of Canonical Scripture May private Spirits discern their true Sence in matters of Faith as clearly as if they were a Light indeed to thee Oh no you quite mistake his meaning in making such Collections Let Valentian explicate himself in the end of this fourth Paragraph 8 After the Church hath once gathered any Opinion out of Scriptures and thereupon opposeth the Scripture thus understood by it according to the Apostolical Tradition unto contrary Errours It is extream Impiety and wickedness to desire any more either concerning the Authority or Interpretation of that parcel of Scripture under what Pretence soever of Difficulty Obscurity or the like To that Scripture I pray mark his words wel which is commended and expounded unto us by the Authority of the Church that Scripture now ea jam even for this Reason hoc ipso is most Authentick and shines most splendently mojt clearly like a Light videlicet as we have formerly expounded put upon a Candlestick Nay in good sooth just like a Candlestick put upon a Light or Candle For in this Countrey wherein we live we see the Candlestick by vertue of the Light not the Light by means or vertue of the Candlestick And yet if your Church be the Candlestick as you suppose and the Scripture the Light as you expresly acknowledge we must by your Doctrine discern the Light of Scriptures only by the Commendation Explication or Illumination of your Church the Candlestick And this Illumination is only her bare Asseveration for Scriptures she seldom expounds but only by Negatives or Anathemas The best Correction that can be made of this untoward crooked unwieldly Similitude would be this whereas this Doctor supposeth the Pope to be the Church and saith further necesse est ut lumen illud si dei quod in divinis literis splendet praeser at Ecclesia Let him put lucem for lumen and so the Pope being by his Assertion the Church may be truly called Lucifer And then as when Cloth shrinks in the wetting men shape their Garments accordingly making sometimes a Jerkin of that which was intended for a Jacket so out of this unhandsome ill-spun similitude which was marred in the making we may frame a shorter which wil hold exceeding wel on this fashion Even as Satan being the Prince of Darknesse doth to mens seeming transform him self into an Angel of Light Just so doth the Roman Lucifer being by Valentians Confession but the Candlestick labour to transform him self into the Light it self and would be taken for such a Light or Candle as should make the very Light of Heaven it self Gods Word to shine most splendently and clearly by the glorious Beams of his Majestical Infallibility once cast upon it For otherwise unlesse the Supernatural Glory of his Infallibility do infuse Light or adde fresh Lustre to this Light or Lantern of Truth the Candlestick naturally gives no increase of perspicuity to the Light or Candle Which wil shine as clear in a private Mans hands so he wil take the pains to hold it as in a Publick Candlestick But that which I would have the serious Reader to observe especially is this Speech of his Scripture as once commended unto us or expounded by the Churches Authority becomes thereby most Authentick and shines most clearly and most splendently For this same Doctor if a Doctor may be said the same affirming and denying the same in the beginning of that Dispute would gladly shuffle so as he should not be taken with that Trick which wil discredit their Cause for ever and descry their villanous Blasphemy in this Doctrine of their Churches Authority There he would perswade us that he doth not allow of this Speech I believe this or that to be a Divine Revelation because the Church doth tell me so or of this the Church is the Cause why I believe the Divine Revelations whereas this Speech of his Quae Scriptura per Authoritatem doth infer the Authority of the Church to be the very principal and immediate Cause of our Assent unto Scriptures 9 Secondly I would have the sober Christian Reader to observe what an unhallowed and unchristian Conceit it is to admit the Scriptures for a Lantern and yet to affirm that Christians cannot behold the Light therein contained but only as the Church of Rome doth hold it out what is this else but to call the People from the marvailous Light of the Gospel unto the fearful Lightnings of the Law And to make the Pope that Mediator which the People implicitely did request when they desired that Moses might speak to them not God If we be in Christ then are we not called into Mount Sinai to burning Fire Blindnesse Darknesse and Tempests this Light of the Gospel is not environed with a fearful Cloud or Smoak threatning Destruction if we should go up into the Mount to hear the Lord himself speak we have an Advocate with the Father and need not look for a Moses to go up for us while we stand trembling a far off For as our Apostle tels us Heb. 12. 