To the Reader AMongst all the Miseries that attend our Humane Frailty there is none to be so much bewailed as the stupidity of our mindes which renders us worse then beasts and deprives us of that felicity for which we were Created which was to fill up the glorious places of the Lapsed Angels and so have been happy to all eternity the verity of this will plainly appear when we consider the madness of this our present Age where People suck in Errour as Children do Milk from their Mothers Breasts and unadvisedly repel Truth as one would do a Serpent that attempts their ruine they hiss at those that invites them to Happiness and hug the Preachers of their Misery that imbrace all kindes of Novelties and kick against ancient verities that cry out the Bible the Bible and yet believe nothing in it more then their own Fancies dictate to them Now that these people of which there is too many may a little see and know their own Errours I shall in this following Discourse prove that their own Bibles which they pretend to confide in both is and shall be their assured Judge to condemn their erroneous opinions as also their guide being rightly understood to the knowledge of the Truth as also make it appear that all the chief points of Religion which Protestants deny and Roman Catholicks practice is found and commanded in their own Bibles by which will appear with what partial eyes they have looked upon Scripture that read it over so often and cannot see those places which pointeth Gods Church and the Faith thereof so plainly to them for it is indeed with these kinde of people as it is with the Jews to this day who though they read in the Old Testament the Prophecies which plainly foretold Christs coming his Life and dolorous Death yet are so blinded with unbelief that they cannot understand the same so all that are now out of Gods Church read and tumble over the Old and New Testament and yet cannot see the plain places which all Christians are bound to believe under the peril of damnation and all this is because men have presumptuous mindes in trusting to their own understandings and will not relye on Gods Church which plainly shews them to her Members when none else can because she onely is guided in all truth by the Holy Ghost to the end of the world All therefore that I shall desire of every Protestant Reader is onely this that he minde and look closely to every Text of Scripture here quoted and what is said with an impartial eye and observe well how Scripture and reason concur in the truth of what is treated of concerning our Faith which is so much slandered by their teachers and others for though it be lightly made on by some yet they shall one day finde that the diligent search after truth was one of the main things for which we were sent into the world which truth being practised in Gods Church is here plainly proved which though not delicately dressed with crafty Sentences but in poor and simple style may I hope produce the desired effects for which it was intended that is that all deceived people may finde the way to Gods Church that all Ignorance and Errours may be banished and Truth take place that true Religion may flourish as a green Bay-Tree and Heresies and Factions wither as Plants without rain that living all our lives in communion with Gods Church we may at last enjoy that blessed end for which we were created THE Catholick Mirrour Chap. 1. This is to prove the Verity of the Blessed Sacrament of the Body and Blood of our Saviour and that it is really so contrary to Protestants Opinion THe Misbelief of these times is such that it may give a just astonishment to all true Christians especially when they consider how little Faith many have in this most Blessed Sacrament and that there is no one thing our Blessed Saviour did so much inculcate to us in his whole life concerning any point of Faith as this he very well knowing the greatness of the Mystery and the smallness of our Faith it is in Holy Scripture often mentioned to be really his Body and Blood because we may plead no excuse by any mistake of one place alone and first you shall see how this Blessed Sacrament was prefigured to us in the Old Testament by the holy men of God and his Prophets as in Exodus 16.15 concerning the Manna which came down from Heaven to the Israelites to feed their Bodies so that foretold of this Spiritual Manna which feeds our Souls for should not this Blessed Sacrament be of greater value then Protestants make of it who say it is barely Bread and a Figure onely of Christ his Body then this Manna which was indeed a Figure would be of greater validity then that which it prefigured which is very absurd to think A second Figure we finde in Scripture is that Holy Bread of Proposition Exod. 25 Lev. 24. v. 5.6 7. or Shew-Bread which because it was a Figure of this most Holy Sacrament was to be made and eaten with such purity that none but sanctified persons was to eat of it to shew with what purity and reverence we ought to approach these Holy Mysteries The third Figure in Holy Writ is the Paschal Lamb Exod. 12. v. 3.4 5 6 c. an eminent Figure of this Sacrament wherein you may observe what Ceremonies God exacted from the Jews in the eating of it although but a Type of this from whence we may gather that this which Christ hath Instituted is to be had in a far higher esteem amongst Christians as requiring greater Faith in the believing of it and reverence in the receiving The fourth Figure was the Ark Exod. 25.10.11 12. whereof the Holy Doctor Saint