A Treatise of Justification, Book 6 · Chapter 1
CAP. I. What Faith is; and that it is not without knowledge.
§. I.
TH… fifth Capitall errour of the Papists in the ArticleThe Papists errour concerning faith. of justification, is concerning justifying faith: which hath many branches.
1. Concerning the nature of it, viz. what it is: and therein also they erre diversly.
2. Concerning the subject of it, both …, and foreign, that is the parties whose it is, and the parts of the man, wherein it is.
3. Concerning the object of Faith.
4. Concerning the act or effect of it, which is to justifie: where are three questions: the first, concerning the act it selfe, whether it doth indeed justifie, or onelyonly dispose to justification; the other two, concerning the manner how it justifieth: the former, whether instrumentally, as the hand to receive Christ, who is our righteousnesse; or formally, as part of inherent righteousnesse. The other whether faith doth justifie alone.
§. II. As touching the first, what faith is; they hold justifying faithWhat f…ith is: how in generall it may be defined. to be but a bare assent, to all or any truth revealed by God: which, as it is, in their opinion, without speciall apprehension of Christ▪ so it may be void of knowledge, and severed from charity, as they teach.
That faith in generall is an assent, and that it may be defined, to bee a firme and willing assent to every truth revealed by God, grounded on the authority Faith is an assent. The Greek fathers make assent foreign the genus of faith. Clemens Alex. Bas…. Theodoret. and Augustine saith that credere est cum assensu cogitare. de praedestin. 55. c. 2.of God revealing it, we willingly agree. For hereby faith is distinguished from all other acts or habits of our minde. And first, from doubting, in that it is an assent: for in doubting the assent is withheld, which is foreign from whence is foreign, as contrariwise to assent aAct. 16. 14.is foreign. And that faith is assent, it is evident, because foreign (faith) is a perswasion, derived from the Verbe bforeign.foreign, which signifieth to bee perswaded or to beleeve, and a man is said to assent unto, or to beleeve that, of the truth whereof he is perswaded: hence it is, that the act of faith, which is to beleeve, is expressed sometimes by the Verbe foreign, cLuk. 16. 31. 20. 6. Rom. 8. 38. 2 Tit. 1. 12.Act. 17. 4. 27. 11. Heb. 11. 13. but most plainely, Act. 28. 24. foreign. some beleeved the things which are spoken, but some beleeved not. Secondly, from opinion: in that faith is a firme assent, or, as Basil dforeign. c Iohn 3. 33.speaketh, foreign an undoubted assent: for he that beleeveth the truth of God, hath (as it were) put his seale unto it. But opinion is the judgement of things contingent, which may happen to bee false. Sed fidei falsum subesse non potest: but the subject of faith cannot be false. Thirdly, in that it is a willing assent, from the forced beliefe of Devils, and some desperate wicked men, who beleeve that which they abhorre, or as Saint Iames speaketh beleeve and tremble, Iam. 2. 19. Mat. 8. 29. Fourthly, from all other knowledge, in that it is an assent to truth revealed or related by God, and grounded upon the authority of God speaking in his Word, for faith commeth by the hearing of the word. So saith SaintfRom. 10. 17. Basil foreign gforeign.foreign. Faith therefore is an undoubted assent of things heard in the assured perswasion of things preached by the grace of God. And that is it which Bellarmine citeth out of Augustine hDe utilit. credendic. 1.quòd intelligimus aliquid, rationi debemus: quòd autem credimus, authoritati: that we understand any thing we owe to reason; but that wee beleeve, to authority. All other firme assent is given to things, either in themselves evident to sense or reason, or to such as are manifested by discourse. But the object of faith is not discerned by sence, nor sounded by reason (such as is the mystery of the holy Trinity, and of the incarnation of Christ &c.) neither is faith iHeb. 11. 1.of things seene. Eye hath not seene k1 Cor. 2. 9. Esai. 64. 4.nor Eare heard, neither have entred into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. And wheras the certainty of all other knowledge is grounded upon sence or experience, and reason: the certainty of this knowledge is grounded upon the authority of God speaking in his word. For which cause the certainty of faith is greater than of any other knowledge: For howsoever sense and reason may be deceived: yet the ground of faith is unfallible, which is the authority of God, who islTit. 1. 2. Deut. 32. 4. Iob. 14. 6. foreign, one that cannot lye, a God of truth, yea truth it selfe: whereupon Clemens mStromat. l. 2.Alexandrinus saith: foreign Therefore it selfe is a firme demonstration, because truth accompanieth Faith those things which are delivered God, and Basill nforeign ….what is the property of faith? an undoubted plerophorie or full perswasion of the truth of the words inspired of God, which is not shaken with any reasoning either induced from naturall necessity, or formed to piety. And such is the certainety of faith, that the Apostle defineth it oHeb. 11. 1.that it is foreign. the subsistence, which giveth a being, to things which now have not a being, (which is nothing but an assured beleefe as the word is used, 2 Cor. 9. 4. 11. 17. Heb. 3. 14.) and the evidence of things not appearing, or not seene: which the Greeke Sholiast, pforeign. O…cum. § That justifying faith is not without knowledge.in mine opinion, very well explaneth. Faith it selfe is the subsistence or substance of things hoped for. For because those things which are in hope are without subsistence, as yet not extant, faith becommeth the substance and subsistence of them, making them after a sort to exist and to be present, because it doth beleeve they are. Faith also is the evidence and demonstration of things not seene. And faith sheweth things to be visible which are not seene: How? in the minde and in hope beholding things which doe not appeare.
