the most certaine and only way to life euerlasting and none there is who strayeth out of it that is not most assured to runne into euerlasting perdition It is a Doctrine of Atheisme that euery one may be saued in his owne religion But as there is one God one Christ one truth one certitude one iustice so there is one fayth and one religion and one Church or Congregation of God and Christ out of which there can be no Saluation Let them take heede that they spoyle not themselues of so great a good eyther out of a curiosity of reading or hearing or by an improuident and vncircumspect conuersation with heretiks or out of a desire of pleasing and contenting some or for feare of some hurt in temporall life also or out of an hope of commodity and gaine or for desire of honors or for any other cause What profiteth it a man if he gayne the whole world and suffer the detryment of his soule or what exchaunge shall a man giue for his soule But he that sustayneth hurt in his religion cannot but hurt his soule withall and therefore let him not be afraid to expose all for the retayning of it the loosing and forgoing whereof is the losse of life euerlasting withall Vnhappy be those soules and vnworthy a Christian name that make but a little reckouing of the ouerthrow of the Catholike religion so they may themselues enioy temporall peace for the gathering and keeping of the poore things and trifles of this life This madnes and light estceme of so great a good will cost them deare when this short time moment of life shall be once past and they shall vpon the suddaine be brought to that eternity that neuer endeth Many seducers haue come into the world many do vnder a sheeps skyn and vnder a faire flattering shew of Gods word hide and conceale their woluish fury to the vtter ruine of Christs sheep Our Lord admonished vs more theÌ„ once to take heed of them the Apostles inculcated no lesse as did the holy Fathers also He Eccl. 13. Eccl. 3. that shall touch pitch shall be defiled of it he that loueth daÌ„ger shal perish therein The times were neuer more trecherous to mans saluation then now they be the deuill was neuer more frequent in bewitching and deceiuing men were neuer more easily caried away with the spirit of incoÌ„stancy the operatioÌ„ working of errour neuer of more force finally mens minds neuer more fouly blinded then now all these do worthily seize vpoÌ„ their minds who do make a light esteeme of that noble and great gift of the Catholike and Orthodoxe Religion prefer their temporall and externall goods before it Wherefore let them who make a reckoning of their owne saluation conserue this beauenly gemme and keep it with all diligence for that of it proceedeth life And because it is a supernaturall gift which can neyther be obtayned nor kept and held without Gods help whiles so many and so great daungers and enemyes beset vs on all sides they mustimplore and craue help at Gods hands incessantly to that end both for themselues their children and their family and seeke to appease God by almes and other offices of piety For good is prayer with fasting almes Tob. 12. and better then to lay vp treasures of gold Let them lead a life correspondent to their religion let them quench their thirst of terrene things with the expectation of the celestiall and euerlasting goods euer mindâ—ull of that saying of the Apostle 1. Timoth. 6. They that will become rich fall into temptation and into the snares of the Diuell many vnprofitable and hurtfull desires which drowne a man into destruction and perdition For the roote of all euill is desire which some coueting haue strared from the fayth and thrust themselues into many sorrowes With these helps they may walke on in safety amidst the daungers of these tymes conserue and maintayne vnstayned the gift of the true and only Religion and by it with facility and case purchase life euerlasting to which God of his infinite mercy bring vs all Amen FINIS AN APPENDIX TO THE FORMER CONSVLTATION WHETHER Euery One may be saued in his owne Fayth and Religion WRITTEN By the same Leonard Lessius of the Society of IESVS Permissu Superiorum M.DC.XVIII THE PREFACE WEe haue before in the Preface of our Consultation set downe and briefely confuted a certaine grosse error which holdeth it inough for our saluatioÌ„ to belieue in Christ and that he died for our sinnes But because it is much spread and hath sunke deeply into the minds of many I was requested to treate of the matter more at large and therefore now I will deuide it into two seuerall Questions bringing arguments for eyther part The first Question shal be VVhether it be sufficient for saluation to belieue in God and do no man iniury which is as much to say as Whether euery man may be saued in his owne