still goes vpon that ground that there are no Degrees of perfection in Faith which I haue demonstrated to be euidently false and that all Faith is of the same kind but not of the same Degree besides that it hath the imperfection of obseurity and for that cause doth not so conuince the vnderstanding but that it may be resisted and the contrary belieued And therfor you cannot inferr vpon equality of faith in all true Belieuers that our victory of the world must be equally perfect in all 60. Thirdly if you had cited the testimony of S. Iohn as you ought the weakness and impertinency of your Argument would haue clearly appeared His words are 1. Ioan 5. V. 3.4.5 This is the Charity of God that yee keepe his commandements and his commandements are not heauy Because all that is borne of God ouercomes the world and this is the victory that ouercomes the world our faith Who is it that ouercomes the world but he that belieues that Iesus is the son of God Where it is cleare that S. Iohn speakes of faith with Charity which is called by Diuines Fides formata faith informed with Charity by which we keepe the commamdements as he sayth V. 3. This is the Charity of God that yee keepe his commandements And V. 4. All that is borne of God ouercomes the world Now we are borne or regenerated to a new life or Being by justifying Grace and the Gifts which are giuen with it of Faith Hope and Charity and therfor he adds This is the victory which ouercomes the world our faith that is such a faith as the Regenerate or they who receyue a new life haue or a liuing faith working by Charity 61. Fourthly according to this true sense your Objection is wholy impertinent as speaking of a naked faith taken alone as it goes before Charity as like wise it doth not proue that such a naked faith doth necessarily bring with it Charity and so is the victory ouer the world For what consequence is it to say Faith as informed with Charity cannot be without Charity or is the victory ouer the world Therfor Faith taken by it selfe and considered only according to its owne nature and essence and abstracting from Charity is inseparable from Charity and the victory ouer the world An Argument no better than this The Body with the soule liues and makes a man Therfor the Body of it selfe liues and makes a man which is directly against S. Iames C. 2. V. 26. saying Euen as the body without the spirit is dead so also faith without workes is dead This appeares also by what S. Iohn sayth V. 5. Who is he that ouercometh the world but he that belieueth that Iesus is the son of God Which must be vnderstood of him who so belieues in our Sauiour as that he loues him and keepes his commādements For meerly to belieue Christ is the son of God is but that Faith which Protestants call Historicall and unanimously teach that it doth not justify nor is inseparable from Charity nor is the victory ouer the world And therfor interpreters vnderstand this Text of a liuing Faith or joyned with Charity And so this place makes against you and proues that Faith of it selfe though neuer so infallible is not the victory ouer the world But the weakness of this mans Socinian probable Faith forces him to reele from faith to faith From Historicall to Faith of working Miracles From justifying faith to Historicall From both to a No-faith that is to a faith so weake that by it a man may belieue Christian Faith not to be true as we noted against you by occasion of the text of S. Paule about receyuing him who is Weake in faith 62. Fistly the whole force of your Argument must rely vpon the truth of this Proposition Whatsoeuer the vnderstanding proposes to the will with absolute certainty as a thing to be done the will cannot but follow the prescript of the vnderstanding and therfor if Christian Faith be infallible certaine our will must embrace what it proposes and so ouercome the world and sinne and be perfect in Charity which Principle to be palpably false is euident by Reason Experience Faith and by the Doctrine of all Protestants at least for as much as concernes that kind of Faith wherof we speake that is Historicall Faith Reason dictates that notwithstanding the certainty of Faith the vnderstanding may propose profitable and delightfull objects For these thinges haue no repugnance but do consist togeather It is certaine that this object is honest and that the same object is vnpleasant repugnant to sence honour profit c and therfore the will placed betweene these different motiues the vnderstanding which proposeth them all hath no power to necessitate the will to any of them it being represented with as great certainty that such an object is difficult vnpleasant or vnprofitable as it appeares honest and Vertuous Neither doth certainty in the vnderstanding necessitate vs more to embrace it as honest than the like certainty doth necessitate vs to fly from it as vnpleasant especially considering that Faith is obscure and alluring objects are cleare euen to sense Faith respects things to come or els aboue the reach of our vnderstanding humane objections and objects are of things present or not farr of Befides if certainty did impose a necessity it must follow that at the same tyme we must effectually embrace the same object as honest and fly from it as vnpleasant which is impossible We must therfor say that it remaynes in the will to determine it selfe to which part it pleaseth hauing sufficient direction from the vnderstanding for either side Sinnes were wont to be diuided into sinnes of Ignorance and of Knowledg that is committed by Ignorance or with knowledge but now if certaine knowledg of good necessitate our will to embrace it no sinne can consist with certaine Knowledg of good and so all sinnes are sinnes of ignorāce and that old distinction of Philosophers and Diuines must be corrected by this your new Philosophy and Diuinity 63. As for Experience who knowes not or rather who teeles not that vulgar saying Video meliora proboque Deteriora sequor I see that which is better and like it well but follow that which is worse 64. Lastly Faith teaches that we are indued with Free-will which may embrace or reject what is proposed by the vnderstanding Wherin all Protestants for our present purpose agree with Catholikes both in regard that they yeald Freedom of will to Angels and Adam before their fall who yet belieued by an infallible assent that there was a God and other mysteryes reuealed to them as also because they profess that Historicall Faith and of that Faith we speake doth not justify nor infallibly bring with it Charity Therfor it doth not necessitate our will Yea euen those Protestants who deny Free-will hold not that the will is necessitated by the Act of Faith which directs but by the effectuall
which therfore are in themselves deadlie sinnes Some grant inherent Justice or sanctity not infused by God but acquired by the naturall forces of mans Freewill But Catholiques hold the meane and acknowledg true inherent Justice and sanctitie infused by the Holy Ghost not acquired by any acts of ours They maintayne Actions of piety proceeding from our will assisted by grace or from grace with the cooperation of our will and so they are morall and free as proceeding from our will and yet supernaturall pious and meritorious because they are dignifyed and produced by grace Thus S. Bernard lib. de Gratia saith elegantly Liberum arâ—itrium nos faâ—it volentes gratia beneuolos ex ipso nobis est velle ex ipsà honum velle From our Freedome proceeds that we vvill from Grace that vve vvill vvhat is good VI. To alledge for the necessity of grace Fathers and Councells were as easie as it is both needlesse none being ignorant of what the Fathers haue written and Councells defined against Pelagius and hîs associates and fruitlesse in regard that such men despise all Authority except that of Scripture which alone they pretend to follow Only I thought fit to set downe what the sacred generall Councell of Trent hath defined in this matter of Grace not to proue the truth of our Assertions since our Aduersaries reject it but to lay open the falshood of the frequent calumnies which Protestants are wont to lay vpon vs as if we hoped to be saued by our owne and not by the merits of Christ our Lord who purchas'd for vs diuine grace without which we are not able to thinke speake or performe any least action of christian Piety and so all our merits being by vs beleeved and acknowledged to be God's gifts we come to say with the Angels Glory in the highest to God and in earth peace to men of good vvill which good vvill being the gift of God all glory is due to him alone VII Be pleased then indifferent Reader to heare what the Councell defines and then iudge whether our doctrine be not most orthodox and holy and the calumnyes of our Aduersaryes most vntrue and vnjust VIII The Councell Sess 6. Can 1. saith If any shall say that man can be justifyed before God by his owne workes which can be wrought eyther by the force of humane nature or by the doctrine of the law without Gods grace by Jesus Christ let him be accursed And Can. 3. If any man shall say that without the prevenient jnspiration and Help of the Holy Ghost a man may beleeue hope loue or repent as he ought that the grace of justification be giuen him be he accursed And in the same place Cap. 5. The sacred councell declares that the beginninge of justification in men who are come the the vse of reason is to be taken from the prevenient grace of God by Christ Iesus that is from his calling by which they are called without any merits of their owne that they who by sinne were averted from God by his exciting and helping grace may be disposed to convert themselues to their justification by freely assenting and cooperating with the same grace so that God touching the hart of man by the illumination of the Holy Ghost neyther man himselfe doth nothing at all receiuinge that inspiration since it is in his power to reject it neyther yet can he with his owne freewill moue him selfe to justice in the sight of God without his Grace And therfore when the Holy Scripture saith Convert to me and I will convert to you we are put in minde of our freewill When we answer Conuert vs ô Lord tothee and we shall be conuerted we acknowledge our selues to be preuented by Gods ' grace And Chap. 6. They are disposed to justice it selfe while by beinge excited and help'd by Diuine grace conceavinge faith by hearinge they are freely moued to God beleeuinge those things to be true which are reuealed and promised by God and particularly this that God iustifyes a sinner by his grace by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus Chap 7. Although none can be iust except he to whom the merits of our Lord Iesus Christ are communicated yet in this justification of a sinner that is done while by the merit of the same most sacred Passion the charity of God by the Holy Ghost is diffused and is inherent in the harts of those who are iustifyed Chap. 16. Neyther is our justice maintayned as of our selues neither is the justice of God either vnknowne or reiected for that which is sayd to be our justice because we are justifyed by it inherent in vs the selfe same is the justice of God because by him it is infused into vs by the merits of Christ Neither is it to be omitted that although in Holy Scripture so great reckoninge be made of good workes that Christ hath promised that he shall not be deprived of his reward who shall giue to one of his little ones a cuppe of cold water And the Apostle witnesseth that our tribulation which presently is momentary and light worketh aboue measure exceedingly an eternall weight of glory in vs yet far be it from a christian man to confide or glory in himselfe and not in our Lord whose goodnesse towards men is so great that he will haue those to be their merits which are his owne gifts Chap. 8. We are justifyed gratis because nothing which goes before justification whether it be faith or workes doth merit the grace of justification for if it be grace then not of workes otherwise as the Apostle saith Grace is not Grace Chap. 11. Almighty God commands noâ— things impossible but by commanding admonisheth both to do what thou canst and to aske what thou canst not and helps thee that thou mayst be able to doe it Whose commandements are not heauy whose yoke is sweet and burden light For they who are the sonnes of God loue Christ and they who loue him as he witnesseth doe keepe his words which surely they may doe with the help of God Chap. 13. Men ought to feare knowing that they are regenerated to the hope of glory and not yet to glory it selfe from the combat which remaynes with the flesh world and diuell wherin they cannot be victorious vnlesse with the grace of God they obey the Apostle saying we are debters not to the flesh to liue accordinge to the flesh Chap. 16. Christ Jesus dayly giues vertue to the justifyed as the head to the members and the vine to the vine-branches which vertue doth always goe before accompany and follow their good works and without which they could not in any wise be gratefull to God and meritorious Lastly the councell defines If any shall say that a man justifyed either can without the especiall helpe of God perseuer in the justice he hath receiued or that with it he cannot be he accursed IX More might be alledged out of the Councell but this may suffice to
particular motion of Grace which irresistably drawes it Therfor from certainty of Faith we cannot inferr a necessary cooperation of the will or perfection of Charity You preâ—â—â—d to belieue or know wit◠〈…〉 to be obayed in all things and coâ—â—â—equently that the woâ—â—d 〈…〉 ouercome you may know with certainty that the morall 〈…〉 â—ments forbidding Actions repugnant to the light and law of naturaâ—â—eason are to be kept You cannot but know certainly in generall that all sinne is to be auoyded You teach that men euen by euidence of reason are to belieue with infallible certainty that they are firmely to belieue the truth of Christian Religion and consequently that all the commands of that Religion are to be obserued These things I say you belieue or know with certainty and yet I hope you will not grant that you cannot but obey God in all things and so ouercome the world that you cannot but keepe all the morall commandements that you cannot but auoyde all sinne that you cannot but obserue what is commanded in Christian Religion Therfore you must yield that certainty in the vnderstanding doth not inferr a necessity in the will and so still be forced to answer your owne argument 65. In the meane tyme I cannot but note how many damnable Heresyes you here ioyne togeather though contrary one to an other and euen to your selfe For example of Pelagianisme that the will may performe whatsoeuer the vnderstanding certainly iudgeth ought to be done which takes away the necessity of Grace or motion of the Holy Ghost I sayd that the will may performe but wheras you teach further that it must of necessity do so you fall from Pelagianisme to a contrary extreme by taking away Freewill which the very Socinians defend so farr that to make men free they make themselues sacrilegious in denying that God can see the future free Acts of our will 〈◊〉 you take it away in a worse manner than Caluinists doe who conceaue it to be taken away by supernaturall efficacious Grace or by infused justifying Faith but your doctrine must take it away by euery certaine knowledg though it be but naturall or by Historicall fallible Faith and historicall Faith according to Caluinists is common to all Christians And yet in another respect you fall into the very quintessence of Caluinisme and puritanisme that Faith once had can neuer be lost which is against moderate Protestants and yourselfe with Socinians For if Faith necessarily giue vs perfect Charity and the victory ouer the world and sinne Faith it selfe which cannot be lost without sinne is absolutely secured 66. Neither can you answer that your Objection goes not against all Faith but only impugneth an infallible Faith For you grant certainty of faith to diuerse as we haue obserued aboue concerning them who are aduanced to certainty and spirit of obsignation or Confirmation which are as many according to you who liue as they belieue as also 〈…〉 â—postles and those who heard our Sauiour preaching or 〈…〉 miracles yea whosoeuer only belieues or knowes with certainty that there is a God and that he is to be obeyed must of necessity worke according to his knowledg which if he doe he cannot loose the belief of God nor euer become an Atheist which I feare is too much against experieÌ„ce You must also agree with Calvinists in their Doctrine that only Faith justifyes seing as they so you teach that it necessarily brings with it charity and good works And to this same purpose I still vrge your owne assertio concerning those to whom you granta Certainty in Faith and I suppose you will not grant that such men are justifyed by faith only and other Christians by some other meanes V. g. justifyng inherent Grace or with Faith Hope and Charity and therfor you must deny that perfect Charity must necessarily flow from an fallible Faith 67. Sixtly you speake very imperfectly in saying Charing is the effect of Faith if therfor the cause Were terfect the effect would be perfect For the Habit of Charity being infused immediatly by the Holy Ghost is not the effect of Faith or of any Acts of our will no nor of the Acts of Charity it selfe But if you speake of the Acts of Charity they proceede from the Habit of Charity from the particular helpe and assistance of the Holy Ghost and from our will eleuated by such assistance which is freely offered by God and freely accepted by the will but in no wise proceeds necessarily from Faith whose office is only to direct and shew the object without any necessitating influence S. Paule sayth 1. Cor 13.13 The greater of these is Charity and who euer heard that the effect can be more perfect than the cause Or if you say that Faith is not the totall but only a partiall cause of Charity which therfor may be more noble than Faith it selfe then by what logike can you infer that Charity must be perfect because it is the effect of a partiall cause lesse perfect than it selfe Rather according to your discourse joyned with the words of S. Paule that Faith is less perfect than Chatity we must say thus Charity is the effect of Faith and therfor feing the cause is imperfect the effect must be imperfect which is directly opposite to your inference and intent Besides from what Philosophy can you learne that when some cause or condition concurrs to the production of an effect not by it selfe but necessarily requires the company and cooperation of other causes that such a cause or condition can by it selfe alone produce such an effect But let vs suppose Faith to be the cause of Charity and by it selfe alone sufficient for mouing our will to Acts of Charity doth it follow that it must do so irresistibly and in such manner as that it remaine not in the power of our will either to exercise no act at all or to produce a more or lesse perfect one Remember your owne distinction and words to Char Maintayned in your Pag 172. N. 71. That a man mâ—y fall into some errour euen contrary to the truth which is taught him if it be taught him only sufficiently and not irr-sistibly so that he may learne it if be will not so that he must and shall vhâ—ther he will or no. Nâ—w who can a sertaine me that the spirits teaching is not of this nature Or how can you poâ—â—â—y 〈…〉 it with your dâ—â—trâ—ne of free wâ—ll in betiâ—uing if it be â—ot of 〈◊〉 nature And you hauing endeauoured to proue this out of diuerse places of Scripture conclude God may teach and the Church not learne God may lead and the Church be resrachry and not follow 68. Now I retort this Argument and aske why a man may not fall into some errour contrary to the truth which he was taught and which once he belieued and committ some sinne which Faith dictates not to be committed if Faith teach him only sufficiently and not irresistibly and who can
our Sauiour to the Jewes Joan. 5.39 I answer first if they will haue their purpose they must add solas earch the Scriptures alone as Luther in the Text where it is sayd Rom. 3.28 We account a man to be justified by Faith without the works of the Law in favour of justification by Faith alone translats justified by Faith alone otherwise they are not to purpose For the question is only whether scripture alone contayne all things necessary to salvation 2. Indeed they cannot add solas nor can any vnderstand Search the Scriptures in that sense of taking Scriptures alone since our B Saviour in that Chapter of S. Iohn to proue that he was the Messias alledges the testimony of S. John Baptist and a greater testimony then John the very works which I doe miracles and also the voyce of his Father Matth. 3.17 Therfor our Sauiour beside Scriptures alledgeth other very powerfull meanes the voyce of John the voyce of works the voyce of his eternall Father 3. This Text speaks only of one Article of Faith to witt that Christ was the Messias and it is no good consequence the scriptures are cleare in one poynt of Faith rherfor they are cleare in all 4. Even for this one Poynt he doth not absolutely command them to search the scriptures as necessary of themselves but only ex hypothesi For vpon supposition that they did not beleeue for the other threefold testimonyes and that they believed scripture to be the word of God then it only remayned that they should search the scriptures and so our Sauiour sayth search the scriptures and expressly adds Joan. 5.39 For you thinke in them to haue life everlasting shewing that he speakes as it were ad hominem seing you ô Jewes will not belieue the testimony of John of Miracles and of my Eternall Father at least search the scriptures in which you thinke to haue life everlasting and the same are they that giue testimony of me As we Carholikes may say to Heretikes who reject the Authority of Gods Church and Tradition and admitt only scripture since you will not belieue the voyce of the Church and yet belieue scriptures search the scriptures which giue testimony of the Church And yet it were strang if Protestants should from such our daily speech infer that we belieue no other Rule or Judg besides scriptnre alone and I hope Protestants will not deny but that the testimony of S. John our Sauiours Miracles and the voice of his Eternall Father were sufficient to oblige men to belieue that our Sauiour was the Messias though they had not searcht the scriptures as we see Infidels to be converted to the Faith of Christ by Miracles and other Arguments of Credibility without helpe of scripture which they beleeue not to be the word of God except by force of those Arguments and I suppose they will grant that our Saviours Miracles and those other Arguments which he vsed were more forcible than any can be brought by any Apostolicall man for the conversion of Gentils So that vpòn the matter this Text search the scriptures pondered as it should be shews not only that scripture alone is not necessary but absolutely proves it is not so but may be supplyed by othermeanes as S. Irenaeus witnesseth of people that were converted to the Faith of Christ without knowledg of scripture 5. Protestants cannot proue that scrutamini search is the imperatiue mood S. Cyrill Lib. 3. in Joan Cap 4. holds that it is of the indicatiue and some learned Catholike Divines are of the same mynd yea Beza saith I agree with Cyrill who clearly waâ—nes vs that this is to be vnderstood rather by a verbe of the indicative and so our Saviour reprehends the Jewes who did search the scriptures and yet did not belieue in him of whom those scriptures spoke According to this Opinion or explication of this text our Saviour in this place neither commands nor forbids approves nor disallowes the reading of scripture but only signifyes what they did and supposing they did so blames them for not doing it with such a hart and disposition of soule as to find in them the true Messias At least seing this exposition cannot be evidently disproved it is evident that this text doth not evidently convince that the scripture alone contaynes evidently all things necessary to salvation yea rather since those men did read scripture and yet not belieue in Christ it is a signe that scripture alone is not so very cleare as to necessitate a mans vnderstanding to the true meaning therof without some dispositions on our behalf of which dispositions no man being absolutely and evidently certaine he cannot be certainly assured that he hath attayned the right sense by scripture alone without some other helpe as was the preaching and Miracles of our Saviour and the Testimony of s. John and of his Eternall Father and as to vs is the Authority and voyce of Gods Church But if we will follow the other opinion that our Saviour commanded those men to reade the scriptures it cannot be vnderstood as an absolute command seing they had other meanes more than sufficient and more effectuall than scripture to beget in their soules a belief that Christ was the Messias to witt Miracles voyce of his Father c but only as I sayd vpon supposition that they by their owne fault not making vse of those other meanes were obliged to make vse of this of scripture yet so as they might free themselves from that hypotheticall and voluntary necessity by applying themselves to those other meanes for neglect of which our Saviour reprehends them V. 38. His the Fathers word you haue not remayning in you because whom he hath sent him you beleeue not and yet they believed the scripture and this reprehension he prosecutes to the end of that Chapter The obligation then of searching scripture was voluntary and the command only to Jewes and Jewes so incredulous that they would neither belieue s. John nor our Saviour Christ nor the Eternall Father And if Protestants will imitate those Jewes and reject all Authority of a living Guide and rely only on scripture they for finding the true Church shal be obliged to search scriptures by a voluntary culpable necessity which they ought not to impose vpon others but contrarily they ought by all possible meanes to free themselves from it by submitting to Gods Church and her Preachers as so many Nations haue done before they knew scripture and in that case were obliged to attend to other Motives and Meanes and so thete is a far more vniversall and necessary command to Heare the Church than to search the scriptures 6. Our Saviour spoke only of the Old Testament And shall we out of his words infer that in the old Testament alone all Articles of Chrstian Faith are particularly and evidently contayned This Objection then proves too much and therfor indeed proves nothing 7. Scrutamini search signifyes diligence care endeavour labour
