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A40371 A sermon preached in Christ's-Church, Dublin, on the 23d. of October, 1698 being the anniversary thanksgiving for putting an end to the Irish Rebellion, which broke out on that day, 1641, before the House of Lords / by Nathanael Lord Bishop of Waterford and Lismore. Foy, Nathaniel, d. 1707. 1698 (1698) Wing F2046; ESTC R33792 19,692 32

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Crum is as large as the whole Loaf every part being the whole Body of Christ and the whole can be no more and if this be true by the same reasoning why may not a handful of Christians be as numerous and diffusive as the whole Christian Church Secondly As to the Antiquity of Diana's Worship 't is prov'd by the Town-Clerk by this Argument that her Image fell down from Jupiter i. e. time out of mind for we must know that the Scene of all the Actions of the Heathen Gods and Goddesses were laid at a vast distance of time so that there was nothing of yesterday in that Religion as we see most of the Miracles of the Romish Church as such are wisely laid in such Times and Places as no one can enquire into them Now touching these Pretences to Antiquity these Four things are observable 1st That the Heathen and Romish Church do both pretend to them alike 2dly That both their Pretences are Ill Grounded 3dly That the Heathen Church bids fairer for it than the Romish 4thly That both the one Church and the other do alike unjustly Charge their Adversaries with Novelty the Heathens the Christians the Papists the Protestants 5thly That the very same Answer which the Primitive Christians return'd to the Heathens when charg'd with Novelty I say the very same Answer we Protestants return to the Romanists now All which do beyond measure shew the exact agreement betwixt the Heathen and the Romish Religion To insist on the latter only which virtually comprehends the rest The Jews and Christians were by the Heathens call'd Up-starts and Mushrooms the growth of a single Night and in consequent thereto 't was said their Religion was false The Substance of the Christians Reply to which heavy Charge was That thô some Errors are ancienter than some Truths yet the first Truth was ancienter than the first Error That God is the Fountain of Truth and before all Error That the first Religion in the World was that which Adam profess'd in Paradise That Adam's Innocence was prior to his fall upon which God immediately Instituted the Christian Religion The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpent's head That the Heathen Religion whose distinctive Character was Idolatry and multiplicity of Gods neither of which were heard of before the Fall grew up by little and little after Mankind had departed from God That thô all men fell yet some part of Mankind did Worship God in a purer and more natural manner than another That the whole of the Heathen Religion was but a Schismatical Heretical Separation of a Wickeder part of Mankind from the purer and more uncorrupted Religion which was profess'd by Godly Seth and the Antediluvian Patriarchs which sprang from his Line That as Adams Religion before the Fall was the first pure natural so the Christian Religion was the first Instituted Religion in the World in the design of God as being virtually contain'd in that first Prophesy The Seed of the c. which is not look'd upon as a different Religion from Adam's inasmuch as Christianity is no other than a Wonderful Wise Means or Dispensation of God's Providence to bring Humane Nature back again from whence it fell And do not we now mutatis mutandis make the very same reply when we are Recriminated in point of Novelty by the Romanists viz. That the Religion we profess is the True Apostolick Religion That we have added nothing new to it That they are the Innovators we having only cast off the Corruptions they super-induc'd And that the Design of the Protestant Religion is but to bring them back from whence they have departed The Inference from all which is That the Arguments as well as Errors of both Churches being the same in their Original Formation one and the same Answer serves them both Thirdly The Agreement is great and very exact as to the same Ends for the Promotion of which both Religions were contriv'd and afterwards maintain'd That is Sirs ye know that by this Craft we have our wealth which now by St. Paul's Preaching is in danger to be set at naught And certainly if ever there were any exquisite Silver Smiths with a Crafty Demetrius at the head of them besides these mention'd in the Text they are the Pope and Clergy of the Church of Rome most of their Doctrines and Practices consequent thereto which are truly theirs having no other tendency than to Enrich and Aggrandise the Priest To Enrich him of which nature are such as these Purgatory that Inexhaustible Fund of Riches with Indulgencies the Daughter of Purgatory as Rich as the Mother and their Prayers and Masses for the Dead The Worship of Images and Relicts of Saints with Pilgrimages undertaken to their Shrines Counterfeit Miracles wrought at them and huge Oblations made to the Tutelar Saints Works of Supererogation and Dispensations with Vows Oaths and Matrimonial Contracts For all which they have the pretences of Universality and Antiquity to blind the Vulgar thô all Ancient Authors are as profoundly silent touching them as the Holy Scriptures are which are undoubtedly the most Ancient Books in the World whilst to the Romish Clergy the true Stream that turns the Mill is Sirs ye know that by this Craft we have our wealth So that it was not ill said of a certain Pope That that Pope was a Fool that was poor whilst he could hold a Pen in his hand But before we dismiss this Argument I cannot but observe to you with what Elaborate Art the rest of the Romish Doctrines are contriv'd to support this one of Purgatory and render it a Doctrine prodigiously Gainful to the Romish Church For by their Doctrine of Attrition Confession and Sacerdotal Absolution no man can miscarry in his Way to Heaven that can but secure himself one single Sensible hour before death By their distinction of the Temporal punishment remaining after the Eternal is remitted they send the best as well as the worst i. e. all to Purgatory unless the Virgin Mary and some few very Eminent Saints and Martyrs And by making the Flames of Purgatory as intollerable as the Flames of Hell save in Duration they make that Place too hot for any one to continue in it So that the sum of all is this They Damn none neither do they Save any immediately otherwise than has been said but all Mankind passing through the Flames of Purgatory pay their Tributes to the Romish Coffers before they can be deliver'd thence Thus much for the Thriving Arts of the Church of Rome but there are other Doctrines and Practices tending to Aggrandise the Priest's person by fixing such a necessary dependance of the people on him and subjection to him in all they say know or do as gives him a Despotick Power over their Consciences which is the main point they design to gain by most if not all of them to Instance only in a very few The Intention of the Priest as to the validity of the