[Sidenote: _Pag._ 96, 97.] “That though the New Testament had mentioned nothing of this matter, yet its silence in such cases is not argumentative. He said nothing of those large unknown Tracts of _America_, nor gave he any intimations of as much as the existence of that numerous people; much less did he leave instructions about their Conversion. He gives no account of the affairs and state of the other World, but only that general one of the happiness of some, and the misery of others. He made no discovery of the _Magnalia_ of Art or Nature, no not of those whereby the propagation of the Gospel might have been much advanced, _viz._ the Mystery of Printing and the Magnet, and yet no one useth his silence in these instances as an argument against the being of things, which are evident objects of sense.” To which we answer. [Sidenote: _Respons._] 1. He falleth into a common mistake in making the Proposition universal, and _dolus versatur in universalibus_, when it ought but to be particular: so for him to say, that no silence of Scripture is argumentative, is too universal; for its silence in point of Geography, as in describing _America_, and the people thereof, nor in discovering the _Magnalia Naturæ & Artis_ is not argumentative; and we do not say, that all silence of Scripture is argumentative, but yet we affirm that some silence of Scripture is argumentative. So we cannot universally say, that nothing hath a being but what is mentioned in Scripture; but we may very well affirm, that some things have no being, or truth of existence, because not declared in Scripture. [Sidenote: _Lib._ 1. _c._ 1.] 2. The Scriptures were not written to teach Natural Philosophy, Arts or Sciences, humane Policy, or the like; but were given, _that the man of God might be perfect, furnished for every good work_: and it is by them that we have the doctrine of eternal Salvation revealed unto us, and we positively affirm the sufficiency of the Scriptures unto Salvation, which thing no Orthodox Divine (we suppose) will deny, and _Bellarmine_ himself did confess in these words: _Prophetici & Apostolici libri sunt verum verbum Dei, ac stabilis regula fidei_. And if it be a certain Rule of Faith, and the true Word of God, then whatsoever it is silent of, we ought not to believe, and so its silence is argumentative in that point. The Scriptures are utterly silent concerning Purgatory, and therefore it is a good argument to affirm there is no such place as Purgatory, because the Word of God is silent as concerning it; but if it had been necessary to have been believed, then there would have been mention made of it.