infected all his posterity his weaknesse not able to deny that to his Wife which God reserved to himselfe and blindly have done for the love of a foolish woman what the eternal wisedom had so expresly forbidden him O disloyal Adam that gave more credit to a serpent that deceiv'd thee then to your Creator and Truth which can never faile Here through this act of disobedience in Adam we all fell and became under sin and death and all mankind were convicted and sentenced to the eternall and temporall death in the conviction and sentence that passed upon him Gen. 3. 6 11 17. 19. Rom. 5. 12 18. and this without the knowledge or motions of the individualls or particular persons that were to proceed from Adam yet so verily vertually really and indeed that all that came forth from him by propagation doe then and in that birth and there throughly partake of sin death and misery and in their several persons respectively bear the image of the first Adam as he was in his â—all see Gen. 5. 3. Rom. 17. 19. Job 4. 1 Psalm 51. 5. Rom. 9. 8. Eph. 2. 1 2. c Here we may find out the origin and source of all our evils hence our miseries dayly finds deplorable increase and hence the most shamefull portion of a most sad and disastrous inheritance is dayly transported to the poor children of Adam Now man being created for a determinate end and for a state convenient for his nature and able to satisfie the original appetences of his soule and no man by natural means able to arrive to the end and period of happinesse we must follow henceforward the conduct of a supernatural guide since nature quitteth us here having led us on as long as she was able We may consider that God when he created man did not assign him to remain in the state of pure nature but did out of his goodnesse confer original righteousnesse and grace upon him which exceeded the sphere of his nature for God being in his own Essence goodnesse it selfe cannot choose but doe unto whatsoever proceedeth from him all that good which the nature of it is capable of whether by natural or supernatural means and his wisedome can readily contrive the meanes to bring that to pass which his goodnesse disposeth him to doe and his omnipotency as easily acteth what his other two attributes have projected so that there wanting an infinite capacity of the soule and without which she must be eternally miserable it remaineth that he who gave that capacity must also afford the object and assign means how to compasse and gain it all which is out of the reach of nature to discern and therefore it followeth of consequence that the Author of nature must needs endow man with supernatural means if he be in a fit disposition to receive them which may bring him to the supernatural end he was created for And of the supernatural gifts the first and the ground and foundation of all the rest is faith for whereas that we cannot by any natural meanes attain to the knowledge of any object that may render us compleatly happy in the next life and yet such knowledge must be had to the end we may direct our actions to gain the fruition of that object Therefore there is no way left to compass this but by the instructions and discipline of some Master whose goodness and knowledge we can no wayes doubt of by which two perfections in him we may be secure that he neither can be deceived himselfe nor will deceive us Now the Doctrine that such a divine Master shall teach for such an end we call faith Now we must determine that this Master must be God and man and that the Author of that doctrine we must believe the instructer of the actions we must perform and the promiser of the happinesse we may hope for be God himselfe who only knoweth of himselfe what is said in matters of these natures and who only is neither liable to be deceived nor can deceive others as being the prime verity it selfe Therefore it was necessary Christ God and man should come into the world to teach us what to believe and what to do and preach unto us by his example and himself be our Leader in the way that he instructed us to take And we must determine that those unto whom Christ did immediately preach this faith and unto whom he gave Commission to preach it unto others and spread it through the world after he ascendeth to Heaven ought to be believed as firmly as he himselfe The reason of this Assertion is that their doctrine though delivered by secondary mouths yet it proceedeth from the same fountain which is God himselfe the prime verity that cannot deceive nor be deceived But all the difficulty herein is to know who had this immediate Commission from Christ and by what seale should we discern it to have been no forged one The solution of this ariseth out of the same Argument which proveth that Christ himself was God and that doctrine he taught was true and divine which is the