the first Empire in whose place it comes This being notorious and confess'd 't is not necessary to insist larger upon it At present we must see how this is found in the Papacy in which Religion Church and State are mingled and hid one under another 'T would be needless to prove that it is a Religion and a Church this is acknowledged this is pretended this is boasted so that we have nothing else to prove but that the Papacy is a mere Civil State or Monarchy hid under the appearance of a spiritual one The Popish Monarchy hath its Metropolis and Senate In every Civil State or Empire there is first a Metropolis which is the seat of the Prince the Residence of the Senate and from which all Lawes and Orders are sent abroad The Papacy hath such a one it hath its Metropolis and the Wicked Spirit who hath founded this Monarchy chose out a City of great Reputation to be the seat of it I mean Rome which all nations of the world during many Ages had been accustomed to look on as their Mistresse which made it less difficult to pay respect to it as the Royal Seat of this second Monarchy The Imperial Dignity which had alwayes placed its seat in this City proved a Basis to erect this sacerdotal soveraignity upon The Bishops of Rome having had the honour to be considered as the Principal Bishops on the account of their glorious City afterward came to persuade themselves that this Honour was their due Prerogative When the Emperors lost Rome the Popes seised it for themselves and preserved its antient Title The Queen of the World. 'T was styld Vrbs the City by way of Eminence under the Emperors the Popes do still keep the same Name for it Rex venit ante fores jurans prius Vrbis honores Secular States have their Senates Antichristianism hath one of its own in the famous Colledge of Cardinals a Senate whose Senators and members are clothed in Purple have in every thing succeeded the ancient Senators of Rome Accordingly at their Election these words are pronounced You are Senators of the Ruling City equal to Kings Cerâ—m l. 3. Sect. 8. Art. 6. the true Pillars of the World. This Senate determines the fates of Kings and bestowes the Crowns of Heaven and Earth Every secular Monarchy hath its Monarch It hath a Monarch Antichristianism hath one This Monarch dwells in Stately Palace hath a numerous Retinue of Servants He is attended as the greatest Princes His Court is made up of such as challenge the foremost rank from all the Potentates of the World. The Cardinals will take place of Kings or will not come behind them Every Cardinal hath his Palace his Retinue his Equipages his House where all the Pleasures and carnal Pomps of the world are to be seen Kings are but Lieutenants in this Antichristian Monarchy This Monarch hath under him a great and vast Empire divided into several Provinces to which he sends his Deputies T is true they are not call'd by this Name some of them are call'd Kings Dukes Princes c. The Pope is so civil as to leave them these specious Titles But he challenges a Right to take away their Crownes to Depose them to absolve their Subjects from their Oaths of Allegeance and to give away their Dominions to others Never any Emperors pretended to more Power over the Governors of Provinces in the Roman Empire The Canonists say in plain termes That there is no Soveraign Power but in the Pope that the Authority of God and of the Pope is the same thing that whoever say otherwise are wretched Flatterers who deceive the Kings and Princes of the Earth Besides this Kind of Deputies the Pope hath others who are called Primates Metropolitans Archbishops Bishops which have divided Christendom into Provinces to share it among themselves and receive from the Pope Bulls and Commissions and also pay him Tribute and yield him Homage Pont. Rom. Hommages and Oâ—â—hes of Alligiance Cerem lib. 1. This Temporal Monarch takes an Oath of Allegiance from both these Kinds of Lieutenants where he is not hindred The Emperor at his Coronation takes an Oath that he will cordially pay to the Church of Rome the Duties of Obedience Defence and Protection Archbishops and Bishops swear Fealty and Obedience to St. Peter to the holy Church of Rome and to our most holy Lord the Pope for time being And this Oath hath no exceptions I promise Fidelity against all manner of persons Without so much as excepting the Kings whose Subjects the Bishops are After the taking the Oathes of Allegeance there are homages and presents to be made The Emperors are their Coronation after they have sworn Allegeance to the Pope must bring a Barr of Gold and lay it at his feet The Bishops also cannot have the Full Title nor execute the Episcopal Office till they have payd their Tributes which is call'd Annates Soveragin Princes have invested their subjects into their Offices by some Ceremony by giving a Sword or a Staff. Formerly the Emperors invested Bishops and Abbots by a Crosier and Ring But the Pope is so arrogant that he will invest the Emperors into the Empire On