An apology against the defence of schisme Lately written by an English diuine at Doway, for answere to a letter of a lapsed Catholicke in England his frend: who hauing in the late co[m]mission gone to to [sic] the Church, defended his fall. Wherin is plainly declared, and manifestlye proued, the generall doctrine of the diuines, & of the Church of Christ, which hitherto hath been taught and followed in England, concerning this pointe.

§. 11.

But your reason following of your good inten∣tion either to pray Catholickly, or to saue your wife and children and goodes or landes, is moste friuolous. The end say you is that which maketh the action either good or badde: But my end is good: therfore the action also is not vnlawfull. Wherin I maruaile no more that you are become a new patrone of going to the Church: for you haue taken vpon you the defence & maintenance of all other wickednes. Teach I pray you the mur∣derer; to haue an intention of shewing his man∣hoode: the theefe, to desire riches, that he may liue in his ould age honestly and truely in the com∣mon welth: the adulterer to procure amity and

frendshippe in his neighboures samely: and then may you vpon such intentions, I will not say dis∣pense with them, that they may seriously applye their trades: but persuade them that which they doe to be sound and perfect vertue. There be ther∣fore two kindes of endes, and likewise two sortes of intentions in our actions. The first is an intrin∣secall end, which is the very obiect and motiue which the will desireth: and that act of the will, by which we desire to obtaine that end, is proper∣ly called our intention.

There is an other end extrinsecall vnto the acte and not alwaies pretended, when we doe not on∣ly desire that which is the immediate motiue of our desire, but referring that to a farther purpose, desire withall to obtaine the same. and this is also a kind of intention: but extrinsecall and acciden∣tary in our wholle action and is called a circum∣stance therof. An example of this you may haue in all actions. If a man determine to go to dinner: the very obiect, and motiue, and intrinsecall end of his desire, that is of his intention, is to dine. But if he referre this his dinner vnto obedience, or vnto the glory of God, for whom he intendeth to keepe and increase hiscorporall strength: these are extrinsecall endes or circumstances of the first in∣tention or end: and his immediate intention be∣ing to dine, he referreth the same with a farther intention vnto those endes. Now this intrinsecall end which we spake of as it giueth the nature and forme vnto the inward action: so doth it also giue what goodnes or badnes is in it. For if that obiect or motiue be of the owne nature conformable vn∣to

to reason, than is it a good action or desire: If con¦trary; contrary: If indifferent, so that it hath in it selfe no certaine or determinate order vnto right reason: then is the action of the owne nature in∣different, neither good, nor badde. Yet doth not goodnes or badnes flow into an action onely by the nature of the immediate obiect or end of the same: but also by the extrinsecall end: yea by eue∣ry circumstance, and euery meanes taken for the obtaining of the same first end or obiect. So that although the action be good of it selfe or indiffe∣rent: yet if it be referred to a further end which is euill, or if any meanes vsed for the bringing to passe of the action it selfe be euill, or there wante any circumstance of time, place, maner, or mea∣sure necessary: than is the wholle action it selfe naught for some circumstance. Euen in like man∣ner is the action it selfe naught, when it being vn∣lawfull is donne with all possible circumstances or intention of whatsoeuer farther good. For the ge∣nerall ground both of Philosophers and Diuines cannot be infringed: that good is of the wholle & intiere cause: but the euill is of euery particuler de∣fect. Hence is it therfore euident: first, that al∣though your remote intentions in going to the Church haue neuer so great colour of piety: yet that which immediatelye you doe which is to goe to the Church is your intention also: And that you as well intend to goe to the Church, although for those extrinsecall endes: as hee which stealeth for to geue Almes intendeth to steale, and the dissolute woeman which killeth her Infant for feare of geuing scandall, intendeth

the death therof Secondly that the immediate action of going to the Church being euill, it cānot be iustified by any godly or lawfull circumstance. Euen as if it were good of it selfe, yet might it be made euill by an euill circumstance. For good re∣quireth a perfect cause, & euill is that which wan∣teth any part of the cause. Euen as a man is not a perfect man except he haue all his members per∣fect: yet is he imperfect, if with all other good pro portion, he doe but looke awry.

Notes

• The 10. ob∣iection of a good inten∣tion.
• This reason serueth for the defence of all vice.
• Two kinds of intentiōs.
• A good acti∣on of it selfe may be cor∣rupted by y^e circumstan∣ces: but an euill action cannot be iustified by good circū∣stances or intentions.
• Dion. c. 4. de diu. nom.