they are found to attribute this Infallibility not onely to all conjunctly but to the most of that smal remnant of surviving Writers as you saw from their expressions which because they are so monstrously bold as to assert I shall take the boldnesse to aske by what right shall five Fathers vid. Dionysius Clemens Ignatius Polycarpus and Hermes supposing that all the works extant under their names were genuine for these are all left us of those great numbers of the Fathers of the first Age I say by what right shall these five invest themselves with the name or priviledge of the whole Catholick Church of that Age for it is to her alone the supposed promise of Infallibility was made in what Scripture or Father or Lexicon do five Fathers make up the whole Church True it is the Pope hath a peculiar priviledge in this point and is by the Jesuites invested with the name of the Church The Church Virtuall And it must be acknowledged there is since colour for the Title for having swallowed up all the rights and priviledges of the Church he ought to have the Name into the bargain But setting aside that prodigious 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I would know why I might not as well say that five of the Romish Doctors viz. Salmeron Canus Costerus Stapleton and Bellarmine are the Church of Rome or that five of our English Doctors are the Church of England nay all the Protestant World as that five of the Fathers made up the whole Church of their Age Yet againe forasmuch as they ascribe infallibility not onely to all but also to the major part of the Fathers of these five then two may erre by their own confession And that all the particular Fathers have their their errors is generally acknowledged by the Papists and often urged by them to defend themselves from the force of many convincing allegations from the Fathers against their opinions Well then to keep to this particular instance It is granted that Dionysius may erre and so may Ignatius then the Infallibility is preserved in Clemens and Polycarpus and Hermes But they also or any two of them may erre in other things and then the Infallibility is preserved in Dionysius and Ignatius and Hermes Thus it seems Infallibility is banded between the Fathers like a Tennis-ball from one to another and they have it by turnes Such monsters must be in the Conclusion if Infallibility be in the premises That is enough for the second Argument § 5. The third Argument is this The Fathers professe they are not infallible either they say true or false if true then they are not infallible if false then they erred in that assertion and therefore are not Infallible So the Papists are gone by their own Argument and rule too For here we have the consent of the Fathers It were infinite to recount all passages to this purpose I shall onely suggest some few which are evident and undeniable in this particular Clemens Alexandrinus hath these words The principle of our Doctrine is the Lord who hath taught us by the Prophets by the Gospell and by the Apostles and he addes If any man think this Principle needs another Principle he doth not indeed keep that Principle But the Papists say the Scripture principle needs another principle to support it viz. the Churches Authority Ergo the Papists have forsaken the principle of the Scripture and so saved us further labour of proving their Apostacy And he addes that the standard by which things are to be examined is not the testimony of men therefore not the Testimony of Fathers Councels Popes who I thinke are all men save onely that severall of the Popes are represented by their own Authors as beasts but the Word of the Lord. And lest you should understand it of Tradition he calls it just before the Scripture and word of the Lord We do not saith he believe the assertions of men they must not onely say but prove and that too from the Scriptures What can be more expresse So Basil tels us The hearers that are instructed in the Scriptures must examine the Doctrine of their teachers they must receive those things which are agreeable to Scripture and reject those things which are contrary to it Where we plainly see S t Basils direct contrariety to the principles and practise of the Romish Church 1. St Basil allowes his heares to examine their teachers Doctrine so do not the Papists The people are so bound to be subject to their Pastours that if their Pastours shoulderre the people were bound to erre with them saith Tannerus A Christian is bound to receive the Churches Doctrine without examination saith Bellarmine Pastours are simply to be heard in all things nor are we to consider what is said but who said it i. e. if he were a lawfull Pastour as Stapleton bellowes it out for it is a speech fitter for a beast then for a man And yet these are the men who will not depart a nailes bredth from the Fathers This is the Church the principall note whereof is consent with the Fathers of which you may judge by this and what we shall adde from others 2. Basil makes the Scripture alone the rule by which all other things are to be examined not Fathers not Councels not Traditions but the Papists are of another minde S t Clara. tels us of a Popish Treatise written by a friend of his solemnly approved by the Parishian Doctors of the Sorbon so you see it is no particular fancy but a received opinion where saith he that Author expresly asserts that the Church therefore receives the Scriptures because and so far as they are conformable to Tradition not contrarily i.e. She doth not receive Tradition because and so far as it agrees with Scripture And thus far doubtlesse he was in the right saith S t Clare And consequently Basil was in the wrong That saying of Cyprians is never to be forgotten That Christ alone is to be heard the Father witnesseth from Heaven We are not therefore to regard what others before us thought but what he that was before all Christ first did for we are not to follow the custome of men but the truth of God If the Papists would say as much this controversy would be at an end And it is observable that Pamelius who is very brisk and free of his Notes and animadversions whereever Cyprian casts in a word that may seem to give countenance to their opinions passeth over this place with profound silence as well seeing it was so hot it would have burned his Fingers St Chrysostome is as fully Protestant in this particular as if he had been of Councell in our cause in two points he is positive for us 1. He presseth the people to examine things delivered to them therefore he was against the Popish implicit faith Let us not carry about the opinion of the multitude but let us examine things
should not be admitted to the vision of God before the day of judgment So much Perron confesseth and Sixtus Senensis That the Saints should raigne with Christ a thousand years that Pamelius grants In all these and severall others it is known that the Church of Rome asserts the contrary how truly and justly I dispute not nor is it materiall to my purpose which is onely to shew how upon all occasions where need requires they do as little regard the Authority of the Fathers as any whom they most traduce for so doing But would you know the mistery of this why The Fathers are not reckoned as Fathers when they deliver any thing which they did not receive from the Church saith Duraeus In earnest that saying deserved a Cardinals Cap. And Baily the Jesuite seconds him in it where putting this question Whether the Authority of the Doctors Fathers ought to be admitted he answers Yes as fâ—r as the Church approves of them The Fathers have Authority with us as far as we please I will adde a third that you may see it is a ruled case and that is Gresserus A Father saith he is one that feeds the Church with wholesome Doctrine but if instead of corne he give chaff or tares he is not now a Father but a step-Father not a teacher but a seducer When the Fathers say any thing which seems to countenance their positions then they are Fathers uncorrupt judges infallible interpreters and Purgatory is too mild a punishment for him that shall goe one haires breadth from them But if the Fathers will once begin to take upon them if they will exceed those bounds the Pope hath set them and contradict his interest or opinion then it is time to take them a peg lower then they call them Fathers but make children of them They had better have held their Tongues for now all comes out and the Papists are the Chams as they call the Protestants who uncover their Fathers nakednesses Then Eusebius who when he is Orthodox in the Romane account passeth for a most famous Writer a most learned man and a Catholick with Lindanus Sixtus Senensis and others is all on a sudden transubstantiated into an Arrian Heretick with Costerus and Baronius Then poor Tertullian who when he speaks righteous things passeth for a most noble Author the chiefe of all the Latine Fathers with Lindanus is not so much as a man of the Church nay he is an hereticall Author an heresiarch a Montanist say Azorius and Bellarm Then Origen who when he is a good boy passeth for a witnesse beyond exception with Duraeus another master of the Churches after the Apostles as Jerome calls him saith Lindanus is a meer schismatick saith Canus the Father of the Arrians and Eunomians saith Maldonate Then Constantine himselfe that you may see the Church of Rome is not guilty of respect of persons is not much to be regarded he was a greater Emperor then Doctor saith Bellarm. Then Lactantius is better skilled in Tully then in the Scripture and Victorinus was a Martyr but wanted learning saith Bellarmine Nay I think both he and the rest of the Fathers wanted wit as well as learning for if they would but have blotted out all Anti-Romish passages which might have been done with one Blot provided it reached from the beginning to the end of their works they had all passed for Orthodox and admirable men and we had not heard one word of their infirmities or miscarriages What need I trouble my selfe and the Reader with saying that which all the World knows concerning the Papists receding from the common sence of the Fathers in expositions of Scripture and preferring new interpretations before them not fearing their own Tridentine thunderbolt That no man should dare to interpret Scripture against the common consent of the Fathers For which I shall onely referre the reader to those places where he may be more fully satisfied that this was the opinion and practise of the Learned and approved Romanists as Cajetan Pererius Maldonate and severall others § 9. In short to strike the businesse dead you shall have the positive judgment of the principall pillars of the Romish Church Sacred Doctrine saith Aquinas useth Authority of Scripture as a necessary Argument but the Authorities of other Doctors of the Church onely as a probable Argument for our faith leanes upon the revelation made to the Apostles and Prophets not to other Doctors The Authorities of the Fathers without the Scripture doth not oblige my faith saith Biel It is the property of the Holy Scriptures that there is no error in it which needs correction saith Baronius The Writings of the Fathers saith Bellarmine in totidem terminis are not a rule and have not authority to oblige me And not contented to assert he elsewhere offers proofs of the invalidity of the Fathers without and their perfect subjection to the Authority of the Church and Bishop of Rome The Fathers execute the office of Doctors but Counsels and Popes execute the office of a Iudge committed to them by God And againe The Pope hath no Fathers in the Church but all are his sonnes No wonder then that the sonnes are subject to the Father not the Fathers to the Sonnes Thus Gregory de Valentiâ cuts the knot he cannot untie If the consent of Doctors cannot be made out the Pope may use his Authority Really these Jesuites are most ingenious fellowes they are resolved never to be at a non-plus when they saw the Scripture was not for their turnes they vote that should not be judge of controversies and fled to the Fathers When they saw multitudes of notable passages cited out of the â—athers destructive to their Hierarchy then it must be consent of the Fathers Now because they know they cannot make out the consent of the Fathers for any one Article of their Faith Here is a Salvo for that the Popes Authority is evident It is but saying that is a first Principle and all controversies are at an end By this time I think I may expect the Reader that hath but a dram of ingenuity in him must needs acknowledge that the Authority of the Fathers is neither ex veritate rei in truth nor ex opinione Pontificiorum in the judgment of the Papists a solid foundation for a Papists Faith which was the Proposition to be proved I shall dismisse this with two Observations 1. How sweetly the Romish Doctors agree in that which they acknowledge to be a principall foundation of Faith viz. the Authority of the Fathers 2. I shall leave this Syllogisme taken out of their own Authors to the consideration of the prudent Reader If you take away the authority of Fathers and Councels all things in the Church are uncertaine saith Eccius as you saw before But Bâ—llarmine and
Spirit of God his Holinesse declares they were acted by the Divell By this time I hope the Reader that is not wholly blinde may see the vanity of this Argument from Tradition Catholick Tradition is pretended at Rome for the Popes Supremacy and Infallibility This Tradition with othâ—rs comes to them by uninterrupted succession from the Apostles wherein by the Argument I have now in consideration it was impossible for the Bishops or Governours of the Church either to misunderstand the mind of their Ancestors or wittingly to deceive their posterity That which they make impossible to be done the instance proposed discovers to be certainly done it being impossible that the Fathers should make such a decree if they had not either been ignorant of such a Tradition as Bellarmine chargeth them or wilfully and maliciously opposed it as the Pope accuseth them And forasmuch as these Fathers pleaded a Tradition directly contrary to that which the Romanists pretend viz. That there should be no appeales to Rome it irresistibly followes that Tradition hath deceived either them formerly or the Papists at this day I shall dismisse this Answer with a remarke upon the whole matter that if the Pope and Popish faction durst for their own base and ambitious designes use such palpable forgery in a time of so much light when they had so many diligent observers and potent opposers I leave to the prudent Reader to imagine what forgeries might be expected from them in after Ages in times of ignorance and carelesnesse when all the VVorld was in a deep sleep and the Pope onely vigilant to improve all occasions to his advantage and had allmost all Princes and People in the Christian VVorld at his Devotion And thus much may serve for the seventh Answer wherein I have been the more prolix because it strikes at the root of the Argument not onely proves the possibility of deceit in Traditions but also discovers the wayes and modes by which mistakes may be committed and falshoods introduced under pretence of Tradition I will adde but one thing more § 24. Answ. 8. and last If the Tradition pretended give us infallible assurance that the Doctrines of the present Church of Rome are come from the Apostles then the Romish Church holdeth no Doctrines but such as they have received from the Apostles But the Romish Church holdeth many Doctrines which she hath not received from the Apostles This I might take for granted having allready proved it in that fundamentall Tradition of the Church of Rome concerning the Popes Supremacy I might refer the Reader to what I have reported out of diverse Popish Authors of greatest note concerning their acknowledgments of their departing from the Doctrines and practises of the Fathers and having said so much there I shall content my self with mentioning two particulars The first shall be that which hath been more largeâ—y discussed Chap. 3. whither I refer the Reader about the Blessed Virgins conception in Originall sin The present Doctrine of the Romish Church or at least of the far greatest part and most eminent members of it is for her immaculate conception as I shewed before from the decrees of Popes and Universities c. and innumerable of their most approved Authors How much this opinion was favoured by the Councell of Trent sufficiently appeares from their Decree about Originall sin though cunningly and doubtfully delivered as the Devils Oracles used to be in which Decree they declare that they would not comprehend the Blessed Virgin The sence of which decree according to that favourable glosse which M r White puts upon it was this That the Councell did judge both opinions probable Now from the businesse thus stated I gather two undeniable Arguments to prove the Fallibility of Tradition 1. Tradition told the Antient Fathers that one of those opinions was positively false viz. That the Blessed Virgin was not conceived in sin Tradition told the Councell of Trent that either of these opinions was probably true which is an implicit contradiction 2. Seeing in this hot contest not yet ended between the different factions of the Romanists in this point both sides pretend Tradition for their contrary opinions and both agree in this to hold nothing but what they have by Tradition Therefore Tradition must needs have deceived one of them Ergo it is not Infallible To which I shall adde that the Doctrine which the most and learnedest of them hold viz. of immaculate conception was not received by Tradition from the Fathers as I have shewed from the ingenuous confessions of their most Learned VVriters to which I may adde those words of Melchior Canus That the Blessâ—d Virgin was wholly free from Originall sinne cannot be proved out of Scripture according to its genuine meaning But that is but a small matter to give the Scripture a goeby let us see what he saith of the Golden rule of Tradition therefore he addes presently Nor can it be said that it came into the Church by Apostolicall Tradition for those Traditions could not come to our hands by any other then those Bishops and holy Authors which succeded the Apostles But it is evident that those antient writers did not receive it from their Ancestors for then they would have faithfully delivered it to their posterity And yet if M r Whites Discourse be solid in spight of your eyes you shall believe not onely that no Doctrine is delivered by the Church of Rome which hath not been conveyed to their hands from Fathers to Children even from the Apostles dayes but that it was impossible any other Doctrine should creep in The other instance is that of the Canon of the Scripture imposed upon us by the Church of Rome which they say is another Apostolicall Tradition and yet their own prime Authors confesse the most Antient Fathers to be on our side at least as to severall of their Apocryphall Books Sixtus Senensis gives them to us in generall The Antient Fathers did hold the controverted Books to be un-canonicall Bellarmine gives us Epiphanius Hilary Ruffinus and Hierom Canus gives us Origâ—n Damascen Athanasius and Melito a famous and antient Father who flourished Anno 170 and was a man of great judgment and venâ—rable Sanctity saith Sixtus Senensis who purposely travelled to the Eastern Churches where the Apostles had their principall residence and employment to learne out the true Canon and brings a non est in ventus for the Apocryphall Books and returnes with the very same Canon which we own so that in him we have the Testimonies of all those flourishing and Apostolicall Churches to which Tertullian directs us for the discovery of the Truth Nor to this day have the Papists cited one Father or Councell within the compasse of 600 I think I may say a 1000 years who did receive their whole Canon and consequently none of them for ought appeares in their Writings knew any thing of this pretended Tradition but as it seemes by the story
see it is argued on both sides by many most godly and learned Catholicks both antient and modern and neither part hath yet been censured or prohibited and therefore it is evident no Catholick is bound to this or that side By which one instance you may see how much reason we have to bespeak them as Christ did the Pharisees Math. 7.5 Thou Hypocrite first cast out the Beam out of thine own eye and then thou shalt see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brothers eye Thus we see when their pretended signs come to be examined they are lighter then vanity as we have seen by this short and transient consideration of the most and weightiest of them § 11. But although other evidences are pleaded yet the rest of them come in onely as handmaids to the principal Character of miracles for here it is that they set up their rest and so must I too for a season So the Answerer of Bishop Land The Church is proved to be infallible the same way that Moses Christ and his Apostles were proved to be infallible and that was by the sanctity of their life and the glory of their miracles The works of Christ did of themselves without Scripture prove Christ to be infallible Ioh. 5.36 and 10 25 38. and 14 11. and the Apostles confirmed their words by signes Mark 14.19 And consequently the miracles done by the Church of Rome do without Scripture prove her infallibility This is their last plea they are now brought to their last legs if this fail them they are lost § 12. Ans. 1. If the miracles of Christ and his Apostles did prove their infallibility in the doctrine they delivered then they prove the fallibility of the Church of Rome and their actual error because they are visibly departed from that doctrine and if they prove any infallibility they prove theirs who adhere to the doctrine of the Scriptures And so we thank them for this argument § 13. Ans. 2. Although where miracles are true and many and evident and uncontrolled they give a great stroke to the proof of that doctrine which is confirmed by them yet it is false to say that Christ or his Apostles did require an absolute submission to and belief of every doctrine upon the bare account of miracles without any reference to Scripture And it is most certain that Christ and his Apostles notwithstanding their miracles did prove their doctrines from and allow their hearers to examine their doctrines by the Scripture This strikes at the foundation of their argument plea and therefore I shall endeavour thoroughly to prove it § 14. 1. This appears from the expresse commands of Christ and the Apostles to that purpose In the same place where Christ bids them believe him for his works sake he commands them to believe him for the Scriptures sake Joh. 5.39 Search the Scriptures And if the former prove the sufficiency of their argument from miracles why should not the latter prove the sufficiency of the Protestants argument from Scripture especially if you consider that Christ apparently prefers Scripture arguments before that of miracles for in that 5. of John where he ascends gradually from the weakest to the strongest testimonies he placeth them in this order First he urgeth Iohn's testimony vers 32. next the testimony of his miracles vers 36. and last the testimony of Scriptures v. 39. And this more fully appears from Luke 16.29 If they hear not Moses and the prophets neither will they be perswaded though one rose from the dead Upon which words Chrysostome's glosse is full and cogent at least to them who pretend to rely upon the Fathers authority and exactly to maintain their doctrines his words are these That you may see that the doctrine of the Prophets and consequently of the Apostles is more to be believed then the preaching of one raised from the dead consider this that every one that is dead is a servant but what the Scripture speaks those things the Lord speaks Whence I thus argue The authority of the Lord is not onely greater in se but more credible quoad nos then the authority of the Servant This no man living will deny But the authority of Scriptures is the authority of the Lord and the authority of the Pope adde a Councel to him if you please is the authority of a Servant yea if you take that in earnest which is intended onely for a complement a Servant of Servants Ergo the Scripture is more to be credited then the Pope or Church It was a good turn for the Pope that Greg. de Valentia hath assured him that if the Fathers do at any time talke sawcily Sua tum constat authoritas Romano Pontifici i.e. The Pope will keep his authority and infallibility in spight of them else I am afraid this passage of S. Chrysostomes might have done his Holinesse a discourtesy And this farther appears from 2 Pet. 1. where you have the question expresly decided for after the Apostle had confirmed his doctrine from that miraculous appearance of God in the Mount and that voice from Heaven he addes ver 19. We have a more sure word of Prophecy The Bereans did not believe S. Paul's inâ—allibility barely upon the account of his miracles nor are they therefore blamed but did examine his doctrines by the Scriptures and for that they are commended Act. 17.11 § 15. 2. It was not the will of Christ that all miracles should be believed but he would have some miracles rejected therefore he would not have all miracles in themselves and for themselves credited and owned The Assumption I prove by three arguments § 16. 1. Christ's will was compliant with his Fathers will and he came to fulfill Gods word not to destroy it But this was the express will of God that all miracles should not be credited This no man can doubt of that reads Deut. 13. If there arise among you a Prophet or a dreamer of dreams and giveth thee a sign or a wonder and the sign or wonder come to passe whereof he spake unto thee saying Let us go after other Gods and let us serve them thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that Prophet for the Lord your God proveth you Whence it irrefragably follows that if it could without blasphemy be imagined that Jesus Christ had delivered such a doctrine as this Let us go after other Gods his miracles should have been disowned and rejected and therefore miracles of themselves are not to be credited § 17. 2. Christ and his Apostles have foretold us that miracles should be done by the teachers of false doctrines Therefore miracles in themselves are no sufficient evidence of the truth of a doctrine The Consequence none can deny The Antecedent which alone can admit of doubt is so evident from plain Scriptures that I need onely recite them I will mention onely two places 2 Thes. 2 9. The coming of Antichrist is said to be after
de-defend it are weak Mr Cressy's arguments examined Arg. 1. Take away Infallibility and you destroy all authority p. 21. 2. From the Anathema's of Councels p. 23. 3. From the promises of Infallibility made to the Church pag. 25 to pag. 30. 4. No unity without Infallibility pag. 30. Other considerations against infallibility 1. The Texts and arguments alledged either prove nothing or more then Mr Cressy would have pag. 33. 2. If a Pope and Councell together were Infallible yet now they have no Infallibility in the Church of Rome ib. A Character of the last Pope drawn by a Papist and the Popes confession that he never studied Divinity p. 34. The grounds of the Faith of Protestants stated and the pretended differences among Protestants reconciled pag. 36. to 45. Captain Everards arguments against the judgment of reason considered pag. 45. Everards arguments against Scriptures being a perfect rule and judg of Controversies examined answered 1 Which is the great argument of the Papists because it doth not answer its end nor reconcile the dissentâ—rs p. 47. 2. Some books of Scripture are lost p. 50. 3. A rule must be plain but Scripture is dark p. 52. 2 Pet. 3.16 Vindicated pag. 52. Severall particulars wherein the Scripture is said to be darke considered 1. About the number of Sacraments pag 54. 2. About the number of Canonicall books p. 55. 3. About the incorruption of Scripture p. 56. 4. About the sence of Scripture p. 57. 5. About fundamentall points p. 59. 4. Protestants have not the Originals but onely Translations p. 63. 5. There are contradictions in Scripture p. 65. 6. Scripture is liable to contrary Expositions p. 66. 7. Scripture was not judge in the Apostles dayes p. 68. 8. This makes every man judge p. 69. Another argument of Cressy's taken from hence that Scripture were written upon particular occasions p. 71. Rushworth's two great apâ—plauded aâ—guments in his Daâ—â—alogues refuted The first taken from the greaâ— uncertainâ—y and corruption of the Texts in our Bibles p. 75 to 82. The second from the Methods of Lawes and Lawgivers p. 82. Mr. White 's argument viz. That Scripture was not Written about the present Controversies considered and answered p. 88. The Scriptures authority and sufficiency argued onely from one Text. 2 Tim. 3.15 16. Vindicated from diverse exceptions of Captain Everard Mr Cressy and Mr. White p. 92. ad finem A Postscript to the Reader The designe of this Treatise being to destroy all pretensions of Infallibility in the Church Pope or Councels it were an unreasonable thing for the Reader to expect Infallibility in the Printer or to deny his pardon to the errors of the Presse occasioned by the Authors constant absence Such smaller errors as do not pervert the sence the Reader will easily discerne The grosser mistakes which he is intreated to Correct are such as these that follow For work pag. 4. of the Epistle Dedicatory line the last but one read neck Pag. 8. l n. 27. read decisâ—on p. 9. l. 7. r. Gretâ—â—â—â—â— p. 13. l. 31. r. rock p. 14. l. 21. r. least p. 33 l. 17. r. Melchior p. 35. l. 32. r. their after namely p. 39. l. 15. r. because for best p. â—0 l. 8. r. least p. â—5 l. 26. r. Grill. â—â—â— acquices p. 58. l. 25. r. acquiesces p. 60. l. 2. r. Gresserus p. 65. l. 26 and 27. r. â—â—d there for â—y p. 84. l. last r. of p. 87. l. 22. r. Osius p. 87. l. 26. r. adde with p. 112 l 4 r fricat â—b l. 26. r. breaths p. 116. l. 10. r. Celotius p. 117 l. 32. r. scrupulosiâ—â— p. 120. l. 29. r. affectione p. 125. l. 3. r. Dullardus p. 130. l. 1. r. student p. 137. l. 7. r. discevers p. 137. l. 14. r. Romish p. 137. l. 25 r recentieribus p. 138. l. 31. r. niti pag. 155. the signatures to the citâ—tions are misplaced p. 165. l. 29. r. answerer for thinks p. 171. l. 20. r. things p. 174. l. 33. r. Apotaâ—â—ici p. 201. l. antepenultima dele non p. 218. l. last r. protervire p. 218. l. 31 and 32. dele and to fetch in miracles that they may not want arguments p. 226. l. last r. undeniable In the Appendix Pag. 40. l. 3. after iuâ—â— read each particular p. 44. l. 30. r. it is p. 61. l. 31. r. effectuallâ— p. 62 l. 17. r. Stilling fleet ib. p. 31. r. Smiglecius p. 76. l. 20. for perfectly r. in part The Nullity of the Romish Faith The Introduction ALl Papists profess to resolve their Faith into and to ground it upon the Churches infallible Tâ—stimonie and supreme Authority But when they come to explicate what they mean by the Church and on what account they ground their Faith upon her then they sall into diverse opinions By the Church some understand the ancient Church whose Testimonie is expressed in the writings of the Fathers others the present Church whose living Testimonie and Authoritie they say is sufficient without any further inquirie and this present Churh too they cannot yet agree what it is Some say the Pope others a generall Councell and others the Pope and a Councell together Nor are they less at variance about the grounds on which they build the Churches Authoritie This some lay in the Testimonie of scripture others in the Authority of the Fathers others in universall or all tradition others in the motives of credibility as we shall see in the process of this discourse My purpose is to discover the rottenness of these severall foundations as they make use of them and to shew That they have no solid foundation for their Faith in any of these recited particulars and for more orderly proceeding I shall lay down six propositions I that a Papists faith hath no solid foundation in the authoritie and infallibilitie of the Pope 2 Nor in the scriptures according to their principles 3 Nor in the authority of Fathers 4 Nor in the infallibility of the Church and Councels 5 Nor in unwritten tradition and the authority of the present Church 6 Nor in the motives of credibility Of which in order CHAP. 1. Of the Popes Authority and Infallibility Sect. 1. Propos. 1. THe Popes infallibile authority is in it self of no validity and is a meere nullity further then it is established or corroborated by the rest This needs no great proofe For if I should ask any Papist why he rather relies upon the decisions of the Bishop of Rome then the Bishop of York the onely plea is that the Bishop of Rome is St Peters successor and established by God in those royalties and jurisdictions which St Peter is supposed to have been invested with But if I ask how this appears what proofs and evidences there are of this assertion upon which hangs the whole Mass and Fabrick of Popery There is no man so grosly absurd to believe himself or to affirm that I am bound to believe this barely upon the Popes assertion that
