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"Catholic church.” Thus he does by reafon clearly and infallibly evince, that reafon cannot be otherwise than a moft blind and fallible guide. This it is to talk of things when a man looks only upon one fide of them; as if because reason has a blind fide, and is uncertain in fome things, therefore we ought to conclude her univerfally blind, und uncertain in every thing; and as if becaufe all men cannot think all things reasonable which any one man thinks to be fo, therefore it is to be doubted, whether thofe common principles of reason be true which mankind are generally agreed in. And that Mr Creffy speaks here of the ufe of our private reafon in the finding out of our rule, is clear from what he fays in the next fection, viz. that "this hood-winked guide (inqui "ring into feripture, and fearching after tradition) may

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poffibly ftumble upon the way to unity and truth; "that is, the true Catholic Church." If this be true, why does Mr S. pretend, that he can by reason demonftrate the infallibility of tradition, and by this hoodwinked guide lead men to the true rule of faith? And what a pitiful encouragement would this be to an inquifitive philofopher, who knowing no other guide but his reason whereby to find out whether fcripture or tradition be the rule, to tell him, that, by the help of this hoodwinked guide, he might poffibly ftumble upon the right? A man may juftly stand amazed at the inconfiftency of thefe mens difcourfes and principles. In one mood they are all for demonstration, and for convincing men in the way of perfect fcience, which is the true rule of faith. But then, again, when another fit takes them, there is no fuch thing as fcience. Human reafon grows all on the fudden dim-fighted, and at the next word is ftruck stark blind; and then the very utmost that it can do towards the bringing of an unprejudiced and inquifitive perfon to the true rule of faith, is, to leave him in a poflibility of ftumbling upon it: but if he be a heretic that makes ufe of private reafon for his guide, then "it is impof"fible, but that he with his blind guide fhould fall in

to the pit," (Append. c. 7. § 8.). I cannot, for my part, imagine how they can réconcile the blindness of human reason with all that noife which they make about fcience and demonstration: but this I mult con

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fefs, that thefe kind of difcourfes which I meet with in Mr S. and Mr Creffy, are very proper arguments to perfuade a man of the blindness of human reason. And indeed there is one paffage in Mr Creffy which gives me very great fatisfaction concerning thefe matters; where he tells us, ibid. that "the wit and judgement of Ca"tholics is, to renounce their own judgement, and depofe their own wit." Now, he that profeffes to have done this, may write contradictions, and no body ought to challenge him for it. However, it is a very ingenuous acknowledgement, that, when he forfook our church, and turned Papift, he laid afide his judgement and wit; which is juft fuch an heroic act of judgement, as if a man, in a bravery, to fhew his liberty, fhould fell himfelf for a flave. I am glad to understand, from an experienced perfon, what charges a man must be at when he turns Roman Catholic, namely, that whoever will embrace that religion, must forfeit his reafon.

3. 2dly, The way of demonftration is, according to Mr S. no certain way to find out the rule of faith. In his fourth ppendix againft my Lord of Down, p. 253. 254. one of the eight mines, as he calls them, which he lays to blow up my Lord's diffuafive against Popery, is this: "That the method he takes in diffuading, cannot "be held in reafon to have power to diffuade, unless it 66 be proper to that effect; that is, not common to that "effect and a contrary one. Now, that being most evidently no method or way to fuch an effect, which many follow and take, yet arrive not at that effect, it is plain to common fenfe, that my Lord of Down mif"calls his book a diffuafive; and that it can have in it

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no power of moving the underftandiag one way or e"ther, unless he can firft vouch fome particularity in the "method he takes, above what is in others, in which we "experience mifcarriage," &c. If this be true, then his method of demonftration is no way to make men certain of what he pretends to demonftrate; because that is "moft evidently no way to an effect which many fol"low and take, yet arrive not at that effect;" fo that "it is plain to common fenfe, that Mr S.'s demonftra"tains can have in them no power of moving the understanding one way or other, unless he can vouch

