THE FALSHOOD OF THE CHEIFE grounds of the Romish Religion Descried and convinced in a briefe Answere to certaine Motiues sent by a Priest to a Gentleman to induce him to turne Papist By W.S. Printed for the Author Anno Dom. 1635. TO THE WORSHIPFVLL his much honoured Vncle EDWARD SMYTH Esquire SIR THere are other reasons besides that common motiue and popular pretence of the importunity of friends which hath now put this little manuall into the world It was composed by the Author for I cannot say that it was written by him but rather dictated as hee spake it lying on his bed of sicknesse and therefore hee intended to haue kept it private iudging it vnworthy other mens approbation because vnworthy his own Neverthelesse it secretly crept into the presse and return'd from thence full of faults like the Printer of it who had as little authority to Print it at all as Print it false There was no other way to suppresse the old impression but by a new which I haue here done setting it out the second time but in a lesse volumne and with lesse faults There is one motiue more and that more important then the former The Author since his death for in his life time malice it selfe was never so audacious as to dare ecclipse the bightnesse of his integrity either in life or doctrine hath had his faith branded with the name of apostacy and his profession with heresy But whither he were a professed open enemy or an hypocriticall friend which hath done him this wrong I forbeare to name Whosoever he were this ensuing treatise will put him both to shame and silence and therefore I need not make any apology for him whose owne workes speake in his defence Sir it was formerly made solely yours by the Author and therefore in the dedication it now iustly claimes your patronage only If it satisfy not the more curious reader yet hee that made it thought his paines fully recompenced in that it gaue you satisfaction neither doth the reward of my labour spread it selfe vnto others but is wholy terminated in your acceptance If it chance to bee condemned as imperfect because he hath not spoken all that might haue beene said on this subiect I adde neither hath he spoken all that hee could It was intended for a letter only and therefore not to swell into a larger volumne yet I presume there is as much in the answere as the Priests motiues require more peradventure then he ever expected or at least thank't him for Such as it is it is once more made yours by him who desires to be esteemed Your dutifull Nephew and Servant WILLIAM SVTTON From Christ-Church in Oxon. Iun. 28. 1635. Motiues sent by a Priest to a Gentleman to Induce him to turne Papist The rejection of the Iewes and acceptation of the Gentiles I Haue no will in you How to knovv the holy Catholique Church which all Christians professe to beleeue saith the Lord of Hostes and guift I will not receiue of your hands for from the rising of the Sunne to the going downe great is my name among the Gentiles and in every place there is Sacrificing and there is offered to my name a cleane oblation because my name is great amongst the Gentiles saith the Lord of Hostes Mal. 1. vers 11. A Description of the true Christian Catholique Church Militant The holy Christian Catholique Church militant which wee professe in the Apostles Creed to beleeue is a visible Monarchy or Kingdome consisting of all the true beleeuers vpon the face of the earth confessing one God in Trinity and Trinity in Vnity vnder one lawfull visible head for the time being obseruing one Faith Religion and Sacraments instituted by Christ Which holy kingdome and Society is composed of a visible head Clergy and Laity the head to governe the Clergy to preach and administer Sacraments the Laity to learne and to obey in all things touching their faith and salvation For Christ saith of the Pastors of his Church Hee that heareth you heareth mee and he that despiseth you despiseth mee Luk. 10. vers 16. That our Saviour Christ being a Priest for ever secundum ordinem Melchisedec was the first visible head and founder of the said holy Christian Catholique Church militant composed of a head Clergy and Laity is apparant first in his sacred person being the visible head in his holy Apostles being the Clergy and in his Common disciples being the Laity which small beginning is compared to a Mustard-seed and the increasing to a great tree that birds may build in the Branches thereof our Saviour saying to the Clergy his Apostles and in thē to all their lawfull Successors To you it is giuen to know the misteries of the Kingdome of God but to the rest in Parables Luk. 8. vers 10. The increasing of the Church By the Preaching and Miracles of our Saviour Christ and his Apostles many were converted to be members of the Church At S. Peters first Sermon after he had receiued the Holy Ghost 3000. were added and afterwards 5000. Act. 2. vers 