he is Peters successor But for the proof of this I am by the learned Romanist referred unto some passages of scripture as Thou art Peter feed my sheep c. Unto Tradition and the Testimony of Fathers and acts of Councells that have either devolved this power upon or acknowledged and confirmed it in the Bishops of Rome from whence it undeniably followes that the Popes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or naked affirmation of his own Authority though delivered â—x Cathedrá and with all immaginable formalities is of no weight in it self and hath no strength nor vertue in it further then it is supported and demonstrated from such Testimonies of scripture fathers or Councells Which will further appear from this consideration That upon supposition that the Scripture had been silent as to Peters supremacy and the Fathers and Councels had said nothing concerning the succession of the Bishops of Rome in St Peters chair but had ascribed the same priviledges which they are pretended to atribute to the Pope to the Bishop of Antioch I say upon this supposition the Popes pretences would have been adjudged extremely presumptuous and wholly ridiculous From this then wee have gained thus much That the Popes Authority and Infallibility being the thing in Question and but a superstruction upon those other fore-mentioned foundations and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or credible for it self that it is not in it self a sufficient foundation for a Papists faith And so that must be quitted as impertinent to the present enquiry and we must go to the other particulars and examine whether a Papist without any reference to or dependence upon the Popes Authority or Infallibility can find a solid foundation for his faith either in Scriptures Fathers Councels tradition or the motives of Credibility And if I can shew that the Papists according to their own principles cannot have a solid and sure ground for their faith in any of the now mentioned particulars or if I can shew that all their other pretensions according to the principles of the most and learned'st Papists depend upon this Authority of the Pope and without it are no solid foundation of faith that Scriptures Fathers Councels and tradition are not conclusive nor obliging to me to believe without the Popes Authority and Interpretation which I think will be made evident in the following discourses then I may truly conclude that they have no foundation for their faith Therefore I pass on to the second head CHAP. II. Of the Authority of Scripture according to Romish Principles Prop. 2. Sect. 1. THat the Scripture in it self without the Interpretation Testimonie and Authority of thâ— Church is not a sufficient foundation oâ— Faith for private Christians according to the Doctrine the Romanists This is so plaine so often asserted bâ— them so universally owned so vehemently urged in aâ— their Treatises that if there were not an horrible perâ—versnesse and tergiversation in that sort of men whâ— indeed by the badnesse of their cause are forced to saâ— and unsay give and recall affirme and denie the samâ— things as occasion requires and the strength of an Arâ—gument forceth them I might supercede from anâ— further paine or trouble therein I shall therefore onely observe two Principles of the Popish Creed either oâ— which and much more both put together do plainly and undeniably evince that according to their Hypotheses the Scripture in it selfe is no solid ground nor foundation of a Christian Faith 1. That a Christian cannoâ— know and is not bound to believe any or all of the Books of Scripture to be the Word of God without the Churches Witnesse and Authority 2. That the sencâ— of Scripture is so obscure and ambiguous in the Article of Faith that a Christian cannot discover it without thâ— Churches interpretation § 2. For the first of these it may suffice at present tâ— mention two or three passages out of their approved Writers Baily the Jesuite in his Catechisme of Controversies made by the command of the Archbishop oâ— Burdeaux puts this Question To whom doth it belong to determine of Canonicall Books and Answers thus To the Church without whose Authority I should no more believe St Matthew then Titus Livius When Brentius alledged the saying of a Papist that if the Scriptures were destitute of the Churches Authority they would weigh no more then AEsops Fables the Cardinall Hosius replies That these words may be taken in a pious sence For in truth saith he unl esse the Authoritie of the Church did teach us that this Scripture were Canonicall it would have very little weight with us So Charron plainly tels us That the Scripture hath no Authority no weight or force towards us and our Faith but for the Churches assertion and declaration Andradius in expresse termes denies That there is any thing of Divinity in the Scripture which bindes us to believe the things therein contained but the Church which teacheth us that those Boo ks are Sacred none can resist without the highâ—st impiety One may well cry out Heu Pietas heu priscae fidâ—s To disbelieve the Scripture that is no impiety but to resist the Church that is the Highest impiety To make God a lyar that is no impiety but to mak the Church a lyar that is impiety in the highest You see now the reason why Violations of the Churches Authority are more severely punished at Rome then the grossest transgressions of Gods Laweâ— because there is more impiety in them and so more sevâ—rity should be exercised against them And Pighiâ— useth no lesse freedome telling us That the Scripturâ— have no Authority with us either from themselves or from their Authours but meerly from the Churches Testimonâ— Thus you see that according to the systeme of Popisâ— Theology the Scripture doth not discover it selfe to bâ— the Word of God nor oblige my faith unlesse it brinâ— along with it the Churches Letters of credence Anâ— whereas in St Pauls dayes neither Church nor Apostle was believed further then they brought credentials froâ— Scripture Acts 17.11 And St Austine in his dayes in hiâ— Controversies with the Donatists batters down theiâ— Church by this Argument that they could not show it in nor prove it from the Authority of Scriptures Now on the contrary the Scripture is not to be received unlesse it be confirmed by the Churches Authoritie And as Tertullian argued of old God shall not be God without mans consent It is here as in dealings between manâ— and man if I say to some unknown person recommended to me by one whom I know and trust I should not believe your professions of honesty for I know you not were it not for the Testimony which my worthy friend gives of you In this case the mans professions of honesty are not the ground of my faith or confidence in him but onely my friends Testimony Or as if a learner in Philosophy should say to his Tutor I should not believe that
the Bishop of Avignon must succeed in the universall headshipâ— But I need say no more of so absurd a fancy Sect. 10. A second place of scripture is Ioh. 21. Peteâ— feed my sheep And this feeding must denote ruling as welâ— as teaching and this rule forsooth must needs be the supreme power and that power must bee attended withâ— infallibility and these sheep must be all the sheep in the world nay shephards too exceept the Pan or princepâ— pastorum at Rome Tantae molis erat Romanum conderâ— papam And this rope of sand must be called an argument by which one may see the intollerable confidence they have in themselves and their shamelesse contempt of the Readers whom they think obliged to receive all their dictates without enquiry I would have you to wit that the Church of Rome knew what they did when they invented the doctrine of an implicit faith and a blind obedience to all the Churches decrees for if men should once dare to open their eyes and examine their assertions all their craft would be in danger to be set at nought and the Temple of Dominus Deus noster papa as the Canon Law calls him would be despised and his magnificence would be destroyed whom so great a part of the world worshippeth But if indeed they will by Transubstantiation turn this handfull of straw into a pillar of their Church as I cannot blame one near drowning for catching at every twig then I shall offer these things to their consideration 1 That Bellarmine as his manner is bestowes seaven arguments to prove that which none ever denied that those words were spoken to Peter alone and neglects that which he should have disproved viz. the reason thereof given by Aug. Cyril Ambrose and others and after them the Protestants which was not the collation of a new dignity superior to that of the other Apostles but his restoration to his former dignity of the Apostleship from which by his great transgression he might seem to have fallen as Iudas really did fall by his Transgression Act. 1. 2. If this Text afford them any support they must have it either from the Act or the word Feed or from the object or phrase my sheep For the first By what Arts can the Supremacy of the Pope he drawn from that word or precept This feeding in the judgment of the Romanists themselves implies nothing but teaching and ruling and both those are ascribed to all the Apostles without any discrimination Mat. 28.19 20. Mat. 18. Iohn 20. And Bellarmine himselfe confesseth that not onely the power of Rule but the supreme power was conferred upon all the Apostles Nay they are ascribed to inferiour Ministers Heb. 13. Obey them that have the rule over you and 1 Tim. 5.17 The elders that rule well and to such the very same Precept is given 1 Pet. 5.1 2. The Elders I exhort Feed the flock of God which is among you Doth Feeding in one place argue superiority and in another place imply subjection or rather in both places it seemes it signifies what the Pope pleaseth But you must know the Romish Doctors having called â—he Scripture a Lesbian Rule and a Nose of Wax they were bound in honour aut invenire aut facere either to finde it so or to make it such if it be said their charge 〈◊〉 limited to the Flock of God among them whereas Peters extends to all the sheep the Answer is easie if that â—e granted for then the difference doth not lie in the act of Feeding but in the object of which I now come to speak that is the second thing the phrase my sheep Granting therefore what Bellar. desires that he speaks of all the sheep yet herein S t Peter had no prerogative above the other Apostles who are equally commanded to teach and baptise all Nations Mat. 28.19 to preach the Gospell to every Creature Mar. 16.15 And Peters Diocess surely cannot be larger unlesse happily Utopia be taken in or that which is in the same part of the world I meane Purgatory But you will say surely they have somewhat else to plead for themselves from this Text Why yes These good masters of the feast have reserved the best Wine to the last Here comes in a rare notion not fit to be prostituted to vulgar apprehensions you shall heare it upon condition you will not put them to the proofe of it which they are not bound to do for nemâ— tenetur aâ— impossibilia No man is obliged to do more then is in his power Peter was to feed the sheep as ordinary Pastour the rest as extraordinary Ambassadors and with a certaine subjection to Peter If you ask doth this Text say so or any other Text or is there one syllable from whence this may be deduced you must remember the condition which I told you And what if this be granted how comes the ordinary power to be greater and higher then the extraordinary In the Old Testament generally the extraordinary officers the Prophets whom God raised were superior to the Priests And in the New Testament the Apostles and Evangelists who were extraordinary officers were superior to Pastors and Teachers which are the ordinary How come the Tables to be turned and the ordinary agent to be advanced above the extraordinary Ambassadors And what if all this be granted it edifies nothing unlesse two things be superadded of both which the Scripture is wholly silent and their proof failes them 1. They must prove that this power of feeding is transmitted to Peters Successors in a more peculiar manner then to the Successors of the other Apostles and that whatever power Peter had is deposited in their hand 2. That the Pope is this Successor to whom these things are concredited And these they do not pretend to prove from Scripture So that still the conclusion remaines intire That the Scripture is not to the Papists a solid and sure ground of Faith § 11. A third place alwaies in their mouths is Luke 22.31 Simon Simon Satan hath desired to winnow you but I have prayed that thy faith faile not A man would not believe if he did not see it with his own eyes that such Learned men as diverse of the Papists are should put any confidence in such broken reeds and shatter'd Arguments as this is Truely saith a learned man Hoc non est disputare sed somniare This is rather a dreame then an Argument What thoughts the Papists have of our English Sectaries is sufficiently known but I must needs do them this right to professe I do not know that Sect among us the Quakers excepted so absurd and impertinent in the all gations of Scripture for their most irrationall opinions as in sundry particulars and this especially the Papists are But because they shall not complaine of us as we do justly of them that we rather condemne them then confute them I shall shew the ridiculousnesse of this allegation to their purpose 1.
and not contented to deliver the assertion he addes a reason Is it not absurd that when you are to receive mâ—ny you do not trust other men but examine it your selves and when you are to judge of things then to be drawn away by other mens opinions And this saith he is the worse fault in you because you have the Scriptures That brings in the second Herely of Chrysostomes The rule by which he commands them to try all things is the Scripture and the mischiefe too is he cals it a perfect rule you have saith he an exact standard and rule of all things and he concludes thus I beseech you do not regard what this or that man thinks but enquire all things of the Scriptures I know no way to avoid this evident testimony but one if I might advise them the next Jesuite that Writes shall swear these words were foisted into Chrysostomes works by the Protestants and that they are not to be found in an old Manuscript Copy of Chrysostome in the Vatican What Protestant can deliver our Doctrine more fully then Origen It is necessary saith he that we should alledge the Testimony of Scriptures without which our expositions do not command faith Or then Cyrill Do not believe me saying these things unlesse I prove them out of the Scriptures Or then Ambrose thus speaking to the Emperour Gratian I would not you should believe our Argument or disputation let us aske the Scriptures aske the Prophets the Apostles S t Austin had none of the Fathers in greater veneration then Cyprian and Ambrose yet heare how he speaks of them of Cyprian thus I am not obliged by his Authority I do not look on his Epistles as Canonicall but I examine them by the Scriptures and what is repugnant thereunto with his good leave I reject it Would the Papists give us but this liberty we should desire no more and of Ambrose he saith the like Peradventure it will be said in this point as it is in the generall That although it is confessed by the Fathers that particular Doctors are liable to error yet in such things wherein the Fathers do unanimously agree they have an infallible Authority and are a sufficient foundation of Faith To this I answer 1 If this were granted it doth not in the least secure the Romists concernments because there is not one of all those points controverted between them and us wherein such unanimous consent can be produced but in every one of them there are pregnant allegations out of some of the Fathers repugnant to their opinions and assertions This their learned men cannot but know and if they have any ingenuity in them they cannot deny 2 I answer with Witaker against urging this very Plea What a silly thing is it to deny that that which happen'd to each of them cannot possibly happen to all of them And with Gerhard the Testimonies of the Fathers collectively taken cannot bee of another kind and nature then they are distributively Nor can any man deny the truth of the proposition if he apprehends the meaning of it for how can the same persons being onely considered under a double notion be both fallible and infallible at the same time And if Austin Ambrose Cyprian supposing these were all the Fathers be each of them fallible how can a meer collective consideration of them render them infallible 3. I Answer with Learned Dr Holdsworth That the Fathers deny this Infallibility not onely to one or two of them dispersedly but to all the Antients collectively considered and this I shall prove onely by one Argument They that make Infallibility the peculiar property of the Canonicall Writer deny the Infallibility of the Fathers eitheir collectively or distributively considered But the Fathers make Infallibility the peculiar property of the Canonicall Writers and abjudicate it from all other Writers S t Ierome is expresse Except the Apostles whatsoever else is afterward said let it be cut off for it hath no Authority And againe I make a difference between the Apostles and other Writers those alwaies said Truth but these in somethings as men did erre St Austin makes this difference between the Holy Scriptures and all other Writings That those are to be read with a necessity of believing but these with a liberty of judging What living man can expresse the Protestant Doctrine in more evident termes then the same Father elsewhere doth That which is confirmed by the Authority of the Holy Scriptures is without doubt to be believed but for other witnesses and testimonies whether more or fewer agreed or divided all is one to S t Austin you may receive them or reject them as you shall judge they have more or lesse weight And again when he was pressed by Ierom with the Authority of six or seven of the Greek Fathers he thus Answers I have learned to give this honour and reverence to the Books of Scripture to believe there is no error in them But as for others how Learned or Godly soever they be I so read them that I do not believe any thing to be true because they thought so but because they proved it so to be by the Scriptures To conclude so evident is St. Austin's judgment in that point that it forced this ingenuous confession from a learned and acute Papist Occam by name who speaking of a passage of St. Austins about this point hath these words It is to be noted that Austin in that authority speaking of other writers beside the pen-men of the Scripture makâ—s no difference among these Non-Canonical Writers and therefore whether they be Popes or others whether they writ in Council or out of Council the same judgment is to be passed upon them You see St. Austin's mind is plain and doth our Adversaries themselves being judges directly overturne that great fundamental point of the Infallibility of Councels and Popes which if you will believe them is not only true but necessary to salvation and yet these are the men that walk in the good old paths These are they that maintaine no doctrine but what hath been conveyed to them by the Fathers I know no Salvo but that which they use in the great article of Transubstantiation viz. to tell us we must not believe our selves when we read such passages in the Fathers and that together with the eyes of our mind our Reasons and Consciences we must give up the eyes of our body to the Pope's disposal And this doctrine of Austins if you will believe the Romanists when delivered by the Protestants is a new and upstart doctrine never heard of in the world till Luther's dayes and by this you may judge of the justice of that charge when the like is said of our other doctrines I might fill up a Treatise with pertinent citations out of the Fathers to this purpose but this is enough for any but those who are resolved to sacrifice
conscience with what Spectales do these men read this Writing in the heart that tell us this was the Doctrine of Transubstantiation Indulgences Invocation of Saints Popes Supremacy the Churches Infallibility But you must know though this Writing was from God yet the interpretation belongs to the Pope whose will stands for his reason and his word for a Law But if we consult the Prophet If with the Popes good leave God may be his own Interpreter He tels you this was the Inscription 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Know the Lord. The knowledge of God Ier. 31.33 and the fear of God Ier. 32.39 40. And this Law written in the heart was so far from being appointed by God for a rule to walke by much less was it to justle out the word as the Papists now abuse it that the use of this was only to help them to make the word their rule Ezek. 26 27. I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in my statutes Hence that in Is. 59.21 My Spirit that is in thee and my words which I have put in thy mouth shall not deparâ— out of thy mouth So this objection being discharged the consequence remaines in full force and Traditions being disapproved under the old Testament cannot be approved under the new But I shall more fully prove that in the next branch which is this § 8. 2. This way of proving the truth of Doctrines by verbal tradition is disallowed by Christ and the Apostles He knowes nothing of the Pharisees and indeed but little of the New Testament that knowes not that this was the great Doctrine of the Pharisees And from their school the Papists had this Doctrine of the certainty of Tradition So little reason had Du. Moulin to write a book about the novelty of Popery when diverse of their Doctrines have such a venerable Antiquity that they are as old as the Pharisees No wonder the Church of Rome hath diverse Doctrines that Christ never delivered to them for they had a great part of the leaven of the Pharisees left them for a legacy And from them they had their bold expressions by which they advance Tradition above the Scripture The Author of the book called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath this saying think not that the written law is the Foundation of our Faith but the law of orall Tradition And again in the book Iuchas p. 158. Without this orall law of Tradition the whole law would be in darknesse and again all those things which our Rabbins taught us we are equally to believe as the Law of Moses But this is so known that it is frivolous to multiply testimonies of this kind The footsteps of this principle you may discern in diverse places of the New Testament They made the Tradition of the fathers the rule of their Faith Mat. 15.2 VVhy do thy Disciples transgresse the Tradition of the Elders S t Paul mentions it as one of his Pharisaicall errours that he was exceedingly zealous of the Traditions of his Fathers Gal. 1.14 And S t Peter speaks of it as a part or effect of their redemption by Christ that they were delivered from a vain conversation received by Tradition from their Fathers 1. Peter 1. this sufficiently shews what their opinion was Now let us hear what reflection Christ and the Apostles made upon it And there you shall find that which would end the controversy with ingenious adversaries viz. That whereas the Romanists tell us that the deserting of Tradition is the true cause and spring of all errours on the contrary our Saviour makes this the Fountain of their errours their forsaking the Scripture not their receding from the Tradition of their Ancestors Mat. 22.29 Ye do erre not knowing the Scriptures we are beholden to the Papists that they do not say there is a corruption in the Text and Scripture is put in for Tradition For surely if Christ had been of the mind of those Gentlemen he never had a fitter opportunity to utter it then now for the Sadduces were noted as enimies to Traditions And the Doctrine of the resurrection was but darkely delivered in Scripture at lest in the Pentatuch and more plainly by Tradition So now or never was the time for Christ to say to the Sadduces as doubtlesse M r White would if he had been present and Christ should if M r Whites Argument be good you erre because you take no heed to the Traditions of your Ancestors But here is not a syllable about that but all is cast upon their not knowing the Scriptures Thus in the resolution of that great controversy concerning the Messias Christ doth not confute the Jewes nor stablish the Truth from Tradition though there was eminent occasion for it at that time there being such a Tradition then rise amongst them that the time of the coming of the Messias was at hand Daniels week being nigh exspired and with it a general expectation of him but from â—cripture Christ proves himself to be the true Messias by several Arguments by the Testimony of Iohn who was a Prophet yea and more then a Prophet by his Fathers voice from heaven by his miracles and above all by the Scripture how came Christ to omit that which if those men do not deceive us was more considerable then all the rest viz. Tradition and the Testimony of the present Church A strange oversight you will say but it seemes it was a discovery denied to Christ and all the Apostles and reserved to these last times Answerable to this was the practise of the godly Bereans who did examine S t Pauls Doctrine not by Tradition as the Papists do but by the Scripture Acts 17.11 And St Paul himself evidenceth the soundnesse of his Doctrine not by its conformity with Tradition which our Adversaries lay such stresse upon that S. Clara with severall others affirme that they receive the Scripture onely so farre as they agree with Tradition but by its consonancy to the Scriptures saying That he witnessed none other thing then what was in Moses and the Prophets Act. 26.22 and Act. 24.14 15. So then the question now is which is the more rationall way to resolve a Christians doubts and ground his Faith whether that which hath had the approbation of all the Holy-men of God in both Testaments or the ingenious devise of these witty Doctors that come with their quintum Evangelium into the World that is whether Scripture or Tradition I know one thing will be said That the Apostles did urge Traditions as well as Scriptures to this purpose we oft heare of that 2 Thes. 2.15 Hold the Tradition which ye have been taught whether by word or our Epistle To which I Answer briefly 1. That if the Papists can demonstrate any of their Traditions to be indeed Apostolicall as these were we shall receive them if conformable to Scripture but if they be dissonant from Scripture we have commission from S t Paul to renounce them
