it perpetually incline him to pursue his Chief Good I hope the enjoyment of God will not be made such a necessary effect thereby as that he 'l enjoy God whether himselfe will or no. The certainty therefore of a thing wrought by Moral Causes is no evidence that Man is not endued with Free-will but only shews that the Motives act so vigorously and powerfully considering the present disposition of the Mind and the Circumstances a man is in that the Wills native indifferency to will or not to will is cast by them on that side which makes for producing the Effect but yet so that it 's the Wills own choice to do it which determins itself by reason of the present agreeableness and gratefullness of the Motives thereunto For unless we 'll deny the constant Experience of all Ages we must needs confess that there is a certainty of divers Effects in the course of several things in the world such as were mentioned Section 7. besides many more not spoken of which flow from Moral Motives so that it would be more tolerable if there were no way to reconcile Free-will and that certainty to make doubt of the former rather then of the latter but we see by what has been said That a certainty of effects proceeding from Moral Causes and the native Liberty o◠Mans Will may well enough consist together The other two Arguments brought to prove That Tradition is defectible are Founded on two Instances the former of which is this The Tradition of the one true God was in a short time so defac'd and corrupted that the world did laps into Polytheism and Idolatry although it was setled in the heart of Noah and firmly believ'd by him to be the way to Happiness and the contradicting and deserting this to be the way to Misery and this Doctrin according to the Traditionists must be suppos'd to have been so taught to his children and by them also to their Posterity To this I answer first that there is not the like reason why a Doctrin committed only to three Families should be so permanent as that which is entrusted to millions of people allbeit the Motives for the preservation of it were the same But I secondly answer that the Motives for propagating Christianity are far more excellent then the Motives whith Noah and his Sons had for the continuing the belief of the one true God For the express motives in ancient time both before and under the Law were only temporall rewards and punishments which because they were seen to befal the bad and good promiscuously in that some of both sorts abounded with Riches and Honour and others had their afflictions 't is obvious to conceive considering the frequent tentations to Ambition Luxury and Avarice that men would be farr less intent to regard Truth and exercise acts of Piety and Vertue when everlasting Bliss and Misery were only gather'd by Consequence to be the final Portion of good and evill men then when in express words they were constantly press'd and inculcated as Motives the one to incline men to embrace Truth and Goodness the other to deterr them from Error and Vice as since the Preaching of Christs Gospel they have ever been Neither which I thirdly and lastly Answer will it be granted That the Tradition of the one true God ever faild or was totally lost till it appear that Abraham and Lot had not knowledge of Him from Sem or some of his Progeny Could Abraham saith Dr. Stillingfleet Origin Sacr. Book 2. Chap. 2. Sect. 9. when he was contemporary with Sem be ignorant of the Truth of the Flood when Sem from whom he deriv'd himself was one of the Persons who escap'd it in the Ark Could Sem be ignorant of the actions before the Flood when Adam the first Man lived some part of his time with Noah And could Noah then be ignorant of the Creation and Fall of Man The same Learned Author in the same Sect. a little before writeth thus Adam conversed sometime with Noah Sem his Son was probably living in some part of Jacobs time or Isaacs at least And how easily and uninterruptedly might the general Tradition of the ancient History be continued thence to the time of Moses when the number of Families agreeing in this Tradition was increas'd and withall incorporated by a common ligament of Religion I demand then saith the Doctor where can we suppose any ignorance or cutting off this general Tradition in so continued a Succession as here was The latter Instance offerr'd to disprove the Indefectibility of Tradition by is about the Procession of the Holy Ghost which the Latin Church saith the Objection affirms is from the Father and the Son and a nenessary Article of Faith the Greek Church holding That He proceeds only from the Father and not from the Son disowning any such Doctrin to have been deliver'd to them by the precedent Age or to any other Age of their Church as the Doctrin of Christ and yet no question can be made but that if the Procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son be an Article of Faith it was taught in the Greek as well as in the Latin Church and therefore the Non-belief of it in the Greek Church