FIRST DISCOURSE,
Showing, from the nature of Rule and Faith, what Properties belong to the Rule of Faith.

1. As common Reason gives it evident, that no satisfaction at all can be had in any point whatever without knowing first the Meaning of those Words which express the Thing under debate, since without this the discoursers must talk of they know not what; so the Art of Logick assures us that, the Meaning of those Words exactly known, a ready way is open'd to a clear decision of the most perplexing difficulties. For, seeing the Meaning of a Word includes in it self the Na­ture of the Thing as signified by that Word, in re­gard it could not mean That Thing, unless it al­so meant it of such a Nature which constitutes that Thing, so tis plain that, the Meaning of the Word once known perfectly, the Nature of the Thing, as signify'd by that word, must be known likewise. Wherefore, since the Nature of the Thing bears along with it all those Considerati­ons and Attributes which intrinsecally belong to such a Nature, and excludes all those which are incompetent to the same Nature, it acquaints us with what can be both said and deny'd of the Thing, as far as exprest by that word. The per­fect knowledge then of the Meaning of the Words [Page 2] affords us the certain solution of all questions whether Affirmative or Negative, and is the most compendious way to settle all Controver­sies. Let us therefore apply this method to our present purpose, and examin well what is meant by those Words which express the thing we are discussing, namely THE RULE OF FAITH; and we may with good grounds expect a solid, clear, and brief satisfaction both of what is not that Rule, and what is It.

2. To begin then with what is most evident; Seeing a Rule signifies a thing which is able to regulate or guide him who uses it, it must con­sequently have in it all those Qualities by which it is able to do that it's proper Effect; otherwise 'tis no Rule, that is, 'tis not apt or able to do what a Rule should do.

3. It must then in the first place be Evident as to its Existence; unto the Sense, if it be to guide it; or to the Vnderstanding if it be an Intelle­ctual Rule. For, how should either of these be guided by what they neither see nor know?

4. Whence follows that it must be Evident to all those who are to be regulated by it, that there is such a Thing; otherwise it can be to them no Rule; since, being unknown, it reaches not, or affects not those persons who are to be ruled by it; that is, reaches not those things upon which it is to do its Effect; and so, cannot rule them, or be a Rule to them.

5. Moreover, to those who can raise doubts or [Page 3] can have doubts raisd in them, (that is in a man­ner all Mankind, even the Rudest Vulgar) it must be knowable that the Intellectual Rule they are to be regulated by, has in it self a virtue to rule or guid their understandings right; That is, they must be capable to know that it de­serves to be reli'd on as a Rule. Wherefore, this must either be evident by its own light, or at least easily evidenceable by other knowledges or skills presupposed in those users of Reason, who are to be guided by that Rule. Otherwise, 'tis against Sense and Reason to yield over ones un­derstanding to be guided by that which he can never come to understand that it has in it any ability or power to guide him.

6. And, because nothing can be evident to be what in reality it is not, it follows that this Thing pretending to be a Rule, must also be cer­tain in it's self, or establisht on secure Grounds: For otherwise, 'tis not possible that can in true sence be call'd a Rule, which one may follow and yet go wrong, or be missed. The Directive Power then which it has must not be wavering; Wherefore also the causes which conserve it so constantly able to perform that Effect must be established too to that degree as to keep it fitting to do the effect proper to its Nature; which is, to be certain in its self.

7. Thus much is evidently gathered out of the common Notion or Nature of a Rule; That is, out of the genuin and proper meaning of that [Page 4] single word. We are next to consider the mean­ing of the word FAITH. By which we in­tend not to give rigorous School-definitions of either this or the former word; but only to re­flect on and make use of some Attributes, Predi­cates or Properties; which in the sence of such who intelligently use those words are apprehend­ed to be involved in or truly appertaining to their signification. This caution given to avoid mistake or cavil, let's enquire of what kind of Nature that thing is which is meant by this word FAITH, and then reflect what further qualifications it requires in it's Rule, that is, in the Certain Means which is to guide us to that Knowledge called Faith.

8. FAITH then in the common sence of Man­kind is the same with Believing; and Divine Faith in the sence of the generality of Christians (from whom, as being the intelligent users of that word, the true sence of it is taken) the Believing God in reveal'd Truths, which necessarily imports some kind of Knowledge of super [...]atural Things. Again, it being evident and held by those Christians that none can come to Heaven without knowing there is such a thing, or some very great Good re­serv'd for the next life; nor yet without loving it, (for none is thought to go to Heaven whether he will or no) which Love, besides the Knowledge that Heaven is, cannot be had without know­ing likewise that 'tis a Good incomparably great­er than any in this life; nor can these Know­ledges [Page 5] be had by Mankind but by Believing; hence, Belief of Supernatural things, or Faith is conceived necessary for the salvation of Mankind. Nor is this found only in the Judgements the learneder Faithful make concerning it by their Discourse, but in the very Meaning of the word Faith as it imports Knowledge of super [...]atural things. It being then granted by all and in it self most rational that some at least of the vulgar are to be saved, that is, are to have Faith or Knowledge of God, it follows that the Rule of Faith or certain means to arrive at Faith must be appliable to them.

9. Moreover, since the ruder or unskilfuller people are, the lesse capable they are of Science, and none doubts but some, amongst even the rudest, may come to be saved, since we expe­rience they have oftentimes well-meaning, vir­tuous and devout hearts; the Rule or Means to come to Faith must also be appliable to these; that is, must be such as even the rudest may be capable to know there is such a thing.

10. The Rule of Faith therefore must be Knowable as to it's Existence by natural impres­sions upon mens Senses, affecting their Souls ac­cording to the common light of understanding. For, seeing the rudest are very shallow Reflecters and Discoursers, and suppos'd to be utterly unac­quainted with any kind of Skill got by Specula­tion or Study, the Knowledge of the Rule of [Page 6] Faith's Existence must not need any skill or Sci­ence acquir'd by Study, intervening between the natural power of their Understanding and It [...] otherwise it could not be Knowable by them, [...] be to them a Rule, by parag. 4^th.

11. Again, seeing those who are very rude are yet capable of being put into Doubts concerning their Faith, either by Sophistry or fai [...] Language, and at length deserting it; and 'tis most unrea­sonable there should be no means lest by God sufficient to settle them; nor can any Means be sufficient if the Rule of Faith (which is the best if not only Means to come to the Knowledge of Faith) be dissatisfactory, or impossible to be shown worthy to be rely'd on; it follows that the Rule of Faith must be of such a nature as i [...] either by its own light evidently secure and wor­thy to be held a Rule, and this even to the rudest who can doubt; or else easily evidenceable to them to be such by intelligent persons who art vers'd in such reflexions, and this out of Princi­ples they are capable of, (as was prov'd parag [...] the 5^th.) that is, requiring onely common and obvious Reason not scientifical speculation to in­still them. Otherwise those rude persons would be left unfurnish't of due Means to be sted [...]ast in their Faith.

12. Also, since the Notion of the word Faith bears, that 'tis a perfection of the Soul, or a Virtue, and so no act of it irrational, but on the contrary, all its Acts rational, and the submis­sion [Page 7] of onr Understandings exercisd in it ratio­nabile obsequium, 'tis evinc't that the Satisfacto­rines of its Rule, ought not onely to be evident or easily evidenceable to the rudest Doubters, as we now prov'd, but also it ought to be so qua­lify'd, that the Faithful who yet have no doubts should do rationally even while they simply or unreflectingly adhere to it, and that it should sup­ply to their common and uncultivated Reason by a natural way what it wants of reflexion: I mean, so that the common light of Reason may tell them, upon solid and true Principles taught them by the ordinary course of things in the World, this is to be held or followed, thongh they dive not into the Grounds or particular Rea­sons of their tenets or actions, nor can give ac­count of them.

13. And, since our Saviour intended those out of the Church should embrace Faith, and those who are to be converted are Heterodox, that is, hold contradictorily to the Church, in what they dissent from her; so that if they change, they must now hold is, indead of is not, or is not in­stead of is (there being no middle to hold to) in those points in which they differ from her, and no change ought to be in reason or in a rational Nature (of which Nature those Heterodox are) without true reason to change, and the change in our case is to be made not to a meer Suspensi­on, which is believing nothing, nor to a middle between is, and is not, but to a contrary or ra­ther [Page 8] contradictory Assent, and no Assent can be [...] without sufficient Cause of Assent, nor is any suf­ficient in reason to put that Effect or cause Assent [...] in a thing antecedent to Faith, as is the Rule [...] of Faith, but Evidence; (for while 'tis but pro­bable, that is, while the Understanding must a [...] yet say I know not it is so, it cannot say I know i [...] is so, which is no more but to say understanding­ly or to assent that it is so) now the Cause of our actuall assenting to the Churches Faith, is the Rule of Faith; It follows out of the notion of Rational included in the word Faith, as apply'd to convettible persons, that the Rule of Faith must be beyond all Peradventures, how high and presumed soever they be; that is, absolutely Evident to us, and consequently CERTAIN.

14. Moreover, there being many Eminent Wits in the Chutch vers'd in true Logick & enu­red to Sciences, and true Logick and the course of Science necessarily telling them that nothing can in perfect reason be held by one who penetrates difficulties, but either Self-evident Principles, or Conclusions necessarily deduced by intrinse­cal mediums from those Principles, nor can they be necessarily deduced without immediate con­nexion or Identification of the Terms with the Medium which infers the Identity between themselves in the Conclusion, and that what is not seen to be thus connected is unknown, and so, for any thing appears, may be false; and to see a thing may be false, must needs breed some Fear [Page 9] of being so, or Doubt, if we be concerned in the Truth or Falsitie of that thing, and none can ra­tionally assent or fix their judgment where there is left some Doubt or wavering of Judgment, and the Judgement or Assent of Faith must be rotional; It follows that the Rule of Faith, (which is the immediate Producer and Cause of the Assent of Faith) ought to be of that Nature that it must not onely be plain to the ruder sort, but also contain in it self Seeds of perfect evidence to satisfy those learned Persons who shall more narrowly examin it: Otherwise the best and wisest portion, and as it were the flower of Man­kind, which guide themselves by perfect reason, could hold nothing or have no Faith; That is the Church must onely be made up of ignorant and undiscerning persons; which would make her little better than a Congregation of Phanaticks.

15. Especially the Church having many Ad­versaries skild in natural Sciences, who will not stick to oppose her all they can, and conquer her too, could they take any just advantage against her; and no greater advantage being possible to be gained or more deadly wound to be given her than to prove her Faith uncertain, which is done by showing the Ground of it as far as concerns our Knowledge, that is the Rule and Means to come to Faith, possible to be false; For this at once enervates her Government▪ vilifies her Sacra­ments, weakens all the motives to the love of Heaven, which she proposes, and by consequence [Page 10] quite enfeebles the vigour of Christian Life; or rather, this made manifest, by reason of temptations to the Love of Creatures perpetual­ly and on all sides besieging us, endangers to ex­tinguish it utterly; and, lastly, makes Christians the most ridiculous people in the world to be­lieve such high mysteries above their reasons upon uncertain Grounds: Tis manifest therefore that the only safeguard and all the strength of the Church and Christian Religion is placed in the absolute Certainty of the Rule of Faith: Tis made therefore and ordained to ascertain Faith; that it, it has in it what is fit for this end; that is, it is of its own nature absolutely certain; that is, absolute Certainty is found in the nature and no­tion of the Rule of Faith; or, which is all one, is signified or meant by those words thoroughly un­derstood.

16. And lastly, Faith being a Virtue mainly conducing to Bliss (as is seen▪ §. 8.) and its In­fluence towards Bliss (which we call its Merit) consisting in this that it makes us submit our Un­derstanding to the Divine Veracity and by that means adhere unwaveringly to such Truths as raise us to Heaven, so that the Divine Authority apply'd is the Principal Cause or Motive of this submission, assent or adhesion; and every Cause producing its effect better and stronglier by how much the nearer and closer 'tis apply'd, and all the application of it to us consisting in the Rule of Faith, whose office it is to derive down to us [Page 11] those doctrines Christ taught and to assure us that Christ said them; and the application of a thing closely to a Judging Power being per­formed by Certifying it, which makes it sink into it & become an intimate Act of that Power, whereas Uncertainty can only admit it to swim as it were upon the surface of the Soul, much after the manner of a bare Proposal or simple apprehen­sion, or at best as a Probability, not having weight enough of motive to settle deep into its solid substance which is Cognoscitive and so be­come there a fixt Judgement; it follows that the Virtue of Faith and its Merit are incomparably advantaged by the absolute Certainty of the Rule of Faith and very feeble and inefficacious without it. This Rule then must be absolutely-Certain of its own nature, that is, the notion of absolutely-Certain is involv'd in the Rule of Faith.

17. Summing up then the full account of our Discourse hitherto it amounts to this that out of the genuine meaning of the word Rule which as used by us denotes an Intellectual Rule, & much more out of the meaning of the word Faith it is clearly evinced that the Rule of Faith must have these several conditions; namely, it must be plain and self-evident as to its Existence to all (§. 3, 4, 9, & 10.) & Evidenceable as to its Ruling Power to enquirers even the rude vulgar (§. 5. & 11.) apt to settle & justify undoubting persons (§. 12.) to satisfy fully the most Sceptical Dis­senters [Page 12] (§. 13.) and rational Doubters (§. 14.) and to convince the most obstinate and acute Adversaries, (§. 15.) built upon unmoveable Grounds, that is Certain in it self, (§. 6. 15, 16.) and absolutely ascertainable to us (§. 5, 11, 13, 14.)

SECOND DISCOURSE.
Showing the two first Properties of the Rule of Faith utterly incompetent to Scripture.

