answered but is indeed a meere toye and if it prooue any thing it prooues the Title of this Chapter to be true If sayth he (t) Pag. 326. this Doctrine of the absolute certainty of Christian Fayth were true then seeing not any the least doubting can consist with a most infallible certainty it will follow that euery least doubting in any matter of Fayth though resisted and inuoluntary is a damnable sinne absolutly destructiue so long as it lasts of all true and sauing Fayth Doth not this Sophisme tend also to prooue that if one be tempted with inuoluntary doubts against the Truths I spake of he must forfeit his certainty that there is a God or that Christian Fayth is certainly probable and so either incurre damnation without his owne fault which is impossible or attaine heauen without any certaine beliefe or knowledge that there is a God or that Christian Fayth is certainly probable 2. As for the argument it selfe it is of no moment It doth not distinguish betwixt the Habit of Fayth whereby Christians are permanently denominated Faithfull and which remaines euen when we are a sleepe and the Act or exercise thereof which may be hindred by many good employments as study or serious attention to any businesse without the least preiudice to the Habit of which we are depriued only by Voluntary errours or doubts against it not by those which are inuoluntary and resisted If this answere giue not satisfaction let him either afford a better against his owne obiection or else professe that he doth not certainly belieue there is a God or that he is not certaine that Christian Fayth and Religion is so much as probable And by the way me thinks he should reflect that if he thinke euery Act destroyes the cōtrary habit and in that respect no doubting may consist with the habit of infallible fayth then the Doctrine of Catholicke Diuines that euery voluntary Act of Heresy or Infidelity is destructiue of the habit of Fayth should not in reason and true consequence be tearmed by him (v) Pag. 368. a vaine and groundlesse fancy 3. An other argument to prooue the fallibility of Christian Fayth in effect is this (w) Pag. 326. We pray for the increase and strengthning of our Fayth Therefore our Fayth is not infallible You might as well argue We may pray for a high degree of happines in heauen Therefore euery Saint in heauen is not perfectly happy Do you not know that there may be intension of degrees euen in qualities which haue no mixture of the contrary No light includes darknes yet one light may be greater then another Thus the most imperfect acte of fayth is most certaine in the most perfect kind of certainty though not most certaine in the most perfect degree of certainty and we may well belieue that the least degree of Christian Fayth is incompatible with any deliberate and not resisted doubt or vncertainty and yet pray for the increase thereof If you deny this then tell me whether you may not pray for the increase of your beliefe of a God and his Attributes and for the strengthning of it against all temptations rising either from the suggestions of the enemy or from the weakenesse of mans vnderstanding in order to so high misteryes as also of your certainty that Christian Religion is probable in the higest degree of probability and when you haue granted that you may as I hope you will then you will haue answered your owne argument vnlesse you will acknowledge your selfe not to be certaine that there is a God or that Christian Religion is probable 4. A third reason wherby he endeauours to prooue that Christian Fayth is not absolutely certaine is this in substance That seeing as S. Iohn assures vs (x) Pag. 326. our Fayth is the victory which ouercomes the world if our Fayth be a certaine infallible knowledge our victory ouer the world must of necessity be perfect and it should be impossible for any true belieuer to commit any deliberate sinne How this doth follow I cannot perceiue no more then one can inferre that Christians cannot commit as grieuous sinnes as men that reiect Christianity because the beliefe of Christians is true and the beliefe of others is false The Angels in heauen and Adam in Paradise were indued with infallible Fayth yea and with Euidence in the opinion of diuers good Diuines and yet the Angels and Adam sinned deliberatly and damnably Fayth doth direct but not necessitate the will which still remayning free may choose good or euill If he will still maintayne the argument for good then he must be conuinced to say that he doth not with certainty belieue a God or that vertue is to be imbraced because he can doubtlesse commit deliberate sinnes against God and vertue 5. Not vnlike to this is another reason (y) Ibid. That Charity being the effect of Fayth if our Fayth were perfect Charity would be perfect so no man could possibly make any progresse in it Giue me leaue to speake to your selfe do you not see that by this reason if you belieue in God with certainty your loue of God must be perfect without possibility to make any progresse in it which because it is false it must follow by force of your Argument that you do not with certainty belieue a God But as for the reason in it selfe because it concernes more then your selfe I must tell you that it doth falsly suppose that Charity is both an immediate and necessary effect of Fayth without interuention of Freewill which may refuse to follow the direction of Fayth and either wholy cease to loue God or loue him now more now lesse And therefore no wonder if vpon a false supposall that follow which is also false 6. This is not a time to enter into long discourses how you confound certainty with perfection as if because Fayth is absolutely certaine but yet obscure it must be also absolutely perfect which is a great mistake for it wants the perfection of euidence hath a possibility annexed to it that it may be both resisted and reiected But it will not be vnpleasant notwithstanding nor vntimely to stand a while and see how excessiuely confident you are of the strength and force of the foresaid Arguments and the contentment which you take in them Thus you speake of them (z) Pag. 326. 327. These you see are strange and portentous consequences and yet the deduction of them is cleere and apparent which shewes this doctrine of yours you meane our doctrine of the infallibility of Christian Fayth which you would faine haue true that there might be some necessity of your Churches infallibility to be indeed plainly repugnant not only to Truth but euen to all Religion and piety and fit for nothing but to make men negligent of making any progresse in Fayth or Charity And therefore I must intreat and adiure you either to discouer vnto me which I take God to witnesse
