images of Christ crucifyed vsed in the Church with Apostolicall allowance we haue the plaine words of S. Paul Gal. 3.1 O senselesse Galathians who hath be witched you not to obey the Gospel before whose eyes Christ Iesus is painted Crucifyed among you The Greeke word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 liuely set forth in the picture of his Crucifixion so that S. Paul proueth the Galatians were senselesse people that honoring Christ Iesus pictured before their eyes as crucifyed yet did not hope for Saluation by his Crosse and Crucifixion but by Circumcision and the obseruances of the Law This sense being according to the plaine proper and literall sense of the wordes Protestants are bound by the rule of their Religion to admit thereof and cannot without impiety refuse it and expound the place of metaphoricall Painting except they can euidently demonstrate this sense to be false or incongruous against the Apostles intent which they will neuer be able to do 8. If you say that this text at the most proueth the vsing of Images for the representation not honoring of them I answere with the learned M. Montague your Bishop of Chichester that in the vsing of Images for memory sake the honouring of them is necessarily included which he proueth euidently and together affirmes that it is strange that any Christian should be displeased with the Doctrine That respect and honour is to be giuen to Images 9. The Persons of the Trinity we picture not but only the person of Goa the Sonne in the forme and shape of man as personally he was Onely we represent the type wherein God the Father appeared to wit the forme of the Ancient of dayes described Dan. 7. and the type wherein the Holy Ghost appeared the forme of a Doue recorded Math. 3. 10. For Inuocation of Angels we haue the practise and example of holy Iacob Gen. 84.15 The Angell which deliuered me from all euill blesse these Children which text you cannot answere without iugling and changing the Angell into the figure of another substance 11. For the sufficiency of the Sacrament vnder the forme of bread we haue the expresse warrant of our Lord Ioan. 6.59 He that eateth this bread shall liue for euer And for the practise of Communion in one kind for lay men we haue his example Luc. 24.30.31 12. For the adoration of the Sacrament we haue the Scripture in the plaine and proper sense For sayth D. Morton your B. of Durham If the words of Christ be true in a proper and literall sense we must yield vnto Papists the whole cause of Transubstantiation c. the proper adoration of the Sacrament 13. That we prohibite certaine orders of men women to mary is a slander They freely without constraint prohibite themselues whiles by vow they bind their fayth and fidelity vnto Christ to liue single and chast peculiarly consecrated to his seruice Which fayth and fidelity if they violate and make voyd by consequent Mariage as your first reformer the Frier did who married a Nunne we hold their state sacrilegious and damnable which is the expresse doctrine of S. Paul 1. Tim. 5.12 14. The Controuersy which language is fittest and of most edification in Church seruice whether the vulgar which is best knowne in this or that particular country or some learned language Greeke or Latin which be best knowne in the whole Christian Church cannot be determined by Scripture as hath beene already proued So that measuring the way of Saluation euen by the rule of the Bible only the Roman Religion is the plainer and safer Way better warranted euen by expresse texts of Scripture The Ninth Conuiction THe chiefe Fundamental ground of the security Roman Catholiques enioy that they are in the right Way of Saluation according to which if they walke they cannot be damned is the direction of an infallible guide the holy Catholique Church which is no other but the Roman This is conuinced by what your self are forced to grāt as hath been shewed but because this businesse is the maine and the totall I will here repeate some of the passages though very briefly 1. First conuicted by the wordes of S. Paul you grant that the visible Catholique Church is the pillar and ground of truth that is the teacher of all necessary and profittable truth by duty and office yea that she is always in fact the teacher of all truth necessary to Saluation For say you that the true Church alwayes shall be the maintayner and teacher of all necessary truth we grant and must grant For it is of the essence of the Church to be so and any company of men were no more a Church without it then any thing can be a man and not be reasonable Thus you grant that there is and alwayes shall be a Catholique Church which shall not only belieue inwardly and in heart but also teach and a propose without fayle all diuine reuelation necessary to Saluation For it is her very essence to be so Wherefore not only in belieuing but also in teaching and proposing all necessary truth she can no more faile then from her owne being which is indefectible Hence she is and you must grant she is an infallible guide in Fundamentalls Because to shew men the way