sense whereof is to me obscure; and the truth of many articles of faith, the manner whereof is obscure, and to human understandings incomprehensible; but then it is to be observed, that not the sense of such texts, nor the manner of these things, is that which I am bound to believe, but the truth of them. But that I should believe the truth of any thing, the truth whereof cannot be made evident with an evidence proportionable to the degree of faith required of me, this I say for any man to be bound to is unjust and unreasonable, because to do it is impossible.

8. Ad §§ 4-12. Yet though I deny that it is required of us to be certain in the highest degree, infallibly certain of the truth of the things which we believe, for this were to know, and not believe, neither is it possible, unless our evidence of it, be it natural or supernatural, were of the highest degree; yet I deny not but we ought to be and may be infallibly certain that we are to believe the religion of Christ. For first, this is most certain, that we are in all things to do according to wisdom and reason, rather than against it. Secondly, this is as certain, that wisdom and reason require that we should believe these things which are by many degrees more credible and probable than the contrary. Thirdly, this is as certain, that to every man, who considers impartially what great things may be said for the truth of Christianity, and what poor things they are which may be said against it, either for any other religion, or for none at all, it cannot but appear by many degrees more credible, that the Christian religion is

h but that we are to believe the religion of Christ, we are and may be infallibly certain.-Orf.

VOL. II.

2 G

true, than the contrary. And from all these premises, this conclusion evidently follows, that it is infallibly certain that we are firmly to believe the truth of the Christian religion.

9. Your discourse therefore touching the fourth requisite to faith, which is prudence, I admit, so far as to grant, 1, that if we were required to believe with certainty (I mean a moral certainty) things no way represented as infallible and certain, (I mean morally,) an unreasonable obedience were required of us. And so likewise were it, were we required to believe as absolutely certain that which is no way represented to us as absolutely certain. 2. That whom God obligeth to believe any thing, he will not fail to furnish their understandings with such inducements as are sufficient (if they be not negligent or perverse) to persuade them to believe. 3. That there is an abundance of arguments exceedingly credible, inducing men to believe the truth of Christianity; I say so credible, that though they cannot make us evidently see what we believe, yet they evidently convince, that in true wisdom and prudence the articles of it deserve credit, and ought to be accepted as things revealed by God. 4. That without such reasons and inducements, our choice even of the true faith is not to be commended as prudent, but to be condemned of rashness and levity.

10. But then for your making prudence not only a commendation of a believer, and a justification of his faith, but also essential to it, and part of the definition of it, in that questionless you were mistaken, and have done as if being to say what a man is, you should define him, a reasonable creature that hath skill in astronomy. For as all

astronomers are men, but all men are not astronomers, and therefore astronomy ought not to be put into the definition of man, where nothing should have place but what agrees to all men; so though all that are truly wise (that is, wise for eternity) will believe aright, yet many may believe aright which are not wise. I could wish with all my heart, as Moses did, that all the Lord's people could prophesy; that all that believe the true religion were able (according to St. Peter's injunction) to give a reason of the hope that is in them, a reason why they hope for eternal happiness by this way rather than any other; neither do I think it any great difficulty, that men of ordinary capacities, if they would give their mind to it, might quickly be enabled to do so. But should I affirm, that all true believers can do so, I suppose it would be as much against experience and modesty, as it is against truth and charity to say as you do, "that they which cannot do so, either are not at all, or to no purpose, true believers." And thus we see that the foundations you build upon are ruinous and deceitful, and so unfit to support your fabric that they destroy one another. I come now to show that your arguments to prove protestants heretics are all of the same quality with your former grounds; which I will do, by opposing clear and satisfying answers in order to them.

11. Ad § 13. To the first, then, delivered by you, sect. 13, "that protestants must be heretics, because they opposed divers truths propounded for Divine by the visible church; " I answer, It is not heresy to oppose any truth propounded by the church, but only such a truth as is an essential

part of the gospel of Christ. 2. The doctrines which protestants opposed were not truths, but plain and impious falsehoods. Neither, thirdly, were they propounded as truths by the visible church, but only by a part of it, and that a corrupted part.

12. Ad § 14. The next argument, in the next particle, tells us, "that every error against any doctrine revealed by God is damnable heresy : now either protestants or the Roman church must err against the word of God: but the Roman church we grant (perforce) doth not err damnably, neither can she, because she is the catholic church, which we (you say) confess cannot err damnably therefore protestants must err against God's word, and consequently are guilty of formal heresy." Whereunto I answer plainly, that there be in this argument almost as many falsehoods as assertions. For neither is every error against any doctrine revealed by God a damnable heresy, unless it be revealed publicly and plainly, with a command that all should believe it. 2. Dr. Potter no where grants, that the errors of the Roman church are 66 not in themselves damnable," though he hopes by accident they may not actually damn some men amongst you; and this you yourself confess in divers places of your book, where you tell us, that he "allows no hope of salvation to those amongst you whom ignorance cannot excuse."

k

3. You

beg the question twice in taking for granted, first, that "the Roman church is the truly catholic church; which without much favour can hardly pass for a part of it: and again, that the "catho

i publicly, plainly.-Oxf,

* Ch. 5. 41.

lic church cannot fall into any error of itself damnable;" for it may do so, and still be the catholic church, if it retain those truths which may be an antidote against the malignity of this error, to those that held it out of a simple unaffected ignorance. Lastly, though the thing be true, yet I might well require some proof of it from you, that either protestants or the Roman church must err against God's word. For if their contradiction be your only reason, then also you or the Dominicans must be heretics, because you contradict one another as much as protestants and papists.

13. Ad § 15. The third argument pretends, that " you have showed already, that the visible church is judge of controversies, and therefore infallible; from whence you suppose it follows, that to oppose her is to oppose God." To which I answer, that you have said only, and not showed, that "the visible church is judge of controversies." And, indeed, how can she be judge of them, if she cannot decide them? and how can she decide them, if it be a question whether she be judge of them? That which is questioned itself, cannot with any sense be pretended to be fit to decide other questions; and much less this question, Whether it have authority to judge and decide all questions? 2. If she were judge, it would not follow that she were infallible; for we have many judges in our courts of judicature, yet none infallible. Nay, you cannot with any modesty deny, that every man in the world ought to judge for himself what religion is truest; and yet you will not say that every man is infallible. 3. If the church were supposed infallible, yet it would not