even to Natural common Sense do appear so equitable that they are required in Disciples of all Arts and Sciences how much more then are they to be demanded in all Persuits of Divine and Supernatural Knowledge The Teachers and Professors of which seem to have a Right to exact them of all who pretend to be their Disciples and they may and ought to protest before-hand against all Passionate Prejudiced Self-interessed Self-conceited Arrogant Presumptuous Unserious and Insincere Discoursers To such Books Written by Angels and Sermons Preach'd by God himself would prove unfruitful as was the Case of the Scribes and Pharisees even for these very Reasons whilst of the Poor and Simple of the Meek and Lowly a few words of an unlearned Fisherman could Convert Thousands To Conclude if these Dispositions are so necessary in all other Inquests they are much more so in the perusers of the following Treatise Which being a Consult does in a most particular manner require an Impartial Unbiast and Unprejudiced Reader for as much as he is invited hither not so much as a Party as a Judge in whom a contrary Disposition is intolerable Let him therefore consider that he is to sit and hold the Ballance in the Scales of which are to be put and weighed the opposite Practices of Two contrary Parties great and zealous Pretenders to and Assertors of the True that is as each thinks of their own Respective Religion Nothing will be offered to his Animadversion but unquestionable Matters of Fact of which the common Sense of Mankind may be judge all begun and transacted within these Hundred and Fifty Years The Effects and Consequences of which do infinitely Touch and Concern him And therefore though he be advised to hold indifference in the Examen yet let him have a care he do not so in the Decision for it is of terrible importance to him either not to determine at all or to determine wrong For when all is done he must unavoidably in the end become a Party who here in the beginning is made a Judge and the Sentence which he shall or shall not Pronounce it matters not which if it be not the right will fall heavy only upon himself Let him therefore Read and attend with Fear and to all the Preparations recommended before in this Preface let him add this one more of Earnest and Fervent Prayer that God the Enlightner of all Minds and the Mover of all Hearts will please to Visit his with the Twofold Grace of Faith and Charity that he may see and chose and for ever Embrace and Adhere to the only means for Everlasting Life The True Religion Amen ERRATA PAg 15. l. 1. read Contrition or Sorrow for sins past is necessary p. 18. l. 30. r. No Liberty p. 32. l. 4. r. Paralytics ibid. l. 7. Dele such p. 37. l. 2. r. Bolsecus p. 51. l. 2. Dele only p. 57. l. 30. r. regimen p. 63. l. 22. r. his head p. 65. l. 14. r. Faith ibid. l. 15. r. Evinced ibid. l. 21. r. Gods Comandments p. 67. l. 7. Dele that p. 70. l. 5. r. profession p. 72. l. 26. r. them p. 73. l. 21. r. Ordination of Degree Descending p. 79. l. ult r. Heresie p. 82. l. 9. r. Advantagious to their own Authority p. 88. l. 9. r. The Prophets ibid. Their Mission p. 92. l. 25. r. Raisers ibid. l. 26. r. thò they p. 104. l. 30. r. in two p. 105. l. 12. r. free p. 107. l. 10. r. The Son p. 110. l. 21. r. They varied as long as they lived p. 114. l. 23. r. Faith in Christ p. 119. l. 6. r. or p. 123. l. 16. r. probation p. 124. l. 12. r. Adde ibid. Dele and. ibid. l. 14. r. Contrivances They p. 132. l. 3. r. required p. 134. l. ult r. Occultly p. 137. in the Margin r. Foxio p. 138. l. 4. r. Salvation ibid. l. 8. r. Christ has p. 139. l. 9. r. this p. 141. l. r. Basilides Carpocrates p. 143. l. ult r. de Iconomachis p. 155. l. 26. r. preside p. 156. l. 6. Dele .. after Scriptures p. 164. l. 22. r. Dominic p. 170. l. 19. r. infinite p. 173. l. 18. r. Day and Night p. 189. l. 6. r. Sacrifice p. 190. l. 6. for Know r. Honour p. 198. l. penult r. Vain p. 199. l. 15. r. is p. 208. l. 27. r. themselves What Faith and Religion is best to be imbrac'd NEver was there greater Variety of Religions than in these our days and never more dispute about the True one Many waver up and down therein all their Lives long and never come to fix upon any but shift their Religion as Men do their Lodgings to try where their Minds may be most at ease Others without any deliberation blindly venture upon the first that comes in their way and if you ask them why this rather than any of the rest all they can say for themselves is they take this for the best or perhaps which yet every one pretends in behalf of his own because it is most conformable to the Pure Word of God And yet such a choice as this requires the greatest search and deliberation imaginable as upon which our eternal Salvation depends Surely Eternal Salvation and Damnation are Matters of no small Moment in comparison with which all other things good or bad are as nothing Now these depend upon the Goodness of your Religion If your Religion be good 't will