mean I should look upon him as the most immodest man that ever wrote who after the Confutation of the others Assertion hath the face to renew it again and publish it to the world but when I consider 't is want of knowledge in History that makes him so bold I am willing to excuse him upon that account from wilfull imposture tho' all the world cannot clear him from strange rashness and confidence I will therefore bate him all but near two hundred years and undertake to prove whenever call'd to do it that the Râ—manists Treasons owned by their Popes and great Men since the Reformation do far out number all the Plots and Insurrections they can lay to the Protestants Charge which notwithstanding have been condemned by the whole body of our Divines Mr. Pulton himself affirmed to Mr. Cressener that all good Princes ought to consent to the Church to which it being returned what if Princes have no mind to part from their Right in obedience to the Churches decrees must they be dispossess'd against their will he asserted that in such a case the Church hath power to decide in favour of it self This relation had been given the world of their discourse before Mr. Pulton published his Remarks in which he doth not once deny this passage though he makes Reflexions upon others 〈…〉 Cressener's Vindication But Mr. Pulton is not alone in this Opinion for there is a certain Jesuite who highly brags of the Loyalty of his Church that very lately affirmed in my hearing that in case of oppression of the Subjects by their Prince it is but reasonable that the Pope being the common Father of Christendom should have a power to depose or other ways punish the Oppressor and another great stickler for that Church a Convert never attempted to clear his Church of this Charge it being very plain as he affirmed that such a power must reside some where and the Pope was certainly the fittest to be intrusted with it And indeed I cannot see how men of any ingenuity can condemn it when they pretend the Pope's Approbation of M. De Meaux's Book is a clear Evidence that the Doctrine contained in it is the Doctrine of their Church for not to mention at present the Actions of former Popes this very Pope who approv'd that Book doth at this time notoriously assert his power over Kings by Excommunicating his Majesty of France in the matter of the Franchises thereby approving of that Doctrine as much as the Bishop's and giving us the same Authority for the deposing power that the Papists pretend for that Prelates Exposition Let Mr. Pulton or any for him make good his bold Slander against our Church and find so many Treasons and Rebellions in the Protestant Communion if he can as I will undertake to prove upon the Romanists affirming confidently is a Talent possess'd by most of the Missionaries but proving what they affirm is beneath them there have been above six and fifty open Rebellions raised and Parricides committed upon great Princes in about one hundred and sixty years and eighty two Bulls Indulgences and Supplies of the Popes for the furtherance of those Treasons besides an infinite number of horrid Conspiracies upon which I cannot but observe that at the beginning of the Reformation they own'd these Doctrines publickly and till the Pope gave them leave would never pay Obedience to our Princes but by all the traiterous Conspiracies imaginable endeavoured to depose and murder them they had the Pope's Bulls and Resolution of many Vniversities to satisfie their Consciences which mâ—y be well put into the ballance with the late Decrees of the Sorbonne against the deposing power for if their Decrees of late be Evidence enough to acquit the Roman Catholicks from the imputation of disloyal Principles as some affirm they are then surely so many Decrees of the same Faculty defending those Principles so many censures of other Vniversities pass'd upon the Opposers of them and so many Bulls and Breves of Popes to the same purposes may well justifie us in affirming that there is no security of their obediences any longer than the Pope pleases Till he forbad them they took the Oath of Allegiance and defended it but ever since have refus'd it with a strange Obstinacy and what security is there that his Orders shall not have the same obedience rendred to them in other points nay since that we have seen the Romanists of England who before were ready to subscribe the Remonstrance decline giving the King any assurance of their obedience because the Pope commanded them not to do it Could they have been prevailed on to renounce these Doctrines as sinfull and unlawfull they would have at least shewn that at present their principles were such as become faithfull Subjects but when they cannot be perswaded to do this all their profession that it is not their Doctrine gives no assurance of their Loyalty But if they should do this it is well observ'd by a late Writer that while they found their Loyalty upon this Supposition that the deposing Doctrine is not the Doctrine of the Roman Church doth not this Hypothesis afford a shrewd suspicion that if it were the Doctrine of the Church of Rome or ever should be so or they should ever be convinc'd that it is so then they would be for the deposing of Princes no less than those who at this day believe it to be the Doctrine thereof And I wonder how the Gentlemen of that Church can alledge the Decrees of the Sorbonne as an Evidence that they hold not the Doctrine of the deposing Power for the same Faculty Aug. 9. 