Popes pronouncing from or without his Chair so that what he Decrees in the former way is infallible though in the latter he may deceive and be deceived But you 'l find that even this distinction can very little advantage but rather prejudice your Cause For how can it be conceived that one and the same Man without any fear or compulsion can contradict himself in one and the same matter Again the Pope who being out of the Chair may deceive ought to advise with himself as sitting in the Chair lest he fall into an errour or the Cardinals if they would have this Holy Father to be always infallible should bind the good Old Man to the Chair with Chains as Prometheus was tyed to Caucasus that he may never be moved out of this Infallible Seat Besides it is manifest that the Popes even pronouncing from the Chair have frequently erred as appears by the examples of John the XXIII Stephanus Formosus and others as hath been made manifest to the World by many of the Reformed Writers yea even by the Papists themselves witness Platina concerning the Lives of the Popes which Platina was the Popes own Library-keeper at Rome 2. They can give no account what they mean by this Chair for the material Chair can contribute nothing to the Popes Infallibility by any physical or internal vertue else a Herds-man if set upon this Infallible Chair would be no less Infallible than the Pope himself But by the formal or rather Moral Chair in which sense our Saviour makes mention of Moses Chair there can nothing else be understood than the Holy Scripture it self and if the Pope pronounceth according to the tenour thereof we shall willingly hearken to him 3. The Holy Spirit upon whom the Popes Infallibility is said to depend is not tyed to this or that place but bloweth when and where and upon whom he listeth Others more sharp-sighted observing the foolishness of this distinction have devised another namely that the Pope cannot erre in a question of Right though he may be deceived in matters of Fact But this also is a broken Reed upon which if a man lean it will go into his hand and pierce it although it was invented by the Jansenists to heal that Wound which Alexnnder the VII gave them in that famous business of the five Articles For first when the Pope Anathematizeth a man he considers him as believing so and so Nor doth it appear how he that is free from all possible errour in matters of Right can be subject to errour in matters of Fact for when he pronounceth concerning the sense of any Book being an Infallible Interpreter of the sense and meaning which they do affirm he may fall from a question of Right into a question of Fact and so may determine that this and no other was the Authors meaning 2. Seeing Law prescribes to matter of Fact it is not likely that he who is Infallible in matter of Right can erre in matter of Fact 3. Right doth sometimes arise from Fact therefore that which before was a question of Fact afterwards turning to a question of Right the Pope may give an infallible judgment concerning it 4. If this be true the Pope cannot condemn nor Anathematize an Heretick his judgment being fallible in matters of Fact 5. We have before shortly proved that the Pope hath erred most abominably in matters of Right And thus you may see what difficulties they involve themselves in who place the Church and its Infallibility in the Pope alone Now followeth the third and last Opinion of the Papists concerning the Church and its Infallibility namely that it consists in the Pope and the Council together But Incidit in Scyllam qui vult vitare Charybdim For the same difficulties that were before proposed do press them equally And moreover these doubts will arise Whether the Pope have his Infallibility from the Council or the Council from the Pope Whether if the Pope be absent his Legates have the same Infallibility that he himself would have if Present if so whether he might not as easily Delegate this Infallibility to the Bishops of the Council as to his Legates Whether Decrees made in the Popes absence be Infallible and binding to the Conscience For if no Decrees be binding without the Popes Confirmation it cannot be conceived how he can extrajudicially or out of Council ratifie the Decrees made in Council being the Popes Infallibility consists not in his own Person as separate from but joyntly with the Council From what I have said it evidently appears that the Papists catch at a Shadow instead of the Body and though they obstinately assert the Infallibility of their Church yet they cannot agree nor do they know where this Church is to be found So that they are altogether ignorant how to satisfie a doubting Soul in this matter and yet they desist not Projicere ampullas sesquipedalia verba While I was yet in the Roman Communion I perceived my self intangled in these Labaryinths and often considered how to extricate my self that so I might with a clear Conscience worship God in purity and holiness And although I had heard much in my own Country which is Spain of the Reformed Churches yet I could never light on any of the Books of their Learned Divines being forbidden to read them under the severest penalties But hearing that they founded all their Doctrines upon the Holy Scriptures I became very desirous to search into the same for in Spain it self the Clergy is not forbidden to read the