be easie by the Grace of God to obtain Salvation but if bad it is impossible to be saved For by a bad or false Religion you cannot please God Heb 11. and consequently you can never obtain pardon of your Sins nor true Justice nor by any Means be made partaker of Christ's Redemption And so you still remain in Death and the Wrath of God abideth on you For all Mankind without such Redemption and New Life in Christ do remain in the Death of Sin and are the Children of Wrath but whosoever has not the true Religion has no share in such Redemption and therefore must necessarily abide in Death be a Child of Wrath and become Fewel for Hell-fire Now this true Religion is but one and cannot be many fold For there is but one Truth one Faith one Baptism one God and one Lord of all Eph. 4. From whence it follows First That all Religions all Beliefs and Confessions of Faith besides one are false noxious pestiferous and introduc'd by the Devil the first Author of them who is the Father of Lies And Secondly That none who does not profess this Religion can ever obtain Salvation and all that are without it though they live otherwise never so laudably will perish everlastingly For that which the Apostle says of Charity If I could speak with the Tongue of Men and Angels if I should know all Mysteries and should distribute all my goods to the Poor and deliver my Body to be burnt but want Charity it would nothing profit me may
Man is unable to make his ways good or bad For if there is Liberty there is properly no Sin as a Lyon by devouring a Man though he does a mischief yet he sins not because he does it not freely but by the impulse of Nature nor is is it in his Power to moderate this impulse No Man will deserve punishment because what he does is of necessity therefore there will be no Hell nor punishment after this Life For it would be a great and intolerable Cruelty that Men should be condemned to Eternal Torments for doing that which they cannot possibly avoid Why then do they fear to follow the Lusts and Desires of their Heart and commit what Sins soever they list Fourthly When they teach That all the Works of Men as well good as bad are predestinated of God from Eternity Luth. sup Cal. l. 1. c. 17. § 5. c. 13. § 1. and that they may be done in time God inclines incites forces and decrees Man's Will to act them all For if God equally operates good and bad in us there is no reason why we should fly Evil or fear any punishment For God is not a Revenger of that of which he himself is the Author nor can he justly punish us for those Crimes which he will have done and which he forces us to do for this were more than Tyrannical Cruelty which is far from God Hereby 't is clearer than the Noon Day that these Religions four ways shake off all fear of God from Men's Hearts and give as great License to all manner of Wickedness as ever any Atheist And 't is so much the more pernicious because not so openly impious but having a shew and pretence of Religion and Honour of God namely under the specious and plausible Titles of a Special Faith Satisfaction of Christ Liberty of the Gospel and Providence of Divine Predestination Under colour of these fair Words so much Poyson is swallowed as totally corrupts the Minds and Manners of Men. Who therefore that has but a spark of right Reason and Understanding can believe these Religions are of God The Third Consideration from the Sanctity of the Professors THat Religion is to be preferred wherein most are famous for Holiness of Life For it cannot possibly be that a bad Religion should bring us to Piety or that true Sanctity can consist with a Wicked Religion But the Catholick Religion has had many in all Ages that have led most Holy Lives by the General Confession of all Christians Among whom to single out some of each Age and omitting innumerable others I reckon the Great St. Anthony St. Hilarion St. Gregory Thaumaturge St. Nicholas Bishop of Myre St. Athanasius St. Gregory Nazianzen St. Basil St. Symeon Sty lite St. Cyprian St. Hilary St. Martin St. Ambrose St. Hierome St. Augustine St. Benedict St. Gregory the Great St. Vaust St. Amand St. Wineck St. Bertin St. Willebrord St. Romuald St. Norbert St. Dominick St. Boniface St. Bruno St. Bernard St. Francis St. Bonaventure St. Thomas of Aquin St. Francis of Paul and many in our own Age. That all these were of the Roman Catholick Religion is not to be doubted since they adhered to the Roman Church made profession of her Faith and strongly maintained it and because likewise a great many of them were Monks and obliged by their Vows to lead a Monastick Life yea all the Rules of Monastick profession sprung from them That these were most Holy Men is verifyed by the general Confession of all Christians throughout so many Ages wherein each of them lived nor was there ever any question made of it the same being confessed by Hereticks especially of St. Bernard St. Dominick and St. Francis It would therefore be a great absurdity and impudence