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B08370
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A soveraign remedy against atheism and heresy. Fitted for the vvit and vvant of the British nations / by M. Thomas Anderton.
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Anderton, Thomas.; Hamilton, Frances, Lady.
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1672
(1672)
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Wing A3110A; ESTC R172305
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67,374
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174
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causarum cognitionem arrogare c. He is therfore cursed by the Protestant vvriters as bearing the mark of the beast in acknowledging the Popes supremacy and for subduing all Christian Churches to his iurisdiction so Frigiuillaeus in his palma Christiana dedicated to Q. Elizabeth pag. 35. saying that Constantin preferred the Bishops of Rome and Constantinople before others yet attributed the Primacy before all to the Roman And pag. 34. saith that Constantin gaue the povver of the beast to Pope Iulius vvhich Iulius presently exercised for Constantin also carried the mark of the Dragon in his armes c. And Mr Napper in his Treatise vpon th Reuelations dedicated to King Iames saith After the year of God 300. the Emperor Constantin subdued all Christian Churches to Pope Siluester from vvhich time till these our dayes the Pope and his Clergy hath possessed the outvvard and visible Church Q. Pardon Sir that I interrupt you from proceeding further in the Proof of Constantins being a Papist I am fully conuinc't he was of your Popish Religion and seing Mr Napper sayes to King Iames that Popery possessed and gouerned the visible Church euer since that time I would willingly know whether it was so before Constantins time or whether that Emperor bestowed this supremacy vpon the Pope and pulld down Protestancy to set up Popery A. To satisfy your curiosity I will remit you to your own Protestant writers the Centurists and others I will only tell you that one of the most learnest protestant writers called Philip Nicolai took great pains in this matter in his work de regno Christi undertaking to discouer the first beginning and increase of the papal dignity or supremacy and concludeth at last with these words pag. 221. Primatus affectatio communis fuit infirmitas Apostolorum ac etiam primorum Vrbis Romae Episcoporum The affectation of the Primacy was an infirmity common to the Apostles as also to the first Bishops of Rome Mr Midleton likewise in his Papistomastix pag. 193. saith that perusing Councells Fathers and stories from the Apostles forvvord vve find the print of the Popes feet Vve may therfore follow securely steps so ancient and so authentik If Popery were not the right way to heauen certainly the ancient Councells would haue condemn'd it the Fathers would haue declin'd it and the Histories would haue recounted how it entred into the Church and supplanted the former Religion that Christ and the Apostles had preach't And yet not a vvord of this change or corruption in Councells Fathers or any History This is the greatest of Miracles that the doctrin and publik profession of Popery being in itself so contrary to Protestancy vvhich is supposed by its Professors to haue bin the pure and primitiue Christianity should steale so early and so insensibly into the Church notwithstanding the vigilancy of those primitiue Pastors and the great concern of euery faithfull to obserue and oppose the least nouelty whatsoeuer in matters of doctrin any change or corruption therof inuoluing a damnable heresy Q. Though the conuersion of all heathen Kings and Nations were as you say to Popery and performed by Papists and that it is not credible God vvould permit so general a peruersion vvherby the end of instituting his Church would be frustrated yet I vvould vvillingly know vvhether you can produce any Miracles against our Protestant doctrin vvherby we differ from the Papists A. See D◠Humfry in Iesuitismi p. 2◠rat 5. p. 5. 627. Bishop Bale in Act. Rom. Pont. pag. 44.45 46. Osiand in Epit. Cēt. 6. p. 289. 288. And the Magdeb. Centur. 