of Faith And hath he found out the Churches Authority too without the Churches Help and yet doth he want some necessary Points of Faith Then it follows that after the submitting to the Churches Authority there are still necessary Points of Faith which may be wanting and then an absolute Submission is not all that is required of one that hath found out the Churches Authority But my whole Argument there proceeds upon a Supposition viz. that if one may without the Churches Help find out the Churches Authority in Scripture then why not all necessary Points of Faith So that it goes upon a Parity of Reason and I see no Answer at all given or pretended but only he endeavours to stop my Mouth with a handful of Dirt. Thus I have dispatched this long Argument about the Judgment of Discretion And I shall now sum up my Answer in these particulars I. Every Christian as such is bound to enquire after the true Way to Salvation and hath a Capacity of Judging concerning it II. Every Christian proceeding according to the best Rules of judging hath Reason to receive the Scripture as the Rule of his Faith. III. The Scripture is so plain in all Necessaries and God hath promised such Assistance to them that sincerely seek it that none who do so shall want the knowledge of such things as are necessary to their Salvation IV. When any thing is offer'd as necessary to be believed in order to Salvation every Christian hath a Right and Liberty of Judging whether it can be proved by the Scripture to be so necessary or not V. We do not allow to particular Persons the same Faculty of Judging in doubtful Points of Controversie which we do as to Matters that immediately concern their Salvation VI. No pretence of Infallibility or Authority can take away that Right of Judging which was allowed them by the Apostles whose Authority was Infallible VII This Right of Judging doth not exclude the Churches due Authority as to Matters of Faith and Controversies of Religion as it is declared Art. 20. of our Church but all that we now plead for is not any Authority as to others but a Right of Judging as to themselves in Matters that concern their Salvation VIII The Certainty of Faith as to them depends upon two Things 1. The clearness of Scripture about them which implies the Certainty of Reason 2. The Promise of Divine Assistance which makes their Faith Divine both as to its Principle its Ground and its Effect But I have not yet ended his Objections about our Rule of Faith For VI. He objects That we cannot necessarily resolve our Faith into the Writings of the Apostles only What is the meaning that we cannot necessarily resolve it I think we must Resolve it into a Written Rule till we see another proved Did the Apostles when they went to convert the World go with Books in their Hands or Words in their Mouths Doubtless with Words in their Mouths Or were those Words a jot less Sacred when they came from their Mouths than when they put them in a Book Not one jot Or lastly doth any Command from Christ appear to write the Book of Scripture or any Revelation before hand that it was to be a Rule of Faith to the future Church No such matter and the Accidental Occasions of its writing at first and its Acceptation afterwards bar any such pretences On the other side their grand Commission was not scribite but only praedicate Evangelium I have given an Account so lately of the Reasons and Occasions of writing the Gospels and Epistles of the New Testament that I need only here to give these general Answers I. Whatsoever was done as to the Writing the Books of the New Testament was done by the immediate Direction and Appointment of the Holy Ghost II. The Reason given by the Writers of the Gospels themselves is that Matters of Faith might be delivered with the greatest Certainty III. Those Writings were not intended only for the Benefit of the Church then being but for future Ages and thence the Books of Scripture were so received and esteemed in the Primitive Churches IV. The most Antient Writers of the Christian Church assure us that the Apostles wrote the same Doctrine they taught and for that purpose that they might be a Pillar and Foundation of Faith. V. The most certain way we now have to know what Doctrine the Apostles taught is by their Writings since they taught and wrote the same Doctrine and we are certain we have the Doctrine they wrote but we have no other Way to be certain what Doctrine they taught VII He objects That the Question being put concerning the New Testament's containing all Divine Revelations of Christ and his Apostles I gave no direct Answer but shuffled it off to Matters necessary to Salvation The setting out of this is the Subject of some pages To which I give an easie Answer The Question concerning the New Testament containing all the Divine Revelations of Christ and his Apostles may be taken in two Senses 1. As relating to the entire Object of Faith and so the Answer was most direct and plain to the second Question That the Rule whereby we hold all the same Doctrine that was taught by Christ and his Apostles is by the Divine Revelations contained in the Writings of the New Testament For since we believe all that is there and nothing but what is there that must contain the Entire Object of our Faith. And the word All must relate to that 2. As to all those things which particular Persons are bound to believe as contained therein and so the Question being put about the Vniversal Testimony to assure us i. e. all particular Christians That the New Testament contained all the Divine Revelations of Christ and his Apostles My Answer was direct and apposite to this Sense viz. that the Universal Testimony of the Christian Church as to the Book of Scripture and the Doctrine therein contained is a sufficient Ground to make us certain i. e. all particular Persons of all Matters necessary to our Salvation So that the Substance of my Answer lies in these three things I. That all our Faith is contained in Scripture and thereby we hold all the Doctrine taught by Christ and his Apostles II. That although all particular Persons may not reach to the entire Object of Faith contained in Scripture yet they had thereby a Certainty as to all Matters necessary to their Salvation III. That the Ground of Certainty as to both these was the Universal Testimony of the Christian Church concerning the Books of Scripture and the Doctrine contained therein The Words of my Letter are We are to consider that the Scripture being our sole and entire Rule of Faith all Matters necessary to Salvation must be supposed to be contained therein and therefore the same Testimony which delivers the Scripture to us doth deliver all the necessary Articles as contained therein
by the Confession of Parties what thinks he of those of the Church of Rome who have charged his Doctrine about Infallible Certainty with downright Heresie and Impiety and that it leads to Atheism and Infidelity and overthrows the Christian Faith This we are told is the sense of all the Learned and Orthodox Men of your Church Let the Reader judge what J. S. hath gotten by the Confession of Parties I hope now we shall come to the State of the Question for he charges me with perverting it The First Question he saith at the Conference was Whether Protestants are absolutely Certain that they hold now the same Tenets in Faith and all that our Saviour taught to his Apostles And my Answer he saith was They are By his favour my Answer was not in those words but that we are absolutely certain that we now hold all the same Doctrine that was taught by Christ and his Apostles And for a certain Reason I desire my own Words may express my Mind for I do not find Oral Tradition Infallible and where Words are varied the Sense may be so too But he observes that I trick it off again as he calls it I suppose it is Gamesters Language from the Point of Absolute Certainty of Faith to Absolute Certainty of the Rule of Faith viz. the Scripture but our Saviour and Protestants believe more than that the Book so called is Scripture Is Certainty of this more and Certainty of this Book all one Here is then an enquiry after one thing plainly turned off to another It seems Mr. G. is quite gone for a Gamester for he discerned no Tricking in this matter nor can I. It is very true we do believe More than that the Book so called is Scripture for we believe All the Matters of Faith contained in that Book And what then If by his More he means Articles of Faith not contained in Scripture then I tell him plainly we believe no More And therefore when Mr. G. put his next Question as he thought very pertinently By what Certain Rule do you hold it My Answer was By the Divine Revelation contained in the Writings of the New Testament Whereby I excluded his More if it be not contained in Scripture But if by More he means our Assent to the Points of Faith contained in Scripture I shall give a full Answer to it afterwards Then he asked By what Certain Rule do you know that the New Testament which