lost and corrupted with Errour Superstitious and Idolatrous Worships that the Doctrine of the Gospel was almost quite extinct and false Legends humane Traditions and Constitutions had taken place of the Word of God and were come in the room of the Divine Commands and Institutions So that 't is no wonder if in those Ages we could not shew any one Congregation or number of Persons and Professions that always held the same Doctrines that we do Though there were always some that opposed and groaned under the growing Superstitions of their Age. Luke 18. 8. I say unto you saith our Saviour when the Son of Man cometh shall he find Faith on the Earth What then at that time shall be the Face of the Church If you will believe Cardinal Bellarmin all the publick Ceremonies of Religion and Sacrifices shall cease De Rom. Pontif. lib. 3. cap. 7. And if there be nothing of the publick Ceremonies of Religion how should the Church then have a visible State And as for the Roman Church in particular the Apostle gives some intimation of her Defection as great as that of the Jews Rom. 11. 20 21 22. CHAP. V. That Multitude is a Mark of the Church Bellarm. de Eccles lib. 4. cap. 7. THis doth not agree to the Church alone nor yet always to it nor to the purest part of it in opposition to others If we should go to the Poll the Mahometans would outnumber the Christians And the Professors of the True Doctrine are many times but few in comparison of the rest of the Church and much more in comparison of the rest of the World. And therefore this is a very improper Mark to distinguish and know the Church by in all Ages As especially in the first Age and in the Time of the Arians and in the Reign of Antichrist So that to assert it for a Mark agreeing to the Church Universal is false Luke 12. 32. Fear not little Flock for it is your Father's good Pleasure to give you a Kingdom The Church is called a little Flock and Babylon that is opposite to the Church is called a great City Rev. 16. 19. Consider the Course or Series of the History of the Church For after more than sixteen hundred Years after the Creation of the World the Church was composed but of eight Persons that entred the Ark Gen. 7. 13. Near two thousand three hundred Years after the Creation of the World the Church was composed but of seventy Persons that went down into Egypt Exod. 1. 5. and all these but of one Family And though it was much encreased in Moses's Time yet then it was still but one People wandring in a Wilderness It was confined to the Jewish People alone for many Ages and to a few Proselytes that came into them And as to the Jewish People it self and more than three thousand Years after the Creation of the World besides the two Tribes that worshipped at Jerusalem there were in the other ten but seven thousand that had not bowed their knees to Baal And these so little appearing that the Prophet Elijah thought he himself had been left alone 1 King. 19. 10. Of what side then was the Multitude there were four hundred lying Prophets and but one true one 1 King. 22. In our Saviour's Time the whole Christian Church consisted of twelve Apostles and seventy Disciples and some few followers besides which were not many nor very constant in their Profession John 6. 66 67. For from that time many of his Disciples went back and walked no more with him So that our Saviour said also to the Twelve Will ye also go away If the Apostles had followed some sort of Maxims they had answered Yes Sir we are going too for the Multitude is not of thy side Again Chap. 12. 37 38. Though he had done so many Miracles before them yet they believed not on him That the saying of Isaias the Prophet might be fulfilled which he spake Lord who hath believed our Report and to whom is the Arm of the Lord revealed It seems then the Church was not made up of Multitude Mat. 27. 20. The chief Priests and Elders perswaded the multitude that they should ask Barrabas and destroy Jesus To follow the multitude then one should have cried against the Saviour of the World Let him be crucified vers 22. Acts 1. 15. In those days after the Ascension of Christ Peter stood up in the midst of the Disciples and the number of the Names together were about one hundred and fifty There was no great Assembly of Christians then in the World. In After-Ages the Church indeed was much increased but yet at some times was so over-run with Errors that the number of the Orthodox was inconsiderable in comparison of the Hereticks And it is prophesied Rev. 13. 3 4. that all the World would wonder after the Beast and worship the Dragon which gave power unto the Beast and they worshipped the Beast saying Who is like unto the Beast who is able to make War with him Few Disciples follow Jesus Christ but behold the whole World runneth after the Beast And vers 7 8. It was given unto him to make War with the Saints and to overcome them and Power was given unto him over all Kindreds and Tongues and Nations And all that dwell upon the Earth shall worship him whose Names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb. How should all the Inhabitants of the World worship the Beast and yet Multitude be of the side of the Church So Rev. 17. 1 2. it is the great Whore that sitteth upon many Waters now vers 15. The Waters which thou sawest where the Whore sitteth are Peoples and Multitudes and Nations and Tongues And the Kings of the Earth have committed Fornication with her and the Inhabitants of the Earth have been drunk with the Wine of her Fornication So that the great Whore commands Kings and a multitude of Peoples and Nations This is that the Church of Rome vaunts of so much but we shall think never the better of them for their Multitude nor yet the worse of our selves though we were fewer than we are having had such fair Warnings as to this Matter This is no sufficient Argument of their being the true Catholicks for having the greatest number of Professors of their side unless they likewise retain and profess the Catholick Faith the same Christian Religion which all good Christians in all Ages and of all Nations have ever constantly profess'd And if we do this we are true Catholicks though we are the lesser number if it be so But upon Calculation it has been judged that the number of the Reformed is not much unequal to theirs But no wise Man ever judged of the Truth of Religion by the major Vote which is an Argument to none but Fools Exod. 23. 2. Thou shalt not follow a Multitude to do evil But if Multitude were always in the right this had been a very improper
Doctrine that was delivered in the Promises of the Old Testament concerning the Messiah And for the same reason there was no necessity that Miracles should be wrought by our Reformers it being their Business not to teach any new Doctrine but to restore what was already taught and formerly confirmed by Miracles And it is moreover to be observed that neither our Saviour nor his Apostles did insist upon Miracles alone as the only Test of the Truth of their Doctrine but in conjunction with the Predictions and Prophecies of the Old Testament which were fulfilled in our Saviour's Person and in his Works and Doctrine as may appear by our Saviour's own method which he took for the conviction of others Luke 24. 25 26. where he appeals to all that the Prophets have spoken concerning himself And by his referring them to the Scriptures for their information John 5. 39. And so St. Peter corroborates the Testimony of the Resurrection of Christ with David's prediction of it Acts 2. 22 24. And refers likewise to the Prophecies of the Old Testament as the most sure Rule 2 Pet. 1. 16 17. And St. Paul in his preaching said none other things than those which the Prophets and Moses did say should come Act. 26. 22. So that the Jews were to receive our Saviour and his Doctrine not barely upon the account of his Miracles but as in conjunction with the Doctrine and Prophecies of the Old Testament and so as having all the concurrent Characters of a Divine Revelation And we have much less reason now to receive any Doctrine from any Persons or Church upon the account of any Miracles wrought or pretended to be wrought by them unless it be likewise conformed to the Doctrine of the Scriptures already delivered and confirmed by which it is to be tried We are also forewarn'd in the Scriptures that it may please God sometimes to permit Signs and Wonders to be wrought for the trial of Men whether they will adhere to the True Doctrine already delivered and sufficiently confirm'd And the false Prophets and Teachers shall make use of such Methods to propagate their false Doctrines Therefore this can be no proper Mark or Character of a true Prophet true Doctrine or a true Church Thus Deut. 13. 1 2 3. If there arise among you a Prophet or a Dreamer of Dreams and giveth thee a Sign or a Wonder And the Sign or Wonder come to pass of which he spake unto thee saying Let us go after other Gods which thou hast not known and let us serve them Thou shalt not hearken to the words of that Prophet or that Dreamer of Dreams â—or the Lord your God proveth you to know whether you love the Lord your God with all your Heart and with all your Soul. Mat. 24. 24 25. False Christs and false Prophets shall arise and shall shew great Signs and Wonders that if it were possible they shall deceive the very Elect. Behold I have told you before Is not this a fair warning 2 Thess 2. 9. That wicked One viz. the Son of Perdition his coming shall be after the working of Satan with all Power and Signs and lying Wonders This is the very Mark and Livery of the Son of Perdition Rev. 13. 13 14. And he doth great Wonders viz. the Beast that had Horns like a Lamb so that he maketh Fire come down from Heaven on the Earth in the sight of Men and deceiveth them that dwell on the Earth by the means of those Miracles that he had power to do in the sight of the Beast And some it seems shall be deceived thereby For the Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter Times some shall depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing Spirits 1 Tim. 4. 1. The so many pretended Miracles of the Romish Church then give us cause of suspicion that all is not right It is for them to pretend to Miracles that want other confirmation of their Doctrine but when we preach only the Doctrine already confirm'd we do not need them Gal. 1. 8. But though we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel unto you than that which we have preach'd unto you let him be accursed It is in vain to alleadg Miracles to confirm a false Doctrine for it is not the preaching or apparition of an Angel is enough to recommend it and if not so then not any other Miracle So that we are to try the Doctrines now not by Miracles but by its consonancy to and correspondency with the Doctrine of the Scriptures already establish'd And we must judg of the Miracles themselves by the Doctrine and not the Doctrine by them And as we are to judg of the Doctrine so we are to judg of the Church that teacheth it And have cause to suspect Miracles now as the Marks of Deceivers who we are foretold shall pretend to them than to take them as Tests of true Doctrine or Marks of the true Church It is the Character of the Pharisees never to be contented with the Miracles that have been sufficiently wrought but still to expect more Mat. 16. 1. But we are contented with the Miracles already wrought by our Saviour and his Apostles And since we teach no other Doctrine than what was taught by them we may say of good right that their Miracles are our Miracles and that they authorize our belief So that we shall think not one jot the worse of our selves now for want of this Mark nor one jot the better of the Church of Rome for its pretending to it CHAP. VIII That St. Peter was supreme Pastor and Governour under Christ and had a primÌ„acy of Dominion over the Church and that the Pope is so as his Successor Catechism Roman par 1. de 9. Artic. Symbol §. 11. THis is the main Foundation of all the glorious Pretences of the Bishop and Church of Rome Upon this it is that they arrogate so great Authority to themselves over all the Churches of Christ throughout the World and over all their Members The Roman Church is defined to be the Mother and Mistress of all Churches Fourth General Council of Lateran Can. 2. Council of Trent Sess 7. Can. 3 c. And the Roman Bishop defined to be the Vicar of God and Christ and the Successor of St. Peter and to have the supreme Pastorship over the Vniversal Church Council of Trent Sess 6. de reformat cap. 1. Sess 15. cap. 7. But the very Foundation of all that St. Peter had such an Headship and Rule over the whole Church above the rest of the Apostles is overthrown by many Texts of Scripture Mark 10. 42 43 c. Jesus called unto them and said Ye know that they which are accounted to rule over the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and their great Ones exercise Authority upon them But so shall it not be among you but whosoever will be Great among you shall be your Minister and whosoever of you will be Chiefest shall be
