Selected quad for the lemma: church_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
church_n	article_n	faith_n	fundamental_a	4,300	5	10.0783	5	false

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A66213	The missionarie's arts discovered, or, An account of their ways of insinuation, their artifices and several methods of which they serve themselves in making converts with a letter to Mr. Pulton, challenging him to make good his charge of disloyalty against Protestants, and an historical preface, containing an account of their introducing the heathen gods in their processions, and other particulars relating to the several chapters of this treatise.	Wake, William, 1657-1737.; Hickes, George, 1642-1715.	1688 (1688)	Wing W246A; ESTC R4106	113,409	130

by their Fathers and so upward from the Apostles times but the Doctrine of the deposing power was believed as a matter of faith therefore it was deliver'd from the Apostles times let them either answer this Argument which is their own upon other points or confess that the deposing power is an Article of Faith in that Church for if the Argument be good it proves that to be an Article of Faith as well as others if it be not th●y give up all their brags of the Evidence of Oral Tradition from hand to hand so much insisted on by Mr. G. and others of their Champions among us But because it may be objected that the deposing Bulls were the effects of the passionate Tempers of those Popes I desire that one of their own Communion may be heard in that point who speaks thus I maintain that all these disasters proceeded not only from the pettish humour of any one Pope but were the natural effects of the principles of the Papacy and though we do not see it visibly break forth every day by some bloody Example yet we ought not to believe that the habit or the will is ever the less but that there is some external extraordinary Reason which suspends the Action and which doth sometimes make them act directly contrary to their own Inclination How can any man maintain that Princes need not stand in the fear of the Pope when three Popes of this present Age have condemned the opinion that the Pope cannot depose Kings as wicked and contrary to the Faith And now I have examined and refuted their Calumny of our Disloyalty in general and Mr. Pulton's Charge in particular which I have known asserted by others with so peculiar a confidence that it hath stagger'd many Loyal but weak Protestants in which as in All the rest of this Discourse I once again challenge the whole Body of the Romish Clergy to find one false Quotation and by the falsity of Mr. Pulton's Assertion I beg the Reader to judge what Credit the rest of their defaming Insinuations deserve CHAP. V. Of their laying Doctrines to our charge which we never taught AFter such a bold Assertion as that of Mr. Pultons which I refuted in the preceding Chapter we need not wonder if we meet with the same Treatment which the Christians in Tertullian's time under went seeing we have to do with a sort of Men who repeat their Slanders the oftner they are reprov'd and not asham'd to impute Doctrines to the Reformed which their Confessions disclaim and the Writings of their Divines confute At a time when the Gentlemen of that Communion make so loud Complaints of being misrepresented as to their doctrines and practices and with the utmost of their Rhetorick exaggerate the Injury which by such Misrepresentations is done to Truth and their Church it might rationally be expected that they should believe what they say and have some Sense of such injust proceedings or at least should in policy take care that their own Writings be not stuffed with false Charges against their Adversaries But it is somewhat surprizing to find no care taken in so material a point and that they are no more solicitous to represent our Doctrines right than to defend their own which they seem wholly to abandon if any pains be taken by them it is to bespatter the Protestants and coin opinions for them for they find it much more easie to refute those imaginary Positions than overthrow the well-grounded Tenets of the Reformed Churches Hence it is that that there is no Calumny so absurd which they blush to publish and that the old Charge against the Waldenses and Albigenses is renued by the Author of Popery Anatomiz'd who copies from the Jesuit Parsons affirming that they denyed the Resurrection of the dead or that there is any such place as Hell that with the Manichees they held two Gods and that it avails a man nothing to say his Prayers with several other Doctrines of a horrid nature but if we consult the Authors that wrote in and near the time we shall find a quite contrary Account that they were to all appearance a very pious people living righteously before men and believing all things rightly concerning God and all the Articles of the Creed and that their lives were more holy than other Christians insomuch that when the King of France sent Commissioners to enquire of and inspect their Life and Doctrine and they inform'd him that they baptiz'd and taught the Articles of the Creed and Precepts of the Decalogue observ'd the Lord's Day preached the Word of God and that they were not guilty of those abominable Crimes imputed to them he SWORE that THEY WERE BETTER THAN HE OR HIS PEOPLE WHO WERE CATHOLICKS But though the Romanists have no Authority for their Charge yet they have a motive which is always prevalent in that Church the Waldenses and with great freedom reprov'd the Vices of the Pope and Clergy and this was the chief thing which subjected them to such an universal hatred and caused several wicked Opinions to be father'd upon them which they never