here 's something of Trick and Artifice in this Doctrine and Practice But I humbly enquire of you What is the true and honest account and reason of this whole Matter What proof from Scripture or what authority from prime Antiquity for this Practice Quere V. Pray Reverend Fathers What 's the meaning of that Prayer which the Bishop uses in Blessing and Consecrating a New Cross found in the Pontifical viz. We pray thee O Lord c. that thou wouldst vouchsafe to bless this Wood of thy Cross that it may be a wholsome Remedy to Mankind a stability of Faith an increase of Good Works the Redemption of Souls a comfort protection and defence against the evil Darts of the Enemies through our Lord c. And also of that Hymn or Prayer found in the Brev. Sab. ante Domin Pass Fest invent Crucis Hail O Cross our only hope increase Grace in the Godly and blot out the Sins of the Guilty I profess Reverend Fathers these two Prayers infinitely trouble my mind for I cannot for my life understand but that we make the material Wooden Cross an Object of Divine Worship and directly pray unto it or else that these Prayers are perfect nonfence But be pleas'd to let me ask you a few Questions After the Bishop has pray'd Bless this Wood is the Cross still natural Wood and the same it was before or is its nature chang'd and alter'd and is there some Virtue and Excellency communicated to it Else What means these Words Bless this Wood Do we pray unto and Worship this Cross or that on which our B. Saviour was Crucified But let it be which it will Is it not gross Idolatry to make either of them the Object of Adoration and directly to pray to either of them If we say that we do not pray to either of them nor make either of them the Object of Adoration but Jesus Christ who suffre'd upon the Cross then where 's the sence of this Prayer Bless this Wood c. and Hail O Cross c. What an unhappiness is this And would not any rational Man think the Composers of our Prayers and the Church too were both of them constantly infatuated to make choice of such Words and Expressions in their Prayers to GOD and our B. Saviour that to take and understand them in the sence and meaning of the Composers and of the Church we must do violence to all the Rules of Grammer and to the plain and natural and generally receiv'd sence and meaning of Words and Speech Quere VI. I enquire Reverend Fathers Whether our distinguishing and saying we do not give Divine Worship terminatively but relatively and transiently to a Crucifix or to Images c. will save us from Idolatry any more than it did the Heathens in their Worship of the Sun and wooden Images And whether the same Plea if it will excuse us from gross Idolatry might not as well excuse them viz. That we do not Worship that Crucifix or that Image c. which we see and pray before but him who suffer'd on 't or him whom it represents so they We do not Worship the Sun or this Image or Statue but him who Created the Sun and the Great GOD by this Image and this Statue SECT V. Quere I. PRay Reverend Fathers What is the reason why anciently the People of our Church us'd to pray thus Grant unto us O Lord that this Oblation may profit the Soul of thy Servant Leo And that afterwards this contrary Form was us'd Grant unto us O Lord that by the Interest of thy Servant Leo this Oblation may profit us Was Leo one of our Popes and a Saint in Purgatory when the first Form was us'd And was he out of Purgatory and in Heaven when the Second Form was us'd What Infallible Assurance have we that any Soul is releas'd out of Purgatory and in particular that he is now out of Purgatory And if we have not How come we to use this last Form of Prayer But pray Reverend Fathers deal ingenuously with me Do Glorious Saints Canoniz'd and Reigning in Heaven use to pass through Purgatory fire Was St. Monica St. Austin's Mother in Purgatory Can ye prove she was there Or do ye think and can ye prove that St. Austin believ'd her there when he pray'd for her And if she was not in Purgatory Does it not prove that the Ancients us'd to pray for the Dead which yet they did not believe in Purgatory Why then do we pray for none but those we believe in Purgatory Where is our Conformity to the Belief and Practice of the Ancients in this matter Quere II. Does our Church Reverend Fathers teach That all Souls none excepted who are so happy to be saved must and do pass through the Fire of Purgatory If she does and likewise that our Prayers c. do help them How can we in Charity justifie our constant Custom of not praying for the Departed Souls of Protestants Do we believe that the Protestants living and dying such are not finally saved