Reason and religion, or, The certain rule of faith where the infallibility of the Roman Catholick Church is asserted, against atheists, heathens, Jewes, Turks, and all sectaries : with a refutation of Mr. Stillingfleets many gross errours / by E.W.

CHAP. V.

More quarrels Answered. Mr Stillingfleets endeauor to catch Catholicks in à Circle, demonstrated both vain and improbable. His Obiec∣tions are forceless. A word to an vnleaaned Cauil.

1. FRom the Page last cited, to P. 123. I find nothing in Mr Stillingfleet worth any larger Answer than is giuen already. Here He tells vs, That many things in Christian Religion are to be belieued before we can Imagin any such thing, as an infallible Testimony of our Church. It is hard to guess at his meaning, for he names not one Article, thus Assented to. Perhaps he would Say, That the Verities reuealed in some books of Scripture, cal∣led Protocanonical known by their own proper Signatures or Moti∣ues, as the Harmony, Sanctity, and Maiesty of the Style, may be belieued without the Testimony of an Infallible Church. If so; I Answer first. All this Harmony or Maiesty, considered only as Obiects of Sense, or as preuioussly known by their Natural Euidence (thus far and not further they bear the name of Motiues) auaile not to belieue any Verity in Scripture, if the infallibility of the Church be reiected, And therefore we said aboue, this Sanctity and Harmony are assented to by Faith only, after the Church immediatly Eui∣denced by Her Motiues, Ascertain's vs that such Books are Di∣uine. I Answer. 2. Grant such Motiues may in some weak man∣ner, and particular Circumstances conduce to belieue the Scriptu∣res Diuinity, yet in this present State, when we haue à Church most clearly manifested, which both Ascertain's vs of Scripture and the Sense also, it would be no less than an vndiscreet rash∣ness

to cast off her Authority, (being the most facile and plainest Rule) and in Lieu of Her, to rely on another forrain, vnfit way of Belieuing by Motiues, not half fo clear, and far less conuin∣cing.

2. Thus some Diuines Teach, though à Heathen after à due Consideration of the works in Nature, may come to belieue that God will reward Good, and punish Euil, yet none do As∣sert, That when our Christian Articles are clearly proposed to him, by the Pastors and Teachers of the Church, For exam∣ple, That Christ dyed for vs. The dead shall rise again. God will reward the iust &c. That then if he reiect Church Authority, he can belieue the forenamed Articles with Diuine Faith. This I Deny, And the reason is, because that way of belieuing, when à more ordinary and facile is proposed, Seem's temerarious and im∣prudent, And so it would be, should any now when the Church giues vs full Assurance of the Scriptures Diuinity lay aside Her Authority, and Say. I will alsolutely belieue this or that Truth to be God's word, because I Discouer apparent Signs. of Diuini∣ty, in what I read.

3. In the next place, Mr Stillingfleet Quarrel's with à word. The Roman Catholick Church, which, in his opinion, is iust as much as to Say. The German vniuersal Emperour, That is particular and vniuersal together, for Roman restrain's or marks out one Church, vniuersal, includes all. Answ. It is à meer Quibble exploded by the Fathers, particularly S. Hierome. Apolog. 1. aduersus Ruffin. not far from the beginning, who call's the Roman Faith the Ca∣tholick Faith. VVhat, Saith he, is Ruffinus his Faith? It is that there with the Roman Church preuail's, or another founded in Origens Writings? Si Romanam responderit, Ergo Catholici sumus. If he Answer's it is the Roman Faith, This Inference is good, we both profess the vniuersal Faith. Therefore Roman and Vni∣uersal are here synomimal or words of one Signification, which the Apostle clearly Insinuates. Rom. 1. 8. Your Faith is renowned the whole world ouer. Again. Epist. 16. ad Principiam Virg: circa medium. He showes that the most ancient Saints addressed them∣selues

to to the Roman Church, Quasi ad tutissimum communionis su•• portum, as to à place of refuge, or of mutual Communion, which was General, Publick, and belonged to all. Yet more. When, Epist: 57. ad Damasum, This great Doctor positiuely teaches, That he was ioyned in Communion, with no other Society of men then such as adhered to Damasus, S. Peters Successor, (where vpon the Church was built) And that those who eate the lambe out of this House, were prophane. Did he think ye speak of any one particular Roman Diocess, and not of the vniuersal Catholick Church? It is con∣trary to his Discourse, and reason also.

