AN ANSWER TO ONE QUESTION. WHEREUPON DEPENDETH The Resolution of all CONTROVERSIES, Doubts, and Questions, which are, or can be made about matters of FAITH Wherefore it is to be diligently, & carefully read, and duly pondered, after prayer made to God for the light of his grace, without which it cannot be rightly understood in such sort as is fit. Permissu Superiorum. Printed at DOUAI. MCDXXVIII. THE QUESTION. WHether is it necessary, that there should be in all ages since Christ, a Visible Christian Church, having in it lawfully sent visible Pastors, and Doctors, teaching with Infallible Authority One and the same Infallible, sincere, and entire Faith of Christ, necessary to salvation; without admixtion of any error, proposed as divine Truth, (by addition, or detraction, or misinterpretation) contrary to the Doctrine first delivered by our Saviour and his Apostles, & which Church hath been such? THE ANSWER. It is necessary that one such Church be: and the Roman Catholic Church only is such. For Declaration of the truth of this my Answer: IT Is to be noted 1. That although Almighty God, by his omnipotent power could, by extraordinary means, breed infallible, supernatural, Divine, soule-saving Faith in men, without using the help of any visible Doctors, Pastors, or any other living creature. Yet if we speak, as we ought, according to the ordinary law, & course of God's providence, manifested in the Holy Scriptures, and confirmed by Histories, and daily experience; It is necessary, that there should be in all ages, some or other Visible Doctors and Pastors, or lawfully sent Preachers, authorised by Almighty God, and assisted by the Holy Spirit of Truth, promised for ever to be in the said Church, to teach it all Truth: For otherwise people of each age could not be sufficiently instructed, nor confirmed in Infallible certainty, and unity requisite in soule-saving Christian Faith: nor preserved from wavering in uncertainty, or wandering in errors, contrary to that One, Infallible, entire, and sincere Faith of Christ, which is necessary to salvation. Note 2. That the Necessity of Doctors, and Pastors in the Church, is not only generally acknowledged by ancient Fathers, and all other learned Catholics of this age; but is also confessed by the Learneder sort of Protestants. Only Protestants deny, these Doctors, and Pastors, of whatsoever age after the Apostles, to have Infallible Authority, although teaching with unanimous consent, or with full Authority of a lawfully called, continued, and confirmed General Counsel; unless it be in points Fundamental, or so farforth as they prove out of Scripture. But Catholics hold the Authority of the Church to be Infallible, in whatsoever point of Faith. This therefore being the chief point in Question. I will prove, that there is Infallible Authority in the lawfully sent Doctors. Pastors, and Preachers of the Visible Church of Christ, so farforth as in any age after Christ they teach, and propose to people doctrine to be believed by divine Faith, with unanimous consent, or with there full Authority in any lawfully called, continued, and confirmed General Council, whatsoever the point of Faith be, Fundamental, or not Fundamental, proved out of Scripture, or not so proved. This I prove first by plain texts of holy Scriptures. My spirit which is in thee, Isa. 59.21. and my word, which I have put in thy mouth, shall not departed out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of the seed of thy seed, from benceforth for ever. I will ask my Father, joan. 14.16 and he will give you another Paraclete, that he may remain with you for ever, the spirit of Truth. When the spirit of Truth shall Come, joan. 16.13 he shall teach you all Truth. Going teach all nations &c. taching them to observe all things whatsoever I have Commanded you; Matth. 28 19.20. and behold I am with you, all days unto the end of the world. Preach the Gospel to every creature and he that will not believe shall be condemned. Mare. 16.16. He that will not hear the, Math. 18 17. Church let him be to the a Heathen and Publican. Upon the Chair of Moses' Scribes, Math. 23.2 3. and Pharises have sitten: all things therefore whatsoever they shall say to you, Observe ye and do. He that heareth you, Luc. 10.16 heareth me he that despiseth you, despiseth me. Obey your Prelates and be subject to them for they Watch, Heb. 13.17. as being to render account for your Souls. The lips of the Priest shall keep Knowledge, Malach. 