View of Some Exceptions Made by a Romanist, Part 2 · Subpart 10
To the fourth Section Chap. 5.
The anſwer is, that people illiterate may have evidence ſufficient whereby to reſolve and ſatisfie themſelves without making any ſearch into Hiſtories, Fathers, or Scripture; and therefore this Enquirers ſuppoſition is falſe, and indeed it were a hard caſe, if no man might be able to underſtand what he was to beleive, without looking into all theſe; and yet as hard as it is, doth this Enquirer impoſe it upon all, if not in expreſſe tearmes, yet by the conſequence of his doctrine. As for our ſelves alone, what need can we have for ſeeking out the true ſence of Scripture, and a conformity of doctrine with the Ancient, more then other Chriſtians have? Surely according to this method of his, all true religion, whether in our Church, or any other, would be impoſſible to be learned by the illiterate, and very hardly by any other men.
But what evidence can the illiterate have, or rather from whence? Out of the preſent face, condition, and viſible practice of religion in the Church, out of the antient monuments yet remaining that give in their depoſitions, out of common fame and unſuſpected teſtimonies, out of the manifeſt perfections and excellencies both of the Church and Religion; out of all which, as from ſo many cleare ſignatures and characteriſmes of truth, ariſeth an evidence of credibility that this Church and this Religion are the true, and whatſoever is once ſo creditable, cannot poſſibly be falſe, becauſe for the verity of that, the veracity of God doth ſtand engaged, as Ric. Victorinus hath long ſince declared. For it is a cleare caſe that all ſuch things be true which God makes evidently credible and worthy of acceptance by the publique acts of his owne providence; for otherwiſe that providence ſhould publiquely entangle and deceive us by obliging us, or, at leaſt, publiquely and potently inducing and perſwading us to believe that which were falſe; and ſo by following that way which God hath ſigned out for us, we ſhould goe aſtray; which thing can neither be done, nor yet permitted to be done, without impoſture, as all the antient Schoolemen doe obſerve. By this meanes then are prudent publique motives able to make a certainty, though not by their owne vertue, yet at leaſt by the vertue of the Supreame veracity which goes annexed with them.
Moreover, this meaſure of evidence perceptible by the illiterate and weake, though it be not ſo ample as others have, or ſtand in need to have, yet is it ſufficient to ſway their underſtanding, and to call in the divine aſſiſtance for the ſupplying of whatſoever by reaſon of ignorance or incapacity,Prov. 3.32. is wanting in them. Cum ſimplicibus eſt ſermocinatio mea? ſaith the Wiſeman. Therefore it is falſe and injurious to ſay, as this Enquirer ſeemes to doe; namely, That ſuch men as theſe doe aſſent to truth upon no better grounds then others doe to falſhood.
The Enquirer's inference againſt the Church is this. We thinke ſhe hath erred, therefore ſhe may: The Inference is good, but the Antecedent is infirme, and ought not to have beene made, becauſe he cannot have ſo great reaſon to judge ſhe hath erred, as on the contrary that ſhe hath not; in regard that it is farre more likely he himſelfe erred in making that judgement of the Church, then that the Church erred in making that judgement of the truth, or that ſhe hath contradicted her ſelfe; it being farre more probable, that a private man ſhould be deceived, then a whole Church. Wherefore it is a great act of preſumption and temerity in any ſingle man, though never ſo intelligent, to judge the whole Church hath erred, rather then himſelfe.
