Spirit assisting in his Catholic Church to direct us while we submit to this we go safe and Rationally and being taught to understand all thus propos'd to the best of our Capacity there 's no danger of our Vnderstanding being put out 2. Popery tears out the Hearts of all others out of her Communion whom she cannot deceive she will destroy This is false too since tho' Catholics are bid to go and Teach all Nations as Christ commanded his Apostles and consequently their Successors the Pastors of his Church to the end of the World yet where Men are so obstinate as to reject all Instructions they are taught to go elsewhere and only to pity and pray for such blind Souls but not to destroy them 'T is true in the Catholic Church care is taken to preserve all such as are her Members firm in her Communion and there are not wanting Threats to keep the Inconstant from being Misled into Error as likewise Punishments to reduce such as leave her and blindly run after False Guides And if for this reason she must be said to tear out their Hearts and destroy such as she cannot deceive what is to be the Character of this Preacher's Church which by consent of Bishops is fenc'd with such Laws as punishes with Loss of Goods Imprisonment and Death not only those who leave her Communion but likewise those too who never were Members of it This is a Cruelty not to be paralell'd amongst the worst of Christians I cannot say but that Rash Zeal Headlong Revenge or Detestable Avarice may have hurried some of ours upon such Barbarous Attempts but certainly never did any Christians deliberately and with Counsel thus deeply engage themselves in Blood. 'T is one thing to shed Blood in the heat of Fury and Passion another thing to do it by Law and if ours are thus to be condemn'd of Cruelty for some Rash and unaccountable Practices of this kind which we detest upon Reflection certainly others have a better Title to this Infamous Mark who with such Severity both in Goods Liberty and Life punish those with Deliberation who never were of their Communion and are so zealous in maintaining those Laws in force by which they own themselves Bloody by Profession 3. The Absurdity of Auricular Confession is endless where a Man unlades himself of all his Sins by whispering them into Priests Ears This again is a Calumny and Misrepresentation since no Catholics teach that only Whispering Sins in the Ears of a Priest is sufficient for their Remission They own indeed Confession to a Priest in order to Absolution and the same is allow'd by the Church of England but besides this Whispering they require likewise a True and Hearty Sorrow joyn'd with a Firm Purpose of Amendment and a Sincere Resolution of avoiding thro' the help of God's Grace all Sins and the occasion of them for the future and this I hope as no body will deny to be a proper Means in order to Forgiveness so likewise every one will see how unsincere this Preacher was in saying That a Man unlades himself of all his Sins by whispering them into Priests ears To make his Followers believe the Papists to be so Sottish as to think their Sins forgiven by a Whisper only 4. Of Transubstantiation where Men must renounce all their Five Senses at once How is this true that we must renounce all our Five Senses in the belief of this Mystery since if we follow our Hearing which is the Sense by which Faith comes we are oblig'd to believe it Christ's Words expresly signifie and declare that the Sacrament is his Body These Words we hear deliver'd to us by those whom He has appointed to Teach and Instruct the Flock to wit the Pastors of Christ's Church these Words we see likewise and read in the Holy Scripture So that if we follow our Ears and our Eyes directed by the Word of God we are bound to believe this Mystery and consequently do not renounce all Five at once And thus whilst we let both our Senses and Reason be immediately directed by God's Word which is Infallible we more Reverence the Scriptures and Believe upon better Grounds than Protestants who let Natural Objects ever about Mysteries of their Faith have the direction of their Senses in which they are so often deceiv'd rather than the Word of God which cannot deceive them We acknowledge that to frame a Judgment of the Nature or Substance of a thing we must depend upon the Information of Sense and that the Common and Natural way is to Judge according to the Relation the Senses give from the External and Natural Accidents of the thing But if we desire to frame a True Judgment of what is the Nature and Substance of such an Object not according to a Natural Being but according to the Divine Power and what it may have of Supernatural the Senses ought not to be laid aside but we must consider here too the Information These give not now from the Natural Accidents but from the Word of God and the Divine Revelation for tho' the Natural Substance of the thing be connected with and best known by its Natural Qualities yet a Supernatural Being not so and therefore This is better known from what the Senses tell us from God's Word and Divine Revelation than from the External Accidents and Natural Qualities of the thing I illustrate this by an Instance in another matter If I have a Present sent me in a Letter by a Friend and I intend to make a Judgment of the True Nature of it and What it is I cannot do this