knowledge of Scripture Do not these words speake of the first Principle among Christians who alone receiue Scripture and not of Principles in Metaphysicke Mathematicke c which were nothing to the purpose Or who ever dreamed that Scripture could be the most knowne in all sciences seing it is not knowne by any naturall science but depends on Divine Revelation Yea doth not Ch Ma expressly say That if Potter meane Scripture to be one of those Principles which being the first and most knowne in all sciences cannot be Demonstrated by other Principles He supposes that which is in question Which words declare That Scripture is none of those Principles which are most knowne either in all naturall sciences or in Christianity 16. Out of what hath beene sayd very often it is easy to answer and retort all that you haue in all your sections till the N. 62. For to vs who belieue the Church of God to be infallible diversity of Tranlations or corruptions can bring no harme seeing we are sure that the Church can neverapproue any false Translation or corruption nor ground vpon them any Point of Faith But for you who deny the infallibility of the Church and rely vpon Scripture alone false Translations or corruptions may import no less than the losse of your soules by being led into some damnable errour or left in ignorance of some Point necessary to salvation For to rely vpon Scripture alone and yet not to know with certainty what Scripture in particular is Canonicall and incorrupted is to take away all certainty from it and from the Faith of Protestants grounded on it alone The Church did exist before any Scripture was written and must last although we should imagine that all Scripture were lost as some say it happened to the Old Testament at least it lay hid Only I must note for answer to your N. 58. and 59. that Catholikes object to Protestants not only difference of Translations of which you speake N. 59. but that one of them most deeply condemnes the Translation of the other as Ch Ma Pag 52. N. 16. sets downe at large As for the vulgate Translation approved by the sacred Councell of Trent we are sure that it can containe no errour against Faith and for diverse Readings we are certaine that the Church can never approue any one that is false or settle any doctrine vppon it as I sayd even now But to treate at large of this Translation would require a Uolume and is not for this tyme for my or even your purpose In your N. 61 you pretend to make good or excuse Luther who in the Text where it is said Rom 3.28 We account a man to be justifyed by Faith translates justifyed by Faith Alone and in stead of proving you only ask What such great difference is there between Faith without the works of the Law and Faith alone without the works of the Law Or why does not without Alone signifie all one with Alone Without Answer there is as great difference between those two Propositions as betwene Truth and Falshood That a man is justifyed by Faith without the works of the Law is a truth believed both by Catholiques and Protestants for both of vs belieue that Faith concurres to justification But that other Proposition A man is justifyed by Faith alone without the works of the Law signifyes that we are not justifyed by the works of the Law but by Faith alone that is by nothing but by Faith which is false and excludes justification by Hope Charity and works of Christian piety and accordingly Luther being admonished of this shamefull falsification answered poenitet me quod non addiderim illas duas voces omnibus omnium vz. sine omnibus operibus omnium legum Besides it is strang you will defend this falsification of Alone seing Pag 406. N. 32. you wish that those Chapters of S. Paul which intreat of justification by Faith without the works of the Law were never read in the Church but wheÌ„ the 13. Chap of the 1. Epist to the Corinth Concerning the absolute necessity of Charity should be to prevent misprision read togeather with theÌ„ But then good Sr. what danger of misprision must it needs be when people shall think S. Paul spoke of Faith Alone as Luther makes him speak To this may be added what you haue Pag 218. N. 49. of the danger of justification by Faith alone Neither I nor others with whom I haue confered can make any sense of your other workes Or why does not Without c. The translation of Zuinglius This signifyes my Body in stead of This is my Body is rejected by Protestants themselves where of see Brereley Tract 2. Cap 3. Sect. 9. Subd 3. 17. In your N 62. till the 80 inclusiue you vainly triumph as if you did invincibly proue that according to our Groundes mens salvation depends vpon vncertaintyes All which I haue answered at large hertofore 18. Concerning your N. 83 I desire the Reader to consider what Charity Maintayned recites out of Dr Couell about our vulgate Tanslation of Scripture and he will find that your Answer to that particular is but a vaine speculation and that he supposes the Translation which is called the Bishops Bible and is approved in England to be the best as coming neerest to the vulgate which had been no proofe at all vnless he had also supposed the Vulgate to be the best all things considered and so made it a Rule to Judge of the goodness and quality of that English Translation 19. To your N. 86. I answer that if Dr Field when he saith in his Treatise of the Church in his Epistle Dedicatory to the L. Archbishop Seeing the Controversyes of Religion in our tymes are growne in number so many and in nature so intricate that few haue tyme and leasure fewer strength of vnderstanding to examine them what remayneth for men desirous of satisfaction in things of such consequence but diligently to search out which among all the societyes in the world is that blessed Company of holy Ones that how should of Faith that Spouse of Christ and Church of the living God which is the Pillar and Ground of Truth that so they may imbraâ—e her Communion follow her directions and rest in her judgment If I say Dr. Field did not thinke of any company of Christians invested with such Authority from God that all men were bound to receiue their decrees as you say he did not I can only say that when he spoke of searching out that Blessed Company of holy Ones c he spoke of a Chimera or of a thing impossible and yet he saith that there remaineth for men desirous of satisfaction in things of such consequence only this that they search out which among all the societyes in the world is that Blessed Company of holy Ones c which had bene nothing els but to bring men to desperation by prescribing one only meanes for salvation and that an
his fourth Chapter Pag 788. Chap 14. The answer to his fifth Chapter about Schisme Pag 846. Chap 15. The answer to his sixth Chapter about Heresy Pag 884. Chap 16. The answer to his seaventh Chapter that Protestants are not bound by the Charity which they owe to themselves to reunite themselves to the Roman Church Pag 932. Touching the necessity of diuine Grace for all vvorkes of Christian Piety I. THe necessity I find of premisinge this Introduction giues me iust cause to begin with those sad passages of the Prophet Ieremy c. 9.1 VVho will giue water to my head and to myne eyes a fountayne of teares and v. 18. Let our eyes shed teares and our eye liddes runne downe with waters And c. 13. v. 17. My soule shall weepe because of the pride a S. Aug. l. 2. de peccatorum meritis remiss cap. 18. saieth Ipsa ratio quemlibet nostrum quaetentem vehementer angustat ne â—ic defendamus gratiam vt liberum arbitrium auferre videamur rurlus ne liberum sic asseramus arbittium vt SVPERBA IMPIETATE ingrati Dei gratiae indicemur O England what greater pride then to make humane reason the measure of Christian faith and to beleeue Faith to be only a probable assent because Reason cannot with euidency comprehend how it should be infallibly true O soules deny not the satisfaction of Christ our Lord for our sinnes and his Merit of supernaturall Grace to enable our nature towards workes of Piety Be not eleuated Jerem 13.16.17 but Giue you glory to our Lord your God before it wax darke and before your feet stumble at the darke mountaynes Otherwise you shall looke for light and he will turne it into the shaddow of death and into darknes But if you will not heare this in secret my soule shall weepe because of the pride b S. Anselmus ad illud 1. Cor. 4. Quid habes quod non accepisti sayth Fecit Deus vt esses tu fecisti vt bonus esses absit Si enim Deus dedit vt esses alius tibi dare potuit ut bonus esses melior est ille qui dedit ut bònus esses quam ille qui dedit ut esses Sed nullus Deo melior igÃtur à Deo accepisti esse bonum esse Thus sayth our Lord let not the wise man glory in his wisdome but he that gloryeth let him glory in this because I am the Lord that doe mercy For it is not Rom. 9.16 of the willer nor of the runner but of God that sheweth Mercy by freely offeringe Pardon Grace and Glory Let vs not ô let vs not make vaine the Life Sufferings Death Satisfaction and Merit of God incarnate by setting vp an idol of reason but let vs say with the Apostole Galat. 2.21 I cast not away the Grace of God For if iustice by the Lawe of Mòyses if Faith by reason then Christ dyed in vaine II. But heere some will not faile to aske the reason why I should treate this seeming farre fetchd matter in this occasion The Answer to this demand cannot be so fitly and fully deliuered by me in this place as it will of it selfe appeare in severall occasions through this whole worke For the present I say that the necessity of supernaturall grace being once established the most substantiall parts of M. Chillingworths booke will remaine confuted For jf Divine faith be the Gift of God infused into our soules and that we cannot exercise any one Act therof without the particular grace and motion of the Holy Ghost it followes immediatly and clearly against his fundamentall and capitall heresie that Christian Faith must be infallible and exempt from all possibility of errour or falshood It being an evident and certaine truth that the supreme and Prime Ueritie cannot by his speciall supernaturall motion inspire a falshood S. Iohns aduise 1. Ioan 4.1 is Beleeue not euery spirit but proue the spirits if they be of God But if we find our spirit to be of God and yet maintayne that it may be stayned with errour what further triall can we make must we raise vp the spirit of man and rely on the strength of reason to trye and so perhaps to check and reject the spirit of God though knowne and acknowledged to be his spirit We reade in holy Scripture Deuter c. 18.21.22 If in secret cogitation thou answer How shall I vnderstand the word that our Lord spake not This signe thou shalt haue That which the same Prophet foretelleth in the name of the Lord and cometh not to passe that our Lord hath not spoken but by the arrogancy of his mynd the Prophet hath forged it Which yet were no good or infallible signe if the spirit of God who spoke by the Prophets could inspire a falshood III. This truth is granted even by sectaryes themselues who will not deny to be true what Caluin Jnstit l. 1. c. 7. saith Testimonium spiritus omni ratione praestantius esse respondeo I answer that the testimony of the spirit is to be preferred before all reason And even Chillingworth Pag. 145 n. 33. saieth that Potter ascribes to the Apostles the Spirits guidance and consequently infallibility in a more high and absolute manner then any since them Where we see he proportionates infallibility to the guidance of the Spirit IV. Besides if the Theologicall vertues of Hope and Charity be the Gifts of God and their Acts require supernaturall assistance Faith also by which they are directed must be supernaturall and require Gods particular Grace which excludes all falshood Jf Faith Hope and Charity be Gifts infused by God not acquired by Acts proceeding from our naturall forces and for that reason we can not be assured of their presence by sensible experience as we may be of acquired naturall Habits Jf they be Powers to enable not meere Habits to facilitate vs in order to Actions of Piety we must inferre that they are not to be increas'd or diminishd lost conserved or acquired or measured according to the rate of naturall Habits Which truth being once granted his doctrine that Repentance consists in the rooting out of all vicious habits That Charity may consist with deadly sinne and Faith with heresy and the like Tenets instantly fall to the ground their whole foundation being an imaginary paritie or rather identity of infused and naturall Habits or Gifts as will appeare when such particular points shall offer themselues to be examined V. Heere I cannot forbeare to reflect in what manner they who haue once withdrawne their beleife and obedience from Gods Church and an jnfallible living judge in matters belonging to Faith do runne into extremes Some of them to maintayne the necessity of Grace denie freewill others in direct opposition to these giue all to free-will and denie the necessity of Grace Some reject inherent Justice though infused by God yea they teach that the guilt of sinne still remaining doth stayne all our actions
glory of God in the face of Christ Iesus Galat. 5.22.23 The fruit of the spirit is Faith Ephes 1.16.17.18 I cease not to giue thankes for you making a memory of you in my prayers That God of our Lord Iesus Christ the Father of glory giue you the spirit of wisdom and of reuelation in the knowledg of him the eyes of your hart illuminated that you may know what the hope is of his vocation and what are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the Saints Ephes 2.8 For by Grace you are saued with Faith and that not of yourselves for it is the gist of God Ephes 6.23 Peace to the Brethren and charity with faith from God the father and our Lord Iesus Christ Philipp 1.29 To you it is giuen for Christ not only that you belieue in him but also that you suffer for him Colos 1.2 Giuing thanks to God the Father who hath made vs worthy vnto the part of the lot of the Saints in the light 2. Pet. 1.21 The holy men of God spake inspired with the Holy Ghost XX More Texts of Scripture might be alledged but it is needles since euē all Sectaryes except Pelagius and such as follow him belieue Grace to be necessary for faith and in particular D. Potter to whom Chilling is in this mayne poynt directly opposit as is euident by these his expresse words Pag. 135. Faith is sayd to be diuine and supernaturall in regard of the author or efficient cause of the act and habit of diuine faith which is the speciall grace of God preparing enabling and assisting the soule to belieue For faith is the gist of God alone 1. Cor. 12.34 2. In regard of the object or things belieued which are aboue Philipp 1.29 the reach and comprehēsion of meere nature and reason Philip. 1.29 Thus D. Potter and adds that of these two respects there is no controuersie he meanes betweene Catholiques and Protestāts For by the euēt it is cleare that there is a controuersy betweene him and the Socinians and in particular with Chilling worth his champion But necessity hath no law Charity Maintayned could not with any shew be answered in the grounds of Protestants who therfor chose rather to destroy their owne grounds and the doctrine of all good Christians then to confesse the truth of our Catholik faith though conuicted by euident reasons Besides Pag. 140. D. Potter sayth Humane authority consent and proofe may produce an humane or acquired faith but the assent of diuine faith is absolutly diuine in which words he distinguisheth acquired faith from diuine and consequently holds that this is not acquired but infused Pag. 141. That Scripture is of diuine authority the belieuer sees by many internall arguments found in the letter it selfe though found by the helpe and direction of the Church without and of grace within Mark how besides the externall proposition of the object by the Church he requires internall grace Pag. 142. There is in the Scripture it selfe light sufficient which the eye of reason cleared by grace and assisted by the many motiues which the Church vseth for enforcing of her instructions may discouer to be diuine descended from the father and fountain of light Pag. 143. he teaches that by the ministery of the church in preaching and expounding the Holy Ghost begets a diuine faith in vs. And in the same place he tearmeth the act of faith supernaturall as also we haue heard him tearme it so pag. 135. and it is a plaine contradiction that it should be supernaturall or aboue nature and yet be produced by the forces of nature which were to make it aboue and not aboue nature XXI By the way it is to be noted that D. Potter deliuers a very vntrue doctrine in saying in this pag. 135. that the efficient cause of the act and habit of diuine faith is the speciall grace of God For the speciall actuall grace of God is not the efficient cause of the habit of our faith which is infused by God alone as our naturall acts of vnderstanding or willing do not produce the Powers of our vnderstanding or will and supernaturall Habits of Faith Hope c. are giuen vs not to facilitate but to enable vs to exercise Acts of Faith Hope c For which cause they are compared to supernaturall Acts as the naturall faculties or Powers of our soule are compared to their naturall Acts which they produce and are not produced by them I omit his vnproper speach that the speciall grace of God is the author of an act of faith SECTION III. The necessity of Grace to Hope as vve ought for saluation XXII IF Grace be necessary for euery worke of Christian Pietie and in particular for faith as we haue proued it will be needles to stand long vpon prouing that it is necessary for hoping which is a work of Pietie proceeding from a Theologicall Vertue to which Faith is referrd and of which mortall men considering the sublimity of eternall Happynes and guiltynes of their owne meanes frailty and sinnes stand in need for raising vp their soules towards so supernaturall an Object and preseruing them from dejection pusilanimity and despaire yet we will not omit to alledge some particular Texts of Scripture in proofe of this Truth Rom 5.2 By whom Christ we haue access through Faith into this Grace wherin we stand and glorie in the hope of the glorie of the sonnes of God Where it is cleare that the Apostle placeth hope amongst the gifts of the children of God which we receaue by Christ Chap. 15. V. 4.5 That by the patience and consolation of the Scriptures we may haue hope and the God of patience giue you to be of one mynd Which words declare that God is the author of those gifts 1. Cor. 13.13 And now there remayne Faith Hope Charity Where it appeares that these three Vertues are specially numbred togeather as belonging to the same rank and order Psalm 18.49 Be myndefull of thy word to thy seruant wherin thou hast giuen me hope Thessa◠5.8 But we that are of the day are sober hauing on the brest plate of faith and charity and a helmet the hope of saluation Where wee see the apostle ioynes Hope with Faith and Charity and V. 9.10 declares that it is given for Christ and is ordaynd and conduces to a supernaturall end saying for God hath not appointed vs vnto wrath but vnto the purchasing of saluation by our Lord Iesus Christ who died for vs. 1. Pet. 3.4.5 Blessed be God and the Father of our Lord Iesus Christ who according to his great mercie hath regenerated vs vnto a liuely hope by the resurrection of Iesus Christ from the dead vnto an inheritance incorruptible and incontaminate and that cannot fade conserued in the heauens in you who in the vertue of God are kept by faith vnto saluation SECTION IV. Grace necessary for Charity XXIII IF Grace be necessary for faith and hope much more is it necessary for
Charitie vvhich by the Apostle is preferrd before those other two vertues 1. Cor. 13.13 Now there remayne Faith Hope Charity these three but the greater of these is Charity Besides Charity being the fulfilling of the law if we cannot keepe the commandements without grace as we will proue in the next Section it followes that without grace we cannot Loue as we ought for attaining saluation But yet let vs alledge some places of Scripture wherin this truth is set downe 1. Ioan 4.7 Charity is of God and euery one that loueth is borne of God aÌ„d knoweth God Ioan. 14.23.24 If any loue me he will keepe my word and my Father will loue him and vve vvill come to him and will make aboad with him He that loueth me not keepeth not my words Who dare ascribe to a loue acquired by humane forces these priuiledges of keeping Gods word in so supernaturall a way as that the B. Trinitie will come and remaine vvith him Rom. 5.5 The charity of God is powred forth in our harts by the holy Ghost vvhich is giuen vs. Rom. 13.8 He that loueth his neighbour hath fulfilled the lavv V. 10. Loue therfor is the fulness of the lavv Galat. 5.22 The fruite of the spirit is charitie Ephes 6.23.24 Peace to the brethreÌ„ and charitie vvith faith from God the father and our Lord Iesus Christ Grace with all that loue our Lord Iesus Christ in incorruption XXIV Euen Chilling Pag. 20. saith what can hinder but that the consideration of Gods most infinite Goodness to them Protestants and their owne almost infinite wickedness against him Gods spirit cooperating with them may raise them to a true and syncere and a cordiall loue of God In vvhich vvords he may seeme to require the particular grace of the holy Ghost for exercising an Act of loue or charitie I say he may seeme because it is no nevves for him to dissemble or disguise his true meaning vnder some shew of words vsed by good Christians though it cost him a contradiction vvith himselfe and his ovvne Grounds Hovvsoeuer it be at least his manner of speach shevves hovv christians must not deny this truth SECTION V. The Necessity of Grace for keeping the Commandements and ouercoming temptations XXV THis point giues me againe iust occasion to obserue how they who deny a liuing jnfallible iudge of controuersies cannot auoyd running into pernitious extremes Some hold that Christians are not bound in conscience to keepe the Commandements a Vide Bellarm de justificatione l. 4. Cap. 1. in somuch as Luther is not afraid nor ashamed to say b In Commentario ad Cap 2 ad Galatas When it is taught that indeed faith in Christ iustifies but yet so as we ought to keepe the commandements because it is writteÌ„ if thou wilt enter into life keepe the coÌ„mandemeÌ„ts there Christ is instantly denyed aÌ„d faith abolished And elswhere c In Sermone de nouo Testamento siâ—e de Mâ—ssa Let vs take heed of sinnes but much more of lawes and good works Let vs attend only to the promise of God and faith I wonder how a man can take heed of sinne and ioyntly take heed of good workes Shall he be still doing and yet doe neither good nor badd Some teach that it is impossible to keepe the commandements euen with the assistance of diuine grace Others that they may be kept by the force of nature and that the assistance of Gods grace is not necessary except only to keepe them with greater ease or facility XXVI The true Catholike doctrine is that we may keepe the commandements and ouercome temptations by the grace of God not by our owne naturall forces which is manifestly declared in Holy Scripture EZechiel 36.26 I will giue you a new hart and put a new spirit in middest of you and I will take away the stony hart out of your flesh aÌ„d will giue you a fleshie hart And I will put my spirit in the middest of you and I will make that you walk in my precepts and keepe my iudgments and doe them 1. Ioan. 5.3 This is the charity of God that we keepe his commandements Ioan. 14.23.24 If any loue me he will keepe my word and my father will loue him and we will come to him and will make abode with him He that loueth me not keepeth not my words Behold louing or not louing keeping or not keeping the commandements goe togeather But we haue proued that Grace is necessary to loue God it is therfor necessary to keepe his commandements Rom. 8.3 For that which was impossible to the law in that it was weakned by the flesh God sending his son in the flesh of sinne euen of sinne damnes sinne in the flesh That the iustification of the Law might be fulfilled in vs. 1. Cor. 7.7 The Apostle teaches that not only the continency of virgins and widdowes but maried people also is the gift of God saying Euery one hath a proper guift of God one so and another so Sap. 8.21 And as I knew that I could not otherwise be continent vnless God gaue it this very thing also was wisdom to know whose this gift was I went to our Lord and besought him Rom. 2.13 Not the hearers of the Law are iust with God but the doers of the Law shall be iustifyed And yet the same Apostle sayth Galat 2 21. If iustice by the Law then Christ dyed in vaine And we may say in the same manner If iustice by nature and not by Grace Christ died in vaine S. Iames 3.8 The tong no man can tame Rom. 5.20.21 The Law entered in that sinne might abound and where sinne abounded grace did more abound that as sinne raigned to death so also grace may raigne by iustice to life euerlasting through Iesus Christ our Lord. Which words declare that grace is so necessary for fulfilling the Law that without it the Law was occasion of death by reason of humane frailty and corruption Rom. 4.15 The Law worketh wrath Rom. 7. V. 23.24.25 I see another Law in my members repugning to the law of my mynd and captiuing me in the law of sinne that is in my members Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliver me from the body of this death The grace of God by Iesus Christ our Lord. 1. Cor. 15.56 57. The power of sinne is the law But thankes be to God that hath giuen vs victory by our Lord Iesus Christ 1. Cor. 10.13 God is faithfull who will not suffer you to be tempted aboue that which you are able but will make also with teÌ„ptation issue that you may be able to sustaine Psalm 17.30 In thee I shall be deliuered from teÌ„ptation Psa 26.9 Be thou my helper forsake me not Psalm 29.7.8 I sayd in my aboundance I will not be moued for euer Thou hast turned away thy face from me and I became troubled Psalm 117.13 Being thrust I was ouerturned to fall and our Lord receyued me 1. Pet. 5. V. 8.9 Be sober
