the Sacraments and the bounty of God yet no man will judge them so pernicious and of so dangerous consequence that they ought to be abstained from and the Popes prohibition is grounded upon a too frivolous weak and ridiculous reason to have any weight or authoritie in the judgements of the wiser Neither is there any who doe not sufficiently see it to be meerly a humane and a politique invention to conserve a false doctrine and an usurped jurisdiction if he will but strictly remarke it as God hath given mee grace to doe CHAP. V. Of Traditions and that they ought not to be taken for Iudge or Rule of our Faith THe Romish Church finding her selfe but weakly sustained by the Scriptures and not being able to maintaine her doctrine by the written Word of God hath be thought of an unwritten word called Tradition making it of the same power with the holy Scriptures and is therefore called Divine Tradition and Apostolique and not humane which seemed to me a brave field to lay open all her fancies Now the rule and way of the Romish Church to know and declare those Apostolique Traditions is this When the beginning and originall of any doctrine or Ecclesiasticall ceremony is not knowne neither exactly by whom or in what yeare it was instituted since the time of Jesus Christ and his Apostles it is holden amongst them of Divine and Apostolique Tradition As for example because it is not certainly knowne who was the first that invented holy-water and imployed it in Baptisme and to other uses it is esteemed to come from Christ Jesus and his Apostles although it appeare sufficiently from the holy Scripture that Christ and his Apostles did never use that ceremony but onely baptized with pure and naturall water So because it is not knowne who it was that first did pray to the Saints that doctrine is said to be of Apostolique and divine Tradition and to come from Christ and his Apostles although it appeare not in any place of Scripture that ever any Apostle did pray to the Saints that were before them or recommended it to us but the contrary and so of the rest of their Traditions Is not this a fine rule and prety invention whereon to ground an infinite number of divine and Apostolique Traditions for Printing not being in use but within this two or three hundred yeares there were but few things written before that and that seldome to be left to posteritie and that which was written for the most part dyed and vanished by the death of the Author or shortly after for not being transcribed as it is with a great number of particular writings especially if they doe not concerne temporall things So that in so many ages an infinite number of things ceremonies doctrines and errors have been invented in the worship of God by the superstition vanitie and presumption of some particular men of which now it is impossible to know the originall and first Author either because it was never written by any or if it hath been written the writings have been lost if therefore all those things must be esteemed divine and Apostolique out of question there will be a numberles number of divine and Apostolique Traditions And upon these considerations I marveiled no more at the great number of Traditions that are in the Romish Church which I can assure you to be such that if they were all redacted to one volume it would assuredly be greater than all the books of the Bible for their number is almog infinite and not certainly known to this day the number yet not being perfect and hardly is there any generall Councells in which some one or more new ones are not discovered Those of the Romish Church who will not admit nor acknowledge the Scripture as Judge of faith strive neverthelesse to serve themselves with it the best they can to confirme their doctrine But I pray you with what reason in the point of Traditions To prove that the holy Scripture is not a sufficient rule of faith and that we must have recourse to a word not written which they call Tradition 1 Thes 2.15 they alledge this of St Paul Wherefore my Brethren be yee stedfast and hold fast the Traditions which yee have learned either by word or by our Epistle Thence they inferre that St Paul had preached many things to the Thessalonians which he had not written to them in his Letters and therefore wee must beleeve more things than those which are written We ingeniously confesse that the whole doctrine of salvation and that which St Paul might have preached to the Thessalonians is not in these two little Epistles and affirme that we must beleeve more things than those which are conteined in them but thence it will not follow that that which St Paul had preached to the Thessalonians of the necessitie of faith and salvation is not conteined in the Old and New Testament for there is great difference betwixt the two little Epistles to the Thessalonians and all the rest of the holy Scripture and the consequence is very bad as every one may judge Besides when St Paul saith Keep the Traditions it will no more follow that by this word Traditions an unwritten word ought necessarily to be understood and that besides the written word of God there is yet an unwritten word equall in authoritie to the other for by the word Tradition may be understood that which is given and left either by word or writing and not necessarily some word not written for the holy Scripture is also a tradition that is a doctrine which hath been left us And although wee should grant that St Paul had preached to the Thessalonians many things which are not written in the holy Scriptures and exhorted them to keepe them it will therefore not follow that he did exhort them to keep all those Traditions as necessary to salvation for there are none who will not confesse that St. Paul might have preached and said many things which were not absolutely necessary to salvation nor faith but onely convenient and helpfull as our Saviour did in his preaching and although our Saviour should give us charge to remember them all and keepe them he doth not therefore meane that wee should be equally obliged to keep them all and that wee should keep them otherwise and in another fashion than he gave them to us that is the Articles of faith as Articles of faith and necessary to salvation the Commandements as Commandements the examples and parables as such things essentiall to faith as essentiall the ceremony and things accidentall as such and it is a very bad consequence drawne by the Romish Church that because St Paul exhorteth the Thessalonians to keep the Traditions he commandeth us all to beleeve and keep them as pertaining to faith and of equall authoritie with the Scripture a word not written and Traditions meerly humane as divine Traditions and chiefly all the Traditions of the Romish
