how during all this tract of time there hath still bin great disputing out of Scripture against sundry most important propositions diuers of them directly impugning our Sauiour himâ—â—elfe and his dignity and Godhead for the settling whereof in mens beliefes it appeareth that a great part of the Scripture was written And yet peraduenture neuer a one of them was euer conuinced and beaten downe by Scripture or by any other meanes then by Tradition and by the title of possession of the contrary Doctrine And shall not the consideration of this successe after so many attempts make vs very doubtfull and afraid that nothing can be conuinced out of â—â—ole Scripture I haue heard some â—â—ho haue employed their studies to be exact in the controuersy about Scriptures being the rule of faith challenge others that haue pretended to haue greatest skill and insight in Scripture to conuince out of it alone that there was but one God a point wherein all Christians agree and tâ—â—ey could neuer receiue satisfaction in it The Ecclesiasticall stories informe vs how the Arrians defended their denying of our Sauiours dâ—â—uinity by pregnant texts of Scripture and could not be conuinced otherwise then by Tradition And how it fared in like manner with sundry others The very nature of wordes so subiect to diuerses senses and vnderstandinges The length of the Bible whereby all sortes of metaphores and improper manners of speaking do occurre in it And thâ—â— reiterating of the same speech diuersly in diuers occasions Do render it mainely suspitious that it is impossible to make a demonstration for proofe and explication of the true meaning of any passage in it which great wittes haue engaged themselues in explicating a contrary way And therefore before a man can rationally rely vpon Scripture for a sufficient rule to bring him to Beatitude he must be satisfyed and conuinced that there is a meanes whereby he may certainely know what is the sense of Scripture and how he may compasse this meanes For otherwise all that he draweth our of Scripture is vncertaine And no lesse vncertaine it is whither what he hath drawne be enough or whither more be not necessary And in a word he remaineth on all handes in perpetuall incâ—â—titude THE XVII CHAPTER That Tradition is the onely meanes of conueying Christes doctrine to succeeding ages OF the two wayes of conueying Christes doctrine to Mankinde in all ages the first of which is by writing and that â—â—e haue bin hitherto reflecting vpon there remaineth onely the latter which is by handing it from one to an other to be considered A doctrine so conueyed implying thereby that it hath beene in all ages that is to say in the vniuersality of time belongeth onely to Catholikes to lay clayme vnto it and onely they who do so may properly be stiled Catholikes Neither can it be obiected that the Greekes may pretend it in such pointes of faith as they differ in from those that liue in communion with the Roman See Well may they in matters of custome But these are of such a nature as they may haue bin different in seuerall places euen att the very origine of them without any inconueniency att all And consequently in different places there may haue continued different practises euer since the Apostles time But lett vs examine more particularly what aduantages or prerogatiues this way of transmitting Christe's doctrine from hand to hand vntill our dayes hath ouer the retriuing it in Scripture First we shall find that it hath the prerogatiue of Possession All aduersaries hauing found the Catholike Church out of which they broke in a quiett credulity that her doctrine was so descended from the Apostles Next it hath the prerogatiue of all the approbation and commendation that our fathers could giue it by themselues by their lawes by their rewardes and punishements and by whatsoeuer else they could inuent for the continuation of it It hath a high straine of testification aboue all that is to be found in our titles to land inheritances legacies bargaines and all other morall transactions and concernements whatsoeuer It hath the testimony of all our aduersaries to haue continued for a thousand yeares euen in those pointes wherein they dissent from vs but in all others wherein they agree with vs they allow our continuance from the very origine of Christianity So as it can not be doubted euen by our Aduersaries confession but that this way is capable of bringing downe truths vnto us vncorrupted But aboue all it hath the euidence or its fidelity in conueying to posterity the doctrine of Saluation by the connexion of one age to an other Out of this maxime That it is impossible all fathers through out the whole world should conspirâ—â— to deceiue their Children in so important an affaire For this Maxime doth so connect the knowledge of euery century to what was knowne in the century immediately preceding it that it is impossible for any error to creepe in betweene them And the maxime it selfe is as euident as any that belongeth to Mathematikes