one of the most difficult tasks in the World The Scriptures Letter then is not the Rule of Faith by § 3 4 5 10 11. of our former Discourse as wanting Self-evidence of its Existence Easie Evidenceableness of its Ruling Virtue and Power to establish and satisfie at least unlearned Doubters 4. Secondly were it known that there are some Books left written by men divinely inspired yet it is unknown how many those Books ought to be and which of the many controverted ones may securely be put in that Catalogue which not Which 't is most palpable that either few or at least the rude vulgar and common sort of Mankind especially those who are not yet Faithful but looking to come to Faith which is done by knowing the Rule of Faith can never be assured of either by Self-evidence of the things themselves or by other skills they are already possest of The Scripture's Letter then is from this Head concluded defective in the forementioned Properties necessarily belonging to the Rule of Faith 5. Thirdly Were the Catalogue of the true Books known yet how is it self-evident or easily evidenceable to the capacities above named if to any that the very Original or a perfectly true Copy of these Books was preserved indeficiently entire out of which our Translations were made Can the ruder sort either know this or be assured of the skill of others by which they know it The former being manifestly impossible the later equally such since they have no knowledges in their heads enabling them to judge unerringly of the competency of others skill in such a particular Wherefore Scriptures Letter faulters still in the primary most necessary and essential conditions of a Rule of Faith 6. Fourthly Were it evident that the right Original or true Copy of it is preserved indefective yet very few that is onely those who are perfect in those ancient Languages can arrive to the understanding so much The rest which are in a manner all Mankind must come to the knowledge of it by Translations and ere they can think it is fit to be a Rule they must know it is rightly translated For which because they have no skill in those Languages themselves they must rely on the Translators skill Concerning whose sufficiency of understanding to be able to translate unerringly right and honesty of Will or true intention to do it themselves at least the rudest vulgar are not qualified enough to jndge assuredly that they are worthy to be securely relied on So that we are still at a loss in this pretended Rule of Faith for our first and fundamental conditions 7. Fifthly Let us pass by all these defects and grant it most truly translated to a tittle and indeed to a tittle it should be else an errour may slip in instead of a Point of Faith for any thing the bare Letter can assure us yet the innumerable Copiers before Printing and since Printers and Correcters of the Press are still ro be relyed on and they onely can have evidence of the right Letter of Scripture who stood at their elbows attentively watching they should not erre in making it perfectly like a former Copy And even then why might they not mistrust their own eyes and aptness to oversee Or were it granted these men err'd not nor themselves in overlooking them yet the same difficulty occurrs concerning the former Printer's care if the former Copy were printed or the Scriveners if Manuscript which scapes the view of our now-livers except we will examin them again from Impression to Impression or from Copy to Copy by others more ancient and still let us run as high as we will the same difficulty pursues us To which if we add that the Printers Correcters or Transcribers might hap to be Knaves and either be Hereticks themselves or brib'd by Hereticks whose manner it being ever to make the Letter of the Scripture their weapon they could wish no greater advantage than to have it fram'd commodious to their hand and so would questionless endeavour it and History assures us they did So that we are still at the same or a greater loss in our pretended Rule of Faith 8. Lastly were all this multitude of Exceptions pardonâ—d still we are as far to seek unless those who are to be rul'd and guided by the Scriptures Letter to Faith were Certain of the true sence of it which is found out by right Interpretation Now the numerous Commentators upon it and infinite disputes about the sence of it even in most concerning points as in that of Christ's Divinity beat it out so plain to us that this is not the task of the vulgar who yet are capable of salvation and so of Faith and so of the Rule of Faith that 't is perfect phrenzy to deny it 9 It may be alledg'd that some of these defects may be provided against by skill in History But 't is quickly reply'd that then none can be secure of their Rule of Faith nor consequently have Faith unless skill'd in Histories or knowing â—hose men to be so and withall unbyast whom â—hey converse with nay without knowing that those men knew certainly the Historians whom they rely'd on had secure Grounds and not bare hearsay for what they writ and that they were not contradicted by others either extant or peâ—ish't now how few of the unlearned vulgar â—ay even of the middle sort of prudent men which make up the generality of the world I may say of very good Scholars can judge of these points And if they cannot how then is their Faith rational or virtuous and not rather an hair-brain'd opinionative rashness to build their Assent Faith and Salvation upon Principles they can make no Judgement of 10. If necessity make some willing to reply what their Judgments naturally flowing from their Principles would not that God assists his Church and therefore his Providence will take care the contingencies their Rule of Faith the Scripture's Letter is subject to shall be avoided 't is ask't how they are certain in their way of such an Assistance but by the Letter of the Scripture They must first then prove that Certain ere they mention the Church or God's Assistance to her since this Assistance is in their Grounds founded upon the Truth and Certainty of that Letter Besides a Church is a Congregation of the Faithful that is of such as have Faith which not being possible to be had without Certain means to come unto it or the Rule of Faith it follows that the first thing that must be clear'd is the Certainty of the Rule of Faith antecedently to the Notions of Faith Faithful or Church 11. If Testimonies out of Councils or Fathers be alledg'd by them sufficient Interpreters of Scripture t is reply'd that if those be needful to make a Certain Interpretation of Scripture or which is all one the Letter of Scripture certainly significative of Godâ—s sence then First none can be capable of the Rule of Faith nor consequently
