point of Indulgences then this that the power of granting them hath beene given the Church by Christ Iesus that the use of them is beneficiall Where unto the Council addeth that the grant of them ought to be dispenced with caution least the Ecclesiasticall discipline should be weakened enervated by an excessive facility which advice declareth that the manner of disposing of Indulgences appartaineth to church discipline Thus far out of this greate person What have you to say against this Catholick doctrine You employ one fifty pages declaming against this Treasure these Indulgences viz from the 189. till the 240. yet in the midst of all this transport we find a lucid intervall where Truth against which in the rest you discourse forces you to depose in her favour For pag. 216. I find these words It was the practice of the Holy Church to expell from their society scandalous knowne sinners They were enjoyned to pray to fast to curb to mortify their flesh to afflict their souls for their sins to apply themselves to all such workes as myght both improve declare their in ward sincere Repentance These long holy exercises did passe among all Christians for SATISFACTIONS to the Church in some manner to God too Before the Church most properly because that was all which Church discipline required before God in a lower yet a very tru proper sense because it is the main condition which God requires of Offenders which he is in his mercy both satisfyed pleased with when they Sincerely performe it They were to doe it alōg while some a whole yeare some two some ten some according to the enormity of the sin all their life long Thus you of satisfaction by Penitentiall workes Pag. 218. You continu your explication of this matter There now and then hapned say you such causes as moved them the Bishops to be more free by shortning the time of sinners Pennance As when the sinner gave signall proofes of an extraordinary sorrow when he stoutly owned defended the Christian Faith when in times of Persecution they were to be strengthned to Martyr dome when valiant Confessors did interceede for some of their freinds on these other like rationall pious Inducements the holy Fathers thought they myght ether ease such Penitents of the length or some times quite discharge them of the whole burthen then And this Relaxation of Ecclesiasticall Severity some Latin Fathers Tertullian S. Cyprian call in their writings by the name of Indulgence Here you soe exactly agree with what I have written out of our Bishop de Condom that you may seeme to have copyed him or both to have taken your sentiments out of some third At least this is evident that you owne as much as that Authour teacheth to be the Faith of the Roman Catholick Church consequently your Censure on our Faith in these points of satisfaction even to God Indulgences is a condemnation of your self Magna veritas praevalet CHAP. VIII Confraternityes CHapter 11. you traduce our Confraternityes c. 12. you play with the girdle of S. Francis c. 13. you deride the Scapulary of S. Simon Stock c. 14. make your selfe merry with the Rosary All which being no points of our Faith I do not think my selfe oblidged to assert them in this pamphlet Yet I will tell you what you know already though you Slily insinuate the contrary pag. 300. that we preach Faith Repentance Perseverance in well doing c. more then Protestants seing we hold them absolutely necessary to salvation Faith without workes being dead as we teach with S. James you teach Faith alone to Justify we exhort People to them with hopes of a reward they being meritorious you deny all merits We use indead those things you speake of as helpes of our Faith exercises of our devotion meanes to strengthen our frailty to Persever in well-doing It is a Calumny to say we think Faith Hope Charity unnecessary or that we teach any can be saved without them even when we invite men to these Gilds or Confraternitys into which men enter only with intention to encrease those vertues in their souls We feele we know we owne our inclination to Evill from our Infancy we are convinced that our Will of it self is insensible nay stupid as to all Good that words have little force uppon it but that examples are much more powerfull Hence appeares the first advantage of those who are incorporated into those Congregations which consist of men who forgetting those things which are behind reaching forth unto those things which are before presse towards the marke Philip. 