Thomas saith 1.2 q. 102. ar That even as the Ark was made of the Wood of Sethim that is of pure and shining Cedar even so the Body of our Lord consisteth of most pure Members Again the Ark was gilded both within and without the which gilding signifieth the Wisdom and Charity of Christ our Lord. In the Ark were three things 1. There was a golden Pot wherein was kept Manna and was a figure of the Soul of Christ which containeth all plenitude of Sanctity and Divinity 2. There was the Rod of Aaron which signified the Priestly Power of Christ and as the Ark stood in the Tabernacle covered with a Vail even so Christ lyeth hidden in this Divine Sacrament under the Forms and Accidents of Bread and Wine which we must discover with the eyes of Divine Faith according to Saint Paul That Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen 3. There was in the Arke the two tables of Stone to signifie that Christ should be a Law-giver and this being one of his greatest Laws to believe in him let us take him at his word and thank
great Sacrament and no more question the works of God but conclude with that holy man Thomas de Kempes That if the wonderful works of God were to be understood by our reason they could not be said to be wonderful and unspeakable Thus have I shewed the truth of this Sacrament by the Protestants own Bible which though it work not my desired effects in the belief of it yet I hope it will reduce them to a more charitable opinion of us who think our selves bound to believe it because it is inserted in Holy Scripture according to that of our Saviour Search the Scriptures for therein you shall finde eternal life Chap. 2. Proving Sacramental Confession both by Holy Scripture and Reason against the Opinion of Protestants HAd we the prudence of our Predecessors in submitting our Judgements to Gods Church both as concerning this verity and all others we should not have so much peevish wrangling continually as we have in points of Faith but contrariwise we should joyn hand in hand in one uniform Doctrine of Christian Religion but being far from that happiness in this age we are possest with quite contrary for every one will be his own Judge and pass sentence though it be against Scripture and Reasont too and this will plainly appear when we consider that Confession hath been the practice of all Ages since Christ to this day I shall not need to produce the Authority of every Age which might easily be done it being out of my design because it is so plainly commanded in Holy Writ which ought not by any that professeth himself a Christian to be denied and if not so of necessity to be put in practice The first place I shall prove it from is out of the Gospel of Saint Matthew who speaking of Saint Johns Baptism Mat. 3. v. 5.6 saith They came from Jerusalem and Judea and were Baptized of him confessing their Sins Now to evade this Text the Protestants say That the people confessed themselves in general to be sinners But how poor this shift is let every one judge that hath a minde to know the truth for St. John knew and we all know that every man in general is a sinner without their saying so but the Text saith They confessed their sins which plainly argueth every ones particular sins Again you shall see what another Evangelist saith to the same purpose Mark 1. v. 5. And there went out to him all the land of Judea and they of Jerusalem and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan confessing their sins It may justly bring an asTonishment on the souls of true Christians to consider that those people which say they will believe nothing but the Bible yet when they come to the touchstone of it will believe never a word more then what their own fancies please But now as I have shown you how this was practised amongst the Jews in our Saviours time so now you shall be shown how Christs Apostle from him doth command the same Saint James saith James 5. v. 16. Confess your sins one to another and in all reason and duty since it is thus commanded we are bound under the penalty of damnation to do all the commands of the New Testament at least to believe them to be lawful Many examples of this practice have we in the Old Testament commanded by God himself as in Numbers he saith Numb 5. v. 6.7 That if any man or woman had committed any sins that then they shall confess their sin and he shall recompence his trespass committed So David used Confession to Nathan the Prophet 2 Sam. 12. v. 13. and if there were no Scripture at all Reason might tell us that it is a Divine Institution First in regard of the goodness that is in it self for we finde nothing more repugnant to our corrupt natures then to confess our sins to a Priest from which we may gather that the more it is against our frail natures the more it hath conformity to Gods will in regard by sad experience we all finde how difficult it is for us to comply with Gods will in those things that concerns our salvation Secondly The thought of confessing our sins to a Priest oftentimes hinders our design in committing sins Thirdly by confessing our sins to a Priest to whom God hath given our souls in charge Heb. 13. v. 17. and must give an account for them he knows what sins we are infected with and knows the better what Doctrine to preach to us for the remedy of our spiritual distempers And can any reasonable man think that if it were not a Divine Law that so many Emperours and Kings and Princes as are and have been would stoop on their knees to a poor Priest in a gray course Gown to