and goodnes are imprinted in all the workes of nature and all creatures from tyme to tyme togeather with their being receaue that stamp and impression which they exhibite to be read by all intellectuall natures in one most legible language of nature common to all nations according as it is said Caeli enarrant gloriam Dei c. So in regeneration and in the progeny of Grace the author of Grace Christ Iesus is read and vnderstood in his worke and word of Grace his creatures of grace which is the Church of Christ which by that spiritually and supernaturally creating power receaue the print and characters of Christ Iesus and his truth in their hart 's and soules first which afterward's they manifest in their liues and professions and much more in the death's whereby they proclaime him and the truth of his doctrine to all ages to all nations with the last and lowdest voyce of bloud like to that voyce of our dying Lord who crying with a lowd voyce gaue vp the Ghost O tooto dull and deafe eares which the singar of God hath neuer opened which cannot heare a voyce so lowd and those blind eyes which read not those letters that most legible Scripture of Catholique truth written in the bloud of all ages since Christ redeemed the world with his and those inominate and vnlucky birds of night who flying the triall of the day shining in the Church as in the Tabernacle of the Sunne run into couert and obscurity of darke Scriptures the common rendeuous and retrait of all Heresies which they do no lesse absurdely and preposterously then as if in question of right and title grounded in law they would appeale from the suruiuing law-maker to his written lawes as they would say giue vs your Law 's in writing and then leaue them to vs we will not learne of you the vnderstanding of them for so this euer-suruiuing Law-maker is the holy Ghost presiding in the Church in all iudgements questions of fayth from whom there neuer can be any iust appeale the Scriptures his lawes which are written primarily principally in the soules and hart 's and vnderstandings of this Church In which Scriptures no Heretique or Alien can pretend any right or title of interest at all no authority nor ability of vnderstanding them Therefore although we debate right and truth by testimony of Scriptures against the vniust vsurpers of them to take from them those stoln'e weapons and recouer them to the true titler's as euen in this claime of infallibility of the Church yet this truth we learne not immediately of the Scripture written but receaue it à priori from the originall of the holy Ghost written in that one composed of many homogenious by fayth and charity that one soule I say and vnanimous spirit of the holy Church of all ages For as in our natural body one the same in diuisible soule informeth and enlifeneth the daily new acceding and aggenerate matter of nourishment so this spirit of truth informeth as it were and animateth with the spirit of Grace and truth not only the whole mysticall body of Christ all at once or once for all but successiuely euery acceding and new-borne member of the Church As therefore in processe of naturall growth we do not properly learne that we are reasonable ereatures but by the very hauing a reasonable soule and the vse thereof we know it so Catholiques do not properly learne that the Catholique Church is inerrant or infallible but by being Catholiques we belieue it For of this truth I do not see but in a true sense I might say Est hac non scripta sed natalex quam non didicimus accepimus legimus verùm ex naturâ ipsâ arripuimus hausimus expressimus ad quam non docti sed facti non instituti sed imbuti sumus A truth not written for vs but borne in vs which he haue not learned nor acquired nor read in bookes but by a second nature of Grace we are instantly possest of we haue suckt it and exprest it for which we haue beene made not taught indued with it not schooled to it Therefore I should not doubt to auouch though the whole rable of flesh bloud and heresy reclaime that it is vnderstanding it in equality of proportion no lesse innate and connaturall to a Catholique man as such to belieue that the Catholique Church is indued with infallible authority then it is naturall to a reasonable man as such to know he is endued with a reasonable soule Therefore as he should be thought an absurd and senseles man who should goe about to persuade a man by reason that he hath not a reasonable soule so is he worthily iudged an impertinent pratling Sophist who endeauours to argue a Catholique out of his beliefe of a Catholique infallible Church which stone notwithstanding I know this Aduocate neuer ceaseth to rowle and I could wish he would reflect how he may haue deserued that Sisyphian pennance howsoeuer thus I vnderstand Saxum sudat voluendo neque proficit hilum He rowles the stone and sweats for his paines not those texte therefore of Scripture which this Sisyphus presumes but the visible Church the spouse of Christ his purchase of bloud not a lease for terme of yeares according to the tenure of seruile Agar and her issue which became voyd but an euerlasting in heritance according to the tenure of Couenant made with the progeny of Sarai the house of Israel and the house of Iuda an vnabrogable and term'les decree firme and durable as the constitutions of Nature Hierem. 32. In quam traditi estis c. Rom. 6.17 as the course of sunne and moone This spouse I say hath deliuered vs this truth or rather hath borne and bred vs in it we haue suck't this milke from hir brest 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 rationall and fraudlesse milke conformable to reason though aboue it and therfore consummating reason and extolling it food for the Children of Obedience vt in eo crescamus that we may grow by that in stature of grace and Christian perfection from which brests and milke of Christian simplicity no errant Sophister shall be of power to remoue vs though he attempt it neuer so confidently or impudently by adiuring vs Thus he adiured a certain Catholique as we will answere at the last day arrainged I trow at the Socinian Barre to be tried by certaine select Iudges or a grand Iury of Pyrrhonian Sceptiques or the new Academy who will neuer pronounce any arrest or sentence at all but what to suspect the doctrine of the Catholique Church to question her authority to call those so many Doctours the starr's and light 's of all Christian ages who haue alwayes taught and supposed this truth so many martyrs who haue obsigned it with their bloud to call them all to their answere forsooth for their holding or teaching this doctrine and to giue this Switzer a meeting and conuincing so that
the authority of the Church applying them in confirmation of this mistery gather a necessity of acknowledging the infallible authority of the Church without which notwithstanding holy Scriptures we should be in doubt how to belieue some principall point of Christian beliefe The necessity of which authority appeareth yet more euidently euen by what he quarrells concerning the doctrines of Eusebius Origen and those other questioned and controuled by the like authority of the Church Against which authority no faculty of wit and vnderstanding no eminency or glory of science and erudition could preuaile no not martyrdome it self could protect any error against orthodoxe beliefe or escape the censure of this supreme Iudge on earth What he sayth of Cardinall Peron informing the world of some Errors of those Ancients Calumny against Peron if he meane the world knew them not before discourers great plenty of ignorance in himself if he knew it without his information he sayth nothing for could not Socinians who deuoure Christian Libraries to no other end but to digest them into scandals read the very same in others of far more ancient authority then this most learned Cardinall In that the Arrians would gladly be tryed by the Fathers before the Councell of Nice they shew their hereticall spirit which always flyes from the authority of a Visible Vocall and liuing Iudge to the mute copy of Gods or mans word as here to defunct authors who left behind them their priuate opinions in things at that tyme not expressely defined which is indeed to fly to their owne interpretations both of Fathers Scriptures from a publique authority to which a neuer failing assistance is diuinely promised to some particular or single opinions of priuate men to whom no such assistance was promised But whither will not a theefe fly from the sentence of authority which can condemne him And whither not an Heretique from the Church And who doubts but the Church of Christ is most representatiuely and iointly and vnanimously in a generall Councell as a kingdom in a Parlament or full senate in which mysticall body then as euer yea then more effectually and actiuely then euer the holy Ghost as the soule informing moueth and directeth Whither flyes he then who flyes from this Church but from the spirit of God Quo ibo à spiritu tuo Whether shall I fly from your spirit True he flyeth from Christ but escapes him not from him a Sauiour to him a Iudge from his Mercy to his Iustice si desceudero in infeinum ades if I go downe to hell you are there And is this the Socinian scandall or is this any way leading men into Socinianisme that the Church of God assembled together of purpose to examine or determine some question of fayth hath defined the contrary to some doctrine or opinion of some priuate Doctor or Doctors who as such whatsoeuer they preiudged could not say as the Councell could Visum est spiritui sancto nobis it hath seemed good to the holy Ghost and vs You see then the weaknes of this Fallacious Calumny yet strong inough to cast a mist before the eyes of the vnlearned or vnpassioned Reader the number of which sort because it like to affoard him most voyces their applause and approbation is the triumph he aymes at His Sophisticall Calumny concerning differences of Catholique Doctors in questions vndefined SECT XXXI ANother occasion or inducement to Socinianisme pretended by this