miracles and wonders he did exceeding the power of nature which could not be effected by any but by God himselfe for he being truth it selfe cannot by any action immediatly proceeding from him witness and confirm a falshood In like manner the Apostles doing such admirable works and miracles as neither by nature nor by Art Magick could be brought to pass that must necessarily infer God himself co operated with them to justifie what they said It is evident that their doctrine not their own but received from Christ must be true and divine This Faith thus taught by Christ and propagated by the Apostles and necessary to mankind to believe dependeth intrinsecally upon the testimony of the Primitive Doctors Fathers and Councels in church Catholike and Apostolike which is ordained conserve and deliver it from age to age and this cannot be but either by the immediate preaching of Christ or else by the information either in writing or by word of mouth of them that learned it from him and their delivering it over to others and so from hand to hand But from Christs own mouth none could have it but those that lived in the age that he did therefore there remained no other means to have it derived down to after ages then by this delivery over from hand to hand of Fathers dispersed throughout the world to the whole congregation of sons or youngers which proveth that the Church Apostolike is the Conserver of the whole doctrine of Faith necessary for salvation and likewise of the divine Writ dictated by the holy Ghost and written by the Prophets Evangelists and Apostles which we are also bound to beleeve Hence we may deduce that into Christs Catholick Church no false doctrine in any age can be admitted or creep in that is to say no false proposition whatsoever can ever be received and embraced by the Catholique Church
cleansing and taking away of original sin derived to all the relative descendants of Adam is a supernatural doctrine absolutely necessary to bring mankind to beatitude that Christ taught this doctrine and that the same the Apostles and the Church by him planted received it from him immediately and that this Doctrine was ever conserved practiced and deliverd over from hand to hand by the Primitive best Fathers and Luminaries of that Church untill this very day without any interruption which to deny were not only most impious and heretical but most absurd to whosoever considereth the infinite goodnesse providence wisedom and omnipotency of the Almighty yet notwithstanding Pelagius a Welchman and is usually stiled Pelagius the Brittan to distinguish him from Pelagius the Samosatensian Bishop his name in Welch was Morgan which signifies the Sea This pernicious wretch lived in the time of the Emperour Theodosius the younger and Honorius about the year of our Lord 416. This man I say and his followers Julianus Celestius maintained damnable Heresies against Christs express doctrine for they taught Adams sin to be noxious to himselfe only and not to his posterity and theâ—e to be no original sin Lust and concupiscence being natural not to be evill but rather good and sin not to be propagaâ—ed by generation The former being granted children to have no original sin from their parents and children though not baptized to be saved See Pontanus Cath. Heretic This Pestilent Heresie was spread abroad in many places but chiefly in England because Pelagius being driven from Rome came thither and infected it with his execrable Erroâ—s But by the diligent travels and great zeal of one Germanus Altisidorensis and Palladius sent from Celestinus Pope both England and Scotland became free from those his Errors solemnly condemned in the Synod of Carthage An. 415. in which there were assembled 2â—7 Bishops in Numidia and in the Arausican in Franc. You may find his errors set down by August Hierome Ambrose Isidor Prosper and Fulgent yet notwithstanding in these our late Error-abounding dayes partly through the instigation and malice of Satan and partly through the power of the Almighties wrath punishing the contempt of his revealed truth those damn'd Heresies of Pelagius doth begin to be covertly revived by the crafty insinuating conveyance of one Dr. Taylor the great Luminary and Pillar of the Protestant Church in England the only Idol of the Nation and whose writings are generally cryed up and highly extoll'd by the unsteady multitude for no other reason that I can imagine but for his sympathizing correspondency with them in blindnesse inconstancy and ignorance yet he is a man that hath his senses or fantasie so depraved as to take imperfect and maimed impressions of outward objects and the powers of his understanding so weak and perverted as to make preposterous and disorderly collâ—ctions out of them and whose judgment is so misguided by pre-occupation of self affection