of Ephesus corrected by that of Chalcedon manifestly implies that Councells even Generall before they be received and approved by the Universall Church may be repealed by a following Councell but a Councell once received can never be altered And therefore sayes he God by his providence over his Church will so order that whatsoever is erronious or defective in one Councell shall be corrected in a following one before it be received in the Church The same Author repeats the same Doctrine again in his observations upon the Confession of Wittenberg cap. de Concil Consequently hereto Cellotius a learned Jesuite professeth That the infallibility promised to the Church is twofold 1. Active by which the Prelats in Councells proposing points of Faith are secured from errour 2. Passive whereby the Universall Body of the Church under all the Prelates in all the severall Provinces respectively is preserved from assenting to or believing an errour Now that in the whole Church whether represented in a Councell or dispersed over the world both these kinds of infallibility are to be found saith he no Catholique can deny He adds In case there hath been any thing decreed by Councells which either hath not been generally admitted or by generall disuse hath ceased that the present Church is not thereto obliged appears clearly by the Decrees of the first Councell of the Apostles in the prohibition of things strangled and bloud In the last place our learned Countreyman Bacon alias Southwell a very ingenuous and acute Jesuite doth plainly enough signifie That it was the opinion not only of S. Augustine but generally of all the Writers of that age that the resolution of Faith had its utmost compleat effect in the reception of the whole Christian world grounding his assertion upon such like passages of S. Augustine as these Those are only Plenary Councells which are gathered out of
few learned and truly spirituall men hath armed it with a plenteous magazine of Reason invincible CHAP. XXXIX An answer to Mr. Chillingworth's seventh and eighth grounds 1. TO the seventh ground viz. That a certain infallible Faith is not required since reason which is the only agent is fallible and the grounds not evidently certain such a probability will serve the turn as can produce in a mar obedience c. For answer hereto I desire Protestants to consider 1. Whether at the first planting of Christianity probable grounds of belief had been sufficient if not as most certainly not how come they to be sufficient now If it be replied that we must either be content with probable grounds or none I answer there is no such necessity because for all the substantiall points of Christianity we have universall Tradition and that with all advantages for assurance imaginable insomuch as if all men would call him mad that should deny that there was such a man as King William the Conqueror of England which is yet attested only or principally by a Nationall Tradition there that man would deserve a title worse then the former that could doubt of the universall testimony of the Catholique Church all the world over that such Traditions have come to them from their ancestors c. 2. I desire them to consider what course they will take to convert the now Jewes and Turks or Heathens to Christianity if they shall once tell them that they can give them no better then probable motives of our Religion For they will doubtlesse reply that they will never quit their own Religion in which they and their ancestors have been bred and of the truth of which they likewise have at least in their own opinion a probable Tradition for a new one not assured 3. To consider the example of the antient Jewes For if those very persons who were eye-witnesses of the miraculous delivery of the Law and by consequence were most assured of the divinity of it yet notwithstanding would not quit temporal pleasures and allurements for the future rewards therein promised is it likely that the Christians of these times will upon confessedly only probable grounds and promises and those not to be expected till after death renounce assured and present delights and embrace assured and present miseries mortifications and abnegations 2. To the eighth and last ground viz. That since all Christians agree in necessary doctrines which are expresse they ought not to deny Communion the one to the other for other doctrines contained obscurely in Scripture and that that is the only effectuall means of reducing and preserving unity among Christians I answer that it is apparently contrary to experience what is here said For neither do all Christians agree in all necessary doctrines nor in all which themselves esteem necessary neither will they allow Communion to men differing in points by their own Confession nor esteemed so much as substantiall Yea let England witnesse if our Presbyterian Calvinists do not think many thousand Hecatombs of Christian bloud a fit sacrifice to prepare a tyrannicall introduction of a few circumstantiall novelties Therefore to say men ought and it were well if they would do otherwise and in the mean time destroy all Ecclesiasticall authority to constrain them to what they ought to do is to destroy all Christian Communion indeed all manner of policy and society For upon the same grounds we may as reasonably contend for an universall Anarchy since all men ought by the law of reason and nature to live in justice temperance and peace and therefore let lawes be annulled and Judges deposed But God whose imprudence is wiser then the wisdome of men seeing our figmentum our naturall perversenesse hath appointed Civill Governours to overawe Delinquents with the whip and with the sword and Ecclesiasticall Magistrates likewise into whose hands he ha's likewise put a spirituall scourge and sword too to correct or cut off putrified or mortified members the whole foundation of which Policy and order would be undermined by such an allowance given to all sorts of Christians to become judges and interpreters for themselves in matters of Religion upon a groundless and never-yet-accomplished hope that they will all agree to use this power with meeknesse and charity 3. Besides let all the world judge of the extreme partiality of English Protestants they say that no man ought to refuse Communion for differences in points in themselves not necessary or fundamentall and they acknowledge that Catholiques agree with them in all points fundamentall and yet they not only refuse to communicate with them but call their Communion damnable and Idololatricall Yea moreover seek to justifie the execution of the most bloudy lawes against Catholike Priests performing their duties that ever any Christian Nation heard of 4. Mr. Chillingworth indeed maintains this their partiality of refusing Communion with Catholiques upon this ground because no man can be allowed by the Councell of Trent to enteâ— into Catholique Communion that believes not all doctrines of faith therein defined to be of universall Tradition many of which they disbelieving ought not or if they would cannot be received into Communion Hereto I answer 1. That the Bull of Pius the fourth requires subscription to the Councell only from Priests c. 2. Can any antient Church be named that ha's not alwaies done the same 3. Do not the Lutherans Calvinists yea the Church of England both before and since the writing of his book the same 4. Does not the omission of requiring an uniform profession of Faith evidently destroy all Ecclesiasticall authority and leave every one in a liberty hitherto unheard of in Gods Church of thinking and believing and judging and saying and doing what he himself pleases 5. The unappealable authority of a Generall Councell being once destroyed would not Babel it self and the seventy languages of it as some reckon them be order and unity it self in comparison with a Christian Church so confused and mangled wherein not seventy but seventy thousand languages might be allowed For as for this phantasticall Utopian way of Unity here first devised and proposed to the world by Mr. Chillingworth let even the most ignorant of his judges give sentence whether as long as men have passions and as long as there is pride in their hearts and tentations in the world it be not utterly impossible to be compassed and if upon an impossible supposition it were effected whether such a kind of unity would deserve the name of unity and not rather of an universall stupidity and Lethargie CHAP. XL. An answer to Mr. Chillingworth's objection concerning difference among Catholiques about the Judge of Controversies 1. HAving thus far considered Mr. Chillingworth's generall grounds concerning a Judge of Controversies dispersed in severall places through his book I will proceed to take a view of his principal objections against the Catholike doctrine concerning the authority of the Church which objections are of severall
Character wholly No. But the Church to shew her detestation of those sins suspends the authority of exercising those Offices from any one that is guilty of those sinnes and likewise from those that are ordained by such Simonicall or Hereticall Bishops till they have given satisfaction to the Church And therefore in that moderate judgement of Pope Melchiades so much commended by S. Augustine Ep. 162. when he decreed that if the Donatists would return to the Catholique Communion their Bishops if the more antient in any City should be acknowledged the lawfull Bishops of such a City or if the younger should succeed upon the first vacancy there was no mention made of a reordination of such Hereticall or Schismaticall Bishops or of any Priests made by them 3. It is not true that the salvation of Catholiques doth absolutely depend upon the Sacrament of Penance lawfully administred For though it be necessary to the being of the Church in generall that that and all other Sacraments be lawfully administred and by consequence we may be assured that Christ will in generall prevent all reall wants and obstacles thereto yet it is not necessary that this should be affirmed of each Catholique in particular For to Christians which are adulti that is capable of the exercise of Faith Hope and Charity even actuall Baptisme lawfully administred is not absolutely necessary for in such persons the Votum Baptismi will supply all wants or defects impossible to be avoided and much more certainly will the same Votum serve for other Sacraments as the Eucharist Penance c. 4. Concerning intention which the church in the Councell of Florence in Instr. Arm. and in the Councell of Trent Sess. 7. ca. 11. ha's indeed defined to be a necessary requisite to denominate a Sacrament to be lawfully administred in these words of the Councell of Florence Sacraments are perfected by three things the Matter Form and Person of the Minister conferring the Sacraments with an intention of doing what the church doth of which if any one be wanting the Sacrament is not perfected And these of the Councell of Trent If any man shall say That in Ministers when they administer the Sacraments there is not required an intention at least of doing what the church doth let him be Anathema Mr. Chillingworth might and I am confident did know that the Intention required was such an one as might be found even in Pagans Heretiques Jewes c. administring Baptisme so they do it as executing the Office hypocritically intruded into by them in the due form and with a right pronunciation of the words of the church although in the mean time in the secret of their hearts they did renounce deride and detest that Sacrament and all the efficacy ascribed to it as appears by the Decisions of antient Councells against the Donatists and the Rescripts of Pope Nicholas the first and Alexander the third And hereupon S. Thomas treating of this subject delivers his sense in these words Some answer better sayes he that the Minister of the Sacrament doth operate in the person of the whole Church whose Minister he is and in the words of the church which he pronounctth is expressed the churches intention the which sufficeth to the perfection of a Sacrament unlesse there be an outward expression of the contrary on the part of the Minister or receiver of the Sacrament Upon which grounds I suppose it was that Salmeron the Jesuite and Scribonius Marius a learned Franciscan highly esteemed by Cardinall Perron besides some antient Schoolmen do after this manner with a far greater latitude then generally Controvertists or Schoolmen doe allow endeavour to expresse their sense of S. Thomas and the Decrees of those two Councells viz That in the Minister there may be a twofold intention 1. Meerly speculative inwrap'd in the secrets of his heart and of which no outward sign does appear nor indeed no sufficient one can of this intention the church judgeth not 2. Practicall which relates to the outward act and is thereby really accomplished The former say these Authors unlesse the church shall define the contrary as hitherto to their seeming she ha's not can neither profit nor prejudice in conferring Sacraments If it be an ill malitious intention it may help to damn the person but it will not hinder the validity of the Sacrament nor the efficacy of it The later practicall intention is that which is only to be considered here As a servant that is sent by his Master to deliver possession of a house if he really perform the legall ceremonies and pronounce the words requisite whatsoever thoughts of unwillingnesse reluctancy or contradiction lurk in his breast the delivery will be valid And truly it seems not intelligible how it can be possible for a Minister as a Minister of the Church not compell'd by force nor drawn by promises that knows what he does and clearly shews that he will do what he knows should as the church commands him with all due formality perform a Sacrament and yet at the same time intend or resolve not to do what he does He may possibly have in his wicked heart inward wishes that the Sacrament might want effect or a misbelief that the Sacrament is nothing valuable but a meer superstitious vain or noxious ceremony But as for the thoughts by which performing a Sacrament he would endeavour to intend not to doe that which he intends to do such thoughts seem to be meer aeriall fancies Indeed if he shew his contradiction or intention by any outward sign by which it may be judged that though he observe all the requisite formalities yet he intends them meerly in a mockery as if an Actor upon a Stage should personate the conferring a Sacrament and much more if he neglect the due form of words He will thereby declare that really that is not a Sacrament which he performes but a meer mockery and malitious scornfull Pageantry Those learned and as yet uncensured Authors therefore whose opinions I do here relate only historically do conceive the meaning of the church in the forementioned Decisions to be only this viz. That it is requisite to Sacraments that they be onely this viz. that they be not administred jestingly histrionically and ridiculously but after such a manner that it may reasonably be judged that he who administers them intends to perform his duty and office imposed on him by the church that is to perform and confer a Sacrament and not to play the fool Not that the church ever intended that the Sacraments should be valid or null according to the inward fancies of the administrer or that it should be in the power of an atheisticall or malitious Bishop or Priest to damn all his Diocese and Parish And for a further proof of this it is observeable that even at the very time when this Article concerning the necessity of intention was debated and concluded in the Councell of Trent Catharinus Bishop
and would the State there suffer them to upbraid the sacrilegious usurping of such infinite revenewes as have been ravished both from the living and the dead in that Nation there is no doubt but that practise would have yet continued there for the English church it self hath decided nothing against it excepting only in consequence by denying Purgatory which is necessarily supposed in prayer for the dead Yet I may say they do not indeed deny Purgatory in the whole latitude as the church ha's decided it which obliges no man to any particular conceits about it though perhaps received as a certain Tradition by many credulous Catholikes as if it could be nothing else but a certain subterraneous mansion ful of tortures fire and brimstone c. None of which the church expressely acknowledgeth but only Purgatorium esse animasque ibi detentas sidelium suffragiis potissimùm verò acceptabili altaris sacrificio juvari i. e. That there is a Purgatory and that the souls detained there are benefited by the prayers of the faithfull and especially by the acceptable sacrifice of the Altar Councell of Trent Sess. 15. Yea in the following words that Councell expressely commands Bishops to take care that neither any uncertain groundless or subtill discourses of it should be published to the people in Sermons but onely what is found delivered by the holy Fathers and sacred Councells which is in sum that the souls of Christians not dying in a perfect estate romain in a condition which may be eased and meliorated by the prayers Oblations and Charity of the living according to the expresse assertion of S. Augâ—stine We ought not by any meanes to doubt but that the Dead are helped by the prayers of the holy Church by the saving sacrifice and by the Almes which are distributed for their soules to the end that God may deale with them more mercifully then their sins have deserved For that is a thing which the church observes having received it from the Tradition of the Fathers Aug. de Verb. Apost Ser. 32. Of Indulgences 5. That which the church commands to be believed as Catholique Traditionary doctrine touching this matter of Indulgences is briefely contained in the Bull of Plus IV. relating to the 25. Session of the Councell of Trent in these words I believe that power of Indulgences hath been given and left in the Church by Jesus Christ and that the use of them is very healthfull to Christian people The ground of which doctrine according to the position of Alexander of Hales Durand Paludanus and others quoted at the end of this discourse is the practise of that severe discipline and correction which in the most primitive times was exercised against especially publike and scandalous sinners those severe penitential Canons then executed those painful Exomolâ—geses prostrations cilices weepings covering themselves with ashes rigorous fasts but principally those long abstentions and banishings from the most holy Sacrament yea even from entring any further then into the porch of the church which the primitive zeal imposed upon Delinquents which are mentioned in the most antient Ecclesiastical writers and most expresly in Tertullian and S. Cyprian An example of which severity more rigorous then all before mentioned S. Paul hath left us in that censure of his upon the incestuous Corinthian whom he delivered over to Satan to be tormented by him in the flesh for the saving of his soul l Cor. 5. which censure he calls by a general word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. an objurgation by or before many 2 Cor. 2. 6. from whence ecclesiasticall censures were called in the 7. 8. General Councels 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Notwithstanding to shew that Ecclesiasticall Governors ought to mix Christian charity and meeknesse with their severity especially when they see great signs of compunction and amendment in the Penitents the same Apostle hath left an example likewise of Indulgence and favour to the same person which he expresseth by the two verbs 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. graciously to spare and to comfort In conformity to which rule the Primitive Churches as upon occasion they used great severity so likewise great benignity also to Penitents which S. Cyprian calls the giving of Peace 6. But in succeeding times zeal and servor of devotion growing cold and generally Christians not being able to support so great a rigor the church in wisdome thought fit to qualifie both the severity of penalties imposed to shorten the times of abstention from the holy Eucharist and to grant remission and Indulgence especially in Articulo mortis generally unto all Penitents hence came it that the intercessions of Confessors and Martyrs in behalf of Delinquents were admitted by the Bishops as we read frequently in S. Cyprian hence the two favourable Canons of Indulgence viz. the 10 and 12. of the first Councell of Nice 7. In these last and most wicked times wherein the antient Ecclesiasticall Discipline is almost wholly lost not through any fault of the church which enjoynes all Priests to have before their eyes the antient penitentiall Canons and by them to regulate their penances but through the generall overflowing of coldnesse in devotion prophanenesse and impatience of suffering and likewise through the impudence covetousnesse and partiality of Priests no man can yet deny but that as the power of inflicting censures remains in the church so likewise doth the power of Indulgences 8. Concerning which Indulgences all Catholiques do unanimously agree to these two points 1. That they are profitable and 2. That the Church hath power to grant them according to the Decision of the Councell of Trent But as for the extent of the vertue of Indulgences and as touching the conditions required to the receiving them fruitfully Catholike Divines are divided in their opinions For 1. concerning the extent of their vertue Bellarmine l. 1 de Indulg c. 7. sets down this as an opinion maintained by Catholiques viz. That Indulgences are no other then relaxations of Penalties enjoyned by Confessarii or which ought to have been enjoyned according to the Canons Which opinion saith he is maintained by grave Authors Alexander of Hales sum Theolog. p. 4. q. 23. memb 2. Durand and Paludanus Pope Adrian 6. in 4. Sent. q. de Indulg And likewise by Soto the Dominican and Card. Cajetan both which teach that Indulgences are never granted but for Penalties injoyned Now both these were appointed by the church to maintain the Doctrine concerning Indulgences against the late Heretiques Likewise Maldonate the learned Jesuite in his book de Sacram. c. 2. de Indulg q. 1. 2. p. saith that the opinion That Indulgences are only relaxations of the Penalty either enjoyned in the Sacrament of Penance or ordained by Ecclesiasticall Law seems to him to be the most true opinion because it is held by good Authors and seemes to be demonstrated by unanswerable arguments And in pursuance hereof the same Author produceth eleven reasons
the substance of the three first of which is this Because we ought to believe that the Indulgences now in use in the church are the same that were antiently practised as the Councell of Trent expressely sayes Now saith he we find no other Indulgences in the antient church and Councells but such as we have mentioned Again It was the custome of the church to add this Particle to the Indulgences given De Pooeitentiis injunctis since therefore saith he the church hath so warily expressed her self it would be temerarious to interpret her meaning otherwise The same doctrine is strongly maintained likewise by Estius in 4. Sent. dist 20. ◠10. 9. In the next place concerning the conditions required to receive benefit by Indulgences all Catholiques agree that these three are necessary 1. Authority in him that grants them 2. A just reason for the granting them 3. Due dispositions in the party receiving them Now for this last point Card. Cajetan as he is quoted by Bellarmine l. 1. de Indulg c. 12. maintains That besides the conditions of being in the state of Grace and of accomplishing the actions ordained for the gaining of Indulgences there is a third condition necessary to him that would receive fruit by them which is that he have a will to satisfie God by his own labours as much as he can and that Indulgences are of no profit to those who will not satisfie for themselves when they can From whence he concludes That in such an infinite number of persons that visit the churches in the times of the solemn Stations and the like Indulgences there are but very few that reap the profit of them iudeed This opinion saith Bellarmine is profitable and pious though perhaps it is not true But since Card Bellarmine the learned Estius Chancellor of Doway professes his belief that this opinion is not only profitable and pious but very true See his Comment in 2. Ep. ad Cor. cap. 2. v. 11. as likewise in 4. Sent. dist 20. Sect. 10. The like is strongly maintained by Comitolus a learned Jesuit in Resp. Moral q. 36. who confirmes his opinion by the testimonies of Antisiodorensis Henricus à Gandavo Adrian VI. Boniface VIII Sylvester c. Now the aforesaid Authors who teach that Indulgences are onely relaxations from Penances enjoyned vel ab homine vel à . Canone do not therefore believe that they are satisfactions only to the Church and not to God for Maldonate expressely declares the contrary in these words in the forecited place Cùm injungitur poenitentia ab Ecclesia c. when the Church enjoynes any Penance she enjoynes it not only to the end that by such a Penance we should satisfie the Church but God also Now the Indulgence is answerable unto the Penance enjoyned and by consequence it is granted us not onely to the end that this penalty should be remitted us before the Tribunall of the Church but before Gods Tribunall likewise And from thence he concludes that though Indulgences do regard directly onely Penances which are enjoyned to be accomplished in this world notwithstanding they do consequently deliver from the paines of Purgatory likewise For saith he since God does not punish the same fault twice and since the penalty which men pay in Purgatory is the same with that which they ought to have paid in this world if the Church by the means of Indulgences does remit the penalty which in this life is due to the Justice of God it follows that she remits likewise that which shall be due in Purgatory that is to say that which those living persons to whom such Indulgences are granted ought otherwise to suffer in Purgatory Now whether this Doctrine deserve a separation let all reasonable moderate Christians judge Of Publique service in the Latin tongue 8. This is a matter which concerns only the outward order and decorum of the church an whereof Ecclesiasticall Governours are only to be judges and disposers so that if there be any excesse or inconvenience they only are answerable before Almighty God particular persons are not at all concerned in it Indeed if the Church had appointed her service in the Latin tongue on purpose that the people should not understand it Or if she had decreed that it was a thing unlawfull that any body should praise God with the understanding but onely Priests and Bishops and learned men Protestants might have some pretence for their clamor in this regard But 1. since the Church found her Liturgies in the same tongue through all the Westerne world from the beginning of Christianity 2. Since no example can be found in any antient churches Jewish or Christian Eastern or Westerne that the languages of Publique Service have beene altered though those of the Countryes have beene insomuch as in our Saviours time the Jewish Devotions were performed in Hebrew when the people only understood the Syrian tongue so the Cophtites so the AEthiopians and so the Jewes to this day 3. Since it is apparently both of great comelinesse and benefit that there should be an uniformity in Gods publike worship so as that wheresoever a Christian travels he may as well joyne himself with other Christians in the service of God as when he staid at home 4. Since particularly for the Masse the greatest part of it from all Antiquity was performed in a low voice by the Bishop or Priest the people neither hearing nor in the antient Church seeing him by reason of a vail or curtain which was drawn between the Altar the people excepting only at some certain peculiar times as at the Elevation c. 5. Since the church permits the translating and publishing of her Liturgies since she commands the Priests to explain and inculcate unto the people the meaning of all mysteries and since she furnishes even the most ignorant persons with devotions suitable to their capacities and far more beneficiall to them then the hearing the Psalms and other parts of Scripture read so difficult and abstruse that even the most learned must confesse their inability to comprehend them Lastly since an indiscreet promiscuous exposing of Scriptures hath beene the occasions of so many inconveniences a better though sadder proof whereof cannot be given then in the present state of England where every one reading Scripture and all visible authority of interpreting it so as to oblige others to receive such interpretations being disclaimed every one of those infinite numbers of Sects believe that they find in Scripture sufficient warrant for all such horrible seditions and murders as have lately been committed there Therefore the Catholique church hath esteemed it a thing befitting her wisdome to continue an uniformity in her publike worship received from our Fathers and her care and charity to appoint respectively to every condition and state of Christians their proper allowance and dimensum of spirituall food and to imitate our Saviour who would not reveale even to his Apostles themselves all the mysteries of the