Aduocate are those different opinions of Scholastique Deuines in points of doctrine as yet vndetermined by the Church this is also one of those a thousand tymes recoct Crambes like some cold Seruice daily brought in only to furnish vp the table vntill it grow mouldy and meat for no body But what is this towards the disabling or disparaging the authority of the Church in points now defined and no longer disputed as douâ—â—full Will the Socinian hence argue thus In some points of doctrine vndecided some Catholique Doctors disagree among themselues Ergo in points decided they haue no certainty Who seeth not the inconsequence of this illation If they differ concerning the modification of diuine Prescience and the different respect and habitude which it hath to future euents necessary or contingent abloâ—ute or conditionall will they out of this variance inferre the vncertainty of diuine prenotion or conclude that God foreseeth not at all But yet see how he concludes for the Socinians Pref. The Dominicans sayth he maintaine on the one side that God can foresee nothing but what he decrees The Iesuit's on the otherside that he doth not decree all things Answ Iungentur iam Gryphes equis he will make these one and other sides to meete in one syllogisme and so be no more sides at all and then no different doctrines at all which is the quite contrary conclusion to what he assumeth Reflect setiously vpon these different propositions of the Dominicans and Iesuits and you shall find them contradictories and so impossible to inflow into one Conclusion true or false by any lawfull consequence For ex nihilo nihil and contradictories annihilate one the other Now this proposition God foresees nothing but what be decrees is in effect equiualent to this God decrees all that he foresees Againe God decrees not all things as ratione materiae equipollent to this God decrees not something which be foresees for the question being stated of things future or which shal be both sides grant that God foresees them the difference betweene them is hâ—w he foresees them Now let any man commit the two propositions as ioynt premises and see whether from that complexion or commission the Socinian conclusion can any way result Nay you shall find it generally true which I haue said That two Contradictions can neuer ioyne in any such commission to produce a third proposition as truly consequent from them but see them now committed and obserue how ready and obuious the Conclusion will be which the Socinians draw from them Dominicans God foreseeth nothing but what he decrees Iefuits God doth not decree all things Socin Ergo God doth not foresee all things In what mood and figure Logician But what Socinian syllogizing is this to ioyne two propositions of contrary doctrines and repugnant in themselues in one formall complexion of premises and out of those to inferre the conclusion Is it wonder if of so monstrous a coniunction of premises a prodigious conclusion be brought forth the conclusion being the naturall issue of the premises Might he not aswell conclude from two propositions the one of Catholiques the other of Arrians in like manner thus Cath. The Sonne is consubstantiall with the Father Arr. The Father is greater then the Sonne Socin The Sonne is lesse and equall to his Father An obuious conclusion sayth the Socinian as though he would say Fairely encounterd and kisse it For out of this absurd conclusion he will further question whether there be any such thing as Father Sonne in
of difference betweene vs and you which point held by you in opposition to the Roman Catholique hath euer beene countenanc't by any least miracle of our Sauiour or his Apostles or the opposite doctrine of Catholiques confounded by the like testimony For if you make not this appeare by your sunne of Euidence those diuine and supernaturall miracles what will remaine for your confirmation but ignis fatuus I know your Sanctuary when you haue tost turned all your creditable records and euidences you will shew vs forsooth that those points of fayth which you haue receaued and hold of the Catholique Roman Church though the tenure be merely Hereticall that is of voluntary choice because it pleaseth you to hold some such as import no restraint or that some face of truth may appeare like the face and song of Siren's to draw men vpon your rock's of pernicious Heresies those I say you will proue to haue beene attested and confirmed by those miracles of our Sauiour and his Apostles which will help your cause nothing at all but rather weaken it when by such testimony of miracles you can confirme no other doctrine but what you haue receaued from vs. Neither yet are those doctrines yours which you can proue to haue beene so confitmed I say no otherwise yours then those things which you haue stolne or keep by force from the right owners therefore they are with you as children rauish't from their mothers bosome and the company of their brethren by the Turket or Mâ—ret with whome they remayn so sequestred perforce daily testifiyng by their sighes and grones the tyranny of their restraint and their defire to returne to their Mother brethren After this violent manner are those Catholique doctrines with you and thus are holy Scriptures in your not custody but captiuity both of them entertained by you to no other end but to be slaues and seruants to your owne children the peculiar dâ—â—trines of your Schisme to carry torches before them to gaine â—ome reputation of light to those workes of darknes Although for Scriptures as I haue said before and say againe no Heretique hath them properly that is as they are the word of God which they are not but as truly interpreted for which truth of interpretation he can pretend no warrant or title at all For the Scriptures are not only the word of God but the word of the Church which hauing first conceaued them by the holy Ghost the spirit of truth brought them forth to light and bequeathed them from age to age to the children of her obedience made partakers of the same spirit and therfore they only can discerne them to be the word of God which is only discernable to those to whom it is spoken or reuealed by the same spirit which is only in the Church of Christ the one mysticall body of Christ which is also called the spirit of Christ and therefore is not to be found in any other Body or Society of men for then Christ should be the head or heads of more bodies which is absurd blasphemy And as the Church of God alone is endued with this spirit of discretion whereby she discernes what Scripture is the word of God so this Church alone hath the spirit of interpretation of Scriptures and she alone can certainly say this is the sense and meaning of this Scripture who can truly say this is Scripture as only that Daniel cold declare the interpretation and meaning of Nabuchâ—donozors dreame who could tell him what he had dreamed which none of those Wizards or Sorcerers or Enchanters could do who yet professed they would interprete the dreame so he would tell them what he had dreamed But the wise King belieued them not qua sunâ— per Allegoriam dicta But heere good Sir I must tell you as a friend I am ashamed to sâ—â— a man of your expectation hopefull promisings to come forth in this thred-bare liuery of old Heretiques this appeale from Church to Scriptures There was neuer so putide an Heretique which hauing once cast off the authority of the Church could not find some refuge or sanctuary in the darknes of Scripture hauing also togeather with that authority excussed taken to himselfe the freedome of interpreting Scriptures Belie us it Syr. it is and euer will be a maine presumption that you draw â—nder the same yoke with former Heretiques when you can not get out of the same Cart-rout which they haue track't before you Et monstrata diâ— veteris trabis â—rbita â—ulpa For first you haue gone out of the Roman Catholique Church so they from the authority of that Church you appeale to Scriptures so they then you interprete Scriptures according to your single vnderstanding without any other liuing guide or Vocall authority so they being gone out you turne all your power of Pen-gall against that Church whence you went forth so they But neither you nor your patrons nor Apostles conuert any nation to Christian fayth nor they You reduce few sonles from sinfull courses to better life nor they In the whole number of your Patriarches you cannot name one Saint nor they I see how you haue consociated your self and your Clyent 's with the knowne Heretiques of former tymes I would gladly know someone distinctiue signe by which you discerne and vindicate your selues from the formall character or character 's markes or brands of ancient Heretiques In the meane tyme let vs examin the remnant of this Remotiâ—e Rem This booke c. foretell's me plainly that in after ages great signes and wonders shall be wrought in confirmation of false doctrine Prom. But hath it fore told you that in after ages no true miracle shall be wrought in confirmation of true doctrine If not it hath foretold you nothing to the purpose you pretend Rem And that I am not to belieue any doctrine which seemes to my vnderstanding repugnant to the first Prom. Wâ—â—ch seemes repugnant c. to your vnderstanding Most ridiculâ—us 〈◊〉 no such thing was euer foretold you by the Booke of Gods Word you dreamed it But that doctrine is not to be belieued which to an infallible vnderstanding which is the vnderstanding of the Church which is guided by the spirit of truth is not only seemingly but really repugnant to Apostolicall doctrine But still you put vs in mynd of your Character your appeale to your owne vnderstanding you will not out of this Cart-rout Rem But that true doctrine should in allages haue the testimony of miracles that I am no where taught Prom. Are you any where taught the contrary Or that the testimony of miracles promised by our Sauiour is confined within a certain compasse or period of tyme Hath the Church only a lease of miracles for terme of yeare and if it hath when expired that terme or lease Vnles you can tell vs this for ought you know it is yet in being Now the promise of our Sauiour being conceaued and exprest in plaine words
