Miracles he wrought Mat. 11.3 The blind see the lame vvalk the Leapers are made cleane the deafe heare and the dead ryse again S. Paul 2. Cor. 12.12 calls the Miracles which he wrought the signs of his Apostle ship and S. Mar. last ch saies that the Apostles preaching euery where wrought Miracles in confirmation of their doctrin Christ to proue against the Scribes and Pharisees Mat. 9.6 that he had power of forgining sins which they denied cured the sick Man of the Palsie That you may knovv that the son of Man hath povver of forgining sins saith he to the sick of the Palsie Aryse take up thy bed and go to thy house Therefore if the Catholik Church does work Miracles in proof of the doctrin she teaches t is an vnquestionable truth that she is the true Church as Nicodemus concluded Io. 3.2 No man could do those things if God vvere not vvith him and that no man can deny or doubt her doctrin to be from God wherefore Christ Mat. 11.21 pronounced VVo against Corozain and Betsaida because they did not beliue his doctrin to be diuine which they did see confirmed with so many Miracles you say they were no true Miracles but Sorceries and Enchantments or that the Authors were mistaken in iudging them to be Miracles which were but Natural effects of natural causes But I answer that nothing can be said against those Miracles wrought by the Professors of our Religion and related by S. Augustin S. Bernard and other Saints of the Church which may not be also obiected against the Miracles of our B. Sauiour and Apostles Could not the inhabitants of Corozain and Bethsaida say that the Miracles which Christ alleadged were but Sorceries or effects of natural causes did not the Scribs and Pharisees say it to conclude if thy were true Miracles T is euident the doctrin in whose confirmation they were wrought is diuine and all things considered you will find its rashness to deny that they were true Miracles if you read carefully this Chap. Now it is impossible that God who is infinitly True and to whose infinit Veracity it is as repugnant to speake a smale vntruth as a great one should confirm any vntruth euerso smale with a Miracle consequently a Church that would deliuer a mixt doctrin of some great Truths and some smale vntruths it is impossible that God should work Miracles by that Church in confirmation of her doctrin for that would be to own that doctrin for his own and owne smale vntruths to be reuealed by him wheras he giues his commission and his seale and Marks of his authority for to teach them And as it is not credible that the King of England should giue his commission vnder the broad seale of England to any man to induce his subiect into a Rebellion so it s less imaginable that God should giue his commission with his broad seale which are Miracles and supernatural signs to teach an vntruth euer so smale his infinit veracity being so auerse to all vntruth By no other means did he confirm the doctrin of the Trinity to be his doctrin by no other signs did he moue men to belieue than by working Miracles by the Church that taught it if therefore he works miracles by the Church that teachs Purgatory real Presēce and others which you call inferiour points and smale errours he confirms that doctrin to be his and so approues and ownes smale vntruths to be reuealed by him Therefore S. Paul when he preached as well great as inferiour Truths or articles could cōfidently say that his words were indeed the words of God because God did cōfirm his doctrin by Miracles and supernatural signs particularly Mr Sall auerring that the doctrin of Purgatory and real Presence are damnable errours if ignorance doth not excuse the Professors certainly God would not giue the Marks of his Commission which are Miracles to teach them It remayns that wee proue God has wroutght Miracles by the Roman Catholik Church euen in those ages wherin the Protestants affirm that she was plung'd in errours and in confirmation of those Tenets which they say are errors Secondly that wee are bound to belieue them to haue been true Miracles thirdly that the doctrin in whose confirmation they were wrought must be true reuealed doctrin As to the first wee speake not of forged Miracles which haue been and are still condemn'd by the Church and their Authors punisht as impostors wee speake of vncontrolled Miracles wrought in the presence of the very Authors and Authors of an vnspotted credit Holyness and learning euen in the opinion of our Aduersaries who relate them in their works left to Posterity S. Augustin l. 22. de Ciuit. Dei c. 8. relates that in his own tyme many miracles were wrought and som in his own presence by the Sacraments of the Church by the intercession of Saints and their Relicks especially of saint Stephen of saint Geruase and Protase when