Scripture that a man who rejects the Authority of the Church may be forced to acknowledge that they are in Scripture and then he must reject the necessity of Church-Authority for the understanding of Scripture which is to yield up a very concerning point to Protestants or else he must confess that he does very foolishly or knavishly in urging Scripture-Proofs to a man who rejects the Authority of their Church without which he knows there are no Scripture-Proofs of any Authority But this which was the true state of the Controversie the Jesuite takes no notice of all that he says is this That the sense of Scripture takes its Authority from God that is is ultimately resolved into God's Authority who intended such a sense in it but as to Catholicks for such he must mean their certainty of the sense of Scripture is resolved immediately into the Authority of the Church which is guided in expounding Scripture by an infallible Spirit Now is not this the very same that I saiâ— that all Scripture-Proofs must be resolved into the Authority of the Church and are not good without it as it is impossible they should be if we cannot certainly know what the true sense of Scripture is but from the Exposition of the Church And yet if the Church of Rome be no more infallible in delivering the sense of Scripture than in delivering the letter of it there is no great encouragement to rely on her infallibility as is evident from the many Corruptions of their Vulgar Latine which one Pope corrected after another and yet it is not corrected still that it was a little over-sight in this Jesuite though possibly he knew nothing of the matter to make the Church equally infallible in delivering the letter and the sense of Scripture But to do him right he seems to offer at something of sense in his dispute between Iohn and William which is the right way to a place For says he is John disabled from convincing William of his mistake by reasons because he hath with him a Guide who certainly knows the way and that he himself would certainly pass by those reasons if his Guide assured him that he applied them ill and wrongly to that way This has something of argument in it and therefore shall be considered and I am glad to meet with any thing that deserves to be considered The sum of his Argument which I shall represent fairly for him because he has not shewn it to the best advantage is this That Roman-Catholicks have two ways of finding out the sense of Scripture either by the use of Reason or by the Expositions of an infallible Guide but that Reason must be subordinate to the Guide and if Reason dictates one sense of Scripture and the Church teaches another Reason must submit and a true Catholick must embrace the sense of the Church though it be against his Reason but yet if Reason and his Guide be both of a side and he can prove by Reason that to be the true sense of Scripture which the Church gives of it he may then wave the Authority of the Church when he disputes with those who reject such Authority and argue from the reasons of things and the natural interpretation of Scripture it self As Iohn may convince William who rejects the infallibility of Iohn's Guide which is the true way by plain reason while his reason is not contradicted by his Guide and if our Jesuite can make more of this Argument himself let him I am sure he has spoiled it by repeating it in his Preserv Consider p. 11. John is not disabled of convincing William of his mistake because he receives the reasons he uses from an infallible Guide Where he has set it upon another bottom and a very silly one for his purpose for if the force of his Reasons be resolved into the Authority of an infallible Guide it is all lost to him who disowns the infallibility of the Guide or if he means that Iohn is taught such Reasons by an infallible Guide as are able by their own evidence to convince William without any regard to the infallibility of the Guide we desire no more than to see such Reasons and to be left to judge for our selves but this ends in a Protestant Resolution of Faith for every man to judge for himself according to the evidence of Reason which in it self is neither more nor less evident for being proposed or learnt from a fallible or infallible Guide And yet by what follows he can mean no more but that the Authority of an infallible Judge must over-rule every Man's private Reason for he appeals to the learned Gentlemen of the Temple hoping they will joyn with him maintaining against their Master that all the Iudges of the Land may very reasonably convince by Law an impertinent Party though he should oppose that they may not do it because their interpretation of the Law is to deliver the true sense of it Which is glorious Nonsence that all the Judges of the Land can convince a man who is not convinced but declares still that they have not given the true sense of the Law. In all Civil Causes there must be a final judgment and every private man must submit to the decision of Authority whether his own reason be satisfied or not but it is not so in matters of Religion in which no man at the peril of his Soul must be over-ruled by any Authority till he be first convinced So that the Jesuite had said a good thing by chance but for want of understanding it had lost it again and any man may see that I could as easily have lost it as he had I a mind to it but I will not part with it without an Answer because it is the most plausible thing that can be said and possibly other men may understand it who can't answer it though he don't His Argument then as first proposed is this That they allow of Reason in expounding Scripture so long as they do not contradict the Sense and Exposition of the Church and therefore they may dispute with Hereticks from Scripture without concerning the Authority of the Church in the dispute Now in answer to this there are some material Questions to be asked As 1. Whether they can dispute with Protestants by Scripture-Arguments without allowing them to judge of the sense of Scripture by their own private Reason and whether this be agreeable to the Doctrine of the Church of Rome that every man may judge of the sense of Scripture by his own private Reason 2. Whether the Scripture be so plain and perspicuous especially in the Doctrines in dispute between us and the Church of Rome that every honest impartial Inquirer may find the true sense of them without an infallible Interpreter if they be I think they never ought to talk of the obscurity of Scripture nor the necessity of an infallible Judge more if they be not and if they know that they are
annexed to them the conveyance of Grace from them to the Soul by meer external applications as by lighting up or carrying a consecrated Taper by sprinkling Ashes on our heads by sprinkling our selves with Holy Water by wearing an Agnus Dei or some Relicks about us c. look as if it was done not by a moral but a natural efficacy for what moral efficacy can such things have upon our minds But let it be done how it will it seems such divine Vertues and Powers are naturally or morally annexed to inanimate and senseless things and naturally or morally conveyed from them to the Soul by external applications and I desire him to shew me the difference between such Observances and Pagan Charms He has confessed enough and as much as we could desire of him when he adds Or any Vertue to be now-a-days communicated otherwise by insensible things than it was to the woman that touched the hem of Christ's Garments for Christ felt Vertue to pass from him and therefore it was a very real Communication or by the handkerchiefs of St. Paul or shadow of St. Peter And here were real and sensible effects without any moral but only natural or rather supernatural efficacy upon the Patient And if Holy Water and Agnus Dei's convey Grace at this rate I assure you they are very notable things His undertaking at last to prove Whenever required that they use no other blessings or Consecrations of such inanimate things to such spiritual purposes but what they find in the Records of the Primitive Church to have been ordered by the Apostles is bold and brave and I here challenge him to make it good but I hope he will produce better Records for it than his Homily of St. Austin of the Assumption of the blessed Virgin. 