Scriptures and having met with these words of the Apostle Paul 2 Tim. 3.16 17. All Scripture is given by Inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works It seemed to me that the Apostle had drawn a lively Portraicture of a Minister of the Gospel and described at once what ought to be the matter and Fountain as well as Method of Preaching yea and declared by what means the Man of God that is a Minister of Christ may undoubtedly attain unto the full perfection of his Ministry as well in reference to his own accomplishments for the work as to the good effects of his labour upon the Souls committed to his care namely he asserteth that the Scriptures contain a rich Treasure of Divine Knowledge able to make a man wise unto Salvation 2 Tim. 3.15 and pronounceth him accursed that should preach another Gospel even though it were an Angel from Heaven Gal. 1.8 but peace upon as many as walk according to this Rule Gal. 6.16 And God himself sends his people to the Law and to the Testimony as the most effectual way to reduce them from seeking unto false Prophets and Wizards Isa 8.19 20. Having pondered these things seriously and often within my self and observed that Paul speaks so magnificent things of the Scriptures and that he who
Some of them as the Sorbonists do place it in the Council others as the Jesuits in the Pope alone and finally others in them both both joyntly Now chuse which of those you please you 'l find your self involv'd into inextricable difficulties and as I said before under a necessity to sacrifice to an unknown God which I shall shortly evince Let us suppose that the Church and her Infallibility consists in the Council alone you shall presently be contradicted by some men of that same Church But to pass this Whence pray doth it appear that this Council is infallible For first it is impossible that of things of one and the same nature there can be made up another thing of a quite contrary nature Therefore all the Members of which this Council consists being fallible how comes the Council it self to be infallible for if this Infallibility came but then to the Council when they met together to constitute one Synodical Body where pray' was it before in what corner of the World did it lurk from whence and in what manner did this good Infallibility come down upon the Fathers of the Council or what shall become of it after the Council is dissolved Where shall it compose its Head to rest that hath been tossed and wearied by so many janglings and Gramatications Moreover how shall you know that all the Members of the Council have been lawfully or at all baptized seeing you cannot be certain of the intention of the Priest or Old Woman that baptized them upon which the Efficacy of the Sacrament depends that they were Canonically ordained and not per saltum that they were not intruded by force or Simony All which are required to the constitution of a Bishop in suo formali And unless you can perswade your self that you believe all these with a Divine and Infallible Faith you cannot imbrace their Decrees for infallible Again if this Infallibility of the Church do consist in the Council there should be always extant such a Council to which disagreeing Parties might have recourse and receive a final determination of their Controversies that so all scruples being removed out of their minds they might live in peace and concord among themselves But where is all this to be found And if there were such a Council always in being which yet is impossible how should you know that this Council is not misguided by partiality that it is not as bad as that of Ariminum and needs not to be corrected by a subsequent Council as many Councils have been if we believe Augustine You 'l say perhaps that Christ promised unto his Disciples and consequently to the Church that the Spirit of truth shall come and guide them into all truth Joh. 16.13 and that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Mat. 16.18 For answer I deny not that Christ promised his Discipies the Holy Ghost but extraordinary things are not to be confounded with ordinary for they received both the matter and words of what they wrote from the immediate inspiration of the Holy Ghost but in after-Ages the Church was tyed to the Scriptures as sufficient for all manner of holy instruction Cal. 1.2 Tim. 3.15 16 17. which if the Fathers of the council do follow it is not to be doubted but God will afford them the assistance of his Spirit But it cannot be said that the Council doth hereby become infallible 2. When Christ saith that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church he doth not understand any particular Churches of their Bishops but the Universal Church which that it cannot erre in Fundamentals we believe and assert 3. How do you know that the Holy Spirit presides in this or that Council seeing the Council of Ariminum may be called a Council as well as the Nicene 4. How can you be sure of any Council that the Members thereof speak from a love to truth and desire of peace or from the Dictates of the Holy Ghost and not rather from partiality that their Decrees are framed more by the weight of Reason and Scriptures than by the multitude of Votes that it is not such as the Council of Trent to which as a Member of that Synod said the Holy Ghost was brought from Rome in the Bags of the