Annotatio IV §.II close: How error is perfected — bad grasp, false reconciliations, confusions, inept inferences — stop before §.III
It is finished either by grasping theological things badly and weakly and measuring them by earthly standards — with Nicodemus (John 3:12) and the Capernaites (John 6) —
or by twisting apparent contradictions into harmony outside Scripture: for example Christ’s two sayings in Matt. 26:11 and 28:20, reconciled by inventing a double body of Christ, visible and invisible, though the biblical distinction of Christ’s two natures (Paul, Rom. 1:3–4; 9:5; Peter, 1 Pet. 3:18; 4:1) does it far more easily.
Or by confusing what differs and not distinguishing enough — e.g. any theological truths whatever versus the fundamental and more necessary ones;
or by inferring clumsily — e.g. that God’s omnipotence is denied when his will and revelation in some dogmas are debated; or that a dissenter holds as sure everything rightly or wrongly drawn from his opinion; and so on.
Stop before §. III (further rivulets from either fountain, noted by our Author).
Latin
Perficitur vel malè & aegrè apprehendendo res Theologicas, adque amussim rerum terrestrium dijudicando, cum Nicodemo Joh. 3, 12. & Capernaitis Joh. 6. vel perversè componendo & apparenter contradictoria, extra Scripturam, conciliando. e. g. effata Christi duo Matt. 26. v. 11. & 28. v. 20. confictione duplicis Corporis Christi, visibilis & invisibilis, concilianda a. quàm facillimè distinctione Biblica inter duplicem Christi naturam, tàm Paulo Rom. 1. v. 3. 4. & Cap. 9. 5. quàm Petro 1. C. 3. v. 18. & Cap. 4. 1. recepta. Vel Confundendo diversa nec satis distinguendo, e. g. inter Veritates Theologicas quascunque, & inter Fundamentales magisque necessarias; vel Colligendo ineptè, e. g. negari omnipotentiam Divinam, dum de Dei voluntate & Revelatione in Dogmatibus quibusdam ambigitur; item, dissentientem omnia pro veris certisque habere, quae vel rectè, vel malè, ex Sententia ejus colliguntur. &c.