2.7. and they shall require the Law out of his Mouth, because he is the Angel (or Messenger) of the Lord of Hosts. He that shallbe proud refusing to obey the Commandment of the Priest, Deterom. 17. who at that time doth minister unto the Lord, by decree of the judge, that man shall dye. How shall they believe, Rom. 10.14.15. whom they have not heard? How shall they hear without a Preacher? How shall they preach, unless they besent. He hath given some Apostles, Ephes. 4. Some Prophets, and Evangelists, others Pastors, and Doctors etc. that we be not now little ones wavering, and Carried about with enery wind of Doctrine. The Church of the Living God is the Pillar and Ground of Truth. 1. Tim. 3.15. Out of which texts I frame this argument. THose to whom Almighty God hath promised the spirit of Truth, to teach them all Truth: and in whose mouth he hath placed his word, (and this not for one, or two, or more of the first ages after Christ, but for ever, & all days, until the end of the world) making them his Legates, and Messengers over the whole world, and out of whose mouth people are to require his Law, in whom they are commanded to hear, believe, and obey, in whatsoever they teach, as if Christ jesus himself did teach, and this under pain of Death, and eternal Damnation, and of being accounted as Heathens, and Publicans. Those (I say) to whom such Promises are made, and such Authority is given by almighty God, without any Limitation, or restictive Condition, must needs be thought to have fare more Authority than any others, to whom no such Promise was made, nor Authority given, yea they must needs be thought to have Infallible Authority, and to be a firm Pillar, and Ground of Truth, as S. Paul styleth the Church: so as they never did, nor shall be permitted, to teach any errors by Addition, Detraction, or Misinterpretation of God's Word, at least with unanimous Consent, and when (by a Visum est Spiritui Sancto et nobis, or some such like sign of using their full Authority) they express themselues to teach (as Gods Legates, Messengers, and lawfully sent Preachers,) not thire own Private inventions, or opinions, but the public Doctrine of God, and the Church. But to the Doctors, and Pastors of the Catholic Visible Church in all Ages these Promises were made, and this Authority was given without any Limitation, or restrictive Condition, as appeareth by the Texts . Therefore the Authority of Doctors, and Pastors of the Visible Church in all ages is Infallible, in all points with unanime consent, or by their full Authority, they teach to be divine Truth, whether the point be great, or little, Fundamental, or not Fundamental, or whether they bring proof for that they teach out of Scripture, or not. For in the afoure said text there is no such Limitation of great, or little, Fundamental, or not Fundamental points of Truth: Nor any such reflrictive Condition of proving what they teach out of Scripture. Seendly I prove the same by Sentences of ancient Fathers. First S. Irenaeus, S. Iren. l. 3. cap. 4. who lived in the next age to the Apostles, saith. We ought not to seek Truth from others, which we may easily receive from the Church; Sith the Apostles have laid up in it, as in a rich treasury, or storehouse, most fully those things which are of Truth etc. And a little after to show that this is not meant with only Limitation of Fundamental points he addeth saying: and if controversy arise even about some small questions, should we not have recourse to the most ancient Church, in which the Apostles did Converse and take from them what is certain, and clear in this question. And further, to show that it is not necessary that this Church must prove every thing she doth teach out of Scripture, he presently addeth: What if the Apostles had left us no Scripture, ought we not to have followed the Order of Tradition? 2. Tert. lib. de Praesiript. Tereullian saith: The order of things doth require, that this Question should first be propounded, to whom doth faith belong (as if he should say which is the true Church?) Whose are the Scriptures, from whom, by whom, when, and to whom, was the Discipline delivered, by which we are made Christians, for where the truth of Christian Discipline, and Faith shall appear to be, there shallbe the Truth of Scriptures, and expositions, and all Christian Traditions. By which we may learn, that although to one, who doth believe Scriptures, we may out of them prove which is the true Church, yet to proceed according to right order of things, the true ancient, & always Visible, continued Church, is to be found first; and from the true Church we must find which be true Scriptures, which true Expositions, and all true Christian Traditions. 