is an evident Argument of the actual failure of Tradition in this Point and of the possibility of it's failings in others also To this I return That seeing the Doctrin of the Blessed Trinity and more especially of the Holy Ghost was purposely handled in the Second General Council held at Constantinople which was principally call'd for confuting and condemning Macedonius who deni'd the Divinity of the Holy Ghost and that nevertheless no mention is made in the Creed there set forth of his procession save from the Father 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and also the same Creed was not only receiv'd but continued likewise a long time after in the Latin Church without the addition of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it seems strongly probable at least that the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son was not thought by the Constantinopolitan Fathers to be an Article of Catholick Faith seeing it was so obvious so easie and one would think so opportune also after 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to have added 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 if they had indeed believ'd it to be an Article of Faith The excuse that some make why they did it not which is that there was none as yet who denied the procession of the Holy Ghost from the Son seems trivial since it was the very Divinity of the Holy Spirit that Macedonius oppos'd which alone therefore if the excuse were good should haue been asserted by the Council and the contrary opinion thereto only condemned But whatever was the cause or the occasion why 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was omitted which I wave this is certain that the Doctrin of the Holy Ghosts procession from the Son is either an Article of Catholic Faith or it
not-Fundamental may overspread the Church or at least a great and considerable part of it and why Several Instances of such Errors in the Roman Church Sect. 12. That the Holy Scripture or Written Word of God is the Rule of Faith That Tradition is a necessary means whereby to attain to the certain knowledge thereof That the Multitude or weakest sort of Christians are not able of themselves without the help of others to resolve Faith aright or be rationally assur'd what the Doctrine of Salvation is Sect. 13. The harm that may arise to the Church from the belief of an Error not-Fundamental to be an Article of Faith The true stating of the difference between the Church of England and the Church of Rome The Church of England clear'd from the guilt of Schism and the Roman justly blam'd for being Cause of the separation That the joynt Concurrence of Scripture and Oral Tradition or the practical Delivery of Christs Doctrine was recommended by the Blessed Apostles to the Church the Restauration of which Concurrence 't is humbly conceiv'd would be a firm Foundation for re-uniting dissenting Christians in Matters of Religion and the Continuance of it a lasting Means for perpetuating Christianity in i'ts Ancient native Purity Errata In the Contents Sect. 6. l. 2. read for Reformed Reformation Sect. 8. l. 8. for intelligent intelligible Pag. 9. l. 15. r. but impious p. 17. l. last viz. p. 31. l. 1. r. Canonical Scripture p. 32. l. 12. 13. r. Church diffusive p. 40 l. 16. r. Efforts p. 47. l. 6. r. formerly p. 62. l. 5 6. r. to be perform'd actually p. 72. l. 7. r. so often as p. 82 l. 2. r. as prone as possible p. 91. l. 17. blot out if p 97. l. 10. r. die l. 11. r. sedet p. 99. l. 1. r. de scendit l. 13. r obtemperantibus p. 100. l. 1. r. Act. 4. 12. p. 101. l. 11. r. nascetur p. 106. l. 3. r. descendet p. 112. l. 15. r. in Scripture as l. 16. Traditionist p. 113. l. 5 r. Traditionist p. 121. l. 18. r. ascension p. 122. l. 2. r. ascension p. 126 127 r. of what validity Four are p. 128. l. 3. r. thus l. 14. those p 141. l 15 16. r. in the Creed there set forth l. 18 and that also p. 142. l. 23. r. or it is not p. 143. l. 14. r. Latins l. 19. Lombard p. 144. l. 4 5. r. ineandem nobiscum l. 8. unam eandemque fore sententiam p. 145. l. 1. r. Quaest 36. p. 146. l. 5. r. disertè dicant p. 154. l. 20. r. as an Article p. 158. l. 7. r. superfluous p. 161. l. 9. soever there be p. 162. l. 10. r. and not to be extended p. 170. l. 2. r. in such case p. 171. l. 16. r. spilt p. 179. l. 19. r. what they teach p. 183. l. 4. r. Distinction p. 192. l. 10. r. Lawd p. 195. l. 13. r. Polemical The rest are more obvious literal mistakes in appearences yeild adhear oblid'g Antichrist Writting all be it vulger with some small characters for great and great for small The several Ways of resolving Faith in the Roman and Reformed Churches With the Authors impartial thoughts upon each of them And his own Opinion at length shown wherein the Rule of Faith doth consist Which clears upon rational Grounds the Church of England from criminal Schisme and lays the Cause of the separation upon the Roman SECT I. There is a Rule of Faith instituted by God Three different Opinions among the Learned of