more of the Commandments than what they find in their Catechism 5. As to the Sacraments Had he not need trust strongly who believes that Christ instituted the Sacrament of Order in saying Do this w Rhemes Test Annot. in Luke 22. v. 19. Abridgment of Christ Doct. p. 184 185. Behold here the Lights the Vulgar Papist enjoys Is it not now as manifest as Light it self That whosoever reproaches him with Blindness in the midst of so many Lights may with as good Reason prove him to be in the dark when Noon-day shines upon him Especially considering That besides these Books the Church hath given direction to all Parish-Priests to explicate on Sundays and Holy-days the Gospel and some Mystery of the Faith to such as are under their Charge c. But have we not reason to believe that the Explications of their Parish Priests are answerable to those we meet with in their Books and then notwithstanding these Helps and Assistances not only some but many of his Church may believe without understanding who cannot be condemned of Negligence and Sloth in the use of those means their Church has provided for them And if the Parish-Priests are generally as ignorant as many Learned Men of the Church of Rome tell us they are even they themselves believe without understanding and therefore much more the People But by what follows the Vulgar Papists are very blame-worthy if they know not the Scripture better than the Vulgar of any other Communion For it is an unquestionable Truth that when a Book contains high Mysteries of Religion Mysteries superior to all Sense and Reason and those not deliver'd in expressions suited to every Capacity but obnoxious to various interpretations that the People is in all probability likely to have more of the true sense of this Book and to be better informed of the Truth of the Mysteries it contains who are instructed in it by the Learned of that Communion and taught it by their Pastors Prelats and those whom God hath placed over them to govern and feed the Flock than any other People who have the Book put into their own hands to read it and search it and satisfie themselves In answer to which I shall propose a few Questions to the Representer 1st Whether it be an unquestionable Truth that when a Book contains not only high Mysteries but such things as for the far greater part are not above the Capacity of the Vulgar that he shall have more of the true sense of this Book who is instructed in it by his Pastors only than he who is instructed in it by them and studies it himself too In all Sciences there are some Mysteries now is he likely to understand any other Science better who takes only the Instructions of his Teachers than he who together with them diligently studies it himself also 2. Suppose nothing but high Mysteries were contained in this Book yet may not he as well understand these Mysteries who is instructed in them by the Learned and searches them himself as he that trusts only to the Instructions of the Learned 3. Is it for the sake of these high Mysteries that the reading of this Book is forbidden the Vulgar If so then 1. Why was it not forbidden sooner since these Mysteries were in it from the Beginning 2. Why are other Books publish'd for their use in which are Mysteries superior to all Sense and Reason and those not deliver'd in expressions suited to every Capacity but such as may be wrested by the Vnlearned and Vnstable to their own destruction Such I mean as the Contemplations of the Life and Glory c. Jesus Maria Joseph c. And therefore 4. Is it not evident that it is not for the sake of the Mysteries but of those things which are too plain and obvious to vulgar understandings that the reading of this Book is prohibited But he confirms what he says both by Reason and Scripture 1. By Reason Are not the Pastors more capable of teaching the People than the People are of teaching themselves An admirable Reason Let us see how it will hold in other matters Is not the Master or Tutor more capable of teaching the Scholar than the Scholar is of teaching himself He therefore will have more of the true sense of any Book in Logick Physicks or Metaphysicks that never looks into the Book himself but only hears a Lecture once in a Week or Month from his Tutor upon some part of it than he that makes the Book his constant study 2. As admirable are the Proofs from Scripture We know Moses gave the Book of the Law to the Levites to keep and read it every seven years to the People And in King Jehosaphat 's Reign the Priests and Levites did read it and teach the People so did Jeremy by God's Command so Isaiah so Ezekicl And did not our Blessed Saviour take the Book of the Prophet and read it and expound it to the People And was not this the Office of the Apostles and Deacons c. The Argument is this The Priests and Levites read the Book of the Law and taught the People so did Jeremy Isaiah and Ezekiel Yea our Saviour and his Apostles read and expounded the Scripture to the People Therefore they will understand more of the true sense of the Scripture who never read it than those who do What pity was it that Moses and the Prophets and our Saviour and his Apostles did not understand the force of this Argument for if they had they would no doubt have forbidden