Roman Pacquet and stayed longer away when the waters did rise but came quickly thither when they were sallen as being afraid to be wet or drowned 5. It 's ridiculous for a Papist to go about to prove the Infallibility of Councils from Scripture for I ask him this question Whence doth it appear that that Church is Infallible whose office it is both to make a Rule or Canon and to give Authority to the Scriptures for they hold that the Authority of the Scriptures as to us left depends upon the Church Now if the Church give the Scriptures their Authority as to us how can they convince us of the Authority of the Church Thus you see into what difficulties they involve themselves who place the Church with its Infallibility in the Council Nor is it less but rather more absurd to settle it in the Pope alone an Assertion so foolish and ridiculous that the very reciting of it might be a sufficient confutation namely to place the Church in one Man the Church I say which even though representative is formally a Congregation of many Nevertheless we shall proceed in the Method we have begun The Jesuits do generally hold this Opinion and affirm that the Pope alone like the Pythia of Delphos may frame Decrees and impose them upon the people But the forementioned difficulties return For how can you perswade your self that the Pope was Popable that he was rightly if at all baptized that he obtained not the Popedom by force by fraud or by Simony that he was a Man and not a Woman for we have an instance of a Woman Pope namely Pope Jone any of which being supposed renders the Pope no more a Pope Moreover How shall you know that the Pope when he went about the framing of his Decrees neglected not the usual preparations namely Fasting and Prayer for seven days c. that he acts by the advice of his Conclave and not rather from the dictates of his own private judgment or humor Now if these Conditions be wanting the Decrees are not pronounced from the Chair and therefore not infallible nor obligatory to the Conscience Further By what Argument can you be convinced that this Infallibility doth not belong to the Bishop of Paris for example as much as to the Bishop of Rome and that it cannot be removed from the Roman Chair for Gerson hath written a Treatise concerning the possibility of removing it Finally It cannot be conceived that one single man is Infallible in matters of Faith seeing he hath no promise of an Infallible Spirit and there are manifest examples of his having been actually deceived But perhaps you will sly to that Vulgar distinction of the
speaking in his heart which is the Holy Spirit It 's in vain to reply hereunto that every one may pretend the Spirit for pretensions cannot prejudice the Truth the Question between us and the Papists is not Whether the Scriptures are of Divine Authority or not for both of us assert that they are But Whether he that admits this is perswaded of it To which whether they or we give the most satisfactory answer we leave the whole Christian World that are not partial to either Party to judge We conclude therefore that as this Question Whether the Scriptures are the Word of God is unworthy of a Christian So Jesuit Sambays's Assertion de fide Orthodoxa is foolish and ridiculous That the Protestants have not the Scriptures For besides that he defends it for no other end but that he may shun the dint of their Arguments drawn from the Scriptures He useth no other Medium to prove that Assertion but that the Reformed Church wanting the Marks of the true Church is a false Church and therefore cannot have the Scriptures which do both in their matter and form depend upon the Church Which Argument is most false and doth manifestly beg the Question viz. That the Scriptures and their sense depend upon the Authority of the Church which we utterly deny and that not without reason as I shewed above Moreover the Jesuit sheweth his Cause to be desperate by endeavouring to rob us of the Scriptures for none of the Ancient Fathers denied the Scriptures to any Heretick that argued his own Cause from them and Augustine that we quoted above affirms that the Scriptures are not peculiar to any one Party but impartial Judges of all We might with far better reason return this Argument upon the Papists because we have proved that their Representative Church is not only false but no Church at all But I am not so much afraid of their Arguments from Scripture and therefore do not deny them the Bible Having established the Opinion of the Reformed Churches in reference to the Authority of the Scriptures I shall now proceed to the properties of the same First therefore I affirm that the Scriptures are perfect by a perfection of parts as well as degrees and so sufficient to Salvation Psal 19. The Law of God is perfect Their sufficiency appears from the forecited place 2 Tim. 3.16 17. The accession of the New Testament to the Old doth not disprove the perfection and sufficiency of the Scriptures For he that revealed the whole Counsel of God to Believers did nevertheless reveal no other than what Moses and the Prophets had written before as we hinted above Hence the Ancient Fathers said very well As the New Testament is hid in the Old so the Old is made plain and clear in the New Nor doth a difference in degree alter the nature or species of a thing neither is the Question betwixt