reason hereof is already given If an earthly King can oblige his subjects to obey à law as truly his made evidently Credible as is now declared much more can the King of Kings lay that obligation upon all when his Revelation is made evidently Credible by Signs surpassing the power of nature Again Evident Credibility founded on rational Motives perswad 's and oblig's men to believe some thing as the Dr grant's I ask what They need not to perswade to à belief of themselves because their Evidence is seen before assent be given to the Revelation and therefore both perswade and oblige all to believe the Infallible Truth of the Revelation though not evidently seen 11 I Argue 3. and this reason convinces The blessed Apostles firmly believed Christ our Lord to be truly God à Redeemer and the long expected Messias and rested not in this judgement alone It is only evidently Credible that Christ is God or the true Messias and How the blessed Apostles believed consequently their Faith went above the force of all the Motives laid open to their eyes and senses 12 I prove the consequence manifestly Consider that great Miracle of raysing Lazarus from his grave meerly as seen or known by sense and preceded Faith none can say that that wonder the like is of all other Miracles evidently proved Christ to be God or the true Messias For God might have wrought that Miracle for some other end than to assure any of Christ's Divinity Nay he might have impowred an Angel or à man not priviledged with the Hypostatical union to call one dead to life again as the Prophet Elias did Kings 3. 17. 21. Yea and to do all the Miracles which Christ wrought What followes therefore from the sight of these Miracles Thus much only and no more that as that poor widow of Seraptia truly judged Elias after his giving life to her Son to be à man sent from God and that all be spake was true so the Apostles might rationally have concluded that our Saviours Miracles were indeed from à Power above the force of What force Miracles as seen have nature but that He was thereby evidently proved God appeared no evident infallible verity deduced from his wonders Yet those blessed men and the Primitive Christians firmly believed all these Truths by Infallible Faith and therefore as I said now went above the certainty of the Motives which as seen afforded no such infallible certainty 13 Some may say If all those glorious Miracles wrought by our Saviour neither gave evidence of his being God nor solely taken ultimately determined any to believe his Divinity or so much as one Revealed verity How came the Apostles and all Orthodox Christians with them to raise their Faith so high as to believe infallibly Christs sacred Doctrin I answer Three things chiefly brought their Faith to Three things necessary for faith this perfection Prodigious works or Miracles as seen perswaded much Our Saviours sacred words as heard by those he taught added more strength and finally the pious affection of the Will in every Believer that saw these works and heard his words when drawn on and encouraged by Christ's Command to elicite Faith passed through all difficulties to the Contrary and moved the understanding to believe infallibly the truth of what ever that great Master did speak 14 Shall I yet touch upon these particulars more plainly All know that the greatest Miracles which were ever done without words or Doctrin delivered by him that wrought them make not our Christian Verities known for had Christ appeared in the world and given life to twenty dead men and all that time never spoken word of his Doctrin none could have apprehended what to believe of our Christian Mysteries Those therefore who saw his Miracles might well have thought him some extraordinary person sent from God because are further explicated Divels cannot restore life to the dead but could never know by those wonders what he judged of Divine matters before they heard him speak 2. Words alone without miraculous works induce none to believe wherefore had Christ come amongst us and only told us he was God and the true Messias and wrought no Miracles shewed no sanctity or austerity of life neither Iewes nor Gentils nor indeed any could in prudence have believed him Hereof se more in my notes upon Pooles Appendix n. 21. and learn withall that Christ's admirable works and sacred words ioyntly taken highly conduce to beget Divine Faith in all I say Ioyntly taken whereof we have an Instance in that glorious Transfiguration upon Mount Thabor The Disciples there present saw our Saviours sacred face shine like the sun and his garments white as snow Yet that vision alone no way apt by it selfe to perswade any of his being the Son of God might have left the Apostles in suspence concerning that Mystery 2. They heard à voice as S. Peter speak's z. Epist 1. 17. from the magnificent Glory This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased That voice added to the vision gave more strength 3. An express command Close ensued upon that Vision and voice Ipsum audite Be sure to hear my beloved Son Here all further delay ceased and à strict obligation was layd on them to raise their Faith above all they saw or heard as also most firmly to believe the truth of what ever Christ our Lord spake 15 Upon this one Instance all I would say is grounded Ask therefore why I by Faith goe above all the Signs and Miracles which Christ or his Church The effiâ—acy of God's Command in order to Faith shewes me or why I infallibly believe the truth of every Revelation proposed I answer the reason is because God who hath right to oblige when he intimat's his will by clear Signs prodigious works and words command's me to do so and I am as much bound to obey him upon such summons as if the truth of the Revelation were made evident to me Here you must either deny that God can lay such à command upon men which is evidently false for à temporal Prince as is now proved can do it or grant that I am obliged to obey his Command and therefore can ascend with my Faith above the strength of all Motives and believe the Truth of his Revelation infallibly Otherwise you must say God command's me to do what I cannot do just as if he should bid me fly through the Air when I have neither power nor wrings to fly with 16 Now mark I beseech you All our Adversaries Arguments either tend to prove that God cannot lay that obligation upon us when he gives such Motives as perswade to believe which yet saith Dr Still appeares by multitudes of places of Scripture or evince that nothing can bring men to believe the Truth of à Revelation but the evidence of it or à clear sight of that Truth we assent to by Faith which is manifestly false Reflect once more upon