22. We are come unto the Mount Sion and to the City of the living God the celestial Jerusalem and to the company of innumerable Angels and to the congregation of the first-born which are written in heaven and to God the Judge of all and to the Spirits of just and perfect men and to Jesus the Mediator of the new Testament and to the bloud of sprinkling that speaketh better things then that of Abel What is the Consequence or Effect of this our Calling Our Apostle makes this Inference verse 25. See therefore that ye despise not him that speaketh Whom did he mean The Pope or Cardinals But they would be but of like Authority as Moses was but he that Speaketh untous is of far greater For so our Apostle collects See that ye despise nâ—t him that speaketh for if they escape not which refused him that spake on Earth much more shall we not escape if we turn away from him which speaketh from Heaven The Israelites I suppose had despised Moses if they had admitted any other infallible Teacher besides him whilest he was alive or believed any other as wel as his Writings after his death but only so far forth as they could discern their Words to be consonant unto his If Moses Writings were to these Jews a plain Rule of Faith then much more must Christs Word registred by his Apostles and Evangelists by the Rule of Faith unto us That Moses Doctrine was their Rule of Faith a Rule most plain and easie these places following abundantly testifie CAP. XVII That the Mosaical Writings were a most perfect Rule plain and easie to the Ancient Israelites 1 SO perfect Directions had Moses left for Posterities perpetual instruction that a great Prophet in later Ages desirous to bring Gods people into the right Paths which their Fathers had forsaken and for this purpose professing to impart to them whatsoever he had
senselesse blind Belief But grant his body and bloud were in the Sacrament rightly administred yet that out of the Sacrament either should be in the consecrated Hoast whilest carried from Town to Town for solemn shew more then for Sacramental use is to reason ruled by Scripture to say no worse more improbable Now to worship that as God which to our unerring senses is a Creature upon such blind supposals that Christs body by one miracle may be there by another unseen is worse then Idolatry committed upon delusion of sense So to adore a wafer only a wafer in all appearance without strict examination nay without infallible evidence of Scriptures urged for the real presence is more abominable then to worship every appearance of an Angel of light without trial what spirit it were Satan or some other that so appeared And if we consider the old Serpents usual slight to insinuate himself into every place wherein inveterate custom or corrupt affection may suggest some likelihood of a divine presence unto dreaming fancies as he did delude the old World in Oracles and Idols the probability is far greater his invisible substance by nature not incompatible with any corporeal quantity should be annexed to the supposed Hoast then Christs real body uncapable for any thing we know of joynt exisrence in the same place with any other howsoever most disproportionable to such base effects as must proceed from the substance contained under the visible shape of bread such as no accident could either breed or support 6 This is a point as is elsewhere observed wherein Satan seemeth to triumph over the modern Papists more then over all the Heathens of the old World whose senses only he deluded or bewitched their reason but quite inverts all use of these mens sense faith and reason making them believe Christs body to be present in the Sacrament after a supposed miraculous manner quite contrary to the known nature of bodies and yet more preposterously contrary to the very end and essence of miracles For what miracles were ever wrought to other purpose then to convince the imperfect collections of human reason by evidence of sense God using this inferior or brutish part thus astonished by his presence to confute the curious folly of the superiour or divine faculty of the soul as he did sometimes the dumb Asse to rebuke the iniquity of the Prophet her Master But so preposterously doth Satan ride the modern Papist that he is brought to believe a multitude of miracles against the evidence of sense or reason contrary to the rule of faith all offered up in sacrifice unto the Prince of darknesse that he having put out the eyes of sense reason and spirit at once may ever after lead them what way he list And as unhappy wags or lewd companions may perswade blind men to beg an Alms as if some great personage did when as a troop of more needy beggers then themselves passe by so is it much to be dreaded lest the Devil perswade the blinded besotted Papist that Christ is present where he himself lies hid that he may with heart and soul offer up those prayers and duties unto him which belong properly unto God and worship in such manner before the Boxes whereinto he hath secretly convaid himself as the Israelites did before the ark of the Covenant 7 Vasquez thinks we may without offence adore that Body wherein the Devil lurks so we direct not our worship unto him but to the inanimate Creature as representing the Creator Suppose this might be granted upon some rare accident or extraordinary manifestation of Gods power in some particular place in case men were ignorant or had no just presumptions of any malignant spirits presence therein Yet were it damnable Idolatry daily to practice the like especially where great probabilitie were of diabolical imposture which the solemn worship of any Creature without expresse warrant of Scripture wil invite Yet sense doth witnesse that Christ is not no Scripture doth warrant us that he or any other living Creature unlesse perhaps worms or such as spring of putrifaction is present in their processions Notwithstanding all the expresse Commandments of God brought by us against their practise the Trent Councel accurseth all that deny Christs real presence in procession or condemn the proposal of that consecrated substance to be publikely adored as God not so much as intimating any tolerable exposition of that Commandment which forbids us to have any Gods but one 8 〈◊〉 To omit many more another instance sutable to the former and our present purpose we have in the decree of communicating under one kind Our