own'd For they agreed with the Faith of the Protestants at this day as Popliniere affirms who alledgeth the Acts of a Disputation between the Bishop of Pamiers and Arnoltot Minister of Lombres written in a Language favouring much of the Catalan Tongue affirming that some had assured him that the Articles of their Faith were yet to be seen engraven 〈◊〉 certain old Tables in Alby agreeing exactly with the Reforme● Churches And Mr. Fountain Minister of the French Church at London told Arch-bishop Vsher that in his time a Confession of the Albigenses was found which was approved of by a Synod of French Protestants Thus as the Romanists have brought most of the Heathens Rites and the ceremonious part of their Worship into theirs so they seem to be actuated by the same Spirit which taught the Pagans to represent our Holy Religion in the most odious manner and they have found such success attending this unchristian Artifice that it is hugg'd as their darling and when any party discovers their Corruptions they endeavour to expose them as men of seditious Principles which will effectually render Princes jealous of them and draw upon them the displeasure of those under whose protection they might otherwise be secure that the common people may entertain as great an Aversion to them it is not onely their practice but a principle of their Policy laid down by a famous Jesuite to charge them with such Opinions as are absurd in themselves and abhorr'd by all men By this means they are sure to possess the vulgar with such prejudices that they will lend no Ear to the other side whom they look upon as a sort of Monsters according to the Character these Politicians have given of them And such Opinions being easily confuted if they can but once perswade an ignorant

Protestant that the Church of which he is a Member holds them there needs no great industry to prevail with such a man to leave it This course the Popish Bishop of Ferns in Ireland took to perswa●e Father Andrew Sall who had left the Jesuits among whom he had continued many years and about sixteen years since became a Member of our Church to return to the Romish Communion insomuch that Father Walsh confesses that he had strangely misrepresented the Church of England in his Book against that Convert But I think never did any of their Writers equal Father Porter Reader of Divinity in the College of St Isidore at Rome who this very year in a Book printed there and dedicated to the Earl of Castlemain and Licensed by the Companion of the Master of the Sacred Palace and others as a Book very usefull for the instruction of the faithfull tells us that the God of the Protestants doth not differ from the Devil nor his Heaven from Hell and that the whole Frame of our Religion is founded in this horrid Blasphemy THAT CHRIST IS A FALSE PROPHET which he attempts to prove by another Misrepresentation as great as this for saith he the English Confession of Faith asserts that General Councils GUIDED BY THE HOLY GHOST AND THE WORD OF GOD may Err for which he cites the 19. and 20. Articles of our Church the latter of which onely asserts that the Church ought to be guided in her decisions by the Word of God and tho' the former doth affirm that the Church of Rome hath erred yet it saith nothing of General Councils the 21 Article indeed affirms that they may Err and the Reason it gives is because they are an ASSEMBLY OF MEN WHO ARE NOT ALL GUIDED BY THE SPIRIT AND WORD OF GOD so that all this Fryers Exclamation of the horridness of such a Doctrine as he charg'd upon us serves onely to shew his own immodesty and to let the world see with what strange Confidence some men can advance Assertions and alledge Authorities which any one that can read will discover to be forg'd This I confess seems to be a new Charge of his own inventing but that which he brings in another place that we are not oblig'd by our Religion to pray was long since framed by the Priests at the beginning of the Reformation who perswaded the people that in England the Protestants had neither Churches nor form of Religion nor serv'd God any way and they had so possess'd them with that opinion that several persons were reckon'd Lutherans onely because they were horrid Blasphemers That the Decalogue is not obligatory to Christians and that God doth not regard our Works is one of the monstrous Opinions which Campion had the confidence to 〈◊〉 both our Vniversities was maintained by the Church of England and like a Child who to cover one untruth backs it with another he quotes the Apology of the Church of England as his voucher wherein these words are found which are so clear that they alone are enough to make those blush who by Translating and Publishing this Treatise of Campions the last year have made his Forgeries their own the words of the Apology are these although we acknowledge we expect nothing from our own Works but from Christ onely yet this is no encouragement to a loose life nor for any to think it sufficient to believe and that nothing else is to be expected from them for True Faith is a living and working Faith therefore we teach the people that God hath called us to good Works And that the Reader may see what Credit is to be given to the Romanists in this point I shall give an account of the Doctrine of the several Reformed Churches about the necessity of good Works and then shew with what confidence these Gentlemen affirm that the Protestants teach that good Works are not necessary The four Imperial Cities in their Confession of Faith presented to the Emperour in the year 1530. having explained the Doctrine of Justification by Faith onely have these words But we would not have this understood as if