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B03480
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Four tracts. I. A short discourse about divorce and its causes, fornication and adultery. II. A charge to judges, juries and witnesses concerning oaths. III. About infant baptism. IV. A letter to a lady, who hath forsaken [t]he Protestant religion for the Romish. / By J. Gailhard, Gent.
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Gailhard, J. (Jean)
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1699
(1699)
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Wing G121A; ESTC R202025
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118,480
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174
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we may easily believe any thing which we must not when our Eternal welfare lies at Stake Before I have done I hope by the Grace of God to prove this First That the Romish Church hath no Supremacy over other Churches and that her Bishop is no Universal Bishop nor Primate of the Christian Church Secondly I shall beat down the ground they go upon namely that Peter was the Prince of the Apostles from whom they pretend their Supremacy to be derived Thirdly I intend to shew how Popes are no Successors of Peter neither 1. of his Doctrine nor 2. of his Seat or else he had been a Non-Resident Bishop for he never was at Rome at least any long time and this being done I shall speak against the pertended Infallibility of that Church and of her Bishops having before Premised some things against Peter's Infalliblity I must not engage in the Common place about the Church which is of a large extent yet I ought to take notice how the Word is sometimes improperly taken for the Temple or Meeting place and properly for the Assembly or Congregation of those who make part of the Body of the Universal Church which being dispersed all the World over and consisting of all serts of Men and Women of every People Quality Age or Sex for which cause 't is denominated Catholick the true Members whereof are for certain visible only to Gods Eye this Universal Church doth Subsist in the National ones and these in the particular Churches The Word Church is from a Greek Word derived from another which signifies to call from one place to another here we must observe the unreasonableness of the Romish Society which would be called the Church exclusively to all that are not within her Pale when there hath always been the Greek Ethiopian and other Churches standing by themselves so now we have the Protestant and Reformed Churches from the Errors of the Romish which consist of several National ones and tho' in some of the forenamed National Churches there be Corruptions yet in none greater than in that of Rome which all Protestant ones do charge with Idolatry Besides that Church commits a great absurdity with calling her self Catholick when at the most she is but a part of it for 't is a contradiction to be Universal particular as the Roman Catholick Church doth import neither doth the name Roman make it to be that Church which was in Rome when St. Paul did write his Epistle no more than the Jewish Church is now what it once was Here if I would enlarge I might divide my Discourse into three Branches First What the Church is Secondly What are the Marks whereby to know her And Thirdly What is her Authority And therein according to the Etymology of the Greek word for Church shew there are two sorts or calling one outward only the other inward and joyned to the outward but properly speaking the name Church comprehends the Assembly only of Gods Elect for in the Church are two different kinds of Men some are Members of Christ and the true Church which are the House it self others are indeed in the House of God but are none of it like the Straw among the Wheat till they go out and are separated of this sort are all Christians National Visible Particular Churches wherein are the pure Preaching of the Word and the right Administration of the Sacraments according to the Institution which are the proper marks of Christ's Church but in that of Rome they are very much corrupt these I say and several other things to the purpose I might insist upon but for brevities sake I shall forbear to come to what I chiefly proposed to speak of And that 's First The Church of Rome which is but a Particular one hath no right of Superiority or Supremacy over any other Particular Churches she hath no Patent for it what Power she hath in that kind was gotten by Craft and Usurpation and was since maintained by force and violence Jesus Christ is the Head King and Master of his Church and they cannot out of his Word or Apostolical Practice shew that ever he gave the Romish Church any such Priviledge or Prerogative as I hope to shew 't somewhat lower 't is but a Human Invention Ecclesiastical Histories assure us that Patriarchs or Bishops of Antioch Alexandria c. were Independent from Rome nay some of them sharply censured the Bishop of Rome Indeed in the 4th Century some Jarrings began between him of Rome and that of Constantinople which being then the Seat of the Empire was become the new Rome But all was much according to the Temper of the Bishops then in being and for a proof that no such Prerogative belonged to Rome in the 6th Century we read how Gregory the great Bishop of the Place declared that whosoever called himself Universal Bishop or Bishop of Bishops was the fore-runner of Antichrist Tho' not long after his Death that Mystery of Iniquity began to be set up by a common Agreement between Phocas who having made away his Master the Emperor Mauricius during a violent Fit he had of the Gout promised Boniface then Pope of Rome that if he would procure him to be owned for Emperor he would own him for Universal Bishop this is the true ground of that Usurpation and not any falsely supposed Gift of Constantine the Great much less of Christ 'T is observable how about the same time that Mahomet began his Imposture the fore-named Bishop of Rome by Vertue of a Grant from Phocas took upon him the proud Title of Universal Bishop for the Grant was made in 606 which was the very year that Mahomet retired to his Cave to forge his Impostures which in 608 he began to propagate at Mecca and the Successors of both endeavoured by the same Methods that is Craftiness Lying Fire and Sword to Propagate it and these are now the two great Impostures in the World one in the East the other in the West And we know it to be the endeavours of all Usurpers to maintain themselves as much and as long as they can in their Usurpations so that Boniface's Successors being acted by the same Spirit of Ambition as he had been and having met with favourable conjunctures to settle and fix in that Usurpation they enlarged it as much as they could And because to engage the Consciences of men they would pretend to a Divine Right for this encroachment we must in the next place blow up and overthrow that imaginary Ground of theirs which they fancy and would perswade People to have been derived to them from St. Peter but we say nemo dat quod non habet No man can give what he hath not Peter never had any Primacy or Superiority over the other Apostles and herein we go upon sure grounds for all along we have Scripture for it Neither before our Blessed Saviours Death nor after his Resurrection was any such Title as Prince of
