on earth to see his miracles and hear his doctrin the same is also to bâ—… said of the Acts and Epistles of the Apostles Now to bar the Vulgar from this is to hinder them to hear and see Christ and his Apostles as if that were a Priviledge restricted to Church-men What shall be then said of these who call the Scriptures a Nose of Wax the Sourse of all Heresies a Book written not on Design but upon particular Emergents and do assert its incompleatness unless made up by the Traditions of the Church Is not this to add to the Words of that Book and to accuse the faithful Witness of unfaithfulness But worse than all this is held by these who will have all the Authority of the Scriptures to depend on the Church which must be believed in the first place But here a great difference is to be made betwixt the testimony of a Witness and the authority of a Iudge the former is not denied to the Church and so the Iews had the Oracles of God committed to them but that doth not prove the Authority of their Sanhedrim infallible or superiour to Scripture and in this case more cannot be ascribed to the Christian Church than was proper to the Jewish in our Saviours time But further if the Scripture be to be believed on the testimony of the Church then upon what account is the Church first believed It cannot be said because of any testimony in Scripture for if it give authority to the Scriptures it cannot receive its authority from their testimony How then shall it be proved that the Church must be believed or must it be taken from their own word and yet no other reason can be given to prove the Church infallible For to say that they have continued in a Succession of Bishops from the Apostles days concludes nothing unless it be first proved that the Doctrine of the Apostles was of God otherwise the Mahometan Religion is as much to be believed since for many Ages a Succession of Priests have believed it Further the Greek Churches drive up the Series of their Bishops to the Apostles days as well as the Roman why then should not their Authority be likewise acknowledged infallible In fine must the Vulgar go and examine the Successions of the Bishops and judge about all the dubious Elections whether the Conveyance have been interrupted or not Certainly were this to be done it were an impossible Atchievement and harder than the study of the Originals of both Testaments Therefore the Vulgar must simply believe the Authority of the Church on her own testimony which is the most absurd thing imaginable and this to every individual will resolve into the testimony of their Priest Behold then a goodly Foundation for building our Faith upon Christ Prophetick Office is also invaded by the pretence of the Churches Infallibility in expounding Scriptures for if this be granted the whole Authority will be devolved on the Church for by this Doctrine she may teach what she will and were the Scripture evidence never so full to the contrary yet whatever wrested Exposition she offer though visibly contrary to the plain meaning of the words must be believed But with whom this Power and Authority is lodged is not agreed to among themselves some yielding it to the High Priest of the Church when in his Chair others to the great Sanhedrim of Christendom in a General Council others to both jointly but all this is asserted without proof for that of Christs of telling the Church Mat. 18. 17. so often repeated by them is meant of particular offences and so is restricted to the case of differences among Brethren and relates not to points of Doctrine Besides the Context of these Words doth clearly shew them applicable to every Parochiaâ—… Church and yet their Infallibility cannot be asserted So it is clear that Christ doth only speak of a jurisdiction for quieting of differences among the Brethren That of the gates of Hell their not prevailing against the Church Mat. 16. 18. proves not the pretence of Infallibility And indeed the Translation of that place deserves Amendment and instead of hell that Word is tâ—… be rendred grave so that the meaning of the Phrase is Death which is the mouth and gate through which we pass â—…nto the Grave and is so used by Greek Writers shall never prevail against the Church that is the Church shall never die Neither will that of the Spirit of truth leading out into all truth Joh. 16. 13. advance the Cause a whit since that promise relates to all Believers and it is a part of the happiness of the new Dispensation that all in it shall be taught of God And the promise of founding the Church on St. Peter Matth. 16. saith as â—…ittle for suppose the Rock on whom the Church were to be built were St. Peter himself which I shall not much contravert that is not peculiar unto him since we are all built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets and on the twelve foundations of the new Ierusalem are written the names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb but what will that prove for a series of the Bishops of Rome And finally for the keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 16. 