for all those that obey Christ Iesus may be able to sway our will to Obedience and encounter with all those temptations which flesh and bloud can suggest to auert vs from it Ioine these two doctrines togeather the issue will be that any probable beliefe of Christian verities or euen of a God must suffice to saluation as enabling vs to worke by loue Now it is cleere that your graine of mustardseed your any probable persuasion or hope are verified in any low degree of probability of fayth in Christ or God and yet they do not exclude equal or greater probability in behalfe of the contrary part for example that Christ is not the Sauiour of the world or that there is not a God whence it followes that a man may attayne saluation though he belieue with equall or greater probability that Christ is not the Sauiour of the world or that there is not a God then is that wherewith he belieues the same and all other mysteries of Christian Fayth Whether this tend not to Iudaisme Turcisme Paganisme or Atheisme and to the ouerthrow of all Christianity I need not say 7. Moreouer who can oblige any vnderstanding man to dye for auerring the Truth of that Fayth wherof he proclaymes himselfe to haue no certainty And you O glorious Martyrs of Christ our Lord did rather spill then shed your bloud if you were so prodigall therof for a truth not certainly belieued to be such This is the very same argument which mellifluous S. Bernard brings against Petrus Abailardus a Progenitour of the Socinians who in those dayes taught that Christian Fayth was but opinion and not infallibly certaine (p) Epist. 190. Stulti ergo Martyres nostri sayth this Saint sustinentes tam acerba propter incerta nec dubitantes sub dubio remunerationis proemio durum per exitum diuturnum inire exilium S. Paul sayth (q) Rom. 5.7 Scarce for a iust man doth any dye And we may say who will giue his life for a Truth and most of all who will not only giue his life but thinke himselfe bound vnder paine of eternall damnation to lay it downe in testimony of that which for ought he certainly knowes may prooue to be an vniust and vntrue thing Was the precious bloud of Christ our Lord which by infinite degrees excelled that of Martyrs shed in such abundance for purchasing probabilities or for the impetration of Grace to enable his seruants to dye for the truth of things which in fine they esteemed but probable 8. Far be it from the harts of Christians to belieue and their tongues to professe that a God of infinite wisedome and goodnesse would oblige himselfe to reward men with euerlasting happines for imbracing the mysteries of Christian Fayth which may once proue false and to adiudge men to endles torments for adhering to the contrary which in the end may be found true if Christian Fayth can possibly be false as false it may be if it be but probable 9. Neuer could any doctrine be offered to the sonnes of Adam more plausible then that our beliefe of Heauen and Hell is but an opinion in it selfe and no way certayne concerning things of another world whereas worldly pleasures are in present possession and certaine If the greatest certainty wherewith all Christians hitherto haue belieued their fayth to abound hath not byn able to stay the cariere of mens licenciousnesse what shall we now expect but that flattered by this doctrine they who before did runne will now fly after the Idols of whatsoeuer may appeare to their soules or bodies obiects of delight 10. No lesse liberty doth this doctrine affoard for belieuing then it doth for liuing giuing scope to Apostasyes and endlesse changes of Religions as this man 's fourefold alteration makes manifest if all be true which is reported of him In which inconstancy notwithstanding he seemes to glory stiling it (r) Prefa n. 5. his Constancy in following that way to heauen which for the present seemes to him the most probable But of this more hereafter 11. I will doe him the fauour to suppose that he holds no Religion more certainly true then that of Christians which yet to him being not certaine what remaines in his persuasion and doctrine but that for matters of fayth and Religion God hath prouided no certainty on earth which is not only of very ill consequence as I haue said amōgst Christians themselues but exposeth Christian Religion to contempt among the enemies thereof and disbelieuers of it which this man it seemes doth not value a hayre but measuring euery body by himselfe taxeth Christians generally to be of the like weakenes vngroundednes vnsetlednes in their beliefe For sayth (s) Pag. 327. n. 5. he men may talke their pleasure of an absolute most infallible certainty but did men generally belieue that obedience to Christ were the only way to present and eternall felicity but as firmely and vndoubtedly as that there is such a Citty as Constantinople but as much as Caesars Commentaries or the history of Salust I belieue the liues of most men both Papists and Protestants would be better then they are I leaue the Censure of this Doctrine to others I only note first how poore a conceit this man himselfe hath endeauoureth to instill