make their Confession No we may well imagine they would not being men that commonly follow the dictates of their own will did not their consciences tell them it was from God and not of mans invention Now by this you may plainly see what reason the Catholick Church hath to propose Confession to her Children and likewise what madness 't is for Protestants and others to impugne so naked a Truth and so good a principle of Faith as Confession is My advice therefore is to all that enjoy not this benefit That they would beseech the giver of all goodness to unite them in communion with his holy Catholick Church and make them obedient Members thereof if they expect salvation from his hands according to that of Saint Augustine That he that will not acknowledge the Church for his Mother cannot lawfully call God his Father and that out of the Catholic Church there is no salvation Chap. 3. Proving Purgatory or a temporal satisfaction to Gods Justice for our sins committed here against the Belief of Protestants DId we not by the irregular passions of our mindes throw down Reason the Queen of our souls and set up an Idol in her place called Opinion we should with much facility imbrace this verity so long practised by Gods Church though it were for no other reason but because it is practised there but since nothing but Scripture will serve the turns of many in the world I shall plainly set it forth by that rule that they may have no excuse to deceive themselves But first it is necessary to let you know that as God hath these two Attributes to wit Mercy and Justice so he is to have them both satisfied As to the first he satisfies himself in pouring down his Spiritual and Temporal Blessings into our Souls and Bodies for the good of both And the second must be satisfied either in our doing or suffering according as our sins deserve Agreeable to this truth is that satisfaction which God hath required in Scripture so often for example Gen. 3. that of our first Parents for so soon as they had abused the mercy of God which placed them there presently his
in the same Church and I pray then where will your Errours remain but in your own bosoms But see further the truth of this our Saviour parting out of this world tells his Apostles That he would be with them even to the end of the world so that we have two Persons of the Blessed Trinity promised to assist the Church of God for ever Matth. 28. v. 20. besides God the Fathers Divine aid and if this Church Erre with their guiding then there can be no truth at all for us to be guided by for this is as clear as the Sun that if the Church of God be guided by an Infallible Spirit it cannot Erre And the Church of God is guided by an Infallible Spirit therefore the Church of God cannot Erre And though I have made this good already yet I will make it more plainly appear from Christs own words where he exhorting Brethren to be reconciled one to another which if they will not do by reasonable perswasions they should tell the Church Matth. 18. v. 17. and if they will not hear the Church let them be as Heathens and Publicans by which it is plain that if the Church were not Infallible Just and free from Errour our Saviour would never have tyed us to her Judgement in our Faith and Manners under so sad a penalty as being a Heathen if we do not hear and submit to her and therefore it is very necessary for every one to submit to Gods Church which is infallibly true lest they be Heathens in the esteem of God and Man and consequently out-lawes to the Kingdom of Heaven Again see what our Saviour saith to this purpose in the same Gospel And I say unto thee Matth. 16. v. 18. that thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against it now if the Church could be erroneous then you must deny this Gospel to be true for no Errours can be in the Church but by the prevailing power of the Devil which is meant by Hell-Gates and which our Saviour saith shall never prevail against it so by this we are certain the Church cannot Erre and we may confidently confide in her in all matters of our Salvation But for your further assurance if our Saviour be not enough I will show you what St. Paul saith concerning this truth where he confirms all that hath been said of it speaking to holy Timothy 1 Tim. 3. v. 15. But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave they self in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of the truth Now here I might stop and say no more for Saint Paul hath said enough for if it be the piller or support of truth and the ground from whence truth is derived is it not monstrous to think of Errour and I would fain know in what place Christians should ever be free from errour in their Faith if not in the Church of God and for to say that there is no way to be free from it would be very strange for then all men would grope in dark uncertainties which is quite contrary to the Qualities and Excellencies of Gods Church as was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah speaking of the Church of Christ Chap. 35. v. 8. And an high way shall be there and it shall be called the way of holiness and fools shall not erre therein now if there be no possibility for fools to erre in it certainly wise men cannot But this is no small subtilty of our Adversaries to hold this opinion well knowing that their Church hath been and is full of errours and that the gates of Hell hath prevailed against it hath manifestly appeared and doth now appear when all that they can do cannot allay the furious