Brief Account of One Suggestion of the Romanist, Chapter 3 · Section 1
SECT. I.
The Doctrine of Tradition, in the way of Rushworths Dialogues. The method of considering it. Four praevious considerations. The Encomiums of this way, how unreconcileably large. Some faith to Testimonies so great, that more Testimonies cannot strengthen it. Five questions by which to judge of the truth of the Encomiums. Canus's way of investigating Tradition, a praejudice to S. W's.
1. TO advance then to the due beholding of the beauties of this Helena, the Common Mistresse of the Author of Rushworths Dialogues, Mr. White the Apologist for those Dialogues, and S. W. the Dispatcher (whether all these make up but one, or more persons, is not much material) the first thing I conceive necessary, is, that we put our thoughts in some order, not gazing on all at once, and so dazling, and confounding our sights, but distributing the object into its parts, and accordingly martialing our viewes of them. And considering that the full portraicture, which in a large map makes up no lesse than all Rushworths Dialogues, is yet several times abbreviated, and given us in little, from those who are acknowledged to have fully penetrated and comprehended it, particularly in this place to the end of this Section, and in Mr. Whites Apology, in the first incounter, p. 7. and 8. I shall labour to direct my course by the steerage of these two together, and for methods sake bound my self to these limits.
2. First, and by way of Apparatus, I shall take notice of the character, as that is express'd by the large Encomiums, which are given of this way, and secondly, (that I may fit it for defining) clear it from all ambiguity, and separate it from the other notion of which the word Tradition is capable, and to which 'tis ordinarily applyed, then thirdly gather the briefest definition or description of it, and fourthly and lastly consider the proofs, on which it is established. And each of these being first set down from their own writings, and then allowed their due aestimate, will afford the Reader as distinct a view of the whole, as any thing but Oral Tradition (which I confesse I have not in this matter) can furnish him, and I shall then leave him, or the Roman Conclave to passe judgement on it.
3. And first the Encomiums of it you have here in these words, — A farre better game to play, I mean the force of Tradition, which is fortified with such, and so many invincible reasons, that to lay them out at large, and as they deserve, were to transcribe the Dialogues of Rushworth, the rich store-house of them, To them I referre the Reader for as ample a satisfaction as even Scepticisme can desire. Another Encomium I shall transcribe from Sch. Disar. p. 19. in these words, I doubt not but the Doctor will grant it impossible, that all the Protestants in England should be fallible or mistake in witnessing whether 20. years agoe there were Protestant Bishops in England or no, and that such was the t…net and Government of the Church at that time. Yet 1000. times greater evidence have we of the indefectibility of the Churches faith, and her infallibility, As you may to your amazement see (if you will but open your eyes) in that incomparable Treatise of Rushworths D alogues.
4. With these two I will satisfie my self (though there be as many more, as but casual mentions of this matter) the truth of which it is not my purpose (nor would it be reconciled with any civility) to examine, but only to conclude from thence the very least that is conclusible (according to S. W's own rule) by immediate connexion of terms, that if S. W. write as he thinks, then in his opinion, this Scheme of proving the infallibity of the Church of Rome by Mr. Whites way is more than clearly demonstrative, for that which is no more than so, doth not satisfie a Sceptick, for he, we know, doth maintain his foreign and foreign, i. e. his suspense, and dissatisfaction against demonstration it self, if they that write of the Scepticks praetensions deceive us not, or if S. W. cannot give us better intelligence of them, than Sexius Empiricus in Pyrrhos life hath done. 2. That in his opinion this way is a thousand times more evident than what was really done 20 years agoe, and what I saw my self, and had the concurrent sensations, of all both Papists and Protestants too, that then lived, and are ready to testifie that I was not mistaken in thus judging of my own sensations, i. e. than what many millions of men not so much as agreeing in any interests hereon depending, did unquestionably see and heare.
5. And having, I suppose, regularly inferred thus much, what hinders, but that I proceed to conclude, that this discovery of Mr, Whites, as it is the greatest blessing, the richest Jewel, so 'tis the greatest riddle and mystery in the world, Thuanus's, or Dr. Harvey's Misaido is nothing to it. But in stead of owning this as my own Corollary, I shall only propose it to consideration, First whether there be at this day on earth to humane finite understandings, any way of more convincing proof, than that of clear demonstration. 2. Whether there be really any evidence of which a Romanist is capable, in judging of his Faith, a thousand times greater, than that of a plain matter of fact, which many millions of men have undoubtedly seen and heard; He must remember that evidence is the subject of this quaere, and that to make good his affirmation, he must at the least prove those three things, 1. That the number and authority (one or both) of Romanists is 1000 times greater than of Protestants. 2. That the Romanists Faith is Orally testified to them by all these, as the matter of fact done in England twenty years agoe is testified by all Protestants there. 3. That when a thing is so testified already by a number, and authority much more than sufficient to make it unquestionable, yet the addition of a greater number of testifiers will still proportionably increase this evidence, so as one myriad being much more then enough to evidence a plain matter of fact, a thousand myriads shall produce a thousand times greater evidence, i. e. a thousand times more than sufficient.
