put his trust in it as expecting any good from it as if he knew not what Divinitie Vertue or Sanctitie was in that carved piece of wood Notwithstanding because he had heard that such a scandalous imputation was by some misperswaded persons laid on the Church he would then and there undeceive them Thereupon he spit upon the Crucifix threw it scornfully to the ground and trampled it under his feet 14. You see Mr. Bagshaw what kind of Idolaters the Papists are Against this Idolatry let us see what expresse Scripture you can produce This is the great crime for which there can be no expiation but oppressions Imprisonments and Gallowses Now if what hath been here said give you no satisfaction in case you have a mind to reply do not practise your old way of snatching a phrase or expression out of a single Author a School-man or Controvertist making the whole Church answerable for one mans indiscretion But search what the Church her self has declared in the Council of Trent Imagines Christi c. in Templis praesertim retinendae c. Images of Christ c. ought to be reteined in Churches especially and due honor and veneration exhibited to them not that there is believed any Divinity or Vertue in them for which they ought to be worshipped or that they are to be petitioned for any thing or any confidence to be repos'd in them but because the honor exhibited to them is referred to the Prototypes they represent Dispute against this as well as you can and be assured you shall either be answered or told you are unconquerable CHAP. XV. The Roman Churches Prudence in restraining the too free use of Scripture from the Unlearned The miseries of this Kingdom justly ascribed to a defect in such Prudence Of Prayers not in a Vulgar Tongue The Causes and Grounds thereof That practise not contrary to St. Paul I. DOctor Pierce his next which is a double Novelty regards not any Doctrines but only a Point of Discipline in the Church which is The with-holding Scripture from the Vulgar and practising public Devotions in an unknown Tongue Concerning the former he saies The Scriptures were written in Hebrew the mother-tongue of the Iew and in Greek a Tongue most known to Eastern Nations And afterwards were translated into the Dalmatick by St. Hierom into the Gothick by Vulphilas into the Arminian by Chrysostom c. and the Vulgar Latin was anciently the Vulgar Language of the Italians c. 2. Truly the Doctor has if it be well consider'd made choice of a very proper season to renew a quarrel against the Roman Church upon this Point and to endeavour the engaging his Majesty in it as if the calamities already hapned both to the Royal Family and the whole Nation were either too little or not to be imputed chiefly to that Error He and all Christendom has seen the blessed effects that this prostituting Scripture to the passions and lusts of the rude and common people of all Conditions Ages and Sexes has wrought the last twenty years in this Kingdom What was it but Scripture as it was used and of which ill use themselves were the first causes and hereafter will never be able to prevent that justified Discontents against the Government both Civil and Ecclesiastical that put Swords and Guns into the hands of Subjects against their Kings and all that were faithful to them that dissolved the entire frame of the Kingdom that encourag'd men to Plunder and all manner of Rapines that Arraign'd and Murther'd our last most Excellent KING that endanger'd his now living Son our most gracious Kings life and forced him into a long necessitous banishment that has revived and given strength to old and new Monsters of Heresies to the astonishment of Man-kind some of which are no where else to be seen and the rest in no where place so venomous as in England Let but the Doctor remember how much mischief the perverse interpretation of this one Text which none but the ignorant could mistake produc't in this Nation Having a form of godlinesse but denying the power thereof How did this ring in their ears and stir them up to reject and hate all set-forms of Prayer How with this Text alone often repeated and industriously enlarged and zealously apply'd by the holy Lecturers were their very hearts set on fire to burn the grand Idol of the Common Prayer Book And yet after all this the Doctor makes or renews quarrels with the Roman Catholic Church because she is unwilling by imitating them to give a birth from her bowels to such mischiefs as these 3. Yet cannot be deny'd that Doctor Pierce was subtile for having a design in recompence of the service Roman Catholicks have done them to expose them to the common rage of all these Monsters he could not make choice of a subject more proper for his purpose than this in which alone they were all interessed not for the good they reap by Scripture but because without it they would not have the advantage to do half so much mischief 4. Yet must he not think he can so blind mens eyes but they know well enough that English Protestants are in their very Souls grieved That 't is now too late for them to eâ—deavor how they may imitate both the Prudence and Charity of Catholic Churches in the dispensing of Scripture Our Pastors do not as he wrongfully seems to charge them forbid the Translation of Scripture into Vulgar Tongues since there is scarce any Nation but hath it There are Catholic