it COROLLARIES From The former Discourses 1. NOne can pretend to have Faith by the ordinary course of God's Providence but the holders to Tradition 'T is prov'd by our Conclusion formerly deduc't Disc. 5. § 15. that Tradition is the Rule of Faith that is the Ordinary Way to arrive at Faith 2. None can with right pretend to be a Church but the Followers of Tradition For since Corol. 1. none can have Faith by the ordinary course of God's Providence but the holders to Tradition and a Church must be a Congregation of persons truly Faithful or who have true Faith coming to them by ordinary means as we daily experience 't is manifest that none but the Followers of Tradition can pretend to be a true Church 3. None can be of the Church or any Church but Followers of Tradition For seeing a Church is a Congregation of persons who have true Faith coming to them by ordinary means and Disc. 5. § 15. Tradition is this means it follows that none are of the Church or any Church but they who have true Faith by this means that is who follow the means of Tradition Those who renounce Tradition or Immediate Delivery are ipso facto cut off from the Root of Faith and cease to be truly called Faithful For seeing that is to us or in the way of reasoning the Root of any Knowledge whence that Knowledge springs and Faith is no Knowledge in us Disc. 1. 15. and Corol. 1. but by relying on the Rule of Faith or Tradition as on its Principle 't is manifest that they who renounce Tradition want the Root of Faith nor consequently are Faithful nor of the Church but are Dead branches or Opiners onely 5. That company of men who follow such Ancestours as formerly renounc't Tradition or Immediate Delivery are no less cut off from the Root of Faith For since Corol. 4. those Ancestours renouncing Tradition formerly were by so doing cut off from the Root of Faith their Followers for how many Generations soever they continue must be so likewise as wanting and not daring even to pretend to that Faithâ—causing Principle of Tradition or uninterrupted Delivery which their Forefathers had renounc't 6. They who follow such Ancestors as formerly had manifestly renounc't Tradition how numerous soever can never claim to be a part of Christian Tradition or deliverers of Faith First because Corol. 5. they are cut off from Tradition and so can be no part of it Next because Christian Tradition is Indeficient or Uninterrupted Disc. 6 8 and 9. and so none can lay claim to it who cannot lay claim to Uninterruptedness which those we speak of cannot The saying then of Vincentius Lirinensis Id teneamus quod ubique quod semper quod ab omnibus creditum est and that we must follow Vniuersality Antiquity and Consent can onely be meant within the verge of those who adhere to Tradition or follow the Doctrin formerly deliver'd not of those who have broke from it otherwise all Hereticks in the world especially the Primitive ones might claim to be part of the Church 7. They who pretend themselves Reformers in Faith do ipso facto manifest themselves cut off from the Root of Faith and the Church For since Points of Faith are Truths and so have no Degrees in them but are Indivisible Reformation in Faith cannot mean mending Faith but putting it anew But this presupposes Tradition Interrupted wherefore Reformers in Faith must renounce Uninterruptedness of Delivery that is they must renounce Tradition Disc. 6. 8 9. and consequently they are cut off from the Root of Faith Coroll 4. 8. That Body of men who adhere to Tradition can evidence clearly and plainly who are truly Faithful who not For since Coroll 4. 5. to those men 't is all one to renounce Immediate or Uninterrupted Delivery or follow those who renounc't it as to be cut off from the Root of Faith and all one to be Faithful and to rely on that Principle Again seeing 't is evident by clear matter of Fact who rely and proceed upon it who not That Body of men who adhere to Tradition can evidence clearly and plainly who are truly Faithful who not and if Church-Government be instituted by our Saviour and so a Point of Faith and so descended to us by the Rule of Faith who are of the Church who not 9. None else can give any certain account who are to be held truly Faithful and of the Church who not For since without Tradition both Letter and Sence of Scripture is Uncertain Disc. 4. and subject to dispute as we also daily experience it follows that all the deniers of Tradition are uncertain who have the right Letter or Sence of Scripture that is whom they are to esteem Faithful or sit to be of the Church whom not Again Tradition being the onely certain Rule of Faith if one Revolter from it may be admitted all may so they prosess Christianity in outward talk which they will easily do Wherefore since the Denier of Tradition deems some one Revolter from it to be of the Church that is himself he may nay ought judge so of all the rest provided they talk a few fine pious words of God and Christ which what Hereticks but did 10. None can rationally punish the Revolters from their Faith but that Body which adheres to radition For since setting aside Tradition both Letter and Sence of Scripture is Uncertain Disc. 4. the Guilt of those Revolters is also Uncertain seeing then none can even pretend to correct a fault much less punish it upon uncertain Grounds none can rationally go about to punish their Revolters from Faith unless it be that body which adheres to Tradition and They can For in regard Tradition's Certainty is evident to the rudest by common sence Disc. 5. § 8. and likewise 't is as evident to Governours who revolt from it as it is to know when one dis-acknowledges and rises against a settled civil Authority and the Laws of the Land 'T is most manifest that the Revolter hath both Passion or Guilt enough to be held punishable and the Christian Magistrate evidence enough of his Fact to go about to punish it To avoid mistake I declare that in this Corollary I onely discourse what may or may not be done upon a Church-account what may be fit to be done upon a State-account I am neither able to judge nor do I meddle with it 11. No Company of men hang together like a Body of a Christian Common-wealth or CHURCH but that which adheres to Tradition For since 't is manifest that every external Commonwealth or Body of men hath some Outward Marks proper to it by which the members of it have their coherence or consistency and that those are certain tokens to distinguish it from any other and as manifest that all the marks proper to a Church as such depend upon the Rule of Faith Disc. 1. § 15. and their Certainty on its and lastly that