1. HAving attained so clear a Description of the Rule of Faith and acquaintance with it by particular marks, we may with reason con­ceive good hopes of knowing it when we meet it: Especially, not having a great croud from which we are to single it out, the pretenders to that title being very few; and, indeed, but two are owned, namely Tradition and Scripture; though if we look narrowly into it, the Private Spirit, Private Reason, Testimonies of Fathers, or whatsoever else is held the ascertainer of Scri­ptures sence ought to have a place among the pretenders to be the Rule of Faith; since tis those which are thought to give the reliers on them all the security they have of Gods sence, that is, of Points of Faith, and so are or ought to be to them a Rule of Faith.

[Page 13] 2. But, to speak to them in their own Lan­guage who say Scripture is their Rule, we must premise this Note, that they cannot mean by Scripture the Sence of it, that is, the things to be known, for those they confess are the very Points of Faith, of which the Rule of Faith is to ascertain us: When they say then that Scripture is the Rule of Faith, they can onely mean by the word SCRIPTURE, that Book not yet senc't or interpreted, but as yet to be senc't; that is, such and such Characters in a Book with their Aptness to signifie to them assuredly Gods Mind, or ascer­tain them of their Faith: For, abstracting from the sence or actual signification of those words, there is nothing imaginable left but those Chara­cters with their Aptness to signifie it.

This understood, let us apply now the Pro­perties of the Rule of Faith to Scriptures Letter, that we may see how they will fit.

3. And the first thing that occurrs is its Exi­stence or An est; that is, whether those Books pre­tended to be Gods Word bee indeed Scripture, that is, written by men divinely inspired; Of which 'tis most manifest the very rudest sort cannot be Certain by Self-evidence, nor can it be easily evidenceable to those Doubters that are the ordinary sort of the Vulgar by any skill they are capable of; nor even to more curious and speculative Scarchers but by so deep an inspecti­on into the sence of it as shall discover such se­crets that Philosophy and Human Industry [Page 14] could never have arrived to. Besides, all the seeming Contradictions must be solved ere they can out of the bare nature of the Letter conclude the Scripture to be of Gods enditing, and so wor­thy to be a Rule; to solve which literally, plain­ly and satisfactorily, the memories of so many par­ticulars, which made them clearer to those of the Age in which they were written and the matter known, must needs be so worn out by tract of time, that tis one of the most difficult tasks in the World. The Scriptures Letter then is not the Rule of Faith (by § 3, 4, 5, 10, 11. of our former Discourse) as wanting Self-evidence of its Exi­stence, Easie Evidenceableness of its Ruling Vir­tue, and Power to establish and satisfie at least unlearned Doubters.

4. Secondly, were it known that there are some Books left written by men divinely inspired, yet it is unknown how many those Books ought to be, and which of the many controverted ones may securely be put in that Catalogue, which not: Which 'tis most palpable that either few or at least the rude vulgar and common sort of Mankind, (especially those who are not yet Faithful, but looking to come to Faith, which is done by knowing the Rule of Faith) can never be assured of, either by Self-evidence of the things themselves, or by other skills they are al­ready possest of. The Scripture's Letter then is from this Head concluded defective in the fore­mentioned Properties necessarily belonging to the Rule of Faith.

[Page 15] 5. Thirdly, Were the Catalogue of the true Books known, yet how is it self-evident or easily evidenceable to the capacities above named (if to any) that the very Original or a perfectly true Copy of these Books was preserved indeficient­ly entire, out of which our Translations were made? Can the ruder sort either know this or be assured of the skill of others by which they know it? The former being manifestly impossi­ble; the later equally such; since they have no knowledges in their heads enabling them to judge unerringly of the competency of others skill in such a particular. Wherefore, Scrip­tures Letter faulters still in the primary, most necessary and essential conditions of a Rule of Faith.

6. Fourthly, Were it evident that the right Original or true Copy of it is preserved indefe­ctive, yet very few, that is, onely those who are perfect in those ancient Languages, can arrive to the understanding so much; The rest, which are in a manner all Mankind, must come to the knowledge of it by Translations; and, ere they can think it is fit to be a Rule, they must know it is rightly translated; For which, because they have no skill in those Languages themselves, they must rely on the Translators skill: Concerning whose sufficiency of understanding to be able to translate unerringly right, and honesty of Will or true intention to do it, themselves, at least the rudest vulgar, are not qualified enough to [Page 16] jndge assuredly, that they are worthy to be se­curely relied on. So that we are still at a loss in this pretended Rule of Faith for our first and fundamental conditions.

7. Fifthly, Let us pass by all these defects, and grant it most truly translated to a tittle (and indeed to a tittle it should be, else an errour may slip in instead of a Point of Faith, for any thing the bare Letter can assure us) yet the innumerable Copiers before Printing, and since Printers and Correcters of the Press are still ro be relyed on: and they onely can have evidence of the right Letter of Scripture, who stood at their elbows attentively watching they should not erre in making it perfectly like a former Copy; And even then why might they not mistrust their own eyes and aptness to oversee? Or, were it granted these men err'd not, nor themselves in o­verlooking them, yet the same difficulty occurrs concerning the former Printer's care if the for­mer Copy were printed, or the Scriveners if Manuscript, which scapes the view of our now-livers, except we will examin them again from Impression to Impression, or from Copy to Copy by others more ancient; and still let us run as high as we will the same difficulty pursues us. To which if we add that the Printers, Cor­recters or Transcribers might hap to be Knaves; and either be Hereticks themselves or brib'd by Hereticks, whose manner it being ever to make the Letter of the Scripture their weapon, they [Page 17] could wish no greater advantage than to have it fram'd commodious to their hand, and so would questionless endeavour it, and History assures us they did. So that we are still at the same or a greater loss in our pretended Rule of Faith.

8. Lastly, were all this multitude of Excepti­ons pardon [...]d, still we are as far to seek, unless those who are to be rul'd and guided by the Scriptures Letter to Faith were Certain of the true sence of it, which is found out by right In­terpretation. Now the numerous Commenta­tors upon it and infinite disputes about the sence of it even in most concerning points, as in that of Christ's Divinity, beat it out so plain to us that this is not the task of the vulgar (who yet are capable of salvation, and so of Faith, and so of the Rule of Faith) that 'tis perfect phrenzy to deny it.

9, It may be alledg'd that some of these de­fects may be provided against by skill in History. But 'tis quickly reply'd, that then none can be se­cure of their Rule of Faith, nor consequently have Faith, unless skill'd in Histories or knowing [...]hose men to be so, and withall unbyast, whom [...]hey converse with; nay, without knowing that those men knew certainly the Historians whom they rely'd on had secure Grounds, and not bare hearsay for what they writ, and that they were not contradicted by others either extant or pe­ [...]ish't: now, how few of the unlearned vulgar, [...]ay even of the middle sort of prudent men [Page 18] which make up the generality of the world, I may say, of very good Scholars, can judge of these points? And, if they cannot, how then is their Faith rational or virtuous and not rather an hair-brain'd opinionative rashness to build their Assent, Faith and Salvation upon Principles they can make no Judgement of?

10. If necessity make some willing to reply what their Judgments naturally flowing from their Principles would not, that God assists his Church, and therefore his Providence will take care the contingencies their Rule of Faith, the Scripture's Letter, is subject to, shall be avoid­ed; 'tis ask't, how they are certain, in their way, of such an Assistance, but by the Letter of the Scripture? They must first then prove that Certain, ere they mention the Church or God's Assistance to her; since this Assistance is, in their Grounds, founded upon the Truth and Certainty of that Letter. Besides, a Church is a Congregation of the Faithful, that is, of such as have Faith; which not being possible to be had without Cer­tain means to come unto it, or the Rule of Faith; it follows that the first thing that must be clear'd is the Certainty of the Rule of Faith; antece­dently to the Notions of Faith, Faithful or Church.

11. If Testimonies out of Councils or Fathers be alledg'd by them sufficient Interpreters of Scripture, tis reply'd that if those be needful to make a Certain Interpretation of Scripture, or [Page 19] (which is all one) the Letter of Scripture certain­ly significative of God [...]s sence; then, First, none can be capable of the Rule of Faith, nor conse­quently of Faith, but those who are read in Councils and Fathers: nor yet, unless those Au­thorities be held Infallible in such an office; which none but Catholiks will say; for if they can erre in such a performance, how shall we be certain they do not erre in each particular Inter­pretation, without some other Guide to establish them and secure us; which Guide must be infal­lible in such an affair, else the same question and doubt returns concerning It: And, if there be some other infallible Guide whose constant direction secures them from erring in every par­ticular Interpretation and ascertains us of the same, let them name It, not Fathers and Coun­cils to interpret Scripture by. But the third and most Fundamental fault is that a Father, as the word is commonly us [...]d, and now taken by us, signifies not a Doctor or learned Deducer of Con­sequences by human learning, nor a Commen­tator upon Scripture, nor a Preacher or Homily­maker (for so every Doctor, Commentator and Preacher would be a Father) but an Eminent and Knowing Witnesser to Posterity of the sence and Faith of the Church which he received: The no­tion then of CHURCH is presupposd to the knowledge of what is meant by the word Father, or to the notion of a Father. Again, a Council signifies a Representative of the Church, whence, [Page 20] 'tis Relative to what it represents, and so its meaning cannot be known unless that others to which it relates be first understood; nor can it be a true and right Council unless what it re­presents be a true Church. Both Council there­fore and Father presuppose the notion of Church; Church presupposes the notion of Faithful; Faithful the notion of Faith; Faith, of the Rule of Faith; 'Tis most evident then that, in the way of generating Faith, the knowledge of the Rule of Faith is antecedent to the knowledge of all these; and so none of these cau help one, who discourses orderly and rationally, to the Knowledge of the Rule of Faith, unless acci­dentally; as it may happen a Father may be a Doctor or great Schollar; and so by a rational discours opening the meanings of the words (or, which is all one, the notion or nature of the Things) give us insight to know what it is which has the properties of such a Rule. In vain therefore do they strive to piece out the sufficiency of Scripture's Letter to be the Rule of Faith by those helps; since the being of that Rule is presuppos'd entire in it self before their existence, and indeed is that which gives them all the Being they have.

12. Some may reply that Fundamentals are clear in Scripture. But, first, a certain Cata­logue of Fundamentals was never given and agreed to by sufficient Authority; and yet without this all goes to wrack; since the neg­lecting [Page 21] or not-knowing which be Fundamental hazards to ruine all: For the discourse grows ticklish when we talk of Fundamentals; this ve­ry word importing that any one left out or mista­ken overthrows the whole End of Faith to those which miscarry in it. Secondly, is it a Funda­mental that Christ is God? If so, I ask whether this be clearer in Scripture than that God has hands, feet, nostrils and passions like ours? Seeing then the appearing clearness of the Scrip­ture's letter in this later point is certain to lead vulgar heads into exceeding great Errours, and that Heresies are as seemingly clear in the out­ward face of it as Fundamental Truths, how mistaken a Principle do they relie upon for the main hinge of their salvation, who say that Fun­damentals are so clear in Scripture's Letter to e­very capacity.

THIRD DISCOURSE.
That the Three next Properties of the Rule of Faith are utterly Incompetent to Scripture.

1. THus much to show that the Letter of Scripture wants the two first and most Fundamental Conditions of a Rule of Faith; being neither Evident as to it's Existence to all, nor Evidenceable as to its Ruling Power to un­learned Enquirers. Let us proceed to the third Property, namely, its Aptness to settle and justify those unlearned persons who rely undoubtingly upon it, such as are the meaner sort of the Vul­gar, who take things by course as they fall, in a natural kind of way without reflecting upon them and their reasons.

2. Since then no Man or rational Creature can be justifiable either for Assent or Practice but by proceeding upon some Principles, and such as, to his best judgment, he takes to be true ones and those Principles can be but of two sorts viz. either inbred in him by the ordinary Light of Nature, call'd Common Sence, or got by some reflexion; and that the persons we speak of are such as proceed undoubtingly, that is, without occasion to reflect; 'tis left that what can justify them must be Principles of Common Sence. Seeing then 'tis both against all Principles of Common Sence to judge that themselves have [Page 23] any self-assurance of the Scripture's Letter, knowing themselves utterly ignorant when 'twas writ, by whom, how brought down, &c. and equally senceless to believe a multitude which sayes it may possibly erre in what it tells them, it follows that they are left unjustify [...]d, nay con­demn'd by Common Sence in absolutely believ­ing such a Rule; That is, condemn'd by the best judgments they are Masters and capable of. This, I say, follows in case this multitude be truly dealt with, and that the Teachers give them a sincere account of their own Tenet. Nay, should these men say they cannot erre in such a matter, by reason of their great Schol­lership, as skill in History, Languages, reading of Fathers, Councils, and such like, yet even then they could not afford them credit to such a degree as to build their hopes of salvation on their word, in regard those learned mens Pro­fession is not of plain Sensations by their Eyes and Ears which the vulgars experience capaci­tates them to judge of, but of such high skills as unlearned men know not what to make of, and even understand not what the very words which express them mean. The best then they can do is to hope that perhaps those men may have some such strange skill, in the same man­ner as they trust to other Tradesmen and Artist [...]s they have heard well of or seen some of their work; or rather not near so much; seeing their Senses give them a far better know­ledge [Page 24] of these Handycraftsmen's skill by the Ef­fects and their fitness for the use intended, than their uncultivated Reason can give them of the goodness of Christian Doctrin and its proporti­on to Bliss. But the main is, when they shall hear and see many several Professions all pretending to Scripture, yet all differ, damn and condemn one another, perhaps persecute one another and fight about Religion, and themselves unable to judge which is most to be trusted; what can common Sense dictate to them but an inextri­cable blunder, and onely clear to them thus much that that can never be the way which ma­ny follow and yet many must needs be misled: Their most vulgar reason easily telling them that there can be but one Truth, that is, that all the other Professors to follow Scripture do notwith­standing believe and speak false. Now these ho­nest Scholars of plain down right Nature, & that of her lowest form too, being unable to judge which truly follow the Scripture's Letter; and onely capable to know they all profess it with Words and Actions expressing the greatest seri­ousness in the world; are to think that all equal­ly mean to follow it to their power. Whence, their common reason will tell them (though they cannot express it in our terms, or defend it) that meerly for want of Light, that is Evidence in the Directive Power of that Rule, they all but one party (and perhaps that too as well as the rest) go most miserably astray. This third Property [Page 25] then of the Rule of Faith, namely, to justify the undoubting vulgar, is wanting to Scriptures Letter.