Pope Leo himself Distinct 13. Can. omniâ— So that the Apostle might have married if he had pleased and was under no Obligation to the contrary 1 Tim. 3. 2 4 5. A Bishop then must be blameless the Husband of one Wife vigilant sober of good behaviour given to Hospitality apt to teach One that ruleth well his own House having his Children in subjection with all gravity For if a Man know not how to rule his own Family how shall he take care of the Chruch of God Then he that is chosen into the Office of a Bishop may have and retain a Wife These words the Husband of one Wife cannot be understood of the Church of God seeing the Apostle makes a dictinction between the Pastor's Family and his Flock If a Man know not how to rule his own House how shall he take care of the Church of God 1 Tim. 4. 1 2 3. The Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter Times some shall depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils speaking lies in Hypocrisy and having their Consciences â—eared with an hot Iron forbidding to marry Is not this true of the Church of Rome that wholly interdicts Marriage to the Monks and Clergy It is in vain to say that there were some Ancient Hereticks who did forbid Marriage and that the Apostle speaks of them in this place for many may fall into the same precipice To forbid Marriage either wholly or to any Persons whatsoever as a Pollution is plainly to incur the Apostle's Censure Noah a Preacher of Righteousness was married Gen. 6. Abraham the Father of the Faithful was married Gen. 12. Moses the greatest of the Prophets was married Exod. 2. God himself gave orders touching the marriage of the chief Priests Lev. 21. 12. The Prophet Isaiah was married Isa 8. 3. The Prophet Ezekiel was married Ezek. 24. 18. There is mention made of St. Peter's Wife's Mother Mark 1. 30. St. Philip the Evangelist had four Daughters Acts 21. 9. Unless there were a Command to forbid the Clergies Marriage which that there is not is plain to those who read the Bible carefully and unless there were an universal Promise of the Gift of Continence to them at least upon their asking as it doth not appear there is it can be nothing else but a bold presumption and which is the occasion of many Mischiefs to lay such an Injunction or Prohibition upon them CHAP. XV. That the Vow of Poverty is laudable and that Mendicant and begging Friars are in a State of Perfection Council of Trent Sess 25. cap. 1. Bellarm. de Monach. lib. 2. cap. 20 45. THis is to make a Vow of that which God often inflicts as a Curse upon Men and therefore should be reputed a thing which Men should not chuse but avoid Psal 109. 10. David speaking of the Wicked saith Let his Children be continually Vagabonds and beg let them seek their Bread also out of desolate Places as those that are cast out of their Habitations The Royal Prophet puts beggary among the Curses of God and what Reason hath any one then voluntarily to take it up as a State of Perfection So Deut. 28. 48. Because thou servedst not the Lord thy God with joyfulness and gladness of Heart for the abundance of all things therefore shalt thou serve thine Enemies in hunger and in thirst and in nakedness and in want of all things Poverty hath many Inconveniences and Troubles usually attending upon it and is that which often exposeth Men to great Temptations and Snares which no Man can be sure he shall be always able to bear or overcome whatever his present temper and disposition of Mind may be if he be cast into this Estate by the Providence of God he may believingly pray and hope for the Divine Assistance but voluntarily to vow it and expose himself to it is to put himself upon that which may be an occasion of much Sin which no Man should do It is that which wise and good Men have prayed against â—rov 30. 8. Give me neither Poverty nor Riches but feed me with Food convenient for me Should any one make that a Vow to God which the wise Man prays against To have a competent provision of the good things of this Life according to the condition of ones place is a Blessing and Comfort and may be of great use to the ends of Piety and Charity for the more chearful serving God and the relief of our necessitous Brethren Voluntarily to cast away this is to be ungrateful to the Bounty of God who giveth us richly all things to enjoy 1 Tim. 6. 17. And it is to be cruel to ones self not to use the good things which God hath given us of his Liberality as a Blessing For so it is accounted Psal 128. 1 2. Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord For thou shalt eat the Labour of thy Hands happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee And it is against that Duty which we owe to our Neighbour by which we are obliged as far as we may and as far as the Providence of God will assist us so to provide and manage Things by our Labour and Industry as that we may always be in a capacity to relieve others in necessity and not to cast our selves upon their relief when we may avoid it For this we have the Apostle's direction and approbation Acts 20. 35. I have shewed you that so labouring ye ought to support the Weak and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus how he said It is more blessed to give than to receive So Ephes 4. 28. it is the Apostle's Rule Let him that stole steal no more but rather let him labour working with his hands the thing which is good that he may have to give to him that needeth Voluntarily to put ones self out of a capacity of doing this is to sin against the Command of the Apostle and under pretence of Perfection to violate a down-right Command And is this fit to be the Matter of a Vow To seek our living by begging Relief of others without using those Means which we may for our own subsistence is expresly against God's Ordinance 2 Thess 3. 10. For when we were with you this we commanded you That if any would not work neither should he eat And what is such a Vow then but to contradict God's Ordinance Is this the perfection of those slow Bellies those lazy and slothful Monks that live delicately upon the Liberality of others that pervert and abuse the Alms of the People and consume in Idleness and Luxury what the Poor should have Gen. 3. 19. God hath laid it upon Men In the sweat of thy Face shalt thou eat thy Bread. It was ordered by God among the Jews and was look'd upon as a great Blessing Deut. 15. 4. That there be no Poor among you And is that now to be vowed under the Gospel as a State of
A COLLECTION OF Texts of Scripture WITH Short Notes upon them And some other Observations against the Principal Popish Errors IMPRIMATUR Julii 9. 1688. Guil. Needham LONDON Printed for W. Booker over against the King's-Head Inn in Old-change 1688. The Epistle to the Reader IT is agreed on all hands that the Mind and Will of God revealed to us howsoever the Revelation be made is the proper and adequate Rule of Conscience by which we are to direct both our Faith and Practice And that the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament contain at least a part of this Divine Revelation is granted by the Church of Rome it self From whence it will clearly follow that whatsoever is contrary to that Revelation which we have in the Holy Scriptures ought not to be received for Divine Doctrine and Truth unless we will suppose an inconsistence in Divine Revelation or that God doth contradict himself which none will have the folly to assert We must remember therefore how we have received and heard in the Holy Scriptures and hold that fast And if there be any Doctrine or Tradition which contradicts the Doctrine of God delivered in the Holy Scriptures or makes his Commandment therein contain'd of none effect we are taught by our Saviour to reject it So that if an Apostle or an Angel from Heaven and much more if a Father or if a Church preach to us any other Gospel than what is therein delivered to us we should do the same Whether the Doctrines that are contested between us and the Church of Rome are of this Nature is the Question in dispute To make a right Judgment of which we need but consider the several Doctrines and then compare them with the Holy Scriptures and observe their agreeableness and disagreeableness thereunto To assist the Reader in which is the Design of this small Treatise wherein you have a Collection of the chief Points in Controversy between us and in the head of the several Chapters is first set down the Romish Doctrine as it is defined and received or generally taught in the Church and then the Texts of Scripture are subjoined with short and easy Notes and Observations deduced from them to apply them to the present purpose whereby it is easy to make a Comparison between the several Doctrines and the Scripture and the Contrariety between them will be manifest to the meanest Capacity But yet that it might be made more useful to prevent all misunderstanding and to make the Matters in Difference the more clear where it was thought needful the Controversies also are briefly stated and some farther Considerations added and the principal Objections are briefly obviated So that it is hoped it may be of good use to all that desire to be guarded against the Errors of Rome especially to those that have not Mony to buy or Time or Capacity to read and understand larger or more learned Discourses for whose service it was principally intended And some such Thing in so plain and easy a Method seemed to be desired The Gentlemen of the Church of Rome we may be sure will not be pleased with this Method because we do not take the Scriptures in their Sense and with their Interpretations But those we think are Comments which destroy the Text and therefore we have no mind to them And we should not have the Text neither by their good will for they do not love that that dangerous Book should come into the hands of the Common People for fear lest they should think that the Text is against them But however they endeavour to make themselves Masters of the Sense and Interpretation that that may be for them Thus if the Text be ready to strike them they put out its Eyes by the Exposition that it shall not know how to direct its Blow and then they are safe enough But we cannot think our selves obliged to take every thing upon trust that they say But they refer us also to Tradition and the Consent of the Fathers for the understanding of the Scripture-Doctrine which we are not against But unless we will take this Tradition and this Consent of the Fathers from their Mouth likewise they will not be pleased So that as they would have it our Faith must be ultimately resolved only into the present Voice of their Church And we must not condemn any of her Doctrines because they say they shall not be condemned that is they will be Judges in their own Case for fear of the worst It is well known that we make use of Tradition and the Judgment of the Fathers as well as they And we do not fear to refer our selves to them in the Matters contested between us but then they must give us leave to make use of Tradition a little more Catholickly than they do and not to seek it only from the Voice of their Church For we hope as long as we have Eyes we may read the Fathers as well as they and we do not know why we may not as well understand their Sense as also the Sense of the Holy Scriptures having the same means for it only the worst is we want Infallible Parts which we do not know but they may want as well as we But what is it but a great derogation from the Holy Scripture and the Holy Ghost the Author of it to think that of it self it is equally apt to deceive as to instruct to induce into Error as to lead into Truth What is this but to level it with the Heathen Oracle that spake always with that ambiguity that no Body knew what to make of it and therefore they were as soon deceived by it as not But yet is not this in effect the very Sense of the Church of Rome Or why else doth she so studiously with-hold the Bible from her Members for fear lest they should have more hurt by it than good if they take it by it self What is this but under pretence of taking care of her Children to call her Father and Husband whom she pretends so great respect to all to naught and to commend her self that she hath more tenderness and love to her Children than they But is it not rather her own Grandeur and Height which she takes care of which these Doctrines do subserve to And therefore she is resolved to maintain them and must use the means for it which iâ— by with-holding the Light that would discover them For it is to be truly feared that if the Bible were in every one's Hand and read with any attention it would soon scatter this Darkness which the Church of Rome well perceives And if that be to deceive the Scripture will deceive And if Instruction consists only in learning their Errors the Scripture will never instruct us to the World's End So that in this the Church of Rome is in the Right and is a very wise Mother for her self but let others judg how kind she is to her Children or
