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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33770	Theophilus and Philodoxus, or, Several conferences between two friends the one a true son of the Church of England, the other faln off to the Church of Rome, concerning 1. praier in an unknown tongue, 2. the half communion, 3. the worshipping of images, 4. the invocation of saints / by Gilbert Coles.	Coles, Gilbert, 1617-1676.	1674 (1674)	Wing C5085; ESTC R27900	233,018	224

or three Years was more then sufficient to qualifie them for the Pulpit and the Press and to vent their extemporary Notions to a deluded People The chief point of their Wisdom appear'd in the choice of such Pygmies as themselves to sight with The Presbyterian Learning was of a just size to match Enthusiasts and Phanarics A Generation hatch'd under their wing and when they were fledg they serv'd to peck out the Eyes of their Dam and make Past-time to the Spectators with their Puppet like Contentions and Disputes But our Adversaries of Rome were too strong for them to wrestle with or rather indeed they were their Friends affording them Principles to justifie Rebellion and Politics to carry on their Design against the common Enemy The genuine Sons of the Church of England Nay unto this day with grief we speak it they both appear to shake hands and set their shoulders on both sides with all their might to unhinge our Settlement and Security From this sad Prospect you may take the Measures of our Disadvantage Insomuch that if one of a thousand against the Genius of the Times did bend his Studies to search after Truth in the Records of Antiquity to read the Primitive Fathers of the Church and furnish himself with Arguments against Romes Innovations upon his first Adventure to appear in public he is beset with numerous Adversaries and Opponents Some Writing against his Book and more against his Person They take their several Parts as their Genius leads them either unto Contumely or Sophistry despairing to give satisfaction to his Arguments they will wound his Reputation and vex his Righteous Soul entangle the Discourse with Subtleties and Fallacies that so the Reader may be at a loss in such Mists which they have cast about him Now it is great pity they should have such leisure to send forth Legions against single Persons were all of my mind we would carve out more work for them Relying upon Divine Assistance and the merits of the Cause let us not fear their numbers but examin their pretensions and we shall have encouragement enough to enter into the Lists For Error is weak and indefensible Let us therefore follow the steps of our Fore-fathers who have brought their deceitful Wares to the Light and weighed their Motives in the Ballance and lo they were as inconsiderable as the dust upon the Ballance They decline very much the Holy Scriptures because they appear against them They brag of Antiquity but in those things wherein we differ fall very short of that account They build upon the Rock of their Churches Infallibility but when we manifest their Errors in many Particulars it will be an accumulative Demonstration against that Fundamental Article Now this is the Design in General of this Conference to bring the Innovations of the Church of Rome unto the Test of Holy Scritpure and of Venerable Antiquity and when the Reader shall find her so much to swerve from the Infallible Rule we will leave him to judg of her Infallible Spirit I have taken Bellarmins Motives principally into consideration because he is esteemed a Pillar and doubtless speaks the sence of his Church as fully as any others and he had a Cardinals Cap for the reward of his Polemics And here I call the great Searcher of Hearts to witness that I have not hitherto neither hereafter will concele from the Reader any Argument which the Cardinal brings either in his own Defence or in opposition to his Adversaries which I judg material for I will not prevarieate in the Cause of God One Word more Gentle Reader touching the form of this Discourse by way of Conference and Dialogue Designing by Gods help to profit my Country-men and keep their feet out of the Snare to write for the benefit of the Vulgar rather then of the Learned who can help themselves I have made choice of this familiar way to insinuate Truths and to invite and recompence the Readers patience with the Pleasure and Divertisement of these Interloculories And so I leave thee by the Blessing of God to reap the Fruit of my Labors G. C. Theophilus and Philodoxus OR A CONFERENCE Between two FRIENDS and NEIGHBORS One A true Son of the Church of England The other Faln off to the Church of Rome Theoph. SIR You have of late declin'd that familiarity we have formerly maintain'd as Friends and Neighbors and I now give you the trouble of this visit to understand the reason Phil. Not for want of good will and affection worthy Theophilus have I sequester'd my self from the sweetness and advantage of your Society nothing less I do assure you then the greatest concern in this World hath for a time confin'd me to my most reserv'd and serious Thoughts and