cleansed from our Sins and by whose Faith we are justified Apoc. 1.7 for there is no other Name under Heaven given among Men whereby we must be saved Act. 4.12 All these things were in vain and false if every one might be saved in his own Religion Object Perhaps some will say that Christ is indeed our Redeemer and all Good to us proceeds from him yet a belief in him is not abfolutely necessary to Salvation for it sufficeth to believe that all our Happiness springs from the Bounty of God and is needless to know the means of conferring it Answ But this is repuguant to the Holy Scripture and Reason because the Scripture plainly teaches that Christ's Redemption is not applied to us Why Faith in Christ is necessary to Salvation but by Faith in him and therefore all that bâ—lieve not in Christ are without Justification remain in Sin and are the Children of Wrath and Damnation 'T is likewise against Reason because to be made partakers of any great and singular benefit all reason requireth to know our Benefit and Benefactor that we may know him as 't is meet with all thanksgiving for the condition of the Benefit and Benefactor requires this gratitude therefore since the benefit of our Redemption is so strange and great and he that gave it so sublime and excellent and the manner of bestowing It so wonderful 't is requisite we should know all this least we should live and die altogether ungrateful to so great a Benefactor least like the Jews we should return Curses for a Blessing and Blasphemies for Thanksgiving 'T is therefore absurd that those who believe not in Christ should be partakers of the same Happiness with them that are to be saved by Faith in Christ the which also is confirmed by this that none can be saved who is ignorant of God and the benefit of his Creation else all Idolaters may be saved therefore neither he can be saved that is ignorant of the benefit of our Redemption because the benefit of our Redemption is far greater and more admirable and pertains more to the Glory of God and Christ and requires of us a more ample Honour Service and Thanksgiving Nor is it sufficient to know in general The benefit of our Redemption is to be known in particular that all this Happiness comes to us from God this is not enough to pay that gratitude and honour due to him but we ought to know what and how great this benefit is how and in what manner and way he conferred it namely that he delivered us from Sin and Eternal Death that he opened us the passage to Eternal Life and that also by a way most stupendious and strange to wit by uniting our Nature to his own and therein suffering death for us For this chiefly commends his Charity Mercy and Justice this requires of us all Obedience all Praise Benediction and Thanks-giving and these are principally to be known by us as necessary to Salvation Third Reason Again if every one may be saved in his own Faith then that Faith sufficeth to Salvation which is no infused gift of God but a Humane Perswasion conceived by a private judgment supported by Humane Authority and built on a fallible foundation For although the Turks believe one God Maker of Heaven and Earth and Rewarder of Good and Evil Works yet this Faith is not from the Holy Ghost but from a private Judgment or rather from the Devil for they do not so believe because God hath revealed it to Men by some true Prophet but because Mahomet whom they imagine to be God's Prophet and Instrument to instruct Mortals has so declared it in his Alcoran Therefore although that which they believe is true yet because the Foundation and all their reason of believing is false and pernicious to wit that Mahomet is a Prophet of God the Faith it self whereby they believe is deceitful and in regard of the foundation on which it depends is noxious and destructive to Salvation necessarily infecting the Mind with the contagious Errours of that Sect. How then can it be said that that Faith is sufficient to their Salvation or that they can be saved by this Faith How can that Faith which is uncertain fallible and pestilential be laid for a foundation of Justice and Salvation In like manner the Jews although they believe the same things and many more consonant to Truth yet that Faith whereby they believe these things is deceitful and far from the Spirit of God For the main reason of their belief is because their Rabbins and Doctors of their Synagogue so interpret the Scriptures for these are a Rule of Faith to them or which is the same thing the Holy Scripture as 't is subject to their Interpretation But all this reason of believing is false and deceitful and no less harmful than that of the Turks For now it is as bad to believe the Rabbins to be indued with the Spirit of God for the right interpretation of Scripture as Mahomet to be a Prophet of God nor are they driven to less absurdities by force of that Principle How then can such a Faith be the Basis or Ground-work of Salvation Fourth Reason Lastly This Opinion makes no difference