without the assistance of my Senses But then These may inform me Two ways either by Looking upon the thing it self which at present I suppose is a Transparent Stone observing every Cast of the Light how Pale c. or by Reading the Letter which being sent from an Excellent Artist gives a full Account of it as likewise Hearing What the Bearer says whom I know to be a skilful Jeweller Now in both these ways I use my Senses in order to Judge of the Present as to its Nature and Value If I take the Information of my Senses from the View of the Stone in it self I Judge it to the best of my Skill to be no Precious Stone but some Counterfeit or Peble If I take the Information my Senses give me from the Reading the Letter and Hearing the Artist I Judge it to be a True Diamond upon their Authority and greater Skill who being of known Honesty do unfeignedly give me this Assurance Now in which Judgment of these ought In in Prudence finally to acquiese Certainly in this last And yet in so doing I hope I should not renounce all my Five Senses at once No even in this Judgment too I should depend upon my Senses And if in such a Case as this I prudently form my Judgment from the Account my Senses give me of such Mens Authority and Knowledge rather
of it he 's no True Son of the Church of England So that tho' the Teachers of this Communion as Establish'd by Law are very industrious to dissuade their Hearers from all Implicit Faith in assenting to Divine Mysteries deliver'd by the Church but that they must be sure not to move one Step beyond their own Sense and Reason otherwise they 'll â—ot believe like Men but pin their Faith on other Mens Sleeves and blindly be led by the Nose Yet when they turn on the other Sâ—â—â— and â—â—e to hear what Popery and the Papists are here they may run oâ— as blindly as they please an Implicit Faith is now more to the purpose Upon this Implicit Faith they may Hate them on this they may Rail against them 'T is not now here Search and Examin and then Believe and Speak as far as by your own knowledge you find to be True But a Genuine Son of the Church of England is to have a good Stock of this Implicit Faith by him and to Believe and Speak tho' he knows nothing at all And this it is I have often observ'd that Those who are the greatest Begots and rail most bitterly against the Papists are They that know the least of them not so much as my Country-man above not Two Families But why this Vneven kind of Dealing in Men that pretend to so much Conscience and Reason If a Member of the Church of England must not assent to any Mystery of Christianity upon an Implicit Faith for fear of Vnmanning himself forsooth why should he so unworthily betray his own Reason in taking up Calumnies upon Trust for the ruining his Neighbor As if the believing rashly of God or of our Neighbor were not both destructive and to be avoided by every good Christian For my part all that I pretend to here is that all Good Protestant would observe the Rule so often prescrib'd from the Pulpits of Search and Examin That they would Try and see what the Papists are before they condemn them But 't is not in the Pamphlets Books and Sermons of Protestants I would have them seek for this Information for all these I look on only as so many Painted Cloths or Popular Harangues design'd for the making of Crowds and encreasing the number of Admirers No what need of taking it thus upon Trust when at this time there are none but who have opportunity enough of seeing and knowing the Papists themselves and letting their own Eyes their own Ears tell them what the Papists are instead of going to a Lecture and receiving it upon Trust from those who at the same time they are telling what the Papists are are informing their Auditory how silly and unreasonable a thing it is to take things upon Trust and to be contented with an Implicit Faith when they may with much more Security follow their own Sense and Reason their own Eyes and their Ears 'T is thus then I desire Papists should be try'd after the Protestant Way I would have every one examin and see what the Papists are with whom they Converse with whom they Trade or have any Dealing such as are of their Acquaintance or Neighborhood consider and reflect on those who are in any Public Post let them use all their Senses and Reason and strictly look into their Way of Living and Dying their Conversation the Care and Pains they take in order to Salvation and then let them speak freely upon their own knowledge whether the Papists are generally the worst of their Neighborhood whether they are less Conscientious less Humble less Charitable c. than others of any other Persuasion But especially let them have a particular regard to such as are Converts to the Catholic Communion and observe them with a watchful Eye 't is certain if Popery be as Black as 't is Painted and so many Degrees worse than Protestantism 't will be impossible for a Man of Protestant to become Papist but 't will soon be discover'd in the Immorality of his Life and Actions Let these Converts therefore be rigorously observ'd to see whether with the change of Religion they change their Lives too for the worst and appear under all those Foul Colours that are pretended to belong to Popery Let them see in particular whether upon being Papists and going to Confession they are now less scrupulous