D R STILLINGFLEETS PRINCIPLES Giving an Account of the FAITH OF PROTESTANTS CONSIDERED BY N. O. MATTH XVIII 17. Si Ecclesiam non audierit sit tibi sicut Ethnicus Publicanus PRINTED AT PARIS By the Widow of Antonie Christian and Charles Guillery M. DC LXXI PERMISSV SVPERIORVM A PREFACE TO the Reader DOctor Stilling fleet hauing lately published a Book entitled A Discourse concerning the Idolatry practised in the Church of Rome c. being a Rejoynder to a reply of an vnknown Catholick Gentleman engaged in some former Controuersy with him at the end of the Same Book hath annexed certain Principles drawn up as he saith to giue an Account of the Protestant-Faith Now as touching the main Book it would be inciuility and injustice in any other to inuade the Right of his worthy Aduersary by vntertaking an Answer thereto To his Aduersaries Answer therefore as the times permitt and to Gods mercy I leaue him if perhaps he may repent and endeavour some satisfaction 1. For his accusing the whole Catholick Church of God both Western and Eastern for the same Practise as to Seuerall of his Idolatries are in both for so many Ages before Luthers time of Idolatry and this Idolatry as gross as that of Heathens Which surely must Vn-church this Great Body and quite divorce this Adulteress from Christ for we cannot but think but the Doctor will maintain the Teaching so manifold an Idolatry in this Church to be Fundamentall Errour 2. For his representing the Highest Deuotions practised from all Antiquity in the same Church Mysticall Theology Contemplation heauenly Inspirations all those Supernaturall Favours and familiar Communications of the Diuine Majesty to purer soules receiued in Prayer and continued still in his Church as also Miracles are and so attested in her Histories but vnknown indeed to strangers and foolishness to Greeks his representing all these I say as ridiculous Fanaticisms and impostures though he knowes that Catholicks account themselues obliged to submitt all these things to the judgment of Superiours a Duty vnknown to Fanaticks And what may we expect next from such who are to many as make ill use of such Books as his but that the frequent Allocutions of Gods Holy Spirit mentioned in Scripture the Visions Reuelations Extasies and Spirituall Vnions of the Saints there our Lords Ego in eis tu in me ut sint consummati in unum and S. Pauls Viuo non ego sed in me Christus will shortly become matter of Drollery and Bouffonry 3. For his making so many of Gods glorious Saints in Heauen quorum causam discernat Deus the subject of his scorn and derision By all which he has fitted his Book for the sport and recreation of the Atheist and Debauched from whose applause with the regret and horrour mean while of all piously disposed he may receive his reward The Reuisall of these not very gratefull Subjects of his Book therefore I leaue to the worthy Gentleman pre-engaged in these Disputes But for the now mentioned Principles separately adjoyned at the end as euery Catholick has an equall Right to apply himself to the examining of them so seeing that from these it is that such bad fruits of forsaking first and then censuring and condemning their Mother the Church doe grow it may with Gods blessing proue a seruice not altogether vnbeneficiall to discouer their weakness especially since by such a discouery his whole preceding Book will be demonstrated vnconcluding against Gods Church And this is here the rather and with greater confidence vndertaken because since it is Impiety to deny in generall that true Christian Faith hath a certain vnmoueable Foundation in case therefore it shall appear that the Foundation here layd by the Doctor is but a meer trembling Quiksand on which a Christian cannot without a dreadfull danger to his soule build his Faith namely An Errability in the Guides of Gods Church and Inerrability in all necessary Doctrins contained in Scripture by Him attributed indefinitely to all sober Christians who without any necessary consulting or depending on such Teachers as haue been instituted by God shall vse their sincere endeauours to find out such Truths this Foundation I say not Scripture but each priuate mans sense of Scripture being ruined it will vnauoydably follow That the only certain way not to be misled will be the submitting our Internall Assent and Belief to Church-authority which those who haue dissented from and refused to stand to before Luthers time haue been always marked with the name of Hereticks Where by Church-authority I mean in generall that Superior and more comprehensiue Body of the Ecclesiasticall Hierarchy which in any dissent and division of the Clergy according to the Church Canons ought to be obeyed and which hath hitherto in her supremest and most generally accepted Councills in all Ages from the Beginning required such Submission vnder penalty of Anathema and justly assumed to her self the Title of the onely authenticall Interpreter of Scripture and authoritatiue Teacher of Diuine Verities A Submission this is which no particular Church diuided from this more Vniuersall can with the least pretence of reason challenge from her Subjects since