3. such men who consider one another to provoke to love good workes Heb. 10.24 This appeared in the Confraternity of Charity begun by P. Vincent de Paul which with the Almes it gathered releived all the poore of Loraine Champagne Picardie many Ladys of the best quality after entring into that Congregation turned to the releife of the poore what before they spent on vanity or lost by gaming changed their chambers Closets into well stored wardrobes filled with sutes of Clothes of all bignesses for both sexes which they bestowed uppon the naked Poore in whose persons they they were taught to consider Christ himself Another advantage is that our Prayers are more efficacious when offred in company then when single All the vertu of our Prayers is derived from that of our B. Saviour now he assures us that where two are assembled in his name he is there in the midst of them Mat 18.20 And he assists there not as an Idle spectator as many Protestants goe to Church to see be seene but to enlyghten the mind of the persons assembled with divine inspirations to enflame their Will with the love of God their neyghbour To incite them to Pray to represent their Prayers to his Heavenly Father second them with his owne to powre into their harts the Blessings he obtaines through the merit of those Wounds he once endured for our Redemption ever since retaines to shew them to God the Father in whose presence be appeares for us These are the designes of Confraternitys We know Sir that the Honour of God tru Religion consists in Faith Hope Charity These are nourisht by the Concourse of many Persons to encrease these interiour vertues by exteriour exercises of Piety Mortification To call these together the Rosary Scapular Girdle are used with Indulgences to make the call more efficacious Now whither is more to blame we for using these helpes or you for rejecting them CHAP. IX Images YOur 16. Chapter is spent in declaming against our Images which some other learned persons having in hand I wil leave to them least I myght seeme to thrust my sickle into others harvest Probably I may shortly have occasion to treate of it at large on my owne Score there I hope to
them general Axioms which precipitated Judgments are often very erroneous We have seen one Example of it here follow others P. 38.39.40 God say you proceeds in the New Law as he did in the Old In the beginning of both he doth undeniable wonders and restrains the Devil and his Ministers from doing any After a time when each Law was establisht God ceases from working Miracles and the Devil is let loose to act as he pleases Thus you That God acted in both Laws in some manner alike confirming both with Miracles is very true But that the Devil was restrained and tied up from acting at the beginning of either or that God ceased from them in both after some time is most false It is false that the Devil was restrained from acting things which to men seemed miraculous for in the beginning of the Old Law the Magicians for some time contended with Moses and did things like his Miracles Exod. 7. And immediately after the coming of Christ Apollonius Tyanaeus is an instance that the Devil had then as much liberty as ever for there scarce ever was any Magician who equalled him in seeming wonders But say you Oracles were supprest Elimas struck blind Demoniacks silenced Simon Magus beat down by S. Peter What then Ergo the Devil was tied from all false Miracles Pag. 39. Thus you draw a general conclusion out of some particular instances although there are others as evident for the contrary as those of Vespasian and Adrian of whom you your self speak Pag. 36. prove there were seeming wonders wrought at that time and we find in S. Chrysostom and Theodoret l. 3. Hist cap. 16. a pratling Oracle of Apollo near Antioch whose mouth was stopt by S. Babilas his bones It is also false That Miracles ceased when the Old Law was establisht for the vertue of the Cursed Waters Num. 5. continued to the end that of the Sheep Pond Iohn 5. also which two are recorded in Holy Scripture As also those of Elias and Elizeus in the 3. and 4. of Kings The Old Law was establisht when Hieroboam set ut his Calfes yet 3. Kings 13. three Miracles were wrought to confound that beginning Idolatry and crush the Infant Schisme in its Cradle I say nothing of several other Miracles not recorded in Scripture which yet are mentioned in other Fathers to have continued to Christ his time viz. that no fly should be found in the Temple nor any noisome smells notwithstanding so many Burnt Offerings that the Wind should not blow away the Ashes of the Altar which stood in an Open Court that no Enemy should infest their Countrey whilst they went thrice a year to Hierusalem c. which were continued till Christ's death and that of the Synagogue When you have considered these things you will say that your assertion of Miracles ceasing when the Law was setled was very rash Seeing then that God as you say proceeds in both Laws alike Miracles having not ceased in the Old Law till the Death of Christ and the end of the Law they are not to cease in the New But say you God ceased from Miracles when there were Christian Princes to whose care he committed the Church as willing to ease himself of the trouble being tired with the labour But your sword will here do us service again for p. 44. you acknowledge the Miracles by the Relicks of S. Stephen in