Opinion hath so much ground in Scripture that I do not apprehend all Mr. G. B. can say to disprove it Josue 5.15 an Angel is said to be the Captain of the Lords host He seems the same who Dan. 12.1 is called Michael And Dan. 10.20 there are others mentioned viz. the Princes of Persia and Greece And why may not these be the Angels who presided over those Countries we are sure that all Angels are ministring spirits sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of Salvation Heb. 1.14 and The little ones have Angels who in Heaven always see the face of God. Matt. 18.10 And that several Angels ascended and descended on Jacobs ladder Gen. 28.12 was to shew they mediated betwixt God who was at the top and man who lay at the bottom of the Ladder Now if particular Angels have a care or charge of particular persons why may not some others have a larger district and a more extended Charge This you will say is taken from Paganism And I will answer the Pagans took it from the Israelites not these from them And it seems very probable that when the Arch-divel who took the Name of Jupiter had so far prevailed with Men as to be by them advanced to the Throne of God his next Attempt was to get his wicked Spirits acknowledged for Governours of the World under him in lieu of those Blessed Spirits who were the lawful Governours appointed by God himself That Order of God was not to be abrogated with the Old Law of which it was no part it being an Establishment for the more connatural Government of the World from the beginning to the end of it I know God can govern all things by himself immediately without the Assistance of Men or Angels that neither the greatness of Business can mate him nor its number confound him nor its variety distract him nor its intricacy deceive him nor its obscurity hide it from his all seeing Eye That having created the whole World with a word he can govern it so too yet he uses Men (a) Rom. 13.1 and he can call all to believe in him as he did Saul (b) Act. 9. yet he employed an Angel to convert the Centurion (c) Act. 10. and vouchsafes to be Fellow Labourer (d) Mar. 16.20 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with Men whom he honors with that Employment and he can justifie those whom he calls without the concourse of any creature yet he will have us use water And as to the work of the first day the Creation of all things visible and invisible God required the Asistance of no Creature so the whole work of the last day might be performed by him alone yet he will use the voice of an Archangel to proclaim it (e) 1 Thessal 4.16 the Angels shall gather together those who are raised again to life (f) Mat. 24.31 they shall sever the wicked from the just and cast them into the furnace of fire (g) Matt. 13.49.50 Thus the Law and Prophets Christ and his Apostles the Old and New Testament attest this Truth that Angels concur to carrying on the work of our Salvation and have a Commission from God to direct us Now for believing this Truth Papists are accused of Superstition and agreeing with Idolaters and why we more than Jacob or Daniel Josue or Jesus who taught the same Blame them if you dare or absolve us for their sakes whom we follow G. B. pag. 24. This kind of Idolatry was first begun at Babilon where Ninus made a statue of Belus from him all these lesser gods were called Belim or Baalim Answer It is not true that Baal was held to be a lesser God he was adored as the supreme God as you may see 3 Reg. 18.21 G. B. Ibid. From this hint we may guess why the Apostacy of Rome is shadowed forth under the name of Babilon Answer This is to enlighten one night with another and wash a spot of dirt out of linnen with Ink. You dwell and converse much in obscure places which is proper to those who hate the light (a) Joan. 3.20 because it disco vers their deform features or more deformed actions We have already shewed you that Baal or Bel was held to be the living God which you may see also Dan. 14.5 now we never held any man Saint to be God except the fountain of Sanctity Christ Jesus CHAP. X. Of the Intercession of Saints G. B. p. 25. IF we compare with this Idolatry the worship of Angels and Saints in the Roman Church we shall find the parity just and exact Answer It is neither just nor exact it differs in many things For 1. the Pagans held those men they honored to be true gods we believe the greatest Saints to be our fellow-servants 2. Even those who owned a Deity above them believed it to do nothing in human Affairs Job 22.14 we believe his Providence reaching all things 3. They stopt in those Spirits we with them make our Addresses to God. And 4. They offered Sacrifices to them we offer none but to God. This Objection is not new it was made against the Catholic Church above 1300 years ago to which S. Austin answered l. 20. cont Faust cap. 21. and l. 8. de Civit. Dei. c. 27. in the latter place he hath these words Quis audivit Sacerdotem stantem ad altare etiam super sanctum corpus Martyris dicere in precibus Offero tibi Sacrificium O Petre vel Paule vel Cypriane cùm apud eorum memorias offeratur Deo Ista non esse Sacrificia Martyrum novit qui novit unum quod Deo offertur Sacrificum Christianorum Nos itaque Martyres nostros divinis honoribus non colimus