this fundamental Mystery for ought any man living can know may be à Lye 3. That all Christ's Doctrin as it is now believed by Faith may be both fallible and false 4. That God obliges the whole Christian world to believe that as an infallible truth which really may be à falshood Lastly that all the glorious Martyrs in forgoing Ages were bound to maintain that with the losse of their lives to be à truth which only apparently was so and might in reallity be no truth If the Dr subscrib's to these consequences he has not one drachm of true Faith in his heart Now one word more with the Dr CHAP. VI. Dr Still grant's that Faith transcend's the certainty of those Motives which induce to believe Independently of his Concession that verity is proved and the ground thereof firmly setled How necessary it is to distinguish between the Credibility of à Mystery and the infallible believing it true Obiections answered Other difficulties proposed 1 Dr Still in his Account Part. 1. c. 7. P. 207. Speak's thus Moral certainty yeilds sufficient assurance that Christian Religion is infallibly true and he proves the Assertion because moral certainty may evidently shew us the Credibility of Christian Religion and that from the credibility of it the infallible truth of it may be proved will appear by these two things 1. That where there is evident Credibility in the matter propounded there doth arise upon men an obligation to believe And that is proved ...... from What the Dr teaches Gods intention in giving such Motives which was to perswade them to believe as appears by multitudes of places of Scripture and withall though the meer credibility of the Motives might at first suppose some doubts concerning the Infallibility of the Doctrin yet it is not consistent with any doubt as to the obligation to believe because there can be no other reason assigned of those Motives of credibility than the induceing on men an obligation to Faith 2. That where there is such an obligation to believe we have the greatest assurance that the matter to be believed is infallibly true which depend's on this manifest proof that God cannot oblige men to believe à lye it being repugnant to all our conceptions of the veracity and Goodnes of God to Imagin that God should require of men on the pain of eternal damnation to believe something infallibly true which is really false Thus the Dr. Reflect courteous Reader Is it so that from the Credibility of Christian Religion the Infallible truth of it may be proved There is then no doubt at all but if it be Advantage given by the Dr's own Doctrin proved infallibly true it may be also believed as it is infallibly true Doth the Dr concede that from the Evident Credibility of Christian Doctrin there arises in all men an Obligation to believe it and that this obligation is not consistent with any doubt as to the obligation of believing it I wish no more from an Adversary having enough to make good all I say concerning the Infallibility of Divine Faith Doth he finally assert that where there is such an obligation we have the greatest assurance that the matter believed is infallibly true because God cannot require of men to believe that as infallibly true which is really false I wholly agree with him thus farr yet withall affirm that he plainly contradict's his own Doctrin For if when there is such an obligation to believe we have the greatest assurance that is infallible assurance or nothing that the matter believed is infallible true it is undisputably clear that Faith which has that greatest assurance goes far beyond the certainty of the Motives which is only moral and not so infallible certain as the very act of Faith is Hence it followes that the Dr contradict's himself in all he teaches concerning the moral certainty of Faith and must while he hold's Faith infallibly certain grant that as terminated upon the truth of à Revelation it rises higher and goes beyond the strength of the motives which only afford moral certainty and not greater But of this more presently 2 In the mean time I wish the Dr would make what he saies here to agree with some odd expressions in his precedent page 206. There we are told that certainty implies the taking away all suspicion of doubt but in moral things all suspicion of doubt is removed upon moral evidence and here he saith Though the meer Credibility of the Motives only morally certain might at first suppose some doubt concerning the Infallibility of the Doctrin yet it is not consistent with any doubt as to the obligation to believe I Say contrary if it may at first suppose some doubt it must ever suppose it for this moral certainty grounded on the Miracles internal to Scripture as the Dr teaches growes not less nor more perswasive in time but is alwaies the same and therefore cannot remove all doubt from a Believers mind 3 Hence I argue This moral certainty at first capable of doubt comes in time to be infallible certainty or still retain's some doubt In case it be improved and grow up to infallible certainty it yeilds not in certainty to the very act of Faith where unto it perswades and so the Dr's distinction between moral certainty and An Argument proposed his term's Infallibly true becomes frivolous Moral certainty saith he yeilds us sufficient assurance that Christian Religion is infallibly true Say now that this moral certainty is still consistent with some suspicion of doubt it must either derive that doubt into the very act of Faith and make that doubtful or it ought to be granted that Faith rises higher and goes beyond the strength of that moral doubtful certainty contrary to the Dr's Principles I wish also he had explaind him self better in this other dark Proposition Moral certainty may be as great as Mathematical and Phisical supposing as little reason to doubt in moral things as to their natures as in Mathematical and Phisical as to theirs These words Supposing as little reason to doubt spoil all he saies for if moral certainty ever supposes some suspicion of doubt how can that be as great as Mathematical or Physical which supposes none But enough of this jangling 4 We now come to the main point and shall endeavour to shew that although the Motives were only Morally certain and not as I hold infallibly connected with Divine Revelation yet the act of Faith it self is infallibly certain and consequently rises above that weaker light of the Motives This I say to vindicate the absolute infallibility of Faith from all iust exceptions while Divines vary about the connexion of the Motives with the Divine Revelation 5 The proof of my Assertion stands firm upon two Principles laid down Prot. without Prin. Disc 1. C. 5. n. 6. 7. And Reas and Relig. Disc 3. C. 8. n. 16. In the first place I say and it s à Maxim known by the
those books to be Divine I answer 1. That in the Age when the Doctrin was delivered there was sufficient reason to believe it Divine He goes on Supposing then that we already believe upon the former answer that if Christ did such unparalleld Miracles and rose from the dead they who heard his Doctrin had reason to believe it to be of God He mean's Divine and revealed Doctrin for all Doctrin of God or from God is not in our Sence now Divine or revealed Doctrin Thus much said He asserts 2. If they the ancient Christians had reason then we have so now Viz. to believe upon our Saviours unparalleld Miracles From these matters of fact and Apostolical wonders the Dr takes his rational Evidence and conveigh's it to us by Tradition our exceptions made against his evidence which supplies the want of our Senses as to what Christ did and spake I shall presently insist more largely n. 26. upon his Tradition Here I am to show that his Evidence in order to Christians now living is nothing like rational Evidence if and this he requires we exclude the Testimony of an Infallible Church 19 To propose plainly what I would say and to give the Dr the fairest play imaginable I gratis admit all the