3. There follows the fourth Property of the Rule of Faith, which is that it must be able of its own nature to satisfy the most Sceptical dissen­ters and rational doubters that the Doctrin it holds forth came from Christ. To make a true conceit of what may be judg'd sufficient for this End, let us reflect on the nature and temper of such Dissenters and Doubters, and we shall quickly discover that they are men given to stir their thoughts by much reflexion and to call them to a strict account ere they yield them o­ver to Assent: Wherefore, if we suppose them true to their own thoughts and not to betray the Light of their Reason to some Passion (in which case their Faith it self were in them a Vice) we cannot imagin that any thing under Demonstra­tion can bind and restrain those active and vola­til Souls from fluttering still in Objections and hovering in doubts when their Eternal Good is concern'd: Especially, when an Authority is a­bout scanning, upon whose word they are bound, after they have approv'd it, to believe uncon­cievable and unheard of things, above the reach of human Reason & Apprehension. Let now any man go about to demonstrate to those great wits these points, That the Scripture's Letter was writ by men divinely inspir'd, That there is ne­ver a real one however there may be many seem­ing [Page 26] Contradictions in it, and this to be shown out of the very Letter it self; That just this Ca­talogue or number of Books is enough for the Rule of Faith, and no one Necessary that was lost, none be abated; or, if so, how ma­ny; That the Originals out of which the Tran­slations were made, were entire and uncorrupted; That the first Translations were skilfully & right­ly made, and afterwards deriv'd down sincere, notwithstanding the errableness of thousands of Transcribers, Printers, Correcters, &c. and the malice of antient Hereticks and Jews who had it in their hands: And, lastly, That this, and this onely is the true sence of it; to which is requisite great skill in Languages to under­stand the meaning of words; in Grammar, to know what meaning they should generally beat according to its Rules as thus construed or put together; Criticism, to know what a word doe most commonly or may possibly signify by rules [...] nicer Etymologies or acception of Authours an­cient or modern, by dialects of several Coun­tries, &c. History, to make known the true scope of the Authour, the best Interpreter of his meaning; Logick, to draw consequence [...] aright, and so find out the thread of the dis­course, to avoid equivocation in words, by dis­covering which are to be taken properly, which Metaphorically; And, to apply this right, fome skill in the things themselves, that is, in Nature and Metaphysicks, especially that which treats [Page 27] of the nature of Spirits, as the Soul, Angels, God and his Attributes; but especially in Di­vinity both Speculative and Moral; which (by the way) supposes Faith and comes after it, and so cannot be presuppos'd to the Rule of Faith which precedes it. Let any man, I say, go a­bout to demonstrate all these difficult Points ro those acute men and will they not smile at his endeavors? since most of them that concern the truth of the Letter are such that we want Prin­ciples to go about to evidence them; and the rest so obscure that a searching and sincere wit would still find something to reply to rationally, or at least maintain his ground of Suspence with a Might it not be otherwise? And, were some one or two of these points demonstrable, yet who sees not it is a task of so long study that a great part of a man's life would be spent in a wea [...]i­some and hopeless endeavour to come to Faith by this tedious method; which would both dis­invite to a pursuit; and even a diligent man may in likelihood die ere he could rationally embrace any Faith at all. Faith then being intended for a man to lead his life by, 'tis necessary it's Rule and the means to come to it should be easily vi­ctorious, by reason of it's Certainty and Evi­dence, over the shock of Doubts or the assaults of Intellectual Fears. In which the Scripture's Let­ter being defective, 'tis plain that 'tis far from the Nature of a Rule of Faith.

4. The same discourse holds to prove that the [Page 28] Scripture's Letter is not convictive of the most ob­stinate and acute Adversaries, which is the fifth Property of the Rule of Faith. Yet, to appre­hend this more lively, let us imagin it apply'd to practice, and that some Text of Scripture were quoted to convince a Deist in some point. He asks how you are certain that Book is God's word? You alledge the Excellencies of it; which indeed are such that eyes already enlighten'd by true Faith may discern something in it above nature, and cry, Digitus D [...]i est hîc, though not his dim sight: He answers that many parts of it are indeed very excellently good, but that the Devil can transform himself into an Angel of Light. On the other side he requites your Excel­lencies with many strange Absurdities and He­resies even by your own confession in the open Letter as it lies, and most unworthy God; as that he has hands feet and passions like ours ac­cording to which he is variable. He finds you direct Text against acknowledg'd Science in di­vers particulars, and reckons up a multitude of Contradictions to his Judgment. You answer that those places are understood according to hu­man apprehension, and are indeed incompetent to God, but that there are mystical and spiritual meanings couch't in those sacred Oracles, which with the help of History would reconcile those seeming Contradictions. He cries, you quite abandon your pretended Rule, that since you confess Heresies are in the open Letter taken as it [Page 29] lies, you must have some Knowledge in your Head concerning God which makes you decline the sence of the words as they lie and run to gloss them; and demands whence you came by those tenets which oblige you to correct the plain Let­ter; challenging your thoughts and carriage as witnesses that that which imbu'd you antece­dently with those contrary Tenets, not the Scri­pture's Letter, was your true Rule of Faith; in regard you frame It according to the Interest of those foreheld Tenets. He pressingly therefore de­mands whence you had those Tenets or Points of Faith by which you guide your self in adhering or not adhering to the Scripture's Letter as it lies?

5. If you say, from other places of Scripture controlling plainly the others; he replies, this can onely make you acknowledge Scripture's Letter plainly contradicts it self, and so leaves you doubtful which side to hold, as far as the bare Letter carries you; or, if it invites you to any thing, 'tis to hold both sides of the contradi­ction. What therefore he still demands is, what it is which forelaid those Judgements in you by which you were byast beyond the power of the Letters Indifferency to hold one side rather than [...]he other? Here you are at a loss with your [...]retence of the Letter's Authority, being gone beyond it. If then you recurr to Reason and Science, teaching you that God is immuta­ble, a Spirit, &c. he straight replies, Then that Science taught you that Point whether Scripture [Page 30] had been or no. It therefore was your Rule in this, (and the same may be said of what-ever you avail your self to interpret Scriptute by) not the Letter. If you say you rely on the Sci­ence or Skill of your Parents, Forefathers, and Pastours, then their skill which ascertaind them of Gods sence (not Scripture's Letter) was their Rule, and so is likewise yours; for whoever re­lies on any precisely as skilful, relies in very deed and properly on their skill, and not on the Letter their skill works upon. Besides, oue not skilful himself, is a bad Judge how far anothers skill ex­tends. If you say you rely not on their skill, (fallible perhaps in them, and obscure to you) but on their Senses enabling them to be knowing Witnesses of what was delivered them, and free from the former exceptions, you are driven for your last refuge to Tradition, and still desert your Letter-Rule. In a word, he challenges the con­sciousness of your most inward thoughts, whe­ther (however in Controversies against others you quote Scripture, yet) in reading the Letter for your own Faith, you bring not along with you some thoughts to interpret it by, which you are resolved to hold to; and so the Scriptures Letter lies before you as matter to work on, so as to preserve it significative of what you judge sound, and not to frame your Judgements by; that is, you use it as a thing ruled, not as a Bule. Nay more, if you look narrowly into the bottome of those Thoughts, you shall discover the natu­ral [Page 31] method of Tradition to have at unawares set­led your Judgements concerning Faith, and actu­ally guiding you in the Interpretation, however when your other Concerns awake design in you, you protest against it, and seem perhaps to your unreflecting self to embrace and hold to the meer guidance of the Letter.

6. Again, Waving the insufficiency of the Scriptures Letter to declare its own sence, he asks this smart question, how you are certain of the Truth of the Letter in this very Text; and de­mands your certain proof or demonstration either either for the Thing, or for the Certainty of the Authority upon which you hold that any parti­cular Text you alledge is truly a part of the Scri­ptures Letter, and not foisted in, or some way altered in its significativeness: or, how you know by the diligence of the Letter-examiners, if it be a negative Proposition, that the particle not was not inserted; if affirmative, not left out. You alledge Consent of all our Copies: He replies, first, that this onely argues that those ancient Co­pies whence ours came were alike (perhaps not so much) but who knows or can undertake that they were not alike faulty, or alike Unlike the true Original? or, that there were not some in those dayes which never came to our knowledge, different from ours in the very point between us? In a word, that all depends on the Truth of the Copies immediately taken from the Original, or the very next to them; which, what they were, [Page 32] by whom taken, where and how preserved from time to time, how narrowly examined when they were first transcribed, and such like, is so buried in obscurity and oblivion, and so far from Evi­dence apt to beget Certain Knowledge, that we must have recourse to Charity to allow it our Hopes, had we no other Rule of Faith than that bare Letter. Again, though human diligence did play its part, yet it is acknowledg'd (sayes your Deist) that there are almost innumerable Variae Lectiones in it still controverted; nay so many in the new Testament alone observed by one man (my Lord Vsher) that he durst not print them for fear of bringing the whole Book into doubt; and, why may not there have been such formerly and now blindly determined and swal­lowed in each Text that concerns our mainest Points of Faith. If you reply (as Nature will lead you) that the Faith of Christ believed and taught from Father to Son was writ in the hearts of the Faithful; and this made them both able and willing to (that is, actually did) preserve the Letter from Errour in any passage that concerned the Body of Christian Doctrine; he challenges you to fly your Colours, to desert your own Rule, and embrace Tradition, the Rule of Roman-Catholikes; and lastly, that you make Scrip­tures Letter the thing Ruled, not the Rule: Yet without this recourse, no satisfactory account can possibly be render'd to a strict Examiner why Errour might not creep into the Text in substan­tial [Page 33] points of Faith as well as in less concerning passages: which devolves to this, that the Scrip­ture's Letter held forth as a Rule of Faith can never convince an obstinate and acute Adversary.

FOURTH DISCOURSE,
That the Two last Properties of the Rule of Faith are clearly incompetent to Scripture.

1. THere remain the two last conditions; Certainty in its self, and Ascertainable­ness to us. That the later is incompetent to Scripture alone or unassisted by another certain Rule, that is, incompetent to it as a Rule, how­ever it may agree to it as a thing regulated or ruled, is the Subject in a manner of all our fore­going Discourse; and it so depends upon the former Property of the two last named, Cer­tainty in it self, that if it fails, that later is im­possible. Now, as for its Certainty in its self or its being establish't on secure Grounds, we may consider Scripture's Letter either Materially as such and such Characters, or Formally as Sig­nificative of a determinate sence suppos'd to be Christ's; and both of these either in its single self, or as dependent on other helps or Causes on foot now in the world according to the course of things.

[Page 34] 2. And, as for the meer material Characters in Books, 'tis evident that they are of them­selves as liable to be destroy'd as any thing else in Nature, as burnt, torn, blotted, worn out, &c. Which though it seems a remote and im­pertinent Exception, yet to one who considers the wise Dispositions of Divine Providence it will deserve a deep Consideration. For, seeing the Salvation of Mankind is the End of God's ma­king Nature, the means to it should be more settled, strong and unalterable than any other piece of Nature whatever; Putting then Scrip­ture's Letter to be this Rule, and that all its Sig­nificativeness of God's Sence, that is all its vir­tue of a Rule, is lost if the material Characters, its Basis, be destroy'd or alter'd; who sees not a very disorderly proceeding in laying so weak means in such immediateness to so main an end; and concludes not thence that Faith's Rule ought in right reason have a better Basis than such perishable and alterable Elements?

3. Reflecting next on those material Chara­cters in complexion with the Causes actually laid in the world to preserve them entire, we shall find that either those Causes are Material, and then themselves are also liable to continual alterations and innumerable Contingencies; or Spiritual, that is, men's Minds. Now, these being the noblest pieces in Nature, and freed in part from Physical mutability by their Immate­riality, we may with good reason hope for a [Page 35] greater degree of constancy from them than from any other; and indeed, for a perfect unaltera­bleness from their Nature, and (this being to conceive Truth) an Inerrableness, if due cir­cumstances be observ'd; that is, if due propo­sals be made to beget Certain Knowledge, and due care us'd to attend to such Proposals: O­therwise their very Createdness and Finitness en­title them to defectibility, besides their obnoxi­ousness to mutation and perpetual alteration through the alloy of their material Compart. I call it due proposal when it must necessarily affect the Sense, and so beget natural Know­ledge; or when unequivocal terms are so imme­diately and orderly laid, that the Conclusion must as necessarily be seen in the Premises as that the same thing cannot both be and not-be at once, by a mind inur'd to reflexion and specula­tion; and I call that due care, which preserves the Soul in such temper as permits the objects impression to be heeded and the Mind to be af­fected by it.

