than from my own because the Nature of the Thing before me consists in something above my Skill Certainly when the Question is What is the Substance or Essence of a thing not Natural but Reveal'd to be Miraculous and according to the Divine Power and Ordinance the Safest Judgment ought to be fram'd not from what my Senses tell me of the Natural Accidents but from what They tell me of God's Word and the Divine Assurance because as Dr. Sherlock says Preserv against Pop. p. 25. We may reasonably conclude that God understands the Reasons and Nature of things better than we Since therefore my Senses assure me from Scripture and the Pastor's of God's Church that the Sacrament is Christ's Body I am bound in Reason to Judge it Is so rather than from the Natural Accidents to Judge it to be Bread. So that in thus Believing this Mystery we do not Renounce but Follow our Senses Fifthly The Pope alone cannot Err and All others without some of his Assistance cannot but Err. This again is absolutely False For tho' Catholics Believe that the Catholic Church whether Diffusive or in its Representatives viz. a General Assembly of Bishops under their Head the Bishop of Rome thro' the Divine Assistance of the Holy Spirit cannot Err in declaring Matters of Faith and some School-Divines are of Opinion that the Pope is assisted with a like Infallible Direction even at other times Yet never did any Catholics Teach or Believe that all others without the Pope's Assistance were under a Necessity of Erring No Determinations indeed of others without his Consent are of Force or Obligatory on the Whole Church no more than is a Vote of Parliament without the Approbation of the King a Law to the Nation Yet there 's no necessity of Concluding them False and Erroneous but only Not Authentic Protestants believe their own Church not to be Infallible and yet they don't think it to lie under a Necessity of Erring Why therefore must it be charg'd upon us because we believe the Members of our Church without their Head to be Fallible that Therefore They cannot but Err This therefore is a most Illogical and Absurd Consequence such as the Apologizer himself knows not how to justifie and yet he has not Goodness enough to acquit us from so foul a Calumny Eighth Character of a Pulpit-Papist HE is professedly edified in Ignorance by his Church Praying Dr. Standish ibid. and Prophesying in an Vnknown Tongue They make no other use or account of Confession than what professed Drunkards do of Vomiting Thus is his Religion describ'd in a Sermon before the Judges at Hertford 1682 / 3. but most abusively 1. For tho' the Mass is said in Latin by the Priests yet the People have it translated into English they have it expounded in several Books at large and are taught to understand and have a true Sense of what is done so that if they are Ignorant 't is to be imputed to their own Neglect and not to any Design in their Church which is so careful in providing all necessary Means for the avoiding that Inconvenience But of this more afterwards But his Church besides Praying Prophesies too says the Preacher in an Vnknown Tongue Here the Apologizer p. 20. is put to it to save the Credit of the Preacher He owns that by Prophesying is meant in S. Paul 1 Cor. 14. Expounding the Scripture and Articles of Faith to the People and to be the same as Preaching and knowing that Catholics do this in the Vulgar Language if the Preacher be understood in this common Sense of the Word he cannot excuse him from abusing his Auditory with a Calumny But says the Apologizer it do's not appear to me that the Preacher here understood it of vulgar Preaching because he knew it to be otherwise Marry if They never Preach'd contrary to what they knew this would be a good Rule But suppose he did not yet he imposes upon his Hearers whilst he asserts a thing of the Papists which in the common acceptation of the Word is absolutely False and yet leaves it to them to be taken as they please And therefore whilst he says absolutely that They Prophesie in an Vnknown Tongue which is the same as Preaching he Misrepresents the Papists 2. They make no other use or account of Confession than what profess'd Drunkards do of Vomiting This is a most Putid Calumny and the Vindicator is so sensible of it p. 21. that he dares not defend what the Preacher asserts but only that so it is in the Practice of many of their Church This indeed we don't doubt but many in Practice abuse Confession as they do all other Good things but how different is it to say That many Papists abuse Confession and That the Papists absolutely make NO OTHER use of Confession than what profess'd Drunkards do of Vomiting The former I fear is too True but the later is False and a thing that no modest Man can say without Blushing out of a Pulpit It may be as truly said That the Ministers of the Church of England make no other use of Preaching than what the Profess'd Enemies of the Crown do of Libelling viz. to fill the People witb Fears and Jealousies and disaffect them towards the King and Government And then after such an Aspersion what a Come-off would it be to say I mean this only of the Practice of some of that Profession This is the Case Ninth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 1. HE pays his Devotions to Saints Canoniz'd for Money and J. Turner ib. Treason 2. In his Church they Pray to the Crucifix of Wood or Stone as well as to Christ himself and attribute as much Satisfaction and Expiation to it as they do to the Blood of their Crucifi'd Redeemer 3. Their Confession instead of keeping up a Wholsom Discipline is the way to corrupt it and tends to the Debauching both Laity and Clergy This is Popery as Painted out at Lincolns-Inn Sep. 29. 