Reverend Fathers What signifies it with the Bishop of Meaux in the Fourth Section of his Exposition to say That in what Terms soever those Prayers which we Address to Saints are couch'd it is the Intention of the Church and of her Faithful to reduce them always to this form Pray for us Can the Intention of the Church and of her Faithful alter the nature of things and the universal meaning of plain words or is any such declaration of Intention to be admitted against the plain literal and grammatical Sence of the Prayers But if the Sence and Intention of the Church be no more than to Pray for us then why are not the Prayers and Hymns in our Publik Offices Breviaries c. at least alter'd to the Sence and Intention of our Church And why are any other Books of Devotion suffer'd to come out contrary to the Sence and Intention of the Church What a ridiculous proceeding to say no worse of it is this of our Church both to compose and set out Prayers to the Saints herself and also permit others to do so too couch'd and express'd in such Words Titles and Phrases as all sensible Mankind make use of to express their Thoughts and Desires in their Prayers to GOD and the Holy Trinity and then cry out That in what terms soevâ—â— those Prayers which we make to the Saints are couch'd it is the Intention of the Church c. Is the Latin Tongue or any Vulgar Language so barren of Words that when our Church would Invocate the Saints and Angels c. she can do it in no other manner words or terms than such in which she constantly and properly addresses herself to GOD and the Holy Trinity Are there not in every Language and particularly in ours apt and proper words and terms in which to express our Souls to GOD and the Holy Trinity And likewise when we would desire the Saints and Angels to Pray for us What folly as well as wickedness is it then to confound these Objects so infinitly different in the same terms and words and to use those to the Saints and Angels which are proper to GOD only Again Reverend Fathers Do not Men generally understand words as they sound and usually signifie And does not the very natural sence of words raise proper and suitable Ideas in Mens minds Now I would fain know of you Reverend Fathers What Thoughts or Idea's a Man can be suppos'd to have who after this manner and for these things thus addresses himself to the Virgin Mary Sacred Majesty Mother of Unlimited Power the only hope of Sinners ador'd and call'd upon by the whole Universe and who by innumerable Titles claim the Utmost Duty of every Christian as a Proper Homage to your Greatness Let the greatness of your Mercy blot out the multitude of mine Offences and deliver me from all Dangers I entrust you with whatever I am have do or hope in Life and Death and through all Eternity I own my self in your Presence and that you survey the present state of my Soul all my Thoughts and Projects and every tract of my Conversation and therefore I put my self wholly under your Protection and will observe you as my Soveraign Lady relying on your Bowels of Mercy in all my Wants of Body and Mind Protect me from the Enemy and when my Soul departs from my Body receive it into the Glory of Paradice c. Now do ye think Reverend Fathers that Invocating the Virgin Mary in such words as these would not make any Men and Women very apt to entertain such an Idea of her as is only fit and proper to be thought of GOD Would not the continual use of such a Prayer make a man insensibly to forget especially in the act and heat of Devotion that she is but a Creature and fancy that he is a praying to some Being of Divine Excellency and Perfections Would not the interior Sentiments of his Mind think ye grow like his exterior Words and Expressions when in any Publick Place of Divine Worship or but in his Closet he is upon his Knees with Hands and Eyes lifted up and in a perfect posture of Adoration But if such a Man should not insensibly by the meer force of using such Words and Expressions fall into the thoughts of her being a GOD and so be guilty of flat Idolatry yet can you deny that he is upon the very brink of that Danger And must it not be esteem'd a Miracle if such a Person is preserv'd from falling into that Precipice Quere II. But Reverend Fathers I am not ignorant that our Disputers think they sufficiently clear their hands of such Writers as the Author of the Contemplation c. Father Crasset Cardinals Bona and Bonaventure Bernardin de Busts c. by saying that such things as they teach and such Prayers and Expressions as they compose and publish are not the Doctrines and Practices of our Church but the extravagant Sayings and Flights of Devotion of some particular Men. Now that this Plea has no place and is of no force against such Prayers as are found in the Offices Breviaries Missals c. of our Church I humbly conceive you 'll easily grant and therefore all such Prayers and that strange Language and Expressions found in them must unavoidably be charg'd upon our Church But then concerning these others I humbly enquire Why the Church if your Order Reverend Fathers be a part of the Church allows and permits such in particular the Contemplations c. and Father Crasset's Book and the same I might ask concerning the other Authors I have but now nam'd for I am told