when the Image of Diana dropt down from Heaven she brought this Tradition along with her The like might be shewed in â—undry other particulars In the caelibacy of Priests which is onely de jure humano not divine by the confession of Thomas Durandus Lombardus and Scotus four principall pillars of the Papall Church and Turrianus was noted by Cassander as the onely man of all both old and late Writers of the Popish party who maintained the jus divinum of it But if it were an Apostolicall Tradition it was de jure Divino and the Councell of Nice would never have dispensed with a divine Injunction So in the worshipping of Images Transubstantiation Purgatory and many other considerable points wherein I need say nothing because it hath been so fully cleared by diverse Learned Protestant Writers particularly by Iewell Vsher in his Answer to the Jesuites Challenge Moulins Novelty of Popery Dallaeus in severall pieces Rainolds de Libris Apoâ—ryphis Whitaker Chamier and innumerable others But manum de Tabulâ This I hope may suffice for the refutation of this novell invention concerning the Infallibility of Tradition and the Testimony of the present Church where I have been more large because it is a late plea and lesse hath been said of it by Protestant Authors And so it remaines unshaken That a Papists Faith hath no solid Foundation in orall Tradition and the present Churches Authority which was the businesse of this Proposition CHAP. 8. Of Miracles and the motives of credibility Sect. 1. BUt we are not yet come to the end of our journey And although the Arguments urged by Protestants against their resolution of Faith have probably convinced the consciences of diverse of them yet have they not stop'd their mouths We have shewed in the former Chapters how they have been driven from post to post and as in a besieged City when the Walls and Works of it are battered down they raise new fortifications so having seen their former pretences batter'd about their eares some of them have devised one shift more for finding themselves yet in that ridiculous Circle of believing the Scripture for the Churches sake and the Church for Scriptures sake notwithstanding all the attempts of their Brethren to get out Some of them have taken up their rest in the markes of a Church and the motives of credibility This though rejected by former and learneder Papists yet of late hath been taken up by Turnebull in his Tâ—tragonismus a discourse about the Object of Faith and after him by the late Answerer of Bishop Lauds Book called Lawa's Labyrinth whose words are these We prove the Churches Infallibility not by Scripture but by the motives of Credibility and signes of the Church which are these Sanctity of life miracles efficacy purity and excellency of Doctrine fulfilling of Prophâ—cies succession of lawfully sent Pastours Vnity Antiquity and the very name of Catholick Then saith he having thus proved the Churches Infallible Authority and by that received the Scripture we confirme the same by Scripture which Scripture proofs are not Prime and Absolute but onely secondary and ex suppositione ad hominem or ex principiis concessis against Sectaries This is their plea concerning which I shall need to say the lesse because the Book wherein it is revived and urged called Labyrinthus Cantuariensis is so solidly and Learnedly Answered by my worthy friend M r Stillingfleet Yet having finished this Discourse long before that excellent work came forth and having twisted it into the method of the present Treatise and designe I thought not fit wholly to supersede it whereby the body of the work would be renderd lame and incompleat but rather to be shorter in it and as far as I can to cut off such passages as happily may be coincident with what is said by Mr Stillingfleet in that particular for I do not desire actum agere § 2. Answ. 1. Let it be observed how shamelessely these men abuse their Readers when they pretend the Infallibility of the Church is solidly demonstrated from Scripture and this they generally do Here you have reum confitâ—ntem they confesse the imbecillity of those Arguments For say they they are but secondary proofs and Argumenta ad hominem Now such Arguments are not cogent and concluding in themselves but onely do conclude against some particular Adversary from his own principles So they acknowledge that although their Arguments may perswade one that is docible yet they cannot convince a gainsayer And the strength of their Argument depends upon the Courtesy of the Protestants § 3. 2. In vaine are these Marks of a Church pleaded for the Infallibility of the Church of Rome when other Churches have a juster claime to them and so little colour have the Romanists for their monopoly of them that upon enquiry it will be found they have no considerable interest in them This I shall shew in the principall and most important of them 1. The first in dignity though not in order is the glory of Miracles The most eminent in this kind are confessed to be those which were done by Christ and his Apostles Those Miracles were done in Confirmation of the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches not of the Church of Rome which appeares thus These Miracles were done in confirmation of the Doctrine delivered in the Scriptures but the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches is the Doctrine delivered in the Scriptures and the Doctrine of the present Church of Rome is repugnant thereunto Ergo These Miracles were done in confirmation of the Doctrine of the Reformed Churches The Major our adversaries dare not deny The Minor hath been undeniably evidenced so much to the conviction of our Adversaries that they dare not owne the Scripture for their Judge and instead of submitting themselves to its sentence bend their wits to except against the judge and decline its Tribunall following that Counsell which was given to Pericles when he was studying how to give up his accounts to the Athenians that he should rather study how to give up no account at all And some of them whose words are recited in this Treatise acknowledge the folly of their brethren who would manage their cause by Scripture Arguments But whether the Protestant Doctrine hath been solidly evinced from Scripture or not thus much undoubtedly followes that if any miracles be pretended against that Doctrine which Christ sealed by his miracles they are not to be regarded and the miracles done by Christ c. are infinitely to be preferred before them And consequently the glory of Miracles is more ours then theirs § 4. The like I may say secondly for the efficacy of Doctrine which they so confidently appropriate to themselves But if the efficacy of their sword were not greater then that of their Doctrine the world would quickly see the vanity of that Argument And how little confidence themselves put in it may be seen by the professed necessity of an Inquisition Next newes I expect
Bellarmine is a Baffler to use fallacious arguments and a Lyar too having said nothing is more evident nothing more certain if they do then the Scriptures may be evidenced to be the word of God without the Churches Testimony which they so boldly deny at other times The like might I shew out of Gregory de Valentia who musters up diverse convincing arguments whereby even Heathens may be satisfied that the Scripture is the word of God without the aid of the Churches authority And the like is done by several of their learned and approved Authors from which it plainly appears That the foundation of Christianity and Protestancy is one and the same and that we have the same arguments and evidences for the ground of our Faith as Protestants viz. for the Divine authority of the Scriptures independently upon the Churches testimony which we have as Christians and that the Papists cannot say nor do any thing towards the subversion of the Faith of the Reformed Churches herein but at the same time and by the same art and arguments they must oppugne the Christian cause and acknowledg it untenable against a subtle Pagan or Atheist And I desire the Reader to consider that this is not an answer or argument ad hominem which I now insist upon but fetched from the nature of the thing the verity of the Christian Religion And for what they pretend That without the Churches Testimony we cannot know that S. Mathews Gospel was written by him and so the rest they shall take an Answer of a very eminent and approved Author of their own Melchior Canus It is not much material to the Catholick Faith that any book was written by this â—r that Author so long as the Spirit of God is bâ—lieved to be the Author of it which Gregory learnedly delivers and explaines For it matters not with what pen the King writes his Letter if it be true that he writ it § 3. The second thing is That the Books of Scripture are not corrupt in the essential and necessary points of Faith This a man may easily discern by looking into the nature and quality of those various lections which are pleaded as evidences of corruption where he shall quickly find them generally to be in matters of lesse moment and such upon which Salvation doth not depend But because the examination of this would be a tedious work I shall save my self and Reader the labour and shall prove it in general as at first I proposed from the confession of the Papists themselves who condemn the rashnesse of those of their own Brethren which out of a preposterous respect to the vulgar Translation assert the malitious coâ—ruption of the Hebrew Text and positively maintain the incorruption of the Bible in matters of importance Of this opinion are among the Papists Bellarmine Arias Mâ—ntanus Driedo Bannes Tena Acosta Lorinus and diverse others If you please we will hear the fore-man of the Jury speak for the rest I confesse saith he that the Scriptures are not altogether pure they have some errors in them but they are not of such moment that the Scripture is defective in things that belong to faith and mannâ—rs For for the most part those differences and various lections consist in some wâ—rds which make little or no difference in the Text To whom I shall adde the acknowledgment of a late Author S. Clara whose words are these Considâ—ring a moral thing morally it is altogether impossible that the Books of the New Testament were or are consiâ—erably adulterated And so he goes on proving what he had asserted This may suffice for the second thing § 4. For the third particular which alone now remains in doubt concerning the sense of Scripture My assertion is this A Protestant hath or may have a sufficient assurance of understanding the sense of Scripture in things necessary to salvation This I shall briefly prove by this argument God's promise is sufficient assurance the Papists do not pretend an higher assurance for their Churches Infallibility but a protestant is or may be assured of this by God's promise as appears from Joh. 7. 17. If any man will do his will he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God Protestants have the assurance of Reason and whatever the Papists talk they have no other It is true they talk of several things Fathers Councels Tradition Motives of Credibility c. but in these and all other arguments both Papists and Protestants agree in this that when they go to settle and satisfie their consciences though they hear many things yet reason weighs them all and rejects what it judgeth false and holds fast what it esteemeth true and good if that will not do they have the assurance of the Spirit which God hath promised to those that ask it Luk. 11.13 and this is as much as the Church her self pretends In a word to strike the businesse dead you shall see the perspicuity and evidence of the Scriptures in things necessary to salvation acknowledged by our Adversaries from whom the force of Truth extorted these confessions That part of Scripture is plain and evident which conteins the first and chief principles of things to be believed and the principal rules of living so Sixtus Senensis We deny not that the chief articles of faith which are necessary to salvation to all Christians are plainly enough comprehended in the writings of the Apostles so Costerus And Salmeron having said that all Doctrines and Traditions are to be examined by Scripture he saith The Scripture is so framed and ordered by God that it might be accommodated to all places times persons difficulties dangers diseases to drive away evil to procure good to overthrow errors to stablish truths to instil vertue to expel vice And Hieronymus ab Oleastro saith We are to praise God for it that those things which are necessary to salvation he hath made easy From all these things put together I think I may say it undeniably follows which I proposed to evince That the foundation of a Protestants Faith is solid and sufficient our adversaries themselves being Judges § 5. Onely I must remove one block out of the way Peradventure they will say that if all these things be true concerning the word of God in its own language yet there is one notorious defect in the groundwork of the Protestants Faith viz. That they build it upon the credit of a Translation made by persons confessedly fallible This because they make such a noise with it amongst ignorant and injudicious persons however to men of understanding it is but an impertinent discourse it will be convenient to say something to it and but a little To this then I Answer 1. The Papists cannot in reason charge us with that fault of which themselves are equally guilty nor can they accuse our Faith of that infirmity to which their own is no lesse obnoxious for the generality of unlearned
Pope and Councel together say a third sort and the several assertors of each opinion confute and destroy the rest and all that hold any of these opinions are universally esteemed good Catholicks saith Mr. Cressy in his Append ch 4. num 7. So they are good Catholicks that dispute down the Pope's Infallibility and they good Catholicks too that dispute down the Infallibility of Councels and for the reason before mentioned they good Catholicks that reject the infallibility of both together And therefore t is a mâ—st impudent position which Mr. Cressy layes down and the Papists are obliged to owne That the doctrine of the Churches Infallibility is so evident that the Protâ—stants are inexcusable and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that do not receive it out of thy own mouth will God judge thee O thou unfaithful Servant who hast thus expressed thy self in another place To my understanding there is some inhumanity in urging Protestants to more then Catholicks will be obliged to or to thinke that to Protestants prepossessed with passion and partiality that can be made evident which is so far from being evident to some Catholicks that they renounce it Appendix to the Exomologesis ch 4. num 7. To this might be added as a farther demonstration of the inevidence of this point even to the Romanists themselves those secret checks which they meet with from their own consciences in the assertion of this supposed Infallibility discovered by their haltings and corrections and tergiversations and self-contradictions in explication of this new phaenomenon For however Mr. Cressy mounts this Infallibility so high that it must not yield to Scripture it self yet both himself elsewhere and their other Authors every where are contented with a far lower proportion Bellarmine whom Mr. Cressy rights and approves in his comparison of the Infallibility of the Church and Scripture gives the preheminence to Scripture in five several respects See Cressy sect 2. ch 21. Truth and our obligation to believe it is in an higher degree in Scripture then in the decisions of the Church Cressy Appendix chap. 5. n. 2. And this Infallibility of the Church though they will not suffer us to call it humane and moral yet they dare not assert it to be Divine but onely after a sort and in some manner Divine as the Author of Laua's labyrinth informes us And this Infallibility they farther confesse is not in way of immediate revelation or inspiration from God but in the way of argumentation and discourse And here too they are wonderful cautious for it is acknowledged by Bellarmine and Stapleton and subscrib'd by Mr Cressy That the Church is fallible in the premises but infallible in the conclusion Cressy ubi suprà and sect 2. chap. 32. and Append. chap. 5. In the decisions of the Church the simple conclusion decided is onely accounted infallibly true not so the principles upon which it depends or reasons by which it is proved Really these Romish Priests are admirable fellows in all things Admirable Builders Vitruvius himself might learn Architecture from them for they can teach him how to build a solid and durable Edifice upon a rotten foundation Admirable Logitians Aristotle might go to School to them and learn such Lessons as were above his apprehension for it is resolved he must blot out his Axiomes Conclusio sequitur partem debiliorem and Non debet esse plus in conclusâ—ne quà m in praemissis and Ex falsis nil nise falsum The Colledge of Jesuites at Rome are ready to make good the contrary against him when Plato's great year shall bring him and them together upon the Stage Admirable Divines that have outdone their Lord and Master and in spight of whatsoever is said by him Luk. 6.43 44. will it he please maintain a dispute with him upon this Thesis That a corrupt tree can bring forth good fruit and that of thornes men may gather figs and of a Brambâ—â—bush grapes and this shall be not probably defended but infallibly demonstrated For it were a silly thing to think that they that are infallible Divines should be but fallible Disputants But to return The inevidence of this notion of the Churches Infallibility may sufficiently appear from Mr. Cressy's own expressions which have been observed by others who by the evidence of the Truth was forced to this acknowledgment That Infallibility is an infortunate word that Mr. Chillingworth hath combated it with too great success so that I could wish saith he the word were forgotten or at least laid by whereas all that understand any thing know that it was not the word but the thing which he combated and his arguments were not nominal against the Title but real against the thing it self It is true since this passage was published and taken notice of Mr. â—ressy having doubtlesse been severely school'd by his Superiors for such a dangerous passage is grown more cautious and hath stretched his wit and I fear his conscience too to palliate his assertion and make an honourable retreat and he honestly acquaints us with his design i. e. being crafty to catch the Protestants with guile Sect. 2. ch 21. He that reads the Appendix to the second Edition of his Exomologesis will easily discern the trepidations of a guilty conscience whilst sometimes you shall find him tacitly denying the Churches Infallibility properly so called and contenting himself with great Probability in the room of it at other times you will meet him crying up this Infallibility in express or equivalent terms and in most places having no salvo for himself but this That his assertion and the Protestants disputation did proceed upon the mistaken notion of Infallibility which the Protestants advanced to an higher pitch then ever the Church of Rome did and so fought against an image that themselves had set up which is so notorious a falsehood that if Mr. Cressy's wit and memory and conscience had not all failed him together he could hardly have run into it since all Protestants of any note ever did and particularly Mr. Chillingworth doth dispute against the Churches Infallibility onely in that sense and degree which Mr. Cressy upon maturest advice in this second Edition hath thought fit to expresse in these words That God will preserve his Church in all truth so as to secure all believers that she can neither deceive them nor be deceived her self sect 2. chap. 21. Did ever any Protestant that understood himself or the point pretend to more Not Mr. Chillingworth I am sure They all knew and granted that abolute infallibility was Gods Prerogative and neither pretended by the Church of Rome nor was that opinion by Protestants fastned upon them The onely question was whether God did vouchsafe such infallible guidance to the Church that she could not erre in her decrees and decisions This Papists affirmed and Protestants denied and let me adde that this Infallibility is as high as was ever ascribed to the Prophets or Apostles and Penmen of the Holy
poore Captaine hath no better and therefore I will quit that work and come to that which is more materiall viz. To try whether he hath any better against the Scripture And here also I shall do his cause that right as with him to take into consideration what is said by M r Cressy in his Exomologesis which I am the more willing to do because if the Popish cause have any strength in it and if the Doctrine of the Scripture alone being Judge and rule of Controversies be untrue and indefensible as they pretend it is we may expect the demonstration of it from a man of his wit and learning and experience in the Controversy as having thoroughly considered all pretensions and arguments of both parties and taken in the advice of the most famed Doctors of the Romish Church But I must not dissemble that I was wofully disappointed in the perusall of M r Cressy's piece and whereas I expected something solid and substantiall or at least very plausible which I might have some ground in charity to believe might give at least a colour for his change I find little in him worthy of consideration but what hath allready received satisfactory Answers Yet because the cause affords no better Arguments I shall briefly consider what he and the Captaine and his assistants deliver in this matter That the Scripture is not the onely rule of Faith and Judge of Controversies is the Proposition they attempt to prove and their Arguments are those which follow Arg. 1. Scripture cannot be this Judge and Rule because it did not answer its end for they that own this Judge disagree among themselves Everard Epist. p. 33. Scripture doth not reconcile them Thus Cressy by this rule it is impossible that ever Controversies should be ended Sect. 2. chap. 4. n. 1. Answ. Scripture might be as really it was designed instituted and ordained for the ruling of mens Faith and the judging and deciding Controversies though through the depravednesse of men this end might not be obtained If this Argument have any weight in it I may upon the same ground argue thus Preaching of the Gospell was not instituted for the salvation of the World because it doth not answer its end but proves to many a favouâ— of death Or the Law of God was not instituted by God for a rule of life because it doth not obtaine its end and men will not be ruled by it In a word let it be observed If this Argument prove any thing it proves what the very Papists deny that the Scripture is not so much as a part of the rule neither of Faith nor manners for still according to the present Argument it doth not Answer its end for there is no one controversy in Faith which Scripture alone decides so as to silence all differences which is the thing pretended necessary to a Judge of Controversies For the further discovery of the impertinency and vanity of this Argument however it is their Goliah which they boast most of I shall offer them this Dilemma relating to that power of ending all differences among Christians which they suppose was necessary for and by Christ committed to the Judge of Controversies Either I say that power is absolute unconditionall and effectuall and if so there could be no Heresies Schismes or differences in the Christian World which we see is most false or it is a conditionall power sufficient of it self for the ending of differences though frustrable and impedible in its effects by the ignorance or perversenesse of men which is the reall truth And in this sense the Scripture may be judge i. e. there is enough in it said and clearly delivered by which all Controversies might be ended if men would be humble studious and self-denying and in the former sense the Church of Rome is no judge of Controversies Peradventure it will be said that all men are bound to submit and hearken to all the decrees of the Church of Rome and when they do so submit it is an effectuall meane to end all differences In the very same manner and upon farre better grounds I say of the Scripture that all are bound to submit and hearken to all its Councels and decrees and when they do so it will effectually end all Controversies If it be further said that the Church hath a power of coercion to compel dissenters to submit I Answer either that coercion they speak of is spirituall by Church censures excommunication c. or civill by corporall penalties death c. If they understand it of civill coercion that is not at all necessary nor intrinsecall to an Ecclesiasticall judge of Controversies otherwise the Apostles who had not this civill power Nay Christ himselfe who denies that he was judge or ruler should not be such a Judge and the Church for the first 300 years had no judge of Controversies Nay the Papists themselves in pretence at least abjudicate this from the Church and referre it wholly to the Civill Power If they speak of a Spirituall coercion then the Scripture hath such a power of inflicting Spirituall penalties upon its violaters and contemners such as obduration and ejection from the presence of God and such excommunication as the other is but a shadow of it And whether they speak of one or other the Protestant Judge of Controversies is not destitute of either advantage If it be remembred that the Protestants own an Ecclesiasticall Politicall Judge whiâ—h Judge although their modesty will not suffer them to pretend to Infallibility and a power to oblige all people to receive all their decrees though anti-Scripturall without enquiry and though they say with the Apostle they have their power for edification not for destruction 2 Cor. 13.10 and they can do nothing against the Truth but for the Truth and though it is their advice to their people which was the counsell of the Apostle to his people 1 Cor. 11.1 Be followers of me even as I also am of Christ Yet they have a power to explaine and maintaine the Doctrines of the Scripture and they acknowledge a power in the Magistrate by civill sanctions and penalties to suppresse and restraine such as shall corrupt the Truth and infect peoples soules with the poyson of Hereticall Doctrines And this may abundantly serve for Answer to their Achilles or principall argument which makes such a noise in the world Arg. 2. Scripture cannot be a perfect rule because some books of Scripture are lost and it is the whole Scripture which is this rule Ans 1. Then Tradition also cannot be a rule for diverse Traditions are lost as Cressy confesseth Sect. 1. ch 8. n. 5. and all the Papists acknowledg Answ. 2. It doth not at all appeare that any one of those Books are lost which concerned controversies of Faith or the rule of Life All which to this day hath been proved is this That some Books Written by Holy men and Prophets are lost But it is a vaine
imagination without the shadow of a proofe that all which was written by such men was a part of Canonicall or Divine Scripture for we read that the Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost which inspired them not at all times but onely when he pleased there being this difference between the spirits inspiration of Christ and all other Holy men that it was in Christ without measure and without difference of time but in the Apostles it was a gift confined to such seasons and proportions as God saw fit for them Is any man so absurd as to think that every letter which a Prophet or Apostle might write about any private affaires was a part of the Sacred Scripture Or if Solomons Herball were extant must it needs be admitted into the Canon of the Sacred Scripture Or how can they prove and if they do not prove it this Argument is impertinent that the Histories which Ioshua or Nathan or Samuel or Gad c. might or did write concerning the Warres of the Lord or the Civill transactions of the Kingdomes of Israel and Iudah must needs be a part of the Canon Or did the temporary transient and extraordinary inspirations of the Holy-Gost deprive them of their common gifts and faculties And was the capacity of a Prophet inconsistent with that of an Historian or because Balaam was once inspired must we needs Canonize all that afterwards he spake if it were extant or because Hannah was once inspired 1 Sam. 2. and Simeon and Elizabeth Luk. 1. did ever any man unlesse in a dream imagine that all their after Discourses were Canonicall Answ. 3. Although fragmenta auri sunt pretiosa the least shreds of Scripture are of inestimable value yet we must distinguish between the essentiall and integrall parts of the rule of Faith every part and parcell of it is a choice blessing for our bene esse and more abundant direction and consolation yet is it not an essentiall part of the rule of Faith for the farre greatest part of those sacred Books is spent in the explication of such general lawes and directions as were of themselves sufficient strictè loquendo or the repetition of the same things which mans dulnesse and backwardnesse to such things made highly expedient and beneficiall The five Books of Moses were sufficient to Salvation before any of the other Books were indited and the following Writings of the Prophets were but Comments upon them which if by Gods providence they had been lost no doubt the first five Books would have been sufficient for Salvation for that state of the Church So when St Matthew had VVritten his Gospell wherein the Doctrine of the person and office and works of Christ who is the marrow of both Testaments and the sole-sufficient object of saving knowledge Ioh. 17.3 is clearly revealed and fully proved I do assert and let any of our Adversaries prove the contrary if they can that that had been sufficient for our Salvation And yet it must be acknowledged a wonderfull favour from God that he hath so plentifully provided for us and so carefully watched by his Providence for the preservation of the severall Books of Scripture that all the wit and learning of Adversaries can only furnish them with two instances of Apostolicall VVritings which they suppose to be lost viz. one Epistle from Laodicea and another to the Corinthians Arg. 3. A rule must be plaine and cleare but the Scriptures are darke and doubtfull and that in things appertaining to Salvation as appeares from 2 Pet. 3.16 things hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest to their destruction Now this could not bring destruction if they were not hard in things appertaining to Salvation And here the Captaine musters up severall necessary Doctrines which he supposeth not to be clearly laid down in Scripture Answ. The Scripture is plaine and cleare in things necessary to Salvation as hath been abundantly evinced by Protestants out of expresse Scriptures and consent of Fathers But that belongs to another point and I do not love to mingle distinct questions together therefore to them I shall referre the Reader onely I shall take notice of such assaults as he hath made upon this Doctrine For the Text 2 Pet. 3.16 I confesse I do not meet with any passage so plausible as this in his whole Book But the solution of the doubt is not difficult If you consider 1. To whom these things are said to be darke even to ignorant unstable ungodly men VVhen Protestants say Scripture is cleare they do not meane it is so to those that are blind or to them that shut their Eyes or have discoloured Eyes and such are they of whom those things are said but unto such as are humble and diligent in the use of means to find out the Truth not onely some passages of St Paul but in generall all Divine and Spirituall Truths are darke to the naturall man and such there is no reason to doubt these were as is positively asserted by the Apostle S. Paul 1 Cor. 2.14 The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishnesse unto him neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned and consequently if the Popish argument from this place have any force in it not onely some parts of Scripture will be dark but not any part of it will be plaine which the most impudent Papist durst never yet assert 2. The wresting of the Scripture in any of its truths or doctrines is so great a sin that it may well be called destructive though the doctrine wrested be not simply necessary to salvation as the disbeliefe and contempt of any Truth or assertion plainly delivered by God is confessed to be damnable though the matter of the assertion be meerly circumstantial and not at all in it self necessary to salvation 3. S. Paul's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or difficult passages might be wrested to destruction although the matter of them was not necessary to be known or understood in order to Salvation As for instance That passage of St. Pauls All things are lawful for me scil all indifferent things for he there speaks of the use of meats or observation of dayes This I say is not a fundamental Truth nor is the knowledg of it necessary to Salvation yet when the Libertines do abuse this Scripture to justify themselves in the practice of all wickednesse doubtlesse they wrest the Scriptures to their own destruction Besides the matter of a Text may be of lesser importance and the knowledge thereof not necessary to Salvation and the first and immediate mistake of it may be in it self inconsiderable and yet that may usher in other and those higher mistakes as we see error is fruitful and grows worse and worse and at last end in destruction as that Cloud which at first was no bigger then a mans hand did quickly overcast the whole Heavens The
