the Old or New English Blood in his Veins I have said enough to convince the World that you are of English Extraction Sect 34. And pray Gentlemen consider what greater Honour can you desire than to be accounted English Since they are a People Famous all the World over as well for Arts and Arms as for Honesty Industry Courage and Good Nature They have for a long time held the Ballance of Europe and more than once preserved the Liberty of the Christian World from the Attempts of an Universal Monarchy and which is yet more when they have subdued Others they have at the same time Generously Conquer'd Themselves and have post-pon'd their Resentments to their Compassion and their Justice else there had been no occasion for this Monitory Epistle at this time S. 35. As for the Laws one ought to refer you to the Flourishing Condition of England that is Govern'd by them They cannot but be Excellent since they are derived from the Law of GOD the Laws of Nature and Reason Common Customs which long Experience has found to be Useful and made into Law and Acts of Parliament made by your selves or your Ancestors and as occasion requir'd adapted to Our or Their Necessities Nor can you deny but that the Administration of these Laws is Just and Equal without regard to Shiboleth or Siboleth and not as it was in your Time when few but those of your Party could have any Success in the plainest Cases In short I appeal to your own Consciences whether you do not live much better under the Government of the Laws of England than ever your Ancestors did under their Lords and Brehoos Sect 36. As for your Language it is Originally Welsh to which there are added some Words of Latin and some of English so that you are deceiv'd in believing that Irish is a pure Original Language But whatever it be why you should not forsake it for the English Tongue which is much more Copious and which is by Law the Language of this Kingdom No Reason can be assigned but Priestcraft to keep you in Ignorance and to uphold a Feud between us Otherwise by using the English Tongue one is better qualified for the Casâ—â—e the Courts of Justice and the Market more capable of Preserment and of Charity and of the Benefit of Clergy and in a word more fit for the best Company and Conversation So that it seems to me they are Bewitched who live under a Government and Refuse to Learn the Legal and Received Language thereof Sect 37. As to the Habit and Manners of the English you cannot deny but the former is Neat Tight and Clean and the other Correct and Genteel and therefore as many of you as come to any Understanding or Fortune in the World do imitate us in both but with this difference That such Irish as turn Protestants conform entirely to our Habit and Mannors whereas those who continue Papists are generally more Slovenly and Unfashionable more Slattering in their Cloaths and more 〈◊〉 in their Houses But sure there will be no difficulty to perswade your Conformity to us in these Points since all we desire of you is but to be Neat and Clean about your Persons and in your Houses and to be Civil Genteel and Orderly in your Conversation to which in Truth you are Naturally inclin'd Sect 38. Nor can I see why you should scruple to Conform to the Religion of the Church of England since we believe all that our Blessed Saviour has Reveal'd or the Apostles Taught all that the holy Scriptures Contain or the Primitive Christians Believ'd or the first Four General Councils Approv'd Sect 39 And accordingly The Symbols of our Faith are the Apostolical the Athanasian and Nicene Creeds And after this Manner which you call Herefie do we Worship the GOD of our Fathers Sect 40. And suitable hereunto the Precepts of our Religion are Holy Exhorting to all sorts of Vertue and forbidding all manner of Vice It enjoyns Good Works without the Foppery of Merit and without Derogating from the Value of our Saviour's Sufferings and Mediation It admits of no Repentance but what produces a Reformation of Life and Manners and it indispensibly Asserts That without Holiness no Man shall be saved Sect 41. Hence you may perceive which is the Ancient Religion since we press you to believe no more but the Doctrines of Primitive Christianity which were from the Beginning and which your Church dare not deny and which indeed you believe already whilst the Church of Rome obliges you to believe all the New Articles she has Coyn'd or shall hereafter Coyn for her own Profit and Advantage Sect 42. We that perceive her Designs and are deliver'd from her Tyranny and converted from her Errors being desirous according to the Divine Precept to strengthen our Brethren Call out to you with a loud Voice and fore-warn you of the Danger We beg you to consider whether you are not over-laden with Superstition and Idolatry and whether the Popish Clergy do not make Tools of you to Enrich and Aggrandize themselves we offer to Demonstrate the Cheat and to shew it to you in divers Instances and we offer to prove by the Word of GOD That your