to heauen by teaching them all reuealed truth that is necessary to bring them thither what is it but to be a guide of men vnto Saluation shewing them the Fundamental doctrines of Christian Religion without which no man is saued 2. Secondly the visible Catholique Church being as you grant she is an infallible teacher or guide in Fundamentalls must of necessity be also infallible in all her proposalls The necessity of this consequence you deny a thousand tymes and almost in euery period of your third Chapter yet you affirme it in expresse termes Pag. 105 n. 139. lin 23. To say that the Church is an infallible guide in Fundamentals were to oblige our selues to find some certain Society of men of whome we might be certain that they neither do nor can erre in Fundamentals nor in declaring what is Fundamental and what is not and consequently to make any Church an infallible guide in Fundamentals would be to make her infallible in all thinges she proposes and requires to be belieued Which truth you proue vnanswerably Pag. 148. n. 36. 3. Thirdly the visible Catholique Church being a guide in Fundamentals that is alwayes a Teacher of all necessary truth is a Church c of one denomination that is some settled certaine Society of Christians knowne and distinguished from other Societies by adhering to such a Bishop This is proued by this Syllogisme wherein both the premises be your owne formall assertions The Church is appointed of God to be the teacher and guide of men in the way of Saluation and so she is able and fit for that office For God would not by his word haue appointed her an office for which she is vnfit and vnable
which moueth D. Potter such other Ministers to maintaine the errours of the Roman Church to be but littleones and not damnable but because they dare not hold the contrary in regard of the vnchristian absurdities which they perceiue to be consequent theron as by the next Section will appeare All Christians of former ages damned if the errours of the Roman Church be damnable of themselues §. 5. 13. CAn any absurdity be more vast and vnchristian then this contained in the title of this paragraph What wonder if Protestants that be moderate and not carried away with precipitous zeale through horrour to be forced vnto this immanity dare not affirme that our errours are in themselues damnable though otherwise their little loue towardes vs considered they could do it with all their heart To proue this vast absurdity to be consequent vpon the said proposition we must suppose what no man doth or can deny that for many ages before Luther all the famous men for learning and sanctity who by heroicall actes of Charity and other Christian vertues and working of Miracles maintained the credit of the Christian name held the doctrines of the Roman Church which Protestants contend to be erroneous The fame is also euident concerning the Fathers of the more Primitiue times and is confessed by Protestantes namly D. Whitgift late Archbishop of Canterbury Almost all the Bishops and Writers of the Greeke Church and of the Latin also for the most part were spotted with the doctrines of free-will of Merit of Inuocation of Saintes and such like So that if the Doctrines of the Roman Church which Protestantes traduce as erroneous be damnable of themselues it is consequent that the most famous Bishops Doctours and Saints in so many former Christian ages were guilty of errours in themselues and of themselues damnable which being so they should be all certainly damned without any hope of their Saluation 14. This consequence I proue by what you by write pag. 403. lin 30. They that haue vnderstanding and meanes to discouer their errours and neglect to vse them we dare not flatter with so easy a censure as to giue them hope of Saluation But the eminent Fathers and Christian Saintes of so many ages before Luther had sufficient vnderstanding and meanes to discouer their errours and yet neuer made vse of them They had excellent vnderstandings they were verst in all manner of sciences they had the holy Scripture which you say is the only meanes to know all necessary truth and to discouer all damnable errours a meanes not only sufficient but also in your iudgment most playne and easy so that men not only may but also cannot but therin discouer which be damnable errours except they wilfully shut their eyes against the light Therefore there is no hope of the saluation of the Ancient Fathers and Saintes of former Christian ages if your Proposition be true they who had sufficient vnderstanding and meanes to discouer their errours and neglected to vse them there is for them no hope of Saluation Moreouer pag. 279. num 64. lin 8. you say that which is in it selfe damnable will actually bring damnation vpon them that keep themselues in it by their owne voluntary and auoydable fault But the Ancient Fathers and holy Saints in the ages before Luther held the doctrines of the Roman Church which you account damnable full of great impiety and Idolatry they kept thēselues in them according to your groūds by their owne voluntary and auoydable fault