Exomologesis, or, A faithfull narration of the occaision and motives of the conversion unto Catholick unity of Hugh-Paulin de Cressy, lately Deane of Laghlin &c. in Ireland and Prebend of Windsore in England now a second time printed with additions and explications by the same author who now calls himself B. Serenus Cressy, religious priest of the holy order of S. Benedict in the convent of S. Gregory in Doway.

CHAP. XXXVII.

An answer to M. Chillingworth's fourth and fifth grounds.

Severall Novelties introduced by him.

1. To the fourth, where it is said, That all things necessary to salvation are con∣tained in Scripture so plainly, that no reason∣able man, desirous to find the true sense, can doubt or be mistaken in the sense of them; so that for such matters there is no need of any interpreter. An assertion this is, which is one of the main foundations, upon which all manner of Sects that withdraw themselves from the Churches authority, do and must relye; there∣fore I thought it necessary to spend more

thoughts in examining the firmnesse of it: and after all, I professe I found it of all others most weak, most contrary to reason, and every daies experience.

2. For demonstrating the justice of this cen∣sure of it, and that I may expresse my self more clearly, I will lay down certain positions, to which I conceive all rationall men will assent. As first, touching the word necessary, (besides what hath already been spoken of the ambigu∣ousnesse of that word, which is relative, and variable according to it's application to se∣verall objects and subjects, which I will not now repeat) I suppose that all men will call that necessary, for which being either denyed or affirmed, they being of a contrary opinion would break Communion from, and deny it to other Churches: for Schisme about unneces∣sary things, is by all Christians acknow∣ledged a sin almost unpardonable. 2. That ra∣tionally to affirm a doctrine to be expressed plainly in Scripture, it is not sufficient to say it appeares so to me, for so almost every one will be forward to say of all his Opinions, which he pretends to be grounded on Scripture: But that is to be called plain and expresse, which ha's not been controverted by men of reason, pretending to piety and impaertiality, especially if they be in any considerable number; so that it will not be satisfactory to say, this appears plainly to me, and I am sure I am not led by interest or faction, as others are; for this may be every ones plea a∣gainst another. 3. That where two senses are given of any passage of Scripture, the one ex∣tremely

probable and naturall, the other not wholly absurd, and whereof the words may possibly be capable: in this case one Prote∣stant cannot upon their own grounds condemn or impute heresie to another.

3. These positions thus premised, in the next place I conceived it very just, that before any Sect of Christians did build upon this founda∣tion of the Scriptures, containing expressely and evidently all things necessary, that they should all conspire to make a Catalogue of points necessary, and this with relation to seve∣rall states of persons, or at least to Communi∣ons and Churches: (I add this limitation, be∣cause to multiply severall distinct Catalogues for all persons would be of extreme labour: and on the other side, to make one Catalogue for all men, would (as Mr. Chillingworth (Cap. 3. parag. 13. sayes) be like the making a coat for the Moon, which is continually in the wain or encrease.)

4. Now to shew the reasonablenesse of this, and that Mr. Chillingworths adversary required most justly such a Catalogue from Protestants, let but any man consider with himself what satisfaction any man can have from a Prote∣stant Minister, when he shall tell him, You have the Bible of our Translation, in which we affirm all necessary truths to be contained, but mixed with a world of unnecessary, you are not absolutely bound to study, or to be able to read this Bible, yet you shall be damned if you be igno∣rant of those necessary truths dispersed here and there in it; to say definitively how many, and which are those especiall necessary truths, we

are not able, neither have we authority; there∣fore at your own perill be sure you mistake nei∣ther in the number nor sense of those truths: we can indeed afford you Articles and Cate∣chismes, to which as long as you live with us you must be forced to subscribe, but we have no authority (for there is none visible upon earth) to propose our collections or determinations, as obliging in conscience, &c. In what a misera∣ble case would that Protestant be, that should give himself leave to examine upon how meer a quicksand all his pretentions to eternity are built.

5. And whereas Mr. Chillingworth would seem to conceive himself secure in the midst of these uncertainties, because, as he thinks, Catholiques also are encumbred with the like: I found that conceit of his altogether groundlesse; for the promises of Christ remaining firm, and appro∣priated to the Catholique Church, it will fol∣low; 1. That in the Catholique Church shall be taught to the worlds end all necessary and profitable truths to all sorts of persons; so that every man respectively receiving and believe∣ing what the church appoints to be proposed to him, cannot fail of being instructed with things necessary, &c. 2. The same Church being en∣dued with authority to determine the true sense of divine truths, a Catholique submitting to the Church, cannot be in danger through mi∣stakes or errours; so that he who hearkens to the Church, ha's his catalogue of fundamentalls made to his hand, the Church, like the wise Steward in the Gospell out of that store of pro∣visions given her by Christ, proportioning to

every man his dimensum panis quotidiani, his own befitting allowance.

