SURE-FOOTING In Christianity Or Rational Discourses On The Rule of FAITH With Short Animadversions on Dr Pierce's Sermon Also on some passages in Mr Whitby and M Stillingfleet which concern That RULE Ecce nos ex Patribus ad Patres per manus traditam fuisse hanc sententiam demonstravimus Athanasius By I. S. LONDON Printed in the Year 1665. To the QUEEN Madam THough the Faith I write for be far more firmly establish't then Heaven and Earth themselves as the Worlds great Master has by his own word assur'd us and so needs no Support but its own Invincible Strength Yet I am told by my reason that nothing so clears and recommends Religion to the Generality as the vertuous Life and eminent Devotion of Them that profess it But where shall I seek those happiest Effects and noblest Arguments of Truth If I consider them in their abstracted Idea's they are Invisible as Angels too subtle and delicate for vulgar eyes Where then may I hope to meet those excellent Forms vested with Bodies if I consult the common Judgment I expect to be sent to some Hermit's Cell or the private Oratory of some holy Votaress where I may find them indeed embody'd but withal half-bury'd Incomparable Lights but shut up in a kind of dark Lanthorn where they burn safely I confess but shine to few while Those I seek must be high and conspicuous to send forth their Beams and Influences over all the VVorld and in that regard Courts are the properest Firmament for such Illustrious Stars and Courts are easily seen but where 's the Star In this perplexity Madam it pleas'd the Goodness of Heaven to relieve me for as the mention of Courts brought immediately into my memory the happiness our Nation is blest with by Your Majesty's Residence among us so the Contemplation of Your Exemplar Life fill'd my soul with joy to have found at last those sublime and heroick Virtues whose perfect Conformity to the Rules of Catholick Religion is alone capable to convince the Certainty of its Truth Such an unwearied Constancy in Devotion such a degree of Fervor in that Constancy cannot possibly proceed from a luke-warm Probability in Faith such frequent Retirements to intimate Conversations with Heaven such Mortifications and contempt of Court-Entertainments and which is yet harder such Innocence and Purity amidst the necessary Admittances of them as they all conspire to speak Your Soul Angelical so they clearly prove the vigorous Activity of the Faith that breeds them far beyond the drowsy Indifferency of a probable Opinion Thus Madam while Schollars but discourse YOV live Demonstrations Permit me then to use not Your bare Name but Your Vertues as a Patronage to my Endeavours since the Motive of this my Dedicatory meant These for its Substance and Your Temporal Supremeness onely for a Circumstance Others Complement while they dedicate I Argue all the while nor intend I this for a farther Display of Your Excellent Vertues which already are sufficiently manifest to all the VVorld but to breed a more serious reflexion on Them in the minds of those against whom I write and other well-meaning but mis-led persons This advantage Your Majesty and the Practical Provers of Catholick Faith have above us Speculaters that Your whole Life is a Continual Argument for It while we are bound to expect Seasons and wait Opportunities Nor should I at this time have offer'd to appear had not the Multitude of Books lately Printed against Catholick Religion made it my plain and necessary Duty with all my little power to defend It VVhat I have endeavour'd I most humbly lay at Your Majesties feet and remain MADAM Your Majesties most dutiful Subject and most obedient Servant I. S. PREFACE To the Intelligent READER 1. He is little acquainted with the paths which lead to Science who knows not that the settling the First Principle in any Affair is of mainest Import towards Satisfaction in that particular because if such a Principle be not first settled the whole Discourse as relying on that Principle for its Certainty must needs waver and stagger Reflecting on this plainest Truth and withal on the manner how very many I wish I might not say most Controversies are manag'd that is by debating much about diverse Conclusions but very little about the first Principle in Controversie I cannot wonder if Disputes come slowly to an End when few of them were ever rightly begun Another mischief and even despair of entire Satisfaction springs from hence that seeing all Dispute Supposes an Agreement between the Disputers in some acknowledg'd Principle I much fear while things are carry'd on this fashion this Requisit is wanting to the Catholick and Protestant Controvertists For neither doth the Protestant from his heart hold witness the Books of their most extold Champions and even the 39. Articles to the contrary the Testimonies of Fathers and Councils Certain and Convictive nor even Scripture alwayes as to its Letter and the Sence they give it for they pretend Infallible Certainty of none of these much less does the Catholick agree that private Interpretations of Scripture or Citations from Fathers not speaking as Witnesses of the Churches Belief are of sufficient Authority to settle the True or overthrow a False or pretended Faith Yet notwithstanding all this each Antagonist permits the other to frame his Discourses upon these Grounds as if he held the Method were good and allowable which not being heartily granted by either what satisfaction can we expect but endless and fruitless contests for want of Agreement in some acknowledg'd Principle while this Method is follow'd Nay more were it suppos'd that both sides had agreed not to reject in their Disputes such a Principle yet still however one side might happen to foil the other so far as to make him contradict himself yet never so as to convince his Tenet of falshood unless the process were grounded upon some First that is Self-evident Principle by virtue of whose undoubtable Certainty the Discourse built on it might gain an establishment Whence also the result of this way of Discourse can be onely the Credit or Discredit of the Authours and touches not at all the Thing Which without some Evident Principle to establish or overthrow it hovers in its pure neutral condition of being as to Assent or Dissent just a bare saying and no more 2. The reason why the First Principle of Controversie is not more lookt into and clear'd appears to me evidently this that our modern Dissenters from the Church and her Faith seeing which is common to Them with all other maintainers of Errours that to begin with First or self-Evident Principles is the direct road to Science and therefore absolutely destructive of their Interest avoid as much as in them lies the laying any such Principles and instead of this apply their whole endeavours to aiery Descants upon Words by such means and Arts as are never likely to give them any determinate Sence by which craft the way
of Science being to proceed from one piece of Sence to another they carry the war out of the bounds of Science where solid ground is to be found to fix ones fool upon so to overthrow or be overthrown and transfer it to a kind of Spatium Imaginarium of Fancy and unsignifying Sounds the proper sphere for Chimerical Discoursers to buz confusedly and make a noise in Where the Catholick must either let them alone and then they cry Victory or follow them thither and so hazard to prejudice his own cause by seeming to allow their method of discoursing Whereas indeed the Catholick is forc't by their Importunity exciting his Charity towards the unskilfull to show how weakly they discourse in their own shallow way 3. How little faulty the Catholick is in this will be quickly manifest if we consider that â—tis against his Principles and Involuntary in him to take this Method for he builds not upon those aiery Skirmishes for his Faith nor consequently esteems he it conquerable by such attempts he received his Faith from the present Church witnessing it's delivery from the former Age to this anchorage he sticks he stands on immemorial Possession nor doubts he that Christ ' s Doctrin is his true and proper inheritance while brought down by the testimony of so many Christian Nations As long as this foundation stands firm quirks hurt not him Shake this that is show the Church Essential is Mistress of falshood and he must doubt all his Faith but yet cannot hold the Protestants for he must hold nothing No Book can secure him when that Principle which onely can secure to us Books written long ago is insecure it self Now on the contrary the Protestant builds his Faith by thus hammering it out of unsenc't Characters and is quite overthrown would his will give his reason leave to follow his principles if another more dexterously fit the words to a sence inconsistent with his And his hopes of standing are not built as are the Catholicks on the self evidence of ony Thing or Principle but indeed on the Inevidence or Ambiguity of Words and his Way to manage them which is to let no Living Authority sence thew and so they will more easily change their shape as the ingenious contrivances of Fancy molds them and then if the discourse seem but a little plausible Education and Interest make the Vnderstanding content with very easiy satisfaction 4. I am far from blaming the Catholicks prudence for engaging on this manner I rather admire their Charity towards their weaker Brethren that at the expence of so much patience and pains such excellent Wits will condescend to so laborious a talk less sutable both to their own Genius as Catholick and to the nature of their Cause How easily might they rest secure upon Immovable Possession and demand Evidence and Demonstration from the Protestant who denies his right to Christs Doctrin How easily might he show their reasons inconclusive which method was observ'd by a late Learned Writer Mr. J. S. against that Pulpit-vapour of Dr. Pierce especially by discovering the unsatisfactoriness of the Method they take How most easily that they have never a Principle or self evident Ground to begin with That till they settle such a First Principle all their Discourse is frivolous That their rejecting the Churches Living Voice or Tradition brings all into doubt both Sayings of Fathers and Texts of Scripture And hence not to allow them the favour of disputing ad hominem from Scripture or Fathers by granting them any thing Certain but putting them to prove all For since they are to object and bring Evident Reason for changing it lies on them to make their reasons Evident nor has any Disputant right to have any thing allow'd him Certain who renounces that Principle which if renounctâ— all is Vncertain And lastly that he who denies the First Principle in any Science deserves not â—ay cannot in reason abstracted from circumstances be discourst with at all in that Science nor They in Controversy This will force them to lay some First or self-evident Principle which cannot fail to produce these two Advantages One to the World that it shall get into a method of concluding something with evidence The other to Catholick Religion For â—twill be found Impossible their Reason strain'd to its utmost can invent any other in this matter but that of Tradition 5. This will clearly shorten our debates and save the laborious transcribing and Printing Volumes of Testimonies by bringing Conrroversy to the way of Reason for the Certainty of First Authority must needs be manifested by pure Reason But who am I that I should attempt such a change in the method of Controversy or think my self a fit proposer or presser of it Far be it from me Yet if I mistake not Nature her self whom I second in this design is about doing that work For I hear Catholick Writers complain of the Protestant and justly too that he puts him to answer what hâ—â— been an hundred times said before and I am inform'd an Eminent Protestant now writing in behalf of Dr Pierce makes the same counter-complaint of the Catholick and the Dissuader begins his book with the same resentment Besides I am sure the Best Wits of our Nation are weary of this Method seeing t is no more but reciprocating a Saw or transcribing and re-printing what has been done before onely in another Frame or if any new production be made generally t is nothing but some note collected from some Historical book unobserved by others which what satisfactory Evidence t is like to bring with it is easy to be ghest 6. Now all this happens through not first settling and agreeing in some First Principle Not onely for the reasons given in the beginning of this Preface but also because as will be shown hereafter without thiâ— the validity of any Testimony from Father or Council cannot be weigh'd understood or prest with force upon the Adversary For if These be but parts of the Living Voice of the Church Essentiall of their time that is of Christian Tradition it will follow that till the force of Tradition be evidenc't Theirs will not be clearly known Again Tradition once evidenc't wil give principles to distinguish those Citations by and to secure as far as is needful and interpret Scriptures Letter Whence clear Victory will accrue to Truth and full Satisfaction to her ingenuous Seekers Not that I at all doubt but that many things in Catholick Writers of the Testimonial strain carry 4 strong force of Conviction with them but I see thâ—â—â— while the solid Testimonies are not distinguisht and solely insisted on but run mixt with others of less force by such a mixture they weaken their own I see also that they want their effect upon the Protestant by reason he is not first prest to admit that Evident Principle on which their strength is built and which once settled they are irresistable 7. The settling then the
of Faith but those who are read in Councils and Fathers nor yet unless those Authorities be held Infallible in such an office which none but Catholiks will say for if they can erre in such a performance how shall we be certain they do not erre in each particular Interpretation without some other Guide to establish them and secure us which Guide must be infallible in such an affair else the same question and doubt returns concerning It And if there be some other infallible Guide whose constant direction secures them from erring in every particular Interpretation and ascertains us of the same let them name It not Fathers and Councils to interpret Scripture by But the third and most Fundamental fault is that a Father as the word is commonly usâ—d and now taken by us signifies not a Doctor or learned Deducer of Consequences by human learning nor a Commentator upon Scripture nor a Preacher or Homilymaker for so every Doctor Commentator and Preacher would be a Father but an Eminent and Knowing Witnesser to Posterity of the sence and Faith of the Church which he received The notion then of CHURCH is presupposd to the knowledge of what is meant by the word Father or to the notion of a Father Again a Council signifies a Representative of the Church whence 't is Relative to what it represents and so its meaning cannot be known unless that others to which it relates be first understood nor can it be a true and right Council unless what it represents be a true Church Both Council therefore and Father presuppose the notion of Church Church presupposes the notion of Faithful Faithful the notion of Faith Faith of the Rule of Faith 'T is most evident then that in the way of generating Faith the knowledge of the Rule of Faith is antecedent to the knowledge of all these and so none of these cau help one who discourses orderly and rationally to the Knowledge of the Rule of Faith unless accidentally as it may happen a Father may be a Doctor or great Schollar and so by a rational discours opening the meanings of the words or which is all one the notion or nature of the Things give us insight to know what it is which has the properties of such a Rule In vain therefore do they strive to piece out the sufficiency of Scripture's Letter to be the Rule of Faith by those helps since the being of that Rule is presuppos'd entire in it self before their existence and indeed is that which gives them all the Being they have 12. Some may reply that Fundamentals are clear in Scripture But first a certain Catalogue of Fundamentals was never given and agreed to by sufficient Authority and yet without this all goes to wrack since the neglecting or not-knowing which be Fundamental hazards to ruine all For the discourse grows ticklish when we talk of Fundamentals this very word importing that any one left out or mistaken overthrows the whole End of Faith to those which miscarry in it Secondly is it a Fundamental that Christ is God If so I ask whether this be clearer in Scripture than that God has hands feet nostrils and passions like ours Seeing then the appearing clearness of the Scripture's letter in this later point is certain to lead vulgar heads into exceeding great Errours and that Heresies are as seemingly clear in the outward face of it as Fundamental Truths how mistaken a Principle do they relie upon for the main hinge of their salvation who say that Fundamentals are so clear in Scripture's Letter to every capacity THIRD DISCOURSE That the Three next Properties of the Rule of Faith are utterly Incompetent to Scripture 1. THus much to show that the Letter of Scripture wants the two first and most Fundamental Conditions of a Rule of Faith being neither Evident as to it 's Existence to all nor Evidenceable as to its Ruling Power to unlearned Enquirers Let us proceed to the third Property namely its Aptness to settle and justify those unlearned persons who rely undoubtingly upon it such as are the meaner sort of the Vulgar who take things by course as they fall in a natural kind of way without reflecting upon them and their reasons 2. Since then no Man or rational Creature can be justifiable either for Assent or Practice but by proceeding upon some Principles and such as to his best judgment he takes to be true ones and those Principles can be but of two sorts viz. either inbred in him by the ordinary Light of Nature call'd Common Sence or got by some reflexion and that the persons we speak of are such as proceed undoubtingly that is without occasion to reflect 't is left that what can justify them must be Principles of Common Sence Seeing then 't is both against all Principles of Common Sence to judge that themselves have any self-assurance of the Scripture's Letter knowing themselves utterly ignorant when 't was writ by whom how brought down c. and equally senceless to believe a multitude which sayes it may possibly erre in what it tells them it follows that they are left unjustifyâ—d nay condemn'd by Common Sence in absolutely believing such a Rule That is condemn'd by the best judgments they are Masters and capable of This I say follows in case this multitude be truly dealt with and that the Teachers give them a sincere account of their own Tenet Nay should these men say they cannot erre in such a matter by reason of their great Schollership as skill in History Languages reading of Fathers Councils and such like yet even then they could not afford them credit to such a degree as to build their hopes of salvation on their word in regard those learned mens Profession is not of plain Sensations by their Eyes and Ears which the vulgars experience capacitates them to judge of but of such high skills as unlearned men know not what to make of and even understand not what the very words which express them mean The best then they can do is to hope that perhaps those men may have some such strange skill in the same manner as they trust to other Tradesmen and Artistâ—s they have heard well of or seen some of their work or rather not near so much seeing their Senses give them a far better knowledge of these Handycraftsmen's skill by the Effects and their fitness for the use intended than their uncultivated Reason can give them of the goodness of Christian Doctrin and its proportion to Bliss But the main is when they shall hear and see many several Professions all pretending to Scripture yet all differ damn and condemn one another perhaps persecute one another and fight about Religion and themselves unable to judge which is most to be trusted what can common Sense dictate to them but an inextricable blunder and onely clear to them thus much that that can never be the way which many follow and yet many must needs be misled Their most
it COROLLARIES From The former Discourses 1. NOne can pretend to have Faith by the ordinary course of God's Providence but the holders to Tradition 'T is prov'd by our Conclusion formerly deduc't Disc. 5. § 15. that Tradition is the Rule of Faith that is the Ordinary Way to arrive at Faith 2. None can with right pretend to be a Church but the Followers of Tradition For since Corol. 1. none can have Faith by the ordinary course of God's Providence but the holders to Tradition and a Church must be a Congregation of persons truly Faithful or who have true Faith coming to them by ordinary means as we daily experience 't is manifest that none but the Followers of Tradition can pretend to be a true Church 3. None can be of the Church or any Church but Followers of Tradition For seeing a Church is a Congregation of persons who have true Faith coming to them by ordinary means and Disc. 5. § 15. Tradition is this means it follows that none are of the Church or any Church but they who have true Faith by this means that is who follow the means of Tradition Those who renounce Tradition or Immediate Delivery are ipso facto cut off from the Root of Faith and cease to be truly called Faithful For seeing that is to us or in the way of reasoning the Root of any Knowledge whence that Knowledge springs and Faith is no Knowledge in us Disc. 1. 15. and Corol. 1. but by relying on the Rule of Faith or Tradition as on its Principle 't is manifest that they who renounce Tradition want the Root of Faith nor consequently are Faithful nor of the Church but are Dead branches or Opiners onely 5. That company of men who follow such Ancestours as formerly renounc't Tradition or Immediate Delivery are no less cut off from the Root of Faith For since Corol. 4. those Ancestours renouncing Tradition formerly were by so doing cut off from the Root of Faith their Followers for how many Generations soever they continue must be so likewise as wanting and not daring even to pretend to that Faithâ—causing Principle of Tradition or uninterrupted Delivery which their Forefathers had renounc't 6. They who follow such Ancestors as formerly had manifestly renounc't Tradition how numerous soever can never claim to be a part of Christian Tradition or deliverers of Faith First because Corol. 5. they are cut off from Tradition and so can be no part of it Next because Christian Tradition is Indeficient or Uninterrupted Disc. 6 8 and 9. and so none can lay claim to it who cannot lay claim to Uninterruptedness which those we speak of cannot The saying then of Vincentius Lirinensis Id teneamus quod ubique quod semper quod ab omnibus creditum est and that we must follow Vniuersality Antiquity and Consent can onely be meant within the verge of those who adhere to Tradition or follow the Doctrin formerly deliver'd not of those who have broke from it otherwise all Hereticks in the world especially the Primitive ones might claim to be part of the Church 7. They who pretend themselves Reformers in Faith do ipso facto manifest themselves cut off from the Root of Faith and the Church For since Points of Faith are Truths and so have no Degrees in them but are Indivisible Reformation in Faith cannot mean mending Faith but putting it anew But this presupposes Tradition Interrupted wherefore Reformers in Faith must renounce Uninterruptedness of Delivery that is they must renounce Tradition Disc. 6. 8 9. and consequently they are cut off from the Root of Faith Coroll 4. 8. That Body of men who adhere to Tradition can evidence clearly and plainly who are truly Faithful who not For since Coroll 4. 5. to those men 't is all one to renounce Immediate or Uninterrupted Delivery or follow those who renounc't it as to be cut off from the Root of Faith and all one to be Faithful and to rely on that Principle Again seeing 't is evident by clear matter of Fact who rely and proceed upon it who not That Body of men who adhere to Tradition can evidence clearly and plainly who are truly Faithful who not and if Church-Government be instituted by our Saviour and so a Point of Faith and so descended to us by the Rule of Faith who are of the Church who not 9. None else can give any certain account who are to be held truly Faithful and of the Church who not For since without Tradition both Letter and Sence of Scripture is Uncertain Disc. 4. and subject to dispute as we also daily experience it follows that all the deniers of Tradition are uncertain who have the right Letter or Sence of Scripture that is whom they are to esteem Faithful or sit to be of the Church whom not Again Tradition being the onely certain Rule of Faith if one Revolter from it may be admitted all may so they prosess Christianity in outward talk which they will easily do Wherefore since the Denier of Tradition deems some one Revolter from it to be of the Church that is himself he may nay ought judge so of all the rest provided they talk a few fine pious words of God and Christ which what Hereticks but did 10. None can rationally punish the Revolters from their Faith but that Body which adheres to radition For since setting aside Tradition both Letter and Sence of Scripture is Uncertain Disc. 4. the Guilt of those Revolters is also Uncertain seeing then none can even pretend to correct a fault much less punish it upon uncertain Grounds none can rationally go about to punish their Revolters from Faith unless it be that body which adheres to Tradition and They can For in regard Tradition's Certainty is evident to the rudest by common sence Disc. 5. § 8. and likewise 't is as evident to Governours who revolt from it as it is to know when one dis-acknowledges and rises against a settled civil Authority and the Laws of the Land 'T is most manifest that the Revolter hath both Passion or Guilt enough to be held punishable and the Christian Magistrate evidence enough of his Fact to go about to punish it To avoid mistake I declare that in this Corollary I onely discourse what may or may not be done upon a Church-account what may be fit to be done upon a State-account I am neither able to judge nor do I meddle with it 11. No Company of men hang together like a Body of a Christian Common-wealth or CHURCH but that which adheres to Tradition For since 't is manifest that every external Commonwealth or Body of men hath some Outward Marks proper to it by which the members of it have their coherence or consistency and that those are certain tokens to distinguish it from any other and as manifest that all the marks proper to a Church as such depend upon the Rule of Faith Disc. 1. § 15. and their Certainty on its and lastly that
Fathers or foregoing Church and on the Churches Tradition as on their Rule and the High-way to Faith whence they repute Catholick Tradition and Faith the same thing We see also the Amplitude of this Rule recommending to us all Faith so that nothing ought be added to it And how empty a pretence the Fathers in this Council judg'd it to disallow this Rule under pretext of being opposit to Scripture is seen by these words in their First Session They who contemn the Teachings of the Holy Fathers and TRADITION of the Catholick Church and bring for their excuse and inculcate the words of Arius Nestorius Eutyches and Dioscorus saying Vnless we were sufficiently instructed out of the Old and New Testament we would follow the Doctrins of the Fathers of the six holy Synods and the Traditions of the Catholick Church Let him be accursed So that they held private Instruction from Scripture insufficient to build Faith on or which is all one to be a Rule of Faith Also that it was ever the common pretence of the most execrable Hereticks of old to decline Tradition and pretend to sufficient Light from Scripture's Letter and lastly that since the Sence of Scripture in points of Faith is not attainable sufficiently or with Certainty by the bare Letter of Scripture and with Certainty by Tradition and that Tradition brings us down determinate Sence Tradition is to sence Scripture's Letter and so that Letter no Rule but by virtue of Tradition seeing Faith being Sence and Points of Faith determinate Sences Faith's Rule must bring us to such determinate Sences 6. After antient Councils let us give a glance at Fathers and see what they say to this Point Celestin Saint and Pope to the Fathers of the Ephesin Council Agendum igitur nunc c. Now therefore we must act with a common endeavour to preserve things believed and retain'd to this very time by SVCCESSION FROM THE APOSTLES Ireneus cap. 4. Quid autem c. But what if the Apostles had not left us the Scriptures ought we not to follow the Order of â—radition which they had deliver'd to those to whom they committed the Churches To which Ordination assent many Natiens of those Barbarians who believe in Christ having Salvation writ by the Spirit in their hearts without characters and Ink and diligently keeping the Ancient TRADITION In the former we have it told a General Council what their proper task is namely to keep or hold fast what was believ'd and kept and how by Succession from the Apostles or from hand to hand In the second that the Apostles when they gave Bishops their Charge ordained or made it their Duty to observe Tradition that this Way of Tradition was sufficient to receive Faith upon that is sufficient to be a Rule of Faith without Scripture and that de facto it did perform that office to many Nations without Scripture Lastly he calls this delivery from Father to Son the writing it in their hearts by the Spirit that is the work of the Holy Ghost or Supernatural however it connaturally descended and seems to counterpose this to writing by characters or Ink as if this were not so immediately at least the Holy Ghosts work In regard as plain reason tells us the Sence of those Letters or Faith must either be had by those Inward Characters writ in the Readers hearts by God's Spirit and so It not the Ink writes it there or else by human or Natural Skills which are not attributable to our Sanctifier the Holy Ghost 7. The same Father lib. 1. cap. 3. For though there be diverse Tongues in the world yet the virtue of Tradition is one and the same The preaching of the Church is true and firm in which one and the same way of Salvation is shown over the whole world Here we have but one Rule of Faith or way to Faith this the preaching or living voice of the Church which is not onely said to be true but also firm that is the Certainty of its Truth is built on solid Grounds or founded in the nature of things order'd by God's special Providence to that end To show which hath been the aim of my present endeavours 8. Origen is more express 1. Periarchôn Servetur verò c. Let the Churches preaching deliver'd from the Apostles by order of Succession and remaining in the Church to this present be preserv'd That onely Truth is to be believ'd which differs in nothing from the Churches Tradition And 29. in Matth. We ought not to believe otherwise than as the Churches of God have deliver'd us by Succession Where he directly makes Tradition the Rule to judge what 's sound what not that is the Rule of Faith 9. Tertullian lib. de carne Christi If thou beest but a Christian believe what is traditum deliver'd And speaking to an Heretick By renouncing what thou hast believ'd thou provest that before thou didst renounce it what thou believedst was otherwise It was then deliver'd otherwise Moreover what was Deliver'd that was True as deliver'd by those to whom it belong'd to deliver Wherefore renouncing what was Deliver'd thou hast renounc't what 's True So that in this Father's Judgment a Christian and Follower of Tradition are the same and that to renounce what comes by Tradition is to renounce Truth which amounts to this that Tradition is the Test of Christianity and Rule of Faith Also he intimates that it belongs to some to deliver to some not and if to any to whom but those who lay claim and adhere to Tradition or Delivery and are in possession of it not to those who are known to have broken from Tradition and impugn its Certainty 10. Athanasius in lib. de Synodis They have declar'd themselves to be Vnbelievers by Seeking what they have not All therefore that are Seekers of Faith are Vnbelievers They onely to whom Faith comes down from their Ancestors that is from Christ by Fathers do not seek and therefore they onely have Faith If thou comest to Faith by Seeking thou wast before an Vnbeliever And in his Discourse against Paulus Samosatenus de Incarnatione He that searches after those things which are beyond his strength stands upon a precipice but he that sticks to Tradition stands out of danger Wherefore we persuade you which also we persuade our selves that you retain the Faith Deliver'd Traditam Fidem and avoid prophane words of Novelty I wish the Protestants would seriously weigh the import of these Sayings of this Father and consider what it was which sustain'd him who was a Pillar of Faith in his dayes and then applying it see whether it fits to Catholicks or Them They would plainly discern that which they prize themselves most for that is for taking their Faith out of Judgment by finding and seeking it in the Scriptures is alone enough to show them not to be truly Faithful That God has promised a perfectly secure way to give them true Faith that is by
