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A67650
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A revision of Doctor George Morlei's judgment in matters of religion, or, An answer to several treatises written by him upon several occasions concerning the Church of Rome and most of the doctrines controverted betwixt her, and the Church of England to which is annext a treatise of pagan idolatry / by L.W.
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Warner, John, 1628-1692.
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1683
(1683)
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Wing W912; ESTC R14220
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191,103
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310
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should stile his Pamphlet Worthlesse I know not I haue never seene it to my knowledge yet what you cite out of him bating some phrases which to your polite eares sound harsh as some of mine will It speakes it not much inferiour to some others Then you giue vs a view of as much of the whole treatise as relates to your Argument which I will omit here being content with once viewing them as they occurre afterwards The first thing setled by this Anonimus is that some Miracles are Sensible others insensible Or as he says some are Motiues to Faith others Objects of Faith which is very neere the same as to our present purpose This distinction disgruntles you who cannot suffer that any Miracles should be sayd to be Insensible But I will proue there are such Because 1. Christ was borne Clauso Virginis Deiparae vtero without any prejudice to the virginal integrity of his Blessed mother This was a Miracle as is evident yet it was not Sensible Therefore some Miracles are not Sensible 2. His coming out of the sepulcher shut vp with a greate stone sealed was it not Miraculous Can two bodyes naturally be penetrated Could his sacred body passe through that stone without penetration of two solid bodyes such were that of Christ that stone miraculous And if you say Christs body past from the place in the sepulcher to that without the stone without passing the middle space Ab extremo ad extremum sine medio that skip will be Miraculous insensible too so it will confirme what J say You cannot say the stone was removed for him to passe for it is evident that Angel coming from Heaven roaled away the stone who was found sitting vpon it Mat. 28.2 3. Alike Miracle hapned when he entred into the chamber where his Disciples were assembled Here was again a penetration of two bodyes by what Senses or Sense was it perceived They saw they heard they toucht him when he was entred stood in the midst of them but his very entrance which was Miraculous was vnknowne to all not perceived by any till it was past so the Miracle it selfe was Insensible These three Miracles being so evident in scripture could not escape the piercing eyes of the Fathers let vs heare their opinion of them S. Ambrose l. 10. com in Lucae c. 24. Mirum quomodo se natura corporea peer impenetrabile Corpus infuderit invisibili aditu visibili conspectu It is wonderfull or Miraculous how a corporal substance could insinuate it self through a firme impenetrable body it being invisible at his entrance Which was miraculous visible after it Note that invisibili aditu his entrance invisible or insensible By these that glorious Doctor of the Church declares that all Miracles are not Sensible which is a novelty to this old D. D. S. Augustin Epist 3. ad Volusianum Ipsa virtus per inviolatae Matris Virginea viscera membra infantis eduxit quae postea per clausa ostia membra juvenis introduxit Hic si ratio quaeritur non erit mirabile si exemplum poscitur non erit singulare Demus Deum aliquid posse quod nos fateamur investigari non posse In talibus rebus tota ratio facti est potentia facientis That same Power brought to lyght the Infants body through the virginal womb of his mother which afterwards when at mans estate brought that same body through the shut dores into the Chamber If you seeke a reason for this It will not be wonderfull if you require an example it will not be singular In such things the Power of the workman is the sole total reason of the worke Amongst S. Austin's works there is a 2. sermon vpon the saturday in Easter-weeke who ever be the Authour of it In it J find these words Quid mirum si Dominus ad Discipulos glorificatum Corpus claustris stupentibus intromisit qui illaeso Materni pudoris signaculo januam mundi huius intravit All confirm the same S. Gregory hom 26. in Evang. Quodomo post Resurrectionem Corpus Dominicum verum fuit quod clausis januis ad Discipulos ingredi potuit Sed sciendum nobis est quod divina operatio si ratione comprehenditur non est admiranilis nec fides habet meritum cui humana ratio praehet experimentum Thus the Apostle of our Nation How was Christ's body real after his Resurrection which could enter to the Disciples the dores being shut But we are to take notice that the divine workes cease to be admirable when Reason comprehends them Faith ceases to be meritorious when it begins to rely on Human discourse Out of these Authoritys it is evident 1. that those three passages of Christ's body out of his B. mother wombe out of the sepulcher into the Chamber were by the Fathers esteemed Miraculous indeed no man in his wits will deny it And 2. that these passages were not perceptible by any sense but were truly Insensible Quod erat probandum My 4. Proofe is the Miracle of stopping the fountain of Bloud of the woman mar 5. no body perceived this besides God the woman her self Et had not he by enquiry forced her to owne it publickly before all the throng nether we now nor those then present had knowne any thing of it 5. When our lord walked on the sea Iohn 6.19 for about thirty furlongs or neere four miles That walking on the waters was Miraculous from the beginning for to each part of that fluid yeilding Body whch his sacred feete toucht he gaue the consistency of a firme floore Yet who saw who heard who felt or perceived this In the dark till towards the end of his walke when drawing neere the ship he was descryed by his Disciples 6. The casting out of devils was not sensible for nether the local motion of spirits nor spirits themselues are objects of Sense yet how frequent are these in scripture Lastly Iohn 21.25 An vnconceivable number of miracles were sayd to done by Iesus which are no where written for the bookes would fill the world It is rash to say all these were done in the syght of many there being no proofe for it in scripture or Fathers I know that Iohn 20.30 Many other signes not recorded in scripture are sayd To haue beene done in ths syght of the disciples But it will be no easy taske to proue that none but such hinted at here are meant in that other place So it is very probable that of those many Miracles some were done in private none or very few knowing of feelling seing or by any sense perceiving them Let vs now harken to our freind D. M. p. 4. No such distinction of Miracles is found in the Ghospel those of Christ his Disciples were evident to Senses Rev. Answer 1. this is not tru I haue giuen you many instances of Miracles not evident to Senses recorded in scripture Answer 2. The designe of the