between Turcism Judaism and Christianity but in some small matters nothing at all necessary to Salvation so that 't is all one what Religion you live in because you may be saved in any which is to open a way to the Alcoran and to equalize Mahomet with Christ or rather to introduce Atheism For to allow of every Religion is to take away all Religion and think none necessary since there can be but one only true Religion The Fundamental Reason on which this Opinion chiefly depends is of no moment For First if it be not incredible That God for many thousand years An Answer to the Foundation of the other Opinion left the whole World in Idolatry except the Jewish Nation a little part of it and suffered the same to run headlong into destruction although amongst them there were many famous Wits and serious Worshippers of their Gods and Lovers of Humane Justice and Honesty it ought not to seem incredible that the Turks and Jews at this time live in the state of damnation Secondly The Turks and Jews now who believe not in Christ are less excuseable then of old the Heathens were that did not acknowledge one God Maker of Heaven and Earth The reason is because when almost the whole World was overspread with Idolatry the violence of common custom swept away all nor did reason much sway with private Men to doubt of their Religion and if any doubt did arise there was no easie way of knowing the Truth But now since the Christian Faith hath compassed the World so that Christians are to be found every where both Jews and Turks have manifold occasions to doubt of their Religion and if they refuse or carelesly neglect to confer with
even to Natural common Sense do appear so equitable that they are required in Disciples of all Arts and Sciences how much more then are they to be demanded in all Persuits of Divine and Supernatural Knowledge The Teachers and Professors of which seem to have a Right to exact them of all who pretend to be their Disciples and they may and ought to protest before-hand against all Passionate Prejudiced Self-interessed Self-conceited Arrogant Presumptuous Unserious and Insincere Discoursers To such Books Written by Angels and Sermons Preach'd by God himself would prove unfruitful as was the Case of the Scribes and Pharisees even for these very Reasons whilst of the Poor and Simple of the Meek and Lowly a few words of an unlearned Fisherman could Convert Thousands To Conclude if these Dispositions are so necessary in all other Inquests they are much more so in the perusers of the following Treatise Which being a Consult does in a most particular manner require an Impartial Unbiast and Unprejudiced Reader for as much as he is invited hither not so much as a Party as a Judge in whom a contrary Disposition is intolerable Let him therefore consider that he is to sit and hold the Ballance in the Scales of which are to be put and weighed the opposite Practices of Two contrary Parties great and zealous Pretenders to and Assertors of the True that is as each thinks of their own Respective Religion Nothing will be offered to his Animadversion but unquestionable Matters of Fact of which the common Sense of Mankind may be judge all begun and transacted within these Hundred and Fifty Years The Effects and Consequences of which do infinitely Touch and Concern him And therefore though he be advised to hold indifference in the Examen yet let him have a care he do not so in the Decision for it is of terrible importance to him either not to determine at all or to determine wrong For when all is done he must unavoidably in the end become a Party who here in the beginning is made a Judge and the Sentence which he shall or shall not Pronounce it matters not which if it be not the right will fall heavy only upon himself Let him therefore Read and attend with Fear and to all the Preparations recommended before in this Preface let him add this one more of Earnest and Fervent Prayer that God the Enlightner of all Minds and the Mover of all Hearts will please to Visit his with the Twofold Grace of Faith and Charity that he may see and chose and for ever Embrace and Adhere to the only means for Everlasting Life The True Religion Amen ERRATA PAg 15. l. 1. read Contrition or Sorrow for sins past is necessary p. 18. l. 30. r. No Liberty p. 32. l. 4. r. Paralytics ibid. l. 7. Dele such p. 37. l. 2. r. Bolsecus p. 51. l. 2. Dele only p. 57. l. 30. r. regimen p. 63. l. 22. r. his head p. 65. l. 14. r. Faith ibid. l. 15. r. Evinced ibid. l. 21. r. Gods Comandments p. 67. l. 7. Dele that p. 70. l. 5. r. profession p. 72. l. 26. r. them p. 73. l. 21. r. Ordination of Degree Descending p. 79. l. ult r. Heresie p. 82. l. 9. r. Advantagious to their own Authority p. 88. l. 9. r. The Prophets ibid. Their Mission p. 92. l. 25. r. Raisers ibid. l. 26. r. thò they p. 104. l. 30. r. in two p. 105. l. 12. r. free p. 107. l. 10. r. The Son p. 110. l. 21. r. They varied as long as they lived p. 114. l. 23. r. Faith in Christ p. 119. l. 