they are Gods Elect yet to speak precisely no mortal eye can infallibly discern them to be such since many times the Bristol-stone glitters as bright as the Diamond and Hypocrites make as fair outward shew as the real Saint The second sort therefore of the militant Church are Hypocrites and â—nâ—ound members who are not effectually called but disobey the truth whereof they make profession These distinctions being thus premised we proceed to acquaint you what we mean by a true Church of Christ and we shall do it in the very words of our mother the Church of England in the 19 th Article of her Faith The visible Church of Christ is a Congregation of Faithfull men in the which the pure word of God is Preached and the Sacraments be duly Administred according to Christs Ordinance in all those things that of Necessity are requisite to the same So that here we see wherever the word of God is sincerely preach'd and heard and the Sacraments Administred according to Christs Institution there is a Church of God for those are the marks whereby the Church may be known So that the visible Church which is also Catholick or Vniversal under the Gospel not confined to one Nation as before under the Law consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true Religion And particular Churches which are members thereof are more or less pure according the doctrine of the Gospel is taught and embraced Ordinances Administred and publick Worship perform'd more or less pure in them And not only the purest particular Churches under Heaven are subject both to mixture and Error but some may and have so degenerated as to become no Churches of Christ but Synagoges of Satan tho yet there shall to the end of the world be a Church on Earth to Worship God according to his will against whom the Gates of Hell shall not prevail Now whether the present Church of Râ—me be not one of these Apostatized Adulterous Churches against whom such a Divorce is sued out we shall proceed to Inquire as soon as we have told you what we mean by the Church of Rome And that is The whole Church of Rome as it is a Body consisting of one vissible head the Pope and of all Papists wheresoever Clergy and Laity professing themselves members of that Head and owning the Faith and Doctrine thereof This Body or Company I say is not in any sort to be accounted a true visible Church of Christ which I conceive will appear by diverse Arguments of which I shall give you one at present That Church which over throweth the main and proper cause of our Salvation is no true Church of Christ But the Church of Rome overthroweth the main and proper cause of our Salvation Therefore the Church of Rome is no true Church of Christ The Major I presume no man will deny and for the Assumption 't is notoriously evident for they have overthrown the principal and fundamental Article of Justification which is the Head and summ of all Religion they err in the Efficient Cause of our Justification which is the free Grace and favour of God which they deny building it upon mans merit of Congruity or works preparatory and dispository to Justification c. Coupling it with mans free-will They Err in the material cause Christ Obedience this they deny to be our Obedience or the matter of our Justification They Err in the Form of our Justification which it the Imputation of Christs Righteousness unto us They Err in the Instrumental cause to wit the Justifying Faith denying is to be a certain particular trust or Assurance in Gods mercy for the Pardon of our Sins They Err in the very Meritorious cause Christ our Redeemer several ways overthrowing all his Offices They Err also in the final cause of Justification being the free Gift of Eternal Life while they say the same is merited by the Condignaty They overthrow the very Fundamentals of Religion by denying the sufficiency of the Scriptures for the Rule of Faith and the necessity of its being known to Gods people They deny the right use of the Sacraments whilst they attribute unto them Grace ex opere operato and teach that their efficacy depends on the Intention of the Priest They deny the truth of Christs humane Body by their absurd whimsey of Transubstantiation and the vertue of His only and all alone sufficient Sacrifice by their propitiatory Masses c. So that 't is plain they have Corrupted or abandoned the main and proper Fundamentals of Salvation consequently has no Claim to the Title of a Church of Christ THE COURANT. Tory. HAVE you seen the famous Panegyrick the Sacrificâ— to the Rising-Sun Truem. No nor can guess what you mean But I have heard that amongst all sorts of Idolaters they were only a parcel of forlorn servile debauch'd effeminate Hen-hearted Chicken-soul'd Persians that worship'd the Sun rising And since you mention that word it puts me in mind what I read the other day in a Pamphlet Entituled A warning against the dangerous practises of Papists written by one Thomas Norton in good Queen Bess's days Anno 1586. Let it be well-weigh'd saith he what they mean to the Realm That under colour of Succeeding so far undermine the Head of our Country that they convey the countenance favour and supportation of a great corrupt number of such as may frame themselves any hope of Gain that way to persons that by such kindled Ambition may be the more hastily embolden'd This to do is to shew us a Sun rising to whose Worship they would fain draw us from our Sun declining as they suppose No no our Queen is our true Sun and whatever shining Thing they would set up in her time is no right Sun but an unlucky Comet And it is not yet Noon I trust with our Sun or if it be I hope yet God will lengthen the day to our Sun for his Honour-sake as he did to Joshua and rather have all good Subjects so to hope if the residue of that day may be so spent as Joshuah spent it and for which God did prolong it viz. To rid the World of God's Enemies Let it be considered what Hopes Anticipation and most dreadful Mischiefs which I fear and abhor to name the encouraging of such succeeding which is the work of Papists may minister where the only Person of our most dear and precious Soveraign standeth between them and their desired Effect the utter undoing of us all and specially where the power of Revenge may by possibility fall into their hands for whose sake it should be attempted It is no small mischief danger and appalling of our Faith and Courage when our Prince must be defended against those that by possibility may aspire to be our Princes themselves and to 〈◊〉 it upon good Subjects I dispute no Titles I have no reach beyond our Queen I can see nothing beyond our Queen 〈◊〉 a Chaos of Misery therefore I am
shortly to present his Majesty with the story too of its utter extirpation The Northern Heresie must down They say 't is an excellent piece and will Claw off the Whigs confoundedly Truem. Yes yes a very suitable Subject for such a Pen our Churchmen have great cause to thank him and give him Guinneys for Blowing up the Church with Jesuites Powder under pretence of shooting Phanaticks 'T is mightily no doubt for the Advancement of our Religion at home and must be a most charming invitation and encouragement to Protestant Princes and States abroad to Love and Honor England if such Books shall be so kindly entertain'd amongst us and those Holy Men whom God raised up to be the First Reformers of his Church publickly exposed and ridicul'd by the prophane Buffonery of every mercinary Rascal But no matter for that till we see the Book abroad where do'st think I was to'ther night Tory. I 'le be hang'd if 't were not some damn'd Conventicle or Treason-whispering Club. Truem. Had Gadbury to solve the Question Try'd That Louse-killer could not have guess'd more wide No! no! Man I was even at the Academy of Non sense S's Coffee-house Tory. I am glad of that however for since peoples going to Church though driven thither in the Devils name passes for a laudable Conversion the very entring into S's must be esteem'd so many steps of Loyalty But prethee how didst like the Conversation Truem. Why the Room was large and crowded and there was Fire and Smoak and Hobgoblings in black and swearing and cursing and gnashing of Teeth Tory. Why thou describ'st it like the bottom of Hell Truem. No no Sir only an Antichamber an 't please ye The Universal Buzz was against the Whigs and Shaftsbury one magnify'd Craddock for an Hero another Painted Wilmore blacker than the Devil a third was telling who should be Poculiz'd to and a fourth who should be Hang'd first after that man entred into his Office a fifth was arguing how expedient it was to make a Bonefire of the City Charter c. when all on a sudden entred the Observator Bless us I shall never forget it what cringing and complementing and Sir-reverencing was there It put me presently in mind of the Play call'd The Lancashire Witches where in one Scene the Haggs being Assembled at Sabbatt when the Foul Fiend makes his appearance they all start up and cry Now now our Great Master 's come Arise prepare salute his Bum. And so they go and each reverently kisses the Tail of the Goat Tory. Leave your fooling and tell us what said the Oracle Truem. Nay you may now have all his Discourse in Print for Twopence he and the Company only predicted a brace or two of Observator-sheets to us Tory. Now thou talk'st of predicting Sheets I 'le tell thee how thou shalt get to predict next Tuesday 's Heraclitus Truem. Though 't is grown so horrid silly of late that 't is hardly worth a Stratagem and the attempt will not bring half so much honor as attacking the Smyrna Fleet yet let us hear it however Tory. Go but on any Sunday Night to the Sun in Aldersgate-street and send up Half a dozen Bottles of Claret to the Select Cabal and tell them a Gentleman below drinks the Duke's health to 'um you shall presently be admitted and hear the whole Manuscript read canvass'd debated and corrected Truem. Well! I do not know any body so fond of a Goose Egge That Paper had formerly some Witt with its malice a little Salt now and then as well as Roguery but now 't is become a meer Caput Mort The very Dreggs of Impertinence Printed for Langley Curtis 1682. The Weekly Pacquet OF Advice from Rome OR The History of POPERY The Fourth Volume FRIDAY May 19. 1682. Ite truces Animae Letho Tartara vestro Polluite totas Erebi consumite poenas Whether Salvation may be obtain'd in the Church of Rome The uncharitableness of Papists towards Protestants The desperate Hazards ran by Roman Catholicks c. IN our Pacquet N. 18. We stated Three Questions which we proposed to treat of in Order 1. Whether the Church of Rome were a Church of Christ 2. Whether Salvation were therein attainable And 3 ly Whether a man may be present at Mass without sin The First of these in that and Three other Pacquets since we have dispatcht Now we proceed to the Second a point nice and difficult and which ought warily to be handled That neither excess of Zeal consume our Charity nor conceits of Charity violate Truth and encourage Error The Papists look upon it as a Ruled Case extra Ecclesiam non est salus out of the Pale of the Church there is no Salvation and He that hath not the Church for his Mother neither hath God for his Father which Axioms are very true if by Church they would suffer us to understand the universal Church of Christ but they restrain that Term to the present Ecclesia malignantium the Apostatiz'd Congregation of Romanists united to the Pope as their Head and guided in their Faith according to the Canons of the Conventicle of Trent and averr that all are Damn'd eternally that do not joyn with them therein 'T is a notable Rant to this purpose of one of their Tribe in a Book called The Reconciler of Religions Printed Anno 1663. and Dedicated to Mr. Laurence Dibusty of London Merchant p. 51. The Sacrilegious Illicit and Invalid Ordination saith he of or by Story which was the first pretended Holy Mission of Protestants and from whence they hitherto derive their Orders was not worth a straw and consequently their pretended Holy Orders he speaks of the Church of England are not worth a Pins head therefore they are no true Preachers What are they then Forsooth Intruders Thieves and Robbers Hypocrites Ravenous Wolves and Murderers Sons of Belial false Prophets and Priests of Baal which is their Heresie Rebellion and stubbornness against the Church Now if the Protestant or Sectarian Preachers pray observe he makes no distinction between Church-men and Presbyterians be such what must the Protestants and Sectaries themselves be If the Blind lead the Blind shall they not fall both into the Ditch Sure enough they shall even into the Ditch of everlasting burning Brimstone and Fire But yet more remarkable is that of Costerus the Jesuite in his reply to Osiander Proposit 8. p. ult Fieri nequit ut Lutheranus moriens salvetur Gehennam evadat ex Aeternis Ignibus eripiatur Si mentior damner ipse cum Lucifero 'T is impossible that any person that is a Lutheran should be saved when he dyes or can escape Hell and be snatcht from Eternal Fire If I lie in this assertion let me my self be damn'd with Lucifer Nay in the Irish Massacre and during the Bohemian Persecutions The Papists several times told the Protestants that they kill'd their Bodies in pure kindness to their Souls for say they since we know all you Hereticks must
