Nice nor you the Council of Arimini as to prejudge one another to wit because Austin was cast by the Council of Arimini as Maximinus was cast or condemned by the Council of Nice Nec ego hujus Authoritate nec tu illius detineris that is neither am I taken convinced by the Authority of this of Arimini or you by the Authority of that of the Council of Nice viz. because as I reject the Authority of the Council of Arimini so you reject the Authority of the Council of Nice Scripturarum Authoritatibus non quorumcumque propriis sed utriusque communibus testibus res cum re causa cum causa ratio cum ratione concertet Let mater contend with matter cause with cause and reason with reason by the Aurthorities of Scriptures which are not proper to each of us as the Nicene Council is to me and that of Arimini to you but common witnesses to both 2. Now see how he has falsified this passage to make appear that St. Augustin did not stand to the Authority of an approved General Council Where he saies neither am I bound to the Council of Nice nor you to that of Arimini St. Austin saies Neither ought I to alledge the Council of Nice nor you the Council of Arimini Is this the same in Words or Sense He goes on Neither ought you to stand to the Authority of this i. e. of the Council of Arimini nor I to the Authority of that i. e. of the Council of Nice St. Austin has the quite contrary saying neither am I taken convinc'd by the Authority of the Council of Arimini nor you by the Authority of Nice Now be pleased to look back to pag. 35. and there you will find my Explication of the passage and how it does not hurt us at all or imply any apprehension in St. Augustin of Fallibility in a General approved Council 2. That Romanists are subject to be tortured with doubts of their Baptism 3. That we have an inticement to Sin by relying on Purgatory 4. That one distinguish Venial from Mortal Sin opens a Door to loosness 5. That we don't allow every one to read the Scripture 6. The Novelty of Transubstantiation the occasion of Idolatry and Hypocrisie in it 7. Our relying on the Mediations of Saints and our own Merits 8 Our mixing Superstition and Idolatry in our Divine Worship 9. Our not Adoring God in Spirit and Truth but under corporal shapes and having our recourse to the help of Saints 10. The diâ—â—ormity of our Ecclesiastical Discipline from primative times 11 Câ—r not serving God with freedom of Spirit but indangering our Souls by Vows Answer First our Faith does not believe the Decrees of Errable but of general approved and consequently infallible Councils as I have shown Chap. 4. in 3. Sections After all this I avow our Faith is an obscure knowledge and as St. Paul speak Hebâ— â—â— v â— a perswasion of things not appearing Buâ— 't is not so weak as that of Protestants that it needs the evidence of sense to support it 2. We have no reason to be tortured with doubts of our Baptism as may be seen in what I said Chap. â— in the 2. and 3 sect But Protestants have when they read in the Gospel Io. 3. v. 3. unless one be born over again by Water he can not see the Kingdom of Heaven Because they know their Church doth not look upon it as a thing necessary to Salvation and that many are wilfully at least among the Presbiterians permitted to Dye without it 3. We have no incitment to Sin by our belief of Purgatory because we believe the Pains of that place are greater than any Torment we can suffer in this World And who would willingly purchase to himself the pleasure he may enjoy by his Venial Adhesion to a Creature by the pains of the Stone Colick Gout Of Fire Rack Wheele and all that ever was suffered in this Life by a Malefactor But the less Godly of Protestants may have some encouragement to slight Sin believing that an Act of Faith at their Death will do the turn and if they be of the Elect they are sure to have it 4. We admit the destinction between Mortal and Venial Sin strongly grounded on Scripture a just Man falls seven times or often and rises up again Prov. 24.16 who remains just in his fall does not incur Damnation by it And Luke 1. v. 6. If Zachary and Elizabeth did not keep the Commandements of God perfectly in the Protestants sense At least their breaches of the Law were not Damnable bereaving them of their Justice and of the Friendship of God From Matth. 