III. PART man understand how dim-fighted reafon fhould fee clearly to choose its guide any more than its way, especially if it be confidered what a pretty contradiction it is, to fay that reafon, as it is dim-fighted, can fee clearly. * Append. c.6. fect. 8. fect.8." +Ibid. fect. 9. * Ibid. fect. 11. But Mr. Creffy is not contented to call every man's reafon dim-fighted, he ventures a step farther, and calls it hoodwink'd and blind: for he tells us, that private reafon is apparently a most fallible guide;" and he pities + my lord Falkland's cafe, because in the fearch of the true religion he did "betake himself to the cafual conduct of blind, hu(6 mane, natural reason," which afterwards he calls a guide that two perfons cannot poffibly fol"low together, because no two persons (that ever "followed any other guide befide authority) did 66 or could think all things to be reasonable that all others thought fo; and by confequence fuch a guide that as long as he continues in that office, "there cannot poffibly be any church any where : "which (fays he) is an infallible eviction that this is an imaginary feducing guide, fince it is im"poffible that that should be a guide appointed, "for any chriftian, which neither CHRIST nor his "apoftles, nor any of their followers ever men tioned, yea, which formally deftroys one of our "twelve articles of the apoftles creed, viz. I be"lieve the holy catholick church." Thus he does by reafon clearly and infallibly evince, that reafon cannot be otherwife 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 reafon has a blind fide, and is uncertain in fome things, I. things, therefore we ought to conclude her univer- SECT. fally blind and uncertain in every thing; and as if because 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 use of our private reason in the finding out of our rule, is clear from what he fays in the next fection, viz. "that this hoodwink'd guide (enquiring into ❝ scripture, and searching after tradition) may pof"fibly stumble upon the way to unity and truth, that is, the true catholick church." If this be true, why does Mr. S. pretend that he can by reafon demonftrate the infallibility of tradition, and by this hoodwink'd 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 reafon, whereby to find out whether scripture or tradition be the rule) to tell him that by the help of this hoodwink'd guide hẹ might poffibly stumble upon the right? In A man may juftly ftand amazed at the incon- 8. Ibid. PART fibility of stumbling upon it; but if he be a heretick III. that makes use of private reason for his guide, then * Append. " it is impoffible but that he with his blind guide c. 7. iect. fhall fall into the pit." I cannot, for my part, imagine how they can reconcile the blindness of huImane reason with all that noife which they make about science and demonftration; but this I must confefs, that these 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 humane reason. And indeed there is one paffage in Mr. Creffy, which gives me very great fatisfaction concerning these matters, where he tells us, that "the wit and judgment of catholicks is to re"nounce their own judgment, 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 acknowledgment, that when he forfook our church and turned papift, he laid afide his judgment and wit; which is just fuch an heroick act of judgment, as if a man, in a bravery to fhew his liberty, would fell himself for a slave. I am glad to understand from an experienced perfon, what charges a man must be at when he turns roman catholick, namely, that whoever will embrace that religion must forfeit his reason. § 3. Secondly, the way of demonftration is (according to Mr. S.) no certain way to find out the P. 353, rule of faith. In his 4th appendix against my lord of Down, 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 & 254. I. he takes in diffuading cannot be held in reafon SECT. "to have power to diffuade, unless it be proper "to that effect, that is, not common to that ef"fect and a contrary one. Now, that being most 66 evidently no method or way to fuch an effect "which many follow and take, yet arrive not at "that effect; 'tis plain to common fenfe, that my "lord of Down mifcalls his book a diffuafive, and "that it can have in it no power of moving the "understanding one way or other, unless he can "firft vouch some particularity in the method he "takes, above what's in others in which we expe"rience miscarriage, &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 follow and take, yet arrive not at "that effect; fo that 'tis plain to common sense "that Mr. S's demonftrations can have in them "no power of moving the understanding one way "or other, unless he can vouch fome particularity "in the demonftrations he pretends to bring, above "what is in other pretended demonstrations in "which we experience miscarriage." Do not Thomas and Scotus (as Mr. White tells us *) all along * Exetafis,' pretend to demonftrate? and yet it is generally be- P. 24. lieved that (at least where they contradict one another) one of them failed in his demonstrations. Did not Mr. Charles Thynne pretend to have demonstrated that a man at one jump might leap from London to Rome? and yet I do not think any one was ever fatisfy'd with his demonftrations. And Mr. S. knows one in the world (whom I III. PART I will not name, because he hath fince ingenuously acknowledged his error) who thought he had demonftrated 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 demonftrations can be allowed to fignify any thing, he must (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 search 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 demonstrations; and in this particular, I must acknowledge that he clearly excels all that have gone before him: In all other things, his way of demonftration is but like his neighbours. SECT. |
