The Novelty of Popery Opposed to the Antiquity of True Christianity, Book 7 · Treatise · Chapter 1 – Chapter 2
CHAP. I. That falſe Religions love obſcurity; but true Religion brings her doctrin to light, and keepeth nothing hidden.
IT is a received opinion that ignorance is the Mother of Devotion. In matter of Gods ſervice men admire that moſt which they leaſt underſtand, and obſcurity increaſeth reverence. And as the world goeth, it is with Religions as with Beauties, which when they are but obſcurely ſeen, are more deſired.
Negligence and profanity contribute to that evil. For man having no natural inclination to be inſtructed in Gods knowledge, is eaſily perſwaded to put that care of knowing God to them that profeſs to teach. Rather then he will take the pains to learn, he will chuſe to believe without knowing, and follow without enquiring. And that affected ignorance puts on the title of reſpect to the Church and Catholick docility. If it be queſtion for one to place his money, he will look for good ſecuritie, and men in that point are very cautious and difficult. But in the buſineſs of their ſalvation they will refer themſelves to the faith of another, and blindfold themſelves with a wilful ignorance.
Satan, who will take hold of men by the natural handles, makes uſe of that inclination to ſeduce them: And it is eaſie for him to make men that fly from the light, to loſe their way. It was he that taught Magicians to mingle barbarous and unintelligible words among their conjurations. It was he that taught Pagan Prieſts to cover myſteries with a religious ſilence, and to keep off from them the profane, which now are called the Laity. Thus the(a)Hetruſca diſciplina. Toſcan diſcipline, wherein the ancient Religion of the Romans was contained, and the(b)Quintilian. lib. 1. Carmina Saliorum vix Sacerdotibus ſuis ſatis intellecta, ſed quae mutari vetai religio. Saliar verſes ſung by the Prieſts of Mars, conſiſted of rude and barbarons terms, not underſtood by the people. Epiphanius in the hereſie of the Oſſenians (c)foreign.ſaith, that thoſe Hereticks taught their Diſciples to pray in obſcure words, forbidding them to ſeek the interpretation of them. Auſtin in the 16 Ch. to Quod vult Deus, ſaith the ſame of the Heracleonites. And Clemens Alexandrinus ſaith(d)Clem. 1 Strom. foreign. that men hold that prayers pronounced in a barbarous tongue are more effectual. Hierome in the Epitaph of Lucinius Andaluſian (e)Barbaro ſimplices quoſque terrent ſono, ut quod non intelligunt plus mirentur.They fright ſimple people with a barbarous ſound, ſo that they admire that most which they underſtand leaſt. The Mahumetans, both Turks and Perſians, have their ſervice in the Arabick Tongue, which the people underſtand not. And the Jewes, whom God hath delivered unto a reprobate ſenſe, read in their Synagogues the Law and the Prophets in Hebrew, which the moſt part of their people underſtand very little, or not at all.
They that have the charge of conducting and teaching the people, have been careful to foment and increaſe that evil: For they labour to retain the people in ignorance, keeping to themſelves the key of knowledge, as Chriſt ſaith, (f) and keeping others from entring. By this means they get themſelves reſpected as the only capable to underſtand divine things, and having alone a familiar communication with God. By this means they hide their game, and ſuffer none to look into their affairs, and get the liberty to ſhape Religion to their profit; doing like thieves, that blow out the candles that they may not be ſeen: For they fear leſt that things that are admired afar off, become contemptible being lookt upon near hand; like painted women, that will not be ſeen but at a diſtance. And they have learned by experience, that ignorant perſons are more eaſie to be ruled; that it is eaſie to pick a blind mans purſe, and that a man that will know the reaſon and origine of things, is hardly perſwaded.
Hence it is that the people are diſſwaded from reading Scripture, and that the traduction of the ſame into vulgar tongues is hindred. Hence it is that ſo much labour is taken to make Scripture ſuſpected unto the people as a dangerous book, the reading whereof is the cauſe of Hereſies. Hence came Images, which ſerve to amuſe the eyes, while the minds are blindfolded, and to give recreation, while inſtruction is withheld. Hence that great heap of Ceremonies, which are ſhadows that grow when the night of ignorance draweth nigh. Hence that implicite faith, which commits the buſineſs of ſalvation to the faith of another, and believeth that which the Church of the Land believeth, without knowing what the Church ought to believe, ſerving God out of cuſtome, following the crowd, and going with the great ſtream. Hence Liturgy in a barbarous tongue, and not underſtood, as if our Mother-tongue were too low and trivial for the Divine Service. Hence the cuſtome of praying to God without knowing what is asked of him, as if a man were afraid to underſtand himſelf. Whence it comes to paſs, that as in the publick reading of Scripture God is made barbarous unto men, ſo in publick prayers the Prieſt is barbarous unto the aſſiſtants, and in the prayers of particular perſons every one is barbarous to himſelf.