6. And here by the way will appear; 1. The vanity of that ordinary calumny, which Prote∣stants impute to the Catholique Church, as if she taught that it were sufficient to ignorant men only implicitly to believe what the Church believes, without an explicite belief of any thing: for there is none so ignorant, but is obliged to know and assent to what the Church teacheth him by his Pastour suitable to his estate and education. And secondly, an usuall mistake among Protestants, who think that all the credenda in Catholique Re∣ligion, are comprised in the definitions of Councells: for before ever any Generall Coun∣cell sate, the Church was furnished with her full measure of divine truths, necessary to be believed, which were by her publiquely professed and proposed; which have been occa∣sionally declared, and distinctly expounded in her Councells. But to return to Mr. Chilling∣worth.

7. He by his sharp understanding, and long meditation, coming to perceive those incon∣veniences, and considering that no Protestant or other Church could upon their generally acknowledged grounds authoritatively define either the number or sense of Articles of Faith, so as to oblige any man, even within her Com∣munion, in conscience to assent and submission (For, for example, if an Englishman would not subscribe to the sense of any Article of the Church of England, all the penalty would be, he should not partake of the priviledges and pre∣ferments

of that Church, but he might go over into Denmark or Holland, whose sense in such an Article he liked better, and still be acknow∣ledged even by the English Church to be ortho∣dox enough.) He therefore was forced to intro∣duce two Novelties among English Protestants which find great approbation: the first is to alter the old manner and notion of subscription to the English Articles; for whereas before, the Prote∣stants there by their subscription testified their belief of all the 39. Articles in the sense import∣ed in the words; yea whereas there was a Ca∣non which denounced Excommunication ipso facto to all that should say that any of them were not true, Mr. Chillingworth thus expresseth his mind in subscribing,* 1.1 I am perswaded that the constant doctrine of the Church of Eng∣land is so pure and Orthodox, that whosoever believes it, and lives according to it, undoubtedly he shall be saved: and that there is no error in it, which may necessitate or warrant any man to distrub the peace, or re∣nounce the Communion of it. This in my opini∣on (saith he) is all intended by subscrip∣tion.

8. His second novelty is, that whereas the Protestants alwaies professed that the publiqua Confessions of their Churches Faith, was indeed their own faith, that is, such expres∣sions plain and indubitable, as are in holy Scripture concerning such points, or at least irrefragable consequences from Scripture, and therfore were to them as Scripture, because their sence of Scripture: and whereas they respe∣ctively

divided themselves from the Communion of the Catholike and other particular churches, because they would not joyn with them in the belief of Scripture explained in that sense, which their severall Articles import (and not because they refused to submit to Scripture, which all professe to do.) And lastly, whereas though they acknowledged S••ripture to be the only Rule of Faith, yet because it not having being written in form of Institutions or a Ca∣techisme, the necessary doctrines of Religion are dispersed uncertainly in the severall books, difficulty to be found out of them, and withall not so plainly delivered, but that there is need of explication and conciliation with other passages of Scripture that seem to contradict; for this reason each church compiled abridge∣ments and confessions disposed orderly and me∣thodically, by which they signifie to the world how they understand Scripture: Mr. Chilling∣worth on the contrary delivers their mind joyntly for them after a new way (which is his second Novelty) which I will set down in his own words, (cap. 6. parag. 56.) By the Religion of Protestants I do not (saith he) understand the doctrine of Luther, or Calvin, or Melanch∣ion, nor the confession of Augusta, or Geneva, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 the Catechism of He••delberg, nor the Ar∣•••• •••• the Church of England, no nor the harmony of Protestant Confessions; but that wherein they all agree, and which they all sub∣scribe with a great•••• harmony, as a perfect rule of their faith and actions, that is the Bible, the Bible, I say the Bible only is the Religion of Protestants: Whatsoever else they believe

besides it, and the plain irrefragable indubita∣ble consequences of it, well may they hold it as matter of Opinion, but as a matter of Faith and Religion, neither can they with coherence to their own grounds believe it themselves, nor require the belief of it of others, without most high and most Schismaticall presumption. Thus far Mr. Chillingwrrth. Now how far other Protestants out of England will approve of this new shift, which he ha's found out for them, and which, I am sure, he ha's published without any commission from them, I know not: But if they also justifie him in this, all I can say is, that they will make their party much the strong∣er by it, and will likewise have reason to pretend to almost primitive antiquity, for if all be of their body, who, whatsoever their particular te∣nents be, build their faith upon only Scripture interpreted by each mans reason, then not only all Heretiques of these times, but like∣wise almost all Heretiques since the Apo∣stles times, will be united in the same corpora∣tion.

