though they were learned and pious men yet they were but men and consequently were lyable to error as well as other men And herein the Advice of S. Austin is to be followed to wit to follow (23) Neminem velim sic amplecti mea omnia ut me sequatur nisi in eis quibus me non errare perspexerit August de persever Sanct. cap. 21. tom 27. him and such as himself no further than they follow Truth and Holy Scripture Solis eis Scripturarum libris qui jam Canonici appellantur didici hunc timorem honoremque deserre ut nullum eorum autorem Scribendo aliquid errasse firmissime credam August 1 Epist 19. which ought still to be preferred before them And yet S. Augustin was neither the worst nor the meanest of those Christian Hero's Thus do we reverence but do not idolize them and only preferr the Scriptures before them whereas the Papists value their late Papal Decrees before the Primitive Doctors These things being premised I shall renew that fivefold Challenge about the Popes Supremacy formerly propounded by a Reverend and Learned Bishop of our Church which the Papists ought first to answer before they can justly obtain what they in vain pretend to as Consequences of that Supremacy For they failing to prove this which I think they will never be able to do their Attempts in the points depending thereon must needs be fruitless and ineffectual The Challenge is this 1. Whether our Saviour before his Ascension did constitute S. Peter his Vicar and gave him a monarchical Supremacy over the Apostles and the whole Church 2. Whether the Papists can prove that St. Peter while he lived exercised such Power and Supream Jurisdiction even over the Apostles In such Cases as these Idem est non esse non apparere 3. Whether if St. Peter exercised any such Authority it was not temporary and ceased with his Person as the Apostleship did 4. Whether if all these were true as they are wholly the contrary they can make it appear That the Bishop of Rome was the Successour of St. Peter and not the Bishop of Antioch and whether ever he was at Rome or no 5. Whether they can make it appear That our Blessed Saviour when on Earth exercised such a temporal Monarchy as the Pope now challengeth Confessions of the Popish Doctors in this Case To the first and second Queries it is Confessed by (25) Cusan de Concil Cath. 2.3 Cardinal Cusanus That St. Peter received no more Authority and then he could not exercise any Authority over his Fellows than the rest of the Apostles To the 3d and 4th Queries it is Confessed by (26) Aen. Sylvius de gestis Concil Basil Aeneas Sylvius afterwards Pope by the name of Pius 2. That the Pope's Succession is not revealed in Scripture and then it cannot be proved jure divino positivo And by Bellarmin (27) De Rom. Pont l. 4. c. 4. That neither Scripture nor Tradition habet allows then farewell Papal Supremacy That the Apostolic Seat or Chair was so fixed at Rome which I really believe as well as he that it could not be taken from thence And then why might it not be at Antioch or Jerusalem as well as Rome Confessed by him (28) Idem de Pontif. l. 2. c. 29. further That as long as the Emperors were Heathen the Pope was subject to them in all Civil Causes And That for above One thousand years his (29) Id. de Rom. Pont. l. 4. c. 2. Sect. Secunda Opinio Judgment was not esteemed Infallible nor (30) Idem de Concil l. 2. cap. 13. his Authority above that of a General Council Where was then the exercise or acknowledgment of this Supremacy and Infallibility of the Popes Was all the world a-sleep or ignorant so long of this Power which they now challenge to themselves Jure Divino No but the Pope I warrant you had not yet the opportunity to usurp and challenge it as he hath done since To four of these you see they have plainly yielded and the last they can never make good either from Scripture or Ecclesiastical History Add to these the Confession of that Learned Papist (31) Barns's Catholico-Romanus Pacificus MS. Sect. 31. Father Barns That allowing the Bishop of Rome to have Supremacy elsewhere yet the Pope hath no Supremacy in Britain Insula autem Britanniae gavisaest olim privilegio Cyprio ut nullius Patriarchae Legibus subderetur And afterwards Videtur pacis ergô retineri debere sinè dispendio Catholicismi absque Schismatis ullius notâ What can the Papists say to this so plain an acknowledgment But not designing to treat at large upon the Pope's Supremacy I have not as in the following Subjects produced the Testimonies of Fathers and Councils against this Doctrine of Rome but shall advise the Reader to consult herein Bishop Jewel against Harding Article 4. Archbishop Bramhal 's Schism Guarded against Will. Serjeant Dr. Barrow of the Pope's Supremacy and the Bishop of Lincoln 's Brutum Fulmen who will give him full satisfaction in that point THE CONTENTS Of the following TREATISE SECT I. OF the Scriptures