can give no just cause to her Children to separate from her communion except they will say Christ hath not left his Church sufficient means to maintain Unity Besides the Fathers tell them that 't is impossible there should be just cause for any to separate from the Communion of the Catholick Church St. Iraeneus is very plain It is impossible to receive such an injury or provocation from the L. adver haere Governours of the Church as to make a separation excuseable And St. Austin is as positive It is impossible there should be any just cause to make a separation from the Communion of all Nations And therefore Antiquity Epist 48. judg'd a separation from the body of the Church how specious soever were the pretences of the dividers to be a sufficient evidence to prove such formal Schismaticks by the very matter of fact without any other argument I object to you the crime of Schism says the same Holy Father to the Donatists which St Aust cont Petilian you will deny and I will presently prove because you do not communicate with all Nations Upon which grounds if the Ancient Fathers were now living they must of necessity condemn Protestants as well as Arrians or Donatists in their days And thus being condemn'd both by Scripture and Antiquity for Schismaticks I know not what or who can justify their Separation or the continuers and maintainers of it It is not the Votes of a Parliament whom Christ never made Church Governours nor Judges in Controversies in points of Faith 't is not the Acts of a National Synod held by a few Schismatical Bishops when such Councils even of Catholick Bishops may and have erred 'T is not the consent of two Vniversities either for fear or flattery or self-interest renouncing the Papal Authority in England and acknowledging the King Supreme Head of the Church in his Dominions 't is not any or all of these can bear them out and make them innocent Yea these consequent Acts make their Schism far more inexcusable For what in the beginning the height of passion might somewhat extenuate by this solemn deliberation became more voluntary and so aggravated the former malignity However notwithstanding this undeniable prevarication they have patch'd up some Fig-leaves together to cover the nakedness of their Schism and that they are no better I shall endeavour to make appear in the following Sections SECT III. Wherein the Protestants plea that they did not separate from the Church but were forcibly cast out from her Communion and therefore the Schism which is a voluntary recession from the Church not imputable to them is answered SEeing it cannot be denyed but that the first Reformers were bred in the bowels of the Roman Church communicating with her before this unhappy rupture to wipe off from them the odious crime of Schism they lay the fault upon the Catholick Church for casting them out by force from the Communion whereas Schism is a voluntary recession from the Church and theirs was not they not separating themselves but being separated In answer to which I say first that never were any Hereticks or Schismaticks even whom they acknowledge for such in any Age cast out from among the Faithful by Sentence of Excommunication for their contumacy but they might with as much show of reason use the same plea for their justification Secondly how can they impute their separation to the Church when after her utmost endeavours to maintain unity they would by no means be perswaded that it was lawful to communicate with her in Doctrine and Worship herein preferring their own private opinions before the judgment of the whole Christian world But thirdly how frivolous this plea is will most manifestly appear if they will but consider what was acted by themselves wholly antecedent to the censure of the Church That the Church hath just Power and Authority to Excommunicate such of her Subjects who deserve it is confess'd on all sides Yea that she 's obliged to cut off corrupted and incorrigible Members from the body of Christianity lest others be infected with their errours is plain to common sense And that it was the practice of the Church in all Ages to injoyn the Faithful to abstain from Communion with those who pertinaciously maintain'd a different Faith from her no man can doubt who knows any thing in Church-history Now when they had voluntarily receded from the Doctrine and Government of their Catholick Mother or if any compulsion appear'd in the business it was not on the Churches part but from their new Spiritual Head the King when they had demolish'd Monasteries ceiz'd on their Revenues Persecuted the most Conscientious of the Clergy Confiscated the Estates of contradictors and put to death some most eminent for Learning and Piety because they would not prostitute their Faith and Conscience to the Kings assumed Authority in Church Affairs When they had abolish'd the publick Worship of the Church as Superstitious and Idolatrous and cast out most of the Sacraments as prophane and unholy things when they had moulded a Religion according to the policy of State and Interests of the