same imperfections and corruptions that the Scriptures because writings are said to be subject to and consequently there is no rule neither for Papists nor Protestants but every one may do that which seems right in his own eyes 4. He pretends it is necessary to Salvation to understand which is the true sense of Scriptures when it is to be taken literally when mystically and this saith he cannot be understood from sole Scripture Ans. Here also both Propositions are remarkably false 1. It is not necessary to Salvation to a Christian to understand the true sense of every Scripture if it were what shall become of those Legions of poor deluded Papists into whose devotion ignorance is so considerable an ingredient who neither understand the seâ—se nor are permitted to read the words of the Scripture 2. The â—ense of Scripture in fundamental points is clear and intelligible and that from Scripture which is its own best Interpreteâ— And if we consult the best Expositors either Popish or Protestant we shall find they never so well unfold Scâ—pture riddles if I may so speak as when they plow with the Scriptures Heifer Every puny knows the collation of parallel or seemingly repugnant places and the observation of the scope and cohaerence and the like are the best Keyes to find out the true sense of the Scripture and sufficient to discover it unlesse the readers ignorance or negligence pride or prejudice stand in his way I will take an instance from the Captain himself of those Scriptures which confute the Arrians Joh. 10.30 I and my father are one but saith the Captain the Arrian will say this is meant of Onenesse in affection as Joh. 17.21 And here my Captain is gravelled and halfe made an Arrian and because he could not answer the Arrian he concludes again no body else can But wiser men would have told him That this Arrian glosse is confuted out of the Scriptures both out of the present chapter the Captain and Arrian being more blind then the Jewes who understood Christs meaning better viz. That he made himself God v. 33. and from other places of Scriptures where Christ is expresly called God Joh. 1.1 the true God 1 Joh. 5.20 and thought it no robbery to be equal with God Phil. 2.6 And indeed the Councel of Nice as I shewed in the foregoing discourse did confute the Arrian Heresy out of the Scriptures they saw no need of going further 5 He alledgeth the number of fundamental points which saith he the Scripture determines not Ans. This is most false The Scripture doth sufficiently determine fundamental points I must not here run into another controversy concerning the number of fundamentals This may suffice at present That the Scripture doth not presse all Truths with equal vehemency that there are some points wherein the Scripture doth though not approve of yet dispence with differing opinions in Christians such as those were concerning dayes and meats and ceremonies in Religion and there are other points which it urgeth upon us with highest penalties such as that in Joh. 8.24 If ye believe not that I am he ye shall dye in your sins To me this is a rule That to which God promiseth or annexeth salvation is surely sufficient for salvation I care not one straw for all the Romane Thunder-claps of Damnation where I have one promise from God for my salvation I am assured by God that to fear God and keep his commandements is the whole duty of man Eccles. 12.13 That he that feareth God and worketh righteousness is accepted of him Act. 10.35 That this is life eternal to know thee to be the onely true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent Joh. 17.3 and consequently if I know him and believe in him his person and office and work I may humbly put in my claime for eternal life and have not so much reason to fear their cursing of me knowing that the curse causelesse shall not come as they have to fear the curse of God and an addition to their plagues for adding to God's word Rev. 22.18 In a word the fundamentals or substantials of Religion do apparently lie in two things the Law and the Gospel the Scripture tels me that love is the fulfilling of the law Rom. 13.10 that he that loveth Christ shall be loved of his father Ioh. 14.21 that hereby we know that we are passed from death to life because we love the brethren 1 Joh 3.14 It tels me also That faith in Christ is the fulfilling of the Gospel ye believe in God believe also in me Joh. 14.1 and these things are written that ye might believe that Iesus is the Christ the son of God and that believing ye might have life in his name Joh. 20.31 Christ hath â—â—sured us it seems he should have asked his Vicars leave for it He that believeth on me hath everlasting life Ioh. 3.36 For my part I am not afraid to venture my salvation upon this promise and for Popish comminations and curses I shall only say with the Psalmist Let them curse but bless thou Psal. 109.28 By these things we see the Scripture sufficiently informes us of fundamentals To which I might adde the common sense of Gods Church and the learned Ministers in all ages it having been acknowledged by the most eminent Doctors both antient and modern both Popish and Protestant as may be seen at large in Dr. Pottèrs want of charity charged upon Romanists and Mr. Chillingworths Defence of it That the Creed commonly called the Apostles Creed doth contein in it a compleat body of the fundamentals of salvation for the Credenda and all the Articles of the Creed are sufficiently evidenced from the Scriptures as I could with great facility demonstrate but I study brevity But you must know the Church of Rome hath another notion of Fundamentals a rare notion I tell you for you shall not find the like either in Scripture or any antient Author They make the Churches definition the rule of Fundamentals That is a Fundamental Truth and de fide which the Church determines and decrees though never so inconsiderable and that is no Fundamental nor de fide which the Church hath not determined though it be never so material Thus to fast in Lent on Fridaies if the Church command it is now become a Fundamental and if any man obstinately refuse it God will assuredly condemne such a person saith an English Apostate Cressy sect 2. ch 13. n. 2. though he there confesseth it is but an action little more then circumstantial yet on the other side it is no Fundamental to hold That all men except Christ are conceived in sin because the Church forsooth hath not determined the Question of the Blessed Virgin Thus with the Romanists it is a fundamental doctrine to believe that Paul left his Cloak at Troas namely if the Church injoyn you to believe it for there is the knack it is not Fundamental because St. Paul asserts it 2 Tim. 4
of God and the same for substance with the Originals The incorruption of the Scriptures in substantial things is sufficiently evinced from the confession of its greatest Adversaries the Papists from the consent of Copies taken by persons of several ages and far distant places and contrary principles from the innumerable multitude of copies every where dispersed and the constant jealousy and watchfulnesse of so many wise and zealous Christians ready to observe the least considerable corruption and give warning of it and many other considerations All those arguments which are pleaded both by Papists and Protestants for the Divinity of the Scripture they reach to copies and Translations In these as well as in the Original is the majesty of the Style the sublimity of the doctrines the purity of the matter the excellency of the design To these as well as the Originals God hath given so many signal testimonies by the conversion of thousands by frequent and illustrious miracles by the cooperation of his Spirit with them in the hearts of his people and many other arguments which when a Papist is in a good mood and disputing with a Pagan must passe for undeniable demonstrations of the truth of Christianity and the Divinity of the Scriptures And for the differences in Translations either noted by the Papists or confessed by any of the Protestants which the Captain makes a great Flourish with and other Papists make such triumphs at they are so petite and trivial and so little concerning the substance and foundation of Religion or the Scriptures that to me it affords an unquestionable evidence That our Translations are unblameable in fundamental places because all their great wits and learned Doctors to this day could not discover any such mistakes though they have made it their businesse to find them out But I shall say no more to this argument in this place having in the former part of the Treatise spoken to it A fifth argument is taken from the seeming contradictions which are in Scripture not resolveable by the Scripture Hence saith the Captain Reason conceiveth her self to have this infallible demonstration viz. no one who speaketh two things the one contrary to the other is infallible in speaking but the Scripture so speaketh therefore saith Reason the Scripture is not infallible in speaking Nay he might and should have said the Scripture is not credible in speaking and therefore say I by the vertue of this argument the Captain must either acknowledge himselfe an unreasonable man or an Atheist I tell you it was good hap That in stead of the Catholick Gentleman he did not meet with an Atheist for the arguments which convinced him are indifferently calculated for either Meridian But for all those seeming contradictions the short Answer is this 1. That there are no such places but are capable of convenient reconciliations as hath been already made good by several learned men both Papists and Protestants who have professedly treated of those matters and discovered the vanity of this objection And if it were granted That there are some places which men have not yet hit upon the right way of reconciling them that is no evidence of the impossibility of it since we can give instances in others which in former times were thought as insoluble as any now are which the learning and diligence of after ages hath fully cleared from all semblance of contradiction 2. Those seeming contradictions are either reconciâ—eable out of Scripture or else are but historical difficulties not at all necessary to salvation The Captain should do â—ell to put the parts of his discourse together and see how they agree because he will not I will do it for him The Proposition which Protestants assert and he attempts to disprove is That the Scripture is a perfect Rule in things necessary to salvation This he disproves by instancing in some insoluble difficulties in matters unnecessary to salvation But we must pardon him it is vitium causae the cause affordes no better arguments A sixth argument is this Scripture is no sufficient rule because it is lyable to diverse and contrary expositions An invincible argument by which a man may dispute all Rules out of the world Probatur The Decalogue is no rule of life or manners for the Pharisees understood it one way Christ another Mat. 5. The Statutes of the Kingdome are no rule for learned Lawyers differ in their expositions The Decrees of Popes and Councels are no rule because lyable to diverse and contrary expositions so far that Gratian the compiler of their Canon Law hath one entire Title De Concordantia Discordantium Canonum i. e. concerning the reconciling of disagreeing Canons And there is this remarkable difference between the condition of the Romish and our affairs our differences are in the exposition and accommodation of the rule but Popish differences are in the Text and rule it self since there are amongst them not onely diverse and contrary expositions of the same Canon which yet is sufficient to take off all their glorying over us and to bring them to our levell but indeed there are contrary Texts the decrees and sentences of one Pope directly contrary to another and one Councel to another Pope Stephâ—n nulls the decrees of Formosus the three next Popes null the decrees of Stephen and re-establish those of â—ormosus Sergius the third comes after and again nulls Formosus his decrees But I will tell you of a greater matter even no lesse then the Authentical Translation of the Bible Sâ—xthe 5th sets forth one Bible An. 1590 not rashly but deliberately with the advice of his Cardinals the assistance of the most learned men of all the Christian world they are his own words corrects the errors of the Press with his own hand imposeth this upon the whole Church Within 3 years comes Clemens the 8. and he puts forth another Edition not onely diverse but in several passages directly contrary to it for which I refer the reader either to those two Bibles themselves or to Dr. Iames his Bellum Papale and the Defence of it where he shall find above a thousand differences between them yet Cleâ—ens suppresseth all other Translations and enjoynes this for the oneâ—y Authentick Translation and so it is held to this day The like I might shew of Councels as it were easy to furnish the Reader with many instances not of the seeming but real contradictions of Popes and Councels among themselves and yet forsooth the appearance of a contradiction must exauctorate the Scriptures when real contradictions shall not prejudice the Authority of Pope and Councel so true it is That some may better steal a horse then others look over the â—edge The seventh assault which the Captain makes is this If the Scripture be our sole rule and Judge then it was so in the Apostles dayes and if so the Authority of the Apostles ceased when they had done writing I Answer 1. The Consequence may very well be denied from the
Apostles times to ours The argument is this Scriptures were not the onely rule when there were several governours of the Church acknowledged on all hands to be infallible both singly and joyntly Ergo it is not the onely rule now when there is no person nor persons in the Church but who is proved to be fallible For this is the case at this day unlesse the Captain and Mr. Cressy and the rest will change their notes and in stead of the Pope and Councel combined say that the Pope alone is infallible wherein I desire to understand their minds 2. The other Consequence hath not a Dram more of Truth in it for if the Scripture were the sole rule yet did not the Apostolical Authority cease It is no diminution to their Authority to say they had not a power superior to the Scripture or the word of God i. e. That the Servant was not above his Master the Apostles never pretended to such a power but rather carried themselves in all things as became those who professed their subjection to the word of their God and Lord. Observe the manner of their proceeding in that great Councel Act. 15. still you shall find the Scripture is the rule by which they guide the whole debate and from which they draw their conclusion as none that read that chapter can deny You may observe that an Apostle and he too of so great Authority that he durst reprove St Peter to his face Gal. 2. makes no scruple of circumscribing his own Authority within the limits of Gods Word and he repeats it in reimemoriam Though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospell unto you then that which we have Preached unto you let him be accursed Gal. 1.8 I know it is said by M r White in his Apology for Tradition that this place makes for Tradition rather then for Scripture and for what the Apostles delivered by word of mouth not what they left in Writing To which the reply is most easy that since the Doctrine delivered by the Apostles either by word or Writing is and must be confessed to be of equall Avthority the Councell of Trent goes no higher while they assert that Scripture and Tradition are to be received pari pietatis affâ—ctu ac reverentia with equall piety and reverence it consequently followes that he who renounceth all pretensions of Authority Superior or not subordinate to the one cannot be said with any colour of sence to challenge a Supremacy over the other The Apostles had not so learned Christ as they who arrogate the name of their Successors have The power they claimed was not Autocratoricall and despoticall having dominion over the peoples Faith and being Lords over Gods Heritage but onely Ministeriall not for destruction but for edification not coordinate but subject unto their Master and his Word The last reason he urgeth is that this opinion of sole Scripture makes every man Judge who take upon them to read and understand the Scripture Answ. 1. If it be meant a private Judge so farre as it concernes his own actions It is true and that Judgment as I have shewed the Scripture allowes and enjoynes to private Christians and informes us of the sad condition of those that neglecting their own judgment give up themselves to a blind obedience to their rulers an errour common to the Jewes of old and the Papists now assuring us this is no excuse nor security to them but if the blind lead the blind both will fall into the Ditch Matth. 15.14 2. The Papists themselves however they renounce this principle of every mans being Judge in words and shew yet they receive it in truth and practise upon it and whatever noise they make of Fathers and Councels and the Pope and Church yet in truth they make particular men the Judges for their own actions For instance if we examine the grounds and manner of the Conversion as they miscall it of any man to the Romish Religion take Cressy and the Captaine for instances we shall find the Papists that dealt with them made them Judges And when the Captain yields to that great Argument viz. That if he did not turne Catholick he had no infallible assurance that Christian Religion was true was not he himselfe Judge of the validity of this Argument And when Cressy or others are perverted by that great Title of the Churches Authority to which they think all should be subject what do they but make themselves Judges of this question upon which all depends whether the Churches Authority be a sufficient and safe foundation for a mans faith to rest upon So if I come to any Papist who is capable of Discourse I would aske him whether he continues in the Popish communion and beliefe with reason or without it If he say without reason I shall forbear discoursing with bruit creatures If with reason I demand what it is and here he will enter into a large harangue concerning the necessity of a living and infallible judge for the ending of Controversies and that the Pope or Councell is this Judge In this case I say the Romanist makes himself the Judge of the first and principall question upon which all the rest depend viz. whether such a Judge be necessary and whether the Pope or Councell be this Judge And certainly as St Paul argues 1 Cor. 6. They that are fit to judge the greater and weightier causes cannot be unfit to judge the smaller matters Thus I have gone over all the Arguments or appearances of reason which the Captaine or others for him have collected and what M r Cressy hath pleaded for any of them I shall in the next place proceed to answer what farther Arguments I meet with either in M r Cressy or in that famous or rather infamous piece called Rushworths Dialogues or in M r Whites Apology for Tradition For doubtlesse si Pergama dextrâ Defâ—ndi possent dextrâ hac defensa fuissent And if men of their parts and learning and study in the Controversy can say nothing to purpose against the Scriptures being a perfect rule I shall with greater security aâ—quiesce in the Truth of the Protestant Doctrine Another Argument therefore against the Scriptures is taken from the occasion of VVriting the Books of the New-Testament of which Cressy Treats Sect. 2. chap. 10. And it is observable that his Argument however it regularly ought to reach the whole Scripture yet is onely upon the matter levied against the Epistles in the New-Testament which saith he were never intended to be Written as Institutions or Catechismes containing an Abridgment of the whole Body of Christian Faith for the whole Church for they were Written onely to particular Persons or Congregations without order to communicate them to the whole Church and they were written meâ—rly occasionally because of some false Doctrines which if those Hereticks had not chanced to have broached they had never been Written And therefore surely are very improper for a
they generally pretend to own as their Law and it is no lesse true of Tradition of the largenesse whereof one may say as was formerly said of Livy Quas mea non totas Bibliotheca capit for according to the estimate which a learned Author of their own makes Charron by name the Scripture is but minima pars veritatis revelatae the least part of revealed Truth He that pleaseth may see good store of them collected by that great terrour of the Papists Moulin in a Treatise of his in French concerning Traditions Nay to put all out of doubt these very men that argue at this rate though they do not acquiesce in the Scripture as a Judge yet they do own it for a Law they confesse the word of God is their rule and law onely they make as I may say this law to consist of two Tables the written and the unwritten Word which you saw the Councel of Trent receive with equal piety and reverence Now certainly they that subscribe to this as the Papists generally do they own the Scripture for a Law though not for a compleat and sufficient Law nor doth the investing of Tradition with the quality of a Law devest the Scripture of it any more then the addition of new Acts of Parliament doth derogate the name and authority of a Law from all former Acts and statutes that is not at all Much more might be said to shew the folly and absurdity of this argument but if I should spend more words about it I should both question my own and too grosly distrust the Readers discretion And now having done with the Mathematicks let us come to the Politicks the best argument the Church of Rome hath Politick Mr. White who seeing their Scripture arguments in the suds and for the Fathers pila miâ— nantia pilis comes in to succour a falling cause with Politick considerations and moral conjectures and fine-spun probabilities No man can deny that it was politickly done when they saw their Church could prove nothing to assert that her bare saying was sufficient that the testimony of the present Church that she holds nothing but what she hath received from Christ and the Apostles is security enough for a Christian's Faith but this notion I have largely examined and I hope Mr. White will abate something of his confidence in it therefore I have nothing to do here but to consider what he alledgeth against the Scriptures being a Rule or Judge of controversies and excepting what hath been before discussed I find onely one argument that can pretend to merit any consideration and it is delivered by him pro more with great confidence and contempt of his Adversaries When the Protestants ask the question as well they may Cannot the Bible make it self be understood as well as Plato and Aristotle a question which all the wits of the Romane Church not excluding Mr. White were never able to answer and thence infer that the Scripture is sufficiently intelligible and able to decide controversies Mr. White 's answer and argument against the Scriptures is this That this depends upon a most false supposition viz that the Scripture was written of those controversies which now are whereas it is a most shameless proposition to say the Scriptures were written of the controversies long after their date sprung up in the Christian world beginning from Genesis to the Apocalypse let them name one Book whose Theme is any now controverted Point between Protestants and Catholicks Apology for Tradition fifteenth Encounter And consequently the Scripture is no fit Judge for our controversies This you must know is the argument of another Mathematical Papist who cries out of Protestants for resting in probabilities yet can satisfy himself or at least pretends to do so with such absurd and improbable ratiocinations O the power of prejudice or interest for I cannot tell which it is that blinds such men as Mr. White Be of good chear Protestants the Papists are upon their last legs you see their arguments run very low The Answer is this in short for truly it needs no long nor laborious reply how much soever Mr. White is conceited of it It is not a most shamelesse but a most shameful proposition to say the Scripture is unable to decide any of those controversies which are since sprung up in the Christian world Is there any Freshman in the University ignorant of this That Rectum est Index sui obliqui that the assertion of a Truth is sufficient for the confutation of all contrary errors wheresoever or whensover broached I may say to Mr. White as they did to Moses Wilt thou put out the eyes of these men Doth Mr. White think his Readers would have neither wit nor conscience I aske whether those passages of Scripture In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God Joh. 1.1 who is over all God blessed for ever Rom. 9.5 This is the true God and eternal life 1 Joh. 5.20 Before Abraham was I am Joh. 8.58 do not solidly and sufficiently confute the late sprung Socinian Heresy and prove Christ's Divinity and prae-existency before his Incarnation If he say no I will promise him hearty thanks though not from Christ nor peradventure from his Vicar yet from all the Socinians in the world and then he would do well to answer what Placaeus and other of the Protestants or rather as a demonstration of the unity of the Romish Church what Smiglâ—cius and others of his Brother Romanists have argued from those places or else let him give us the reason why his Brethren should play the knaves and own and urge those things for solid arguments which they did not think so If he say yea then down fals all this goodly structure and Mr. White must seek for a new prop to their declining Babel and Scripture is not unable to decide controversies of a later Date Yet again I will prove Jesus Christ was not of Mr. White 's mind for he thought Scripture yea even such parts of Scripture as were not written upon those Themes or controversies nor designed against those errors able to decide supervening controversies Thus he confutes the Pharisaical opinion about Divorce from a Text well nigh as old as the Creation of the world even the institution of marriage Math. 19.4 5 6. So he confutes the error of the Sadduces against the resurrection from a Scripture long before delivered and such an one too as seemed to have no respect at all to such an Heresy Mat. 22.29 30 31 32. May it please this worthy Gentleman to give us leave without offence to prefer our Saviours opinion before his I am ashamed to spend time in confuting so sensless a cavil but that the reputation of an Author sometimes makes Non-sence passe for an Argument I need onely advise the Reader to read over the New Testament and if he have either reason or conscience it is impossible he should be of Mr.