we now have does contain all the Divine Revelations of Christ and his Apostles And if he puts such Questions concerning the Rule What Tricking was it in me to give a direct Answer to them How did I turn off the Enquiry from one thing to another when I only Answered the Questions he proposed This is not playing Mr. G 's Cards but condemning him for playing unskilfully and desiring to begin a new Game for Mr. G. had a bad hand and managed it very ill But what would J. S. have done The thing to be made manifest by the Conference was the Absolute Certainty of Protestant Faith. And so it was for Protestant Faith is to believe all that is contained in Scripture and no more Mr. G. did indeed ask some Questions about your Certainty of your Rule and I gave him direct Answers Where is the Tricking in all this But I wisely cut off the Course of the Questions before they had question'd away the Certainty of Faith. So far otherwise that I let them alone till they plainly run away from the business of Certainty to another Question and then Mr. T. cut them off by declaring himself satisfied and asking How they could prove the Church of Rome to be Infallible But now we are to see how much better the Cards might have been plaid And now look ye Gentlemen the Man of Skill begins the Game After the Certainty of Scripture from Tradition was admitted there was no Refusing to admit that Tradition causes Certainty and makes Faith as certain as Scripture See the difference of these two Gamesters at Tradition But what if I should yield him that I will not refuse to give my Assent to any Point of Faith which comes down to us from the Apostles Times with as large and as firm a Tradition as the Scripture Then saith he it would have proved something difficult to satisfie even a willing Man that the Faith is certain which is opposed to a Faith come down by Tradition Something difficult Nay very much so without doubt But this is fairly to suppose that you have as Vniversal a Tradition for your Tridentine Faith as we have for the Scripture but this I utterly deny and I hope in another Treatise to shew I have not done it without Reason Let the Matter of Tradition itself as a Rule of Faith be one of these Points If there were a Constant Vniversal Tradition in the Christian Church from the Apostolical Times that there were Matters of Faith necessary to Salvation not contained in Scripture I grant that it would be difficult to prove it to be a Matter of Faith that Scripture alone is our Rule of Faith. But that is the mighty Advantage of our Cause that we have both Scripture and Tradition for us and that no Catholick Tradition can be produced against us in any one Point of the Additional Creed of Pius IV. which is the Design I have undertaken of which I shall suddenly publish the First Part and if God gives me Life and Health I hope to go through the Rest. Well but in the mean time Absolute Certainty of Scripture was not the Point of the Conference Can J. S. tell better than the Managers His meaning is it ought not to have been Nor is it the Point of Concern This is strange Not the Point of Concern to those that own it to be the Word of God and the only Rule of Faith It is of Infinite Concern to us if it be not to you I pity you for it Besides that it is agreed on all hands Men are saved by Believing and Practising what Christ taught not barely by believing Scripture is Scripture This is no New Speculation But what follows from it Therefore we ought to believe Christ's Doctrine contained in Scripture and obey his Commands and do I give the least Intimation against this But the Question was about our Rule of Faith and that I still think is the Scripture and whatever is contained therein is to be believed on that Account But Salvation is the thing that imports us in these Disputes and 't were well if nothing else were minded by Disputers And so think I too I desire no more to end our Controversies than to make Salvation our End and the Scripture our Rule But how can Salvation be the thing that imports us in these Disputes if Men cannot with Reason hold any thing true unless they can produce the Intrinsecal Grounds which prove it to be so Doth Mr. S. in earnest think
that none are saved but Metaphysical Speculators that perch upon the specifick Nature of Things and dig into the Intrinsecal Grounds of Truth If this be his Opinion How few can be saved But if Salvation be the End the Means must be suitable to the Capacity of Mankind and I do not think the Intrinsecal Grounds of Truth are so But aftey all he saith that I stifle any further talk of the Certainty of Protestent Faith. How can that be when I own no Protestant Faith but what is contained in Scripture or may be deduced from it according to the Sixth Article of our Church I am not conscious to myself of any Art in the matter which he charges me with and he saith I avoid what cannot be performed What is that To make out that Protestants are absolutely certain that they now hold all the same Doctrine that was taught by Christ and his Apostles If all that Doctrine be contained in Scripture and they hold the Scripture by Grounds of Absolute Certainty then Protestants must be certain that they hold all the same Doctrine that was taught by Christ and his Apostles Afterwards Mr. S. starts something that comes nearer to the business which is that Certainty of Faith and Certainty of Scripture are two things For those who have as much Certainty of Scripture as we may have not only an Vncertain but a Wrong Faith and therefore I am concerned to shew not only that Protestants have Certainty of their Rule but of the Faith which they pretend to have from that Rule That which I am now upon is to settle the true State of the Controversie about the Certainty of Faith. In the Conference my first Answer was that We are absolutely Certain that we now hold all the same Doctrine that was taught by Christ and his Apostles And when the Question was asked By what Certain Rule do we hold it I answer'd By the Divine Revelation contained in the Writings of the New Testament So that the Certainty of Scripture was that which I was obliged to answer to Now comes J. S. and he finds fault with Mr. G's management because he asked Questions about the Certainty of the Rule whereas he ought to have gone another Way to work So that now Mr. G. is given up and a New Controversie is begun upon other Grounds and the Words which I used with Respect to the Rule are applied to particular Doctrines He saith The Certainty of Scripture was not the Point for which the Conference was How comes he to know better than Mr. G. unless he directed the Point and Mr. G. mistook and lost it in the Management But I am now bound to manifest that Protestants have Absolute Certainty not only of the Scripture as the Rule but of the Faith they have from that Rule or else to own that I cannot It seems Mr. G's good Nature betray'd him when he asked Questions about the Rule of Faith and so the main Point was lost Yet methinks it was not meer good Nature in Mr. G. For when we are asked about the Grounds and Certainty of our Faith how is it possible we should answer more pertinently than to assign the Rule of our Faith And we declare it to be the Scripture by which we judge what we are to believe and what not And therefore if any ask us of the Matter of our Faith we must answer It is whatever God hath revealed in the Scripture which is our Rule If they ask us How we come to know these Books to be written by such Persons we say It is by the Vniversal Tradition of the Christian Churches If they ask us Why we believe the Doctrine contained in those Books then our Answer is From the Divine Testimonies which make us certain that it came from God. And thus we answer both to that which is called the Material and Formal Object of Faith and if we are absolutely Certain of these we must be so of our Faith. If we ask a Jew about the Certainty of his Faith he saith he is Certain of it because all his Faith is contained in the Books of Moses and he is well assured they were written by Divine Inspiration If we ask a Mahometan of his Faith his Answer is That his Faith is contained in the Alcoran and by proving that he proves the Certainty of his Faith and if that be disproved the Certainty of it is overthrown Those who resolve their Faith into a Written Rule must go thither when Questions are asked them about the Certainty of their Faith. For if I believe every thing in it and nothing but what is in it there lies my Faith and the Certainty of it depends upon the Certainty of my Rule But I must shew the Certainty of the Faith of Protestants as it is pretended to be taken from the Rule Not certainly when the Question is asked about the entire Object of our Faith or when we are to shew how we hold all the same Doctrine that was taught by Christ and his Apostles for the word All makes it necessary for us to Assign our Rule wherein that All is contained If he ask us of the Certainty of any particular Point of our