to Lord it over Scriptures Fathers Councils Church and all the World What possibility is there that the Kingdoms of the world should be subject unto him What probability that Images should be worshipped Our Works merit Heaven That the body of Christ should be in a thousand places at one time That the Priest hath Judicial Power to forgive sins That the Saints in Heaven should be Mediators for us to God He that will but indifferently compare these shall finde them manifestly repugnant not onely to the Principles of Religion but offer violence to the Law of Nature 4. Consider farther that in this Church the most horrid Cruelties are not onely tolerated and approved but rewarded and accounted meritorious It teacheth Equivocation to murder Kings to undermine States and to blow up Parliaments it dispenseth with Murder Incest Sodomy and all this accounted Licitum Solenne From hence proceeds such Conspiracies against our King such Plots against our Church and State 't is not Religion they strive for but Soveraignty and this they will have or they will make all Protestant Nations their Shambles and swim to it through Oceans of Blood and they will this way if others fail reduce the Consciences of Subjects and the Crowns and Scepters of Princes to their Devotion This brands them with the Indelible Characters of the Ministers of Antichrist who being but Priests and confined to their Books having no other Commission than to go and preach the Gospel should thus creep into Thrones filling the world with Anarchy and Confusion and those whose Souls they should win to God by ministring the Word and Sacraments their Bloud they sacrifice to the Devil by stirring them up to Treason and Rebellion perswading them that they shall be Canoniz'd at Rome though they be hang'd at Tyburn and be glorious Saints in Heaven though they died great Rogues and Rebels on Earth These things duely considered in general will tell you that there is hazard not onely of Temporal Safety but of Eternal Salvation in our Communion with such a Church and therefore Come out of her c. This will the better appear if you consider secondly and more particularly this one Argument drawn from the Religion it self practised in that Church And this I will consider two ways 1. As the Jesuits have painted and adorned it 2. As 't is stript naked of all those adventitious Ornaments First As they have painted it and thereby recommended it to the view of their ignorant admirers We read of strange things of certain Painters how admirably they cast and shadowed their works but the skilfullest Painters that ever were are the Jesuits and School-men the workmen of the Church of Rome not the famous Zeuxis or antient Polignotus or Phidias did ever bestow such pains on their Images as these have done on their Idol the Papacie They have made choice of the most exquisite devices that all the Heresies in the world could afford to put the same into their Religion No Policy in Machiavel no Sophistry in Aristotle or Eloquence in Tully but they have contrived it into their Image and save Truth and Sincerity there is nothing wanting The Evangelical Prophet Isai 44.11 c. sets down a lively description of this matter whereby deriding the folly of the Gentiles he fitly shews us the Idolatry of Rome and the manner how the Idol-Religion thereof was framed and set on foot For at the first you see it was but a rude Block rough-hewn by bungling Workmen that were not their Crafts-masters till the Smith Carpenter and Painter came every one in his place and shewed his skill This is ingeniously applied by a very learned man of our own to the Church of Rome 1. The Canonists like Black-smiths blew with the Bellows of their Decrees and heated and hammered it in the Coals of the Popes Constitutions These were Gratian Pope John Gregory and Boniface with their Apprentices that served them Hostiensis Innocent Panormitane and others of that black and smutty Profession Secondly The Carpenters that took it in hand were the Fryars and School-men These stretched their line of Method over it planed it with Distinctions where it was rough and by their Logick and Philosophy brought it into better shape and form These were T. Aquinas Scotus Bonaventure Alexander Hales and others Having thus gotten an handsome shape and fashion the Council of Lateran polished it over again gave it Joynts to stand upon The Councils of Constance and Basil altered the fashion of it in some particular parts for Senensis and Cusanus thought the head stood too high above the shoulders and would have it bowed down a little lower At last they brought it to Trent to the hands of their best Workmen who moulded it à capite ad calcem and set it up again when the worms had well-nigh consumed it Since which came in the third sort of Workmen viz. Thirdly The Painters i. e. the Jesuits and there is no colour which they have not tried to render it beautiful Some with Varnish and Plaister stop up the cracks and Bellarmine was happily born to do them this service Others as Baronius and Surius cast a shadow over