§. III. But howsoever faith is an assent, and is in generall so to be defined, as I have said: yet justifying faith is not a bare assent, either destitute of knowledge, or severed from charity, or without speciall apprehension and application: for these are three errors of the Papists now in order to be confuted. As touching the first: The Papists doe not onelyonly hold, that justifying faith may be without knowledge, but that also it may better bee defined by ignorance qBellarm. de …ustif. l. …. c. 7. §. judicium. Of Implicite Faith.than by knowledge. This faith, which is without knowledge, they call implicite faith: because they beleeving some one common principle, as namely, I beleeve the b…ly Catholicke Church, doe thereby beleeve implicitè, whatsoever is to be beleeved, that is, whatsoever the Catholicke Church beleeveth and propoundeth to bee beleeved. And therefore this they call also an entire faith; because thereby, a man doth not onelyonly beleeve the written word but also unwritten verities, which are the traditions of the Church of Rome, and both of them, not for themselves, but for the authority of the Church propounding them to bee beleeved. Now they teach, that not only for Lay men it is sufficient to beleeve as the Church beleeveth which was the Colliars rFides Carbonarii.faith so much commended by Cardinall Hosius sAdvers. prolegom. Brentii. De authoritate Scripturae. l. 3.and others (for he being examined by a learned man, what he beleeved, answered: I beleeve that which the Church beleeveth; and being asked what the Church beleiveth, answered againe, that which I beleeve: and so in a round, that he beleeved what the Church beleeved; and that the Church beleeved as he beleeved) but also that it is the safest for all, even for those that are learned, to rest in this faith. Especially, when they are assaulted by Satan: with whom they say it is not safe to contend by Scriptures, but rather to oppose that onelyonly article against him. As the said learned man, who had opposed the Collyar, found by experience. For he being afterwards assaulted by Satan, when he was deadly sicke, and being not able to defend himselfe by Scriptures, he was faine to b…ake himselfe to the Colliars faith, which no doubt is the readiest way for them, who professe a faith not conformable to the Scriptures to put the Devil to silence, who will rest well content with such an answer: whereas if they should stand to the Scriptures the Devill would be able to confute them. As he did Luther (whiles hee was a Papist) in the question concerning the private Masse, which he did, not to teach him the truth, but by true accusations to bring him to despaire.
§. IV. This doctrine of the Papists concerning implicite faith, isThe doctrine of implicit faith confuted, first as false. both absurdly false, and notoriously wicked. False, in diverse respects. First, in that they say, justifying faith may be without knowledge: when as, first of all, faith it selfe is a kind of knowledge; yea a kind of certaine knowledge: yea, of all others the most certaine knowledge: as I have already shewed; proving, that it is that knowledge which we have by Divine relation or report, grounded on the authority of God speaking in his word. Secondly, because faith oftentimes in the scriptures is called knowledge, or acknowledgment: as Ioh. 17. 3. This is eternall life to know thee the onelyonly true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent. Now, we know God in the life to come by vision, in this life by faith, as their owne writers testifie. Maldonat tMaldonet in Ioan. 17. 3.on that place: what is the cause saith he, that he seemeth to place eternall life in knowledge alone, that is in faith onelyonly? And Ianseni…s uIn Ioan. 17. 3.vita aeterna inchoativè & imperfectè hic habetur cognoscendo Deum per fidem: habetur autem in … perfectè cognoscendo Deum per visionem. Esai. 53. 11. My righteous servant by his knowledge or acknowledgement, that is, by faith in him shall justifie many. So 2 Pet. 1. 2, 3. Eph. 1. 17. Col. 1. 10. & 2. 2. 1 Tim. 2. 4. 2 Tim. 2. 25. 3. 7. Tit. 1. 1. where, by foreign the knowledge or acknowledgement of Christ and his truth, is meant nothing else but faith, 1 Ioh. 2. 3, 4. hereby we doe know, that we doe know him, that is, beleeve in him, if we doe keepe his Commandements: he that saith he knoweth him, namely, by faith, and keepeth not his Commandements is a lyar and the truth is not in him. Heb. 11. 3. By faith we understand or know, that the worlds were formed by the Word of God: where the act of faith is expressed by this term of understanding that which we beleeve, 2 Cor. 5. 1. we know, (that is, we beleeve, for otherwise it cannot be known but by faith) that after the dissolution of our earthly tabemacle, we have an eternall habitation in heaven. Thirdly, because in the Scriptures faith and knowledge are so linked together, that what we acknowledg we beleeve; & what we beleeve we know, Ioh. 6. 69. we beleeve and know that thou art that Christ, Ioh. 10. 38. that you may know and beleeve that the Father is in me, and I in him. Ioh. 17. 8. they have knowen surely, that I came out from thee (saith Christ unto his Father) and they have beleeved, that thou didst send me. Eph. 4. 13. till we all come into the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God. 1 Tim. 4. 3. to bee received with thankesgiving of them which beleeve and know the truth, 1 Ioh. 4. 16. we have knowne and beleeved the love that God hath to us. Fourthly it is not possible that a man should beleeve, acknowledge, or assent firmely to that which he doth not know so much as by relation or hearesay, how can they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard, and by hearing knowen, Rom. 10. 14. And who knoweth not, that the assent of faith determineth the judgement to that particular which is beleeved? As for example, if I beleeve the resurrection, my judgement actually assenteth to that particular. But if I never have so much as heard or understood that God hath revealed such a thing that there shall be a resurrection, how can I possibly beleeve it, or actually assent unto it. And therefore implicite faith is so farre from being a justifying faith that it is not so good as the bare historicall faith, which not onelyonly wicked men but the Devils themselves have. For historicall faith hath in it an actuall assent, and implyeth a knowledge (at least by relation) of that which is beleeved. But implicite faith hath neither. Fifthly, to the implicite faith, the definition offaith: Heb. 11. 1. doth in no sort agree: for as it is so farre from being the substance of things hoped for, that it doth not so much as know what are the things hoped for, so it is further from being an evidence of things not seene, which implyeth a certaine knowledge of things by relation which are not seen or knowne by sence or reason. Sixthly, that which implyeth a contradiction is false and absurd: but the profession of the implicite faith made by a simple man, viz. that hee beleeveth whatsoever the Catholicke Church beleeveth, implyeth a contradiction: not onelyonly because hee doth not beleeve every, yea scarce any particular, but also through his ignorance sometimes doth actually beleeve that which the Church doth not beleeve; or doth deny credit to that, which the Church beleeveth. But here now is the speciall priviledge of implicite faith: *Gabr. Bicl. in 3. Sentent. dist. 25. art. 1. not. 2. coroll 4. In tantum valet fides implicita, ut dicunt aliqui, quòd si habens eam fa…sòopinaretur Patrem majorem velpriorem filio, &c non peccat, dummodo …unc errorem pertinaciter non defindit, & hoc ipsum credit, quia credit ecclesiam sic credere. Sic Innocent. Hostiensis Ioan. Andreas Panormitanus in Rubric. de summa Trinit. & fid. Cathol. Rosella fides nun. 2. apud Azor. inftit. moral. lib. 8. c. 7. & 8. Gabr. Biel. in 3. Sent. dist. 25. art. 3. dub. 1. Si quis credit, putans ecclesiam sic credere etiamsi erroneum fuerit, non pecca… dummodo tamen pertin aciter non ad…aeret. ui supra dictum notab. 2. Imo, quód amplius est, haec fides meritum facit. Nam talis non solùm non peccaret, sed etiam sic creden do falsum mereretur. The second absurdity, that faith may be better defined by ignorance than by knowledge.that although a man beleeve an errour, as that God the Father is greater than the Sonne, or ancienter than he, or that the persons of the Trinity are divided by locall distance one from another, it is no offence, so long as he thinketh, the Church beleeveth so: and so saith Gabriel himselfe. If any man doe beleeve thinking that the Church doth so beleeve; though it bee erroneous he sinneth not, so that hee doe not obstinately adhere to his errour, as was said before, notab. 2. Yea, saith hee, that which is more, this faith is meritorious: for such an one should not onelyonly not sinne, but also by so beleeving that which is false hee should merit. Thus not onelyonly hee is said to beleeve who indeed doth not beleeve, nor give assent to the truth; but also he who dissenteth from the truth, even from that which the Church doth hold.