Faith then we are to make it out that this is contained in our Rule and our Certainty is according to the Evidence we are able to produce for it For the Case is not the same as to particular Points of Faith with that of the General Grounds of the Certainty of Faith. A Jew firmly believes all that is contained in the Books of Moses and with the highest Degree of Certainty but whether the Resurrection can be proved certainly from those Books is a particular Point and he may have Absolute Certainty of all contained in those Books though he may not have it as to such a Particular Point And when we come to Particular Points their Case is not only different from the General Rule of Faith but such Points are very different both among themselves and as to the Certainty of them For 1 There are some Points of Faith which were necessary to be Revealed because they were necessary to be Believed in order to our Salvation by Jesus Christ. For as Mr. S. saith Salvation is the thing of greatest Importance and therefore on Supposition that it is to be by Jesus Christ the Nature of the thing requires that we have a firm and established Faith in him And of these Points of Faith the Church hath given a Summary in the Creeds which were proposed to those who were to be Baptized and not only St. Augustin but Aquinas saith these were taken out of Scripture and the Certainty of them to us doth depend not upon the Authority of the Church proposing them but the Evidence of Scripture for them which is very much confirmed to us by the Concurrent Testimony of the Christian Church in all Ages from the Apostles times i. e. as to the main Articles for that there
Which are there received as in the Lump and if we receive the Book which contains all we must by the same Authority receive all contained in it As if a Purse be left to a Man by his Fathers Will full of Gold and Silver and this by the Executors be declared to contain all the Gold and Silver his Father left him they who deliver this Purse to him from the Executors do certainly deliver to him all the Gold and Silver left him by his Father But if he suspects there was both Gold and Silver left him by his Father which was not in that Purse then he must call in Question the Integrity of the Executors who declared that all was contained therein This is now the Case of the Christian Church as to all Divine Truths which respect Mens Salvation the Primitive Church who answer to the Executors in the other Case did unanimously declare that all such Truths were undoubtedly contained in the Written Word Although therefore there may be a real Difference in the nature of the Doctrines therein contained as there is between Gold and Silver yet he that receives all must receive one as well as the other and the Matters of Salvation being of greatest Moment they that receive the whole Will of God upon Grounds of Certainty must be assured that therein they receive all Matters necessary to our Salvation Never was any Purse so rifled as this is by J. S. he examines not only the Coin in it but the very Strings and Linings of it He is a dreadful Man at Ransacking a Metaphor He tells me My Similitude is so far from running on four Legs that it is in many regards lame on the right and indeed only foot it ought to stand on and which is worse perhaps against my self The sum of it amounts to this that because Scripture contains all and Protestants have Scripture therefore they have all A strange kind of Discourse As if because they have it in a Book therefore they have it in their Minds and Souls in which and no where else Faith is to reside But was not the Question put whether we had All the Points of Faith which our Saviour taught And how could I answer a Question about All but by shewing where we had All If All the Doctrine of Christ be there we must be certain we have all if we have the Scripture which contains all But it is not enough to have it in a Book I grant it But still if you ask where all my Faith is contained I must refer you to that Book which contains All. For I profess to believe every thing there and nothing as a Point of Faith but what is there We do not pretend that it is enough for Persons to say their Faith is in such a Book but we grant that they ought to read and search and actually believe what ever they find in that Book but still all Points are not equally necessary to all Persons that are therein contained but all such as are necessary to Salvation lie there open to the Capacities of all who desire to know them Now this is one of the things J. S. finds fault with this similitude of a Purse for viz. That People think it is an easie thing to open and as easie to come at the Sense of Scripture as to take Money out of a Purse 'T is but plucking the Strings and the Deed is done And is this any Disparagement to a Rule of Faith to be plain and easie If it were not so it could not be a Rule of Faith for all Persons We do not say that any Person by opening the Scriptures may presently attain to the Certain Sense of all Places of Scripture but that which I assert is That no Man who sets himself to read and consider the Scriptures as he ought and prays for Wisdom from God shall miss of knowing all things necessary to his Salvation But Mr. S. is for mending the Similitude and truly he doth it after an extraordinary manner He will allow the Scripture to be a Purse provided the Purses Mouth were tied up with a Knot of such a mysterious contrivance that none could open it but those who knew the Mind of the Bequeather and that the Church to which it was left as a Legacy had knowledge of his Mind and so could open it whilst Others only perplexed themselves more while they went about it The Point then between Us is whether the Scripture were left only to the Church to Interpret it to the People in all Points or whether it were intended for the general good of the whole Church so as thereby to direct themselves in their Way to Heaven and consequently whether it may not be opened and understood by all Persons in Matters that are necessary to their Salvation One would think by the Church of Romes management of the Scripture keeping it so much out of the Peoples hands and talking so much of the Danger and Mischief that comes by it that they did esteem it just as the Old Romans did the Sybillin Oracles which were to be kept up from the view of the People and only to be consulted in Cases of great Difficulty and no farther Questions were to be asked but what the Keepers of them declared to be their meaning was to be so received without any farther Examination And this is the Sense of the Politicians of that Church concerning the Scripture But when they have written like Divines and have been driven to state the Controversie truly they have been forced to such Concessions as have overthrown the Political Hypothesis For I. They cannot deny that the Scripture was designed to be a Certain and Infallible Rule of Faith to all This Bellarmin proves in the beginning of his Controversies where he shews at large That the Law was the Rule in the Old Testament To the Law and to the Testimony Blessed are they that search thy Commandments c. That in the New Testament Christ proves his Doctrine by the Scriptures and refers the Pharisees to the Scriptures and confuted the Sadduces out of them That the Apostles direct Christians to honour and esteem and to rely upon them And then he proves that a Rule of Faith must be Certain and Known and for the Scriptures he saith Nihil est Notius nihil Certius Nothing is more Known nothing more Certain How can this be if there be such Mystical Knots which tye it together that none but the Church-Guides can unloose How can this then ever be so Known as to be a Rule of Faith to the People And not meerly a Rule but a most Certain and Safe Rule Which is the greatest Non-sense in the World if it cannot be understood by those who are to make it their Rule They may as well say That Algebra was a Rule for Masons and Carpenters and a Jacob's Staff for a Taylor 's Measure But Mr. S. hath beaten his Brains so long about Rules