Church which are almost without number And mark that in all ages this hath been the malice of hereticks to have recourse to Traditions when the Scriptures faile them Tertull. de Monog cap. 2. Joh. 16.12 Bellarm. lib. 5. de verbo Dei so Tertullian being become hereticall in his Booke de Monogania cap. 2. maintaineth the heresie of Montanus by those words of our Saviour I have yet many things to say unto you but yee cannot beare them now Which is the passage Bellarmine citeth for Traditions cap. 5. of his Book of the unwritten Word and yet it appeareth by the following verse that our Saviour by those things which they cannot for the present beare meant the things which are to come as the prophesies concerning the things which were to fall out which are to be seen in the Epistles of the Apostles and in the Revelation of St John and such like things and not any doctrines of faith Irenaeus in the second chap. of his third Book saith Irenaeus cap. 2. lib. 3. that when any did convince the hereticks with Scripture they began to accuse the Scripture saying that the truth could not be found in the Scripture by those who knew not the Tradition because it was not given in writing but onely spoken verbally Now this is practised by the Romish Church more than by any sect that hath ever yet been because seeing Scripture doth faile her to maintaine her tyranny and innumerable superstitious policies she hath invented a word not written which shee calleth Traditions equalling their authoritie with the holy Scriptures and those Traditions are invented and augmented from time to time according to the will and fancy of the Popes for some of them have invented the Masse and some other ceremonies and one or other of them have now and then added to them or taken from augmented or diminished the same some of them have invented Purgatory others Indulgences some the invocation of Saints others the reliques some the Communion under one kinde and yet to this day their number is not perfect neither is it yet known to the Romish Church that which our Saviour preached as necessary to faith and salvation for as there were new Articles of faith made in the Councell of Trent which was the last generall Councell amongst them as that of justification and originall sin so doe they hope to make yet more in the next Councell as it may be of the conception of the Virgin Mary of predestination with or without merits or some others Here is another objection those of the Romish Church thinke to be of great force and which I my selfe have often used disputing against those of the Romish Religion pretending thereby to prove the necessitie of Traditions and to referre our selves to the Church for say they who gave you the holy Scripture but the Tradition and whence know yee the Canonicall Books from those that are not Canonicall but by the determination and tradition of the Church It is true that every particular man receiveth the holy Scripture from the Church he liveth in whether it be a pure or impure Church so the Apostles had received from the Priests and Scribes enemies of Jesus Christ the books of the old Testament but in that the Church doth onely the office of a Witnesse and not of a Judge it onely witnesseth that those Books are holy and Canonicall but it judgeth not them to be holy nor giveth them any authoritie and the Tradition of the Church witnessing those books to be divine and holy is onely a protestation of her subjection to the Scripture and not an usurpation of her authoritie above the written word of God He who sheweth the King to a stranger is not therefore above the King nor giveth he any authoritie to the King and a Book-seller shewing to a buyer the Book of the Statutes of the Kingdome doth not for that authorise those Statutes and some man may receive the holy Scriptures from the Church and afterwards use it to condemne the same Church And as the testimony of innumerable eyes and eares seeing the lightnings and hearing the thunder maketh us say that it thundreth and lightneth so the testimony of innumerable Churches assuring us that the holy Scriptures are from God cause us to give an assent to them as divine Where it is to be noted that as for the Books of the New Testament wee ought to take the testimony of the Churches under the New Testament so for the Books of the old Testament we ought to follow the judgement of the Churches of those times and refer our selves to their testimony without making them for that Judges of the controversie Nor doth it appertaine to him who is to be judged by the holy Scripture and the word of God to make himselfe Judge of that word of God so it is a great impertinency to inferre from this objection the necessitie of Traditions to be of the same vertue with the pure word of God CHAP. VI. Traditions condemned by the holy Scriptures VVE have seen the testimonies of the holy Scripture and the reasons they of the Romish Church bring to establish the doctrine of Traditions Now let us see the testimonies of the same Scripture which the Orthodox and reformed Church alledge to condemne those Traditions and consider which of them are of greatest strength As for mee having maturely considered the passages I cannot see how their force can be eluded or rather that men yeeld not to their cleernesse The Prophet Moses saith to the people of God Deut. 12.13 Deut. 12.13 Yee shall doe that which I command you before the Lord neither adding nor diminishing there from and more cleerly in Chap. 12. Yee shall adde nothing to the word which I command you nor take nothing from it and Salomon in his Proverbs saith Pro. 30.6 Adde thou nothing unto his word least he reprove thee and thou be found a lyar Which being not deniable but that it is said of the Church what doth the Scripture thereby but condemne most cleerly the Traditions which are questionlesse new inventions added to the holy Scripture For my part after I began to consider attentively the words of the Apostle St Paul on this subject I could never see how those of the Romish Church can maintaine the doctrine of their Traditions as pertaining to faith and equall in authoritie to the holy Scriptures Gal. 1.8 Mark I pray you with me those words Gal. 1.8 If we our selves or any Angel from heaven preach to you any other Gospel than that which hath been preached unto you let him be accursed Note these words Let him be accursed which are of no small importance and observe the word besides Praeterquam quod is in the vulgar translation of St Jerome which is more fully expressed by the word besides than by the word otherwise as it is in some corrupted impressions and above all note that he saith not against but besides Praeterquam
