of our senses From what hath been said we plainly gather that in matters of faith we stand not to humane reason much lesse to our senses we may adde No sense or humane reason could tell us that Christ on earth was God The wise men who came from the East according to their senses imagination yea or humane understanding could conceive nothing but a little Child yet inspired by the holy Ghost in Faith only they adored the little Childe not as such but as being God and man which no sense or humane reason could dictate to them The Disciples Mat. 24. did not adore Christ by the rule of their senses or humane reason but when by faith they believed him to be the Son of God even after the Resurrection they did see Christ some believed others did not many who lived conversed and were in his company both simple and wise could never be convinced by their sense or reason that he was the Son of God and those who were of the simple sort sooner believed and were we not assured by divine revelation and testimony we could not believe either this or any other mystery of our Faith Where even according to reason it follows that we have a more sure ground to believe Gods word then our senses who perceive not the substance of the bread which is not perceptible by any of our senses whose objects are only accidents or sensible qualities which they have as well in the consecrated host or unconsecrated without any reflexion on the substance as being out of the sphere of their objects so that they discern not any thing of the substance or whether they be without any substance it is only the understanding which gathers by such or such accidents such or such a substance or subject and by natures ordinary course judgeth it to be bread but enlightned by faith and believing that nothing is impossible to God and that God in most express terms declared his body and bloud to be in the Eucharist the words are so clear that without wresting the terms none so simple but they may understand them as clearly as Peter is a man and those who contradict it on the ground of their senses are as the Apostle says 1 Cor. 2. sensual men not perceiving those things of the spirit of God it is foolishness to them and they cannot or rather will not understand for they are sensual measuring these heavenly mysteries by natural reason humane prudence and external senses which destroy Faith I know some object that of S. John 1. Epist cap. 1. where he attributes much to hearing seeing and touching matters of faith but they do not consider that the Apostles did hear and see many things which we believe from their testimonies but if we had only what they saw by their senses or humane wisdome our faith had been vain and of no importance for no visible thing or sensible as such can be the object of our faith what therefore they saw heard or touched was not believed as by faith but by experience see Scotus in 3. quaest 23. the Prophets and Apostles had a science which was not faith Faith taught them that the word was incarnate and that Christ who died rose again and ascended into heaven was the true Son of God now to us who have not seen them they are objects of faith as being only revealed unto us whereof we have testimony from Scripture and Tradition S. Thomas indeed believed because he had seen Christ after his resurrection Joan. 20. but as S. Augustine says tract 121. in Joan. He did see and touch man and confessed God whom he did not see nor touch but by this which he did see and touch that he believed now all doubt being removed and therefore he cryed out My Lord and my God and Jesus said unto him because thou hast seen me by sight and touch and certain knowledg that I am risen and believed that I am true God but blessed are those that have not touched me and have beleived Moreover S. John in this place opposes two diverse heresies to wit those who denied Christs divinity and those who denied his humanity and therefore begins his Epistle That which was from the beginning which he had declared in the beginning of his Gospel and for the other which we have heard by a voice from heaven which we have seen with our eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled we testifie unto you weereby he manifestly testifies that Christ in humane nature had true flesh and bloud God and man now because he was inspired by the holy Ghost one of Christs Apostles according to the testimony of the Scriptures we believe what he saw and heard to be true and receive it as a matter of faith CHAP. XII An addition to the former Chapter of the same Subject out of S. Augustine OUr adversaries who stand so much in matters of faith on their senses and private judgments should do well to consider that they imitate the heathens and Infidells who had no stronger arguments against the true Catholick doctrine then their senses and humane reason as we finde in all the holy Fathers who have laboured to convince them and in particular this is to be seen in blessed S. Augustine especially in his books de civitate Dei from whence I shall make choice of two articles of our Faith which are holy repugnant to humane sense and reason to wit the everlasting torments of Hell fire and the Resurrection of the flesh Of the first he treats in the first 8. Chapters of his 21. Book and thus he begins the second Chapter What then shall I say unto the unbeleevers to prove that a body Carnal and living may endure undissolved both against death and the force of eternal fire they will not allow us to ascribe this unto the power of God but urge us to prove it to them by some example saying There is no body that can suffer eternally but he must perish at length no flesh can suffer always and never die The Saint replys Cap. 3. What is this but to ground an assertion upon meer sense and apparence which he esteems absurd in matters of Faith for saith he These men know no flesh but mortal and what they have not known and seen they hold impossible A little after Through our flesh as now be such that it can not suffer all pain without dying yet then shall it become of another nature Whence in Cap. 4. he says That God who endowed nature with so many several and admirable qualities shall as then give the flesh a quality whereby it shall endure pains and burning for ever Cap. 5. But the infidells hearing of Miracles and such things as we cannot make apparent to their senses do ask the reason of them which because it surpasses our humane powers to give they deride them as false and ridiculous but let them give us reason for all the wondrous things that