Dr. Stillingfleet's ANSWER TO J. S's Catholick Letters Imprimatur Liber cui Titulus A Discourse Concerning the Nature and Grounds of the Cerrainty of Faith c. Jan. 5. 1687. H. Maurice Rmo in Christo P. D. Wilhelmo Archiep. Cantuariensi a Sacris A DISCOURSE Concerning the Nature and Grounds OF THE CERTAINTY OF FAITH IN ANSWER To J. S. his Catholick Letters By EDW. STILLINGFLEET D. D. Dean of St. Pauls LONDON Printed for Henry Mortlock at the Phoenix in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXVIII THE CONTENTS THe Title of Catholick Letters Examin'd Page 1 How J. S. comes to be concerned in this Debate 3 His Doctrine denied to be Catholick by the Sorbon Doctors and others 5 His Self-Contradiction about it in seven Particulars 7 The State of the present Controversie about the Certainty of Faith 15 How it is altered by J. S. 25 Of the Certainty of Particular Points of Faith 27 The Grounds of the Certainty of Faith laid down by the General Consent of the School-Divines 31 J. S's main Argument against our Certainty of Faith Answer'd and Retorted 34 An Evident Proof of the Certainty of Faith without Infallibility 37 The Notion of a Rule of Faith Explained 38 The Sense of Tradition may be mistaken as well as Scripture 43 The Instances of it defended 44 The Second Argument about Fallible Certainty Answer'd 49 The Third about our Rule of Faith being common to all Heresies Answer'd 50 The Fourth about making our Private Judgment our Rule Answer'd 53 The Fifth about Judgment of Discretion Consider'd and Answer'd 54 How far the Scripture is a Rule to our People 55 What Certainty they have as to things necessary to Salvation 61 What Judgment of Discretion allowed by him 62 That it doth not serve only to find an Infallible Authority proved at large 64 His severe Conclusion of his Third Letter Answer'd 69 The Answer to the Argument summ'd up 71 The Sixth Argument about the Apostles not using a Written Rule in their Preaching Answer'd 73 The Seventh about Points necessary to Salvation Answer'd 74 The Similitude of the Purse defended 76 Scripture owned to be a Rule of Faith though not complete by the Divines of the Church of Rome 78 And that all Points simply necessary are therein contained 81 J. S. his Concession that all Points are not necessary to all Persons 83 Some Mens Vncertainty overthrows not the Certainty of Others 85 The Eighth Argument about the Certainty of the Letter of Scripture 86 J. S. overthrows it by allowing it to be corrected by the Sense of the Faithful 87 The Grounds of our Certainty laid down 89 Of Human and Divine Faith 91 The Last Argument about the Number of Canonical Books Answer'd 92 No Books of the New Testament lost 93 How the Canon was entire in the First Ages 95 Of the Vniversal Consent of all Christian Churches 97 The Demonstration for Oral Tradition laid down 100 The Instance of the Greek Church not Answer'd 101 The Argument it self consider'd 104 A clear and distinct Answer given to it and its notorious Fallacy laid open 105 How Errors might come into the Church 109 The late Instance of Molinos produced 109 110 Many other Causes of Errors besides Forgetfulness and Malice set down ibid. The Charge of Pelagianism defended against J. S. 113 Of the Council of Trents Proceeding on Tradition 115 The Proof that it did not referr'd to another Discourse 116 ERRATA PAge 16. line 9. for as Mr. G. read as Mr. S. p. 32. Marg. for 9.6 times r. q. for 19.9 r. 1 2. q. ibid. Marg. l. 9. for the 2 d. 13. r. A. 10. p. 62. l. 23. r. and how far and. p. 105. l. 15. blot out not before really l. 16. add not after are A DISCOURSE Concerning the NATURE GROUNDS OF THE CERTAINTY OF FAITH c. WHEN I published my Two Letters to Mr. G. I had good Reason to expect an Answer from him who began the Controversie But it seems he had better Reason to forbear and it is not hard to guess at it and I am turned over to one who pretends to write Catholick Letters against me I have a great and just Reverence for some Catholick Epistles and believe them written by an Infallible Spirit but for these Catholick Letters though their whole design be Infallibility yet I cannot find so much as a fair Probability in them But why must these be call'd Catholick Letters Are they written by some Catholick Bishop to give an Account of his Faith according to the Custom of the Antient Church Is it that the Doctrine contained in them is undoubtedly Catholick So far from it that I shall make it appear that no one Church of the Christian World ever own'd it But suppose it had been the Doctrine of the Roman Church how could this make them Catholick Letters unless so great a Logician had first proved that a Part may assume the Denomination of the whole But then why not Roman Catholick Letters according to the new Style There was a Reason for this J. S. hath not forgotten how hardly he had lately escaped Censure at Rome for the Principles contained in them and therefore though he hopes they may pass for Catholick here yet he durst not joyn Roman to Catholick in the Title of his Letters But how comes J. S. to be concerned in this Controversie with Mr. G. The Account he gives of it in the beginning of his First Letter is very pleasant He saith He accepted a Commission from Mr. G. to hold his Cards while he is not in Circumstances to play out his Game himself I will not examine Mr. G's Circumstances nor the Game he plays at but methinks this is no very decent way of expressing the undertaking a Debate about Matters of Faith and Salvation But in Truth he makes the business of Infallibility as he handles it to be a Matter of Sport and Diversion notwithstanding all his Grimaces and Tragical Expressions about it It is hard to be severe upon a Metaphor but suppose it be allowed yet I wonder of all Men he should pitch upon J. S. to hold his Cards for him who had plaid his own so ill and so much to the dissatisfaction of the leading Men of his own Church Yet he now appears as brisk and confident as if he were some New Gamester although he produces his old sullied Cards a little wiped over again and seems to have forgotten the Answer to his Sure Footing and the Accompt he still owes to the World for it I know not how far it agrees with the Laws of Ecclesiastical Chivalry for one who hath not defended himself to appear a Champion for another especially in the same Cause but there is no great Reason to apprehend he should do much for another who hath done next to nothing for himself The main Subject of the Debate is about the Nature and Grounds of the Certainty of Faith and the Method I think most natural and effectual to proceed in
main of his Defence But why then doth he urge us to produce our Grounds of Certainty as to particular Points if himself doth not If he pretends no more than to prove them in general why may not we be allowed to do the same He that calls upon others to do it in such an insulting manner is presumed to do it himself and if he doth not he only banters and abuses his Reader And after all this mighty pretence to Demonstration and Infallibility the whole Dispute comes to this whether Men may attain to greater Certainty of Christ's Doctrine by Oral and Practical Traditions than we can do by Scripture Reason and Tradition But this is against his words where he saith Seeing then Christians are bound to profess their Faith true as to those Points of a Trinity for Example or Incarnation c. it follows that it must be affirm'd and held that a Trinity or Incarnation absolutely is and consequently that it is impossible not to be VII About Moral Certainty His whole Book called Faith vindicated was written against it And in the Preface to it p. 3. he opposes absolute Certainty to Moral and he saith those who have it not have no true Faith. Page 17. True Faith by reason of its immoveable Grounds can bear an asserting the absolute Impossibility of its falshood And without this he makes Faith absurd preternatural and irrational Page 34. Moral Certainty is in reality uncertainty and the highest degree of Moral Certainty is the lowest degree of Vncertainty truly so called The same he asserts pag. 36 86 93. Error Nonplust pag. 195. Fallible Certainty destroys all Efficacy all Defence and even Essence of Faith. When I read in Lominus pag. 43. that I. S. in his Vindication pleaded that he required no more than Moral Evidence for the Assent and Profession of Faith I could hardly believe him and therefore I was earnest to see what he would say in Answer to this but even there pag. 23. he owns it and saith expresly That Moral Evidence is absolutely sufficient to Faith But withal he saith There is more than Moral Evidence in Tradition Let now any indifferent Person compare those Assertions together If Moral Certainty be Vncertainty and destroy the Essence of Faith how can it be absolutely sufficient to Faith But besides the Contradiction he hath by this one Assertion overthrown the whole Design of his Catholick Letters For if true Faith may be had without Infallible Certainty what need any such contending about it For the Ground of the Dispute is about such Faith as is necessary to Salvation and if true Faith as J. S. grants which is necessary to Salvation may be had without their pretended Infallibility there is no Colour left for pressing Persons of our Communion to forsake our Church because we cannot have Infallible Certainty of Faith when themselves grant that we may be saved without it And what Sincerity is to be expected from such a Man who makes such out-cries upon us for want of Infallible Certainty for Faith when himself Confesses that Moral Certainty is sufficient to Faith what ever becomes of Moral Certainty I love Moral Honesty and I cannot see how it is consistent with it to make such mighty pretences to the Necessity of Infallible Certainty for Faith even in his Catholick Letters which seems to be the chief Design of them when himself had declared to the Cardinals at Rome that