but damn'd Does not this sound harsh to Christian Charity And does not this our neglect of offering up Prayers and saying Masses for their Souls openly declare to the World our uncharitableness And that we believe the Soul of every Person living and dying in the Reform'd Religion is damn'd since we never fail of offering up Prayers and Masses for those Souls of whom we have the least hope of Salvation Quere III. Do not you Reverend Fathers reckon the Reformed Religion to be Christian Why then do ye teach us to think and call it a New Religion Are the Three Creeds the Ten Commandments the Lords Prayer and the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament New And yet I am pretty well assur'd these are the Foundation and contain the whole of their Religion Why then do ye ask them and teach us to do so Where was your Religion before Luther Where 's the Justice and the Truth of this Is it not plain that GOD and our B. Saviour are the Authors of this Religion But Reverend Fathers What if they should ask us as sometime I have been askt without being able to answer a word Where was your Religion before the Council of Trent what should I say For my part I have lookt till my eyes are weary and cannot find a word either in the Three Creeds the Ten Commandments the Lord's Prayer or the Holy Scriptures that our Saviour has forbid us to Receive the Communion in Both Kinds that the Bread and Wine by Virtue of the Priest's saying Hoc est c. is transubstantiated into the very natural Flesh Blood Bones and Sinews and the Soul and Divinity of our Dear Saviour that we must Pray to GOD in a Language we understand not that Saints and Angels are to be Worshipp'd with Religious Worship that Mens Souls go to Purgatory before they go to Heaven that the Pope of Rome is Christ's Vicar and that
Will of GOD Or is the one of a quite different nature and kind from the other And if they be then pray By what Names do ye distinguish them By what Acts and Signs are they express'd and known I have yet heard but of two sorts or kinds of Worship and Honour c. either Religious and Divine or Civil Now Reverend Fathers I take Religious and Civil Honour to be as different in their natures and kinds as GOD and Men are therefore I humbly enquire of You Which of these two sorts of Honour does this Trent-Catechism say The Angels refus'd as not theirs but GOD's due only And what Honour was it that the Angels were willing to have receiv'd was it Religious or Civil And whatever Honour it was can you prove from Scripture that the same kind and degree of Honour is due to the Saints also And is the same Honour both kinds and degrees which is due to Angels and Saints also due to our Parents and Elders and to Kings This Catechism in my opinion seems to say so But to deal freely the darkness and confusion I observe in this Book about so important a matter does not look well I appeal to you Reverend Fathers Whether it had not really been more fair and honest intelligible and instructive when the Authors of this Catechism were treating of honouring GOD the Angels c. plainly to have told us what kind and degree of Honour was proper and due to GOD what to the Angels and Saints and what to our Parents Elders and Kings and by what Words and Acts such Honour is to be express'd But since they have not I humbly beg it of you and till I receive your Information I shall conclude that we are only to pay such an Honour to Angels and Saints as we do to our Parents c. which I think we call Civil and not Religious Honour which I think consists in Love Respect c. But was it ever heard that any body here in England for example and in their Senses ever put up formal and solemn Prayer either Vocal or Mental in the Church or in their Closets to their Parents c. which might be in China or Virginia or but in France I shall therefore henceforward pay a great degree of Love and Respect for the B. Angels and Saints but I shall forbear Religiously to Invoke or Pray to them 1. Because they are but my Fellow-Creatures And 2. Because 't is much more absurd and unreasonable to call upon them then to call upon my Parents in a far Country because their distance from me is suppos'd to be incomparably greater and that I have no more assurance that they hear me than I have that my Parents hear me and so my Prayers are equally vain and impertinent Quere XI But Reverend Fathers Does not that place of the Prophet David Psal 65. ver 2. O thou that hearest prayer unto thee shall all flesh come and that other Text in the 10 Chapter of Rom. v. 14. How then shall they invocate in whom they have not believ'd very plainly prove these things 1. That none