Wise and Learned men of the World does not terrifie 'em and oblige 'em to quit their own Doctrine But they think so arrogantly of themselves that they look on those with pity not to say rage who dare contradict 'em or in the least doubt of their Infallibility Yet as a just punishment on 'em they are so blinded as to be ignorant of and suffer others to be so too what it has pleas'd God to reveal unto Babes Matth. 11. 25. to the confounding of the greatest part of the Mighty of the Noble and the Learned themselves 1 Cor. 1. 26. All sorts of Reason teaches us that he spake only to be understood that he caus'd his Word to be written that it might be read and hid it not but from those who are lost If he condemns a wilful and brutish Ignorance he disapproves of a haughty and vain Knowledge the Spring from whence arise so many Disputes which do infinitely more hurt than good and which maintain not so much the Truth as the first received Opinion He believes He follows Christ who persecutes him He believes himself of the number of the Faithful whose whole Faith consists but in an indiscreet Zeal in the strength of Errour and in being positive and obdurate The men of the Age acquaint not themselves with this Truth or if they do 't is from those of their own party who confirm 'em in their belief and neither the one or the other allow of any Religion which agrees not with their Conveniencies If any of 'em have a sense of their Disease it is agreeable to 'em they take such pleasure in it that they 'l not endeavour after any cure But to conclude all I will maintain that men have no surer sign of their Election than their love of the Word of God and that those shall not be saved who have not loved it more than Honour Riches and the most amiable things in the World A LETTER to an Officer of the Crown that often discours'd to him of Religion MY LORD WHEN Your Lordship does me the Honour to discourse to me of Religion my Respect will not give me leave to answer you but only to listen to you yet if I am longer silent I fear you may judge me insensible of what I have the most lively Sense 'T is this makes me take the Confidence of entertaining Your Lordship with a few Lines concerning my Belief and not without wonder that others are not of the same Opinion with me As soon as my Sense and Reason began to be serviceable to me I with great Care and Diligence search'd the Holy Scriptures and I have no other Religion but what I learn'd from thence I never believed that some dark and abstruse Passages were contrary to others that were clear and evident and I have found most of 'em sufficiently plain fully to inform me of what I ought to believe I never thought that God would speak to his Children only to deceive 'em or not to be understood by ' em Those who have good Inclinations never read the Scriptures but they profit by ' em If those whom Curiosity it may be has invited once to read 'em don't continually persevere in doing so 't is a shrewd Sign they have had no Operation on ' em 'T is not the meek or humble the plain men of the World or even the ignorant that promote Heresies those who do this and then maintain 'em must be both malicious and learned too 'T was no disheartening to me to see the true Professors of the Gospel bear a certain Character that made the World despise 'em and they the World They are dejected as if out of their Element and did but out of Complaisance participate of others Joys Above all in the Exercise of their Religion they abhor all manner of Superstition and believe that 't is an Abuse and a high Crime to mix the Inventions of men with the Ordinances of God If our good Intentions were capable of making our Vows and Offerings equally acceptable all Religions would be good ones But the Jealousie of the Eternal Exod. 20. 5. will not suffer us to profane holy Things or sanctifie profane ones or to speak yet more fully to consecrate Sacriledges Let the most rational men read and read again the Scriptures and let 'em frame a Religion according to the Rules they prescribe without presuming beyond what is written 1 Cor. 4 6. and I am confident they cannot make any other than that which I profess and by the Grace of God will do the same all my Life A LETTER to Monsieur de la Militiere who begged his Opinion in Writing upon the Books of Controversie he had made SIR I Don't pretend to answer in one Letter so many Books which your Revolt has occasion'd you to write in Opposition to that Religion you have forsaken and in the Defence of that you have closed with I must only say I could never with all the Sense and Reason Heaven has been pleas'd to bestow on me reconcile what I see in the Church of Rome to what I read in the Holy Scriptures I have ever consulted both Parties I have read the Writings both of the one and the other that I might the better know 'em by their Words and their Actions But I find that your Doctors serve themselves of too much Art and Cunning to be