pravity of mans nature and the great necessity that we have of Deliverance by Pardon and Sanctification the malice and endeavour of Devils or evil spirits to tempt us from God and destroy us the need of Gods continual help against them and our selves with such like And these also we have a double Revelation of § 20. 4. The Principal part of the Supernatural Revelations are so exceeding congruous to those which are of Natural and Experienced Certainty and are so aptly adjoyned to them and have so Divine a design and tendency apparent in them as that they are the more easily believed § 21. 5. And the main frame of the book hath so much of the same spirit and design and is adapted to the Communication of these principal parts that is the Essentials of Christianity and thereto so compaginated as that the Belief of the said Estials maketh it the more easie to believe that the whole system of books is of God § 22. 6. But where we are uncertain of any thing whether it be really a part of that book or system as some questioned Books some various Readings some Texts whose sense is not understood we must needs be equally uncertain whether those be the word of God § 23. 7. But that Medium which ascertaineth us that these supernatural Revelations are indeed Divine I mean the proper Truths of Christianity must be something which is Lower or is Notius prius cognitum better known than Christianity and known in order of Evidence before it For all proof of conclusions must be from something first and better known § 24. 8. These things which are sooner and better known than the supernatural Revelation can be nothing but Natural Revelations by Gods works in the Nature of things compared and our natural experience For there is nothing else antecedent to be a medium of proof The forementioned natural Verities about God and Holiness carry their own Evidence with them either as first principles or as certain conclusions And the Essentials of Christianity have a self-commending Goodness which rendreth them sweet to a man that is already a true Believer and desireable to all truly rational men and the Congruencie rendreth it credible supposing further proof But that really the Incarnation Deity Life Satisfaction Resurrection Ascension Offices and Coming of Christ are truth with the Trinity of persons and such other points must be proved by some more notorious Medium proving that they are Divine assertions which must be some Natural Verities § 25. 9. Therefore the Ascertianing Inference must be this that If this be not a Divine Revelation then some Certain Natural Verity must be denied which at last will amount to the denying of a God § 26. 10. Here the Matter of fact is supposed to be known by sight and other senses to the first Christians and the first Churches where Christ and his Apostles and multitudes of other Christians wrought them And to be known by Certain History to those that saw them not And the existence of the Persons Words and Books is supposed known the same way And on this supposition we infer that These Impressions of Divine Power Wisdom and Goodness set upon this Doctrine and all these Miracles by Christ and multitudes of his servants wrought in attestation of it and all this sanctification of all true Believers by this word through the world are either done by Gods will or against his will If they be done by his will he is the Author of them and approver And seeing it is evident that they are to the common capacity of mankind so notorious a signification that God is the Author or approver of that word which be so evidently and wonderfully attesteth if yet this word prove false mankind is unavoidably deceived and Governed in the greatest concernments and business of all his life by this deceit For he hath no principle no means left him to know that these are not Divine attestations nor to disoblige him from judgeing them so to be But if God shall thus necessitate mankind to a false belief and thereby Govern him while in Nature he hath taught man to value Truth and hate Lying he must do this either for want of Power to do otherwise or for want of Wisdom to do otherwise or for want of Will and Goodness to do otherwise And if he wanted any of these he is not God Or if he Govern not the world himself but permit some Evil Spirit to do all this he is not God For to be God is to be the Supream Governor and to be every where the nearest universal Agent These consequences being plain though there are vain Objections which I must not stay to answer we certainly infer There is a God who is the perfect Governour of the world and therefore is Gracious True and Iust and therefore doth not rule even the best of men by unavoidable deceit and falshood and therefore this word is True which he so notoriously owneth and attesteth as aforesaid § 27. And hence it is that we take our selves bound about the Sacrament to believe that all mens senses are not deceived because if they be man hath no remedy For God hath made our sense the perceiver of things sensible and if it be not a Certain perceiver we have no Certainer nor other about those objects And if the apprehensions of sense be uncertain having all the natural requisites then all Gods Miracles by which he attested the word as well as the word it self are so And if it be not contrary to Gods perfection Veracity and Justice to deceive all mens senses in the Sacrament we cannot prove it contrary to them to deceive them by Miracles § 28. As an unbeliever is not so well disposed to receive the Gospel as a holy person after is and recipitur ad modum recipientis so usually a more wavering belief goeth before a fuller Certainty And the holier and more experienced any man is the more he is Certain of the truth of the Gospel because he hath the witness in himself in the Gust and Certain Effects of it But yet there is that Evidence of Truth which Preachers may and must use to the Conviction of Infidels to bring them to true belief § 29. The holy Scripture Containing all the Divine Revelations belonging to Religion compleatly Essentials Integrals and Accidentals the parts of it are not of equal necessity to us All that truly have the Essentials in Head and Heart and Life shall be saved yea though culpably they understand not other points as plainly revealed and so believe them not to be Divine For this is the Covenant of Grace No wonder then if many less necessary parts are less evident § 30. We have a fuller Evidence that all these Miracles Prophesies and subsequent operations of the Sanctifying Spirit do attest the New Covenant and Substance of the Gospel than we have that they attested every book e.g. the Chronicles the Canticles c. or
