was no talk of Visible Heads or much of Universal Bishop for then Rome had no more priority then the rest for the Churches at Constantinople at Jerusalem at Caesaria at Cyprus and Alexandria for the first three hundred years they had as much power in their several Churches as Rome had and often the Elders or Bishops of the aforesaid Churches did reprove sharply the Bishop of Rome But at last about five hundred years or upward Phocas to aspire to the Empire of Rome he murthered his own Master Mauritius and his Children to attain unto the Empire So at that time Boniface the third was Bishop of Rome and Phocas somewhat fearing and willing to have Boniface his favour condescendeth to all his Petitions and grants him to be Universal Head-Bishop over all Christian Churches and there was the first rise of Rome's visible Head for this frivolous reason of being Peter's Successor could never have raised him to that height but then the Emperors Power and Authority became to be the more forcible plea for before that time the Bishops of Rome were chosen by the Emperors consent but after he had got power Emperors could not be chosen but by the Popes consent and then came the Bishop of Rome to be a visible Head and be called Universal Bishop Christ's Vicar a Lord Spiritual over all the Churches and in process of time Lord temporal over all the Empire And thus your Church of Rome became magnificent and great and to sit as a Queen upon the Waters Nations Kindreds and Tongues as you acknowledge your Church of Rome hath spread over and here is a Héad and a Body which are joyn'd together in union Christ is the Head of the true Body which is his Church and his Wife and Antichrist he is the visible Head of his visible Church and Wife Mysterie Babylon The next piece of Merchandize which the Author brings forth to view is Purgatory and prayer to be made for the dead and also prayer unto the Saints and the Authors proof is 1 Cor. 3. 15. where the Apostle speaks Every mans work shall be tryed and that work which will not abide the fire must be burnt and this the Author calls the fire of another World and prayers for the dead he proves out of the 12. of Maccabees and prayer to the Saints He sayes it 's lawful to pray in this world unto good people and Paul while he lived did pray for others and also did beg their prayers And the Angel in the first of Zachary prayed for Israel and there can be no harm in praying to them that can pray for us Ans. Them that dwell in the shadow of death are like to speak out of thick darkness and they that have made a Covenant with death are loath to have it broken and they that have a mind to continue in sin while they live have a mind to put the evil day afar off and Judgement afar off and evil-doers will never have it time to give account for their evil deeds and so puts it off till they are dead and to another world and let the Devil have preheminence in their hearts while they live and reckon their sins venial and light faults this is contrary to the Doctrine of the true Church of Christ and contrary to the Apostles Doctrine who said The wages of sin is death and there is no sinne goes unpunished nor unjudged and Sion is redeemed through judgement and by the Spirit of burning and Purgatory is a fiction a falshood and a lye there is no cleansing from sin in another World Solomon saith As the Tree falleth whether to the North or to the South so shall the tree lye and the Word of God who hath received it in their hearts which is as a fire that purifies and the Blood of Christ is that which cleanseth from all sin there 's not any cleansing from any sin but by it there is no cleansing in another world but Purgatory hath been invented and prayer for the dead that thereby the Pope might be enriched and sell the invented Prayers and Ave Maries and so cheat people of their money and there 's no sacrifice to be offer'd for the dead who dye in their sins nor no remission after this life And as sor praying to the Saints the Scripture makes no mention of though Paul did pray for others and beg the prayers of others yet he prayed not for them when they were dead neither did beg the prayer of the dead but prayed for them who were believers in the true Church and desired the prayers of them that were living Members and were alive and lived in the world and were redeemed out of it and the Angel prayed not for the people of Israel when they were dead and that which thou calls Jeremy's prayer in the Maccabees was never spoken by the Spirit of the Lord nor the offering was not made in the will of God and the Prophet saith Though Abraham know us not and Israel be ignorant of us yet thou O Lord art our Father And the Lord said unto David Seek my face and call upon me in the day of trouble and I will hear and answer Not upon Mary Peter and Paul Dominick and Anthony Again it 's contrary to the practice of the Saints in the primitive times and contrary to the Doctrine of Christ who said unto his Disciples Whatsoever you ask in my Name the Father shall give it you He doth not speak of any other Name neither is any Prayer or Supplication accepted of the Father but in the Name of Christ alone So these Doctrines are false and Doctrines of Devils never commanded nor practised by any of the Saints in the primitive times but onely have been invented and practised by the Apostates who have erred from the faith and Practice which was once deliver'd unto the Saints which the Church of Rome hath made shipwrack of in many things which I have made appear and I shall proceed to more particulars to manifest it lest any should be beguiled with such deceitful Babylonish Merchandize which the Nations are too much corrupted with already The next false Doctrine which the Author lays down is That Christ is really and personally in the Mass and in the Eucharist And his proof is Luke 22. 