flock to a field that receiues the seed and improuments and to an edifice But saies he He that planteh and he that vvatereth are one and euery man shall receiue his ovvn revvard according his ovvn vvorks vvee are labourers together vvith God ye are Gods Husbandry ye are Gods building All is but one body one common wealth but with this distinction that some in this Body and commonweath are labourers some whose charge it is to plant and sovv the seed which are the Apostles and their successors others are the Husbandry the field which is vvatered and receiues the seed whichs the flock Out of these Premisses I discourse thus as it is impossible that God laying an obligation vpon vs of belieuing reuealed Truths should not haue afforded vs the necessary means to know what Truths he has reuealed so it is a madness in me to expect to come to that knowledge by any other way or means than by that which God has appointed for our conduct it 's an vnquestionable truth that God might haue established an other manner of Prouidence for the saluation of man whitout Scripture Sacraments or Church but if God has decreed in this his present gouernment not to saue Man but vpon certain conditions will you be so peremptory as to expect by special priuiledge as a person particularly fauored to walk a path by yourself and be exempted from those conditions which are generally required fromall God might do so there is no doubt of it but it 's a madness in you to expect it You are to enquire what worship God requires from Man what truths he has reuealed which is the true sence of Scripture I do not doubt but God might if he were pleased vse other means for your instruction without Church Scripture Pastors or Doctors snatching you to the Third Heauen as hedid S. Paul 2. Cor. 11.4 or by sending an Angel to resolue your doubts or by inward illustrations and diuine lights but since that in this his present Prouidence he has established a Church furnished as wee mentioned with Doctors Pastors Apostles and Euangelists and layd an obligation vpon her to teach you and vpon you to belieue and obey her will you as a person particularly priuiledg'd expect to haue the knowledge of what you ought to belieue and to yet the true sence of Scripture by any other means than by and from that Oracle which God has appointed for the instruction of all I pitty some deluded souls who ery out God knovvs if I did knovv the true Religion and the true sence of Scripture I vvould embrace it But friend do you expect a reuelation from Heauen or an inward light for to ascertain you God has afforded means for to instruct vs and commands vs all he excepts none to heare and oby her which is the Church make vse of the means which he has appointed and you will be instructed think not that your ignorance will excuse your incredulity of what you ought to belieue when God has giuen you means wherby to be instructed and you will not make vse of those means and if you say you do not know which Church is that which God has appointed for your instruction both by what I haue already discoursed and what shall be said in the ensuing chapters it will manifestly appeare that it is the Roman Catholik Church But say you I search the Scripture as Christ commanded 10.5.39 and what I meet not there I do not belieue because I am persuaded it 's it that God has left vnto vs for to instruct vs and that it contains expresly and cleerly what wee are bound to belieue But wee haue proued in the two former chapters that Scripture does not contain all articles which wee are bound to belieue and that euen the fundamental points of Religion are not sufficiently proued by Scripture alone without an infaillible interpreter for there is not any text hardly of Scripture but may be interpreted in different sences and Scripture alone does not ascertain vs which is the true sence And if an Heretick did aryse and say that it is not lawfull to keepe sunday for a Holy day but saturday because God commanded this should be kept and the Apostles could not alter it against the express command of God Ex. 20. if he should say that it is lawfull for vs to keepe but one Holy day and no more in the weeke and that wee are obliged to work the other six dayes according that text six dayes thou shalt vvork but the seaueth is the Sabaoth of they Lord Ex. 20. can his errour be eleerly proued by Scripture alone if he should say that it is not conformable to the instruction of Christ to giue the Communion to Women because wee do not read that Christ should haue giuen it to any by what Scripture will you conuince him of an error If he should say that you cannot in conscience defend your right against one who commences a suit in law against you or that is an vniust vsurper of your goods he will giue you plain Scripture for it To him that vvill contest vvith you in Lavv and take your Coat from you giue him also your Cloak Mat. 5.40 and by what text will you conuince him that he misvnderstands that text if he should say with the Luciferians that a Priest who would apostatise from his Religion ought not to be receiued again to the Communion of the Church though he did repent grounded vpon the words of Christ Mat. 5. if the salt that 's to say the Doctors and Pastors of the Church hath lost its Sauour vvher vvith shall it be salted it is therfore good for nothing but to be cast out and trod vnder foot of men This is a damnable error the doore is still open Mr Sall if you will but knock with repentance yet no text of Scripture doth cleerly conuince that errour finally there was neuer yet any Heresy no neuer will be but will hit vpon some text of Scripture to proue its error and if it be lawfull for euery man to interpret he Scripture in the sence that seems best to him they will neuer be conuinced by Scripture alone Hence it follows that since the texts of Scripture admit different sences either of two things must happen or that God has left it arbitrary to Mankind to belieue that sence which each one bonafide thinks in his own iudgment to be the best and has not obliged him to submit his iudgment to the sence giuen by any other and if so Arriants Protestants Catholiks and all are of a good Religion for each of vs belieues that sence of Scripture which wee think the truest which is all that God requires Or if God has obliged vs all to belieue one sence of Scripture though that sence may not seem the best to this or that particular man and will haue vs submit our iudgments and belieue that sence which he obliges vs all to belieue if so then God
must haue appointed some suprem Autority to declare vnto vs what sence is that which he will haue vs all belieue to which all dissenting Parties must assent and submit their iudgment for it were vnbecoming the goodness of God to oblige man vnder pain of damnation to belieue one sence and no other of all the different sences the letter of Scripture admits and not to afford som assured means and publick Authority for no priuat authority will suffice to propose vnto vs what sence it that Nor will it be possible to keep vs in Vnity of Faith without this suprem Authority for it s not possible to haue Vnity of Faith if wee do not all hold one and the same senee of Scripture nor it is possible that wee all hold the same sence if there be not a publick Authority for to propose vnto vs what sence is it that wee must hold to whose iudgment wee must be all bound to acquiesce for if it be lawfull for euery man to reiect that Authority and hold that sence of Scripture which he iudges the best it will be lawfull for euery man to liue in a different Religion from that of others and so there will neuer be any Vnity of Faith and Religion Now that the suprem Authority appointed by Christ for to decide our Controuersies and deliuer vnto vs the true sence of Scripture is the Church establisht by Christ it s proued by the texts of Scripture alleadged in the beginning of this Chap. its proued also by the practise of all ages for when in the Apostles dayes there arose a controuersy about the Circumcision of the Gentils som affirmed they ought not only be baptised but also circumcised others denyed the Necessity of Circumcision both Parties alleadged Scripture but neither was appayed and how was the controuersy decided and the true sence of Scripture alleadged by both proposed by the Church conuened in a Council at Ierusalem Act. 15. the one Party was condemned for Hereticks if they did not submit and acquiesce to the Doctrin proposed by the Church About the yeare 324. arose a dispute betwit Arrius that was a member of the Catholick Church and others also Catholicks concerning the Diuinity of Christ each of the disputants alleadged seueral texts of Scripture and pretended his own to be the true sence who decided this Controuersy was it the Scripture alone without a publick authority to propose the sence of it No but the Church gathered in the Nicen Council to whose decisions all Christians were bound to acquiesce and condemned as Hereticks that would not About the yeare 378. arose a dispute between Macedonius and other Catholicks concerning the Diuity of the H. G. which he denied both Parties cited many texts of Scripture but the dispute was not ended vntill the Church gathered in a Council at Constantinople examined that question and texts produced by both Contestants and concluded against Macedonius after which Decision it was not lawfull to doubt of the Diuinity of the H. G. To be brief look into all ages that euer any question arose concerning Religion the final decision was alluayes deuolued to the Church who deliuered the true sence of Scripture quoted by the Disputants and esteemed an Heretick that did not submit This shews that the world did euer yet belieue the suprem authority of deciding controuersies and deliuering the true sense of Scripture was still in the Church But the wery Protestants themiselues who decry the Church and will haue no other Iugde of Controuersies but Scripture do confess that betwixt two Parties prouing their differents Assertions of Religion out of Scripture the Church hath the suprem authority of deciding and deliuering the true sence of Scripture to which both Parties are obliged in conscience to acquiesce read Doctor Porter in his Treatise of Char. Mist pag. 195. and Chilling-worth in his Book of the Protestant Religion a safe vvay of saluation pag. 206. and B. Lawd cited by Doctor Porter they teach that the Decrees of General Council bind all Persons oblige in conscience til euideuce of Scripture or a demonstration maks their error appeare that they are not to be controlled by priuat spirits nor cannot de renuersed but by an equal authority of an other General Council But because Protestants easily contradict one an other and others will say these are but opinions of priuat Doctors and not the Doctrin of the Protestant Church I will proue that what euer their Doctrin be their practice proues that they belieue the supreme authority of deciding Controuersies betwitxt two Parties disputing out of Scripture to be only in the Church the proof Arminius a Minister of Amsterdam and Professor of Diuinity at Leyden broached new Doctrin touching points of Predestination Grace and Liberty quite contrary to the Doctrin of Caluin receiued in the Churchs of Holland By his wit and credit he got many Proselyts that in a short tyme his Doctrin made great progress throughout all the States Gomarus nothing inferior to him in wit and reputation an ancient Professor of Diuinity at Groeningue opposed this nouelty and with all the ancient Ministers stood for the Doctrin of Caluin Printed Pamphlets were publisht Texts of Scripture quoted but neither did yield to the other each drew Abettors to their opinions and the Prouinces were deuided into two factions of Armenians and Gomarists The Churchs of Hollands petitioned to the States General for a National Synod to determin the Controuersy but Armenius strengthned with the protection of Barneuelt A duocat General of the States obtained that in lieu of a Synod the matter should be discussed in a conference of Diuins the States deputed som persons of quality for to heare the Disptutans Arminius presented himself with four Diuines and Gomarus with as many Arminius his fiue articles were scan'd texts of Scripture searched for and carefully examined reasons proposed by both Parties with all ardor nothing omitted that wit or industruy could giue and after a tedious and eager dispute the question remained vndecided the Parties receded each proclaming the victory Armenius dyed soon after but his schollers took vp the cudgle and gain'd so much ground vpon the Gomarists that all the three Prouinces of Holland Vtrecht and Ouerissel embraced their fiue Articles and pretended a petition to the States General for a toleration in the profession of that Doctrin which they offered to defend with the pure word of God adding it did not appertain to a National Synod but to the Diuins of each particular Prouince to take cognisance of the affairs of Religion in that Prouince and therefore they protested against any National Synod The Gomarists on the other syde cryed out for a Synod the controuersy did not only trouble the peace of the Prouinces but made a great Ecco in the neigh bouring Reformed Churchs The King of England by his Embassador Sr Dudley Carleton represented to the States that the only means for to allay those disputes was a National Synod to whom
a greater credit for him to haue been in that imployement than to haue been cast out of it before the yeares end when others continued it for three years at least and commonly for 6. or eight years As for other things that might be said I will take no notice of them And euen from this moderat reprehension of his vanity I would haue willingly abstained did he not oblige me to it For I appeale to the Protestant Reader whether it be not fit that when he pretends by fictitious Titles to gain credit to his cause and to his arguments with the vulgar People I should open their eyes to see that he is not what he sayes he is The Priests and Leuits sent by the Iews to the great Baptist to know what he was 10.1 made him two very different questions VVhat are you VVhat do yo say of yourself Knowing that often tyms there is a vast difference betwixt vvhat a man really is and vvhat hè sayes he is And this neuer appeared more apparently than in the great difference that is betwixt what Mr Sall is and what he sayes he is And it is very important for the truth of the cause which I defend that the Reader take notice of this difference for wyse men dot not so much consider the quality of the person that speakes as what he speakes and value not an argument for his sake who proposes it but for its own merit But Men of vulgar capacity who do not vnderstand the strength or weakness of an argument value it not for what it is in itself but for the learning and credit of the Person that proposes it whence it is that men of common vnderstanding who know not the weakness of Mr Salls arguments will not withstanding belieue them to be very pregnant because they are of a man of that vogue and credit which he most vniustly vsurpes of a great Diuine a Venerable Rector and Professor of Diuinity so that the most dangerous weapon wherewith he attacks vs is his credit and Authority which belongs not to him If he were content to fight vs with his arguments wee would be content with a bare answer for vpon the learned men they would neuer make any impression nor vpon the vnlearned who to value an argument only looks on the Proponent but when he comes to fight vs in the shape of a very learned Diuine and a great Master in Sciences wee must vnmask his ignorance and vanity least his arguments which in themselues haue no force assisted with that vsurped credit and authority may work on the Spirits of ignorant People Perhaps this Treatise may seeme larger than might be thought necessary for an answer to Mr Salls discourse I confess it is and were I to consider only what his discourse deserues it required no answer for it contains nothing but what has been said twenty tymes and answered so many more though this being the first Essay of this great Diuine in fauor of Protestancy its strang if he were so learned as he would haue vs belieue him to be but that it should be an exquisit peece yet I haue thought fit to answer it and do intend not only an answer to him which could haue been don in fewer lynes but an exact discussion of the Points he toucheth and particularly of that prime and great Controuersy of which depends the resolution of all others The infallibility of a liuing Iudge of Controuersies which is the Church Therefore for a full satisfaction of those that desire to know and embrace truth I diuide this Treatise into two Parts in the first I will proue the Necessity of a liuing infallible Iudge of Controuersies and proue it to be the Roman Catholik Church In the second I will examin those pretēded Errors which he fastens on our Church and will endeauor to leaue nothing vnanswered that he obiects against vs though I may prepone or postpone his arguments as the Methode of my discourse requires If my labor Proue to your spiritual aduantage I am sufficiently rewarded if not I shall not want a reward from him that erowns good desires fare well Your friend in Christ Iesus I. S. THE FIRST PART PROVING the necessity of an infallible liuing Iudge I. CHAPTER BVT ONLY ONE TRVE RELIGION The need full Means afforded by God to come to the knovv legde of it THAT God is to be adored it 's the voice of Nature pronounced by all Nations Reason proues it for were you yourself the chiefest in Power the highest in Dignity the Richest and most adorned in virtues in the Common wealth you would expect an Homage and it could not be denied vnto you by your Inferiors Confess then that a far greater is due from you to God whose Power is supereminent his Wisdom transcendent his Goodness vnlimited his Perfections innumerable But it is not arbitrary to Man to adore God with what manner of Worship his fancy suggests vnto him or his priuat spirit inclins him vnto God as he requires a Worship at our hands so he has himself reuealed what manner of Worship he requires Perdiscamus sayes S. Chrysost hom 51. in Mat. Christum ex sua voluntate honorare nam qui honoratur eo maxime honore laetatur quem ipse vult non quem nos optamus What sacrifices Rites and Ceremonies God would be adored with in the old law he declared it to his People by Moyses Leuit. from the first to the 7. chap. and declared that he would not be otherwise worshipped Leuit 10. In the law of Grace his son Incarnated abolished that Ceremonial law and reuealed to Mankind a new manner of diuine worship a new Sacrifice Sacraments Rites and Ceremonies by which he will be worshipped and by no other in so much that by S. Paul Gal. 1.9 he commands that if an Angel from heauen should recommend vnto vs an other manner of diuine worship wee should not heed him This worship of God reuealed by him to Man is true Religion worship him euer so much if you do not adore him as he has reuealed he would be worshipped you haue not true Religion That there is a true Religion extant it 's doubtless both for that wee pretend each of vs his own Religion to be the true one and that God has laid a command vpon vs and wee are obliged to worship him in spirit and Truth this is Religion which command and obligation supposes the Existence of a Religion That among all those Religions wherwith the world abounds there is but one true Religion whateuer and whereuer it be it s also manifest for true Religion is that manner of diuine worship which God has reuealed but God has not reuealed those seueral manners of diuine worship which do oppose and contradict one another if it be he that reuealed wee should worship him by denying the Messias as the Iewdoes certainly it must not be he that reuealed wee must worship him by belieuing in the Messias as the Christians