it self To omit here that he makes it the very temper of a Christian mind not to question Tradition he maintains Continuance of Time to be so far from weakening the Certainty of Traditionary points that it contributes to strengthen them more And the reason is because the Churches Doctrin spreads by Time and so the sway of Tradition's descent is ampler besides that every new Degree of Continuance establishes its Title to Possession and makes it hainouser to revolt from it And Effects show our discourse true for there were more variety of Heresies that is Renouncers of Tradition in the first 400 years after the Apostles than we read of in any 400 years since Nor that we may use a familiar Instance in Human Tradition does I conceive any man living more doubt now of Mahomets or Iulius Caesar's existence than within an 100 years after they liv'd 15. A few Notes well weigh'd will strengthen the force of these Allegations which even at first sight seem to look very favourably on our Cause I mind my Reader then First That almost every Citation alledg'd is of Councils or Fathers speaking directly against Hereticks that is in such Circumstances as put them to declare what fixt them Catholicks and what made the other Hereticks Secondly That though some Fathers and Councils speak highly of Scripture as that it contains all Faith c. 'T is first to be markt whether they speak of Scripture Senc't or as yet to be Sencâ—t and if the later by whom or whether any Fathers say that Scripture wrought upon by private Interpretation and Human Wit is apt to ascertain Faith or be the Rule of Faith which is the true point between the Renouncers of Tradition and us Thirdly They shall observe it frequent in Fathers to force Hereticks to accept the Sence of Scripture from those who gave them the Letter of Scripture and very frequent to Sence that Letter even when dark by Tradition but never to bend Tradition to the outward show the Scripture's Letter seems to bear as interpreted by human Skills or to say Universal Tradition is insufficient or uncertain unless the Scripture's Letter thus interpreted came to clear or assist it Lastly 't is impossible they should hold Scripture thus interpretable the Rule of Faith it being notorious that most Hereticks against whom they writ held it theirs And so had they held Scripture thus interpreted the Rule of Faith they could not have held them Hereticks since they adher'd stiffly to that Rule or Root of Faith however they might err in many particular Tenets Not to repeat how all the Properties of the Rule of Faith are urterly incompetent to Scripture's Letter This done all the Testimonies for Scripture against Tradition lose their edge That is if my discourse also hold the test it will appear by way of Fact as it did before by Argument that there is neither Reason nor Authority against Tradition So that I have no more to do but to show that our Church at present grounds her faith on Tradition as formerly which done it follows all the Substance of my foregoing Discourses is but an Explication of our Churches Sence 16. To know our Churches Sence in this point we will not fetch our Testimony from private Authours as is the Protestants mode when they would affix any thing upon her but we will attend to what her own living voice pronounc't in her late famous Representative the Council of Trent Where in every Session definitive of Faith It professes to follow TRADITION either in most express or equivalent Terms As Session 4th The Holy Synod clearly seeing that this Truth and Disciplin Christ's Doctrin is contain'd in the written Books and Traditions without writing which received by the Apostles from Christ's own mouth or from the very Apostles the Holy Ghost dictating as it were deliver'd by hands per manus Traditae have come down to us c. And Again Also the TRADITIONS both belonging to Faith and Manners as dictated orally by Christ or the Holy Ghost and conserved by CONTINVAL SVCSESSION in the Catholick Church c. Session 5. The Holy Council following the Iudgment aud Consent of the Church Ibid. § 4. As the Catholick Church where ever diffus'd hath alwayes understood it For by reason of this RVLE OF FAITH according to the TRADITION of the Apostles c. Session 6. It professes to follow that Doctrin which Christ taught the Apostles deliver'd and the Catholick Church the Holy Ghost suggesting perpetually or interruptedly retain'd Session 7. The Holy Synod adhering to the Holy Scripture the Traditions of the Apostles and the Consent of Councils and Fathers Session 13. The sound and sincere doctrin which the Catholick Church hath ever kept and will ever keep to the end of the World And again For so ALL OVR ANCESTOVRS that ever were in the tru Church of Christ most openly have profest And yet again cap. 3. This Faith was ever in the Church So cap. 4. It was ever held in God's Church More such like Expressions are found in the same Session But to proceed Session 14. chap. 1. The Consent of ALL the Fathers EVER understood c. Chap. 5. The Church of God NEVER taught nor held c. Chap. 5. The Vniversal Church EVER understood that c. Chap. 7. It was ever held in God's Church Chap. 8. It was PERPETVALLY COMMENDED by our Fathers to Christian people No Catholick EVER held c. And in the same Session concerning Extream Unction alledging S. Iames his Text it adds By which words AS THE CHVRCH HATH LEARNED BY TRADITION RECEIV'D DOWN BY HANDS he teacheth c. And Can. 3. As the Catholick Church EVER understood from the beginning c. Can. 6. Which the Catholick Church ever observ'd from the beginning and doth observe c. Session 21. chap. 1. The Council professes to follow the Iudgment and CVSTOME of the Church Chap. 2. It declares that this power has PERPETVALLY been in the Church Session 22. That the antient Faith and doctrin may be retain'd in the Church Ibid. cap. 1. As the Catholick Church EVER understood and taught Chap. 1. According to Apostolical TRADITION Session 23 Holy Writings show it and the TRADITION of the Catholick Church ever taught it Chap. 2. They are known to have been in use from the very Beginning of the Church Session 24. The Holy Fathers Councils and the VNIVERSAL TRADITION of the Church have ALWAYES taught And speaking of some Errors It pronounces them different from the Catholick Church and from the CVSTOME approved SINCE THE APOSTLES TIME Session 25. The Catholick Church instructed by the Holy Ghost teaches out of Sacred Writings and the ANTIENT TRADITION of the Church c. According to the use of the Catholick and Apostolick Church TRADITAM deliver'd from the first or Primitive times of Christian Religion c. More Expressions of the like strain are found in this Session And to close up all in their Acclamation they use this
form of words This is the Faith of Blessed Peter this is the Faith of the Fathers this is the Faith of the Orthodox From which Testimonies note we 17. First That the Council in every Session not one excepted where Points of Faith are handled constantly professes to follow TRADITION Secondly It layes claim perpetually to Vninterruptedness of this Tradition as appears by the words ever alwayes from the Apostles times from the beginning from the Apostles have come down by hands to us The Church hath alwayes understood held openly profest taught hath ever kept and will ever keep perpetually commended by our Fathers hath learned by Tradition received down by hand hath ever observed and such like Plainly showing that this Persuasion of our Faith's descent uninterruptedly is deeply and unanimously rooted in the heart of the whole Catholick Church Which strengthens our Doctrin Disc. 8. § 2. and 3. 3ly It makes the Suggestion of the Holy Ghost or Sanctity in the hearts of the Faithful efficacious to perpetuate the delivery of received Doctrin See Sess. 6. Decreto de Iustificatione Sess. 13. de SS Euchar. Sacramento and many other places The very point I went about to explicate in my 9. Discourse 4ly 'T is observable that though it mentions the Holy Scriptures also with Tradition yet this is both very rarely and when it does so It onely expresses that Faith is contain'd in them but when it brings Places of Scripture to ground Definitions upon It perpetually professes to Interpret them by Tradition Which is most Evident both by its decreeing this in common Sess. 4. That none dare to interpret Holy Scriptures against the Sence which our Holy Mother the Church hath held and does hold meaning that Sence in the Hearts of the Faithful is the Rule to interpret Scripture by see Corol. 30. As also by several Instances Sess. 5. § 4. Sess. 14. Can. 3. Sess. 22. cap. 1. and to omit others in that most remarkable plaâ—e Sess. 14. In which after the Text of S. Iamesâ—lledg'd â—lledg'd for Extream Unction the Council subjoins In which words as the Church hath learn'd by Apostolical Tradition received down by hands be teaches c. Where Tradition is most evidently made the Rule which instructs and guides the Church in interpreting Scripture And 't is observable that the Council no where grounds any definition on Scripture but at the same time she grounds her Interpretation of Scripture on Tradition which devolves into this that the Council makes Tradition her onely Rule to know Certainly Christ's Sence or Points of Faith that is in proper speaking the onely Rule of Faith 18. But why then is the Holy Scripture made use of at all by the Council and that so solemnly nay and which is to be noted constantly put before Tradition To satisfy fully this difficulty 't is not the proper season at present yet being a good point and worth clearing I will not totally neglect it We may observe then that when we read any Book writ by an Authour we much esteem but yet such a Book as requires studying Aristotle's for Example or some other such whom we hold Scientifical we sometimes hope well as it were when we apply our own Industry to find out his meaning and have a kind of respect for what we conceive to be his Sence yet his Authority takes not full hold of our Understanding by reason the way we take is not evidently convictive that this is his Certain Sence But if the Point he writes on be first clear'd to us through a Scientifical discourse by word of mouth made by some Interpreter vers'd in his Doctrin and perfectly acquainted with his meaning we have as it were new Eyes given us to look deeply and thoroughly into his Sence and by this Security of arriving at it his Authority in case we highly esteem'd it has now its full force upon us to strengthen our Assent according to the degree of power it had upon our Understanding Now what a well-skill'd and insighted Interpreter or scientifical Explicater of the point is to such an Author the same is Tradition to Scripture For This bringing down Certainly Christ's Sence in every Point of Faith It easily and securely guides us to the true meaning of Scripture in those passages which concern such a point whereas the wordish way of Grammar and Criticism being evident by Principles to be ambiguous and by Experience to lead men into different Sences it can never satisfy us thoroughly that the Sence we arrive at by this method is infallibly the true one or Christs and so never engages certainly the Authority of GOD'S WORD And hence it is that Scripture thus interpreted is of sleight force and at best good onely for Ecclesiastical Rhetorick or Sermons where the concern is not much if the Preacher misses in this particular passage so the Substance of the Point he preaches on or his Text be truly Christ's doctrin nor is Scripture thus interpreted even a competent proof in the Science of School-Divinity as being Uncertain and so unapt to beget Science whence Intelligent Divines quoting and building on Scripture are to be suppos'd to judge the Sence they build on to be the Churches and so they are presum'd to go to work as Faithful or parts of Ecclesia docens or else they lay true Science first which is ever agreeable to Faith and so when any Text concerns a demonstrated point they know by Science what the true Sence of that Point must be Much less is Scripture wordishly interpreted apt to build Faith on the unwaveringness of which kind of Assent must be grounded and secure in the Principles which beget it and not meerly actually such as it were by accident whereas Interpretations thus made Faith's Principles in this case are liable to possible if not probable mistake This will be clearer by a parallel made by a learned Authour worth inserting because it strengthens our Discourse by a new Consideration Let a Critick and a skill'd Carpenter read Vitruvius his Book of Architecture the Critick has but a dim dry and uncertain conceit of what he reads as to the truth of the thing but the Carpenter or Architect by reason of some Principles and Practice he has already of those matters understands him more thoroughly and makes lively and firm conceits of the truth and excellency of what he writes Such is the Practical way of knowing Christs Sence or Tradition to the interpreting Scripture usâ—d by the Catholick Church in comparison of the Critical Method affected by others In a word Tradition gives us Christs Sence that is the Life of the Letter ascertaind to our hands which therefore must needs move the Letter its Body naturally The other way takes the dead Letter and endeavours to move it Artificially to counterfeit that Life which it truly wants 19. To apply this Discourse to our matter in hand Tradition securing to us the Scripture's Letter truly significative of Christ's Sence and also the
and my Grounds why I then believ'd rest still unchang'd nay are unchangeable But yet Reason acts much differently now then â—ormerly Before I came at Faith she acted about her own Objects Motives or Maxims by which she scand the Authorities we spoke of But in Acts of Faith she hath nothing to do with the Objects of those Acts or Points of Faith She is like a dimsighted man who us'd his Reason to find a trusty Friend to lead him in the twi-light and then reli'd on his guidance rationally without using his own Reason at all about the Way it self To make this clearer we may distinguish two sences in the word Reason one as 't is taken for that natural Faculty which constitutes Man which Faculty never deserts or ought to desert us in any action that is Manly or virtuous The other as 't is taken for that Power wrought upon by motives under its own ken in the same sence we call it human Reason by which is not meant the natural Power unactuated or abstractedly for then the word human were a Taâ—tology but Reason as conversant with such objects or inform'd by such knowledges as are commonly found within the sphere of our natural condition as Men such as are those which beget Science And this leaves us when we have once found the Authority now spoken of the Objects of Faith formally speaking being out of her reach nor is she thus understood the motive of our Assent to the verity of the Point of Faith but AVTHORITY onely Wherefore into Authority onely Faith as such is resolvd finally though if you go about to resolve the Rationalness of assenting to the Authority it self it will light into those Evident Reasons which your naturall power of reason as yet uninform'd by Faith but by motives or maxims within its own sphere was capable to wield 5. Reason therefore taken for my natural Power is my Eye or interiour sight as inform'd by common Principles or Maxims antecedent to Faith my Guid to bring me to believe Authority and those motives or Maxims are the Rules to my Reason by attending to which she hath virtue or skill to set her own thoughts right that is to guid me in my way to Faith but when I have once come to beleeve Authority that is come to Faith not Reason but Authority is my Guid for I follow Authority and not my Reason in judging what is Faith what not and though the Light of that naturall power never deserts me yet Reason as rul'd by her own natural maxims is useless to me as a Guid or those Maxims as a Rule for I apply neither of these to the mysteries of Faith to scan their verity or falsity by but purely rely upon Authority and beleeve them Authority then is my Guid and in the Infallibility of that Authority consists the power or virtue it has to guide me right that is to regulate or rule me as one of the Faithfull or as one who must have such Certain Grounds of my Assent as I may securely build my Salvation on This Authority then as it is Inâ—allible is also my Rule in my beleeving or the Rule of my Faith This of my Rule of Faith in Common against Adversaries of Faith in common But with Protestants who grant Christ to be God and consequently his words or doctrine true the onely Rule and Guid we need is to lead us into the Knowledge of what he said and assure it to us We affirm then that the Catholick Church is the Guid we follow and her Infallibility consisting in Tradition our Rule of Faith Hence all Catholicks profess her doctrin uninterruptedly succeeding from the Apostles time and so to continue to the end of the World hence with one voice they lay claim to Christs gracious Assistance to her in defending her from over-growing Errors against Faith or Heresies hence all profess to hear and follow her and pledge undoubtingly even the security of their salvation by relying on the Certainty of her Living Voice for their Tenets and on her Disciplin for the Practice of their Faith And though some Schoolmen make Scripture a partial Rule of Faith yet they can mean onely materially not formally that is that some part of Faith is signifi'd by Scripture's Letter not that Scripture's Letter alone is sufficient securely to signify it to private understandings so as to beget that most strong firm Assent found in Divine Faith as is evident by this that all hold no Scripture is of private Interpretation all hold the living voice of the Church and her constant Practice are the best Interpreters of Scripture Now Faith being Tenets and Sence that must be 〈◊〉 the Rule of Faith which ascertains us of Christs Sence not the materiall Characters which that Certain Interpreter we call the Church works upon and by her Practicall Tradition interprets 6. 'T is high time now to look back upon Dr. Pierce and his party how justly they deal with us and how mistakingly they discourse when they come to the Grounds of their Faith 7. First by the tenour of his discourse he would seem to obtrude upon us a Tenet which none but perfect mad-men could hold namely that we profess we have no reason why we believe the Church which devolves to this that we must profess we have as much reason to believe an old wife's dream as our Faith since there can be no less reason than none at all And hence he will needs assure the Reader that therefore the Enthusiastick Sectaries are in part Romish Proselytes c. And indeed upon so gross a calumny layd down for his principle and a sober Truth what might he not conclude with equal reason he might have inferr'd that all Bedlam were Catholicks and that to turn mad were to turn a Romanist But his carriage to put this upon Mr. S. C. is strangely unjust since he knows and hints it that he writ a Book upon his declaring himself Catholick entitled Motives of his Conversion does he think the word Motives does not signify Reasons or that to write an whole Book of Reasons why he adhea'd to the Catholick Church signifies that he renounc't all reason why he believ'd her 8. Next as for his own tenet he layes this for his Ground that Reason alone is Iudge in all cases I will propose him one case and 't is the Existence of a Trinity To work now with your Reason about this object and see how you evince it I doubt your best reasons will crack ere you make all ends meet But you mean you must have Reason to believe it I conceive speaking properly you should rather say you must have Reason to believe the Authority and Authority to believe It for Belief is as properly relative to Authority as Science is to an Act of true Reason or Evidence Whence 't is as incongruous to say I must have Reason to believe such a Point as to say I know such a point Scientifically by Authority
with such a person were not he mad that is a renouncor of Reason or Man's Nature who should not believe them You see then these Witnesses have power to propose such an Object as can oblige to Belief You see the Dissenters are Irrational that their act of dissenting springs from some Passion or Vice and Vice is punishable and so is the Effects of that Dissent if it be in such a matter as is highly pernicious to Mankind's best concerns Now our Church makes account she is able to propose an Authority incomparably more ample than the Attestation now spoken of for the true Descent of her Faith and judges such a proposal founded on the eye-sight of all those Witnesses to be able to oblige to interiour Assent in such a degree as to render them most highly wilful vicious and irrational who should disbelieve it hence the crime intrenching upon the order to mankind's Salvation the highest concern imaginable both to edify those dissenters by correcting their vice and the circumstant Faithful by breeding a conceit in them through the punishment of the others of the sacredness of Faith and its Rule and the hainousness of Pride of understanding the ready way to all Heresies they may nay ought punish their Interiour Dissent Not out of an height of Authority without motives as Mr. Whitby conceits but because that Authority is her self such a motive to Belief that onely irrational vicious and wilfully-blind persons can recede from it by disbelief And hence our Churches procedure is rational natural sweet and charitable tending to amend an enormity of Will not bred from a rationally but passionate dissatisfy'd Understanding Nay Mr. Whitby's discourse justifies Our Churches procedure who seems to allow his Church a power to require a positive Assent when the case comes to be such that the denier of it must needs be held wilfull and our Church neither sayes nor acts otherwise 15. By this Discourse I would not have Mr Whitby imagin that I am about proving our Churches Infallibility in this place but onely showing that holding She can evidence her Authority She goes rationally to work and consonantly to her self in requiring Assent to her Proposals whereas Theirs confessing her self fallible even in interpreting Scripture upon which all both her Faith and Authority as a Church depends were self-condemn'd irrational and tyrannical if She should go about to require any such Interiour Assent Now though he in big words denies this to be her carriage asking when did they meaning Bishops Convocations or Parliaments challenge any power over our minds and Consciences and alledges the consent of their Divines for it yet I wonder what he thinks of the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy made by a Protestant Parliament is there no obligation there to hold any thing Yes as strong as Oath can tye it And which is worse 't is more Irrational to go about to bind Our Assents who are not of their Church than to bind their own Subjects This in practice is perform'd towards all but so imprincipled a procedure that their Church waves it when it comes to a rational scanning in a Dispute and Controversy acknowledging so their want of Grounds to make it good Which shows that the Authority of their Church sprang from the Parliament or Secular State in regard She professes her self very heartily content with external Obedience let the Interiour Assent goes where it will most unlike the Church settled by the Wisdome of the Eternal Father and constituted the Pillar and Ground of Truth who provided in the first place for the Churches Power to hold us to the same Tenets which are the Principles of our Actions knowing that unless the Root of Faith be sound the Actions its branches must needs be rotten and unconscientious and that no Congregation could long hold together nor indeed longer than the plain force of the Secular Sword aw'd them unless by power to evidence its Authority it had power to oblige men's Understandings connaturally to an Unity in the same Faith which done all else would follow And hence we may see confessedly in the Protestant Principles the reason of their present and past distractions and divine of the future for men's Fancies being naturally various and no power in her to keep them in an Union they must needs ramble into multitudes of dissenting Sects which to strive to unite into one were to force both Nature and Conscience too Nature in striving to unite their Understandings in Faith without offering them Evidence of Authority Conscience in binding them to Act as Protestants do whereas they are ready to stake their Salvation upon it that their best reasons working upon the very Rule of Faith Protestants recommend obliges them to the contrary and that to force them to act with Them is to force them to sin So that the Protestants at once profess they will not or cannot oblige their Vnderstandings and yet at the same time contend by force to oblige their Wills without nay against their Understandings 16. In a word let Protestants write talk quote words as long as they will Plainest Common Sence tells them and every man who considers it that unless they settle some undisputable Method of arriving at Christ's Sence or Faith that is some self-evident and so all-obliging Rule of Faith the Protestant Church can never hope for Power to reduce their Dissenters nor to hold together or govern efficaciously their own Subjects that is they can never hope for Unity within themselves nor lastly Union with them that have it and charitably endeavour they may have it too THIRD APPENDIX Animadversions On Some Passages in Mr. Stillingfleet 1. THe loud Fame of Mr. Stillingfleet's Book preventing its Publication and withall the report of his good parts coming from diverse Judicious Persons bred in me a great Impatience to see something of his other Writings that so I might have more solid Ground to build my Expectation on than common rumour or commendation of acquaintances A Protestant Friend show'd me a little Treatise of his concerning Excommunication I perus'd the beginning of it and immediately told him Mr. Stillingfleet was a very ingenious person and writ the best I ever yet saw any Protestant For he settled first his notion or the true nature of the Thing and thence attempted by intrinsecal mediums to draw immediate Consequences which show'd that his head lay right for Science But withal I assur'd my Friend 't was impossible he could write against us and take that method the nature of his Cause not enduring so severe a Test. His Book coming forth and bearing in its Title a Rational Account of the Grounds of Protestant Religion my Expectation was more erected and till my self could get leasure to peruse it I told diverse both Catholicks and Protestants that they might expect from Mr. Stillingfleet's Wit the most that could be said either for the later or against the former But coming to over-look cursorily his Infallibility of Tradition
Synod in its definitions where he will hear of no such Toyes as New Revelations but directly the contrary Every Session where Faith was defin'd professing to build on Tradition Teaching and Preaching that is Oral Tradition ever alwayes from the beginning c. that is not new but the old-and ever-Faith If you would combat our Church here you have her fall to work But you find some Schoolmen opining also Infallibility in some other means besides Tradition and judging this Tenet easilier confuted you level your blowes at it because the other is out of your reach and would make this Tenet the Sence of the Catholick Church and so seem to oppose the Church her self You would disgrace this Way of Tradition as maintain'd but by a few and those blemisht persons How far are you wide of the Truth 'T is the way every Catholick in the whole Church none excepted holds and follows For my part I disavow the maintaining any Point or affecting any way which is not assented to by all and this not as Opinion but deeply rooted in their hearts as Infallibly Certain Schoolmen at Liberty question Personal Infallibility of the Pope some grant it not to him and his Roman Clergy some question that of a Provincial Synod nay some whose Books are extant and yet uncensur'd maintain even a General Council may possibly err but not one I have heard or read of affirms that Tradition or the Living voice of the Church Essential could err For in doing so he call'd all his Faith in question and so ceast to be a Christian. 9. This then being held by all held firmly and that it is absolutely Infallible so that in no case it can err the others only by some faintly in comparison as appears by the Faithful's permitting them â—o be question'd nay not held at all Infallible but upon Supposal of certain Conditions to be observ'd in which also Divines differ Mr. Stillingfleet and other Protestant Writers may see what they have to do if they will candidly impugn the Catholick Church and not trifle away time in wrangling with some private Opinators I have set them a fair mark in my Discourses if they will speak to the Point and the end of my Preface has told them how to do it If they overthrow this all the other Infallibilities now spoken of will fall with It If not not onely This of Universal Tradition will stand but also all the other Infallibilities will in Virtue of it be establisht on a firmer basis than any who begins not with and settles the First Principle in Controversy could ever give them This Foundation then they must either subvert or they may fear the Papists will build such superstructures on it as will reach to Heaven It rises apace and has advanc't many Stories in a small time 10. By this Discourse all Mr. Stillingfleet's If 's which follow have their Answer and he will see the knot easily loos'd in distinguishing the word other by which if he means disparate unconnected or unimply'd Points of Faith No Divines of any number or account hold they can be de novo much less our Church If involv'd or imply'd in the main Point he must show 't is absolutely Another and not rather a piece or part of the Implying one as Homo est Animal is a part of Homo est Animal rationale In the mean time let him consider what Logick tells us that The Conclusion is in the Premises which reflexion will much unblunder his Thoughts and withall that 't is most unreasonable to deny the Church the Liberty to take asunder her own Thoughts and clear them upon occasion by representing their Parts distinctly or in many Propositions which were invol'd before in some one A priviledge Nature grants all Mankind as a necessary Conseqent to their working by abstracted Notions this being no more than to regard or view the same thing`now on one side then on the other 11. His Second Chief Demand is What security is there that in no Age of the Church any Practices should come in which were not in the Precedent I answer Our Practices spring from our Tenets If then he means Ecclesiastical Practices that is such as spring from Ecclesiastical Constitutions there is no security at all for these are to come in anew as oft as the necessity of Disciplin or Government requires it If he mean such Practices as spring from Points of Faith taught by Christ there is the same security no such new Practices can be introduct as there is that no new Christian Tenets can come in Now these later Practices are those we make use of in Tradition as making Faith visible being as it were its Body He must mean then of These Practices to do his Discourse any service and so of these he questions whether the Descendents held themselves bound unalterably to observe what their Forefathers did otherwise to know barely what they did was not enough to make them follow it He argues well To smooth as many rubs as I can that so we may have no difficulty but our main one I would reflect on the signification of the word unalterably For to introduce new Practices consequent to the former is to propagate enlarge extend and so strengthen them not to alter them in the same manner as to discourse consequently to a Principle or Tenet is so far from altering it that by the contexture of other Truths with it it corroborates and establishes it more unalterably its self They must then be Practices not of a subordinate but an opposit Nature to Christian ones which can be fear'd to alter Christian Practices The Question then is whether Children or the Succeeding Age held themselves still bound not to bring in Practices and Tenets contrary to the Doctrin and Practice of the Precedent Age. And the Affirmative is most Evident in case they held those Tenets which Principled those Actions True taught by Christ and commanded by him as the Way to bring them to Heaven and those Practices Consequent If then they held the deliverâ—d Doctrin Christ's they could not but hold themselves oblig'd not to alter it nor consequently its Practices So that our Question is restrain'd to to a narrower compass and the onely Difficulty now is whether they held the Doctrin of Forefathers to be the Doctrin of Christ or no. 12. I am heartily glad so acute an Adversary as Mr. Stillingfleet and one chosen out if I am inform'd right as a person conceiv'd the ablest to write against Catholicks has so candidly confest here p. 629. That the onely thing to be prov'd in this case is That every Age in the Church and all persons in it looked upon themselves as oblig'd not to vary in any thing from the Doctrin and Practice of the Precedent Age. He offers me my choice of three wayes to prove it I accept of the way of Reason He presses for a demonstrative medium to prove it yet seems to dislike our pretence
