to trouble myself about that which will fall of itself, but because he had no reason to trust that foundation, for all his confidence he is glad to build his Fifth Way on the "Protestants' voluntary concession; for they, granting they have no demonstration for the ground of their faith, must say they have only probability." But I pray, who told J. S. that we grant we have no demonstration for the ground of our faith? Did ever any protestant say, that there is no moral demonstration of his faith? or that it cannot be proved so certain, so infallible, that "the gates of hell shall never prevail against it?" If J. S. will descend so low as to look upon the book of a Protestant, besides many better, he may find in my Cases of Conscience a demonstration of Christian religion"; and although it consists of probabilities, yet so many, so unquestioned, so confessed, so reasonable, so uncontradicted, pass into an argument of as much certainty, as human nature without a miracle is capable of; as many sands, heaped together, make a bank strong enough to resist the impetuosity of the raging sea. But I have already shown, upon what certainties our faith relies; and if we had nothing but high probabilities, it must needs be as good as their prudential motives; and, therefore, I shall not repeat any thing, but pass on, to consider what it is he says of our high probabilities, if they were no more: "If there be probabilities on both sides, then the greatest must carry it;"—so he roundly professes; never considering that the latter casuists of his church, I mean those who wrote since Angelus, Silvester, Cordubensis, and Cajetan, do expressly teach the contrary, viz., that of two probabilities, the less may be chosen; and that this is the common and more received opinion. But since J. S. is in the right, let them and he agree it, as we do, if they please. I hope he relates this only to the questions between us, and Rome, and not to the Christian faith; well, but if the matter be only between us, I am well enough content, and the greater probability, that is, the better argument shall carry it; and I will not be asking any more odd questions, as why J. S. having so clearly demonstrated his religion, by grounds firm as the land of Delos, or Old Brasil, he should now be content to argue

■ Book i.

his cause at the bar of probability? Well; but let us see what he says for his party: "That there is no probability for our side (says J. S.), is very hard to be said; since the whole world sees plainly we still maintain the field against them, nay dare pretend without fearing an absolute baffle, which must needs follow (had we not at least probabilities to befriend us), that our grounds are evidently and demonstrably certain." Here J. S. seems to be afraid again of his probabilities, that he still runs to covert under his broad shield of demonstration: but his 'postulatum' here is indeed very modest: he seems to desire us to allow that there are some probable things to be said for his side, and indeed he were very hard-hearted that should say, there are none at all; some probabilities we shall allow, but no grounds evidently and demonstratively certain good sir, and yet let me tell you this, there are some of your propositions, for which there is no probable reason or fair pretence in the world: nothing that can handsomely or ingeniously deceive a man: such as is your half-communion, worship of images, prayers not understood, and some others. And, therefore, you may be ashamed to say, you still maintain the field against us; for if you do not, why do you say you do? But if you still maintain the field, you may be more ashamed, for why will you stand in a falsehood, and then call yourselves equal combatants, if not conquerors? But you may, if you please, look after victory; I am only in the pursuit of truth.

But to return; it seems he knows my mind for this, and in my liberty of prophesying, "my own words will, beyond all confute, evince it, that they have probabilities, and those strong ones too." But now (in my conscience) this was unkindly done, that when I had spoken for them what I could, and more than I knew that they had ever said for themselves, and yet to save them harmless from the iron hands of a tyrant and unreasonable power, to keep them from being persecuted for their errors and opinions, that they should take the arms I had lent them for their defence, and throw them at my head. But the best of it is, though J. S. be unthankful, yet the weapons themselves are but wooden daggers, intended only to represent how the poor men are cozened by themselves, and that, under fair and