believ'd their Divinity is so refin'd that they undo themselves by their own Subtilty They mix with it I know not what Leaven of which our Saviour bids us beware and which indeed has not the taste of true Bread or the heavenly Manna Those of the Reform'd Religion on the contrary act with greater Sincerity adhere to the Rule of the Scriptures which do more enlighten our Understandings and give greater Tranquillity to our Minds Let who please imagine he has clearer Illuminations than I have such as I have I find in their Doctrine as full Satisfaction as a reasonable Soul can wish for in the Search of the Truth Why then all this Controversie If we have never so little Knowledge of the Will of God or how jealous he is of his Commandments we cannot see the Church of Rome without condemning it We are extreamly in the Wrong to call those Christians who have no sign of true Christianity who speak not in the style of Jesus Christ or the Gospel to whom the Words of Eternal Life are strange and uncouth If we mistake any one Word in their Hearing 't is enough to make us pronounc'd Hereticks they look a skew on us and 't is very likely we shall pass for Strangers even in our own Country Instead of this they discourse only of the prayer-Prayer-book of our Lady and the Office of the Blessed Virgin of their praying by Beads of their devoting themselves to St. Francis or St. Roch and those defective Instructions shew that those who instruct them thus must needs be very bad Masters What Sir would you have me
THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE PROTESTANT RELIGION Asserted By REASON As well as SCRIPTVRE Written in French by the Famous MONSIEVR de GOMBAVD Made English by SIDNEY LODGE To which is added his Letters to MONSIEVR de MILITIERE And other Personages of the French-Court upon the same Subject LONDON Printed for W. C. M. G. and W. H. and sold by W. Davis in Amen-Corner MDCLXXXII To the Right Honourable BRIDGET COUNTESS OF PLYMOUTH Madam DEdications are usually made to Persons of your Ladiship 's high Character as marks of Gratitude or Respect due to 'em This of mine is of that nature there being no one to whom I owe more Acknowledgments or a greater Honour than to your Ladiship Romances and Playes are generally such Books whose Fronts are honour'd with Names of your Ladiship 's Sex but I have made choice of this Serious and Weighty Subject as believing it most suitable to your Inclinations The Matter of it is Grave and Solid but withal Delightful it being writ in an Eloquent and yet unaffected Style I have endeavour'd to make it not less so in our own Tongue If your Honour finds any Satisfaction in the reading of it I shall believe the Pains I have taken in it sufficiently requited and nothing will more encourage me to Attempts of the like nature than your Ladiship 's Approbation of this Because such Applications as these if tedious are presumptive I 'll only beg leave humbly to assure Your Ladiship that I am Madam Your Honour 's most Obliged and most Humble Servant SIDNEY LODGE TO THE READER THE Preface translated out of French gives you a short account of the LIFE of the celebrated Author I intend by this only to let you know that the ensuing Discourse is so Rational Pithy and full of Sense that it will sufficiently recommend it self and withall to beg you to read it with a due Attention and Candour For my own part I dare confidently say I have been very faithful to the Original having taken no more liberty than what a Translator may justly claim and yet I hope I may without being thought Arrogant affirm that I have given it so much the proper Idiom of the English that you 'll find it easie smooth and Natural and as pleasing as 't is useful for such a Mixture being most grateful ought to be aimed at by those who write The Follies the Superstition the Idolatry the Tyrannical Usurpation of the Church of Rome are here represented in such lively and yet deform'd Colours that no man who pretends to be reasonable but will endeavour to avoid ' em Can any one imagine himself safe under that Religion where the Name of God is onely made use of as a Pretext and instead of that Interest set up and really worshipped Religion is both reveal'd and Natural to instruct us fully In the former God has been graciously pleas'd to give us his Word but the Romanists have inhumanely forbid the reading it To attain to a perfect knowledge of the latter he has endu'd us with Reason but that is enslav'd by their positive Determinations nay they rob us of our Senses too by their establish'd Principle of Transubstantiation so that indeed the Peoples Religion does wholly consist in a blind obedience to a Pretended-Infallible-Priest How happy then are we who are under a Government where the reading of the Scriptures the Rule of Faith is not only allowed but commanded by the Church A Church free from the Extremities on one hand of Idolatry and on the other of Enthusiasm so that here