5. v. 23. You see there are some Sins Guilty of Hell others not Guilty of Heil Fire and such Sins we call Venial call them as you please so you distinguish them from failings depriving Men of the Friendship of GOD. But this does not open the Door to loosness for the reason I brought in my third Answer but the denying of this distinction opens the Door to a perpetual disturbance of mind dread and fear in a Protestant of Dying suddenly as many Dye after he has spoken an idle Word for this idle Word according to our Adversary is a Damnable breach of the Law of GOD and deserves his Eternal Wrath as being of an illimated Malice as he speaks and can't be forgiven in the other World but must be repented here under pain of Damnation Luke 13. v. 5. I suppose he won't say that Protestants have a Priviledge to repent afore hand for Sins to come 5. The Church does not indeed allow every Ignorant Person to read indifferently the whole Bible least by their misunderstanding some hard passages they find Death where others find Life As the Manicheans from that passage of Io. 8. v. 12. I am the Light of the World held that Christ was the Sun as St. Austin relates Trac 34. in Io. And the Seleutians misunderstanding that passage Math. 3. v. 11. he will Baptize you in the Holy Ghost and Fire made use of Fire instead of Water in Baptism witness the same St. Aug. Heresi 59. But she orders the Pastors to give out of it as St. Paul did not all to all but Milk to some and stronger Food to others See out of the following passage of St. Augustin that 't is not necessary that every one read the Holy Scripture Homo saies he fide spe charitate subnixus eaque inconcusse retinens non indiget Scripturis nisi ad alios instruendos Itaque multi per haec tria etiam in solitudine sine codicibus vivunt Aug. L. 1. de Doctr. Christi c. 19. A Man born up by Faith Hope and Charity and immoveably retaining them has no need of the Scripture unless it were to teach others So many by these three live in the Desert without the Scriptures 6. The Term Transubstantiation is new as the Term Omousios of the same substance against the
is impossible say they what perfection can be had if all our Actions be Sins Are Sins and perfections Synonima's Can I command my self to think that that man who is confessedly acknowledged to be composed of iniquity and to do nothing but abomination from Morning till Evening lives innocently like an Anchoret an Austere and Godly Life How can Protestant Doctrine give them a deeper fear of Hell if in that same that they fear Hell they believe and see clearly that they cannot be saved Because who fears has not assurance which is the portionâ— of every just Man since he is not just unless he believe that his Sins are remitted by the Merits of Christ And must every man to whom the Gospel is Preached believe this How many then believe a lye Or what reason have you to believe it more then any other to whom the Gospel is Preached Because you find your self to walk more Cautiously then Romanists But how do you walk more cautiously then we Since if you avoid one damnable Sin you necessarily fall into another seeing you cannot do any thing with all the assistance of the Grace of Christ which is not an abomination in the sight of God This is a cold comfort to Protestants and all this sad Doctrine comes from that great Protestant Principle Baptism does not take away Original sin So that as a poysoned Fountain runs nothing but poysonous Water the Soul of Man still remaining corrupted with Original Sin brings forth nothing but corruption How will Souls so foul enter Heaven Protestants smile if from this passage Matth. 12. v. 33. Some Sins shall neither be forgiven in this World nor in the World to come we silly Romanists infer that since no Sin is forgiven in Hell or Heaven there must be a third place in the other World call 't as you please in the which some Sins may be forgiven But may not we rather laughout at the fancy of Men who acknowledging themselves to be all broken out with the runing sores of Original Actual Sin think with an imaginary cloaking of themselves with the Justice of Christ above all is hidden filth they shall enter Heaven as 〈◊〉 as a Plague Person under a disguise enters a 〈◊〉 Hospital â—â—e Master of the Hospital may be deceived I 〈◊〉 but God who hath said that nothing which â—â—s shall enter Heaven Rev. cap. 21. v. 27. â—ot be deluded SECT V. â—he Churches not permitting all Parts of the Scripture indifferently to be read by all is Justified And her high sentiment of this word of God declared MAny stumble at the Churches not permitting indifferently all those who only understand the holy Scriptures in a vulgar Tongue to read them But without reason this is first the great veneration the Church has for the Word of God not to submit his high Mysteries to the Interpretation of every Ignorant Creature while upon all occasions they read it with as little respect as if it were a Romance or a play Book and give their verdict of its meaning the Prophet Malachy in the mean time cap. 2. v. 7. sayes the lips of the Priest shall keep knowledge and the Law they shall require of his Mouth Secondly The Church deals with her Children as Christ dealt with his Apostles John 16. v. 12. and St. Paul with the Corinthians 1 Cor. 3 v. 2. Christ did not propose to them all the strong truths while they were week in Vertue I have said he many other things to tell