do consequently both those Religions of Iudaism and Christianity must not be true Religions If it be he that commanded wee should worship him by belieuing the real Presence of Christ his Body in the Eucharist certainly it s not he that commanded wee should worship him by denying the real presence for that would be to contradict himself therefore of all those Religions which clash one with an other only one must be the true Religion This is further proued No Religion wherin God is duely worshipped and a man may be saued can iustly be called an accursed heretical and damnable Religion this Position is euident consequently it appears how vniustly Protestants call the Catholik Religion Idolatrous and superistitious it being by their own acknowledgment as wee will proue against Mr Sall a religion wherin wee may be saued and consequently wherin God is duely worshipped But S. Paul in express tearms does anathematise accurse and condemn all and each Religion euen those that are Christian Religions besids that one which he and his fellow Apostles did teach if vvee Gal. 1.9 or an Angel from Heauen should Euangelize vnto you othervvyse than as vvee haue don let him be accursed pursuant to which doctrin Hymenaeus Philetus and others declining som what the doctrin of the Apostles in the Article of the Resurrection of the Body not absolutly denying it but saying it was already past 1. Tim. 1.20 and 2. Tim. 2.18 they still remayned within the verge of Christianity but because by their error in that Article only they were of a different Religion from that of S. Paul he delivers them to Satan calls them creeping Cankers and subuertors of the Faith which would haue been a manifest iniustice in him if they stiil remayned in a true Religion where God was duely worshipped it follows therfore that no other euen Christian Religion is a true Religion but that one which S. Paul professed and from which they departed And if any Christian Religion with a good Moral lyfe were sufficient for saluation the Prelats and Pastors of the Church in all ages are to be laught at for their continual care of keeping their flock in vnity of Faith and doctrin wheras any Religion was sufficient with a good Moral lyfe the General Councils were most rash and impious in condemming Arrius Nestorius and other heretiks wheras they still remained Christians and the lyues of many of them were most iust and vpright as S. Augustin testifies of the Pelagians Let the Libertins then of our age be vndeceiued who to secure their interest and ambition are ready to embrace any Religion that is the most preualent in the state for all though Christians Religions but that one which S. Paul professed all but that whose vnity the Prelats and Concils did endeauor to preserue are accursed heretical and impious Now since of all Religions that only is the true which God has revealed vnto vs and that no other worship will please him doubtless he has afforded vs the needfull and sufficient means to know what Religion it is and to distinguish it from other pretended Religions which he has not reuealed Without Faith and Religion it is impossible to be saued God therfore who desires our saluation and commands vs vnder pain of damnation to haue true Faith must haue prouided vs of the means necessary to attain to true Faith Let vs examin what Faith is It 's an Assent giuen to an object for the testimony of him that proposes it it is therefore grounded on the Authority of the Proponent and can haue no more assurance of the Truth than the testimony on which it is grounded as for example Human Faith wherwith I belieue what a Man of credit and knowen honesty tells me can haue no more certainty than the credit and honesty of that Man has and wheras Men let them be few or many in Number vsing only natural means may deceiue or be deceiued either in the testimony they giue or in the grounds of their Assertion be it the euidence of their senses which are subiect to fallacy or the euidence of their Natural reason for som times reasons that seeme to vs euident are but sophistries it is manifest that human Faith which relyes only on the testimony of men is fallible for though it may happen that de facto it is true and that there may be moral certainty of its being true yet absolutly it might be otherwyse and so the Faith grounded vpon it is still fallible But diuine Faith That Assent which Gods requires of vs to reuealed Truths must be an infallible Faith which not only is true but cannot be otherwise than true it must be a firm Assent in the highest degree of certainty excluding all doubts and feare of being mistaken and wheras Faith has no other assurance of the Truth than the Authority of the Proponent it follows that diuine Faith must rely vpon a most infallible vndoubted Authority which can not deceiue or be deceiued Hence it follows that no euidence of senses for our sensations are deceitfull can be a sufficient ground for diuine Faith nor no natural reason for if it be probable or only morally euident it may be false or falsified if absolutly euident it can be no ground of Faith because Faith being an argument of things not appearing as S. Paul saies it surpasses natural reason and because that if it be euident it forces the vnderstanding to an Assent and so leaues no place for the merit of Faith which consists in belieuing what the vnderstanding may deny because of the difficultie it finds in assenting to an obscure obiect which the vvill assisted with the pious inclination ouercomes and thereby merits No Histories nor doctrin of Fathers no testimony or authority of any fallible Church or congregation is sufficient because diuine Faith being infallibly certain must be grounded vpon an infallible Authority Lastly it follows that only the infallible written word of God or the authority of an infallible Church must be it which proposes vnto vs the reuealed Truths and on which wee must bottom our Faith Let vs heare what Mr Sall saies as to this particular he was once of opinion that Scripture alone was not the means appointed by God for proposing vnto vs the reuealed Truths their sence not being obuious euen to learned men and consequently not the means suitable to vulgar capacityes who being as well as the learned obliged to belieue the means for attaining to the knowledge of Religion must be suitable to their capacity as well as to that of the learned and Scripture through the difficulty of it surpasses both therefore it became the Goodness and Wisdom of God to appoint a visible Iudge assisted with his infallible spirit that in case of doubt should determin our controuersies and declare vnto vs what we ought to belieue But saies he pag. 27. the Archbishop of Cashell obiecting that vve ought to be very vvary in censuring the VVisdom of God if
in the word Faith alone 2. S. Paul in that text speaks only of the Scripture wherin Timothie was versed and which he had perused from his Youth which was only the Old Testament so that if the text proues the sufficiency of the Scripture for our instruction it proues the sufficiency of the Old Testament only 3. S. Paul in that vers ch v. 14. sayes to Timothie thou continue in those things thou hast learned and are committed to thee knovving from vvhom thou hast learned them Whence its apparent that he remitted Timothie for instruction to the Scripture and also to the doctrin deliuered to him by a liuing Oracle which was the Apostle himself Lastly the whole Canon of Scripture was not compleated when S. Paul writ that text nor in many years after and you can not pretend that euer wee had the sufficient means for our instruction in any part but in the whole and entyre Canon therefore you cannot pretend that that text doth proue the sufficiency of Scripture II. CHAPT SCRIPTVRE ALONE NOT THE Means for to instruct vs in Faith IF Scripture alone were the means appointed by God for to declare vnto vs what wee ought to belieue is it not strange that Christ should not himself haue left vs a Written word to walk by when he laid vpon vs the obligation of embracing true Religion or that he should not at least haue laid a Command vpon his Apostles of deliuering vs a written word reade the whole Canon and you shall find no such command but he left Apostles and Pastors and a command vpon them to teach and preach vnto vs and vpon vs of belieuing and obeying them which argues that the means which he designed for our instruction in Religion was not a written word but a liuing Church Necessity is laid upon me yea vvo is vnto me if I preach not the Ghospel 1. Cor. 9.16 He feared no vvo for not vvriting but for not preaching the Ghospel because he would depriue the flock of the means which God appointed for their instruction And the Channel by which Faith is conueyed vnto vs being our Eares fides ex auditu and not our Eyes it seems apparent that the means which he appointed is a liuing Oracle who speaks and not a volum which wee reade But let vs suppose that the Apostles did by special command of Christ write the Ghospel this is manifest that since the very beginning of the Church Christians did doubt which was the true Scripture written by the Apostles and which not there is not one part of all Scripture but was questioned and denied by some Christians to be Canonical Cerdon the Valentinians and Manichaeans denyed the Old Testament to be Scripture Epiph. Haer. 41. The Ebionits reiected the four great Prophets the Books of Salamon and Psalms of Dauid Epiph. Haer. 30. Marcionits reiected all the Ghospels except that of S. Luke idem Haer. 4.2 and Irer l. 1. c. 6. the Ebionits did own only that of S. Mathew They also reiected the Epistles of S. Paul Epiph. Haer. 30. And the Disciples of Cerdon would not belieue the Acts of the Apostles Tert. de Praescrip c. 51. The Lutherans this day blot out of the Canon the Epistle of S. Paul to the Hebrews as also that of Iude the second of S. Peter and second and Third of S. Iohn all which the Caluinists belieue The Church of England will not admit the Books of Machabees Esther Iudith and others which the Chatolik Church admits nor did the Ancient Fathers of the Church proue against the Marcionists and other Hereticks those Books to be Scripture by the Scripture itself but by the Church as S. Augustin l. cont Episc Man c. 5. Euangelio non crederem nisi me Ecclesiae commoueret Authoritas I vvould not belieue the Ghospel to be the Ghospel if the authoriiy of the Church did not moue me to it Now I argue thus you say true Religion is knowen by Scripture alone that 's to say wee haue no assurance of a Truths being a reuealed Truth but by Scripture alone Therfore wee can haue no more assurance of a Truths being a reuealed Truth than wee haue of the Scriptur's which contains that Truth being true Scripture if therefore you be not innfallibly ascertained that this is true Scripture you cannot be infallibly ascertained that the Truths which it contains are reuealed Truths But Scripture alone giues no assurance that it is true Scripture that it is not corrupted either by the malice or ignorance of the translators or inaduertency of the Printer for there is not a text in all Scripture that mentions it therfore the Scripture alone cannot ascertain vs of the Truth of Religion And it cannot be imagined but that since the true sence of Scripture is doubtfull God has prouided vs of some means to know which is the true sence so also since that wee are obliged to belieue with diuine Faith that this Booke is Scripture it cannot be doubted I say but that God has afforded some means for to ascertain vs which is true Scripture and to confound those that deny the Scripture to be Scripture But Scripture itself alone can neuer assure vs of its being Scripture For to say that Scripture doth manifest itself to be Gods word by certain Criteria or signs found in Scripture itself as a diuine beam of light a Maiesty of style an energy of vvords wherby it does manifest it self to the humble and well intentioned harts to be Gods word these are but fond imaginations for all the Ancient Fathers of the first 402. years of the Church doubtless were as humble and as well intentioned as wee and all that tyme the Epistle of S. Paul to the Hebrews Iude and S. Peeters second Epistle and second and Third of S. Iohn were not belieued as an article of Faith to be Scripture nay were absolutly denyed to be such by Tert. Cypr. Lactan. and others and yet they had the same Majesty of style and energy of words as now they haue and whateuer you may iudge of vs Catholiks Luther you will say was humble and well intentioned and could see no such Criteria or signs in those Epistles which Caluin belieues to be Canonical and 't is but a fond imagination to conceit any such lustre or Majesty in those Books which you belieue more than in the Books of Tobias Esther and others which you deny Consider I pray if a Pagan desirous of his saluation were placed in a vast Library could he distinguish the Scripture from other Books and know it to be the word of God only by reading it and if you did euer reade of any Kingdom couerted to Christianity by reading the Bible only without Apostolical men to expound the Christian Doctrin and by that you may gness which were the means appointed by God for our instruction if Scripture alone or a liuing Church And allowed wee be assured this Book and an other is the word of God of the Scripture wee