Fathers or foregoing Church and on the Churches Tradition as on their Rule and the High-way to Faith whence they repute Catholick Tradition and Faith the same thing We see also the Amplitude of this Rule recommending to us all Faith so that nothing ought be added to it And how empty a pretence the Fathers in this Council judg'd it to disallow this Rule under pretext of being opposit to Scripture is seen by these words in their First Session They who contemn the Teachings of the Holy Fathers and TRADITION of the Catholick Church and bring for their excuse and inculcate the words of Arius Nestorius Eutyches and Dioscorus saying Vnless we were sufficiently instructed out of the Old and New Testament we would follow the Doctrins of the Fathers of the six holy Synods and the Traditions of the Catholick Church Let him be accursed So that they held private Instruction from Scripture insufficient to build Faith on or which is all one to be a Rule of Faith Also that it was ever the common pretence of the most execrable Hereticks of old to decline Tradition and pretend to sufficient Light from Scripture's Letter and lastly that since the Sence of Scripture in points of Faith is not attainable sufficiently or with Certainty by the bare Letter of Scripture and with Certainty by Tradition and that Tradition brings us down determinate Sence Tradition is to sence Scripture's Letter and so that Letter no Rule but by virtue of Tradition seeing Faith being Sence and Points of Faith determinate Sences Faith's Rule must bring us to such determinate Sences 6. After antient Councils let us give a glance at Fathers and see what they say to this Point Celestin Saint and Pope to the Fathers of the Ephesin Council Agendum igitur nunc c. Now therefore we must act with a common endeavour to preserve things believed and retain'd to this very time by SVCCESSION FROM THE APOSTLES Ireneus cap. 4. Quid autem c. But what if the Apostles had not left us the Scriptures ought we not to follow the Order of â—radition which they had deliver'd to those to whom they committed the Churches To which Ordination assent many Natiens of those Barbarians who believe in Christ having Salvation writ by the Spirit in their hearts without characters and Ink and diligently keeping the Ancient TRADITION In the former we have it told a General Council what their proper task is namely to keep or hold fast what was believ'd and kept and how by Succession from the Apostles or from hand to hand In the second that the Apostles when they gave Bishops their Charge ordained or made it their Duty to observe Tradition that this Way of Tradition was sufficient to receive Faith upon that is sufficient to be a Rule of Faith without Scripture and that de facto it did perform that office to many Nations without Scripture Lastly he calls this delivery from Father to Son the writing it in their hearts by the Spirit that is the work of the Holy Ghost or Supernatural however it connaturally descended and seems to counterpose this to writing by characters or Ink as if this were not so immediately at least the Holy Ghosts work In regard as plain reason tells us the Sence of those Letters or Faith must either be had by those Inward Characters writ in the Readers hearts by God's Spirit and so It not the Ink writes it there or else by human or Natural Skills which are not attributable to our Sanctifier the Holy Ghost 7. The same Father lib. 1. cap. 3. For though there be diverse Tongues in the world yet the virtue of Tradition is one and the same The preaching of the Church is true and firm in which one and the same way of Salvation is shown over the whole world Here we have but one Rule of Faith or way to Faith this the preaching or living voice of the Church which is not onely said to be true but also firm that is the Certainty of its Truth is built on solid Grounds or founded in the nature of things order'd by God's special Providence to that end To show which hath been the aim of my present endeavours 8. Origen is more express 1. Periarchôn Servetur verò c. Let the Churches preaching deliver'd from the Apostles by order of Succession and remaining in the Church to this present be preserv'd That onely Truth is to be believ'd which differs in nothing from the Churches Tradition And 29. in Matth. We ought not to believe otherwise than as the Churches of God have deliver'd us by Succession Where he directly makes Tradition the Rule to judge what 's sound what not that is the Rule of Faith 9. Tertullian lib. de carne Christi If thou beest but a Christian believe what is traditum deliver'd And speaking to an Heretick By renouncing what thou hast believ'd thou provest that before thou didst renounce it what thou believedst was otherwise It was then deliver'd otherwise Moreover what was Deliver'd that was True as deliver'd by those to whom it belong'd to deliver Wherefore renouncing what was Deliver'd thou hast renounc't what 's True So that in this Father's Judgment a Christian and Follower of Tradition are the same and that to renounce what comes by Tradition is to renounce Truth which amounts to this that Tradition is the Test of Christianity and Rule of Faith Also he intimates that it belongs to some to deliver to some not and if to any to whom but those who lay claim and adhere to Tradition or Delivery and are in possession of it not to those who are known to have broken from Tradition and impugn its Certainty 10. Athanasius in lib. de Synodis They have declar'd themselves to be Vnbelievers by Seeking what they have not All therefore that are Seekers of Faith are Vnbelievers They onely to whom Faith comes down from their Ancestors that is from Christ by Fathers do not seek and therefore they onely have Faith If thou comest to Faith by Seeking thou wast before an Vnbeliever And in his Discourse against Paulus Samosatenus de Incarnatione He that searches after those things which are beyond his strength stands upon a precipice but he that sticks to Tradition stands out of danger Wherefore we persuade you which also we persuade our selves that you retain the Faith Deliver'd Traditam Fidem and avoid prophane words of Novelty I wish the Protestants would seriously weigh the import of these Sayings of this Father and consider what it was which sustain'd him who was a Pillar of Faith in his dayes and then applying it see whether it fits to Catholicks or Them They would plainly discern that which they prize themselves most for that is for taking their Faith out of Judgment by finding and seeking it in the Scriptures is alone enough to show them not to be truly Faithful That God has promised a perfectly secure way to give them true Faith that is by