Christmas Eve he consecrates a Sword which he sends to Soveraigns to teach them that this sword signifieth the supreme Temporal Power bestowed by Jesus Christ upon the Pope his Vicar on Earth The Courts of the Antichristian Monarchy Secular Princes have their Courts and Tribunals in all the Provinces that are under them The Pope hath his Courts and Offices his Tribunals to which formerly almost all Civil Causes were brought under pretext of being spiritual At Rome there is a supreme Court to which all the rest are responsable 't is named the Rota Besides all this he reserves to himself the weightiest Causes He judgeth between one King and another between God and men He deposeth he excommunicates he plucks up he plants he pulls down he builds up he creates new Princes he layes aside old ones he dispenseth with Oathes and with Obedience to divine and humane Lawes Secular Princes maintain Allyances with other Princes They make Leagues and Treaties they establish societies they keep up mutual Intelligence in one anothers States For this end they send Embassadors to one another they make Negotiations and conclude Treaties The Pope doth all this He sends his Legates his Nuncios his Embassadors into all Courts of Europe He hath his Allyes and his Enemies he makes Leagues and Allyances hath a hand in all great Negotiations and Treaties And it must not be sayd that he acts as a Temporal Prince who Rules over some part of Italy For he pretends to have right to concern himself in all Treaties between Christian Princes as he is Head of the Church Secular Princes besides their subjects have also their Vassals And there are some Princes and Lords who hold their Lands and Territories of others as their
conformable to the common Rule of all Christians let them not instance in the Unity of one God the adorable Trinity of Persons in the Godhead the Incarnation of the second person in our nature who is call'd J. Christ His death which was the Ransom and Redemption of mankind his Resurrection which hath ascertain'd ours his Ascension which hath open'd Heaven and made way for our admission his sitting at the Right hand of his Father who hath constituted him Lord and King of the Church and of the World his Intercession which procures for Believers all the good that is necessary to their Eternal Blessedness the Efficacy of the Redeemer's blood with respect to men The Life Everlasting the Resurrection of the dead and the last Judgment Let them not I say instance in any of these to prove the agreement of their Religion with the H. Scripture for 't is not to the purpose All that is Christianity and not Popery 't is my Religion as well as theirs We know very well that Christianity hath continued in the Papacy but we know likewise that Paganism hath been built upon it in the Church of Rome and this is that which makes it truly Antichristian Popery is that which constitutes a particular Sect and distinguisheth it from all others and this we assert hath no kind of Conformity to the Law of J. Christ The Sacrisice of the Mass hath no foundation in Scripture Let us instance in the Sacrifice of the Mass a point of very great importance if in any Religion there be any such because it concerns the sacrifice of a God unto God thereby to obtain Eternal Life the remission of sins and all the blessings of Heaven and Earth for mankind Because it treats of establishing a new Priesthood and new Priests and such as in the act of sacrificing are superior to their own God who is but a meer victim Now in making this Sacrifice I assert that they have altogether neglected and slighted the H. Scripture and had no regard at all to the revelation and Law of J. Christ After the establishment of this Sacrifice it was thought fit to search the Scripture for arguments to prove it but antecedent to such an establishment this was not thought of insomuch that the passages brought to prove the Sacrifice of the Mass seem to be collected and produc'd for no other end than to expose the Christian Religion to the scoffs of the Profane and the raillery of Infidels From the old Testament these words in the book of Genesis are quoted Genes 14. 1 Sam. 2.34 that Melchisedeck brought forth or offer'd unto Abraham bread and wine those words of God to Eli I will raise me up a Faithfull Priest who shall do according to that which is in my mind and in my heart And that which the wise man saith in the book of Proverbs Chap. 9.1 Wisdom hath built her an house c. she hath furnished her Table and the words of the Prophet Malachy In every place Incense shall be offer'd unto my name and a pure offering 1. C. 11. From the new Testament are alledged the words of our Lord to his Apostles Do this in Remembrance of me 26. Matth. And these of our Lord to the Samaritan Woman Believe me the hour cometh 4 John 21. when ye shall neither in this mountain nor yet at Jerusalem worship the Father but they that worship him shall worship him in Spirit and Truth And those words of S. Luke 13 