faithful to her Bridegroom As for our parts we are fully perswaded that the Holy Ghost may speak as good Sense and as intelligibly in the Scriptures as any of them in their Writings or as the Church can in hers and that it was his Design to do so And therefore we doubt not but it is done plainly and fully in all Points necessary to Salvation and also as to the Controversies between the Church of Rome and us that enough may be plainly gathered from them And where there is any obscurity either it is in lesser Matters or in prophetick Visions or only ariseth by accident by reason of the distance of time wherein the Holy Scriptures were written the variety and change of Customs the difference of Dialects or Forms of Speech or some such other Causes which are incident to all ancient Writings and especially of the Eastern Countries And either it may be cleared up by the same means which we may use as well as they or else it must for what I know remain so yet to us both for the exercise of our farther industry It is the Scripture then that we build our Faith upon and guide our selves by though we do not refuse any help to the understanding of it And we are not afraid that our common People should read it but do exhort them to it For we do not desire to retain any Doctrines or Works of Darkness and therefore we are very willing that all should be brought to the Light. It is the Scripture that we love and whilst we love the Scripture we do declare it that we cannot be very fond of Rome A plain simple view of Scripture is sufficient to keep us out of the ways of Romish Delusion And such a view is presented to the Reader in this little Treatise in a Method fitted to the most vulgar Capacity Let us but stick to the Scripture or written Word which the Church of Rome is really most dreadfully afraid of and then we are out of danger The Scripture we know from whence it is but as for their Traditions many of them we know not whence they are They pretend they come from the Apostles but we have nothing else but only their own word for it For we cannot perceive the Apostolical Image and Superscription upon them Nor would they then ever contradict the Apostolical Writings as we are well assured they do many of them Tradition indeed alone doth but open a Gap to whatsoever bold and confident Men may obtrude that have subtilty enough to set off a Thing a little plausibly But let us hold fast the written Word and we shall not fear to be intangled with those new Doctrines which are the obtrusions of crafty and ambitious Men to make an advantage by which the face of Christianity comes to be quite marred and all Religion comes to be indangered And read but this little Treatise then and compare Doctrine and Text and then see who is in the right the Church of Rome or We For see if their Doctrine and the Holy Text be not at variance the one with the other And if so the Church of Rome must excuse us if we leave their Doctrine and follow the Text. Beware of false Prophets which come to you in Sheeps Cloathing but inwardly they are ravening Wolves ye shall know them by their Fruits Do not believe every Spirit but try the Spirits whether they are of God. If the Blind lead the Blind they will both fall into the Ditch Heresies will arise in the Church and the Devil will sometimes transform himself into an Angel of Light to deceive whom he can deceive Therefore see with your own Eyes and beg the holy Anointing to teach you A Table of the Popish Errors refuted in this Treatise Of the Holy Scripture and Traditions Chap. I. THat all saving Truth is not contained in the Holy Scriptures but partly in them and partly in unwritten Traditions pag. 1 II. That the Scripture is obscure 12 III. That it is not for the Common People to read the Scripture 15 Of the Church IV. That the State of the Church is always visible 20 V. That Multitude is a Mark of the Church 25 VI. That temporal Happiness is a Mark of the Church 29 VII That Miracles are a Mark of the Church 32 VIII That St. Peter was Head of the Church under Christ and the Pope is so as his Successor 36 IX That the Pope hath power over Kings and can absolve Subjects from their Allegiance and that Ecclesiastical Persons are exempted from the Secular Jurisdiction 44 X. That the Church of Rome is Infallible and the Judg of Controversies to whose Judgment all are bound up 49 Of Prayer and Worship XI That Prayers and Divine Service is to be celebrated every where in Latin in a Language unknown to the People 61 XII That it is good and Profitable to pray to Saints and Angels 65 XIII That Images and Relicks are to be venerated or worshipped 81 XIV That the Clergy may not Marry 91 XV. That the Vow of Poverty is laudable and that Mendicant Friars are in a State of Perfection 94 XVI That the Vow of Blind Obedience is laudable 98 Of Satisfactions Indulgences Purgatory and Praying for the Dead XVII That Persons are obliged partly to satisfy the Justice of God for their Sins themselves Christ having not satisfied for all the Punishment due to them 100 XVIII That some Persons may satisfy over and above what is needful for themselves and that their satisfactions may serve for others being put into the Treasury of the Church to be dispenc'd by Indulgences 108 XIX That there is a Purgatory after this Life for the expiation of the Sins of those that are not sufficiently purged here and that the Souls there detained may be help'd by the Masses and good Works and Prayers of the Living 115 Of Justification and Pardon of Sin. XX. That Justification consists in the infusion of Grace 123 XXI That for the obtaining of Pardon of Sin Auricular Confession to the Priest is necessary 128 Of the Merit of Good Works and Works of Supererrogation XXII That good Works are truely and properly meritorious of Eternal Life 123 XXIII That Men may do Works of Supererrogation above what the Law requires and may have superabounding Merits more than themselves need which may be profitable to others 139 Of Baptism XXIV That Baptism is absolutely necessary to Salvation so that those who die without it are liable to condemnation 143 Of the Lord's Supper XXV That after Consecration there remains no more of Bread and Wine in the Sacrament but that it is transubstantiated into the very Body and Blood of Christ 149 XXVI That in the Sacrifice performed in the Mass the self-same Christ is contained and offered that offered himself in the Cross and that this Sacrifice is truely propitiatory for the Sins of Quick and Dead 159 XXVII That the Host is to be worshipped with Divine Worship 166
XXVIII That those Masses are to be approved and commended where the Priest communicates alone 172 XXIX That the Sacrament is to be administred in one kind only and the use of the Cup kept from the People 175 Some Prejudices of the Church of Rome answered Sect. 1. They accuse our Doctrine of Novelty 181 2. They say we had no Call 184 3. They Object to us the Divisions that are amongst the Reformed 188 That there are some Places more Holy than others and that it is a Work of Piety to go in Pilgrimage to them 192 That the Sacraments do confer Grace by the Work done 196 Of the Holy Scripture and Traditions CHAP. I. That all saving-Truth is not contained in the Holy Scripture but partly in the Scripture and partly in unwritten Traditions which whosoever doth not receive with the like Piety and Reverence as he does the Scriptures is accursed Concil Trident. Sess 4. Decret de Can. Script COntrary to that which is written in the second Epistle to Timothy Chap. 3. vers 15. The holy Scriptures are able to make thee wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus That which is able to make us wise unto Salvation contains in it all saving Truth that is all that is necessary to be known in order to Salvation For how else can it make us wise to Salvation How can the Holy Scripture make us wise unto Salvation if it doth not contain all saving Truth or all that is necessary to be known in order to Salvation Vers 16 17. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for instruction in Righteousness that the Man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works Mow if the Man of God who is to instruct others and to declare to them the whole Counsel of God so far as is necessary for their attainment of Salvation be perfectly instructed for the discharge of his Duty from the Scripture then the Scripture must needs contain all saving Truth or all that is necessary to be known both by him and every particular Christian in order to Salvation And note that it is not our part to show what those Scriptures then were which the Apostle here intends they being confessedly the same which are still contained in the Canon of it But whatever they were it is plain from the Apostle that there is no saving Truth but what is contained in them which yet doth not derogate from the usefulness of those Books which were added to the Canon afterwards whatever they were they being useful however as Comments upon the former to clear up what was before less clearly delivered or to declare some Truths of less necessary importance though all that was necessary to Salvation was delivered before So that we must needs apprehend the Scripture as it is now to be a compleat Rule of Faith without taking in any thing of unwritten Tradition to piece it up or compleat it Before Divine Doctrine was committed to writing Men had no other Rule but natural Light or immediate Revelation or Tradition of what was before made known And when the Lives of Men were long Divine Doctrine might better be conveighed this way than it can be now And in our Saviour's the Apostles Time this might serve the turn for the present Age in which there was a continuation of extraordinary Gifts and especially to the immediate Auditors of these inspired Persons But in the shorter Age of Men this was not thought a safe or sufficient means to conveigh down Divine Doctrine to the following Ages And therefore it was thought more expedient to put down in writing what was to be made known to after-Ages for the more sure preservation of all such Truths from Corruption and to be a standing Rule to which they might have recourse upon all occasions Thus God himself wrote the Ten Commandments in Tables of Stone And Moses by God's direction wrote the Law as the Prophets afterwards did their several Prophecies or a brief Summary of them For it is said 2 Tim. 3. 16. All Scripture is given b◠inspiration of God. And sometimes we find express direction for the writing of some things which were to be transmitted to future Ages As Exod. 17. 14. Write this for a Memorial in a Book And Isa 30. 8. Now go write it before them in a Table and note it in a Book that it may be for the Time to come for ever and ever And Psal 102. 18. This shall be written for the Generation to come Whereby is intimated the great need of writing then to conveigh a certain notice of things to future Ages and which implies the Incompetency and Insufficiency of Tradition for that purpose And when once it had pleased God to commit the Holy Rule to writing we find the Scripture commended for a perfect Direction Psal 19. 7. The Law of the Lord is perfect converting the Soul. And Tradition is no where commended or any order given to have recourse to it in any case but to the Holy Scripture alone Thus Isa 8. 20. To the Law and to the Testimony if they speak not according to this Word it is because there is no Light in them Thus Joshua was directed to govern himself in all his Actions by the same Holy Rule and therein should prosper and do wisely Josh 1. 7. That thou mayst observe to do according to all the Law which Moses my Servant commanded thee Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left And vers 8. This Book of the Law shall not depart out of thy mouth but thou shalt meditate therein day and night that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein The same also did Joshua prescribe to his Successors Chap. 23. 6. And the King when he sat upon the Throns of his Kingdom was to write him a Copy of this Law in a Book and read therein all the days of his life Deut. 17. 18 19. And this was the way to have him prosperous and to prolong his days Here is nothing at all left to Tradition nor any recourse to be had to it but to the written Law alone intimated as perfect to all the intents and purposes of a good and holy Life There were no other Ordinances to be observed but what were contained in the Law which forbad all Additions Deut. 4. 2. Ye shall not add unto the Word which I command you neither shall you diminish from it So again Chap. 12. 32. so Prov. 30. 6. Add thou not unto his Words lest he reprove thee and thou be found a 〈◊〉 For this the Children of Israel were condemned Jer. 32. 35. that they built the high Places of Baal to consecrate their Sons and their Daughters unto Molech which I commanded them not The Reformation of the Church therefore under Jehoshaphat that good King was made by the Scripture That was their Rule alone 2 Chron.