to a lesser one in the margent and that to Luke 19. 22. And David's cutting of Goliah's Head with his own Sword a story known undoubtedly by all that were like to read his Sermon shall be secured from being thought a piece of a Romance or Knight-errantry by a punctual Citation in the open margent 1 Sam. 17. 51. And to omit diverse of the like pleasant strain lest any Unbeliever should be so impious as to doubt that his THEOPNEVST AHOLIAB was an Embroiderer you shall see it as plain as the nose on a man's face in an express Text Exod. 35. 30. 34. 11. But why insist I thus on so poor a foolery in a Book I design'd for solid or what advantage can I gain to my cause by so sleight an Animadversion I'answer â—Tis my temper when I see an odd action done without reason to trace it to its Original and to search after its proper Cause And upon consideration I finde none so proper for this Effect as a certain kinde of humour of quoting in D. Pierce and others of his Brethren so strongly possessing them and even naturaliz'd into them that so they be quoting they matter not much whether it be to purpose or not This I have shown in the whole bead-roll of his Citations the usefullest part as he sayes of his whole performance and that not one of those which he call Evidences is conclusive that is worth a straw or to purpose But because every one will not be capable to see it in those Citations he brings for Proofs I let them see it in those his late quotations of Scriptures In which he so pittifully betraies his silly and vain humour of quoting to no imaginable end but to satisfy his customary habit or Fancy and as in his Citations so in these imagins the Application of them to his Cause in stead of showing it that I conceive no Universitie-wit but will see in this carriage of his that Dr. Pierce's head is not too Scientiâ—ical nor himself a fit man to to demonstrate against the Papists SECOND APPENDIX Animadversions On Some Passages in Mr. Whitby 1. I Beg pardon of my Reader for my late Merriment and Children's play with aiery bubbles and Feathers Both D. Pierce's manner of writing and his Carriage towards Catholicks merited this kind of return I hope the passages in Mr. Whitby I have design'd to answer will give me occasion to speak more solidly And that they may do so I will pick out those which aim at some point of Concernment I have a particular respect for the person and am sorry his growing hopefulness receiv'd a foil by his Book against Mr. S. C. and this though a threefold disadvantage the badness of his Cause the Patronage of Dr. Pierce's malice and his impar congressus with so learned an Antagonist 2. My Designe leads me to take notice especially of that passage p. 93. Sect. 4. where he begins a discourse about the Soveraignty of Reason and explicates rather than proves it ought to be so what is his Rule and Guide to Faith Which because it look't plausibly yet was prudently neglected by Mr. S C. who hearing of more Eminent Antagonists writing against him judg'd it wisest to reserve himself to answer the Protestanrs second and best Thoughts in Them in case they were found to deserve it and because on the other side the Challenge was made to all the Romanists in the World and many passages in it light cross to the Grounds I had laid I took leave to consider and examin it my way In a great part of it especially at the beginning the discourse is rightly made but in other places he confounds Guide with Rule Power with Motive and by straining a word in Mr. S. C. beyond its necessary signification imposes on us a false Tenet which he mainly builds upon So that I am forc't to begin my answer by putting down our true one which gives Faith and Reason both their due This done his Superstructutes on that Supposition will fall of themselves 3. Our Tenet then is that Faith is the same with Belief that Belief relies on Authority and Divine Faith or Belief on the Divine Authority as its Motive and on the Churche's as on the Applier of the other to my Understanding At next I hold that no Authority deserves Assent further than true Reason gives it to deserve and hence the Divine Authority being Essential Truth deserves in true Reason if possible Infinitely intense Assent or adhesion to its sayings from me and the Churches Authority being found by my Reason to be Certain it applies with Certainty that is closely the Divine Authority to my Understanding and so obliges it absolutely to believe the Truths God has told and to submit whatever reasons I may have against the Object reveal'd to this all-overpowering Authority of Essential Truth This being the First Cause of all those things whence my particular Reasons are taken Nay farther hence it is that I adhere more heartily and firmly to a point of Faith than to any Conclusion of any Science whatever because a more efficacious Cause equally closely apply'd is apt to produce a greater Effect and no Cause is or can be in 〈◊〉 reason comparable to that of the Divine Verâ—city in the point of causing Assent which is closely apply'd by me to the Churches assurance Hence my Faith is ever most Rational because â—is 〈◊〉 rational to believe a point for which the Divine Veracity is engag'd and highly rational to believe the Church assuring me that it is engagâ—d for such and such points Nor yet is the Divine Authority or the Church as Mr. Whitby p. 96. very mistakingly argues beholden to the judgment of my private reason for my belief of her Infallibility but on the contrary my private reason is beholden to them for that Judgment seeing I therefore come to have that Judgment because Those as Objects wrought upon my Apprehension and imprinted a conceit of them there as they were in themselves and so oblig'd my Reason to conclude and my Judgment to hold them such as they were This Rational Assent establishes my Faith against the assaulds of any doubts from Human Reasons resting assur'd thâ—â— the same God who told me this is the Maker of all things else and hath writ all Created Truths in the Things he hath made whence no created â—ruth can thwart my Faith unless He can contradict himself which is impossible Hence if I have true Science I am certain to find no part of it opposit to my Faith but on the contrary conformable to It as being a Child of the same Parent Essential Truth If I have not true Science I ought not to think so nothing therefore but mine own overweening can make me miscarry 4. Reason having thus playâ—d her part in bringing me to Faith deserts me not yet while I act in it nor I her my Acts of Belief are still rational because it was rational to believe at first