superâ—atural Things Again it being evident and held by those Christians that none can come to Heaven without knowing there is such a thing or some very great Good reserv'd for the next life nor yet without loving it for none is thought to go to Heaven whether he will or no which Love besides the Knowledge that Heaven is cannot be had without knowing likewise that 't is a Good incomparably greater than any in this life nor can these Knowledges be had by Mankind but by Believing hence Belief of Supernatural things or Faith is conceived necessary for the salvation of Mankind Nor is this found only in the Judgements the learneder Faithful make concerning it by their Discourse but in the very Meaning of the word Faith as it imports Knowledge of superâ—atural things It being then granted by all and in it self most rational that some at least of the vulgar are to be saved that is are to have Faith or Knowledge of God it follows that the Rule of Faith or certain means to arrive at Faith must be appliable to them 9. Moreover since the ruder or unskilfuller people are the lesse capable they are of Science and none doubts but some amongst even the rudest may come to be saved since we experience they have oftentimes well-meaning virtuous and devout hearts the Rule or Means to come to Faith must also be appliable to these that is must be such as even the rudest may be capable to know there is such a thing 10. The Rule of Faith therefore must be Knowable as to it 's Existence by natural impressions upon mens Senses affecting their Souls according to the common light of understanding For seeing the rudest are very shallow Reflecters and Discoursers and suppos'd to be utterly unacquainted with any kind of Skill got by Speculation or Study the Knowledge of the Rule of Faith's Existence must not need any skill or Science acquir'd by Study intervening between the natural power of their Understanding and Itâ— otherwise it could not be Knowable by them 〈◊〉 be to them a Rule by parag 4th 11. Again seeing those who are very rude are yet capable of being put into Doubts concerning their Faith either by Sophistry or faiâ— Language and at length deserting it and 't is most unreasonable there should be no means lest by God sufficient to settle them nor can any Means be sufficient if the Rule of Faith which is the best if not only Means to come to the Knowledge of Faith be dissatisfactory or impossible to be shown worthy to be rely'd on it follows that the Rule of Faith must be of such a nature as iâ— either by its own light evidently secure and worthy to be held a Rule and this even to the rudest who can doubt or else easily evidenceable to them to be such by intelligent persons who art vers'd in such reflexions and this out of Principles they are capable of as was prov'd paragâ— the 5th that is requiring onely common and obvious Reason not scientifical speculation to instill them Otherwise those rude persons would be left unfurnish't of due Means to be stedâ—ast in their Faith 12. Also since the Notion of the word Faith bears that 't is a perfection of the Soul or a Virtue and so no act of it irrational but on the contrary all its Acts rational and the submission of onr Understandings exercisd in it rationabile obsequium 't is evinc't that the Satisfactorines of its Rule ought not onely to be evident or easily evidenceable to the rudest Doubters as we now prov'd but also it ought to be so qualify'd that the Faithful who yet have no doubts should do rationally even while they simply or unreflectingly adhere to it and that it should supply to their common and uncultivated Reason by a natural way what it wants of reflexion I mean so that the common light of Reason may tell them upon solid and true Principles taught them by the ordinary course of things in the World this is to be held or followed thongh they dive not into the Grounds or particular Reasons of their tenets or actions nor can give account of them 13. And since our Saviour intended those out of the Church should embrace Faith and those who are to be converted are Heterodox that is hold contradictorily to the Church in what they dissent from her so that if they change they must now hold is indead of is not or is not instead of is there being no middle to hold to in those points in which they differ from her and no change ought to be in reason or in a rational Nature of which Nature those Heterodox are without true reason to change and the change in our case is to be made not to a meer Suspension which is believing nothing nor to a middle between is and is not but to a contrary or rather contradictory Assent and no Assent can beâ— without sufficient Cause of Assent nor is any sufficient in reason to put that Effect or cause Assentâ— in a thing antecedent to Faith as is the Ruleâ— of Faith but Evidence for while 't is but probable that is while the Understanding must aâ— yet say I know not it is so it cannot say I know iâ— is so which is no more but to say understandingly or to assent that it is so now the Cause of our actuall assenting to the Churches Faith is the Rule of Faith It follows out of the notion of Rational included in the word Faith as apply'd to convettible persons that the Rule of Faith must be beyond all Peradventures how high and presumed soever they be that is absolutely Evident to us and consequently CERTAIN 14. Moreover there being many Eminent Wits in the Chutch vers'd in true Logick enured to Sciences and true Logick and the course of Science necessarily telling them that nothing can in perfect reason be held by one who penetrates difficulties but either Self-evident Principles or Conclusions necessarily deduced by intrinsecal mediums from those Principles nor can they be necessarily deduced without immediate connexion or Identification of the Terms with the Medium which infers the Identity between themselves in the Conclusion and that what is not seen to be thus connected is unknown and so for any thing appears may be false and to see a thing may be false must needs breed some Fear of being so or Doubt if we be concerned in the Truth or Falsitie of that thing and none can rationally assent or fix their judgment where there is left some Doubt or wavering of Judgment and the Judgement or Assent of Faith must be rotional It follows that the Rule of Faith which is the immediate Producer and Cause of the Assent of Faith ought to be of that Nature that it must not onely be plain to the ruder sort but also contain in it self Seeds of perfect evidence to satisfy those learned Persons who shall more narrowly examin it Otherwise the best and wisest portion and
as it were the flower of Mankind which guide themselves by perfect reason could hold nothing or have no Faith That is the Church must onely be made up of ignorant and undiscerning persons which would make her little better than a Congregation of Phanaticks 15. Especially the Church having many Adversaries skild in natural Sciences who will not stick to oppose her all they can and conquer her too could they take any just advantage against her and no greater advantage being possible to be gained or more deadly wound to be given her than to prove her Faith uncertain which is done by showing the Ground of it as far as concerns our Knowledge that is the Rule and Means to come to Faith possible to be false For this at once enervates her Government vilifies her Sacraments weakens all the motives to the love of Heaven which she proposes and by consequence quite enfeebles the vigour of Christian Life or rather this made manifest by reason of temptations to the Love of Creatures perpetually and on all sides besieging us endangers to extinguish it utterly and lastly makes Christians the most ridiculous people in the world to believe such high mysteries above their reasons upon uncertain Grounds T is manifest therefore that the only safeguard and all the strength of the Church and Christian Religion is placed in the absolute Certainty of the Rule of Faith T is made therefore and ordained to ascertain Faith that it it has in it what is fit for this end that is it is of its own nature absolutely certain that is absolute Certainty is found in the nature and notion of the Rule of Faith or which is all one is signified or meant by those words thoroughly understood 16. And lastly Faith being a Virtue mainly conducing to Bliss as is seen § 8. and its Influence towards Bliss which we call its Merit consisting in this that it makes us submit our Understanding to the Divine Veracity and by that means adhere unwaveringly to such Truths as raise us to Heaven so that the Divine Authority apply'd is the Principal Cause or Motive of this submission assent or adhesion and every Cause producing its effect better and stronglier by how much the nearer and closer 't is apply'd and all the application of it to us consisting in the Rule of Faith whose office it is to derive down to us those doctrines Christ taught and to assure us that Christ said them and the application of a thing closely to a Judging Power being performed by Certifying it which makes it sink into it become an intimate Act of that Power whereas Uncertainty can only admit it to swim as it were upon the surface of the Soul much after the manner of a bare Proposal or simple apprehension or at best as a Probability not having weight enough of motive to settle deep into its solid substance which is Cognoscitive and so become there a fixt Judgement it follows that the Virtue of Faith and its Merit are incomparably advantaged by the absolute Certainty of the Rule of Faith and very feeble and inefficacious without it This Rule then must be absolutely-Certain of its own nature that is the notion of absolutely-Certain is involv'd in the Rule of Faith 17. Summing up then the full account of our Discourse hitherto it amounts to this that out of the genuine meaning of the word Rule which as used by us denotes an Intellectual Rule much more out of the meaning of the word Faith it is clearly evinced that the Rule of Faith must have these several conditions namely it must be plain and self-evident as to its Existence to all § 3 4 9 10. Evidenceable as to its Ruling Power to enquirers even the rude vulgar § 5. 11. apt to settle justify undoubting persons § 12. to satisfy fully the most Sceptical Dissenters § 13. and rational Doubters § 14. and to convince the most obstinate and acute Adversaries § 15. built upon unmoveable Grounds that is Certain in it self § 6. 15 16. and absolutely ascertainable to us § 5 11 13 14. SECOND DISCOURSE Showing the two first Properties of the Rule of Faith utterly incompetent to Scripture 1. HAving attained so clear a Description of the Rule of Faith and acquaintance with it by particular marks we may with reason conceive good hopes of knowing it when we meet it Especially not having a great croud from which we are to single it out the pretenders to that title being very few and indeed but two are owned namely Tradition and Scripture though if we look narrowly into it the Private Spirit Private Reason Testimonies of Fathers or whatsoever else is held the ascertainer of Scriptures sence ought to have a place among the pretenders to be the Rule of Faith since t is those which are thought to give the reliers on them all the security they have of Gods sence that is of Points of Faith and so are or ought to be to them a Rule of Faith 2. But to speak to them in their own Language who say Scripture is their Rule we must premise this Note that they cannot mean by Scripture the Sence of it that is the things to be known for those they confess are the very Points of Faith of which the Rule of Faith is to ascertain us When they say then that Scripture is the Rule of Faith they can onely mean by the word SCRIPTURE that Book not yet senc't or interpreted but as yet to be senc't that is such and such Characters in a Book with their Aptness to signifie to them assuredly Gods Mind or ascertain them of their Faith For abstracting from the sence or actual signification of those words there is nothing imaginable left but those Characters with their Aptness to signifie it This understood let us apply now the Properties of the Rule of Faith to Scriptures Letter that we may see how they will fit 3. And the first thing that occurrs is its Existence or An est that is whether those Books pretended to be Gods Word bee indeed Scripture that is written by men divinely inspired Of which 't is most manifest the very rudest sort cannot be Certain by Self-evidence nor can it be easily evidenceable to those Doubters that are the ordinary sort of the Vulgar by any skill they are capable of nor even to more curious and speculative Scarchers but by so deep an inspection into the sence of it as shall discover such secrets that Philosophy and Human Industry could never have arrived to Besides all the seeming Contradictions must be solved ere they can out of the bare nature of the Letter conclude the Scripture to be of Gods enditing and so worthy to be a Rule to solve which literally plainly and satisfactorily the memories of so many particulars which made them clearer to those of the Age in which they were written and the matter known must needs be so worn out by tract of time that t is
one of the most difficult tasks in the World The Scriptures Letter then is not the Rule of Faith by § 3 4 5 10 11. of our former Discourse as wanting Self-evidence of its Existence Easie Evidenceableness of its Ruling Virtue and Power to establish and satisfie at least unlearned Doubters 4. Secondly were it known that there are some Books left written by men divinely inspired yet it is unknown how many those Books ought to be and which of the many controverted ones may securely be put in that Catalogue which not Which 't is most palpable that either few or at least the rude vulgar and common sort of Mankind especially those who are not yet Faithful but looking to come to Faith which is done by knowing the Rule of Faith can never be assured of either by Self-evidence of the things themselves or by other skills they are already possest of The Scripture's Letter then is from this Head concluded defective in the forementioned Properties necessarily belonging to the Rule of Faith 5. Thirdly Were the Catalogue of the true Books known yet how is it self-evident or easily evidenceable to the capacities above named if to any that the very Original or a perfectly true Copy of these Books was preserved indeficiently entire out of which our Translations were made Can the ruder sort either know this or be assured of the skill of others by which they know it The former being manifestly impossible the later equally such since they have no knowledges in their heads enabling them to judge unerringly of the competency of others skill in such a particular Wherefore Scriptures Letter faulters still in the primary most necessary and essential conditions of a Rule of Faith 6. Fourthly Were it evident that the right Original or true Copy of it is preserved indefective yet very few that is onely those who are perfect in those ancient Languages can arrive to the understanding so much The rest which are in a manner all Mankind must come to the knowledge of it by Translations and ere they can think it is fit to be a Rule they must know it is rightly translated For which because they have no skill in those Languages themselves they must rely on the Translators skill Concerning whose sufficiency of understanding to be able to translate unerringly right and honesty of Will or true intention to do it themselves at least the rudest vulgar are not qualified enough to jndge assuredly that they are worthy to be securely relied on So that we are still at a loss in this pretended Rule of Faith for our first and fundamental conditions 7. Fifthly Let us pass by all these defects and grant it most truly translated to a tittle and indeed to a tittle it should be else an errour may slip in instead of a Point of Faith for any thing the bare Letter can assure us yet the innumerable Copiers before Printing and since Printers and Correcters of the Press are still ro be relyed on and they onely can have evidence of the right Letter of Scripture who stood at their elbows attentively watching they should not erre in making it perfectly like a former Copy And even then why might they not mistrust their own eyes and aptness to oversee Or were it granted these men err'd not nor themselves in overlooking them yet the same difficulty occurrs concerning the former Printer's care if the former Copy were printed or the Scriveners if Manuscript which scapes the view of our now-livers except we will examin them again from Impression to Impression or from Copy to Copy by others more ancient and still let us run as high as we will the same difficulty pursues us To which if we add that the Printers Correcters or Transcribers might hap to be Knaves and either be Hereticks themselves or brib'd by Hereticks whose manner it being ever to make the Letter of the Scripture their weapon they could wish no greater advantage than to have it fram'd commodious to their hand and so would questionless endeavour it and History assures us they did So that we are still at the same or a greater loss in our pretended Rule of Faith 8. Lastly were all this multitude of Exceptions pardonâ—d still we are as far to seek unless those who are to be rul'd and guided by the Scriptures Letter to Faith were Certain of the true sence of it which is found out by right Interpretation Now the numerous Commentators upon it and infinite disputes about the sence of it even in most concerning points as in that of Christ's Divinity beat it out so plain to us that this is not the task of the vulgar who yet are capable of salvation and so of Faith and so of the Rule of Faith that 't is perfect phrenzy to deny it 9 It may be alledg'd that some of these defects may be provided against by skill in History But 't is quickly reply'd that then none can be secure of their Rule of Faith nor consequently have Faith unless skill'd in Histories or knowing â—hose men to be so and withall unbyast whom â—hey converse with nay without knowing that those men knew certainly the Historians whom they rely'd on had secure Grounds and not bare hearsay for what they writ and that they were not contradicted by others either extant or peâ—ish't now how few of the unlearned vulgar â—ay even of the middle sort of prudent men which make up the generality of the world I may say of very good Scholars can judge of these points And if they cannot how then is their Faith rational or virtuous and not rather an hair-brain'd opinionative rashness to build their Assent Faith and Salvation upon Principles they can make no Judgement of 10. If necessity make some willing to reply what their Judgments naturally flowing from their Principles would not that God assists his Church and therefore his Providence will take care the contingencies their Rule of Faith the Scripture's Letter is subject to shall be avoided 't is ask't how they are certain in their way of such an Assistance but by the Letter of the Scripture They must first then prove that Certain ere they mention the Church or God's Assistance to her since this Assistance is in their Grounds founded upon the Truth and Certainty of that Letter Besides a Church is a Congregation of the Faithful that is of such as have Faith which not being possible to be had without Certain means to come unto it or the Rule of Faith it follows that the first thing that must be clear'd is the Certainty of the Rule of Faith antecedently to the Notions of Faith Faithful or Church 11. If Testimonies out of Councils or Fathers be alledg'd by them sufficient Interpreters of Scripture t is reply'd that if those be needful to make a Certain Interpretation of Scripture or which is all one the Letter of Scripture certainly significative of Godâ—s sence then First none can be capable of the Rule of Faith nor consequently
advantages the Letter gives them as comparing places and such like and availing themselves the best they can by acquir'd skills yet differ in so main points as those of the B. Trinity and Christ's Divinity what Certainty can we undertakingly promise to weaker heads that is to the Generality of Mankind less able to make such fit allusions of places to one another incapable of such means as should help them which the other had and are very pertinent and proper to work upon the Letter And lastly who are for want of those unfurnish't of any steady Principles to settle their Judgements and rationally determin their own Interpretation Certain Scripture's Letter therefore is not Certain in it's self that is has no immovably secure Grounds enabling it to perform the Office of the Rule of Faith or to guide Mankind in their way to Faith with a rational assuredness Our Conclusion then is this that SCRIPTURE'S LETTER WANTS ALL THE FOREMENTIONED PROPERTIES BELONGING TO THE RULE OF FAITH 7. Lest any should misconstrue my former Discourse I declare here once more that in a great part of it I argue ad hominem that is I manifest what must follow out of the Principles of those who hold the Scripture's Letter the Rule of Faith not out of my own or Catholick ones I declare likewise that I with all reverence acknowledge such Excellencies in those Sacred Oracles as would task the tongues both of Men and Angels to lay them forth I onely contest that the Scripture's Letter is most improper and never intended for the Rule of Faith as is easy to be evinc't against an unobstinate Adversary by this that 't is known the Apostles and their Successors went not with Books in their hands to preach and deliver Christ's Doctrin but Words in their mouths and that Primitive Antiquity learn't their Faith by another Method a long time before many of those Books were universally spread amongst the vulgar much less the Catalogue collected and acknowledg'd till the Revolters from that Method and Rule being manifestly convinc't of Novelty by it were forâ—t to invent some other and chose this of the Scripture's Letter for most plausible as being held very Sacred untill by straining it to an undue use and to please the people putting it without any distinction of the person into their hands and leaving it to their Interpretation they have brought it as 't is made use of for a Rule of Faith to the vilest degree of contempt every silly upstart Heresy fathering it self upon It. Of which no Nation in the world is so evident an Instance as our miserable Country distracted into so many Sects all issuing from that Principle so impossible to be brought under Ecclesiastical Government and even with much ado under Temporal that 't is wonderful such proper Effects especially so sensible burthensome so universally spred and so continual should not long ago have abundantly demonstrated their Proper Cause and oblig'd them to renounce that Principle which is the necessary Parent of such ruinous and unredressable disorders FIFTH DISCOURSE Showing the Notion of TRADITION and that all the Properties of the Rule of Faith do clearly agree to It. 1. HAving then quite lost our labour in our last search let us see whether we shall have better success in this second Enquiry which is whether we may hope to find the Properties of the Rule of Faith meet in that which we call or all or Practical Tradition By which we mean a Delivery down from hand to hand by words and a constant course of frequent and visible Actions conformable to those Words of the Sence and Faith of Forefathers 2. But to make a more express conceit of Tradition that so we may more perfectly understand the Nature of that which we treat of let us first soberly reflect on the manner how Children learn their own and others names with whom they live as also of the rooms and thingâ— they converse with afterwards growing up to exercise their trades to write read or use civil or legal carriage to every one in their kindsâ— And looking into the Thing we shall observe that they first glean'd notions of those several Objects either meerly through Impressions on their Senses by the Thing it self alone or by the help of having them pointed at or something practic'â— about them at the same time they were nam'dâ— and afterwards learnt to repeat the same Word after others more and more intelligently by degrees and to practice the same Actions till aâ— length the former Generation of Teachers decaying by the course of Nature a new one iâ— sprung up to Perfection furnish't with all the accomplishments of the former and continuing the same natural and Civil Knowledges Actionâ— and Conveniences to this Age which the formeâ— enjoy'd and so forwards to succeeding Generations by a natural kind of method without needing Books or new Skills meerly to perform this Effect of continuing and preserving the former Age as it were alive in this Add now to this that this Continuation goes not by long leaps from Age to Age or from twenty years to twenty but from year to year nay moneth to moneth even less according as the new Off-spring grows up by degrees to a Capacity of understanding and practicing and then reflect on this whole Course and we shall see the true nature of Tradition or immediate Delivery as exercis'd in Civil matters and Human Conveniences 3. We want nothing now but to apply this self-same Method to Spiritual or Ecclesiastical affairs and to reflect how it brings down Faith by Doctrin couch't in Words and exprest in conformable Practices and then we shall have gain'd a compleat and proper notion of Faith-Tradition which is the Tradition we speak of 4. We may observe then that the Children of Christians first hear the Sounds afterwards by degrees get dim notions of God Christ Saviour Heaven Hell Virtue Vice and such like and according as their capacity increases are put on to practice what they have heard and made to do some external Actions by precept and Example which Actions by their more particularizing nature ripen to a more express and familiar conceit those raw Apprehensions or Judgments which while they stood under bare words look't as if they hover'd in the Ayr and afar off They are deterr'd from sins first from lying and disobeying their Parents afterwards others by reproaches and punishments and encourag'd to virtuous actions by rewards such as their Age bears to breed in them a conceit of the badness of sin and goodness of Virtue They are shown how to say Grace say their Prayers and made do it when they are able and to gain them some abstracted conceit of those Actions they are inur'd even while very Infants by certain carriages unusual at other times as holding up their hands or perhaps eyes kneeling keeping silence and other sober postures to look upon such actions as extraordinary ones when as yet they know no more of
them which breeds a certain awe in them before-hand preparing their minds to more reverence for the future Afterwards growing up they come acquainted with the Creed the ten Commandments the Sacraments some common forms of Prayer and other Practices of Christianity and are directed to order their lives accordingly the Actions or Carriage of the circumstant Church and Elder Faithful guiding the Younger notwithstanding the difficulty of the yet-undigested Metaphor in which dialect Faith is delivered to frame their lives to several sorts of Virtues by the doctrine deliver'd in words as Faith Hope Charity Prayer Adoration c. and the concomitant or subservient Virtues to these and the more intelligent whose Understandings are clear'd by Study and the circumstance of conversing with the learneder sort of Fore-fathers to do out of Knowledge and Reflexion what others do as it were naturally and by meer Belief or guidance of others And this goes on by insensible degrees till at last the Teachers die and leave in their room a new Swarm of the same nature with themselves as to Christian Life that is practising the same external Actions which determin to a certain degree the sence of the Words they have been inur'd to and since the practice of those Actions was instill'd from their Infancy and serious holding consequently the Principles of those Actions that is the same Points of Faith with the former Age. And this goes on not by leaps from an hundred years to an hundred or from twenty to twenty but by half-years to half-years nay moneths to moneths and even less according as the young brood of Eaglets made to see the Sun in his full Glory grow up to a capacity of having their tender eyes acquainted first with the dawning afterwards with the common day-light of Christian Doctrin 5. If any should be so dull as to think this looks like a Speculation onely and not to see plainly that 't is confirm'd by ten thousand Experements every day I desire them to consider how the Primitive Faithful were inur'd to Christianity ere the Books of Scripture were writ or communicated or how themselves though Protestants or Presbyterians were first imbu'd with Christian Principles ere they could read and they shall finde it was meerly by this way of Tradition Nay more I dare affirm that the very Presbyterians much more the Protestants still adhere to their Faith because their Parents Pastors taught them it when they were young and not upon the Evidence of Scripture's Letter to their own private Judgement which is manifest by this that those who are brought up under Mr. Baxter are apt to follow him others Mr. Pierce and all in general hold fixedly to the doctrin of others especially if their Parents be of the same persuasion So hard it is to beat down Nature by Designe or not to follow Tradition in practice though at the same time they write and talk never so vehemently and loud against it Nay 't is easie to remark that those who were brought up Protestants while they follow'd their Teachers and Forefathers in the Traditionary way continu'd firmly such and that none declin'd from that Profession until they began to use their own private Judgments in interpreting Scripture and that then they ran by whole shoals into innumerable other Sects However then they exclaim against Tradition yet 't is evident they owe to It all the Union and Strength they have and to the renouncing It all their Distractions and Weakness 6. What is said hitherto is onely to explain the Nature of Tradition perfectly and to settle a right conceit of it which done many Objections will be render'd unnecessary either to be answerd or mention'd as those that proceed against a kind of Prophetical Afflatus which can have no force against our way building upon perfect Evidence of our best Senses but especially those which take so wrong an aym that they dispute against res traditae or the things deliver'd instead of Tradition it self and thereupon accuse us for holding Human Traditions or things invented by men for Faith Whereas when we speak of the Rule of Faith we mean by the word Tradition onely the Method of publickly delivering and conveying down Tenets held to have come from Christ in the manner before declared This note premised to avoid mistake and keep the Reader 's mind more steady to the matter in hand let us see now whether Tradition have in it the nature of a Rule of Faith which is done by examining whether the fore-named Properties belong to it or no. 7. And first 't is already manifest from what is said that the First Property of the Rule of Faith namely that it must be Evident to all as to its Existence absolutely agrees with Tradition For Tradition being the open conveyance down of Practical Doctrines by our best senses of Discipline that is our Eyes and Ears and this by Sounds daily heard and Actions daily seen and even felt 't is as easily appliable to all sorts or Evident to them as to its Existence as it is to see and hear So that it can be insinuated into or affect not onely the rudest vulgar and little Children but in some degree even very Babes as was shown 8. The second Condition which is that its Ruling Power should be easily Evidenceable to any Enquirer is thus shown to agree to Tradition Let the rudest Doubter come and desire to be certify'd that Tradition is a Rule able if follow'd to convey down Christ's doctrin to our very daies or to the world's end and let these plain Interrogatories be put to him Suppose all Protestants in England were settled in an unanimous Profession of their Faith and that their Children without looking farther should believe and practice as their Fathers had brought them up would it not follow in self-evident terms that those Children while they followed this method would be Protestants too Suppose these now grown men under those Parents should have children too of their own who should behave themselves in the same manner towards their Fathers by believing and practising as they taught them without looking any farther would it not be equally evident they would still be Protestants also Since to believe and practice thus is to be a Protestant and would not this method if followed carry on that doctrin still forwards from Generation to Generation to the very end of the world 'T is then most easily evidenceable to the rudest capacity that this immediate delivery of Tradition as above explicated is a certain way of deriving down Christs Doctrin while the world shall last This Property therefore of the Rule of Faith is found evidently to agree to Tradition 9. The third Condition which is that the Rule of Faith must be apt to justify unreflecting and unredoubting persons that they proceed rationally while they rely on it is found most exactly in Tradition For the common course of human conversation makes it a madness not to believe great