4. This premised we may reflect that the Rule of Faith as was provd (Disc. 1. §. 4, 5, 10, 11.) must be obvious to men of ordinary Sence, and not onely to Speculators; as also, that Ob­jects of the Senses may be of two sorts; Of the the first are things in Nature, or else simple vul­gar actions and plain matters of Fact; which, if oft repeated and familiariz'd, are unmistakable; and consequently the perceiver inerrable in such [Page 36] a matter; Of the second are such actions as are compounded and made up of an innumerable multitude of several particularities to be obser­ved, every of which may be mistaken apart, each being a distinct little action in its single self; Such as is the transcribing a whole book, consist­ing of such myriads of words, single Letters, and Tittles, or Stops, and the several actions of writing over each of these so short and curso­ry, that it prevents diligence and exceeds hu­man care to keep awake and apply distinct at­tentions to every of these distinct actions. And yet, to do our Opposers right, I doubt not but each of these failings may possibly be provided against by oft-repeated Corrections of many se­dulous and sober examiners set apart for that business, and that the truth of the Letter of an whole Book might to a very great degree, if not altogether be ascertain'd to us, were the Exa­miners of each Copy known to be very nume­rous, prudent and honest, and each of them testifying his single examination of it word by word; For then the difficulty, consisting in the multiplicity and the variety, is provided against by the multitude of the preserving Causes; and their multifariousness made convictive to us by their well-testify'd consent.

5. To apply this discourse to the matter in hand. If we were Certain there had been an­ciently a multitude of Examiners of the Scrip­ture's Letter in each Copy taken from the first [Page 37] Original or the next Copies from these and so forwards, with the exact care we have defin'd, the single Examinations of each and the amend­ment of the Copy according to their Examina­tions convincingly testify'd, and that by Excom­munication or heavy Ecclesiastical Prohibitions and Mulcts it had been provided for from the be­ginning that none should presume to take a Co­py of it, and that Copy be permitted to be read or seen till it were thus examined; much might have been said for the Certainty of the Scrip­ture's Letter upon these men's Principles: But, if no such Orders or Exactness was ever heard of, especially of the New Testament upon the Truth of whose Letter they build Christian Faith; If the multitudes of Letters, Commaes, blottings or illegibleness of the Originals, like-appearance of Letters and even whole Words in in the Book, like-sounding in the ear or fancy of the Transcriber, possibility of misplacing, omit­ting, inserting, &c. did administer very fruit­ful occasions to human over [...]ight; If, the more Copies were taken, the more the errours were like to grow, and the farther from correcting; If Experience testifies no such exact diligence has been formerly us'd, by the diverse Readings of several Copies now extant, and thousands of Corrections which have lately been made of the Vulgar Edition, the most universally currant perhaps of any other; what can we say but that (for any thing these Principles afford) Scriptures [Page 38] Letter may be uncertain in every tittle, not with­standing the diligence which has de facto been used to preserve it uncorrupted in the way of those who hold it the onely Rule of Faith? In their way, I say, who will not have the Sence of Christ's Doctrine writ in Christians hearts the Rule for the Correcters of the Letter to guide themselves by, but the meer Letter of a forme [...] (and God knows, controvertible) Copy, out of which the Transcription and by which onely the Examination is made. What Certainty accrues to Scripture's Letter by the means of Tradition, or the living voice of the present Church in each Age, is the Subject of another enquiry.

6. Now, as for the Certainty of the Scripture's Significativeness, which is the other Branch, no­thing is more evident than that this is quite lost to all in the Uncertainty of the Letter; and [...] evident that 'tis unattainable by the vulgar, that is the better half of mankind, since they are un­furnisht of those Arts and Skills, as Languages, Grammar, Logick, History, Metaphysicks, Di­vinity &c. requisit to establish and render certain the sence they conceive the Letter ought to bear; without which they can never make such an Interpretation of it but an acute Scholler skill'd in those means will be able to blunder theirs, and make a seeming clearer one of his own. In a word, if we see eminent Wits of the Protestants and the Socinians, making use of the self-same, and, as they conceive, the best advan­tages [Page 39] the Letter gives them, as comparing places and such like, and availing themselves the best they can by acquir'd skills, yet differ in so main points as those of the B. Trinity and Christ's Di­vinity; what Certainty can we undertakingly promise to weaker heads, that is, to the Gene­rality of Mankind, less able to make such fit al­lusions of places to one another; incapable of such means as should help them, which the o­ther had and are very pertinent and proper to work upon the Letter; And, lastly, who are, for want of those, unfurnish't of any steady Principles to settle their Judgements and ratio­nally determin their own Interpretation Certain. Scripture's Letter therefore is not Certain in it's self, that is, has no immovably secure Grounds enabling it to perform the Office of the Rule of Faith, or to guide Mankind in their way to Faith with a rational assuredness.

Our Conclusion then is this, that SCRIPTURE'S LETTER WANTS ALL THE FORE­MENTIONED PROPERTIES BE­LONGING TO THE RULE OF FAITH.

7. Lest any should misconstrue my former Discourse, I declare here once more that, in a great part of it, I argue ad hominem; that is, I manifest what must follow out of the Princi­ples [Page 40] of those who hold the Scripture's Letter the Rule of Faith, not out of my own or Catholick ones. I declare likewise that I with all reverence acknowledge such Excellencies in those Sacred Oracles as would task the tongues both of Men and Angels to lay them forth. I onely contest that the Scripture's Letter is most improper and never intended for the Rule of Faith; as is easy to be evinc't against an unobstinate Adversary by this, that 'tis known the Apostles and their Suc­cessors went not with Books in their hands to preach and deliver Christ's Doctrin, but Words in their mouths; and that Primitive Antiquity learn't their Faith by another Method a long time before many of those Books were universal­ly spread amongst the vulgar, much less the Catalogue collected and acknowledg'd; till the Revolters from that Method and Rule, being manifestly convinc't of Novelty by it, were for [...]t to invent some other, and chose this of the Scri­pture's Letter for most plausible, as being held very Sacred: untill, by straining it to an undue use, and, to please the people, putting it with­out any distinction of the person, into their hands, and leaving it to their Interpretation, they have brought it (as 'tis made use of for a Rule of Faith) to the vilest degree of contempt; every silly up­start Heresy fathering it self upon It. Of which no Nation in the world is so evident an Instance as our miserable Country, distracted into so ma­ny Sects (all issuing from that Principle,) so im­possible [Page 41] to be brought under Ecclesiastical Go­vernment (and even with much ado under Tem­poral) that 'tis wonderful such proper Effects, especially so sensible, burthensome, so univer­sally spred, and so continual, should not long ago have abundantly demonstrated their Proper Cause, and oblig'd them to renounce that Prin­ciple which is the necessary Parent of such rui­nous and unredressable disorders

FIFTH DISCOURSE.
Showing the Notion of TRADITION, and that all the Properties of the Rule of Faith do clearly agree to It.

1. HAving then quite lost our labour in our last search, let us see whether we shall have better success in this second Enquiry; which is, whether we may hope to find the Properties of the Rule of Faith meet in that which we call or all or Practical Tradition. By which we mean a Delivery down from hand to hand (by words, and a constant course of frequent and visible A­ctions conformable to those Words) of the Sence and Faith of Forefathers.

2. But, to make a more express conceit of Tradition, that so we may more perfectly un­derstand [Page 42] the Nature of that which we treat of let us first soberly reflect on the manner how Children learn their own and others names with whom they live, as also of the rooms and thing [...] they converse with; afterwards, growing up, to exercise their trades, to write, read, or use civil or legal carriage to every one in their kinds [...] And, looking into the Thing we shall observe that they first glean'd notions of those several Ob­jects, either meerly through Impressions on their Senses by the Thing it self alone, or by the help of having them pointed at, or something practic' [...] about them at the same time they were nam'd [...] and afterwards learnt to repeat the same Word after others, more and more intelligently by de­grees, and to practice the same Actions; till a [...] length the former Generation of Teachers de­caying by the course of Nature, a new one i [...] sprung up to Perfection, furnish't with all the accomplishments of the former, and continuing the same natural and Civil Knowledges, Action [...] and Conveniences to this Age which the forme [...] enjoy'd; and so forwards to succeeding Generati­ons by a natural kind of method, without needing Books or new Skills meerly to perform this Effect of continuing and preserving the former Age, as it were, alive in this. Add now to this that this Continuation goes not by long leaps from Age to Age, or from twenty years to twenty, but from year to year, nay moneth to moneth, & even less; according as the new Off-spring grows up by de­grees [Page 43] to a Capacity of understanding and practi­cing; and then reflect on this whole Course, and we shall see the true nature of Tradition or im­mediate Delivery, as exercis'd in Civil matters and Human Conveniences.

3. We want nothing now but to apply this self-same Method to Spiritual or Ecclesiastical affairs, and to reflect how it brings down Faith by Doctrin couch't in Words and exprest in conformable Practices; and then we shall have gain'd a compleat and proper notion of Faith-Tradition, which is the Tradition we speak of.

4. We may observe then that the Children of Christians first hear the Sounds, afterwards by degrees get dim notions of God, Christ, Sa­viour, Heaven, Hell, Virtue, Vice, and such like; and, according as their capacity increases, are put on to practice what they have heard, and made to do some external Actions by pre­cept and Example; which Actions by their more particularizing nature ripen to a more ex­press and familiar conceit those raw Apprehensi­ons or Judgments which while they stood under bare words look't as if they hover'd in the Ayr, and afar off. They are deterr'd from sins, first from lying and disobeying their Pa­rents, afterwards others, by reproaches and pu­nishments and encourag'd to virtuous actions by rewards such as their Age bears, to breed in them a conceit of the badness of sin and good­ness of Virtue: They are shown how to say [Page 44] Grace, say their Prayers, and made do it when they are able; and to gain them some abstracted conceit of those Actions, they are inur'd even while very Infants by certain carriages unusual at other times, as holding up their hands or per­haps eyes, kneeling, keeping silence and other sober postures, to look upon such actions as ex­traordinary ones, when as yet they know no more of them; which breeds a certain awe in them before-hand, preparing their minds to more re­verence for the future. Afterwards, growing up, they come acquainted with the Creed, the ten Commandments, the Sacraments, some common forms of Prayer and other Practices of Christianity, and are directed to order their lives accordingly; the Actions or Carriage of the cir­cumstant Church and Elder Faithful guiding the Younger (notwithstanding the difficulty of the yet-undigested Metaphor, in which dialect Faith is delivered) to frame their lives to several sorts of Virtues by the doctrine deliver'd in words; as Faith, Hope, Charity, Prayer, Adoration, &c. and the concomitant or subservient Vir­tues to these; and the more intelligent, whose Understandings are clear'd by Study and the cir­cumstance of conversing with the learneder sort of Fore-fathers, to do out of Knowledge and Reflexion, what others do (as it were) natu­rally, and by meer Belief or guidance of o­thers. And this goes on by insensible degrees, till at last the Teachers die, and leave in their [Page 45] room a new Swarm of the same nature with themselves as to Christian Life; that is, practi­sing the same external Actions which determin to a certain degree the sence of the Words they have been inur'd to; and (since the practice of those Actions was instill'd from their Infancy, and serious) holding consequently the Principles of those Actions; that is, the same Points of Faith with the former Age. And this goes on not by leaps from an hundred years to an hun­dred, or from twenty to twenty, but by half-years to half-years, nay moneths to moneths, and even less; according as the young brood of Eaglets, made to see the Sun in his full Glory, grow up to a capacity of having their tender eyes acquainted first with the dawning, after­wards with the common day-light of Christian Doctrin.

5. If any should be so dull as to think this looks like a Speculation onely, and not to see plainly that 'tis confirm'd by ten thousand Expe­rements every day; I desire them to consider how the Primitive Faithful were inur'd to Chri­stianity ere the Books of Scripture were writ or communicated; or how themselves (though Protestants or Presbyterians) were first imbu'd with Christian Principles ere they could read, and they shall finde it was meerly by this way of Tradition: Nay more, I dare affirm that the very Presbyterians, much more the Protestants, still adhere to their Faith, because their Parents [Page 46] & Pastors taught them it when they were young, and not upon the Evidence of Scripture's Letter to their own private Judgement: which is mani­fest by this, that those who are brought up un­der M^r. Baxter are apt to follow him, others Mr. Pierce, and all in general hold fixedly to the do­ctrin of others, especially if their Parents be of the same persuasion. So hard it is to beat down Na­ture by Designe, or not to follow Tradition in pra­ctice, though at the same time they write and talk never so vehemently and loud against it. Nay 'tis easie to remark that those who were brought up Protestants, while they follow'd their Teach­ers and Forefathers in the Traditionary way, continu'd firmly such; and that none declin'd from that Profession until they began to use their own private Judgments in interpreting Scripture; and that then they ran by whole shoals into innu­merable other Sects. However then they exclaim against Tradition, yet 'tis evident they owe to It all the Union and Strength they have, and to the renouncing It all their Distractions and Weak­ness.

6. What is said hitherto, is onely to explain the Nature of Tradition perfectly, and to settle a right conceit of it: which done, many Obje­ctions will be render'd unnecessary either to be answerd or mention'd, as those that proceed against a kind of Prophetical Afflatus, which can have no force against our way, building upon perfect Evidence of our best Senses: but [Page 47] especially those which take so wrong an aym, that they dispute against res traditae, or the things de­liver'd, instead of Tradition it self, and there­upon accuse us for holding Human Traditions, or things invented by men for Faith. Whereas, when we speak of the Rule of Faith, we mean by the word Tradition onely the Method of publickly delivering and conveying down Tenets, held to have come from Christ, in the manner before de­clared. This note premised to avoid mistake and keep the Reader's mind more steady to the mat­ter in hand, let us see now whether Tradition have in it the nature of a Rule of Faith; which is done by examining whether the fore-named Pro­perties belong to it or no.

7. And first, 'tis already manifest from what is said, that the First Property of the Rule of Faith, namely, that it must be Evident to all as to its Existence, absolutely agrees with Traditi­on. For, Tradition being the open conveyance down of Practical Doctrines by our best senses of Discipline, that is, our Eyes and Ears; and this by Sounds daily heard and Actions daily seen and even felt; 'tis as easily appliable to all sorts, or Evident to them as to its Existence, as it is to see and hear: So that it can be insinuated into or affect not onely the rudest vulgar and little. Chil­dren, but in some degree even very Babes, as was shown.