the most vulgar that every Man has a Principle in him impelling him to Act which we agree to call a Will Such likewise are all Propositions of this Nature which the Church uses upon occasion of some emergent Heresie to explain her self and put the point of Faith out of danger of being equivocated Examples of the later sort are Theological Conclusions in which a Natural Truth is one of the Premises joyning with the Supernatural one to infer them To omit this as little to our purpose at present Of the former sort the Church is necessitated to make use upon occasion that is when any Heretick questions Those and eâdem operâ the whole point of Faith it self of which they were a part Upon occasion I say For what concern'd its the Faithful or who ever heard much noise of this Proposition Christ has two Wills thus singled out and exprest apart till the Monothelite granting him but one forc't the Church that she might preserve the main Tenet of Christ's having two Natures or being God and Man to maintain publish and define that other 6. To apply this then since none can have Obligation to believe what they have not obligation to think of and that in some Age the Generality of the Faithful have no Occasion nor consequently Obligation to minde reflect or think on those Propositions involvd in the main stock of Faith and truly parts of it that is indeed It It follows that a Thing may be de fide or obligatory to be believ'd in one Age and not in another Perhaps Mr. Stillingfleet may ask how the Church can have Power to oblige the Generality to Belief of such a point I answer she obliges them to believe the main Point of Faith by virtue of Tradition's being a Self-evident Rule and these Imply'd Points by virtue of their being self-evidently-connected with those main and perpetually-us'd Points so that the vulgar can be rationally and connaturally made capable of this their Obligation Whence the Government of our Church is still justify'd to be sweet and according to right Nature and yet forcible and Efficacious to hold her Subjects in a strict Union Not to mention how these Points also descended by a kind of Tradition for I doubt not but the Apostles had occasion in explaining Faith to speak of These however the no Necessity brought them not so much into play but left them unreflected on by the Generality 7. But to return to Mr. Stillingfleet who acts here like a Politician and would conquer us by first dividing us and making odious Comparisons between two parties of Divines But he may please to reflect how we all hold firmly the same divinely-constituted Church-Government and the same self-evident Rule of Faith to give our understandings the same principles as Christians and so our wills the same Actions And those are firmly rooted in all our hearts to have been recommended to us by the wisdom of the Eternal Father Whence 't is Impossible for all the Wit of Man or even Malice of Hell to disunite us as we are Faithful As private Discoursers our different Natures and Circumstances must needs distinguish us Every one believes the same but coming to explicate this Belief they vary according to the several degrees of perfection in their understanding Powers And yet M. Stillingfleet is not aware how little we differ even as Divines For though some Speculaters attribute to the Church a power of defining things not held before yet few will say she has New Revelations or New Articles of Faith those only some Lawyers who talk ultra crepidam no Divines that I know of and none that Christ was not a perfect Law-giver which are necessary Consequents or rather in a manner Identical to the other And when it comes to the point those men explain themselves that all was deliver'd Faith either Explicitly or Implicitly which I have shown to bear a very good Sence in my Explication of de fide He tells us Popes and Councils challenge a power to make things de fide in one Age which was not in another he speaks onely in common and proves it not Had he brought Instances it might have been better clear'd In the mean time I have shown him how take them right this is both perfectly innocent and unavoidably necessary to a Church What would avail him is if a Pope and Council should define a new Thing and declare they ground themselves on new Lights as did their first Reformers in England But he will finde no such fopperies in Faith-definitions made by the Catholick Church He tells us that this is the common Doctrin maintain'd By which I perceive he is at an end of his Argument against our Church there being no evidenter signe of it than to leave off assaulting Her confound her with the Schools or some private Opinaters and then carp at these mens Tenets Whereas M. Stillingfleet wants not Wit to know that no sober Catholick holds Human deductions the Rule of our Faith Schoolmen Definers of it nor the Schools the Tribunal whence to propose it authoritatively and obligingly to the Generality of the Faithful much less a few Divines which are far from reaching the Authority of the Schools Yet how much of his Book would need no Answer were this Impertinent Topick laid aside But well Let Schools and Church be all one that is let every master of divinity be a Bishop what means he to conclude from the words common Doctrin Does he make account every School-Doctrin must be equally in vogue or that an Opinion's being Common defines it Faith and condemns the other for Heretical Where 's his Reason The direct contrary follows from its being Common and that 't is not Faith which others though not so many may contradict and he is but meanly vers't in our Schools if he sees not very many publikely maintain that there are no new Revelations without dreading Excommunication or being held Heretical and seditious So they grant the Church power as they ought by new Propositions and new but expressive Words yet both the same in sence and so not new in substance to meet with the new blundering Cavils of Innovators 8. Yet all this while M. Stillingfleet cannot see how to satisfie himself of the Sence of our Church as to this particular Nor ever will while he wilfully looks the wrong way that is towards some particular Schoolmen or Divines not towards the Universality of the Faithful or Church What need he counterfeit this puzzle Did he never hear of such a thing as the Council of Trent Or is it so hard to finde it Again does not he know all the Catholick Church allow more a thousand times to It than to all the Schoolmen in the World Yes very well How comes it then that he runs to some Schoolmen and neglects the Church speaking in her Representative Because he may finde there a clear Solution of his doubt by the constant procedure of that most grave