nec Sacrificia illis offerimus Who ever heard a Priest at the Altar say I offer Sacrifice to thee O Peter Paul or Cyprian when upon their Sepulchers it is offered to God Those are not Sacrifices of Martyrs as all know who know that one Sacrifice of Christians which is there offered to God. Wherefore we do not worship Martyrs with divine Adorations nor offer Sacrifice unto them Out of which words you may learn 1. that Martyrs were worship'd in the primitive Church 2. Their Tombs were turned into Altars 3. That the Sacrifice of Christians was offered upon those tombs And 4. That that Sacrifice was offered only to the living God and not to the Martyrs All which things to this day the Roman Catholic Church doth very religiously observe By which appears the conformity of the ancient and modern Church in doctrin and practice As also the deformity betwixt the ancient Church and the Protestant Reformation in which there are neither Martyrs worship'd nor their tombs regarded nor Altars nor Sacrifice You still roul stones which fall on your own head G. B. pag. 25. There was a Saint appointed for every Nation S. Andrew for Scotland S. George for England S. Denis for France and many more
word of the love of God which is the main design of it you speak of Purity Ingenuity Patience Generosity and something of the love of our Neighbour but why are you silent of the Love of God which gives Vertue to all the rest which without it avail us nothing (a) 1 Cor. 13. how perfect soever they be in their kind Do you intend to make that fall under the Notion of Antichristianism as being with you no part of the Designs of Christianity I shall expect a satisfactory Answer to these Doubts and proceed to CHAP. IV. G. B. His Explication of the Designs of Christianity G. B. Pag. 4. THe first Design of Christian Religion is to give us right apprehensions of the Nature and Attributes of God. Pag. The second branch is to hold forth the method of Mans Reconciliation with his Maker You mean that the intent of Christian Religion is to teach us that there is One God and One Mediator which are Objects of our Faith. Pag. 7. The third is to teach the perfectest clearest and most Divine Rules for advancing of the Souls of Men to the highest perfections of their Natures it giving clearer Rules and fuller Directions than either moral Philosophers or the Old Testament The Lessons of Purity Chastity Ingenuity Humility Meekness Patience and Generosity Not one word of Charity but Generosity I know not whence comes in to take its place Pag. 8. The fourth to unite Mankind in the closest Bonds of Peace Friendship and Charity which it doth tempering our Passions forgiving Injuries loving our Enemies teaching Obedience to those in Authority over us and by associating us into one Body call'd the Church Answer This is indeed a Design worthy of Christian Religion but imperfectly explicated by you seeing you omit the love of God the God (a) 2 Cor. 1.24 of Peace who alone can give us perfect Peace Humane Wills are naturally opposite to one another they cannot meet but in their natural center God. And the Love of our Neighbor is never sincere and lasting but when it is grounded on the Love of God. The first effect of Self-love is to separate us from God. The second to divide us among our selves Both are the effects of Sin and nothing can prevent them and link us together in the Bonds of Charity but he who can remit Sins That Peace then which Christian Religion teaches which the Church recommends to her Children which in her Prayers she demands of God is not an effect of humane industry but of Grace It proceeds from the Mercy of God it is a sequel of Purity of Conscience and the Crown of real and true Justice In fine it is the work of the unspotted Lamb (a) 1 Pet. 1.19 at whose Birth (b) Luk. 2.14 Peace was announced in his Name to the World by the Angels who left Peace (c) Jo. 14.27 as a Legacy to his Disciples before his Death and who was sacrificed on the Altar of the Cross to reconcile us to his Heavenly Father and restore Peace betwixt Heaven and Earth which the Sin and Rebellion of Men had banisht You see Sir how insufficient your Explication of Peace is for the end you propose You leave out the chief and most necessary Ingredient for purging our Dissentions and to use a Prophets Comparison (d) Ezech. c. 13.10 you build with untempered Mortar You (e) Jerem. 6.14 heal the hurt of the people slightly saying Peace Peace when there is no Peace You hint indeed at a good humane means to Peace Obedience to those in Authority It was to prevent Schism (f) Inter Apostolos unus eligitur ut capite constituto schismatis tolleretur occasio Hieron l. 1. adversus Vigilantium c. 14. that God establish'd one Apostle over the rest But your endless Divisions and Subdivisions amongst your selves shew how inefficacious this means is in your Reformation And how can it be otherwise when all your People have before their Eyes the Example of your first Patriarkes who began your Reformation by rejecting all Authority over them and breaking the Rules of Divine Worship setled all over the World and till that time acknowledged by themselves Cur non licebit Valentiniano quod licuit Valentino de arbitrio suo fidem innovare Tert. l. de praescript