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A07472
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A pill to purge out poperie: or, A catechisme for Romish Catholikes shewing that popery is contrarie to the grounds of the Catholike religion, and that therefore papists cannot be good Catholikes.
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Mico, John.
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1623
(1623)
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STC 17858; ESTC S121915
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31,742
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49
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doe now plainely see that Papists are no good Catholikes because they are neither of sound faith nor good life but tell me I pray you who indeed are the true Church and true Catholikes M. All that doe truely and sincerely embrace professe and practise the aforesaid grouÌds of Religion in what Countrey soeuer they liue C. Is the Church of England the true Church M. Yes for it hath the speciall markes of the true Church namely the Word of God sincerely and soundly preached and the Sacraments rightly administred C. The Papists say that there are diuersiities of opinions among vâ that we cannot agree among our selues and that therefore wee are ãâã the true Church M. In all substantiall points of Religion we agree both amongst our selues and also with all other sound Protestants in Christendome In other things there haue bin are and will be diuersities of opinions and differences to the worlds end They should first plucke out the beame of their owne eyes for we can truely charge them with greater differences As namely with that sharpe and bloudy contention betweene the Franciscans and the Dominicans and vvith the late bitter contention betweene the Iesuites and the secular Priests wherein the Priests did write as bitterly against the Iesuites and namely against Parsons as euer did any Protestant nay there was neuer any Protestant Writeâ that did lay such foule odious crimes to their charge as thâ Priests did And heerein they verified the old Prouerbe When theeues fall by the eares true men come to haue theâ goods For one dissention that is among vs they haue ãâã least ten among themselues Doctor Willet in his fourth ââler of Papistry hath set downe at large First the conradictions and diuerse opinions of old Papiââ and new 2. The contradictions of the Iesuites anongst themselââ Thirdly that their stoutest Champion Bellarmine is at âriance with himselfe shamefully forgetting himselfe sayâ and vnsaying now of one opinion by and by of anothââ And no maruell Oportet enim mendacem esse memorem A lyer had need to haue a good memory Fourthly he sheweth the repugnances inconueniences and inconsequent opinions which Popish Religion hath in it selfe And thus you see how they charge vs with that wherein themselues are most faulty DIALOGVE 16. C. Are there none among vs that maintaine any strange and new opinions contrary to the grounds of Religion M. If there be any such our Church doth not approue of them but rather censure and punish them C. There be some that professe the former grounds of Religion as we doe and yet say that there is no true Church among vs and therefore will not ioyne with vs in prayers hearing the Word and in the vse of the âacraments but separate themselues from vs what say you of such M. I say that they are possessed with the spirit of pride and singularity and that in so doing they doe euen deny âhese Articles of faith the Catholike Church and the Communion of Saints and are such as the Apostle speakes of Ro. â6 17 Heb. 10.25 39. Master Perkins in his first Vol. pag. 409. âls them a schismaticall and vndiscreet company and saith ââat they are full of pride thinking themselues to bee full âhen they are empty to haue all knowledge when they are âânorant haue need to be catechized Another saith thus ãâã them The errour of those men is full of euill yea of blesââemie who doe in such manner make a departure from this âhurch as if Christ were quite banished from hence and ââat there could be no hope of saluation to those that abide ââere And further he saith that if they cannot finde Christ âere they shall finde him no where The errours of these âân you may see in a little Treatise set forth by M. Bernard ââled The Separatists Schisme C. I pray shew me some example that they ought not to separate âââmselues from vs and that they doe sinne in so doing M. In the Church of Corinth the incestuous man was not âânished fornication was lightly regarded yea there were some that euen denied the Resurrection yet S. Paul doth account and call them the Church and Saints hee doth not perswade any to make a separation but doth plainely rebuke them and sheweth how they should punish the euill doer I