1683. As to the First Point it is only insinuated by the Preacher with an It is not lawful to Pray c. which is as good as an Assertion to the Hearers viz. That the Papists do Pray to Saints Canoniz'd for Treason The Vindicator to make this good proves First That it may so happen that Saints may be Canoniz'd for Treason Which is as much to the purpose as for one to say That the Church-of-England-men are Corrupters of God's Word because 't is possible they may be so as being in their Principles Fallible as to what they Teach and Preach to their Flock Secondly he 'll prove that it has been done and then comes in the next Line with an Instance in which it had like to have been done as he says but was not done Lastly he says that Thomas à Becket was Canoniz'd for Rebellion because he adher'd to the Pope against his Prince No 't was for his Vertuous Life and Martyrdom and the attestation of his
by his Church to own the Scripture as the Word of God and obliged to assent to all therein deliver'd as of Divine Authority and of necessity to be believ'd with a Divine Faith whilst for Legends tho' he may read them if he pleases as he do's other Histories yet he is not bound by his Church or Religion to give assent to or believe any one Passage in any Legend whatsoever This the Apologizer understood very well pag. 23. where he proves out of Bellarmine and Canus that according to our own Principles all these things contain'd in the Lives of Saints tho' mention'd even in the Canonization depend upon Human Testimony as to particular Matters of Fact and consequently are subject to Error And therefore no sufficient ground for any Point of Faith which can be built on nothing less than Divine Authority And tho' some of these are inserted into our Offices yet they are not there propos'd as likewise Particular Revelations as the Scripture is to wit as matter of Faith but only as a Relation of some History in the Reading of which some Spiritual Advantage may be reap'd as is at large discours'd above Which is very different from what the Preacher says that he changes Scripture into Legends 2. How do's he change the Sacraments into Shows when in his Church the Sacraments are not only Shewn but likewise care taken that they be duly Administred to all her Members The Apologizer pretends the Charge to be True because the Cup is shew'd to the People which they don't partake of and the Host elevated at Mass and carry'd in Procession And might not a Jew here step in and with this Argument pretend that Christ Crucifi'd was another Show upon Calvary while he was there expos'd for some hours upon the Cross to the view of the World But all this is nothing but a Method to teach Atheists how to make the greatest Mysteries of Christianity Ridiculous We know the Benefit of that Oblation Christ made of his Body and Blood upon the Cross and likewise of that he Instituted at his Last Supper where he gave his Body and Blood after an Unbloody manner under the Forms of Bread and Wine for the Remission of Sins and which is now daily repeated in the Church according to the Command of Christ which he gave to his Apostles when he said to them DO THIS in Remembrance of me We know the Benefit there is in this Continual Remembrance And those who make a Show of this are within one Step of those Vnbelieving Jews who made a Show of Christ in his Passion when 't was said to them Behold the Man. 3. As for the Third of Preaching Purgatory instead of Repentance 't is absolutely False inasmuch as in the plain import of the words it imprints this Notion in the Hearers viz. That the Papists don 't Preach Repentance to the People but instead of this they Preach Purgatory This I say is False and so evidently that the Apologizer dares not vindicate the Preacher in so foul a Calumny and therefore instead of what the Preacher asserts the Vindicator minces the matter and pretends only that the Doctrin of Purgatory invalidates that of Repentance Which too is False in it self since we see Catholics both in their Lives their Books and Sermons urge the Necessity of Repentance as much and as effectually as Protestants And 't is much more False as to Preaching since amongst so many Sermons I have been at both Abroad and in our own Country I have heard Repentance so often press'd to the People and Purgatory never so much as