the Roman Religion wherein that Rule doth consist SInce it was the Almighties good pleasure to create Man a reasonable Creature it became his Divine Wisdome and Goodness not only to ordain an End convenient for Him with Means likewise available thereto but also to constitute a Way by which he might come to the certain Knowledge of both for in vain would the two former have been instituted without the last when by this alone both the other were to be made known unto Him That therefore there is a Way ordain'd by God whereby to understand aright Mans Chief End and the proper Means available to it remains without dispute Yet such notwithstanding is the difference and disagreement amongst divers men of greatest Wit and Learning about it that through their subtil Arguments and eager Zeal to defend every one his espous'd Opinion not a few sober well minded Christians are brought into a Labyrinth of intricate difficulties and doubts what they ought to beleeve whilst the Controvertists in Religion though in general they acknowledge that the Gospel of Christ published to the World declares wherein Mans Felicity and the Means thereof consist yet are at perpetual discord what the particular Doctrines necessary to the Salvation of Mankind contain'd in that Gospel or Revelation be and that because they cannot agree where the Way which leads to the certain knowledge of Christs Doctrine is to be found or as for brevity 't is phras'd what the Rule of Faith is This gave the occasion of my undertaking the following Inquirie the designe whereof is to endeavour to the utmost of my power the gaining a well-grounded satisfaction in a matter of so great Concern as the Rule of Faith is to be truely known For the compassing of which longing desire of my heart I judge it the best expedient I know of to take an equal and impartial view of the differing Opinions about it that either by comparing them together I may be enabled to make a rational choice of some one before the rest or els to gather from the whole disquisition that satisfaction is not to be expected without a further enquiry to be made wherein the Rule of Christian Faith doth really consist The first difference worthy of notice about the Rule of Faith or the Way which guides and directs to the clear knowledge of Christs Doctrine is concerning the nature of the assurance which it is to afford some affirming that it ought to give infallible certainty whilsts others say that it needs only yield a Moral certitude or such an assurance as is sufficient to remove actual doubting but not which renders it impossible to be deceiv'd in Matters of Faith Those that hold the Rule of Faith to administer infallible certainty of Christian Doctrine are part of them of the Roman and part of the Reformed Church Those who maintain the contrary are only some of the Reformed As to the merit of either opinion I 'le leave the discussion of it to another place and at present shew wherein the Romish Controvertists of which there are three distinct sorts place the Rule of Faith The first sort maintain that A General Council confirm'd by the Pope or as the Proposition is rendred by some The Pope defining in a General Council cannot erre and so make The Definition of a General Council confirm'd by the Pope or The Definition of the Pope in a General Council The Rule of Faith is the same thing
Articles of Catholick and Apostolick Faith by vertue of Oral Tradition communicating the same unto it what good cause can be shewn why Tradition should not be the Rule of Faith even without having the Doctrins it delivers confirm'd by parallel Texts of Holy Writ Answer since the Rule of Faith must doubtless be that into which it is ultimatly resolv'd as the best and highest Means of ascertaining Christs Doctrin to Mankind and that the same must contain in it no Error this Inference I think will be clear that in case Oral Tradition or the Living voice of the Church either be not the best and highest means whereby to ascertain Christs Doctrin to Mankind or that it may deliver or teach an Error under the notion of an Article of Faith it cannot be in justice esteem'd the Rule of Faith And that Oral Tradition or the Living voice of the Church is not the best and highest means whereby to ascertain Christs Doctrin to Mankind the following Paragraph I think will make good Where two Testimonies both averr and attest the same thing if the one be of Divine the other but of Humane Authority the Testimony that is Divine ought of Right to have the preeminence and the relyance for the verity of what is witnessed by them is to be ultimatly cast upon it Seeing then the Testimony of Scripture is Divine as being ex confesso the Word of God and Tradition but an Humane Witness forasmuch as it is said to be the Delivery of Christs Doctrine in the various expressions of Pastors Parents Tutors Masters of Families and Nurses 't is most reasonable that Faith should be finally resolved into Scripture and not into Tradition as it 's Rule Yea and albeit Tradition may