3. S. Cyprian saith: S. Cyprian. lib. 1. c. 3. That from no other root do Heresies and Schisms springe, but from this, that men do not obey the Priest of God, neither do consider, that in the Church there is on Priest, and one judge for the time in steed of Christ. 4. S. Basill saith: S. Basil. lib. de Spiritu sancto. c. 27. The Doctrines which are in the Church now proposed and Preached, we have partly from the written Doctrine, partly from the Traditions of the Apostles, brought unto us in mystery, both which are of like force to piety. 5. S. Chrsyost. upon these words. 2. Thess. 4.14. S. Crysostome upon those words, hold the traditions etc. saith: Hence it is evedent, that the Apostles did not Deliver all in writing, but many things without writing, and that the one, and the other are a like worthy of Credit. 6. S. August. lib. contra epistolam fun damenti. cap. 5. S. Augustine attributeth so much to the Authority of the Church, that he saith: I would not believe the Gospel itself, if the Authority of the Church did not induce me. And speaking of a point which could not be proved out of Scripture, Lib. 1. contra Crescon. c. 32. or 33. he saith: The Truth of Scripture is holden by us, when we do that which pleaseth the whole Church, which the Authority of the same Scriptures doth commend, & because holy scripture cannot deceiven, whosoever is afraid to be deceived with the obscurity of this Question: Let him ask the judgement of the Church, which without all ambiguity the holy Scripture doth Demonstrate. Epist. 118. c. 1. And in his Epistle, he affirmeth: That it is most insolent madness to dispute against that which the Church doth universally practice. See Saint, Augustine de utilitate credendi cap. 10. usque adsinem libri. S. Vincentius Lirinensis in his golden treatise against he resie. c. 1. Lastly S. Vincentius Lirinensis living near to S Augustine's time first adviseth (as a Rule to Discern, and to preserve us from heresy) to join the authority of the Catholic Church, her Tradition, and Interpretation to the written Word of God, in regard the height of Scripture is such, as every man doth not take it in one, and the same sense, but so many sensual men, so many sensual senses of it may be made. And he assureth, that this Church of Christ is so diligent and wary a keeper of Doctrine, Delivered as a sacred Depositunn unto her, that nihil in his permut at, nihil minuit, nihil addit, she never changeth any thing (to wit, by misinterpretation of the sense and meaning of any point of Faith). nor diminisheth any thing (to wit, by Denying what was once held for a point of Faith.) nor addeth any thing (to wit, by affirming any thing to be a Divine Truth, which was no at first for such Delivered by Christ, & his Apostles.) And a little after he showeth, that although it may seem, that the Church in the Decrees of her Counsels may have made some addition, or change: yet indeed the addition, or change is not in substance, or in sense, but only (being excited by novel Heretics,) she setteth down in writing what from our Elders she received by only Tradition, and the better to express in words what was enfolded in ancient Belief, she sometimes giveth to an old article (not a new sense, but) a new name, as for example, the Conncell of Nice added the word Consubstansttiall, and the Lateran Council, the word Transubstantiation, with out any mutation of the Sense of the Article. 3 I prove the same Verity by these ensuing plain reasons. The first Reason. If the Authority of the Church be not Infallible, but (as the Authority of other men) only fallible, and such as may err, and hath erred, in any one point proposed as a divine Truth, by unanimous Consent, or full authority of it. It will follow, that we never have, nor can have, (according to the ordinary Course of God's providence, any Infallible certainty of any other Point of our Faith proposed by the unanimous Consent, or full Authority of the same Church. For if it can err, and hath erred in any ponit so delivered; we may justly fear, and have no assured ground to assure, that she teacheth Infallible Truth in any foe the rest. As S. Augustin saith of holy Scrirture, if we once admit any untruth to be in any one part of it, we shall thereby take away all infallible authority, and credit