but is sick of a Canker or rather of a Leprosie or rather of a Pestilence insomuch that she is past hope of Recovery 3. Dr. Whitaker de Eccles Cont. 2. Quaest 6. C. 1. handling this Question exactly An Ecclesia Romana sit vera Ecclesia Christi visibilis whether the Church of Rome be a true visible Church of Christ resolves it in the Negative and goes on eam nos non modo non solam Catholicam c. we say not only that it is not the only Catholick but not at all Catholick Not Only Not Catholick that is Vniversal but we affirm it is not a true particular Church of Christ Quare deserendam esse ab omnibus c. And therefore we say she the Church of Rome ought to be forsaken of all who would be saved as the Synagogue of Antichrist and Satan it is not any Church at all nullam in eâ salutem in eâ sperandam esse there is no salvation to be hoped for in it With which home Testimony of so great Luminary of the Church of England we shall conclude The COURANT. Truem. VVHat hast got there so busily poring upon Tory. By the Mass a most Divine Scrol and as I am credibly assured found in the Friary at the late Fire at St. James's I 'e warrant ye if I knew the Holy Father that lost it and did but Restore it he would streight forgive me all my Drinking and Whoring Truem. Ah! but how would you come off for your Lying and Slandering the Whiggs with notorious scandals which is your daily practise Tory. Pshaw all that 's so far from Criminal that 't is meritorious but there 's another thing troubles me the Plague on 't is though the Priest compound one's sins with Heaven he cannot get Releases from stubborn Earth if he would but as easily wipe out my Landladies Chalk and cross my Chirurgeons Bills as he can mutter out an absolvo te he were a rare fellow indeed However I 'le away to Thompson or L'Estrange they are the two great Internuntii of Intelligence between the Cloyster'd Monks and the Lewd world and have an Advertisement and make the most on 't Truem. Prethee let 's hear it first Tory. I 'le warrant you had rather hear one of Baxter's tedious Sermons but to vex thee and shew thee what a dainty curious Religion we may with good Industry one day arrive at I 'le read it from the original Copy if that be not one of Heraclitus's Bulls as follows A Revelation from God Almighty done unto St Bridget First Printed at Rome in the Italian Language afterwards in Dutch in French and now in English Know my loving Friends that when I was Apprehended of the Barbarous Jews I received a hundred Buffets upon my Cheeks and upon my Lips thirty blows with Fists when I was taken in the Garden of Olivet I fell seven times going from one side to the other I fell often and to make me rise up again I received of the Jews two hundred and five Kicks I also received seventy two upon my Arms and eighty two Blows upon my Shoulders I also received twenty two Blows round about my Loyns they drew me up by the Hair eight and thirty times I was shouted at a hundred and five times I have been drawn up by the Hair of my Head from the Earth eight and thirty times upon the Pillar I received one deadly wound and on the same Pillar received six thousand six hundred fity six Blows I was whipt to the Bones too and twenty times they gave me a hundred deadly wounds with pressing on the Crown of Thornes I had three deadly wounds upon the Cross they spit upon my Face two and twenty times the Soldiers that apprehended me wâ—â—â— five hundred and eight in number and they that followed me were three hundred and three of them that led me bound there were three hundred and three I spilt out of myâ— Body three millions eight thousand four hundred and thirty six drops of Blood They that pray daily seven Pater Noster's and seven Maria's until the number is filled of my Drops of Blood I will give them five Graces The First he shall not come in Purgatory Secondly the same Graces as if he had shed his Blood for the Catholick Faith Thirdly the Soul of his Friend shall have hope not to come to Purgatory Fourthly if he die before the number is finished it shall be holden as if it were accomplished Fifthly they that carry this about them in Devotion shall not die without being visited of the most Blessed Mother Mary Set thy Intention to give God daily thanks that God for thy Salvation hath spilt so many Drops of Blood that thereby thou may gain God's Grace Amen Truem. This is goodly Gear in Earnest I wish you a good Market for 't but in the mean time prethee what 's the meaning of your friend Hodg with his Sham-Letter from Scotland Tory. Troth I think the old fellow 's mad or has an ambition not to be out rival'd by Thompson in Roguery of that kind what the Devil need he take such pains publickly to be the Papists Advocate they can shift well enough for themselves his Post is to pelt the Non-Con folks really the man is grown too open of late and our friends of the Crape-gown are forc'd to be asham'd of him If he continue to scribble so many Observators a week till the Dog-daâ—s there 's no remedy we must prvide a Lodging for him at Hogsdon or an Apartment opposite to his quondam fellow Servant Oliver's Porter Printed for Langley Curtis 1682. The Weekly Pacquet OF Advice from Rome OR The History of POPERY The fourth Volume FRIDAY June 2. 1682. Quid primum discendum est in Scholâ Christi nisi ut Renunciemus nobis Whether any Protestant may in compliance or for fear c. be present at Mass without grievous sin IN discharge of our promise N. 18. we now come to consider this Question Whether any Person that has been Educated in the Protestant Religion and rightly instructed in the Doctrine of the Gospel may if he happen to live amongst Papists or Popery should prevail be present at their Mass and Communicate with them in the rest of the Ceremonies by them used without offending of God and hazarding his Soul By our stating this Quaere the Reader may perceive we speak not here of those who out of curiosity happen to go into a Popish Chappel or the like meerly to see the manner of their Foppish Ceremonies though yet I must say even this is not unattended with danger for as those that out of wantonness imitate Stammerers many times come to stammer themselves against their wills so if People will thrust themselves into Temptation who knows but God may give them up to believe Lies But that which we intend in this Discourse relates to such as know already what the Mass is but for some carnal reasons out of fear or in
hold forth this new sect and thus this new Religion maie not last but if it be by this Blasphemie to constraine a man unable by Gods dome to hold this new sect and suffer him not to come to freedome of Christs Order And Chapter the 4th Friars saien if a man bee professed to there holie Order hee shal not Preach freelie and generallie the Gospel of Christian men without en licence of his Soveraign for virtue of obedience be his Soveraign never so cursed man of life and uncunning of Gods Law and enimie to Christian men souls and in case a foule Devil of Hel thowgh this man professed have receaved of God never so much cuninge of Gods Law and power and wil to work after this cuninge and so this man shall needes be damned for misspending of Gods treasure For sith Gods Law saies that hee is out of Charity that helps not his Brother with bodilie Almes if he maie in his nede much more is he out of Charity that helpes not his Brothers soule with teaching of Gods Law when hee sees him runne to Hel yea by â—gnorance And thus to magnifie and maintaine their rotten sects they neden men by Hypocrisie falseteaching and strong paines to break Gods heasts and leese Charity Out on this false heresie and tyrantrie of Antichrist that men be neded strangely to keep more his Lawes and obaye more to them then to Christ's Commandements ever rightful And Page 17. Thus As Christ saved the wordle by writing and teaching of foure Evangelists so the Fiend casteth to Damme the wordle and Priests for letting to Preach the Gospel by these foure by fained Contemplation by Songs by Salisbury use and by wordly buysiness of Priests The COURANT. Illa propago Contemptrix Superûm Saevaeque avidissima Caedis Et violenta fuit Scires è Sanguine Natos Ovid. I. Metam Tory T was bravely done to ' ther day in the West I love people that will go thorough stitch with their Business I can shew you a French Author Naudaeus by Name that affirms the Bartholomew-Massacre at Paris had been one of the most glorious acts of Christianity if it had not unluckily been perform'd but by halves Truem. Ay but destroying of BIBLES if that story be true was sure attempted a little too soon such Exploits would be time enough under a Popish Successor 'T is our present happiness and comfort under God that we live under a Prince who is a Defender of the Protestant Faith content his loving Subjects should have English Bibles and much averse in his Royal Nature to such Sanguinary Rigours as some hot-headed people men of as little Estates or Interest in their Country as of Brains Piety or real Loialty would fain be practizing to imbroil us in Confusions and help forward the Popes Design by weakning the Body of Protestants with unnecessary and unnatural Heats amongst themselves Tory. Well I am sure our Parson and hee 's a Gentleman that wears a Scarf already and hopes to be a Right Reverend ere long told us last Sunday that t' was a Duty to teize and worry Dissenters and that it was their own faults if their Brains were beat out for why the Vengeance don't they Conform Truem. Prethee present my Service to his Reverence and desire him from a Friend of mine to return an answer to the Case following Suppose his Doctorship were a Minister of the Reformed Church in France whether at Charenton Caen or Saumurr it matters not Tory. Hold hold do you think our Doctor will suffer himself to be suppos'd into a Damn'd Presbiterian a Traiterous Villain of a Calvinistical Hugenote Truem. Patience Man The supposition I le warrant you shall not infect him therefore still I say for once suppose him so and that Monsieur the Intendant of that Province should thus accost him Sir being your Neighbour I am so far your Friend as to pitty and advise you for though you are an Heretick you are yet one of humane Race and may easily make a good conformable Catholick the King our Master will have but one Religion in his Dominions and you must comply or you are undone He is resolv'd all his Subjects shall Worship God in the same Mode therefore go to Church or your Estate Liberty and perhaps your Life will be Sacrific'd to his Royal Indignation and your own obstinate Folly Then Imagine he should answer thus Monsieur I conserve a profound Respect to our Puissant and invincible Monarch am ready to obey all his just Commands but in this particular I pray have me Excused I dread his Majesties displeasure but am much more apprehensive of God's the one may hang or break me upon the Wheel but the other will Damn me to Eternity I beseech you therefore interpose with his Majesty on the behalf of me and my Brethren that we may Enjoy the same liberty of Worshiping God as we have hitherto had under him and his Royal Predecessors we vow all Duty and Allegiance to his Person and Government we will defend him with our Lives and Fortunes Nothing is so dear unless our Consciences which we will not Sacrifice to his pleasure and Honour but in the Matters proposed we cannot comply without the offence of God and our Souls The Catholick Gentleman like any Observator replies These are only Flams to colour Hypocrisy Rebellion and Disobedience His Majesty is advis'd to put an end to all Religious Feuds amongst his people thereby to render his Government more firm and secure He is weary of the everlasting Squabbles of different Perswasions The Temple of Janus shall therefore be shut he will have no more Religious Wars amogst his Subjects To grant or connive at any Liberty of serving God after your own own way is not a course to end Differences but to perpetuate them for should you be gratified others may succeed with newscruples and under pretence of Conscience carry on differences as high as ever to the weakning of his Authority and Empire c. Now let the Doctor but tell us what in this case he would Rejoyn to such a Catholick Monsieur and if from the same Topicks our Protestant Dissenters cannot fairly excuse themselves the Doctor shall have all the Money that the Devil and Thompson found out tother day under the Holy-Bush in Mannock-Hill and a sine Cure into the Bargain Printed for Langley Curtis 1681. The Weekly Pacquet OF Advice from Rome OR The History of POPERY The Fourth Volume FRIDAY Jan. 6. 1681-2 Optarem quod omnes Ritus nostri forent a Deo Confirmati Wickliff de verit Script p. 581. An Omission in the last supply'd The means how Wickliff's Doctrine was spread into Bohemia c. His Death His Bones dug up and burnt BY a mistake at the Press last week there was not only some things mentioned in the Contents more than there was room for in that Sheet but also four or five Lines happen'd to be twice repeated For the latter we beg the Readers
