civil conversation which heavenly content if your Ladyship would once please to give us we should all think our selves arrived at a blessedness beyond any people in the earth Lady M. O Mrs. N. I do very much acknowledge my self indebted to you and all my good neighbours here for your great respects towards me and I 'le assure you I shall be always willing to impart my estate amongst them for their worldly advantages but much more for their souls good aod that we may be all again reduced into one I mean that old blessed communion which was not full two ages since apparently perfect amongst us all here but since our breaches now are grown so great and that happiness without an extraordinary miracle is not to be restored to us you must give me leave to keep my own soul to God and his Church for my Faith which you are pleased to call so odious and Idolatrous words that I must confess I little expected to hear fall from you is built upon such a foundation as can never fail no not though heaven and earth should or an Angel from heaven should preach another doctrine as the Apostle forewarns us Mrs. N. Deer madame in consideration of the integrity of my heart towards you I hope your Ladiships goodness will pardon that rudeness of any words that may fall from me But sure sweet madame there can be no such foundation as you speak of unless in the undoubted word of God which you have most cleerly and intirely against you in all particulars and therefore your Church does all it can to blind you by keeping that from you so leading you on still in errours by an implicite faith in its doctrines which are meer humane inventions Lady M. Indeed Mrs. N. you are very much mistaken in the whole drift of your discourse and that I conceive occasioned by the continual slanders thrown upon us both from your Prints and Pulpits For our Church hinders none from reading the Scripture that can satisfie their Pastors that they have a temper fit for it and humility enough to resign up their faith to mysteries that wil not make such use of it as most of you do by giving of your own shallow interpretations to it and opposing your single sence against the current of the Church As for my part I have a liberty asmuch as I would desire to read the holy Scripture and am I thank God conversant in it both day night I do likewise finde unexpressible comfort by it and a confirmation of my faith every day more and more Mrs. N. Why then it seems your Ladiship reads it with strange prejudice and partiality for other wise it were impossible but you should find the grossness of those errours that are delivered to you for matters of faith if you shall please good madame to give me leave I will be bold to offer some collections of my own out of Scripture to save your Ladiship a further trouble in the search as I shall from time to time have occasion to wait upon you so I shall communicate them to your Ladiship and make that the whole business of our future discourse till we shall be otherwise satisfied and I 'le promise you my husband shal not be knowing to it Lady M. Mrs. N. I do most willingly accept your offer but care not much whether your husband be assistant to you or not in the mater for I am sure it s not in the power of men or devils to change the word of God however they may pervert the sence of it for a time and so possess the souls of their unhappy disciples Mrs. N. Well then madame I shall be bold to wait on you again within these few days and shew you some Scriptures that shall quite overthrow your so much fancied foundation and I hope by consequence bring your Ladyship into our Religion Lady M. I pray you do sweet Mrs. N. and I shall promise onely this that you shall finde my reason not at all refractory to any thing and we will manage this controversie as you say by our selves and as women in labour use to do never cry out for the help of man till we shall be highly enforced Mrs. N. Indeed Madame I doubt not but you will finde the business so clear that we shall never need to come to that So the combate being mutually imbraced on both sides with very great kindness they at that time parted some days after Mrs. N. came again to visit my Lady and brought her weapons with her and so began again to accost her Madame the greatest things indifference as I humbly conceive between us is about that which is indeed the greatest concernment of our salvation the most holy Sacrament of our Lords Supper wherein your Church hath brought so many visible and palpable abuses and against known Scripture that when your Ladyship shall be once satisfied in those I hope we shall not need to proceed much further I have here reduced those abuses into four heads as first your doctrine of Transubstantiation and affirming your Eucharist to be the very body of Christ Secondly your giving half the Sacrament to the people and depriving them of the Cup. Thirdly making your Mass a sacrifice and Lastly for saying your Mass in Latine and not in English or other mother tongues and to all these particulars I have brought you as I conceive such apposite Texts and here in order set down in this paper that I doubt not will give your Ladyship just reason to suspect the frauds and gross collusions of your Church in all things else Lady M. Well deer Mrs. N. I thank you heartily for this favour and I promise you faithfully that I will very carefully and impartially examine this paper which if upon a just consideration I shall not be able to answer I will then very fairly and honestly declare my submission to it within three or four days I will by Gods help repay your kinde visit and bring you the best satisfaction I shall be able to do and so I pray God to enlighten us both to see his faith and truth so for the present they parted and the Lady fell to the perusual of the paper that Mrs. N. had left with her which was to this effect as followeth That the very body of Christ is neither in or under the Eucharist or Sacrament of the Lords Supper is apparant by these few texts taken out of and reasons deduced from Scripture Our Saviour Christ himself saith Matth. 29. For ye have the poor always with you Mat. 26.11 but me ye have not always Now if he were as you believe you have him in the Eucharist we should have him always He saith again John 6. It is the Spirit that quickneth John 6.63 the flesh profiteth nothing if therefore the flesh profiteth nothing what need is there of that great contention you make to have it in the Eucharist We have it frequently
the mouth defileth a man but that which cometh out of the mouth this defileth a man c. why does your Church then tye up mens mouths from meat at any time 2. 1 Tim. 4.1 2 3 4 5. S. Paul tells us that now the speaketh expresly that in the latter times some should depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of Devils speaking lies c. forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created to be received with thanksgivings of them which believe and know the truth for every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused if it be received with thanksgiving for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer Heer the Apostle plainly calls it a doctrine of Devils and meer lies to command abstinence from any meat which God has created for the use of the faithful to be taken with thanksgiving 3. Tit. 1.14 15. Does not the same Apostle forewarne us not to give heed to such doctrines as those which he calls the commandements of men that turn from the truth and gives this reason that unto the pure all things are pure but unto them that are defiled and unbeleiving is nothing pure c. How dares your Church then impute iniquity to any thing of meat or make such a distinction between meats as you do 4. Colos 2.16 17. Does he not command the Colossians thus Let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of a holy day or of the new moon or of the sabbath days which are but a shadow of things to come c. yet you are pleased to make your ceremonies to be the very substance of your Religion 5. Again he tells the Romans thus Rom 9. If by the Spirit you shall mortify the deeds of the flesh ye shall live he says nothing of mortification by fasting therefore that must be purely your invention 6. Lastly we may say to you as S. Acts 15.10 Peter in the Acts why tempt you God to put a yoake upon the neck of the Disciples which neither we nor our Fathers were able to hear Christian liberty endures no such burthensome bondage for Christ himself never made any distinction of meats or commanded any such observations why then should Christians his faithfull people be subject to them That your making and observing of vâ—â—s especially of chastity and single life though in your Priests themselves is another intolerable abuse and burthen laid upon Christianity I prove thus 1. It is plain that Jesus Christ our Saviour bestowed a freedome upon us which we call Christian Deut. 4.2 Revel 22 18. c. why should vows then reduce us into bondage Nay our Saviour cleerly shewed that he would have all his counsels free and yet your votaries make them necessary as commandments These vows therefore are those humane inventions so much spoken of forbiden and reproved in Scripture by consequence most unlawfull S. Paul forewarns Timothy from all those externall works of piety which are not capable to renew a man but are fit rather to make men hypocrites than saints and in such words as seem almost pointed at old Nuns 1 Tim. 4.7 8. But prâ—fain and old wives fables refuse excercising thy self rather unto Godliness for bodily exercise profiteth litle but godliness is profitable unto all things having promise of the life that is now and of that which is to come by this it is plain that it is the exercise of the soul which God deligheth in and not those vowed bodily observancies 3. Nay all those external works must of necessity be enemies to Christianity for they extinguish faith weaken hope and cause men to repose their confidence in them more then in the mercies of God and it is plain that your late votaries like those old Pharisees that our Saviour reproves do value more such empty traditions then they do the commandments of God to whom he pronounceth a woe for no other reason Luke 11.42 c. but for tything of Mint Rue and all maner of herbs and passing ore judgement and the love of God c. 4. Over and above all this the grand presumption of your votaries appears in oblieging themselves to a straiter rule of liveing than the Evangellicall rule to which every faithful Christian is tyed in Baptisme when it is plain that by all the endeavours that a Christian can use he cannot attain to a greater perfection and very hardly perform so much as is required Then as to your vows of chastity and restraining of Priests from marriage I prove the absurdity of all that thus 1. First it is plain by the old Testament that the Priests Gen. 1. 2. of the old Law might marry and had wives then the Greeks and divers other Christians ever had and shall have their wives 2. Your vows of Chastity and restraints from marriage are most plain oppositions to a divine precept which God so often inculcated into all creatures and particularly to man be ye fruithful and multiply 3. S. Paul foretells that in the latter times 1 Tim. â— 1 2 3. some shall depart from the faith giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils c. forbiding to marry c. who should this be but you for no other Churches else does it 4. Tit. 1.5.6 The same Apostle commands Titus that amongst the rest of the things which he was to set in order as he had appointed him he should ordain a Bishop the busband of one wife and having faithful children by which it is plain that Priests might marry then 5. 1 Cor. 7.9 Chastity is and ought to be free but your vows and invented traditions make it to be necessary notwithstanding that S. Paul says plainly that it is better to marry then to burn and bids all men if they cannot contain themselves to marry 6. 1 Cor. 7.28 And a little after in the same Chapter he says positively to all but and if thou marry thou hast not sinned and if a virgin marry she hath not sinned c. and your Church is pleased to make it worse than the breach of a commandment 7. In fine there can be nothing more cleer than that vows of virginity are vain and in plain English foolish because impossible it were the same thing to obliege a man to live without meat or drink and your Pope pretends by his humane traditions to mortifie mens flesh when it is impossiple to do that without a constant recourse to the grace of God But abive all the Abuse of your Church it manafest in multiplying of Sacraments and making them out of meer humane constitutions which I prove in short thus 1. All Sacraments ought to be of our Saviour Christs own institution but your supernumerary Sacraments are after constitutions of the Church therefore they cannot be Sacraments 2. As for your Sacrament of Penance I have shewed sufficiently
