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A63618 A letter of enquiry to the reverend fathers of the Society of Jesus written in the person of a dissatisfied Roman Catholick. Taylor, James, fl. 1687-1689. 1689 (1689) Wing T284; ESTC R10414 40,744 50

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Reverend Fathers What signifies it with the Bishop of Meaux in the Fourth Section of his Exposition to say That in what Terms soever those Prayers which we Address to Saints are couch'd it is the Intention of the Church and of her Faithful to reduce them always to this form Pray for us Can the Intention of the Church and of her Faithful alter the nature of things and the universal meaning of plain words or is any such declaration of Intention to be admitted against the plain literal and grammatical Sence of the Prayers But if the Sence and Intention of the Church be no more than to Pray for us then why are not the Prayers and Hymns in our Publik Offices Breviaries c. at least alter'd to the Sence and Intention of our Church And why are any other Books of Devotion suffer'd to come out contrary to the Sence and Intention of the Church What a ridiculous proceeding to say no worse of it is this of our Church both to compose and set out Prayers to the Saints herself and also permit others to do so too couch'd and express'd in such Words Titles and Phrases as all sensible Mankind make use of to express their Thoughts and Desires in their Prayers to GOD and the Holy Trinity and then cry out That in what terms soev●● those Prayers which we make to the Saints are couch'd it is the Intention of the Church c. Is the Latin Tongue or any Vulgar Language so barren of Words that when our Church would Invocate the Saints and Angels c. she can do it in no other manner words or terms than such in which she constantly and properly addresses herself to GOD and the Holy Trinity Are there not in every Language and particularly in ours apt and proper words and terms in which to express our Souls to GOD and the Holy Trinity And likewise when we would desire the Saints and Angels to Pray for us What folly as well as wickedness is it then to confound these Objects so infinitly different in the same terms and words and to use those to the Saints and Angels which are proper to GOD only Again Reverend Fathers Do not Men generally understand words as they sound and usually signifie And does not the very natural sence of words raise proper and suitable Ideas in Mens minds Now I would fain know of you Reverend Fathers What Thoughts or Idea's a Man can be suppos'd to have who after this manner and for these things thus addresses himself to the Virgin Mary Sacred Majesty Mother of Unlimited Power the only hope of Sinners ador'd and call'd upon by the whole Universe and who by innumerable Titles claim the Utmost Duty of every Christian as a Proper Homage to your Greatness Let the greatness of your Mercy blot out the multitude of mine Offences and deliver me from all Dangers I entrust you with whatever I am have do or hope in Life and Death and through all Eternity I own my self in your Presence and that you survey the present state of my Soul all my Thoughts and Projects and every tract of my Conversation and therefore I put my self wholly under your Protection and will observe you as my Soveraign Lady relying on your Bowels of Mercy in all my Wants of Body and Mind Protect me from the Enemy and when my Soul departs from my Body receive it into the Glory of Paradice c. Now do ye think Reverend Fathers that Invocating the Virgin Mary in such words as these would not make any Men and Women very apt to entertain such an Idea of her as is only fit and proper to be thought of GOD Would not the continual use of such a Prayer make a man insensibly to forget especially in the act and heat of Devotion that she is but a Creature and fancy that he is a praying to some Being of Divine Excellency and Perfections Would not the interior Sentiments of his Mind think ye grow like his exterior Words and Expressions when in any Publick Place of Divine Worship or but in his Closet he is upon his Knees with Hands and Eyes lifted up and in a perfect posture of Adoration But if such a Man should not insensibly by the meer force of using such Words and Expressions fall into the thoughts of her being a GOD and so be guilty of flat Idolatry yet can you deny that he is upon the very brink of that Danger And must it not be esteem'd a Miracle if such a Person is preserv'd from falling into that Precipice Quere II. But Reverend Fathers I am not ignorant that our Disputers think they sufficiently clear their hands of such Writers as the Author of the Contemplation c. Father Crasset Cardinals Bona and Bonaventure Bernardin de Busts c. by saying that such things as they teach and such Prayers and Expressions as they compose and publish are not the Doctrines and Practices of our Church but the extravagant Sayings and Flights of Devotion of some particular Men. Now that this Plea has no place and is of no force against such Prayers as are found in the Offices Breviaries Missals c. of our Church I humbly conceive you 'll easily grant and therefore all such Prayers and that strange Language and Expressions found in them must unavoidably be charg'd upon our Church But then concerning these others I humbly enquire Why the Church if your Order Reverend Fathers be