19. 1 Cor. 11. 25 26. For saith he God who is Almighty is able to change Bread into his Body and Wine into his blood in the Mass as he did change the Water into Wine and make the World of nothing Hence also by the way you may learn that we are no Idolaters adoring the Eucharist because it 's no more Bread but whole Christ our God and Redeemer who placeth himself there by Miracle after the Priest hath uttered the sacred words of Consecration yet the external accident of Bread and Wine remain as our eyes represent to us but faith tells us the true Body of Christ is hidden under it and the substance and
divers others as about your Lent your fasts feasts and invented holy-dayes which the true Church of Christ did not allow of but you have brought those things in as Apostolical and excommunicated all the rest that would not bow unto you As for example about the Feast of Easter the time when it should be celebrated though Victor the Bishop of Rome excommunicated all the Eastern Churches because they did not accord with Rome Euseb Lib. 5. cap. 23. At which Iraeneus Bishop of Lyons in France sharply reproved him ibid. cap. 23 So in many more things which I shall not now stand neither to trouble my self nor the Reader which the church of Rome hath departed in her practice from the primitive Church as you may see farther in a Book entituled The Glory of the true church discovered Published by F. H. And whereas the Author desires to be satisfied by what General Councils she was ever condemned or which of the Fathers wrote against her or 3dly By what Authority she was otherwise approved Ans. Because the Author is so confident in his assertions as though they were unanswerable I return this short answer which if I hear any more from the Author may be amplified For instance In the year 287. there was a Council of Bishops called at Sinvisâ—â— where the Pope was condemned which your Church hath taught could not err for sacrificing to Idols At a Council held at Carthage decreed That Clergy men should not meddle with temporal affairs At a Council held at Valentia in France a Decree was made that Priests should not marry and these were called Christians and some of Rome's Visible Universal Church And this was again reproved and condemned in the first Council held at Tolledo in Spain they decreed that Priests should marry And now Rome look to thy unity Again at a Council held at Caesar Augusta accursed all them that eat not the Sacrament in the Church but the church of Rome hath decreed that it may be kept and ready to carry abroad to sick people and upon other occasions out of the Church At a general Council at Constantinople decreed That Mary shall be called the Mother of God as though God were generated by natural generation which is Blasphemy The Council of Armenium decreed for the Armenians That Christ was not God The Council of Chalcedon which was one of the four Councils that Pope Gregory compared to the four Gospels and that their Decrees were sure and certain as the Scripture yet Pope Leo did not stick to condemn it and all of them as unadvised viz. the whole Council So Councils have erred as is evident and that which some have decreed for Apostolick Doctrine since the Apostles dayes other Councils have condemned as Heresie though called Christians as well as the Church of Rome and yet they have condemned that which some Councils did allow So the Pope hath erred the Councils have erred as is manifest in what I have said that I shall not trouble my Reader in large things which I could and might do upon another occasion if I hear any more from the Church of Rome 2. By what Authority she viz. the church of Rome is reproved In short Leo the fourth Bishop of Rome made void the the acts of Adrian Bishop of Rome Stephanus made void and abrogated the Decrees of Formesus and Sabian Christ's Vicars so called commanded that Pope Gregory another Vicar so called his Writings and Decrees should be burned And all these before-mentioned did say and the Church of Rome holds it as such that they were Peter's Successors So here one Father or Head of the church as they reckon the Bishop of Rome hath confounded another 3. The Nicene council determined That Images were not onely to be placed in the churches but also worshipped and the then Pope said that Images were lay-mens Calenders The Latterane council under Julius did repeal the Decrees of the Pissan council The Bazil council decreed that a council was above the Pope but the Latteran council decreed that the Pope was above the council that he that should think otherwise should be counted a Heretick Yet the Bazil council aforesaid decreed that they