great ones who had added to themselves by taking from the Church When they had forsaken the only certain Rule of Faith and made way for innumerable Sects and Subdivisions which they have found too true by sad experience God lashing them with their own rod that they may see their sin in the glass of their punishment And lastly when to fill up the measure of their sins they remained unrelenting and obstinate in their manifold disorders and miss-called Reformations in the Churches Faith and Discipline when they had done and acted this in a most violent and head-strong manner to the wonder and pity of the understanding World and all possible means being us'd to reduce them to the Catholick Unity from which they were fallen but all in vain The Church then and not Anno 10. Eliz. Reg. 'till then by Authority Christ proceeding according to her duty and constant practice in like cases to the just Sentence of Excommunication They cry out not guilty they are innocent and have done nothing amiss the Schism is not to be laid to their charge who made no voluntary recession from the Church But to the Church who against their wills did cast them out Just as if a Malefactor who hath made himself incapable of Mercy by his unpardonable offences should accuse the Judge as guilty of his death because he pronounces on him the Sentence of Condemnation Is not this a pretty plea to excuse themselves from Schism So bad a cause stands in need of better Arguments to maintain it self SECT IV. Wherein is shew'd the emptiness of their Plea that they did not separate from the Universal but only from the particular Church of Rome BUt seeing there is a palpable Schism in the Church by their new erected Ecclesiastical Government and they cannot make the World believe that the Church of Rome
been manifested in the precedent Section And for further confirmation I here ask whether Hoc est Copus meum Hic est Sanguis meus be not plain words without any Ambiguity in their Grammatical construction We Catholicks indeed taught by the universal Tradition and practice of the Church doubt not of the Sense of them But can Lutherans Calvinists and English Protestants maintain their meaning to be clear and perspicuous among whom above fourty several Interpretations some flatly repugnant to each other are found about them Can such variety and contrariety proceed but from obscurity Either from that or else some of them must wilfully contradict Scripture and resist the Holy Ghost by maintaining a dangerous Doctrine against their own knowledge and Conscience But who those are I leave them to wrangle upon their own grounds eternally among themselves In the interim I 'm sure upon Catholick Principles they all stand unanswerably convicted of wilfull Heresie Besides Christ's real descent into Hell is an Article of Faith yet the Calvinists deny it against Scripture Acts 2. v. 27 and 31. as plain Acts 2. 27 31. in our judgment and so think the English Protestants also as the Apostles Creed They bring no other Scripture for their Negative but flatly deny this place to be evident and concluding Now what must be done to end this Controversy in a fundamental point The clearest Text Scripture affords is already produced to give them satisfaction 't is unsuccessful and they raise clouds of new invented Interpretations to hide it from their own and others eyes Can Scripture now judge and conclude this Controversy Moreover the Lutherans and English Protestants agree with Catholicks in asserting the necessity of Baptism to Salvation grounding themselves on that of St. John Except Joh. 3. 5. a man be born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God The Calvinists hold the contrary and by no means will allow Water there mention'd to be taken literally for natural Water but drink it all up with a dry Metaphor How can they convince them if Scripture alone be judge If with us they urge them with the consent of Fathers Universal Tradition and practice of the Church so interpreting these words of our Blessed Saviour the Controversy is at an end Or if Calvinists will be yet contending they can speak nothing Solid or Rational in their own defence To all which may be added that judicious and accute Observation of an able Controvertist That though Apology for Tradit p. 137. one intent and end of writing St. John ' s Gospel was to show the Godhead of Christ which the Arians afterwards denyed yet the design prov'd so unsuccessful that never any Heresie was more powerful and spreading than that which oppos'd the Truth intended by his Book So he yea and it is most certain the Arians at this day do make more use of that Gospel than any other part of Scripture to beat down the Divinity of the Son of God A manifest argument that Scripture was never intended by the Author of those Sacred Oracles for the final decision of controverted points but for something else proper and agreeable to the nature of dead writings However we make no question but all Catholick Doctrines are contain'd in the Bible by Rational deductions with infinite advantage above what our