may say what S. Paul said of the Lords supper This if worthily taken is life and saluation if vnworthily is damation if Scripture be vnderstood in the true sence intended by the Holy Ghost it leads to true Religion if vnderstood in the wrong sence it leads to perdition as S. Peter sayes 2. cpist 3.16 speaking of the Epistles of S. Paul the vnlearned and vnstable depraue them as the rest of the Scripture to their perdition by misunderstanding them Grant this volum to be the word of God the words of it may be and are interpreted in diuerse and quite opposit sences as that command of Christ he that vvill not eat the flesh of the son of Man and drink his bloud shall not haue lyfe in him it is interpreted in three opposit sences by Lutherans Catholiks and Protestants and it is euident that Christ intended only one of the three sences wee are bound vnder pain of damnation to eat his flesh and drink his blood in that sence which he intended and no other will suffice the Scripture alone does not assure vs which of those three sences is that which Christ intended for wee haue all the Scripture wee read it wee study wee pray and wee cannot agree in the sence of those words either therefore there must be somwhat else beseids Scripture for to assure vs of the true sence of it or God has left vs with an obligation of belieuing and not afforded vs the sufficient means for to ascertain vs what he will haue vs to belieue To say that God giues an inward light and testimony of the spirit to the humble and well disposed harts which assures them the sence which they hold of the Scripture is the true sence is a groundless fancy exploded euen by the modern Protestants wheras those illuminated persons cannot be assured if that inward light be an illumination from God or an illusion of Satan often transfigured into an Angel of light our Controuersists haue fully refuted this foolish fancy I only add that if the means appointed by God to assure us of the true sence of Scripture be that inward light and testimony of the priuat spirit God has afforded no means for to keepe vs in vnity of Faith for there are as many different lights and testimonies of the spirit as there be men almost and so his house will not be a house of peace but of confusion and if that be the true sence of Scripture which the inward light and testimony of each mans spirit does suggest those lights and inward testimonies of the spirit being quite contradictorily opposit one to the other it follows that the H. G. intended quite opposit sences in each text of Scripture Nor could any man reasonably pretend to persuade an other to be of his religion for since he has no assurance of the truth of his Religion but what he has by that inward light and spirit how can he in reason go about to persuade me that his light and spirit is true rather than that which I haue my self so each man must be content to haue his Religion to himself and seeke no other to be of it S. Iohn 1. Epist 4.11 bids vs not to belieue euery spirit but to try it and in that very ch directs vs to a touch stone wherat to try our spirits He that knovveth God heareth vs he that is not of God heareth vs not in this vvee knovv the spirit of Truth and the spirit of Error If your spirit heares and obeyes the Pastors and Prelats of the Church your spirit is of Truth in this vvee knovv the spirit of Truth in hearing vs not in reading vs. If your spirit will not heare the Church but prefer it self before the spirit of the Pastors and Prelats of the Church your spirit is of error The means therefore to distinguish spirits to know the truth and the true sence of Scripture is not Scripture it self nor your inward light but the Church which is the approuer or reprouer of spirits The Modern Protestants haue found out an other way for to defend the sufficiency of Scripture for to vnderstand by it alone the true sence of it for say they though some text or texts of Scripture be obscure yet comparing them with other texts they are expounded and the true sence found by the scripture alone comparing one text with an other especially in what concerns the fundamental points of Religion necessary for saluation which are easily found and cleerly set down in Scripture Mr Sall pag. 105. of his discourse seems to be of this opinion saying that all necessary knovvlegde for Faith in God to serue and prayse him is fully contained in vvhat is cleer of Scripture There is nothing more cleer than that the Holy Scriptures are most obscure euen in points necessary for saluation the obscurity consisting in the hight of the Misteries it contains in the difficulty of its phrases in the seemingly contradictions it contains that the most learned men that euer were in the Church found it a task too great for their vnderstandings to expound it learned Protestants themselues do confess it and our Controuersists haue so euidenced it that it were a superfluous labor to proue it that only text of saint Peter 2. epist 3. ch which I quoted but now sufficiently proues it and that no text nor texts of scripture compared doth declare sufficiently euen the fundamental points of our Religion two instances do cleerly euidence First Gods Vnity in Nature and Trinity in Persons in all Christians acknowledgment is a fundamental article of Religion wee belieue he is One not in Person but in Nature wee belieue he is Three not in Nature but in Persons And what text or texts compared one with an other can you bring to shew this Mistery Let the dispute be betwixt a Protestant an Arrian and a Pagan suppose the Pagan confesses and agrees with both that the scripture is the word of God but will not admit that either the Protestant or Arrian is infallible in the interpretation of it how will the Protestant proue against the Pagan that God is One in Nature and Three in Persons He will alleadge out of saint Iohn 1. ep 5. the Father the son and the spirit and these Three are One the word One signifies Vnity in Nature and the word Three Trinity in Persons But sayes the Pagan that is against all reason and the principles of Philosophy that Three distinct Persons should haue but One Nature and though I do belieue the word of God to be infallibly true euen in what surpasses my reason yet I will not belieue against my reason but what the word of God does assuredly say and that text which you alleadge does only say they are One but does not express if that Vnity be in Nature or in Person nor doeth the text express that the Trinity is in Persons and not in Nature nay the Arrian who is a Christian as well as you saieth
without feare of being mislead that rest of mind in the assurance of the truth for you may err by belieuing fallibility as I haue by belieuing infallibility my condition then is still better than yours and my doctrin to be prefered before yours Your Church as you confess may err in points of Religion whence it manifestly follows that it is not the true sence of Scripture that leads you in the road to Religion for the true sence of Scripture is absolutly infallible I ask you therefore on what do you ground your Faith You tell me that vpon the Scripture as interpreted by your Church and comparing one text with an other but it may happen that your Church may err in the interpretation that you confess for you say the true Church may err now I argue thus whoeuer may err relying vpon a Principle can neuer be sure that he does not err whylst he relyes only on that Principle this proposition is vndeniable for if he can err relying on that Principle it s because the Principle is fallible and if the Principle be fallible it alone without the help of some other can neuer giue any assurance that you do not err for example you belieue the King is in London because an honest Man tells you so that is a fallible ground which you rely on and you may err by relying on that ground and as long as you rely only on that mans testimony and haue no other you will neuer be assured of the Kings being at London You belieue the Church fallibility and on what ground do you rely on Scripture as interpreted by the Church you may err relying on this Principle as you confess therefore as long as you rely on this Principle only and haue no other you can neuer be assured that you do not err the Church of England has no other nor will admit no other Principle to ground their Faith vpon but the Scripture interpreted by her and comparing one text with an other therefore she can neuer be assured of the doctrin she belieues consequently cannot be assured of the fallibility of the true Church What will you say in this case there is a Man accused of Murther before your tribunal he does not only deny the fact but many circumstances fauours his innocency and the very Person that accuses him saies he is not sure he is the Murtherer surely you would not condemn this Man to death it being against all the maxims of iustice to punish a man that is not conuicted criminal This is the very matter in hand the true Church is accused of fallibility and falshood in her doctrin the circumstances of hauing florished for so many ages in the credit of an infallible Oracle fauors her innocency and her Accuser which is the Church of England does confess that she may err in her accusation and consequently must confess as wee proued that she cannot be sure she does not err for she grounds her accusation on the Scripture interpreted by her in which she may err and whylst she has no other Principle but that she can neuer be certain she does not err will not you then acquit the Church of whose crime her accuser is not sure as you would that Man accused of Murther Add this discourse to the former it is a Principle in all well gouerned Commonwealhs that a preacable Possessor is not to be disturbd from his possession vntill that by vnquestionable proofs he be conuicted an vniust vsurper or detainer no coniectures nor probable reasons will put him out of possession he will still with a safe conscience maintain it and the law will continue him in it vntill that by euident proofs he be conuicted The true Church was in all ages in peacable possession of this prerogatiue of infallibility neuer denyed to her but by some few condemned Heretiks what euident vnquestionable proofs can you bring to conuince her an vniust vsurper or detainer of it Reason affords you none for to say that infallibility is an Attribut proper to God is impertinent wheras she clayms no other infallibility but such as you grant to the Prophets Apostles and Euangelists but say you in a General Council which is a multitude of Men where a point of Religion is to be resolued by the maior part of Votes and where passion and interest somtymes may sway it may happen that an errour may haue more Abettors and truth be out voted This is to say that God has no Prouidence ouer his Church since he has promised the conduct of his infallible spirit to her for to lead her into all truth and keep her vnspotted from all errours let each particular of that multitude be euer so corrupt in himself God who can as easily gouern the harts of many as of one will not permit them to determin an errour nor truth to be out voted Was not the Council of the Apostles and Ancients at Ierusalem a multitude Were not the first four General Concils multitudes which the Protestants confess to haue been infallible and guided by Gods spirit which was as necessary to the Councils of succeeding ages the emergent Controuersyes being no fewer in number nor less in weight Neither does Scripture afford you any match if you can these texts I am vvith you all the dayes untill the consummation of the vvorld Math. 28.20 and if the Church did teach an vntruth would Christ be with her then He vvill give you an other Paraclet the Spirit of Truth that vvill abyde vvith you for euer vvho vvill leade you into all truth Io. 14.16 vvhen the Paraclet vvill come vvhom I vvill send from my Father the Spirit of truth he vvill giue testimony of me and you vvill giue testimony Io. 15.26 the Paraclet and the Chruch are ioynt Witnesses of the truth Nor does experience fauor you all that you can shew is that some Pope did err or that some Council did err but that 's not to the purpose if you do not shew which you will neuer do thal a Pope and Council together has erred wheras therefore neither scripture Reason nor experience doth afford you any vnquestionable evident proofs that the Chruch is an vnuist vsurper or detainer of that prerogatiue of infaillibility which she has en ioyed in all ages why will you pretend to disturb her peacable possession Let vs heare what the scripture suyes Lu. 10.16 He that heareth you heareth me Christ spoke to his Apostles and Disciples on whom he layd the charge of teaching and preaching and who were the Church representatiue whateuer therefore wee heare from the Chruch representatiue wee heare it from Christ whateuer the Church speaks Christ speaks otherwyse wee should not heare Christ speak when wee heare the Church speake the Church therefore is the Mouth by which Christ speaks and as we cannot heare an vntruth from him as he cannot speak any so she cannot speake nor be heard to speake an vntruth this is de clared by S. Paul 1.
bryb'd a man to feign himself dead that he might be thought to rayse him to lyfe but the man was found dead in good earnest and the fourberie published by many writers And those Miracles related by Saints and Ecclesiastical Histories had they been Sorceries and enchantments is it possible that the Hereticks against whose Doctrin they were wrought or som one then liuing should not haue discouered it This you cannot deny but that Herod and many Iews who neuer did see our Sauiour work any Miracles nor hear him preach were bound to belieue and obstinat for not belieuing our Sauiors Miracles and Doctrin only vpon this account that they were credibly informed by those who were ey witness of his Miracles and doctrin notwithstanding that the Scribâ— and Pharisees said they were wrought by the Deuil wheras therefore S. Augustin S. Bernard and the Saints of other ages are as credible Witnesses as those Iews were that related the Miracles of Christs and could iudge and know what a miracle was as well as those Iews do inform you that those true miracles were wrought in those ages in confirmation of our Catholik Tenets and that in their presence you are bound to belieue they were true miracles and obstinat in not belieuing them To say as the Centurists and Osiander that these miraculous works were Sorceries and enchantments is a most desperat assertion first it is to make the Saints and Fathers of antiquity who relates them as wrought in their owne presence examined by them and iudged to be true miracles meer fools that were deceiued and knew not to distinguish betwixt a true miracle and a Sorcery Secondly what rule or way hath Osiander and the Centurists got to know those passages to be enchantments and not true miracles which S. Augustin S. Bernard and other Saints had not Thirdly Christ appayed the hungar of a multitude with few loaues which he blessed S. Bernard cured the diseases of a multitude by the loaues which he blest let vs abstract from the Authors of these two actions let the actions be considered by a learned Pagan Philosopher who belieues not in Christ will not he iudge them both to be equally miraculous or both to be but enchantments I conclude what all wyse learned holy men and especially euen the aduersaries also of the Author do iudge after an exact examin of all circumstances to be a true miracle it is willfull obstinacy to deny it be such but the fore named Saints and they of all other ages as will appeare if you read the Ecclesiastical Histories haue iudged miracles to be truly wrought in each age som haue been eywitnesses of miracles other haue examined and enquired what they were and their circumstances and iudged them to be such S. Iohn Damascen and S. Bernards enemyes against whom they preached and writ did not deny them to be such Therefore wee cannot without obstinacy deny them Now that wee are obliged to belieue the doctrin in whose confirmation they wee wrought it s proued by what is said and that if wee be not obliged to belieue Catholecisme its most apparent wee are not obliged to belieue Christianity for by the self same arguments by which you proue against a Pagan the Christian Religion to be true wee also proue the Catholick to be true consequently either the Catholick must be true or the Christian is not by what were the Iews and Gentiles perswaded that Christianity was reuealed by God because it was preached by Holy men of great sanctity of lyfe of great austerity of no attache to the world or wordly things of admirable virtue and who confirmed their doctrin with supernatural signs and Miracles but S. Bernard who preached the Inuocation of Saints Transubstantiation and veneration of Relicks against the Henricians was a great Saint witness VVhitaker de Eccl. pag. 369. I do realy belieue S. Bernard vvas a true Saint Osiander Cent. 12. Saint Bernard Abot of Clareual vvas a very pious man Gomarus in speculo Eccl. pag. 23. One pious man your Church had in many years Bernard a Saint Pasquils return into Engl. pag. 8. he vvas one of the lamps of Gods Church S. Augustin was confessedly a great saint S. Iohn Damascen that writ seueral learned Treatises against the Iconoclasts for the worship of Images S. Malachias S. Thomas Aquinas and S. Francis Xauerius who conuerted so many Kingdoms in the Indies to the Catholick Religion at that very tyme that Luther reuolted from the Church all these and many more great Saints preached the Catholick Religion and confirmed it with many Miracles as wee haue related and the Histories do manifest therefore wee haue as strong motiues to persuade the truth of Catholick Religion as you haue to proue the truth of Christian Religion both therefore must be belieued or neither Can any man iudge it consistent with the goodness of God to permit Transubstantiation and the worship of Saints and Images if they were false doctrin to be proposed to men by great and Holy Saints and confirmed by so many miracles when by the very self same means and motiues of credibility he proposes to vs Christianity wherby men must find themselues equally obliged to belieue both or neither nor will it be an euasion to say that the Miracles wrought in fauor of Christianity were true miracles and those which were wrought for Popery were but enchantments and sorceries for abstracting from Faith which obliges vs to belieue that the miracles wrought by Christ and his Apostles were true miracles our senses and Natural reason cannot but iudge the restitution of Damascens hand the healing of the sick by the loaues blest by S. Bernard to be as true miracles as any that was wrought by the Apostles and therefore they were iudged by all wyse men of those ages to be such and abstracting from Faith as I said what reason can be alleadged for to say the one were true miracles and the others not I conclude with this discourse as Children are obliged in conscience to honor their Parents its Gods commandment so you are obliged in conscience to belieue that Doctrin to be true which is confirmed by true Miracles for as wee formerly discoursed its impossible that God should confirm false Doctrin with true Miracles that being repugnant to his infinit veracity to confirm a lye with the seal and marks of his Commission to teach it but for your obligation of honoring this particular Man and woman who are your Parents it s not requisit you haue euidence and infallible assurance that they are your Parents its sufficient for your obligation that you are morally certain they are yours and this moral assurance which you haue is grounded only vppon the testimony of honest people that informs you of it the lyke you haue that true Miracles haue been wrought in many ages in confirmation of those Tenets of ours which you call erroneous the testimony of great saints as honest men as those who tell you that