speake not this to excuse any grosse sinne that raigneth amongst vs for I wish that the same might bee seuerely punished but to shew that where the Word is truely preached and the Sacraments rightly administred as in our Church they are none ought for any cause to separate themselues And that such as doe it doe sinne grieuously I will shew yoâ by a familiar example A mother conceiueth and bringeth forth a sonne and that with great trauaile and paine Sheâ traineth him vp to mans estate and that not without great care and labour This sonne at length espying some spot and blemish or some infirmitie in his mother forsaketh her and will not acknowledge her to be his mother what would you now thinke of him C. Surely I should thinke such a one to be a very wicked and vnnaturall sonne M. Euen such are they who for some seeming faults iâ our Church deny it to be a true Church and doe separatâ themselues from it whereas this Church hath conceiueâ them brought them forth and nourished them For if eâeâ they were truely begotten vnto Christ and borne anew iâ hath been by our Church and our Ministerie by whicâ likewise they haue been trained vp and brought to thââ knowledge which they haue C. There are many amongst vs that make great profession of Râââon but I can see no good workes come from them nay they are ãâã onely barren in good workes but also liue in some one grosse sinne or ãâã Are these the true Church and true Catholikes M. Though they liue in the Church yet they are noâ the Church they are but Hypocrites and shal if they repâââ not haue the reward of Hypocrites yea it shall bee eââ in the Day of Iudgement for many Papists then for theââ because by their barten and fruitlesse yea wicked ãâã they haue caused the Name of God his Gospell the true Professors thereof to be euil spoken of Let all therfore that will be accounted the true Church and true Christians be carefull to adorne the doctrine of God our Sauiour in all things and that by a godly conuersation and by doing of good workes C. The name of God be blessed for this our conference whereby I finde my selfe much edified There remaineth yet one thing more which I will demand of you and that is How I may come to know and be assured that I am indeed a member of the true Church and that I shall certainly be saued M. Be diligent to heare the Word of God preached Reade the Scriptures Receiue often the Sacrament Acquaint your selfe throughly with the aforesaid grounds of Religion Ioyne hereunto earnest and hearty prayer Set apart some time for these things specially be carefull to spend the Sabbath herein And to all these things ioyne an holy conuersation indeuouring aboue all things to haue alway a cleere conscience toward God and toward men In doing this you shall at length come to that full assurance whereof S. Paul speaketh namely that you are the child of God and that nothing shall be able to separate you from the loue of God which is in Christ Rom. 8.38 Babylon is falne is falne Reu. 14.8 Praise honour glory and power be vnto him that sitteth vpon the Throne and vnto the Lambe for euermore Amen Reuelation 5.13 FINIS
Trent This concupiscence which the Apostle sometime calleth sinne the holy Synod declareth that the Catholike Church did neuer vnderstand to be called sinne because it is truely properly sinne in the regenerate but because it commeth of sinne and inclineth vnto sinne If any man thinke the contrarie let him be accursed Sess 5. cap. 1. de pecc orig Wherein they both decree against the Apostle himselfe Rom. 7.23 and also they gaine say themselues for if this concupiscence boile out of originall sinne as out of a fountaine and that is damnable it followeth that concupiscence or lust is also sinne before God and doth deserue condemnation They say that in the regenerate it is veniall But this is an vndoubted principle that all sinnes in themselues and their owne nature are mortall And concerning this veniall sinne it was not knowne among the Fathers for 700. yeeres after Christ And thus you see what grosse things they both teach and practise contrary to the Commandements of God whereby it plainely appeareth that Popery cannot bee of God for thus I reason Whatsoeuer religion doth teach things contrary to the Commandements of God is not of God but Poperie doth so and therefore it is not of GOD and so by good consequence Papists cannot be good Catholikes DIALOGVE 13. C. Hitherto you haue shewed that the Papists teach many things contrary to the Creede the Sacraments and the ten Commandements now tell me I pray you whether they teach any thing contrary to the Lords Prayer M. They doe likewise teach practise many things contrarie thereunto I will but onely name some of them The Lords Prayer teacheth vs to call vpon God only They teach and practise prayer to Saints In the first Petition we pray for the hallowing