1681. and the 16 th of the same Month approved the Oath of Allegeance and condemned the Pope's temporal Power over Princes as Heretical and yet our English Romanists will not take the Oath nor be perswaded to condemn the deposing power though they pretend to disclaim it And indeed it would be folly to expect that the decree of one single Faculty should be of more Authority than the Bulls of so many Popes and Canons of Councils the Supream Heads of the Roman Church But as I observ'd before it is more strange to hear these men affirm that the Doctrine contain'd in the Bishop of Condoms Exposition is the Doctrine of their Church and yet deny that the deposing power is so when all the Authority that Exposition hath is from the Pope and Cardinals approbation which in a more solemn manner hath been often given to that Doctrine so that either their Argument for the Bishops Book concludes nothing or it is an evident Demonstration that the Roman Catholick Church teaches the Doctrine of deposing Princes I offer to prove against them that the Popes power in that point was universally believed as a matter of Faith in that Church for near five hundred years now let them answer this Argument nothing can be believed as a matter of Faith but what was taught them
the Pastors of the Church is one of the fundamental Articles of the Reformation A way of misrepresenting which hath been sufficiently blacken'd by themselves so that I need say nothing to expose it But to leave this Fryer whose whole Book consists of little else but as bad or worse Assertions one of their Champions could perswade the world that we account the belief of Transubstantiation to be Idolatry a cunning Artifice to draw the people from considering where the Charge is laid not against the Doctrine of the corporal Presence but the Adoration of the Host. And his fellow Advocate seems resolv'd not to be behind hand when he affirms that we believe there is nothing to be hoped for of substance in the Sacrament We dispute with great earnestness against the Idolatrous Worship given to Angels and Saints in that Church and our Adversaries have found it impossible to make a fair defence for it therefore they betake themselves to prove that those happy Spirits pray for us which we acknowledge as well as they and yet a very celebrated writer affirms that we deny it We profess to believe the Article of the Communion of Saints but Mr. Ward hath the assurance to tell the world That Protestants believe no Communion of Saints Hitherto we have had Instances of their direct way of misrepresenting but they are not so unskilfull as not to be furnished with finer Methods and which are not so easily discovered by the vulgar when they are eagerly disputing 'tis an easie thing to drop some Assertion which in the heat of Discourse shall pass unheeded by the warm Adversary but they will be sure to resume it and make their Advantage of it s not being contradicted either during the conference or afterwards to some of the persons then present which renders it necessary for those who engage with them to watch every word and not onely attend to the main Question for by this method they gain one of these two points if their Insinuation be not answered at first they will urge the point as granted and if the disputant deny it they presently cry out that he is now reduc'd to a strait and so denies what he own'd before which observation shall be surely seconded and applauded by their Adherents and often leaves an impression in the weaker Hearers on the other hand if when they find themselves pressed and at a stand which is their usual time to drop such a bye assertion and that their Artifice is discovered and their position denied they leave the first point and pursue the other and so engage insensibly in a desultory dispute from one thing to another never fix'd by which they render most disputations ineffectual so that whether stopt in their design or not they make their Advantage either to misrepresent our Doctrine or extricate themselves from the difficulties they can't resolve Thus one of their Divines urging the Authority of the Fathers to a Protestant and not willing to expose himself so far as to affirm in express terms that we thought those Holy Men divinely inspired us'd this Expression that seeing we owned the Authority of the DIVINELY INSPIRED FATHERS he would prove the Infallibility of the Church from their Writings to this the Gentleman not regarding the Epithete answered that he could not and so proceeded in the dispute they had not been parted many hours but the Fryer desired some of the company to observe how the Protestants contradicted themselves about their Rule of Faith professing to receive whatever was inspired by the Holy Ghost and yet not admitting the writings of the Fathers into the Rule tho' the opponent had acknowledged that they were inspired from above and when it was reply'd that there was no such Concession he urg'd that when he termed them Divinely inspir'd there was no exception taken at it which was a tacit affirming them to be so But the Gentlemen were too wise to be caught with so very slight an Appearance I shall have occasion to give a farther account of this under another Head therefore I shall at present onely observe that how thin soever this Artifice is in it self they use it in their publick discourses as well as private Conversation Mr. Clench arguing for the Infallibility of Councils hath these words speaking of our Appeal to the four first General Councils I know no reason why the Church should be credited in the four first General Councils and slighted and dis-believed in the following Christ promised he would be with them to the consummation of the world I can find no place where Christ promis'd to be with them for a limited time so as to direct them in their first Assemblies and to leave them for the future to themselves Here he would make the Reader believe that we receive those Synods as believing them secur'd from Error by Christ's promise for else his Argument is impertinent but we do not receive them on any infallible Authority of theirs not because they could not