5 ly I observed farther that all this encouraged men to trust in an external Righteousness For 1. Such external Rites are very apt to degenerate into Superstition Especially 2. When they are recommended as very acceptable to God as satisfactions for our sins and meritorious of great Rewards And this is that use they serve in the Church of Rome They assert the necessity of humane satisfactions and what are these satisfactory works Fastings Whippings Pilgrimages c. all which men may do without the least sorrow for sin without any true Devotion to God without mortifying any one Lust. To make this a Mis-representation he repeats it thus They account satisfactory works Fastings Acts of Penance Prayers Alms though done without the least sorrow for sin c. Whereas I say they account these satisfactory works and they may be done without the least sorrow for sin Now are not these satisfactory works That he dares not deny May not all these be done without sorrow for sin That he dares not deny neither And this is all I said but then he will not allow that they are satisfactory works without sorrow for sin I would to God he could perswade all the Members of his Church of the truth of this But let me ask him one Question Are these Acts of Penance in the Church of Rome intended as expressions of sorrow for sin or as satisfactions for the punishment due to it Are they necessary before Absolution to qualifie men to receive the pardon of their sins as the signs and demonstrations of a sincere repentance or to be performed after the sin is forgiven not to express our sorrow for sin but to undergo the punishment of it Are they always the voluntary choice of the sinner as the expressions of a hearty sorrow are or the sentence of a Judge imposed by the Priest upon Absolution or by the fears of Purgatory Now if such Acts of Penance are only intended to satisfie for the punishment I think to undergo punishment whether with or without sorrow for sin does satisfie for the punishment of sin Sorrow may be necessary to Absolution but when the guilt of sin is pardoned if men can undergo their penance without sorrow the satisfaction is never the less and should he promote this Doctrine that the works of Penance avail nothing unless they be done with a hearty sorrow for sin men would not be so easily perswaded to undergo their Penances especially if the Priest be fevere I observed farther that the true reason why any thinking men are so fond of an external Righteousness is to excuse them from true and real Holiness of Life All men know that in the Offices of Piety and Vertue they can never do more than is their duty and therefore as nothing can be matter of merit which is our duty So the true intention of all merits and works of Supererogation are to supply the place of Duty and to satisfie for their sins or to purchase a Reward which they have no title to by doing their duty that is because they do not their duty But then the Jesuit represents it as if I said They could have no reward for doing their duty and therefore they add works of Supererogation which is Jesuit like they may be rewarded for their duty if they would do it though they cannot merit by doing their duty 3ly I observed that to make these meritorious and satisfactory Superstitions more easie one man may satisfie for another and communicate his Merits to him this the Jesuit confidently says is a sham for each man is bound to satisfie for himself fulfilling the Penances imposed on him Now suppose that men are bound personally to perform those Penances which are imposed on them by their Priests in Confession what I said was not confined to Penances imposed in Confession and I presume he will grant there are other satisfactions and penances necessary besides these Did he never hear of men who have been hired to whip themselves for some rich and great sinners to say such a number of Ave-Maries for them If one man cannot satisfie for another what becomes of their Indulgences which are the application of the Merits of Supererogating Saints to those who need them Another Mis-representation is that I say They pay for Indulgences with Money and buy Satisfactions and Merits But though Indulgences are not to be had without Money it is a sad Mis-representation to call this Buying which should only be called Alms-deeds but the thing is the same let them call it what they will Alms-deeds if they will call them Alms-deeds and that at a set rate and down-right Bargain are the price of Indulgences and Satisfactions and if this were the reason of giving Alms were there such an express Bargain and Sale in the case I am of his mind that every Alms-giver might with as much justice be accused to have bought of God his Grace and Pardon for a sum of money From hence I proceeded to shew what kind of Worship Christ has prescribed to his Disciples and the general account we have of it 4 John 23 24. But the hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall
this as a Principle that one great design of the Gospel is to improve the Knowledge of Mankind I hence inferred 1. That to forbid People to read and meditate on the Word of God can be no Gospel Doctrine unless not to read the Bible be a better way to improve Knowledge than to read it 2. This is a mighty presumption also against Transubstantiation that it is no Gospel Doctrine because it overthrows the very fundamental principles of Knowledge as I shewed at large and wonder he has not one word to say for Transubstantiation 3. The Authority of an Infallible Judge whom we must believe in every thing without examining the reasons of what he affirms nay though he teaches such Doctrines as appear to us most expresly contrary to Sense and Reason and Scripture is no gospel-Gospel-Doctrine because it is not the way to make men wise anâ— understanding Christians for to suspend the exercise of Reason and Judgment is not the way to improve Mens Knowledge and here I distinguish between an infallible Teacher and an infallible Judge The first teaches infallibly but yet he that learns must use his own Reason and Judgment unless a man can learn without it But the Second usurps the Office of every Man 's private Reason and Judgment and will needs judge for all Mankind as if he were an universal Soul an universal Reason and Understanding which is to unsoul all Mankind in matters of Religion And therefore though there have been infallible Teachers as Moses and the Prophets Christ and his Apostles yet none ever pretended to be infallible Judges but the Church of Rome Though there may be an infallible Teacher there never can be an infallible Iudge to whom I must submit my own Reason and Judgment without examination because I cannot know that he teaches infallibly unless I am sure that he teaches nothing that is contrary to any natural or revealed Law and that I cannot know unless I may judge of his Doctrine by the light of Nature and Revelation for he is not infallible if he contradicts any natural or revealed Laws I gave an instance of this in Moses and the Prophets and in Christ himself for when Christ appeared there was a written Law and all the Miracles he wrought could not have proved him a true Prophet had he contradicted the Scriptures of the old Testament And therefore he appeals to Moses and the Prophets to bear testimony to his Person and Doctrine and then Miracles gave Authority to any New Revelation he made of God's Will when it appeared that he had not contradicted the Old. The Law of Nature and the Law of Moses were the Laws of God and God cannot contradict himself and therefore the Doctrine of all new Prophets even of Christ himself was to be examined and is to be examined to this day by the Law and the Prophets and therefore though he was certainly an infallible Teacher yet men were to judge of his Doctrine before they believed and he did not require them to lay aside their Reason and Iudgement and submit to his infallible Authority without examination This our Jesuite makes a horrible outcry about which has made me transcribe the whole of this Argument He will hardly allow either the Author or the Licenser to be Christians and reserved this for the concluding Blow to end his Pamphlet with What Iesus our God blessed for evermore even when owned the Son of God even from us Christians cannot exact a submission to his infallible Authority without examining the truth of what he says by comparing it with the principles of humane reason this is the sum of all his Answer the rest is raving and senseless harangue But the fallacy of all this lies in a few words Iesus the Son of God blessed for evermore even when owned the Son of Son even by us Christians For those who own him the Son of God no doubt will submit to his infallible Authority and therefore all profest Christians must do so but that which I said is this that no man could nor to this day can own him upon wise consideration to be a true Prophet and the Son of God till he is satisfied that he neither contradicts the plain light of Nature nor the Lâ—w of Moses and therefore thus far we are to examine his Doctrine but when it is evident he contradicts no former Revelations and confirms his Authority by Miracles then we are to believe any new Revelations he makes upon his own Authority And therefore in my own Name and the Name of the Licenser I here profess