Faith which he professeth if therin he endeauour to liue honestly The second Question VVhether it be sufficieÌ„t to saluatioÌ„ to belieue in Christ that he dyed for our sinnes although we belieue not many other articles of faith THE I. QVESTION CONCERNING the first Question many in these tymes do hold are of opinion that euery man may be saued in his owne religion The ground of ouâ— Aduersaries opinions their principall reasoÌ„ wherwith they are moued to this is because it seemeth vnto them incredible that al Iewes and Turkes many of whom do deuoutly worship God and deale iustly with their neyghbours should perish for all eternity only because they haue not belieued in Christ especially since for want of this beliefe they seeme not to deserue much blame they being from their infancy trayned vp in a religion different from Christianity For why say they should God who would all men to be saued so strayten the way vnto heauen why should those miserable souls who according to their capacity do their best to please him do wrong to no man and do lead a iust and honest life be condemned to eternall payne for the ignorance of that thing wherein they were neuer sufficiently instructed The I. Reason But this opinion of theirs The same refuâ—ed by foure Reasons although in naturall reason it may seeme to carry some colour of truth and equity yet considering those thinges which are reuealed vnto vs in holy Scriptures it is a meere Paradox For if euery Turke and Iew may be saued in their beliefe then iuvaine haue the Apostles and holy Fathers so much laboured in preaching planting of the Christian faith In vaine so many Martyres by all manner kind of torments haue shed their bloud and spent their life in the confession therof For they might haue abstayned from this doctrine profession without any preiudice to their saluation and haue rested contented with the Iewes in the profession and
acknowledging of one God I add further Then in vayne was Christ made man in vayne did he worke so many Miracles that so he might be acknowledged and belieued to be the Mossias Sauiour of the world in vaine was he crucified and dyed For none of all these thinges was necessary to mans saluation it being sufficient to send preachers about the world to perswade men the beliefe of one God After this manner reasoneth the Apostle Gal. 2. If iustice be by the Law then in vayne saith he is Christ dead which is as much to say if Iustice can be obtayned by the knowledg of one God and obseruation of the Law in vayne was Christ crucifyed because then the death of Christ had not byn necessary for our saluation The 2. Reason Besides Rom. 3. Apoc. â— 7. Act. 4. hence it must necessarily follow that the whole Scripture is false since that it telleth vs how Christ is our Sauiour Mediatour and Redeemer and propoundeth him vnto vs as a Propitiatour by â—aith in his bloud by whose Sacrifice â—e are reconciled vnto God by his bloud our sinnes are washed away and with whose faith we are iustified Nâ—â—ther is there any other name vnder hâ—â—â—en giuen vnto men in which they â—â—ght to be saued Thus speaketh the 〈◊〉 Scripture and all this must needes be friuolous and false if euery man may be saued in his owne Religion But some may perhaps obiect that Christ is indeed our Redeemer and that all our good commeth from him yet his faith notwithstanding is not absolutely necessary For it is sufficient that we belieue that all our good commeth and proceedeth from the bountifull goodnesse of God vnto vs neyther is it needful for vs to know by what meanes it is bestowed vpon vs. But this not only repugneth to the holy Scripture but also it is against the reason of the holy Scripture because the sayd holy Scripture doth euidently teach vs that Christs redemption is not applied vnto vs but by fayth and therfore all such as are destitute of the fayth of Christ are voyd of their iustification and remayning still guiltie of sinne are the children of wrath and in danger of eternall damnation It repugneth to reason Why Christian saith is necessary to saluation because to the end that we may become partakers of any great and vnaccustomed benefit all reason requireth that we acknowledge the benefit and our be â—â—â—â—ctor and that we honour him as it be cometh vs with all thankes-giuing for â—oth the condition of the benefit and of our benefactor doth require of vs this gratefulnesse of mind Seing therfore that the benefit of our redemption is so great and vnaccustomed and he who bestowed it vpon vs so great and famous as also the meanes wherby he bestowed it vpon vs so strange and meruaylous it is requisit we should acknowledge all these things least we should liue and dye vngratefull toward so great a benefactor and least insteed of