against persecuting cursing damning of such as will not subscribe vnto the words of men as the words of God No reader of vnderstanding in Ecclesiasticall affayres can doubt but you gird at the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 consubstantiall decreed by the first Councels of Nice to declare the substantiall Equality betwixt the three diuine Persons and at the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Deipara Gods Mother commanded by the Councel of Ephesus to be giuen to the Blessed Virgin to signifie that she was mother to him that was personally not onely true man but also the eternall God These Canons of the first generall Councels these sacred formes of Ecclesiasticall speach you cannot indure because they thunder against Socinians they proclaime them to be Heretiques and strike their Impieties dead 5. Thirdly because you reprehend them who by firme resolution of their will vphold themselues in the beliefe of their Religion though their reason and vnderstanding fayle them Which is as much as if you had sayd We are not through pious affection and reuerence of Gods word to belieue things aboue the reach of reason things in the apprehension of which our naturall vnderstanding faileth as are the mysteries of the Trinity of the Eternall Generation of the Sonne of God 6. Fourthly because you say that they who captiuate their vnderstanding to the beleefe of those things which seeme irreconcileable contradictions may aswell belieue reall contradictions which no wiseman will do But he that belieues the mystery of the B. Trinity the Sonne of God his Eternall Generation must of necessity captiuate his vnderstanding to the beliefe of impossibilities implicancies contradictions seeming to be such in human reason as euery true Christian by experience findeth Therefore in your opinion no wise man doth or will belieue them 7. Fiftly because you ioyne with the auncient enemyes of Christ Iesus his God head to disparage the Gospell of S. Iohn wherein the eternall Generaation of the Word the onely begotten Sonne of God is most fully and plainely deliuered as also the indispensable necessity of belieuing the same Ioan. 3.8 He that belieueth in him is not damned he that belieueth not is already damned because he belieues not in the Name of the onely begotten Sonne of God For though you dare not say plainely that S. Iohns Ghospell is of no authority yet in effect you say as much contending that in his Ghospell nothing is contayned of necessary beliefe which is not cleerely plainely set downe in S. Lukes Gospell Wherfore because Christ Iesus his being the Eternall Word and sonne of God is no where set downe so cleerly in the Gospell of S. Luke you Socinians will not be bound to belieue it through our Lord himselfe in S. Iohns Gospell pronoūce that he who belieues it not is already damned that is as sure to be damned as if he were already in Hell Now what is this but in fauour of Sociniansme to giue the lye to S. Iohn yea to our Sauiour himselfe 8. Sixtly you are proued to be not onely a Socinian but also impiously obstinate in the defence of that Sect by your changing the sacred text of Gods word that they may not seeme therin accursed S. Iohn in his first Epistle Cap. 4. v. 2. giueth this signe to know the spirit of true Prophets and Preachers Euery spirit which confesseth Iesus Christ to be come in flesh is of God and euery Spirit which confesseth not Iesus Christ to be come in flesh is not of God but of Antichrist And Ep. 2. v. 7. Many Deceyuers are come out into the world who do not confesse Iesus Christ to be come in flesh this is a Deceyuer an Antichrist In which places it is manifest that S. Iohn speakes of false Christians namely the Ebionites who deny Christ Iesus to be a Person come from the bosome of God vested with humane flesh who deny him to be the Word made flesh the Sonne of God incarnate Which being your Socinian Beliefe that the same might not seeme damned as Antichristian you make bold with Gods word and thrust in your owne wordes in place therof Preface num 12. The rule S. Iohn giues to make this trial of Spirits by is to consider whether they confesse Iesus to be the Christ that is the guide of their fayth and Lord of their actions And pag. 339. lin 4. you say S. Iohn Ep. 2. v. 7. speabes not of Heretiques but of no Christians of Antichrists of such as denied Iesus to be the Christ Thus still as often as S. Iohn sayth such as deny Iesus Christ to be come in flesh be false Prophets deceyuers Antichrists you change the text into such as deny Iesus to be the Christ as though S. Iohn had spoken in this place against Iewes who deny Iesus to be the Christ or the promised Messias Whereby you not only chauge the text but also foyst in a falshood into Gods Word For it is false that whosoeuer confesseth Iesus to be the Christ is therby knowne to be of God and a true Christian seing Turkes confesse Iesus to be the Christ that is the Messias promised to the Iewes and yet are not Christians And that S. Iohn speaketh against