17. 9. The same practice was observed under the Reign of King Hezekiah 2 Chron. 31. 3 4. Accordingly our Saviour and his Apostles refer to the Scripture as the only Rule and confirm their Doctrines by it but no where have recourse to Tradition for any thing Thus for the obtaining amendment of Life and the avoiding of Condemnation Luke 16. 29. They have Moses and the Prophets let them hear them And this he commends for as great efficacy to that end as if one should come and arise from the Dead to speak to them So Joh. 5. 39. For the attainment of the knowledg of himself and Life everlasting Search the Scriptures says he for in theâ— ye think ye have eternal Life and they are they which testify of me He doth not reprove but allow encourage this thought in them Luk. 24. 27. Beginning at Moses and all the Prophets he expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself But makes not the least use of Tradition So also he refutes the Pharisees by the Scripture Mat. 22. 31. Thus the Apostle St. Paul Act. 26. 22. witnâ—ssing both to small and great and saying none other things that these which the Prophets and Moses did say should come to pass He teacheth at Rome that Jesus was the Christ by the Scripture Act. 28. 23. He combateth all sorts of Errors by the Scripture see his Epistles to the Romans to the Corinthians to the Galatians c. To end the Difference that was agitated at the Council of Jerusalem St. James alledges the Scripture Acts 15. 15. So that the Scripture is that which is every were referr'd to as the Rule of Faith and Manners but not one word said of Tradition to that end It having pleased God when once the Scripture was Indited to leave nothing to Tradition though sometimes he was pleased to reveal himself farther by immediate Revelation till all the Books of the Holy Canon were perfected On the other side Tradition is so far from being commended that the use of it is decried as the foundation of many Errors and Wickednesses and Superstitions and their adhering to the Traditions of the Fathers is censured Thus Mark. 7. 1 c. When the Pharisees saw some of his Disciples eat Bread with defiled that is to say with unwashen Hands they found fault For the Pharisees and all the Jews except they wash their Hands oft eat not holding the Tradition of the Elders And when they come from the Market except they wash they eat not And many other things there are which they have received to hold as the washing of Cups and Pots and brazen Vessels and Tables Which they observed as a part of religious Worship received by Tradition from their Fathers though not commanded in the Law of Moses Like the Holy Water of the Church of Rome the Incensings and Garments the Salt and Spittle and Exorcisms and Wax-candles used in Baptism the Priests shaving the Head after the manner of a Crown which they profess to have received from Christ and his Apostles conveyed to them by the Tradition of the Church through all Ages though there be not one word of any of it in the Holy Scriptures See Council of Trent Sess 22. cap. 2 c. Cathechism Roman par 2. cap. 2. § 59 c. But our Saviour condemn'd all the Traditions of the Fathers so received by them for vain Worship because not written in the Law Ver. 7 8. So I doubt not but we shall have reason 〈◊〉 do the like with those of the Church of Rome by the same Warrant The Apostle reckons it his great Fault before his Conversion Gal. 1. 14. That he was exceeding zealous 〈◊〉 the Traditions of his Fathers which were superadded to the Law which was the very foundation of Pharisaism and a ground of very great Superstition among them Therefore 1 Pet. 1. 18 19. Ye know that ye are not redeemed by corruptible things from your vain Conversation received by Tradition from your Fathers but with the precious Blood of Christ Here also we have an intimation from St. Peter of many vain Observations which the Jews took up by Tradition from their Fathers So that the Tradition of their Fathers was so far from being a sure Rule to them that it was a means of very great Corruption which the Christians are redeemed from Therefore there was that Exhortation Ezek. 20. 18 19. Walk ye not in the Statutes of your Fathers neither observe their Judgments nor defile your selves with their Idols I am the Lord your God walk in my Statutes and keep my Judgments and do them The vanity and uncertainty of Tradition for a Rule of Faith sufficiently appears by these things And how much the use of it is decried as mischievous and hurtful And if it was so in the Church and State of the Jews which was but of a very narrow compass and thereupon it might be supposed then to be a more certain means of conveyance of Truth how much more reasonably may we think it to be so in the Christian Church diffused through all Nations where by reason of the multitude and distance of Christian Teachers and Professors it must needs be much more easy for superstitious and conceited Men to obtrude their Innovations and to back them with the pretence of Tradition of which there hath been many Instances And hence such Difference hath arisen between Traditions themselves as is plain in the Controversy in the Primitive Church about Easter and many others And can we think that our Saviour should leave his Church to such an uncertain Rule now when there is so much need rather to have it more exact and setled Should that be a Rule of Faith in the Christian Church which was wholly disallowed and decried in the Jewish Or is Tradition now become so much altered that it is become so sure and harmless above what it was If Tradition be taken for a natural Means there is nothing more uncertain in a long tract of Time. And sure our Saviour would not leave his Church to such uncertainty when he might do better If it be pretended to be assisted with Infallibility that shall be examined afterwards It is plain that the Christian-Inspired Writers also saw it needful to write down the Doctrine of our Saviour to transmit it to After-ages they did not think Tradition was a sure means of conveyance then no more than it was before Therefore St. Luke wrote his Gospel to the most excellent Theophilus that he might know the certainty of those things wherein he had been instructed Luke 1. 4. implying that the other way of conveyance by Tradition is not so certain And St. Peter I will not be negligent says he to put you always in remembrance 2 Pet. 1. 12. And vers 13. I think it meet to stir you up by putting you in remembrance Mens memories are not so very good to retain Divine Things unless they are excited and quickned
there arose another Generation after them that knew not the Lord nor yet his Works which he had done for Israel And the Children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord and served Baalim And they forsook the Lord God of their Fathers which brought them out of the Land of Egypt and followed other Gods of the Gods of the People that were round about them and bowed themselves to them and provoked the Lord to anger And they forsook the Lord and served Baal and Ashtaroth How was the Face of the Church disfigured at that Time when they publickly worshipp'd false Gods He that would see the several Ecclipses of the Church of Israel then let him read this History of the Judges particularly Chap. 2. 3 4 6 10. And 2 Chron. 15. 3. When Israel was for a long season without the True God and without a teaching Priest and without the Law. In the Reign of Rehoboam the Son of Solomon ten of the twelve Tribes of Israel revoked from the Service of God and publickly worshipp'd the Calves in Dan and Bethel which were made by the Commandment of Jeroboam 1 King. 12. And if you desire to see how much the Face of the Church was disfigured and how often the Service of God was interrupted read the History of the Kings The ten Tribes were the greatest part of the Church of Israel But in them the Church was so obscured in the Time of Ahab that Elijah complained 1 King. 19. 10. The Children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant thrown down thine Altars and slain thy Prophets with the Sword and I even I only am left and they seek my Life to take it away God had indeed reserved to himself 7000 Men that had not bowed their Knees to Baal And 1 King. 18. 4. When Jezebel had put to death the Prophets of the Lord Obadia took an hundred Prophets and hid them by fifty in a Cave and sed them with Bread and Water So that there was a Church then left in Israel but iâ— was so obscured that Elijah himself could not see it In the Kingdom of Judah also there was sometimes the same obscure State of the Church As in the Time of Ahaz 2 Chron. 28. 24 25. For Ahaz gathered together the Vessels of the House of the Lord and cut them in pieces and shut up the Doors of the House of the Lord and he made him Altars in every corner of Jerusalem And in every several City of Judah he made high Places to burn Incense unto other Gods and to provoke to anger the Lord God of his Fathers Repeated again 2 Chron. 29. 6 7. There was no other Church of God then upon Earth but what was among the Children of Israel and Judah and there was not any one Temple dedicated to the Worship of the True God but that at Jerusalem But yet you see that was prophaned the Service of God banish'd Idolatry establish'd And what external Form of a Church then was there there where the true God was not acknowledged or served So in the Time of Manasseh 2 Chron. 33. 4 5. Who built again the high Places which Hezekiah his Father had broken down and he reared up Altars to Baalim and made Groves and worshipped all the Host of Heaven and served them Also he built Altars in the House of the Lord whereof the Lord had said In Jerusalem shall my Name be for ever Which was as great a Promise as ever was made to any Church and if there had been any Promise designed ever to secure the State and Splendour of the Church in any place 〈◊〉 â—ould think this had been such an one If 〈◊〉 had been but a like Promise made or half 〈…〉 said of the Church of Rome what confiâ—â—nt boasting and brags should we have had yet you see Jerusalem and the Temple filled with Idols And it is moreover to be observed that at this time the State of the Church was so corrupt that there were no Copies of the Law to be found extant among the People but the Book of the Law was found in the restoring of the Temple by Josiah at the reading of which as a new thing the King was mightily terrified 2 Chron. 34. 18 19 20. which is a plain Argument that the Law was but little known and the Copies of it generally lost And the Prophet Jeremy saith Jer. 11. 13. That according to the number of thy Cities were thy Gods O Judah And according to the number of the Streets of Jerusalem which is yet called the Holy City Matth. 27. 53. have ye set up Altars to that shameful thing to burn Incense unto Baal And what Corruptions did the Prophet Isaiah complain of before Chap. 1. In the time of the Captivity the whole Land was a desâ—lation and an astonishment Jer. 25. 11. the Temple of Jerusalem was demolish'd and the Service of God beaten down So in the New Testament there are Prophecies of great defections and much obscurity that there should be in the Church 2 Tim. 4. 3 4. For the time will come that they shall not endure sound Doctrine but after their own Lusts shall they heap to themselves Teachers having itching Ears And they shall turn away their Ears from the Truth and shall be turned unto Fables So 1 Tim. 4. 1. The Spirit speaketh expresly that in the latter Times some shall depart from the Faith giving heed to seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils or rather Doctrines concerning Demons or a sort of under-Gods or angelical Mediators with God speaking lies in hypocrisy having their Consciences â—eared with an hot Iron forbidding to marry and commanding 〈◊〉 abstain from Meats How well doth this agree to 4. Church of Rome Rev. 12. 6. The Woman by which the Church is represented fled into the Wilderness where she hath a place prepared of God there to lie hid for a time during the rage of the Dragon It is very unjust and unreasonable then to demand that at all times we should shew the visible State of the True Church Rev. 13. 15 16 17. The time is prophesied of that the second Beast shall cause that as many as will not worship the Image of the former Beast shall be killed And he causeth all both small and great rich and poor free and bond to receive a Mark in their right hand and in their forehead and that no Man might buy or sell save he that had the Mark or Name of the Beast or the Number of his Name And how should the Church then during this Tyranny have a visible and flourishing State And the Papists themselves allow that in the time of Antichrist there shall be an universal defection for a time It is certain in Fact that many Churches founded by the Apostles themselves have quite fallen away to Mahometanism And in the time of Athanasius the whole World almost was become Arian And in the Ages just before the Reformation the Purity of the Church was so
