so cheap a rate great Fools are they that will put themselves to the trouble and expence of travelling to Rome for it Those other Scriptures produc'd to this purpose As Tell it to the Church and if he neglect to hear the Church let him be to thee aâ— Matt. 18. 17 Heb. 13. 17. an Heathen and a Publican Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves c. are even to a prodigy impertinent For whosoever from these and such like Texts shall infer that any person or society of persons is infallible he must also by the same rules of arguing conclude that every Prince and subordinate Magistrate yea that every Parent and Master is so since the Commands of God to Hear and Obey these are as express and peremptory as to hear and obey the other Secondly And as the Scriptures alleg'd do not prove any Church now in being to be infallible so much less that the Church of Rome is For what proof is this Christ promis'd his Apostles that his Spirit should lead them into all Truth therefore the Church of Rome is infallible Is not the consequence altogether as good therefore the Church of England is infallible Christ hath promis'd that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against his Church And is not this Promise as applicable to the Church of England as to the Church of Rome The Church is the Pillar and Ground of Truth So was the Church of Ephesus when these words were directed to Timothy and so was every one of the Asian Churches as long as they continu'd Churches and so is the Church of England now and other reformed Churches in a higher Sense than the Church of Rome which together with the Truth she still upholds does also maintain so many Errors that the pillar and ground of Error is a Title better becoming her and so will the universal Church be in all succeeding ages Christ hath promis'd to be with his Church to the end of the World But is this Promise limited to the Church of Rome May not the Church of England put in as good a claim to it And may not Christ be in the midst of two or three that are gathered together in his name in England as well as in Italy But as more especially relating to the Church of Rome they tell us that Christ pray'd for St. Peter that his Faith might not fail 'T is true Luke 22. 32. but is every man infallible whose Faith fails not Yea suppose Christ had pray'd that St. Peter might be infallible does it thence follow that the Church of Rome is so Christ promis'd St. Paul that no man should set on him to hurt him And it seems as fairly to follow from this Promise made to St. Paul that the Church of Rome is infallible as from the Prayer made for St. Peter But St. Peter was that Rock Christ meant when he said Vpon Mattt 16. 1â— this Rock will I build my Church That 's a question For St. Chrysostom understood by the Rock not the Person but the Confession of St. Peter a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In cap. 16. Matt. Hom. 55. and so did St. Cyril of Alexandria and many more of the Fathers And if the Pope be infallible 't is certain that by the Rock is meant the Faith or Confession of St. Peter for so Pope Felix III. hath expounded it b Super ista confessione adificabo ecclesâ—am meam Epiâ—t 5. apud Binium tom 3. p. 603. Edit Paris 1636. But suppose that by this Rock is meant the person of St. Peter does it follow that the Church of Rome is infallible Yes say they because the Church of Rome was built upon him Whether it was or no is much disputed but 't is out of question that the Church of Antioch was and that some years before there was a Church at Rome if therefore any privilege accrue from thence the precedency must be given to Antioch But was not St. Paul a Rock and all the rest of the Apostles in the same Sense that St. Peter was If then a Church becomes infallible by being founded upon a Rock how comes it to pass that all the other Churches of Apostolical Foundation have err'd In brief when they shall produce one Text of Scripture that but so much as fairly intimates that his Holiness of Rome is not as subject to err as His Grace of Canterbury that a Lateran Council is more infallible than a Convocation at Westminster they will produce something that is not altogether impertinent II. Let us now consider whether their Arguments from Reason are more concluding 'T will I think be sufficient to examine that alone which they most frequently insist upon and make the greatest noise with for if that shall be found to be of no weight we may warrantably conclude that all the rest are lighter than nothing and Vanity Now that is taken from the supposed necessity of an infallible living Judge in order to the Peace of the Church For though the Scripture they grant is a Rule infallible yet since Controversies notwithstanding frequently arise about the Sense of it by what means shall these be determin'd and Sects and Heresies either prevented or suppressed if there be no