for they had sufficient meanes to discouer their errours to wit they had the holy Scripture wherin as you say these errours are discouered not onely with sufficient but also with abundant clarity that there cannot possibly be greater you must therefore of necessity grant that these damnable and impious errours if they be such as you say they are brought actually damnation vpon the Fathers and Saints of former ages Agayne page 290. lin 2. of liuing in the Communion of the Roman Church and approuing her doctrines and practises you say Though we hope it was pardonable in them who had no meanes to know their errour yet of its owne nature and to them who did or might haue knowne their errour it was certainely damnable Now the holy Fathers and Christian Saints of former ages might haue knowne our errours if they be errours because they had the holy Scriptures in which you say such errours are discouered their damnable falshood so plainly as nothing can be more If then you say true that the Roman Religion is full of great impiety and damnable doctrines it is euidently consequent by your principles that all holy Bishops Doctours and Saints who are confessed to haue held the sayd doctrines are certainly damned for euer no hope remaining of their saluation Wherfore the reason why Protestants hold our Religion safe and a sure way to Heauen as being free from damnable errour is not Charity and excesse of good will they beare to our persons as they pretend but feare of the vast absurdity which they see consequent thereupon that so many former ages and worldes of holy Bishops Doctours Conuerters of Nations workers of Miracles and admirable Saints are certainly damned 15. There be many Protestant Ministers that could find in their hearts to grant this dismall position of the damnation of the ancient euer esteemed Saints if the same would stand them in steed to maintaine the diuision from the Roman Church yet they dare not venture cleerly to auerre so much for feare that this would produce the contrary effect and moue many of their followers to recoyle back from them For in the separation made by Luther from the Roman Church there be many piously inclined mindes carefull of their future eternity either of weale or woe cordially desirous to be secure of the happines of the one and mighty fearefull to fall into the misery of the other Should Protestant Ministers cleerly deliuer their mindes that the Roman Religion is damnable euen of it selfe a direct way to Hell and that such as walke or haue walked therein are certainely damded these piously disposed and timerous Soules would feele horrour to be of the Protestant Religion which cannot be the way of saluation except the Roman Christianity so great so glorious so continued from Christ and his Apostles contayning within her bosome so many worlds of holy Bishops learned and pious Pastours and of admirable Saints be damned at least all the intelligent Professors therof The apprehension of this dreadfull and dangerous state amazed euen the stout and curst heart of Luther whē he saw himselfe engaged in a course out of which he could not issue with saluation except so many former ages of Saints were damned How often sayth he did my heart tremble and pant within my breast obiecting against me that most stronge argument Art thou onely wise Did so many Christian worldes in former ages all erre What if perhaps
so many glorious markes of the true Christian Church to reiect the definition of Generall Councels without any necessary and inforing reasons without any sure ground or euident certainty that they be errours No doubt such an one the more ignorant that he is the more damnable wretch he is and by so much is his pride more detestable Wherfore Protestants if in their vndertaking and venturing to reiect the definition of Councels and the receaued Traditions of so many former Christian ages they chance to erre though but out of simplicity and ignorance this simplicity and ignorance will not excuse and mitigate but rather accuse and aggrauate the crime of their erring presumption and pride 7. This truth that Protestants cannot be saued by ignorance as Roman Catholiques may you seeme to acknowledge pag. 285. lin 7. We assure our selues if our liues be answerable we shall be saued by our knowledge And we hope and I tell you agayne spes est rei incertae nomen that some of you may possibly be saued by occasion of their vnaffected ignorance Behold the way of saluation by Ignorance you leaue vnto vs and in your great excesse of charity hope that some of vs may possibly be saued throgh ignorance But you Protestants are sure to be saued by your knowledge by your euident certainty that the truth standes on your side against the definition of former Christian worlds Now if this be the case of Protestants that they must be saued by their owne knowledge by being sure they haue such euident certainty of truth as may counter poyse the authority of so many Christian ages and Councels how pittifull and lamentable is their case They cannot be saued except they be furnisht with knowledge and euident