Miracles and matters of fact recorded in the Gospel to be most true though hitherto not proved true by the Dr but then ask what use will he make of them He may answer he proves by these Miracles the Doctrin of Christ to be true Admit this also I demand further and here lies the main business that concern's us at present whether the Doctor can assure any by virtue of where the main difficulty is those Miracles who at this day among so many dissenting Christians in points of Faith most fundamental believe and profess Christ's true Doctrin For his rational Evidence if it deserve the Title of rational must drive hither at last or its worth nothing to Christians now living that is he must shew by these long since wrought Miracles whether Arians Pelagians Protestants or Catholicks have à right beliefe of Christs Doctrin for most certainly all of them believe not the true Doctrin delivered by Christ I say it is impossible to make this out unless the strangest Consequence that ever man heard of be good and it 's thus Christ rose from the dead He commanded the sea and winds and they obeyed his voice He gave life to dead Lazarus c. Ergo the Arians for example profess Christ's true Doctrin and Protestants not Or Contrarywise Protestants believe right and the Arians are in a wrong Faith Unless this Inference which is worse than Non-sence pass current the Doctors pretended rational Evidence taken from those ancient matters of fact is the most fruitless and most discomfortable Evidence that ever wise man pitch't upon whereof more presently n. 27. Note in the mean while he may perhaps and no more but perhaps tell us by his the Dr's rational Evidence demonstrated â—seless to Christians now living Evidence that Christs Doctrin in it selfe is true but shall never thereupon assure us who among so many Dissenters in Necessaries to Salvation believes or professes that true Doctrin He may tell us that horrid debates arise amongst the learned of different Religions but shall never tell us how they can be composed or ended by à bare owning the truth of Christ's Miracles which are carried up and down by à common humane consent of Christians though they have none to attest them Infallibly true in this present State 20 Please now to consider how differently we Catholicks proceed in this matter and satisfy both Jewes and Gentils We own all that Scripture contain's whether Miracles or Doctrin true and Divine To evince this we lead you not to à dead book or to matters of fact far off but to an ever living Oracle distinct from that book called the Holy Catholick Church which proves herselfe by her neerer visible matters of fact signal marks and undoubted Miracles as rationally à true Oracle whereby God speak's to the world as ever any Apostle did From this glorious signalized and long standing Church we take our rational Evidence and know if the Primitive Christians took theirs right from the Apostolical wonders we no way Inferiour keep parallel with them while we rationally rely upon our clear manifested Oracle Moreover we prove that this Church which hath power from God to teach and engages her whole Authority to teach Truth shewes herselfe by real Signs and Miraculous effects the greatest Oracle now under God appointed to instruct the world It is She if Controversies arise concerning Faith that composes all She assures us that the verities in Scripture written by the special assistance of the Holy Ghost are Divine She applies and conveigh's these ancient truths to us She tells us now How differently we proceed from the Dr in our rational Evidence and Infallibly what Christ's Doctrin long since made evidently Credible by his own most glorious Miracles is She finally ascertain's every one without doubt and hesitancy who they are that profess this revealed Doctrin And thus relying upon à rational evidenced Church we Shew our selves rational men and void of fear set our hearts at rest while the Dr by à bare relation of our Saviours Miracles now remote from us proves not one of these particulars but will forsooth evince the Doctrin in Scripture to be Divine upon à meer unproved Supposition that such matters of fact once were which yet cannot be evinced true sufficient as I said to ground Faith much less Divine without the Churches Testimony whereby full assurance is given to all in this present State that both Doctrin and Miracles are true and Divine 21 The Dr therefore should in the first place have proved the Divinity of Christ's Doctrin and from thence he might have inferred it's Truth but to evince it Divine to Christians now upon what the Dr should aimâ— at but perform's not à meer unproved Supposition Viz. That such matters of fact are true is a break-neck to his Discourse and an unaproachable way of ever comming to the Conclusion he intend's because his aime must be or he doth nothing to show by his Evidence what Society of Christians now living believes and professes the true Doctrin of Christ or how Chrst's true Society may be made discernable by those ancient Miracles from others that teach damnable Doctrin Herein he fail's and shall fail while an Infallible Church is rejected 22 These Considerations clearly laid down no less clearly evince the Dr ' s resolution of Faith to be frivolous and his rational Evidence unreasonable for tell me not by his Evidence what Society of Christians are now right in Faith prove me not that Scripture was written by Divine assistance Shew me not that the truths related there are Truths revealed by Almighty God the whole Doctrin of that book and all the Miracles in it signify nothing 23
her and which is more saith Diodorus the Dr wisely leaves it out this Goddess invented à strange Medcine able to make men immortal nay she restored life to dead Horus the last King of Egipt and if you desire to hear what Isis said of herselfe turn to the next Page in Diodorus I said she am Queen of this whole Country The law established by me no man shall break All à long Dotage and Madness I am the Eldest daughter of the great God Saturn I am both wife and daughter to King Osiris I am she that first invented all kind of grain and Corn. I am the that dayly rises in the Dog-star These Fopperies and à hundred more you have related of à Heathen and written by à Heathen our wise Dr tells gravely as à remarkable Story against the honour given to our Blessed Lady and bid's E. W. Produce more Authentick Stories than these are 18. What can the Dr drive at think ye Will he perswade the Reader that Isis the like is of Ceres and the Statue of Hercules cited afterward in real truth wrought such Miracles Did she who believed not in one true God effectually raise the dead to life Did She restore sight to How the Dr is urged if he own these pretended Heathenich Miracles true the blind and health to the lame Grant this The Dr highly disparages our Saviours own Miracles and takes from them life and Vigour in à word all Credibility Observe my reason Had the Dr been present when Christ raised Lazarus to life or cured the blind man in the Gospel might he not have slighted those wonders and said that the Goddess Isis had done as much as these came to for she restored life to King Horus à long time dead as the Egiptians recount upon undeniable Authentick Testimonies saith the Dr. She also cured many blind and The Doctrin of Christ and Isis