To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
MADAM,
YOu were pleas'd to tell me in your last Let∣ter, that there was a great and earnest Dis∣pute between O. G. and C. O. in Divinity, as to prove many things which are easier to be Belie∣ved than Proved; for though Proof makes Knowledg, yet Belief doth not make Proof;
for though many thousands of men Believe a∣like one Thing or Things a thousand years, yet neither the number of Men, nor of Years, doth prove it to be true, it only proves that so many Men did believe it for so many Years; for though there be many things in Nature that may be Conceiv'd, and Demonstrated to Rea∣son, at least, to have a Probability in Reason, but cannot be Demonstrated to the Senses, yet the Conceptions do oftener deceive, not onely the Reason, but the Senses, than the Senses do the Reason or Conception, for though the Senses may, and are oftentimes Mistaken and Deluded, yet they are the most certain and surest Guides and Informers we have; But Divinity is above all Sense and Reason, as also all Demonstrations, wherefore Faith is required in all Religions, for what cannot be Conceived or Apprehended, must be Believed, and if the chief Pillar of Re∣ligion is Faith, Men should Believe more, and Dispute less, for Disputations do argue Weak∣ness of Faith, nay, they make a Strong Faith Faint, for all Disputes in Divinity are Enemies to Faith, and are apt through Contradictions and Different Opinions, to Destroy Religion, ma∣king the Thoughts and Mind Atheistical, and the VVords Sophistical, Men spending more time in Disputing than Praying, rather striving to Express their VVit than to Increase their Knowledge, for Divine Mysteries are beyond all Natural Capacity, and the School-men have rather taught Men Contradictions than Truth,
and Church-men rather Division than Union. But all Disputes and Arguments in Divinity are onely fit for Church-men, whose Profession is to be Teachers and Instructors in the Divine Laws, and not for Lay-men, unless they intend to be Church-men: for as all National Laws have Judges, Serjeants, Barresters, Attornies, and the like, to Perform and Execute the Com∣mon and Civil Laws, that have been Prudently Enacted for the Good and Benefit of the Bodily Life and Commonwealth; so there are Bishops, Deans, Deacons, Parish-Priests and Curats, to Perform and Execute the Divine Laws, which have been Spiritually Enacted for the Salvation of mens Souls; and as Lawyers are Informers of the National Laws, and Pleaders of Causes, so Ministers are Informers of the Divine Laws, and Teachers of good Life, and all Spiritual Causes should be Decided by the Bishops, as all National or Human Causes by the Judges, o∣therwise there would be a Confusion both in Church and State; wherefore those that are not of that Profession, ought not to meddle there∣with, or Dispute thereof, but to Submit to that which our Fore-fathers thought fit to Enact, Or∣der, and Dispose, for the good of their Succes∣sors, and Succedent Times; And so leaving O. G. and C. O. to agree if they can, I rest,
Madam,
Your faithful Fr. and S.