Heretiques who vnder the name of Christians went about preaching that Iesus Christ is not the eternal sonne of God is cleere by the wordes which immediatly follow He that departeth and abideth not in the Doctrine of Christ hath not God He that abideth in his doctrine hath the Father and the Sonne If any come to you and bringe not this Doctrine receiue him not into your house bid him not God speed For he that sayth to him God speed is partaker of his malignant workes 9. What then may we thinke of those English Protestants and of their state and Saluation who haue made you the Patron of their Religion and Pastour of their soules can they be excused from being partakers with you in your malignant workes tending to the peruersion and damnation of many I confesse you haue rewarded them as they deserue For you giue them no better assurance or hope of Saluation then to Socinians who deny Christ Iesus to be the Eternal only begotten Sonne of God whose damnation goeth before them vnto iudgment Miserable they are who be so desperately bent against Charity maintayned by Catholiques as rather then yield to be saued in the Catholique Roman Church will be defended by such a Socinian Patron and in a Way which giueth them no hope of saluation but together with Heretikes who deny the Incarnation of the eternal Sonne of God who are branded in Scripture with the note of Deceyuers and Antichrists and by the mouth of our Lord himselfe men already damned That in your VVay Iewes and Turkes may be saued aswelll as Protestants §. 2. 10. PRotestants of your stampe who pretend to belieue the Bible and only the Bible being deuided into innumerable sects agreeing in
consequently of the Doctrines contained therein only as an opinion very probable as is hereafter shewed Ergo you question the holy Scripture the Religion and Gospell of Christ you make an if of the truth and certainty thereof You examine it doubtingly with liberty of iudgment prepared in mind to leaue it if perchance you find the grounds thereof apparently false What is this but to be a Nullifidian a man setled in no Religion but doubtfull of all Such an one as they were whome the Apostle checketh terming them men still learning but neuer attayning to the assured knowledge of any thinge Againe Pag. 307. n. 107. you write thus speaking vnto our Maintayner Your eleauenth falshood is that our first reformers ought to haue doubted whether their opinions were certaine which is to say they ought to haue doubted of the certainty of Scripture which in formall and expresse termes contaynes many of these opinions From this testimony I conclude that you doubt of the cetainty of the Scripture You professe to examine and question all your Protestant opinions of Diuine matters to make a doubt of the certainty of them But you contend that some of your Protestant opinions of Diuine matters be such as to make a doubt or question of the certainty of them is to doubt of the certainty of formall and expresse Scripture Ergo your Way and practise of doubting of all your opinions about Diuine matters is doubting euen of the truth of the Christian Scripture and Ghospell of Christ A thinge most impious and execrable as you now suppose yet so fond and forgetfull you are as to say you should haue litle hope of Saluation did you not do it or endeauour to do it 6. In fine your safe Way is a Labyrinth of implicatory and inextricable errours Protestants that are concluded therein are lost in a maze of vncertainties and in an intricate mixture of contrary doctrines being sure to find nothing therein but damnation which way so euer they turne themselues Do they doubt of the truth of their Religion which they belieue to be the Ghospell They are both according to truth and in your doctrine damnable wretches as being formall Heretiques Be they so firme in their Religion as they ranke doubting thereof among deadly sinnes Then they are you say obstinately blind sure to fall into the pit of perdition as much as we are at the least you affoard them litle hope of obtayning Saluation The sixt Conuiction 1. THis Conuiction sheweth that only Roman Catholiques haue sauing fayth which is demonstrated by three Arguments The first Sauing fayth is that without which it is impossible to please God Now fayth which pleaseth Gods must be on the one side certaine and infallible otherwise it is not worthy of God to whose word we owe so firme beliefe that if an Angel from heauen should Euangelize against that we haue receaued as his word he were not to be heard but to be accursed On the other side it must be a free and voluntary assent not enforced by the euidence of the thinge For if the reason of belieuing be euident and such as doth necessitate the Vnderstanding to assent the assent is not pleasing to God because it is not voluntary obedience and submission to his word Roman Catholiques by belieuing the Church to be infallible in all her proposals obtaine a persuasion about Diuine mysteries firme and infallible and yet of voluntary obedience and submission But the