Occaſions and alterations of times and buſineſſes have often contributed to that. For the vulgar tongue of a Countrey being corrupted by the lapſe of time, or being ſuddenly changed by the mixture and inundation of ſtrange Nations, the Paſtors and Leaders of the people were not careful to fit the publick ſervice to the intelligence of the new inhabitants, and to the uſual language. So that the Liturgy in leſs then fifty years is become unintelligible unto the people. This happened in Italy, where Latin was vulgar in the time of the Apoſtles, and many Ages ſince; but Latin being corrupted by the inundation of the Goths, Lombards, and Franks, and by the extinction of good letters, Biſhops retained the ſervice in the ancient tongue, and ſuffered the people to loſe the intelligence of it. The like happened in Gauls and in Spain, as we ſhall ſee hereafter.
True Religion takes a quite contrary courſe: It reſiſteth that natural inclination of man to fly from inſtruction, and to fear to learn the will of God, for fear of being obliged to obey it. Truth diſſipateth the Kingdom of the Prince of darkneſs with the light of the Goſpel. For the people ought to be clearly inſtructed in the doctrine of ſalvation, ſince they have as much part in ſalvation as their Paſtors, who ſhall not anſwer for the people in the day of judgement. If a blind man lead another blind man, Matth. 15.14both ſhall fall into the ditch. Habakkuk teacheth us, that the juſt ſhall live by his faith, not by the faith of another. He that believeth in God by Attorney,Hab. 2.4. deſerveth that another be ſaved for him, as another believed for him. Between the true and the falſe Religion, there is the ſame difference as between two Temples, the one without windows, the other receiving light on all ſides. In the one the people profeſſeth a blind obedience, in the other the people calls for inſtruction. The one rejoyceth in the Sun-ſhine of Gods word, the other ſuppreſſing that ſpiritual light, ſets up candles at noon.Act. 12. As the light that ſmote Peters ſide when he ſlept in priſon, made the chains to fall from his hands, and opened him the priſon; ſo the light of true doctrine breaks the bonds of ſuperſtition, and ſets a man at liberty; as Chriſt teacheth us, Joh. 8. You ſhall know the truth, and the truth ſhall make you free. Wherefore God was ſaying, Iſa. 5.13. Therefore my people are gone into captivity becauſe they have no knowledge. And Chriſt, Matth. 22.29. ſaith, Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures. Joh. 5.30.Wherefore he commanded the Jews to ſearch the Scriptures; A command which the Paſtors of the Roman Church never recommend to their people. And God himſelf by his Prophet Ieremy, 31. chap. ver. 34. promiſeth a happy time when they ſhall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, ſaying, Know the Lord, for they ſhall all know me from the leaſt of them unto the greateſt. God rejecteth a zeal without knowledge, Rom. 10.2. And the apoſtle prayeth,Phil. 1.9. that the love of the Philippians may abound in knowledge, and in all judgement. For this is the condemnation of the world (ſaith the Lord Jeſus) that light is come into the world, Ioh. 3.19.but men have loved darkneſs better then light. God indeed will have us to be ſimple, but he will have us alſo to be prudent. He forbids a curious ſearch of things which he hath hidden from us. But hence it follows not that we muſt be ignorant of things neceſſary and manifeſted by himſelf in his word.