mention'd unless it were to shew the insufferable Torments of the Place and how great the hazard is even of getting thither And amongst the Printed Sermons of Spaniards French Portuguese c. that are extant in Latin I challenge the Apologizer to find one that so sets out Purgatory to the People as to make them neglect Repentance and if he do's I 'll be bound to shew him a Hundred for his One that enforce the Duty of Repenting without the least hint of Purgatory or their considing in it 4. He says We Preach Faction instead of Faith c. This the Preacher said of the Papists at a time when the Church of England had been assisting a Faction about Four Years with all the help the Pulpit could give them in Consecrating their Villanies and finding Arguments to gain them Credit for the deluding the People And tho' they cannot be Advis'd to be more Cautious for the future without an Apology appearing in their behalf yet I hope 't is not without some Sense and Shame especially since they have seen the Cart and Pillory so often appearing in Confutation of those Truths that were then so often Dispens'd to the People with the Gospel As for the Faction they can discover in Our Preaching let them do their best to find even half so much we freely give them a Thousand Years to review for to match these Four of theirs Let them take in likewise the Sermons that are now Preach'd in our Chappels throughout the Kingdom I hope they 'll all appear Instructive as to Faith and Manners but free from Faction Can the Church of England say as much of theirs at present in which there are so many unworthy Reflections made upon the Religion of their Prince so much Animosity blown up Fears and Jealousies insinuated into the People and the Government made to them uneasie even in the very Method that dispos'd them heretofore to Rebellion and ended not but with the Murder of their Sovereign I can't imagine them to intend the like Mischief at present neither did they I believe heretofore when they made way for it by their Indiscreet Preaching But when they have seen so lately the People exasperated to that degree by the Pulpits against Popery as even in an Unnatural Rebellion to take up Arms against their Prince and never leave pursuing him under the Pretext of his being a Papist till they had brought his Royal Head to the Block under the same Notion Methinks such as are truly Loyal and boast themselves the Best Subjects in the World should be more Tender of their Sovereign than to venture upon the same Method with the Son which prov'd so Fatal to the Father and so Dangerous to the Brother But I fear the Excess of Jealousie for their Religion puts them upon being too Bold with their Prince and that by a Just Judgment of Heaven they are blindly practising the very Principles they have so often charg'd upon the Papists Making their Church's Interest the Center of their Religion Preaching Faction instead of Faith Esteeming everything Conscientious that makes for the Cause And not minding the Lawfulness of the Means provided the Thing be but done Twelfth Character of a Pulpit-Papist THERE is a great noise of Alms made in his Church but the Scope they too often vainly aim at is the Blessing of a Dr. Tenison ibid. Presumed
is nothing better nor worse than an Absolute Falshood 't was therefore set down in the Advice to the Pulpits as an unjust Character and a Misrepresentation of the Papists and Caution given of it upon that score as a thing to be avoided by all Honest Sincere Christian Preachers who desire to speak nothing of themselves nor against their Neighbors but the down-right Truth However the Apologizer for the Pulpits in his Answer pag. 11. being resolv'd to Vindicate and bring off all that has been said in those Chairs as if never any thing had been rashly bolted out there comes with a Let us try what ground the Preacher had for such Assertions And then as to that where the Preacher says Their Orders among the Papists are so many Sects that is says the Answerer So many distinct Bodies that having different Founders Rules Habits and often Opinions by which an Emulation is begot betwixt Order and Order they become divided among themselves Would not a School-boy have been Scourg'd for such a sleeveless frivolous Excuse The Preacher without mincing it says That the different Orders of Religion amongst the Papists are neither better nor worse than so many Sects that is says the Apologizer So many distinct Bodies c. How low are we fall'n below the Pulpit-Character As if Divisions in Religion and different Sects were nothing but so many distinct Bodies having different Founders Rules c. If a Preacher of the Catholic Communion should in the like terms positively declare in a Sermon That the Two Vniversities and every Colledge in them wherein are generally Educated and fitted for the Pulpit all the Parsons in England are neither better nor worse than the Seminaries of so many different Sects and several Casts of Religion and the Fellows are so many Fanatics pack'd up in an Enclosure