or particular ends as himselfe becomes most lamentably deceived feeding his soul with falshood iâ— stead of truth blindly wading too far without and above his obscure capacity and low proportion of knowledg into particular uselesse subtilties doting about frivolous questions and logomachies whereof commeth no fruit other then presumption dissention railings dissolution â—vill surmisings conâ—empt of Christ of his Doctrine Sacraments and divine Ordinances leaving every man to the dictamens of his own private judgment according to the several tempers and circumstances that sway in every particular which leadeth on inevitably to Atheism and unchristianity and all this for sordid apprehensions of base commodity to himselfe having imployed the faculties of his understanding contrary unto their naturall inclinations to the maintaining of lyes and the deceiving of others expresly against Scripture and the generally received Doctrine of all the Orthodox Fathers in all Ages perspicuous and eminent in knowledge of tongues inâ—ight into Antiquity profoundnesse in Sciences Perfection and true Sanctity of life which have shined most rarely in them and none will deny but these are the likeliest meanes to gain a right intelligence of the true and deep sense of Scripture and not the vain dreams and deluding suggestions of the private spirit of any Taylor Sailer Cobler Body seller Tinker or such like swarm of Locusts which have so miserably invaded and infected this brave Island all pretending to have their commission and power derived from Jesus Christ with so much intemperate boldnesse as if they were the only persons employed and entrusted by him to doe oâ— undoe as they please But let them pretend what they will its manifest Christ concluded of such John 10. 1. He that entreth not in by the door into the sheepfold but climbeth up some other way the same is a thief and a robber Our Saviour himselfe was the door to his Apostles and his Apostles and their Successors the door to all that ever were admitted Shepherds in a regular and Apostolick manner Now if any desires to know who are the false Prophets false Teachers Dr. Taylor shall resolve him in his Doctrine delivered in his Episcopacy asserted where he holds forth that Christ did institute a government to order and rule his Church by his Authority and that this government was delegated to the Apostles by immediate substitution by Christ in traditione clavium inspiratione spiritus c. And he holds further that this power was not to expire with their personâ— for when the great Shepherd had reduced his wandering sheep into a fold he would not leave them without guides to govern them so long as the woolf might possibly prey upon them and that is till the last separation of the sheep from the goats and this Christ intimates in that his promise Eâ—vobiscnm not with your persons for they dyed long ago but vobiscum vestri similibus with Apostolical Successors of yours till the end of the woâ—ld anâ— therefore that the Apostolat might be perpetuall and successive Christ gave them a power of Ordination that by imposing hands on others they might impart thâ—t power which they received from Christ which was both ordinery and extraordinary as immediate Miâ—lion unlimited Jurisdiction and miraculous Operations It followes therefore that there must remain a power of giving faculty and capacity to persons successively for the execution of that in which he promised perpetuall assistance which were the Offices and Powers of Preaching Baptizing Consecrating Ordaining and Governing necessary for the perpetuating of a Church unlesse men could be Christians that were never Christned become Priests without Calling of God and Ordination have their sins pardoned without Absolution be Members Parts and Sons of a Church whereof there is no codunation no Authority no Governour It follows therefore out of this Doctrine that if Dr. Taylor or all other Proiestant Ministers Teachers or Preachers in England have not received lawful power mission Apostalical faculty or ordination by hand-imposition from true Apostolical Successors they all