19. their being given to St. Peter that saith no more but that he was to open the Gospel which is usually called the Kingdom of God or of Heaven in the New Testament Now the use of keys being to open the door this was peculiar St. Peters honour who did first publish the Gospel both to Jews and Gentiles and in particular did first receive the Gentiles into the new Dispensation But this hath no relation to the Bishops of Rome nor to the pretended infallibility of that See That which hath the fairest appearance of reason is that if there be no absolute unerring Court on earth for deciding of controversies there shall be no end of them but every private man may upon the pretence of some ill understood place of Scripture break the unity of the Church and so the peace of the Church is in hazard of being irrecoverably lost But how specious soever this may appear it hath no weight in it For it is certain that vice as well as errour is destructive of Religion and it will be no â—…mputation on our Religion that the one be no more guarded against than the other is if then there be no authority for repressing Vice but the outward discipline of the Church it is not incongruous there be no other authority for â—…uppressing of errour but that same of the Discipline of the Church It is certainly a peece of humility for a man to suspect his own thoughts when they lye â—…ross to the Sentiments of the guides and â—…eaders of the Church But withal a man ought to be in all he does fully perwaded in his own mind and we are commanded to try the spirits and not to believe very spirit 1
any attempt upon that liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free he changeth the authority of the Church into a tyrannical Yoke much more if all the new articles of belief and rules for practice be imposed under the severest certificats But here we are to consider that all these things which that Church hath imposed on all of her Communion for which we withdrew from her are additions to our faith for in this we mainly differ from that Church that whatever we acknowledge they acknowledge likewise but with a great many additions we believe the Scriptures are a rule for Christians and they believe the same but they add traditions and the authority of the Church to the Scriptures We believe that God is to be worshipped spiritually they believe the same but add that he may be worshipped by Images and sensible Figures We believe Christ to be the Mediator betwixt God and Man they believe the same but add to this the intercession of Saints We hold that God and Christ are to be worshipped they hold the same but add Saints and Angels to our worship We believe Heaven and Hell to be the several States of the future life they believe the same but add Purgatory betwixt them to the day of Judgment We believe Baptism and the Lords Supper to be the Sacraments of the new Covenant they believe the same but add five more We believe Christ is spiritually and really present in the Lords Supper this they believe but add the unconceivable Tenent of his corporal presence In a word it might be instanced in many other particulars how they have driven us from their Communion by their additions to the truth and sincerity of the Gospel which they have adulterated by their Inventions and not only have they imposed all these things but thundered out Anathema's on all that question them and have so wreathed all their fopperies with that main and fundamental article of their belief of the infallibility of their Church that it is impossible to hope for their recovery till they renounce that Principle which is so dear to them For if their Church be infallible then in no matter of faith or practice can she decree amiss and therefore the lawfulness and sanctity of all her decrees must be maintained with an equal vigor and zeal for if in one of them she step aside her infallibility is for ever gone And by this we may see to how little purpose it is to treat of accomodating matters with that Church since there is no possibility of our union with them without we turn over entirely to them since they cannot part with one of their errors without they first renounce that which is the dearest of them all to wit the unerring authority of their Church How cruel then is that Church which addeth the severe sanction of an Anathema to all her decrees even about the most trifling matters and about things that are by their Confession of their own natures indifferent And a consectary to this is that cruel opinion they hold that none can be saved out of their Communion pretending there is no Salvation without the true Church which they restrict to these who are under the obedience of the Roman Bishop and this is what they usually frighten all with But it is to be considered what the true notion of the Church is that so we may see through this frightful Vizar The Church then is a Society of Christians united in the same faith for worshipping of God jointly And another definition of a Church cannot be proved from Scripture for the Church being called the Body of Christ its union with him as its head is held forth by the Apostle in these words Col. 2. 