§. V, Secondly, they are absurd, in saying, that faith may better be defined by ignorance than by knowledge, For notitia (knowledge) is the genus both of faith and of science, whereas ignorance is a privation of knowledge. It were therefore very strange, if faith, which is an habit of the mind, should be defined by a privation, and namely of that habit, which is the genus of it.
Yea, but (saith Bellarmine) faith is opposed to science, and therefore better to be defined by ignorance, than by knowledge. I answere, it is opposed to science, not as a privation, that it should bee defined by ignorance, but as a species of the same kind foreign contra divided. for notitia as the genus is divided into science and faith, the former, being a knowledge of things, either manifest in themselves, which is called foreign; or made manifest by discourse of reason, which is called foreign: the latter being a knowledge of things neither manifest to sence nor reason, but knowne onelyonly by relation from God: where, by the way, you are to observe that the knowledge required in faith is not foreign of the cause, such as is in science, but onelyonly foreign, which is to beleeve the relation to be true, and that whatsoever God revealeth is infallibly true. And therfore by faith our judgements are captivated to yeeld assent to divine revelations, though either they may be above reason, or may seeme to be against sence or reason. For though sence and reason may bee deceived: yet the ground of our faith, which is the authority of God, cannot be deceived, nec fidei falsum subesse potest: neither can the subject of faith be false. As for example: the mysteries of the Trinity, and of the incarnation of our Saviour bee above our reason; the articles of the creation of all things from nothing, and of the resurrection of the body seeme contrary to reason, the article of eternall life contayneth such things, as never eye did see x1 Cor. 2. 9.nor eare heare, neither did they ever enter into the heart of man: and so of other articles of Christian religion; which notwithstanding we doe firmely beleeve, and undoubtedly know to be true, as God hath revealed the same, grounding this our faith and knowledge on the authority of God speaking in his Word. This distinction of knowledge being acknowledged, that the knowledge of faith is neither the certaine intelligence of things in themselves manifest to sense or reason, nor that science which is foreign by the causes; or attained by discourse of reason; but onelyonly foreign that the things revealed by God are infallibly true by reason of his authority, who is Truth it selfe; might serve as a sufficient answer to so many of Bellarmines arguments and allegations as seeme worth the answering. But I will briefly examine his proofes, which are allegation of Scriptures, reason, and testimonies of Fathers.Bell. de justif. l. 1 c. 7. Bellarmines proofes out of the Scriptures. The first out of Esa. 7. 9.
§. VI. As for his allegation of Scripture: the first place alleadged out of Esa. 7. 9. is not, as Bellarmine alleageth it, unlesse you beleeve you shall not understand; but, if you beleeve not, you shall not be established or as the vulgar Latine (which Bellarmine ought to stand to) non perm… nebitis: as contrariwise, 2 Chron. 20. 20. if you beleeve in the Lord you shall be established; or, as the Latine, securieritis. Neither doth it follow, that faith is not knowledge, because without faith we cannot come to the certaine intelligence of that which we beleeve. For, as knowledge of the thing revealed goeth before faith; so faith goeth before the exactThe second and third. 1 Cor. 13. 2. and 1 Cor. 12. 9. understanding and comprehension. In the two next places, 1 Cor. 13. 2. & 12. 9. where faith, as he saith, is distinguished as a severall gift from knowledge: by faith is not meant justifying faith, but the faith yforeign. Chrysost. O…cum. &c.of miracles, as I have else where shewed. Neither doe wee deny, but that knowledge may be a distinct gift from faith. As that knowledge which is either principiorum or conclusionum, which is foreign. Neither is knowledge alwayes joyned with acknowledgement which is faith: though acknowledgement implyeth knowledge alwayes. Knowledge therefore may be without faith, but faith cannot be without knowledge. To the fourth out of 2 Cor. 10. 5. that where knowledge is, there needs no captivating of the understanding. I answere, that faith being onelyonly notitia foreign, and giving firme assent to that whereof it knoweth no reason, yea though perhaps it seeme above or against reason, subjecteth or captivateth the understanding to the authority of God. The last isThe fifth, where obedience of faith is mentioned. from those places wherein the obedience of faith is mentioned. For, saith he, obedience in beleeving were not needfull, if by faith knowledge were given to men. I answere, that in those places faith doth signifie the doctrine of faith, that is the Gospell, the truth, which men are then said to obey, Rom. 10. 16. Gal. 3. 1. Act. 6. 7. when they beleeve and professe it. As contrariwise those who doe not beleeve are said foreign, to disobey, and that in opposition to beleefe, Ioh. 3. 36. Act. 14. 2. & 17. 5. & 19. 9. Rom. 11. 30, 31, 32. & 15. 31. Heb. 3. 18, 19. 1 Pet. 2. 7. Neither should it seeme strange to Bellarmine, that by faith men attaine to knowledge, I meane to greater knowledge, when he urging even now that place, Esai. 7. 9. said, faith is a degree and way to knowledge.The testimonies of Fathers. Iraen. l. 2. c 45. Melius est nihil omninoscientem credere Deo & perseverare in ejus dilectione quae hominem vivificat, quam per qu…stionum subtilitates & multiloquium in impietatem cadere. Thus cited by Bellarmine.