as a proposition of faith For whatsoever the Church believeth as a proposition of faith is upon this ground that Christ taught it as such unto the Church he planted himself and so left it in trust to be by it delivered over to the next age And the reason why the present Church believeth any proposition to be of faith is because the immediate preceding Church of the age before delivered it as such and so you may derive it on from age to age untill you come to the Apostles and Christ For to have any false proposition of faith admitted into the Church in any age doth suppose that all they of that age must unanimously conspire to deceive their children telling them that they were taught by their Fathers to believe as of faith some proposition which indeed was not which being impossible as it will evidently appear to any prudent person that shall reasonably ponder the matter that so many men spread throughout the whole world so different in their particular interests and ends and of such various dispositions and natures should all agree together in the forgery of any precise lye which is most impossible though any one man may be liable to be deceived or out of some indirect end may be induced to deceive others Whence I come to say that faith dependeth on these two propositions First that whatsoever God said is true Next that God I said this whatsoever it be that is delivered thus by the generall practice of the Church And the primary original natural appetence of mans soule is the love of truth which it vehemently desireth and is alwayes unquiet and ardent in the search of it upon what occasion soever and this acquisition of truth is that which the soule in every action naturally aimeth at and detesteth falshood Therefore although any particular man as Dr. Taylor may have his sense or fantasie so depraved as to take imperfect or maimed impressions of outward objects or the powers of his understanding so weak as to make a preposterous and disorderly collection out of them or his judgement so misguided by preoccupation of any affection or particular end as he may in himselfe be deceived and feed his soule with falshood in stead of truth or else that sinister respects and interests or sordid apprehensions of commodity to himselfe by the sensuall passions tyrannizing over him aâ—â—o cause him to swallow mortall baits making him employ the faculties of his understanding and the powers of his soul contrary to their natural inclination to the maintaining of a lye Yet it is impossible that all mankinde or such a vast multitude of men as contain in them all the variety of dispositions and affections incident to mans nature and that are dispersed through the world so as they can have no communion together whereby they might infect one another nor can have finister ends common all alike to them all which should invite them to conspire together to forge a falshood It is impossible I say that such a company of Saints and Doctors should so degenerate from their own nature which is to love truth as they should invent a lye and that in so important a matter as faith is they should concur to deceive the world of men that should come after them in things of such nature as their deceit must of necessity damn for all eternity both themselves and all them that shall receive that lye from them and take it upon their credit This general deâ—ection from truth in mankind is as impossible as that all one entire element or any primâ—genial nature should absolutely perish Thus I conceive I have made good the Assertion that hath begotten this discourse which is that Faith conserved and practised in the Catholick Church and delivered by perpetual Succession is most certain and most infallible But all this is not enough our disquifition must not rest here we must not content our selves in this divine affair and supernatural doctâ—ine with a certitude depending only upon natural causes The wisedome of God proportioneth out congruent means to bring on every thing to their proper end and mans obtaining beatitude being the highest end that any creature can arrive unto and altogether supernatural it requireth supernatural causes to bring us to that end and a supernaural infallibility to secure us in that journey we must therefore not only have a supernatural way to travel in which is faith but also supernatural assurance of the right way which we may with an humble confidence expect and claim at Gods divine hands God therefore hath given to his Church the continual assistance of the holy Ghost to confirm it in the true faith and to preserve it from error and to illuminate the understanding of it in right disceâ—ning the true sense of those mysteries of faith that are commited to the custody of it and to work supeâ— natural effects of true devotion and sanctity in that Church For Christs doctrine is practical and aymeth at the working of an effect which is the reduction of mankind to beatitude and that this mankinde conthreâ—â— prehendeth not only those that lived in that age when he preached but also all others that ever were since or shall be to the end of the world It is apparent that to accomplish that end it was necessary Christ should so effectually imprint his doctrine in their hearts whom he delivered it unto as it might upon all occasions and at all times infallibly expresse it self in action and in the delivery of it over from hand to hand should in vertue and strength of the first operation produce ever after like effects in all others Now unto these rational considerations let