point of Indulgences then this that the power of granting them hath beene given the Church by Christ Iesus that the use of them is beneficiall Where unto the Council addeth that the grant of them ought to be dispenced with caution least the Ecclesiasticall discipline should be weakened enervated by an excessive facility which advice declareth that the manner of disposing of Indulgences appartaineth to church discipline Thus far out of this greate person What have you to say against this Catholick doctrine You employ one fifty pages declaming against this Treasure these Indulgences viz from the 189. till the 240. yet in the midst of all this transport we find a lucid intervall where Truth against which in the rest you discourse forces you to depose in her favour For pag. 216. I find these words It was the practice of the Holy Church to expell from their society scandalous knowne sinners They were enjoyned to pray to fast to curb to mortify their flesh to afflict their souls for their sins to apply themselves to all such workes as myght both improve declare their in ward sincere Repentance These long holy exercises did passe among all Christians for SATISFACTIONS to the Church in some manner to God too Before the Church most properly because that was all which Church discipline required before God in a lower yet a very tru proper sense because it is the main condition which God requires of Offenders which he is in his mercy both satisfyed pleased with when they Sincerely performe it They were to doe it alōg while some a whole yeare some two some ten some according to the enormity of the sin all their life long Thus you of satisfaction by Penitentiall workes Pag. 218. You continu your explication of this matter There now and then hapned say you such causes as moved them the Bishops to be more free by shortning the time of sinners Pennance As when the sinner gave signall proofes of an extraordinary sorrow when he stoutly owned defended the Christian Faith when in times of Persecution they were to be strengthned to Martyr dome when valiant Confessors did interceede for some of their freinds on these other like rationall pious Inducements the holy Fathers thought they myght ether ease such Penitents of the length or some times quite discharge them of the whole burthen then And this Relaxation of Ecclesiasticall Severity some Latin Fathers Tertullian S. Cyprian call in their writings by the name of Indulgence Here you soe exactly agree with what I have written out of our Bishop de Condom that you may seeme to have copyed him or both to have taken your sentiments out of some third At least this is evident that you owne as much as that Authour teacheth to be the Faith of the Roman Catholick Church consequently your Censure on our Faith in these points of satisfaction even to God Indulgences is a condemnation of your self Magna veritas praevalet CHAP. VIII Confraternityes CHapter 11. you traduce our Confraternityes c. 12. you play with the girdle of S. Francis c. 13. you deride the Scapulary of S. Simon Stock c. 14. make your selfe merry with the Rosary All which being no points of our Faith I do not think my selfe oblidged to assert them in this pamphlet Yet I will tell you what you know already though you Slily insinuate the contrary pag. 300. that we preach Faith Repentance Perseverance in well doing c. more then Protestants seing we hold them absolutely necessary to salvation Faith without workes being dead as we teach with S. James you teach Faith alone to Justify we exhort People to them with hopes of a reward they being meritorious you deny all merits We use indead those things you speake of as helpes of our Faith exercises of our devotion meanes to strengthen our frailty to Persever in well-doing It is a Calumny to say we think Faith Hope Charity unnecessary or that we teach any can be saved without them even when we invite men to these Gilds or Confraternitys into which men enter only with intention to encrease those vertues in their souls We feele we know we owne our inclination to Evill from our Infancy we are convinced that our Will of it self is insensible nay stupid as to all Good that words have little force uppon it but that examples are much more powerfull Hence appeares the first advantage of those who are incorporated into those Congregations which consist of men who forgetting those things which are behind reaching forth unto those things which are before presse towards the marke Philip. 