that when by examining the Doctrine of Christ by the Light of Nature and the Law of Moses I find he has contradicted neither and by the great Miracles he wrought I am satisfied he is an Infallible Teacher then I own him for such an Infallible Teacher or Judge if he pleases that I must not judge of his Doctrine excepting the case of the Light of Nature and the Law of Moses but believe it and submit to him and in these cases I submit to his Infallible Authority without examination I receive all his Dictates as Divine Oracles I do not wonder the Jesuite is so much disturbed at this for if it appears that Christ himself did not pretend to be such an Infallible Judge as he would have us believe the Pope or Church of Rome to be they must for shame give up this kind of Infallibility and therefore if he has a mind to Confute this Principle thoroughly that he may understand my mind plainly I will reduce all to some few Propositions which he may try his skill upon when he pleases 1. That no Prophet is to be believed in contradiction to such plain and evident Principles of Nature as all Mankind agree in 2. That the first Prophet who appears in the World before any revealed Law and confirms his Authority by plain and evident Miracles is to be believed in every thing he says while he does not contradict the plain and evident principles of natural Knowledge And for that reason Moses was to be believed in every thing which did not contradict the light of Nature because he was the first Prophet who made a Publick Revelation of God's Will to the World. 3. That succeeding Prophets who confirm their Authority with Miracles are to be believed in all new Revelations they make which neither contradict the Light of Nature nor any former Revelations and therefore Christ is absolutely to be believed when it appears that he neither contradicted the Light of Nature nor the Law of Moses 4. When the Revelation is compleat and perfect and has no new additions to be made to it as the Gospel-Revelation is how infallible soever any Teachers may be we must believe them in nothing which either contradicts the light of Nature or the standing Revelation or is not contained in the Revelation And this shews us how far we are to submit our own Reason and Judgment
single sheet was only swelled up with words but void of Sense and Reason A strange Tympany this poor Preservative was sick of that when the wordy swelling was taken down that and the Answer too could be reduced to a single sheet But the Prefacer he says should have pointed at some pretended proofs which he slighted to expose or have praised him for not wearying his Readers with a dull prolixity But the Prefacer pointed him to the Book and that was enough unless he would have had him transcribe the Book again and concluded every entire Argument with this is not Answered by the Iesuite For I know not any one paragraph that he has pretended to answer though some single sayings he has nibled at and little pieces of Argument as appears from this Vindication and that so dully too that there was no need of more prolixity to tire his Readers Our Author little thinks how he exposes his Reputation among our people by such vain brags as these They can find a great many Arguments which he has not medled with and therefore conclude the Jesuite to be very blind or very impudent in pretending to have answered all he could find or which it may be is the truth of the case that he was not trusted to read the Preservative but had some sayings picked out for him to answer and he mistook them for the whole 4 ly That when he talks big of Calumnies and Misrepresentation he woulâ— not only say but prove them to be so that is that I attribute any Doctrines to them which are not taught by their own Councils and Doctors or impute such Practices to them as they are not guilty of for this Cry of Misrepresenting is grown so familiar now and that Charge has been so often bafled of late that our People will not take his Word for it nor allow every Argument he cannot Answer to pass for a Misrepresentation 5 ly I would advise him to have a care that he do not Confute his own Church while he is zealous to Confute his Adversary this often happens and has done so to him in this very Dispute especially in his Talk of Moral Infallibility which has effectually given up the Roman pretences to Infallibility as I have shewn above 6 ly If he resolves to Write again I desire him to take but any one Chapter or Section in the Preservative and try his skill on it not to pick out a single Saying or two but to Answer the whole Series of Argumentâ— as they lie there and if he can make any work of it I promise him a very grave and modest Reply But if he skips about from one Page to another and only hunts for Calumnies and Misrepresentations as he calls them which he first artificially makes by changing Words and Periods and joyning Sentences which have no relation to each other and then triumphs over his own Creatures I shall leave him to be answered and chastized by any Footman who pleases to undertake him and I wish the next may not be so much his Over-match as the first was I have taken no Notice of his Postscript in Answer to the Preface to the Protestant Footman's Defence of the Preservative That Author is able to Answer for himself if he thinks fit but I presume he looks upon that Dispute as at an end if Disputes must ever have an end for when all is said that a Cause 〈◊〉 bear and the same Arguments and the same Answers come to be repeated over again it is time then for a modest man to have done and to leave the World to judge unless Disputing be only an Art of Scolding where the last Word is thought the Victory THE END Books Printed for and are to be Sold by W. Rogers Bp Wilkins his Fifteen Sermons Octavo Dr. Wallis of the Necessity of Regeneration In Two Sermons to the University of Oxford Quarto His Defence of the Royal Society and the Philosophical Transactions particularly those of Iuly 1670. In Answer to the Cavils of Dr. William Holder Quarto The Necessity Dignity and Duty of Gospel-Ministers discoursed of before the University of Cambridge By Tho. Hodges B.D. Quarto The Peaceable Christian. A Sermon Quarto Price 3 d. A Treatise of Marriage with a Defence of the 32 d Article of the Church of England viz. Bishops Priests and Deacons are not commanded by God's Law either to Vow the State of Single Life or to Abstain from Marriage c. By Tho Hodges B. D. Octavo History of the Affairs of Europe in this present Age but more particularly of the Republick of Venice By Battista Nani Cavalier of St. Mark. Fol. Sterry's Freedom of the Will. Folio Light in the Waâ— to Paradise with other Occasionals By Dudley the 2 d late Lord North. Octavo Molins of the Muscles with Sir Charles Scarborough's Syllabus Musculorum Octavo A Collection of Letters of Gallantry Twelves Leonard's Reports in Four Parts The Second Edition Folio Bulstrode's Reports in Three Parts the Second Edition Corrected with the Addition of Thousands of References 1688. Fol. The Compleat Clark containing the best Forms of all sorts of Presidents for Conveyances and Assurances and other Instruments now in Use and Practice Quarto Sir Simon Degges Parsons Counsellor with the Law of Tithes and Tithing In Two Books The Fourth Edition Octavo An Answer to the Bishop of Condom now of Meaux his Exposition of the Catholick Faith c. wherein the Doctrine of the Church of Rome is Detected and that of the Church of England Expressed from the Publick Acts of both Churches To which are added Reflections on his Pastoral Letter THE Doctrines and Practices of the Church of Rome â—ruly Represenâ—ed in Answer to a Book intituled A Papist Misrepresented and Represented c. Quarto Third Edition An Answer to a Discourse intituled Papists protesting against Protestant Popery being a Vindication of Papists not Misrepresented by Protestants And containing a particular Examination of Monsieur de Meaux late Bishop of Condom his Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of Rome in the Articles of Invocation of Saints Worship of Images occasioned by that Discourse Quarto Second Edition An Answer to the Amicable Accommodation of the Differences between the Representer and the Answerer Quarto A View of the 〈◊〉 â—ontroversie between the Representer and the Answerer with an 〈◊〉 to the Representer's last Reply in which are â—id open some of the Methods by which Protestants are Misreprensented by Papists Quarto The Doctrine of the Trinity and Transubstantiation compared as to Scriptâ—â—â—â—eason and Tradition in a new Dialogue between a Protestant and a Papist the 〈◊〉 Part Wherein an Answer is given to the late Proofs of the Antiquity of Transubstantiation in the Books called Consensus Veterum and Nubes Testiuâ— c. Quarto The Doctrine â—f the Trinity and Transubstantiation compared as to Scripture Reason and Tradition in a new Dialogue between a Protestant and a Papist the Second Part Wherein the
