Answer to Several Late Treatises, Table of contents – Preface
The Contents.
PReface to the two first Answers. p. 1.
A particular examination of the Pamphlet entitled Doct. Stillingfleet against Doct. Stillingfleet.
Of the insufficiency of J. W.'s way of answering. p. 13.
No contradiction about the charge of Idolatry. p. 18.
A distinct answer to his propositions. p. 26.
In what sense the Church of Rome is owned by us as a true Church. p. 29.
His Appendix about Idolatry considered. p. 34.
The second contradiction examined. p. 39.
The charge of Fanaticism defended. p. 50.
No contradiction in the charge of divisions p. 65.
The conclusion. p. 71.
An Answer to the Book entitled Doct. Stillingfleets Principles considered.
The occasion of annexing those principles. p. 75.
Of the notion of Infallibility. p. 79.
N. O's concessions. p. 85.
His principles laid down. p. 95.
His exceptions answered. p. 98.
His proofs of Infallibility examined. p. 110.
Of the Arguments from Scripture for Infallibility. p. 116.
Of the argument from Tradition for it. p. 123.
Of the argument from parity of Reason. p. 137.
Of the Authority of the Guides of the Church in ten Propositions. p. 142.
The case of Vigilius and Honorius at large discussed p. 154, 159.
The different case of the separation of dissenters from our Church, and our separation from the Church of Rome. p. 180.
Of the means to attain the sense of Scripture without an infallible Guide. p. 186.
Of the necessity of a Iudge in controversies. p. 191.
The way used in the Primitive Church for finding the sense of Scripture through several Ages of the Christian Church from the most authentick Writers of them. p. 198.
Church Authority not destroyed by my principles. p. 260.
What Authority we allow to Governors of the Church. p. 267.
The Roman Churches way of suppressing Sects compared with ours. p. 286.
ERRATA.
PAge 20. line 13. read the Church. p. 26. l. 14 for and r. that p. 49. l. … for here r. wh…re p 176▪ l▪ 23. r. Eutychianism. p. 177. l. 8. r. followed. p. 17. l. 5. r. Patriarchal. p. 182. l. 14. for by r. …e. p. 189. l. 22. r. Apocalyptic… p. 209. l. 30. for Boo r. Book. p. 225. marg r. Vales. not. ad Eusch. p. 273. … r. Euclid. p. 271. l. 7. for he makes this, r. this is made. p. 280. l. 5. blot …. one the.
The Preface.
WHen I Published the late Book, §. 1…which hath so much enraged those of the Church of Rome against me,Of the Nature of these Answers. I thought I had reason to expect that a just Answer should be made to it; but they have taken an effectual course to undeceive me; for by this new way I perceive, their utmost ambition is to have something abroad which among themselves may pass for an Answer. Which put me in mind of what I have heard a great Person said, when he had undertaken to manage an ill cause before a publick Audience, and one of his Friends asked him what he meant by it, trouble not your self, said he, our own side will be sure to believe me. It was surely some such presumption as this, which made the learned Authors of these two elaborate Pamphlets to appear in such a manner in Print, as if it were no great matter what they said, so their people might have this to say, and (if they can) believe it too, that my book is answered. If this be all their cause will afford, it deserves rather to be pittied than confuted; if it will bear more, they are as bad managers of it as their enemies could wish. For however I was threatned before hand that such answers were coming abroad, every line of which would fetch blood; yet, as cruel as they are when we are under their lash, I found that which they designed for my punishment to give me no small pleasure: and I never had so good an opinion of the mercifulness of their Church as when I saw with what feeble hands they chastised me. I had heard so much of their rage, that I expected their greatest strength would be employ'd upon me; and I could not tell what Zamzummims they might hitherto keep in the dark, whose arms were not to be made use of, but upon some special occasion when an Adversary was to be dispatch'd all at once and so perfectly subdued as never to appear more. While I was preparing my self for this kind of Martyrdome, out come these mighty men of valour, who have beaten nothing that I know of, but the air and themselves; for they have neither tyed my tongue, nor broke my heart, nor fetched one drop of blood that I can yet find; all which were things I was told would be done, when these answers came abroad; which threatnings made so loud a noise, that I heard the report of them not only nearer home, but from very distant persons and places.