us add the promises which Christ made to his Church that the gates of Hell should not prevail against it that the true Doctrine of Christ is conserved that it can never faile but must infallibly continue until the end Thus having produced that a supernatural doctrine is necessary to bâ—ing mankind to beatitude that Christ taught this doctrine that from him the Church received it and is the Sacrary in which it is conserved that this Church planted by him in the delivery over of his Doctâ—ine cannot erre and that it is perpetual And that if any particular man should goe about to introduce new doctrine of faith noâ— formerly heard of or renew old damned erâ—ors as Dr. Taylor doth drawing the Arguments of confirmation thereof out of his own ratiotination and private discourse that were enough to convince him of falshood imposture and heâ—esie since he should theâ—eby undertake to know what were impossible for him of himselfe to attain to the knowledge oâ— for herefie I count to be an opinion repugnant to the grounds of Christian Faith obstinately maintained by any that professe the name of Christ It remaineth now that I close up this discourse by applying the premisses to my purpose and matter at hand It is an undeniable truth that Baptism ordained for the
errour in faith contrary to holy Scripture and the generall approv'd Doctrine of the Church but to hold That Originall sin is not properly and formally but onely metonimically a sin is expresly contrary to holy Scripture and the generall approv'd Doctrine of the Church Ergo c. That it is contrary to the generall approved Doctrine of the Church is already proved out of the Doctrine of the primitive Fathers maintained by Beza de justifie lib. 1. cap. 13. where he saith Omnes homines plane reos nasci contracta jam inde à primo parâ—nte culpa and Calvin hath these expresse words Peccato Adae non per solam imputationem damnamur â—â—sed ideo quia culpae sumus rei quatenus natura nostra in illo vitiata iniquitatis reatu constringitur That it is contrary to Scripture any man that is not purblinde may see in many places especially in S. Paul's Epistle to the Romans c. 5. v. 18 19. Verse 18. As by the offence of one sin came on â—all men to condemnation so by the justifying of one the benefit abounded towards all men to the justification of life And v. 19. For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many also be made righteous The conclusion of Saint Paul's most profound Doctrine concerning his comparison betwixt Christ and Adam begun from the twelfth Verse is fully contained in these two Verses 18 and 19. and his Divine Apostolicall Antithesis perfectly ended and compleated which Apostolicall Antithesis our D. Taylor doth abominably endeavour to cross corrupt and quite overthrow in holding that Original sin conveyed to Adam's Posterity is only figuratively a fin for S. Paul saith expresly that by one mans disobedience many were made sinners which word made sinners cannot be understood figuratively by any solid unbias'd iudgement but rather tisnate And the second Milivetan Councel in the fift age c. 2. CHAP. VII The Objections against the former Doctrine waved FIrst objection S. Chrysostome in some place averreth that none by the sin of our proto parents can be made a sinner excluded from Heaven nor liable to eternal damnation I answer that the Saint did not here exclude absolutly the sin conveyed to mankinde through the transgression of Adam but only did advertise that Adam's posterity were not made sinners upon that account onely that our first parents have committed actual sins but that their posterity also in Adam and along with him have sinned whereas all by the participation of humane nature were one man with Adam and as nature to them is conveyed so is the vice and corruption in nature by them participated for if they had not really sinned in Adam in whom as in the original and seminal root they were vertually involved they could not be made sinners by Adam's actual sin Nullus enim ut recte aiâ— Chysosto ex alieno peccato a se non participato peccator existit Deus in regenerationis lavacro mentem gratia tang it radicale peccatum evellit hominem illustriâ—rem reddit here the Saint calls Original sin washed away by baptismal regeneration radicale peccotum Objection 2. S. August lib. 16. de Civit. dei c. 18. saith we are not properly but originally onely born sinners I answer that S. August is to be understood so as that we are not born sinners by a consented act of our will properly but by the sinful act of Adam's inobedience which had a moral influence on all mankinde to bring on them the guilt of sin Objection 3. Until the Law sin was in the world but sin is not imputed where there is no Law yet death reigned from Adam to Moses even over them that have not sinned after the similitude of