to deny the Truth of that or in the least question it which is acknowledged by the general consent of all the World If these Men therefore were Saints and Catholicks as all the World believes the Roman Catholick Religion which they held and professed must necessarily be the true Religion and proceed from the Spirit of God First Because 't is impossible that a false Religion can bring us to true Sanctity for Religion is the Foundation of Sanctity That Celestial Edifice cannot be built upon a vain thing upon a pernicious and sacrilegious Lye as every Lye in Religion is It cannot be that a false Religion should withdraw the Mind from Earthly Things and raise it to Heavenly that it should inflame the Heart with Divine Love and urge it to have a care of our Neighbour's Salvation with so much pains and Labour Now the Holy Catholick Religion which these Men professed and practiced perfected all these things in them and therefore it cannot possibly be false Secondly Without the true Religion it is impossible to please God Heb. 11. But by the consent of all these Men pleased God and were his great Friends Therefore their Religion was true For how by a false Religion could they please God who is the Truth Thirdly If their Religion was not true and from God then 't was from the Devil For he is a Lyer from the beginning and the Father of Lies Jo. 8.44 He hath always contrived by his Lyes and Deceits to deprave and corrupt the true Religion to the end to destroy Men's Souls If it were from the Devil how could it bring them to so great Sanctity and Piety and make them the Devil's Adversaries and Friends of God For what Society hath Justice with Iniquity What Communion hath Light with Darkness And what Agreement hath Christ with Belial 2 Cor. 6.14 c. Fourthly 'T is altogether incredible that God should permit so many innocent Men so great Despisers of themselves and all Earthly things so studious of the Divine Glory and such ardent Lovers of God to be deceived for so many Ages in a matter of so great Concern as the business of Religion which is the Foundation of all Piety Who can so wickedly censure the Goodness of God They omitted nothing on their side whereby to please God to advance his Honour and Glory they undertook the greatest Labours and Difficulties for his sake and did wholly consecrate and devote themselves to his service How can it possibly be that this infinite Goodness this true Light which enlightneth every Man that cometh into the World Jo. 1.9 should not shew his true Light and Truth to such eminent and beloved Servants but leave them in Darkness and Mortal Errours That would then be false which our Lord with double and repeated Promises so often said Ask and it shall be given you seck and you shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you for every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened Matth. 7.7 Luk. 11. For S. Bernard S. Benedict S. Francis S. Dominick and other Lights and Miracles of the World all their Life-time earnestly craved sought and knock'd to obtain
Controversie that one could not plainly tell whose Cause carried it but both Parties should shill contend for the decision of their Cause he would be accounted by all Men a very improper Judge since no Controversie can be determined by his sentence for after it there is as great debate for whom the Judge gave sentence as about the Difference they brought before him But such a Judge is the Holy Scripture if you set aside the Exposition of the Church and the Fathers for so it always gives sentence that it cannot plainly appear to either Party which side it favoureth but both stifly affirm that it stands clearly for him Hence it comes to pass that Controversies never have an end 'T is ridiculous therefore to make only the Scripture the Judge of Controversies For in all Controversies such a one ought to be made a Judge so as to give sentence that all and chiefly the Parties in dispute may clearly see which side the Judge is for or else there can be no end of Controversie Therefore they that make only the Scripture their Judge shew plainly that they will have no Judge to decide the Cause but their own private judgment For they do as if Titius and Caius having a Suit at Law would have no other Judge but the Book of Justinian with his Pandects secluding the Interpretation of the Doctors and Titius for his Right should produce some Law and say that it is clear for his Cause but Caius denies it Likewise Caius alledgeth another Law affirming that it clearly makes for him but Titius denies it and so both Parties depart without decision of their Cause would not this be a ridiculous thing and make all say that neither of them would have their Cause decided since both of them would be their own Judge It is plainly so with them that will have no other Judge but the Scripture For whosoever reserves the Interptetation thereof to his own Spirit shews plainly that he would not have his Cause lawfully decided but be his