which they are daily about to try and would gladly execute if they could he sendeth Agents and imployeth spyes and men disguised especially of some orders who goe secretly from house to house preaching his Indulgences and pardons to move the people to acknowledge him and restore his former revenues for this is the onely end of all his Inventions what ever pretext of faith and Religion he pretend but the carriers of those Indulgences are no more in request and are onely good for nothing but to cheat women and weak spirits the world hath had so many of his Bulls and pardons that they beleeve they will have no more need but may live without them the ages to come and wise Princes chose rather to keepe their moneys for the ease of their subjects and conservation of their estates than to send it to the Pope to maintaine his Court in riot and inrich his kindred the falsenesse of his doctrine appearing too cleerly now to be embraced by judicious and cleer-sighted men CHAP. XV. How absurd is and how little ground hath the pretended infallibilitie of the Bishop of Rome and that it is not without cause he is called Antichrist THe Bishop of Rome is not onely content to challenge the primacy and superioritie over the whole Christian Church but to strengthen and increase his credit he falleth into a folly insupportable to every wise and understanding man for he attributeth to himselfe the same infallibilitie and truth that God doth affirming and maintaining that he cannot erre no more than God when he pronounceth any sentence in matter of faith This seemed to me a cunning subtilty if it were as easily to be beleeved as invented for wanting the word of God and sufficient Scripture to establish his primacy and universall superioritie he hath resolved to attribute to himselfe the infallibilitie to make men receive the Scriptures according to his explication to ground his authoritie and establish his doctrine thereby And this Article of infallibilitie is at this day come to such a passe in the Romish Church that it must be beleeved as pertaining to faith and necessary to salvation it being forbidden under the paine of being holden for an heretique and Anathematized for preaching to the contrary and truely it is a doctrine which in policy ought to follow that of the primacy for the accomplishing of a perfect and absolute authoritie But as wee have shewen this primacy to be usurped and invalid so doe we beleeve we have sufficiently nullified all that followeth upon those prerogatives whereof this is the principall Notwithstanding for the greater satisfaction of the courteous Reader wee shall answer briefly the principall reasons they bring to prove this doctrine The first Objection is drawne out of a passage alledged before where it is said Mat. 16.18 Mat. 16.18 Thou art Peter and upon this Rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it This say they being understood of St Peter is to say that errour and untruth shall not prevaile against Peter nor have victory over him and that he shall never be deceived nor erre nor consequently the Pope who tearmeth himselfe successour of St Peter Notwithstanding St Peter having erred after these words were pronounced and denied his Master which is the greatest fall that can be in the faith sheweth that those words are not understood of St Peter but of the faith and confession he made at that time which being most true and the truth it selfe shall never be overcome nor surmounted by the gates of hell but shall continue in strength eternally and so it is in vaine for the Pope to ground his infallibilitie upon words which are not spoken of St Peter nor consequently of him as is most manifest and as I have shewed before Another Objection which the Romish Church thinks stronger and more expresse is this Luk. 22.32 The Lord said to Simon Luk. 22.32 Simon behold Sathan hath sought to winnow thee as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not and then when thou shalt be converted strengthen thy brethren For my part I perceive not what they would conclude thereby but that the faith of St Peter should never faile and yet wee see that it failed much and that St Peter did stumble and erre grossely in the faith having denyed his Master a long time after those words were spoken If then that be understood as they would have it the prayers of Christ should be of none effect which is blasphemy to thinke wherefore we must finde out a truer meaning of those words and say that is understood of small falling Christ Jesus saying to Simon Simon I have prayed for thee that thy faith faile not finally that is to say if peradventure thou succombe and fall as thou wilt at least raise thy selfe and enter againe into the profession of faith and being converted by a true repentance thou must confirme thy brethren and let this fall make thee wiser in time to come and be a means to thee to confirme others and exhort them to take heed least they slide and fall as thou This is doubtlesse the true and lawfull meaning of those words as every understanding man may judge and not the explication of the Romish Church which every reasonable man will finde to be altogether absurd and invented of purpose to establish a false doctrine And although it could be proved that St Peter did never fall and we should confesse that the infallibilitie was given to him Will it therefore follow that it is given to all his successours also and that which was said to one person and of one person must be said to all his successours and of them all if they apply to the Pope all that was said to St Peter the Apostle and in his favour by Christ Jesus why doe they not apply as well all that was said to his disgrace and so the Pope must be called Sathan because Christ did call Peter so those words must also be applyed to the Pope Thou shalt deny mee as our Saviour spake them to St Peter This certainly hath too often falne out to the great hurt and scandall of Christian people although I confesse that our Saviour speaking to Peter did not meane it of those who should be thought his successours Now these are the strongest passages and arguments on which this pretended infallibilitie is grounded which is the whole foundation and basis of all the Romish Doctrine now in controversie which being proved to be usurped against reason and equitie as the primacy whereon it is grounded you see in what estate of errour and heresie that Church is in and how blinde and deceived they are that follow it It was thought formerly strange that the Pope of Rome was called Antichrist and I confesse it was long before I could be satisfied with the application of this name to the Pope thinking it was too rigorously spoken and with too small
