View of Some Exceptions Made by a Romanist, Part 2 · Subpart 7 – Subpart 9
C. 3. Anſ. To the third Chap.
Section 1 I anſwer, that through this whole Chapter the ſame fallacy returnes againe, of ſatisfying his Lordſhip's argument by a bare affirming (but not proving) a thing which is as much denied by his Lordſhip, viz. that your alleadging of Scripture for the infallibility of your Church, is by an infallible and certaine way, but our alleadging of it for every part of our religion is by a fallible and uncertaine.] (For though you in tearmes affirme onelyonly the latter of theſe, that which is againſt us, yet in charity to you I ſhall ſuppoſe you imply the former, or if you will ſay you doe not, I ſhall then anſwer, that the granting of what you ſay, doth not vindicate your Infallibility, but onelyonly accuſe us, not cleare your ſelves) or if that which you adde by way of explication, may paſſe for a proofe of it, viz. that Holy Scripture when it ſhall be expounded according to the interpretation of the Church, foundeth an argument ſtrong and invincible, but when otherwiſe, onelyonly probable and ad hominem.] I anſwer, that this being applyed to the matter in hand to you and us, muſt, if it ſignifie any thing, have this importance, that the places of Scripture which you bring for the Infallibility of your Church, are expounded according to the interpretation of the Church, but the places which we bring for the ſeverall parts of our religion, are not ſo expounded. And then I anſwer, that by the Church you may (and I conceive ought to) meane the Ʋniverſall Church truly ſo called, without your ordinary clogge or reſtriction; and then all that we require of you is to make your affirmation good, and produce the places of Scripture which that Ʋniverſall Church hath ſo expounded to the aſſerting the Infallibility of your Church, (which till you doe produce 'tis petitio principii againe) and then we ſhall ſhew our ſelves ingenuous, and (though we might reply ſomething which ad homines might be anſwer) yet ſhall we part with all other advantages of defending our ſelves, and in plaine ground yeild you the cauſe, and contend no longer with you.
Section 2 But if you meane by the interpretation of the Church the interpretation of the Church in the notion wherein we enquire, whether it be infallible, viz. that ſociety of Chriſtians which have been govern'd by the Pope; Though then we might deny, that you have any ſuch interpretation of Scripture for your infallibility, and juſtifie the deniall, (for if you pleaſe we will undertake to ſhew that ſome eminent perſons in the Church of Rome, perhaps Popes themſelves, never interpreted any Scripture to the aſſerting the Infallibility of your Church, and that many other differ among themſelves, what is that Church which they affirme from Scripture to be infallible, and that will amount to the ſame alſo) yet we ſhall content our ſelves with this other anſwer, that the interpretation of that Church, unleſſe Saint Peter himſelfe, or ſome other acknowledg'd to be inſpired, joyne in it, is not Infallible, and for you to ſay it is, and not to prove it, is a petitio principii againe; And for any other notion of the Church which ſhall be ſaid ſo to interpret, when you ſhall faſten on it, we ſhall undertake to make good either that it doth not interpret the Scripture to the aſſerting the Infallibility of the Church, or elſe that the Church in that notion is not infallible.
Section 3 As for the other part of your aſſertion which you principally inſiſt upon in this Chapter, that our caſe is contrary to yours, i. e. that we found not our religion on Scripture expounded according to the interpretation of the Church, we utterly diſclaime it, (and for you to affirme it without proofe, is petitio principii againe) and to put it to a faire iſſue, we make this offer, that what ever propoſition we affirme without ſhewing Scripture for it, and that expounded according to the interpretation of the ancient Church, we will preſently forgo on your firſt inſtance; and if you would pay us the like offer, and your party make it good, I doubt not but as turbulent a Sea as the ſtate of Chriſtendome is at this time, the whole Church might quickly be at, peace, or at leaſt the diſſentient party not be conſiderable. I remember a paſſage in Saint Hilary, depredicating the Biſhops of France as very happy men, quòd aliam non cognoviſſent confeſſionem…, &c. that they knew no other confeſſion then that ancient and moſt ſimple which through all Churches from the Apoſtles age had been received. And I am a little confident that that which firſt made, and hath ever ſince fomented the breaches of that pretious body, is the multiplying and impoſing of new confeſſions and articles of beleife from the ſuggeſtion of private or leſſe publique ſpirits, and that hath made the body like Ariſtotle's inſectills, which for want of bloud runne out into a multitude of legs; every ſuch new article ſo multiplyed (above the number of thoſe which Scripture in the truly Catholique interpretation of it, will authorize, not onelyonly as true, but neceſſary to be ſo acknowledged) being an effect of ſome want of bloud, I meane charity in the Authors, (for though to teach any man any certaine truth be an act of charity, yet to make an article, i. e. to require every man to beleive whatever we conceive to be truth, is a great uncharitableneſſe) and a cauſe or occaſion of more; the adding to the neceſſary truths, ordinarily being a forerunner of the abatement of the inventory of the neceſſary performances, I meane of thoſe which are indiſpenſably required of us under Chriſt. Theſe laſt few lines I confeſſe to be a foreign, which I hoped might not be unwelcome to you; If they be, I am ſorry you were troubled with it, the ſeeing that there was nothing more in your Chapter, which wanted anſwer, gave me temptation and liberty for it.
To the third Section Chap. 4.
The third Section is all true, but concerns us nothing, becauſe amongſt ours there is care enough taken for ſhewing which Church it is that is the true and infallible, and on the other ſide much negligence and partiality in the enquirers after it, in many of them, at leaſt, though not in every one.
C. 4. Anſw: To the fourth Chap.
Section 1 In your fourth Chapter, though you are juſt in acknowledging the perfect truth of his Lordſhips third paragraph, yet muſt you not be beleived on your bare word, that you are not concern'd in it. For I conceive it cleare that you are, becauſe that argument from Reaſon (for ſuch is that which is mentioned there, as in the ſecond paragraph the argument from Scripture, and in the fourth the argument from Fathers or tradition) which you uſe to prove the Infallibility of your Church, viz. that it is therefore ſo made by God (or that it is reaſonable to thinke that God therefore ſo made it) that all men may have ſome certaine Guide] can never be able to conclude any thing, unleſſe it be made knowne by God as certainly (or ſo offered by God to our knowledge, that 'tis our fault if we know it not) both that there is ſuch an infallible Church, and which it is. Now that God hath ſo made knowne theſe two, it being impoſſible for reaſon to aſſure us any otherwiſe then by ſhewing us ſome ſure word of prophecy, I meane ſome revelation from God, with ſufficient evidence that it is revelation, and this being not by you pretended to be ſhewed, it availes little that you tell us, that among yours there is care enough taken to ſhew which Church it is that is the true and infallible; for if by [ſhewing] you meane demonſtrating any way that it is ſo, this you know we deny, and ſaying it againe without proofe, is petitio principii; but if by ſhewing you meane the pointing us out that for the true and infallible, of which you are a member, we have little obligation or encouragement to beleive you ſay true, being a witneſſe in your owne cauſe; I am ſure no evidence that (if you ſpeake according to your judgement) you are Infallible in that ſhewing or telling; For if we had, we muſt be ſuppoſed to have that evidence of your infallibility without (becauſe before) your ſhewing, and ſo to ſtand in little need of it.