he being then in the towne their Bodies were by a heauenly reuelation discouered to saint Ambroise at Milan by the sign of the Holy Cross by the sacrifice of Mass and Earth of Christ's sepulcher and mentions in particular besids others that a woman called Palladia was sudainly cured by praying to S. Stephen Ad sanctum Martyrem orare perrexerat quae mox vt cancellos attigit sana surrexit S. Bernard in saint Malachy's lyfe relates many Miracles wrought by this Saint and that he himself after the Saint expired took his hand and layd it vpon the withered and vseless hand of a boy then present who was presently restored to perfect health The Miracles wrought by S. Bernard himself in confirmation of the Catholick doctrin of Transubstantion and Inuocation of Saints opposed in his tyme by the Henricians and VValdenses are recorded by God fred in vita S. Bern. l. 3. c. 5. and particularly that stupendious Miracle of Sarlatum a village neer Toulouse when the Saint blessing som loaues of bread he said to the multitude that were present In this you shall knovv that these things meaning those Tenets opposed by thē foresaid Hereticks are true and those false vvhich the Heretiks endeuour to persvvade you that vvhosoeuer of your diseased persons shall tast of these loaues they shall be healed and the Bishop of Chartres his freind then present adding that the promise was conditional prouided they did eat of that bread with Faith the Saint replyed that he did speak vvithout any such restriction that his meaning vvas that vvhosoeuer did tast of them loaues should bo cured of his sickness And effectualy as many sick persons as did eat of the loaues were cured and this Miracle being publisht such a multitude flockt to meet the Saint from all parts that he was forct to decline the common road No less authentick is that passage of S. Damascen related by Iohn Hierosolymitanus in the lyfe of Damascenus his own scholler and priuy to all his lyfe Leo Isauraus thar
great persecutor of Images vnderstanding that Damascen was very actiue in defending their worship and that he had writ learnedly in the defence of that Tenet conterfeited a letter as written by Damascen vnto him inuiting him to surprise the Citty of Damasco wherof he was Gouernor this letter Leo Isaurus sent vnto Hisiam Caliph or King of the Saracens whose subiect Damscen was prouing thence the Treachery of Damascen and his own sincerity and honesty in detesting so execrable an action of a subiect against so deseruing a Prince Hisiam astonisâ—ht that Damascen should be capable of so base an action consulted his Councellers concluded him guilty and condemn'd him to the forfeiture of his Means and Imployments and that his right hand should be cut of and nayld to a gibet in the Market place which being executed the saint retyred to his house humbly beg'd of Hisiam that his hand might be restored to him this was granted and the saint betaking himself to his Oratory prostrated before the Picture of our B. Lady earnestly prayed het that that hand which by the malice of Leo Isaurus he had lost for defending the honor of her and the saints Images might be restored to him which He promised he would continually imploy in defending that Doctrin against the Heresy of the I conoclasts he fell asleep and the Mother of God appearing to him said Theypetition is granted and they hand restored but remember to imploy it according to they promise in vvriting against the impiety of those vvho iniure vs by their vn vvorthy demeanor tovvards our Images awaked out of his sleep he found his hand as perfectly vnited to his arm as euer it hath been This Miracle was diuulged Damascen call'd by Hisiam and after so supernatural a testimony of his Innocency restored to his former dignities and Means all which he renounced gaue his Means to the Poore and became a Priest and a great Opposer of the Iconoclasts There is hardly any age of the Church but affords vs the lyke Miracles wrought by the Roman Catholicks in confirmation of our Doctrin it were tedions to rehearse more especially when these now related are sufficient for the present subiect That these things happen'd whither they were true Miracles or no wee do not dispute now but that such things as wee haue related did really happen no sober man can deny it for certainly he would be held for an obstinat fool that would say there was no such man as Caesar or Cicero in the world that he neuer fought with Pompey for which wee haue no other warrant but the testimony of Heathen Authors for no Christian did euer see them and none but a mad man will deny but S. Agustin S. Bernard Iohn-Hierosolimitanus and other saints and learned D. Doctors that writ the forementioned passages and others of the same kind in seueral other ages are as much