err but because they did not and therefore we reject others because they have err'd for we know of no promise made to them but are yet ready to receive any such Councils as the first were who govern themselves by the Holy Scriptures They find no great difficulty in confuting imaginary Opinions which makes them so very dexterous in this Method to dispute against our Doctrine of Justification by Faith was too hard a task and therefore F. T. coins a new definition of it in the middle of his Argument and immediately runs away with that endeavouring to prove that Faith is not an assured Belief that our sins are forgiven learnedly arguing against his own imagination however he had what he aim'd at for he made a shew of saying somewhat and if he could but perswade any ignorant Protestant that the definition was own'd by the Reformed he was sure he had overthrown it With the same sincerity another of their Champions would insinuate that the Protestants left the Communion of Rome because of the wickedness of the Members of that Church and therefore heaps up Authorities to prove that it is not a sufficient motive for a separation from them but all his Labour is to very little purpose for we know the Tares and Wheat are to grow together till Harvest and not onely the wickedness of their Priests and Bishops but the Errors and monstrous Corruptions of their Church could not have justified our Separation if they had not endeavour'd to force us to be partakers of those Abominations which we durst not do least we should be partakers of those Plagues which are denounc'd against them It was an easie matter to prove the former no ground for Separation but some thing hard to undertake the other Point so that our Author wisely wav'd it It was observ'd by the Duke of Buckingham that these Gentlemen serv'd themselves of hatefull Nick-names when they are pressed in disputes about Religion
Reverend Doctor Sherlock whose seasonable and excellent Discourse ought to be in the hands of all PROSTESTANTS who by it may be enabled to deal with the greatest Champion among them and I am heartily glad that so good a pen hath undertaken a work of that Consequence and I hope in a little time will oblige the world with the second part in the mean while the Answer which hath appear'd against it hath shew'd the WORLD how little can be said for Popery § 7. I would not have the Gentlemen of the Church of Rome pretend that I have as one of their celebrated Writers expresses himself imitated the Scavenger in stopping no where but at a Dung-hill for I have quoted none but allowed and approved Authors such as are daily published with allowance by their Party and therefore they ought not to be asham'd of or such as have been long received with Applause among them and as for what I have cited out of Protestant Books let them invalidate their Testimony if they can I will engage for the truth of my Quotations and know of no Objections against any Author I have cited which are of any force § 8. I design very speedily to publish the SECOND PART giving an account of several other ARTIFICES by which they endeavour to possess the people with favourable Opinions of them such as their Miracles the brags of the Holiness of their Church of their Succession Unity and Certainty of the usefulness of their Confession and that all Antiquity is on their side exposing their method of disgracing the Holy Scripture of forging and corrupting Authors the sowing several Sects and Heresies to divide us and that successfull Artifice of disguising and palliating their doctrines to which add the working on the peoples affections by asking WHAT IS BECOME OF THEIR POPISH ANCESTORS and blinding their judgments by perplexing and sophistical Similitudes with several other Topicks which they frequently insist on But after all that we can do 't is GOD alone must give the Blessing who is the GOD of TRUTH to whom if our Prayers be constant and fervent and our Obedeince to his Commands universal and sincere he is engaged by his Promise which can never fail to keep us in the Truth in which that all who read this Treatise may continue unmov'd and order their Conversations so as becomes the GOSPEL of TRUTH and HOLINESS is the hearty Prayer of the AUTHOR of it The Catalogue That the Gentlemen of the Church of Rome may have all the help in the world to convince me of Falsifications if they can and to spare them that trouble which they put us to by careless and ignorant Quotations I have here given them a Catalogue of the Books cited in the ensuing Treatise with their Editions A. ARcana Societatis Jesu Edit 1635. 8 vo Acts of the Conference at Paris 1566 Lond. 1602 4 to Acosta de noviss tempor Ludg. 1592 8 vo Answer to the consid on the Spirit of Martin Luther Oxford 1687 4 to Animadv on Fanatacism fanatically 〈◊〉 to the Cath. Church Lond. 1674 8 vo Animadversions on a Sermon of the Bish. of Bath and Wells Lond. 1687 4 to Augustini opera Paris 1571 fol. Ambrosii Opera Col. 1616 fol. Answer to the Provin Letters Paris 1659 8 vo Advice to the confuter of Bellarmine Lond. 1687 4 to The Agreement bet the Ch. of Eng. and the Ch. of Rome Lond 1687 4 to Athanasii Opera Col. 1686 fol Answer to the Letter to a Dissenter Printed for H. Hills Lond. 1687 4 to Answer to two main Questions of the first Letter to a Dissenter Lond. 1687. 4 to Answer to a Disc. against Transub Lond 1687 4 to Avis aux R. R. P. P. Jesuits sur leur Procession de Luxembourg Edit 1685 12 s. Ans. to the Let. from a Diss. Lond 1688. 4 to Answer to Pap. Prot. against Prot Popery Lond 1686 4 to Answer to Dr. Sherlock's Preservat against Popery Lond 1688. 4 to Avis aux R. R. P. P. Jesuits d' Aix en Provence Sur on imprime qui à pour Titre Ballet dansé à la Reception de Monseigneur Archeveque d' Aix A Col. 1687. 