quod Now what I pray you are all the traditions of the Romish Church but doctrine and things besides the Word of God Besides that which St Paul and Christ Jesus and the other Apostles did preach yea even contrary for all doctrine taught as necessary to faith out of the Scripture is also contrary unto the Scripture seeing it is against the prohibition to adde to the Word of God Mat. 15.9 and God condemneth them who teach for doctrine of faith the doctrine and commandements of men And mark that Christ Jesus in this chap. of St Matthew did specially condemne the Pharisees because they transgressed the commandements of God by their traditions and what I pray you were those traditions they were not things expresly forbidden in the law of God but simple additions and willing devotions without the word of God and which outwardly smelled of nothing but devotion puritie and holinesse as to fast three times a week to wash the cups the platters to tithe Mint and Annise to make conscience to heal any sick man on the Sabbath day to make long prayers to abstaine from certaine meats and that not through a conceit that those things were polluted but through a willing devotion and humilitie of spirit or through a desire to mortifie the flesh but because those things were taught as being of equall authoritie with the doctrine of faith that is the cause wherefore they are condemned by the Son of God as contrary to his holy Word There is no doubt but by this passage of the Apostle St Paul we cited before are also condemned all the Traditions of the Romish Church which are taught and preached to be of equall authoritie with the holy Scriptures which truely are besides the Word of God and the Gospel that was preached by our Saviour and his Disciples for how cometh it to passe that they should have preached so many things pertaining to faith and salvation and never speak any thing of them in any of their Books nor in the acts of the Apostles which is the History of the most remarkable actions and Sermons of the Apostles for more than twenty yeares see if there be any thing spoken there of the invocation of Saints of Indulgencies Purgatory prayer for the dead of the Communion under one kinde or of the rest and if those and the like things be not in the holy Scriptures they are besides the Word of God and consequently he that preacheth them is accursed and Anathema and they are not to be received as pertaining to faith And to shew that the Traditions which the Church of Rome teacheth as Articles of faith doe not come from Christ Jesus and his Apostles nor cannot be said to be Apostolique nor divine but papall and humane to say no worse there is almost none of them the history of that Church sheweth not by what Pope or Bishop they were invented and at what time they had their beginning Baro. Annal Eccle. Gualter Chronol Durant de ritib. see the Authors who handle the same least I should be too prolix in this matter being desirous to lay open another of not much lesse importance CHAP. VII That wee cannot ground our beliefe upon the Books of the ancient Fathers THose of the Romish Church to authorise their Traditions which are besides nay contrary to the Word of God send us to the Fathers as to other Judges to determine our differences whose doctrine they affirme to be conformable to that which they teach Certainly I have thought Antiquitie in it selfe to be very venerable and worthy to be respected especially the Fathers whose grave and learned Books deserve praise of all good spirits principally if their doctrine be conformable to the Word of God which is the sole infallible rule of all good doctrine And to speak truly I finde that the Fathers of the first ages condemne in a number of places so manifestly the errors and superstitious doctrines of the Romish Church that I have marvailed oftentimes how they can have the boldnesse to alledge them in their favour It is true that as in the time of St Paul the mystery of iniquitie was already working so it is not to be marveiled that they being men some things have now and then insensibly crept into the writings of some of them which were not altogether so pure and seeme somewhat to incline to superstitions which by little and little insinuated themselves into the Church But I beleeve that though all their Books should seeme manifestly to contradict the faith of the Reformed Churches wee are not obliged to receive them as our Judges neither as irreprochable Witnesses and howsoever I esteeme highly of the Authours yet wee cannot ground any Article of faith upon their Writings but so far as wee finde them to conforme to the Word of God which is the toucstone of all truth neither are wee bound to have recourse to them any wayes For if we were obliged to have recourse to them and receive them for Judges of our faith that were to bring our faith and the point of our salvation in an impossibilitie at least morall because all Christians should be obliged to have them and to have them all or the most part which is not possible but to the richer sort and having them they should be obliged to reade them almost all and that wholy to the end they might compare one with another and see if they agree one with another in the same doctrine and if they be conformable to themselves every where and so none but those who had great leasure could reade them and being almost all of them either in Latine or Greeke or other strange tongue but few of them in vulgar tongues what should they doe who understand neither Latine nor Greeke There would be none then but the richer and learneder and those who had no other imployment but to reade could be assured of their faith and so all others should be without faith and knowledge of those things which concerne their salvation and consequently in a manifest way of perdition by their ignorance Notwithstanding our Saviour his coming was to teach the poore as well as the rich the ignorant as the learned the Merchants and Tradesmen as well as those who are not so much imployed Besides it is impossible to build upon their Writings any beliefe of faith for as Printing was not in their time but onely two or three hundred yeares since those who have written in the Primitive Church even to our time since our Saviour which hath been thirteen or fourteen hundred yeares have left us nothing but Manuscripts which behooved to be transcribed that they might be dispersed Now there is no man who will not confesse that the Originals and first Manuscripts written or at least revised and corrected by the Fathers which composed them have been seen but of a few and little or nothing of them all is to be found at this time nor was found