Answer the Question and if there be a Dispute depending which of them contradicts St. Paul's Doctrine I would desire him to tell me How we shall know which of them does it without examining them When we know these Books which contradict St Paul's Doctrine we will reject them with an Anathema and for that reason we reject the Council of Trent whose Authority we think to be inferior to an Angels and that shews that we do not think rejecting and yet reading such Books to make void common Sense for though we reject the Council of Trent yet we read it as they find to their cost His next Question or else I cannot make three of them is By what Text doth God deliver this Injunction viz of reading Heretical Books which in his Sense of Heretical Books is a very senseless Question for no man pretends that God commands us to read Books which we know to be Heretical though a man who is inquiring after Truth must read such Books as the several divided Sects of Christians may call Heretical But his killing Question is to come I asked further How standing to the first Principles of Common Sense a Church which declares all men bound to judge for themselves could countenance Laws which exact of Dissenters that they stand not to that their Iudgment but comply against it and that constrain their liberty of judging by the dread of Excommunications Sequestrations Imprisonments c. which is to make it Death not to act against a strict Duty of Conscience acknowledged by the Persecutors to be such But what is this to reading Heretical Books Is there any Law in the Church of England thus to punish men for reading Heretical Books There is we know in the Church of Rome where besides other Heretical Books to have and to read the Bible in the vulgar Tongue without License which is rarely granted and ought not to be at all brings a man in danger of the Inquisition which one word signifies more than any man can tell but he who has felt it witness the late account of the Inquisition of Goa Well but to allow a liberty of Judging and not to suffer men to stand to their Judgment is contrary to Common Sense It is so but who gives a liberty of Judging and forbids men to stand to their own Judgment I am sure the Church of England accounts any man a Knave who contradicts his own Judgment and Conscience There is no Inquisition for mens private Opinions no ransacking Consciences in the Church of England as we know where there is Yes We constrain this liberty of Iudging by the dread of Excommunications Sequestrations Imprisonments Exclusion from the chiefest Properties of free born Subjects even by Hanging and Quartering which is to make it Death not to act against a strict Duty of Conscience acknowledged by the Persecutors to be such It is a blessed time for these Jesuits who like that no body should be able to Persecute but themselves to rail at Persecution but let that pass It seems then it is contrary to Common Sense to allow a liberty of Judging and to deny a liberty of Practice for God suppose to allow men to choose their Religion and to Damn them if they choose wrong That is to say a Natural liberty of Judgment and by the same reason the Natural liberty of Will is inconsistent with all Government in Church and State If this were so it would indeed make Persecution as he calls it in a free-judging Church very absurd but it is very reconcileable to Common Sense for a Church which denies this liberty of Judging to Persecute too and this justifies the Persecutions of the Church of Rome Let Protestants here see if such Jesuits could rule the Roast what it will cost them to part with their liberty of Judging they loose their Argument against Persecution for an Infallible Church which will not suffer men to Judge may with good Reason Persecute them if they do that all men who like Liberty of Conscience are concerned to oppose Popery which it seems is the only Religion that can make it reasonable to Persecute nay which makes it unreasonable not to Persecute for it is as much against Common Sense for a Church which denies a liberty of Judging to allow a liberty of Conscience as for a Church to deny Liberty of Conscience which allows a liberty of Judging Thus far the Preservative is safe and let his following Harangue against the liberty of Judging shift for it self that is not my business at present His next Quarrel is that Preser p. 4 5. I advise Protestants not to dispute with Papists till they disown Infallibility I own the charge and repeat it again that it is a ridiculous thing to dispute with Papists till they renounce Infallibility as that is opposed to a lâ—berty of Judging for so the whole Sentence runs Here then let our Protestant fix his Foot and not stir an inch till they disown Infallibility and confess that every man must Iudge for himself in Matters of Religion according to the Proofs that are offered to him This the Jesuit either designedly concealed or did not understand though it is the whole design of that Discourse For the plain state of the Case is this The Church of Rome pretends to be Infallible and upon this pretence she requires us to submit to her Authority and to receive all the Doctrines she teaches upon her bare Word without Examination for we must not Judge for our selves but learn from an Infallible Church Now I say it is a ridiculous thing for such men to pretend to Dispuâ—e with us about Religion when they will not allow that we can judge what is true or false for it is to no purpose to Dispute unless we can Judge and therefore a Protestant before he Disputes with them ought to exact this Confession from them that every man must Judge for himself and ought not to be over-ruled by the pretended Infallible Authority of the Church against his own Sense and Reason and this is to make them disown Infallibility as far as that is Matter of Controversie between us and the Church of Rome to disown Infallibility as that is opposed to a liberty of Judging If it be absurd to Dispute with a man who denies me a liberty of Judging then I must make him allow me this liberty before I Dispute and then he must disown the over-ruling Authority of an Infallible Judge which is a contradiction to such a Liberty By this time I suppose he sees to what little purpose his Objections are that to require such a disowning of Infallibility is to say 'T is impossible to convince a man that in Reason he ought to submit his Iudgment to any other though Infallible No Sir but 't is to say that I cannot make use of my Reason in any thing till I am delivered from the Usurping Authority of such an Infallible Judge who will not suffer me to use my
not then they know before hand that the evidence of Scripture alone is not sufficient to convince a Protestant who rejects an infallible Judge and then it is a sensless thing for them to attempt the proof of such Doctrines by Scripure Good Catholicks are satisfied with the Authority of the Church and Hereticks who reject such an infallible Authority cannot be confuted and convinced by meer Scripture 3. I ask again Whether the evidence of Reason in expounding Scripture be a sufficient Foundation for a Divine Faith if it be then Protestants who disown an Infallible Judge may have a true Divine Faith without the Infallibility of the Church and then we may be true Believers without being Roman-Catholicks and I should be glad to hear that out of the mouth of a Iesuite for there is good use to be made of such a confession if Scripture as expounded by Reason without an Infallible Judge is not a sufficient Foundation for a Divine Faith then to what end does their disputing with Protestants from Scripture serve if this cannot make them true Believers 4. I ask once more Whether the belief of the Scriptures themselves must not be resolved into the Authority of the Church whether any man can believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God without it if they cannot and I would be glad to hear the Iesuite say they can then I am sure the Scripture is no proof of any thing without the Churches Authority and it is an absurd thing for those who think so to dispute from Scripture against those who deny the Authority of the Church From hence I think it evidently appears that the Authority of the Scriptures and the Authority of the Church are not two distinct Arguments in the Church of Rome for then I grant they might use either way of proof and dispute from Scripture against those who deny the Authority of the Church but if the Authority of the Scripture as to us is resolved into the Authority of the Church then the Scripture alone is no Argument but the Authority of the Church is all Whereforedo you believe the Scripture Because the Church