12 s. B. BVrnet's Answer to the Letter of the Fr. Clergy Lond 1683 8 vo Bellarmini Controvers Colon. 1628 fol. Baronii Annales Antw. 1610 fol. Dr. Burnet's Letters of his Travels Rotterd 1687 8 vo Lucae Brugensis in Evangel Antw. 1606 fol. A. B. Bramhaâ—'s Works Dubl 1676. fol. Dr. Burnet's History of the Reformation Lond. His Vindicat. of the ordin of the Ch. of England Lond. 1677 8 vo His History of the Rights of Princes Lond 1682 8 vo Bernardi Giraldi Patavini Apologia pro Repub Venetorum Vid. Arcana Societatis Jesu Birckbeck's Protestant Evidence Lond. 1635 4 to Baiting of the Pope's Bull Lond. 1627 4 to Burnet's Sermon before the Lord Mayor Jan. 30. 1680 1. 4 to C. F. Cross's Sermon before the Q. April 21. 1686. Lond. 1687 4 to Considerations on the Spirit of Martin Luther Oxford 1687 4 to Jesuits Catechism Edit 1602 4 to P. Crasset La veritable devotion envers la S. Vierge Paris 1679 4 to Discourse of Communion under both species by the Bp. of Meaux Paris 1685 12 s. Conference with Campion in the Tower Lond. 1583 4 to Crashaw's Falsificationum Romanarum Tomi primi lib. primus Lond. 1606 4 to Catholick Scripturist Lond. 1686 8 vo Chrysostomi Opera Paris â—636 Canones Decreta Consilii Tridentini Col. 1577 12 s. Contzeni Politica Mogunt 1620 fol. Collection of Treat concern penal Laws Lond. 1675. 4 to Copleys Reasons of his departure from the Ch. of Rome Lond. 1612 4 to Cressey's Exomologesis Paris 1647 8 vo Cressener's Vindication Lond. 1687 4 to Jo. Camerarius de Frat. Orthod Eccles. in Bohemia deest mihi Titulus Campion's Reasons Lond. 1687 4 to And the same in Latin Cosmop 1581. Corpus Confessionum Fidei Gen. 1654 4 to The Connexion Lond. 1681 8 vo Conference entre deux Docteurs de Sorbonne c. Edit 1566 8 vo D. DRelincourt's Protestants self defence 〈…〉 Def. of the Expos. of the Doct. of the Ch. of England Lond. 1686. 4 to Discovery of the Society in relation to their Politicks Lond. 1658 8 vo Defence of the confut of Bell. sec. note of the Ch. Lond 1687 4 to Defence of the Papers written by the late K. Lond. 1686 4 to Difference between the Prot. and Socin methods Lond. 1686 4 to Diff. bet the Ch. of E. the C. of R. L 1687 4 to A Discourse for taking off the Penal Laws and Tests Lond 1687 4 to A Discourse of the Notes of the Church Lond. 1687 4 to Declaration of the favourable dealing of her Majesties Commissioners 1583 4 to Decree made at Rome March 2 d. 1679 4 to E. EUropae Speculum Lond. 1687 8 vo Capt. Everard's Epistle to the Nonconformists Edit 1664. 8 vo Exposit. of the Doctrine of the Church of England Lond. 1686. 4 to
appeal to God concerning the truth of that which he had contradicted under his own hand We need not wonder at his singular dexterity in this matter seeing it hath been his chief Employment as a Bishop to make Proselytes and it would be a great wrong to his quick Apprehension to suspect his being throughly vers'd in the artifices necessary for accomplishing his end Which is an opinion none that is conversant in his Works can well be of he having taken so much Care to furnish us with instances of his excellency therein For being charg'd by the Learned Expositor of the Doctrine of our Church with teaching Prayer to Saints in such a manner as that it was directly contrary to the same Doctrine as laid down in Father Crassets Book on that Subject by his Letter of April the 6 th 1686. affirms he never read that Jesuit's discourse neither ever heard it mention'd that it was contrary to his exposition which he again asserts in his Letter of May 13. 1687. now to prove this of the same stamp with the former passage the very looking into the Bishops Book of Communion under one kind where he is answering Monsieur Jurieux who objects that Book of Father Crasset against his Lordship and spends several pages to prove that it plainly contradicts his Exposition is sufficient So that we must either conclude the BISHOP answered a Book which he never read or that his PROTESTATION that he never heard there was any thing in that Jesuites Book contrary to his MVST BE VNTRVE for he could not peruse Monsieur Jurieux discourse without finding the difference insisted on This was urg'd against him by his Adversary but he thinks fit in his Reply to take no notice of it contenting himself with an unjust reflexion upon that French Divine but never offers to weaken this Argument which had been alledg'd purposely to prove his Assertion false And which will always remain as an unanswerable instance of his insincerity unless he fly for refuge to that equivocating shift that he never HEARD Father Crassets Doctrine was different from his tho' he had indeed READ a discourse which affirm'd that it was which is an excuse fit for such a Cause and the best that it will ever bear There seems to be a kind of Conspiracy among the French-Clergy to deny this Persecution or at least to represent it as neither so violent or universal as indeed it is to which purpose it is affirm'd in a discourse said to be written by order of the Clergy under this Title A LETTER FROM A CHVRCH MAN TO A FRIEND That there were not forty Churches of Protestants demolish'd in the ten years preceding the Year Eighty Two when it is notoriously known that in the Province of POITOV alone near that number were pull'd down and the Agent of the Clergy had the May before said at the opening of the Assembly that the K. had demolish'd an infinite number of them But it is not particular Actions onely which they are so ready to deny and disclaim but if any Authors whether Fathers or of a latter date of whatsoever kind be objected to them they reckon it a good and sufficient Answer either to deny that there are such Authors or that they wrote those Books or that the passages insisted on are to be found in them or if all these be made too evident to be handsomely denied they have then some