these are your Parents therefore you are obliged to belieue that doctrin is true in whose confirmation those Miracles were wrought You reply this makes our Faith of that doctrin but fallible Faith for if I haue no more assurance of the truth of those Tenets than I haue of the Miracles that were wrought in confirmation of them of the truth of those Miracles I only haue a moral assurance grounded vpon the testimony and iudgment of those saints which relate them all which is but fallible for it might happen they were deceiued consequently all the certainty I haue of the truth of the Tenets is but a moral and fallible certainty and so our Faith is not infallibly true I answer the motiue of my Faith and ground wher vpon it is bottom'd is only the voyce of God pronounced by the Church which deliuers that doctrin of God which Motiue and ground is infallibily true But because this Motiue is obscure and does not appeare euidently and certainly to the vnderstanding that it does exist the vnderstanding cannot assent vnto it vntill it be made more knowen and the way to make is more knowen is not to make it euident that it exists for the Motiue of Faith must be obscure and it is against the essence and nature of Faith to be euident or the Motiue of it to be euidently proposed to the vnderstanding as Mr Anderton does most solidly and learnedly demonstrat in his Treatise of a soueraign remedy against Atheism and Heresy The way therefore of making it more knowen is to make it euidently credible and lykely in the iudgment of any rational man that such a voyce of God speaking by the Church is extant and this is don by the Miracles and supernatural signs which the Church works in confirmation of her Doctrin which are vndeniable inducements to any man of reason to iudge it most credible and lykely that it is God who speaks by that Church and our vnderstanding being thus confirmed by this iudgment of credibility then follows our obligation of belieuing the Doctrin the credibility of the existence of Gods voyce by the Church and our obligation of belieuing being thus proposed by our vnderstanding The vnderstanding is still able to deny an assent to Gods voyce speaking because nothing can force the vnderstanding to an essent but the euidence of the obiect and it s not euident to the vnderstanding that God speakes but euidently credible therefore the will must enter which assisted with the preuious iudgment of the credibility of the doctrin and a pious inclination from God for to resolue commands the vnderstanding to assent to Gods voyce speaking in which command of the will determining the vndersting to Assent the Merit of Faith doth consist So that the whole and only Motiue of our assent of Faith is Gods voyce speaking by the Church the Miracles and other supernatural signs are not the Motiues of our Faith but of our Iudgement of credibility and of our obligation of belieuing a Doctrin so credibly proposed which Iudgment of credibility and obligation of belieuing need not to be absolutly and Metaphisically euident but morally euident in the highest degree of Moral euidence as it is in this case that true Miracles haue been wrought in many or most ages by the Catholick Church in confirmation of her Tenets Reade the Resolution of Faith in the 2. part of thise Treatise Your obligation of belieuing the Miracles of the Church being thus proued your obligation of belieuing her infallible in all points of Doctrin is most apparent for God whose veracity is infinit cannot speake the least vntruth nor deliuer it as his Doctrin nor giue his commission to teach it nor confirm it with the markes and scale of his Commission for that would be to owne it te be his Doctrin reuealed by him wheras therefore he has confirmed the Doctrin of the Catholick Church with so many Miracles its impossible it should contain the least vntruth And when you would be so obstinat as to doubt of all other Miracles you cannot be so blind as to doubt of the conuersion of all Nations that euer were conuerted to Christianity by the Catolick Church what Nation was there euer yet conuerted to Christianity by the Protestant Church or in what History do you read that euer you sent Preachers to conuert Pagans it was S. Austin a Massing Priest sent by Pope Gregory the Great that conuerted England to Christianity if you belieue the Chronicles of England it was S. Xauerius a Iesuit to whom Sectaries haue no relation if you will not make him Father of the Quakers that conuerted the Indies it was S. Patrick sent by Pope Celestin that conuerted Ireland they were Priest and fryars and Monks that propagated the Ghospell in whom Protestants haue no Interest but what their reuolt from the Church has giuen them in their Lands and estates what Miracles what conuersion of Nations to Christianity what succession of Pastors since Christ his tyme what General Councils that condemned Heresyes can the Protestant Church shew And is it possible that God should haue giuen those glorious Marks of a true Church to the Catholick Church if it were not the true Church and giue no visible Mark at all of a true Church to the Protestant if it were the true one both Churchs pretends to be the true and sereual other Congregations pretends to the same has God giuen no visible marks wherby to distinguish his true Church from fals ones otherwyse why should wee be obliged to belieue This to be the true Church rather than That other and can it be imagined that he should haue giuen Miracles and supernatural signs to the Catholick Church if it were the false one and giue none to any other if any other were the true Church Lastly I proue that the Roman Catolick Church is infallibly true in her Doctrin Purgatory real Presence and any Doctrin though smale and inferiour you call it The Catholick Church as you confess is infallible in fundamental points of Religion you say if you be a Protestant that the Roman Church is still a true Church because it has not erred in the fundation or essential points of Faith But if it did in any point whateuer though smale you iudge it it would etr in fundamental articles of Religion therefore it has not nor cannot err in any whateuer I proue the Minor It s a fundamental article of Faith that God is infinitly true that he cannot tell an vntruth but if the Doctrin of Purgatory were untrue the Catholick Church would teach that God deliuers an vntruth for the Church teacheth that Purgatory is a Doctrin teuealed by God if therefore Purgatory be an vntruth she teachs that God deliuered an vntruth and consequently she errs in a fundamental article of Faith Now its tyme wee examin that impious Position of our new Minister Mr Sall he follows much the tract of Luther his Grand Reformer not in that he should
you their Doctrin it s thus they say wee are guilty of errours that their Tenets of figuratiue Presence No Purgatory c. are vndeniable plain consequences out of Scripture and therefore wee err in denying them and that wee do err blamably and willfully because they are plain vndubitable consequences out of Scripture as you say also Mr Sall and wheras wee haue the scripture and belieue it to be the word of God and haue wits to vnderstand and sufficient instruction wee cannot but be willfully ignorant which ignorance is not sufficient to excuse vs from blame for not belieuing but they say that our denying of them articles though wee be obstinat in our denyal will not damn vs if wee haue no other sin because they are not fundamental Articles of Faith our errours do not shock the essential parts of religion though it were better and more safe to belieue them yet their belief is not absolutly requisit for saluation This is the Doctrin of the Church of England they grant vs saluation not for any ignorance but because wee hold the substance and all essential points of Faith It s therefore that Bramhal Bishop of Armagh called the Articles wherin the Protestant dissent from the Catholick Church Pious opinions and concluded that both Churchs had true Faith it s therefore that Doctor Stillingfleet compares both Churchs the Catholick to a Leaky ship wherin a man may be saued but with great danger and difficulty and the Protestant to a sound ship wherin one may be saued without hazard It s therfore that King I ames in the meeting of the Protestant Clergy at Southampton pronounced this sentence vvee detest in this point the cruelty of the Puritans and iudge them deseruing of fire vvho affirm that in the Popish religion a man may not be saued reade the Doctors of your Church Luther c. 6. and c. 4. in Gen. Osiander in epitom p. 2. pag. 1073. Melancthon in Conf. Aug. art 21. printed at Geneua an 1554. zuinglius in epis dedicat of his Confession of Faith to francis the first king of france Doctor field l. 3. de Eccl. c. 9. Bunnie in tract de pacif sect 18. whitaker q. 5. c. 3. Hooker l. de Pol. Eccl. but it were tedious to name all not any of the Church of England nor of the Lutherans but confess that the Catholick Church is a sauing Church because it has not erred in any fundamental points that wee are of one and the same Faith as to the substance It s true the Rigid Puritans and the Hugonots of france do say that the Catholick Church did err in fundamental points of Faith necessary for saluation and that therefore there is no saluation in her Comnunion and the Hugonots are of this sentiment but since about the yeare 1634. for before they constantly belieued with the Church of England that the Catholick Faith was a sauing Faith witness the answer of the Hugonot Diuins to Henry the fourth of france who asking if a man could be saued in the Roman Religion they answered yea wher vpon he prudently choosed that Religion which in the iudgment of all Parties was a sauing Religion Spondanus ad an 1593. But Mr Sall does not Profess to be a Puritan nor Hugonot and how come he to vtter such an impious expression But I will proue against him and his Associats Puritans and Hugonots that there is saluation in our Religion euen in their own Principles for either the true Church can err in fundamental points destructiue of saluation or not if not then the Roman Church which in the confession of you all was the true Church before and in Luthers age did not err in any point of doctrin repugnant to saluation if it can then your Church though it should be as you pretend the true Church can err also in fundamental points and you consequently cannot know if you be in the way of saluation Secondly you confess that the Lutherans and Protestants are in a true way of saluation but if the errours of the Catholik Church were fundamental and damnable They could not be in a sure way of saluation for it is as damnable an errour to say that a man may be saued in the profession of damnable errours as to profess them for example its as damnable an errour to say that a man may be saued denying Iesus-Christ as it is to deny him vae qui dicitis bonum malum if the Catholicks therefore be in a damnable state for professing those which you call errours the Protestants and Lutherans who vnanimously say they can be saued in the actual profession of those errours must be in a damnable state You must then either absolue both or condemn both besids the Lutherans hold some Points with the Catholicks which you condemn as damnable errors in our Religion for example the Real Presence of Christs Body in the Eucharist yet you belieue the Lutherans may be saued in their Religion therefore you must grant saluation to the Catholicks And now let vs draw Mr Sall by the skirt and mind him of what he sayes pag. 24. The Arch. B. of Cashel his instructor discoursed with him and his modesty pag. 28 added great vveight to his reasons Poore soul how simply you were fooled out of your Religion as appears by this passage His Lordship acknow-ledged the Catholick Church vvas a part of the true Church but not the vvhole and Mr Sall fancyed to perceiue such an admirable charity and real desire of vnion among Christians in this noble acknovv-ledgment of his Grace in granting vs that Honorable Title that he presently yielded all respect and submission to his reasons Open your eyes Poore Man you are charm'd by your instructors modesty and cheated of your Religion by fayre words Honorable title wherin doth the Honor of that Title of Catholick consist if it does not signify a Profession leading to saluation is it because that wee belieue many articles of Christianity though wee deny some then the Title of Arrian and Pelagians is Honorable which Professions belieued diuers Tenets of Christianity Is it because that by ignorance wee may be excused and be saued but you say that only the simple sort can haue that ignorance and besids Iews and Pagans may be saued in their respectiue Professions if they can claym ignorance Thus that Honorable title which sounded so plea sant to your ears is but an empty voyce His Instructor granted the Church of Rome to be a part of the Catholick Church but not the whole and Mr Sall did see such a vein of Charity and zeale to run through these vvords that he was rauish'd was euer Poore soule so deluded why did not you ask what his Lordp meant by Roman Church if he meant the Dioces of Rome that indeed is a part of the Catholick Church but that is not the Church wee speake of that wee say is infallible and wherof vvee are Members for wee are no Members of that Church wherin wee
this or that vvas not don in the gouernment of the vvorld vvhich seemeth to vs good to be don the Modesty of the Proponent added such vveight to this aduertisment that it touched me to the quick and reflecting on this point in my solitudes I savv saies he vvee might as vvell say that it belongeth to the goodness of God not to permit that his holy lavves should be transgressed by vile creatures nor that the Pastors of souls especially the Pope should scandalize their flock and as vvee do not iudge it a failure in his goodness to permit sins so vvee ought not vvauer in our opinion of his goodness and VVisdom if he has not appointed a visible Iudge for our direction hauing giuen us the holy Scriptures vvhich a bound vvith all light and heauenly doctrin to such as are not vvillfully obstinat Briefly Sr heere are three different opinions of Christ's presence in the Sacrament Catholik Lutheran and Protestant of the three quite opposit one to the other God has reuealed but one as I for merly discoursed and obliges me vnder pain of damnation to belieue that sence and no other I say under pain of damnation for said he if you vvill not eate the flesh of the son of Man and drink his bloud you shall not haue lyfe in you Io. 6. must I not expect of Gods goodness that he will afford vnto me what is absolutly need full to acquit this obligation he absolutly requires of me to belieue that sence and no other of those three which he reuealed must I not then expect of his goodness some means to ascertain me which of those three different opinion is that which he reuealed would it be consistent with his goodness to oblige me vnder pain of damnation to flye to the Moon and afford me no wings which wee suppose are indispensably need full for to acquit that obligation The Assent which he requires at my hands is not a probable and dubious one but an Assent which renders me assured in the highest degree of certainty of the Truth I profess such and no other is diuine Faith such an Assent is impossible if there be not an infallible Authority on which it is grounded which you Protestants cannot deny for it s therefore you reiect Tradition and will admit no other Test of Faith but the written word of God because Faith must be grounded vpon an infallible Authority you say and Tradition is fallible and nothing infallible but Gods written word if Scripture were not written by the Apostles could not you say without any iniury to God that it became his wisdom to afford you some other infallible Authority wheras without such an authority it 's impossible to haue the Assent of Faith which he requires and was it not therfore that he gaue to his Apostles who preached to the primitiue Christians the credit of infallible Oracles because then there was no Scripture written nor any other Authority wherupon to bottom their Faith but the testimony of the Apostles Since therfore wee do manifestly proue that Scripture alone is not sufficient to determin Controuersies and instruct vs what wee are bound to belieue let not your instructors Modesty take it ill that wee say it becomes the goodness of God to appoint a liuing infallible Iudge on whose testimony and authority wee may rely and ground our Faith Vvee say with St Augustin l. de vtil cred ad Honorat Si Prouidentia Dei non praesidet rebus humanis nihil est de religione satagendum Si autem