of offending God and more Debauch'd than they were before as 't is said of the Papists in Protestant Sermons viz. That Confession tends Good Advice to Pulp p. 53. Answer to it p. 21 25. to the Debauching both Laity and Clergy and that the Papists make no other use of Confession than what profess'd Drunkards do of Vomiting Let 'em see whether they take less care of Repenting than they did before or Sin now more confidently presuming upon Popes Pardons and Compounding with Heaven for Money Whether they are less Attentive at their Prayers Dumb and Sensless like Idols at their Devotions in the Church Whether they are so stupid as to Pray to Images To change Scripture into Legends To neglect Repentance because of Purgatory To esteem every thing Meritorious that is for the Church's Interest c. Let all Converts be strictly observ'd as to these and such like Points which are the common Pulpit-Characters of Popery If it be true what is thus solemnly asserted with the Bible in Hand the Truth of it must necessarily appear for these are not meer Speculations confin'd within the Heart and Head but they are such Principles as influence the outward Man and must indispensably regulate the Actions of ones Life so that if this be the common Doctrine of Popery 't will be impossible for so many Professors of that Religion every where to be found and not to discover such an abominable Belief of their Heart in the common Practice of their Lives Since therefore we are come to things of Practice and Fact of which every Man 's own Eyes and Ears may be Judge I challenge Protestants in their own Way I appeal from the Pulpits to the Pews and instead of Implicit Faith pinn'd on the Pulpits require the People to make use of their own Senses To these we are contented to stand and to their Arbitration to refer all the Debate of Misrepresenting If our Lives and Actions our Conversation Living and Dying are so much worse than all the rest of our Neighbors answerable to what we are accus'd of from the Pulpits We are deservedly evil spoken of and for my part I shall willingly receive the Sentence of having my Hands ty'd from ever Penning any thing for the future in favor of a People of such pernicious Principles and detestable Practices and the Church of England I 'll own acquitted from the Charge of Misrepresenting Now in this Appeal I cannot expect that there shall be none Wicked or Scandalous found in our Communion 't is well known that the Perfectest of Creatures the very Angels in Heaven could not pretend to this while
is nothing better nor worse than an Absolute Falshood 't was therefore set down in the Advice to the Pulpits as an unjust Character and a Misrepresentation of the Papists and Caution given of it upon that score as a thing to be avoided by all Honest Sincere Christian Preachers who desire to speak nothing of themselves nor against their Neighbors but the down-right Truth However the Apologizer for the Pulpits in his Answer pag. 11. being resolv'd to Vindicate and bring off all that has been said in those Chairs as if never any thing had been rashly bolted out there comes with a Let us try what ground the Preacher had for such Assertions And then as to that where the Preacher says Their Orders among the Papists are so many Sects that is says the Answerer So many distinct Bodies that having different Founders Rules Habits and often Opinions by which an Emulation is begot betwixt Order and Order they become divided among themselves Would not a School-boy have been Scourg'd for such a sleeveless frivolous Excuse The Preacher without mincing it says That the different Orders of Religion amongst the Papists are neither better nor worse than so many Sects that is says the Apologizer So many distinct Bodies c. How low are we fall'n below the Pulpit-Character As if Divisions in Religion and different Sects were nothing but so many distinct Bodies having different Founders Rules c. If a Preacher of the Catholic Communion should in the like terms positively declare in a Sermon That the Two Vniversities and every Colledge in them wherein are generally Educated and fitted for the Pulpit all the Parsons in England are neither better nor worse than the Seminaries of so many different Sects and several Casts of Religion and the Fellows are so many Fanatics pack'd up in an Enclosure under Rule I don't question but the Town would soon be fill'd with the News of such an Impostor for being so Impudent in infusing such False Notions into his Hearers And would not he have an Excellent Apologizer to help him out if another to vindicate the Passage should Print in his behalf say That by the Members of the Two Vniversities being so many Sects and different Casts of Religion the Preacher only meant So many distinct Bodies that having different Founders Rules Habits and often Opinions by which an Emulation is begot betwixt Vniversity and Vniversity Colledge and Colledge they become divided among themselves and when occasion is offer'd do actually war one upon another in their way What would the World say of such Doings as these but only condemn the Preacher for rashly aspersing such Bodies of Men and the Vindicator for a vain Trifler in publishing such an Idle Apology And yet this is our Case it being well known to any one that has but a grain more of Truth than what he has learn'd from the