own Judge Fourthly Experience it self shews how insufficient this Rule of Faith is For we see that there is no end of Controversies amongst them even in their chief Points of Faith For the Lutherans Calvinists and Fanaticks in many things extreamly differ at this very time and condemn one another of Heresie The very Lutherans disagree amongst themselves in many things also from Luther their Parent and Apostle insomuch that at this very time there are counted Thirteen Principal Sects of Lutherans differing by certain Names and Opinions The Calvinists dissent amongst themselves chiefly in the Article of the Head of the Church for a great part of them ascribe this Power to the Secular Prince although she be a Woman these they call Protestants Others esteem this a great Sin and Blasphemy these they call Puritans The Fanaticks dissent amongst themselves in many things so that there is reckoned Fourteen several Sects of them distinguished by Names and Opinions Lastly It is come now to that pass that when any one thinks to follow this Rule and depend on it there are almost as many Heresies as Hereticks For many especially the ignorant sort say they care not what Luther or Calvin teacheth for that they stick to the Holy Scripture and Word of God wherein there can be no Errour and so they think themselves very secure for every one interpretes the Scripture according to his Capacity and Judgment Hence it is that when they think they have Scripture for their Rule of Faith instead of Scripture they have only their own Imagination For what they fancy the Words of Scripture signifie they take for the true sence of Scripture And thus there are as many different Rules of Faith as Imaginations of Men. But how comes it to pass that every ones imagination should seem to be the pure Truth and right sence of Scripture This proceeds partly from a great self-love and self-esteem for he that has a high conceit of himself is easily perswaded that all his own inventions and conceptions of Mind are extraordinary partly also from a Diabolical operation which inwardly perverts the fancy of Men that what they apprehend upon never so slight a reason presently they imagine it to be the clear Truth For where Men through a weariness of the Antient Religion have an aversion to the Truth and Itching Ears to Novelties they are suffered by the just Judgment of God to be deceived of the Devil Whilst therefore he operates interiourly in their Sences they think they are illuminated with the Divine Spirit and attribute to this Spirit their whole judgment touching points of Faith Hence it is that the apprehension or judgment of every Sect and almost of every private Man seems to be the pure Word of God nor do they regard any reasons to the contrary The Apostle signifies this 2 Thes 2.10 saying Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved therefore God shall send them strong delusions to believe a Lye He shall send not by commanding but by letting the Devil loose to deceive them and lead them into a thousand Errors for despising the Truth or Ancient Religion But many of them say especially the simple and ignorant God will not suffer those to be deceived who seek the Truth with an humble Heart ' For he has promised to ' give the Good Spirit to those that ask him Luk. 11.13 But I do so I beg of God to enlighten me and open unto me the true sence of Scripture and I daily search the Scriptures Joh. 5.39 This is a great delusion of the Devil For how do they seek the Truth with an humble Heart who despise the judgment of the Doctors of the Church the judgment of the Holy Fathers and the judgment of General Councils Who will not use that way which our Lord hath shewed and ordained but require unnecessary Revelations For from them they may understand the Truth and be freed from all Error but they will not submit to them and think that by their own industry wit and private Spirit they can more certainly find the Truth out of the bare Scriptures As if the Holy Fathers Doctors and Prelates of the Church had not searched the Scriptures or were destitute of the Spirit of God and right Judgment that they could not rely upon them Now what greater Pride can be imagined than for a private Man and for the most part silly and ignorant of all Antiquity and the Liberal Arts to prefer himself before so great Wisdom so great Authority and Sanctity and such a multitude of Doctors Let them not therefore think so long as they are of this mind that they shall receive any thing of God because they wrongfully seek him and proudly ask him but rather that they are deceived by the Spirit of Pride and a Lye to which they are delivered by the just judgment of God for so great a Crime This is that Spirit which all