and watch because your aduersary the Diuel as a roaring lion goeth about seeking whom he may deuoure whom resist ye strong in faith Not in naturall reason humane discourse orwitt wherin the Diuell would be too hard for mortall men not assisted by Gods holy Grace SECTION VI. Grace Necessary for true Repentance XXVII TRue Repentance being the immediate dispositiō to iustifying Grace and Grace being as diuines call it Semen gloriae the seed of glorie which in Heauen shall be bestowed on whosoeuer dies in the state of grace if Repentance were an effect of nature grace and glory should proceed from nature and it would not be sayd Psalm 83.12 Gratiam Gloriam dabit Dominus Our Lord will giue grace and glory to man but mā by his owne sole forces will merit and offer thē to God XXVIII Besides perfect Repentance or Contrition proceeding from Loue and Attrition from Hope since we haue proued that grace is necessary to Loue and Hope it must also be necessary for both those kinds of repentance Thus we read Hierem. 31.18.19 Conuert me and I shall be conuerted After that thou didst conuert me I did pennance and after thou didst shew vnto me I strooke my thigh Thren 5.21 Convert vs ô Lord vnto thee ād we shall be conuerted Ezech. 36.26 I will giue you a new hart and put a new spirit in the middes of you and I will take away the stony hart out of your flesh and will giue you a fleshy hart And I will put my spirit in the middes of you and I will make that you walke in my precepts and keepe my iudgments and doe them Psalm 79. V. 4 O God conuert vs and shew thy face and we shall be saued And V. 8. O God of Hosts conuert vs and shew thy face and we shall be saued Psalm 84. Conuert vs ô Lord our sauiour Psalm 76. V. 11. I sayd now haue I begunne this is the chāg of the right hand of the Highest Psalm 118. V. 176. I Haue strayed as a sheep that is lost seeke thy seruant because I haue not forgotten thy commandements Luc. 22 S. Peter wept not till our sauiour lookt vpon him Act. 5.31 This Prince and Sauiour God hath exalted with his right hād to giue repentance to Israël and remission of sinnes 2. Timot. 2.24.25.26 The seruant of our Lord must not wrāgle but be mild toward all men apt to teach patient with modesty admonishing them that resist the truth least sometyme God giue them repentance to know the truth and they recouer themselues from the snares of the diuell of whom they are held captiue at his will SECTION VII Grace is necessary for perseuerance XXIX WE need not insist in prouing this truth For if grace be necessary for Faith Hope Charity Keeping the commandements and ouercommig temptations much more is it necessary to perseuer in the state of grace which requires all those gifts of faith hope c. And places a man in security for saluation according to that of S. Matt. 10.22 He that shall perseuer vnto the end he shall be saued so that to say Grace is not necessary to perseuer is to affirme that Grace is not necessary for saluation XXX This truth we read in S. Io. 15.16 I haue appointed you that you goe and bring fruite ād your fruite abide And Heb. 3.12.13.14 Beware brethren least perhaps there be in some of you an euil hart of incredulity to depart from the liuing God But exhort yourselues euery day whiles to day is named none of you be obdurate with the fallacy of sinne For we be made partakers of Christ yet so if we keepe the beginning of his substance firme vnto the end And. Philip. 1.6 trusting this same thing that he which hath begūne in you a good worke will perfit it vnto the day of Christ Iesus Philip. 2.12.13 With feare and trembling work your saluation For it is God that worketh in you both to will and to accomplish according to his good will XXXI The reason of this truth is cleare because justifying Grace takes not away ignorance in our vnderstanding freedom and inconstancy in our will rebellion in the Appetite which are the rootes and causes of sinne and therfor wee need both externall Protection to remoue extrinsecall impediments of vertue and occasions of euill and internall Helps effectualy assisting and constantly moouing vs to good SECTION VIII That Habituall or justifying Grace is necessary to keepe the commandements XXXII THat there is inherent in the soules of iust men a reall qualitie or gift wherby they are gratefull to god we will proue hereafter for as much as may belong to our purpose in this work referringe the Reader for a full and exact profe therof to the many learned Bookes of catholike Diuines XXXIII Novv to the former Heads concerning the Necessity of Actuall Grace I add this about habituall to confute more and more the ancient and moderne Pelagians in generall and some Tenets of Chilling worth in particular as will appeare when we come to examine his Chimericall doctrine about repentance XXXIV That Habituall Grace is necessary for keeping the commandements we may proue in order to the more moderate Protestants out of the Mileuitan Councell which was celebrated within the compasse of yeares which they acknowledg for Orthodox namely Anno 416. wherin can 3. we read these words Whosoeuer shall say that the Grace of God wherin we are justifyed by Iesus Christ our Lord auailes only for remission of sinnes already committed and not also for Help not to commit them be he accursed Therfore hee who is not in state of Grace wants some grace and help to auoide sinne And in Concilio Arausicano Anno 529. Can. 13. it is defined Mans freewill weakned in the first man cannot be repaired but by the Grace of Baptisme But the grace conferred in Batisme is habituall and permanent Therfore the weakness of our free-will is renewed or the strength of it is restored by habituall Grace XXXV The reason of this is because God giues not particular protection and speciall helps of grace on which the obseruation of the commandements depends except to men in state of grace For one deadly sinne drawes after it another so much the more as a man remaines longer in that bad state like to ponderous waights which mend their pace the longer theyr motion lasts and so Dauid sayth Psalm 37.5 Myne iniquityes are gone ouer my head and as a heauy burden are become heauy vpon me If veniall transgressions neglected dispose to mortall what can be expected from a voluntary abiding in deadly sinne Thus we read Hierem. 23.11 12. The Prophet and the Preist are polluted Therfor their way shall be as slippery ground in the dark for they shall be driuen on and fall therin And Thren 1.8 Hierusalem hath sinned a sinne therfore is she made vnstable XXXVI For which morall poynt we can alledg none more fitly then S. Gregory the Great whom the world
acknowledges to be a most profound master of spirit This holy Father Homil. 11. in EZechiel hath these remarkable words If sinne be not speedily wiped away by repeÌ„tance Almighty God in his iust iudgment permitts the soule of the sinner to fall into another sinne that he who by weeping aÌ„d correcting himselfe would not wash away what he had committed may beginne to heape sinne vpon sinne The sinne therfore which is not washed away with the sorrow of repentance is both a sinne and cause of sinne because from it procedes that wherby the soule of the sinner is more deeply intangled But the sinne which followes out of another sinne is both a sinne and a punishment of sinne because blindnes encreasing in punishment of the former fault it falleth out that increase in vice is as it were a kind of punishment in such a sinner For the most part one and the selfe same sinne is both a sinne and the punishment and cause of sinne These last words he hath also in Iob lib. 25. C. 13. Agreable to this is the saying of the Author Operis imperfecti in Matthaeum C. 21. As when the sterne is broken the ship is carryed whersoeuer the storme driues it so a sinner hauing by his sinne lost the assistance of diuine Grace doth not what he will but what the diuell wills XXXVII The same truth is also deliuered by the Apostle Rom. 8.5 They that are according to the flesh are affected to things that are of the flesh but they that are according to the spirit are affected to the things that are of the spirit and V. 8. concludes they that are in flesh cannot please God But all they who want the spirit and grace of God are in flesh according to the same Apostle V. 9. You are not in the flesh but in the spirit yet if the spirit of God dwell in you Therfor they that want the spirit or grace of God cannot please him which is done only by keeping the commandements Thus we find verefyed by daily experience That he who is once fallen into deadly sinne doth not easily abstaine from coÌ„mitting more vnless he speedily rise againe And in this Gods holy will is most iust not giuing those helps to his enemyes which he bestowes on his friends whose soules as his temples he often visits enlightens inflames and effectually strengthens to keepe his commandements XXXVIII It is the true doctrine of Diuines that an infidell cannot abstaine from deadly sinne so long as one endued with Faith He therfor who hath not Charitie cannot auoide mortall sinne so long as hee who is in state of grace and charity and receyues those particular helps which are connaturall to that blessed condition S. Thomas 1.2 q. 109. A. 8. corp giues as he is wont a solid reason hereof As saith he the inferiour appetite ought to be subiect to reason so reason ought to be subordinate to God As therfor there cannot but arise disordinate motions in the seÌ„sitiue apetite if it be not perfectly subject to reason so if reason be not perfectly subiect to God there cannot but happen many disorders in the reasonable portion of our soule For when man hath nor his hart setled in God as in the last end of all his actions many things offer themselues for the obtaining or auoiding of which he forsakes God by breaking his commandements vnless his disordered will be speedily reduced to due order by grace And indeed he who wittingly and willingly perseuers in sinne is not drawen from it either by considering that it is an offence against God since he out of deliberate choyse and election remains in such an offence or for the infinite and innumerable euills which arise from sinne all which he hath considered and knowes that they or the danger of falling into them are incurred already and yet is supposed not to forsake that damnable state And custome in euill is apt to breede either a secret or open dispaire of amendment or els a pernicious insensibility security and presumption laying the soule open to accept all impressions of spirituall enemyes as in the barren season of winter hedges are broken inclosures become commons and are turned to high wayes for all passengers But now it is tyme to performe what we promised in the beginning of this Section that besides Actuall grace there is also a permanent quality or gift inherent in our soule wherby we are called and are indeed just and Sonnes and Heyres to God and Coheires to Christ our Lord. SECTION IX Of Habituall or justifying Grace in it selfe XXXIX HItherto we haue spoken of Actuall grace necessary to workes of Christian Piety Faith Hope c. Or of Habituall in order to the keeping of the commandements Now we cannot omitt to say somthing of habituall and permanent justifying supernaturall Grace in it self Concerning which heretiques as their manner is fall vpon contrary Extremes Pelagius teaching that we may be saued by the forces of nature consequently must deny that any infused inherent supernaturall Gift was necessary to saluation but that some naturall â—nherent quality was sufficient Contrary to which is the doctrine of Caluin Lib. 3. jnstit C. 11. Num 23. That man is not iust by any justice inherent in himselfe but only because the justice of Christ is imputed to him Catholiques auoiding both these extreames belieue that we are truly just in not by our selues or our naturall forces but by supernaturall Grace infused into our soules for the merits of our Sauiour Christ as the sacred Councell of Trent Sess 6. C. 7. and Can. 11. hath defined XL. This is that diuine gift which makes men holy in this life and happy in the next a Amicus To 3. disp 29. n. 119. Other infused Habits are particular participations of Diuine operations namely Charity and Hope respectiuely of that loue wherby God loues himselfe and other things Faith of that infallible knowledg which God hath of himselfe and all creatures The light of glory lumen gloriae of that sight which God hath of his proper essence the morall infused Vertues of those actions which God exercises towards his creature But Grace is a Gift immediatly participating of the whole Diuine nature as it can be intellectually participated by an intellectuall creature As in our naturall life our soule is the roote of its powers which it requires as propertyes and is more eminent than they so in our spirituall life this Grace is the roote of all supernaturall Habits and farr exceedes them in perfection XLI Of this in a most singular manner are verifyed the Elogiums which holy Fathers giue of grace b Amicus To 3. Proem ante Disp 26. which according to S. Gregory Homil. 27. is the roote of good works which according to S Chrisostome Homil 7.2 ad Thimoth and 1. au Corinth Hom. 40 takes away the rust of sinne makes the soule resplendent and fiery which according to S. Augustine Libro de Spiritu littera Capite
presented holy and immaculate and blamelesse before him that is such a faith as is absolutely necessary to saluation which is that which Chilling expressly and purposely denies See of this place what I alledg afterward out of S. Chrisostome Gal. 1.8.9 Although we or an Angel from Heauen euangelize to you beside that which we haue euangelized to you be he Anathema As we haue sayd before so now I say agayne if any euangelize to you beside that which you haue receyued be he Anathema Certainly if our Faith be but probable it were against reason not to belieue an Angel from Heauen auouching the contrary But of this Text more hereafter Now let vs see what is the sense of the holy Fathers for this poynt 10. S. Dionysius Areopagita Cap 7. de Diuin Nomin sayth Eum qui in veritate credit iuxta Scripturae fidem nihil remouebit a verae fidei auctore in quo constantiam immobilis atque immutabilis habebit Nouit enim penitus is c. Him who in truth belieues according to the faith of Scripturè nothing will remoue from the author of true faith in whom he being vnmoueable and immutable will haue constancy For well knowes he who is joyned vnto truth how well he is albeit many reprehend him as a mad man and distracted S. Basill Ep. 43. ad Gregor Nyssenum Euen as in those things which appeare to the eye experience seemes to goe further than the reason of the cause so in sublime matters of doctrine faith it selfe is of more accoūt thā the reach of discourses And in a Serm. vpō the 115. Psalm Let faith goe before and guide speaches concerning God Faith and not Demonstration Faith which drawes the soule vnto assent aboue rationall methodes Faith aboue logick discourses and aboue Demonstration In Regulis moralib Regula 80. Faith is a most certaine satisfaction of the mynd concerning the truth of diuine wordes S Chrysostome Hom 21. in Ep ad Hebr. vpon those wordes Cap 11. Est autem Fides sperandarum substantiâ rerum argumentum eorum quae non videntur saith O how admirable a word vsed he saying An Argument of those things which are not seene For it is an Argument in things very hidden Faith therfore is sayth he a seeing of things which appeare not and it leades vnto the same certainty to which those also lead which are seene Therfore neither can it be called credulity or incredulity of those things which are seene nor againe can it be called faith but when one shall haue certainty concerning those things which are not seene more than concerning those things which are seene And Hom 4. in Ep ad Coloss vpon those words Coloss C. 1. Siquidem permanseritis Fide fundati ac stabiles non dimoti in Spe Euangely he saith He did not absolutely say shall persist For it may come to passe that he persist also who wauereth and disagrees He also may stand and remaine who wanders vp and downe and errs but if saith he yee shall persist grounded and stable and not mooved What could be spoken more clearly for the stable infallibility of Faith against the probable floating faith of Chillingworth as if this Sainct had purposely impugned him out of holy Scripture so many ages before he appeared And Hom. 8. in Epist ad Rom. he so declares the sublimity and difficulty of Faith and necessity of a great strength for ouercoming temptations against it that it clearly appeares he requires an other kind of Faith then only a probable Assent For speaking of one who belieues he saith This man hath God a debter and a debter not of vulgar matters but of great ād high ones Moroeuer hauing shewed the sublimity and spirituall thought of such a mans mynd he did not absolutely say credenti to him that belieues sed credenti in eum qui justificat impium but to him that belieues in him who justifyes the wicked For thinke with thy selfe how great a matter this is namely to belieue and to conceyue a certaine perswasion that God can on a suddaine not only free from deserued punishment him who hath spent his life in jmpiety but also make him just and furthermore bestow on him immortall honours And vpon these words Sed robustus factus est side But hee Abraham was made strong in faith he saith Seing that he treated both of those who performe works and of those also who belieue he shewed that he who belieues does a greater worke than the other and hath need of greater fortitude ād strength And he shewed that not he only who exerciseth temperance or some other like vertue but he also who belieueth needs very great strength and power For euen as he hath need of great strength for resisting the assaults of intemperancie so likewise this man must haue great courage to resist and keep himself from thoughts of disbelief Wherin then did he proue himself to be strong he committed saith he the matter to Faith not vnto conjectures Otherwise he would haue fayld and lost courage Neither sayd he S. Paule of Abraham meerly belieuing but hauing conceyued a certaine perswasion our vulgare hath plenissime sciens Rhemes Testament most fully knowing For such a manner of thing Faith is to wit more open and more manifest than that demonstration which is begotten by the discoursing of a considering mynd and therfore hath greater force in perswading For it wauereth not if perhaps some other thought do present it self For he that lyes open to the discourses of a mynd moved hither and thither may verily also alter his iudgmēt But one that firmly settles himself by Faith shutteth his hearing and fortifyeth it as it were vvith a trench against hurtfull thoughts These words of this holy Doctour do not only affirme but proue the necessity of an jnfallible Faith vnless vve vvill be alvvays in perplexityes doubts and danger of denying Christian Religion S. Ambrose Enarratione in Psalm 40. As there are some vvho haue eyes and see not so there be some vvho not seeing with their eyes are beleeued to see more Whence also Prophets vvere called Seers euen those vvho did not see vvith their eyes S. Hierome Ep. 61. ad Pammachium C. 3. will you know hovv great the feruour is of those vvho belieue aright Giue eare to the Apostle Although we or an Angell from heauen should euangelize othervvise vnto you be he accursed And in Cap. 1. Ep. ad Galat. the Apostle shewes the firmeness of his fayth saying I knovv that neither death nor life c. And contralily if Faith vvere not most certainly true vvho could be obliged to die for auerringe the truth therof vvhich is the argument brought by S. Bernard against Abailardus saying Ep. 190. Fooles therfor vvere our Martyrs suffering so grieuous punishments for vncertaine things not doubting through a hard passage to suffer a long banishment for a doubtfull revvard S. Austine Tom. 10. de verbis Dom. Serm. 63. Speaking of an Article of Christian Faith sayth
N. 4. he endeauours to proue that Faith cannot be absolutely certaine because if it were so any least doubting would destroy it which shewes that doubting may well consist with his kind of probable faith which is that very absurdity which we inferrd as impious against true Religion of which we must resolue neuer to doubt though per jmpossible an Apostle or Angel should moue vs therto as we haue heard out of S. Paule and yet the Authority of an Apostle or perswasion of an Angell should in all reason be preferrd before Faith if it be only probable 24. This inconstancy in Religion appeares further by what he confesses of himselfe Pag. 389. N. 7. where speaking of a command of obedience to the Roman Church he hath these words sure I am for my part that I haue done my true endeauour to find it true and am still willing to doe so but the more I seeke the further I am from findinge c. Behold how after so long tyme so much deliberation so many changes of Religion euen after the writing of his Booke he is still willing to find and embrace a Religion different and contrary to that which he professed Also P. 184. N. 90. he sayth Shew vs any way and do not say but proue it to haue come frrm Christ and his Apostles down to vs and we are ready to followit Neither do we expect Demonstration herof but such reasons as may make this more probable than the contrary Agreable to this is his professing Preface N. 2. that he had a trauellers indifferency most apt and most willing to be led by reason to any way or from it And N. 5. he professes that his constancy in Religion consisted in following that way to Heauen which for the present seemed to him the most probable A poore comfort and miserable faith only probable and of no longer continuance than for the tyme present I willingly omitt that his deeds were agreeable to his words changing first from Protestants to Catholike then from Catholike to Protestant and about againe to Catholike till at last he became neyther Precisian nor Subscriber to the 39. Articles nor confessed Socinian nor any thing vnless that mhich S. Bernard sayth of Abailardus Ep 193. Homo sibi dissimilis est totus ambiguus He is a man who disagrees euen from himselfe wholy compounded of doubts I willingly leaue out his middle words Intus Herodes for is Ioannes inwatdly a Herode outwardly a Iohn If the Apostles be to be belieued only in that which they deliuered constantly as a certaine diuine truth as he teaches Pag. 144. N. 31. surely this man and his fellow Socinians ought not to be belieued in any thing seing according to their doctrine that faith is fallible and but probable they neither are nor can be constant in any poynt they deliuer and so we cannot say so much of them as of the Scribes and Pharisees Matt 23.2 whatsoeuer they shall say vnto you doe but according to their works doe not but doe neither what they shall say nor according to their works And heere I beseech and euen begg of the Reader if he haue any care to saue his soule that he will consider how far the faith of this man and his Associates is from true Christian Faith of which we haue heard S. Paule saying Although we or an Angell from Heauen euangelize to you beside that which we haue euangelized be he an Anathema 25. But this is not all that strongly offers it selfe in this poynt For not only his Faith cannot affoard any rest or satisfaction wherby a man may cease from further inquiry but leaues him with a strict obligation to be incessantly examining his Religion and seeking whether he can fynd some more probable and better grounded This sequele seems cleare Because the true Faith and Religion being absolutely necessary to saluation charity towards ones self obliges euery man to seeke the safer way and the most certaine Religion And seeing he is not certaine that the Religion or way to Heauen which for the present seemes to him most probable as we haue heard him speake is indeed the right way what remaynes but that men are obliged to be continually busied and perplexed in the search of the true Faith necessary to saluation This my inference seemes to be acknowledged by him For beside what hath beene already cited he sayes of himselfe P. 278. N. 61. If I did not put away idleness and prejudice and worldly affections and so examine to the bottome all my opinions of diuine matters being prepard in mynd to fellow God and God only which way sceuer he shall lead me if I did not hope that I eyther doe or endeauour to dâ—e these things certainly I should haue little hope of obtaining saluation Loe heere little hope of saluation vnless a man be still examining to the bottome his opinions and be prepard in mynd to follow c. But in Vaine it is to seeke that rest which will neuer be found except in a Faith and Religion acknowledged to be absolutely certaine and infallible which alone can put an end to all further inquiry Finally Pag. 376. N. 57. he sayth This is the Religion which I haue chosen after a long deliberation and I am verily perswaded that I haue chosen wisely Ponder verily perswaded And were not you verily perswaded in those your changes which you acknowledg Pag. 303. N. 103. from a moderate Protestant to a Papist from a doubting Papist to a confirmed Protestant were you not I say verily perswaded that you did choose wisely Yea you expresly tell vs in the same Pag. 303. that of a moderate Protestant you turned a Papist and that the day that you did so you were conuicted in conscience that your yesterdayes opinion that is Protestantisme was an errour By all which appeares how inconstant you were and must be in matters of Faith and Religion till you acknowledg an infallible Faith taken from an infallible liuing Guide which is Gods true Church 26. From this liberty of Belief what can follow but liberty of life Seing his belief of Heauen and Hell is but an opinion concerning things of an other world wheras worldly pleasures are in present possession and certaine If the absolute certainty wherwith all Christians hitherto haue belieued their Faith to abound hath not bene able to stop the course of mens licentiousness what can we now expect but that they who before did runne will now fly after the Idols of whatsoeuer may appeare to their soules or bodyes objects of profit or delight Pag. 326. N. 4. he teaches that if faith be infallible no Christian could committ any deliberate sinne yea and must be perfect in Charity because Faith is the victorie which ouercomes the world and Charity is the effect of Faith If this be so we may say on thecontrary side that if faith be weake or only probable what victory what perfection in Charity can be hoped from it But let