insomuch as the very name of Contemplation is unknown among them I mean in the mysticall sense for all that is understood among them in their Treatises of devotion by that word is only the descanting upon any mystery of divinity or passage of Scripture 8. Finding therefore not only beyond but contrary to my expectation such a treaâ—ure in the Catholique Church as true Devotion an union with and participation of the Divine Nature and the means to purchase this treasure being so obvious there and so unknown all the world over besides could I do lesse then say Quis dabit mibi pennas ficut Columba Who will give me wings like a dâ—ve that I may fly into the wildernesse retired out of the world and be at rest that wildernesse into which God ha's promised that he will bring his chosen ones in which loquetur ad cor corum i. e. He will communicate himself familiarly unto them I do freely confesse my partiality I could not chuse but wish that truth might appear to me to be the companion of Holinesse and that that church which could give such admirable directions to love God might not deceive us when she would instruct us to know him In a word I was the easilier perswaded to believe and submit to the churches authority because thereby I was sure to evacuate pride and an esteem of mine own sufficiency to be mine own directour and by consequence to exercise at least an act of humility and obedience if not of faith 9. As for the prejudices and accusations before mentioned which I once imputed to the Catholike Church the clearing of them is not at all difficult for as for the first the whole force of it lyes in this â— that Christ is accused to have taken care both for the subsistence and honour of his servants and Ministers a fault that no sect can forgive as if they intended to be revenged upon their seducing Ministers by exposing them to beggery and dishonor But this was never the disposition of Catholiques they have alwayes willingly afforded this double honour to the Clergy and yet never any Church upon earth laid so heavy censures upon avarice Usury and Simony as the Catholique Church both done Concerning the 2. the prostitution of Indulgences and Pardons is in formall words condemned by the Councell of Trent So that it is not the Church which opens Paradice so freely to rich men but only particular avaricious Priests who I fear do by such vain promises shut it both against themselves and such customers To the 3. the imputation onely concernes two or three private Casuists so far from being justified by the church that the Pope hath expressely censured and condemned them Concerning the 4. I fear indeed the scandall of prostituting absolutions for the greatest crimes upon ridiculous penances is but too common but yet without any fault of the church yea we may reasonably judge of the mind of the Councell of Trent in that respect by the zealous practises of S. Charls Barromée then whom no man had a greater influence upon that Councell who immediatly after its dissolution spent himself wholly in endeavouring to restore the antient discipline as far as this wicked age could bear it according to the mind of that Councell For the 5. as the rest it only reflect upon particular persons and touches not the church at all The like may be said of the last which speaks of Attrition and the sufficiency thereof with the Sacrament of Penance to qualifie a person guilty of sin for Remission Upon better enquiry I found that all Catholique Authors though they assent to that doctrine in grosse yet they do not all agree in their explication of the notion of Attrition For in direct opposition to my pre-conceived prejudice I find that not to speak of Jansenius and his followers who professe to embrace S. Augustines Doctrine therein the learned Estius and Sylvius the former in l. 4. sentent dist 16. 9. and the latter in suppl D. Tho. ad 3. p. a. 1. q. 1. do thus expresse themselves that there are foure acceptions of the word Attrition according to four Motives unto sorrow for sin 1. Out of meer naturall and humane motives as losse of goods fame health c. 2. Out of fear of hell and not at all the love of God 3. For the offence indeed committed against God but yet this out of an in-efficacious suspended and meer optative will Now none of these three say they are sufficient even with the Sacrament to qualifie a sinner for the remission of his sins But only the fourth which is indeed essentially Contrition but an imperfect one according to the expression of the Councell of Trent being a Grief for sin because God is offended joyn'd with an absolute purpose no more to offend him and proceeding from a will to please him as deserving to be loved above all things though this will be as yet feeble remisse and imperfect This they say is the lowest qualification that with the Sacrament can suffice to remission of sins And this they resolutely contend to be the sense of the Councell of Trent grounding themselves upon this to their seeming firm foundation viz. That it is against Scriptures and the Doctrine of the antient Church to say that a man without any degree of true charity can be capable of the remission of his sins or the favour of God But very many dissent from the riâ—ouâ— of this â—â—eir explâ— cation That which the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 14. â—â— 4. concerning this point is That Aâ—trition call'd there imperfect Contrition excluding a will of sinning and joyn'd with a hope of pardon but arising from a consideration of the filthinesse of sin and fear of punishment for it although without the Sacrament of Penance it cannot of it selfe bring a sinner to justification yet it disposes him to the obteining the Grace of God in that Sacrament And that it does not as Calvin affirmes make a man a hypocrite or more a sinner then before but on the contraery that it is a gift of God and an impulse of the holy Spirit not yet inhabiting in man but only moving him by whicâ— a penitent being helped doth prepare unto himselfe a way unto righteousness Then which what could be spoken more moderately cantelously and piously To conclude this argument Scandalls there will and must be in the church to the end of the world as our Saviour foretold and withall as he foretold a grievous woe to the authors of them and a blessing proportionable to those that would not be scandalized that is that neither would joyne in heart to consent to such scandalls nor out of hatred of them to usurp the Angells office who only are deputed to separate and pluck up all scandalls at the end of the world or to rent the mysticall body of Christ. CHAP. V. The Conclusion wherein the imputation of inconstancy charged upon the Author is answered as likewise of forsaking
some cases it is within the power of the Church to invent de novo some word or phrase proper to signifie and express a Traditionary doctrine namely in contradiction to any Haeresie arising and opposing Apostolique Revelations shining in the publique profession and practise of the Church So to condemn the Arians denying the Divinity of our Saviour the Fathers of the Councell of Nice made choice of the terme 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 though new yet answerable to the sense and notion of that mystery which was received by Tradition in the Church a terme directly and specifically opposite to the Arian Position In like manner the Church of late devised a new or rather borrowed of some particular ancient Father the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Transubstantiation as most proper to expresse the notion which in all ages has been received in the Church concerning the Reall Presence of the body of Christ in Blessed Sacrament a terme which like the flaming two-edged waving sword of the Cherub cuts assunder on all sides whatsoever new Heresies do or probably ever shall devise to oppose that Mystery 5. Notwithstanding some certaine Traditions there were which in the Primitive times were kept secret among the principall Ecclesiasticall Governours as certaine sublime Doctrines the ceremonious formes of conferring some Sacraments of making the holy Chrismes Oyle c. which seemes to have been done partly to gaine a reverence to the Clergy as more neerly approaching to the Divine Light But principally not to expose such Mysteries to the scornfull and profane interpretation of the Heathens or to the weak understandings of the ignorant and not yet sufficiently instructed Christians according to the practise of S. Paul himselfe 1 Cor c. 2. who saith Sapientiam loquimur inter perfectos Wee spèake sublime wisedome among those that are perfect Hence those earnest adjurations in the writings of some very ancient Bishops whereby they conjured others of their own rank when they communicated to them certaine sublime mysteries to preserve in a deep secrecy what they so received a memorable instance we have of this caution in the Books of S. Denis Areopagite Hier. Eccl. c 1. Hence those disguisings of other Mysteries in Books which were to passe publiquely abroad Hence those sudden interruptions when they were ready to discover unawares somewhat above the capacity of their hearers Pagans or Catechumens Frequent examples I could alledge out of S. Epiphanius S. Chrysostome S. Augustine end others But Cuiâ— bono in this placed Since Paganisme has been utterly abolished and meanes of instruction more common and promiscuous especially since the invention of Printing whether happy or not it is doubtfull this cautelous reservednesse has beene out of use perhaps with no little prejudice to the Church in so much as nothing is reserved now in the brests of the Church-Governours even the anciently most secret Ceremonies are divuled to all Mens knowledge So that now Tradition is far more loud and visible then ever it was before and no ground for Protestants to pretend to any suspition that under a shew of Tradition the Church has a mind to exercise either Tyranny or cunning to gaine authority to her determinations 6. Now from this generall Traditionary way of conveying Christian Doctrines c. it came to passe that many Fathers being assured of the truth and authenticknesse of such Traditions and willing to assert them out of Scripture also have interpreted many Texts as conteining such Doctrines which either did not at all afford such a sence or at least not necessarily though perhaps the outward sound of the words might put a man in mind of such Doctrines Examples of this are not a few particularly in the points of Purgatory Prayer to Saints c. So that whereas Protestants cry Victory when they can prove or at least make probable that such Fathers have been mistaken in such interpretations as if the doctrines thence deduced were confuted in my opinion it is without any ground since on the contrary the lesse force that such Texts of Scripture have to evince such doctrines the greater and stronger proofe have such Traditions seeing the Fathers prepossessed with a beliefe of them from the publique practise of the Church accounted them so apparent that they thought they saw them even where they were not at all And therefore when the Church commands us not to oppose the interpretations which the greatest part of Fathers unanimously make of Scripture I conceive she does not a waies oblige Catholiques thereby to give the same sense to Texts which the greatest part of Fathers doe but rather not so to interpret any Text as to contradict the Traditionary doctrines believed generally by the Fathers upon this safe ground of Tradition though perhaps not Logically enough deduced from such speciall passages of Scripture so that though perhaps their commentaries there may be questioned the doctrine in the commentaries ought to be embraced CHAP. X. The second preparatory ground viz. Occasion of writing the Gospells c. 1. IT may now be demanded if this way of conveying Christian doctrines be so much clearer and safer than writing books or any other way of transmitting recordes to what purpose were the Evangelicall bookes written and why were the necessary points of faith reduced into such a prescribed form in the Apostles Creed 2. To say something for answer and first concerning the Creed The end why that was compiled seemes to have been to bring into a short and cleare abridgement the principall points of Christian Religion to be repeated at any ones initiation into Christianity by Baptisme being as it were an enlargement of that forme of Baptising prescribed by our Saviour viz. Baptizo te in nomine Patris Filii Spiritus sancti Now in what senseâ— and in respect of what Persons in what State or Order the Creed may be said to contein all points of faith necessary to Salvation shall be shewd hereafter As to our present purpose we may observe 1. That the Creed seemes to be of a middle nature betweene written bookes and Orall Tradition as a prescribed forme of words so it approaches to the former but as committed by all to memory and actually repeated at Baptisme and other publique Devotions so it partakes much of the latter 2. What extreame advantage Tradition has for its preservation beyond any writing seeing the Creed after it was enlarged by partaking thereof has preserved it selfe from any variety or corruption all the Church over to this day It is true indeed that insome Churches viz in Afâ—ica in the first beginning of Christianity there was a small difference their Creed wanting these words Communion of Saints the sense whereof notwithstanding may probably be supposed to have been included in the Article concerning the holy Catholique Church as may be observed in the Creeds extant in the African Fathers Tertullian S. Cyprian S. Optatus and S. Augustin Which difference it is not imaginable should have come by
latter CHAP. XIII An answer to Mr. Chillingworth's discourse and reasonings premised before his proofes out of Scripture 1. BUt to come at last to Mr. Chillingworth's reasons and quotations out of Scripture to prove that all things necessary to salvation are not onely sufficiently conteined in the bookes of Scripture in generall but even in any one of the Gospells mentioned before cap. 26. And first for the examination of that which he layes as a ground of his enforcing the said quotations viz. That no man ought to be obliged upon paine of Excommunication to believe any thing but what God hath revealed to be necessary to eternall salvation which is the substance of the New Covenant made by God in Christ conteining points of necessary beliefe and precepts of necessary Evangelicall obedience His reasons being Why should any errour or ignorance exclude him from the Churches Communion which will not deprive him of eternall salvatio Why should men be more rigid then God c. 2. In stead of answering to this I acknowledge the foundation to be very substantiall and the Reasons very concluding Onely I must take leave to explaine one phrase in this discourse viz. Things which are of the substance of the New Covenant For if his meaning be that onely those things are necessary to be believed explicitely which are essentiall substantiall parts of the New Covenant and that directly and of their owne nature I must then deny it and so does himselfe elsewhere although in this place that which followes in consequence to this foundation does seeme to require such a sence of the words And to prove the reasonablenesse of my denyall he being now unfortunately dead I desire any Protestant to resolve these questions To believe that our Lord was descended according to the flesh from Abraham or David is it of the substance of the New Covenant directly and of its own Nature We shall both of us answer No. Nor by consequence is it necessary to salvation to know or believe it I aske then further But suppose a man finde that proposition expresly in Scriptures sufficiently proposed to him and acknowledged to be the word of God is it not then necessary to salvation to believe it I will answer againe as both of us should doe Yes without any question the reason being evident because though to believe Christ to be the Son of Abraham be not in it selfe of the essence of the Covenant yet to believe that whatsoever God sayes is true is and by consequence an accessory may by some circumstances be made essentiall and a man may come to be damned for not believing that which without any the least prejudice to him he might never have known or heard of So likewise for any one who believes that the Church is the depositary of divine Revelation and that she is endued with authority from Christ to command things though in themselves not necessary yet such as she thinkes helpfull to piety for such a man I say to refuse to believe the unlawfulnesse of Rebaptization for example acknowledged by the whole Church both in her universall practise and profession that it was a Tradition unwritten which came from the Apostles and confirm'd by the authority of a lawfull Councell or againe to refuse to absteine and fast in Lent Fridayes Quatuor-Temporibus c. the Church commanding him both these refusalls though the former be of a doctrine of it selfe not of the essence of the New Covenant and the later of an action little more then circumstantiall are mortall sinnes and the Church may justly excommunicate and by consequence God will assureedly condemne such as persist obstinately in such refusalls And this for a reason more effectuall then the former because namely obedience to the Chnrch is not onely commanded expresly in Scripture as in the former case but commanded under this very penalty of Excommunication which the former was not for saith our Lord If any one heare not the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen and a Publican 3. But to proceede Mr. Chillingworth to prove that this New Covenant is entirely conteined not onely in the whole Scripture but also in the foure Gospells yea sufficiently even in any one of the foure he first alledges these reasons Because saith he the Evangelist's having a purpose to write the Gospell of Christ or new Covenant no reason can be imagined that they who have set downe many passages unnecessary should neglect any necessary for what a negligence must this needs be such an one surely as no man in these dayes undertaking the same designe would commit Besides with what truth could they stile their bookes the Gospell of Christ if they were onely a part of it 4. Hereto I answer that if by the Gospell of Christ he had meant the story of the life acts discourses sufferings death Resurrection and Ascension of our Saviour as I mentioned in my preparatory grounds I should willingly grant that the foure Evangelists joyntly have written the Gospell of Christ entirely not omitting any passage thereof necessary or very requisite to be known I say the foure Evangelists joyntly for of each severally I cannot say so For for example S. Marke either because S. Mathew had done it sufficiently before or for what other reason I will not trouble my selfe to divine but S. Marke omitting the Incarnation of our Lord of a pure Virgin his birth and all things that followed till he was thirty yeares old begins his Gospell with S. Iohn Baptists mission to preach now I suppose these Mysteries omitted by S. Marke are at least in a high degree requisite to be known and believed generally yea I will adde necessary since they are expressed in the Apostles Creed as short as it is yet not necessary absolutely and indispensably to every person in what state soever but only to those that live in the Church much more to persons of ability and parts yet more to Teachers and most of all to Congregations and Churches and if so then that which Master Chillingworth would conclude from hence cannot be satisfactory in this controversie among such persons and Sects and at this time as I shewed before So likewise the Evangelist S. John besides almost all the miracles Sermons and parables mentioned by other Evangelists omitt's the Blessed Sacrament and the Story of our Saviours Ascension Now I desire any Protestant to say whether what ever would become of some particular person ignorant of these things by an excuse of an impossibility of instruction a man living as now in sufficient light and much more one obliged to be a teacher of others could be saved with ignorance of these things omitted by S. John I further desire him to say whether a society of men desiring to be joyned and ordered so as to be made a Christian Church if they had onely S. Johns Gospell for their Rule and patterne yea though they had all the foure Evangelists yea all the Evangelicall writings whether
Scriptures any example of such a thing yet the truth of the same Scriptures is held of us in this matter when we doe that which pleaseth the whole Church the which the authority of the same Scriptures doth commend that because the holy Scriptures cannot deceive us whosoever feareth to be deceived with the obscurity of this question let him require the judgement of the Church which the Holy Scriptures without any ambiguity doe demonstrate to the end that because the Scriptures cannot deceive us whoseover is afraid to be deceived by the obscurity of any question may have recourse to the Churches judgement concerning it the which Church the Holy Scriptures demonstrate without any ambiguity 6. Witnesse S. Vincentius Lyrinensis c. 2. Inasmuch as all do not take the Scripture in the same sense by reason of it's profundity but some on one fashion some on another so that almost as many sences may seem to be drawn from it as there are men for Novatianus expounds it one way Photinus another Sabellius another Donatus another Arius Eunomius Macedonius another Apollinarius and Priscillian another Iovinian Pelagius Caelestius another And lastly Nestorius another For this reason to avoyd the labyrinth of so many contrary errours it is very necessary that the line of Propheticall and Apostolicall conceptions should be drawn according to the rule of Ecclesiasticall and Catholique sense or intelligence Witnesse lastly S. Leo It is not to be doubted but that all Christian observance is of divine institution and that whatsoever is received by the Church into the custome of devotion doth come from Apostolicall Tradition from the doctrine of the Holy Ghost who doth also now preside over his own institutes in the hearts of the Faithfull that all both obediently observe and wisely understand them Serm. 2. de Ieiun Pent. CHAP. XX. Quotations out of Antiquity for the authority of Councells A contrary character of Heretiques 1. TO the former quotations so expresse so efficacious to assert the Churches authority in points of Religion from which there lyes no appeale I will adjoyne other testimonies of Antiquity to demonstrate the veneration given by all Orthodox Fathers to the Councells of the Church their acknowledgement of their obliging authority and how in obedience to them they submitted their owne particular opinions Witnesse hereof may be either the Apostles themselves or Apostolique Fathers at least in those most ancient Canons whereto S Clement also gives testimony who appointed that Bishops should twice in the year keep Councells and among themselves examine the decrees of Religion and compose such Ecclesiasticall controversies as should arise the first in the fourth week after Pentecost and the second on the twelfth day of Hyperberitaei Octob. Witnesse S. Ignatius Ep. ad Smyrn Do you all follow the Bishop as Christ did his Father Without the Bishop let no man praesume to do any of those things which belong to the Church The same Holy Father Ep. ad Policarp testifieth that it was the order in his time that Syâ—ods and assemblies of Bishhops were frequently celebrated Witnesse Tertullian cont Psych cap. 13. In those countrys of Greece there are assembled in certaine appointed places Councells out of all Churches by which both things of higher importance are agitated in commune and the representation of the whole Christian name is celebrated with great veneration Witnesse that glorious Emperour Constantine in his Epistle to the Churches mentioned by Socrates Hist. Eccl lib. 1. cap. 6. where he saith Whatsoever is decreed in the Holy Councell of Bishops that is universally to be ascribed to the Divine Will Witnesse S. Gregory Nazianzen Ep. ad Chelid Those that agree with Apollinards say that they were admitted by the Councell of the West or Roman Bishop by whom it is manifest they were once condemned Let them shew this and we will yeild for then it is manifest that they assent to the true doctrine for it cannot be otherwise if they have obtained this Witnesse S. Ambrose de Fid. ad Grat. lib. 3. c 7. who calls the decrees of the Councell of Nice haereditariâ— signacula not to be violated by the rash boldnesse of any man And many expressions to the same effect are extant in S. Hilary in his booke addressed to the Emperour Constantius 2 Witnesse S. Augustin con Don. lib. 7. con Crescon lib. 1. It is to us a safe thing not to rush forward in any rashnesse of opinion concerning those things which neither have been agitated in any Catholique-National-Synod nor determined in any Occumenicall but to maintaine that with the assurance of a secure voice which in the government of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ hath been strengthned with the consent of the universall Church And againe In the former ages of the Church before the Schisme of Donatus Id. de Bapt. con Don. I. 1. The obscurity of that Question viz concerning Rebaptization of Haeretiques compelled great persons and endued with great charity to dispute and debate among themselves however without any breach of peace In so much that in severall Countreys for a long time the decisions of severall Councells did vary and clash among themselves untill in a Plenary Councell of the whole world that which was soundly believed was without all manner of doubt confirmed Again Id. con Parm Ep. lib. 2 the question being whether Baptisme can be given by those men also who never have been Christians we ought not to affirme determinately any thing therein without the authority of a Councell so great as may be answerable to the greatnesse of the matter But concerning those who are separated from the unity of the Church there is no question at all but that they doe both reteine it and communicate it and that they do both perniciously reteine and perniciously communicate it without the bond of Peace for this hath been already agitated considered perfected and confirmed in the unity of the whole world And againe Id. de Bapt. con Don. lib. 2. cap. 4. Neither durst we affirme any such thing if we were not well grounded upon the most uniforme authority of the universall Church unto which undoubtedly S. Cyprian would have yeelded if in his time the truth of this question had been discussed and declared and by a Generall Councel established Lastly to omit many expresse testimonies of Vincentius Lyrinensis Facundus c. the last witnesse shall be S. Gregory the Great Ep. 24. who professeth that he receives and venerates the fower first Generall Councells no otherwise then the fower Gospells as likewise that he doth in like manner embrace the fifth Councell This was the language of the Catholique Fathers when they wrote many of them purposely upon this very Question And besides these testimonies other will be produced occasionally in the following discourse 3. On the contrary Haeritiques as S. Basile observes doe generally agree 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to raise an altar in opposition to the altar of the
to exhort Catholiques treating with them especially in such times as these that the fields are even white unto the Harvest and that very many more may probably be won by a charitable complyance yet still without wrong to necessary Catholique doctrine God forbid else then perhaps by the most convincing arguments of reason That they would condescend so far either to the misunderstandings prejudices or infirmity of Protestants as since the Church her self obliges no man to those very expresse termes for a while either to abstain from them in disputes or using them to do it with a qualifying preface urging and fastning no stricter a sense on them then the Churches own Decision of her authority doth require Certainly the receiving of a soul from Heresie and Schisme is a work so infinitely precious and meritorious before Almighty God that it will deserve that we should employ in it not only all our strength of wit and learning but all our charity likwise so imitating the great example of that great Conductor of souls S. Paul who told the Corinthians Astutus dolo vos cepi that is being crafty I caught you with guile namely by instilling Christian Doctrines into their minds leisurely and seasonably neither out of time enforcing unnecessary truths upon them nor hastily and abruptly urging even necessary but perhaps unwelcome ones till he had prudently prepared a way for them Now if we entreating with well minded but seduced souls would imitating S. Paul only propose to them at the first necessary doctrines and those represented with all the lawfull inviting advantages and most easie constructions we should no doubt make many points from which for the present through misapprehension they have a strong aversion very receiveable and very easily digestable to them And by these meanes having been happy instruments of restoring them to the Church we may at leasure if we have a mind seek to induce them to adhere unto and declare themselves for our particular opinions and distinctive interpretations of common points 7. But to return from this digression I most affectionately entreat the Protestants that they would heedfully cast their eyes upon this decree of the Councell of Trent that they would peruse and turn it as they please and when they have done this let them consider if a Synod of Charenton or Dort or Gap do not even while they renounce all visible obliging authority usurp notwithstanding more then the Catholike Church here challenges Would any of them give leave to any among them to interpret Scriptures against their sense established by them Nay do not they command men to interpret Scriptures against doctrines unanimously consented to by Fathers Lastly would they suffer a French Protestant to interpret Scriptures but even as their brethren Protestants in in England heretofore during their prosperity graced by them with that title do ordinarily interpret them for example about Episcopacy reall Presence c If therefore such fragments of churches do allow themselves so much let Protestants try if they can be unreasonable enough to impute tyranny to the Catholique Church for forbidding any in her communion to invent new senses of Scripture contrary not onely to the doctrine universally embraced through the whole Catholike world but to this doctrine as professed to be the same which all Churches before and all Fathers unanimously consent in CHAP. XXII The method whereby the Author arrived to an entire satisfaction concerning the Churches authority 1. I Will now proceed in my narration how and by what meanes after I had informed my selfe of the Roman Churches established doctrine concerning her authority and after I had been assured by very learned Catholiques that I was not obliged to build upon any other expression of this doctrine but that of the Church it selfe I in ashort time arrived to a full satisfaction of all the difficulties and prejudices that before I was incombred withall 2. The objections and difficulties by education and many yeares study setled in my mind against the Churches infallibility or authority and which were not suddainly cleared after I knew that the Church was more moderate and condescending then I had before believed respected not only the substance of this doctrine but likewise many particulars and circumstances of it as likewise the immediate consequences of it forexample How it could be justifyed with certainty sufficient to support a supernaturall faith that the Church was legally possessed of this authority Where this authority was scated whether in the whole Church or some speciall members of it Upon what grounds it was challenged How far it was extended And after all these what might appeare to me to be the most rationall way for a Catholique to expresse his resolution of faith so confidently by all Protestants charged with circles and absurdities 3. To gaine satisfaction in these points as for the foundation I resolved only to consider what the Church her selfe sayd so for an information more particular since the church had not descended to so punctuall an expression of her mind conceived it my best way to have recourse either to the writings or verball resolutions of such Catholiques of unsuspected Opinions as had expressed themselves the most moderately intelligibly with allowing the greatest latitude and lastly most approaching to the grounds which I thought before to be most reasonable The particular persons whose speeches or writings contributed most to my satisfaction I shall occasionally name or reflect upon in the pursuance of this Narration 4. Now I do not vainly pretend to or so much as trouble my self with wishing that any man Catholique or other should believe that the method according to which I proceeded or the grounds which in mine own reasoning I laid were more rationall then others for my intent is only to make an Exomologesis or account of that particular order and progresse whereby I attained repose of mind in the authority of the Church and great contentment in abasing and captivating my reason It will be sufficient for me if the grounds by me laid and inferences from them deserve not to be condemned by Catholiques to prevent which I may with confidence say that I took very good advice and used very great circumspâ—â—â—ion Let them be accounted as imperfect as any man shall please I am very well contented that others should tell me that they could have furnished me with better This only I have to say that purposing to write mine own story and not directions for others I am resolved to tell it freely and ingenuously without concealing whatsoever defaults or wickednesses may by others be imputed to it CHAP. XXIII Grounds laid to prove a certainty of Tradition Severall degrees of it 1. SOme of the grounds laid by me in preparation to a distinct conception and satisfaction concerning the Churches authority founded upon Tradition and the certainty thereof have been already occasionally though somwhat before their due season mentioned in the former conclusion cap. 8. and 9. The substance