§. VII. To the Testimony of Irenaeus, if it were entirely cited, I would subscribe. For speaking of those words, 1 Cor. 8. Scientia inflat, dilectio autem adificat, and having thereupon inferred, that it were better to know but a little, and to love God, than in a conceit of great knowledge to bee found blasphemous against God; hee repeateth the same againe, Melius itáque est sicuti predixi, nihil omnio scientem quempia…, ne quidem unam causam cujusllbet eorum quae facta sunt, cur factum, & credere Deo, & persever are in ejus dilectione quae honorem vivificat, nec aliud inquirere adscientiam, nisi I…SVM Christum filium Dei; qui pro nobis crucifix…s est, quàm per quaestionum subtilitates & multiloquium in impietatem cadere. Where first observe, that the knowledge whereof he speaketh, is that whereby the causes or reasons of things are knowne. And wee doe confesse that a man may and ought simply to beleeve God without such knowledge: and secondly, that he speaketh by way of comparison, that it is better for a man to content himselfe with the knowledge of Christ alone joyned with love (which is not to be accounted implicite faith, for the Apostle himselfe determined to know z1 Cor. 2. z:nothing among the Corinthians, but Christ and him crucified) than affecting the knowledge of subtile and curious questions, to fall into impiety.
§. VIII. The place in Clemens Alexandrinus maketh whollyClemens Alexandrin Padagog. l 3. c. 11. pag. 110. against the ignorance of implicite Faith. For whereas one there excuseth his ignorance (as many now a daies doe) because hee was not booke-learned, hee answereth; though thou hast not learned to read, yet foreign. for hearing thou canst not be excused, because it is not to be taught. Now, saith he, in the words which Bellarmine citeth, faith is a thing belonging to the wise, not according to the world, but according to God (such as are taught of God) and it is learned without letters. Faith therefore is to bee learned, namely by hearing, and therefore is a knowledge, and they attaine unto it, who are not worldly wise, but such as are wise according to God, and therefore such as have knowledge. Neither can men, as he saith, excuse their ignorance or their want of faith, because they are not booke learned, for though they cannot read, yet they may heare, and by hearing aRom. 10. 17.faith commeth.
§. IX Hilarie inquiring how we should so be one in the Father andHilari. l. 8. de Trinitate. in the Sonne, as the Father is in the Sonne, and the Sonne in the Father, saith; that in such mysteries habet non tam veniam, quàm praemium, ignorare, (that is, non intelliger…) quod credas, quia maximum stipendium fidei est sperare quae nescias, it hath not so much pardon as reward, not to know what thou beleevest. For, it is the greatest stipend of faith to hope for those things which thou understandest not. For as the Apostle saith, they never entred into the heart of man the things …hich God hath prepared for us. And no doubt, but it is a great commendation of faith, when a man giveth glory to God, undoubtedly beleeving that to be true, which God in …he greatest mysteries hath revealed though he doth not comprehend the reason thereof. The thing r…vealed hee beleeveth to bee true and …o knoweth foreign, though hee doe not distinctly, exactly and clearely comprehend foreign, the reason thereof, which hee findeth to be incomprehensible.: What then, saith Hilarie, is there no office of faith, if nothing can be comprehended? Imò hoc officium fides profiteatur, id quod cred… incomprehensibile sibi esse, se scire; yea, saith hee, let faith professe this offic…, that it knoweth that thing to be incomprehensible to it selfe, which it beleeveth.
§. X. Out of Augustine he citeth five places, wherein he teachethAugustine. nothing but what we freely confesse, that the faithfull (for he speaketh not particularly of the ignorant, but of all the faithfull) beleeve those things which they doe not comprehend: or as hee speaketh in the first bEpist. 102. ad Evodium.place quae certa intelligentia non possunt discernere, which by certaine intelligence they are not able to discerne, which in the second cLib. 4 contr. epist. fundamcap 4.place he calleth intelligendi vivacita…em, in the third dTract. 27. in Ioan.intelligentiam mysteriorum, which in the fourth place hee sheweth not to goe before, but to follow after Faith. For first by rel…tion wee know foreign, what God revealeth, then wee assent thereto, and having assented we come afterwards more dist…nctly to understand it. But he who seeketh not onelyonly to know the thing but the reason thereof, may as he saith in the eSerm. de Temp. 189. qui est de Trinitate.fifth plac…, be called rationalis, that is a quaerist: whereas a faithfull man should say Nescio q…od credo, I understand not that which I beleeve. Vis scire▪ saith hee, Naturam Dei, hoc scito quod nescias, wilt thou know the nature of God? know this that thou know'st it not. For as elswhere fDe Agone Christiani c. 13.he saith, debemus credere, quod intelligere nondum valeamus, quàm verissimè dictum est per Prophetam nisi credideritis, non intelligetis. And in the Sermon gSerm. de temp. 189.even now alleaged. Nobis sufficiat: Let it suffice us to know concerning the Trinity, what God hath vouchsafed to explaine—what Christ hath beene willing to shew, that onelyonly I know: when a thought shall arise and propound this question, what is God, and what is the reason, that is, the proper nature of the Trinity, let it suffice us to beleeve, that it is, (that is foreign, and not rashly seeke the reason of the Trinity.