inclosed for which I teturn my most humble thanks and instead of another which you seem to require of me I have sent you two herein inclosed the one to shew you the superstition Idolatry and Will-worship of your Church the other to convince you of the Pride Arrogancy Tyranny and Usurp'd power of it which when your Ladyship hath been pleased to peruse and as well as you can to answer I shall summe up all that you have said rogether and make a short rejoynder to the whole of your replies for I am refolved to trouble your Ladyship with no more Papers so praying God for your Ladyships good health both of Body and Soul I take leave to remain Madam Your Ladyships most assured faithfull servant N. My Lady upon the return of her servant opening the Packet that Mistress N. had sent back to her found the Papers inclosed whereof the first was to this effect as followeth That which your Church teacheth concerning the invocation of Saints is a Doctrine very injurious to God and yet not more prophane then superstitious and impertinent and that I will prove thus 1. Jesus Christ our blessed Saviour with God the Father God the Holy Ghost Holy Trinity in Unity three Persons and one God alone is all-sufficient alone is most liberall and alone is most mercifull and who alone loves us more than all the Saints There is not a Christian living that I think dares deny a word of this if there should be such a monster a were easie to prove every word of it by express Scripture who can think it rationall then to invoke any other thing and besides that this all-bountifull all-mercifull all-powerfull most good most gracious and most loving Lord God has not onely enjoin'd us but importun'd us to pray to him and him alone promising to hear and grant our requests and that I prove by most express Scriptures thus 2. First by the Gospells it is most clear our Saviour in Saint John assures it with a Verily verily I say unto you whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name he will give it you John 16.23 24. and then in the next verse Ask and ye shal receive thus it is but asking of God and having and yet you must think fit to go about by the Saints 3. Then in Saint Lukes Gospel we find and I say unto you ask and it shall be given you Luke 11.9.10 11 12 13. seek and ye shall find knock and it shall be opened unto you For every one that asketh receiveth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh it shall be opened Then by the paralel of God with a good Father granting his childs requests he concludes how much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him Again what you ask in prayet believing ye shall receive as Saint Matthews Gospell tells Matth. 2. with an infinity of other places too many to repeat to that purpose wherefore Saint Paul most pithily concludes Heb. 4.16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of Grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need 4 The Apostle tells us 2 Cor. 1.3 that God is the Father of mercies and the Lord of all comforts who comforteth us in all our tribulation that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we our selvs are comforted of God c. If all our comfort then be from God had we not better make our address to him that we know is the fountain of all Grace than to the Saints who can have nothing but what they derive from him 5. The same Apostle tells Tymothy plainly that there is but one Mediatour between God and men and that is Christ Jesus what an offence then must it needs be to God to make more Mediators that is the Saints Then we finde frequently in Scripture that he alone maketh intercesion for us as in Isaiah that he makes intercession for transgressors 1 Tim. 2.5 Isai 53.12 Rom. 8.26.24 Heb. 7.25 and Saint Paul tells us that he ever liveth to make intercession for us And again who always maketh intercession for us why should we date to make more intercessors that is the Saints 6. In fine to summe up all in short your Doctrine of invocacion of the Saints is highly injurious to God who is a jealous God and will onely be worship'd It is injurious to Jesus Christ who is the onely Mediatour between God and man Thirdly it is injurious to our selves for it is an argument of a diffidence and distrust in God when we fly to the Saints for succour and then lastly it is an impertinent and unprofitable piece of devotion because the Saints in heaven neither do nor can hear our prayets nor know our wants or what is done here amongst us as Job tells us Job 24.21 Eccles 9.5 his sons came to honor and he knoweth it not Ecclesiastes assures us that the living know that they shall dye but the dead know not any thing and the Prophet Isaiah yet more plainly Isai 63.16 doubtlessthou art our Father though Abraham be ignorant of us and Israel do not acknowledge us c. Thus it is plain that the Saintf in heaven are incapable to know our wants or hear our prayers much less to help us That your Doctrine of Veneration of Images is an abominable Idolatrcus Dactrine and prejudicial to divine Worship I prove Thus. First out of the plain words of the Commandement Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven Image Exod. 20.4 5. Deut. 4.5 2â— or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the waterunder the earth thou shalt notbow down thy self to them nor serve them c. The same thing is repeated at the latter end of Exâ—dus and in severall places of Deuteronomy and in many other places of the Old Testament 2. Again we find how good Hezekiah 2 King 18.4 removed the high places and brake the Images and brake in pieces the beazen Serpent that Moses had made c. Yet your Religion strives to restore to Christians that kind of worship 3 How well our Saviour is pleased with that kinde of Worship Joh. 22 23 24. you may see in Saint John's Gospell where our Saviour says ye worship ye know not what c. But the hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seekes such to worship him God is a Spirit and they that worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth Now I would feign know what a Spirit hath to do with Images or how can the worship of Images be thought a spiritual worship 4 Over and above the danger of Idolatry and many unclean thoughts that may be occasioned by Images I shall onely add this
the second I deny that there shall be an universal falling away of the faithfull in the time of Antichrist but of some onely And in that methinks you contradict your self for you say that Antichrist is already come and yet you affirm that there are some faithfull lest Then it is a great dispute as I have understood amongst the learned whether the Apostle out of whom you take your proofe speaks there of a falling away from the faith for many of the most learned are of opinion that he only speaks of a falling away from the Romane Empire But that euriosity I shall not further meddle withall it being out of our road and above our pitch To the Third In truth methinks it is a very sad course of arguing that most of your Church are pleased to use that is if you can find any one Text that is never so obscure if it can be fashioned at all for your turn you will entirely insist upon it though there be hundreds of clear Texts to the contrary As for example This Text you urge out of Daniel is very dark That he shall cause the Sacrifice and oblation to cease I am sure these Texts are very clear That the gates of hell shall not prevail against it again I am alwayes with you to the end of the world and again I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not and again The Church is the pillar and foundation of truth These Texts I say are clear and need no Interpreter the other that you quote is so obscure that the greatest learning in the world may be at a stand to understand it For most understand that place of the failing of the Synagogue and the cessation of the Jewish Sacrifices not at all of the Christian Church And those that do interpret it of the Christian Church make it to be the cessation of publick worship only not of the Christian faith To the Fourth I grant that the Church is frequently compared to the Moon but never as to her failings but in these respects following First as the Moon in the beginning of the moneth is very litle and so by litle and litle encreaseth till she grow full andperfect so the Christian Church in the beginning of its rise took up but very litle room afterward encreased and spead it self by degrees that at last it should diffuse it self over the face of the whole world Secondly as the Moon receives corporeal light from the Sun so the Church receives its light of faith and holiness from the Sun of righteousness that is Christ Thirdly as the Moon is subject to changes so is the Church in this life for sometimes she flourisheth in the splendor of peace sometimes is oppressed with persecutions but never totally fayles it may be clouded for a while but never quite extinguished You see then in what the similitude between the Moon and the Church consists and no similitude as I am informed is obliged to run upon four feet The Church cannot at all be like the Moon in her failings but more resembles the earth as she is likewise called in Scripture for her firmness stability unmoveableness Then why should you bring that similitude to the prejudices of the Church when there are so many to the favour and honour of her throughout the sacred Scripture where you may find that she is as frequently called the Sun as the Moon an enclosed Garden a Fountain a Paradise a fair Dove the City of God the Land of the living the woman cloathed with the Sun the Queen in a vesture of gold c. and many more such honorable titles as those you cannot but your own reading find out in Scripture and those methinks all dutifull children should be more ready to give to their Mother then to throw dirt in her face or to asperse her with calumnies as for the honesty goodness of Wicklif Huss Luther and Calvin I will not meddle but only ask you who were the one or two honest and godly men that in the ages before them did ever so contradict the Church if you know not any such why do you so rashly affirm it if you do I should desire you to name them and let us know whereabouts they lived Howsoever by your argument you make the Church of Christ to be in a worse condition then the Synagogue of the Jews Gal. 4.11 when we know the Church is our Mistress and the Synagogue but a servant but the Synagogue was never so deserted that but two onely were to be found in it Nay in the time of Elias Rom. 9.4 when it was thought to be most forsaken yet there were found in it seven thousand how can you possibly think the Church of Christ should be ever left so desolate as but two honest and godly men should be found in it when we find it so clear said in the Prophesie of Isay Isay 54.1 that the Church should be of a far larger extent and more fruitfull in its children than ever the Synagogue was so I pass to your last and grand concluding argument which proves the Pope to be Antichrist and then I hope I shall make an end with you To your last argument and that which you presume will conclude me as you have layed it I look upon it to be the weakest and least signifycant that you have alledged yet for truly all those markes of Antichrist that you produce upon the Pope are meer trifles and tricks of some of your Doctors invention and truly would agree better in the application to themselves than to his holiness and how imposible it is that they should be applicable to him I 'le pass through every particular The first note that you give of Antichrist is that he must fall away from the faith now defending of purgatory invocation of saints and sacrifice of the Mass cannot be called falling from the faith because the most ancient fathers of the Church have allways been of that opinion Your Doctors therefore are most manifestly fallen from the faith that so expressly oppose those received Doctrines The second mark you give of the Beast is that he shall sit in the Temple of God and that you say the Pope does as the head of the Church at Rome Truly I doe humbly conceive the case to be very different between sitting in the Temple of God at Hierusalem and sitting in the Church of Christ at Rome Antichrist shall sit in the Temple of Hierusalem and be adored of the Jews the Pope sits in the Church of Christ at Rome which all you have most unhappyly forsaken The third marke you say is that he shall shew himself as God and that the Pope plainly does you say whilst he makes himself the visible head of Christs Church but sure that is not all one as to shew himself as God For Peter himself shewed himself as visible head as we have proved already but onely Antichrist shall shew himself as God The
imployed upon better things so the Lord give a blessing to our endeavours and sweet Madam be pleas'd to continue me in the quality of Madam Your most humble Servant N. The Messenger Arriving speedily back at my Ladies House and delivering the Letter with the inclos'd papers her Ladyship finding the Contents fell to the work iw mediately which you shall hear as followeth Madam the Doctrine that your Church delivers concerning good works is a Mother most strange erroâ—s and abuses of Christianity as confession free will c. Which gives me the boldnesse to make my addresse to your Ladyship wholly to that purpose So I shall first endeavour to overthrow your foundation that is your Doctrine of good works That good Works signifie nothing to the Justification much less to the salvation of a Christian by any way of merit iâ— most manifest out of Scripture 1. The Prophet Habakkuk tells us plainly of him that seeks his Justification by his Works that his soul which is lifted up Hab. 2.4 is not upright in him but the just shall live by his faith The same is insisted on by our Saviour Joh. 3.36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting Life and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life but the wrath of God abideth on him And St. Paul quoting the Prophet tells the Romans For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith as it is written Rom. 1.17 the just shall live by faith And again Gal. 3.11 to the Galatians â—ut that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God it is evident for the just shall live by faith And again to the Hebrews Now the just shall live by faith What then is become of your grand confidence in good works Our Saviour tells the woman diseased with an issue of blood Matth. â— that her Faith hath made her whole And in the same Chapter assures the blind men because they believed that he was able to restore their eyes to them that therefore they should see and saying according to your Faith be it unto you their eyes were opened by this you may see the value that Faith hath in the esteem of God 3. The Scripture expresly tells us that Abraham believed in the Lord Gen. 15.6 Rom. 4. â— and he counted it to him for righteousness the same thing St. Paul repeats to the Romans to the Galatians Gal. 3.6 Jam. 2.22 and so St. James by all which it is plain that Faith is the only thing that justifies and gives the reputation of righteousness before God 4. We finde in St. Lukes Gospel that our Saviour bids us to say when we shall have done all things that are commanded us that we are but unprofitable Servants Luk. 11.43 we have done that which was our duty to do What is become of your doctrine of works Where is your merit in them by them or for them when after you have done all things fill'd the world with Hospitals Colledges Churches and Monasteries given all your goods to the poor mortified and macerated your bodies you are yet so far from meriting that you are but unprofitable Servants 5. Our Saviour tells us clearly and with a vertly verily I say unto you he that heareth my word Joh. 5.24 and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life Can any thing be more plain then this that by Faith alone we are to gain everlasting life 6. Charity it self is but a fruit of Faith so that it is plain Faith alone may suffice to our justification and our Saviour taketh frequently works for Hypocritical and pronounceth a woe to such as depend upon them 7. Then it is plain there neither is or can be any such thing as good works and whosoever pretends to that righteousnesse is a hypocrite for the Prophet Isaiah tels us Isa 54.6 that we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags And again the Scripture tels us that there is not a righteous man upon the earth who does well Eccl. 5. and sins not And the Prophet David cryed out Psalm though a man after Gods own heart Enter not into Judgement with thy servant O Lord for in thy fight shall no man living be justified Where is then your Justification by works And St. Paul that great Vessel of Election complains Rom. 7.15.23 that he was sold under sin for that which he did he allowed not he did not what he would but what he hated that he did and that he saw another Law in his members warring against the Law of his mind and bringing him into captivity to the Law of sin which was in his Members what then must become of us poor creatures if we confide in our own works That Auricular Confession of Sins to a Priest is so farre from being a good work and acceptable in the sight of God that it is meerly to be esteemed Wil-worship and humane invention is proved thus It is plain out of the very Text which you so much urge for your opinion Joh. 20.23 which is in St. John Whosoevrr sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whosoever sins ye retain they are retained That Christ commands nothing there concerning confession but only requires Priests to give their absolution 2. And St. James when he seems to command Confession speaks only of a brotherly Confession Confess your faults one to another Jam. 5.16 there is not a word of confession to Priests 3. Then our Saviour said not to the woman taken in adultery go and confess thy sins to a Priest but go and sin no more 4. Again we read of Peters tears and great repentance how he wept most bitterly but we read not a jot of his going to confession and yet his sin was most undoubtedly pardoned 5. Then I have read in Ecclesiastical History that Confession was in one Age wholly abrogated and forbidden in the Church That your Doctrine of satisfaction for sins is most dangerous if not desperate for Christian souls is proved thus 1. St. John the Baptist being sent to be a Preacher of Repentance to the people taught only the observation of the Commandments of God expresly forbidding them to do more then what was appointed for them to do nor makes he mention at all of any satisfaction for sins The Lord himself declares by his holy Prophet Ezekiel Luk. 3.13 that if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all his statutes and do that which is lawfull and right Ezek. 18.21 he shall surely live he shall not die Here is nothing imposed upon a penitent but to do Judgement and righteousness c. not the least word of satisfaction The Prophet Micah does most plainly deride all those that seek to make a satisfaction for their sins