And so much more cleare then any of those as perpetuall dayly practise beateth vs into the knowledge and continuall view of it For as no man could doubt but that the braines of that person were crased who conuersing with marchants vpon the Exchange in London and hearing them speake dayly of Paris and of moneyes they remitt hither and of letters they receiue from thence Should neuerthelesse thinke confidently there were no such towne as Paris because he was neuer there himselfe So much more â—â—ould he be held for a mad man that liuing in England and conuersing with all forces of people reading their bookes of all kindes hearing their sermons considering their lawes and the change of some particular ones in matter of Religion and innumerable other particulars which speake manifestly how Catholike Religion had course in England before Henry the VIII changed it should neuerthelesse deny it because he liued not in the time when that Religion was publikely professed For in this case the number of wittnesses is farre greater then in the other Now when a motiue of humane prudence is so preualent a one as to brand him with want of common sense who shoud not assent to what it induceth It is a manifest signe of a conquering axiomaticall euidence in the proposition that he should so deny And consequently by this discourse applying it to euery age since Christ's planting of his Church the descent of Christian or Catholike Religion from Christ is as euident as any Geometrical demonstration whatsoeuer One great prerogatiue more I must not omitt that Tradition hath aboue Scripture which is that Scripture is deliuered in precise and determinate wordes whose sense is not vnderstood But Tradition is deliuered in almost as many seuerall expressions as there be seuerall persons that deliuer it So that in Tradition the sense is constant though the wordes be vncertaine Whereas in a truth deliuered by writting though
the wordes be agreed vpon yet the meaning of them is disputed of And therefore seeing it is the meaning that we are to gouerne our actions by and that wordes without meaning are of no weight â—â—t is euident that Tradition is a rule And that Scripture is none But why do I troble your Lordship with such scrupulous balancing of these rules one against the other since by my discourse in excluding â—â—ll former pretended rules it apâ—â—eareth euidently that if Tradition â—â—e not the light which God hath hung out to his Church whereby to know true doctrine from false when he sent his Apostles to preach and promised he would be with them that is with their preaching or with their successours in preaching vntill the end of the world We may truly conclude there is no light or certainty to guide his Church by Which is as much to say as that when he had built the world for men and had fitted them with all thinges requisite for their naturall and ciuill life in this world he failed and mistooke in the maine and chief end for which he had contriued all the rest THE XVIII CHAPTER Against the opinion of some deuines that place Tradition in the consent of fathers that haue written in their seuerall ages and against some other opinions of particular deuines As also against Naturalists and Socinians I am not ignorant that among vs there are some deuines who as they acknowledge Tradition to be the rule of faith for without doing so they could not be stiled Catholikes so they place Tradition in the consent or fathers through all ages But I conceiue I shall not wrong them if I say that in doing thus they consider onely themselues and not the Church which is composed of all sortes and of all degrees of persons simple and wise learned and vnlearned For no man is so weake as not to see that it were a wilder arrant to send the commonalty of Christians to the multitude of Fathers for their faith then to remitt them to the Scriptures It can not be doubted but that the rule of faith must be somewhat within the peoples kenning All sortes of persons are capable of discerning whither or no they are in the publike communion of those who professe they haue receiued their doctrine by a continued sequele of teachers succeeding one an other But for studying of fathers or Scripture the vniuersality of mankinde wanted for the most part capacity talents and leisure And no small difficulty will be added to this taske by our aduersaries endeauouring all they can to cast a mist before mens eyes and to obscure what of it selfe is moâ—â— cleare I take therefore the conseâ—â— of fathers to be a confirmation anâ—â— a testimony to learned men of thâ—â— Tradition that is deliuered by handes but not to be the substance of Tradition which of its nature might haue bin if so God had pleased and would haue maintained its vnshaken inuincible force though there had bin neither writinges of fathers nor Scripture Others seeme to thinke that some points of faith are knowne by Tradition or as they call it by the vnwritten word to witt those whereof they find not sufficient proofe in Scripture