and vain Caution CHAP. VI. That Temporal Happiness is a Mark of the Church Bellarm. de Eccles lib. 4. cap. 18. WHat was said of the former Mark may also be applied to this here This doth not agree to the Church alone and therefore cannot be a proper Mark to distinguish it from others For the Heathens and especially the Mahometans have often had this to plead for themselves Besides it is but a contingent Note and agrees to the Church and the Defenders of it but at some times And some times agrees to one part of the Church when it does not to another and sometimes to the more corrupt part of it when it is otherwise with that part that is more pure And therefore it is a very improper Note to distinguish one from the other and so doth not do the office of a proper Mark. Or if it signified any thing the Reformed of this and the last Age may plead it in some places blessed be God as well as the Romanists But indeed it is but a fallacious Mark and to assert it universally of the Church or the most pure part of it at all times it is false and contrary to the Doctrine and Predictions of the Scripture and the Experience of the Church John 18. 36. My Kingdom is not of this World. Our Saviour did not aim at an earthly Pomp or Grandeur or Authority like the Kings of the Earth nor to leave this as an Inheritance to his â—ollowers 1 John 2. 15. The Lusts of the Flesh and the Lusts of the Eye and the Pride of Life are not of the Father but of the World. Mat. 16. 24. If any will come after me let him deny himself and take up his Cross and follow me Not temporal Happiness not a Cross of Gold and Silver but Affliction for the Gospel Mat. 24. 9. They shall deliver you up to be afflicted and shall kill you and ye shall be hated of all Men for my Name 's sakâ— This was the lot of the Apostles and the Christians of the first Age and so it hath continued to be more or less in most of the Ages since And the Church indeed seems to be calculated for a state of Affliction for then it thrives best John 15. 20. Remember the Word that I said unto you The Servant is not greater than the Lord If they have persecuted me they will also persecute you The Life of our Lord Jesus was a continual Persecution And God has predestinated us to be conformed to the Image of the Son Rom. 8. 20. John 16. 2. They shall cast you out of the Synagogues yea the time shall come that whosoever killeth you shall think that he doth God service Vers 20. Verily verily I say unto you That ye shall mourn and lament but the World shall rejoice ye shall be sad but your sadness shall be turned into joy All things have their season Eccles 3. The World laughs now but one day it shall gnash its teeth Good Men mourn here below but above God shall wipe away Tears from their Eyes Rev. 7. last Acts 14. 21. Paul and Barnabas returned confirming the Souls of the Disciples and exhorting them to continue in the Faith and that we must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God. Affliction and Tribulation is no more than what those who continue in the Faith may expect to meet with according to what hath come to pass in former Ages 2 Tim. 3. 12. All those that will live godly in the Faith of Jesus Christ shall suffer Persecution But the Children of Babylon glorify themselves and live deliciously Rev. 18. 7. 1 Thess 3. 3. I sent to comfort you that no Man should be moved by these Afflictions for your selves know that we are appointed thereunto The Church is not appointed then to a continual prosperous State. Rev. 12. 14 15. When the Dragon saw that he was cast unto the Earth he persecuted the Woman which had brought forth the Man-Child And to the Woman were given two Wings of a great Eagle that she might flee into the Wilderness into her place And the Serpent cast out of his Mouth Water as a Flood after the Woman that he might cause her to be carried away of the Flood This represents the Fury of the Devil stirring up Persecution against the Church which God nourishes for a time in the Wilderness Chap. 13. 7. It was given him that is the Beast to make war with the Saints and to overcome them Where was then the Prosperity of the Church Chap. 17. 4. The Woman the Great Whore was arrayed in Purple and Scarlet-colour and deck'd with Gold and precious Stones and Pearls having a golden Cup in her Hand full of abominations and filthiness of her Fornications But now behold the Equipage of the faithful Martyrs Heb. 11. 36 37. They had trial of cruel Mockings and Scourgings yea moreover of Bonds and Imprisonment They were stoned they were sawn asunder were tempted were slain with the Sword they wandred about in Sheep-skins and Goat-skins being destitute afflicted tormented of whom the World was not worthy they wandred in Deserts and in Mountains and in Dens and Caves of the Earth Therefore 1 Pet. 4. 12. Beloved think it not strange concerning the fiery Trial as though some strange thing happened unto you John 16. 33. In the World ye shall have Tribulation a description of a State far enough from temporal Prosperity but be of good chear I have overcome the World. CHAP. VII That Miracles are a Mark of the Church Bellarm. de Eccl. lib. cap. 14. WHensoever any Persons have been sent out upon an extraordinary Message by an extraordinary Mission from God to preach or teach such Doctrine as hath not been delivered before or not sufficiently attested In that case it is confest that Miracles are necessary to attest their Mission and to confirm their Doctrine But this Mission of theirs having been once sufficiently attested and their Doctrine confirmed by Miracles and both this Doctrine and Miracles faithfully recorded and the Records safely preserved then there can be no absolute need of more Miracles For there can be no need of doing that again which hath been sufficiently done already And therefore there can be no need of more Miracles when a Doctrine already sufficiently confirmed by Miracles is only to be cleansed and restored from the mixture of Errors with which it is defiled or obscured But in that case it is sufficient to have recourse to the Writings and Records in which the true Doctrine hath been delivered which hath been sufficiently confirm'd before And therefore Hezekiah and Josiah wrought to Miracles when the Reformation was set a-foot by them according to the Law already confirm'd by Miracles And Hosea Amos c. wrought no Miracles when they were sent to recal the People from their Apostacy to the observation of the Law. And John Baptist himself wrought no Miracles John 10. 41. being but to teach the People that
Servant of all If our Saviour had intended a primacy of Jurisdiction or Authority to St. Peter over the rest of the Disciples would he have exprest himself in such universal Terms so absolutely denying this Authority and Superiority to all Would he not have excepted St. Peter's Right and Priviledg which he intended to him But here 's an universal Negation of such supreme Authority to all of them indifferently without any such Exception Mat. 19. 28. Jesus said unto them Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me in the Regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit upon the Throne of his Glory ye shall sit upon twelve Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel The Apostles are here represented sitting equally upon twelve Thrones Is not this to let us understand that they were to have an equal Authority Whereas if St. Peter was to have had a superior Authority one would think he should have had a Throne too superior to all the rest Mat. 23. 8. Be not yâ— called Rabbi or Master for one is your Master even Christ and all ye are Brethren Here is no assignation of any Mastership to St. Peter as Christ's Vicar But all the Disciples are joined together in an equality of Brotherhood under Christ their Lord. Luke 22. 24. There was also a strife among them which of them should be accounted the Greatest Note that this Dispute was but the Evening before the Passion of Jesus Christ after these words were spoken Mat. 16. 19. I will give unto thee the Keys If St. Peter had been then constituted the Chief of the Apostles there would never have been this Dispute among them touching the Primacy For our Saviour upon this Dispute said not one word that he had given it to St. Peter But on the contrary Vers 25. 26. The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise Authority upon them are called Benefactors but ye shall not be so Which certainly excludes such a Supreme Authority as is claim'd by the Pope John 20. 22 23. Jesus Christ breathed upon his Disciples and said unto them Receive ye the Holy Ghost Whose Sins ye remit they are remitted and whose Sins ye retain they are retained Note here that the Power of binding and loosing which was promised to St. Peter Mat. 16. 19. is here given to all the Disciples indifferently Therefore that Promise conveyed no special Priviledge or Authority to St. Peter but what was given in common to them all Ephes 2. 20. Ye are built upon the Foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief Corner-Stone Note that the Apostles and Prophets are here put in the same rank and are all equally called Foundation-stones as St. Peter was called a Rock Matth. 16. 18. and James and John Pillars as well as he Gal. 2. 9. To Jesus Christ alone belongs the Preheminence So Rev. 21. 14. And the Wall of the City had twelve Foundations and in them were the Names of the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. You see here still the Apostles advanc'd to the same degree of Honour Buâ— note that the Apostles are not called Foundations in respect of their Persons but in respect of the Doctrine which they held or preach'd And in the Text Matth. 16. 18. Thou art Peter and upon this Rock will I build my Church The Rock there mentioned is expounded by many of the Ancient Fathers as St. Chrysostom St. Ambrose St. Austin c. of the Doctrine which St. Peter confest that Christ was the Son of the living God. Which Christ calls a Rock and that upon which he would build his Church with allusion to St. Peter's Name that spoke it which signifies a Stone And upon this Doctrine all the Apostles indifferently founded the Churches where they came as well as he John 21. 17. Where our Saviour three times saith to St. Peter Feed my Sheep What is there contained in that or signified by it but what is equally the duty of all other Pastors of the Church So that here is no Priviledg conferr'd only to him but a Duty injoined which concerns all but is there particularly three times repeated to St. Peter and urged upon him as the best expression of his Love which he then professed to his Lord and Master whom before he had thrice denied and perhaps was as a rebuke for that denial three times repeated 1 Pet. 5. 1 2 3. Here St. Peter puts himself in the rank of the Elders that is to say the Pastors of the Church and doth not in the least attribute to himself any manner of Domination and forbids the same to others The Elders which are among you I exhort who am also an Elder He doth not say who am supreme Ruler and Governor over all as he might and should have done to have inforc'd his Exhortation the more if it had been true For he should have magnified his Office as St. Paul did Feed the Flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof Which is the same Exhortation which our Saviour gave him And how then is it a special Prerogative belonging to him alone But then he adds likewise not by constraint but willingly not for filthy Lucre but of a ready Mind neither as being Lords over God's Heritage but being Enamples to the Flock Quite contrary to the Pride and Arrogance of many Bishops of Rome that lord it over all Consider farther there are no Indications of any such supreme Authority in St. Peter but the quite contrary in very many Instances St. Peter is not always named in the first place as Mark 16. 7. Joh. 1. 44. 1 Cor. 1. 12. Gal. 2. 9. He spake not first in the Council of Jerusalem but a great Dispute there had been before he began his Discourse Acts 15. 7. It was not by his Sentence that the Decree of the Council was stated vers 13. The Message to the Gentiles was not sent by him vers 22. The Decree of the Council was not publish'd in his Name vers 23. He shared the Ecclesiastical Charge with the Apostles as their Fellow and Companion in the Work of the Lord. Gal. 2. 9. And when James and Cephas and John who seemed to be Pillars perceived the Grace that was given to me they gave to me and Barnabas the right hand of Fellowship that we should go unto the Gentiles as they unto those of the Circumcision St. Paul makes himself equal unto him in all things Gal. 2. 6. Of those that seemed to be somewhat whatsoever they were it maketh no matter to meâ— God accepteth no Man's Person They that seemed to be somewhat in Conference added nothing to me So 2 Cor. 11. 5. For I suppose I was not a whit behind the very chiefest Apostles It had been good manners to have excepted St. Peter his Head and Lord at least St. Peter was sent in Commission by the rest of the Apostles Acts 8. 14. When the Apostles that were at Jerusalem
