resemblances of things in Heaven and bow down to them and worship them beside they make Images of God himself and represent him both in carved work and painting which are used in their Churches and are received almost everywhere as Bellarmin confesseth in lib. 2. of Images c. 8. And is not this contrary to this Law which God himself uttered with his own mouth and wrote with his own finger Thou shalt not make to thy self any graven Image nor the likeness of any thing that is in heaven above thou shalt not bow down to them nor worship them and also contrary to what God expressly forbids in Deut. 4. and Isay chap. 40. And this they audaciously do notwithstanding the penalty that is added to such Vid. Confounded be all they that worship carved Images Psalm 97. 7. Fourthly The Romish Church commands under pretence of Religion on certain days to abstain from certain meats and forbids Marriage to Priests and thus directly opposes St. Paul and expresly teaches what this great Apostle calls a doctrine of devils Col. 2. 2 Cor. 10. 2 Tim. 4. 1 2 3. Fifthly The Popish Church professes to believe that Jesus Christ is on earth in respect of his humane nature which is contrary to what he himself saith in St. John ch 18. 16. and contrary to the express words of St. Peter Acts 3. That the Heaven must receive him until the times of the restitution of all things Sixthly The Romish Church teaches that Christ is offered often in the Sacrament of the Ma's which directly contradicts the Apostle who expresly saith and without exception That he is not offered often Seventhly Papists teach the Mass is an unbloody sacrifice and yet propitiatory for the remission of the sins of the quick and dead which directly opposeth the Apostle who saith in express words without shedding of blood there is no remission And where there is remission of sins there is no more offering for sin but in the sacrifice which Jesus Christ offered to God on the Cross there is remission of sin therefore there is no more offering for sin and consequently it is false that the Mass is an offering for sin and a propitiatory sacrifice Eighthly Our Lord Jesus Christ in the Institution of his holy Supper presents the Cup to all those to whom he had distributed the bread saying to them Drink ye all of this c. But the Church of Rome forbids the people the use of the Cup of the Lord and therefore directly and formally opposeth our Lord Christ and his Apostle St. Paul who ordains in express words Let a man examine himself and so let him drink of that Cup. Papists believe and teach that the Souls of those that dye in the Lord are tormented after this life in a fire which they call Purgatory which is directly contrary to the Holy Ghost who declares in express terms that Blessed are the dead which dye in the Lord from henceforth yea saith the Spirit that they may rest from their labours and their works do follow them and against the express words of the book of Wisdom which was Canonized by Trent Council The souls of the just are in the hand of God and no torment shall touch them The Popish Church ordains a prodigious number of Festivals against the express clause of that Law which the Soveraign Law-giver hath given Six days shalt thou labour whence we argue thus Whosoever forbids people to work six days of the week on pain of a mortal sin doth manifestly set himself above God who expresly permits us to work six days But the Pope and his Prelates do forbid people to work six days of the week on pain of a mortal sin Therefore the Pope and his Prelates do manifestly set themselves above God Papists say that the works of regenerate men are Christs works in them not their own and as Christs they save and so are saved by Christs merits Whereas St. Paul saith we are not saved by such works as God hath ordained regenerate men should walk in Eph. 2.10 And St. Paul opposeth all works done in matter of Justification and Salvation to the Grace of Christ Rom. 11.6 Phil. 3.8 Rom. 3. 27. This their finest web being so clearly cut in sunder by those plain texts they grosly dare avouch and teach that a man is saved by works and can merit the eternal felicity of Heaven and degrees of glory and bliss and thus directly fight against the doctrine of the Son of God and of his blessed Apostles Luke 17. When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do And Ephes. 