41. Act. 4. vers 4. And Saint Paul affirmeth that in his time the Romane faith was renowned in the whole world Rom. 1. vers 8. agreeing with the words of Christs But you shall receiue the vertue of the holy Ghost comming vpon you and you shall bee Witnesses to me in Ierusalem and in all Iurie and Samaria and even to the vtmost of the earth Act 1. v. 8. Of the Continuance of the holy Catholique Church in true Faith by the Holy Ghosts assistance This is my Covenant with thee saith our Lord speaking of his Church my spirit that is in thee and my words that I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth and out of the mouth of thy seed and out of the mouth of thy seedes seed saith our Lord from this present and for ever Isay 59. vers 21. All power is giuen to mee in Heaven and in Earth going therefore teach ye all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Sonne and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to obserue all things whatsoever I haue commanded you and behold J am with you alwaies to the Consummation of the World Math. 28. vers 19.20 I will aske the Father and hee will giue you another Paraclet that he may abide with you for ever the spirit of truth Ioh. 14. vers 16.17 And if hee will not heare the Church let him be to thee as the Heathen and as the Publican Math. 18. v. 17. All which promises of Christ for sending the Holy Ghost to preserue his Church in truth for ever was visibly miraculously performed on Whitsunday Act. 2. vers 1. That our Saviour Christ did constitute Saint Peter to bee Ministeriall head of his Church militant And I say to thee thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevaile against it
in generall Vos autem quem me esse dicitis v. 15. Vnto which question Peter making answere in the name of them all saith Tues ille filius Dei viuentis vers 16. Wherevpon hee receiued the promise of the keyes and those other comfortable words spoken by Christ vnto him vers 18.19 yet not so spoken to him alone but that it is apparent that the substance of the promise did equally belong vnto them all and there is nothing singularly belonging vnto Peter alone throughout the whole speech but only an allusion betweene his name and the nature of his confession betweene Petrus Petra for the rest it is all common for either wee must say that the disciples did make no answere at all to their Masters question which had beene a point of great incivility and so not likely or else the answer that Peter made must bee taken for their common answer and his confession the common confession of them all Now if it be granted that it was the common confession and only delivered by Peter as the fore-man of the Jury 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lib. 2. Hist Eccl. cap. 14. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for so Eusebius calls him our Saviours-reply therevnto cannot with any congruity be otherwise vnderstood then to belong vnto them all though spoken vnto Peter as judges vse to direct their speech to the foreman when they would haue the whole Iury take knowledge of it Petrus pro omnibus dixit cum omnibus accepit Orig. tract 1. in Mat. Aug. de verbis Dom. secund Mat. Ser. 13. Quia tu dixisti mihi Tu es filius Dei viui ego tibi tu es Petrus Vpon this rocke will I build my Church Whether by the rocke wee vnderstand Christ himselfe or whether wee vnderstand the confession of Saint Peter made of Christ all comes to one if there be any difference betweene them it is meerely verball and consisteth rather of a diverse manner of mens expressing their mindes then in any matter of substance But for the person of Peter the Church of Christ did never vnderstand her selfe to bee any otherwise built vpon it then vpon the rest of the Apostles Apoc. 21.14 or then Saint Paul when hee saith it is built vpon the foundation not only of the Apostles but also of the Prophets that is vpon their doctrine Eph. 2.20 Tu es Petrus super hanc Petram quam confessus es super hanc Petram quam cognovisti dicens tu es Christus filius Dei viui aedificabo Ecclesiam meam super me aedificabo te non me super te Aug. vbi supra I could cite twenty places out of August to the same purpose besides Ambr. Ser. 84. Hil. de Trin. l. 2. Hier. in Mat. l. 1. c. 7. Tert. adversus Marcion l. 4. c. 13 Theod. in Psal 47. But for August he is so plain for vs against the Popish interpretation that Bellarmine would faine quarrell with him vpon the point chargeth him with ignorance of the Hebrew tongue l. 1. de Rom. Pont. c. 10. and Stapleton calls it lapsum humanum in that holy Father because he could not thinke of the matter as they would haue him Princip doctrinal lib. 6. c. 3. And the gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it This makes it more plaine that the other part of the speech was not spoken to Peter alone because this cannot bee vnderstood of Peter