quite Contrary lame if therefore her Miracles are true might not the Dr have Said y ours o Lord signify nothing to me while you preach à quite Contrary Doctrin to Isis and confirm it as you tell us in the Gospel by works which no other least of all Heathens had ever done and here we shew you by à remarkable Testimony that Isis Ceres and Hercules did before you came into the world works as great as yours How shall we discern between the true and the counterfeit wonders Or shall we say all are alike true or all alike Counterfeit 19. On the other side if the Dr Quotes not this remarkable Testimony to prove the truth of these Heathenish Miracles but hold's all meer If the Dr as he must account them Fooleries they are pure Impertinences fictions To what purpose hath his Testimony place here or upon what account is it so remarkable For if we may truly suppose that the Infidel Isis never raised à dead man to life or cured the blind and lame it is senceles to infer from thence that God by the Intercession of our Lady never wrought any such Miracles when to Confront the Dr we produce as he desires undeniable Evidence and appeal not only to Miracles wrought at Loreto which as you have heard he turn's off with jeers but more over lay before his eyes those two late Miracles most manifestly wrought upon Iohn Clement at Montaigu and that other done at Zaragosa I am forced often to remind the Reader of these Miracles because its à shame to se how unworthily the Dr in his whole ensuing discourse like one that would fain bite but dares not here and there twitches at them but at last vanquished Miracles wrought by our B. Lady most Certain with Evidence and quite dashed out of Countenance Silently sit's down and fairs nothing Queen Christina of Sweden Proceeded otherwise when being at Bruxells she heard much of the Latter Miracle and treating with the Gouvernour there Count Feuntsaldaria asked whether his Excellence could procure her an Authentick Testimony of it from Zaragosa The Count answered he both could and would procure it from the Bishop of the place and if need were from the Magistrate also and as I am certainly informed did so Whereupon the Queen received great satisfaction prudently judging it à thing morally impossible that the whole Kingdom of Spain to say nothing of other Nations should be led by the nose to own that as à true Miracle which And held as Certain the whole world over our Dr must say was Leger demain or à jugling trick of the Spanish Clergy and of all those witnesses that swore to it But of this subject more hereafter when we examin whether Heathens and Hereticks ever wrought true Miracles And. 2. show how the Miracles of Christ and the Church may be discerned from the Counterfeit wonders of God's Enemies Thus much concerning the Translation of the holy house at Loreto judge Courteous Reader whether we have not found the Dr Shamefully out of the way in his Pilgrimage thither and we Shall I assure you find him as very à Stragler in his further Travels to Compostella c. when we Prosecute the remainder of his Enquiry which God willing I intend to perform at better Leisure In the mean what you have now set down may well give the Dr à Present entertainment and 't is more I believe than he Can answer
upon our Dr's vvritings to se vvhere Satisfaction is given A. B. vvho excellently vvell makes it out and solidly proves what he asserts Viz. That Dr St A. Bs. first letter Page 3. and 4. is à very Fanatick as right an Euthusiastick in Iudgement and Beliefe as any one in all England yet after à diligent search have met with no answer to the Author of that pithy letter These things and many more would time permit I should insist upon and must though it lengthen's the Preface à little take notice of one particular the foulest and most gross I ever read in any You have it in the Doctors General Preface vvhere he bitterly inveigh's General Preface Paulo ante medium against the Doctrin of Attrition which the Church and all Catholicks hold though by it selfe it justifies not yet in the Sacrament of Penance it disposes à Sinner to See the Council of Trent Sess 14. c 4. â—um tamen ad Deigratiam in Sacramento disponit impetrate and obtain the Grace of God VVhether it be à full sufficient disposition in the Sacrament to grace without Contrition is another Question Now comes the Dr and demand's How do They the damned want the Sacrament of Penance in Hell for no doubt there is Attrition good store there The Sacrament of Penance in Hell Dr Attrition good store in Hell I read these words with horrour and stand astonish't at this height of stupidity Pray Sr vvho can absolve in Hell VVhat Divels Or who are there capable of Absolution Damned Souls Answer I beseech you Are such Souls in your opinion capable of Baptism or of that you call the Lords Supper You will say no. In like manner say I and speak with the whole Christian world they are as uncapable of the Sacrament of Penance Sacraments Good Sr serve only for the living on their way to Eternity and benefit none departed this life O! but Attrition whereof there is good store in Hell troubles the Dr. Here you have also the like gross Ignorance and therefore I answer in à word If the Dr call eternal horrour everlasting shame and despair Attrition he may find great store indeed but these miseries inseparably attending the damned are as remote from that Attrition vvhich the Church and Catholicks maintain as Hell is from Heaven The Catholick attrition as the Council now cited declares is Dei donum the gift of God wrought in à Soul by the impulse and motion of the Holy Ghost and though it tend's upon à less perfect Motive than Contrition yet it is à Supernatural Operation If you Mr Dr speak not of this Attrition you fight vvith Shadowes and touch not Catholick Doctrin I might in this place also show how grosly the Dr is mistaken in his quoting Gregory de Valentia but I hasten to my own affaires and shall briefly tell you how and in vvhat manner I proceed vvith this Adversary The Dr you know hath employed himself and time upon two very different Subiects the one hard and Speculative the other more easy containing matters of Fact set forth vvith this Title An Enquiry into the Miracles of the Church of Rome In this first Part I follow him as he goes along and reply to his Cavils not one I am sure if any be worth notice as few are is omitted by me I discover also his Shuffling and as occasion fall's out mind him here and there of what he should prove though he never doth it I shew moreover that the grand Principle he relies on called à Faculty of discerning allowed every one to judge of the Scriptures Sence in the most necessary points concerning Salvation is not only evidently unsound but likewise highly injurious to God and Truth for by it he licences every Arian every Anabaptist every Fanatick and Quaker who have as good discerning Faculties as the Dr can glory in to uphold that Sence they draw from Scripture and maintain it as true though false and heretical and this forsooth is done because malice vvill not brook God's own Oracle to teach when we stand most in need of Instruction After my grounds given for the Churches Infallibility I urge the Doctor to produce à Proof from any received Principle whereby it may but probably appear that à Church once confessedly Orthodox and