Opposers of the Roman Church not only want certainty in truth but also know not which way to challenge infallible certainty without euidence 2. This may be proued by what you write Pag. 329. lin 31. The infallible certainty of a thing which though it be in it selfe yet is not made appeare to vs infallibly certaine to my vnderstanding is an impossibility What is this but to say that fayth of a thing cannot be infallibly certaine except the thinge belieued be made so cleere and apparent that the vnderstanding cannot choose but assent vnto it For what appeares to vs to be infallibly certaine is seen of vs to be infallibly certaine What we see to be infallible certaine we cannot choose but assent that it is so So that a firme grounded beliefe of the truth of thinges not appearing without which it is impossible to please God is by your doctrine to Protestants impossible 3. Moreouer that Protestants cannot haue fayth pleasing to God that is fayth infallibly certayne not grounded on euidence I demonstrate in this sort No man can be assured infallibly of the truth of things not seene nor to him euidently certaine but by the word of an Authour infallibly veracious in all his words deliuered vnto him by a witnesse of infallible truth For if the witnesse or messenger of the word be fallible let the Authour of the word be neuer so infallible our assent to the truth of the thing proposed cannot be infallible Now Protestants haue not the word of God by meanes of a witnesse and messinger infallible For the witnesse proposer and messenger of the word of God is the visible Catholique Church which Protestants hold to be fallible full of false Traditions not free so you say from errour in it selfe damnable and in this sense Fundamentall Wherfore it is demonstratiuely certaine that onely Roman Catholiques who belieue the Church to be infallible can haue Fayth worthy of God Fayth of voluntary submission to Gods word that is fayth of things to them not euidently yet infallibly certayne and consequently they only please God by their belieuing and are saued 4. The second Argument You say pag. 148. lin 16. There is no other reason to belieue the Scripture to be true but onely because it is Gods word so that you cannot belieue the doctrines and myestries reuealed in Scripture to be true more firmely and infallibly then you belieue the Scripture to be Gods word for we must be surer of the proofe then of the thing proued thereby otherwise it is no proofe as you say pag. 37â— n. 59. But your assurance that the Scripture is the word of God is onely human probable and so absolutely fallible For you belieue the bookes which were neuer doubted of in the Church to be Gods word and a perfect rule of fayth onely by the tradition or testimonies of the ancient Churches pag. 63. lin 35. But the ioynt tradition of all the Apostolicall Churches with one mouth and one voyce teaching the same doctrine is onely a very probable argument as you affirme pag. 361. n. 40. Ergo your fayth that Scripture is Gods word consequently of all the mysteries therin reuealed is but human and probable and therefore vnworthy of God being not firmer then the credit we yield to euery morall honest man For to vs his word is probable and credible and to you the word of God is no more 5. Protestants commonely pretend that their fayth
to perferme it yea you say the Church is not only able to performe the office of guide but also that alwayes in fact she doth exercise the same in teaching all necessary truth But you say pag. 163. lin 9. A Church of one denomination distinguished from all others by adhering to such a Bishop such a determinate Church alone can performe the office of Guide and Directour And Pag. 105. n. 239. lin 30. No Church can possibly be fit to be a guide but only a Church of some certaine denomination as the Greeke the Roman the Ahissine Wherefore the Visible Catholique Church being fit and able to performe the office of Guide and Directour as you grant she is and that it is essentially necessary that she be so she is and of necessity must be a Church of one denomination subiect to one certaine supreme Guide and Bishop 4. From these most certaine truthes by you granted approued and proued it is necessarily and euidently consequent that the Roman Church is the Visible Catholique Church of God an infallible Teacher of all fundamentall and necessary truth yea infallible in all thinges she proposes as matter of fayth This I say is cleerely consequent of the former grants For the visible Church being the Guide Teacher and Directour of men is on the one side a Church of one denomination else she could not performe that office of guide which she doth as you confesse alwayes actually performe On the other side being the Catholique that is the Vniuersall Church she must be spread ouer the face of the earth as the Roman is in Europe Africa Asia America and in many of the particular Kingdomes and Prouinces of these foure quarters of the world So that the wordes of S. Paul to the Romans come to be verified