the Papists and us concerning this or that part of the Scriptures but concerning the whole Canon as it was received by the Ancient Church and enumerated by Hierom. So that in this Argument there is evidently the Fallacy of dividing what ought to be joyned together And as we justly cut off the Apocryphal Books from this perfection and sufficiency of the Scriptures because they contradict both themselves and the Canon nor were they ever received in the Jewish Church to which the Oracles of God were committed Rom. 3.2 So we reject the Popish distinction of Protocanonical Deuterocanonical Books with the same facility that they propose it being without proof Hence we do but little esteem unwritten Traditions because what is written doth sufficiently instruct us what we are to believe and do in order to life eternal John 20.31 It 's ridiculous to refer the several Orders of Monks and particularly the shaving of their Crowns to these unwritten Traditions because Christ says I have yet many things to say unto you but you cannot bear them now Joh. 16.12 For if this had been the thing that Christ had further to say unto them he might easily have sent for a Barber and caused their Heads to be shaved Besides that the Monks whose duty was to weep and not to teach saith Hierom were shaven as a sign of their penitence not of any honour or preeminence Secondly The Scriptures are plain and easie to be understood The Commandment enlightning the eyes Psal 19.8 Whatsoever things were written afore-time were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope Rom. 15.4 Those things therefore which are absolutely necessary to Salvation being very few and very easie are clearly and plainly set down in the Scriptures though other things not so absolutely necessary may puzle the most Sagacious understandings Chrysostom says well The holy Scriptures are such that a Lamb may wade in them and yet an Elephant may swim Seeing then that the Scriptures are plain as is evident from Reason and the Testimony of the Fathers the Reformed Churches do with good reason attribute a judgment of discretion in Controversies of Faith to every true Christian So that every Believer by frequent reading and comparing of the Scriptures may easily understand their meaning at least as to things absolutely necessary to Salvation For no Prophesie of Scripture is of aâ—y private interpretation nor came by the will of man but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost 2 Pet. 1.20 21. As for the Fathers of the Ancient Church and the four Primitive Councils we willingly imbrace them as Interpreters of the Scriptures yea moreover we affirm that in subordination to the Scriptures they may bind but not force our belief But we utterly deny that the Fathers or these Councils or the Pope are Judges of Controversies about matters of Faith but the only Judge of all such Controversies is the Holy Ghost speaking in the Scriptures or as Augustine saith Christ himself Let Christ judge of this Controversie who although he be absent in his Person yet is present in his Word Hence it doth appear that the Scriptures may rightly be called a Normal Judge deciding the question in manner of a Law though not outwardly proclaiming the sentence The Word of God is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart Heb. 4.12 We have sufficiently proved that the Reformed Churches do vindicate the Authority and Properties of the Scriptures It remains now to be proved that they teach according to the Scriptures I shall pass the Doctrines of God and his Attributes of the Trinity and the like because there is little difference between the Papists and us in there Points except in some Preter-fundamental things which the Jesuits and Dominicans do also dispute among themselves I shall now only take notice of this that the Jesuits do very absurdly define Free-will viz. A Faculty whereby all things requisite to action being present the will may act or not act act this or the contrary For
treat of Passive Justification or Justification considered in respect of the man justified And thus it is nothing else but an assured considence of our righteousness in Christ and by the imputation of his Merits which we receive and apply unto our selves by faith Rom. 3.25 26. Hence it appears that the Meritorious Cause of our Justification is the Merit of Christ as we proved a little before and the hand by which we apply this satisfaction of our Saviour or the instrumental cause of our Justification is Faith Man is justified by faith without the works of the Law Rom. 3.28 It is as clear from the Scriptures as the light of the Sun in mid-day that we are justified by faith only By grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God Eph. 2.8 So that I shall insist no longer upon this point but conclude with the Apostle That by the deeds of the Law shall no flesh be justified for by the Law is the knowledge of sin Rom. 3.20 There is therefore no Justification in the sight of God by our works but only by saith which applieththe Panacea of Salvation unto our dead hearts and causeth us to live in God and God in us We are not so unreasonable as to separate Works from Faith yet nevertheless we affirm that Faith only doth justifie it 's the eye only that sees the hand only that weighs yet neither can the eye see nor the hand weigh unless