of Gods Name They giue vnto Saints departed that which is proper to God and so dishonour Gods Name In the second petition we pray for the erecting of Gods Kingdome of grace in our hearts and also for the meanes thereof namely the preaching hearing of Gods Word They hinder the comming of Gods Kingdome in reiecting the Word of God and in persecuting such as will preach heare and reade it Contrary to the third petition is their doctrine of free-will Contrary to the fifth petition is their doctrine of satisfaction for sin In the sixth petition we pray for strength to withstand Satan his temptations They teach people to driue away the Diuell with holy-water and such like childish toyes These and other such like things they teach and practise contrary to the Lords Prayâr DIALOGVE 14. C. If Popery be so contrary to the grounds of Religion then we may âot ioyne with the Papists in their profession M. It is true indeede we must therefore doe as the Lord ââde Ieremy Chap. 15.19 Let them returne to thee but reâurne not thou to them We may ioyne with them in respect âf ciuill societie but not in respect of Religion and yet eâen then we are to take heed left we be corrupted by them âr he that toucheth Pitch shall be defiled therewith Some thinke that our Religion and the religion of the present Church of Rome are all one for substance and that they may be vnited but they are grosely deceiued for an vnion of these two Religions can neuer be made more then the vnion of light and darknesse and that because the Church of Rome as hath at large bin shewed hath strooke at the very foundation C. If Poperie bee so contrary to the very grounds of Religion then what is the cause that so many yea of the more wise and learned sort do embrace and cleaue to it M. One speciall cause of it is that because men will not receiue the loue of the Trueth therefore God will send them strong delusion that they should beleeue a lie 2. Thes 2.10 11. A second cause is ignorance of the Scriptures and of the grounds of Religion for if men would well acquaint themselues herewith they should easily see the grossenesse of Poperie A third cause is that Popery is very agreeable and pleasing to mans corrupt nature As for example to be iustified by our good works to haue images to worship God in to liue in ignorance to haue pardons for our sinnes to serue God in outward ceremonies as in choice of meate difference of dayes c. these are things very agreeable pleasing to our corrupt nature and therefore one especiall cause why so many embrace Popery A fourth cause is the tyranny of the Church of Rome whose chiefe meanes to vphold her religion is fire sword for were it not for this many thousands in a few yeers would vtterly renounce Popery A fifth cause why so many especially of the Learned dâ embrace it is pompe and profit that is ambition and couetousnesse This was that which made the Scribes and Pharises eueâ against their owne knowledge to withstand Christ and ãâã Gospell And this makes many learned Papists ro do the like They know no doubt that in some things they erre as it doth appeare by the words of Stephen Gardiner on his death bed The Bishop of Chichester seeing him to be in a desperate case comforteth him with the hope of remission of sinnes by the merits of Christ Gardiner hereunto answereth thus What will you open that gappe now you may speake it to me and to such as are in my case but if you teach it to the people then farewell all meaning our authority pompe and profit by absolutions Masses c. These are the speciall causes why so many embrace Popery C. There is one thing more that I would gladly know concerning the Papists and that is whether a Papist may be saued seeing that Popeâie is so contrary to the grounds of Religion M. You are then to marke what a Papist is A Papist as the Rhemists on Acts 11. Sect. 4. doe describe him is one that cleaueth to the Pope in Religion and is obedient to him in all things Euery one now that is vnder the iurisdictioÌ of the Pope is not to be counted a Papist for there are some euen in Italy âpaine c. that hold the Grounds of Religion doe sigh and ârone vnder the Romish yoke and desire to be free'd from ãâã yea would reioyce to see it Againe there may be some that for want of knowledge ând the meanes thereof are entangled with some points of âopery but yet they hold the foundation which is CHRIST âESVS and looke to be saued by his merits and not by their âwne or any others Such we account not Papists but the ââe Church and children of GOD. But by Papists wee meane such as cleaue fast to the Pope in Religion are in all ââings obedient to him will not be reclaimed from their erââurs refuse to heare the Word of God to read the Scripââres or any other good bookes Of such we may boldly say âât if they thus continue to the end they cannot be saued DIALOGVE 15. C. I