8. The second Condition, which is that its Ruling Power should be easily Evidenceable to [Page 48] any Enquirer is thus shown to agree to Tradition, Let the rudest Doubter come and desire to be certify'd that Tradition is a Rule able if fol­low'd, to convey down Christ's doctrin to our very daies; or to the world's end, and let these plain Interrogatories be put to him. Suppose all Protestants in England were settled in an u­nanimous Profession of their Faith, and that their Children without looking farther should believe and practice as their Fathers had brought them up, would it not follow in self-evident terms that those Children while they followed this method would be Protestants too? Suppose these, now grown men under those Parents, should have children too of their own who should behave themselves in the same manner to­wards their Fathers by believing and practising as they taught them, without looking any farther, would it not be equally evident they would still be Protestants also? Since to believe and pra­ctice thus is to be a Protestant; and, would not this method if followed carry on that doctrin still forwards from Generation to Generation to the very end of the world? 'Tis then most easily evidenceable to the rudest capacity that this immediate delivery of Tradition, as above ex­plicated, is a certain way of deriving down Christs Doctrin while the world shall last. This Property therefore of the Rule of Faith is found evidently to agree to Tradition.

9. The third Condition, which is that the [Page 49] Rule of Faith must be apt to justify unreflecting and unredoubting persons that they proceed ra­tionally while they rely on it, is found most exact­ly in Tradition. For the common course of hu­man conversation makes it a madness not to be­lieve great multitudes of Knowers, if no possible consideration can awaken in our reason a doubt that they conspire to deceive us. Now in the way of Tradition all deliverers or immediate Forefathers are Knowers, as appears in those who immediately heard the Apostles; all the Know­ledge requisit being of what they were taught, and practic't accordingly all their lives; of which 'tis impossible the rudest person should be igno­rant, who ever had any Effect of such a Teaching wrought upon him. Nor can any, unless their brains rove wildly or be unsettled even to the de­gree of madness, suspect deceit where such mul­titudes unanimously agree in a matter of fact, look seriously when they speak, act themselves and practice accordingly, and show in the whole course of their carriage that they hope to be sav'd themselves, and to save others whom they thus instruct, by relying on this Truth that their Forefathers thus taught them; which amounts to this, that Nature or common Reason at una­wares steals into them a solid apprehension that Tradition is of a certain kind of Nature; and so, that, while Fathers thus taught Children, it was ever such, that is, that Tradition is a certain Rule of conveying down Faith, which is all we [Page 50] study to evince at present. I may add that, Na­ture telling them by their own experiences, that Parents generally would be apt to teach their Children what themselves had been taught and believ'd to be good, and true, & needfull to their eternal Salvation, their natural thoughts would lead them by a downright procedure, to judge that Tradition was ever in some considerable Body of Deliverers who stuck to it and own'd it; and that those had true Faith, or truly that doctrin which Christ and the first Planters of Christia­nity taught. But of this point more hereafter.

10. If it be objected that this multitude of plain honest-meaning Souls are as much justify'd for believing Scripture. I answer, that if you mean their Faith conceiv'd to be found in Scri­pture, or a determinate Sence of Scripture's Letter, it cannot with any show of reason be pretended that they are as much justifiable for believing any, setting aside Tradition's help; for, without this it totally depends on the inward Judgments, Fancies or Skills of men which they are unqualify'd to judge of; not on open verdict of Senses, to wield the Certainty or Uncertainty of which lies clearly within the reach of their common reason. And as for Scripture's Letter they cannot possibly be justify'd in reason for be­lieving even the Substantial Truth of it without Tradition's assisting hand and preserving care. And the reason is the same; because the com­mon course of human Experience tells them that [Page 51] Judgments or Opinions often disagree, but their plain Sensations (especially if frequently re­peated) never; Whence a Jury of the plainest High-shoes would, upon the Evidence of the sight of six Witnesses, without more ado con­demn a Malefactor; but not upon the Judgments of a thousand men, if a Testimony grounded on Sense were not brought. Now take away Tradition and all ground from Certain Sence fails us, either for the meaning or even Letter of Scripture; and all is left to men's Judgments built on latent Skills or Fancy, or at least on Sense liable to great and numerous mistakes, as hath been shown, (Disc. 4. §. 3.) Again, seeing every one apprehends the most vulgar have reason enough to believe there was such a one as K. Iames and Q. Elizabeth, of which they are no otherwise ascertain'd but by Tradi­tion; why are not they as much or more justi­fy'd for believing points of Faith received down by the same tenour? whereas if you go about to pump their common Reason about the Au­thority of the Statute-Book or the Truth of its Letter, you shall find them blunder and at a [...]oss, being pos'd beyond their sphere of [...] Nature by a question entrenching upon skill, to which they can never answer with a steady as­suredness inwardly; and, if they do so out­wardly, 'tis manifest that some Passion and not their Reason breeds that irrational Profession. The third Condition then of the Rule of Faith, [Page 52] which was to be apt to settle and justify unreflect­ing and undoubting vulgar, is manifestly found agreeing to Tradition.

11. I put next the 6^th. Condition, because the proof of it evidently proves the fourth, fifth and seventh; For, what is built on immovable Grounds or Certain in its self, has in it where­with to settle and satisfy the most piercing Wit [...] convince the most obstinate Adversaries, and to ascertain us absolutely. To prove that Tradition has Certain and Infallible Grounds it may suffi [...] to note, that, (Disc. 1. §. 13, 14, 15.) it being evi­dently proved Faith must be Infallible to us, an [...] no less evident that it cannot be such without ha­ving Infallibly-c [...]tain Grounds, (since nothin [...] can be firmer to us than the ground it stands on now the Rule of Faith is its Ground; It follow evidently that This must likewise be Infallib [...] certain. There being then onely two Ground or Rules of Faith owned; namely, Deliver of it down by Writing, and by Words an [...] Practice, which we call Oral and Practical Tra­dition, 'tis left unavoydably, out of the impo­sibility that Scripture should be Infallible as Rule, that Tradition must be such.

12. Though this Conclusion, supposing th [...] Truth of the Propositions I assume as alread [...] prov'd, be sufficiently consequent to those Ad­versaries against whom I contest at present th [...] Certainty of Tradition, in regard they do [...] stick to grant that either Scripture or Tradition [Page 53] must be the Rule of Faith; Yet I foresee more will be expected from a pretender to demon­strate its Certainty, and that he should frame his Discourse from intrinsecal Mediums. Re­flecting then on the nature of Tradition as be­fore explicated, we shall observe that it hath for its Basis the best Nature in the Universe, that is, Man's, the Flower and End of all the rest; and this, not according to his Moral part, de­fectible by reason of Original Corruption; nor yet his Intellectuals, darkly groping in the pur­suit of Science by reflected thoughts or Specula­tion, amidst the misty vapours exhal'd by his Passion predominant over his rational Will; but according to those faculties in him perfectly and necessarily subject to the operations and stroaks of Nature; that is, his Eyes, Ears, handling, and the direct Impressions of Know­ledge, as naturally and necessarily issuing from the affecting those Senses, as it is to feel he [...], cold, Pain, Pleasure, or any other material Quality. Again, those Impressions upon the Sense are not made once but frequently; and, in most, many times every day. Moreover, to make these more express and apt to be taken no­tice of, their lives are to be fram'd by the Pre­cepts they hear and conformable Examples they see; so that Faith (I mean the substance of it, or that solid plain Knowledge as far as 'tis apt to cause downright Christian [...]) comes clad in such plain matters of Fact that the most [Page 54] stupid man living cannot possibly be ignorant of it. Compare next the certainty each Christian Forefather has of what he has practic't all his life with that which a sworn Witness in a Court has of what he saw or heard but once; which done, multiply these thus-qualify'd Witnesses till you equal the vast total of Christianity, and then invent what force in Nature's Universe is comparable to this Inerrability of Tradition. And, if clear Reason evinces to you that 'tis far more possible to make a man not be than not to know what is rivetted into his Soul by so-oft-re­peated Sensations; nay if it exceed all the po­wer of Nature (abstracting from the cases of Madness and violent disease) to blot Knowledges thus fixt out of the Soul of one single Believer; then 'tis as clearly evinc't that sooner may all Mankind perish than the regulative virtue of Tradition miscarry: Nay, sooner may the si­nows of entire Nature by overstraining crack, and she lose all her activity and motion, that is, her self, than one single part of that innumerable multitude which integrate that vast Testification we call Tradition can possibly be violated. The virtue then, by which Tradition regulates her followers to bring down Faith unerringly, is grounded on a far stronger Basis than all materi­al Nature; that is, on such a one as was fitting for Supream Wisdom to lay for Faith, being so neer and necessary a means to bring Mankind to his Beatitude, which was the end of all this [Page 55] corporeal Architecture. Its Followers, I say; for I onely contest in this present part of my Dis­course that Tradition, if follow'd, is of such a Nature: whether it was alwayes thus follow'd or no belongs to another Enquiry.

13. Nor must I neglect the reminding in this place what was produc [...]t before (§. 8.) to show the Evidenceableness of Tradition's Ruling Po­wer to the rudest Enquirers; It being as Evi­dent that while the next Age believes and pra­ctices as the former Age held and practic't (that is, while the Rule of Tradition is follow'd) those of the later Age are still of the same Faith with the former, as it is that to believe the same is to believe the same. Onely I am forbidden by my Reason and Logick to call this a Proof or Argument, because 'tis of the Nature of that first Principle Idem est idem sibijpsi, and onely an Instance or Particular of it, as these Proposi­tions are, a stone is a stone, a man is a man; in which the two Terms are as neerly laid and as fast connected as perfect Identity can ciment them; that is, so close that no medium can come between to make them capable of being argud or prov'd; that is, 'tis self-evident: and so I had no more to do but by opening the Terms to explicate the Proposition; which done it was evi­dent beyond proof.

14. Let now the most rational Doubter or most Sceptical Dissenter muster all the Capri­choes of Fancy Invention can suggest, and the [Page 56] subtlest quirks ingeniously misus'd Logick and abus'd-into-Sophistry can furnish them with; Let the most obstinate and acute Adversaries of Faith whet their wits to that degree of sharpness as to be able to penetrate with nice distinctions between the sides of two notions, if in the least disagreeing, (that is, onely metaphysically divi­sible,) and lay open their difference; what can they say in this case? If they will argue against Tradition, it must be out of some Knowledges; but Knowledge is taken from Things, and the best Thing in this universe, to wit, Man's Na­ture in what he is unalterable, is engag'd for the Certainty of Tradition. But indeed, their proper task will be to find a solution for; or to loose those two notions which perfect Identity binds, and to blunder that Truth which the noon-day-Sun of Self evidence discovers, and (as it were) writes with its most lightsome and most conspi­cous rayes.

15. These four last Conditions then of the Rule of Faith most fully agree with Tradition as well as the three first, that is, 'tis Self-evident to all as to it's Existence, §. 7. and Evidenceable as to it's Ruling Power to a­ny vulgar Enquirer, §. 8. apt to settle and justify undoubting persons, §. 9, 10. to satisfy fully the most Sceptical dissenters and most rational doubters, and to convince the most obstinate and acute Adversaries, built upon unmoveable Grounds, that is, Certain in it's self and abso­lutely [Page 57] ascertainable to us, §. 11, 12, 13, 14. And these Properties springing out of the very nature of the Rule of Faith, and being incompetent to any Competitor or pretended Rule, as has been shown, this main Conclusion is made good, that TRADITION IS THE RULE OF FAITH.

SIXTH DISCOURSE.
Endeavouring to demonstrate à priori the In­defectibleness of Tradition.

1. ALl this is well, may some say, in case Tra­dition had been ever held to; for then in­deed Faith had come down by such an incom­parable Testification that the like was never heard of. But how know we who began to de­sert that Rule, and who ever held to it; or that it was ever held to by any?

2. Now, though the carriage of Protestants makes this labour needless, while I write against them; yet I owe to my former discourse a clear­ing of this likewise. Their Carriage, I say; For, when it is prov'd evidently that Tradition is a certain Rule and Scripture's Letter not such, they who reject the former to adhere to the later are clearly cast in their Cause and condemn'd with­out [Page 58] more ado. Indeed, If Protestants faulted not the Rule but onely pretended that men had fail'd it, they might yet delude the world with some colour that they had ever held to the do­ctrin of Ancestours, and onely deserted us be­cause we had deserted Ancestours formerly; but if they put the fault in the Rule it self, write a­gainst it, disgrace it and recurr to another, 'tis a certain sign of self-condemnation, and that they judge in their inmost thoughts that Tradi­tion or immediate delivery ever stood our Friend and would overthrow them. Nay, did they think they could manifest satisfactorily that we had deserted formerly the Faith of our Forefa­thers as they pretend, they had no more effica­cious way to ruine us than to oppose us upon those Principles laid in this former Discourse; since Tradition, a little after the Primitive times, at which time they pretend we fell, had not gone down many steps, and so the Renouncers of it would in reason seem to them more easily dis­coverable by its vicinity to the Apostles. Besides, this Rule being so own'd and stuck to by us it had been the most efficacious way ad hominem to confute and shame us even by our own Prin­ciples. Wherefore it is most evident they think it not their best play to offer to avail themselves by Tradition, knowing 'twill be their disadvan­tage and our gain; that is, they in effect tacitly yield that (if Tradition be a Certain Rule, which we have shown self-evident) the doctrin [Page 59] held by our Church to be of Faith came down uninterruptedly from the Apostles, that is, was ever, or is Christ's doctrin, however, they blind their own Consciences with glances of Fancy from private Interpretations of God's word, and deaf their own and others ears with empty sounds rebounding witth false Ecchoes from those Sa­cred Oracles.

3. Now, though it seem an unreasonable ex­pectation to require that a Rule should not onely be able to rule those who would follow it, but al­so should have power to oblige the generality of those who actually do follow it not to desert it; yet, such is the Goodness of our Saviour towards his Church to order that the Rule which brings down Faith to us should, both out of the Nature of Man in which it is grafted, and much more by means of the doctrin it recommends, be of so wonderful an Efficacy.