6. r. or p. 123. l. 16. r. probation p. 124. l. 12. r. Adde ibid. Dele and. ibid. l. 14. r. Contrivances They p. 132. l. 3. r. required p. 134. l. ult r. Occultly p. 137. in the Margin r. Foxio p. 138. l. 4. r. Salvation ibid. l. 8. r. Christ has p. 139. l. 9. r. this p. 141. l. r. Basilides Carpocrates p. 143. l. ult r. de Iconomachis p. 155. l. 26. r. preside p. 156. l. 6. Dele .. after Scriptures p. 164. l. 22. r. Dominic p. 170. l. 19. r. infinite p. 173. l. 18. r. Day and Night p. 189. l. 6. r. Sacrifice p. 190. l. 6. for Know r. Honour p. 198. l. penult r. Vain p. 199. l. 15. r. is p. 208. l. 27. r. themselves What Faith and Religion is best to be imbrac'd NEver was there greater Variety of Religions than in these our days and never more dispute about the True one Many waver up and down therein all their Lives long and never come to fix upon any but shift their Religion as Men do their Lodgings to try where their Minds may be most at ease Others without any deliberation blindly venture upon the first that comes in their way and if you ask them why this rather than any of the rest all they can say for themselves is they take this for the best or perhaps which yet every one pretends in behalf of his own because it is most conformable to the Pure Word of God And yet such a choice as this requires the greatest search and deliberation imaginable as upon which our eternal Salvation depends Surely Eternal Salvation and Damnation are Matters of no small Moment in comparison with which all other things good or bad are as nothing Now these depend upon the Goodness of your Religion If your Religion be good 't will be easie by the Grace of God to obtain Salvation but if bad it is impossible to be saved For by a bad or false Religion you cannot please God Heb 11. and consequently you can never obtain pardon of your Sins nor true Justice nor by any Means be made partaker of Christ's Redemption And so you still remain in Death and the Wrath of God abideth on you For all Mankind without such Redemption and New Life in Christ do remain in the Death of Sin and are the Children of Wrath but whosoever has not the true Religion has no share in such Redemption and therefore must necessarily abide in Death be a Child of Wrath and become Fewel for Hell-fire Now this true Religion is but one and cannot be many fold For there is but one Truth one Faith one Baptism one God and one Lord of all Eph. 4. From whence it follows First That all Religions all Beliefs and Confessions of Faith besides one are false noxious pestiferous and introduc'd by the Devil the first Author of them who is the Father of Lies And Secondly That none who does not profess this Religion can ever obtain Salvation and all that are without it though they live otherwise never so laudably will perish everlastingly For that which the Apostle says of Charity If I could speak with the Tongue of Men and Angels if I should know all Mysteries and should distribute all my goods to the Poor and deliver my Body to be burnt but want Charity it would nothing profit me may
sudden Death Hence we see in good Catholicks who earnestly endeavour to live according to their Religion a wonderful Solicitude and Care to avoid Sin and if through Humane Frailty they offend presently they expiate and amend them Now no other Religions do these things but do rather rid Men of all the fear of God and open a great Gate to all Licentiousness First In taking away the Sacrament of Confession They take away the Fear of God and give a free scope to Sin by which as is aforesaid Men are wonderfully restrained from Sin For they call it Man's Invention the Murther of Consciences and meer Superstition 'T is strange that any Superstition or humane Invention should have so great a Power to make People reform their Lives and gain Peace of Conscience This Vertue even the Lutherans themselves acknowledged being taught by Experience For Sotus reports who was present when the Emperor was in Germany Ju. 4. d. 18. q. 1. a. 1. an Ambassador was sent him from the famous City of Norimburgh by whom the Senate humbly petitioned that his Imperial Majesty would be pleased to command the use again of Auricular Confession for they said that they found by Experience that their Republick after the taking away of Confession abounded with secret Crimes against Justice and other Vertues This Address says Sotus made the Emperor laugh For if by Divine Authority People are not oblig'd to confess their secret Sins and that a Priest has no Power to absolve them according to their Doctrine how could they imagine by any Humane Ordinance without benefit of Pardon they could be compell'd to it Secondly Because they do not only abolish Confession but also the Virtue of Repentance since they deny that Contrition is necessary nor Sorrow for Sins past it being one of Luther's Articles Art 6. That Contrition makes a Man a greater Sinner And Calvin quoting the Saying of St. Hierome Lib. 4. c. 19. Sect. 17. That Pennance is the Second Plank after Ship-wrack affirms it to be notoriously impious and not to be excus'd Thirdly Because they deny the necessity of Satisfaction Cal. l. 3. c. 1. Sect. 38. Luth. in assert art 5. 