Acts. v. 2. And as they ministred to the Lord and those of S. Paul to the Corinthians You cannot drink the Cup of the Lord and the Cup of Devills you cannot partake of the Table of the Lord and the Table of Devills and in another place we have an Altar whereof they could not partake who served at the Tabernacle One would wonder how these Texts should be produc't as Proofs in this case Where is the Victim where is the Priest where are the Ceremonies the Consecration Elevation Adoration and Oblation of the Sacrifice where are the Introitus the Gradual the Canon the Offertory used by the Romanists If the Jews to maintain their worship their Sacrifices and the different orders of their Ministers who serv'd at their Altats their High Priest their Feasts their Pascal Lamb their Continual Sacrifice Morning and Evening their Scape-Goat their Ark their Mercy-seat their Cherubims their Distinction of Meats their Circumcision if I say to justifie these things the Jews had produced such Texts of Scripture and said these contain the Proofs of our Religion this is our Authority for it I 'am confident they would have past for Mad-men and if the World were once cured of their Prejudices they would say as much concerning the Papists This is one great point wherin Popery is not sollicitous to keep any agreement with the Scripture the common Rule of all Christians There is no Scripture Evidence for the Pope There is another Instance no less notorious than the former After the Sacrifice it naturally followes that we consider the Priest now Popery hath an High Priest and Head of the Universal Church a Vicar of J. Christ a Lieutenant of God on Earth This is the binding stone of the Arch 't is the Center of the Union So capital an Affair that there is no salvation without adhereing to this High Priest and must we be put off to Tradition for the proof of such an Article as this what Title is there in the scripture to this great Office what Call to such a Charge This is alledged Thou art Peter and on this Rock will I build my Church and what thou hast bound on earth shall be bound in Heaven feed my sheep I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not All this is spoken by our Ld. to the Apostle Peter and this is the establishment of the office and Imployment of High Priest which the Pope claims as his peculiar I would that a meer Turk who is not prepossest with the sentiments of a particular sect might be our judge in this case Let him look upon the Infallible man at Rome with his Triple Crown on his head who pretends to be the Judge the King the Spiritual Soveraign of all Christians even of Kings themselves and examin those passages cited out of our Law in savour of his Pretentions 'T is manifest that this Turk would believe you mockt him Where is there any thing here would he say of the City of Rome where are the Cardinals where is there any appointment of this Soveraign Tribunal to which all the World must appeal If those words bestow any special priviledge upon S. Peter is it said he must have a Successor in those Prerogatives and if he was to have a Successor is there any one syllable that should make us imagine that this Successor must have his Seat at Rome 'T is certain they may say that S. Peter was at Rome that He did
an absolute and totall Apostacy from the Christian Religion 'T is sufficient if it Symbolize with Paganism and very much resemble it This is also signified by what is said 13th chapter of the Revel that the Beast which was struck dead should revive again This Beast is the Roman Empire as Pagan There were two things considerable in that Beast His Kingdom and his Paganism the first had been struck dead by the Goths the other the Paganism had receiv'd a mortal Wound from the time of Constantine untill that of Theodosius but both must revive and recover again The Empire of the Beast in the Papal Domination and the Paganism in the Papal Religion The Papacy ressembles Paganism First in General because its Worship is neither Spirituall nor Rational as neither was the Religion of the Heathens Secondly in particular that the doctrines and worship of the Papacy are an imitation of the Pagan Religion by these two Articles of Conformity between Popery and Paganism I intend to prove the Paganism of the Romish Religion And in the first place I 'le prove that the Worship of the Papacy hath this in common with that of the Gentiles that it is neither Spiritual nor Reasonable The two Characters of Christian Worship are that it is Spiritual and National This is undeniable that the two great Characters of the Service and Worship of the Christian Religion are these two That it is Spiritual and that it is Rational By Spiritual I understand a Service freed from Ceremonies and bodily Observances By Reasonable I understand a Worship that is holy in its Institution full of Wisdom and Reason and proper to impress a lively sense of its Divinity by elevating the Soul unto God. Our Lord Jesus told the Samaritan Woman Woman believe me the hour Cometh John 4. c. v. 21 22 23 24. and now is that neither in this Mountain nor at Jerusalem shall ye worship the Father The true Worshippers are they who worship in Spirit and in Truth God is a Spirit and they who worship him must worship him in Spirit and in Truth c. 