White 's mind Did not the Apostles decide that controversie Act. 15. from antient Scriptures and from such places as seem as irrelative to the matter debated as any which are urged by any considerable Protestant against the Popish errors And why then may not we tread in their steps why may not a Protestant as well confute the opinion of Justification by works in the Popish sense from that Scripture we conclude we are justified by Faith without the works of the Law as S. Paul might and did confute the same doctrine when held by the Jews from that passage of Davids Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven Rom. 4 If these words long before delivered Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve Deut. 6.13 were sufficient to decide the controversy between Christ and the Devil to confute the opinion of Devil-worship why may not the same words as urged by Christ be as sufficient to decide the controversy between the Papists and us to confute the opinion of Image-worship But I am not at leisure to transcribe all the New Testament I cannot think of Mr. White as it is said of many Popish Doctors that he never read over the Bible but I would desire him once more to read it and to put on his Spectacles and then tell me if he be still of the same mind If this will not do let him reflect upon the Fathers whether it was not the universal practice of the Fathers to confute later Heresies out of the Scripture this they did either pertinently or solidly and then it may be done still or impertinently and fallaciously and then Mr. White makes them meer Juglers In a word as upon supposition that Aristotle was authentick and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it were no hard matter out of him to confute all the new opinions of the Modern Philosophers So the Scriptures being confessedly such it may suffice for the confutation of later Heresies Lastly if all this will not serve turn it is to use his own words a shameless proposition to say the Scripture doth not speak of the matters now in controversy between us and the Papists and whoever asserts it either understands not what he saith or must be presumed never to have read any of our Protestant Controvertists who have fully confuted all the Popish errors and heresies from express Scriptures or which is all one from genuine consequences evidently deduced from them Nor doth it matter at all to say the Scripture treats not of the controversies at large since it is by all acknowledged that every part and parcel of Scripture is Canonical and Authentical and the Papists make this the difference between the Divinity of the Scriptures and Conciliary Decrees That these are Divine in the main Conclusion but not in the premises or mediums but the Scripture they say is Divine in all every verse every word being Divine and consequently if but one verse of Scripture speak against an error it doth as solidly though not so fully confute that error as if a whole Book were written against it For instance that Text This is the true God if the sense of the words be agreed and if they be not it would do nothing though an whole Epistle were written about it and so far there is no difference doth as substantially confute the Socinian Heresy in that point as a larger Discourse upon it would do and therefore Mr. White 's argument is empty and inffectual and must go after its fellows And so all their arguments of any note against the Scriptures being Rule or Judge of controversies are I hope sufficiently answered and the Protestant doctrine or Truth of Christ viz. The Scripture is a sufficient rule or judge of controversies stands-like a Rock at which their Waves are dashed in pieces And now I should come to the other part by positive Scriptures and arguments to prove the Scriptures authority and sufficiency but this is fully done by many learned pens onely because our principal arguments for it are assaulted by the Adversaries I now have to do with I shall therefore consider their pretensions against the evidence of those places alledged by us in defence of the authority and sufficiency of their Scriptures for I am forced by them against my own desire and inclination to confound found these two heads and treat of them together I know there are several Texts rightly urged by the Protestants and vainly cavilled by the Papists but because the handling of this point was not my first nor is my main design at present and one solid argument or convincing Scripture is as good as a thousand and both parties are upon the matter willing their cause should stand or fall by the verdict of one place as it doth or doth not convincingly prove the sufficiency of the holy Scriptures and because above all places the Romanists most eagerly combate this I shall therefore more largely insist upon it and clear up the force and evidence of it notwithstanding all the clouds they cast before it The place is 2 Tim. 3.15 16. From a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through faith which is in Christ Iesus All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished to all good works To ingenuous and dis-interested persons the very reading of these words is a sufficient confutation of the Popish opinion but that you may see the Romanists have if no conscience yet some wit they are able to darken the clearest Texts and to perplex what they cannot answer Our arguments from this place are plain and cogent 1. That which can make a man wise unto Salvation is sufficient for Salvation 2. That which is sufficient for the conferring of all those things which are necessary to salvation is sufficient for salvation but so is the Scripture For there are but two things necessary to salvation viz. knowledg of the Truth and practice of righteousness and holiness and for both these the Scripture is said to be sufficient 3. That which is sufficient for a man of God or Minister is much more sufficient for a private Christian but so is the Scripture Ergo. But let us see what our Adversaries pretend against this evident place Excep 1 It is able indeed but that is through faith E. it is not of it self sufficient saith our Captain It speaks not of making Timothy a Christian by the Bible since it supposeth Timothy's being already made a Christian by Paul's institutions vivâ voce but it speaks of the perfecting of his faith not the first choice of it and this faith is a belief of Christian verities delivered by Oral Tradition saith Mr. Cressy sect 2. cap. 6. And consonantly to him Mr. White thus glosseth upon the place The Scriptures will contribute to thy salvation
attain that end and be unconvincing nay more Scripture is not profitable for doctrine if it onely beget conjectures and opinions and doth not give solid and satisfying evidence of its doctrines and if it do evidently assert or prove a Truth it must by consequence as evidently convince and consute the contrary error For example if any Scripture positively assert that Christ is the true God and equal with the Father as de facto it doth doth not the same Scripture sufficiently convince even in foro contentioso the Socinian Hereticks who make Christ but a Creature and inferior to the Father Neither let him tell me of their cavils against such places for so Anaxagoras did cavill against those that said Snow was white and gave a reason for it saith Tully because the water of which it had its rise was black yet no man I think will deny that there is convincing evidence even in foro contentioso of its whitenesse 3. The Scripture was convincing formerly and therefore it is so still for I do not know that it hath lost any of its vertue Christ proved himself to be the Messias out of the Scriptures in sundry places and I think Mr. White will not deny that all Christ's arguments were convincing So Christ proves his Lordship and Divinity out of the Scriptures and I think convincingly for his Adversaries were not able to answer him a word out of the Psalmes Read Mat. 22.42 c. When Peter and Paul disputed against the Jewes out of the Scripture and proved as they did out of the scriptures that Jesus whom they crucified was Lord and Christ I would know whether their scripture-proofs were solid and convincing or no if they deny it they make the Apostles deceivers and wresters of the scriptures if they affirm then scripture is convincing Once more we read Act. 18.28 of Apollos that he mightily convinced the Jewes shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. I am ashamed to mention more arguments in so clear a cause and yet we must believe these men against our senses and reason and conscience that the scriptures are not able to convince men in foro contentioso and Mr. VVhite who sometimes writes as if he believed an everlasting state dares hazard it upon such false and frivolous suppositions Excep 4. This word All Scripture must signify either every Scripture as the Original word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought to be rendred and then all Scripture save one Book is uselesse or all the Scriptures that ever were and then we have them not or all that were then written and then all since written are superfluous or all that we now have Epist. pag. 29.30 Ans. The Text speaks not of every scripture but of all the scriptures that then were As for the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 two things are evident enough 1. That it may be taken collectively and the use of the word will warrant it I see the Captain is grown a Graecian therefore I shall desire him to look onely into two places which his masters the Rhemists intepret collectivè not distributivè Mat. 8.32 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole herd not every herd and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the whole city v. 34. 2. That it must be so taken here our Adversaries being judges for else this confessed inconvenience will follow That any one verse of the Scripture is profitable and sufficient to all these purposes nor doth it at all follow that all the rest are superfluous because not precisely necessary The Pentateuch alone was a sufficient law for the Jewes yet none will say the Books of the Prophets concerning the explication or application of that Law were superfluous Excep 5. He sayes not the Scriptures are sufficient but onely profitable Cressy Ans. 1. He saith they are profitable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for every good work and what is so is undoubtedly sufficient 2. He saith they are profitable so far as to make one wise to salvation and I think that is sufficient 3. He saith they are profitable to the producing of all things necessary to salvation which are acknowledged to be onely two Faith and Life and they are profitable to both of them 1 for doctrine i. the demonstration of the Truth 2. for conviction or reproof i.e. the consutation of errors 3. for correction i.e. the reproof of sins 4. for instruction in righteousnesse or the discovery of Duties And what is thus every way profitable cannot with any colour be charged with insufficiency Excep 6. It is a clear case the Apostle speaks of the benefit of Scripture when explicated and applyed by a Preacher Ans. 1. By this argument all these high and various elogiums which are here so emphatically given to all the Scripture do as truly belong to any one verse of Scripture By this those two words Dic Ecclesiae Tell the Church are able to make one wise to salvation and furnished to every good work c. for so they are or may be through God's blessing if explicated and applied by an able preacher So those words Abraham beg at Isa ac are able to all these mentioned purposes viz. if explicated and applyed So you see the Church of Rome is grown superlatively orthodox for they who ere while would not allow all the Scripture to be sufficient are now so abundantly satisfied in the point that they allow any one verse in the Bible not excluding Tobit went and his dog followed him to be sufficient This I hope may suffice for the vindication of this Text wherein I have been the larger because it is most plain and impregnable to our purpose and sufficient of it self to decide the whole controversy I shall not concern my selfe or trouble the Reader with the vindication of other Texts to the same purpose which are many and considerable and with great facility defensible against all the Romish assaults because to him that submits to the authority and self-evidencing light of this Text that labour is superfluous and to him whose Conscience will suffer his wit to quarrel against such forcible and clear expressions and arguments as this Teâ—t affords it is frustraneous And therefore upon the evidence that hath been delivered I shall take the boldnesse to conclude That not the Church but the Scripture is the sufficient Rule and Infallible Guide by which we are to be regulated in all things pertaining to Faith or Godlinesse FINIS Doctor Jesuita Ad quem peâ—â—inet de libris Canonicis Determinare Catholicus Papista Ad â—cclâ—siam sine cuâ—us authoritate non plus fidci aâ—hiberem Maâ—thaeo quam Tito Livio par 1 â—â— 12. (b) Poâ—uit illud pio sensu dici Nam revera nisi nos ecclesiae doceret authoritas hanc scripturam esse Canonicam perexiguum apud nos pondus haberet de Authoritate Scripturae contra Brentium Lib. 3. Fol. 271. (c) Scriptura nullam babet authoritatem nullum pondus nullam vim erga nos nostram fidem nisi
the Infallibility of the Fathers though consenting § 7 8 9. CHAP. 4. Of the Authority and Infallibility of the Church and Councels Asserted by Papists § 1. Disproved 1. There is no Foundation for it in Tradition § 3 4. For 1. If the Fathers deliver such a Tradition they are not infallible § 5. Exc. Fathers consenting are Infallible Answ. We cannot at this distance understand their consent ibid. 2. If the antients did believe the Infallibility of Councels they might do it upon the account of Scripture not Tradition § 6. 3. It doth not appear that the Fathers believed the Infallibility of Councels Proved by answering the arguments of Bellarm. and S. Clara. Sect. 7 8 9 10. Of St Austins judgment § 10 11. 4. It appears that the Fathers believed the Fallibility of Councels § 12. 2. There is no foundation for this Infallibility in Scripture Proved in generall § 13. In particular by the examination of the Texts urged for it 1 Tim 3. 15. § 14. Mat. 18. 17. Hear the Church and Luk. 10. 16. § 15. That the Church and Ministers are not to be heard in all things with an implicit Faith 1. Christ denies this to the Apostles 2. Else people cannot sin in obeying their Pastours 3. People are allowed to examine their teachers Doctrines Iob. 16. 3. He shall guide you into all truth § 16. Acts 15. 28. § 17. Mat. 28. § 18. pag. 103. 3. The Papists themselves disown the Infallibility of Councels § 20. An examination of that evasion and pretended agreement of Papists in this that the Pope and Councell together are Infallible § 21. 4. The Infallibility of their Councels destroyed by the consideration of those things which Papists themselves require in Infallible Councels as 1. That they be generall § 23 2. That they have the consent and approbation of the whole Church § 24. 3. That they be rightly constituted and ordered and guided by honesty piety and love to Truth § 25. Exc. Pope Councels Fathers Scripture conjoyned make the Church Infallible Answered § 26. CHAP. 5. Of Oâ—all Tradition and the Testimony of the present Church This new opinion represented in the words of its Authors and abettors § 1. Refuted 1. Hereby they both settle the Protestant foundation of Faith and overthrow their own § 2 3 2. This makes Orall Tradition more certain then writing against the judgment of God and all men § 4. pag. 140. 3. Errors may come in and have come in to the Church under pretence of Tradition § 5. 4. Traditionary proofs disowned 1. By the Prophets and Jewes of old § 6. Exc. The Law of Christians is written in their hearts not Tables Answered § 7. 2. By Christ and his Apostles § 8. Exc. 2 Thes. 2. 15. ibid. 5. Scripture proofe is necessary for confirmation of Doctrines in the judgment of the Fathers § 9. â— Orall Tradition hath deceived the Romanists themselves § 10. pag. 158. Exc. They are not deceived in great points de fide Answered ibid. â— Though experience sufficiently proves the deceit of this argument yet it is particularly shewed how error might creep in this way § 11. It might creep in by degrees § 12. 1. Christians might mistake the mind of their Predecessors § 13. pag. 166. 1. There was no certaine way for the third age to know the Doctrines of the second ib. 2. Instances given of mens misunderstanding the Doctrine of the precedant Age. § 14. 3. The words of our praedecessors may be remembred and the sence perverted § 15. 4. Some ages were horribly ignorant and carelesse Exemplified in the tenth Age. Sect. 16 17 18. And few Writers § 19. 2. Christians might knowingly recede from the Doctrines of their Ancestors 1. From Gods just judgment § 21. 2. Because they did believe their praedecessors erred Sect. 22. 3. Eminent persons might corrupt the Doctrine received from their Ancestors and did so Sect. 23. Exemplified in a forgery of the Popes ib. 8. This way of Tradition disproved by the practise of the Church of Rome which introduceth Doctrines not descending by Tradition but new Sect. 24. Exemplified in two Doctrines The immaculate conception of the Blessed Virgin And the Canon of the Scripture ibid. CHAP. 6. Of Miracles and the motives of credibility The oâ—inion represented in their words Sect. 1. Refuted 1. Other Churches have a juster claime to these marks then Rome Sect. 3 4 5 6 7. 2. Diverse of them are not marks of the Church Sect. 8.9.10 The Character of miracles specially considered and their Argument thence confuted 1. Christs Miracles prove Romes Fallâ—bility Sect. 12. 2. Miracles are not simply and universally to be believed Proved by Arguments Sect. 13 14 15 16 17 18. 3. Miracles onely prove the verity of the Doctrine not the Infallibility of the person Sect. 19. 4. Miracles doe not alwayes prove the verity of a Doctrine for they may be and have been done by Heathens and Hereticks Which is acknowledged by the learned Papists Sect. 20. 5. Miracles are pleaded by the Romanists either impertinently or falsly Sect. 21 6. Protestants may plead Miracles as well as Papists Sect. 22. A briefe recapitulation of the severall pretensions and resolutions of Faith among the Romanists Sect. 23. Another plea from Gods providence and the supposed necessity of a living Infallible judge Sect. 25 26 27 28. CHAP. 7. Of the Solidity of the Proâ—â—stants Foundation of Faith The Protestants have a solid fouâ—â—dation of Faith in the Scriâ—â—tures the Papists themselves 〈◊〉 ing judges Sect. 〈◊〉 Their Learned men acknowleâ— 1. That the Scripture is 〈◊〉 may be known to be the 〈◊〉 of God without the Church Testimony and by its owâ— light Sect. 〈◊〉 2. That the Books of Scriptuâ—â— are not corrupted in essentiaâ— and necessary points Sect. 〈◊〉 3. That the sence of Scripture 〈◊〉 things necessary may be uâ—â—derstood Sect. 〈◊〉 Except Protestants 〈◊〉 upon an humane Translaâ—tion answered Se. 5 6 7 â— Protestants freed from the preâ—â—tended circle of proving Scripâ—â—ture by the spirit and the spiâ—rit by the Scripture Sect. 9â— 10 11 12â— A consideration of that pretenâ— ostered at by some Romanists That the Churches Authority 〈◊〉 a sufficient foundation foâ— faith without infallibility Sect. 13â— The APPENDIX THe occasion of it pag. 1 The occasion of Everards pretended conversion to Popery p. 5. The Argument which perverted him viz. that a Protestant cannot be infallibly assured of the truth of Christian Religion considered and examined pag. 8. to the 12. Of the Doctrine of Infallibility as stated by Mr Cressy p. 12. Papists and Protestants grant that such a Doctrine ought to have the greatest evidence that such things can beare p. 14. Whether the Doctrine of Infallibility be evidently proved The Negative defended 1. Because it is not evident to the Papists themselves p. 15. They are divided about it notwithstanding their pretended agreement p. 16. Their haltings in the point and Mr Cressy's shufflings discovered p. 18. 2. Because their reasons to
to be true which I read in my Book that the Earth moves were it not for the reverence I beare to your deep judgment and great abilities Here it is plaine the reading in his book is not the foundation of his faith or perswasion but onely the reverence he bears to his teacher And just this say they is the case of the scripture to which purpose they alledge and own those words of Austin though they pervert the sence I should not believe the Gospell unless the Churches Authority did move me Which if true in their sence then the Churches Authority is the sole foundation of my faith and without it the scripture is a meer Cypher or at least not sufficient to command or ground my faith which was the thing to be demonstrated The truth is the Papists put the same scorn upon the scriptures that the prophet Elisha did upon that ungodly King Iehoram 2 Kings 3.14 and bespeake it in the same language were it not that I regard the presence the testimony and the authority of the Church I would not look towards thee not believe nor reverence thee Sect. 3. If it be said that although the Churches Testimony was necessary before yet since the Church hath long agoe consigned the Canon of the scripture my faith is now grounded not only upon the Churches testimony but upon the scriptures Authority To this I answer 1 That now as well as formerly the faith of a Christian acted by Romish principles doth not depend upon the word but barely upon the Churches testimony which I shall make plain by an instance I do not believe supposing I were a Papist the Popes supremacy because I read these words Thou art Peter for if I read those words in Tacitus I should not draw an Argument from them unless happily I should fall into as merry a vein as Bellarmine doth when he proves Purgatory out of Plato Cicero and Virgil But because the books wherein I read those words Thou art Peter is a book of Canonicall scripture and a part of the word of God there lies the whole stress of the argument And this I cannot know say our Catholick masters and am not bound to believe but for the Churches Testimony Which testimony as it is the onely cause which makes the scripture in generall Authenticall Quoad nos saith Stapleton so it must be that alone which makes this place Thou art Peter Argumentative quoad nos that is all the force that Argument hath to perswade or convince me is from the Church and not from the scripture and the scripture makes it Canonicall to me and its being Canonical gives the whole weight to the Argument and quod est causa causae est causa causati Sect. 4. 2. It is not the words but sence of Scripture where the strength of the argument lies And that sence say they wee cannot understand nor attain but by the Churches interpretation which leads me to the second principle of the Romanists viz. That the sence of scripture which is indeed the very Soul of scripture and the onely ground of faith and Arguments is in many matters of faith so obscure and ambiguous that there is an absolute necessity of an Authentick and infallible Interpreter and Judge to acquaint us therewith that is the Church or per aequevalentiam Iesuiticam the Pope And it is absurd to expect and impossible to receive satisfaction of doubts and dceision of controversies of faith from the scripture which is but a dead letter unless the Church animates it This is so notoriously owned by them all that it is needless to quote Authors for it That which I inferre from hence is this that according to this Hypothesis the scripture in it self I say in it self for that is all the present Proposition pretends to prove is no solid foundation for my faith and indeed that it is a meer Cypher which if your Church be put to it may have some signification and value butelse none at all And that it is not the letter of the Scripture in it selfe but the Churches interpretation which gives weight to this argument And this plainly appears from that saying of their great Master Stapleton which deserves to be often men tioned in rei memoriam and the rather because Grotserus owns it and justifies it when Stapleton had asserted in his triplication against Whitaker c. 17. that even the Divinity of Christ and of God did depend upon the Authority of the Pope And when Pappus had charged Stapleton with that assertion Gretsers defence is that Stapleton did not mean that they depended upon the Pope in se ex parte rei but onely quoad nos in respect of us and so saith Gretser it is very true for that I believe that Christ is God and that God is one and three I do it being induced by the Authority of the Church testifying that those books wherein such things are delivered are divine and dictated by God a I desire the reader to observe this as fully opening the mysterie of the Romish Cabal and discovering the dreadfull tendency of Popish principles making the Divinity of Christ precarious that the Divinity of the Pope may be absolute and certain And thus I trow the Pope hath quit scores with Christ for as he was beholden to Christ for his Authority so now Christ is beholden to his vicar for his Divinity and saith hee it was truely said by Tannerus nor needed Pappus to wonder at it that without the interpretation and testification of the Church it is impossible to believe out of Scripture alone that God is one and that there are three persons Who is it that dare charge these Jesuites with Equivocation I think they speak as plainly as their greatest enemies can desire Here you see the meaning of that distinction quoad se quoad nos viz. They acknowledg the Scripture in it self to be true and Canonicall and it is a Truth in it selfe that Christ is God but so far as concernes me I am not bound to believe either the one or other but for the Churches Testimony which is the very thing I am now proving and hereby granted That the Scripture in it self is no foundation of my Faith And this is the more weighty because you see it was not an unadvised slip of one mans Pen but here you have it deliberately asserted and defended by a Triumvirate of Popish Authors each of whose works where that passage was is set forth with the approbation of severall Romish Doctors of principall note § 5. But peradventure Quae non prosunt singula a juncta juvant Although neither the Popes Authority nor the Scriptures Testimony alone will yet both together may constitute a solid and sufficient foundation of faith and the Popes Authority being asserted in and demonstrated by the Scriptures is a sure sooting for my faith To which though it might suffice to object the circle which is here most palpable
and evident yet I shall at present forbeare that answer and referre it to another place and shall here consider whether the Scriptures assert the Popes infallible Authority as it is pretended And first in generall whereas severall Texts of Scripture are pleaded by the Romanists in favour of the Popes Supremacy and Infallibility as Feed my sheep Thou art Peter I have prayed for thee and the like I demande whether these words or Texts of Scripture in and for themselves without the interpretation and testification of the Romish Church do bind me to believe the Popes Supremacy and Infallibility or no◠If they deny the validity of these Texts without the Churches Testimony and Authority as needs they must according to their Principles then it followes that there is nothing in Scripture considered in it selfe that bindes me to believe the Popes Supremacy and consequently I do not sin when I do not believe and own their Arguments drawn from these Texts and that the Scripture in it selfe is no sufficient foundation for a Papists Faith If they affirme it then let all the Papists in the World give me a reason why these Texts The Word was God Joh. 1. He thought it no robbery to be equall with God Phil. 2. This is the true God 1 Joh. 5. Should not in themselves and without the Churches Authority as solidly prove the Divinity of Christ as the other mentioned Texts are affirmed to prove the Supremacy and Infallibility of the Pope § 6. If they persist still to say that the alleadged Texts are in themselves a solid foundation for my faith although such an aspersion is contrary to their universall profession and overturnes the whole fabrick of Popery yet because I know those Proteus's will turne themselves into all shapes and indeavour to slip all knots and because I observe all their writings are stuffed with severall Texts of Scripture as if they would make their deluded Proselites believe they made them the foundation of their faith I shall therefore make some briefe remarks upon the chiefe of their Scripture allegations in pursuance of the Proposition under consideration and shew that the faith of a Papist hath no foundation at all in the sacred Scripture in the great and fundamentall point of the Popes Infallibility Onely that you may understand the diffidence which some of their own great Rabbies have in their Scripture Arguments I shall minde you of a remarkable saying of Eminent Doctor Pighius who perswading his Catholicks in their Disputations rather to argue from Tradition then Scriptures he breaks out into these memorable expressions Of which Doctrine if we had been mindfull that Hereticks are not to be convinced out of Scriptures our affaires had been in a better posture but whilest for ostentation of wit and learning men disputed with Luther from Scripture this Fire which alas we now see was kindled as if he had said You may as soon fetch water out of a stone as prove the Romish cause from the the Scripture Oh the power of truth Oh the desperatenesse of the Popish cause His Councell indeed was good but they could not follow it for having once been sumbling about some Scriptures though they saw well enough how impertinent they were to their purpose yet having once begun they were obliged to proceed and make good their attempts for of all things in the World they hate retreating and recanting left they should put an Argument into our hands against the infallibility of the Church from her actuall mistakes and errours in the exposition of Scriptures § 7. The principall places of Scripture upon which the Popes Supreme Authority and infallibility is founded are as follow The first is Matth. 16.18 Thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it Ergo The Pope is Supreme Head and Infallibe I shall forbear actum agere and therefore shall omit severall Answers allready given and onely point at some few of those many allegations by which the ridiculousnesse of this collection may appeare and the desperatenesse of that cause that can find no better supports 1. This promise concernes onely the invisible Church of elect persons which appears thus because he speaks of that Church against which the gates of Hell do not prevaile but the gates of Hell do prevaile against all reprobates and therefore the meanest sincere Elect Christian in the World hath a juster claime to infallibility from this place then many Popes of Rome had whom their own Authors confesse to have been reprobates 2. This promise secures the Church as well from damnable sins as damnable errours I prove it The Church is here secured against the prevalency of the Gates of Hell But the Gates of Hell may prevaile as surely and do prevaile as frequently by damnable sins as by errors Ergo If therefore notwithstanding this Text Popes have fallen into damnable Sins they may consequently fall into damnable Heresies 3. The Infallibility here promised extends onely to damnable Heresies and such as lead to and leave a man under the gates of Hell and therefore if it were intended of the Pope and Church of Rome Christ promiseth no more infallibility to him then he hereby promiseth and generally giveth to all persevering Christians 4. This promise is spoken of and made to the whole Church and therefore belongs to all the parts and members of it alike So that if it prove the Infallibility of the Romish Bishop and Church it proves also the same of the Bishops and Churches of Corinth Ephesus Philippi c. which may further appeare thus That if we should grant the Papists their absurd supposition that this work was not Peters confession but his person yet since the Bishops of Corinth and Ephesus and indeed all the Bishops in the World according to this supposition were built upon Peters person as well as the Bishop of Rome and the infallibility supposed is here promised equally to all that are built upon the Rock it must either prove all of them infallible or leave the Pope fallible 5. Whatsoever Authority or Infallibility is here promised to Peter is in other places promised and given to the rest of the Apostles and therefore what is collected from this place for S t Peters Successors may be with equall truth and evidence pleaded from other places for the Successors of the rest of the Apostles The same Keyes which are here promised to Peter are actually given to all the Apostles Math. 18.18 and Ioh. 20.22 23. And if infallibility be here promised to Peter as much is promised to all the Apostles John 16.13 He will guide you into all Truth And if St Peter be here called a Rock so are the other Apostles called Pillars Gal. 2.9 and Foundations Eph. 2. Apoc. 21.14 And that 16 th of Matthew speaks not one syllable more of transmitting S t Peters Authority to his Successors then those other places do to their