she her self and particularly the Church of England refused the same to all the Authority extant in the world when she separated her self And this being obserued by M r. Chillingworth a schollar herein of the Socinians and by many other Diuines of late vpon whom hls Book hath had too must influence they accordingly are forced to disclaime that Submission which the Church of England formerly had challenged in her Canons and seuerely euen with Ecclesiasticall death punished the refusers vntill they should repent not their Externall Disobedience or Contradiction but their wicked Errour The 39. Articles being declared in the same 5 Canon to haue been by this Church agreed vpon for the auoyding diuersities of Opinions and the establishing of Consent touching true Religion Now that these later Divines do decline such Submission I need goe no further then to Doctor Stillingfleets Rationall Account for proof where the Lord Primat of Ireland is cited thus The Church of England doth not not define any of these Questions speaking of the 39. Articles as necessary to be belieued but only binds her sonnes for Peace sake not to oppose them And again We do not suffer any man to reject the 39. Articles of the Church of England at his pleasure yet neither do we oblige any man to belieue them but only not to contradict them Thus they speake of late and thus M r. Chilling worth hath cleared the way before them in abridging thus the just Authority of the Primitiue Councills The Fathers of the Church saith he in after times might haue just cause to declare their judgment touching the sense of some generall Articles of the Creed But to oblige others to receiue her Declarations under pain of damnation or Anathema what warrant they had I know not
of Moses Let the like absolute Obedience be now yielded to the supreme Ecclesiasticall Courts Let their sentence be so conformed to so assented to among Christians for none is obliged to do a thing as the Jewes were by those Judges but is by the same decree obliged to assent and beleeue the doing it lawfull and more is not required XVI PRINCIPLE 16. There can be no more intollerable Vsurpation vpon the Faith of Christians then for any Person or society of men to pretend to an Assistance as infallible in what they propose as was in Christ or his Apostles without giuing an equall degree of euidence that they are so assisted as Christ and his Apostles did viz. by Miracles as great publick and conuincing as theirs were by which I mean such as are wrought by those very persons who challenge this Infallibility and with a design for the conuiction of those who do not belieue it Notwithstanding the Doctors Assertion in this Proposition That a society pretending to Infallibility is obliged to confirm such a pretention by Miracles as great as Christ and his Apostles did yet himself and the Archbishop whom he defends do hold that there is after the Apostles times a body or society Infallible in Fundamentalls viz. such Oecumenicall Councills as are vniuersally accepted by the Catholick Church which Church they say from our Lord's Promise can neuer err in Fundamentalls Now it is certain this society is not equally assisted with miracles as our Lord or his Apostles were Therefore the Doctor may do well to reuiew this Principle 1. But its failings being of no difficult discouery I shall not let it pass vnexamined First then I see no reason that those equally assisted by God in deliuering a Truth must also be enabled by him to giue an equall euidence of such Assistāce where there is not the same necessity of it as there is not when the later deliuer no new thing from the former 2. Again Though none can pretend to be Infallible or actually not erring in what he proposeth but that he must be as infallible as to the truth of that wherein he erreth not as our Lord or his Apostles for one or one persons truth is no more true then any others yet in many other respects the Churches Infallibility is much inferiour to that of the Apostles in that it is 1. Neither for its matter so farr extended the Apostles being affirmed infallible in all they deliuered as well in their Arguments as Conclusions both in their relating things heard from our Lord and things anew inspired by the Holy Ghost whereas the Church-Gouernours are acknowledged infallible only in their Definitions in matters of necessary Faith and not in their receiuing any new matters inspired by God but in faithfully deliuering the Inspirations of the former 2. Neither for the manner are the Church-Gouernours so highly assisted by reason of the other knowledge and euidence they haue of that Doctrine first deliuered by the Apostles and so from them receiued which vnchanged they conuey vnto Posterity Of which degrees of infallibility see Archbishop Lawd pag. 254. and 140. 