A Trial of the Romish Clergys Title to the Church, Text and commentary · Quoted chapter 3
A. D.
CHAP. III. That this one faith neceſſarie to ſaluation, is infallible.
A. W.
If you had bene deſirous, that eueryevery man ſhould vnderſtand you, inſtead of infallible, you would rather hauehave ſaid certaine, or without doubting: eſpecially ſince your ſelfe diuers times vſed the word in the paſſiue ſignification, for that which may not be doubted of, as being moſt certainly true. In this ſenſe you ſay afterward, in this Chapter, that the word of Christ is abſolutely infallible: and againe in the end of the Chapter, that we muſt account the word of faith abſolutely infallible.
A. D. §. 1.
This one faith, without which we cannot be ſaued, muſt be infallible, and moſt certaine. This is cleare, becauſe faith is that credit or inward aſſents of minde, which we giuegive to that which God (who is the prime or firſt veritie, which neither can deceiue, nor be deceiued) hath reuealed vntounto vsus by meanes of the preaching or teaching of the true Church: as we may gather out of S. Paul, when he ſaith: Quomodo credent ei, quem non audierunt? quomodo audient, ſine praedicante? quomodo praedicabunt niſi mittantur? &c. Rom. 10ergo fides ex auditu, auditus autem per verbum Chriſti. The ſenſe of which words is that, ſith we cannot beleeue vnleſſe we heare: nor beare, vnleſſe ſome lawfully ſent do preach vntounto vsus: faith is bred in vsus by hearing, and yeelding aſſent or credit to the word of Christ made knowne vntounto vsus by the preaching of the true Church, which onelyonly is lawfully ſent of God: wherefore like as the word of Chriſt, being God, is abſolutely infallible, ſo alſo the credit giuen to this word (which is our faith) muſt needs be alſo moſt certaine and infallible.
A. W.
The title and beginning of the Chapter ſpeake of faith, as it is a grace or qualitie; but the concluſion of the Chapter is concerning the infallibilitie or certaintie of the word of faith, as you call it, that is, the thing to be beleeued: ſo do you run from one thing to another. But I may ſay of this Chapter, as I hauehave done in part of the former, that we acknowledge the truth of both theſe points, and thinke your labour in prouing them, altogether vnneceſſary: only in the former there may be ſome doubt. For though it be out of queſtion, that we are to endeuor for the perfection, as of all other graces of God, ſo of that faith, wherby we aſſent to the truth of that which God hath reuealed: yet it comes to paſſe, ſometimes by our infirmitie, that our faith is accompanied with doubting. And this (as we heard before) oSotus Apol. contra. Cathar. cap. 2.Sotus grants to be true of a Catholicke faith: and prooues it by the prayer of the Apoſtles, pLuc. 17. 5.Lord increaſe our faith: to which I may adde the like requeſt of him, that crying with teares ſaid, qMark. 9. 24.Lord I beleeue, helpe my vnbeleefe. But if any man deſire to ſee a liuely patterne of this doubting, let him looke vponupon Dauid, as he deſcribes himſelfe in the Pſalme; rPſal. 73. 13.Certainly I hauehave cleanſed my heart in vaine, and waſhed my hands in innocency &c. Then thought I to know this, but it was too painfull for me. And afterward; Verſ. 16.ſo fooliſh was I and ignorant, I was a beaſt before thee. And yet the point he ſpeaks of, is a rulde caſe in Diuinitie, propounded Verſ. 22.by him in the beginning of the Pſalme: namely that the prouidence of God watcheth ouer the righteous for their good, and that he will be auenged of the wicked.