that judged that a council was not above the Pope were Hereticks And yet the Church of Rome layes claim to visibility and universality over all the World and yet one as distinct from another as black is to white and is as unsuitable as Snow is in Summer or Rain in Harvest One word more and I have done Boniface the eighth a great Father of the Church of Rome and a Pope That no man in the World can be saved unless he be subject to the Roman Church like this Author And Pope Paschal thus said That no Council could make Laws for the Church of Rome And so much of General Councils and of the confusion of the Church of Rome a few words more of Synods and I have done 1. Bernardus saith the Church of Rome was polluted with many Superstitions that the Bishops were biters of the Sheep rather than true Shepherds Sometimes saith he I have admired that there should be a Traytor among the twelve Disciples but now I much more wonder that among so great a company of Bishops and Prelates one upright Disciple cannot be found Apop Chr. Lib. 13 p. 260. Gregorius Theologus who lived about three hundred years after Christ did determine never to come more at Councils or Synods Because saith he there comes more evil than good out of them for the contention and ambitiousnesse of the Bishops is above measure said he Anno 300. D. Paraeus said Often hath the Truth suffered wrong in Synods because all that were assembled agreed in one error so that Truth came to be passed by with silence Iren. pag. 57. Again Gregorius Nazianzius used to say That he never had seen any good end of any Council or Synod Vide Inst. Clav. 4. Lib. 9. cap. 11. And some Synods have said That remedy was not to be expected from the Clergy who were the cause of the Disease Anno 1616. So the Author saith Whose company did the Church of Rome leave And from whom did she go forth And where was the Church that she did forsake that she should be counted Heretical and Schismatical I say She left the company and society of the Primitive Church in Christ's and the Apostles days and she went forth from the rest of the Churches that were planted as I instanced The Church of Rome in the year 193 did excommunicate all the Eastern Churches And where was the true Church that she did forsake saith the Author Not onely one I say but many to wit The Doctrine that the Apostles had laid down and preach'd at Antioch at Philippi at Corinth at Ephesus and the rest of the Churches of Asia And so the Church of Rome is proved to be an Apostate in the Apostacy in Heresie in Schism so that there is an absolute defection from the Life and Power of God which was manifested in the Apostles dayes and therefore the church of Rome is not the true Church What I have said as to the Doctrines and Grounds which have been laid down by the Author I shall refer it and the answer unto Gods Witnesse in every man's Conscience and if I hear any more of the Author his great Boasts or ambitious challenges which may reach to all that do dissent from the Church of Rome as to be Hereticks I shall engage in the strength of the Lord to vindicate the Truth however opposed and shall further if God permit be ready to give a more large and full answer unto the Doctrines and Practices and Worship of the Church of Rome and prove them to be contrary to the Scriptures and the Apostolick Doctrine and the Faith that was once delivered unto the Saints So in what I have said I hope may convince the Authour of his vain assertions and them that are enclined towards Babylon it may put a stop to that which would too readily close with every thing which goes under the name of ANTIQUITIE But in what I have said upon the whole matter I hope will be sufficient unto all who read with a single Eye without prejudice and unto such I say The Lord give them an Understanding that they may see and discern the way which leadeth to Life and Felicity from that which leadeth to the Chambers of Death and the pathes that take hold on destruction FINIS
very fulness that filleth all things Oh gross darkness and palpable ignorance which you have led people to believe and call this Idol that Rats and Mice may eat whole Christ God and Redeemer And you have destroyed and burnt to ashes many for Hereticks who could not believe this Doctrine Therefore all people it 's time to look about you and see where you stand and what you join unto If you cannot receive this Doctrine for holy and Apostolick by the Church of Rome not worthy to live and without doubt might not if this Church had but that Authority which sometimes it hath had in England but I hope the eyes of many are open to see and detect this damnable Doctrine So what I have said in this particular may be enough to confirm them who are in any measure in the truth and to keep them back who have desires after this fornication which the Nations hath drunk too much of But I proceed to another particular but before take a word or two about the ceremonies The Author sayes That ceremonies were used by Christ at his last Supper and they excite people to their devotion during the Sacrifice but for proof you must expect none from this Author and the Scripture is silent in the thing and Ceremonies and Formalities are so far from stirring up the mind to God that they