into others of the ground or adhesion which Christians vndoubtedly haue in their beliefe making it no more solid or firme then the beliefe of Caesars Commentaries c. And secōdly that it may perchance be his fortune to be really forbidden to write any more bookes if he can make no better consequences then to conclude the want of Fayth or firmenesse of Fayth in Christians from the faults in their liues seeing there may be in a manner infinite other causes why they do not liue as they most firmely belieue they should 12. This therefore you see is his doctrine concerning Christian Fayth that it is weake and weakely grounded that it is resolued into the authority of men as the beliefe of Constantinople Chap. 2. and Caesars Commentaries that a Christian may really and deliberatly doubt of the points of his fayth and yet be a Christian that is faythfull But that which doth most manifestly discouer the impiety of this doctrine and of this his manner of arguing is that the reasons by which he pretends to maintayne it induce plaine Atheisme that is they conclude as well that men can haue no certaine beliefe knowledge or assent that there is a God or that we are certaine that Christian Fayth is euen so much as probable which now I am going to shew The Grounds of this Doctrine leade to Atheisme CHAP. II. 1. I Said in the former Chapter that if a Christian be not certaine that his beliefe is true he may according to this mans owne cōfession doubt whether it be not false I pleaded his Confession vpon an Argument of his which perhaps seemed to him a great subtilty and hard to be
CHRISTIANITY MAINTAINED OR A Discouery of sundry Doctrines tending to the Ouerthrovve of Christian Religion Contayned in the Answere to a Booke entituled Mercy and Truth or Charity maintayned by Catholiques Bringing into captiuity all Vnderstanding vnto the Obedience of Christ 2. Cor. 10.5 What is more contrary to Fayth then not to belieue any thing to which Reason cannot reach S. Bernard Epist 190. Permissu Superiorum 1638. TO THE HIGH AND MIGHTY PRINCE CHARLES King of Great-Brittaine France and Ireland c. May it please your Most Excellent Maiesty MY Presumption vvere not easily excusable Most gracious Soueraigne in flying to the Sanctuary of your Maiesty for the protection of this poore Treatise if the great importance of the Cause vvherof I vvrite did not change my Feare into Hope and raise vp my Hope as high as Confidence that Christianity Maintayned by vvhat pen soeuer it be performed needeth not feare to find benigne acceptance from so Gracious and Great a King as you are vvho glory more in that most Sacred name of being a Christian then in that most ancient Stocke of Royall Progenitours vvhich so gloriously adornes the Diademe of your Sacred Maiesty For I do not in this occasion pretend to act either the Offensiue or Defensiue part of any one particular Religion honoured vvith the Name of Christianity but I only come in the generall Name of a Christian Church vvithout treating vvhether it be Latin or Greeke East or VVest of England or of Rome and therefore I cannot despayre of being graciously admitted by your Maiesty My Scope and VVorke as I am saying is only to maintaine the authority of Holy Scripture the Mystery of the Blessed Trinity the Deity of our Blessed Sauiour the infallibility of his Apostles the povver of his Miracles the necessity of his Grace and of the absolute Certainty of Christian Fayth against an Aduersary vvho seeketh to turne the diuine beliefe of Christians into humane Opinion (a) Pag. 36. 37. pag. 112. n. 154. Who teacheth that our assurance of holy Scripture of all the verityes contained therein is but (b) Ibid. probable and credible and consequently such as may vvell be false Who continually vrgeth (c) Pag. 112. lin 3. that God as sure as he is good neither doth nor can require of Christians an infallible and certainly vn-erring Beliefe of his vvord That men neither are bound nor can belieue diuine Reuelations (d) Pag. 330. lin 13.25.33 further then they are made apparent euident to them and that it sufficeth vnto Saluation to belieue the Gospell (e) Pag. 37. lin 20. sâ—qu as vve do other Stories as much as vve do (f) Pag. 327 n. 5. lin 28. Cesars Commentaries or the Hi story of Salust Who proclaimes (g) Pag. 144. n. 31. the Apostles vvith the vvhole Church of their time to haue erred in matters of fayth euen after they had receiued the Holy Ghost That after their Deaths (h) Pag. 292. infine 293. Initio the vvhole Church vvas presently infected vvith vniuersall Errour and that the vvhole Church of the (i) Pag. 338. lin 5. Gentils may fall avvay into Infidelity Who shutteth (k) Pag. 292. 393. the gates of Mercy against penitent sinners Finally vvho openeth an easy vvay for the deniall of all those maine points of Christianity aboue mentioned as it vvill appeare in this ensuing Treatise Vouchsafe therefore Most gracious Soueraigne to consider hovv Christianity is impugned by some euen in this your Kingdome and the incoueniences and dangers thereof and preuent both them and such others of the selfe same kind as may grovv greater if they be not preuented by your Zeale and Care I cannot doubt but that your Maiesty vvill do it euen for the Piety of the thing it selfe though my Aduersary vvho yet pretends that he is vvholy of your Maiesties Religion giues you a more particular offence by departing from the very doctrines vvhich you belieue For besides diuers other single differeÌ„ces he neither allovves the Nine and thirty Articles vvhich your Maiesty in your Royall Declaration affirmes to containe the true Doctrine of the Church of England nor holds he the Succession of Bishops to be necessary in Gods Church Pag. 356. sequ vvhich experience teaches to tend expresly to the confusion of the said Church and destruction of Monarchy And though God hath made your Maiesty most happy both in a Royall Consort of singular