other such qualityes and know in scientificall Demonstrations and belieue in Hope and Charity Is not the same truth knowne with more euidence and consequently with more certainty according to his grounds by a perspicatious vnderstanding than by one more dull Which argues that there are degrees in certainty What is more knowne than that Axiom of Aristotle Propter quod vnumquodque tale illud magis tale That for which euery thing is such is it self much more such Chilling himself Pag. 377. N. 59. Saith we must be surer of the proofe then of the thing proued otherwise it is no proof If then the conclusion be certaine by vertue of the Proof or Premises these must be more certaine which supposes different degrees of perfection euen in certaine and infallible acts of our vnderstanding and then why not in Faith though it be certaine and infallible And his objection that according to vs all true Faith must be most certaine and the most perfect that is cannot be more than most certaine hath no more strength than it receyues from ignorance For when Faith is sayd to be most certaine the comparison goes not betweene different degrees of graduall perfection in Faith it selfe but betweene Faith and naturall knowledg Or els Faith is sayd to be most certaine for its essence because with euery degree of true Faith we must belieue articles reuealed with an assent super omnia aboue all essentially excluding all doubt or dissent from such articles as Hope relyes Vpon God super omnia aboue all and essentially refuses to admitt any voluntary act of desperation and Charity essentially loues God aboue all things appretiatine choosing to loose all things rather than to offend God and therfor effectually moueing vs not to consent vnto any deadly sinne In these essentiall perfections there is an indivisibility and a most or greatest perfection which being taken away the Vertue is destroyed but it passeth not so in Graduall perfections of Faith Hope Charity and other Vertues either infused or acquired 45. What knowledg is so certaine euident and perfect as the Beatificall Vision which may truly be called most perfect but how In respect of other knowledg terminated only to created Objects but in respect to it selfe in order to Graduall perfection it consists not in an indiuisible poynt because one Angell or Saint beholds God intuitiuè with more perfection than another Thus euen your probable Faith must essentially exclude all Doubt Taken in the most proper sense that is not as it signifyes formidinem oppositi some feare least the contrary be true but as it is taken for a suspension of our assent to either side which cannot possibly consist with a probable possitiue assent to one part and in this essentiall notion of excluding all such Doubt all probable judgments must agree and yet you will not deny but there are different Graduall degrees in probable assents and in particular in your probable Faith which you proue to be but probable that so you may as you pretend agree with Scripture mentioning different degrees of Faith 46. Not in this instance only but in others also I conuince you by your owne assertions Pag. 36. N. 9. you say The spirit of God being implored by deuout and humble prayers and sincere obedience may and will by degrees aduance his seruants higher and giue them a certainty of adherence beyend their certainty of euidence And To those that belieue and liue accordingly to their faith he giues by degrees the spirit of obsignation and confirmation which makes them know though how they know not what they did but belieue And be as fully and resolutely assured of the Gospell of Christ as those which heard it from Christ himselfe with their eares which saw it with their eyes which looked vpon it and whose hands handled the Word of life Heere you speake of certaine persons arriuing by degrees to an absolute certainty and I hope you will not deny but that there might be disserent degrees of perfection among them according to the degrees of their deuout and humble prayers and sincere obedience and that the same man might by degrees be aduanced aboue himself as also that they might pray for such increase Therfore there are degres in certainty for attaining of which one may praye as in your objection you alledg the Apostles prâ—ing to Christ to increase their Faith which is directly for vs against your selfe For Pag. 329. N. 7. you teach that the Apostles for some points had absolute certainty in their faith or an assent which was not pure and proper and meere faith but somwhat more an assent containing faith but superadding to it Therfore certainty may be increased and this increase may be prayed for as the Apostles did and among the Apostles who doubts but that one might belieue with more certainty than an other Surely you will be content that S. Paule enter into the number of those who liuing as they belieue attaine an absolute certainty and yet he made progress in charity as himselfe witnesseth 1. Tim 4. V. 6.7.8 I am euen now to be sacrificed and the tyme of my resolution is at and. I haue fought a good fight I haue consummate my course I haue kept the Faith Concerning the rest there is layd vp for me a crowne of justice which our Lord will render to me in that day a just judge You see this blessed Apostle not long before his death speakes of a crowne due for his Faith and good workes or Charity without exception of any tyme wherin his Faith was fallible which indeed was alwayes most certaine and infallible by the particular appearing of our Sauiour to him and most express reuelation which certainty had bene no favour but a great harme if it had depriued him of all increase in charity notwithstanding his continuall exercise of heroicall good workes and a death glorious by martyrdome the highest pitch of Charity and perfection and yet he sayd Phil. 3.12 Non quod jam perfectus sim not that I now am perfect And the like might I say of all the Apostles and other Saints who liued as they belieued and were eminent in Prayer Obedience and all sanctity 47. But this is not all that may be alledged against you out of your owne doctrine Pag. 330. N. 8. You say that we are to belieue the Religion of Christ we are and may be infallibly certaine and this you endeauour to proue by some arguments which you stile certaine and then conclude from all these premises this conclusion euidently followes that it is infallibly certaine that we are firmely to belieue the truth of Christian ReligoÌ„ Now it cannot be denyed but that in this assent It is infallibly certaine that we are firmily to belieue the truth of Christian Religion there may be degrees of certainty or perfection both in different persons at the same tyme and in the same person at different tymes as he may more and more ponder the Reasons which
or liuing as we ought is the cause of faith and as faith is the cause of Charity to which all being obliged they are by consequence obliged to procure the cause therof which you say is faith Wherfor vpon the whole matter your probable faith remaines only to such as keepe not the Commandements nor liue as they belieue which if they did God would rayse them higher to a certainty For thus you say Pag 37. N. 9. God will accept of the weakest and lowest degree of faith if it be truing and effectuall to true obedience and rhat for sincere obedience God may and will rayse men higher to a Certainty Therfor a primo ad vltimum the weakest Faith if it be effectuall to obedience will bring men to certainty Therfore none de facto want such a certainty except they whose faith is not liuing nor effectuall to obedience And further seing you confess yours not to be certaine it must follow that it is not effectuall to true obedience otherwise it would be improued to a Certainty 73. But this is not all that occurrs to be sayd in this poynt Remember your doctrine Pag 379. N. 70. and elswhere that repentance necessary to saluation requires effectuall dereliction and mortification of all viâ—es and the effectuall practise of all Christian vâ—rtues which whosoever performes exercises very perfect obedience and shall not fayle of being raysed higher to a Certainty of faith Therfor your fallible faith will remaine only in sinners For if one either giue himselfe to sincere obedience and so fall not into great sinne or truly repent by your kind of repentance he must passe to a certainty of Faith and so all in state of saluation both Saints that is who haue not sinned mortally and repentant sinners cannot want the spirit of Obsignation as you call it and certaine Faith Why then do you deceiue the world and delude poore soules with a fallible faith or perswasion and not absolutely proclaime to the world that infallible Faith is necessary since euen according to your grounds it is necessary for all sorts of people 74. Now all your Objections and my Answers being vnpartially considered let any man judge whether your Arguments deserue such epithetons as you giue them of demonstratiue conuincing inuincible cleare and the like and what reason you had to say P. 326. N. 4. These you see are strang and portentuous consequences and yet the deduction of them from your doctrine is cleare and apparent which shewes this doctrine of yours which you would fame haue true that there might be some necessity of your Churches infallibility to be indeed plainly repugnant not only to Truth but euen to all Religion and Piety sit for nothing but to make men negligent of making any progress in faith or Charity And therfor I must intreat and adjure you either to discouer vnto me which I take God to witness I cannot perceaue some fallacy in my reasons against it or neuer herafter to open your mouth in defence of it 75. I answer S. Paule had good reason to say Scientia inflat 1. Cor 8.1 Knowledg puffeth vp it is a poysonous quality making the person swell his Arguments and all that he does or sayes swell and emptyness appeare greatness it is a multiplying glasse that stirrs vp in mens fancyes strang and huge apparitions from nothing But Sir remeber that your ObjectioÌ„s make no more against Vs Catholikes than PictestaÌ„ts who profess ChristiaÌ„ Religion to be infallible and I belieue will not belieue your bare word that these consequences are cleare Christian Historicall Faith is infallibly true Therfor it must be lost by any least doubting though resisted that is by a no-doubt as I haue shewed it must be incompatible with any deliberate sinne it must bring with it Charity so perfect that we can make no progress therin For my part I do in no wise vnderstand such deductions nor how any man of vnderstanding should take them for good as I haue shewed more than sufficiently though yet I must add that though the consequences which you pretend to deduce from our doctrine be strange and portentuous in themselues yet to you they ought not to seeme so or at least ought not to be publikly avouched by you for such For besides that the very same consequences which you deduce from our doctrine follow from your owne assertions as I haue proued answer I beseech you these few Demands 1. Whether it be more convenient that true Diuine Faith should be inconsistent with an involuntary Doubt which you inferr against vs as a great absurdity or that it should be compatible with a voluntary sinfull damnable not only Doubt but positiue assertive Errour as you teach Pag. 368. N. 49. and call the contrary doctrine a vaine and groundless fancy as I observed aboue or that it may stand with an assent that probably it may be false or with a preparation of mynd to forsake it if seeming better reasons offer themselves against it thaÌ„ you conceive your selfe to haue for it which for ought you know may happen as I shewed above 2. Whether it be worse that all should of necessity be perfect in charity by an Infallible Faith or that none can be perfect as it ineuitably followes out of your Tenets put togeather That Faith is only probable and fallible and yet that the measure of our victory over the world and of our charity must be taken from Faith which you say is the cause of charity and the effect cannot be more perfect than the cause Besides your brethren the Calvinists believe that men are justifyed by a sirme and certaine Faith that they are just and that charity and good works are inseparable from such a Faith and then seing according to your owne words if the cause be perfect the effect must be perfect and that the cause of charity is in their opinion perfect that is a sirme and certaine Faith it followes that their charity must of necessity be perfect and that no just man can make any progress therin 3. Whether it be more absurd to hold an impossibility of committing any deliberate sinne or to belieue that all our best actions are deadly sinnes Or whether it be worse to teach that one cannot breake the commandements which you against all truth impute to vs Or that he cannot keepe them euen with the assistance of Gods grace which is the common doctrine of Protestants Thus then it is not our doctrine but the errours of you and your brethren that must in many respects make men negligent of making any progress in Faith or charity And what a Paradoxe is this A weake and fallible Faith makes men diligent in making Progress in charity and a strong infallible Faith is fit for nothing but to make men negligent of making any progress in Faith or Charity as yon are pleased strangly to speake directly against the admonition of S. Peter 1. Pet 5. cui resistite fortes in Fide whom
our Sauiour hath merited any thing for mankind and so we receive no Grace by Christ which was that which the Holy Fathers and Generall Councelles did detest and condemne in wicked Pelagians Wherby it appeares that your Faith is indeed naturall and yet being pretended to be supernaturall comes to be naturall and supernaturall And further I pray you remember what I observed above concerning an imaginary Faith of yours Pag 329 and 330. N. 7. acquired and infused which is in effect naturall and supernaturall I must therfor conclude that not our but your Faith is a free necessitated certain vncertaine evident obscure prudent and folish naturall and supernaturall assent 94. Object 6. Pag 37. N. 9. As nothing availes with God but faith which worketh by loue so any faith if it be but as a graine of must araseed if it worke by love shall certainâ—y availe with him and be accepted of him Therfor a faith absolutely certaine is not necessary to salvation 95. Answer First To worke by love is to keepe Gods Commandements of which one is that we believe as we ought And for you to suppose that we believe as we ought by a faith only probable is a meer begging of the Question which you should prove For although we should suppose that God had commanded no works at all as we distinguish works from Faith yet there would remayne a most strict command vnder payne of damnation to believe whatsoever is sufficiently proposed as a truth revealed by God with an Assent proportionable to the Supreme Authority and above all other Assents that is with an infallible and immoveable Assent And indeed of this Precept of Faith we may truly say This is the first Commandement the performance wherof is the first step to all merit Obedience Salvation And as in the eating of the forbidden Apple though the matter in it self might seeme small yet the transgression was a grievous sinne because that command was imposed by God to testify his Supreme Dominion over man so this Precept of Faith exacting the Obedience of our vnderstanding which is the first Power of our soule doth of it selfe oblige in a most severe manner even abstracting from all further works proceeding from the will by direction of the vnderstanding by Faith For God is Lord of our vnderstanding and exacts obedience of it no less than of our will 96. Secondly what you say of faith if it be but as a grain of mustardseed is both impertinent and against yourself For as I noted already those Texts of Holy Scripture clearly speake of Faith of Miracles as of removing a mountaine into the sea and not of Christian Faith necessary to salvation Neither by a faith like to a graine of mustardseed is vnderstood a weake probable and fallible faith like yours but rather a very great and effectuall belief able to remove mountaynes and trees as appeares Matt 17.20 Luc 17.6 And S. Paule 1. Cor 13. shewes that this faith of Miracles is very perfect saying If I should have all faith so that I could remove mountaines c And our Saviour declares that it is firme and certaine Matth 21. V. 21. If you shall have faith and stagger not not only that of the figtree shall you doe but and if you shall say to this mountaine Take vp and throw thy self into the sea it shall be done And Matt 13. V. 31.32 The Kingdome of Heaven is like to a mustardseed which a man tooke and sowed in his field Which is the least surely of all seeds but when it is growen it is greater then all hearbs and is made a tree so that the foules of the aire come and dwell in the branches therof Where learned interpreters say that A mustard seed especially in Syria growes to be a tree so that the birds of the ayre do dwell in the branches therof This shewes that as faith is compared to a graine of mustardseed because it is little to sight so also it is compared to it for Vigour Vertue Acrimony and Strength and in no wise for Weakness or any similitude with your fallible belief Which yet appeares more cleare by the demand of the Apostles Matth 17. V. 8. Why could we not cast him out And our Saviours answer N. 19. by reason of your incredulity and then brings that similitude of a mustardseed as contraposed to their faith which was but little and so the Arabicus hath propter parvitatem sidei vestrae by reason of the littleness of your faith But it cannot be doubted that the Apostles had some faith as you pretend to have otherwise they would not have attempted to cast out the Divel Therfor the Faith which our Saviour compareth to a mustardseed and opposes to theirs must be great and strong in it selfe though small in appearance or litle in comparison of some higher degree of Faith All which confutes your fallible faith and shews not only that you bring this example of a graine of mustardseed impertinently but also that it makes clearly against yourself even though it were vnderstood of Faith necessary to salvation in as much as it signifyes a great strength of Faith as farr different from your Faith as Certainty is distinguished from meer Probability Besides I pray you consider that Faith of Mirakles is not that Faith which workes by love and so according to your owne words cannot avayle with God and can avayle with Men only to shew how weake impertinent and contradictorious to yourself your Arguments are wherby you would proue that a weake Faith is sufficient for salvation when a strong Faith of the same kind that is of Miracles is insufficient This Answer serves for your other instance of Him that cryed Lord I believe help my incredulity Mar. 9.24 Where it is manifest that He spoke of Faith of Miracles namely of having his son dispossessed of the Divell 97. Now if your probable Faith be not sufficient to worke by Loue and fulfill other commandements which you cannot deny who measure Charity by Faith as the effect is measured by the cause and as you say Pag. 326. Nê° 4. Seing as S. Iohn assures vs our Faith is the victory which overcomes the world if the Faith of all true believers were perfect then their victory over the world and over sinne must of necessity be perfect Much more we must say according to your ground seing Faith is the victory which overcomes the world if your Faith be not sufficient for salvation your victory over the world and sinne cannot be sufficient for that end This according to your principles 98. But in true Divinity I say seing God hath so ordained that Faith should be the roote and beginning of all Obedience and Merit if it self be not a Faith sufficient for salvation how shall it be the beginning of Obedience or keeping all the other Commandements God proceeds with order and gives not Charity where he finds not Faith I proved in the Introduction that the Commandements are not
all Now your Objection tends only to proue that a probable faith may be sufficient to sway our will to obedience in respect of other Precepts concerning Workes or Manners all which though we did grant yet such a faith could not be sufficient to salvation which cannot be obtayned without performance of the Precepts both of living well and believing aright 105. Thirdly that a probable belief is not such a faith as we are commanded to haue I haue proved already and it is cleare enough of it self if it be remembred that we are obliged to belieue the Articles of Christian Faith by an Assent immoveable notwithstanding whatsoever temptations impulsions or reasons to the contrary which cannot possibly agree to a probable assent For nothing but Certainty can produce an immobility in the vnderstanding and a prudent settled resolution never to alter for what reason soever and to say the contrary is to turne meere probability into absolute certainty What is more vulgarly knowne than that Probability is essentially the roote of feare least the contrary may be true and involves an aptitude to be changed if better reason present it selfe We may well compare Probability in the vnderstanding with Passions in the Appetite which are a source of prepetuall motion Actiue and Passiue to moue and to be moved Or it is like the humours in our body which destroy it and themselves For Probability by the feare it hath adjoyned is still in actu primo in a disposition and readness to destroy it selfe And we may say Qui sibi nequam est cui bonus erit He that is wicked to himselfe to what other man will he be good If Probability cannot conserue it selfe being left to it selfe how will it encounter with accidentall temptations arising from the Divell World Flesh Passions feares Hope Loue Aversion Obstinacy Animosity Pusillanimity Education and the like If you were to giue a reason of your so many changes in Religion you must referr it to the nature of Probability which in reason must yield to better reason and so Preface N. 5. you profess that your constancy in Religion consisted in following that way to Heaven which for the present seemed most probable And Pag 303. you say of yourself that of a moderate Protestant you turned Papist and the day that you did so you were convicted in conscience that your yesterdayes opinion was an errour That afterward vpon better consideration you became a doubting Papist and of a doubting Papist a confirmed Protestant you might with truth have acknowledged more alterations in Religion than heer you specify as that you passed the second tyme from Protestancy to vs and how then were you a confirmed Protestant And in the same N. 103. Pag 304. That you do not yield your weakness altogeather without apology seeing your deductions were rationall Behold the ground of your alterations Rationall and probable deductions which ground will remayne without end till one be settled by certainty A fearfull state wherin one may yea ought at the houre of death to chang his Religion if seeming better reasons do then present themselves against than he hath for it wherby he may come to dy of no Religion at all Socinians are wont to talk much of Reason of considering and discoursing men But alas what else is Reason or consideration or Discourse destitute of submission to God by an infallible Assent except a perpetuall and incessant offer or a temptation to alter their faith and pull downe their former Religion before they haue tyme to build or resolue of a new one Besides Christian Faith being obscure and evidence the naturall center of our vnderstanding without which it is like a stone violently held from falling no wonder if the strength of Certainty be necessary to beare vs vp aboue the inclination we haue to be placed in the center and light of Evidence wherby it falls out that humane reasons against Faith being connaturall and as it were levell with our vnderstanding are easily and eagerly accepted especially since the Mysteryes of Christian Faith seeme contrary to Reason because indeed they are aboue it 106. Morover if we reflect on the Essicient Cause of your probable faith which I haue proved to be only strength of nature how weake and changeable must it be If Holy Iob could say of Man nunquam in eodem statu permanet he neuer remaynes in the same state Iob 14. V. 2. much more may we say the same of the weakest belief in the soule of man which is meere probability produced by the only forces of him who never remaines in the same state Lamentable experience hath taught vs how many of great witts yea of zeale and piety who stood as Cedars of Libanus and shined like beacons to enlighten others haue fallen into damnable and somtymes even foolish Heresyes though once they believed the contrary Truths and Articles of our Faith with absolute certainty Such is the imbecillity of nature And then what can be expected of a belief which expresly tells it self that it is not certaine and which believes no poynt of faith with certainty except that Faith it self is not certaine Holy Scripture assures vs that he who loves danger shall perish therin Eccli 3. V. 27. It is in every mans power by Divine assistance to arrive to a certaine true belief as I shewed even out of Chillingworth himself and this he is obliged to doe by the immediate Precept of Faith and by the obligation of Charity to ones self which bindes vs to choose the safer part in a matter of so great moment and therfor let no man please himself in a probable Faith and put himself not only in danger but in certainty of perishing by such a weake probable and changeable Assent 107. And now I hope it appeares that the Reason which Chari Maintayned gaue for the infallibility of Christian Faith remaines very good and solide though delivered by him incidently not imagining that any would call in question the certainty of Christian Faith against D. Potter who expressly avouches it and against all Protestants As well might it haue beene expected of Char Maintayned to proue the Mistery of the most Blessed Trinity of the incarnation of the second Divine Person his Death Resurrection and Ascension the eternall reward of Saints in Heaven and punishment of sinners in Hell or any other Article of Christian belief common to Catholiques and Protestants as this truth that Christian Faith is certainly true The truth is that I hill doth so farr dissent from Protestants that I cannot be thought to write against him or to confute any defense he makes for Potter but to handle a new subject and argument against new Heresies which Potter and other Protestants will profess to detest and it were no wonder arguments should chance not to hitt that mark at which they never aymed nor confute those against whom they were never intended Yet in fact this argument which heer you impugne doth rightly proue the
