of this Baron Hene one of his Majestie 's Justiciaries in Ireland assured a Person of Honor that one John Curphy a Papist Condemned for a Burglary in the Year 1671. at the time of his Execution did peremptorily Deny the Fact and made solemn Appeals to God of his Innocency Yet the Contrary was thus Discovered After he had Hung some little time the Rope by Chance brake so he fell down a little Stunned Yet some Seed of Life remaining in him he was brought to his perfect Speech Hereupon Terror was so deeply imprest upon his Conscience for Lying though counted a Venial Sin before that he was forced to Confess the Fact and after some time given him for Repentance he was Executed as he deserved Thus you see that Impudent Impenitent Malefactors at different Seasons have different Sentiments of God's Omniscient Justice for Forging Lies deliberately to make the World believe that they are Innocent God is concerned in the Honor of his Justice to Vindicate his Omnisciency in some strange Discovery of such Matchless Impostors who can hardly Repent in the time of Dying Indeed it is not probable they should who Entayl upon themselves a Voluntary Curse by their pertinacious Dissimulation and their Lying Artifices These Men are of late Commenced such profound Doctors in all Treason Rebellion Cruelty and what not which may destroy a Protestant Government that they out-strip all former Monsters of Impiety Had this Unparellel'd Villainy been Effected it would have been Celebrated for a Meritorious Act in Contriving a Speedier and more Effectual Method for the Propagation of the Romish Perswasion This is not the Truly Antient Apostolical Faith but a Mushrom of Fancy started up out of an Affectation of Superstitious Novelty and cherisht or spred by the Boundless Ambition of Earthly Pomp and Grandeur How can any Man who hath not quite Extinguisht all Sparks of Reason and Ingenuity Embrace such a Religion which any Idiot may be Ashamed to Live in and Afraid to Dye in For it is a Miscellany of Blasphemies and all Absurd Opinions yea of all Impieties Hereby it comes to pass that at last they are not able to put any Difference 'twixt Light and Darkness Truth and Falshood nor to distinguish Righteousness from Violence and Injustice nor Piety it self from the Extremity of Prophaneness I have done with the Discovery of the Falseness of their Appeals Let us now see whether their Faith and Charity in Dying were of any Better Stamp The Jesuits False-Faith in Dying Detected to be Fancy and Presumption HOw many False Martyrs hath the world afforded who while they Courted Death Sacrificed only a Sturdy Body to a Stubborn Mind to keep up some Heresy in Repute Jesuits count this a brave Resolution yet it flows from the Inconsiderateness of a Sleepy secure Conscience They weigh not the after-claps of Death nor Dread the future Assizes of the Universal Judgment Hypocrits will as confidently commit and commend their Spirits into the Hand and Bosom of Christ as if they had been Washt in his Blood and changed into his Image Jesuits who are a Faithless Generation cannot really make use of the Sheild of Faith to Blunt the Sting of Death or to Quench the Fiery Dartings of Despair into their Hearts For that Faith which they pretend to is rather Carnal fancy and presumption than any well regulated Resignation of their Souls to the Conduct of the Scriptures as imbraced by a firm Belief Such Resignation flowing from a Right-bred Faith is Divinely grounded on the Sacred Authority of God Alone who is the Architype of Truth But Jesuits do not believe the Scriptures to be a perfect Rule of Faith and of the practicals of Christian Self-denyal If they esteemed the Sacred Records able to make the Man of God Compleatly wise unto Salvation then Consequently they must needs be the strongest and only Sheild to overcome the Inordinate Love of Natural Life and the Slavish fear of a Violent Ignominious Death Such a frame can never be attained unless the Purity of the Scriptures which are Divine in their Original and Authority be Assented to and Imbraced with a Faith Divinely subjected to them I must receive and defend Divine Truth to the very Death not because I believe it with an Humane Faith as giving more credit to the Churches Tradition which Consignes the Scriptures to be Canonical than to the Authority of Divine Revelation If so I ground my Faith for Eternal Life upon an Vncertain Opinion or at best upon the Rash and bold Assertion of some Pope or Council who say and unsay Decree and Abolish the same Constitution in a Breath Thus the Jesuits-Faith which is meerly or chiefly Humane in the very essence and formality of it because the Church or Pope determines So or So can never reach to the Spiritual pitch and excellency of that Divine Faith which being grounded on the Sole Authority of Divine Revelation can only Justify and Save a mans Soul and Consequently can only afford true courage and comfort in Dying But Jesuits never had their Hearts purified by believing and obeying the Truths of Christ as such for then they would have their Affections more in Heaven But spending