19. The head Christ from whom the whole body by joints and bonds having nourishment ministred and knit together increaseth with the increase of God From which words we see what constitutes a man a member of the true Church which is first his union to Christ as his head together with a dependance on him for growth and nutriture and next his being knit to all others who are thus united to Christ which is first the inward union of divine Charity by which he loves all who cleave to Christ as their head and next his associating himself with them in outward visible acts of worship which every Christian is bound to do with all that worship God in Spirit and truth But if a Society of Christians do visibly swerve from Christ in many great and signal contradictions to the honour due to his Person and to the obedience due to his Laws and do grossly adulterate the worship so that communion cannot be had with that Church without departing from the head Christ then it can be no departing from the Church to adhere to Christ and his true worship and to separate from the corruptions are brought in upon the Christian religion If then it appear that the Church of Rome hath departed from the truth and simplicity of the Gospel in so many great and main points these who attempted the reforming her to her first purity and finding that not to be hoped for did unite among themselves for serving and worshiping God aright cannot be charged with separation from the true Church But by that cruel Tenent of theirs they breed up all their Children in the greatest uncharitableness imaginable condemning all who cannot believe all their strange Doctrines or concur in their unhallowed worship Thus they are the Schismatiques who have departed from the true Church and who force from their Communion all who adhere to it but this cruelty rests not in uncharitable censures but hath extended it self to as much bloody and barbarous rage as ever sprung from Hell for all the cruelty of the heathen Persecuters cannot match the practices of that Whore that hath been so often drunk with the blood of the Saints and of the Martyrs of Iesus What enraged cruelty appeared against the poor Waldenses for the separating from their Corruption how many of all Sexes and Ages were cruelly butchered down by the procurement of the Rulers of that Church and because the Albigenses lived under the protection of Princes that favoured them how did the Popes depose their Princes and instigate other ambitious invaders to seize on their dominions which to effectuate a Croissade was proclaimed that had been formerly practised against the Enemies of the Christian Faith and heaven was promised to such as went against these poor innocents whereupon they were killed by thousands without all mercy Never was there any who had the zeal or honesty in these dark ages to witness against the apostacy of the Church but the Pope and Clergy used all means to get his zeal rewarded with a faggot And when the time of reformation came with what rage and spite did the Pope by his Letters and Legates instigate all the Princes of Europe to cruelty against them but as these things were not done in corners so
It is true noble pieces of morality were acknowledged and taught by the Heathen Philosophers and the Books of the Old Testament have the Doctrin of virtue purity humility and meekness laid open very fully but without derogating from these it must be acknowledged that as the Doctrin of Christianity teacheth all these precepts with clearer rules and fuller directions so they were in it recommended by the example of its Author backed with the strongest Motives and enforced with the greatest Arguments In these are the lessons of purity chastity ingenuity humility meekness patience and generosity so clearly laid down and so fully evinced that no man who is so much a man as to love these things whereby his mind may be improved to all that is truely great and noble but must be enamoured of the Christian-Religion as soon as he is taught it The fourth design of Religion is to unite mankind in the closest bonds of peace friendship and charity which it doth not only by the rules prescribed for the tempering our passions forgiving of injuries and loving our Enemies and by the Doctrin of obedience to those in authority over us but likewise by associating us into one Body called the Church wherein we are to worship God jointly and to be coupled in one by the use of the Sacraments which are the Ligaments of the Body Having thus viewed the great designs of the Christian Religion in the several branches and parts thereof I shall add to this the main distinguishing Characters of our Religion which are also four The first is its verity that it is not founded on the tattles of Persons concerned nor on the reveries of Dotards nor received with a blind credulity being founded on the Authority of the great God which appeared visibly in those that published it chiefly in the Person of Iesus Christ who by his Miracles that were wrought in the sight of all the People even his enemies looking on and not being able to deny them but chiefly by his resurrection from the dead was declared to be the Son of God which was seen and known by many who followed not cunningly devised fables but were the Eye-witnesses of his Majesty who went in his Name and published it to the World confirming it by miracles and mighty wonders attesting it notwithstanding of all the persecutions they met with most of them confirming it with their blood And this Doctrine was received and believed by the better part of Mankind though it being contrary to all the interests of the flesh whose mortification it teacheth its reception cannot be imputed to credulity or interest The second Character of our Religion is its genuine simplicity and perspicuity that all its Doctrines and Rules are clearly and distinctly held out to us not like the Heathen Divinity much whereof lay in dark Oracles in the Books of the Sybils and in other pretended Mysteries which none but the Priests might handle and expound The Iewish Religion was also vailed with Types and Figures so that it was not easie to see the substance and truth through all these foldings and shadows But the glory of the Christian Religion as to this particular is nobly laid out by St. Paul in these words 2 Cor. 3. 