Africa and S. Gervasius and Protasius at Milan which being done in S. Austin's time you acknowledge Miracles long after Christian Princes were Nurses of the Church Such a perpetual combat there is in your Writings and will be while fancy fights against Truth in one of a weak memory Another Contradiction I find p. 37. where to shew your admirable Erudition you say that the Primitive Ermits retired to Deserts to convert the Barbarous Inhabitants Very rare the world hath been hitherto in a great error all universally believing that Ermits went to the Deserts not to seek but to flie all men and it is evident that S. Paul and several others past a long age of most men without seeing any man at all which is so evident that you could not but say and own it in this very place Deserts say you the refuge of Primitive Christians from the face of their enemies They went then to the Deserts to flie from their enemies not to seek them there So incoherent are your fancies you say and unsay the same thing within six lines let me advise you not to relie on every fancy which presents it self otherwise it may be the ignorant may admire you but certainly the learned will laugh at you We have examined your Assertions we will now hear your Proofs Pag. 37. The World being sufficiently called to the Christian Faith say you the Holy Fathers tell us that Miracles ceased that they were unnecessary that to expect other then the old ones was to tempt God And you cite S. Chrysostom A. Operis Imperf qq ex Nov. Test You might as well have cited S. Austin l. 1. de Vera Relig. c. 25. Cùm enim Ecclesia Catholica The Catholick Church being spread all over the world and founded it was not permitted that those Miracles should last till our days These words are as full as any you can produce yet they do not oblige us to say there were no Miracles wrought in that great Saints time Let him explicate his own meaning l. 1. Retract c. 14 Verum est quidem That which said is true for in our days the imposition of hands upon persons baptized dos not give with the Holy Ghost the knowledge of Languages neither do Preachers cure the Sick with their shadow But my words ought not so to be understood as if no Miracles at all were done For I my self knew of a blind man cured at Milan and such like things are frequent etiam istis temporibus even in these dayes that I can neither know them all nor relate all that I know Thus S. Austin You see Sir an Eye-witness above all exception of not a few but many Miracles wrought in those dayes when you pretend Miracles to have ceased If we come nearer our Times we shall find very many recorded in the two S. Gregories the Great and of Tours And so on till this Age God's hand being not now shortned or disabled to do them and man's wants requiring them chiefly to nourish in him that lively Faith in God and hope of his help in our wants and to encourage us to have recourse with confidence to the Throne of Grace I could bring a Cloud of Witnesses but that in reality you acknowledge what I intend which is another of your contradictions For you say p. 35. That God is pleased to shew his Power Justice Mercy or Divine Being in all Ages by some supernatural Effects That there is no Nation whose Chronicles do not testifie this nay scarce any private man but may observe some of these in himself
worse fault if you did know it yet assert the contrary And that it is no bad Spirit which in later times appeares is Evident by the fruites it produces Humility Meeknesse Patience Peace of Conscience a contempt of temporall an esteeme of spirituall things in a word charity to their neyghbour a Love of God above all things even themselves These vertues are planted watred encreased by these Apparitions in those souls to whome they are granted Are these the fruites of a bad Spirit Doe such grapes grow on thornes Such figs on thistles But she the ever B. Virgin admits of Honour say you p. 68. She does soe Honour is due to her first because she is ful of Grace Luc. 1.28 Secondly because she is the mother of God Conc. Ephes the hyghest dignity any pure creature is capable of Thirdly for the benefits we receive by her intercession CHAP. V. Of the Protection of Saints IN your 4. Chapter having for 8. whole pages declamed against our Prayers to Saints from p. 71. to 79. you draw at length your discourse to this conclusion The tru reason why praying to Saints is called Idolatry is not because they cannot heare for this would make praying to them no more then an Idle uselesse act but mainly-because Prayer vows giving of Thanks is a main part of God's service Scripture the Ancient Fathers still reckon Prayer Thanksgiving amongst the truest sacrifices which can belong to none but God Soe calling on them who are not Gods is downeryght Idolatry Thus you And having breathed a while you say The truth is you may call uppon a Saint without any danger of Idolatry if he be in such a distance whence intelligent