infallible Interpreter of it Which Argument supposes these three things 1. That it is necessary in order to Peace that all Controversies which arise in the Church should be determined 2. That Controversies cannot be determined without an infallible Judge 3. That such a Judge would certainly give a final Determination to them Neither of which Suppositions may be granted For neither is it necessary to the Peace of the Church that all manner of Controversies should be decided and if it were there may be other means by which they may be as well decided as by an infallible Judge and in case there were not yet this Judge would not be so effectual to this purpose as is supposed 1. There is no necessity in order to this end that all sorts of Controversies should be determin'd because every difference in opinion does not necessarily infer the breach of Peace How frequently do we meet with those who live in Peace together and yet are in many things different in their Judgments one from another This the Romanists themselves must of necessity grant for they boast much of their own Peace and Unity and yet all the World knows that there are many Controversies among themselves that are yet undetermin'd and are likely so to remain Nor is this true only of particular Persons but the same is also verified of particular Churches many of which maintain Peace between themselves notwithstanding their different Judgments in many matters of smaller moment 2. When Controversies arise which really distrub the Peace of the Church is there no way to decide them without recourse to an infallible Judge If not then 't is not enough that there be such a Judge but 't is also necessary
Doctrine of S. Paul 't is more for the edification of the Church that the publick Prayers should be said in a Tongue common to the Clergy and People than in Latin k Ex hac Pauli doctrina habetur quod melius est ad edisicationem Ecclesiae orationes publicas quae audiente populo dicuntur dici lingua communi Clericis Populo quam dici latine Comment in c. 14. Ep. 1. ad Corintle And Mr. Harding says I grant they viz. the People cannot say Amen to the Blessing or Thanksgiving of the Priest so well as if they understood the Latin Tongue perfectly l Artic. 3. Divis 29. And Father Paul thought the Latin Service a great Corruption and Abuse as we may see in his History of the Council of Trent m l. 6. In which he also tells us That in the Roman Pontifical there remaineth yet a Form of the Ordination of Readers in the Church in which it is said that they must study to read distinctly and plainly that the People may understand n Ibid. To conclude this upon these and such like Considerations The Emperor at the Council of Trent requir'd That Divine Service might be so said that it might be understood both by him that said it and by him that heard it †History of the Council of Trent p. 513. 2. Another Corruption is the propitiatory Sacrifice of the Mass The Church of England doth not quarrel at the name of Sacrifice she not only grants but asserts that the Eucharist is a commemorative and representative Sacrifice And this was the meaning of the ancient Fathers who frequently call it a Remembrance or Commemoration a Resemblance or Representation of the Sacrifice which Christ once offer'd upon the Cross o Euseb Demonst Evang. l. r. c. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Chrysost Hom. 17. in Epist ad Heb. And this is as much as Cassander seems to mean by it p Cassand Consult Art â— 24. de Sacrificio Corp. sang Christi But this will not satisfie the present Church of Rome but Christ as they will have it is truly and properly sacrificed that is according to their own notion of a Sacrifice Christ is truly and properly put to death as oft as the Priest says Mass For in a true Sacrifice as Bellarmine tells us q De Missa l. 1. c. 2. c. 27. the thing sacrificed must be destroy'd and if it be a thing that hath Life it must be kill'd And so indeâ—d many of the Romanists roundly assert that Christ every day is by the Mass-Priest Which besides that it is contrary to the Doctrine of the ancient Church and to the words of the Apostle who tells us That Jesus Christ offer'd not himself often as the High Priest enter'd into the Holy place every year with the Blood of others for then must he often have suffer'd from the Foundation of the World But now once in the end of the World hath he appear'd to put away sin by the Sacrifice of himself And as it is appointed to men once to dye but after this the Judgment so Christ was once offer'd to bear the sins of many r Heb. 9. 25 26 27 28. And again That after Christ had offer'd one Sacrifice for ever he sate down on the right hand of God And that by one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified s Heb. 10. 