their Conversation chiefly among Machivilians of their own Tribe and Order to promote a Secular Interest rather than to Subject themselves to the Rules of the Blessed Jesus whose name their Society Blasphemously pretends to they cannot have any Experimental Tast of the powerful joys of the World to come Their confidence therefore in Dying cannot be Hearty and Ingenuous It flows cheifly from the Effort and vigor of natural courage not from a Super-elevated Principle of Unfeigned Faith which takes a prospect of Eternal Life not only beyond the pleasing Accomodations and Advantages of this present World but also beyond the Torments of Death that so God himself may be Glorified All in All and not only a Saint-like Cannonization be Ambitiously aspired unto which without real Holiness is but the Dream of a Fools-Paradise Are not such men under the delusion of a strange Phrency and Spiritually bewicht who put on an Artificial courage and zeal in sealing a false Religion with their Blood only out of a fond Ambition to avoid Purgatory on the left hand and that the Pope may immediately Canonize them for Heroical Champions in defending the pride of his Tripple Crown Jesuits account this to be justifying Faith to Eternal Life firmly to Assont to all the Popes determinations as Infallible when oftentimes Popes have been persons neither of common Truth nor Honesty but Atheists Hereticks Conjurers Sodomites yea Incarnate Devils Platina in the Life of John the 13th Constan Concil Sess 11. Art 5. Benedict 9. vide Baronium anno 1034. N. 3. Yet the unwritten Traditions or Fancies rather of these wicked Monsters must be Imbraced as Objects of justifying Faith by all such who expect not to be sent to Purgatory when they Dye But Can Jesuitical Martyrs for the Pope's
would consider seriously of that Sacred Scripture in the Twenty eighth of the Prov. of Solomon the Thirteenth verse He who hides his sin shall not prosper in the attempting of it but rather exposes himself to a Curse But whosoever Confesses and forsakes his Sin shall obtain Mercy He said That he had Confest 'twixt God and himself and that was Sufficient I told him that in respect of the great Scandal he had given and Reproach he had brought upon Religion which Obliges to all Fidelity towards Princes and forbids the Subvertion of a Lawful Government he ought to express great Sorrow for and detestation of such Principles which destroy Humane Society But he angerly replyed What! do you undertake to instruct me or others of my Order as if we were not Men of Reason and Learning I told him that I was bound to assist him as a dying Man and to put him in mind of seeking his Souls Salvation in a Right way And that whereas he slighted my Advice he ought not to look upon any Protestant Divine to be like Their Novices whom they Traine up in Ignorance as if it were the Mother of Devotion I said that I stood Amazed that any man of his Learning should so far forfeit the Repute thereof and all the Sentiments of a Good Conscience as to adhere to principles so destructive to all Order Equity and Government establisht by Light of Nature even among Savages He was not pleased with my discourse yet I did assure him I would not desist praying for him while I could Rationally think that he was Alive and within the reach or benefit of my prayers And so we parted IV V. Mr. Gawen and Mr. Turner I Could not speak with Gawen or Turner till they were placed in the Sledge I spake but little to them Time and the Noise of the people thronging me would not permit me to say much Only I told Mr. Gawen that Now death stared him in the face and his judgement to an Eternal State was very Near therefore I advised him not to palliate or extenuate his great Crime much lesse to deny it for he would hazard his Salvation if he went out of the world with a falsity in his mouth I told him I had and would continue to pray for him and his Fellow-Criminal in the Sledge with him So wishing them a penitential frame of Heart that they might obtain Eternal Life in Christ upon the drawing away of the Sledg Mr. Gawen shewed a publick Signal of Civility to me and thankt me He seemed much more cheerful than the rest And I hope he had better grounds for it Mr. Langhorne AFter Sentence of Death past upon the said Unhappy Gentleman as being Involved in the Jesuitical Conspiracy against the King and Nation I Addressed my self in a Visit to him which he Accepted When I first came into his Chamber I told him That I came not to upbraid a Dying Man though of a contrary Religion That I pittyed him as a Condemned Criminal yet was more troubled that he should Espouse the Popish Perswasions so far as to Suspend or Renounce rather the Sentiments of Right Reason in Embracing and Adhering to so Corrupt and Absurd Opinions He answered me That he thought himself in a surer Way for to attain Salvation than any of my Opinion could set themselves in For Protestants said he follow the Mistakes of their private Judgments and then cry them up for the Genuine Interpretation of the Holy Scriptures But We said he who are Roman Catholicks have the Conduct of an