we have the Opportunities of improving both our Religion and our Reason not being forbid the free Exercise of the one or oblig'd to do violence to the other of being both good Christians and Philosophers for the one may be consistent with the other which is clearly demonstrated by this short Treatise which I hope will meet with a kind Entertainment in the World THE PREFACE FROM THE FRENCH THOSE who are acquainted with Monsieur de Gombaud know that he set a greater value on his Discourses concerning Religion than on any of his other Works He was invited to write of that Subject upon a pure charitable design of making the Truth known to such who were yet under the darkness of Error and to confirm those in the true Faith who were either born in or had embraced it He frequently complain'd of two things the one was that those who writ concerning Religion were too Voluminous urging Proof upon Proof and Authority upon Authority without being careful to observe a due Order and clearness in their Discourses The other was that many perswaded themselves the true Doctrine was not consistent with an Elegant Style To shew how they were deceived in this particular he compos'd his Considerations on the Christian Religion when he was yet young and in the Vigour of his Age and in this has really demonstrated that an Author may be both strong and perspicuous short and full solid and elegant Having communicated this Piece to many of his Friends and even to some of the Roman Communion it was so well esteem'd by all of 'em that he was encouraged after that to make a Treatise on the Eucharist and then another which he presented to one of his Friends under the Name of Aristander Most of his Letters were writ in a much fuller Age. Throughout his Works the strength and admirable ingenuity of his Mind his extraordinary faculty of thinking of and expressing things will be discover'd I will say nothing of the Reasons that oblig'd him to keep these excellent Writings private I am sure he passionately desir'd to have publish'd 'em believing they would be of great use and it may be there has not yet been any Secular Man known in the World who was more zealous for the Glory of God or had a greater or a more sincere Love for his Neighbour than he had But when the heat and earnestness with which he writes shall be observ'd and withal it shall be consider'd that all he had to subsist on did absolutely depend on Court it will not be thought strange that he did not make 'em Publick in his Life-time That the World might not be depriv'd of 'em after his Death which it might if they had fallen into the hands of any who were not of his Religion he put 'em in his latter days into those of a good Friend whose Fidelity and Kindness he had experienc'd whom he oblig'd to promise him to keep 'em safe till a convenient Opportunity offer'd it self to publish ' em This Friend always design'd to perform these Desires and his own Promise but besides the difficulty of Printing things of this Nature in the Kingdom he met with many other Impediments At length after divers Attempts and Delays he resolved to make the dear Children of his Friend change their Climate in hopes that when they return'd home tho' in a strange Garb they would be own'd as truly French I leave the
Reader to judge of their Merits and of those of their Father His Works have long since made him so well known in France and in other Nations too where they understood and lov'd the Tongue that 't will be needless to say any thing of 'em to those who have but seen his Eudymion his Letters in Prose his Pastoral of Amarante his Tragedy of the Danaides his Collection of Miscellaneous Poems in which are his incomparable Sonnets especially those called the Christian and his Epigrams of which there are Three Books And this is to give notice to such who may not possibly have met with 'em that there are such Books that they may have the opportunity of having the same knowledge and opinion of 'em that others had Besides he left a Tragicomidy of Cydippe and loose Papers enough to have made a new Collection of Poems especially Sonnets and Epigrams but having fallen into the hands of such who did not well understand those things have not yet seen the Light I could very much enlarge my self upon what concerns the Person and Life of this famous Man but by both the one and the other he had procur'd so large a Reputation in the World that I should inform those who are living of little of him but for the sake of Posterity I will add That John-Oger de Gombaud was a Gentleman of Xaintonge and younger Brother by a fourth Marriage which he would frequently say in Raillery as an excuse that he was not Rich. He was tall well-made of a good Meen and look'd like a Man of Quality His Piety was undissembled his Honesty thoroughly experienc'd his Manners grave and well-regulated He had a Heart as Noble as his Aspect promis'd it a Mind upright and naturally vertuous of an exalted