3. such men who consider one another to provoke to love good workes Heb. 10.24 This appeared in the Confraternity of Charity begun by P. Vincent de Paul which with the Almes it gathered releived all the poore of Loraine Champagne Picardie many Ladys of the best quality after entring into that Congregation turned to the releife of the poore what before they spent on vanity or lost by gaming changed their chambers Closets into well stored wardrobes filled with sutes of Clothes of all bignesses for both sexes which they bestowed uppon the naked Poore in whose persons they they were taught to consider Christ himself Another advantage is that our Prayers are more efficacious when offred in company then when single All the vertu of our Prayers is derived from that of our B. Saviour now he assures us that where two are assembled in his name he is there in the midst of them Mat 18.20 And he assists there not as an Idle spectator as many Protestants goe to Church to see be seene but to enlyghten the mind of the persons assembled with divine inspirations to enflame their Will with the love of God their neyghbour To incite them to Pray to represent their Prayers to his Heavenly Father second them with his owne to powre into their harts the Blessings he obtaines through the merit of those Wounds he once endured for our Redemption ever since retaines to shew them to God the Father in whose presence be appeares for us These are the designes of Confraternitys We know Sir that the Honour of God tru Religion consists in Faith Hope Charity These are nourisht by the Concourse of many Persons to encrease these interiour vertues by exteriour exercises of Piety Mortification To call these together the Rosary Scapular Girdle are used with Indulgences to make the call more efficacious Now whither is more to blame we for using these helpes or you for rejecting them CHAP. IX Images YOur 16. Chapter is spent in declaming against our Images which some other learned persons having in hand I wil leave to them least I myght seeme to thrust my sickle into others harvest Probably I may shortly have occasion to treate of it at large on my owne Score there I hope to
ANTI-GOLIAH OR An Epistle to Mr. BREVINT CONTAINING Some REFLECTIONS upon His SAUL and SAMUEL At ENDOR WRITTEN By E. W. Volunt videri aliquid dicere dum tacere erubescunt inania dicere non erubescunt August They would seeme to say something being ashamed to be silent not ashamed to speake Idly Aug. With leave of Superiors 1678. MVNIFICENTIA REGIA 1715. GEORGIVS D. G. MAG BR FR. ET HIB REX F. D. J. Pâ—â—â— Sculp TO THE READER CHRISTIAN READER YOu are invited to be not only Spectator but Judge of a coÌ„bat betwixt a Gyant a Pigmy a Philistin an Israelit Goliah one of the army of the Living God Our forces are unequall he a man of war from his youth trained up to such battles I but a youth a raw souldier in them he an ancient Doctor of Divinity I a y oung Divine scarce worthy of that name Another advantage he hath by living amongst us as he sayth in his preface 17. yeares By which meanes if there be any unfortifyed weake part in our Camp any fault in our Armour whither defensive or offensive it cannot have escaped his observing eye where as I have scarce any other prospect of their Camp or Armour then what he his Brethren his fellow souldiers in this warfare are pleased to give of them Lastly he hath often beene in such engagements this is the first time that ever I entred the lists in this nature Yet I hope in God the Protector of the Innocent who is pleased to make use of weake things to confound the things which are myghty the foolish things to confound the wise that no flesh should glory in his Presence 1. Cor. 1. The goodnesse of my Cause is likewise a greate encouragement seing I am to fyght for Truth nay Revealed Divine Truth which will at last prevail One only favour I desire of you Christian Reader that if in any place you find me foyled of which I am not conscious what you find amisse you charge on my weakenesse when you see I foyle my adversary you attribute thâ— victory to that Truth which I fyght for which gives me strength courage that you Acknowledge Professe iâ— ANTI-GOLIAH OR An Epistle to Mr. BREVINT CONTAINING Some REFLECTIONS upon His SAUL and SAMUEL At ENDOR CHAP. 1. My intent and reason of the Title SIR THe Cause for which I plead is the Innocency of the Roman Catholick Church wrongfully accused of heinous Crimes The concern I have in this Cause is my Duty to a Pious Indulgent Mother odiously traduced with virulent Calumnies My End is to wipe off her Face the Dirt you cast on it The means I use to attain this End is sincerity in explicating what She believes and rejecting what is untruly and by consequence unjustly charged on Her You Sir are the Plaintiff I the Defendant and the Reader our Iudge My Hope is not in strength of Wit or Learning in which I will not contend with you but in the justice of my Cause the equity of my Iudge and above all in the help of God the Protector of the Innocent who as he promis'd to assist his Church to the end of the world will not be wanting to those who defend her Your quality of Plaintiff obliges you to prove what you charge on us and unless your proofs be convincing they are insignificant our bare denial acquits us For In doubtful Cases the Defendant ought to be favoured rather than the Plaintiff And Each one is to be thought good till he be proved naught Which are two Rules of Canon Law so conformable to Natural Reason that they need no proof to confirm them Your Title is Saul and Samuel at Endor Very mysterious But what you mean who can tell The History you allude to is known to every body Saul a lawful but unfortunate King engaged in a dangerous war strongly attacked by his enemies weakly assisted by his subjects and which is worst of all abandoned of God had