Adam's actual transgression who is the figure of the Messias This place is ignorantly interpreted by our Doctor thus Death reigned upon them whose sins therefore would not be so imputed as Adam's sin was because there was no Law with an expresse threatning given to them as it was to Adam I answer the same Law that was given with expresse threatning to Adam in Paradise was likewise by interpretation given in him to all his posterity and because Adam transgressed that Law all his posterity with him have transgressed according to those words of S. Paul In quo omnes peccaverunt Hence our Doctor's mistake is detected in not indeavouring to understand how that the same Law that was given to Adam did extend it self to his relative descendants and that not only temporal but also eternal death was threatned both to him and his posterity Objection 4. Taken out of those words of S. Paul By one mans disobedience many were made sinners c. Whence the Dr. Tayler doth strive to prove that if Adam's sin were imputed to his posterity as a guilt of an inherent sin then it should extend to all his posterity but out of this place it doth onely extend to many not to all Ergâ— not Original sin but temporal death is absolutely derived I answer that the B. Apostle doth use both words many and all whereas in the preceding Chapter he expresly averred that Adam's sin and Christs righteousnesse was derived and conveyed to all Adam's posterity and in this verse 19. he avers that only many were made sinners by Adam's inobedience and that by Christs righteousness many also are maderighteous Now I ask who be those that are born sinners from Adam and who be those that are regenerated in Christ through baptisme these are understood to be both all and many They were not all absolutely because Christ and Evae were not made sinners by Adam neither Infidels are by Christ justified but those onely that are in Christ regenerated and those only that are borne by seminal generation from Adam are here meant by the B. Apostle After this manner we may understand those words in Gen. 17. Patrem multarum gentium constitui te in semine tuo benedicentur omnes gentes c. 22. Where it 's most manifest that those who are promised to Abraham as children are counted in one place many and all in an other because they all are in some sense understood yet not absolutely all if considered in order to all humane kinde 5. Object From the 18th of Ezekel The childe shall not beare the iniquity of the father To this may be opposed another place in Exod the 20. I am a zealous God visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children c. I thus reconcile both these places in answer to the Objection that temporal punishment as the losse of meanes and estates banishment infamy and such like children as being secundum corpus pars patris may justly suffer by the Law for the sins of their parents but eternal punishment of the guilt of sin and an exclusion from Heaven is onely inflicted on them that are properly and really made sinners propria voluntate or aliâ—nae by interpretation
Where the Protestants do teach that in the Eucharist the body and blood of Christ is not only signified and offered but also really substantially and truly presented exhibited and communicated and consequently that the bread is not a bare sign significative only but also exhibitive of Christs body See Vsher's Sermon before the Commons Page 16. Edit. 2. Sure had Christs body been only figuratively presented he would have removed the doubt when he saw the Jews offended at the reality as Hereticks be now a days John 6. and he would not have confirmed and repeated his saying in terminis with promise of a greater wonder John 6. 62. The Lutherans believe our Saviour to be as really in the Eucharist as he was upon the Crosse but do not adore him the Roman Catholiques both believe the reality of it and adore it For my part I should clearly hold with these for S. Paul and all the four Evangelists unanimously teach the Doctrine of the reall presence and not one single place produceable that in direct terms calls the B. Eucharist a sign or figure of Christs body notwithstanding the vain cursed maintainers thereof admit no proof as authentical but the prâ—cise Text of Scripture but in this so important controversie they fly to logical inferences and Philosophical discourses and so make their own bare reason the Judge and not the word of God rendering by their new and private interpretations this great Sacrament inferiour in dignity not only to the Paschal Lamb a type of Christ but even to Manna which was but a figure of this very mystery Surely if we shall add to so many and so evident Texts of Sâ—ripture the constant judgement of the Fathers and the universal practise of the whole Christian world for above a thousand years we may safely conclude