2. By grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast And in Rom. 6.11 The wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. And if it be by grace then it is no more of works otherwise grace is no more grace but if it be of works then it is no more of grace otherwise work is no more work And thus Papists works become not only unprofitable unto them but plainly damnable yea and blasphemous because they ruinate the very foundation of our faith and make frustrate the all and alone sufficient sacrifice of our Redemption viz. the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Shall we then call those Catholiques or think such men believe in Christ and are Christians indeed when St. Ambrose saith Non videtur ab his exhiberi fides Christo à quibus evacuatur passio ejus atque distrahitur It seems not that such men do believe in Christ who go about to frustrate and distract his passion Obj. Is not then a Papist a true Christian Ans. No. Qua◠Papist But as a thief is a true man in regard of his essence as he is a creature indued with reason but not a true man in regard of his honesty or goodness So the Popish Church is a true Church in regard of the essence of a Church as a Church is a company which profess Christ and are baptized but it is a false Church in respect of its heretical doctrine Obj. But can a man belong to the visible Church of Christ and to the Synagogue of Satan Ans. They maybe of the visible Church in regard of some part of their outward profession who in regard of their inward disposition of mind and of their external conversation yea and of the greatest part of their outward profession also are hateful unto God and execrable in the eyes of the founder part of the visible Church of Christ. So may a legion of devils incarnated if they will profess the name of Christ and be admitted by the Baptism of Christ may be of the visible Church so was Judas an Apostle and a traytor too but the more wretched because an
condemn them of horrible wickedness therein Doth not the Romish Church allow the reading of the Scripture Wheresoever the Pope rules absolutely he forbids the people to read the Holy Scripture and in the Index of prohibited Books made by the Council of Trent and approved of by the said Pius Quartus it is expresly declared That if the Holy Bible were allowed to all indifferently in the Vulgar Tongue there would come more hurt than good of it This is an express and direct opposition to our Lord Jesus Christ who saith to all indifferently Search the Scriptures for in them you think to have eternal life and they are they that testifie of me And to his holy Apostles who address their Epistle not only to Bishops but also to all those that call upon the name of the Lord Jesus and not only to men but also to women young folk and children adjuring them by the Lord that they be read to all the holy brethren Whence we argue thus All who forbid Christian people to read the holy Scripture do directly and formally oppose Jesus Christ and his holy Apostles But the Pope and his Creatures forbid Christians to read the holy Scriptures therefore they directly and formally oppose Jesus Christ and his Apostles But doth not the Church of Rome own the holy Scripture to be the word of God Nevertheless she hath falsified and corrupted it in many places As for example in Heb. 11.21 It is said that Jacob worshipped leaning upon the top of his staff but the Romish Bible saith that Jacob worshipped the top of his staff thereby to confirm the adoration of creatures which is the same abuse which is found in Psal. 132. where David saith worship at his footstool the Romish Bible says worship his footstool Jesus Christ when he gave the Cup said This Cup is the New Testament of my blood which is shed for you but the Romish Bible reads it which shall be shed for you left it might be perceived that Jesus Christ speaks of the effusion of his Sacramental blood For he did not then really shed his blood which he began to shed in his passion In Gen. 3.15 God says that the seed of the woman which is Jesus Christ shall bruise the serpents bead The Romish translation saith The woman shall bruise the serpents head attributing that to the Virgin Mary which belongs to Christ. To establish the uncertainty of salvation the vulgar translation reads the first verse of Eccles. 9. thus man knows not whether he be worthy of love or hatred but all things are reserved in uncertainty for the future But the Hebrew Text is this No man knows either love or hatred by all that is before them To establish mans merit the Romish Bible corrupts the 13. verse of Heb. 16. And to the same purpose they have curtail'd the 6. verse of Rom. 11. leaving out two links for these words of the Apostle If it be of Works then it is no more of Grace otherwise work is no more work are rased out and omitted in their vulgar translation A great collection might be made of many other passages and of Romes enormities in her like practices Yet is not the Church of Rome the mother and mistress of all Churches No For the preaching of Christ was to begin at Jerusalem in the Prophesie of Isaiah 2.2 Mic. 4.2 and in the completion in Luke 24.47 Nor was it Rome but Antioch in which the Disciples were first called Christians Act. 11.26 So there was a Church at Antioch before there was one at Rome And it is expresly affirmed by Gildas an Author very much revered by the Romanists