of St Peters primacy shall be drawne from the following words Mat. 16.14 set downe in Mat. 16.14 And I will give thee the keyes of the Kingdâ—me of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven The Popes grounding themselves on those words have assumed all power over Christians over Kings Emperours and States to excommunicate interdict and depose to crowne and create Princes and to give all their estates in spoyle In a word they thinke all they are able to attempt is lawfull to them as being sufficiently authorised by those words and that nothing under the heavens is exempt from their jurisdiction because it is said in that passage Whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in heaven At the first sight this passage wee have cited seemeth to be of great strength to maintaine the primacy of St Peter and his successours but I will onely turne over the leafe to elude this objection and shew its weaknesse and insufficiency for this purpose for I finde in Mat. 18.18 that Christ said to all his Disciples and Apostles present the same words in the plurall number Verily I say unto you that whatsoever yee shall binde on earth Mat. 18.18 shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever yee shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Quaecunque ligaveritis in the plurall number neverthelesse I have never as yet heard nor seen any Author that attributeth this generall and universall power over the whole Church and over all Christians to any other of the Apostles by those words why then to St Petrr more than the rest seeing the same words were spoken to them by Christ This might be a sufficient Answer to the objection of the Romish Church But because they use these words yet further to give power to all their Priests to absolve from all sinnes even the most secret and to binde and loose the soules and consciences at their pleasure I intreat you seriously to consider the occasion of this passage to see how little reason they have or rather the great wrong they doe in establishing a doctrine of so great importance on these words for these are the words the Bishops use at the consecration of Priests imposing their hands and saying Receive the holy Spirit all that yee binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and all that yee loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Jesus preaching to his Disciples of the order that ought to be kept in brotherly correction saith Mat. 18.16 Mat. 18.16 If thy brother trespasse against thee goe and tell him his fault betwixt him and thee alone if he shall heare thee thou hast gained thy brother but if he will not heare thee take with thee two or three more that out of the mouth of two or three Witnesses every word shall be established and if he shall neglect to heare them tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to heare the Church let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican verily I say unto you that whatsoever yee binde on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever yee shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven Thence every man may cleerly see that our Saviour speaks of the exterior and publique sinnes of our neighbour which are knowne not of secret sinnes and to keep the order of charitie and not dishonour him his will is that when thou shalt know it thou reprove him secretly between thee and him alone but if he continue still take with thee two or three Witnesses to reprove him in their presence and if for all that he continue in his sin and obstinacy accuse him to the Congregation and company of the faithfull that he may receive correction and if he doth not humble and submit himselfe let him be excommunicate and thrust out of the Congregation and thereupon he assureth the Pastours of his Church in the person of his Disciples that whatsoever they shall binde or loose on earth being understood with this order of charitie shall be bound or loosed in heaven that is whomsoever they shall bind with the bands and sentence of excommunication shall be bound in heaven and the sentence shall be confirmed and ratified in heaven by God and he whom they shall thrust out of the Church and Congregation shall be esteemed of us as thrust out in heaven Is there any man in the world that can justly contradict the literall sence of these words and who seeth not that this hath been out of all doubt the true meaning of the Son of God To what purpose then doe they apply that which was spoken of a particular case and of exteriour and knowne sinnes to all the interiour hidden and secret sinnes of the heart and to what end doe they enlarge the power of the Minister which is limited in this case over all manner of persons subjects and States but the ambition to command maketh arrowes or rather Charcoale of all wood to defile it selfe and all its followers See here another objection of the same mettle with the former Our Saviour Joh. 21.15 saith to St Peter twice Joh. 21.15 feed my Lambes and once feed my sheepe and by consequence he hath established him universall Pastour over all Christians I marvell much that the Doctors of the Romish Church should take pleasure to forge such bad consequences for I beleeve they know well enough that Terminus indefinitus aequivalet particulari non universali that an indefinite proposition is equivalent to a particular and not to an universall or generall Wee might say that Christ in those words did not recommend all his sheep to Peter nor give him power over them all and let us grant notwithstanding that St Peter had charge to feed all the sheep and lambs of the Lords flocke and commission to preach the Gospell unto them and feed them with the doctrine of life and salvation The same Commission and power was also given by Jesus Christ to all the Apostles Mark i6 15 Mat. 28.19 when he said to them in Mark. 16.15 Goe yee to all the world and Preach the Gospell to every creature and Mat. 28.19 Goe and teach all Nations for so ought the word feed to be understood namely to feed with doctrine and to teach so it is not said that primacy and superioritie is attributed to them but onely a Commission and charge given to preach the Gospel every where and teach all men to beleeve Further I answer that although this passage were understood of the power and authoritie it being an indefinite proposition to wit my sheep all the sheep cannot be understood here but onely those which Christ would especially commit to his guard and put under his government to wit the Churches which he was to found and governe A King sending a Nobleman to be Governour of a Province or Citie if perchance he say