but that for the maine ones we are to haue recourse to Scripture Now for these I admire att the loosenesse of their discourse when they allow Tradition to giue assurance of those pointes which are the outmost and which can not be knowne without the former and yet will not haue the former to be knowne by the same Tradition And therefore I imagine it is but a mistake in their deliuering themselues and that their meaning is that all pointes are knowne by Traditionâ—â— but some not onely by tradition but by Scripture too And it is euident that all they who referre vnto Tradition the knowing that Scripture is the word of God and that this booke is the Canon of Scripture must needes relate all certainty of faith to Tradition euen of what they thinke they demonstrate out of Scripture Other deuines there be who adde to Tradition some power of reuealing new verities to the Church But euen they themselues do confesse that the knowing that there is such a power must rely finally vpon Tradition And then seeing it is a point not fully resolued of among our selues I conceiue it is not fitt to presse it vpon those who haue yet reluctance in digesting so much as is resolued of and is euidently true The reason why I haue mentioned these opinions of some particular deuines is because I desire that your Lordship should see that the way wherein we walke is not onely a plaine and a smooth one but an easy one to be found out which it would not appeare vnto you to be if you should be obliged to what these men would impose By my exceptions against which as well as out of what I haue formerly established I conceiue I may safely conclude That all Catholikes do take Traâ—â—ition for the last rule into which the certainty of all particular articles of faith is to be resolued Now were my taske performed Tradition sett in the throne of commanding Christian beliefe Did not the Naturalist and the Socinian with iointe forces endeauour to possesse Reason of that chaire Alleaging how Reason is the nature of man the sole power in him that can giue consent to any thing proposed vnto him And therefore in spight of all I haue said must be Queene and commanderesse both of his beliefe and of his actions But when they obiect this to me they do not consider how I haue beene all this while labouring to do in effect that which they require For what hath all my discourse leuelled att but to shew that reason obligeth vs to ground our beliefe vpon Tradition So that I professe Tradition hath no force to command beliefe vnlesse Reason tell vs so much and as it were deliuer vs vp to Tradition Reason telleth vs it is fitt to belieue a knowing teacher or directour in a matter wherein ones selfe is ignorant She telleth vs that she herselfe hath not principles and meanes without beleeuing some teacher to giue vs certaine information of the state of our soule in the next world and of the wayes in this whereby Beatitude is to be obtained She telleth vs that Tradition hath deriued this knowledge from a Master who was well assured of it and that she containeth within her selfe a strength of infallibility to reach vs without mistake what she learned of him And So Reason concludeth that we must barken to Tradition and follow that rule Else she renounceth vs and protesteth we goe against her sentiments that is we do vnreasonably Will not this satisfy any man that professeth to follow the conduct of Reason Yet I will say more Lett either Naturalist or Socinian produce true Reason that is demonstration against any thing that is attested by Tradition and I will graunt him we ought to leaue Tradition and
cognition he hath of it but also that it is out of him too to witt in the steeple by its proper Essence existence This further addition then to the bells being within him that the bell hath a proper Essence and Existence in nature that is that the bell is or is a thing is that which belongeth to knowledge and denominateth the man in whom it passeth with the attribute of knâ—â—wing or of being a knower And this is not in the looking glasse For although it is true that the outward obiect is in the looking glasse as farre forth as it is not vnlike to its picture there or as it is the same with it and that the obiect without smiteth and impresseth this likenesse in the glasse Yet all this amounteth not to make the looking glasse equall to a man in point of kowledge for this regard that the obiect 's being out of the looking glasse is not in the glasse whereas the bell's being in the steeple is in him that hath the bell in him by hearing it ring And the like to this is in the senses of beastes who hauing within them no vnderstanding vnto which the obiect may penetrate their senses do serue them but like burning glasses that multiplying by their vertue the force of light refracting through them do sett on fire some thing behind them for the senses of the beast strengthening and encreasing the action of the obiect that striketh vpon them do sett on working those more inward gimmals which nature hath