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
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
accord without any Authority or Commission which is a certain sign they ought not to be believed but rejected For how shall they Preach except they be sent Rom. 10.15 He that entreth not by the door into the Sheep-fold but climbeth up some other way the same is a Thief and a Robber but he that entreth in by the door is the Shepherd of the Sheep Joh. 10.1 They enter not in by the door who usurp the Pastoral Office without Ordinary or Lawful Authority Whether Sectaries are sent by Christ But perhaps they will say that they were sent by Christ and received Authority from to reform the Church But 't is not enough to say so for all Arch-Hereticks or Sect-Masters affirm this of themselves therefore they ought to produce their Letters-Patents that Christ sent them whereby to convince us and confirm our Belief as the Apostles confirmed their Mission with great Miracles otherwise we ought not to accept their Reformation but are bound rather to reject them as Imposters Again how did Christ send them when they teach such different and contradictory Doctrine amongst themselves For if Christ sent Luther Calvin could not be sent by him who overthrows Luther's Doctrine in many points and damns it as Heritical On the contrary if Christ sent Calvin Luther then could not be sent by him for God is not contrary to himself nor does the Spirit of the Prophets contradict each other I omit other things which might be said to this purpose The Eighth Consideration from the consent of the Ancient Fathers and Doctors and their decision of Controversies without which there is no certainty THat Religion is to be imputed to Christ and to be preferred before all others wherein there is an unanimous consent of the chief Doctors and Fathers of every Age and Country since Christ about points of Faith which is an easie end to all Controversies and from which if you recede there is nothing to be relyed on for a certainty But such is the Roman Catholick Religion therefore 't is the only true Religion of Christ And First Touching the consent of Fathers about the Tenets of our Religion it appears by their Writings For as many ancient Doctors as have written in Greece in Asia in Egypt in Affrica in Spain in Italy in France in Germany in England of the Mysteries of our Religion are all consenting to Free-Will merit of Good Works the Sacrifice of the Mass for the Living and Dead Monastick Vows Fastings Feasts Invocation of Saints c. which are disowned by these New Religions neither can the Lutherans and Calvinists deny it but say these were the Spots and Blemishes of the ancient Fathers then inclining to Superstition and the Traditions of Men Cal. l. 2. c. 2.5.14 16. l. 3. c. 4 5. whence they fly to the Scriptures according to their own sense and interpretation But how improbable is this that all the ancient Fathers writing of these matters in divers places with so general a consent should err For the consent of many especially before they communiceate one with another in the same opinion is a great sign of Truth attracting their Minds to an unanimous consent thereof by divine illumination For 't is the property of Truth being but One to joyn and unite in consent but of Falsity being manifold to disperse into sundry Opinions and Errors Hence it is that Hereticks in several Countries writing of the same subject scarce ever agree but are divided into many Opinions having once forsaken the Truth Again there is no Tenet of the Catholick Religion can be shew'd which has been introduced a-new by any in the Church which is a manifest sign that it has always been in the Church and descended from the Apostles For if it were brought in a-new after the Apostles against Apostolical Doctrine it could be shew'd in what Generation or Age it was done where and by what Author and who opposed the same For no new Opinion is ever raised without great stir and contradiction Therefore we can shew the rise of all Heresies where when and by what Authors they first began who opposed them what strifes they made and finally what Pope and Council condemned them But if this can be demonstrated of particular Heresies how much more of the chiefest points of Religion if any innovation were made in them It is clear therefore that our Catholick Religion not only by the Succession of Ministers but also by Consanguinity of Doctrine as Tertullian expresseth it Lib. de Prescrip is continued and accords with the Ancient and Apostolical Religion That the Opinions of these New Religions disagree with those of the ancient Fathers Hereticks themselves abundantly confess since in the Chapters aforesaid they blame them of Superstition and averr they cannot be excused of Errour as we shall see more at large hereafter The Controversies of the Cath Church are easily appeased Secondly The Controversies that sometimes arise in the Church are easily decided by the continual practice of the Church For the Catholick Church hath an Infallible Judge of Controversies the Pope with a General Council by which Judge all Controversies have hitherto been easily concluded all Heresies sprung up in divers Ages have been condemned and Catholick People kept in one Faith one Religion and one Doctrine through the whole World In this manner was the Arrian Heresie condemned by the Synod of Nice under Pope Silvester the Macedonian