But lest I should be thought only to despise my Adversaries (which I confess they have given me no small occasion to do) I shall bestow a particular examination upon what they have offered by way of Answer to my Book.§. 2. Only I think it reasonable in the first place to take notice of their present way and method of Answering,Of their common way of Answering our Books. wherein they make use of as many artifices, as they do in gaining Proselytes. When we set our selves to Answer their Books, we endeavour to state the Controversie plainly, to examine their proofs, to apply distinct Answers to their Arguments fairly represented in their own words, and to render the whole Discourse as clear and perspicuous as may be, that all persons may be capable of judging on which side the greatest strength and evidence lyes. This is the mighty advantage which a good cause gives us; we make use of no tricks to deceive men, nor Sophistical cavils to confound and perplex things; we dare appeal to the judgement of any impartial person, who will take the pains to examin the matters in difference between us. But in their late dealings with us, they seek to avoid the main things in dispute, and abhor any methodical proceeding; one man picks out a sentence here and there to answer, another a page or two together, a third leaps from one thing to another, as if resolv'd to pass by the greatest difficulties; but he is a man of courage indeed, that dares fall upon the reer, and begin to confute a Book at the end of it, so that if he lives long enough, and get heart, he may in time come to the beginning: And if we observe them all, they look for nothing so much as some cleanly way of escape, and if they can but raise such a dust as to fly away without being openly discerned to do so, this they hope those of their own side will be so kind and partial as to call a Victory. These are no general accusations, but such as are easie to observe in their dealings with me as to my former Book, and that lately published. But to judicious men, all these little arts and shifts are either plain acknowledgements of a baffled Cause, or an Argument of a weak and unskilful management.
If the Book it self be a little too troublesome to be medled with,§. 3. it is best to fall upon the Author,Of their Ca…mnies against me. and it is a hard case if by false and ridiculous stories, or open calumnies, or at least base and ugly insinuations, they cannot diminish his reputation; and then they hope the Book will sink with its Author. But we are not Ignorant whose cause is wont to be managed by such devices as these are, and from whom they have learnt this method of confuting Adversaries. As for all their railing accusations against me; I shall not so much as desire God to rebuke them, but only pray that he would pardon them; and if I must thank them for any thing, it is for giving me the occasion for exercising so great a charity. I have learnt of him who when he was reviled, reviled not again, not only to forbear reproaching them in the same manner, but to return them good for evil, and to pray for them while they calumniate me. I have so much the less reason to wonder that my Book should be charged by them with no less than Blasphemy, Mat. 26. 65.since the Author of our Religion himself was so, and suffered under that accusation. But wherein I pray doth this blasphemy lye? have I uttered any thing that tends to the reproach of God or true Religion? have I the least word which malice it self can stretch to the dishonour of Iesus Christ, the Prophets and Apostles, or the Holy Scriptures written by divine Inspiration? no; I challenge the boldest of them, and most malicious, to produce any thing I ever said or writ that doth but seem to look that way. Have I made the practice of true devotion ridiculous, and the real expressions of piety the subject of scorn and derision? No, so far from it, that it was only a just zeal for the Honour and practise of true Religion made me willing to lay open the ridiculous Fanaticisms of some pretended Saints in the Roman Church. And must they be allowed to charge Fanaticism on us, and think it far from Blasphemy to represent the Enthusiastick Follies of the Sectaries among us; and when they are guilty of the very same, or greater, may not we shew their unjustice and partiality, without being accused of Blasphemy? But some of these are Canonized Saints, as S. Brigitt, S. Catharine, S. Francis, and S. Ignatius; which is so far from making the Cause of their Church better, that to my understanding it makes it much worse. For although Fanaticism be disowned by our Church, it seems it is not barely countenanced and allowed in the Church of Rome, but Canonized and adored. That which I insist upon, is this; either we have no Fanaticks, or theirs are so; for by the very same rule that ours are so, theirs must be too; for our Fanaticks do pretend as high to the Spirit and divine Revelation as any of theirs; only there is this remarkable difference between their Fanaticks and ours, that ours are among us but not of us, but theirs are both. Now if any one who pretends to Inspiration and Enthusiasm cannot be charged with Fanaticism without blasphemy, we must be exposed to all follies and contradictions imaginable; and to what purpose are we bid to try the Spirits whether they be of God or no, 1 J…h 4. 1.i. e. whether their pretence to divine revelation be true or false? If there may be false pretences to Inspiration, we are to examine the grounds of them, and to judge accordingly; and all false pretenders to Inspiration, let them be Canonized by whom they will, are the highest sort of Fanaticks; and the greater honour is given them, the greater dishonour it is to the Christian Religion.