no lesse now then at that time your fayth is renowned and published in the whole world Which vniuersality or vniuersal Vnity agrees to no other Church of one denomination as is manifest Wherefore the Roman Church is the Holy Catholique Church the infallible guide of men in the way of Saluation 5. Hence is concluded the security of Roman Catholiques that they cannot possibly erre about matters of fayth so long as they follow the dogmatical directions and definitions of the Roman Church Contrariwise they who oppose what they know to be proposed by her as matter of fayth erre Heretically damnably and cannot possibly be saued without expresse repentance of their errours The Conclusion 6. THis argument of the assured Saluation of Roman Catholiques and of the assured damnation of all the knowing opposers of their Religion and Church being thus euidently demonstrated for Conclusion I could wish an Ocean of teares of bloud endued with the quality of mollifying hearts as hard as the Adamant for so I might condignely and fruitefully deplore the pittifull state the commiserable condition the vnfortunate thraldome in Errour of many millions in our deare Country caused by mortall auersion from the true Catholique Church which is instilled into their mindes by Heretical education 7. They grant conuicted by the euidence of Gods word that the Catholique Church is the ground and rocke of Truth wheron men may securely rest and rely an infallible Guide and teacher of all Fundamentals consequently of all euen profitable truth about Diuine matters They further acknowledge conuicted by experience and reason that the Church cannot be fit orable to performe the office of guide Directour except it be of one denomination of one obedience subiect to one determinate Bishop as her supreme Pastour and Gouernour They cannot but see with their eyes there is no Church Catholique or vniuersally diffused of one Fayth of one Obedience of one Denomination subiect to one Pastour acknowledged of all of that Religion but the Roman Consequently that there is no Church besides the Roman fit or able to performe the office of Guide and Directour to men that are saued as the true Catholique Church is bound to do and alwayes actually doth These thinges they confesse or see and yet so inflexible is the obstinacy the passion pride against the Roman Church wherwith Education like Medusa's head hath dulled stupifyed and instoned their soules as they contemne her Direction forsakes her Communion hate her Authority scorne her Motherly care of their Saluation running to perdition in the way of their owne fallible and palpably false conceytes fancied to be Scripture 8. Why did our Sauiour make his Church the pillar and ground of truth that is an infallible Teacher of the doctrine of Saluation but that he would haue men to make vse of her teaching As knowing that through a world of errours which carry with them a faire shew of truth they could not attayne to eternal Happinesse without a Visible infallible Guide No doubt when he gaue her the office of Mother he bound vs as we would be his Children and Heyres to loue honour and reuerence Her and to liue alwayes in the lap of her Communion When he gaue her the office of Guide he bound vs to follow her directions as we desire to speed in our iourney to him and to come to see for euer his Blessed face When he gaue her the office of Rocke he obliged vs to build our fayth and hope of Saluation on her Teaching assuring vs that no sublimity of wit vnderstanding no height of perfection be it in our conceite neuer so eleuate can reach to Heauen which is not grounded on the neuer-fayling fortitude of this Rocke 9. They then that haue disioyned themselues from the wombe and lap of this Mother can neuer be so in Gods fauour as to be his Children the Heyres of his glory the fellow heyres with Christ They that follow not the Directions of this euer vn-erring Guide be not in the way towardes him that is Truth and Life but wander in a wildernesse of Errour the issue wherof is eternall Death· They that haue not setled the feete of their Fayth and Affection on this Rocke the sole Rocke of safety in this vast Ocean of dangers what are they but wauing and wauering Babes floating in a sea of vncertainties tossed this way and that way with euery gust of erroneous doctrine 10. For a man not to belieue that our Sauiour did institute his Church to continue for euer the Teacher of all sauing truth the Rocke of Saluation against which the gates of Hell shall neuer preuayle what is this but to stop his eares against the cleer and plaine voyce of his word For a man to say that he gaue the office of Guide to a confused multitude and Chaos of different Religions and Obediences and not to a Church of one denomination which alone is able to performe that office what is it but to open his mouth into blasphemies against his Diuine Wisedome For a man not to see that there is no vniuersally diffused Church in the world of one fayth and obedience all the Professours thereof adhering