Do good to all, especially the Houshold of Faith.
2. That the Right of an Orthodox Conscience is founded on a general Law of God. Instances of this.
3. That the general Law in which the Right of an Orthodox Conscience is founded, regards only declar’d Truths.
<xvi> 4th Reason, from the condition of Creatures to whom God manifests his Laws.
Observations on what may be objected from the Sin of Adam.
Impossible to distinguish what is really Truth when we believe it, from what is really not so when we believe it is.
Reflection on the Difficultys propos’d by the Church of Rome against Examination.
These Principles don’t exclude the Operations of Grace, nor suppose the Salvation of more Souls than other Hypotheses.
Whether all Error arises from Corruption of Heart.
Man is form’d to distinguish by Sensation what is hurtful ’or useful to Life.
5th Reason: The contrary Opinion reduces Man to the most stupid Pyrrhonism.
Remedy of this, by supposing an Expedient for the Soul like that which God has given for the Sustenance of the Body.
6th Reason: The contrary Opinion makes the Choice of Christianity impossible to Heathens,
7th Reason, drawn from Examples of innocent Error.
A Thought upon invincible Ignorance.
This Doctrine destroys not the use of the Scripture.
The Scripture may equally preserve its Honor and Authority in opposite Sects.
Chapter XI. The Result from what has bin prov’d in the two foregoing Chapters; and a Confutation of the Literal Sense, let the worst come to the worst.
<xvii> The Third Part.
St. Austin once thought that Constraint ought not to be us’d in Religion, and chang’d not his Opinion till he saw the Success of the Imperial Laws in bringing in Hereticks. The Absurdity of the Reasoning.
St. Austin was easily persuaded of any thing which seem’d to support his Prejudices.
No body has made a juster Judgment of St. Austin than Father Adam, a Jesuit.
I. St. Austin’s Words.
I am even much more a Lover of Peace now than when you knew me in my younger days at Carthage; but the Donatists being so very restless as they are, I can’t but persuade my self, that it’s fit to restrain ’em by the Authority of the Powers ordain’d by God.
It hence follows that Princes ought not to be incited against Hereticks who are not factious. Yet St. Austin does not mean this.
Princes ought to repress those of the Orthodox who are factious as well as Hereticks.
The Imperial Laws are directly against the Donatists.
There wou’d be no need to establish new Laws, if ’twere only to repress the turbulent.
Those who by Accident cause great Combustions and Revolutions, ought not to be reckon’d publick Disturbers.
What meant by a publick Disturber.
’Tis unfair to traduce a Doctrine one believes false, by such Particulars as it has in common with Doctrines we believe true.
II. St. Austin’s Words.
Accordingly we have the satisfaction of seeing several oblig’d by this means to return to the Catholick Unity.
<xviii> The ill Connexion of St. Austin’s Words, and his Subterfuges like those of modern Convertists.
III. St. Austin’s Words.
The Power of Custom was a Chain never to be broken by ’em, if they had not bin struck with a Terror of the Secular Arm, and if this salutary Terror had not apply’d their Minds to a Consideration of the Truth, &c.
This sufficiently answer’d in the Second Part of the Commentary, Chap. 1, 2.
Persecution has the same Advantage and Success against the Orthodox as against Hereticks and Infidels.
IV. St. Austin’s Words.
If a Man saw his Enemy ready to throw himself down a Precipice in the Paroxisms of a raging Fever, wou’d it not be rendring him evil for evil to let him take his own way, rather than with-hold and bind him hand and foot? Yet this frantick Person wou’d look on such an Act of Goodness and Charity only as an Outrage, and the Effect of Hatred for him: But shou’d he recover his Health and Senses, he must be sensible that the more Violence this mistaken Enemy exercis’d on him, the more he was oblig’d to him. How many have we even of the Circoncellions, who are now become zealous Catholicks, and who had never come to themselves, if we had not procur’d the Laws of our Emperors to bind ’em hand and foot, as we do Madmen?
St. Austin’s great Strength consists only in popular Commonplaces.