creatures may without Miracle Heare one another Which words destroy your former assertion being contradictory to it The truth is if I may conjecture when you advanced the first Proposition your Imaginative faculty had beene over heated with your forgoing discourse soe represented things amisse But before you writ the following part it had time to coole returne to a rationall temper then the Truth as it is appeared that Action which before seemed Idolatry was knowne to be Innocent Thus you condemne absolve us according as you are disposed We are sure God hath more constant measures to Judge by which is our Comfort I will leave you to reconcile your disagreeing thoughts take what you grant viz. that it is not Idolatry to pray to Saints provided they be not out of hearing Moreover you say p. 80. It is not Idolatry to pray to your freinds by letters at what distance soever Soe it is no Idolatry by setter to pray to one in the other hemisphere Nay you grant the same to a Saint in Heaven if we have Expresses to carry our letters Which are your owne words Soe that S. Paul in desiring the Romans to pray for him had beene guilty of Idolatry had he not found an Expresse Phebe to carry his letter the Prayers of Papists to Saints are Idolatry because they have no Expresses for Heaven Rare discourse But seeing the distance of the Saint from us is the thing which makes Prayer to him Idolatry shew your skill in Metaphysick teach us what that distance is In which Scripture fathers as well as Divines are silent Is it a Bow's-shoote a league ten leagues A Diameter of the Earth the latitude of the whole world The reason of my doubt is because Bodys have certainly a more narrow Sphere of Activity then Spirits yet it is not easy to determine the Sphere of Activity of one of our senses Seing which discovers stars in the firmament at an unconceavable distance And were there other luminous bodys ten times more remote with a bignesse proportionably greater a more vivid lyght our Eyes would discerne them Soe it is not the distance alone which hinders our discovering some objects but it is ether their obscurity or their position out of a streyght Line or their framing too little an Angle in the Retina or the bad disposition of the eye it self You see Sir it is no easy matter to determine the Sphere of Activity of one of our corporall senses who will then presume to determine that of a Spirituall creature which is much more unlimited as drawing neerer to the Divine Being which is unlimited in all kinds now unlesse you can resolve this doubt moreover shew us at what distance the Saints are from us your charge of Idolatry will fall to the ground because you cannot convince that the Saints we pray to be out of hearing Whilest you study an answer to this unanswerable doubt I will teach you what I learne out of Scripture that the Saints doe know in Heaven what passes on Earth For luke 15.7 our Saviour says Ioy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth That Repentance is then knowne in Heaven for there can be no Joy for things unknowne And if this why not other things Are there setled some Expresses to carry tidings of the Repentance of a sinner not of the Prayers of the virtuous Againe Abraham knew what had past in the times of the rich man Lazarus that one had received good things the other evill things Luke 16.25 The rich man saw Lazarus Lazarus saw him they saw their different conditions of blisse misery they could speake to one another Soe souls in Limbo Patrum as we say or as you say Saints in Heaven Damned souls in Hell see know converse with one another The rich man knew he had in the world five brethren whose wicked life would bring them to the Torments he endured if they did not amend it Abraham knew the same that they had Moyses the Prophets How can all this stand with that darke Ignorance of things of this world in which you fancy the deceased souls to live even in Heaven Produce your doughty arguments against Christ himself say it is impossible the glutton should see Lazarus or speake to Abraham or Abraham reply Alleadge Distance the danger of Idolatry what else you please For all these things ether prove nothing against us or convince our Saviour's words to be improper or worse Unlesse unto your other inventions you adde that of Expresses setled betwixt Hell Abraham's bosome As for the meanes by which the souls know what passes here it is not materiall whither it be by the mediation of Angels or Revelation or seing things in the Divine Essence as in a voluntary looking glasse or by the force of their understanding which having no dependance onsenses can reach to all places or by severall or all these together or by any other way unknowne to us Each hath severall good Authors none is impossible or improbable But the thing is not worth the while to examin it belonging to Metaphysick not to Divinity much lesse to Faith Yet it is considerable that Divines