18. But we all with open face as in a glass beholding the glory of the Lord are changed into the same Image from glory to glory as by the Spirit of the Lord. The third Character is the reasonableness of the Christian Religion it containing none of these absurd incredible things which abounded among the Heathens nor of these Rites of Judaism the reasons whereof beside the Will of God in enjoyning them could not be assigned but both the Doctrines and Precepts of the Christian Religion are fitted for Mankind and so congenial to his Nature that they well deserve the designation of reasonable service or rational worship God having made our Souls and them of a piece And the fourth Character of our Religion is its easiness Christs yoke is easie and his burden light Mat. 11. 30. Wherein we are freed from all the barbarous and cruel Rites of Gentilism and from the oppressive Bondage of Iudaism which was a Law of Ordinances and a yoke that our fathers were not able to bear but that we are called to by Christ is so simple so easie and so plain that well may we say his Commandments are not grievous 1 Ioh. 5. 3. Having given this hint of the Design and Characters of the Christian Religion I hold it not necessary to dwell on a further deduction of those generals into more particular branches nor to make this scheme of Religion good by any longer proof the position I have laid down being so obvious to the reason of every considering person wherefore I go on to examine if there be any such system of Doctrins or Opinions among pretenders to Christianity which tends to the overthrowing and enervating of this whole design and whose Characters are directly opposite to these I have mentioned and the less avowed and the more disguised that Society be as it is more likely to prevail since Error and Vice are not so formidable in their own colours as when vailed with the pretences of Truth and Virtue so it will better agree with that great Character the Prophecies give of this defection that it was a Mystery and had Mystery on its fore-head Rev. 17 15. And here remains the sad part of my discourse for what lover of mankind can with pleasure either satisfie his own reason or convince the judgment of others in a matter the issue whereof is to prove so great a part of the Christian Societies to be Antichristian and adulterate and certainly if my love to truth and the honour of my Redeemer and his Gospel and by consequence a zeal for souls did not engage me to this search I could easily quit the Task and chuse more easie and pleasant subjects for the exercise of my thoughts but the wisdom of God having declared it a part of wisdom to observe the characters of the Antichristian beast I therefore though not without pain engage in the survey of it And first in the entry it will be a bad Omen of no good to be expected from any society that shall study to keep her members in ignorance and to barr them the study of the holy Scriptures which being the Revelation of the whole counsel of God and written by plain and simple men and at first directed to the use of the rude illiterate vulgar for teaching them the Mysteries of Godliness and the path of Life it is a shrewd indication that if any studie to hide this light under a Candlestick and to keep it in an unknown Tongue or forbid the Body of Christians the use of it though its native tendency be to enlighten the understanding and to enflame the will it being given out by God for that end that those must be conscious to themselves of great deformity to that
mention no more will sufficiently convince any who will be at the pains to read them as they are written by these who lived in that Communion And Matthew of Paris will at length inform his Reader how much and how often England smarted under this Tyranny And all this is so far from being denied that it is defended avowedly by noâ—… a few of the Canonists and Iesuits and is a Doctrine dearly entertained in the Court of Rome to this day as appeared from the late attempt of Pope Paul the fifth upon Venice But the World is now a little wiser than to be carried away by these Arts and therefore that pretence is laid to sleep till haply the â—…east be healed of the wound was given â—…t at the Reformation But I cannot leave this particular without my sad regrates that too deep a tincture of this spirit of Antichristianism is among many who pretend much aversion to it since the Doctrine of resisting Magistrates upon colours of Religion is so stiffly maintained and adhered to by many who pretend to be highly reformed though this be one of the Characters of the scarlet-coloured whore But thus far have we gone through the second part of Antichrists Character and have discovered too clear â—…ndications of a difformity to the spirit and truth of the Christian Religion in all the branches of the Honour and Worship due to Jesus the only Mediator