prepared within them for the conseruation and good of that liuing creature Now the vse we are to make of this discourse is to examine whither this oddes which a knowing soule hath ouer a representing looking glasse can be reduced to the disposition and ordering of grosse and subtile partes which is all the way course by which materiall effects are wrought And in steed of that euen nature her selfe presently suggesteth vnto vs that for nothing is more impossible then for the same bodie to be att the same time in two different places But in our case there is yet a greater impossibility then that to be performed by meere bodies for it is not onely implyed that the body of the bell which is in the steeple be in the braine of him that heareth it ring but also that its very being in the steeple be att the same time in the hearer Which is a farre more vncouth matter then the former though that be impossible too tâ—â— be wrought by bodies For if its being in the steeple do include thaâ—â— it is not corporeally in the soule then its being in the soule dotâ—â— bring along with it that it is noâ—â— corporeally in her and consequently that in her it hath not a corporeall existence Now if any Archimedes or Archytas or subtile Ingenieur can designe such an order 〈◊〉 materiall Phantasmes in the braineâ—â— or such a dance of animall spirits aâ—â— meerely by them to make this bâ—â— thus in the knower I will acknowledge that the part of him whereâ—â— by he knoweth that is his soule is materiall and a body But becauseâ—â— that is all together impossible iâ—â— can not be doubted but that shee is aâ—â— immateriall a spirituall substanceâ—â— If any man shall obiect against me that this knowing of an obiect to be without the knower att the same time that by his senses it iâ—â— brought into him is no particular prerogatiue of a man but is common to all beastes with him vho we see moue themselues to or from the obiects that they see or heare in the same manner as a man doth And yet for all that their soules are not immateriall I shall not make difficulty to answere that if this could be proued to me I would conclude their soules to be immateriall and consequently immortall as well as mens But the truth is they mistake much in making such iudgement of beastes actions they pronounce too soddainly without examining as they ought from what principles such actions procede they are carried away by the outward likenesse of gestures and behauiours betweene beastes and men not considering how the one are determined vnresistably to what they do by the outward obiects working vpon them and that the others do determine themselues by their owne election All which I haue att large explicated in my often mentioned booke where I treate of the operations of beastes Lett them call to minde how many and how strange thinges we heare of made with such a ressemblance of life that the beholder an scarce doubt of their being liuing creatures vnlesse he were warned of it before hand and yet they are nothing but dead pieces of wood iron leather feathers and the like artificially composed and the springes within them wound vp and then lett loose As Archytas his doue and Regiomontanus his like curiosities were some of which euen imitated exactly humane voyce and wordes As also is deliuered to vs by antiquity of Memnon's statue that gaue Oracles when the morning sunne first shined vpon his eyes his priestes hauing in the night time ordered the engines within in such sort that such soundes and wordes should breake out of his mouth att the appearing of the sunne The like of which Monsieur des Carres was confident he could haue produced and I belieue that Cornelius Dreble would haue performed the like if he had bin sert about it aswell as he composed his organes that when the sunne shined vpon them played such songes as he had contriued within them And the inuentions of statues mouing themselues in diuers postures and progressions are now a dayes so ordinary that they may begett a credence of seuerall stories of the antients which haue hithetto passed for fabulous tales as when they tell vs that Vulcan and Daedalus made Statues to behaue them selues like liuing persons And that Hiarchas called men out the walles to wayte vpon Apollonius Tyaneus and the like And when he hath reflected vpon these thinges lett him consider how infinitely the Architect of nature and of all creatures surpasseth the subtilest ingenieurs And he will see that such manner of arguing carrieth no force along with it THE VI CHAPTER That the soule hath a Being and proprieties of her owne And consequently is Immortall And of the nature and extent of the knowledge of a separated soule THus hauing gathered from these three proprieties of knowledge which whe haue shewed are impossible to be performed by meere corporeall motions or by the sole disposition of grosse and subtile partes that the source of knowledge in man is of an immateriall and spirituall nature It followeth that she hath an Existence or Being of her owne and proprieties agreable to such a nature and consequently that she is a spirituall substance For it can not besayed that she is an accident seing that all accidents imply a substance of â—â— nature proportionable to them for them to depend on And therefore if she were an accident since