unto him goe and governe my subjects well what foole is there in the world will beleeve that by these words the King giveth him an ample unlimited power over all his Kingdome subjects and createth him thereby his successour in all his estates after his death would not he be thought to be hypocondriacally affected who would make himselfe beleeve it the King understandeth questionlesse thereby his people and subjects which are in the Province and place where he is sent as Governour and not those who are in other places If a Bishop send a Priest to governe a Parish or a Church and say to him goe I recommend my people and my sheep unto you teach them well and instruct them faithfully take great care to feed my flock with good doctrine ought this Priest therefore to imagine with himselfe that all the people in his diocesse are subject to him and that the Bishop giveth him ample power over all his Bishopricke and maketh him his successour by those words Let him perswade himselfe as much as he can as doe the Hypocondriaques but I beleeve he should finde some to speake withall if he would undertake the exercise of such authoritie without some other Commission for by that it is sufficient he beleeves that the Bishop recommendeth to his charge the sheep which he hath committed to his guard and leading So it is without sence and reason they imagine to inferre by those words that Christ hath given all power over the Church to St Peter and established him his Vicar and Successour in his place but onely he commandeth him to preach and declare the Gospel every where as he did in other places to all the other Apostles without distinction of Jewes or Gentiles Countreyes or Estates but generally in every place where they should be sent And after this manner doth the Romish Church use the holy Scripture to prove the Articles of their beliefe Another objection of the Church of Rome is Our Saviour cōmanded St Peter Mat. 17.27 Mat. 17.27 To take the first fish he could catch and take a piece of money out of its mouth and pay the tribute for them two therfore he made him his successour after his death and hath given him the Primacy over the whole Church and over the other Apostles See here the meaning of this history some Collectour or Publicane cometh to St Peter who was with our Saviour as the first he found it may be or perhaps the most ancient and considerable of all and said unto him that their Master did pay no tribute to the Prince St Peter telleth it to Christ who commandeth him to go to the sea and the first fish he could catch to take a piece of money which he should find in his mouth and pay for him and himself to the publicane to eschew scandalls hereby it appeareth that he maketh him his successour and vicar after his death and that he hath the Primacy and superiority over all the other Apostles and Christians Is not this a consequence handsomely deduced by wise men and neverthelesse it is one of the Romish Church The publicans and collectours for the Prince come to a noble man to ask of him some subsidy and tribute they addressed themselves to the first they met withall or to some old servant and tell him that his Master hath not paid the subsidies the servant goeth and telleth it to his Master who commandeth him to go to such a place and take money to pay for him and himself which he doth to shunne noise and scandall this servitour ought he here for to presume with himself that he will succeed to all the goods and estate of his Master and that thereby preheminence is given unto him over all his other companions and fellow-servants and should he not shew himself altogether ridiculous who would maintain the same to draw such consequences and to found one Article of faith and the most important of them all upon so frivolous conjectures and weak proofs is to make fools of men there must be other proofs and more authentique and clearer declarations to pretend lawfully the greatest power and most advantagious succession in the world Take here yet another parcell of the same dough or rather more frivolous St Peter say they was the first who was called to the Apostleship therefore Christ made him his Successour and Vicar and gave him after his death the superiority over his fellows and the whole Church St John saith that Andrew having found Jesus Christ Ioh. 1.41 went and told his brother Simon and brought him to Christ so that by that means Andrew should be the first of the Apostles who found the Messiah and knew Christ but put the case it were Peter and that he was the first chosen of the Apostles and called to the Apostleship will it follow thence that Christ Jesus made him his Successour The first souldier that is inrolled in a Company by his Captain is he for that his Successour after his death must he have the superiority after his Captains death over all the rest without other declaration or title at all especially the Captain having never declared any thing that way but provided other waies for the government and leading of his company there is certainly neither rhyme nor reason for deducing such consequences so all this serveth onely to deceive the simple and weaker spirits but every man of judgement seeth well enough their weaknesse to believe or give credit thereto Now I protest they are the strongest arguments the Romish Church produceth out of the holy Scripture to prove the primacy of St Peter and consequently that of the Pope for there is nothing spoken of the Pope in the holy Scripture nor doth he pretend any right thereto but so farre as he termeth himself the Successour of St Peter and if they be attentively considered as they ought I perswade my self there is no man in the world provided he hath any sparks of common reason who will not judge them too small and weak to prove so important a doctrine which is the foundation of all the Romish belief and this certainly is more then sufficient to shew that the power of the Pope is usurped that he hath not the authority he pretendeth over the Church and that wrongfully he calleth himself the universall Pastour over all Christians and Vicar of Jesus Christ on earth he not being able to shew or prove his succession and power by any passage of Scripture which hath any strength or likelihood But I minde not to stay there not for any obligation but for greater satisfaction of those who are desirous of salvation and the truth I will prove the negative by Scripture and thereby shew that our Saviour had never intention to leave St Peter nor any other Successour or Vicar in his place and that the Apostles never acknowledged S. Peter nor any other for universall Pastour but Christ we shall also see hereafter how the