it with other colours Sextus Senensis and Possevine brag of the Workmanship flatter the Workmen and extol the Idol And thus at last they have polished their Idol and set it before the Lord's Ark And by this means they have attracted the eyes and hearts of their deluded followers insomuch that all that worship not this Image must into the fiery Furnace and be offered as a Sacrifice to the fury of their Romish Moloch Now that which they are so fond of in this Religion is its suitableness to their sensual interests and affections the greatest part of which easeth them from taking any pains in spiritual things As for Example They must serve God but there be ways to dispence and turn the Spiritual Service into a Corporal which is much easier Sinners must have Gods pardon or they cannot be saved but the dispensation hereof is committed with the Keys to Christs Vicar who hath power to release them by the Sacraments of the Altar and Penance Hence the Pope hath mens Consciences at his devotion into which he slides under the pretence of being St. Peter's Successor then blindes their eyes by taking away the Scriptures and stops their ears by perswading them to hear none but himself And hereby thousands are betrayed into the hands of Eternal Ruine This is the first thing shewn viz. that part of their Religion as set forth with Romish Glosses and Varnishes I am next to shew it you in its native Complexion as stript naked of all adventitious Ornaments and then you will easily perceive it to be the most monstrous and ridiculous the most bloudy and blasphemous Religion in the whole world 1. Ridiculous in it self 2. Blasphemous towards God and Christ 3. Bloudy to all that have and do oppose her I. The most ridiculous Religion as
't is in it self I need go no farther than their Book of holy Ceremonies for this which tells us not onely what their rude Ignorants do but what their holy Fathers have done This teacheth them to put confidence in Beads Medals and Roses hallowed Swords and Spells of the Gospel Agnus Dei's and such-like idle Bables ascribing to them divine Vertue yea so much as is due to the Son of God himself and his precious Bloud Pope Vrban the fifth sent three Agnus Dei's to the Emperour with these Verses Balsamus munda Cera cum Chrismatis unda Conficiunt Agnum quod munus do tibi magnum Fulgura de Coelo c. Balsam pure Wax and Chrysms liquor clear Make up this pretious Lamb I send thee here All Lightning it expels and each ill Spright Remedies Sin and makes the Heart contrite And so he goes on in his Blasphemy Even as the Bloud of Christ for us shed c. And lest you may imagine this to be the Conceit of some phantastical Pope hear out of the same Book of holy Ceremonies the very words that every Pope doth use to pray in their blessing the water which serves for that Agnus Dei viz. That thou wouldst vouchsafe O Lord to bless these things which we are now about to pour into this vessel of water prepared to thy glory so as by the worship and honour of them we may have our sins done away our blemishes wiped off and thereby may obtain pardon and receive grace so that with thy Saints and elect children we may merit everlasting life Amen Can there be greater Superstition Magick or Blasphemy and all this practised by the very Heads of that Church Hence the poor Laity are hoodwinkt in a forced Ignorance who live no less without Scripture than if there were none at all They forbid Spiritual food as Poyson fetch God Book into the Inquisition and thereby cheat the Vulgar with nothing but shews of Holiness in Pilgrimages Processions Offerings Holy Water Latine Service Images Tapers Vestments Altars Crosses and a thousand such like fit onely for children and fools robbing them in the mean time of the sound and plain helps of Piety and Devotion More particularly confider it under these Circumstances 1. That it hath made wicked men Saints and Saints Gods nay the modern Canonization hath made those saints that were scarce men And we have their own Confessions That the most notorious sinners have leapt into their Kalendar and once Sainted they have the honour of Altars Temples Invocations and some of them in a stile fit onely for their Maker 2. A Religion that professeth to be a Bawd to Sin whilst in practice it tolerates open Stews and prefers Fornication in some â—iseâ— before honourable Matrimony and gently blancheth over the breaches of the Commandments with the name of Venials and favourable titles of Dimmution daring to affirm That venial sins are no hindrance to a mans Integrity and Perfection 3. A Religion that indeed deserves not the name of Religion the Ape and Mimick of it a very outside of Christianity at best a meer formality of Devotion all whose Prayers Fastings Pilgrimages c. are no other than a going to Hell in more pomp and state For look into their Churches there you will see idle Apishness in the most solemn works The poor Laity in the mean while returning empty of all sound Edification and only full of confused intentions yet are they taught to think this Sacrifice of Fools