wrested interpretation which without any hesitancy they will offer as the Sense of the Author they are press'd with This Liberty of rejecting Books when they are press'd with them is not onely practis'd but defended VASQUEZ telling us that it is frequent among the Catholicks when they are urg'd with Testimonies out of the Councils or Fathers to deny that they are theirs and this he says is the readiest and often the best refuge they can find and BARONIVS being prest with a passage out of Clement's Constitutions answers that he might deny the Authority of them which he affirms to be a very justifiable shift this is confess'd by the Authors of the Index Expurgatorius Belgicus to be their usual practice and they give directions how to improve it which the Missionaries are very observant of as the experience of those who converse with them may easily discover I remember when I urg'd one of them with the Novelty of Transubstantiation he told me it was so far from being new that it was never question'd till BERENGARIVS oppos'd it when I desired him to call to mind that BERTRAM liv'd SOME AGES before that he mention'd he reply'd in a GREAT HEAT THERE WAS NO SUCH MAN and turning to the Company desired them to take notice how we coyn'd Authors at our pleasure but when I undertook to justifie both that there was such a Writer who oppos'd their Doctrine and had satisfi'd those who were present he had no way to come off but by pretending he mistook the name but I could not prevail with him to tell who it was he suppos'd I nam'd When Campion the Jesuite who made such a bustle with his Brags of challenging the UNIVERSITIES was prest with some Texts out of the Book of Judith to prove that she was not inspir'd by God he confidently affirmed there were no such passages tho' it was presently proved that they were to be found in the Vulgar Latin and Mr. Chark alledging Tertullian against Hermogenes in defence of the sufficiency of Scripture Mr. Campion first deny'd that Tertullian wrote the Book and being convinc'd of that without reading the place he immediately of his own head began a discourse of the Fathers design therein as if it were revealed to him by Inspiration for he had just before disclaim'd the knowledge of any such piece of Tertullians which way of expounding the FATHERS and SCRIPTURE at random he was so in love with that in the last Conference being press'd with that passage of our SAVIOUR Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serve from whence Mr. Clark inferr'd that as the Text of Deuteronomy Thou shalt worship no strange gods justified our Saviours adding the word ONELY him ONELY shalt thou serve so we by the same warrant and words do in the question of Justification take the words NOT BY WORKS NOT BY LAW to import as much as FAITH ONELY for ALL WORKS whatsoever being excluded by these negative Speeches FAITH ALONE remaineth To evade this Mr. Campion with his usual boldness reply'd that the word WORSHIP doth of necessity infer so much and therefore CHRIST did well to expound it by ONELY but it was not so in the other instance Where by endeavouring to outface that Argument he gave up the whole Cause of worshipping Images and Saints by confessing that GOD ALONE is to be worshipp'd And the Jesuit COTTON Confessor to HENRY the great of France when Carolus Scribanius under the feigned
name of Bonarscius had published his Book wherein he defended the power of Popes over the Lives and Temporalities of KINGS finding how ill it was resented at the Court of France confidently asserted that it was a Book written by the Hereticks and published only to make the Jesuits odious and yet the same man when he had opportunity highly commended the very same Book as very fit for the instruction of youth and was a means of dispersing many Copies of it Let the impartial Reader but reflect on this carriage which is so universally approv'd among them and he will find it was not without reason that I desir'd of him in the former Chapter TO DISTRUST EVERY THING THEY SAY It was a Habit I was very unwilling to endeavour after till my experience of their way of writing and observations of their discourses convinc'd me of the absolute necessity all who deal with them lie under to attain it for I cannot call to mind any one of their Books nor remember any particular Conversation which I have been engag'd in with them wherein I have not met with such shuffling and insincere Answers offered with as grave a countenance and as much assurance as if there was no jugling at the Bottom To alledge all the instances which the late passages of this nature furnish us with would be as troublesome to the Reader as tedious to me The Oxford Champion gives Luther the Lye for quoting a passage which though this Civil Gentleman is pleas'd to deny it is in the Author he professes to take it from The late Bishop of Meath assures us There are who contrary to all evidence confidently aver write and openly proclaim to the world that there was no Rebellion in Ireland in 1641. but they themselves the IRISH and PAPISTS of Ireland were then the SUFFERERS and the PROTESTANTS the first AGGRESSORS which they back with such confidence that the Bishop assures us it hath already gain'd great belief with many An eminent Divine lately discoursing with some of the Roman Church and producing the Roman Breviary in confirmation of the point he was insisting on one of them very confidently told him that it was forg'd by the Protestants and when he offer'd the Passion week printed in English at Paris he met with the same Answer And at this day they spread among their people a report that the reason of the few hardships for they strive to represent them as few as possible of the French Protestants is because they designed to Rebell against the King. It is almost incredible