Against Pretended Liberty of Conscience, Chapter 5
CHAP. V. Of Fundamentals.
A Foundation (ſaith Pareus Iren. c. 9) is that which is in the loweſt place of the building to beare up that which is built upon it, and without which the building cannot ſtand.
That then muſt be the foundation of faith and ſalvation which is preciſely neceſſary to be believed by all that are ſaved Alardas Valek gives us four fundamentals facienda & vitanda things to be done and eſchewed in the Decalogue 2. credenda, to be believed in the Creed. 3. roganda, to be ſought from God in prayer 4. …ſurpanda things to be practiſed, as the Sacraments. De vivendis Chriſtianorian animus in fide illibata. tom. 1 l. 1. c. 10.How the repenting thieſe knew all theſe, I ſee not, yet a taſte of ſome of them ye may ſee and with the infuſed life of God he was ready to believe and doe the reſt. For the firſt he knew robberie and violence to be damned in the Decalogue▪ we are juſtly here, and repented. 2. for the ſecond,The number of Fundamentals. he believed in Chriſt as a King, the Son of God and a Saviour. Chriſt was accuſed that he called himſelf the Sonne of God and a king, when the man ſaith of Chriſt this man hath done nothing amiſſe: An ſaving diſpoſition of faith to beleeve all truths revealed, though the man be ignorant of many may conſiſt with the ſtate of ſaving grace.he believes him to be the Sonne of God, and the Saviour who had the keyes of paradice at his girdle. 3. he prayes to him. Lord remember me when thou comes to thy Kingdome. 4. for externall worſhip or Sacraments, it is like he knew little: yet he confeſſed Chriſt a King when his diſciples denyed him and fled, and the world perſecuted him. Cycillus Hyeroſolymitian reduceth them to two; the knowledge of points of faith. 2. the doing of good works. Had he added according to the new covenant it were good. Calvin ſaith epiſt 182. I refuſe not the Auguſtine confeſſion. Cui pridem volens & libens ſubſcripſi. ſicut eam Author interpretatus eſt. Yet in the 10. article thereof the ſubſtantiall bodie and blood of Chriſt is ſaid to be really preſent under the ſpece of bread and wine. Calv. epiſt. ad Martinum Shallingium an. 1557.Ambroſe in cap. 9. Lu. negat Chriſtum, qui non omnia qua ſunt Chriſti confitetur. It is onelyonly thus farre true the that hath ſufficient meanes of believing what the word ſaith may confeſſe all truths of Chriſt and doth not denie Chriſt, but as ſome doe not all the good they may, yet have a ſaving diſpoſition to it, though either they through infirmities leave it undone, or through want of oportunitie, yet believing are ſaved: So theſe that want means of knowing and confeſſing all truths yet have the habit of faith to believe them, though they never actually confeſſe them, doe not deny Chriſt. Though Irenem l. 1. c. 3. Tertullian de Virginibus velandis Auguſti. to. 10. de Tempore ſar. 2. and Ruſſi… in the expoſition of the Creed ſay that which is called the Apoſtles Creed, came from the Apoſtles: yet there is no ſufficient ground for us to believe the authentick Authoritie of it. Conrad, worſhips while he was yet▪ ſound▪ de pauſis juſt it & neceſſariis deſerendi papatus. par. 1. diſ. 1. the 29. ſaith of theſe points that are contained in the Apoſtles Creed: ſome things are ſimply neceſſarie for ſalvation,Three things among theſe that are to be believed, things ſimply neceſſarie. 2. ſimply profitable. 3. by conſequence neceſſary: how the papiſt, erre in theſe. without which faith and repentance cannot be 2. ſome not ſo neceſſarie, yet profitable and of themſelves ſaving. 3. other things by conſequence and by accident are neceſſarie, not of themſelves and ſeparate from the fundamentals, the Church of Rome erres in the fundamentals, in the doctrine of our Saviour and his offices, in the doctrine of merit, humane ſatisfactions, indulgences, the Scriptures, the Church. In the 2. they erre about baptiſme, the Lords ſupper, confirmation, unction, pennance, though of themſelves they happily deprive not of life eternall, yet becauſe the ſubject about which the matter is verſed is moſt neceſſary, they are pernicious errors. Theſe of the third ſort touching creation, providence, mortification, though of themſelves they might be called errours, ſimple ignorance, yet for the dangerous conſequences, they are pernicious hereſies.
Mr. John Durie in his Theological conſultation maketh three ſort of neceſſary points.Joan. Durens in conſulta. Theologica p. 14, 15. 1. theſe, without the knowledge of which Chriſt cannot be known in the covenant of grace, nor by faith retained, which are comprehended in the paction of the covenant. 2. ſaving points which ſecretly lurk in theſe neceſſirie points, yet by juſt and evident conſequence may be deduced there from, though they be not in the expreſſe words of the covenant. 3. ſome things that are profitable, the expreſſe knowledge whereof conduceth to the fuller knowledge and faith of theſe things neceſſarie, yet are not ſuch, but Chriſt may be believed by ſimple ſoules and reſted on for ſalvation, without ſuch a preciſe forme of ſpeaking.
Auguſti. de Trinit. l. 14. c. 1. It is one thing to know what we are to believe, another thing how, or with what certaintie we are to believe. Some Conſequences neceſſary.Nazianz. Orat. 5. de Theol. perinde ea qua ex Scripturis colliguntur, atqui ea qua ſcribuntur. What is in Scripture by conſequence is Scripture: the ignorance of the Reſurrection, which was in Scripture to the Sadduces by conſequence onelyonly was an ignorance of the Scripture …. 22. 29, 30, 31. and a ſoul condemning errour. It is a queſtion, yea no queſtion, to die denying the reſurrection is to die without ſaith, happily to die ignorant of it, having never heard the Goſpel is not ſo high a ſinne, but who can ſay ſuch can be ſaved? Auguſt. ſerm. 30. de verbis Apoſt. Si negent equalem, negant filium, ſi negant filium, negant Chriſtum, ſi negant Chriſtum, negant in carne veniſſe.
Origen l. 2. de peccat. c. 34. all Chriſtians faith ſtands in theſe two, that the firſt Adam deſtroyed us, the ſecond ſaves us: errours about juſtifying ſaith, and errours touching hiſtoricall faith are farre different.
The foundation is Chriſt and none but he.Builders of hay and ſtubble on the foundation may be ſaved, and theſe that fall in murther and adultery out of infirmity may be alſo ſaved, yet there is no conſequence; ergo the Magiſtrate ſhould tollerate both. 2. the gold builded on the foundation is the doctrine of Chriſt, and a created thing, yet ſimply neceſſary to be believed. 3. the hay and ſtubble that is builded on it muſt be vanities and fooleries believed, yet of themſelves ſuch as extinguiſh not ſaving faith and love, no more then ſins of infirmitie are inconſiſtent with ſaving faith, then both the mans hay and ſtubble and his ſins of infirmitie againſt the ſecond table may be burnt and the man ſaved: but it follows not the Church and Magiſtrate ſhould therefore not puniſh or cenſure the builders of hay and ſtubble upon the foundation, but ſhould tollerate them, for a Godly man, as David and Peter may fall in adulterie, in treacherous murther and denyall of Chriſt, yet it follows not that the Magiſtrate ſhould tollerate and not puniſh murther and adulterie in a Chriſtian ſocietie, and that Paul ſhould not ſharply rebuke, and if need be, farther proceed to the cenſure of the Church: if Peter either deny his Lord, though out of infirmitie and fear, or if he Judaize and looke awry to the Goſpel.