3. As concerning books of Scripture the Tradition of them may appear certaine in a high degree at least for the substance of the books For though at first they were written for the use and necessity of particular Churches and persons and no Obligation appears expressely to have been imposed to disperse them through the whole Church Notwithstanding the infinite reverence which all Christians bore to the Apostles made every church desirous to possesse themselves of whatsoever writings proceeded from them Yet this not out of any extreme necessity for from their first foundation all churches were instructed in all points and doctrines of Christianity as likewise the same orders of government publique worship c. and this after an uniform manner as appeared to me evident not only from the antient Liturgies but severall testimonies out of Tertullian S. Epiphanius S. Augustine c. But there was required a long time e're such writings could be universally spread yea several ages were passed before they were all of them received even at Rome it self as appears out of S. Hierome For before they were admitted into the Canon we may be sure that great caution and exact information was used So that after all this they having been now many ages acknowledged by the whole church for divine writings we may have a greater assurance of them then of the books of Aristotle Cicero c. which by reason men were not much concerned whether they were legitimate or supposititious have not been examined with so much advice and caution and yet that man that should pretend to a doubt of them would be suspected of all men to be tainted in his understanding But this high degree of certitude we have only of the divine books considered in gross not of the true reading of particular Texts as appears by the infinite variety of readings in Manuscripts yet even in this respect also we may assure our selves that there is no corruption very considerable or of very dangerous consequence by considering not only Gods providence and promises to his church but likewise by comparing the originall Texts with such a world of Translations Syriake Arabick AEthiopian Latin c. many of which were made in the very infancy of the church long before the Archetype or Original copies were lost some of which Tertullian sayes remained in his dayes 4. In the third place reason told me that such ceremonies as were universally practised through the whole church from the first times though not mentioned in Scripture might justifie themselves to be derived from the Apostles with a greater certainty then even the books of Scripture themselves according to that saying of S. Augustine Ep. 118. Those things which we observe and are not written but delivered and are practised all the world over are to be understood to have been commanded and appointed either by the Apostles themselves or by Generall Councells the authority whereof is most healthfull in the Church Which Tertullian before him thus expressed de Praesor This custome certainly proceeded from Apostolique Tradition for how could that come into generall practise which was not delivered by Tradition Now of such kind of rites many examples are extant in antient Liturgies and many more mentioned as universally received by Tertullian S. Cyprian c. who wrote before there had been in the church any plenary Councell and therefore by S. Augustines rule argue such rites to have come from the Apostles The reason is because it is not imagineable how it could be possible that such rites should be received by all churches through the world and that so immediately after the Apostles times and in such a season when there had never been any generall meeting of Bishops yea when by reason of the horriblenesse of the persecutions it was extremely difficult for the Bishops of one Province to meet together to settle particular necessary affairs in none of which Synods notwithstanding is the least mention made of ordaining such ceremonies if together with Christian Religion they had not been introduced by the Apostles Let now any reasonable man judge if the books of Scripture which he acknowledges only upon the ground of generall Tradition however certainly and unquestionably divine yet do not want some of these arguments of demonstration and enjoy some of the rest in an inferiour degree 5. But fourthly Doctrines or customes shining in the generall practise of the Church and withall more or Lesse clearly expressed in Scripture that is indeed the whole substance and and frame of Christian Religion as was shewed before and therein many points now in controversie between Catholiques and Protestants c. and above all other this point of the Churches authority may prove themselves certain in a degree beyond all these and with as much assurance as Tradition is capable of I am confidently perswaded beyond the highest degree that I mentioned for secular Tradition in the example of King William the Conqueror of England For first all the persons living in the time of Luthers Apostacy in all Provinces not of one Kingdome but of the whole Catholique Church agreed in testifying that their ancestours had delivered such things to them as of Tradition Apostolicall and by consequence since the contrary cannot be made apparent we are to judge the same of all precedent ages ascending upwards till the first times not one Catholique expressely dissenting and much lesse any one age So that unlesse in some one age of the church all Catholiques should should have conspired to tell a lye to their children and not only so but should have been able to have seduced them not one appearing that would have the honesty to discover the deceit I could not conceive it possible that a Tradition of such a nature could be false Add to the confirmation of the same doctrines the testimonies of Histories and Records yea even of enemies for many doctrines and practises Moreover the laws continually in force through the Catholike Church lastly the publike forms of Devotions Feasts times of mortifications c. All these arguments of certainty conspire in a far more eminent manner to prove these kind of doctrines and rites then in the example of William the Conquerour 5. But beyond all these something may be added to which that secular example doth in no visible distance approach For did William the Conqueror ever appoint any persons about him to write all the considerable particulars of his story supplying them with all things for the enabling them to that purpose Did he work miracles himself for the confirming his authority and give power to his servants and their successors for severall ages to do the like Did he appoint a succession of Teachers to the worlds end sufficiently instructed commanding them to keep warily the depositum of that Religion both from mixture and perishing and so to deliver it to their successors and this upon great penalties of disobeying Did he besides solemn dayes for severall uses institute outward rites
expound Heresies have been so far from prevailing against the Church that they are utterly vanished and the Church built upon that Rock which gave Peter that his new name continues firm and unmoveable and no doubt will do so to the end of the world whatsoever engines of cunning malice or rebellion the Calvinists and other bloudy Sects do raise against it to batter it with greater violence then ever before 6. I am the more confirmed in joyning thus with the Fathers because I perceive that they yea that one single Father of the first magnitude S. Augustine ha's already answered all the most considerable arguments which the Protestants of these times are ready to borrow of their Fathers the Donatists c. to destroy the authority of the Church He ha's already cleared the objection from the example of the Jewish Church reduced to such an almost invisible estate that there were left no more then seven thousand men and those hidden which had not bowed the knee to Baal And from that speech When the â—on of Man comes shall he find faith upon earth and Come out of Babylon my people and from the example of that great Eclipse in the Catholique Church during the interregnum of Arianisme S. Aug. collat post con Don. cap. 20. id l. 81. quaest qu. 61. id dâ— Un. Eccl. S. Hier. con Lucif S. Aug. Ep. 48. CHAP. XXIX The Objection from the overflowing of Arianisme in the Church answered Mr. Chillingworth's objection That Christs promises are conditionall answered 1. THis last objection concerning Arianisme because even the-now-English-Protestants think they have great advantage from it I am not in so much hast to draw towards an end of this conclusion but I can be content to set down S. Augustin's answer to it with a short Appendix It seems the Donatists took the advantage from some hyperbolicall language of S. Hilary concerning the great deluge of Arianisme upon the Church to enervate the promises of Christ concerning the extension and duration of it To this S. Augustine Ep. 48. thus answers That time concerning which Hilary wrote was such that thou hast thought that thou mightst privily assault such a number of divine testimonies as if the Church were perished out of the world c. Hilary therefore either blames only the tares which were in the ten Asian Provinces and not the wheat or he thought fit therefore the more profitably by how much the more vehemently to blame the wheat which by some default was in danger For even the Canonicall Scriptures have this customâ— in reprehensions that the word seems to be addressed to all when it reaches home only to some few 2. For confirmation of this answer of S. Augustine it may be observed 1. That the violent brunt of that Persecution of the Catholiques by the Arrians lasted scarce four years namely from the Councell of Ariminum to the death of the Emperour Constantius 2. That during that time the Western Churches felt little change by that Persecution 3. That those who subscribed the cunningly contrived Creed at Ariminum did not intend to prejudice thereby the faith of the Councell of Nice since the new Creed was capable of a Catholique sense 4. That even in the East very many glorious Catholique Bishops survived the fury of the Arrians 5. That the succession of Catholique Bishops was so far from being interrupted thereby that S. Hierome who lived neer those times professeth that in his daies there was not one Bishop in the Catholique Church that was not a legitimate successor of those glorious Prelates of the Councell of Nice From all which considerations we may rationally collect that our Lord in this example gave a warning to the Rulers of his Church to be vigilant to prevent the like dangerous Heresies for the future but withall to be confident in his promises since he had been so carefull to perform them that when Heresie had all imagineable advantages yet he provided so for his Church by putting an end to those tentations that the succession of lawfull Bishops was not at all interrupted by them 3. Beside these Mr. Chillingworth produceth an engine his friends know from what forge to invalidate as he believed all manner of advantage which Catholiques reap from the promises of Christ concerning a perpetuall succession of his Church by saying that those promises are onely conditionall viz. If Christians would make use of and improve those meanes that Christ had left for the propagation of his Church otherwise not 4. But hereto the answer is very ready For 1. All that is alledged is spoken meerly gratis there being no warrant from any circumstance in those Texts wherein such promises are contained for such an interpretation and therefore when plain Texts are and have been interpreted in a sense absolute by all Catholiques of all times a new unnecessary interpretation will certainly find no entertainment with any unlesse it be such as make antiquity a prejudice to truth 2. M. Chillingworth applies this interpretation to future times onely not to passed or present so that thereby it shakes onely our hope for succeeding times not our faith for the passed or present and therefore it is not availeable in the dispute in hand concerning the Roman Catholique Church which all English Protestants acknowledge to be a true Church of Christ defective in no necessary truths all the fault being her superabundance 5. And for this reason it was that generally he was blamed and I my selfe have often taxed him for serving himself of so scandalous and as we thought so uselesse an interpretation But upon more serious consideration I judged not him unreasonable for it but my selfe and others not quick-sighted enough to perceive the necessity he had though he never discovered himselfe plainly to any man as far as I know to make use of so desperate a glosse For doubtless he saw clearly that if there were such absolute Promises of indefectibility and divine assistance to the Catholique Church none could with any justice challenge them but the Roman Church since she only appropriates them to her present Communion all others laying down their claim The speciall allegations which she may produce to prove her self in a speciall manner interessed in these promises I shall take notice of in the last conclusion Lastly S. Augustine will afford us a satisfactory answer who to the like objection of the Donatists viz. Men would not persevere and therefore Christian Religion hath failed out of all Nations except only the party of Donatus Answers him As if the Holy Ghost was ignorant what would be the future wills of men which yet foreseeing notwithstanding foretold that the Church of Christ should endure for ever De unit Eccl. c. 12. CHAP. XXX The generall ground of the Churches authority viz. Christs promises The severall subjects and acts thereof 1. TO return therefore to the authority of the present Catholique Church by vertue of which she obligeth all men in her communion
not only to receive the Scriptures from her as a depositary of them but the true interpretation likewise of them preserved by her together with all other Traditions as much as concerns the substance of Christian Religion This authority seems to be grounded especially upon the promise of indefectibility an indefectibility I mean of the Church considered as one body composed of parts ruling and obeying teachers and persons instructed as S. Paul describes the Church as it is to continue to the perfecting of the Saints Eph. 4. Not as Mr. Chillingworth who would make our Saviours meaning to be no more but that till his second coming his Gospell should not be so utterly rooted out of the world but that somewhere or other there should be some that should professe it 2. By vertue of this promise the Church is assured 1. not to be deprived neither of any necessary truths nor of lawfull Pastors to teach those necessary truths when I say necessary I mean not absolutely necessary to every single person considered in any circumstance exigence or extremity as Mr. Chillingworth and Doctor Potter c. through their whole books understand it whether mistaking their adversaries or no I thought it unnecessary to trouble my self to examine but I am sure without any prejudice to the established doctrine of the Church which remains untouched though all the inferences which they would make from such a notion of the word necessary were allowed them but I mean truths necessary to the constitution of a glorious visible Church which must be furnished with a world of Doctrines and Orders which to all single persons are far from being necessary to be believed or known much lesse to persons wanting abilities or means or time to be instructed 2. She is secured from Schisme or Heresie for remaining to the worlds end one holy Catholique Church as we professe in the Creed how can she be divided from her self either in Faith or Charity For unlesse all Bishops in Councells Oecumenicall and indeed all Christians should conspire to renounce that truth to day which they believed yesterday how can novelty or heresie enter universally into the Church under the notion of Tradition 3. Concerning the subject of this authority the principall subjects are indeed the Governours and Pastours of the Church with whom Christ hath promised that he will be to the end of the world But the adequate subject are all Catholique Christians as well instructers as instructed since Tradition is continued by them both shining in the doctrines taught and received in devotions exercised and in outward practises and ceremonies celebrated by all Christians 4 Now of this authority of the Church there are generally speaking two acts 1. An Obligation lying upon all Christians to acknowledge that doctrine to be true and necessarily to be believed and those practises necessarily to be conformed to which are taught and received by the whole Church and all this upon penalty of being accounted Heretiques that is no members of the Church and therefore by consequence divided from Christ the head of the Church which inspires life into it here and will glorifie it hereafter 2. A coërzion or infliction of spirituall penalties and censures as suspensions deprivations excommunications c. on those that persist stubbornly in opposing those truths and practises And this belongs to the Teachers and Governours of the Church more or lesse according to their severall qualities For every Parish Priest ha's some degree of this coercive power over his stock every Bishop over both Priests and severall congregations within his Diocesse ha's more every Metropolitan a yet larger power A Provinciall Synod above a single Bishop or Metropolitan c. And in conclusion the supreme Ecclesiasticall tribunall is a Synod Occumenicall lawfully called confirmed and some adde universally received by all Catholique Churches that is by their Prelates from which there is no appealing for if there were all authority would be vain enjoying the name but without any effect or use at all as shall be shewed hereafter 5. Concerning the former act of Ecclesiasticall authority viz. an Obligation lying upon all Christians under pain of Heresie to receive the doctrines and practises of the universall Church that it is in the Church antecedently to a generall Councell appears by this namely that there were in the Church very many Heresies taken notice of acknowledged for such by all Catholikes and dissipated before any generall Councell had been called as the Ecclesiasticall history S. Epiphanius will assure us And this is grounded ◠Upon evident reason for what is heresie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but a relinquishing of a former received opinion or practise and the choice of a particular new one an act this is which implies an extreme contempt of the whole mysticall body of Christ and a preferring ones own single judgment or wilfullnesse before whatsoever els is prudent or sacred in the world 2 Upon expresse Scripture for S. Paul commands the Thessalonians and S. John all Christians to abstain from the conversation of and not so much as to bid God speed to all disordinate walkers swerving from the rule established and all introducers of novelties in the Church Yea S. Paul sayes that an Heretique even before the Bishops censure is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 condemned by himself that is as severall Fathers expound it voluntarily and by himselfe separated from the body of the faithfull so that the solemn excommunication of the Bishop against him may seem to be onely a ratifying of that mans censure against himselfe For I conceive it can hardly be affirmed of all Heretiques in generall that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 self-condemned that is professing and maintaining errors against their own conscience and knowledge 6. Now this authority residing in the whole body of the Catholique Church I must adde of the present Catholique Church has been in all times preserved so inviolable that besides the fore-cited testimonies of the Fathers this observation will sufficiently justifie it viz. That there was never in any age of the Church as far as I have been able to inform my selfe any one single person esteemed a Catholique that ever either spoke against or in the least degree censured or seemed to render suspitious any doctrine or practise universally believed or received by the Catholique Church during the time that he lived Many Fathers have been very bold and eager against abuses and errours particular some of them perhaps too largely dispersed but never any of them whether private person or Governour learned or unlearned taxed the Church either of errour in doctrine or of superstition prophanenesse or any other enormity in practise Many of them have earnestly called for a free Councell to reform particular disorders and errours in the lives and writings of both Clergy and Laity sometimes not sparing Popes themselves but never to have the Church it self to alter any of her doctrines or to change any of her practises
upon pretence that they were condemnable 7. I know the severall Sectaries of this present age are in this occasion alwaies ready to object the only one blameable action of that glorious Father and Martyr S. Cyprian I mean his contestation with the Pope and opposition to the generall Apostolique Tradition and practise of the Church in non-rebaptization of Heretiques They neglect forget and by their practises condemn that most Christian Spirit of Unity and Charity which shined in him toward those that differed from him in this point and as if his errour had been his only vertue acknowledge him only an example to be imitated in his fault not considering what probable excuses there are to qualifie that single fault of his to which qualifications they in none of their so many rebellions can pretend to as 1. That the generall practise of the Church against him did not appear to him so evident but that he could alledge examples not only of the African Churches but severall in the East likewise as Cappadocia Phrygia c. as he was informed by Firmilianus in his Epistle to him 2. That he himself begun not this novelty but conld justifie the Tradition of it for severall successions at least as high as the times of Agrippinus one of his Predecessours 3. That no generall Councell had determined any thing against him Yea S. Augustine before quoted confidently professeth that if S. Cyprian had survived to the time of the Councell of Nice he would no doubt have relinquished his opinion and submitted to the Councell 8. By this objection borrowed from antient Heretiques it appears that as in the Catholique Church there is a Tradition and Succession of truth so in heresies likewise of errour the latter Heretiques borrowing from their Predecessors though not Predecessors in their particular opinions the same arguments and pretences that formerly have been without successe made use of against the Catholique Church so zealous do such men shew themselves to use all endeavours to renounce that precious legacy of unity and peace which our Saviour ready to relinquish the world so tenderly bequeathed to his Church 9. Then for the second act of Ecclesiasticall authority viz a power coercive and judiciary residing in the Church-governours respectively and supremely in generall Councells lawfully conven'd approved and accepted this authority the primitive times and all ages ever since have acknowledged to be grounded upon the institution and promises of Christ and practice of the Apostles mentioned expresly in Scripture Act. 15. delivered likewise by universall Tradition both orall and practicall v. g. Tell the Church and if he will not c. And wheresoever two or three are gathered together in my name I am in the midst of them And The Apostles and Elders were gathered together to consider about the matter viz. in the first generall Councell concerning the controversie about Moyses his law c 10. And here likewise may be verified a like observation to the former viz. That never any one of the Fathers of the Church did ever censure much lesse contradict or disobey the decisions orders or decrees of any legitimate Councell in their own or former times Yea I think I may hereto add something to the utter shame and confusion of the contrivers and propugnators of the late Heresies and Schismes viz. That though most of the antient Heretiques after a Councell had condemned their opinions did indeed refuse to submit to their own condemnation Yetâ— I think there cannot be found in Antiquity the example of one Heretique that ever began to publish a Heresie against any doctrine that had formerly been declared by a generall Councell Such a supereminent degree of Rebellion we must acknowledge to be due and to be appropriated to Luther Calvin c. viz. to tread under foot all kind of Ecclesiasticall authority not only of the present but all former times likewise 11. I shall defer the consideration how admirable and only effectuall a means of unity among Christians is the authority of the present Church and reverence of generall Councells so unanimously acknowledged by all the antient Worthies Fathers Doctors and Martyrs insomuch as the more eminent in learning and sanctity that any of them have been the more earnest Champions have they been of the Churches authority But the proper season to enlarge my self upon this subject will be when I have taken into consideration the contradictory doctâ—ine of Protestants concerning power of interpreting Scriptures and judging controversies CHAP. XXXI Authority of the Christian Church compared with that of the Jewish 1. BEfore I leave this argument of the grounds of the Churches authority and the foundation thereof viz. Christ's promises of indefectibility c. because objections against it are frequently taken out of the Old-Testament namely from a comparison with the Jewish Church which though it enjoyed great promises did notwithstanding fall into a generall corruption both in faith and manners It will not be amisse to set down for what reasons I rested satisfied that none of those arguments ought to have any effect upon me to shake my acknowledgement of the authority of the Christian Church so unalterably grounded and so universally submitted to 2. The first reason was because the Jewish Church had not such promises of indefectibility and security from Heresies as the Christian Church apparently has It is true the Patriarch Jacob prophesied that the Scepter should not depart from Judah nor a Lawgiver from between his knees till Shiloh came But this promise I assured my self respected only the outward policy of the Jewish Nation which was to remain in a distinct government not swallowed up by other governments but openly governed by its own laws as a Common-wealth plainly distinguishable from others till the coming of the Messiah 2. They were not furnished with those means of preventing and condemning of Heresies that the Christian Church enjoyeth For the understanding whereof I conceived that the Civill and Ecclesiasticall Law of Moyses was to be considered in two respects first in the plain litterall sense and so it differed not much from the lawes of other Kingdomes the end thereof being worldly happinesse which is only in expresse words proposed in that law Secondly in a spirituall allegoricall and typicall sense and so it had Immediate influence upon the conscience and inward acts of the soul which later sense was taken notice of only by extraordinary persons as Prophets c. Now for the execution of this law in the literall outward sense and notion of it God left sufficient authority in the Priests and other Magistrates threatning every one with death that opposed their sentences and decrees And for the explication of any emergent difficulties God left the Sanedrim together with a succession of Scribes from whose lips the people were ordinarily to seek knowledge Insomuch as our Saviour speaking of such Scribes sayes They sit in Moyses his Chair whatsoever they command you to observe observe and do it Mat.