their Apostles such as Luther Calvin Melancton Zwinglius c. who they suppose were indued with the Spirit of God or because each one by his own judgment conceives them to be contained in the Scriptures or lastly because the private Spirit inwardly witnesseth them to be true or that such is the sence and meaning of the Holy Scripture For whatsoever the Sectaries of this time believe they believe for some of these three reasons and one of the three they make the foundation of their Faith and motive of belief But these three Foundations or Motives of belief are altogether deceitful as you shall see That the first Foundation namely the authority of Luther Calvin and others that devised these New Religions is deceitful is manifest because experience shews they could be deceived and did really err in many things For many things they revoked many things they corrected they contradicted themselyes in many things as is clearly demonstrated in the Ninth Consideration and Sixth Reason of my Consult about Religion Hence it is that now but few depend on their Authority saying they were Men subject to Errour and therefore their Followers desert them as they list where they think they can find some better Doctrine Their Authority therefore is deceitful even in the Opinion of their own Disciples and Followers Nor is the other ground less deceitful to wit their own private judgment whereby they expound the Scriptures For many things which are indeed false to a private Judgment seem to be true and those things which at first seemed to be true are afterwards found to be false Hence it is that there are such diversity of Opinions such chopping and changing of Religions because Humane Judgment is very weak especially in the Mysteries of Faith and Understanding of the Scripture which transcend Humane Capacity Many Answer that in believing Whether they rely on Scripture they do not rely on their own judment but the Holy Scriptures which cannot err How miserably they are deceived herein appears by this that almost all Sectaries say they rely upon Scripture when they disagree in many things amongst themselves and teach things contrary to one anothers Doctrine which could not rationally be done if they relyed upon the lawful understanding of Scripture and not on their own private judgment For the Scripture is no where contrary to it self it disagrees in no place with it self therefore the reason why they so much differ amongst themselves is because they interpret the sence of Scripture according to their own private Judgment which is divers according to the variety of Judgments and Understandings of Men. They rely therefore upon Scripture not as 't is interpreted by the Holy Fathers of the Catholick Church but according to their own private Judgment For the virtue and efficacy of the Scripture consists not in the naked Words but in the right meaning and interpretation Therefore their whole foundation is their own private judgment which how deceitful it is the dissentions of so many Sects clearly demonstrate Lastly The Third Foundation of their belief on which many The private Spirit at this time depend is the most deceitful of all because among the Fanaticks who pretend most of all to the instinct of the Spirit there are the greatest differences and divisions amongst themselves which could not be unless the Spirit which rules and governs them and on which they depend were deceitful and various The same is observable amongst the Lutherans and Presbyterians and the different Sects and Factions of them both for every one is certain of the truth of his Opinion by the private Spirit which instructs him whereby it is most manifest and clear that this Spirit is not the Holy Spirit the Spirit of God and Truth which cannot teach contradictions and be against it self but the Wicked Spirit the Spirit of Errour Who is a Lyar from the beginning and the Father of Lies who lives in the Children of unbelief Joh. 8.44 of whom the Apostle says Because they received not the love of the Truth that they might be saved therefore God shall send them strong delusions to believe a Lye c. 2 Thes 2.11 And in another place In the latter times some shall depart from the Faith attending to the Spirits of Errour and Doctrines of Devils 1 Tim. 4.1 for every Heresie is the Doctrine of Devils And S. John Believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God because many false Prophets are gone out into the World 1 Joh. 4.1 This is that Spirit which rules in the Hearts of Hereticks and whose Testimony brag of as thinking it to be the Holy Ghost This so blinds their Understandings and perverts their Fancies that they take Light to be Darkness and Darkness Light they esteem the most clear Truth of the Catholick Faith to be Errour and their own foul and dismal Errours to be the clear Truth and certainly were they not totally bewitched and blinded they might easily perceive that that Spirit which inwardly they feel is not the Spirit of God or at least they could not choose but doubt of it since every Sect amongst whom there is so great dissension touching their chiefest Principles lays equal claim to the Testimony of this Spirit boast of it and follow it and in maintaing their Tenets repugnant