of Christ whence he might have omitted his duplicate ralleries and scoffs and have attributed all those miracles to the power of God and not played the buffoon in attributing them to the power of Roman Priests his scoffs and scorns and Jeers will never bear any argument with understanding men much lesse with Catholicks who have learned of S. Augustine Epist 49. ad Deograt quaest 6. If Christian faith did fear the scorns of pagans we should not believe in Christ himself CHAP. XI The Doctours Chief ground of his raillery I Am so weary with the Doctours vain raillery that I am willing to go no further but that I reflected on two main grounds of his rallying and scoffing spirit the one is the insisting so much on humane reason and sense and the great bugbear Transubstantiation Of the first I shall treat in the two following Chapters and after of the second In the first place it is a general Doctrine in Gods Church that faith has for its Object God revealing It s formal object is the divine revelation the material only those things which are revealed so that we know nothing by faith but by revelation not by reason much lesse by sense true it is that humane reason and sense concurr to the receiving of faith but not to the procuring a divine and saving faith nevertheless reason and sense may engender a humane faith by hearing or reading things revealed but never come to the certainty of them but relying only on revelation Whence the holy Fathers do commonly teach that if reason or sense do comprehend any thing it is no more an object of faith S. Augustine tract 27. and 40. in Johanem Faith is to believe what thou seest not whose verity and reward is to see that thou doest believe Again tract 39. This is the praise of faith if that which is believed be not seen for what great thing is it if that be believed which is seen S. Gregory hom 26. in Evangelium Faith has not merit where humane reason gives experience Great S. Basil ser de fid confess tels us that Faith is an assenting approbation without any hesitation without any parswasion of the minde as in the truth of those things which by Gods gift are preached and declared in the Church And in Psal 113. let faith be thy guide in the holy words which are from God and not demonstration Faith I say inviting thy soul yea and perswading above all rational methods for faith relies not on grammatical proofs but insinnuats it self unto our minds by the efficacious operation of the holy Ghost S. Athanasius tract de advent affirms that faith conceived of an evident matter cannot be called Faith But let us hear what the holy Fathers in those primitive times did teach and believe concerning our present subject of the Eucharist I shall begin with S. Cyril of Alexandria lib. 4. in Joan. cap. 17 This thing is hard and is to be received rather by faith then by any other means S. Hilary l. 3. de Trin. We are not to speak of divine things in a humane or worldly sence neither are we to extort or wrest by violent and imprudent report the celestial words to our wit or impious understanding it is perversity let us read what is written and understand what we read then we shall perform the office of faith for what we say of the natural body of Christ in us we speak foolishly and impiously unless we learn of him Great S. Leo ser 6. de Jejunio 7. mens Doubt ye not at all of the verity of Christs body and bloud for that which is taken by the mouth is believed by faith S. Cyril of Hierusalem Since Christ himself so affirms and says of the bread This is my body who henceforward dares to deny it and the same confirming This is my bloud who can doubt and say that it is not his bloud he changed water into wine which is near bloud in Cana Gallilen only by his will and is not he worthy that we should believe him that he transmutates or changes wine into bloud Beneath let us with all certitude take the body and bloud of Christ for under the species of bread the body is given thee and under the species of wine bloud is given thee A little after Do not therefore consider it as bare bread or bare wine for according to the words of our Lord it is the body and bloud of our Lord for although sense suggest it otherwise yet faith confirms thee do not judge the thing from the taste but take it from faith for most certain so that no doubt may take place but that the body and bloud of Christ are given thee And a little after knowing and most certainly holding this bread which is seen by us not to be bread although the taste take it for bread but is the body of Christ and the wine that we see although to the sense or taste it seems to be wine yet it is not wine but the bloud of Christ S. Crysostome hom 60. ad pop Antioch and 83. in Mat. Let us alwais believe in God and not resist him although what he says may seem absurd or against reason to our senses and Imaginations his word exceeds our sense and reason this we ought to do in things and especially in mysteries not only beholding those things which are before us but also holding his words for we cannot be deceived by his words but our senses are most easily deceived those 〈…〉 be false but this is deceived very oftentimes since therefore he said This is my body let us not be detained with any ambiguity but believe and perceive it by the eyes of our understanding S. Cyprian ser de coena Dominica on the word of our Saviour John 6. The flesh profiteth nothing gives the reason because our Master himself expounds these words are spirit and life carnal sense does not penetrate to the understanding of so great profundity unlesse faith be joyned The Doctors great Master Calvin lib. 4. Instit cap. 17. ser 10. will teach him this lesson In his supper he commanded me to take eat and drink under the symbols of bread and wine his body and bloud for although it may seem incredible that in so great a distance of places as heaven and earth the flesh of Christ should penetrate to us that it may be meat for us we must yet remember how much above all our senses the secret power of the holy Ghost can shew it self that which our mindes comprehends our faith conceives the Spirit doth truly joyn together things locally separated whence he says sect 7. Nothing remains but that I should burst forth into admiration in this Mystery to which neither the minde in thinking or tongue in speaking can be equal and apud Hospin in hist Sacram. part 2. he says We therefore acknowledge a Miracle in the holy Supper which exceeds or goes beyond both the grounds of nature and the measure
