foon as my Leifure would give me leave to write them. I promised her Ladyfhip to peruse it, and fend her my Opinion of it, which you will find in the next Letter, and in another dated January 23. As to all her Objections, but the first, for Answer to which I referred to my Apologetical Vindication, I told her, that each of them would require a particular Conference, in which I hoped, by God's Affiftance, to answer them all fairly and fully to her Satisfaction; adding, that I would allot her times for as many Conferences as The fhould appoint, at which I desired that the Gentleman, who then attended her might be present ; faying again, that by God's Bleffing I hoped fhe would receive fatisfaction; but to this fhe returned no encouraging Answer, feeming to doubt of what I hoped. The Paper fhe left with me is this, which I prefent to the World entire, with all its ftrength of Reason, force of Argument, correctnefs, and charming Sweetness of Stile, and other not common Beauties and Embellishments, which perhaps do not fhew themfelves to fo much Advantage in my Anfwer to it; wherein I was forc'd to divide it into Parts, into Periods, and now and then into Half-periods, as well as into Paragraphs, and fometimes into half Paragraphs. But here it lies whole, and open to the Reader's view, without any discontinuance or disjointments; and after he hath read it, perhaps he will be of my Opinion, that he hath read few controverfial Papers like it, unless it be the Author's Defence of it, which follows in the Lady's Letter, dated February 2. 1707.

1

That

That the Doctrines declared by the Council of Trent to be de Fide are ancient, tho' the Form of profeffing them, call'd, The Creed of Pius IV. be. New. In Answer to fome Paffages in Dr. George Hickes's Book

PART I.

E are taught by St. Jude the Apostle Ver. 3. To contend for the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints. Now I pray let me ask who were those Saints, that Body of Men to whom the Apostle affirms, the Faith was once delivered? Moft certainly it was that Body of Men fignified by the 9th Article of the Creed, The Holy Catholick Church; to these the Faith was once delivered, and for this Faith we are commanded to Contend, as necessary to Salvation. Not that every Do&trine of this Faith was ever thought neceffary to be known by every Christian; but when known, was neceffarily to be believed. Wherefore there being this material difference among the Doctrines of Faith, that fome are neceffary to be known by every Christian, and others not: The Apostles firft, and after their Example the Paftors of the Catholick Church in fucceeding Ages, gathered together Doctrines neceffary to be known by all Men into a certain Form call'd a Creed. But neither the Apostles, nor the Nicene Fathers, made it an Article of their Creed, that the whole Faith once delivered to the Saints is contained therein. For Example, Neither what a Sacrament is, nor the number of Sacraments is expreffed in thofe Creeds, and yet thefe are of the Faith once delivered to the

Saints.

Saints. So alfo the Doctrines concerning Divine Grace pertain to the Faith once delivered to the Saints, tho' the two Creeds mention'd fay nothing of them: Wherefore thefe Creeds were not compofed to contain the whole Faith, but fo much of it as is neceffary to be known by every Chriftian. But what if Errors arise, deftructive to other Doctrines of Faith, which are not expreffed in these Creeds, muft the Saints to whom the Faith was once deliver'd, or their Succeffors, facrifice Divine Doctrines to Error, and not contend for them; because they are not expreffed in thofe Creeds which we know neither do, nor ever were intended to contain the whole Faith once deliver'd to the Saints? Wherefore as Errors arife from time to zime, we are to propofe that Doctrine of Faith once delivered, which impugns the Error. Now the propofing a Doctrine once delivered to the Saints against an emerging Error, can't be faid to be the Coyning of a Doctrine, but the Ufe of that Faith once delivered. I hold it as an Article of my Faith, that no Authority on Earth can fet up new Doctrines of Faith, but it is as much an Article of my Faith, that we must contend for the whole Faith once deliver'd to the Saints; of which many Doctrines are not expreffed in the mentioned Creeds, and yet held to be of Faith by Proteftants, as that Baptifm and the Lord's-Supper are Sacraments, and neceffary to Salvation. The miftake of Proteftants, in imputing to Catholicks that they coin new Doctrines, proceeds from this, That in Cases of Debate, the Catholick Church affembled by its Representatives in a Council, decides the Difpute, by propofing the Doctrine once deliver'd to the Saints against a new Error: So that tho' the declarative Sentence of the Catholick Church be New, as the oppofite Error is New which occafion'd it; yet the Doctrine then declar'd, is that which the Fathers brought to the Council, to which

they

they come as Witnesses and Reporters from their feveral Churches, and confequently the Doctrine not New. It is evident, that Proteftants hold many Doctrines not expreffed in the mentioned Creeds, and therefore ought not to find fault with Catholicks on that score. In fine, we must contend for the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints, and in difputes about it; for Herefies will be: We must have recourfe to the Saints to whom it was deliver'd; to wit, the Holy Catholick Univerfal Church affifted by the Spirit of Truth, and with the Prefence of J. C. always to the end of the World.

None can deny but new Errors, Herefies will, or may arife in all Ages: In which Cafe what is to be done by that Authority which Chrift has eftablish'd in the Holy Catholick Church, to maintain and uphold every Doctrine of that Faith once deliver'd to the Saints? Muft not the Succeffors of the Apostles convene from all parts of the Catholick World, as in Alts 15. 6. The Apostles and Ancients affembled to confider of this Word? And these, as often as new Errors arife, declare against them, as the Apostles did Ver. 28. It hath feemed good to the Holy Ghoft, and to us. For unless this Apoftolical Authority, of declaring what is Faith be continu'd in their Succeffors, the Holy Catholick Church is left helpless against emerging Errors and Herefies. Now thefe declarations are indeed New, as the Errors are New, againft which they are made: But the import of them, or Doctrine proposed to the Church by them, is as ancient as the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints: And thefe declarations of the Ancient, are immediately register'd into the Catholick Creed, and become fo many Articles: So that as new Errors fpring, new declarations are made by Apoftolick Authority, and these new declarations are fo many new Articles; yet the Doarine imported by thefe is always attefted by

Catholick

Catholick Authority to be the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints, for which we must contend: Wherefore the talk of new Articles is but a Bugbear to frighten Men from receiving ancient Faith. The Apoftolick declaration of a Doctrine, which is the Article registred in the Catholick Creed is New, as the Error it condemns is New: But the Doctrine no other than the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints, and to be found in the Writings of the ancient Fathers.

And now to fpeak to the Challenge, p. 190. "Where was the Church and Trent Doctrine be"fore Luther? I answer, It was where it is, viz. In the Mouth and Practice of the visible Apoftolick Catholick Church of all Ages, as the Writers in every Age testify; fome mentioning this Trent Doarine, and others another. The World is fill'd with the Quotations of fuch Writers, and in pra&ice, Altars were every where erected for Chriftian Sacrifice; People in all Nations ador'd Jefus Chrift in the Sacrament, anointed the Sick, prayed for the Dead, ask'd the Prayers of glorified Saints, just as they did at Trent, if you will believe the ancient Fathers, whofe Writings are exprefs and many. An Author, p. 190. must appear rafh to his own Party, who calls God and his Angels. to witness, that the Trent Faith and Doctrine was far from the knowledg of Jefus Chrift and his Apostles: He had need to have been an Eye-Witnefs of all that Jefus Chrift and his Apostles did, and himself to have heard all they taught, to make. fo bold with God and his Angels, as to call them to witness what he affirms without being able to offer the leaft pofitive Proof; nay, one would think him frantick against himself, when he wishes all: the Anathema's of the Council of Trent to fall on his Head, if the Roman Faith have Antiquity, Uni-.

Sir H. Linde.

verfality