deseruing of credit as the Heathens and if you did meet in S. August S. Bern. and other saints that the figuratiue presence was belieued in their ages and such as belieued Purgatory were punisht doutless you would belieue them and cry victory against vs it can not then be but preiudice that will hinder you from belieuing those passages did happen wheras they do in their writtings testify they happen'd in their own presence what caracter would he deserue who would say there was no such man as william the Conqueror in England no such thing as wars betwixt france an England in Ancient tyms no such things a spanish fleet defeated by the English in Queen Elizabeths tyme and Philip the second of Spain would not you iudge such à man to be mad for all this wee haue no other warrant but Histories and the Authors were not more honest learned wyse and holy than S. Augustin Bern and other saints who relate Miracles wrought in all-ages-can he then deserue a better caracter than of a mad man or fool that will deny them moreouer either S. Augustin S. Bern and the other saints that relate those Miracles did belieue the Tenets of Inuocation of saints adoration of Images and real Presence of Christ's body in the Sacrament or not if they did then you confess that the saints now raigning in heauen and confessed by you to be saints and none of the simple sort but learned wyse men did belieue and were saued in the belief of our Tenets if they did not belieue them what end or aduantage could they haue in feigning those Miracles wee must therefore confess those things did happen in their own presence as they say Lastly the Protestant Doctors do not deny but such things did happen but they say they were no true Miracles the Centurists and Osiander in Epit. cent 9.10.11 pag. 213. the Miracles vvhich superstitious Monks relate are either feigned Miracles or vvrought by Satans enchantments to establish vvicked vvorship of Images Inuocation of saints c. not that I think S. Bernard vvas a Magician saies Osiander Cent. 12. pag. 310. but that I think it probable Satan vvrought the Miracles vvherby the saint himself and others vvere deceiued Supposed then that such things did really happen wee will proue they were and wee are bonnd to belieue they were true Miracles for this you cannot deny but that S. August S. Bern Iohn Hierosol and God fred who were wyse learned Holy D. Doctors did know what a Miracle was as well as you those saints and the saints of other ages were ey wittness of what pass'd they examined narrowly the passages and their circumstances thy iudged them to be true Miracles must not wee belieue them to haue been such rather than your iugdment who did not see the passages nor was not born many hundred years after and what is to be obserued that when Damascens hand was restored and S. Bernard cured the sick by the laoues he blessed is it possible if these had not been notorious miracles but enchantments that som Iconoclast and som Henrician or vvaldenses against whose Doctrin they were wrought should not haue examined and discouered the cheat S. Bernard had many Enemyes infrance all the Henricians and Apostolici vvaldenses Damascen had the Emperor Leo for Enemy and all the Iconoclasts and not only them but in the wery Citty of Damasco all the Ambitious Courtiers who enuyed his greatness and pressed Hisiam to cut of his hand and can it be imagined that none of all these should haue writ or published if that passage was a cheat and no knowen miracle or by what means did the Centurists Osiander and Protestants in our age come to discouer they were all but enchantments which the enemyes of those Saints that then liued could not discouer Once that Luther in Germany thought to cheat the world and make men believe he could cast out Deuils the cheat was discouered and many writers of that tyme did relate it Once that Caluin in Geneua thought to delude the world and shew that he could rayse the dead he
bryb'd a man to feign himself dead that he might be thought to rayse him to lyfe but the man was found dead in good earnest and the fourberie published by many writers And those Miracles related by Saints and Ecclesiastical Histories had they been Sorceries and enchantments is it possible that the Hereticks against whose Doctrin they were wrought or som one then liuing should not haue discouered it This you cannot deny but that Herod and many Iews who neuer did see our Sauiour work any Miracles nor hear him preach were bound to belieue and obstinat for not belieuing our Sauiors Miracles and Doctrin only vpon this account that they were credibly informed by those who were ey witness of his Miracles and doctrin notwithstanding that the Scribâ— and Pharisees said they were wrought by the Deuil wheras therefore S. Augustin S. Bernard