Sufficiency Page 1. SECT II. Of the Scripture Canon p. 5. SECT III. Of Invocation of Saints and of the Blessed Virgin p. 8. Of Image Worship p. 10. Of Adoration of the Host p. 12. SECT IV. Of the Three Creeds and how the Pope imposes new Articles of Faith upon his followers p. 15. SECT V. Of the number of Sacraments and of Communion in one kind p. 17. SECT VI. Of Transubstantiation p. 21. SECT VII Of Purgatory p. 24. Of Indulgences p. 28. Of the Sacrifice of the Mass p. 29. Of Justification by Faith ibid. Of Merits p. 31. SECT VIII Of Prayers in an unknown Tongue p. 34. SECT IX Of the Marriage of Priests p. 37. Of Auricular Confession p. 44. SECT X. Of Obedience to Governors p. 47. THE Protestants Companion SECTION I. THE Protestant Church of England our Holy Mother admits of no other Rule for Faith and practice than the (1) Articles of the Church of England published Ann. Dom. 1562 for the avoiding of diversities of opinions and for the establishing of consent touching true Religion Article 6 20. 2d Book of Homilies Hom. 2. Holy Scriptures which according to (2) 2 Tim. 3.15 the Apostles are able to make us wise unto Salvation The Church of Rome doth equal unwritten (3) Concil Trident. Sess 4. Decret 1. Traditions with the Holy Scriptures whom (4) Pighius Eccles Hierarch L. 3. C. 3. some of that Church do call a nose of Wax (5) Bellarmine di verbo Dei l. 4. c. 4. Another and that no less man than a Cardinal affirms That the Scripture is no more to be believed in saying that it comes from God than Mahomet's Alcoran because that saith so too Another (6) Pool de Primatu Romanae Ecclesiae fol. 92. Cardinal saith That the
ad Virgines Chrysostom in Matth. Homil. 53. Id. ad Stelechum de compunct cord ed. Savil. Tom. 6. p. 157. Jerom super Ephes 2. Tom. 9. Id. l. 6. in Isai c. 13. Id. lib. 17. c. 64. Tom. 5. Leo Serm. 1. de assumpt Id. Serm. 12. de pass dom Theodoret in Rom. 6. v. ult Id. in Rom. 8. Augustin Confess l. 10. c. 4. Tom. 1. Id. super Johan Tract 3. Tom. 9. Id. Tom. 8. in Psal 109. Fulgentius ad Monim l. 1. c. 10. Justus Orgelitanus in Cantic cap. 2. Cassiodore in Psal 5. Council of Orange 2. Can. 20. Caranza in summa Concil Gregor Magnus Tom. 2. in Ezech. ad finem Id. moral l. 5. c. 8. l. 9. c. 14. l. 29. c. 9. l. 35. c. ult Id. Psal 1. Paenit Tom. 2. Merit Not allow'd of in Anselm's time who liv'd An. Dom. 1086 as appears from him in upon Rom. 12. nor in S. Bernard's days as appears from him in Cant. Serm. 73. where he saith That the Saints had need to pray for their Sins that they may have Salvation through Mercy and not trusting in their own Righteousness So far was S. Bernard who liv'd An. Dom. 1120 from owning the Popish Doctrine of Merits Confess'd By Bellarmin That Good Works are rewarded above their deserts de Justi l. 1. c. 19. Concerning the Sacrifice of the Mass Consult Bishop Jewel 1 and 17 Article against Harding Bishop Morton of the Mass Dr. Brevint's Depth and Mystery of the Roman Mass Mons Rodon's Funeral of the Mass c. 7. and 8. Concerning the Popish Doctrine of Merits see Birckbeck's Protestant Evidence Article 9. That Men are not Justified by Faith only and for the Merit of our Saviour but by their own good Works too by which as the Papists hold they merit eternal happiness is Contrary to Scripture Rom. 3.28 and c. 4.4 5. and c. 5.1 2 3. and c. 11.6 Ephes 2.8 9. Contrary to the Fathers Irenaus l. 4. c. 5. Clemens Alexandrinus Padagog l. 1. c. 6. Stromat l. 5. Origen l. 3. in Epist ad Rom. c. 3. Ambrose or some in the same Age with him as Bellarmin confesseth de Justif c. 8. in his Comment upon Rom. c. 4. and in 1 Cor. c. 1. Theodoret de curandis Graecar affectib l. 7. Chrysostome in Rom. 1.17 Homil. 2. Id. in Tit. 1.13 Homil. 3. Augustin l. 1. contr duas Epistol Pelag. c. 21. Id. in Psal 8. concion 2. Primasius in c. 2. ad Galatas Fulgentius de incar grat c. 16. Confessed By Cardinal Bellarmin That it is most safe and sure to place all our trust upon the only Mercy of God because of the incertainty of our own Justice and the danger of vain glory De Justif l. 5. c. 3 after he had Confessed That good Works are rewarded above their deserts Id. de Justif l. 1. c. â—â— Consult herein Birkbeck's Protestant Evidence Article 8. SECT VIII Our Church performs all her Prayers and other Divine Offices and administers the Sacraments with such Rites as are agreeable to the Word of God being for (84) 1 Cor. 14.40 Decency and Order in a Language understood (85) Article 24. by all those that are concern'd therein The Popish Church (86) Harding against Bp. Jewel Article 3. Missal Rom. approbat ex decreto Concil Trident. Bulla Pii 5. Cherubini Bullar Tom. 2. p. 311. hath her Prayers in an unknown Tongue to which if the people do say Amen it is without understanding Which is not only an unreasonable Service but an abominable Sin Robbing God of his Honour and Men of their Devotion Prayers in an unknown Tongue are 1 Contrary to Scripture 1 Cor. 14. 