peradventure in some things be thought more plain then Scripture as for example suppose in the Point of Christs Divinity these words of the Nicene Creed Deum de Deo Lumen de Lumine Deum verum de Deo vero genitum non factum consubstantialem Patri per quem omnia facta sunt yet that Scripture should be still esteem'd the Text and Tradition but the best and most certain Comment upon it I gather from hence That it cannot well be otherwise thought but that even the Disciples of the Apostles after the Books of the New Testament were publish'd and receiv'd among Christians would themselves confirm to their Auditors what they told them they had been Orally taught by the Apostles out of the written Word because the very sayings of Christ himself and his divinely inspir'd Apostles would in common prudence be thought to be of greater weight and authority with them then their own although beleiv'd to be esteem'd by the people as true and certain as any whatsoever not of more then Humane Authority Having found then I suppose one reason why Tradition ought not to be held the Rule of Faith I 'le make tryal if in another sense also it be not incapable of being justly so reputed for if the present Church of any one Age can teach us an Article of Faith what is not so but indeed an Error then is not Tradition the Rule of Faith Now to find out whether the Church in any one Age can do so or not this will be a sure way to try if discovery can be made That any Error has been ever taught by the Catholick Church or by any known and acknowledg'd Part of it as an Article of Faith for if that can be done the possibility of the thing is put out of doubt thereby To make a clear discourse on this subject 't will be expedient to consider That there be two sorts of Errors in Matters of Religion Fundamental and not Fundamental By Fundamental I mean such as either immediatly and directly or at least by necessary and apparent Consequence contradict some Articles of Catholick Faith by not-Fundamental I mean such as evidently do neither This Distinction premis'd and allow'd of since 't is clear as I take it by what has been said of the Motives and Means of perpetuating Christs Doctrin in the World that no Article of Catholick Faith can ever perish or cease to be beleiv'd 't will follow that no Fundamental Error can at any time get a setled and quiet possession in the Church but shall always after it is taken notice of find opposition by Orthodox Christians because they cannot chuse but see that the embracing of it would necessarily destroy the contrary Divine Truth firmly held by so many at least as rightly consider the matter to be necessary to Salvation Of the assured certainty of this we have a famous Instance in the Arian Heresie which though eagerly promoted by the Wit and industry of most cunning and restless Heretics and stiffly back'd and countenanc'd by the Authority of several great Prelats assisted with the might and power of Temporal Potentates and Princes yet was still oppos'd and when fraudulent and violent means had tyr'd and spent themselves the opposit Truth prevail'd and shew'd it self more glorious then before But as for Errors not-Fundamental or whose opposition to any Article of Faith is not seen because too remotely contradictory thereto to be easily discern'd if such once come to be receiv'd as pious Opinions and promoted by the Schoolmen I do not understand why they may not in long continuance of time be advanc'd to the repute of being esteem'd Articles of Faith For proof of the truth of which I 'le produce some few Instances in the Doctrin of the Church of Rome The first shall be this That the Council of Trent has desin'd Sess 7. Can. 9. That there is a Character or certain spiritual sign or mark imprinted in the souls of all that are Baptiz'd Confirm'd and Ordain'd which yet I find disprov'd by an eminently Learned Gentleman of the Romish Church if I understand the Council and Him aright in his Institut Sacr. Tom. 2. Lect. 4. Pag. 32. as was shewn before in Sect. 4. of this Treatise and so superfluously to be here again set down A second Instance is the Belief of freeing souls from Purgatory and bringing them thence to Heaven before the day of Judgement which Opinion the last mentioned Author Thomas Albius in his Book De medio animarum statu has prov'd to be erronious 'T is true indeed he saies That it is no Article of the Roman Faith and I find the Trent Council in disertis verbis to affirm only this Purgatorium esse animà sque ibi detentas fidelium suffragiis potissimùm verò acceptabili Altaris Sacrificio juvari Decret de Purgatorio Sess 25. But the Popes granting InIndulgences and Priviledg'd Altars Priests saying of Masses and the Peoples praying and giving Alms for the delivery of souls out of Purgatory should better an indifferent person would be apt to think expound and declare the Churches sense or intention of Pastors Parents Tutors Master of Families and Nurses of the word juvari then any privat Doctor whatsoever Yea and if