Heresie by the Council of Constantinople under Pope Damasus the Nestorian Heresie by the Council of Ephesus under Pope Celestine the Eutychian Heresie by the Council of Calcedon under Leo the First the Iconomachists by the Second Council of Nice under Adaian the First and to omit others the Berengarian Heresie concerning the Eucharist by the Synod of Rome and Vercelles under Leo the Ninth by the Synod also of Tours under Victor the Second by the Synod of Rome under Nicholas the Second and by another Roman Synod under Pope Gregory the Seventh For all Reason requireth that the Cause of Religion being common to the whole Church should not be judged by private Persons that have obtained no Dignity nor Degree in the Church but by the Supreme Pastor of the Catholick Church together with other particular Prelates to whom the Regiment of the Church is committed and who are the Representatives of the whole Catholick Church As the Controversies about Laws and Privileges of a Kingdom are decided by none but the King and Chief Men who represent the whole Kingdom For to those who are made Superiors in any Community Spiritual or Temporal it belongs to allay Differences and decide Controversies about matters properly pertaining to their Government thereby to take away all contradiction for the suture And indeed unless the Church had this power it would have been very imperfect lamely instituted and more miserable than any Temporal Kingdom or Common-Wealth For there would never have been an end of Disputes and Contentions touching the chief points
and this he confesses he did on purpose against Limbus Patrum Purgatory and Christ's descending into Hell which he calls foul Errors and marvelleth that most of the ancient Fathers were in that error namely of Christ's descent into Hell and delivering the old Fathers What need we more He opposeth himself both against plain Scriptures and ancient Fathers perverting the one and contemning the other to overthrow that truth which is an Article of our Creed whereby it is evidently false which some of them say for their defence That none of them did purposely translate falsly Calvin so expounds almost all the places of Scripture which the Holy Fathers alledge to prove the Trinity of Persous and Godhead of the Son and Holy Ghost as to make them invalid whereby as he followed the Jews Sabellians Arians and Macedonians so he made way for the Socinians who first came up from among his followers The whole 53 Chapter of Isaiah which manifestly speaks of Christ's Passion Death and Satisfaction he Metaphorically Expounds of the troubles of the Jews which they suffered for their sins What could be more violently wrested oe more absurdly explicated What can more resemble the Jews perfidiousness Christ says If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments Matth. 19.17 Calvin will have this to be spoken ironically or in a Jeer. It is written in the Epistle to the Hebrews Christ was heard for his Reverence Calvin Expounds for his fear and doubt and says that it signifies Christ was strucken with so great fear and terror of Death that he despaired as it were of his Eternal Salvation Monsieur de Plessis a Calvinist in a certain Book of his touching the Lord's Supper has corrupted above a hundred Testimonies of the ancient Fathers and Doctors by adding or diminishing and several Objections which the said Fathers urged against the Truth and afterwards solv'd as 't is frequent with St. Thomas and other School Doctors he has produced as their proper Judgment and Opinion Of which matter he was publickly convicted by the Bishop of Eureux be fore the King of France These things are known over all France The same tricks use all their Writers when they allege any thing out of the Fathers in defence of their Heresies Besides they omit plain places where the Scriptures or the Fathers explicate their meaning on set purpose and clearly and fly to obscure places of Scripture and of the Fathers where they speak only by the by or of another thing and do but touch upon the point in dispute How many Arguments do they bring not only against the Real Presence of Christs Body in the Eucharist but also against other most evident Articles of Faith As against Free Will Inherent Justice Merit of Good Works Authority of General Councils c. for there is nothing in our Faith so clear which may not in appearance be contradicted by certain obscure places in Scripture or the Fathers Nor is there any thing so absurd which may not be defended For what can be more absurdly said than that Christ's Body is every where as his Divinity is And yet they endeavour to confirm this by many Testimonies of the Scriptures and Fathers What is more absurd than to say God is the Author of all Evil That Man has no Free-Will And yet they instance many obscure places out of the Scriptures and Fathers to ratifie these things If they seek the Truth why do they let pass the clear places of Scripture and run from the plain to the obscure and in the explication of them why do they not acquiesce to the Judgment of the Antient Fathers and Doctors who were before our time but will rely upon their own sence only When any obscure Sayings of the Fathers seem to favour them presently they cite them and endeavour to strengthen their Doctrine with the Authority of Fathers But when Catholicks quote out of the Fathers that which clearly overthrows their Doctrine They Answer That