tells me it is the Word of God Wherefore do you believe this to be the sense of Scripture Because the Church so expounds it Is not this the true Resolution of the Roman Faith Is this Misrepresenting too But if it be the truth does not every man see that as to us the Scripture has no Authority no sense but from the Church and therefore can prove nothing separated from the Authority of the Church If they allow of any Proofs from Scripture separated from the Authority of the Church then whether they will or no they must allow of the Protestant Resolution of Faith that is to resolve my Faith into the Authority of the Scriptures as expounded with the best reason and judgment I have in the careful use of all such means as are necessary for the understanding that Holy Book now if they will allow this to be a good Resolution of Faith we will allow of all their Scripture-proofs and give them leave to make us Converts to the Church of Rome by Scripture if they can but if they do allow of this then we Protestants are in a very good way already as to the Resolution of our Faith and so that Controversie is at an end and if they will not allow this then they confess that Scripture-proofs of themselves are not good for if they were we might certainly resolve our Faith as Protestants do immediately into the Authority of Scripture And thus much for Iohn and William and the Infallible Guide if Iohn has any Reasons independent on the Authority of his Guide he may then try his skill upon William who rejects his Guide but if all his other Reasons are resolved into the Authority of his Guide and are no good Reasons without it then he may spare his Reasons till he has made William submit to his Guide And this is the case between the Scripture and the Church in the Church of Rome the Scripture wholly depends both for its Authority and Interpretation on the Authority of the Church and therefore can signifie nothing and prove nothing but what the Church makes it signifie and prove The Scriptures may be supposed to be the Word of God and to have some sense antecedent to the Churches Authority but no man can know this without the Church and therefore as to us both the Authority and Interpretation of the Scripture depends upon the Authority of the Church and is no Argument to prove any thing by itself But I cannot pass on without taking notice of a pleasant Answer the Iesuite gives to a very substantial Argument of the Footman To prove that at least some Doctrines of the Church of Rome by their own confession cannot be proved by Scripture without the Authority of the Church he shews that Petrus de Alliaco Scotus and Tonstal do confess that Transubstantiation is not founded upon any necessary Scripture-proofs but on the Authority of the Church for the Scripture might and that very reasonably too be expounded to another sense had not the Church determined otherwise Now what does the Iesuite say to this 1. He prevericates like a Iesuite in repeating the Argument That the Words of Scripture brought in proof of Transubstantiation might be taken in a different sense from that which the Catholick Church hath ever received and delivered and that had not the Church ever taught that sense one might believe otherwise for all the letter of Scripture for the Authors alledged by the Footman do not say as the Iesuite makes them that the Catholick Church hath ever received and delivered that sense of Transubstantiation which the Church of Rome now teaches but Tonstal expresly declares the contrary in the words there cited That it was free for all men till the Council of Lateran to follow their own conjectures as concerning the manner of the Presence Which supposes that this Doctrine was never determined by the Church till the Council of Lateran and therefore not ever received and delivered and taught by the Catholick Church 2. In a Parenthesis he adds how truly this is said of the Catholick Divines that they did affirm this it belongs not to my present purpose very truly said it is not to his purpose but very much against it but if he means that he was not concerned to know whether these passages are truly cited from these Authors it seems he is not concerned to defend his Argument for that is very much concerned in it it is a plain confession he had nothing to say and therefore would not be concerned about it and will our Learned Iesuite confess that he is so ignorant as not to know that this was said by Petrus de Alliaco Scotus and Tonstal or will he so easily give up such men as these and let the ingenious Footman run away with them and his Argument together 3.
by the Church representative so that it is evident after the explanation that it is the same Faith still I say every Protestant will acknowledge that this Faith is infallibly true for we believe the Faith delivered by the Apostles to be infallibly true and if it appears that the same Faith is still taught by the Church whether in or out of Council it matters not it must be infallibly true still But yet there is a little difference between us and the Jesuit He believes and would have us believe that the present Faith of the Church of Rome viz. the Doctrine of the Council of Trent is that Faith which was received from the Apostles preserved in all the Members of the Catholick Church and only explained upon occasion by the Council of Trent which was the Church representative this we deny this we know this we can and often have proved to be false And I beseech you what greater infallibility can any Church pretend to than to have the World receive all her Decrees as infallibly true But they do not pretend that either thâ— whole Church or any person or persons in it are held to possess any intrinsick Infallibility which they own to be proper to God alone Thank 'em for nothing they do not believe that the Church or Pope or Council are by nature infallible for all the World would laugh at them if they did We do not say as he adds that they cannot of themselves deceive us but that God according to his Promise directing them by his infallible Spirit it cannot possibly happen that they should deceive us The Modesty of a Jesuit who claims no more Infallibility for the Pope and General Council than the Apostles had and wonders any man should grudge them this since they do not pretend to an intrinsick Infallibility not to be infallible by Nature but only by Grace Thus he adds that they do not preâ—end to new Revelations and Lights nor admit any new Article of Faith though where a doubt arises the Church-hath infallibly power to declare what hath been revealed by Christ to the Apostles and preached by them which perhaps some part of the Church might have had a less clear understanding thereof but this is done not by making any new Article of Faith but more clearly delivering what was ever believed by the Apostles and all Catholicks from their time to this That is to say what ever the Church determines though the Christian Church in former ages knew nothing of it yet it must not be called a new Article of Faith but a declaring what had been revealed by Christ to his Apostles and preached by them though the world had long since forgot it whatever the Church determines to day we must believe to have been the Faith of the Apostolick Age though there are no other evidences nor symptomes of it but because the Church which is infallible says so And this is all the Infallibility the Church pretends too a very small matter to be denied her by Christians it is only to believe whatever she says without disputing or examining her Faith nay to believe that to be the old Faith which the most authentick Records of the Church prove to be new I have thus stept out of my way to see what fine thing he had to say of the Churches Infallibility which he promised a very favourable representation of but it is all the old cant still a little disguised by some ignorant blunders or artificial Non-sense as for his proofs of this Infallibility I am not concerned with them at present and after so many discourses on that Argument they need no answer Another Argument whereby I proved that no man can be disputed into Popery which denies us the use of our own Reason and Judgment in matters of Religion was this Because it is impossible by Reason to prove that men must not use their own Reason and Iudgment in matters of Religion For to dispute is to appeal to Reason and to dispute against the use of Reason in Religion is to appeal to Reason against the use of Reason in Answer to this he tells us That men must use their Reason to come to this knowledge that God hath revealed what they believe Now I would desire no more but this to prove that we must use our Reason in matters of Religion for no man at this day can know what is revealed without it I do assert and let him disprove me when he can that