That faith which ſome Diuines call hiſtoricall, is indeed ſuch an aſſent, & goeth alwaies before iuſtifying faith; at the leaſt, for the beleeuing of ſo much, as is neceſſarie to iuſtification. Which I note by the way, that no man may be deceiued with an opinion, that iuſtifying faith is an aſſent to the truth of Gods word: whereas it is quite of another nature, and hath place in the will, rather then in the vnderſtanding. If you had ſaid, that God hath reuealed his truth to vsus by the preaching of them that were in the true Church, you had ſpokē more plainely and truely. But how the true Church, or any Church at all, ſhould be ſaid to preach, I profeſſe, I vnderſtand not. Neither can any ſuch thing be gathered out of ſRom. 10. 14.Saint Paule, who ſpeakes not a word of the Church, true or falſe. And to ſay the truth, what a ſtrange kind of ſpeech is it to ſay, The Church is ſent to preach, when as onelyonly the Miniſters preach, and not the Church: vnleſſe perhaps Iohn Baptiſt only for a time, was the Church: whē he preached alone, before our Sauiour was baptiſed. But this ſame Church is a goodly faire word, and couers a great many foule errours, with the very name of it: The Apoſtles who were they that God employed at the firſt beginning of the Goſpell, both in preaching and writing, were vndoubtedly of the true Church, both in reſpect of their election to euerlaſting life, and of the truth of the doctrine they held. It is alſo true that God ordinarily begetteth faith in the hearts of men, by the miniſters of the true Church. But it is not true that ſuch an aſſent as you ſpeake of, cannot be wrought in a man by the miniſtery of Schiſmaticks or Hereticks, though they be perhaps, in neither reſpect, any members of the true Church. Did not Arius, Macedonius, Eutyches, Neſtorius, and many other wretched hereticks aſſent in generall, to the truth of God in Scriptures, becauſe they held it to be the very true word of God? And might not men by their preaching be brought to the ſame faith? For our parts, we make no doubt, but that, in the middeſt of ignorance and ſuperſtition, many came to this faith by the preaching of your Antichriſtian Prieſts, and ſo do at this day; yea we adde further, that we doubt not, many hauehave (wee are ſure they might and may) attaine to the ſame faith (what if I ſay to iuſtifying faith too) without any preaching, by the reading of the Scriptures. For ſince it is partly the matter, that muſt argue the Scripture to be the word of God, partly the maieſty which any man may diſcerne in the manner of writing: vnleſſe it can be poooued out of the Scripture, that the holy Ghoſt will not worke by theſe vpō the heart of him that readeth, but only of him, that heareth a man expound this word vntounto him, I ſee no ſufficient reaſon, why faith may not be had by reading, where Gods ordinance of preaching is onelyonly wanting, and not wilfully neglected.
But you will ſay, the Apoſtle tyeth faith to hearing. Firſt, this is little aduantage for you Papiſts, amongſt whom (til ſhame & emulation draue you to it, within theſe laſt fiftie or threeſcore yeares) no man could ordinarily heare the word of God in any tongue, that he vnderſtood; and ſo all your hearing was to no purpoſe. Secondly, if hearing be ſufficient, where there is nothing but reading, without any expoſition of that, which is read; giuegive me ſome reaſon, why reading ſhould not be more ſufficiēt; ſince he that readeth, may eaſier vnderſtand, and better weigh that, he readeth, then he that doth onelyonly heare an other reade. But of this point I ſhall hauehave occaſion to ſay more tChap. 9.hereafter.
Now for the ſecond point, that we cannot heare, vnleſſe ſome lawfully ſent, that is (as you vnderſtand it) vnleſſe ſome ſent by the authority of the Church, do preach vntounto vsus; firſt how ſhal this warrant the Apoſtles preaching, of which S. Paul here ſpeaketh? For who knowes not, that uMatt.. 28. 19they were ſent immediatly by our Sauiour, & not by any ordinary courſe in the Church? Secondly it ſeemes you fortet, what is written in xRuffin. hiſtor. eccleſ. lib. 1. cap. 10.the Eccleſiaſticall hiſtories of a captiue maid, that conuerted the queene of Iberia, ſhe the king, & he his countrey. yTheodorct. lib. 1. hiſtor. eccleſ. cap. 22.What is recorded of Aedeſius & Frumentius, by whom the Indians were brought to the knowledge of the Goſpell. How zEuſebius hiſt. eccle. lib. 6 cap. 19.Alexander Biſhop of Ieruſalem, and Theoctiſtus Biſhop of Caeſarea defend Origens preaching publickly, when as yet he was not allowed by the Church for a miniſter. Which fact of his they maintaine by the like examples of Euelpis, Paulinus, and Theodorus, who had preached without any ordinarie ſending: And it is verie likely (ſay they) that the ſame hath beene done in other places, though we know it not.
How little care you had of writing plainely, any man may gueſſe by this one ſentence; wherein this needleſſe word infallible is vſed in two diuers ſenſes: for certainty of truth, where you ſpeake of that we are to beleeue; for aſſurance of beleefe, without doubting, where you meane faith it ſelfe.
A. D. §. 2.
Fides (ſaith S. Baſile) eſt, eorum quae dicta ſunt, aſſentiens approbatio, ſine vlla haeſitatione, cum animi perſuaſione de eorum Ser de Fidei confeſsione.veritate, quae Dermunere praedicata ſunt. Faith is a conſenting approbation of thoſe things, which are ſaid; & an vndoubted perſwaſion of minde, of the truth of thoſe things, which are preached by the gift of God. Fides, (ſaith Saint Chryſoſtome) dici non poteſt, niſi circa ea quae non videntur, ampliùs quàm circa ea Hom. 12. in epiſt. ad Hebraeos.quae videntur, certitudinem quis habeat. It cannot be called faith, vnleſſe one be more certaine of thoſe things which are not ſeene, then of thoſe things which are ſeene. The reaſon whereof, the ſame Saint Hom. 83. in Matth.Chryſoſtom declareth in an other place, ſaying: Superet ſenſum & rationem noſtram ſermo ipſius (Dei:) nam verbis eius fraudari non poſſumus: ſenſus verò noſter deceptu facillimus eſt. Let Gods word (ſaith he) ſurmount our ſenſe and reaſon: for we can not be deceiued by his words, but our ſenſe is moſt eaſily deceiued.