certainty that they haue truth on their side For if they want this knowledge they cannot prudently nor without execrable Pride oppose Generall Councels which stand for the Roman Doctrines But Protestants at least millions of them are as sure and certayne as they liue that they haue no such knowledge no such euident demonstration or certainty that the Roman Church and Councels erre Therefore they cannot except they be stupide and senselesse but be sure they are in a damnable state and shall certainly be damned except they change their course 8. The second part of this Section that Protestants if they erre cannot be saued from their sinfull damnable errours by general repentance is proued Because Generall Repentance doth extend only to those things wherein the Penitent may lawfully and with a safe conscience apprehend and feare there may be sinne For as you say pag. 20. lin 45. Generall repentance is vniuersall sorow for all their sinnes both which they know they haue committed or which they feare they may haue But Protestants belieue their Religiō against the Church of Rome to be the Gospell to be the word of God to be most infallible Christian truth and so do not feare any fault or sinne in their beliefe yea they cannot with a safe conscience so much as apprehend that their beliefe may be sinfull false or vncertayne For as you say cap. 5. n. 107. this were to doubt of the certainty of the Gospell Ergo the Generall repentance of Protestants neyther doth nor can extend it selfe to recall virtually and implicitely the Doctrine they hold against the Roman Church no more then they repent of the Doctrine they hold against Iewes and Turkes For they hold both these Doctrines as much the one as the other to be the word of God and therefore not to be doubted of much lesse repented as though it might be sinfull errour Moreouer it is not possible that a man should at the same time repent himselfe of a thing and together detest from his heart all repenting thereof But Protestants abhorre detest as impious all doubting and much more all repenting of their Religion as it is opposed against the pretended Superstitions Impieties Idolatries of the Church of Rome for they thinke it holy Scripture Diuine Reuelation as certayne as the Gospell Wherfore it is impossible that Protestants should repent of their opposing the Church of Rome so long as they be Protestants and belieue the doctrine of Protestancy to be the Gospell and the Roman Religion to be full of Impiety and Idolatry There is no hope such Protestants can be saued except God send into their heart the light of his Spirit and make them see their Religion so farre as it is opposite to the Roman to be but a masse of old damned Heresies and moue them to repent and to recall and detest them in particular Your impudent slandering of Charity Maintayned that he granteth Saluation vnto any Protestant that is ignorant or repentant §. 4. 9. YOu are much vexed that the Roman Religion is proclaimed safe euen by her Aduersaries and that yours is wholly destitute of such comfortable testimonies Wherfore the warrant you cannot obtayne by truth and fayre dealing you seeke to get by falshood fraud and forgery euen of our Maintayner to whome you speake in this manner pag. 31. lin 12. That which you do say doth plainely inough affoard vs these Corollaries 1. That whatsoeuer Protestant wanteth capacity or hauing it wanteth sufficient meanes of instruction to conuince his conscience of the falshood of his owne the truth of the Roman Religion by the confession of his most rigide Aduersaries may be saued notwithstanding any errour in his Religion 2. That nothing hinders but that a Protestant dying a Protestant may dye with Contrition for all his sinnes 3. That if he dye with Contrition he may and shall be saued All these acknowledgements we haue from you whiles you are as you say stating but as I conceaue granting the very point in question which was as I haue already proued out of C. M. whether without vncharitablenesse you may pronounce that Protestants dying in their Religion and without particular repentance and dereliction of it cannot possibly be saued 16. Thus without shame you falsify the Tenet of your Aduersary the doctrine of our Church Where doth our Maintayner say that whatsoeuer Protestant notwithstanding any errour Socinians be Protestants in your account because they hold the Bible the Bible and only the Bible who maintayne Christ Iesus not to be the eternall Sonne of God incarnated Where doth our Maintayner affirme that these Protestants may be saued in this so vild errour vpon any condition yea where doth he say of any Protestant that he may be saued in any errour which the maintaynes knowingly against the Roman Religion if he want sufficient meanes of instruction to conuince his conscience of the falshood of his owne and truth of the Roman He hath no such wordes and his wordes from which you pretend to draw this wine of Comfort for Protestants haue not any the least relish of that sense These they are when any man esteemed Protestant leaueth to liue in this world we do not instantly with precipitation