since God has given us reason to judge of the truth or falshood of such things as are knowable by the light of Nature and a standing Rule of Faith and Manners in the writings of the Old and New Testament for matters of Revelation we must believe no Mans or Churches pretences to Infallibility who either teaches any Doctrine which plainly contradicts the light of Reason or a standing revelation and therefore we must judge of mens pretences to the Spirit by the Doctrines they teach and therefore must particularly judge of their Doctrines too This is the fair state of the Controversie between us and here I leave it and let him take it up again when he pleases And here he returns back to the Conference between a sturdy Protestant and a new Convert which belonged to the former head the design of which is to shew the new Convert that by going over to the Church of Rome he has gained no more Infallibility than a Protestant has nay has lost some degrees of certainty which he might have had before for thus the Protestant tells him You rely on your own reason and judgment for the Infallibility of your Church and consequently of all the Doctrines of it and therefore your infallible Faith is as much resolved into your own fallible Iudgment as the Protestant Faith is So that the difference between us is not that your Faith is infallible and ours fallible for they are both alike call it what you will fallible or infallible We have more rational certainty than you have and you have no more infallible certainty than we You think you are reasonably assured your Church is infallible and then you take up your Religion upon trust from your Church without and many times against Sense and Reason according as it happens So that you have only a general assurance of the Infallibity of your Church and that no greater than Protestants pretend to in other cases viz. the certainty of Reason and Argument but have not so much as a rational assurance of the truth of your particular Doctrines that if you are mistaken about the Infallibility of your Church you must be miserably mistaken about every thing else which you have no other evidence for But now we are in general assured that the Scriptures are the Word of God and in particular assured that the Faith which we profess is agreeable to Scripture or expresly contained in it and does not contradict either Sense or Reason nor any
conceal the force of this Argument and to represent it thus Were all Protestants of a mind would their consent and agreement prove the certainty of the Protestant Faith. By which alone no man living could guess what I was proving and to this he answers Not at all and I agree with him in it for meer agreement does not prove the certainty of Faith no more then meer disagreement or variety of Opinions proves the uncertainty of Faith. But they prove them both alike as I observed which he calls a ridiculous Inference and as he has reported it he has made it ridiculous enough This is the same Rule and their disagreement proves not their uncertainty This is to mangle and transprose an Argument that it may not be understood but to confute this he says all Vnion is no Argument of the Spirit of God for People may combine to do ill But what is this to agreement in Opinions May not that argue the certainty of Faith because some men agree to do ill for a general consent and agreement of mens understandings may be an argument of the truth of what they consent in though the agreement of their Wills may not be a vertuous but a wicked Combination But yet St. Paul assures us disunion and dissention is a certain mark of the absence of the Spirit of God that is Contentions and Quarrels and Schisms are indeed so far the Works of the Flesh. But when two men or two Churches differ in their opinions of things can neither of them be in the right Is the Spirit of God with neither of them Is truth on neither side Then the Controversies between the Church of Rome and the Church of England prove that the Spirit of God is no more with the Church of Rome then with the Church of England The plain case is this our Roman Adversaries perswade Protestants that they can have no certainty of their Faith because Protestants are so much divided about it and therefore they must go to the Church of Rome which alone pretends to Infallibility But say I why should these differences among Protestants oblige them to go over to the Church of Rome when Protestants have no difference about this matter but are all agreed that the Church of Rome is so far from being infallible that she is a very corrupt Church I do not say that the differences of Protestants is a good Argument to prove the uncertainty of their Faith nor their bare agreement to prove the certainty of it but I say one proves as much as t'other and therefore 't is a better reason to Protestants not to turn Papists that all Protestants are agreed that the Church of Rome is not infallible but has greatly erred then it is for Protestants to go to the Church of Rome for Infallibility because they differ in some things among themselves especially considering that many points they now differ about will not be reconciled by their going to the Church of Rome for the same points are as fiercely disputed among them too as to instance at present only in the Quinquearticular Controversie CHAP. III. A Vindication of some Positions which are pretended to make void all Scripture-proof all use of Fathers and Councils and of Civil Charity and Moral Iustice to our Neighbours AS for Scripture-proof I was directing Protestantâ— what kind of Scripture-proof to demand for Transubstantiation and having shewn that the Doctrine of Transubstantiation does manifestly contradict the evidence of all our Senses and the most necessary principles of Reason I told them that it is but reasonable that the evidence for Transubstantiation should at least be equal to the evidence against it and therefore they must demand such a Scripture-proof of Transubstantiation as cannot possibly signifie any thing else or else it will not answer that evidence which we have against Transubstantiation for sense and reason pronounce Transubstantiation to be naturally impossible and therefore unless it be as impossible to put any other sense upon Scripture as it is to reconcile Transubstantiation to sense and reason there is not such good evidence for Transubstantiation as there is against it This he repeats after his usual manner to take care that no body shall understand what it relates to or see the force of the Argument and in answer to it he gives us a new instance of his good will to the Doctrine of the Trinity He says A Text which cannot possibly have another sense doth not leave it in any one's liberty who owns Scripture to be an Heretick therefore the Church produced no such Text against the Arians or Nestorians whence it evidently follows that according to Dr. Sherlock the Arians and Nestorians were not bound to believe the Trinity and Incarnation of Christ. But did I say that nothing can be proved but by such express Texts as it is not possible to understand otherwise I said this was necessary to prove any Doctrine which sense and reâ—son declare to be absolutely impossible And will he say the Doctrine of the Trinity is such a Doctrine No he says Preservative Considered p. 45. But they so appeared to the Nestorians and Arians and that is the case put by Dr. Sherlock but I put no case about meer appearing but of such palpable contradictions as the sense and reason of all Mankind agree in as Papists themselves cannot deny and know not how to justifie without pressing the Almighty Power of God to make good their absurd Imaginations Now where there is only an appearance of contradiction where a Doctrine only lies cross to mens natural reason there such express Texts as do more evidently prove that Doctrine then that Doctrine does evidently contradict reason is a sufficient foundation for the belief of it because in this case there is more evidence for it than against it and did not the Church alledge such Scripture-proofs for the Trinity And are there no such Proofs to be alledged He thinks they did not because then the Arians could not have continued Hereticks for a Text which cannot possibly have any other sense doth not leave it in any ones liberty to be a Heretick But I suppose he will allow that I spoke not of a natural but of a moral impossibility now a moral impossibility of interpreting Scripture otherwise is when a man cannot reasonably do it without offering manifest violence to the words and this a wilful and obstinate Heretick may do how plain and self-evident how uncapable soever the words are of any other possible sense to a reasonable and impartial Inquirer This principle I confess makes void all Scripture-proof of such Doctrines as sense and reason pronounce absolutely impossible but this is no injury but the greatest right we can do the Scripture But I cannot without some indignation observe how the Doctrine of the ever blessed Trinity is upon all occasions introduced by these men as contradicting sense and reason which would make one suspect they kept it for no
