CHAP. XIV.

The foregoing Argument farther illuftrated.

As

S mutual Provocations and Envyings will never be lawful to any Christians at any time, fo will it always be full as unlawful to admit of any Doctrine as an Article of Faith, but what has universally been held as fuch in the Catholick Church. But perhaps this Anathema of the Apostle against the Preachers of any other Gospel, may be look upon as Temporary and peculiar to that Age only, but as now to be cancell'd and of no Obligation. But for the same reason this other Command, I fay then, walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the Luft of the Flesh, must be Temporary alfo, and not of universal Obligation to all Chriftians at all times. But now, if it be extremely impious, and no less dangerous to believe thus, then does it neceffarily follow, that as these Rules about Practice are eternally binding, fo those other against innovating in the Faith do in like manner oblige for ever. To preach there

e

• Adnunciare ergo aliquid Chriftianis Catholicis præter id quod acceperunt, &c.] To propose any thing to Chriftian Catholicks befides what they have receiv'd, never was, never is, and never will be law ful; and to Anathematize fuch as declare any thing, but what they have receiv'd, ever was, ever is, and ever will be a Duty. This indeed is a great Truth, and had been an excellent Motto, worthy. to have been infcrib'd in Letters of Gold, and plac'd before the Trent-Council for the Rule of their Proceedings; who made an Oath not to receive or expound Scripture but according to the uni

form

therefore to Chriftian Catholicks any other Doctrine than what they have receiv'd, never was, never is, and never will be lawful. And to Anathematize

form Confent of the ancient Fathers. And yet Baronius who had taken his Oath, forgets himself and tells us, That the most holy Fa thers, whom for their profound Learning we call the Doors of the Church, the Catholick, that is, the Roman Church, does not always, and in every thing follow in the Interpretation of Scrip. Baren. Annal. Ecclef. An. 34. D. 213. P. 238. Colon. But they can, it feems, go off occafionally from their Oath, and the Fathers too, when it may ferve a Turn. And are not these rare Folks to cry out upon Innovation, and to-fhoot out their Anathemas against the Proteftant World, and from the Quiver of Vincentius, when Bellarmin in direct Oppofition to the Catholick Maxim before us, without mincing the matter fhall plainly declare, That the Church of latter Time bath. Power, not only to declare and explain, but even to conflitute and command what shall belong to the Faith? Bellar. Tract, de potest: Sum. Pontif. If then the latter Church, that is, the Church of Rome hath Power to Conftitute and Command more Doctrines to be believ'd as neceffary to Salvation, than were believ'd by the Primi: tive Church, then has it Power to make new Creeds every Day; and that to be a neceffary Article now, which fifteen hundred Years ago and upwards, was never dreamt off. And if so, methinks they might fpare their Complements upon the Fathers, and our Author in particular, who writes this whole Book only to prove, that Antiquity, Univerfality, and Confent, is the Rule we ought to go by in the Interpretation of Scripture, which he affirms to be the Perfed Canon of Faith and Manners, against the express Doctrine of that Church. The Maxim here laid down, is a Conclufion directly drawn from several Texts of Scripture; the Chief of which, and what he has thought fit to explain and inculcate over and over again is this, But though we, or an Angel from Heaven, preach any other Gojpel to you, wap %, besides what we have preached to you, let him be accurfed. Vincentius by his præterquam quod evangelizavi mus, feems to expound thefe words in the fame Sence with St. Chryfoftom, and St. Auftin; καὶ ἐκ επεν, ἐὰν ἐναντία καταγέλα λεσιν, ἀλλὰ κἂν μικρόν τι αναγ[ελίζον) παρ ὅ ευαγγελισά ueba. He faith not, if they preach things contrary, but if they preach things never fo little different from the Gospel which we have preached to you. See also St. Austin, contra lit. Petil. cap. 6. p. 167. But fuppofing with fome Romish Expofitors we fhould understand by rap, not fomething befides, but fomething contrary to what the Apostle preached, I can't fee how it mends the matter. For

certain

matize the Setters forth of strange Articles, ever was, ever is, and ever will be a Duty. Since this is the Cafe, who will be so hardy as to break in upon the Creed of the Church, or fo exceeding moderate and occafional as to admit of fuch Innovation? That chofen Veffel cries out, that Doctor of the Gentiles, that Trumpet of the Apostles, that Herald of the World cries out; he that was caught up into the Third Heaven, and was made conscious of things unutterable, fcries out again and again in all his Epiftles, Whoever preaches a new Do &rine let him be accurfed. On the other fide, the Frogs and the Gnats, and the Infects but of a Day, fuch as the Pelagians, remonftrate back again, to the Catholicks too, on this wife,