3. And in the third place hence it follows that Miracles hauing been wrought by the first in confirmation of that Doctrine which both deliuer are not now alike necessary to or reasonably demanded of the second 4. Yet since our Lord and his Apostles time Miracles haue been and are continued in the Church of which see irrefragable testimonies giuen by S. Augustin In that Church I say that pretends Infallibility and only in that Church not any other departed from it pretending thereto And vniuersally to deny the truth of them is to ouerthrow the faith of the most credible Histories But these are done in these later as in former times only when and for what ends God and not man his Instrument pleaseth and many times without such persons precedent knowledge in making his Requests what the Diuine Majesty will effect Neither are the Apostles themselues to be imagined to haue had the Operation of Miracles so in their power as as to do these in any kind when and upon what Persons they pleased or others demanded For such a thing would be of such a force vpon mens wills to compell them into Christianity or to reduce unto the Catholick Church Christians strayed from it as the Diuine Prouidence perhaps for the greater tryall of mens hearts and merit of their Faith hath not ordinarily vsed 5. Lastly Miracles remaining still in this Church though they be not professedly done for conuincing a Dissenter in this or that particular Truth yet do sufficiently testifie in generall a security of saluation in the Communion and Faith of this Church if God only honours with them the Members of this Communion and no others that liue out of it as we see no other Christian society diuided from it that layes claim to them or shews any Records of them or euer did at least such as may be any way equalled either for frequency variety or eminency with those of this Church I mean although so many of these be rejected and layd aside where appears any rationall ground of suspicion That the Doctor and the Archbishop do hold such Generall Councills as haue an vniuersall Acceptation from the Church Catholik diffusiue to be Infallible seems to me clear from the places forecited in them For in those both the Doctor and Archbishop admitt That the Church diffufiue is for euer preserued Infallible in all Fundamentalls or Points absolutely necessary to saluation and this by vertue of the Diuine Promise that the Gates of Hell shall not preuail against her and other Texts And therefore such Councills whose Decrees are admitted by the whole Church diffusiue must be so too I say as to Fundamentalls though as to other Points not fundamentall they affirme these Councills also lyable to errour and fallible because the Church Catholick diffusiue say they is so also Among the Conditions also that render any Generall Councill obligatory they require this for one that they be vniuersally accepted or haue the generall consent of the Christian World such Councills then there may be And then such Lawfull Generall Councils and so approued and consequently obliging the Christian World they confess the first four Generall Councils to haue been To which Councills therefore they profess all Obedience Now wee see what kind of Obedience it was these Councils exacted in the Athanasian Creed accepted by the Church of England which contains the summ of their Decrees viz. no less then assent and belief and submission of judgement and all this vpon penalty of eternall damnation And this if justly required by them inferrs vpon the Doctors arguing their Infallibility For saith he where Councills challenge an internall Assent by vertue of their Decrees or because their Decrees are in themselues infallible there must be first proued an Impossibility of error in them
either of these be learnt from Tradition and that of the other from it viz. 1. either the Infallible Authority of the scriptures from that of the Church the Church testifying so much of the scriptures Or 2. that of the Church from the scriptures Or 3. Also the Infallibility of either of these may be rightly proued from its own testimony For whoeuer is proued or granted once infallible in what he saith the consequence is clear without any Circle or Petitio Principii or identicall arguing that whateuer he doth witness of himselfe is true I say all these Consequences are naturall and necessary 1. The Testimony being granted euident that the one bears to the other or either to its selfe and 2. the infallibility of one of these either of the scripture or of the Church being first learnt not from its own or the others testimony but from Tradition 2. When a Catholick then first receiues an assurance of the Truth or Canon of scripture from the Infallibility of the Church or its Gouernors he may learne first this supernaturall Diuine assistance and Infallibility of these Gouernors which is made known by Diuine Reuelation to those first persons who communicate it to posterity from Tradition descending from age to age in such manner as the Protestant saith he learneth his Canon of scripture from Tradition To which tradition also may be committed by our Lord or his Apostles whateuer is to scripture 3. Neither may we think that this Diuine Assistance or infallibility of these Guides of the Church in necessaries should either not haue been or not haue been a thing well known to or belieued in the Church by this to use the Doctors terms Deriuatiue and perpetuated sensation of Tradition if there had been no Diuine Writings for soe