THE CERTAINTY OF CHRISTIANITY Without POPERY OR Whether the Catholick-Protestant or the Papist have the Surer Faith Being an Answer to one of the oft canted Questions and Challenges of the Papists sent to one who desired this Published to direct the unskilful how to defend their faith against Papists and Infidels but especially against the Temptations of the Devil that by saving their Faith they may save their Holiness their Comfort and their Souls By Richard Baxter 2 Cor. 4. 1 2. Seing we have this Ministry as we have received mercy we faint not But have renounced the Hidden things of dishonesty not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully But by manifestation of the truth commending our selves to every mans Conscience in the sight of God LONDON Printed for Nevil Simons at the Sign of the Princes Arms in St. Pauls Church-Yard 1672. TO THE Protestant Reader IT is for your Reading and not for the Papists chiefly that I publish this short and hasty writing For I may probably prognosticate of them 1. That the lay men will not must not read it 2. That the Priests will not read it with any impartiality as Lovers of Truth 3. That what they cannot answer they will silently dissemble or if any meddle with it they will either take some scrap and leave the rest or they will spend paper in cavilling at my 40. Reasons against them because lest I be tedious I have not improved them by Syllogistical form and full confirmation and they will put off the full answers already given them in the former Books to which I refer them without a Reply And they will pass by the strength of what they meddle with 4. And when I am dead they will patch up some confident answer to some of my Books as vain as Mr. Iohnson alias Terret hath done to one and will borrow some lies from the writings of some against me that are of the same spirit with them wherewith to reproach my Name which shall be instead of an answer to my Books The Answer to their present Question I have already fullier given them 1. In my Reasons of the Christian Religion 2. And in my More Reasons 3. In my Life of Faith Part 2. 4. In my Safe Religion throughout especially Disp. 3. 5. In my Key for Catholicks 6. In my Preface to the 2. Part of the Saints Rest. And none of them that I know of are answered But they cant over and over the same thing and tempt or necessitate us thereby to write over and over the same thing to the wearying of the Readers while they silently dissemble all But the end of this writing is to tell young unstudied persons on what terms and in what order they must deal with this great Question and defend the foundations of their faith against Infidels Papists and the Devil himself who will here assault us with greater craft and force than Papists or Infidels can do Reader study it well till thy soul is clear and well confirmed For the Keeping or Losing of this Fort is the Keeping or Losing of thy Religion thy Comfort and thy soul. This following Paper was sent me from an unknown person in a Letter which had these words SIR THe business of this Paper is to beg a favour of you of a publick nature an Answer to the inclosed Paper which was sent me from a friend of mine who is a Papist with an earnest desire that I would procure it to be answered The resolution of which would be of use to us both in the things in Controversie between us I cannot but wonder at the confidence of this deluded people who though they are so often again and again Learnedly and Religiously writ against yet they can with as great confidence and boasting challenge and dare the Ministers of Truth to encounter and answer them in such kind of Papers as if their tenets had never been refuted at all And though I have referred my friend to your Books that will not satisfie but he doth as it were Goliah-like bid defiance to our Ministers telling me that if any be so hardy let them answer his Papers The Paper followeth ALL who call themselves Christians are agreed in this principle That every Revelation of God or whatsoever God says is most certainly true in the sense wherein he intends it And this is a matter of right on Gods part to have this granted But all Christians do not agree and it is the sole point wherein Christians differ Whether God hath Revealed or said what is proposed to us as his Revelation Or as the sense intended by him by that which they all agree to be his Revelation And this is purely matter of Fact viz. 1. Whether several Books affirmed and proposed to us as the Revelations of God be truly so For Instance the Old Testament affirmed by some to be and proposed as the Revelations of God are denied by the Valentinians and the Manichees The Gospels of St. Mark St. Luke St. Iohn and all St. Pauls Epistles proposed by some Christians as the Revelations of God are denied by others namely by the Ebionites So likewise several parties agreeing several Books to be Scripture and the Revelation of God do notwithstanding differ touching the Copies and touching the Translations Some affirming one Copie to be true and one Translation to be true whilst others expresly say that Copy is false and that Translation false And Lastly several parties agreeing the Books to be Scripture the Copies true and the Translations true and to be the Revelation of God do nevertheless differ touching the sense each party delivering a particular sense of such a Text and proposing such sense as the sense and the only sense Revealed by God to be intended by God by that Text and each proposed sense being contrary to the other It is clear in any difference arising touching matter of Fact there can only be one party which can have the true Faith touching that matter for it is impossible one thing can be a Revelation of God and no Revelation of God That one Copy or one Translation or one Sense can be true and not true It is now enquired whether Christ hath setled any principle or medium in the world And what principle or medium it is which Christ hath setled in the world for the determining of matters of Fact of this nature By which Unity in Faith may be conserved and Christians may with certainty know what is a true Revelation of God which a true Copy of such true Revelation which a true Translation of such true Copy and what the true sense thereof that Christians may not be carried about with every wind of Doctrine The solution of this is desired to be by fixed and solid principles and not by tedious discourses for the Nature of the thing requires that there be a firm Principle setled among Men for the final determining of matters of Fact THE CONTENTS THe Papists