of a Contradiction in a clear matter of Fact which is utterly inconsistent with a judging or congnoscitive nature 6. These Principles lay'd we we will advance to the proof of our main Conclusion on this manner that since neither any Age by our first Principle could hold a new introduc't point for not-new but immediately deliver'd nor yet any foregoing Age by our second make it be receiv'd as not-new by Posterity it follows that in no Age could any doctrin changing the immediate Faith of Fore-fathers or new at that time come in or be received under the notion of immediately deliver'd or not-new at that time Wherefore since nothing can descend or come down under the notion of not-new or deliver'd uninterruptedly unless it first come in or be receiv'd under the notion of not-new or deliver'd uninterruptedly nor be held by us as descended under such a notion unless it did actually descend to us under such a notion by the second it follows manifestly that if we now hold it descended as such it did descend as such and consequently was received by the deliverers as such and the same reason holding equally in each Age from Christ came down consequently from Christ and his Apostles No power then or wit of man could make our Faith now held to be so descended but its having been actually so descended that is onely the Existence of Tradition's Indeficiency could have effected this present persuasion of Traditionary Christians or Catholicks that their Faith descended uninterruptedly from the Apostles It being then manifest by Experience that this Effect or present Persuasion is for all Catholiks hold the Church never fail'd in Faith 't is demonstratively Evident that its proper and onely Cause has been put that is that Christian Tradition has ever been held to by a Body of Men consisting of the Predecessors to those whom we find actually thus perswaded NINTH DISCOURSE Opening the incomparable strength of the Churches Human Authority and the Infinit advantages accrue to It by the Supernatual Assistances of the Holy Ghost 1. BUt all this is Nature may some say and by this Method an Heathen may by his natural wit become a good Christian. By which word Nature if the Objecter means Reason wrought upon by motives laid by God's special goodness to bring Souls to Bliss I wonder what else is Supernaturality but this which he miscalls Nature and why Reason rectify'd by such Lights and Proposals as the force of Nature could not have aym'd at much less effected ought not to be said to be affected supernaturally however those very motives be connatural to our Souls It being evident that we use even the natural power of our Reason in discoursing of things above our reason and on the other side to expect no constant way or common path of motives laid for the Salvation of Mankind but extraordinary inspirations for each particular man unravell's the Order of God's best Providence and is the very notion of Fanatickness But to meddle with this point is out of my road otherwise than to take my rise hence to show how far Christian Tradition is strengthenâ—d above the greatest meerly-human Testimony whatever And that the Church owes this strength to those Motives supervening to meer Nature which we rightly call Assistances of the Holy Ghost in regard they are built on Perfections of Will in the Faithful or on Virtues the Effects properly attributed to that Divine Person 2. Ere we come to explain what advantage the Church as thus divinely assisted has over her self as meerly wrought upon by human motives we will compare first her human Authority with some other vast Body of Testifiers which may most seem to stand in competition with her And an eminent and acute opposer of Tradition has already pointed us out a choice one namely that of the Mahometans for Mahomet's Existence which we doubt not to have the power to convey down the Truth thereof with Infallible Certainty to the end of the world if follow'd not do we think the most Sceptical Protestant doubts but it has had the force to make it self be follow'd hitherto however at unawares their calm Reason grants that to a Body of Turks which their Passion makes them question and even deny to a Church of Christians Yet I averr that the human force of Tradition in the Church for the descent of the main Body of Christs doctrin far exceeds that of the Turks for Mahomet's Existence 3. To shew this in brief I note in the first place and chiefly that howsoever a report may spread universally from a small beginning in the quality of a rumour yet the force of its Credibility if it be a matter of Fact is founded on the Quantity and Quality of those who first saw or perceiv'd it Putting then the Quality of the Testifiers in both cases to be equal so to bring our Controversy to a smaller compass and comparing onely the Quantity or Number of the original Testifiers on both sides what proportion is there between that handful of men about Mecha and some few other places where Mahomet conquer'd and planted his doctrin and those vast multitudes whom all the Apostles Disciples and Apostolical men converted by most powerful miracles in so many distant Nations in the World If we lay them together we shall find that few saw or felt that is were witnesses of Mahomets Existence so much as once in comparison of those who were every day imbu'd with and practicâ—t Christian Doctrine A new Consideration springs hence that 't is a thousand times easier for that single company of Arabians and Syrians to conspire to a ly and so deliver down to us a false Mahomet than it is for such a multitude of people in so remote Countries as first suck't in Christianity to conspire in the very thought of having such a Conspiracy And lastly it was as easie by oft repeated Sensatioâ—s to know Christian Doctrin at first to that degree as to govern their actions by it which is all that is requisit for the generality it giving the Principles to the daily practice of their new Life as they were Christians as it was for these other witnesses to be certain of Mahomet's Existence and much easier in regard the greater part by far of those whom we allow Witnesses of Mahomets Existence perhaps scarce knew him by sight not conversing him daily or very often as each of the Primitive Christians did with those points of Faith they guided their lives by 4. The human Authority then of the Church being such as exceeds she Evidence of other Testimonies which yet are such that amongst all the most extravagant Opiniastres none was ever found so frantick as to doubt them and should any do so all sober Mankind would esteem them stark mad which could not be done in reason unless they renounc't perfect evidence that is unless those Testimonies were perfectly Evident This I say being so some may think it superfluous and a quirk of an