Pulpits that those several Religious Orders amongst Catholics notwithstanding their different Founders Rules Habits School-Opinions and Emulation do live as entirely within the Communion of the same Church embrace and teach all the same Articles of Faith say the same Creed Preach Pray and Administer the Sacraments in one anothers Churches and are every way in as perfect a Union as the Two Vniversities which with their different Founders Rules Habits School-Opinions and Emulation are yet Members of the same Communion and subject to the same Church of England And then let the World judge what a great Truth that was of this Preacher asserting These to be so many Sects and different Casts of Religion Dr. Sherlock could have told him That Schismatics or Sectaries in the Church are just as Rebels in a Kingdom not as part of it but as open and profess'd Enemies and consequently that the different Corporations and Bodies of Men here in London under different Founders Rules and Practices might with the same colour of Reason be Preach'd up for so many Rebels as the Religious Orders for so many Sects whilst These are only so many different Parts of the Church as Those are of the Kingdom But now for the Fanatics in Convents The Preacher declar'd that in the Church of Rome they have Fanatics too but they take care to shut them up in Convents By what is already said the Reader may perceive that such as are in Convents in the Church of Rome are Men who embracing a Retir'd Life dedicate themselves to the Service of God in Praying Fasting Mortification and the other Exercises of a Pious Christian some according to the Institution of S. Benedict others of S. Francis others of S. Dominic c. which however different in the Practice of a Religious Life yet are all in perfect Obedience to the same Church-Authority and of the same Belief as may be seen here in England where there are Monks of S. Benedict's Order Friers of S. Francis c. and yet These are so far from making any Divisions in the Church of which they are Members that they all acknowledge one and the same as their Common Mother and are only as different Parts not dividing but making up the Whole This may be seen in Queen Dowager's Chappel at Somerset-house in which Officiate Monks Friars Dominicans Jesuits and Clergy that is so many different Orders of Men and yet without any difference in Religion or disagreement in Faith. Now how unlike is this to what the Preacher delivers How different are These from what is commonly here understood and the Church of England calls Fanatics But however the Apologizer is to bring him off And therefore Fanaticism says he is a general Name and comprehends in it Superstition and Enthusiasm So that Religious Men in Convents are Fanatics forsooth because they are acted by some suppos'd Revelations Visions Raptures and unaccountable Impulses What Controversial Stuff is this Why at this rate he might make Fanatics of all the Patriarchs and Prophets of S. Joseph S. Peter and S. Paul and the rest of the Apostles and most of all of S. John whose whole Book of Revelations is nothing now it seems but so much Fanaticism Marry well-fare such Fanatics I wish the Church-of-England-men were such Fanatics too and were acted a little more by such Visions Revelations and Divine Impulses instead of those we have seen of late Years when the Visions of Sir Edmondbury Godfrey and the Suggestions of Parson Tong and Oats with some other Helps not altogether Divine mov'd the Pulpits as strongly and Fanatically as if all had come directly from Heaven But see now whither we are driven by the Conduct of a close Vindicator The Preacher told his Auditory 1. That in the Church of Rome there are really more Divisions than they charge Ours with 2. That their Religious Orders are neither better nor worse than so many Sects and several Casts of Religion 3. That they have their Fanatics pack'd up in Convents And now upon the management of the whole Matter by the Vindicator 't is all sunk into
than from my own because the Nature of the Thing before me consists in something above my Skill Certainly when the Question is What is the Substance or Essence of a thing not Natural but Reveal'd to be Miraculous and according to the Divine Power and Ordinance the Safest Judgment ought to be fram'd not from what my Senses tell me of the Natural Accidents but from what They tell me of God's Word and the Divine Assurance because as Dr. Sherlock says Preserv against Pop. p. 25. We may reasonably conclude that God understands the Reasons and Nature of things better than we Since therefore my Senses assure me from Scripture and the Pastor's of God's Church that the Sacrament is Christ's Body I am bound in Reason to Judge it Is so rather than from the Natural Accidents to Judge it to be Bread. So that in thus Believing this Mystery we do not Renounce but Follow our Senses Fifthly The Pope alone cannot Err and All others without some of his Assistance cannot but Err. This again is absolutely False For tho' Catholics Believe that the Catholic Church whether Diffusive or in its Representatives viz. a General Assembly of Bishops under their Head the Bishop of Rome thro' the Divine Assistance of the Holy Spirit cannot Err in declaring Matters of Faith and some School-Divines are of Opinion that the Pope is assisted with a like Infallible