any one then in the Eastern Parte yet that every third Christian understood that Language is not at all to be thought on Secondly Nor was the Scripture presently Translated into every Tongue where there were those who imbrac'd Christianity Thirdly Neither could poor Mechanicks Labourers Servants and Slaves procure it when Translated before the ready way of Printing was Invented because 't was not formerly a little money that would buy both or even one of the Testaments Fourthly Neither yet if all Christians had had wherewith to buy would there have been till the Art of Printing was found Books enough for half or a quarter of them Fifthly Suppose we now that by means of the Press every one has or might have a Bible in their native Tongue How is it possible that the vulgar should know of themselves that it is the Word of God that it has been kept free from corruption in things of necessary Belief and Practice that it is faithfully Translated out of the Originals that considering what variety of Doctrins are in it and in how many places dispers'd they should be able and at leisure to cull out of it a Summary of Fundamentals in case the thing it self were attainable without other helps besides Scripture seeing millions of them are necessitated to spend their whole time almost to get a poor Livelihood for themselves and Families that they should be able to compare places of Scripture so effectually as rightly to compose seeming Contradictions in Points of Faith thereby when not without difficulty they are got to understand but ordinarily well even plain and common things Who so shall seriously reflect on these matters will doubtless think it strangely unbecoming Mans most gracious Maker and Redeemer to require at the hands of the poor ignorant people to pick out their Religion of themselves from Holy Scripture or to depend upon their own weak performances for finding out the true sence and interpretation of it For over and above what has been already shewn for the unreasonableness of the thing after this be first well weigh'd in the balance of sound Reason that the Multitude must of necessity trust others for the truth of the Translation of Scripture let an irrefragable Reason be given by any that can why they should not aswell and might as safely give credit to those for the sense of it who are in prudence to be entrusted by reason of their Knowledg and Honesty for recommending to them the sincerity of the Version since 't is to be presum'd they understand it to be a true translation no further then they know the sence of the words translated Notwithstanding the plain verity of what has here been said 't is not unknown how frequently and vehemently some popular men use to cry out to the people from the Pulpit Believe not us believe the Scripture as if the meanest of their Auditors were thought by them to be the proper Judges of the Scripture sense amongst the rest But though their words seem to import as much if we look to the bottom of the business we shall discover That even these Preachers must acknowledge they intend otherwise or els confess their design in doing it is unlawful For when they say Believe not us believe the Scripture they either intend the Texts they quote for a Proof of what they touch or they do not If they intend them for a Proof their meaning must be this believe us yet not for our own sakes but for the Scriptures that is believe us because we teach the very same Doctrine which the Scripture doth or believe the Scripture to the same intent and purpose or in the same sense we alledge it for to believe it in any other would not have the effect of a Proof with them But if they have no intention to use the Scriptures they quote to prove what they Preach let them inform us to what other good intent they do it for I cannot think of any To several bad ends 't is obvious enough to conceive how it may be done as out of covetousness or through the desire of applause or for promoting a faction to humour and gratifie the people they Preach unto But for none of these ends will they yield I am well assur'd they do it and therefore I see no way to avoid it but that the Quotations must be granted to be produc'd for Proofs and consequently that the persons using them have no real design by saying beleeve not us beleeve the Scripture that the truth of their Doctrine should stand or fall accordingly as their Auditors judge it consonant or disagreeing to the places of Holy Writ which they 're directed to for examination and tryal of the verity of what their Teachers deliver as they themselves often I beleeve apprehend but for Proof and confirmation indeed of the Doctrine taught according to the intendment of the Preacher Some perhaps would here be encourag'd to assert that this which I have last discours'd concerning Holy Writ viz. that the Multitude cannot without better help then their own make right use of Scripture as 't is the Rule of Faith makes for Oral Tradition which instructs every one from the Prince to the Peasant in all