Successors And therefore it unavoydably followes either that all their Successors are infallible or that S t Peters Successor is fallible at best for any thing that appeares from this Text whether the Popes infallibility hath other foundations we shall examine in their order 8. It may be said That although this place may not seem to be cogent to one that considers it in it selfe yet if you take it according to the exposition of the Fathers it proves what it is alledged for But 1. The Fathers generally did understand this Rock to be not Peters Person but his confession or Christ as confessed by him and this you shall finde proved to have been the minde of S t Cyrill Hilary Hierom Ambrose Basil Augustine yea and the whole Councell of Chalcedon in that incomparably learned and Irreffragable Discourse of Moulins called The Novelty of Popery Lib. 2. cap. 4. 2. That the Fathers are not infallible guides of Faith and Religion I shall prove in the next Proposition 3. But howsoever They that assert the infallibility of the Fathers when they relate the Churches Judgment yet allow their Fallibility in expounding Scripture Caietan and Maldonate both acknowledge it and practise accordingly that a man may in many cases preferre a new exposition though it be repugnant to the expositions of most of the Antient Fathers And S r Kenelme Digby speaking of the infallibility of the Fathers expressely saith he understands it onely of the Traditions or Doctrines delivered by them as the Faith received from their Ancestours not of their Comments or Sermons upon Scripture which are to have no more weight then the reasons they give for them Letters between Lord Digby and S r Kenelme Digby pag. 10. § But if all these and other difficulties were cleared yet do two things remaine behind in which this Text and all others are wholly silent and for them they are forced to fly to Tradition and the Authority of the Fathers of which in the next place The first That all this Supreme Authority and infallibility which they suppose to have been in Peter was transmitted to his Successor and consequently Linus S t Peters Successor was Superiour to the Apostle and Evangelist S t Iohn which he had need have no squeamish Conscience that can digest and yet all this amounts to nothing unlesse another thing be proved viz That the Bishop of Rome is S t Peters Successor and here the scripture failes them and the Coronis or Apex of the Argument without which it is both impertinent and impotent as to the probation of the Soveraignty of the Roman Bishop is fetched solely from Tradition and the Testimony of the Fathers And so their Argument stands like the Angell in the Apocalypse with one foot on the Earth another on the Sea one Leg of it in Scripture the other in History an◠because conclusio sequitur partem deteriorem the conclusion cannot be de side or rather to speak the truth The whole Syllogisme is extra Scripturall The prerogative of St Peter are transmitted to S t Peters Successors Bu◠the Bishop of Rome is S Peters Successor where it appeares from what hath been said that neither propositio◠is to be proved from Scripture but wholly from Tradition and that is all at present I am concerned to make good And yet if all this were over they have not done◠Behold the misery of a desperate cause for whereas it is known and granted by the Papists that S t Peter had two Seas he was Bishop of Antioch for seven Years saith Baronius and Bishop of Rome it must be further evin◠ced That the Bishop of Antioch was excluded from and the Bishop of Rome invested with S t Peters Prerogatives And would you know the proofe of this position which is the very Foundation Stone of the Popes Supremacy You shall have the Argument in Bellarmines words 〈◊〉 had its rise à facto Petri from S t Peters fact Peter leave◠Antioch and comes to Rome and there he dies and so hi◠Holinesse got the day Here I desire the Reader to observe that all the Faith of the Romanists concerning the Popes Infallibility depends upon and is resolved into a matter of Fact and an uncertain Historicall relation 〈◊〉 Nay to speak truly there are severall matters of Fact every one of which must be solidly demonstrated before their Faith can have a firme Foundation 1. That Peter was at Rome 2. That Peter was Bishop of Rome properly so called 3. That S t Peter died at Rome 4. That it was Christs or Peters intention that Peters Successor should enjoy all his Priviledges 5. That Christ or Peter appointed his Romane not his Antiochian Successor to be this person to whom such priviledges were to be transmitted If there be a flaw in any one of these their whole cause in this point is lost And all these are matters of fact And such is the nature and uncertainty of matters of fact that the Papists confess those persons whom they suppose infallible in matters of faith are fallible in matters of fact Excepitng that modern dotage of some of the Jesuites who have lately asserted the Popes infallibility in matters of fact But that is such a piece of drollery and impudence that their own brethren who have not forsworn all modesty are ashamed of it now to assume as some of these assertions are apparently false so there are none of them but are disputable points and denied by divers learned men not without a plausible appearance of authorities and arguments And if the Jesuites opinion be true concerning the doctrine of probability that a man may satisfie his conscience and venture his salvation upon the opinions of two or three learn'd Doctors Then a Protestant may satisfy his conscience and venture his salvation upon it that all these propositions are false being denied by far more then that number of learned Doctors At least this must be granted that it renders the forementioned positions dubious and uncertain And so the Papists build their divine faith upon a dubious historicall faith yet again what if Peter dies there must the universall headship needs go to the Bishop of the place where he dies and not to another where he lived Charles the fifth was King of Spain and Emperour of Germany if he die in Spain must all the Kings of Spain be therefore Emperours of Germany Haply they will say no because the Empire is elective not hereditary and if that were granted which the Papists will never be able to prove that there was such a thing as this universall headship and that this was to continue will they pawne their soules on it for so indeed they do that this universall headship was hereditary not elective How will they prove it Christ dies at Ierusalem by this rule the Bishop of Ierusalem must be universall head Suppose the Pope should leave Rome and go to Avignon a◠once he did and settle and die there by this rule
and which are spurious For that there are great multitude of spurious Writings masked under the names of the Fathers is acknowledged by Sixtus Senensis Bel. and others and the Fathers themselves oft complained of that practise in their daies So again Scripture is obscure and ambiguous and full of seeming contradictions and there are many disputes about the true sence and therefore it cannot be the rule of my faith say Bellarm. Becanus Costorus and the rest The same may be more justly said against the Authority of the Fathers Their obscurity and ambiguity appeares from the very same Arguments which they bring to make good their charge against the Scriptures even from the multitude of Comments which Learned men have made upon the darke passages of the Fathers in which no lesse then in S t Pauls Epistles are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 things hard to be understood which men of corrupt minds wrest to their own destruction and from the great disputes which are at this day fervent in the World concerning the judgments of the Fathers and their meaning in severall passages ' about which there are as fierce contests as about any passages of the Scripture it having been truly observed by indifferent persons that both Papists and Protestants have fortified their severall and contrariant assertions with plausible allegations from the Fathers Nor are there onely seeming contradictions in the Fathers as there are in Scripture but most reall and direct ones and if it be not enough that one of them contradicts another many pregnant instances are given of the same Father in one place contradicting himselfe in another But for this and other things concerning the Fathers Authority I must refer the Reader to those Learned Authors that have exemplified this in severall Instances Once more The Scripture they say is corrupted and falsified in severall places and so unfit to be a rule And have the Fathers Works seen no corruption Yes we have it under the hands of Possevinus Sixtus Senensis Bellarm. and others who confess their hard hap in this particular and how wofully they are corrupted in multitudes of places and needs must the Fathers fare worse then the Scriptures herein because they were never preserved with that care and conscience which was exercised about the Holy Scriptures Therefore either they must quit their Arguments against the Scriptures Authority or else renounce the Authority of the Fathers which is obnoxious to the same inconveniencies §. 4 2. That the Fathers whose writings are extant for of them this proposition treats are not infallible may be undeniably evinced from the Hypothesis of our Adversaries and the supposed subject of that Infallibility which is pretended Infallibility is the proper and peculiar priviledge of the Church say all the Papists The onely question is What this Church is Some make it the Pope others a Councell others the whole body of the faithfull but they generally agree that it must be some one or all of those But the Fathers I am here discoursing of are not one or all of these and therefore they cannot pretend to the supposed infallibility nor can the Papists by their own principles ascribe it to them to which may be added That if the Pope himselfe notwithstanding his pretended gift of Infallibility may erre as a private Doctor either in speaking or writing which all the Papists grant how can either any or most of them who have no other capacity but that of a private Doctor be exempt from a possibility of erring And consequently the Fathers are not infallible nor a solid foundation for a Papists faith Sect. 5. Again if they will needs obtrude upon us this upstart Infallibility of particular fathers I demand whether this infallibility belongs to all the fathers that lived in one Age or only to the Writers of that Age or only to those of the Writers whose works have had better hap then others to come to our hand and whether to all them together or onely to a part of them For one of these they must unavoydably assert If they say the first that this Infallibility was in all the fathers that lived in one Age or the Major part of them as in reason they must for what Scripture or Reason had one to pretend Infallibility more then another excepting alwayes the Bishop of Room of whose Infallibility it must bee confessed there was never any quaestion namely in those dayes none had the impudence to assert it if that be granted yet those few whose writings are extant of whom alone our controversie is might all be fallible though the Major part of the Fathers be acknowledged infallible If it be said those Fathers do not onely speak their own sence but the sence of the Church of their Age and in that respect they are infallible which is the common plea and most plausible Argument they use in this point The Fathers are infallible not in their expositions but in their traditions and the Doctrines they deliver as received from their Ancestors Thus Sr Kenelm Digby White Holden and the Papists of the new Modell This I shall have occasion to handle more largely afterward At present it may suffice to answer two things 1 That it is most certain they are so far from delivering the sence of the Church of that Age in the controversies between us and the Romanists that they seldom touch upon the most of them and when they do it it is obiter and by accident not ex professo and solemnly they being then taken up with other matters as disputing against Jewes and Gentiles and the hereticks of that Age 2 However that being purely matter of fact to understand and report the History of the Churches Doctrine in their Age if they were infallible in matters of Faith yet in point of fact they were not infallible For the Pope himself is allowed to bee fallible in such matters and as it is confessed the Pope may erre through fear or hope or humane passions as Liberius Marcellinus and others did at best for a season so doubtlesse might the Fathers either through weaknesse misunderstand or through favour or prejudice misreport the sence of others of which it were easy to give many Instances If the second thing be asserted that this Infallibility belongs only to the Writers of each Age wee would desire them to set theâ—r inventions on work to devise a reason why the Writers were infallible â—and not the Preachers seeing the Apostles who had and all others that pretend to Infallibility as the Pope and Councell challenge it equally in their Sermons and Writings in their verbal and written decrees and much lesse can they with any colour assert that this Infallibility belongs only to those Writers which are come to our hands as if it were not sufficient for the rest that they lost their Writings but they must also lose their Infallibility And yet such is the impudence of these men and the desperatenesse of their cause that
their consciences to the Pope's ambition and for them it is too much § 7. The fourth and last argument is this The Papists themselves whatever sometimes they pretend yet indeed do not make the Fathers the ground foundation of their Faith but acknowledg them fallible 1. This appears from what hath already been discoursed concerning their avowed Doctrine That Infallibility is the proper and peculiar priviledge of the Church and consequently belongs not to the Fathers in their single capacities 2. It appears from the acknowledged novelty of several Romish doctrines which their most learned men confess cannot be proved from the Fathers Such are 1. The doctrine of forbidding the reading of the Scripture to Lay-men as they are called We confess in their dayes viz. of â—erome and Augustine Lay-men were conversant in the reading of the Scripture saith Azorius And whereas many Popish Authors expound those words Ioh. 5 39. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 indicatively as if they did only acquaint us with the practice of the Jewes and not containe a command of Christ to his hearers to read the Scriptures Tolet and Maldonaete both witnesse that Chrysostome Theophylact and Augustine and all weighty authors except Cyrill do understand it imperatively for a command of Christ. 2 They acknowledg the novelty of Transubstantiation The words of Scotus are these Before the Lateran Councell the doctrine of Transubstantiation was no point of faith and the first Laeteran Councel was above 1100 years after Christ's birth And Alphonsus de Castro delivers this memorable assertion Many things are known to later Authors which the Antient writers were wholly ignorant of for these seldome make any mention of Transubstantiation 3 The doctrine of Indulgencies and Purgatory I joyn them both together as being neer of kin of which Bishop Fisher hath this remarkable passage No orthodox Christian now doubts whether there be a Purgatory though the Antients seldome or never mentioned it And a little after Considering that Purgatory was for a good while unknown and again seeing then Purgatory was known and received in the Church so lately who can wonder that Indulgencies were not used in the primitive Church So Gabriel Bi el Before the times of St. Gregory that was 600 years after Christ there was little or no use of Indulgencies but now they are used frequently because the Church without doubt hath the spirit of Christ and therefore cannot erre That sine dubio did his worke for I was about to dispute against his assertion but that phrase quite took away my courage You see it is a courtesy that the Papists will condescend to prove their doctrine from Scripture and Fathers whereas if they would stand upon their termes they might argue thus The conclusion without doubt is true that the Church cannot erre therefore a fig for the premises So Durandus Concerning Indulgencies little can be said with any certainty because the Scripture speaks not expresly of them and the holy Fathers Aug Ambrose Hilary Ierome do not at all mention them And Cajetan expresly No sacred Scripture no authority of antient Fathers either Greek or Latine hath brought the rise of Indulgencies to our knowledge And yet if you please to believe it this and all the doctrines of the Romish Church are no other then such as have been handed to them from the Apostles by all the antient Fathers in an uninterrupted succession I believe I could instance in twenty several Articles of the Romish Church for which they have no colour of authority from any of the Fathers But this may suffice for a Specimen of that respect which the Papists have for the Fathers when they do not comply with their humors The Fathers were so ignorant for a thousand years together that they did not understand or so negligent that they did not instruct their people in that great mystery of Transubstantiation then which none was more necessary to be taught because none more difficult to believe The Fathers were so hard-hearted and cruel that they would suffer souls to fry in Purgatory for hundreds of years together whom they might have certainly released by the help of Indulgencies The Fathers were so indiscreet that they allowed their hearers to read the Scriptures and have them in a vulgar tongue But now it is not fit to be granted saith Sixtus Sinensis The Church of Rome hath got a monopoly of all knowledg fidelity tender-heartedness which you will wonder at discretion and all good qualities and Infallibility into the bargain This is the excellency of the Romish faith that it is calculated for any Meridian Are any of their doctrines seemingly favoured by the Fathers why then you shall have large Harangues concerning the authority of the Fathers and their adherence to them Are there any of their points wherein the Fathers are either silent of opponent why they are furnished with another strain that the Fathers were but private Doctors and had their failings The chief of the Fathers had their falls saith Bellarmine In the books of the Antients which the Church reads as authentick sometimes are found wicked and heretical passages saith Sixtus Sinensis And so long as the Church of Rome reserves to her self alwayes a liberty of determining what passages are wicked and heretical I trow she is out of Gun-shot I do not value Origens judgment saith Pererius And that you may see the Papists do insanire cum ratione I pray you take notice that what they want in conscience and honest dealing they make up in wit and therefore have devised several ingenuous shifts whereby they can elude the most pregnant testimonies of the Fathers levied against them Sometimes they answer that the Fathers speak 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in opposition to the present Adversary they were disputing with not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as laying down their own positive opinion thus Perron and Sixtus Senensis Sometimes they say the Fathers speak declamatorio more by perbolically and by excess thus Sixtus Senensis answers our allegations from the Fathers for reading the Scripture Thus Petavius answers a clear passage of Chrysostomes against Auricular Confession At other times they tell us the Fathers did not alwaies speak what they thought but what they saw necessary to confute their Adversaries thus Perron answers the citations from the Fathers against creature-worship If you alledge the Epistles of the Fathers they tell you the Fathers did not use fully to open their minds in those writings So Perron answers a Testimony of Austins against Transubstantiation Sometimes they plead that the Fathers speak the opinion of others not their own as Bellarmine answers a place out of Hierom. If you bring any passage out of their Poems they say the Fathers did use Poetical liberty as Bellarmine answers to Prudentius So just was the judgment of the University of Doway upon Bertram's Book of the body and
given c. And a little after he would have yielded to a general Councel if the truth of that question had in his time been evidenced and declared and confirmed by a general Councel And he gives the reason of his yielding Because that holy Soul would have yielded even to one man declaring and demonstrating the truth much more to a general Councel In all which it is plain that it was not any presumed Infallibility of the Councel but the clearness of the truth and the strength of their arguments which would have satisfied Cyprian in St. Austin's judgment 3. This may be irrefragably proved from hence that St. Austin makes this the peculiar property of the holy Scripture by which it is distinguished from and advanced above all the opinions decrees or writings of all Bishops in or out of Councels that we may not doubt of any thing contained in it The words are express and brought in with a Quis nesciat Who knowes not that the holy Scripture is so preferred before all the letters of after-Bishops that we may not so much as doubt or debate concerning any thing contained in them whether it be true or no. But the letters of the Bishops may be reproved by Councels if they swerve from the truth and Provincial Councels must yeild to General Councels and former general Councels are oft corrected by the latter where there is a gradation from Bishops to Provincial and thence to General Councels but all of them are in this respect postposed to the Scripture that we may lawfully doubt of any thing contained in their Decrees and where they swerve from the truth reject it And nothing more evinceth the strength of this argument then the silliness of our Adversaries evasions He speaks of questions of Fact and Ceremony not of Faith saith Bellarmine and Stapleton whereas the question there disputed was whether persons Baptized by Hereticks should be rebaptized which the Fathers formerly made and the Papists now make a question of Faith But by emendantur saith Stapleton he means perfectiùs explicantur If you ask in what Dictionary or Author the word emendantur is so taken you must understand that it follows à majori ad minus that if our Romish Masters may coyn new Articles of Faith which diverse Papists professe they may much more may they devise new significations of words But I would know of these Doctors what they would think or at least what discreet and sober men would think of that Author that should say Libri Mofis à Prophetis emendantur or Scripta Prophetarum ab Apostolis emendantur and yet if Stapletons Lexicon may be used it were an harmlesse expression But if these men will give St. Austin leave to be the interpreter of his own words he hath sufficiently open'd his mind by making emendare and reprehendere parallel expressions and by speaking of such an Emendation as follows after or is conjoyned with a doubting of the truth of what was delivered by the Councel This may serve for the third Proposition § 12. And here I might give my self a supersedeas having shewed the imbecillity of their principal Proofs from the Fathers but ex abundantis I shall adde the fourth Proposition which is this That it doth appear the Antients did believe the fallibility of Councels The former proposition shewed that they could not prove their Assertion and this I hope will disprove it But because what hath been already said may serve for that end also I shall be the briefer in this and shall only mention three arguments to prove it 1. They who make Scripture-proof necessary to command the belief of doctrines or matters of Religion do not hold the Infallibility of Councels But so did the Fathers Ergo. The Major is evident from hence because one infallible Authority is sufficient and the addition of another though it may tend ad melius esse yet it cannot be necessary ad esse for then the former were not sufficient And the Papists who believe the Infallibility of Popes or Councels do professe eo nomine that Scripture-proof is not necessary and that the Churches authority without Scripture evidence is sufficient When Whitaker urged the necessity of Scripture-proof to shew the Church for proof of the Scriptures prerogative above the Church Stapleton roundly answers That such proof is not necessary to a Christian man and a Believer For the Minor That the Fathers did judge Scripture proof necessary hath been already shew'd and will hereafter be made good and to prevent tedious repetitions I shall now forbear it 2 They who allow the people liberty of examination of all that any men since the Apostles say do not believe the Infallibility of Councels but so do the Fathers The major is evident from the confession and practice of our Adversaries who believing the Infallibility of the Pope or Councels do injoyn the reception of their Decrees and Injunctions without examination A Christian ought to receive the Churches doctrine without examination saith Bellarmine The Minor hath been proved from the expresse words of the Fathers 3. They that derogate Faith from all men without exception beside the Apostles do not hold the Infallibility of Councels But so do the Fathers Ergo. The Major needs no proof for the Councels are made up of men and such too as are confessed to be each of them fallible Nor do they pretend to any Enthusiasme or immediate revelation The Minor also hath been fully proved to which I shall adde one out of Austin◠If it be confirmed by authority of Scripture we are to believe it without all doubting but for other witnesses or their testimonies a man may believe or not believe as he apprehends what they say hath weight or not It is true S. Clara sayes that St. Austin doth only prefer Scripture before particular authors which how false it is sufficiently appears from the other testimony of Austins which I have even now discussed wherein you plainly saw in Occam's and St. Clara's own judgment St. Austin positively took away all difference between Councels and private Doctors in this particular and equally denied all 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to both of them Thus I hope I have sufficiently proved what I undertook concerning the supposed Tradition and the testimony of the Fathers in reference to the Infallibility of Councels This is the first Branch The Infallibility of Councels is not made known to us by Tradition the next Proposition must shew That it is not revealed in Scripture § 13. This therefore is the Second branch That the Infallibility of Councels hath no foundation in Scripture◠1. I might justly insist upon what hath been already mentioned concerning the doctrine of the Romanists about the insignificancy and insufficiency by the Scripture to ground my faith without the Churches authority And surely they that professe they are not bound to believe the Divinity of Christ were it not for the
Apostles only but of their successors because he saith the comforter shall abide with you for ever ch 14.16 i. e. with them and their successors for ever But Christ doth not lead the Bishops severally considered into all truth therefore he leads them into truth when they are gathered together and seeing there is no greater chair in the Church by which God teacheth us then the Pope when a Councel is added to him if his chair should erre how this promise is true he will teach you all truth I see not This may be too Bernardus non videt omnia and why should Robertus do it Ans. 1. These words if extended beyond the Apostles do not imply any infallibility or if they do a man may with as great colour deduce the infallibility nay the omnisciency of all Believers from 1 Joh. 2.20 Ye have an unction from the holy one and ye know all things and v. 27. The same anointing teacheth you all things All truth in the text is only meant of all truths necessary to salvation nothing being more familiar in Scripture-use then for general expressions as all men every creature c. to be understood with tacit limitations nor are all whom God leads into truth infallibly led into it unless they will make all sincere Christians infallible for all such are led by the Spirit into truth but not all in the same manner and degree as the Apostles were So the Popish argument proceeds à genere ad speciem affirmativé They are led into truth Ergo they are infallibly led 2. There is nothing in that text Joh. 16. to shew the extent of that promise to the Apostles successors which Bellarmine sufficiently discovers by deserting this place and fetching in another to his aid Joh 14. so his argument is cunningly patched up of two places That God would lead them into all truth he proves from Joh. 16. That God will do this for ever he would fain prove from Joh. 14. whereas this place doth not say that God would lead the Apostles into all truth for ever but only that the spirit should abide with them for ever and that as a comforter which is quite another thing if not let me see that Papist that will give it under his hand that every one with whom the Spirit abides as a comforter is infallible And yet if I should wink at this fraudulent dealing of Bellarmines and admit the phrase for ever into the principal Text this would not infer a necessity of stretching this promise beyond the Apostles partly because in Scripture use that phrase doth frequently denote the term of life as Exod. 21.6 The servant is to be with his master for ever and 1 Kings 12.7 they will be thy servants for ever and principally because in strictest propriety of speech the spirit of God did and doth for ever abide in the persons of the Apostles As God betroths every one of his people to him for ever Hos. 2.19 and is their portion for ever Psal. 73.26 and the water that Christ gives to his people which he himself expounds of the Spirit Joh. 7.38 39. is in them for ever Joh. 4.14 3. If this promise of leading into all truth be understood of the Apostles and their Successors in the same manner that is so as to make them both infallible then as the Apostles severally considered were infallible and not onely when combined in Councels so also are their Successors each of them Infallible which all Papists deny It is a strange way of arguing which Bellarmine useth The Apostles severally considered were Infallible by vertue of this promise And their Successors are comprehended in this promise And their Successors are not infallible in their single Capacities as the Apostles were Ergo they are infallible when they are gathered together This is that I told you before and here you see it exemplified though Fallibility be in the premises yet you shall be sure to meet with Infallibility in the Conclusion 4. If this promise of the Spirit did containe Infallibility and did extend beyond the Apostles yet certainly it is a most unreasonable thing not onely to communicate but appropriate this promise of the Spirit to such as have not the Spirit such are all ungodly men Iude vers 19 sensuall not having the Spirit Yea in that very place which the Papists urge for the perpetuall residence of Gods Spirit in Popes and Bishops Ioh. 14. There is a positive exclusion of all ungodly men from any share therein vers 17. The Spirit of Truth whom the World cannot receive because it seeth him not neither knoweth him A Character ascribed by God himselfe to all wicked men 1 Io. 3.6 Whosoever sinneth be he Christian Minister or Pope hath not seen him neither known him Soin this Argument they runne upon a double absurdity 1. That they deny the promised guidance of the Spirit unto those Elect Holy and humble Christians who are the onely persons that in Scripture account have the Spirit and are led by the Spirit and walke after the Spirit 2. That they challenge the Infallible guidance of the Spirit to those that have not so much as the generall conduct of the Spirit which is common to all true Christians 5. That you may see the desperatenesse of the Popish cause you may observe that Bellarmine himselfe elsewhere denies the Conclusion which in this place he strives to obtrude upon us For here he inferres the Infallibility of Councels but elswhere he laies down this position That a generall Councell may erre and is not Infallible except the Pope confirme them that is to say The Councell in it self is Fallible the Pope onely is Infallible of which more by and by And thus according to Bellarmines opinion the Bishops neither severally nor concunctly are infallible but in truth The Pope onely is infallible And so Bellarmine hath not onely shuffled the Pope into the Text but indeed jusled out all others and destroyed that infallibility of Councels which he pretended to assert as became the Popes faithfull servant to do And so this is Bellarmines Argument from these words God hath promised Infallibility to lead all the Apostles and all their Successors into all truth Therefore none of the Apostles Successors are Infallible save S t Peters onely § 17. A fourth place for the Infallibility of Councels is Acts 15.28 For it seemed good unto the Holy Ghost and to us to lay upon you no greater burden then these necessary things whence they thus argue This Councell had the Infallible direction of the Holy-Ghost and consequently all other Councels have it Answ. 1. If the Conclusion be universally true which if it be not it will do the Church of Rome no service then the Arrian Councels were infallible But if they say that onely the Orthodox Councels are Infallible that alters the question and the Church of Rome must first prove her Orthodoxy and then her Infallibility and to speak truth she may prove the
one as soone as the other 2. The utmost importance of this phrase is that they made this decree by the direction of the Holy Ghost d. d It seemed good to us by the direction of the Holy Ghost And for this there is no need to devise a new Phaenomenon of infallible assistance to be afforded to all Councels of which there is not one syllable in the whole Chapter seeing there are other waies mentioned in that place in respect whereof they had the Holy Ghosts direction and might say it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us and by which the Holy Ghost did give its Testimony to their decree directed against those that urged the necessity of Circumcision upon the Gentiles 1. It seemed good to the Holy Ghost inasmuch as when the Gospell was preached to the Gentiles by Peter God bare them witnesse giving them the Holy Ghost even as he did unto us v. 8 so making no difference between the Circumcision and Uncircumcision 2. It seemed good to the Holy Ghost who in the Scripture had foretold the conversion of the Uncircumcised Gentiles to the Faith and their reception into the Church And for asmuch as it is exceeding plaine that the controversy was debated in that Councell principally if not solely by Scripture Arguments and the conclusion deduced from Scripture evidence they might very well say it seemed good to the Holy Ghost if it was conformable to the Scripture there being nothing more familiar then this that what is said in Scripture is ascribed to the Holy Ghost as Act. 1.26 The Holy Ghost spake by the mouth of David Heb. 3.7 Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith to day if ye will here my voice 3. If that phrase doth imply Infallibility yet the consequence doth not hold from Apostles to Bishops I appeale to any Papist whose candour is not gone with his conscience whether this follow A Councell wherein were severall persons even in their single capacities Infallible had infallible direction when they were met together Ergo Those Councels wherein there is not one person but is confessed in his single Capacity to be Fallible are Infallible If any or every Apostle had singly said It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to me would this have inferred the Infallibility of every single Bishop They say No Then let them shew a reason why the Argument proceeds not as well from single Apostles to single Bishops as from Apostles conjoyned in Councell to Bishops conjoyned 4. There is also another inconsequence The Apostles and Councell had the direction of the Holy-Ghost in a conclusion regulated by Scripture and collected from it Ergo All following Councels have the direction of the Holy-Ghost and cannot erre in all their conclusions whatsoever Is not this a goodly Argument This Councel did not erre Ergo No other Councel can erre The words are onely assertive of a present case viz. of the direction of this Councell in that point not at all promissive of any thing for the future and therefore can give us no security at all for the Infallibility of Councels for the future it would make fine work if every assertion were turned into a promise I might as well argue David was guided by the Spirit of God in the ordering of Gods house as you read I Chron. 28.12 19. Therefore all succeeding kings of Iudah were Infallible Moses was faithfull in all Gods house Heb 3.5 Ergo None of Moses's Successors could be unfaithfull Nothing can be replied but this That David and Moses had a speciall assistance not communicated to all their Successors And the same may as truly be said of this Councell and the Apostles here assembled But saith Bellarmine Infallibility being granted to this Councell as being necessary for the conservation of the Church against Herestes the same reason and necessity continuing the same Infallibility must consequently be granted to following generall Councels I Answer 1. If this Councell by reason of the Apostles was Infallible yet this Infallibility was purely accidentall because persons indued with Infallibility for other ends were there present and not conferred upon them for the decision of the present controversy and the reason why Infallibility was bestowed upon the Apostles was not common to all but particular to that age and season viz. because they were to lay a solid foundation for and to give a sure rule to all the Churches in after ages and therefore Infallibility was their peculiar priviledge It is but a lame inference Infallibility was necessary in the first founders of Christianity for the Plantation and constitution of the Gospell Church Ergo It was necessary for the constant and perpetuall government of the Church in all after ages Upon the same warrant a man may argue thus Miracles were necessary in the first erecting and laying the Foundation of the Church Ergo they were necessary for the edification of the Church in all successive ages In both cases the consequence is repugnant to common sense and reason and confuted by experience For 2. That such generall Councels and their Infallibility are not so necessary as the Papists would perswade us plainly appeares from hence that God who is never defective in necessaries left his Church for three hundred years together wholly without them and yet the Church since the dayes of the Apostles never had more stability in the Faith and a greater plenitude of every grace and good work then in those times 5. That you may see how little reason there is that Protestants should be convinced by this place take notice that diverse of the Learned Papists are unsatified with this Argument among which are Ockam Cameracensis Ferus and M r White in his Treatise De fide Theologia where he thus Answers the Argument Nor is it materiall that in that Apostolicall Councell they use those words It seemed good to the Holy-Ghost and to us For first it was a Councell of Prophets in each of which Gods spirit dwelt in a speciall manner at least in the Apostles And he addes If they acted with reason doubtlesse they acted by the instinct of Gods Spirit although not such as Divines feigne to be assistant to Councells A fifth place they urge is Mat. 28. vers the last I am with you allwaies to the end of the World Answ. 1. Whatsoever this promise containes the Papists have no part in it because it depends upon a condition which they have so grossely violated Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you and loe in so doing I am with you Christ commanded his Disciples to search the Scriptures Papists teach the Contrary Christ commanded all his Disciples that partook of the Bread to drink also of the Cup Papists teach otherwise and the like may be instanced in an hundred particulars 2. Put this Argument into forme and it is this They whom Christ promiseth to be with are Infallible But Christ promiseth to be with his Church