that these Bookes be the word of God resteth finally not vpō the credit of human Tradition but vpon the Scripture onely which shewes it selfe with euident certitude to be diuine and supernaturall truth and so reuealed of God Euen as light is seene by its owne brightnesse and hony is proued to be sweet by the very tast thereof But this point of Protestancy you reiect as fond vaine ridiculous pag. 371. n. 51. and proue it to be such Because if the Bookes of Scripture were euidently certayne if they did with euident certitude demonstrate themselues to be Diuine truth then all men that haue vnderstanding and capacity to apprehend the right sense and sentence of Scripture would belieue them to be true which experience sheweth be otherwise If Protestants answere that such as haue their tast distempered to them hony is bitter so Infidels through preiudice and distemper of passions do not perceaue and tast the Diuinity of the Doctrines of the Scripture Against this the reply is ready and conuincing For they who through distemper of their palate iudge hony to be bitter do not apprehend the true tast of hony but a tast contrary to the true tast thereof which being in their palate they conceaue it to be in the meate But Infidels by their vnderstanding do rightly apprehend and conceaue the true senses of Scripture and the mysteries of fayth deliuered therein more cleerely then many Christians of meane capacity do and yet they do not iudge them to be Diuine truth or truth at all Ergo the very true sense and sentence of Scripture doth not with euident certainty shew it selfe to be Supernaturall truth such as could not be reuealed but of God 6. Finally if the Protestants beliefe of Scripture be grounded vpon sight of the truth thereof this their beliefe is not sauing fayth for Fayth by which men are saued as hath beene sayd is that wherby they submit by voluntary obedience their vnderstanding to Gods word belieuing firmely and assuredly vpon the Authority thereof things in themselues incredible and aboue the reach of human reason But Protestants do not belieue the doctrine of Scripture because it is the word of God but because as they say they see it to be Diuine truth and consequētly the word of God Ergo they haue not the fayth of humble submission to Gods word which is the onely fayth that pleaseth God and by which men are saued 7. The third Argument Protestants haue not fayth of infallible adherence that is fayth worthy of God about the sense and interpretation of Scripture For holding the Churches interpretation to be fallible they pretend to be sure by this rule that what they belieue to them seemes plainely cleerely euidently reuealed and proposed in the Scripture But this rule of assurance is not infallible but very fallible and deceytfull For euen Protestants thēselues contend that many texts and places of Scripture which seeme plaine and cleere are to be vnderstood figuratiuely against the plaine proper and literall sense For example the words of our Lord about the chiefe Sacrament mystery of fayth THIS is My Body This is My BLOVD in their plaine proper and literall sense deliuer and establish Transubstantiation as Protestants grant Hence Protestants that are resolued not to belieue a mystery so high aboue reason seemingly repugnant to sense will by no meanes allow these wordes to be true in their proper and literal sense they will not yield to the plain euidence of the Diuine text Whereupon it is euidently consequent that they cannot be sure about any mystery of fayth by vertue of the sole seeming euidence of the sacred Text. For instance take the most fundamental text of Scripture about the most fundamētal mystery of Christian Religion to wit the Incarnation of the Sonne of God The Word was made flesh How doth this text euidently conuince that the Eternal Word and Sonne of God was made Man truely substantially personally What Protestants say of the word of Christ This is my Body why may not Nestorians affirme about this text The Word was made ffesh that it is not true in a proper plaine and literal sense but metaphorically figuratiuely that God and Man were made one in Christ by affectual vnion as two great friendes are said to be one How can Protestants be themselues assured or how can they proue by the sole euidence of the text that this Nestorian interpretation is false And if their beliefe of the mystery of the Incarnation be not solide and firme grounded on a rule of interpretation infallibly certaine how can they be saued 8. Learned and iudicious Readers may find in your booke a world of laughter about your answering the arguments of Charity Maintayned you do it so vnscholler-like so okerly and vntowardly Let your answere to this argument serue for a patterne Our Maintayner vrgeth D. Potter that if the Church may erre in points of fayth not fundamentall you can neuer be sure of any such point For as you erre about some deceyued by the seeming euidence of the Scripture so you cannot be sure you do not erre about other You answere Pag. 117. n. 160. A pretty Sophisme