to be meritorious From thence look into their houses and closets there you will see such a trade of careless and lazie Holiness that there is but little difference between the Image and the Suppliant Piety it self being lulled asleep with their heartless and sleepy Vespers And if you step a little farther and cast your eyes into the melancholy Cells of some austere Recluses there you may finde perhaps an Hair-cloath a Whip an Hurdle or the Rope about the waste But where in all this is true Mortification A pious Protestant takes more pains with his Heart in a day than a superstitious Papist doth with his Skin in a year the one indeed whips himself but the other denies himself the draws Bloud from his Flesh the other from his Lusts And therefore if you look into the whole Course of the Roman Catholick life you shall finde the Commandments of God professedly broken besides the ordinary practice of Idolatry and frequencie of Oaths Men whose sinful rebellions are ever and anon smoaking against Heaven dare meet God in his loudest Thunder and venture on Damnation in its most terrible form so that God can no where display the Ensignes of his Power but these audacious wretches hang out their Flags of defiance And this brings me to the second thing how blasphemous a Religion this is in respect of God and Christ Of God and that as 1. it teacheth men to worship Stocks and Stones with the same honour that is due to their Creator Hence they worship God under the Image of an Old man Christ under the Image of a Lamb the Holy Ghost under the resemblance of a Dove And Cajeran doth confess That they draw the Images by the Trinity not onely to shew but to adore and worship them Now lest this should appear to her simple Clients how palpably opposite it is to the second Commandment they have cunningly left it out as a needless Illustration in all their Catechisms and Prayer-books of the Vulgar 2. As it asserts the Priests Judicial Power in pardoning sins and absolving sinners and openly allows and tolerates the buying of Pardons and Indulgences from them So that now Purgatorie can have no rich men in it but fools and friendless Devils are tormented here yet men can command Devils and Money can command men 3. As it advandeth Nature to a co-partnership with God in our Justification and Salvation and idly puffs her up into a conceit of her ability to keep more Laws than ever God made And for this requires no other Faith than may be sound in the Devils themselves who besides a confused apprehension can assent unto the truth of God revealed And Popery requires no more 4. As it relies on the Infallibility of those whom they grant to have been and may be monstrous in their lives and dispositions most of their Popes having been the most monstrous notorious wretches that ever the Earth groaned under O that it were rid of the burdend ‑ How many of these Heirs of St. Peter if their own Records deceive us not have by Bribes Whores and Devils dimb'd into that Chair ‑ yet for any to say that those men who are confessed to have given their Souls to the Devil that they might be Popes can erre whilst they are such is Heresie worthy a Stake and Hell Thus of its Blasphemy in respect of God II. In respect of Christ and that these four ways 1. In overthrowing the Perfection of Christs Humanity while they give unto it
Abominations Thus in these two things you see our Separation lawful II. Now secondly I assert this Separation to be so lawful that the Romanists themselves cannot justly charge it as Schismatical I say justly though Stapleton Sanders Bellarmine and other Romanists brand our Separation from them with the odious name of Donatism and Schism because it is evident out of St. Augustine that as the Donatists never objected any thing against nor could blame any thing in the Church from which they separated either for Faith or Worship So they of the Church of Rome cannot justly blamo us for departing from them if we consider these two things 1. The manner how we separated 2. The ground for which we separated 1. The manner This was not uncharitable rash heady and â—…advised not before all means were used for the cure of the Romanists by the discovery of their errours notwithstanding which they still persist in them Our famous and learned Reformers would have healed Babylon but she would not be healed Many skilful Physicians have had her in hand but she grew so much the worse and instead of being reclaimed by them hath anathematized them with the most dreadful Curses excommunicated murdered and destroyed multitudes of them Nay more they were denied civil and religious Communion with her unless they received the beasts mark in their hands or foreheads All which considered we might safely forsake her nay could not safely do otherwise therefore Come out of her my people 2. Consider the ground and cause as well as the manner of the Separation which was not for some slight and tolerable Errours but damnable Heresies and gross Idolatries the Heresies fundamental and the Idolatries such as those who hold Communion with her cannot but partake of her sins If then to thrust Jesus Christ out of the Chair and place the Pope as infallible Doctor of the Church in it if to reject the Scriptures and set up Traditions if to take off Jesus Christ from being sole Mediator and thrust in Saints and Angels if to raze the second Commandment and introduce Image-worship be damnable Heresies and gross Idolatries then the Church of Rome is gullty of them and our Communion on this very account is expresly forbidden See 2 Cor. 6.14.17 What fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness and what communion hath light with darkness c. vers 17. Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate Our Adversaries themselves grant That in whatever Church any of these depravations are found Communion with it is to be broken off as dangerous and damnable which brings me to the third thing asserted viz. III. That our Compliance with this Church is dangerous and borders upon eternal Ruine This will appear if you consider this Church under these destructive circumstances 1. In her gross Idolatry and no Idolater shall ever enter into the kingdom of heaven look on her Image-worship Invocation of Saints Adoration of the Hoast what is all this but plain Idolatry The second Commandment not onely prohibits this sin but threatens a severe punishment to such sinners The wiser sort of the Heathens condemned the Worship of God by Images as incongruous to the divine nature and an horrid reflection on the Deity The old Romans as Varro tells us had no Images for a hundred and seventy years in their Divine Worship The Primitive Christians would rather die than defile themselves with Images Antisthenes condemns the use of them for Instruction because there is so great dissimilitude between God and any visible representation of him that no man can learn any thing of God from an Image And as for their common distinction of not worshipping them â—erminativè but relativè it 's vain and ridiculous And pray observe this viz. that their worshipping of Images came in with the decay of their Piety 2. In that Enmity and Opposition the Romanists have to the sacred Scriptures those lively Oracles of the living God and so consider 1. How they complain against them as not containing all things needful for Salvation that the best part of Religion is left out of them and onely made known to us by their unwritten Traditions 2. They forbid the people to read them and will not have them translated in the Mother-tongue of any Nation And if once as some of them boast they could get us out of Scriptures into Councils and Fathers they should do well enough with us 3. They make the Pope Judge over the sence of Scripture and forbid all other Interpretations but what agree with the Church and Pope of Rome 4. Their Mouths have been open against them and have belched forth bitter and blasphemous Invectives against them How often do they call the Scripture dead Ink and a dumb Judge that it is not Regula regulans but Regula regulata not made to rule our Faith but our Faith to rule it that it is not simply necessary and it receives all the Authority it hath from the Church and from Tradition without which it is of no credit at all What horrid Blasphemy is this Doth not God command us to consult his Oracles to apply our selves unto the Law and to the Testimony Isa 8.19 20. and makes it a renunciation of our Allegiance to him to go any where else for Counsel or Direction than to the written Word But we know wherein the insufficiency of the Scripture lyes they are sufficient enough for God's ends but not for the Pope's ends they are able to furnish every Christian in the world with Wisdom enough how he should save his Soul but they are not so useful to the Pope's triple Crown this Armory furnisheth him with no Artillery to defend the Lordly Power and God-like Infallibility that he claims and this is the only defect he charges them with To supply which the rabble-rout of Traditions is brought into the Church this way their fine Wits with the Devils help have taken that the Scripture may be declared as insufficient and uncertain minima particula revelatae veritatis as one of them impudently writes and so it needs the patchery of their Traditions to make it perfect Just as Andronicus served the Emperour Alexius who gave out that he was weak and insufficient to govern alone and so first got a joynt power with him and at last an absolute power over him to dethrone him And whether their Traditions have dealt better with the Scriptures let the world judge when These go up the Scriptures go down That we may say to them as Christ said to the Pharisees Mat. 15.6 You have made void the Commandments of God by your Traditions you have unlorded as the Septuagint renders it and supplanted its authority in the minds of men who leave Gods Word to hearken to your Traditions 3. Consider farther that most parts of Popery are directly absurd and offer violence to common Sense and the very light of Nature For who can rationally conceive That it should be the Popes right