in the world it being not so much as once mentioned in the holy Scripture as well as that of Antioch where Peter is said to have been nor did Paul being aâ— Rome ever speak of Peter who should have been there at the same time he was and often recommending the faithfull saith nothing of the chief amongst them to wit Peter Moreover writing from Corinth to the Romans whom he had taught he saluteth a multitude of Saints and christians at Rome naming them particularly but greeteth not Saint Peter at all who should have been Superiour and Master to Paul and all the faithfull so from the reading and consideration of the holy Scripture a strong proof may be drawn to prove that Saint Peter was never Bishop of Rome nor ever was at Rome But I think not the question of so great importance as to detain longer the eyes and minds of the Reader thereupon for though we grant that he was both at Rome and was Bishop at Rome it can give no superiority to the Pope of Rome Saint Peter having never had it as you have sufficiently heard and although he had had it is not an infallible consequence to make an article of faith that the Bishop or Pope of Rome should have it also Moses was established by God in the office of Priest Lawgiver and Prince in Israel but he left no Successour in that office and dignitie for God did not command it Saint Iohn the Baptist also had no Successour in his office nor the Apostles in their Apostleship although then we should grant that Saint Peter was generall Pastour and Head of the Church why should we give him a Successour in that chardge seeing God hath given no such command in his word And when Saint Peter writeth to the Christians he doth not command them to acknowledge the Bishop of Rome for his Successour after his death was there ever any Kingdome or Soveraignty temporall or spirituall in the world established without there were some Laws made about the Succession or form of Election here appeareth no such thing nor any declaration of the will of God upon this subject wherefore then doth the Pope claim this without the word of God and make it an article of faith Further if Peter was established universall Head of the christian Church it was then when the Church was small and the chardge was easie but it being now grown great and christians spread over all the world what shoulders are strong enough to support such a burthen Now if after the death of Saint Peter there behoved a Successour and Head of the universall Church to be chosen let all men who have but the least spark of judgement judge if that office ought not to appertain either to James or John whom Paul to the Galathians calleth the pillars of the Church who lived a long time after Saint Peter or to some other of the Apostles rather then to deferre it to Linus Saint Pauls disciple of whom nothing is extant but his name or to Clement of whom they produce onely some writings which because they contain too ridiculous things to be beleeved are rejected as Apocrypha or to Cletus or Anacletus for it is uncertain to which of those thice Or at least they ought to have honoured those excellent Apostles so farre as to call them and ask their advice for the choosing an Head of the Catholick Church who will beleeve that even in the time of the Apostles a small number of christians at Rome some of them converted Jews some Gentiles should have had the credit to give a Head and Pope to the Catholick Church meerly of their own authority without communicating with the Apostles or other Christians of Ephesus Corinth Jerusalem Asia and the rest who were beyond comparison in greater number and more considerable than themselves being converted before them and auncienter Christians many of them having seen and heard the Sonne of God preach and been his Disciples Where is that word of God which giveth this power to the City of Rome which besides the person of the Emperour who at that time did live there ruling in all cruelty and wickednesse had nothing more considerable than those of other Cities to give a chief Priest a Prelate and a Superiour to all the Apostles then living and to all the Bishops whereof many were Disciples of Jesus Christ and his Apostles and to all Christians dispersed in many provinces and kingdomes he must be very blinde who will perswade himself of such a thing without the word of God or some other authentique priviledge for it out of the Gospel the Acts of the Apostles their Epistles or some other books worthy of belief But if Peter was at Rome and was Bishop which is not likely he that succeeded him might succeed in the office and dignitie of Bishop but not in that of Apostle which was personall neither in the charge of universall Bishop and Head of the Church which Peter never had Nor do we find the first three or foure hundred years and more after the death of our Saviour that any Bishop or other writer did ever give to the Bishop of Rome the title of universall Bishop of generall head and Superiour or any such thing nor that ever any of the Romish Bishops durst lay claim to it We find indeed that many Bishops from diverse places did write to them concerning sundry points of Religion not as referring the determination to them but to ask their advice not as from Judges but as from Doctours and fellow-Bishops who having their chair in the chief Citie of the world might justly be esteemed men of capacitie and merit so we see they are content in their Epistles to call them fellow-Bishops or brethren and companions never Superiors nor Masters nor universall Bishops or Pastours or any such thing It would be too tedious to set down all the Epistles which bear these titles and although I should cite them yet would some men affirm I had left out those in which the title of universall head is found But for an irreprehensible proof of this before any reasonable man let them but read the lives of the Popes written by Popish authours especially by one Du Chesne a modern writer who doth not forget nor omit any thing to prove the Primacy and power of the Popes of Rome there yee may see in the life of every Pope the name and subject of all those who write to him and whereof any knowledge could be had and this man thinketh to draw great advantage for the Primacy of the Bishop of Rome from the multitude of letters written to him from so many places which was onely done for the reason alleadged before but not so much as one word is there to be seen of Superiour or universall head of the Church or any such like thing but onely of fellow-Bishop brother companion coequall or some such thing which shewed no Superiority or Primacy but onely equality as for