necessary volitions as of its own felicity c. which yet are free and not meerly per modum naturae though natural as being ex sua natura And this three or foursold witness or attestation of the spirit sometime Antecedent alwaies Constitutive Concomitant and subsequent though a holy soul that is suited to it and hath the witness in it self may most fully and certainly discern yet another also may discern The Miracles being Intelligible attestations to them and the beauty of Wisdom and Holiness in the Scripture and in the Saints being refulgent and discernable by a stander by though not as by a possessor § 9. But I have not an equal Certainty of all the parts of it that they are the word of God because 1. All the Books Texts and Readings are not brought to me with equal historical Evidence 2. And there are abundance of passages in it which are but Accidental to the Christian Religion which have not the same self-evidencing luster in them as the Essentials have And there is no Necessity of an equal knowledge of the parts § 10. The parts which I am fully Certain of in the Scripture are 1. All the Essentials of the Christian Religion Because 1. They are delivered in Scripture frequently plainly past all Controversie of which I will cite your testimonies anon 2. Because they were as certainly delivered to all Christians and Churches in the whole world distinctly by themselves twelve years before any of the New Testament was written and above threescore and ten years before all of it was written even in the Covenant of Baptism renewed in the Lords Supper and in the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalogue which are the exposition of the Covenants professed by all Christians in all Christian Churches at every sacred meeting And these two waies of Tradition in Scripture and by themselves are fuller than one 2. And all the rest of the holy Scriptures in which the full concord of Copies and the plainness of the words doth leave no room for rational doubting § 11. V. I know that all this word is True because God is True verax and it is impossible for him to lie For whoever lieth must want either Wisdom to know what to say or Goodness to Love Truth or Power to make good his word and attain his will by better means But God is perfect in all these Which you seem to grant us § 12. That all things necessary to Salvation have been delivered by the Apostles to the Churches two waies as by two hands viz. Distinctly by word of mouth and in the Bible is our Doctrine That more than all in the Bible hath been delivered by word of mouth and this as necessary to the Salvation of some men I know not whom who have no more wit than to create necessity to themselves is your Doctrine But yet your famousest contentious Doctors confess that all things commonly necessary to Salvation are plainly expressed in the holy Scriptures Concil Basil Orat. Ragus Bin. pag. 299. The holy Scripture in the literal sense soundly and well understood is the Infallible and most sufficient Rule of faith Bellarm. de verbo Dei lib. 4. c. 11. In the Christian Doctrine both of faith and manners some things are simply necessary to the salvation of all as the knowledge of the articles of the Apostles Creed of the ten Commandments and of the Sacraments The rest are not so necessary that a man cannot be saved without the explicite knowledge belief and profession of them These things which are simply necessary and profitable to all the Apostles preached to all All things are written by the Apostles which are necessary to all and which they openly preached to all Costerus in Enchirid. cap. 1. p. 49. We do not deny that those chief heads of faith which to all Christians are necessary to be known to Salvation are plainly enough comprehended in the writings of the Apostles § 13. By the way hence judge of the jugling of your praters when they call to us for a Catalogue of Essentials or Fundamentals as if no such distinction were to be made § 14. But the ancient Fathers talkt at a higher rate even as Theophil Alexandr Epist. Paschal 2. Cont. Orig. Biblioth Patr. To. 3. pag. 96. Ignorans quod daemoniaci spiritus esset instinctus sophismata humanarum mentium sequi aliquid extra Scripturarum authoritatem putare divinum i. e. not knowing that it is the instinct of a devilish spirit to follow the sophisms of mens minds and to think that any thing is Divine without or besides the authority of the Scriptures CHAP. IV. The distinct Questions all Implied or Confounded in his one Quest 1. What are the Revelations in Controversie § 1. I Must now for the satisfaction of him if he be judicious answer his Question more distinctly and therefore divide it into all these Questions Quest. 1. What are the Revelations of God about which our Controversies lie 2. Whether it be true that the Papists grant us that all Divine Revelations are true 3. What Certainty have we what is a real Revelation of God 4. What Certainty have we of the true Copies and Readings 5. What Certainty of the Canonical or Divine books 6. What Certainty of the Truth of Translations 7. What Certainty have we of the true sense of the words 8. What unity of faith may be expected to be consferred by such certainties 9. What Determination is necessary to this Certainty and Unity And the Questions what Principle and what Medium is established will be Answered in these § 2. Quest. I. What are the Revelations of God about which our Controversies lie Answ. To mention no more than I needs must there are three sorts of Revelation which we assert and rest in 1. Of Natural Production and Evidence such as is the Light and Law of Nature in the Nature of all things especially of man himself as revealing Gods will per modum signi 2. Infallible Oral and Historical Traditition And so 1. All the Covenant of Grace in the Sacraments of Baptism and the Lords Supper with the Catechistical explanation in the Creed Lords-prayer and Decalogue have been particularly delivered by themselves 2. And so the Bible hath been delivered to us in the bulks 3. Written Revelation in the sacred Records of the Spirit which is the holy Scriptures themselves § 3. Of the first more anon The second they grant us so far as to confess 1. That the said Covenant and Catechistical Principles have had that way of delivery by themselves as well as in the Scripture But they tell of much more I know not what delivered the same way than is in them and the Scripture it self 2. Yet as you see they confess that none of that addition is commonly necessary to Salvation The third they grant us that all those books which we receive are the Certain word of God But 1. They say that there are more 2. And that we must
