172. The Eighth Note Sanctity of Doctrine THat this Note as well as the others is far from performing what is promised for it by the Cardinal is sufficiently made evident by four Particulars p. 173. I. What is here meant by Sanctity of Doctrine p. 174. Tho' that is the best and purest Church which hath the least of Error and Corruption in its Doctrine and Discipline yet that which is the best is not the only true Church p. 157. II. That Sanctity of Doctrine i.e. a pure profession of true Religion without any mixture of Error is no true Note or Character whereby a man may distinguish the true Church from all false Churches p. 176. That this can be no true Note of the true Church made evidently appear from the consideration of those necessary Properties of all true Notes by which Things are to be known and distinguished p. 177. These are Four. 1. Every true Note ought to be common to all of the same kind with the thing which it notifies p. 177 to 180. 2. Every true Note ought to be proper and peculiar to that kind of things of which it is a Note and not common to Things of another kind p. 181. 3. Every true Note ought to be more known than the Thing which it notifies p. 182 183. 4. Every true Note ought to be inseparable to the Thing which it notifies p. 184 to 188. III. In what sense this may be a Note of the true Church p. 189. That is a true Church which professes all the Essential Articles of Christian Faith and receives all the Essential parts of Christian Worship and Discipline p. 190. The Church of England willing to be tried by this p. 192. IV. According to the Principles of the Church of Rome the true Church is not to be found by this Note in which soever of the two Senses we understand it ibid. This clearly made out in Four Particulars 1. The Church of Rome decryes mens private judgment of Discretion as utterly insufficient to make any certain distinction of Truth from Falshood in matters of Religion p. 194. 2. Shee allows no sufficient Rule without the true Church to guide and direct our private Judgment of Discretion p. 195. Which is the true Church not to be resolved by Principles of Nature but those of Revelation p. 196. No other Rule while we are out of the Church to direct us in this Enquiry but only that of Scripture ibid. This the Church of Rome tells us is insufficient and that for two Reasons 1. Because the Scripture is not full enough as to all Doctrines of Faith and Manners And therefore there are certain unwritten Traditions in the Church of equal Authority with it by which its defects are supplied p. 197. 2. Because it is not clear enough the Sense of it being so obscurely expressed that we can never be certain what it is without the interpretation of the true Church p. 198. These considered and answered 3. The Church of Rome resolves all certainty as to matters of Faith into the Authority of the true Church which indeed is the Fundamental Principle of Popery p. 199. A short Dialogue upon this Argument between a Papist and Protestant p. 200 to 202. 4. The Church of Rome gives Authority to the true Church to impose upon us a necessity of believing such Things as before they were not obliged to believe p. 203. to the End. The Ninth Note Efficacy of Doctrine BY Efficacy of Doctrine Two Things understood Either 1. The power which the Word of God hath in the hearts of particular men to dispose them to believe aright and to live well Or 2 That Success which it hath in drawing Multitudes outwardly to profess and embrace it p. 209. The first too inward and the second which is that which the Cardinal understands by it too uncertain a thing to be a Note of a True Church ibid. Many other things besides Efficacy of Doctrine which have and may convert whole Nations to the Christian Religion such as hopes and fears outward force necessity p. 210. An Instance hereof in the Conversions wrought by Charles the Great p. 211. The difference between such Conversions and those which were made in the first Ages of the Church p. 212. In answer to the Cardinal upon this Note Three things laid down I. That the prevalency of any Doctrine can be no Note of a True Church p. 213. This appears 1. From what our Saviour hath said in this matter ibid. 214. 2. From the Consideration of the Temper and Constitution of Mankind p. 215. to 217. 3. From plain matter of Fact. p. 218 219. Error hath such an influence often up n mens minds that they have rejected Truth and preferred the most gross and impious Opinions before it ibid. This apparent from the Histories of all Ages ibid. More particularly in the Case of Arianism p. 219. And in that of Mahomitanism p. 220. The Conversions wrought by those if the Greek Church whom the Church of Rome accounts Hereti ks p. 221. The Efficacy of the Reformed Doctrine ibid. II. That the Prevalency of the Doctrine professed in the Church of Rome is no Note of its being a True Church p. 222. And that for these reasons 1. Because of that great mixture of Errors which there is with the Truth which it professes p. 223. 