6. saying 't is injurious to Christ's Satisfaction as if ours were available and Christ's insufficient Fourthly Luth. Epist ad Walden de Euch. Cal. 3. l. c. 5. Sect. 6. Because they deny Purgatory and all Temporal Chastisements of Souls after this Life Fifthly because they deny that there is any Obligation of a Temporal Punishment Luth sup in assert art 5. Cal. sup l. 3. c. Sect. 30. when the Fault is pardoned for that the Punishment is always remitted with the Sin Sixthly Because they teach Luth. in assert art 1. Cal. l. 3. c. 11. Sect. 13. 14. c. 19. Sect. 2.4 17. that Faith alone sufficeth to the remission of all Guilt and Pain and nothing more is required Seventhly Because they teach that no Sin is imputed to him that has a special Faith For this Reason Luther said that the Decalogue or Ten Commandments no more belong to us Luth de liber Christ Cal. l. 3. c. 4. Sect. 28. l. 2. c. 8. Sect. 58. than the Ceremonies of the Old Law and all Obligation to keep them is totally abrogated by the Coming of Christ that is to say the violation of them is no more imputed to Believers than the violation of the Ceremonial Law That all these things are taught by them is manifest by the Quotations in the Margent and well known by all those that are any thing acquainted with the Doctrine of these Sects These things being so 't is most clear and manifest that by such means the Fear of God is utterly banished from the Hearts of Men and the Reins let loose to all manner of Sins Nay that there is as great Licentiousness caused by these Religions as by Atheism or rather greater For if no Sin is imputed to him as to the Fault or Punishment who has but this special Faith why may he not venture to commit the most horrible Crimes For what should he fear Hell or Purgatory But his Faith tells him that although Sin in its self is grievous and odious yet it shall not be imputed to him Should he fear the Wrath of God and Subtraction of his Grace But God does not impute Sin to him and cannot be angry with him by reason of Christ's Satisfaction Should he be afraid of temporal Satisfaction and Confession But these are taken away as superstitious What then should he stand in fear of more than an Atheist Or how is not the Door as open to him for committing all manner of Wickedness as to the Atheist What the Atheist does the Scripture witnesseth saying The Fool hath said in his Heart there is no God they are corrupted and have done abominable Works there is none that doth Good no not one Psal 13. The Atheist does this by casting off all fear of the Divine Vengeance which keeps Mortals in awe and curbs them from Sin But these Religions do no less expel the fear of God's Chastisement and Revenge whilst they teach that no Sin as to guilt or punishment is imputed to him that only believes and that he shall never be punished for it Nay I add farther That this salutary Fear of God is more extirpated by these Religions than by Atheism For few Atheists hold for certain that there is no Deity but many of them doubt and fear the contrary and therefore they are not without some fear of Vengeance to fall upon them which makes them abstain from many Sins But these Religions hold for certian and undoubtedly that Sins are not imputed to Believers and therefore they quite cast off all fear and apprehension of punishment For this Reason they far more slacken the reins of licentiousness to perpetrate all kind of Wickedness than Atheists do And this not by one way only but by several First In Teaching that Sins are not imputed to Believers Four several ways they expel the fear of God although they be never so many and great as aforesaid Secondly By Teaching That all who have true Faith are predestinated and that they ought to believe so with all certainty For if all Believers of these Sects are predestinated Cal. l. 3. c. 2. § 6.7.11.12.15.16 38. and are bound firmly to believe themselves so Why should they be solicitous to do well and fly the Works of the Flesh which the Apostle relates Gal. 5.19 For they cannot fear to lose their Salvation and be cast into Hell because God's Predestination is effectual and immutable and the Predestinate cannot possibly perish Nor need they fear the pains of Purgatory which they believe not nor the Scourges of this Life when God lays no imputation of Sin to their charge Thirdly â—uâ—h in Assert art 36. By taking away Free-Will and Teaching that all things are done by an ineevitable necessity that