the Articles of Christian Faith To such I should answer That Tradition could no more be made use of as the Rule of Faith supposing it were so by the People without the assistance of some more skilful then themselves then Scripture can For first They must trust others that what they are instructed in by their immediat Teachers is the sense of the present Catholick Church Secondly They must have it from better Arguments then themselves can frame That the Doctrine of the present Church is the very same with the Doctrine of the Church in all foregoing Ages since Christ Thirdly They must beleeve others That Tradition is the alone Rule of Faith for the Multitude I may safely say is not so quick sighted as clearly to see that there 's no other way to come to a right knowledge of Christs Doctrine but by an Oral Delivery of it So that in fine I am much assur'd That the Rule of Faith was never intended by God for the Multitude to resolve immediatly of themselves the Christian Faith into and that therefore the Destinction of Ecclesia docens discens is good yea necessary to be practically maintain'd and upheld among Christians To the former of which I mean the Ecclesia docens consisting of Prelats and Pastors the Depositum or Rule of Faith is principally not solely because it is lawful for any to make good use of it that can entrusted for that in reason the Clergy is justly presum'd to be fittest both for Skill and Will to understand it aright and to employ it to it 's due End whilst they can want no Helps possible to be had for gaining the true sense of it and that it is the Main of their Employ for which they are called to
their Sacred Office to use and exercise the same to it 's proper End whereas others generally speaking neither have the like aduantages to understand it as it ought to be nor so great Motives and Obligation to promote the true intendment and design thereof Have not then the People even every particular person of them it might well be ask'd a Judgement of Discretion in the choice and matters of Religion If by Judgement of Discretion be meant That they are to do nothing but what they themselves approve of I readily yield they have But in case they set themselves to oppose their own Judgement to the Judgment of the Clergy in Matters of Faith their Judgment will be found a Judgment of intolerable and pernitious Indiscretion For to make a true discovery of an Error in Faith the Rule of Faith must be well consulted and the Point in question duly apply'd to 't to be try'd by it so that if either the Rule it self be mistaken or the Thing to be regulated by it be not rightly apply'd no Doctrine concerning Faith can rationally be discover'd whether it be an Error or a Truth And 't is ridiculously absurd to think that the vulgar sort consisting of Servants Labourers Mechanicks and others generally busied and spending their days about Temporal affairs should be more sufficient and able to understand the Rule of Faith aright and to apply things doubted of thereto so as truely to determine of their rectitude or obliquity by it then the grave and Learned Prelats with the profound Doctors and others of the more Ancient and Reverend Divines who have spent many of them thirty several of them fourty and some amongst them fifty years or more in the study for the most part of sacred Learning being legally also call'd to the Office of teaching and directing Mankind as Christian by a Mission successively deriv'd from Christ and his Apostles which none besides the Clergy how Learned or Pious soever can justly make claim to Would it not then astonish and work compassion in any man of sobriety to see the ignorant people grossly misled to believe They are able enough of themselves to understand the Scripture in all things necessary to Salvation when as 't is principally for instructing them aright in those very things and keeping them to the due observance of them that they have spiritual Guides and Governours set over them by God and his Holy Church Which yet they are many of them poor souls being strangely infatuated with a conceit of their own endowments so farr from having any regard to that although they dayly see before their eyes That the wise and gracious God in the Oeconomy of his great Family the World has provided and placed several men skill'd in several things some in Civil Government some in Laws some in Physick and others in other Professions all for the Good of the Community in assisting men in those things wherein they are presum'd not to have skill enough to do the best for themselves yet nevertheless they will not understand and discern a necessity of some skilfuller then they themselves be to advise direct and order them in those grand Matters which are of more Weighty and lusting Concern to them then all the things in the whole World besides but in contradiction to the Analogy of Providence seen round about them despiseing those who ought to have the oversight of their Belief and Manners make themselves their own Instructors