which in hast was left or forgotten running with it to carry it to the rest in the Bonefire brake his Leg. Here was Lex Talionis Bone for Bone And to this day for a perpetual Monument in the very place where they burnt his Bones tho the Townsmen for their own profit have often essayed to bring the Water that way it never holds but still makes a Bank Thus far the Doctor I shall conclude this Weeks Task with a Copy of John Wickliff's Answer or Resolution to King Richard touching the Right and Title of the King and Pope which was as follows It being demanded whether the Kingdom of England may lawfully in case of necessity for its own defence detain and keep back the Treasure of the Kingdom that it be not carried away to foreign and strange Nations the Pope himself demanding and requiring the same under pain of Censure and by vertue of Obedience To which Wickliff return'd this Answer Setting apart the Minds of Learned Men what might be said in the matter either by the Canon Law or by the Law of England or the Civil Law It resteth saith he not only to persuade and prove the Affirmative part of this Doubt but the Principles of Christ's Law And first I prove it thus Every natural Body hath Power given it of God to resist against his Contrary and to preserve it self in due Estate as Philosophers know very well in so much that Bodies without Life are endu'd with such a kind of Power as it is evident unto whom hardness is given to resist those things that would break it and Coldness to withstand the Heat that dissolveth it For so much then as the Kingdom of England after the manner and phrase of the Scriptures ought to be one Body and the Clergy with the Commonalty the Members thereof it seemeth that the same Kingdom hath such Power given it of God and so much the more apparent but how much the same Body is more precious unto God adorned with Vertue and Knowledge For so much then as there is no Power given of God unto any Creature for any end or purpose but that he may lawfully use the same to that end and purpose it followeth that our Kingdom may lawfully keep back and detain their Treasure for the defence of it self in what case soever necessity do require the same Secondarily the same is proved by the Law of the Gospel for the Pope cannot challenge the Treasure of this Kingdom but under the Title of Alms and consequently under the pretence of the Works of Mercy according to the Rule of Charity But in the Case aforesaid the Titel of Alms ought utterly to cease Ergo the Right and Title of challenging the Treasure of our Realm shall cease also in the presupposed necessity For so much as all Charity hath his beginning of himself it were no work of Charity but of meer madness to send away the Treasures of the Realm unto Foreign Nations whereby the Realm it self may fall into Ruine under the pretence of such Charity It appeareth also by this that Christ the Head of the Church whom all Christian Priests ought to follow lived by the Alms of Devout Women Luke 7. 8. He hungred and thirsted he was a Stranger and many other Miseries he sustained not only in his Members but also in his own Body as the Apostle witnesseth 1 Cor. 8. He was made poor for your sakes that through his Poverty you might be made rich whereby in the first endowing of the Church whatsoever he were of the Clergy that had any Temporal Possessions he had the same by form of a perpetual Alms as both Writings and Chronicles do witness Whereupon St. Bernard in his second Book to Eugenius that he could not challenge any Secular Dominion by Right of Succession as being the Vicar of St. Peter writeth thus That if St. John should speak unto the Pope himself as Bernard doth unto Eugenius were it to be thought that he would take it patiently But let it be so that you do challenge it unto you by some other way or means but truly by any Right or Title Apostolical you cannot so do For how could he give unto you that which he had not himself That which he had he gave you that is to say Care over the Church but did he give you any Lordship or Rule Haâ—k what he saith Not bearing Rule saith he as the Lords in the Clergy but behaving your selves as Examples to the Flock And because thou shalt not think it to be spoken only in Humility and not in Verity mark the Word of the Lord himself in the Gospel The Kings of the Gentiles rule over them but thou shalt not do so Here Lordship and Dominion is plainly forbidden to the Apostles and darest thou then usurp the same If thou wilt be a Lord thou shalt lose thine Apostleship or if thou wilt be an Apostle thou shalt lose thy Lordship for truly thou shalt depart from the one of them If thou wilt have both thou shalt lose both or else think thy self to be of that number of whom God doth so greatly complain saying They have Reign'd but not through me they are become Princes and I have not known it Now if it do suffice to Rule with the Lord thou hast thy Glory but not with God but if we will keep that which is forbidden let us hear what is said He that is the Greatest among you saith Christ shall be made as the least and he which is Highest shall be as the Minister and for Example set a Child in the midst of them so this then is the true form and institution of the Apostle's Trade Lordship and Rule is forbidden Ministration and Services commanded Thus far St. Bernard as cited by Wickliff upon this occasion THE COURANT. Tory. NAY now all 's out I thought this 't would come to at last for D me if I did not always suspect as much I ever lookt upon Catholics as fine civil Gentlemen and for their Church I have a great Veneration because she is a true Church and a Mother Church and their Worship is very glorious and decent What an absurd thing 't is to imagine that ever such Holy Loyal Men as their Priests are should be guilty of Treason Yet I did but say a Twelve-month ago there was no Popish Plot and a Whiggish Son of a Whore gave me a slap i' th' Face and threaten'd me with Newgate for presuming to give the King and Three Parliaments the Lye But it should seem Tempora mutantur I hope e're long a Man may say and swear too That there never was any such Plot at all with Impunity and without Controul Truem. Prethee what makes you so merry about the Gills this Morning Hast thou been at Breakfast with the Painter at Aldersgate on his Whig-Pye whose Crust was made of Gammer Celier's Meal and baked in the red hot Oven of Dr. Tantivy's Skull Tory. No no but on a better
nor have you I hope forgot that at the same time there were actually Reigning two other Popes or Popelings viz. Gregory whom the French set up and Benedict whom the Spaniards supported and each of these had his Court and his Cardinals and Princes and Nations that own'd his Authority and obey'd him But growing weary of this ridiculous Confusion and the Emperour Sigismund having taken the pains to Travel almost all over Europe to persuade them to some expedient for healing this Schism It was at last agreed That a General Council should be call'd nor did Pope John seem much to oppose it hoping to get himself confirm'd therein by the Interest of Sigismund whom he had procured to be made Emperour and you know one good turn deserves another but whether the Emperour found him so scandalously flagitious that he was asham'd to appear in his favour or whether his solicitations could not be heard I know not so it was that in the Conclusion things fell out quite contrary to his Expectation The place agreed upon after much bandying for this Congress was Constance a City of Switzerland Situate on the Lake Bodenzee over against Lindaw Whither Anno 1414. repaired Pope John and the Emperour and a vast conflux of People for there were present 4 Patriarchs 29 Cardinals 346 Archbishops and Bishops 564 Abbots and Doctors Ten Thousand secular Princes and Noble Men 600 Barbers 320 Fiâ—lers and Merry-Andrews and to accommodate the Holy Father Four Hundred and Fifty common publick Whores besides all their private ones the whole Company of strangers Men and Women that were then at one time found in that City being Threescore Thousand and five Hundred A fine jolly Company and if you will believe them they had the Holy Ghost present with them too but there are several reasons to question that tho this merry one which follows be none of them when on the first day of opening the Council they were singing according to the mode Veni spiritus sancte c. Come holy Spirit c. Some arch wags at the same time clapp'd up a Label in the Church containing these words as an answer from Heaven Alijs rebus occupaii nunc adesse vobis non possumus We are a little busy at present about other affairs and cannot attend ye This Synod held for the space of four years and did more than a good deal of business we shall not afflict the Readers patience with a recital of all their Worshipful Canons and proceedings they that have a mind Male Collocare bonas Horas may read them in the Volumes of the Councils what is remarkable we shall not forget to acquaint you with And as a Prologue thereunto cannot omit that judicious Repartee of the Emperor Sigismund some discourse happening touching the Reformation of the Spirituaâ—y a grave old Cockscomb that had a spight against a parcel of poor Friars said Quod oporteaâ— incipere à Minoritis that they should begin first with the Minorites meaning the Order so called No quoth the Emperor Non à Minoritis sed à Majoritis not with the Minorites but with the Majorites meaning the Reformation ought first to begin with the Pope Cardinals Bishops and Superior States of the Church and so descend afterwards to regulate the inferiors The Council had not sat long before Articles were Exhibited against Pope John who fearing the worst unknown to the Cardinals in a disguise one night flies out of the City to Schaffuze where he was sheltred by the Duke of Austria for a while but the Emperor being therewith incensed he was glad to bring back the poor Run a-way Pope who was committed to safe Custody And now they proceed judicially against him Henricus de Pira and Johannes de Scribanis Procurators of the Council undertake to prove him Guiltâ— of abundance of horriâ— Crimes both before and during his Popedome the Charge against him was contained in 54 Articles of several Murders Poysonings Sacrilege Heresy Tyranny Simony Infidelity Notorious Atheism c. and in the same this most Holy Father is stiled Diabolus Incarnatus A Devil Incarnate particularly they proved That he had committed Incest with Nuns Ravisht several Virgins That he was frequently Guilty of Adultery That he had caused Pope Alexander his predecessor to be Poyson'd to make way for himself to usurp the Papacy That he had sold many Lands of the Churches Patrimony yea he had sold Churches themselves in the City of Rome Nay their very Holy Reliques as for Example he had truck'd away the Head of St. John Baptist for 50000 Ducates For my part I wonder where he found out such a silly Chapman that would offer half the Money for a forg'd Skull which had been deliver'd and carried out of the Nunnery of St. Sylvester where 't was kept if some Citizens of Rome had not discover'd it and stopt it by force for which he cast them into Prison and fined them unmercifully That he had Conferr'd Benefices and Ecclesiastical Charges upon his Bastards and meer Children not above Five years old That to fill up the measure of his wickedness by the persuasion of the Devil he obstinately said affirm'd and held an opinion That there is no Life Eternal or future Existence after this Life Yea he said and obstinately believed That the Soul of Man dyeth and is Extinct together with the humane Body after the manner of bruit Beasts and that he had said and declared That being once dead even in the last day there should be no Resurrection These and many other the like Crimes being fully proved against him and he being allow'd liberty not being able to make any tollerable defence for himself but on the contrary being Convicted by the Confession of his own mouth they proceeded to pronounce a definitive Sentence against him That he should be deposed Having first in the â— th Session passed the following Canon That a Synod Congregated in the Holy Ghost making a general Council representing the whole Catholick Church here militant hath power immediately from Christ To which power of theirs every Person of what State or Dignity soever he be even tho it be the Pope himself ought to be obedient in all such things as concern the general Reformation in the Church as well in the Heads as in the Subjects And the said Sentence being sent to John he himself our Authors say approved thereof and declared that he deserv'd it and so was Deposed after he had been a Pope 5 years and 15 days After which he was for some years kept Prisoner but at last in the time of Pope Martin the 5 th who succeeded him for a great sum of Money got not only his Liberty but also to be made a Cardinal of Tuscany and in that quality died in the year 1419. And there 's an end of quondam Pope John And now 't is time to see what our Holy Council does with the two other Imps of Infallibility As for Gregory the 12 th he
being abandon'd by Ladislaus King of Sicily and seeing it was impossible for him to stem the tide of opposition thought it would be more Honourable for him to seem to part with his pretended Popedome freely of his own accord than to be turn'd out And so sends Charles Malatesta his Proctor to make a Renunciation for him who to perform the Pageantry came into the Council all arraid in the Pontifical Robes and was seated in the Chair of state wherein Gregory's name he solemnly Renounces the Papacy and in token thereof pulls of all his Trinkets decently and in order which so pleased the Reverend Gray beards that they presently made Gregory Legate of Pisa And so good Night poor Pope Gregory But the third Gamster stout Benedict defies the People at Constance and all their works He swears he is Christs Viccar I marry is he and so he will continue in spight of their Teeth He says Constance is not a place fit or free and therefore none of his Subjects shall come there However the Synod at Constance Cite and cite him again and again to appear before their Worships but he seem'd to reguard them no more than Parson Hickeringal in our times does the Gentlemen of Doctors Commons And tho after several Messengers in vain the Emperour himself undertook a tedious journey to persuade him to submit yet still he stood it out not only contemning their Authority but thundring out Curses Deprivations and Excommunications and abundance of such Church-Granados at them all which they declare Null and void and proceed against him very vigorously and in the up shot declare him to be a Perjurer a Sâ—â—ndalizer of the Church an Abetter and promoter of Schism 〈◊〉 Heretick wandring out of the way of Faith c. And for these and the like offences they sentence him not only to be depriv'd of his Papal Dignity but also to be cut off from the Church as a dried and withered Member and withall forbid all Persons to obey him on pain of Excomunication But all this would not do for tho almost all his Consorts of Eminency and Power had abandon'd him for Rats always fly from a falling house yet he still persisted in his pretensions to the Popedome continuing saith Crantzius in Metrop l. â— c. 1. Idolum cum Idolis suis Cardinalibus An Idol with the Idol Cardinals of his own making Yea in ipso mortis articulo when he was just going out of the World Anno 1414. he adjur'd the Cardinals that remain'd with him in the Fortress of Paniscola whether for safety he had retreated that they should forthwith chuse him a Successor Which accordingly they perform'd Electing one Giles Munion a Chanon of Barcelona whom they call'd Clement the Eighth but this pitiful shadow of a Pope about 4 years after Renounced his Charge was content to stile himself Pope no longer and what afterwards became of him we do not at present meet with in the Histories of those times Having thus clear'd the decks of the Three contending Popes and for 2 years or upward there having been never an one at all during which time