but GOD can hear our Prayers And 2. For that very reason all Mankind is directed to offer up their Prayers to him alone 3. That we cannot nor ought not to invocate or pray to any Being but what we Believe in And do we use to say that we Believe in any but in GOD In the Creed we say I believe in GOD c. But who says that knows what he says I Believe in the Arch Angel St. Michael or I Believe in St. Peter or I Believe in the Virgin Mary If then we do not Believe in i. e. put our hope trust and confidence in the Virgin Mary or any other Saints which are but Creatures as we do Believe in GOD the Creator why should we invocate and pray unto them What Sacriledge as well as Folly is this But Reverend Fathers if this be not the true meaning of these two Texts I humbly enquire of you what is the Infallible Sence of them and how I may be infallibly certain that what you say is the Sence is indeed so Quere XII But Reverend Fathers I am not ignorant that some of our Church argue that we ought to pray to Saints and Angels because they pray for us Now not to dispute with you about this consequence let me only humbly ask you Whether the Jews under the Law either in their publick or private Worship pray'd to the Angels Surely the Angels were in Heaven before as well as since the coming of our Saviour and pray'd for Mankind too and yet if you cannot prove that the Jews pray'd to and invocated them as we now do them and the Blessed Saints I beseech you how does it follow that because Angels and Saints pray for us men that therefore we are to pray to them But in good earnest Reverend Fathers Is not the true question in this matter not whether those Blessed Spirits pray for us but whether we are to pray to them Now we say that they are to be pray'd unto but can we prove it either from any Principles of Natural Reason or any positive Divine Law of GOD The Protestants say they are not to be pray'd unto and think they sufficiently prove what they say when they produce not only an express Law of GOD deliver'd by Moses to the Jews which forbids any other Being to be Worshipp'd but the Supreme GOD but also our Saviour's Answer to the Devil That GOD only is to be adored or worshipp'd and serv'd as also from other places of Holy Scripture that Prayer is an essential part of that Worship which is peculiar to GOD. So that Reverend Fathers if we cannot prove some of these things following have not the Protestants infinitly the better of us in this weighty matter either 1. That GOD gave no such Law to the Jews or 2. That he has Repeal'd it or 3. That our Saviour when he told the Devil that GOD only was to be Worshipp'd yet he meant that Good Spirits but not Evil were likewise to be Worshipp'd together with GOD So that I humbly ask What signifies to any rational Man that Argument of the Council of Trent viz. That it is good and profitable humbly to pray to the Saints unless we can shew plainly that GOD has commanded it Is the Authority of a Council tho' never so General sufficient to repeal an express Law of GOD which says GOD only is to be Worshipp'd Quere XIII Besides Reverend Fathers I observe that when the Authors of the Catechism of the Council of Trent p. 464. go about to prove who is to be pray'd to and that GOD is to be pray'd to they do it not only by Scripture viz. Psal 49.15 Call upon me in the day of tribulation but affirm That the very Light of Nature implanted in the Souls of Men teaches it But in the very next Section when they come to treat of Praying to
Reverend Fathers What signifies it with the Bishop of Meaux in the Fourth Section of his Exposition to say That in what Terms soever those Prayers which we Address to Saints are couch'd it is the Intention of the Church and of her Faithful to reduce them always to this form Pray for us Can the Intention of the Church and of her Faithful alter the nature of things and the universal meaning of plain words or is any such declaration of Intention to be admitted against the plain literal and grammatical Sence of the Prayers But if the Sence and Intention of the Church be no more than to Pray for us then why are not the Prayers and Hymns in our Publik Offices Breviaries c. at least alter'd to the Sence and Intention of our Church And why are any other Books of Devotion suffer'd to come out contrary to the Sence and Intention of the Church What a ridiculous proceeding to say no worse of it is this of our Church both to compose and set out Prayers to the Saints herself and also permit others to do so too couch'd and express'd in such Words Titles and Phrases as all sensible Mankind make use of to express their Thoughts and Desires in their