art which is so absolutely necessary that without it be the cause what it will he is lost and ruined for euer THE XII CHAPTER How the methode and science of attaining to Beatitude which is true Religion is to be learned And that it is not come into the world by humane reason or inuention THE art then of well liuing or Religion being a certaine and a diffuâ—â—ed science reaching to euery action of a man's life as is deliuered Our next inquiry must be how to compasse the knowledge of it It is euident that there can be but two wayes to arriue vnto it namely Either by ones owne Inuention or else by an others instruction There being no third way of acquiring any science For a man cometh vnto it either by driuing of consequences out of knowledges that are euident as soone as they are proposed such like as are the Axiomes vpon which Mathematicians do build their demonstrations And this is the course of Inuention or else he must be beholding to some other man who knoweth that science for instructing him in it And from such a one he may deriue his knowledge in two different manners The first when he that is posseded of a truth doth so explicate it and all belonging to it that att the last the learner seeth the truth it selfe and comprehendeth all the reasons of it as fully as his instructour doth And so though he be beholding to him for begetting such science in him yet now he hath no longer neede of him but is as strong in it as he And the gaining of knowledge in this manner may be conceiued to sauour in some sort of Inuention as well as of discipline But the second belongeth purely to discipline As when the learner arriueth no higher then barely to vnderstand what his teacher sayth and att the furthest to haue some morall likely hood that it is true but att the head relyeth vpon his teacher as one who he is certainly persuaded can neither be ignorant of the truth he deliuereth nor can lye and deceiue his disciple For if either of these faile the disciple can haue no certainty or rationall confidence of the tâ—â—uth deliuered him And then consequently in our present case of Religion he will want that quiet that security that content of hart which accompanyeth ones belieuing that he is in the right way of obtaining the happinesse he aymeth att Now to apply vnto the knowledge of Religion these two wayes of attaining any science Inuention and discipline I will begin with examining whither it may reasonably be hoped that humane Inuention could discouer it or no Some may thinke the negatiue because in the mysteries of it there are no lines of demonstration that is no such connexion of them vnto principles euident to vs by nature that out of them any man be he neuer so knowing or euen an Angell could deduce them To discusse this in particular were to enter vpon all the seuerall mysteries of our faith and shew how they either are or are not connexed with reason which besides that it were two long a worke for my designed breuity would be too heauy a burthen for my weake shoulders who am not so vaine as to pretend to any more of diuinity then what is necessary for euery rationall man to settle him in a right course which amounteth to no more then to the finding of a certain and infallible guide to carry him safely to the end of this important iorney But if your Lordship desire to satisfy your selfe herein giue me leaue referre you to Maister Whites Dialogues vnder the name of Rushworth of the Iudgement of common sense in choice of Religion and to the same author's sacred Institutions newly come a broad intoâ—â— the world in which learned workes you will find abundanr content That therefore which I shall note vpon this occasion is That howeuer there may be in the mysteries themselues sufficient groundes to build demonstrations vpon yet in regard of vs there is no hope that we should be able to penetrate into them without hauing first learned them otherwise For our Nature is so encumbred with materiall fantasmes and all that we speake or thinke is deliuered in such aequinocall wordes and aboue all most men are so blinded by passions and so byassed by interests and they â—â—eete with so litle to helpe them in this designe that very few and they neither not till towards the end of their life can be expected to make any progresse in so high an attempt And therefore we may conclude it is impossible by inuention to reach the amplitude of those mysteries which are necessary to be knowne to bring mankinde to Beatitude the doing whereof is the scope of that art or science which we call Religion Vnto which determination drawne out of mature considering of the causes no small corroboration is added by experience shewing vs effectiuely how litle mankinde had aduanced herein