less than that is sufficient for true Faith. But the secret of it is he knows well enough there is no such Necessity for Infallible Certainty and when it will bring him off he can own it but among us Hereticks they must bluster and make a mighty noise about it because it startles weak and injudicious People and they find nothing so apt to terrifie and confound them like Infallibility which like a Flash of Lightning doth not help them to see better but strikes them down with Horror and Astonishment And here I might fairly stop and send the Reader to J. S. for an effectual Answer to his own Letters or at least to shew how very unfit he was after such going forward and backwards in this matter to undertake this Cause 2. But lest I should seem to decline any thing which may seem material I shall now proceed to state the Controversie as it lies between Mr. S. and me For what concerns another Person I shall leave it to himself as not standing in need of any Assistance from me The Occasion of the Conference was set down by Mr. M. to have been That Mr. G. affirmed in some Companies that no Protestant could shew any Ground of Absolute Certainty for their Faith and that Mr. S. had promised him that if I were not able to manifest the contrary he would forsake our Communion So that Mr. G. was the Aggressor by laying this charge upon us That we could shew no Ground of Absolute Certainty for our Faith. And therefore when in the Conference I assigned the Scripture for the Ground and Rule of our Faith and universal Tradition for the Proof of the Books of Scripture I had Reason in my Expostulatory Letter to Mr. G. to desire of him to shew That we have no absolute Certainty of the Rule of our Faith viz. the Scripture although we have a larger and firmer Tradition for it than you can have for the Points in difference between us This plainly relates to the Conference wherein Scripture was own'd to be our Rule and Vniversal Tradition the Evidence on which we receive the Books And to any Man of Sense this is not Shifting and Tricking off the Proof to Mr. G. as Mr. G. often calls it but it is a plain and evident Proof of our Certainty upon their own Grounds For if Tradition be such a Ground of Absolute Certainty as they assert and we have a larger and firmer Tradition for Scripture than they can produce for the Points of Faith in difference between us then it is evident we must have upon their own Principles a Ground of Absolute Certainty for our Faith which was the main Point of the Conference If he will Answer the Argument he must either deny that we have Vniversal Tradition for the Books of Scripture or that Vniversal Tradition is a Ground for the Absolute Certainty of Faith Either of these ways he had said something to the purpose but he found this way of Reasoning too hot for him and therefore he calls it Shifting and Tricking off the Proof to Mr. G. and so falls into a Tragical Declamation against my not proving and making a Secret of the Ground of our Certainty as if a Man intended to make a Secret of a Horse he had lost when he published his Marks in the Gazett Here is the Ground of our Certainty laid down in that very place where he saith I shift off the Proof to Mr. G. but alas for him He cannot see any thing like a Proof unless it be serv'd
Credibility affords such Evidence because that necessitates Assent And it is observable that he resolves Faith not into the Testimony of the present but of the Apostolical Church I need produce no more to shew what a Stranger Mr. S. is to the Doctrine of his own Church or else what an obstinate Opposer he is of it But this is sufficient to shew what Grounds of the Certainty of Faith are allowed by the Chief Divines of the Church of Rome and how very different they are from those of the Catholick Letters To summ up briefly therefore the State of this Controversie about the Certainty of our Faith I. I assert That we are Absolutely Certain of the Formal Object of our Faith viz. that whatever God reveals is True and to be professed by us though we do not see the Intrinsick Grounds of it II. We are Absolutely Certain of the Infallible Rule of our Faith and that All the necessary Points of Faith in order to the Salvation of Mankind are therein contained III. The General Certainty of Divine Faith in true Believers according to their own Divines doth not depend upon Conclusive Evidence or Intrinsick Grounds but an inward Perception caused by Divine Grace IV. Particular Points of Faith are more or less Certain according to the Evidence of their Deduction from Scripture as the Rule of Faith. V. Where any Propositions are imposed as Points of Faith which others deny those who impose are bound to prove the Certainty of them as such and not those who reject them And this is our Case as to the Points in Difference between us and those of the Church of Rome We do not make the Negatives any Points of our Faith any further than as the Scripture is our Rule and we cannot be bound consequently to receive any thing as a Point of Faith but what is contained in it or deduced from it But the Church of Rome requiring us to receive them as Points of Faith is bound to prove the Certainty of them as such Having thus endeavoured to set this Controversie about the Certainty of Faith in its true Light I now proceed to consider what Mr. S. doth object against it And I shall conceal nothing that looks like an Argument His Raillery I despise and his Impertinencies I shall pass over I. That which looks most like an Argument is what he hath set out by way of Propositions in his First Letter 1. God hath left us some way to know what surely Christ and his Apostles taught 2. Therefore this way must be such that they who take it shall arrive by it at the End it was intended for i. e. know surely what Christ and his Apostles taught 3. Scriptures Letter interpretable by Private Judgments is not that way for we experience Presbyterians and Socinians for Example both take that way yet differ in such high Fundamentals as the Trinity and the Godhead of Christ. 4. Therefore Scriptures Letter interpretable by Private Judgments is not the way left by God to know surely what Christ and his Apostles taught or surely to arrive at Right Faith. 5. Therefore they who take only that way cannot by it arrive surely at right Faith since 't is impossible to arrive at the End without the means or way that leads to it Upon setting down this Mr. S being sensible he had plaid his best Cards cannot help a little expressing the Satisfaction he had in the Goodness of his Game I do not saith he expect any Answer to this Discourse as short as it is and as plain and as nearly as it touches your Copy-hold Alas for me that am fallen into the hands of such a Gamester But I am resolved to disappoint him and to give him a clear and full Answer to this shew of Reasoning And that shall be by making it appear I. That it proceeds upon False Suppositions II. That it destroys any Rule of Faith even his own admired Oral and Practical Tradition I. That it proceeds upon False Suppositions As. 1. That no Certainty can be attained where there is no Infallibility For if Men may arrive at Certainty where there is a general Possibility of Deception all this seeming Demonstration comes to nothing And yet this is a thing all Mankind are agreed in who allow any such thing as Certainty and the contrary Opinion was which Mr. S. little thinks the very Foundation of Seepticism viz. That there could be no Certainty unless Men could find out such an Infallible Mark of Truth which could not agree to what was False as he might have learned in Cicero's Lucullus without sending him to Pyrrho's Scholars And till Zeno and his Disciples pretended to find out this Scepticism gained little Ground but when they yielded to that Principle That no Certainty was to be had without it then a mighty Advantage was given them which they improved accordingly But the more Judicious Philosophers were forced to quit the Stoicks Infallible Mark and to proceed upon such Evidence of Perception and Sense and Ratiocination as might in things not Self-evident form an Assent which excludes all reasonable Doubt of the contrary But still those who pretended to Infallibility were the most deceived As Epicurus thought there could be no Certainty in Sense unless it were made Infallible and from hence he ran into that gross Absurdity that the Sun was really no bigger than he seemed to be to our Senses For he went just upon Mr. S. his Principles If there be a possibility of Deception there can be no True Certainty and to make good this Hypothesis the Sun must be no bigger than a Bonfire But the Wiser Philosophers took in the Assistance of Reason which though not Infallible might give such Evidence as afforded Certainty where it fell short of Demonstration As in Physical and Moral things I grant that some of those who talked most and best of Demonstration fell wonderfully short of it when they came to apply Notions to Things and the Demonstrations they made were to little or no purpose in the promoting of Knowledge as that Man is a Rational Creature c. But their Physical Speculations are very far from it yet this doth not hinder but that a Certainty is attainable as to the Nature of Things And in Morals they knew and confessed there could be no Demonstration in them yet they professed a true Certainty they had as to the Nature of Happiness and the real Differences of Vertue and Vice They owned some Moral Principles to be Absolutely Certain as that Good is to be chosen and Evil to be avoided c. but in particular Cases they made use of the best Reason they had to prove some things Good and others Evil. And although they could not proceed with equal Certainty in all Vertues and Vices yet in some they had clear Evidence and in others they made use of the best means to give Satisfaction to themselves and others Thus it is in Matters of Faith there are some things