Councel that Pope Gregory the great said he reverenced as one of the four Gospels and a Decree of theirs against the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome he answers roundly that that Decree is of no force because it was made in the absence of the Pope's Legates who afterwards did protest against it Where by the way we may take notice what opinion that oecumenical Councel had of the Pope's Supremacy and Infallibility who first passed and afterwards ratified that decree notwithstanding all the solicitations and protestations of the Romane Legate in the Pope's name to the contrary In like manner saith Andradius That Councell erred in as much as it did rashly and without cause prefer the Church of Constantinople before that of Alexandria and Antioch And Gregory de Valentia being assaulted with a Canon of the Synodus Trullaena defends himself with this answer That Synod is of no authority because its Canons were not confirmed by the Pope § 21. It is true the Papists perceiving the danger of their cause from this difference between the Pope and Councels have at last found out this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and by that means they pretend they are all agreed the Pope and Councell joyning together are infallible And in this sense their doctrine is true that general councels are infallible viz. if they are called and confirmed by the Pope For answer whereunto I commend four things to the Readers observation 1. Observe the non-sense of this opinion The question is whether general councels lawfully called have an infallible assistance and guidance of the Spirit in the forming of their decrees The Papists affirm we deny now comes in a condition in their affirmation which overthrowes the affirmation it self They are infallible say they if the Pope confirms them well then the Councel meets considers decrees here is their work done hitherto say our Masters they are fallible they send them to the Pope for confirmation for ubi desinit Concilium incipit Papa if the Pope confirms them they are infallible if he disapprove them they are fallible And so it seems the councell receives infallible direction from God for their work after their work is done and it ceaseth to be before it be infallible in spight of the old maxime of the Logicians Ab est tertii aâ—jecti ad est secundi adjecti valet consecutio Really the councels have an hard bargain of it that cannot get Infallibility till they have lost their existency 2. Observe the hypocrisy and self conviction of this opinion The infallibility of councels is the great 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 cast before the eyes of those who cannot penetrate into the depth of things Several Scriptures are pretended which are said evidently to prove this infallibility now we see they themselves deny the thing they pretend to prove and councels are infallible no further then the Pope pleaseth And with this key you must open all the alledged Scriptures you must hear the Church i. e. unlesse the Pope shut up your eares Christ is present where two or three are met together in his name viz if they have the Pope's approbation The Spirit will lead you into all rruth viz. if you follow the instructions of his Holinesse And if a councel may say It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and us it signifies nothing if it be not added and to our Lord the Pope Thus Councels are meer cyphers except the Pope adde his figure and Councels are joyned with Popes only as Bibulus was with Caesar to fill up a vacancy and make a noise in vulgar eares Nor is the wound of the Popish cause healed by this device but only skinned over for as the assertors of the infallibility of councels deny infalliblity to the Pope further then he adheres to such councels so the assertors of Papal infallibility allow to councels no infallibility but what they have in dependence upon and by influence from the Pope So Bellarmine in terms saith Infallibility doth not come partly from the Pope and partly from the Councel but wholly from the Pope And Stapleton is expresse The Pope receives no new power nor authority nor infallibility from the addition of a Councel What need I say more such contemptuous thoughts hath Bellarmine of the infallibility of councels that he spends one entire chapter upon the proof of this Proposition That general Councels may erre if they do not follow the Pope's instruction if they have not the Legates consent nay more if it be in a point wherein the Legates have no certain instructions from the Pope and he gives us amongst many instances of erring Councels this remarkable one The Councel of Basil by common consent and with the Legates concurrence concluded that a Councel is above the Pope which certainly is now judged erroneous You see how hard it is for Councels to carry their dish eaven By what hath been said it appeares what a sorry foundation the Infallibility of Councels is when from their principles it unavoidably followes That a colledge of Jesuites is as infallible as a generall Councel for they confesse a provinciall Councell which in it selfe hath no more Authority to oblige the whole Church then such a Colledge is Infallible with the Popes concurrence and without it generall Councels are Fallible 3. Observe the insufficiency of this evasion For if Infallibility were granted to such a combination of Pope and Councell this gives them no reliefe save onely during the Session of the Councell for when the Councell is dissolved their Writings must indure the same fate with the writings of the Apostles of being unable to Judg or decide controversies For all the Papists most vehemently plead for the necessity of a living Judge that can heare both parties and determine all emergent controversies Thus Infallibility is not so much as res unius aetatis Nay ofttimes it is but res unius anni like Ionah's gourd it comes up in a night and withers in a night And the Church for three hundred years after Christ had no Infallibility and since the Councell of Trent the Papists have not had an Infallible judge and at this day their Church hath no Infallibility and consequently no solid Foundation for their Faith 4. Observe the preposterousnesse of this opinion If Councels come to the Pope for Confirmation he may say to them as Iohn the Baptist said to Christ Mat. 3 14. I have need to be baptized of thee and comest thou to me So may the Pope say I have need to be confirmed by your Authority and without you am but magni nominis umbra and do you come to me But I confesse wanus manum feriat If the Pope have any Infallibility he had it from Councels for Scripture ownes it not as we have seen and the particular Fathers could not give what they never had and now it is good manners to requite them and so he comunicates to them that Infallibility he receives from
and allow the Church no infallibility independent upon Tradition 2. Seeing they grant the Church may erre if she receed from Tradition I can never be sure she doth not erre unlesse I be sure she keep to Tradition And therefore I must examine that and judge of it and so private men are made judges of controversies which they so much dread 3. Hereby the Authority of the Pope and generall Councels of Bishops is rendred unnecessary I prove it thus If these be necessary onely as witnesses to Tradition then their Authority is not necessary For it is not Authority but knowledge and fidelity which renders a witnesse competent A lay hearer of S t Paul may be as competent a witnesse of the Doctrine he heard S t Paul Preach as a Bishop supposing a parity in their knowledg fidelity and converse with the Apostle and another Bishop may be as competent a witnesse as the Bishop of Rome and consequently as Infallible and any congregation of discreet and pious Christians who heard S t Peter Preach are as infallible witnesses as the Church of Rome and if there were a generall assembly of lay men of equall knowledge and experience they are as infallible witnesses what the Faith of the next precedent age was and what the Faith of the present Church is as a Councell of Bishops Nay to speak truth they are more credible witnesses because lesse byassed by interest affection or prejudice These rocks the first branch throwes them upon 2. If they flie from his and make the Churches infallibility the foundation of Traditions as the most Papists do then they must demonstrate that Infallibility from Scripture Fathers or Councels which we have seen they cannot do So that if either of their positions be true their cause is lost But 2. If either of them be false they are gone too For if tradition be not Infallible in it selfe without the Churches Authority as the one side saith then the Papists have no certaine rule for the Church to steere iâ—s course by for the Scriptures they do not own as such and if the Church be not infallible but by vertue of this Tradition as the other side saith then they confesse the insufficiency of all their proofes from Scripture and from the Authority of Fathers and Councels and their Authority is no more then that of any faithfull or credible Historian and instead of a Divine the Papists have nothing but an Historicall faith I shall conclude this first Answer with one syllogisme from the words and assertions of M r White Tradition is overthrown if another principle of Faith be added to it But the most and Learnedest Doctours of the Romish Church do adde another principle to it viz. the Churches Authority and infallibility as I shewed from their own words Ergo either Tradition and all this new devise or the Authority of the Romish Church is overthrown 4. Answ. 2. This new conceit directly thwarts the designe of God in the Writing of the Scripture and indeed the common sence and experience of all mankind for hereby a verball Tradition is made a more sure way of conveyance to posterity then a Writing It hath been the Wisdome of God in formeâ— ages to take care that those things might be Written which he would have kept in remembrance Exod. 17. 14. Write this for a memoriall in a Book So little did God trust this now supposed infallible way of orall Tradition that he would not venture the Decalogue upon it though the words were but few and the importance of them so considerable both in truth and in the apprehensions of the Jewes that if M r Whites Argument have any strength in it it was impossible posterity should ever mistake it but write it with his own finger once and againe after the breaking of the first Tables And although whilest the Church was confined to a few families and divine revelations were frequently renewed a verball Tradition was sufficient yet when the Church came to be multiplyed and especially when it comes to be dispersed into all Nations and Revelations cease then Writing proves of absolute necessity How farre the first and wisest Christians were from M r Whites opinion appeares from hence that not daring to leane upon the broken reed of Orall Tradition they did earnely desire the Apostles to commit their Doctrines to Writing Eusibius reports that S t Peters hearers were not content with this way of Tradition from Peters mouth but for want of M r VVhites presence there to convince them of their folly They earnestly begged it of Marke that he would leave them that Doctrine in VVriting which they had received by word of mouth And Hierome tels us That S t John the Evangelist was almost forced to write by all the Bishops of Asia who it seems were raw novices that did not understand their Catechisme nor the first principle in it viz. The sufficiency and infallibility of orall Tradition And S t Luke gives it us under his hand not fearing either M r VVhites anger or his Argument that he wrote his Gospell ad majorem 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that Christians might have the greater certainty Luk 1 3,4 When Iob desires the perpetuall continuance of his words he wisheth O that my words were now VVritten Oh that they were Printed in a Book Job 19.23 And David in the same case would not rely upon Tradition but takes this course for assurance This shall be written for the generation to come Psal. 102.18 But because M r VVhite undoubtedly is a better Philosopher and Divine then either Luke or Iob or David were and therefore good reason they should all vaile to his more penetrating wit and deeper judgment he shall do well to remember that God himselfe was of the same judgment Go write it before them in a Table and note it in a Book that it may be for the time to come for ever Isa. 30.8 And to this agrees the common experience of mankind Vox audita perit litera scripta manet verball Traditions quickly vanish onely writings are durable Hence those famous Lawes of Lycurgus institutes of the Druides Philosophy of Pythagoras are upon the matter wholly lost and onely some few fragments reserved because not committed to writing but this will be put out of doubt by reflecting upon the History of mankind wereby the aierinesse of this phantasme will be discovered and the great difference between Tradition and writing in point of certainty demonstrated Adam and Noah the two successive heads of mankind did doubtlesse deliver the true Doctrine to their posterity with the same important circumstances which M r VVhite supposeth in the Doctrine of the Gospell as a Doctrine of everlasting consequence and they so received it and for a season transmitted it to their Children But alas how soon was all obliterated and in this sense all mankind some very few excepted did agree to murther themselves and they actually did that which M r VVhite saith
was impossible And so from hence forward let all Logitians take notice of it that Ab esse ad posse non valet consequentia Well some centuries after comes Moses and by Gods command delivers a Law in Writing and this law abides and the Jewes to this day retaine it in remembrance and veneration and for above 3000 years together have been thereby kept from those Pagan opinions and Idolatries which all the Scholars of Tradition almost in the whole World have fallen into and consequently writing is a sure and orall Tradition an unsafe and uncertaine way of conveyance and this principle hath had universall influence upon the actions of wise men in all ages and in all things Hence care hath been alwaies taken for the writing of Canons of Councels decrees of Courts Acts of Parliament though the importance of them were many times so great and evident that according to this new notion writing was superfluous and verball Tradition Infallible And if those wise men durst never trust unwritten Tradition with their estates and worldly concernments shall we be so mad as to venture our Souls upon it Let Papists do so who having given up their consciences to the Pope cannot say their soules are their own but let them not be displeased if we desire to make a wiser bargaine But our English Apostate hath a distinction to salve this grosse absurdity It is true saith he of Doctrines meerly speculative that the memory is not so safe a depository as VVritten records but not of such as may be made as it were visible by practise And he is pleased to give us an instance in the Doctrine of the Sacrament and Christs reall unfigurative presence in it which saith he was more securely and clearly delivered by the Churches practise then could be by books VVritten their prostrations and adorations demonstrated their assurance of his real presence where every mans saying Amen at the Priests pronouncing Corpus Domini nostri Jesu Christi expressed their confession of that presence with exclusion of all tropes and figures in the businesse Exomol § 1. c. 8. And are these the great and visible assurances of Doctrines to which all the security of Writings must strike saile Are these grounds so evident that the Doctrines could not possibly have been more securely propagated and more clearly and intelligibly delivered to posterity in Writing as Cressy daringly asserts See Exomolog Sect. 1. chap. 8. O the besotting nature of Popery O the tremendous judgment of God punishing Apostacy with an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a reprobate sence Dare this miserable man say these are clearer evidences of the reall presence then if it had been said in terminis This is my body in a proper and corporeall sence or this bread is converted into the very substance of this body which you now see These men may well say what they please for it appeares they can believe what they list May I with the Readers leave in few words discover the shamefull weaknesse and horrid impudence of this assertion Is it true indeed that the prostrations and adorations of Christians discover'd their assurance of the reall corporall presence And of all men living could Mr Cressy say this who had so oft seen others receive and himself received the Sacrament in England and Ireland in a posture of adoration viz. kneeling with an assurance of the falshood of that opinion of the reall corporall presence Why might not the speciall yet spirituall presence of Christ in the Sacrament occasion this prostration as well as the speciall and Spirituall presence of God in the Arke occasioned the Jewes to fall down and worship at his footstoole And must the poore Clarke come in with his Amen to help the lame priest over the stile Why there is not a Protestant but when he heares these words pronounced this is my body will say his Amen to it and acknowledge it so to be but still Christs words must be taken in Christs sence and that is though figurative yet very frequent in such cases In short since these are the practicall visible Arguments alledged as instances of the Infallible certainty of orall Tradition above all that can be said in writing I hope the Reader who concernes himselfe either in matters of credit or conscience will easily discerne and ingeniously confesse both the absurdity of their Arguments and assertion and the solidity of this second Answer and the advantage of writing above unwritten Tradition § 5. Ans. 3. If this assertion be true and solid and Tradition be an Infallible foundation of Faith as those men pretend no errour could come into the Church under pretence of Tradition from the Apostles That is evident in it selfe else an infallible Authoritie is liable to error which is a contradiction and it is granted by our Adversaries who therefore tell us that all Hereticks recede from the Tradition of their Fathers and broach new and unheard of Doctrines as we have seen But errors may come into the Church under pretence of Tradition Here all the doubt lies and therefore I shall indeavour to make it good a taske which would be wholly superfluous if the impudence of our Adversaries and the desperatenesse of their cause did not oblige them to require and us to give the proofe of the most evident verities I might insist upon the Doctrine of the Chiliasts which the Papists confesse to be false which was commended to the Church by Papias and Irenaeus too as an Apostolicall Tradition and so received by the generality of Orthodox Christians saith Iustin Martyr This Argument is renderd more considerable by the pitifull evasion wherewith M r VVhite shuffles it off saying That the Chiliasts were deceaved by Cerinthus who feigned he had this from the Apostles in private discourses not in publike Preaching For to say nothing of this that the Fathers derive its pedegree from another root whatever was the occasion and ground of this mistake in that Tradition it sufficiently proves what I intend viz. that many or most of the guides of the Church may receive false Doctrines as comming from the Apostles and so transmit them to their Posterity which is the thing now denied It was an old Observation of Irenaeus concerning the Hereticks of his time one would think the words were not onely Historicall of them but also propheticall of the Papists When Hereticks are reproved out of the Scripture they begin to accuse the Scripture as if truth could not be discovered by those that know not Tradition The Arrians pretended they had their Doctrine by Tradition from their Ancestors particularly they named Origen Dionysius Alexandrinus and Lucian the Martyr by whose hands their Doctrine had been conveyed to them as Baronius acknowledgeth Epiphanius tels us the Cajani pretended St Paul as the Author and founder of their Hereticall Doctrines The Pelagians boasted of their Doctrine That it had been alwaies celebrated by the Learning of Holy men The Doctrine of
points viz. The Doctrine of Gods grace and mans will and the appurtenances as they are controverted between the French and Italian Papists In both of them it is clear as the Sun that both parties pretend Tradition Now the Trumpet of Tradition gives an uncertaine found for Tradition tels the Jesuites this is truth That the will is determined to good actions not by Gods grace but by its own inclination and agency Tradition tels the Dominicans and Jansenists that this is a grosse falsity So for the Church if you enquire in whom Supreme Authority and Infallibility resides for that is the great question Tradition tels the Jesuites it is in the Pope Tradition not long since told the Councels of Basil and Constance that it was in a Councell not in the Pope and so it tells many of the French Doctors at this day And I will tell you a thing in your eare both these are Apostolicall Traditions though you and I think they are directly contrary It is true that S t Iames saith No Fountaine can yield both Salt-water and Fresh Chap. 3. 8.12 But that is to be understood onely of the Fountaine of the Scripture but the Fountain of Tradition can yield both Salt and Fresh both bitter and sweet You may well allow Tradition to be Infallible for you see it can work wonders and reconcile contradictions If this seem strange to you you may expect the proof of it in an Appendix to the next Edition of M r VVhites Apology for Tradition demonstrating that Contradictoria possunt esse simul vera to be dedicated to the Defenders of Transubstantiation but to returne What say our masters to this difficulty why I will faithfully acquaint you where their strength lies and what their pretences are I find three things which are or may with some colour be said for them to safeguard the Infallibility of Tradition against this dreadfull shock 1. They say these are onely Doctrines ventilated in Schooles not of any great consequence to Christians Thus the controversies between the Jesuites and Dominicans about Gods free grace and mans free-will they say are but Scholasticall niceties wherein the substance of Religion is not at all concerned So for that point of Supremacy and Infallibility it is no great matter The dissenters onely seek out the decider of Points of Doctrine that is by whose mouth we are to know which be our Articles of Faith whether by the Popes or Councels or both which is not much materiall saith Rushworth's second Edition Dial. 3. § 9. to our purpose whatever the truth be supposing we acknowledge no Articles of Faith but such as have descendâ—d to us from Christ and his Apostles For Answer I would know whether a private Christian can Infallibly know what are those Articles of Faith which came from Christ and his Apostles without the decision of Pope or Councell or not If they say he can know it then it followes that private Christians may be Infallible of themselves and consequently there is no necessity of Pope or Councels for what need any more then Infallibility If they say he cannot then an Infallible guide judge and interpreter is necessary to Tradition as well as to Scripture and without this Tradition cannot make us Infallible and consequently if it be doubtfull and disputable who this Judge is it must be also doubtfull whether the Tradition be right and therefore Tradition cannot make me Infallible It is an audacity beyond parallel that they who make it so materiall as that they assert we have no certainty in our Faith for want of a decider of points of Doctrine and make no scruple of sending us to Hell for want of such a Decider should say this amongst themselves is not materiall for as to use and benefit it is all one to have no decider of controversies and not to be agreed who it is according to that known maxime of the Lawyers Idem est non apparere non esse As for the other points between the Jesuites and Dominicans how materiall they are we will take their own judgments If we may believe either one or other of them the points are of great moment If you aske the Jansenists or Dominicans their opinion of the Jesuiticall Doctrine they tell you that it is the very poison of the Pelagian Heresy yea it is worse then Pelagianisme that they are contemners of Grace such as rob God of his honour taking halfe of it to themselves that it is here disputed Whether God alone be God or whether the will of man be a kind of inferiour yet in part an Independent Deity These are M r Whites words in his Sonus Buccinae quaest Theolog. in Epis in parag 7. And for the Jesuites they are not one jot behind hand with them in their censure of the Dominican Doctrine which say the Jesuites brings back the stoicall paradox robs God of the Glory of his goodnesse makes God a lyer and the Author of sinne and yet when we tell them of these divisions the breach is presently healed these savages are grown tame their differences triviall and onely some School niceties wherein Faith is not concerned And now both Stoicks and Pelagians are grown Orthodox and the grace glory soveraignty and holinesse of God are matters but of small concernment and so it seems they are to them else they durst not so shamelesly dally with them But it is usuall with them to make the greatest points of Faith like Counters which in computation sometimes stand for pounds sometimes for pence as interest and occasion require And it is worth Observation These very points of difference when they fall out among Protestants between Calvin and Arminius they are represented by our Adversaries as very materiall and weighty differences but when they come to their share they are of no moment 2. It may be said Tradition may deceive some of the Romanists but not all Now it is the Church which is said to be Infallible not particular Doctors For Answer let it be remembred that I am not now speaking of the deception of some few private Doctors but the points alledged are controverted amongst as learned and devout men as they call Devotion as ever the Church of Rome had here is Order against Order University against University Nation against Nation all of them pretending Tradition for their contrary opinions with greatest confidence and eagernesse Premising this I Answer That Tradition which hath deceived thousands of the best and Learnedst Romanists may deceive ten thousand That which deceives the Jesuites in some points may deceive the Dominicans in others the Franciscans in others If it deceive the French Papists in some points it may deceive the Italians in others and so is not Infallible in any Or else what bounds will these men set to the Infallibility of Tradition Will they say Tradition is only Infallible in France and those of the same perswasion who plead Tradition for the Supremacy of the Councell above
the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders and that you may see they are called lying wonders not so much ratione materiae because they are fabulous and pretended as ratione finis because brought to confirme a lye it is said Apoc. 13.13 14. That he doth great wonders so that he maketh fire to come down from heaven on the earth in the sight of men and deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by means of those miracles which he had power to do I tell you the world is well mended with the Church of Rome that those miracles which in the Apostles dayes were foretold as a character of Antichristianity are now become an evidence of Infallibility § 18. 3. That evidence which Christ speaks of as common to himself and counterfeit-Messiahs is no sufficient evidence nor at all to be equall'd with that evidence which is peculiar to the true Messias But the evidence of miracles Christ speaks of as common to himself and counterfeit Messiahs This is plain from Mat. 24. 24. There shall arise false Christs and false Prophets and shall shew great signs and wonders that if it were possible they should deceive the very elect The Scripture only is the sure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therefore what Divines observe of the Spirits testimony that it is alwaies conjunct with the testimony of conscience and therefore it is not said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the like we may discern in this That where Christ urgeth the argument of miracles he doth it in conjunction with the Scripture as we saw in Joh. 5. and the like we have Joh. 10 25-38 where Christ pleads his works onely as they are done in his Fathers name that is not onely as he pretended his Fathers name for so did the false Christs Mat. 24. but he really acted them with his commission and in conformity to his will and word So that the Scripture is the only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and not miracles in themselves as this argument of the Papists falsly supposeth § 19. Ans. 3. If it were admitted that miracles and the like may be said of all the rest of their marks of a Church do prove the verity of a doctrine yet they do not necessarily prove the Infallibility of him that doth those works or receives that doctrine Observe this for it strikes at the root of this their last pretence The notes of a man may prove his manhood but they do not prove his nobility wisdome learning these must be proved aliunde from another head The Protestant notes of a Church do prove the being and truth of our Church but not its infallibility nor would they do it if the Protestants pretended or desired it for mens pretences or desires do not alter the nature of things I say the notes do prove the Churches verity But what are the priviledges of that Church so constituted in being and whether Infallibility be one of them that is another question and the resolution of it must be fetched from another Topick now that this is so I shall plainly and briefly and if I mistake not undeniably prove It is granted that the gift of miracles was not peculiar to the Apostles but was communicated by God to other Ministers and Christians in the primitive times either then they must say that every such Minister and Christian singly considered was infallible which no man ever yet was so impudent to assert or confesse that miracles are no sufficient evidence of Infallibility It was enough that miracles did confirme the doctrines delivered whether by Apostles or other Ministers for the confirmation of our Faith though they had been otherwise fallible But if they will do that which never man did viz. assert the infallibility of every such worker of miracles then not only the Pope Councels and Catholick Church are infallible but also Xaverius the Jesuite of whose miracles they tell us so many fine stories though he himself in his Epistles speaks not a syllable of them and bewailes the want of the gift of Tongues a miracle if any most necessary for the conversion of the Indians I say if their own relations of these miracles may be credited he must be infallible And so here is another article of the Popish Creed for besides the Infallibility of the Church Pope or Councel here is the infallibility of the Jesuites Non equidem invideo miror magis Yet farther if miracles were solid proofs of Infallibility yet they prove it onely in such persons as do them Papae nec seritur nec metitur Why should the miracles of Gregory of Nazianzen prove the infallibility of the Bishop of Rome or how come the miracles of the thundring Legion to prove the infallibility of the thundring Church of Rome or by what Magical art do those miracles which left poor Bernard that did them fallible passe over to Rome and render his Holinesse Infallible The Jewish Church was not therefore infallible because the Prophets who wrought miracles amongst them were thereby proved infallible nor do the Papists assert the infallibility of that Church by vertue of such a priviledge belonging to those Prophets but onely because of that promise to the High Priest Deut. 17. In like manner if their narrations concerning the miracles of S. Francis S. Dominick c. and if it were farther granted that such miracles did prove their infallibility yet this would no way prove the Infallibility of the Romish Church in which they were done so in diverse respects you see the argument fals to the ground § 20 Ans. 4. Miracles are so far from proving the infallibility of the persons that do them that they do not so much as prove the verity of doctrines delivered by them That miracles have been done or at least such things as the strictest observation of common prudence could not distinguish from miracles by hereticks yea by pagans is confessed by the Papists themselves and evinced by the known examples of Vespasian who cured a blind man as Baronius himself acknowledgeth and all Historians relate and Apollonius Tyanaew and others You may see how this troubles Card. Bellarmine that he is forced to this answer That the Devil had possessed the eye of that man that he might seem to cure when he ceased to hurt Mutato nomine de te Fabula narratur For so whatsoever miracles are done or pretended by the Papists for confirmation of the doctrines of Devils and such are all repugnant to Scripture and two of their doctrines are particularly so called 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3. may as well be said to be done by the collusion of the Devil And yet by the way this is no blemish to God's providence to permit such miracles but an act of his wise counsel and righteous judgment that those who will not be won by the Word and those glorious abundant and evident miracles done in the confirmation of it may be hardned by other miracles which