Prayers to GOD and the Holy Trinity and then cry out That in what terms soevâ—â— those Prayers which we make to the Saints are couch'd it is the Intention of the Church c. Is the Latin Tongue or any Vulgar Language so barren of Words that when our Church would Invocate the Saints and Angels c. she can do it in no other manner words or terms than such in which she constantly and properly addresses herself to GOD and the Holy Trinity Are there not in every Language and particularly in ours apt and proper words and terms in which to express our Souls to GOD and the Holy Trinity And likewise when we would desire the Saints and Angels to Pray for us What folly as well as wickedness is it then to confound these Objects so infinitly different in the same terms and words and to use those to the Saints and Angels which are proper to GOD only Again Reverend Fathers Do not Men generally understand words as they sound and usually signifie And does not the very natural sence of words raise proper and suitable Ideas in Mens minds Now I would fain know of you Reverend Fathers What Thoughts or Idea's a Man can be suppos'd to have who after this manner and for these things thus addresses himself to the Virgin Mary Sacred Majesty Mother of Unlimited Power the only hope of Sinners ador'd and call'd upon by the whole Universe and who by innumerable Titles claim the Utmost Duty of every Christian as a Proper Homage to your Greatness Let the greatness of your Mercy blot out the multitude of mine Offences and deliver me from all Dangers I entrust you with whatever I am have do or hope in Life and Death and through all Eternity I own my self in your Presence and that you survey the present state of my Soul all my Thoughts and Projects and every tract of my Conversation and therefore I put my self wholly under your Protection and will observe you as my Soveraign Lady relying on your Bowels of Mercy in all my Wants of Body and Mind Protect me from the Enemy and when my Soul departs from my Body receive it into the Glory of Paradice c. Now do ye think Reverend Fathers that Invocating the Virgin Mary in such words as these would not make any Men and Women very apt to entertain such an Idea of her as is only fit and proper to be thought of GOD Would not the continual use of such a Prayer make a man insensibly to forget especially in the act and heat of Devotion that she is but a Creature and fancy that he is a praying to some Being of Divine Excellency and Perfections Would not the interior Sentiments of his Mind think ye grow like his exterior Words and Expressions when in any Publick Place of Divine Worship or but in his Closet he is upon his Knees with Hands and Eyes lifted up and in a perfect posture of Adoration But if such a Man should not insensibly by the meer force of using such Words and Expressions fall into the thoughts of her being a GOD and so be guilty of flat Idolatry yet can you deny that he is upon the very brink of that Danger And must it not be esteem'd a Miracle if such a Person is preserv'd from falling into that Precipice Quere II. But Reverend Fathers I am not ignorant that our Disputers think they sufficiently clear their hands of such Writers as the Author of the Contemplation c. Father Crasset Cardinals Bona and Bonaventure Bernardin de Busts c. by saying that such things as they teach and such Prayers and Expressions as they compose and publish are not the Doctrines and Practices of our Church but the extravagant Sayings and Flights of Devotion of some particular Men. Now that this Plea has no place and is of no force against such Prayers as are found in the Offices Breviaries Missals c. of our Church I humbly conceive you 'll easily grant and therefore all such Prayers and that strange Language and Expressions found in them must unavoidably be charg'd upon our Church But then concerning these others I humbly enquire Why the Church if your Order Reverend Fathers be a part of the Church allows and permits such in particular the Contemplations c. and Father Crasset's Book and the same I might ask concerning the other Authors I have but now nam'd for I am told they are all publish'd by the Authority of the Church or by the permission of those appointed by the Church And does not such permission amount to the Churches approbation And does the Church use to approve of any thing that is not the Doctrine of the Church And if it be the Doctrine of our Church Why do ye not speak out and declare so and prove it to be the Doctrine of Christ and his Apostles But if you still deny it to be the Doctrine of our Church then pray Why are not the Books call'd in censur'd and forbid to