and Rulers in the Learning and Management of those things wherein if they finally miscarry they are ruin'd to eternity SECT XIII The harme that may arise to the Church from the belief of an Error not-Fundamental to be an Article of Faith The true stating of the difference between the Church of England and the Church of Rome Whether or no the Church of England be justly accus'd of criminal Schism That the joynt Concurrence of Scripture and Oral Tradition or the practical Delivery of Christ Doctrine was recommended by the Apostles to the Church the Restauration of which Concurrence 't is humbly conceiv'd would be a firm Foundation for re-uniting dissenting Christians in Matters of Religion and the Continuance of it a lasting Means for perpetuating Christianity in ' its ancient native Purity I have now only one Scruple more remaining concerning Matters of Faith and it arises from what my self concluded before which was That no Fundamental Error could ever get a setled footing without disturbance but should perpetually meet with opposition from Orthodox Christians so that all necessary Truths shall be continually nourish'd in the Bosom of the visible Church In which if I have said right what harm may it with great appearance of reason be ask'd can be found to accrew upon it if an Error not fundamental chance to creep into the Church and grow by degrees to be held at length an Article of Faith seeing the belief thereof is not in it's self destructive of Salvation I answer there is this great harm in it if no other that in case it at any time come to be discover'd and National Churches be thereupon divided about it one holding it to be an Article of Faith another taking it to be an Erroneous Doctrin there will unavoidably a Schism happen upon it because that Church which thinks it to be an Article of Faith will conceive herself oblig'd to deny Communion to the other which rejects it as an Error and that other which rejects it as an Error must needs judge it to be an heinous Sin to acknowledge and profess that She beleeves a Doctrin to be an Article of Faith which in truth she holds to be an Erroneous Opinion and yet without such acknowledgment and answerable profession she cannot be admitted to Communion with the Church that believes it to be an Article of Faith Upon this very account it is that the Divisions between the Church of Rome and Church of England as to the Doctrinal Part of Religion are continued for I find that the most cautious and wary Vindicators of the English Church from the guilt of Schism which the Romanists incessantly accuse her of allege in excuse for her Separation that the Church of Rome requires as necessary Conditions of her Communion the acknowledgment of some erroneous Doctrins to be Articles of Faith together with a publick profession of them which Doctrins although not damnable in their own nature because not directly repugnant to any Fundamental Truth yet would become damnable to those who judging them to be Errors should acknowledge and profess them contrary to their Judgments to be Articles of Faith To this purpose writes the learned Bishop Montague the renowned Arch-Bishop Laud Doctor Ferne Doctor Hammond the late Lord Primat of Ireland Bishop Bramhal with others whereunto I 'le add one Cantrovertist more of the present time Doctor Stillingfleet of which two last mentioned not to multiply needless quotations about a thing so well known I 'le here transcribe two Passages
is not if it be not Tradition is no way concern'd let the Greeks and Latins too hold whether way they please about it If it be an Article of Faith and that the Greek and Latin Churches agree in the substance and sence of it and differ only in the manner of the expression there has been no failure of Tradition in the Greek Church concerning the procession of the Holy Ghost Forasmuch then as it remains only to be known whether the Greeks and Latins agree in Sence though they differ in words or the Greeks 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 per Filium be the same in effect with the Latin 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 á Filio let 's see what the Roman Doctors who we may be sure will be no more favourable to the Greeks then 's fitting say to 't Peter Lombert writing of the Procession of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son saith Sciendum est quòd Graeci confitentur Spiritum Sanctum esse Filii sicut Patris quia Apostolus dicit Spiritum Filii Veritas in Evangelio Spiritum Veritatis Sed cùm non sit aliud Spiritum Sanctum esse Patris vel Filii quà m esse à Patre Filio etiam in hoc in eandem nobiscum Fidei sententiam convenire videntur licet in verbis dissentiant Unde etiam quidam eorum Catholici Doctores intelligentes unam eandémque fore sententiam praedictorum verborum quibus dicitur Spiritus Sanctus procedere à Filio esse Filii professi sunt Spiritum Sanctum etiam procedere à Filio Lib. 1. Sentent Distinct 11. D. E. Where the same Author goes on to shew That several eminent Greek Fathers Athanasius Didymus Cyrillus and Chrysostom accord even in expressions also about the Procession of the Holy Ghost Aquinas propounding the Question Utrum Spiritus Sanctus procedat à Patre per Filium concludes affirmatively and answers Objections made to the contrary as is to be seen Part prima Quaest 26. Artic. 