what a multitude of such instances might be given and as strange that men who pretend to so much Religion should be guilty of them but they find the effects of them so pleasing that there is no hope they should ever be prevail'd on to relinquish these unhandsome Methods and behave themselves with more modesty and respect to Truth For hereby they have so possess'd their people with false notions and fill'd their heads with such invented stories that they look upon us as a parcel of men who can neither write nor speak truth insomuch that but a few days ago when I offer'd to a Gentleman of that Communion to prove his Church guilty of FORGING AVTHORS and altering the genuine works of the ancient Fathers and modern Divines he reply'd that he was so sure of the contrary that tho' I should swear it he would never believe it true nay if I should shew him the very Books he was sure they must be some of our own making and therefore would givâ— no credit to them just such an encounter Mr. Crashaw had with some of the same Religion upon this Subject when objecting the INDEX EXPURGATORIUS they presently reply'd it was never done by the Catholick Church but it was some trick of BEZA or JUNIUS devised to disgrace the Catholick Cause To justifie his Accusation he produced STELLA on Luke which was purged as the Title it self declared according to the rules of that Index they answered the Title might be put in by some of us in malice to make the world believe the Romish Church did what they have not done Nay when he produc'd Possevine the Jesuite affirming that he was so purg'd they would not be satisfied but still declar'd there was no such thing And this is the case of many thousands at this day among them Neither is this confident trick of asserting whatever they fansie may advance their Cause practis'd onely when they are pressed with an Argument or Authority but in their own Arguments against us they will not stick to publish the greatest Falsities if it may either create an ill opinion of us or enhance their peoples esteem for them Their usual entrance is with great boasts of their Cause and that if their Enemies dare meeâ— them the world shall see with how much ease they will baffle all their Arguments though the Jesuite Gontiere was sadly foil'd when having so far prevailed upon Monsieur Liembrun that the Gentleman had promis'd to become a Romanist after a conference which he desired the Jesuite would hold with Dr. Du Moulin when the conference began he was so puzz'ld to prove his own mission that after much turning over the Bible he retir'd â—â—lent and in confusion to a Corner of the Room upon which Monsieur Liembrun in indignation addressed himself to Gontiere Father said he you told me that if I brought a Minister before you you would confound him here is one and you stand dumb Upon which the Gentleman was confirmed in his Religion And Mr. Campion notwithstanding all his brags and vain challenges was so miserably baffl'd in the four conferences held with him in the Tomes that whoever reads the Relation published by his own party will have other thoughts of his Abilities and Learning than he could possibly form from the Idea the Commendations given of him by the Missionaries might prevail with him to entertain These brags having raised the expectation of the people to admiration they are well prepar'd to feed the humour in which the description given of Monsieur Maimbourg is a character of their conduct that they have no regard to truth or likelihood in what they assert and tho' I know there are many among them who abhor such practices yet the much greater number of them do all copy after the same pattern when the ingenious Author of the Pap. Misrepresented and Represented would establish the Books which our CHURCH rejects for Apocrypha as a part of the Canon of Scripture he cites St. Gregory Nazianzen and St. Ambrose neither of whom have any thing to the purpose the first onely mentions the persons of the Maccabees and commends them and the latter quotes them as we do any other books but hath not the least tittle of their being part of the sacred Canon but thinking to establish two points by one Authority he tells us in the same Chapter that St. Jerome doubted
Brother c. protesting to them that his Soul had greatly longed to eat that last Supper and to perform that last Christian Duty before he left 〈◊〉 and gaâ—â— thanks to God that he had liv'd to finish that blessed Work. And then drawing near his end he caus'd his 〈◊〉 to read the Confession and Absolution in the Common Prayer And the person who was reported to reconcile him Mr. Thomas Preston being examined before the A. B. of Canterbury and other Commissioners protested before God as he should answer it at the dreadfull day of Judgment that the Bishop of London did never confess himself to him nor ever received sacramental Absolution at his hands nor was ever by him reconcil'd to the Church of Rome neither did renounce before him the Religion established in the Church of England yea he added farther that to his knowledge he was never in company with the Bishop never receiv'd any letter from him never wrote to him nor did he ever see him in any place whatsoever nor could have known him from another man. The same did Father Palmer the Jesuite whom they affirmed to be one of those by whom he was reconcil'd affirm that he never saw the Bishop This Book of Musket's was known to be such a notorious forgery that Mr. Anderton an ingenious Priest expressed his sorrow that ever such a Book should be suffered to come forth for it would do them more hurâ—â—han any Book they ever wrote yet have they since altered the Title and so printed it again and a Book exceedingly admir'd among them written about fifteen years since and Dedicated as I remember to the D. of Buckingham