Adversaries can produce for their defence upon the same grounds as hath been made to appear by able Controvertists before any Impartial and understanding Judges More need not be said in a matter condemned by the common sense and experience of the whole World SECT VI. That private Reason in Controversies of Faith is not the Interpreter and Judge of the true Sense of Scripture for every Christian to rely upon for his Salvation SOme English Protestants of Critical Heads to qualifie the absurdance of the former Thesis still holding close to the written Word for a compleatly sufficient Rule of Faith make private Reason the Interpreter and Judge for every Christian A Principle which though it may seem plausible and gain followers because it makes every one Sui juris independent and his own Master a thing so desirable and sweet to flesh and blood yet no less than the other doth it contradict the whole Christian World always teaching Vt Scripturas ipsas sic Scripturarum sensum pure imperturbate solum ad nos Traditionis alneo deferri That the pure and uncorrupted sense of the Scripture doth depend upon Tradition as well as the Scriptures themselves And accounting it a giddy Spirit of Heretical rashness Scripturae interpretationem ex proprio ingenio petere To refuse to give ear to the voice of the Church and give ear to the Whisperings of private Reason which is so exterminating a Principle and destructive of Religion that it doth not ruine this or that or some few Catholick Truths but like a general deluge with an irresistable torrent sweeps away the Church it self by overthrowing the unity in Faith the Life and Soul and Essence of it 'T is a subject would afford a large field of Discourse but I shall content my self with brevity and I hope others also Whosoever shall desire more ample satisfaction I refer him to the Exomologesis of Mr. Cressy where 't is solidly confuted in answer to Mr. Chillingworth the great Patron and first publick Assertor of it with approbation The principal Arguments which convinc'd me for I was one of those very unreasonable Rationalists when I was a Protestant and with which I rest fully satisfied are these following First if private reason be the only Interpreter and Judge of Scripture for every Christian I desire those who are minded to give a satisfactory Answer to those places of Sacred Writ which in my poor judgement cannot stand with their position St. Peter teacheth us 2 Pet. 1. 19 20 c. That no Prophecy of the Scripture is of private Interpretation but Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy-Ghost That is as the Sacred Pen-men of Gods Word writ by Inspiration of the Holy-Ghost being his publick Instruments to reveal the Divine Verities to the World so those Sacred Oracles are not to be interpreted Authorative by the private Reason and Will of men but their true sense and meaning if call'd in question is to be received from the Governours Concilium Trid. Ses 4. of the Church whom God has authoriz'd to declare his will unto his People Of which he gives a convincing reason in his 3d. Chap. telling 2 Pet. 3. 15 16 17. us That in his dear Brother Paul's Epistles are some things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own destruction This is not compatible to the definitive Sentence of a Judge in any Controversy which must be so clear and perspicuous that the most unlearned or refractory cannot doubt or mistake after pronunciation Neither
these shall he do And therefore Miracles by St. Thomas are marshall'd into three Heads or Classes First those which wholly exceed the power of created Causes in the very substance of the effect As the Sun standing still at the Prayer of Joshua going back at the request of Hezekiah A mortal body to be glorified as in the transfiguration of our Blessed Saviour Transubstantiation in the most holy and dreadful Sacrifice of the Mass Which are the greatest of Miracles and in no sort produceable by the utmost Powers of created nature Secondly such which transcend the faculty of nature yet not if we have an eye to the thing it self that 's done but the qualification of the subject in whom 't is done or effected That is natural causes can produce the substance of the Miracle but never in the present circumstances As to give sight to the blind or raise the dead to life And does in daily vital productions but not to one dead As Lazarus and Tabitha were And can give sight but not to one blind As he who was born so cured Joh. 9. by our Lord and Saviour However these being Miraculous only in respect of the subject wherein such effects are brought to pass yet are altogether above the vertue of secondary causes and so as true Miracles as those of the first Classis The third and lowest sort are those which exceed the faculty of Nature neither according to the substance of the effect or subject wherein they are produced but only according to the manner and order of their production As when persons not incurably sick or lame in the hands of Artists with an ordinary concurrence of the supremest cause are suddenly restor'd