The totall summe. Or No danger of damnation vnto Roman Catholiques for any errour in faith nor any hope of saluation for any sectary vvhatsoeuer that doth knovvingly oppose the doctrine of the Roman Church. This is proued by the confessions, and sayings of M. William Chillingvvorth his booke.

The security in the Roman Church is so great, as it is Madnesse to leaue it. §. 2.

6. THis I shall make good and euident by your owne most true & vndeniable sayings. Our Maintayner obiectes, that some Protestants leauing the Roman Church haue fallen away by degrees, euen from the Fundamentals of Christianity.* 1.1 You answer p. 168. lin. 9.

What if some forsaking the Church of Rome, haue forsaken fundamental truths? Was this because they forsooke the Church of Rome? No sure: this is, non causa pro cau∣sa: For else all that haue forsaken that Church, should haue done so; which we say they haue not: but because they went too farre from her. The golden meane, the narrow way is hard to be found, hard to be kept; hard but not impossible; hard, but yet you must not please your selues out of it, though you erre on the right hand, though you offend on the milder part: for this is the on∣ly way, that leades to life, and few there be that find it. It is true, if we said, there were no danger in being of the Roman Church, and there were danger in lea∣uing it, it were MADNESSE to persuade any man to leaue it.

Thus you. Before I come to the prin∣cipall intent, let me note and put you in mind of two thinges. First that here (as euery where also commonly) you argue fondly, that the cause why some forsaking the Roman Church, forsook also the funda∣mentals of Christianity, was not their forsaking the Roman Church, For els, say you, all that haue forsaken her should haue done so. An argument fond and full of igno∣rance. Otherwise, we might say, that Couetousnesse was not the cause, that Iudas betrayed his Maister; for else all couetous seruants should betray their maisters,

which we know is not so: we may say that zeale of Puritanisme was not the cause, that Enoch ap euan mur∣thered his Brother and Mother; because many zealous Puritans do not murther their Brothers, and mothers that oppose them. These instances and a thousand more which might be brought lay open your ignorance, that you do not distinguish betwixt naturall necessary causes, whose force cannot be resisted; and morall causes, which freely incline the will, leauing it liberty to resist, which is the reason they are effectuall in some, and not in o∣thers.

7. Secondly I note, that you also heere keepe your wont of contradicting your selfe. What you heere say that the narrow and onely way to life and saluation is hard to be found, hard to be kept, without erring on the right hand or on the left; how doth it agree with, or how doth it not directly destroy what you teach (t) 1.2 pag. 221. lin. 20. about your Protestant safeway· This is a way so plaine, that fooles except they will cannot erre from it; because in this way, not being free from errour, but indeauouring to be free, is the onely condition of Saluation. How is, not being free from errour, but endeauouring to be free, in your way the onely condition of Saluation; if keeping the golden meane, and the narrow way without erring eyther on the right hand or left, be in your doctrine the sole meanes of Saluation? How is the way so plaine, that e∣uen fooles, vnlesse they will, cannot erre from it, if it be hard to be kept without erring on the right hand or left? And pag. 290. n. 87. (u) 1.3 whereas the Maintayner sayth, that Protestants should not haue left the Roman Church, for errours vn-fundamētall, seing they were not sure by their departure to auoyd this kind of mischiefe; yea they were sure they could not auoyd it: you say

Protestants are so farre from acknowledging that they haue no hope to auoyd this mischiefe (of errours vn-fundamentall) that they proclayme to all the world, that it is most prone and easy to do so, to all those that feare God, and loue truth; and hardly possibly for them to do otherwise without supine negli∣gence and extreme impiety. How do these sayings hange together; The golden meane of sauing truth the only way to life, is hard, difficile, and only not impossible to be kept without erring from it eyther on the left hand Fundamentally; or one the right vn-fundamentally: The way of sauing truth is most prone and easy to be kept, without erring so much as vn-fundamentally; yea, it is hardly possible to erre from it, on eyther side, without supine negligence, and extreme impiety?

8. But now to the Principall intent; by this your confession it is euident, that it is madnes for any man to to leaue the Roman Church, and that your writing to per∣swade them to leaue it was a fit of distemper in your brayne. For you confesse, that if you sayd there were no danger in being of the Roman Church, and there were danger in leauing it; is were madnesse to persuade any man to leaue it. Now I assume: But you say both, that there is no dan∣ger in the Roman Church, and that there is extreme danger in leauing it. That you say the first, I proue, be∣cause you say, that he who belieues all Fundamentall truth, cannot be damned for any errour in fayth. And pag. 376. n. 57. (y) 1.4 he that belieues all necessary truth, if his life be answerable to his fayth, how is it possible he should fayle of Saluaton? But you affirme, that the Roman Church retaynes all fundamentall and necessary truth, in that you onely charge her of going from the Golden meane of exact truth, on the right hand, on the surer part. Wher∣fore in the Roman Church men may safely expect Sal∣uation;

there is no danger, yea there is no possibility of damnation for errours in faith with in her Communiō. That you say the second, that there is extreme dāger in leauing the Roman Church, I shew, euē by this testimo∣ny. For you say the Roman Church erreth on the right hand, on the milder part; so that they who leaue her, must of ne∣cessity depart so farre from her on the left hand, that is, into the direfull gulfe of fundamentall errours; except they keepe themselues in the golden meane, in the narrow way; But the golden meane, the narrow way, is (as you pro∣fesse) hard to be found; hard, and onely not impossible to be kept: Ergo, in leauing the Roman Church there is dan∣ger, and exceeding great danger which can hardly be auoyded, of falling into errours fundamentall, remedi∣lessely, and fatally damnable. These being your Cōfessions and otherwise of themselues manifest truths, you must acknowledge it is euen madnesse and fury for any man to forsake the Roman Church; and that your writing to diuert men from her Communion, was a fit of phrensy.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Cap. 3. n. 63. lin. 14.
• (t) 1.2

  Cap. 4. n. 53. lin. ••9.
• (u) 1.3

  Cap. 5. n. 87. in fine.
• (y) 1.4

  Cap. 6. n. 57. in fine.