Micah 6.6 by pretended good works in this Pathetical expostulation Wherewith shall I come before the Lord and bow my self before the high God Shall I come before him with burnt offerings with Calves of a year old Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of Rams or with ten thousands of Rivers of oyl Shall I give my first-born for my transgression the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul Then the Prophet concludes immediately He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord require of thee but to do justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with thy God What can be more evident then this to shew that God Almighty requires nothing of a sinner but a faithfull returne to his Duty Where is then your pitifull satisfaction Our Saviour Jesus Christ did most sufficiently satisfie for our sins by his own most bitter passion and death as is abundantly clear in Scripture nor was his precious Passion sufficient only to take away the sins of the whole world which it may be you will willingly grant but also to take away the pains and punishments due to us for them for the Prophet I say affirms it thus surely he hath born our griefs and carried our sorrows Isai 53.4 5. and again he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed Thus it is plain aswell the punishment of sin as sin it self was taken away by him without any piece of our satisfaction required And Jesus Christ the great Physitian he always makes a perfect cure of sin and punishment what need then is there of our satisfaction That the Root and foundation of all these your doctrines is extreamly false and that Man hath no free-will at all is proved most plainly thus The Blessed Baptist assures us that man can receive nothing except it be given hipe from Heaven Saint James likewise tells us John 3.27 that every good gift and every perfect gift Jam. 1.17 is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights c. Saint Paul yet more plainly 2 Cor. 3.5 that we are not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God 1 Cor. 4.7 And to the same Corinthians saith What hast thou that thou didst not receive now if thou didst receive it why dost thou glory as if thou hadst not received it With the truth of all these Texts how can your Doctrines of Free-Will stand 2. Rom. 9.19.16.18 Isa 63.17 Jerem. 10.23 Prov. 16.1 Prov. 30. Again Saint Paul to the Romans quctes the Words of the Lord to Moses I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion from thence draws an Argument himself against your Free-Will to then it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy Therefore he hath mercy on whom he will have mercy and whom he will be hardneth what now will become of your Free-Will The Phophet Isaiah expostulates somewhat strangly with God about this O Lord why hast thou made us to erre from thy ways and bardned our heart from thy fear What can man do then with his Free-Will 4th The Prophet Jeremy declares it for a truth of his own knowledge O Lord I know that the way of man is not in himself it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps Solomon assures us likewise that the preparation of the heart in man Jerem. 10.23 Prov. 16.1 Prov. 20.24 and the answer of the Tongue is from the Lord and again mans goings are of the Lord how can a man then understand his own way if he cannot understand it he can sure left direct it The Prophet Isay and S. Paul tells us Isay 45.9 Rom. 9.20 that it is an extravagant thing for the thing formed to say to him that formed it why hast thou made me thus and the Apostle in the same Chapter says that God of his free grace and meer election faves some and not for any thing of their works or freewill that is exprelly said in the Text if it were not it would however follow from reason for otherwise grace would not be grace at all and then concludes as a foresaid that it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that giveth mercy what could be said more cleerly against your Churches doctrine Our Saviour tells his Apostles as three Evangelists do joyntly and severally assure us Mat. 10.19 Mark 13.11 Luke 12.11 that they should take no thought how or what they should speak for it should be given them in the same hour what they should speak for said he again it is not ye that speak but the spirit of your father which speaketh in you if then our ability be so short to speak how much less must it be to do his will S. Matthew again tells us in the same Chapter Mat. 14.29 how our Saviour argues the matter with them are not two sparrows sold for a farthing and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father if a Sparrow fall not without him how shall a thought word or action of ours Our Saviour very positively concludes this point in S. Johns Gospel thus John 6.44 no man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will raise him up at the last day what can poor we do then with all the strength of our will or works so I beseech the same Father to draw your Ladiship and all erring Christians to himself This paper my Lady had no sooner read but she sent a messenger with a letter back to Mrs. N. to thank her for the favour of her paper and to assure her of the best satisfaction she should be able to give to it but cheifly to defire her for the future to forbear Scholastick questions least by their little skill in those nicities they might before they were a ware engage themselves in Blasphemy or Heresie So Mrs. N. returned thanks to her Ladiship for her kind caution and promised to avoid all speculative disputes and to proceed upon things more morall and practicall with which the Lady was satisfied so fell to work upon the papers thus To what you alledge against our doctrine of goodworks and for your justification by faith alone I answer thus To the first We do humbly believe acknowledge and profess that the just must live by faith for faith is the foundation of the spirituall building Heb. 11. and the substance of all things hoped for as the Apostle tells us But what you do from thence gather of your faith alone is a meer tearing and a falsifying of all those texts out of the Prophets Apostles and Evangelists For it is no where said that the
just shall live by faith alone Now to believe truly in God according to the received use of Scripture is to adhere to him by love and this our Divines call a formed faith which can never be without charity as S. Paul most amply explains to his Galatians Gal. 5.6 For in Jesus Christ saith he neither circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but faith which worketh by love Here S. Paul assures us that it is not every faith that is sufficient to justifie us but onely that which worketh by love To the second You might be satisfied in this by the answer before but I shall adde that such a faith as that of the woman with the issue of blood and of the blinde men in the Gospel might obtain such a temporal benefit as the curing both of the one and the other I say temporal benefits may be procured by an unformed faith as the Romans and other Heathens have visibly found Gods blessings to follow them for their many virtues and this S. Paul intimates when he tells the Hebrews that by faith the Harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not when she received the spies with peace here was a good work too went along with her faith Heb. 11.31 Rom. 4. Heb. 11. And there is no doubt but an unformed faith accompanied with charity humility and devotion may obtain by grace a justification from sin and whosoever does believe in Jesus Christ that he can justifie a sinner it shall be imputed to him for righteousness for without faith it is impossible to please God To the third What you urge out of Genesis S. Paul and S. James is sufficiently explained and answered by the foregoing words of the said S. James 5.21.22 James was not Abraham our father justified by works when he had offered up Isaac his son upon the Altar seest thou how faith worketh with his works and by works was faith made perfect and in the verse immediately following that which you urge against us he concludes ye see there how that by works a man is justified Ver. 24. and not by faith onely for as the body without the spirit is dead so faith without works is dead also To the fourth What you urge out of S. Lukes Gospel is to be understood as the context shews of servants that do what they are commanded onely to do and that is but their duty and no thanks are due to them in like manner those that keep the commandments of God do but their duties our Saviour says nothing by your favour of those that observe the Evangelicall counsells as the building of religious houses giving our goods among the poor or mortifying of our bodies which you seem to draw into the same conclusion Besides as to the keeping of the commandements do you think the meaning of that text is that there is no merit at all due to that it cannot possibly be so understood must the case be the same between him that does his duty well and him that does it not at all for so it must be as you seem to understand it for at the worst they can be but unprofitable and at the best you would have them be so too and this would not onely throw confusion into all divinity but would be the destruction of all civil government and humane conversation It is true what our Saviour says when we have done all that is required of us we are unprofitable servants that is to him whom we serve we are unprofitable what does the Almighty and infinite creator get by the salvation of his creature nothing can be added to him But the text tells us not that in so doing we are unprofitable to our selves God forbid for that would be to discourage all virtue piety and Christianity it self To the fifth I answer perfectly as to your first for that text of S. John cannot be understood of a bare beliefe but such a one as is accompanied with charity for it is impossible that a good faith should be without it To the sixth I say you are most cleerly mistaken for charity is not a fruit of faith but a fruit of the spirit as indeed faith it self is no less as S. Paul instructs the Galatians Gal. 5.22 The fruit of the spirit is love joy peace longsuffering gentleness goodness faith meekness temperance c. And that our Saviour taxeth Pharisaicall works for Hypocritical is granted who planted all their Religion in Ceremonies and neglected the weightier matters of the law which were the true good works and always commanded not censured by him Besides our Saviour chargeth us expresly in these words Mat. 5.16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorifie your father which is in heaven To the seventh and last To what you alledge first out of the Prophet Isaiah I answer that the Prophet there speaks comparatively between the righteousness of the Law and that of the Gospel for the legall purity compared to the Evangelicall is impurity it self as our righteousness compared to Gods is no righteousness so our Saviour tells us Luke 18. Mat. 19.17 that none is good but one that is God because our goodness compared to Gods goodness is no goodness is no goodness To your next text I answer that it onely infers that there is none so righteous but at sometimes sinnes not that a man when he does well sins Then to what you alledge out of the Psalms it is very plain that the prophet David begs of God that he would not judge him according to his own divine righteousness that is so absolutely pure and without sin for so saith he Psal 25.21 no flesh living can be justified for he saith in another Psalm let integrity and uprightness preserve me for I wait on thee Last of all to what you urge so hard out of S. Paul to the Romans S. Paul himself answers in the beginning of the next Chapter There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit for the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death that is both from sin and the punishment of it Rom. 8. and so proceeds to shew that though there be a repugnancy in the Law of the flesh to the Law of the spirit yet they that mind the things of the spirit shall be judged accordingly and no sin imputed to them which I conceive clean contrary to the sence that you would impose upon the Apostle Now Mrs. N. I must desire you to give me leave to follow my former method and to return to you some Texts that as I conceive do expresly conclude our Churches doctrine which is that faith does not nor can suffice without works and that works are something in the sight of God that is meritorious of eternal life by the grace