§. XI. That which he citeth out of Prosper, and is the same whichProsper. De vita contempl. l. 1. c. 19. even now I recited out of Augustin, is true, that faith goeth before cleare understanding, and men must beleeve, that they may understand more clearely. For, as he truly citeth out of the Philosopher, addiscentem oportet credere, the learner must beleeve: And as Augustine saith of unbeleevers, non possunt discere, quia nolunt credere, they cannot learne, because they will not beleeve; and as the Apostle of the unbeleeving Israelites, that the hearing of the word did not profit them, because it was not mingled hHeb. 4. 2.with faith. All this notwithstanding, no man can bee said to have learned that, which he did not first conceive and in some measure understand as it is taught, (for foreign which is to learne, doth also signifie to understand) and then beleeveth that it is so: and so beleeving what is taught, groweth more distinctly and clearely to understand what he did beleeve. But they which have but implicite faith, doe not so much as know the particulars of the Catholike faith, which are to be beleeved; so farre are they from either learning or beleeving them.
§. XII. The brutish argument which he borroweth from iGrègor. Mor: l. 2. c. 25.Gregories allegory of the Oxen and Asses feeding together, Iob 1. besides that it is to no purpose, (because allegories, specially such as farre fetcht, and not intended by the holy Ghost, prove nothing) is also depraved. For Gregorie doth not say that by the Oxen are meant the learned, by the Asses feeding by them, men unskilfull and unlearned, who simply beleeving doe rest in the understanding of their betters: but that the Asses are said to feed with the Oxen; because the more simple and dull, who are not capable of high points, meant by the Asses; conversing with the prudent meant by the Oxen, are fed with their knowledge or understanding.
§. XIII. To these few and weake authorities, many pregnant testimonies of the Fathers might be opposed, if it were needfull. These few may suffice.
1. Hilarie: kDe trinit. l. 8.Nec enim quisquam quod non sapit loquitur, nec quod loqui non potest, potest credere. Neither doth any man speake what he doth not conceive, neither can he beleeve that which he is not able to utter.
2. Hierome; lCon…r. Luciferian.quae est ista simplicitas, nescire quae credas? What sillinesse is this, not to know the things which thou doest beleeve?
3. Chrysostome; mHomil. de bapt. Christi.having recited very many heads of Christian religion; all these, saith hee, and many more a Christian must know, and of all these hee must bee able to render a reason to them that aske it.
4. Augustine; nAugust. in Psal. 118. conc. 18.although no man can beleeve in God unlesse hee understand somewhat concerning God, notwithstanding by that faith it selfe whereby he doth beleeve, he is healed, that hee may understand greater matters—our understanding therefore, proficit ad intelligenda qua credat, & fides proficit ad credenda quae intelligat, & eadem ipsa ut magis magisque intelligantur, in ipso intellectu profioit mens: profiteth or is a proficient to understand what it may beleeve, and our faith profiteth to beleeve those things which it may understand, and that the same things may more and more bee understood, in the understanding it selfe the minde profiteth.
5. Cyril: oCyril. Alex. in Ioan. l. 11 c. 16.Faith, what is it else, but the true knowledge of God?
6. In the second tome of Athanasius pAthan. p. 248.there is a discourse against those, who bidding men not to search the Scriptures, but to b… content with that faith which is among themselves (which is the very case of the Papists at this day) shall qforeign;I (saith the author of that discourse) neglect the Scriptures? whence then shall I have knowledge? shall I abandon knowledge? whence then shall I have Faith? Paul cryeth out, how shall they beleeve, if they doe not hea…e? and againe, fa…th is by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God: therefore he… that forbiddeth the Wordrforeign.; stoppeth up hearing, and expelleth faith. But, saith hee, a little after, they who goe about to establish their owne opinions restraine men from the Scriptures, in pretence that they would not have them to be so bold to have accesse to them which are unacce …ible, but in very truth, sforeign.that they may avoid the con…utation of their wicked doctrine out of them.
7. tFulgentius. …ontr. Arianos.Fulgentius: fides vera quod credit non nescit, etiamsi nondum potest videre quod iper at & credit. True faith is not ignorant of that which it beleeveth, although as yet it is not able to see that which it doth hope and beleeve.
8. The master of the sentences: Fides non potest esse de eo quod omnino P. Lombard l 3. Sent. dist. 24. C.ignoratur. Faith cannot be of that whereof a man is altogether ignorant.—Neither can a man beleeve in God unlesse hee understand somwhat, seeing faith commeth by hearing the Word preached. Nec …a quae pr…us creduntur quàm intelliguntur penitus ignorantur, cum fides sit ex auditu. Ignorantur tamen ex parte quia non sciuntur. Neither are those things, which are beleeved before they bee understood, altogether unknowne, seeing faith commeth of hearing: yet in part men are ignorant of them, because they have not the science of them.
9. To these wee may adde the authority of the Creed it selfe, that is, as the Papists themselves doe teach, of all the Apostles consenting together: wherein they thought it not sufficient to teach men to professe their beleefe in that one article; I beleeve the holy Catholike Church, but in all necessary points that are to bee beleeved▪ first, concerning God, both in Himselfe, and in his Works: in Himselfe; both in respect of the nature of the Deity, and of the three persons in Trinity, the Father, the Sonne and the holy Ghost: in his Workes; of creation and government, and of redemption. Then, concerning the Church and the severall prerogatives thereof, viz. the Communion of Saints, the forgivenesse of sinnes, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting And further teach every particular Christian to say, and that with Christian resolution, Credo I beleeve these particulars, which cannot be done either with truth, if indeed he doe not beleeve each particular; or with that foreign, or confidence which is meet, unlesse a man doth not onelyonly beleeve all those particulars, but also knowe that hee doth beleeve them. And lastly, by this forme of profession, I beleeve, they teach and confirme that of Habac. 2. 4. that the just shall live by his owne faith, and not by the faith of others.