insists much upon this Conversion which makes me beseech my Brethren of our Church that they would be carefull to what Assertion they give credit and believe nothing in the writings of these men upon their Authority for let a thing be never so false they will not stick to report it and though it be expos'd and confuted they will urge it with the same confidence as an uncontradicted truth In the same manner when Father Redmond Caron who wrote in defence of Loyalty to the King against the rebellious Opinions and Doctrines of the Court of Rome lay upon his death bed in Dublin ann 1666. the Priests raised a Report that he retracted his Signature of the Loyal Irish Remonstrance and all his Books on that Subject but they were too quick in spreading this piece of Calumny against that Loyal Man for the account came to his Ears before he died upon which in the presence of many of his own Order he protested solemnly that he was so far from recanting that the Doctrine which he had taught he looked upon as the Doctrine of Christ and that it was his duty to maintain it Thus if any of their own Church be of a sounder Principle than themselves they cannot help practising that rule of the Jesuits whereby they are directed to report that such as leave them are very desirous to be receiv'd again and although they are so often prov'd and expos'd to the world as Calumniators and Forgers they with the greatest unconcernedness invent and report anew upon the next occasion But that the World may not be always fed with false Stories they cast about for an artifice to deceive them by false Converts appointing men to pretend themselves Protestants and after some time to be reconcil'd to the Romish Church by the means of their Missionaries Thus ann 1583. at the Sessions at Glocester in the month of August one Richard Summers was apprehended who outwardly seem'd a Protestant but being one day present at a discourse between one of the Bishop of Glocesters Chaplains and a Puritan as they were then call'd us'd this Expression If this be the fruits of Protestantism I will lament my ways and turn to my Mother the Ch. of Rome seeing the Ch. of England is divided The Chaplain upon this suspecting this man one day disguis'd himself and trac'd him to an house where he found him in a Surplice and heard him say Mass after which he dogg'd him to his Lodging and had him apprehended 'T is an attempt not impossible to succeed to raise such reports of particular private Men but to tell the world of whole bodies of men whole Nations and Countries and Sovereign Princes becoming Converts when they know the contrary to be the real truth is something more amazing and able to surprise the most thinking men yet were not these Gentlemen asham'd to affirm even at Rome it self where it is an ordinary practice with great Solemnity that the Patriarch of Alexandria with all the Greek Church of Africa had by their Ambassadours submitted and reconcil'd themselves to the Pope and receiv'd from his Holiness Absolution and Benediction but tho' this was found a Fable about the same time they reported that the K. of Scots K. James had chas'd the Ministers away and executed two of them bestowing their Goods upon the Roman Catholicks that not only Beza had recanted his Religion but the City of Geneva also sought to be reconcil'd and had sent to Rome an Ambassage of Submission This news was whispered among the Jesuits two months before it became publick but at length there came a solemn account of it which run through all Italy and was so verily believed to be true that several went to Rome on purpose to see those Ambassadours and to make up the full measure of this Romish Policy there was news sent from Rome to Lyons that Q. Elizabeth's Ambassadours were at Rome making great instance to be absolv'd And there is a certain secular Priest who not long since assur'd me that he had seen an original Instrument under the hand of the late Arch-bishop of York and other Prelates with several Divines among whom he named Dr. Wallis of Oxford approving several of the Romish Doctrines and particularly Prayer to Saints or for the dead but tho' upon my earnest intreaty he promis'd to procure me a sight of it yet he never perform'd it to this day But this is usual among them when they have a design either to make or confirm Proselytes these Assertions that our greatest Men are Papists in private are never out of their mouths and within these few years they reported publickly in Ireland that not onely his late and present Majesty but all the Nobility and Gentry of the Kingdom of England were privately of their Religion And no longer since than the year 1678. it was generally reported at Rome for six months together that the Armenian Patriarch with six and thirty Bishops were on their way thither to submit to and acknowledge the Apostolical See tho' this was a Sham like the rest of their Great Conversions on which I shall make some few Reflexions by a short account of the greatest of them which they are most ready to boast of at this day The