the Council lookt upon themselves as keepers of the Liberties c. They now began to bethink themselves of chusing a new Pope but first to prevent such Rogues as the last John was from vaulting into the Chair they contrive a Test to be taken by all succeeding Popes in the words following â— N. Elected for Pope profess with heart and mouth unto Almighty God whose Church I take upon me to Govern by his help and to blessed St. Peter the prince of the Apostles so long as I shall continue in this frail life firmly to believe and hold the holy Catholick Faith after the Traditions of the Apostles of general Councils and of other holy Fathers and namely of the 8. general Councils the first of Nice the second of Constantinople Ephesine the third 〈◊〉 the fourth the fifth and sixth of them of Constantinople the seventh of Nice and the eighth of Constantinople and also of the general Councils of Lateran Lions and Vienne willing to observe the same Faith inviolate even to the uttermost and to Preach and defend the same even to the spending my Blood and Life as likewise by all means possible to prosecute and observe the Rites of the Sacraments Canonically delivered to the Catholick Church And this my profession and confession by my command being written out by the Notary of the Arches of the holy Church of Rome I have subscribed with mine own hand and sincerely with a pure mind and devout Conscience I offer it to Almighty God upon such an Altar c. In the presence c. Then they appoint a Committee to proceed to the Election who in 4 days agree upon one Columna who being chosen on St. Martins Eve would needs call himself Martin the 5 th and being brought in before the Emperor and Council was Enthron'd with mighty Pomp and Solemnity THE COURANT. Tory. BUT were not you too rash last bout in stiling Mrs. J. Mother Cellier's younger Sister Truem. I hold my self as much oblig'd to retract any thing that may seem a Scandal on the innocent as I do esteem it my duty to Advertise the publick of ill Peoples designs Now tho there were probable inducements that the Paper emitted in her name might be put upon her as the Narrative which Celliers own'd is known to have been seen in Gadburies Hand-writing before 't was in Print yet since I am satisfied that Mrs. J. has always professed her self of the Church of England and never that I can find Herded with the Romanists but on all occasions has expressed a superlative Zeal and Affection to His Majesties Person and Government I must wish a Deleatur on that passage for as I am resolv'd ever to oppose and detect the designs of Papists so never in the least to reflect on any tho of never so inferior quality that are His Majesties Friends Tory. I wish the Observator would practise the same Candour for in the midst of his pretended concern for his native Country Norfolk he most scurrilously reflects on a Reverend Magistrate by calling him tho unhappily true short sighted Pug and we expect by his ungrateful returns that in his next he will reproach him too for taking Bail for Murder and living Litigiously amongst his Parishioners and Neighbours but if he do the Devil a Peny more of Contribution shall he get from the Crape-Gowns of Dumpling-shire Truem. This to me is all Arabick prethee no riddles how go matters in the Town Tory. Hang 't I know not what to think on 't 'T is pitty that excellent Writ De Haeretico Combâ—rendo is out of date some Friends of mine in the West would have made brave use on 't is it not pitty that those who can send an honest Christian to the Devil for not paying an Easter-twopence cannot plague him for the sin of not putting off his Hat But have the
Sacrament of the Body of Christ saying that it ought to be Ministred in both kinds and that after the words of Consecration pronounc'd there still remaineth material Bread in the Sacrament 2. He doth Err as touching the Church for that he doth not allow and admit that the Church signifieth the Pope Cardinals Archbishops and Clergy but saith this signification was drawn from the Schoolmen 3. That he hath said That Tempral Princes and Lords may take away the Temporal possessions of the Church and Clergy without any offence 4. He teacheth that all Priests are of like power and therefore affirms That the reservations of the Popes Casualties the ordering of Bishops and the Consecration of the Priests were invented only for Covetousness 5. That he erreth concerning the Church forasmuch as through Contempt he doth not fear Excommunication 6. He erreth by holding That a Man being once Ordain'd a Priest or a Deacon cannot be forbidden from the Office of Preaching c. Upon these and other the like Articles the Council proceeded against him in his sickness and tho he often offer'd to defend his Cause yet they would neither allow him any Advocats nor permit him publickly to be heard And in their Ninth Session they declared Quod non obstantibus salvis Conductis Imperatoris Regum c. Possit per Judicem competentem de Haeretieâ pravitate inquiri That notwithstanding any safe Conduct granted by the Emperor or any Kings Inquisition many be made against any Man for Haeresy by a Competent Judge and process to be made according to Law To relate the whole proceedings would be too tedious how malicious and unjust his accusers were how stout and faithful to him were several Bohemian Noble Men representing his Innocence to the cruel Fathers but all in vain nothing but his Blood would satisfy and so they proceed to pass the following sentence upon him The most sacred General Council of Constance Congregated together and representing the Catholick Church for perpetual memory of the thing As truth doth witness that an evil Tree bringeth forth evil Fruit so it cometh to pass that the Man of most damnable memory John Wickliff through his pestiferous Doctrine not through Jesus Christ by the Gospel as the holy Fathers in times past have begotten faithful Children but contrary to the wholesome Faith as a venemous root hath begotten many wicked and pestilent Children whom he hath left behind him successors and followers of his perverse and accursed Doctrine against whom this Sacred Synod of Constance is forced to rise up as against Bastards and diligently with a Sharp-knife of Ecclesiastical Authority to cut up Errors out of the Lords field as most hurtful Brambles and Briars lest they should grow up to the destruction of others Forasmuch then as in the holy General Council lately celebrated at Rome it was decreed that the Doctrine of John Wickliff of most damnable memory should be Condemned and his Books burnt as Haeretical yet 〈◊〉 John Hus here personally present in this Sacred Council not the Diciple of Christ but of Wicliff an Arch Haeretick hath taught and affirmed the Articles of Wickliff which were Condenm'd by the Church of God Wherefore after diligent Deliberation and full Information this most Sacred Council declareth and determineth the Articles abovesaid which are sound in his Books wrot with his own hand and which he hath own'd not to be Catholick nor worthy to be taught but that many of them are erroneous some wicked other some to be offensive unto godly Ears many of them to be temerarious and seditious and the greater part of them to be Notoriously Haeretical and doth condemn all and every the Books which the said Hus hath wrot in what form or phrase soever they be or whether they be Translated by others and doth decree That they shall be publickly burnt in the presence of the Clergy and People c. And the said Synod doth pronounce the said John Hus an Haeretick and a Seducer and obstinate Person and such an one as doth not desire to return again to the Lapp of our holy Mother the Church neither to abjure the Errors and Heresies which he hath openly Preached and defended wherefore this most Sacred Council decreeth and declares That the said John Hus shall be deposed and degraded from his Priestly Orders and Dignity Since this sentence mentions Degrading it will not be amiss to consider the manner how that Ceremony is perform'd Which is thus The party to be degraded is attir'd in all his Priestly Vestments and holdeth in the one hand a Chalice filled with Wine mixed with Water and in the other a Guilt Paten with a Wafer Then kneeling down the Bishops Deputy taking from him these Trincats Charges him to say no more Mass for the Quick or the Dead Secondly scraping with a piece of Glass his fingers ends he Enjoyns him never to Hallow or Consecrate any thing and Thirdly rasing his shaven Crown and stripping 〈◊〉 of his Priestly Vestments he is Clothed in a Lay habit and delivered into the Power of the Secular Magistrate Thus was poor Hus serv'd and withal a Capp put on his head all painted over with Devils and this word Haerisiarcha or Ring leader of Hereticks inscribed thereon and so was burnt in the Month of July 1415. He behav'd himself at his Martyrdom with a wonderful Cheerfulness and seems to have had a Spirit of Prophecy for whereas Hus in the Bohemian Tongue signifies a Goose he told them You now roast a Goose but after a 100 years there shall a Swan rise up out of my Ashes which was fulfill'd in Luther who just 100 years after Hus's Death began to appear in opposition to the Pope Likewise during the time of this Council one Jerome a Learned Godly Man of the City of Prague hearing of the manyfold injuries done unto Hus voluntarily came to Constance with an intent to defend his Cause but not being able to procure any safe Conduct there was returning back again to his own Country but taken on the Road and brought bound into Constance and there by the Council Condemn'd and Burnt and his Ashes thrown into the River Rhyne as Hus's likewise had been so Industrious were the Romish Clergy to destroy all Memorials of these faithful Servants of God whose Names do yet survive all their impotent malice and remain Registred in the Book of Life in Heaven and pretious to all good Men on Earth What esteem the godly Nobles of that Age had of Mr. Hus may partly appear by a Letter of 54 Noble Men of Morauia under their Hands and Seals to the said Council THE COURANT. Tory. PRethee are Miracles ceas'd No no There 's a New Saint lately come over call'd Cess Process that does daily Wonders Dam Ignoramus is an Ass to her Tory. What kind of Feats does she Profess can she sham Godfryes Murder and Esquire Thin's and make the World believe That they both kill'd themselves or that it was done Justly
to restore them Tolletus the Jesuit in his Instructions for Priests on the Title Excommunication Non tenentur reddere rem verbis contractam They are not bound to make good Contracts with Hereticks Nay the Gloss of their Canon Law in Gratian Caus 15. q. 6. not only justifies the thing but also assigns the reason of it Si Juravi me soluturum alicui pecuniam c. If I have sworn to pay a man Money and he happen to be Excommunicated I am not bound to pay it because we ought by all the means we can to vex ill men that they may repent of their Evil. Very pretty Popish Divinity Cardinal Allen resolves Pater qui filium habet Haereticum c. A Father that has a Son that is an Heretick is bound to disinherit him and Parents sin mortally that bestow their Daughters in marriage to Hereticks And of this too the Gloss of Gratian Decret l. 5. Caus 23. q. 8. gives the reason Because Hereticks are not to be esteem'd our Brothers or Kindred but tho he be the Son of thy Mother or thine own only Child yet according to the Law of old Thy hand must be upon him that thou mayest put him to death According to these Maxims 't is notorious that the Apostate Church of Rome and Papists have acted how often have Popes put Princes upon the breaking of their Treaties Alliances and Covenants How remarkable is that Story of Vladislaus the fifth King of Hungary about the year 1440. who having concluded a Peace with Amurath Emperour of the Turks for ten years space and sworn to keep and observe the same inviolably Eugenius the Fourth who at that time was Pope of Rome hearing thereof writes to Cardinal Julian then resident in Hungary to persuade the King to break that Peace alledging and declaring That no Peace made with the Enemies of Religion and in their esteem Protestants are worse than Turks without first consulting the Pope and having his leave was good or valid And therefore commanded the King to fall into Hostility assuring him That as for his Oath given at the Treaty he had dissolv'd the same Hereupon the King partly by Intreaties and partly by Threats is prevail'd upon to become a most perfidious wretch and to the dishonour of the Christian name treacherously to fall upon the Turk at unawares which Amurath observing and seeing his Forces like to be discomfited he draws forth the Original Articles of their League and looking up to Heaven cries out Haec sunt Jesu Christe Foedera quae Christiani tui mecum percussêre per nomen tuum Sanctè Jurantes Nunc si Deus es tuas measque Injurias te quaeso ulciscere Bonfin l. 3. Aenaeas Sylvius afterwards Pope â—p 81. Spondanus ad Ann. 1444. Behold O Jesus these are the Covenants which thy Christians solemnly swearing by thy name made with me now therefore if thou art a God revenge these Injuries to me and thy self upon their perfidious heads And no sooner had he pronounc'd these words but the success of the Battel was chang'd the Christians put to flight and the perjured King together with the wretched Cardinal that put him upon 't being both slain Pope Innocent the Third in the year 1213. in a Letter to Peter King of Arragon charges him in the name of the Holy-Ghost and as he expected ever to obtain Divine and Apostolical Grace to abandon the people of Tholose certain honest Waldensian Christians of whom in our Third Volume we have given an account nor to afford them any Aid or Countenance as long as they continued in their Heresie Non obstante promissione vel obligation quacúnque praestitâ Notwithstanding any promise or obligation whatsoever before pass'd to the contrary In the Year 1538. Paul the Third sends abroad a Roaring Bull against our King Henry the 8 th wherein he admonishes and requires all Christian Princes That they shall not under pretence of any Leagues or Obligations