But these things shall be more largely discussed in their proper place:§. 4. I now only take notice of the injustice of their calumny with which they have made so much noise among injudicious people:Expo…ing Fanaticism no disservice to Christianity. and I should not have been so much concerned about it, had I not found suggestions to the same purpose in the Authors of the two Pamphlets.Dr. … against Dr. Stilling…t. p. 11. The one of them very kindly makes no difference between Lucian, Porphyrius and me, but only some interest which doth byass me another way; and verily believes, good man, that were it not for that, I could flurt with as much piquancy and railery at Christian Religion, as I do at the Roman. In which base suggestion there is no colour of truth, but only that he very honestly distinguisheth the Christian, Religion and the Roman from each other; as indeed they are in many things as different from each other as truth from falshood, wisdom from folly, and true piety from gross Superstition. If he had called me an Atheist in plain terms, the grossness of the calumny might have abated the force of it; but there is no such way to do a man mischief, as by fly insinuations and shrewd suggestions introduced with I verily believe, and expressed with some gravity and zeal. But you who are so good at resolving faith, what is this verily believe of yours founded upon? Have you the authority of your Church for it? have you any evidence of reason? or rather, have you it by some vision or revelation made by some of those Saints, whose Fanaticism is exposed? or do you verily believe it, as you verily believe many other things, for no reason in the world? If I should tell you I have made it my business to assert the truth of the Scriptures, and Christian Religion therein contained, in a large Discourse several years since published; such is your charity, that you would tell me, so did Vaninus write for Providence, when he denyed a Deity. If I should make large Apologies for my innocency, and publish a confession of my faith, with protestations that no interest in the world could remove me from it; you might tell me, where there is no guilt what need so much ado? In plain terms, I know but one way to satisfie such as you are, but I will keep from it as long as I can, and that is to go to Rome and be burnt for my faith; for that is the kindness there shewed to those who contend for the purity of the Christian Religion against the corruptions of the Roman. But such calumnies as these, as they are not fit to be passed by, so are they too gross to need any further answer. I shall however declare my mind freely to you; if I had no other notion of the Christian doctrine, than what I have from the Doctrines of your Church as contrary to ours; no other measures of Christian piety than from your mystical Theology; no better way to Worship God than what is practised among you; no greater certainty of Inspiration from God than of the Visions and Revelations of your late Saints; no other miracles to confirm the Christian doctrine than what are wrought by your Images and Saints, I should sooner choose to be a Philosopher, than a Christian upon those terms. And I verily believe (to answer yours with another) that the frauds and impostures of the Roman Church have made more Atheists in Christendom, than any one cause whatsoever besides: for when men resolve all their faith into the testimony of a Church whose frauds are so manifest, and confessed by your best Writers,M…h. Ca…. loc. T…col. l. 11. p. 534. such as Melchior Canus, and Ludov. Vives; what can they who know no better,Lud. Viv. a…trad. …. l. 5. but suspect the Inspirations and Miracles of former Ages, who see such false pretences to them so much magnified, and the Fanatick pretenders Canonized on that account? And I am so far from thinking it any disservice to the Christian Religion to expose these Fanaticisms, that I again verily believe that Christianity will never obtain as it ought to do among men, till all those hypocritical cheats be yet more laid open to the view of the World; which if any one have but the courage and patience to undertake, it would be as great, and a much more useful labour than the cleansing of the Augean Stable. Dr. … Princip. con…id. ….This is not to make sport and recreation for the Atheist and debauched, nor to give occasion to such persons to turn the Inspirations of Holy-Scripture into matter of Drollery and Buffonry, as the author of the second Pamphlet tragically declaims; any more than our Saviours unmasking the hypocrisie of the Scribes and Pharisees was the destroying the Law of Moses; or the discovery of cheats and impostors doth give occasion to suspect the honesty of all mankind: Nay so far is it from that, that we think the separating of Fanaticism from true inspiration to be one of the best Services that can be done to the Christian Religion, which otherwise is in danger of being despised or rejected by the considerate part of mankind. But I would fain know of these men, whether they do in earnest make no difference between the Writings of such as Mother Iuliana and the Books of Scripture; between the Revelations of S. Brigitt, S. Catharine, &c. and those of the Prophets; between the actions of S. Francis and Ignatius Loyola and those of the Apostles? if they do not, I know who they are that expose our Religion to purpose; if they do make a difference, how can the representing their visions and practices reflect dishonour upon the other, so infinitely above them, so much more certainly conveyed down to us with the consent of the whole Christian World? Thus much may here suffice to represent the arts our Adversaries are driven to, to defend themselves; I cannot blame them that they would engage Religion on their side, but so have all Fanaticks in the World as well as they; and I cannot for my heart see, but this heavy charge of Blasphemy and undermining Religion does as justly lye on them, who deride the Fanaticks among us, as on those who have discovered the Fanaticism of the Church of Rome.