cannot be imagined unless we will lay a great blemish upon the whole Church especially the supreme Governours thereof with all the Bishops and Pastors Councels and Doctours and holy Fathers of gross Ignorance in using such forms as should contradict the substance of what they unanimously commended to the faithful 4ly It is no less strange that the Doctour should pretend the holy Fathers and Doctours of the Church when not only for almost twelve hundred yeares even by his town confession they all approved the Mass but also defended it against all Contradictors and hereticks and therefore he rejecte their authorities and pretends to stand to the judgment only of the primitive times to wit within five hundred years after Christ In this Treatise I have gone with him to those times and have produced their testimonies from Age to Age and dare say that in those times he can produce no one holy Father or Doctour that hath taught any Doctrine in any opposition or contradiction to any thing of the Roman Mased where as I have produced most of them in opposition to whatsoever the Doctour has pretended against it whereunto I have added the Councils both general and Provincial the practise of the whole Church in those times with the consent of all Christian Nations 5ly Whereas the Doctour pretends some Texts of the holy Scriptures for his cause we may consider that he follows therein his own fancy or private spirit without any Expositour or Interpreter of those times imitating the Hereticks of all Ages who grounded all their errours on the Scriptures misconstrued and by a counterfeit sense of them did delude the Ignorant Christians Of this we have manifest experience in these our times for the innumerable Sectaries now extant do ground themselves on the Texts of Scripture which they pretend for their multiplyed sects Each one affirming their sence and meaning of the holy Text with condemnation of other judgments and so wrest the Scriptures to their several senses making their fancies the Rule of the sacred Text whereas Catholicks take the Scripture for the Rule of their Faith follow the judgment and sence of the one holy Catholick Church as on this present subject I have followed the common Doctrine of the holy Church even in those five hundred years after Christ which the Doctour allows Finally the Doctours mainest argument is from humane Reason or sense which I have proved no way capable to comprehend the mysteries of our Faith which transcends above all Reason or sense otherwise there would be no necessity of such a supernatural gift without which there is no salvation It is true that reason is necessary for the reception of Faith for if we were not reasonable or rational creatures we should not be capable to receive Faith but that reason should guide us in supernatural things is preposterous we know nothing but by our senses which can have no sensation or act of senses in spiritual or supernatural objects such as all Faiths objects are for the receiving thereof only the sense of hearing may concurr from whence the understanding frames intellectual species representing the things which are revealed and declared unto us by the holy Church which teaches in all times according to the holy word of God In confirmation of this S. Paul Hebr. 11. defines Faith The substance of things to be hoped the argument of things not appearing to our senses or humane reason but of it self is an Blench Demonstration or convincing Reason for by Faith alone we are convinced to believe those things which are revealed for faith only shews and demonstrates them as clearly as if we did see them in mid-day faith so works in us that we as more doubt of future or most obscure mysteries revealed then if they were comprehended by the sight of our eyes and are more certain in them then by any sense reason or Demonstration which may deceive or be deceived but in matters known by faith we cannot be deceived for God cannot deceive us It behoves as therefore as S. Paul 2. Cor. 10. says to bring into captivity all understanding much more senses unto the Obedience of Christ If we be true Christians by faith we must captivate and humbly submit our will understanding all our reason and all our senses to the word of God revealed S. Basil in psal 113. said All the Articles of our faith are principles grounded only on God revealing and therefore we need no Inquisition or disputation by any weak reason but firmly believe them as principles of our Faith without any examination or Question it suffices to all true believers that Dominus ipse dixit The Objects of our faith are supernatural and the subject which we treat of is of the Reall and substantiall Body and Bloud of Christ Jesus being in the Eucharist which only the understanding by Faith comprehends I will therefore submit all I have said to the judgment of all understanding persons and earnestly desire them to ponder what has been pleaded fouthe equitie of my cause which is grounded on the positive Texts of holy Scripture attested and expounded by the holy Fathers and Doctours of those primitive times and seconded by the General Practise of Gods Church aswell in those times as in all succeeding Ages without any notable question untill our later times God out of his infinite mercy open the Eies of those who go astray and grant them the Light of Faith such is the continuall prayers of him who earnestly wisheth them all health and salvation in Christ Jesus FINIS