the Fathers were men subject to Errour but themselves depend upon the Word of God which cannot err They reject the Fathers If you tell them that the Fathers relied upon the Word of God They Answer That the Fathers followed not the mind or Spirit of the Divine Word and therefore they were deceived If you ask them how they came to know that the Fathers observed not the true sence of God's word but that themselves do observe it They will Answer It is evident by the Word of God But how is it evident when there are so many different Interpretations thereof and all the Fathers interprete otherwise than themselves and the Lutherans otherwise than the Calvinists or Anabaptists Then they reply 'T is evident to him that has the Spirit but to others it is not evident So the Patrons of each Sect will Answer and the final Judgment of their several and different Opinions they refer to the private Spirit They reduce all things to the private Spirit The Calvinists therefore say that all the Fathers and Doctors and all the General Councils wanted the Spirit to understand the Scriptures the same Holy Spirit they affirm the Lutherans and Anabaptists wanted but themselves only possess him that God has given him only to the Calvinists and therefore to themselves its manifest that whatsoever they teach is the pure word of God The Lutherans say the same thing of the Councils and Pathers and also of the Calvinïsts and Anabaptists that they all want the Spirit of God which is given only to themselves and so say they it is clear that what we teach is the plain pure word of God In fine the Anabaptists do the same challenging to themselves the said Holy Spirit and denying him to all others But how absurd are all these things and how distant from all reason How incredible is it that all the Catholick Doctors and Fathers should lack the Spirit of understanding the Scriptures and that this Spirit should be granted only to the Calvinists Lutherans or Anabaptists How vain and ridiculous is it for every Sect to claim this Spirit to their own followers and without any other proof than to say It is manifest and clear to him that has the Spirit but not manifest and clear to him that has not the Spirit Is not this to walk in a Circle and beg the Principle and resolve all Controversie into that which is chiefly obscure and can be manifest to none For how shall I know that you have the Spirit When ever did the Doctors of the Catholick Church in this manner prove their Tenets For every proof or provation ought to be drawn from that which is more manifest to the Adversary and easier granted by him But this probation upon which is founded all their Principles proceeds from what is more obscure and depends only upon the Testimony of a private Man who is a Party and Accuser in the Cause for you cannot prove to me that you have this Holy Spirit but by
Hereticks though never so contrary in their Opinions boast and bragg of and from which every one thinks the Truth is revealed to himself which certainly he that is not stark Blind may easily perceive because the Spirit of God cannot reveal contraries Add hereunto that the sacred Scripture no where sends private Men to search the Scriptures in Doubts of Faith but to the Church and those which precede therein So in Deut. 17. they are sent to the Priests in doubtful matters who were then appointed Judges and those that would not obey them were to be put to death Therefore in the Church God hath appointed Pastors and Doctors and would have the Church conspicuous to the whole World the Pillar and Ground of Truth Eph. 4.11 1 Tim. 3.15 that all People might easily consult it and acquiesce secure in her Decrees The Spirit of understanding the Scriputres is not granted to every one as 't is plain by the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. 1 Jo. 4. ' Believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God Therefore although the Spirit should suggest any thing to you yet you are not secure because you are not certain it is of God For 't is manifest that innumerable have been deceiv'd For all Hereticks brag of this Spirit and Satan frequently transforms himself into an Angel of Light Hereby it is manifest that the private Spirit can be no Rule of faith The Twelfth Reason from another great absurdity IF any of these New Religions for example the Lutheran Religion were the true Religion of Christ besides the absurdities afore-mentioned this would follow that all Catholicks which have been hitherto from the time of the Apostles are damned and sentenced to the Eternal Torments of Hell-Fire because according to the chief Tenet of this Religion they wanted justifying Faith and therefore Justice before God so that they remained in their sins and died in them For the Faith necessary to Justification as this Religion teacheth is that whereby a Man firmly believes that he is just before God by reason of Christ's satisfaction which by Faith is applied and imputed to him But 't is manifest that this Faith was unknown to the World till the time of Luther Nor does he deny but rather glories that he manifested to the World the true Nature of Justification hid from the antient Fathers The same is clear by the Writings of all the antient Fathers because besides Faith in Christ they require an inward change of the Will and purpose of keeping the whole Law also for that they condemn this security of Salvation and will have Men to