The Enquirer ſaith, that he tries the Church by her conformity with the Antients, as ſhe her ſelfe appoints. But what then? Doubtleſſe ſhe is not that way to be c…nvinced, foraſmuch as every intelligent man will ſuppoſe that no particular man is able to examine that ſo well at ſhe her ſelfe hath done before him, and therefore may be pleaſed to underſtand that this pretended non-conformity of hers ought to be diſcovered very clearly and perfectly before he adventure to condemne her; and this great diſcovery having yet not beene made and manifeſted to the world, may juſtly be thought an act impoſſible, and be judged in ſuch as make pretenſions of it, a worke rather of a ſtrong apprehenſion, then of any ſolid judgement. If then our Enquirer in this caſe ſhould be rejected, let him not complaine of us, as if we ſent him to a witneſſe, and after bid him not believe it, but rather bid him not believe himſelfe, and his owne judgement more then the Churches; that is to ſay, more then he ought; nor ſuffer himſelfe to be miſled by the teſtimony of a witneſſe to whom we did not ſend him, I meane himſelfe, in hearkning unto whom ſelf-love too much inclines him, and made him over credulous, as to their great griefe it hath made very man.
Now for the better underſtanding this point of conformity with the Antients, of which this Enquirer, and Chillingworth his confederate doe talke ſo much, and ſeeke to urge againſt us; the reader may pleaſe to know, that they themſelves are bound to ſolve this knot, as well as we; for it will be both as neceſſary and as hard for them to finde out the conformity of their doctrines with the Antients, as it is for us to finde out ours; and againe, the conformity of this moderne Scripture with the Antient; and theſe preſent copies of the Greeke and Hebrew with the Originall, or Archetype of the ſame languages, as it is to finde out a conformity of this Church and her Doctrines with the Antients; and ſo theſe Authors have made a rodde wherewith to whip themſelves, as commonly wrangling people doe.
Secondly, That there be other notes of truth beſides this conformity, and therefore the enquiry after it is not neceſſary for any man.
Thirdly, That we may know this conformity by the truth a great deale eaſier, than the truth by conformity; becauſe truth may be knowne by the preſent notes, and ſuch as are before our eyes; but conformity muſt a great way off, and through a thick miſt of many Ages, if it be ſought after by examination of particulars.
Fourthly, That the enquiry after conformity by examining the Antient rites, and the innumerable darke paſſages and deciſions of Antiquity cannot be a generall method for the inſtruction of all, or of the greater part of Men; for it is a long buſineſſe, and ſo cannot be ready at all times, but rather after divers years: it is alſo ſo difficult, that few have learning or ability to go through with it; for the paſſages of Antiquity be very intricate, and require a great light of underſtanding for their diſcovery. You ſee the Enquirer, Sect. 37. confeſſeth he was much vext with the harſh Greek of Evagrius, and the hard Latine of Irenaeus, and with diſtinguiſhing between different ſences, and various lections, &c.
If this learned Gentleman found ſo much difficulty in the ſearch; what muſt become of the greater part of Men, if there were no way but this? for in compariſon of the reſt, few have ſo much wit as he, or ſo much leiſure; few underſtand Greek or Latine either, whether harſh or pleaſant, few ſo painfull. Muſt no man that is not acquainted with Evagrius or Irenaeus, come to the knowledge of the truth? nor any man be able to know the Creation of the World, and the Old law, without he can read in Hebrew, or learn the New law without reading the New Teſtament in Greek? Theſe were very hard conditions, and certainly ſuch at God never impoſed upon us.
Doubtleſſe we are not obliged to find out the Originall Copies of Scriptures and Fathers, of which ſort, as I ſuppoſe, there be none extant, nor trouble our ſpirits with judging about various lections; we are not bound to impoſſibilities for our inſtruction and ſalvation, but have a ready way aſſigned us, which is the conſpicuous body of the preſent Church, which body is like a City built upon a hill, and that hill is a rock not to be undermined.
It will be therefore ſufficient that we can any ſure way come to the knowledge of the truth without taking care whether it be conforme unto the Ancients or no; for ſure we are, all truth is conforme to that it ſhould be, abſtracting from the conſideration either of Antient or New, and this alone may be ſufficient to content any Man.
Yet if he would know conformity, I will ſhew him a readier way than examination of places; let him but take the voluntary confeſſion of the Magdeburgians in their ſeverall Centuries, and he need ſeek no further; for they acknowledge all that we deſire, and this acknowledgement of theirs cannot but ſatisfie, for they make it neither out of ignorance of the truth, nor out of affection to us.