one God thou doest well the devils also believe and tremble but wilt thou know O vain man that faith without works is dead was not our father Abraham justified by works c. and after the Apostle had upon the matter stated the whole question he concludes yee see then now that by works a man is justified and not by faith onely Can any thing be more cleer then this yet see how S. Matthew justifies this doctrine relating our Saviours last charge and Commission to his Apostles thus Mat. 28.19.20 Go ye therfore and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the holy Ghost teaching them not onely to believe Johu 9.6.7 but to do and observe all things whatsoever I have commanded c. S. John relates how our Saviour would not cure the blinde man with that omnipotent salve the clay made of his spittle but he would enjoyn him to go and wash in the pool of Siloam something he would have done on his part Then S. Paul assures us that if he hath faith to a perfection nay so much as to remove mountains and hath not charity he is nothing what then are we without it Nay S. Paul teacheth Timothy how to press the matter 1 Tim. 4. that they do good that they be rich in good works ready to distribute willing to communicate laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come that they may lay hold on eternal life c. and concludes of himself I have fought the good fight I have perfected my course I have kept the faith from hence forward is laid up for me a crown of glory which the Lord the just judge shall render to me in that day here S. Paul cleerly expects from the justice of God a retribution to his merit Now over and above all this John 8. it is plain that faith it self is a work for to the question that was asked our Saviour What shall we do to do the works of God he answers presently this is the work of God to believe on him whom he hath sent and again saith he Gen. 15. if ye are the children of Abraham you would do the works of Abraham now the principal work of Abraham was his faith for Abraham believed and it was accounted to him for righteousness see faith is plainly to be reckoned up amongst works now if a man by faith be to be justified then he is so by works Last of all what you seem in all your discourses to infer that the best works are full of sin so by consequence cannot justifie observe I beseech you what S. John says to you 1 John 3 7 8 9. little children let no man deceive you he that doth righteousness is righteous even as he is righteous he that committeth sin is of the devil c. whosoever is born of God does not commit sin for his seed remaineth in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God Note here if you please that he cannot sin that follows the inclinations of charity according to which a man is said to be born of God For S. Paul assures us too that charity does nothing amiss Thus if I have not darkned this truth with too thick a cloud of witnesses I presume it must be cleer as light it self that your doctrine of onely faith depressing of good works is not onely against the whole stream of Scripture and so unchristian but also against all the rules of humane reason so impertinent unpolitick to the destruction of all civil conversation and therefore I am bold to insist the longer upon it which I desire you to pardon and I will make a speedy amends in the contraction of my self upon the other heads To what you are pleased to alledge against our Auricular Cenfession I answer thus To the first It is true that in that Text of S. John there is no confession mentoned but sufficiently imply'd in the power of absolution It is enough to satisfy any reasonable Christian that our Saviour has so clearly declar'd that high power and prerogative which he conferred upon his Priests and to shew us our Physitions and remedy that we may have recourse to them for our health if we so please but if we will not confess we are sick we have no need of a Physition at least he cannot be at all usefull to us Now that use and practice of this high power and prerogative of remision of sins the Church has learnt and derived from the very times of the Apostles by the conduct of the holy Ghost as you shall see more hereafter To the Second I must likewise grant S. Iames not precisely to determine in that Text to whom we should confess nor was it at all needfull for it was to be presumed that no man would confess but where he thought to finde a pardon now that power of pardoning was apparently in the Apostles hands then and in their successors continues since It was enough therefore for the Apostles to express so much as was necessary to that great business of absolution that is confession without pointing out that particular person to whom to be made indeed it is as before sufficiently implyed To the Third and fourth I do acknowledge that our Saviour said no more to the woman taken in adultry but go and sine no more but there the power of absolution was not settled in the Church how then could the adultress and the Magdalen and Peter be obliged to confession before confession was instituted Besides these were miraculous pardons of sins not by any former prescription for we know that the indulgence of a spirituall priviledge to any one is not to be drawn into a consequence for others or made a generall rule of by us To the Last I do utterly deny that confession was ever abrogated in any one age something I remember in ecclesiasticall history that publick and open confession was solemly forbiden but never private and auricular on the contrary give me leave to prove the necessity of it by Scripture against you David confesseth his sins and is pardoned by the prophet Nathan 2 Sam. 11.13 S. Mathew tells how our Saviour enstated Peter in this power of the keys the other Evangelists speaks of his disposing of it amongst his Apostles by all which it is plain that to deny the power of the keys to be given to the Church is to deny that our Saviour never had them in his custody which I take for blasphemy The text you urge out of S. James 5.16 James is alledged for our doctrine against you by all our divines as I am cold I am sure it is cleer as to me This great duty of a Christian was absolutly taught and prefigured in the Baptisme of John for S. Mat. 3.6 Mathew tells us how all the people round about flockt to him And they were baptised of
him in Jordan confessing their sins The wise Solomon assures us that he that conceals his wickedness shall not be directed Prov. 8. but he that confesseth it shall finde mercy That this duty of confession was both preached and practised in the Apostles days is plain by that express place And the name of the Lord Jesus was maguified Acts 19.28 and many that belived came and confessed and shewed their deeds No less express is that text of S. John if we confess our sines he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sins and will cleanse us from all wickedness To figure out this greatâ—duty of confession to us our Saviour chargeth the Leper whom he cleansed Mat. 8. to go and shew himself to the Preist and offer the gift that Moses comanded Luke 17. In the like manner he commanded the ten lepers and says to Lazarus when he had raysed him from the dead loose him and let him go These things I say are cleer prefigurations of this duty of confession which was afterwards to be establisht in the Christian Church and has been ever since the Apostles times most universally practised To what you alledge against our doctrine of Satisfaction for sins I answear thus To the first I do absolutly deny Luke 3.11 Mat. 3. that the Baptise taught no satisfaction for he taught almes and works of mercy for him that had two coats to impart to him that had none and him that had meat to do likewise They that came to him for batisme were to confess their sins as I said before that according to their qualities they might have several penitencies imposed upon them Luke 3.8 and therefore exhorts them to bring forth fruits worthy of repentance which fruits are the works of satisfaction understood by us by this it is plain that the holy Baptist enjoynes us more then our duty and besides those words which you quote were spoken to the Publicans whom he bids to exact no more than what was appointed them you have strained the text hard to bring it to us that we should do no more than we are commanded to do To the Second I answear that the Prophet speaks there of the life of grace only which to attain if satisfaction be not performed before it is required to be in purpose and intention and is necessary to the preservation of that life of grace when it is acquired Besides though there should be no mention at all of satisfaction in these words of the Prophet that you quote does it therefore follow that there is no such thing required or that the prophet has deceived us God forbid for we finde what is wanting in one place abundantly supplied in other Scriptures as heer the Prophet mentions nothing but justice says not a word of fortitude temperance chastity c. which we know are equally requisite and suâ—iffiently laid down and commanded in other Scriptures To the Third I answer that the Prophet Micah in those words you quote does not seclude but rather include works of satisfaction for by doing judgement and justice is to be under stood a severe censure and condemnation of our selves by loveing of mercy are understood those works of mercy almes and piety that are to be exercised upon the poor by charity and to walk humbly with God what is it but resignation of our selves to him and perfect submission to his will joyned with an exact care to keep his divine precepts in this point of penance we are reqâ—ired to shew all the severity in the world against our selves that we being judged of our selves be not judged of the Lord as the Apostle tells us Besides the Prophet Micah there rebukes not those that go about by good works to satiâ—fy for their sins but those that foolishly thought by their pittifull sacrifices and burnt-offerings with the bloud of Rams and Bulls and Goats c. to satisfy the divine wrath for sins Now that was impossible as S. Paul tells us Heb. 10. Isay 1. and the Prophet Isay assures us that those things were not in themselves acceptable to God To the Fourth and Last I do answer and grant that the passion of Christ is sufficient to take away all sin and the guilt of punishment as well temporall as eternall it followes not therefore that nothing is required on our parts to be done for in the Sacrament of penance we partake of the virtue of the passion of Christ by a method of some proper acts which are the mater of pennance wherefore the Apostle Paul exhorts his penitents thus not to yeild their members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin but to yeeld themselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God Now to what you imply of argument in that Christ Jesus is the great Physition and so likely to make a perfect cure as well from guilt of the punishment as from the guilt of the sin it self I do acknowledge him to be the great Physition of our souls and to cure perfectly as you say yet very differently Luke 4. and sometimes suddainly and all at once as Peters wifes mother who was perfectly restored to perfect health sometimes again he is pleased to cure very leasurely as when he cured the blind man first he was pleased to restore him to an inperfect use of his sight Mar. 8. as to see men like trees walking then he was pleased afterwards to perfect his cure and make him to see cleerly all things just so he is pleased to pass his spiritual cures upon us sometimes he is pleased to turn the heart of man with such a power that it shall presently enjoy a perfect spiritual health as he did that of the blessed Magdalen sometimes again he remits the sin by his operating grace and afterwards works so with his cooperating grace that in process of time he takes away all the guilt of punishment and all the other relicts of sin it is not therefore to be proved by any of Christs corporal or spiritual cures that the sin being remitted all the punishment is remitted likewise but rather the contrary and I shall proceed further to prove it thus The Catholick doctrine that I am to prove now against you is this that sins being by contrition confession and absolution perfectly forgiven the penitent ought yet to satisfie for the temporal punishment due to them Adam without doubt repented himself of his sin Gen. 2.17 notwithstanding he was not presently absolved from the punishment that was threatned by God for it which was this for in theday that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely dye Nay after the transgression of the divine precept beyond the business of death which was before threatned God addes others saying to Adam Gen. 3.17 because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying thou shalt not eate of
errours that I was before possest of the one was that you Papists especially women and Lay people were not at all conversant in Scripture the second was that you did over vilifie our translations and would be judged onely by your own editions of Scripture which we are informed are false and framed onely to your own intents and purposes but I finde your Ladiship quotes no Scripture that is not word for word in our Bibles Then thirdly I am already satisfied that you have more reason for your Religion then I before immagined if those Scriptures which you produce have had such an understanding in the universal Church as you alledge and Lastly that it will be utterly impossible for us to make an end of the controversie without some learned Moderator for otherwise it will be but your sense upon Scripture and mine and we both abounding in our own as it is too much given to us women to be I am in dispair of the good end Madame that I proposed Lady M. For the first three things that you pretend to be satisfied in I cannot believe dear Mrs. N. but you dispose your self rather to Rallery then to deal really with me but as for the last I do most cleeply concur with you in opinion that it will be necessary for us to have some Learned Arbitrator or otherwise we shall but beat the air and bring nothing to conclusion Mrs. N. Why then deer Madame how shall we agree in the choice of him for it is neither fit for your Ladiship nor for me alone to have the nomination and it will be very difficult to finde one that may be so indifferent as to please us both Lady M. Why truly your self Mrs. N. if you please shall make the choise and for my part I think none fitter than your own husband if he please to accept the trouble for I take him to be a very learned prudent and impartial person thourgh by his profession he may appear engaged against us but I am confident that will not so much over by ass his judgement as to say a malicious untruth Mrs. N. Well then since your Ladiship is pleased to offer so fair in that particular I must tell you yet a further difficulty that occurs to me whether I should make a present rejoynder with your Ladiships replys for that is I perceive your intended method or proceed still to object refer all my answers to your Ladiships replies till the very last for though the the first will be more to your Ladiships present satisfaction yet the bestwill a void much of both our trouble for I humbly conceive I shall be able to wipe off many of your Ladiships arguments upon several occasions with one compendious answer Lady M. In that do as you shall please good Mrs. M. for either shall be indifferent to me Mrs. N. Why then sweet Madame I shall proceed to object against some of the most practical points of your Religion as your Ladiship hath required me avoiding all subtilties relating to the Schools and so I have accordingly prepared another paper for your Ladiships view and I shall not be bold to offer above one or two more and then I shall endeavour to rejoyn and humbly refer to better judgements So after many mutual thanks and particular kindnesses were passed on both sides my Lady being attended by Mrs. N. to her Coach departed away with her third paper which coming home and opening her Ladiship found to this effect as followeth That your Church has so overladen the souls of Christians with their own Traditions and humane constitutions that it has not only