and Gallant men But such is now become his zeale of Religion great pitty no man will belieue it that he had rather be esteemed not wise and Gallant then of no Religion But why thinke you hath he so misalleaged his Aduersaries words Insteed of these This wise and Gallant nation can be of no religion if not Catholique he hath them thus as though his Aduersary said wise and Gallant men can be of no religion if not of his O he would not seeme to grant his Aduersaries religion or that of the Italian nation Catholique for he would faine retaine vnto his cause the name of Catholique as both he and his associates are wont now of later day's to nick-name themselues Catholiques and laugh at one another I suppose for so doing For this name Catholique can no more stick to their profession then were it printed in wynd or water but either they are Catholiques or no if no why do they say they are if yea what is it to them that they who are not Catholique are of no religion Againe either these men conceaue of Catholique Religion as the Italian doth or no. If no then the Italians being of no religion if not Catholique concernes them nothing if they conceaue a like then t' is no disparaging imputation to say they are of no Religion if not Catholique The Italian is supposed by this writer and others who know them so wise and vnderstandâ—â—g as to make this discourse of all Societies of men who professe Christianity this the Roman Catholique is most probably the true Religion he is withall supposed so Gallant that he will not professe a religion which he iudgeth none or not true Whence he concludeth thus Either this is the true or none and then againe Either I will imbrace this or none Now if these men haue the like conceipt if they make the same Antecedent then the Consequent falls likewise vpon them if I say they be alike wise and Gallant without any disparagement at all where is now the indigne Contumely or Execrable Calumny For what other thing is this to say but that he who will not be of that religion which he belieueth the only true wil be of none Otherwise this must needes proceed from some basenes if hauing reiected the religion which he iudgeth the only true if any true he imbrace notwithstanding or seeme to imbrace some other Sect or Profession which he hath in his iudgment à fortiori reiected in reiecting the Catholique And let this Aduocate turne himselfe which way he list play his part in Tragicall Rhetorique in the Eye of the world to stirre vp Passion in the beholders and so to blind them neither he nor any else who know's the Roman and can compare it with any other as now he can shall euer be thought to be of any religion if not Catholique yea and maugre himselfe if he but dare enter into his soule seriously and sincerely all passion and affection whence partiality may arise throwne aside he shall not choose but acknowledge the Roman of all other for ought he know's the most probable In thâ—meaâ—e tyme he will halt betweene God and Belial sacrifice to neither suspend his opinion sustinere assensum as the Academiques were wont to say and consequently suspend and defer all seruice and worship of God whome where he is he know's not with the Papist or Protestant or Greek or Turke no nor how he would or should be serued vnder what notion or name of Deity So what he serues and worships as God for ought he knows is an Idol as the Arrian God to the Roman is an Idol so must the Catholique 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be to the Arrian and the God of Caluin positiue Author of sin no lesse then of grace is an Idol to all Orthodoxe Christians and so of the rest Let the Samaritan erect as many Altars as he will and accost Hierusalem by imitation of empty Ceremonies as much as he list all this notwithstanding while he adores not in Hierusalem Ioan. 4. he adores he know's not what Nos adoramus quod scimus quia salus ex Iudais est For the tyme is come long since when true Adorer's adore the Father in spirit and truth Whence it followeth that they who adore him not in spirit and truth adore not God at all for it is not inough to exhibit the external acts of adoration and religion shooting them as it were at randon as you would say let them fall where they are due wheresoeuer that be with the Catholiques or Protestants or Caluinistes or Anabaptistes or Arrians or Donatists c. for this must be a rational and voluntary Sacrifice or worship to loue whome we adore and know whom we loue for we cannot loue whom we know not and therefore our loue of God must flow from true fayth and beliefe in God without which we cannot know him From all which appeareth that this very obiecting of a Calumny and Contumely is it selfe both calumnious and contumelious both in substance and quality In substance as being a false crime obiected and then in quality of expression amplified with great bitternes of speach in a studied inuectiue and Archylochian style Strange intemperancy of a man who had not so much power and commaund ouer himselfe as to refraine from Calumny and Contumely at the least while he reprehended it Seuerall Calumnies of M. Ch. SECT V. HEnce now from this so bitter inuectiue against one falsely supposed Calumny of his aduersary he floweth into a copious conglobation of true Calumnies of his owne against his Aduersary and his Cause while he employeth for the more enforcing of his arguments or indeed filly fancies and surmises his figure Pretermission as to passe by first to say nothing secondly not to obiect to you thirdly nor to trouble you fourthly In all which first secondly thirdly c. he doth nothing else indeed but trouble entertaining his Reader with meere impertinencies nor answering any thing directly to what his aduersary writeth Pref. To passe by first sayth he that which Experience iustifies that where and when your religion hath most absolutely commaunded three and then Atheisme hath most abounded Answ Now this is a very Preuarication accompanied with a Calumny For what could be said more against himselfe in confirmation of what his Aduersary writeth and he complaineth of that the more wise and Gallant spirits can be of no religion if not Catholique For euery man knoweth where Catholique Religion hath most absolutely commaunded Calum against Cath. Rel. and yet commands and which he himselfe sufficiently intimates in these very words which is the very thing his Aduersary auoucheth saying they are strangers to that wise and Gallant Nation c. And this confirmeth furthermore that those Eminent spirits conceaued the Catholique of all other the most probably true for could they haue iudged some other Sect to haue more probability of truth in it they would rather haue imbraced that
infallible Church which soeuer that be Nor will it help this Aduocate that soone after his Aduersary as it were directing his speach to Catholiques calleth that Church our Church for to Catholiques this needed no further proofe who belieue it already Whence with them he might presume it as granted according to that of S. Paul sapientiam lequimurinter perfectos we vtter wisedome diuine truth among those who belieue it reseruing that doctrine that our Catholique Roman Church is the true Church of God to the proper place as to be proued against Protestants But you shall take him very often faultring in this Fallacy Fallacy ante-dating his Aduersaries order and therefore seldome answering to the subiect in hand whereof hereafter instances will occurre very plentifully He wil say perhaps he hath fore-inserted his Aduersaries discourse entire and as it lye's in his owne Booke but to this I say againe he answer's is not as it lyes there but misordreth it to his aduantage euen as formerly ordred by himselfe For according to faire play and ingenuous behauiour although he might do well in answering the whole discourse by retaile or by parts yet he should haue taken notice of the relation and connexion of one part with another and so haue answered reason's as reasons positions as positions and not haue made euery reason a position I know he hath learned to analize a Discourse better then so and would esteeme it poore Anatomy only to dissect limbe from limbe ioynt from ioynt and neuer shew the naturall commissure and compacture of limbe with limbe ioynt with ioynt nor distinguish them according to their true Nomenclature and their seuerall both proper absolute relatiue functions But he as though the dissected were only bellua multorum capitum a beast with many head 's so he lectures vpon legs thighs belly eyes eares armes c. all vnder one appellation of Head as though all the parts and members were heads for iust so he hath anatomiz'd his Aduersaries context of speach making euery part as it were a seuerall head and why Because as in a naturall body by reason of that due order and composure of members a certaine mutuall intelligence of influences and sympathies of the members betweene themselues is entertained of which mutuall intelligence and influence depends the life and vigor of euery part and ioindy of the whoâ—e body so in the body of a rationall discourse there is the like influence of one part into another and one part vpholds strengthneth the other and to take away this mutuall correspondence and relation is to take away the very harmony of discourse none who know's what he doth will do it but he who intends to marre the musicke or loues discords and iarrings better then harmony For to this purpose which I haue said what other can be imagined he hath deuided those reasons and confirmations of his Aduersaries position into so many heads or propositions distinguishing them not only by numbers as you say first Pref. and you say againe you say thirdly then fourthly then fiftly but also by seuerally varying the odious phrase as you say confidently inough then you say with sufficient confidence thirdly you say with conuenient boldnes fourthly you say with confidence