to each other chiefly depend on it But this happens by the just Judgment of God For as the Jews who would not receive Christ were permitted to be blinded by the Devil as 't is plainly gathered from the Apostle 2 Thess 2. So Hereticks who have deserted the Catholick Faith which is no less a Sin than that of the Jews are permitted to be blinded by Satan and led into all Ernour And if a Man but attentively consider A greater facination of the Devil in our Hereticks than in the Jews he shall perceive a more powerful operation of the Devil in our Hereticks and a greater facination of their Mind than there is in the Jews and Turks and this for two Reasons First Because the Jews agree in their Belief and have no different Sects amongst them Among the Turks or Mahometans there be only two and they not much different But amongst the Hereticks of our days there are numbers of Sects some propagated one out of another by the rise of New Opinions mutually condemning one another of Heresie and all these are sprung up within 100 years or thereabout which is a clear sign that the Devil has a great power in the Minds of these Man to disturb their Fancies pervert their Imaginations and Judgments that they can neither stand nor rest any where Secondly Because the vulgar People among the Jews and Turks rely not upon their own judgment nor the instinct and testimony of the private Spirit but upon the judgment of their Doctors or which is the same thing upon their Scripture as 't is expounded by the Doctors of their own Religion Therefore they
by the most blessed Virgin Mary which in the places where they are wrought are manifest to all and may he seen by every one with their Eyes and felt with their Hands which also after a strict examination by sworn Witnesses and publick Testimonies are confirm'd But say our Adversaries the true Miracles were to confirm the Gospel yours overthrow it Calv. prefac in Instit by setting up Idolatry that is the Worship of Relicks and Images Invocation of Saints the Mass c. therefore they are from the Devil But this is plain Sophism and is called a begging of the Question for they take for granted as a truth that which is to be proved and whereof the Controversy is For they suppose as a certain and undoubted truth that the Catholick Religion is false and thence they conclude that her Miracles are false and delusions of the Devil like the Scribes and Pharisees who first supposed Christ's Doctrine to be false and against the Law of Moses and then conclude that his Miracles were false and that he cast out Devils by Belzebub the Prince of the Devils Matth. 4.12 So the Heathens calumniated the Miracles of Martyrs saying they did them by Art-Magick And so did the Arians Eunomians and Vigilantians vilifie the Miracles of Catholicks as Victor St. Ambrose and St. Hierome writeth But we on the contrary Vict. Vticen l 2. de persecut Ambr. ser de S. Gervas Protas Hier. contr Vigil by the truth of Miracles which are perspicuous and obvious to all seen with their Eyes and felt with their Hands conclude the verity of the Catholick Religion about which is the Controversie for we read no where that Miracles are wrought in confirmation of false Doctrine as the Saints have done many in confirmation of the truth of the Roman Catholick Faith Did ever any Heretick raise the Dead give sight to the Blind cure the Lame and sick of the Palsie and cast Devils out of Mens Bodies Neither Luther nor Calvin nor their followers did ever any such thing Luther indeed attempted once to cast a Devil out of one of his Disciples but with great peril of his own life as Fredericus Staphylas who was present and an Eye-witness writeth Calvin also tried to raise a man to life who by his perswasion counterfeited himself dead but with that success that of a live man he made a dead one for by the just Judgment of God he who had feigned himself dead was deprived of his life while Calvin was endeavouring to restore him to life In vit Cal. c. 13 This story Hierome Boscus relates at large with the circumstances thereof Wherefore since they are not successful by true or false Miracles they strive to take away the foundation of Miracles from the Catholick Church which is the chiefest and most convincing but with no reason or probability as I have shewn As therefore they who consider the Miracles of our Lord or of his Apostles and ponder them seriously setting aside all Envy Hatred Worldly Interest or other depraved affections cannot doubt but their Doctrine was from God who ratified and confirmed it with so many prodigious Signs and Miracles So in like manner they who laying aside all malice prejudice passion and temporal profit or advantage maturely weigh and reflect on the Miracles which are every Age wrought in the Roman Catholick Church by the Saints thereof living or dead cannot chuse but believe their Doctrine and Religion is of God and the Church to which they adhere to be the true Church of God The Fifth Consideration from