§. XIV. Now I come to Bellarmines reason, although I have alreadyBellarm. reason. answered it in part. In him that beleeveth, saith he, there are two things, apprehension, and judgement or assent. Apprehension goeth before faith and is not knowledge, unlesse it be distinct and plaine, and that is not needefull to faith. Now the judgement or assent, saith he, is twofold: for either it followeth reason and the evidence of the thing, and is called knowledge, or else the authority of the pr…pounder, and is called Faith. Therefore, saith he, the mysteries of faith, which surpasse reason, we doe beleeve, we doe not understand. And therefore faith is distinguished against science, and is better defined by ignorance than by knowledge. Answ. This discourse is to prove that faith may be without knowledge: for whereas two things concurre to faith, apprehension and assent, knowledge is required in neither, &c. But I answere, that these things are not well distinguished by Bellarmine. For first, apprehension or conceiving of the object is the common act of the understanding, going before all judgement of the understanding1. whatsoever. For it is not possible, that the understanding should judge of that, which it hath not apprehended or conceived. And yet, behold, implicite faith is so farre from being a true justifying faith, that it hath not so much as this first and common act of the understanding in it. For it doth not so much as apprehend or conceive the particular things to be beleeved▪ Secondly, judgement and assent are not to bee confounded.2. For judgement is more generall, and belongeth to those things that wee doe not assent unto, as well as to those which wee doe. For when wee have in our mind apprehended, conceived, or understood any proposition, or thing propounded; then wee judge of it, either as false, and then wee dissent from it; or as doubtfull, and then wee withhold our assent, and suspend our judgement;3. or as true, and then wee assent to it. But this assent, thirdly, is not to be confounded with faith, because it is more generall. For either we assent to a proposition faintly, imagining that perhaps it may be otherwise, as in contingent propositions, which so are true as that they may bee false. And then our judgement of them, and assent to them, is called opinion: or wee assent firmely, as being perswaded, that it cannot be otherwise, and this is called knowledge Now, a man knoweth a proposition to be true, and is assured that it cannot be otherwise, being perswaded thereunto, either by the evidence of the thing or by the infallible authority of the propounder. Of the thing, being either manifest in it selfe to sense and experience, or to reason, and then it is called foreign or intelligentia, whereby without discourse men know things so to be, which is noeticall or axioma…icall judgement of a proposition in it selfe manifest: or else manifested by discourse, as of questions syllogistically concluded, and this judgment or knowledg is called foreign which is the science of conclusions, which we know cannot possibly be false, the premisses being true. But when a thing is neither manifest in it selfe to sense or reason, nor manifested by discourse; and yet we doe know and are undoubtedly perswaded of the necessary and infallible truth thereof, moved the…unto by the divine authority of the propounder, which is the Spirit of truth: that is called faith, which is, as you heard out of Basil, foreign or foreign an undoubted assent or full perswasion, or assurance eui falsum subesse non potest, the subject whereof cannot be false. Where fourthly, you see indeed that faith is distinguished against Science and evident intelligence, but as a speciall under the same generall, which is notitia knowledge. And therefore the mysteries of saith, which surpasse our reason, though we doe not understand them by that knowledge, which is of propositions either manif…st in themselves, or manifested by discourse: yet wee know them to be undoubtedly true, because of the authority of the propounder, knowingi… Tim. 1. 12. whom we doe beleeve. And therefore fifthly, very absurd was he who said, that faith may better be defined by ignorance, than by knowledge.
§ XV. Thus have wee seene the salshood of the popish doctrine concerning implicite faith: now let us shew the wickednesse of it;The wickednes of the doctrine concerning implicite faith. which consisteth in this, that it is an horrible couzenage of the people to their perdition. Here therefore two things are to bee shewed: first, that it is an egregious imposture and couzenage. Secondly, that it is extremely pernicious to the people. Their cozenage stands in this: that when they say, that the faith required iu a lay man, as sufficient to his justification, is to beleeve or rather to professe himselfe to beleeveHow the Papists understand the Article of the Catholike Church. whatsoever the Catholike Church beleeveth, though in particular he know not what the Church beleeveth: their meaning is, that the church of Rome, and therein the Pope is not onelyonly the whole materi…ll object, but also the formall object of their faith. I say the whole materiall object. For they teachkGordon. c…ntr. 1. cap. 27. that whatsoever is to bee beleeved is reduced to this one article of the Creed, I beleeve the holy Catholike Church, and that this faith is a more … faith, than if a man should say, I beleeve the whole Scriptures. For hee that beleeveth the Catholike Church, beleev…th whatsoever the Catholike Church propoundeth to be beleeved. Now their Church propoundeth to be beleeved, not onelyonly tho whole written word, both Apocryphall and Canonicall, but the unwritten also, which are the traditions of the Church. They make the Church also the formall object of saith, not onelyonly which wee beleeve; but also for which w… beleeve, whatsoever is to bee beleeved, and so make the Church to be the rule and the principium or principle of their faith. These are the grounds of their imposture. But their cozenage especially consisteth in this▪ that whatsoever excellencie they ascribe to the Catholike Church, that they attribute wholly and onelyonly to the Church of Rome, and therein to the Pope. For th…s they expound that Article in their new Creed.lBulla Pij. 4. super forma iuramenti professionis fi…ci. I beleeve the holy, Catholike, Apostolicall Church of Rome the Mother and Mistris of all other Churches, out of which there is no salvation. So excluding from salvation all those that have beene, are, or shall bee who live not in communion with, and subjection to the Church and Pope of Rome. This is the principall N…t whereby the greatest number of silly soules are cony …ch'd.How the Apostle understood the Article.