the People to read the Scripture and then we had never been pester'd with those Sects and Heresies that spring from it But they were altogether unacquainted with the Roman Politicks Tho therefore they read the Scripture to the People themselves and read it in the vulgar Tongue yet they left it free to the People to read it and not only so but laid it as a Duty upon them He adds For this intention was Ananias sent to Saul Peter to Cornelius and Philip to the Eunuch who professedly own'd he could not understand the Prophet in so necessary a Point as that of the Messias without an Interpreter x P. 51. None of which Instances make any thing for him but that of the Eunuch makes much against him For the Eunuch was reading the Prophet Isaiah tho he could not understand him and St. Chrysostom y Hom. 35. in Genes and others z Non intelligebat Scripturae sensum homo prophanus idiota tamen quoniam pio studio legebat subito mittitur illi Philippus interpres vertitur Eunuchus in virum tingitur aquâ ater Aethiops niveo agni immaculati vellere induitur subitoque ex mancipio prophanae Reginae fit servus Iesu Christi Eras Epist l. 29. Epist 82. observe that God as a Reward of his Diligence and Piety in doing what he was able sent him a Teacher And what follows hence First that they ought not
can prove these two things 1. That both parts of a Contradiction may be true For nothing is more obvious than that those Propositions are by many of the Roman Clergy delivered as the Word of God which are contradictory the one to the other For Example One says the Wood of the Cross is to be adored another that Jesus Christ only is to be adored in the presence of the Cross That the Pope has Power to depose Kings one makes it Heresy to deny another to affirm it 2. That that may be the Word of God which is plainly contrary to what God hath taught in the holy Scriptures for so are many things taught by many of their Pastors For example That the sacred Body of the Mother of Jesus is endow'd with a super-seraphical activity whereby she can render her self present in a moment to all her Devotees vieweth all their Actions Words and Concerns and can aid them at whatever distance at all times whatever their Calamities be c. p Contemplations on the Life and Glory of the Holy Mary p. 69. When the Representer shall have proved these two Propositions That Contradictions may be true and that that may be the Word of God that is plainly contrary to the Word of God we may then perhaps be perswaded to believe that the Roman Priests speak nothing but Oracles SECT II. That which is mentioned as the next Misconstruction Inference II. or false Inference of the Protestants is this That the Papist takes up all his Belief upon trust he is led through all the Mysteries of his Religion by the hand without seeing which way or whither he goes All from beginning to end is Blindness and Ignorance c. q Chap. 7. p. 49. And what says the Representer in answer to this A Papist believes as the Church of God that is the present Church of Rome teaches And does not he take all his Belief upon trust who without examination believes whatsoever his Church teaches But how does he know what his Church teaches his Priest tells him Well he believes as the Church teaches he believes the Church teaches this or that because his Priest tells him so does he not then take his Church's Faith and his own too upon trust from his Priest No For he does not believe blindly but knowingly and understandingly so far as the littleness of humane Reason and his own Capacity will give him leave How does this appear Because in order to this his Church has provided him of variety of Learned Books explicating to him the sense of the Scriptures as likewise the Articles of his Creed every Mystery of his Religion the ten Commandments the Sacraments and the whole Duty of a Christian and this in such numbers both in Latin and English and other Languages c. What Learned Books for the Vnlearned and in Latin too for those who understand not a word of Latin May they not learn as much from the Latin Bible as from a Latin Explication Well may they believe understandingly when their Church has provided them of such Books for that purpose which are above their Vnderstanding But besides these he has Books in English and other Languages In England he is better provided of Books than in other Countries But does he not take all these upon trust too since he is not suffered to examine so much as one of them by the Scripture Yea is not his Belief of these Books a plain Argument that he believes blindfold Because many such things are contain'd in them which if he impartially examined he could never yield his assent to That I may not be thought to speak at random I shall give a single Instance out of that great number I could produce in each of the Heads before-mentioned 1. For the sense of Scripture he must take it upon trust who takes that Dominion ascribed to the Blessed Virgin to be meant in these Texts quoted for it viz. that God hath given her sovereign Dominion in Heaven over the Angels the Queen stood at thy right Hand Psalm 44. on Earth over Men Kings reign by me c. Prov. 18. and over Hell and the Devil she shall bruise thy Head Gen. 3. r Jesus Maria Joseph p. 167 168. 