praesidet non est desperandum ab eodem ipso Deo authoritatem aliquam constitutam esse qua velut gradu certo attolamur ad Deum If Gods Prouidence gouerns not the vvorld vvee need not be sollicitous of Religion but if Prouidence rules all it cannot be doubted but that God has appointed an authority by vvhich as by a certain assured vvay vvee may be lead to God Vvee must therefore grant such an Authority which is not Scripture as wee will proue or deny Prouidence Your instance is very weake and vn becoming so great a diuine as you profess to be Gods goodness cannot be questioned for permitting sins and the scandals of Popes nay it 's becoming his goodness to permit them for hauing created Man with perfect liberty for to work well or ill it becomes his goodness to giue him all that is needfull for the exercyse of that liberty and Man could not exercyse it if wee did not pretend to some extraordinary miraculous Prouidence for which wee haue no ground in Scripture nor reason and to which his goodness cannot oblige him if he did not permit him to sin and to question God why his goodness doth permit sin is to ask why he created Man with perfect liberty which if you do I answer because he gaue him liberty that he might vse it well and if he vses it ill it s his own fault VVee ought not say you to vvauer in our opinion of Gods goodness for not appointing a Liuing infallible Iudge vvheras he has afforded us the Scriptures vvhich abound vvith all heauenly light to them that are not vvillfully obstinat and this you proue 2. Tim. 3.16 Holy Scriptures are able to make us vvyse vnto saluation that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good vvorks But I infer to the contrary wheras the Scriptures though replenished they be with heauenly light are not sufficient for to declare vnto vs what wee ought to belieue wee might wauer in our opinion of Gods goodness if he did not appoint an infallible liuing Iudge for to instruct vs and that the Scriptures are not sufficient for the instruction of them that are not vvillfully blind Mr Sall himself proues it for pag. 17. he tells vs that doubting of the Tenets of our Religion his wit not content with an ipse dixit lyke Pythagoras his scholler demanded Reason for what he belieued he betooke himself to the frequent reading of Scripture but Sr if you be not content with an ipse dixit you are as vnfit for Christ's schoole as for that of Pythagoras and if your wit demands reason for what you belieue Scripture is no place to seeke for it which affords nothing but a bare ipse dixit After reading the Scriptures he was so far from being sufficiently instructed that he confesses they made him doubt whence it appears that Scripture alone is not sufficient euen to those that are not vvillfully blind he was no such for he did read with a real desire of being instructed The text of S. Paul sayes that Scripture is able to make us vvyse to salvation but does noy say that Scripture alone is able if you will haue text to be for your purpose you must follow the example of Luther who to proue his error of iustification by Faith only corrupted the text of S. Paul Rom. 2.8 vvee account a man to be iustified by Faith vvithout the vvorks of the lavv and foisted
that text signifies no such Vnity of Nature and Trinity of Persons and in your own confession Christ is One suppositum or Hypostasis his Vnity is not in Nature for he has Tvvo Natures one Human and the other Diuine but in Person why may not wee also say that the father son and spirit are One and that their vnity is not in Nature but in Person whither will the Protestant go now to proue against the Pagan this great and fundamental article He will quote out of saint Iohn an other text for to expound the former My father and I are one Io. 10.20 where it is expressed that the Father and son who are tvvo different Persons are but One in Nature But replieth the Pagan neither does that text say more but that they are One and does not express either that they are tvvo distinct Persons or one Nature And sayes the Pagan bring you as many texts as you please you will neuer bring any which expresly declares the Vnity to be in Nature and Trinity in Persons and I must not renounce reason so far as to belieue a Mistery which no human reason can vnsterstand particularly when you require of me to belieue only what the word of God expressy declares and the word of God which you alleadge does not expresly declare that Mistery nor doeth the word of God oblige me to belieue your interpretation of those texts I heare the Arrians and Sabellians who are Christians as well as you and they with their Abettors who are not fewer in number nor inferiour in learning to you say those texts which you alleadge do not at all import any Vnity in Nature or Trinity in Persons for the Sabellians say the word One in those texts signifies Vnity in Person as well as in Nature and the word Three signifies not Three distinct Persons but one and the same Person called by three different names for three seueral Offices which he does exercise Father because he is the Author of all things Son because he was born to redeem vs and Holy Ghost because he sanctifies vs euen as say they these three seueral names Immense Omnipotent and Eternal signify One and the same God who includes the perfections signified by those names Arrius and his partizans vnderstand those texts in a far different sence from you Protestant the word Three saies Arrius signifies three different Natures which Arrius proues with a text far more pertinent in appearence than that which you Protestants alleadge to proue the Vnity of Nature S. Io. 14.28 My father is greater than I which text deliuered without any restriction saies Arrius proues the son to be of a different and inferior Nature to the Father The word One saies he does not signify the Vnity of Three Persons in Nature but their Vnity by perfect conformity of VVill and Charity which exposition he proues by S. Io. 17.11 where Christ praying for his Elect asketh his Father they may be one as vvee are One but certainly the Elect cannot be One in Nature nor did he ask any such Vnity for them but that they should be One by perfect Charity and conformity of vvill therefore the Father and the Son are not otherwise One Thus the Pagan to the Protestants and adds I belieue the Scripture to be the word of God because he has reuealed it vnto me I am resolued to be a Christian but I know not which party to embrace the Protestant or the Arrian you will haue me belieue Gods Vnity in Nature and Trinity in Persons and though that Mistery surpasses human reason I am content to submit vnto it if I did find it expresly in Scripture but those texts either singlely or all together do not expresly declare it as I iudge and as the Arrians and Sabellians who are Christians as well as you iudge and on the other side you do not require of me to belieue but what is expresly contained in Scripture what shall I do in this case You say it is expresly contained in those texts but am I bound to belieue it is contained in them because you think it is the Scripture does not tell me that I am bound to belieue what you think rather than what the Arrians think is contained in it if I syde with the Arrians you say I am damned if I syde with you the Arrians say I am damned and why to syde with one rather than the other I know not for you are of equal authority as to me both learned pious wise people and well versed in Scripture You tell me the Arrians are condemned by General Councils Arrians and Sabellians also tell me you are condemned by seueral Councils in the points you hold in opposition to the Catholicks you say the Councils and Ancient Fathers who condemned you did err and were mistaken in the sence of Scripture the Arrians and Sabellians also say the Councils which condemned them did err you say the Mistery of the Trinity is vnanimously belieued by Protestants and Roman Catholiks but I ask what credit hath the Roman and Protestant Church haue you the credit of infallible Oracles by which God speakes or haue you only the credit of wise learned pious men if the first that indeed is somewhat and ends all Controuersy if only the second the Arrians Sabellians Heathen and Pagan Philosophers are as numerous as you as learned wise and as to moral honesty as good as you and they all deny that Mystery Can any man of reason say this Pagan in this occasion is obliged to side with the Protestants rather than with the Arrians they both haue Scripture they are all Christians they reade and study it they are both fallible in the interpretation of it and that either of both is effectually mistaken in this case its manifest and which of them it is this Man has no imaginable means to be assured of Now if God has appointed a liuing infallible Iudge to interpret and deliuer the true sence of Scripture this Pagan could not but be obliged to acquiesce to his interpretation whence it s is manifest that Scripture alone is not sufficient for to ascertain vs of the true sence of Scripture euen in fundamental points An other instance to proue this truth there is a point of Faith which we are obliged to belieue vnder pain of damnation which is not expressed in any text or texts compared of Scripture alone whitout an infallible interpreter I do not meane the Necessity of Infants Baptism nor the Validity of Heretiks Baptism belieued by both Churches and for which saies S. Augustin l. 1. cont cresc c. 32. there can be no example brought out holy of Scripture I proue it thus Wee Catholiks and you Protestants dispute if Purgatory be a fundamental point of Religion or not If it be it s a damnable error to say it is not both for that errors against fundamental points are damnable as you confess and for that to deny for fundamental that which is a
fundamental Truth reuealed by God is to diminish of the word of God by which you deserue to be blotted out of the Book of life Apoc. 22. If it be not a fundamental point it is a damnable error to say it is for that would be to add to the word of God which also deserues to be blotted out of the Book of life consequently in this our contest wee are indispensably obliged to belieue either that it is or that it is not nor can wee suspend our Iudgment but must resolue absolutly on either side but no text or texts of Scripture do declare if it be or be not a fundamental article of Faith if not expounded by some infallible interpreter therefore Scripture alone is not sufficient for to assure vs what wee are obliged to belieue III. CHAPT THE SAME ASSERTION proued LOoke back to the Infancy of the Church for the first eight or tenn years there was not a word of the New Testament written and the last part whateuer that part was wherin the Doctors do not agree was not written in 40. years after Christ his Ascension part of the Scripture after it was written did perish for example an Epistle of S. Paul to the Corinthians mentioned 1. Cor. 5.9 by which wee vnderstand that he writ three epistles to them whereof two only are extant also part of the old Testament was lost as appears Chron. 9.12 and 29. Nay this very Scripâ—ure that now is extant and owned by vs all to be Canonical for the first 402. was not a good part of it owned to be such for the Fathers of the Church disputed and many denyed S. Pauls epistle to the Hebr. Iudes epist second of saint Peter second and Third of saint Iohn to be Canonical consequently they could not be the Test of Faith because they were not belieued to be Scripture all this tyme as there was an obligation vpon Christians to belieue so they had the sufficient means for to know what they were obliged to belieue which was not Scripture because either it was not written or if written it was not all as now it is belieued to be Scripture therefore God must haue appointed some other means besids Scripture for to instruct vs in Religion And if you insist that the Scripture as now it is extant is the needfull and sufficient means for our instruction I infer therefore wee had not the needfull and sufficient means vntill all this Scripture now extant was written consequently the Church was for many years without the sufficient means for instruction I infer again therefore vntill the last text of Scripture was written wee had not the sufficient means and wheras you are bound to proue by a cleer text that Scripture alone is the sufficient means it must be with the last text of all scripture you must proue it for then and no sooner was the scripture the sufficient means when the whole Canon was completed and the last text was written and this is impossible to be proued also it follows that you must not pretend to proue the sufficiency of scripture by any text of the new or old Testament written before the last text wheras the whole Canon was not completed when those texts were written and consequently they could not proue the sufficiency of scripture which in your acknowledgment did not begin to be the sufficient means vntill the Canon was finisht Moreouer if the scripture as now it is extant be the needfull and sufficient means then the Lutherans whom you receiue to your Communion and embrace as Brethren haue not the sufficient means for diuine Faith and consequently nor Faith itself wheras they deny many parts of Scripture to be Canonical which you belieue But what most cleerly proues that Scripture as now it is extant is not the sufficient and needfull means is this discourse first its not the needfull means for if a very considerable part of this Scripture did perish wee would still haue the sufficient means in what would remain of Scripture to instruct vs in what wee are bound to belieue for what wee are bound to belieue vnder pain of damnation are only the essential and fundamental points of Religion whoeuer belieues them though he denies other points not fundamental and inferior Truths in the doctrin of Protestants belieues what is sufficient for his saluation but there are many chapters or at least half chapters or at least many verses of Scripture which do not in the least mention any essential and fundamental point of Religion therefore all those chapters and verses are not needfull for to know what wee are bound to belieue and if they did all perish wee would in what remained haue the sufficient means Now that Scripture as now it is extant is not the sufficient means I proue it for if any part of Scripture be the sufficient means it must be that part which contains the fundamental and essential articles of Religion and wheras you do not know nor could any of your Doctors euer yet though often desired by vs giue a Catalogue of those which you call fundamental points which they be and how are they distinguisht from not fundamental points its impossible that you can tell which part of Scripture is that which contains the the fundamental points of Religion and consequently you cannot tell which part of scripture in the sufficient for our instruction That the Church was the means appointed by God for our instruction before the scripture was written the Protestant do not nor cannot deny and if they will not wauer in their Principles they must confess it continued so vntill the whole Canon was finisht which was not vntill many years after Christ his Ascension But say they scripture being written which doubteless God gaue vnto vs for no other end than to be our guide and rule of Faith the Church surceased from that office and is not to be regarded further than as she agrees with that written word so that after scripture was receiued for Gods written Oracle the Church was casheered out of those glorious offices which formerly she enioyed because as our Aduersaries pretend there was no need of any other infallible Oracle but the scripture which in the iudgment of all is such If this discourse be good it proues also that the Apostles ceased to be our instructors and infallible Oracles after the scripture was written and that the Church ceased to be infallible in fundamental points because the scripture is an infallible oracle contains all points and one infallible Oracle is sufficient yet our Aduersaries confess that the Apostles remained still infallible and the Church in fundamental points And wheras all scripture was not written at once but successiuly by parts the Church was not deuested of teaching vs but by degrees as the parts of scripture were written which paradox though ridiculous follows out of the former discourse But what if part or all the scripture did perish which is not impossible both because that