Compare next the certainty each Christian Forefather has of what he has practic 't all his life with that which a sworn Witness in a Court has of what he saw or heard but once which done multiply these thus-qualify'd Witnesses till you equal the vast total of Christianity and then invent what force in Nature's Universe is comparable to this Inerrability of Tradition And if clear Reason evinces to you that 't is far more possible to make a man not be than not to know what is rivetted into his Soul by so-oft-repeated Sensations nay if it exceed all the power of Nature abstracting from the cases of Madness and violent disease to blot Knowledges thus fixt out of the Soul of one single Believer then 't is as clearly evinc't that sooner may all Mankind perish than the regulative virtue of Tradition miscarry Nay sooner may the sinows of entire Nature by overstraining crack and she lose all her activity and motion that is her self than one single part of that innumerable multitude which integrate that vast Testification we call Tradition can possibly be violated The virtue then by which Tradition regulates her followers to bring down Faith unerringly is grounded on a far stronger Basis than all material Nature that is on such a one as was fitting for Supream Wisdom to lay for Faith being so neer and necessary a means to bring Mankind to his Beatitude which was the end of all this corporeal Architecture Its Followers I say for I onely contest in this present part of my Discourse that Tradition if follow'd is of such a Nature whether it was alwayes thus follow'd or no belongs to another Enquiry 13. Nor must I neglect the reminding in this place what was producâ—t before § 8. to show the Evidenceableness of Tradition's Ruling Power to the rudest Enquirers It being as Evident that while the next Age believes and practices as the former Age held and practic 't that is while the Rule of Tradition is follow'd those of the later Age are still of the same Faith with the former as it is that to believe the same is to believe the same Onely I am forbidden by my Reason and Logick to call this a Proof or Argument because 't is of the Nature of that first Principle Idem est idem sibijpsi and onely an Instance or Particular of it as these Propositions are a stone is a stone a man is a man in which the two Terms are as neerly laid and as fast connected as perfect Identity can ciment them that is so close that no medium can come between to make them capable of being argud or prov'd that is 't is self-evident and so I had no more to do but by opening the Terms to explicate the Proposition which done it was evident beyond proof 14. Let now the most rational Doubter or most Sceptical Dissenter muster all the Caprichoes of Fancy Invention can suggest and the subtlest quirks ingeniously misus'd Logick and abus'd-into-Sophistry can furnish them with Let the most obstinate and acute Adversaries of Faith whet their wits to that degree of sharpness as to be able to penetrate with nice distinctions between the sides of two notions if in the least disagreeing that is onely metaphysically divisible and lay open their difference what can they say in this case If they will argue against Tradition it must be out of some Knowledges but Knowledge is taken from Things and the best Thing in this universe to wit Man's Nature in what he is unalterable is engag'd for the Certainty of Tradition But indeed their proper task will be to find a solution for or to loose those two notions which perfect Identity binds and to blunder that Truth which the noon-day-Sun of Self evidence discovers and as it were writes with its most lightsome and most conspicous rayes 15. These four last Conditions then of the Rule of Faith most fully agree with Tradition as well as the three first that is 't is Self-evident to all as to it's Existence § 7. and Evidenceable as to it 's Ruling Power to any vulgar Enquirer § 8. apt to settle and justify undoubting persons § 9 10. to satisfy fully the most Sceptical dissenters and most rational doubters and to convince the most obstinate and acute Adversaries built upon unmoveable Grounds that is Certain in it's self and absolutely ascertainable to us § 11 12 13 14. And these Properties springing out of the very nature of the Rule of Faith and being incompetent to any Competitor or pretended Rule as has been shown this main Conclusion is made good that TRADITION IS THE RULE OF FAITH SIXTH DISCOURSE Endeavouring to demonstrate à priori the Indefectibleness of Tradition 1. ALl this is well may some say in case Tradition had been ever held to for then indeed Faith had come down by such an incomparable Testification that the like was never heard of But how know we who began to desert that Rule and who ever held to it or that it was ever held to by any 2. Now though the carriage of Protestants makes this labour needless while I write against them yet I owe to my former discourse a clearing of this likewise Their Carriage I say For when it is prov'd evidently that Tradition is a certain Rule and Scripture's Letter not such they who reject the former to adhere to the later are clearly cast in their Cause and condemn'd without more ado Indeed If Protestants faulted not the Rule but onely pretended that men had fail'd it they might yet delude the world with some colour that they had ever held to the doctrin of Ancestours and onely deserted us because we had deserted Ancestours formerly but if they put the fault in the Rule it self write against it disgrace it and recurr to another 't is a certain sign of self-condemnation and that they judge in their inmost thoughts that Tradition or immediate delivery ever stood our Friend and would overthrow them Nay did they think they could manifest satisfactorily that we had deserted formerly the Faith of our Forefathers as they pretend they had no more efficacious way to ruine us than to oppose us upon those Principles laid in this former Discourse since Tradition a little after the Primitive times at which time they pretend we fell had not gone down many steps and so the Renouncers of it would in reason seem to them more easily discoverable by its vicinity to the Apostles Besides this Rule being so own'd and stuck to by us it had been the most efficacious way ad hominem to confute and shame us even by our own Principles Wherefore it is most evident they think it not their best play to offer to avail themselves by Tradition knowing 't will be their disadvantage and our gain that is they in effect tacitly yield that if Tradition be a Certain Rule which we have shown self-evident the doctrin held by our Church to be of Faith came down uninterruptedly from the Apostles
that is was ever or is Christ's doctrin however they blind their own Consciences with glances of Fancy from private Interpretations of God's word and deaf their own and others ears with empty sounds rebounding witth false Ecchoes from those Sacred Oracles 3. Now though it seem an unreasonable expectation to require that a Rule should not onely be able to rule those who would follow it but also should have power to oblige the generality of those who actually do follow it not to desert it yet such is the Goodness of our Saviour towards his Church to order that the Rule which brings down Faith to us should both out of the Nature of Man in which it is grafted and much more by means of the doctrin it recommends be of so wonderful an Efficacy 4. This point therefore of the actual Indefectiveness of Tradition I shall endeavour to demonstrate both à priori from proper Causes and à posteriori from a now-adayes experienc't Effect 5. To do the former I say for my Grounds First that Christian doctrin was at first unanimously settled by the Apostles in the hearts of the Faithful disperst in great multitudes over several parts of the world Secondly that this doctrin was firmly believed by all those Faithful to be the way to Heaven and the contradicting or deserting it the way to damnation so that the greatest Hopes and Fears imaginable were by engaging the Divine Authority strongly apply'd to the Minds of the First Believers encouraging them to the adhering to that doctrin and deterring them from relinquishing it and indeed infinitly greater than any other whatever springing from any temporal consideration and that this was in all Ages the perswasion of the Faithful Thirdly that Hopes of Goods and Fears of Harms strongly apply'd are the Causes of Actual Will Lastly that the thing was feisible or within their power that is that what they were bred to was Knowable by them This put it follows as certainly that a great number or Body of the first Believers and after-Faithful in each Age that is from Age to Age would continue to hold themselves and teach their Children as themselves had been taught that is would follow and stick to Tradition as it does that a Cause put actually causing produces it's Effect Actually I say For since the Cause is put the Application put and the Patient dispos'd for our Argument puts this to be the Minds of true Believers in regard the first Renouncers of Tradition must have been True Believers or Holders of it ere they renounc't it it follows inevitably that the Cause is put still actually causing 6. I foresee some will object the Indisposition of the Wills of the Believing Parents by reason of original Corruption But supposing I dispute against those Christians who hold that Christ's Doctrin was intended to be an Antidote for that Original malice and to keep Men's Wills already possest with it right notwithstanding the poize of their corrupted Nature and the temptations of their circumstances to say 't is apply'd universally to all several sorts and tempers and preserves none good is to question Christ's Wisdom and to doubt whether it be fit to do the Effect it was meant for Not to mind the Objecter how many thousands of Martyrs and Holy Confessors by the Power of this Doctrin overcame this inbred declivity of their Wills and its disorderly inclinations to the dearest Goods Life or Nature could bestow A great part therefore would be virtuous and so it being easie and obvious as our former Discourse proved would teach their Children what themselves believ'd in their Consciences to be Christ's Doctrine or the doctrine they had been taught and so a Body of Traditionary Christians would still be continu'd to the very End of the World nor could that Rule be totally relinquisht by any Stratagem of the Devil or prevail'd against by the gates of Hell Again though Natâ—re incline men to sin or vicious Appetites yet can it incline them all to this sort of sin that is to teach their Children what they think will damn them Or rather does not Nature most strongly carry them to the contrary Their Original corruption then is no particular inviter to this kind of sin to teach their Children pernicious falshoods and which themselves hold such though themselves be otherwise liable to several sort of particular failings 7. If any object the fickle nature of the Will and imagin that this exempts her from the Laws of Causes I ask them without engaging farther into School-disputes which I industriously avoid whether Good be not the proper Object of the Will and so is to affect it when sufficiently apply'd or propos'd If so then since an Object to affect a Power is to put it in act and the Act of the Power we call the Will is actual Volition or Willing Good propos'd makes the Will to will or desire that Good and consequently the known means to obtain it Now Infinit Goods and Harms sufficiently propos'd are of their own nature incomparably more powerful Causes to carry the Will than Temporal ones Since then when two Causes are counterpos'd the lesser when it comes to execution is no Cause as to the substance of that Effect as a heavy weight which were otherwise a cause of descending is no such Cause when overweighâ—d by an heavier as not making its scale descend at all it follows that there is no Cause to move the Wills of a World of Believers to be willing to do that which they judge would lose themselves and their Posterity Infinit Goods and bring them Infinit Harms such strong and main Hopes and Fears being put in the counter-ballance in case a sufficient Proposal or Application be not wanting 8. The last Attempt then of an Objectour is to fault the Application of Spiritual and Heavenly Goods and to enhance the Proposals of sensible and Temporal Objects But if we reflect with how steady a pursuit and even equal to that of eye-sight or any other Sense we generally work for Ends no otherwise propos'd than by undoubted Authority as when a King prepares for an Expedition against a forrain Country he never saw or a Gentleman for a journey to Rome and such like If we but call to mind how the greatest Testimony in the world engages God's supremely-Infallible Veracity for the truth of the Doctrin it proposes which ascertains us of those Infinit Goods and Harms spoken of the best Application of a motive to a truly rational power which can possibly be imagin'd If we but consider how those spiritual and unseen Goods are made Intelligible to all in a fair measure by most fit and obvious Metaphors Familiar and Sensible by daily practice and as it were Experience of them in Christian Language and Actions by the venerable Sacraments by the spectable Majesty of outward Ceremonies all including our spiritual last End or intimating it by their order to it nay if we but contemplate even Essential Heaven it self
made the Object of our Senses to comply with our weakness by the Word 's being made Flesh and dwelling amongst us his being born his suffering cold hunger persecution banishment and other inconveniencies in his Life his curing our diseased comforting our afflicted raising our dead and other miraculous actions his being bound buffetted scourged crown'd with thorns and lastly crucify'd and all this believed to be for our sakes all of them Objects most sensibly and palpably affecting our Understandings and thence sliding movingly and this by their sensible nature into our very Wills we shall discover that the Infinit Spiritual Good we spoke of is become through the Provident Goodness of our God both as easily appliable as the most visible and concerning civil Actions working on the best Sensations of our Forefathers the best and amplest Authority in the world to make their Sensations ours and the whole course of our Life Actions Sacraments and all other outward shows which could be invented to make such mysteries maniable can possibly render them and that if after all this they can be conceiv'd to want any thing of the Sensibleness 't is abundantly supply'd by that deep Impression which the Sacred Horrour of the Reverence given to them makes and the efficacious wayes to excite and and preserve that Reverence All which wayes and objects thus easily and strongly appliable were frequently and efficaciously apply'd by the education of Parents and by the Discipline and Oeconomy of the Church which brings those speculations to practice was ever and must needs reach the Generality In a word Christianity urg'd to execution gives its Followers a new Life and a new Nature than which a nearer Application cannot be imagin'd No Application therefore is wanting Wherefore the Efficient and the Matter being proper and fitted to one another the Effect must still be or continue that is the delivering down sincerely and carefully Christian Doctrin first received must still continue in some great multitude at least and this to the end of the world SEVENTH DISCOURSE An Objection clear'd and the Beginning and Progress of an HERESY connaturally laid open 1. WHat onely and mainly seems to prejudice our Argument is that there have actually been many Hereticks or Deserters of Tradition To which I answer that 't is not to be expected but some Contingency should have place where an whole Species in a manner is to be wrought upon It sufficeth us that the Causes to preserve Faith indeficiently entire are as efficacious as those which are lay'd for the propagagation of Mankind The Virtue of Faith not being to continue longer than Mankind its onely Subject does And they will easily appear as efficacious as the other if we consider the strength of those Causes before explicated and reflect that they are effectively powerful to make multitudes daily debar themselves of those pleasures which are the Causes of Mankind's Propagation And if we look into History for Experience of what has past in the world since the first planting of Christianity we shall find faâ— more particulars failing in propagating their Kind than their Faith 2. I know the multitudes of Hereticks which have from time to time risen makes this position seem incredible wherefore that we may 〈◊〉 once both open Tradition and make good ouâ— Tenet we will reflect how an Heresy is first bred To inforce then our former Argument we musâ— look on Christ's Church not onely as on a Congregation having in their hearts those most powerful motives already spoken of able of their own nature to carry each single heart possest by them though left at its own liberty but as oâ— the perfectest form of a Commonwealth having within her self Government and Officers appointed by Christ himself and so look't upon by the Faithful to take care all those motives bâ— actually apply'd as much as may be to the subject Layity and that all the Sons of the Church be aw'd by wholsom disciplin to conform their lives according to the Doctrin they profess Yet notwithstanding as in the Civil State maugre the Laws and care of Governours it happens sometimes that some particular Person turns Rebel or Outlaw and associates to himself others so it happens sometimes in the Church that because 't is impossible the perfection of Disciplin should extend it self in so vast a multititude to every particular some one or few persons by neglect of applying Christian motives to their Souls fall into extravagancies of spiritual Pride Ambition Lust or other vices and itching with desire of followers to honour and support them they first lay hold on some accidental miscarriages as foolish opinions or ill lives of some in the Church which they aggravate beyond all reason to justify their Rebellion and 〈◊〉 invent and propose new Tenets to others which partly by their plausibleness partly licentiousness suting with the curious or passionate humour of diverse if Governours be not vigilant and prudent draw them into the same faction with themselves especially if they get the State on their sides secure indemnity and hopes of reward draw the corrupt hearts of many to bandy with their fellow-revolters against the former Church Thus a Body is made inconsiderable in respect of the whole which yet is engag'd by the natural care of self-preservation to make Head against it The Church stands upon the uninterrupted Succession of her Doctrin from Christ grounded on the noon-day manifestation of the most universal and clear Attestation in the world The other's known newness makes it impossible to human nature though most deprau'd to pretend this reception from immediate Forefathers the contrary being so evident to the whole world's eye-sight that this were to tell an openly to no imaginable purpose They must cry therefore the Church has err'd in Faith else they condemn themselves whence they are oblig'd at next to renounce and disgrace Tradition or the living voice of the Church as unfit to be a Rule which left in force would presently quash and strangle all their Attempts After this a new Rule must be sought for either some private Inspiration or some waxen-naturâ—d words not yet senc't not having any certain Interpreter but fit to be plaid upon diversly by quirks of wit that is apt to blunder and confound but to clear little or nothing Their Policy must be to study vapour in wordish learning to be dextrous in Criticisms and all that can conduce to the various acception of words and then to hook Catholicks from their Infallible and Evident way of Tradition to combat with them at their own weapon and in their own way In which if the Catholick be so unwary or good-naturâ—d as to engage and having been inurâ—d to more solid and sober Grounds for his Faith be not perhaps so skilful in beating the air as his bird-witted Opponent presently a Victory is proclaimed with the loudest Trumpet of Fame and vanity being generally their God who place their honour in such aiery sorts of learning
blaz'd up and down to the commendation of themselves and perversion of others But a company which makes such a bustle cannot long want a Name Wherefore the Traditionary Christian having ever enjoyd the Appellation of Catholick and it being impossible their Adversaries should by any design or craft after the common Language of Mankind hopeless to attain the name of Catholick they are forced to content themselves though unwilling with some other new one which Nature working upon their own comportment determines to be either from their Authour as Lutherans Zuingliaus or their new Tenet as Tritheits Sacramentarians or some combination amongst themselves as Protestants or lastly some particular carriage as Quakers Dippers c. 3. These first Adherents to the upstart Novellist being clung into a Body after a while young understandings ripening to a capacity of Faith things are presently alterd The pretended Rule of Scripture's Letter's self-sufficiency is immediately thrown by as useless any farther Design hath got its end already and the natural way of of Tradition begins to take place again and recover its self nay the Reformers themselves are forc't to crave help of it to keep their company together Children are taught that they are to believe their Pastours and Fathers and though they are permitted to read the Scripture when they come at age yet they are told they are to guide themselves by the sence their Pastours and Fathers give it which is that they ought to guide themselves by the Faith of their Parents and Teachers in interpreting Scripture the very way Catholicks ever took in that particular And if any company of men though now mature to judge presume to follow their own Judgement in interpreting it and differ from those first Reformers these if they get the power in their hands will presently fall to oblige them by force to act that is if they would have them do it conscientiously which else were to force them to sin to hold as they do and persecute or punish them if they do not whereas they guide themselves to their best capacity by the Scripture's Letter which is the very Rule of Faith their Persecutors taught them and made use of themselves when they broke from the Church Which evidently shows that a new Rule is introduc't and that it is not indeed the Letter of God's word which is now thought fit to guide the Readers of it to Faith but those men's Interpretations of it So that the breaking from Tradition and consequently the Church casts them most inevitably upon these self-contradictions First to reform npon pretence of the Scripture's Letter being the Rule of Faith yet afterwards in practice to desert that Rule in their carriage towards others Secondly to disallow to others those Grounds themselves proceed upon Thirdly to pretend first the Scripture's Letter clear of it self without needing the Church to interpret it so to avoid condemnation from the former Church yet afterwards to judge the Followers of it to their best power to go wrong that is to confess it obscure and to need their new Churches Interpretation 4ly To persecute others for taking that way which they held at least pretended meritorious in themselves 5ly To oblige others to relinquish the sole guidance of the Scriptures Letter and to rule themselves by their Tradition and yet at the same time when they write and dispute against Catholicks to impugn Tradition or the doctrin of Forefathers as unfitting to sence it and abet onely the self-sufficiency of Scriptures Letter And lastly to impute that carriage to our Church as a fault which themselves practice upon their own Subjects And which is most material our Church punishes none but such as desert the Rule she recommends whereas they punish those under them for following too close that Rule which themselves recommended and applauded as the whole and sole Bafis of their Reformation 4. Now what can follow hence but that their Ecclesiastical Subjects whom Common Sence cannot but make exceeding sensible of such their unreasonable carriage in persecuting them purely for following God's word or the Scripture's Letter to their best power which themselves had taught them might securely nay ought in conscience be follow'd let the Consent of Forefathers and the present Church made up of meeâ— men say what they would what follow 's I say but that exasperated beyond patience by this procedure which they will be apt to conceive to be a most senceless and self-condemning tyranny over their Consciences they will unless Governours be vigilant strive to wreak their malice against their Persecutors and if they be numerous and powerful endeavour to involve whole Nations in war and blood which God of his mercy avert from our distracted Country Of so main consequence it is both for Church and State that men's Minds be right set in the Fundamental Grounds of Christianity and that the Principle they build Religion on be Evident that is apt to unite their Understaâ—dings and by it their Affections not uncertain and vertible which must needs lead if pursu'd by an earnest zeal to nothing but diversities in Opinions about Faith thence to dissensions and Feuds in the Will which upon any great pressure will be apt to break forth into actions of highest enmity and by the irreconcileableness of such Interests neither side being able to yeeld to the other in what each of rhem holds Sacred Religious and Conscientious endless and fiercest bickerings are apt to succeed even to utter desolation as frequent Histories too lamentably record Not that I intend the Justification of those revolting Sects who having no certain Grounds of Controversy are both self-condemn'd by the common Light of Reason for disobeying a Certain and Known Legal Authority which God's Law and plain Reason commands them to submit to to maintain an Uncertainty that is for any thing they know an Error and were it a known Truth they held would be no less condemn'd by the Law of God and common Reason nay out the nature of Religion it self for making Rebellion and an unimpower'd Sword the Defence of Truth which stands firm on a surer Basis. I onely mind prudent Considerers on the by how much it conduces to State-Unity and Peace that the Principle of conveying Faith to us be built on Sensible Evidence acknowledgable by all Mankind when rightly understood and not left to giddy Interpretations of Private Fancies which are apt to run so eccentrically to one another that we can never expect they shall have any common point where to fix and unite men's Minds and Afflections 5. The usefulness of this Parergon serves to elucidate as it were ptactically and experimentally the Certainty of Tradition The particular use we make of it in this present Discourse whence we digrest into it is to conclude as well as we can of things at a common view which yet is no less certain that the number of the actual Deserters of the natural way of Tradition have been but few to wit the
