form of words This is the Faith of Blessed Peter this is the Faith of the Fathers this is the Faith of the Orthodox From which Testimonies note we 17. First That the Council in every Session not one excepted where Points of Faith are handled constantly professes to follow TRADITION Secondly It layes claim perpetually to Vninterruptedness of this Tradition as appears by the words ever alwayes from the Apostles times from the beginning from the Apostles have come down by hands to us The Church hath alwayes understood held openly profest taught hath ever kept and will ever keep perpetually commended by our Fathers hath learned by Tradition received down by hand hath ever observed and such like Plainly showing that this Persuasion of our Faith's descent uninterruptedly is deeply and unanimously rooted in the heart of the whole Catholick Church Which strengthens our Doctrin Disc. 8. § 2. and 3. 3ly It makes the Suggestion of the Holy Ghost or Sanctity in the hearts of the Faithful efficacious to perpetuate the delivery of received Doctrin See Sess. 6. Decreto de Iustificatione Sess. 13. de SS Euchar. Sacramento and many other places The very point I went about to explicate in my 9. Discourse 4ly 'T is observable that though it mentions the Holy Scriptures also with Tradition yet this is both very rarely and when it does so It onely expresses that Faith is contain'd in them but when it brings Places of Scripture to ground Definitions upon It perpetually professes to Interpret them by Tradition Which is most Evident both by its decreeing this in common Sess. 4. That none dare to interpret Holy Scriptures against the Sence which our Holy Mother the Church hath held and does hold meaning that Sence in the Hearts of the Faithful is the Rule to interpret Scripture by see Corol. 30. As also by several Instances Sess. 5. § 4. Sess. 14. Can. 3. Sess. 22. cap. 1. and to omit others in that most remarkable plaâ—e Sess. 14. In which after the Text of S. Iamesâ—lledg'd â—lledg'd for Extream Unction the Council subjoins In which words as the Church hath learn'd by Apostolical Tradition received down by hands be teaches c. Where Tradition is most evidently made the Rule which instructs and guides the Church in interpreting Scripture And 't is observable that the Council no where grounds any definition on Scripture but at the same time she grounds her Interpretation of Scripture on Tradition which devolves into this that the Council makes Tradition her onely Rule to know Certainly Christ's Sence or Points of Faith that is in proper speaking the onely Rule of Faith 18. But why then is the Holy Scripture made use of at all by the Council and that so solemnly nay and which is to be noted constantly put before Tradition To satisfy fully this difficulty 't is not the proper season at present yet being a good point and worth clearing I will not totally neglect it We may observe then that when we read any Book writ by an Authour we much esteem but yet such a Book as requires studying Aristotle's for Example or some other such whom we hold Scientifical we sometimes hope well as it were when we apply our own Industry to find out his meaning and have a kind of respect for what we conceive to be his Sence yet his Authority takes not full hold of our Understanding by reason the way we take is not evidently convictive that this is his Certain Sence But if the Point he writes on be first clear'd to us through a Scientifical discourse by word of mouth made by some Interpreter vers'd in his Doctrin and perfectly acquainted with his meaning we have as it were new Eyes given us to look deeply and thoroughly into his Sence and by this Security of arriving at it his Authority in case we highly esteem'd it has now its full force upon us to strengthen our Assent according to the degree of power it had upon our Understanding Now what a well-skill'd and insighted Interpreter or scientifical Explicater of the point is to such an Author the same is Tradition to Scripture For This bringing down Certainly Christ's Sence in every Point of Faith It easily and securely guides us to the true meaning of Scripture in those passages which concern such a point whereas the wordish way of Grammar and Criticism being evident by Principles to be ambiguous and by Experience to lead men into different Sences it can never satisfy us thoroughly that the Sence we arrive at by this method is infallibly the true one or Christs and so never engages certainly the Authority of GOD'S WORD And hence it is that Scripture thus interpreted is of sleight force and at best good onely for Ecclesiastical Rhetorick or Sermons where the concern is not much if the Preacher misses in this particular passage so the Substance of the Point he preaches on or his Text be truly Christ's doctrin nor is Scripture thus interpreted even a competent proof in the Science of School-Divinity as being Uncertain and so unapt to beget Science whence Intelligent Divines quoting and building on Scripture are to be suppos'd to judge the Sence they build on to be the Churches and so they are presum'd to go to work as Faithful or parts of Ecclesia docens or else they lay