the universall Christian world Again The letters of Bishops may be corrected by Nationall Councells and Nationall Councells by Plenary ones and former Plenary Councells may be corrected by others that succeed And again We should not have the boldnesse to affirm any such thing were it not that we are confirm'd by the most unanimous authority of the universall Church Now I suppose their intention is not to refund all authority finally upon the ignorant people but upon the whole Body of the Prelates admitting and attesting what was decreed by a few in Councells by which means the universall Government of the Church sets their seal to the Doctrine of Faith and vertually or by consequence in and with them all Christians universally in their communion and under their charge By this means indeed all possible objections will be taken away and the Decisions of Councells will be the Acts not of ten Bishops representing a hundred and perhaps giving suffrages to Doctrines never questioned or debated by them but of all the Bishops of the Christian world Now it is not necessary according to these Authors grounds that there must be such a Reception of conciliary acts by particular Pâ—â—â—â—â—s â—â—prossely fâ—â—mally and directly it being sufficient â—hat it be done interpretatively that is when such Doctrines are known and permitted to be published â—emine reclamante And till this be done shy they the Councell though in it self it be very legitimate and deserving the â—itle of Oecumonicall yet it does not sufficiently and evidently appear to be so whereas a Provinciall Councell yea a Private Fathers or Doctours opinion so received ha's in it the vertue of a Generall Councell 4. Now this opinion maintained by such considerable learned Catholikes and not apparently contrary to any decision of the Church though I did not intend to subscribe to as undoubtedly true for my resolution alwaies was not to engage my self in any private Sects or topicall opinions and least of all in such as appeared to be exotick and suspitious notwithstanding I was very well contented to perceive that it was at least an allowable opinion For I found it of great convenience to my self to free me from many difficulties For thereby 1. Here is no entrenching on the points of controversie between Catholiques and Protestants since they are all not only decided by the authority of Councells but likewise actually assented to and imbraced by all particular Catholique Churches neither as matters of controversie do now stand is it necessary to require any more from Protestants then what ha's been so both decided and received 2. Hereby all the objections which Protestants make from certain reall or imaginary contradictions which may be found in decrees of Councells about other points not now in controversie are apparently rendred ineffectuall for if that be to be only necessarily accounted an article of Catholique Faith which is actually acknowledged and received by Catholiques and since contradictions cannot be actually assented to it will follow that whatsoever decisions of Councells may seem to oppose such articles are not necessarily to be accounted Catholique Doctrines and by consequence not obligatory 3. That so much objected speech of S. Augustine de Bapt. Dom. l 2. c. 3. viz. The letters of Bishops may be corrected by Nationall Councells and Nationall Councells by Plenary ones and former Plenary Councells may be corrected by others that succeed though it be understood of points of Doctrine as it seems to require such a sense because S. Augustine speaks it upon occasion of rebaptization yet makes nothing against Catholiques who upon the forementioned grounds and authorities need account that only to be Catholique Doctaine which is actually imbraced by Catholiques Yea upon the same grounds the like may be said of that yet more bold speech of Cardinall Cusanus viz. It may be observed by all experience that an Universall Councell may fail Cusan concord l. 2. c. 14. 5. But to proceed to the severall grounds upon which I conceived Stapleton determined this question with a greater latitude and indulgence then most other Writers and yet notwithstanding he hath escaped the censure of any being commended even by those who use much more rigor in it then he has done The first is That no Doctrine can be called an Article of Faith but what was in the beginning revealed and delivered to the Church by Christ and his Apostles 2. That these doctrines have been preserved and continued to these times by Tradition that is not only in books approved and delivered Traditionally but rather in an orall practicall Tradition from one age to another For the Church pretends not to any new immediate revelation though she enjoys an effectuall assistance of Gods holy Spirit 3. That there is a double obligation from decisions of Generall Councells the first an obligation of Christian belief in respect of doctrines delivered by Generall Councells as of universall Tradition the second only of Canonicall obedience to orders and constitutions for practise by which men are not bound to believe that these are inforced as from divine authority but only to submit to them as acts of a lawfull Ecclesiasticall power however not to censure them as unjust much lesse to oppose and contradict them 4. That many I may say most constitutions of Councells in order to practise do yet vertually include some degree of belief as that of Communion under one kind of the use of Images in Churches and upon Altars c. of residence of Bishops of authorised Translations of Scripture c. And that in such cases we are not obliged to believe that Christ or his Apostles gave order that such practises should follow but only that considering Christs continuall care over his Church so clearly promised neither these nor any other orders universally established and practised are destructive to any substantiall doctrine or practise of Christianity and that the authority left by Christ in his church was so large and ample as that when she shall judge it fit considering the various dispositions of succeeding timesâ— she may alter externall practises and formes not essentiall orâ— of the substance of Christian Religion even in the Sacraments themselves as we see acknowledged in some cases by all Christian churches as about the altering of the time and posture of receiving the Eucharist the triple immersion in Baptisme abstaining from things strangled and from bloud c. 5. That doctrines determined by Nationall Councells lay no obligation at all upon any other churches but only those whose Bishops meet together and all the obligation even of those Christians who live within such Provinces is only not to contradict they are not bound to receive such decisions as Articles of Faith the reason being evident because one Nation cannot be a competent judge of Catholique Tradition and there neither is nor can be any Article of Faith but what is delivered that way 6. That the authority of the Pastours of the present Church is not of
so absolute and sublime a nature as that of the Apostles was though it be sufficient to require obedience from every man as likewise consequently that they are not in all degrees so powerfully assisted in their determinations as the Apostles were so that some difference is to be made between Canons of Councells â—â— Apostolike writings as hath been shewed before out of S. Augustine Beltarmine and other Authors 7. That some difference may likewise be made between the present and primitive Churches For they having received Christian doctrines more immediately and purely and besides the true sense of particular passages of Scripture which are difficult which is now in a great measure utterly lost they were able to speak more fully of many particular not necessary points in Christian Religion then the present church now can though perhaps the advantage of tongues and sciences the benefit of so many writings both ancient and modern long study and meditation c. may in some sort recompense those disadvantages of the present church 3 yet however these are but acquired and humane perfections whereas the former were Apostolique Tradition 8. That even of points of doctrine decided by Councells a difference may be made between such as are of universall Tradition and others for those former being capable to be made evidently certain as I proved before such decisions are to be the objects of our Christian Faith and no more to be rejected then any other divine revelations But other points of doctrine there are sometimes decided in Councells rather by the judgement and learning of the Bishops considering Texts of Scripture wherein such points seem to be included And weighing together the doctrines of antient Fathers and modern Doctors an example whereof I gave before in the Councell of Vienna touching inherent grace infused into Infants in Baptism and in the Councell of Bazil concerning the immaculate conception of our B. Lady NOw such decisions many Catholiques conceive are not in so eminent a manner the necessary objects of Christian Faith because not delivered as of universall Tradition But however an extreme temerity it would be in any particular man to make any doubt of the truth of them and unpardonable disobedience to reject them I mean the conclusions themselves though if the Texts of Scripture be set down from whence such conclusions are deduced or the said authorities produced it may perhaps not be so great a fault to enquire and dispute whether from such a Text or such authorities such a conclusion will necessarily follow 9. If in such decisions as these later are there should happen to be any errour which yet we may piously believe the assistance of Gods holy Spirit promised to the Church will prevent but if this should happen since it must necessarily be in a point not pertinent to the substance of Christian Religion for all substanciall points are univâ—rsall Tradition as we shewed before it were far better such an error should passe till as S. Augustine saith some later Councell amended it then that unity should be dissolved for an unnecessary truth since as Irenaeus saith There is no reformation so important to the Church as Schism upon any pretence whatsoever is pernicious 5. Upon such grounds as these I supposed it was that our learned Stapleton stated this question of the churches authority or as he calls it infallibility with so much latitude and condescendence And him I have quoted not with any intention to prefeâ— him with the disparagement of any other but to shew that thereby I perceived my self not to have sufficiently considered the necessary doctrine of the Roman Church in this so fundamentall a point of faith and likewise how when I heard the Church speaking in her own language and moderately interpreted by Catholique Doctors I found what she said so just so reasonable so impossible to be contradicted by any thing but passion or interest or pride or hatred of unity that there was no resisting the attraits of it Then at last I found what I had all my life time in vain sought after namely a firm foundation whereon I might safely and without any scruple rely and more glad then of all worldly treasures to see my soul taken out of mine own hands and placed under the conduct of her whom Christ had appointed to be my guide and conductresse to whom he had made so many rich promises and with whom it is his pleasure to dwel then I took up a Psalm of Thanksgiving and said Laetatus sum in his quae dicta sunt mihi in domum Domini ibimus Stantes erant pedes nostri in atriis tuis Jerusalem Jerusalem quae aedificatur ut civitas cujus participatio ejus in id ipsum Illuc enim ascenderunt tribus tribus Domini c. Psal. 121. CHAP. XXXIV Unsatisfactory grounds of the English Church concerning the Ecclesiasticall authority Calvinists Doctrine concerning the Spirit 's being judge of controversies c. answered 1. BEing thus satisfied of the firm grounds of the Churches authority the only bullwark against all Heresie and Schisme a sure preserver of unity without which no Commonwealth no society of men can possibly subsist much lesse of churches in a word so necessary so consonant to reason that even all sorts of sects and congregations whilst they deny it to the Catholique Church usurp it to their own conventicles to which yet they have not assurance enough to apply our Saviours promises in contradiction to other Seets with whom they will not communicate yea even those who make a liberty of prophecying a differencing mark of their Sect yet will not allow their own partizans this liberty of prophecying unlesse they prophecy by their rule and against their enemies In the next place I took into consideration the unspeakably happy effects of this authority which immediately represented themselves to my mind 2. I will notwithstanding a while defer an account of those effects till I have briefly set down and examined the grounds which Protestants lay for interpreting Scripture and judging controversies in Religion in opposition to this authority of the Church and her Generall Councells as likewise their principall objections against the said authority For then comparing both these doctrines together and the consequences together it will be more easie and commodious to decide whether of them is the more advantagious and whether or no I have made a prudent choice in forsaking a Church where all unity was impossible but only such an outward unity as worldly hopes and fears can produce and in betaking my selfe to a church where Schisme is impossible 3. All Protestants and other Sects agree in this against the Catholique Church for Schismaeest unitâ—s ipsis as Tertullian de Prascripâ— c. 42. saith Their unity is an agreement in Schisme that the Scripture is the only sufficient Rule of Faith and that there is no visible Judge of the sense of it But yet to the end that Gods church may not become a very
either denyed or affirmed they being of a contrary opinion would break Communion from and deny it to other Churches for Schisme about unnecessary things is by all Christians acknowledged a sin almost unpardonable 2. That rationally to affirm a doctrine to be expressed plainly in Scripture it is not sufficient to say it appeares so to me for so almost every one will be forward to say of all his Opinions which he pretends to be grounded on Scripture But that is to be called plain and expresse which ha's not been controverted by men of reason pretending to piety and impaertiality especially if they be in any considerable number so that it will not be satisfactory to say this appears plainly to me and I am sure I am not led by interest or faction as others are for this may be every ones plea against another 3. That where two senses are given of any passage of Scripture the one extremely probable and naturall the other not wholly absurd and whereof the words may possibly be capable in this case one Protestant cannot upon their own grounds condemn or impute heresie to another 3. These positions thus premised in the next place I conceived it very just that before any Sect of Christians did build upon this foundation of the Scriptures containing expressely and evidently all things necessary that they should all conspire to make a Catalogue of points necessary and this with relation to severall states of persons or at least to Communions and Churches I add this limitation because to multiply severall distinct Catalogues for all persons would be of extreme labour and on the other side to make one Catalogue for all men would as Mr. Chillingworth Cap. 3. parag 13. sayes be like the making a coat for the Moon which is continually in the wain or encrease 4. Now to shew the reasonablenesse of this and that Mr. Chillingworths adversary required most justly such a Catalogue from Protestants let but any man consider with himself what satisfaction any man can have from a Protestant Minister when he shall tell him You have the Bible of our Translation in which we affirm all necessary truths to be contained but mixed with a world of unnecessary you are not absolutely bound to study or to be able to read this Bible yet you shall be damned if you be ignorant of those necessary truths dispersed here and there in it to say definitively how many and which are those especiall necessary truths we are not able neither have we authority therefore at your own perill be sure you mistake neither in the number nor sense of those truths we can indeed afford you Articles and Catechismes to which as long as you live with us you must be forced to subscribe but we have no authority for there is none visible upon earth to propose our collections or determinations as obliging in conscience c. In what a miserable case would that Protestant be that should give himself leave to examine upon how meer a quicksand all his pretentions to eternity are built 5. And whereas Mr. Chillingworth would seem to conceive himself secure in the midst of these uncertainties because as he thinks Catholiques also are encumbred with the like I found that conceit of his altogether groundlesse for the promises of Christ remaining firm and appropriated to the Catholique Church it will follow 1. That in the Catholique Church shall be taught to the worlds end all necessary and profitable truths to all sorts of persons so that every man respectively receiving and believeing what the church appoints to be proposed to him cannot fail of being instructed with things necessary c. 2. The same Church being endued with authority to determine the true sense of divine truths a Catholique submitting to the Church cannot be in danger through mistakes or errours so that he who hearkens to the Church ha's his catalogue of fundamentalls made to his hand the Church like the wise Steward in the Gospell out of that store of provisions given her by Christ proportioning to every man his dimensum panis quotidiani his own befitting allowance 6. And here by the way will appear 1. The vanity of that ordinary calumny which Protestants impute to the Catholique Church as if she taught that it were sufficient to ignorant men only implicitly to believe what the Church believes without an explicite belief of any thing for there is none so ignorant but is obliged to know and assent to what the Church teacheth him by his Pastour suitable to his estate and education And secondly an usuall mistake among Protestants who think that all the credenda in Catholique Religion are comprised in the definitions of Councells for before ever any Generall Councell sate the Church was furnished with her full measure of divine truths necessary to be believed which were by her publiquely professed and proposed which have been occasionally declared and distinctly expounded in her Councells But to return to Mr. Chillingworth 7. He by his sharp understanding and long meditation coming to perceive those inconveniences and considering that no Protestant or other Church could upon their generally acknowledged grounds authoritatively define either the number or sense of Articles of Faith so as to oblige any man even within her Communion in conscience to assent and submission For for example if an Englishman would not subscribe to the sense of any Article of the Church of England all the penalty would be he should not partake of the priviledges and preferments of that Church but he might go over into Denmark or Holland whose sense in such an Article he liked better and still be acknowledged even by the English Church to be orthodox enough He therefore was forced to introduce two Novelties among English Protestants which find great approbation the first is to alter the old manner and notion of subscription to the English Articles for whereas before the Protestants there by their subscription testified their belief of all the 39. Articles in the sense imported in the words yea whereas there was a Canon which denounced Excommunication ipso facto to all that should say that any of them were not true Mr. Chillingworth thus expresseth his mind in subscribing I am perswaded that the constant doctrine of the Church of England is so pure and Orthodox that whosoever believes it and lives according to it undoubtedly he shall be saved and that there is no error in it which may necessitate or warrant any man to distrub the peace or renounce the Communion of it This in my opinion saith he is all intended by subscription 8. His second novelty is that whereas the Protestants alwaies professed that the publiqua Confessions of their Churches Faith was indeed their own faith that is such expressions plain and indubitable as are in holy Scripture concerning such points or at least irrefragable consequences from Scripture and therfore were to them as Scripture because their sence of Scripture and whereas they respectively
natures for some proceed directly against it others only against some consequences from it I will therefore weigh first his objections grounded upon the different opinions of Catholikes concerning that point 2. His reasons directly proving as he believes that no church of one denomination can be infallible and therefore not the Catholique Church 3. His proofs that Catholiques in their resolution of Faith are entangled in circles and absurdities 4. His arguments to demonstrate that Catholiques can have no assurance either of the authority of the church or the validity of any acts performed by the Pastors thereof c. But before I attempt a discussion of these particulars I may in generall say of all his objections that since they proceed only against the word Infallibility and that word extended to the utmost height and latitude that it can possibly bear Catholiques as such are not at all concerned in them seeing neither is that expression to be found in any received Councell nor did ever the Church enlarge her authority to so vast a widenesse as Mr. Chillingworth either conceived or at least for his particular advantage against his adversary thought good to make show as if he conceived so 2. But come we to consider his arguments against Catholiques grounded upon the different opinions among them in what subject this Infallibility or authority is to be placed The most pressing and pertinent passage in his book concerning this subject is this which follows viz. What shall we say now if you be not agreed touching your pretended means of agreement How can you pretend to unity either actuall or potentiall more then Protestants may Some of you say the Pope alone without a Councell may determine all controversies but others deny it Some that a Generall Councell without a Pope may do so others deny this Some both inconjunction are infallible determiners others againe deny this Lastly some among you hold the acceptation of the decrees of Councells by the universall Church to be the only way to decide controversies which others deny by denying the Church to be infallible And indeed what way of ending controversies can this be when either part may pretend that they are part of the Church and they receive not the decree therefore the whole Church hath not received it Mr. Chil. c. 3. parag 6. 3. Hereto I answer 1. That there is indeed no need at all of an answer since the very objection answers it self for by saying there are variety of opinions among Catholiques acknowledged for such even while they differ it follows that the objector is not obliged to submit to that Judge which any Catholique refuses 2. None of these will deny that decision of the Councell of Trent viz. Ecclesiae est judiâ—are de vero sensu sacrae Scripturae that is It belongs to the Church to judge of the true sense of holy Scripture And Protestants will not be urged to submit to any more rigid or higher expression 3. Yea moreover this indulgence I am confident will be granted them namely That no man will endeavour to oblige them further then to doctrines and practises determined by one or more Councells universall confirmed by the Pope and actually received and accepted by all Catholiques that is as much as to say to believe that there is indeed an obliging authority in the Catholike Church to impose upon her children a belief of all doctrines proposed in her Oecumenicall Councells let this authority be limited and streightned with as many Proviso's and the sense of these doctrines enlarged and qualified with as many mollifying interpretations as any approved Catholike Doctor hath thought good that is indeed as any reasonable man remaining so can desire only upon condition that they do not prejudice nor grate upon the pure simple language wherein the Church expresses her self Christians are at liberty what particular Doctors sense they like to embrace or whether none at all but will content themselves with the naked decisions of the Church as they lye without making inferences or building thereon further conclusions CHAP. XLI His reasons proving no Church of one denomination to be infallible answered 1. IN the second place we will weigh his reasons to prove that no Church of one denomination is infallible and by consequence no Church at all His words are after he had said that he was willing upon courtesie to grant that Christ made a promise absolute of indefectibility to his Church but be interprets it only in this sense viz. That true Religion shall never be so far driven out of the world but that it shall alwaies have some where or other some that believe and professe it in all things necessary to salvation and that such believers shall never erre in fundamentalls for if they did they were not a Church But he denyes utterly that there is any Church fit to be a guide in fundamentalls because no Church is fit to be a Guide but onely a Church of some certaine denomination as the Greek the Roman the Abyssine c. For sayes he otherwise no man can possibly know which is the true Church but by a pre-examination of the doctrine controverted and that were not to be guided by the Church to the true doctrine but by the true doctrine to the Church Now sayes he that there is not any Church of one denomination infallible in fundamnntalls is evident for 1. If it were an infallible guide in fundamentalls she would be infallible in all things which she proposes and requires to be believed 2. That being a point of so mâ—â—n consequence certainly the Scripture would have named that Church 3. Because Catholiques themselves build the assurance of the churches infallibility onely upon motives very credible but not certain Lastly beeause it is evident and even to impudence it selfe undeniable that upon this ground of believing all things taught by the present church as taught by Christ errour was held For example the necessity of giving the Eucharist to Infants and that in S. Augustines time and that by S. Augustine himself and therefore without controversie this is no certain ground for truth which may support falshood as well as truth The same may be said of the doctrine of the Chiliasts which S. Irenaeus and S. Justin Martyr say was a traditionary doctrine from the Apostles times c. 2. To answer this discourse by parcells And first concerning his exposition of Christ's promise of indefectibility to his Church it ha's been answered in more then one place already 2. Where he sayes that there is no Church fit to be a guide in fundamentalls I desire to know whether those whom Christ ha's appointed in his church to be Overseers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Teachers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Governors Assistants 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. be not fit to be accounted guides at least in Fundamentalls Againe whether an agreement of all these Governours meeting in a Generall Councell be not the supremest authority Thirdly