fraudulent pretences, even pious, well-meaning men, and men wise enough 'in other things,' may be abused: and though what I said was but tinsel and pretence, imagery and whipt cream, yet I could not be blamed to use no better than the best their cause would bear; yet, if that be the best they have to say for themselves, their probabilities will be soon outbalanced by one Scripture testimony, urged by Protestants; and 'Thou shalt not worship any graven images,' will outweigh all the best and fairest imaginations of their church. But since from me they borrow their light armour, which is not pistol-proof,—from me, if they please, they may borrow a remedy to undeceive them, and that in the same kind and way of arguing. If J. S. please to read a letter or two of mine to a gentlewoman, not long before abused in her religion by some Roman emissaries, there he shall see so very much said against the Roman way, and that in instances evident and notorious, that J. S. may, if he please, (he hath my leave) put them in balance against one another, and try which will preponderate. They are printed now in one volume, and they are the easier compared. But then J. S. might, if he had pleased, have considered, that I did not intend to make that harangue, to represent, that the Roman religion had probabilities of being true, but probabilities that the religion might be tolerated, or might be endured, that is, as I there expressed it, whether the doctrines be commenced upon design, and managed with impiety, and have effects not to be endured; and, concerning these things, I amassed a heap of considerations, by which it might appear probable, that they were not so bad as to be intolerable; and if I was deceived, it was but a well-meant error, hereafter they shall speak for themselves; only for their comfort, this they might have also observed in that book, that there is not half so much excuse for the papists, as there is for the anabaptists; and yet it was but an excuse at the best, as appears in those full answers I have given to all their arguments, in the last edition of that book, amongst the polemical discourses in folio.

• Collection of Polemical and Moral Discourses. VOL. X.

X

I shall need to say no more for the spoiling this mine; for J. S. hath not so much as pretended, that the probabilities, urged for them, can outweigh or come to equal what is said against them; and I humbly suppose, that the difficulties will be increased by the following book.

The Sixth and Seventh Ways.

THE Sixth mine is most likely at the worst to prove but a squib. J. S. says, 'I should have made a preface, and beforehand have proved that all the arguments I used, were unanswerable, and convictive;' which indeed were a pretty way of making books; to make a preface to make good my book, and then my book cannot, but in thankfulness, make good the preface; which, indeed, is something like the way of the Scriptures. But he adds, that I was bound to say, "That they were never pretended to be answered, or could not, or that the protestants had the last word." But on the contrary I acknowledge, that "the evidences on both sides have been so often produced, that it will seem almost impossible to bring in new matter, or to prevail with the old." This is the great charge, the sum of which is truly this. I have spoken modestly of my own undertaking, and yet I had so great reason to deplore the obstinacy of the Roman priests, their pertinacity, and incorrigible resolution of seeming to say something, when they can say nothing to the purpose, that I had cause to fear, the event would not be so successful as the merit of our cause, and the energy of the arguments might promise. I confess I did not run as J. S. does, and talk high of demonstrations, and unmistakable grounds, and scientifical principles, and metaphysical nothings; but, according as my undertaking required, I proceeded upon principles agreed on both sides. If Scripture and fathers, councils and reasons, the analogy of faith, and the doctrines of the primitive church (from which I proved, and shall yet more clearly prove, the church of Rome hath greatly revolted) will not prevail, I have done; I shall only commit the cause to God, and the judgment of wise and good men, and so sit down in the peace of my own persuasions, and

in a good conscience, that I have done my endeavour to secure our own people from the temptation, and to 'snatch' others as brands from the fire!

Only I wish here, I had found a little more worthiness in J. S., than to make me speaking that I have brought nothing but common objections, or nothing new: I suppose they that are learned, know this to be a calumny; and by experience they and I find, that whether the objections be new or old, it is easier to rail at them all, than answer any. To this, as it is not needful to say any more, so there cannot any thing else well be said, unless I should be vain, like the man whom I now reprove, and go about to commend myself, which is a practice I have neither reason nor custom for.

But the Seventh Way is yet worse. For it is nothing but a direct declamation against my book, and the quotations of it, and having made a ridiculous engine of corollaries in his 'Sure Footing' against the quotations in Dr. P.'s sermon, without meaning my book, for that came out a pretty while after; he does like the twopenny almanack makers, though he calculated it for the meridian of the court sermon (as he calls it), yet, without any sensible error, it may serve for Ireland: it may be, J. S. had an oral tradition, for this way of proceeding, especially having followed so authentic a president for it, as the author of the two sermons called the primitive rule before the reformation,' who goes upon the same infallible and thrifty way, saying, "These two tracts, as they are named sermons, are an answer to Dr. Pierce; but as they may better be styled two common places, so they are a direct answer to Dr. Taylor." So that here are two things which are sermons and no sermons, as you please, not sermons, but common places; and yet they are not altogether common places, but they, in some sense, are sermons; unless 'sermon,' and common place' happen to be all one; but how the same thing should be an answer to Dr. P., as he gives them one name, and by giving them another name, to the same purpose should be a direct answer to me, who speak of other matters, and by other arguments, and to other purposes, and in another manner, I do not yet understand. But I suppose it be meant as in J. S.'s way, and that it relies upon this