Spirit less fertile than judicious of a violent hot Humour presently provok'd to Anger and yet had a serious and compos'd Look After having finish'd all his Studies under the most celebrated Masters of his time at Bourdeaux he came to Paris at the latter end of the Reign of Henry the Great where he suddenly made himself known and valued too This mighty Monarch being unhappily Assassmated was bewailed by all the French as the Father of his Country and the Poets did adorn his Tomb with mournful Flowers they had gather'd from Parnassus Monsieur de Gombaud tho' young was not the last or least Considerable amongst ' em In the Minority of Louis the Just and in the Regency of the Queen Mary de Medias his Mother he was one that was highly esteem'd by this Great Princess there being no one of his Quality who had so free an access to her or was received with greater kindness She being of a generous and free temper and which she loved to show to deserving Men allow'd considerable Pensions to several Persons of Learning and Ingenuity That of Monsieur de Gombaud was Twelve hundred Crowns which made him always appear in very good Equipage at Court whether at Paris or in Progresses which were in those times frequent And being one who hated all superfluous Expences tho' no one more gentile in making such which were necessary had rais'd a pretty good Stock from what he spar'd out of his large Allowance which was very serviceable to him when that came to be lessen'd when both Civil and Forreign Wars had almost dryed up that Fountain from whence he had had such Plenty He was at first reduc'd from Twelve hundred Crowns to Eight and then from Eight hundred to Four which were continued to him to his Death yet without being paid since the War of Paris but from the friendship of some Great and Generous Persons by whom he had the honour to be known and favour'd amongst which the Duke and Dutchess of Montausier were the principal For some years also he had a Pension under the Great Seal from Monsieur de Seguier Chancellor of France He was always very healthful to which his Frugality and Regular manner of Life did much contribute But walking one day in his Chamber which was usual with him and his foot slipping he fell down and hurt so very much one of his Hips that he was after this unhappy Accident to the end of his Life almost always confin'd to his Bed He liv'd even an whole Age if the time of his Birth writ with his own Hand in one of his Books were true as he had assur'd a Friend of his it was who never spake of it 'till after Monsieur de Gombaud's Death He had been honour'd with the Friendship of the most considerable Persons of both Sexes of three Courts which he had seen viz. That of Henry the Fourth of Louis the Thirteenth and Louis the Fourteenth And in the Regency of two great Queens Mary de Medicis and Anne of Austria no One was more constantly at Court but especially in the time of the former But he did yet with greater diligence and pleasure frequent that infinitely agreeable Company of Quality and Worth who met at the House of Rambouillet which was a lesser Court made up of choice Persons fewer in number but if I durst say it more refin'd than that of the Louvre because not One was admitted to approach this Temple of Honour where Vertue was rever'd under the Name of the Incomparable Artenice who was not worthy of her Approbation and Esteem To conclude Monsieur de Gombaud was both loved and admir'd by all those who as he had offer'd Sacrifices to the Muses and the Graces and I doubt not but succeeding Ages will be juster to him than that in which he lived and that his Excellent Works will procure him an Immortal Name which is the Reward of all Learned Men when they can reach that height to which this Gentleman had arrived The Principal Matters contain'd in this Treatise 1. COnsiderations upon the Christian Religion 2. A Treatise concerning the Eucharist 3. A Discourse in which the Author gives his Reasons why he prefers the Reformed Religion before the Roman Catholick 4. A Letter to a Lord at Court who endeavour'd to perswade him to turn Catholick 5. A Letter to an Officer of the Crown who often discours'd to him of Religion 6. A Letter to Monsieur de la Militiere who desir'd his Opinion in writing on the Books if Controversie he had made 7 A Letter to a Lady who press'd him to go hear the Sermons of some of the Famous Preachers of the Roman Church CONSIDERATIONS UPON THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION CHAP. I. WHEN I first began to have the Use of my Senses and my Reason I could not but frequently meditate on the Beauty of this Great World the admirable Disposition of it's parts those mutual Offices they each render to other as well as those just Laws by which they are eternally conserv'd On these extraordinary Effects I often employ'd my Consideration and yet the constant Custom of doing so did not at all lessen my Wonder of 'em I could not then but