of Minori declared openly this sense of that Article against certain disputing Schoolmen and during the sitting of the Councell published a book to the same effect no man censuring or condemning him Although indeed his manner of expression was far more unwary and more approaching to the sense of the Lutherans and Calvinists then the forecited Authors Salmeron and Scribonius Marius the further fitnesse of which opinion I leave to the judgement of the Catholique Reader my intention being only to make a Narration of what I was told or did read in others 3. And these are the principall arguments produced by Mr. Chillingworth against the infallibility as he loves to call it of the Church at least such of them as had the greatest effect upon me during my time of Protestancy to hinder me from submitting my selfe to the authority of the Catholique Church or indeed to any authority at all as obliging in conscience which arguments when I came to examine them appeared to me in generall not to touch the established doctrine thereof at all Whether they were of greater force against his particular aduersary it concerned not me neither had I commission or authority to examine 4. It is not my purpose in this Narration to give particular answers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to all his objections Onely this I professe that I doe neither remember any one through his whole book which formerly had any strong influence upon me nor since my becoming a Catholique after not a perfunctory per-usuall of it have I met with any which to mine own understanding upon the grounds by me formerly laid doe not seeme to me easily answerable And I am confident that if any Protestant shall apply Mr. Chillingworth's discourses to the established doctrine and expressions of the Catholike Church he will acknowledge that notwithstanding any thing said by him this may remain true That the Catholique Church hath authority to propose points of Faith and to interpret Scriptures and that no particular Churches or Christians may or ought to contradict or refuse to submit to her determinations and interpretations Insomuch as if Mr. Chillingworth had been so fortunate as to have undertaken no more then to examine the doctrine of the church he would scarce have made use of and much lesse would he have relyed so confidently upon the strength of any of those arguments which he ha's produced against his adversaries Positions He must have been forced either to acknowledge the truth of the churches doctrine or have put himself to the trouble of inventing other kind of arguments then any I could yet meet with either in his or any other Protestants writings CHAP. XLIV Dangerous consequences of Protestants doctrine against the authority of the Church 1. I Will at length put an end to this tedious but that it is so necessary discourse upon this second conclusion concerning the Judge of Controversies and authoritative interpreter of Scripture by shewing among many some speciall enormous and unavoidable consequences of the doctrine of Protestants concerning this point who refuse yea oppose the consent of the present and antient Catholique Church propounding doctrines of Faith and interpreting Scripture and submit to their own particular reason or private Spirit 2. The first is an impossibility of Unity yea though reason were suffered to proceed simply without mixture of passion and interest as experience and reason it self shews and it hath been already proved 3. The second an evident contradiction to Universall Antiquity which will not afford one example of any Catholique Writer that either hath affirmed that in interpreting Scripture every man is to follow the guidance of his own reason or private Spirit against the authority of the present church or that hath himself refused or taught others to refuse upon any pretence to submit to the determinations of the present Catholique Church 4. The third is that if the universall testimony of the present church either by her publique profession and practise or in her decisions in a Generall Councel do not indispensably oblige all Christians to obedience upon this pretended exception that no expresse mention is made in Scripture of such an unlimited power given to any church of one denomination then it will follow that those churches and Councells which have assumed to themselves this authority to exact subscription to any decisions of any doctrines other then expresse quotations of Scripture to be understood by every one according to his own fancy and that hath accursed all gainsayers are guilty of insupportable uncharitablenesse injustice and tyranny Upon which grounds all Protestants are obliged to anathematize the four first Generall Councells as well as all the rest which follow yea above all other the Councell of Nice since therein were anathematized all those that did not subscribe to an expression of one Article of Faith which notwithstanding those Fathers acknowledged to be so far from being contained expressely in Scripture that the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which occasioned so many Tragedies was not so much as of Tradition but only invented by them as proper to oppose the Heresie of the Arians and to expresse the sense of the Traditionary doctrine of Christs eternall Divinity and equality with the Father 5. The fourth is that upon Protestants grounds it is impossible they should rationally call any doctrine Heresie or any separation Schisme without condemning themselves For concerning Heresie if they following the antient Church define Heresie to be a relinquishing or opposing the belief of any doctrine generally professed in the Catholique Church or defined by a lawfull Couucell they will include themselves within the lists of Heretiques since if for severall ages before Luther there were either any Churches Catholique or any authority to make a lawfull assembly they have done apparently the same But defining as they do Heresie to be a contradiction of a Fundamentall Article of the Christian Faith expressely contained in Scripture and not naming but rather explicitly renouncing any visible Judge authorized to determine whether such or such an Article be to be accounted to be expressely contained therein against those who deny it it is impossible to come to an issue between parties contradicting one the other 6. I will give only two instances in two points acknowledged in England the first in that great point controverted between the English Protestants and the Socinians The English Protestants call the Socinians Heretiques because they deny the eternall Divinity of the second Person in the blessed Trinity because this is say they a fundamentall Article of Christian Faith and expressely contained in Scripture But this the Socinians confidently deny yea they professe that the contrary rather is expressely contained in Scripture for say they Neither the word Trinity nor Personality nor Consubstantiality c. are to be found in Scripture neither can any Texts be produced which witnesse in formal words that the Son is equall to the Father in respect of the Godhead yea many Texts expressely
say that he is inferiour But now what Texts are there to be found so evidently expressing the eternall Divinity of the Son of God as there are for appropriating the Divine Nature to the Father only Viz. these two Texts This is eternall life to know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent And To us there is but one God even the Father and one Lord Jesus Christ. 7. The truth is if Tradition and the authority of the Church be not admitted to interpret Scripture the Socinians and other Antitrinitarians cannot by Protestants be condemned as Heretiques upon the pretence of denying expresse Scripture since if reason alone be judge those Texts cannot be called express which may be confronted with others seemingly contradicting or which are capable of a sense it may be lesse probable yet so as that without much racking the words will be able to bear a case which to have hap'ned in this controversie every reasonable man will confesse that shall cast his eyes upon the severall positive Texts alledged by Crellius in his book De uno vere Deo I may add further that if the universall Tradition of the present Church in the time of the Councell of Nice had not prevailed for the stating of that great controversie against the Arians so many objections those Heretiques heaped together not only out of Scripture but likewise out of the writings of such Fathers as preceded that Councell that perhaps they might have endangered the cause as will appear to any one that shall cast his eyes upon a world of passages quoted by Heretiques out of Clemens Alexandrinus Tertullian S. Justin Martyr Origen Lactantius c. 8. The Second instance is the Heresie of Rebaptization renewed by the Anabaptists of these times and in conformity to Antiquity condemned by English Protestants it is more evident then the Sun that expresse Scripture alone being the Rule and private reason or Spirit the Judge the Anabaptists cannot upon Protestants grounds be accused either to erre in a point fundamentall or however in a point fundamentall contained expressely in Scripture 9. In the last place that upon Protestants grounds no separation among them can justly be called Schisme in the notion of Antiquity appears yet more evidently For among those â—â— of Sâ—â—â—â— now in England which abhor and renounce the Communion of one another 1. There is not any one of them that ha's the assurance to stile themselves the Catholique Church with exclusion of all others not in actuall Communion with them Now Schisme is only a separation from the externall Communion of the Catholique Church at least if universall antiquity may be allowed to be the judge 2. There is not any one of them which dares apply to themselves in particular those words of Christ Tell the Church and if he will not hear the Church let him be to thee as a Heathen and a Publican or those Promises of his Upon this Rock will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it And I will send the Comforter which shall lead you into all truth And Behold I am with you to the end of the world Now there is no Schisme but from such a church to which those elogies and promises belong 3. All the means and remedies left them to deale with those they call Schismatiques or Heretiques are not to excommunicate them in a Generall Councell as the Catholique Church ha's continually upon occasion done for what a ridiculoâ—s affembly must that be to which they should presume to attribute the name of a Generall Councell And how more ridiculously would an Anathema sound being fulminated by a Synod of Charenton or Gappe or Dâ—rt c. But their proper course in such cases is to persecute imprison or perhaps burn one another as Calvin did Servetus and by this means the weaker and sufferer would be the only Heretique and Schismatique But of Schisme more in the following Conclusion CHAP. XLV The third Conclusion The point of Shisme slightly considered by Protestants which notwithstanding ought above all others to be chiefly considered THE 3d. CONCLUSION viz. That there is one only Church of Christ and that all Heretiques who believe not all Christian doctrines taught in her and all Schismatiques who breaking the bond of Charity divide themselves from her visible and externall Communion are separated from Christ himself 1. IN my discourse upon this Conclusion I need not separate Heresie from Schisme since I do not know any Sect in these times precisely Schismaticall that is without any mixture of Heresie as the Donatists were in the beginning who agreed in all doctrines with Catholiques but separated upon a quarrell grounded upon a matter of fact Therefore hereafter when I speak of Schisme and enquire upon what party it is to be charged it is to be supposed that Heresie must accompany it seeing the foundation of all the present separations among Christians is â—heir disagreeing in points of faith and doctrine 2. Now though this divine truth viz. That the true Church of Christ is only one and by consequence that an injustifiable separation from it is in a high degree damnable be acknowledged by all Christians that I know since it is an expresse article of our Creed Credo unam sanctam Catholicam Ecclesiam that is I believe one holy Catholike Church and therefore there may seem to be no necessity to put ones selfe to the trouble of proving it Notwithstanding I will not refuse that trouble to make a collection of quotations both out of Scripture and Fathers to the end both to get a distinct notion of what was antiently understood by this word Schisme and to set forth according to their conceptions the abominablenesse and extreme sinfulnesse of that sin and this the rather because a sad meditation upon such passages enforced me to consider in what a state I had formerly lived and likewise made me wonder that heretofore above all other points I had not bent my thoughts and studies to enquire and determine since it is apparent that there is a Schism in the church upon which party the guilt of so horrible and exterminating a sinne did lye 3. But the truth is my wonder decreased when I considered that hitherto I had not met with any Protestant Writers that have throughly considered this point of Schisme which yet above all others ought to have been most exactly ventilated and examined as S. Augustine lib. 2. cont lit Petil. saith in the case of Schisme against the Donatists The whole question therefore is whether you do not ill you I say to whom the whole world objects the sacriledge of so geeat a Schisme the exact examination of which question whilest you neglect all that you say is superfluous and whereas you live like theeves you boast that you dye as Martyrs And again Ep. 164. ad Emer Don. Wherefore in the prime place this is to be enquired for what reason you made
a Schisme To the same effect said Optatus before him concerning the same Donatists lib. 1. The businesse in hand is concerning separation In Africa as in all other Provinces likewise there was but one church before it was divided by those who ordained Majorinus in the Chair upon which by succession thou art set The matter therefore to be considered is which of the two parties have remained in the root with the whole world which of them went out which of them is set upon a new Chair Episcopall which heretofore was not in being which of them ha's raised an Altar against a former Altar which of them made an Ordination during the life time of him who was before ordanied Lastly which of them is obnoxious to the sentence of S. John the Apostle who foretold that many Antichrists would go out of the Church 4. The almost onely considerable Author among Protestants who seems to have written largely and purposely upon this argument of Schisme was that unfortunate Apostate M. Antonius de Dominis Arch-Bishop of Spalato who as appears by the Index of the heads of his books and Sections allowed an entire book to this subject but by what means it came to passe whether through guilt or what other mystery I know not but in the publication of the three volumes of his works that book which he intended or had written de Schismate appears not there is an hiatus in that place not yet supplied But to proceed to the quotations CHAP. XLVI Quotations out of Scripture and Fathers to shew the sinfulnesse and danger of Schisme 1. THe passages of Scripture which I especially took notice of concerning the sinfulnesse and extreme danger of Schisme were these viz. those words of our Saviour Mat. 18. 7. Woe unto the world because of scandalls for it must needs be that scandalls come notwithstanding woe to that man by whom the scandall cometh Now the Fathers generally by scandalls understand Heresies and Schismes Which interpretation S. Paul seems to justifie joyning together Schismes and scandalls as Synonyma or words of the same importance when he sayes Rom. 16. 17. I beseech you brethren observe those who make Schismes and scandalls contrary to the doctrine which you have been taught and avoid them Forâ— such men serve not our Lord Iesus Christ but their own belly and by kind speeches and benedictions seduce the hearts of the simple Again saith our Saviour Hereby shall men know that ye are my Disciples if ye love one another Add to this his last legacy Peace I leave with you my peace I give unto you As likewise that saying of his which S. Hierome quotes from Tradition Nunquam lâ—ti sitis nisi cùm fratres vestros in charitate videritis that is Be yet never joyfull but when you see your brethren in charity To all which I will subjoyn that passionate exhortation of S. Paul Philip. 2 1. If there be therefore any consolation in Christ if any comfort of love if any fellowship of the Spirit if any bowells of mercy fulfill ye my joy that ye be like-minded unanimous thinking the same things doing nothing through contention or vain-glory 2. The same affection and zeale did the antient Fathers and Doctors of the church expresse to Catholique Unity with incredible efficacy shewing their detestation against Schismes and Divisions Witnesse S. Irenaeus lib. 4. c. 62. God will judge those which make Schismes in the Church ambitious men who have not the honor of God before their eys but rather embracing their owne interest then the unity of the Church for small and light causes divide the great and glorious body of Christ c. For in the end they cannot make any Reformation so important as the evill of Schisme is pernicious Witnesse S. Dionysius of Alexandrina writing to Novatian A man ought rather to indure all things then to consent to division of the Church of God since Martyrdome to which men expose themselves to the end to hinder the dismembring of the Church are no lesse glorious then those which a man suffers for refusing to sacrifice to Idolls Witnesse S. Cyprian de unit Eccles. Do they think that Christ is amongst them when they are assembled I speak of those which make assemblies out of the Church of Christ No although they were drawnâ— to torments and execution for the confession of the name of Christ yet this pollution is not washed away no not with their bloud this inexplicable and inexcuseable crime of Schisme is not purged away even by death it self That man cannot be a Martyr that is not in the Church And again He shall not have God for his Father that would not have the Church for his Mother Witnesse S. Pacian ad Sympr cp 2. Although that Nova ian hath been put to death for Christ yet he ha's not received a crown And why Because he was separated from the peace of the Church from concord from that Mother of whom whosoever will be a Martyr must be a portion Witnesse S. Optatus lib. 1. Among other Precepts the divine injunction hath likewise forbidden these three Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not go after strange Gods and in capitibus mandatorum in the head of the Commandements Thou shalt not make a Schisme He means I suppose those words in the preface of the Decalogue The Lord thy God is One thou shalt have no other Gods but me Again lib. 2. The unity of the Episcopall Chaire is the prime endowment given to the Church Witnesse S. Chrysostome in Eph. hom 11. There is nothing doth so sharply provoke the wrath of God as the division of the Church insomuch as though we should have performed all other sorts of good things yet we shall incur a punishment no lesse cruell by dividing the unity and fulnesse of the Church then those have done who pierced and divided Christs owne body Witnesse the fourth Councell of Carthage Can 1. out of the Catholique Church there is no salvation 3. Witnesse S. Augustine de Symb. ad Catech l. 4. c. 10. For this cause the conclusion of this Sacrament he means the creed is terminated in the Article concerning the holy Church and the reason is because if any man be found separated from her he shall be excluded from the number of children neither shall he have God for his Father that would not have the Church for his Mother and it will nothing avail him to have rightly believed or to have done never so many good works without this conclusion of the soveraign good Again in Psa. 21. Whosoever ha's charity is assured But as for charity no man transports it out of the Church Againe de Bap. con Don. l. 1. c. 8. Those whom the Donatists heale of the wound of I dolatry and infidelity they themselves wound more dangerously with the wound of Schisme Again sup gest Emar Out of the Catholique Church a Heretique may have all things but salvation He may have the Sacraments He may sing
hath upon Psalm 56. and in his 166. Epistle ad Donat and on 1. Ep. of S. John Tract 2. c. And again in Psal. 70. The Christian world is promised and this is believed by them This promise is fulfilled and it is contradicted by them And againe If the church shall not continue here on earth even to the end of the world to whom did our Lord say Behold I am with you even to the end of the world And again de Bapt. con Don. l. 3 If from the time of S. Cyprian the church perished from whence did Donatus appeare out of what earth did he bud out of what See did he arise from what heaven did he fall And again cont Jul l. 5. If by those holy Priests of God and famous Doctors Irenaeus Cyprian Rheticius Olympius Hilary Ambrose Gregory Basile John Chrysostome Innocent and Hierome the Manicheans have violated and corrupted the Church Tell me Julian who was it that brought thee forth was it a chast Matron or a Harlot who in her travelling brought thee forth by the wombe of spirituall Grace into that light which thou hast forsaken I willingly omit infinite other passages especially out of S. Augustine to the same purpose because even Protestants generally do not question the substance of that truth herein contained CHAP. LII Application of these proofes to the advantage of the Romane Catholique Church and against Protestants c. 1. THe cause therefore is clear in the generall Thesis that the Fathers opinion was that by vertue of Christs expresse promises his church was to continue visible and distinguishable from all other unlawfull congregations to the worlds end This I do not find denied by the English Protestants I mean neither that this was the sense of the Fathers nor that this sense was ture 2. The great controversie therefore is in the Hypothesis or application of the generall Thesis viz. whether that such conclusions as the Fathers deduce from the visibility of the Catholique church in their dayes may rationally be inferred from the Roman Catholique church visible in these dayes For example that it is unlawfull upon any pretence of errors or abuses in practise to separate from the externall communion of that church which now calls it selfe the Catholique Church which is only the Roman for the Grecian churches though they challenge the title of Catholique Churches that is true members of the Catholique yet I doe not find that they make an association to their externall communion a necessary condition to all Christians 3. The English Protestants say no against all Roman Catholiques who unanimously affirm that since such discourses of the Fathers were grounded upon Christs promises to his church which were to be effectuall to the end of the world that therefore they are as fitly and necessarily to be applied to the present as to the antient Catholike church and that no other church but that in communion with the Roman can make any valuable or legitimate pretentions to that title Though the truth is if it be to be granted that there is any visible Catholique church at all whose externall communion is necessary the Protestants are inexcuseably culpable since they neither would nor could upon their grounds communicate with any church in the world that was in being when Luther began his Apostacy 4. In this controversie therefore upon these following considerations and grounds I fully satisfied my self that the plea of Roman Catholiques was just and reasonable For â— Though English Protestants deny the Roman church to be the Catholique church cum Emphase yet they acknowledge her to be a true member at least of the Catholique church being forced hereto for their own interest to justifie the lawfulnesse of their Ordinations c. And this acknowledgement alone is sufficient to condemne them for their separation as guilty of Schisme since he who separates from an acknowledged true member of the Catholique church doth consequently separate from the Catholique church 5. Secondly they acknowledge that the whole body of the present Catholique church enjoyes the same priviledges and authority that it did in the times of the antient Fathers that a Schisme from it is as pernicious as antiently that a truly Generall Councell now is as obliging and unappealable from as heretofore And upon these grounds they will condemn themselves since it is apparent that if the Easterne churches were assumed together with the Western to make up the full body of the Catholique most of the opinions and pretended errours upon which they ground the lawfulnesse and necessity of their separation will appear to be the doctrines of the church called Catholique even in their sense as e. g. acknowledging the blessed Sacrament to be a proper Sacrifice propitiatory for quick and dead the Reall Presence per modum transmutationis Prayer for Dead and Purgatory Invocation of Sâ—ines Veneration of Images c. And therefore if all the four Patriarches had met at the Councell of Trent they had Infallibly concur'd in condemning the Protestants as Heretiques in these points and their separation upon such grounds is Schisme properly so called 6. Thirdly it appeared evidently to me that those communions and congregations of Christians which acknowledge subjection to the Pope could only rightfully challenge the name of the Catholique church For 1. I took it for granted that that which was called the Catholike church after the times of the four first Generall Councells when the Aâ—â—ans Photinians Macedonians Nestorians Eurychians c. were anathematized was indeed the onely truâ— Catholique church by which account the Abyssine churches as being at least antiently Eutychians and severall Eastern churches as Nestorians Jacobiâ—es c. were and are to be excluded from that denomination which yet the Protestants now although they dare not communicate with them would admit into the body of the church but most unreasonably for if the Abyssines continue yet Eutychians the Protestants of England who receive the foure first Generall Councells do thereby acknowledge them to be Heretiques if they have quitted Eutychianisme and really adjoyned themselves to the Roman church according to severall Embassies mentioned by Damianus à Goes c. then Protestants will find it so much more to their disadvantage to argue any thing from the Abyssine churches 2. I could observe nothing which could make me doubt that that which was called the Catholique church from the four first Generall Councells to S. Gregories the Greats dayes inclusivè was indeed so For if in S. Gregories dayes there was a Catholique church is Protestants grant there was then that which was in communion and subjection to him was only it since none that I know pretend to allow that title to any congregation divided from him Now in the church of S. Gregories time it is apparent that in a manner all points of Doctrine now by Protestants called errours and causes of their separation were universally acknowledged as Catholique doctrines as I shewed before by a joynt confession