and the Saints of other ages are as credible Witnesses as those Iews were that related the Miracles of Christs and could iudge and know what a miracle was as well as those Iews do inform you that those true miracles were wrought in those ages in confirmation of our Catholik Tenets and that in their presence you are bound to belieue they were true miracles and obstinat in not belieuing them To say as the Centurists and Osiander that these miraculous works were Sorceries and enchantments is a most desperat assertion first it is to make the Saints and Fathers of antiquity who relates them as wrought in their owne presence examined by them and iudged to be true miracles meer fools that were deceiued and knew not to distinguish betwixt a true miracle and a Sorcery Secondly what rule or way hath Osiander and the Centurists got to know those passages to be enchantments and not true miracles which S. Augustin S. Bernard and other Saints had not Thirdly Christ appayed the hungar of a multitude with few loaues which he blessed S. Bernard cured the diseases of a multitude by the loaues which he blest let vs abstract from the Authors of these two actions let the actions be considered by a learned Pagan Philosopher who belieues not in Christ will not he iudge them both to be equally miraculous or both to be but enchantments I conclude what all wyse learned holy men and especially euen the aduersaries also of the Author do iudge after an exact examin of all circumstances to be a true miracle it is willfull obstinacy to deny it be such but the fore named Saints and they of all other ages as will appeare if you read the Ecclesiastical Histories haue iudged miracles to be truly wrought in each age som haue been eywitnesses of miracles other haue examined and enquired what they were and their circumstances and iudged them to be such S. Iohn Damascen and S. Bernards enemyes against whom they preached and writ did not deny them to be such Therefore wee cannot without obstinacy deny them Now that wee are obliged to belieue the doctrin in whose confirmation they wee wrought it s proued by what is said and that if wee be not obliged to belieue Catholecisme its most apparent wee are not obliged to belieue Christianity for by the self same arguments by which you proue against a Pagan the Christian Religion to be true wee also proue the Catholick to be true consequently either the Catholick must be true or the Christian is not by what were the Iews and Gentiles perswaded that Christianity was reuealed by God because it was preached by Holy men of great sanctity of lyfe of great austerity of no attache to the world or wordly things of admirable virtue and who confirmed their doctrin with supernatural signs and Miracles but S. Bernard who preached the Inuocation of Saints Transubstantiation and veneration of Relicks against the Henricians was a great Saint witness VVhitaker de Eccl. pag. 369. I do realy belieue S. Bernard vvas a true Saint Osiander Cent. 12. Saint Bernard Abot of Clareual vvas a very pious man Gomarus in speculo Eccl. pag. 23. One pious man your Church had in many years Bernard a Saint Pasquils return into Engl. pag. 8. he vvas one of the lamps of Gods Church S. Augustin was confessedly a great saint S. Iohn Damascen that writ seueral learned Treatises against the Iconoclasts for the worship of Images S. Malachias S. Thomas Aquinas and S. Francis Xauerius who conuerted so many Kingdoms in the Indies to the Catholick Religion at that very tyme that Luther reuolted from the Church all these and many more great Saints preached the Catholick Religion and confirmed it with many Miracles as wee haue related and the Histories do manifest therefore wee haue as strong motiues to persuade the truth of Catholick Religion as you haue to proue the truth of Christian Religion both therefore must be belieued or neither Can any man iudge it consistent with the goodness of God to permit Transubstantiation and the worship of Saints and Images if they were false doctrin to be proposed to men by great and Holy Saints and confirmed by so many miracles when by the very self same means and motiues of credibility he proposes to vs Christianity wherby men must find themselues equally obliged to belieue both or neither nor will it be an euasion to say that the Miracles wrought in fauor of Christianity were true miracles and those which were wrought for Popery were but enchantments and sorceries for abstracting from Faith which obliges vs to belieue that the miracles wrought by Christ and his Apostles were true miracles our senses and Natural reason cannot but iudge the restitution of Damascens hand the healing of the sick by the loaues blest by S. Bernard to be as true miracles as any that was wrought by the Apostles and therefore