we allowed Salvation to a lazy Faith for we are certain that no man can be saved who doth not love God above all things and with all his might endeavour to be like him or who is wanting in any good Work And therefore enjoyn their Ministers to preach up frequent Prayer and Fasting as holy Works and becoming Christians in which the Augustan Co●fession agrees with them that good Works necessarily follow a true Faith for even at that time the Calumny that they denyed the necessity of them was very common as appears by their solemn disclaiming any such Opinion in the twentieth Article affirming that he cannot have true Faith who doth not exercise Repentance The same is taught by the Helvetian Churches in their Confession compos'd at Basil Ann. 1532. that true Faith shews it self by good Works and in another fram'd at the same place Ann. 1536. we find this Assertion that Faith is productive of all good Works The Bohemian Churches affirm that he who doth not exercise Repentance shall certainly Perish and that good Works are absolutely necessary to Salvation is the Doctrine of the Saxon Reformers in their Confession of Faith offer'd to the Council of Trent Ann. 1551. and in that presented to the same Council by the Duke of Wirtemberg the following year there is this Profession we acknowledge the Decalogue to contain injunctions for all good works and that we are bound to obey all the moral Precepts of it We teach that good works are necessary to be done And in particular it commends Fasting and in the twenty second Article of the French Confession it is affirmed that the Doctrine of Faith is so far from being an hindrance to a holy Life that it excites us to it so that it is necessarily attended with good works The Church of England agrees with the rest of the Reformed Artic. 12. that good works are acceptable to God and do necessarily spring out of a True and lively Faith. And the Confession of Faith subscribed by all the Churches of Helvetia Ann. 1566. and afterwards by the Reformed of Poland Scotland Hungary and Geneva gives this account of the Faith of those Churches Faith causes us to discharge our duty toward God and our Neighbour makes us patient in Adversity and produces all good works in us so we teach good works to be the Off-spring of a lively Faith. And although we affirm with the Apostle that we are justified by Faith in Christ and not by our good works yet we do not reject them But condemn all who despise good works and teach that they are not necessary And in the thirteenth and fourteenth Articles of the Scotch Confession they maintain the necessity of all good

works because they are commanded by God which is likewise the Doctrine of the Dutch Churches as appears by the Profession of their Faith in the Synod of Dort affirming that it is impossible that True Faith should be without works seeing it is a Faith working by love which causes a man to do all those good works which God hath commanded in his word And the same Doctrine is delivered in the Articles of the Church of Ireland but because I have not those Articles at hand I omit the words Thus by an VNIVERSAL CONSENT of ALL the PROTESTANTS we find the NECESSITY OF GOOD WORKS maintained and I CHALLENGE OUR ADVERSARIES TO PRODUCE ANY ONE ALLOWED AUTHOR WHO HOLDS THE CONTRARY AMONG US WHICH IS A UNITY BEYOND WHAT THEY CAN SHEW IN THEIR CHURCH FOR ANY ONE POINT though if they could it would not justifie their Charge who so often tell us that we must not take the Faith of any Church from private writings but their publick Confessions But these Gentlemen scorn to be tyed by any Rules tho' never so just even in their own opinions and therefore in a Supplication directed to King James by several Romish Priests they affirm that whosoever leaveth their Communion for ours beginneth immediately to lead a worse life so it is grown into a Proverb that the Protestant Religion is good to live in but the Papist Religion good to dye in And indeed they made it their business to possess their people with that Opinion so that Father Francis de Neville a Capuchin confesseth That he did imagine for a long time that they of the Reformed Churches admitting Justification by Faith alone did it to exclude good works from the way of Salvation and shew themselves in that to be Enemies of Charity and of other Virtues and did therefore extreamly condemn them but when he came to sound their Doctrine and see how they judge good Works necessary to Salvation and that the Faith whereof they speak is not a dead Faith but a lively Faith accompanied with good Works He acknowledged they were wrongfully blam'd in this as in many other things also But though this Gentleman was so sincere yet there are but few among them who tread in his steps for to pass by all the Controvertists of the last Age we need go no farther than these late years to find instances of their Misrepresentations in this Particular one of them in a Book dedicated to her Majesty tells the world that the Principle of our Religion takes from us the yoke of fasting freeth us from all necessity of good works to be saved and of keeping the Commandments of God and that we might not think he asserted these onely to be consequences of our Doctrines he adds that most Protestants hold that position and that it is our express Doctrine and in another place he affirms that praying watching and fasting are wholly out of use among Protestants and not only contrary to the liberty of their new Gospel but even fruitless vain superstitious Toys according to the Tenets and Principles thereof Another sets it down as one of the Protestant Articles That good works are not absolutely necessary to Salvation Which Father Turbervill