necessity of an infallible certaine Faith as I haue shewed as also that your Objection and endeavour to proue that a fallible Faith is sufficient for the exercise of good workes is nothing to the purpose since Char Maintayned spoke of sufficiency to obserue the precepts of Faith and if you belieue S. Iohn Chrysostome cited aboue that according to S. Paule it is a harder matter to belieue the high mysteries of our Faith than to exercise good workes you will easily inferr that although you could proue a probable Faith to be sufficient in order to Obedience or exercise of good workes yet it would not therfor remaine proved to be sufficient for believing as we ought And S. Chrysostome saying that it is so hard a thing to belieue supposes Christian Faith to be more than probable 108. Fourthly I say That although the words of Char Maintayned be taken in the sense which you would put vpon them yet your Arguments are of no force to confute them or to prove that a fallible Faith is able to overcome our will ād encounter with humane probabilityes backed with the strength of flesh and bloud And First I must intreat you not to cosen your Reader as a Minister foold his Auditours who after he had spoken much of Gods Commandements in the close of his discourse desired not to be mistaken as if he belieued that those Commandements of which he had spoken could be kept for it was very certaine they could not which if he had told them in the beginning he might haue spared his owne paynes and the exercise of their patience in hearing his prating and praysing an impossible thing Our Saviour sayd if thou wilt enter into life keepe the commādemēts Matth 19.17 These men tell vs if thou wilt enter into life belieue firmily as a matter of Faith that thou canst not keepe the commandements But to our purpose least Mr Chilling loose his labour and deceaue his Hearers I must beseech him to deale plainly and before he goes about to moue their wills he would in forme their vnderstandings by letting them know that he is to speake of infinite and eternall happyness provided for all those that obey Christ Iesus and of vnspeakeable eternall torments to be inflicted on all such as break his commandemēts but withall he must assure them that although both Papists and Protestants teach that all must belieue with absolute certainty there is a Heauen a Hell Eternall rewards and punishments a Sauiour a Resurection working of miracles and the like yet that with men considering discoursing and vsing rationall deductions according to the never failing rules of Logick which are his words in severall parts of his Booke such as He and his fellowes are the matter passeth farr otherwise For they belieue that the teaching a necessity of such a certaine Faith is a Doctrine most presumptuous and vncharitable Pag. 328. N. 6. and a greate errour and of dangerous and pernicious consequence Pag. 325. N. 3 And that indeed the Articles which all Christians belieue may for ought they know Certainly to the contrary in the end proue false and no better than dreames Thus I must intreate him to prepare his Auditours and then let vs heare how he will goe about to perswade yea oblige them vnder payne of eternall damnation to the observance of things most difficult and repugnant to humane principles naturall inclinations flesh and bloud self-loue and in a word which are To the Gentils foolishness to the Iewes a scandall 1. Cor 1.23 and besides are not present and within sight as things of this life are but remote and of an other world Let vs thē heare him preaching rather than prouing in the words which I cited in the Objection who sees not that many millions c 109. To which your loose kind of disputing diverse would giue different answers Perhaps some hearing from others your so many changes of Religion and from your self that your present belief is but probable they would take tyme for tryall how long you would persever in your sect of a late Date for tyme and strange for the nouelty as being contrary both to Protestans with whom you liued so long tyme and against Catholiques to whom you joynd your selfe not by any force for who or what except evidence of truth could force you to a Religion lying vnder the burthen of a long and cruell persecution but vpon due consideration of Reasons on all sides and not taking things at a second hand or vpon credit but by examination made immediatly by your selfe or by conference with others who gaue you all freedom and encouragement to propose your difficultyes And for this their delay in resolvinge they might perhaps make vse of a saying of your owne Pag 330. N. 7. He who requires that I should see things farther than they are visible requires I should see something invisible and apply it to this sense That you who flitted from a Faith which you believed then to be certaine to a belief confessedly not certaine and perswade others to do the same may in tyme passe from a non-certainty to a non-entity or non-existence of all Faith and so by degrees bring your proselytes to plaine infidelity 110. Others will answer That indeed if men were once infaliibly certaine of the great promises and threats you mention of Heaven Hell Resurrection from death c. They could excogitate no satisfying reason to avoide Obedience and keeping the commandements Yet while we suppose them to be deliberating about the election of their Faith and actually enjoying or in a way or possibility and freedom to enjoy things of profit and pleasure in this world which are present and certaine and proportionable to their naturall inclinations and powers of Body ād soule ād thē heare you telling thē that no Religion is certaine and talking of things to come a farr of and in another world which to humane reason not assisted by certainty of Faith looke like the spatia imaginaria before the world was created you ought not to wonder if notwithstanding all the fayre words in your Objection men would be apt to pleade the possession of their Freedom and liberty which they will not easily bring vnder so strict obligation and seeming heauy yoke meerly vpon a belief concerning which your selfe profess to have only this certainty that it is not certaine Christians firmely belieue by Faith know evidently by reason see dayly by experience that dye they must they heare all men say and themselves belieue Death to be Omnium terribilium terribilissimum the most dreadfull of all dreadfull things and yet we see they more apprehend the danger of wetting their cloathes by a gentle shower threatned instantly to fall than death it selfe And why because the one is apprehended as almost present the other is looked on as farr of for space of tyme as the vast body of the sun seemes to be a small thing by the great distance of place Besides divine
necessary are evidently contayned in Scripture in that first sense and by an evidence of the Text alone without dependance or relation to any other thing for example the Church or Tradition which particulars surely the Scripture never expresses I beseech the Reader to consider this and mark to what an impossible taske Protestants are engaged Yet this is not all It will still remayne doubtfull whether that Text which did say that all things are evidently contayned in Scripture be vnderstood vniversally of all things necessary to be believed or only of things necessary to be believed and written which if you wil needs haue to be all one or of the same extent you begg the Question in supposing that all things necessary to be believed are necessarily to be written in the Holy Scripture 10. These reflections being premised about the Meaning of the words Necessary and Evident I belieue any man who as I sayd shall thinke well before he speake and then speak as he thinks will hold it a very impossible thing to proue evidently out of Scripture all things necessary for the Church as one Mysticall Body For every Degree and for every particular Member therof according to the first Meaning of Evidence and other prescriptions which I haue declared Let vs therfor looke backe a litle vpon those three different sorts of Persons 11. First for Government and Governours of the Church if we abstract from the Authority Practise Tradition and interpretation of Gods Church I wonder who will goe about to proue with certainty out of evident Scripture what Episcopus must signify in Scripture a Bishop Superintendent or Overseer or any who hath a charge or superiority according to the fashion of Protestants who loue to take words according to Grammaticall derivation not according to the Ecclesiasticall Ancient vse of them Even Protestants grant that the words Presbyter and Episcopus are in Scripture taken for the same and Dr Jer Taylor in his Defence of Episcopacy § 23. Pag 128. saith expressly The first thing done in Christendome vpon the death of the Apostles in this matter of Episcopacy is the distinguishing of Names which before were common If they will translate Presbyter to signify an Elder what Certainty can they receyve from that word whether it ought to be taken for elder in Age or greater in Dignity And it is no better than ridiculous that Protestants should first deny vnwritten Traditions and Authority of the Church for interpreting Scriptures and deciding Controversyes in Faith and then take great paynes to proue out of evident Scripture alone that Bishops are de Jure Divino and the same I say of any other particular Forme of Ecclesiasticall Government and of the Quality and Extent of Authority in any such Forme whether they can inflict Ecclesiasticall Censures and of what kind concerning which and other such Poynts necessary to be knowne in the Church Protestants in vayne and without end will be sighting for an impossibility till they acknowledge some other Rule or judge of Controversyes than Scripture alone 12. Besides how will they learne out of Scripture alone the Forme of Ordination of Priestes and other Orders the Matter and Forme of other Sacraments which some in the Church are to administer by Office and others to receyue of which I shall speake more particularly hereafter with diverse other such Poynts necessary for the Church in generall 13. Secondly For diverse Degrees or States in the Church no man can chuse but see how hard it is to learne evidently out of Scripture alone what in particular belongs to every one both for Belief and Practise 14. Thirdly For every particular Person How can a Protestant proue evidently out of Scripture the Nature of Faith since one Sect of them denyes Christian Faith to be infallibly true against the rest of their fellowes and an other affirmes that justifying Faith is that wherby one firmly believes that he is just which kind of Faith others deny or the necessary Extent of their Faith seing Chilling holds that there cannot be given a Catalogue of Points necessary to be believed explicitly by all and therfor every one must either remayne vncertaine whether he believe all that is absolutely necessary or else be obliged vnder damnation to know explicitly all cleare passages of Scripture which are innumerable least otherwise he put himself in danger of wanting what is indispensably necessary to salvation which is a burthen no lesse vnreasonable than intolerable even to men not vnlearned and much more to vulgar Persons 15. Neither is there less dissiculty concerning Pennance or true Repentance than Faith since Protestants do not agree in what Repentance consist and Chilling hath a conceypt different from the rest that true Repentance requires the effectuall mortification of the Habits of all vices which being a worke of difficulty and tyme cannot be performed in an instant as he writes Pag. 392. N. 8. and therfor even that most perfect kind of sorrow which Divines call Contrition and is conceyved against sin for the loue of God will not serue at the howre of ones death because saith he Repentance is a work of difficulty and tyme. 16. Morover it is impossible for Protestants to proue evidently out of Scripture that the Sacraments of Baptisme and Pennance are not necessary for salvation For where fynd they any such Text If they say we must hold them not necessary because we find no such necessity evidently exprest in Scripture they do but begg the Question and suppose that all things necessary are contayned in Scripture besides that we haue Scripture for both Nisi quis renatu◠fuerit c vntess one shall be borne againe c Ioan 3.5 And whose sinnes you retayne they are retayned Ioan. 20.23 and it is impossible for any man to shew evidently out of Scripture that those Texts are not de facto vnderstood as we vnderstand them since it is most evident that the words are capable of such a sense and consequently we cannot be certaine but that such is their meaning vnless they can bring some evident Text to the contrary especially since that even divers chief learned Protestants teach the necessity of Baptisme for children of the Faithfull as I shew herafter And certainly if Scripture were evident against this Doctrine of Catholiques so many learned Protestants could not but haue seene it 17. The same I say of the Sacrament of Pennance which divers learned Protestants hold to be so necessary as some say that It is a wicked thing to take away private Absolution And that They who contemne it do not vnderstand what is Remission of sinnes or the power of the keyes And that it is an Errour to affirme that Confession made before God doth suffice And that Private Confession being taken away Christ gave the keyes in vaine vide Triple Cord Chap. 24. Pag. 613. And vitae Lutheri Autore Gasparo Vienbergio Lippiensi Cap. 30. it is sayd Osiander primus ex ministris Norinbergae
which I am bound to belieue the belief of both is necessary the one for it selfe the other for that other which is supposed to be necessary of it self as you say the belief of scripture is only for the belief of the contents Secondly if the reason for which I belieue a thing be not only true but also by the nature therof necessarily obliges me to belieue that thing which it proves in that event whersoever I find that reason I shall remaine obliged to belieue that Object which it proves This is our case For no Christian yea no man indued with reason can deny but that if I belieue an Object as testifyed by God I am obliged to belieue all other Truths so testifyed Now I pray you tell vs the reason for which at this tyme you hold yourself obliged to belieue the contents of scripture You must answer because they are revealed by God testifying the truth of them by many and great miracles Then I aske for what reason do you belieue Scripture to be the word of God If you answer because God hath testifyed it to be such by those Miracles which the Apostles wrought to proue their words and writings to be infallible and inspired by the Holy Ghost then I inferr that as you are bound to belieue the contents of Scripture so you are also obliged to belieue Scripture it self seing you haue the same reason to belieue that God hath testifyed both the Scripture and the contents therof If you belieue Scripture to be the word of God not for the Divine Testimony for which you belieue the contents but for some other Reason then your saying There is not alwayes an equall necessity for the belief of those things for the belief wherof there is an equall Reason was impertinent because for the belief of Scripture there is not the same reason for which you belieue the verityes therin contained and your other saying Pag. 218. N. 49 must be false that no man at this tyme can haue reason to belieue in Christ but he must haue the same to belieue the Scripture if it be true that you belieue not scripture for the same reason for which you belieue Christ and other mysteryes contained in it But let vs know indeed for what reasoÌ„ you belieue Scripture to be the word of God It seemes one may answer for you out of your Answer to your Third Motiue where you teach that the Bible hath bene confirmed with those supernaturall and Divine Miracles which were wrought by our Saviour Christ and the Apostles And Pag. 379. N. 69. you say following the Scripture I shall belieue that which vniversall never-failing Tradition assures me that it was by the admirable supernaturall worke of God confirmed to be the word of God If this be true how are not men obliged to belieue that which hath bene so confirmed Or for what other reason do you belieue the Truths contayned in Scripture as our Saviour His Incarnation Life Death Resurrection and other Mysteryes of Christian Faith but because they were confirmed by the admirable supernaturall workes of God wherby you expressly grant Scripture to haue bene confirmed to be the word of God You must therfor either grant that there is a necessity to belieue Scripture to be the word of God or deny that there is a necessity to belieue the contents therof And then further for our present Question you must either grant that Scripture is a materiall Object of Faith or deny that the verityes therin contayned are such an Object vnless you will confess yourself to be a very strang and vnreasonable man to belieue the matter of the bookes of Scripture and not the Authority of the bookes and therfor since you profess not to be obliged to belieue these may not one haue reason to vse your owne words to feare that you do not thinke yourself obliged to belieue that Nay is it not apparent still I vse your owne words that you at this tyme cannot without hypocrisy pretend an obligation to belieue in Christ but of necessity you must acknowledg an obligation to belieue the Bookes of scripture seing you can haue no reason to thinke you are obliged to belieue in Christ but must haue the same to belieue the scripture and if your belief of the contents of scripture or of obligation to belieue them be vnreasonable it cannot proceed from the particular motion of the Holy Ghost nor be an Act of divine Faith And I beseech you reflect that here there is not only the same reason for the truth of things in themselves but also for our obligation to belieue them namely the divine Testimony which Point if you obserue you cannot but see how impertinent your example was about believing there was such a man as King Henry which you say one is not bound to belieue and that Iesus Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate which is a Truth set downe in a writing confirmed by Miracles to be the word of God and consequently to deny the Mysteryes contained in that booke were to reject a thing confessed to be witnessed by God And is not a man obliged to belieue whatsoever he knowes to be witnessed by God I sayd your example is impertinent but I must add that it is also false vnchristian and blasphemous to say as you doe We haue I belieue as great reason to belieue there was such a man as Henry the eight King of England as that Iesus Christ suffered vnder Pontius Pilate Haue you as great reason to belieue the Chronicles of England and the Testimony of men as to belieue the word of God 10. Morover though it import nothing to our present Question whether or no you speake true in saying there is not alwayes an equall necessity for the belief of those things for the belief wherof there is an equall reason yet perhaps you will not easily make it good if there be perfectly and entirely the same reason and of the same kind for both of them For if I conceaue the same reason for both if I belieue the one I may belieue the other nay I haue a necessity to belieue it so far as I cannot belieue the contrary as it is impossible from the same premises belieued to be the same to inferr contrary or contradictory conclusions If perhaps you answer that when one believes a thing for a reason which he sees to be the self same for another he cannot dissent from that other yet he may suspend his vnderstanding from any positiue assent to it which he cannot doe when there is a command to belieue it This answer will not serue your turne but first it is against your self who Pag. 195. N. 11. say to Cha Ma your distinction between Points necessary to be believed and necessary not to be disbelieved is a distinction without a difference there being no point to any man at any tyme in any circumstances necessary not to be dâ—sbelieved but it is to the same man at
a confused aggregatum per accidens of truths different in nature and kind and as I may say to incorporate with Gods word Apocryphall Writings which are so called not because they may not be true but because they are not Divine as the dictates of humane prudence are not and do you not cosen people who belieue that all is scripture which is contayned in S. Paules Epistles You say the Bible hath bene confirmed by Miracles I aske whether all truths coÌ„tayned in it haue beene so coÌ„firmed or no If they haue seing you say here N. 31. it is impossible God should set his hand and seaâ—e to the confirmation of a falshood at least now all the words of S. Paul are attested by God and growne to be matters of Faith though we should falfly suppose they were not such in vertue of his teaching theÌ„ as our Saviour sayd If yee will not belieue me beleeue the workes Joa 10.38 If you say all Truths in scripture were not confirmed by Miracles it is as good in order to vs as if none had bene so confirmed since the Miracles themselves do not specify what in particular they confirme and what not and so we can only belieue in generall that some Points contayned in the Bible are Truths but this is not enough to belieue with certainty any one in particular Besides all this S. Paul in counselling virginity counsells the same which our B. Saviour had done before as is recorded Matth 12.12 and therfor he delivers a Divine Revelation which he knew to be such and spoke not out of humane prudence as you would haue him If it be objected how then doth he say I speak not but our Lord Ianswer It cannot be sayd I speak not by inspiration but our Lord for what an incongruous speach were that But I speak signifyes I counsell advise command or permit by antithesis to those other words V 10. Not I giue command but our Lord. You know Catholiques are wont to alledg this Chapter of S. Paul to proue as a Point of Faith the counsell of perperuall virginity and yet never any of our Adversaryes haue excepted against this Argument by saying S. Paul professes to deliver that matter only as a dictate of humane reason and not as a Divine Revelation which had been a cleare and vnanswerable reply that we could not proue by that place perpetuall virginity to be more perfect as a Point of Faith if they had bene of your mynd and they might easily haue told vs that we could not proue an Article of Faith by words which the Apostle himself professes to containe but a humane dictamen But so it is They who once forsake Gods Church learne only and practise and teach others this lesson Evill men and seduce â—s shall prosper to the worse erring and driving into errours 2 â—â—noth 3. V. 32. 42. I would gladly make an end of this matter But first I must aske how you can say N. 32. If we will pretend that the Lord did certainly speak what S. Paul speakes and that his judgment was Gods commandment shall we not plainly contradict S. Paul and that spirit by which he wrote For who ever pretended that S. Paules judgment was Gods command Contrarily when his judgment is that such a thing is no command of God we do most firmely belieue that it is no command because we are sure that he was no less assisted by Inspiration in saying V. 12. it was no command speake I not our Lord than when V. 10. he declared a command not I but our Lord. 43. Now vpon the whole matter it followes out of this your Errour that although all things necessary to be believed were contayned in scripture yet that were not enough to make it a sufficient Rule or any Rule at all for Christian Faith seing we cannot be absolutely certaine when the writers therof set downe divine Revelations or only dictates of humane reason yea and as you say S. Paul was not inspired by God when he Counselled virginity and consequently might haue erred therin so we cannot be sure that indeed he gaue any such judgment or counsell but that as in counselling so in writing and setting downe that counsell he was no more assisted by Inspiration thaÌ„ in giving it And I will end with these words of Christanity Maintayned about the sayd Texts of S. Paul Chap 4. N. 9. Pag 44. Certainly if the Apostles did sometymes write out of their owne private judgment or spirit though it were granted that themselves could discerne the diversity of those motions or spirits which one may easily deny if their vniversall infallibility be once impeached yet it is cleare that others to whom they spake or wrote could not discerne the diversity of those spirits in the Apostles For which cause learned Protestants acknowledge that although each mans private spirit were admitted for direction of himself yet it were not vse full for teaching others Thus you say P. â—41 N. 27 A supernaturall assurance of the incorruption of scriptures may be an assurance to ones selfe but no argument to another And as you affirme Pag. 62. N. 25 that Bookes that are not Canonicall may say they are and those that are so may say nothing of it so we cannot be assured that the Apostles deliver Divine Revelations though they should say they doe nor that they deliver not such Revelations though they say nothing therof if once we deny their vniversall infallibility A fourth Errour is set downe in your Pag 62. N. 24. and Pag 141. N. 27. where you profess to know no other meanes to be assured of the scriptures incorruption then you haue that any other Booke is incorrupted and that your assurance of both is of the same kind and condition though this for scripture be farre greater for the degree both Morall assurances and neither physicall or Matematicall 44. If this Doctrine may pass for true it will necessarily follow that the assurance which we haue of scripture must not only be of the same kind but be farr less for the degree of it seing the bookes of prophane Authors haue a more full testimony and tradition of all sorts of men Atheists Pagans Jewes Turkes and Christians wheras the Bible was either vnknowen or impugned or not much regarded by all except Christians and by some also who pretended to the name of Christian Tymes stood so with the Jewes that the Old scripture was once lost as some say or at least lay hid and Christians had not those commodityes to transcribe faithfully Copyes of the new Testament which pagans had for publishing their Bookes Whence it comes to pass that we find not so many divers readings in Cicero Virgill and other prophane bookes as vve find in scripture To which if we add the many vulgar Translations and Editions to what vncertainty shall we be brought if we proceed only by humane morall assurance of scripture without any living visible Guide the Church so directed by