granted that there is an Infallible judge yet it doth not their work for particular Christians are not Infallibly assured of the Infallibility of their Church unlesse they will say that every Papist is Infallible And therefore no particular Papist hath better ground for his Faith upon this score then the Protestants have for they neither have nor pretend to better Arguments upon which they believe their Church to be this Supreme and Infallible judge then what Protestants alledge to prove the Scripture to be judge viz. Texts of Scripture Tradition Fathers Councels Miracles rationall Arguments c. And if a Protestant may be deceived in these when he inferres from them the Infallibility of the Scripture why may not a Papist be deceived when he inferres from them the Infallibility of his Church since he hath no better Arguments nor more Infallible guidance And therefore as to particular Christians of whom the whole Church consists and about whom alone the care of Christ and Gods Providence is exercised God hath not taken more effectuall care for their infallible guidance according to the Romish Principles then according to ours For as they say Protestants have no security for their Faith though the Scripture be Infallible because they cannot Infallibly underitand it or believe this to be the Scripture so say I the Papists have no security of the Infallibility of their Church though the Churches Infallibility be acknowledged true in it self since they cannot infallibly know either that there is such an infallibility or theirs to be the Church to whom it is promised § 28. 4. It is neither necessary nor suitable to the methods of Gods Providence and the declarations of his will that there should be a finall end and infallible judge of all controversies in this life That which these men teil us was fit to be done God hath told us he did not judge fit and who is most credible do you judge 1 Cor. 11. 19. There must be Heresies that they which are approved may be made manifest God hath acquainted us that it is his pleasure that Tares should grow with the Wheat unto the end of the World In respect of wicked men it was fit in regard of Gods Justice that there should be stones of stumbling and Rocks of offence for the punishment of those that were disobedient And in regard of elect and sincere Christians who live holily and humbly believe and pray fervently and seek the true way diligently such a judge is not necessary God having provided for them other wayes by giving them the promise of his Spirit and guidance into Truth which is as good security as the Pope himselfe hath or pretends for his supposed Infallibility by that anointing which teacheth them all things 1 Ioh. 2. 27. in confidence of whose conduct they may say with David Thou shalt guide me with thy counsell and afterwards receive me to Glory Psal. 73. 24. They are kept by Gods power 1 Pet. 1. 5. and the care and strength of Christ Ioh. 10. And what need a Christian desire more Truly saith Amesius God hath provided for the safety of the Godly not for the curiosity or perversnesse of other men And therefore this plea must go after all the rest and they are still lest in a Forlorne and desperate because in a faithlesse condition And thus having forced my way through all the obstructions which they laid before us I know not what hinders but I may pronounce the sentence notwithstanding all their big looks and glorious pretences of Infallibility notwithstanding all the noise of Scripture Fathers Popes Councels Tradition Miracles when things come to be scanned it appeares they have no foundation for their Faith and consequently have no Faith Lord be mercifull to them CHAP. VII Of the Solidity of the Protestants foundation of Faith § 1. HAppily they will fay of us as Ierome did of Lactantius that he could facilius aliena destruere quam stabiline sua that we can more easily overthrow the foundation of their Faith then make our own good I shall therefore though it be besides my present designe which is onely to undeceive the World in that great cheat of Infallibility in few words enquire whether the Protestants have not a better and more solid foundation of their Faith then the Papists have And this I shall shew onely by one Argument The Popish foundation of faith is such as many of their own great Doctours are unsatisfied in There being no foundation laid by any of them but it is both denied and disproved by others no lesse eminent of their own communion as I have proved at large and such as is unanimously opposed by all Protestants and solidly disproved But the Protestant foundation of Faith is such as all Protestant Churches of what denomination soever are agreed in yea such as diverse of our most learned Adversaries acknowledge to be solid and sufficient You will say if you can prove this the controversy will be at an end and if I do not let the Reader Judge There are but three things that need proof 1. That the Books of Scripture which Protestants build their Faith upon are and may be proved to be the word of God 2. That in the substantials of Faith these Books are uncorrupted 3 That the sence of Scripture may be sufficiently understood in necessary points § 2. For the first That the Protestants Bible is and may be proved to be the word of God It is true when they meet with any of our Novices they use to put this perplexing question as they call it to them How know you Scripture to be the word of God what matters it how I know it seeing they acknowledg it and by granting the thing make their question superfluous But I Answer I know it even by the Confession of our Adversaries So they acknowledge and own the verity and solidity of our foundation and the testimony of an adversary against himself is undeniabe It may be of good use here a little to compare the several discourses of learned Papists to different persons and how prettily they contradict themselves and confute their own arguments When the Papists dispute against us they tell us It is impossible to know the Scripture to be the word of God but by the Churches Testimony But if you take them in their lucid intervals and their disputes against Atheists or Heathens then you shall have them in another tune then Bellarmine can say Nothing is more evidâ—nt and more certain then the Sacred Scriptures so that he must needs be a very fool that denies faith to them Here he can furnish us with several arguments to prove the authority of the Scripture distinct from and independent upon the Churches authority the verity of Prophecies harmony of writers works of Providence glory of Miracles consent of Nations c. Either then these arguments do solidly prove the Divine authority of the Scriptures or they do not if they do not then
arguments taken from the thing it self 2. By bringing the object nearer to the eye which was at too great a distance whereby it appears in its due proportion 3. By curing the infirmity of the eye Thus the Physitian that removes the distemper of the eye and restores it to its native strength and vigor may be said to convince him Now to apply this The Spirit of God doth not convince a man of the Divinity of the Scriptures the first way as a Philosopher but the last way as a Physitian not by an elucidation of the object by arguments but by the elevation of the faculty or by anointing the eyes with eye-salve and curing its infirmity To which the second may be added viz That the Spirit of God brings his word and the characters of its Divinity impress'd upon it nearer unto us and writes it in the heart according to Gods promise to that purpose and so we see the object better by reason of its approximation to us Or as it is with a Philosopher when he reads a book written in the defence of some Position as suppose the doctrine of the circulation of the Bloud possibly his mind may be discomposed and his braines by reason of some peccant humor much distemper'd and in this case he reads the book but is not at all satisfied by it afterwards Physical means are applyed whereby the brain is restored to its native constitution and purged from those distempers whereby it was clouded now he returns to the book again and reads it over anew and yields himselve captive to the opinion You see here is no change of the old arguments nor any addition of new ones onely the impediments which were in the faculty or the organ are removed Just so it is in the matter now in controversy The Spirit of God doth not prove the Scripture to me by arguments which I never had before but by the illumination of my mind to apprehend the arguments which I did not apprehend before It is with men as it was with Hagar Gen. 21. there was a Well of water but she saw it not till God open'd her eyes vers 19. There is a self-evidencing light in the Scriptures onely the Spirit of God cures that blindness of mind whereby the Devil hindred the world from discerning it Thus the Spirit convinced the Jews of the Truth of the Gospel by removing the vaile which was upon their hearts in the reading of Moses 2 Cor. 3.15 16. And so God convinced his elect among the Heathens not by discovering any more arguments to them then he did to the reprobates among them for the same doctrine and arguments were preached to both alike but by opening their eyes to see what others saw not Act. 26.18 and by opening their hearts to receive what others would not receive as Act. 16.14 To conclude forasmuch as the testimony of the Spirit is not the Argument for which but onely the Instrument by which they believe and on the contrary the Testimony of Scripture is the proper argument for which they believe it is most evident that they work in several capacities and so we are fully discharged from that Circle which they causlesly charge us with and notwithstanding this objection the foundation of our Faith standeth sure This is the first particular § 13. The other particular concernes the Popish foundation for some of the Romanists finding themselves so wofully intangled in the business of Infallibility are grown sick of the notion Cressy the English Apostate in his Exomologesis confesseth That Infallibility is an unfortunate word combated by Mr. Chillingworth with too too great success that he could wish the word were forgotten or at least laid by these therefore tell us that if the Infallibility of the Church be denied yet a Papist hath sufficient ground for his Faith in the Churches authority in which he is obliged to acquiesce and whom he must hear in all things and this way some others go This I thought fit to mention that the world may see the complexion of a Romish conscience and the desperate shifts which the wretchednesse of their cause forceth them to But because the absurdity of this new fancy doth suâ luce constare I shall dismiss it with two remarks upon it 1. That it is disclaimed by the Romish Church and it were a frivolous thing to concern our selves in refuting all the wild fancies of their particular Doctors It is true Cressy saith No such word as Infallibility is to be found in â—ny Councel the good man had forgot the definition of the Councel of Basil wherein they call it a pernitious error to say that a Councel can erre the passage I cited before or else he meant to be witty for it is very true that non potest errare is not the same word with Infallibility though it be the same thing Nor do the Papists onely assert the Infallibility of their Church but generally acknowledge That without this their Faith would have no solid Foundation nor their Religion any certainty I shall not multiply instances in so known a thing you have many instances in one in that forementioned passage of the Councel of Basil That if once that pernitious error were admitted that general Councels may erre the whole Catholick Faith would tâ—tter And Bellarmine in a fore-quoted passage confesseth That it is a most unreasonable thing to require Christians to be finally subject to the judgment of that Church which is liable to error And therefore I need not cast away pretious time in confuting those particular fancies of some private Doctors which are directly repugnant unto the confessed opinion of the Pope and the Decree of a general Councel 2. This is so far from mending the matter that it makes it far worse for he that saith I am bound to believe the Church in all things because she is infallible in all things speaks that which is coherent in it self and the consequence is agreeable to reason the onely fault lies in the Antecedent But he that saith I am bound to believe the Church in all things though she may erre in many things and none knows how many throws himself and me upon such desperate Rocks as none but a mad-man would run upon When Bellarmine delivers that desperate doctrine That if the Pope should command us to sin we are bound to obey him and when others have said That if the Pope should lead thousands to Hell we must not reprove him their followers mollifie the harshnesse of those assertions with this favourable construction That the Propositions are onely Hypothetical depending upon such conditions as by reason of the promise of Infallibility can never be fulfilled for say they the Pope cannot command sin and cannot lead men to Hell and this if true were a plausible evasion But to tell me that if the Pope or Church may erre yet I am bound to believe obey them in all things this is to make that my
the quality of the Hebrew and Greek Tongues He computes how many erroâ—s probably might be in the Copies of the Bible we may well allow saith he 336 errors in one Copy which admitted you will find the number of errors in all the Copies made since the Apostles time fifteen or sixteen times as many as there are words in the Bible and so by this account it would be 15 or 16 to one of any particular place that it were not the true Text These are his words Dialog 2. Sect. 5. VVhen I read these and other things of the same tendency I began to reason with my selfe Are these the Discourses of William Rushworth a Romish Priest Are these the Arguments which must make men Christians or which in their sence is all one Roman Catholicks Is this the man that affected the rigour of Mathematicall discourse even in his Controversies as we may perceive by this worke for so M r White is pleased to tell us Is this the Book that so learned so ingenious a man as M r White must commend to the VVorld as that which was very satisfactory to diverse judicious persons Surely it is a mistake these are not Rushworths but Vaninus his Dialogues or it is a newfound remnant of Iulian the Apostate which some unlucky Heretick hath set out under the name of a Romish Priest May I be so bold as to aske our Holy Mother the Church of Rome Num haec est tunica filii Is this thy sonnes voice No sure It is some Priest of Apollo bidding defiance to the Christian cause and striving to render the Holy Scriptures contemptible and ridiculous But you see what desperate men will do in a desperate cause rather then not maintaine the Papall Authority they will subvert the very foundations of Christianity The Jesuites tell us that in order to the comming of Antichrist Rome shall turne Pagan I am perfectly of their mind and I think the turne is halfe wrought allready Ecce signum for none short of a Pagan could talke at this rate The insolency of the Discourse and confidence of the Disputer and the applauss of his party makes it necessary that I should say something farther by way of Answer The first Answer which alone may silence this impudent Objection is this Either this Argument proves nothing against us or it proves more then the Papists at best such of them as are not quite out of their wits and consciences too would have it let us reflect a little upon the premises and then forecast the Conclusion Take all his discourse for granted that by reason of the many mistakes corruptions doubts difficulties there is nothing but incertitude that it is fifteen to one of any particular place that it is not the true Text that it is as ridiculâ—â—s to seek the decision of Controversies out of the Bible as to â—ut with a Beetle or to knâ—ck with a straw These are the Authors words Dialog 2. Sect. 2. Go say these are faint-hearted fellowes if you can Give me those honest soules that tell us plainly what they think of the Scriptures and how little they value them It were an hard case if all the the Churches Adversariâ—s were crafty companions Now say I if these things be true then certainly it was not without cause that the Papist forementioned said that without the Churches Authority the Scriptures were of no more value then AEsops Fables Their Father Costerus had good reason to say it was a Sheath that would admit any Sword and Pamelius did rightly call it a Nose of Wax If this were true we might throw all our Bibles into the Fire for Controversies cannot be decided thence nor errors detected nor truth evinced there 's nothing there but uncertainty and darknesse and consequently our sins cannot be reproved nor duties pressed from the Scripture for the same reason unlesse these men will say who we see will not stick at small matters that the Copists or Translators errors did happily hit onely upon such places as concercerned Controversies that the Church alone might rule there not at all on such as concerne duties and sinnes But if this be true whence come those high Characters and ample Testimonies which the most learned Papists and their Councels have given to the Scripture that they acknowledge the Scriptures or Bible and they spake of that which we have to be the word of God as much to be reverenced as Tradition it selfe How came Bellarmine to say of those Books of the Prophets and Apostles which we have Nibil notius nihil certius c. i. e. nothing is more evident nothing more certain then that they are the Word of God and none but a fool can denie them credit de verbo Dei lib. 1. c. 2. Whence is it that the Papists accuse the Protestants of slander for saying they exauctorate the Scripture How is it that they all pretend the Church may not contradict those very Scriptures which we have In my opinion the Church of Rome was wofully overseen in disputing with the Protestants out of the Scripture or troubling themselves to answer the Scriptures which Protestants brought for Mr Rushworth hath furnished them with one Answer which will serve for an universall Plaister therefore I would advise them thus to Answer once for all when a Protestant argues against merit from that Text When you have done all that you can say you are unprofitable servants Luk. 17.10 Let them say it was the error of the Copist should have been profitable servants So when it is made a Character of the Apostacy of the latter times forbidding to marry 1 Tim. 4.3 It is but saying it was an error of the Copist that put forbidding instead of commanding a familiar mistake at Rome and then I think the Hereticks are paid home And so when Christ bids the people Search the Scriptures say the Copist left out the word not it should have been Search not for so Tradition assures us And so in a thousand other cases I need no more then give the hint A word is enough to the wise as doubtlesse they at Rome are in their generation In short what do these men and such Arguments tend to but debauch the consciences of men and depreciate the Scriptures that if men have not so much grace as to abhorre such heathenish discourses it is enough to make the Scripture as insignificant a VVriting as the most contemptible Pamphlet that ever the VVorld was pester'd with I easily apprehend there is one subterfuge that the Adversaries of the Holy Scriptures will think to make an escape at They will say all this is true there neither is nor would be any thing at all certaine or credible or clear in the Scripture and the Sacred VVritings we now have but for the Infallibility of the Church which from Infallible Tradition receives them and delivers them to us But I Answer 1. Woe to us Christians if all the validity of the Scripture depended
so that thou understand them according to the faith of Iesus Christ which I have orally delivered unto thee Apology for Tradition Sixteenth Encounter Ans. 1. The necessity of Faith is no argument of the Scriptures insufficiency The Scripture is sufficient i. e. in genere objecti in respect of the object or doctrine or revelation and yet Faith is necessary in genere instrumenti as an instrument for it is plain enough the faith he speaks of is the grace not the doctrine of Faith By this argument Scripture and Tradition together were no perfect rule for both will not make a man wise unto salvation otherwise then through faith Ans. 2. It is falsly supposed and can never be proved That the Faith here spoken of is the fides quae creditur or the doctrine of Faith not fides quâ creditur or the grace of Faith and that by Faith are here intended Christian Verities delivered by Oral Tradition from St. Paul or the other Apostles and this Supposition is the Basis of their Answer The contrary sufficiently appears from diverse considerations 1. This contradicts the Apostles scope which apparently is to commend the Scriptures as able to make wise to Salvation c. But this were no commendation at all to say they together with such Christian verities are sufficient for salvation for according to this argument it might be said of any one verse in all the Old Testament what is here said of all the Scriptures viz. That that Verse together with Faith i. e. with the Christian verities delivered by Oral Tradition is sufficient for Salvation which no Papist will deny and therefore that Answer is absurd 2. Timothy's faith here supposed is of the same kind with the Faith of his Mother and Grandmother 2 Tim. 1.5 When I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee which dwelt first in thy Grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice Was the faith of his Grandmother too the Christian Verities delivered by Oral Tradition from the Apostles after she was dead 3. It is not said The Scriptures are able with the faith but through the faith not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which plainly shews that this Faith is not another object distinct from the Scriptures but an instrument to apply the Scriptures especially if we consider a parallel place Heb. 4.2 The word preached did not profit them not being mixed with faith i e. with the grace of Faith for none can be so senselesse as to think they were damned for want of oral Tradition 4. The Faith here spoken of is together with the Scriptures sufficient for salvation and so is the grace of faith But the Dogmatical belief of Christian Verities deliver'd by Tradition together with the Scriptures is not sufficient for Salvation as the Papists confesse E. the grace of Faith is the thing here spoken of 5. The Faith here spoken of is a thing distinct and totally differing from the Scriptures and not at all coincident with them But the Christian Verities or Traditions delivered by the Apostles were not things so different but coincident with the Scripture as evidently appears from Act. 26.22 where S. Paul in terminis professeth he said preached none other things then those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come But I would have you to wit that the Church of Rome know what Paul preached better then himself a plain evidence of their Infallibility Exc. 2. By this argument the Scriptures of the Old Testament for of them he speaks are sufficient for salvation and so the New Testament is not necessary So the Captain p. 29. and Cressy ubi suprà Ans. 1. It is very true the Scriptures of the Old Testament were in those times sufficient for salvation This appears from the place now cited Act. 26.22 compared with Act. 20.27 where S. Paul saith he delivered the whole counsel of God Hence I argue The whole counsel of God was delivered by S. Paul and is sufficient for salvation but all that S. Paul delivered was in Moses and in the Prophets Act. 26.22 If the Old Testament was deficient in any doctrine it was that which the New Testament seems to supply viz. the doctrine of Christ and yet the Old Testament was sufficient to teach Christ for it did both instruct men about the Person and Office and work of the Messias as our Divines do abundantly prove against the Jews to whom I refer the Reader for the proof of it and also did sufficiently prove that Jesus was the Christ as appears undeniably from Act. 18.28 and consequently there was no defect but a sufficiency for that time and condition of affairs even in the old Testament in things necessary to salvation A Third Exception they take against our argument from this place is That it speaks onely of perfection after faith but here is no question about the first choice of faith much lesse is there any mention of convincing in foro contentioso about which is all our controversy Thus Mr. White 's Apology for Tradition 16. Encounter Ans. Since then all our controversy is about that whether the Scriptures are so convincing it will be worth our while to examine the point for it is not my desire to catch at little advantages but to attaque the Aversary in his strongest Fort. But before I come to the proof let us inquire into the meaning of the Phrase What it is for the Scripture to be convincing in foro contentioso i. e. in way of disputation I take it for granted he is not so absurd as to expect that the scripture should be so convincing as actually to convince and satisfy and silence the most importunate and unreasonable Caviller In that sense the clearest demonstration in the Mathematicks is not convincing but without doubt Mr. White takes his Apology and so his Treatise de fide and Mr. Rushworths Dialogues to be convincing Discourses because though they do not actually convince the stubborn Hereticks yet they are apta nata to convince them there is so much evidence in them as may and ought to satisfy any understanding unconcerned inquisitive and prudent adversary and in this sense I do assert that the scriptures are convinâ—ing in fâ—ro contentioso which is the great thing Mr. White sticks at I prove it thus 1. The scriptures make a man of God i.e. the Minister as they acknowledg perfect and throughly furnished to every work but this is one of his chief works to convince Gain-sayers Tiâ— 1.9 Ergo scripture furnisheth him with convincing arguments 2. The Scripture is here expressely said to be profitable among other things for Conviction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 first for doctrine i.e. for the confirmation of Truths then for conviction for so the Greek word more properly signifies then for reproof which is mentioned in the next particular for correction or for resutation of errors But surely Scripture were not profitable for conviction if it be insufficient to
Scripture And although their infallibility be said to be larger or greater extensivè because in them it reached to all sentences and words and Arguments yet the Romanists themselves cannot say it is higher or greater intensivè and the Articles of Faith or conclusive decisions decreed by Councels are in their opinion as infallible as the same are when they are laid down in the Scripture This was the Notion M r Chillingworth combated against with so great successe as Cressy confesseth The second Argument to prove the inevidence of this notion of the Churches infallibility I shall take from the impertinency and feeblenesse of those crutches or reasons wherewith they indeavour to support it I observe the summe and strength of what he hath to say in this point is reducible to five heads The first and great pretence is this Take away Infallibility and you destroy all Authority all Authority that is not Infallible is meer Faction and Rebellion and Authority that reacheth onely to the outward appearance or the purse Cressy Appen ch 7. num 2. And elsewhere Infallibility and Authority are in effect all one as applied to the Church Ibid c. 5. n. 14. And the assertions of the Churches Authority which are frequent in the Fathers Mr Cressy urgeth as if they had been directly levelled at the Churches infallibility Exomolog Sect. 2. chap. 19. Nay so daring is this man in his Argument that not contented with his own pretended satisfaction in it he will needs obtrude the same opinion upon that Noble Lord Falkland which it is sufficiently known he abhorred viz. that if the Catholick Churches Authority and Infallibility were opposed all other Churches must expire The Authority of the English Church would be an airy fantasme c. Append. chap. 6. num 9. For Answer I durst appeale to the conscience of this very man but that Apostates in the Faith do at the same time make shipwrack of a good conscience let any Romanist that is not prodigall of his damnation seriously consider the grosse falshood of this bold supposition What! no Authority without Infallibility Belike there is no Authority in the King because no Infallibility He will say Civill Authority is but externall But Ecclesiasticall reacheth the conscience and commands the beliefe of the inward man Mr Cressy knew this to be a gratis dictum and justly denied by Protestants and therefore he should have proved it but crude suppositions and imperious dictates do passe among Romanists for solid demonstrations Yet againe I would aske Mr Cressy whether the Assembly of the Clergy in France have Authority over that Church or no If he deny it I refer him to his brethren there for an Answer If he grant it then Authority may be without Infallibility Againe I aske him whether the Pope without a Councell have Authority over the Church or no If he deny it 't is at his perill if he affirme it then his Argument is in great jeopardy For Protestants are allowed to disbelieve the Popes personall Infallibility And he confesseth I gave you his own words before that good Catholicks deny it and dispute against it Yet once more When generall Councels have been called to determine the pretensions of Anti-Popes or to depose usurping Popes or when they have had differences with the Popes I demand whether these Councels had any Authority or no To say they had none or that their Authority was but an airy fantasme I think Mr Cressy will not dare and if they had then either a Councell without the Pope is Infallible which most Learned Papists now deny and if Mr Cressy be of another mind let him tell us or Authority may be without Infallibility In a word that the World may see the complexion of an Apostates conscience This very man will grant that there is an Authority in the Superiour over his Convent in every Bishop over his Diocesse in ever Generall over his order and a weighty Authority too as their vassals feel by sad experience yet I hope these are not Infallible E. the more impudent is he that argues fâ—om Authority to Infallibility A second Argument is much of the same complexion taken from the stile and practise of generall Councels which was to propose their Doctrines as infallible truths and to command all Christians under the paine of Anathema and eternall damnation to believe them for such That Authority which should speak thus not being Infallible would be guilty of the greatest tyranny and cruelty and usurpation that ever was in the World Append. chap. 4. n. 9. This hath been fully answered before and therefore I shall here content my selfe with these two reflections 1. The utmost of this Argument abstracting from the invidious expressions he here clothes it with that it may have in tenour what it wants in strength would be no more then this That generall Councels in such a way of proceeding were mistaken and were liable to error A proposition which he knew very well the Protestants did universally own and I hope well may since the Jesuites so great a part and support of the Roman Church have and do acknowledge that generall Councels and their decrees are not infallible untill the Popes consent be added yet such Councels as is notoriously known have used to put their Anathema's to their decrees before the Popes assent was given And yet forsooth if you will believe a man that hath cast away his Faith this Argument is more evident then we can produce for the Scripture it selfe for so he saith ibid. 2. These Anathema's do not at all prove that such Councels either were or thought themselves Infallible It is true it is an Argument they thought one of these two things either that the Doctrine proposed by them was Infallibly true as indeed they did or that their Authority was infallibly certaine which they never pretended either of these were a sufficient ground for such Anathema's and therefore his Argument is infirme proceeding à genere ad speciem animal est E. homo They owned Infallibility E. they owned it in their Authority Particular Pastors have a power to Anathematize and do so in case of Excommunication of Hereticks Are they therefore infallible If it be said they do it onely in pursuance and execution of the decrees of Councels I Answer If such persons confessedly fallible may Anathematize them that renounce the Doctrines delivered in Councels because supposed to be Infallibly true why may not the same persons Anathematize them that renounce the Doctrines expressely delivered in Scripture which all grant to be infallibly true Againe if we look into the Records of Councels wee shall find that this practise of Anathematizing was not onely in use in generall but also in particular aud Provinciall Councells which are confessed to be fallible E. Mr Cressy look to your Arguments and conscience better once more The Popes Anathemas aâ—l the World rings of yet you have seen his Infallibility is denied by many and Learned Papists and