a part of the Church allows and permits such in particular the Contemplations c. and Father Crasset's Book and the same I might ask concerning the other Authors I have but now nam'd for I am told they are all publish'd by the Authority of the Church or by the permission of those appointed by the Church And does not such permission amount to the Churches approbation And does the Church use to approve of any thing that is not the Doctrine of the Church And if it be the Doctrine of our Church Why do ye not speak out and declare so and prove it to be the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles But if you still deny it to be the Doctrine of our Church then pray Why are not the Books call'd in censur'd and forbid to be read and the Men who writ them punisht for False Teachers and Deceivers Again Reverend Fathers if such be not the Doctrine of our Church as I would now fain hope for a very material reason it is not then pray Reverend Fathers let me humbly ask you again Why are these Books let alone to deceive our poor ignorant People into such gross Errors And here also it will be pertinent to enquire of you Reverend Fathers Why such Books as corrupt the Doctrines of Repentance and destroy the necessity of a Holy Life speaking Truth and doing Justice and in a word all the Moral Duties and Practice of a Christian are permitted to walk freely and boldly abroad in the World and debauch Mens Principles and Practices
not both a good sign as well as a mighty credit and advantage for the Reformation that its Defenders are never charg'd by us with alledging and quoting false and counterfeit Authors but can maintain their Cause against us by true and genuine Authors and Writings Is not this a plain Confession that either our Writers of Controversie are grosly ignorant and know not which are genuine and which are counterfeit Authors or very dishonest if they do know them and yet use them and impose them upon the World and that the points in difference cannot otherwise on our side be defended Query XI Whether the Pope's pretensions to Infallibility and Supremacy instead of being a means to obtain and preserve Vnity is not one of the greatest Impediments and Obstacles that ever stood in the way of the Peace and Vnity of the Catholick Church And also are not these pretensions of the Pope the true Root and Cause of all the Schrisms Wars Bloudy Massacres acted by our people upon the poor Protestants and the Miseries and Confusions that have been in the Church and State in this and other Countries for these many hundred years And whether according to all humane and rational Probability we might not far sooner hope to see Vnity and Concord Peace and Love in the Church Vniversal and between one National Church and one Christian man and another if this great Block of Offence were remov'd And in a word Whether there can be any rational hopes of Vnity or Peace either in Church or State till the Court of Rome is destroy'd and the Pope reduced both to the Name and Condition of a Primitive Bishop of Rome But Reverend Fathers I am come to the intended limits and a conclusion of my Letter before I have near finish'd my Enquiries For a multitude of other troublesome Thoughts Doubts and Scruples in very important matters crowd in upon me and press for room here But I must bear with their company till a fairer occasion It may be they shall be the subject of a Second Letter of Enquiry But I humbly beg you to give me a speedy Answer to this For pray consider how uneasie 't is to dwell with a dissatisfied Conscience Besides I must needs tell you that since your great Prudence has thought it for the advantage of our Church and Cause which nevertheless some wise men wonder how you could to publish in the Vulgar Tongue our Canons c. and the Catechism of the Council of Trent and that I am now convinc'd Ignorance is not such a rare and commendable Virtue nor so great a Friend to Devotion as some of you have endeavour'd to make me and others believe I say I am now resolv'd not only diligently to r●●d over these Canons c. but also our Representer's Pieces and the Answers to them and also as many as I can of other of the best esteem'd Books of Controversie writ by both Churches For I now think it both a most unjust and foolish method and course to read only the Books of the side If Judges should do so what mad Justice should we have And is our Eternal Happiness of less concern than worldly matters But to conclude I hape Reverend Fathers nothing has dropt from my Pen for which I need beg your Pardon but if there should I doubt not but your great Charity will give it the most favourable construction and excuse it Much less need I apologize that I have not writ this Letter and made my Enquiries in an exact method and order and like a Scholar and an Artist since you know I pretend to be none If I have deliver'd my Thoughts so plain and clear as to be well understood by my unlearned Brethren and that they are edify'd by them I have gain'd my ends and what I passionately desire But indeed I must needs confess that if I had had all the Qualifications of a perfect Scholar I believe I should have proceeded in the same manner For I look upon a plain and inartificial Dress the most agreeable to Truth and Honesty And as far as these permit me I am Reverend Fathers Your most Obedient Servant A. B. September the 21th and St. Matthew's day 1688.