much that in some Matters of very great Moment the Scripture is a very sufficient Rule and Ground of Certainty as to all Points between Us and Infidels And if it be so as to these Points then why not as well as to other Points consequent upon these If Christ be the Eternal Son of God in opposition to Heathen Deities and we can know him by Scripture to be so then we may as well know him to be the Eternal Son of God in opposition to Arians and Socinians If against the Heathens we can prove from Scripture that the Word was made Flesh Why will not this as well hold against Nestorians and Eutychians And so the Scripture becomes a very sufficient Rule to distinguish Light and Darkness in such Points among Christians too For is it ever the less fit to be a Rule because both Parties own it But they differ about the Sense of it and therefore Controversies can never be ended by it If Church-History deceive us not the greatest Controversies were ended by it before General Councils were heard of and more than have been since Many of those we read of in the First Ages were quite laid asleep as Theodoret observes but since Church-Authority interposed in the most Reasonable manner some Differences have been perpetuated as appears by the Nestorian and Eutychian Controversies I do not blame the Authority of Councils proceeding as they then did by the Rule of Scriptures but the Event shewed that the most probable Means are sometimes very ineffectual for ending Controversies And those which Men think will most effectually Suppress Heresies do often give a New Life and Spirit to them So vain are the Imaginations of Men about putting an End to Controversies till they do come to a Certainty about the true Sense of Scripture It is possible to stop Mens Mouths by Force and Power but nothing brings Men to a true Satisfaction but inward Conviction as to the true Sense of Scripture and there can be no rational Certainty as to these Points without it If Controversies be not ended let us not blame the Wisdom of Providence for God doth not always appoint the Means most effectual in our Judgment but such as are most suitable to his own Design And we see Reason enough to blame the Folly and weakness the Prejudice and Partiality the Wilfulness and Obstinacy of Mankind and till Human Nature be brought to a better Temper we may despair of seeing any End of Controversies Men may Dispute and for all that I know will do to the Worlds End about the Method to put an End to Disputes For the Controversies about Certainty and Fatality have been always the Matters of Debate among disputing Men under several Names and Hypotheses and are like so to be to the general Conflagration IV. He saith Scripture is not our distinguishing Rule of Faith but our own particular Judgments about Scripture for that which distinguishes my Rule from that of the most abominable Heresies can only be my own Judgment upon the Letter of Scripture and wriggle which way I will there it will and must end at last I wish Mr. S. had been a little better conversant in the old Disputes about Certainty for it would have saved me the trouble of answering some impertinent Objections such as this before us For they would have been thought mean Logicians who could not put a difference between the Rule of Judgment and the Judgment which a Man made according to the Rule Suppose the Question were about Sense whether that were a certain Rule or not to judge by and Epicurus should affirm it and say he so firmly believed it that he judged the Sun to be no bigger than he seemed to his Senses would not he have been thought ridiculous who should have said this Fancy of Epicurus was his Rule The Rule he went by was in it self certain but he made a wrong Judgment upon it but that was not his Rule So it is here We declare the Scripture to be our only certain and standing Rule whereby we are to judge in Matters of Faith and we understand it as well as we can and form our Judgments by it but doth it hence follow that our Judgment is our Rule We may be deceived in our Judgments but our Rule is Infallible we may differ in our Judgments but our Rule is one and the same And how is it possible for those who differ in Judgment to have the same Rule if our Rule and our Judgments be the same For then their Rules must be as different as their Judgments I know not what Modern Logick Mr. S. learnt but I am sure he learnt not this way of Reasoning from the Antient Philosophers who discoursed about the Criterion after another manner than our great pretender to Logick doth V. He objects That our People do not make Scripture the Rule of their Faith not one in a Million relying upon it and therefore this pretence of mine he saith books like a meer Jest and he cannot perswade himself that I am in earnest while I advance such a Paradox What doth J. S. mean to call one of the Articles of our Church a Jest and a Paradox For the Words of our Sixth Article are Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to Salvation so that whatsoever is not read therein nor may be proved thereby is not to be required of any Man that it should be believed as an Article of Faith or be thought requisite or necessary to Salvation Doth J. S. now take this for a Paradox among us I assure him I love not to make Jests about Scripture nor matters of Faith and Salvation But wherein doth this Jest lie Why forsooth I make the People to make Scripture their Rule and not one in a Million thinks of relying on it Have they then any other Rule of Faith which they rely upon What is it I pray Is it the Churches Infallibility No. Is it Pius the Fourth's Creed No truly while they are Children they believe Tradition Now I think J. S. hath hit it Tradition is indeed a Rule of Faith for Children who are very apt simply to believe their Fathers and Teachers But suppose they come to years of Discretion what Rule of Faith have they then Have they a Judgment of Discretion then No this is another Jest. For he supposes all our People to be a dull sort of Animals that understand nothing of Scripture or Faith themselves I wonder then that they make no more Converts among them but trust their Parson for all For Boves arabant Asinae pascebantur juxta eos therefore the People have no Judgment of Discretion I hope J. S. knows whose Jest or rather Argument that was Whatever he insinuates as to our People I have Reason to believe far better of them and that all those who mind their Salvation do seriously read and consider the Holy Scriptures as the Rule of their Faith. But if
and Rulers and that which is ruled and regulated by them that we must not expect that he should be tied down to Cardinal Bellarmin's Notions and therefore I must consider what he saith after above Twenty years hard labour about these things He tells me plainly I quite mistake the meaning of the word Rule For saith he it speaks Rectitude No doubt a Right Rule doth But still I mistake his meaning How so There must be a Rectitude in the Rule That is not it What then It must be evident Rectitude i. e. Evident to be Right Not so I hope we shall come at it at last It is such an Evident Rectitude as preserves those who regulate themselves by it from Obliquity or Deviation that is in our Case from Errour And is this the wonderful Mystery There wants but one Word to make it past dispute viz. who effectually regulate themselves by it For Regulating is an ambiguous Word and may be taken either 1. For what a Man takes and professes to be his Rule which he is to act by so a Ciceronian regulates himself by Cicero i. e. he declares his Manner of Speech to be the Rule he orders his Speech by And yet it is very possible that such a Man may use Phrases which are not Cicero's for want of sufficient Skill and Care. 2. For what he doth in Conformity to his Rule And so he doth Regulate himself by Cicero who doth not in the least swerve from his Manner of Speaking But Cicero is the Rule to both these And so the Question here comes to this Whether that can be said to be a true Intellectual Rule which Men through their own default and not through