the Conversion of Nations THat Religion is to be esteemed the true Religion of Christ and therefore to be embrac'd to which there has been a Conversion of Nations For our Lord hath in divers places of holy Scripture Psal 1.12.21 Osea 1. Matth. Mark Luke ult promised this Conversion of the Gentiles to the true Faith and Worship of God But the Religion to which the Gentiles in all Ages have been converted is the Roman Catholick Religion and therefore not to be doubted but that it is the true Religion of Christ That this Religion to which the Gentiles have been always and even lately converted is the Roman Catholick Religion it is manifest by the things which have been done in this and former Ages In this Age innumerable have been and daily are converted in the East Indies in Japan in the great Kingdom of China and many Islands of the Indian Sea Likewise in America where are many and spacious Kingdoms All these came over to the Catholick Religion and were joined to the Church of Rome and that by Religious Mon sent for this end and purpose by the Authority of his Holiness the Pope And to look back to the foregoing Ages In the Fourteenth Age one Vincentius Ferrerius a Dominican converted to the Catholick Faith Five and Twenty Thousand partly Jews and partly Sarazens as St. Antoninus a Writer of the same Age witnesseth 3 p. Hist tit 23. c. 8. s 4. In the Thirteenth Age many in Tartary were converted to the Catholick Religion by two Dominicans sent by the Pope at the instance of their Emperor which they call the Great Cham as Paulus Venetus writeth who was an Agent to that Emperor In the Twelfth Age were converted the People of Norway by Adrian the Fourth before he was Pope as Platin writes in his Life In the Eleventh Age the greatest part of Hungary was converted and Bishops sent them by the Pope at the request of their King St. Stephen soon after his Conversion as the Centuriators tell us Cent. 11. c. 2. In the Tenth Age many Kingdoms were converted by means of Henry the First Emperor and two Arch Prelates as the Centuriators note Cent. 10. c. 2. In the Ninth Age the Vandals Bulgarians Sclavonians Polonians Danes and Moravians were converted and united to the Roman Church So the Cent. 9. c. 2. In the Eighth age most part of Germany was converted by S. Boniface sent to that end by Pope Gregory the Second Cent. 8. c. 8. In the Seventh age the Franks were converted by S. Kilian who received his Commission from the Bishop of Rome Cent. 7. c. 2. In the Sixth age the English were converted to the Catholick Faith by Monks sent into England by the authority of S. Gregory the Great In Fine Who converted Brabant Flanders Holland Freesland Westphaly France and other bordering Nations Were they not Sons of the Roman Church namely S. Servatius S. Eligius S. Rumoldus S. Amand S. Vaust S. Livinus S. Remigius S. Willebrord S. Swithbert S. Wulfranus and others who were all devoted to the Church of Rome By which it appears that all Nations that have been converted to Christ from Paganism or Judaism for above a Thousand Years were converted to the Roman Catholick Faith and adhered to the Church of Rome as appears not only by what has been already said but is more clearly manifest by the Priests Altars Sacrifice of
ean a false Faith avail to Salvation Then 't is all one Whether you believe the Creed in such a manner or in no manner Then every one may be saved though he does not believe many Articles of Faith The same I may say of the Scriptures for if it be sufficient to believe the Scriptures according to every one's interpretation since his sence may be oftentimes erroneous 't will be also enough though you do not believe them at all For a false Faith can be no more necessary to Salvation than no Faith whereby a Man believes nothing absolutely But if you say that we must believe the Symbol or Creed in its true sence then you condemn the Sectaries of these times none of which believe all the Articles of the Creed in the same sence with Catholicks and all of them differ in the explication of the Creed amongst themselves Therefore since there is but only One Truth all the Religions of these Times must necessarily swerve from the Truth except One only and therefore are insufficient to Salvation That they differ much in the sence or meaning The differences of Sectaries in understanding the Creed of the Creed is manifest For that Article And in Jesus Christ his only Son is explicated one way by the Arrians and many Calvinists namely that the Son is less than the Father and by the Catholicks and Lutherans another way for they hold him equal and of the same Substance with the Father The Article concerning Christ's descent into Hell the Calvinists interpret one way saying Christ sustained the Torments of the Damned doubted of his Salvation and was afraid he should have been utterly swallowed up by Eternal Death The Catholicks and Lutherans interpret it another way and will admit of no such exposition saying it is Calvin's