'T is plain that the Spirit and a Spiritual Service are there appos'd to the Carnal Bodily Ceremonial Service of the Ancient Church S. Paul speaks in like manner to the Romans I beseech you Brethren by the Mercies of God that you present your bodies a living Sacrifice holy acceptable unto God which is your Reasonable Service That is the other Character of the worship of Christian Religion 'T is true Judaism had a corporal worship bodily exercise but it was reasonable being full of deep mysteries of types and lessons of piety but the worship of the Heathens had neither Spirituality nor reason Christian worship is altogether both Spiritual and Rational Nothing can be more Rational than to pray to God to sing his praise to offer him thanksgivings to hear his word and preach it to keep his commandments to receive the sign of our washing in Baptism and of our Spiritual nourishment in the Sacrament of the Eucharist In the Popish Religion there is just as much of Spirituality and of Reason as there is of Christianity therfore we find there prayers to God and Thanksgivings and Sacraments But so far forth as Popery hath made additions to Christianity there is nothing that is either Spiritual or Rational Popish worship neither Spiritual nor Reasonable First their worship is covered under an unknown Language a dead and barbarous one which the People understand not and that alone were enough to take away all the reason and spirituality of any such worship For tho all that is contain'd under that language convered under that vaâ—l should be Spirit and Reason to the highest degree tho all should be devout pious full of unction and able to raise the soul to the third Heaven of what use could it be to what purpose could it serve we could perceive but the outside a frightfull carnal bark and cover that were only for the eye wherin even the ear can have no part but with respect to the symphony and Harmony of sounds Secondly All that we see is meerly corporeal viz. Churches adorn'd with extraordinary pride and pomp wherin is a glimmering Light mixt with darkness but inlightned with Lamps and candles with niches in the walls where we see Images of a Curious sculpture in rich and magnifick habits They who serve at their Altars have extraordinary garments both for matter and form and sometimes for cost too the service is not said but sung with Musick and the Masses of Great and Festival days accompanied with instrumental and vocal Musick The Body of the Clergy with all the People march often in great pomp a Cross lifted up and banners displaid and so walk thro the streets and sometimes the fields with this equipage The shrine of a Saint is sometimes carried in this manner before which one cries that all must kneel and all the people are presently on their knees Every year The God made by a Priest is carried in great pomp all the streets eccho with joy all places thro which they pass with this Ceremony are adorn'd with Tapistry and Pictures and the streets covered with Flowers nothing can be more like the pomp of Isis a part whereof is described by Apuleius Is this a spiritual and Rational worship Is not this like the Heathen worship who carried their Gods in procession upon sacred Chariots which they called Thensae Deorum Is not this to make Religion a meer spectacle a kind of Comedie In short all the devotion of the People comes to this to look upon Processions the shrines and Reliques of Saints the Ciborium where they put the H. Sacrament Altars Ornaments Tapistrys Pictures Images Crucifixes Priests Habits Canopies and the magnificence of the Train which follows according to Ceremony The Imagination and the Heart likewise are fill'd with this glittering outside and gawdy show which is so far from elevating the soul to God as is pretended that it stops and hinders it from mounting higher than to what is meerly external and earthly They pretend that this worship of theirs is very spiritual and full of Mysteries The Priest puts the Amict upon his head which is the name of his hood this signifies they tell us the Divinity of Jesus Christ which was hidden and concealed under his Passion He puts on the Albe or white surplice over his other cloaths because it is written thy garments shall be white and this to denote the Innocence of those who serve at the Altar The Subdeacon in some places kisses the right hand of the Priest who doth officiate because the right hand of the most High hath done valiantly The Priest or the Bishop doth sit down after the prayer in remembrance of our Lord Jesus Christ's fitting in the Temple to dispute with the Doctors of the Law. In a word there is not the most minute and trifling Ceremony of their worship but hath its