of the most learned Protestant writers by which they vertually confesse that if they had lived in S. Gregories dayes they would as well have separated from him Besides it appeares by S. Gregories Epistles that he as Pope enjoyed a supereminent authority and sollicitously exercised a care over all Christian churches As for his Jurisdiction as Patriarch and the extension thereof that I took not here into consideration since it is not a point pretended to be an Article of Faith 3. From S. Gregories dayes till the separation of the East from the externall jurisdiction rather then the Faith of the Pope and Western churches the whole body of the church under one visible Head remained as it did before enjoying the title of the Catholique church no other pretending thereto 4. Since the Division of the East from the Westerne churches caused as I conceive upon a quarrell about the Popes Ecclesiasticall Jurisdiction and not any point of Doctrine the limits of the Catholique church seem to be much streitned Concerning which Schisme if it be indeed a Schisme properly so called I apprehended no necessity to be very curious to inform my self being perswaded during the time of my being a Protestant that as for that one point of belief concerning the Procession of the Holy Ghost wherein the Greek church expresseth her self otherwise then the Roman if in substance and sense there be a reall difference that the Roman church was Orthodox And besides that I know not any point of doctrine wherein the Greek church agrees with Protestants to condemn the Roman church It is true they communicate in both kinds but I could never find that the Greeks made that point any pretext of their division from the Roman neither indeed can they since they also give the Eucharist to the sick onely in one kind acknowledging withall that such communicants receive the whole effect of the Sacrament As for the story of the Schisme it was begun by Photius the Pseudo-Patriarch of Constantinople upon ambition and interest because the Pope would not confirm his illegall intrusion into that Chair which generally ha's been a fatall occasion of almost all Schismes as long since S. Cyprian hath observed Lastly it is manifest that those rights of Jurisdiction also which since that Schisme have been denied by the Greeks to the Pope were not then begun to be demanded but had been possessed by him for severall ages so that there was at least injustice if not error on the Grecians part 7. Fourthly that the Pope as successor of S. Peter Prince of the Apostles ha's a primacy and superiority over all Bishops and Patriarchs yea an authority over the whole Catholique church so that he may truly be called the Head of the Church ha's been delivered by so constant and universal a Tradition that it cannot without extreme impudence be denied Now how far this superiority and authority extends I thought it needlesse curiously to inform my self since as far as I can learn all that the church requires in this point even from ecclesiasticall persons is a subscription to this profession mentioned in the Bull of Pope Pius IV annexed to the Councell of Trent and collected out of the same viz. Romano Pontifici Beati Petri Apostolorum Principis successori ac Jesu Christi Uicario veram obedientiam spondeo ae juro i. e. I do promise and sweare true obedience to the Pope of Rome successor of blessed S. Peter Prince of the Apostles and Vicar of Jesus Christ. 8. Now that thus much is of universall Tradition what greater proof can be desired then may be afforded us in a late book entituled Les Grandeurs dell ' Eglise Romaine where such a world of testimonies out of Councells Occumenicall and Provinciall Popes Fathers both Eastern and Westerne Histories Ecclesiasticall c. are produced to maintain the Co-union of S. Paul with S. Peter in at least some degree of his universall authority which not withstanding are not an hundredth part of that which may be alledged out of antiquity for S. Peters Principality and the Popes as his successor Yea that great Councell of Chalced on acknowledged and received in England even when it endeavoured to deprive the Pope of some part of Jurisdiction yet acknowledged this his superiority and authority as Pope the Bishops there calling him their Head and themselves with all Christians members under that Head Moreover Socrates and Zozomen writers far from being partiall for the Pope yet mention antient immemoriall canons of the church wherein at least a negative voice is given to the Pope in any thing that shall be introduced to oblige the whole church To conclude Monsieur Blondel the most learned French controvertist that ever undertook their common quarrell against the Pope in that large volume which is spent in confuting particular extravagant opinions concerning that subject as touching the infallibility and Monarchicall Omnipotence of the Pope his Lordly and domineering headship and a Monarchicall power usurped by him by which to subdue all the members of Christ c. yet notwithstanding which is very remarkable he confesseth himself that never any Councell or Nation no not that of Florence nor Trent it self ever adventured to define any thing concerning such excessive titles and power as the Popes Partizans do attribute to him But on the contrary that the titles of the Apostle S. Peter ought not to be put in debate since that the Grecians and Protestants also do confesse that it hath beone believed and that it might be indeed that he was the President and Head or Chiefe Chef of the Apostles the foundation of the Church and possessor of the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven Yea moreover That Rome as being a Church consecrated by the residence and Martyrdome of S. Peter whom antiquity hath acknowledged to be the Head Chef of the College Apostolique having been honored with the title of the Seat of the Apostle S. Peter might without difficulty be considered by one of the most renowned Councells viz. that of Chalcedon as Head Chef of the Church Which is in effect to acknowledge that the necessary doctrine of the Roman church concerning the Popes Primacy and Authority is Orthodox 9. Upon which grounds since it appeares to have been an universall Tradition of the church besides expresse words of Scripture that the Catholique Church was to remaine visible to the end of the world that is a church possessed of all substantiall Christian doctrines preserved in all truth governed by lawfull Pastours as one body consisting of ruling and ruled members under one visible head which S. Cyprian makes the foundation of Unity Ecclesiasticall I concluded as I thought rationally that that part of the Christian world which continued in Communion with and obedience to this so acknowledged Supreme Authority might and ought most justly to challenge the title of the Catholique Church 10. Therefore though the priviledge of an independent Patriarchall church which the English Protestants
of late begin to challenge to the end to excuse their church from the title of Schisme for withdrawing it selfe from the Popes Jurisdiction were just and legal yet they will never be able to justifie themselves for disbelieving what they together with all the other Western churches so many ages agreed to have been true or for denying the title of Oecumenicall Head to the Pope Let it be supposed therefore what some of them alledge that it is in the power of such a King of England as Henry the VIII with the forced consent of his Clergy to erect the English church into a Patriarchate as Justinian the Emperour did Justinianaea Prima Or that England being an Island like Cyprus might have the priviledge to be independent of any Patriarch all that will follow thereon will be only that the Pope as Patriarch of the West shall by this meanes be deprived of some Patriarchall Jurisdictions Investitures Rights of Appeals c. which have antiently been endeavoured to be withdrawn from him by the African Churches c. Yet what is this to his title of S. Peters Successor and Head of the Church Or was Justinianaea or the Isle of Cyprus so independent in matters of point of Faith or publique practise on the Pope or other Patriarchs or however on a Generall Councell as that they could dejure alter any thing established by Universall Authority Could they renverse decisions of Oecumenicall Councells Or did they ever usurp such an authority to themselves as to impute superstition idolatry prophaneness heresies c. to all other churches under a shew of Reformation ruining the whole order of Discipline and Belief confessedly continued in the whole church for above a thousand years Till they can produce examples of an authority of Reformation of such a nature assumed by any Catholique Prince or particular Kingdome the other pretended right of exemption from Jurisdiction will be so far from excusing them that it will make it apparent to the world that it was meerly their Princes lusts ambition and unquenchable thirst after ecclesiasticall revenewes that first put the thought of Reformation into their heads and that upon as just grounds they may expect from others a Reformation of their Reformation which will perhaps prove more durable when those baits shall be utterly taken away which first whetned their wits to contrive that project of a Reformation 11. For my own part therefore seeing these severall conclusions concerning the Catholique Churches indefectibility authority unity and Visibility so unanimously attested confirmed and made use of by all Antiquity with so good successe against all manner of antient Heresies and Schismes And on the contrary perceiving no such method practised by Protestants disputing with one another no mention in any of their writings or arguments from Christs promises to the church but onely presumptuous boastings of greater sagacity and cunning to wrest Scripture to their severall purposes without the least successe of unity with one another yea to the utter despair thereof Having shut mine eyes to all manner of worldly ends and designes yea resolving to follow truth whither soever it would lead me though quite out of sight of countrey friends or estate at length by the mercifull goodnesse of God I found my self in inward safety and repose in the midst of that City set â—pon an hill whose builder and maker is God whose foundations are Emerauds and Saphirs and Jesus Christ himself the chief Corner Stone a City that is at unity within it selfe as being ordered and polished by the Spirit of Unity it selfe a City not enlightened with the Meteors or Comets of a private Spirit or changeable humane reason but with the glory of God and light of the Lamb Lastly a City that for above sixteen hundred years together hath resisted all the tempests that the fury of men or malice of hell could raise against it and if Christs promises may be trusted to and his Omnipotence be râ—lyed upon shall continue so till his second coming To him be glory for ever and ever Amen SECT III. Containing a brief stating of certain particular points of Controversie c. CHAP. I. The Question of the Church being decided decides all other controversies How it is almost impossible that errour should have crept into the publike doctrine of the Church Of what force objections out of Scripture or Fathers are against the Church 1. AFter that Almighty God had changed that which was to me a stone of offence into a rock of foundation making me to find repose of mind in submitting to the authority of his church which by reason of my former misapprehensions I carefully avoided as if the greatest danger that a Christian could be capable of had beene to be a member of Christs mysticall body which is his Church or as if the hearkning to the Church had been the way to make a man worse then a Heathen and a Publican I then found an experimentall knowledge of the truth of that speech of S. Hierome cont Lucifer viz. that the Sun of the Church presently dryes up all rivelets of errors and dispells all the mists of naturall reason as likewise of that of the Prophet Quicredit intelliget i. e. He that believes shall understand For being arrived to the top of that mountaine upon which God had built his church I found clear weather on all hands I found that there remained nothing for me to do afterwards but to hearken to and obey her that both Scripture and Fathers and now mine own reason taught me was only worthy to be obeyed And therefore the truth is here should be an end of my Exomologesis or account of my inward disputes about controversies concerning Religion which quickly ceased after that I left off to be mine own Guide and Teacher 2. Notwithstanding among the particular controversies in debate between the Romane Catholiques and other Sects I will select especially six of the most principall on purpose to shew that if any regard had been had either to the authority or peace of Gods church there would never have been any differences about them and that in the judgement even of moderate Protestants the differences are indeed of so small weight that if there had been amongst them but the least measure of charity or if Schisme had not been esteemed by them a vertue they would never have made such fatall and deadly divisions upon pretences so unconsiderable 3. They indeed lay to the charge of the Catholique church novelties in doctrines and practises and yet Catholiques even out of those few that remain of the most antient Ecclesiasticall Authors shew clear proofes of these doctrines and practises and desire no more of them then that they would speak in the language of the antient church They accuse her of impieties and idolatries and superstitions yet Catholiques shew them that the most holy learned Saints and Martyrs that ever were in Gods church practised and maintained such pretended superstitions c. They
conversion not significative but reall true and substantiall 4. Because the same Fathers to make their auditours more capable of the mystery exemplifie in other kinds of changes or conversions as of the change of the Bread which Christ did eat into his owne flesh of the miraculous conversion of water into wine of Moyses rod into a serpent and the waters of Nile into blood Which language would be extremely ridiculous if they intended not a reall and substantial change 5. To prove that they understood not only a presence of Christ in the action of the Sacrament as some English Protestants explain themselves or a presence consistent with a Lutheranical coëxistence of the substance of bread and wine S. Ambrose will satisfie us who answering that very objection that the difficulties would be less if it were affirmed that the substance of bread and wine remained together with the body and blood of Christ after the consecration hath these words de Sacr. l. 4. To the first objection we must thus answer That in matters of faith a man ought not to make choice of that which is accompanied with less difficulties for otherwise we should affirm that in God there is one only hypostasis c. But he ought to affirm that which is most conformable to the testimonies of the holy Fathers and to the Tradition of the Church although never so many difficulties present themselves seeing that he ought to captivate his understanding under the obedience of Faith So likewise S. Ignatius quoted by Theodoret in Dialog 3. speaks of certain Heretikes who received not the Oblations and Eucharists because they believed not that the Eucharist was the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ. Which is a proof undeniable that the most primitive church taught this Catholike dgctrine of the reall Presence for if there had beene onely a spirituall presence what pretence could those Heretikes have to resuse them 6. Because both the antient Liturgies and Fathers of the church do testifie the generall custome of Gods people to adore Christ present upon the Altar after Consecration and this not onely in the time of administration but afterwards also as supposing that that which remained was and continued truly the body of Christ according to those words of S. Cyrill of Alexandria I know what they say namely That the mysticall benediction if any reliques remain of it to the next day is unprofitable to sanctification But they that say thus are mad For there is not another Christ made neither can his holy body be changed but the vertue of the benediction and the quickning Grace remains perpetually in it 7. Lastly because by this argument of the reall transmutation of the visible elements into the body of Christ the third Generall Councell of Ephesus and severall antient Fathers confuted the Heresies of Nestorius and Eutyches about the two natures of our Saviour as I mentioned occasionally before So that such a world of testimonies of Antiquity concurring the Tradition being so constant and uniform S. Leo the Great had just cause to say Ep. 23. In the church of God this is so consonantly witnessed by evemans mouth that the truth of the body and bloud of Christ is not even by the tongues of infants concealed among the Sacraments or Mysteries of the common Faith 6. An Universall Tradition therefore of the Reall Presence hath been so forcible and unconquerable as that it constrained even the English Protestants themselves to acknowledge it and that simply and unhypocritically How could I then defend my self from submitting and captivating my understanding to the same Tradition as constant for a reall change and conversion I must professe ingenuously that during the time of my being a Protestant the only or I am sure principall hinderance from an entire conformity to the Faith of Catholikes in this point was the inextricablenesse of those arguments which my reason suggested to me out of naturall Philosophy against it as how it could be possible that the same body could be in heaven and upon the Altar at the same time how accidents could remain without their proper subjects c. considering with all the small or rather no satisfaction which the Scholasticall subtilties gave me 7. But now if it be demanded what new Philosophy I have learned since I learned that the Catholique church was to be believed and obeyed and what preservative I have found against those former arguments of naturall reason I must answer freely and ingenuously that I have not learned to answer such arguments but to despise them and to say God forbid that vain Philosophy should 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 make a prey of me defrauding me of the most necessary communion with the church of Christ and most essentiall vertue of captivating my understanding to the obedience of all Evangelicall Mysteries I do therefore freely confesse my ignorance and inability to demonstrate how this particular Mystery can consist even with those rules of Philosphy which I my self receive But withall I must not conceale that when I was a Protestant also I did the same for other points as the Mystery of the blessed Trinity the Incarnation of the Son of God c. And I did not find any scruple in those mysteries because I could not reconcile them with Aristotle or any other Patriarch of Heretiques as Tertullian calls the Philosophers 8. I will further add that that which gave me entire satisfaction and obliged me in conscience to silence and not to answer my reason when it would raise objections against Transubstantiation was that the same authority for whose sake I believed it taught me to believe it to be a mystery inexplicable and incomprehensible and that it was not lawfull so to examine it as that it should stand or fall according to the dictates of naturall reason Insomuch as S. Gregory called the Divine spoke like one that deserved that surname in the second Generall Councell of Constantinople That it was not permitted to the Maobites and Ammonites to enter into the church of God that is saith he 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 i. e. to Logicall and vainly curious and subtill discourses I refer the Reader to an abundant collection of the testimonies of Fathers forbidding this curiosity of examining the possibility of this mystery upon the grounds of naturall reason which are to be found in Cardinall Perrons Reply to King James Repl. lib. 4. cap. 1. 2. c. Therefore far be it from me to determine this Mystery by the subtill and too too curious disputations of the Schoolmen I do not envy them their leasure to employ their fancies about such matters within their owne walls but if they begin to passe for competent Judges of this Mystery I must prosesse that I disclaim them and I cannot without grief remember what dangerous use Protestants make of their vaine and sometimes ridiculous Philosophicall Questions about this Mystery who satisfie themselves that the Mystery it self is
not true because they find no satisfaction in the discourses and answers which the Schoole-writers endeavour to give to a thousand foolish objections which they conjute up out of Aristotles Philosophy against this Mystery to be adored and trembled at It is onely Scripture testimonies of Faâ—hers Ecclesiasticall Tradition Generall Councells and the Profession of the present Catholique Church which are the proper Judges of this controversie and whose authority when it is employed as it ought will assert this divine truth of the Reality of Christs presence by way of conversion in the blessed Sacrament to the confusion of all Novelties and all Blasphemies of Heretiques The antient both Latin and Grecian Fathers who certainly were of wits as subtill and pierceing as any that have succeeded them yet never thought upon such nice enquiries as now every young Philosopher can prattle of and therefore I professe since I am far from finding any obligation at all lying upon me to the contrary yea since the Councell of Trent Sess. 13. c. I. hath defined this point in the language of Antiquity and not of the Schools saying that Christ is present in the Sacrament Sacramentaliter i. e. mysteriously inexplicably I will never endeavour to answer any Philosophicall arguments any other way then with such words as these of S. John Damascene The Bread and Wine is changed into the Body and Blood of our Lord but this after an unsearchable manner For of this matter we know no further but only that the word of God is true and efficacious and omnipotent Damasc. de Orthod Fide lib. 4. cap. 14. Of the Adoration of our Lord Jesus Christ present in the holy Eucharist 9â— Let us now consider to what the church obliges all Catholiques in this point If any one saith the Councell of Trent Sess. 13. Can. 6. saith that Jesus Christ the only Son of God ought not to be adored with the exteriour worship of Latria it self in the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist and that for that end it ought not to be proposed publikely to the people to be adored and that those who adore him are Idolaters let him be Anaâ—hema Which worship of Latria is not given to the outward Symbolls of the Eucharist but only to Jesus Christ himself there present A certaine degree of respect even by the confession of the Calvinists is due to all outward instruments of Religion as to Chalices to the books of Scripture to the water of Baptisme and to the Species of Bread and Wine in the Holy Eucharist And Catholiques allow no more But the true object which a Catholique adores with this sublime act of adoration or Latria is in the case in hand Jesus Christ himself who is to be adored every where wheresoever he is present and therefore likewise in the holy Eucharist in the which the Catholique church knows and acknowledgeth no other substance as the Calvinists desire to impose on them but only Jesus Christ. And if they be Idolaters for this the Lutherans are so too who teach the same doctrine though they expresse themselves in the point of the Reall Presence after another new-invented manner yet notwithstanding the Calvinists when their worldly interests obliged them could be content to comunicate with the Lutherans and could swallow their pretended Idolatry but out of fear and hatred of Catholique union make even the church her self a prejudice against her doctrine 10. For mine own part whilest I was a Protestant I professe I could never answer to mine own reason why we should condemn the worshipping of Christ whom we professed to be present in very truth without figures or fancies If he had not been there after a peculiar Sacramentall manner I might lawfully notwithstanding have worshipped him there because I may and ought to worship him every where as being God omnipresent yea though his humane nature be locally present only at the right hand of the Father in glory yet I may worship the man Jesus Christ every where because that person which is God and Man is every where present viz. according to his divine not humane nature and yet it seems when a new accâ—ssion of another kind of Sacramentall truly reall presence is added to the former though I acknowledge this later presence to be as reall as the former I must be forbidden to expresse that I acknowledge and believe it any other way then by saying with my lips that I do so I must then deny unto him in that place at his owne table and altar and at that time whilest are celebrated those mysteries adorable even to Angells themselves that worship and respect which I would have given him at mine own table or whilest I was doing the ordinary works of my calling But it will be said perhaps you are not forbidden to worship him but you must not worship him as present there And why for Gods sake Bid me rather believe that he is not after an epseciall manner present But this is tyranny and injustice in the highest degree to command me to believe that he is as truly though after another manner present there as at the right hand of his Father and at the same time to command me by my works to belye my belief No no. Quà m magis ingenuè Peribonius How much more ingenuous are the Socinians then all other Sects for whereas the rest would gladly pretend Antiquity and take much unprofitable pains to make a Father now and then speak a word in their favour The Socinians instead of puzling themselves to untye cut asunder all such knots and difficulties they with an impudent resolutenesse break through all obstacles Let the antient church determine what it please and let the antient Fathers agree to speak as they have a mind if what is spoken and decreed either suit not with what they fancy that the Holy Ghost does mean or naturall reason being Judge ought to mean or if the Holy Ghost in their opinions hath been silent in it without more aâ—o they presently reject and condemn it upon which grounds they strein not to alter all the language almost of the church they know no such thing as a Sacrament they acknowledge no promises to nor no â—ffects of such ceremonious actions as the church and all Christians call Sacraments they scoffe at the Reall Presence and abominate the adoration of Christ in his Mysteries Let S. Ambrose de Sp. 5. l. 3. say By his footstool is meant the earth and by the earth the body of Christ which every day we adore in the mysteries and which the Apostles adored in our Lord Jesus Let S. Augustine in Psa. 48. say For he took earth from earth both because be conversed here in very flesh and gave us likewise very flesh to eat for our salvation Now no man eats that flesh but that he adores it first And thus a way is found how the Lords footstoole is adored And again Epist 120. expounding that of the Psalmist All
same Tradition was so constant in the antient Christian Church that Origen asks who doubts but that the Saints do aid us by their prayers Add hereto that the antient Liturgies of S. Basile c. have the same prayers to Saints in the same form as they are found in the Misfall and Breviaries at this day And that not any Father condemns the practise of it either as a novelty or supersticion which in all other cases upon all occasions they have done 13. To shew the innocence of the church far from deserving such behaviour from her children as she ha's found in this regard Consider first that all that the church decides in this point is that they may be pray'd to 2. That by the church no man is obliged or constrained to pray to them or to any but to God 3. That this is onely that they would intercede for us a thing which we sinners desire at the hands of other sinners greater perhaps then our selves 4. That excepting only the Litanies which are rather ejaculations and wishes then formed prayers and excepting some few Poeticall Hymnes to which a greater license hath alwayes beene allowed the Church both in the Missall and Breviary directs the prayers which she makes with reâ—pect to Saints immediately to God himself desiring him to hearken to the intercession which his Saints make for us and by their ministery to aid us And therefore whereas Protestants make their chief difficulty in this matter to be their uncertainty whether our prayers can arrive to the Saints hearing though it may be resolved out of expresse Scripture even out of those words There is joy in heaven over one sinner that repeurs â—ot certainly when the prayers are directed immediately to God as the church does no man will doubt but they may arrive thither I cannot chuse but on this occasion to publish the ingenuity of the Socinians once more who deal with Religion as they would do with an Astronomicall Hypothesis framing and changeing heaven and earth according to their phaenonema And therefore they to take away the trouble of examining either Scripture of Fathers dissolve the whole controversie with framing a new point of Philosophy viz. that separated souls have no apprehension nor parception at all but are indeed as sencelesse as the bodies contrary to millions of stories which are surely not every one false contrary to expresse Scripture This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise and S. Pauls judgement Whether it was in the body or out of the body that I was wrap'd into Paradice I cannot tell God knows by which words though he knew not which of these two wayes it was yet he gives to understand that he might have been rap'd in Spirit without the body Of Veneration of Images 3. Concerning Images we may consider 1. That they had them in the antient church Tertullian puts it out of all doubt who makes mention of the lâ—st sheep generally graven upon the Chalices And S. Ambrose saith That a person appeared to him which seemed like to S. Paul the features of whose countenance I had learned sayes he from his picture The profession and practise of S. Paulinus is so clear in this behalfe and so confessed by Protestants that it is lost labour to quote him 2. No man can deny but that the sight of holy stories in picture do both more easily represent to weak capacities and put even the best men in mind of good things then the reading them in a book 3. The Councell of Trent Sess. 25. expressely professeth that the ground of Catholiques Veneration of them is not that it is believed that there is any divinity or vertue in them for which they ought to be venerated So that all occasion of superstition is evidently cut off 4. That things which have any regard to Religion are to be respected and treated with reverence this nature teaches and the Calvinists acknowledge as I took notice before out of Monsieur Daillé 5. That by reason we have not words enough to expresse all our conceptions nor variety enough of outward actions and postures to expresse our inward intentions and notions hence all the trouble and contradiction among Christians in this point hath proceeded And therefore as the antient Jewes applied the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the posture thereby represented viz. prostration both to the supreme degree of adoration due only to God and to the reverence of honorable persons So likewise the second Councell of Nice for want of words applying the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which imports the same to images therefore it was that till the misunderstanding was cleared the Westerne Church in the Councell of Francford rejected their decision But those who love Schisme will needs most unjustly reassume a voluntary misapprehension of the churches intention in this point which clearly distinguishes and makes an infinite distance betweene the respect which they give to Images and that which they render to God and gives little more to Images then Protestants themselves confesse to be due to all holy things pertaining to Religion The Jewes at this day the greatest enemies certainly of Idolatry that ever were yet will not unfold the volume of their law til after many humble declinations of their bodies and kissings of their hands neither will any sober Christian enter into a church though he do not pray without uncovering his head to shew that he makes a difference between that place and an ordinary prophane house The ground of the lawfulnesse and fitnesse of these outward expressions is this because since we cannot chuse but in our minds and thoughts make a a difference betweene holy and prophane objects it is as fitting to expresse that difference by outward shews So that if Catholiques be to be suspected of superstition and idolatry in this behalf certainly the Calvinists are much more guilty for exhibiting an outward reverence to the Bread and Wine in their Cene seeing they will not allow a distinction between the severall respects which Catholiques acknowledge 6. That the church obligeth no man hîc nunc to exhibit any veneration to Images c. Only they must not condemne it in those that allow and practise it Of Prayers and Offerings for the Dead and Purgatory 4. The denyall of this made Arrius a Heretique and besides him I do not find since Christianity begun til the last age any one single person that denyed or questioned it never was there found any Liturgy without it nothing so frequent in Fathers and Ecclesiasticall histories as the recommendation of it In a word I am confident there is not one doctrine or practise of Christianity delivered with so full unquestionable a Tradition So that a man may as wel make an Apology for being a Christian or believing the Gospells to be the word of God as for this The truth is the more sober and learned sort of English Protestants do confesse the immemorial antiquity of iâ—