Direction even at other times Yet never did any Catholics Teach or Believe that all others without the Pope's Assistance were under a Necessity of Erring No Determinations indeed of others without his Consent are of Force or Obligatory on the Whole Church no more than is a Vote of Parliament without the Approbation of the King a Law to the Nation Yet there 's no necessity of Concluding them False and Erroneous but only Not Authentic Protestants believe their own Church not to be Infallible and yet they don't think it to lie under a Necessity of Erring Why therefore must it be charg'd upon us because we believe the Members of our Church without their Head to be Fallible that Therefore They cannot but Err This therefore is a most Illogical and Absurd Consequence such as the Apologizer himself knows not how to justifie and yet he has not Goodness enough to acquit us from so foul a Calumny Eighth Character of a Pulpit-Papist HE is professedly edified in Ignorance by his Church Praying Dr. Standish ibid. and Prophesying in an Vnknown Tongue They make no other use or account of Confession than what professed Drunkards do of Vomiting Thus is his Religion describ'd in a Sermon before the Judges at Hertford 1682 / 3. but most abusively 1. For tho' the Mass is said in Latin by the Priests yet the People have it translated into English they have it expounded in several Books at large and are taught to understand and have a true Sense of what is done so that if they are Ignorant 't is to be imputed to their own Neglect and not to any Design in their Church which is so careful in providing all necessary Means for the avoiding that Inconvenience But of this more afterwards But his Church besides Praying Prophesies too says the Preacher in an Vnknown Tongue Here the Apologizer p. 20. is put to it to save the Credit of the Preacher He owns that by Prophesying is meant in S. Paul 1 Cor. 14. Expounding the Scripture and Articles of Faith to the People and to be the same as Preaching and knowing that Catholics do this in the Vulgar Language if the Preacher be understood in this common Sense of the Word he cannot excuse him from abusing his Auditory with a Calumny But says the Apologizer it do's not appear to me that the Preacher here understood it of vulgar Preaching because he knew it to be otherwise Marry if They never Preach'd contrary to what they knew this would be a good Rule But suppose he did not yet he imposes upon his Hearers whilst he asserts a thing of the Papists which in the common acceptation of the Word is absolutely False and yet leaves it to them to be taken as they please And therefore whilst he says absolutely that They Prophesie in an Vnknown Tongue which is the same as Preaching he Misrepresents the Papists 2. They make no other use or account of Confession than what profess'd Drunkards do of Vomiting This is a most Putid Calumny and the Vindicator is so sensible of it p. 21. that he dares not defend what the Preacher asserts but only that so it is in the Practice of many of their Church This indeed we don't doubt but many in Practice abuse Confession as they do all other Good things but how different is it to say That many Papists abuse Confession and That the Papists absolutely make NO OTHER use of Confession than what profess'd Drunkards do of Vomiting The former I fear is too True but the later is False and a thing that no modest Man can say without Blushing out of a Pulpit It may be as truly said That the Ministers of the Church of England make no other use of Preaching than what the Profess'd Enemies of the Crown do of Libelling viz. to fill the People witb Fears and Jealousies and disaffect them towards the King and Government And then after such an Aspersion what a Come-off would it be to say I mean this only of the Practice of some of that Profession This is the Case Ninth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 1. HE pays his Devotions to Saints Canoniz'd for Money and J. Turner ib. Treason 2. In his Church they Pray to the Crucifix of Wood or Stone as well as to Christ himself and attribute as much Satisfaction and Expiation to it as they do to the Blood of their Crucifi'd Redeemer 3. Their Confession instead of keeping up a Wholsom Discipline is the way to corrupt it and tends to the Debauching both Laity and Clergy This is Popery as Painted out at Lincolns-Inn Sep. 29. 1683. As to the First Point it is only insinuated by the Preacher with an It is not lawful to Pray c. which is as good as an Assertion to the Hearers viz. That the Papists do Pray to Saints Canoniz'd for Treason The Vindicator to make this good proves First That it may so happen that Saints may be Canoniz'd for Treason Which is as much to the purpose as for one to say That the Church-of-England-men are Corrupters of God's Word because 't is possible they may be so as being in their Principles Fallible as to what they Teach and Preach to their Flock Secondly he 'll prove that it has been done and then comes in the next Line with an Instance in which it had like to have been done as he says but was not done Lastly he says that Thomas à Becket was Canoniz'd for Rebellion because he adher'd to the Pope against his Prince No 't was for his Vertuous Life and Martyrdom and the attestation of his