Translations of the Scripture into English French Dutch Italian Spanish c. for the use of those of the Laity who are by their Spiritual Guides judged such as that they may reap benefit and no harm by the reading thereof And what more doth the Preacher shew in the practise of the ancient times in saying that the Holy Scriptures were then translated into the Dalmatick Tongue by St. Hierom then I shew in justification also of the later times which he would here condemn in saying as truly that the Holy Scriptures are also found translated long ago in Wicliffs the Reformers time by the allowance and Authority of the Catholic Church of which thus Dr. Fâ—lk That the Scriptures were extant in English both before and after Wicliffs time and not of his Translation beside your conjecture out of Liâ—dâ—ood it is manifestly proved by so many ancient â—riters Copies of the English Bible differing in â—â—anslation yet to be shewed of which Wicleffs Translation could be but one Or in saying That the same Holy Scriptures have been Translated also of late since Luthers a second Reformer's time with the allowance of the same Church Catholic by the industry of the Rhemish Divines But Catholic Governors knowing how impossible it is for ignorant Persons to understand it and for passionate minds to make good use of it esteem it more conduceing to their edification and the common peace that such
Doctrin odious and moreover to demonstrate the no grounds such Preachers as he have to accuse the Catholic Church of I know not what Idolatry in this matter of Images I will presume to borrow from an Author who will not be angry with me for it a passage touching this Point by which he will see that Catholics do no more than every mans own reason wil justify in the respect they give to sacred Images It is the namelesse Author of an Answer to Mr. Bagshaw's Treatise of Infallibility where he will find this following passage in which there are some glances that regard only such furious impertinents as Mr. Bagshaw which therefore I am far from thinking applyable to Doctor Pierce 2. â—hus then writes that Author intending to demonstrate that in the veneration of Images taught by the Catholic Church there is nothing at all swerving from common reaâ—on Give me leave saith he to propose to such a sober man as you are altogether compounded of Reason some few Questions First then suppose there were represented to you while you were thinking of other matters or talking a Picture of our Lord haâ—gâ—ng on the Cross couâ—d you pâ—ssibly avoid the calling to mind who our Lord was and what he had done or suffered for you And if not being able to forbid the entrance of such thoughts into your mind on such an occasion would your reason dictate to you that you had done ill in changing your thoughts from the World to God would you repent of it asking pardon of God and praying that such a tentation might never befall you aâ—terwards Does your enlightned reason suggest â—his to you Truly it iâ— do I believe you are of a temper of mind almost specifically different from all mankâ—â—d besides and they must change their nature before you make them of your perswasion or Church And yours is no a common sense if it either tell you that by your beating down of Crosses and breaking Church windows our good Countrymen think more of God than they did while those Remembrances were standing or if they think less that it is better for them to forget him 3. To make a step further Let it he supposed that at the same time you saw before you several Pictures of several Persons in a contrarâ— manner regarded by you as of St. Peter and Iudas of our late Severaign and Bradshaw Or put case you had in one hand a Bible and in the other the infamous story of Pantagruel does not your common sense and reason tell you that such Pictures or Books force upon you quite contrary thoughts and affections which regard those Pictures or Books not simply considered but as representing such Persons and containing such matters Which thoughts being just and not at all harmfull to you and withall almost impossible to be avoided I cannot find any reason why Reason should forbid them I am sure common sense will not 4. If then it be according to reason and common sense and likewise unavoidably to admit such different thoughts will not reason also warrant you to express outwardly by words or actions whatever you may without any fault think inwardly For my part I cannot imagin any scruple in this If then I may and must think reverently or contemptuously of the Objects I may as well speak or behave my self externally after the same manner to them respectively For whatsoever is ill or good in words or actions is so likewise in thoughts 5. Now to shew that such thoughts or affections regard not the Persons only but the Pictures also as representations of such Persons ask your own heart and you will find that you would not place St. Peter's picture or the King 's in an unclean dishonest place If any one should spit upon either of them your heart would rise against him and tempt you to strike him â— which it would not do if the same contemptuous usage were shewed to the picture of Iudas or Bradshaw Now this is so naturally imbibed in the hearts of all Mankind that in all Kings Courts a respect and outward mark of reverence is requird to the Chamber of