abridg'd Christian liberty but hardly left room for the observation of divine precepts I prove thus by express Scriptures We finde in Deuteronomy Deut. 4.2 how God does absolutly command his people by the mouth of his servant Moses not to add unto the word Josh 1.7 which he commanded them nor to diminish ought from it The like was commanded by the mouth of Joshuah that from that law which they had read they should not turn neither to the right nor to the left The wise King Solomon gives the same caution Prov. 30.5.6 every word of God is pure c. and then proceeds Adde thou not unto his words least he reprove thee and thou be found a liar and S. John assures us That if any man shall adde unto the words of his prophecy Revel 22 18.19 that God shall adde unto him the plagues that are written in that book and if any shall take away c. God shall take away his part out of the book of life and yet notwithstanding these clear commands and terrible threatnings your Church dares to do those things daily by ading of meer humane inventions S. Mark 7.6 7 8 9. Mark tells us plainly how our Saviour did severely rebuke that kind of Religion and professeth plainly that in vain such do worship him who teach for doctrines the commandments of men saying immediately before how such do honour him with their lips but their heart is far from him and so proceeds sharply inveighing against mens Traditions yet your Church does nothing but over-load men with them 3. S. Paul give a most strict warning to the Corinthians and so to us 1 Cor. 7.22.23 to avoid any captivity of that kinde for he speaks to all that are called who are the Lords freemen and therefore concludes ye are bought with a price be not ye the seruants of men that captivity I am sure none can avoid that is of your Church 4. Gal. 5.18 Again he tells the Gallatians yet more plainly that if they be led of the spirit they are not under the law so then we Christians are subject to no humane constitutions whatsoever 5. Again the same Apostle tells us 1 Tim. 1.9 that the Law is not made for a righteous man but for the lawless disobedient ungodly c. what then are good Christians concerned in your new-fangled Laws and again he tells the Romans that the Law worketh worth Rom. 4.15 what then have we Christians to do with it 6. Lastly 2 Cor. 3.17 the same Apostle assures the Corinthians that where the spirit of the Lord is there is liberty and largely relates to the Gallathians how Jesus Christ did purchase this liberty for us Gal. 4. and that we are no more under the law nor sons of the Bond woman but of the free why then should your Church by its devises endeavour to reduce us into bondage again That amongst the rest of your new inventions your commanded days of fasts and abstinence especially a whole lent together is a burthen insupportable and abusive to our Christian liberty I prove by Scripture thus 1. Does not our Saviour in S. Matthews Gospel call the multitude expresly about him Mat. 15.10 11. to teach them this piece of doctrine and bids them hear and understand not that which goeth into
c. and assures them that that is the will of God In fine it is plain that the true Christian and evangelicall liberty is nothing else but as S. Gal. 5. Paul pleaseth to define it a redemption or absolution of us from the servitude of the law and of sin made for us by Jesus Christ and by which as he says in another place being dedicated to God and righteousness we receive the adoption of sons John 8.36 and of this freedom it was that our Saviour spake in S. Johns Gospel if the son therefore shall make you free ye shall be free indeed and that freedom God of his mercy bestow upon us all Now that Humane Constitutions the commands of Councils and Bishops are to be kept and all Ecclesiasticall rites and ceremonies duely observed I prove by express Scriptures thus S. Luke recites our Saviours words thus speaking to the seventy that he sent out Luke 10.16 He that heareth you beareth me and he that dispiseth you dispiseth me and he that despiseth me dispiseth him that sent me Observe I pray you how he that despiseth the Prelates and Ecclesiasticall constitutions of Christs Church is judg'd by Christ himself to despise him and his holy Gospel S. 1 Thess 4.2 8. Paul speaks home to the Thessalonians in this point first tells them of the commandments that he had given them then afterwards be therefore that despiseth despiseth not man but God who hath also given us his holy Spirit Moses and Aaron when the people murmured against them told them frequently Exod. Levit. Numb Deut. that they heard their murmuring against the Lord and again what are we your murmuring is not against us but against the Lord. Observe what S. John says We are of God 1 John 4.6 he that knoweth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth not us hereby know we the spirit of truth from the spirit of errour you had best therefore have a care of your selves Nay S. Paul proceeds a little more terribly in the point Let every soul saith he Rem 13.1 2. be subject to the higher powers for there is no power but of God the powers that be are ordained of God whosoever therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation Now that men have power to make Laws and Statutes to obliedge consciences it is plain by the president of the Apostles Acts 15.19 who commanded the Christians then to abstain from things strangled offerings unto Idols and from blood with divers other Acts which they have left us Then we finde how S. Paul himself made Laws that you will not dare deny obedience to as for the constituting of Bishops concerning widdows and women to be veiled and not to preach in Churches of not for saking the unfaithful husband or wife and of many prophane and meer secular things and judgements as to be seen throughout in his Epistles and the Acts of the Apostles and yet S. Paul himself was but a man Nay it is plain the Priest of the old Law had power of making and altering of Laws Deut. 12. 1 Sam. 7 1 Kings 18. in mater of discipline we finde in Deuteronomy how the Lord commanded that no Altar should be set up but where was the Ark of the Covenant and yet Samuel whilest the Ark remained in Shilo set up an Altar at Masphar and Elias did the same thing in mount Carmel All this is abundantly confirmed by our Saviour Christ himself who bids us Mat. 18.17 if one shall neglect to hear to tell it to the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto then as a heathen man and a Publican Then for Traditions it is altogether as plain that they are to be observed first S. 2 Thess 2 Paul tells us that we must hold fast the Traditions we have received as well by his word as his Epistle Then that the Church of Christ ha's been and is to be governed by custome is playn by-another text of St. Pauls where he saies wee have no such custom nor the Church of God Again to the Philipians he says finally Brethren whatsoever things are true Phil. 4.8.9 whatsoever things are honest whatsoever things are just whotsoeverthings are pure whatsoever things are lovely whatsoever things are of good report if there be any vertue and if there be any prayse think on these things Those things which ye have both learned and received and hard and seen in me doe c. Now what are all these things but Traditions and ecclesiasticall constitutions Acts 15.41.16 Wee finde in the Acts how Paul and Silas went through Syria and Cylicia confirming the Churches Acts 15.41 and so afterwards wee find how Paul Silas and Timothy passed through cities delivering the Doctrines and ordinances which were decreed by the Apostles Elders that were at Jerusalem observe that ordinances or decrees not one decree onely of the cessation of the legall rites and ceremonies Our Saviour not only gave a power to plant his Church by preaching but also governing which includes the power of making laws Acts 21.28 with out which there can be neither living nor governing and that is plain likewise out of the Acts take heed therefore unto your selses and to the flock over which the Lord hath made you overseers to feed as your translation reads it but ours to govern the Church of God and indeed what is a Bishop or an overseer made for unless to govern the preaching part may be performed by other inferiour priests and Deacons And does not Paul to the Hebrews call them Rulers Heb. 13.7.17 as in one place remember them which have the rule over you and again obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your souls as they that must give account that they may doe it with joy and not with griefe for that is unprofitabele for you Then the same Apostle requires the Corrinthians that all things de done decently and in order 1 Cor. 14 40. now it is plain that order supporteth a law and rule which the Church of Christ is or ought to be governd by Lastly St. Paul may very well conclude this business and dispute of Tradition which his positive command to the Thessilonians 2 Thess 3.6 Now we command you Bretheren in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ that ye with draw your selves from every Brother that walketh dissorderly and not after the Tradi tion which he received of us if this be not cleer I declare for my part that I can see no light To what you Alledge against our days of fasting and abstinence and especially the holy fast of Lent I answer thus To the first I say that our Saviour in the Gospells that you cite says not one word of fasting but endeavouring to take away that Jewish errour and superstition
one Argument against so foul a thing and that is this either Images are commanded or commended for good meanes of divine worship or they are not if they be then shew it by Scripture if they be not then it must follow that it is a piece of will-worship and that all Images are meer fond and vain things That your Doctrines of Indulgences Purgatory and Prayer for the dead are derogatory to Gods glory and abusive to the world Iprove by Scripture thus And First as to your business of Indulgencies I shall give but one blow and that I presume will be a mortall one out of Saint Paul to the Romanes where he saith for I reckon that the sufferrings of this present time Rom. 8.18 are not worthy to be compared with the Glory which shall be revealed in me If then the merits of the Saints upon earth are more then enough rewarded by the glory which the Lord is pleased to confer upon them in heaven how can there be a superabundance of their merits pick'd up by your Church and laid up in a storehouse or treasury for the Pope to take out at his pleasure and apply to the use and advantage of other men which is as I am inform'd the prophane and sottish opinion of your Church Then as to your Doctrine of Purgatory I shall disprove it thus The Prophet Daniell mentions but two ways for soules to go The one to everlasting life Dan. 11.2 Matth. 25.46 John 5.29 the other to everlasting contempt Our Saviour does mention no more And these shall go away into everlasting punishment but the Righteous into life eternall so St. Matthew And again in St. Johns Gospell They that have done good unto the Resurrection of life and they that have done evill unto the Resurrection of damnation How dare any man invent a third place upon his own head when God himself ha's appointed but two Again the Scriptures plainly tells us that those which are to be saved go immediately to Heaven without any stop or stay by the way therefore your Purgatory must needs be very much out of the way Luk. 23.43 As first we find in Saint Lukes gospell our Saviours own words to the Thief upon the Cross And Iesus said unto him Verily I say unto thee to day shalt thou be with me in Paradise that is understood immediately after his death without any delay in Purgatory Phil. 1.23 or else where Then again St. Paul tells the Philipians that he had a desire to depart and to be with Christ therefore after departure the saved soul goes immediately to Christ without any rubbs stops or stays by the way what then is become of your pitifull purgatory So I presume I need not trouble your Ladyship with any more arguments to convince so foul an errour I shall only produce one or two more against your prayer for the dead which is a consequent of your Purgatory and so conclude this Paper That your Doctrine of Prayer for the dead is an impertinent piece of devotion and contrary to Scripture I prove thus 1. It were enough for the satisfaction of any resonable person in this point to have disproved purgatory as I have done already for if there be no Purgatory there can be no prayer for the dead usefull at all but I will proceed more particularly to prove against prayer for the dead thus The Prophet Jeremy not only forbids to pray but to weep for the dead saying Weep ye not for the dead Jer. 22.10 neither bemoan him but weep for him that goeth astray c. If the dead be not in a condition to be wept for they are mch lesse in a condition to be pray'd for and by consequence again there can be no Purgatory 2. Luk. 7.13 Our Saviour again in like manner forbids the Widdow to weep for her Son that was dead so still it follows if there ought to be no weeping then no Purgatory and if no Purgatory then no prayer for the dead 3ly and Lastly for the Explication of all that ha's been said 1 Thes 14.13 14 15.16 17 18 and the conviction of all gainsayers Observe what St. Paul says to the Thessalonians But I would not have you be ignorant brethren concerning them which are asleep that ye sâ—rrow not even as others which have no hope for if we believ c. So to the end of the Chapter comforts them with an assurance of resurrection to life eternall without any the least mention of Purgatory or prayers for the dead This Paper my Lady had at sooner peras'd but she disposed her self immediately to her pen and writ as followeth To what you are pleased to alledge against our Doctrine for the invocation of the Saints in Heaven I answer thus To your first second third and fourth I shall answer together and with good reason for there runs the same fallacy along with them all and I do wonder you should be so deluded by the Sophismes of your Doctors for those very Arguments that they have furnished you withall against us in this point do as well take away the Intercession of Christ himself and the prayers of the Saints living upon earth as the intercession of the Saints in heaven For if this be a good consequence God is only to be worshipt therefore it is not lawfull to invoke the Saints in heaven then this must be a good consequence too God is only to be worshipped therefore it is not lawfull to invoke or desire the Saints on earth to pray for us For this word only exclude as well one as the other and must of necessity as well condemn the invocation of the Saints Militant which all of you use and the Apostle himself did too as the invocation of the Saints Triumphant Besides we do acknowledge it to be our duty to pray and ask of God and to pray and ask in Jesus his name and to pray and to ask with confidence as the Apostle would have us but nothing of all this can make an exclusion of the Saints For by the Saints as our fellow Members we pray in the name of Jesus our head wherfore our Church always doth conclude its Collects of the Saints with through Jesus Chirst our Lord and you are to understand that though God be most good most gracious and merciful yet he is a God of order and disposeth of all things so sweetly that all Inferiours may lead us to Superiours and so in this particular case our Church is likewise well pleased that we should come boldly to the Throne of Grace to the fountain of Grace Father of Mercy and God of all comforts but this she tels us that we may more commodiously do it by the Saints then only by our selves who are most miserable sinners and so must of necessity be abhorred by him And the Scripture tels us that our God is a consuming fire and we may justly fear lest we perish before his face as wax melteth
