View of Some Exceptions Made by a Romanist, Part 2 · Subpart 32
To the 23, 24, & 25, Sections, Chap. 15.
The argument of theſe three Sections, is, how an ignorant illiterate man cannot be able to trace out all traditions which be truly Apoſtolicall: and this is ſought to be perſwaded and made good, by ſundry intricate diſcourſes, all which I willingly doe pretermit, and onelyonly ſignifie that they all fall wide of the marke; for, in a word, our anſwer to them is, that private men ſtand in no need at all of having any particular information of them, but, that it is ſufficient for them if they doe learne what is the common doctrine of the preſent Church, without looking any higher to the Primitive and elder times: becauſe this doctrine now taught is credible and perſwaſive enough for ſatisfying of any wiſe mans underſtanding, and the ſetling of his judgement upon it: as for example, it is ſufficient for any man deſirous of knowing which is the River Thames, to ſee it at Graveſend or London, without any laborious aſcending by it higher and higher, and tracing the ſhoares thereof, till he come unto the springs; and more then this would not be needfull for the diſtinguiſhing of it from Severne, or Trent, or any other River. For if this kinde of aſſurance might not be ſufficient, then certainly few or none could ever have come to know which water was the famous River Nilus, of which few have ever ſeene the springs, and which, as it is very likely, doe lye conceal'd in Aethiopia, and wholly undiſcovered even to this day.
Againſt the poſſibility of ſearching out traditions Apoſtolicall, and diſcerning them from others that be spurious and falſe, his principall inſtance, and that in which he moſt confides, is the doctrine of the Chiliaſts or Millenaries; and the ſame example is vehemently preſſed and repeated often by his Friend Chillingworth. The ſubſtance of all they ſay conſiſts in this, namely, that their doctrine, although now generally received to be erroneous, was received in the firſt 200. yeares with one conſent, as a tradition Apoſtolicall. For making of this charge good, they both of them doe jointly alleadge Saint Juſtin as their witneſſe. But that we may judge moſt favourably of this their allegation, we needs muſt tell them they are mistaken groſſely, for Saint Juſtin speaking there of three ſeverall ſorts of Chriſtians which were in his time, affirmes, that of thoſe three but one of them held the doctrine of the Chiliaſts:Juſtin in Dial. cum Tryphone. The firſt of theſe three ſorts was, as he deſcribeth, foreign, Thoſe, who as he conceived did in all points hold aright. The ſecond claſſe conſiſted of ſuch other, who although they did not, like the former, in all things hold aright, yet nevertheleſſe were, foreign: men of pure and pious judgement or beliefe, for ſo he expreſſely ſtileth them; the third and laſt ſort were ſuch as denied the reſurrection, and were therefore cenſured by him to be Chriſtians rather in name then in reality, and juſtly to be compared with the Sadduces amongst the Jewes. Thoſe of the firſt ſort he telleth did hold the doctrine of the thouſand yeares. The ſecond ſort, as he expreſſely witneſſeth, although they were orthodox and good, yet did not hold that doctrine. Thoſe of the third ſort, as he ſaith, were Chriſtians, but feignedly, and in name alone, and reſembling the Sadduces, yet not for their denying the errour of the thouſand yeares, for what relation could that have unto the Sadduces? But, contrariwiſe, for their denying the reſurrection, as the Sadduces did, and all this appeares clearly, within the compaſſe of a few lines, in the Greeke text of Saint Juſtine; Beſides, if all at that time had beene perſwaded of the truth of the Millenaries fancy, what needed Saint Ireneus have laboured ſo much, as he did, and spent ſo many Chapters in the proving of it? This being ſo, it appeares as plainly that the Enquirer and alſo his Partner Master Chillingworth, were both of them deceived in ſeeking to father upon Saint Juſtin, that all Orthodoxall Believers of his time received the doctrine of the Chiliaſts, and that ſuch as did not, were held as Sadduces, or Heretiques; for, in the Text of Juſtin, there is no ſuch matter, but rather the quite contrary to it, as may appeare fully by the Text it ſelfe, and partly by the words before recited out of him; for, without all doubt, Saint Juſtines many of pious and pure judgement or beliefe, and were no Chiliaſts, muſt needs be Orthodox, and could not be Heretiques, nor as the Sadduces amongst the Jewes, unleſſe we will ſay that with one breath, he called them by both contrary names. Againe, if, as theſe men ſay, all the whole Church were Chiliaſts during the firſt, ſecond or third hundred yeares, how could or durſt Dionyſius of Alexandria have oppoſed them, either without forcing his owne Conſcience, or incurring the blame of Hereſy? Now, it is certaine he was not counted an Heretique; and againe, very unlikely he would ſtraine his Conſcience, by oppoſing any doctrine, received as orthodoxall by the whole Church. Againe, it is probable Saint Dionyſe the Areopagite oppoſed that doctrine, therefore it cannot be certaine, that during the firſt 200. yeares, it was not oppoſed: that Saint Dionyſe did it, appears by the workes now extant bearing his name; and, that theſe works be his, is very probable, firſt, becauſe they are received for ſuch by the major part, both of the Westerne and the Easterne Church; ſecondly, becauſe they were cited for his a thouſand yeares agoe, and numbred amongst the rest of the Fathers antient and undoubted Monuments, by an intelligent Author, Philoponus, l. 2. de Operib. Creat. c. 21. & l. 3. c. 9. & 13.
The like may be ſaid of the pretended tradition of the Quartodecimanes touching the celebration of Easter after the manner of the Jewes, which was wholly rejected and forbidden in the firſt Nicene Councell, and before that time oppoſed by many, and principally by Pope Victor, who, as Ciacconius conceives, did not cut Polycrates and his Aſſociates from the body of the whole Church, but only threatned it, or, as Euſebius ſeemes to ſay, did doe it, but, yet at the inſtance of Saint Ireneus, and ſome others, if he had once paſt it, did not proſecute the cenſure againſt them, but let it fall; and, that it was ſo, is very probable, becauſe there is no memory made how the ſentence was received, whether with obedience, or otherwiſe; which particular, doubtleſſe, would never have beene omitted by Hiſtorians, no more then the ſentence it ſelfe, or the intention of it was, if there had beene any thing to regiſter; and beſides, becauſe we finde not by any record, but that all proceeded with thoſe Aſian Churches, as formerly it had done, without any note or alteration. And, by this, is ſolved all that Chillingworth with ſo much animoſity, objecteth againſt the learned Cardinall Perone.
Salvian lib. 5. de Gubern. Dei, where he speakes in excuſe of ſome Arian Gothes, speakes not at all in excuſe of their Hereſy, but ſuppoſing that ſundry of them might have beene innocently miſ led, conceiveth more hope of ſuch mens ſalvation, then of ſuch Catholiques, who lived careleſly and lewdly. Now, what can this make againſt the tradition, or definition of the Church? OnelyOnly this Inquirer must ſay ſomething to his Mother, and be making difficulties where none is.