Authors whose larger Opinions I had occasionally made use of I have protested my disengagement from particular Dogmes Nay I have not refused to retract and cancell what I judged fit to be retracted and more I could not do with a good Conscience For the generall argument of the book being a story of what was pass'd it was not possible for me to alter any thing in the Narration for God himself cannot make that which ha's been not to have been Or if I should publish my self so palpable a lyar as because some passages do displease some persons therefore to say that such things were not such what good or convenience would proceed from a lye God is my witnesse in matters of this nature I despise credit Nay more I know not how but I find a gust in making a Retractation whensoever I can conceive it requisite For I count it no vertue to write plausibly or eloquently or learnedly But I esteem it a great vertue not to persist in an errour nor because I haue said a thing once therefore ever after to maintain it for a false or vain credits sake If I have not given sufficient proof of this in this second Edition of my book I do beg of every charitable Catholique Reader to suggest to me what they yet shall judge fit to be altered and to give me convincing reasons for it and I promise them a very cheerfull readinesse to content them and not great resistence against being convinced 5. Only this one thing I must professe to them that it is not a convincing argument to me to hear any say Other Controvertist's have inwrapped within their treatises many Thoologicall Doctrines beyond what Catholike Religion obliges them to as concerning the Popes Infallibility c. therefore you are obliged to follow their example For I must needs tell them that besides it is in it self unreasonable to spend time in disputing with Protestants upon Questions in which some Catholiques will be of their side I cannot but impute the unsuccessefulnesse in such disputes and the paucity of Converts to such a way of managing Controversies when Catholiques shew what a number of Doctrines they are able to maintain more then is necessary and more then concern Protestants to hear of So that it is to be feared the design of such Catholique writers is not so much to seek the Conversion of Protestants as to shew their zealous adhesion to the particular Doctrines of their Order or Party For mine own part truly I am no tyed to any peculiar Dogmes that holy Congregation to which by Gods providence I am inserted an unworthy Member does not exercise that violence over spirits subject to them as to force a belief of any unnecessary distinctive Doctrines upon them or a profession of doctrines which they do not believe or would not if they lived any where else Conscience and not faction or partiality is the director of our assent and it is from the Church only that we receive the Rule of that assent Now enjoying this liberty and having I thank God neither hopes nor fears from the world I will not captivate my own understanding to any but God and his Church nor my tongue or pen to any particular Schoolman or Controvertist Now my meaning is not hereby to imply that I condemn any of these Doctrines but onely that I desire leave being to deal with Protestants to be silent and take no notice of such questions wherein they are not concerned but are whil'st troubled with those disputes so much the longer detained from entring into Catholique Communion 6. Having made this profession of my resolution to offend none and yet withall of being subject to none but the Church to which only and not any Faction in the Church my desires and endeavours shall be to invite Protestants and to which if by Gods blessing they adjoyn themselves they shall be equally welcome to me to whatsoever party in it they shal range themselves If hereafter any Catholique will not content himself with that satisfaction which I have and will as far as reason and conscience will permit give him If he be unlearned I must desire him to dispense with me for taking Rules from him how to manage Controversies If he be learned and especially if himselfe be imployed in the Conversion of souls then I desire him to give me leave with all respect and humility to ask him is there any such priviledge given to any Rank of English Missioners as that souls may not be suffered to be converted unlesse it be upon the grounds of Suarez or Scotus or Becanus c. Is it lawfull in France to propose the churches doctrine pure and unmixed with privat opinions and is that unlawfull in England Is the Councell of Trent a suspected Rule without such or such a Doctours interpretation I have been informed that severall persons and I have known some that have reaped good by so despiseable a Treatise as this God whose power is made perfect in weaknesse giving his blessing to so imperfect but well meaning work Can any charitable Catholique envy this or be sorry that Protestants should be delivered by any from their errours and Schisme unlesse the instrument of their conversion devote himself to all your particular distinctive Tenets Truly for my part if since my being a Catholique I have entertained any particular Doctrines though they should be never so contradictory to yours yet since with all that difference we remain both of us firmly united in the beliefe and profession of all Doctrines truly Catholique I should willingly and cordially encourage any Protestant to believe you and condemn me upon condition that his esteem of you and prejudice against me might be an inducement to him the sooner to entertaine a good opinion and liking of Catholique Religion it self If in this Book there be mentioned any opinions in your opinion too large yet doubtlesse you cannot but know that they are publiquely and uncontroulably asserted by unquestioned Catholique Authors Or however the Quotations will now inform you so much and direct you to their particular Treatises And the principall of these Authors are Salmeron Bacon Molina c. learned Fathers of the Society as likewise Salmanticensis Monsieur Veron Estius c. Out of such Authors as these I do quote many passages and opinions accounted indeed generally of the largest allowance but yet not condemned by any On the contrary their books have been in the highest manner approved These opinions I quote not as mine own for I professe against espousing any in this Book but as doctrines and interpretations though not so generally embraced yet universally uncondemned Now shall these men passe untouched who asserted and published such opinions and must I be traduced as an unsound Catholique for transcribeing them and for only saying that they said so 7. Experience of what is past obliges me to prevent misconstructions for the future for which purpose this little that hath beene said
say confidently it is all to be found comprised sufficiently in the little Catechisme made for Infants others would add the Common-Prayer book others the book of Homilyes others would yet thrust in the book of Ordination others the 39. Articles and Canons others besides would have the four first Generall Councells not to be forgotten and lastly some few of those who are pure Protestants indeed would say the whole Canon Law in as much as concerns doctrine especially and as far as it is not revoked by Acts of Parliament All this with all that went before is the entire Rule of English-Catholique Doctrine And all those for their severall answers would produce English Fathers and Doctors whose books have been received and approved without contradiction in the Church of England 4. To save the blushing of an English Protestant I would not suffer Mr. Chillingworth nor my Lord Falkland to put in their votes for they would have renounced all these and protested that neither the Catechisme nor Common-prayer-Book nor Homilies c. nor all these together contain that doctrine of the Church of England to which all are obliged to submit but only the Bible the Bible and nothing but the Bible and this not interpreted by any Bishop or Synod of Divines but by every good mans reason let him shift as he can An answer which it admitted not only totally destroyes the spirituall Jurisdiction of the English Clergy but all authority whatsoever even of the civill Magistrate in matters of Religion yet to shew the great impartiality of English Protestants towards Catholike Faith because they fancied that by such a position Catholiques might receive some damage they not only admitted this position of M. Chillingworths and saw it approved by their Doctor of the Chair but triumphed in it as the great Master-piece of the wit of this Age whereas if they had but half an eye open they might have seen in it the inevitable ruine of their whole Fabrick So that J. P. did not well consider what poor service he ha's done and what small refreshment he ha's given or rather what a dishonorable Epitaph he ha's fixed upon the monument of his deceased Church by giving his Testimony of applause to this Treatise of my Lo. Falklands as one of the great Defenders of the Doctrine of the English Church which is more ruinous to it then all the spitefull writings and plots of Cartwright Knox Henderson or all the rabble oâ— Geneva joyn'd with them But to return 5. A Supposition being made of the foresaid answer and it being granted that all these answers have been published or without contradiction or censure admitted in the church of England should not that man be very negligent of his souls good that being to examine the truth of its doctrine should trouble himself any further then with the little Catechism of half a sheet of paper as plainly and as simply written as is possible as if the children that are to learne it had composed it since all say it is at least part of the Rule of the English Faith and some without censure of others say it is all what a while must the poore mans soul be held in suspense if he were to stay till he had search'd into the Common-prayer-Book Homilies Canons Acts of Parliament Proclamations of the King Antient Councels Canon-Law c. his soul perhaps might be disposed by death God knows where before he had examined the hundredth part of what was necessary 6. Now to apply this to the present subject it is agreed by all Catholiques that the church is an infallible witness and guide Protestants profess that if this could be made evidently appear they would hold out in no controversie at all for they would never dispute perpetually with them whom onely to hear were to be satisfied this therefore is to be made evident unto Protestants yea more evident then that any particular decisions of the Church do seem to them evidently contradictory to Scripture This is the task of Catholicks especially Catholick Missionaries Now though when it is said The Church is infallible This be commonly understood of all the whole Church in general yet when we say She is an infallible Guide it is most ordinarily understood of the Church speaking by some authorised person or persons representing the whole body 7. About this Representative there is diversity of opinions among Catholicks some say the Pope alone does sufficiently represent the Church as a Guide infallible Others a Generall Councell though without the Pope Others a Generall Councell convoked presided in and confirmed by the Pope And lastly others as learned Fa Bacon acknowledges add further this condition that the decision of such a Councell bee accepted and submitted to by the whole Church All that hold any of these opinions are universally esteemed good Catholiques and I would to God all Protestants had so much humility as to subdue their own private Reason to the largest of them and for Catholiques this I may confidently say That they who without betraying the Truth make the way to the Church easiest and plainest have most charity and Faith enough the others may have more Faith I would they had more Charity too Truly to my understanding there is some inhumanity in urging Protestants to more then Catholiques will be obliged to or to think that to Protestants prepossessed with passion and partiality that can be made evident which is so far from being evident to some Catholiques that they renounce it Since all changes therefore proceed by degrees in the name of God let it not be expected from Protestants that they should with one leap mount to the utmost verge and extent of all Doctrines held by Catholiques That they should at one gulpe swallow both all Catholique Doctrines and all Theologicall Dogmes Be it granted therefore that it is true that the Pope is infallible I will beleeve it as a Theological truth but since neither the Church nor the Pope himself has told us so I cannot if I would beleeve it as a Catholick Doctrine what therefore have I to do to dispute of it to Protestants whom my duty is onely to perswade to the belief of the Churches Doctrine What pitty is it that they must be delayed and as it were kept out of the Church till all objections that they can make and be furnished even from Catholicks themselves to make against this position be answered or all advantages that they can advise against any Bulls or Decretals be cleared to their satisfaction 8. Therefore I being ingaged to make good to I. P. That the Church speaking by a Representative is an infallible Guide would fain choose that Representative which is qualified with all the conditions allowed by any uncensured Catholicks to make it most easie and most acceptable to Protestants which is a general Councel Confirmed c. by the Pope and accepted by the Church But yet I wil abstract from this last clause of being acâ—epted
by the Church though there is not any one point of controversie in debate between us and them for which we have not all this authority as being proved ex superabundanti in what I shall say hereafter 9. That therefore which I undertake to make evident to I. P. is That the Church speaking by a general Councel confirmed by the Pope is an infallible Guide and that with greater evidence then he can bring for any contradiction pretended betwixt any decision of such a Councel and the Scripture yea with more evidence then he can produce for the Scripture it self which he owns for his Guide which truly to an impartial hearer is no difficult matter even going upon his own grounds For if I should ask I. P. Why do you acknowledge the Scripture to be an infallible Rule as far as it is a Rule He would answer me Because it is delivered unto us as such by an infallible Catholick Tradition for if he talks of any other proof as a private spirit or natural reason it will be ridiculous He may as well say he can judge and demonstrate it to be such by smelling with his nose If I should further ask him how it appears evident to him that the Scriptures have been delivered by an infaâ—ible Catholick Tradition He could not deny but that many Hereticks have denied many books of Scripture yea that there is not any one book in the Old or New Testament but has been renounced by some Hereticks and their followers yet because some Councels have decided and Fathers witnessed and the Catholick Church in all ages since have received them as such therefore it is evident that they have been delivered by the Church by Catholick Tradition And this is most rational and convincing Upon these grounds therefore I proceed and ask any discreet indifferent man Whether an authority that shall after this manner propose any doctrine This we have received from Christ and his Apostles that such and such a doctrine proposed is a divine infallible truth and we command all Christians whatsoever under the pain of anathema and eternal damnation to beleeve it for such whether I say such an authority does not assume to it self the office of a Guide and of an infallible Guide Certainly he that should speak in this stile and yet have a guilt or be in a possibility of seducing were the most impious abhorred tyrant in the world What an attentat an usurpation upon Gods Scepter and Throne would this be if God had not derived this authority upon the Church represented in a Councel What a cruelty to souls What a blaspheming of the Holy-Ghost Now that this hath been the stile of all General Councels is evident and that Councels speaking in that stile have been submitted to by the Fathers and accepted by the Church with all veneration as the Oracles of God is equally apparent nay I do not know that ever any Heretick before these daies did expresly contradict this in the Thesis though in Hypothesi they have renounced such particular Councels as themselves were Anathematized by Therefore not onely all Councels but every Decision of every Councel to which an Anathema is annexed decides this question and proclaims to all the ends of the world this truth That the Church speaking in General approved Councels is an infallible Guide to all Christians Against this not a passage or word in any Father can be produced but infinite passages for it Hence it is that the Fathers unanimously profess That out of the Church there is no possible salvation because there is no Guide to Heaven but in the Church If therefore it be a proof evident enough to I. P. of an universal infallible tradition of Scripture that one or two not General Councels did with some variety set down the number and names of the books and that generally speaking the Fathers have amongst them given attestation to them some to some books and some to others few to all and that the Church in after ages hath universally accepted them as such How short comes that tradition of this concerning the infallible Guidance of the Church that is vertually decided in all Councels and every decision of all attested by all Fathers not one in one passage contradicting or condemning that stile but unanimously in all ages since Councels were accepted by the Church approved and submitted to how opposite is this truth to the main design of his following discourse which attempts to prove that there is in the Church no infallible Guide at all And how contradictory to that Article of his Church concerning not onely the fallibility but actual erring of Councels And again how conformable is this way of proceeding to the authority given upon Record in Scripture by our blessed Saviour to his Church I say to his Church for the Fathers assembled in Councel speak not thus in their own persons nor as so many learned men but in the person of the whole Church which they represent and do no more but subsume particulars under that General Anathema pronounced by our blessed Saviour when he said If he refuse to here the Church let him be unto thee as a Heathen and a Publican 11. I conjure therefore I. P. and all his and my friends that he and they would produce or at least set before their own eyes those Decisions of Councels which seem to them evidently false because clearly contradictory to Scripture and compare his evidence of a seeming contradiction with this evidence that it is impossible there should be such a contradiction and if they do this with a serious minde and desire to finde the truth that they may embrace it and with hearts lifted up to God to free them from all respects of the world and to enlighten their souls with the love of his truth then perhaps they may see that which as yet it seems is invisible to them it is most certain there is not one express formal text of Scripture contradictory to any Catholick Doctrine this they confess themselves And indeed even abstracting from the promises made by Christ to his Church it is morally impossible that so many wise and vertuous men should with the one hand give the Scripture as Gods word and with the other present Doctrines expresly and directly contradictory to it and none be able to observe the contradiction though their daily study was to meditate upon and interpret the Scripture Now whether any consequence from obscure texts can be more forcible then that which I have named from the stile of General Councels I leave not to their wits but consciences to judge 12. Matters therefore being impartially weighed that triumphing Epiphonema of his in the fourth and fifth Sections vanishes in which himself with admiration exposeth to the admiration of others those great conquering defenders of the doctrine of the late Church of England that with such excellent conduct and valour and such admirable success have combated and defeated this our Darling
Infallibility he did ill and even enviously to their glory that he did not name those worthies for my part besides the noble Author of the following Discourse whom certainly he means for one and by consequence Mr. Chillingworth I cannot remember that ever I heard any great Elogium in this respect given to any English writer Yet it may be he might have an eye upon the last Arch-bishop of Canterbury and his late enlarged Dialogue which if he did then I conjure I. P. that he would once more peruse the said Arch-bishop's Discourse and single from it whatsoever is impertinent to the main essential controversie that is whatsoever touches particular debates of Catholicks about the Popes infallibility and the exceptions that may be found against certain Councels as likewise about the several qualities and conditions required to an acknowledged obliging Councel all which things are nothing to the purpose And lastly that laying aside all these unnecessary velitations he would apply the Arch-bishops most efficatious arguments to an Oecumenical confirmed Councel especially if he will add the condition too of being actually received by the Church and my life for his he will see reason to acknowledge that all that discourse is of no force at all against the Church yea that the Archbishop himself never intended it should However the Calvinists or fantastical private Spiritists or exalters of humane reason might deal against the universal authority of Gods Church the Prelates of England were too wise to judge that people would be so blinde as to think any obedience could be due out of conscience to a National Church begun and continued upon secular and indeed unlawful intrests if that Church should build its authority upon a profession of renouncing all authority And therfore though they were very earnest in the controversie about Ecclesiasticall Authority when they were to write or proceed juridically against Presbyterians or Separatists yet they loved not to talk of it against the Catholick Church yea it was from the Catholick Church onely that they borrowed their Arguments against their Schismaticks as may in a good measure appear in the printed Reasons of the University of Oxford against the Covenant Negative Oath and Ordinances concerning Discipline and Worship approved by generall consent in a full Convocation June 1. 1647 and it was under the shadow of their pretence to be still a member of the Catholick Church and to have received their Authority and Succession from it that they obliged good easie Protestants to continue their subjects But this is but a guesse that I. P. in this passage reflected upon the late Archbishop or any other English Prelaticall Writer 13. Certain it is he must intend my Lord Falkland as one of the great Defenders of the Doctrine of the Church of England since he speaks this in his Preface to his Discourse of Infallibility and with an evident design thereby to recommend both the Author and his work This being so I. P. will give me leave to use his own words O the strength of Reason rightly managed O the power of Truth clearly declared Yea O the force of a guilty conscience For what else but the irresistable power of truth and evidence of reason and acknowledgement of guilt could move him so publickly to condemn his own Church and to confess its â—surpation impossible to be justified Behold O Protestants how your Church is defended here is a discourse that undertakes to demonstrate and if you will believe your brother I. P. has admirably and unanswerably performed it that upon earth there neither is nor ever was any Guide that could oblige any other to follow his direction and that every mans conscience is to be guided by his own single naturall Reason chusing that Faith which is most agreeable to Nature and holding it onely so long as Nature likes it and then changing it for another In fine a Discourse that gives you leave yea almost invites you to return to the Religion of the old Philosophers those Epoptes and Priests of Nature If there be any force in this your Defenders discourse what becomes of your Articles and Canons your Synods and Convocations your Infallible Acts of Parliament and Proclamations It is evident he might as well yea more reasonably have said That the Councell of Trent is a great defender of the Church of England for that indeed justifies Ecclesiasticall Authority whereas this discourse directly and purposely and universally destroyes it But the meaning or that which should be the meaning of I. P. is this That the Authority of the Church of England is impossible to be maintained for if as the Catholick Church avows there be in the Church by Christ's appointment any Authority Ecclesiasticall obliging in conscience it is certain it is not inherent in the Church of England that began but yesterday and is not now at all and when it began it began by the renouncing of all visible authority Again if as this discourse pretends there be no obliging authority that is no infallible one for surely none can be obliged to an authority that confesses it self questionable then both the Catholick Church and the Church of England are meer names and verbal sounds that signifie nothing This is so evident that it is pitty to insist longer upon the persecuting of good I. P. that here publishes his conviction and confession and must either tear out this Preface before such a discourse or abjure his Church of England if ever it appear again 14. By what hath been said it is apparent that the doctrine of the Infallibility of the Church speaking by a lawful Oecumenical Councel is delivered by as full a Tradition as it is possible for a doctrine to be delivered And therefore Protestants are inexcusable and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 since receiving such special Books of Scripture upon no other grounds but Tradition they yet renounce the Churches authority which is more universally and authoritatively delivered and confirmed The same Truth is unanswerably grounded upon what hath formerly been proved in this Book viz. That it is impossible that that which any one à ge agrees in as Tradition should not be so because that would argue that some former whâ—le Age hath agreed to deceive their posterity Ob. 15. But perhaps I. P. or his friends will say That though what hath been asserted may be effectual to demonstrate the Infallible Authority of the universal Church yet not so to demonstrate that the Roman is that Infallible Catholick Church since the Greeks may put in their plea at least to be a very considerable part That they are not unwilling to submit to the Universal Church though she should condemn them For though the importunate restless malice of som Calvinistical spirits among them hath procured some uncivil and indeed unchristian Clauses to be put into the English Articles derogating from the Authority of General Councels yet the true English Protestant hath alwaies been ready to protest submission to the