from it in all the rest. But if we neither have, nor can have Infallible certainty of any point proposed, as divine Truth by unanimous consent, or full authority of the Church, we can have no Divine faith at all: Rom. 10. Eph. 4. for sith as S. Paul signifieth; Divine Faith cometh by heraing the Word of Christ; preached by those only, who are lawfully sent (as are those Doctors and Pastors lineally desceding from Christ, and his Apostles, which by Christ his appointment must be always in the Church (If we can not have Infallible assurance, by hearing these Doctors, and Pastovis in any point they teach, we can have no Divine Faith at all; for this requireth Infallible assurance. Therefore, If the Authority of the Church or the Doctors or, Pastors thereof be not Infallible in proposing, and teaching Divine Truth in whatsoever, even in the least point, we can have no Infallible assurance in any other point of Divine Truth, nor any Divine Faith in whatsoever point although most necessary to salvation. The 2. reason. IF we that live now, had never hard of Christ, or his Apostles, or their Preaching, or writing Devinely revailed Truths, necessary to Salvation: or had only heard of them one, or more, but such as wear commonly, known to tell nothing but fictions, and lies; we could not at least according to the ordinary course of divine Providence believe these necessary points at all; yea although we had heard of these, by some one, or more honest men, who sometimes speak true, sometimes false, the most we could do were to assent unto these things, by a probable, yet weak, and fallible opinion, or humane faith. Therefore to assent unto these things, by an absolute, sure and Infallible judgement of Divine Supernatural faith; It is needful, that these Doctors and Pastors of the Church, by whose teaching we are by the ordinary course of God's Providence to learn them by men, not only sent, but also Infallibly assisted by God, and that partly with natural, or at least with Supernatural gifts, this their Authority may Sufficiently be made known to be such, as may justly move men to a supernatural, Divine, and Infallible belief. For although. these things be (as they are in all the foresaid cases) in themselves infallible, & Divine Truths; yet they do not breed in us Infallible, supernatural, and Divine belief, until they be applied to our understanding, by a means having in it a due Proportion of Divine, supernatural, and Infallible Authority. Sith therefore This ordinary means, which by God's appointment, is to apply these Truths to our understanding; is no other, besides the teaching of the Doctors, and Pastors of the true, continually Visible, Catholic Church. It must be granted, that they have an Infallible, Supernatural, and Participative Divine Authority in their teaching, so long as they teach with unanimous consent, and conformable to that, which is Authorized Doctrine of the Church. The Third Reason. IF there be not Infallible Authority in the Pastors of the Church, in Proposing divine Truths, by unanimous Consent or by there full Authority: it is (at least morally) Impossible, that Unity of Faith so much commended, 1. Cor. 1.10. ●phes. 4.3.45. ●●●llpi. 2.2. Gel. 5.20. and required so much to be amongst Christians, should be preserved, or that Heresies, & Schisms, so much fpoken against, both by Scriptures, & Ancient Fathers, could be prevented, or taken away. For sith words, of Scriptures, do not express all matters pertaining to Faith, (as namely) which Books be Canonical Scripture, which Apocryphal, which in doubtful, and not evident causes, is true, and Infallible translation, and which is the Infallible sense of the words of the holy text, and which taxts those be, which contain points of doctrine Fundamental, or necessary for all sorts to know, & Believe expressly.) Sith also about seeming plain words of Scripture even containing points necessary to be known, and believed expresely, there have been, and daily do, or may arise questions, or Coutroversies even amongst learned men, about the sense; Some holding it necessary to salvation to take the words in this, others in a contrary sense. If there be not an Infallible Authority in the Church to instruct men Infallibly in the right sense, and to decide controversies arising about the sense; How it is possible that men should submit these there different opinions to some other man's judgement in matters of such moment, as is eternal Salvation, or Damnation, when each man is, by