true Science first which is ever agreeable to Faith and so when any Text concerns a demonstrated point they know by Science what the true Sence of that Point must be Much less is Scripture wordishly interpreted apt to build Faith on the unwaveringness of which kind of Assent must be grounded and secure in the Principles which beget it and not meerly actually such as it were by accident whereas Interpretations thus made Faith's Principles in this case are liable to possible if not probable mistake This will be clearer by a parallel made by a learned Authour worth inserting because it strengthens our Discourse by a new Consideration Let a Critick and a skill'd Carpenter read Vitruvius his Book of Architecture the Critick has but a dim dry and uncertain conceit of what he reads as to the truth of the thing but the Carpenter or Architect by reason of some Principles and Practice he has already of those matters understands him more thoroughly and makes lively and firm conceits of the truth and excellency of what he writes Such is the Practical way of knowing Christs Sence or Tradition to the interpreting Scripture usâ—d by the Catholick Church in comparison of the Critical Method affected by others In a word Tradition gives us Christs Sence that is the Life of the Letter ascertaind to our hands which therefore must needs move the Letter its Body naturally The other way takes the dead Letter and endeavours to move it Artificially to counterfeit that Life which it truly wants 19. To apply this Discourse to our matter in hand Tradition securing to us the Scripture's Letter truly significative of Christ's Sence and also the
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
vulgar reason easily telling them that there can be but one Truth that is that all the other Professors to follow Scripture do notwithstanding believe and speak false Now these honest Scholars of plain down right Nature that of her lowest form too being unable to judge which truly follow the Scripture's Letter and onely capable to know they all profess it with Words and Actions expressing the greatest seriousness in the world are to think that all equally mean to follow it to their power Whence their common reason will tell them though they cannot express it in our terms or defend it that meerly for want of Light that is Evidence in the Directive Power of that Rule they all but one party and perhaps that too as well as the rest go most miserably astray This third Property then of the Rule of Faith namely to justify the undoubting vulgar is wanting to Scriptures Letter 3. There follows the fourth Property of the Rule of Faith which is that it must be able of its own nature to satisfy the most Sceptical dissenters and rational doubters that the Doctrin it holds forth came from Christ. To make a true conceit of what may be judg'd sufficient for this End let us reflect on the nature and temper of such Dissenters and Doubters and we shall quickly discover that they are men given to stir their thoughts by much reflexion and to call them to a strict account ere they yield them over to Assent Wherefore if we suppose them true to their own thoughts and not to betray the Light of their Reason to some Passion in which case their Faith it self were in them a Vice we cannot imagin that any thing under Demonstration can bind and restrain those active and volatil Souls from fluttering still in Objections and hovering in doubts when their Eternal Good is concern'd Especially when an Authority is about scanning upon whose word they are bound after they have approv'd it to believe unconcievable and unheard of things above the reach of human Reason Apprehension Let now any man go about to demonstrate to those great wits these points That the Scripture's Letter was writ by men divinely inspir'd That there is never a real one however there may be many seeming Contradictions in it and this to be shown out of the very Letter it self That just this Catalogue or number of Books is enough for the Rule of Faith and no one Necessary that was lost none be abated or if so how many That the Originals out of which the Translations were made were entire and uncorrupted That the first Translations were skilfully rightly made and afterwards deriv'd down sincere notwithstanding the errableness of thousands of Transcribers Printers Correcters c. and the malice of antient Hereticks and Jews who had it in their hands And lastly That this and this onely is the true sence of it to which is requisite great skill in Languages to understand the meaning of words in Grammar to know what meaning they should generally beat according to its Rules as thus construed or put together Criticism to know what a word doe most commonly or may possibly signify by rules 〈◊〉 nicer Etymologies or acception of Authours ancient or modern by dialects of several Countries c. History to make known the true scope of the Authour the best Interpreter of his meaning Logick to draw consequenceâ— aright and so find out the thread of the discourse to avoid equivocation in words by discovering which are to be taken properly which Metaphorically And to apply this right fome skill