all other plain points in which the Translators agree are truly translated Though the knowledge of it in lesser points is not so necessary § 4. And thus and no other way both unlearned Protestants and Papists that cannot read must know that there is a Bible in the world and that the Priests do ordinarily read truly that publickly read it to them and that there are Canons of Councils in the world c. Because it is not possible for so many men of cross interests to agree in feigning it without detection § 5. There are some passages in some Translations so palpably distorted to the Translators interests and ends as that the Text and Context to the Learned and the common agreement of the world to the unlearned may notifie the error § 6. There are many passages or words so difficult about which Translators differ as that few or none are Certain which of them is in the right And this uncertainty is of no danger to the Church or to mens souls CHAP. X. Quest. VII What Certainty have we of the true sense of the Text. § 1. Answ. THis Question is partly the same with the former For to Translate is to give the sense of the original in other words The sense is either 1. The sense of single terms 2. Or the sense of propositions and sentences 3. Or the sense of many sentences conjunct in Method § 2. The first is known to Translators as is aforesaid As you know the sense of all words of all languages by common usage and common Tradition The second is made up of the first by common reason As a sentence is made up of common words He that understandeth what these words Repentance and is and necessary signifie may know without a Pope what this sentence signifieth Repentance is necessary The same is to be said of divers sentences conjunct The sense is known by the way that men learn to talk and to understand one anothers speeches And as you understand Baronius Bellarmine the Councils or any of your Priests even by the common acception of words and reason setting them together as man from his Infancie is taught to reason § 3. But as Infants understand not common talk till they are taught nor children and untaught persons so well as men and Scholars so the plainest things in Scripture require some use and consideration and Teaching to the understanding of them Much more the harder parts And God hath made it the duty of Parents to teach the Scripture to their children at home and abroad lying down and rising up Deut. 6. 11. without asking the Pope the sense of it And God hath appointed the elder and wiser to teach the younger and more ignorant and especially Pastors and Teachers to teach the world and instruct their flocks to understand the word of God Not barely to rest in their opinion and words but to shew men the same Evidence which doth convince themselves Which Teaching is not a final Iudging § 4. But yet where the Teacher knoweth what the Learner doth not the Learner must have the humility of a Disciple and not set his untaught wit conceitedly against his Teacher and wrangle before he understandeth but must judge his Teacher whether it be Grammar Logick or Theologie words or sense that he Teacheth him to be wiser than himself Else why will he be his Scholar And so he must believe him as a fallible man with a humane faith in order to his attaining of a proper Certainty § 5. But there are in Scripture many passages so exceeding difficult that we have no Certainty of the sense And some that only a few extraordinary Students have a Certaintainty of neither Protestants nor Papists further understanding them And this is no disparagement to the Scripture nor hazard or injury to us CHAP. XI Quest. VIII What Unity of faith may be expected to be conserved by our foresaid Certainties § 1. HEre are two Questions for haste included I. What Unity in faith may be expected II. What Certainties are necessary thereto § 2. I. To the first 1. A Unity in all the Essentials of the Christian faith is already existent among all Christians in the world For they were not Christians if they agree not in all Essentials of Christianity § 3. 2. A Vnity of faith in the Integrals of Christianity is desireable and so far hopeful as that the wiser all Christians are in the more of the Integrals they will agree But here will never be an universal Concord or Unity any more than in mens age strength Stature and complexions This Paul openeth at large 1 Cor. 12. Rom. 14. 15 c. § 4. 3. A perfect Vnity in the common knowledge of all things in Scripture or all the revealed Accidentals of Religion will never be found between any two persons in this life because that no ones knowledge is perfect § 5. II. From hence the other Question is easily answered 1. To a Unity of Christians as Christians or the body of Christ and Church Universal and of necessity to Salvation no Certainty is necessary but of the Essentials of the Christian Religion 2. To the more Comfortable progress and the melius esse of Christians and the Churches as great a Concord and Certainty in the Integrals of Christianity is needful as the degree of melius esse doth require 3. To mens peaceable and comfortable Communion in Christian Societies an Unity and consequently knowledge of the points of Christian Love and holy communion is necessary 4. To our Heavenly Union Heavenly perfection is necessary § 6. But to insinuate that a Certainty of the sense of all the Scripture or all that God hath revealed to us Objectively or of all that Popes and Councils determine is necessary to that unity of faith which maketh all Christians to be Christians and one body of Christ is but a cheating trick which is against Scripture reason and their own Doctors CHAP. XII Quest. IX What Determination is necessary to this Certainty and Unity § 1. Answ. 1. GOds Determination of the Object by Verity and Evidence and his helping the faculty in determining it self in act is necessary § 2. 2. The inward true Determination of every mans own perceiving faculty sense and Intellect is necessary to his true perception § 3. 3. A Parent Schoolmaster Senior and Pastor must tell the Scholar their own Judgement and then open to him the Evidence of truth § 4. A Magistrate or other Superiour Parent Master c. hath a determining Judgement under God and his Laws in order to the ends of their proper Government and no further That is They are the only publick Judges in their Society who shall be punished or not punished by the sword restrained or encouraged as teaching false Doctrine or true But this is not an absolute and unregulated power If they determine contrary to Gods word they sin and bind not me to obey them though I am bound to continue my subjection