Saviour at his institution of this Sacrament gave the cup as wel as the bread and with the cup alone this expresse injunction Bibite ex hoc omnes Drink all of this albeit none of his Disciples were Conficients or such as did consecrate Saint Paul recites the same Institution in like words and continued the practise in such Churches as he planted The Trent Councel acknowledgeth that the use of the Cup was not infrequent or unusuall in the Primitive Church indeed altogether usuall and the want of it for many hundred yeers after Christ unknown The onely instance that can from Antiquitie be pretended to prove it lawfull and which in all likeli-hood did partly occasion it argues the Ancients use of it in solemne Assemblies to have been held as necessary For even in cases of greatest necessity when the Cup could not be carried to parties sick or otherwise detained from publick Communions they had the consecrated Bread dipped in it And Gregorie of Towres relates the poysoning of King Clouis his Sister Queen to Theodorick by her own daughter in the Chalice so as he intimates withall the ordinary use of the Cup at that time as well amongst French Catholicks as Italian Arrians Onely this was the difference The Arrians did not as the Catholicks drink of the same Cup with their Princes 9 It may be fear conceived upon this or like example lest the Priests should in a more proper sence prove Conficients not of Christs but of Lay Princes Bodies made them afterwards more willing to forbear the Cup and the people either in manners would not or otherwise could not be advanced above them at this Heavenly banquet Turonensis reason against these Hereticks I think did hold no longer then his life few Princes afterwards durst have adventured to trie the truth of his conclusion Whether poison drunk in the Sacrament administred by the supposed true Church would have wrought For unlesse my memorie fail me Ecclesiastick Princes Popes themselves have been as surely poisoned in Catholick Chalices as the forementioned Queen was in the Arrian Cup. 10 But what occasions soever either moved the Laity of themselves to imbrace or the Clergie to enjoyn this Communion under one kind the Trent Councel specifies none and yet accurseth all that will not believe the Church had just
alone for her soul is vexed within her and the Lord hath hid it from me and hath not told it me 12 But from the perpetual and internal irradiation of the Deity bodily or personally such as the Apostle speaks dwelling in Christ and incorporate in his substance this spirit of Prophesie if without prejudice so we may call it did never wain was never Eclipsed alwayes most splendent in him as light in the Moon in the full As he never foretold any thing which came not to passe so could he at all times when he pleased foretel whatsoever at any time should befal his friends or foes with all the circumstances and signs consequent or precedent From this brightnesse of his glory did John Baptist who was sent from God as the morning staâ— to usher this Sun of righteousnesse into his Kingdom become more then a Prophet for distinct illuminations concerning matters to come A Prophet he was in the womb and bare witnesse of that light which enlightneth every man that cometh into the world before he came into it himself or saw this bodily Sun when he could not speak he danced for joy at his presence and at his first approach after Baptism he thus salutes him Behod the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world What Prophet did ever so distinctly prophesie of his passion and so fully instruct the people what was foresignified by the sacrifice of the Paschal Lamb yet was John himself secured by the former rule that he spake this by the spirit of the Lord not out of fancy not presumptuously For til this Baptism he knew him not but he that sent him to baptize with water he said unto him Upon whom thâ—â— shâ—lt see the spirit come down and tarry still upon him that is He which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost And he saw it so come to passe and bare record that this was the Sonne of God From this more then Prophetical spirit of John manifested by this and the like testifications of Christ all afterwards approved by the event did the people gather Christ not John to be That Great Prophet mighty in word and deed For after he had escaped the violence offered him at Jerusalem and went again beyond Jordan into the place where John first baptized Many saith the Evangelist resorted unto him and said John did no miracle but all things which John spake of this man were true And many believed in him there For his works sake no doubt but for these as accompanied with the former circumstances of place and Johns predictions John had witnessed he was the Son of God mighty in deed and word and reason they had to think his works were the works of his Father that his priviledges were the priviledges of the only begotten Son and heir of all things when John though a Prophet and more then a Prophet for his portion of the divine spirit was yet restrained by reason of his approach that was before him from doing such wonders as meaner Prophets had done To such as rightly observed this opposition between Johns power in words and his defect in deeds or Christs superabundant power in both the case was plain John was but the Cryer the other in whose presence his authority decreased the Lord whose wayes he was sent to prepare 13 If unto the variety of Christs miracles compared with Johns predictions and other prophesies we joyn his arbitrary usual manner either of foretelling future or knowing present matters of