you which you are not able to bear at present Iohn 16.12 And St. Paul gave the Corinthians Milk not then stronger Food saying to them that they were not yet able 1 Cor. 3. v. 2. Wise Parents at a great Table do not let their Children take what they please but give them of Meats presented what they know to be fit for their weak Stomach So the Church allows the learned to feed themselves with the Holy Scripture she gives of the same Table to the unlearned by their Pastors and Teachers what is fittest for them lest having the whole Bible in their hands especially without the Notes for the better understanding of it they wrong themselves as those who as St. Peter 2 Pet. 3. v. 16. speaks wrested some passages of St. Paul as also the other Scriptures to their own destruction Destruction Implyes more then mistakes in Indifferent matters Would it not startle an Ignorant to hear afore the Passage is explained what God said to the Prophet Isaiah cap. 6. v. 10. Blind the heart of the People c. Lest perhaps they may see with their Eyes and be converted Would an Infinite Goodness says an Ignorant command a Prophet to do so Would it not amaze the same to read in the first of Hosea v. 1. That God commanded him to take a Whore and take to himself Children of Whoredom Is it possible sayes the Ignorant that Sanctity it self should speak so With what surprizing passages will an Ignorant Carnal Man meet with in the Canticles Respect then the Holy Ghost in the Conduct of the Church and do not think that her Children who do not nor cannot read the Scriptures live in ignorance Lukewarmness Indifferency without relishing Heavenly things without true Devotion more then Abraham Isaac and Iacob who had the same want but were Instructed to the Piety we read of by the Tradition from others as our unlearn'd are by the Labours of our Pastors and Preachers who not being diverted from their Book and Prayer by the necessary care of providing for Wife and Children Meditate at leasure the Holy Bible and study how they may best deliver to the People the Truths they find there both necessary to Salvation and conducing to Persection And this aboundantly suffices unless you will exclude also among Protestants all those who cannot read from Devotion as if God had design'd only great Wits for Heaven Add to all this that if the Scripture put into every private Mans hand and being understood by him according to his best Judgement be to him a sufficient Rule of Faith which without doubt would breed as much confusion in the Church as the Law Book Interpreted by every private Man without Obligation to submit to the Kings Judges would do in the Kingdom what need have you of Ministers more then Quakers If every one be thus capable to understand the Word why is he not capable to Preach it And if he be capable to Preach it to others or stirr them up to the Faith of Justifying Grace why is he not capable to give also the Sacrament or the Sign of it receiv'd If you say that God has ordained Bishops or Presbyters to Govern the Church I answer 't is not Civily but in Doctrine what will this Government in our case serve for but to make them Hypocrites since they must then believe outwardly what the Minister Teaches and inwardly what their own light perswades them often contrary to the Ministers perswasion When we
and consequently they Judge it more perfect then not to make it Did not Hannah think she did a thing more pleasing to God to Vow then not to Vow 1 Sam. v. 11. A second Proof 'T is more perfect to deprive one self for the Love of God of many things then only of few But who makes these Vows deprives himself of the Use Dominion and Capacity of being Master of Riches otherwise Lawful Pleasures and ones one Will. Then he deprives himself for the Love of God by those Vows of more things then if he did not make them Besides 't is a greater Gift to give the Tree with the Fruit which the Religious Man does then the Fruit only A third Proof A thing shown and praised in the Gospel and not Commanded is an Evangelical Counsel But Poverty Chastity and Obedience are shown to us in the Gospel praised and not Commanded Then they are Evangelical Counsels You 'l say I avow that these three things are praised in the Gospel and not Commanded and that CHRIST practised them but where find you that Christ made a Vow himself or moved any other to Vow them Especially since the Vow broken charges the Breaker with a double guilt Answer When Christ perswaded Poverty Math. 19. in these Words If thou wilt be perfect Sell all thou hast and give it to the Poor He perswaded that relinguishment of Goods which should make a Man perfect But that exterior abdicatition or leaving of Earthly Goods with a Will to repossess them again does not make a Man perfect But he ought to have an interior renouncing or a Will not to acquire others in their place Neither had