9. But once more to return to Mr. Chilling∣worth's 'Position, viz. That all necessary truths are contained in Scripture so expressely, that no man can rationally doubt of the sense of them, and by consequence there is no need of an autho∣rised visible interpreter. All that I shall say in answer hereto, shall be the making a few re∣quests to our English Protestants especially: As 1. To consider this and the former speeches of Mr. Chillingworth, not as an extraordinary in∣vention of his excellent wit, but that which ex∣treme necessity forced him to: for though

before him few Protestant Writers have so free∣ly discovered the arcana schismatis, as being unwilling to tell their followers that they had no authority to oblige them to their opinions: Yet Mr. Chillingworth deals more ingenu∣ously, discovering, that this is indeed a foun∣dation most necessary to be laid by all those, who deny all visible Ecclesiasticall authority in expounding Scripture, and judging defini∣tively of controversies in Religion: for other∣wise they may say, God ha's given us the Scrip∣ture to be our only rule, this Rule is ambigu∣ous and difficult, even in necessary things; there is no judge to interpret it, mens under∣standings are weak, and their wills strong, they are easily led away with prejudices, edu∣cation and worldly interests; so that it is a great chance if they light upon the true sense of those difficult, yet most necessary mysteries, con∣sidering besides, that they are very contrary to flesh, and blood, and carnall reason. This were to deal with mankind worse then the AEgypti∣an Taskmasters did with the Israelites, to de∣mand brick, and give them no straw. Since therefore no Protestant would willingly lay such an imputation upon the Father of mercies, it will follow, that he must of meer force ac∣knowledge with Mr. Chillingworth, that all truths necessary to salvation are contained in Scripture so expresly, that no rationall man can doubt of the sense of them.

10. My second request to English Protestants is, that they would take into consideration how (after that a Catholique would be so liberall, as to allow them this ground) they would be

able, and by what rules, to distinguish points unnecessary from necessary: for though it were true that all necessary points are plain, yet all plain points are not necessary. 3. That for a more particular tryall, they would resolve with themselves, whether the Mysteries of the eternall Godhead, and Incarnation of our Saviour, be not necessary to be believed; if so, (as the English Articles import) then they may do well to take a survey of all the Texts of Scripture, which Volkelius and Crel∣lius heap together to combat these mysteries, and afterward conclude, whether only Scri∣pture being the Rule, and only private reason the Judge, these mysteries be so plainly and ex∣presly contained in Scripture, that no reasona∣ble man can doubt of the sense of them, and that there needs no interpreter to reconcile them. 4. I would likewise desire them to consi∣der the places of Scripture which Catholiques make use of, to build the authority of the Church, and the Reall Presence (I name these, because they are the principall grounds of their separation.) Now when they have consider∣ed the Texts for the former point, let them take notice that they cannot produce one express Text of Scripture against the authority of the Church; and for the other point, whether the Texts which Catholiques produce for the Re∣all Presence, do not in the literall grammati∣call sense say all that Catholiques believe; and whether all that Protestants labour to prove be not, that though Hoc est corpus me∣um, as the words lye, be against them, yet the sense hidden and figurative, which they

desire to force upon these words, is against Ca∣tholiques. And having considered these two instances, let them upon Mr. Chillingworths present grounds judge how they can satisfie their own reason and conscience, without ex∣presse Scripture for themselves, and against at least expresse words of Scripture for Ca∣tholikes, to make a separation from the whole world.

11. In the last place I desire them to speak freely, whether if this be true, that to be ex∣pressely & unambiguously set down in Scripture, be a condition necessary to all necessary points of Faith, there be indeed any points of faith necessary, since there is scarce any one article of the Creed which ha's not been, and is not at this day questioned by many men, yea by whole churches, in which are, and have been found persons of great learning, subtilty, and as far as the eys of men could judge, piety and vertue, as S. Augustine witnesseth of Pelagius, and S. Vincentius Lirinensis of other Heretiques. Now if they say they will not believe such te∣stimonies of their adversaries probity, then the controversies between Sects will become not disputations, but calumniations and implead∣ments.

12. To Mr. Chillingworth's fifth ground, viz. That it cannot consist with the goodness of God to oblige any man as of necessity to be∣lieve explicitly, or to interpret clearly those places of Scripture which are obscure and am∣biguous. I acknowledge all this, and from their own grounds desire Protestants to consi∣der, whether any knowledge or distinct belief

can justly be required to be yeelded to any spe∣ciall points of Christiantty, since there are scarce any that have not been controverted.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Answ. to Dire. to N. N••par. 39.