your flying to such poore signes as these are is to me a great signe that you labour with penury of better Arguments and that thus to catch at shaddowes and bulrushes is a shrewd signe of a sinking cause 59. Answer What greater signe of particular Assistance and as it were a Determination to Truth from some higher cause than consent and constancy of many therin while we see others change alter and contradict one another and even the same man become contrary to himself who yet in all other humane respects haue the same occasion ability and reason of such consent and constancy Tertullian Praescript Chap 28. saith truly Among many events there is not one issue the errour of the churches must needs haue varied But that which among many is found to be one is not mistaken but delivered And the experience we haue of the many great and endless differences of Protestants about the canon of scripture and interpretation therof is a very great argument that the church which never alters nor disagrees from herself is guided by a superiour infallible Divine Spirit as Christians among other inducements to belieue that scripture is the word of God alledg the perfect coherence of one part therof with another 60. Before I passe to your next Errour I must aske a Question about what you deliver Pag 141. N. 28. where speaking of some Bookes of scripture you say Seeing after the Apostles the Church pretends to no new Revelations how can it be an Article of Faith to believe them Canoncall And Pag 142. N. 29. If they some certaine bookes of scripture were approved by the Apostles this I hope was a sufficient definition How I say you who hold that Scripture is not a Point of Faith nor revealed by God can say that to propose bookes of scripture though they had bene proposed before is to propose new Revelations or Definitions of the Apostles But as I sayd hertofore it is no newes for you to vtter contradictions 61. A seventh Errour plainly destructiue both of scripture and all Christianity is taken out of your Doctrine of which I haue spoken hertofore that the Bible was proved to be Divine by those Miracles which were wrought by our Saviour Christ and his Apostles and yet that God may permit true Miracles to be wrought to delude men Which Assertions put togeather may giue occasion to doubt whether those Miracles wherby the Scriptute was confirmed were not to delude men and so we can haue no certainty that Scripture is the word of God 62. To this I will add a Doctrine of yours delivered Pag 69. N. 47. which overthrowes all proof that can be takeÌ„ from Miracles for confirmation either that scripture is the word of God or that other articles of Christian Faith are true Thus you write For my part I profess if the Doctrine of the scripture were not as good and as sit to come from the fountaine of goodness as the Miracles by which it was confirmed were great I should want one maine pillar for my Faith and for want of it I feare should be much staggered in it Doth not this assertion declare that true Miracles are in sufficient of themselves to convince that a thing confirmed by them is true or good vnless men do also interpose their owne judgment that the things in themselves are such which is not to belieue the Miracles or God speaking and testifying by them but to subject the Testimony of God to the judgment of men wheras contrarily we ought to judge such things to be good because they are so testifyed and not belieue that Testimony to be true because in our judgment independently of that Testimony the things are good in themselves which were to vary our belief of Gods Testimony according as we may chance to alter our judgment at different tymes and vpon divers reasons which may present themselves to our vnderstaÌ„ding Do not you in divers places pretend that this reason is aboue all other God sayes so therfor it is true and further do you not say Pag. 144. N. 31. If you be so infallible as the Apostles were shew it as the Apostles did They went forth sayes S. Mark and preached every where the Lord working with them and confirming their words with signes following It is impossible that God should ly and that the Eternall Truth should set his hand and seale to the confirmation of a falshood or of such Doctrine as is partly true and partly false The Apostles Doctrine was thus confirmed therfor it was intirely true and in no part either false or vncertaine If the testimony of God be with you aboue all reason and that by signes or Miracles the Eternall Truth sets his hand and seale to the confirmation of what is so confirmed how comes it that your Faith could be staggered notwithstanding the working of such Miracles if in your judgment the doctrine of the scripture were not as good as the Miracles by which it was confirmed were great Or what could it availe vs to proue our doctrine by Miracles as the Apostles did if the belief of those Points so proved must stand to the mercy of your judgment which as I saied may vary vpon divers occasions and yet this diversity of judgment you must according to this your doctrine follow even against any point though confirmed by Miracle It is therfor cleare That in your Principles you can haue no certainty of the truth of scripture nor of the contents threrof although it were supposed that it alone did expressly and inparticular containe all Points necessary to be believed 63. Your 8. Errour consists in this that beside what I haue sayd already in your second and third Errour that you impeach the certainty of scripture by taking away vniversall infallibility from the Apostles who wrote it and for whose Authority we belieue it I find you do the same in other places You say P. 144. N. 30. The infallibility of the Church depends vpon the infallibility of the Apostles and besides this dependance is voluntary for it is in the power of the Church to deviate from this Rule being nothing else but an aggregation of men of which every one has free will and is subject to passions and errour Change the tearmes and say The infallibility of the Apostles depended â—pon the infallibility of our Saviour and this dependance was voluntary for it was in the power of the Apostles to deviate from this Rule being nothing but a number of men of whom every one has freewill and is subject to passion and errour and that we way be sure of this last in the very next N. 31. you teach That the Apostles themselves even after the sending of the Holy Ghost were and through inadvertence or prejudice aÌ„d P. 137. N. 21. to tinadvertence or prejudice you add or some other cause which gives scope enough to censure the Apostles continued for a tyme in an errour repugnant to a revealed truth notwitstanding
attaine Faith by the mere consideration of Gods creatures or by the Law written in our harts or by immediate extraordinary lights but by the Ministery of the Church and therfor Ephes 4.11.12 Pastours and Doctours are sayd to be given to the consummation of the Saints vnto the worke of the Ministerie vnto the edifying of the Body of Christ Which declares that men cannot be made members of the Body of Christ but by the Ministery of Pastours and Doctours And even those Protestants who rely vpon the private Spirit for knowing true Scripture will grant that the Spirit is not given but when the Churches Ministery precedes as an Introduction or as Potter Pag 139. speakes the present Church workes vpon all whithin the Church to prepare induce and perswade the mynd as an outward meanes to imbrace the Faith to reade and belieue the Scriptures 71. It remaymes then that not Scripture but the Church which was before Scripture and from which we receaue it must be the necessary meanes in the ordinary course which God hath appointed to produce Faith and decide Controversyes in Religion and consequently must be infallible according to your owne Doctrine Pag 35. N. 7. that the meanes to decide Controversyes in Faith and Religion must be indued with an vniversall infallibility in whatsoever it propoundeth for a divine truth For if it may be false in any one thing of this nature in any thing which God requires men to belieue we can yield vnto it but a wavering and fearfull assent in any thing 72. 5. I vrge the Argument of Charity Maintayned Part 1. Chap 2. N. 23. Pag 69. If Protestants will haue Scripture alone for their Judge or Rule let them first produce some Text of Scripture affirming that by the entring therof infallibility went out of the Church 73. To this you answer Pag 104. N. 138. In these words As no Scripture affirmeth that by the entring of it infallibility went out of the Church so neither do we neither haue we any need to do so But we say that it continued in the Church even togeather with the Scriptures so long as Christ and his Apostles were living and then departed God in his Providence having provided a plaine and infallilde Rule to supply the defect of Living and infallible Guides Gertainly if your cause were good so great a wit as yours is would devise better Arguments to maintaine it We can shew no Scripture afsirming infallibility to haue gone out of the Church therfore it is infallible Some what like to his discourse that said it could not be proved out of Scripture that the King of Sweden was dead therfore he is still Living Me thinks in all reason you that chaleng privileges and exemption from the condition of men which is to be subject to errour you that by vertue of this privilege vsurpe Authority over mens consciences should produce your Letter-patents from the King of Heaven and shew some express warrant for this Authority you take vpon you otherwese you know the Rule is vbi contrarium non manifestè probatur presumitur pro libertate 74. This Answer is easily confuted First I must returne it vpon yourself with thankes for your voluntary express grant That no Scripture afsirmes that by entring of it infallibility went out of the Church Remember your owne saying that there are only two Principles common to Christians Reason and Scripture Seing then it is evident that meere naturall Reason cannot determine any thing in this matter and that you grant it cannot be proved by Scripture that infallibility went out of the Church by the entring of Scripture what remaines but that you haue no proofe at all for it And since that you directly grant infallibility to haue continued for some tyme in the Church even togeather with the Scriptures and that neither by reason nor Scripture you can proue that it ever departed from Her we must of necessity conclude that she still enjoyes that priviledge most necessary for deciding controversyes belonging to infallible Christian faith You say God hath provided a plaine and infallible Rule to supply the defect of living and infallible Guides But we haue proved the contrary That Scripture is not plaine in all Points belonging to Faith and though it were so yet yourself confess in this place that infallibility in the Church may stand with the sufficiency and plaines of Scripture and therfore you cannot inferr scripture is sufficient therfore the Church is not infallible You teach Pag 101. N. 126. That though all the necessary parts of the Gospell be contained in every one of the foure Gospells yet they which had all the Bookes of the New Testament had nothing superfluous for it was not superfluous but profitable that the same thing should be sayd divers tymes and be teslifyed by divers witnesses Therfore the Testimony of the Church if she were supposed to be infallible might be profitable although Scripture were cleare and sufficient Protestants pretend that we can proue matters belonging to Faith only by Scripture Wherfore you must either proue by some plaine Text of Scripture that infallibility dyed as I may say with the Apostles or never affirme herafter any such groundless voluntary and pernicious Proposition From Scripture we learne that with out repentance are the gifts of God Rom 11.29 And it is an Axiome of naturall Reason Melior est conditio possidentis God once bestowed vpon the Church the gift of infallibility and therfore without some evident positiue proofe you are not to depriue her of it And we are not obliged to produce any other Argument except to plead Possession which you cannot take from vs without some evident proofe to the contrary And you being the Actor and we the Defendents not wee but you must prove and performe what you exact of vs to shew some express warrant c though it be also most true that we haue great plenty of convincing proofes for the infallibility of Gods Church 75. As for your Instance about the King of Sweden I belieue you will loose your jeast whē I shall haue asked whether this were not a good Argument we can know by Scripture alone whether the King of Sweden be aliue or dead but we know by Scripture he was once Living and know not by any Scripture that he is dead Therfore for ought we know he is aliue and so your example returnes vpon yourself that seing you know by Scripture infallibility to haue bene once in the Church and that by no Scripture which with you must be the only proofe in this case you know that it ever departed from Her you must belieue that still she enjoyes it As for vs we challeng no Priviledges but such as were granted by our Saviour to his Church and which we proue by the same Arguments wherby the Apostles and their Successors proue their Authority as shall be shewed herafter and the Rule Ubi contrarium manifestè non probatur praesumitur pro libertate
Fundamentall Points but that Particular Churches ād Persons may But in your doctrine there cā be no such distinction The vniversall Church with you is infallible because if she erre Fundamentally she ceases to be a Church as also Particular Churches if they erre Fundamentally cease to be Churches and the same I say of particular Persons and so particular Churches and Persons shall be no less infallible than the vniversall Church which is contrary to the doctrine of other Protestants and to your owne words also Pag 106. N. 140. We yield vnto you that there shall be a Church which never erreth in some Points because as we conceaue God hath promised so much Now you will not say that God hath promised so much to particular Churches and Persons and therfor you must put a difference between the vniversall and particular Churches which difference cannot stand with this your speculation that the Church is only in fallible in some points because if she erre in them she ceases to be a Church which exoticall kind of infallibility agrees to all particular Churches and persons 87. Hence it is that Protestants ground the Perpetuily of the vniverfall Church not vpon a probable belief or hope that it shall be so or vpon Her actuall not erring Fundamentally as you do but vpon some antecedent Principle namely the Promises of our Saviour Christ and Assistance of the Holy Ghost Dr. Potter in particular whom you vndertooke to defend speakes very clearly to this purpose Pag 105. in these words The whole Militant Church that is all the members of it cannot possibly erre either in the whole Faith or any necessary Article of it For such an errour must needs disvnite all the Members from Christ the Head and so dissolue the Body and leaue Him no Church which is impossible Mark that he sayth not as you doe The Church cannot erre in any necessary Article because therby she should cease to be a Church but contrarily seing it is impossible that she can cease to be a Church and leaue Christ no Church she cannot possibly erre in the whole Faith or any necessary Article of it With what modesty or conscience do you alledg here Dr. Potter as if he did not disagree from you The contrary wherof will appeare more by his words Pag 153.154.155 The Church saith he Vniversall is ever in such manner assisted by the good spirit that it never totally failes or falls of from Christ For it is so firmely founded on the Rocke Matth 16.18 that is on Christ the only Fundation Cor 3.11 that the gates of Hell whether by temptation or persecution shall not prevaile against it And that you may see how far he was from dreaming of your Chimericall infallibility he cites Bellarmine de Eccles Lib 3. Cap 13. saying That the Church cannot erre is proved out of Scripture Matth 16. vpon this rocke I will build my Church and then goes on in these words The whole Church cannot so erre as to be destroyed For then our Lords promise here Matth 16.18 of Her stable edification should be of no value Obserue this And what he hath afterward in these words The Church vniversall hath not the like assurance from Christ that she shall not erre in vnnecessary additions as she hath for her not erring in taking away from the Faith what is Fundamentall and necessary It is comfort enough for the Church that the Lord in mercy will secure her from all capitall dangers and conserue her on earth against all enemyes But she may not hope to triumph over all sinne and error That the Church be never robbed of any truth necessary to the being of the Church the promises of Christ assure vs. Behold First The Church may erre in not Fundamentall but cannot erre in Fundamentall Ponts wheras you say she may erre in both 2. That the reason why she canot erre in Fundamentall Points is because she is firmely founded on the rocke and if she did faile our Lords promise of her stableedification should be of no value And therfore the Lord will even secure her from all capitall dangers and of this the promises of Christ assure vs. And this as I sayd is the common doctrine of Protestants Wherby it appeares that the Church is not sayd to be infallible in Fundamentall Points because she should perish by every such Error but contrarily because she is assisted by the Holy Ghost never to erre in such Points she shall never be destroyed in direct opposition to you who say that she may erre and by erring be destroyed What a kind of Syllogisme must be framed out of this your Doctrine in this manner The Church is infallible or cannot erre in Fundamentall Points because if she did so erre she should cease to be a Church But she may cease to be a Church Therfore she is infallible and cannot erre in Fundamentalls You should in ferr the direct contrary Therfore she may erre and is not infallible I beseech you of what value should our Saviours promises be according to your doctrine That the Church should not erre at least in Fundamentall Poynts of Faith No. You say she can erre in such Points In what then Only in this admirable worke that if she did erre she should be sure to pay for it by perishing For say you To say the Church while it is the Church may erre in Fundamentalls implyes contradiction and is all one as to say the Church while it is the Church may not be the Church This then is the effect of Gods Promises that that shall be which implyes contradiction to be otherwise that is Gods Power and Promise shall only effect that two contradictions be not true as that if some Living sensible creature be a beast he shall not be a man Is not this to be sacrilegiously impious against God and his holy Promises and Providence Is the Church so built vpon a Rocke assisted by the Holy Ghost that the gates of Hell shall not prevaile against Her only to this effect that if she erre she shall perish that is the Gates of Hell shall in the most prevalent way that can be imagined prevaile against her What foolish impietyes are these Let vs therfore inferr out of these Premises That there must be alwayes a true visible Church knowen and discernable from all false ones and therfore of one denomination That even according to Protestants this true Church must be infallible in all Fundamentall Points That if she be infallible in Fundamentall Points we must belieue Her to be infallible in all even according to your owne grant as I haue shewed out of your owne words And so finally we must conclude that there must be alwayes a visible Church of one denomination and infallible in all Points of Faith as well Fundamentall as not Fundamentall 88. And by what hath bene sayd I confute and retort your saying Pag 150. N. 39. A man that were destitute of all meanes of communicating his thoughts to
7. that the Points which we belieue should not be so evidently certaine as to necessitate our vnderstanding to an Assent that so there might be some Obedience in Faith which can hardly haue place where there is no possibility of disobedience as there is not when the vnderstanding does all and the will nothing Now the Religion of protestants though it be much more credible than yours yet is not pretended to haue the absolute evidence of sense or demonstration Behold a confessed difference between one who knowes a way by evidence of sense and an other who believes a way or Rule only by Faith The former needs no command of the will nor any guide but the latter needs a guide and you confess he needs the command of the will which were not needfull if the way which is Holy Scripture were so plaine as you pretend and if the vnderstanding must depend on the will for believing Points which seeme evident in Scripture that there might be some place for obedience how shall the weakness and mutability of the will it self be established except by some other infallible Living Authority And therfore your Argument proves nothing because it proves too much that as one who knowes and sees his way neeeds no helpe of his will or of Guide or any other particular assistance so for attaining the true meaning of Scripture we need no interpreter no diligence even such as Protestants prescribe as skill in languages conferring of places c though 2 Pet 1.21 it be saied Not by mans will was prophecie brought at any time But the holy men of God spake inspired with the Holy Ghost Which sequeles being very false you must acknowledg a great disparity between the evident knowing of a way and vnderstanding Scripture To which purpose I may well alledg your owne words Pag 137. N. 19. If we consider the strang power that education and prejudices instilled by it haue over even excellent vnderstandings we may well imagine that many Truths which in themselves are revealed plainly enough are yet to such or such a man prepossest with contrary opinions not revealed plainly I pray you tell vs what education or prejudices could hinder a man from finding that way which he is supposed perfectly to know and which it is not in his power to misse by ignorance though as I fayd he may voluntary goe out of it You must therfore acknowledg that your similitude or parity is nothing but a disparate and disparity 94. Fiftly Let a man be never so perfect in the knowledg of his way he shall never come to his journeyes end if he want strength to walke that way Now Faith being the gift of God and requiring the assistance of Grace exceeds the strength of humane wit or will and this Grace being not given but by the Ministery of the Church as I haue declared and as we haue heard Calvin saying God inspires Faith but by the instrument of the Gospell as Paul teacheth that Faith comes by hearing It followes that none can in the ordinary course receiue strength to vnderstand and know the way which you say is Scripture without the Ministery of the Church or a Living Guide and so it appeares many wayes that your Argument or similitude proves nothing against vs but very much against yourself 95. Tenthly and lastly I proue the vniversall infallibility of the Church by answering an Argument or removing an impediment which Potter objects as if some Catholique Doctours held not the Church to be vniversally infallible This the Doctour Pag 149. pretends to proue out of Dr. Stapleton in particular as if he did deny the Church to be infallible in Poynts not Fundamentall to which purpose he cites him Princip Doctrinal Lib 8. Contr 4. Cap 15. But this is clearly confuted by Charity Maintayned Part 2. Chap 5. Pag 127.128.129.130 shewing that Dr. Stapleton doth not oppose Poynts Fundamentall to other revealed Truths or Points of Faith not Fundamentall as if the infallibility of the Church did extend itself only to Fundamentall Articles but he distinguishes between Points revealed and belonging to Faith and Points not revealed nor belonging to Faith but to Philosophy or curious disputes either not called in Question amongst Catholikes as if they were matters belonging to Religion or if they chance to be such yet are not defined by the Church For if once they be controverted and the Church giue her sentence he expressly teaches in the same place that the infallibility of the Church hath place in those Points which are called in Question or are publikely practised by the Church As also Rel Cont 1. Q. 3. Art 6. He expressly saith that certaine Doctrines are either primary Principles of Faith or els though not primary yet defined by the Church and so as if they were primary Others are Conclusions deduced from those Principles but yet not desined Of the first kind are the Articles of Faith and whatsoever is defined in Councels against Heretiques c Of the second are questions which either belong to the hidden workes of God or to certaine most obscure places of Scripture which are beside the Faith and of which we may be ignorant without losse of Faith yet they may be modestly and fruitfully disputed of And afterward he teaches that whatsoever the Church doth vniversally hold either in doctrnie or manners belongs to the foundation of Faith And proves it out of S. Austine Serm 14. de verb Domini Ep 28.89.96 who calls the custome of the Church Ecclesiae morem fundatissimum Fidem fundatissimam consuetudinem Ecclesiae fundatissimam Authoritatem stabilissimam fundatissimae Ecclesiae The most grounded practise of the Church and most grounded Faith the most grounded custome of the Church the most firme Authority of the most grounded Church Could any thing be more cleere to shew that according to Dr. Stapleton the infallibility of the Church reacheth further then to those Points which you call Fundamentall and that it belongs to the very foundation of Faith that we belieue whatsoever the Church holds And that it is not lawfull for any to dispute against such determinations of the Church Which doth overthrow your distinction of Poynts Fundmentall and not Fundamentall though you alledg the Authority of S. Thomas 2.2 Q. 2. Art 5. and Stapleton in favour therof For S. Thomas in the very place you cited after he had sayd that there are some objects of Faith which we are bound explicitely to belieue addeth that we are bound to belieue all other Poynts when they are sufficiently propounded to vs as belonging to Faith Thus far Charity Maintaynâ—d Wherby it is manifest that according to Stapleton the Church cannot erre in defining any point to be revealed which is not so or that it is not revealed if indeed it be so and consequently that she is vniversally infallible in all points belonging to Faith whether they be of them selves Fundamentall or not Fundamentall I say of themselves for in sensu