be read and the Men who writ them punisht for False Teachers and Deceivers Again Reverend Fathers if such be not the Doctrine of our Church as I would now fain hope for a very material reason it is not then pray Reverend Fathers let me humbly ask you again Why are these Books let alone to deceive our poor ignorant People into such gross Errors And here also it will be pertinent to enquire of you Reverend Fathers Why such Books as corrupt the Doctrines of Repentance and destroy the necessity of a Holy Life speaking Truth and doing Justice and in a word all the Moral Duties and Practice of a Christian are permitted to walk freely and boldly abroad in the World and debauch Mens Principles and Practices
is acceptable with GOD we should have many Now here I humbly enquire of you Reverend Fathers From whom he learnt this Distinction From GOD or from Man if from GOD Should he not prove it from Scripture And how can he do it since it is there so plainly reveal'd that GOD hath appointed the Mediator of Redemption to be also our Mediator of Intercession and that his Intercession is grounded upon his Redemption thus Hebrews chap. 7. ver 25. Whereby he is able to save also for ever them that go by himself to God always living to make intercession for us and 1 Tim. chap. 2. ver 5 6. For there is one God one also mediator of God and men the man Christ Jesus who gave himself a redemption for all Now Reverend Fathers Can you shew me such another Text for the Saints being our Mediators of Intercession But if you say this Distinction is from Man then I desire to know How any Man or all the Men upon Earth came by such an Authority as to appoint any Mediators with GOD besides himself And lastly Reverend Fathers Can you shew from Universal Antiquity that the Saints departed are by GOD appointed Mediators of Intercession as well as the Man Christ Jesus If you can I desire you to do it Quere IX Pray Reverend Fathers upon what Ground or Authority does our Church distribute the Patronage of particular Countries the Cure of several Diseases and the Protection of all distinct Professions of Men and all kinds of Creatures to particular Saints Quere X. Why Reverend Fathers are there in Catholick Countries as Italy Spain and France more Churches built more Altars erected more Presents made and more Cost bestow'd more Prayers pour'd out and Vows made and Offices perform'd to the Virgin Mary who is but a Creature after all than to our Dear Saviour who is GOD the Creator Quere XI I am told Reverend Fathers That towards the latter end of the Fourth Century a certain Sect of Women did appear which met together to offer certain Cakes and otherwise to Worship the Virgin Mary which Cakes were call'd Collyrides and the Women from them Collyridians and that the good Bishop St. Epiphanius did write zealously against them and treated them as Hereticks and said Let Mary be honour'd but the Father Son and Holy Ghost Worshipped Now Reverend Fathers I desire to know of you Whether this is true and Whether we do not offer Candles and Incense to the Virgin Mary And if those Women were Hereticks for offering Cakes to her Pray what are we for offering up to her Candles Pray where 's the difference between Cakes and Candles as to their being made an Offering Does not this Example abundantly Confute those Men who say It is impossible that any now should be so sottish to make a GOD of her and Worship her with that Worship which is due to GOD only For if there were People so grosly silly to commit Idolatry about her Pray why not much rather now Are not the present allow'd Doctrines and Prayers capable enough to draw People into the like Crime And are there not both Women and Men too in this Age of as weak Understandings and of as Superstitious and Idolatrous Inclinations as then Quere XII I am told Reverend Fathers that the aforemention'd Cardinal Bona in his said Book Entituled Horolog Ascet tells us That the Rosary is so call'd because 't is Compos'd of One Hundred and Fifty Ave Maries as of so many sweet-smelling Roses Now I humbly beg of you to know the true reason Why the Ave Maries are Roses rather and smell sweeter than the Pater Nosters When a Man reflects that the Pater Nosters are of our dear Lord 's own composing he is apt to think that they might deserve the name of Roses as well and smell at least as sweet as the Ave Maries the one being a solemn Prayer contriv'd and dictated by the Eternal Wisdom for the needs and benefit of his poor Creatures and the other only a common Form of one Creature 's Saluting another and which by I know not what authority nor with what pertinency is since converted into a Form