although corroborated by frequently repeated Oathes yield the said King directly or indirectly any Aid Favour or Assistance and to take them off from any apprehensions of their Duty pretends to Absolve them all from all Oathes or Obligations by them made or to be made and pronounces them to be void and of none effect So likewise Pope Pius Quintus Absolv'd not only all the Subjects of Queen Elizabeth but also Caeteros omnes qui Illi quomodocunque Juraverunt All others who in any manner had sworn unto her After Henry the Third of France was Barbarously Murder'd by Frier Clement all the World knew the Right of the Crown by Lineal Succession and Proximity of Blood belong'd to Henry of Burbon but the Popish Doctors of the Sorbon being intreated by the People of Paris to give their Judgment whether it were Lawful to submit to him They answered That Catholicks by the Divine Law were forbidden to admit to the Kingdom a Sectary and manifest Enemy to the Church That all that should Assist him were guilty of mortal Sin and would infallibly be Damn'd And all that did Resist him unto Blood would dye Martyrs and enjoy an Everlasting Reward in Heaven But to prove That Popish Princes who have made never so fair Promises did notwithstanding Persecute their Protestant Subjects with the greatest Rigour and act quite contrary to those Solemn Engagements our Native Island affords a sad and never to be forgotten Precedent for when the Men of Suffolk upon the pious King Edwards Death requested that bloody bigotted and treacherous Queen Mary to know Whether she would alter the Religion Establish'd in her Brothers days She assur'd them with all Asseverations That she would never make any Innovation or Change but be contented with the private Exercise of her own Religion And on April the 12 th she made a Publick Declaration in Council That although her own Conscience were fixed in matters of Religion yet she would never Inforce her Subjects otherwise than God should put into their Hearts a persuasion of the Truth she was in But no sooner was she settled in her Throne but slighting all these Engagements she no less perfidiously than cruelly fell to Burning her Protestant Subjects purely for their Religion Nay do we not at this Instant see the like Proceedings in our next Neighbouring Country where notwithstanding many Edicts and Solemn Promises Ratified with all the formalities of Perpetual Laws yet the poor Protestants directly contrary to all these Priviledges without any colour or shadow of Crime save only their Religion wherein their Persecutors deal much more Generously than if with fained Accusations and damnable Subornations they should falsly represent them as Rebellious and Disloyal are daily harass'd Ruinated and undone Therefore the General Inference from these Premises is That knowing so well the Principles and Practises of the Romish Church no Protestants or men of sense should ever trust to any though never so plausible Promises of any person of that Communion For with such all the
cause which persons do also preach divers matters of Slander to engender Discord and Dissention betwixt divers Estatés of the said Realm as well Spiritual as Temporal in exciting of the people to the great peril of the Realm Which Preachers cited or summoned before the Ordinaries of the places there to answer of that whereof they be impeached will not obey to their Summons and Commandments nor care for their Monitions nor Censures of the Holy Church but expresly despise them And moreover by their subtle and ingenious words do draw the people to hear their Sermons and do maintain them in their Errors by strong Hand and great Routs It is ordained and assented in this present Parliament That the King's Edmmissions be made and directed to the Sheriffs and other Miuisters of our Soveraign Lord the King or other sufficient persons Learned and according to the Certifications of the Prelates thereof to be made in Chancery from time to time to arrest all such Preachers and also their Faitors Maintainers and Abettors and to hold them in Arrest and strong Prison 'till they will justifie them according to the Law and Reason of Holy Church And the King wills and commandeth That the Chancellor make such Commissions at all times that he by the Prelates or any of them shall be certified and thereof required as is aforesaid This was the first pretended Statute that ever was in England for imprisoning Christians for Religious opinions and by colour thereof the Bishops committed great Cruelties I call it pretended Statute for tho it be enter'd in the Parliament Rolls yet it was no Legal Act for it never pass'd the Commons And therefore at the next Parliament in Michaelmas Term following the Commons preferr'd a Bill â—eciting the same and constantly affirmed That they never assented thereunto and therefore desired that the said supposed Statute be annull'd and made void for they protested That it was never their intent that either themselves or such as shall succeed them should be farther subject or bound to the Prelates than were their Ancestors in former times And to this the King gave his Royal Assent in these words Il plaist au Roy The King is pleas'd that it be so Cook 3 Instit fo 40. Foxes Acts and Monuments fo 406. But that you may more fully understand the fraud and subtlety of their Reverences in this Affair you must understand That before the invention of Printing the usual way of publishing Acts of Parliament was to engross them in Parchment and send them with the King 's Writ into every County commanding the Sheriff to proclaim them Now John Braibrook Bishop of London being then Lord Chancellor of England he by a Writ dated 26 May Anno Regni Regis R. 2. quinto sent down the before recited Ordinance of the King and Prelates amongst the Statutes that were then lately pass'd But no less knavishly left out in the next Parliamentary Proclamation the said Act of Revocation whereby the said supposed Statute was made void by which means afterwards the other still pass'd as an Act and was printed continually as such but the Act that disannull'd it was by the Interest of the Prelates from time to time kept out of the Prints the better to give colour to their imprisoning of the Laity at their pleasure And farther to make sure work Henry the Fourth having usurp'd the Crown to gratifie the Clergy who had chiefly assisted him therein in the second year of his Raign he at their Instigation procured the following cruel and wicked Law to be Enacted commonly call'd The Statute Ex Officio which that the Reader may the better observe the Spirit of Popery and Persecution and compare the Times and Actings of Men in past and more modern Times I hope it shall neither be thought tedious nor unuseful to recite the same at large Verbatim it not being now extant in Kceble or any of our Common Statute Books ITem Whereas it is shewed to our Soveraign Lord the King on the behalf of the Prelates and Clergy of this Realm of England in this present Parliament That altho the Catholick Faith builded upon Christ and by his Apostles and the holy Church sufficiently determined declared and approved hath been hitherto by good and holy and most noble Progeniâ—ors of our Soveraign Lord the King in the said Realm amongst all the Realms of the World most devoutly observ'd and the Church of England by his said most noble Progenitors and Ancestors to the honour of God and of the whole Realm aforesaid landably endow'd and in her Rights and Liberties sustain'd without that that the same Faith or the said Church was hurt or grievously oppressed or else perturbed by any perverse Doctrine or Wicked Heretical or Erronious Opinions Yet nevertheless divers false and perverse people of a certain new Sect of the Faith of the Sacraments of the Church and the Authority of the same damnably thinking and against the Law of God and of the Church usurping the Office of Preaching do perversly and maliciously in divers places within the said Realm under the colour of dissembled Holiness preach and teach these days openly and privily divers nâ—w Doctrines and wicked Heretical and Erronious Opinions contrary to the same Faith and blessed Determinations of the holy Church And of such Sect and wicked Doctrine and Opinions they make unlawful Conventicles and Confederacies they hold and exercise Schools they make and write Books they do wickedâ—y instruct and inform people and as much as they may excite and stir them to Sedition and Insurrection and maketh great strife and division among the people and other Enormities horribly to be heard daily do perpetrate and commit in subversion of the Catholick Faith and Doctrine of the holy Church in diminution of God's honour and also in destruction of the Estate Rights and Liberties of the said Church of England by which Sect and wicked and false Preachings Doctrine and Opinions of the said false and perverse people not only most great peril of the Souls but also many more other hurts slanders and perils which God prohibit might come to this Realm unless it be the more plentifully and speedily holpen by the King's Majesty in this behalf namely whereas the Diocesans of the said Realm cannot by their Jurisdiction Spiritual without Aid of the said Royal Majesty sufficiently correct the said false and perverse people nor refrain their Malice because the said false and perverse people do go from Diocess to Diocess and will not appear before the said Diocesan but the same Diocesans and their Jurisdiction Spiritual and the Keys of the Church with the Censures of the same do utterly contemn and despise and so their wicked Preachings and Doctrines doth from day to day continue and exercise to the hatred of Right and Reason and utter destruction of Order and good Rule Vpon which Novelties and Excesses above rehearsed the Prelates and Clergy aforesaid and also the Commons of the said Realm being in
the same Parliament praying our Soveraign Lord the King That his Royal Highness would vouchsafe in the said Parliament to provide a convenient Remedy the same our Soveraign Lord the King graciously considering the premises and also the laudable steps of his most noble Progenitors and Ancestors for the Conservation of the said Catholick Faith and sustentation of God's Honour and also the safeguard of the Estate Rights and Liberties of the said Church of England to the land of God and merit of our said Soveraign Lord the King and prosperity and honour of all his said Realm and for the eschewing of such Dissentions Divisions Hurts Slanders and Perils in time to come and that this wicked Sect Preachings Doctrines and Opinions should from henceforth cease to be utterly destroyed by the Assent of the States and other discreet Men of the Realm being in the said Parliament hath granted stablished and ordained from henceforth firmly to be observed that none within the said Realm or any other Dominions subject to his Royal Majesty presume to preach openly or privily without the License of the Diocesan of the same place first required and obtained Curates in their own Churches and persons hitherto priviledged and other of the Canon granted only except Nor that none from henceforth any thing preach hold teach or instruct openly or privily or make or write any Book contrary to the Catholick faith or determination of the holy Church nor of such Sect and wicked Doctrines and Opinions shall make any Câ—nvenâ—â—cles or in any wise hold or exercise Schools And also that none from henceforth in any wise favour such Preacher or maker of any such or like Conventicles or holding or exercising Schools or making or writing such Books or so teaching informing or exciting the people nor any of them maintain or any wise sustain and that all and singular having such Books or any Writings of such wicked Doctrine and Opinions shall really with effect deliver or cause to be delivered all such Books and Writings to the Diocesan of the same place within 40 days from the time of the Proclamation of this Ordinance and Statute And if any person or persons of whatsoever kind estate or condition that he or they be from henceforth do or attempt against the Royal Ordinance and Statute aforesaid in the premisses or in any any of them or such Books in the form aforesaid do not deliver then the Diocesan in the same place in his Diocess such person or persons in this behalf defamed or evidently suspected and every of them may by the authority of the said Ordinance and Statute cause to be arrested and under safe custody in his Prisons to be detained 'till he or they of the Articles laid to him or them in this behalf do Canonically purge him or themselves or else such wicked Sect Preachings Doctrines and heretical and erronious Opinions do objure according as the Laws of the Church do require so that the said Diocesan by himself or his Commissaries do openly and judicially proceed against such persons so arrested and remaining under safe custody to all effect of the Law and determine that same business according to the Canonical Decrees within three months after the said Arrest any lawful Impediment ceasing And if any person in any case above expressed be before the Diocesan of the place or his Commissaries canonically Convict then the same Diocesan may do to be kept in his Prison the said person so Convict for the manner of his default and after the quality of the Offence according aud as long as to his discretion shall seem expedient and moreover to put the same person to the Secular Court except in cases where he according to the Canonical Decree ought to be left to pay to our Soveraign Lord the King his peculiar Fine according as the same Fine shall seem competent to the Diocesan for the manner and quality of the Offence in which case the same Diocesan shall be bound to certifie the King of the same Fine in his Exchequer by his Letters Patents sealed with his Seal to the effect that such Fine by the King's Authority may be required and levied to his use of the Goods of the same person so convict And if any person within the said Realm and Dominions upon the said wicked Preachings Doctrines Opinions Schools heretical and erroneous Informations or any