right in Faith is errable or ever erred In that speculative Contest about Faith transcending the certainty of Motives I evince that not only the Dr doth de facto but all others must subscribe to the truth I Propugn and own it as an undisputable Verity Much more I have against the Doctor better known by à full perusal of the Treatise than by any Summary laid before the Reader in à short Preface In case he vvill reioyn I vvish him vvhat ere becomes of the rest not to pass over my tvvo last Chapters where first I largely insist upon that he call's his rational Evidence of Christian Religion which I shew every way defective and besides demonstrate that the true Evidence for Christianity is not as the Dr would have it either destroyed or in the least measure endamaged by the Doctrin of Transubstantiation In the 10th and last Chapter I discover the Dr's too manifest errour in his unskilful charging à vicious Circle on us while we resolve our Catholick Faith I tell him which he knowes not what a vicious Circle essentially implies and demonstratively clear the Church from all shadow and danger of à Circle May it please the Dr to give me Satisfaction in these two main matters now Specified My exceptions against him are plain and also vouchsafe to solve another difficulty proposed in this Treatise concerning the means Christ has left to bring all open Dissenters in the fundamentals of Faith or Necessaries for Salvation to one beliefe that is to understand the true genuin Sence of God's word without an Infallible Church May it I say please the Dr to do only thus much I will not only highly applaude his labours but freely quit him of blame though he trifle never so much with me in his Answers to the rest of this Treatise Now in case he take courage to reply whereof I doubt very much it is hard to say what humour he will be in what Vizor or Shape he may assume Perchance he vvill appear with his pageant-like piety and renew his promises of vvriting fairly as becomes an Ingenuous Adversary Very good if he answer as fairly and home I am vvell content It may be quite contrary he will bear me down vvith bigg vvords and call me Philosophical fool vvitless fellow brainless Saucy bold and all that naught is No matter say I if he answer's my obiections I can digest all It may be he will without much notice taken of my Arguments repeat all or the most he has said already it is à usual trick of Sectaries and entitle that an Answer to this Treatise if so he will need no great Sophist to lay open the cheat But what
impugn the Infallibility she layes claim to by this Scripture which he saith is both doubtful and Controverted 25 Page 197 He enquires into the Necessity of an Infallible interpretation of the doubtful places in Scripture and here loses himselfe for in my whole life I never saw such à far fetcht rambling discourse as he begins with P. 197. which summed up amount's only to this that you must either believe the Dr infallible in giving an account of the proceeding of the primitive Church in this matter or remain as ignorant as you were before For my part I dare not trust the Dr for by what I have perused he is horribly out of all sound Principles Be it so or no I am wholly unconcerned in this controversy having hitherto only enquired after the means how to understand the sence of Scripture in such passages as relate to the prime Necessaries of Salvation The Godhead of Christ A Trinity of distinct persons c. Now when the Dr gives satisfaction in these particulars have at him for the rest In the mean time I supersede the labour which might be spent and leave that to the accurate review of his worthy Adversary N. O. Thus much of the Dr ' s first part And t' is more then I was obliged to take notice of but because I wanted à long time his second discourse I chose rather for the little leisure allowed from my other employments to make the few reflections you have already than to be forgetful of my good friend Doctor Stillingfleet Now we enter into his second Discourse CHAP. V. Doctor Stillingfleets pretended Answer to E VVs Two books Protestancy without Principles and Reason and Religion shew'd no Answer but à meer shuffling or palpable digression from the main point handled in those Treatises How the Dr shift's off the only difficulty wherein satisfaction is required 1 THere are as I conceive two wayes of answering à book The one to follow an Adversary step by step the other to reverse his Principles or at least to solve such Arguments as the Author judges worth an Answer If he judge amiss or thinks weak arguments strong ones à Respondent ought fairly to lay forth their want of strength and shew wherein they are fallacious The thing I chiefly aimed at in both Treatises was as those know who read them to vindicate the Infallibility of the Roman Catholick Church from the unjust censure of Sectaries whether you take it as à large body spread the whole world over or consider its Representative in general approved Councils Dr Stilling as appear's by his Title undertakes to answer these books but doth it after à new mode or the strangest way I ever yet saw in any He waves all my Arguments which I judge prove clearly the Churches Infallibility and entertain's himselfe with some few By-matters little or nothing relating to this main difficulty 2 You will perhaps better understand my meaning if I briefly sum up The chiefe Contents in the Drs second Discourse briefly Collected the chief contents of this Doctors idlely spent labour in the second discourse from his 2. Chapter page 329 to page 433. Thus it is First he enters into à serious matter with meer Drollery and spiteful language 2. He transcrib's some parcels of my Doctrin mangled as he thought best for his own design and leaves all as he found it though here and there he featly intermingles some scoffes thought by him pretty lests and to make greater confusion now you find him like à rat nibbling at one of my Treatises now at the other without method or order and the whole strain of his writing is either to tell the Reader what he saies without the least shadow of proof which directly makes against the Churches Infallibility or barely to relate what I assert for it but replyes not at all to the Arguments I chiefly insist upon as will presently appear It is true about his page 362 he would fain batter my Answers to two Objections taken out of his Account which meerly touch upon à Scholastical point How weakly we shall se hereafter but all this while not à word comes from him which directly tend's to prove the Church fallible nor can I find any of my Arguments solved Yet this is the man that in his Title-page pretend's to Answer my two books 3. After some quarrels with the Supernaturality of Faith and its obscure tendency He slip's aside into another Scholastical point concerning the Resolution of Faith and because the matter of it selfe is hard and made harder by his jumbling he get's into à Labyrinth of his own making called the Rational Evidence of Christian Religion My chief endeavour shall be to wind him out of it which would soon be done were he better versed in speculative learning 3 The Dr as I said now some what waspish layes aside much of his gravity and begins with Ironies Mockeries and bitter language called by some Iest earnest and discharges that rounder shot of Toyes