recourse to Samuel in the best and it may be the onely manner he thought on to know his Fate from that Oracle which had given him the first Tydings of his Kingdom With this intent he goes to Endor This is the History But what is this to our present Times or Controversies Who is the Saul you mean Who is Samuel Where is Endor What War If we consider the date of your Book we may guess that is was composed aboud the time of the Holland War 1672. or 1673. I dare not say you mean that for the Honour due to Persons concerned But tell what you mean and apply your persons to our purpose or acknowledge your Title to be nothing to the purpose Until you explicate your meaning we will admit what you give us We will not refuse Saul and Samuel Whereof the one was a true Priest and Prophet and both died in Communion of the True Church both were sound in Faith although one of them for disobeying God's Commands and not hoping in God deservedly lost his Kingdom and probably his Soul too So he may be a Type of such Catholicks who entirely believe all which God revealed but live not according to their Belief Samuel is a Type of those whose Faith is animated with Charity and both are Friutful of good Works But seeing you personate us under those names be pleased to give us leave to represent you by the Name of Goliah for Goliah was in a party coÌ„trary to that Church they were of so are you in one contrary to ours He was a profest Enemy to Saul and Samuel so are you to us He challenged all the Isralites so do you all us He reproached them for not accepting that Challenge so do you us with not incountring your Books your insulting Language shews you to be animated with a Spirit of Vanity of Self-conceits of too great esteem of your own Abilities and Contempt of others not unlike that which appeared in Goliah Infine To accomplish the Paralel we shall find you alledging reasons which destroy your own Cause as Goliah brought a sword to cut off his own Head For these reasons I call this Pamphlet Anti-Goliah I do not presume to take to my self the Name of David who was the Champion of God There were others who bore Armes in that War against Goliah and the Philistins and their quality satisfies me You add in Title The new ways of Salvation and Service which usually tempt men to Rome Those you mention are indeed New ways to incite Men to Rome and so New that I am perswaded no catholick ever hearde of them but from your Book I know no other exterior ways to convert Men to Rome but the Motives of Credibility which are briefly related by St. Austin l. Cont. Epist Fundam c. 4. and more largely by Bellar. Lessius Divines Tract de Fide viz. the Vnity Sanctity Excellency of Faith its Propagation in so short a time and
Magna Veritas praevalet Truth forces this testimony from you even when you impugne her to shew how Goliath like your sword is still at hand to dispatch you For you pretend there are no miracles in these later ages in the whole Church yet you admit them even in favour of private persons O but say you these are not miracles because not done in Confirmation of Faith Very good at if the same worke when done in Confirmation of Faith were a miracle if on any other Score were none At if you should say the same seale is tbe King 's broade seale when applyed to Greene wax but is not such when it is put to Red or yallow wax These are distinctions worthy of D. Brevint Pag. 51. Those of Christ his Apostles were 1. workes convenient to promote the glory of God the good of men 2. to confirme men in Faith 3. Freed from all mixture with Lying wonders Be it soe Such are the miracles wrought in the Catholick Church viz that of Faire weather in the yeare 1675. obtained in Paris through the intercession of S. Genovef Patronesse of that greate towne which was obtained assoone as her Shrine was uncovered the Prayers begun no rayne fell till the Prayers were ended This I mention because it is knowne to many of our nation of both Professions even Protestants owned the worke to be very extraordinary Many likewise remember that long since when the King 's most excellent Majesty was at Paris in alike publicke necessity they had recourse to the same Saint for rayne in an exceeding greate Drouth that Rayne fell on the very day of the Procession Which of your three Conditions are wanting in these workes Page 52. Moderne Roman miracles are prancks becoming Hobgoblins fayryes And then you fall on the visions of our B. Lady Which I am perswaded no body before you ever called miracles Soe your discourse is the same as if a man should say Nireus was nohandsome man because Thersites was deformed I know not whither to admire more your Divinity or your Logicke the first furnishes you with the oddest notions which ever entred into any sober man's head the second draws them into as odde formes Both together make you a worthy champion of the cause you pleade That some Spirits have appeared is a thing soe cleere in both old new Testament that none who are not strangers to both can deny it What is more cleere then the apparitions of Angels to the Patriarck to the Israelits a Iud. 2.1 to Gedeon b Iud. 6.12 to Manue his wise c Iud. 13. to David d 2. Reg. 24.17 to Daniel e Dan. 10. to Zacharias f Zachar. 