in abundance when all is indeed but one thing said the Proposition with some few proofes adioyned Yet the fauourers of his cause and person would easily pardon this poore peece of Sophistry or waue it at the least had he achieued his intent by this but now Cuibone what hath he got by this Nihil omnibus actum Tantorum Impensis operum With so much ado with so great expence of honesty and ingenuity laid out vpon a miserably Fallacy to do nothing is intollerable had he yet ouerthrowne those scattered forces or made something of his owne dissections more then a dissector of an oxe can doe now for my part I had no other drift but only to note his Fallacies and Calumnies and to do more in shewing his weake attempts vpon these disranked and dissected parts as they are singly encount'erd by him would proue an enterprise much more easy then needfull Yet because I haue shew'n his insufficiency against his first Prosection which is his Aduersaries Position whereof the ensuing members are as I haue said the proofes I will only employ a dash of pen vpon what he hath against the rest and the rather because I assure my selfe that euen in these too I shall meet with Calumnies and Fallacies these being indeed as the very soule or the naturall and proper language of his pen without which it cannot speake His Answers to his Aduersaries Arguments Fallacious or none SECT XX. Pref. YOu say sayth he againe if this infallibility be once impeach't euery one is giuen ouer to his owne wit and discourse To this he answer's by a distinction Giuen ouer to his owne wit and discourse not guiding it selfe by Scriptures he denyes this to be consequent to infallibility of the Church so impeach't giuen ouer to discourse that is right reason sanaratio say the Socinians grounded on diuine reuelation and common notions consequent deductions from them he denies this consequent to be inconnenient though it follow of the infallibility of the Church denied Answ Now this euasion his Aduersarie foresaw and therfore barred the passage which barre this nimble Aduocate slily skip's ouer taking no notice of it The barre of preuention was this And talke not here so his Aduersatie of Scripture for if the true Church may erre either in defining what Scripture is Canonicall or in deliuering the sense and meaning thereof we are still deuolued either vpon the priuate spirit or esse vpon naturall wit and iudgment What place then for discourse guided by diuine reuelation in colâ—erence of their doctrine who take away the meanes of knowing what reuelation is diuine Either materially in regard of the Canonicall Scripture or formally in regard of the true sense and interpretation of such Scriptures whereof neither the one nor the other can be afcertained without the infallible authority of the Church the only meanes to arriue to this certainty Wherefore if the man be in his wits he will find out his guide and know him to be a sure guide before he put himselfe into his iourney otherwise both the guide and guided may fall into a ditch whence neither his Logick-rules nor all his consequent deductions with twenty ropes to boot will euer be strong inough to pluck him out Now the only guide which guideth reason by Scripture is the holy Spirit the only true and sure interpreter of holy Scriptures This holy spirit is not promised to any priuate man but to the Church it is promised therefore in this Church is infallibly to be found whence he that followeth this company of men not only followeth not a company of beasts Pref. which this Aduocate would insinuate the Church may be but he followeth the holy Ghost
guiding the Church But by this you may see the man miscrably tortured by vnauoidable truth euen maugre himselfe forc't to confesse what his Aduersary teacheth and euen here relaps't into his dilemma which he may seeme to haue laid of purpose to catch him for he is fallen vpon the Scripture as interpreted by euery man's naturall with and iudgment or the priuate spirit By which touch-stone the Priuate spirit with his Logick-rules c. he will also try euery spirit 1. Joan. 4. and by his ignorantly applying the words of the Apostle Belieue not euery spirit to this purpose shew's plainly how sure an Interpreter he is of holy Scripture togeather with his right reason and common notions and Logick-rules For surely in good Logick the vniuersall and distributiâ—e signe omnis all euery importeth number and multiplicity therfore he sayth Belieue not euery spirit but trie the spirits as if he said of many spirits belieue not euery spirit because the holy spirit is but one spirit from which one spirit spirits and euery one of spirits are participations and deriued spirits Now that one spirit which is so one that it cannot be a part of number like as diuine vnity or the vnity of diuine nature is no part of number that one spirit I say is not to be tried for it cannot be but a true spirit otherwise no spirit could be knowne to be true if that one spirit could befalse which is the only rule wherby to trie all spirits but of the multitude of spirits or partaking spirits some do and all may lye Of which number of lying spirits are the Apostate Angells fince their defection from the spirit of truth and those false Prophets in whose mouth 's those lying spirits were speakers Such also were those Pseudoprophets vpon occasion of whom S. Iohn forewarneth Christians not to belieue euery spirit but to try spirits And who were those false Prophets or Apostles those lying spirits They were those of whom he had said before that they had beene in the Church and were gone out of the Church and therefore became lying spirits oftentimes actually lying always inclined and prepared to lye and so neuer to be belieued For as that first reuolt from God the spirit of truth was the originall cause why those mutinous spirits became lyar's so Apostasy from the Church of God in whom the same spirit of truth presides is the generall origen and extraction of all false Prophets and Heretiques As therefore that one prime spirit is none of those spirits euery one of which is to be tryed but by which euery numerable spirit is to be proued so the spirit which guideth the Church is not a spirit to be tried but that by which euery priuat spirit must be examined and tried In which sense also it is most truly said Prima Sedes the prime sea is iudged by none therfore it is true againe that the Church of Christ the Catholique Church is the only competent iudge of it selfe according to that receaued principle of naturall reason rectum est iudex sui obliqui what is straight of it selfe both shew's it selfe to be straight and what is crooked to be so He therefore who will presume to reforme the Church in doctrine of faith wherein the spirit of truth is her guid and teacher Dauiel 12. he shall be the starre which would giue light to the Sunne but none of those who shall shine in perpetuas aternitates For I would aske any man only sober and in his wits if the Church of God may haue erred either in determining Scriptures or the true meaning of them which point concerning Scriptures I specifie to preuent all refuge to trial by Scriptures by what other spirit shall this spirit of the Church be tried And I would gladly looke vpon that face of Impudence that would assume to it selfe what it denyeth to the Church of God and when I shall haue found him I shall know for certaine that he is one of those Antichrists of whom the same Apostle Et nunc Antichristi multi facti sunt Ex nobis prodierunt Joan. 2. 4. and euen now many are turned Antichrists they went out from vs. Yea by this very brand I will know them this indeleble character of antichrist to goe out of the Church then to question the spirit and doctrine of the Church It would be worth their labour yet once to shew when the Church of Rome went out of the Church of Christ where she left it at her departure as we shew what Church Arrius went out of whence Pelagius and Nestorius c. whence of this later age Luthâ—r and Peter Martyr and Caluin and the rest Yet besides this character of a false Prophet which is his terminus à quo the whence they goe out the Apostle hath giuen vs another their terminus ad quem the whither they goe going out of the Church Multi pseudoprophetae exierunt in mundum many false Prophets are gone out into the world and yet more plainly Ipsi de mundo sunt ideâ— de mundo loquntur mundus eos audit They are of the world they are become worldlings the world is their talke flesh blood their discourse intimating euen by this that Hereticall doctrine is carnall doctrine the language of corrupt Nature the discourse of flesh blood and therefore the world harken's to their doctrine as being of a carnall spirit symbolizing with these teachers Indeed the Society of Christians is not the world nor any hâ—mâ—genious part of the world of whom therfore our Sauiours words are truly vnderstood Vâ—s de mundâ— nonestiâ— seâ—â—gâ—â—ligi voâ— de mundo you are not of the world but I haue chosen you out of the world Whence the whole mortall kind of man is sufficiently deuided by these two names the World and Christendome therfore that going out of the Church signified by those words prodierunt ex nobis they went out from vs could be no whither else but into the world there being no third place or family of mortall men to go vnto therefore all Heretiques are a part of that faction the World and therefore being indued swayed and guided by the spirit of the world which is a lying spirit they cannot be competent Iudges or Examiners of the spirit of the Church or any doctrine of fayth or interpretation of Scriptures But as the Church Triumphant shall iudge the world and condemne it and shall not be iudged by it so the Church now Militant is inuested with the like authority and iurisdiction towards mortall men of this world to iudge and condemne the world that is all those who are seuered from her Society and not to be iudged by them Her doctrine therefore is the sole Iudicature both of it selfe and all other crooked and oblique opinions Wherefore the counsaile of S. Iohn to try spirits is to trie them by the spirit and doctrine of the Church for vnles the spirit of the Church
