Charity mistaken, with the want whereof, Catholickes are vniustly charged for affirming, as they do with grief, that Protestancy vnrepented destroies salvation.

The auoiding of three obiections, which they make against vs, to disproue our vnitie in faith amongst our selues; and of a fourth allegation, whereby they would shew that they hold as much vnity both with the Lutherans, and euen with vs Catholickes at this day, as they are boūd to maintaine. CHAPTER VII.

THey first striue to impeach our vnity in faith, by obiecting that variety of opiniōs in some points which they find by our books, to be amongst vs; whereby they would inferre, that there is also a∣mongst vs a diuersity of beliefe and faith; and there is nothing more vsuall with them then this discourse. But the answere is shortly and clerely this. That where∣soeuer they find our Doctours to be of a contrary opiniō, they shall also find those points in question, not be haue bene de∣fined by the Church; but left at liberty to be debated and disputed, as men see cause. Such are a world of difficultyes betweene the Thomists and Scotists; de au∣xilijs, betwene the Dominicans and the

Iesuites; wherein either side defendes that which they take to be the truth, op∣posing the contrary opinion, by all the argumēts that occure. And both sides, the while, are resolued, & ready to submit, to the iudgmēt & definitiō of the Church whensoeuer it shall be declared; so ca∣ptiuating their vnderstanding to the obediēce of faith, as the Apostle exhorts. And in the meane time, they preserue the spirit of cha∣ritie, in the bond of peace. If our aduersa∣ries could sh••w that they erected Altare contra altare, or that they were resolued not to obey to the definition of the Church, when it were declared, they should haue reason on their side: but o∣therwise they are either very ignorant, or els full of malice, who make this obie∣ction. And let them either shew, what Iesuite and Dominican breakes commu∣nion with on another, or els betake thē∣selues to some better prooffes.

The next obiection is yet more stu∣pide then the former; and I wonder how Caluins rage against the Church could put him so farre out of his wits, as that he would euer take it into his mouth. For it is he, who (being pricked by our no∣ting their want of vnity towards their

fellow brethren) thinkes to re••ort it backe vpon vs, by saying that we are not in case, to obiect any such thing against them; forasmuch as that forsooth, we haue as many sects amongst vs, as we haue seuerall Orders of Religious men; and then he rekons vp Benedictans, Car∣melites, Dominicans, Franciscans, & whom els he will. Wicked man, who well knewe, that no one of those holy Orders, doth differ in any one point of doctrine from any of the rest, & are so farre from breaking communion with them, as that still they preuent one another in all honour and good respects, according to the aduice of the Blessed Apostle; and much more do they exhibite all possible reuerence and obedience to the same Church, and the Prelates thereof. The difference which indeede raignes amongst them, is who shal strip themselues soonest of all earth∣ly incombrance, and so fly the faster to heauen. They haue seuerall Rules indeed which were framed by their seuerall Founders, those men of God; whereby they might the better direct their course to this iourneyes end, according to those seuerall spirits which our Lord imparts to seueral persons. For though any man

may be good in any lawfull state of life, but especially in some holy Or∣der of Religion; yet because men are not only of seuerall constitutions in bo∣dy, but of as seuerall dispositions also in minde; and that some are apter for con∣templation, others for a more actiue life; some for corporall austerities, others for mentall reflections and mortifications; some for catechising, preaching and cō∣fessing, others for silence and recollectiō; Vt omnis spiritus laudent Dominum, it was most agreable to the sweete prouidence of Almighty God, to inspire his eminēt seruants with seuerall spirits, who might erect seuerall Orders at seuerall times, which seuerall natures might affect, and so apply themselues to God, both more cheerfully & more fruitfully therein; es∣pecially if they conserue that spirit, with which the Order was first indued. And as wel & wisely might Caluin haue cōfest a differēce of Religion amongst thēselues because some men weare gownes & o∣thers cloakes; as to haue argued a disuniō amongst our Religious men, because of their differēce in habit or diet, either frō other Orders, or else from secular people.

I heare them also make a third ob∣iectiō,

against our vnity in points of faith; in regard of the difference betweene our learned and vnlearned men; for in con∣sequence thereof they say, that some one of vs belieues incomparably more, then an other. For the clearing of this point I will open a certaine distinction, the sub∣iect whereof they are wont to lay to our chardge as a crime: but if they lend me a litle patience, the same will serue them for a light, to let them see that thēselues are out of the way.

