Science are Certainer to us than faith and its act and that both extensively Science having both certainty of Evidence and Adhesion if that be Certainty And intensively for Science hath no doubt permixt as faith oft hath And he is forced to conclude his faith into the further uncertainty following CHAP. IV. That the most Learned Doctors of the Church of Rome resolve their faith in earnest or jeast into such an Inspiration of the Pope and Prelates in Council as the Apostles had and so are meer Fanaticks And this against notorious sense and experience THe said Durandus saith ib. li. 3. d. 23. p. 573. Nothing is more certain than experience to which the resolution of other things is made that we may have the fuller certainty But experience telleth us that there is Bread after consecration And that he took the belief of humane authority for the weakest opinion I told you before And v. 12. he saith How are we sure that God saith what we believe Non nisi quia sic tenet Ecclesia Only because the Church so holdeth Which he brings to prove that Divine Authority is not surest to us And Ocham Quod l. 5. q. 31. so answereth the question Whether the substance of Bread remain after consecration as I verily believe he did but Ironically jear them and shew that he durst not speak his thoughts Mentioning three opinions The first that the substance of bread which was there before is after the body of Christ I think he meaneth Durandus opinion condemned by Bellarmine c. he rejecteth The second saith he that the substance of bread and wine cease to be and the accidents only remain and under them Christs body begins to be is the common opinion of all Divines which I hold for the determination of the Church and not for any other reason The third that there remaineth the substance of bread and wine with Christs body would be very reasonable if the Churches determination were not contrary for that opinion solveth and avoideth all the difficulties which arise from seperating the accidents from the subject And the contrary to it is not had out of the Canon of the Bible nor doth it include any contradiction for Christs body to consist with the substance of bread any more than with the accidents And after more answering the argument of Mass-miracles by every Priest he saith Sometime about some things there must more Miracles be put though it might be done by fewer and that because it pleaseth God And the Church knoweth this by some Revelation that so it is and therefore the Church hath so determined Either he jeareth them or else he professeth that their faith even of daily miracles against common sense is resolved into a Revelation which the Church hath of that which is not in the Bible which must be Prophetically The like you have in Paludanus Durandus save that he leaveth them as aforesaid Scotus c. I will end with learned Rada who Vol. 4. Contr. 7. a. 1. pag. 164 165. having shewed that This is my Body will not in its own proper sense infer what Aquinas and others gather saith Yet indeed now we must not take that sense but as the Church taught by the Holy Ghost understandeth those words For the Scriptures are expounded by that spirit which they were made by And so it must be supposed that the Catholick Church by that spirit which delivered us the faith even taught by the Holy Ghost so expounded and exploded the first sense and chose this being that other was not true as to the remaining of the substance of bread after consecration But this sense he chose which is true and so delivered by our Lord himself as it is solemnly declared C. firmiter c. And he concludeth that This is my body is not enough to convince a Heretick but as understood by the Church by that spirit by which they were given and delivered they exclude the substance of bread O all men of common sense and reason in the world we appeal to your humanity in the Controversie between the Papists and us While they assert a Miracle by every Priest every day that he masseth in all the world and deny the truth of Gods primary natural Revelation to all mens common senses they resolve their faith of the Certainty of all this not into the Scripture but into such an Inspiration of the Holy Ghost as the Scriptures themselves were written by The Scripture must not be our proof of this Inspiration but must be proved by it We must believe that thus every wicked Pope and the Prelates of the major vote in his packt Councils have this Inspiration When they do no Miracles they live so much worse than other Ministers of Christ that the Reforming of them hath long been the vain wish and attempt of the Christian world They murder the servants of Jesus in their Inquisitions and yet we must lay all our faith and salvation on it that they have all a Prophetical spirit Well If it be proved Certainly to the world that the Pope and his Church are all Prophets or Inspired by the Holy Ghost as the Apostles were then I declare that the Papists are in the right If not I will be no willing Subject of the KING of Rome while he so abuseth the Word the Church the Honour of the Churches King FINIS