Church has Apostatiz'd from her Primitive Purity in many Articles both of Doctrine and Practice Sest 43. Now supposing the Priest were a Deceiver and had a mind to Impose upon you as we say he has what part could he Act but as he does He would exhort you to stop your Ears and shut your Eyes and not to hear or read a word against the Church Probably he would try to Frighten you and tell you That he that Doubts is Damn'd 'T is certain he would advise you to an Implicit Faith blind-fold to believe as the Church that is the * By the word Church we understand its Head the Pope Greg Val. 34. Pope believes to be Liberal and Charitable to the Clergy and to trust him to direct you right to Heaven thô perhaps he does not know one step of the way thither himself Sect 44. And will not you reply to such a one That since GOD has given you Reason and Eyesight and has Publish'd the Holy Scriptures for your Direction and has commanded you to Try all things that you may hold fast 2 Thes 5. 21. ohat which is Good that therefore you desire to be inform'd in the Way you are to go that you may examine whether it be Right or Wrong And since our daily Prayer To strengthen our Faith shews there are degrees of it it must needs follow That such Scruples in Faith as put Men upon Enquiry Why they believe This or That are so far from being Damnable that they are subvervient to a great Duty of Searching the Scriptures in order to increase our Faith which will certainly grow stronger according to the Satisfaction we receive of its being well Founded Sect 45. Besides This false Principle is the Parent of
the Priest and the Purifications of Purgatory with very little regard to Holiness without which no Man shall see the Face of GOD Sect 23. And hence it is that the two Crying Sins of the Nation Theft and Perjury which are rarely found amongst Protestants are so common among you that the one is become an Epithet and the other Proverbially Scandalous The Protestants know they must make Restitution if possible or bâ— Damn'd and therefore few of that Communion but notorious profligate Reprobates will either Forswear or Steal But you are not under this Awe having too often some Sophistical Pretence or other to Justifie or Excuse you and at worst fancying that you may be absolved at an easie Rate either by Confession and slight Pennance or if that fails by a few turns in Purgatory Sect 24. And thus have many by these Loose Notions been deluded to the Gallows and more to Hell who had never been thus miserably cheated of their Lives and their Souls if they had been used to Sound Doctrine and good Sermons or suffered to Read the holy Scriptures and other good Books that might better instruct them Sect 25. But the Priest will say He does warn you of these Vices and preach Restitution but Experience has convinc'd us that whatever he says on that Subject is very Cold and Ineffectual and that he does countenance the contrary Practice since all is discover'd to him in Confession and yet no Restitution is made but to special Friends or such whom the Priest is afraid of And since without Restitution he gives Absolution and administers the Sacrament not only to Petty Thieves but to Proclaim'd Tories and Rapparees who were to Rob and Murther again the next Day Sect 26. For GOD's sake Gentlemen do not suffer your selves to be thus Impos'd upon Pray look back a little and enquire Was it not the Priests that were the Original of Rapparees Did not they enjoyn every one upon pain of Excommunication to bring a Rapary or Half Pike in his hand to Mass Did not they Head the Rabble and in many Places at Noon-Day with Bag-Pipes and other Circumstances of Jollity and Insolence plunder their Protestant Neighbours Were there ever more Perjuries or greater Villanies committed in so short a time than whilst the Popish Clergy had the Ascendant Or would your greatest Enemies desire more than Liberty to Copy afttr your Example and to serve you Now as barbarously as you served Them Then Sect 27. In short How can you pretend to be Good Christians and to obey the Will of GOD whilst you are so ignorant what it is and know so little of it You are utter Strangers to the Holy Scriptures which are the Word of GOD and even the Prayers and Offices of your Church are in a Language you do not understand Scarce one in a Tbousand of you can give a Tolerable Account of the Christian Faith or the Hope that is in him but is contented with a Jingle To believe as the Church believes which is He knows not what and in effect he thinks that a blind Obedience to the Avarice and Ambition of the Clergy will serve him instead of the Practice of Christian Vertues Sect 28. And Gentlemen Since it is not to Upbraid much less to Scandalize you that I have insisted upon this Ungrateful Theam but purely for your Service to open your Eyes and Undeceive you That you may plainly see you want Help and Advice And since that Chyrurgion is more your Friend that Searches your Wound to the bottom that he may cure it throughly than