2.1 And in the new Testament to another Zachary g Luc. 1.11 to our B. Lady h Luc. 1.28 to Philip the Deacon i Act. 8.26 to S. Paul k Act. 27.23 to S. Iohn in the Apocalypse severall times Now if Angels appeare why not Blessed Souls Who are like Angels in Heaven l Mar. 12.25 S. Austin m Lib. de Cura pro mort c. 10. says it may seeme Impudence to deny that souls appeare And n Ibid. c. 16. assures that he had learnt not by uncertain rumors but by certain witnesses that whilest Nola was besiedged S. Felix appeared to many both cittizens strāgers Now if Saints appeare why not our B. Lady Pag. 54. She appeared to S. Alain who had beene a filthy companion before What then Christ appeared to S. Paul who had beene a Persecutor before The change of Saul into Paul a Persecutor into a Preacker was a convincing argument that it was truly Christ which appeared to him And the change of that S. Alanus proves it was a good spirit which appeared to him Now a good spirit could not tell a Lye say he was the mother of God without being soe Can sweate grapes be gathered of thornes Or figs of thistles Mat. 7.16 Spirits may be knowne by their fruites as well as men Pag. 60. Roman miracles looke another way then those of Christ They are brought to prove other doctrines then his This is easily sayd as easily denyed Your Sincerity hath not appeared soe greate hitherto as that now we should take your word grant that we have changed the Apostolicall Faith for a compliment in civility not to gain say you Prove or be silent Page 66. How is this change imaginable that shee who did not appeare in the primitive times should doe it of late S. Austin as well deserved her Protection when he was besieged by Barbarians as S. Dominick Thus you very Judiciously As if God were always bound to give equall temporall blessings toall who deserve alike Our B. Saviour deserved as well fire from Heaven uppon those who came to apprehend him as Elias 4. Reg. 1.10 an Army of horses fiery charrets to defend him as Elizeus 4. Reg. 6.17 yet had them not You have seene out of S. Austin that S. Felix appeared at the siege of Nola if the like did not happen ot Hippo regio what then Our Redeemer during his life cured many sicke not all Io. 5. we find many sicke Lying about the sheepe pond but one cured he raysed some to life not all Why not S. Iohn Baptist as well as Lazarus seing he deserved it as well This is a presumptuous question it ought to satisfy us that the thing being due to nether myght be granted to ether or refused without any wrong And the will of God ought to put some bounds to the curiosity of man But our B. Lady did not appeare heretofore How know you shee did not Are all things written which hapned or have you reade all that was written or when you writ this did you remember all that you had read Refresh your Memory you will find that you have reade of an ancient Apparition of our B. Lady you your self are my witnesse for p. 149. you say she appeared to Liberius the Pope Iohn a rich man of Rome to order the building of S. Mary Major It is a greate misfortune for a man to have an Itch to write that in odious matters who hath a strong fancy a weake Memory little understanding no Iudgment Examin your conscience uppon these points see how much of them belongs to you I cannot omit an impious I might say Blasphemous hint you make that it is some bad Spirit which appeares with the tittle of our B. Lady or our B. Saviour Because say you they appeare only since the Divil is let Loose not whilest he was bound up in the primitive times Your old erroneous fancy workes still To correct it know Sir that in the Apostles times when you fancy the Divil to have beene bound up Satan transformed himself into an Angel of Lyght 2 Cor. 11.14 Be ashamed of your ignorance if you did not know this of a
the manner of it its effects which followed it The perpetual succession of lawful Pastors from the Apostles till our days The Testimony of Martyrs by their Blood and of God by his Works which are Miracles The consent of Nations the Fulfilling of the Prophesies c. Infine the very name of Catholick which maugre all pretences of Hereticks and Schismaticks This Church only retains as St. Austin writes it did in his time and we see it doth in ours These are the Motives alleadged to invite Men to enter into the Communion of that Church in which they are found and of which they are verified But I never heard any discourse thus Be of the Communion of the Roman Church because it adores two Christs as you say c. 1. giveth the scapular of S. Simon Stock as c. 13. says the beads of S. Dominick c. 14. uses consecrated Images c. 16. If you know any who use such inducements name them If you can name none acknowledge that your Book in its fore-head bears a great Calumny an unexcusable untruth This is an Omen of what sincerity we are to expect in your whole Treatise In your Preface Not to be my own witness say you I make the case of Papists such as I find it in their own Authors It is harde measure when every slip of a private pen is charged on the whole Church which often dislikes and sometimes