Studies making me neglect the due Ceremonies of Friendship whil'st I have been in pursuit after the Vnum necessarium the only true Religion and way of Gods Worship Theoph Dear Sir You have in few words given full security to my fears lest some discontent had made you a Stranger but now I will easily grant that all other circumstances and business must give place unto the care of Religion Are you therefore now at leisure to give your Friend an account of the success Religious Conferences are more becoming and suitable to our Christian Profession then the accustomed emtiness and vanity of our Communications Phil. Your goodness Theophilus hath given the opportunity which my heart desired to declare what the Lord hath done for my Soul in bringing back the straid Sheep to his Fold and opening to me a door of entrance into the true Church out of which there is no salvation and against which the gates of Hell cannot prevail Theoph. Be pleas'd to be more particular and express that I may understand you Phil. With a very good will I have been long wavering and unsetled and in the studious search of Truth and now I have found the Jewel the wandring Star is fix'd in its proper Sphere and I am become a Convert to the Roman Catholic Church Theoph. It seems by your acknowledgment the Church of Rome is the proper Sphere for wandring Stars for such as waver in the Faith And herein I approve your Judgment for I ever thought it impossible that the thoughts of reasonable Men could be setled on that foundation which Rome hath laid or find any satisfaction in those Arguments which her great Champions do produce to confirm those Points wherein we differ from her Phil. The prejudice Theophilus of your Education is great and doubtless you have not sufficiently consulted your Adversaries as you esteem them otherwise they would have given you sufficient Reasons of their Doctrine and Practice and remov'd the Scruples and Objections you have entertain'd against them Theoph. The holy Scriptures in this case are the best Oracles to be consulted and withal our Learned Writers appear to manifest the full consent of Antiquity Fathers and Councils within the first 600 Years

of the New Theoph. If one we may suppose the other where the New Testament being written in Greek was not understood doubtless it was translated seeing Moses and the Prophets Writings were communicated in all Languages unto the World principally to give testimony unto the Gospel But not to heap up Quotations in vain your own Friends acknowledge it a Lib. 6. Biblioth Annotat. 152. Ad id quod haeretici contendunt c. Sixtus Senensis gives a reason why such Transtations useful before should now be prohibited for their inconvenience When Heretics urge that the Holy Scriptures should be translated into the Mother Tongue of every Nation because heretofore they were so to the great benefit of the Church I answer This is a foolish Argument for many other things were formerly instituted which afterwards were abrogated for their inconvenience So pleads Alphonsus de Castro loco citato Phil. I have several times intimated this Plea That the Church because of inconveniences discovered hath as great reason now to with-hold the Scriptures from the Peoples reading and to forbid vulgar Translations as the former times had to encourage them Theoph. This is your only Sanctuary to fly unto in this and many other Controversies between us That the Wisdom of the Church is the best Judge of times and seasons and upon due considerations hath power to alter and change the state of things even against the Primitive Rule and the Primitive Practice And because I will not interrupt our present Discourse I will reserve this Point unto another season and now expect you should produce your due Considerations and Reasons against vulgar Translations of the Holy Scriptures and the Peoples reading them I must tell you they had need be demonstrative to conclude against the Testimony of the Holy Scripture of the Holy Fathers and against the practice of the Church for nine hundred Years for that Declaration I produc'd of Pope John the 9 th was in the end of the 9 th Century Phil. When you hear them you may judge b Lib. 2. De verbo Dei cap. 15. Vt publicus usus Script sit in lingua communiss Bellarmine shews it necessary unto Church Communion and Unity thro-out the World That the public use and reading of the Scripture should be in the most common Language in the World that Churches may communicate one with another For this cause the Holy Scriptures were first written in Greek which then was the most universal Language whereunto the Latine Tongue now succeeds as being understood by the Learned of every Nation By this means General Councils are held wherein generally they understand and speak Latine Theoph. We deny not that the Scripture should be read in Greek or Latine by those that understand them mean while for the benefit of the common People in every Country they may have the Scripture in their vulgar Tongue and never obstruct Catholic Communion or General Councils And withal we know the Bishops of the Greek and Latine Churches have