Commentators And yet must we know Translations and Copies only by the Popes determination III. Your own Popes ex Cathedra have given the Church various Translations That Edition of the Vulgar Latine made by Sixtus 5. and that made about two years after Clemens 8. differ in so many hundred passages and abundance of whole verses and sentences that if a Bible be a Divine Revelation one of them shamefully erred about Divine Revelations or de fide See Dr. Iames his Bellum Papale and its Defence against Gretser Where then is your Certainty IV. You are utterly uncertain and disagreed among your selves who it is that hath this Ascertaining Determining Authority You say it is your Church But some say that the Infallibility and Power is in the Pope alone in Cathedra Some say it is a General Council though the Pope dissent Some say that the Pope and Council must agree and some say that the Church Essential of all Countries must receive the decrees before they are infallibly ascertaining And who can be Certain of Gods word by an Authority which is it self so uncertain See the proof in Safe Relig. p. 192 193 194. V. Your own sentence condemneth your own Judges as uncertain General Councils as Constance and Basil have concluded that Popes may err in matters of faith yea accused and Condemned them as Hereticks if not Infidels And shall we not believe a General Council in matter of present fact and yet must believe them what is Gods word And that one Council hath Condemned another and Popes have Condemned Councils I have ibid. proved at large And if Popes and General Councils distinct are deceitful how shall we be sure that two false parties when they meet do make one true one VI. Popes and General Councils have often erred from the faith as our Church of England truly asserteth and therefore we are not sure that they never will do so more Bellarmine himself noteth about fourty Popes charged with error or Heresie Liberius subscribeth the sentence against Athanasius and received the Arrians to Communion and subscribed the Sirmian faith Hane ego libenti animo suscepi in nullo contradicens See his Epist. 7. in Binnius To. 1. p. 465. and his notes on it See more in my safe Relig. p. 249 c. And of Councils p. 274 c. The sixth General Council at Constantin approved by Pope Adrian and by the seventh Council hath many errors as have many others there instanced in What Certainty then can they give us VII The Ancient Christians and Churches received not the Certainty of their faith upon the Authoritative determination of a Pope and Council Therefore there is a Certainty to be had without it The Churches that Paul or any Apostle Converted believed not at first upon the Authority of a General Council nor of a Pope Till the Council of Nice for above 300. years the world was without a General Council And were they without faith Frumentius and Aedesius that preached to the Indians and all other Christian Preachers that then converted souls took another course They did not first convince men of the Authority of a Pope and General Council to tell them what was Gods word before they brought them to believe it VIII Scripture it self never mentioneth this Method or Evidence And would it be silent of the only way of Certainty It never saith to the world You must know by the Judgement of Peter or the Pope and a General Council what is the word of God Did Christ forget it IX The Ancient Defenders of the Christian Faith did all go another way Iustin Tertullian Athenagoras Tatianus Minutius Faelix Arnobius Lactantius Eusebius in his two first Volumes de Praepar Demonstrat Augustine and all such writers seek to prove our faith by other Evidence and never say the Pope and a General Council are the only ascertaining declarers of it X. Our Proof of the Matters of fact is incomparably more certain than yours For 1. As to the Power of Judging we maintain a concurrence of the peoples Discerning Iudgement the Pastors Teaching or Directing Iudgement and both Magistrates and Pastors Deciding and Governing Judgement not to be the only Determiner of mens minds de fide but to Rule the publick Doctrine and Communion of the Church according to Gods foreknown Laws And as to the Truth of Copies Miracles and the actual delivery of the Gospel in the Scripture and in the distinct Catechistical Articles aforesaid we rest on Tradition which hath a Natural Infallibility and not a pretended Authoritative Iudge Your Tradition receiveth its credit from pretended Power to Iudge which all the wise men in the world will deny till it s proved Our Tradition hath its credit from a Natural Impossibility that the History should be false I have shewed you the proof of this in my More Reasons for the Christian Religion and else where If you will not read them there I know not whether you will read them here and therefore will not write them again We have all your Evidence which is Evidence indeed and far more with it And as Hierom saith The world is more than the City Your Tradition is that of a Popes judging Power only as some say and of a Pope with his Council as others say and of the Pope with his subjects as your few moderate Latitudinarians say You are not above the third or fourth part of the Christian world If you deny this your Impudent lying may cheat a woman that never read the state of the world but will shame you the more with learned men And is not the Tradition 1. Of all the Christian world for 300. years before there was any General Council 2. And of all the Christian world since even Greeks Armenians Syrians Copties Abassines and all others more than the Tradition of a Pope and a few inslaved Priests The Council of Trent had for a considerable time but 42. Bishops even when it set up your Tradition as a supplement to Scripture And is the Pope and these 42. of equal historical credit to all the Christian world 3. Yea our History takes in Hereticks yea and Infidels and Heathens too so far as they have left us any Testimony of these things Even a Pliny a Celsus a Porphyry a Iulian and any other the bitterest Enemies Because we prove it Impossible that so many men of different Countries and no converse and contrary minds and Interests should confederate or agree to deceive the world and be undetected in such a matter And what is the Pope and 42. or two hundred Prelates most of Italy to such Historical Evidence as this O that you could lay by partiality and base selfish respects but for one day or hour What if the Question among us were whether ever Paul was at Rome Or Iustin wrote his Apologie Or Origen was a professed Christian Or Constantine the Great professed Christianity Or whether the writings of Iustin Tertullian Cyprian Augustine c. be