condemns it yet had you kept to this Rule you had been less blame worthy I shall have occasion more than once to mind you of it CHAP. II. Your General Account of New Ways PAge 1. What the Church of Christ hath single that of Rome hath double the eternal God and à mortal woman two sorts of Christs two sacrifices two Mediators two different wayes to obtain pardon of sins two Ladders to get up to Heaven two sorts of spiritual kindred two Heads of the Church and two different and sometimes contrary words of God When you writ this sure you had been in good company and thence geminis surgebat mensa lucernis All things seemed double It was well for us that at that time Hell Heaven Purgatory Pope the soul of Man the Person of Christ and the Nature of God did not occur to you otherwise you would have enlarged our Accusation and said we believe two Popes two souls of men two Hells two Heavens two Purgatories two Persons of Christ two Divine Natures Here is an accusation of as heinous a nature as any can be On What is it grounded Whose Testimony is produced to prove it See the Text see the Margine not one single man named Have you so soon forgotten your promise Not to be your own witness but to cite our Authors We will use the right of Defendants and to a groundless false accusation return a flat denial oft its Truth And when you please we will shew you That we believe onely One God one Christ one way to obtain Pardon of Sins the Mercy of God one Way to Heaven the Cross of Christ c. CHAP. III. How the Church can be Roman and Catholick PAge 8. Papists say you are well pleased with calling themselves Catholicks We are so and so were Catholicks in S. Austin's time as we see l. cont Epist Fund c. 4. That being one of the greatest Motives of retaining him S. Austin in the Church Hereticks both then and now would arrogate to their Congregations that Title yet could never compass it No great wonder we should glory in that Name seeing as you say Catholick Doctrine and Service is the most essential Iewel and the Soul of True Churches You cannot give so great Praises to Catholick Doctrine which is Faith taken of it self but it will deserve greater Yet if compared with Charity it must yield place as you see 1. Cor. 13. But because the matter is of consequence and not rigthly understood by you I will enlarge a little upon it It is an error as great as it is common to think that Faith in Christ which is Christian Doctrine began with the preaching of the Apostles or of Christ himself that Faith being as ancient almost as the world For no sooner had Adam by breaking the Commandment contracted the guilt of temporal and eternal Death to himself and all his posterity but God the Father decreed to send his only begotten Son to blot out the hand-writing of the Decree which was against us Col. 2.14 and to reconcile us again by that blood which was to be shed for us And revealing that Decree to man raised him to hope for pardon by the merits of the Messias a Mediator who was then promis'd in whom he was commanded to believe and from whom he was to expect his Redemption From that moment we may date the beginning of Faith in Christ although the Name he was to bear was not then known nor the time when he should come nor the place where nor the Family of which he was to be born And all those persons who lived well and were saved either during the Law of Nature or under the written Law Abraham Iob Isaac Iacob Moyses David Hieremy c. as well as we received of his fulness and were cleansed in the blood of the Lamb who for that reason Apoc. 15.8 is said to be slain from the beginning of the world S. Austin ep 157. Eadem Fides est nostra illorum ......... Our Faith is the same with that of the Saints before Christ for they believed that to come which we believe past And he proves it out of S. Paul 2. Cor. 4.13 where having spoken of the faith of the Israelitical Ministers he adds We having the same spirit of faith that is believing the same things And Tract 45. in Joan. Temporavariata sunt non sides ........ Times are altered not Faith the sound of words is changed He is to come and He is come but the same faith united both those who believed him to come and those who believe that he is come Epiph. l. 1. contra Haereses The same faith which now is preserved in the Holy Catholick Church was before Christ in vigor Hence Iustinus M. Apol 2. Eusebius l. 1. Hist c. 4. l. 1. de Demons Evang. c. 5. 6. say there were Christians long before Christ Thus all faithful believers both before and after Christ make up one Mystical Body whereof Christ is the Head Two difficulties against this Doctrine occur whose Explication will clear the mist which Mr. B. casts before his Readers Eyes The first Ephes 3.5 S. Paul says The mystery of Christ was not made known in other ages to the sons of men as it is now revealed unto his Holy Apostles The second We have another Priesthood another Altar another Sacrifice other Rites c. Ergo another Religion I answer to the first The different manner of announcing Christ makes no change in Christ himself as the different manner of explicating a Mathematical Demonstration alters not the Demonstration