they were iudged by all wyse men of those ages to be such and abstracting from Faith as I said what reason can be alleadged for to say the one were true miracles and the others not I conclude with this discourse as Children are obliged in conscience to honor their Parents its Gods commandment so you are obliged in conscience to belieue that Doctrin to be true which is confirmed by true Miracles for as wee formerly discoursed its impossible that God should confirm false Doctrin with true Miracles that being repugnant to his infinit veracity to confirm a lye with the seal and marks of his Commission to teach it but for your obligation of honoring this particular Man and woman who are your Parents it s not requisit you haue euidence and infallible assurance that they are your Parents its sufficient for your obligation that you are morally certain they are yours and this moral assurance which you haue is grounded only vppon the testimony of honest people that informs you of it the lyke you haue that true Miracles haue been wrought in many ages in confirmation of those Tenets of ours which you call erroneous the testimony of great saints as honest men as those who tell you that
commits many disorders in adoring I mages y deny any such abuses that may reach to Idolatry and that the Authority which God has giuen to gouern vs and which wee are bond to obey is to take cognisance of that which when they do and prohibit Images wee will obey them in the mean tyme wee will giue you and your Church leaue to bark at the Moon But I must mind you of one mistake for to conclude this discourse Clemens Alexandrinus say you Hom. 7. I pray where haue yow seen or any other Homilies of Clemens Alexandrinus but this is not the mistake that I am to aduertise you of and in his Paraenesis speaking of Images in general declareth thus vvee haue no Images in the vvorld it is apparently forbidden to vs to exercyse that deceitfull art for it is vvritten c. you are mistaken Mr Sall and it cannot be but maliciously if you haue read his Paraenesis for he does not speake of Images in general but of Idols and such as were adored for Gods by the Gentiles to whom he directed that Paraenesis disswading them from Idolatry to the worship of one true God This is a matter of fact let the Reader peruse the Author himself and he will find that you are mistaken Hence wee conclude that Images of Christ and his saints cannot be called Idols For an Idol is a representation of a God that is not or a Deyty that has no being Images of Christ and the saints are representations of things that haue a real Being and to say that Christ his image is an Idol is to say that Christ who is the Prototype has no real Being wee conclude that the making of Images was neuer prohibited for God made man to his own Image commanded many Images to be made the Ark of the Testament the Brasen serpent and seueral others mentioned in Scripture and the Protestants them selues make many Images of Kings Queens and saints wee conclude that all worship to Images is not prohibited for wee worship the King particularly because he represents Gods Power and greatness nor all religious worship of Images is prohibited for wee giue a Religious worship to the Holy name of Iesus to the Bible beyond all other Books because it is the word of God and the Protestants to the Sacrament which they say is but a figure of Christs body Reason proues wee ought to worship the Images of Christ and his saints for it is apparent that there is such a relation and connexion betwixt the image and the thing wherof it is an image that the honor or deshonor don to the image for being a representation of the Prototype is esteemed to be don to the Prototype as when a man is by publick iustice burnt in Effigie his person is branded by the execution don in his image and no man but will think the iniury don to his picture an affront to his own person wee therefore must worship the Images of Christ and the saints because they are their representations and in this vndoubtedly wee worship them for the relation and connection that is betwixt the representation and thing represented this worship resteth not in the Image but passes to the Prototype for whose sake wee worship it And therefore it may be called a transitiue or relatiue worship The adoration of Latria due to God wee deny to Images and detest it as much as you and when wee declare our Doctrin and Faith so cleerly its malice and knowen preiudice to accuse vs of Idolatry which consists in adoring as God what is not God Inuoeation of Saints Mr Sall I hope does not forget that Maxim of the schooles argumentum multum probans nihil probat that an argument which proues more than the disputant pretends or can pretend to proue proues nothing but must be