4. Se more of this subiect in the Epistle of S. Athanasius to two Popes, Iulius and Marcus, Read also S. Cyprians Epistle. 52. n. 1. And S. Ambrose, De obitu fratris, about the middle, and know withall, The word Roman added to Catholick is not to limit the vni∣uersal Iurisdiction of that See, But to distinguish Orthodox Be∣lieuers from Hereticks, who were professed Enemies of the Ro∣man Faith. If therefore we may rightly comprise vnder this word Roman all other Christian Societies, past or present vnited in belief with this one Mother Church, There is neither Bull nor Solaecism in speech, to call the Roman (euer One and the same in Faith) the vniuersal Church of Christ.

5. Page. 127. To catch Carholicks in à Circle Mr Stilling∣fleet Ask's, why we belieue Scriptures to be the Word of God. If we Affirm vpon this Ground; That the Church which is in∣fallible deliuers them so to vs, He demand's again (and bidd's vs Answer if we can) whether t'is possible to belieue the Churches infallibility any other way, than because infallible Scriptures Say, She is infallible, which implies à plain Circle. Answ. It is very possible, For seing Scripture demonstrat's not ex terminis its own Diuinity, nor can be made euidently credible by any light inter∣nal to the Book, some other infallible Oracle distinct from it, must necessarily ascertain vs, that the Book is Diuine, And the Doctrin there preserued, is yet pure as the Apostles wrote it. But this Oracle can be no other but the Church which proues Her selfe by Signs and Miracles to speak in Gods name, indepen∣dently

of Scripture, therefore the first act of Faith, whereby we belieue in à General way the Churches infallibility, relies not (as this Gentleman weakly supposes) on Scripture, But vpon the Church it Selfe, as the most known manifested Oracle. And thus the Circle is easily auoyded.

6. You will se more clearly what I aime at, by one Instan∣ce taken from the Primitiue Christians. Ask what induced them to belieue the Apostles Infallibility when they Preached? All Answer; They belieued so, because those blessed men imme∣diatly proued themselues commissioned Oracles sent from God, and made their Doctrin euidently Credible by sensible Signs and Wonders which surpassed the force of Nature. Very true. I•• like manner we belieue the Churches infallibility, hauing preuious Motiues as Stronge to belieue that Truth vpon her Authority, as euer Christians had to belieue that S. Paul was infallible, when he preached. If then there was no Vicious Circle in those first Christians Faith, there can be none in Ours, vhilst all of vs haue infallible Oracles, manifested by Superna∣tural Signs to rely on: And Those first now mentioned had them before Scripture was written. You will say this Discourse seem's to proue, we cannot belieue the Churches Infallibility vpon the Scriptures Testimony. It has been Answered ouer and ouer, supposing Scripture be one admitted as God's sacred Word, ••e proue the Churches infallibility so strongly by it against all Aduersaries, who own the Book as Diuine, that none of them shall euer return à probable answer to our alleged Testimo∣nies.

7. But what Saith Mr Stillingfleet. Is there no difference be∣tween the way of prouing à thing to an Aduersary, and resoluing ones own Faith? Answer yes. But we both resolue and pro∣••••. We Resolue the first Act of Faith concerning Scripture into the Churches infallible Authority, and belieue that Book▪ to be of Diuine Inspiration, because this Otacle saith so. Then we Argue vpon à Principle proued by vs, and supposed, (though not proued) by Sectaries. The Principle is. Scrip∣ture

is God's word. We read the book which all Christians Say is Diuine, And proue also from it the Churches infalli∣bility against our Aduersaries Ex probatis & concessis, That the book is Diuine. Here is no danger of à Circle, nor any fault in this way of Arguing.

8. Yet Mr Stillingfleet makes his Exceptions, and will needs haue the Circle goe on against vs. You proue, Saith he, the Churches infallibility from such Passages. Super hanc Petram. Pasce oues &c. But how come you to know infalli∣bly, that the Sense of those places is as you belieue, For your Aduersaries deny any such thing as infallibility proued out of them? I may Answer first, by proposing the like Question. How do these Aduersaries know that their contrary sense is exactly the true Meaning of the Holy Ghost? Will they tell vs they think so (here is all we haue from them) what am I bet∣ter for that? When the Donatists, Pelagians, and all Hereti∣ques can think as boldly as any Protestant, And by their de∣luded thoughts vnsense, as we se by experience, the most choise and sacred Passages in holy writ. To whom then shall we re∣curr in case the Sense be doubtful? I Answer to the Church. O, saith Mr Stillingfleet Here we are got into à Circle again, and though his own words (see them in the page cited, fine) giue no force to his Probation, yet I'le help them on to all the Strength his meaning is capable of. He should therefore Argue thus. We belieue the Churches infallibility because the true sense of Scripture sayes, she is infallible. Again, We belieue this very Sense of Scripture to be infallibly true, because the in∣fallible Church saith so. I haue Answered. The first Act of Faith wherwith we belieue the Churches infallibility, is not at all founded vpon the true Sense of Scripture, as yet not known (in illo signo) to be so much as Diuine, but vpon the Chur∣ches own infallible Testimony made by it self, and for it self, immediatly credible.