of our Lord what was necessary to Salvation and to know his Divine Will in all things that they might do it and yet were never the nearer and got nothing That Speech of our Blessed Saviour will likewise prove false If you being evil know how to give good Gifts unto your Children how much more shall your Heavenly Father give the good Spirit to them that ask him Joh. 11.13 For the good Spirit cannot be had without a good Religion I omit other things which to this purpose might be alledged But if it be Blasphemy to say that God's Promises are false we must needs confess that these Men received of our Lord the true Faith and Religion Wherefore since 't is manifestly apparent that they were of the Roman Catholick Religion and stedfastly adher'd to the Church of Rome and detested any other Faith and Religion contrary to it 't is not to be doubted but that the Roman Catholick Religion is the true Religion and inspired of God and all other false and invented by the Devil To conclude if their Religion were false and that of any of our Adversaries true we must necessarily grant that all those men aforesaid whom the World ever esteemed Saints were not only no Saints nor the Friends of God but also impious and Enemies of God and for that cause damn'd to eternal Torments For without the true Religion it is impossible to please God Heb 11. Neither can it be said that they were excusable for their Ignorance Because Ignorance excuseth not but only in some less principal things and which are less necessary being so only by reason of some positive Precept and not in Fundamentals and first Principles Otherwise every one might be saved without any knowledge of God or Christ which is contrary to Scripture But if these erred as our Adversaries would have it they erred in the chiefest Points 1st because they did not acknowledge a special Faith by which alone we are justified and made partakers of Christ's Redemption and Justice and Sins not imputed to us as the Authors of these new Religions teach Therefore they remain'd in their Sins were destitute of Christ's Justice and consequently the Children of Hell 2dly Because by their own Judgment and Confession they were not of the Church of Christ out of which by the consent of all there is no Salvation but adher'd to the Whore of Babylon for so they call the Church of Rome and were the Ministers and chief Instruments of Anti-Christ 3dly Because they were Idolaters worshipping the Creature namely Bread and Wine in the Eucharist instead of Christ honouring Saints and their Images c. There is no Ignorance which can excuse these things Therefore all these Men were wicked and condemned to Hell-Torments But how improbable and incredible is all this and even against the Common Sence of all Christians that have hitherto been Mean while in all other Religions it is sufficiently manifest that none have ever appear'd of such eminent Sanctity in their Life and Conversation as to breed Admiration in the World For none could ever be named Their first Authors were earthly minded and addicted to Worldly Pleasures nothing exceeding in their Lives above the Vulgar nay rather guilty of the greatest Crimes But of this more shall be said hereafter Nor does it signifie any thing to say that also amongst Catholicks there are many An Objection refuted which are so far from leading holy Lives that they defile their Souls and Bodies with fundry Vices For they do not this by the grant and leave of their Religion which prohibits them and uses all means possible by threats punishments and promises to prevent and deter them Therefore their evil Life is in no wise to be attributed to their Religion nor can it argue the same to be imperfect For since there are three things to divert Man from Evil and excite him to Good that is the fear of Punishment hope of Reward and the beauty of good Works these three things the Catholick Religion most excellently propoundeth and inculcates every where to her Professors Therefore it omits nothing to make them sly Sin and encourage them to Vertue and Holiness And if any don't aspire to it we must not impute it to their Religion but their Free Will which frustrates and contradicts all these motives and encouragements But indeed if Catholick Religion should take away the fear of Punishment and hope of Reward and declare all good Works to be polluted with the stain of Sin then the pravity of Men's Lives and neglect of good Works might worthily be ascrib'd to it For as he that takes away the buttresses and props of a house which keeps it from falling is the cause of the house's Ruine so he that subtracts the fear of God or future Punishment whereby Men are restrain'd and kept back from falling into the gulph of Sin is the cause of their ruine Likewise he that takes away all that which is wont to animate to the study and practice of good Works is the occasion of such neglect and contempt of good Works Hereby is manifest that the neglect of good Works and the evil Life which are discerned in some Catholicks are not to be referred to their Religion but only to the liberty of their Will But in Lutherans Presbyterians and other Professors of new Religions it is to be imputed properly to their Religion which takes away all those things that are a hindrance to Evil and encouragement to Good as