and rare endovvments both of Body and Mind vvith a plentifull and most hopefull Issue vvhich vvith my hart I begge may euen last to the very end of the vvorld and vvith an Obedient Loyall People and vvith povver both at land and sea and vvith times both of Plenty and Peace vvhilst almost all your Neighbours are in vvarre and vvant yet nothing vvill euer be more able to establish You in all these Felicityes nor to auert all disasters from your Maiesty then not to permit that there be any conniuence at such enormous Errours as these vvhich partly openly partly couertly are vented against Christ our Lord and all Christian Fayth The God of Heauen preserue your Maiesty in all Health and Happinesse to his greatest Glory your Maiestyes ovvne Felicity and to the ioy comfort of all your Kingdomes Your Maiesties most humble and most obedient loyall subiect I. H. To the Christian Reader WONDER not Christian Reader That I entitle this Little Treatise Christianity Maintained I giue it that Name because that is the thing which I endeauour heer to make good against one who ouerthrows Christianity not by remote Principles or strained Inferences but by direct assertions cleere deductioÌ„s naturally flowing from diuers of his doctrines which if it be made appeare I cannot but hope that all who take comfort in the glorious and most happy name of Christian will giue me the right hands of fellowship in this Common Cause Ancient Pacianus sayes (a) Epist ad Semprou of euery orthodoxe belieuer that Christian is his name Catholicke his Surname Catholicke cannot be conceiued without Christian But Christianity so long as it is maintained wil afford some common Principles of beliefe which may direct men to find that one Catholicke Church of Christians by meanes whereof our Lord hath decreed to giue Grace and Glory Let therfore neither preiudice auert nor priuat respects diuert the good Readers vnderstanding from weighing in an equal ballance that which is herce layd before it God forbid any Christian should exceed the desper are folly of the Iewes who would not depose their priuat quarells euen while they were circled with a hostile army of Romans or be losse aduised then the Romans who tooke occasion to make peace at home by the pronocations of the Enemy abroad indging it wifedome to be swayed with feare of greater euill especially when they could do it vnder the honourable title of a Common (c) Liu. lib. 2. good In which
respect I lay asde and as it were forget at this present the Surname of Catholicke while my scope is to maintaine Christianity 1. But I must notwithstanding by the way desire thee by example of this Man whose errours I vndertake to discouer that thou wilt be pleased to reflect vpon the misery into which they do bring themselues who forsaking in truth that glorious Surname content themselues with the only name of Christians For consequently hauing lost the Guift and Light of supernaturall and infused Fayth which in their Christendome they receaued they lye so open to all manner of deceites that though they be warned of them they runne vnawares into them because not regarding or not esteeming and weighing the necessity and importance of a Guide they follow the Eye of their owne Reason only which is too short-sighted to preserue them from falling into the manifold pitfalls which lye on all sides of Christian Fayth as we learne by all those who in all ages haue swarued from it 2. This Man as the world knowes had warning abundant in a little Treatise called The Direction that he should not goe a destructiue way tending to the ouerthrow of all Religion Direct â—a 4. per totuÌ„ no lesse then of Catholicke Doctrine How little he hath obserued it will appeare by the ensuing discourse penned to the like intent and to no other then I dare say the Direction was to wit to preuent or rather now to discouer Socinianisme couertly creeping into this Kingdome vnder the shrowde of Naturall Reason The vanome of which Sect being still as it seemes growing or as I may say compounding it is no wonder if the enemy of mankind doth vse all his art to make that Treatise more and more odious by which it began to be detected The Direction falsified 3. For to what other purpose doth this man in his preface say against all Truth and against the word of the letter that the Author of the Direction fastens the (a) Prefat n. 7. imputation of Atheisme and Irreligion vpon all wise and gallant men that are not of our owne Religion and this in a different letter as the very words of the Directour who yet hath neither any such words or sense And againe that (b) Prefat n. 2â— as the Samaritans saw in the Disciples couÌ„tenances that they meant to goe to Hierusalem so you pretend it is euen legible in the forheads of those men that they that is some Protestants of worth and learning and auctority too are euen going nay making hast to Rome words set downe in a different letter and in the same context with the other words of the Direction which yet hath not any one such word or syllable And the Author was farre from presuming to meddle with the intentions of those persons with whom this man would make him odious 4. He neither commended nor discommended nor so much as considered their vicinity to vs. His purpose was to shew that for want of some publicke infallible Authority they could not possibly auoyd frequent variations by which whether they fell to come neerer to vs or to go further from vs was not materiall to his purpose Let altars be demolished to morrow let pictures be defaced let all that is done be vndone These last alterations will prooue his intent as strongly as the others can wherein they happen to agree with vs. For his scope being to discouer the impietyes of the Socinians and to preuent the hurt of soules by forewarning them of the danger to this end he declared some of the reasons for which this Sect disperseth it selfe and is able