confirms by being more particular The Catholick Church saith he teacheth much Fasting Prayer and Mort●●●cation she exhorts to good works voluntary Poverty Chastity and Obedience the contrary to all which holy Doctrines are taught by Protestants And a very late Author insinuates that it is all one to Protestants whether God be served with Fasting Watching Mortifying or without But the Roman Divine Father Porter is more express that one of the Causes which renders the Reformed so averse to Popery is that they abhor Fasting and Repentance and account Prayer and other Offices of Religion tedious that our Religion allows us to believe that good works are not necessary to Salvation that by our Doctrine Thieves Murderers Blasphemers c. may attain Heaven BY THEIR BEING SO if they will but believ● and that BY BEING SVCH they are as much the Sons of God as the Apostles were with abundance more of such abominable stuff fit only for carrying on a most malicious Design When with their best Rhetorick these Gentlemen have endeavoured to perswade the world that they are abus'd in the account given of their Doctrines by our Divines all they pretend to complain of amounts to no more than this that we have drawn Consequences from our Doctrine which they will not hear and we find not that their greatest malice can pretend to much more surely then it is high time for them to reflect a little upon that Counsel of our SAVIOUR first to pull the Beam out of their own Eye 'T is not for want of Materials but because I would not be prolix that I produce no more particulars in this point of good works for I do not remember to have seen any one of their writings which is not guilty in this kind I have more need to make an Apology for insisting so long upon this one particular but I was easily induc'd to it knowing that one of their great Designs is to possess the devouter sort of men with a belief that we left their Communion to have greater Liberty for the Flesh in prosecution of which they are so strangely immodest as to publish such false Opinions for us as directly contradict our publick Confessions the discovering of which I look'd upon the best way to oppose their Slanders But to take a short view of other particulars The Author of Veritas Evangelica before cited runs wholly upon this point that we believe the whole Church hath failed and thence argues that Christ had no Church for some years into the same Error Father Mumford the Jesuit runs and another affirms that we teach the Church of all Nations is confin'd to England Because we reject all Traditions that are not according to the Rule of Lirinensis received every where at all times and by all Father Porter laies this down as one of our Principles that all Traditions of all sorts are the inventions of men though he could not but know that we receive the Scriptures from such an universal Tradition and are ready to embrace any other Doctrine conveyed to us as they are With the same sincerity and modesty he affirms that we pretend that the EXPRESS WORDS of Scripture are our RULE OF FAITH without any interpretation or consequence drawn from them tho' not to mention other Churches the Church of England declares that we are to be guided not onely by the express words of the Scripture but by the consequences drawn from it and yet this Gentleman affirms that our Confessions of Faith pretend onely to the express words It is notoriously known that our Differences about Church Government are no Articles of our Faith and yet this Author tells us that the equality of power in

the Pastors of the Church is one of the fundamental Articles of the Reformation A way of misrepresenting which hath been sufficiently blacken'd by themselves so that I need say nothing to expose it But to leave this Fryer whose whole Book consists of little else but as bad or worse Assertions one of their Champions could perswade the world that we account the belief of Transubstantiation to be Idolatry a cunning Artifice to draw the people from considering where the Charge is laid not against the Doctrine of the corporal Presence but the Adoration of the Host. And his fellow Advocate seems resolv'd not to be behind hand when he affirms that we believe there is nothing to be hoped for of substance in the Sacrament We dispute with great earnestness against the Idolatrous Worship given to Angels and Saints in that Church and our Adversaries have found it impossible to make a fair defence for it therefore they betake themselves to prove that those happy Spirits pray for us which we acknowledge as well as they and yet a very celebrated writer affirms that we deny it We profess to believe the Article of the Communion of Saints but Mr. Ward hath the assurance to tell the world That Protestants believe no Communion of Saints Hitherto we have had Instances of their direct way of misrepresenting but they are not so unskilfull as not to be furnished with finer Methods and which are not so easily discovered by the vulgar when they are eagerly disputing 'tis an easie thing to drop some Assertion which in the heat of Discourse shall pass unheeded by the warm Adversary but they will be sure to resume it and make their Advantage of it s not being contradicted either during the conference or afterwards to some of the persons then present which renders it necessary for those who engage with them to watch every word and not onely attend to the main Question for by this method they gain one of these two points if their Insinuation be not answered at first they will urge the point as granted and if the disputant deny it they presently cry out that he is now reduc'd to a strait and so denies what he own'd before which