2. Because the Doctrine of the Church of Rome is so much altered from what it formerly was ibid. 3. Because it hinders those who embrace it from throughly examining it p. 224. 4. Because Art and Force have sometimes been made use of to make it prevail p. 225. III. The Arguments the Cardinal makes use of to prove this to be a Note of the True Church proved to be Insufficient p. 226. 1. His Arguments from the Scriptures considered ibid. 2. His Arguments from the prevalency of the Christian Doctrine in the beginning of the Church examined p. 227. 3. His Arguments from the particular Instances which he gives of Conversions wrought by those of the Church of Rome reflected on p. 227. I. The Conversion of the English by Austin the Monk considered p. 228. Four Things alledged in answer to it ibid. 2. The Conversion of the People of Franconia by Kilianus replied to p. 228 229. 3. The Conversion of a great part of Germany by Vinofrid otherwise called Boniface considered ibid. The Conversion of the Vandals of the Danes of the Bulgarians Slavonians c. Ascribed to other Causes than the naked Efficacy of the Christian Doctrine ibid. The Barbarous Cruelties that were used by the Spaniards in the Conversion of the Indians p. 230. The Instance of Heraclius the Emperors Letter to Dagobert King of France concerning the method he made use of for the Conversion of the Jews p. 231. The Conclusion The Tenth Note Holiness of LIFE IN this Argument it is shewn I. What the Notion of Holiness is p. 233. Holiness is of Two kinds 1. Holiness of Calling and Dedication What
consult St. Bernard himself he is comforting himself and others under the defect of Miracles in his Age. * Bernard Serm. 1. In di◠Ascensionis Non tam merita sunt quanindicia meritorum Quis daemonia ejicit linguis novis loquitur serpentes tollit c. Primum enim opus fidei per dilectionem operantis cordis compunctio est in quâ sine dubio ejiciuntur daemonia cum eradiantur e corde peccata c. Bern. ubi supr He tells us that Miracles are not so properly meritorious as the Indications of good Men. Who saith he now casteth out Devils speaketh with Tongues destroys Serpents c. Nay seems to account the great Work wrought upon the Hearts of Believers wherein he and others were made the blessed Instruments to be equivalent to Miracles The first Work saith he of that Faith which worketh by Love is the Compunction of the Heart by which without doubt Devils are cast out when Sin is rooted out of the Heart And then those that believe in Christ speak with Tongues too when the old things are vanish't from their Lips they do not speak for the future with the old Tongue of their first Parents who declin'd into Words of Wickedness So when by Compunction of Heart and Confession of the Mouth former Sins are blotted out they must necessarily destroy Serpents that is extinguish the venomous Suggestions c. And thus he goes on in that allusive way accommodating the whole Christian Life to something of those miraculous Acts in the Primitive Days But let the ingenuous Reader judg now Is it not probable that had St. Bernard been so very illustrious for Miracles beyond all the Saints whose Lives had been ever written instead of apologizing for the defect of Miracles or drawing the equivalent between the Conversion of a Sinner and casting out Devils or speaking with Tongues he would not have put in a word or two here of what great things God had enabled him to do Again it is observable of St. John Damascen concerning whom they tell us that his Hand having been cut off by the Saracens for the Profession of the Faith he praying before the Image of the Blessed Virgin and falling asleep upon his awaking found his Hand restor'd only a Seam of Blood visible where it was cut off and joyn'd again Now if we consult himself he tells us of the Doctors and Pastors of the Church that succeeded the Apostles in their Grace and Dignity that they having obtain'd the enlightning Grace of God's Spirit did both by the Power of Miracles and Eloquence of Speech enlighten blind Men and reduce the Wanderer into the way * Damascen Orthodox Fid. l. 1. c. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. But we saith he who have neither the Gift of Miracle nor of Speech c. Is this spoken like a Man of Miracle ‖ Cum modestiâ viro Christiano dignâ humilitate de seipso loquitur B. Pater Damascenus c. His Commentator indeed would bring him off as if it were his Modesty to speak thus of himself and gives the instance of S. Paul confessing himself least of all the Apostles But certainly were he never so modest he would not lie for the matter by any means especially when he made mention of the Miracles that former Ages had produc'd St. Paul as humbly as he thought and spoke of himself made no scruple upon occasion to mention the mighty Powers that God had endu'd him with and so did St. Peter too Nor was it other than their Duty sometimes to do it both to own the Gift with Thankfulness and to make use of it as an Argument to enforce their Doctrines upon those they had to deal with Thus much for the Persons 2. For the Doctrines It would be too tedious to run through the various Heads of Doctrine which they boast of as confirm'd by Miracles many of which are so monstrously ridiculous so highly improbable so confessedly fabulous so perfectly needless and to no purpose that they are not worth one minute's regard either to examin or expose them The Legends of the Saints and the School of the Eucharist lately published in English I may add Father Cressy's Church History will abundantly furnish the Reader that is at leisure to dip into that way of Learning However because our Cardinal hath thought fit to make this of Miracles his last Argument for the Proof of Christ's bodily Presence in the holy Sacranent and besides pointing at great numbers hath himself insisted upon six or seven which he thought of the greatest weight (e) V. Bellar. De sacr Euchar l. 3. c. 8. I shall examine one or two of them It is a very considerable Miracle the Cardinal mentions from Paulus Diaconus in the Life of Saint Gregory which I rather pick out because I find our Putney Convert very fond of it It is of a Woman that laugh'd while in the distribution of the Sacramental Bread Consensus Veterum p. 69. she heard it call'd the Body of our Lord when she knew she had made it with her own Hands Upon this St. Gregory prayed and the outward species of Bread was turned into visible Flesh by which the Woman was recovered to the true Faith and the whole Assembly mightily confirmed This were a good significant Proof of Transubstantiation indeed if it were but true Though here also a Man might as justly question his Senses at the sight of such a Change as he must always renounce them in the belief of the thing it self But there are considerable difficulties before the truth of the Story will go down with Vs Vnbelievers For 1. It is a very unlucky thing that never any such Miracle was yet wrought in view of any of those Churches that do professedly deny this Doctrine In the second Council of Nice Actio 7. Therasius the President puts this grave Question What is the cause that Miracles are not wrought by any of our Images and as gravely answers it himself Because Miracles are not given to them that believe but to them that believe not It is indeed what St. Paul intimates concerning the Gift of Tongues 1 Cor. xiv 22. which most Interpreters apply to all other Miracles We are the Persons to whom this Ocular Demonstration should be made and because it hath not yet upon any Occasion or Challenge whatever been made amongst us we may reasonably question the truth of this or any other Story of this kind which they tell amongst themselves Besides 2. this Story was writ by Paulus Diacocus about two hundred years after the Death of this Gregory and in an Age as Fabulous as any hath yet been I add lastly That the very Doctrine of Transubstantiation had hardly got the least footstep in the Church in the days of St. Gregory it cannot be pick'd out of any of his Writings no not in that passage which Mr. Sclater hath quoted from him * Consens veterum p.
no doubt to be made but that it would generally obtain But when Mens Inclinations and Circumstances are so various nothing is more manifest than that the receiving or rejecting Truth is a thing too uncertain to be made an infallible Note of it When it is argued on behalf of Christianity that so many thousands were on the suddain converted to the Faith the force of such an Argument does not lie in the bare prevalency of the Doctrine but in its prevalency when placed in such Circumstances as it at the first preaching of the Gospel was and when Men of mean birth and education as has already been observed did without force or fraud on the suddain make so many proselytes to a Religion which was so directly contrary to those Opinions to which the World had been so long accustomed a Religion which was likely to bring such great Inconveniences upon those who embraced it This indeed was very remarkable and could be ascribed to nothing but the Power of Truth which was only able to bring about so wonderful an Effect In a word Men being oftner guided by Fancy Prejudice and Interest than by Reason makes them more capable of Error than of Truth and when they have once received it not only unwilling to part with it but zealous to propagate it as much as they can The Agreeableness of any Doctrine to their wicked Lusts and Affections is most likely to win upon them The craft and cunning of those who lie in wait to deceive may 〈◊〉 easily mislead unstable Minds into gross Mistakes before they are aware 〈…〉 Force the enjoyment of present Preferment or the hopes of it may make them profess what they do not believe to be true