Triffles and Fancies very thick upon me Is not this hard proceeding Methinks these men of the new Gospel are strangely priviledged to reproach when the Of the Dr's Ironies and bitter Language spirit moves What à gallant lesson had he learn't us in the. 5. Page of his Preface to the former book Not to revile though he be reviled and here weak man he breaks his purpose forget's his lesson and reproaches boldly And will you know why Forsooth he takes it ill that I joyned him in my Title-page with Atheists Iewes Turks and Sectaries In real earnest Mr Dr though I said it not in plain terms yet I thought you well deserved the place but seing you resent my putting you after that rabble you shall in my next book be upermost and have à palce before them all But in God's name what unluckie Spirit light on you in that deep Exclamation O! what à pestilent Heretick is this Stillingfleet Look to it Doctor Ridentem dicere verum quid vetat If you in raillery make your selfe heretick and others judge you one of the worser sort I will pray for you but can not clear you of the guilt before you deserve better There is more of this rambling He tell 's me If either of my books were thrown at his head he would have enough to defend himself for they are very thick and heavy But how would he defend that precious Pate were his voluminous Account thrown after them I am sure that 's thicker and heavier To my great comfort saith he I never yet saw two such bulky books whose Substance might be brought into à less compass or more full of Tautologies and tedious repetitions A homely complement I hope Sr. you except your own bulkie Account or ought in all reason to do so for in my whole life I never read any thing more stuff't with empty words and superabounding Tautologies To be short I dare wager ten to one if ever you and I meet in
light of nature that God who is Supereminently more infallible than all men and Angels are ought to be believed answerable to his Excellence with à most firm assent In the second place I assert though we have not Evidence of the Divine Testimony in it self yet when it is made evidently credible by clear Signs that God speaks to us and for our Salvation By Faith we assent not to the bare credibility of à Mystery we as rational creatures are obliged to submit and believe him because he command's us to believe and are thereupon bound to assent not to the bare credibility of the Mysteries proposed but to the very truth of them which is à further step and we must step so far because the evidence of the obligation grounded on Gods Command will have us do so Here then is our assurance of the truth of the Revelation assented to And is not this what Dr Still teaches in express terms Though the meer Credibility of the Motives might first suppose some doubt concerning the Infallibility of the Doctrin yet it is not consistent with any doubt as to the obligation to believe Yet more plainly VVhere there is an obligation to believe we have the greatest assurance that the matter to be believed is infallibly true 6 For à further explanation of this speculative matter Note first That known distinction between the Credibility of à Mystery and the Truth thereof is carefully to be reflected on which the Dr and all those who cry against the raysing Faith above the Motives unskilfully confound Their errour lies here that they only consider the connexion But to the Truth of the Motives with the Truth of the Mystery and say the understanding by virtue of the Motives only Morally certain cannot assent to that Truth and they say very right but ponder not on the other side the weight of God's Command which obliges us to trust the first Verity though we have no evidence of the Revelation in it self And thus to use the Dr ' s Instance P. 362. one not versed in Mathematicks who cannot assent to the truth of à Demonstration in à demonstrative manner may yet firmly believe it demonstrative upon his Masters credit who knowes the truth scientifically and were that Master Infallible he might justly chastise his Scholar did he boggle in believing the Truth Much more doth this hold in God when he command's our assent to à Truth evidently seen by the Divine understanding though obscure to us 7 Note 2. The motives we here speak of may as I observed in my last Treatise be considered two wayes First as anteceding Faith and naturally known ex sensatis being obiects of sense seen or heard of by undoubted History Thus we have assurance that there is in the world à great Moral Body of men called Catholicks agreeing in the use of Sacraments professing Obedience to one supream Pastor who manifestly shew the Succession of their Pastors from the Apostles times give evident Signs of Sanctity in thousands and thousands relate such and such Miracles wrought in the Catholick Church c. 2. These Motives may be considered as obiects of Faith and numbred among other Credâ—nda for we believe Christ and his Apostles to have wrought true Miracles the Church to be Holy and universal The twofold acception of Motives declared c. And thus the Motives assented to are not inducements to believe but Believed Articles This double acception of Motives all must own For before the Apostles believed in Christ they knew him to be à rational man saw his Miracles and by manifest signs discovered his Innocency and Holiness of life yet afterward they believed by Faith that he was truly man and not in appearance only that he wrought true Miracles and believed him as we now do both Holy and Innocent 8 Note 3. God has right to command us two wayes First by making his revealed will evidently known which implies as Divines speak Evidentiam in Attestante or à clear sight of his command and speaking 2. This supream Lord in case he make his will known by Signs evidently Credible has yet as much right to require obedience from us as if it were evident he speak's One clear Instance will give light to my Assertion An absolute Prince set's forth à Proclamation and some eye or eare-witnesses receive it from his own mouth and know it to be his Soon after the publick Cryer proclaim 's it in other places distant from the Court I say those who hear it proclaimed and se it attested by the Princes own marks and signatures are as much obliged to yeild Obedience to it as if they had received the contents of it from the Prince himselfe The right God has to Command Faith Pray tell me did you ever yet know that any town or City in England though distant from Court when his Majesty set's forth à proclamation authoritively sealed by his own hand boggle thus It may be the publick Cryer seign's what is not It may be he has received à forged Writ It may be he knowes not the King's mind therefore we will neither obey nor assent to the Truth of it but after all these Cryes and Signs only hold it credible that such is the Kings pleasure his will and command 9 Apply this to our present case and you have all God's Revelation hath been proclaimed the whole world over Patriarchs Prophets Apostles and the Church commissioned to speak aloud have Age after age published it and made the truth of it evidently Credible by clearer Signs then ever Prince set forth his Proclamation Have we the Princes own Seal and Marks for the one we have Gods own Seal and Marks for the other It is true we saw not the Prince subsigning his law