2. For the Articles of his Creed He believes upon trust who believes Contradictions and so does he who believes that by the Catholick Church in the Creed is meant the Roman Catholick 3. For the Mysteries of his Religion I appeal to all Men whether he does not take them upon trust who takes them as they are delivered in a Book lately printed s Contemplations on the Life and Glory of the Holy Mary particularly this of the Nativity of the Mother of Jesus That Holy Mary being by a singular Priviledg in regard of her Divine Maternity perfectly innocent holy and full of Grace Wisdom and all Virtues in the first positive instant of the Infusion of her Soul she from thence forth ever exercised the sublime Operations of the Contemplative and Vnitive Life without recourse to Images of Imagination or dependence on sense by the help of abstractive Lights divinely infus'd representing 1. The several Essences Attributes and Motions of the whole Body of the Creation in their several degrees and stations 2. The Divinity of God with its manifold Emanations Operations and unexplicable Comprehensions 3. And the Humanity of Jesus with all the Orders of Grace Mysteries of Salvation and extatick Loves of the Saints whereby her great Soul was so compleatly actuated even in the Womb of her Mother that her Contemplations Sallies of Love and Vnions with God were restless ever increasing in their vigor and still expatiating through the vast Motions and Methods of Mystical Love. Thus Divine Mary became still more acceptable to God replenish'd with Grace and absorpt in the Abyss of supernatural Perfection which wonderfully encreased the languishings of Angels Souls in Limbo and of her holy Parents for the hour of her Birth t Ibid. p. 44 45. This is a Mystery and so are several others in the same Book which I fear the Vulgar are not able to believe knowingly 4. For the ten Commandments he must believe blindly who believes he has them intire in his Catechism when so considerable a part is left out Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image nor the Likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above c. Or that he hath the fourth Commandment sincerely delivered in these words Remember to sanctify the holy Days We are told I know in the Abridgment of Christian Doctrine that the Church cannot be accused of the least shadow of omitting any parts of the Commandments u P. 113. But how can that be when it is before acknowledged that a great Part of the Text is omitted Because in no Catholick Bible is there one Syllable left out But what is this to the Vulgar who are not permitted to read any Catholick Bible who know no
to forbear the reading of the Scriptures who do not understand them Secondly That they who thus read them with a pious Mind shall be graciously accepted and rewarded by God. These Inferences are not mine but both of them St. Chrysostom's It follows Since therefore the Papists in delivering the Scriptures come nearest to this method commanded by God in the Old Law prescribed and practised by Christ and his Apostles in the New c. If he mean that this was the only Method commanded by God in the Old Law and prescribed by Christ in the New I have already shew'd it to be false If he mean that this was one Method then how widely remote the Conclusion is from the Premisses will appear only by setting them together One Method commanded by God in the Old Law was that the Priests and Levites should read the Law and explain it to the People the like Method was prescribed and practised by Christ and his Apostles in the New Law Therefore the Papists in withholding the Scripture from the Common People come nearest to the Method commanded by God in the Old Law and prescribed by Christ and his Apostles in the New. Where lies the Connection And yet I confess it follows as clearly as this That the Scriptures were not in the Vulgar Tongue because St. Paul said to Timothy Thou hast learned the Holy Scriptures from a Child (a) Ledesma de Script Divinis quavis lingua non legendis c. 5. I should have thought the quite contrary had followed had I not been taught otherwise by one that follows the guidance of the Infallible Church Had the Representer spoken the whole Truth in the Premisses the Conclusion had been unavoidable for the Protestants who in delivering the Scripture to the People observe the same Method that God appointed under the Law and Christ and his Apostles under the Gospel What follows upon this Head we have had before SECT III. That which the Representer reckons as another Misconstruction Inference 3. of the Protestants is this That the Reason why the Vulgar Papists are not permitted to read the Bible is for fear lest they should discover the Errors of their Religion (g) Chap. 8. p. 53. 'T is true the Protestants assign this for one Reason but when he brings in the Protestant saying I can apprehend no other he misrepresents them because they assign others tho they take this to be the chief Now this he says is a Misconstruction that lies so open that there needs no more than a glimpse of Reason to discover it Let us therefore see whether there be so much as a glimpse in those pretended Reasons he brings to confute it which are these two 1. That tho the Vulgar and Vnlearned of the Papists have not in some Countries the Bible promiscuously allow'd amongst them yet that in those same Countries and all others there 's no College Vniversity Community or place of Learning but where the Scriptures are publickly read and expounded (h) Ibid. 2. That there can be no ground for this Pretension at least here in England where the Bible in English or the Rhemes Testament is to be found in most Catholic Families (i) P. 54. 