were supposed the spirit of truth they could not haue beene iudged false Prophets for going out of the Church no nor for opposing the doctrine of the Church Moreouer that by which another thing is tried as by a rule must needs be supposed more perfect in regard of Iudicature then the thing tried but it is absurd to thinke that the spirit of a priuate man is more perfect in nature of Iudicature then the spirit of the Church therefore S. Iohn neuer aduised priuate men to try the spirit of the Church Lastly this very command or aduise Try euery spirit is the aduise of the Church it selfe in the person of S. Iohn a principall pillar of the Church but no man can be so silly as to thinke that the Church aduiseth priuate men to try her spirit and least of all can Heretiques challenge any such authority Heretiques also are subiects of the Church euen in that they are at the least characterically Christians which character of subiection they can neuer wipe out whersoeuer they run they are euer subiects though rebells therfore their calling the Church to question and triall is mere presumption and an act of rebellion No Catholique presumeth to trie the spirit or doctrine of the Church nay euery Catholique trieth his owne spirit and doctrine by that of the Church therefore a Catholique as such hath no priuate opinion of fayth but all Catholique that is the same with the whole Catholique Church The Catholique makes no choyce of doctrines of fayth but taketh such as are giuen him he is Gods beggar and therefore no chooser Ego autem mendicus sum pauper I am a beggar and poore Thus euery Catholique is taught both to say and belieue The Heretique makes choyce of what he will hold with the Church takes what he list's and refuseth what he list's not take And this is to be euen Etimologically an Heretique and an Heretique formally no lesse in what he takes then in what he refuses For what he takes he chooseth to take vpon his owne discretion not vpon the credit of the Church nor formally from the Church therefore he is an Heretique in all euen in the points of diuine fayth which he holdeth with the Church not of the Church and therfore holdeth nothing with diuine fayth because he is still a chooser of what he holds and so an Heretique Another Text of S. Iohn by this Aduocate corrupted and misinterpreted SECT XXI WHat this all-trying spirit can do of himselfe without the spirit of the Church will appeare by his singular talent in interpreting Scriptures nor shall I swarue from my subiect in this way for I shall demonstrate that all his interpretations are Sophismes wily and fallacious detorsions of Scripture from their true sense to his owne crooked ends Pref. S. Iohn sayth he giues a rule to all Christians to make this triall by to consider whether they confesse Iesus to be the Christ that is the guide of their fayth and Lord of their actions So he Answ The words of S. Iohn are these In hoc cognoscitur spiritus Dei c. In this the spirit of God is knowne Euery spirit that confesseth Iesus Christ to haue come in fleth is of God and euery spirit that dissolueth Iesus is not of God and this is Antichrist The affirmatiue part of which copulate sentence as some other the like occurring in the Epistles of S. Iohn is to be vnderstood in sensu formali as thus Euery spirit which coufesseth Iesus Christ to haue taken flesh as confessing this truth is of God who is the author and warrant of this truth therefore of him who confesseth this supernaturall truth it may be truly said Caro sanguis non reuelauit hoc tibi flesh and blood hath not reuealed this vnto thee being a truth aboue the conceipt of flesh and blood which restriction to a formall sense is both sufficient and often tymes necessary for the verifying of many the like sentences of â—oly Scripture Wherefore although the negatiue to deny Iesus Christ to haue taken flesh be a sufficient note whereby to discerne a false spirit yet the affirmatiue to confesse Iesus Christ to haue come in flesh is but a part of the rule The other part is the character of Christian Charity as the same Apostle teacheth in the same Chapter Omnis qui diligit ex Deo natus est Euery one that loueth is borne of God therefore these two rules we find conioyned in the precedent Chapter hoc est mandatum â—ius vt credanius in nomine silij eius Iesu Christi diligamus alterutrum This is his commaundment that we belieue in the name of his sonne Iesus Christ and that we loue one another for in these two vertues indeed a Christian is consummate For fayth in Iesus Christ the sonne of God incarnate includeth all points of fayth because it implyeth the beliefe of all that Iesus Christ hath taught or teacheth either by himselfe or by his Church according to that saying of of his Qui vos audit me audit in which sense also the affirmatiue proposition of the Apostle Euery one who confesseth that Iesus Christ came in flesh c. hath a true construction euen without restriction but then it is nothing to the purpose of this Aduocate who by this rule would exclude the necessity of beliefe of other points of fayth proposed by the Church to make this confession of Christ to haue come in flesh the rule whereby to try spirits As therefore that other cognoisance of a Christian mutuall Charity according to that of our Sauiour In hoc cognoscent omnes c. all men shall know you to be my disciples by this ensigne or character of mutuall loue excludeth not that of fayth or the confession of the sonne of God Incarnate from being a rule whereby to discerne spirits and to know who are true Christians So this rule of Fayth in Christ excludeth not that of Charity and neither of them nor both exclude a third giuen by the same Apostle Qui nouit Deum audit nos Cap. 4. qui non est ex Deo non audit nos in hoc cognoscimus spiritum veritatis spiritum erroris See heere an expresse rule to try spirits by He who know's God heares vs he who is not of God heareth not vs in this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error Now it is most absurd to think the force of that rule to be limited and confined with the age of the Apostles therefore by that vs is vnderstood the Church or if they were to be heard of posterity in their writings we caÌ„not heare them so without an interpreter which interpreter as before hath beene proued can be no other of infallible authority but the Church Now that the Apostles were to continue in their posterity of Apostles Euangelists c. that is Preachers and Teachers of Christs Ghospell Doctors and Pastors c. ad consummationem Sanctorum
the words of Scripture falsely interpreted I deny it For it is only an apparent and fallacious discourse therefore not discourse truly so called Now to his Confirmation The principles whence we draw these conclusions that is the holy Scriptures are agreed on by all to be infallibly true what is that to the purpose if it be not agreed in what sense they are true Therefore I say the premises may be true the consequence lawfull and good and so the conclusion true according to some sense of the premises but because that sense may be a false sense though the premises of themselues be true therefore the discourse or whole Syllogifme may deceaue and lead into error yea euen so much the more because the consequence is good But his Aduersary hath told him in the 4. Chap. of this Pamphlet so he still like to himselfe nibling and detracting from his Directors credit That from truth no man can by good consequence inferre falshood He tels him what S. Iohn hath told long since Omne mendacium ex veritate non est no lye is consequent from truth which is most true as vnderstood formally no lye is consequent of truth as it is truth but from a materiall truth a lye may follow The Scriptures are always materially true that is true in themselues and from them as true no falshood can be consequent but they may be and are commonly falsely sensed and interpreted and that purposely by Heretiques therefore from them as falsely interpreted falshood may and doth follow euen by good consequence Well then to open the Fallacy Vlceris os and so to let out the corruption Scriptures falsely interpreted are not the Word of God but the word of man the false Interpreter therefore they who are guided by Scriptures so interpreted and now the word of man may be misguided and are so euen by those Scriptures now not holy but prophaned by man His fallacious Answere or Euasion to his Aduersaries Arguments conuincing the necessity of an infallible Church SECT XXVI Pref. YOu say thirdly with sufficient confidence If the true Church may erre in defining what Scriptures be canonicall or in deliuering the sense thereof we must follow either priuat spirit or naturall wit iudgement and by them examine what Scriptures containe true or false doctrine Thus the Aduocate and what sayth he to this All this fayth he is apparently vntrue neither can any proofe of it be pretended Answ Iust so Bellarmine thou lyest Behold an Alexander loosing the Gordian knot What can no proofe be pretended Surely a sufficient diuision or enumeration of parts hath been esteemed a sufficient proofe as excluding out of the thing deuided whatsoeuer is not contained in some part or member of the diuision as if Bachelour Maister Doctour be a sufficient diuision or enumeration of the Degrees giuen in the Vniuersity he who is proued to haue taken no one of these degrees is sufficiently proued to haue taken no degree in the Vniuersity His Aduersary argues thus The authority which must determine what Scripture is Canonicall or what is the true sense of such Scripture is either the Church of God or priuate spirit or naturall wit and iudgment Not the Church according to Protestants therefore either the priuate spirit or natural wit c. If this diuision be good then the inference is apparently true if it be not good let him shew the insufficiency of the enumeration Yes Pref. Other direction we haue sayth he besides either of these three