to do it by working vpon the minds of diuers Protestants The chiefest he affirmed to be the want of a publicke infallible Iudge of Controuersyes without which they are left to their owne priuate spirît or wit and discourse which must of necessity bring forth a multitude of differences altercations and alterations and end in Socinianisme the quintessence whereof is to resolue Fayth into Opinion or into euery mans owne Reason and Persuasion Now to shew that for want of some liuing Guide alterations in matters of Fayth and Religion must needes be frequent he alle adged such instances as lay open to the knowledge and euen to the eye of euery man and might afford a more sensible demonstration of what he intended to euince Yet so that as I said before his Argument receaued strength not from their comming neere to vs but from their altering from themselues From thence to inferre that they must intend Popery because they happen to agree with vs in some things or rather seeme to agree but indeed differ is iust as if one should say The first Protestants in England intended to persist in Papistry euen when they purposed the contrary yea euen when they did actually depart from vs Because forsooth they were not so furious against euery particular doctrine of Catholicks as some others were And I wonder how these men dare belieue the B. Trinity and other principall mysteries of Christian Fayth since they must by this meanes agree with Papists and so may feare least themselues be in a way to Popery 5. Others are apt to belieue on the contrarie side that the Directour was so farre from hoping that Protestants would become Catholicks by these degrees as that he rather feared it might be a cause of some temptation to Catholicks and a setling of Protestancy more effectually then could haue been performed either by the feruour of Zelots or feare of Death or any other meanes And therfore I make bold to say that although we Catholicks his Maiesties most humble and loyall subiects should be most vnworthy and vngratefull creatures if we did not with deepest thankefulnes acknowledge our infinite obligation to the tender Clemency of our dread Soueraigne Yet I may truly say if such a Truth may be spoken without offence that by many degrees They are more vnreasonable and vnthankefull who are vnquiet because the most moderate that is the most powerfull meanes which can be thought of are put in execution for establishing that which they pretend to desire I meane the Protestant Religion vnlesse indeed they desire Protestancy should perish if it do not in all respects perfectly and punctually sute with their humours For it is a true saying Moderate things may last but no Violence can long endure 6. This then was the Directours intention free from all malignity and directed only to matters of Religion and good of soules in the manner declared aboue Which to be true I haue heard him affirme most seriously by all that can be feared or hoped for in the next life for all eternity and therefore he could not but be sorry that any writing of his was interpreted to an other meaning of which if he had but once imagined his words to haue been capable himselfe without so much as hearing any plea of defense would haue been the first to haue sentenced
aggregate of Iewes Manicheans Arians and other condemned sects which all good Christians ought to detest I hartily with their Conuersion yet if they will obstinately resist in despite of their inuentions the words of the Apostle will be verified Iesus Christ yesterday and to day Hebr. 13. â— the same also for euer And they shall giue a fearefull account for their contempt of al Churches and errours against Christian Fayth when repentance will nothing auaile Euen at that day when as S. Ambrose grauely sayth Lib. 5. de fide c. 7. The Iew shall perforce acknowledge whom he crucified when the Manichean shall adore whom he belieued not to haue come in flesh when the Arian shall confesse him to be omnipotent whom he denied And I may adde when all good Christians shall ioyfully behold him whose Fayth they laboured to Maintaine The Doctrines confuted in the ensuing Treatise THe first Doctrine That Fayth necessary to Saluation is not infallible Chap. 1. The grounds of this Doctrine lead to Atheisme Chap. 2. The second Doctrine That the assurance which we haue of Scriptures is but morall Chap. 3. The third Doctrine That the Apostles were not infallible in their Writings but erred with the whole Church of their tyme. Chap. 4. The fourth Doctrine Iniurious to the miracles of our Sauiour and of his Apostles Chap. 5. The fifth Doctrine By resoluing Fayth into Reason he destroyes the nature of Fayth and Beliefe of all Christian Verities Chap. 6. The sixt Doctrine Destructiue of the Theologicall Vertues of Christian Hope and Charity Chap. 7. The seauenth Doctrine Takes away the grounds of Rationall Discourse Chap. 8. The eight Doctrine Opens a way to deny the B. Trinity and other high mysteries of Christian Fayth Chap. 9. The ninth Doctrine Layes grounds to be Constant in no Religion Chap. 10. The tenth Doctrine Prouides for the impunity and preseruation of whatsoeuer damnable Errour against Christian Fayth Chap. 11. The Conclusion CHRISTIANITY MAINTAINED OR The discouery of sundry Doctrines tending to the Ouerthrow of Christian Religion The first Doctrine That Fayth necessary to Saluation is not Infallible CHAP. I. CHRISTIAN Fayth being the foundation of Hope the eye of Charity the lesser light appointed for the night of this world the Way to Heauen if this Foundation be faulty this Eye deceitfull this Light an Eclypse to it selfe this way erroneous our Hope Charity Light Happinesse and all Christianity must end Chap. 1. in worse then nothing in euerlasting vnhappines For as S. Thomas said to our Sauiour (a) Io. 14.5 We know not whither thou goest and how can we know the way So what will it auaile vs to know