every kind many such as no prophet durst ever have professed to belong unto himself our Faith may clearly behold the sure Foundation whereon it is built That he even he himself who had said by the Prophet I am the Lord this is my Name and my glory will I not give unto another neither my praise to graven Images Behold the former things are come to passe and new things do I declare before they come forth I tell you of them did at the Fulnesse of Time manifest his Glory in our flesh by the practise there mentioned of foretelling things strange and unheard of to the world Prophesies of former times were fulfilled in his personal appearance and made their period at the beginning of his preaching Whatsoever concerns the state of the world chiefly the Gentiles since came from him either as altogether new or was refined and renewed by him For what man among the Nations yea what Master in Israel did from the Law or prophets conceive aright of the new birth by water and the spirit or of that everlasting Kingdom whereunto only men so born are heirs predestinate These were the new things which he only could distinctly declare before they came forth 14 That their Messias was to be this God here spoken of by Isaiah dwelling and conversing with them in their nature and substance might have been manifested to the Jews had they not been hood-winked with pride and malice from that common notion even the most vulgar amongst them had of his divine spirit in declaring secrets and foretelling things to come What one miracle done by Christ did ever take so good effect with so great speed in best prepared spectators as his discovery of Nathaneels heart in presence and outward carriage in so great distance Rabbi saith Nathaneel Thou art the Son of God Thou art the King of Israel Though faith be the true gift of God onely wrought by his Spirit yet no question but Nathaneel was more inclined to this confession from the generall notion of the Messias divine spirit even by it he was capable of that promise habenti dabitur And our Saviour highly approves and so rewards this his docility Because I said unto thee I saw thee under the fig-tree believest thou thou shalt see greater thing then these What were they Miracles Yes for so he saith to him and the rest of his hearers Verily verily I say unto you hereafter shall you see heaven open and the Angels of God ascending and descending upon The Son of Max. Then miracles it seems were more effectual to confirm Faith then this Experience of his Prophetical spirit Not of themselves but joyned with it or as thus foretold by him and foresignified by Iacobs vision which compared with the Event whether that were at his ascension or no I now dispute not did plainly declare him to be The Way and The Door by which all enter into the house of God 15 Upon the first apprehension of like discovery made by him did the poor Samaritan woman acknowledge he was a Prophet and upon his avouching himself to be more then so she takes him indeed for the expected Messias of whom she had this conceit before That when he came he should tell them all things From this preconceived notion working with her present Experience of his divine Spirit able to descrie all the secrets of her heart she makes this proclamation to her neighbours
be so authentick in his doctrine Is it not the pretended priviledge of the same spirit which exempts the Pope from privatenesse and makes his authority oecumenical and infallible Whosoever then by participation of this spirit understands the Prophesies either immediately or expounded by others whomsoever his conceit of them or their right interpretation is not private but authentick And Canus though a Papist expresly Teacheth That the immediate ground or Formal Reason of ours and the Apostles Belief must be the same both so immediately and infallibly depending upon the testimony of the spirit as if the whole world beside should teach the contrary yet were every Christian bound to stick unto that inward testimony which the spirit hath given him Though the Church or Pope should expound them to us we could not infallibly believe his expositions but by that spirit by which he is supposed to teach so believing we could not infallibly teach others the same for it is the spirit only that so teacheth all The inference then is as evident as strong that private in the fore-cited place is opposed to that which wants authority not unto publick or common The Kings promise made to me in private is no private promise but wil warrant me if I come to plead before his Majesty albeit others make question whether I have it or no. In this sense that interpretation of scriptures which the spirit affords us that are private men is not private but authentick though not for extent or publication of it unto others yet for the perfection of our warrant in matters of salvation or concerning God For where the spirit is there is perfect liberty yea free accesse of pleading our cause against whomsoever before the Tribunal seat of justice especially being wronged in matters of the life to come To this purpose saith our Apostle But â—e that is spiritual discerneth all things yet he himself is judged of no man In those things wherein he cannot be judged by any he is no private man but a Prince and Monarch for the freedom of his conscience But if any man falsly pretend this freedom to nurse contentions or to withdraw his neck from that yoak whereto he is subject he must answer before his supream Judge and his holy Angels for framing unto himself a counterfeit licence without the assured warrant of his spirit And so shal they likewise that seek to