to health and soundness without the help of Physick Chyrurgery or the usual proceedings in such cases And so the Apostles speaking with divers tongues which are attainable by time and industry in subjects capable of such perfections yet in them was miraculous in that they being ignorant were suddenly endowed with such extraordinary knowledge and eloquence to the amazement and confusion of their enemies Of which sort are also sudden Thunders and Lightnings Winds and Storms when second and immediate causes are not so big with such effects as to be deliver'd of them but rather in all probability promising the contrary to the best sighted understandings in such matters Now such miracles as these though always produced by a divine power when Holy persons are the Instruments yet may and sometimes are when God permits wrought by Magick and compact with the Devil who can so improve natural causes as on a suddain to bring forth such effects Which being possible to Omnipoteny and consequently not true Miracles in a strict and proper acceptation but in a large sense so call'd from the wonderful manner of their production if the Catholick Church had no other but such to attest her Doctrine to come from Heaven they could not simply of themselves be sufficient evidences of the Truth of Christian Religion and that the Workers of them are sent by God However such wonderful effects when they Manifestly tend to destroy the kingdom of Satan invincibly prove their origen to be from the Author of Holiness And therefore 't is not difficult to discover when these wonders are effected by a Divine Power and assistance and when by the help of the Devil Namely when either the Sanctity of the person is such as is no way lyable to be suspected to have any dealing with the Powers of Darkness Or if this be wanting when the Purity of the Doctrine as a glorious ray beaming from the Sun of righteousness is such that a confirmation thereof in such a manner cannot rationally be thought but to come from Heaven Or when God is pleas'd besides these inferior wonders to work also such Miracles by the same person or others professing the same Faith which cannot really be produced by any but himself Of which his true Church was never destitute and no other Communion could ever boast or justly challenge SECT IV. Some reasons of Gods proceeding in this manner WHen the infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness of God is pleas'd to work Miracles in his Church ordinarily the Instruments he makes use of to produce such effects are persons eminent for Sanctity Yet not so as that we ought to make the number or greatness of their Miracles the rule to judge of the degrees of their Holiness Yea 't is not an Infallible argument to conclude such an one to be a Saint for the grace of working Miracles being conferr'd upon the true Church principally for the edification of others a person not justified and so not righteous in the sight of God may be a wonder-working Instrument to save his Brethren and yet himself become a Reprobate Of which we need no more evident testimony then from the mouth of those Pleaders in St. Matthew Lord have not we Prophesied in thy Name and in thy Name Ch 7 22 c. cast out Devils and in thy Name wrought many Miracles And yet they receive this dreadful Answer I know ye not depart from me ye workers of Iniquity The cause whereof St. Austin gives us Admonet nos Lib. 83. Quaesti 79. qu. Dominos c. Our Lord puts us in mind that we may understand wicked men also to do some Miracles which Saints cannot do Therefore they are not granted to all Saints least the weak should be deceived with a most pernicious errour supposing greater gifts to be in such deeds than in works of righteousness by which we purchase eternal life Now God confers this grace and wonderful power on his Church First for the confirmation of the Christian Faith as his visible Seal set to it that 't is true and came from Heaven as the only means to bring us thither and ought to be entertain'd as such by all who desire to save their precious Souls This is manifest from the Promise of our Blessed Saviour to his Church Mark 16. 17. These sings shall follow those that believe in my Name they shall cast out Devils they shall speak with new Tongues they shall take up Serpents and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them they shall lay their hands upon the Sick and they shall Recover This is the Promise See the performance in the 20 ver And they went and Preached every where our Lord co-operating and confirming the Word with signs following For so the Eyes of their Auditors might tell them the Doctrine they heard was from God and no humane invention and therefore inexcusable incredulous As in the 16 verse Whosoever Believes and is Baptiz'd shall be saved but who believes not shall be damned Hence it is that Signs are said to be for Unbelievers that by such evidences of Truth they may be Converted and all the ends of the Earth see the Salvation of our God And this way of Divine attestation the wisdom of God hath thought good to