2 Contrary to the Fathers Origen contra Cels l. 8. Basil lib. Qu. ex variis Script locis Q. 278. Ambrose in 1 Cor. 14. Chrysostom Hom. 18. in 2 Cor. Hierome Tom. 1. Epist 17. Augustin Epist 178. Id. in Psal 18. con 2. Id. de doctr Christ l. 4. c. 10. Bede Hist Angl. l. 1. c. 1. 3 Contrary to Councils and Papal Decrees Concilium Moguntinum An. Dom. 812. cap. 45. Concil Lateran An. Dom. 1215. c. 9. Greg. l. 1. titul 31. cap. Quoniam plerisque Baronius Tom. 10. A. D. 88. N. 16. Histor Boem c. 13. Written by Aeneas Sylvius who was afterwards called Pope Pius 11. 1 Confessed to be against Edification in Spiritual matters by Lyra and Cardinal Cajetan in 1 Cor. 14. Cassander in Liturgic c. 28. Consult Art 24. 2 Confessed to be Contrary to the Practice of the Primitive Church by Aquinas and Lyra in 1 Cor. 14. Consult herein Bp. Jewel against Harding Article 3. Bp. Taylor 's Dissuasive Part 1. ch 1. Sect. 7. SECT IX As our Church employs such persons in the Ministry of God's Worship and Sacraments and in feeding and governing the Flock of Christ as are (87) Article 36. Book of Ordination Mason of the Consecration of Bishops in the Church of England Archbishop Bramhal's works Tom. 1. Discourse 5. Tom. 4. Discourse 6. lawfully called to their Office and Ministry and are Consecrated and Ordained according to the Scriptures and Canons of the Universal Church and of whose Bishops we can shew (*) Which the Roman Ch. notwithstanding its big pretences to constant succession cannot justly challenge and that both from its five vacancies making up almost Nine years when Rome had no Bishop at all and the many Schisms by some Chronologers reckoned up to be Twenty nine a fair number indeed by Onuphrius to be Thirty and by Bellarmin himself to be Twenty six Whereof the Twentieth Schism lasted Twenty years and the 21st lasted 36 years during which time the Church of Rome had two Popes which excommunicated each other the 26th continued saith Genebrard Chron. l. 4. An. Dom. 1378. from Vrban 6. till the Council of Constance which was at least Thirty five years Baronius ad Annum 1044. Sect. 5. Tom. 11. calls the three Popes who then contended for the Papal Chair a Beast with Three heads ascending out of the bottomless Pit Add to these the 70 years stay of the Popes at Avignion which quite joints their boasted Succession For during these times where was the true Successour of St. Peter Or was the Church in their sense so long without an Head a Succession to the Apostles of our Saviour as fully as any other Church at this day can do so do we leave all (88) Article 32. Ecclesiasticks whether Bishops Priests or Deacons to Marry at their own discretion as they shall judge the same to serve better to godliness since (89) Heb. 13.4 Marriage is honourable in all and not forbid but permitted and in Cases so requiring enjoyned by God's Law and practised as well as taught by persons of the same function i. e. Priests in the best and purest Ages of the Church as may be seen in the following Quotations The Church of Rome (90) Bellarmin lib. 1. de Cleric c. 20. Sect. Respondeo
AN IMPARTIAL SURVEY AND COMPARISON OF THE Protestant Religion As by Law Established With the main Doctrines of Popery Wherein is shewn That Popery is contrary to Scripture Primitive Fathers and Councils and that proved from Holy Writ the Writings of the Antient Fathers for several Hundred Years and the Confession of the most Learned Papists themselves Whereby the Papists vain pretence to Antiquity and their reproaching the Protestant Doctrines with Novelty is wholly overthrown By a True Son of the Protestant Church of England as established by Law LONDON Printed for Richard Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-yard MDCLXXXV ALL Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproof for correction for instruction in righteousness 2 Tim. 3. 16. In vain they do worship me teaching for doctrines the commandments of men Matt. 15.9 But from the beginning it was not so Matth. 19.8 Non audiatur haec dico haec dicis sed haec dicit dominus Augustin de unit Eccles contr Petil. c. 3. Id verius quod prius id prius quod ab initio ab initio quod ab Apostolis Tertullian advers Marcion l. 4. c. 5. Id esse verum quodcunque primum id esse adulterinum quodcunque posterius Idem advers Praxeam c. 2. THE PREFACE TO THE Protestant Reader AS we have immortal Souls of infinite more value than all transient glories and sublunary advantages so ought we both in obedience to the tender and compassionate advice of our Blessed Redeemer who purchased them with his own dear Blood and out of a true concern for our Eternal Welfare to live such lives here as we may be happy hereafter Pursuant to this excellent design We ought carefully attend to that Holy Religion we have so long professed which teaches