blessing thanking him after the manner of the Iewes we curse and blaspheme him It is therfore an absurd thing to esteme those who do not beleeue in Christ to be partakers of eternall saluation prepared for vs by Christ The which also by this may be confirmed because none can be saued who doth not know God and the benefit of his creation for otherwise all Idolators might be saued neither therfore can he be saued who doth not know the benefit of his redemption because the benefit of our redemption is farre greater and more admirable and doth more appertayne to the Glory of God and of Christ our Redeemer and requireth also of vs greater honour seruice and thankes giuing Neyther is it sufficient for vs to know in generall that all good thinges come vnto vs from God for this is not sufficient for the honor and gratitude which is dew vnto him but we must also know what and how great the benefit is as also by what manner way and meanes he bestowed it vpon vs that is to say that he hath deliuered vs from sinne and euerlasting death and that he hath opened vnto vs the way to eternall life that after a most admirable manner to wit by ioyning our nature vnto his by suffering therein death for vs. For this especially commendeth his charity mercy and iustice this also exacteth at our hands all duery prayse and thankes-giuing these therefore are most necessarily to be knowne to saluation The 3. Reason If euery one may be saued in his owne fayth then therfore that fayth is sufficient to saluation which is not a gift of God but an humane perswasion The ground of faith among â—e Iewes Turkes is false conceyued by our private iudgement relying vpon humane authority built vpon a deceitfull foundation For the Turkes although they belieue one Goâ— to be the Creatour of heauen and earth and to be the rewarder of both good and euill workes their faith notwithstanding is not of the holy Ghost but of their owne priuate iudgment or rather of the Diuel for they do not belieue so because God hath reuealed it vnto men by any true Prophet but because Mahomet whome they thinke to be the Prophet of God his instrument to teach mortall men hath so set it down in his Alcoran Albeit therfore that which they belieue be true yet because the ground of their beliefe and the whole reason therof is fâ—lse and pestilent to wit that Mahomet is a Prophet of God the faith it selfe whereby they belieue is deceytfull and the foundation therof whereupon it is grounded is hurtfull to saluation necessarily inclining and forcing the mind to cast it selfe into all the pâ—stiferous errours of that sect How therfore caÌ„ that faith be called sufficient for them vnto saluation or that they can be saued by that faith How can that which is vncertayne deceitfull pestiferous be made the foundatioÌ„ of our instice before God or of eternall saluation In like manner albeit the Iewes do belieue the same or rather more thinges agreable vnto truth yet the faith wherby they do belieue them is deceytfull and voyde of the spirit of God For the whole reason or cause of their beliefe is because the Rabbyns and Doctors of their Synagogue do so interpret the holy Scriptures vnto them For they are the rule of their beliefe or which is all one the holy Scripture as it is subiect to their interpretation But this whole reason of their beliefe is deceytfull and no lesse hurtful and dangerous then that of the Turkes for it is no lesse hurtefull to belieue that their Rabbyns interpreting the holy Scriptures are indued with the spirit of God then to belieue that Mahomet is the Prophet of God neither are they drawne into lesser absurdityes by the force of that principle How therfore can that faith be the foundation or ground of saluation The 4. Reason Finally this opinion maketh no difference betwixt Turcisme Iudaisme and Christianisme
remission of Synns they explicate of not imputation only not acknowledging any inward renouation by inherent iustice and the infused gifts of God after which manner the Catholikes do hold that sinnes are forgiuen By these it is manifest how great a difference there is in the vnderstanding of the Creed Seing therfore that there is but only one truth and this in our Consultation we haue shewed to be among Catholikes it necessarily followeth â—â— one God Creator of all thinges because his Alcoran doth teach him so which he thinketh to be written by the spirits of God his faith albeit he belieue that which is true relyeth vpon a false and deceytfull reason by the force whereof he is moued to belieue many false and blasphemous thinges as that there are not three Persons in the B. Trinity and that Christ is not God and that Christ is inferiour to Mahomet and that Circumcision the like are still to be kept That faith therfore