depending vpon this principle that whosoeuer possibly may erre he can neuer be certaine that he doth not erre A Iudge may possibly erre in iudgment can he therefore neuer be sure he hath iudged aright A Traualler may possibly mistake his way must I therefore be doubtfull whether I am in the right way from my Hall to my chamber Or can our London-Carrier haue no certainty in the middle of the day when he is sober and in his wits that he is in the way to London And a litle after nu 161. whereas our Mayntainer argueth that you cannot be sure it is an errour to make the Church Iudge of Controuersies because you pretend to be sure by the seeming euidence of Scripture but this rule is not infallible so you cānot be sure by the warrant thereof The ground of this Sophisme say you is very like the former viz. that we can be certaine of the falshood of no proposition but those only that are damnable errours But I pray good Sir giue me your opinion of these The snow is balcke the fire is cold M. Knot is Arch-Bishop of Toledo the whole is not greater then a part of the whole that twise two make not foure in your opinion good Sir are these damnable heresies Or because they are not so haue we no certainty of the falshood of them I beseech you Sir consider seriously with what strāge captions you haue gone about to delude your King and your Country if you be conuinced they are so giue glory to God and let the world know it by your deserting that Religion which standes vpon such deceytfull foundations This you write which you could neuer haue written had you been with your London Carrier sober and in your wits You haue proued Gusman de
to perferme it yea you say the Church is not only able to performe the office of guide but also that alwayes in fact she doth exercise the same in teaching all necessary truth But you say pag. 163. lin 9. A Church of one denomination distinguished from all others by adhering to such a Bishop such a determinate Church alone can performe the office of Guide and Directour And Pag. 105. n. 239. lin 30. No Church can possibly be fit to be a guide but only a Church of some certaine denomination as the Greeke the Roman the Ahissine Wherefore the Visible Catholique Church being fit and able to performe the office of Guide and Directour as you grant she is and that it is essentially necessary that she be so she is and of necessity must be a Church of one denomination subiect to one certaine supreme Guide and Bishop 4. From these most certaine truthes by you granted approued and proued it is necessarily and euidently consequent that the Roman Church is the Visible Catholique Church of God an infallible Teacher of all fundamentall and necessary truth yea infallible in all thinges she proposes as matter of fayth This I say is cleerely consequent of the former grants For the visible Church being the Guide Teacher and Directour of men is on the one side a Church of one denomination else she could not performe that office of guide which she doth as you confesse alwayes actually performe On the other side being the Catholique that is the Vniuersall Church she must be spread ouer the face of the earth as the Roman is in Europe Africa Asia America and in many of the particular Kingdomes and Prouinces of these foure quarters of the world So that the wordes of S. Paul to the Romans come to be verified no lesse now then at that time your fayth is renowned and published in the whole world Which vniuersality or vniuersal Vnity agrees to no other Church of one denomination as is manifest Wherefore the Roman Church is the Holy Catholique Church the infallible guide of men in the way of Saluation 5. Hence is concluded the security of Roman Catholiques that they cannot possibly erre about matters of fayth so long as they follow the dogmatical directions and definitions of the Roman Church Contrariwise they who oppose what they know to be proposed by her as matter of fayth erre Heretically damnably and cannot possibly be saued without expresse repentance of their errours The Conclusion 6. THis argument of the assured Saluation of Roman Catholiques and of the assured damnation of all the knowing opposers of their Religion and Church being thus euidently demonstrated for Conclusion I could wish an Ocean of teares of bloud endued with the quality of mollifying hearts as hard as the Adamant for so I might condignely and fruitefully deplore the pittifull state the commiserable condition the vnfortunate thraldome in Errour of many millions in our deare Country caused by mortall auersion from the true Catholique Church which is instilled into their mindes by Heretical education 7. They grant conuicted by the euidence of Gods word that the Catholique Church is the ground and rocke of Truth wheron men may securely rest and rely an infallible Guide and teacher of all Fundamentals consequently of all euen profitable truth about Diuine matters They further acknowledge conuicted by experience and reason that the Church cannot be fit orable to performe the office of guide Directour except it be of one denomination of one obedience