6. cap. 20. All the Miracles that moued the Pagans to be Papists were wrought against Protestancy I will instance it in the conuersion of our Saxon Ancestors vvho vvere Pagans and made Papists by the preaching and Miracles of St Austin the Monk Apostle of England The Protestant writers confess he conuerted the Saxons to the Chaos of Popish Ceremonies and superstition and specify worship of Images praying to Saints Purgatory Mass Transubstantiatiation holy water c. And yet themselues confess with St Bede that his doctrin and that of the ancient Britans of that time B p. Iuel in his pageant of Popes B p. Goduin in his Catalogue of Bishops p. 1. Fox in his Acts and Monum printed 1576. pag. 463. difered only in a ceremony of Baptism and in the day of celebrating Easter St Austin confirming his own practise therin by a confessed Miracle of restoring sight to a blind man Now it being euident by our English Chronicles and the Protestant vvriters vvherof Mr Iohn Fox Bishop Goduin and Bishop Iuel are to be particularly noted as being most eminent that the ancient Britans after receiuing the Catholik Faith in the Apostles time held the same untill Austins coming and neuer forsook it for any manner of false preaching of other nor for torments c. It must be concluded that the ancient Britans were first conuerted to Popery and so continued untill Austins time and that his and their doctrin was the same in all particulars contrary to Protestancy and confirmed by Miracles But because you seem to desire a dogmatical Miracle that is one vvrought in confirmation of Popery not only as it is Christianity in general but at it is Christianity in particular and opposit to Protestancy I will endeu or to satisfy your curiosity hoping therby to setle your conscience CHAP. IX St. BERNARDS VNDENIABLE Miracles vvrought by God to confound Protestants and confirm the doctrin of the Sacrifice of the Mass Transubstantiation Purgatory Prayer for the dead Prayer to Saints their vvorship and that of Images Chrisme the Popes supremacy c. SAint Bernards learning sanctity and Miracles are so generaly confessed by all Protestant writers that Doctor Stillingfleet in his late Comedy of the Idolatry and Fanaticism of the Church of Rome durst not bring him vpon the stage Vvhitaker de Ecclesiâ pag. 369. saith of him I do realy belieue Bernard vvas a true Saint Osiander cent 12. saith Saint Bernard Abot of Clareual vvas a uery pious man c. Gomarus in speculo Ecclesiae pag. 23. saith one pious man your Church had in many years Bernard your Saint And Pasquils return into England pag. 8. 13. saith he vvas a good Father and one of the lamps of Gods Church He was so famous for his learning humility deuotion and Miracles that after his refusal of all Ecclesiastical dignities he gouerned not only the Church but the temporal Princes were sayd by him and submitted to his iudgment King Henry 2. of England forsook a Schismatical Pope which he had supported against the King of France by saint Bernards persuasion The King of France gaue ouer troubling the Bishops for his sake VVilliam the Duke of Aquitain was conuerted from a deuouring wolf to a meek Lamb by his words All the world lookt upon saint Bernard as the Apostle of that age wherin diuers heresies were
be no excuse before that dreadfull Iudge who takes no other euidence but that of our own conscience This only we must consult in matters of Eternity and not think that a Clergy or Religion established by a temporal law is lawfull though it should be called legal by an Act of Parlament Q. Sir I haue seen the Registers of Lambeth you would haue me suspect as forged I assure you I see no sign of forgery in them And as for Bishop Iuels not answering Doctor Harding demand concerning the first Protestant Bishops and particularly Parkers Consecrator perhaps he thought it an idle question and underualued so weak an obiection A. Forged Registers are often the most formal all counterfeit ware standing in need of being set forth with great artifice Vve haue seen Registers and Records of publik Courts of Iudicature so artificialy changed and corrupted that nothing but their not being produced many years before when they were called for could conclude the forgery Doctor Harding called for the Registers of the first protestant Bishops Consecration as well as for the Consecraters name Neither did B. Iuel contemn this demand as you imagin He went as far in the answer as he durst He answered 1. that the first protestant Bishops in the beginning of Queen Elizabeths reign were consecrated in due form by Archbishop Parker their Metropolitan But being again pressed by Harding to name Parkers Consecrator he put off that impertinent question wherof the whole controuersy and the credit of the Church of England depended by a wild digression and long discourse of the ancient Bishops being consecrated without aquainting the Pope But sure Mr Iuel might aquaint Doctor Harding with the name of him who consecrated Parker as well as he named Parker for Consecrator of the other Bishops and certainly would if Parker himself had bin realy consecrated by a Bishop If you do not belieue my relation read Doctor Hargings bookes against Iuel and Iuels own Apology