observation shall be surely seconded and applauded by their Adherents and often leaves an impression in the weaker Hearers on the other hand if when they find themselves pressed and at a stand which is their usual time to drop such a bye assertion and that their Artifice is discovered and their position denied they leave the first point and pursue the other and so engage insensibly in a desultory dispute from one thing to another never fix'd by which they render most disputations ineffectual so that whether stopt in their design or not they make their Advantage either to misrepresent our Doctrine or extricate themselves from the difficulties they can't resolve Thus one of their Divines urging the Authority of the Fathers to a Protestant and not willing to expose himself so far as to affirm in express terms that we thought those Holy Men divinely inspired us'd this Expression that seeing we owned the Authority of the DIVINELY INSPIRED FATHERS he would prove the Infallibility of the Church from their Writings to this the Gentleman not regarding the Epithete answered that he could not and so proceeded in the dispute they had not been parted many hours but the Fryer desired some of the company to observe how the Protestants contradicted themselves about their Rule of Faith professing to receive whatever was inspired by the Holy Ghost and yet not admitting the writings of the Fathers into the Rule tho' the opponent had acknowledged that they were inspired from above and when it was reply'd that there was no such Concession he urg'd that when he termed them Divinely inspir'd there was no exception taken at it which was a tacit affirming them to be so But the Gentlemen were too wise to be caught with so very slight an Appearance I shall have occasion to give a farther account of this under another Head therefore I shall at present onely observe that how thin soever this Artifice is in it self they use it in their publick discourses as well as private Conversation Mr. Clench arguing for the Infallibility of Councils hath these words speaking of our Appeal to the four first General Councils I know no reason why the Church should be credited in the four first General Councils and slighted and dis-believed in the following Christ promised he would be with them to the consummation of the world I can find no place where Christ promis'd to be with them for a limited time so as to direct them in their first Assemblies and to leave them for the future to themselves Here he would make the Reader believe that we receive those Synods as believing them secur'd from Error by Christ's promise for else his Argument is impertinent but we do not receive them on any infallible Authority of theirs not because they could not err but because they did not and therefore we reject others because they have err'd for we know of no promise made to them but are yet ready to receive any such Councils as the first were who govern themselves by the Holy Scriptures They find no great difficulty in confuting imaginary Opinions which makes them so very dexterous in this Method to dispute against our Doctrine of Justification by Faith was too hard a task and therefore F. T. coins a new definition of it in the middle of his Argument and immediately runs away with that endeavouring to prove that Faith is not an assured Belief that our sins are forgiven learnedly arguing against his own imagination however he had what he aim'd at for he made a shew of saying somewhat and if he could but perswade any ignorant Protestant that the definition was own'd by the Reformed he was sure he had overthrown it With the same sincerity another of their Champions would insinuate that the Protestants left the Communion of Rome because of the wickedness of the Members of that Church and therefore heaps up Authorities to prove that it is not a sufficient motive for a separation from them but all his Labour is to very little purpose for we know the Tares and Wheat are to grow together till Harvest and not onely the wickedness of their Priests and Bishops but the Errors and monstrous Corruptions of their Church could not have justified our Separation if they had not endeavour'd to force us to be partakers of those Abominations which we durst not do least we should be partakers of those Plagues which are denounc'd against them It was an easie matter to prove the former no ground for Separation but some thing hard to undertake the other Point so that our Author wisely wav'd it It was observ'd by the Duke of Buckingham that these Gentlemen serv'd themselves of hatefull Nick-names when they are pressed in disputes about Religion

The Fathers saith he were of opinion that Antichrist should one day seize upon the most Magnificent Temples of the Christians this was the opinion of St. Hilary and of St. Jerome this last mentions the very Rock of Tarpeius Therefore the Popes ought not to glory over-much in their Buildings since Antichrist shall one day place himself in them I like well enough to see such fine things as these but I confess that I have more devotion in a little Church without magnificence or rich ornaments than I have in such places I find that my devotion does insensibly divide and that sense doth sometimes carry away a part of my mind and transport it to sensible objects which do not deserve it and that my affection is thereby weakned whatever care I take to gather it up and unite it This hath a much more dangerous effect upon the Common people who have no knowledge and whose Religion lyes onely in their eyes and ears they do in an horrible manner fasten on these things which are onely obvious to their sense and go no higher And shall these things which the