subiect to one determinate Bishop as her supreme Pastour and Gouernour They cannot but see with their eyes there is no Church Catholique or vniuersally diffused of one Fayth of one Obedience of one Denomination subiect to one Pastour acknowledged of all of that Religion but the Roman Consequently that there is no Church besides the Roman fit or able to performe the office of Guide and Directour to men that are saued as the true Catholique Church is bound to do and alwayes actually doth These thinges they confesse or see and yet so inflexible is the obstinacy the passion pride against the Roman Church wherwith Education like Medusa's head hath dulled stupifyed and instoned their soules as they contemne her Direction forsakes her Communion hate her Authority scorne her Motherly care of their Saluation running to perdition in the way of their owne fallible and palpably false conceytes fancied to be Scripture 8. Why did our Sauiour make his Church the pillar and ground of truth that is an infallible Teacher of the doctrine of Saluation but that he would haue men to make vse of her teaching As knowing that through a world of errours which carry with them a faire shew of truth they could not attayne to eternal Happinesse without a Visible infallible Guide No doubt when he gaue her the office of Mother he bound vs as we would be his Children and Heyres to loue honour and reuerence Her and to liue alwayes in the lap of her Communion When he gaue her the office of Guide he bound vs to follow her directions as we desire to speed in our iourney to him and to come to see for euer his Blessed face When he gaue her the office of Rocke he obliged vs to build our fayth and hope of Saluation on her Teaching assuring vs that no sublimity of wit vnderstanding no height of perfection be it in our conceite neuer so eleuate can reach to Heauen which is not grounded on the neuer-fayling fortitude of this Rocke 9. They then that haue disioyned themselues from the wombe and lap of this Mother can neuer be so in Gods fauour as to be his Children the Heyres of his glory the fellow heyres with Christ They that follow not the Directions of this euer vn-erring Guide be not in the way towardes him that is Truth and Life but wander in a wildernesse of Errour the issue wherof is eternall Death· They that haue not setled the feete of their Fayth and Affection on this Rocke the sole Rocke of safety in this vast Ocean of dangers what are they but wauing and wauering Babes floating in a sea of vncertainties tossed this way and that way with euery gust of erroneous doctrine 10. For a man not to belieue that our Sauiour did institute his Church to continue for euer the Teacher of all sauing truth the Rocke of Saluation against which the gates of Hell shall neuer preuayle what is this but to stop his eares against the cleer and plaine voyce of his word For a man to say that he gaue the office of Guide to a confused multitude and Chaos of different Religions and Obediences and not to a Church of one denomination which alone is able to performe that office what is it but to open his mouth into blasphemies against his Diuine Wisedome For a man not to see that there is no vniuersally diffused Church in the world of one fayth and obedience all the Professours thereof adhering
Saluation is worth to looke most carefully that the cause of his separation be iust and necessary And pag. 200. lin 25. I willingly confesse the iudgment of a Councell though not infallible yet is so far directiue and obliging that without apparent reason of the contrary it may be sinne to reiect it at least not to afford it an outward submission But D. Potter more cleerly and fully affirmeth That Generall Councels are the highest Tribunals which the Church hath vpon earth that their authority is immediatly deriued delegated from Christ that no Christian is exempted from their censures and iurisdiction that their decrees bind all persons to externall obedience and may not be questioned but vpon euident reasons That the belieuers of the Roman Church cannot erre but through Ignorance inuincible §. 2. 3. FOr the title of this Section I argue thus Those errours are vnauoydable and inuincible which cannot be auoyded without damnable sinne But Roman Catholiques cannot auoyd the errous of the Roman Church if she haue any without damnable sinne Therfore their errours if they do erre must of necessity be ignorances inuincible and vnauoydable such as they cannot shake of without damning themselues The Minor or assumption of this argument I proue because Roman Catholiques that be sincere and cordiall belieuers of the doctrine of the Roman Church cannot haue necessary forcing reasons nor euident demonstrations that the Roman Church is in errour This is cleere For if they haue necessary and inforcing reasons and euident demonstrations whereby they are conuicted in conscience that the Roman Church erreth they be now no more Roman Catholiques nor belieuers of the Roman Church but Protestants and her Aduersaries in their iudgment It is therefore impossible that Roman Catholiques so longe as