with such a person were not he mad that is a renouncor of Reason or Man's Nature who should not believe them You see then these Witnesses have power to propose such an Object as can oblige to Belief You see the Dissenters are Irrational that their act of dissenting springs from some Passion or Vice and Vice is punishable and so is the Effects of that Dissent if it be in such a matter as is highly pernicious to Mankind's best concerns Now our Church makes account she is able to propose an Authority incomparably more ample than the Attestation now spoken of for the true Descent of her Faith and judges such a proposal founded on the eye-sight of all those Witnesses to be able to oblige to interiour Assent in such a degree as to render them most highly wilful vicious and irrational who should disbelieve it hence the crime intrenching upon the order to mankind's Salvation the highest concern imaginable both to edify those dissenters by correcting their vice and the circumstant Faithful by breeding a conceit in them through the punishment of the others of the sacredness of Faith and its Rule and the hainousness of Pride of understanding the ready way to all Heresies they may nay ought punish their Interiour Dissent Not out of an height of Authority without motives as Mr. Whitby conceits but because that Authority is her self such a motive to Belief that onely irrational vicious and wilfully-blind persons can recede from it by disbelief And hence our Churches procedure is rational natural sweet and charitable tending to amend an enormity of Will not bred from a rationally but passionate dissatisfy'd Understanding Nay Mr. Whitby's discourse justifies Our Churches procedure who seems to allow his Church a power to require a positive Assent when the case comes to be such that the denier of it must needs be held wilfull and our Church neither sayes nor acts otherwise 15. By this Discourse I would not have Mr Whitby imagin that I am about proving our Churches Infallibility in this place but onely showing that holding She can evidence her Authority She goes rationally to work and consonantly to her self in requiring Assent to her Proposals whereas Theirs confessing her self fallible even in interpreting Scripture upon which all both her Faith and Authority as a Church depends were self-condemn'd irrational and tyrannical if She should go about to require any such Interiour Assent Now though he in big words denies this to be her carriage asking when did they meaning Bishops Convocations or Parliaments challenge any power over our minds and Consciences and alledges the consent of their Divines for it yet I wonder what he thinks of the Oaths of Allegiance and Supremacy made by a Protestant Parliament is there no obligation there to hold any thing Yes as strong as Oath can tye it And which is worse 't is more Irrational to go about to bind Our Assents who are not of their Church than to bind their own Subjects This in practice is perform'd towards all but so imprincipled a procedure that their Church waves it when it comes to a rational scanning in a Dispute and Controversy acknowledging so their want of Grounds to make it good Which shows that the Authority of their Church sprang from the Parliament or Secular State in regard She professes her self very heartily content with external Obedience let the Interiour Assent goes where it will most unlike the Church settled by the Wisdome of the Eternal Father and constituted the Pillar and Ground of Truth who provided in the first place for the Churches Power to hold us to the same Tenets which are the Principles of our Actions knowing that unless the Root of Faith be sound the Actions its branches must needs be rotten and unconscientious and that no Congregation could long hold together nor indeed longer than the plain force of the Secular Sword aw'd them unless by power to evidence its Authority it had power to oblige men's Understandings connaturally to an Unity in the same Faith which done all else would follow And hence we may see confessedly in the Protestant Principles the reason of their present and past distractions and divine of the future for men's Fancies being naturally various and no power in her to keep them in an Union they must needs ramble into multitudes of dissenting Sects which to strive to unite into one were to force both Nature and Conscience too Nature in striving to unite their Understandings in Faith without offering them Evidence of Authority Conscience in binding them to Act as Protestants do whereas they are ready to stake their Salvation upon it that their best reasons working upon the very Rule of Faith Protestants recommend obliges them to the contrary and that to force them to act with Them is to force them to sin So that the Protestants at once profess they will not or cannot oblige their Vnderstandings and yet at the same time contend by force to oblige their Wills without nay against their Understandings 16. In a word let Protestants write talk quote words as long as they will Plainest Common Sence tells them and every man who considers it that unless they settle some undisputable Method of arriving at Christ's Sence or Faith that is some self-evident and so all-obliging Rule of Faith the Protestant Church can never hope for Power to reduce their Dissenters nor to hold together or govern efficaciously their own Subjects that is they can never hope for Unity within themselves nor lastly Union with them that have it and charitably endeavour they may have it too THIRD APPENDIX Animadversions On Some Passages in Mr. Stillingfleet 1. THe loud Fame of Mr. Stillingfleet's Book preventing its Publication and withall the report of his good parts coming from diverse Judicious Persons bred in me a great Impatience to see something of his other Writings that so I might have more solid Ground to build my Expectation on than common rumour or commendation of acquaintances A Protestant Friend show'd me a little Treatise of his concerning Excommunication I perus'd the beginning of it and immediately told him Mr. Stillingfleet was a very ingenious person and writ the best I ever yet saw any Protestant For he settled first his notion or the true nature of the Thing and thence attempted by intrinsecal mediums to draw immediate Consequences which show'd that his head lay right for Science But withal I assur'd my Friend 't was impossible he could write against us and take that method the nature of his Cause not enduring so severe a Test. His Book coming forth and bearing in its Title a Rational Account of the Grounds of Protestant Religion my Expectation was more erected and till my self could get leasure to peruse it I told diverse both Catholicks and Protestants that they might expect from Mr. Stillingfleet's Wit the most that could be said either for the later or against the former But coming to over-look cursorily his Infallibility of Tradition