we have seen or may casily see hereafter where we may note that S. Augustine in those chapters brings instances of many several things in nature far surpassing our humane reason which if they cannot do then let them not say that there is not nor can be any thing without a reason why it should be Beneath O rare Disputers you that can give reason for all miraculous things give me the reason of those strange effects of nature before-named of those few only which if you know not to be now visible and not future but present to the view of those that will make tryal you would be more incredulous in them then in this which we say shall come to passe hereafter A little after If we had said these things shall be in the world to come and the Infidels had bidden us give the reason why we could freely confesse we could not the power of God in his works surpassing the weakness of human reason and yet we know that God did not without reason in putting mortal men by these past his reason we know not his reason in many things yet we know that what he wills is no way impossible who has told us to whom we must never impute falsness nor imperfection The lattin words are Nos non posse confiteremur eo quod istis similibus Dei miris operibas infirma mortalium ratiocinatio vinceretur fixam apud nos esse rationem non sine ratione Omnipotentem facere unde animus humanus infirmus rationem non possit reddere in mult is quidem rebus incertum nobis esse quid velit illud tamen esse certissimum nihil corum illi esse impossibile quaecunque voluerit eique nos credere praedicenti quem neque impotentem neque mentientem possumus credere Hi tamen fidei reprehensores exactoresque rationis quid ad ista respondent de quibus ratio reddi ab homine non potest ipsi rationi naturae videtur esse contraria Quae si futura esse diceremus similiter ae nobis sicut eorum quae futura esse dicimus ab infidelibus ratio posceretur ac hoc cum in talibus operibus Dei deficiat ratio Cordis sermonis humani sicut ista non ideo sunt non ideo enim illa non erunt quoniam ratio de utrisque ab homine non potest reddi We confess that we cannot to wit give a reason for it for that in those and the like wonderful works of God the infirm raticionation of Mortals would be overcome but we firmly believe that the omnipotent does nothing without reason whereof the infirm minde of man cannot give a reason and in many things indeed it is uncertain to us what he will but that is most certain nothing of them which he will are imposible to him and we believe him foretelling whom we cannot believe either impotent or lying yet the Reprehenders of faith and exactours of reason what will they answer in those things which no reason can be given by man and yet are although they seem contrary to reason of nature which if we did say from our selves that they were to come as we say of those things which are to come reason should be required by infidells and by this sith in such works of God reason of humane heart and speech fails even as therefore such things are not so therefore also they shall not be because no reason can be given by men for both of them the Translatour adds because beyond humane capacity and apprehension In the sixth Chapter having proposed many wonderful things as also in the precedent he concludes If all these be possible to those how much more God is powerful to do those things which are incredible to Infidells but easily to his power since he has created that vertue in stones and other things and wits of men which the use in wonderful 〈◊〉 Angelical natures more powerful and invincible power both of working and commanding and wisdome of permiting and using all things as wonderfully as he created them Our English Translatour although he omits some words both in this place and the precedent yet he sufficiently expresses them in order to our purpose In the 7. Chapter we finde the Infidels to satisfy for all the wonderfull effects of nature and give this only reason It is the force of Nature the nature of such things is such It is the proper efficacy of their natures Beneath the Saint When God is the authour of all natures why will they force us to give a stronger reason when they will not beleeve that seems impossible and to them who ask a reason to be given we answer this to be the will of the Omnipotent God who truly for no other thing is called Omnipotent but that he can or is able to do what he will And in the end he adds They will not give credence to us when we say that God Almighty will do any thing that exceeds their capacity to conceive The words in Latin are quod corum experientiam sensumque transgreditur what goes beyond their experience and sense What better or stronger reason can be given for any thing then to say God Almighty will do this which he hath promised in those books to wit the Scripture wherein he promises as strange things as these which he hath performed he will do it because he has said he will even he who has made the incredulous heathens believe things which they held meer Impossibilities Cap. 8. They believe not the Scriptures if they did we should not need to stand long with them on this Theâ—m so that we must make demonstration how it is possible that there may be a full alteration of nature in any one object from the kind of being that it had before and yet the law of nature be kept inviolated for how can that be against nature which is effected by the will of God the Lord and maker of all nature a portent or miraculous thing therefore is not against nature but against the most common order of Nature Let not the faithless therefore blinde themselves in the knowledge of Nature as though Gods power could not alter the nature of any thing from what it was before unto mans knowledge And beneath I think it may suffice to Convince that God is not to be bound to any Conditions in the allotting of a particular being to any thing as though he could not make an absolute alteration hereof into an unknown quality of essence his Latin Text Non se inde Deo debere praeseribere quasieam rem non possit in longe aliud quam cis cognita est vertere mutare we ought not to prescribe or limit God as if he could not turn and change it into some far other thing then as it is known to us so that as God can create what he will so can he change the nature of what he hath created at his good pleasure The