Question to which an Answer was challenged CHAP. I. Of the Quality of this Question and Challenge p. 1. CHAP. II. The Explication of some Terms in it A Scheme of Divine Revelations What matter of Fact is Of several senses and sorts of Certainty of Principles Media Determinations Unity of Faith p. 5. CHAP. III. The briefest and summary Answer to the Confused Question p. 13. CHAP. IV. The many Questions confounded in his one Quest. 1. What are the Revelations of God in controversie p. 22. CHAP. V. Quest. II. Whether the Papists grant all Divine Revelations to be true p. 25. CHAP. VI. Quest. III. What Certainty we have what is a real Revelation of God Where the Nature and Conditions of Objective and Subjective Sensible and Intelligible Certainty are opened p. 30. CHAP. VII Quest. IV. What Certainty have we of the Copies p. 43. CHAP. VIII Quest. V. What Certainty have we of the Canonical Book p. 45. CHAP. IX Quest. VI. What Certainty have we of the truth of Translations p. 48. CHAP. X. Quest. VII What Certainty have we of the true sense of the Text. p. 51. CHAP. XI Quest. VIII What Vnity of Faith may be expected to be conserved by these Certainties p. 54. CHAP. XII Quest. IX What Determination is necessary to this Certainty and Vnity p. 57. CHAP. XIII What the Papists ascertaining Medium or Determination is and why we cannot trust our souls on it Where are fourty Reasons briefly named for the use of them that seek for Truth proving not only the utter uncertainty but the notorious falshood of this Determination which is cried up as the only proof of Certain faith But I doubt not but many Papists that fear God indeed do practically build their faith on better ground however this be cried up by Disputers p. 60. ERRATA Page 23. line 21. read bulk p. 47. l. 7. r. did but. p. 64. l. 16. r. by Clemens p. 98. l. 18. r. Superiour p. 107. l. 2. r. Certainty p. 109. l. 9. r. be is CHAP. I. Of the Quality of this Question SIR § 1. YOU may see by this Paper with the ordinary disputing of this sort of men that it is not without cause that we have suspected the hand of the Papists in many of the defences of the Infidel cause and questionings of the foundations of the Christian faith which this age is troubled with They have so long plaid the Infidels in jeast till they have made such a swarm of serious Infidels as will prove neither the honour nor comfort of such seducers in the end I know that this Paper it self hath a more modest aspect but the tendencie of it is the same as of the rest But I hope God will turn all their endeavours to our advantage and teach Christians bet-better to consider the foundations of their faith that they may not only be able to defend it against an Infidel or Papist but which is of more universal and frequent necessity to defend it against the inward suggestions of Satan the enemy of Christ and us § 2. Therefore I think it most profitable to answer this Question in such a manner as shall tend not only to silence the Caviller but as may best satisfie such as doubt and stablish men about the cause it self and therefore to be larger than this Imposer desireth that I may be plain § 3. The fraud which this Quaerist is guilty of is manifold and manifest to any discerning Reader 1. In the choice of his subject For he knoweth for it 's easily known that it hath not pleased God to make the mysteries of our faith so evident as things sensible are and that the difficulties which are in and about the Christian cause are such as give advantage to carnal unbelievers to find many words to say against it and that maketh it the hardest work of Preachers to convince unbelievers or else the Gospel had been received by more than the sixth part of the world before this day Now these juglers would lay all the difficulties which are in the Christian cause as such upon the Reformers cause alone as if all this were nothing to them but the cause of Popery were wholly free from them or at least they could answer such questions better than we can do And so when such a fellow as Hobbs or Benedictus Spinosa in his Tractatus Theologico-politicus shall stretch their wits to disgrace the Scripture and the Christian cause all this shall seem only to fall upon the Protestants whereas if we could not better defend Christianity than the present principles of Popery enable them to do we must confess that the Infidel were far hardlier answered than any Sectary that we have to deal with § 4. 2. And his next fraud lieth in casting all the positive defence and proof on us that he may have nothing to do but assault Religion and manage the Infidels objections against us He offereth not to tell you himself what their uniting certainty of Divine Revelations is and to make it good but to put you upon the proving task § 5. 3. And his fraud is evident in the multitude of Questions which he thrusteth together into one which any man of wit knoweth cannot have one answer but must have many as the Questions are many § 6. 4. And yet he will oblige the Answerer to avoid tedious discourses that so if his many questions have not one short answer he may have the evading pretence that It is a tedious discourse § 7. 5. And there is evident fraud in his ambiguous terms As his opposing matter of fact only to matter of right and so making many heterogeneals to fall under matter of fact His confused and unexplained use of the terms Principle Medium determinining Certainty Vnity in faith c. § 8. 