command mens consciences in those matters wherein the spirit hath set them free This is the height of iniquity that hath no temporal punishment in this life but must be reserved as the object of fiercest wrath in that fearful day the very Idea of Antichristianism CAP. XXIV That S. Paul submitted his doctrine to examination by the Words before written That his doctrine disposition and practise were quite contrary to the Romanists in this argument 1 SAint Paul as wel as other Apostles had the gift of miracles which amongst Barbarians or distressed souls destitute of other comfort likely to be won to grace by wonders he did not neglect to practise but sought not to enforce belief upon the Jews by fearful signs or sudden destruction of the obstinate albeit he had power to anathematize not only in word but in deed even to deliver men alive unto Satan When he came to Thessalonica he went as his manner was into the Synagogue and three Sabbath dayes disputed with his country-men by the Scriptures opening and alledging that Christ must have suffered and risen again from the dead and this is Jesus Christ whom I preach to you These Jews had Moses and the Prophets and if they would not hear them neither would they believe for any miracles which to have wrought amongst such had been as the casting of pearls before swine What was the reason they did not believe because the Scriptures which he urged were obscure but Saint Paul did open them Rather they saw the truth as Papists do but would not see it They rightly believed whatsoever God had said was most true that he had said what Moses and the Prophets wrote and yet Saint Paul taught nothing which they had not foretold But that was all one these Jews had rather believe Moses and the Prophets meant as the Scribes and Pharisees or other chief Rulers of their Synagogues taught then as Paul expounded them albeit his expositions would have cleared themselves to such as without prejudice would have examined them But the Beroeans were of a more ingenuous disposition so the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 imports they were not vassals to other mens interpretations or conceits but used their liberty to examin their truth They received the word with all readinesse and searched the Scriptures whether these things were so or no. If they believed in part before their practise confirms the truth of our assertion that they were not to believe the infallibility of Paul but of his doctrine albeit they were wel perswaded of his personal authority If they believed neither in part nor wholly before they saw the truth of his doctrine confirmed by that Scripture which they had formerly acknowledged their ingenuity herein likewise confirms our doctrine and condemns the Papists of insolent blasphemy for arrogating that authority unto the Popes decrees which is only due unto Gods word already established 2 I would demand of any Papists whether the Beroeans did wel or ill in examining Saint Pauls doctrine if ill why hath the Spirit of God commended them if well why is it not lawfull and expedient for all true Christians to imitate them Unlesse the Reader bite his lip I will not promise for him he shall not laugh at Bellarmines answer albeit I knew him for another Heraclitus or Crassus Agelastus who never laughed in all his life save once when he saw an Asse feed on thistles Surely he must have an Asses lips that can taste and a swines belly that can digest this great Clerks Divinity in this point I answer saith he albeit Paul were an Apostle and could not preach false doctrine thus much notwithstanding was not evident to the Beroeans at the first nor wore they bound forthwith to believe unlesse they had seen some miracles or other probable inducements to believe Therefore when Paul proved Christ unto them out of the Prophetical Oracles they did well to search the Scriptures whether those things were so If Saint Paul had thought miracles a more effectuall means then Scriptures for begetting faith in such as acknowledged Moses and the Prophets no doubt he had used miracles rather then their authority Or if the Pope cannot expound the Scriptures as effectually and perspicuously as Saint Paul did why doth he not at the least work miracles are we bound absolutely to believe him and is he bound to do neither of these without which the people of Beroea were not bound as Bellarmine acknowledgeth to believe Saint Paul But if his reason be worth belief Christians which know the Church
it self would rather have held the Negative For if we believe as the Papists generally instruct us that we our selves all private spirits may erre in every perswaâ—on of faith but the Church which onely is assisted by a publick spirit cannot possibly teach amisle in any We must upon terms as peremptory and in equal degree believe every particular point of faith because the Church so teacheth us not because we certainly apprehend the truth of it in itself For we may erre but this publick spirit cannot And consequently we must infallibly believe these propositions ‖ Christ is the Redeemer of the world not Mahomet ‖ There is a Trinity of persons in the divine nature for this reason only that the Church commends them unto us for divine revelations seeing by their arguments brought to disprove the sufficiency of Scriptures or certainty of private spirits no other means possible is left us Nay were they true we should be only certain that without the Churches proposal we stil must be most uncertain in these and all other points because the sons are perpetually obnoxious to errour from which the mother is everlastingly priviledged The same