first Revolters a small handfull compar'd to all Christianity besides and onely occasionally not constantly happening that the Descendents of these Revolters were taught by them to believe Them in the right in interpreting Scripture and not their own Judgments that is follow'd the way of Tradition however misplac't To which if we compare the numerous contingencies both in man's Nature and other circumstances hindring Propagation every day happening we shall find much reason to prefer the multitudes of the other before this But if we add to this Consideration the daily decay of innumerable particulars upon whom the Continuation of Mankind depends by natural or accidental deaths and reflect on the innumerable new Subjects and even whole Nations into which Tradition hath and does daily propagate it self and those uninfected by new Heresies for whole Ages that is without any one Deserter of Tradition among them and none of those beholding to Progenitors for their Faith but to Externs who converted them whereas Propagating their Kind can onely be by those of the same race We shall find that the Causes laid to propagate preserve a Body of Traditionary Christians look far more steadily and less needing a recourse to any particular Providence than those which we can discover laid for the keeping on Foot a Body of Men. Whence if any as the common fashion is bring against the perpetuation of Tradition such wildroving Arguments as would equally strike at the Certainty of perpetuating Mankind or continuing any Species in Nature the readiest answer is to show they do so and then to tell them we intend not Tradition should last longer than the onely Species capable of Faith will that is longer than Mankind is to stand who onely can have it or need it EIGHTH DISCOURSE Endeavouring to demonstrate à Posteriori the Vninterruptedness of Tradition hitherto 1. HAving seen and weigh'd the strength of those Causes which preserve and continue Tradition on Foot and thence endeavour'd to demonstrate its Indefectibleness as the proper and necessary Effects of those Causes we will now begin our Discourse at the other end and try if we can conclude the same from some Proper Effect that is from such an Effect as could onely have sprung from the actual Indeficiency of Tradition as its Cause That so we may show the Certainty of Faith's Conveyance to us doâ—bly guarded and on all sides Evident 2 Though indeed this seems a needless endeavour against the Protestant who yeilds that those points of Faith in which we agree came dowâ— by this way of Tradition Whence he is to be prest to answer candidly these Queres Wâ— not the Trinity Incarnation and other points 〈◊〉 which we agree held in all Ages since Christ by Gods Church He must yeild it no Protestaâ—â— ever denying it besides that we both agree to call that God's Church which held those maiâ— points of Faith Next he is to be askt whether seeing those points were held ever of Faith Fathers did not actually teach Children so or the former Age the later Common reason will teach him they did which devolves into this that a Protestant must confess those points came down by Tradition and that Tradition hath not faild to bring them down to us Ask him next by what virtue Tradition perform'd this and whether the same virtue were not powerful to bring down others as well as these had any such been And when he assignes this virtue I cannot suspect him negative in so plain a point Ask him farther Is there not a necessary Connexion and Relation between such a constant Cause and its formal Effect So that if its formal Effect be Those Points received as delivered ever the Proper Cause must be an ever-delivery whence we can argue from such an Effect to its Cause for any particular Point and consequenly for any Point that is in Controversie between Them and Us in case it be a Point we held ever deliver'd And if so as manifest Reason evinces it our now-held Faith was taught by Christ and his Apostles and our dispute is at an end But because I rather suspect the Protestant seeing his Cause and Interest too deep engag'd and himself streightned by such strict Connexion of Terms will fly of and deny Tradition to be a necessary Cause notwithstanding its constant tenour of having wrought this its Effect millions of times or from step to step during so many Ages and will not care to alledge that all this is pure Chance and contingency I shall pursue the Designe and Method I at first intended 3. The Effect then we will pitch upon and avow to be the proper one of such a Cause is The present perswasion of Traditionary-Christians or Catholicks that their Faith hath descended from Christ and his Apostles uninterruptedly which we find most firmly rooted in their hearts And the Existence of this Perswasion we affirm to be Impossible without the Existence of Traditions ever-Indeficiency to beget it 4. To prove this I lay this first Principle That Age which holds her Faith deliver'd thus from the Apostles neither can it self have chang'd any thing in it nor know or doubt that any Age since the Apostles had chang'd or innovated any thing therein This Proposition needs no proof to evidence it but onely an Explication For since no man can hold contrary to his Knowledge or doubt of what he holds nor change or innovate in the case propos'd without knowing he did so 't is a manifest Impossibility an whole Age should fall into an Absurdity so inconsistent with the Nature of one single man 5. The second Principle shall be this No Age could innovate any thing and withal deliver that very thing to Posterity as receivâ—d from Christ by continual succession For since Man is a rational Creature he must have some reason or motive good or bad which he proposes to himself as an Eud to be atchiev'd by his action and whatever his remote end is his immediate End in telling Posterity a late invented thing was held immediately before is to make them believe it Wherefore since a seen Impossibility cannot be a motive to one not frantick and that 't is evidently Impossible they should make Posterity believe a thing so universally known to be false as this must needs be because were it possible the whole Age should conspire to tell such a lye the whole I say otherwise the Refusers would easily discover the cheat yet 't is manifestly Impossible all at age to know the truth should conspire from so many several and so far distant places in the precise time to deceive the new Off-spring every moneth ripening to a capacity of such knowledges or blot out all the Monuments which would evidently undeceive their abused Posterity 'T is then as impossible this Principle should falter as that the foregoing Age should conspire to act without a motive or that the succeeding Age should believe what they know to be otherwise that is should hold both sides
of a Contradiction in a clear matter of Fact which is utterly inconsistent with a judging or congnoscitive nature 6. These Principles lay'd we we will advance to the proof of our main Conclusion on this manner that since neither any Age by our first Principle could hold a new introduc't point for not-new but immediately deliver'd nor yet any foregoing Age by our second make it be receiv'd as not-new by Posterity it follows that in no Age could any doctrin changing the immediate Faith of Fore-fathers or new at that time come in or be received under the notion of immediately deliver'd or not-new at that time Wherefore since nothing can descend or come down under the notion of not-new or deliver'd uninterruptedly unless it first come in or be receiv'd under the notion of not-new or deliver'd uninterruptedly nor be held by us as descended under such a notion unless it did actually descend to us under such a notion by the second it follows manifestly that if we now hold it descended as such it did descend as such and consequently was received by the deliverers as such and the same reason holding equally in each Age from Christ came down consequently from Christ and his Apostles No power then or wit of man could make our Faith now held to be so descended but its having been actually so descended that is onely the Existence of Tradition's Indeficiency could have effected this present persuasion of Traditionary Christians or Catholicks that their Faith descended uninterruptedly from the Apostles It being then manifest by Experience that this Effect or present Persuasion is for all Catholiks hold the Church never fail'd in Faith 't is demonstratively Evident that its proper and onely Cause has been put that is that Christian Tradition has ever been held to by a Body of Men consisting of the Predecessors to those whom we find actually thus perswaded NINTH DISCOURSE Opening the incomparable strength of the Churches Human Authority and the Infinit advantages accrue to It by the Supernatual Assistances of the Holy Ghost 1. BUt all this is Nature may some say and by this Method an Heathen may by his natural wit become a good Christian. By which word Nature if the Objecter means Reason wrought upon by motives laid by God's special goodness to bring Souls to Bliss I wonder what else is Supernaturality but this which he miscalls Nature and why Reason rectify'd by such Lights and Proposals as the force of Nature could not have aym'd at much less effected ought not to be said to be affected supernaturally however those very motives be connatural to our Souls It being evident that we use even the natural power of our Reason in discoursing of things above our reason and on the other side to expect no constant way or common path of motives laid for the Salvation of Mankind but extraordinary inspirations for each particular man unravell's the Order of God's best Providence and is the very notion of Fanatickness But to meddle with this point is out of my road otherwise than to take my rise hence to show how far Christian Tradition is strengthenâ—d above the greatest meerly-human Testimony whatever And that the Church owes this strength to those Motives supervening to meer Nature which we rightly call Assistances of the Holy Ghost in regard they are built on Perfections of Will in the Faithful or on Virtues the Effects properly attributed to that Divine Person 2. Ere we come to explain what advantage the Church as thus divinely assisted has over her self as meerly wrought upon by human motives we will compare first her human Authority with some other vast Body of Testifiers which may most seem to stand in competition with her And an eminent and acute opposer of Tradition has already pointed us out a choice one namely that of the Mahometans for Mahomet's Existence which we doubt not to have the power to convey down the Truth thereof with Infallible Certainty to the end of the world if follow'd not do we think the most Sceptical Protestant doubts but it has had the force to make it self be follow'd hitherto however at unawares their calm Reason grants that to a Body of Turks which their Passion makes them question and even deny to a Church of Christians Yet I averr that the human force of Tradition in the Church for the descent of the main Body of Christs doctrin far exceeds that of the Turks for Mahomet's Existence 3. To shew this in brief I note in the first place and chiefly that howsoever a report may spread universally from a small beginning in the quality of a rumour yet the force of its Credibility if it be a matter of Fact is founded on the Quantity and Quality of those who first saw or perceiv'd it Putting then the Quality of the Testifiers in both cases to be equal so to bring our Controversy to a smaller compass and comparing onely the Quantity or Number of the original Testifiers on both sides what proportion is there between that handful of men about Mecha and some few other places where Mahomet conquer'd and planted his doctrin and those vast multitudes whom all the Apostles Disciples and Apostolical men converted by most powerful miracles in so many distant Nations in the World If we lay them together we shall find that few saw or felt that is were witnesses of Mahomets Existence so much as once in comparison of those who were every day imbu'd with and practicâ—t Christian Doctrine A new Consideration springs hence that 't is a thousand times easier for that single company of Arabians and Syrians to conspire to a ly and so deliver down to us a false Mahomet than it is for such a multitude of people in so remote Countries as first suck't in Christianity to conspire in the very thought of having such a Conspiracy And lastly it was as easie by oft repeated Sensatioâ—s to know Christian Doctrin at first to that degree as to govern their actions by it which is all that is requisit for the generality it giving the Principles to the daily practice of their new Life as they were Christians as it was for these other witnesses to be certain of Mahomet's Existence and much easier in regard the greater part by far of those whom we allow Witnesses of Mahomets Existence perhaps scarce knew him by sight not conversing him daily or very often as each of the Primitive Christians did with those points of Faith they guided their lives by 4. The human Authority then of the Church being such as exceeds she Evidence of other Testimonies which yet are such that amongst all the most extravagant Opiniastres none was ever found so frantick as to doubt them and should any do so all sober Mankind would esteem them stark mad which could not be done in reason unless they renounc't perfect evidence that is unless those Testimonies were perfectly Evident This I say being so some may think it superfluous and a quirk of an
none of the pretended Rules of Faith all of them building on Scripture's Letter are Certain Disc. 2. 3 4. without Tradition it follows that no other company have any Principle of Distinction from others that is either of Constitution or self-preservation under the notion of Church but that which adheres to Tradition All the loud out-cry then made commonly against that Body which adheres to Tradition callâ—d Roman-Catholick for accounting it self onely the Vniversal Church and excluding all others is but empty noise and her claim rational and well-grounded till it be shown by evident Discourse that the other Pretenders have some other more Evident and Certain Rule to know who are of the Church who not than this of Tradition now produc't and explicated upon which she proceeds and by which she consists 12. There is no arguing against Tradition out of Scripture For since as we have prov'd Disc. 4. there can be no absolute Certainty of Scripture's Letter without Tradition this must first be suppos'd Certain ere the Scripture's Letter can be rationally held such and consequently ought in reason to be held Vncertain while Tradition is thought â—it to be argu'd against that is while it's Certainty is doubted of Wherefore since none can argue solidly upon uncertain Grounds none ought to argue against Tradition out of the Letter of Scripture 13. None can in reason oppose the Authority of the Church or any Church against Tradition First because in reality Tradition rightly understood is the same thing materially with the living Voicâ— and Practice of the whole Church Essential consisting of Pastors and Layity which is so ample that it includes all imaginable Authority which can be conceiv'd to be in a Church Secondly because in the way of generating Faith Tradition formally taken is antecedent to Disc. 2. § 11. and so in the way of Discourse working by formal and abstracted notions its notion must be presuppos'd and its Certainty establish't before the notion and Certainty of Faith consequently of Faithful and consequently of Church which must necessarily be a congregation of Faithful Whence they would argue very preposterously who should go about to oppose Church against Tradition this being the same as to think to establish the House by overthrowing the Foundation 14. None can in reason oppose the Authority of Fathers or Councils against Tradition This is evident by the former Corol. 13. in regard neither of these have any Authority but as Representatives of the Church or Eminent Members of the Church Nor can any determin certainly what is a Father or Council Disc. 2. § 11. till the notion of Church that is of Faithful that is of Faith that is of Rule of Faith that is of Tradition be certainly establish't 15. No Disacknowledgers of Tradition are in Due of reason but in Courtesy onely to be allow'd to argue out of Scripture's Letter Father or Council For since wanting Tradition they have Certainty of none of those as was prov'd Disc. 2. § 11. 't is manifest that disacknowledging Tradition while they alledge and talk of these they alledge and talk of things themselves do not know to be Certain Wherefore 't is too great a Condescendence and courtesy in Catholiks to let them run forwards descanting with wordish Discourses on those Testimonies after their raw manner since they might justly take their advantage against them and show they have no right to make use of Principles which their own Grounds can never make good to them as was Tertullian's smart and solid way de Praescr Haeret. c. 15 16 17 18 19 20 21. denying them the use of Scripture who deny'd the Church which would save many an aiery confus'd discourse about words unapt to evidence any thing satisfactorily Nor can the right of an Opponent to argue ad hominem licence them to claim this favour from our Controvertists in regard we never held that Scriptures Letter hammer'd upon by Criticisms and such pretty knacks of human Learning was the Ground of our Faith nor the way to establish it but onely as interpreted by the Language and Practice of the Church nor consequently can we hold it capable to be prejudic't by such endeavours of private Wits Though then we should allow them a Copy of the Letter and consequently so far a liberty to argue ad hominem against us yet we never allow'd their method of arguing from it as efficacious either to build or evert Faiâ—h but our learned Controvertists ever held direct contrary Whence in case they clamour that in not following their wild method we desert Scripture to avoid which calumny with the vulgar I conceive one reason our Controvertists generally were so civil to them as to cope with them in their fleight way the unreasonableness of the Calumny is to be made appear which is quicklier done not their unreasonable expectation to be satisfy'd 16. No Authority from any History or Testimonial Writing is valid against the force of Tradition For since Falshood is as easy to be writ or printed as Truth 't is evident those Books can give no Testimony to themselves that what they express is certainly true and if we say they are abetted by the Testimony of other Books the same question recurrs concerning them in what Age soever they were writ It remains then that 't is onely the Acceptation of Men or Sence writ in their Hearts and so convey'd down from Father to Son that these Books are true Histories and not Fables which gives them any Authority But this has plainly the nature of Tradition They have therefore no Authority but by force of Tradition Therefore they can have no possible force against Tradition since if Tradition or the conveying down from hand to hand sence writ thus universally in men's hearts can deceive us no such Books can have any Authority at all Wherefore not the Books but the Sence writ in men's hearts of the Goodness and skill of the Authours of those Books upon which qualifications the Truth of each passage contain'd in those Books is built is to be alledg'd against Christian Tradition since 't is that Sence which authorizes those Books and gives Credibility to those passages and so is stronger than any dead Testimony from the Books themselves Which devolves into this that onely some great Tradition or living Testimony for things past can in point of Authority be pretended an equal match to Christian Tradition or competent to be alledgâ—d against it 17. No Tradition is alledg'd or alledgeable in reason against Christian Tradition That none is alledgâ—d is Evident from matter of Fact For the Adversaries of Catholick Tradition never pretend the Consent or constant Sence of great multitudes deriv'd from age to age by living voice that at such a time former Tradition was relinquish't new Faith introduc't or the old Faith chang'd or abolisht but onely odd ends or scraps of Histories or other dead Testimonies according as they light on some passage which seems favourable to them or may
be rendred interpretable that way Whence there are almost as many minds as men about the time when any change was made nay some of their best Champions Dr Whitaker and Mr Powel profess the time of the Romish Churches change cannot easily be told and that they cannot tell by whom or at what time the Enemy did sow the Papists Doctrin This I say being so 't is most Evident they decline the pretence of any Tradition against ours and the very way of deriving down orally and practically Sence writ in mens Hearts by matter of Fact working on their Senses and instead of that recurr to pittiful shreds and fragments oâ— words utterly unauthoriz'd if the Tradition for that Books Goodness can fail And if Catholick Tradition which in its source was so largely extended visible and practicable by all can faulter ten thousand times more easily may the Tradition for any particular Book which in comparison of the other can be but of a very obscure Original fail and deceive us Now that no Tradition is alledgeable against us by Protestants appears hence that their immediate Forefathers little more than an 100. Years ago being Catholicks that is holders of their Faith no Novelty but uninterruptedly descended could never conspire to deliver to them any such sence that the Roman Church had alter'd her Faith since they had the contrary sence writ in the Tables of their hearts Nor can they have recourse to the Greek Church for a Tradition opposit to ours for any points of Faith in which they differ from us for they will find none such Nor is the Greek Church Progenitours to them here in England nor by consequence can they derive traditionarily from them 18. No solid Argument from Reason or intrinsecal Principles is producible against Christian Tradition For since Arguments if solid are taken from Things or Nature and the Certainty of Christian Tradition is built on the best Nature that is Man 's not according to what is alterable in it but what is abstracting from disease absolutely unalterable that is on Knowledge imprinted by natural Sensations and this Knowledge strengthen'd and made most lively by the oft-repeatedness of those Sensations and the import of the Things known Also since most efficacious Causes actually appli'd that is impossible not to do the Effect and Effects impossible to be without such a Cause's Existence are engag'd for the ever-continuance or Uninterruptedness of Tradition as hath been shown Disc. 6. 8. and the force of those preserving Causes strengthen'd by the most powerful assistances of the Holy Ghost Disc. 9. or by best Graces superadded to best Nature 'T is impossible any solid Argument from Reason should be brought against Tradition 19. The arguing by way of some few Instances as the manner is can have no force against Tradition's Certainty and Indefectiveness For seeing a pretended Instance of Tradition's failing is a particular action presumed to be long ago past and particulars out of the very nature of being particulars are surrounded by a thousand individuating circumstances or rather constituted by them that is are plac't in the proper sphere of Contingency and that particular Action is put to be long ago past and â—o affects not our Senses by Experience in which is founded the force of Instances in regard Experimental Knowledge is a necessary Effect of the Things being such as it is known Nor have we or can we have without Tradition any certain knowledge Coroll 16. that the Points of Faith pretended to have miscarried or to have been alter'd then or else the manner of expressing them were not mistaken then or misrepresented to us now nor that Interest for example of one party passion between both ambiguity of words slightness or confusedness of report grounding the Historians narration rashness of belief in him corruption of his Books since they were writ and innumerable other chances apt to occasion mistake did not intervene any of which would render the Instance uncertain and the Argument from it Inconclusive Again seeing we can have certainty of our own meaning of our words when we demonstrate and also of our consequence it follows that the way for a solid man to answer Traditions pretended demonstrableness must be to show the incoherence of the Terms and not to bring some old story against it which were to produce Uncertainty known to be such against pretended Certainty and not yet known to be other than such nay whos 's Evidence we cannot in reason deny till we can solve the connexion of Terms drawn from intrinsecal Mediums on which 't is built 20. The denying Tradition is a proper and necessary disposition to Fanatickness For since no Argument taken from any dead or written Testimony Coroll 12. 14. 16. nor living Testimony of Tradition Coroll 13. 17. nor from any thing in Nature Coroll 18. that is from any thing without us which is a second Cause is valid against Tradition It follows that Tradition cannot be denied but by pretending some Light or Knowledge within us deriv'd from the immediate Influence of the First Cause To which pretence helps its difficulty to be confuted in regard 't is easie to stand stiff in this Tenet that they see clearly such Truths by an inward Light and that therefore it were a madness to go about to confute their own manifest Experience whereas were Arguments produc-t openly they and their confutations might be publisht together and the Truth would lie expos'd to the scanning and decision of the Indifferent part of the world and be clear'd by a few Replies if a right method of discourse be taken Wherefore since Nature will easily teach the obstinate deniers of any Principle to avail themselves by the best plea they can to escape confuting 't is manifest that Nature will connaturally carry the deniers of Tradition to Fanatick Pranciples and that men are so long and no longer preserv'd from Fanatickness than they follow Tradition or the openly declar'd Sence of Forefathers either in our Church or some other Congregation Again Tradition being the way of coming to Faith by the open use of our Senses the denying it must drive the deniers to deny that way and to recurr to Knowledge had some other way Not to Knowledge acquir'd by human skill the Knowledge of such high mysteries being confessedly more than human therefore to infus'd Knowledge and this not infus'd by ordinary wayes as preaching teaching of Forefathers and such like as we experience such Knowledges to be infus'd into us for this again falls into the way of Tradition therefore they can onely have refuge to inward Light or Knowledge infus'd extraordinarily or without connatural means to make which the common road of receiving Heaven's Influences is the very definition of Fanatickness 21. Fanatick Principles can have no force against Tradition though unconfutable but by it For since they pretend for their ground a Light within imprinted on such a manner as manifests God the Authour that is an Effect
the Knowledge of such things that is to all Mankind who use common Reason This is evident from the former For first Principles are to be Self-evident to all those who are to use them and proceed upon them which in our case is the most ordinary vulgar 26. The Certainty of Tradition being establisht the whole Body of the Faithful by which I mean Catholicks or the Church Essential is by relying on it infallibly certain that it is in possession of Christ's true doctrin For since Tradition is Self-evidently a Certain way if followd Disc. 5. § 8. 13. and both best Nature and best Grace in this world are engaged that it hath been and shall be ever followed Disc. 6. and 9. Again since the Certainty of what Faith was formerly taught must needs descend to us as matter of Fact formerly past that is whose Certainty depends on Authority and Tradition is the first Principle in way of Authority as it engages for matters of Fact formerly past Corol. 24. and Self-evident to the proceeders on it Corol. 25. that is to the Body of Catholicks Lastly since Christian Tradition rightly understood is nothing but the living voice of the Catholick Church Essential as delivering 't is manifestly and manifoldly evident that that Body which relies on It that is the Catholick Church or Corol. 6. 11. the whole Church Essential is infallibly Certain that she is in secure possession of Christs true Doctrin 27. Tradition once establisht General Councils and even Provincial ones nay particular Churches are Infallible by proceeding upon It. For the same reason in regard that proceeding on it they proceed upon a Certain and Self-evident Principle Corol. 24. 25. that is such a one as neither they can mistake nor it mislead them 28. The Roman See with its Head are particularly Infallible by the same means For in regard a more vigorous Cause put at first is apt to produce a greater Effect and the Coresidence Joynt-endeavours Preaching Miracles and lastly Martyrdome of the two Chief Apostles working upon that City which commanded the greatest part of the world were more vigorous Causes to imprint Christs Doctrin at first and recommend it to the next age than was found any where else it follows that the stream of Tradition in its source and first putting into motion was more particularly vigorous here than in any other See Again since uninterrupted publicity of professing Faith makes a greater visibility of Faith which is a manifest advantage to Tradition and no Patriarchal See but the Roman hath continued ever from the Primitive times in a publick Profession of Christs Faith being held under by Barbarians hence the Roman See and inclusively their Pastours and most their chief Pastour have a particular title to Infallibility built on Tradition above any other See or Pastour whatsoever Not to mention and dilate on the particular Assistances to the Clergy of that See and most particular to its Bishop springing out of their divinely constituted office in regard 't is a position unacknowledged by Adversaries against whom I am discoursing 29. Tradition establisht the Church is provided of a certain and Infallible Rule to preserve a Copy of the Scripture's Letter truly significative of Christs sence as far as it is coincident with the main Body of Christian doctrin preacht at first For since â—tis certain the Apostles taught the same Doctrin they writ â—tis manifest the Scriptureâ—s Letter was at first for what of it was intended to signify Points of Faith significative of Faith or Sence writ by miracles preaching and practice in the hearts of the first Faithful Wherefore since the same sence that was preacht at first was preserv'd all along unalterably by Tradition Disc. 6. 8. and the same sence in mens hearts can easily guide them to correct the alteration of the outward Letter so as to preserve it significative of the sence first delivered Therefore Tradition establisht the Church is provided of a certain and Infallible Rule to preserve a Copy of the Scripture's Letter truly significative of Christ's sence as far as Scripture is coincident with the main body of Christian Doctrin preacht at first 30. Tradition establisht the Church is provided of a certain and Infallible Rule to interpret Scripture's Letter by so as to arrive certainly at Christ's Sence as far as that Letter concerns the Body of Christian Doctrin preacht at first or points requisit to Salvation For since Disc. 6. 8. Tradition preserves the first deliver'd sence alive in mens hearts sent down by way of living voice and Christian practice and these were in the beginning evidently a most certain way of knowing the Sence of the Letter â—tis evident that they are still such Wherefore Tradition establisht the Church is provided c. 31. Tradition establish't nothing can be received by the Church as hâ—ld from the first or ever unless held ever For since Disc. 5. § 13. Disc. 6. 8. Corol. 24 25. Tradition is self-evidently a certain method of conveying down matters of Fact as they were found it follows that Tradition establish't points not held ever must be convey'd down such as they were found that is as not held ever and consequently not as held from the first or ever 32. Tradition establish't 't is impossible any Errour against Christâ— s Faith should bee received by the Church that is no Errour contradicting Faith can be received as of Faith For since to be received as of Faith is Disc. 6. 8. to Traditionary Christians the same as to be received as held ever or from Christs time and Corol. 31. no point at all though disparate or indifferent not-held-ever can be received as held-ever 't is evident that much less can an erroneous point contradicting what was held ever be received as held-ever 33. Notwithstanding Tradition Erroneous Opinions and their proper Effects absurd Practices may creep into the Church and spread there for a while For since notwithstanding the Certainty of Tradition the Church is still according to our Saviour a Congregation made up of good and bad and the Bad will do like themselves that is be glad to invent and propagate such Principles as shall make for their own Ends or for Vices that is Erroneous ones Again since it cannot be expected but that multitudes even of good men in the Church should in using their private reasons be liable to Errour in divers particular points or Cases and that the remoteness of Christian Principles or Points of Faith from the Principles of particular Actions or Cases is apt to make the opposition between them not easily nor clearly discoverable at first nay the ambiguity in wording them may make them appear at first sight fairly reconcilable till the Terms be distinguisht and clear'd from equivocation 't is very evident that Tradition's Certainty hinders not but Erroneous Opinions and their proper Effects absurd Practices may creep into the Church and spread there for a while 34.
