§. 37.
Soc. The Church of England alloweth, assenteth to, and teacheth, what she judgeth evident in the Scripture; for so she ought; what she believes, or assenteth to, I look not after, but what she enjoyns. Now I yield all that obedience in this point, that she requires from me; and so I presume she will acknowledge me a dutiful Son.
Prot. What obedience when as you deny one of her chiefest, and most fundamental doctrins?
Soc. If I mistake not her principles, she requires of me no internal belief or assent to any of her doctrins, but only, 1st. Silence, or non-contradiction or 2ly, a conditional belief, i.e. whenever I shall be convinced of the truth thereof. Now in both these I most readily obey her. For the 1st, I have strictly observed it, kept my opinion to my self; unless this my discourse with you hath been a breach of it; but then I was at least a dutiful subject of this Church at the beginning of our discourse; and for the 2d, whether actual conviction, or sufficient proposal, be made the condition of my assent, or submission of judgment, I am conscious to my self of no disobedience, as to either of these; for an actual conviction I am sure I have not: and, supposing, that I have had a sufficient proposal, and do not know it, my obedience, upon the Protestant principles, can possibly advance no further, than it now doth. The Apostles Creed I totally embrace, and would have it the standing bound of a Christian Faith. For other Creeds: I suppose, no more belief is necessary to the Articles of the Nicene Creed, than is required to those of the Athanasian. And, of what kind the necessity is of believing those, Dr. Stillingfleet states on this manner [101]——That the belief of a thing may be supposed necessary, either as to the matter, because the matter is to be believed in it self necessary; or because of the clear conviction of mens understandings; that, though the matters be not in themselves necessary, yet being revealed by God, they must be explicitly believed: but then, the necessity of this belief doth extend no further, than the clearness of the conviction doth. Again, that the necessity of believing any thing arising from the Church's definition [upon which motive you seem to press the belief of the Article of Consubstantiality] doth depend upon the Conviction, that whatever the Church defines is necessary to be believed. And, where that is not received as an antecedent principle, the other cannot be supposed. [Now this principle neither I, nor yet Protestants, accept]. Then he concludes——That as to the Athanasian Creed [and the same it is for the Nicene.] It is unreasonable to imagine, that the Church of England doth own this necessity, purely on the account of the Church's definition of those things which are not fundamental, it being directly contrary to her sense in her 19th and 20th Articles. [Now, which Articles of this Creed are not Fundamental, she defines nothing; nor do the 19, 20, or 21. Articles own a necessity of believing the Church's Definitions, even as to Fundamentals.] And hence, that the supposed necessity of the belief of the Articles of the Athanasian Creed must, according to the sense of the Church of England, be resolved, either into the necessity of the matters, or into that necessity, which supposeth clear conviction, that the things therein contained are of divine Revelation. Thus he. Now, for so many Articles as I am either convinced of the matter to be believed, that it is in it self necessary; or, that they are divine Revelations, I do most readily yield my Faith, and assent thereto. Now, to make some Reply to the other things you have objected.