1. That in all Popish Countries there 's no College Vniversity Community or place of Learning but where the Scripture is publickly read and expounded Now if they viz. the Protestants should consider this is it possible says the Representer for them to believe that that Restraint is upon the Vulgar for fear they should see into the Follies of their Religion It is possible and because we see a Papist can believe contrary to Sense and Reason I add that it is not only possible but there is great Reason for Protestants to believe this And that 1. Because even Papists themselves believe it So did the Bishops that met at Bononia to consult about the establishment of the Roman Church For having given it as their last and weightiest Advice to Julius III That he labour to the uttermost that as little as may be of the Gospel especially in the Vulgar Tongue be read in the Cities that were under his Dominions and that that little might suffice which is wont to be read in the Mass They add This in short is the Book which besides others hath raised those Tempests and Whirlwinds which we are almost carried away with And the truth is if any Man shall diligently consider this Book and then view in order one after another the things which are wont to be done in our Churches he will see that there is a very great difference between them and that this our Doctrine is altogether diverse from that and oft-times even contrary to it which as soon as Men understand being stirred up by some Learned Men of our Adversaries they never give over clamouring against us till they have render'd us odious to all Men k Hic ille est liber qui praeter caeteros hasce nobis tempestates ac turbines concitavit quibus prope abrepti sumus Et sane si quis illum diligenter expendar deinde quae in nostris fieri Ecclesiiis consueverunt singula ordine contemplatur videbit plurimum inter se dissidere hanc doctrinam nostram ab illa prorsus diversam esse ac saepe contrariam etiam Quod simul atque homines intelligunt à docto scilicet aliquo Adversariorum nostrorum stimulati non ante clamandi in nos finem faciunt donec re tandem pervulgata nos invisos omnibus reddiderint Consil de Rom. Eccles Stab Of the same Belief was Peter Sutor as appears by these words Since many things are deliver'd to be observed which are not expresly in the Holy Scriptures will not the Vnlearned observing these things be ready to murmur complaining that so great Burdens are laid upon them by which their Gospel-Liberty is sorely abridged And will they not be easily withdrawn from observing the Constitutions of the Church when they shall see that they are not contain'd in the Law of Christ l Sed cum multa palam tradantur observanda quae Sacris in literis expresse non habentur nonne Idiotae haec animadvertentes facile murmurabunt conquerentes cur tantae sibi imponantur Sarcinae quibus libertas Evangelica ita gravicer elevatur Nonne facile retrahentur ab observantia Institutionum Ecclesiasticarum quando eas in lege Christi animadverterint non contineri De Translat Bibl. c. 22. Fo. 96. To which may be added all those which make a vast number who as the Cardinal Rodolpho Pio di Carpi believe that if the Bible be in the Vulgar Tongue all Men will become Hereticks m Soave 's Hist of the Counc of Trent l. 5. p. 460. For who do they usually mean by Hereticks but those who by reading the Bible do first discover and then renounce their Errors Now tho I confess there are some things believed by Papists which I think it
find out or afterward to comprehend And if this be to make private Reason the Rule of Scripture we need not be ashamed to own it For this is no more than what our Blessed Saviour allowed to private Persons He frequently appealed to the Scriptures of the Old Testament but he left it to every man's Reason to judge whether they were for him or against him Yea did he not severely reprove the promiscuous Multitude for not judging even of themselves what was right (b) Luk. 12. 57. For to the Multitude 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 54. these words were directed This is no more than what the Apostles of our Lord have laid as a Duty upon private Christians St. Paul commands them to prove all things (c) 1 Thes 5. 21. and thought the common Christians of the Church of Corinth wise enough to judg what he said (d) 1 Cor. 10. 15. St. John requires them to try the Spirits whether they be of God (e) 1 Joh. 4. 