times and at least as many vigils which make 24. dayes with fourty in Lent which make above threescore and they are obliged every day to fast under pain of mortall sin and there be very few as all the Casuists affirm who are justly exempted for from the age of 21. till threescore all those who are able to fast without great manifest prejudice of their health ought to do it so that those are 60 new commandments which joyned to the former make alreadie above 200. Moreover he must abstain all the fasting dayes from flesh under pain of mortall sin that is to say neither eat flesh eggs nor butter according to the Statute and some one will easily fast who cannot so easily keep this abstinence so there are 60. more commandments from this which being joyned with the former besides Gods ten Commandments make above two hundred and fourscore commandments of the Church which every faithfull person ought to observe every yeer and are onely comprehended in the first commandments besides those of keeping abstinence every Friday and Saterday and others which we might find in them that rest in the last of which onely which is to pay the tithes and dues to the Church a great number might be remarked and so we should have above 300. Now God having given us onely ten Commandments the most part whereof are negatives and the Church of Rome proposing above 300. whereof the most part are affirmative and without holy Scripture of her own authoritie and particular invention may we not say first that she goes beyond the Commandments of God by her traditions and next that the yoke of Christ is light and easie and the Romish yoke heavie and insupportable and if the authoritie of the Church of Rome be true some men might be saved if there were no more but the Commandments of God which will be condemned for not doing those of the Church and an infinite multitude might fulfill the commandments of God sufficiently to be saved which must be damned because they have not fasted or do not fast all Lent over and other fasting dayes or who have not heard the Masse all the Sondayes and holidayes or who have wrought or caused their servants work on them I leave off to speak here of an infinite multitude of other commandments of that Church which are not common to all Christians but to the Priests alone and those who are in Orders and possesse Benefices as every day to say their Brevier which is very long and wearisome as also of all other precepts and commandments particular to every religious Order which truly make a great multitude of poore souls groane and lament who out of simplicitie and ignorance have unhappily suffered themselves to be oppressed under the weight of their burthens But I will let them groane so long as they will if knowing their error and abuse as do the most part they will not take a necessarie resolution to break all those humane bonds wherewith they are detained in that captivity and follow after the doctrine of Christ whose yoke is easie and burthen light CHAP. XXVIII If one can be saved in the Church of Rome IT is certain that no man can be saved but by the faith which Christ did declare and the Apostles hold and preach which is the onely true and perfect faith without which none can hope for salvation Now I having shewed clearly as ye have seen that the faith of the Church of Rome is another different from that of Christ and his Apostles the consequence is easie to be drawn But as I remember never to have hindred those of the Reformed Religion so much to become docile to the doctrine I preached to them when I was in darknesse as when according to the maximes of the Romish Church I preached to them that they would all be damned without remission so that I may not alienate the spirits of those of the Romish Religion from the reading of this discourse and lest that thinking me too severe they rellish not so well the reasons which they might read in this Treatise I chose rather to let them draw the conclusions themselves and remit the decree to Gods judgement to whom onely it appertaineth to pronounce the sentence of the salvation and condemnation of souls But the thing I especially intend in this Chapter is to shew to those of the Romish Church that even according to their proper maximes and doctrine it is impossible for them speaking morally to be saved I know this proposition will seem a paradox to many but if they will onely take the pains to see and examine the reasons on which I am grounded I perswade my self that even the most learned will confesse and acknowledge it with me for they cannot deny it it being the common doctrine of their own Schools and books which questionlesse a multitude of simple people have never been aware of I will not speak here of the difficultie they of the Romish Church may meet withall as do other Christians in the keeping of Gods ten Commandments for howsoever I know certainly and may speak it truly that they are worse kept and fulfilled in that Church than in the Reformed Religion in England or other places which I have seen yet I will leave this point and comparison till the following chapter and will shew this impossibilitie of salvation onely by the commandments which are added by the Romish Church or rather by the Popes of Rome to the ten Commandments of God and I shall shew it especially in the obligation of hearing Masses on Sundayes and holidaies and in the conditions of the mystery of confession for notwithstanding that according to the maximes of their Doctors the obligation to fast all Lent over and at other dayes commanded ought to damne and destroy many who otherwaies it may be are persons unblameable walking straightly in the observation of Gods ten Commandments yea and in many other things but having too much a do to fast do it not although they might do it if they would but endeavour to do the same and be not of the number of them whom the Lawes of fasting exempted And howsoever also the obligation to keep the holidaies strictly without working or causing others to work should condemne according to their doctrine another great multitude by whom this rigid and straight commandment is hard to be kept for the great charge and imployment of their calling yet that is nothing in comparison of the difficultie that is in the commandments of hearing the Masse which obligeth all Christians and the saying over of the Breviary which obligeth the Priests and the obligation of Auricular confession which is common to all Because ye must know according to the Doctors and Casuists of the Romish Church that for accomplishing the commandment of hearing the Masse it is not sufficient to be there bodily present but to fulfill the precept one must be present in attention and devotion so that he who