Errour and embracing the contrary Fundamentall Truth and so cannot be sure that he hath true Repentance vnless he know in particular what Truths and Errours are Fundamentall And you deliver a very pernicious Errour in saying Pag 159 N. 52. whosoever dyes with Faith in Christ and contrition for all sinnes knowen and vnknowen in which heape all his si full Errours must be comprized can no more be hurt by any the most maâ—ignant and pestilent Errour then S. Paul by the Viper which he shooke of into the fire For if he remayne in his Errour about Fundamentall Points he wants the contrary actuall explicite belief of them which is supposed to be absolutely necessary to Salvation and so he will not cast that viper but it will cast him into the fire His Errour then which is supposed to be Fundamentall must be knowen to him and being knowen to be an Errour eo ipso it is rejected since our vnderstanding cannot assent to a knowen falshood and therfore cannot be comprized in the heape of sinfull Errours knowen and vnknowen but must be distinctly knowen and forsaken 22. How can you say that all Protestants agree touching the necessity of Repentance from dead works and Faith in Christ Iesus the Son of God and Savioâ—r of the worâ—d They may agree in the words or Grammaticall signification of them as any boy Turke Jew or Infidell could not but doe if they vnderstood the toung wherin those words were set downe But for the sense you could scarcely haue picked out Articles of greater moment and withall lesse agreed on among Protestants since every word discovers their irreconciliable differences concerning them and yet which is well to be observed they concerne points of practise and things absolutely necessary to salvation as we haue heard you confess and therfore an errour in them is damnable without all remedy 23. Let vs cast an eye vpon every word Repentance Protestants are not agreed wherin true Repentance consists as may be seene in Bellarmine de Poenit Lib 1. Chap 7. Lib. 2 Chap 4. and you in particular hold a Dòctrine different from the rest That Attrition alone is sufficient and that whether it be Attrition or Contrition it requires the extirpation of all vicious habits which you say is a thing of difficulty and tyme and cannot be performed in an instant and what sinner though repenting himself never so hartily at the houre of his death can be saved with this your kind of Repentance which at that houre is an impossible thing From dead works What will you vnderstand by dead works You know many chiefe Protestants hold all our best works to be of themselves not only dead but deadly sinnes and so Repentance of dead workes must signify Repentance that ever we haue done any good that we haue believed hoped and loved God and our neighbour obeyed our Parents kept any of the Commandements c And if you consider the person from whom they proceed in case he be predestinated no sin can hurt him whatsoever he doe To the former Repentance is needless to the latter fruitless How then do Protestants agree in the necessity of Repentance from dead workes or in Repentance itself For the second Point Faith in Christ Iesus the Son of God and Saviour of the world there is not one word wherin Protestants agree for the sense Faith You say A probable Faith is sufficient all others deny it professiing that Christian Faith necessary to salvation must be infalible and therfory you cannot be saved by your kind of Faith even by the doome of Protestants and in that respect all men who haue care of their soules ought to detest your Doctrine and Booke But do those other Protestants agree among themselves what Faith is necessary and sufficient for salvation They do not Some hold that Faith necessary and sufficient for Justification is that wherby one believes certainly that his sinnes are forgiven and that they are forgiven even by believing so according to which Doctrine what necessity can there be of Repentance Seing men are justifyed precisely by such a Faith and how then did you tell vs that Protestants agree in the necessity of Repentance from dead works Of which strang kind of Faith He whom you call the learned Grotius in his Discussio Riveriani Apologetici c Pag 2â—0 saith very truly Evangelij vox haec est Resipiscite Facite fructus dignos Poenetentiae adhortamini vosmetipsos per singulos dies donec hodie nominetur vt non obduretur quis ex vobis fallacia peccati Terra proferens spinas tribulos proxima est maledictioni cujus consummatioin combustionem At Riveti eique similium longè alia agendiratio remissa tibi sunt peccata Vnde id sciam Debes id credere At quo Argumento cum non remitantur omnibus Remissa sunt credentibus Et quid credentibus Remissa sibi esse peccata Mirus verò circulus Ita si istos sequimur remissio est causa credendi nihil enim credi debet factum esse nisi quod factum est contra credere causa remissionis quia conditio est requisita ad remissionem Haec verè sunt inextricabilia Faith in Christ Jesus the Son of God and Saviour of the world Who is ignorant how deeply Protestants disagree in these points You Socinians absolutely deny Christ Jesus to be the Son of God and Consubstantiall to his Father and Potter Pag 113.114 cites the doctrine of some whom he termes men of great learning and judgment that all who profess to loue and honour Iesus Christ are in the Visible Christian Church and by Catholikes to be reputed Brethren One of these men of great learning and judgment cited by Potter is Thomas Morton who in his Treatise of the Kingdome of Israel teaches that the Churches of Arians who denyed our Saviour Christ to be God are to be accounted the Church of God because they hold the Foundation of the Ghospell which is Faith in Iesus Christ the Son of God and saviour of the world Which are your very words Wherin appeares your hypocrisy in calling Christ the Son of God which men will conceaue you vnderstand as all good Christians do that he is consubstantiall to his Father wheras you meane only as the Arians did that he was the Son of God by conjunction of will or some such accidentall way aÌ„d so ProtestaÌ„ts do not agree in a point simply necessary Saviour of the world For SociniaÌ„s deny Christ to haue satisfyed for the sins of the world as may be seene in Volkelius Lib 4. Cap 2. and Cap 22. against other Protastants who in an other extreme hold that he alone satisfied so as no satisfaction is required at our hands though wee tell them that such our satisfaction depends on and taks all its valve from his You are an excellent advocate for Potter seing you differ from him in this Point which Pag 242. he calls that most important and
forsaking the Faith and communion of the vniversall Church or of all Churches extant when Luther appeared and therfore that Protestancy vnrepented destroyes salvation 169. Having then proved that Christian Faith is absolutely Infallible that therfore some Infallible judge or Rule of Faith is necessary that this cannot be Scripture alone that all though Scripture did containe all points of Faith necessary to salvation yet it could neither be a sufficient Rule nor any Rule at all of Faith if the errours which Mr. Chilling worth holds concerning it were true that the Infallible Judge of controversyes in Faith must be the alwayes visible Church of God that to oppose her doctrine and forsake Her communion is Heresy and Schisme that Protestants cannot be saved without Repentance These things I say being proved and every one of them having such connexion that from the first to the laast one is deduced from another by evident consequences We must now see whether Mr. Chilling worth though he hath not been able to defend Protestants from the sins of schisme ād Heresy at least that he hath taught thē some remedy to obtaine pardon for those and all other deadly sins by proposing some true way to Repentance and our next Chapter shall shew that the Repentance which he would teach them is neither sufficient nor possible but plainly destructiue of itselfe A hard condition of Protestants to be forced for their defense to chuse an Advocate who neither can excuse them from sin nor prescribes any possible meanes for pardon therof CHAP VIII Mr. CHILLINGVV ORTHS ERROVRS CONCERNING REPENTANCE ARE EXAMINED AND CONFVTED 1. NO benefit is wont to be more welcome than that which we receiue from an enemy against his will in regard we enjoy the favour and yet are absolved from all obligation of rendring thankes or even acknowledging it You are forced to confesse Pag 34. N. 5. That the Doctrine and practise too of Repentance is yet remaining in our Church and by that confession you grant that safety to vs which we cannot yield to Protestants since without true Faith Repentance will proue but a meere illusion And in this Protestants are greatly obliged to our sincere declaration of so necessary a Truth that being in due tyme clearly warned of the danger they may seeke to put their soules in safety by embracing that Religion wherin both we and our Adversaryes grant a possibility of Salvation But now as I sayd hertofore that although it were granted that true Scripture alone is a perfect and totall Rule of Faith as we haue proved it not to be yet it could not be so much as any Rule at all if your pernicious errours concerning it were true so here I will proue That although the Doctrine and practice of Repentance were supposed to remaine amongst Protestants which we can never grant yet that Repentance which you hold sufficient and necessary is such as either in the way of Defect or too little or of Excesse and too much no man can hope for Salvation by meanes therof This we will proue by a particular examination of your severall errours of which the 2. First is delivered by you Pag 32. N. 4. in these words God hath no where declared himselfe but that whersoever he will accept of that Repentance which you are pleased to call contrition he will accept of that which you call Attrition For though he like best the bright flaming holocaust of Loue yet he rejects not he quenches not the smoaking flaxe of that repentance if it be true and effectuall which proceeds from hope and feare In confutation of which pernicious errour I need not spend paines or tyme since it seemes proper to yourselfe or perhaps some Associats of yours But what can be hoped from those who haue forsaken the direction of Gods Church but that they should crosse one another in their wayes and end in Extremes as I haue observed in severall occasions and appeares in this particular matter of which we treate Luther as may be seene in Bellarmin de Poenit Lib. 1. Cap. 6. taught that Attrition makes a man an hypocrite and a greater sinner So far was he from dreaming that it alone is a sufficient disposition to obtaine remission of sins Others in a contrary extreme hold that perfect sorrow or Contrition is not sufficient without Absolution as Kemnitius affirmes 2. part Exam p. 960. and even your opinion is That perfect Contrition will not serue without extirpation of all vicious habits which you say being a worke of difficulty requires tyme and so you are singular in a matter vpon which eternall salvation depends agreeing neither with Catholikes who teach that Attrition is not sufficient without Absolution and that Contrition alone in all tymes and moments is enough nor that contrition is sufficient without absolution as Kemnitius holds but you teach that no Repentance is sufficient without the extirpation of all vicious habits as we shall see herafter 3. For the thing itselfe I wonder what could bring you to such a Doctrine as this That an Act which you confess Pag. 32. N. 4. proceeds from Hope and Feare could alone be a sufficient disposition for justifying Grace and the Theologicall vertue of Charity and Loue of God As well might you say That an Act of Historicall Faith is a sufficient disposition for the vertue of Hope and Hope for Charity and so Faith would come to justify I say an Historicall Faith which no Protestant holds can justify But this is the worke of our common enemy to suggest Doctrines which can produce no other effect except damnation of soules For to what other purpose can this your invention serue God is always ready to giue sufficient Grace for an Act of Contrition when it is necessary as alwayes it is necessary for the Remission of deadly sinnes when Sacerdotall Absolution cannot be had and yet this your Doctrine if once it be accepted for true can haue no better effect than to make men rely vpon it and not apply themselves to an Act of contrition wherby they might be secure wheras if your Doctrine be false as most certainly it is whosoever contents himselfe with Attrition for remission of any deadly sin shall infallibly be damned even though we should suppose that the beliefe of this errour were inculpable because true Repentance is absolutely necessary to salvation necessitate medij wherin invincible ignorance doth not excuse in which case every one is obliged to embrace not only a probable but the most safe and secure part And therfore this your errour being against both Catholikes and Protestants every one is bound by the most strict obligation Charitatis propriae which obliges vs to take the safest meanes for the salvation of our owne soules in things absolutly necessary not to rely on your conceypt but to procure that which is safe either contrition or Attrition with Absolution and so your Doctrine can never be practiced without a deadly sin though it were supposed to
vniversall Why might not the Church of that tyme haue held some vniversall errour and yet haue beene still the Church You must answer your owne Argument which is easy for vs Catholikes to doe by saying 5. First No particular man or Church may hold any sinfull and damnable errour and yet be a member of the Church vniversall Which is a truth to be believed by all Protestants if they vnderstand themselves and as I haue often sayd Potter confesseth that it is Fundamentall to the Faith of a Christian not to disbelieue any point sufficiently knowne to be revealed by God and that he who does so is an heretike and that heresy being a worke of the flesh excludes from the kingdome of Heaven And what a Church would you haue that to be which consists of Heretikes 6. Secondly To put a parity between particular men or Churches and the Church vniversall may very well beseeme some Socinian who makes small esteeme of the Authority of the Church but resolves faith into every mans private judgment and reason and therfore no wonder if such a Church be subject to corruptions no lesse than private men whose naturall witts and reason must integrate as I may say the whole Authority of and certainty in such a Church and therfore if particular persons may fall into errours the Church cannot be free from them yea she must containe in her bosome or rather bowells such corruptions and errours and so many poysons contradictory one to another and yet not breake A noble latitude of hart and a vast kind of hellishlike Charity But for vs your Argument hath no force at all For we belieue the Church to be the Meanes wherby Divine Revelations are conveyed to our vnderstanding and to be the Judge of Controversyes as hath beene proved hertofore at large and this being supposed we must make vse of your owne words Pag 35. N. 7. That the meanes to decide Controversyes in faith and Religion must be endued with an vniversall Infallibility in whatsoever it propoundeth for a Divine Truth From whence it followes that every errour in Faith is destructiue of that infallibility which is required in the meanes to decide Controversyes in Faith and Religion Which is further confirmed by those words of yours Pag 9. N. 6. No consequence can be more palpable then this The Church of Rome doth erre in this or that therfore it is not infallible Therfore say I to affirme that the Church can erre is to say she is not infallible nor can be judge of Controversyes nor the meanes to convey Divine Revelations to our vnderstanding nor could she be a Guide even in matters Fundamentall as we haue proved els where and yourselfe grant this last sequele to be good And in a word she would cease to be that Church which we are sure she is 7. Thus you say that Scripture which alone you hold to be the Rule of Faith and decider of Controversyes must be vniversally infallible and that any the least errour were enough to blast the whole Authority therof As also if the Apostles who were appointed to teach Divine Truths could by word or writting haue taught any falshood we could not haue relyed on their Authority in any point of faith great or little 8. You say Pag 143. N. 30. There is not the same reason for the Churches absolute infalliblity as for the Apostles and Scriptures For if the Church fall into errour it may be reformed by comparing it with the Rule of the Apostles Doctrine and Scripture But if the Apostles haue erred in delivering the Doctrine of Christianity to whom shall we haue recourse for the discovering and correcting their errour These your words prompt vs a ready Answer and disparity between the Church and private persons who if they fall into errour the errour may be reformed by comparing it with the Decrees Traditions and Definitions of Gods Church But if the Church erre to whom shall we haue recourse for the discovering and correcting her errour Nay I do take a forcible Argument by inverting and retorting your owne words For supposing your Doctrine that we belieue Scripture to be true and the word of God for the Authority of the Church and another saying of yours that a proofe must be more knowne to vs than the thing proved otherwise say you it is no proofe I argue thus There is not the same reason for our beliefe of the absolute infallibility of the Apostles and Scripture as for the Church For if false Scripture be obtruded it may be discovered by comparing it with the Tradition and consent of the Church from which we receiue the Scripture as the word of God and consequently all the certainty we haue of the contents therof But if the Church may erre to whom shall we haue recourse for discovering and correcting her errours seing as I sayd to compare it with the Rule of the Apostles doctrine will be to no purpose because that very Rule cā be of no force with vs but for the Authority of the Church which therfore must be as great or greater with vs then Scripture it selfe according to your owne saying The proofe must be more knowne than the thing proved Our B. Saviour sayd Matt 5. Uos est is sal terrae you are the salt of the earth But if the salt leese his vertue wherwith shall it be salted Vpon which words S. Austine L. 1. de serm Domini in monte C. 6. saith Si vos c. If you by whom others are to be as it were seasoned forfeite the kingdome of heaven vpon feare of temporall persecution what other persons shall be found to free you from errour seing God hath chosen you to take away errours from others So we may say If the Church which God hath appointed to teach others and deliver them the Scripture should erre who could be found to discover and correct that errour Your Argument is no better than this If a man may be a man though he be deprived of some vnnecessary part of his Body as fingers feete c. why may he not remaine a man though he want some parts absolutly necessary for the conservation of him in Being as hart head braine c. For infallibility in the Church is a priviledge necessary and as I may say essentiall to her as she is the judge of Controversyes in Faith which office belonging to no private persons infallibility is not necessary for them 9. To your vaine subtility That we say It is nothing but opposing the Doctrine of the Church that makes an errour damnable and it is impossible that the Church should oppose the Church I meane that the present Church should oppose it selfe From whence you would collect that if the Church should erre yet her errour being not damnable as not opposite to the Church herselfe she might still remaine a Church I answer By the same reason you may say the Apostles might erre and yet remaine of the Church and their
in those Objects in which they may chance inculpably to disagree You define the Religion of Protestants to be the Bible and that all who belieue all plaine Texts therof are true Protestants and do agree in matters of Faith and therfore must agree among themselves in such Points Now I aske whether you will define matters of Faith to be those wherin Protestants agree If you say yes then I take your owne words and say this is ridiculous and as if we should say Protestants agree in those things wherin they agree If you answer No but that matters of Faith are those which are clearly contained in Scripture whether or no Protestants or any other belieue them then you both answer and confute your owne Objection and turne it against yourselfe You say it is ridiculous to say we agree in matters of Faith and are all agreed that only those things wherin we agree are matters of Faith And yet you say Protestants if they were wise would do so too which is to say Protestants if they were wise would do that which you say is ridiculous Nay according to this your wholsome advise if they will be wise they must not regard what indeed is matter of Faith as being revealed by God but only that they procure to agree among themselves and then say that they agree in matters of Faith which is to say they agree in those things wherin they do agree which is the thing you object against vs. Neverthelesse I know not well by what Logike you will inferr that we speake as if one would say we agree in those things wherin we agree vnless perhaps by some such wild Syllogisme as this All matters of Faith are those wherin we agree but we agree in all matters of Faith Therfore we agree in all those things wherin we agree as if you say every mā is a reasonable creature but every reasonable creature is a man Therfore every mā is a mā If you would to the purpose you might say whatsoever we agree in is a matter of Faith but we agree in the belief of the Trinity c. Therfore the beliefe of the Trinity c. is a matter of Faith But howsoever this be we vtterly deny that definition of Faith and leaue it to Protestants that they may be wise according to the wisdom of your advise and definition 3. To the rest of this N. 5. as also to your N. 6. I answer that you would gladly divert vs to particular disputes But it is sufficient to say in generall That whatsoever is knowne to be proposed by the Church as revealed by God is a Point of Faith in respect of him to whom it is so proposed Neither it is pertinent to this present Worke to dispute in what subject infallibility resides Let me now tell you that which may suffice for the present that those three meanes of agreement which you mention the Pope A Councell with him The vniversall Church haue never yet nor ever shall nor ever can be found to disagree And it is no fayre dealing in you to omitt what Ch ma hath concerning this matter Part 2. Chapt 5. N. 15. and 16. where he answers the objection ād discovers the falsifications of Potter in citing Catholique Authors about this point But to proue that the vniversall Church cannot be infallible or a meanes of agreement you say N. 6. And indeed what way of ending Controversyes can this be when either part may pretend that they are part of the Church and they receiue not the decree therfore the whole Church hath not received it Answer I know no man hath greater obligation to answer your Objection than yourselfe who teach that by vniversall Tradition we know Scripture to be the word of God For if one should say what way of determining what Scripture is the Word of God can this be when if any deny it they may pretend that they are part of the Church and they receiue not such or such Scriptures therfore the whole Church or vniversall Tradition hath not received them If you answer that the number or Authority of a few is not considerable in comparison or opposition to all the rest nor ought to prevaile against the contrary suffrages as you speake Pag 68. N. 43. I answer First that if the Church be fallible it is not the number but the waight of reason which ought to prevaile And secondly you cannot but see how easy it is for vs to say the same That it imports not if some who are not of consideration in respect of all the rest disagree from them But the truth is your Objection is of no force vnless you helpe it out with your wonted refuge of begging the Question and supposing the Church not to be infallible For if she be infallible whosoever oppose Her decrees and Definitions by doing so become Heretikes and cease to be members of the Church nor can pretēd that they are part of the Church and they receiue not the decree Therfore the whole Church hath not received it As I sayd aboue that Schismatiques cannot pretend to be members of the Church after their separation And this your subtility is directly against Dr. Potter Pag 57. saying Whosoever either wilfully opposes any Catholique Verity maintayned by this Church or the Catholique visible Church as doe Heretikes or perversly drvides himselfe from the Catholique Communion is doe Schismatikes the condition of both is damnable The Scriptures and Fathers cited here by the Mistaker proue this and no more and therfore prone nothing against Protestants who never denyed it Now why do you not aske your client Potter How any man can oppose the whole Church or depart from Her Communion seing they who oppose and depart may pretend that they are part of the Church and do not oppose or depart from themselves and therfore Protestants who the Doctour saith never denyed it must deny it if they will belieue you or you must deny yourselfe if you will belieue them Your N. 7.8 are meere words without any proofe and deserue no other Answer 4. Your whole N. 9. is plainly impertinent Charity Maintayned Part 1. Chap 3. N. 1. declared how Protestants are wont to abuse the distinction of Points Fundamentall and not Fundamentall to many purposes of theirs and among the rest to this That if you object their bitter and cotinued discords in matters of Faith without any meanes of agreement they instantly tell you they differ in points not Fundamentall In which words it is cleare that Ch. Ma. intends only to shew what vse Protestants make of the sayd distinction and that he speakes truth you neither do nor can deny the thing being notorious But you decline the matter and say I desire you to tell me whether they do so or doe not so that is whether they differ in points only not Fundamentall or do nor differ in them If they doe so I hope you will not find fault with the Answer But your hope