they are all publish'd by the Authority of the Church or by the permission of those appointed by the Church And does not such permission amount to the Churches approbation And does the Church use to approve of any thing that is not the Doctrine of the Church And if it be the Doctrine of our Church Why do ye not speak out and declare so and prove it to be the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles But if you still deny it to be the Doctrine of our Church then pray Why are not the Books call'd in censur'd and forbid to be read and the Men who writ them punisht for False Teachers and Deceivers Again Reverend Fathers if such be not the Doctrine of our Church as I would now fain hope for a very material reason it is not then pray Reverend Fathers let me humbly ask you again Why are these Books let alone to deceive our poor ignorant People into such gross Errors And here also it will be pertinent to enquire of you Reverend Fathers Why such Books as corrupt the Doctrines of Repentance and destroy the necessity of a Holy Life speaking Truth and doing Justice and in a word all the Moral Duties and Practice of a Christian are permitted to walk freely and boldly abroad in the World and debauch Mens Principles and Practices
Why are they not I say call'd in or forbid or the Doctrines by the highest Authority condemn'd and the Authors who are alive severely punisht A Collection of these Doctrines I am told is made by one or more of the Doctors of Sorbonne who are esteem'd by most wise and good Men as Orthodon Catholicks as any and is Entituled The Morals of your Society Now Reverend Fathers to a Man that is never so little touch'd with the true spirit of a Christian must it not needs be a sad consideration to think how many poor ignorant People in our Communion fall into the misery of such Guides And ought not this to make all us Catholicks very careful and cautious about the choice of our Spiritual Guides and Ghostly Fathers since it seems there are so many in our Church that if we follow'd them would lead us into such pernitious and damnable Errors And here upon this consideration I cannot omit in this place enquiring of you and I humbly beg you to give me a particular answer to it What signifies it to us ignorant Lay People whether the Pope or a General Council or both together be Infallible if the Parish Priest Fryar or Jesuit who has the management of our Souls be not Infallible also For since he is our immediate Teacher and not the General Council nor the Pope is it not plain that if he should be either a Fool or a Knave he may either through ignorance or to serve some carnal and worldly Interest lead us into damnable Errors I could be much larger in my Thoughts on this Enquiry but I consider that I may have a fitter occasion for it and therefore shall make no further digression Quere III. But Reverend Fathers I must needs yet be plainer with you and tell you That whether such things as Cardinal Bonaventare and others have taught about the Virgin Mary be or be not the Doctrine of our Church I am nevertheless infinitely disturb'd in my mind If what Bonaventure has writ be not the Doctrine of our Church then I am infinitely scandaliz'd that our Church should Canonize for a Saint a Person guilty of such horrid and blasphemous Doctrine And then again suppose you could satisfie me which I fear you cannot that our Church has actually condemn'd these Books and Writings of his and others yet certainly is it not a most dangerous thing to be in our Communion where such Spiritual Guides are so frequent Lord say I to myself what a deal of mischief may they do and how many Souls may they poyson and ruin eternally before their damnable Errors and pernicious Doctrines are discover'd and condemn'd Whatever you may think on 't Reverend Fathers I do profess that I am deeply sensible that we Catholicks run a desperate hazard in the choice and use of our Spiritual Guides And does not this frequency of False Teachers among us make it highly reasonable and necessary that we People should have the liberty to examine their Doctrines whether true or false And if we must examine them as I do not see but we are bound unless you can prove that we must blindly follow our Guides then I desire to know of you By what Rule and by what Means and Faculties Surely there is not only some certain Rule but some certain means to use that Rule by in our Church for us Lay People or else to what purpose is the liberty you give us of examining and trying your Doctrines But I fancy I may have room to make a particular Enquiry concerning this matter and therefore shall step no farther from my present subject Quere IV. But Reverend Fathers the two words Command and Compel which our Cardinal and Saint Bonaventure us'd in his Orizon to the Virgin Mary and quoted in the First Query of this Section are so excessive harsh and horrid that I could not forbear enquiring of you Whether these Words do not with a witness elevate the Virgin Mary above the condition of a Creature Exposition Sect. 4. p. 7. which yet the Bishop of Meanx is so modest to say our Church does not And does it not only make her equal but also set her infinitly above GOD her Creator Unless that Person who Commands and Compels be inferior to the Person Commanded