dare presently to thrust himself before his divine Majesty that he has offended but by mediators and intercessors The wisest of Kings Solomon rose up to meet his mother and bowed himself unto her 1 Kings 2.19 and caused a throne to be set for his mother and she sate on his right hand and shall not Jesus Christ a greater and a wiser than Solomon honour his mother in the like kinde It is most manyfest that the Angells are assisting to us and pray for us Mat. 2.8 Mark 12 Psalm 33 then why should not we pray to them and there is the same reason for the saints as for the Angells who are their equalls in heaven as we finde in the holy Gospells Psalm 90. how freequently in the Psalmes does the Royal prophet speak of Gods sending his Angells to snatch us out of dangers to gard us and to keep us in all our ways c. Then we finde in the Prophet Zachcariah Zach. 1.12.13 how the Angel of the Lord interceded for the people in these words O Lord of Hoste how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem Heb. 1.7 and on the Cities of Judah against which thon hast bad indignation these threescore and ten years and the Lord answered the Angell with good words and comfortable words Then S. Acts 12.12.7 8. Paul calls the Angels minnistring spirits and we finde how freequently they have delivered Gods servants as S. Peter out of prison c. now I say if it be in the power of the Angells in heaven to help us by their prayers the same reason will hold for the saints who are as the Evangelists aforesaid tell us their equalls both in their favour and power with God And that they do too is as manifest for the Lord has sometimes sought for a saint to stand in the gap as he saies himself in Ezeckiel Ezek. 22.30.31 and I sought for a man amongst them that should make up the hedge and stand in the gap before me for the land that I should not destroy it but I found none therefore have I powred out mine indignation upon them I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath c. therefore did the Lord do it for want of an acceptable intercesor But it is most cleer in the Apocalyps Revel 4. 5. how the four beasts and four and twenty elders are continually falling down before the Lamb and interceding for the faithfull on earth with their Violls full of precious oyntments which are the prayers of the saints And then again it is expressly said that another Angell came and stood at the Altar haveing a golden censer Revel 8.3.4 and there was given unto him much incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden Alter which was before the Throne and the smoke of the incense which came with the prayers of the faints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand c. If yet there be any doubt remaining me thinks meer reason raised from a most undoubted Scripture should cleer this point as first we finde and I thinke no body questions it that Jesus Christ as he is man does continually interde for all mankinde especially his faithfull ones if any man does doubt let him look into S. Paul to the Romans Rom. 8. Heb. 7. and Hebrews where it is positively said in divers places that Jesus Christ does constantly interecde for us And S. John tells us if any man have sinned 1 John 2. we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the righteous and he is the propitiation for our sins nor for our sins onely but for the sins of the whole world If therefore Christ our head according to his humanity pray for us why should not his members the saints that rain with him and are conformable to him intercede likewise in their proportion for their fellow members uppon earth for we are all members of the same mysticall body Again the liveing pray for one another and frequently obtain Exod. 17 31. Mat. 15. Luke 7. Acts 17. Collos 4.2 2 Thes 3.1 as Moses pray'd and obtained for the people the woman of Canan for her daughter the Centurion for his servant Paul for those that sailed with him Nay S. Paul desired the Colossians to be instant in prayer and particularly for himself and so to the Thessalonians he says finally hretheren pray for us that the word of the Lord may have free course c. If therefore the living may pray for one another why may not the glorifyed saints in heaven do the same for us who are more perfect in charity more powerfull with God and more pure in understanding for if they may not pray for us as the living do it would appear unworthy of Christs grace and favour to them which we cannot apprehend or it must be because it is a purpose of the excellency that it is fiting onely for Christ himself to do it and no person else and then it will not be lawfull for us mortals to pray for one another But that we know the contrary by what has been before set down and as S. Paul does earnestly beseech the Romans Rom. 15.30.31 James 5.16 for the Lord Jesus Christ sake and for the love of the Spirit that they pray to God for him So I do humbly beseech the blessed mother of God and all the saints of heaven to pray for me and all the world besides And so as S. Iames adviseth us let us pray one for another that we may be saved I pray you heer take notice that I have made use of no Scripture out of Baruch the Machabees or any parts of Scripture which you question for Apocrypha though by all the Canons of the Church they are received so I proceed To what you alledge against our use of images which you call an abominable and idolatorrious doctrine I answer thus To the first I say that God Allmighty in that commandment has sufficiently explained his own minde both in the precedent and subsequent words for as he did forbid the worship of strange Gods so he forbide the Images of them to be erected But we worship not the saint for Gods therefore we are not at all prohibited by that commandment to set up their Images For in the first place he saies thou shalt have no strange Gods before me then follows thou shalt not make to thee any graven Image c. then last of all thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them see then the whole drift of that commandment is evident that Images should not be made to that end and purpose and so we concur with you For if to make and erect Images were absolutly and in it self unlawfull then it would follow that Moses himself had sinnd immediately after the giving of that commandment nay that God Almighty had shewed the first way to breake his own commandment for God commanded
all that are bitten by the devil As to the breaking of it by Hezekiah I have hinted already that the end for which it was made ceased it was of no use longer then the children of Israel were in the wildernes for there was no more danger of Serpents in the land of promise But the image of Christ Crucified is made to this end to represent to us our bleeding Saviour and to call to minde those benefits that we receive by that his bitter death and passion now this end must last till the end of the world therefore his image is still to be retained and kept with honour for ever 2 King 8 Besides the brazen Serpent after the end of its making ceased began to be as a foresaid an occasion of Idolatry which the image of Christ cannot be amongst us Christians for we know it is set up to no other intent of purpose then to represent our Saviour and his benefits to us Again Levi. 26.1 Josh 24.26 we finde in Leviticus forbidden to make idols or graven images nor to rear up a standing image nor to set up any graven stone in the land and yet we finde that Joshua took a great stone and set it up there under an oak that was by the Sanctuary of the Lord and so the Altar that was built by the children of Reuben and Gad and the half tribe of Manasseh was permitted to them though contrary to their Law so soon as they had satisfied their brethren Iosh 22. that there was no intention of Idolatry in their so doing and in the like maner did Samuel which I have before insisted upon Again if to set up Images in the house of God had been absolutly Idolatry 1 Kings 7 would Solomon have done it Nay it was done by Gods own order so many Lions Oxen and Cherubims and all carrying a divine morall or signification with them had never sure been set up in that glorious Temple the beloved house of God if they had not been as well usefull as lawfull and specious And so let the use remain in the name of God and the abuse be taken away In the last place I beseech you tell me now if that Scripture and the whole Church were filent in this case by what reason you proceed when you endeavour with so much charge and artifice to paint adorne and preserve the statues and Pictures of Princes and great persons the pictures of Parents Children husbands and wives you will not deny but this you do and you think well done too What madness therefore must it needs appear to be in you to contemn the picture of Christ Spit upon his Images or throw durt in the faces of them beat e'm down abolish or exterminate them would not any indifferent person say that sees those actions that you have a greater kindness for a parent kinsman child or freind then you have for your Crucified God I must tell you that a good honest Pagan would blush and be troubled at it a good Jew would no doubt be pleased at the action yet angry with all those that did it and none but the Devil could rejoyce and make sport with it I am sure I pitty it as the action of poor blind men that are led by those that are willfully blind that is blinder than themselves To what you are pleased to alledge against our doctrines of Indulgencies Purgatory and prayer for the dead I answer thus To the first Now first as to the matter of Indulgencies you say you have but one blow to give me but that must be a mortall one and that must be out of S. Paul to the Romans well I shall freely and humbly grant all that the holy Apostle saies that nothing that we suffer heer can be compared to the glory that we are to receive by his favour heâ—reafter But you must understand that as the works of Jesus Christ upon earth so are those of his saints heer as well satisfactory as mertorious For he merited both for himself us For himself he merited because by the humility of his passion he merited the glory of his Resurrection for so S. Paul tells us Phil. 2.9 10. that being found in fashion as a man he humbled himself and became obedient unto death even the death of the Cross wherefore God hath highly exalted him and given him a name which is above every name c. Then he merited for us Rom. 5.17 18 19. as S. Paul declares to the Romans for if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by Jesus Christ therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men to justification of life for as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous c. For all this his works were meritorious Now they were satisfactory not for his own sins because he had non as S. Peter tells us Who did no sin 1 Pet. 2.22 Esay 5.4.5 6. Ephes 5.2 1 Pet. 2.24 neither was guil found in his mouth but for our sins as is apparent out of scripture he was wounded for our transgression and brused for our iniquities the chastisment of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed All we like sheep have gone astray we have turned every one to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all c. therefore S. Paul tells us that he hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour and S. Peter saies that his own self bare our sins in his own body on the Tree that we being dead to sin should live unto righteousness by whose stripes we are healed 1 John 2 2. and S. John assures us that he is the propitiation for our sins and not for ours onely but also for the sins of the whole world just so we are to conceive of the works and sufferings of the saints which as they are meritorious are more then enough and infinitly beyond their merit remunerated as the Apostle whom you so urge does diliver to us But as they are satisfactory for punishment we do finde that there are many saints who have satisfyed and suffered more than they ought to have done for their own sins as is plain in holy Job Job 6.2.3 in whose book and divers others of holy writ it is said that he suffered much more than he deserved and S. Paul speakes it most plainly of himself Colos 1.24 thus who now rejoyce in my sufferings for you and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his bâ—dies sake which is the Church Can any thing be more plain than this for the doctrine