indeed draw the mind to be busied in the exercise of them from waiting upon God from worshipping him in the Spirit such Worshippers are onely accepted of him The Masse is said in Latine and the rest of Divine Service for if it were not ignorant people might easily be mistaken if these Mysteries were done in the vulgar Language and because the Scripture hath been written in Latine Greek and Hebrew and these three Languages were written upon Christ's Cross and therefore these three Nations ought to use them at their Masse and Divine Service but the Priestly Garments and Ceremonies gives enough to understand what is done at the Masse and Divine Service Ans. This looks with a blâ—ck visage to be Apostolick Doctrine but however I shall search into it and examine it by the Apostles Doctrine before it be condemned It 's a good shift indeed to keep people from mistakes not to let them know what they say or do but this is contrary to the Apostles Doctrine 1 Cor. 14. 7 8 9 10 11 14 15. If a Trumpet give an uncertain sound who can prepare to Battel And except words utter'd be understood how shall it be known what is spoken If the meaning of the voice be not known unto him to whom it is spoken the speaker and the hearer are Barbarians one to the other And when one understands not what is spoken how can he be edified And all services ought to be done to edification So your Church is erred from the Apostolick Doctrine and your Masse and your Service doth not edifie at all but you are as Barbarians one to another for your Worship goes on in such a pack Road that the vulgar people would soon learn it and know it and it may be slight it if they should know the worthlesness of it and therefore the onely way you judge is to keep them in ignorance And what mysterie is there in the Masse and your Service seeing that it stands in crossings cringings and abundance of endless ceremonies and reiteration of words which are patcht up by many Authors contrary to Christ and the Apostles Doctrine But it seems the Priests garments and ceremonies gives understanding enough to the Auditors a dumb shew is enough for them like a Poppet Play to make them understand the Mysteries of your Mass an unbloody Sacrifice indeed in which there is no remission nor acceptation And here thou hast acquainted us with a Mysterie indeed Because Latine Greek and Hebrew was written by Pilate upon the cross of Christ therefore they are called Sacred Languages Sure the church of Rome hath lost both Faith and Reason Will any that hath a friend that should be crucified upon a cross and an enemy who condemn'd him should set over him words in Latine Greek and Hebrew in contempt that therefore a man should count the Crosse holy and the Language sacred as the Church of Rome doth is great ignorance and idolatry of which she is full therefore is not Apostolick nor the one true Church in which salvation is to be looked for as the Author would make people believe The next false and superstitious Doctrine which this Merchant of the Church of Rome holds forth for Apostolical is The Reliques and Images of Saints and also Prayer by the Beads by number and tale as Brick-makers sells their Brick And this the Church of Rome would put off unto us as Apostolical Doctrine The Reliques and Images of Saints are honorable in regard of the Saints which they have relation unto and God himself makes use of them for his Miracles Moses was enforced to honor the holy ground where the Angel appeared Exodus 3. and David commanded the Ark to be adored because it was God's foot-stool Psal. 99. 5. And to honor the Reliques and Images of Saints is no Idolatry for that is Idolatry to worship false gods and Christ doth not take it ill that we honor his Saints and Friends And to number our Prayers if Hail Mary be said upon Beads threescore and three times it 's because Mary lived so many years and the Prophet prayed seven times a day and Christ three times in the Garden And it 's not evil to say our Prayers by number and if five Pater Nosters be said it is in honour of the five wounds and what would there be amiss in this And it 's not Idiots that prays by Beads but Catholick Kings the Pope Cardinals and Bishops makes use of them and variety delighteth the mind and there is no better prayers then the Pater Noster Ave and the Creed Answ. The Reliques or that which remains for all the Saints and Members of the true Church of Christ to follow and to honor is To live in the same life that they lived in and to honor him who was their life by whose power they fulfilled the will of God and to walk in the same foot-steps is to honor him that was their life and them also who walked as examples of righteousness and that power by which they became examples of holiness and righteousness but for the Church of Rome to worship pieces of Cloth Dead Bones Painted Images which may as well be called the Images of Cain Ishmael Judas and all the seed of Evil-doers as well as the image of Christ or Peter Paul or Mary for any thing that they know which they have but receiv'd by story and is but as old Wives fables which Paul to Timothy reproved And hath the Church of Rome no better thing to put them in mind of the Saints life then a dead Picture or Image made by the hand of the