they are tru when conformable to their object as this The whole is greater then any part of it They are false when not conformable to them as this Apart of a body is as greate as the whole Some adde a third kind of Propositions indifferent to Truth Falshood but this is only relating to our minds which are vncertain whither they be tru or false But in themselues they are determinately either tru or false it is as certaine they cannot be otherwise as it is certaine that a thing either is or is not it being impossible that any thing should be not be at the same time That is to say two contradictions can nether be tru nor false This Truth or conformity of a Proposition with its object may be knowne several ways 1. by its natiue lyght self evidence of the thoughts themselues which when well vnderstood evidently appeare the same For example Two two are four Jtem A streyght line is the shortest betwixt two points 2. By discourse as when by the thoughts themselues it doth not appeare how they agree we compare them with a third Thus by applying a line to two bodyes finding it equal to each severally we conclude they are both of an equall bignesse 3. by sense as when J see a man walke I know he moues 4. By report of another as when a freind tells me he Saw the King a hunting I take it as a Truth relying on his word And this last way of knowing a thing to be tru or giving Assent to it is properly Faith 3. Two things are necessary to make this Assent prudent 1. That he who relates the thing to me the witnesse be not deceived himself 2. That he doth not deceiue me By reason of the first we more readily credit an eye-witnesse than any other because a man is lesse obnoxious to mistake what he sees than what he heares or knows by conjectures For the second we easilyer beleiue an honest man than any other and we rather beleiue an honest man with an Oath then without it seing these are greater assurances that he speakes his mind sincerely doth not deceiue vs. So an Oath is the strongest foundation of human Faith wherefore by the Apostle it is sayd to be To men an End of all strife Heb. 6.16 we will now apply this to Divine Faith Nothing can be more certain than what God averres Because he can nether be deceived being Omniscient or knowing all things nor deceiue vs by reason of his goodnesse So we are never mistaken in beleiving him But the assurance we haue of what any may says even vpon Oath is much lesse For 1. he may deceived think for example he saw the King walking when it was not the King but some other Person like him And 2. he may haue an intention to deceiue vs by making vs beleiue what he knows to be false whence no man deserues greater credit than his personal endowments beare to beleiue him further is blamed in scripture He that is hasty to giue credit is lyght minded Eccles 19.4 All this is expressed in few words by the Apostle Rom. 3.4 God is tru every man a lyar Both Phylosophers Divines enquire whither the same thing can be the object of Faith Senses can be seene beleived commonly they conclude that it is impossible At least this seemes vndoubted of that De facto it is not soe For the Apostle says that Faith is An evidence of things not seene Heb. 11.1 S. Austin tr 68. 79. in Ioan. Quidest fides Credere quod non vides Faith is a Beleife of things which we do not see So that Senses are so far from being the Objectum formale the motiue of our Faith that it doth not at all depend on them 4. The Apostles being witnesses of the greatest most important truths that can be were carefull to perswade their Auditory 1. that they vnderstood very well the things they preacht 2. that they did not alter any thing in the delivery of it And because Eye witnesses are commonly more assured than others they mention that 1. cor 15.8 He was seene of me 2. Pet. 1.16 We haue not followed cunningly devised fables when we made knowne vnto you the power coming of our Lord Iesus-Christ but were eye witnesses of his Majesty This voice which came from Heauen we heard when we were with him in the holy mount Here are two Senses alleadged Seing Hearing And the beloved Disciple 1.30 1.1 3. Which we haue heard which we haue seene with our eyes which we haue looked vpon our hands haue handled of the word of life That which we haue seene heard declare we that vnto you And S. Peter being to choose a successor to Iudas required the choice should be made amongst those who from the Baptisme till the Ascension adhered to Christ Act. 1.21.22 Of these men which haue companyed with vs all the time that our Lord Iesus went in out amongst vs beginning from the Baptisme of Iohn vnto that same day that he was taken vp from vs must one be ordained to be a witnesse with vs of his Resurrection And Nicodemus doubting of something which our faviour had told him Christ for confirmation of what he sayd alleadged the like motiue Joan. 3.11 We speake what we know testify what we haue seene And S. Luke in the Preface to his ghospel assures he writes what he received from those who From the beginning were eye witnesses ministers of the word having a perfect vnderstanding of things c. Whence is evident that all that mention of the senses doth not proue that Faith hath any dependance at all on them being only alleadged to make the Preachers of the Ghospel more creditable But the only tru motiue of our Faith is the Veracity of God the Preachers of the Ghospel not delivering their owne word but the word of God the Hearers Receiving it not as the word of men but as it is truly the word of God 1. Thes 2.13 This as to the first qualification of a witnesse As to the second that They would not deceiue others was evident from the whole life of the Apostles free from levity from vanity from selfe interest c. all these strengthned by several other circumstances whereof each one severally taken had some force but taken altogether they convinced all considering men that it was more them morally impossible that men so qualifyed should wittingly tell a lye or deceiue willingly their Auditory All which things are hinted at in those words 1. Thes 1.5 Our Ghospel came not vnto you in word only but also in Power in the Holy Ghost in much assurance fullnesse as ye know WHAT MANNER OF MEN WE WERE amongst you for your sakes QVALES FVERIMVS IN VOBIS PROPTER VOS And 1. Cor. 2.4 My speech my preaching was not with entising words of men's