themselves that Christianity was in Britain in the latter time of Tiberius Caesar and 't is known St. Peter remained in Jury some time after his death so that Rome which pretends to be a Mother Church could be no more at best when she was Christian indeed than a Sister Church and not the eldest Sister neither And as for the pretended Universality of the Roman that is to say of a particular Church it began with Boniface the third whose vile compliance with Phocas that Heretick and murtherer of Mauritius their Master and Emperor was both the bribe and price that bought that Title and not out of respect to the Pope but in displeasure to Cyriacus of Constantinople who from John his predecessor had first usurped that Title of Universal Bishop So that Gregory the Great of Rome writing to Mauritius touching the name of Universal which the said Bishop of Constantinople had taken unto himself calls it a wicked profane and blasphemous Title a Title importing that the times of Anti-Christ were at hand little thinking that Pope Boniface after his decease would presently usurp the same and prove the Pope to be Anti-Christ by the confession of a Pope And have not the successors of that heretical traiterous bloudy Boniface exactly followed his steps to this present age Beside if we look back to the beginning we find that Paul was equal at least to Peter when he withstood him to the face and rebuked him in publick for his dissimulation Gal. 2.11 12 13 14. Nay St. Peter as well as James and John who were his peers perceiving the grace that was given to Paul gave to Paul and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship Gal. 2.9 and good reason for Peter was but one of the many Apostles of the Jews whereas Paul was much more the great Apostle of the Gentiles to whom the Jews were no more than a river to the ocean Moreover Cyprian positively affirms the Apostles were every one of equal authority and St. Jerom is as express That all Bishops in all places whether at Rome Constantinople Rhegium or Eugubium are of the same merit as to the quality of their office though they may differ in point of revenue Nay by the Canons of the two first general Councils Nice and Constantinople every Patriarch and Bishop is appointed to be chief in his proper Diocess And a strict Injunction is laid on all none excepted that they presume not to meddle in any Diocess but their own And the very primacies of order were granted to Rome and Constantinople not for their being Sees of such or such an Apostle but for being the two seats of the two great Empires Did not the Church of England first depart from the Church of Rome They of Rome by their excommunications and barbarous murders and hostilities properly first departed from us separating from the primitive Church of Christ and we then made a secession that we might not be partaker of their Schism and Heresies What difference is there between the Reformed Church and the Church of Rome They are very many I shall only hint some as first The Reformed Church gives addresses which may be followed and exhorts men to study and strives to instruct them in the holy Scripture and conceals nothing from the
publick Rules which cannot consist with the Doctrine of Salvation Obj. But do not Protestants hold a Papist may be saved Ans. We say as a man that hath the Plague may live but not by the Plague so Popery being the bane of Christianity and enmity to mans salvation those that are saved among them must be saved from Popery not by it As famous Bishop Jewel Def. Apol. Par. c. 22. Div. 1. saith If we should content our selves to turn to the Pope and to his errors we should kindle Gods wrath against us and clog and condemn our souls for ever And in another place he saith so the case stood that unless we left the Pope we could not come to Christ. And Doctor Broughton God can save a man at the last but as Gods word is infallible so said he if a man lives and dyes in the faith of all the Articles of the Council of Trent he cannot be saved Doctor Reynolds another shining light of the University of Oxford in his Verses upon the third Conclusion handled in the Schools November 3. 