6. Lastly There is much fraud in his many insinuated suppositions As 1. That the Truth of this proposition that Whatsoever God saith is true c. is a matter of meer right as distinct from the rest mentioned as matters of fact 2. That the sense of the words is a matter of fact as the truth of them is not 3. That Papists agree with us that every Revelation of God is most certainly true 4. That the Ebionites Valentinians c. who questioned the Scripture books were Christians 5. That these matters have here a final determination 6. That this is necessary to Certainty and Unity in the faith By all which it appeareth that this Question is intended or used at least as a Soul-trap and a Fool-trap CHAP. II. The Explication of some Terms § 1. THat he may be satisfactorily answered these Terms must be necessarily explained and distinguished of 1. Revelation 2. Matter of fact 3. Certainty 4. Principle 5. Medium 6. Determining 7. Unity in faith § 2. I. Either he taketh Revelation generally as containing natural and supernatural Revelation 2. Or specially for supernatural Revelation only Because he distinguisheth not we must suppose him to take it
know that this Gospel and these Books are true And all these are not to be confounded by the simple pretence of calling for a fixed medium or principle § 7. VI. Determining signifieth either the private decision or determining of doubts in the minds of particular persons or else the publick decision of doubts as they are managed in the Church by a publick Judge And this either as binding mens Consciences or Minds what to believe or only as ruling their tongues and actions in teaching and conversation § 8. VII By Vnity in faith is meant either unity in a general faith which they call Implicite or in a particular explicite faith And that is either a unity in all the essentials of Christianity or also in all the Integrals or also in all the accidentals which are revealed by God And it is either a secret unity of minds or a publick unity for communion that is meant If he think any of these distinctions needless let him prove it and then cast them by I am sure confusion is fit to deceive but not to edifie CHAP. III. The rude and summary answer to the confused Question § 1. LEst the Querist should pretend that by distinguishing I avoid a plain and direct answer to his Question I will here first suppose him to be as rude and confused as his Question would imply and give him such an answer as it will bear But so as that it cannot be satisfactory to a distinguishing understanding for whom therefore I shall afterward answer more distinctly § 2. I cannot answer with common sense in a narrower compass than by distinguishing these Questions 1. How know I the words and Bible 2. How know I that this Doctrine and Book is the same which was delivered by the Apostles to the Churches 3. How know I the meaning of the words 4. How know I that this Doctrine and these words are of God or a Divine Revelation 5. How know I that they are true § 3. I. To the first Question I answer that I know that I hear and read the words and that this Bible containeth in it all its visible contents by my sense my sight and hearing and my intellective perception of things sensible And though this be a principle in which the Papists agree not with us I am never the more in doubt whether I see and hear the words § 4. II. To the second I know that this Doctrine and Book is the same which by the Apostles were delivered to the Churches by Infallible History not such as dependeth on the honesty of the speakers only and so begetteth but a humane faith much less such as depends on the bare Authority of the King of Rome and his narrow selfish sect or party and Kingdom but by such History as hath a certainty in it from natural principles by which we prove it impossible that there should be deceit there being so full a concurrence of all sorts of Christians and enemies also and infallible circumstantial evidence Even as I know that there was such a man at Rome as Gregory 1. and Gregory 7. and such persons in England as Henry 8. King Edward 6. Queen Mary Queen Elizabeth c. And as I know that our Statute Books are not counterfeit And as your Doctors know that the Acts and Decrees of Councils the Works of Bellarmine Baronius c. are not counterfeit which is not because the Pope or a General Council saith so but by rational evidence of certain History which leaveth not mens minds in doubt § 5. But I am not equally certain of some questioned Books or Readings no nor of the sense of some difficult words as I am of all the rest which being more evident are more past controversie § 6. III. I know the meaning of the words spoken or written as you know the meaning of a man that talketh with you or of any other writings as of your Councils Decretals Mass-book Bellarmine c. that is by the significance of such words by humane usage from those daies till now which Lexicons Books and successive practice fully prove § 7. But there are plain passages in Scripture which I understand certainly not because the Pope saith This is the meaning Such are all the essentials of Christianity and abundance more And there are difficult passages which I am not certain of the sense of § 8. IV. I know