no Doctrines that are not agreeable to the Holy Scriptures and to the practice of the best and purest Ages of Christianity A Religion which neither robs God of his Honour nor the King of his due a Religion whose venerable Rites keep a just medium betwixt vain Popish Pomp and Fanatical Indecency a Religion that not only teaches us how to be good but obliges us so to be that is a Religion truly Christian and a Copy of that perfect Original which our Lord and Saviour hath left us for our direction And therefore as nothing ought to be dearer to us so we cannot be sufficiently thankful to his Sacred Majesty whom God preserve for the Gracious assurance he has given that he will support it and defend us in the profession of it A King whose Royal Progenitors of Immortal Memory for above 100 years have not only been the Ornaments but the supports too of the Protestant Religion His fam'd Grandfather King James Learnedly defending it by his Pen and thereby justly meriting the glorious Title of its Defender His Excellent (c) For so doth Mons Militere in his Epistle to His late Majesty confess Father dying a Glorious Martyr and his late dearly beloved Brother being a long time Exile for our Reformed Religion Let us then strive to shew that we are not unworthy of so Illustrious and Valiant a Protector by our Loyalty to him not unworthy of such a Religion by our conformity to its Principles in Holiness Sobriety and Charity and a stedfast adherence to it in opposition to any other that will destroy that which our Church hath built upon so sure a foundation And that we may rightly understand what this Religion is and the difference betwixt that which is established in our Church and what is owned in the Church of Rome I have made the following Collection wherein is demonstrated how contrary the Popish Religion is to our Church and how inconsistent with Scripture the practice of the Primitive and best Ages of Christianity and that prov'd not only from the Writings of the Apostles and choice Records of Antiquity but even granted to be so by the most (d) Vives de Instrumentis probab learned and no less impartial Papists themselves which as it is the testimony of one Friend against another is lookt upon as an undenyable Evidence Before I conclude I must admonish the Reader that I have not rendered the Authors at large but so quoted them that the Learned may examine them nor have I drawn Arguments as usually from them because that would have made this Book design'd for a Pocket-companion to have swell'd into a great Volume yet to make requital for that just omission I have at the conclusion of each Section directed the Reader to other Writers of our Religion which treat of that particular Controversy at large May then the All-wise God by whose Divine permission thus much hath been perform'd so bless this poor labour of his unworthy Servant that it may be instrumental to the good of his Church and the confirming of all our weak Brethren in our most Holy Faith which was the principal design of its publication THE INTRODUCTION THE Church of Rome though she talk aloud of the Antiquity of and an universal consent in her Doctrines is so far from either That therein she will be tied to no Rule nor observe any Law as if she would verify that Remarque of (1) Crantzius Metropol 7.45 Crantzius upon her in another Case Nunc ad se omnium Ecclesiarum jura traxit Romana Ecclesia That she hath engrossed to her self all the priviledges or rights of other Churches Her greatest (2) Bellarmin de verbo dei l. 4. c. 4. Pighius Eccles Hierarch l. 3. c. 3. Pool de primatu Romanae Ecclesiae fol. 92. defendants reject the Scripture though given forth by (*) 2 Tim. 3.16 Divine Inspiration and do say it is no more to be believed in saying it is from God than Mahomet 's Alcaron c. And good reason why (3) Concil de stabilienda Rom. sede p. 6. because her Doctrines are repugnant to the Holy Scriptures What then will she trust to Tradition that she equals with (4) Concil Trident. Sess 4. decret 1. the Scriptures themselves And yet her great Annalist Cardinal Baronius who was once as it were a living Library while he kept the Vatican (5) Dr. James his Corruption of the Fathers Part 4. p. 26. (6) Anno 44. Sect. 42. confesseth That he despaired to find out the truth even in those matters which true Writers have recorded because there was nothing which remained sincere and incorrupted This blow given by so skilfull an Artist dashes all the Characters wherein the defence of Oral Tradition should be legible And if Tradition in true Writers be so difficult to preserve how can it be expected to be safe from spurious ones or without any Writers at all However though the Papists do not grant that this ruins their Tradition I am sure it cuts off that definition of it by (†) Bellar. de 〈◊〉 cap. 9. Cardinal Bellarmin who affirms that to be a true