with Ignominy and restrain Wickedness and Infamy No Wise and Good Man will deny it to be the Duty as it ought to be the necessary Care of Magistrates first with Severity to Punish Whoredom and Adultery as well as Theft and Robbery for to Rob me of my Honour and of my Wife is to Rob me of my own Goods Next they are to see that Marriages be Lawfully contracted then that they be faithfully kept And lastly That upon Just Cause they be Lawfully Dissolved and leave granted again to Marry at least to the Injured Party For God never intended in Marriage to give a man a perpetual Torment instead of a Meet Help neither doth God approve that to the Breach and Violation of this Holy Contract which happeneth when Love ceaseth Murther should be added which is when Hatred doth succeed Love for (c) 1 John 3.15 Whosoever Hateth his Brother is a murtherer I think it unnecessary for me to bring any more Evidences upon this matter out of the Civil Law â—or out of the Writings of our Protestant Divines They that have a mind to be more at large Informed concerning the Point of Divorce let them peâ—use what that Famous Divine Bucer hath Written â—n his Second Book of the Kingdom of Christ Dediâ—ated to Edward the 6th and therein they may find Cause of Satisfaction as ground of Information Good Counsel he gave that Young Prince so Zealâ—us for the Glory of God that well he might have â—een compared to good King Josiah if God had â—een pleased to continue him a longer Life And â—ere again I must say that which cannot too often â—e Inculcated how certainly 't is every Prince's Duty â—ithin all his Dominions to Discourage Discountetenance Restrain and Punish all Vices especially the Sins of Uncleanness in general and of Adultery in particular to prevent the sad Effects thereof which so much Dishonour God and cause Disorders and Confusions in Families On the contrary nothing maketh us so like unto God as Holiness wherein chiefly his Image in us doth consist which that filthy Sin is so contrary to Holiness saith David becomes thine House Psal 93.5 O Lord for ever To come nearer our Constitutions I shall add out of the Book of the Reformation of Ecclesiastical Laws first began by Order of Henry 8th and continued under Edward 6th In the Chapter of Adultery and Divorce we find these Words in the Original Turpitudo tam horribilis adulteriorum est uâ— aperte decalogi praecepto confossa sit c. Whereof the Sense in English is thus Cap. 1 fol. 47. The filthiness of Adulterie is so horrible as to be plainly condemned in one of the ten Commandments and according the Old Mosaical Lawsâ— the Guilty was Punished with being publickly Stoned 〈◊〉 Death by the People and also according to the Civil Law was put to death Wherefore our Ecclesiastical Judgeâ— ought most grievously and severely to Punish a thing sâ— odious unto God and on which our holy Ancestors inflicted special Pains and Punishments Hence it is plain how according unto the Laws of God given by the Ministery of Moses by the Practice of our forme good and just Kings even before the time of Reformation and since the Beginning of it in the day of Henry 8th and Edward 6th according to our Ecclesiastical Laws the abominable Sin of Adultery may not be spared which would prove an Encouragement to commit it but ought smartly and without mercy here among us to be Punished Now to go on we come to matters of Fact aâ— of Right before the Civil Power When Magstrates know the Transgression of Divine and Humaâ— Laws in relation to Adultery they are bound 〈◊〉 take notice of and use a course to prevent stoâ—â— and punish it Death was and still in some place is inflicted on the Adulteress but 't is a great miâ—igation to reduce it only to a Divorce By 〈◊〉 general Consent of all Nations which by the Law 〈◊〉 Nature might know how Sacred a thing Marriaâ—â— is not to be broken upon every slight Ground however in some certain Cases of which Adultery ever was one they all allowed of itâ— Romulus made a Law that it should never be Lawful for a Wife to leave her Husband but to him permitted to leave his Wife in some cases as of Adultery Witchcraft c. So that our Christian Magistrates if they will not make themselves worse than Heathens when a Husband is a Sufferer by the Injustice done him by his Wife and becomes a Plaintiff there ought to be a readiness in those concerned to hear his Cause to examine the Grounds and at last to do him Justice And this regardeth not only that sort of Magistrates that are intrusted only with the Executive part to see it done but also those in whom resides the Legislative Power to see that Laws be executed and also if Occasion and the Necessity of the Case requires it to make new ones Would to God Magistrates would take such effectual Care to Punish the Guilty in this kind according to Divine and Human Laws that no place might be left for Disputes and Questions The Adulteress is not worthy of Compassion only of Torments and Pains chiefly when she hath made unto her self an habit of that Sin and no man may have the Charity for the Guilty as to wish her not to be Accused for Adultery is a publick Crime which for it self and Terrour to others ought publickly to be Punished and Discountenanced And herein after private Admonitions proved useless to Dissemble is not praise worthy as some do fancy for this Vice introduceth Disorders into Families Scandals into the Church and Confusions into the State 'T is easy out of Antient and Modern History to Evidence how Fornication and Adultery have been the cause of the Overthrow of great Empires of Calamities to Potent Nations of the Ruin of great Persons and of very considerable Families Abimelech King of Gerar a Philistine who having nothing to do with the Covenant wanted the true fear of God yet how doâ—â— he reprove Isaac as if in this kind he had laid a Snare against him and his People for saying his Wife was his Sister (a) Gen. 26 9 10 11. What is this thou hast done unto us One of the People might lightly have lien with thy Wife and thou shouldest have brought Guiltiness upon us And Abimelech charged all his People saying he that toucheth this Man or his Wife shall surely be put to Death This was to secure both Isaac's Life and Rebeckah's Honour which last they would hardly have attempted upon but after the destruction of the first In Egypt Pharoah's words (b) Gen. 12. to Abram were to the same purpose upon the like Occasion So sensible they were how they ought not to meddle with another man's Wife as long as her Husband is alive and this was the Ground of Israel's fear for his Life thô thereby his Wife's Honour was the more