or Proclamation and therefore want that evidence of Truth considered in it self no more saw we the Truth of God's Revelation when he first spake by his Prophets and Apostles How faith is mode Credible but the Signatures of his Truths annexed to his Revelation remain still and will do so to the worlds end And what after all these glorious signs shall we stand trifling with God in so weighty an affair as concern's eternal Salvation Shall we tell him because we se not evidently the Truth of his Revelation in it self but only the evident Credibility of it we will proceed warily and assent to its Credibility but with all either abstract from the Truth or absolutly deny it I am sure Christ delivered contrary Doctrin when he told S. Thomas Beati qui non viderunt crediderunt nameing those blessed who se not yet believe Thus much noted 10 I say first The evident Credibility of à Revelation obliges all to accept it not only as evidently Credible for so much is manifest without any what the Motives perswade to Submission but to assent to it as most absolutely true and in this sence Faith goes above the light of Motives One
Faith to the Churches infallibility upon Motives confessedly fallible an assent be not required beyond all proportion and degree of evidence First Who tells you Mr Dr that the Motives are confessedly fallible The Church never defined so I with others expressly say they are Metaphysically certain and have infallible connexion with the Divine Revelation It is true some Divines hold them fallible but it is only an opinion and therefore too weak to support your stout expression confessedly fallible or to make the contrary opinion improbable But suppose them fallible I have notwithstanding shewed how the act of Faith is most certain and infallible and shall here for the better satisfaction of à less learned Reader upon this hint given by the Dr apply all I have said above to the Catholick Church Thus I discourse 12 God an eternal Truth who perfectly comprehend's all things intuitively Seing himself one Essence and Though the Motives to Faith were fallible Faith yet stand's firm three distinct Persons reveal's that Verity and to the end all may assent to it by Faith He adorn's his own Oracle the Catholick Church with the Royal Signs of his Power and wisdom The Church thus illustrated speaking in the name of God or which is all one God speaking by Her proposes that high Mystery and obliges all to believe it The Signs or Motives whereby he speaks to reason manifest in the Church make it evidently credible that eternal Truth speak's and in order to Faith are the only exteriour rational lights we have in this present State from whence Faith takes it rise and whereupon it necessarily depend's But the highest measure of certainty these motives considered as rational inducements can give any is only as I say to make the Mystery evidently credible not evidently true Yet on the other side when we prudently reflect upon God's powerfull speaking by Signs and Motives and withall ponder the weight of his Command which obliges us to assent not only to the Credibility of à Mystery but to its very Truth à pious will both can and is bound to move the understanding to passe as it were above that Credibility and to believe the Infallible truth of the Revelation which revealed truth by help of other Principles mentioned in the foregoing Chapter advances Faith to infallible certainty and therefore farr transcends that intellectual light rising from the Motives and also goes beyond the plainest signification of words Christ ever spake because Faith as Faith ultimately relies not upon the bare signification of words or on the exteriour sight of Miracles but upon the real Truth of Gods Revelation pointed at by words and works though by such outward Signs not eviâ—vidently proved true And thus you se first what the obscurity of Faith implies or wherein it consist's It consist's in this that through Obedience to God's Command we raise our selves above the force of all Motives inducing to Faith and firmly believe upon anothers Authority I mean God's Divine Testimony that to be infallibly true though we neither se the Testimony nor the thing attested evidently true You se 2. That our Dr ' s long Tattle of Faith transcending the Motives of Credibility serves only to amuse an unwary Reader or rather to tell the learned that he shamefully mistakes and handles one difficulty in place of another for according to his promise he should either have proved that Faith it self or the Church is fallible but all this while he run's astray and never meddles with that main Question contenting himself to impugn and most weakly à School opinion only 13 And here by the way I cannot but wonder at our Dr ' s simplicity who cites Doctour Holden saying That no assent of Divine Faith can have any greater true and rational certainty then the assent of the Medium hath by which the obiect of Faith is applyed to the understanding First What if Dr Holden differ from others in explicating the certainty of Faith doth he therefore hold it fallible or only morally certain This followes not 2. Dr Still should here have told us what is meant by those words The assent of the medium by which c For if the Catholick Doctour teach that the Medium now spoken of is the Divine Revelation applyed by Motives Metaphysically certain he may well assert that Faith as true and rational mark the words can have no greater certainty then that medium known by natural discourse gives yet this hinders not that higher certainty grounded on the Revealers Authority believed and upon God's command as is already explained 14 Dr Still from his P. 376 to P. 400. besides endless Tautologies all tending to shew Faith unreasonable for want of Motives already answered and much ill language not worth answering gives me little to reflect on Yet his 383 P. must not passe wholly unexamined where got into à Dungeon he cryes out against the obscure tendency of Faith upon its own obiect though he knowes or should know that old Maxim Fides est credere quod non vides The truth is grounded vpon our Saviours words to S. Thomas Blessed are those who believe and have not seen It s grounded on S. Peters words 2. Epist 1. 19. A light shining in à dark place upon S. Austin's Doctrin Epist 85. Faith hath its eyes wherewith after some manner quodammodo All Authors ascribe an obscure tendency to Faith it may se that to be true which yet it sees not and the Authority of many other Fathers Therefore S. Thomas rightly conclud's 2. 2. q. 5. a. 2. corp That the Intellectual power assents to à matter believed not because it see 's it either in it selfe or by any resolution made into the first Principles Seen but because it is convinced by the Divine Authority to assent to things Quae non videt which it see 's not Hence also Catholick Divines inferr that the very act of Faith purely considered as Faith see 's not by any evidence the Truth of what we believe otherwise to se evidently and to believe would be the same thing contrary to Christ words which annex happines to believing without seeing or clear evidence had of that obiect yet in darkness never to be perfectly dispelled untill we se God in the next life 15 But saith Dr Still The great things we believe are received upon the Authority of the Revealer yet so that we assert we have as great evidence that these things were revealed by God as the matter is capable of Here is no man knowes what hudled up in this dark expression As the matter is capable of Let us therefore proceed plainly You Sr believe the Mysterious Trinity because as you think God reveal's it in Scripture Have you by your act of Faith for here we speak not of the previous rational Evidence of Credibility Evidence that such à Revelation which was and is yet God's free act and might not have been doth now really exist Have you evidence of the true Sence