Binnius Surius or any others the subscribed Names to all the Councils and then peruse the Maps and Topography of the Roman Empire and the notitias Episcopatuum even Aub. Myraeus famed for a feigner and you will see that all the Councils were made up of the subjects of the Empire alone or such as had been thereto accustomed while they were their subjects and but few of them unless some odd Bishop that no man knows what he was Indeed when Scythia and Persia wanted help they placed a Bishop in an Imperial City neer Scythia as Tomis and Persia and gave him leave to help the Country as far as he could and called him Bishop of Scythia or Persia. But what is this to a true General Council representing all the Churches in the world on the terms as Dr. Holden honestly requireth If you have a mind to laugh at the mans Ignorance in Cosmographie you may read Mr. Iohnson alias Terrets Reply to me which I am not so idle yet as to answer confuting me by instances out of Thracia and such like But the thing is most Evident in History that as the Scots call the meeting of their Ministers a General Assembly meaning of that Kingdom and not of all the world so the Councils in the Empire were called General only as to that Empire and not to all the world which I am ready to make good to any man that can understand History The Pope was by one Prince made the chief Patriarch of that Imperial Church as the Kings of England preferred the Arch-Bishop of Canterbury And four others they joined with him of which one claimed Primacy when the Imperial seat was removed thither never dreaming of a Divine right else he could never have laid that claim And the Councils were only as our Convocations and seldom extended to half the Empire And little did those Emperours think that thence their subject Popes and Councils would claim Supremacy at the Antipodes and turn the orbis Romanus to orbis terrarum XVIII There never will be nor must be nor can be a true General Council in the world I have fully proved it in the second part of my Key for Catholicks Read it there or Choose XIX Your Popes and Councils have made no determination at all of many of the matters in your Question Where have they determined which are the true Copies of the Hebrew and Greek Text Do you call us for our only Certainty to a Determination that was never made to this day O for Modesty and Conscience Where have they determined which are the right among all the various Readings What need Lucas Brugensis Alba and so many others search after this with so much industry if the Pope have determined it Where have they determined which are the only Currant or true Translations however they have extolled the Vulgar Latine Is Montanus and other such Condemned Where are all the Translators differences reconciled by the decision of Pope or Council When did they determine the Controversies of Commentators of the sence of a thousand Texts of Scripture I must confess that a just indignation ariseth in me at the reading of such soul-cheating snares where men have the Impudence to perswade us that we can be sure of none of our faith unless we be sure of Copies Translations c. by that Authority that never durst nor did determine of the many remaining Controversies thereabout And where hath the Pope or Council given us a Grammar or Lexicon to know the true sense of words by for the future Fathers differ Papists differ the world is disagreed of the sense of words and many Texts The Pope hath an infallible skill and power with his Council to decide all and will not Was there ever a crueller wickeder wight in flesh To see all this difference and darkness and not vouchsafe to speak a few words or write one Infallible Commentary to end them Just as if the plague or feaver were common and one Physicion would say all men shall die that will not believe that I can cure all men when in the mean time he will not cure those that do believe it What is it that your Pope and Councils are to determine Is it the great Essentials of Religion We thank them for notthing Cannot we know that there is a God and a Christ till the Pope judge it Have we not the Sacramental Covenant of Grace the Creed Lords Prayer and Decalogue surely delivered before any Pope or Council judged of them Or is it of the hard controverted points Do it then and let us see that you can do it XX. Hath the Pope power to judge in utramque partem either way or only one way May he judge that there is a God or no God a Christ or no Christ a Heaven or no Heaven a Scripture or none at his pleasure If so must we believe him if he be for the Negative Take you that Certainty we will have none of it Or is he only to Iudge truly and then only to be believed that there is a God a Christ a Scripture c. So may and must every Teacher yea and every Christian Judge If you say that he cannot go besides the truth General Councils and Pope Adrian himself said otherwise XXI The Pope and his Council differ from the Council of Laodicea and the ancient Church upon this very Question What is the word of God even of the Canon of the Scripture For full proof whereof I refer you to Bishop Cousins Book which bringeth full testimony from antiquity XXII The use of Authority is not to disclose all Verities but to Govern Societies in the management of them If the King of Rome could prove himself King of all the world that would but enable him to Govern the world When one man that is at his footstool that is more Wise and Learned may know better than he and his Council too what 's true or false XXIII Your very foundation is a Contradiction in its self What do you make a Pope to be but the Vicar of Christ And mark Reader can any man be sure that he speaks true as Pope or Christs Vicar that never knew that he was Pope or Christs Vicar Or can any man believe that Christ hath an Infallible Vicar before he believe in Christ himself and that he is Infallible It 's a contradiction to believe the Pope as his Vicar or Pope before we believe Christ. If you believe that the Pope hath Power or Infallibility you must believe that Christ gave it him And if you believe that he gave it him it must be by some Revelation that he gave it and that you must believe it And can you believe that Revelation that made him Pope or Infallible before you believe any Revelation XXIV The same contradiction there is in believing a Council or the Church before you believe Divine Revelation For you cannot know till you believe Divine Revelation that Council or Church have any such