under Rule I don't question but the Town would soon be fill'd with the News of such an Impostor for being so Impudent in infusing such False Notions into his Hearers And would not he have an Excellent Apologizer to help him out if another to vindicate the Passage should Print in his behalf say That by the Members of the Two Vniversities being so many Sects and different Casts of Religion the Preacher only meant So many distinct Bodies that having different Founders Rules Habits and often Opinions by which an Emulation is begot betwixt Vniversity and Vniversity Colledge and Colledge they become divided among themselves and when occasion is offer'd do actually war one upon another in their way What would the World say of such Doings as these but only condemn the Preacher for rashly aspersing such Bodies of Men and the Vindicator for a vain Trifler in publishing such an Idle Apology And yet this is our Case it being well known to any one that has but a grain more of Truth than what he has learn'd from the Pulpits that those several Religious Orders amongst Catholics notwithstanding their different Founders Rules Habits School-Opinions and Emulation do live as entirely within the Communion of the same Church embrace and teach all the same Articles of Faith say the same Creed Preach Pray and Administer the Sacraments in one anothers Churches and are every way in as perfect a Union as the Two Vniversities which with their different Founders Rules Habits School-Opinions and Emulation are yet Members of the same Communion and subject to the same Church of England And then let the World judge what a great Truth that was of this Preacher asserting These to be so many Sects and different Casts of Religion Dr. Sherlock could have told him That Schismatics or Sectaries in the Church are just as Rebels in a Kingdom not as part of it but as open and profess'd Enemies and consequently that the different Corporations and Bodies of Men here in London under different Founders Rules and Practices might with the same colour of Reason be Preach'd up for so many Rebels as the Religious Orders for so many Sects whilst These are only so many different Parts of the Church as Those are of the Kingdom But now for the Fanatics in Convents The Preacher declar'd that in the Church of Rome they have Fanatics too but they take care to shut them up in Convents By what is already said the Reader may perceive that such as are in Convents in the Church of Rome are Men who embracing a Retir'd Life dedicate themselves to the Service of God in Praying Fasting Mortification and the other Exercises of a Pious Christian some according to the Institution of S. Benedict others of S. Francis others of S. Dominic c. which however different in the Practice of a Religious Life yet are all in perfect Obedience to the same church-Church-Authority and of the same Belief as may be seen here in England where there are Monks of S. Benedict's Order Friers of S. Francis c. and yet These are so far from making any Divisions in the Church of which they are Members that they all acknowledge one and the same as their Common Mother and are only as different Parts not dividing but making up the Whole This may be seen in Queen Dowager's Chappel at Somerset-house in which Officiate Monks Friars Dominicans Jesuits and Clergy that is so many different Orders of Men and yet without any difference in Religion or disagreement in Faith. Now how unlike is this to what the Preacher delivers How different are These from what is commonly here understood and the Church of England calls Fanatics But however the Apologizer is to bring him off And therefore Fanaticism says he is a general Name and comprehends in it Superstition and Enthusiasm So that Religious Men in Convents are Fanatics forsooth because they are acted by some suppos'd Revelations Visions Raptures and unaccountable Impulses What Controversial Stuff is this Why at this rate he might make Fanatics of all the Patriarchs and Prophets of S. Joseph S. Peter and S. Paul and the rest of the Apostles and most of all of S. John whose whole Book of Revelations is nothing now it seems but so much Fanaticism Marry well-fare such Fanatics I wish the Church-of-England-men were such Fanatics too and were acted a little more by such Visions Revelations and Divine Impulses instead of those we have seen of late Years when the Visions of Sir Edmondbury Godfrey and the Suggestions of Parson Tong and Oats with some other Helps not altogether Divine mov'd the Pulpits as strongly and Fanatically as if all had come directly from Heaven But see now whither we are driven by the Conduct of a close Vindicator The Preacher told his Auditory 1. That in the Church of Rome there are really more Divisions than they charge Ours with 2. That their Religious Orders are neither better nor worse than so many Sects and several Casts of Religion 3. That they have their Fanatics pack'd up in Convents And now upon the management of the whole Matter by the Vindicator 't is all sunk into