4. This point therefore of the actual Indefe­ctiveness of Tradition I shall endeavour to de­monstrate both à priori from proper Causes, and à posteriori from a now-adayes experienc't Ef­fect.

5. To do the former, I say for my Grounds, First, that Christian doctrin was at first unani­mously settled by the Apostles in the hearts of the Faithful disperst in great multitudes over se­veral parts of the world. Secondly, that this doctrin was firmly believed by all those Faith­ful to be the way to Heaven, and the contra­dicting [Page 60] or deserting it the way to damnation; so that the greatest Hopes and Fears imaginable were by engaging the Divine Authority strongly apply'd to the Minds of the First Believers, en­couraging them to the adhering to that doctrin, and deterring them from relinquishing it; and indeed infinitly greater than any other whate­ver springing from any temporal consideration; and that this was in all Ages the perswasion of the Faithful. Thirdly, that Hopes of Goods and Fears of Harms strongly apply'd are the Causes of Actual Will. Lastly, that the thing was feisi­ble or within their power, that is, that what they were bred to was Knowable by them. This put, it follows as certainly that a great num­ber or Body of the first Believers and after-Faith­ful in each Age, that is from Age to Age, would continue to hold themselves and teach their Children as themselves had been taught, that is, would follow and stick to Tradition, as it does that a Cause put actually causing produ­ces it's Effect. Actually, I say; For, since the Cause is put, the Application put, and the Pa­tient dispos'd (for our Argument puts this to be the Minds of true Believers, in regard the first Renouncers of Tradition must have been True Believers or Holders of it ere they renounc't it) it follows inevitably that the Cause is put still actually causing.

6. I foresee some will object the Indispositi­on of the Wills of the Believing Parents by rea­son [Page 61] of original Corruption. But, supposing I dispute against those Christians who hold that Christ's Doctrin was intended to be an Antidote for that Original malice, and to keep Men's Wills (already possest with it) right, notwith­standing the poize of their corrupted Nature and the temptations of their circumstances; to say 'tis apply'd universally to all several sorts and tempers, and preserves none good, is to questi­on Christ's Wisdom, and to doubt whether it be fit to do the Effect it was meant for. Not to mind the Objecter how many thousands of Mar­tyrs and Holy Confessors, by the Power of this Doctrin, overcame this inbred declivity of their Wills and its disorderly inclinations to the dearest Goods Life or Nature could bestow. A great part therefore would be virtuous, and so (it being easie and obvious, as our former Dis­course proved) would teach their Children what themselves believ'd in their Consciences to be Christ's Doctrine, or the doctrine they had been taught; and so a Body of Traditionary Christians would still be continu'd to the very End of the World; nor could that Rule be to­tally relinquisht by any Stratagem of the Devil or prevail'd against by the gates of Hell. Again, though Nat [...]re incline men to sin or vicious Ap­petites, yet can it incline them all to this sort of sin, that is, to teach their Children what they think will damn them? Or rather does not Na­ture most strongly carry them to the contrary? [Page 62] Their Original corruption then is no particular inviter to this kind of sin, to teach their Chil­dren pernicious falshoods, and which themselves hold such; though themselves be otherwise lia­ble to several sort of particular failings.

7. If any object the fickle nature of the Will, and imagin that this exempts her from the Laws of Causes; I ask them (without engaging far­ther into School-disputes, which I industriously avoid) whether Good be not the proper Object of the Will, and so is to affect it when sufficient­ly apply'd or propos'd? If so, then, since an Object to affect a Power is to put it in act, and the Act of the Power we call the Will is actual Volition or Willing, Good propos'd makes the Will to will or desire that Good, and consequent­ly the known means to obtain it; Now, Infinit Goods and Harms sufficiently propos'd are of their own nature incomparably more powerful Causes to carry the Will, than Temporal ones. Since then, when two Causes are counterpos'd, the lesser, when it comes to execution, is no Cause, as to the substance of that Effect (as a heavy weight, which were otherwise a cause of de­scending, is no such Cause when overweigh [...]d by an heavier, as not making its scale descend at all) it follows that there is no Cause to move the Wills of a World of Believers to be willing to do that which they judge would lose them­selves and their Posterity Infinit Goods and bring them Infinit Harms, such strong and main [Page 63] Hopes and Fears being put in the counter-bal­lance, in case a sufficient Proposal or Application be not wanting.

8. The last Attempt then of an Objectour is to fault the Application of Spiritual and Hea­venly Goods, and to enhance the Proposals of sensible and Temporal Objects. But, if we re­flect with how steady a pursuit and even equal to that of eye-sight or any other Sense, we gene­rally work for Ends no otherwise propos'd than by undoubted Authority; as when a King pre­pares for an Expedition against a forrain Country he never saw, or a Gentleman for a journey to Rome and such like; If we but call to mind how the greatest Testimony in the world engages God's supremely-Infallible Veracity for the truth of the Doctrin, it proposes, which ascer­tains us of those Infinit Goods and Harms spo­ken of; the best Application of a motive to a truly rational power which can possibly be ima­gin'd; If we but consider how those spiritual and unseen Goods are made Intelligible to all, in a fair measure, by most fit and obvious Meta­phors; Familiar and Sensible, by daily practice and as it were Experience of them in Christian Language and Actions, by the venerable Sacra­ments, by the spectable Majesty of outward Ceremonies, all including our spiritual last End or intimating it by their order to it; nay, if we but contemplate even Essential Heaven it self made the Object of our Senses, to comply with [Page 64] our weakness, by the Word's being made Flesh and dwelling amongst us, his being born, his suf­fering cold, hunger, persecution, banishment and other inconveniencies in his Life; his curing our diseased, comforting our afflicted, rais­ing our dead, and other miraculous actions; his being bound, buffetted, scourged, crown'd with thorns, and lastly crucify'd; and all this believed to be for our sakes; all of them Ob­jects most sensibly and palpably affecting our Un­derstandings and thence sliding movingly (and this by their sensible nature) into our very Wills; we shall discover that the Infinit Spiritual Good we spoke of is become through the Provident Goodness of our God, both as easily appliable as the most visible and concerning civil Actions working on the best Sensations of our Forefa­thers, the best and amplest Authority in the world to make their Sensations ours, and the whole course of our Life, Actions, Sacraments, and all other outward shows which could be in­vented to make such mysteries maniable, can possibly render them; and that, if after all this they can be conceiv'd to want any thing of the Sensibleness, 'tis abundantly supply'd by that deep Impression which the Sacred Horrour of the Reverence given to them makes, and the effica­cious wayes to excite and and preserve that Re­verence. All which wayes and objects, thus easi­ly and strongly appliable were frequently and ef­ficaciously apply'd by the education of Parents [Page 65] and by the Discipline and Oeconomy of the Church, which brings those speculations to pra­ctice, was ever, and must needs reach the Genera­lity. In a word, Christianity, urg'd to execution, gives its Followers a new Life and a new Nature; than which a nearer Application cannot be imagin'd. No Application therefore is wanting; Wherefore, the Efficient and the Matter being proper and fitted to one another, the Effect must still be or continue; that is the delivering down sincerely and carefully Christian Doctrin first re­ceived must still continue in some great multi­tude at least, and this to the end of the world.

SEVENTH DISCOURSE,
An Objection clear'd, and the Beginning and Progress of an HERESY connaturally laid open.

1. WHat onely and mainly seems to preju­dice our Argument is, that there have actually been many Hereticks or Deserters of Tra­dition. To which I answer that 'tis not to be expected but some Contingency should have place where an whole Species in a manner is to be wrought upon. It sufficeth us that the Causes to preserve Faith indeficiently entire are as effi­cacious [Page 66] as those which are lay'd for the propaga­gation of Mankind; The Virtue of Faith not being to continue longer than Mankind, its one­ly Subject, does: And they will easily appear as efficacious as the other if we consider the strength of those Causes before explicated, and reflect that they are effectively powerful to make multitudes daily debar themselves of those plea­sures which are the Causes of Mankind's Propa­gation. And, if we look into History for Expe­rience of what has past in the world since the first planting of Christianity, we shall find fa [...] more particulars failing in propagating their Kind than their Faith.

2. I know the multitudes of Hereticks which have from time to time risen makes this position seem incredible; wherefore, that we may [...] once both open Tradition and make good ou [...] Tenet, we will reflect how an Heresy is first bred To inforce then our former Argument, we mus [...] look on Christ's Church not onely as on a Con­gregation having in their hearts those most pow­erful motives already spoken of, able of their own nature to carry each single heart possest by them, though left at its own liberty; but as o [...] the perfectest form of a Commonwealth, ha­ving within her self Government and Officers ap­pointed by Christ himself, and so look't upon by the Faithful, to take care all those motives b [...] actually apply'd as much as may be to the sub­ject Layity; and that all the Sons of the Church [Page 67] be aw'd by wholsom disciplin to conform their lives according to the Doctrin they profess. Yet notwithstanding, as in the Civil State, maugre the Laws and care of Governours, it happens sometimes that some particular Person turns Rebel or Outlaw, and associates to himself others; so it happens sometimes in the Church, that, because 'tis impossible the perfection of Disciplin should extend it self in so vast a multi­titude to every particular, some one or few per­sons, by neglect of applying Christian motives to their Souls, fall into extravagancies of spiritual Pride, Ambition, Lust, or other vices; and itching with desire of followers to honour and support them, they first lay hold on some accidental mis­carriages, as foolish opinions or ill lives of some in the Church, which they aggravate beyond all reason to justify their Rebellion, and [...] invent and propose new Tenets to others; which partly by their plausibleness, partly licentious­ness, suting with the curious or passionate hu­mour of diverse, if Governours be not vigilant and prudent, draw them into the same faction with themselves; especially, if they get the State on their sides, secure indemnity and hopes of reward draw the corrupt hearts of many to bandy with their fellow-revolters against the former Church. Thus a Body is made; incon­siderable in respect of the whole, which yet is engag'd by the natural care of self-preservation to make Head against it. The Church stands [Page 68] upon the uninterrupted Succession of her Do­ctrin from Christ, grounded on the noon-day manifestation of the most universal and clear Attestation in the world: The other's known newness makes it impossible to human nature (though most deprau'd) to pretend this recep­tion from immediate Forefathers; the contrary being so evident to the whole world's eye-sight that this were to tell an openly to no imaginable purpose. They must cry therefore the Church has err'd in Faith, else they condemn them­selves; whence they are oblig'd at next to re­nounce and disgrace Tradition or the living voice of the Church as unfit to be a Rule, which left in force would presently quash and strangle all their Attempts. After this a new Rule must be sought for; either some private Inspiration, or some waxen-natur [...]d words not yet senc't not having any certain Interpreter, but fit to be plaid upon diversly by quirks of wit; that is, apt to blunder and confound, but to clear little or nothing. Their Policy must be to study va­pour in wordish learning, to be dextrous in Cri­ticisms and all that can conduce to the various acception of words; and then to hook Catho­licks from their Infallible and Evident way of Tradition, to combat with them at their own weapon and in their own way: In which if the Catholick be so unwary or good-natur [...]d as to engage, and having been inur [...]d to more so­lid and sober Grounds for his Faith, be not per­haps [Page 69] so skilful in beating the air as his bird-witted Opponent, presently a Victory is pro­claimed with the loudest Trumpet of Fame, and (vanity being generally their God who place their honour in such aiery sorts of learning) blaz'd up and down to the commendation of themselves and perversion of others. But a company which makes such a bustle cannot long want a Name; Wherefore, the Traditionary Christian having ever enjoyd the Appellation of Catholick, and it being impossible their Adver­saries should by any design or craft after the common Language of Mankind, hopeless to attain the name of Catholick, they are forced to content themselves (though unwilling) with some other new one; which, Nature, working upon their own comportment, determines to be either from their Authour, as Lutherans, Zuin­gliaus; or their new Tenet, as Tritheits, Sa­cramentarians; or some combination amongst themselves, as Protestants; or, lastly, some particular carriage, as Quakers, Dippers, &c.

3. These first Adherents to the upstart Novel­list being clung into a Body, after a while young understandings ripening to a capacity of Faith, things are presently alterd; The pretended Rule of Scripture's Letter's self-sufficiency is immedi­ately thrown by as useless any farther; Design hath got its end already, and the natural way of of Tradition begins to take place again and re­cover [Page 70] its self; nay the Reformers themselves are forc't to crave help of it to keep their company together. Children are taught that they are to believe their Pastours and Fathers; and, though they are permitted to read the Scripture when they come at age, yet they are told they are to guide themselves by the sence their Pa­stours and Fathers give it, which is that they ought to guide themselves by the Faith of their Parents and Teachers in interpreting Scripture; the very way Catholicks ever took in that par­ticular: And, if any company of men though now mature to judge, presume to follow their own Judgement in interpreting it, and differ from those first Reformers, these if they get the power in their hands will presently fall to oblige them by force to act, that is (if they would have them do it conscientiously, which else were to force them to sin) to hold as they do, and per­secute or punish them if they do not; whereas they guide themselves to their best capacity by the Scripture's Letter which is the very Rule of Faith their Persecutors taught them and made use of themselves when they broke from the Church. Which evidently shows that a new Rule is introduc't; and that it is not indeed the Letter of God's word which is now thought fit to guide the Readers of it to Faith, but those men's In­terpretations of it. So that the breaking from Tradition and consequently the Church casts them most inevitably upon these self-contradi­ctions. [Page 71] First, to reform npon pretence of the Scripture's Letter being the Rule of Faith, yet afterwards in practice to desert that Rule in their carriage towards others. Secondly, to disallow to others those Grounds themselves proceed upon. Thirdly, to pretend first the Scripture's Letter clear of it self without needing the Church to in­terpret it, so to avoid condemnation from the for­mer Church; yet afterwards, to judge the Follow­ers of it to their best power to go wrong; that is, to confess it obscure, and to need their new Churches Interpretation. 4^ly. To persecute others for taking that way, which they held (at least pretended) meritorious in themselves. 5^ly. To oblige others to relinquish the sole guidance of the Scriptures Letter and to rule themselves by their Tradition; and yet at the same time when they write and dispute against Catholicks, to impugn Tradition or the doctrin of Forefathers as unfitting to sence it, and abet onely the self-sufficiency of Scri­ptures Letter. And, lastly, to impute that carriage to our Church as a fault which themselves pra­ctice upon their own Subjects: And, which is most material, our Church punishes none but such as desert the Rule she recommends; where­as they punish those under them for following too close that Rule which themselves recom­mended and applauded, as the whole and sole Bafis of their Reformation.

