Second Vindication of the Protestant Grounds of Faith, Chapter 3 (1 of 2)
CHAP. III. An Enquiry into the Miracles of the Roman Church.
§. 1. THE next thing which I objected E. W's Assertions about the Miracles of the Roman Church.against this way of resolving faith was that it was notoriously false, viz. that there are the same motives of credibility for the Infallibility of the Roman Church, that there were for the Infallibility of Moses and the Prophets, or of Christ and his Apostles. The natural consequence I said, of affirming Rational Account Pa…t 1 C. 5. S…ct. 12.this was, that there is as great danger in not believing the Church of Rome insallible, as in not believing Moses and the Prophets, Christ and his Apostles to have been sent from God. For where there is an equal obligation to believe, there is an equal sin in not believing; and where the sin is equal, it stands to reason that the punishment should be so too. So that the denial of the Roman Churches Infallibility, must be accounted by them as high a piece of Infidelity, as calling in Q…estion the Infallibility of Christ himself; or denying the Scriptures. This doth not in the least startle E. W. for he boldly asserts, that there are equal motives of credibility as to their Church and Christ and his Apostles, he frequently challenges me to shew the disparity, nay he puts the whole issue of his cause upon it. As may be seen by these words of his: The main argument of T. C. Reason and Religion disc. 3. c. 5. n. 1, 2.he saith was this. As Christ and his Apostles proved themselves Oracles sent from God by their Works, signs, and Miracles; again as the Primitive Christians induced by such signs believed Christ and the Apostles upon their own Testimony to be Infallible Teachers; so we having ever had the very like Works, Signs, and Miracles manifest in the Church are prudently induced to believe her as an Infallible Oracle, upon her own Infallible Testimony. To solve this plain and pressing argument saith E. W. one of these two things must be done: either a disparity is to be given between those first Signs and Miracles of the Apostles, and the later of the Church, or it must be shewn wherein the Inference made is defective or unconcluding, viz. that the Church evidenced by her signs is not proved Gods Infallible Oracle, as the Apostles were proved by their signs, to be Infallible Teachers. Afterward he saith, he hath proved that the N. 4.Church hath wrought Miracles every way equal with those, which the Apostles wrought. In those Chapters to which he refers us for the proof of this, I find this assertion in the beginning. I say first, clear and unquestionable Miracles of the like quality with those Disc. 2. c. 8, 9. C. 8. n. 1.which Christ and his Apostles wrought, have been ever since most gloriously manifest in the Roman-Catholick Church, and in no other Society of Christians. Afterwards, he calls their Miracles, glorious Miracles standing upon inslubitable record; and for the proof of these Miracles he appeals to the lives of the Saints and certain Church-history. Besides N. 4.the Testimonies of some Fathers of Miracles done in their time, not at all to his purpose, (as shall afterwards appear) he appeals, to the known Miracles of those two admirable Saints, Blessed St. Dominick and the Seraphical St. Francis, and St. Vincentius Ferrerius N. 6.reported by the pious and learned St. Antoninus Arch-Bishop of Florence. From whence he infers that the Miracles wrought N. 7.in the Roman-Catholick Church, are not inferiour to those done by the Apostles; and a little after, I… the Miracles of Christ and the N. 13.Apostles rationally proved against Jews and Gentiles the credibility of Apostolical Doctrine, the very like signs and supernatural effects most evident in the Roman-Catholick Church, as rationally prove against Sectaries the credibility of our now professed Catholick-Doctrine; for which he gives this reason. The same signs and marks of Truth when equal in Majesty, worth, quality and number, ever discover to reason the same Truth: wherefore if the Roman-Catholick Church most clearly gives in evidence of her Miracles equal in worth, quality and number with those wrought by Christ and his Apostles, it follows that as those first Apostolical wonders were sufficient to convice Jews and Gentiles of the Truth of Christianity, so these later also wrought in the Church are of like force, and no less efficacious to convince Sectaries of whatever Doctrine she teaches. Now ponder well what the Apostoles did; they cured the sick, dispossed Devils, raised the dead, converted nations, &c. but these very Miracles have been done in the Roman-Catholick Church, yea and greater too. Ergo, we have the like evidence of Truth in both the Primitive Age and this, consequently with it the same Truth. The sequel is undeniable. After this, for particular instances, he appeals to the undeniably authentick monuments and testimonies of that one sacred house of Loreto; to the continual Miracles done at the Reliques of N. 16.St. James at Compostella in Spain, to the Sacred Vial of St. Mary Magdalen in France, wherein, saith he very gravely, the precious blood gathered by that penitent Saint at our Saviours passion is yet preserved, and visibly boyls up on the very day he suffered after the reading of the Passion; to the undoubted Miracles wrought by the intercession of our N. 17.Blessed Lady at Montaigu, for which he calls in the testimonies of Lipsius and Putean, and at large relates a Miracle wrought by St. Xaverius upon F. Marcellus a Jesuit at N 18.Naples; and then answers some few Objections C. 9.and concludes with the vindication of the Miracle at Zaragosa in Spain. This is the substance of E. W's discourse upon this subject; which in the proper consequence of it doth more really enervate the proofs of Christianity, than establish the infallibility of the Roman Church. For I do not think an Atheist would desire more advantage against the Christian Religion, than to have it granted that the Miracles of Christ and his Apostles were no other than such as are wrought in the Roman Church; and that the proofs of them are no more authentick and undeniable than those of the Miracles done at Loreto, Compostella, or Montaigu: and that Christ and his Apostles gave no more illustrious evidences of their being sent from God than St. Dominick, or St. Francis; and that there was no greater evidence of Christs Resurrection from the dead than there is of the boyling up of the blood of Christ in the Vial of St. Mary Magdalen in the Church of St. Maximin in France.