do not to such a degree prejudice the persons but that the Votum Baptismi will suffice them And Simony does not wipe out the Character though the Church in detestation of that crime does in validate the Popes acts and destine him when the crime is proved to a Deposition And as for my Lord Falkland upon what a mistaken notion of Infallibility he proceeds in this discourse let the 27th and 28th Paragraphs of that Treatise according to a more exact impression 1646 witness where enveighing against Catholicks for putting Hereticks to death and preventing a Recrimination for Calvin's burning of Servetus And the Church of England executing Catholick Priests He concludes that passage with these words The Church of England confessing she may erre is not so chargeable with any fault as those which pretend they cannot and so wil be sure never to mend it And besides I will be bound to defend no more then I have undertaken which is to give reason why the Church of Rome is not Infallible Whereby his Lordship shews clearly that in his opinion an argument from any supposed erronious opinion or faulty practice in the Church was of force to disprove the Churches Infallibility although such an errour or ill practice was never authorised by any decision of a General Councel nor universally spred through the whole Church as this example mentioned by him apparently never was 6. It was from the like disapprehension that my self formerly had of the notion of Infallibility and misapplication of it to points controverted by Catholicks in which the Church it self is entirely untouch'd that I conceived Mr. Chillingworth's book unanswerable and by consequence was so long kept at a distance and disheartned from so much as taking into debate whether the Catholick Church was to be considered by me when I was in quest of a new one had I not reason then to say that the word Infallibility was not as I. P. quotes me simply an unfortunate word but to me an unfortunate word not for any fault that was in the word it self but for my misinformation and mistake of the true sense and inportance of the word and was it a betraying of the cause or a confession of guilt when I said that Mr. Chillingworth had combatted against that word with too great success Success I mean not against the Church but against his own soul and the souls of his fellow-English-Protestants if I may lawfully call them his fellows who conspiring with him in the mistake of the word were and are God knows with him frighted from the Church which is placed out of the reach of all the shot and noise that he makes against it It was therefore not without cause that I wished that the word might be forgotten or at least laid by that is as long as Protestants do and will persist in a wilful mistaking of its sense and notion And that this was my meaning and no thought of finding fault with the word Infallibility it self which I acknowledged to be as fit a word to express the Authority of the Church by as could be found in one single tearm does evidently appear in many passages of my book and therefore notwithstanding that wish of mine and seeming advice to others yet I my self unawares in all this discourse till I came to this point made use of the same word but it was with a resolution to say what I have now said to prevent any more mistaking of it I. P. therfore if he well consider it will finde little ground to please himself with those other words of mine That Protestants have indeed very much to say for themselves when they are press'd unnecessarily with it and therefore I desired that they might never be invited to combat the Church under that Notion It was pure pitty to them that I said thus and not the least apprehension for Catholicks They have indeed much to say for themselves when they are press'd unnecessarily with it and the occasions of their mistaking it not taken away for they will run into endless disputes and such disputes as Catholicks will furnish them with armes to defend themselves whereas if they be urg'd to produce what they have to say for themselves when the Authority of the Church speaking in a lawful Oecumenical Councel is objected to them they are dumb and ashamed to name the new and quickly decrepite Church of England and its Authority which vanishes at the very sight of the Authority of the Universal Church yea and as silent will they be when they are invited to combat the Authority of the Church under the notion of Infallibility so that that notion be first clear'd and warning given them to abstain from misapplying it to questions in which onely particular Catholicks and not the Church it self is concerned but indeed I should not have said They have much to say for themselves for alas it is miserably against themselves in the highest degree when they either unfortunately or wilfully shroud themselves under ambiguities of words or when they change the state of that question which should end all questions either devising or catching at all advantages to keep them out of Gods Church 7. Upon these considerations if I said that Infallibility was to me an unfortunate word had not I reason to say so since it indangered my loss and caused my delay of attaining to the fundamental happiness of this and the next world which is to become a member of the Church of Christ This might have been spoken without any prejudice or disparagement to the word it self as it may be truly said that Homousion the Churches own word was an unfortunate word to the Arians as likewise that Theotokos was an unfortunate word to the Nestorians since they would not accept heaven unless they might have it without being oblig'd to receive those words Therefore I. P. must pardon me and give me leave to say more that is that Infallibility was an unfortunate word not to me onely but to Mr. Chillingworth likewise and to my lord Falkland and to I. P. himself and indeed to all Protestants since they will needs to their own great disadvantage make advantage of it to embroil Controversies to multiply objections and to exclude themselves from the Church and this they do because they will neither use nor accept of any other word And this word which is in it self and confined to the present acception very expressive and proper they will needs understand in a far more sublime and comprehensive Notion then Catholicks intend thinking that if they could shew that any particular personal opinions of Catholicks or any practise in the Church did swerve from that rectitude which they imagine to be imported by that word that they had reason to renounce the Churches Infallibility and authority though by being in the Church they would have no obligation to joyn in such opinions or practises What Protestant would have the confidence to say that it doth not belong to
the Church to be the interpreter of Scripture or that acknowledged lawful General Councels are not obliging under the penalty of manifest Schism that is damnation And again on the otherside what one Protestant is there who will not protest against the Infallibility of the Church and yet this Infallibility in the meaning of the Church neither dose nor must comprehend more then is imported by the other expressions Is it not apparent therefore Since no such word as Infallibility is to be found in any Councel and since the Church did never enlarge her authority â—â— so vast a wideness as Protestants will needs hither to collect from the word Infallibility but rather that she does deliver the victory into our hands when we urge her Decisions that any Catholick that had any charity in disputing with Protestants would either wholly abstain from the word it self or since it is become so common and with all so convenient for no other single word can be imagined so proper would in using of it confine it to its necessary acception in the present matter and so prevent Protestants that they should not if they would make use of it to their most disadvantagious advantage And this latter expedient I have in this review made use of keeping the word Infallibility in it self good and innocent yet withal using caution that it should not be mistaken 8. What is now become of your exclamations my good unknown friend I. P. how impertinent are they and how harshly and inharmoniously do they sound O the strength of reason rightly managed by the Great Defendors of the English Church O the power of truth clearly declared That it should force an eminent member of the Church of Rome alas eminent in nothing but in miserable imperfections to retract so necessary so fundamental a doctrine to desert all their Schools and contradict all their controvertists For is it not apparent even from the first impression of my Book that it was so far from being true that the strength of reason rightly managed by you or the power of truth clearly declared by you compelled me to use such expressions that on the contrary it was your manifest unreasonableness and your wilful mistake of Truth that forced me out of compassion and charity to you not to retract any doctrine of the Church nor to desert any community in it but to temper what the Church and the Schooles and Controvertists likewise say to your too much depraved palats 9 Having been so large hitherto I may the better dispence with my self to be brief in what follows Therefore whereas in the sixth Paragraph I. P. says That it is not the name or word Infallibility that is deserted by Mr. Cressy but the whole importance and sum of it since he does not except against the word but to receive it in the sense of Cardinal Bellarmine that is Infallibilis est qui nullo casu errare potest c. To this I must needs say that truly I. P. is mistaken for it is onely the word Infallibility that is in controversie and that protestants I do now except Mr. Chillingworth c. who are far from being truly English Protestants do make meer nominal controversie of this great fundamental one for no argument that ever I saw is so much as intended by them to disprove this truth That it belongs to the Church to be the interpreter of Scripture and not to any private spirit or natural reason or this That the Decisions of the Catholick Church in lawful approved General Councels are not obliging under pain of Anathema incurring of schism and by consequence damnation and it is this I say principally this that the Church understands by the notion of Infallibility Therefore it is in your own sense onely and not Bellarmines that you will understand those words of his Infallibilis est qui nullo casu erraâ—e potest for Bellarmine himself as I have shewed in my book acknowledges a General Councel to be infallible yet not Infallible as the Scripture that is Quod in nullo casu errare potest for the Scripture is Infallible not onely in Essential Doctrines but even in all circumstantial historical passages phrases and and words whereas Councels are onely Infallible in the substance of their Decisions the which Decisions as Salmanticensis saith are likewise to be extended no further then the latitude of the Heresies which they intend to condemn but as for other passages in Decrees or decisions as the grounds principles and reasons from which a Councel deduces its conclusive Decisions c. In those it may be deceived and much more in orders and reformations which depend upon prudence or information It is therefore a very great apparent mistake when you say that Mr. Cressy retracts either the word Infallibility it self which he often makes use of or or much less the full importance and sense of that word unless you will mean that he will not use it in your full importance and sense for that he acknowledges he will not he is too charitable to you to justifie or encourage you in your mistakes As for Mr. Chillingworth my lord Falkland and if there be any other that proceed upon their grounds whom you ought to have called not the Great Defenders but the great Destroyers of the Church of England though they do indeed mistake the word Infallibility extending it to too comprehensive a sense yet that does not hinder them in their way for by making every ones personal reason to be judge and interpreters of Scripture they do thereby destroy all obliging authority whether fallible or infallible 10. In the seventh Paragraph the Author I. P. very rationally that is very consequently to his most irrational mistaking me First imputes unreasonableness to me in making any answer to the arguments made against that which he confesses himself cannot be maintained Hereto I answer That 1. Since it was Mr. Chillingworth's book and not any Prelatical Protestants argument against the Catholick Churches authority that perplexed and entangled me And 2. since I knew that Mr. Chillingworth beleeved his arguments unanswerable not onely by his Adversary and such as proceeded upon his Adversarie's special grounds but by any Catholick upon what grounds soever and that the onely grounds upon which Catholick authority could be destroyed were not such as my Lord of Canterbury c. proceeded on viz. To set up a little authority and seemingly to contradict an universal one but onely such as Mr. Chillingworth used viz. To disoblige every Christian from all authority whatsoever as obliging the conscience to the beleeving of any thing and making private reason the judge where was this unreasonableness of mine when I attempted to shew the world how I came to be undeceived and upon what grounds I ceased to think what before not I onely but very many Protestants besides my self thought namely that Mr. Chillingworths book did wholly destroy not only his mistaken Infallibility but the true real
of his divinity yet places him above all other creatures But this denies him even that degree of common sens which men of mean capacity enjoy for it makes him establish a law with his own blood which is neither necessary to be kept nor indeed possible to be known then which what can be more absurd ridiculous The perspicacity of my honored lords judgment was so imployed in opposition of Infallibility that I am confident he never reflected upon these sad inevitable consequences 5. But surely no salvation is to be had without this unity in divine truth as I have shown at large in my Exomologesis and onely Christians have the Depositum of Divine Truth entrusted to them Where then shall they finde it In his lordships forementioned Answer it is implied That it is onely to be found in Scripture and Traditionary writings But all such writings are obnoxious to variety of senses and interpretations What must be done in that case to finde out the true Interpretation for that every body says his lordship must shift as well as he can he is to do his best following the dictamen of his own private Reason to finde out the true sense of Scripture And for his comfort he is to beleeve that if his private Reason should chance to mis-lead him as ten thousand to one it will yet there is no danger at all let but private Reason do its best and he may assure himself all wil be Well Gods infinite goodness would fail if a Soul proceeding so reasonably should miscarry But how is this confidence of security in following private Reason grounded That does not at all appear neither in Scripture nor Tradition neither did his lordship seem to imploy the admirable sharpness of his own private Reason to search grounds for that upon which the Eternal disposal of his soul depended 6. That which drove his lordship upon the rock of private Reason was meerly a mistake us may appear to any one that shall carefully read this small Treatise of his If he could have found an infallible Authority for one less then infallible was to his reason a ridiculons thing he would have abhord the though of relying on private Reason interpreting Scripture He sought after this infallible Authority but he sought onely there where either it was not or at least it would require very sharp eyes and a very unprepossessed minde to discover it Therefore he streins his Reason to prove that this infallibility is not to be found in the Pope nor in a Councel at least not so evident to him as to countervail the seeming evidence of the force of some objections that he had against some decisions of Councels and such an evidence he must needs have or none To demonstrate this he makes use of all the imaginable difficulties and mullities that could be found against the legitimation of a Pope and Councel and of any erronious opinions or unlawful or questionable practises in the Church though never decided nor warranted by the Church it self But there is not one word in all his Discourse against the Infallibility of the Universal Church it self or of a general Councel approved of and received by the Church It seems in his Disputes it had been his misfortune chiefly to treat with those that would urge the Dogme of the Popes Infallibility not onely as a Catholick Truth but also as a necessary fundamental established point of Catholick Faith and not being fully cleared in the evidence of their pretentions a thing not very strange since many learned Catholicks would furnish him with doubts and Objections to encrease the mist and obscurity he concluded that no Infallibility could any where be made appear 7. Being thus unfortunately perswaded that there was no evidence of an Infallible Universal Authority plain evident Reason taught him that there could nor possibly be any other Guide but private Reason following its own light for this private Reason would never lead him to submit his Reason to a Church of England or Geneva or Racovia c. For why to any one of these rather then to another And if to all of them indifferently then to contradictions because in many things they contradict each other 8. In this case and circumstances therefore his lordship argued as reasonably as it was possible for one to do that had mistaken the first principle and with the clear ingenuity of a truly noble spirit not imitated hitherto by any Protestant he acknowledged that upon any other grounds but his the Plea of Catholicks was unanswerable unavoidable that is unless private Reason following its own light in the Interpretation of Scriptures were to be every ones Guide and this being apparently a most fallible Guide unless it were certain that God would give his grace that is good fortune to assist private Reason in finding the Truth or his pardon in case it missed of finding it the pretentions of Catholicks are unanswerable 9. Now instead of searching reason to combat this usurpation of private Reason I shall beg of all reasonable ingenious Persons to consider with me what deplorable case this was that he who saw evidently that if the Catholick Churches Authority and Infallibility were opposed all other Churches must expire The Authority of the English Church would be an airy fantosm the Tyranny of Geneva an abomination Amsterdam a meer Bedlam Racovia an execration c. Should notwitstanding think that any one could be safe in no Church at all and thereupon renouncing all authority both name and thing should betake himself to the casual conduct of blinde humane natural Reason but Jâ—â—cia Domini abyssus multa 10. Well but this conduct of Reason and this indifferency as to the point of danger Whether Reason be a true ar false Guide must be disproved by some infallible way says his lordship in the beginning of the twelfth Paragraph otherwise none can be condemned if they follow it 11. For Gods sake what more infallble proof can be imagined against it then this That such a Guide such an arbitrary incertain incapable blinde Guide and interpreter was never heard of in Christs Church till this age that it appeared out of the mists of Polonia T is true it has been actually really followed by all sorts of Hereticks and Schismaticks though they were asham'd to cal it by his own name of private Reason for they pretended it was the Church the Primative Apostolick Church that they followed but never till this later Age private Reason as private Reason shew'd it self in the Chair of Judicature A Guide that will lead them that follow through Rivers and Fens through Woods and Deserts through Mountaines and Precipices to the right hand and to the left backwards and forwards and in a Circle A Guide that must never repose but be continually travelling which way it matters not being as secure in Falsehood as in Truth A Guide that can never be confident much less secure of the right way yea obliged to
that is To be able to give a judgement whether any thing be defined by the Church we must as Cajetan well observes attend unto the errors which the Church proposeth to condemn and not to those things which shee speaks incidently for such things doe not remaine defined neither is it erroneous in Faith to opine against them Now the intention of the Councell of Lateran in that decree was only to exclude the errour of Origen who affirmed That this visible world was not per se directly intended by God but onely occasionally and by accident to be a prison in which the Devills should be punished and hereupon the Councell defined That it was Gods pleasure and will directly and out of his primary intention by his divine Omnipotence to create both the Angelicall and Humane Nature Whereas in that Decree it onely sayes incidently that he created at once from the beginning both these Natures And therefore this last assertion is not by vertue of the said definition become an Article of Faith Hitherto Salmanticencis De Angel p. 364. 4. Hence it will appeare what ill use Mr. Chillingworth makes of the terme infallibility either unwillingly forgetting or willingly concealing the great latitude that is allowed generally and by unsuspected Catholique Authors to the sense and notion of it which latitude I am assured his learned Adversary would have been very willing to have allowed him But it was not for his purpose to accept nor so much as take notice of such allowance it would have spoiled and abated the edge of many of his flourishing and seemingly subtile discourses So that it is apparent that Mr. Chillingworths arguments against the Churches just authority as he pretends which to most English men and I am sure to me once appeared unanswerable If that the word infallibility were but laid by for a while yea if the unquestionably allowable qualifications if its sense were but expressed would I am confident by mine owne experience lose the greatest part of their strength and however appeare not to endanger the Catholique Church at all 5. I doe not speak this being now as I am by Gods grace a Catholique to the end either to shew my selfe foolishly forward to take part with any one Catholique writer or opinion against another for the truth is my resolution was that if my mind disquieted with scruples of Religion should chance to finde rest in the Catholique Church to submit my selfe in all simplicity to her doctrine to avoid as much as might be the interessing my selfe in Disputes and Controversies and the entertaining all unusuall suspected devious and rash opinions and to spend the remainder of my life more to the benefit of my soule then by engaging my selfe in particular factions and partialities either about Doctrines or practices Nor secondly to censure at randome all those that make use of that terme in disputations For I know that before any of our late Schismes that word was used perhaps without any inconvenience by the Schoole men and if it were confined to that place where it was bred there would be still no inconvenience But since by manifest experience the Protestants I speak of England thinke themselves so secure when they have leave to stand or fall by that word and in very deed have so much to say for themselves when they are pressed unnecessarily abruptly and too too rudely with it the sence thereof not being mollified and sweetned by just and allowable qualifications Since likewise it is a word capable of so high a sence that we cannot devise one more full and proper to attribute to God himselfe insomuch as Mr. Chillingworth when he could prove that the Church was not in so high a degree infallible as the Apostles shall I say no not as God himselfe thought he had gained the victory Whereas besides Bellarmine before quoted S. Aug. lib. 2. de Bapt. com Don. cap. 3. expresly allowes to holy Scripture a place and preeminence before the decisions of Councells Lastly since the Church which Catholiques in this controversie doe pretend to maintaine only obliges no man to that word which is not found expresly in any of her received Counsells as Mounsieur Veron professeth yea since shee almost desivers the victory into their hands when they urge only her decisions and when they urge them in the latitude that she allows Can I be blamed if my duty to the Church my affection to mine own countrey and indeed to all that call themselves Christians and the remembrance how if I had not perceived that it might be permitted me in this Controversy concerning the Church to wave that word of infallibility I should perhaps never have had occasion to speak this of it in a writing of this nature Can I I say be blamed if such reasons move me to wish that the Protestants may either never be invited to combat the authority of the Church under that notion Or however that when the terme of Infallibility is used it may not be pressed in a sense more rigorous and comprehensive then the Church her selfe hath expressed 6. Now here by the way I think it fit to the end to prevent any mistake or misconstruction of what hath been sayd touching the words Infallible and Infallibility to expresse my meaning to be this viz. That I am so far from dislikeing the words themselves so generally made use of both by Schoole men and Controvertists that I professe I cannot devile any other single termes by which to expresse the Churches just and necessary Authority For if it be true as infallibly it is I am sure That God hath endowed his Church with an Authority to which all Christisns are obliged to submit their understandings and captivate their wills then it must necessarily follow from the infinite wisdome and goodnesse of God that his divine providence will preserve his church in all truth so as to secure all believers that they cannot be misled by following her nor walk safely when they follow any other direction And by consequence that she can neither deceive them nor be deceived her self all which is clearly imported in the distinct Grammaticall sense of those single termes Infallible and Infallibility Notwithstanding since the same termes may possibly be misconceived because they are capable of comprehending a more extended notion then is here expressed as evidently they do when they are attributed to God and to his immediately inspired word And since Protestants have especially of late entertained and drunk in a notion and conception from these termes far more rigorous and comprehensive then either the church her self or most of the most learned and approved Controvertists do conceive any one to be obliged unto which notion it is as yet very difficult to efface out of their imaginations Upon these grounds it is that both from mine own experience in my self and knowledge that I think I have of the peculiar temper of English Protestants I judged it convenient and even requisite