Infallible Guide to Interpret obscure Ambiguities in the Scriptures For no Scripture is of any private Interpretation otherwise well-meaning Persons may propose and put off their Fancies for solid Conclusions drawn from the sacred Records of God's Word He said That therefore there was great need of an external supreme infallible Judge on Earth whose Decision upon Appeals can only state and determine all Controversies about matters of Faith and Practice I replyed That the Divine Authority of God as imprest upon the Veracity of the Scriptures was never separated from the same Spirit who did Dictate them as unto special Guydance so far as not to Desert sincere Christians that they should fall into any Damnable Heresie But I feared that the Romish Opinions were such though they be imposed to be Believed and Obeyed upon the score of the Pope's Infallibility equally with the sacred Scriptures What Blasphemy is this for a sinful Man to arrogate the Title of Infallible due only to God the Fountain and Architype of all Truth That the Father of Lights gave Mankind the Best and Safest Conduct of his own Holy Infallible Spirit in Matters aforesaid And that the Scriptures being exemplified from his Essential Purity and Veracity were not defective as Human Laws which require an External Judge and Interpreter distinct from themselves in their Original Constitution So that in all Things necessary to Salvation the Scriptures were a Perfect Rule and Standard to dictate and determine Matters of Faith and Christian Obedience Yet so arrogant is the Pope as to Challenge an Authority to Himself to give the Scriptures a Sanction yea to Over-rule them by his Corrupt Traditions which he declares Infallible Thus he Exautorats and Invalidates their Divine Original and Superintendency as if they received all the Life of their Interpretation from his Authoritative Dilucidation as the Moon doth her Light from the Sun Hence it is that when the Pope enters into any Council he hath the Bible placed under his Feet while singly himself Over-rules the Council and Exalts his sole Determination above the sacred Records of Truth Hence it is that under a Pretence that the Scriptures are Obscure and a dead Letter in themselves that they must be Animated with his Traditions though never so Absurd and Contradictory to their Divine Authority Certainty and Perfection Also I said That where the Scriptures were Obscure in one Place they explained that Ambiguity in another So that there was no need of any External Judge And that Protestant Divines did not give out their Private Sentiments and Interpretations of the Scriptures for Laws to supersede the Innate Authority of the Scriptures or to oblige Christians to an Implicit Faith and Obedience as the Pope doth who over-rules the very Scriptures Themselves So that no part of them is Canonical but only those Books which he declares to be such Thus a sinful Man judges that sacred Law by which himself and all Men must be Judged though he claim a Power to Pardon Sin and Dispose of the Eternal Rewards of Virtue or Vice accordingly as himself pleases to determine the Nature and Circumstances of Both. Hence I said It proceeded that the Opinions of the Romish Church were so Corrupt as moulded and adapted to serve and promote the Carnal Interest of his Ambition and the Licentiousness of his Followers Then he askt me Whether I did not think that the Popish and Protestant
Religion retain a firm Belief that they shall be Canonized for Saints Yes For Graffius Bellarmine and other Divines have found out a compendious way to Salvation For by Forming the Signe of the Cross with Three Fingers to signify the Mystery of the Sacred Trinity by drawing the Cross from the Fore-head to the Navel to signify that the Son of God Descended from Heaven into the Bowels of his Mother and then drawing the Cross line from the Left-Arm to the Right Hereby the Cause of the Incarnation is Exprest viz. Christ came from Heaven to Earth that we who had deserved to be placed amongst the Goats at his Left-hand might be removed to his Right-hand amongst the Sheep Behold What Mysteries of Faith Mother Church hath taught Her Eldest Sons yea all her Novices that by these Exact Moods of Forming a Cross without the Knowledge of any thing besides even this alone may be sufficient for Salvation This is All the Faith necessary for a Roman Catholick and when by such Admirable Conduct of the Cross he hath but Once believed he need never more trouble Himself with Faith while he Lives So Bonacina Tom. 2. in 1. Precept Disp 3. Q. 2. N. 16. Graff Decis Part 1. Lib. 1. Cap. 24. N. 3. You have seen the Admirable Efficacy of a Jesuits Faith in Signing himself when Dying with the Sign of the Cross Now view the Effects of their Hopes Jesuitical Hopes of Divine Mercy and Salvation at Death Detected to be False and Vain ALL Rational Hope of Salvation is Divine in its Original and Foundation this will not make them Ashamed who are Possest of it Rom. 5.5 It is not like the Spiders-Web because it hath God in Christ for its Foundation 1 Col. 27. Christ in You the Hope of Glory But