he that Skins it over and lets it fester and break out again you will excuse me if for the same Reason and for your Thorough Cure I put you upon the Enquiry Whether you are not defective in your Language Obnoxious to the Laws and Incapable of Preferment And whether too many of you are not Slovenly in your Habit and in your Houses Unjust in your Actions even to Perjuries and Forgeries innumerable shamefully countenanc'd and favour'd by some of your Courts of Justice in the late Reign Barbarous in your Designs to Extirpate the Protestants Poor in your Fortunes Low in your Reputations and by your Ingratitude and Cruelty Nakedly Exposed to the Just Resentments of a Provok'd People to whom GOD Almighty has Given and notwithstanding frequent Rebellions Continued the Dominion over you Sect 29. And is there any way to Extricate you out of all these Misfortunes but a Total Conversion and Conformity to the Laws Language Habit Manners and Religion of England Sect 30. And would not your Miserable Country-men now begging and starving in France be over-joy'd to Return to their Native Soyl upon these Terms How gladly would they conform if they might be Restor'd Why then should you lose the Present Opportunity of making your selves and your Posterity happy by your Conformity to Things that are in Themselves so Excellent and so much for your Advantage both as to Body and Soul Sect 31. I will not deny but that I press this the more Earnestly upon you because I think you are Originally English and of Brittish Extraction To prove this I shall not wholly Rely on the Testimonies of Tacitus Polybius and many other Ancient Historians and Geographers who affirm That Ireland was Peopled from Britain but shall demonstrate it from the Nature of the thing which could not be otherwise For before the Use of the Compass was discover'd they could make no other than Coasting Voyages in sight of the Shoar Hence 't is that all Countries were first Peopled by their next Neighbours Greece from Asia Italy from Greece France from Italy England from France and Ireland from Great Britain So that what the Old Irish Chronicles report to the contrary is not only False but utterly Impossible 32. To this I might add many of the Customs of the Ancient Brittons retain'd in Ireland to our own days your Bows and Arrows Bolyes Mantles Glibs Bards Druids and even your Gavelkind are derived thence But what need we say any more but that your Character is Saxon and your Language Originally Welsh Sect 33. Besides Two Thirds of those that are called Irish here are beyond Controversie of English Extraction and the Progeny of the First Conquerours or of such as came over afterwards from England to support them Of this sort in Munsier we have the Barryes Courcyes Skiddyes Golds Coppingers Galways Lumbards Heas Hodnets Cogans Lacyes Roches Rices Miaghs Purcels Sarsfeilds Powers Barrets Fitzmaurice Condons c. In Conaught Burks Briminghams Dillons Browns Frenches Kirevans Bodkins Linches Athys c. In Leinster Butlers Fitz-Geralds Nettervills Plunkets Aplmers Prestons Wogans Barnwells Cusacks Flemings Nugents Hussyes Nangles Keatings Talbots Sherlocks Eustaces c. And in Vlster Savages Dowdals Russels Peppards c And many more And when I have added That there have been so many Cross-Marriages between the old English and old Irish that there is scarce a Man of any Note but has of
which no Man can properly be said to do when he Eats the Wafer even supposing whole Christ to be contain'd therein But to what purpose shall we argue longer on this point since the very Council that prohibits it confesses that the Institution of Christ and the Practice of the Primitive Church was to the contrary Sect 89. How weak is your Answer That the Church thought it convenient As if the Blessed JESUS were not a better Judge of Conveniencies than the Pope and Cardinals Pray Gentlemen consider who has the Antient Religion and who is likely to be in the right on 't We follow the Order and Institution of JESUS CHRIST and you do quite contrary in obedience to the Pope and to Reason of State Sect 90. 'T is just so in the next Article of the Marriage of Priests GOD Almighty Instituted Marriage and you say made it a Sacrament The Apostles advise it to all who can't contain St. Peter himself was a Married Man and the Scripture mentions his Wive's Mother Your Apostle St. Patrick was the Son of Potitus a Priest and the Primitive Clergy knew no Prohibition in this case On the contrary many of them were Married And St. Paul allows a Bishop to be the Husband of one Wife How then can you pretend that your Religion is Antient in this particular Sect 91. The Truth is When the Foundations of Ecclesiastical Empire were laid in Cozening and Deceiving the People it was necessary to forbid Marriage to Those who were to be the Managers and Instruments of the Cheat that they might be the more zealous therein when they had no Wives or Children to suffer by the Fraud Sect 92. Proceed we next to Auricular Confession and we shall find