of Religious Prayer And do not you really think Reverend Fathers that this magnifying the Excellency and the Odour of the Ave Maries above the Pater Nosters is not to speak softly a little contrary to the Laws of Good Manners Quere XIII Whether the Honour that is due to a glorified Soul ought to be any more than that of Love or Charity Respect and Imitation And whether in our allow'd Prayers c. we do not give to the Virgin Mary and other Saints that of Service as to our Lords and Masters And whether that Honour or Respect that is to be given to a Saint or an Angel or an Image must not be such as is proper to a Saint or an Angel or an Image and not Worship or Adoration Quere XIV Whether the Common People understand the nice Scholastical Distinctions and Degrees of Divine Honour and Worship which 't is said our cunning Doctors and subtil School-men have devis'd to excuse our Doctrines and Practices from Idolatry such as Latria Dulia and Hyperdulia As you hope to be saved Reverend Fathers Do you believe that the more ignorant Men and Women nay the more knowing Persons when they are in the Act of Prayer and Adoration do or can make use of these nice and learned Distinctions and make this just separation in their minds And yet if they do not is not their falling into Idolatry unavoidable To what fatal Dangers are we poor Catholicks expos'd Quere XV. But to conclude this matter of Invocation c. I farther enquire of you Reverend Fathers Whether you can shew any footesteps of Prayers to Saints for the first 300 years I have heard that some Learned Protestants dare give you 350 years after Christ in any genuine Father or publick Office or Liturgy If it had been the Doctrine and Practice of that time as 't is now among us can it enter into any but a mad Mans head to believe that it would not be found either in some publick Office or Liturgy or in some of the Fathers in that compass of time And if we cannot make it appear to have been the Doctrine and Practice in all that time for God's sake Reverend Fathers What reason have we to make such a considerable addition to the Religion of those Ages Why may not we be saved now without it as well as the Christians then But Reverend Fathers I am farther told which in my mind is an invincible argument against us in this affair viz. That the Protestants have made it plainly appear from the Writings of the Ancient Fathers both Eastern and Western by the Greek Canon the Liturgies father'd upon St. James and the other Apostles and the Liturgies of St. Basil and those of Egypt attributed to St. Basil Gregory Nazianzen and St. Cyril and that of St.
the Church of Rome is as Infallible as GOD with many other Points and Doctrines too long here to be named at this time Quere IV. Pray Reverend Fathers Had the English Bishops and Pastors in Henry the Eighth's Reign and at the time of the Reformation by Virtue of their Ordination c. receiv'd from Rome Power and Authority to Preach and Teach the Truth of the Gospel and Reform all Errors and Corruptions in Faith Doctrines Worship and Manners within their own Jurisdictions Diocesses c. If they had not How were they God's Ambassadors Ministers and Dispensers of the Gospel which is nothing else but Truth and Holiness If they had and that the Reformed Faith Doctrine and Worship is the Truth of the Gospel were not all our Forefathers in Conscience bound to hearken to and obey them and not only for that reason but also because they were their Lawful Bishops and Pastors And for the same reason are not we now bound to hearken to and obey the present Bishops and Pastors of the Church of England who are their lawful and undoubted Successors Quere V. Pray Reverend Fathers What Council or Pope has declar'd and decreed against Rebellion let one's Natural Prince be of what Religion he will and never so contrary to the worldly Policy and Interest of Rome I would fain hope that you can satisfie me in this Enquiry because I have often heard our Church tax'd for a Disloyal Church But further I enquire Whether no Council or Pope has ever declar'd and decreed nor Cardinal or Jesuit writ and maintain'd That in many cases but especially when Princes are not of the Religion and Interests of the Church of Rome it is lawful to cut them off And has there been no Treasons committed nor Rebellions acted not only by the Laity but also by the Clergy and even by the Pope himself in conformity and obedience to such Decrees and Doctrines Quere VI. What is the meaning I beseech you Reverend Fathers of that Book which is Intituled in English The Tax of the Apostolick Chamber for several Sins The Protestants often upbraid us with it