The nature and danger of heresies, opened in a sermon before the Honourable House…

5. But lastly, to make up heresy, there must be obstinacy or pertinacy joined with that erroneous opinion which is contrary to the faith: He who is an Heretic must adhere or inhere, he must obstinately adhere or cleave unto his erroneous opinion: I confess that it is a very quick case, Whether pertinacy be so essential to heresy, that the opinion cannot at all be reputed heretical, unless the professing Christian (who holds it) appear obstinate? Concerning which case I will only deliver my opinion (submitting it to better judgements) that where the erroneous opinion doth ex natura opinionis, appear grossly and notoriously exitious to the razing of the foundation, it is heretical; A denying of Jesus Christ to be the Son of God, or a denying of salvation by him, such an opinion in the very nature of it is pernicious, ruinous, and damnable: yet ad plurimum, and in the ordinary way of discovery and process with Heretics, I humbly conceive, that pertinacy must be an ingredient to constitute the person to be heretically erroneous: And therefore in this point of Heresy and Heretics, Divines do distinguish inter Infidelem, and dubium in fide, and Haeretico credentem, & Haereticum.

5. But lastly, to make up heresie, there must be obstinacy or pertinacy joyned with that erroneous opinion which is contrary to the faith: He who is an Heretique must adhere or inhere, he must obstinately adhere or cleave unto his erroneous opinion: I confesse that it is a very quick case, Whether pertinacy be so essentiall to heresie, that the opinion cannot at all be reputed hereticall, unlesse the professing Christian (who holds it) appear obstinate? Concerning which case I will onely deliver my opinion (submitting it to better judgements) that where the erroneous opinion doth ex natura opinionis, appear grosly and notoriously exitious to the rasing of the foundation, it is hereticall; A denying of Jesus Christ to bee the Son of God, or a denying of salvation by him, such an opinion in the very nature of it is pernicious, ruinous, and damnable: yet ad plurimum, and in the ordinary way of discovery and processe with Heretiques, I humbly conceive, that pertinacy must be an ingredient to constitute the person to be heretically erroneous: And therefore in this point of Heresie and Heretiques, Divines doe distinguish inter Infidelem, and dubium in fide, and Haeretico credentem, & Haereticum.