any defect in the Rule may deviate from If a Rule be in it self Certain and be certainly received for a Rule that is surely enough to make it a Rule to a Man but it is not necessary to the being of a Rule that a Man can never deviate from it by his own Fault For there is no Intellectual Rule can be assigned but it is possible for a free Agent to deviate from although he do at the same time profess it to be his Rule Do not all Christians agree the Commands of Christ to be an Infallible Rule of Life And J. S. by his admirable Logick will either prove this not to be a Rule or that it is impossible for Men to Sin. For saith he A Rule speaks Rectitude and that such an evident one as preserves those who regulate themselves by it from Obliquity or Deviation Yes saith he this is very plain those who Regulate themselves by Christ's Rule cannot Sin I grant it those who do effectually Regulate themselves by it but Others may profess this to be their Rule and the most Infallible Rule of Life and yet through their own Fault may deviate from it So here Persons may own the Scripture to be a most Certain Infallible Rule as to Truth and Falshood and they are sure while they effectually regulate themselves by it they can never Err but while they profess to do it they may So that all Mr. S's Subtilty vanishes into nothing by so plain and easie a Distinction Therefore I am still of the mind that a Rule of Faith is that whereby we are to judge what we are bound to believe as to Divine Revelations No saith J. S. I ought to have said It is that by which while we follow it we shall be absolutely secured from erring in Faith. This follows from the Rectitude of the Rule that while Men keep to it they cannot Err but it doth not follow from the Nature of the Rule that Men must necessarily follow it For is it possible for Men to misunderstand a Certain Rule or not i. e. such a Rule which if they truly follow they shall be secured from Erring If not then the Rule must be plain and evident to all Capacities to such a degree that they cannot fail in judging by it If it be possible then although the Rule be in it self Certain and Infallible yet it is possible for Men to Err through such a Mistake and while they think they follow the Rule they may run into Errour And it is strange to me that Mr. S. in all this time hath not discerned the Fallacy that hath misled him If it hath really misled him and not been set up by him on purpose to Confound and Confute Hereticks as he tells the Cardinals at Rome But one of that Number hath fully proved as I have shewed already that the Scripture was intended for a Rule of Faith to the People and then it follows from J. S. himself that while they Regulate themselves by it they can never Err. What Reason then can be given why such a Rule of Faith should be kept from them And the Purse be tied up with so many Mysterious Knots which are utterly inconsistent with the Notion of a Rule of Faith. II. They grant that there is a great difference in the Points contained in Scripture of which some are allowed to be simply necessary to Salvation as those which are required to Baptism and Bellarmin yields That all these Points are certainly contained in Scripture and were the things which the Apostles constantly preached to all People Who cannot be denied to have been capable of Understanding these things when they heard them preached and how could they lose the Capacity of Understanding them when they were written And if they might still Understand them then the Scripture hath no such Mysterious Knots but all Points necessary to Salvation may be understood by the People So that as to these Points of greatest Importance the Scripture must be left as a Legacy to all Christians and not only to the Guides of the Church But J. S. craves leave to Explain himself and it is great pity to deny it him Mistake me not saith he I do not mean Scriptures Letter is not clear in such Passages as concern Morality or the X Commandments nor in Matters of Fact as the Marks or Signs of the Messias foretold by the Prophets Methinks the Mysterious Knots should have been about Prophecies nor in Parables explained by himself and such like but in Dogmatical Points or Tenets which are Spiritual and oftentimes profound Mysteries as a Trinity Christ's Godhead the Real Presence of his Body in the Sacrament and such like and in such as these our Rule is not intelligible enough to keep the Followers of it from Erring I Answer Either the Apostles Preached these Points to all Persons as necessary to their Salvation or they did not If not how come they to be necessary to be believed now If they did then the People were capable of Understanding them when they heard them and therefore may as well understand them when they read them I do not mean the Manner as to the Trinity and Incarnation as to Transubstantiation I know nothing in Scripture about it either as to
Thing or Manner but the Revelation of such a Doctrine So that if these Points be owned to be necessary to Salvation they must be so plain that Men may understand their Duty to believe them For that is the Bound I keep my self within that all things Necessary to Salvation are so plain that we may be certain of our Duty to believe them but if not we may Err without Prejudice to our Salvation Mr S. asks what I mean by all things necessary to Salvation Nothing but what all others do mean by it Did Christ saith he teach any unnecessary Points Alas for him But are all Points taught by Christ or written in Scripture equally necessary to the Salvation of all People No he saith presently after That he will grant that fewer means than the Knowledge of all Christ taught may suffice for the Salvation of some particular Persons Very well now I hope he will make something of the main business in hand viz. To prove that Absolute Certainty of all that Christ Taught is Necessary to Mens Salvation when he grants that some may be Saved without so much as Knowing all that Christ Taught To what purpose was all this Heat about the Certainty of our Faith as to all that Christ Taught if at last some may be Saved without so much as Knowing it How doth Mr. S. prove That those some are only the Ignorant People in the Church of Rome but that all Ours are tied to no less than Infallible Certainty of all that Christ Taught He would have done well to have proved such a Privilege for Ignorance to have been limited to their Communion and that no Claim can be allowed as to the Circumstances of any other particular Persons Some few he saith again may be Saved without the Knowledge of such and such Points slender Motives being enough for their Circumstances I thank Mr. S. for this It seems the Point as to Salvation is gained unless particular Persons among us can be proved to be none of these few But where-ever they are it seems they may be Saved but I hope not without True and Saving Faith whence it follows that such Faith hath no necessary Relation to these high Points and there is no need of Infallible Certainty as to them of all Christ Taught One of these high Points is that of Transubstantiation too high for me and Thousands and Millions besides ever to apprehend let us do our utmost nay we cannot apprehend such is our dulness that we can have any Certainty as to Sense or Reason if we hold it We hope therefore J. S. will enlarge his Number and not talk only of some Few that may be Saved without the Knowledge of such deep Mysteries we desire to be admitted into his Number for truly our Capacities can never be stretched so far as to comprehend the Possibility of Transubstantiation Suppose our Motives be slender yet they are such as move us to that degree that we cannot overcome the Reluctancies of Sense and Reason and Revelation and Tradition against it But Mr. S. brings himself off with a Salvo Though all Points are not necessary for every particular Person yet all of them are necessary for the Body of the Church whose Pastors are to Instruct their Children in them and apply the Efficacy of them to their Souls as their Capacities admit and Exigencies require It seems still they are not Necessary to particular Persons but according to their Capacities and Exigencies but they are to the Body of the Church But how came they to be Necessary to the Body of the Church For Instance The Point of Transubstantiation is a very deep Point and although particular Persons may be Saved without believing it yet I cannot understand how this deep Point comes to be Necessary in any Respect for the Body of the Church I hope J. S. will not deny this to be one of his Necessary Church-Points Let him then shew how it comes to be so Necessary for the Pastors of the Church to Instruct their Children in it My Capacity I assure him will not reach to this and therefore I hope I may be excused and in his own words my mind is not capable of being cultivated by such elevating Considerations I do not believe there is any such danger of the Flocks dying or falling short of their full growth they