spirits of one Kingdom nor reduce them to any Obedience to their Church so that if they did not hold this Opinion as an Article of their Church all the world would see theirs was not the Church of God because it hath errours by which they are forced to maintain it as well as they can though it be against both Scripture and Reason too Now that this Church of God is onely the Roman Catholick is plainly shown already by her conformity to and practice of Gods holy word in all her points of Faith which she teacheth Christians to believe and therefore all her enemies wrong her and themselves too in saying the contrary for wheres they cry out the Roman Church was once the true Church of God but she is fallen from it now as they never could prove the time when nor the occasion how so is it impossible it ever should because as I have already shown Gods Holy Spirit guides and directs it that the Gates of Hell can never prevail to overthrow it nor bring it to errour And now having sufficiently proved the Infallibility of Gods Church I cannot but advise every one that hath any care of their eternal welfare to imbrace and believe what she preacheth concerning the same and so conclude with that of St. Augustine Many things saith he with much reason kept me in obedience to the Catholick Church the consent of people and Nations holds me the Authority of the same Church which is risen up by Miracle nourished with Hope augmented by Charity established by its Antiquity the succession of Bishops holds me therein whâ—ch beginning in the See and Authority of Saint Peter to whom God recommended the care of his Flock is maintained to this present time lastly the name of Catholick holds me in it and addeth he would not believe the Gospel it self if he were not assured of it by the Catholick Church Chap. 12. Proving the Doctrine of Remission of Sins as commanded by Christ and practised by his Apostles contrary to the Opinion of Protestants WEre not the mindes of many men corrupted with imperious principles they could not be so evil as to question yea deny the gifts both of Grace and Nature that God hath given both to Angels and Men when we have much reason to adore and praise him that he hath so much esteem of any of our Nature as to bestow such prerogatives upon them amongst which this is not the least that I am to treat of concerning remission of Sins by a Priest which though there be a grand mistake in this Point amongst Protestants and we are abused in it yet I shall by Gods assistance and by his holy word clear the mistake which may easily remedy the abuse for in all Mysteries of Christian Religion we are to consult with Gods word which if rightly understood cannot deceive us and not with our own shallow understandings which easily may neither are we to be led away with aiery fancies of our own nor with a giddy multitude nor ought the slanderous tongues of men to be trusted in but if you finde it plainly declared
so I will first show it you by the Infallible Prophesies of the Prophets of God Isa 2. v. 2. and first of Isaiah And it shall come to pass in the last dayes that the Mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the Mountains Christs Church and shall be exalted above the hills and all Nations shall flow unto it so here is one true testimony that the Catholick Church shall be spread in all parts and all Nations shall partake of her holy Doctrine and not to lye hid in a corner as in one Kingdome or City or Congregation or this mans Church or that mans Church as all Sectaries do by which I shall plainly prove they cannot be any thing like Gods Church And again the same Prophet saith speaking of the many benefits that we shall enjoy under Christs Church That the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord Chap. 11 v. 9 10. as the waters cover the Sea Now as we know they are spread in all parts of the world so is the knowledge of Gods truth spread by his Church in the same manner which quality agreeth to no other Church but the Roman Catholick The same Prophet declares further Chap. 49. v. 22 23. That Kings shall be thy nursing Fathers and Queens thy nursing Mothers and to show the great reverence they should bear to this Church of God saith he They shall bow down to thee with their faces toward the earth and lick up the dust of thy feet Now I would demand what Church or Sect in the Christian world that hath Kings and Queens for their nursing Fathers and Mothers but the Roman Catholick and so by consequence cannot be the Church of God but are as wandering sheep having no true shepherd and so are daily exposed to the rage and fury of that ravening wolf John 10. v. 12. the Devil Again the same Prophet speaking how largely Gods Church should be stretched forth under the Gospel Isa 54. v. 2 3. saith Enlarge the place of thy Tent let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation spare not lengthen thy Cords and strengthen thy stakes for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate Cities to be inhabited Now let the understanding Reader judge where this Prophesie is fulfilled in Protestants and Sectaties or in the Roman Church which is thus stretched out and hath her Members in the West-Indies and East-Indies in China in Tartary in Egypt in Assyria in Africa and Asia in Turky and all parts of Europe as the Empire of Germany the Kingdoms of Spain France Poland England Dominions of Italy and every Land in Christendom is either all or a considerable part of this Church which none in the world can say besides