it a New Trick to discover Secrets and add value to the Priest Nothing is more groundless than that Practise as 't is us'd in the Roman Church since neither CHRIST ordain'd it nor the Ancient Church us'd it as Erasmus confesses 'T is one thing to consult your Pastor in difficult Cases and another thing to tell him all that you do If the Confession were Publick it might give Reparation to the Party injur'd it might purge the Assembly from the Scandal of such a Member the shame of it might contribute to his Mortification and Repentance But this private Shrift to one that is bound to conceal it can have no other effect but to give the Priest Intelligence that he may be the better able to compass his own Designs and those of his Church Sect 93. Lastly Your Religion is New Upstart and Erronious in forbidding the People to read Scripture for fear say you they should imbibe Heresie which is just such weak Reasoning as his that Refused to give his Child Meat for fear he should be choak'd and so suffer'd him to be starv'd Sect 94. But if this were a Reason it would extend to forbid Scripture to the Clergy since they have been the Broachers of most Heresies Marcion Paulus Samosatenus Arius Eunomius Apollinaris Macedonius Photinus Nestorius Eutiches Pelagius Novatius Donatus and many more Notorious Hereticks having been in Holy Orders Sect 95. Has not the Spirit of GOD published the Scriptures for the Use of all Christians Is not the Reading of them enjoyn'd by GOD Almighty that we may come to 2 Tim. 2. 4. the Knowledge of the Truth Are not those commended that Search the John 20. 31. Scriptures Is it not in them that we have Eternal Life Is there not in the John 5. 39. Rom. 10. 17. 15 4. Heb. 5. 14. 2 Tim. 3. 15. Scriptures as well Milk for Babes as Meat for strong Men And are not they able to make us wise to Salvation How then dare you to contradict the Positive Commands of of GOD and the Design of the Holy GHOST upon vain Fears and frivolous Pretences meerly to keep the People in Ignorance that they may be the more easily Enslav'd and Impos'd upon Sect 96. I have not room to enlarge on the many other Novelties you have introduced into Religion and therefore shall only give a short hint of your declaring the Apocrppha to be Canonical by the Council of Trent which was otherwise esteem'd by Origen Athanasius Epiphanius and the Ancient Fathers and of your Seven Sacraments which were first defin'd so in the Council of Florence Anno 1438. and of your scandalous Practice of Indulgences introduced by Clement VI. Anno 1350. whereby you have Traffiqu'd for the Grace of GOD and Erected a Market for the Remission of Sins And of your Doctrine of Merit and Supererrogation invented to raise an Imaginary Treasure in the Church to bring in Real Treasure to the Church-men directly contrary to every Man's Experience and the Holy Scriptures which assures us that at the best We are but Unprofitab'e Servants And of your Prayers in an Vnknown Tongue directly contrary to the Apostles Direction 1 Cor. XIV 16. How shall the Unlearned say Amen at thy giving of Thanks seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest And vers 19. In the Church I had rather speak five words with my Understanding that by my Voice I might teach others also than Ten Thousand Words in an Unknown Tongue Sect 97. Thus Gentlemen you see that you have no Foundation in Scripture and but vain Pretences of Antiquity for those Articles that have been Impos'd upon you And therefore your Church has set up Traditions that is Reports and Tales coyn'd for their purpose to be the Canon and Rule of Faith not regarding the Wo pronounc'd against those who should add to or diminish from the Canonical Word of GOD. 'T is true the Vniversal Tradition and Practice of All Churches and in All Ages deserves great Respect and we accordingly give it in the Observation of the Lords Day Sunday and in Baptizing Infants But to argue from hence That the Traditions Reports and Inventions of any Sect Faction or Particular Church ought to be deem'd Evidence for it self is the most Sophistical Inference that can be and directly against the Apostles Advice Not to think of Men above that which is written 2 Cor VI. 6. Sect 98. How much safer is it to rely upon the Holy Scriptures which being dictated by the HOLY GHOST are Infallible and Divine and cannot Deceive Sect 99. But say you We may be mistaken in the Interpretation and so you may in the Interpretation of any Rule of Faith Traditions Decrees of Councils c. Yet still you must judge for your self the best you can with such Helps as you can get Exercising your Senses to discern Good and Evil Heb. V. 14. Sect 100. Were the Scriptures Intelligible to the Hearers to whom our Saviour and the Apostles preach'd them If not to what purpose were they preach'd If they were then Intelligible are they now become otherwise by being Written Or if they are what need we go to Particulars and Niceties Will not an Implicit Faith in the Scriptures serve as well as the