of the new Covenant From this I proceed to the third part of my enquiry which is the opposition made to the great design of Christian Religion for elevating the souls oâ—… men into a participation of the divine Nature whereby the soul being inwardly purified and the outward conversation regulated the World may be restoreâ—… to its Primitive innocence And men admitted to an inward and intimate fellowship with their Maker The firsâ—… step of this renovation is repentance for God commands men every where to 〈◊〉 and repentance and remission of 〈◊〉 are alwayes united And this being 〈◊〉 horrour at sin upon the sense of its native deformity and contrariety to the Law of God which makes the soul apprehend the hazarâ—… it hath incurred by it so as to study by 〈◊〉 means possible to avoid it in all time coming nothing doth prepare the mind morâ—… for faith in Christ and the study of 〈◊〉 new life than repentance which 〈◊〉 needs be previous to these But what devices are found to enervate this sins must be divided into venial and mortal the former deserving only some temporal punishment and being easily expiated by some trifling piece of seeming Devotion and hereby many sins are struck out of the Penitents consideration For who can have a great apprehension of that which is so slightly expiated And this may be extended to the easie Pardons given for acknowledged mortal Sins For he who thinks that God can be appeased for them with the saying by rote so many Prayers cannot possibly have deep apprehensions of their being either so displeasing to God or so odious in themselves But shall I to this add their asserting that a simple attrition which is a sorrow flowing from the consideration of any temporal evil God hath brought upon the sinner without any regard had either to the vileness of the sin or the offence done to God by it that this I say can suffice for justifying sinners and qualifying them for the Sacrament whereby the necessity of contrition and sorrow flowing from the principle of the love of God is made only a high degree of perfection but not indispensibly necessary In the next place all these severities they enjoyn for Penances do but tend to nourish the life of sin when sinners see a trade set up by which they can buy themselves off from the wrath of God To this is to be added the Doctrine oâ—… Indulgences which is so direct an opposition to Evangelical repentance as if 〈◊〉 had been contrived for dispossessing the World of the sense of it That which is next pressed in the Gospel for uniting the souls of mankind to God is that noble ternary of Graces Faith Hope and Love by which the soul rests in God by a holy affiance in him believing the truth of his Gospel expecting the accomplishment of his Promises waiting for the full fruition of him and delighting in his glorious perfections and excellencies Now how much all this is shaken by these carnal and gross conceptions the Roman Doctrine offers of God in their Image and Mass-worship and by their Idolatry to Saints is apparent Are they not taught to confide more in the Virgin or their Tutelar Saints than in the holiest of all Doth not the fear of Purgatory damp the hopes of future blessedness And finally what impious Doctrine hath been publickly licensed and printed in that Church of the degrees of the love we owe to God Some blasphemously teaching that we are not at all bound to love him others mincing it so as if they were afraid of his being too much beloved In a word there is an impiety in the Morals of some of that Church particularly among the Disciples of Loyola beyond what was ever taught amongst the worst of the Heathen Philosophers which hath been fully discovered by some of the honester and more zealous of that communion And though these corruptions have not been avowed by the head of that Church yet by their being publickly vented by the deaf ear he gives to all the complaints against them and by the constant caresses and priviledges he heaps upon that Order which teacheth them he discovers either his great satisfaction in that corrupt Doctrine or that upon the account of other interests he is content to betray the souls of Christians into the corruption of such impious and 〈◊〉 godly leaders since the Order that 〈◊〉 owned all these corruptions is yet 〈◊〉 of the Consciences of the greater 〈◊〉 of them that own that Communioâ—… they being the universal 〈◊〉 And since they license the publick 〈◊〉 of so much corrupt Doctrine printed Writings what reason have 〈◊〉 to suspect their base compliance 〈◊〉 sins in their more secret and 〈◊〉 Practisings with such poor deluded 〈◊〉 as trust to their conduct of which 〈◊〉 proofs are brought by others of 〈◊〉 same Church But I pursue my enquiry into the 〈◊〉 traces of the Antichristian corruption of the purity and power of our 〈◊〉 holy Faith Solemn Worship and 〈◊〉 Devotion are the great means of 〈◊〉 souls to God and of deriving the sistance of his Spirit and Grace to us when these are performed in an 〈◊〉 tongue How uncapable are they of 〈◊〉 that end And the Doctrine of efficacy of the Sacraments for coming of grace by the work wrought looks like a design against all serious preparation for the worthy receiving of them since by that doctrine a man be he never so ill prepared yet is sure of their efficacy for if his Priest absolve him and he have a simple attrition for sin without any