sober Romanists themselves confess to be an hinderance of piety destructive to devotion and fit to prevail upon none but fools be the motives to rational men to leave the pure worship of God to have their eyes delighted by gaudy shews and their ears pleased with all sorts of musick I doubt not but the doctrine of Ecstasies and raptures so highly applauded in the Romish Church hath its greatest support from these external glories which are proper to raise the affections to such a pleasing height as renders them almost insensible which though onely the effect of the pleasure the senses are entertain'd with are by them extoll'd as holy motions and divine illuminations while the soul is not at all affected or better'd by such transports There lyes therefore an indispensable obligation upon every person but especially upon such as by their natural dispositions are apt to be affected by such things to keep a constant and severe watch over their affections that they do not blind their understandings remembring Religion consists in the Vnderstanding and Will being rightly informed and directed not in the motion of the spirits and tickling of the senses the Doctrine of the Gospel being designed for the good of Souls never an Article of it calculated to gratifie and please the flesh Besides how unreasonable is it that those things which ANTICHRIST shall boast of and pride himself in should be ever us'd as an argument to proselyte any to a party as if they must needs be the onely true Church because in this they resemble ANTICHRIST If men would but seriously reflect it is an easie matter to perceive even from hence that what I noted in the Introduction of their designs is true for what doth all these glorious shews tend to the making a man wise unto salvation or the fitting him for the enjoyment of God All the tendency they can have is to work upon mens affections which I before observ'd is their main design Now we know that such emotions are seldom permanent which made the excellent Richerius speaking of these things though himself a Papist affirm That those who thought these methods would be long of force will in a little time find themselves mightily deceived And this is not unknown to the Missionaries who therefore strike while the Iron continues hot and ply the person whose affections are thus raised with their Miracles their Holiness and such particulars which we shall discourse of anon And I cannot think it one of the least weighty considerations to deter men from being gull'd by such trifles to reflect that these things are designed either for such as have no real sense of Religion or to bring them to have none the first sort being very glad of such a Worship as gratifies their voluptuous humours and others more soberly inclin'd are thereby taught to worship God wholly in a sensual manner and so estrang'd from the pure and spiritual part of Religion which God alone delights in Neither is this method onely calculated for such but they have likewise a singular dexterity in accommodating themselves even to the vices and corruptions they find men most addicted to if ambitious they endeavour to feed that humour if voluptuous to gratifie them in that if revengefull they permit them to follow their inclinations if covetous though of all vices they are most enrag'd against that yet for a while they can find a way not to be grievous to them and as pliable they are to the prodigal This is an observation made of the Jesuites by several Doctors of the Sorbonne in Paris They speak of nothing but magnificence and liberality to those who are vain telling them that by these actions they establish their reputation and the more to puff them up with such conceits they cite examples to that purpose Nay lest they should be terrified with the torments of Purgatory after this life Bellarmine affirms that in probability there is a Purgatory where those pains are not endured which is seconded by many of their Divines who together with Bellarmine found it upon Revelations made to venerable Bede and others and Aquila expresly and purposely defends this opinion And lest they should grow cold considering that they must not meet with sensual joys in Heaven all the happiness of the bless●d Spirits consisting in the Vision of God which these voluptuous men cannot apprehend any great delight in they have therefore coined a new description of that happy place affirming that there shall be a sovereign pleasure in kissing and embracing the Bodies of the Blessed that the Angels shall put on womens Habits and appear to the Saints in the dress of Ladies that women shall rise with long Hair and appear with Ribbands and Laces as they do upon Earth that married people shall kiss one another and their Children as in this life Thus these subtil Deceivers will rather follow Mahomet's steps in asserting a sensual Paradise than lose one of their Proselytes I neither design here to enlarge upon this Subject nor pretend to instance in all their turnings and artifices to this end the first because I refer it to another Head when I come to treat of their disguising and varying their Doctrine the latter because I cannot pretend to do it their Arts being numberless but by such instances as these are the Reader may easily discover them when they act a part of the same nature In Christmas Ann. 1624. one Father Leech told Mr. J. Gee That if any but hear Mass and after hearing be sprinkled with holy-Water and kiss the Priest's Garments he could not commit that day any mortal sin though he would never so fain and my Author cites in the Margin some Authors who teach the same an excellent Maxim to make the greatest Sin become none at all and very much a-kin