Controversyes Sir I beseech you when you write againe doe vs the favour to write nothing but Syllogismes for I find it still an extreme trouble to find out the concealed propositions which are to connect the parts of your enthymems As now for example I profess vnto you I am at my wits end and haue done my best endeavour to find some glue or sodder or cement or chaine or thred or any thing to tye this antecedent and this consequent together and at length am forced to giue it over and cannot doe it 54. Answer If you were in a condition to reply I would advise you to write not Syllogismes or enthymems but with truth Christian modesty and humility If there be any obscurity in Charity Maintayned you did not find but make it by breaking the thred of his discourse and disjoyning into severall Numbers of Sections or Yours that which is delivered in that one continued N. 16. which you impugne For having proved that according to the grounds of Protestāts they before they address themselves to the Church must know what Points are Fundamentall they learne not of her but will be as fit to teach as to be taught by her And then to confute this Doctrine of Protestants he saieth S. Austine was of a very different mind from Protestants If saieth he Epist 118. the Church through the whole world practice any of these things to dispute whether that ought to be done is a most insolent madness And in an other place he saieth Lib 4. de Bapt Chap 24. That which the whole Church holds and is not ordained by Councells but hath alwaies been kept is most rigthly believed to be delivered by Apostolicall authority Now Sr. I beseech you doe vs the favour to declare whether these words of S. Austine doe not proue that we are to learne of the Church and her Traditions and not presume to teach her Which was the very thing which Cha Ma affirmed and proved not by any Syllogisme or enthymem but by a continued discourse as men are wont to doe which yet might be easily drawne into a Syllogisme or some other Lawfull Forme of Logicall Argument if need were as any true Discourse may be so reduced 55. All that you haue N 44.45.46 containes no difficulty which may not be answered out of the grounds which I haue Laied heretofore Tertullian is rightly alledged for Traditions in generall but to the Church belongs the office of judging in particular what be Lawfull and Apostolicall or divine Traditions and not humane invētions Neither can it be prejudiciall to Traditions in generall that some haue bene lost as I hope you will not deny some Bookes of Scripture to be Divine though some haue bene lost and some conterfaited In your N. 46. you thought it best to dissemble what Ch. Ma. alledges out of Withaker De Sacra Script Pag 678. concerning an Authority of S. Chrysostom for Traditions I answer that this is an inconsiderate speach and vnworthy so great a Father 56. In your N. 47. you spend many words about a sentence of S. Austine which that you may overcome with more ease you with a pettie policy divide from the other places which Ch Ma in the same N. 16. cites out of the same Saynt one place strengthening an other Whosoever reades with due consideration your long discourse will finde that your ayme was covertly to vent your Socinianisme against the Church and openly contradict S. Austine while you pretend to answer the sentences which Cha. ma. cited out of him which are these Epist 119. the Church being placed betwixt much chaffe and cockle doth tollerate many things but yet she doth not approue nor dissemble nor do these things which are against Faith or good life you say That because S. Austine sayes the Church doth not approue nor dissemble nor doe these things which are against Faith or good life Ch. Ma. concludes that it never hath done so nor ever can doe so And then you add But though the Argument hold in Logick a non posse and non esse yet I never heard that it is would hold back againe a non esse ad non posse The Church cannot doe this therefore it does it not followes with good consequence but the Church does not this therefore it shall neuer doe it this I belieue will hardly follow In the Epistle next before to the same I anuarius writing of the same matter he hath these words It remaines that the thing you enquire of must he of that third kind of things which are different in diverse places Let euery one therfore doe that which he finds done in the Church to which he comes for none of them is against Faith or good manners And why do you not infer from hence that no particular Church can bring vp any custome that is against Faith or good manners Certainly this consequence has as good reason for it as the former 57. Answer S. Austines meaning to be that the Church neither doth nor can approue any thing against Faith or good life appeares by the very Epist 1 18. next before to the same Iannarius as you speak where he saieth If the Church through the whole world practise any of these things to dispute whether that ought to be so done is a most insolent madnes Where you see the Saynt speakes not only de facto but de jure what ought to be done and therfore as I saied no wonder if you divided the Sentences of S. Austine which you found set downe by Charity Maintayned in the same N. 16. Besides you should know that in matters belonging to doctrine of Faith an indefinite Proposition ordinarily is equivalent to an vniversall as for example God approves not sinne the Church ere 's not in fundamentall Points of Faith Works of Christian Piety require the assistance of Gods Grace He that believes not shall be damned c And indeed how could S. Austine say vniversally of all tymes and places without limitation the Church doth not this but by supposing that it is certaine she will never doe it which must implie some particular Priviledg of Divine assistance securing her from doing it For if he spoke only of a casuall and contingent thing for a determinate tyme he could not be sure of what he affirmed seing it might be done in some place without his knowledg and whosoever vnpartially considers these words The Church does not this will confess that they signify she never does it and that something is attributed to Her which agrees not to private persons casually not doing a thing Which also appeares by the Antithesis he puts betweene the Church and chaffe and cockle that is imperfections or superstitions of which he speaks Your Argument taken from a particular Church is of no force For you confess S. Austine speaks of things indifferent and rhen I grant that no particular Church can bring vp any custome against Faith or good manners as long as she practises only
schisme is a division fro that church with which one agrees in matters of faith they doe not distinguish betweene points fundamētall ād not fūdamēntall in order to the negatiue precept of not disbelieving any point sufficiētly proposed as revealed by God ād so in fact all points being fūdamētall in this sense as both you and Potter are forced to confesse more then once though in other occasions you contradict it as even in this place you make such a distinction and vpon it ground your objection whosoever agree truly in all Fundamentall points in this sense agree in all points of truths revealed by God and sufficiently proposed for such If Protestants will faine to themselves another kinde of points not fundamentall in order to the Negatiue precept of Faith Charity Maintayned is not obliged to side with them but may and ought to say that if Protestants pretend to agree with vs in fundamentall Points they must a parte rei agree with vs in all Points sufficiently proposed as divine Truths and that agreement supposed while they depart from our Communion they becocome most formall Schismatiks as Schisme is distinguished from heresy Thus your Sillogisme which you pretend to resemble the argument of Ch Ma is answered For when you say He that obeyes God in all things is innocent Titus obeys God in somethings Therefore he is innocent Your Minor should be Titus obeys God in all things as they who agree in fundamentall points of Faith must agree in all things that is they must not disagree in any revealed truth for to agree in that sense is fundamentall to the Faith of a Christian as Potter confesses By this also your N. 79. is answered Neither doe your N. 80. and 81. containe any difficulty which is not answered by a meere denyall I wish the Reader for his owne good to reade what you omitt in the N. 29. of C Ma where he shewes that Luther was farr enough from intending any reformation with some other points which you omitt or involue in darkness and which being read in him answer all your Objections 23. Your N. 82. gives as great a deadly blow to Protestant Religion as no adversary could haue givē a greater C Ma sayd that Luther ād his Associates did wholy disagree in the particulars of their reformatiō which was a signe that the thing vpon which theyr thoughts first pitched was not any particular Modell or Idea of Relig ō but a settled resolution to forsake the Church of Rome This you not only grant but proue that it could not be otherwise saying to Ch Ma. Certainly it is no great marveile that ther was as you say disagreement between them in the particulars of their Reformation Nay morally speaking it was impossible it should be otherwise And why You giue the reason in these remarkable words the Declination from which originall purity of religiō some conceaving to haue begunne though secretly in the Apostles times the mystery of iniquity being then in worke and after their departure to haue shewed itselfe more openly others againe believing that the Church continued pure for some ages after the Apostles and then declined And consequently some ayming at an exact conformity with the Apostolique times others thinking they should doe God and men good service could they reduce the Church to the condition of the fourth and fift ages some taking their direction in this worke of Reformation only from Scripture others from the writings of Fathers and the decrees of Councells of the first fiue Ages certainly it is no great mervaile that ther was as you say disagreement between them in the particulars of their Reformation nay morally speaking it was impossible it should be otherwise Yet let me tell you the difference between them especially in comparison of your Church and Religion is not the difference between good and bad but between good and better And they did best that followed Scripture interpreted by Catholick written Tradition which Rule the reformers of the Church of England proposed to themselves to follow I know not whether the vncertainty or misery of Protestant religion could haue been described in more lively colours then you haue set it out For if they be vncertaine from whence to beginne their Reformation and for that cause you confesse it was impossible for them not to disagree in the particulars therof it followes that now they haue no certainty what Reformation is true or whether a Reformation ād not rather a Deformation or falshood And indeed the different heades even as you propose them are so confused that it is not easy to vnderstand what they meane and then how hard must it be to take them for a distinct rule how to proceed in the Reformation of the whole world If the principles be doubtfull the conclusion can not be certain You make your Progenitours to resemble perfectly the Genethliaci and judicarij Astrologers who not agreeing in their Principles proue vaine and ridiculous in their predictions You are like to a certaine man who not long a goe in a citty which I could name apprehending himselfe in his climactericall yeare could not be induced to eate as despayring to passe that Criticall time till he was told by a witty Physition that he must count his age from the time of his conception not of his nativity as he had done according to which rate finding as he thought his fatall yeare to be past was presently cured Truly whosoever advisedly and seriously considers this Number of yours can not but forsake Protestantisme if he meane not to forsake his owne soule You endeavoured to perswademen that by the ordinary meanes which are left vs a Church collapsed may be restored to purity which certainly you make impossible to be done by the Doctrine you deliver here Seing confessedly ther is no certainty vpon what Grounds or by what settled directions such a Reformation should proceed nor from whence it should beginne It is also strange to heare you say They did best that followed Scripture interpreted by Catholick written Tradition Which Rule the Reformers of the Church of England proposed to themselves to follow What doe you now tell vs that there be traditiue interpretations of Scripture A thing disclaymed by you through your whole booke denying all other Traditions except that wherby we accept Scripture as the word of God but not the interpretation of it it being as you saie evident of itselfe and ther being no infallible Judge to declare it or any points of Faith which are not contained in it Moreover by what commission or coherence to yourself say you Pag 375. N. 56. That the Bible I say the Bible only is the Religion of Protestants Seing you tell vs here that some of them tooke their direction in this work of Reformation only from Scripture others from the Writings of the Fathers and the Decrees of the Councells for the first fiue Ages and that they did best that followed Scripture interpreted by Catholick written
words 22. Your N. 30.31.32.33.34 doe only demonstrate that you vndertake to declare the Doctine of Protestants about good works repentance justification c without any commission from them which you could not but see and therfore are forced N. 33. to say If this doctrine about justification by Faith onlie be otherwise expounded then I haue here expounded I will not vnder take the justificatioÌ„ of it And therefore you had no reason to affirme that C Ma spoke without sense in saying that according to the rigid Calvinists Faith is either so strong that once had it can never be lost or so more then weake and so much nothing that it can never be gotten For seing that Faith which Calvinists hold to be justifying can never be lost if once it be gotten this Disjunctiue must needs be evidently true either it cannot be gotten or if it be gotten it cannot be lost That which you vntimely talk heere of the subject wherein God hath placed the Authority of defining matters of Faith hath bene answered already as much as this Work can permit without descending to particular Controversies against the purpose and Intention of Cha Ma who yet Part 2. Chap 5. N. 15.16.21 answers all the particular Authorities of Catholiques which Potter objects about this matter and shewes his ill dealing in alledging them But this is not the first tyme that you dissemble what Cha Ma delivers in his second Part though yet you make vse of it when it may serue your turne which certainlie is no just kind of proceding But to returne to your defense of other chiefe Protestants whereas Cha Ma saied heere N. 12. out of his Chap 3. N. 19. that justification by Faith alone is by some Protestants avouched to be the soule of the Church the principall Origin of salvation of all other points of Doctrine the chiefest and weightiest yet you say heere N. 32. For my part I doe hartly wish that by publique Authority it were so ordered that no man should euer preach or print this Dostrine that Faith alone justifies vnless he joynes these together with it that vniversall obedience is necessary to salvatioÌ„ if the Commandments cannot be kept how can the observation of them or vniversall obedience be taught as necessary to salvation And besides that those Chapters of S. Paul which intreat of justification by Faith without the works of the Law mark heere how impertinently Protestants apply the Authority of S. Paul against justification by works seing Mr. Chillingworth declares that he speaks of the works of the law were never read in the Church but when the 13. Chap. of the 1. Epist to the Corinth concerning the absolute necessity of Charity should be to prevent misprision read together with them So diffideÌ„t are you of this soule of the Church this principall origen of salvation of Protestants Your last lines are so obscure and confused that after consideration by myself aÌ„d with others I can drawe from them nothing but non-sense and for such I must leaue them Concerning our greater safety I haue touched in the Preface to the Reader some Points taken from your express doctrine and words which heere I judge needles to repeete 23. For Conclusion of my Book I disposed myself to giue a particular Answer to the conclusion of yours wherein you are not ashamed to say that you are well assured that Ch. Ma. had in his hands your Book twelue-months before it was published which vpon my certaine knowledg is must vntrue But vpon carefull examination thereof I finde that labour to be needless You would make the Reader belieue that Ch Ma omitted to answer some materiall points of Dr. Potters Book and that you had observed all the Directions which were given in that litle Treatise intituled A Direction be to observed by N. N. If he meane to proceede in answering the Book intituled Mercy and Truth or Charity Maintayned by Catholiques c But both these affirmations are fully and truly answered by an absolute deniall that either of them is true as any man will judge who shall consider the Answer of Cha Ma to Dr. Potter and this my answer to you And as for the latter in particular How can it be denied that you procede in a destructiue way which in that Direction you were warned to avoide who deny Christian Religion to be infallibly true And how can Christian Faith be supernaturall if it be only a probable Conclusion evidently deduced from evident probable Premises And I wonder with what face you can say heere § And lastly that thefe archer of all hearts knowes that you had no other end in writing this Book but to confirm the truth of the divine and infallible Religion of our dearest lord and Saviour Christ Iesus seing you haue endeavoured nothing more through your whole Book than to proue that Christian Religion is not infallible That you haue contradicted Dr. Potter hath bene shewed heretofore in severall occasions And the same I meane that you haue not observed those Directions might be demonstrated in everie particular if it were worth the labour but for that Direction which was not to contradict yourself you haue trangressed it so notoriously as I should never haue believed if my owne experience had not convinced me thereof which made it as hard to giue an answer to your Book as it is to make on coate fitting the moone in all its changes which is your owne similitude which I confess was one of the greatest difficultyes in answering to find you so various obscure contrary and contradicting yourself accordingly as you were prest with different Arguments that I could not but often say with much Truth Quis teneat vultus mutantem Protea Nodus FINIS INDEX In which Pr. signifieth the Preface I. the Introduction C. the Chapter N. the Number P. the Page A. Absolution validly given by an Heretique if he be a true Priest and hath intention to administer the Sacrament C. 4. N. 42. P. 377. 578. Absurdityes in Catholique Faith falsely supposed by I hil c. 1. n. 76. p. 90. but proved by his owne tenets to be truly in his Faith N. 77. and p. 97. n. 84 seq Accidents dispose to effects more noble then themselves yea held by many to be reall â—uses of substances c 1. n 79. 80. p 94. 95. Acts proper to necessary Powers must needs be produced if the meanes to worke be compleate but free Powers may with compleate meanes suspend the act c 11. n 65. p 694. seq The essence of acts ignorantly discoursed of by I hil c 12. n 21. p 721. seq Advertisements for whomsoever shall vndertake to answere this Booke not to follow I hil his stepps in commencing new controversies Pr. n. 5. 6. p. 2. 3. If the Apostles could erre in any poynt of Religion they can be certainly believed in none c. 2. n. 95. p. 200. c. 12. n. 47. p. 742. alibi Out Saviours Words to them as
c. 15 n. 24 p. 903 Luthers Tenet that to hold an obligation of keeping the commandements is to deny Christ and abolim Faith J. n. 25 p. 19 That lawes and good workes are more to be shunned then sinnes Jbid His desperate remorse for leaving the church c. 7. n. 14. p. 468. and c. 14. n. 50. p. 882. His division from the whose church proved out of Protestants c. 7. n. 116. p. 537. His shamless falsification of Rom 3.28 and I hill conscienceless endeavour to make it good c. 11. n. 16. p. 6â—9 M Maximinianus Patriarche of Constantinople his testimony for the Principality of the Romane Church c. 15. n. 33. p. 914. 915. Merit by good workes excludes not grace c. 15. n 17. p. 800. Milenaryes Doctrine never decreed nor delivered by the church c. 9. n. 5. p. 626. and c. 15. n 31. p. 911. c. I hill imposture vpon S. Justine Martyr concerning it confuted by testimonyes of Protestants Ibi. Miracles perpetually wrought by the church doe not only confirme some particular point but all her Doctrine and to say the contrary is injurious â—s God and makes the Doctrine of the Apostles and of all the church vnfitt to convert people c. 5. n. 7. p. 433. 434. Shewed by Scripture to be proofes of true Faith n. 9. p. 435. To deny theÌ„ is to oppose our Saviour and his Apostles and to vndermine all Christianity n. 8. p. 434. VVrought before Protestants were dreamt of in confirmation of particular points in which they disagree from Catholiques Ibid Yet they are not necessary for every point of christian doctrine c. 3. n. 33. p. 301. Acknowledged by Luther to haue been in the church through all ages for these 1500. yeares c 5. n. 4. p. 429. By them haue been converted Jewes and Gentles yet cannot move Protestants c. 3. n. 76. p. 338. Chill holds that true Miracles may be wrought to delude men n 76. p. 337 and c. 2 n. 186 p. 261. N Nature to conserue itselfe embraceth by instinct great naturall difficultyes as less evills then its owne destruction c. 1 n. 114. p. 119. To affirme that it is as easy to obey the Ghospell as to performe what the common instinct of nature commands is iniurious to our Saviours merits Ibid. As natuâ—â—â— instinct for its naturall conservatioÌ„ is cerâ—â—â—â—â— aÌ„d invariable so must the light of Faith be for supernaturall conservation Ibid. Divers vnderstandings of things Necessary to salvation c. 2. n. 1. p. 122. seq Notes of credibility authorize the writers before their writings c. 5. n. 1. p. 426. seq and n. 5. p. 431. 432. They authorize the church independently of Scripture and fall primarily vpon her not vpon Scripture Jbid. VVhat church they authorize is to be infallibly beleeved in all points n. 6. p. 433. God of his goodness could not permitt them be found as they are in the catholique Romane church if her Faith could be false n. 7. p. 433. and n. 10. 11. 12. p. 436. 437. These notes cannot be pretended by Protestantâ— and other Sectaryes n. 4. p. 429. 430. O Objects are not obsure evident certainâ— probable c. in theÌ„selves but only so denominated extrinsecally by the acts to which those affections are proper c. 15. n. 6. p. 888. 889. Observations to aÌ„swear many of Chil. objections about the creed c. 13. n. 8 p. 793. 794. Aprobable Opinion may be safely followed in things necessary for salvation only necessitate Praecepti but not in such as are necessitane Medij c. 16. n. 1. p. 933. and n. 16. p. 941. P In case of perplexity what is to be done c. 7. n. 132. p. 551 seq and c. 12. n 57. p. 751. and n 59. p 753. A speculatiue Perswasion differs much from a practicall c. 14. n. 46. p. 879. S. Peter and the Apostles vindicated from the errour imputed to them by Chill c. 3. n. 34. 35. p. 303. 304. S Peters Primacie over all the Apostles c. 14. n. 35 p. 871. seq He was not preseÌ„t wheÌ„ the Apostles contended who was the greater n. 36. p. 873. His name Peter is a title of great honour n. 39. p. 874. his power over all the church descended to his successors n. 41. p 875. seq Points necessary and principall rightly declared c. 2. n. 128 p. 218. 219. the most points of catholique Religion held by some Protestants or other n. 91. 92. p. 193 194. 195. alibi Those by which catholiques are made most odious to the vulgar held by chiefest Protestant Doctours n. 92. p. 195. The Pope held infallible by Potter if he hath but the assistance which the high Priest of the Jewes had c. 11. n. 36. p. 673. This saying of Potter falsly and foolishly interpred by Chill n. 39. 40. p. 675. many disparities betwixt the Church and the Synagogue n. 38. p. 674. seq The Primacie of the Church of Rome is de Jure Divino c. 14. n. 31. p. 868. It is acknowledged by Protestants to be accordinge to order wisely appointed and necessary to be retained yea that no common government can be hoped for without it c. 7. n. 13. p. 467. falsly put 167. aÌ„d n. 60. p. 496. Profession of an errour if it it be meerly exexternall is a less sinne then internall Heresie n. 133. falsly put 123. p. 554. By Prophesye is not only vnderstood the fortellinge of things but also the interpretation of Scripture and in both senses is found in the Church c. 12. n. 81. p. 769. 770. which hath alwayes had such Prophets n. 100. p. 783 An indefinite Proposition in matters of Faith is equivalent to an vniversall c. 12. n. 57. p. 749. Protestants were not first forced by excomunication to separate from the Church but their precedeÌ„t obstinat separation forced the Church to excommunicate them c. 7 n. 62. p. 497. seq For this separation they could haue no grownd n. 169. p. 584. the learned of them taxing of ignoâ—ance and absurdity those that deny salvation to Romane Catholiques n. 151. p. 573. Nor can they haue any evidence against Catholique Doctrine n. 52. p. 490. seq Whose objections were answeared longe before Protestants appeared in the world n. 59. p. 495. Their arguments to proue that by Scripture alone the Articles of Faith are to be knowne fully answeared c. 2. n. 57. p. 159. seq alibi Learned Protestants confesse that the Fathers agree with vs against them c. 2. n. 90. p. 192. They make their owne reason not Scripture as they pretend the Rule of Faith and judge of controversies c. 11. n. 61. p. 692. Whence they must needs haue a Chimericall Church patched vp of as many members repugnant in Faith as are their fancies concerning all sorts of Articles c. 13. n. 35. p. 815. seq Hence Grotius one of the learnedest of them despaired of their vnion except vnder the Pope c. 7. n. 13. p. 467. For once devided from the Roman Church they must