alone and so Origen collecteth Tr. 1. in Mat. shall we dare to say saith he that the gates of Hell shall not overcome onely Peter and that the same gates shall prevaile against all the other Apostles And againe in the same Tract 1. in Mat. If you thinke that the whole Church was builded only vpon Peter what will you say of Iohn the sonne of thunder and of every of the Apostles And I will giue to thee the keyes c. Here is nothing promised in the Keyes to Peter nor in the power of binding loosing but what is likewise promised to all the Apostles Mat. 18.18 Quaecunque ligaveritis in terrâ erunt ligata in coelo and when this promise came to performance Ioh. 20.22.23 you shall finde that it was performed to all alike Accipite Spiritum Sanctum quorum remiseritis peccata remittentur iis -Now it is certaine that remitting and retaining of sins is a power of the same extent with the power of the keyes and that being giuen to them all Ioh. 20. as well as vnto Peter proues that there was nothing promised vnto Peter Mat. 16. but was intended to them all Cuncti Apostoli claves regni coelorum accipiunt Hier. adversus Iovinianum l. 1. Origen An vero soli Petro dantur claves regni coelorum nec alius beatorum quisquam eas accepturus est Quod si dictum hoc tibi dabo claves caeteris quoque commune est cur non simul omnia communia Tract 1. in Mat. Cypr. Christus Apostolis omnibus post resurrectionem suam parem potestatem tribuit l. 1. de vnitat Eccl. August in Ioh. tractat 124. quando Petro dictum est tibi dabo claves quodcunque ligaveris vniversam significabat ecclesiam vide eundem Tra. 50. Theoph vpon Math. 16. Nay Anselme that was a child in comparison of the Fathers yet hee vnderstood this truth Notandum est saith he quod haec potestas non solum Petro data est sed siout Petrus vnus pro omnibus respondit sic Christus in Petro omnibus hanc potestatem dedit And our Saviour said Simon Simon behold Satan hath required to haue thee for to sift as wheat but J haue prayed for thee that thy faith faile not and thou being converted confirme thy brethren Luk. 22. vers 31.32 The first part of this speech was spoken to all the Disciples Satanas expetivit vos vt cribraret as the vulgar likewise translateth and therefore it is no good dealing in your friend to render it in the singular number Satan hath required to haue thee for to sift as if these words had beene spoken to Peter alone which is a meere falsifying of the Text as if a man would pay his creditor with counterfeit coine but let that passe with his former citation of Malachy In the words themselues 1. Christ signifies to his Disciples the malice of Satan against them all and consequently the dāger wherein they stood vnlesse his grace did stand by them 2. Because he knew that Peters danger was greatest that he would proue the weakest in his performance who had made the greatest promises of loue to his Master Christ I say foreseeing that Peters fall would bee more dangerous in many respects then the fall of any of his other fellowes therefore hee turnes the latter part of his speech to him alone promising to assist him with his speciall prayer as the greatnes of his sinne had speeciall need of If Satan desire to sift them all saith Chrysostome why
friends can assure him that there is no proofe of it there so haue wee also just cause to mistrust the inferior Priests the feet when the head begins to faile and when we heare S. Hierome crying out that all heresies and commotions both Ecclesiasticall and Civill commonly came from Priests nay it seemes they justly deserue to be thus stigmatized when their owne Canons haue laid this note vpon them which saies omne malum à Sacerdotibus dist 50. quod retentum à Gregorio 13. expunxit Sixtus Quintus Jnd. expurg Belg. fol 306. Besides by this rule of blind obedience they that followed Luthers doctrine are justified against the Pope because he was their lawfull Pastor and they did no more then their duty in harkening vnto him if it be true indeede that the Laity are bound to obey the Clergy in all things touching their faith and salvation The perpetuity of Christs Church on earth That the Church increased by Preaching and Miracles at the first That it shall continue vnto the end of the world by vertue of Christs promise and the assistance of the Holy Ghost All this is vndoubted truth and I pray you aske your friend whether hee know any Protestant that doth deny it Stapleton some other of the shamelesse crew haue gone about to perswade the world that wee beleeue not the perpetuity of Christs Church for ever vpon earth but it is so shamelesse a slaunder that Bellarmine himselfe stands vpon our defence and pleads our cause against all such calumniators Notandum est saith he multos ex nostris tempus terere let your friend note it for hee is one of those multi whom it concernes dum probant absolutè Ecclesiam non posse deficere