Christianity maintained. Or a discouery of sundry doctrines tending to the ouerthrovve of Christian religion: contayned in the answere to a booke entituled, mercy and truth, or, charity maintayned by Catholiques.

The fourth Doctrine. Iniurious to the miracles of our Sauiour, and of his Apostles.

CHAP. V.

1. THE Disciple is not aboue his Mayster: & we may not wonder that a man should be free with the Apostles, if he spare not Christ himselfe. To the end that the entrance might be proportionable to the building which he was rai∣sing, he plants in his Preface a Tenet, which cannot but be as strange to all considerate Christians, as it is dangerous to the weake. It seemes he was not able to deny, that true miracles haue been wrought by mem∣bers of our Catholicke Church: He comes therefore to this desperate euasion, and giues vs these wordes in print:(a) 1.1 It seemes to me no strange thing, that God in his Iustice should permit some true miracles to be wrought to delude them who haue forged so many, as apparently the Professours of the Roman doctrine haue to abuse the world.

I shall wrong the Readers vnderstanding, if for his sake I shall stand to dilate vpon that, which is very cleer; that by this meanes the miracles of our Blessed Sauiour, and his Apostles cannot be knowne to be inducements to truth, but may haue been snares to entrap the behoulders in pernicious errours. To what end then doth S. Paul prooue his mission by mi∣racles?(b) 1.2 Signa Apostolatus meifacta sunt supervos, in omni prudentia, in signis, & prodigijs & virtutibus. To what end did our Blessed Sauiour assigne miracles, to confirme the preaching of his Apostles? Signa autem eos, qui crediderint, hae sequentur: In nomine meo daemo∣nia eijcient &c.(c) 1.3. To what purpose did he send this message to S. Iohn Baptist, Caecivident, claudi ambulant(d) 1.4? To what end did he say(e) 1.5 si opera non fecissem in eis, quae nemo alius fecit, peccatum non haberent?

2. Many other texts might be alledged. These will satisfy euery good Christian that belieues the Scriptures. But I confesse, neither these or any other places of Scripture can prooue any thing with this man, who by affirming that true miracles may be wrought to delude men, doth depriue the Apostles of all authority which they could gayne by working miracles, and consequently leaues men free from any obligation to belieue that their writings were infal∣lible. And then to what purpose doth he tel vs in the same place, that the Bible hath byn confirmed with those miracles, which were wrought by our Sauiour Christ and his Apostles, since those very miracles might by the same ground, be delusions rather then confirmations? If true miracles may now be wrought in punishment of Christians for forging false miracles, as you pre∣tend;

what certainty can you giue a man that our Sa∣uiour & his Apostles did not the like,* 1.6 in punishment of the Iewes and Gentils for Idolatry, Irreligiousnesse and other grieuous sinnes, which are neuer wanting in the world, and may be punished in the manner you speake of, if once this assertion be admitted, that True miracles may be wrought to delude men?

3. But though by this impiety you depriue Scrip∣ture of all authority, and cannot consequently be persuaded to any thing by Scripture: yet there remai∣nes one powerfull authority to conuince you euen in this your tenet. It is your selfe. For thus you speake to vs vpon another occasion:(f) 1.7 Yf you be so infallible, as the Apostles were, shew it as the Apostles did. They went forth (sayth S. Marke) and preached euery where, the Lord working with them, and confirming their words with signes following. It is impossible that God should lye, & that the eternall Truth should set his hand and seale to the con∣firmation of a falshood, or of such doctrine, as is partly true and partly false. The Apostles doctrine was thus confirmed, therefore it was intirely true, and in no part either false or vncertaine. Is it not cleere by these words that since the Doctrine of the Roman Church hath byn con∣firmed by true miracles (as you affirmed in your Motiue, and for ought I can perceiue, deny it not in your answere) she must be the true Church? For euen against your selfe, when you speake not in oppo∣sition to the Roman Church, you confesse that the eternall Truth cannot confirme a falshood with true miracles. Or if in opposition to our Church you will recall what you deliuer in your Booke, and be con∣stāt to that which you say in your Preface in answere

to your Motiue; I must still be enforced to affirme that you prepare a way to the ouerthrow of Christianity, by euacuating the efficacy of miracles wrought by Christ our Lord, his Apostles, and all holy men, in confirmation of Christian Religion.

4. And to the end the Reader may not thinke I am too rigorous in pressing you vpon this one passage, vpon which you were thrust by a hard necessity of answering your owne motiues; I challenge you vpon this other wherein you say:(g) 1.8 For my part I professe, that if the Doctrine of the Scripture were not as good, and as fit to come from the fountaine of goodnesse, as the miracles by which it was confirmed were great, I should want one maine pillar of my Fayth, and for want of it, I feare should be much staggered in it. Catholickes are most certaine that the doctrine of the Scripture is as good, as the mi∣racles by which it was confirmed were great. But this certainty we do not ground vpon our owne Know∣ledge or Iudgment, framed by considering the Do∣ctrines in themselues, as if we should be staggered if we could not find them to be such independently of mi∣racles; but, because they are confirmed by miracles, or otherwise testifyed to be good, by them, to whom we must submit: whereas your way of beliefe leaues a man in a disposition to be perpetually altering opi∣nions, accordingly as the same things may sometimes appeare true, and other times false; which diuersity of iudgments you must according to this your do∣ctrine follow, euen against any point confirmed by miracles, if it chance to seeme not true to your vnder∣standing, which is the part and proper disposition of a Socinian.

Notes

• (a) 1.1

  Pref. 〈◊〉〈◊〉. 43.
• (b) 1.2

  2. Cor. 12.12.
• (c) 1.3

  Mare. vlt. v. 17.
• (d) 1.4

  Mat. II.
• (e) 1.5

  Ioan. 15.24.
• * 1.6

  Chap. 5.
• (f) 1.7

  Pag. 144. n. 31.
• (g) 1.8

  Pag. 69. n. 47.