§. XVI. No doubt the Apostle by Catholike understood the Vniversall, and not any particular Church, fuch as the Church of Rome, which was not then extant, when the Creed was made, as themselves doe …each. And there…ore the Apostles themselves, when they made the Creed, were not of that Church. And by holy Vniversall Church being an object of faith, and therefore not seene, they understand the universall company of the Elect: which is the body of Christ, containing not onelyonly the Militant Church, but also the Triumphant: and not onelyonly the Church after the asc…ion of Christ, but also before from the beginning of the world. And not onelyonly those who were or are under the Pope, but also …hose who never acknowledged any subjection to the See of Rome: such as were the Churches under the other foure Patriar…es of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Ierusalem; and such as are the greatest part of Christ… at this day. But if by Vniversall must be meant particular, and if by Catholike must be understood Romane, then, by their doctrine, from the company of them that are and shall be saved, are excluded; first, the Church Triumphant; secondly, the Church which was from the beginning untill the Church of Rome was plan…d, thirdly the foure … Churches, and others, which acknowledged no subjection to the See of Rome, in which were many Holy Martyr…, and the most of the godly and learned Fathers. In all which time the Bishop of Rome was, at the most, but a Patriarch, as others were, untill …, that barbarous Tyra…t, in the yeare of our Lord 607. made him Vniversall Bishop, and Head of the Vniversall Church, the proper tit… of Antichrist; fourthly, all those Churches which since that time, and at this day acknowledg… …o subjection to the Pope, as their Head, which is the greater and better part of Christendome. Now what a … is this, to perswade men, that there is no salvation for those, who doe not acknowledge the Pope to be their head, that is, who are not limmes and members of Antichrist… especially when the Scriptures teach, that Antichrist prevail… in them1 2 Thes. 2. 10. Mat. 24. 24. Apoc. 17. 8. D. Morton Bishop of Lichfield and Coven…y. The second part of their cozenage. onelyonly … that perish.
§. XVII. But although this be a grand imposture, as a right reverend learned man hath shewed, to teach men to beleeve that the Church of Rome alone is the Catholike Church out of which no…e can be saved▪ yet this is but halfe of their cozenage. For … article of the Church they expound as if it were not … …, I beleeve that there is a Church; as, when it is said, … … …, … … &c. I beleeve the comm…ion of Saints, there mission of …nnes, &c. but as if it were said eredo Ecol…sia, o… rather in Ecclesiam. I beleeve the Church, or in the Church as that which cannot … and consequently beleeve, whatso…er the Church teacheth or propoundeth to be beleeved: making th… Church … formall object of their faith, and principall rule or principle into which their faith is last resolved, for which they give credit to the Scriptures themselves; which receive their credit and authority from the Church. Now by this Church they meane not the universall company of Catholikes, for they are compared to Iobs mThom. 2. … …. … 9. 2. 6. Minores, qui significantur per asinos, de. bent in credendis adh…rere maioribus qui per boves signi fican tur.Asses, but the Prelates of the Church of Rome, and among them the Pope, who virtually is the Church, in whom alone the prerogative of not erring resideth. For a generall or Oecumenicall counsell, which is the whole Church representative, they say without the Pope may erre: but the Pope himselfe alone without a councell cannot erre. And therefore the authority of a generall councell and of the Pope together nTurrecrem. sum. …. 3. c. 41.is no more than of the Pope alone. It is the Pope therefore alone that cannot erre, who hath an heavenly and infallible judgement, who is the supreame Iudge in all controversies, the chiefe and onelyonly authenticall interpreter of the Scriptures, so that no point of religion is to be held for truth but what he determineth, no text of Scripture to be held the word of God, in any other sense than hee holdeth: yea, that a text of Scripture urged against them in another sense, than he holdeth, is not the word of God, oHosius de express. Dei verbo.but rather of the devill. By which meanes the Pope is stept into the roome of Christ and and is undoubtedly become Antichrist. So that the implicite faith of the Papists, whereby they professe themselves to beleeve what is propounded by the Church, meaning especially the See of Rome, that is to say the Pope, to be beleeved; and consequently whereby they professe themselves to beleeve in the Pope as the principall rule, principle and foundation of their faith, is the very character and marke of the Beast, whereby men are branded to destruction.The doctrine os implicite faith pernicious.
§. XVIII. The which doth also prove the other point, viz. how pernicious the doctrine of implicite faith is, as tending to the perdition of the seduced people, which I will also prove by other reasons. For under the name of implicite faith they commend unto the Laity damnable ignorance; that, having blindfolded them, they may lead them, as it were, by the nose, whither it pleaseth them. To them it is sufficient to beleeve what the Church beleeveth, though they know little or nothing of the Churches beleefe. If one pRhemists in Luk. c. 12. 11.of them be called before the Commissioners, hee shall say enough and defend himselfe sufficiently when he answereth that he is a Catholike, and that he will live and dye in that faith which the Catholike Church doth teach, and that this Church can give them a reason of all those things which they demand. And thus according to Christs promise, Luk. 12. 12. the holy Ghost (for sooth) teacheth qIbid. in Marg.every unlearned Catholike to give sufficient reason of his faith. But it is evident, that those who live in ignorance, doe live in a state of damnation, or, as the Scripture speaketh, rLuk. 1. 79.doe sit in darkenesse and in the shadow of death. First, because they live without God, sEphes. 2. 12. & 4. 18.as it were Atheists in this world. For they that know not God, have not God. Secondly, because they are void of all grace whereby they might hope to be saved. For knowledge being the first of all graces, where that is wanting, all the rest are absent. Againe, without faith there is no saving grace, for faith is the mother and roote of all other graces; and without knowledge there is no faith, as I have already shewed. For how can t they beleeve in him of whom they haveb Rom. 10. 14. not heard, and by hearing knowne? Knowledge is, as it were, the first step towards faith and all other graces; and therefore he that hath not that in some measure, hath not made one steppe in the way that leadeth to eternall life. Thirdly, because they are not Christs sheepe, nor Gods children. For I, saith our Saviour, know mine, and I am knowne of mine, Ioh. 10. 