Presence or Chair of State and a refusal of it much more a contemptuous behaviour would be criminal To apply this to the forementioned Books You could not bring your reason to permit you to tear out a leaf of the Bible for an unclean use as you could without the least remorse do to the story of Pantagruel or Aesop's fables 6. Let us now consider what kind of respect this is that we expresse to such Images Comparing the Images of St. Peter and our Sovereign's together we find that a respectful regard is had to both and a contemptuous usage of either would displease us Yet it is not the same kind of respect For St. Peter's Image we consider as of a man that puts us in mind of Heaven ann Heavenly things one highly favour'd by Almighty God a principal Courtier in his Kingdom and one that by his writings and example has been a great instrument of promoting our eternal happinesse We do not so esteem of every good King Therefore to shew the difference of our respect to each we would choose to give St. Peter's picture a place in our Oratory and the Kings in our Gallery But what Names to give these different respects is not easie to determin It is plain that which is given to the King's picture is purely a civil respect But what shall we call that which is given to St. Peters If we say it is Religious you will quarrel as derogating from God Let us therefore call it a sacred Veneration or honor For since all things that are appointed on purpose to mind us of God of Heaven and the salvation of our Souls we call Sacred this Name may well be applyed to such a Picture But moreover because there are not invented such variety of Names as there are things and there are far fewer sorts of outward postures of our Bodys denoting respect than there are Names or Words Hence it comes to passe that when we would expresse a Civil and a Sacred yea a Religious respect we are forced to to use the same outward behaviour of bowing kneeling c. to Fathers and Magistrates which we do to God himself Yea we find in the Scripture Kings adored and a prostration of Bodies paid to them Yet for all this no man will suspect that thereby any dishonor was intended to God or the Honor due onely to him was paid to Creatures 7. In the next place let reason and common sense give judgement of the distinction between the respect that may be paid to the Picture of St. Peter and that which ought to be paid to Himself in case he appear'd to us glorified as he is A Divine respect we pay to neither though sometimes we use such postures as we do when we pray or worship God It is then a Sacred Veneration only But yet there are
he was himself an eye-witnesse so great I say as that those that were registred amounted to near 70. whereof he sets down a considerable number in that 8 th Chapter and those done at Calama to a far greater number It is not yet two years since the memorial at Hippo Regius was erected whereas the Books delivered in to us concerning these miraculous effects yet many other as we are most certain not being given in even to the time when I am writing this amount to some seventy But at Calama where the Memorial was set up sooner and the Books brought faster they are incredibly more in number At Uzala too a Colony adjoyning to Utica we have been witnesses of sundry things of note done by the same Martyr whose Memorial was erected there by Bishop Evodius long before ours And St. Theodoret also who was a member of the 3 d. and 4 th General Council speaks of the peoples frequent repairing and presenting their requests to the Martyrs for so many Miracles received by them on this manner Neither do we resort hither once or twice or five times in a year but frequently in them we keep our Festivals yea oftentimes for many daies together we sing Lauds and Hymns to the Lord of these Martyrs Where such as are in health petition the Martyrs for the continuance thereof such as are sick petition them for health c. Not conceiting that they approach to Gods but praying to these Martyrs of God as Divine men invocating and petitioning them for their Intercessions with God And that such who have devoutly and faithfully invocated them do obtain their requests those several guifts do witnesse which such obliged by their Vows do bring thither being clear evidences of their unfeigned cures For some hang up their Tablets of eyes some of feet others of hands made of gold or silver These things therefore exposed to the view of all do evidence the driving away of their diseases These I say do demonstrate what the power of those Martyrs is which are buried there c. Thus Theodoret whom tho' some of the Reformed upon a negative Argument because Nicephorus mentions not this Book amongst others but so he omits some which Gennadius mentions deny to be the Author of this Book yet Rivet is more candid saying Libris de Graec. affect curand nonnulla addita esse malim dicere quam de Authore dubitare And lastly St. Gregory Nyssen speaks thus on the same Subject After one hath thus delighted his eyes with the building he desires further to approach the Monument it self believing the very touching thereof to bring a benediction and hallowing along with it But if any be suffered to take away any of the dust gathered from off the Martyrs Sepulchre such dust is taken for a great guift and this very Earth laid up as a precious