Confusions and therefore there is such an one This is to argue from our own Fancies what God should do and not what he has done And they might as well conclude the Being of an Universal Infallible Judg over all the World in Temporal Matters for the Peace of the World which yet we see is not appointed as such an one over the Church for the Peace of the Church But it is not to be expected that all Differences in Religion should cease in this World for there must be Heresies 1 Cor. 11. 19. As there were Heresies even in the Apostles Times though they were Infallible which is an Argument that Infallibility in any if it were is no certain means to prevent Heresies or Divisions If Men be modest and humble and teachable God hath provided sufficient means for their direction in the plainness of the Rule which he has given in all things necessary and appointing Guides for their direction in doubtful things if they will follow their instruction But if Men be governed with Prejudice and Passion they would not hearken to an Infallible Judg if there were one And Christ the Judg of all will take an account of such Men in due time when the Great Judgment-Day shall come Then the Tares shall be gathered together and bound in bundles to be burnt and the Wheaâ— shall be gathered into the Barn Mat. 13. But this Judgment in the mean time is to be suspended till that Day shall come But that Men may judg for themselves in some things without an Infallible Judg our Adverâ—aries themselves are fain to allow For how else 〈◊〉 they judg in the Controversy about the Infallible Judg himself whether there be such an onâ— or 〈◊〉 and who it is and of the Scriptures and Reasons that are brought to prove it And if they may judg of this Controversy and of these Scriptures and Reasons without an Infallible Judg then why may they not also of others which are as necessary and of other Scriptures and Reasons in other Points which are as plain as they And then there is no need of an Infallible Judg at all As for the pretended Infallibility of the Church of Rome for the qualifying it to be such a Judg If the Church of Rome be infallible then it must be so either as it is a Christian Church and because it is so And then all Christian Churches would be Infallible likewise and not that only Or as it is an Apostolical Church planted by the Apostles if it were so and then all the Churches that were planted by the Apostles would be so likewise and this would give no particular priviledg to the Church of Rome Or as it hath continued down a succession of Pastors from the Apostles by whom there is a safe conveyance of Apostolical Doctrine and Tradition to the present Age But if this be so then all the Churches that have had such a Succession will be Infallible likewise as well as the Church of Rome as the Grecian Church which hath had the like Succession and upon this Principle the Church of England may come in for a share too But indeed this proves the Infallibility of no particular Church at all because of the uncertainty of Tradition therein notwithstanding such Succession which may arise from many Causes No more then it did the Infallibility of the Jewish Church notwithstanding that it had a continual Succession of the Priests and Pastors as much as the Church of Rome or any other Church whatsoever can pretend unto And therefore we are not to have respect to any Church Pastor or Pastors as Infallible nor to bind up our Judgments to them as such upon the account of any such Succession Aaron was called to the High Priesthood immediatly by God himself but was he therefore infallible or were the People bound to follow him when he made an Idol Exod. 32. Vriah was a Priest by an uninterrupted Succession from Aaron was he therefore Infallible or to be followed when he overturn'd the Service of God and Introduc'd Idolatry into the Temple Caiaphas the Chief Priest was so by an uninterrupted Succession for 1500 Years ought he therefore to be followed when he condemened Jesus Christ for a Blasphemer or were the Resolutions of the Council where he was President Infallible when Jesus Christ was declared worthy of Death The Pharisees sat in Moses Chair and the Disciples are bid observe and do whatso 〈◊〉 they said unto them ought one therefore with them to have rejected Jesus Christ By that word therefore whatsoever he doth not mean every thing without limitation but whatsoever was agreeable to the Law of Moses So that they were to judg for themselves what was or what was not so agreeable Mat. 16. 6. It is foretold that ravening Wolves should arise from among the Bishops of the Churches Doth their Succession of Orthodox Bishops oblige the Sheep of our Lord therefore to follow them as Infallible The Son of Perdition was to sit in the Temple of God but was he therefore Infallible or to be followed in his Revolt If the Church of Rome be then Infallible and yet not so upon the former Accounts Is it then by reason of its Relation to its first pretended Bishop St. Peter who was Infallible and by reason of his dying there and his leaving his Priviledges to his Successors of that See But though St. Peter was Infallible how doth it appear that this was more than a personal Priviledg and in which therefore he was to have no Successor As the Infallibility of the rest of the Apostles was a personal Priviledg and in which they were to have no Successors As for St. Peter's Headship over the Church and that of the Bishops of Rome as his Successors it is refuted in the foregoing Chapters But if the Church of Rome be Infallible none of these ways and yet is so then must it not be by virtue of some particular Promise by which Infallibility is annexed to the Church But where is that Promise As for the Apostles calling the Church The Pillar and Ground of Truth 1 Tim. 3. 15. If it proves any thing it proves the Infallibility of the Church of Ephesus and not that of Rome For the Apostle speaks of that Church in which Timothy was Bishop which was the Church of Ephesus But indeed it signifies the Churches Duty and not her Performance and may be likewise applied rather to Timothy himself than to the Church As for that saying Mat. 18. 17. Tell it unto the Church If that proves the Infallibility of a Church it proves the Infallibility of every Church And so the Church of Rome will get nothing particularly by it for the Direction is given to every particular Member in case of Scandal offered by him to his Brother And whither is such an one to make his Complaints but to the Church of which he is a Member And indeed it is only an Institution of Church-Discipline in every Church
But it is plain to any one's Observation that there is a total silence in the Scripture about this Matter that there is not the least hint or intimation given of it where ever there is any thing spoken of the Supper The Evangelists in the relation of the Institution and St. Paul in the repetition of it are very punctual in setting down what our Saviour did and injoin'd at that time They declare minutely every particular Action and Expression of our Saviour How he took Bread and brake and blessed it and gave it to them saying Take eat this is my Body In like manner he took the Cup c. But in all not one word of worshipping it or carrying it in procession to that End Which questionless would have been done if any such Adoration had been intended to it St. Paul especially had a most fit occasion to have insisted on it when he set himself on purpose to correct the Irreverence of the Corinthians in their carriage about this Ordinance 1 Cor. 11. For this would have been the highest aggravation of their Fault that could be possible to carry themselves so very irreverently to their dearest Lord corporally and substantially present before them And how could he have insisted on a better Topick to create in them a greater reverence But behold there is nothing of all this he only minds them of the Institution and that it was done in commemoration of the Death of their Redeemer who gave himself for them but he hath not one word of all this Popish Doctrine of Adoration Elevation and Procession or any thing in the least that hath a tendency to it The Scripture also almost every where is speaking of Christ and informs of his Excellency and the Divinity of his Person and tells us of the wise Mens adoring of him and gives a Command to honour him as we honour the Father John 5. and tells us that every Knee should how to him Phil. 2. And that the Angels of God worship him Heb. 1. But why doth it no where tell us that he is substantially present in the Sacrament under the species and form of Bread that we may worship him there to make the Ordinance more august and solemn especially considering that he lies there so obscured under the species of the Elements in an unactive and invisible and inglorious State where he works no Miracles to attest his Divinity as he did in the World nor gives out the least Ray of his Glory to engage us to this Worship and Adoration This is only the Consequence of that porteâ—â—ous Doctrine of Transubstantiation taught by the Church of Rome which is refuted before and therefore must needs fall with it for it is upon the Transubstantiation of the Bread and Wine into the very Body and Blood of Christ and upon the presumption of whole Christ being there substantially present by this Conversion that the Adoration of the Host is founded by them But if Transubstantiation be false and there be no Conversion if the Bread be Bread still and the Wine be Wine still then they cannot but confess themselves some of them that the Worship that is given to it is meer down-right Idolatry And indeed what is there in the Idols that the Prophets mention and the Character that they give of them but may be every way most aptly applied to this God of the Papists Read the Character that the Prophet Isaiah gives Chap. 44. 9 to 20. And what is there there that may not with the same likeness be spoken of the Host First the Country-man sows Wheat and reaps it and gathers it into Barns and thresheth it out then 't is groun'd and sifted and the Baker makes it a Wafer and bakes it and some of it he puts to other uses then the Priest Consecrates it and behold it is a God. Is not this now as sensless as the former and just such another description as that And how is that an Idol then and not this Do not the Reproaches and Ironies that the Holy Prophets thrown on Idols fall full as heavy upon this that â—s adored at the Mass So Chap. 46. 1 6 7. see what he saith of Idols and how easily it may be applied For this God too may sometimes fall to the Ground which then must be scraped to take up all clean Men carry it upon their Shoulders and sometimes it hath been taken Captive And may not one cast the same kind of Reproaches on this as the Prophet Jeremy doth on those Jer. 10. 2 3 4 Surely the Prophets did not urge the Matters pertinently or did not foresee that the like might in time be cast in the Christians Teeth for their Worship or else if those were meet and proper Characters of the Idols then and the same agree to the Host then the Host is an Idol as well as they So how doth the Psalmist decipher the Idols of the Heathen Psal 115. 3 4 5 6 7 8. But the Host doth not look near so well it is a little Dough made into a Wafer the work of the Baker that doth not carry so much likeness to a Man as to have the similitude of Members This is liable also to the same Casualties and Mishaps as those that the Prophets declaim so much against These Wafer-Gods are not able to save themselves they are not able to escape from Wars and Thieves and Robbers The Priests make fast their Temples with Locks lest they should be stolen They are liable to be gnawed upon by things creeping out of the Earth and when they are eaten they feel it not Therefore if the Host be taken by a Mouse or any other Creature and cannot be found then they do endeavour to take kill and burn that Creature and cast the Ashes under the Altar And if either Flies or Spiders chance to fall into the Chalice because these little Creatures cannot drink so little but they drink whole Christ and have him in their little Guts the Priest must by all means swallow down these Flies and Spiders if he can do it without danger of his Life or fear of Vomiting But whereas God doth in Scripture threaten a wicked Church or Nation that he would spue them out of his Mouth Were this Doctrine true 〈◊〉 as a Reverend Person saith they might do the like to him nay and not only vomit up their God but cause him to be burnt For if the Priest do vomit up the Eucharist and find the Species whole then he must reverently eat or swallow the Vomit again but if the Species appear noâ— then he is to burn it In a word this God of the Papists is liable to all those Abuses that any thing in the World can be and yet cannot help himself And what greater Indications or Characters can there be of an Idol than what belongs to this And if the Worship of this may be excused from Idolatry then why may not the Worship of all others as well there being