now Popish Doctrine is opposite to Christ in all his Offices as making him to be an Insufficient Saviour Thus they joyn Pennances as necessary Additions to Christ's Infinite Satisfaction for Sin as if he had Merited to take away only the Fault or Offence and had left the Sinner himself to compleat the Redemption of his Soul by satisfying for the punishment of Sin in Self-invented and Self-imposed Severities upon the Body How doth this derogate from Christ's Infinite Redeeming Love in making a full and perfect Satisfaction for All Sin and the Appurtenances thereof in respect of Persons truly Justifyed Besides Romish Doctrine over-throws another part of the Foundation of true Christian Hope which is the Alone All-sufficiency of Christ's Meritorious Intercession Thus they joyn with Him Suffragans and Coadjutors in this part of his Priestly Office as if Himself were not a pityful and faithful High-priest as God-man solely and sufficiently prevalent with his Father to Obtain whatever we can Ask according to His Will But Papists pray amiss to Saints and Angels who know not their particular Distresses nor the Thoughts of the Heart which Ascend to God directly in Prayer He only can Hear the Suppllcations of Millions at the same time and Supply the Wants of All Creatures Therefore they are Guilty of Idolatry and Blasphemy in their Orlsons And Can such Sacriledgious Derogation from God's Honor ground any real Hope of being Heard or Supplyed with the Necessary Means of Salvation So far are such Prayers from giving the least Hope of Eternal Life 2. True Hope hath the Promises of Free-Grace in Christ for its Support which Promises are only Yea and Amen in Him to Christians that are sincere in their Obedience But Popish Doctors assert that the Highest or most Necessary Duties of Christianity are only Counsels which they are at Liberty to imbrace or not so as to make them practical Thus they dispense with the Necessary Duties of Religion in which the very Essence Life and Power of it consists As they fancy Divine Precepts to be but Arbitrary Duties so to such Christ's Promises of Eternal Life become as meer Cyphers because they do dispense with his Laws when and as themselves please to be partial in their Obedience That only is a Lively Hope of Salvation which makes the Possessors of it to purisy their Hearts as God is Pure which is fruitful in Obedience and active in the wayes of Holiness which Girds up the Loyns of the Mind by avoyding all Impediments and making use of all Expedients in the Christian-Race thus the Hope of seeing and enjoying God doth strenuously work up the Heart to a Conformity in Holyness Such an Hope only can be a firm Anchor in all Extremities But Popish Hopes as the Spiders-Web are soon swept away like Vanity Yea there is no Hope of Remedy to Recover such to a Salvable State who study to be Ignorant and fear to know the Latitude of God's Will lest they should be Obliged to follow it How dangerous is an Implicite Faith viz. to believe Only as the Church dictates though she teach Points contrary to the Purity of the Christian-Institution How can that Faith which is grounded on the Authority of the Pope and consequently which is meerly Human as moulded to his Determination produce any solid Hope of Eternal Life Hope is the Daughter or Twin-Sister of Faith Therefore As the Nature of This is so Hope is True or False Such blind Bigots who hold their Souls in this Miserable Captivity cannot rationally think them Redeemed by the Blood of Christ while they reject that Saving Light which is offered to them What then shall we think of Jesuits who sin against Conviction that they may uphold a Carnal Interest If any persist in This they Sin damnably and cannot have any real Hope of Salvation The like we may affirm of such who to Preserve their Trading and Worldly Accommodations in Popish Countries quench the Sparks of True Convictions in themselves These Persons are Ashamed or Afraid to Confess Christ's intire Truth in the Purity thereof against all Romish forged Innovations although These betray Men's Souls insensibly to Perdition Such persons who for State-Interest viz. to gain Favour or Wealth suppress the Sentiments of Christ's pure Religion and receive the Mark of the Beast though not in the Fore-head openly yet closely in their Hand This Anathema from God may justly take hold of them that they shall be blinded and hardned to believe Romish Lies according to that Just Sentence 2 Thess 2.11 That They all may be Damned who Believe not the Truth once profest but Reject it Or refuse to be informed of the Danger of Heretical Tenets when Means of Conviction are offered because they Demonstrate hereby That they have Pleasure in Vnrighteousness Now Popish Religion is the Greatest Seminary of Viciousness and all Impiety For Doth not the Council of Trent Establish this That Attrition only which is but a slight Grief for Sin from meer slavish Fear of Hell or Shame without any Love to God is a sufficient Demonstration of Repentance to Eternal Life so that the Sacrament of Penance be joyned with it Yet this Sacrament of Penance