Nam Calvinus caeteri Haeretici id concedunt Bellarm lib. 3. de Eccl. milit c. 13. in initio capit And though himselfe vndertaking in the same place to set downe the Protestants opinion doe it very vntowardly yet you see what hee thinkes of those other gamesters who charge vs to hold that the Church hath at sometime decayed and consequently that Christ hath failed in his promise made vnto her Tempus terunt saith he they are all but triflers If your friend haue any such conce it of vs desire him to belieue Bellarmine and hereafter to haue a better opinion If not aske him to what purpose hee cited Isa 59.22 Math. 28.19.20 Joh. 14.16.17 Math. 18.18 Howsoever let him now know that we belieue the Catholique Church to bee Regnum quod non dissipabitur an everlasting Kingdome that shall stand when all earthly Kingdomes faile But wee doe not beleeue that this is true of every particular Church and wee know that the Romish Church is no more then a particular and therefore as subiect to mutability and corruption as any other of the same nature Secondly tell him how wee beleeue that the holy Ghost doth and ever will guide the same Catholique Church into all necessary truth but we deny first that all those things are necessary to be beleeved which Rome professeth as truths Secondly that the guidance into such truths is a grace entailed to any one succession of Bishops more then to other or that the Popes chaire hath any greater reason to presume of her infallibility then any other Patriarchicall Seas had heretofore of theirs But we must talke more of this hereafter Saint Peter not the ministeriall head of the Church That our Saviour did constitute St Peter to bee Ministeriall of his Church Well may the name of a Ministeriall head be given to Saint Peter in respect of his Apostleship and there is not one of the twelue but that in the same respect the same name belongs vnto him as they are called the twelue foundations of the holy Ierusalem Apoc. 21.14 so they may bee called 12. Ministeriall Heads of the Church vnder Christ But to appropriate these names vnto Peter alone to make him not a Ministeriall but the Ministeriall head as if the rest were no Heads at all it is such a wrong done to the other Apostles as cruell Landlords sometimes offer to their Tenants when they take away their common from them and make it their owne inclosure As for the curtesie which perhaps they thinke they doe vnto Saint Peter it is such a one as he will never giue them thankes for that blessed Saint knowes well enough that all this quarrelling about Supremacy is not for his sake but for the Popes and that his name is vsed only for a leaping stocke to helpe the other to horse Hee takes as much delight in this honourable supremacy which they would cast vpon him joyned with the disgrace of his fellow Apostles as Paul and Barnabas did when the men of Lystra would haue sacrificed vnto them Act. 14.14 Hoc erant vtique caeteri Apostoli quod fuit Petrus pari consortio praediti Honoris Potestatis Cip. de vnit Eccles And yet we doe not say that this equality betweene the Apostles was so equall but that there was ever a Prius Posterius among them as in all well-guided societies it is fit there should bee for avoiding confusion Iames and Peter and Iohn are termed Pillars by which they are vnderstood to be persons of speciall note among the rest Gal. 2.9 and like enough that Peter in regard either of his seniority in the Apostleship or the fervency of his zeale to Christ or some other speciall grace wherein hee did excell might be a more eminent pillar then any one of the other vt Plato Princeps Philosophorum sic Petrus Princeps Apostolorum Hierom. adversus Pelag. lib. 1. cap. 4. Now as that name made not other Philosophers subiect to Plato so neither doth the like giuen to Peter inferre any Iurisdiction that hee had over his fellowes or makes them any whit inferiour vnto him that way Saint Ambrose saith of Paul that he was not inferiour to Peter or to any other of the Apostles that went before onely in time in 2. Cor. 12.9 And in his booke de Incar Dom. Cap. 4. speaking of that Primacy that Peter had he calleth it Primatum Confessionis wherein Peter was preferred a primacy of confession faith he not of honour a primacy of faith but not of degree Your friend is of another minde and brings Scripture to proue a greater supremacy given vnto Peter then all this we speake of consider his proofes St Peters supremacy And I say to thee thou art Peter and vpon this rocke will I build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevaile against it and J will giue to thee the keyes of the Kingdome of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind vpon earth it shall be bound also in the heavens and whatsoever thou shalt loose in earth it shall be loosed also in the heavens Math. 6. vers 18.19 Before that ever our Saviour spake these words to Peter you must vnderstand that hee had proposed a certaine question to them all