Augustin observes throughout the whole Scripture who truly Repented at the hour of Death to wit the Good Thief The Eighth is again contrary to our Doctrin in all our Prayers we being directed to preserve an Actual and Lively Attention and the admitting voluntary Distractions at Prayers being one of the Sins of which every one that goes to Confession is to make Examination and to accuse himself as may be seen in all our Books that give Instructions in order to Confession But it seems by the Apologizer this Saying of the Preacher is not charg'd upon us as a Profess'd Doctrin of ours but only as a Consequence of his own Head and from whence do's he draw it From this suppos'd Principle viz. The Romish Church enjoyns the saying them Prayers in a Language unknown to the Generality of the People which too is none of the Truest for this is not enjoyn'd by our Church to those that say Prayers For the Priests saying theirs in Latin understand what they say and the People have Theirs in their own Language as may be seen in our Manuals and in our Chappels where in the Hands of the People may be found Prayer-Books as Different in Language as those that use them are Different in Nation And tho' the Mass be said in Latin yet 't is only as the Function of Priests who understand it The People have the same in English and are instructed to accompany the Priest with Devotion and be attentive to every Mystery of the Oblation Which being a Sacrifice rather than a Form of Prayer the Attention and Devotion in respect to the People do's not fo much consist in the Words said by the Priest as in what is done by him as the Devotion of those Devout Women and other Believers upon Mount Calvary in the time of the Passion depended more upon being Attentive to what Christ Suffered and the Sacrifice he offer'd for the Redemption of the World than upon the Words that he spoke which were not altogether understood as the Scripture assures us by the Standers by In the same manner therefore as we should have been Attentive upon Mount Calvary we are Attentive here in this Oblation that is made upon the Altar of the Body and Blood of Christ and whosoever is at the time of this Service Dumb and Sensless like an Idol which is the Ninth Calumny must be necessarily as sensless as an Idol since a True Believer who has a Right Faith and Apprehension of this Mystery can no more be present at it without Devotion than he could have stood unmov'd under the Cross while his Redeemer hung upon it The Jews indeed were so then and may be now and all those who are like them without Faith but for a True Believer 't is impossible But the Matter of Fact is the best Confutation of this Slanderous Consequence whilst any one that takes a view of our People in time of Mass will find them with as much Devotion and Attention that is as much unlike Idols as Protestants are generally at their Common-Prayer So that all this is nothing but a Deduction grounded upon Ignorance and consequently a Calumny instead of a True Character of us but I fear whilst the Vindicator makes the Representer an Abettor of such unreasonable Doctrin 't is not the effect of Ignorance only but something worse For tho his Assertion be That Prayers may be said Well and Devoutly without attending to the Words or Sense of the Prayers BVT RATHER PVRELY ON GOD which last Words are fairly left out by the Vindicator yet whosoever considers this will not find this makes any thing for that Careless and Indevout way of Praying which is here by the Preacher charg'd upon the Papists Fourteenth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 1 Dr. Hooper TO cover his Idolatry he commits Sacrilege steals away one of the Ten Commandments and by the Index Expurgatorius blots the Two Tables themselves 2 Dr. Wallis For his Absolution 't is not necessary he should be sorry for his Sin but only for the Penance 3 Id. And if this should fail 't is but being at the Charge of an Indulgence or Pope's Pardon that is to purchase so many Penyworth of other Men's Merit and this is what is requir'd by way of Commutation instead of Regeneration Sanctification Holiness and a Godly Life 4 B. E. Auricular Confession their great Intelligencer and Lieger-Nuncio is the main Curb of the Laity whereby the Clergy hold them in awe in being admitted to all the Secrets of States and Families thereby to work their Purposes and Plots 't is a Matter of meer Interest and were there no Gain in it they would be asham'd of it 5 Id. Ignorance is the Mother of their Devotion which they are bound to by Vow and under the severest Penalties 6 Dr. Sharp They must wholly submit their Reason to an Infallible Judge even so far if one of their greatest Authors say true to be bound to believe Vertue to be Bad and Vice to be Good if it shall please his Holiness to say so 7 Dr. Butler Their Church-men must live a Single Life whether Honestly or no it makes no matter In this manner was the Papist describ'd in the Years 1678 79 81 82. All Plotting Years Years wherein Truth and Honesty acted but very small Parts and were not for the Turn and I fear had not that free access to the Pulpit at least unmix'd from Passion and Prejudice as became Preachers of the Gospel This Character may serve for Instance in which the First Charge is not sincere since 't is known that Catholics have the Ten Commandments in their Bibles and Catechisms and if they are set in short in