1. And can they do this if they may not judg of the sense of the Scripture This is no more than what St. Chrysostom frequently exhorted the People to and sharply reproved their neglect of it Yea notwithstanding the loud cry they make against private Reason and the private Spirit the Roman Clergy themselves are forced to appeal to it For when to draw Men over from us to them they produce so many Scriptures and so many Reasons such as they are fetch'd from Scripture Do they not make every Man's Reason Judg whether these Scriptures and these Reasons are to the purpose If they say a Man must use his Reason to judg which is the true Church but having once found it he must then take the sense of Scripture upon the Church's word nothing can be said more absurd Because a Man must judg of thesense of the Scripture before he can discern which is the true Church since that can no otherwise be known than by those Characters the Scripture gives of it Besides one of their own Marks of the true Church is the Holiness of its Doctirne (f) Bell. de Notis Eccles l. 4. c. 11. A Man therefore must know what the Doctrine of a Church is before he can know it to be a true Church and how shall a Man know this but by first examining her Doctrine by Scripture A Man must therefore know the sense of Scripture before he can know the true Church But if it should be granted that when a Man once knows the true Church he must then understand the Scripture as the Church does yet tell me why he must do so Is it because he hath Reason or no Reason so to do You will not say because he hath no Reason for you your self give Reasons why he must And if it be because he hath Reason he then makes his Reason Judg of the sense of Scripture as well as the Protestant But Christian Faith he says is but one that 's granted And all Christians are directed to meet in this ONE Faith to be of ONE SPIRIT and ONE MIND to say all the same thing This is also granted Now can you imagine it possible says he for all Christians to concur in the same Belief while the Scripture being but ONE which they read their private Judgments give differing and contrary Interpretations of it and carry them several ways (g) Chap. 9. P. 58. And will it be possible for all Christians to concur in the same Belief if the Scriptures be denied to the Vulgar For do not the private Judgments of the Clergy give as differing and contrary Interpretations of it and carry them as many several ways And therefore are there not as many Divisions among your selves as has been shew'd as there are among Protestants And is it not ridiculous so often to insist upon that as a sovereign Remedy of Divisions which is so ineffectual that the Disease is as prevalent where it is used as where it is not The Representer may perhaps say That their Differences are not in matters of Faith If not then neither are ours since theirs are in matters as considerable as ours are But the best on 't is if notwithstanding their Differences among themselves they are still of one Faith then the Protestants also may be of one Faith not only among themselves but with them too and therefore are no Hereticks since Protestants differ no more from them than many of them do one from another Tho therefore it be the Duty of Christians to be all of one Mind and to speak the same things and tho I see no reason to question but God hath afforded such helps in order thereunto which if they were not wanting to themselves in the use of they might attain to this Vnity Yet we have already seen that the withholding the Scripture from the Vulgar is none of those means and tho some who will be wiser than God have thought fit to make trial of it yet they have hitherto found it unsuccesful And for those means which God hath vouchsafed as little Reason have we to expect that they should by all Christians be faithfully used and applied and they thereby be brought to this perfect Unity as to expect that all Men should become sober and just and charitable and devout which God has made no less their Duty and for the effecting of which he hath vouchsafedas powerful means But now let us again try whether this long Harangue be not of equal force against the reading of the Scripture by the Learned as by the Vulgar If the different Sects in Religion proceed from the reading of the Scripture by the Vulgar how comes it that there are so many different and contrary Divisions Sects and Perswasions among you Romanists How comes it that even in those things that by the differing Parties are reckon'd Matters of Faith there hath been and at present is so great Diversity The business is you suffer every Learned Man's private Reason to be Judg of Scripture which when put to the test proves in thousands and thousands to be no better than Passion Prejudice Interest Imagination Guessing or Fancy Don't you find by experience that there 's no Proposal made but presently the Learned are divided about it as they were in almost every Question in the Council of Trent nor could the Controversies be decided by the Fathers but they were forc'd to make many of their Decrees in such general Terms for the gratifying of the contending Parties as might be interpreted to contrary Senses Don't you see again That almost every Scholar's Reason is different as their Capacity Parts Education Temper Inclinations Impressions are different That as every one has a Head of his own so he has generally a Reason or way of reasoning of his own Nay are not the Learned so inconstant even to themselves too that what is Reason to them at one time is unreasonable at another How then can you permit a thing