the doctrine of our Saviours presence in the B. Eucharist to be most probable and true and consequently Roman Catholiques in no wise accusable of rashness or obstinacy in believing a position so efficaciously recommended to them and conveyed from hand to hand therefore what can be more dangerous and pernitious to any Kingdom then to quite abolish such a dread Sacrament plainly invincible which adorneth and graceth the whole universe fomenteth innocency extirpats vice and by most evident ways demonstrate that a living God lieth under it and set up in its place a piece of prophane bread which never yet discovered more grace or force in the Ministers hand then it brought out of the Oven As it s evinced out of Christs repeated words By this so important digression we have the omnipotencie of God against all weaknesse idle curiosities sophisms and artificial falsities of new wits as a pledge sufficient enough to evince and secure the reality of Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar and believe that under the Sacramental species sensible and corruptible our Saviour subsisted with a glorious body which is called by S. Paul spiritual body because it s dignified with qualities and conditions of spirit though it lose not the essence of a body adoring therein with all humility that which cannot be sufficiently comprehended but by expresse passages of Scripture clear decision of 40. Councels the testimony of above 500. Authors antient and holy which ought to be preferred to the chimeras imaginary figments and bare assertions of any particular Lay-man and if plain Scripture-Texts with the Church Saints and general Councels exposition be not sufficient for a man to rest both his Science and Conscience upon I know not where he will find a resting satisfiable place it may shoot at randome but never come to take a right aim It being the most palpable folly which can creep into the brain of man to desire wisedom contrary to the wisedom of Saints my firm hope is that Doctor Taylor having with so much labour and charges indeavoured to honour Christ in a meer shadow will now in the name of God turn his tongue and pen to honour and glorifie him in his true real and substantial body and receive those rules of Religion ever unalterable eternal universal and constant and not any longer to run with the Jews after simple figures and weak elements Now it s more then time to look after Christs true Church still the same without opposition to it self in any fundamental doctrine when all other arising Sects are notoriously known to contradict both their Associates and themselves at the end Behold more then sufficient cause and ground for all those that pretend to any fear of God any care or regard of their souls eternal welfare utterly to detest and anathematize all novellism and damnable principles now its time to return to the Catholique Church setled by Christ upon a Rock never to be prevailed against by humane or divels power Cause enough there is to take warning for the future not to remit the planting of religion to every giddy pretending spirit Now it s more then time that truth the centre of our understanding maugre never so long or strong opposition should powerfully work upon those very many Machievillians of our times that seriously and deliberately say Pox on it I 'l be of any Sect rather then hazard my liberty honour or fortunes I 'l keep my consciene to my self but I 'l never lose my Land for want of outward compliance or conformity with the prevailing lâ—bertines Alas how many brave ancient families are quite extinguished and brought to nothing for want of compliance or conformity with God and his holy revealed Ordinances as it s by woeful experience obvious to any judicious person for non est prudentia non est concilium contra Dominum for my own part I cannot but wonder that any man acknowledging his sould immortal and that either Hell or Heaven must be the eternal domicil after this life withal acknowledging that a false wavering religion cannot be the way to beatitude shall not desert that sect of whose falsenesse and damnablenesse to mans soul and inconsistency with a well ordered Church he hath so many and pregnant demonstrations to the eye Finally its time for all to begin to follow the main current and generality of Religion ancient and well grounded Erubescat senectus quae se emendare non potest nullus pudor est ad meliora transire S. Ambros. Ep. 31. ad valent And now that we see the Protestants fighting writing and preaching against Protestants for Protestant Religion The old Catholique Religion must be the white at which we must all aim out of which none can hope for salvation I beseech God the Father of light and mercy may open the heart and eyes of our Doctor and of his Profelytes and resolve them herein for to receive that faith which hath God himself for object Let me now end with two words concerning the B. Virgin Mother ever most highly reverenced under God by all Christians upon earth as the blessed instrument of our welfare who but a turbulent Momus or a