6. That the proving of these three things are necessarily required of him, to conclude his affirmative of the quaestion, though I have no cause to doubt of his assent, yet I shall here adde my reason, why I conceive it incumbent on him: My reason is, because all the evidence of the conclusion inferred by Mr. Whites way is derived from the testification, and not from the matter of the Testimony, or any other such consideration, the matter of the Testimony being the thing concluded, and therefore no part of the medium to conclude it; For example, Oral Tradition evidences to a Romanist by many links of successive testifications, that the Apostles sent by Christ universally preach'd, and confirmed with miracles the Doctrine of the Crede, as necessary to all men to believe to their souls health; The conclusion here testified and believed upon this medium of Oral testification, is this matter of fact [that the Apostles preached and confirmed with miracles this Doctrine—] which conclusion being believed upon this testification only, as all matters of fact are, and not from any intrinsick arguments from the thing it self, (which are branches of the conclusion, and not mediums to inferre, or evidence it) it necessarily followes that the evidence of this conclusion is greater or lesse, as the testification is more or lesse weighty and vigorous, and receives not its increase of weight at all from any thing else. And if so, then 'tis evident, that to make the evidence, as he saith, a thousand times greater, he must make good that there are those ci…cumstances of number and authority one or both in the testification, thus multiplyed above those in the other Scale, so farre as to make it a thousand times more evident. Now that the evidence of any one thing depending upon Oral Testimony, is not thus increasable, as to be a thousand times greater, than the evidence of another thing, which is sufficiently and unquaestionably evidenced, and wherein, as he supposeth, it is impossible that the testifiers should mistake, I offer him this argument, which to me seems to have force in it: Some things which are testified to us by all the Christian world in all ages, are not onelyonly not testified, but actually denyed and rejected as Fables by a far greater part of the men of the world in all the same ages. In this case I demand what other reason can be given, why, when I believe an article upon tradition of the Christian world, so farre a greater number of men to the contrary, should not beget some least dubitancy in my belief, thus founded, unlesse it be this, that the number and authority I have to depend on, is sufficient to induce a faith so firm, that nothing of this kinde to the contrary can weaken it in the least degree; and if nothing of this kinde can weaken it, then by the same reason nothing of this kinde can strengthen it; the reason holding aequally on both sides. And that the Romanist will consent to this reasoning of mine, I have this ground to perswade my self, Because many of his Articles of faith are, he knowes, disbelieved, upon the same ground of tradition, by a farre greater part of the Christian world (for I suppose I may style them part of the Christian world, whom yet he styles Schismaticks, the Greeke Church, Abassines, Georgians, and Protestants;) and yet this no way staggers or but gradually weakens his deemed infallibility; Why so? Because he supposes he hath from the testification of the Church of Rome so complete an evidence, that no oppositions of others can weaken, and then by the same reason also no supposeable humane addition will have any force to strengthen it.
7. A third question proposeable will be, whether the least that can be affirmed of Mr. Whites way will not be this, that the demonstrativenesse it praetends to, doth at the lowest amount to that of a Mathematical demonstration exactly such in every link of it, so that the denying of any such linke, shall imply no lesse then a flat contradiction. This I wish may be remembred, because hereafter perhaps there will be use of it.
8. A fourth, whether it be credible, that so great a jewel as this praetends to be, should be withheld from the Christian world for above 1600. years, and at last brought forth, not only by one man that praetends not to inspiration, but also in a slight familiar conference between two Kinsmen, Apol. p. 1. It hath been a work of great subtilty and labour among the Romanists, to investigate the Traditions of Christ and his Apostles, *Loc. Comm. l. III. c. 4.Melchior Canus in a singular manner hath travailed in it, and among other wayes hath set down for the third, Si quicquam est nunc in Ecclesiâ communi fidelium consensione probatum, quod tamen humana potestas efficere non potuit, id ab Apostolorum traditione necessariò derivatum est, If any thing be now in the Church approved by the common consent of the faithfull, which yet no humane power could doe, that must necessarily have been from the Apostles, As, saith he, to dissolve vowes, remit Oathes, was not of humane power, because by the Law of Nature we are bound to perform to God our Vowes, and keep Oathes, and humane power cannot pardon and take away those things which are due by the Law of Nature, Nec enim credi potest, for it cannot be believed that the Church of God hath generally assumed any power in those things which belong to the Law of Nature, but what they had received from Christ and his Apostles, for then this were a great error in manners, which the Church must not be thought guilty of. Here indeed was an extraordinary reach, to conclude a power from Christ, because it was against the Law of Nature (which yet Christ came not to destroy, but foreign, to fill up and improve) which I cannot imagine any sober man would ever have adventured on (Ocham, I am sure, resolves the quite contrary, that the power of Christs Vicar is but limited to those things,†De Jurisdict. Imp. de caus. Matrim. quae nec legi divinae nec legi naturae reperiuntur adversa, which are not found contrary either to the Law of God or Nature) if this other of the Oral of the praesent Church, without any Auxiliary, would have salved the difficulty; and that is matter of some conjecture at least, that it is, as was said, a novel inv…ntion; and being of such efficacy, 'tis strange it should be envyed the world so long.
9. The fifth, whether, if this doe not make good what it undertakes, especially if in the issue it prove so farre from a solid demonstration, that it arrives not so much as to a faire probability, the consequence be not clear, that it is a temerity seldome exemplified in other persons, or times, all circumstances being considered, as that he that praetends it, is a rational man, and though he saith it not in Greek, foreign foreign, (Philocal. c. XXIV.) yet avowes it in plain English, as oft as any, that he despiseth, and discernes the inconcludency of a thousand barely probable arguments, and admits of nothing in a Controvertist under rigorous, i. e. the most severe demonstration.
10. Other pertinent quaestions, consectaries of the praemisses, I might propose, and likewise offer grounds of debating and deciding these, But that will better be done, when we have had particular inspection of the way, and then perhaps there will be no use of it; At the present this may suffice for the first praevious consideration.