and do their utmost Of what efficacy Miracles are to render the Conversion of Iewes and Infidels not only difficult but impossible and I speak of such Miracles as have been wrought by the Professors of the Roman Catholick Church ever reputed Orthodox from the Apostles time In confirmation whereof I produce first S. Irenaeus Adversus Haereticos Lib. 2. C. 57. Some saith he cast out Divels others foretel things to come others by laying their hands on the Sick cure them Now also as we said the dead have also risen and lived with us for many yeares In his 6. Chapter he assures us that this Grace of working Miracles belong's only to the Catholick Church and saith Hereticks never restored sight to the blind nor strength to the lame nor wrought any such true Miracles in confirmation of their Gospel I produced also S. Basil speaking of that worthy Bishop of Neocaesarea S. Gregory deservedly called Thaumaturgus who removed à Mountain from the place it was in and none ever yet doubted or questioned the admirable works of this Ancient Fathers most plain for Miracles wrought in the Church glorious Saint S. Athanasius and S. Hierome amply relate the Miracles of S. Hilarion as Severus Sulpitius doth the wonders of S. Martin Bishop of Tours in France And the same S. Hierome Lib. adversas Vigilan c. 4. saith that the Signs and wonders wrought in the Temples of Martyrs prove highly beneficial both to Believers and the Increduious S. Ambrose Epist 85 was an Eye-witness of strange Miracles done by the Reliques of S. Gervasius and Protasius for proof whereof he appeal's to the sense and judgement of those who saw them You have known saith he nay you have seen many dispossessed of Divels many when they touched the Garments of Saints freed from their Infirmities S. Austin Lib 22 de Civitat c. 8. is most copious in relating the Miracles wrought by the glorious Martyr S. Stephen And Lib contra Epist Fundam cap. 4. 5. assert's that the true Church of Christ is proved and demonstrated S. Austins judgement by Miracles 8 These most evident Testimonies which evince glorious Miracles to have been wrought in the Church distinct from those registred in Holy Writ our wise Dr takes little notice of though I clearly laid them before his eyes with à further enlargement on every particular and expected an Answer But in lieu of this he blames me be cause I shew our Saviours Prediction of more numerous and greater Miracles exactly fulfilled I could wish he had perused better S. Chrisostom's whole Book against the Pagans Tomo 5. where speaking of S. Babylas Martyr he shew's that our Saviour's Prophecy was verifyed What the Dr Cavil's as not only in the cures wrought by S. Peters shadow and S. Pauls garments but moreover by the Reliques and Monuments of Saints namely S. Babylas and from thence infer's that Christ is God who did such wonders by his Servants But all this signifies nothing to the Dr though Christ our Lord expresly saith that his Saints should doe greater things than himself had done 9. Afterward I referred the Dr to our Venerable Bede both learned and virtuous for the undoubted Miracles of S. Cuthbert and many others in England then n. 6. I appealed to S. Bernard who I hope may pass for an honest man in his relation of S. Malachies life He had saith S. Bernard the Gift of Prophesy cured the sick changed mens minds to the better and Not a word to S. Bernard returned by the Dr. raysed the dead to life Again Here I also introduced S. Bernards own Miracles with the wonders of two other glorious Saints S. Dominick and the Seraphical S. Francis against whom the Dr spitt's à little venome but hurts neither Next to be brief for I cannot here transcribe that whole 8 chapter I touched upon the undubitable Miracles wrought in several places of Christendom Loreto Compostella Montaigue c. And finally concluded n. 18. with that admirable known cure wrought by Blessed Nor of the Miracles most evidently wrought as Montague S. Xaverius upon F. Marcellus Mastrilli in the City of Naples as also c. 9. with another evident Miracle at Zaragosa in Spain both done in our Memory And though in my last Treatise I urged the Dr to return an answer to these two known matters of fact divulged the whole world over yet his heart failed to meddle seriously with either and replyes nothing but what is to his shame as will appear afterward 10 Now before I come to weigh the Dr's weak Arguments I will plainly discover some chiefe enormous frauds and intolerable cheats one may rightly call them poysonable Ingredients which he contrary to Conscience hath cast into his whole Treatise with intention to beguile an unwary Reader 11 One palpable cheat is that he never A long stories of the Drs frauds and open Châ—â—â—ts distinguishes between the received Miracles of the Church and those which particular men relate whereof some are only probable others dubious and others false These he differences not but makes all fish that comes to his net A Story told by Iames Finaughty or Golganus weigh's as much with him as the most Authentick Miracle recorded by S. Irenaeus or S. Austin Hence when he touches upon à lesse certain Miracle he often closes his discourse with this nauseous repetition And what is this comparable to the works of Christ and his Apostles 12 By Church Miracles I first understand such as the most ancient Fathers have left upon record never Questioned never called into doubt by any These are innumerable some few and clear ones I set down Reas and Relig already cited but the Dr in à surly humour What is meant by Church Miracles galled with their Evidence silently passes by them not knowing what to reply 2. I understand by Church Miracles such as in latter Ages have been approved by the See Apostolick chiefly at the Canonization of Saints whereof witnesses have been produced upon oath and all imaginable Sincerity or Severity rather used to avoid Impostures and to make truth openly known These and the forenamed Miracles our Dr unworthily account's as unvalvable as every feigned story he rakes out of this or that private Author Though Iohn an Oakes or Hasenmullerus tell it all with him passes for à Church Miracle 13. A second cheat run's through his whole ill contrived discourse which is to perswade the Reader that the most learned and Holy Fathers of God's Church who plainly assert Miracles to have been wrought by the choisest Servants in it are open Impostors and manifest Another unworthy Cheat. Lyars The Sequel followes inevitably for if the Dr's Arguments have any force they evince or prove nothing that never since the Apostles dayes the Church had one true Miracle wrought in it Therefore not only the Church notwithstanding Her great care in the examination of Miracles but the Fathers also that produce innumerable are