and so are very far off from fulfilling this Prophesie And in another place he saith Chap. 66. v. 18. And it shall come to pass that I will gather all Nations and Tongues and they shall come and see my glory Thus hath this holy Prophet by Gods inspiration foretold clearly the Universal or Catholick State of the Church of God in the time of the Gospel and Jeremiah the Prophet hath not been silent in Prophesying the fame for saith he Jer. 31. v 37. If heaven above can be measured and the foundation of the earth searched out beneath then will I cast off the seed of Israel and the measuring line shall go forth from Gareb to compass about Goath all which do declare the large extent of Christs Church And for confirmation of these Prophesies and what else hath been said I shall produce now the words of our Blessed Saviour himself who telling his Disciples of all the troubles they were to suffer for his name before Kings and Judges Ma k 13. v. 10. but saith he The Gospel must first be published among all Nations which plainly shows that Gods Church must be Catholick or Universal and I would fain learn from our Adversaries what Church hath taken the pains to publish the Gospel to all Nations and so fulfil these Prophesies but the Pastors of the Church of Rome for this may be urged to the shame of all Sects that if none took more pains in converting of Heathens Jews and Infidels then they do many millions of souls might perish for want of the knowledge of the living God but they instead of labouring to convert forreign Nations and so make the Church Universal lie at home in a corner of the world jangling one with another and sleeping on beds of Doun in Ladies bosoms and yet by all means theirs is the true Church and they the onely Pastors sent to convert the world and yet never intend to go about any such matter It is a wonderful thing to consider that men that read the Bible and all these Prophesies can be so ignorant to think that Gods Church should be pinn'd up in so narrow limits as any one Sect or Congregation did Christ himself preach for that and command his Apostles to publish the Gospel to all Nations who did so and lost their lives in that work was all this done I say to have his Church thrust up in a corner and to be no where else how then shall all Nations come to know God how shall they be Baptized in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost how shall they partake of any Sacraments how shall the Church hear their differences Mat. 18. v. 17. and decide them as our Saviour saith it shall how I say shall all this be done if it were so straitned but since she is a Catholick Church she is every where and so all persons inspired by God in all places may receive if they will the foresaid benefits which otherwise can never be done And thus is plainly shown you that there is an Universal Church and that it is the Roman Catholick is as plain in its agreement with Gods Word according to Saint Paul who highly commends the same Faith Rom. 1. v. 7 8. in these words To all that be in Rome beloved of God called to be Saints grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ First I thank my God for you all that your Faith is spoken of throughout the whole world from which words we may gather that if the Faith of the Romans was so inlarged in the world sixteen hundred years ago that now it is much more for then Gods Church was but in her Infancy and now she is in her flourishing State she was then under most cruel persecutions by Tyrants and now praised be God she is at rest with her friends so that now we may clearly see that all those that are shut up in such narrow Corners are meerly Sects and Heresies and are clean shut out from the bosom of the Spouse of Christ which is his Holy Catholick Church
and so consequently are in a very dangerous state as to the salvation of their souls Our Saviour doth further demonstrate this extent of his Church by the similitude of a grain of Mustard-seed Mark 4. v. 31 32. which being at first very small it groweth to a great tree so that the fowls of the aire makes their nests therein even so the Church was at first very small but now it is so spread over the face of the earth that all men may make their nests that is come into her Communion and be secure of their salvation living according to her holy commands which you see are agreeable to the Divine Word of God Again Christ saith speaking of the visibility of his Church in the world A City set upon a hill cannot be hid Mat. 5. v. 14 15. neither do men light a Candle and put it under a Bushel but on a Candlestick and it giveth light to all in the house Now this light that Gods Church was to give by this here spoken by our Saviour is not at all seen to forreign parts by any Church but the Roman Catholick who hath the light of her Doctrine as far extended as the Sun hath his beams when all others being but in Corners at home can give no light at all to any which clearly shows none of them can be Gods Church but of the Synagogue of Satan for they have none of the marks of the true Church so plainly set down in Scripture as to be Catholick or Universal and to be visible in all Ages to be at union and peace one with another to convert Nations and several others which they have none for instead of universality and being spread all over the world many of them will not make ten Parishes in ten Kingdoms and the best of them scarce a whole Kingdom in the whole world and instead of being visible to all ages the names of Protestants