whither we goe if we follow a misleading way the Direction of a Fayth weake waueriug and subiect to Errour such is Christian Fayth in this man's iudgment deliuered in the Doctrine with which I thought fit to begin in regard it is the substance and summe of that which he deliuers and labours to prooue through his whole booke and is persuaded that it is of great and singular vse and demonstrable by vnanswerable arguments 2. I must confesse it is of great vse to ground Socinianisme which as the (b) Cap. 1. p. 7. Direction fortold reiecteth infallible supernaturall infused Fayth from being necessary to saluation and maketh our Christian Fayth of the Gospell and of Christ Iesus our Lord and Sauiour to be a meere human opinion resolued into the authority of men of no greater certainty then other human Traditions and Histories knowne by report Hence the saying in Charity Maintayned that an absolute certainty of Fayth is necessary to Saluation he taxeth deeply as (c) Pag. 328. most pernicious and vncharitable and els where (d) Pag. 325. n. 3. as a great errour of daungerous pernicious consequence yea pag. 37. thus he writeth Men being possessed with this false principle that Infallible Fayth is necessary and that it is in vaine to belieue the Gospell of Christ with such a kind or degree of assent as they yield to other matter of Tradition and finding that their Fayth of it is to them indiscernable from the beliefe they giue to the truth of other stories are in daunger not to belieue at all c. It is true that pag. 36. n. 8. he sayth We cannot ordinarily haue any rationall and acquired assent more then morall founded vpon credibilities wherby some may conceiue that besides human and rationall Fayth he supposes and requires Diuine Fayth which is a pure sincere firme adhesion to Gods word not caused by reason and discourse but infused by the Holy Ghost's inspiration into a belieuing soule But in truth he disclaimes from any necessity of Diuine Fayth or any diuine light aboue the light of meere reason and will haue men to be saued by the natiue forces of human rationall and fallible Fayth Men sayth he (f) Vbi supra pa. 36. n. 8. are vnreasonable God requires not any thing but reason They pretend that heauenly things cannot be seene to any purpose but by the midday-light but God will be satisfyed if we receiue any degree of Light which makes vs leaue the works of darknesses They exact a certainty of Fayth aboue that of sense and science God desires only that we belieue the conclusion as the premisses deserue wherof in rationall Fayth one is euer weake credible and not infallible And againe pag. 112. n. 154. Neither God doth nor man may require of vs as our duety to giue a greater assent to the mysteries of our Fayth then the motiues of credibility which are fallible deserue This is his doctrine which he deliuers often makes vse thereof to reiect the infallible Authority of Gods Church so prophane impious vnchristian as I wonder that a man professing himselfe a Christian durst venture to vent the same in print in a Christian country For is the certainty of the Fayth which Christians yield to the truth of the Gospell to the life of Christ Iesus our Lord and Sauiour to the histories of holy Scripture of no greater discernable certainty then the beliefe we yield to humane traditions I appeale to the conscience of euery true Christian whether he do not most cleerely discerne his assent to the Truths of holy Scripture to be superiour and incomparably more firme then his beliefe of meere humane storyes That the Serpent spake vnto Eue and persuaded her to eat of the forbidden tree that our first Parents were naked and did not perceiue it till they had eaten of the forbidden apple these storyes other the like would any Christian belieue them yea would they not laugh at them as they doe at Aesops Fables were they not of more credit with them then Caesars Commentaries or Salusts histories as this man * Pag. 327. n. 5. saith they are not That God requires not any thing of vs but only reason That he exacts no more then that we belieue the misteries of Christian Fayth with
knew to be such so in this place his owne Iudgment touching some things which God had not particularly reuealed vnto him This doctrine is subiect to the same iust exceptions which were alleadged against the former For if once we deny vniuersall infallibility to the Apostles we cannot belieue them with infallibility in any one thing but still we may be doubting whether they speake out of their owne spirit and not by diuine Reuelation though they should euen declare in what sort they intend to speake because we may feare they are deceiued in those very declarations And as you will perhaps say they write Diuine Reuelations except in things which they professe to deliuer as the Dictates of human human reason and prudence another will say that they must or may be vnderstood to deliuer the dictats of human reason and prudence whensoeuer they do not in expresse rearmes professe to deliuer diuine Reuelations which is very seldome the ordinary custome of holy Scripture being to deliuer verityes without any such qualifying of them And if S. Paul when in the Epistle and Chapter by you cited v. 40. sayes of himselfe I thinke that I also haue the spirit of God might be deceiued in that thought of his we may also say he might be deceiued euen when he affirmes that he writes by the spirit of God and much more may we doubt when he expresses no such thing as commonly neither he nor any other Canonicall writers doe 6. In the words which you cite To the rest speake I not the Lord S. Paul treates of a very important matter that is of the wiues departing from her husband or the husbands from his wife Wherein if S. Paul were subiect to errour he might chance to haue taught a point of great Iniustice against the commaund of our Sauiour declaring the very Law of nature What God hath