by reason of the foundation is both deceitfull and hurtfull the same hapneth vnto alheretikes the which being supposed I vrge the argument in this manner That faith which relieth vpon a false foundation albeit it belieueth somethings which are true cannot be sufficient to saluation but the faith of all the sects of this tyme relieth vpon a false foundation it cannot be therefore sufficient for saluation The first proposition is manifest in it selfe for how can that which is deceitfull vncertayne be the â—oundation of our eternall 〈…〉 How can the true Religion whereâ—â— we please God be grounded in a false deceitfull faith Truly it is no lesse repugnant to reason then if thou shouldest say that truth is grounded vpon lyes wisdome vpon error and vertue vpon folly The second proposition The faith of all sectaries dependeth vpon a false ground to wit that all Sects are grounded vpon a false and deceitful foundation I proue in this manner for eyther they belieue their opinions for the authority of their Apostles Luther Caluin Melancthon Zwinglius c. whom they iudge to be endewed with the spirit of God or because euery one of them in their owne priuate iudgement do beleeue those things to be coÌ„teyned in holy Scripture or lastly because their owne priuate spirit doth inwardly testify vnto them that those things are true or that this is the meaning of holy Scripture for whatsoeuer the sects of these tymes do belieue they are moued thereunto by one of these three reasons and they appoint one of them to be the foundation or reason of their beliefe but these foundations and reasons be altogeather false and deceitfull As for the first reason to wit the authority of Luther Caluin and the rest who first inuented these new Religions that it is deceitfull is many fest because we see by experience that both they might and haue byn often deceyued for they haue reuoked many things corrected many things and in many things haue they contradicted themselues as hath byn declared in our Consultation of Religion in the 9. Consideration and the sixt Reason Hence it commeth to passe that few now adayes will rely vpon their authority because they say they were men and therefore subiect to error wherfore their followers also do leaue them at their owne pleasure when they thinke they haue found any thing fitter for their purpose their authority therfore is deceitfull vncertayne euen by the iudgement of their owne schollers and followers Neyther is the other to wit the priuate iudgment whereby they expound the holy Scripture lesse deceitful for many false thinges by that priuate iudgement seeme to be true and many things which before seemed true are afterward iudged false From hence ariseth so great variety and inconstancy in many of them concerning matters of faith because indeed mans iudgement is weake especially in the mysteries of our fayth and the vnderstanding of holy Scripture the which far exceedeth the reach of mans wisdome and reason Many do answere that they do not rely vpon their iudgment in matters of faith but vpon the holy Scriptures which cannot erre Whether all sectaries do rely vpon the Scripture wherin how miserably they are deceiued by this appeareth because almost all the sects do say that they rely vpoÌ„ holy Scripture wheras notwithstanding they differ among themselues in most of the matters one teaching contrary vnto another the which could by no meanes come to passe if they did not rest vpon their owne iudgments but vpon the lawfull and common vnderstanding of the holy Scripture for the holy Scripture is no where contrary vnto it selfe neyther doth it any where disagree from it selfe that therefore they so greatly iarre disagree among themselues is caused by that they make a sense to the holy Scripture according to their owne priuate iudgment the which is diuersly framed by them according to the diuersity of iudgments and vnderstanding among them they rely therfore vpon the holy Scripture not as it is interpreted by the Catholike Church the holy Fathers but as they in their priuate iudgment do interprete it for the vertue and force of the holy Scripture doth not only consist in the bare words but in the sense and meaning therof but the priuate iudgment inuenteth this sense and ioyneth it to the words of the Scripture as lyfe vnto the body the whole reason of their fayth therefore is their priuate iudgmeÌ„t the which how deceitfull oftentymes it is may easily be declared by the disagreement of so many sects For it is all one whether thou saist that thou reliest vpon Scripture as it is interpreted by thy proper iudgment or that thou reliest vpon thy owne iudgment precisely in it selfe Finally the third reason whereupon many now adayes do rely is most deceitfull and