some part of it has perisht already and that there is nor in all scripture any promiss of its perpetuity as there is of the perpetuity of the Church then I hope the scripture would return to her ancient prerogatiue of being the needfull means appointed for our instruction this extrauagant position you are bound to affirm and you can shew no scripture for it and yet you can belieue nothing but what is in scripture I should think this a good discourse the Church was once our guide and means appointed to ascertain vs of the truths when the scripture that now is extant was not written But the scripture now owned for such does not say the Church was deuested of that Prerogatiue therefore I am still obliged to belieue she enioyeth it for the obligation that once was and it not proued to be abolished remains still in force there was an obligation of belieuing the Church to be Gods infallible Oracle nothing appears that taketh away that obligation therefore it s still in force To conclude the Necessity of an interpreter besides Scripture for to instruct vs what wee are to belieue is proued not only because Christ did place Apostles Euangelist Doctors and Pastors in his Church Eph. 4.11 for this end as the Apostle distinctly faies for to keep vs in Vnity of Faith to instruct vs that vvee may be no more Children vvauering to and fro and carried avvay vvith euery vvind of doctrin but also by the practice of the Catholik and Protestant Churchs who giue such vast reuenews to Ecclesiastical persons for teaching the flock and expounding the Mysteries of Faith if scripture were so cleer in the necessary points what needed any more but to giue each one a Bible and imploy the Rents of the Clergy in some other vse what needed so many authentick Christian doctrins published by both Churchs for to declare the Mysteries of Religion what needed so many Volums and Commentarîes of the Fathers vpon the scripture if it alone is cleer full and plain in what wee are bound to belieue IV. CHAPTER A TRVE CHVRCH ESTABLISHED by Christ to decide Controuersies and deliuer the true Doctrin vvhich vvee are bound to belieue NO Protestant at least of our tymes will deny the existence of a true Church it being an article of the Apostles Creed I belieue the holy Catholik Church The true Notion of it wee haue from S. Paul Rom. 12.4 by a comparison of it with a Natural Body as this hath seueral members each one wherof hath its proper function so wee all as so many different members which exercise diverse functions concurr to constitute one Body in Christ In the natural Body there is a head which is the seat of the Iudgment which gouerns there are eyes to see ears to heare a mouth to speake hands to work and feet to walk thus in the Church Christ's mystical Body there must be a head to gouern which is the suprem Pastor there must be eyes to pry and examin the truth and these are the Doctors there must be hands to deliuer the word of God and a mouth to speake and these are the Preachers Pastors and Curats there must be eares to heare and feet to walk which are the flock Hence wee gather the true Notion of the Church of God to be a visible society of true belieuers under one suprem Pastor where the Faith of Christ is taught and belieued The Church therefore is constituted of two parts the One whose obligation is to teach and rule the flock the other whose obligation is to obey and belieue what the Church by her Pastors and Doctors does teach and command and wheras the Church was still extant or the article of our Creed was some tyme false it follows there were still extant Pastors and Doctors who did teach the true Faith of Christ and a flock that belieued it As to the obligation of the Church to instruct and gouern vs these texts of scripture euince it Necessity is laid vpon me for to preach and vvo be to me if I preach not 1. Cor. 9.16 Attend to yourselues and to the vvhole flock vvherin the H. G. has placed you Bishops to rule the Church of God Act. 20.23 Which obligation was layd an the Apostles and their successors when Christ commanded them to teach all Nations to preach the Ghospel vnto all creatures which obligation S. Paul doth in seueral places of his Epistles declare but particularly Eph. 4.11 He placed in his Church som Apostles and som Prophets others som Euangelists others som Pastors and Doctors and declares to what end did Christ prouide his Church of them for the consummation of Saints into the vvork of the Ministery that vvee may meet in the vnity of Faith that vvee be no more children vvauering to and fro and carried avvay vvith euery vvind of Doctrin Whence two consequences follow the first that if you be tossed in your mind and doubtfull what to belieue if tvvo Sacraments or seauen if real Presence or figuratiue you are not to be carried away with euery wind of Doctrin but go the Church which God has furnished with Doctors Apstoles and Pastors for to instruct you the second consequence that Christ Faith being but One and wee obliged to liue in the Vnity of that Faith the Apostle tells vs in this text that the means which he has appointed for to keepe vs in Vnity of Faith are the Apostles Euangelists Doctors and Pastors of the Church that the Church by them may lead vs to the professiion of one Faith The other part which cōstitutes the Church is the flock whose obligation is to obey and belieue what she by her Doctors and Pastors does teach and command vs this obligation is manifestly proued Mat. 23.2 all that they vvho sit on the chayr of Moyses vvill say vnto you that obserue and do Lu. 10.16 Christ commands that he who will not heare the Church is to be esteemed a Heathen and a Publican and adds that he vvho despeiseth her despeiseth him that is to say he that despeiseth her Doctrin which S. Paul expounds 1. Thes 4.8 when after giuing them instructions he saies He that despeiseth these things despeiseth not man but God and 2. Thes 3.14 he that obeyeth not our vvord do not acompagny him that he may be confounded These cleer and manifest texts proue the obligation of the flock to belieue and obey the Doctrin and commands which the Church by her Pastors and Doctors layeth vpon them Whence it appears that the Church is the Oracle and Mistress which Christ has appointed on earth for to instruct and gouern vs. This discourse that the Church is constituted of two parts the one whose obligation is to teach and gouern the otherwhose obligation is to learn belieue and obey is cleerly shewen in the 1. Cor. 3. where the Apostle compares the Pastors and Prelats to Husband men who soweth the seed and to Masterbuilders that make a house and compares the
you if such a promiss be impossible wee say the Church cannot err in her doctrin which is to be infallible Dare you deny but that the Prophets the Apostles and Euangelists were infallible in what they taught and writ dare you deny but that the Church of God is infallible in fundamental points of Religion and are you therefore guilty of Blasphemy or do you intrench on Gods prerogatiues or giue his Attributs to creatures God is infallible by Nature by his own proper perfection this is his Attribut and this cannot be giuen to any creature to be infallible by the protection of an other who defends him from falling into any errour is not Attribut of God it were a Blasphemy to say that he is infallible in that manner but the Prophets Apostles Euangelists and the Church are thus infallible by Gods special protection and the conduct of his spirit An other argument against our Tenet pag. 30. is the disagreement of our Authors in placing this infallibity some will haue it to be in the Pope alone others in him and a Council of Cardinals others in the Pope and General Council alone This dissention is to Mr Sall a concluding argument that there is no such thing as Church infallibity and thus he furnishes the Deists with a concluding argument that there is no such thing as true Religion in the world for will the Deists say with him the Authors that pretend to true Religion do not agree where it is some say its in the Iewish Church others that it is in the Protestants others in the Catholik Church others in other Congregations and will conclude in Mr Salls Dialect that there is no such thing as true Religion extant because the Pretenders to it do not agree where to find it But the poore Man ignorantly or maliciously mistakes our doctrin all Catholiks do agree in the infallibility of the Pope and General Council ioyntly this is the infallibility wee belieue as an article of Faith It s true that the Catholik Authors do dispute if the Pope alone is infallible some say he is and will haue it to be an article of Faith that he is others say that he is not but with a Council of Cardinals and Diuines others say that neither this is an article of Faith some say that a General Council legally assembled is infallible in their Decrees though not confirmed by the Pope others say not if they be not confirmed by him But all these are but school questions the Church heares them and permits them to dispute and whateuer Bellarmin or any other saies wee are not obliged to belieue it to be an article of faith whylst it is opposed by other Catholick Doctors and the Church does not determin the Controuersy but what you are to obserue is that those Doctors who defend the infalliblity of the Pope alone and those that deny it those that affirm the infallibility of the Council alone and those that contradict it they agree vnanimously in the infallibity of the Pope and Council together because that with out any controuersy the Pope and Council ioyintly represents the vniuersal Church and the vniuersal Church is infallible this is the article of Faith wee belieue And if you tell vs a Pope or a General Council has err'd you will tell vs nothing to the purpose if you do not shew that a Pope and Council together has err'd for that 's the Church hauing by the answer of these two arguments declared what infallibility the Church clayms and where wee belieue this infallibility to be let vs now proue our Tenet First it s a comfort to an vnacquainted Traueller to be guided by one whom he firmly belieues to be acquainted with the way though really your guide were not acquainted with the way if you certainly belieue he is and that he cannot stray though you do not know the way yourself you will follow him with satisfaction and without feare of being byass'd but if you do not know the way and you belieue your guide is not so well acquainted but that he may stray you will still trauell with feare of being byass'd This is the different condition of a Catholik and a Protestant the Catholick trauelling in the way to saluation which is Religion is guided by a Church which he without the least doubt belieues cannot be mistaken whether she can or not since he is absolutly perswaded she cannot he trauells with satisfaction and without feare the Protestant in this way is guided by a Church which he belieues is not so well assured of the way but that she may err ought he not therefore to walk disatisfyed and with continual feare of being mislead You answer that the Protestant is not lead by the Church but by the Scripture which is an infallible guide It s very sure the Scripture is infallible vnderstood in the true sence but you can haue no assurance that you haue the true sence of Scripture consequently you can haue no assurance that you haue an infallible guide this proposition is certain The Scripture ill interpreted does mislead this proposition is also certain you and your Church may err in the interpretation of Scripture comparing one text vvith an other Since therefore your guide in the road of Faith is the Scripture interpreted by you and your Church comparing on text with an other You are guided by a guide that may err and mislead you and as you haue no well grounded assurance that you and your Church do not err in the interpretation of Scripture cōparing one text with an other you can haue no assurance but that you are mislead But the Catholik belieuing his Church to be infallible in the interpretation of Scripture does rest his mind in the full assurance of the truth he professeth And ought not you to embrace that doctrin which giues you that satisfaction and rest of mind rather than the Protestant doctrin of fallibility which leaues you doubtfull if what you belieue be true or not Particularly when in belieuing it you hazard nothing not your saluation for all learned Protestants which wee will proue against Mr Sall do grant saluation in the express beliefe of articles of Popery you reply it s no solid comfort that the Catholik amuses himself with in belieuing his Church that guides him to be infallible if really she be not so for if it proues in effect to be otherwise he will come short of his imaginary comfort and will find that he and his Church is mistaken I answer if wee consider the testimonies of Scripture the strength of reason the consent of ages the multitude of Vniuersityes Fathers and Doctors that defend this doctrin of infallibility it is as lykely to be true as your doctrin of fallibility it s as lykely that you are mistaken in belieuing fallibility as I am in belieuing infallibility you run therefore as great a hazard of being mistaken as I do on the other syde you cannot haue that satisfaction
Hereticks and laboured in declaring them and neglected the others came to be only confusedly knowen and not so exactly as they were deliuered by the Apostles and this occasions and has in all ages occasioned disputes in Religion When therefore the Church in Ceneral Councils declares an Article of Faith it does not as our Aduersaryes calumny vs coyn a new Article it ads nothing to what the Apostles deliuered but it declares to the Disputants in Religion what was antiently taught and belieued by the Apostles and was forgotten or misvnderstood by others Doubts in Religion are but Doubts of what the Apostles did teach some say onething others an other what wee pretend is that wheras these doubts haue been in all ages and euer will be there has been and euer will be an infallible Church to ascertain vs which is the true Doctrin for though the Apostles knew all Truths and taught them either by vvord of Mouth or in vvriting what Doctrin they deliuered verbally or by vvord of Mouth is doubted of by Posterity if This or That be of Apostolicall Tradition alsoe the vvritten vvord is questioned if This or That Part of Scripture be truely Canonical what wee pretend is that as though Christ taught all Truths to his Apostles yet he sent an infallible interpreter the Paraclet after his Ascension to assist and direct them in case of any Doubts arising of those Truths to declare vnto them the true sence of the Truths which he taught them That as though the Paraclet taught all Truths to the Apostles yet he still remayned with them to direct them if any doubts should occurr against those Truths and as though the Apostles taught to their Disciples all those Truths yet the Protestants themselues confess it was needfull they should haue left an infallible vvritten vvord to inform and ascertain vs what Doctrin the Apostles did teach so wee pretend that though the Apostles haue taught verbally and by their vvritten vvord all Truths of Religion yet since that wee see T is douted what the Apostles did teach verbally and which is their vvritten Doctrin it was absolutly needfull there should be left to vs after their departure an infallible Guide and Instructor for to ascertain vs which is the Doctrin and vvritten vvord of the Apostles and the true sence of that vvritten vvord which infallible Guide and instructor wee say is the Church constantly assisted by Gods infallible Spirit So long therefore shall the Church be assisted with that Spirit to direct vs as there shall be doubts against Religion which will be for euer VII CHAPTER THAT THE ROMAN CATHOLICK Church is the true Church appointed to teach vs Infallible in all Points of Religion BY the Roman Catholick Church wee do not vndestand the Dioces of Rome as Mr Sall willfully mistakes but the whole Congregation of Faith full spred troughhout the world vnited in Faith and Communion with the Pope as their Head and because he resides in Rome this Congregation takes the de nomination of Roman as though an Army be quartered twenty myles round the Camp takes its denomination from the head-quarter where the General lodges This Church wee say is the Church which Christ established to teach vs what Truths he reuealed for that Church established by Christ which florished in the Apostles tyme is it now extant or not if not wee all labour in vayn in prouing each of vs that his won Church is the true and Primitiue Church if it be it must be infallible as that was but no other Church but the Roman Church pretends to be infallible nay they lowdly disclaym infallibility therefore no other is the true Church but the Roman Catholick Yow say the True Church is infallible in Fundamental Points that Your Church is so far infallible and no other Church can iustly claym to any more consequently that yours is the true Church But I reply the Scripture sayes the Church is infallible and you now in some measure do consess it the Scripture does not limit that infallibility to points fundamental nay sayes the Paraclet shall leade her to all Truth by what Authority do you make that restriction the Apostles and Church in their tyme was infallible in all Points Fundamental and not Fundamental they taught as well the chiefe and prime Articles of Faith as the inferiour Truths they writ the new Testament which contains both kind of Articles Fundamental and not Fundamental and which is infallibly true in whateuer it contains and they were no less infallible in what they taught verbally then in what they vvrit wheras S. Paul commands vs to hold fast the Traditions receiued from them whether by vvritten Epistles or by speech 2. Thes 2. Now I ask were the Apostles infallible in the Points not fundamental and inferiour Truths that they taught or not if not Scripture is not infallible in those points nor could S. Paul say when he preached points not fundamental that their vvord vvas indeed the vvord not of men but of God for the word that is not infallibly true is not Gods word If they were infallible then the Church in the Apostles tyme was infallible in all points fundamental and not either that Church therefore is not now extant and so wee labour in vayn in pretending it is or there is a Church now extant infallible in all doctrin of Religion fundamental and not which can be ne other but the Roman Church wheras Protestants and all other sectaryes-owns themselues to be fallible You answer again it s the same Church as to the substance and essence of a Church which requires only to be infallible in fundamental points as yours is but I will proue that it is as repugnant to the essence of the true Church to be fallible or fals in smale articles of Faith as in great ones I say in smale articles of Faith for to teach a doctrin to be an article of Faith is to teach it is reuealed by God but it is impossible the true Church should teach any doctrin smale or great to be a reuealed Truth which is an vntruth and not really reuealed by God because the Church is commissioned by God to teach vs his doctrin what he has reuealed and for that purpose has giuen her the Mark and Seale of his Commission which are Miracles wherby to confirm their doctrin by which God moues men to embrace and belieue the Church which teacheth No proof more certain and strong of the true Faith Church and Religion than Miracles wrought in confirmation of it when Moyses Ex. 4.1 said They vvill not belieue me nor heare my voyce God gaue him the gift of Miracles as a mark and sign that he was sent by him When Elias raysed the dead Child to lyfe 3. Reg. 17.24 the Mother cryed out novv in this I haue knovven thou art a man of God and the vvord of our Lord in they mouth is true Christ being asked if he was the Messias proued himself to be such by the