A. W.
Theſe teſtimonies are more for oſtentation to ſhew your learning, then for neceſſitie to confirme a matter not doubted of. Yet I muſt put you in minde, that theſe deſcriptions and commendations of faith are not brought by the authors to condemne all as caſt-awaies, that ſometimes doubt, but to declare what faith is in it owne nature.
A. D. § 3.
Sith, therefore, our faith is grounded on the word of God, reuealed to vsus by Ieſus Chriſt our Lord, ſpeaking by the mouth of the Church, as he ſaith himſelfe, *Luc. 10.Qui vos audit, me audit: he that heareth you, heareth me: we ought to receiue the word of faith preached by the true Church, *1. Theſ 2.not as the word of man, but, as it is truely, the word of God; and conſequently, we muſt account it a thing moſt certaine, and abſolutely infallible.
A. W.
Our Sauiour Chriſt doth no farther ſpeake by the mouth of the Church, then the Church ſpeakes according to the Scripture, whom ſo ſpeaking, whoſoeuer heareth, without doubt he heareth God; both becauſe it is the word of God that is ſpoken, and becauſe God hath commaunded vsus to heare them that ſo ſpeake. But here againe for a ſhew, the name Church is brought in, whereas aLuc. 10. 16.the teſtimonie belongs onelyonly to the Apoſtles (if you take it for them, that muſt abſolutely be heard, without all doubting of that, they deliuer) and to bBellor. de Roman. pontif lib. 4 cap 16. § Quae verba.eueryevery one of them ſeuerally, who doubtleſſe is not the Church; or elſe to all Miniſters of the goſpell from time to time, but not without that reſtraint, I mentioned before, of ſpeaking agreably to the word. If you will ſtretch the place to other beſide the Apoſtles, in that point of being abſolutely heard, ſhew ſome reaſon why eueryevery Paſtor and licenſed Preacher may not claime the ſame priuiledge of being heard and beleeued, whatſoeuer he teach. But that this is abſord, it may appeare. becauſe cMat. 24. 24.our Sauiour Chriſt foretold, that there ſhould come falſe prophets, who alwaies are to be diſcerned by their dMat. 7. 16.doctrine. And who is ignorant, that the greateſt hereticks, had (many of them) lawfull calling in the Churches, and yet ranne into monſtrous hereſies? Doth not eMat. 23. 3.our Sauiour alſo will the Iewes to heare the Scribes and Phariſies? what? abſolutely? If they will teach their owne deuiſes (ſaith fAuguſt. ad 100. tract. 46.Auſtin) heare them not, do not as they ſay. But what name I Auſten? Doth not Chriſt himſelfe giuegive the ſame charge? gMat. 16. 6. Verſ. 12.Take heed and beware of the leuen of the Scribes and Phariſes. And what is their leuen but their doctrine, by the holy Ghoſts owne expoſition? hIanſenius in concor. E… …ang. cap. 80.Ianſenius Biſhop of Gant expounds the place of the Apoſtles; and though he gather from thence the power of the Eccleſiaſticall gouernours, yet he reſtraineth it to their inioyning of that which is right. Wee are to note (ſaith he) how great the authoritie of Eccleſiaſticall gouernours is; ſince we muſt obey them, no otherwiſe then we muſt Chriſt, iRecta praeci. pientions.when they commaund thoſe things, that are right. Doe you not ſee your owne Biſhops limitation vponupon this verie place, you alleage? The kCyrillus apud Thomam in Catena. Irenaeus lib. 3. in praef….ancient writers expound the place of the Apoſtles. Your lLyra ad Luc. 10. 16.gloſſe requires deuotion and reuerence to the hearing of Chriſts Diſciples, for the reuerence of God, whoſe doctrine principally it is, which they deliuer: So that they, which preach not Chriſts doctrine, cannot looke for ſo much as reuerence. There fore true doctrine is alwaies to be receiued, whoſoeuer deliuer it, whether he be lawfully ſent or no, and falſe doctrine neuer, though it be preached by a Pope; who being no Apoſtle, can ſhew no charter for his being kept from error, though his priue, and your flatterie, exalt him aboue all ſaue Peter.