When also we see the wickedness of mens lives among you in common Fornication and other heinous sin when the certainest faith will have the holiest life when it is Subjectively as well as Objectively certain XXXIX You destroy or greatly discredit the Grand Evidence of the Christian faith even Miracles How then can your faith be the most Certain For when you pretend that Miracles are as common through all the world as Priests Masses are in turning bread into no bread as aforesaid and yet no man seeth any proof of one such Miracle when really it is no less than Christs Resurrection which you pretend to be so common before all the Churches what is this but to tempt men to take all the Scripture and Apostolical Miracles to be no surer And then where is our faith XL. Lastly I end where I almost began If our sense be true the Pope and his Council are false and therefore our faith not to be received only nor chiefly on their trust For their faith teacheth us not to believe Gods most Natural Revelations to the sound senses and Intellective perception of all men in the world as I have shewed about the Bread and Wine in the Sacrament And when a Controversie it brought to sense it self we can bring it no lower And when we must either believe your faith and its foundation false or believe Gods most Natural Evident Revelation false and all mens Senses and Intellective perception false we are not able I say not able to be of your faith And now judge whose faith is more Certain the Protestants or the Papists And whether you do well so zealously and busily to make use of such soul-traps and fool-traps as the paper is which I have answered September 12. 1672. FINIS APENDIX CHAP. I. I. WHereas I have here and more fully in my More Reasons for the Christian Religion asserted a Certainty in some Morals it will give some light into the matter if I give you Ocham's decision of the Certainty of Moral Science in it self which because it is short I will translate Quod lib. l. 2. q. 14. Quest. Whether there can be a Demonstrative knowledge of Morals Resp. It seemeth not Because there can be no demonstrative knowledge of those things that are subject to the will But such are Morals ergo c. But contrarily Morals are a Science In this Question 1. I will expound one Term of the Question 2. I will give you one distinction 3. And then answer the Question 1. As to the first I say that Moral is sometime taken largely for humane Acts which are under the will absolutely Sometime more strictly for Acts subject to the Power of the will according to the natural dictate of Reason and according to other circumstances 2. As to the second you must know that Moral Doctrine hath many parts of which one is Positive another is Not-positive Moral Science Positive is that which containeth humane Laws and Divine which oblige us to follow or avoid things which are neither good nor evil nor because prohibited and commanded by a superiour to whom it belongeth to give Laws But Moral Science not positive is that which without any command of a Superidirecteth humane actions as Principles known by themselves or known by experience so direct As that all that is honest is to be done and all that is dishonest is to be avoided and such like of which Aristotle speaketh in his Moral Philosophie 3. As to the third I say That Moral Positive Science such as the Science of Lawyers is is not Demonstrative though in many things it be regulated by that which is demonstrative Because the reasons of Lawyers are founded on humane Positive Laws which receive not propositions evidently known But Moral Science not positive is Demonstrative I prove it Because all knowledge deducing conclusions Syllogistically from Principles known by themselves or by experience of him that knoweth is demonstrative But such is Moral Doctrine ergo c. The Major is known The Minor is proved Because in Moral Philosophie there are many Principles known by themselves As that the will is to conform it self to right reason that all evil is to be avoided and such like In like manner many Principles are known by Experience as is evident to him that followeth experience And I further say that This is more Certain than many other things in as much as every man may have more Experience of his own acts than of other things From whence it is plain that this is a Science very Subtile Profitable and Evident To the Argument for the Contrary I say That of things subject to the will may be formed Propositions true and known by themselves which can demonstrate many Conclusions CHAP. II. How much the wisest Papists are for our way of Resolving faith before Luthers time by controversie perverted them IT was ordinary till Luthers disputing convinced them that the Scriptures would not serve their turn for the wisest Papists 1. To make Scripture the perfect Rule of faith without the supplement of Tradition to add more 2. And to give such Reasons for their Faith as we now do for ours I. I must not be tedious in citing many 1. Aquinas Cont. Gent. Cap. 9. fol. 3. saith But the singular manner of convincing an adversary of this truth is by the Authority of the Scripture confirmed of God by miracles And Summ. 1. q. 1. a. 8. ad secundum he saith that Sacred Doctrine useth the authority of the Canonical Scripture arguing properly and from necessity but the authorities of other Doctors of the Church as arguing from its own but Probably For our faith resteth on the Revelation made to the Apostles and Prophets who wrote the Canonical Books but not on the Revelation made to other Doctors if there were any such Whence August to Hier. I have learnt to give this honour only to the Books of Scripture called Canonical as that I firmly believe that no Author of them did at all err in writing them But others I read so as that how excellent soever they were in Learning and Holiness I take it not to be therefore true because they so thought or wrote Durandus in his Preface hath little else but of the Scripture excellency in Dignity Goodness Certainty and Profundity And from Hier. ad Paulin. saith Let us learn that on Earth the knowledge of which will continue with us in Heaven But this is only in the Holy Scripture 3. The Holy Scripture exceedeth all in Certainty of Truth We must speak of the mystery of Christ and universally of those things which meerly concern faith comformably to what the Holy Scripture delivereth As Christ Joh. 5. Search the Scripture c. If any man observe not this c. The Measure is not to exceed the Measure of Faith which Measure consisteth in two things that is that we take not that from faith which belongs to faith nor attribute that to faith which is not