in the things themselves that is in Nature and Metaphysicks especially that which treats of the nature of Spirits as the Soul Angels God and his Attributes but especially in Divinity both Speculative and Moral which by the way supposes Faith and comes after it and so cannot be presuppos'd to the Rule of Faith which precedes it Let any man I say go about to demonstrate all these difficult Points ro those acute men and will they not smile at his endeavors since most of them that concern the truth of the Letter are such that we want Principles to go about to evidence them and the rest so obscure that a searching and sincere wit would still find something to reply to rationally or at least maintain his ground of Suspence with a Might it not be otherwise And were some one or two of these points demonstrable yet who sees not it is a task of so long study that a great part of a man's life would be spent in a weaâ—isome and hopeless endeavour to come to Faith by this tedious method which would both dis-invite to a pursuit and even a diligent man may in likelihood die ere he could rationally embrace any Faith at all Faith then being intended for a man to lead his life by 't is necessary it's Rule and the means to come to it should be easily victorious by reason of it's Certainty and Evidence over the shock of Doubts or the assaults of Intellectual Fears In which the Scripture's Letter being defective 't is plain that 't is far from the Nature of a Rule of Faith 4. The same discourse holds to prove that the Scripture's Letter is not convictive of the most obstinate and acute Adversaries which is the fifth Property of the Rule of Faith Yet to apprehend this more lively let us imagin it apply'd to practice and that some Text of Scripture were quoted to convince a Deist in some point He asks how you are certain that Book is God's word You alledge the Excellencies of it which indeed are such that eyes already enlighten'd by true Faith may discern something in it above nature and cry Digitus Dâ—i est hîc though not his dim sight He answers that many parts of it are indeed very excellently good but that the Devil can transform himself into an Angel of Light On the other side he requites your Excellencies with many strange Absurdities and Heresies even by your own confession in the open Letter as it lies and most unworthy God as that he has hands feet and passions like ours according to which he is variable He finds you direct Text against acknowledg'd Science in divers particulars and reckons up a multitude of Contradictions to his Judgment You answer that those places are understood according to human apprehension and are indeed incompetent to God but that there are mystical and spiritual meanings couch't in those sacred Oracles which with the help of History would reconcile those seeming Contradictions He cries you quite abandon your pretended Rule that since you confess Heresies are in the open Letter taken as it lies you must have some Knowledge in your Head concerning God which makes you decline the sence of the words as they lie and run to gloss them and demands whence you came by those tenets which oblige you to correct the plain Letter challenging your thoughts and carriage as witnesses that that
blotted worn out c. Which though it seems a remote and impertinent Exception yet to one who considers the wise Dispositions of Divine Providence it will deserve a deep Consideration For seeing the Salvation of Mankind is the End of God's making Nature the means to it should be more settled strong and unalterable than any other piece of Nature whatever Putting then Scripture's Letter to be this Rule and that all its Significativeness of God's Sence that is all its virtue of a Rule is lost if the material Characters its Basis be destroy'd or alter'd who sees not a very disorderly proceeding in laying so weak means in such immediateness to so main an end and concludes not thence that Faith's Rule ought in right reason have a better Basis than such perishable and alterable Elements 3. Reflecting next on those material Characters in complexion with the Causes actually laid in the world to preserve them entire we shall find that either those Causes are Material and then themselves are also liable to continual alterations and innumerable Contingencies or Spiritual that is men's Minds Now these being the noblest pieces in Nature and freed in part from Physical mutability by their Immateriality we may with good reason hope for a greater degree of constancy from them than from any other and indeed for a perfect unalterableness from their Nature and this being to conceive Truth an Inerrableness if due circumstances be observ'd that is if due proposals be made to beget Certain Knowledge and due care us'd to attend to such Proposals Otherwise their very Createdness and Finitness entitle them to defectibility besides their obnoxiousness to mutation and perpetual alteration through the alloy of their material Compart I call it due proposal when it must necessarily affect the Sense and so beget natural Knowledge or when unequivocal terms are so immediately and orderly laid that the Conclusion must as