and really I know not what to answer because I have enquir'd and find there is such a Book and more that 't is authoriz'd and allow'd by our Church But I am much puzled to find out a good meaning of it Methinks it sounds a little harsh to Christian ears that for any sums of money at all there should be either Indulgence given to commit sins or a pardon procur'd after they are committed and this Publish'd to all the World Does not this look like tempting and inviting men to be wicked Quere VII If it be true Reverend Fathers what the Protestants charge you and the rest of the Guides of our Church with as that you deny men the use of their Sensos and Reason about Religion and so would debase them into the condition of mere Brutes is it not just to esteem you the common Enemies of Mankind For to what end and purpose did God give us these Faculties was it only think ye to govern our selves in worldly affairs And did not the wise and good God likewise endue us with Sense and Reason that we might preserve our selves from being imposed upon and cheated by a false and absurd Religion Now what Design can that Man or Company of Men be rationally thought to have who would rob Mankind of the only means which GOD has given them to preserve themselves from being deceiv'd in so mighty a Concernment as Religion And from being made wretched Slaves to wicked and designing Men And on the contrary Are not the Divines of the Church of England and other Protestant Churches to be highly valued and lov'd because they earnestly invite Men to the Exercise of their Senses and Reason about Religion and propound no Doctrines but what tends to the improvement and perfecting of Human as well as Divine Knowledge and ennobling the Nature of Man which certainly is the Great Design of the Christian Religion Quere VIII Whether your way of conducting Religion and managing Coneroversies by Tricks and Arts and exposing the whole Christian Religion for the sake of some unreasonable Doctrines and Propofitions by making Parallels between the Doctrine of the Trinity and Transubstantiation and making the First to depend only upon the Authority of the Church because the Second has no better Foundation Is it not I say enough to set the Hearts of thinking Men against you Quere IX In the 22 Session Chap. 8. Of the Doctrine of the Sacrifice of the Mass the Council of Trent says That although the Mass contains a large Instruction of a Faithful People yet it is not convenient to be exercis'd publickly in the Vulgar Tongue How Reverend Fathers A large Instruction for the People and yet not convenient to let the People understand it Were not the Good Fathers of the Council a little merry here as well as mysterious But pray be you pleas'd to be serious and tell me What do you think might be the true reason why these Wise and Holy Men thought it inconvenient to have Mass said in the Vulgar Tongue Does it look kind and Christian-Father-like that altho' they confess the Mass was a large Instruction for the People yet that they should at the same time Command to keep the People ignorant of it except only some parcels of it now and then to be dealt out to them This manner of acting from Christian Fathers to their Children appears to me extraordinary and therefore pray satisfie me about it and tell me what were they afraid of And what inconvenience would have follow'd suppose Mass had been publickly said for example in English Why so much Policy and Cunning in our managing of Religion I must needs tell you that I am scandaliz'd at it For when a Man considers the Christian Religion he finds that certainly never was there a more plain simple and inartificial Religion than it And since the wife GOD thought fit so to propound it to Mankind how dare you and the rest of the Pastors c. manage it like the Juggles and Intrigues of a State. Will not a serious Reflection on this make thinking men apt to suspect our Church-Governours and Spiritual Guides and so by consequence the Doctrine and practices of our Church too And do ye think that wise men observing our Religion to be mixt with so much Craft and Worldly Policy and that many of our Doctrines such as Purgatory and Indulgences c. plainly tend to serve Worldly Ends do not furnish them with mighty Prejudices against our Church-men Query X. Whether with wise and honest men it is not Reverend Fathers a vast and just prejudice against our Church and Cause that our Writers of Controversie are so perpetually by the Protestant Divines charg'd with using Suppositious and Spurious Authors and such as the Honest and Learned men of our own Church disallow of And whether on the contrary it is