might have had in the Plentiful Pasturage of the Church as J. S. elegantly speaks if they do not believe Transubstantiation or any such deep Points But still we have no Absolute Certainty of our highest Fundamentals No We affirm the Contrary and from Absolutely Certain Grounds It is Absolutely Certain that whatever God Reveals is true and ought to be believed by us And we are as absolutely Certain as Scripture and Reason can make us that God hath Revealed the Fundamentals of our Faith. But there is Experience to the Contrary What Experience That we are not Certain We affirm that we are and who can tell best How comes Mr. S. to know we are not Certain when we say we are But all are not as Socinians c. What are they to us Are not we certain because some are not Certain What pittiful Reasoning is this Is Mr. S. Certain of his Infallible Ground of Certainty Oral Tradition Why do I ask such a Question For very good Reason because there are some not Certain of it and even in his own Church but cry out upon it as Fallible Fallacious Dangerous and Destructive of Faith and leading to Atheism From whence it follows on Mr. S's Principles that he cannot be Certain himself because others are not Nay it is impossible he should have any Certainty on his own Grounds For he can have no Rule of Certainty as I shall evidently prove from his own Words A Rule must have Absolute Certainty Absolute Certainty there cannot be where Persons are left uncertain but there are many in the Church of Rome that not only doubt of his Rule of Infallible Certainty but utterly deny it and dispute against it How is it then possible for him to be certain of it on his own Grounds But it is time to proceed to another Objection against our Rule of Faith. VIII J. S. saith We can be no more certain of our Rule than we are of the Truth of the Letter of Scripture but we cannot be certain we have the Right Letter unless we have a Right Translation and that must be from a true Copy no Copy can be true unless Conformable to the Original and if there be any failure in any of these nay if we have not absolute Certainty of all these we cannot have any absolute Certainty of our Faith. This Objection those of the Church of Rome who believe Scripture to be a Rule of Faith though not the Complete are concerned to Answer as well as we For the Matters of Faith contained in Scripture are convey'd to their Minds after the same manner
But Mr. S. saith Their Case is different from ours Do not they make the Vulgar Translation Authentick And will not the same Objections then lie against all those who rely upon it Let us see how J. S. clears this Matter 1. The Canon of the Books comes down saith he by the Testimony of all Christian Churches that are truly Christian And we say the Canon of the Books comes down by the Concurrent Testimony of all Christian Churches however differing in other things And herein I think we have much the advantage For we do not except against the Testimony of any Christian Churches nor condemn them as not truly Christian till their Cause be better heard and examin'd 2. The Doctrine of Christ saith he transfused into the hearts of the faithful both taught them how and obliged them to correct the Copy in those particular Texts that concerned Faith. What is this but in plain terms to expose the Scriptures to the Scorn and Contempt of Atheists and Infidels Who would desire no better a Concession than this that the Scripture hath been corrected in Matters of Faith according to the Faith of the Church If this be granted it is impossible to prove that we have any true Original Texts in Matters of Faith For if the Church did correct the Copy in those particular Texts which concerned Faith according to the Sense of the faithful then the Church in every Age might so correct it and consequently we can never be sure that the Texts continue the same for any two Ages together unless it be first proved impossible for the Sense of the Church to vary in any two Ages or of those who think themselves bound to correct the Texts And I should be very sorry to have my Faith rest upon such a slippery Foundation I will put the Case as to the Arian Controversie How was it possible for the Nicene Fathers to have convinced the Arians on such a Supposition as this You alledge several Texts of Scripture might they say to prove the Godhead of Christ and his Equality with the Father but how can we know that these were Original Texts and not corrected by the Guides of the Church then according to their own Sense We do not deny that there were some leading Men of this Opinion and having gained a Party to themselves they corrected the Texts according to it And therefore we can never be satisfied that these were the Original Texts because we can bring down a Tradition of a contrary Sense from the Apostles times I do not see what satisfaction they could ever receive if this pernicious Principle be allowed that the Texts were to be corrected in Matters that concern Faith according to the Sense of the Church But he saith it is If any Errour through the carelesness unattentiveness or malice of the Translators or Transcribers at any time had crept in This doth not one jot mend the Matter For if the Faith of the present Church be the Rule then the Texts are to be corrected according to it and the blame to be laid on the Carelesness or Malice of Translators and Transcribers This is a miserable Account of the Certainty of Texts of Scripture in Points of Faith As to other Texts of inferiour concern as he speaks they could be best corrected by multitudes of other ancient Copies the Churches Care still going along as was shewn in the highest manner by the Council of Trent that so it might be as exact as Human Diligence could well render it As to multitudes of Copies they serve us as well as them but as to the Care of the Council of Trent I am by no means satisfied For 1. They went no farther than a Translation and declared that Authentick without due regard to the Original Text. 2. The Care taken was not so exact for then Clemens the Eighth did great Injury to Sixtus the Fifth when he recalled and corrected his Bibles in so many Places after Sixtus the Fifth had published his for an Exact Edition 3. There are still complaints in the Church of Rome of want of Exactness in the Vulgar Latin. 4. After all this is but Human Diligence and no such Absolute Certainty as J. S. requires from us But it may be he will say That he doth not at all make it his Rule of Faith Let him declare so much and then we know what to Answer This is still putting off Therefore I will give a distinct Answer I. We do utterly deny that it is in any Churches Power to correct Original Texts because they contradict the Sense of the present Church or any Translations any farther than they differ from the Originals And I do not know any assertion that shakes more our Faith as to the Scripture than this of J. S. doth II. The early Appeals made to Scripture in Matters of Faith by the Writers of the Christian Church make us Certain that there could be no such Alterations or Corrections of the Texts according to these use of the Correctors As for Instance we find the Places produced against the Arians used before against the Samosatenians and Artemonites If it be said They might correct the Fathers to I answer That there is no imaginable Ground for any such suspicion because the Fathers lived in distant Places and Countries and therefore when their Testimonies agree about some places of Scripture alledged by them there can be no Reason to suspect any Corruption or Alteration of the Text. As for Instance no one Text of the whole New Testament hath been more suspected than that of 1 S. John 5.7 There are three that bear Record in Heaven c. And it cannot be denied that there hath been great variety both in the Greek and Latin Manuscripts about it yea there was so in S. Jeroms time as appears by his Preface to the Canonical Epistles who charges the leaving it out to the unfaithfulness of the Translators S. Jerom is cried out upon as a Party in this Controversie and therefore it is said on the other side that he put it in as favouring his own Opinion But his Integrity is vindicated herein because S. Cyprian so long before the Arian Controversie produced this Place So that our Certainty as to Scripture doth not depend upon the meer Letter but upon comparing the best and most antient Copies with the Writings of the Fathers who still made use of the Scriptures in all Discourses and Debates about Matters of Faith. III. The variety of Readings in Matters that are not of Faith cannot hinder our Certainty in Matters of Faith. We do not pretend that there is no kind of variety in the Copies of the New Testament but I am of Opinion that this rather establishes than weakens our Faith. For considering the great Multitudes of them and how insignificant they are it shews that this Book was liable to the common Accidents of Books but yet that there is no such variety as to make one