3. Yea and Mr. White however in the Apologie for Tradition he calls the Greeks assertion concerning the Holy Ghosts Procession as is truely said of him a meer negative Tradition or a Denial that they have any such Tradition that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son yet explicating els where the sacred Mystery of the Blessed Trinity averrs it to be a more significant Speech to say that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father by the Son then from the Father and the Son which in illustrating the Doctrine of the Trinity by Cognitum Cognitio Amor he thus shews Patet vim motivam quae est in Bono cognito esse totam in ratione Boni rationem veró cognitionis non esse nisi conjunctionem hujus virtutis ad movendum quare alio modo dicitur tertia Persona Procedere à Patre alio modo à Filio quasi directè principaliter à Patre à Filio non nisi concomitanter seu tanquam à modo Causae Unde non mirum si Christus Dominus aliqui Patres disertè dicant eum procedere à Patré sine mentione Filii unde intelligitur quòd sit magis expressiva locutio dicere quòd procedit à Patre per Filium quà m quòd procedit à Patre Filio Cùm enim per quasi viam medium denotet impossibile est procedere per Filium non à Filio quia omnis pars viae respectu termini habet rationem termini à quo principii unde ly pèr explicat esse à à non primo principio SECT XI What rational assurance we have That Scripture is not corrupted in Necessaries to salvation The way to know what things have been ever Orally taught Two Reasons given why Tradition though it be of an indefectible nature should not be the Rule of Faith Whether a fundamental Error can ever obtain a a setled quiet possession in the visible Church An offer from Reason for the impossibility of the thing Errors not-fundamental may overspread the Church and why Several instances of such Errors in the Roman Church THe practical delivery of Christs Doctrine never as has been seen failing it may by carefully searching the Scripture be known what things contain'd in it are of necessity to be generally believ'd and practic'd because no more is so but what has been always believ'd and practic'd by Christians provided assurance may be had what has been ever practically deliver'd and that Scripture is not corrupted in such places of it as contain the Necessaries to salvation or Articles of Catholick and Apostolick Faith For the latter which I 'le first insist on That Scripture is not corrupted in necessary Points I shall briefly say but this Since the actings of Gods Providence are not known to us but as they are seen in second Causes the most rational account we have That Scripture is come safe to our hands without Corruption in all things of necessity to be generally believ'd and practic'd is from hence that Scripture being constantly read by multitudes of Knowing Christians could not possibly be corrupted in Texts containing such things as were perpetually taught repeated and practic'd in the Church of which sort the Necessaries to Salvation are without being taken notice of and if occasion requir'd rectified As for satisfaction in the other difficulty viz. What things have been ever orally taught this in general from what has been sayd appears certain that no Point of Christ's Doctrin shall ever fail And although in this or that Place the continuance of Christian Faith be not necessary yet where ever there has been a visible great Society of Christians wherein it was once firmly setled and which has had a constant succession of Pastors continued in it nothing held by that society to be an Article of Faith could totally cease to be so esteem'd unless so vast a Body in which there would be in every Age a considerable number of wise and pious men could either be universally impos'd on by fraud or forc'd by violence or that all it's Members would carelessly neglect or wilfully forsake what they believ'd to be a necessary Means to save themselves and their Posterity from endless Torment and to bring them to everlasting Jay Universally then such a Body could neither desert nor loose it's Faith in any necessary Point And in case any remarkable Member or Part thereof should ever do it 't would be known and presently oppos'd by the sound Part adhering to the Truth as constant Experience has made evident in the timely resisting of all Heresies This if granted to be true plain reason will enforce our assent that the Latin or Western Church being such a Society as is before mentioned did at the begining of the Reformation and still does hold and maintain all the Articles of Catholick and Apostolick Faith Obiection If the Latin or Western Church when the Reformation begun did really hold all the