and Compelld Quere V. If I mistake not Reverend Fathers we account the Rosary a special Piece of Devotion and great things are said of its effects by many of our Eminent Writers and Guides in Devotion Now I will not at present enquire into these things nor into the great Mysteries said to be in it but will only humbly ask you 1. What Antiquity or what Reason can you shew for turning the Angel's Salutation of the Virgin Mary into a direct Prayer to her Did the Angel Gabriel say Holy Mother of GOD pray for us Sinners now and in the Hour of Death if the Angel did not How comes it to be pertinent for us to do it But 2. What is the true reason that in the Rosary we are to say Ten Ave Maries to One Pater Noster I have often askt this Question of some of our Priests but could never get a satisfactory Answer Now if in this matter I had Courage enough to follow my Reason I profess I think I should say Ten Pater Nosters to One Ave Marie For seriously Reverend Fathers has not GOD given us incomparably far greater Evidence both of his Love and Power than ever the Virgin Mary did 3. Why do our Preachers immediately before their Sermons say an Ave Marie Why do they address themselves to the Virgin Mary upon that occasion Is she the Fountain and Giver of all good and perfect Gifts Does Wisdom and Eloquence come from her Would it not think ye be far more decent and reasonable to address to GOD or to the Holy Ghost at such a time But after all What Reason or Antiquity can you produce for this strange Practice Quere VI. Can you Reverend Fathers prove by Vincentius Lirinensis's Rule that departed Souls do enjoy Beatifical Vision before the Day of Judgment If you can I humbly beg you would do it As also that the Saints departed do certainly hear our Prayers You perceive well enough I doubt not why I make this Enquiry For if the departed Saints neither enjoy Beatifical Vision nor hear our Prayers Is it not yet more absurd for us to pray to them Quere VII I think that we assert that all Certainty in Matters of Religion must be Infallible or else it is nothing worth because we can never rely upon it Now pray Reverend Fathers What Infallible Assurance have we Catholicks that all those who are Canoniz'd Saints by his Holiness are indeed Saints and in Heaven If we have not Infallible Assurance what reason have we Religiously to Invocate them Quere VIII Our Representer p. 4. distinguishes between Mediators of Redemption and Mediators of Intercession of this last he says He does not at all doubt but 't
A LETTER OF ENQUIRY TO The Reverend Fathers OF THE Society of Iesus Written in the Person of a Dissatisfied Roman Catholick Imprimatur Hen. Wharton Rmo in Christo P. ac D.D. Wilhelmo Archiep. Cant. a Sacris Domest Octob. 26. 1688. LONDON Printed for William Rogers at the Sun in Fleet-street and Samuel Smith at the Princes Arms in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXIX Advertisement COuld I believe it fit to Lye for GOD or that Truth needed the service of Falshood I might have been tempted to imitate the Tricks and Deceiving Arts of the Romish Factors for in Charity we must suppose some of them at least to believe what they say to be Truth and that their Cause is that of GOD and boldly have sent this Letter abroad as really writ by a Romanist But as I am a Member of a Church whose Superstructures as well as her Foundation is the pure Truth and one that is resolv'd to follow Truth and Charity wherever they lead me so I should think that I deserv'd the severe punishment of being depriv'd of the happiness of her Communion if I endeavour'd to serve her Interests by any means so contrary to her Nature and Manner of dealing with Mankind But as 't is no improbable supposition that there should be some Dissatisfied or Doubting or Inquisitive Person in the Romish Communion so neither can it I hope be injurious or offensive to any openly to declare That I who make these Enquiries am a Layman of the Church of England and that I make them in the Person of a Roman Catholick is for no other reason but only to preserve a better Decorum and the more to affect the Persons for whose sake I chiefly Publish this Letter And with all the Charity and Good-will that one Christian owes to another I do humbly beseech every Roman Catholick that believes he has a Soul to be sav'd and values its Salvation above being of this or that Party or serving a Cause or the greatest worldly Interest seriously for once to suppose himself this Dissatisfied or Doubting or Inquiring Person and let him in the Name of GOD lay his Hand upon his Heart and consider whether these Enquiries are not pertinent and rational and if they be I beg him impartially and as he will answer it at the Great Day to weigh the Answers that may by his Party be return'd to them whether he be really and fully satisfied that they are just and rational I confess Dissatisfied Doubting and Inquisitive Persons cannot be so frequent in a Church where they are taught solely and blindly to rely upon their Pastors and Spiritual Guides and generally speaking do so as in a Church which gives a modest liberty of trying the Spirits and of examining and enquiring into the reason and truth of things But yet for all that my Conversation with Persons of that Communion is not so little