Erroneous Opinions can never gain any solid footing in the Church For since Disc. 5. § 15. Corol. 11. the Church is a Body of men relying on Tradition or the Authority of attesting Forefathers not on the Authority of Opinators these Opinions can never have any firmness in her by means of Authority and on the other side being Erroneous they can never gain any depth of adhesion by being demonstrably true nor Errour being necessarily opposit to Truth can they even maintain their quiet posture by being evidently not opposit to Faith It follows that neither upon the score of Reason nor Authority can they sink deep into the minds of the Faithful at least the intelligent party of them or gain any solid footing in the Church but are subject to be contradicted or have their verity disputed by the searching and unsatisfy'd wits of Opposers 35. The Prudence requisit in Church-Government is one Cause why Erroneous Opinions are not immediately but after some long time perhaps to be declared against by the Authority of the whole Church For since a Church is a most vast and sacred Common-wealth and so of the greatest gravity and Authority imaginable she is not in prudence to engage it trivially in sleight occasions nor rashly when the point is unevident Wherefore seeing an Erroneous Opinion while held but by few is of sleight concern and so onely fit to be taken notice of by inferiour Officers when universally held is of great Authority amongst the multitude she is in Prudence to suspend till its Opposition to Faith be clear'd by the Science of Divinity and this satisfactorily to a great part of the Opinatours lest either she should in stead of tares pluck up wheat or use her Authority more to destruction than edification by a too hasty decision 36. No Erroneous Opinion in Divinity if Vniversal and Practical can be very long permitted in the Church For since Corol. 31. a meer Opinion can never gain the Authority of a Traditionary point 't is manifest it can never subsist when it is shown to clash with any of the said Points Wherefore since it is liable to discussion and men are naturally of different Judgments and Interests and the variety and Nature of worldly Interest is such that if any thing makes for the Interest of some 't is for that very reason against the Interest of another it will excite them to discussion and sifting its Conformity or Disconformity to Christian Principles which is the way to clear the Terms and make it appear But especially seeing absurd or irrational Practices are the proper Effects of Erroneous Principles and that our natural Corruption inclines men to follow such Practices till they be checkt by regard to something held Sacred that is by being shown opposit to Faith it follows that till this opposition be shown they will infallibly grow on still more and more till they come to such an height of absurdity that they need now no skill to discover them Experience teaching us that the most palpable and evident method to try the Truth of any Speculation is to put it into matter and bring it into Practice Those irrational Practices therefore must needs after some time discover themselves opposit to Christian behaviour and consequently confess the Principle which begot them opposit to Christian Faith which done it presently loses its credit and is quasht by the incomparably more powerful force and all over-bearing Authority of Tradition 37. Erroneous Opinions and the irrational Practices issuing from them though suppos'd Vniversal and of long continuance can never corrupt substantially the Iudgments or Wills of the Faithful For since Corol. 31. nothing not held ever or not coming from Christ can possibly be accepted as held ever or coming from Christ 't is evident no Erroneous Opinion can come to gain the sacredness and repute of a Traditionary point nor their proper practices the Esteem of Christian Practice Wherefore Traditionary Points being the Principles which absolutely possess the Judgmenrs and govern the lives of the Faithful as Christians it follows that no Opinion can ever be held by them but in a conciev'd subordination to Traditionary points or points of Faith nor practicâ—t by them but with a conceivd subordination and conformity to those Practices which spring from undoubtedly-known Christian Tenets or Traditionary points Seeing then what is not held and practicâ—t but as conceivd subordinate to other Tenets and Practices must needs be less held than those others nay not held at all otherwise than conditionally or upon supposal of such a subordination â—tis clearly consequent that Traditions Certainty is so powerful an Antidote that bad Opinions and Practices can never corrupt substantially and absolutely the Judgments or wills of the Faithfull 38. No Erroneous Opinion or its proper Practice is imputable to the Church properly and formally taken For since the Church formally as such proceeds on Christian Tradition no such Opinion nor consequently Practice is imputable to the Church properly and formally taken but onely to some men in the Church materially consider'd as left to the contingent force of their private Discourses that is indeed to the Schools not the Church 39. 'T is exceedingly weak and senceless to think to impugn the Church by objecting to her such Opinions and Practices For since they concern her not nor are imputable to her as Church or to her Members as Faithful the wise Objection can onely signify thus much that the Church has men in her who are fallible in their private Discourses or School-disputes that is she has men in her who are men A heavy imputation 40. The Knowledge of Tradition's Certainty is the first Knowledge or Principle in Controversial Divinity that is without which nothing is known or knowable in that Science For since Controversy or the Science which establishes the Certainty of Faith depends on these two Propositions Whatever God said is true and God said this the former of which is out of Controversy as we now handle it with our modern Dissenters and onely the later is the subject of our debate Seeing also as hath been largely and manifoldly evident nothing can ascertain us of this but Tradition nor It unless its Certainty be known it follows that the Knowledge of Tradition's Certainty is the first Knowledge or Principle in Controversial Divinity 41. Christ's promise to his Church however comfortable to the Faithful can bear no part in the notion of the Rule of Faith nor be the first Principle of a Controversial Divine For since Christ's promise to his Church is held as a point of Faith that is receiv'd upon the Rule of Faith that is subsequent to that Rule 't is manifest that it can be no part of that Rule nor first Principle in Controversy Again the Rule of Faith Disc. 1. § 4 and 9. must be so evident as to its Existence that no other Knowledge must intervene between the natural power of Understanding and It and this in the meanest vulgar
but that Christ promist his Church Infallibility is not thus self-evident but needs other Knowledges to evidence it unless we will make all come by Inspiration Besides if God's Providence laid in second Causes for Tradition's Indeficiency be not Certain in its self abstracting from Christ's promise to his Faithful Tradition can never convey certainly that Promise to us It must then be assur'd to us by Scripture's Letter ascertain'd onely by imagin'd diligence from Copy to Copy not by Tradition that is that Letter could not be certain its self and so fit to ascertain others till Tradition's Certainty be establish't antecedently And were it suppos'd a true Letter this Letter Tradition being as yet suppos'd unknown to be able to convey down certainly Christs sence must be interpreted onely by private skills and so all the Churches Veracity that is all Mankinds Salvation must be built on that private Interpretation Private I say for in that supposition till the Scripture's Letter for that point be Interpreted certainly truly the Churches veracity or power to interpret it truly is not yet known which besides the common Rule that no Scripture is of private Interpretation is particularly and highly faulty in this case that it would make our Fundamental of Fundamentals the Certainty of our Rule of Faith rely on such a private Interpretation Moreover to say Tradition of the Church is Certain because Christ promist it puts it to be believ'd not seen and is the same in Controversy as it is in Nature to say in common such an Effect is wrought because 't is God's will which gives no account of that particular Effect but onely sayes something in common Wherefore since the Certainty of the Rule of Faith it being antecedent to Faith must be seen not believ'd a Controversial Divine ought to make it seen that is ought to demonstrate its Certainty and Indeficiency by intrinsecal mediums or dependence on proper Causes It signisies therefore no more in the Science of Controversy to say Christ promist than in Natural Science to answer to every Question in stead of showing a proper Cause that God wills it which is a good saying for a Christian as is also the other but neither of them a competent Principle either for Philosopher or Controvertist Consent Of AUTHORITY To the substance of the foregoing Discourses 1. THus far Reason Let 's see how 't is seconded by Authority And first by the Scriptures 2. For the Self-evidence of the Way to Faith or which is all one The Rule of Faith see the Prophet Isay c. 35. v. 8. This shall be to you a direct way so that Fools cannot err in it That is evident to the rudest Vulgar or self-evident else Fools might possibly err in it in case it needed any Skill of Discourse and were not obvious to Common Sense 3. Now what this Self-evident Rule is is most expressively declar'd by the same Prophet c. 59. v. 21. speaking of God's favour intended to the Gentiles that is of the Law of Grace This is my Covenant with them saith the Lord my Spirit which is in thee and my words which I have put in thy Mouth shall not depart from thy mouth and from the mouth of thy Seed and from the mouth of thy Seed's Seed from henceforth for ever Here we see God's promise to perpetuate Christ's Doctrin and on what manner that is by Oral Tradition or Delivering it from Father to Son by word of Mouth or Teaching not by scanning a Book put in their hands We see it promist also that this Tradition shall be Indefectible or Vninterrupted and Lastly that his Spirit or Sanctity is both in the Church and will continue ever with her which being so she must needs be supernaturally assisted by the Holy Ghost that is incomparably above the power of Nature to this Effect of perpetuating Christ's doctrin by Tradition 4. As pithy and home is that of the Prophet Ieremiah c. 31. I will give my Law in their Bowels and iâ— their Hearts will I write it and still more that of St. Paul contradistinguishing the Law of Grace from Moses his Law by this that the later was writ in Tables of Stone the former in the fleshy Tables of mens Hearts Both as express as can be imagined to send us for our Faith to living Sence in the hearts of the Faithful not to meer dead Letters in a Book that is recommending to us Tradition which is the perfectest and naturalest way imaginable to write them there as hath been shown Note the word Hearts which in the Metaphorical expression is the Principle of Action not of meeâ— Speculative Knowledge as is the word Brain Which intimates the Practical nature of Tradition and that it imprints Christs Law and conveys it down by Christian Carriage and Action not by Speculative scanning the significativeness of Characters in a Book Note also the word Fleshy which signifies that the manner of writing Christ's Law is through the affecting the Soul by her Inferiour part considering her as she is a virtue of understanding that is by Sensations which make strong and plain Impressions in Mankind according to their material part and so force into them Natural Knowledge Whence things thus imprinted are apt to settle themselves solidly and even sink deeply into the most material gross and vulgar understandings Quite contrary to which in all regards is the way of beginning with reading and labouring to understand certainly Letters in a Book which is a kind of Speculation and so belongs to the Superiour part of the Soul as she is understanding being Artificial both in the very Nature of such Characters the skill in Reading and highest skills requisit to Sence them with Certainty 5. After Scripture-verdict succeed next in order those of Councils I will onely mention three in several Ages leaving multitudes of others The first Synod of Lateran We all confirm unanimously and consequently with one heart and mouth the Tenets and sayings of the Holy Fathers adding nothing subtracting nothing of those things which are DELIVERâ—D VS quae TRADITA sunt nobis by them and we believe so as the Fathers have believed we preach so as they have TAVGHT The Council of Sardica in its Encyclical sent to all Catholick Bishops We have received this Doctrin we have been taught so we hold this Catholick Tradition Faith and Confession And the seventh General Council in its second Act. We imbu'd with the precepts of the Fathers have so confest and do confess In the Third we receive and venerate the Apostolical Traditions of the Church And in the seventh Act giving their final determination they declare the Grounds on which they proceed in these words We walking in the King's-high-way Regiam viam incedentes and relying on the Doctrin of our holy and divine Fathers and observing the TRADITION of the Catholick Church define c. where we see General Councils that is the greatest Authority in the Catholick Church relying on the Teaching of
believing Ancestours That they who do not so stand upon a precipice seeking what 's beyond their power that is to hammer a certain Faith out of Scripture's Letter by their private Wit Which reflected on a little reason enlightned by so plain and manifold Experiences will easily tell them that 't is the shallowness of their Grounds unable to satisfy Rational Nature which makes so many of theirs take upon them to seek for Faith and so leave them and the solid secureness connaturalness and satisfactoriness of ours which makes few or none leave us and those who do 't is easie to discover the motives of their revolting 11. Yet one more from this Illustrious Father as one whom by reason of his Famous Contrasts with the impious Arians it concern'd to be more express in inculcating and sticking to the true Rule of Faith He writing to Epictetus Bishop of Corinth 'T is to be answer'd saith he to those things which alone of it self suffices that those are uot of the Orthodox Church and that our Ancestours never held so So that the living Voice of the Church Tradition or belief of Ancestours is held by him a sole-sufficient Rule of Faith and the onely Answer to be given why we reject points from Faith or admit them into It that is an Evident Reason for such a carriage for otherwise another Answer would be requisit 12. We will be shorter in the rest Clemens Alexandrinus Stromatôn 7o. As if one of a man becomes a beast like those infected by Circes poyson so he hath forfeited his being a man-of-God and Faithful to our Lord who spurns against the Churches Tradition and leaps into Opinions of human Elections Basil against Eunomius Wouldst thou have us all perswaded by thee prefer your Conceits before the Tradition of Faith which perpetually hath conquer'd under so many holy men And speaking against two other Hereticks Sabellius and Arius Let TRADITION bridle thee Our Lord taught thus the Apostles preach't it the Fathers conserv'd it our Ancestours confirm'd it be content to say as thou art taught We have it clear then that the Renouncer of Tradition is none of the Faithful that is cut off from the Root of Faith see Corol. 4. that all is men's Conceits and Arbitrary Opinions which the word Heresie imports that is opposit to Tradition We have lastly the whole course of our Faith's descent from Christ to us yet not a word of descending by Scripture or Letters in Books but by the way of Preaching and Teaching that is Oral delivery and Sence writ in men's hearts 13. I omit many other Fathers but I must not S. Austin Ea potius credam c. I will rather believe saith he contra Epistolam Fundamenti those things which are celebrated now by the consent of learned and unlearned and are confirmed throughout all Nations by most grave Authority And again 'T is manifest that the Authority of the Catholick Church is of force to cause Faith and Assurance Which Authority from the best establisht Seats of the Apostles even to this very day is strengthened by the Series of Bishops succeeding them and by the Assertion of so many Nations In both places he he makes the consent of Learned and Vnlearned Bishops and conspiring people continu'd down to these dayes that is the living voice of the Church Essential or Tradition the most grave Authority apt to ascertain us and cause Faith that is he makes Tradition the Rule of Faith and builds its strength as we also do on the multitude and consent of the Asserters or Testifiers of its descent Also in his 58. Epistle The Faithful saith he do possess perseveringly a RVLE OF FAITH common to little and great in the Church Where every word is Emphatical That the Churches voice is the Rule of Faith That this Rule is common to Learued and Vnlearned that is able to satisfie the acutest Discoursers and yet understandable by the rudest vulgar Lastly that they hold it and that perseveringly or unshakenly which shews it self-evident else both the unlearned at least might come to doubt of it See Disc. 5. § 8 9 10 11. 14. Thus much for the credit of Tradition it s being the Rule of Faith Certain and Uninterrupted But how shall we know who enjoyes this Tradition or what points have been handed down by it from the beginning Must we not run to Private Expositions of Scripture to be assur'd of this or at least to Libraries of Books writ in all former Ages to see if perhaps their Authours mightâ—have dream'd of our now difficulties and then prophesi'd us a satisfaction so express and ample that no cavil can avoid it No we have manifest Certainty of it other wayes if we may trust the Fathers We will onely alledge two both very Antient and great Masters of Controversy against the Hereticks of their times S. Ireneus lib. 1. cap. 3. All those who will hear Truth may at present perfectly discern adest perspicere in the Church the Tradition of the Apostles manifest in the whole World That is the Doctrin of the present Church proceeding upon or adhering to Tradition is a manifest Argument that what it teaches now was delivered by the Apostles And Tertullian contra Marcionem That is manifestly True which is First that First which is from the beginning that from the beginning which is from the Apostles In like manner that will manifestly appear to have been delivered by the Apostles which shall be establisht as Sacred in the Churches of the Apostles Where first he ascends and confounds Novelty or Heresie by shewing that the Priority of what they left argues it to have been ever or from the Apostles and so True and then proves and manifestly too that that was delivered from the Apostles which is found establisht that is held to be receiv'd as all his former Doctrine runs as sacred in the Churches at present which were founded by the Apostles But he is yet more express in his first Book against the same Heretick nothing is to be acknowledg'd a Tradition of the Apostles but what is at this present day profest for such in their Churches So that he sends us not to Volumes of Histories and other Writers which if Tradition can'fail are of no Authority to find what was the Antient or Primitive Traditions or what the Apostles taught or delivered but onely to the living Voice of the present Churches which had been but a weak procedure in case their holding now a thing deliver'd were not argumentative that it was deliver'd ever which is the substance of my proof a posteriori for the Indefectiveness of Tradition And least it should be imagin'd that this Argument loses its force by tract of time or the long-continuance of the Church Peter Chrysologus in his 85. Sermon secures us from that danger A Christian mind knows not how to bring into dispute those things which are strengthen'd by Tradition of the Fathers and even ipsis temporibus by Time
true Sence of that Letter in Points of Faith deliver'd See Coroll 29. 30 it follows that Scripture alledged by the Church relying on Tradition for its Rule engages certainly and fully the very Authority of the Divinely inspir'd Writer himself and gives that Testimony the whole Effect upon our understanding which that Sacred Writers Authority deserves to have given it No wonder then the Council proceeding upon Traditionary Interpretation as it constantly declares it self to do honours Scripture-Testimony so as to put it before Tradition or the delivery of Christs Doctrin from hand to hand Scripture thus alledg'd and securd having the same force as if the Apostle or Evangelist himself should sit in the Council and by way of living voice declar'd his own Sence in the matter to whom thus present what deference the Council would have given is obvious to be imagin'd Hence also the Protestant may see what high esteem our Church gives to Gods Word truly so calld that is having Gods Sence certainly-known to be such in it and that 't is onely the outward Letter as us'd to hammer a Faith out of by wordish skills that is indeed their Method of interpreting it which by reason of its Uncertainty falls short of engaging the Sacred Authority of Gods Word we fleight and scorn And most justly since 't is the having no better way to work on Scripture which has brought Scripture it self thus usâ—d to scorn and contempt as appears in the carriage of our Bedlam of new Sects in England I expect here some mighty man of talk but very weak Speculator should object that this is an excellent way to bring all into our Churches hands But till he can prove that both Letter Sence of Scripture are knowable with such a Certainty as to build on them that most firm Assent call'd Faith by any other way than this of Tradition I can neither hinder my Inferences nor will he ever be able to confute my discourse 20. Thus much to show evidently that the Substance of the Doctrin we have given in our former Discourses is the very Sence of our Church at present and that her present Sence in this matter is agreeable to the Judgment of Antient Fathers and Councils I have no more to do now but to show that at the very time of the Breach here in England the Catholick was found adhering fast to this Rule of Tradition renounc't by the Protestant This is evident by the Protestants own confession For as oft as you hear them alledge that England was formerly overgrown with Popery that the new Light of the Gâ—spel hath of late discovered it self that they reformâ—d in Faith that the former Church errd and such like expressions which naturally must burst out from them so oft you hear them acknowledge themselves Deserters of Tradition and Innovators Which Expressions of theirs by the way easily manifest to the most vulgar understanding who â—tis that hath renounct Tradition whence it being also easily evidenceable to the rudest capacity that Tradition is a most certain way of bringing down Faith Disc. 5. § 8. the most vulgar Soul is capable of knowing which Profession it is to follow For the two former points being known they are Certain by motives within their own Ken that Protestants have renounct the Certain way to bring down Faith but that we renounct Tradition of old is unacknowledged by us disputable and onely knowable by skills they are not Masters of Common Sense then teaching them they must guide themselves by reasons they are capable of and not by reasons of which they know nothing and that God requires no more at their hands than they can do Gods goodness has provided for those weak people out of the very Confessions of Traditionâ—s deserters Certain means to judge whether they ought to be Catholicks or Protestants But to return whence we diverted 21. It is not onely the Protestants own Confession but the open Profession of the Catholick Clergy in the very nick of the Breach manifests our claim and constant adherence to Tradition Whose Declaration found in the Synodal Book 1559. begins thus Because by relation of publick Fame it hath lately come to our knowledge that many Tenets of Christian Religion hitherto received and approvâ—d by the Publick and 〈◊〉 Consent of Christian Nations and BROVGHT DOWN BY HANDS even from the Apostles to Vs are callâ—d into doubt Therefore c. Where we find them stick firmly to Tradition And insisting on this Principle they proceed to make a Profession of their Faith which they exhibit to the Bishops to be given to the Lord Keeper but the State by power over-bearing the Votes of the Reverend Convocation and persecuting them for their constancy the Breach ensuâ—d The Catholick cleaving fast to his Old Rule Tradition the Protestants chusing a new one of Scripture privately interpreted whose vanity a little reason makes them see but experience perfectly find and relinquishing the Antient Rule so demonstrably self-evident secure and solid By which means they became cut off from the onely Certain way to know Christs Sence that is from the Root of Faith and consequently from the Body of the Church The Guilt of which Fact neither Human Authority Multitude Prosperity Continuance nor yet all their Voluminous wordish Excuses will ever be able to Efface ANIMADVERSIONS On Dr. Pierce's Sermon Also on Mr. Whitby and Mr. Stillingfleet where they touch the Way lay'd in the foregoing Discourses In Three Appendixes Psalm 63. Sagittae parvulorum factae sunt Plagae eorum Anno Dom. 1665. TRANSITION To The following APPENDIXES I Have finisht my Discourse how dexterously must be determin'd by the Iudgment of my Readers and Confutation from mâ—â—e Adversaries But I account those onely my proper Iudges competent Adversaries who lay their Principles ere they discourse and weigh the efficaciousness of their Testimonies in the Scales of Reason ere they alledge them If I find a man laying no Principles of his own but supposing them and making account all men must admit them out of respect to him or his party and yet bend all his endeavours to cavil at Principles laid by others to ascertain and establish the Groundwork of Christianity If I find one ignorant of or resolv'd against the onely-Certain method and Rule of Discourse which is that No Position deserves Assent unless the Connexion of its Terms be Evident which must either be when they are Evidently connected of themselves of which nature ought to be all First Principles or made evidently-connected by the interposition of some other which we call Evident-by-consequence or Deduction Lastly if I find a man wedded to Parrat-talk of Ayr and Sounds that he thinks it a rare thing to load margents with Citations without first distinguishing them and considering what strength each ought to have according to rational Principles I decline such an empty Soul for my Iudge and sleight him as mine Adversary And lest any should impute this carriage to me
her Certainty is the First Principle in the Science of Controversy 6. This tenour of my Discourse briefly reflected on I beg of my intelligent Reader to regard it once more in the bulk and he will see that I begin with Self-evident Principles That my Principles are antecedent to Authorities and so are competent means to judge Authorities by that I studiously avoid wordish ambiguity which Rhetorical Discoursers ly open to holding rigorously to the notion or meaning of the words that I lay but the meaning of two familiar words Rule and Faith for the basis of all my Discourse that I endeavour to pursue my Principles by very obvious and immediate connexions that all the way I attend heedfully to and build upon the Natures of the Things which in short devolves to this that it may be hop't at least by my method that there needs nothing but Time and Industry to frame and make up in rigorous demonstrative form that sence which I have here deliver'd in a way more sutable to the temper of the World and ease of my Readers who may see Evidence in my Discourse without being oblig'd to bend their brains to study my Book with that severity as they would do an Euclid 7. When this is done let my Reader reflect on all the Discourses concerning Faith made by any Protestant and see how far they are short from I will not say any such performance but even an Attempt of Evidence First Principles they lay none and consequently Evidence of Deduction cannot be expected from them for wanting First Principles 't is nonsence and folly to talk of deducing Again For want of such Principles they want Certainty of any Text of Scripture to justify it against an Atheist or Deist They want Self-evident Principles to guide them in interpreting their Vncertain Letter and so confute other Sects which differ from their Church and the method they take to do it is evidently quite of another nature than Scientifical They have nothing upon account of Living Teachers which ascertain Sence so that you must to find your Faith not build upon the sence of two or a few familiar words but of an whole large Book that is on millions of words and those too not onely unsenc't but also very abstruse and mysterious They suppose all which is antecedent to Faith that is all Principles which are to induce Faith and so make no Provision for the Grounds of Christianity against Heathens and Atheists The Natures of Things they are so far from proceeding upon that they not so much as mind or think of them nor I doubt fancy or value that method when set before their eyes Principles to weigh each Testimony by they lay none and so quote at randome Certainty they seek not nor care for for they quote the Fathers and Scripture as by themselves interpreted and yet neither hold the Testimony of Fathers Infallible nor yet themselves in interpreting Scripture yet plainest reason tells us that unless the Fathers or themselves were Infallible hic nunc in this saying or interpretation they were hic nunc Fallible that is all built on that Testimony or Interpretation is contingent and Vncertain yet of such Citations no better authoriz'd clâ—d perhaps in some fine words the Books of their best Champions are made up So that they are convinc't not to study Things but Words that is not to be Scholars or Knowers but Empty Talkers and so the effect of their endeavours can never be satisfaction to an intelligent soul but onely tickling the Ear or pleasing the Fancy 9. As I have shown this Vngrounded proceeding of the Protestants by Principles so I intend to do the same by Instances but ere I go about this undertaking I think fit to meet with an Objection obvious to many Readers 'T is this that 'T is strange all Catholicks do not take this way it being so conclusive as well as I. 10. I answer that all Truths being connected 't is evident each Truth even for being such is maintainable several wayes especially Supreme â—nd very concerning ones Amongst which wayes some are sutable to some capacities others to others Wherefore Catholick Controvertists esteeming themselves Debtors both Sapientibus or to those who judg of things per altissimas causas and Insipientibus or those who do not so nor fly higher than a prudential pitch and the later of these being the Generality hereupon the Charity and Prudence of those learned Opposers of Dr. Pierce and very many others have thought fit to address to These by answering his Testimonies particularly leaving me the way of Reason and Principles though in danger to receive much disadvantage by my imperfect delivery and securer under the managery of their abler heads and pens I declare therefore that I intend no confutation of any of those Authours nor to share in the victory of those excellent Champions of Truth It being perhaps needless to the Generality however very satisfactory to examining Wits to confute that in Common which is already confuted by Retail I write more against their Way than their Books Yet if any will be so charitable as to judge my short hints to bear the force of a solid Confutation because they radically and fundamentally overthrow all their Arguments and very Method of arguing if it be Truth 's advantage I shall give God thanks for it and be glad of it But the main is it imports not in maintaining Truth what others do or do not but if it be shown that Catholick Principles I mean the living voice of the Catholick Church or Tradition our Rule of Faith can bear such a rigorous test of Reason and appear more lustrous and bright by so severe a trial and on the contrary that the Principles of the Revolters from her are so little solid so volatil and meerly made up of Fancy that they evaporate into ayr and even shrink into nothing when set in the mid-daâ— beams of Truth the Rules of Evidence I desire no higher an honour to the Catholick Church nor deeper discredit to her Adversaries FIRST APPENDIX Animadversions on the Groundlesness of Dr Pierce's Sermon 1. LOoking about for Instances of Protestants Books most proper to be confuted by my former Doctrin my thoughts pitcht naturally on Mr Whitby's where he goes about to settle rationally his Rule of Faith and on Mr Stillingfleet's where he opposes the way of Reason and the Certainty of Tradition But it seem'd convenient to take to task also some Adversary who insisted on Testimonies and bring him to Grounds because in the way of Reason which brings Testimonies to Grounds to confute one is in a manner to confute all Dr Hamond seem'd proper but his Book is now out of vogue if it were ever in it for I never heard past two or three persons speak of it and I am sure the best Protestant Wits of our Nation never valued him as a smart and efficacious Writer Besides the Notes I have lately given upon the