c. 40. p. 338. Why may not not a Lutheran do what was lawful to Luther Your first Reformers rejected some Articles of Faith then universally believed because they seemed not to be contain'd in Scripture why may not the same motive authorise their Followers to reject some others which you would retain altho they are as little to be found in Scriptures Why may not a modern Protestant retrench some unnecessary Ceremony used by you at present seeing you have cut off so many others Let others live by that law which you publish think not so highly of your own Authority as to make your Dictamens not only the Rule of Actions but of the Laws themselves It shall be lawful to dissent from this Article of Faith but not from that other to quit this Ceremony and not that when the same rule is applicable to both Is not this properly (a) 2 Cor. 1.24 To lord it over the Faith of the People What wonder you find your Laity refractory to your Ordinances They are in this directed by your Rule and encouraged by your Example Wherefore look no where abroad for the root of these tares Your Reformers planted them they laid the Egg out of which this Cockatrice is hatched They eat the sower Grapes which set all your Teeth an Edge Neither appears there any possibility of a Remedy while your Reformation subsists this Principle of Discord and Schism being laid in its very Foundation and consequently it cannot be removed without the ruine of the whole Structure nor retained without perpetual Danger of renting it in pieces I wish these troublesome Schisms and endless Discords amongst your selves may make you seek a proper Remedy by a Reunion to the Center of Union God and his Church CHAP. V. Of the Characters of Christian Doctrin G. B. P. 8. I Shall add to this the main distinguishing Characters of our Religion which are Four. Pag. 8. First its Verity Pag. 10. The Second its genuine Simplicity and Perspicuity The Third its Reasonableness and the Fourth its easiness Thus you Answer Are these the only or even the chief Characters of Divine Truths whether you take them as they are delivered in holy Writ or as taught in the Church Can you find no other quality peculiar to them not common to others Then human Learning may equal if not surpass Divine Take for Example some Principles naturally known as Two and two make four or The whole Body is greater than any part of it These are true it is impossible they should be false they are perspicuous and easie no Man can doubt of them who understands the terms They are reasonable For what more reasonable than
that the Souls of deceased Men could be mediating Spirits which you ascribe to all Pagans The second is that deceased Men even when deified were by all held to be mediating Powers I have shewed at large above that the prime gods had been men and that the Jupiter had been one I desire you to consider the grounds I have laid for this Assertion for which see also Julius Firmicus pag. 4. Romulus was a Man the Founder and first King of Rome I hope you do not expect I should prove this yet he had a Flamen consecrated to his Service which was an officer peculiar to the supreme God says E. S. p. 34. and consequently was thought to be him or was ranked with him Indeed Divinity in the Opinion of the credulous deluded Antiquity was very easily purchased to disappear unexpectedly was enough Thus Romulus whose History is known to all Thus Amilcar a General of the Carthaginians in Sicily seeing his Army defeated whilst he was sacrificing threw himself into the fire where he was consumed thus he appeared not and for that reason was held to be a god by his Country-men Cleomedes of Astipala a Wrastler having knocked down his Antagonist with his fist tore open his side and pulled out his heart but in lieu of the Reward he expected finding his Cruelty had displeased the Judges with indignation he departed and finding a School-master with his Disciples under a vault he pulled away the pillar which upheld it and buried them all with its ruins Thence he fled into a cave or den to avoid those who pursued him to bring him to condign Punishment But that being digged open and he not found in it by command of the Oracle he was adored as a god As you may see in Theodoret lib. 8. de Cur. Graec. affect p. 597. and lib. 10. p. 631. and in Plut. and Suidas Out of this Perswasion it was that Empedocles threw himself into mount Aetna that nothing of him being found they might think him translated to Heaven and he probably might have obtained it had not his brass slippers or soles cast out by the force of the fire discovered that he had mistaken his way thither By slight a man otherwise obscure got to be adored in Libia as God for having taught many Birds to say 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Great God Psaphon which was his name and letting them go they in the Woods repeated this Lesson and the People hearing them adored him with Altars Sacrifices and Temples He owed his Apotheosis to the Birds Anno a Carthaginian attempted the same but lost his labor the Birds forgetting their Lesson and resuming their wild notes assoon as they recovered their Liberty A third Error is That all the Pagans believed any Mediators betwixt their gods and them In those remnants of