during the long space of 4. or 5 thousand yeares that nature had continued from the beginning of the world till our Sauiours coming to teach it vs completely For if we looke vpon what the learned Grecians deliuered to their Roman Masters att the time when the ouergrowne wealth of Rome was proposed vnto them to fire their wittes to find out what Beatitude was which was the learnedest age the most abounding with great men and the last in which their studies were employed on that subiect and in a great measure sharpened by the opposition of Christianity then beginning to grow into the world we shall finde that their attempts neuer reached with any steadinesse beyond this life For although some of them discoursed that the soule was Immortall Yet they held it rather as a plausible opinion then as a solide truth whereon men should ground their actions and should gouerne their liues here by it As your Lordship if you be desirous to satisfy your selfe in this particular may find in Lucretius Tully Seneca Epitectus Antoninus the Emperor and seuerall others of that straine who prescribing remedies against the feare of death and making exhortations to vertue in this life do neuer extend their motiues to any good obtainable in the next life Which your Lordship may see proued att large in Lactantius who purposely maketh it his taske to do so For of those Philosofers who guessed furthest into the state of the future world none were euer able to ftame any scantling of the diuersity of the soules treatement there otherwise then by Gods arbitrary distributing of reward or inflicting of punishement which way belongeth clearely to beliefe and not to science So that as farre as history can informe vs Man's nature and witt did neuer attaine to the first principle of well liuing which consisteth in considering what condition soules be in after they are out of the body so farre were they from hauing discouered true motiues to ballance our passions and to sett vs in an euen way betweene the allurements of this
follow reason But if reason could do that iâ—â— would not assert and maintaine the Infallibility of Tradition It is not therefore true reason but defectiue and Topicall essayes and flashes of witt which these men produce and vpon which they rely that is vpon a broken reede whose splinters as the Scripture telleth vs will gore them that leane vpon it Yet is it not my intention by this discourse to persuade your Lordship that it is impossible since the mysteries of Christian faith haue been reuealed to reach by the helpe of faith vnto the demonstration of reuealed truths so as nature be first duely vnderstood I know the wordes in which our faith is deliuered ought to be explicated by naturall definitions I am sure that by the knowledge we haue of God by naturall sciences as that he is a spirit that he is immutable and the like we come to know that many wordes and expressions deliuered of him in Scripture are to be vnderstood as spoken Metaphorically And the like of angels and all spirituall substances I know that Man's freewill is a naturall thing and that by Philosophy and Looking into our selues we may come to vnderstand what it is and that out of the right or wrong explication of it great and noble truths may be discouered and as great and foule errors incurred I know that termes once rightly vnderstood must of necessity haue connexion among themselues and that we do not loose our vnderstanding as soone as we apply it to faith And therefore may make legitimate consequences out of faith and naturall principles ioyned together I know the doing of this is expected from Deuines is commended to them by S. Paul the example of it is giuen them by the fathers is professed by the Princes of our schoolemen and that consequently there can not be a greater irrationality then for a Diuine to say there can be no demonstration in Diuinity Which were in effect to stile himselfe a professour of Diuinity and att the same time to professe there is no such science as Diuinity For whatsoeuer is deliuered as Diuinity and is neither demonstration nor the way to it is not onely idle garrulity but profane and temerarious contamination of our holy Christian faith But my Lord I perceiue my weake boate is sliding apace before I am aware into a sea too rough and too dangerous for me to steere a steady course in It is time for me to take in my sailes and to lett fall an anchor I pretend not to learning much lesse to be knowing in Diuinity The various courses in the world that my seuerall employments and fortunes haue cast me vpon haue not allowed me time nor meanes to store my minde as I would with knowledge and solide litterature If I haue acquired any thinne sprinkling in any of the partes of naturall learning I owe it to my misfortunes and to the reuolutions of my country causing them that haue condemned me to such a manner of liuing as if I should not conuerse with bookes and employ my time in some study it would become burthen some and in supportable to me And then since my