that this Doctrine and the Bible containing it as such are of God or are his word by the spirit attesting and fealing it not in the fanatick sense as they think they have an inward impulse perswading them that so it is as some Papists think the Pope and Councils know that to be of God which they decree by Prophetical Inspiration But 1. As to the Gospel the spirit attested it by antecedent Prophesie 2. The image of Gods Power Wisdom and Goodness imprinted on the Scripture is its essential constitutive evidence being unimitable by meer man and that which is its intrinsick self evidencing light so that a spiritual well disposed soul may from a sensibleness tast that it is Gods word if a Bible had come to them by chance and they had never heard of it before I say that they may do so if you can suppose them spiritually disposed before But if not yet they may strongly suspect that it is Gods word when they read that it affirmeth it self to be so and that the image of God upon it is so clear 3. But the Concomitant Evidence of the spirit maketh up the proof in the miracles of Christs Life Resurrection and ascension and in the miracles of Apostles and primitive Christians abroad the world by which the Gospel was fully sealed 4. And the effected subsequent evidence of the spirit compleateth all the evidence which is the spirit of holiness given by the means of this same word to all true serious Believers in the world in all ages and nations which Holiness is the Image of God himself and is such a gift as none but God can give and as God would not give by a Doctrine which he abhorreth as a lie Therefore 1. It witnesseth objectively as an evidence 2. And it witnesseth effectively by inclining the heart to tast and close with and receive the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the innaturalized word as life and health cause a man to know suitable food by a gust which proceedeth from a suitable nature so is it in the new nature and the sincere milk of the word And indeed though the intellect be the proper apprehender of Truth as such suo modo yet the will is quaedam natura and hath a natural propensity to Good as Good which is natural to it and is the pondus motuum in the rational soul And it is not an universal notion or nothing under the name of good which it thus inclineth to but existent good in some being that is Vnum Verum Bonum as Rada and other Scotists well prove And therefore it hath
necessary volitions as of its own felicity c. which yet are free and not meerly per modum naturae though natural as being ex sua natura And this three or foursold witness or attestation of the spirit sometime Antecedent alwaies Constitutive Concomitant and subsequent though a holy soul that is suited to it and hath the witness in it self may most fully and certainly discern yet another also may discern The Miracles being Intelligible attestations to them and the beauty of Wisdom and Holiness in the Scripture and in the Saints being refulgent and discernable by a stander by though not as by a possessor § 9. But I have not an equal Certainty of all the parts of it that they are the word of God because 1. All the Books Texts and Readings are not brought to me with equal historical Evidence 2. And there are abundance of passages in it which are but Accidental to the Christian Religion which have not the same self-evidencing luster in them as the Essentials have And there is no Necessity of an equal knowledge of the parts § 10. The parts which I am fully Certain of in the Scripture are 1. All the Essentials of the Christian Religion Because 1. They are delivered in Scripture frequently plainly past all Controversie of which I will cite your testimonies anon 2. Because they were as certainly delivered to all Christians and Churches in the whole world distinctly by themselves twelve years before any of the New Testament was written and above threescore and ten years before all of it was written even in the Covenant of Baptism renewed in the Lords Supper and in the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalogue which are the exposition of the Covenants professed by all Christians in all Christian Churches at every sacred meeting And these two waies of Tradition in Scripture and by themselves are fuller than one 2. And all the rest of the holy Scriptures in which the full concord of Copies and the plainness of the words doth leave no room for rational doubting § 11. V. I know that all this word is True because God is True verax and it is impossible for him to lie For whoever lieth must want either Wisdom to know what to say or Goodness to Love Truth or Power to make good his word and attain his will by better means But God is perfect in all these Which you seem to grant us § 12. That all things necessary to Salvation have been delivered by the Apostles to the Churches two waies as by two hands viz. Distinctly by word of mouth and in the Bible is our Doctrine That more than all in the Bible hath been delivered by word of mouth and this as necessary to the Salvation of some men I know not whom who have no more wit than to create necessity to themselves is your Doctrine But yet your famousest contentious Doctors confess that all things commonly necessary to Salvation