and that is the testimony of primitiue Christians Answ Ridiculus mus But do you marke the subtility of the Logician how sliely he euades and shifts the necessity of being directed by a true Church or by the spirit or by naturall wit We haue befides these the testimony of primitiue Christians And do those primitiue Christians make a fourth member in this diuision of direction distinct from the other three What difference betweene primitiue Christians and primitiue Church and then what difference to our purpose betweene the primitiue Church and the true Church which is the Church to which his Aduersary challengeth this right of direction So himselfe apparently granteth what he so desperately auoucheth to be apparently vntrue and whereof no proofe can be pretended Wherein I also note a Fallacy of fact Fallacy and fraudulent dealing his endeauouring to make his Aduersaries doctrine odicus to the ignorant Reader by his confident or impudent reiection of his reason and branding it with this Censure all is apparently vntrue c. when afterwards he granteth in effect all Surely he hopes his Aduersary will be so blind as neuer to perceaue this grant while he sayth not the same his Aduersary doth in the same words For insteed of his aduersaries true Church he hath Primitiue Christians and why not Primitiue Church as wel might you aske the Diuell why not holy-water The very word Church is Exorcisme to all Heresy as the name of IESVS to infernal fiends Another pelting fallacy you may obserue Fallacy euen in the same period We haue other direction sayth he besides the priuate spirit and the examination of the contents of Scripture As though his Aduersarie had plac't examination of the contents in the number of directions wherby to examine what is contained in Scripture as though he had proposed the very same examination the guide or director to it selfe And why this Because he had somthing which he could except against this examination of contents by shewing how it may faile in direction But what then Who giues this examination the office of Director Not his aduersary Nay rather because it may faile and may meete with many difficulties hence his Aduersary inferreth the necessity of a Director by whose assistance Christians may make this examination of Scriptures and be assuâ—â—d what Scriptures are to be receaued or reiected c. Who or what then is this true guide or director The true Church sayth his Aduersarie What sayth the Aduocate Not the true Church no by no meanes nor can any proofe of this be pretended The Church mera Chymera he will take heed of saying so Well then what other thing if not the true Church No other thing forsooth but another Word What the Primitiue Christians Do you marke how neere he came to the Church and yet escap't it Not the Church not the true Church not the Primitiue Church but primitiue Christians O Scotus O subtility of distinction most true the very name of Church ouerthroweth Protestancy But why not againe primitiue Church as well as Primitiue Christians He knew a primitiue Church will infer a deriuatiue Church it carrieth in the very common notion and obuious signification of the word the nature of a Body a Society a Society of Christians the kingdom of Christ in that Church and kingdom order and subordination commaund and subiection will by necessary sequele force a necessity of perpetuity and visibility in which propriety it must differ from
to himselfe a glorious Church hauing neither spot nor wrinkle nor any such thing And is all this come at length to a de iure not de facto to a what should be only not a what is And is this that state of beauty no lesse permanent then spotles wherein tyme which withers and wrinkles all the beauty of fields ' and flowers ' aruit foenum cecidit flos should cause no fading or impayring because 1. Pet. 1. Verbum Domini manet in aeternum that word of truth is euerlasting which as the forme and soule of beauty in this glorious spouse should neuer abandon her Now doth Christ Iesus thus sanctify his Spouse or no hath he purchast her this permanent Beauty or no If no then is he frustrate of his designe which was to espouse vnto himselfe a Church which should de facto indeed not deiure of duty only be euer Holy for though it be placed in the particular choice of euery single man to be holy or no thus and in such sort that no man is or shall be holy or vertuous of force or against his wil or not freely yet it is not in the particular choice or power of any particular man or men no nor in the malice of Hell it selfe to effect that Christ Iesus shall not haue a holy Church on earth euen to the worlds end For this was the intent of his precious death bloud-shed vt sanctificaret that he might de facto fanctify his Spouse that he might acquire vnto her a perpetuity of beauty not a duty only to preserue it And this intent can neuer be frustrate and yet it should be if the spouse of Christ should only of duty alwayes be holy but were not so indeed Or tell me is she spotlesse who should haue no spot's but hath them Is that a faire face which should be so and is not hath she no wrinkles who should haue none Rem But God hath neither decreed nor foretold that his true doctrine should de facto be alway's visibly profess't without any mixture of falshood Prom. What because he hath not foretold it to you who haue lost your eares of hearing or haue stop't them with humane reason or dwell too neere the Catadupa and the noise of waters or conuerse with bleating or bellowing cattle in fine haue your attention taken vp in the traffick care and tumult of earthly commodities that you cannot heare the musick of the Sphear's or the harmony of heauenly Truth And haue all men forfaited their eares since you haue beene deafe on the left eare or forgotten what you haue heard heretofore with the right But to other men it hath beene told and foretold in all the languages of the world they haue heard it foretold in those words of Esay Esay 35. Eterit ibi semita via via Sanctorum vocabitur hae erit vobisvia directa c. and this shall be a direct or straight way so that fooles shall not mistake it But Socinians are no simple fooles they may mistake it Now if this way be humane reason humanum est errare nothing human as such is exempt from error If the Scripture be this way the wisest may erre in interpreting it and then it is no way or at least not the way of Saints nor the true and straight way when a false interpretation hath distorted it But the doctrine of the Church is that Via Sanctorum the way of Saints wherein the spirit of truth residing according to promise interprets holy Scriptures which then becoms a way and a straight way wherin a Foole shall not erre 1. Cor. 3. Ibid. a Foole I say who hath made himself a foole that he may be made wise by Christian wisedom which is folly to the world and to Socinianisme as the wisedom of the world and Socinian Reason is madnes and folly to God and Christian Religion Againe they haue heard foretold in those words of our Sauiour Math. 28. 16. Ecce ego vobiscum sum c. and those other Et portae tuferi non praualebunt aduersus eam the power of hell shall not preuaile against it the preseruation of the Church of God from error of doctrine from all falshood of heresy They vnderstand it decreed by God Ephes and foretold by S. Paul Et ipse dedit quosdam Apostoles alios prophet as c. ad consummationem sanctorum in opus ministerij which worke of ministery necessarily supposeth visibility of the Ministers and ministred in adificationem corporis Christi for the edifying or building vp the body of Christ which is his Church the members whereof being to accede throughout all ages to this mysticall body by the Visible ministery of those Visible ministers Prelates Teachers and Gouernours inferre a necessity of true doctrine visibly taught or to be taught them by those their Prelates without which truth of doctrine they could not be the regenerate issue of the spirit of Truth They haue likewise heard the Church of God called by S. Paul 1. Tim. 1. Domus Deiviui columna firmamâ—ntum Veritatis the house of the liuing God the pillar and proppe of truth Of the house of God it is said Domum tuam decet sanctitudo Domine Psalm 92. in longitudinem dierum sanctitude becomes thy house O Lord for euer which fanctitude consistes in the rectitude of the vnderstanding and will of man rectified by truth of doctrine both in fayth and manners Ibid. And this is sure that visible house wherin S. Timothy was to be wary and to know how to conuerse for the edification and example of others who should be eye-witnesses and eare-witnesses of his doings and sayings This Church is also the pillar and proppe of Truth which proppe or pillar surely shall stand while truth hath need of a proppe which shall be in order to mankind while man is mortall obnoxious to errour and lapse in question of diuine truth To this pillar of Truth Isa 59. Johan 14.16 Johan 16.13 the spirit of God is by speciall Couenant tied to the worlds end or is himself this pillar of Truth and that spirit of truth which shall teach the Church and by the Church omnem veritatem all truth that is all necessary truth which necessary truth certainly excludes all falshood in doctrine of fayth and manners which are the points in contestation between the Catholicks and Protestants All this and much more the Fathers and Doctors of the Catholique Church haue heard and belieued as foretold and decreed by God concerning the Visible profession of true doctrine in the Church of Christ without any mixture of falshood and the continuance of such Visible Profession de facto not de iure only Nor if you can glosse these Scriptures to anothersense shall they cease for that to tell vs this truth to whom the Catholique Church doth so interpret them and who as sonnes of obedience haue learned to turne the