of Indulgence that the residue of his satisfaction and sufferings should be added to the sufferings of Christ and applyed to the body of Christ that is his Church out of the treasury of Indulgencies And sure this satisfaction of the saints does turn to their greatest glory As for example if the satisfaction and suffering of Laâ—erence does pay the punishment due to John being a penitent will not Laurence have a kinde of additionall joy in heaven for that his satisfaction has paid for his brother John and so the works of the saints as they are sattisfactory and penall are perfectly remunerated to the Saints in that others enjoy the benefit of them being aplyed by the Churches indulgencies And this you may please to accept not onely for a sufficient answer but also a reply as to this particular To what you are pleased to alledge against our doctrine of Purgatory I answer thus To the first I grant that which those texts you urge requir which is that after the day of judgement there shall be but too places for those which are grown in years and that is all which can be enforced out of those Texts But as yet there are as also ther were in the old Testament more places or receptacles for souls And truly granting that there were but too I would fain have you or any man to tell me where the fouls of those were who died and were afterwards raised again to life I would fain know I say how the son of the widow of Sarepta was raised by Elias how the Shunamites son was raised by Elisha how the Son of the widdow in Naim and the daughter of Jarus the Ruler of the synagoge and Lazarus in Bethâ—ny were raised by Jesus Christ how Tabitha was raised by S. Peter and Euâ—yous by S. Paul I would fain know I say where the souls of these persons were between the time of their death and there raising to life They could not be in Hell for from thence there is no redemption Nor in heaven for then it had been so far from being a benefit as it would have proved a loss if from the joys beatitudes there they should return to miserable mortal life It must then follow of necessity that they were in some third place distinct from heaven and from Hell so call it what you will your argument is answered To the second I answer and grant what you collect out of those Scriptures which you quote that the righteous after this life ended are presently admitted into heavenly glory but I must tell you not all the righteous neither who leave nothing to be purged out of them after this life they questionless are admitted presently into heaven But they that have any thing to be expiated left in them shall be admitted in Gods good time but so as by fire as the Apostle tells us Nor are your testimonies out of Scripture any thing importing to the contrary Fâ—r that to day shalt thou be with 〈◊〉 in Paradice was a singular thing and particular priviledge indulged to the good Theife to whom Christ did most liberally forgive all his sins without any further obligation of temporall punishment after death â—ut this is not granted to all no more than the priviledge of one is to be drawn into a president for another Then out of that Text I desire to be dissolved and to be with Christ nothing else can be collected then that the Apostle had a great desire to live with Christ which desire you and I may likewise have especially if we can truly say with the same Apostle I do chastise my body and bring it into subjection Such a mortification as that on earth may give us indeed a present life in heaven which God of his mercy grant us both and all the world besides if so be it may confist with his blessed will To what you say against our doctrine of praying for the dead which is a consequence of Purgatory I answer thus To the first To what you alledge out of the Prophet Jeremy I answer that the Prophet Jeremy does not speake it absolutly of all the dead but of one onely that was the King Joachas who died in captivity in Egypt so saith the Prophet Weep not for the dead neither bemoane him but weep for your following Kings undâ—er whom you are to suffer greater Tribullation To the Second I grant that Christ did forbid the widdow to weep for her Son but it was because he was immediately to raise him from the dead so she was not to weep for him as dead but to be comforted for the miraculous life which he was to receive I must profess that I see not a word against Purgatory or prayer for the dead in all this To the Third and Last I say that which you bring so confidently out of S. Paul as a most invinsible and unanswerable argument give me leave to tell you comes off but very lamely for you for the words of the Text do sufficiently cleer themselves that ye sorrow not for those that sleep as others which have no hope so we agree that to weep for the dead out of any dispaire of a future resurrection is so far from being the practice of our Church that we hold it to be a sin or to weep for a dead friend out of diffidence that we shall never see him again or a fear that we have for ever lost him is very injunious to God and Christianity but when we weep adâ—prayers to our tears in the behalf of our dead friends we are so far from weeping as those without hope that we testify our Christian Confidence and assurance in the Security of his condition for being in Purgatory he is sure of salvation though he may stay some time for it to pay the temporall punishment there due for his sins heer That there is a third place which we call Purgatory and that the prayers of the faithfull upon earth are very helpfull to them I prove thus First we finde it delivered at large by S. 1 Cor. 3.12 13 14 15. Paul in these words Now if any man build upon this foundation gold silver precious stones wood hay stubble every mans work shall be made manifest for the day shall declare it because it shall be revealed by fire and the fire shall try every mans work of which sort it is if any mans work shall be burnt he shall suffer loss but he himself shall be saved yet so as by fire Here it is most plain that though a man do works to be burnt as shall appear in the day of every mans particular judgement that is his death yet he shall be saved by fire that cannot be meant of infernal fire for from thence there is no redemption it must be then understood of Purgatory Our Saviour in the Gospels implys Purgatory plainly though under a Parable in these words Matth. 5.25.26 Luke 12.38 Agree with thine adversary quickly whilest thou art
only but likewise the testimony of the most antient and holy Fathers the invincible evidence of the true Mother-Church and the testimony of divine miracles which are frequently one for the confirmation of our faith But you forsooth as if you were wiser than Christ himself will neither admit or hear of any thing but out of Scripture alone in which you shew your selves like those Jews against whom our Saviour so disputes for the Jews casting off all other testimony would admit onely of Scripture 2 Cor. 3.14.15 â— and yet they neither understood it then nor yet do or ever will as the Apostle tels us when he says but their minds were blinded for untill this day remaineth the same Vail untaken away in the reading of the Old Testament c. and again when Moses is read the Vail is upon their hearts c. To the third For what you urge so hard out of the Acts you shall find to be to as little purpose as the other if if you but please to examine the Context which tells you That there being a Synagogue of Jews at Thessalonica St. Paul as his manner was went in unto them and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures opening and alledging that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead Act. 17.2 3. and that Jesus whom he preacht unto them was Christ c. But the Word so preacht did but little profit those of Thessalonica then follows that they of Berea were more Neble then those of Thessalonica in that they received the Word with all readinesse of mind and searched the Scriptures daily whether those things were so c. Now I would fain know what you wil conclude out of this as to your purpose unless thus Those of Berea searched the Testimonies of Scripture concerning Christ that were quoted by St. Paul therefore Scripture alone must determine faith and be the only Rule and Judge between us That is just as if you would say that one of your Doctors searcheth all the testimonies of St. Austin that are quoted by Bellarmin therefore St. Austin is the only Judge of Controversies Or thus one of your Congregation searcheth all the testimonies which are produced against a great Doctor of yours as they are quoted by a greater of your own therefore that great Doctor is the only judge of Controversies Or thus one of your Doctors searcheth all the Traditions that are alledged in the Councill of Yrent thefefore only Tradition is to be receiv'd for a Judge of Controversies I pray you forbear these pitiful consequences and yet your great Doctors seldommake be tter are not asham'd of them so I may well excuse you andothers seduced by them To the Fourth I say that your Argument if it had any weight at all would serve altogether as well agianst your self as us for if as you understand it every man be a Lyar add may erre it will follow necessarily that Moses with the Prophets Apostles and Evangelists nay that your Friends Luther and Calvin nay all your Preachers to be Lyars and may erre because they are men therefore there is no credit to be given to any of them no confidence to be put in them but all things that are said by them must be taken for suspected and uncertain where then is faith Nor matters it though they say that the Word which they tell us is not their own but Gods Word for if they be Lyars they may as well lye in the delivery of Gods message as in any thing else of their own nothing therefore can be certain But God forbid that any Christian should think so for it is far otherwise First we confesse the Scripture to be certain and infallible because it is the Word of God but we adde that it is so obscure that the true sence and meaning cannot easily appear to every man Therefore of necessity there must be some other Judge that must infallibly determine what is the clear and genuine sence of the Scripture it self Now this infallible Judge cannot possibly be every private man for then there would be so many Judges as there be men and diversities of Opinions and so there would be an utter impossibility to agree to any thing or compose any difference in Religion every one being apt to favour his own opinion It is necessary therefore that there should be a publick Judge agreed upon who should have a power of decreeing defining and determining all things between differet parties Gen. 8.21 Psal 38.6 Then again we says that we must consider men in two respects Num. 11.17 Deut. 17.9 Aug. 2.12 Malac. 2.3 Jerem. 1.7 first as men and the sons of Adam so obnoxions to many naturall corruptious so without doubt they are all prone to lying and falshood In the next place we must consider them as they are directed and goveâ—n'd by the Holy Ghost for the instruction of others so they are infallible and without possibility of lying such as Moses in the Old Testament with bis Congregation of Elders about him So were divers other High Priests that succeeded him such were the Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezechiel Daniel and all the rest Such in the New Testament were the Apostles to whom it was said I wil from the Father send you the spirit of truth and again when the of Spirit of truth shall come he shall teach you all truth Iohn 16.6.13 now where there is all truth there can be no lye Such ever was now is and still must be the Church of Christ which having the perpetuall assistance and government of the same Holy Spirit ha's as it were the heart of it so long therefore as the faithfull Christian shall continue in the unity of the Church and keep close to the Doctrine of the supream Bishop and Councells he shall participate of the assistance and government of the holy Ghost nor can erre in faith but if through any pride or perversity of spirit he shall disagree and depart from that head and heart then he shuts all those passages and Chanels by which that divine assistency and direction is to be derived and so must of necessity be seduced from truth and led into a Labyrinth of errours as we have sadly seen in all the antient and modern Hereticks The next similitude may be drawn from a flock of sheep which indeed is the best representation of the Church Ioh. 10.14 math 28.20 as our Saviour himself is pleas'd to attest in the Gospel for as the whole flock being in one Fold or place collected together has the perpetuall assistance and guard of the Shepherd and so are defended from the malice fierceness of wolves so the Universall Church of the faithfull being collected in one faith and spirit has the perpetuall care and assistance of that divine Shepherd who said I an the good Shepherd and know my Sheep and again and I am always with you to the end of the
World And just as each single Sheep so long as it remains in the society and Communion with the Flock and under the aare and custody of the Shepherd is safe and secure from the mouths of wolves so is each single Christian so long as he remains joyned and tyed up in the unity of the Church that is submits to the sence and doctrine of the whole Church is never err'd yet in matter of faith nor ever can now I presume you may require to know of me whether all and every one of this Church hath this great assistance and direction of the Holy Spirit that he cannot erre in matter of Faith I do readily answer that every one of the faithfull has it but by way of dependance upon the Church and from it So long therefore as any man remains in conjunction with the Church he cannot erre if he separates or dissents from it he must needs of necessity fall into an errour which I 'le thus explain to you by two Examples or similitudes The one may be taken from the proportion of a humane body in which we see that all the members do jointly and severally paticipate of the vitall and sensitive spirits by which life is preserved in them all but yet they have these spirits derivatively from and by way of dependency upon the head and heart for it is from them as from a double Fountain those spirits are derived into the other members so that when the Channells and passages by which that derivation and distribution is made are stopt or intercepted it must follow necessarily that the other Members must be left destitute of spirits and be rendred incapable of performing their Office but being open all will be well So likewise in the Church all the faithfull which are as it were Members of it have a certain assistancy and direction from the holy Ghost but by way of dependency upon the Pope who is as the head of the Church and from Councils which are safe and secure from all danger of errour and infidelity In the last place as sheep that go astray from the flock are out of the protection of the Shepherd and by consequence must fall into the danger of Wolves so Christians which depart from the common sence and doctrine of the Church must of necessity fall into millions of errours for want of the assistance of the holy spirit which is the Judge and Guardian of that I pray you good Mistriss N. have a care how you expose your self to this terrible danger To the Fifth I utterly deny that generall Councells have er'd in matters of faith it is possible that some particular Councells might or some false Councells more truely call'd conventicles Then that some councills have determined variously as to discipline and Ecclesiasticall government I grant for variety of times requires diversity of Laws and God himself gives the president of that who changed many things in the new Testament that were commanded in the Old And as for Lay-men to be present in Councels we do not at all deny so they be as witnesses defenders Counsellors Suggestors or Executioners of their decrees but never as to have a Voyc in any Councill or Church businesse and this is plain by those Gouncils that we find in the Acts celebrated by the Apostles and so clearly in every Age since and why should Lay-men have to do more now Now give me leave to reply something to you and I 'le be short in my proof having been so long in my answers That the Pope with a generall Council may detrmine what is of Fath and what is not I pove by expresse Scripture thus We find in Scripture some Councils celebrated by the Apostles that have actually made such determinations As first for the taking off the burthen of Circumcision and other Indaicall obligations we find the result thus For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us Act. 15.28 29. to lay upon you no greater burthen than these necessary things that they abstein from meats offered to Idols and from blood and from things strangled and from Fornication from which if ye keep your selves ye shalde well See here the form of an Apostolical Councell First the Text tells us that the Apostles and Elders came together and that St. Peter was President and Prolocutor then they issued out their decrees with this authoritative preface It seemed good to the Holy Ghost and to us Now do you find that any faithfull Christians then did question their authority ver 6.7 as you do now that of other Conncells assembled in like manner and assisted by the same spirit Thus you see that Councell did decree somethings to be necessary for a time which were not simply and of themselves matters of faith and to take off from the Jews many things that were to them before matters Faith as circumcision and other mosaicall Statutes Why should not I say the Church now have the same power when the same necessity shall require we have I 'm sure the same Christ the fame holy spirit the same faith the same Church why not the fame power in Councills We read again of another Council celebrated by the Apostles when they wer to part one from another Apostles Creed and to go preach the Gospel as the Lord had commanded them over the whole World when they met together and upon a large debate delivered to us the Creed which you your selves and I 'm sure the whole Church of Christ submits to as as points of faith and is to this day called the Apostles Creed and for some of those Articles we have no Scripture at all nor any other authority but this that they were so delivered by the Apostles and I conceive it a duty incumbent upon all good Christians what the wise Man adviseth Prov. 22.28 not to remove the antient Land-marks which our Fathers have set In what respect a Councill or Convocation of Elders was with God and ever taken for the representative body of the Church is plain in many places of Exodus Exod 19.3 7 8. especially that where God commands Moses to say to the House of Jacob and tell the Children of Israell c. And yet afterwards it is said of Moses that he came and call'd for the Flders onely of the people and laid before their faces all these Words which the Lord commanded him c. And though it is plain that the Elders of the people onely answered with whom Moses was talking Deut. 32.7 yet the Text tell us That all the people answered together and said c. Which could dot be â—nless onely so representatively by their convocation of Elders How well therefore does the same Moses express this in his fong when he saith Remember the days of old confider the years of many generations Ask thy Father and he will shew thee thy Elders and they will tell thee c. I should be infinite to run through all the