of faith For both waies is the Measure of faith exceeded and men deviate from the continence of the Holy Scripture which expresseth the Measure of faith And this Measure God assisting we will hold that we may write or teach nothing dissonant from the Holy Scripture But if by ignorance or inadvertencie we should write any thing let it be ipso facto esteemed as not written And so on And Prolog q. 1. his description of Theologie is 1. For a habit by which we only or principally assent to those things that are delivered in Scripture and as they are there delivered And so Theologie differs not from faith The reason of which is because the things that are delivered in the Scripture are so only held by Divine Authority Scotus Prolog Q. 2. doth conclude p. 7. that the Doctrine of the Canonical Scripture is sufficient to the attainment of our end And that the Holy Scripture containeth sufficiently the Doctrine necessary to a Viator a man in this life II. And to prove this Scripture to be true he giveth us these ten proofs which I must not repeat at large 1. From the predictions of Scripture which God only could do 2. From their notable concord 3. He proveth that their own Doctrine against Lying and such like prove that the writers lied not 4. From the great diligence and concord of the Receivers 5. From the Rationability of the Contents 6. From the unreasonableness of all other waies 7. From the stability of the Church 8. From the Miracles which God would never affix to a lie which he largely urgeth 9. From the testimony of aliens and adversaries 10. That God would not give up those to a lie who so seek him with all their hearts as many Christians do Abundance of their Authors more I could cite who thus argue for the truth of Scripture and not from an Authoritative decision of a Pope or Council only And what in this they give to them at other times doth but shew that their foundation was so much weaker than ours CHAP. III. That where the Learned Papists differ from us they are so far from building on a Certainer foundation that so far they are forced to deny all Certainty of faith TO prove this it may suffice to mind the Learned Reader how even the most judicious as Greg. Armin. Prolog Estius and commonly most Schoolmen deny a proper Certainty of Evidence to faith Not only that the Object is not Evident to sense which all confess but that the truth of the conclusion is not Demonstrable and that Faith is a pious act of the Election of the will which were not meritorious if it had rational demonstration or evidence And that it is but opinion which is resolved into humane Authority and yet that they believe the Scripture to be Gods word and this or that to be the sense meerly because the Church holdeth it I cannot stay to cite many Plain Durandus shall be instead of all Who Prolog q. 1. saith p. 6. c. 1. Faith which resteth on humane Authority differeth not from opinion because the place from humane authority is topical and an argument thence taken is the weakest And therefore the faith which resteth on that authority is the weakest opinion But pag. 9. of the faith which resteth on Gods authority he granteth us that it may stand with Science of many of the same things and that Divine authority and demonstrative reason may concur to cause the same assent But p. 10. he dissenteth from them that hold that Gods attestations were such to those that saw Christs Miracles and Resurrection c. as certainly proved the truth of his Godhead and so of his word which is Aquinas his honest Doctrine 3. q. 43. act 4. against which Durandus writeth this And because it is us as well as Aquinas that he opposeth I will briefly confute his reasons The first is Because Demonstration necessitateth the understanding to believe But many that saw Lazarus raised c. believed not Christ to be God c. Therefore Miracles were not a sufficient demonstration Answ. Not sufficient to all things but sufficient to do their own part By this you would prove that there is no demonstration of any thing almost in the world For there is almost nothing which convinceth all men I distinguish therefore of a disposed and an indisposed understanding And as to the later I deny the major Demonstrations constrein not millions of undisposed Intellects Recipitur ad modum recipientis What need any other proof than your oft mentioned denial of Bread in the Eucharist Because millions deny the perception of all mens Senses and Intellects thereby are not things sensible demonstrable or evident Can you hope to bring more cogent proof And yet this is rejected And so were Christs miracles The second is Gregory Faith hath no merit where humane reason hath experience and there is Science Answ. A falshood as easily denied as asserted without proof If by Merit you mean Rewardableness For it is only Natural involuntary necessity which evacuateth moral Good or Evil. The will may shew its virtue or vice in receiving or rejecting Objective ascertaining Evidence The third is that it was not known of it self that this miracle attested the truth of what Christ said But whether per se or by consequence it is a most evident certainty that a man yea abundance of men that assert such a point of unspeakable consequence to the world doing abundance of open notorious miracles as professed witnesses or proofs of their Doctrine could not do this but by Gods extraordinary providence And that if this be not to be taken for a Divine Testimony we know of none that mortals are capable of nor a possibility of the worlds escaping the deceit as caused unresistibly by God His Answers to this are not worthy the repeating The same Author li. 3. d. 23. q 7. Enquiring of the Certainty of faith whether it be certainer than Science brings in the several answers of others 1. That there is a Certainty of Evidence and this Science hath and a Certainty of Adhesion and this Faith hath But this he rejecteth and sheweth truly that Adhesion is not properly Certainty and also that the fullest Evidence causeth the closest Adhesion 2. That Faith hath most Certainty in se in the thing and Science most Certainly quoad nos as to us But the vanity of this he truly sheweth For to be Certain in it self and not to us is but to be True And all things True are equally True But no truth is Certain to us or Credible without revelation to us And as he saith The Certainty of Act or habit is not from the Certainty of the object in it self but from the mode which the habit putteth as to the person and the act No way therefore saith he is the act or habit called Certain unless it be certain as to us Therefore he is forced to conclude that many habits and acts of