4. Now, what can follow hence but that their Ecclesiastical Subjects whom Common Sence [Page 72] cannot but make exceeding sensible of such their unreasonable carriage, in persecuting them pure­ly for following God's word or the Scripture's Letter to their best power, which themselves had taught them might securely, nay ought in conscience be follow'd, let the Consent of Fore­fathers and the present Church made up of mee [...] men say what they would, what follow's, I say, but that exasperated beyond patience by this pro­cedure which they will be apt to conceive to be a most senceless and self-condemning tyranny o­ver their Consciences, they will (unless Gover­nours be vigilant,) strive to wreak their malice against their Persecutors; and if they be nume­rous and powerful, endeavour to involve whole Nations in war and blood; which God of his mercy avert from our distracted Country. Of so main consequence it is both for Church and State that men's Minds be right set in the Fundamen­tal Grounds of Christianity; and that the Prin­ciple they build Religion on be Evident, that is, apt to unite their Understa [...]dings and by it their Affections; not uncertain and vertible, which must needs lead (if pursu'd by an earnest zeal) to nothing but diversities in Opinions about Faith, thence to dissensions and Feuds in the Will, which upon any great pressure will be apt to break forth into actions of highest enmity; and by the irreconcileableness of such Interests, (neither side being able to yeeld to the other in what each of rhem holds Sacred, Religious and [Page 73] Conscientious) endless and fiercest bickerings are apt to succeed, even to utter desolation; as frequent Histories too lamentably record. Not that I intend the Justification of those revolting Sects, who having no certain Grounds of Con­troversy are both self-condemn'd by the com­mon Light of Reason for disobeying a Certain and Known Legal Authority (which God's Law and plain Reason commands them to submit to) to maintain an Uncertainty, that is for any thing they know an Error; and, were it a known Truth they held, would be no less condemn'd by the Law of God and common Reason, nay out the nature of Religion it self, for making Rebellion and an unimpower'd Sword the Defence of Truth which stands firm on a surer Basis. I one­ly mind prudent Considerers on the by how much it conduces to State-Unity and Peace that the Principle of conveying Faith to us be built on Sensible Evidence acknowledgable by all Man­kind, when rightly understood; and not left to giddy Interpretations of Private Fancies, which are apt to run so eccentrically to one another, that we can never expect they shall have any common point, where to fix and unite men's Minds and Afflections.

5. The usefulness of this Parergon serves to elucidate as it were ptactically and experimen­tally the Certainty of Tradition. The particu­lar use we make of it in this present Discourse, whence we digrest into it, is to conclude (as well [Page 74] as we can of things at a common view, which yet is no less certain) that the number of the actual Deserters of the natural way of Tradition have been but few, to wit the first Revolters, a small handfull compar'd to all Christianity besides, and onely occasionally not constantly happening; that the Descendents of these Revolters were taught by them to believe Them in the right, in interpreting Scripture, and not their own Judg­ments; that is, follow'd the way of Tradition, however misplac't: To which if we compare the numerous contingencies both in man's Na­ture and other circumstances, hindring Propa­gation, every day happening, we shall find much reason to prefer the multitudes of the o­ther before this: But if we add to this Conside­ration the daily decay of innumerable particu­lars, upon whom the Continuation of Mankind depends, by natural or accidental deaths, and reflect on the innumerable new Subjects and even whole Nations into which Tradition hath and does daily propagate it self, and those unin­fected by new Heresies for whole Ages, that is without any one Deserter of Tradition among them; and none of those beholding to Proge­nitors for their Faith but to Externs who con­verted them, whereas Propagating their Kind can onely be by those of the same race; We shall find that the Causes laid to propagate & preserve a Body of Traditionary Christians look far more steadily and less needing a recourse to any parti­cular [Page 75] Providence than those which we can disco­ver laid for the keeping on Foot a Body of Men. Whence, if any (as the common fashion is) bring against the perpetuation of Tradition such wild­roving Arguments as would equally strike at the Certainty of perpetuating Mankind, or conti­nuing any Species in Nature, the readiest answer is to show they do so; and then to tell them we intend not Tradition should last longer than the onely Species capable of Faith will; that is, longer than Mankind is to stand, who onely can have it or need it.

EIGHTH DISCOURSE.
Endeavouring to demonstrate à Posteriori the Vninterruptedness of Tradition hitherto.

1. HAving seen and weigh'd the strength of those Causes which preserve and continue Tradition on Foot, and thence endeavour'd to demonstrate its Indefectibleness as the proper and necessary Effects of those Causes; we will now begin our Discourse at the other end, and try if we can conclude the same from some Pro­per Effect; that is, from such an Effect as could onely have sprung from the actual Indeficiency of Tradition as its Cause: That so we may show [Page 76] the Certainty of Faith's Conveyance to us do [...] ­bly guarded, and on all sides Evident.

2 Though indeed this seems a needless endea­vour against the Protestant who yeilds that those points of Faith in which we agree came dow [...] by this way of Tradition. Whence, he is to be prest to answer candidly these Queres. W [...] not the Trinity, Incarnation and other points [...] which we agree held in all Ages since Christ by Gods Church? He must yeild it, no Protesta [...] ever denying it; besides that we both agree to call that God's Church which held those mai [...] points of Faith. Next, he is to be askt, whether seeing those points were held ever of Faith, Fa­thers did not actually teach Children so, or the former Age the later. Common reason will teach him they did; which devolves into this that a Protestant must confess those points came down by Tradition, and that Tradition hath not faild to bring them down to us. Ask him next by what virtue Tradition perform'd this and whether the same virtue were not powerful to bring down others as well as these had any such been? And, when he assignes this virtue, I cannot suspect him negative in so plain a point. Ask him farther; Is there not a necessary Con­nexion and Relation between such a constant Cause and its formal Effect? So that, if its for­mal Effect be Those Points received as delivered ever, the Proper Cause must be an ever-delivery, whence, we can argue from such an Effect to its [Page 77] Cause for any particular Point, and consequen­ly for any Point that is in Controversie between Them and Us, in case it be a Point we held ever deliver'd: And if so, as manifest Reason evinces it, our now-held Faith was taught by Christ and his Apostles, and our dispute is at an end. But, because I rather suspect the Protestant see­ing his Cause and Interest too deep engag'd and himself streightned by such strict Connexion of Terms, will fly of and deny Tradition to be a necessary Cause, notwithstanding its constant te­nour of having wrought this its Effect millions of times, or from step to step during so many Ages, and will not care to alledge that all this is pure Chance and contingency, I shall pursue the De­signe and Method I at first intended.

3. The Effect then we will pitch upon and avow to be the proper one of such a Cause, is The present perswasion of Traditionary-Christi­ans (or Catholicks,) that their Faith hath de­scended from Christ and his Apostles uninterrupt­edly, which we find most firmly rooted in their hearts. And the Existence of this Perswasion we affirm to be Impossible without the Existence of Traditions ever-Indeficiency to beget it.

4. To prove this, I lay this first Principle. That Age which holds her Faith deliver'd thus from the Apostles neither can it self have chang'd any thing in it, nor know or doubt that any Age since the Apostles had chang'd or innovated any thing therein. This Proposition needs no proof to [Page 78] evidence it, but onely an Explication; For, since no man can hold contrary to his Know­ledge, or doubt of what he holds, nor change or innovate in the case propos'd without knowing he did so; 'tis a manifest Impossibility an whole Age should fall into an Absurdity so inconsistent with the Nature of one single man.

5. The second Principle shall be this, No Age could innovate any thing, and withal deliver that very thing to Posterity as receiv [...]d from Christ by continual succession. For, since Man is a rational Creature, he must have some reason or motive, good or bad, which he proposes to himself as an Eud to be atchiev'd by his action; and (what­ever his remote end is) his immediate End in telling Posterity a late invented thing was held immediately before, is to make them believe it; Wherefore, since a seen Impossibility can­not be a motive to one not frantick, and that 'tis evidently Impossible they should make Poste­rity believe a thing so universally known to be false as this must needs be; because were it possi­ble the whole Age should conspire to tell such a lye, (the whole, I say, otherwise the Refusers would easily discover the cheat) yet 'tis mani­festly Impossible all at age to know the truth should conspire from so many several and so far distant places, in the precise time to deceive the new Off-spring every moneth ripening to a ca­pacity of such knowledges, or blot out all the Monuments which would evidently undeceive [Page 79] their abused Posterity: 'Tis then as impossible this Principle should falter as that the foregoing Age should conspire to act without a motive or that the succeeding Age should believe what they know to be otherwise; that is, should hold both sides of a Contradiction in a clear matter of Fact, which is utterly inconsistent with a judg­ing or congnoscitive nature.

6. These Principles lay'd, we we will advance to the proof of our main Conclusion on this man­ner; that since neither any Age (by our first Principle) could hold a new introduc't point for not-new but immediately deliver'd; nor yet any foregoing Age (by our second) make it be re­ceiv'd as not-new by Posterity, it follows that in no Age could any doctrin changing the imme­diate Faith of Fore-fathers or new at that time, come in or be received under the notion of im­mediately deliver'd or not-new at that time. Wherefore, since nothing can descend or come down under the notion of not-new, or deliver'd uninterruptedly, unless it first come in or be re­ceiv'd under the notion of not-new or deliver'd uninterruptedly, nor be held by us as descended under such a notion unless it did actually descend to us under such a notion (by the second) it fol­lows manifestly that, if we now hold it descended as such, it did descend as such, and consequently was received by the deliverers as such; and (the same reason holding equally in each Age from Christ,) came down consequently from Christ [Page 80] and his Apostles. No power then or wit of man could make our Faith now held to be so descended, but its having been actually so descended: that is, onely the Existence of Tradition's Indeficiency could have effected this present persuasion of Traditionary Christians (or Catholicks) that their Faith descended uninterruptedly from the Apostles. It being then manifest by Experience that this Effect or present Persuasion is, (for all Catholiks hold the Church never fail'd in Faith,) 'tis demonstratively Evident that its proper and onely Cause has been put; that is, that Chri­stian Tradition has ever been held to by a Body of Men consisting of the Predecessors to those whom we find actually thus perswaded.

NINTH DISCOURSE.
Opening the incomparable strength of the Churches Human Authority, and the Infinit ad­vantages accrue to It by the Supernatu­al Assistances of the Holy Ghost.

1. BUt all this is Nature may some say, and by this Method an Heathen may by his natu­ral wit become a good Christian. By which word Nature, if the Objecter means Reason wrought upon by motives laid by God's special goodness to bring Souls to Bliss, I wonder what else is Supernaturality but this which he miscalls Nature; and why Reason, rectify'd by such Lights and Proposals as the force of Nature could not have aym'd at much less effected, ought not to be said to be affected supernaturally, however those very motives be connatural to our Souls: It being evident that we use even the na­tural power of our Reason in discoursing of things above our reason; and, on the other side to ex­pect no constant way or common path of motives laid for the Salvation of Mankind, but extraor­dinary inspirations for each particular man, unra­vell's the Order of God's best Providence, and is the very notion of Fanatickness. But to med­dle with this point is out of my road otherwise than to take my rise hence to show how far Christian Tradition is strengthen [...]d above the [Page 82] greatest meerly-human Testimony whatever: And that the Church owes this strength to those Motives supervening to meer Nature, which we rightly call Assistances of the Holy Ghost; in re­gard they are built on Perfections of Will in the Faithful, or on Virtues, the Effects properly at­tributed to that Divine Person.

2. Ere we come to explain what advantage the Church as thus divinely assisted has over her self as meerly wrought upon by human motives, we will compare first her human Authority with some other vast Body of Testifiers which may most seem to stand in competition with her. And an eminent and acute opposer of Tradition has already pointed us out a choice one; namely, that of the Mahometans for Mahomet's Existence: which we doubt not to have the power to con­vey down the Truth thereof with Infallible Cer­tainty to the end of the world, if follow'd; not do we think the most Sceptical Protestant doubts but it has had the force to make it self be follow'd hitherto; however at unawares their calm Rea­son grants that to a Body of Turks which their Passion makes them question and even deny to a Church of Christians. Yet, I averr that the hu­man force of Tradition in the Church for the de­scent of the main Body of Christs doctrin far ex­ceeds that of the Turks for Mahomet's Exi­stence.