This distinction, is of Explicite and Im∣plicite faith. A man is sayd to haue Explicite faith of any Article or doctrine, when he hath heard it particularly pro∣pounded to him, and hath some particu∣lar knowledge thereof, and giues parti∣cular assent thereunto. But as for Implicite faith of any Article or doctrine, a man is then sayd to haue it, when he belieues that concerning it, which the Church teaches them explicitly, who are capa∣ble thereof; although for his owne part, he haue not perhaps so much as heard of it in particular; or if he did, he hath for∣got it; or if he remember it, he hath not capacity inough to apprehend, or vnder∣stand it. But howsoeuer (as I sayd) he is

resolued to belieue both of that and all things else, as the Church teaches; & wil giue an Explicite consent to it, whē he shal be informed hereof, & be made ab••e to vnderstand it; & hath this firme resolutiō, that he will neuer hold he cōtrary either of that, or of any other thing, which they Church shal require him to belieue.

This I say is our doctrine concer∣ning Explicite and Implicite faith, and I dare confidently affirme, that whosoe∣uer considers the same indifferently, and with a resolution to receaue satisfaction if there be cause, and not to be still ca∣uilling, whether there because or noe; will confesse, that not only the doctrine of Explicite and Implicite faith, doth not only not impeach our vnity in beliefe, in regard that some mē belieue some things more Explicitely, ••hen others do; but that, if it were possible to abo••ish this doctrine (which indeed it is impossible to do, be∣cause it is rather deliuered vs by the voice of nature it selfe, which hath or∣dained a different capacity in the mindes of men) it would be wholly impossible to maintaine any Church in any vnity of faith at all. For example; will any man amōgst them be so absurd, as to cōceaue

that any plough man, or Trades man, or silly Woman, doth belieue the same things Explicitely, concerning Originall sinne, or the relation which runnes be∣tweene free will and grace, and a hundred other questions of this nature, which may be Explicitly belieued by some prin∣cipall Doctour of diuinity amōgst them, who haue particular studied these que∣stions? And if they confesse they cannot, will they be content that we shall inferre thereby, that there is no vnity of faith maintained amongst them? Infallibly they will not: and therefore it is but rea∣son, that they measure, as they would be measured to; and that they acknowledge that if dissension in point of faith, could depend vpon the Explicitenesse, or Impli∣citenesse of a mans belieuing seuerall do∣ctrines, there would be, in effect, as ma∣ny seuerall faithes, amongst vnlearned Christians, as there are seuerall capaci∣ties. For as much as we can hardly finde, two such men, whereof the one belieues iust as much Explicitely and no more, then the other doth; because the notice, and the attention, and the capacity, and the memory, and the profession, is euer in ef∣fect more or lesse in one, then in another,

and according to the more or lesse of these circumstance, will the Articles Explicitely beleiued be either more or lesse. The truth concerning this particu∣lar holds not only in the Catholicke Church, but in all congregations which professe any Religion whatsoeuer, con∣sisting of seuerall Articles & parts. They who are learned and haue eminent en∣dowments of nature, and apply them∣selues with particular industry, must euer belieue Explicitely more points of their Religion, whatsoeuer it be; and those o∣thers who are of contraries qualities, must belieue Explicitely fewer points. And this is also clear, that the more points of any Religion, which a man be∣lieues Explicitely, the fewer doth the leaue himselfe to belieue Implicitely; and so on the contrary side, the more he be∣lieues Implicitely, he reaches so much the fewer with an Explicite faith. He may & must belieue all the Articles, and Do∣ctrines of his Religion, with a true, en∣tire, most certaine and supernatural faith; but that he should belieue them all with an Explicite faith, is neither necessary, nor possible. But by belieuing as much as he can with an Explicite faith, and what

he can not, with an Implicite; a Cardinal Bellarmine, and a Collier; nay the sim∣plest Catholicke woman in the whole world, and the most glorious Mother of God, if she liued still on earth, should be absolutely & fully of the selfe same Re∣ligion & faith wi••h one another. So that the sw••rd of our aduersaries prooues a buckler to vs; and that obiection which they make to disproue our vnity in faith, (vnder which they would both shelter their weaknes, when we iustly obiect their departure from the Church against thē; & also authorize their malice, when they haue a minde to cast the scandall of affected ignorance vpon vs) prooues a foundation to vs of that truth, which shewes how our vnity is made perfect.

These are the three obiections, which Protestants are wont to make against our vnity in point of faith. And now there re∣maines an allegation or argumt, wher∣by they procure to defend themselues against our obiectiō, that they want vni∣ty amongst themselues. For in vertue hereof they affirme, that they ought not to be held in disunion, either with the Fathers of the primitiue Church, or which the Lutherans or such other fel∣low

ghospellers of theirs at this day, or indeed euen with vs Catholickes; if things, as they say, may be considered with moderation: and all this they take to be secured, by distinguishing points of faith, into Fundamentall and not Fundamen∣tall; and then by saying that they agree both with the Fathers, and Lutheranes, and sometimes (of their curtesie) euen with vs, in all fundamentall points of faith, and that they differ but in points not fū∣damentall. It is a matter of great momēt, that this particular conceit be carefully sifted and discouered; and therefore I wil aske leaue that the next Chapter may be spent about it.