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G.B. pag. 116. The first Character of our Faith, is that it was delivered to the world by men sent of God, & divinely inspired, who proved their mission by miracles.
ANSWER. All Divine Faith is built to the
veracity of God: the men, who delivered it at first, were but the organs by which God spake, & their Words were his words. When you received the word of God, says S. Paul 1. Thess. 2.15. Which when you received of us, you received it not as the word of men; but (as it is in truth) the word of God. Hence those men frequently use that phrase: Haec dicit Dominus. Thus says the Lord. And Faith is no further a Theologicall vertu, then it re∣lyes, solely, & only, on the truth (Veracity) of God, as on its formall object: as with our Divi∣nes, & out of them Dr. Pearson, in his learned explication on the Creede teaches. And in this even those men 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Divinely inspi∣red proceded as we doe, resolving their Faith into the veracity of God as well, as we: for their faith was univoca, of the some nature with ours, with this only difference, that the formall object was applyed to them cleerely, & to us only obscu∣rely. The assent to such a mystery in Christ was science, or vision; not soe in any others: he myght say,(a) 1.1 We know what we speake; quod scimus loquimur, & quod vidimus testamur, & we testi∣fy what we have seene; The rest must say(b) 1.2 cre∣dimus propter quod & loquimur. We beleive, & therefore we speake.
In this manner faith was first spreade in the world. I say the Catholick faith; not your Prote∣stant faith, which as it containes your positive, & negative articles (otherwise it is not Prote∣stant)
was never delivered by any man divinely inspired; but invented by your first Reformers, who (as I have sayd chap. 22. s. 1.) taking the whole summe of faith revealed, topt, & lopt off it as much, as they pleased, & from them you have not the Christian; but the Protestant faith, Fides temporum, non Evangeliorum; a faith of the times not of the Ghospels, says Tertul. Were these the men of God divinely inspired & assisted by miracles?
G. B. pag. 116. The doctrines about which we differ, can pretend to no such divine Originall.
ANS. You know we hold this not to be tru: we receved all by the some authority, from the same hand.
G. B. pag. 117. What man sent of God was the first Authour of the beleife of the corporall presence, of the Sacrisice of the Masse, of the Popes supremacy, of Purgatory, of Indulgences, & of all those innu∣merable superstitions; of which scripture is absolu∣tely silent.
ANSWER. Christ was a man sent of God, & he was the first Authour of them.
G. B. Ibidem. If these doctrines were not the off spring of Revelations, we cannot be oblidged to beleive them as such.
ANS. Your former legerdemain comes again, another conviction of your disingenous procee∣ding. This appeares by these Propositions: If the Bible were not the off spring of Revelation, we should not be bound to beleive it. If Christ were not
tru God, we should not be bound to adore him as such. Could you with patience heare a Pagan with such a slyght undermine the authority of the Bi∣ble, of the honour doe to Christ? Prove what you odiously suggest, that the things you wrong∣fully call superstitions, are not revealed: & you will doe something to the purpose. But you are too cunning to attempt any such proofe, which you know surpasses your strength. And there fore you had rather suppose then prove it, that being more proportioned to your capacity, & Religion.
G. B. Ibidem. They vouch Scriptures for proofe to some of these, but these are soe far stretched, that their sure retreate is in the Sanctuary of Tra∣ditions.
ANS. You speake as dogmatically, as if it were ex Tripode. Here is an Assertion without any proofe: & soe is a convincing proofe, that you have none. Tradition is indeede our Sanctua∣ry, to which you have no claime. By it we re∣ceived 1. Scriptures, 2. the sense of Scriptures, which is their soul.
Now when Scriptures are doubtfull in any point, or as you phrase it, seeme not to reach home, without Stretching, can we have better assurance of their tru meaning, then by the au∣thority of the Church, which is cleerely com∣mended us in Scriptures themselves. And in following her sense, we are certain we follow Scriptures: which is the discourse of S. Aug. l. 1.
contra Crescon. cap. penult. Quamvis hujus rel de Scripturis Canonicis non proferatur exemplum, Scripturarum etiam in hac re à nobis tenetur veri∣tas cum hoc facimus, quod universae jam placuit Ec∣clesiae, quam ipsarum Scripturarum commendat au∣ctoritas, ut quoniam Sacra Scriptura fallere nonpo∣test, quisquis falli metuit hujus obscuritate quo∣stionis, Ecclesiam de illâ consulat, quam sin•• allâ ambiguitate sancta Scriptura demonstrat.
G. B. Ibidem. Till it be proved, that an er∣rour could not creepe into the world that way, we must be excused from beleiving.
ANS. Unlesse you prove, that errours have crept in that way, you are inexcusable. You actually rejected those things, as errours, which were in possession all over the world: unlesse you prove them to be such, your fact is cri∣minall.
G. B. Ibidem. It is not possible to know what Traditions came from the Apostles.
ANS. Habemus hic confitentem reum. For if it be impossible to know what Traditions were Apostolicall, your Reformers act in rejecting soe many, was rash, & inconsiderate. They had beene better advised, to retaine all, as they found them in the Church, them to cut them off. But your proceedure is as different in this as in the rest, from S. Austin. For was any thing doubted of: this Saint's methode was to consult the Church, & adhere to what shee be∣leived, or practised; (as you see in his discourse
above) you consult the Church too, but it is only to reject her practice, & condemne her sentiments,
The weyght of the authority of the Church may be sufficient, to convince which are Aposto∣licall Traditions, as it convinces which are Apo∣stolicall writings. Yet we have other signes. I will instance in two one taken from S. Austin l. 4. de Bapt. contra Donat. cap. 24. Quod uni∣versa tenet Ecclesia, nec à Conciliis institutum, sed semper retentum est, non nisi Apostolicâ traditum auctoritate rectissimè creditur. We ought to be∣leive those things to have come from the Apostles, which the whole Church holds, & were not intro∣duced by Councills; but were always in use. To prove this, it is enough, that the first persons, who mention them, speake of them, not as of things newly begun; but which were of an∣cient practice.