as to suffer me to believe but that there are a great many whose Vnderstandings are not so muffled nor so far enslav'd but that sometimes they entertain serious Thoughts and take a free View of Religion and the nature of it and reflect with what artifice and fraud it is manag'd in the Church of Rome and that they do believe when they think soberly that the Reformation is not an effect of Pride or Folly or Worldly Interest as their crafty designing Priests would perswade them This granted me such Persons then may reasonably be presum'd that if either they would give themselves the trouble or durst to think it necessary thus to Address themselves to the Jesuits who have assum'd to themselves the Reputation of the best Spiritual Guides Reverend Fathers SINCE 't is thought by a great many that you are the only Oracles of Learning and Knowledge of any Order in our Church it will not be wondred at that I particularly Address this Letter of Enquiry to you Faith no more then Love can be forc'd they are both free Agents I am dissatisfied doubt and am at a stand about many Points in our Religion I have a just reverence for the Antiquity of our Church but yet I know Error is older than she and Truth than either of them I have no worldly Interest to serve by being of this or that Party or Church But if I had I hope I should prefer the Happiness of a Life that is Eternal before that of a short and uncertain stay here For this reason 't is possible I may want one great and moving Argument which at this Juncture especially many have for 't is not this World's Riches or Honours that I look after so that if I were even at Rome itself the great and splendid Allurements there would not operate upon me No Reverend Fathers 't is pure Truth and Holiness which I am in search of for I am strongly perswaded that without the possession of these it is a most unreasonable confidence for any Man to hope to see GOD who is Truth and Holiness itself and therefore their Contraries must needs be odious to his Divine Majesty In a word Reverend Fathers my whole Design here in this World is first to know God's Will and then to obey and please him that through the Merits of my dear Saviour I may be admitted into some degree of his Glories hereafter Now if you can remove my Doubts and satisfie me by a just Answer to every Enquiry in this my Letter I shall rejoyce to remain where I have been born and bred But if you cannot I hope I shall despise the hard and unjust Thoughts and Censures of Men and so far overcome the Power and Prejudices of Education and Custom as to search for and embrace Truth in what Communion soever I find her in spight of all temptations and hinderances Our Representer says That every Man must work out his own Salvation with fear and trembling if so Reverend Fathers you must pardon me if hereafter I take a more particular care of mine even to the forsaking of your Communion in case I cannot meet with satisfaction in it and by following the clear Commands of Holy Scripture the Dictates of right Reason and the assistances of the honest and knowing Guides of another Church But before I come to the main business of my Letter give me leave Reverend Fathers to acquaint you with the ground and occasion of it and that was my reading the English Translation of the Canons and Decrees of the Council of Trent lately by some of our Church set out here For indeed till then and as I had not the perfect use of the Latin Tongue and always living in a blind and stupid obedience and reliance upon the honesty and learning of my Guides I was ignorant of many necessary things and thought our Church never had nor never could have any thing in her Doctrines Worship and Service either Idolatrous or Superstitious or that any of her Children ever was or ever could possibly be guilty of either or that any Errors or
Abuses could creep into our Church and much less that any of her Pastors and Teachers would betray their poor ignorant Sheep into those dangers But now God be prais'd I am otherwise convinc'd and that chiefly by reading and considering those very Decrees of Trent together with the Catechism of the Council of Trent now lately also publish'd in English For in many places of those Decrees the Council shews a great fear and so far certainly 'tis highly to be commended least the People should run into Superstition and Idolatry Now I consider that if there was no danger from the Nature or from the Use and Practice of our Worship and Service such a concern as the Council shew'd had been much below the Wisdom of so great an Assembly So that a thinking Man cannot forbear concluding that there was very great danger of the Peoples committing Idolatry and Superstition at least from the very use and performing of the then Worship and Service However I would fain hope that tho' there are some things in this Council that look too like Superstition and Idolatry yet because we magnifie it for so Wise and Holy that it has in Truth Defin'd and Decreed nothing that so much as ministers or tempts to those grievous Sins For since it was in the Council's Power not only to have actually redress'd all Abuses and Corruptions but also to have prevented all future danger of that kind and yet if it can be made appear that it has done neither but