the Christian religion Without such writings would haue been no rationall and well grounded no stable and certain Religion which surely the Doctor will not affirme And this that is said here of the Churches Infallible Authority may be also of other necessary Articles of the Christian faith For as the Doctor saith It is euident from the Nature of the thing that the Writing of a Diuine Reuolation is not necessary for the ground and reason of Faith as to that Reuelation Because men may belieue a Diuine Reuelation without it as is euident in the Patriarchs and Christian Beleiuers before the Doctrine written 4. Such Infallibility in necessaries then being so settled in the Gouernors and Pastors of the Church the Apostles and those others ordained by them by whom the World was conuerted as that had there been no scriptures it should not haue failed for so the Church would haue failed too The successors cannot be imagined to become disenabled or depriued of it because the Apostles afterwards wrote what they taught but rather by such Writings more secured in it Because the Belief of this Infallibility of these successors receiues a second euidence from the Testimony thereof also found in these Writings Thus both written and vnwritten Tradition-Apostolicall attesting it 5. Now that these Gouernors of the Church who hauing an apparent succession their Testimony must haue been vnquestionably belieued by Christians in what they taught in case there had been no scripture alwayes reputed and held themselues Diuinely assisted and infallible for all necessaries and that this was the Traditiue Faith of the Church grounded on our Lords Promise in all ages sufficiently appears by their inserting from time to time as they thought fitt their Decisions in the Creeds and by their Anathematizing Dissenters the Churches stiling them Hereticks For no Authority if we belieue the Doctor but that wich proues it selfe Infallible and therefore which is Infallible can justly require our internall Assent or submission of Iudgment And Protestants allowing only an externall obedience or silence due to Councills Fallible inferrs that Councills Fallible can justly require no more and consequently that such Councills are Infallible as do justly require more as did the fowr first Councills with the voluntary acknowledgment also and submission of their subjects to such an Authority assumed by them We find indeed subordinate Councills also stating sometimes matters of Faith censuring Heretiks and requiring assent to their Decrees but still with Relation to the same Infallibility residing in the Generall Body of Church Gouernors and their concurrence therein They not passing such Acts without consulting the Tradition and Iudgment of other Churches and especially of the Apostolick see and a generall acceptation rendring their Decisions authentick and valid 2. For the latter part of this Principle Nothing is more absurd then to pretend that Infallibility in a Body of men is not as lyable to doubts and disputes as in those Bookes from whence only they deriue their Infallibility If the Doctor means here as in his Rationall Account that the sentence of a Body of men Infallible is he saith not in some things lyable to some Doubts but as lyable to Doubts and Disputes as the Infallible scriptures for there he maintains That the Decrees of Councills are as lyable to many Interpretations as any other Writings And again If the scriptures cannot put an End to Controuersies on that account how can Generall Councills do it when their Decrees are as lyable to a priuate sense and wrong Interpretation as the scriptures are Nay more c. I say if this be his sense then not to compare Absurdities here Is not this all one as if he said That a Preacher or Commentator can or doth speak or write nothing plainer then the Text Nor the Judge giue a sentence any more intelligible then the Law That Councills can or haue decided nothing clearer then the thing that is in Controuersy And so no Party is cast by them since it appears not for whom they declare And that the Decree of the Councill of Trent as to Transubstantiation remains still as disputable as the Text Hoc est Corpus meum But then how comes it to pass that Protestants when the Definitions of later Councills are urged against them do not contest them as dubious but reject them as erroneous From the same misarguing the Doctor elsewhere concludes That the argument of the Vnity in Opinion of the Roman Party because they are ready to submit their Iudgment to the Determination of the Church will hold as well or better for the Vnity of Protestants as theirs because all men are willing to submit their Iudgments to scriptures which is on all sides agreed to be Infallible Thus He. Now to consider it Moses his Law prescribed by God for an Infallible Rule yet had Iudges appointed when Doubts and Contentions hapned about the meaning of it to explain the sense Our sauiour accordingly in the Ghospell when any one had a Controuersy against another which Controuersy perhaps might be Heresy or his Brothers teaching something contrary to the Rule of Faith ordered vpon such Person his not being