355 IV. by some Christian parents to their children, is delivered by DISCOURSE all Christian parents after the same manner;' that 'whatsoever is delivered by Christian parents of this age is necessarily derived from the Apostles by an uninterrupted succession;' and that external unity doth necessarily imply an identity of tradition: '—are contingent uncertainties, which may be true or may be false. His reason, that "it is impossible for the beginners of a novelty to pretend, that their immediate fathers had taught them that which the whole world sees they did not,”—is absurd and impertinent, and may serve equally to both parties. First, it is absurd and contrary to the sense of the whole world. We see daily by experience, that there are innovations in doctrine and discipline, and both parties pretend to ancient and immediate tradition. He might as well tell us, "Nil intra est oleam, nil extra est in nuce duri"." undiscern The Arians pretended to immediate tradition as well as the orthodox Christians. Secondly, it is impertinent; changes Changes in religion are neither so sudden nor so visible as he ima- ible. gineth, but are often made by degrees, in tract of time, at leisure, insensibly, undiscernibly. An error comes first to be a common opinion, then a pious doctrine, lastly, a point of faith; but seldom do errors appear at first in their own shape. "Fallit enim vitium specie virtutis et umbrâ*." A beginning of unity' in time may grow to be a sovereignty of power. Investitures were taken away from kings for fear of simony; and this fear of simony, before the wheel had done running, produced the most sublimated art of simony that ever was devised. Who would or could have suspected, that those huge cries for free liberty of election should have ended in Papal provisions, or the exemption of clergymen from their allegiance to their native prince? have been an introduction to a new oath of allegiance to a foreign prelate? The subjection of the emperors to the Popes "began with pictures, proceeded to poetry," and ended in down I. PART right maxims of theology. There hath alway been a "mystery of iniquity," as well as a mystery of piety; the tares were sown "whilst men slept," and were not presently discerned. [2 Thess. 25.] Opinions not necessary. It is not I, who have "changed Faith into opinion":" my Faith is the very same that always was professed throughout the Christian world by every Christian at his Baptism, and comprehended in the ancient Creed of the Church. But it is they, who have changed opinion into Faith, when Pius the Fourth matriculated twelve new opinions among the ancient articles of the Creed. Let them be probable, or pious, or erroneous, or what you will; I am sure they are but opinions, and consequently no articles of Faith. 66 I said such "opinions of an inferior nature" are not SO necessary to be known"." He asketh, "whether they be necessary or no? If they be not necessary, why do" I "grant them to be necessary by saying, 'they are not so necessary?' If they be necessary, why call" I "them but opinions"." Doth he know no distinction of things necessary to be known, that some things are not so necessary as other? Some things are necessary to be known 'necessitate medii,' -to obtain salvation: some things are necessary to be known only necessitate præcepti,'-because they are commanded: and they may be commanded by God or man; the latter are not so necessary as the former: some things are absolutely necessary to be known by all men; some other things are only John iii. 10. by some men,-"Art thou a Master in Israel and knowest not these things?"-some things are enjoined to be held only for peace' sake; those are not so necessary to be known as the Commandments, or the Sacraments, or the articles of the Creed. The Pope's infallibility in his definitions of Faith is but an opinion, and yet they hold it necessary. The superiority of a general Council above the Pope was a necessary opinion in the time of the Councils of Constance and Basle; and now the contrary opinion is "fere de Fide"-" almost an article of Faith." 506.] 291. [Schism Dispatched, sect. 1. p. b [Schism Dispatched, sect. 1. p. 506. Bellarm., De Concil. [Auctorit.], lib. ii. c. 17. [Op. tom. i. p. 1212. D.] 356 IV. He knoweth better by this time what I understand by Discourse "points of Faith publicly professed";" even the articles of the Creed, which every Christian, that ever was from Christ's time until this day, professed at his Baptism. All the Christian world have ever been baptized into the Faith of the old Creed; never any man yet was baptized into the Faith of their new Creed. If these new articles be as necessary to be known and publicly professed for the common salvation as the old, they do them wrong to baptize them but into one half of the Christian Faith. of tradi He troubleth himself needlessly with jealousy and suspi- Heresies cion, lest under the notions of Faith "universally professed," not the ,, impeach and the "Christian world united," I should seek a shelter or perpetuity patrociny for Arians, or Socinians, or any other mushroom tion. sect; as if the Deity of Christ were not delivered by universal tradition, or not held by "the Christian world united," because of their opposition. I do not look upon any such sects, which did