Treasure But if at any time such a happinesse befalls any as to have the priviledge to touch the Reliques how earnestly such a thing is to be wished and desired being the reward of much importunitie they know well who have sought and obtained it For then they view and embrace this body as if it were alive and fresh apply it to their mouth their ears and the other Organs of all their Senses Moreover powring out tears of duâ—y and affection upon the Martyr as if he appear'd to them sound and entire they offer up their humble prayers that he would intercede as an Advocate for them begging of him as a Courtier of Heaven and invocating him as one that can obtain any thing he pleaseth To what Prince is there such honour given 10. In the third place I will adjoyn further expresse Testimonies out of the ancient Fathers all living within the Doctors determinate times and shewing the lawfulnesse and usefulnesse of this practise of Invocating the glorified Saints Thus then saies St. Basil Whosoever is in any pressure let hin fly to the assistance of these Martyrs And again whoever is in a state of joy let him pray to them The former that he may be delivered from misery The latter that he may be preserved in prosperitie Thus St. Chrysostom The Emperor who is cloathed with purple takes a journey to visit these Sepulchres of St. Peter and St. Paul and laying aside his pomp presents himself to make supplication to them to the end they may intercede to God for him be whose Temples are encompassed with a Diadem praies to a maker of Tents and a Fisherman as his Protectors And to the same purpose of the same Emperor speaks Ruffinus Thus St. Ambrose We ought to pray to the Angles which are given us for guards We ought to pray to the Martys whose Bodies seem to be as it were gages and hostages that we may challenge their Patronage and protection c. Let us not therefore be asham'd to employ them as Intercessors for our Infirmitie for they themselves by experience knew the infirmitie of our bodies even then when they surmounted it This St. Ambrose writ not as Bishop Andrews imagins when he was a Neophite but a Bishop See Voss. de Invocat Disp. 2 Thes. 1. and Forbs de Invocat cap. 3. their more candid concessions concerning this Father Thus St. Hilary It is not the nature of God but our infirmitie that stands in need of the Intercession of Angels For they are sent for the benefit of those which shall inherit Salvation God himself not being ignorant of the things which we do but our infirmitie needing this mystery of a spiritual intercession for the imploring and obtaining for us what is good for us In which Testimony so much is clear that the Angels know our necessities c. And this is sufficient to infer the lawfulnesse of requesting them also to intercede for us To these many more Testimonies may be added out of other holy Fathers as likewise the actual Prayers to Martyrs made and recorded by St. Basil St. Gregory Nyssen St. Gregory Nazianzen St. Ephrem Theodoret St. Hierom St. Paulinus Prudentius c. To which I hope Dr. Pierce will forbear to return the usual evasion that all these are but Rhetorical Apostrophe's Since other expressions of the same Fathers viz That they are well perswaded that those Saints to whom they addresse these Requests have an inspection from Heaven on their affairs That they do relieve the necessities of those who supplicate to them That the people make addresses to these heavenly Courtiers as to those who obtain guifts from God when they please And that if the Lamb be every where these Saints which are with the Lamb ought to be believed to be any where or every where as they please Since I say these expressions do not consist with such a pretence of their invocating them only in an empty flourish And since this is a put-off too vain to get any credit with sober men to say that such grave and holy Bishops when preaching to the people
easily misled Soulâ— should be instructed in their Duâ—ies both as Christians and Subjects by plain Catechisms and Instructions prudently and sufficiently with all plainnesse gather'd out of Scripture then that the Bible should be put into their hands a Book the tenth part whereof scarce concerns them to know and in which the several Points wherein they are concern'd are so dispersed in several places so variously and somtimes so obscurely and so dubiously expressed that all the learning and subtilty of Doctors since it was written till these daies have been exercised in enquiring comparing discussing several Texts and clearing the true Doctrine of them fit for the conception of vulgar capacities The whole Direction necessary to govern Pastors in their permiting others to read the Holy Scriptureâ— is fully and excellently containd in that on Text of the Second Epistle of St. Peter 3. 