work out their Salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 and be always sollicitous Hence it is that this peculiar special Faith whereby every one certainly believes he is just they all reject as meer presumption For although we ought to believe that Christ has fully satisfied for us on his part yet it does not appear to us that we have done all things necessary on our part to be made partakers of his satisfaction and that we may not sometime or other fall from him 'T is clear then that all the Antients wanted this Faith Therefore so many Holy Fathers so many Martyrs so many Virgins are damned St. Irenaeus St. Justin St. Gregory Thaumaturgus St. Gregory Nazian St. Basil St. Chrysostome St. Damascen St. Hilary St. Ambrose St. Hierome St. Augustine St. Martin St. Nicholas St. Anthony St. Gregory the Great St. Benedict St Bernard St. Dominick St. Francis are all damned also St. Laurence St. Vincent St. Sebastian St. Catharine St. Caecilia St. Agnes and innumerable others who for Sanctity of Life Miracles and the Honour of Martyrdom were renowned through the whole World are damned To conclude all our Ancestors are damned that have been from the Apostle's till Luther's time and to use the Words of Tertullian The Gospel has been wrong Preached L. de prescrip advers Heret for so many Ages and wrongly believed so many Millions of Men wrong Baptized so many Works of Faith wrong administred so many Virtues and Graces wrong laboured for so many Sacrifices and Divine Services wrong offered and so many Martyrdoms wrong Crowned But how incredible absurd and blasphemous are all these things How contrary to the judgment of the whole World and of all Ages Nor can it be said that they were excused for their ignorance because no Body can be saved without Faith without the justice of Christ without participation of Christ's Redemption as every where the Scripture teacheth especially the New Testament No ignorance can excuse that a Man may be saved without these things therefore there is no refuge here either they are all damned or the Religion of Luther and Calvin in their principal Opinion of Justification is false and impious Behold Twelve Reasons whereby 't is clearly demonstrated that these New Religions are to be avoided as false and pernicious The last Consideration now follows The Tenth Consideration and Conclusion of the whole Consult LAstly That Religion is to be imbrac'd in this Life which Men are most like to be willing to profess at the hour of death and of which they can render a just account at the Tribunal of Christ For in the practice of things we cannot be better advised than by the consideration of Death and Eternal Judgment namely to love that here which at the point of death will be most profitable to us and to shun that which may bring upon us certain ruine and destruction at least put us in great peril of it But the Catholick Religion is such as we shall certainly prefer at the hour of death As is manifest First By the example of many who although they have lived Hereticks yet when they came to die have desired to die Catholicks as judging it the safer way Secondly Because every one wishes then that he had done many Good Works and with great diligence had avoided all sin to both of which the Catholick Religion efficaciously exciteth and to neither of which does the Religion of Luther or Calvin but rather to a contempt of all Good Works and licentiousness of Life Thirdly Because the Catholick Religion has many Remedies which in that dreadful passage are not to be despised as Repentance for Sin Absolution of the Priest the Sacrament of Extream Unction and the Eucharist which give great consolation and confidence to the Faithful For by this means the satisfaction of Christ is communicated to us But bare Faith is a very cold comfort and a weak thing at the point of death For how can you perswade your self that God will be merciful to you that you are just and shall be saved by the Merits of Christ who have despised the Remedies ordained by him and determined to die out of the Catholick Church All the Sects of this time boast of this Faith and yet certainly all are not saved For the true Religion of Christ is but one out of which there is no
cleansed from our Sins and by whose Faith we are justified Apoc. 1.7 for there is no other Name under Heaven given among Men whereby we must be saved Act. 4.12 All these things were in vain and false if every one might be saved in his own Religion Object Perhaps some will say that Christ is indeed our Redeemer and all Good to us proceeds from him yet a belief in him is not abfolutely necessary to Salvation for it sufficeth to believe that all our Happiness springs from the Bounty of God and is needless to know the means of conferring it Answ But this is repuguant to the Holy Scripture and Reason because the Scripture plainly teaches that Christ's Redemption is not applied to us Why Faith in Christ is necessary to Salvation but by Faith in him and therefore all that bâ—lieve not in Christ are without Justification remain in Sin and are the Children of Wrath and Damnation 'T is likewise against Reason because to be made partakers of any great and singular benefit all reason requireth to know our Benefit and Benefactor that we may know him as 't is meet with all thanksgiving for the condition of the Benefit and Benefactor requires this gratitude therefore since the benefit of our