to a lesser one in the margent and that to Luke 19. 22. And David's cutting of Goliah's Head with his own Sword a story known undoubtedly by all that were like to read his Sermon shall be secured from being thought a piece of a Romance or Knight-errantry by a punctual Citation in the open margent 1 Sam. 17. 51. And to omit diverse of the like pleasant strain lest any Unbeliever should be so impious as to doubt that his THEOPNEVST AHOLIAB was an Embroiderer you shall see it as plain as the nose on a man's face in an express Text Exod. 35. 30. 34. 11. But why insist I thus on so poor a foolery in a Book I design'd for solid or what advantage can I gain to my cause by so sleight an Animadversion I'answer â—Tis my temper when I see an odd action done without reason to trace it to its Original and to search after its proper Cause And upon consideration I finde none so proper for this Effect as a certain kinde of humour of quoting in D. Pierce and others of his Brethren so strongly possessing them and even naturaliz'd into them that so they be quoting they matter not much whether it be to purpose or not This I have shown in the whole bead-roll of his Citations the usefullest part as he sayes of his whole performance and that not one of those which he call Evidences is conclusive that is worth a straw or to purpose But because every one will not be capable to see it in those Citations he brings for Proofs I let them see it in those his late quotations of Scriptures In which he so pittifully betraies his silly and vain humour of quoting to no imaginable end but to satisfy his customary habit or Fancy and as in his Citations so in these imagins the Application of them to his Cause in stead of showing it that I conceive no Universitie-wit but will see in this carriage of his that Dr. Pierce's head is not too Scientiâ—ical nor himself a fit man to to demonstrate against the Papists SECOND APPENDIX Animadversions On Some Passages in Mr. Whitby 1. I Beg pardon of my Reader for my late Merriment and Children's play with aiery bubbles and Feathers Both D. Pierce's manner of writing and his Carriage towards Catholicks merited this kind of return I hope the passages in Mr. Whitby I have design'd to answer will give me occasion to speak more solidly And that they may do so I will pick out those which aim at some point of Concernment I have a particular respect for the person and am sorry his growing hopefulness receiv'd a foil by his Book against Mr. S. C. and this though a threefold disadvantage the badness of his Cause the Patronage of Dr. Pierce's malice and his impar congressus with so learned an Antagonist 2. My Designe leads me to take notice especially of that passage p. 93. Sect. 4. where he begins a discourse about the Soveraignty of Reason and explicates rather than proves it ought to be so what is his Rule and Guide to Faith Which because it look't plausibly yet was prudently neglected by Mr. S C. who hearing of more Eminent Antagonists writing against him judg'd it wisest to reserve himself to answer the Protestanrs second and best Thoughts in Them in case they were found to deserve it and because on the other side the Challenge was made to all the Romanists in the World and many passages in it light cross to the Grounds I had laid I took leave to consider and examin it my way In a great part of it especially at the beginning the discourse is rightly made but in other places he confounds Guide with Rule Power with Motive and by straining a word in Mr. S. C. beyond its necessary signification imposes on us a false Tenet which he mainly builds upon So that I am forc't to begin my answer by putting down our true one which gives Faith and Reason both their due This done his Superstructutes on that Supposition will fall of themselves 3. Our Tenet then is that Faith is the same with Belief that Belief relies on Authority and Divine Faith or Belief on the Divine Authority as its Motive and on the Churche's as on the Applier of the other to my Understanding At next I hold that no Authority deserves Assent further than true Reason gives it to deserve and hence the Divine Authority being Essential Truth deserves in true Reason if possible Infinitely intense Assent or adhesion to its sayings from me and the Churches Authority being found by my Reason to be Certain it applies with Certainty that is closely the Divine Authority to my Understanding and so obliges it absolutely to believe the Truths God has told and to submit whatever reasons I may have against the Object reveal'd to this all-overpowering Authority of Essential Truth This being the First Cause of all those things whence my particular Reasons are taken Nay farther hence it is that I adhere more heartily and firmly to a point of Faith than to any Conclusion of any Science whatever because a more efficacious Cause equally closely apply'd is apt to produce a greater Effect and no Cause is or can be in 〈◊〉 reason comparable to that of the Divine Verâ—city in the point of causing Assent which is closely apply'd by me to the Churches assurance Hence my Faith is ever most Rational because â—is 〈◊〉 rational to believe a point for which the Divine Veracity is engag'd and highly rational to believe the Church assuring me that it is engagâ—d for such and such points Nor yet is the Divine Authority or the Church as Mr. Whitby p. 96. very mistakingly argues beholden to the judgment of my private reason for my belief of her Infallibility but on the contrary my private reason is beholden to them for that Judgment seeing I therefore come to have that Judgment because Those as Objects wrought upon my Apprehension and imprinted a conceit of them there as they were in themselves and so oblig'd my Reason to conclude and my Judgment to hold them such as they were This Rational Assent establishes my Faith against the assaulds of any doubts from Human Reasons resting assur'd thâ—â— the same God who told me this is the Maker of all things else and hath writ all Created Truths in the Things he hath made whence no created â—ruth can thwart my Faith unless He can contradict himself which is impossible Hence if I have true Science I am certain to find no part of it opposit to my Faith but on the contrary conformable to It as being a Child of the same Parent Essential Truth If I have not true Science I ought not to think so nothing therefore but mine own overweening can make me miscarry 4. Reason having thus playâ—d her part in bringing me to Faith deserts me not yet while I act in it nor I her my Acts of Belief are still rational because it was rational to believe at first
Again for God's love who ever deny'd they ought to have reason to believe the Churches Authority Is any thing more frequent in our Controvertists and Divines treating of the Ground of Faith than large Discourses concerning Motives of Credibility 9. Thirdly he saies that disputing with Romanists whether Scripture be the sole Rule he means t is so limitedly that is between Christians who have already acknowledged Scripture a Rule of Faith By which I see Mr Whitby guides him self by sounds though he must need know if he knows any thing of Catholick Tenâ—â—â— our sence is quite different I beseech you Sir deal fairly with us Is not that speaking formally and properly the Rule of Faith which gives us Christs sence and does not that give us the Sence of Scripture which regulates us in the Interpretation of it Did ever Catholick then hold that Scripture interpreted on any fashion much less on your fashion by private Judgments or reasons regulated by Grammatical skill Criticisms and such like verbal knowledges is a Rule of Faith nay do not we constantly abhor this way as the Source of Heresy Take us right then we hold not Scripture's Letter alone a Rule but Scripture interpreted by the Church that is indeed the Church formally speaking and so you see you mistake our Principle Yet upon our joint-agreement in this your Discourse against us proceeds Retrive it then you see your Errour Again you tell us Scripture is your new Rule but forget quite in your discourse to tell us that your Reason assures you Scripture is to be the onely Rule or why it should be so since besides what I have demonstrated to the Contrary in my former Discourses 't is evident Christian Religion had descended many steps ere the Scripture's parts were much scatter'd much less the Whole collected and no less clear that that can never be a Rule or Way to Faith which many follow yet their thoughts straggle into many several Judgments not in indifferent points but in that of the Trinity amongst the rest as your self profess of the Socinian that he rejects not the Trinity in the first place because it seems a contradiction but because 't is not clearly discover'd in Scripture by which you see he adheres firm to your Rule and so ought to be acknowledg'd one of your Church since though he hap to differ in some points yet he holds fast the Rule common to both which is the substantiallest Principle of a Church as such being the Ground of all Faith And indeed your Kindness to him here and your tender care not to displease him shows you have a true brotherly affection for him Though I fear he he will con you small thanks for making his Principle run thus That which is not clearly revealâ—d in Scripture and is coniradictory ti reason is not to be believ'd which seems to imply that were it clear in Scripture yet contradictory to Reason then he would notwithstanding belive it An over-strain of Piety no Socinian was ever guilty of and I can assure you no learned Catholick Divine I ever heard of ever made such an Act of Faith But 't is another case if it onely seems contradictory and is not judg'd by him to be evidently such for then there is room left in his mind for the contrary Assent of Faith to settle there 10. You say you prescribe not the doctrin imputed to the Socinians because it makes Reason the Iudge of Faith but the Rule of Faith Pray take pains to consider what you say He that judges must have some Principles in his head by which he is regulated in making such a Judgment those Principles then must be his Rule in that Action and if that Judgment be an adhesion to a point of Faith those Principles are his RULE OF FAITH Examin now well your own thoughts whether your Principles by which you find out certainly by interpreting Scripture this is God's sence or a point of Faith be not Maxims of your human Reason I am sure in disputes against us you prove and defend your Faith by such skills as Languages History and other Knowledges got by Human Learning and consequently hold It your selves upon the tenour of those skills which therefore are your Rule of Faith and not upon the bare Letter You I know will deny it But I beg your second thoughts to reflect that a Rule to such an Effect is the immediate Knowledge to the Power as conversant about that Effect and that if another intervene it regulates the former which thereupon becomes the thing ruled not the Rule Do then these skills clear the Letter of Scripture that is make known Gods Sence to you If so since their Immediate effect is to clear it 't is impossible to deny but they are at least part of the Revelation for revealing is clearing and God's Sence was not clearly revealed but by those means that is by human maxims and so they are at least the more formal part of your Rule of Faith Again I ask might you not have mistaken the true Sence without those Human Maxims If so then They and not Scripture's Letter were your Rule If not then onely common Sence is requisit to understand clearly what 's reveal'd in Scripture and then either your Brother Socinian or you want Common Sence which I think you 'l scarce say 11. But will you see you still hold Reason your Rule notwithstanding you cry up the Written word Find you not there expresly that God has hands feet nostrils and passions like ours and this in clear terms Why is it not then a point of Faith You will not answer sure it is against Maxims of Reason you renounc't them formerly p. 94. when you had found out your new Rule and onely allow'd your Reason power to judge if a point were sufficientlie reveal'd that it is most rational to 〈◊〉 it self though it seem to contradict or thwâ—â—â— Reason Now this is sufficiently reveal'd being plainly writ in your Rule of Faith and the direct Letter of Scripture why will you not then captivate your Reason and believe it I see you do but complement with God's incomprehensible Knowledge in speaking so highly of it and so humbly of your own shallow Intellâ—ct Will you deny a point of Faith so plainly reveald for your own capricho or conceit Perhaps you 'l say 't is not clearly reveal'd because the contrary is plain in Scripture too I ask is it as plain if not it cannot overthrow the title of This to be a point of Faith If as plain why should you not believe both Be valiant Sir and believe a contradiction it being clearly reveal'd Perhaps it seems but such and then your own profession p. 94. obliges you to admit it You that can acknowledge an Infinit extension of space when you say all the world besides does so too sure you thought all the World was in your Fancy may also hold Materia ab aeterno and that it is onely a part
of Gods Nature as if I mistake not Iacob Bemen does and then secundum hanc partum of illam will do the work and gives a true sence to both sides of the contradiction You should do any thing which could by any means make it seem possible rather than question a plain Divine Revelation Nay perhaps you do not think you can demonstrate the contrary to the solution I have helpt you out with at least that your Demonstration is but a seeming one and then I challenge your candour to own your sayings and demand why you are not bound to use this shift and a thousand others rather than violate your avow'd Rule of Faith and deny and hold against the clear Letter of Scripture If you alledge you have perfect Science of the contrary by Metaphysicks then though I expect not this from you your Science rules your Rule of Faith glossing or rather violently wresting the plain Letter and so is so absolutely your Rule of Faith that it controls and even baffles the other though clearly revealing Or if to be in express terms in Scripture be not to be clearly revealed I would fain know what those words clearly revealed in Scripture signifie 12. Perhaps you I say that notwithstanding your new Rule Reason must be your GVID still even in Faith though not your Rule But I ask if your Reason must guide you sometimes so as to deny the clear Letter of Scripture since a Guid in any thing must be regulated by some Knowledges in that Affair by what Principles or Knowledges Reason is to regulate it self while it guides you in that particular now in question By Principles of Faith How can that be in your Grounds antecedently to the known Sence of the Scripture By Principles of Human Science Then those Principles of Human Science give you the certain Sence of the Written Word when it self is insufficient and therefore are still truly your Rule of Faith and so you are forc't to fly back for refuge to the old Rule Human Reason which you seemingly renounc't when you had found your new Rule of the Scripture 'T is Evident then that some Maxims of your Reason are your Rule and not Scripture's Letter And this is what we reprehend in the Socinian and you too that chusing a wrong Rule of Faith so to avoid the Church you both gloss it as seems best to your Reason regulating her self by her own and those fallible Maxims They by certain acute and ingenious Sophistries proper to themselves you by the more school-boy way of Grammar and Dictionary Learning and so both of you make your Rule the thing Ruled Nor think to retort any part of this Discourse upon our Rule of Faith For this being the living voice of the Church delivers us a Determinate Sence of the Points we are to profess whereas Yours needs skils and helps of studious Reason to tell you what it would say Ours is alive and in the Breast and Actions of the Faithful yours is dead characters waxen-natur'd and pliable to the Dedalean fancies of the ingenious molders of new Opinions and so alone can satisfie no man as you handle it 13. No wonder now if having no certainer a Ground or Rule of Faith for her self your Church is shamefast of obliging others to believe her Man's nature could scarce own or permit so irrational a tyrannie Yet whether she does or does not we must not know from your words which run so backwards and forwards that none can tell which is the true face of the Ianus First p. 99. you seem to deny it stoutly from the carriage of your Convocations and Bishops and from your own Tenets Yet afterwards you seem to grant they do require a positive assent somtimes and justifie them as not doing it upon pretence of any Infallibility but because the thing determin'd is so Evident in Scripture that all denying it must be wilful A rare Discourse and worthy a deep consideration Pray who must be Judge it is so Evident in Scripture as to render the Dissenters guilty of flat Wilfulness The Bishops or your Church Nothing less In the beginning of this Discourse p. 93. you plainly deny'd them to be Judges of Faith Now in your sence to be clearly reveal'd or evident in Scripture and to be of Faith is all one so that they must not be Judges of what is evident in Scripture lest by necessary consequence they become Judges of Faith and yet without having power to judge what is evident in Scripture they must have power to require assent to Points as evident in Scripture nay and punish the dissenters too For 't is a madness for Governours to require any thing of their Subjects without having Rewards and Punishments in their hands to make what they require to be duely observâ—d Nay p. 93. you absolutely refus'd to admit them as Guides of your Faith A moderate word and less than to be a Iudge Which signifies they may have power to require our Assents in matters in which they have no power to guide us that is they may have power to require us to go wrong for any thing we or they know An excellent honour for the Church of England that her Champions profess in Print her Supreme Pastors have no power at all to guide their Flock in their Faith or to it when they are out of it Again I would ask whether the Trinity be not Evident in Scripture and the Socinians wilful for denying it Why are they then so kindly dealt with Or what could be reply'd to a Socinian answering when his Assent to the Trinity were required that he humbly submitted to Scripture that he us'd all the means he could but discover'd it not so evident there and thereupon complain'd that you obtruded upon his equally-learned party your own conceit or opinion for Scripture-Evidences What therefore you alledge here as in your Churches behalf that she requires not a positive assent upon pretence of any Infallibility more condemns Her seeing t is most absurd and irrational that one should require any man to assent to any point or proposition whatever as evident in Scripture without Infallible Certainty at least imagin'd and pretended that it is thus evident there for should it happen to be otherwise how ridiculous were his Authority how damnable and diabolical his Tyrannie to oblige men to the hazard of falshoods in matters of Faith that is in matters belonging to his eternal Salvation and in the mean time profess himself Ignorant whether they be false or no. 14. Now our Church goes another way which ere I declare I would let your party see that Interiour Assent may be required by Governours lawfully and rationally which your Principles can never make sence of Suppose a thousand witnesses from several places each of them held alwayes men of good consciences should swear in open Court that they had seen such and such actions done by such a man or that they had seen spoken or converst
Part 1. Cap. 6. and The. Protestants Way of resolving Faith Cap. 7. I had quite lost Mr. Stillingfleet and instead of him had found a Dr. Hammond Dr. Pierce or a Dissuader who talk not out of Nature or Things but Words Imagination I plainly discover'd there was not one proposition in those two Discourses which could be a solid Ground for a rational understanding that would be true to it self to settle and rely on and was desirous to show it had it not been uncivil to put my sickle into another man's harvest and crop the victory due to another's Learning and Industry Victory I say For he that defends his Cause no better in effect yields it lost Yet I beg leave of the judicious Authour of Labyrinthus Cantuariensis to maintain one Breach where I find my self more directly assaulted Oral Tradition being the Post I have taken upon me to explicate further defend because I conceive it the solid Ground on which the Church or all Catholicks both Learned and Unlearned rely as Faithful however some School-men abounding in their own Sence ground also their Explication of the Churches Infallibility on somthing besides 2. Mr Stillingfleet then Part 3. Chap. 5. § 4 5. sets himself to oppose Oral Tradition whose Infallibility he opposes to Doctrinal Infallibility in Pope or Councils Where if by Doctrinal Infallibility he means that which they have as Doctors or Schollers he may reflect that no Catholick makes such an Infallibility proper to the Church or Church-Governours as such however it may be somtimes necessary to proceed upon it in some signal occasions Now take away this Infallibility there is none left but the Infallibility of Tradition perform'd by Testifying It being Evident that we have but two wayes of ordinary Knowledge by Acts of our Soul or Operations on our Body that is by Reason and Experience the former of which belongs to Speculaters or Doctors the second to Deliverers of what was receiv'd or to Testifiers Whence M. Stillingfleet may see he stumbles at the very threshold by counterposing Doctrinal Infallibility to Traditionary since that which we call Ecclesia docens professes constantly to ground her self on Tradition witness the Council of Trent in every Session where she defines Faith 3. No wonder then if grounding on this mistake Mr Stillingfleet declares himself unsatisfi'd He asks therefore whether he is bound to believe what the present Church delivers to be Infallible I understand him not Had he instead of the word Infallible put receiv'd as deliver'd ever or Infallibly true I had for Fallibility and Infallibility belong to the Knowing Power or the Persons that have it not to the Object The Object being neither deceiv'd nor not deceiv'd but we Well but suppose he means by it deliver'd ever or which is equivalent certainly true for what came from Christ must be so In that case we answer Affirmatively He asks again on what account is he bound to believe it And he makes our Answer to be Because the present Church cannot be deceiv'd in what the Church of the former Age believ'd nor That in the precedent and so up till Christ. This is indeed part of our Answer The other part is that the Church in no Age could conspire against her Knowledge to deceive that Age immediately following in matter of Fact evident in a manner to the whole World Upon this he falls into two new Demands which take up this whole paragraph 4. The first is how we can assure him the present Church obliges him to believe nothing but onely what and so far as it receiv'd from the former Church I answer by her manifest Practice never refusing Communion to any man that could approve himself to believe all the former Age did I could here distinguish the word Believe but I refer it till I come to speak of de fide He proceeds What Evidence can you bring to convince me both that the Church alwayes observ'd this Rule and could never be deceiv'd in it For the later I hope I need bring no greater Evidence than this that men in all Ages had Eyes Ears and other Senses also common Reason and as much memory as to remember their own names and frequently-inculcated Actions If you disprove this I doubt we have lost mankind the subject we are speaking of And till you disprove it neither I nor any man in his wits can doubt that this Rule depending on Testifying that is Sence or Experience can possibly permit men to be deceivable The former part I shall speak to when I come to show the Obligation not to vary from Faith His Scruple springs hence that he sees the Roman Church asserts things to be de fide in one age which were not in another c. that this is the common Doctrin and the deniers ill-look't on I beg leave to distinguish the words de fide which may either mean Christian Faith or Points of Faith taught by Christ and then you see 't is nonsence to say they can be in one Age and not in another for what Christ has taught he has taught and the preteritness of the Thing has so fixt its Existence to its proper time that 't is not now obnoxious to variation Quod factum est infectum fieri non potest Or de fide may mean obligatory to be believ'd In this later sence none I think denies things may be de fide in one Age and not in another in the former sence none holds it What 's now become of your difficulty I believe you are in some wonderment and think I elude it rather then answer it I shall endeavour to unperplex you 5. Christianity ayms not to make us Beasts but more perfectly Men and the perfection of our Manhood consists in using our Reasons Since then natural Consequences are apt to spring from natural Principles by the operation of Reason and we cannot but think that the Consequences apt to flow from Supernatural Principles or Points of Faith deliver'd down from Christ onely which are de fide in the former Sence are of incomparably greater Excellency than Natural Truths it follows that Christianity or Christian Faith is so far from hindring the Faithful from deducing out of them that both out of their nature as Supream Truths or Principles and out of their high Excellency they invite and prompt most strongly to it Now these Points deduct out of Principles of Faith are of two sorts The former those which need no more but Common Sence or the ordinary natural Light of Reason to discover their arising thence nor any piece of Skill or Science to infer them but are seen by the bare Principle of Faith or rather in it being indeed but a Branch or Part of that Principle The later are those which need besides the Maxims of some Science got by Speculation to infer them An Example of the former sort is that against the Monothelites of Christ's having an Human Will for common Experience tells