their Rituals which are extant there is not one word of Mediation or Intercession demanded of the inferior Deities called Dii minorum Gentium S. Austin speaking of that doctrin l. 8. and 9. de Civ Dei seems to attribute it to Plato's School as not being an Article of Faith of the heathens Creed but a private Opinion of one School of Philosophers He seems I say to insinuate this I desire you Sir to shew out of Plato or Apuleius or any of those writers these words or any others equivalent Hercules pray to thy father Jupiter for me or us Romulus intercede for us So that the greatest part of the Heathens did not dream of this Mediation and those who did assert it treated nevertheless with those Mediators as with true gods Wherefore should I grant that all Pagans held the Souls of Men to mediate yet there would be a vast difference betwixt their Sentiments and those of the Roman Catholic Church concerning our Saints More Errors will appear out of the following Discourse I think it impossible to give one Idea of what the Pagans taught of Spirits or incorporeal Substances as this Name doth comprehend the Supreme of all and the subordinate or coordinate immaterial Beings and Souls separated from their Bodies Thales (a) In Athenagor leg pro Chr. p. 25. said there were of three sorts Gods Demons and Heroes and that God was the Soul of the World Demons Spiritual Beings and Heroes the Souls of Men who were good or bad according to the Life they led in this World. Hesiodus (b) In Thedor l. 8. de Cur. Graec. affect p. 602. thought that the Souls of golden Men who lived well were turned into Demons after this Life and received a charge of humane affairs Julian the Apostat (c) In. Cyril Alex. l. 4. p. 115. taught that they were true gods to whom the Supreme God committed the care of the several parts of this World that the God (a) Ibidem p. 141. of the Jews and Christians whom Moses preached was one of the inferior gods Nay he says (b) Ibidem l. 5. p. 155. that Moses his God was the worst of all the rest as being jealous envious vindicative c. For which Blasphemy alone he might have deserved his reproachful Sirname Plato (c) In S. Aug. l. 8. de Civit. Dei. c. 14. seems to agree in Substance with Thales for he distinguishes three sorts of Spiritual Substances Gods Men and Demons The Gods he places in the Heavens Demons in the Air Men on Earth Apuleius (d) S. Aug. l. 9. cap. 11. holds all Souls of Men to be Demons but assigns three sorts of them Lares are those which are certainly good Lemures or Larvae which are certainly known to be bad and when t is doubted whether they be good or bad they are called Dii Manes When you have considered these things you will see 1. How imperfectly nay how falsly you have represented the Sentiments of the Pagans 2. How hard a thing you undertake when you design a Parallel betwixt Pagan Idolatry and our Worshipping of Saints for seeing all depends on their holding Mens Souls to be mediating Spirits which can never be proved or that those who were good were used only to present Mens Requests to the Supreme God which is the Tenet of the Catholic Church concerning Saints which is also evidently untrue we may rank this Paralel with Squaring Circles and the Philosophers stone and expect to see the World made happy with these three Rarities together As to the Mediation of Angels Athenagoras (a) Legat. pro Christ pag. 11. says indeed that the Christian Opinion was that God created several Orders of Angels and had committed to their care the Government of the Elements Heavens and the whole World not that any one Angel is governour of the World which the Scripture seems to deny Job 34 14. and Heb. 1.14 but that several Angels have the Administration of the several parts of it I know no Decree of the Catholic Church obliging us to believe this and therefore I should not dare to censure any Man who should say the contrary Yet that
your Doctrin and made use of the same pretext as you do to defend their Doctrin The Church for which S. Ambrose pleads was Catholic so must we be in this seeing our Doctrin is the same with theirs The Novatians in this were Heretics what are you Indeed the words with which our Blessed Saviour (a) Mat. 16.18 first promis'd secondly (b) Joan. 20.22 23. actually communicated that power to forgive or retain sins are so express that it is the greatest disrespect imaginable so to wrest them as they must to draw them from their natural sense I desire you to shew your Art and invent some Speech which in so few words shall more clearly express this sense the Catholic Church understands them in And as for Fathers see S. Cyprian in many places S. Basil qq brev q. 288. S. Leo Epist 91. ad Theodorum Greg. Hom 26. in Evang. Cyril Alex. lib. 12. in Joan. But above all S. Chrysost lib. 3. de Sacerd. c. 5. Tom. 3. Edit Savell p. 16. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Those who dwell on Earth says he are enabled to dispense the things in Heaven To them a Power is given which neither Angels nor Archangels enjoy for to these it was never said What you shall bind Earthly Princes have power to cast into Prison but their Power is restrained to Bodies only Whereas the Bond we speak of reaches the Soul and Heaven it self insomuch as what Priests do below God ratifies above and the Lord confirms the Sentence of the Servant And what is this but to have put into their hands all Power to dispose of Heaven whose sins you forgive are forgiven and whose sins you retain are retained What Power can be greater than this God the Father hath given all Power to Judge to the Son and the Son hath communicated all that same Power to Priests Thus the glorious Saint You see Sir the Grounds of our Belief in this Point the clear words of our Lord (a) Joan. 20.23 Whose soever sins you remit they are remitted unto them You see the Fathers and the Primitive Church Explicating those words as we do You see Novatians were held for Heretics for understanding those words otherwise What ground have you to deny a Truth delivered by Christ to the Apostles and from them handed down to us G. B. pag. 62. It was counted a Blasphemy in Christ when he said Thy sins are forgiven thee which shews it to be Blasphemy in all others it being an invasion of his Prerogative Answ Here we have a blasphemous Accusation of the Scribes against Jesus Christ opposed against the clear words of Christ and the meaning of the whole Church Nay their words althô full of malice and convinced of Falshood by a Miracle are preferred before those of Christ as being made a Rule by which his must be interpreted Thus under pretence of asserting the Authority of Christ you overthrow it as your Brethren ruined their Sovereign under pretence of making him a glorious King. But say you Christ cleared himself from the Power was committed to the Son of Man to forgive sins Answ That same Power given by the Son of Man to the Apostles and their Successors doth clear us G. B. pag. 61. After a Sinner hath gone over his Sins without any sign of remorse and told them to a Priest he enjoyns a Penance and without waiting that they obey it he says I absolve thee and after this they judge them selves fully cleansed from Sins Answ Were there Benefices or Preferments established for such as invent Stories without any ground I know none in a fairer way to them than your self You cannot but know that we hold Contrition to be an essential part of the Sacrament and that he who Confesses without Sorrow is so far from obtaining Pardon for the sins past that we judge him guilty of a new Sacrilege Consider a little what you say if not for Conscience and the Fear of God which you seem not to regard at least for your Credit G. B. pag. 61 62. What can take off more from the value of the Death of Christ than to believe it in the power of a Priest to absolve from sin Answ That cannot take from the value of that Sacred Passion upon which it is built By Baptism sins are remitted without derogating from the value of the Death of Christ The same of Absolution Because in both these Sacraments the Merits of the Passion are applied to cleanse our Souls in such a manner as Christ hath ordained and by Authority derived from him In Civil Matters as no Man can lawfully take upon himself the Authority and exercise the Function of a Judge without a Commission from the King So it is no less unlawful to refuse due Obedience to Judges lawfully Commissionated We have a lawful Commission in the Gospel and we stick to that till we see better Grounds to vacate it than such frivolous Reasons as you bring CHAP. XVIII Of Penances Fasting Prayer and Pilgrimages G. B. p. 62. ADD the Scorn put on Religion by the Penances enjoyned for sin abstaining from Flesh pattering over Prayers repeating the Penitential Psalms going to such Churches and Altars with other ridiculous Observances like these which cannot but kill the Vitals of true Religion And who can have any sad apprehensions of sin who is taught such an easie way of punishment Answ Experience shews us whether Practice preserves more the Vitals of Religion yours or ours And I am persaaded I shall have occasion before we part to give you a Prospect not very pleasing of the Piety of your Proselytes who as S. Paul said 2 Tim. 3.13 Proficiunt in pejus have waxed worse and worse ever since your Brethren have had the Direction of them But what are these Observances which move you to Laughter Fastings Prayers and Pilgrimages so much recommended and even commanded in both old and new Law sometimes in Scripture often in Councils and Fathers and confirmed by the Practice of the Church thrô all Ages These things seem ridiculous to this Democritus a new Man as much a Stranger to true Piety as his Education hath been to Prayers Fasting and Pilgrimages as far as appears by his Works That he should thus deride all Penitential Works designed either to punish our past offences or prevent those to come to reconcile us to our Creator or to rivet us to him when St. Paul the chosen Vessel the Temple of the Holy Ghost the Doctor of the Gentiles separated from his mothers womb and called unto Grace (a) Gal. 1.15 when he I say chastized his Body and brought it under subjection (b) 1 Cor. 9.27 lest Preaching to others he became himself a Reprobate What means did he use for his security to mortifie his Body but those this good Man counts Ridiculous Observances viz. Fasting and Prayer and the like We are sure he was animated with the Spirit of God what Spirit animates you SECTION I. Fasting AS