Blasphemy The Article of Christ's Ascension into Heaven c. the Lutherans and Vbiquitarians expound one way holding Christ's Body to be every where as his Divinity is otherwise the Calvinists and Catholicks who doubt not but that such Expositions do overthrow in a manner all the Creed as Christ's Incarnation Nativity Passion Death Assension into Heaven and his Coming to Judgment The Article of Judging the Quick and Dead Catholicks expound one way saying that Christ shall so Judge as to reward our Good Works in Heaven and punish our Bad Works in Hell otherwise the Calvinists and Lutherans who deny all reward to Good Works and averr that an account will be only had of our special Faith at the Day of Judgment The Article concerning the Holy Ghost Catholicks and Lutherans understand one way the Arrians and many Calvinists another way The Article of the Church Lutherans and Calvinists understand of the invisible Congregation of the Predestinate Catholicks of the visible Congregation of Catholicks in which many are Predestinated and many Reprobate The Article of the Communion of Saints the Luthcrans and Calvinists so extenuate that they take away almost all Communion which is taught by Catholicks The Article of Remission of Sins they explicate of no imputation not acknowledging any Internal Renovation by inherent Justice and Grace infused as Catholicks judge Sins to be remitted Hereby is manifest how great a difference there is in the understanding of the Creed Therefore since there is but one Truth this we have shewed in our Consultation to be amongst Catholicks all Sects must of necessity hold a false Faith and false exposition of the Creed If therefore a true belief of the Creed is requisite it cannot be that every one may be saved in his own Faith If a false Faith sufficeth how can a false Faith be profitable to Salvation Sixth Reason The Holy Scripture is of no less Authority than the Apostles Creed nor is it a less injury to God to deny any thing expresly declared in the Scriptures than to reject any Article of the Apostles Creed therefore there is no reason why our Faith should be tyed to the Creed and in other things we should be left to our Liberty seeing we are as much obliged to believe all things in Scripture as in the Apostles Creed For although we are not bound to know all things distinctly contained in the Scriptures yet we ought to believe in general insomuch that we cannot without the sin of Heresie reject any part thereof as false and doubtful With what colour therefore or what probable shew of reason can it be said it matters not how you believe in other things so be it you believe in Christ and the Apostles Creed Why are we bound to believe the Creed rather than the whole Scripture since it is not of greater Authority than the Scriptures This is a fancy certainly too vain and rude void of any foundation Seventh Reason In all our Faith we must not only regard what we believe Our whole Faith depends on the foundation or motive of our belief but likewise and that chiefest of all upon what foundation we believe or what is the sole motive of our belief For upon this the whole Nature and Property of our Faith depends For as the motive of our belief is which we call the Foundation of our Faith such is the Faith it self If that be certain and cannot be deceitful our Faith also is certain and infallible If it be deceitful our Faith also will be uncertain and liable to Errour For Example The Turk believes that there is one God Creator of all things Why Because the Alcoran so teaches which he believes to be written by the Spirit of God His Faith although this which he believes be true depends on a false and fallacious foundation by force of which he is bound to believe many false and blasphemous things as that there are not Three Persons in the Godhead Father Son and Holy Ghost that Christ is not God and that he is less than Mahomet that Circumcision is to be observed and the like Therefore this Faith by virtue of this foundation is fallible and erroneous 'T is the same case with all Hereticks The Faith of all Sects depends on a false foundation This being laid down I thus argue That Faith which depends on a fallacious foundation although it believes some things which are true yet cannot be said to be sufficient to Salvation but the Faith of all Sectaries of this time depends on a fallacious or wrong foundation therefore it cannot be sufficient to Salvation The Proposition is manifest of it self For how can that which is false and lying be the Basis or Foundation of Eternal Salvation how can the true Religion whereby we please God be founded on a false belief Certainly this is as far from all reason as if you should say that Truth depends on a Lye Wisdom upon Errour and Vertue upon Vice It remains then to prove the Assumption or other proposition viz. That all Sectaries rely on a fallacious foundation A threefold foundation I shew thus They believe their Opinions either for the authority of