nature apt to apprehend, that to be truest, which seemeth so to his own wit and understanding, and that to be securest, which being suitable to his own apprehension, seemeth to be confirmed by (to-him-seeming-plaine) words of divine Scripture, as every sensual sect master apprehendeth his opnion to be confirmed by some or otheir (to-him-seeming-plaine) words of divine Scripture. Other Reasons might be added: But by these it is plain enough, that the Authority of the perpetual Visible Church, is not only such, as is of other private men, who do not Ordinarily err in points of Faith, Fundamental, and necessary to be known of all sorts, or in such points which they can evidently prove out of Sripture: but that it is obsolutly Infallible, and never did, doth, or shall err, at least with unanimous consent, or when it teacheth by her full Authority, in whatsoever point Fundamental, or not Fundamental, proved, or not proved by Scripture. Which being so: you may plainly see, supposing there cannot (as there cannot) be assigned any other True Visible Church, in all Ages since Christ, different from the Roman, which can, & doth show it self to have been (✚) See 〈…〉 … bula 〈…〉 al●o S. 〈…〉 Cata … in the Appendix to th● Antidote. Visible, and teaching without change the Faith of Christ in all Ages. You may see (I say) First how safely you may rely upon the Authority of the Roman Church, and no other in whatsoever point, pertaining to Christian Faith, and Religion, espcially when even best learned Protestant's do grant that (†) See Protestant's Apology Tract. 1. Sect. 6. Salvation may be had in it. 2 How unjustly Protestant's pretend cause of there separation from her, to have been that she hath changed her first faith, either by Addition, Detraction, or Misinterpretation of any point of Faith, especially necessary to salvation. Thirdly, how needful it is for those who (either for one reason, or other) remain separate from the Faith, Unity, and obedience of the Roman Church, to return with speed into the Unity of the Roman Church, as the dove into No his Ark, in regard there is no other place, whereupon they may safely rest the feet of their Faith, & Conscience, or where in they can abide with out danger of being drowned in eternal Damnation. For out of the true, infallible, all ways Visible Catholic, (which is only the Roman) Church. There is no communion of Saints, no remission of Sins, no salvation of Soul to be hoped for. And what 〈◊〉 it profit a man to gain all the wo●●● with loss, or hazard of the loss of Eternal Salvation of his Soul. I will therefore conclude with t●●… Dilemma drawn out of a discourse S. Augustine. If there be no Provider of God in human matters, than a m●● need not endeavour to be of a right Religion, nor care whether he be of this or that, or any Religion at all. But i● there be a divine Providence (as all but Atheists do confess, and these also may be convinced to believe by the greatness, multitude, beauty, variety, and order which is seen in the whole world, and by the secret instinct engraven in the hearts of all, even most barbarous people, and felt sometimes, especially in danger of death, even by Atheists themselves.) Then it is not to be doubted but that there is by divine providence ordained some on, or other certain, and Infallible Authority, upon which, as upon a sure Step we may rely for finding out that one Infallible, and entire true Faith, and Religion, in which God is Pleased to be served of men, and without which it is Impossible, that God should be pleased, or men do to him that duty, for which they were created, or attain that happy End, unto which they were ordained. But among all Authorities ordained by Almighty God for this purpose, there is none greater, and more worthy to be credited, than the Authority of the Catholic Roman Church, which even by Confession, or acknowledgement of Makind hath been esteemed to have highest Authority from the Apostolical Seat, & by succession of Bishops, while Heretics have in vain barcked round about it, & have been condemned partly by the judgement of the people, partly by the gravity of Counsels, partly by the Majesty of Miracles. To which Authority not to yield principality is huge impiety, or headlong arrogancy. Therefore it is not to be doubted, but the Authority of the Catholic Roman Church is Infallible, and that upon it, as upon a sure step we may rely, or finding out that One Infallible entire Faith, and Religion which is necessary to Salvation. FINIS.