Old Scripture to shew what a stamp of Majesty and Authority God Almighty fixt upon such assemblies and what respect the people always rendred them So it shall suffice to give you our Saviours own words and so conclude this point We find in St. Matthew thus Again I say unto you that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask it shall be done for them of my Father which is in Heaven Matth. 18. v. 18 20. for where two or three are gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Now I would fain know who can be convinced more evidently not to hear the Church then he that will not hear a Councell there can be no where a greater and more conspicuous consent than in a Council nor can there be any Congregations assembled more in the name of God then generall Councells are and yet you are pleased to cast contempt upon them But give me leave to tell you let the Authority of Councells be once taken away and all things in the Church will bee ambiguous and uncertain First all the antient Heresies that have been condemned by the authority of Councells and cast out of the Church may be reviv'd and reinforced upon Christians with as much reason as any primitive and Catholick Doctrine Then set up the Authority of Scripture alone against that of the Church and Councills and then Scripture it self will be uncertain for thrusting out that authority wich ha's commended sacred Scripture to us and commanded us to recive it what Scripture is it that opinionated men wil not reject and condemn for Apocrypha which will not save their own turns as some of your Doctros have notoriously done and so in fine we can never agree upon the point what is Scripture and what is not Thus must the Church of Christ fall into a most miserable condition for upon the arising of any doubt in matter of faith there can be no way found out to decide it but every particular person according to the proportion of wit in his own pate shall frame to himselfe faith of what form or fashion he pleaseth How then hath Christ provided for his Church a sufficientrule to go by and why should his Evangelioall Law be called the most perfect if he has not otherwise order'd a determination of all emergent coutroversies But thanks be to our most gracious God and Saviour he has abundantly done it for us as I shal more amply shew in my answers and replyes to the following heads of this your Paper which God give you grace with prudence and impartiality to petuse To what you alledge for Scripture to be the only Rule of our faith and against the Authority of the universall Church and it's Traditions I answer thus To the first I say that you are very much mistaken in matter of Scripture so I shall be bold to inlarge a little upon it for your better understanding And first it is to be observed that our Saviour himself writ no book at all neither commanded his disciples or Apostles to write any inso much as being to send them to plant his Church Matth. 28. he said not to them go and write but go and preach to the whole World Therefore we find the Old Law written in Tables of Stone but the Gospell had no other writing then but in the hearts of Christians So St. Paul plainly expresseth it Ye are our Epistle c. again 2 Cor. 3.2 3. Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declard to be the Epistle of Christ ministred by us not with ink but with the spirit of the living God not in Tables of stone but in fleshly tables of the heart c. This was before prophesyed by the Prophet Jerem. Behold the days come Jer. 31.31.302 3 saith the Lord that I will make a new Cavenant with the House Israell and with the House of Judah not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers But this shall be the Covenant that I will make with the House of Israel after those days saith the Lord I wil put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I wil be their God and they shall be my people c. Again we find that the Church is much ancienter then Scripture for when the Apostles began to preach there was no Evangelical Scripture no Epistle of St. Paul extant and yet the Church was then purchased and sprinkled with the blood of Christ Acts 1. and governed by his unerring Spirit So the Apostles without any authority of the Scripture of the New-Testament proceeded to the election of Matthias and to the ordination or seven Deacons Acts 5.6 c. So Peter proceeded to the sentence against Ananias and Saphira which struck the breath out of their bodies c. Now we know that the Apostles were very diligent in preaching and sowing the word of God and yet we finde but very little that they left us in writing so it must follow that they taught a great deal more then they wrote which must have equal authority with their writings Yet further it is plain that the Scripture it self cannot be authentical without the authority of the Church for the Canonical Writers themselves were but members of the Church and how shall any private man know what Scripture is Canonical and what not but by the Church John 3. Why should any man believe the Gospel of St. Mark to be Canonical who never saw Christ and the Gospel of Nicodemus not to be so who both saw and heard Christ as St. John testifies of him and why should the Gospel of St. Luke the Disciple be receiv'd and the Gospel of St. Bartholomew the Apostle be rejected unless we humbly comply with the power and authority of the Church which hath so ordered it and clearly confess that the Church can judge of Scriptures Thus since it is plain that the Church is ancienter then Scripture and that no Scripture can be thought authentical without the authority of the Church Exod. 20. can any Christian be blamed for saying that he would never believe the Scripture but that the Authority of the Church commanded it over over and above all this the Authority of the Church over Scripture is hugely evident in many particulars of Scripture As first Matth. 28. Act. 15. the Scripture commands thus Remember that thou keep holy the Sabbath day six days shalt thou labour and do all that thou hast to do but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God c. And yet the Church changed the Sabbath into the Lords day by its own authority Matth. 28.19 20. and not only without but against known Scripture Again Christ said to his Disciples in the Mount that he came not to dissolve the Law but fulfill it and yet the Church in the Apostles Councel decreed and pronounced boldly for the Cessation
are something hard to be understood which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest as they do also the other Scriptures unto their own destruction Thus do you see what unhappy mistakes there were upon St. Pauls writings while St. Paul himself was yet alive how much more then must there needs be now upon those grounds that you receive them Niy St. Paul himself tells you that if his Gospel be hid it is hid to them that are lost Now it is plain it cannot be hidden to us who take the sense and interpretation of the whole Church you had best therefore look to your selves that you be not lost by hiding of it from your selves And if the blessed Fathers of the Church that were so conversant in Scripture yet understood it not in those times so near to the time of Christ himself as some of you say that they did not how can you presume upon your selves and some late Doctors that have dared to give you a contrary Doctrine to what they have delivered to us I have often meditared upon that place in St. Lukes Cospel where it is said of the good Samaritan that when he departed he took out two pence and gave them to the Host and said unto him take care of him and what ever thou spendest more when I come again I will repay thee Just so me thinks our Saviour hast left us two Testaments and whatsoever the Apostles Doctors and Fathers of the Church have added more and we shall humbly observe he when he comes again of his great goodness will repay us Now to summ up all it is plain by this that has been said that some Traditions of the Church must have equal authority with Scripture as the commands of a Prince have equal force and power upon Subjects whether by word of mouth delivered or by writing So the word of God written or delivered is still the word of God and of equal power And if you say that the Apostolical Tradition cannot be the word of God I ask you whether the other part of the Apostles that have left us nothing in writing were not as well inspired of the Holy Ghost as they that did you cannot sure deny it and they were too the greater part of the Twelve Now the Church of Christ still retains many things of their Doctrine thorgh we have none of their writing and sure we are to give as much credit to those that writ not as those that did I ask you again whether it be not a point of faith that the whole Scripture taken together of the Old and New Testament is the word of God and again whether all that Scripture especially in those things which concern Faith and Salvation be not most clear from corruption and again that we have the true genuine and legitimate sense of that Scripture is a point of faith too I believe you will not deny any one of these to be a point of your Faith I am sure they are all of mine so you must first acknowledge that I give as great an honour to Scripture as your self and then if we both admit those three positions as principles of Faith we must necessarily admit of Traditions for we have no Authority but that to justifie them and if we do not admit those for principles our Faith it self is wholly vain Then besides these three principles of Faith there are others also which we have only by Tradition as that the Symbol of our Faith is Canonical and Apostolical Then that Infants are to be baptized Then that those who are baptized by Hereticks are not to be re-baptized Then as is aforesaid that the blessed Mother of God alwayes remained a Virgin Then that in Baptism those words ought to be pronounced I baptize thee in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost and that without them there can be no valid Baptisme Then that there is a certain and determinate number of Sacraments and what that number is All these things I say are not clearely to be found in Scripture but we must be beholding to the Authority of Tradition But last of all for Ecclesiastical Rites and Ceremonies it is manifest that we can have no other authority but Tradition and not Apostolicall for all those neither but some of them only from the Primitive Fathers that succeeded the Apostles in the Government of Christs Church and that sure it security enough for the practice and perswasion of any Christian for I have heard that a very ancient and most learned Father said that it was a piece of most insolent madnesse to dispute the doing of that which the Church of Christ throughout the whole world has always frequented and practised so 〈◊〉 you to it There were other wicked and idolatrous Kings as Abaz Manasses Amon and some others wicked though not idolaters but yet the use of the Divine Sacrifice and worship according to the Mosaical Law does appear still to have remained in the Temple of Solomon til the Babylonish captivity as is evident by several places of Scripture Then for the failing of the Synagogue in the time of Christ which you alledge it is not to be supposed that they failed from the true faith which was before profest but she with her ceremonies and Sacrifices was turned out of dores as was before typified in Abrahams bondwoman it does not therefore follow that the Church the true wife should be so too Then the Synagogue was therefore turned away because it was neither perfect nor sufficient to salvation Heb. 7.19 for so St. Paul tells us that the Law brought nothing to perfection and in that sense the ceremonies and Sacraments of the Synagogue are called by the same Apostle Gal. 4.9 weak and beggarly elements but now the Church of Christ is perfect and sufficient to salvation because it's Sacraments which are instituted by Christ carry with them a vertue of justification and taking away of sinnes the Sacrrments of the old Law only promised a Saviour but the Sacraments of the new give salvation Again the Synagogue contained only the shadow of future things as St. Paul speaks Heb. 10.1 Ioh. 1.9 but the Church contains the light it self which is Christ as St. Iohn assures us now the shadow must necessarily fly before the light the Synagogue therefore with the Mosaical Sacrifices ought to cease when the Church comes with Christ Last of all the Synagogue was instituted for servants the Church for sonnes now servants take wages of their masters for a time and so are dismist by their masters but sonnes succeed in the perpetual inheritance which the Apostles thus insinstates to the Galatians Gast out the bondwoman and her sonne Gal. 4.30 for the sonne of the bondwoman shall not be heire with the sonne of the free woman and so enough of difference I conceive is shewed between the Synagogue and the Church to shew you that the reason is not the same To