study is chiefly for my entertainement you may easily conceiue that my application of it hath bin vpon such subiects as I haue beene most willing to be informed of To see whither the Immortality of the soule may be demonstrated by reason or no hath bin a maine one among them And then hauing found satisfaction therein and by following of my principles hauing discouered a new world in that region where she liueth when the body is dead and meeting there such amazing considerations of weale or woe resulting out of the guidance of ones life and actions in this world as would rouse the sleepiest person aliue to be very solicitous what course he taketh here I do not deny but that it hath made me more inquisitiue then peraduenture I should otherwise haue bin into what rule and guide may secure a man in his iorney thither For without such liuely stirrers vp it is not vnlikely but that I might haue contented my selfe with walking dully and implicitely in the way that my birth and education had sett me in Thus My lord I haue gleaned so much of Philosophy and haue cast an eye so farre into Diuinity as I haue iudged necessary for my owne priuate vse In these few sheetes you haue an essay of the litle I know in either If it may proue as vsefull to you as I conceiue it hath done to me I were much too blame if I did not impart it to you vnto whom I haue long since giuen an equall share and power with my selfe in all that is mine For besides your excellent partes in all kindes as well the more gentle and the winning ones as the strong ones that make you highly esteemed and honored by all those who know you your particular kindenesse and frendship to me requireth a particular returne of affection from me I can not expresse it better then by confidently imparting to you my priuatest thoughts which as they are the pleasingest I euer had so seeme they to me the vsefullest Such as they are you haue them here You will not deny them a welcome for his sake who truly loueth you and is MY LORD Your most affectionate kynsman and most humble and most obedient seruant KENELME DIGBY THE APPROBATION OF the Doctors of Diuinity of the Faculty of Paris THIS small but learned treatise entitled A discourse concerning Infallibility in Religion full of sublime Christian truths expressed euen beyond the expectation of what humane language could afford doth clearely shew how Grace is engrafted vpon Nature that is how the Diuine reuealed tenets of our Catholike Church are framed to heighten as most connaturall to the light of reason whereby to raise our soules to a more celestiall straine of loue piety then euer pure nature could haue attained vnto To say it containe's nothing in relation to faith not Catholique In reference to manners not Christian were to discount from the worke 's desertâ—â— It being an euident conuiction oâ—â— the euer inuiolable permanent subsistence of them both in the vniuersally vnited Roman Church Demonstrating withall the false foundations of the Presbyterian consistory of the Socinian ratiocination of the Independents priuaâ—â— Spirit of the erroneous or rather no grounds or principles of the late particular English Protestant Schismaticall Synagogue Lett it then bee sett vpon a candlesticke by publike print giue light to all it's readers that it's bright flames may loudly speake it's Authour's vnspeakeable worth learning And â—â—ee Doctours of Diuinitie of the Faculty of Paris by signing here vnto neede onely say it needed not our â—â—approbaâ—â—ion Paris the 28. Novemb. 1652. H. HOLDEN E. TIREL THE Printer entreateth those who shall take the paines to reade this discourse that they will be pleased before they do so to correct some errors in the manner as is intimated hereafter Others of lesse importance as the mistake sometimes of a letter in a word or the putting two wordes so neere together as if they were but one or some failing in Orthography or somme misse-pointing that will not perplexe the sense to any easy reflection he submitteth to their courtesy to pardon Which he doubteth not but they will be fauoubly induced to do when they shall consider that the composer and the corrector of the presse for this piece are Strangers to the tongue it is written in and that they wrought not vpon the originall but vpon such a coppy as hauing descended by seuerall transcriptions and passed through sundry handes fell in the end casually into mine who durst not aduenture to haue recourse to the Author for his assistance herein least he should haue hindered the publishing as hitherto he hath done of what is so much desired and sought after by all those who haue heard of it Page 2. line 4. palanteis p. 9. l. 6. the p. 10. l. 3. precipices p. 20. l. 16. to haue p. 27. l. 10. it p. 43. l. 17. repeated p. 66. l. 17. which l. 18. performed p. 69. l. 1. on p. 71. l. 4. with l. 5. knowledge p. 105. l. 3. euer p. 145. l. 15. is p. 147. l. 26. tortured p. 164. l. 9. too l. 22. leaue to referre p. 172. l. 5. and p. 178. l. 8. God did giue p. 215. l. 12. writing