1579. saith If that ye seek eternal life see that you Rome forsake Doctor Whitaker a man for his learning and judgment approved of the Churches of Christ abroad and of this of England We say saith he that the Church of Rome must be forsaken of all men that desire to be saved And a little after he adds That there can be no salvation hoped for in the Church of Rome D. Whitaker de Eccles. cont qu. 6. cap. 1. Mr. Perkins in his Reformed Cathol in the Prolog Sect. saith That all those that will be saved must depart and separate from the Faith and Religion of the present Church of Rome He also writ a Treatise to prove a Papist cannot go beyond a Reprobate the same do all Protestants affirm of all those in whom Popery is predominant practically and overcometh Christianity Here is the Judgment of those Learned Divines and therein the consent of both the Universities Oxford and Cambridge For their Books especially the three last were allowed for Printing by the Principal Doctors of the several Universities then Resident in them Nor is it to be taken for the Judgment of the Universities only but also of the whole Church as it appears evidently by the continuance of it from time to time in the writings of those famous learned men successively one after another It was divers years proclaimed openly in the Publick Schools by Dr. Reynolds ratified afterwards by Dr. Whitaker in his Publick Lectures of Divinity and confirmed by Mr. Perkins and by every one of these published in print with the approbation of our Church and State And this hath been the judgment and practice of the Churches of God in all Protestant Countries for the space of more then an hundred years to declare and testifie our separation from the Church of Rome in respect of Faith and Religion to be a matter of absolute necessity especially if we consider that every Parish throughout the whole Land is enjoined to have the Book of Bishop Jewel with the rest of his works in their several Churches for all men to read and that they were all new printed to that end Obj. Though that might be the Judgment of the Church of England in this case yet what is the sentiment of the Church of Ireland of the Religion of the Church of Rome Ans. Doctor Downham Bishop of London-derry in his Sermon Preached before the Lord Deputy of Ireland and the whole State April 22. Anno 1627. having taken for his Text Luke 1. 74. In the midst of his Sermon openly read the Protestation subscribed by the Archbishop and all the Bishops of that Kingdom That 1. The Religion of the Papists i. e. of Rome is Superstitious and Idolatrous 2. Their Faith and Doctrine Erroneous and Heretical 3. Their Church in respect of both Apostatical To sell them therefore a Toleration is to set Religion to sale and with that their Souls which Christ redeemed with his precious blood To give them Toleration is to make our selves accessary to their Abominations and to the damnation of their Souls Obj. Hath not the Church of Rome the testimony of the Fathers on her behalf Ans. I shall answer this concerning Rome as contradistinct from the Reformed Churches of Christ with the saying of a worthy Divine That Roma nihil aliud quam vitia Patrum retinet Rome retains nothing but the errors of the Fathers Obj. But hath not the Church of Rome had a long continued peace and prosperity whereas the Reformed Churches have been still most of them in troubles and afflictions Ans. 'T is true the Church of Christ is sometimes fluctuant as the Ark of Noah sometimes moveable as the Ark in the Wilderness and sometimes at rest as the Ark in the Temple In persecution removes in peace having this Motto Premimur non opprimimum But the Popish Church though she saith in her heart I sit a Queen and am no Widow and shall see no sorrow therefore shall her plagues come in one day death mourning and famine and she shall be utterly burnt with fire for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her As she hath fallen culpably so shall she fall penally like that of Jericho which can never be re-edified as Sybilla long since foretold Tota eris in cineres quasi nunquam Roma fuisses When the Wars began in Germany Anno 1619. A massy stone fell down upon a great brass Image of St. Peter that had Tu es Petrus c. fairly embossed upon it standing in St. Peters Church in Rome and so shattered it to pieces that not a letter of that sentence whereon Rome founds her claim was left whole to be read saving this one piece of the sentence aedificabo Ecclesiam meam I will build my Church This was left fair and entire Obj. But are not those of the Church of Rome true Catholicks Ans. Christians were termed Catholicks ex obedientiae omnium mandatorum Dei From their Obedience to the whole Faith of Christ in Doctrine and Manners And he that wilfully offends in one is guilty of all and therefore they that through nesarious pride forsake and contumeliously reject or prophanely alter any point of the Orthodoxal Faith or audaciously add any thing thereunto are not to be reputed Catholicks but rather Antichrists Obj. Wherein doth the Church of Rome directly contradict oppose or alter the express word of God Ans. In many more particulars I shall instance a few First They worship Angels contrary to the express prohibition of Saint Paul Col. 11. 2. Secondly They adore the Cross and the figure of it with adoration of Latria which is the term whereby the soveraign Adoration wherewith they adore God is expressed which is directly and formally against the express words of our Lord Jesus Christ Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve Thirdly They make graven Images and