indeed a waighty inducement to belieue that to be the true Church foresignified by the spirit of God wherein those signes wherewith God hath fore-marked and predesigned the true Church are euident to be seen then contrariwise if those signes and markes of the true Church are not to be found in the Protestant this ought in reason to induce a man to belieue that the Protestant is not the true Church For where the connexion betweene the signe and the thing signed is indiuisible there the inference is good proceeding from the destruction of the signe to the destruction or deniall of the thing signed or signified As to say heere is not the indiuisible signe Ergo heere is not the thing signed This I say supposing such infallible Connexion which in this case ought to be supposed such deuine prediction and the veracity of God being presupposed which tyeth the signe and the thing signed togeather by an inuiolable and indissoluble knot I say further that it is false that Nations haue been conuerted to the true Religion of Christ by men of contrary Religions which thus I demonstrate Those contrary Religions or Professions of Religion though they might be both or all false yet both or all could not be true as the Roman Orator sayth well pronouncing vniuersally of dissenting opinions Now of the true Religion conuerting men to the true there is no question but of the contrary or repugnant to the true Thus I argue Either the Professors of a false Religion taught and preacht ' according to their false principles or doctrine and then by those they neuer conuerted any to the true Religion or else they taught true principles and true doctrine of Christian fayth If so then if by those true Principles c. they conuerted men to Christian fayth though themselues were not true Christians yet they conuerted as agreeing and consenting with the true Religion not as opposers or as men of a contrary Religion As if a heathen should baptize by applying the matter and forme of baptisme with intention to do what Christians are wont to do by the like application then not Heathenisme but Christian Religion baptizeth by a Heathen Nor can this Argument be retorted by the Protestant for it will easily be made to appeare that Catholiques haue conuerted Nations to and by those doctrines wherein they dissent from protestants whereas neither Protestants nor any other oppugners of the Catholique will euer be found to haue conuerted Nations by preaching the doctrine wherein they disagree from the Catholique but moreouer as for the Protestants they neuer conuerted any neither by their disagreeing nor agreeing doctrines Nay euen this confirmes if at any tyme it so fall out the truth and efficacy of Christian Religion and the accomplishment of those prophetique Predictions when euen the alien or opposer of true Religion who can achieue no one Conuersion to Christianity by his owne repugnant doctrine can and doth effect it by vertue of Christian Truth which I say this supposed that any such Precedent may be cited out of antiquity of some Conuersion to Christian Religion wrought by an alien Professour though the entire Conuersion of a nation by any such separate instrument I belieue hath no Precedent in ancient memory For the reasons which I haue touched heretofore and in a word according to the ordinary and connatuâ—all course of diuine proceedings in such affaires Non hos elegiâ— Dâ—minus See the Examples commonly alleaged answered also in Authours God is not went to make choyce of such men to be his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as S. Paul and after him S. Denis speakes his cooperators or coâ—diâ—tors in the reduction of soules This is too great an honour to be coserred vpon an alion or enemy of Religion So then your fifth Motiue stands yet fast and irremoued by you like to some pillar which raised in the Church by some Architect stands there fix't and firme euen when the workman is gone farre away yea now perhaps dead and rotten or as while many a weary person leaning vpon that pillar findeth case and rest the drunken Artist receaues no ease at all from it but reeles stagger's in the wide field vntil he fall dead drunke vpon the ground or into some ditch c. Iust so M. Aduocate Hac à te non multâ—m abludit imago this is no bad picture of your selfe VI. Motiue Because the Doctrine of the Church of Rome is conformable and the doctrine of Protestants contrary to the doctrine of the Fathers of the Primitiue Church euen by the confession of the Protestants themselues I meane those Fathers who liued within the compasse of the first 600. yeares to whom Protestants themselues do very frequently and very confidently appeale VI. Remotiue The Doctrine of Papists is confess'd by Papists contrary to the Fathers in many points VI. Promotiue Nether will this Motiue be remoued with so weake a push which thus I confirme It is vntrue that any learned Papist confesseth that the doctrine of faith of moderne Papists is contrary to the doctrine of the Fathers in any point of faith theÌ„ defined by the Church If from some they differ in some point now defined then not defined this is no formall contrariety in points of faith that is as they are points of fayth obligatory to belief which they are not before they be defined by the Church which being the sole infallible interpreter of diuine reuelation by propounding any point of doctrine as diuinely reuealed makes it now formally the obiect of necessary beliefe which was before only materially such But neither againe in regard of such differences is this contrariety of some opinions betweene the moderne Papists and some of the ancient Fathers any formall opposition For since they so held those disserent doctrines then vndefined as being ready to let them go when the Church should define the contrary euen in vertue of this readines or preparation of mynd they held implicitely and in a sort equiualently the very same which we now hold after the definition of the holy Church But the Protestants Appeale to those Fathers of the first 600. yeares is a very brag and imposture of a Iewell not worth one barley corne Campian Neque hoc sibi suisque vulnus inflictum Laurentius Humfredas tacuit For since in this vno tertio in this middle terme of submitting all our iudgmeÌ„ts doctrines to the authority decision of the Catholike Church we ioyne with the Fathers both of those 600. all succeeding yeares eueÌ„ to this present age we caÌ„not but meet in the coÌ„clusion of whatsoeuer doctrine of faith As contrariwise for want of this concurrence in one third or middle terme all hopes of Protestants or any Sectary whatsoeuer euer to ioyne with those Orthodoxe Fathers is spes Hypocritarum a vaine presumption rather then any solid hope as of such who couet to make some shew of agreement with those Peeres of Christian Religion thereby to procure
where soeuer it be and ready to imbrace it when they find it proposed vnto them either in the obscure light of infallible Authority or that of vision in Eternity Calumny concerning Transubstantiation and the B. Trinity SECT XI ANother maine tentation and principle of Irreligion he hath taken paines to transport out of Arabia this sonne of Agar where he hath met with his fellow Atheist or Socinian Pref. Againe I should desire you to tell me saith he ingenuously whether it be not probable that your portentuous doctrine of Transub stantiation ioyn'ed with your forementioned persuasian of no Papist no Christian hath brought a great many others as well as himselfe to Auerröes his resolution quandoquidem Christiani adorant quod comedunt sit anima mea cum Philosophis since Christians adore that which they eat let my soule go with the Philosophers Answ I thinke his Aduersary will not spare to tell him ingenuously that he is persuaded a very small matter may bring a Socinian to be as very an Atheist or Infidell as that Arabicke Leeche Auerröes and in phrasing the doctrine of Transubstantiation portentuous he sheweth himselfe brought as neere an Infidell as a Iew can be with whose spirit he seemeth so ingenuously to sympathize quomodo potest hic nobis carnem suam dare ad manducandum how can this man giue vs his body ro eate And yet euen hence by the way out of this very testimony of Auerröes you may perceaue that this doctrine of Transubstantiation or howsoeuer the reall and corporall Presence of Christs body in the Sacrament so as it was conceaued to be truly eaten was the common doctrine of Christians of those times not only of the Roman Church Concerning which doctrine and those words of Christ Nisi manducaueritis c. it is probably thought that Iudas was one of those who said durus est hic sermo c. This is a hard or harsh language c. Yet furthermore those words of our Sauiour at his last supper when he instituted this Sacrament accipite manducate hoc est enim corpus meum take and eat for this is my body are so cleere for Transubstantiation that this very Aduocate is knowne to haue retorted after his manner vpon occasion of some one pressing him to know his opinion concerning the Trinity that there is no so cleere testimony of Scripture for the Trinity as for Transubstantiation Which answere of his ioyned with that which he auoucheth so often in this Pamphlet that the Scripture not the Church is the rule whereby to determine points of fayth maketh the B. Trinity no lesse portentuous then Transubstantiation since it is certaine there is no mistery of fayth more seemingly repugnant and more apparently subuerting the prime and most receaued axiomes of naturall Reason and Philosophy then this of the B. Trinity And is not this a portentuous discourse of this Aduocate a prodigious Calumny trenching so deepely vpon the Deity it selfe And is not he the author of this a very Portent Prodigy vnder the guise of Christian profession worthy to be shipt for some vnknowne Land where his breath may infect none but sauage creatures nor make the hayre of Christian Professors stand stiffe by hearing such blasphemies from his mouth as I haue heard some one say his haire did who may one day write his Character if he haue not already done it in his very wittily Symbolizing Sceptique Meane while if this Auerreist haue made the like Arabick resolution to trust his soule with Philosophers rather thē with