Presbyterians Independents Anabaptists and the rest were never heard of a hundred and sixty years past and as for their union in Faith which Christ left his Church as a mark I leave to all people to judge how much that belongs to any of them that have seen and known these twenty years confusion about Religion for Saint Paul saith of the Church of God If any man be contentious we have no such custome And for their converting of Nations I am sure they will not boast of that themselves since they never did any By all this it is plain that as the Roman Church hath all these properties so she must be and is this onely true Catholick and Apostolick or none at all and from her must we receive our Faith according to that of our Creed I believe in the Holy Ghost the Holy Catholick Church so that they that deny the Church to be Catholick or the Catholick Church do plainly deny their own Bibles and the Apostles Creed which are the Articles of our Faith But having said enough on this subject for all reasonable people I will conclude with that saying of St. Augustine Augustin tract 1. in Ep. Joan For albeit particular hills in one Countrey may be unknown in another yet saith he a Mountain that passeth throughout all Countreyes and filleth up the whole world as Daniel Prophefied the Church of Christ should do cannot but be apparent to the sight of all men Dan. 2. v. 44 45. but onely of such as illingly shut their eyes from the sight thereof Chap. 14. Proving that Fasting on certain Dayes commanded by Gods Church to be lawful and good contrary to the Opinion of Protestants HAd Almighty God when he created man a reasonable creature to do his will and to live in sobriety and temperance made him an Epicure and designed him for no other purpose he could not have lived either in more contempt or less practice of this Divine Vertue then the people of our Age do who indeed look upon all the rare Examples and holy Institutions of our Blessed Saviour as things indifferent and of no concern at all to them nay are so far from the practice of them themselves that they deride and scorn those that do as if it were a crime to be vertuous or to follow the examples and commands of our Saviour who in many places of his holy word hath exhorted us to the good work of Fasting as very necessary to subdue our sensual appetites and to obtain heaven This will evidently appear if you confult with Holy Writ where we shall first see our Saviours great example in fasting forty dayes and forty nights Mat. 4. v. 2 and I would gladly know wherefore he did so if not for our example of a good life for he never committed sin and therefore did not require to do any such thing for punishment and I think no man will say he did it for pleasure by which it is plain that he fasted for our example but the common objection is can you fast as Christ did if not to what purpose is yours done he fasted forty dayes can you do so and thus people would fain slip their necks out of the nooze for I would ask them wherefore was Christ humble and meek why did he pray and watch and weep why was he patient and courteous to all but onely for our example that we should imitate him and shall we not strive to do any of these vertues but slight them all because we cannot do them with that perfection as Christ did them is not this meer madness to think but let such people know that as it is impossible for the best of us to do them with exactness as he did so God doth not require it from us but to the utmost of our powers we are bound to practise them and so we are this Christian act of fasting the force and power of which Mat. 17. v. 21. as our Saviour saith Casteth out some sorts of Devils which being so we may very well think that God cannot but be pleased with the doing of it and we may justly imagine that the Apostles were strict observers of this rule for Saint Paul in his counsel that he gave to Timothy bids him to mingle a little wine with his water for his healths sake 1 Tim. 5. v. 23. which plainly shows that he chiefly abstain'd from strong drink drinking onely water and so it is said of St. John Baptist that his meat was locusts and wilde honey which was very hard food for nourishing the body in any delights but rather served as they designed them for mortification and that is the onely cause that Gods Church commands her Children to fast and abstain from meat that they may in some measure break their own wills and mortifie their fleshly members that they may be more conformable to Gods will and better disposed to his holy service It would be too tedious to set down all places of holy Scripture to prove this as the often fasting
Interpreter he would never have caused Saint Paul in his Epistle to command us to obey our Pastours whom he hath placed to rule over us and saith he Submit your selves Heb. 13.17 for they watch for your sols and shall give an account for you It is a wonder that this Text iâ— not blotted out by all self-conceiteâ— people or that they do not deny it to be good Scripture as they do many other places for if as St. Paul saith here we must obey our Pastours that is those that teach the true Faith of Gods Church why then we must forsake our own fancies in expounding hard places of Scripture because God hath given it in their charge to do that and put us into their charge too to be guided by them for saith the Text Submit to them and how do we that when we scorn them and submit to none but our own will quite contrary to Gods holy word which one day will be the onely witness