ioyned togeather let not man separate (s) Mat. 19.6 And as for the words you alleadge in the second place Concerning virgins I haue no commandment of our Lord but I deliuer my Iudgment the Apostle afterwards within the compasse of the selfe same discourse sayes that a man sinnes not if he marry wherin if S. Paul may be deceiued as speaking out of his owne spirit as you say he doth in some precedent words you will not only want this text to prooue with certainty that marriage is lawfull but whensoeuer marriage is allowed in any other place of Scripture as Hebr. 13. v. 4. Marriage is honourable in all you haue put into the mouthes of the old and moderne heretiques who impugned the lawfullnes of marriage a ready answere that those texts of Scripture were but the Dictats of human reason and prudence wherein the writers of Canonicall Scripture might be deceiued 7. The other words Speake I not the Lord shew only that our Sauiour left power for the Apostles and his Church to aduise counsaile ordaine or commaund some things as occasion might require which himselfe had not commaunded or determined in particular which truth if you hold to be only a Dictate of human reason you open a way for refractary spirits to oppose the ordinances of their Superiours and Prelats in things not expressely commaunded by our Lord. 8. The last Words v. 25. Concerniug virgins I haue no commandment of the Lord but I deliuer my Iudgment which we translate but I giue counsaile prooue indeed our Catholicke Doctrine concerning workes of supererogation or Counsayles in regard that the Apostle in this place persuades virginity as the better but commaunds it not as necessary Yet they do in no wise imply any doubtfulnesse or fallibility in the Apostles neuer any hitherto besides your selfe offering to answere our argumeÌ„t by saying the Apostle wrote only the dictate of human reason or prudence and so might be deceiued Which answere had been very obuious if they had presumed to be so bold as you are with the Apostles and therefore it is a signe that no man besides your selfe durst deliuer this doctrine 9. Certainly if the Apostles did sometimes write by the motion of the holy Ghost and at other times out of their owne priuate Iudgment or spirit though it were granted that themselues could discerne the diuersity of those motions or spirits which one may easily deny if their vniuersall infallibility be once impeached yet it is cleere that others to whom they spake or wrote could not discerne the diuersity of those spirits in the Apostles For which cause learned Protestants acknowledge that although ech mans priuate spirit were admitted for direction of himselfe yet it were not vsefull for teaching others Thus you say pag. 141. A supernaturall assurance of the incorruption of Scripture may be an assurance to ones selfe but no argument to another And as you affirme (t) Pag. 62. that bookes that are not Canonicall may say they are and those that are so may say nothing of it so we cannot be assured that the Apostles deliuer diuine Reuelations though they should say they doe nor that they deliuer not such Reuelations though they say nothing thereof if once we deny their vniuersall infallibility 10. Now I beseech the good Reader to reflect vpon this mans endeauours to ouerthrow the holy Scriptures and Christianity and to what at last he tends by these degrees First he sayth our beliefe that Scripture is the word of God exceedes not probability 2. Amongst those Bookes which we belieue to be the word of God we belieue some with lesse probability then others Thirdly we may be saued though we neither belieue that Scripture is the Rule of Fayth nor that it is the word of God Fourthly our assurance that Scripture or any other Booke is corrupted is of the same kind and condition both only morall assurances Fifthly the writers of holy Scripture might erre in things which they deliuered not constantly or not as diuine Reuelations but dictates of human reason or if they deliuered any doctrine not confirmed by miracles Sixtly vpon the same ground he might say that the Apostles were infallible only when they deliuered things belonging to Fayth Piety or Religion not when they wrote things meerely indifferent or of no great moment in themselues as some Socinians (u) Volkel l. 5. c. 5. Dom. Lopez de Authorit sac Script eyther grant or care not much to deny And then further it will be left to euery mans iudgement what is to be accounted a matter of moment And soone after it will be said that to search whether the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity for example be contained in Scripture or no is not much necessary since a man without knowledge of that speculatiue doctrine may belieue and loue God as a chiefe Socinian teaches (w) Iren. Philâ—leth dissertatione de Pace Ecclesiae and your selfe affirme (x) Pag. 37. that any Fayth if it worke by loue shall certainly auaile with God and be accepted of him And then will some say Why may not a
should subiugate their vnderstandings to the beliefe of contradictions which yet as I said before he iudgeth either impossible or at least vnreasonable (d) Ibid. And who I pray can vndertake against a cauilling wit to answere all arguments obiected against the Blessed Trinity Incarnation and other sublime verityes of Christian Fayth and compose all seeming repugnances after an intelligible manner Deuines are not ignorant what inexplicable difficulties offer themselues euen concerning the Deity it selfe for example his Immutability Freedom of will voluntary decrees knowledge of creatures and the like Must we then deny them because we are not able to compose all repugnances after an intelligible manner It may seeme that you are of opinion that we must to which persuasion if you adde another Doctrine of yours That there is no Christian Church assisted with Infallibility fit to teach any man euen such articles as