10 12 14. And whereas the Apostle argues the perfection of Christ's Sacrifice above those of the Law because those were offer'd year by year but the Sacrifice of Christ's Body was offer'd once for all If Christ be dayly sacrific'd in the Mass the Sacrifice of Christ must be much more defective than those of the Law for one Sacrifice of Expiation for the whole Congregation of Israel was thought sufficient for the whole year Whereas the Sacrifice of Christ's Body is repeated every day Yea for one single Person he may be sacrificed a thousand times over and this Sacrifice so often repeated and a thousand times more may perhaps be of so little Virtue as not to procure the release of that one poor Soul out of Purgatory Consider further that this is inconsistent with the end they assign of Sacrifice which is to testifie our subjection to God which cannot be done by offering up God himself in Sacrifice for what we offer in Sacrifice we are not subject to but have the disposal of and dominion over it Besides all this 't is a piece of Worship more absurd and impious than was ever practis'd by the most barbarous Heathen they indeed sometimes offer'd their Sons and Daughters in Sacrifice but we never read that they were so sottish as to make a Sacrifice of their God And therefore our Church hath deservedly condemn'd the Sacrifices of Masses as blasphemous Fables and dangerous Deceits (a) Articles of Religion anno 1562. Aâ—t 31. 3. The solitary Mass in which the Priest alone who Consecrates Communicates can no way be reconciled either with the Doctrine and Institution of Christ who when he had broken the Bread gave it to his Disciples and said take ye eat ye and commanded his Disciples to do as he had done Or with the words of S. Paul to the Corinthians who supposes them to meet together to eat the Lord's Body and commands them to stay one for another (b) 1 Cor. 11. 31. And from this meeting the Sacrament was call'd by the Ancients Synaxis the Collection or gathering together of the Faithful as it is by us still call'd the Communion Furthermore 't is inconsistent with the nature and intendment of the Sacrament which is a Feast of Love and design'd to unite us more closely together in brotherly Love one to another by representing to us by our eating together at the same Table and partaking of one and the same Loaf that we all belong to one Family and are Children of one Father 'T is contrary to the Practice of the Apostles and first Christians who were wont to assemble on the first day of the week to break Bread (c) Act. 20. 7. And that it was unknown to the Christian Church for many Ages is freely confess'd by the Romanists themselves Even Bellarmine grants that we no where expresly read that the Sacrifice was offered by the Ancients without some one or more communicating besides the Priest (d) Bell. de Missa l. 2. c. 9. tho 't is true he says we may by many conjectures collect that it was but how weak his Conjectures are will be evident to any man who will be at the pains to read them Harding confesses that in the Primitive Church the People receiv'd every day with the Priest and that private Mass came in afterward by the negligence and indevotion of the People (e) Article 1. Divis 7. Cassander questions whether solitary Mass came not first into use after the days of Gregory the Great that is more than
his Book of the Reformation of the Church That altho they are great Evils which we see yet unless the Church be speedily reformed we shall in a short time see incomparably greater after those horrid thunders we have already heard we shall presently hear others that are more horrible And the Suffragan Bishop of Saltzburg having described the Vices of the Roman Court he concludes 'T is vehemently to be presumed and cautiously to be feared that the Ruine of the Latin Church as to its Ecclesiastical Dignity is near (b) Onus Ecclesiae c. 19. fol. 36. Nor shall we think it strange that considering men apprehended such dreadful Evils were approaching if we consider that this deplorable corruption of manners was 1. Universal in all States and Degrees of Men. 2. And more especially in the Clergy 3. And most especially in the Pope and Cardinals 1. There was a general corruption of manners both in the Civil and Ecclesiastical State The Cardinal but now mention'd having recited the sad complaints S. Bernard made of the corrupt State of the Church in his time he further adds If these things were spoken by blessed Bernard they may now much more be said because since his time the Church hath proceeded from bad to worse and in the whole State as well Spiritual as Secular Vertue being abandon'd it hath fallen into the shame and filthiness of Vice (c) Fascic rerum expetend ac fugiend fol. 203. And supposing all States and Orders to be corrupted he afterwards proceeds to shew what he thought were the best expedients both for the Reformation of the Church in general and of the head and the several subordinate Members in particular Nicolas de Clemangis tells us That wicked Persons