Philippi hath 150. Churches vnder him Athens as many Hee of Corinth hath a hundred besides all the Ilands of the Aegean Sea Constantinople it selfe the very seat of the Turkish Empire hath aboue twenty Churches of Christians Put all these together and you shall see that Papists haue little cause to boast of their multitude or to sleight this Patriarch as if there were but few Christians subject vnto him There are likewise at this day Patriarchs though poore ones of Alexandria and Antioch and great multitudes of Christians that are subiect to each of them though nothing so many in number as were wont to bee heretofore by reason of the Turkish tyranny and oppression vnder which they are brought yet neither so few that it can bee truely said of the meanest of them as your friend ventures to affirme of them all That they bee extinguished and worne out many yeares since They be poore and suffer much affliction vnder the Turke and other Infidels and yet they may be never the worse Christians for all that True piety and godlinesse did never so much flourish in the Church as when the Church it selfe was most persecuted and afflicted by Tyrants Schola Crucis est Schola Lucis semen Ecclesiae est sanguis Martyrum and therefore they that make temporall prosperity a note to know the Catholique Church by as generally our Iesuites doe speake more like Epicures then Divines and Christians Besides your friend shewes himselfe very ignorant in the state of his owne Romish Church if he doe not know that the Pope at this day doth vsually create certaine titular Praelates Whereof one is called Patriarch of Alexandria the other of Antioch another of Ierusalem It is true that these all are but meere puppets and Idols and possesse not a foote of revenew or the least part of Iurisdiction in those places whereof they beare names yet your friend should not haue denied that there were any such Patriarchs seeing they are Creatures of the Popes owne making whose greatest vse is to gull the world vnder those names as if those foure Patriarchs did performe him obedience when indeed they bee but foure vizzards in comparison of the Patriarchs themselues Only the Church of Rome the seat of Saint Peter stands at this day Let him not stand too much vpon the standing of his Church Rome no sound Church of Christ For sure the leggs thereof are not so sound as they should bee a church may be worne out as well by diseases bred inwardly in her body as by the violence of externall persecution If Rome bee free from this latter yet a great part of the world thinkes her ill affected in her inward and vitall parts She thinkes not so her selfe no more doth many a dying man but will say he is well when he is ready to giue vp the Ghost Sacerdotium quod intus cecidit foris diu stare non potest Greg. Mor. You see the falshood of those propositions vpon which his demonstration is built see now how loosely his conclusion hangs vpon those propositions though I should grant them to be true If there be any sense at all in the connexion of the parts together this it is All the other Patriarchall Churches are fallen Onely Rome is not fallen Therefore it shall never fall Let him take his answere from S. Paul Rom. 11.17 If some of the branches be broken off and thou being a wild Oliue tree c. Now let him remember to what Church Saint Paul there writes and what they were to whom hee gaue such earnest premonition to take heed least for their infidelity God should cast them off as hee had done the Iewes in their sight This had beene a very needlesse admonition especially from the Apostle to the Romanes if he knew certainly that God had promised them such indeficiency of faith that whatsoever became of other Churches theirs should never turne Infidell Be not high minded but feare saith hee vnto them vers 20. and againe If God spared not the naturall branches the Jewes take heed least hee also spare not thee v. 21. and againe Behold the goodnesse of God towards thee if you continue in his goodnesse otherwise thou shalt be cut off v. 22. And yet your friend would make you thinke that the Romanes haue no cause to feare and that they cannot be cut off and all by vertue of an imaginary promise which hee supposeth Christ made to thē by which reckoning all Saint Pauls iffs were but Panici timoris Hee feared where no feare was and therefore might well haue spared all the breath he spent that way To conclude let mee now at the Parting giue him a demonstration out of these words of the Apostle That Church which may possibly bee cut off from Christ and fall into infidelity is not the true Catholique Church But it is possible the Romish Church may be cut off from Christ and fall into infidelity Teste Apostolo vt supra Therefore the Romish Church is not the true Catholique Church FINIS