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
AN ESSAY of Original RIGHTEOUSNESS AND CONVEYED SIN Wherein the question is rightly stated the latent venome of some of Dr. Jeremiah Tayler's heretical assertions detected and accurately impugn'd By 〈◊〉 â—ord Gentleman Epist. ad Gal. 1. 8. But though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospell unto you then that which we have preached unto you let him be accursed Permissu superiorum Printed 1657. To the RIGHT HONOURABLE AND most truly Noble LORD the Marquess of Dorchester the great Example of true Honour Learning and Chivalry Right Honourable Lord WHereas your Illustrious Honour is not ignorant and all the World knows that as Divinity and essential truths are therefore eternal and 〈…〉 because such so falshood must needs decay and vanish and that the learning of our late reforming Divines consisting onely in some superficial Talent of preaching language or elocution and not in deep knowledge of Philosophy Metaphysick and much less of that most solid profitable and subtile method call'd School Divinity aims onely at non procedere ad perfectioneni sed ad permutationem still teaching to go forward not to perfection but to perpetual change leaping from ignorance to a prejudicate opinion and never taking a good judgment in their way and this for that the enemy of mankind moving Hereticks to deride and sleight School Divinity looks at no less then the total ruine of all Religion and faith Hence most Honourable Lord I thought it no ill Office of a Patriot for the undâ—ceiving of many to contrive this succinct Methodical Treatise of School Divinity which now runs for shelter to the glorious protection of your Honour a person incomparably Illustrious and accomplish'd in all royal and moral virtues nam geminas animi nobilitate genus the general report fame and applause of your rare genius transcendent worth and known abilities in most part of all learning hath invited me to the boldness of this address for to whom more fitly should a small Treatise intended for to establish truth now when most malign'd despis'd run â—or Patronage then to your most illustrious Lordship a Vigorous honourer and indefatigable Investigator of truth the natural pleasing object of our understanding Pray Heaven it prove worthy your acceptance for my part I shall ever acknowledge your greatness admire your glory and from your goodnesse raise to my self a hope that you will vouchsafe to cherish these weak fruits of my elucubrations for such is the sublime and magnificent amplitude of your soul as it will harbour with benign indifferencie what is spoken against your own sense judgement and consent my scope being to serve and honour not to instruct you neither to engage you in the Patronage of what I deliver more then truth shall convince your judgement Vale diu feliciter vive Nobilium decus magnae Britaniaâ—â— ornamenium This shall be the constant humble supplication of Most truly Noble And Right Honourable Lord Your humble and obsequious Servant J. FORD To the Reader Courteous Reader IN an Age so pregnant of vice desirous of prophane novelties affected and advantagious ignorance it 's no wonder the structures of true Religion Devotion and Antiquity decay and ruine For if men did but seriously consider how unsatisfactory new Faiths new Opinions are they would quickly be convinced of this varity in seeking For proof of this I appeal to the Conscience â—f any that by misguided zeale have been transported with this fury whether they have not with indignation beheld their former Tenets applauâ—ing their present condition as escap'd from the pit of perdition and yet in that instant of imagined felicity and safety have not an â—â—ching desire and of new Lights and a perfecter walking which in a short time they prosecute so eagerly by ever learning to a Contradiction and Opposition of their â—ate found happiness as to account also that state desperate and damnable In this circular progresse of Religion what hope câ—n these have of salvation or comfort in the agonies of Conscience oâ— languishings of mortality when their recovery may restore them to a defiance of their present belief and uncertainâ—y what Creed to die in If the Apostle tells us of one Hope one Lord one Faith sure the dâ—viation from this Vâ—ity must be Schism and persevering in 〈◊〉 utter destruction because the multiplying a Deity opposeâ—â— its Essence as much as the denying itâ— and he will be no lesse mistaken that thinks by by-pathes unknowne and uncertain wayes to goe to Heaven aâ— he that denees â—ny A more illustrious moral reason of this cannot be given then that of the Philosopher Euâ—tibus via errantibus nulla because they in the trueâ—way â—ake their progresse in righteousnesse the misguided only in errors It much importeth men to be very circumspect inquisitive after the right way if neither living or dying they cannot by those ungodly reflections they now wander in attain any certain hopes of salvation I have not without admiration looked upon the incomparable ignorance of the most professing Teachers who have no other cognizance of their zeale then the want of good Literature and I cannot judge the products of their instruction to be more then blind devotion they themselves being such blind Leaders For if I should ask them a reason of their Faith or of those many Mysteries contained in the New Testament or why they have abrogated holy Ceremonies continued from the Primitive times even untill these late dayes of Apostacie I suppose they could render no other account then what a great Rabbi to justifie their abominable proceedings replied That the pious actings of these later dayes would not have pass'd for religious or devout in the Primitive times How cautious then should all good minded Christians be to bear the Doctrines of such dangerous Preacherâ— which are Libels and Contradictions to the Primevall Church and sent only for politick ends by special faith to cast me into a Lethargie of godlinesse oblivion and detestation out of I know not what fear of good deeds and just dealings It 's strange where the Priests lipps should preserve knowledge the ancient and boyish Elders of our times should zealously affect the contrary except that being deceived they may more securely deceive others or may with more audacious security precipitate together with themselves others into destruction according to that of Thucidides A {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} Ignorance is the Mother of confidence or by want of knowledge the more facil may stupifie the clamours of a corrupt conscience hide their covetousnesse and for their private craft the more undiscernably cry up Great is Diana of the Ephesâ—aâ—â— They might easâ—â—y have avoided these present Pasâ—â—s and fearfull Paroxysms for the â—osse of â—ithes â—â— they at first had vigorously Preach'd and shew'd the severe â—eâ—aces and damnable puâ—ishments for Sacrâ—â—â—dge and may yet free us from raâ—iâ—eâ— and unjust negotiations if they themselves would cease to be covetous and truly convince
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