fallacious and doubtless any Christian will say that an argument that proues directly against the Scripture is but a Sophistry Let vs heare his argument against the Inuocation of Saints God sayes he Rom. 8.34 has appointed his son Iesus to make intercession for vs who is more compassionat better able and more willing than any Saint or Angel to helpe vs and his prayers are efficacious for sayeth he Io. 5.16 VVhatsoeuer vve ask the Heauenly Father in his name he vvill giue it vs. This argument proues directly against Scripture for it proues that wee must not ask the Saints on earth to pray for vs nay it proues wee must not pray for ourselues but remit all to Christ who knowes ourwants is more compassionat towards vs than the Saints on earth are nay than wee are of ourselues loues vs better than they loue vs or wee loue ourselues is better able and more willing to help vs than they are and than wee are ourselues on the other syde his prayers are more efficacious why then should wee ask the prayers of Saints on earth or pray for ourselues Yet Scripture commands vs to pray for ourselues and recommends vnto vs that wee should ask the prayer of our Brethren and the Protestant Church also does practice it Therefore this argument proues directly against the Scriprure and against the practice of the faithfull It s certain Christ loues vs better than the Saints or Angels do and is more able and willing but it is also certain that he loues the Saints of heauen better than he loues vs poore sinners on earth I know not what opinion Mr Sall may haue of himself and so what he would not do for vs on earth for our sakes wee may expect he may do it for the sake of those that he loues most which are the Saints and Angels in heauen For wee haue examples in Scripture of some Blessings conferred on the liuing on earth not for the sake of any liuing on earth but of Saints departed 3. Reg. 11.15 God shewen mercy to Salamon in differring the punishment which he deserued sor his Idolatry not for Salamons sake but for Dauid his Fathers sake who was dead 4. Reg. 19.34 God protected Ierusalem against the Assyrians nor for Ezechias the Kings sake though he loued him nor for Isaias his sake that then liued and was a Holy Prophet but for his ovvne sake and Dauids sake his seruant Thus wee see that though God loues vs more than the Saints departed loue vs yet he loues them more than vs and giues vs for their sake what he would not grant vs for our own He brings the words of S. Peter Act. 4.12 that there is no saluation in any other and no other Name vnder Heauen wherby wee may be saued all which wee acknowledge and yet Protestants as well as wee do ask the prayers of their Brethren on earth and why may not wee aske the prayers of the Saints in heauen for what wee expect by their intercession and the value and worth of their prayers is altogether grounded and springs from the Merits of that name of Iesus This is all that Mr Sall alleadges against
be such which are not her errors but of some or many Doctors which you could haue denied and not only remain a Catholick but oblige Catholicks in refuting them But you had a mind to depart and to render your separation more acceptable to our Aduersaries you tooke for pretence those two points which though you know well they were no points of our Religion yet you knew they were very odious to our Aduersaries and them you resolued to please vpon any account was it not therefore that you exclaim against the Church of Rome saying t is but a part of the Church and not the Church Vniuersal pag. 24. as if you did not well know that wee do not pleade for the Bishoprick of Rome and that wee do confess it is but a part of the Church Lastly you alleadge for a cause of your separation the forbidding of the Bible to the common people and the publick Prayers in an vnknowen language in this your first Reformers erred damnably in departing as you do from the true Church for this cause for nothing can iustify separation from the Church but errors and practices inconsistent with saluation which as well our Diuins as yours do confess and it is confessed by any man of common sense that it is not needfull for saluation whateuer you may say of its conueniency to reade the Bible or haue prayers in a knowen language therefore that could be no iust cause of separation to them nor to you But much more criminal are you than they in separating for that cause for you had a sad experience which they had not when they began of the confusion and multitude of sects occasioned by the liberty granted to all people for the reading of Scripture and therefore you were obliged rather to condemn that liberty than to assert it You were forc'd to forsake our Church you say for her errors but S. Augustin tells you lib. cont Parmen