Redemption is so strange and great and he that gave it so sublime and excellent and the manner of bestowing It so wonderful 't is requisite we should know all this least we should live and die altogether ungrateful to so great a Benefactor least like the Jews we should return Curses for a Blessing and Blasphemies for Thanksgiving 'T is therefore absurd that those who believe not in Christ should be partakers of the same Happiness with them that are to be saved by Faith in Christ the which also is confirmed by this that none can be saved who is ignorant of God and the benefit of his Creation else all Idolaters may be saved therefore neither he can be saved that is ignorant of the benefit of our Redemption because the benefit of our Redemption is far greater and more admirable and pertains more to the Glory of God and Christ and requires of us a more ample Honour Service and Thanksgiving Nor is it sufficient to know in general The benefit of our Redemption is to be known in particular that all this Happiness comes to us from God this is not enough to pay that gratitude and honour due to him but we ought to know what and how great this benefit is how and in what manner and way he conferred it namely that he delivered us from Sin and Eternal Death that he opened us the passage to Eternal Life and that also by a way most stupendious and strange to wit by uniting our Nature to his own and therein suffering death for us For this chiefly commends his Charity Mercy and Justice this requires of us all Obedience all Praise Benediction and Thanks-giving and these are principally to be known by us as necessary to Salvation Third Reason Again if every one may be saved in his own Faith then that Faith sufficeth to Salvation which is no infused gift of God but a Humane Perswasion conceived by a private judgment supported by Humane Authority and built on a fallible foundation For although the Turks believe one God Maker of Heaven and Earth and Rewarder of Good and Evil Works yet this Faith is not from the Holy Ghost but from a private Judgment or rather from the Devil for they do not so believe because God hath revealed it to Men by some true Prophet but because Mahomet whom they imagine to be God's Prophet and Instrument to instruct Mortals has so declared it in his Alcoran Therefore although that which they believe is true yet because the Foundation and all their reason of believing is false and pernicious to wit that Mahomet is a Prophet of God the Faith it self whereby they believe is deceitful and in regard of the foundation on which it depends is noxious and destructive to Salvation necessarily infecting the Mind with the contagious Errours of that Sect. How then can it be said that that Faith is sufficient to their Salvation or that they can be saved by this Faith How can that Faith which is uncertain fallible and pestilential be laid for a foundation of Justice and Salvation In like manner the Jews although they believe the same things and many more consonant to Truth yet that Faith whereby they believe these things is deceitful and far from the Spirit of God For the main reason of their belief is because their Rabbins and Doctors of their Synagogue so interpret the Scriptures for these are a Rule of Faith to them or which is the same thing the Holy Scripture as 't is subject to their Interpretation But all this reason of believing is false and deceitful and no less harmful than that of the Turks For now it is as bad to believe the Rabbins to be indued with the Spirit of God for the right interpretation of Scripture as Mahomet to be a Prophet of God nor are they driven to less absurdities by force of that Principle How then can such a Faith be the Basis or Ground-work of Salvation Fourth Reason Lastly This Opinion makes no difference between Turcism Judaism and Christianity but in some small matters nothing at all necessary to Salvation so that 't is all one what Religion you live in because you may be saved in any which is to open a way to the Alcoran and to equalize Mahomet with Christ or rather to introduce Atheism For to allow of every Religion is to take away all Religion and think none necessary since there can be but one only true Religion The Fundamental Reason on which this Opinion chiefly depends is of no moment For First if it be not incredible That God for many thousand years An Answer to the Foundation of the other Opinion left the whole World in Idolatry except the Jewish Nation a little part of it and suffered the same to run headlong into destruction although amongst them there were many famous Wits and serious Worshippers of their Gods and Lovers of Humane Justice and Honesty it ought not to seem incredible that the Turks and Jews at this time live in the state of damnation Secondly The Turks and Jews now who believe not in Christ are less excuseable then of old the Heathens were that did not acknowledge one God Maker of Heaven and Earth The reason is because when almost the whole World was overspread with Idolatry the violence of common custom swept away all nor did reason much sway with private Men to doubt of their Religion and if any doubt did arise there was no easie way of knowing the Truth But now since the Christian Faith hath compassed the World so that Christians are to be found every where both Jews and Turks have manifold occasions to doubt of their Religion and if they refuse or carelesly neglect to confer with