or do oppose the universal and perpetual tradition of the Catholic Church before their days, as living and lasting streams, but as sudden and violent torrents; neither do I regard their opposition to the Catholic Church any more than of a company of phrenetic persons, whilst I see plainly a parte ante, that there was a time when the wheat did grow without those tares; and a parte post, that their errors were condemned by the Catholic Church. This exception of his hath great force against his "immediate tradition." Should the children of Arians or Socinians persist in their Arian or Socinian principles, because they were delivered to them "as the legacies of Christ and His Apostles" by their erring "parents?" But against my universal and perpetual tradition they have no force at all. Neither do I look upon their petty interruption as an impeachment to the succession from the Apostles, no more than I esteem a great mountain to be an impeachment to the roundness of the earth. Neither was it the Church of Greece, and all the other Eastern, Southern, and Northern Churches, which receded [Reply to S. W., sect. 1. (above p. 291); quoted by Mr. Serjeant, Schism Dispatched, sect. 1. pp. 506, 507.] e [Schism Dispatched, sect. 1. p. 507.] I. PART from this universal tradition, in the case in difference between us concerning the discipline of the Church; but the Church of Rome which receded from them. No tradi tion for the points in between us. "Non tellus cymbam, tellurem cymba reliquit." He knoweth little in antiquity, who doth not know, that the Creed was a "tradition" both materially-as a thing difference delivered by the Apostles, and formally-as being delivered by oral traditions: but he who shall say (as he doth), that "all the points controverted" between us and them were delivered "as derived from the Apostles, in a practice as daily visible as is the Apostles' Creed, by our forefathers; as invoking Saints for their intercession, the lawfulness of images, praying for the dead, adoration of the Sacrament," &c., "and, in particular, the subjection to the Pope as supreme Head"," (to use his own phrase) is a "frontless manh." His very mumbling of them, and chopping of them by halves, as if he durst not utter them right out, is a sufficient evidence of the contrary. We do not charge them only with "invoking Saints for their intercession," or (to speak more properly) with the invoking God to hear the intercession of His Saints, but with more insolent forms of ultimate prayers to the creatures,'to protect them at the hour of death, to deliver them from the Devil, to confer spiritual graces upon them, and to admit them into heaven '-"precibus meritisque"-not only "by their prayers," but likewise "by their merits." As improper an address, as if one should fall down on his knees before a courtier, and beseech him to give him a pardon or to knight him, meaning only that he should mediate for him to the kingk. We do not question the lawfulness of their "having of images," but worshipping of them, and worshipping of them with the same worship which is due to the Prototype. We condemn not all "praying for the dead," not for their resurrection, and the consummation of their happiness, but their prayers, for their deliverance out of Purgatory. We ourselves adore Christ in the Sacrament, but we IV. dare not adore the species of Bread and Wine". And although DISCOURSE we know no Divine right for it, yet, if he would be contented with it, for peace' sake we could afford the Bishop of Rome a 'primacy of order' by human right, which is all that antiquity did know. And if any of our ancestors, in any of these particulars, did swerve from the universal perpetual tradition of the Church, we had much better warrant to return to the Apostolical line and level, than he himself had to desert those principles temerariously, which his "immediate forefathers" taught him, as delivered by the Apostles and derived from them. His next exception is a mere logomachy,—that I call two [Other exof his assertions "inferences"." ceptions of Mr. Ser What doth this concern either the person or the cause? jeant.] 357 Either this is to contend "about the shadow of an ass," or I know not what is. Let them be premisses or conclusions, which he will, they may be so disposed to make them either; if they be neither, what do they here? if they be conclusions, they are "inferences." He calleth the former conclusion their "chief objection";" who ever heard of an objection without an "inference?" And the second is so far from being no "inference," that it comprehendeth four "inferences;" one from the first principle, another from the second principle, and the third from both principles,-that "Churches in communion with the Roman have the only right doctrine in virtue of the first principle, and the only right government in virtue of the second principle, and unity necessary to salvation in virtue of both principles," and the last conclusion is the general inference from all these,-" And by consequence we hold them only to make the entire Catholic Church"," I said truly, that we hold both their rules of unity; I add, that we hold them both "in the right sense t," that is, in the proper literal sense of the words: but what their sense of them is, concerneth them, not us. If by "the |