Protestant that the Church of which he is a Member holds them there needs no great industry to prevail with such a man to leave it This course the Popish Bishop of Ferns in Ireland took to perswaâ—e Father Andrew Sall who had left the Jesuits among whom he had continued many years and about sixteen years since became a Member of our Church to return to the Romish Communion insomuch that Father Walsh confesses that he had strangely misrepresented the Church of England in his Book against that Convert But I think never did any of their Writers equal Father Porter Reader of Divinity in the College of St Isidore at Rome who this very year in a Book printed there and dedicated to the Earl of Castlemain and Licensed by the Companion of the Master of the Sacred Palace and others as a Book very usefull for the instruction of the faithfull tells us that the God of the Protestants doth not differ from the Devil nor his Heaven from Hell and that the whole Frame of our Religion is founded in this horrid Blasphemy THAT CHRIST IS A FALSE PROPHET which he attempts to prove by another Misrepresentation as great as this for saith he the English Confession of Faith asserts that General Councils GUIDED BY THE HOLY GHOST AND THE WORD OF GOD may Err for which he cites the 19. and 20. Articles of our Church the latter of which onely asserts that the Church ought to be guided in her decisions by the Word of God and tho' the former doth affirm that the Church of Rome hath erred yet it saith nothing of General Councils the 21 Article indeed affirms that they may Err and the Reason it gives is because they are an ASSEMBLY OF MEN WHO ARE NOT ALL GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT AND WORD OF GOD so that all this Fryers Exclamation of the horridness of such a Doctrine as he charg'd upon us serves onely to shew his own immodesty and to let the world see with what strange Confidence some men can advance Assertions and alledge Authorities which any one that can read will discover to be forg'd This I confess seems to be a new Charge of his own inventing but that which he brings in another place that we are not oblig'd by our Religion to pray was long since framed by the Priests at the beginning of the Reformation who perswaded the people that in England the Protestants had neither Churches nor form of Religion nor serv'd God any way and they had so possess'd them with that opinion that several persons were reckon'd Lutherans onely because they were horrid Blasphemers That the Decalogue is not obligatory to Christians and that God doth not regard our Works is one of the monstrous Opinions which Campion had the confidence to 〈◊〉 both our Vniversities was maintained by the Church of England and like a Child who to cover one untruth backs it with another he quotes the Apology of the Church of England as his voucher wherein these words are found which are so clear that they alone are enough to make those blush who by Translating and Publishing this Treatise of Campions the last year have made his Forgeries their own the words of the Apology are these although we acknowledge we expect nothing from our own Works but from Christ onely yet this is no encouragement to a loose life nor for any to think it sufficient to believe and that nothing else is to be expected from them for True Faith is a living and working Faith therefore we teach the people that God hath called us to good Works And that the Reader may see what Credit is to be given to the Romanists in this point I shall give an account of the Doctrine of the several Reformed Churches about the necessity of good Works and then shew with what confidence these Gentlemen affirm that the Protestants teach that good Works are not necessary The four Imperial Cities in their Confession of Faith presented to the Emperour in the year 1530. having explained the Doctrine of Justification by Faith onely have these words But we would not have this understood as if we allowed Salvation to a lazy Faith for we are certain that no man can be saved who doth not love God above all things and with all his might endeavour to be like him or who is wanting in any good Work And therefore enjoyn their Ministers to preach up frequent Prayer and Fasting as holy Works and becoming Christians in which the Augustan Coâ—fession agrees with them that good Works necessarily follow a true Faith for even at that time the Calumny that they denyed the necessity of them was very common as appears by their solemn disclaiming any such Opinion in the twentieth Article affirming that he cannot have true Faith who doth not exercise Repentance The same is taught by the Helvetian Churches in their Confession compos'd at Basil Ann. 1532. that true Faith shews it self by good Works and in another fram'd at the same place Ann. 1536. we find this Assertion that Faith is productive of all good Works The Bohemian Churches affirm that he who doth not exercise Repentance shall certainly Perish and that good Works are absolutely necessary to Salvation is the Doctrine of the Saxon Reformers in their Confession of Faith offer'd to the Council of Trent Ann. 1551. and in that presented to the same Council by the Duke of Wirtemberg the following year there is this Profession we acknowledge the Decalogue to contain injunctions for all good works and that we are bound to obey all the moral Precepts of it We teach that good works are necessary to be done And in particular it commends Fasting and in the twenty second Article of the French Confession it is affirmed that the Doctrine of Faith is so far from being an hindrance to a holy Life that it excites us to it so that it is necessarily attended with good works The Church of England agrees with the rest of the Reformed Artic. 12. that good works are acceptable to God and do necessarily spring out of a True and lively Faith. And the Confession of Faith subscribed by all the Churches of Helvetia Ann. 1566. and afterwards by the Reformed of Poland Scotland Hungary and Geneva gives this account of the Faith of those Churches Faith causes us to discharge our duty toward God and our Neighbour makes us patient in Adversity and produces all good works in us so we teach good works to be the Off-spring of a lively Faith. And although we affirm with the Apostle that we are justified by Faith in Christ and not by our good works yet we do not reject them But condemn all who despise good works and teach that they are not necessary And in the thirteenth and fourteenth Articles of the Scotch Confession they maintain the necessity of all good