the most vulgar that every Man has a Principle in him impelling him to Act which we agree to call a Will Such likewise are all Propositions of this Nature which the Church uses upon occasion of some emergent Heresie to explain her self and put the point of Faith out of danger of being equivocated Examples of the later sort are Theological Conclusions in which a Natural Truth is one of the Premises joyning with the Supernatural one to infer them To omit this as little to our purpose at present Of the former sort the Church is necessitated to make use upon occasion that is when any Heretick questions Those and eâdem operâ the whole point of Faith it self of which they were a part Upon occasion I say For what concern'd its the Faithful or who ever heard much noise of this Proposition Christ has two Wills thus singled out and exprest apart till the Monothelite granting him but one forc't the Church that she might preserve the main Tenet of Christ's having two Natures or being God and Man to maintain publish and define that other 6. To apply this then since none can have Obligation to believe what they have not obligation to think of and that in some Age the Generality of the Faithful have no Occasion nor consequently Obligation to minde reflect or think on those Propositions involvd in the main stock of Faith and truly parts of it that is indeed It It follows that a Thing may be de fide or obligatory to be believ'd in one Age and not in another Perhaps Mr. Stillingfleet may ask how the Church can have Power to oblige the Generality to Belief of such a point I answer she obliges them to believe the main Point of Faith by virtue of Tradition's being a Self-evident Rule and these Imply'd Points by virtue of their being self-evidently-connected with those main and perpetually-us'd Points so that the vulgar can be rationally and connaturally made capable of this their Obligation Whence the Government of our Church is still justify'd to be sweet and according to right Nature and yet forcible and Efficacious to hold her Subjects in a strict Union Not to mention how these Points also descended by a kind of Tradition for I doubt not but the Apostles had occasion in explaining Faith to speak of These however the no Necessity brought them not so much into play but left them unreflected on by the Generality 7. But to return to Mr. Stillingfleet who acts here like a Politician and would conquer us by first dividing us and making odious Comparisons between two parties of Divines But he may please to reflect how we all hold firmly the same divinely-constituted Church-Government and the same self-evident Rule of Faith to give our understandings the same principles as Christians and so our wills the same Actions And those are firmly rooted in all our hearts to have been recommended to us by the wisdom of the Eternal Father Whence 't is Impossible for all the Wit of Man or even Malice of Hell to disunite us as we are Faithful As private Discoursers our different Natures and Circumstances must needs distinguish us Every one believes the same but coming to explicate this Belief they vary according to the several degrees of perfection in their understanding Powers And yet M. Stillingfleet is not aware how little we differ even as Divines For though some Speculaters attribute to the Church a power of defining things not held before yet few will say she has New Revelations or New Articles of Faith those only some Lawyers who talk ultra crepidam no Divines that I know of and none that Christ was not a perfect Law-giver which are necessary Consequents or rather in a manner Identical to the other And when it comes to the point those men explain themselves that all was deliver'd Faith either Explicitly or Implicitly which I have shown to bear a very good Sence in my Explication of de fide He tells us Popes and Councils challenge a power to make things de fide in one Age which was not in another he speaks onely in common and proves it not Had he brought Instances it might have been better clear'd In the mean time I have shown him how take them right this is both perfectly innocent and unavoidably necessary to a Church What would avail him is if a Pope and Council should define a new Thing and declare they ground themselves on new Lights as did their first Reformers in England But he will finde no such fopperies in Faith-definitions made by the Catholick Church He tells us that this is the common Doctrin maintain'd By which I perceive he is at an end of his Argument against our Church there being no evidenter signe of it than to leave off assaulting Her confound her with the Schools or some private Opinaters and then carp at these mens Tenets Whereas M. Stillingfleet wants not Wit to know that no sober Catholick holds Human deductions the Rule of our Faith Schoolmen Definers of it nor the Schools the Tribunal whence to propose it authoritatively and obligingly to the Generality of the Faithful much less a few Divines which are far from reaching the Authority of the Schools Yet how much of his Book would need no Answer were this Impertinent Topick laid aside But well Let Schools and Church be all one that is let every master of divinity be a Bishop what means he to conclude from the words common Doctrin Does he make account every School-Doctrin must be equally in vogue or that an Opinion's being Common defines it Faith and condemns the other for Heretical Where 's his Reason The direct contrary follows from its being Common and that 't is not Faith which others though not so many may contradict and he is but meanly vers't in our Schools if he sees not very many publikely maintain that there are no new Revelations without dreading Excommunication or being held Heretical and seditious So they grant the Church power as they ought by new Propositions and new but expressive Words yet both the same in sence and so not new in substance to meet with the new blundering Cavils of Innovators 8. Yet all this while M. Stillingfleet cannot see how to satisfie himself of the Sence of our Church as to this particular Nor ever will while he wilfully looks the wrong way that is towards some particular Schoolmen or Divines not towards the Universality of the Faithful or Church What need he counterfeit this puzzle Did he never hear of such a thing as the Council of Trent Or is it so hard to finde it Again does not he know all the Catholick Church allow more a thousand times to It than to all the Schoolmen in the World Yes very well How comes it then that he runs to some Schoolmen and neglects the Church speaking in her Representative Because he may finde there a clear Solution of his doubt by the constant procedure of that most grave
to salvation so that to vary from it or hold or practise the contrary is the way to eternal misery are all oblig'd to believe and act as their Forefathers did and not introduce Contrary Doctrins and practices to those they had receiv'd Had it been I say thus propos'd there had been no such cause of wonderment But all these that is indeed all of weight in the point is quite left out Such poor shifts even the best Wits must be driven to when they would maintain a false Cause 25. One word to M. Stillingfleet He hath challeng'd us to make out this Obligation to Belief as the onely Thing we are to prove in the Traditionary way he hath offer'd us the choice of our Weapon either Reason particular Testimony or Vniversal Tradition I have accepted his offer chosen my weapon and given here the first blow I hope he will not now run the Field but return an Answer to my Discourse in the way of Reason which I have chosen by his Offer I am sorry for his sake my reflexions here are not more elaborate being sent to the Press in loose quarters of sheets as soon as writ more time not being allow'd me nor I hope needful to answer such mistakes Onely I request him when he replies to take along with him the nature of the subjecta materia the Doctrins and Practises we speak of the Nature of the Manner of delivering it and the necessary Circumstances which give weight to both as I have declar'd above and I promise him God assisting me a very serious Reply 26. Ere I quite leave this matter I desire to take the Reader along with me in my quest for a Reason or proper Cause why so judicious a person as Mr. Stillingfleet could come to doubt of such an Obligation in posterity to beleeve their Ancestours in a matter of fact or a matter deliver'd to have been not deem'd or thought but done or which is equivalent being it's necessary effect seen or known by Sense For I make account there is not a man in the world or ever was such is the Goodness of rational Nature given us by God who in his natural thoughts could ever raise such a doubt or think he could possibly frame his thoughts to a disbelief of the contrary no more than any man in England whom Speculative Scepticism has not besotted and unmann'd can doubt of William the Conquerors Harry the Eighths or Mahomets Existence much less judge the contrary And it appears at first sight to be a strange distorsion or rather destruction of human Nature which can so alter it Now looking into Things I find it to be a proper and natural Effect of the Protestant's temper and indeed of all who have left the Church For their humour being to chuse every one his Faith by his private Judgment or Wit working upon disputable words They wonder and judge it very unreasonable their Posterity thus imbu'd should be oblig'd to beleeve and act as Ancestours do and so should I too For while they can never deliver it to their Children as received ever by the way of Infallible Sense or Witnessing but must say the former Church de facto err'd and consequently that themselves might do so too so that they can only deliver it as depending or built on their own fallible Opinion in interpreting Scripture all which is imply'd in their making Scriptur's Letter the Rule of Faith and allowing no Living Interpreter able to give infallibly the Sence of it 't is natural their posterity should 〈◊〉 hold themselves oblig'd to beleeve Immediate Ancestors but use their own Judgments and chuse their own Faith when they come at Age as well as They did and Experience tells us they have done so in England till they have chosen fairly And this horrid Unreasonableness is the venomous source the First defective Principle or indeed the very nature of all Heresie imported also in the very word which signifies Choice or chusing one's Religion mention'd by Clemens Alexandrinus cited above p. 135. and counterpos'd by him to Tradition as also by S. Athanasius cited p. 133. 134. where 't is most excellently describ'd and homely apply'd to the Protestants and such others as the Reader may see I am a bad Transcriber 27. I have done my main task and so shall only touch at his next paragraph It begins thus It is to no purpose to prove the Impossibility of motion when I see men move no more it is to prove no Age of the Church could vary from the foregoing when we can evidently prove they have done it You argue well But two things are requir'd ere you can see our Faith varies from the former First To see what our Church holds now and then to see what the former Church held before and if I see any thing you see neither well For while you cannot distinguish between Faith and its Explication some School-men and Church I have no hopes you should see candidly what our Church holds now and if you cannot at present see what our Church holds now how and by what method will you assure us you see what She held formerly The thing to be prov'd is a plain matter of Fact and you have renounc't all living Attestation the common and secure way to bring it down and consequently Fathers too For Fathers speaking of them as such being Evident Witnessers Transmitters or Propagates of the Faith received to Immediate Posterity if you question Delivery or Tradition which you do while you doubt Obligation in Posterity to believe Ancestours you question whether there be any Doctrin deliver'd and so any Fathers and I wonder how you can imagin any man oblig'd to believe Fathers Historians or any that writ or testify'd things long ago and yet think the next age not oblig'd to believe the former in a matter of Fact done in their own dayes How far short then are your Evidences of the former Churches Doctrin like to prove of being parallell to our seeing a man move with our corporeal Eyes But you may say any thing or rather indeed forc't by your bad Cause you must do so 28. You call this Way of ours a Superficial Subtilty I beseech you consider what you say Is that which is wholly builds on the Nature of the Things as you see ours does Superficial or Yours which is meerly an aiery Descant upon dead Words What do you think Controversy is I deal plainly with you you may take it to be an Art of Talking and I think you do so though you will not profess it but I take it to be a noble Science I hold its Object to be rationem reddere fidei or to maintain question'd Faith which is chiefly done by showing the Authority on which Faith depends quoad nos Certain Hence all other Authority depending on Tradition's I hold Knowledge of its Certainty the First Principle in Controversy And this being quoad nos necessarily antecedent to Authority it can onely be
manifested by Reasons taken from Things or men's Minds naturally and if we discourse against those who grant the excellency of the first-preached Doctrin Supernaturally affected or qualify'd as he sees I have endeavour'd in my Discourses 29. So much for our Way Now for yours Who sees not first how Words as interpretable are its subject and if in the method you take to work upon them you lay one Principle which deserves the name of a Principle I dare undertake to be of Mr. Stillingfleet's persuasion He sees in my TRANSITION our Way laid open Either let him acknowledge it solid or remember having provok't us he is challeng'd to produce something for his Rule of Faith which begins with the natures of the Things in hand that is of Rule and Faith and approves it self solider than ours But 't is so impossible their Cause can endure the Trial of that clearing Method that I fear not either Mr. Stillingfleet or any Protestant Writer of the least prudence will dare to attempt it 30. Will you see one Example of our Superficialness and Mr. Stillingfleet's Solidness He gives you both in his next words p. 620. and assures the Reader we would prove no alteration in the Faith of the Church by such an Argument as would prove the world ab aeterno How strangely wide he roves from the mark Our Argument runs thus beginning à priori Causes were laid in the nature of Christs heavenly Doctrin and the nature of its Conveyance down by Testifying to make its Delivery continu'd hitherto à posteriori thus we find a present Effect the present Persuasion of Christians their Faith descended uninterruptedly from Christ impossible to be without such a Cause's Existence or its having been at first taught by Christ whence we conclude that Faith came from Christ Let us parallel it then to his Finds he any such Effect in the world at present apt to spring onely from the Worlds Eternity as its Cause or Causes laid ab aeterno in the nature of the world apt to continue it hitherto If he does he must hold it was Eternal If not how unconsonant is his parallel He makes our Argument run thus The present Age sees no alteration in it and they could not be deceiv'd in what their Forefathers believ'd nor they in theirs and so on in infinitum for no men did ever see the World made and therefore it was never made and so Eternal In return I must first profess there is not a tittle in it parallel to our medium and at next that I never saw in my life more absurdities coucht in so few words For First he should have begun the present Age has a firm perswasion it was ever or have alledg'd some other Effect without which 't is impossible to argue to the Existence of a thing before or a Cause 2 ly He wrongly supposes a Belief in the former Age of the Worlds ever-Existence saying They could not be deceiv'd in what their Forefathers believ'd 4 ly The words Nor they in theirs falsely suppose a Continuance of belief upwards of the worlds Eternity 5 ly He sayes not whether this Belief was founded on Ey-sight at first or Opinion If the later 't is contrary and not parallel to our case If the former then he must suppose some man saw the world made ab aeterno 6 ly The words and so on in Infinitum suppose this belief did go on in Infinitum which put 't is beyond question and plac't in the very Terms that the world was Eternal 7 ly His reason for the last words thus For no man did ever see the World made is manifoldly faulty for 't is a negative argument and as such inconsequent since the world might have been made whether any had seen it or not Again the first men might have known it certainly to have been made whether they had seen it making or no. And lastly 't is directly contradictory to what it should parallel For we agreeing with them that Christ and his Apostles did teach a Doctrin thus qualify'd first put its Existence seen and thence conclude the contrary could never come to be held universally or else we take a present-Belief of its then-Existence as ever receiv'd by Testifying neither of which have any correspondence with his rambling chimerical Argument no two pieces of which hang together with themselves or any thing else 31. He sayes he can evidence the Alteration of Faith I wish he would tell us first what an evidence means whether a strong Fancy of his own or a Demonstration onely which can excuse him or not believing the former Age Attesting His first proof is Because the Scripture supposes a degeneracy in the Christian Church Incomparably argu'd why see we not the place Does it evidently speak of Faith or Manners the universal Church or particular persons that is some Hereticks But be it in Faith Be it Universal Does it suppose this Degeneracy already past which is onely proper to your purpose or yet to come That is does it say there must be a Total Apostasie in Faith before the Year 1664 Alas he had forgot this Yet for such wretched proofs as these baptiz'd God's Word have they left the evidently-attested Doctrin and the Union of the former Church His next Evidences are his own Performances in some other parts of his Book Truly the miserableness of these Evidences disinvite me from thinking the other worth a serious thought But if perhaps there be ever a Testimony among them that is not coincident with some of Dr. Pierce's faulty ones Let him single it out and Print it at the End of his Rejoynder to this it shall have a fair Answer from me or some other more proper FINIS THE HEADS First Discourse SHowing from the nature of Rule and Faith what Properties belong to the Rule of Faith p. 1. Second Discourse Showing the two first Properties of the Rule of Faith utterly incompetent to Scripture p. 12. Third Discourse That the three next Properties of the Rule of Faith are utterly incompetent to Scripture p. 22. Fourth Discourse That the two last Properties of the Rule of Faith are clearly incompetent to Scripture p. 33. Fifth Discourse Showing the notion of TRADITION and that all the Properties of the Rule of Faith do clearly agree to It. p. 41. Sixth Discourse Endeavouring to demonstrate à priori the Indefectibleness of Tradition p. 57. Seventh Discourse An Objection clear'd and the Beginning and Progress of an Heresy connaturally laid open p. 65. Eighth Discourse Endeavouring to demonstrate à posteriori the Vninterruptedness of Tradition hitherto p. 75. Ninth Discourse Opening the Incomparable Strength of the Churches Human Authority and the Infinit Advantages accrue to it by the Supernatural Assistances of the Holy Ghost p. 81. Corollaries from the former Discourses p. 95. Consent of Authority to the Substance of the foregoing Discourses p. 126. Transition to the Appendixes p. 157. First Appendix Animadversions on the groundlesness of Dr. Pierce's Sermon p. 167 Second Appendix Animadversions on some passages in Mr. Whitby p. 179. Third Appendix Animadversions on some passages in Mr. Stillingfleet p. 201.
from mistakableness it follow'd demonstratively it was testify'd and to come close to our purpose that the descendents in each age to the very end of the world had the same Obligation to believe their immediate Forefathers saying it was testify'd by the former as those of the third Age to believe the second or the second the first 16. Who ever looks into Rational Nature with even that ordinary Knowledge with which the rudest person almost that lives does upon materiall natures would discern the same Necessity or Obligation of continuing down by the way of Testifying notorious and Important matters of Fact fixt at first in the minds and fancies of an Universality by the Existence of the Thing working on their Senses as that in a long chain of Iron one link drawn should draw all the rest or that the turning the First wheel should move a thousand distant ones depending on its motion Nor doubt I but it will be made full as Evident when rational Souls come to set themselves to reflect seriously on their own nature and procedure to Action a speculation few Protestants are acquainted with Bookishness and much reading being onely in Vogue with the talking Tribe amongst them In the mean time Mr. Stillingfleet may see in the Instance now put that is in the strong Persuasion of Alexander's Victories yet continuing by Tradition that there is an Obligation in one Age to believe another when they proceed as Witnesses and this not onely of what they saw but of what others told them They saw and of what some affirm'd they were told by others that the Age before Them saw and so downwards and that as the Impulsive force is communicated from the Movers hand to the farthest-distant-wheel by the Application of the intermediate ones the solid or Inflexible nature of the matter obliging the next wheel to propagate its motion So the Existence of the Thing mov'd the First Experimental Percievers of it and That solid Notion which fixes every Truth was the virtue which run thorough and gave force to all the rest being apply'd by Universal Witnessing a plain matter of Fact or others Testimonies from each Age to the other as great a Ty to Assent as Human Nature was capable of by natural means For that Existence of the Thing was the virtue which made this Persuasion so solid and firm besides what 's said is seen by this that were it deliver'd onely as an Opinion of the Things being so its strong conveyance had not been able to elevate it beyond Opinion for the stronger That had been the more perfectly it had been held Opinion still The Existence then of the Thing had virtue to oblige to a full persuasion the thing was so when Apply'd with Certainty The Testification of the precedent Age is a Certain Applier of it and Undoubtable that is Obliging to Belief therefore the next Age is in such matters convey'd down this way as strongly oblig'd to believe the foregoing as Reason can oblige it that is by seen Effects impossible to be without the Existence of foregoing Testifications nor they finally without the Existence of the Thing 17. I expect now what Mr Stillingfleet will reply to this discourse Will he say there were no Causes layd to oblige the After-comers to believe the Fore-goer that Alexander conquer'd Asia but that it happen'd so by Chance What will he say then to thousand other such matters of Fact and indeed all that were done long ago all which must either be held obligingly this way or none see Cowll 24. Besides the Causes proper to work on a rationall Nature are Reasons To say then there are no Causes able to make us believe Alexander thus conquer'd is to say there is no Reason for it and Chance being nothing but a Cause unforeseen by us to say all believe it by Chance signifies none sâ—e any reason why they believe it which makes 〈◊〉 the world Asses Or have I not hit on the right Causes I shall thank Mr Stillingfleet to help me out and in the mean time assure him that whatever Causes he assignes obliging poposterity to believe Ancestours in this shall strengthen Tradition Perhaps he will say they may be oblig'd to believe such Histories deliver'd yet not deliver'd Points of Faith I shall wonder at the position but because I foresee he is like to recurr to this for he must be forc't to say either this or what 's worse I shall prepare against it by parallelling the Obligation to believe this deliver'd History to the Obligation to believe Christian Faith deliver'd 18. To do this more amply we will consider Christ's Doctrin according to the whole complexion of Circumstances exprest in that common Verse Quis quid ubi quibus auxiliis cur quomodo quando Quis Who was the Authour and Subject of this Faith thus to be deliver'd Not a poor mortal but the Wisdome of the Eternal Father not an ambitious self-extolling Man but a self-humbled God come down from his Heaven to be the World's Saviour and Master every of whose Words and Actions were infinitely to be admir'd and consequently requiring to be had in perpetual remembrance Quid What thing was it which was deliver'd or Testify'd A Doctrin containing Principles of the new Life they were to lead as Christians and so Practical notwithstanding the Majesty of its abstruseness a Doctrin Connatural and sutable to Reason Man's true Nature and so apt to sink into him not be easily relinquishable A Doctrin which bears in its very notion to be a Guid towards Eternal Bliss and consequently that to forsake it is the way to Eternal misery which therefore oblig'd Fathers to teach it and Children to esteem themselves bound to learn it and hold to it Lastly a Doctrin all made up of most astonishing miracle and wonder and so apt to strike a deep sence of reverence into hearts already imbu'd with it Such was the nature of the Thing we call Christ's Doctrin imprinted on the Sensarions of the 〈◊〉 Age of Christians not a pittifull story of an Alexander or Caesar of Sleight concern wonderment or practical Usefulness but in comparison of the other like a Tale of a Tub which no hurt is done if it go in at one ear and out aâ— the other 19. Vbi When was this matter of Fact or Preaching this doctrin performed In all even the remotest parts of the world and not onely in a peece of Europe and in Asia and this openly Especially in Rome the world's Metropolis whence it could easily and effectually spread into the rest Nay in the very face of Tyrants which things gave it a perfect Visibility and lastly in every private Family it was taught and put in practice which made it beyond dispute Sensible and Maniable as far as it conduces to Christian Life Quibus auxiliis By what helps or means By most stupendious miracles powerful preaching and heavenly Living conformably to those Principles which made those Principles or Faith
visible and evident Not by three or four Victories imputable perhaps to Chance at least in which nothing Divine discovered it self engaged Cur Why was this doctrin of Christs taught and practic 't not to satisfy the vain humour of impotent Ambition but to deliver mankind from the Devils slavery and-hell fire its reward and to bring him to everlasting Salvation Quomodo By what manner By writing it in the fleshy Tables of the hearts of the First Christians and afterwards continuing it by the way of Testifying the most connatural way to oblige the Generality to Beleef of matters of Fact that Nature knows Quando When In the First Christians when they were now at Age to judge of the miracles and multitudes of Motives spoken of which aw'd overpower'd and subdu'd their Understandings to a firm Beleef and an high Reverence to the doctrin thus attested to be Gods In the after-Christians when they were yet scarce able to speak much less to judge and taught by nature to believe their Parents Hence a lively and reverential conceit was bred in their Hearts by others serious teaching and their own practising of the Sacredness and consequently Unalterableness of that doctrin ere they came to that Ripeness as to use their own Judgment Nay that doctrin was so deeply naturaliz'd into them by Christian Life ere they came to maturity of Understanding that it became Unnatural and exceedingly violent for them to act and beleeve contrary to what Fathers had taught Whereas the story of Alexander was not proper to be told Children till they were at Age and fit for some kind of Schollership and then it was so little practical that nothing was to be acted about it but talking of it again so that it lookt like a meer piece of Speculation and totally unconcerning them I add that this delivery by attestation or teaching went on linking the former Age to the later by propagating it into new Subjects not all at one time but from year to year moneth to moneth and even less according as the Understandings and even Bodies of Children budded into a Capacity of knowing saying or doing something which belong'd to Christianity which still-continu'd Interweaving the former Age with the later after a wonderful manner strengthens the sway of Tradition and secures it both against Mistake and Deceit neither of them having any possible place where the whole business is carry'd on by such immediate Steps 20. I will not repeat over again 〈◊〉 â—â—conceivable Advantages but leave it to Mâ—o Stillingfleet's reflexion and so proceed 〈…〉 discourse thus If the conceited Sacredness Concern Necessity Unalterableness miraculously-attestedness also if the Visibleness Practicalness with extent to every particular connaturalness c. found in the notion and nature of Christs doctrin or manifestly connected with it render'd it incomparably recommendable in every respect above the Story of Alexander's Conquests and that plainest nature or Common Sense and daily Experience teaches us that by how much more a thing is recommendable or deserving to be beleev'd and practic 't by so much more 't is obligatory to be believ'd and practic 't and that we find in unconcerning Stories a continu'd Obligation layd in Nature for the Children to believe Parents else such stories could never have descended with an hearty perswasion of their Truth hitherto it follows that incomparably and in a manner infinitely greater must the Obligation be to believe Christ's Doctrin than Alexander's or William the Conquerors Victories or any History of the like nature whatever 21. I have been much longer in such a point than the matter requir'd it needed no more but to manifest that Common Sense tells us Nature obliges every man to believe those he takes to be honest much more children Fathers or the next Age those of the former still more if what they tell them be no Speculation depending on Fancy or private Judgment but matter of Fact depending onely on Sense that is if they tell it them as Witnesses But most of all if they see we conspire in the same For then the Obligation is so necessary that I cannot conceive that from the beginning of the world there was ever found one single person so unreasonable as not to yeild to it Whence also we can show every first Beginner of an Heresie is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or self-condemn'd that is conscious to himself that out of Pride or some Passion he goes against Evidence of Authority Now in Tradition all is carry'd on this manner So that if the Explainers of Tradition have not made provision for this point 't is because they thought there could not be found a Considerer so unreasonable as to question it Yet because Mr Stillingfleet puts the whole stress of his Objection against Tradition in this I shall to give him further satisfaction consider it practically 22. Let us conceive then that the Apostles Disciples and Apostolical men taught the first Age Christ's Doctrin qualifi'd in the manner before declar'd and recommended it as such that is as Sacred Unalterable the way to Bliss Taught by Christ c. by Miracles and other Supernatural means 't is plain They had Obligation to believe Christ taught it Well they receiving it as such that is as Christ's and so Unalterable were bound to recommend it for such to the next Age. Nor does Mr. Stillingfleet question this But were their Children oblig'd to believe them While they were young t is plain they could do no other neither out of Reason nor Passion But what were they oblig'd to when they were grown up to ripeness of Judgement 'T is plain that were that Doctrin deliver'd as an Invention of then Forefathers or some Collection of their Reason that it was Christ's it was obvious for them to make this Discourse We have natural Wit as well as our Parents had and perhaps as good Circumstances to apply that wit and why then should not we cast about and consider whether that be indeed Christ's Doctrin and taught by the Apostles which they would persuade us is so But in case it were deliver'd as ascertain'd by their Senses to have been taught by the Apostles what imaginable reason can they have of doubt Can they think all their Fathers and Neighbours a pack of impudent Knaves that conspire to abuse their posterity purposely to damn them or that they could be mistaken in a Doctrin they were so highly concern'd to learn right and had led their lives by ever since they were Christian The third Age succeeds whose Immediate Ancestours the Second Age told them they had been taught and brought up thus by the First Nor have they more reason to doubt the Second Ages Attestation of the First Ages Doctrin and Life it being an unmistakable matter of Fact than the Second had the First 's that is they were oblig'd to believe it And since each foregoing Ages Attestation is a plain matter of Fact it follows that each succeeding Age has still equal obligation to