CHAP. III. That the distinction of Points Fundamental and not Fundamental, is neither pertinent, nor true in our present Controversie. And that the Catholique Visible Church cannot err, in either kind of the said Points.
THis distinction is abused by Protestants to many purposes of theirs; and therefore if it be either untrue or impertinent (as they understand, and apply it) the whole edifice built thereon, must be ruinous and false. For, if you object their bitter and continued discords in matters of Faith, without any means of agreement: they instantly tell you (as Charity Mistaken plainly shews) that they differ only in Points not Fundamental. If you convince them, even by their own Confessions, that the Ancient. Fathers taught divers Points held by the Roman Church against Protestants: they reply, that those Fathers may ne∣vertheless be saved, because those errors were not Fundamental. If you will them to remember, that Christ must alwayes have a Visible Church on earth, with administration of Sacraments, and successi∣on of Pastors, and that when Luther appeared there was no Church distinct from the Roman, whose Communion and Doctrine, Luther then forsook, and for that cause must be guilty of Schism and Heresie: they have an Answer (such as it is) that the Catholique Church cannot perish, yet may err in Points not Fundamental, and therefore Luther and other Protestants were obliged to forsake her for such er∣rors, under pain of Damnation: as if (sorsooth) it were Damnable, to hold an error not-Fundamental, nor Damnable. If you wonder how they can teach, that both Catholiques and Protestants may be saved in their several Professions: they salve this contradiction, by saying, that we both agree in all Fundamental Points of Faith, which is enough for salvation, And yet, which is prodigiously strange, they could never be induced to give a Catalogue what Points in particular be Fundamental, but only by some general description, or by referring us to the Apostles Creed, without determining, what Points therein be Fundamental, or not Fundamental for the matter: and in what sense they be, or be not, such: And yet concerning the meaning of divers Points contained, or reduced to the Creed, they differ both from us, and among themselves. And indeed, it being impossible for them to exhibit any such Catalogue, the said distinction of Points, although it were pertinent and true, cannot serve them to any purpose, but still they must remain uncertain, whether or not they disagree from one ano∣ther, from the ancient Fathers, and from the Catholique Church, in Points Fundamental: which is to say, they have no certainty whether they enjoy the substance of Christian Faith, without which they cannot hope to be saved. But of this more hereafter.
2. And to the end, that what shall be said concerning this distinction may be better understood, we are to observe, that there be two precepts which concern the vertue of Faith, or our obligation to be∣lieve divine Truths. The one is by Divines called Affirmative, whereby we are obliged to have a posi∣tive explicit belief of some chief Articles of Christian Faith. The other is temed Negative, which strictly binds us not to disbelieve, that is, not to believe the contrary of any one Point sufficiently re∣presented to our understandings, as revealed or spoken by Almighty God. The said Affirmative Pre∣cept (according to the nature of such commands) injoyns some Act to be performed but not at all times, nor doth it equally bind all sorts of persons, in respect of all Objects to be believed. For Objects; we