skornfull of all a manifest signe wherof is that among the Anabaptists who aboue all others are guyded by the instinct of the spirit there is the greatest variety of sects and disagrement of faith the which could not be but that the spirit whereupon they rely and by whome they are gouerned is deceitfull and variable The same also is to be seene among Caluinists and Lutherans and amongst their sects and diuers factions for their owne opinion is certayne and euident vnto euery one of them by the testimony of their owne priuate iudgment the which inwardly teacheth euery one of them and affoardeth the testimony of truth vnto euery one of them whereby it is manifest that this spirit is not the holy Ghost the spirit of truth who cannot teach contraryes or be opposite vnto it selfe but it is a wicked spirit the spirit of error who is a lyar from the begining and the father of lyes who worketh in the children of incredulity of whome the Apostle saith Because they haue not receiued the charity of truth 2. Thess 6. he will therefore send them the operation of error that they may belieue in lyes And in another place 2. Tim. 4. In
law but offendeth in one he is made guilty of all for he who said thou shall not commit adultery said also thou shall not kill as if he should say he is made guilty of all and shal be punished as a breaker of the whole law because he hath despised the law maker who is the author of the whole law In like manner therfore he which shall deny one article although he belieue all the rest is made guilty of violating his whole faith and Religion because he contemneth God who is the first Truth who no lesse reuealed this then the other he conteÌ„neth the Catholike Church the spouse of Christ who is the pillar strength of Truth wherby he hath no lesse determined we should belieue this then the other And this is the reason why he is no lesse an heretike who with pertinacy denieth one point of faith theÌ„ he which denieth a hundred because in that he denieth one he contemneth God who is the first truth and did reueale it he contemneth the authority of the Church the which did propose it vnto vs he maketh the Church subiect to error and a liar wherby he is made also vncertaine of all the rest and looseth all his diuine faith for the ground of his diuine faith being takeÌ„ away his whole faith must needs perish and consequently there remaineth only an opinion or humane fayth subiect to error wherby he belieueth all the rest The 10. Reason Tenthly and lastly this opinion is very dangerous in the practise therof for it maketh a man that he careth not what religion he hold what he belieueth or not belieueth he doth not therfore seeke after the truth and he doth as easily and with as great security lay hold on false as true things yet all men not only Catholike but euen the more principal sects those which are learned wise men do absolut'y affirme that none can be saued without the true faith and religion and whosoeuer are depriued therof shall perish for euer The followers therfore of this opinion are condemned of all and they only promise vnto themselues saluation without any author testimony or reason for it relying and trusting only in their owne vain imagination of their foolish braine let then therefore heare out of S. Fulgentius what antiquity hath alwaies holden and what the Catholike Church hath taught in all ages Thus therfore he writeth setting downe the rules of our common saith in his booke de fide ad Petruin Diaconum Cap. 38. Belieue assuredly saith he and doubt nothing at all that not only all Pagans but also all Iewes Heretikes and Schismatikes who shall dy out of the Catholike Church shall go into euerlasting fire which is prepared for the diuell and his Angells And in the 39. Cap. Belieue assuredly and doubt nothing that euery heretik or Schismatik christned in the name of the Father of the Son and of the holy Ghost if he be not within the number of those which are of the Catholik Church what almes soeuer he hath made albeit he shall shed his bloud for the name of Christ can by no meanes be saued for neither baptisme nor large and charitable almes nor death it selfe suffered for Christes sake will auaile that maÌ„ who 〈…〉 vnity of the Catholik Church as long as this hereticall or schismaticall wickednes whâ—th leadeth to perdition shall continue in him This hath always byn the faith of the Catholike Church and the most certayne and vndoubted doctrine of the holy Fathers the which I would to God al those who remaine out of the Church of God would attentiuely and diligently consider they would truly and easily preceiue in how dangerous a state they continue Thou O Christ the light of the world shyne vnto their mindes and lighten their hartes Amen FINIS