propositions and conclusions we might conditionally believe to be absolutely authentick upon supposal they were Gods word but that they are his word or revelations truly divine we cannot firmly believe but only by firm adherence to the Churches infallible authority as was in the second Section deduced out of the Adversaries principles Hence it follows that every particular proposition of Faith hath such a proper causal dependance upon the Churches proposal as the conclusion hath upon the premisses or any particular upon it universal Thus much Sacroboscus grants 3 Suppose God should speak unto us face to face what reason had we absolutely and infallibly to believe him but because we know his words to be infallible his infallibility then should be the proper cause of our belief For the same reason seeing he doth not speak unto us face to face as he did to Moses but as our adversaries say reveals his will obscurely so as the Revealer is not manifested unto us but his meaning is by the visible Church which is to us in stead of Prophets Apostles and Christ himself and all the several manners God used to speak unto the world before he spake to it by his only son this Panthea's infallibility must be the true and proper cause of our Belief And Valentian himself thinks that Sarah and others of the old world to whom God spake in private either by the mouth of Angels his son or holy spirit or by what means soever did not sin against the doctrine of saith or through unbelief when they did not believe Gods promises They did herein unadvisedly not unbelievingly Why not unbelievingly because the visible Church did not propose these promises unto them 4 If not to believe the visible Churches proposals be that which makes distrust or dissidence to Gods promises infidelity then to believe them is the true cause of believing Gods promises or if Sarah and others did as Valentian faith unadvisedly or imprudently in not assenting to divine truths proposed by Angels surely they had done only prudently and advisedly in assenting to them their assent had not been truly and properly belief So that by this assertion the Churches proposal hath the very remonstrative note and character of the immediat and prime cause whereby we believe and know matters of saith For whatsoever else can concur without this our aslent to divine truths proposed is not true Catholick belief but firmly believing this infallibility we cannot erre in any other point of faith 5 This truth Valentian elsewhere could not dissemble howsoever in his prosessed resolution of Faith he sought to cover it by change of apparel Investing the Churches proposal only with the title of a Condition requisite and yet withal so dislonant is falsity to it self making it the Reason of believing divine Revelations If a reason it be why we should believe them need must it sway any reasonable minde to embrace their truth And whatsoever inclines our minds to the embracement of any truth is the proper efficient cause of belif or assent unto the same Yea Efficiency or Causality it self doth Formally consist in this inclination of the minde Nor is it possible this proposal of the Church should move our minds to imbrace divine Revelations by any other means then by believing it And Belief it self being an inclination or motion of the mind our minds must first be moved by the Churches proposal ere it can move them at all to assent unto other divine truths Again Valentian grants that the orthodoxal or catechistical answer to this interrogation Why do you believe the doctrine of the Trinity to be a divine revelation is because the Church proposeth it to me for such He that admits this answer for sound and Catholick and yet denies the Churches proposal to be the true and proper cause of his Belief in the former point hath smothered doubtlesse the light of nature by admitting too much artificial subtilty into his brains For if a man should ask why do you believe there is a fire in yonder house and answer were made Because I see the smoak go out of the Chimney should the party thus answering in good earnest peremptorily deny the sight of the smoak to be the cause of his Belief there was a fire he deserved very wel to have either his tongue scorched with the one or his eys put out with the other Albeit if we speak of the things themselves not of his Belief concerning them the fire was the true cause of the smoak not the smoak of the fire But whatsoever it be Cause Condition Circumstance or Effect that truly satissieth this demand Why do you believe this or that it is a true and proper cause of our belief though not of the thing believed If then we admit the Churches proposal to be but a condition annexed to divine revelations yet if it be an infallible medium or mean or as our adversaries all agree The only mean infallible whereby we can rightly believe this or that to be a divine revelation it is the true and only infallible cause of our Belief That speech of Valentian which to any ordinary mans capacity includes as much as we now say was before alledged That Scripture which is commended and expounded unto us by the Church is eo ipso even for this reason most authentick and clear He could not more emphatically have expressed the Churches proposal to be the true and prime cause why particular or determinate divine revelations become so credible unto us His Second Sacrobosâ—us hath many speeches to be inserted hereafter to the same effect Amongst others where Dâ— Whittaker objects that the principal cause of faith is by Papists ascribed unto the Church he denies it only thus far What we believe for the Churches proposal we