16. Wherein the Epistles of St. Paul there are certain things hard to be understood which the unlearned and unstable pervert as also the other Scriptures to their own perdition Two sorts of Reaâ—ers are here plainly forbidden by the Apostle for certainly none oâ— them who we know are apt to pervert the Scriptures should be permitted to read them Consider then how far these two words reach unlearned and unstable I doubt to ninety nine of every hundred in England Which if admitted not above one in a hundred were good discipline observ'd would be allowed to read the Bible Nor can it be Objected as usually Protestants do that the Scriptures are safely clear to every one in Fundamentals and mistakable onely in Points of lesser consequence since the very Text saies they are both hard to be understood and pervertible to the perdition of their Readers and if such Points as import Salvation or Damnation be not Fundamental I 'm utterly ignorant of the meaning of that word Let then the Learned and the steâ—dy Christian read and study and meditate thâ— Bible as often and as long as he will every Catholic will commend him but by no means should that liberty be given to the unlearned and unstable lest the Scripture it self condemn it as a boldnesse that may endanger their eternal Salvation And 't is observeable in King Henry the 8 th who after he had caused the English Bible to be publish't so as to be read by all without any restraint was forc't again after three years experience wherein he saw the many strange and horrid opinions rising among the ignorant people by occasion thereof by a new Act of Parliament to abridge the liberty formerly granted and to prohiâ—it upon the penalty of a months Imprisonment toties quoties that any Woman Husbandman Artificer Yeoman Servingman Apprentice or Iourny-man Labourer c. should read them to themselves or to others privatly or openly See Stat. 34 35. Hen. 8. 1. Because saith the Preface of that Statue his Highness perceived that a great multitude of his Subjects most especially of the lower sort had so abused the Scriptures that they had thereby grown and increased in diverse naughtie and erroneous Opinions and by occasion thereof fallen into great Divisions and Dissentions among themselves And if you say the Opinions the King calls here erroneous were the Protestant Doctrines discovered by the Vulgar from the new light of the Scriptures you may see the very Opinions as the Bishops collected them in Fox pag. 1136. un-ownable by any sober Protestant or Christian. A thing perhaps not unworthy the serious consideration of the present Governors who have seen the like effects in these daies 5. But as for other Lay-persons of better judgement and capacities and of whose submission to the Churches Authority and aversion from Novelties sufficient proofs can be given our Ecclesiastical Governors are easily enough entreated yea they are well enough enclin'd to exhort them to read the Scriptures themselves in their vulgar Tongues and are forward to assist them in explaining difficulties and resolving doubts that may occurr 6. And now let Doctor Pierce speak his Conscience if he dare do it Is not this way of managing the Consciences of Christs Flock and this prudent dispensing of Scripture very desireable yea actually in their hearts here in England that it may be in practise among them But it is now too late Their first Reformers found no expedient so effectual to call followers to them out of God's Church as by wastfully powring this Treasure into their hands and accusing the Church for not doing so not fore-seeing or not caring if in future times that which was an instrument of their Schism from the true Church would be far more effectual to multiply Schisms from their false one For the making an ill use of Scripture by ignorant or passionate Laicks is not altogether so certain or probable to follow in the Catholic Church where men are bred up in a belief and most necessary Duty of Submission even of their minds to her Authority for the delivering of the only true sence of Scripture Whereas in such Churches as this in which not any one Person ever was or can be perswaded that the sence of Scripture given by them can challenge an internal assent from any or that it may not without sin be contradicted to give the Scripture indefinitly to all who can read or are willing to hear it read without a Guide to tell them the true sense which they are bound to believe is to invite them to ascend into Moses Chair which such Reformer's themselves have made empty and vacant for them 7. The second Part of this pretended Novelty concerns Public Praying in an unknown tongue which says he may be fetcht indeed as far as from Gregory the Great that is ever since this Nation was Christian But is as scandalously opposite to the plain sence of Scriptures as if it were done in a meer despight to 1. Cor. 14. 13. c. And besides Origen it is confess'd by Aquinas and Lyra that in the Primitive times the public Service of the Church was in the common Language too And as the Christians of Dalmatia Habassia c. and all Reformed parts of Christendom have God's service in their vulgar tongues so hath it been in divers places by approbation first had from the Pope himself 8. I will acknowledge to Dâ—ctor Pierce that this is the only Point of Novelty as he calls it of which he discourses sensibly and as it were to the purpose But withall I must tell him it is because he mistakes our Churches meaning For he charges the Catholic Religion as if one of its positions were That Gods publick Service ought to be in an unknown Tongue or as if it forbad people to understand it And truly if it were so we could never hope to be reconciled with that passage of Scripture out of St. Paul 1 Cor. 14. 13 c. But all this is a pure mis-understanding Therefore I desire him to permit himself for once to be informed how the