Selected quad for the lemma: life_n
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B26348
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The prodigal return'd home, or, The motives of the conversion to the Catholick faith of E.L., Master of Arts in the University of Cambridge
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E. L. (E. Lydeott)
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1684
(1684)
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Wing L3525
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135,459
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418
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and after much enquiry it was evident to me they could not afford to Impartial Judgments any solid and real satisfaction For the main Pillar of the Protestant Religion being to make the Scripture the sole Rule of Faith I finding by clear conviction this foundation to be without Solidity how could I in Reason or Conscience stand firm to that Church which I saw built on so unstable a bottom And indeed were Protestants able to perform what they promise that is to resolve all Controversies of Faith by Sacred Scripture we should be so far from being true Christians the best of men that we were worse than Beasts if we should refuse to be judg'd thereby Wherefore it is a wrongful Imputation in them to bear the World in hand that we have not a due veneration of those Sacred Oracles of Divine Truth when our reverence and respect to them is in reality more than theirs our Canon more general our Expositions more elaborate humble and submissive and our Assent unchangeable to whatsoever the Church declares to be revealed by them or is contain'd in them evidently by necessary consequence They in the interim only believing by a Spirit with a strange presumption what they please saying and unsaying in Civil Wars among themselves as well as against us whom they call the common enemy what they think is for their present advantage to serve their turn on all occasions And while we necessarily urge to all Christians the Authority of the Church as the Pillar and ground of Truth we are so far from intending any diminution of their just esteem that if they can produce but one single place of Scripture evidently containing the contrary to what we believe Conclamatum est The controversy is at an end we will confess we are in the wrong and for this Miracle for 't will be no less when ever it is done yield the whole cause unto them But 'till then let thâ—m cease to traduce us as Non-Veneraâ—ers of Sacred Writ because we will not receive it for what God did never intend it and leave it to his Church And against the evidence of our own Eyes and long experience acknowledge it to have conditions fit and requisite for the plain and Infallible instruction of all Christians of the whole Law of Christ and final decision of all Controversies For that Scripture by it self cannot perform those necessary Offices in the Church will manifestly be made to appear in the following Sections But first I shall shew that herein they agree with other Hereticks and Dissent from the Antient Church as well as from Us in this main fundamental of their Religion SECT II. Hereticks from the beginning were accustomed to Appeal to Scripture as the sole Rule of Faith whereby they would be judg'd in opposition to the Traditionary Doctrine and Sense of the Catholick Church THat whatsoever is purely of Divine Faith depends necessary on the Word of God is sound Doctrine but that all Supernatural Verities revealed to the Church are so written in the received Canon as none can misunderstand them is a most dangerous position yet the Anchora Sacra and chief refuge of old condemned Hereticks as well as of our modern Adversaries who groundiug their novel Opinions upon Texts of Scripture as interpreted by their own private Reason do at last make them Heretical by choosing pertinaciously to adhere to them against the Sense and Judgement of the Church A sad Case this that with the Waters of Life they should suck in Eternal Death into their Souls But alas Thus they turn Remedies into Diseases and blind their Eyes with the Heavenly Light of the Word becoming so much the more incorrigible because they perswade themselves even against evidence if seeing they would see that they have Divine Authority for their Doctrines The Arians in the Controversy between them and Catholicks about the Divinity of Christ would admit nothing but Scripture as St. Austin testifies bringing in Maximus an Arian Bishop thus disputing with him If you produce any thing Cont Max. l. 1. Init. out of the Divine Scriptures which are cemmon to all of necessity we must give ear unto it But these words which are without Scripture in no Case are received by us The direct Language of Protestants who in this however are perfect Arians The Macedonians impugning the Divinity of the Holy Ghost rejected the Gloria Patri Filio Spiritui Sancto whereby the Church professes her belief of a Trinity of Persons in the Unity of the Divine Essence because not contained in Holy Writ Witness St. Basil They Li. de Sp. S. c. 25 26. the Macedonians cease not to brag up and down that the Glorification of God with the Holy Ghost wants Testimony wants Scripture Thus they then and thus Protestants now in points controverted between them and us But hear the same Holy Fathers answer Verily against The Church then in â—hâ—r Doxology us'd Cum Spiritu Sancto as El Spiritui Sancto that they say the Preposition cum Spiritu Sancto to want Testimony nor to be extant in Scripture we reply thus If nothing else be received without the Scripture neither truly let this be received by us without Scripture let us also receive this among many other For I think it Apostolical to adhere to the unwritten Traditions You see we need not new words to condemn the Protestants who will never be able to give any rational satisfaction why they receive some things not in Scripture only upon the score of Church-Tradition and yet refuse other alike commended to them by the same Authority In all reason they deserve an equal reception and so they must become Catholicks Euryches the Arch-Heretick denyed Christ to be perfect man as well as perfect God and for his defence appealed to Scripture Ergo a S. Scripturâ—s 〈…〉 saith he have vet learned from the Sacred Scrâ—ptures of two Natures To whom it was replyed Neither have we been Concit Chalced. Act. 1. taught the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 from Sacred Writ Which must needs put him to a bashful silence the verity of Christ's Humane Nature being as fully deliver'd in Scripture as his Divine though not in such express terms as they required And therefore both either to be necessarily receiv'd or rejected by them But Protestants certainly have far less to say for themselves who with the Eutychians receiving the term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not found in Scripture yet deny the Corporal presence of Christ in the Blessed Eucharist by a real though Invisible Change of the Visible Elements when My Flesh is Meat indeed and my Blood is Drink Joh. 6. 51. 55. indeed And again The Bread that I will give is my Flesh which I will give for the Life of the World And the most Sacred words of Institution This is my Body This is my Plood are plain and express terms as any Doctrine can be delivered unto our capacity The Pelagians to