Synod in its definitions where he will hear of no such Toyes as New Revelations but directly the contrary Every Session where Faith was defin'd professing to build on Tradition Teaching and Preaching that is Oral Tradition ever alwayes from the beginning c. that is not new but the old-and ever-Faith If you would combat our Church here you have her fall to work But you find some Schoolmen opining also Infallibility in some other means besides Tradition and judging this Tenet easilier confuted you level your blowes at it because the other is out of your reach and would make this Tenet the Sence of the Catholick Church and so seem to oppose the Church her self You would disgrace this Way of Tradition as maintain'd but by a few and those blemisht persons How far are you wide of the Truth 'T is the way every Catholick in the whole Church none excepted holds and follows For my part I disavow the maintaining any Point or affecting any way which is not assented to by all and this not as Opinion but deeply rooted in their hearts as Infallibly Certain Schoolmen at Liberty question Personal Infallibility of the Pope some grant it not to him and his Roman Clergy some question that of a Provincial Synod nay some whose Books are extant and yet uncensur'd maintain even a General Council may possibly err but not one I have heard or read of affirms that Tradition or the Living voice of the Church Essential could err For in doing so he call'd all his Faith in question and so ceast to be a Christian. 9. This then being held by all held firmly and that it is absolutely Infallible so that in no case it can err the others only by some faintly in comparison as appears by the Faithful's permitting them â—o be question'd nay not held at all Infallible but upon Supposal of certain Conditions to be observ'd in which also Divines differ Mr. Stillingfleet and other Protestant Writers may see what they have to do if they will candidly impugn the Catholick Church and not trifle away time in wrangling with some private Opinators I have set them a fair mark in my Discourses if they will speak to the Point and the end of my Preface has told them how to do it If they overthrow this all the other Infallibilities now spoken of will fall with It If not not onely This of Universal Tradition will stand but also all the other Infallibilities will in Virtue of it be establisht on a firmer basis than any who begins not with and settles the First Principle in Controversy could ever give them This Foundation then they must either subvert or they may fear the Papists will build such superstructures on it as will reach to Heaven It rises apace and has advanc't many Stories in a small time 10. By this Discourse all Mr. Stillingfleet's If 's which follow have their Answer and he will see the knot easily loos'd in distinguishing the word other by which if he means disparate unconnected or unimply'd Points of Faith No Divines of any number or account hold they can be de novo much less our Church If involv'd or imply'd in the main Point he must show 't is absolutely Another and not rather a piece or part of the Implying one as Homo est Animal is a part of Homo est Animal rationale In the mean time let him consider what Logick tells us that The Conclusion is in the Premises which reflexion will much unblunder his Thoughts and withall that 't is most unreasonable to deny the Church the Liberty to take asunder her own Thoughts and clear them upon occasion by representing their Parts distinctly or in many Propositions which were invol'd before in some one A priviledge Nature grants all Mankind as a necessary Conseqent to their working by abstracted Notions this being no more than to regard or view the same thing`now on one side then on the other 11. His Second Chief Demand is What security is there that in no Age of the Church any Practices should come in which were not in the Precedent I answer Our Practices spring from our Tenets If then he means Ecclesiastical Practices that is such as spring from Ecclesiastical Constitutions there is no security at all for these are to come in anew as oft as the necessity of Disciplin or Government requires it If he mean such Practices as spring from Points of Faith taught by Christ there is the same security no such new Practices can be introduct as there is that no new Christian Tenets can come in Now these later Practices are those we make use of in Tradition as making Faith visible being as it were its Body He must mean then of These Practices to do his Discourse any service and so of these he questions whether the Descendents held themselves bound unalterably to observe what their Forefathers did otherwise to know barely what they did was not enough to make them follow it He argues well To smooth as many rubs as I can that so we may have no difficulty but our main one I would reflect on the signification of the word unalterably For to introduce new Practices consequent to the former is to propagate enlarge extend and so strengthen them not to alter them in the same manner as to discourse consequently to a Principle or Tenet is so far from altering it that by the contexture of other Truths with it it corroborates and establishes it more unalterably its self They must then be Practices not of a subordinate but an opposit Nature to Christian ones which can be fear'd to alter Christian Practices The Question then is whether Children or the Succeeding Age held themselves still bound not to bring in Practices and Tenets contrary to the Doctrin and Practice of the Precedent Age. And the Affirmative is most Evident in case they held those Tenets which Principled those Actions True taught by Christ and commanded by him as the Way to bring them to Heaven and those Practices Consequent If then they held the deliverâ—d Doctrin Christ's they could not but hold themselves oblig'd not to alter it nor consequently its Practices So that our Question is restrain'd to to a narrower compass and the onely Difficulty now is whether they held the Doctrin of Forefathers to be the Doctrin of Christ or no. 12. I am heartily glad so acute an Adversary as Mr. Stillingfleet and one chosen out if I am inform'd right as a person conceiv'd the ablest to write against Catholicks has so candidly confest here p. 629. That the onely thing to be prov'd in this case is That every Age in the Church and all persons in it looked upon themselves as oblig'd not to vary in any thing from the Doctrin and Practice of the Precedent Age. He offers me my choice of three wayes to prove it I accept of the way of Reason He presses for a demonstrative medium to prove it yet seems to dislike our pretence