of them be before the Diocesan of the same place or his Commissaries after the Abjuration made by the same person pronounced fall into Relapse so that according to the holy Canons be ought to be left to the Secular Court whereupon Credence shall be given to the Diocesan of the same place or to his Commissaries in this behalf then the Sheriff of the County of the same place and Mayor and Sheriffs or Sheriff or Mayor and Bayliffs of the City Town or Borough of the same County next to the same Diocesan or the said Commissaries shall be personally present in preferring of such sentences when they by the same Diocesan or his Commissaries shall be required And they the same persons and every of them after such sentence promulgate shall receive and them before the people in an high place do to be burnt that such punishment may strike in fear to the minds of others whereby no such wicked Doctrine and heretical and erroneous Opinions nor their Authors and Fautours in the said Realm and Dominions against the Catholick Faith Christian Law and determination of the holy Church which God prohibit be sustained or in any wise suffered in which all and singular the premises concerning the said Ordinance and Statnte the Sheriffs Mayors and Bayliffs of the said Counties Cities Boroughs and Towns shall be attending aiding and supporting to the said Diocesans and their Commissaries The COURANT. Tory. I Have read that passage we talkt of t'other day in Mr. L'Estranges Memento by the same token in the same page he gives an account of Addresses in these words And now from all parts are to be procur'd Addresses Sweet London leads the way The Commission Officers of the Militia in Suffolk Leicester Sussex and my Country-men of Norwich c. These numerous and pretending Applications were but false Glosses upon his Power and Cromwell was too wise to think them other gain'd by Contrivement Force or at least Importunity half a score pitiful wretches call themselves the people of such or such a County and here 's the Total of the Reckoning Thus far L'Estrange Momentop 30. Truem. I marry and he talks like a South-sayer But hang 't let 's prorogue the Discourse of him and his Atchievements Have you seen Father Dowdal's just and sober Vindication Tory. No what 's he Truem. Even a worshipful Roman Catholick Priest very lately if not still a Prisoner in the Gate-house for Religion forsooth 'T is a small Treatise of five or six sheets bound printed 1681. and to be sold by William Downing in Bartholomew Close The design on 't is
Saviour of his Sectaries as Parsons 2 d. of his 3 Conversions p. 250. relates from Walsingham or as Stow botches up the story The last words that he spake to Sir Tho. Erpingham Adjuring him that if he saw him Rise from Death to Life again the Third day he would procure that his sect might beat peace and quiet Now let any man read his papers and discourses in Fox savouring of such firm piety prudence and sobriety of mind and then judge how unlikely he was to be Guilty of such a phrensical Extravagance But possibly he might at his Execution say that though they so severely persecuted those Truths which he bore Testimony to and sought by all means to suppress and bury the same yet they would Rise again and his Doctrine be Reviv'd And from some such true words the Father of Lies and his Journy-men the Monks might take occasion to raise that wicked scandal And now having thus fairly represented Sir John Oldcastles Case to posterity we take leave of his Manes but that we may do it civily tho the prejudice of those times would afford him neither Tombstone nor Grave yet certainly we my be allow'd to offer an Extempore Epitaph to his Memory On Sir John Oldcastle Lord Cobham who suffer'd Decem. 1417. Rome's Old new fraud in Cobhams Fate we view The Hereticks must still be Traitors too All Popish Sham-plots are not hatch'd of late Long since their Int'rest Culli'd in the State For God and for the King the Prelates Cry'd But only meant their own Revenge and Pride Had the sly Meal Tub fadg'd or Irish Oathes Been Jury-proof old Churches hated Foe 's Ere now had been Old-Castled Hang'd and Burn'd And Loyalst Patriots into Rebells turn'd But Midwife Time at last brings Truth to Light For after Death each man receives his Right Then sleep brave Hero till last Judgments day Raising to Glory thy twice-martyr'd Clay Romes malice and thy Innocence display But here we may note that before the Execution of this noble-man viz. in the year 1414. his bitter Persecutor Tho Arundel Archbishop of Canterbury who originally caused his trouble and Condemn'd him for Haeresy and who in a synod had forbidden the Scriptures to be translated into or read in the English Tongue was taken away by a strange death His own Tongue being so swell'd that for many days he could swallow no sort of sustenance and so was starv'd to death A most remarkable Judgment that he who by his Canons forbad the Food to the Soul and had pronounc'd Sentence of Condemnation on many Innocents was now both famish't and struck Dumb together Thomas Gasconous in his Theological Dictionary thus plainly tells the story Tho. Aruudel Cant. Archiepiscopus sic Linguâ Percussus erat ut nec deglutire nec Loqui per aliquot dies ante mortem suam potuerit et sic tandem obiit Atque Multi tu nofieri putabant quia vâ—rbum Alligasset ne suo Tempore praedicatur Tho Arrundel Archb. of Canterbury was so smitten in his Tongue that he could neither swallow nor speak and so died which was thought by many to come upon him for that he restrain'd the word of God from being preached in his days The COURANT. A CHARM against ROGERISM Triceps est Cerberus tèr ego te Despuo Triplex est Eumenis tèr te ego Despuo Vomas dico vomas tèr vome Improbam Pectore purgato Rabiem ad Phlegetonta Remitte Enter Jesuit solus NOW shall I turn Heraclitus Ridens and split my sides with laughing to see how sweetly matters go on 'T is the hopefullest Spring I have known or read of above 100 years and all our Projects are blythe and blooming How kindly do our Councils work and cully in the hood-wink'd crowd the French Monarch our mighty Patron plays a Game at Tick-tack with his Holiness and the World stares and gapes as if they were at Sharps What if he clip the Wings of the duller Orders Let him go on and prosper Roma interim crescit Albae Ruinis No matter for those swarms of Drones our active Society if the Fools prove peevish and stubborn may beg their Lands Nor need we fear the gripes of his Talons since we have twisted our Interests inseparable with his for Campanella has shifted the Scene and 't is resolv'd in spite of Providence one Monarch and one Religion shall govern the Europaean World They are pitifully read in School craft that cannot modelize Divinity to each complexion of Affairs there lies a little spot on the Northwest corner of the Map that has cost us many a pangful Thought Father La-Chese long since undertook the Conversion of those Infidels and tho he met with some rubs despairs not in time to accomplish it If one Broad-side does not sink a Vessel another may the Needle 's in and the Thread must follow O Beata Maria into what Confusions have we put the Hereticks amongst themselves Well! let Whig and Tory scuffle 'till their Hearts ake whilst we tour aloft like the Vulture hovering over the Lion and Wild-boar in their Combatings as hoping to devour the Carcases of them both O the Church the Church the Church by Law establish'd There 's Musick enough in that very sound to supersede the office of the Organs But then not one in forty Dreams what those words signifie in our Dictionary Pshaw Pshaw you Dolt-heads Verity is Vnity there is but one Church in the World and that 's the Catholick and Catholick is Roman and there 's the Riddle unfolded But how is this Religion by Law establish'd We 'l make That out I 'le warrant you you shall have enough of Magna Charta Is there any prescription against the Church Shall any Laws prevail against St. Peter's Right Or indeed what power have Excommunicated Hereticks to make any Laws at all All such Provisions are still-born Ipso facto void as errant Felo's de se as we would make Sir Edmondbury Godfrey and holy Mother-Church unjustly disseiz'd may lawfully make a Re-entry Let 's first down with the Dissenters crush them maul 'um hang 'um if we can or ruine them at least and then their Church of England shall have Polypheme's courtesie O Bristol Bristol thou hast done gallantly I could not but snicker the other day to see a parcel of Wooden-shoe'd French Hereticks that had fled thither for shelter how sillily they look'd when they saw a parcel of English Calvinists dragg'd out of their Meeting and hurried to Gaol But we have a greater work in hand 't is a Protestant Plot must do our business and a Protestant Plot we 'l have if it cost us as much as we got by burning of London There are a fresh Cast of Beuk-blawers listed spick and span new ones never yet baulkt or blasted by an Ignoramus they only want a little Documentizing as to matter persons times and places for all the rest they remember right well I must away and Discipline them and if they prove
Intelligence O most Swinging Astonishing Confounding Incredible Blessed News I promise you Jesuit Is 't possible For Old Acquaintance sake let 's have 't Tory. I beg your Diversion Sir You that they say tell Lies so Dear must not expect to hear Truth Gratis But yet to save your longing I 'le give you a Tast Poor old Odiscalchi his Holiness is Dead as a Door-nail The Cardinals are shut up in the Conclave and now they are Canvasing Bribing Intriguing Tugging like mad for a new Infallible Noddle Jesuit That 's News indeed but preethee who 's like to carry 't Tory. Ay! that that I cannot forbear laughing to think how 't will vex thee and I 'le tell thee 't for no other Reason but because 't will make thee Hang thy self They 're going to chuse a Protestant Prince to be their Pope Jesuit Then I le be Hang'd ' Tory. Ay! ay! So thou hadst been long ago if th'adst had thy Deserts and so thou wilt at last whether that be so or no! but this is certain a Protestant Pope they 'l have The Flying Squadron are resolv'd on 't And Spain Germany and France for all the Interest you boast of there strike in with them What a blessed Reformation shall we have Jesuit Why then say I farewel Catholick Cause shaw shaw He 'le worm out the Catholick Faith and sapp the Church by degrees and in a while we shall have damn'd Conventicles held in the very Lateran Tory. No! no! There 's no fear of that neither for the Pope Presumptive though he is known to be a Protestant has promis'd a thousand times and vowed and sworn he 'le maintain the Roman Catholick Church as 't is Establisht by the Canons Jesuit Ay! there 's the Knavery on 't The Fallacy dost thou not smell the Raguery Tory. Not I I protest Father but to say truth I never had a very subtle Nose and yet I can at any time scent a Presbyterian Plot as far off as Vtopia Jesuit Why man by the Church as 't is Establisht by the Canons he means no doubt the Church as it ought to be Reform'd by the Canons of Scripture For can any Man be so Mad so Bewitcht as to think a Protestant will be true to the Catholick Interest Tory. Why not Sir As true I 'le warrant you as a Popish Successor will be to a Protestant Interest Jesuit Well! O my Conscience the Cardinals are a Pack of Knaves they betray the Catholick Cause I am confident most of them are Hereticks in their Hearts Tory. Why so why so good Sir They have Subscrib'd the Council of Trent They have taken all the Holy Tests and Canonical Oaths and given all the Security of their Catholicism that 's requir'd by Law of Holy Mother Church and why should we be so uncharitable as to Censure them for Hypocrites Jesuit Hang ' em hang ' em They 'r rotten at Core let 'em Swear their Guts out they that are so Zealous for a Protestant Pope may well be suspected to have an Hugonot in their Bellies Tory. Why now I 'me vext to hear one of your Order Father whose Society esteem themselves not only the most Learned and Politick but Men of the best Intelligence too talk so like a Ninny 'T is the mode all over the World since the last Comet and the Conjunction of Satura and Jupiter Have you not seen the News brought by a Post pidgeon to Scanderoon The Grand-Seignior is lately Dead too All Flesh is Grass Turk and Pope must come to 't and the Divan being Assembled because he left no Heirs of his Body Lawfully begotten nothing will satisfie them but they 'l Elect a Christian Prince to the Ottoman Empire Jesuit The Devil they will Tory. Nay never question the Truth on 't you shall see it shortly in Muddimans Letter and Infallible Natts Intelligence Jesuit Then hey go mad say I The World is going out of its Wits and the Vniverse becoming an Intire Bedlam What false to their own Religion the most Sacred of Ties betray their own Interest I 'le be Flead if there be one true Mussulman in the Divan if this you told me last be true Tory. Come come Fiat Justitia ruat Coelum Dost think all the World understands their true Interest Mankind are oft led by the Shadows and Fancies and Humours and Whims and a Thousand Capricio's I could tell thee of another as great a Wonder as all this comes to Jesuit Nay nay le ts have the bottom o' th Bag honest Tory Tory. What would you eat Sweet-meats with Shovels come come enough's as good as a Feast either at Souters or Pedlars-Hall what I have will keep cold and I 'le reserve it for another Collation Father Adieu Printed for Langley Curtis 1682 The Weekly Pacquet OF Advice from Rome OR The History of POPERY The Fourth Volume FRIDAY May 5. 1682. Omnia amisit qui veritatem amisit An Objection Answered touching Baptism The Church of Rome hath no true Ministry c. IN our last we urged That the Church of Rome does not practise the true Baptism of Christ whence an Objection may arise thus If the Church of Rome have not the true Baptism of Christ why then are not Papists when Converted to the true Faith of Christ Rebaptized How stands their former Baptism good To which I Reply in the words of the great Saint Augustine Contra Cresconium Lib. 1. C. 30. speaking of the External Form of Baptism used amongst Hereticks such Baptism is not to be Repeated but the Errour thereof Corrected And in his Seventh Book against the Donatists Chap. 40. He hath these Words The Divine Scriptures in many places do shew all these to be strangers from the Church who are not in the Rock and appertain not to the Members of the Dove and yet they Baptize and are Baptized and have Sine salute Sacramentum salutis without Salvation the Sacrament of Salvation And L. 5. chap. 17. Hereticks saith he have Lawful Baptism that is for the External Form but not Lawfully And so Bellarmine himself determines the Case Cum veniunt ad Ecclesiam Baptizati ab Haereticis agnoscendum est quod est Ecclesiae id est Baptisma corrigendus verò Error When those that are Baptized by Hereticks come to the Church the Church acknowledges what is her own that is the Baptism but the Errour is to be corrected The Sacraments operate effectually Non quia dicitur sed quia Creditur Not because the Words are uttered but because there is the Word of Faith purifying the heart as the Apostle speaks Act 15. And therefore the Church of Rome having deny'd the Faith of Righteousness and the Righteousness of Faith and the saving Doctrine of Baptism She hath consequently rendred Baptism to be of none Effect to her unto Salvation But yet still when any Papist is by the Grace of God and the Preaching of the Word and of saving Faith Converted to the true Church of God the Seal of Baptism