rather has still more expos'd Mankind to these Sins I cannot for my life see how it can be acquitted of Hypocrisie and Deceit towards the poor ignorant People which make up I doubt the far greatest part of our Church And that provided the Council might advance the Riches and Grandure of the Church and Clergy it car'd not what became of Mens Souls whom the wise and good GOD thought worth redeeming by the precious Blood of his dear Son. Suffer me Reverend Fathers to give you an instance or two of this Council's seeming Care to keep Men from Superstition and Idolatry and which also first let in some light to my dark and ignorant mind In the 22 Session and the Decree concerning the Celebration of the Mass the Bishops are order'd to take care to prohibit and remove those things which Superstition the false Imitatress of true Piety or Covetousness hath introduced and speak against the Servitude I suppose that is the Worship of Idols And also it is there commanded that a certain number of certain Masses and Candles which was rather invented by a Superstitious Worship than by true Religion should be taken away And again in the 25 Session and the Decree concerning Purgatory the Bishops are commanded not to suffer any thing but to prohibit every thing which tends to Superstition And in her Decree concerning the Invocation of Saints c. she earnestly desires that all Superstition in the Invocation of Saints Worshipping of Relicks and in the Holy Use of Images may be taken away And last of all in the Continuation of her 25 Session she speaks against Superstition and Ignorance Now Reverend Fathers finding this wonderful General Council to speak so plainly against these Crimes of Superstition and Idolatry and also against Ignorance and observing it so much concern'd for the People and to give such great caution and charge to the Bishops about them and our Adversaries continually taxing us with these Sins you cannot surely blame me or be the least offended that I take the best way I can devise not only to preserve my self from them but also others in our Church who I doubt may as much want information and help in these matters And this indeed is one reason why I chuse rather to enquire of you in this publick manner than in a private way for I consider that that Love is not Christian which is confin'd to one's self its Nature being communicative And since Charily to our Neighbour is an indispensible Duty How can it be better exercis'd than about the Soul Pardon Reverend Fathers this necessary Account of that which gave birth to my Letter And because it will consist of things different in their nature permit me for the more clear and orderly proceeding and greater satisfaction to divide it into several Sections as well as Queries And take it not ill that I propose to ye the Difficulties I labour under with that freedom and openness which only becomes a pure lover and searcher of Truth and one that considers nothing but GOD and his own Soul concern'd in the Enquiry And I humbly beg you to give a direct full and clear Answer to every Enquiry in each Section or a good reason why you cannot or will not SECTION I. Quere I. WHat might be the reason Reverend Fathers why the Council of Trent did not define and describe Idolatry and Superstition especially when it so often mentions these Crimes and cautions People against them does not this proceeding make a thinking Man apt to believe that they were conscious that the then Practice and Worship and Doctrines were faulty in that kind and so were afraid of having them discover'd by such an honest dealing but yet were willing to appear to condemn them in general terms for even at that time was it not too gross to have declar'd for down-right Idolatry or Superstition Quere II. What might those things be which the Council in the 22 Session orders Bishops to take care to prohibit and remove and which it observ'd were introduc'd by Superstition and Covetousness But had it not lookt more honest and more becoming Christian Bishops to have told what these things were Quere III. What was that Servitude or Worship of Idols it speaks against in the same Session in the Decree concerning the Things to be observ'd and eschew'd in the Celebration of the Mass Did the Priest or the People Worship Idols when Mass was said Pray Reverend Fathers declare the truth to me in this matter my mind is much perplex'd about it For I find our present Disputers stifly maintain that our Doctrine and Worship is now the very same that it was at the time of the Council of Trent and at that time the same it was from the beginning I profess I tremble as often as I go to Mass and shall do so till I am better satisfied herein Quere IV. What was that certain Number of Masses and Candles which in the same Decree the Council says was rather invented by a Superstitious Worship than by true Religion Are they according to the Council's Command taken away And when and where were they so taken away Quere V. What does the Council mean in her Decree concerning Purgatory by commanding the Bishops not to suffer any thing but to prohibit every thing which tends to Superstition Pray Reverend Fathers what was it which at that time did tend to Superstition in the Peoples Practice and Worship in Praying for the Dead or the