they be sincere and Cordiall belieuers of the Roman Doctrine should haue euident demonstrations that the Roman Church erreth And if the◠haue not euident demonstrations it were damnable for them to forsake her doctrines which Protestants account erroneous nor can they do it without damning their soules Who then doth not see that their erring if they erre is enforced vn auoydable proceeding from ignorance inuincible for which sort of ignorance it is impossible they should be damned 4. You to auoyde the force of this Argument contend that though your reasons are necessary enforcing as cleere as the light at noone yet we are not conuicted by them in conscience not that they want euidence but that we are obstinately peruerse This your shift cauill is easily shewed to be friuolous and false Friuolous because you only say without any proofe that we are obstinately peruerse and if to say it without proofe be inough then the same answere will serue and doth de facto serue euery Heretique euery Sect-maister euery forger of new Monsters for when he findeth himselfe in straytes and not able to bring so much as a probable reason for his new deuised impieties he falleth presently to cry that his Texts of Scripture are as cleere as the sunne his Arguments euident demonstrations that the reason Catholiques neglect and reiect him is not want of euidence in his arguing but that we are wilfully blind obstinately peruerse men that haue eyes to see and will not see giuen ouer to stronge delusions and vnto a reprobate sense And what is this but to change schollership into scolding reasoning into rayling disputing into clamorous and contumelious wrangling wherin he getteth the victory who is the stoufest Stentor and can crye loudest against his Aduersaries You are willfully blind you are obstinately peruerse In which kind of arguing you are very eloquent according to the stile of heretiques quorum doctrina sayth S. Hierome non in sensu sed in multiloquio elamore consistit 5. Secondly it is false because necessary and enforcing reasons or euident demonstrations presented vnto the vnderstanding necessitate the said Vnderstanding and compell the Conscience to assent let the Will be neuer so peruerse The peruersity of Will may make a man deny with his mouth what in Conscience he knoweth to be true it may make him hate impugne knowne truth but it cannot possibly make him not see what by the light of euident demonstration is made cleere to his vnderstanding This I proue by your owne sayings as pag. 370. n. 50. Apparent arguments necessitate the vnderstanding to assent and Pag. 371. n. 81. You contend that Protestants hold not that it is euidently certaine that these bookes in particular are the word of God For say you they are not eyther so fond as to be ignorant nor so vaine as to pretend that all men do assent to it which they would if they were euidently certain or so ridiculous as to imagine that an Indian that had neuer heard of Christ or Christianity reading the Bible in his owne language would without miracle belieue it to be the word of God which yet he could NOT CHOOSE but do if it were euidently certaine Heere you affirme that all men in the world would belieue the Christian Bible to be the word of God yea they could not choose but assent vnto it as vnto Diuine truth if it did shew it selfe to be such with euident certainty And yet there be millions in the world that be obstinately peruerse against the Christian Bible Ergo demonstrations which shew a truth to the vnderstanding with euident certainty necessitate the Vnderstanding to assent though the Will be obstinately peruerse But Catholiques though they vnderstand ponder and consider your pretended euident demonstrations and texts of Scripture as cleere as the sunne can dissent from them rest persuaded in their conscience against your conclusions by pious constancy of fayth Wherefore your Arguments be not euident demonstrations and consequently no man can be moued with them to forsake the Roman Church and her Doctrine of Generall Councels without committing damnable sinne yea they are so farre from being irresistable as they are vaine weake contemptible euen those which you pretend to be so cleere as none can possibly be cleerer as I haue shewed in the former Treatise Cap. 6. Conuict 6. n. 29. That Protestants if they erre cannot be saued by ignorance or generall repentance §. 3. 6. THe first part of the Title that they cannot be saued by ignorance I proue thus Either Protestants haue demonstrations euident certainty that the Roman Church erreth that her definitions which they forsake and keep themselues in opposition against them be false and impious or they haue not If they haue they be not ignorant but full of cleere and manifest certainty about all those points wherein they forsake the Roman Church If they haue not they are indeed in ignorance but in such ignorance as will not saue them but rather make them more damnable to wit in the ignorance of Pride For is it not damnable and execrable Pride for a simple and ignorant man to abandon the Roman Church adorned with