nothing remains but the Ordinance or Decree of God to appoint Damnation as a punishment of this sin according to the desert thereof But that was passed long since by the Lord himself You shall put nothing to the word which I command you Deut. 4. 2 11. 30. There 's the Precept and the Penalty is express'd Rev. 21. 18. If any man shall add to these things God shall add to him the Plagues that are written in this Book But more plainly 2 Thes 2. 11 12. The Lord shall send them strong delusions that they should believe lies that all they might be damned which believe not thâ— truth Here we see the Lord wrappeth them up in Damnation by his Sentence that believe Lies that is false and erroneous Doctrin nor agreeable to the Truth which they ought to believe What then is wanting to them to make the Faith of the Church of Rome damnable and the Professors thereof liable to Damnation when both the thing it self deserveth it and the Lord hath decreed that they which believe it should have according to their desert Since therefore it thus plainly appears that every man is bound upon pain of Salvation to refuse the Faith of the Church of Rome in what a desperate case are those that continue in it 'T is not for nothing that the Almighty God of Love and Compassion makes Proclamation by his Sacred Herauld Rev. 18. 4. Come out of her people lest ye perish with her and partake of her Plagues We have a famous example in that depravation of the true Religion and setting up of Idolatry under Jeroboam 2 Chron. 11. 14. The Levites that dwelt amongst those Revolted 10 Tribes left their Suburbs and their Possessions that belonged unto them a great Act of self-denial and came to Judah and Jerusalem to do the Service of the Lord in the Temple there And after their example many people out of all the Tribes of Israel that abhorred Jeroboam's Idolatry came thither also for the true worship of God They knew to abide amongst Idolaters would bring them to destruction But if such wrath attend those that continue in that Communion wherein perhaps they were Born and Educated and to which sinkt by so many Chains of prepossession and hardned against truth with a thousand prejudices what Indignation may those expect who were born in Goshen within the daily sound of the Gospel and free tenders of the word of Life in a Land of Bibles baptized into a Reformed Church engaged for by Protestant Sponsors Educated by Religious Parents and under the sweet distillations of Divine Manna from the Lipps of sound and able Preachers If such as these I say will be trudging back to the Garlick and Onyons of Egypt if these Apostatize after so much light and embrace Popish darkness What remains But a certain fearful looking for of Judgment and fiery Indignation which shall devour the Adversary He that despised Moses Law died without Mercy under two or three witnesses of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who hath trodden under Foot the Son of God in his Soveraignty Laws and Ordinances and hath counted the Blood of the Covenant wherewith he was Sanctified an unholy thing imperfect without the Virgins Milk and Saints Intercessions and hath done despite unto the spirit of Grace As the Apostle argues in the same Case Hebr. 10. 27. It is reported by Ireneus cont Haeres L 3. Ca. 3. And by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History L. 3. Ca. 25. That Holy and Beloved Apostle St. John when he spied Cerinthus the Heretick in the Bath where he was made all the haste he could possible to be gone apprehending it dangerous to be under the same Roof with him Yea the very Heathen as Tully de natura deorum L 3. witnesses being at Sea in a violent storm were much afraid of being Ship-wrackt because they had Diagoras the Atheist abord amongst them I would to God some Protestants were but as careful for their Souls as I say not the Apostle but the Heathen were for their Bodies and used the same discreet caution to provide for their Eternal Salvation as they had to procure their Temporal safety Neither was the Apostle any thing concern'd in the Impiety of Cerinthus or these Heathens with that of Diagoras and yet both He and They doubted some evil might befall them because they were in the Company of such profane wretches And can any Protestant Imagine that he may be free from danger though he joyn in Faith with the Pope that great Anti-christ though he harbour those Locusts Priests and Jesuites and converse daily with them and hearken to their Syren Musick and Imbibe their gilded poyson out of that Cup of Fornication wherewith they have Intoxicated the Kings of the Earth No No touching of Pitch always defileth It cost Jehosaphat dear though he were otherwise a good King for going to War with Idolatrous Ahab against a common enemy For what said Hanani the Seer 2 Chron. 19. 2. Wouldst thou help the wicked and love them that hate the Lord Therefore for this thing the wrath of the Lord is upon thee What then may they look for who like the Laodiceans are lukewarm neither hot nor cold altogether indifferent whether they be Papists or Protestants prepared to shift their Religion as the humour of the Successor shall happen such as are not asham'd to declare beforehand that they had rather be Papists than joyn with any of the Reformed Protestant Churches beyond the Seas that scoff at the very name Protestant and make it the best part of their Religion to swear and damn and rail against and persecute all those pious peaceable Protestants that cannot suppose it be through the error or weakness of their Conscience come up to the usage of some insignificant Ceremonies acknowledged to be indifferent though otherwise sound in their Faith Loyal to their King readily paying all Taxes useful to the publick and peaceable to their Neighbors whilst at the same time these high soaring Nominal Sons of the Church of England as they love to stile themselves though there is scarce one in forty of them but either is ignorant of or does not believe her Articles shall speak well of applaud and caress Papists and argue for their Principles and extenuate for their Treasons c. what shall we say of such people The Lord Rebuke them But least we should seem Fanatical in this assertion that the Faith of Rome is to be refused on pain of Damnation we shall here add some Testimonies of the Reverend Fathers and Divines of the Church of England 1. The famous Jewel in the defence of his Apology part 6. Ca. 22. Div. 2. We have departed saith he speaking of the Church of Rome from them who have utterly forsaken the Catholick Faith 2. Dr. Reynolds Conclus 5. The Church of Rome is not distemper'd with a little-Ague such as hindreth not greatly the functions of life
fearful Tragedy ensued Our great Grand-mother Eve express'd more than an inclination to Fall in that she presum'd to hold Chat with the Serpent Peter the Champion of our Lord the only man whose Sword was drawn in his Quarrel is so far infected with the Air of the High Priests Hall that as he warmed himself at the Fire so he cool'd in Devotion to his Master till at last he utterly denies him and swears and curses to it like any Tory. Most dangerous it is to come within the smell of false Religion Tertullian in his Book De Coâ—onâ militis cuts off all appearance of Idolatry not permitting Christian Soldiers to wear a Lawrel because Heathen Victinus were encircled with such Garlands etiam Draco Terrenus de longinquo non minus spiritu absorbet Alites faith the same Father The Babylonish Dragon will infect with his Breath even a far off and will you be so fool hardy as to venture into his Don Will any except a mad man run into an house infected to riffle for a rich Suit or dip his hand into a fiery Crucible to pull out Gold or hazard his Soul for acquaintance with all Religions and damn himself in a vain curiosity Fly from Idols is the charge of the Beloved Apostle 1 John 5. 21. I will destroy those saith the Lord by his Prophet Zephaniah 1. 4. that swear by the Lord and Melcham Justly therefore doth rhe Apostle Paul cut off all Association with Idolaters an Association worthy to be abhorr'd by all true Protestants I would not that you should have fellowship with Devils no Society with Devils spiritually by having fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness Ephes 5. 11. nor Sacramentally by combining in the practise of a false Religion It carries a special Emphasis Numb 25. 4. That Israel joyned or as som Translations render it coupled himself with Baal-peor and what followed The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel He that will be safe from the act of evil must wisely prevent the occasions some indeed by a kind of spiritual Antiperistasis have thrived in Religion by being inviron'd with Heresie and Infidelity but these men are presidents for wonder more than Imitation their paths are not for ordinary steps Who dares venture on the mercy of Lions because Daniel in the Den found a guard or commit himself to a flaming Furnace because the Three Children escaped scorching 'T is merey above expectation to deliver that man who willingly casts himself into the mouth of a Temptation To close this Subject let us therefore beware of Blending Religions of thinking at once to serve God and Mammon of being both Papists and Protestants as conveniency serves Those that are neither hot nor cold God will spue them out The Jews might not Plow with an Ox and an Ass in the same Yoak The Church of Galatia might not indure the Co-partnership of the Jewish Ceremonies If Moses and Christ might not stand together much less Christ and Belial the Lords Table and the Altar of Devils Let us be united within our selves and bequeath oppositions to the Monks and persecution to the Inquisition learn manfully and resolutely to defie Rome and Hell come not within the pale or scent of her Idolatry and be ever stedfastly zealous for the Protestant Religion whereof Truth is the circumference and Jesus Christ the Centre This resolution to conclude in the words of Mr. Wotton an eminent Divine in the Church of England will bring safety in peace and in war victory that no ill tidings shall affright you no Plots harm you no losses discourage you no menaces turn you out of the right way the Lord Jesus himself like the Angel in Joshua will march at the Head of your Troops and be as a Cloud to refresh you in the heat of Summer and as a Fire to warm you in the cold of Winter your Swords shall eat the Flesh of your enemies your Pikes and Bullets shall be be drunk with their Blood and Babylon shall be cast like a Milstone into the Sea to the Glory of God that hath appointed her this punishment the increase of Religion the safety of the State and the honour in this Life and everlasting Salvation in the Life to come Necessity of Separation from the Church of Rome p. 295. The COURANT. Truem. PUt case I say that a Gentleman that scarce ever came to Church in almost twenty years together since His Majesties Restauration thinks convenient for Reasons best known to himself to make a Solemn Declaration that he is no Papist c. and that he intends to take the Sacrament upon 't and comes on the Wednesday to the Curate and Church-wardens desiring them to be witnesses and they or one of them knowing him infected with the Itch of Scribling tell him they will sign it but would by no means have their names exposed in Print whereupon he solemnly promises their names shall not be Printed yet on the Saturday following Prints them at large and has them bawl'd about all the Streets see Observ Numb 126. and yet for all this premeditated Breach of Faith at which an Heathen would blush roundly goes next day to the Sacrament What would you think of this man and the credit of his Protestation Tory. I must needs think him a great Knave and his Declaration no more to be credited than a Jesuites under the Gollows Truem. Hold hold or you 'll be Excommunicated at Sam 's why our Old Friend in High Holbourn is the very man Tory. How Nay then the Case is alter'd I 'le lay a wager he 'll deny it Truem. So the Papists do their Plot and so 't is probable he would the Creed when 't is for his advantage but his denial makes it nevertheless a Truth The Gentlemans Trade is Leasing-making and if that were half so Criminal in England as 't is said to be in Scotland he had trudg'd further North-west long ago Tory. Come come we shall have you in the Observator Truem. I value the driv'lings of an Observator no more than Harry Care does the silly Tories impotent malice in burning him in Effigie at Norwich O Heavens how some peoples Fingers itch to be at Fire and Fagot and will play at small games rather than stand out Had not the Writ De Haeretico Comburendo been unluckily abolisht they would no doubt have been glad to have Roasted the poor Fool in bad Earnest yet know no more harm by him than the Man in the Moon only that he has the courage to write against Popery once a week when swarms of Libels and Pamphlets are scattered every day to promote it I had almost said with Impunity Tory. There 's no fear of Popery man hast thou not seen a choice Book Intitutled Plain dealing is a Jewel c. Truem. Yes though like the Pestilence it yet walks in darkness I got a sight of it by the same token the Author p. 15. makes a Solemn Declaration just like