And here the Jesuite finds another Misrepresentation that by the Incarnation God is visibly represented to us in our nature but the Papists not contented with this contrary to the design of God made man make and adore other Images of God. Here he has concealed what my Argument was but the thing is true that though God gave us a visible Image of himself to cure the Idolatry of Image-Worship yet this is still retained and practised in the Church of Rome In summing up this Argument I said Since it was one main design of Christ's appearance to root out Idolatry is it credible that the Worship of Saints and Angels and the Virgin Mary the Worship of Images and Reliques as it is practised in the Church of Rome should be any part of the Christian Worship or allowed by the Gospel of our Saviour if Creature-Worship and Image-Worship were so offensive to God here is the Worship of Creatures and Images still and therefore all the visible Idolatry that ever was practised in the World before This is another of his Misrepresentations but very true No understanding Papist that has any modesty can deny that they worship Creatures and Images for that they should be worshipped is determined by their own Councils now if there be any salvo to deliver the Church of Rome from the guilt of Idolatry in worshipping Creatures and Images when the Heathens were Idolaters for doing it yet here is the visible Worship of Creatures and Images that is all that was visible in the Idolatry of the Heathens This was my Argument to shew how improbable it was that Christ who came to extirpate all Idolatry should still allow the external and visible Worship of Creatures which if it be not Idolatry yet is all that was visible in the Idolatry of the Heathens and it had better become him to have answered this Argument than to have called it a Misrepresentation I observed farther That the great difference the Papists can pretend between their Worship of Saints and Images and what the Heathens did whereby to excuse themselves from Idolatry notwithstanding they worship Creatures and Images as the Heathens did is that they have better Notions of the Worship of Saints and Angels and Images than the Heathens had but I said whether they had or no would be hard to prove The Pagan Philosophers made the same Apologies for their Worship of Angels and Daemons and Images which the learned Papists now make and whether unlearned Papists have not as gross Notions about the Worship of their Saints and Images as the unlearned Heathens had is very doubtful and has been very much suspected by learned Romanists themselves This he puts down for another Misrepresentation though all learned men know it to be true Had he ever read Origen against Celsus he would have known that that Philosopher had taught the Roman Doctors how to defend the Worship of Saints and Images and that the Father had confuted them long since and had he looked into Vives upon St. Aust. de Civitate Dei he would have found that learned Man make nâ— great difference between unlearned Christians and Heathens as to thâ—se mâ—tters to name no more at present I added Can we think that Christ who came to make a more perfect reformation should only change their Country-Gods into Saints and Angels and the Virgin Mary and give new Names to their Statues and Images This he calls a Misrepresentation too tho' it neither represents nor misrepresents any body that I know of but only argues what Christ was likely to do For had Christ only forbad the Worship of Pagan Gods and set up the Worship of Saints it had not been to extirpate Creature-Worship but only to change those particular Creatures who were to be Objects of Worship and instead of the Images of Iupiter and Bacchus to set up Images to Saints Thus I have considered the Misrepresentations charged upon the first Section of the Preservative as for his own representation of the Faith and Practice of the Catholicks as to their Worship I am not concerned with it There are a great many late Treatises wherein those Matters are fully debated Such as The Doctrines and Practices of the Church of Rome truly represented The Object of Religious Worship The Answer to Papists protesting against Protestant Popery The late Answers to M. de Meaux and his Vindicator and a Book which this Jesuite has some reason to know The Primitive Fathers no Papists And to these I refer my Reader who needs any farther satisfaction SECT II. Concerning the great Love of God to Mankind c. HE has found but six Misrepresentations and Calumnies in this Section which is pretty moderate and some few Arguments against Purgatory and our recourse to Saints for their Prayers which he says he has collected not one omitted but when I read them over I could not find any one of them I confess it is a very dull and troublesom task to answer him for he transcribes several Passages out of my Book without representing their connexion with what goes before or what follows or without telling what their fault is or offering one word to confute them that whoever will but take the pains to put every Sentence into its proper place will need no other answer And this I shall do as briefly as I can Having shewn what great assurance the Gospel of our Saviour gives us of the love of God to sinners I came to shew how irreconcilable the Doctrine of Purgatory and the Invocation of Saints and Angels as our Mediators with God is with the Gospel-Notion of God's Love and that Security it gives us of Pardon through the Merits and Intercession of Christ. 1. The Doctrine of Purgatory where the Punishments are as severe as in Hell itself only of a less continuance and yet they may last some thousand Years unless their Friends or the Priests be more merciful to them This I said was a barbarous Doctrine and so inconsistent with the Gospel-Account of God's Love that it is not reconcilable with any Notion of Love and Goodness you may call it Iustice you may call it Vengeance if you please but Love it is not These words he cites as an Argument against Purgatory without representing on what it is founded viz. that glorious discovery of God's love to sinners in the Gospel of Christ now if to damn men whose sins are pardoned for a thousand or two thousand Years for so long sure a man may lie in Purgatory or else the Pope is a great Cheat for selling Pardons for ten and twenty thousand Years if no man be in danger of lying one thousand Years in Purgatory I say if this be not reconcilable with the Gospel-Notion of God's Love then Purgatory can be no Gospel-Doctrine This Argument he never mentions and never pretends to answer in his Catholick Doctrine of Purgatory He says the Doctrine of Purgatory is God's Iustice tempered with Infinite Mercy but I
absurdity of Praying to God in an Unknown Tongue when neither our Understandings nor Affections can joyn in our Prayers For I suppose no man will say that to pray to God or praise him in words which we do not understand is to worship God in Spirit unless he thinks that a Parrot may be taught to pray in the Spirit This he calls a Calumny He would insinuate that Catholicks when they assist to present he should have said at Prayers which they do not understand are not commanded to pray in Spirit by devout Thoughts and pious Affections Now I insinuate no such thing when they are present at Prayers which they do not understand they may have other devout thoughts for ought I know but I say they cannot offer those Prayers to God with their understanding which they do not understand and in such Prayers they do not pray with the Mind and Spirit and therefore all such Prayers are absurd and contrary to the nature of Christian Worship which is to worship God in Spirit But my work is not at an end yet there are some other Misrepresentations and Calumnies which he has picked out of the fourth Section of the Preservative which must be considered The fourth Section concerns the reformation and improvement of Humane Nature which I shewed to be the great design of the Gospel and that particularly with respect to Knowledge and Holiness and I examined how far the Principles and Practices of the Church of Rome did comply with this great Gospel Design 1. As for Knowledge I supposed neither the Church of Rome nor any one for her would pretend that she is any great Friend to Knowledge which is so apt to make men Hereticks That knowing Papists are not beholden to their Church for their Knowledge which deprives them of all the means of Knowledge will not