necessarily be seen in the Premises as that the same thing cannot both be and not-be at once by a mind inur'd to reflexion and speculation and I call that due care which preserves the Soul in such temper as permits the objects impression to be heeded and the Mind to be affected by it 4. This premised we may reflect that the Rule of Faith as was provd Disc. 1. § 4 5 10 11. must be obvious to men of ordinary Sence and not onely to Speculators as also that Objects of the Senses may be of two sorts Of the the first are things in Nature or else simple vulgar actions and plain matters of Fact which if oft repeated and familiariz'd are unmistakable and consequently the perceiver inerrable in such a matter Of the second are such actions as are compounded and made up of an innumerable multitude of several particularities to be observed every of which may be mistaken apart each being a distinct little action in its single self Such as is the transcribing a whole book consisting of such myriads of words single Letters and Tittles or Stops and the several actions of writing over each of these so short and cursory that it prevents diligence and exceeds human care to keep awake and apply distinct attentions to every of these distinct actions And yet to do our Opposers right I doubt not but each of these failings may possibly be provided against by oft-repeated Corrections of many sedulous and sober examiners set apart for that business and that the truth of the Letter of an whole Book might to a very great degree if not altogether be ascertain'd to us were the Examiners of each Copy known to be very numerous prudent and honest and each of them testifying his single examination of it word by word For then the difficulty consisting in the multiplicity and the variety is provided against by the multitude of the preserving Causes and their multifariousness made convictive to us by their well-testify'd consent 5. To apply this discourse to the matter in hand If we were Certain there had been anciently a multitude of Examiners of the Scripture's Letter in each Copy taken from the first Original or the next Copies from these and so forwards with the exact care we have defin'd the single Examinations of each and the amendment of the Copy according to their Examinations convincingly testify'd and that by Excommunication or heavy Ecclesiastical Prohibitions and Mulcts it had been provided for from the beginning that none should presume to take a Copy of it and that Copy be permitted to be read or seen till it were thus examined much might have been said for the Certainty of the Scripture's Letter upon these men's Principles But if no such Orders or Exactness was ever heard of especially of the New Testament upon the Truth of whose Letter they build Christian Faith If the multitudes of Letters Commaes blottings or illegibleness of the Originals like-appearance of Letters and even whole Words in in the Book like-sounding in the ear or fancy of the Transcriber possibility of misplacing omitting inserting c. did administer very fruitful occasions to human overâ—ight If the more Copies were taken the more the errours were like to grow and the farther from correcting If Experience testifies no such exact diligence has been formerly us'd by the diverse Readings of several Copies now extant and thousands of Corrections which have lately been made of the Vulgar Edition the most universally currant perhaps of any other what can we say but that for any thing these Principles afford Scriptures Letter may be uncertain in every tittle not withstanding the diligence which has de facto been used to preserve it uncorrupted in the way of those who hold it the onely Rule of Faith In their way I say who will not have the Sence of Christ's Doctrine writ in Christians hearts the Rule for the Correcters of the Letter to guide themselves by but the meer Letter of a formeâ— and God knows controvertible Copy out of which the Transcription and by which onely the Examination is made What Certainty accrues to Scripture's Letter by the means of Tradition or the living voice of the present Church in each Age is the Subject of another enquiry 6. Now as for the Certainty of the Scripture's Significativeness which is the other Branch nothing is more evident than that this is quite lost to all in the Uncertainty of the Letter and 〈◊〉 evident that 't is unattainable by the vulgar that is the better half of mankind since they are unfurnisht of those Arts and Skills as Languages Grammar Logick History Metaphysicks Divinity c. requisit to establish and render certain the sence they conceive the Letter ought to bear without which they can never make such an Interpretation of it but an acute Scholler skill'd in those means will be able to blunder theirs and make a seeming clearer one of his own In a word if we see eminent Wits of the Protestants and the Socinians making use of the self-same and as they conceive the best
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
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
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
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