Selected quad for the lemma: reason_n
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A58627
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A sermon preached at White-Hall before His Late Majesty / by John Tillotson.
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Tillotson, John, 1630-1694.
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1686
(1686)
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Wing S1250A; ESTC R25649
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14,978
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33
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as many eâ—â—rors as they please to bring in is their Doctriâ—â— of Infallibility And this they are very stâ—â— and peremptory in tho they are not agreeâ— among themselves where this Infallibility â— seated whether in the Pope alone or a Couâ—â—cil alone or in both together or in the diffusiâ—â— body of Christians But they are sure they havâ— it tho they know not where it is And is this no prejudice against it can anâ— man think that this priviledg was at firâ—â— conferred upon the Church of Rome and thaâ— Christians in all Ages did believe it and haâ—â— constant recourse to it for determining theiâ— differences and yet that that very Churcâ— which hath enjoyed and used it so long shoulâ— now be at a loss where to find it Nothing could have fallen out more unluckily thaâ— that there should be such differences among them about that which they pretend to be thâ— onely means of ending all differences There is not the least intimation in Scripture of this priviledg conferr'd upon the Roman Church nor do the Apostes in all theiâ— Epistles ever so much as give the least direction to Christians to appeal to the Bishop oâ— Rome for a determination of the many differences which even in those times happen'd among them And it is strange they should be so silent in this matter when there were so many occasions to speak of it if our Saviour had plainly appointed such an infallible Judge of controversies for this very end to decide the differences that should happen among Christians It is strange that the ancient Fathers in their disputes with Hereticks should never appeal to this Judg nay it is strange they should not constantly do it in all cases it being so short and expedite a way for the ending of controversies And this very consideration to a wise man is instead of a thousand arguments to satisfie him that in those times no such thing was believed in the world Now this Doctrine of infallibility if it be not true is of so much the more pernicious consequence to Christianity because the conceit of it does confirm them that think they have it in all their other errors and gives them a pretence of assuming an Authority to themselves to impose their own fancies and mistakes upon the whole Christian world 2. Their Doctrine about Repentance which consists in confessing their sins to the Priest which if it be but accompanied with any degree of contrition does upon absolution received from the Priest put them into a state of salvation tho they have lived the most lewd and debauched lives that can be imagin'd than which nothing can be more plainly destructive of a good life For if this be true all the hazard that the most wicked man runs of his salvation is only the danger of so sudden a death as gives him no space for confession and absolution A case that happens so rarely that any man that is strongly addicted to his lusts will be content to venture his salvation upon this hazard and all the arguments to a good life will be very insignificant to a man that hath a mind to be wicked when remission of sins may be had upon such cheap terms 3. The Doctrine of Purgatory By which they mean an estate of temporary punishments after this life from which men may be released and translated into Heaven by the prayers of the living and the sacrifice of the Mass That this Doctrine was not known in the primitive Church nor can be proved from Scripture we have the free acknowledgment of as learned and eminent men as any of that Church which is to acknowledg that it is a superstructure upon the Christian Religion And though in one sense it be indeed a buildding of Gold and Silver upon the foundation of Christianity considering the vast revenues which this Doctrine and that of Indulgences which depends upon it brings into that Church yet I doubt not but in the Apostles sense it will be found to be hay and stubble But how groundless soever it be it is too gainful a Doctrine to be easily parted withall 4. The Doctrine of Transubstantiation A hard word but I would to God that were the worst of it the thing is much more difficult I have taken some pains to consider other Reâ—igions that have been in the world and I must freely declare that I never yet in any of them met with any Article or Proposition imposed upon the belief of men half so unreasonable and hard to be believed as this is And yet this in the Romish Church is esteemed one of the most principal Articles of the Christian Faith though there is no more certain foundation for it in Scripture than for our Saviour's being substantially changed into all those things which are said of him as that he is a rock a vine a door and a hundred other things But this is not all This Doctrine hath not onely no certain Foundation in Scripture but I have a far heavier charge against it namely that it undermines the very foundation of Christianity it self And surely nothing ought to be admitted to be a part of the Christian Doctrine which destroys the reason of our belief of the whole And that this Doctrine does so will appear evidently if we consider what was the main argument which the Apostles used to convince the world of the truth of Christianity and that was this That our blessed Saviour the Author of this Doctrine wrought such and such miracles and particularly that he rose again from the dead And this they proved because they were eye-witnesses of his miracles and had seen him and coâ—â—versed with him after he was risen from tâ—â— dead But what if their senses did deceiâ— them in this matter then it cannot be dâ—â—nied but that the main proof of Christianiâ—â— falls to the ground Well! We will now suppose as tâ—â— Church of Rome does Transubstantiation 〈◊〉 have been one principal part of the Christiâ—â— Doctrine which the Apostles preached Bâ— if this Doctrine be true then all mens senâ—â— are deceived in a plain sensible matter wherâ— in 't is as hard for them to be deceived as 〈◊〉 any thing in the world For two things caâ— hardly be imagin'd more different than little bit of wafer and the whole body of man So that the Apostles perswading men to bâ—â—lieve this Doctrine perswaded them not 〈◊〉 trust their senses and yet the argument whicâ— they used to perswade them to this was buiâ—â— upon the direct contrary principle that meâ— senses are to be trusted For if they be noâ— then notwithstanding all the evidence the Aâ—postles offer'd for the resurrection of our Saâ—viour he might not be risen and so the faitâ— of Christians was vain So that they repreâ—sent the Apostles as absurd as is possible viâ— going about to perswade men out of theâ—â— senses by virtue of an argument the whoâ— strength whereof depends upon the certainâ—ty of sense And now the matter is brought