allow them to believe their senses but commands them to believe Transubstantiation which is contrary to the evidence of sense forbids men the use of Reason in matters of Religion suffers them not to judge for themselves nor examine the Reasons of their Faith and denies them the use of the Bible which is the only means to know the revealed Will of God and when men must neither believe their Senses nor use their Reason nor read the Scripture it is easie to guess what knowing and understanding Christians they must needs be Against this it may be objected that the Church of Rome does instruct her Children in the true Christian Faith though she will not allow them to read the Scriptures nor judge for themselves which is the safer way to teach them the pure Catholick Faith without danger of Error or Heresie To this I answered This were something did the Church of Rome take care to instruct them in all necessary Doctrines and to teach nothing but what is true and could such men who thus tamely receive the dictates of the Church be said to know and to understand their Religion so that here were two Inquiries 1. Whether the Church of Rome instructs her Children in all necessary truth and nothing but the truth 2. Whether she so instructs them that they may be said to know and understand How far the Church of Rome is from doing the first I said all Christians in the World are sensible but themselves but that is not our present Dispute But our Jesuite it seems will make it the Dispâ—te or it shall pass for a perfect Slander for thus he repeats it they take no care to instruct mâ—n in all necâ—ssary Doctrines Which I did not positively affirm bâ—t since he will have it so I do now affirm That they do not instruct men in all necessary Doctrines and that thâ—y teach them a great many false Doctrines But then he must remember what I mean by instructing it is not meerly to teach them to repeat the Articles of their Creed but to give them the true sense and meaning of them and I do affirm and am ready to prove it and possibly may do so when leisure permits that they do not rightly instruct men in the great and necessary Doctrine of forgiveness of Sins in the Name of Christ nor in the nature of Christ's Mediation and Intercession for us nor in the nature of Justification or of Gospel and Obedience but teach such Errors as overthrow the true Gospel notion of these great and necessary Doctrines Then as for their manner of Teaching to require men to believe what they say meerly upon the Authority of the Church without suffering them to examine whether such Doctrines are taught in Scripture or to exercise their own reason and judgment about it can make no man a knowing and understanding Christian. For no man understands his Religion who does not in some measure know the reasons of his Faith and judge whether they be sufficient or not who knows not how to distinguish between Truth and Error who has no Rule to go by but must take all upon trust and the credit of his Teachers who believes whatever he is told and learns his Creed as School-boys do their Grammar without understanding it this is not an active but a kind of passive knowledge Such men receive the impression that is made on them as Wax does and understand no more of the matter These Sayings that are marked out are more of his Misrepresentations which need no other Vindication but to be shewn in their own light and proper places And yet I did not deny but some men might be so dull and stupid as to be capable of little more than to be taught their Religion as Children but certainly this is not the utmost perfection of knowledge that any Christian must aim at which he thus represents With them this is the utmost perfection of Knowledge that any Christian must aim at This I did not say but this I say that it is the utmost perfection of Knowledge which any man can attain to who will be contented with the Methods of the Church of Rome not to examine his Religion but to take all upon the credit of the Church Well How does our Jesuite confute this heavy Charge and perfect Slander Does he shew that they teach all necessary Truths and nothing but Truth Does he prove that men may be very knowing Christians without understanding the Reasons of their Faith Not one word of this which alone was to his purpose but he says hundreds of thousands of Religious men are employed in instructing the Ignorant and teaching Children and whoever denied this that they do teach Men and Children after their fashion But does this prove that they teach them all necessary Truths and nothing but truth Or that they make them ever the wiser for their teaching As for those ignorant Protestants he has had to deal with if he made Converts of them I believe they were very ignorant otherwise if there were Ignorance between them it was as likely to lie on the Jesuite's side Having laid down
Dâ—â—â—rine of the Trinity is shewed to bâ—â—greeable to Scripture and Reason â—nd Transubstantiation repugnant to both Quarto An Answer to the Eighth Chapter of the Representer's Second Part in the first Dialogue between him and his Lay-Friend Of the Authority of Councils and the Rule of Faith. By a Person of Quality With an Answer to the Eight Theses laid down for the Tryal of the English Refâ—â—mation in a Boâ—k that came lately from Oxford Sermons and Discourses some of which never before Printed The Third Volume By the Reverend Dr. Tillotson Dean of Canterbury 8 o. A Manual for a Christian Souldier Written by Erasmus and Translated into English. Twelves A new and easie Method to learn to Sing by Book whereby one who hath a good Voice and Ear may without other help learn to Sing true by Notes Design'd chiefly for and applied to the promoting of Psalmody and furnished with Variety of Psalm-Tunes in Parts with Directions for that kind of Singing Octavo A Book of Cyphers or Letters Reverst being a Work very pleasant and useful as well for Gentlemen 〈◊〉 all sorts of Artificers Engravers 〈…〉 Price 〈…〉 〈…〉 Communion in the 〈…〉 of Câ—â—terbury In Octavo 〈…〉 〈◊〉 agâ—â—nst Transubstantiation In Octavo Price 3 â— The State of the Church of Rome when the Reformation began as it appears by the Advices given to Paul III. and Iulius III. by Creatures of their Own. With a Preface leading to the matter of the Book 4 o. A Letter to a Friend Reflecting on some 〈◊〉 in a Letter to the D. of P. in Answer to the Arguing Part of 〈…〉 to Mr. G. The Reflecter's Defence of his Letter to a Friâ—nd against the 〈◊〉 Assaults of Mr. I. S. in his second Catholic Letter In 〈◊〉 Dialogue 4 o. A Discourse concerning the Nature of Idolatâ—â— in which 〈◊〉 Bishop of Oxford's true and only Notion of Idolatâ—â— Considered 〈◊〉 Confuted 4 o. The Protestant Resolv'd or a Discourse â—hewing the â—â—â—easonableness of his Turning Roman Catholick for Salvation Second 〈◊〉 8 o. The Absolute impâ—â—â—â—â—ility of Transubstantiation demonstrated 4 o. The Practical Believer or the Articles of the Apostles Creed Drawn out to form a True Christian's Heart and Practice In two Parts 4 o. A Sermon Preached at the Funeral of the Reverend Benj. Calamy D.D. and late Minister of St. Lawrence-Iury Lond Ian. 7th 1685 6. 4 o. A Vindication of some Protestant Principles of Church-Unity and Catholick Communion from the Charge of Agreement with the Church of Rome In Answer to a late Pâ—â—â—phlet Intituled An Agreement 〈…〉 Church of England and the Church of Rome evinced from the 〈…〉 of her Sons with their Brethren the Dissenters 2d Edition A 〈…〉 against Popery being some Plain Directions to Unlearne◠〈…〉 to Dispute with Romish Priests The First 〈◊〉 The Fourth 〈…〉 Tâ—â— Second Part of the Preservativâ—â—gainst Popery shewing how contrary Popery is to the True Ends of the Christian Religion Fitted for the Instruction of Unlearnâ—â— Protestants The Second Editioâ— A Discourse concerning the Nature Unity and Communiâ—â—â—◠〈…〉 Catholick Church wherein 〈…〉 Controversies 〈…〉 the Church are briefly and plaiâ—â—y 〈…〉 The First Part. These Five last by 〈…〉 D. D. Master 〈…〉 Answer to Preservative p. 4. Ibid. Answer p. 4. Answer p. 4. Answer p. 4. Preserv p. 9. Answer to Pres. p. 4. Preservative Considered p. 11. Preservative Part â— p. 11. Answer to Preser p. 5. Defence of Prâ—s p. 7. Preservat Consider p. 13. A Discourse concâ—rning the Nature and Vnity of the Catholick Church Answ. to Preserv p. 6. Preserv Part 1. p. 44 45. Answer to Preseâ—v p. 6. Preservat p. 79. Preserv p. 80. Answer p. 7. Preservat Considered p. 40. Preserv Considered p. 42. Pres. p. 72. Answer p. 2. 4 Matth. 10. Preserv Consid p. 61. Preserv Consid p. 68. Ibid. p. 70. Ibid. p. 70. 2 Cor. 4.18 11 John 25 26. Preserv Consid p. 86. P. 80. P. 80. Ibid. Pag. 19. Pag. 79. Pag. 81. Pag. 79. Pag. 85. Ibid. Pag. 81. P. 87. Pag. 87. Pag. 77. Pag. 82. Pag. 78. Pag. 79. Pag. 78. Pag. 82. Pag. 83.