c. 11. there is no iust necessity to diuide Vnity and epist 48. It is impossible that any may haue a iust cause to forsake the communion of the Church Our Church therefore which was the only Church extant before and in Luthers dayes and is now the same that then it was had no errors which might be a iustcause or necessity for him or for you to depart from her and deuide Vnity of Religion If her errors wherof you accuse her are fundamental errors inconsistent with saluation then there may be a iust necessity and cause to separat from the Church which S. Augustin absolutly denies if they were but smale inferior and not fundamental errors as generally all sectaries say then there is a iust necessity also to separat from all Congregations and Churches in the world since that in the opinion of all Sectaries there is no Church or Congregation free from some inferior and not fundamental errors the Protestants accuse the Catholicks of many the Presbyterians accuse the Protestants the Anabaptists accuse the Presbyterians and so of all the rest And is it not a pretty iest that you would make vn belieue it 's the desire of security of your saluation which forced you to separat from the Roman Church wherin S. Thomas Aquinas dyed who in the acknowledgement of your own Doctors is a Saint where S. Bernard dyed who in the iudgment of your own Doctors was a Saint saies your whitaker de Eccl. pag. 369. a very pious Man saies your Osiander cent 12. a Saint of the Roman Church saies your Gomarus in speculo Eccl. p. 23. one of the lamps of Gods Church saies your Pasquil in his Return to Eng. pag. 8. could not you secure your saluation in that Church wherin S. Gregory the Great dyed and liued a Pope that Blessed and Holy Father saies your Godwin in his Catal. of Bish. pag. 3. that holy and learned Bishop of Rome saies Mr Bell in his Suruey of Pop. pag. 189. these haue been as your Authors freely confess of the Roman Church and haue been great Saints and I hope you are not so impious as to deny that Xauerius that grat Apostle of the Indies S. Dominik S. Francis and S. Ignatius were Saints nor so impudent as deny that they were of our Church And can wee belieue that you were forced for to secure your saluation to forsake that Church wherin these haue not only be saued but dyed Saints for the Protestant Church wherof there was neuer yet any Saint Let vs suppose that both the Catholick and Protestant Church is a sauing Church yet for to secure his saluation will not any wyse man rather chuse that Church wherin there are so many Saints than a Church which neuer yet afforded any as you would chuse to study in schoole where many learned Doctors are bred rather than in a schoole where neuer any learned man was knowen what wyse man tender of his saluation would not chuse that Church and Religion which generally all persons who know both Religions do chuse to dye in for certainly the election of that last houre when men are most earnest to secure their saluation and setting interest and Pleasures asyde end eauour to prouide for eternity is a great argument of the goodness of a Religion that Church therefore wherin generally all men who know both Religions chuse to dye in ought to be embraced by him who endeauors to secure his saluation This is the Catholick Religion for there haue been many who being born and bred Catholick flincht to the Protestant Religion there haue been many also who being born and bred Protestants were conuerted to the Catholick Religion and thus they knew both Religions and what Man did you euer heare of who becoming from a Protestant to be a Catholick and liued so vntill his dying houre that desired to dye a Protestant or called for a Minister to be reconciled to the Church but to the contrary generally all those who of Catholicks become Protestants and liue so vntill their dying hour then they call for a Priest for to be reconciled to the Catholick Church then they dye or desire to dye Catholicks and wee know by many experiences that the friends of those dying Persons do watch the doores to hinder the access of any Priest is not this a strong proof that it is not deuotion made them become Protestants and that the Catholick Religion is the securest for saluation did you desire to secure your saluation why did not you obserue what Counsel Christ gaue vs for to be saued with aduantage and then you would know which Religion to chuse Consider how much did Christ recommend vnto xs voluntary Powerty if thou vvilt be perfect sayd he Mat. 1921. go and sell vvhat thou hast and giue it to the poor And in the same chap. exhorts vs to forsake Estats Lands houses c. for his sake this has been practis'd by the Primitiue Christians Act. 5. in our Church Kings Princes Noble Men and rich men haue followed this Doctrin I