14. They shall know me every one of them saith the Lord, from the greatest to the least of them, Ier. 31. 34. All Gods children shall be taught of God, Esai. 54. 13. Ioh. 6. 45. every one therefore that hath heard and learned of the Father commeth to mee, saith our Saviour, and none else. All Gods children have the unction from the holy One, and they know all needfull things, 1 Ioh. 2. 20. 27. Ioh. 16. 13. Fourthly, because it hath all the respects of evill in it. For it is not one ly a sinne, but the cause of all sinne and errour, a punishment and the cause of punishment, both in this life and in the world to come. A sinne, rep…oved and condemned, Ier. 4. 22. &. 9. 3. Hos. 4. 1. … Cor. 15. 34. For it, a sacrifice was ordained, Levit. 4. 2. yea, all the sinnes, for which sacrifices were offered, were foreign, … that is ignorances, Heb. 9. 7. The cause of sinne: Errant uProv 14. 22. Mat. 22. 29.qui operantur mulum. They erre that sinne, and none erre but by ignorance as Augustine saith, Non erratur nisi per ignorantiam, whence sinners are called foreign, such as are ignorant and doe erre, Heb. 5. 3. Ignorance *Concil. Tolet. 4. c. 24. Conc. Arelat. 4. can. 3.is the mother of all errours. Regnum ignorantiae, saith Augustine, regnum erroris. Ignorance also is a fearefull punishment… when God doth punish men with blindenesse of heart, Esai. 6. 9, 10. and sendeth upon them, foreign, the efficacy of errour, 2 Th…s. 2. 11. It is also the cause of punishment (for the people that understandeth not shall bee punished, Hos. 4. 14.) as of captivity… Esai.. 5. 13. of destruction, Hos. 4. 6. it maketh men subject to the curse of God, Psal. 79. 6. Ier. 10. 25. and to eternall damnation, 2. Thes. 1. 8. If our Gospell bee hid, saith the Apostle, it is hid to them that perish, 2 Cor. 4. 3. For if it bee eternall life yIob. 17. 3.to know God and Christ our Saviour, then not to know God and our Saviour is to misse of eternall life. Qui ea qu… sunt Domini nesciunt a Domino nesciuntur, saith Gregory, z…. l. 1. cap. 1. 1 Cor. 14. 38. vulg.Paulo attestante, qui ait, si quis autem ignorat, ignorabitur. The Councell of Rhemes aCan 8.denyeth that they can bee saved, who doe not understand the Creed and the Lords Prayer. And againe, b… chard. dec…et. lib. 2. c. 62no man can bee saved without faith, and no man can beleeve that which he doth not know nor hath heard. Augustine cAd Sextum … pisl. 105.ipsa ignorantia in ets, qui intelligere noluerunt, sine dubitatione pe…catum …st: in eis autem qui non potuerunt p…na pec…ati. Ergo in utrisque non …st justa excusatio, sed justa damnatio. Hierome: dPr…em ad Eustoch. in commen…. in Esai.Ignoratio Scripturarum, ignoratio Christi. Origen eIn Num. hom. 27. They detaine the people in ignorance: and why?…aith, the Devills possesse all those that live in ignorance.
§. XIX. All this notwithstanding, the popish Impostors detaine the people in ignorance, they have taken away the Key fLuk 11. 52.of knowledge, and shut up gMat. 23. 23.the Kingdome of Heaven against their followers: for neither they goe in themselves, neither suffer them, that faine would enter, to goe in. They forbid them to reade the Scriptures which are able to make them wise to salvation, 2 Tim. 3. 15. which our Saviour therefore commandeth them to search, Ioh. 5. 39. They suffer them not to heare them, nor yet the divine service, otherwise than in an unknowen tongue, contrary to the rule of the Apostle 1 Cor. 14. and wherefore all this? partly, that their errours and abominations should not be seene; for he that evill doeth hateth the light, and (as theeves by night) wish the light of Gods Word to bee put out, or at least to bee hid under a Bushell: and partly that they may bee Lords over the peoples faith, and may make them beleeve what they list, that they may rule them at their pleasure, that they may lead them whither they please. For hee that walketh in darkenesse knowethhIoh. 12. 35. not whither he goeth, may as easily bee led up and downe, as Sampson iIud. 16. 21.after his eyes were put out. But those that are of God doe wish that the people of God may increase in knowledge of God, 1 Thes. 1. 10. that they may be perfect in understanding, 1 Cor. 14. 20. that they may abound more and more in knowledge, Phil. 1. 9. (For not to be proficients in knowledge they esteeme a great fault. Heb. 5. 11, 12. 2 Tim. 3. 7.) that the Word of Christ may dwell in them richly in all Wisedome, Col. 2. 2. & 3. 16. that they may bee able and ready to give an answere to every man that asketh a reason of that hope that is in them, 1 Pet. 3. 15. (for where men of all other professions can give a reason of that which they doe professe, it is a great absurdity, as Chrysostome kIn Ioan. foreign.testifieth, for a man professing himselfe a Christian, not to bee able to give an account of his faith) that they may trye all things and hold fast that which is good, 1 Thes. 5. 21. that Husbands may be able to instruct their Wives,l1 Cor. 14. 35. 1 Pet. 3. 7. and housholders their families, Deut. 6. 7. & 11. 19. Yea Moses the Man of God wished, that all the Lords people were Prophets, Num. 11. 29.
§. XX. And as the godly have wished, so the Lord hath promisedIn the true Church plenty of Knowledge. that in the Church of Christ there should bee plenty of knowledge, Esa. 11. 9. Ier. 31. 34. and that all the faithfull should bee taught of God, Esai. 54. 13. And this was verified in times past in the primitive Churches, and is at this day in all true Churches, and where it is not in some measure verified (as it is not in the Church of Rome) that is not a true Church. Not to speake of the present times, I will produce one Testimony of the ancient Churches. In which it was usuall to bee seenemTheodoret. Therapeut. serm. 5. pag. 81. that the points of Christian Religion were knowne not onelyonly to the Teachers of the Church, but also to all manner of artificers and handicraftsnforeign. men, of women likewise, not onelyonly such as were lettered, but those of the meanest sort, even servants and handmaids: and not onelyonly Citizens but also Countrey people, as Husband-men and laborers had this knowledge, who might bee found conferring of the Divine Trinity, of the Creation of all things, and having better knowledge of the nature of man, than Plato or Arist…tle.
Finally, the Papists by their doctrine of implicite faith, do bereave the faithfull of their chiefe rejoycing. For thus saith the Lord:oIer. 9. 23. 24. Let not the wise man glory in his wisedome, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth mee, that I am the Lord, which exercise loving kindnesse, judgement and righteousnesse in the earth, for in these things I delight saith the Lord. So much of the first question.