Is Ignorance always invincible, when a Man follows his Confcience, and acts without Remorfe? p. 89 If the Catholick Church did not think all Perfons damn'd, who refufe to die in her Faith and Com- munion; why does not fhe give them ChriftianBu- The CATHOLICK COMMUNION is the Commu- nion of thofe, who are known by the Name of CA- THOLICKS,and who have had this name in all Ages. Can the Catholick Church be in feparate Com- Is not the univerfal Church in one Communion a Is the Catholick Church upon Earth always in Being, from her firft Foundation and Enlargement Is the Faith and Language of the Catholick Are Proteftants the whole Catholick Church? Were the Vaudois, or poor Men of Lyons, the whole Catholick Church? Or, were they in Communion with it, fince their Separation from Rome? p. 207 Did the Bifhops of Rome, before Boniface the 3d. Is not the Church of Rome, the great Whore in the Apocalypfe, Ch. xvii. v. 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 18? p. 252 Does not the Scripture foretell a great and gene- ral Apoftacy, 2 Theff. ii. v. 3? And that, when the thousand Years are expir'd, Satan fhall be loofed out of his Prifon, and fhall go out to deceive the Nations, which are in the four Quarters of the Earth, Apoc. xx. v. 7, &c ? Does not the Spirit fay exprefly, that in the latter times fome fhall depart from the Faith, giving ear to seducing Spi- rits, and to the Doctrines of Devils, forbidding to marry, ୪୪ Charity and Truth; OR, Catholicks not Uncharitable in faying, That, none are Sav'd out of the Catholick Communion, &c. First CHAPTER. It is a general Rule of Catholick Faith, that there is no Salvation out of the CATHOLICK COMMUNION. I T HERE is a Difference, ftrictly speaking, betwixt general and univerfal Rules. General Rules, how true foever, may have Exceptions. But thofe Rules only are strictly faid to be Univerfal, which have no Exception at all. It may therefore be generally True, tho' not Univerfally and without Exception, that none are Sav'd out of the Catholick Communion. II. This Difference will appear by the following Instances. B First, Chap. 1. First, 'Tis true univerfally, that is, without Exception, that all are Sav'd, who die in the Fear, and Love of God above all things. Tho' Mr. Chillingworth, in the Dedication of his Book to King Charles I. (if I understand him right) would have his Majefty to believe, that, in our Opinion, this is neither universally true, nor true at all. For this, fays he, is THEIR OWN HORRID ASSERTION, that a God of Goodness fhould damn, to eternal Torments, THOSE THAT LOVE HIM, AND LOVE TRUTH, for Errors which they fall into through human Frailty. But was it not an Overfight, in fo vigilant a Writer as Mr. Chillingworth, to make fuch an early Discovery of Infincerity, that he could not furnish out a fhort Dedication of two whole Leaves, without it? 2dly, 'Tis also univerfally true, and without Exception, that none have the Fear and Love of God above all things, who either obftinately or by a criminal Neglect, refuse to comply with a great and neceffary Duty of Christianity, as to (1) love our Enemies, to (2) believe the Gospel when duly propos'd, to (3) be Baptiz'd, to (4) be a Member of the Catholick Church. 3dly, It is, generally true, but not without Exception, that none are fav'd without Baptifm. This, I fay, is a general, not an univerfal Rule. For first we muft except the (5) Martyrs, who had not an opportunity of being Chriften'd. Secondly, we muft except the (6) Catechumens and others, who, having a true Love (1) S. Matth. v. v. 44. (2) S. Mark xvi. v. 16. (3) Love of God above all things, and a defire Chap. 1. of Baptism, died before that Sacrament could be administer'd to them. Thirdly, we must except those true Lovers of God, who, by an innocent and involuntary Mistake, think they were Christen'd in their Infancy, tho' indeed they were not. For these may be Sav'd, without ever receiving Baptifm in Effect. Lastly, thofe may also probably be excepted, who have an invincible Ignorance, that Christians are commanded to be Baptiz'd, 4thly, It is a general, not an univerfal Rule without any Exception, that none are Sav'd out of the Catholick Communion. For, as in Baptifm, fo we may bere except two Cafes. The first is that of an inevitable and involuntary Neceffity. As if a Person, who Loves God above all things, defires to be Baptiz'd, or to be receiv'd into the Catholick Communion, but dies before a Priest can be call'd. The fecond is probably that of an involuntary and invincible Ignorance. As if a Perfon, who is out of the Catholick Communion, be ignorant (without any Fault of his) of the true Church, and of the true Religion. And here too Mr. Chillingworth, in his Dedication to the King, is not altogether fo fincere, as might be expected from a Writer of Controverfies concerning Religion. For if I understand him right, he would have his Majefty to think, that a Point of Doctrine and its Explication, a general Rule and its Exception, are Contradicti ons. For the most part, fays he, they Speak no→ thing, but Thunder and Lightning to us, and Damn us ALL WITHOUT MERCY OR EXCEPTION: Yet fometimes, to ferve other purposes, they can B 2 be |