held many Councils together their diversity of Tongues not impeding where they did not mutually understand one another they had Interpreters But I grant in such General Learned Assemblies the most common Language is most useful Phil. But a Ibid. populus non intelligeret Proph. Psal c. Bellarmin reasons farther That vulgar Translations for the Peoples reading the Scripture would not be beneficial to them because when translated the People cannot understand them without Interpreters for we who understand the Latine are often forc'd to consult learn'd Expositors saith he Theoph. This indeed is one Artifice of your Church whereby she satisfies her Children without the Divine Food of Gods Word and makes them be content without the Holy Scripture in their own Tongue You perswade the People they cannot read the Scriptures and understand them unless they be min●'d and carv'd to them by the Nursing Fathers of the Church their Priests and Pastors As Mothers chew the Bread and Meat they give to little Children not commiting to them the whole morsel b Matres dant infant panem dissect praemansum non integrum solidum Lib. 2. de Verb. Dei cap. 16. And thus you hold them alwaies in their Infancy as Children and Babes in Christ and feed them neither with strong Meat nor the Milk of Gods Word except they draw it out of the Churches Breasts for they must not read the Holy Scriptures where they are plain and easie to be understood because of some hard places which they may misunderstand Now we approve that the Word of God should be rightly divided unto the People by the Ministers of the Gospel and withal according to the Tenor of Holy Scriptures and the Holy Fathers we exhort the People to search study the Scriptures themselves and draw Waters out of the Wells of Salvation to drink the Waters of Life out of the Fountain as well as thro the Conduit of Preaching and Interpretation But c Tom. 5. Homil. 3. in Lazarum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. Chrysostom hath long since answer'd your Objection To whom are not all things in the Gospel manifest saith he Who when he hears That blessed are the meek the merciful the pure in heart and the like needs an Interpreter and withal the signs and miracles and the hisiories of Holy Scripture are they not obvious to every understanding and therefore it is a meer excuse and cloak of your Idleness to say You cannot understand and therefore you do not read the Scriptures Dost thou not understand what is written How canst thou when thou wilt not look into the Bible Take the Book of God into your hands and read and make use of what thou understandest and that which is obscure will follow or if thou canst not find out the meaning of any place by the context and often reading repair to one more Learned ask thy Teacher communicate with the Guide of thy Soul about such things shew much diligence to find the Truth and God will not despise thy watchfulness and care and if man should not interpret right God himself would revele the Truth And so he proceeds in the Exhortation and gives an instance in the Eunuch who even in his Journey in his Chariot did read the Prophet and God sent him an Interpreter And now I pray observe the difference between the Fathers of the Primitive Church and of yours They exhort earnestly all sorts and conditions diligently to read the Scripture that they may get Wisdom and Understanding and assure them That God will Crown their diligence with knowledge You altogether discourage and forbid the People to read the Scripture perswading them that they cannot understand and profit themselves thereby Phil. Do you believe that all things written in the Gospels are plain and easie as you bring Chrysostom to affirm By this you may judg of his Hyperbolical Expressions which I before observ'd out of Bellarmin Theoph. You must not take

the Decree Ad eorum orationes opem auxiliumque confugere Phil. I have no reason to admit sinister constructions any farther then the words will necessarily force me Now the later terms may be Exegetical of the former and well transpos'd thus To fly to the aid and assistance of their Praiers And then tell me what have you gotten by this decree Theoph. Your practise will best interpret your Rule If the public praiers of your Church request more of the Saints in Heaven then the assistance only of their Praiers you may suppose your Church intended and understood and exprest more in her decree You shall find your Church often to supplicate That as well by the Merits as by the Intercession of the Saints God would be favourable unto them In the Hymnes above mentioned to the Virgin Mary she is call'd the Mother of Grace and mercy and Protection from our Ghostly Enemy is sought from her and reception into Glory So likewise in the hymne of the Apostles Grace and Vertue is desired of the Saints for such as languish in their Vices And that by the command of the Apostles as it is exprest and not by their Praiers And yet Bellarmin hath the confidence to interpret all these things according to the sense of the Church as he speaks That all these things are expected from their Praiers not from any other assistance You shall find several Popes in the Names of Peter and Paul promising great things unto Princes who shall engage in the defence and cause of the Church and threatning dreadfull Judgments from them upon such as are disobedient Pope Hadrian writing to the Emperor Constantine and Irene his Mother Congratulates their embracing the Faith of Peter and Paul Princes of the Apostles and promiseth a Binius Teme 5. p. 554. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. They shall protect the Empire make them Victorious and bring the Barbarous Nations under their feet On the contrary we find direful threats from these two Apostles Pope Pius the 4 th concludes his Bulls after this sort b Nulli hominum liceat bane c vid. Concil Trid. edit per Joan. Gallema●t ad finem Let none presume to infringe this our Declaration If any shall attemt to do so let him know he shall incur the wrath of God Almighty and of his two blessed Apostles Peter and Paul These things are Obvious and I will not heap Quotations to prove them I will only give you an Account of one notable Letter to this effect which I mention'd in the beginning of this Conference and will now transcribe much of it for your sake and the Readers that ye may judge what your Popes opinion was of the power and Parronage of the Apostles and so by consequence of the other Saints c Bin. Tom. 5. p. 55. Pope Stephen the 3. being grievously streightened by Aystulphus King of Lombardy who with a Potent Army besieged Rome sends a Letter in the name of S t Peter unto Pipin and his two sons Charles and Carloman Kings of France It begins thus d Petrus Apost vecatus à Jesu Christo dei filio c. Peter call'd to be an Apostle by Jesus Christ the Son of God c. Grace Peace and Power c. To you most excellent men Pipin Charles and Carloman 3 Kings c. After the salutation he proceeds e Ego Petrus Apost dietus a Christo c. I Peter an Apostle being call'd by Christ and the good pleasure of the Divine Clemency and ordain'd by his power to enlighten the whole world f Quamobrem omnes c. Therefore all Men who fulfil my Preaching and command must believe That their sins by Gods precept are forgiven in this World and shall go into life Eternal without Blemish c. Therefore I Peter c Who have Adopted you for my Sons do exhort you to defend the City of Rome and my Sepulcher and Temple there against the Incursion of my Enemies g Pro certo confidite memet ipsum c. And know ye for certain that I my self will be present with you to assist you as tho I were present and visible in the Flesh for altho I am absent in the Flesh I am present in the Spirit Now our Lady the Mother of God the Thrones and Dominions and all the Host of Heaven with the Martyrs and confessors of Christ with all obligations possible do adjure you to assist my City and People of Rome with your utmost power and speed h Et ego Petrus in hac Vita c. And I Peter by way of recompence will become your Brother in this life and in the day of Gods strict Judgment prepare Mansions for you in the glorious Kingdom of God the reward of eternal recompence and the Infinite joies of Paradice Nay whatsoever Protections and assistance you will ask I will give you I therefore Conjure you by the most beloved living God that ye permit not my City to be sackt by the Lombards least your Souls and Bodies be likewise torn and tormented in everlasting Fire with the Devil and all his Pestilent Angels i Firmiss tenete quod ego c. Ye must firmly believe that heretofore when you Prai'd unto me I did help and give you Victory over your Enemies by the power of God when you were few in number in comparison of the Enemies of the Church k Ecce chariss fili c. He concludes Behold my dear sons I have warned you if you obey with speed it shall be your great reward and my suffrage shall help you in this life ye shall overcome your Enemies and live long and eat good things and afterwards ye shall inherit Eternal life But if ye make any delay know ye that by the authority of the holy and individual Trinity and by the Apostolical grace given unto me ye shall be alienated for the transgression of this my Exhortation from the Kingdom of God and from life Eternal Phil. I have had the Patience to hear you I pray let me now understand your design in these Instances Theoph. Your Popes are public Persons and you would have them thought to be guided by an infallible Spirit especially in their Buls Epistles and serious agitations not to err And you see what power they ascribe to the Saints departed not only of Interceding but Acting for us and against our enmies And partly from thence your Doctors have taken occasion to instruct the people to invoke them as Patrons and Protectors and Saviours out of trouble Now you have a rare art of Reduction if you can bring all this under the single head of Intercession that they effect these things only by their praiers to God and not by a delegacy of his power to them Phil. It comes all to one if by their praiers they obtain such power to save and to destroy Theoph. Take your suppositions for granted and the case is clear Mean while