haue disputed with the Deuil as Luther did in points of Religion for the Deuil is not so kind but to the grand Heresiarcks thus far he imitats Luther that in the beginning of his Apostacy his chief drift was a separation from the Catholick Church vpon any account whateuer I say vvhateuer for it is euident that the first Reformers had not fixed on any one settled Religion in oposition to the Catholick wheras they were strugling and disputing for many years in seueral meetings had to that purpose to determin what ought to be belieued by all and what articles of Popery ought to be denyed and which not which doth euidence that their first drift was to separat from the Catholick and their second endeauour was to find out some other Religion wee haue the proof of this in the Chronocles of England for their separation from the Church of Rome began by the Schisme of Henry the Eight which was quite different from the Religion his successor and Son Edwrad the 6. endeauoured to establish and this quite an other from that which Queen Elizabeth introduced for she would haue an Ecclesiastical Hierarchy and other points denyed by the former that which the Queen established was fashioned to an other shape by King Iames and his successors Nay to this day the Sectaries who style them selues Reformed Religion do not agree what Tenets must be held in oposition to the Catholicks but are sufficiently Reformed by denying what the Catholick belieues Thus doth Mr Sall proceed for what he has proposed to himself was a separation howeuer it should be from the Church of Rome but you will find in his discourse that he is not yet throughly resolued what Religion to chuse and what to belieue not only because that he has resolued to be of the Church of England which is an indiuiduum vagum ready to change with all gouernments but that in his Declaration he professes to belieue the 39. Articles of the Church of England and pag. 39. he sayes that the summe of his Faith is the written word of God and the plain vndubitable consequences out of it and it is manifest that the 39. Articles are not plain vndubitable consequences out of Gods written word for a plain vndubitable consequence is that which the Premisses being granted is iudged by all wise learned vnderstanding men to follow out of the Premisses and cannot be denyed be any wyse vnderstanding man That in the Roman Catholick Church there are wyse learned men it were a madness to deny it but a far greater madness to say that the Fathers and Doctors of all ages before those 39. Articles were coyned were not wyse and learned men that studied and vnderstood the Bible and to all these the 39. Articles seems contrary to the word of God so far they were from iudging them plain and vndeniable consequences out of it And the Lutherans Presbyterians Anabaptists and Huguenots of France do not allow the 39. Articles of the Church of England and consequently do not iudge them to be plain vndeniable consequences out of Scripture So that you must say that either all are a company of knaues that speake against their consciences or that those 39. Articles are not plain and vndeniable consequences out of Scripture consequently Mr Salls some tymes belieues only Scripture and its plain consequences sometyms more But what proues that he is not yet throughly a Protestant and so wee know not what he is but a Not Catholick is his blasphemous Position that there is not saluation in the Roman Catholick Religion for it is the constant doctrin of the Church of England that the Catholick Religion is a sauing Religion first because this has been euer yet their complaint against vs that wee are vncharitable in denying saluation in their Church and they extol their own charity for granting that in the profession of Popery prouided he has no other sin a man may be saued Secondly because they confess there was a true Church extant the age that Luther began the Reformation and all the precedent ages for its an Article of our Creed the constant Existence of Gods Church I belieue the Catholick Church and that there was no other Church then extant but the Roman Catholick Church they also confess it and must grant it for the essence of the true Church consisting as they say in the due administration of the Sacraments and preaching of the word of God and no other Church being extant in Luthers age and the precedent that administred Sacraments or preached the Ghospell but the Roman Church doubtless it must haue been the true Church for in what Kingdom Prouince Citty Village Church or Chappell in the world was these things or any of them don by Protestants its therefore the constant doctrin of Protestants that Roman Catholick Church was then the true Church and is now a true Church for its the same now that then it was Now that a man may be saued in the true Church of God prouided his lyfe be good it were a blasphemy to deny it consequently its a blasphemy to say that in the Roman Church a man may not be saued and it were to say that all our Ancestors for so many ages all the Fathers Doctors and saints confessed by the Protestants shem selues to be saints were all damned Neither can Mr Sall excuse his Blasphemy and cure the wound with that plaister of Ignorance which he applyes saying that Papists pag. 116. may be excused by ignorance and this smale comfort he will not grant but to the simple sort and not at all to the learned men So that none of our Ancestors were saued for the space of so many hundred years no saints that are confessed by both Parties to be such if they were not fooles and ignorant people of the simple sort wherby all the wyse and learned Fathers and Doctors of the precedent ages and of this age are absolutly damned Nay and Thomas Aquinas which he him self styles a saint and none of the simple sort but a learned Doctor who confessedly was a Papist is also damn'd It s impossible that his Auditors if they were of the Church of England could heare him with patience to cast all their Ancestors to hell a Blasphemy so opposit to the Doctrin of their Church wherein doth the Charity of the Protestant Church consist and they do vaunt that they exceed the Catholicks is it in saying that by ignorance a Papist maybe saued in his Religion prouided his lyfe be good this is no excess of Charity for wee grant also as wee will declare in the ensueing Chap. that Protestants and not only they but Heathens and Iews may be saued in their Religion if they be ignorant and liue well wee are but little beholding to the Protestant charity if they grant no greater capacity of saluation in the Roman Catholick Religion then in Paganism and Iudaism No Sr since you are resolued to be a Protestant let me teach
say man must be saued if in any but if his Lordp did speake to the purpose and to what wee belieue by the Roman Catholick Church as I declared 5. ch and in the entrance to this chap. wee vnderstand all Christians throughout the world vnited in Faith and Communion with the Church of Rome which is the chiefe and Mother Church if he sayes This is but a part of the Church of God where is the other part I say where was it when Luther began his pretended Reformation for then there was no visible Congregation of Christians at least No Protestants nor any thing lyke them that did administer Sacraments and preach the word of God but was vnited in Faith and Communion with the Roman Church only such as were then held by Luther and now by vs schismatick as you are which then was the other part of Christ's true Church but this is not all how could he say and you belieue that the Roman Church take it either for the Dioces of Rome or as wee vnderstand it is a part of the Catholick Church if it be guilty of damnable errors can that be the true Church or any part of it that professes damnable errors against Faith S. Athanasius his Creed sayes no for it requires to haue an entyre and inuiolable Faith and you that is a Professor of Diuinity will say that a particular Person who holds damnable errors against the doctrin of the Church and obstinatly adheres to them is an heretick and no member of hers consequently you must say and your Instructor deluded you in saying the contrary that the Roman Church can be not part of the true Church if in her there was no saluationthrough damnable errors in doctrin You see Mr Sall that against the doctrin of the Church of England against your own and your Instructors concessions you haue engaged in that blasphemous assertion of not saluation in the Catholick Church to vse your own expression pag. 75. to spight the Catholick you ran beyond all measure euen of your ovvn principles as to spight the Ievv and seem a good Christian one vvould eat more Pork than his stomak can beare And to get the credit of a sound and zealous Protestant among your new Brethren you haue exceeded them in decrying the Church But the Reader will vnderstand by what I haue discoursed in this Chapter that the Catholick Church is the true Church that she cannot err in any point whateuer of Religion and consequently that saluation is to be sought in her VIII CHAPT THAT THE PROTESTANT CHVRCH is not the Church of Christ nor any part of it That they cannot vvithout blasphemy alleadge Scripture for their Tenets That they haue not one and the same Faith vvith Catholicks that out of the Catholick Church there is no saluation Hovv far can ignorance excuse Protestants IT is the constant doctrin of the Protestant Church for I call not the Puritans and Hugonots of France Protestants whose error in this point I haue she wen in the former chap. that the Catholick Church has not erred in fundamental points of Religion because the true Church such as the Catholick was before Luther confessedly and now is in their acknowledgment cannot err in essential and fundamental articles consequently they discourse that the Protestant and Catholick Church differ only in points not fundamental and inferior truths which say they are pernicious errors but break not Vnity of Faith nor destroyes not saluation That the true Church can err and is fallible in points not fundamental and inferior truths This is faithfully the doctrin of the Protestant Church as you will find in the Authors I quoted in the former Chapt. in Stilling fleet in his book miscalled a Rational Account and in seueral others cited in the Protestant Apology tr 1. c. 6. and tract 2. c. 2. Now wee must consider what is the Protestant Church properly it belieues many Articles and as they say all fundamental Articles that the Catholick belieues so far they are not Properly Protestants but their proper Notion is to be taken from those Tenets wherin they differ so that Protestancy properly and as it is condistinct from Catholecism or Popery as you say is the doctrin wherin the Protestant Church differs from the Catholick Now I proue that the Protestant Church as it is properly the Protestant Church condistinct from the Catholick is not the Church of Christ because it does not teach the doctrin of Christ and no Church can be called of Christ further that it teacheth his doctrin and doubteless if wee did ask the Protestants and first Reformers why they did separate from the Catholick Church they would say To belieue and practise the Doctrin of Christ vvhich the Catholick denyed But I will proue that their doctrin for which they separated from vs and wherin they differ from vs is not the Doctrin of Christ The argument is in Ferio thus No fallible doctrin is the doctrin of Christ For who would be so blasphemous as to say that what Christ has taught is fallible Doctrin But Protestancy that 's to say all the Doctrin wherin Protestants differr from Catholicks and for which they separated from vs is altogether fallible Doctrin therefore Protestancy as it is properly the Doctrin of the Protestant Church is not the Doctrin of Christ That Protestancy or the Doctrin wherin wee differ is all fallible Doctrin its manifest for Protestancy or Doctrin wherin wee differ is altogether of points not fundamental wee all agree in the fundamental Articles as they vnanimously confess wee only differ in inferiour Truths wherin the Catholick Church has erred But the doctrin of points not fundamental and inferior truths is fallible Doctrin for it s their constant Doctrin also that the true Church be it the Catholick or Protestant can err and is fallible in articles not fundamental and inferiour truths therefore all your Protestancy is but fallible doctrin therefore it s not the doctrin of Christ I confess ingenuously I think this argument cannot be solidly answered For is it not certain that you differ from vs as you say only in not fundamental articles is it not also your doctrin that the true Church is fallible in articles not fundamental how can it then be denyed but that you differ from vs only in fallible doctrin the doctrin wherin you differ from vs is Protestancy and nothing els is properly Protestācy but that for which you departed from vs therfore your Protestancy is but fallible doctrin and consequently not the doctrin of Christ Hence I infer that you cannot without Blasphemy looke for your doctrin in Scripture no text or word of God can be alleadged for Protestancy nor any other warrant but your meer fancy for your protestancy is but a parcell of fallible doctrin and no fallible doctrin can without Blasphemy be sought for in Scripture which contains nothing but Gods infallible word Obserue how vainly the Protestants do boast their Religion and