For theſe reaſons we have removed Images out of our Churches, and in the place of Images that ſpeak not, we have put the holy Scriptures in which God ſpeaks to us. Theſe Images are fallen before the doctrine of the Goſpel, as Dagon before the Ark of the Covenant. And we have tranſlated Scripture into our vulgar tongue, and beſtowed intelligible words upon Gods ſervice. For ſince we teach no other doctrine, but that which is contained in the holy Scriptures, we are not aſhamed of our Religion, and deſire that our doctrine be known unto all and examined by Scripture, having learned of holy Scripture that faith conſiſteth in knowledge,Ioh. 10.18. Ioh. 17.8. Rom. 10.17. That Chriſt will have us to know before we believe, and that faith is of hearing the word of God. Whence it follows that we muſt hear the word of God, and be inſtructed in it, before we can have faith. We reject the counſel of our Adverſaries who will have us to believe brfore we chooſe the way of ſalvation, whereas we ought to know that we may chooſe well. Can there be any ſtronger abuſe then to make the faith of Chriſtians to conſiſt in ignorance, as Cardinal Bellarmine (g)Bell. l. 1. de Iuſtificatione, c. 7. Sect. Iudicium. Fides diſtinguitur contra ſcientiam, & melius per ignorantiam quam per notitiam definitur.doth, who ſaith, that faith is diſtinguiſht (not from, but) againſt Science, and is better defined by ignorance then by knowledge? Wherefore alſo Cardinal Du Perron holds(h)6. Book, 1. ch. pag. 1089 1 Cor. 1.5. that the greater the ignorance is, the greater is the merit of faith, ſaying, that when one underſtands not the publick ſervice, becauſe the Prieſt ſpeaks in an unknown language, that defect is recompenſed by the merit of the endeavour and greater exerciſe of faith; a new kind of merit to ſtudy to know nothing! a ſtrange endeavour of faith conſiſting in negligence! if we may call that faith which conſiſteth in having no faith, ſince faith proceeds from the hearing of Gods word; for it is not hearing Gods word to hear a ſound, and not to underſtand it. By the Cardinals doctrine the Apoſtle was deſtitute of reaſon when he gave God thanks becauſe the Corinthians were inriched in all knowledge: And his wiſh that the Philippians might abound in knowledge and all judgement, was an inofficious wiſh, becauſe by that knowledge the effect of their faith relented, and their merit was diminiſhed. Upon that we have an excellent paſſage of Chryſoſtom, Hom. 61. upon John: There, having with many words upbraided the people with their ignorance & incapacity to defend Gods cauſe, and to give reaſon of their faith; and having repreſented the Apoſtles command, Col. 3.16. Let the word of Chriſt dwell in you richly in all wiſdom; he makes this queſtion(i)foreign. What do theſe men more idle then droans anſwer to that? They ſay that the ſoul that is ſimple is bleſſed, and that the man that walketh in ſimplicty walketh in faith. For this is the cauſe of all evils, that among the people there are very few that can alledge at need teſtimonies of Scripture. The complaint of that good Doctor would be ridiculous in our days. For the people would anſwer him, How could we alledge Scripture which we are forbidden to read? No approved tranſlation of it is extant in vulgar tongues. It is now a mark of Hereſie to be a carefull reader of Scripture, and to alledge it.
CHAP. II. Two differences between us and the Roman Church about unknown Language.
ABout unknown Language when we ſpeak to God, and when God ſpeaks to us, we have two ſorts of differences with the Roman Church; the one about the prayers of particular perſons, the other about publick ſervice. For in the Roman Church the people is uſed to pray without underſtanding what they ſay, and to ſpeak unto God and the Saints in a Language unknown to them that pray, as if a man was ſuſpect unto himſelf, and afraid to underſtand his own prayer, eſteeming that Latine hath ſomething more holy; that barbarous words have more vertue; and that a prayer in French or Engliſh is leſs acceptable to God. The ſame abuſe crept into the publick ſervice; for it is performed in Latine, which the common people of France, Germany and Spain underſtand not. Wherefore the common people that ſay, Let us go hear a Maſs, ought rather to ſay, Let us go ſee the Maſs; for they go to it as to a ſpectacle, not as to an inſtruction. And as if it were not a ſufficient abuſe of the peoples devotion that the Maſs is ſaid in Latine, part of it is ſaid with a low voice, and with a deep ſilence, the reſt is delivered in a confuſed tone, and in a ſhaking inarticulate voice. Of which the Doctors give this reaſon,(a)Durand. Rat. l. 4. c. 35. Cum quidam Paſtores Canonem in agro cantarent & panem ſuper lapidem poſuiſſent, ad verborum ipſorum prolationem panis in carnem converſus eſt; ipſi tamen divino judicio igne coelitus miſſe percuſſi ſunt, propter quod ſancti Patres ſtatuerunt verba iſta ſub ſilentio di…i. that ſome ſhepherds hearing Maſs, learned the words of conſecration, and once pronounced them in the field over the bread of their dinner, which preſently was tranſubſtantiated lnto fleſh; Upon which they were ſmitten with fire from heaven: This Hiſtory is related by Durandus, and by Pope Innocent the third, in the third Book of the Myſteries of the Maſs, 1. ch.