plainly appears by their Principles in their Books afore mentioned not excluding also in them that Free Will by which they become guilty in chusing and adhering to such a false Religion The Fourth Consideration from the Miracles of its Professors THat Religion wherein most Miracles have been done in all Ages is to be preferred before others which are without Miracles For Miracles are a kind of Seals and certain divine Evidences whereby Religion is authoriz'd and approv'd For since many things in Religion are above Nature exceeding humane Capacity and cannot be prov'd by natural reason there is need of certain supernatural Arguments to convince Men. These are Miracles But the Catholick Religion only is famous for Miracles therefore the only true Religion and to be esteemed above all others as that only which hath God for its Witness Now that many Miracles have been done in Confirmation of the Catholick Religion throughout all Ages since Christ's and his Apostles time is evident to all Christians by divers Histories the Annals of Kingdoms and the Lives and Acts of Saints But our Adversaries say these Miracles are not true Calv. p. fac in Instit but partly feigned and partly diabolical The which is void of all probability For it is against the Judgment of the whole World and of so many Ages For all Nations so many hundreds of years have without any scruple accounted them true Miracles For whoever doubted the Miracles of St Gregory Thaumaturge St. Anthony the
Hereticks though never so contrary in their Opinions boast and bragg of and from which every one thinks the Truth is revealed to himself which certainly he that is not stark Blind may easily perceive because the Spirit of God cannot reveal contraries Add hereunto that the sacred Scripture no where sends private Men to search the Scriptures in Doubts of Faith but to the Church and those which precede therein So in Deut. 17. they are sent to the Priests in doubtful matters who were then appointed Judges and those that would not obey them were to be put to death Therefore in the Church God hath appointed Pastors and Doctors and would have the Church conspicuous to the whole World the Pillar and Ground of Truth Eph. 4.11 1 Tim. 3.15 that all People might easily consult it and acquiesce secure in her Decrees The Spirit of understanding the Scriputres is not granted to every one as 't is plain by the Apostle 1 Cor. 12. 1 Jo. 4. ' Believe not every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God Therefore although the Spirit should suggest any thing to you yet you are not secure because you are not certain it is of God For 't is manifest that innumerable have been deceiv'd For all Hereticks brag of this Spirit and Satan frequently transforms himself into an Angel of Light Hereby it is manifest that the private Spirit can be no Rule of faith The Twelfth Reason from another great absurdity IF any of these New Religions for example the Lutheran Religion were the true Religion of Christ besides the absurdities afore-mentioned this would follow that all Catholicks which have been hitherto from the time of the Apostles are damned and sentenced to the Eternal Torments of Hell-Fire because according to the chief Tenet of this Religion they wanted justifying Faith and therefore Justice before God so that they remained in their sins and died in them For the Faith necessary to Justification as this Religion teacheth is that whereby a Man firmly believes that he is just before God by reason of Christ's satisfaction which by Faith is applied and imputed to him But 't is manifest that this Faith was unknown to the World till the time of Luther Nor does he deny but rather glories that he manifested to the World the true Nature of Justification hid from the antient Fathers The same is clear by the Writings of all the antient Fathers because besides Faith in Christ they require an inward change of the Will and purpose of keeping the whole Law also for that they condemn this security of Salvation and will have Men to work out their Salvation with fear and trembling Phil. 2.12 and be always sollicitous Hence it is that this peculiar special Faith whereby every one certainly believes he is just they all reject as meer presumption For although we ought to believe that Christ has fully satisfied for us on his part yet it does not appear to us that we have done all things necessary on our part to be made partakers of his satisfaction and that we may not sometime or other fall from him 'T is clear then that all the Antients wanted this Faith Therefore so many Holy Fathers so many Martyrs so many Virgins are damned St. Irenaeus St. Justin St. Gregory Thaumaturgus St. Gregory Nazian St. Basil St. Chrysostome St. Damascen St. Hilary St. Ambrose St. Hierome St. Augustine St. Martin St. Nicholas St. Anthony St. Gregory the Great St. Benedict St Bernard St. Dominick St. Francis are all damned also St. Laurence St. Vincent St. Sebastian St. Catharine St. Caecilia St. Agnes