they are gotten scorning and laughing at all those that are desirous to live justly holily chastly innocently and spiritually with such the Church at this day is so full that almost in every Chapter and College scarce any other can be found And can we imagine that such will endeavour the Reformation of the Church in manners and discipline and honesty of Life who count that Reformation their greatest Calamity and desire nothing so much as that it may be lawful for them to do whatsoever pleaseth them freely without controul or punishment Thus far Clemangis of the manners of the Dignified Clergy almost 300 years ago and I wish the Picture may not serve too well for some Ages since Nor was he the only complainant Cardinal Zabarella a famous Lawyer in his Treatise De Schismate written about the year 1406 talks much at the same rate and affirms That with the flattering Canonists there was nothing so unlawful which they thought not lawful for them to do insomuch that they extolled the Pope above God himself making him more than God so that saith he if God afford not his helping hand to the present state of the Church it is in danger of an utter overthrow Nor was John Gerson the Learned Chancellour of the Parisian University who was also one of the Assistants at the Council of Constance silent In his Book De Examine Doctrinarum It is not saith he in the power of the Pope or any Council to change what is prescribed by the Evangelists and St. Paul as some do Dote Yea we are to give more credit in a matter of Doctrine to the assertion of a simple unlearned man speaking according to the Scriptures than to the Declaration of the Pope or Council being contrary thereunto We have seen in what a maimed condition the Church was and that there were some able Physicians that both saw and might they have been suffered were able 't is probable to have cured her wounds Nay all the Empericks at Constance pretended at least the same design But they made use of but an ill expedient when they elected the before-mentioned Martin the Fifth For though in the Council he had carried himself very subtilly and under colour of moderation had not only avoided opposing either party but given each side grounds to hope him most inclinable to their particular Faction which much facilitated his choice the rather for that the Emperour was much taken with that stayedness of his temper and expected no small fruits of Reformation from so unbiass'd a Conduct yet no sooner were his Temples Impaled with the Triple-Crown but he appeared divested of that moderation which before he made shew of and wholly addicted to advance the secular interest Dominion and Treasure of his Chair Therefore when soon after his Election the Emperor Sigismund who had had so great an influence in his promotion press'd him earnestly to proceed on vigorously with the promised Reformation the crafty old Father wheadled it off That the Bishops c. continuing so long together at Constance was a great inconvenience to their respective Churches and charges that therefore it was now very necessary to give them a short recess that Reformation was a thing highly needful but withal being a matter of great importance it required mature deliberation Therefore he thought fit to dissolve the Council at present on condition that another should be call'd within 5 years and in the mean time he would endeavour to prepare matters and that afterwards in 7 years they should have another Council and thence forwards for ever a Decennial one that is to say a general Council every 10 years should be conven'd and sit to Redress the grievances of the Church Having Cajoled them with these fair stories to make them the rather believe that he was in honest earnest he presently ordains and appoints a place for the next general Synod viz. That it should be held within 5 years at Pavia in Italy And then in the 45 th Session they having done very little or indeed nothing towards Reforming the Root of all the Churches corruptions but only fiddle-fadled about number of Canons for ordering of Annates Collations Reserved Causes Appeals Commendums and the like Ecclesiastical Trumpery comes Cardinal Winbald like the Popes Chancellor and dissolves them by pronouncing these words Domini ite in pace My Lords you may be packing or get ye gone in peace Which was done saith Platina sublato omnium consensu maximè verò Imperatoris without any of their consents but especially against that of the Emperour Nor could the Emperour prevail with Martin to continue a while in Germany but he would away for Rome alledging that in the absence of the Popes the Saints Chappels were gone to decay and which was a more cogent reason by half Tyrants had seized a great part of St. Peter's Patrimony He was no sooner got into Italy but he engaged in several wars and reduced the Dutchy Spoletto Perusia Bononia and other places which had set up for themselves He likewise made Lewis of Anjou King of Naples though Joan the Queen thereof had before declared Alphonsus King of Aragon her Hâ—ir The time being come for holding the Council at Pavia the Pope for fashion sake sends thither one Arch-bishop a Bishop an Abbot and a Friar who met there only two Abbots of Burgundy and these six began forsooth a Council a Worshipful Representation of the whole Catholick Church on Earth But the Plague breaking out they adjourn'd from thence to Sena where things not fadging just as Pope Martin would have them he quickly gave that Assembly too a Writ of Ease without their effecting any thing But for a colour still promises to call frequent Councils and that next seventh year they should have one at Basil Having thus sham'd off the means of Redressing the Churches grievances and correcting abuses he settles at Rome and begins to reâ—edify several decay'd buildings which the Romish Historians gloriously Intitle Restoring the Church But his main business was to scrape money together For saith Antoninus He was generally blam'd as one that too greedily labour'd to heap up riches being in no wise able to say with the Apostle whose Successor he pretended to be silver and gold have I none But all his vast Treasure was lewdly consumed by his Kinsmen and especially by his Nephew the Prince of Salerno to whom it fell by his death he bestowing most of it on hired Soldiers and Enemies against the Church And now he had spun out the time till the Council at Basil was to Assemble how he would have shuffled it off or rendred it insignificant we know not since then God was pleased to cut him off dying of an Apoplexy the 20 of February 1431. in the 53 year of his Age and when he had held the Chair 13 years 3 months and 12 days This is that Pope whom many flattering Popish Authors extol for his vertues to the Skies when yet besides his
Rebellion promoting a general good of the King and Kingdome Faction and endeavouring the safety of the Nation against Popish Conspiracies a Presbyterian Plot. But if by Faction may be understood a few boysterus Troublesome people with as little sense as honesty that contrary to the rightful customes of the place they live in bandy against and disturb the Majority as suppose out-number'd above one Thousanâ—d in three and by persons of as good or better Quality every way than themselves and struggle to overthrow the Right Laws and Priviledges of the whole Community and when with Innovations Noise Shamms and shamefull foul practises they themselves have first industriously rais'd Feuds and Cumbustions do then think to file them to the account of such as justly and innocently oppose their lewd designs if this I say may pass for a true description of Faction then on my Conscience Popery and Torism are as errant Factions as ever pester'd a State Tory. Thou art always harping upon Popery I tell thee once again that party is not worth minding where shall you meet a man that now adays will own himself a Roman Catholick now quoth Roger we have taken the Oaths c. There 's Sing and Nevil shall talk as zealously for the Church by Law as any Country Curate and is not this a happy Reformation Truem. A Wolf is never the less a Wolf but the more dangerous for wearing the Lambs-skin that he lately worried I tell you there are still Papists in England and Bloody Traiterous Papists and a damnable Company of them too when was St. Omers and Doway more empty and yet I 'le warrant you all the Jesuits are not gone to Convert the Great Mogul Do not their raskally hedge-Priests flutter up and down as thick as Filfares who may not any day meet at 'tother end of the Town with Father Mathew's my Lord Peters's Ghostly Tool Father Fincham Brother to the Right Worshipful in Cromwel-shire Father Witherington Who once in doleful dumps Being drunk said Mass upon his Stumps Cum multis aliis quos cum proscribere Nolo strutting up and down streets as briskly as if they hoped to sing te Deum in Pauls and what business think you have these reverend Blades here Tory. Nay how do I know perhaps they only come over to turn Informers against Protestant Conventicles Do any of them Lodge in the Savoy Printed for Langley Curtis 1682 The Weekly Pacquet OF Advice from Rome OR The History of POPERY The Fourth Volume FRIDAY June 7. 1682. Crudeles Impiorum Misericordiae The Debates of the Bohemians at the Council of Basil The Story of Zisca his wonderful success and Epitaph The use of the Cup permitted to the Bohemians c. AMongst other Occurrences that happened at the Council of Basil which began to be Assembled Anno 1431. and continued sitting almost 12 years very remarkable were their proceedings with the Bohemians How God had been pleased to enlighten that Nation with the knowledge of his Truth and to discover to them the errors and wickedness of the Church of Rome by the spreading of Wickliffs Books amongst them we have heretofore acquainted you As also how those good seeds were cultivated by the pains of those laborious Husbandmen in the Lords Vineyard John Huss and Jerome of Prague who were both cruelly martyr'd contrary to the safe conduct granted them by the Council of Constance about the year 1415. Whereby the Gospel had taken such Root amongst the Bohemians that all the powers of darkness could not pluck it up yet of those of them that refused the Church of Rome there were two sorts some that only contended to have the use of the Cup in the Sacrament restored to the Laity but in other Doctrines agreed with the Romanists and these for that reason were commonly called Calixstines from Calix a Cup the other not only complained of the Sacriledge of the Papists in that respect but also pressed for the purity and simplicity of Religion in all Articles and Ceremonies and these were sometimes call'd Piccardines and sometimes Tabâ—ritâ—s for the cause herein after mentioned You must note after the burning of Huss and Jerome the Nobles of Hungary to the number of 50 and upwards in the name of themselves and the whole Commonalty sent Letters under their Seals Dated 2 Sept. 1416 to Constance complaining thereof as likewise did the Nobles of Moravia But that Bloody Conventicle vouchfased them no answer but on the contrary stirred up great persecution against them so that the Hussites were not only Excommunicated but their Churches broke open and their persons and goods every where exposed to violence which occasion'd such a tumult on the 13 th of July 1419 at Prague that the common people being enraged threw 12 Senators of Old Prague with the chief City Majestrate out of the Windows of the Senate House who fell upon the points of Spears Pope Martin the 5th Anno 1420 publickly excommunicates the Bohemians Exciting the Emperor and all Kings Prince Dukes c. to take up Arms against them Intreating them by the Wounds of Christ and their own Salvation unanimously to fall upon them and quite Extirpate that Sacrilegious and cursed Nation and withal promises so zealous and bountiful was his Holiness an universal remission of sins to the most wicked person that should kill one Bohemian Heretick History of the Bohemian Persecution p. 27. But some small time before this some thousands of those that profess'd the true Religion finding they could not live peaceably in Prague retired from thence to a stony Mountain about 10 Miles distant which they named Tabor and encompassed it round with a Wall and other fortifications constituting there a kind of Common-wealth and resolv'd to defend themselves by Arms and hence they were call'd Taborites The Emperour Sigismund spur'd on by these Incentives and large promises from the Pope of gairing Heaven gathers a most puissant Army from all parts of the Empire and resolves utterly to extirpate these poor Bohemian Hussites Who being in this sore distress one John de Trosnovie call'd Ziska because he had but one Eye of a Noble house but mean fortune yet great valour and conduct undertakes to gather together the scatter'd people and to head them against their Enemies which he perform'd with such success that Aeneas Sylvius afterwards Pope and no friend to be sure to the Bohemians who wrote the Story of those Wars affirms his Atchievements will rather be admir'd than believed by posterity for with handfuls of those poor unfurnisht people he fought eleven several Battels with Sigismund's numerous well provided and fresh recruited Armies and in all of them came off victorious nay though in one of them he lost his other Eye and so was blind yet afterwards he continued no less fortunate a Leader so that at last Sigismund despairing to vanquish him but by a Treaty consents to declare him his Lieutenant and allow him a Pension on condition he and his followers would