my mother and my brethren He that doth the will of my Father the same is my mother and sister and brother And when the Woman brake forth into that rapture concerning the blessed Mother of our Lord Blessed is the wombâ— that bare thee and the paps that gave thee suck Our Saviour diverts to another thing Yea rather blessed are they that hear the word of God and keep it Does either our Saviour or his Apostles in all their particular Precepts and Directions concerning Prayer and the manner of it and by whom we are to address our selves to God give the least intimation of praying to the Virgin Mary or making use of her Mediation And can any man believe that if this had been the practice of the Church from the beginning our Saviour and his Apostles would have been so silent about so considerable a part of Religion insomuch that in all the Epistles of the Apostles I do not remember that her Name is so much as once mentioned And yet the worship of her is at this day in the Church of Rome and hath been so for several Ages a main part of their publick worship yea and of their private devotions too in which it is usual with them to say ten Ave Maries for one Pater Noster that is for one Prayer they make to Almighty God they make ten addresses to the blessed Virgin for that is the proportion observed in their Rosaries He that considers this and had never seen the Bible would have been apt to think that there had been more said concerning Her in Scripture than either concerning God or our blessed Saviour and that the New Testament were full from one end to the other of precepts and exhortations to the worshipping of Her and yet when all is done I challenge any man to shew me so much as one sentence in the whole Bible that sounds that way And there is as little in the Christian Writers of the first three hundred years The truth is this practice began to creep in among some superstitious people about the middle of the fourth Century And I remember particularly that Epiphanius who lived about that time calls it the Heresie of the Women And thus I have given you some Instances of several Doctrines and Practices which the Church of Rome have built upon the Foundation of Christianity Much more might have been said of them but from what hath been said any man may easily discern how dangerous they are to the salvation of men I proceed now in the second place II. To consider whether our granting a possibility of salvation tho with great hazard to those in the Communion of the Roman Church and their denying it to us be a sufficient argument and encouragement to any man to quit our Church and go to theirs And there is the more need to consider this because thiâ— is the great popular argument wherewith thâ— emissaries and agents of that Church are wonâ— to assault our people Your Church say they grants that a Papist may be saved Ours denies that a Protestant can be saved therefore it is safest to be of our Church in which salvation by the acknowledgment of both sides is possible For answer to this I shall endeavour to shew that this is so far from being a good argument that it is so intolerably weak and sophistica 〈…〉 that any considerate man ought to be asham'd to be catch'd by it For either it is good of it self and sufficient to perswade a man to relinquish our Church and to pass over to theirs without entring into the merits of the cause on either side and without comparing the Doctrines and Practices of both the Churches together or it is not If it be not sufficient of it self to perswade a man to leave our Church without comparing the Doctrines on both sides then it is to no purpose and there is nothing got by it For if upon examination and comparing of Doctrines the one appear to be true and the other false this alone is a sufficient inducement to any man to cleave to that Church where the true Doctrine is found and then there is no need of this argument If it be said that this argument is good in it self without the examination of the Doctrines of both Churches this seems a very strange thing for any man to affirm That it is reason enough to a man to be of any Church whatever her Doctrines and Practices be if she do but damn those that differ from her and if the Church that differs from her do but allow a possibility of salvation in her Communion But they who use this argument pretend that it is sufficient of it self and therefore I shall apply my self to shew as briefly and plainly as I can the miserable weakness and insufficiency of it to satisfie any mans conscience or prudence to change his Religion And to this end I shall 1. Shew the weakness of the principle upon which this argument relies 2. Give some parallel instances by which it will appear that it concludes false 3. I shall take notice of some gross absurdities that follow from it 4. Shew how unfit it is to work upon those to whom it is propounded And 5. How improper it is to be urged by those that make use of it I. I shall shew the weakness of the principle upon which this argument relies And that is this That whatever different parties in Religion agree in is safest to be chosen The true consequence of which principle if it be driven to the head is to perswade men to forsake Christianity and to make them take up in thâ— principles of natural Religion for in these alâ— Religions do agree For if this principle bâ— true and signifie any thing it is dangerous to embrace any thing wherein the several parâ—ties in Religion differ because that only iâ— safe and prudent to be chosen wherein all aâ—gree So that this argument if the foundatiâ—on of it be good will perswade further thaâ— those who make use of it desire it should do for it will not only make men forsake the Proâ—testant Religion but Popery too and which is much more considerable Christianity it self II. I will give some parallel instances by which it will clearly be seen that this arguâ—ment concludes false The Donatists denied thâ— Baptism of the Catholicks to be good but thâ— Catholicks acknowledged the Baptism of thâ— Donatists to be valid So that both sides werâ— agreed that the Baptism of the Donatists waâ— good therefore the safest way for St. Austiâ— and other Catholicks according to this arâ—gument was to be Baptized again by thâ— Donatists because by the acknowledgment oâ— both sides Baptism among them was valid But to come nearer to the Church of Rome Several in that Church hold the personal Inâ—fallibility of the Pope and the lawfulness of deâ—posing and killing Kings for Heresie to be dâ—â—â—â—de that is necessary Articles of Faith and â—onsequently that whoever does