9. Now if we Speak of another Distinct, consequent, and more explicite act of Faith, when we belieue the Churches in∣fallibility

vpon this ground, That She declares the Scriptures ge∣••••in Sense which proues Her an infallible Oracle, There is no difficulty at all, Because this very Exposition or Interpretation of Scripture brought to its last Principle, is vltimatly resolued into (and therefore again belieued vpon) the same infallible Au∣thority of the Church, or rather vpon Scripture and the Churches Interpretation together, For thus iointly taken, They ground Faith, and not like two disparate Principles, As if we first belieued the Scriptures sense independently of the Churches Interpretation, And then again belieued the Churches Interpretation to be infallible, because the Sense of Scripture known aliunde, or without Depending on Church Authority, Saith she is infallible. This cannot be, if Scripture and the Churches Interpretation Indiuisibly concurr to this lotter act of Faith, whereof we now speak.

10. Here then is à Dilemma that clear's all, and free's vs from the least Shadow of à Circle. We either know (or be∣lieue) the Scriptures Sense independently of the Churches in∣fallible Interpretation, or receiue it vpon her infallible Autho∣rity. Grant the first, There is no danger of à Circle, for in case that Truth were know vpon à sure Principle distinct from the Church, it would be another new and as strong à Probation of her Infallibility, as if an Angel sent from Heauen should interpret Scripture to the Catholick Sense, And then we might Assent to the Churches Infallibility vpon two disparate Princi∣ples (which proue not one another). The one Ordinary, the Churches own Interpretation, The other independent and ex∣traordinary, Should an Angel or Prophet sent from God, in∣terpret. Say. 2. We belieue the Sense of Scripture vpon the Churches own infallible Authority, There are no two imagina∣ble Propositions to make à Circle of, whilst that Sense internal to the letter, can not be infallibly propounded otherwise, then by the Church.

11. Page▪ 128. I find an vnlearned Obiection much to this Sense. We Catholicks destroy all Possibility of auoiding à Circle, if we proue by the Motiues of credibilty no new Reue∣lations

Distinct from the old; And this we Pretend not to, For we only seek to euince by these Motiues à Diuine Assistance with the Church in euery thing She Defines, but this Assistance cannot be proued from any other ground, but only from the Promises made in Scripture, Therefore we are still in à Circle, For we belieue the Scriptures infallible, because of the Churches Testimo∣ny, and we belieue the Church infallible, because of the Promises in Scripture concerning the Assistance of the Holy Ghost with the Church, so as to secure Her from all Errour. Here in Effect is the same Obiection repeated again, Therefore I Answer. We belieue not in the first place the Churches infallible Assistance moued therevnto by the Promises in Scripture, For this first General Act of Faith wholly relies vpon the Churches own infallible Te∣stimony without depending on Scripture; because Her Testimo∣ny is made most Credible to reason by conuincing Motiues, before we belieue, that She is insallibly Assisted. All must Say what I now Assert, For before Scripture was written, The Pri∣mitiue Christians belieued infallible Assistance granted the Apost∣les in euery Doctrin they taught, being induced to belieue so by the Signes and Miracles which those blessed men Euidenced. In like manner we in this present State, answerable to the Pro∣cedure of these Christians, hauing the same Motiues manifest in the Church, may well be induced to belieue, That She both now is, and euer was no lesse Assisted by the Holy Ghost to speak Truth, then the Apostles were, for as much as concern's the Substance and Verity of her Doctrin.

Notes

• His meaning obscure.
• The Church reiected, no Maiesty in Scripture can gain Beliefe.
• An Instance
• It is impru∣dent to re∣iect we easiest was of Belieuing.
• A meer quibble ex∣ploded by Fathers.
• S. Hierom's express. Testimonies.
• Other Fa∣thers Speak with S. Hierome.
• Why the Ro∣man Church was called Vniuersal.
• Mr Stilling: endeauour more then weak,
• to catch Catholicks in à Circle.
• No Circle in the Primiti∣ue Christians Faith.
• Therefore none in our Resolution.
• How we both resolue and proue the Churches In∣fallibility.
• A reply re∣tor••ed.
• Another Re∣ply, Answe∣red.
• The sense of Scripture resolued, and belieued.
• Vpon Scrip∣ture and Church Au∣thority ioyntly.
• The Asser∣tion Clear••d.
• This way▪ no two Proposi∣tions to ma∣ke à Circle of.
• A weak Ob∣iection in effect solued.
• Repeated Again.
• One Instan∣ce clear's all.