are plainly expressed in the holy Scriptures Concil Basil Orat. Ragus Bin. pag. 299. The holy Scripture in the literal sense soundly and well understood is the Infallible and most sufficient Rule of faith Bellarm. de verbo Dei lib. 4. c. 11. In the Christian Doctrine both of faith and manners some things are simply necessary to the salvation of all as the knowledge of the articles of the Apostles Creed of the ten Commandments and of the Sacraments The rest are not so necessary that a man cannot be saved without the explicite knowledge belief and profession of them These things which are simply necessary and profitable to all the Apostles preached to all All things are written by the Apostles which are necessary to all and which they openly preached to all Costerus in Enchirid. cap. 1. p. 49. We do not deny that those chief heads of faith which to all Christians are necessary to be known to Salvation are plainly enough comprehended in the writings of the Apostles § 13. By the way hence judge of the jugling of your praters when they call to us for a Catalogue of Essentials or Fundamentals as if no such distinction were to be made § 14. But the ancient Fathers talkt at a higher rate even as Theophil Alexandr Epist. Paschal 2. Cont. Orig. Biblioth Patr. To. 3. pag. 96. Ignorans quod daemoniaci spiritus esset instinctus sophismata humanarum mentium sequi aliquid extra Scripturarum authoritatem putare divinum i. e. not knowing that it is the instinct of a devilish spirit to follow the sophisms of mens minds and to think that any thing is Divine without or besides the authority of the Scriptures CHAP. IV. The distinct Questions all Implied or Confounded in his one Quest 1. What are the Revelations in Controversie § 1. I Must now for the satisfaction of him if he be judicious answer his Question more distinctly and therefore divide it into all these Questions Quest. 1. What are the Revelations of God about which our Controversies lie 2. Whether it be true that the Papists grant us that all Divine Revelations are true 3. What Certainty have we what is a real Revelation of God 4. What Certainty have we of the true Copies and Readings 5. What Certainty of the Canonical or Divine books 6. What Certainty of the Truth of Translations 7. What Certainty have we of the true sense of the words 8. What unity of faith may be expected to be consferred by such certainties 9. What Determination is necessary to this Certainty and Unity And the Questions what Principle and what Medium is established will be Answered in these § 2. Quest. I. What are the Revelations of God about which our Controversies lie Answ. To mention no more than I needs must there are three sorts of Revelation which we assert and rest in 1. Of Natural Production and Evidence such as is the Light and Law of Nature in the Nature of all things especially of man himself as revealing Gods will per modum signi 2. Infallible Oral and Historical Traditition And so 1. All the Covenant of Grace in the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper with the Catechistical explanation in the Creed Lords-prayer and Decalogue have been particularly delivered by themselves 2. And so the Bible hath been delivered to us in the bulks 3. Written Revelation in the sacred Records of the Spirit which is the holy Scriptures themselves § 3. Of the first more anon The second they grant us so far as to confess 1. That the said Covenant and Catechistical Principles have had that way of delivery by themselves as well as in the Scripture But they tell of much more I know not what delivered the same way than is in them and the Scripture it self 2. Yet as you see they confess that none of that addition is commonly necessary to Salvation The third they grant us that all those books which we receive are the Certain word of God But 1. They say that there are more 2. And that we must
all other plain points in which the Translators agree are truly translated Though the knowledge of it in lesser points is not so necessary § 4. And thus and no other way both unlearned Protestants and Papists that cannot read must know that there is a Bible in the world and that the Priests do ordinarily read truly that publickly read it to them and that there are Canons of Councils in the world c. Because it is not possible for so many men of cross interests to agree in feigning it without detection § 5. There are some passages in some Translations so palpably distorted to the Translators interests and ends as that the Text and Context to the Learned and the common agreement of the world to the unlearned may notifie the error § 6. There are many passages or words so difficult about which Translators differ as that few or none are Certain which of them is in the right And this uncertainty is of no danger to the Church or to mens souls CHAP. X. Quest. VII What Certainty have we of the true sense of the Text. § 1. Answ. THis Question is partly the same with the former For to Translate is to give the sense of the original in other words The sense is either 1. The sense of single terms 2. Or the sense of propositions and sentences 3. Or the sense of many sentences conjunct in Method § 2. The first is known to Translators as is aforesaid As you know the sense of all