3. To shew this in brief I note in the first place and chiefly; that howsoever a report may [Page 83] spread universally from a small beginning in the quality of a rumour, yet the force of its Cre­dibility, if it be a matter of Fact, is founded on the Quantity and Quality of those who first saw or perceiv'd it. Putting then the Quality of the Testifiers in both cases to be equal, so to bring our Controversy to a smaller compass, and comparing onely the Quantity or Number of the original Testifiers on both sides; what propor­tion is there between that handful of men about Mecha and some few other places where Mahomet conquer'd and planted his doctrin, and those vast multitudes whom all the Apostles, Disci­ples, and Apostolical men converted by most powerful miracles in so many distant Nations in the World? If we lay them together we shall find that few saw or felt (that is, were witnesses of) Mahomets Existence so much as once, in comparison of those who were every day imbu'd with and practic [...]t Christian Doctrine. A new Consideration springs hence that 'tis a thousand times easier for that single company of Arabians and Syrians to conspire to a ly and so deliver down to us a false Mahomet, than it is for such a multitude of people in so remote Countries as first suck't in Christianity to conspire in the very thought of having such a Conspiracy. And, lastly, it was as easie by oft repeated Sensatio [...]s to know Christian Doctrin at first to that degree as to govern their actions by it (which is all that is requisit for the generality) it giving the Prin­ciples [Page 84] to the daily practice of their new Life as they were Christians, as it was for these other witnesses to be certain of Mahomet's Existence; and much easier, in regard the greater part by far of those whom we allow Witnesses of Maho­mets Existence perhaps scarce knew him by sight; not conversing him daily or very often, as each of the Primitive Christians did with those points of Faith they guided their lives by.

4. The human Authority then of the Church being such as exceeds she Evidence of other Te­stimonies, which yet are such that amongst all the most extravagant Opiniastres none was ever found so frantick as to doubt them; and should any do so, all sober Mankind would esteem them stark mad; which could not be done in reason unless they renounc't perfect evidence, that is, unless those Testimonies were perfectly Evident: This, I say, being so, some may think it superfluous and a quirk of an over­straining Fancy to contend there is any greater Evidence to ascertain the conveyance of our Faith from Christ's time to us. But, whoever re­flects on the reason of those words, Sic Deus di­lexit Mundum ut Filium suum Vnigenitum daret, John 3. 16. Or for those, Nunquid de bobus cura est Deo? 1 Cor. 9. 9. Nonne vos magis pluris estis volatilibus caeli? Mat. 6. 26. and such like; or, on what Metaphysicks demonstrate concerning the perfect methods and wayes of [Page 85] Essential Wisdome, will easily be convinc't that, if the Salvation of Mankind be the End of this material world's Creation, the Providences to bring about this End ought in true wisdome be so particular and so sublimely efficacious that the means laid for the preservation of any other species in Nature would scarce deserve the name of a Providence in comparison of the other. Whence follows, that the means which are mainly influential to promote Man towards Bliss (such as is Faith, the Rule of that Life by which he tends to Heaven, and the Substance of his Hope which gives the vigour to that Life) must be Certain (its Efficacy depending on this Certainty) beyond any Evidence meer Nature could compass. Which that great Mèditater on God's Law day and night well comprehended, when out of the full sight of this Truth he burst out into that expression of wonderment, Testi­monia tua, Domine, credibilia, facta suut ni­mis.

5. We will briefly touch at some of the Ad­vantages which those Assistances superadded to Nature give the Church, and leave them to be scann'd by the leasurely thoughts of attentive Considerers.

6. First then, we find that 'tis natural to every Man that his Phantasms should be such as the Impressions of the Objects are apt to make them, his Thoughts appropriated to his Phantasms, and his outward expressions concerning the thing, [Page 86] and amongst them his Words, conformable to his Thoughts: So that true Words and sincere Acti­ons are the proper Effects of the other Causes, and necessarily produc't by them if Designe hin­der not: Which amounts to this, that 'tis Natu­ral for every man to speak Truth; and that, whenever one speaks False wittingly, Artifice makes him cast about to contrive a ly fittingly to the end he aims at; whence it is that Fools and drunken men, who are incapable of such Artifice, use to tell the plain Truth. If this be so in Nature, and that Grace is to perfect Na­ture in whatever is good in it, it follows that one truly Christian heart is far more fixt to Vera­city than others not imbu'd with those heavenly Tenets; and consequently that a Multitude of such incomparably exceed, in point of testify­ing, the same number of others unfortify'd by Christ's Doctrin.

7. This will be clearer if we reflect upon the way by which Original Corruption violates fre­quently in execution this natural Veracity; and 'tis this; that inclining and transporting them to the undue love of Creatures even to the injuring known rational Orders laid in the world and most necessary for the subsistence or Universal well-being of Mankind (which we call the Commandments) hence, afraid to own such an enormous procedure, they cast about to cloak it with sought pretences. The sum therefore of Christianity tending to implant in the hearts [Page 87] of the Faithful an over-powering Love of Supreme spiritual Goods attainable in the next Life, and by consequence to take off their ex­travagant affection to earthly things, it leaves Man's natural disposition to Truth free to do its Effect, and renders needless that crafty way of design, onely which could byass and pervert the Will from pursuing the way of Nature.

8. Compare we now the positive Motives, Natural and Supernatural, obliging to Veracity, and we find the Hopes and Fears which Christi­anity proposes to make and keep men Good as infinitly exceeding the Natural ones as Eternity does a moment, abating the intenseness of the Goods and Harms hop't for and fear'd, nay held firmly by all and conceited lively by many to be beyond all imaginable comparison greater than the other. Yet experience tells us and none doubts but that these transitory and incompara­bly-less Goods and Harms are sufficient Motives to oblige Bodies of Men to deliver down Poli­tick or Natural matters of Fact, as the Existence of such former Kings (to blunder which truth there wanted not highest Interests were it con­ceiv'd feisible) such Eclipses, Wars, &c. In­concievably more powerful then must the other motives be to oblige them to Veracity in such narrations on which the destroying or preserving those highest concerns depend. And what pre­valency Eternal motives had over Temporal ones when they came to clash so neer as one [Page 88] must forego one Hope or the other is seen by the perpetual and constant sufferings of the Martyrs in all Ages, and the many Persecutions daily and gladly undergone every day in many places for Conscience-sake.

9. In the Natural Commonwealth there are multitudes of men deputed particularly to great Trusts, and some Extraordinary Ceremony done upon them to make them true to such Trusts, nay Oaths by things they highly reverence taken, not onely by those Officers, but sometimes (though rarely) by the Generality to secure their Fidelity. But what proportion can those Ceremonies bear being but of human Institution to the Sacraments of the Church held to have been instituted by Christ himself; many of which are common to all Christians; some to initiate them most solemnly at first, or to rivet that Initiation with a new military Tessera; some to strengthen and cure the languishing; some to win to Love by Acts of greatest Bounty; Others are proper to impower some as Officers to over­see the common affairs of Faith; all tending to strengthen powerfully the Generality not to pre­varicate from the Faith held ever truly received down, and particularly to oblige Governours not to bely themselves or connive at others gros­ly belying their Forefathers and betraying their Depositum.

10. Though Nature teaches the rudest that they should not do to another what they would [Page 89] [...]ot have done to themselves, yet Original Cor­ [...]ption too often makes us prevaricate in pra­ [...]ice from that evident Rule: and the Reason because while men's Affections are chiefly [...]tch't on Temporal Goods, hence, in regard [...]hey are finite, that is such that if one have [...]ore another has less of them, such men are [...]t enviously to deprive their partaking Neigh­ [...]ours of them, that so the greatest part may [...]ll to their own share: But, such an action can ever proceed from, nor thought enter into the [...]ost deprau'd nature as to harm another without [...]y good to himself. Now, this in our Case [...]ust be put, if we put Christian Fathers mis­ [...]aching their Children unreceived doctrins for [...]ceived contrary to their own knowledge. For, [...]pposing Sanctity in the Church, that is, that [...]ultitudes in it make Heaven their first Love, [...]nd look on Spiritual Goods as their main con­ [...]ern, which are of such a Nature that none has [...]ess for another's having more, but on the con­ [...]ary the Multitudes of virtuous persons would [...]elp to encrease both Virtue and Glory too in [...]heir fellowes and relations; It follows, that [...]ad those Fathers in any Age consented to mis­ [...]ad their Posterity from what themselves con­ [...]eit to be true, they should do the most Extream [...]arm imaginable to others, without any the [...]east Good to themselves; which is perhaps im­ [...]ossible in one single man, more in a few, but [...]nfinitly in a multitude, especially of good men [Page 90] Moreover, Christ's Law being the Law of Ch [...] ­rity, which includes Love of our Neighbou [...] 'tis directly opposit to the Principles of Christi [...] ­nity to do them an injury of so high a nature [...] to debar them Heaven and send them to Hel [...] and all this gratis.

11. Again, the greater the Recommends any Truth is, the greater is the obligation not bely our selves and it. Let us weigh then [...] Recommends which Christian doctrin receive from Forefathers had; either as to its serious [...] port, that it be faithfully transmitted to other [...] or the Universality, conceited wisdom, goo [...] ­ness, &c. of the Recommenders; and then [...] lance it with the Recommendation of any nat [...] ­ral or civil Truth whatsoever, and we shall [...] it levitate like an inconsiderable feather or [...] in comparison of the vast poize and weig [...] sway with which the other descended.

12. Nothing is by Nature more deeply [...] more universally rooted in the hearts of manki [...] than a dear and tender love of their off-sprin [...] and a careful provision for their passing their [...] well, that is free from miseries, with a com [...] ­tency of such Goods as are held fitting for th [...] Nature. But how much more care must Cha [...]ty oblige Parents to have of their Children, [...] to use the means they conceive proper to bri [...] them Everlasting and Infinit Bliss in Heave [...] and to avoid them Intolerable and Endless Mis [...] ­ries in Hell? Especially, since the performing [Page 91] [...]evaricating from that Duty is of equal concern [...] Themselves? How strange an advantage [...]peradds Christianity in this particular to the [...]earest natural love of our selves, or of our near­ [...]t Relations who are next our selves!

13. Consider we next the Natural care of not [...]sing one's Credit, and we shall find in com­ [...]on that, the good Opinion of others we call [...]redit or Repute is look't upon as a most necessa­ [...] means to make men fit for human Society or [...]ommerce, and without which none can expect [...] thrive in his Vocation or live with comfort. [...]eflecting next on the degrees of Discredit, we [...]nd that he who tells a lye for his own ad­ [...]antage though without any harm to others, with [...]uch ado escapes some disrepute; but if his [...]yes be pernicious, he is held an arrant villain; [...]f to nearest Friends and Relations, still greater: [...]f the mischiefs he does by his salse words or [...]ealings be exceeding great ones, he is yet more [...]bominable, and proportionally still as the harms, [...]e induces, grow. If the motives he had to keep [...]im good were very strong and efficacious, he [...]s still more enormous; and, as the strength of [...]hose preservative motives encrease so is his Ma­ [...]ice still enhanc't. But, if he go about all this wickedness boldly and confidently without ca­ [...]ing who knows it, especially if he back his most notorious and most pernicious Lye with deepest Oaths and Perjuries by things most Sacred, he is now conceiv'd to be arriv'd at such a pitch of [Page 92] wickedness, that he is no longer to be held a Man, but a Divel Incarnate. But, how in­comparably more wicked and consequently disgraceful must that man be, who believ­ing Christ's doctrin to be thus received and the means to salvation, should teach his Chil­dren otherwise! The believed mischiefs he does his nearest relations, no less than the loss of Heaven and the sad Gain of Hell-fire for all E­ternity; the motives he had not to do it, as to his own concerns, full as Infinit; his lye most Notorious to all about him, and even the whole World. And, if he be a Pastor, who (besides other Sacraments implying most obliging vows not to renounce his Faith) is consecrated by a par­ticular one to preach Christ's doctrin truly and to preserve his Flock sound in Faith to his power, then to prevaricate from this Duty renders him a sacrilegious abuser of the most holy state of life, and most inviolable tye this world, as Sanctify'd by our Saviour, has in it. What inconcieva­ble villany then and consequently discredit must that man seeingly undergo, who shall misteach his own Fancies for doctrins deliver'd; and how impossible is it a World of Forefathers should all conspire to make so desperate and absolute a forfeit of their reputation and honesty! 'Tis not possible to be summ'd up or even ghest at, be­ing beyond all proportion. The Advantage then with which Christian Doctrin in the mind of each, and the Holy Ghost in the hearts [Page 93] of most of the Faithful, rivet and confirm this natural care of Credit to the preserving Tradi­tion inviolable, is incomparable and in a man­ner Infinit.

14. It would require a large volum, to unfold particularly how each virtue contributes to show the inerrable Indeficiency of Tradition, and how the Principles of almost each Science are con­cern'd in demonstrating its Certainty: Arith­metick lends her Numbring and Multiplying Fa­culty to scan the vast number of Testifiers; Geo­metry her Proportions to show a kind of Infinit Strength of Certitude in Christian Tradition a­bove those Attestations which breed Certainty in Human affairs; Logick her skill to frame and make us see the Connexions it has with the Prin­ciples of our Understanding; Nature her Laws of Motion and Action; Morality, her first Prin­ciple that nothing is done gratis by a Cognosci­tive Nature, and that the Body of Traditionary Doctrin is most conformable to Practical Reason: Historical Prudence clears the Impossibility of an undiscernible revolt from points to descended & held so Sacred; Politicks show this to be the best way imaginable to convey down such a Law as it concerns every man to be skilful in: Metaphysicks engage the Essences of Things, and the very no­tion of Being which fixes every Truth; so esta­blishing the scientifical Knowledges which spring from each particular nature by their first Causes or Reasons exempt from change or motion: Di­vinity [Page 94] demonstrates it most worthy God and most conducive to bring Mankind to Bliss. Last­ly, Controversy evidences the total Uncertainty of any thing concerning Faith if this can be un­certain, and makes use of all the rest to establish the Certainty of this first Principle; and, which settled, secures Scripture as far as is requisit, and all things else that can mainly concern Salvation. To pursue these and many other Testimonies of Tradition's Infallibleness is not my task at pre­sent: I shall content my self with concluding, that, as we have prov'd it self-evident that Tra­dition if ever held to is an inerrable Rule, so our four last Discourses have shown its ever-In­deficiency or rather Indefectibleness, scientifi­cally Evident; and as strong as Nature and Grace strain'd (as we may say) to their utmost can make it.