some little Abstracts of Christian Doctrin in compliance to the weakness of some Memories and Capacities yet his is far from what the Preacher says of Stealing away one of the Commandments since this that they do to One of them they do to more setting down only the Words of the Precept without the Addition of Threats Promises or Explications as may be observ'd in the First Second Third and Fourth The Second is like this For that Sorrow which the Council of Trent requires for Absolution includes a Detestation of the Sins committed and a Firm Purpose of not Sinning for the time to come as may be seen Sess 14. cap. 4. and this I think is little less than Contradictions to the Saying of the Preacher The Third involves an Absolute Falsity whilst it supposes that a Papist who is sorry neither for his Sins nor the Punishment that attends them has no more to do than to procure or buy a Pope's Pardon and that this is sufficient for him instead of Repentance Amendment and a Holy Life This is a most abominable Doctrin in it self and most injuriously charg'd upon us in these words This is what they require by which the Preacher insinuates it into his Hearers as a thing
Church Representative or is so acknowledg'd by the whole Body Diffusive which is still equivalent to it And the currant passing of the Book and general Reception of it amongst Catholics argued strongly enough that it was exact as to all this But because I design'd that Book for the Public I did not content my self with the bare stating such our Avow'd Doctrins or Articles of Faith but I likewise added short Expositions in relation to some Protestant Objections generally made to each Article of How can this be Wherefore is this c. And the Expositions I own to be no Articles of Faith but only some receiv'd Notions relating to the Articles of our Faith as they are oppos'd by Protestants or search'd into by the Curious And these were so far from being my Private Sentiments that the Reader may find the same in our Ordinary Scripture-Catechisms of which there has been Printed in this Nation in a few Years not less than Twenty thousand And I hope so general a Reception is sufficient to justifie them against all Cavillers and to convince any considering Men that to Assent to the Catholic Faith as so Expounded which is so contrary to what Protestants say or to the Pulpit-Popery is sufficient for any Member of our Church And if there be other ways of Expounding the same Articles there 's no Inconvenience in this since where the Faith is the same there may be variety of Opinions as to the How 's or the Whys And this I hope the Answerer will understand if he please but to review The Exposition of the Doctrin of the Church of England in which tho' the Author undertakes to propose That Form of Faith that is openly profess'd and taught without any Disguise or Dissimulation in the Church of England as he says Pref. pag. xvii yet I fancy amongst those Expositions he 'll find several Opinions of Private Doctors instead of Points positively so determin'd by that Church Let him but look over that a while and I believe he may have as much reason to call in question the Title of that Book as that of the Bishop and that according to his way I think it ought to bear thus An Exposition of Some bodies Private Sentiments concerning the Doctrin of the Church of England I leave him to consider this a while but I beg him to be Civil with the Author and use him tenderly for if he should deal roughly with him as he do's other his Adversaries and call him Madman or Fool he might take it unkindly and tell him this do's not agree with his Coat I believe 't is better advise him to take some other honest Employment as to Dig or make Almanacks rather than write Controversie for this Gentleman can tell him that to Impose upon Men in Books of Divinity and to take a convenient Stand near the Town is much alike for the Honesty of the Undertaking I expect he 'll take some pains with him since he is resolv'd to spend no more of his time with the Vindicator or Representer These he says are like to be Priviledg'd Persons as to him since he 's resolv'd to Answer them no more they are not it seems so Good-natur'd as to be Confuted by him and he takes it unkindly at their hands But however those who know how abusively he treats his Adversaries must needs take this for no small Privilege And therefore We cannot but thank him for this his Resolution tho' late of calling us Knaves or Fools no more Which in his Language is the short of his Making Replies FINIS THE CONTENTS THE Preface to the Reader  First Character of a Pulpit-Papist Pag. 13. Second Character of a Pulpit-Papist 15. Third Character of a Pulpit-Papist 16. Fourth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 19. Fifth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 25. Sixth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 27. Seventh Character of a Pulpit-Papist 29. Eighth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 34. Ninth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 35. Tenth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 38. Eleventh Character of a Pulpit-Papist 39. Twelfth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 42. Thirteenth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 45. Fourteenth Character of a Pulpit-Papist 50.