against such kinde of men and since Saint Paul tells us that they watch over our souls and shall give an account for us who is it but those that are blinde doth not see that we are bound in conscience to submit to their judgements But the common peevish objection by many people is shall I pin my faith upon any mans sleeve or cannot I know and understand the Bible my self it is plain enough and thus poor souls are miserably cheated by the subtilty of Satan for this snare catches thousands for it is the very same that caught our first Parents for he made them believe that they should be as wise as God Gen. 3. ver 5. to know good and evil and so he leads these kinde of men to their desruction by telling them they may be as wise as their Pastors if they read the Bible they shall know the meaning as well as they and so these hellish suggestions passeth currant with them for the spirit that telleth them the meaning of all for the Devil well knoweth that if he possesseth any with self-conceit he has done his work And now I have discovered this great abuse that is put upon many men I will prosecute the remedy and declare what we is best to be taken to know those hard places in Scripture and the true sense of them First we are to renounce our own judgements which may easily deceive us and resign our selves to Gods Church which cannot for since we are sure that God ever had in the world a Visible Church and that this Church cannot not erre as I have proved before because the Holy Ghost is the guider of it what better way can any man possibly devise then by submitting his Faith to Gods Church for if we do so we do what God commands us and then we discharge our duty which if they that are in the visible Government of it teach us any thing that they ought not to do they shall answer it it to God and not we for we are in their charge and they must give an account for us as St. Paul before tell us and let any man in reason judge if there were no command for it by God whether it be not more secure to stand to the uniform judgement of one hundred thousand grave Doctors in Gods Church which all agree in one exposition of the Bible now and with all that hath gone before that were of the same Church then with their own private spirit or to relye upon those that cannot agree amongst themselves but ar ein continual contest one with another And for our further assurance and security we shall have by resigning our selves to the Church we are to consider that as Gods Church is guarded by his power from the Gates of Hell ever having any power over it so we as Members of it can never fall from our Faith as long as we are so resigned for till then we are continually wavering and unconstant in our mindes as too many by experience findes it true but when we are so settled we have perfect freedom to serve God in that second principle of Christian Religion which is good works I shall onely add one thing to all serious peoples considerations that is why there is so many sorts of Bibles amongst Protestants and all Sectaries and what their design is in it as for example some have all the Books of Scripture and some leave out the Apocraphy as they call it some have Contents to their Chapters and some have not and every translation differs in a thousand places at the least and the reason of it is clear to those that are not willing to be cheated in their souls because every Translator makes them dance after his Pipe that is the Bible he translates shall be sure to favour his pernicious opinions and being taxed with it they all cry the meaning is the same but I would demand of those presumptuous persons how they dare to alter the Scripture either by adding or diminishing since there is a curse pronounced against them that do Rev. 22. v. 18 19. by God himself for since we are all surek that the first Bible that we had for our instruction Deut. 4. v. 2. was writ by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost is it not a high presumption for any man to vary from that and then pretend that the meaning is the same when many times the altering of one Letter mars the sense of a whole Sentence much more when they alter a word nay Sentences themselves to work their own designs as if what God ordained at first had need to be corrected by their wisdoms by which it doth appear that if every Heretick could have his will he would trust out of Scripture all places that make against his principles and yet it would with them be as good Scripture as any and then to interpret that by their own private spirits must needs bring strange confusion both in the knowing which is the true word of God and what the meaning of it is If we consult with holy David we shall finde that he apprehended more difficulty in knowing the word of God then these kinde of men do who saith Give me understanding Psal 119. v. 34. O God and I will search thy Law sure he was as wise as any that pretend so much of the Spirit and yet he would not so much as search into those Mysteries without particular assistance from God So we read that the Eunuch which was a man of great authority under the Queen of Candice and so consequently of great knowledge yet when Saint Philip the Apostle asked him whether he understood what he read out of Isaiah concerning Christ he answered How can I Acts 8.30 31. except some man should guide me and then Philip whose charge it was declared the meaning to him by which we may see that he though a great man was not so presumptuous to interpret Scripture of himself as many do