proceed SECT II. A further Declaration of the Sanctity taught and practis'd in the Roman Church OUr Creed assures us that Holiness is a badge of the true Church that being one Article of the twelve I believe the Holy Catholick Church The Psalmist tells us That Holiness Beautifies the House of Ps l. 92. God for ever We learn from our Blessed Saviour That a tree is known Mat. 7. 16 17 18. by its fruit and therefore as a good tree cannot bring forth bad fruit so a bad tree cannot bring forth good fruit The great Apostle of the Gentiles informs us That Christ gave himself Eph 5. 26 27. for his Church cleansing her by the laver of Baptism in his word that he might present her to himself a glorious Church not having spot or wrinkle but that she might be holy and unspotted And beside Precepts the Evangelical Law doth councel us to walk in a way of sublime perfection by following Christ our Master with no ordinary Cross on our shoulders which Protestants think insupportable yea impossible and 't is so indeed to flesh and blood But he who invites us to it hath born the burden of it himself that it might become not only tolerable but easie and delightful to willing Souls Else we had never heard from his Sacred Lips Qui potest capere capiat He Mat. 19. â—2 that can receive it let him receive it After he had told us of those who make themselves Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven And afterwards If thou wilt be perfect go and ver 21. sell all that thou hast and give to the poor and thou shalt have treasure in Heaven and come and follow me And to make this Heavenly Counsel more operative assures us That whosoever forsakes House or Brethren ver 29. or Sisters or Father or Mother or Wife or Children or Lands for his Name sake shall receive a hundred fold and also inherit everlasting life Now the rayes of this sublime Holiness do not only shine forth gloriously in the Lives of Catholicks among whom multitudes of Souls enflamed with the fire of Divine Love by forsaking whatsoever is near and dear to flesh and blood by a generous and wonderful contempt of the World the Honours Riches and Glory of it by Crucifying even the Lawful Pleasures of the Flesh by a perfect abnegation of their Wills in exact obedience to Spiritual Directors by wholly devoting themselves to a Life of Spirituality in the continual exercises of Prayer and Mortification Do perfect Holiness in the fear of God These are those Angels on earth who make themselves Eunuchs for the Kingdom of Heaven who breathing after perfection and panting after Glory make God their only Treasure who with Mary chusing the better part which shall never be taken from them do forsake all things whatsoever to follow Christ These are those Virgin-Souls Who cleansing 2 Cor. 7. 1. themselves from all defilements of Flesh and Spirit or as St. Paul elsewhere Phrases it Sollicitous to be holy in Body and Spirit are altogether 1 Cor. 7. 32 c. busied about the things of our Lord how they may please him Who spend their lives in voluntary Afflictions in wonderful Austerities in much Patience in admired Chastity in Love unfeigned in profound Humility in Watchings and Fastings in Solitude and Silence in Prayer and Contemplation in abstraction from Temporal Affairs that no ordinary pollutions of sin contracted by conversing with the World may sully the purity of their hearts which only makes them precious in the Eyes of their Spiritual Bridegroom and in a most inexpressible manner united to him And indeed by these means vigorously prosecuted with perseverance they at length arrive to such a transcendency and forgetfulness of all created things to such a contempt and annihilation of themselves to such a Heavenly-mindedness and attention to God only to such glorious manifestations of him to such a gustful knowledge of his infinite perfections to such an experimental apprehension of the Divine presence within them to such an unspeakable fruition and repose in him with the full extent of their wills that in a manner they become deify'd and enjoy as much of Heaven as Souls are capable of in mortal Bodies Which most intime union and communion with God so sublime and ravishing none either are not can be partakers of who walk not in the use of the same means whereby it only is attainable For purity of heart is a necessary and the immediate disposition to divine union and according to the degrees of Holiness in the Soul this glorious union is more or less participated Now the nature of Sanctity consisting in a separation as well of persons as things and places from profane and common uses with a special reference to God or as some explain it importing principally two things First Purity in being wash'd from the filth of sin and drain'd from the polluting commixture of terene dregs which the Greeks had an eye to in expressing a Saint by the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is one without Earth Secondly Firmness and Stability in the wayes of God it necessarily follows that those Happy Souls more especially attain to this transcendent union with God who become perfect Nazarites in separating themselves from the World and the things of it that they may the better love and please and serve God with all their Heart with all their Mind and with all their Strength And to confirm their Wills in these endeavours after the perfecting of Holiness do by Religious vows offer themselves to God that he may be wholly theirs and they wholly his for Time and for Eternity Now I appeal to Protestants themselves whether these means of Sanctity are to be found among them who not only practice not but deride and Scoff at this sublime way to perfection in the Church of Rome making themselves merry with our Devotions But as Wisdom so Holiness is manifested by effects in her Children And there needs no more to testify who is their Father And if any doubt whether such earnest endeavours after Holiness and this sublime way of walking with God by having our Conversation in a manner continually in Heaven while we are on earth be the constant Doctrine of the Roman Church if they will be pleased to consult Catholick Authors they may receive abundant satisfaction from that incomparable Book of the imitation of Christ the Heavenly Writings of St. Francis de Sales Bishop of Geneva the excellent Works of Ludovicus Granatensis so famous for practical Divinity that sublime Piece of Spirituality the Scale of Perfection and to name no more Sancta Sophia for Books of this nature are infinite And if they desire to see the best Commentaries of such Heavenly Doctrines in those happy Countries where Catholick Religion is publickly profess'd they may waving the failures of some who like as in the Colledge of the Apostles such is humane weakness deviate from