which sayes they are reuealed Truths since the same Church declares that Purgatory also is a reuealed Truth I am as much obliged to belieue it as the Trinity and Incarnation though the Mysteries in them selues be of an infinit inequality By this it s proued that without the entyre belief of all and euery Article belieued by the Church of Rome you haue not one and the same Faith with her if you haue not her Faith you haue not the true sauing Faith for hers is such and there is but One if you haue not a true sauing Faith you cannot be saued therefore out of the Church of Rome there is no saluation Blame me not for this Assertion blame S. Paul who saies there is no saluation without Faith and saies there is but one Faith which wee haue proued and you confess to be our Faith blame S. Augustin epist 152. VVhoeuer is or shall be separated from the Catholick Church although he thinks himself to liue most laudibly for this one vvickedness that he is disioyned from the vnity of Christ shall haue no lyfe but the vvrath of God remayns on him blame the Fathers of all ages who vnanimously agree in this that out of the true Church there is no saluation By what I haue discoursed in the first chap. it is euident there is but one Church by what I haue discoursed in the progress of this Treatise and especially in these two last chap. I proued that this one true Church is the Roman Catholick Church It s consequent therefore that out of her Faith and communion is no saluation Neither can wee be iustly accused of want of charity for holding this Tenet by your acknowledgment I mean the Protestants and Lutherans the Catholick Religion is a sauing Religion but no Religion is a sauing Religion that is not charitable witness S. Paul 1. Cor. 13.2 If I should haue Faith so as to moue mountains and haue no Charity I am nothing Therefore you cannot say but our Faith is a charitable Faith Answer me to this argument God has commanded vnder the dreadfull punishment of being blotted out of the book of lyfe to add nothing to or diminish any thing from his word Reuel 22.19 and Deut. 4.2 Either wee Catholicks do add to the substance and essentials of the Faith of Christ by belieuing real Presence and Purgatory to be fundamental points of Religion reuealed by God or you Protestants do diminish from the substance and essence of his Faith by denying those points and saying they are not substantial and essential points of Religion either then wee Catholicks must be blotted out of the Book of lyfe because wee belieue too much and impose vpon the flock a larger belief than Christ has or you Protestants must be blotted out of that book because you take away some fundamental points which Christ has reuealed it is therefore impossible that in both Religions a man be saued Either wee are not a sauing Religion because wee add fundamental points or you are not because you take them away But by your acknowledgment and by what wee haue proued wee are in a sauing Religion therefore you must confess that you are not Now wee must examin if ignorance can excuse the Protestants they pretend that they do not know they are in an error ad heer wee will answer to what Mr Sall auers that all Catholick Doctors confess that a Protestant baptized belieuing the Common Principles of Christianity not conuinced of error against Faith but conceiuing he follows the truth is not an Heretick but a member of the Catholick Church and so liuing a good lyfe may be saued for which he cites our Catholick Diuins It is the constant Doctrin of our schools that an inuincible ignorance of the Truth excuseth from the profession of it and saying that it is the constant Doctrin I need not cite Authors for it An inuincible ignorance is when you haue no means nor cannot get after a diligent enquiry any means for to ouercome it and be informed of the Truth The second position assented also vnto by our schools that a vincible supin or gross ignorance doth not excuse you from professing the Truth and this kind of ignorance you are in when you haue means afforded to you for to instruct you and through carelesness or some other motiue you do not make vse of those means or if you haue not those means at hand you may if you enquire for them get them and be instructed and in so weighty a matter as Christian Faith wherof depends your saluation did you know that in Constantinople you could find them you ought setting all other considerations asyde to go thither to seek them Now wee all grant that a Protestant who is inuincibly ignorant that has no way nor after due enquiry can get no means to ouercom his ignorance and be sufficiently informed of the truth of the Catholick Tenet such a man Baptized belieuing the common Principles of Christianity and liuing a good lyfe will be saued but this is smale comfort for of the Iews and Pagans wee must say the lyke Secondly a Protestant and there are I feare many of this sort that would amuse himself with the perswasion of being in an inuincible ignorance and that his Tenets will not condemn him because if in effect they should be false he is ignorant of that and his ignorance which he perswads himself to be inuincible will excuse him and will not be curious to enquire any more this man I auerr is in state of damnation for its a damnable sin to expose himself to a manifest danger of professing a damnable error but this man who perswades himself that he is inuincibly ignorant and sooths himself with that perswasion and so resteth content exposeth himself manifestly to the danger of holding a damnable error for what he has to secure him is only an inuincible ignorance and what if that ignorance be not truly inuincible what if he be not certain that his ignorance is inuincible then it cannot excuse him therefore wheras he does not certainly know that his ignorance is inuincible he exposes himself to manifest danger of professing a damnable error But howeuer the Principle taken in itself is true that if a Protestant be inuincibly ignorant it excuses him And wheras no man can certainly know that the ignorance of a Protestant it not inuincible only God can know that certainly it is rashness in any man to say this man that dyed in the Protestant Religion is damned For inuincible ignorance is a matter of fact it depends of that the truth was not sufficiently proposed that the means apointed by God for our instruction were not had or could not be had and how can you know certainly that all Protestants haue the truth sufficiently proposed to them or that they haue or can haue the sufficient means to be instructed in the truth nay or to doubt in the least of their own Profession for example a
of it has none can any reasonable man desire a more pregnant proof of the truth of the Catholick Church and falshood of the Reformation reade the Historyes and Fathers of all ages you shall find the Miracles wrought by her as I related in the former Chapter you say you find them related but you do not belieue them this I call and cannot be called otherwyse than obstinacy to deny what the whole Torrent of Antiquity affirms as it would be obstinacy to deny there was a Iulius Caesar in the world for which wee haue but the testimony of Historyes written by Pagans for no Christian did see him You say the Authors that relate those Miracles were Papists and therefore their testimony to be suspected I answer the Authors who write those Miracles had no pike against Protestants nor did not write out of any design against you for you were not in the world and therefore you ought not to pretend any exception against them and if but one or two did relate them your reflexion could be pardonable but to say that all the Fathers and Historians of Antiquity were knaues that spoke against their consciences many relating them to haue been wrought in their own presence or fools that did not vnderstand what miracles were is an intolerable impudence Add to the Miracles wrought by this Church in all ages the conuersion of Nations to Christianity and none by the Reformation the succession of her Bishops without interruption for so many ages no such in the Reformation Her Eminent Saints none in the Reformation her vnion in Doctrin of Faith none in the Reformation the voluntary pouerty of her Professors exchanging plentifull estates for the powerty of a religious lyfe a practise recommended by Christ and thought madness by the Reformation the multitude of Churchs built by her and demolished by the Reformation Does not all this proue our Church to be the true Church of Christ that he has qualified with such glorious Marks These makes our Church so glorious and shyne lyke the Citty on the Mountain lyke the candle in the candlestick that it is hardly possible that any man can haue on inuincible ignorance of her being the true Church and VVo be to the man that relying on the perswasion of the inuincibility of his ignorance which in effect is but obstinacy will liue out of her I conclude with that Paper that Mr Sall speakes of wherin he deliuered that a Protestant belieuing the common Principles of Christianity and lieuing acording the rules of his profession being inuincibly ignorant might be saued for which doctrin he complains to haue been censured and cryes Victory because that none of our Clergy did answer though they did censure him He misinforms his Readers it was not that doctrin which was censured and if his Paper did contain no more than it it required no answer it was his indiscretion was censured and I will be iudged by you Reader if he was not indiscreet in this point for if a Preacher were sent to conuert Pagans to Christianity would it be discretion in him to teach them Srs the Christian Religion is the best but you may be very vvell saued in that vvhich you hold if you be inuincibly ignorant The doctrin is very true but a man that goes to conuert them to Christianity from a Religion that he knows is in itself false ought not to encourage them to remayn in that Religion with the hopes of being sauedin it his obligation is to beat them out of their ignorance and not to propose it vnto them as a Medium of saluation would not they answer him well if wee can be saued through our ignorance in the Religion wee haue why do you disturb vs with any other and creat scruples in our minds This is Mr Salls case that was sent to Ireland to conuert Protestants who thought themselues perhaps to be inuincibly ignorant iudge you was it discretion to propose vnto them their inuincible ignorance as an encouragement to remayn in their errors It s not allwayes discretion to declare the truth itself when there is no obligation of declaring it as in this there could be none for the Nobility which he sayes proposed him that question were they Catholiks or Protestants if Catholicks its manifest they needed not to be instructed in that truth it s no fundamental point of Religion If Protestants they were not obliged to know it for the same reason and that the answer was an encouragment to them to remayn as they were and seek no instruction and wheras they made that question it seems they doubted if inuincible ignorance was sufficient and if that answer had not been giuen lykely the would secure their saluation by seeking instruction This is the indiscretion for which he was censured Now wee will descend to the errors which he fixs on the Church of Rome THE SECOND PART OF THE PRETENDED ERRORS of the Roman Church alleadged by Mr Sall. HAuing in the former part shewen the Necessity of an Infallible liuing Iudge and that to be the Roman Catholick Church there needed no other answer to any doubt in Religion though intricat and vnanswerable it might seem to vs but to say the Church vvhich is infallible and Gods Oracle teacheth it therefore it must be true though I do not vnderstand hovv But because our Aduersary confides much in the strength of his arguments wee will descend to examin each point in particular which he impugns and it will appeare that though wee had not the testimony of an infallible Church to rely vpon but only Reason and Scripture as interpreted by Ancient Fathers our cause is better grounded than theirs and if not better at least as well which if it appears then none but will condemn them for forsaking an old Religion and seeking to reuers it by a pretended Reformation when they can shew no better grounds for their Nouelties than wee haue for our Ancient doctrin POP'S INFALLIBILITY AND THE Resolution of Faith expounded HE forsakes the Catholick Church for her errors and which be they the first is the Popes infallibility if this be an error it s not of the Church for as I haue shewen ch 5. it s no Arcicle of Faith that the Pope is infallible if he mislyked that doctrin he might haue denied it and remain a Catholick I can not well perceiue what he thinks of the Church vniuersal whether he belieues her infallible or no for pag. 34. he grants that the text of S. Paul Tim. 3.15 The Church is the Pillar and ground of Truth Must be vnderstood of the vniuersal Church but whether he grants that thence she is proued infallible or no I cannot vnderstand thence he inferrs that the Roman Church that is to say the Dioces of Rome is not infallible nor the Pillar and ground of Truth but alas he might haue spared himself that labor for wee do not belieue that the Dioces of Rome is an infallible Church nor that the
this Tenet of ours iugde you what strong considerations moued him to desert our Church He ads the folly of two Spanish fryers that beyond all measure euen of the Catholik Principles as he grants pag. 75. exceeded in the prayses of Saints and he would be no longer a Catholick since there were such madmen amongst vs and perhaps some Protestants will haue the lyke encouragement for to leaue that Church since Mr Sall is entred into their Congregation But if by your acknowledgment these excesses are against our Principles therefore you grant that our Principles do not wrrant any excesses in the Inuocation of Saints why therefore did you leaue the Church whose Principles are sound because some fryers played the foole a pretty reason Now that I haue answered your obiections Mr Sall y pray answer me to this discourse that the Saints in Heauen do pray for vs I proue it thus and if I be not mistaken euidently in the Principles of Religion The Saints in Heauen know euidently that there is a Militant Church on earth for they euidently know that the Resurrection or general Iudgment is not as yet come wheras they know that they haue not assumed their Bodies consequently they know the world is not ended and that there is a militant Church on earth Also they know euidently that this militant Church is in continual warfare still assaulted by Satan with temptations beset with spiritual dangers for this is the Essence of a Militant Church and in this it is distinguished from the Triomphant that This is out of all danger That is in continual battle by this it appeares that the Saints in Heauen are not altogether ignorant of our affaires on earth as our Aduersaries would haue them to be Now I proceed in my discourse can it be imagined that the Saints in Heauen knowing our temptations and battles with so fierce an enemy as Satan should be so deuoid of Charity as not to pray for vs I know not what you may answer but I know what some answer that they can not pray for being rauish'd with the possession of an acomplisht Bliss they cannot mind any thing els but the glory of the obiect which they see But this is in credible that the Deuils in the bitterness of their torments should not forget vs nor the hight of miseries should not allaytheir malice but still tempt vs and the saints and Angels should abate their Charity in the greatness of their glory specially that Christ sayes S. Paul Rom. 8. prayes inessantly for vs the possession therefore of the glory cannot hinder the saints prayers for vs. But I proue that their glory obliges them to pray for vs you cannot deny but that in the possession of that glory they ardently desire the exaltation of Gods name the increase of his glory the confusion of his enemy Satan and what greater confusion of Satan what greater exaltation of Gods name and glory than the victory of men against Satan the victory of those that are tempted by him and finally mens saluation vndoubtedly then wheras they euidently know that the Militant Church is in continual battle against that enemy in continual temptations and dangers of damnation the very possession of that glory makes them desire ardently and wish our victoryes and saluation this wish and desire of theirs you cannot deny but that it is manifest to God and what els I ask you is a Prayer but a pious desire of a thing represented to God it is euident therefore that the saints and Angels pray for vs to God This discourse you will say proues that the triumphant Church and each particular of it knows the wants of the Militant Church in general but not of each particular or of any particular person of the Militant Church therefore wee particular Persons ought not to pray to any of the Triumphant Church wheras they do not know if wee pray or any of our particular affairs But the argument proues at least that the saints departed and Angels are Mediatours for the Militant Church in general and so all Mr Salls discourse for the only Mediatourship of Christ falls to ground more ouer I will proue by Scripture and reason that they know the temptations and dangers of particular Persons of the Militant Church and consequently the former discourse proues that they pray for particular persons and heare their prayers Lu. 15. it s said that the Angels reioyce at and consequently know the conuersion of a sinner the Deuils know the state and condition of particular persons and by their temptations allures them to sin the glorious Spirits therefore who in their natural knowledge are equal to and in supernatural surpasse them do know no less neither is it credible that God should permit the Deuil to know mans condition to tempt him and should not permit the glorious Spirits especially our Angels keepers to help and defends vs the Protestants ought not to question this wheras in their Common Prayer Book they haue this Collect on S. Michael the Archangels day the 29. of Sept God vvho in a vvonderfull manner dispenseths the Ministeries of Men and Angels grant that as they do thee constantly assist in heauen so by thy appointment they may succour and defend vs on earth God therefore vseth the Ministery of Angels to help men and consequently Angels know mens particular affairs That there are witches in the world may not be denyed if wee will not condemn most Commonwealths of folly and iniustice which punish many for such and if wee will not laugh at Scripture which relates 1. Reg. 28. that Saul by the help of a witch raysed the Spirit of Samuel that the witchs inuoke and are heard by the Deuils its out of doubt and shall the Glorious Spirits be deaf to them that inuoke them lastly many examples are recorded in Scripture of the ministery exhibited by Angels to men 3.19.6 Reg. 1. Gen. 48.16 and 16.4 Reg. 19.34 And that saints also departed know our affairs and do assist vs the Scripture doth witness it Saul all fraught with afflictions finding no comfort in the liuing betooke himself to the Spirit of Samuel deceased 1. Reg. 28. this proues that men in those dayes did belieue that the saints departed know our aflairs and can help vs and Samuels answer to him does euidence the same Elias departed this world that 's to say all commerce with human kind the 18. yeare of Iosaphas Reygn as appears 3. Reg. 22. and 4. Reg. 2. and 3. Iosaphat dyed about seauen years after which was the 25. yeare of his reygn as appears 3. Reg. 22. Ioram succeeded to Iosaphat and Elias that departed from all human commerce seauen years before writ a letter to him rebuking him for his wickedness and threatning him with Gods indignation can there be amore manifest proof that the saints departed know our affairs and do help vs S. Peter 2. epist c. 1. tells the Christians to whom he writ that his death was at