and innumerable others who for Sanctity of Life Miracles and the Honour of Martyrdom were renowned through the whole World are damned To conclude all our Ancestors are damned that have been from the Apostle's till Luther's time and to use the Words of Tertullian The Gospel has been wrong Preached L. de prescrip advers Heret for so many Ages and wrongly believed so many Millions of Men wrong Baptized so many Works of Faith wrong administred so many Virtues and Graces wrong laboured for so many Sacrifices and Divine Services wrong offered and so many Martyrdoms wrong Crowned But how incredible absurd and blasphemous are all these things How contrary to the judgment of the whole World and of all Ages Nor can it be said that they were excused for their ignorance because no Body can be saved without Faith without the justice of Christ without participation of Christ's Redemption as every where the Scripture teacheth especially the New Testament No ignorance can excuse that a Man may be saved without these things therefore there is no refuge here either they are all damned or the Religion of Luther and Calvin in their principal Opinion of Justification is false and impious Behold Twelve Reasons whereby 't is clearly demonstrated that these New Religions are to be avoided as false and pernicious The last Consideration now follows The Tenth Consideration and Conclusion of the whole Consult LAstly That Religion is to be imbrac'd in this Life which Men are most like to be willing to profess at the hour of death and of which they can render a just account at the Tribunal of Christ For in the practice of things we cannot be better advised than by the consideration of Death and Eternal Judgment namely to love that here which at the point of death will be most profitable to us and to shun that which may bring upon us certain ruine and destruction at least put us in great peril of it But the Catholick Religion is such as we shall certainly prefer at the hour of death As is manifest First By the example of many who although they have lived Hereticks yet when they came to die have desired to die Catholicks as judging it the safer way Secondly Because every one wishes then that he had done many Good Works and with great diligence had avoided all sin to both of which the Catholick Religion efficaciously exciteth and to neither of which does the Religion of Luther or Calvin but rather to a contempt of all Good Works and licentiousness of Life Thirdly Because the Catholick Religion has many Remedies which in that dreadful passage are not to be despised as Repentance for Sin Absolution of the Priest the Sacrament of Extream Unction and the Eucharist which give great consolation and confidence to the Faithful For by this means the satisfaction of Christ is communicated to us But bare Faith is a very cold comfort and a weak thing at the point of death For how can you perswade your self that God will be merciful to you that you are just and shall be saved by the Merits of Christ who have despised the Remedies ordained by him and determined to die out of the Catholick Church All the Sects of this time boast of this Faith and yet certainly all are not saved For the true Religion of Christ is but one out of which there is no
ean a false Faith avail to Salvation Then 't is all one Whether you believe the Creed in such a manner or in no manner Then every one may be saved though he does not believe many Articles of Faith The same I may say of the Scriptures for if it be sufficient to believe the Scriptures according to every one's interpretation since his sence may be oftentimes erroneous 't will be also enough though you do not believe them at all For a false Faith can be no more necessary to Salvation than no Faith whereby a Man believes nothing absolutely But if you say that we must believe the Symbol or Creed in its true sence then you condemn the Sectaries of these times none of which believe all the Articles of the Creed in the same sence with Catholicks and all of them differ in the explication of the Creed amongst themselves Therefore since there is but only One Truth all the Religions of these Times must necessarily swerve from the Truth except One only and therefore are insufficient to Salvation That they differ much in the sence or meaning The differences of Sectaries in understanding the Creed of the Creed is manifest For that Article And in Jesus Christ his only Son is explicated one way by the Arrians and many Calvinists namely that the Son is less than the Father and by the Catholicks and Lutherans another way for they hold him equal and of the same Substance with the Father The Article concerning Christ's descent into Hell the Calvinists interpret one way saying Christ sustained the Torments of the Damned doubted of his Salvation and was afraid he should have been utterly swallowed up by Eternal Death The Catholicks and Lutherans interpret it another way and will admit of no such exposition saying it is Calvin's