words of all languages by common usage and common Tradition The second is made up of the first by common reason As a sentence is made up of common words He that understandeth what these words Repentance and is and necessary signifie may know without a Pope what this sentence signifieth Repentance is necessary The same is to be said of divers sentences conjunct The sense is known by the way that men learn to talk and to understand one anothers speeches And as you understand Baronius Bellarmine the Councils or any of your Priests even by the common acception of words and reason setting them together as man from his Infancie is taught to reason § 3. But as Infants understand not common talk till they are taught nor children and untaught persons so well as men and Scholars so the plainest things in Scripture require some use and consideration and Teaching to the understanding of them Much more the harder parts And God hath made it the duty of Parents to teach the Scripture to their children at home and abroad lying down and rising up Deut. 6. 11. without asking the Pope the sense of it And God hath appointed the elder and wiser to teach the younger and more ignorant and especially Pastors and Teachers to teach the world and instruct their flocks to understand the word of God Not barely to rest in their opinion and words but to shew men the same Evidence which doth convince themselves Which Teaching is not a final Iudging § 4. But yet where the Teacher knoweth what the Learner doth not the Learner must have the humility of a Disciple and not set his untaught wit conceitedly against his Teacher and wrangle before he understandeth but must judge his Teacher whether it be Grammar Logick or Theologie words or sense that he Teacheth him to be wiser than himself Else why will he be his Scholar And so he must believe him as a fallible man with a humane faith in order to his attaining of a proper Certainty § 5. But there are in Scripture many passages so exceeding difficult that we have no Certainty of the sense And some that only a few extraordinary Students have a Certaintainty of neither Protestants nor Papists further understanding them And this is no disparagement to the Scripture nor hazard or injury to us CHAP. XI Quest. VIII What Unity of faith may be expected to be conserved by our foresaid Certainties § 1. HEre are two Questions for haste included I. What Unity in faith may be expected II. What Certainties are necessary thereto § 2. I. To the first 1. A Unity in all the Essentials of the Christian faith is already existent among all Christians in the world For they were not Christians if they agree not in all Essentials of Christianity § 3. 2. A Vnity of faith in the Integrals of Christianity is desireable and so far hopeful as that the wiser all Christians are in the more of the Integrals they will agree But here will never be an universal Concord or Unity any more than in mens age strength Stature and complexions This Paul openeth at large 1 Cor. 12. Rom. 14. 15 c. § 4. 3. A perfect Vnity in the common knowledge of all things in Scripture or all the revealed Accidentals of Religion will never be found between any two persons in this life because that no ones knowledge is perfect § 5. II. From hence the other Question is easily answered 1. To a Unity of Christians as Christians or the body of Christ and Church Universal and of necessity to Salvation no Certainty is necessary but of the Essentials of the Christian Religion 2. To the more Comfortable progress and the melius esse of Christians and the Churches as great a Concord and Certainty in the Integrals of Christianity is needful as the degree of melius esse doth require 3. To mens peaceable and comfortable Communion in Christian Societies an Unity and consequently knowledge of the points of Christian Love and holy communion is necessary 4. To our Heavenly Union Heavenly perfection is necessary § 6. But to insinuate that a Certainty of the sense of all the Scripture or all that God hath revealed to us Objectively or of all that Popes and Councils determine is necessary to that unity of faith which maketh all Christians to be Christians and one body of Christ is but a cheating trick which is against Scripture reason and their own Doctors CHAP. XII Quest. IX What Determination is necessary to this Certainty and Unity § 1. Answ. 1. GOds Determination of the Object by Verity and Evidence and his helping the faculty in determining it self in act is necessary § 2. 2. The inward true Determination of every mans own perceiving faculty sense and Intellect is necessary to his true perception § 3. 3. A Parent Schoolmaster Senior and Pastor must tell the Scholar their own Judgement and then open to him the Evidence of truth § 4. A Magistrate or other Superiour Parent Master c. hath a determining Judgement under God and his Laws in order to the ends of their proper Government and no further That is They are the only publick Judges in their Society who shall be punished or not punished by the sword restrained or encouraged as teaching false Doctrine or true But this is not an absolute and unregulated power If they determine contrary to Gods word they sin and bind not me to obey them though I am bound to continue my subjection