windy Scâ—olist filled with a spirit of contradiction would dare to disable disluster the truth of her immaculate conception revealed proposed by the voice and consent of the Church This truth is most ancient though not so aparently revealed to the primitive Fathers Galatinus lib. 7. de arcanis cap. 4. holds this truth to be from the very time of the Synagogue For the Jews believed for certain that the Mother of the Messias would be without Original stain In the Apostles time S. Andrew Apostle expresly said Ad Egeum ut in gest is ejus refert Abdias lib. â— Historiarum sicuâ— primus Adam formatus 〈◊〉 ex terra non 〈◊〉 itâ— secundus Adam forâ—â—â—â— ex â—erra virginea nunquam maledicta in the Jerosâ—limitan Councel held by the Apostles Anno 44. Vt inventum est in monte granatensi these words are Illa virgo illa Maria santa in instanti suae conceptionis fuit as originali peccato praeservata qui ita non senserit salutem non consequetur eternam see Sanzez Luzero Baptista de Lezana Carmel Sedulius the Christian Poet that flourished Anno 430. in lib. 2. Oper. paschal habetur tomo 8. Biblioth. PP. hath thus En velut a spinis rosa mollis surgit acutis Nil quod laedat habens matrisque obscurat honorem Sic Evae de stirpe Sacra veniente Maria Virginis antiquae facinus nova Virgo piaevit Wherefore in her conception nature and grace meeting together said Damascen Oratâ—â— Deâ—â—ativit Virg. natura gratiam antevertere 〈◊〉 est â—usa sed expectavit donec gratia prius fructum suum produxisset Which was ingeniously verified by a modern Poet Gratia natunam cum qua est congressa suâ—egit Et forti posuit clara-trophea manu And this is nothing strange to hear she being the first object of Gods predestination as the great work prepared for his habitation Opus grande est non enim homini preparatur habitatio sed Deo â— Paral. 29. Sexta Sinodus cun 32. Veneratur Liturgiam D. Jacobi Apost in qua sepâ— haec verba habentur commemorantes sanctissimam matrem Christi irreprehensam c. likewise in the 7. Synod Actione 3. she is called immaculata omni sensibili intellectuali natura purior Leaving many other proofs of the Fathers and pregnant reasons for another occasion Now I come to shew our B. Ladies imaculate conception is likely to become an Article of faith and defined That truth which is supernatural and much conducing to Christian piety and belong to divine Worship may be defined and become an Article of faith but the imaculate conception is such Ergo it may be defined as the Nativity of our B. Lady to be preserved from mortal and venial sin her ascension into heaven are supernatural truths generally allowed of by the Church as Christianam piâ—tatem divinum cultum concernentia even so her imaculate conception already celebrated authoritate Ecclesiae instituted and confirmed a great festivitie sub nomine praeservationis must be a supernatural truth plurimum referens ad Christianam pietatem divinum cultum Ergo it is likely to become an Article of faith for the Church cannot err about such things which concerns Christian piety and divine worship Ergo neither in defining that which is established decreed so lemnly proclaimed preached and taught summi pontificis Ecclesiae authoritate Whereas there is nothing required for the definibility of any dogmatical doctrin other then cognitio deprehensio alioujus infallibilis medâ— by which may appear the same to be revealed by God and such is the common sence and consent of the Church manifested and propounded ut decet sive in concilio sive extra All which doth concur in the mistery of the imaculate conception of our B. Lady Ergo it may be defined The major is manifest ex materia de fide for illud est de fide which is revealed by God the minor is proved out of many places in Scripture in which the constant assistance of the divine spirit is promised to the Church ne erret in rebus fidei hence S. Paul 1 ad Tim. 3. doth call the Church the pillar and foundation of truth but the universal Church doth celebrate a solemn festivity with an Octave of the imaculate conception not under the name of sanctification but of preservation Ergo the B. Virgin was conceived truly without Original sin Ergo it may be defined the consequence is clear because if she were defiled and conspurcated with Original sin her conception could not be celebrated by the Church Quae non potest errare in rebus fidei propounding untruths for truths which is the reason why S. Bernard in Epist. 174. ad canonicos Lugdiâ—ens did reprehend them for celebrating the feast of the imaculate conception sine Ecclesiae authoritate Laus Deo Deiparaeque Virgini