they be united to the body Even so Faith only doth justifie but this Faith is never separated from Good Works The Apostle James indeed saith We are justified by works and not by faith only Jam. 2.24 But he either means justification before men as in the eighteenth verse Shew me thy faith by thy works or else the confirmation of internal faith by external actions or else he speaks by a Metonimy of the effect for the cause so that by faith and works he means a working faith which seems to agree well with the words You see then how that by works man is justified and not by faith only that is not by a solitary or naked faith which is not accompanied with works for faith being alone is dead but by a living faith which shews its foundness by works So that we are not justified by works but by faith only and whosoever will narrowly look into himself and his own frailty must needs break forth into Bellarmine's words Because of the frailty of humane life and the uncertainty of our own righteousness it is safest to relye only upon the mercy of God Bel. de bon oper Consider Candid Reader the words of this Cardinal who as I can demonstrate if need be at the end of the greatest Controversies between us and the Papists yields at last unto the truth and appears though an Italian to be more a Protestant than a Papist Thus we have proved by Gods assistance that Active Justification is an external judicial absolution of an unrighteous man and pronouncing of him righteous and that Passive Justification is by faith only and that a living faith which applieth to us the Merits of our Saviour As for Sanctification I shall say little concerning it by reason the Papists don 't disagree much with the Protestants in this Point as to the nature of the thing only I utterly deny that the good works which we do are meritorious or necessary to Salvation necessuate medii as a mean to bring us to Salvation Bernard says well Good works are the way to the Kingdom not the cause of reigning nor does the Popish distinction between merit of congruity and condignity mitigate this Assertion for besides that the Congruity of Gods Reward for our Works consists onely in his own good pleasure Fear not little Flock for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you a Kingdom Luk. 12.32 I have often admired that they have found no Text of Scripture to prove the condignity of works but this one which is Diametrically contrary to their Assertion The Sufferings of this present time are not worthy but condign to be compared with the Glory that is to be revealed in us This is the onely place where the word condignus is to be found I will proceed now to shew how found and genuine the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches is concerning the Sacraments which are Seals of the righteousness of faith Rom. 4.11 And shortly refute the Popish Errours As for Baptism both Parties acknowledge it to be a Sacrament of Initiation by which in the faith of our Parents which is my opinion we are implanted into the Church which is the Body of Christ But the Papists falsely affirm that Baptism ex opere operato by vertue of the work wrought works in us Regeneration and abolishes Original Sin Not onely because an external corporal thing can have no influence upon things internal and spiritual in reference to the rectifying thereof which can onely be done by God himself every good and perfect Gift comes down from the Father of Lights saith the Apostle James But likewise because the sign of the Covenant cannot communicate to us the things comprehended in the Covenant And the contrary appears also from the effect because those that have been baptized are and have been subject to everlasting damnation And if this Sacrament ex opere operato did work Grace Regeneration c. then Abraham could not have been reputed righteous by faith in uncircumcision Rom. 4.9 Moreover in the Primitive Times and especially as to them that were baptized when come to Age Faith was required before the Seal of Righteousness were stampt upon their hearts and consciences Now because Faith is the Root of the rest of the Graces and hath annexed unto it that great work of Repentance It necessarily follows that the Apostle requiring faith in the Adult did suppose the rest of the Graces to be in them not imagining that they should be conferred upon them but rather sealed or confirmed by Baptism for Baptism is a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith and not a thing that by its internal vertue work Faith and Regeneration For this very reason Augustin and other of the Fathers affirmed that Infants are baptized in the Faith of their Parents if believing Parents or in the Faith of the Church if their Parents were unknown or Unbelievers because they were perswaded that Faith is rather required before than conferred by Baptism So that we believe that the holy Ghost doth operate in the tender hearts and minds of elect Infants even from their Birth and that effectually though insensibly and although perhaps he doth not work in them subjectively an actual faith yet he objectively applies unto them the benefits of Christ which in others are received by an actual faith But lest any should think that we falsely charge our Adversaries with this Assertion I will shew the candid Reader the reason why they assert it and then evince the same