did so much abound in all professions of men that scarce one among a thousand was to be found who did sincerely live answerable to their Profession and if there was any one that was honest chast and frugal and did not follow this lewd kind of life he was made a laughing stock to others and was presently call'd either an insolent and singular madman or an Hypocrite (d) Sed tanta est improborum in singulis professionibus exuberantia ut vix inter mille unus reperiatur qui id quod sua Professio exigit sinceriter fâ—ciat Quinetiam si simplex aliquis si castus frugalis in Collegio aliquo vel conventâ— latam lubrican perditorum vitam non sectetur fabula ridicula caeteris efficitur insolensque singularis insaâ—â—s aut hypocrita continuo appellatur c. Nic. de Clemang de corrupto Statu Eccles c. 25. The description of the corrupt manners of all orders of Men both in Church and State which we find in the book before cited (e) Onus Ecclesiae is so black and tragical that it can hardly be read without horrour and that Book was publish'd about the beginning of the Reformation And the Cardinal of Lorrain forty years after in his Speech to the Council of Trent attributes all the dismal calamities which had befallen the Kingdom of France to corruption of Manners as one principal cause of them (f) Hist of the Counc of Trent l. 7. 2. And no wonder that all flesh had corrupted their ways when the lives of the Clergy which should have been the Salt of the World were themselves more corrupt and unsavory than those of the Laity Cardinal Julian in his Epistle to Pope Eugenius IV. tells him That the People were above measure incens'd against the Ecclesiastical State by the dissolute lives of the Clergy for which saith he 't is greatly to be fear'd unless they mend their Manners lest the Lay-men after the example of the Hussites fall foul upon the whole Clergy And in truth this deformity administers great boldness to the Bohemians and gives a fair colour to their errours who especially inveigh against the filthiness of the Clergy (g) Incitabat me huc venire deformitas dissolutio Cleri Alemaniae ex qua laici supra modum irritantur adversus statum Ecclesiâ—sticum propter quod valde timendum est nisi sise emeâ—dent ne laici more Hussitarum in totum irruant Clerum c. Richer Hist Concil general l. 3. c. 2. p. 322 323. The German Bishop before quoted in the words of Catharine of Sienna gives this character of the common Clergy at the beginning of the Reformation The Modern and unhappy Clergy addict themselves to temporal things being destitute of Divine light they love themselves neglect the love of God and their Neighbour they are worse than wordly Men whom they destroy together with themselves They are addicted to Pleasures and infamous Practices and neglect the Salvation of the Souls of Christ's faithful People By the lives of such wicked Clergymen the seculars come to be disobedient and irreverent towards the Church they are seduced by blind Guides who Oh shame are ignorant Idiots Proud Covetous Hypocrites Simoniacal Luxurious Envious slow to good Works prone to Evil c. Where at this day can be found that Continence in Gesture Diet apparel and Laughter that becomes the Clergy At Banquets Taverns Plays and Theaters they are more frequently found than in places dedicated to God How hugely pernicious to the Vniversal Church the Scurrility Ignorance Fornication Simony and other crimes are with which almost the whole Clergy is infected there is no man doubts (a) Onus Eccles c. 21. S. 1. Much more may be found of the like import in the following part of the Chapter And Nicolas de Clmeangis who was himself an Arch-Deacon in the Church of Rome represents the Clergy of that Church as the dregs and scum of mankind as persons who for the generality abandon'd themselves to the most loathsom vices as may be seen in the Margin (b) Jam illud obsecro quale est quod plerisque in Dioecesibus Rectores Parochiarum ex certo conducto cum sâ—is Praelatis pretio passim publice Concubinas tenent De corrupto Statu Ecclesiae c. 15. Si quis bodie desiâ—iosus est si quis à labore abhorrers si quis in otio luxuriari volens ad sacerdotium convolat quo adepto statim se caeteris sacerdotibus voluptatum sectatoribus adjungit qui magis secundum Epicurum quam Christum viventes caâ—â—onulas sedulo frequentantes potando commessando pâ—ansitando convivando cum tesseris pila ludendo tempâ—ra tota consuâ—unt Crapulati vero inâ—briati pugnant clamant tumuâ—tuantur nomen Dei sanctorum sâ—orum polutissimis labiâ—s execrantur siâ—que tandem compâ—siti ex meretricum suarum amplexibus ad Divinum â—â—tare veniunt c. 16. Nor were the inferiour Clergy alone chargeable with these foul immoralities but the Prelates were as bad or worse than the Curates The Bishops says the foremention'd Author serve Onus Ecclesia c. 20. S. 3. their own Tables instead of the Altar they are unwise in Divine things