and then seek for Reasons to defend it Since then there are so many things beside Truth which may induce Men to admit any Doctrine the bare admitting of it tho never so universally can be no Note of the Truth of that or of the Church that teaches it God has endued us with a capacity of finding out Truth but at the same time he has made us fallible Creatures and liable to be imposed upon so that it stands us in hand to be aware how we are deceived and the more care we take in a concern of this Nature the more we discover our own Sincerity and Zeal for Truth But let there be never such clear Discoveries thereof it is in our power wilfully to shut our Eyes against them nay when we have adhered to Truth for some time we may be tempted either wholly to forsake it or to intermingle gross Errors with it So that it is as improper to conclude the prevalency of any Doctrine to be an Argument of the Truth of it or of the Church that professeth it as that any Cause is just because successful Such is God's infinite Wisdom and Goodness that as he does oftentimes bless with unexpected Success an honest and just Design and they who are sagacious in tracing the Footsteps of Providence do easily discover it so does he likewise frequently exert his Power after an extraordinary manner for the propagation of Truth But on the other hand as he often permits an unjust Design to prevail and prosper so likewise does he suffer Error to multiply and increase And when he does at any time exert his Power after an extraordinary manner for the propagation of Truth he still deals with Men as with Rational Creatures so that such his Power may be resisted nay may be so far resisted as may make him punish with Infatuation such their Resistance as he served the Pharisees upon the account of their Obstinacy whose Eyes he blinded and whose Heart he hardned John 12.40 41. that they should not see with their Eyes nor understand with their Heart and be converted And as happened to those whom the Apostle makes mention of whom because they received not the love of Truth that they might be saved 2 Thess 2.10 11. God sent strong Delusions that they might believe a Lie. Since therefore such is the Temper and Constitution of Mankind as to be daily subject to Errors and to be liable by the just Judgment of God to be at last hardened in them nothing can with any certainty be determined concerning the Truth of any Church from the Prevalency of any Doctrine professed in it 3. Plain Matter of Fact shews the Insufficiency of this Note For the Histories of all Ages make it evident what an influence Error has often had upon Mens Minds and that altho Truth may have happened sometimes to have prevailed yet that it has been as often refused and gross and most impious Opinions preferr'd before it How soon were our first Parents when their Minds were in their greatest strength and vigor and not as yet biassed by any Misapprehensions of things Gen. 3.5 6. by the cunning Artifices of Satan tempted to believe a Lie After which first and grand Mistake how did their whole Stock degenerate when every Imagination of Man's Heart being evil Gen. 6.5 6. it repented the Lord that he had made Man on the Earth Afterward God chose to himself out of the rest of the World a peculiar People and to secure them against the Idolatry and Superstition of those who dwelt near them he gave them particular Statutes which by Threats and Promises and mighty Wonders which he wrought for them he obliged them to observe Yet how soon did they forget God and turned after Idols So that in the time of Ahab according to God's own account there were but 7000 who had not bowed unto Baal If the Efficacy of the Doctrine had been a Note of the true Church I do not see why the Priests of Baal had not as much reason at that time to have insisted upon it as the Romish Priests can have now At our Saviour's coming the Pharisees had infected the whole Nation with their Traditions and so obstinately did they adhere to them that notwithstanding the many Miracles which our Saviour had wrought for them notwithstanding the Holiness of his Life and Conversation few believed on him according to the Prophesy of Isaiah made mention Joh. 12.38 Lord who hath believed our Report of which our Saviour himself complains John 5.43 I am come in my Father's Name And ye receive me not if another shall come in his own Name him ye will receive And in the 11th of St. Matthew ver 20 c. he does most severely upbraid the Cities wherein most of his mighty Works were done because they repented not And does openly declare that it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment than for them If any Doctrine was likely to have been efficacious one would have thought the Doctrine of our Saviour when taught by himself had been so and yet we find that no Prophet was ever less respected than he was even among his own Country-men The same thing happened likewise to St.