for the Church of England where they treat of this particular Q. Gentlemen I would to God you did agree among yourselues and not break the Layties heads with your disputes You haue put so many doubts into mine that I can hardly belieue any thing On both sides you seem to bee honest and learned men therfore I think my best way is to continue in the Church of England and trust in God that I shall not be damn'd for not being of that of Rome untill I be better satisfied that the points wherin it differs from ours are necessary for saluation And this requiring longer time the particulars being so many than I am like to liue t' is not credible God would oblige me or any other illiterat person to spend our dayes rather in controuersies than in prayer and good works and in the end be as litle satisfied with ourselues as our and your Clergy are with one an other Yourselues grant that implicit Faith is sufficient for such ignorant people as I am that Faith I am sure I haue for I do belieue all that God reuealed though I do not know what it is he reuealed or whether he hath apointed the Church of Rome rather than that of England to instruct the world and inform us of his reuelations And truly I belieue a man may be saued without troubling himself to know which of them it is that God hath apointed for our instruction prouided we be redy to be members therof when that shall be made cleer to us by better arguments than I am able to inquire after A. This is so dangerous doctrin that I iudge it worth my pains to shew yet further the obligation the most illiterat men haue to search after the true Church and how easiâ—y they may find it out by visible signs and how you may without any help but that of common sense be satisfied of the truth of euery particular point of doctrin wherin Roman Catholiks differ from Protestants And all this in the space of less than two houres time Q. Nay Sir if you perform your undertaking I deserue to be damn'd for all Eeternity if I will nor hear you for so short a time as two hours I pray Sir proceed CHAP. VIII HOVV EVERY ILLITERAT PERSON may easily and in the space of two houres find out the true Church and the truth of euery point of doctrin controuerted betvveen Catholiks and Protestants VVHen the people of Israel were most diuided in matters of Religion 3. Reg. 8. the Prophet Elias made a motion to them of cleering the truth by that famous dogmatical Miracle of burning an Ox upon the Altar without kindling the fire under it This cleer and compendious way was hugely approued of by the multitude as suting best with their capacities for they needed not learning to dispute their eyes were sufficient Iudges and they had so much common sense as to know that God would not permit a falsood to be confirmd by a miracle in so publik a trial wherin his Veracity was so particularly concerned The Prophets therfore of Baal durst not refuse so fair an offer as Elias made in their presence and I hope the Protestant Clergy will be ashamed to refuse mine Let us not delude the people with school subtilities or obscure texts of scripture If the Church of England or Scotland or any other reformed one be the true Church and its doctrin the true doctrin let that be tried by miracles I shall try ours of Rome by that test I challenge then all the Bishops and Ministers of the Church of England and all others of the Reformation or all the Protestants of the world to work or mention any one miracle euer yet wrought by any Protestant to confirm any one point of doctrin wherin they differ from the Roman Catholik Gentlemen summon your Sinods search into all histories profane and sacred set your heads together and produce at least som probable testimony of as much as one miracle to grace your Reformations And if you can not find undoubted miracles at least shew som thing that lookes like a miracle som thing that may be mistaken for one wherof the falsood or fraud hath not bin as yet discoured such as you say many of ours are Perhaps you will pretend that your Protestants are not so easily foold with false miracles as our Roman Catholiks But this must be a gift and priuilege of your priuat spirit for the Spaniards Italians and French are not by nature so dull as our Northen Protestants and are as loath to be cheated out of their moneys by Masses Miracles Pilgrimages and other pretexts of deuotion as you are And yet they belieue such Miracles as haue bin motiues for the Popes or people to Canonize our Saints and those also wherby Heathens and heretiks haue bin conuerted to our Religion Q. I doubt not Sir but that the Catholiks are as unlikely and loath to be imposed vpon as Protestants therfore I would fain heare som of those undeniable miracles