use of the Bread too as well as the Cup or else they ought to continue both aâ— there is the same Command for both Vers 26. For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew the Lord's Death till be come So that they must drink this Cup as well as eat this Bread to shew the Lord's Death This is to be done by both together and not by either singly And all those for whom Christ died then are obliged to shew his Death in the Sacrament by the use of the Cup as well as by the use of the Bread. But Christ died not only for the Priests or Ministers of the Gospel but also for the People And therefore this order concerns both Vers 28. But let a Man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. This is spoken to the People of Corinth and it is plain from many Passages in this and the foregoing Chapter that the People of the Church of Corinth did drink of the Cup and committed great excess in their drinking But notwithstanding this Abuse the Apostle doth not presume to alter the Institution or to take it away And what shall we thinkâ— then of the presumptuous boldness of the Church of Rome that dares to do this in manifest defiance of and open contradiction to our Saviour's Command and Institution and without the least colour of any good reason If they say whole Christ is contained in the Bread was it not so in the beginning of our Saviour's Institution as well as now And if our Saviour notwithstanding instituted the Cup how do they dare to take it away upon this vain Presumption as if they knew better than our Saviour what was fit to be done This Doctrine of Concomitancy of the Blood with the Body did not keep our Saviour from instituting the Cup and how comes it to be so good a Reason now to take away what he was instituted He hath appointed different Symbols one for his Body alone and another for his Blood as shed and separated from his Body the one to eat and the other to drink And how should the Bread which is to be eaten which represents his Body without the Blood represent to us the Blood as shed and separated from his Body by way of concomitancy when they are considered as asunder If so then the Blood of Christ must be eaten too with the Bread but is not drank whereas our Saviour instituted the Cup as a Symbol of his Blood shed and so to be drank apart as the Symbol of it and not eat by way of concomitancy with the Bread which is the particular Symbol or Figure of his Body But some have urged that some of the Blood may be apt to hang upon Mens Beards and so be profaned and therefore for this reason the People ought not to have the use of the Cup. As if there were not Beards in our Saviour's Time also as well as now but they were new sprung up or new come in fashion in these latter Ages But it seems our Saviour did not consider this very weighty Reason SOME PREJUDICES OF THE Church of ROME Answered SECT I. They accuse our Doctrine of Novelty THIS the Pharisees likewise alledged against our Lord Jesus Christ and urged the same Prejudices Mark 1. 27. They question among themselves saying What thing is this What new Doctrine is this And Acts 17. 19. St. Paul being brought to Areopagus they demanded of him May we know what this New Doctrine whereof thou speakest is So likewise this is the Tone of the Romish Doctors who call the Reformation an upstart Religion and say that our Doctrine is new and still are insisting upon the thread-bare Question Where was your Religion before Luther As the Ancient Heathens no doubt would be almost perpetually questioning the Jews in the same manner Where was your Religion before Abraham And the same Answer for substance will serve for our Defence that would do for theirs For as our Saviour said to the Pharisees Whatever they may pretend about the Antiquity of their Religion the like the Jews might say to the Heathen and so we may say to the Church of Rome That from the beginning it was not so Idolatry and the worship of Idols was not from the beginning So neither was the Mass Purgatory worship of Images Invocation of Saints believed or taught from the beginning of Christianity But our Religion is as ancient as Christianity it self as the Jewish Religion in worshipping the True God in opposition to the Heathen Idolatry was as old as that of Noah or Enoch or Adam For we believe and receive nothing as absolutely necessary to Salvation but what our Saviour and his Apostles taught and delivered to the World and what is contained in the Ancient Creeds But as the Worship of the one True God and the True Religion was greaâ—ly corrupted in the Ancient Times which Abraham was raised up to reform and so his Reformation was new in comparison of the Abuses that were before So indeed the Reformation of the Corruptions and Errors which for many Ages had obtained in these Western Parts of the World did not begin very long ago And if this be accused of Novelty we cannot help that but are sorry it was no sooner All Reformation is new in comparison of the Abuses that went before and so therefore was that set aâ—oot by Luther But how could this be remedied unless there should be no Reformation at all or because things are once â—ad they should never be better For they cannot be better without being reformed and whenever a Reformation begins it is certainly New. So that the Question is Whether those were Errors and Abuses which the Reformation cut off and so whether it were a Reformation really or no And if this be so as may appear in part by the foregoing Treatise then the Reformation justifies it self though it was pâ—â—y it had not been sooner And all those Negative Articles which we hold in opposition to the Errors of the Church of Rome and which now make up part of our Confession of Faith in opposition to those Errors are only New because the Reformation is New. And so it must be whensoever Men renounce or protest against Errors or unless they will err still SECT II. They say That we had no Call. THey say we had no Call to do as we did we had no Call to separate from the Church of Rome or to set aâ—oot this pretended Reformation But were those Errors or no which the Church of Rome taught And were they Innovations and Corruptions or no which they practised If they were as hath appeared in part before have we no Call to renounce Errors or to reject Corruptions or must there never be a Reformation of Things that are amiss If they say we should have stay'd till the Church had done it If they mean by the Church the Church of Rome we see it
is not done yet and how long then should we have stayed For these very Things which the Reformation rejects are still defended by her and all the Protestations and Applications that have been made to her have had no effect upon her to procure a Reformation on her part and we do not know when they will have But why must we stay till the Church of Rome had ordered the Reformation which we see would have been long enough What is the Church of Rome to us but as a Sister Church whatever she pretends of her Catholicism and Masterdom or Mistresship over the rest of the Churches which is refuted before And what hath she to do then to control our Reformation or to oblige us to stay her leisure Or why have not Princes and National Churches in themselves full Power and Authority to reform what is to be reformed in their own Precincts We see what the good Kings of the Jews Asa Hezekiah Josiah did And what did we do but what in a like case they did before And if the Church of Rome had had never so much an Authority over us yet if upon due Applications she would not reform Errors and redress Abuses and yet these Errors and Abuses be of a most pestilent and dangerous Nature to the Souls of Men and most contrary to the true Religion must we therefore persist in these false Beliefs and Practices whilst she thinks fit to retain them And hazard our Eternal Salvation in rejecting Divine Truth and contradicting the Light of our Minds and the true Gospel-Doctrine meerly out of respect to her Or must we not provide for our own wellfare our selves without which we should run the hazard of Eternal Perdition if others will not do it who ought Now this was the very Case The Corruptions of the Church of Rome were so very great both in Faith and Worship as may appear partly by this little Treatise and were so very dangerous and fatal to Mens Souls and so universally spread and so stifly maintained that there was no hope of a Reformation of them by that Church but the Council that was assembled to remove Corruptions setled them the stronger Because they could not be brought to a better mind to renounce these Errors must we therefore continue to err for company Or when we could no longer hold Communion with them without having a Communion in these Corruptions had we not a just cause then of separation from them Jer. 51. 9. We would have healed Babylon and she is not healed forsake her and let us go every one to his own Country It is just the same in our Case we have remonstrated to the Church of Rome her Errors and she hath not reformed them but on the contrary she hath excommunicated and persecuted with Fire and Sword those that have publish'd the Truth and therefore we had just cause to abandon her Communion 2 Cor. 6. 17 18. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty And Rev. 18. 4. Come out of her my People that ye be not partakers of her Sins and that ye receive not of her Plagues Here is our Call to do as we have done when we could no longer abide in the Communion of the Church of Rome without being defiled with her Sins and partaking of the Torment which is prepared for her we were then obliged to come out of her Rom. 16. 17. I beseech you Brethren mark them which cause Divisions and Offences contrary to the Doctrine which ye have learned and avoid them This we say the Church of Rome hath done so that we are required by the Apostle to mark and avoid them For Gal. 1. 9. Whosoever preacheth saith he another Gospel than that which ye have received let him be accursed And we have seen that the Church of Rome hath corrupted the Doctrine of the Gospel in many and very great Instances so that it looks like another Gospel than what was preach'd by our Saviour and his Apostles 1 John 5. 21. Little Children keep your selves from Idols And if the Church of Rome be guilty of Idolatry as hath been proved and we cannot keep to them without keeping to her Idolatry must we not then keep our selves from both For it is in vain to pretend that their Doctrines that is we say their Corruption is antient This was no warrant to the Jews formerly to follow the old Heathen Customs because of their Antiquity But saith Joshua Chap. 24. 14 15. Put away the Gods which your Fathers have served on the other side of the Flood and is Egypt and serve the Lord. And if it seem evil to you to serve the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serve whether the Gods which your Fathers served that were on the other side of the Flood or the Gods of the Amorites in whose Land ye dwell but as for me and my House we will serve the Lord. The like we say doth concern us And if others will persist still in their false Worship it doth not follow that we should do so too And therefore if the Worship of the Church of Rome be such as we prove it is in many Instances we are bound to renounce it though it were never so Ancient yea though it were older than Noah's Flood SECT III. They object to us the Divisions that are among the Reformed BUT what do they get by this Because there are Divisions among the Reformed is therefore the Reformation it self evil Or because we are divided among our selves in some things and some of us then must be in the Wrong doth it therefore follow that they are in the Right If this be an Argnment against the Reformation the same might have been an Argument against Christianity it self For as soon as Christianity spread it self abroad were there not Divisions then too amongst those that embrac'd it Some were for retaining the legal Ordinances and mixing the Ceremonies of the Law with the Gospel of Christ with whom the Apostles had great contention Some very famous Churches were leavened with this Error as that was which was in Galatia Other strange Heresies were broach'd in the Church of Corinth and obtained amongst many even in the Apostles Days And there soon arose many others that corrupted the Faith of the Gospel both in the Apostolical and following Ages Gnosticks Valentinians Marcionites Arians c. which spread far and wide and continued a long time Was this now a just Objection against Christianity that there were Divisions and Heresies among those that profess'd themselves Christians And how comes it then to be so mighty an Argument now against the Reformation We are sorry indeed to see it fall out so that there should be no better agreement amongst the Reformed and that there should any Heresies spring out of