this Will compleated him in a perfect Man if this Will had been at his pleasure and freedom freely revocable Because in that case this Young-Man of which the Gospel speaks had not been fixed in the Service of God yet with-drawable by an Affection to or care of these Temporal Goods Christ then when he perswaded that renouncing of Temporal Goods which makes a Man perfect in the Service of God he perswaded a Vow of Poverty If you say Christ embrac'd this Poverty in a most perfect manner without a Vow and therefore a Vow is not necessary for that end I Answer In Christ 't is True 't was not necessary because he was determined to it by the Beatifick Vision and had a Will that was not changeable but a pure Man having a changeable Will so that sometimes what he Wills to day he Wills not to morrow he has need of a Vow to tye him to that which he now efficaciously Wills for the greater Glory of God The Vow of Obedience is Counselled in the same Chapter and Verse in these Words Follow me Where Christ advises to a following which makes a Man perfect but that is not the general way of following him which all Christians commonly take by an Observation only of the Commandements of God which make in some sense a perfect Man but not in that sublime and high perfection of which our Saviour speaks here when he sayes if thou wilt be perfect c. then it s a particular following And whether then did Christ go If to follow him be so high a perfection To and through all the Commands of his Father renouncing his own Will Luke 22. v. 42. made Obedient to Death nay the Death of the Cross To follow Christ then is to despoil ones self of one 's own Will to be perfectly Subject and Obedient to another for the Love of God As Christ out of Love to his Father was perfectly Subject and Obedient to him That then which Christ perswaded by saying follow me was a renouncing for the Love of God self Will a Subjection of it to that of another and a perfect Obedience to Death The Vow of Chastity is seen perswaded in these words there are Eunuchs who have gelded themselves for the Kingdom of Heaven Math. 19. see what God promises to such Spiritual Eunuchs Isa 56. v. 4. and 5. ever unto them will I give in my House c. a name better then of Sons and Daughters for according to the common Opinion of Divines they are to be understood of a Vow of Chastity and with great Reason for since gelding takes away both Actâ— and Power to Act the moral gelding must needs be by a Vow of Chastity all other will which is not equivalent to a Vow as it was in Christ leaves a Power to Act. Iâ— you say Christ did not perswade that sort of gelding but onely made it known I Answer his adding who can take let him take was tho' not a Precept yet an Exhortation to it Moreover since all the Gospel as to the part of it which regards manners is a perpetual Instruction and Exhortation this part runs in the general intention of Christ and follows the nature of the whole We discover by Christ's Words his inclinations and his Inclinations are strong perswasions to those who are of the noble temper of well disposed Souls A Subsect Vows put not a Man in a worse condition more then the Law of God OUr Adversary cryes down Vows as making Man in a worse condition than afore for if a Man break his Vow of Chastity for example he commits a double Sin whereas without it he had committed only a single one Answer First is a Man after Marriage in a worse condition then afore yet the Sin of the Flesh in him is double Answer Secondly did God put Man in a worse condition by giving him the Law then that in which he was afore he gave it him Yet St. Paul Rom. 7. v. 7. did not know that Concupiscence was a Sin without the Law and so had not Sinned committing it afore he knew the Law and had Sinned if had committed it after Answer Thirdly who Sins against Chastity having made a Vow of Chastity is in a worse condition then he who commits the same not being under Vow I grant but the Vow does not make him Sin no more then the Law of God makes a Man Sin Contrarywayes it forbids him to Sin with-draws him and frights him from Sin more then the Law of God alone So it s by accident that 't is an occasion of Sin of it self â—ts a strong help to abstain from Sin in as much as it represents a far greater malice in that Sin to which it is annexed and a more formidable punishment to be expected Thus you see a Man is more removed from Sin and the occasion of Sin with it then without it Our perverse Nature of striving against what is Commanded us militates equally against the Command of God as against a Vow but is more forcibly resisted by the Command of God when this is backed by a Vow SECT III. What is the Fruit of these Vows well observed ANswer A sweetness of Spirit which often overflows the very senses and is read in the Faces of perfectly Religious Persons a centuple of what they have