Blasphemy The Article of Christ's Ascension into Heaven c. the Lutherans and Vbiquitarians expound one way holding Christ's Body to be every where as his Divinity is otherwise the Calvinists and Catholicks who doubt not but that such Expositions do overthrow in a manner all the Creed as Christ's Incarnation Nativity Passion Death Assension into Heaven and his Coming to Judgment The Article of Judging the Quick and Dead Catholicks expound one way saying that Christ shall so Judge as to reward our Good Works in Heaven and punish our Bad Works in Hell otherwise the Calvinists and Lutherans who deny all reward to Good Works and averr that an account will be only had of our special Faith at the Day of Judgment The Article concerning the Holy Ghost Catholicks and Lutherans understand one way the Arrians and many Calvinists another way The Article of the Church Lutherans and Calvinists understand of the invisible Congregation of the Predestinate Catholicks of the visible Congregation of Catholicks in which many are Predestinated and many Reprobate The Article of the Communion of Saints the Luthcrans and Calvinists so extenuate that they take away almost all Communion which is taught by Catholicks The Article of Remission of Sins they explicate of no imputation not acknowledging any Internal Renovation by inherent Justice and Grace infused as Catholicks judge Sins to be remitted Hereby is manifest how great a difference there is in the understanding of the Creed Therefore since there is but one Truth this we have shewed in our Consultation to be amongst Catholicks all Sects must of necessity hold a false Faith and false exposition of the Creed If therefore a true belief of the Creed is requisite it cannot be that every one may be saved in his own Faith If a false Faith sufficeth how can a false Faith be profitable to Salvation Sixth Reason The Holy Scripture is of no less Authority than the Apostles Creed nor is it a less injury to God to deny any thing expresly declared in the Scriptures than to reject any Article of the Apostles Creed therefore there is no reason why our Faith should be tyed to the Creed and in other things we should be left to our Liberty seeing we are as much obliged to believe all things in Scripture as in the Apostles Creed For although we are not bound to know all things distinctly contained in the Scriptures yet we ought to believe in general insomuch that we cannot without the sin of Heresie reject any part thereof as false and doubtful With what colour therefore or what probable shew of reason can it be said it matters not how you believe in other things so be it you believe in Christ and the Apostles Creed Why are we bound to believe the Creed rather than the whole Scripture since it is not of greater Authority than the Scriptures This is a fancy certainly too vain and rude void of any foundation Seventh Reason In all our Faith we must not only regard what we believe Our whole Faith depends on the foundation or motive of our belief but likewise and that chiefest of all upon what foundation we believe or what is the sole motive of our belief For upon this the whole Nature and Property of our Faith depends For as the motive of our belief is which we call the Foundation of our Faith such is the Faith it self If that be certain and cannot be deceitful our Faith also is certain and infallible If it be deceitful our Faith also will be uncertain and liable to Errour For Example The Turk believes that there is one God Creator of all things Why Because the Alcoran so teaches which he believes to be written by the Spirit of God His Faith although this which he believes be true depends on a false and fallacious foundation by force of which he is bound to believe many false and blasphemous things as that there are not Three Persons in the Godhead Father Son and Holy Ghost that Christ is not God and that he is less than Mahomet that Circumcision is to be observed and the like Therefore this Faith by virtue of this foundation is fallible and erroneous 'T is the same case with all Hereticks The Faith of all Sects depends on a false foundation This being laid down I thus argue That Faith which depends on a fallacious foundation although it believes some things which are true yet cannot be said to be sufficient to Salvation but the Faith of all Sectaries of this time depends on a fallacious or wrong foundation therefore it cannot be sufficient to Salvation The Proposition is manifest of it self For how can that which is false and lying be the Basis or Foundation of Eternal Salvation how can the true Religion whereby we please God be founded on a false belief Certainly this is as far from all reason as if you should say that Truth depends on a Lye Wisdom upon Errour and Vertue upon Vice It remains then to prove the Assumption or other proposition viz. That all Sectaries rely on a fallacious foundation A threefold foundation I shew thus They believe their Opinions either for the authority of