such Christians if he make a proper choice of Philosophers and sute himselfe fitly he may then in very good consequence of doctrine conformity to his principles sing euery moneth In noua fert animus No man will expect his Pithagorique soule in one shape of Religion long Fiet enim subitò Sus horridus atraque Tigris Squamosusque Drace fuluâ ceruice Leana Aut acrem flamma sonitum dabit atue ita vinclis Excidet aut in aquas tenues delapsus abibit And then Quo teneam vultus mutantem Protea nodo With what knot shall I hold fast this form-varying Proteus Marry thus it followeth Sed quanto ille magis formas se vertet in omnes Tanto Nate magis contende tenacia vincla Donec talis erit mutato corpore qualem Videris incepto tegeret cùm lumina somno For you shall haue him one while Arian another while Nestorian now Pelagian now Hussite now Caluinian then Arminian c. But only hold him fast throughout all his changes yea the more he transforms and transfigures draw the knot harder vntill at length after many and many a Metamorphosis he come about to the very same shape wherein first you tooke him sleeping in Socinian security onely waking in his nimble fancy wherin he shapes as many discolour'd formes of Religion as there are colours appearing in the Rain-bow or the Peacock's traine wherewith he playes according to the gaiety of his humor and frisk's from Religion to Religion like a squirrill from bough to bough His fallacious calumny concerning Prudentiall motiues SECT XII HIs immediately ensuing demaund Whether our requiring men vpon onely probable and prudentiall motiues to yeild a most certaine assent vnto things in human reason impossible c. Preface be not a likely way to make considering men scorne our Religion is a fraudulent Calumny as he would haue it vnderstood which is that we exact this most certaine assent out of Motiues onely probable and prudentiall as the principall cause or motiue of such assent Nor could he be ignorant if he deserue the opinion I haue conceaued of him that these motiues are proposed vnderstood by Catholiques as persuasiue and inductiue only or as preuious despositions to fayth which is the gratuite and supernaturall guift of God and therefore cannot flow from any humanely voluntary or naturall or sublunary Cause yet he who made all things ex nihilo sui of nothing or of no preexistēt Being in themselues and can therefore euen in reason more probably make any thing of some thing qui fecit medium fornacis quasi ventum roris flantem who made thefiery furnace refrigeratiue to the martyrs howsoeuer this were done qui fecit lutum ex sputo c. who contriued eye-light out of a plaster of dust and spitle who made wyne of water and the like stupendious effect's not contained in the naturall force or efficiency of such causes can likewise serue himselfe of inferior meanes and dispositions towards the producing of some supernaturall effect in the soule of man or assume them and ioyne with them or them with himselfe to such effects When therefore these probable or prudentiall Motiues attentiuely considered haue wrought in the soules of men first an opinion that such a doctrine may be true then perhaps a liking of the doctrine out of such motiues after this the spirit of God inwardly concurring mouing along with these motiues a kind
of pious inclination or willingnes to imbrace such a doctrine if they could be persuaded it were true this notwithstanding all reasons and countercheck's of flesh and bloud or whatsoeuer temporall regards to the contrary through a desire to serue God as he would be serued it is then the immediate worke of Gods grace to endue and as it were to informe such a soule with diuine faith by heauenly endowment the vnderstanding becomes eleuate and raised to a height aboue the sublunary sphere of naturall reason to a certaine proportion with diuine and supernaturall obiects by this enabled as it were with vndazeled eyes of Eagles to looke vpon the sunne Now when they say the assent to the Conclusion cannot be of greater firmity or certainty then is the certainty force or firmity of the Premises which are supposed only probable and prudentiall motiues they seuer the Premises and take them as considered in themselues alone not as they are indeed in their Eleuation and Coniunction with the supernaturall power of grace For when they say the Conclusion is qualified by the Premises weake if the Premises be weake c. nor onely so but euen the weaker of the two leades the way in this marke of reason and discourse and the Conclusion followeth that not the stronger which it cannot follow passibus aequis with equall stepp's and which therefore must imploy no more strength then the weaker that the Conclusion may follow both This is true when the Premises haue onely an vniuocall and naturall influence into the Conclusion that is when they impart only that force or value to the Conclusion which they hold of their owne and proper in right and title of nature or naturality but where their inâ—â—uence is as I may say supernaturall dispositiue to a highter forme or Act the tenure wherof is onely arbitrary and as it were at will of the Lord of Vertues due vpon no consideration of any naturall exigence or Couenant and is therefore an Equiuocall influence as of causes inflowing indeed not onely by their owne force but in vertue of their principall cause and agent which is supernaturall then in all good reason they concnrre by proeuring an effect proportionate to that principall and supernaturall cause nor improportioned to themselues as considered in that coniunction and sublimation Neither ought this to seeme strange in supernaturall influxions of causes for euen in the course of nature and in good Physiologie an accident which is a far inferiour nature may produce a substance as heat yea euen then when it is separate from the substance of fire produceth fire the reason because although as heat or as an accident it holdes an inferiour place in nature yet as it is the naturally-ioynt instrument of fire in virtute causae principalis in or by vertue of the fire it produceth fire so likewise those motiues only probable though as such vnable of themselues by reason of their improportion yet in vertue of their principall agent or prime moouer which is the holy Spirit operating and mouing in the soule conioyn'd and sublimed by that prime mouer or agent they may and do dispose to the producing of an infallible assent but of this point he will offer a more proper occasion to speake hereafter But now this is some part of the Calumny that we require things contradictory and impossible to be done Pref. and is this indeed an impossible requisite that we require a most certaine assent to beyielded to things in human reason impossible for with this he chargeth vs. Answ To which I answere it is falsely supposed by him that those things whereunto we require a most certaine assent that is an assent of diuine fayth are in human reason impossible For if they be true they are not in human reason impossible though they haue the semblance or appearance of impossibility in humane reason No truth is vntruth to human reason therefore no truth is impossible in human reason for I suppose that distinction of Truth Philosophicall and Truth Theologicall many yeares since expuls't the Vniuersity For truth in the whole latitude being the obiect of reason and vnderstanding it cannot be that any truth should imply impossibility or repugnance to human reason or vnderstanding no more then that any thing corporally visible can inuolue contradiction or impossibility to be seene by a corporall eye-sight Therefore if they be vntruth's let them be conuinc't to be vntruth's if they hold those things to be impossible in human reason which are aboue human reason no meruaile if this Aduocate belieue not the B. Trinity He will say perchance now he belieues it but how for I aske him Doth he yield a most certaineassent that is an assent of diuine fayth to the B. Trinity as that God is one God in three really distinct persons If he belieue it not with certainty of diuine fayth he belieues it not as a Christian If he do belieue with that certainty of fayth then he yield's a most certain assent to a thing as impossible in humane reason as any other point of fayth required to be belieued with a most certaine assent But why do I aske him It appeares euen by these words as well as by his words of mouth vttered vpon the forementioned occasion that he indeed belieues not the B. Trinity no nor Incarnation nor Resurrection nor any such thing impossible in his style to humane reason with any such certainty of assent as makes a Christian and distinguishes him from an Infidell or Socinian It appeares furthermore by what he writes in this place that he would haue it sufficient to belieue such mysteries with a lower degree of Fayth Now either this lower degree of fayth is diuine fayth or no. If diuine then the assent arising from such fayth is a most certaine assent or an assent with certainty excluding all deliberate positiue doubt concerning the obiect of fayth If that lower degree be not diuine fayth then it is not only a Iower degree of fayth as differing from some other diuine fayth only in degree of certainty or secundum magis minus according to more or lesse certainty as heat differ's from heat and more white from lesse white but it is different in the very species or kind of fayth as diuine fayth from human fayth which differ euen in definition and Essence of fayth Therefore the Catholique requiring diuine fayth and teaching not this Iower degree of fayth but this indeed no diuine fayth to be insufficient for the acquiring Eternall saluation requireth no more then the Apostle doth where he sayth fine fide impossibile est placere Deo without fayth it is impossible to please or serue God meaning that fayth which in that very place is by him described to be sperandarum subctantia rerum argumentum non apparentium the substance of things to be hoped the argument of things not appearing which no man can deny to be diuine fayth Now to require