The second rule is taken out of Tertullian l. de praescript. c. 28. Age nunc omnes erraverint, deceptus sit & Apostolus de testimonio reddendo quibusdam, nullam respexerit Spiritus sanctus, uti eam in veritatem induceret, ad hoc missus est à Christo, ad hoc postulatus de Patre, ut esset Doctor veritatis, neglexerit officium Dei villicus, Christi vi∣carius, sinens Ecclesias aliter in terris intelligere, aliter credere, quàm ipse per Apostolos praedicabat. Ecquid verisimile est ut tot ac tantae Ecclesiae in unā fidem erraverint? Nullus inter multos eventus est unus exitus, variasse debuerat error doctrinae Eccle∣siarum.
Coeterùm quod apud multos unum invenitur non est erratum, sed traditum. Suppose says he, that all churchs have erred that the Apostle was deceived in the testimony he gave to some the holy Ghost looked to none, to leade it into truth to which intent he was sent by the son, & demanded of the father, to be the Doctor of truth: let the steward of God, the Vicar of Christ neglect his duty & permit the Churchs to un∣derstand, & beleive otherwise, then he had taught by his Apostles. Is it probable, that all Churchs should by error fall into one & the same opinion? when there are soe many by ways, those who loose the hygh way wonld scarce wander into the same error. Soe that certainly what is sound one & the same in ma∣ny Churchs is no ertor newly invented, but it is faith of old delivered. Thus Tertullian. Answer you to his discourse, if you can.
G. B. pag. 108. A late ingenious writer, whose sincere zeale had drawne censures on himself, & his booke, tooke away to repayre his reputation by a new method of proving Popish doctrines that they had them from their Ancestors, they from theirs. But this pretence hath beene baffled by Mr. Claud, as all know, who have beene soe happy as to reade his workes.
ANSWER. I am perswaded, that your Pre∣lates will scarce think it sincere zeale in Monsr. Arnaud (of him you speake) that the stood out solong against his spirituall & temporall Supe∣riors. But let that passe. You discover your ig∣norance in saying that Method was new, or that
Arnaud invented it. Mr. Tho. White had it before Arnaud: Mr. Fisher a Jesuit, before T. W. Bel∣larmin before him: & S. Austin, S. Stephen Pope, & Tertullian, before them all. I have reade Mr. Claude's workes, & was far from finding soe much satisfaction, as you promise your Reader, I beleive rather uppon heare say, then on your owne experience. Nay I have from one of the eminentest wits, of the french Hugenots, that Claud was not much esteemed a mongst his owne for those workes: which would have beene neglected, had not Arnaud's enemys commended them. You say Claud Bussled him: others are of a different opinion. I confesse Mr. Arnaud, though very learned, yet seemed not qualifyed to manage a controversy in defence of Church-Authority & Tradition: having (as much as lay in him) weakened both, by his writings, & practice, during the time he stood out against the Censure & the Formula. Which gave such advantage to Mr. Claude, who indu∣striously gathered together, & cunningly re∣turned uppon him his owne arguments) that some thought he foyled his adversary. Yet without any prejudice to the Catholick cause, which is not concerned in Mr. Arnaud's personall faylings.
Let us now heare, what you can alleadge against the authority of Tradition, to prove a change unobserved in our Faith.
G. B. p. 121. Weknow the chalice was taken
from the people 250. yeares agoe.
ANS. 1.ò You are mistaken in your epocha: S. Th. 3. p. q. 8o. a. 12. assures it was in his time taken away in many places: & he lived 400, yaeres ago, & from the beginning some persons, & on some occasions received but one species. 2. This is an argument that changes cannot happen without some notice taken of them: As in this, we know when it begun (with the schooles) who opposed it, (the Hussits) what Councill commanded it, & condemne its op∣posers, that of Constance. Which confirmes our Rule, that when none of this appeares, there hath beene no change,
G. B. Pag. 121. All once worshipt in their mo∣ther tongue, but after (by the over throw of the em∣pire) the latin tongue decayed, the barbarous wor∣ship was obtruded on the world.
ANS. This proves a change in the People, whose language was spoyled, with the mixtu∣re of Barbarous termes; not in the service which the continued the same: it continving in latin, as it was before that inundation of Barbarians.
G. B. p. 122. We know that for the first seven Centuryes the Christians world abhorred Images.
ANS. In what age did S. Gregory the Greate live? sure with in the first seven Centuryes. And he l. 7. ep. 109. & l. 9, ep. 8. rebuked Serenus Bishop of Marseilles for casting them out of the Church. Was not S. Austin with in the first seven Centuryes he l. 1. consens. Evang.
c. 10. speakes of the pictures of Christ, & the Holy Apostles S. Peter, & S. Paul. Thus I have past your three instances to prove a change in the faith of the Church: which you us sherin, with that emphaticall terme WEKNOW. If you have many other such points of KNOWLEDGE, for the divertisment of the learned world, I wish you to publish them. I am perswaded few, besides your self know such things: most know them to be false.
Io. 3.11.
2. Cor. 4.13.