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"fome

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"fome particularity in the demonftrations he pretends to bring, above what is in other pretended demonftra❝tions, in which we experience miscarriage." Do not Thomas and Scotus (as Mr White tells, Exetafts, p. 24.) all along pretend to demonftrate? and yet it is generally believed, that, at least where they contradict one another, one of them failed in his demonstrations. Did not Mr Charles Thynne pretend to have demonftrated, that a man at one jump might leap from London to Rome ? and yet I do not think any one was ever fatisfied with his demonstration. And Mr S. knows one in the world, whom I will not name, because he hath fince ingenuously acknowledged his error, who thought he had demonAtrated the quadrature of the circle; and was fo confident of it, as to venture the reputation of his demonstrations in divinity upon it; and fome of thofe divinity-demonftrations were the very fame with Mr S.'s. Since, therefore, the world hath experienced fo much miscarriage in the way of demonstration, before Mr S.'s demonstrations can be allowed to fignify any thing, he muft, according to his own law, vouch fome particularity in his way and method of demonftration above what is in other mens. He hath not any where, that I remember, told us what that particularity is, wherein his way of demonstration is above other mens : nor can I, upon the most diligent fearch, find any peculiar advantage that his way has, more than theirs above mentioned; unless this be one, that he pretends to demonftrate a felf-evident principle, and herein I think he hath plainly the advantage of Mr Charles Thynne; and unless this may be counted another advantage, that he has fo extraordinary a confidence and conceit of his own demonftrations; and in this particular, I must acknowledge, that he clearly excels all that have gone before him. In all other things his way of demonstration is but like his neighbours..

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SECT. II. Mr S.'s demonftration à priori.

Come now to examine his demonftrations of this felf-evident principle, (as he often calls it), That oral tradition is a certain and infallible way of convey

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ing Chrift's doctrine from one age to another, without any corruption or change; which is to fay, that it is impoffible but that this rule fhould always have been kept to. That this is not a felf-evident principle, needs no other evidence, than that he goes about to demonftrate it. But yet, notwithstanding this, I think he hath as much reason to call this a felf-evident principle, as to call his proofs of it demonftrations.

§ 2. In order to his demonftration à priori, he lays these four grounds, which I fhall fet down in his own words, p. 59. 60. “ 1. That Chriftian doctrine was at "first unanimoufly fettled by the Apostles, in the hearts "of the faithful, difperfed in great multitudes over fe"veral parts of the world. 2. That this doctrine was

firmly believed by all those faithful, to be the way to heaven; and the contradicting or deferting it, to be "the way to damnation : fo that the greatest hopes and "fears imaginable were, by engaging the divine autho"rity, ftrongly applied to the minds of the firft believers,

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encouraging them to the adhering to that doctrine, "and deterring them from relinquifhing it; and indeed infinitely greater than any other whatever, fpringing. "from any temporal confideration : and that this was. "in all ages the perfuafion of the faithful. 3. That hopes of good, and fears of harm, ftrongly applied, are the causes of actual will. 4. That the thing was feafible, or within their power: 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

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age to age, would continue to hold themselves, and "teach their children as themfelves had been taught, "that is, would follow and stick to tradition; as it doth, "that a caufe, put actually causing, produceth its effect." This is his demonftration, with the grounds of it.

3. To fhew the vanity and weakness of this pretended demonftration, I fhall affail. it thefe three ways; by fhewing, 1. That if the grounds of it were true, they would conclude too much, and prove that to be impoffible, which common experience evinceth, and himself muft grant to have been. 2. That his main grounds

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are apparently falfe. 3. That his demonstration is confuted by clear and undeniable instances to the contrary.

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SECT. III. The first answer to his demonftration.

•IF

1.TF the grounds of it were true, they would conclude too much, and prove that to be impoffible, which common experience evinceth, and himself muft grant to have been. For if these two principles be true, "That "the greatest hopes and fears are strongly applied to the "minds of all Christians," and, "That thofe hopes and fears, ftrongly applied, are the cause of actual will to "adhere conftantly to Chrift's doctrine," then from hence it follows, that none that entertain this doctrine can ever fall from it; becaufe falling from it is inconfiftent with an actual will of adhering conftantly to it. For fuppofing (as he doth) certain and conftant caufes of actual will to adhere to this doctrine, those who entertain it must actually will to adhere to it; because “ a caufe "put actually caufing, produceth its effect;" which is conftant adherence to it. And if this were true, thefe two things would be impoffible: 1. That any Chriftian fhould turn apoftate or heretic; 2. That any Christian fhould live wickedly; both which not only frequent and undoubted experience doth evince, but himself muft grant de facto to have been.

§2. First, It would be impoffible that any Christian fhould turn apoftate or heretic. Herefy, according to him, is nothing elfe but the renouncing of tradition. Now he tells us, p. 60. that "the first renouncers of "tradition must have been true believers, or holders of "it ere they renounced it ;" and I fuppofe there is the fame reafon for apoftates. But if all Chriftians, or true believers, (as he calls them) have these arguments of hope and fear ftrongly applied, and hope and fear strongly ap plied be the caufes of actual will to adhere to this doctrine; it is neceffary all Chriftians fhould adhere to it, and impoffible there should be either apoftates or heretics. For if thefe caufes be put in "all the faithful actually caufing," (as the grounds of his demonftration fuppofe), and "indefectibleness be the proper and neceffary effect of thefe caufes," as he also faith, p. 75. then it

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