certain it is, that a Man may err damnably, not only by rejecting a fundamental Article, but by preffing Things unneceffary to be bes liev'd, as neceffary to Salvation. And this I take to be the very Cafe here before us; for the Teachers against whom St. Paul pronounces this Anathema, are fuch as join'd the Obfervation of the Law, as neceffary to the Faith of the Gofpel. And by this they taught that what the Apoftle preach'd as neceffary to Salvation, was not neceffary without their Additions; which is the very Thing we charge upon the Papifts, for their new Articles of Trent, and their Traditionary Doctrines. For if these are necessary to Salvation, (as they fwear they are) and yet are not contain'd in Scripture, then Scripture is not fufficient to Salvation; and then St. Paul's Anathema cannot be juft and true, tho' twice together averr'd by him with all the Solemnity imaginable. Here then with Vincenti w we fix and set our Feet, and with him declare, That to Preach up any thing to Chriftian Catholicks, as Matter of Faith, befides what they have receiv'd, never was, never is, and never will be lawful and to Anathematize fuch as declare any thing as neceffary, befides what they have receiv'd, ever was, ever is, and ever will be a Duty.

Clamat, repetendo clamat, &c.] I tranflate according to this Reading of Baluzius, and not by the Cambridge Edition, which. reads clamet.

they remonstrate and cry, Upon our Example, our Authority, and the Faith of our Expofitors, condemn what you once believ'd, and believe what you once condemn'd; lay afide the ancient Faith, the Inftitutions of your Fathers, the Depofitum of your Ancestors, and receiveWhat, I tro! mult we receive? Why, even what I tremble to mention; for their Notions favour fo much of Pride and Self-fufficiency, that in my Opinion not only the maintaining of them, but even the touching upon them in order to refute them is in fome measure criminal.

CHAP. XV.

Why very great Men are very often permitted by God to introduce ftrange DoEtrines into his Church.

BUT

UT here it is natural to enquire, Why Such 5 confiderable Perfons in the Church are fo

Cur ergo perfæpe divinitùs finuntur, &c.] Tertullian begins his Prefcription against Hereticks upon the like Topick, and bids the Faithful be no more concern'd at the Caufe and Effects of Herefies than of Fevers; for both muft be, and both do Mischief; and this too by the Permiffion of God for wife and good Ends. And in the third Chapter puts the Queftion; Quid ergo fi Epifcopus, &c. What then if a Bishop, if a Deacon, if a Widow. if a Virgin, if a Doctor of our Laws, nay, if a Martyr, should fall from the Rule of Faith? Would that give a Sandien to Herefie? Are we to try the Faith by the Man, or the Man by his Faith? The Reasons why God permits fuch great Men to fall, and to be a stumbling Block in the way of others, are to be feen at large in that Prefeription, and fuccinctly, and folidly treated in this and the following Chapters.

often

often by divine Providence fuffer'd to set forth fuch ftrange Doctrines amongst the Catholicks? A very proper Enquiry in good earnest, and well worthy of a nice and full Examination. And in answer to this, I fhall build nothing upon my own private Reasoning, but upon the Authority of the Scriptures, and the In ftructions of an infpir'd Governour of the Church. Let us hear therefore the holy Mofes, and he may teach us, why knowing Men, and fuch as for their Gift of Knowledge the Apostle ftiles Prophets, are sometimes permitted to broach new Opinions, which by way of Figure the Old Testament ufually calls ftrangé Gods, becaufe Hereticks do Idolize their ftrange Doctrines just as the Gentiles do their strange Gods. The bleffed Mofes therefore thus writes in Deuteronomy, h If there arife among you a Chap.13.17 Prophet,

If there arife among you a Prophet, or a Dreamer of Dreams, and giveth thee a Sign or Wonder, and the Sign or Wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, faying, let us go after other Gods, and ferve them; Thou shalt not hearken to the words of that Prophet or Dreamer of Dreams, for the Lord your God proveth you, &c.] Our Author having confider'd only the Ratio Finalis, or the end for which God permits Miracles to be done by False Prophets, for the fuller Explication of this Text, I fhall inquire into their efficient Caufe, and fee how far forth Mi racles are a Proof of a true Prophet. In order to this, I diftinguish between two kinds of Miracles or Supernatural Effe&s. First, Such Effects as plainly appear to be above the Power of any natural Caufes here among us, which therefore we call Supernatural. Yet fuch, however, as thro' the divine Permiffion are practicable by the ordinary and natural Power of invisible created Spirits. For Inftance, the Sufpenfion of a Stone in the Air, the drawing a founder'd Ship by a Womans Girdle, the dividing a Whetstone by a Razor at a word fpeaking, the telling what is doing a thousand Miles of, &c. Thefe, I fay, feem to be above the Reach of human Power, and not feafible by any natural Caufes amongst us, and yet may be within the proper Agency of invifible Spirits. There is another fort of Miracles which are above the Power of natural Causes, and Та

of