are fundamentall or necessary to saluation but that euery one may and must follow the Dictates of his owne reason be he otherwise neuer so vnlearned what wil follow but a miserable freedome or rather necessity for men to reiect the highest and most diuine misteries of Christian Fayth vnlesse you can either compose all repugnances after a manner euen intelligible to euery ignorant and simple person which I hope you will confesse to be impossible or els say it is reasonable for men to belieue contradictions at the same time which by your confession were very vnreasonable 5. And here I appeale to your owne Conscience whether in true Philosophy the obiections which may be made against the mystery of the Blessed Trinity and the Incarnation of the sonne of God be not incomparably more difficult then any which can be brought against Trāsubstantiation Some one whom you know could say in some company where there was occasion of arguing Either deny the Trinity or admit of Transubstantiation and it was answered We will rather admit this then deny that And with good reason For if we respect human discourse there are more difficult obiections against that mistery then against this And if we regard Reuelation Scripture is more cleare for the reall presence and Transubstantiation then for the mystery of the Blessed Trinity But no wonder if they who reduce all certainty of Christian Fayth to the weight of naturall reason are well content vnder the name of Transubstantiation to vndermine the doctrine of the Blessed Trinity and all the prime verityes proper to Christian Fayth For which cause I haue some reason as I touched before (d) Chap. 6. n. 6. not to be satisfyed that this man for all his bragges of belieuing Scripture doth make that account of it which Christians doe and ought to doe but deludes the Reader with specious words as for example when speaking of the holy Scripture he sayes (e) Pag. 376. Propose me any thing out of this Booke and require whether I belieue it or not and seeme it neuer so incomprehensible to human reason I will subscribe it with hand and hart as knowing no demonstration can be stronger then this God hath said so Therefore it is true These are glorious words but contrary to his owne principles For resoluing Fayth into Reason he cannot belieue that which to his reason seemes contradictory but must thinke that the Motiues for which he receiues Scripture being but probable and subiect to falshood must of necessity yield to arguments more then probable and demonstratiue to human reason And how then can he subscribe to Mysteryes incomprehensible to human reason and capable of obiections which cannot alwayes be answered after a manner intelligible as he requires And consequently he must to vse his owne words giue me leaue to belieue that either he doth not belieue those misteryes or els that he subiugates his vnderstanding to the beliefe of seeming contradictions which he acknowledges to be vnreasonable and a thing which men should not doe according to his owne words (f) Pag. 217. And the Reader had need to take heed that he be not taken also with that protestation of his (g) Pag. 376. I know no demonstration can be stronger then this God hath said so Therefore it is true since he teaches that he knowes not that God hath said so otherwise then by probable inducements and only by a probable assent So that in fine this must be his strong demonstration Whatsoeuer God speakes or reueales is most certainly true But I am not certaine that God speakes in the Scripture Therefore I am certaine that whatsoeuer is in Scripture is true Behold his demonstration that is a very false Syllogisme according to his owne discourse in another place where he not only graunts but endeauours to prooue that the minor of this Demonstration exceedes not probability and consequently cannot inferre a conclusion more them probable Somewhat like to this is an other cunning speach of his (h) Pag. 225. n. 5. That he hartily belieues the Articles of our Fayth be in themselues Truths as certaine and infallible as the very common principles of Geometry or Metaphysicke Which being vnderstood of the Obiects or Truths of Christian Fayth in themselues is no priuiledge at all For euery Truth is in it selfe as certaine as the Principles of Geometry it being absolutely impossible that a Truth can be falshood But the point is that he does not certainely know or belieue these Truths as he does the Principles of Metaphysicke but onely with a probable assent and so to him the Truths cannot be certaine The like art also he vses pag. 357. saying in these wordes I doe belieue the Gospell of Christ as verily as that it is now day that I see the light that I am now writing for all this florish signifies only that he is certaine he belieues the Gospel of Christ with probable assent As for the argument it deserues no answere For who knowes not that contradictories inuolue two propositions but he who captiuates his vnderstanding assents to one part only Chap. 10. and therefore is sure inough not to belieue contradictories at the same time as he pretends All which considered the Reader will easily see that his Doctrines vndermine the chiefest mysteries of Christian Fayth and ouerthrow Christianity The ninth Doctrine Layes grounds to be constant in no Religion CHAP. X. I. I Said in the beginning that as we could not know the way vnlesse we first be told whither we goe so it could litle auayle vs to be put in a way if by following it we might be misled But suppose the end of our iourney be knowne and the right way found what better shall we be if withall we be continually harkning to some suggestions which neuer let vs rest till we haue abandoned that path by following other crosse-wayes as we chance to fall vpon them This is the case of the man with whome we haue to deale I will not build vpon his deeds I meane his changes first from Protestant to