those that pretend to the Reformation But we are not at all surprized at it or moved to think e're the worse of the Reformation from the Church of Rome because we don't agree in some things amongst our selves For we are foretold that so it should come to pass Rom. 16. 17. Mark them which cause Divisions It implies that Divisions there would be And 1 Cor. 11. 9. For there must be Heresies that they which are approved may be made manifest Heresies are some of the Works of the Flesh Gal. 5. 20. And therefore as long as the Flesh is so predominant with many it is no wonder that there should be Heresies which are the Works of it If Christianity at first could not prevent it we can have no expectation that the Reformation should do it 2 Pet. 2. 1. There were false Prophets among the People even as there shall be false Teachers among you who privily shall bring in damnable Heresies even denying the Lord that bought them And they doing it privily it may not be presently discerned neither till after some tract of time But say they You have not the means of Vnity among you for you want a Judg of Controversies which is absolutely necessary in a Church and therefore there are so many Heresies and Divisions among you But this pretended means of Unity is refuted before in the Chapter of the Infallibility of the Church c. where it is proved that there is no such thing or means appointed We have as much the means of Unity as the Primitive Church had which was as much as God thinks fit to appoint in the Church They had infallible Teachers to teach them the Doctrine of God and we have the Doctrine which was taught by these infallible Teachers recorded in the Scriptures which is of the same use to us as it was to them But neither they nor we have an infallible Judg to dermine our Assent nor can have unless you will put out the Eyes of humane Nature But every one is left to judg for himself by the Rule of the Doctrine delivered God hath given us a plain Rule as hath been proved and is ready to assist us with his Spirit in all things necessary to our Salvation if we be humble and teachable And then we should do well enough without an infallible Judg. But yet these means were not effectual in the Primitive Church to prevent Divisions and Heresies because Men did not use them aright for all Men will never be so sincere and honest and diligent as they should be though they were sufficient to have done this if Men had used them as they ought And therefore how can we expect now they should be of better success The Church of Rome indeed pretends to such a means of Unity which we prove that Christ never appointed viz. An Infallible Judg of all Controversies But then as they pretend to that which they think is a greater means of Unity so one would think that they should have a greater Unity too among themselves But is it so indeed Is there nothing but Unity in the Church of Rome Are there no Divisions or were there never any Schisms Hath this pretended Judg of Controversies determined and put an end to all Controversies No he neither hath done it nor dares attempt it But we agree say they in all the fundamental Points In what Is not the Doctrine of the Infallible Judg a fundamental Point it self And do they all agree in that and who this is And if they did so do we agree in the same Rule of Faith the Holy Scriptures And why is not our agreement in the same Rule of Faith as good as their agreement about the Infallible Judg But they all agree likewise that Protestants are in the wrong And we all agree as much that Papists are in the wrong So that if this Point of agreement signify any thing here we are even with them But do they agree among themselves in other things No no more than Protestants do among themselves but have differences the same or as great as any Protestants can have whatsoever they be And notwithstanding the decisions of their pretended infallible Judg they do as much differ in particular Doctrines in the sense of those decisions which are for the determining of the sense of Scriptures as the Protestants do about the sense of Scripture without the decisions of such a determining Judg Therefore we think it very reasonable that the Church of Rome should do as our Saviour directs when they cry out so much upon our Divisions that they would first pull out the Beam out of their own Eyes and reconcile all Differences at Home and then they shall see the more clearly to cast out the Mate out of their Brother's Eye Which they can never do whilst the Beam is in their own or at least I hope we shall never go to them to do it FINIS This Chapter should have come in after Chap. XI That there are some Places more Holy than others and that it is a Work of Piety to go in Pilgrimages to them Bellarm. de Cultu Sacris lib. 3. cap. 8. THis is to revive Judaism again For God dwelt among the Jews indeed in an appropriate manner in the Temple of Jerusalem where were the Symbols of his Presence The Temple was God's House and therefore an Holy Place because God was there peculiarly present Thither were all the Males of the Children of Israel to resort three times a Year and there alone offer their Sacrifices and Oblations to God And the Place made the Worship acceptable to God which was offered there so that the Worship was not so acceptable to God which was performed in other places for the Presence of God sanctified the Place and made it Holy and that sanctified the Worship and gave value to it and therefore it was more acceptably performed there than in another Place But now under the Gospel there is no such Holiness of Places because there is no such symbolical Presence of God in one place more than in another for God's Presence is no longer confined to any one Place but he equally accepts the Worship that is devoutly offered him all the World over John 4. 21 23 24. Woman believe me the Hour cometh when ye shall neither in this Mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father as the peculiar and appropriate Place of his Worship as if he were more especially present there than in any other Place or would better accept the Worship performed there than in any other Place For now all such religious distinction of Places for Worship shall be taken away But the Hour cometh and now is when the true Worshippers shall worship the Father in Spirit and in Truth for the Father seeketh such to worship him as well in one place as another And such devout Worshippers shall be acceptable to him in any Place Mal. 1. 11. For from the rising of the Sun unto
Grace to the outward Circumcision nor yet to the Water of Baptism The use of these Sacraments was not to work that Grace which they had before but to be a solemn Engagement to them to perform their part of the Covenant and to confirm the Promise of God to them And therefore we find also Faith required before Baptism can be administred Acts 8. 36 37. What doth hinder me says the Eunuch to be baptized And Philip said If thou believest with all thine Heart thou mayest Faith is pre-required before Baptism and therefore is not wrought by the Sacrament of Baptism We find indeed that upon the solemn profession of their Faith by their admission of the Sacrament of Baptism there were sometimes greater measures of the Spirit poured out upon some Acts 19. 5 6. But it was in consideration of their Faith which went before Baptism that these Measures of the Spirit were given to them Their Baptism was only a testification of their Faith Ephes 1. 13. After ye believed ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of Promise So when Baptism is called the Baptism of Repentance it is not because Repentance was wrought by it but because it was a Sign and Testification of it and farther engaged to it We therefore also find that Justification and Salvation are every-where in the Scripture ascribed to Mens Faith and Repentance and not to the Sacraments as they would be if the Sacraments were the proper and immediate Causes of that Grace by which we are justified and saved Thus Rom. 1. 17. The Just shall live by Faith. And so Gal. 2. 20. I live by the Faith of the Son of God. And this Faith and so all Grace and Holiness is wrought by the Spirit by means of the Word Rom. 10. 17. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God And John 3. 8. As the Wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh or whither it goeth so is every one that is born of the Spirit God oftentimes in an imperceptible manner conferring his Grace and not confining it to the Sacraments So that the Sacraments do not give but only seal to us the Promise of Grace and Life 1 Pet. 3. 20 21. In the Ark of Noah a few that is eight Persons were saved by Water The like Figure whereunto even Baptism doth now save us But by Baptism I mean not the putting away the filth of the Flesh or that the outward Act of washing the Body serveth to this Salvation which God doth not lay on any outward Ceremony otherwise than as it is an Act or Exercise of our Faith and Obedience But the Answer of a good Conscience towards God in the Covenant of Baptism when a Person being ask'd doth really and faithfully engage and promise to believe in and give up himself to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost and to renounce the World the Flesh and the Devil Baptism is but the celebration of this saving Covenant and it is covenanting sincerely that is the Condition of Salvation and washing is but the Sign As Rom. 2. 25. Circumcision verily profiteth if thou keepest the Law but if thou be a breaker of the Law thy Circumcision is made Vncircumcision So it may be said of Baptism with respect to the Gospel It is not any Sacrament in it self that gives Grace or Justification or acceptance with God but thereby the Benefits promised are sealed to them that perform the Conditions Thus vers 28 29. He is not a Jew whom God will accept and justify who is one outwardly only in the Ceremony Neither is that Circumcision acceptable which is only outward in the Flesh and therefore 't is not the external Sacrament which gives the Grace but he is a Jew justified and accepted of God that is one inwardly and Circumcision is that of the Heart in the Spirit and not in the Letter or Ceremony whose Praise is not of Men but of God. The like may be said of the Christian and his Baptism So Gal. 5. 6. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor Vncircumcision nor the outward washing of Baptism neither but Faith which worketh by Love. 'T is this and nothing else that avails to the Christian's Salvation But if the Sacraments themselves did work Saving-Grace the same might be as well affirmed of them It is said indeed Rom. 6. 4. We are buried with him by Baptism into Death that like as Christ was raised up from the Dead by the Glory of the Father even so we should also walk in Newness of Life The meaning of which is this that we by our Baptism enter into a Profession Engagement or Undertaking to give over all Sin and to live a new regenerate Life in conformity to the Death and Life of Christ This Profession was represented and signified by their going down into the Water and being as it were buried in it and then rising out of it again It is not Baptism which works this Grace of Mortification but that proceeds from our believing Reception and hearty submitting our selves to the form of Doctrine delivered to us by the Spirit of Grace in the Gospel vers 17. And it is by the Spirit that we are enabled to mortify the Deed of the Body Rom. 8. But Baptism testifies and represents our Profession and Engagement to do it It is said also Gal. 3. 27. As many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ his Spirit and Nature and are become his Members There being baptized into Christ signifies those that have sincerely consented to that baptismal Covenant of which the outward Baptism was a Badg and Profession It was not by virtue of their Baptism but by 〈◊〉 of their Faith which they professed in their Baptism that they became Members of Christ Vers 26. Ye are all the Children of God by Faith in Christ Jesus According to John 1. 12. To as many as received him to them gave he Power to become the Sons of God even to them that believed in his Name So John 3. 5. Except a Man be born of Water and the Spirit c. It is the Spirit 's Regeneration which is asserted and which is only mentioned vers 8. But this spiritual Regeneration was represented by the Water of Baptism So Tit. 3 5. The washing of Regeneration that is Regeneration signified and sealed in Baptism or which is to the Soul as a laver or washing is to the Body to cleanse it from Sin. So Ephes 5. 25 26. Christ loved the Church and gave himself for it that he might sanctif◠it and cleanse it with the washing of Water by the Word It is the Regeneration it self which is there intended by the washing of Water which is said to be wrought by the Word because by the means of the Word we are cleansed from the filth of Sin as the filth of the Body is cleansed by the washing of Water But yet this Regeneration is signified and represented in Baptism and there all do make a profession of it ERRATA PAge 52. line 5. read Judiciously P. 67. l. 19. r. is directly P. 81. l. 3. r. what words P. 84. l. 3. r. beneficial P. 104. l. 30. r. God is said P. 118. l. 20. r. yet He. P. 123. l. 9. r. with them P. 140. l. 24. r. in to the understanding P. 145. l. 23. r. from these words P. 147. l. 21. r. rite P. 152. l. 16. r. even after P. 168. l. 32. r. throw on Advertisement of some Books lately printed against Popery 1. A Modest Enquiry Whether St. Peter were ever at Rome and Bishop of that Church 2. The Fallibility of the Roman Church demonstrated from the manifest Error of the Second Nicene and Trent Councils which assert That the Veneration and honorary Worship of Images is a Tradition Primitive and Apostolical 3. A Demonstration that the Church of Rome and her Councils have erred by shewing that the Councils of Constance Basil and Trent have in all their Decrees touching Communion in one kind contradicted the received Doctrine of the Church of Christ 4. A Treatise of Traditions Wherein is proved That we have Evidence sufficient from Tradition 1. That the Scriptures are the Word of God. 2. That the Church of England owns the true Canon of the Books of the Old Testament 3. That the Copies of the Scripture have not been corrupted 4. That the Romanists have no such Evidence for their Traditions 5. That the Testimony of the present Church of Rome can be no sure Evidence of Apostolical Tradition 6. What Traditions may securely be relied upon and what not The Second Part.