Sacraments Where that Children who cannot yet believe or answer for themselves are to be Baptized c. And so many other things of this nature which makes us sufficiently understand they ruine themselves by their own Hands and Weapon the Bible which they force and wrest to fit it to their depraved purposes Alas poor deluded Pretenders To whom do you trust your Souls for Salvation your Honours and Lives having blindly rejected the old Belief and Truths of your Fore-fathers upon a bare pretext of Scripture cast and moulded on the heads of changeable Men Let us therefore follow and embrace the Generality the Antiquity and common Consent let 's hold what is held every where and always and by all so it be authorised by the Divine Law and the Catholick Church's Tradition Let us now see what the Ministers of Protestantism oppose against so many infallible Proofs to cover their want of Antiquity Mission Succession Miracles Sanctity Judgment and Reason They cease not to buzz out every where a false pretext of Scripture 〈…〉 ich verily is the greatest illusion that can be imaginable for these pitiful ones seeing themselves batter'd on every side from the beginning of Reformation know well in their consciences that the Scripture is against them yet say they to mock at the faith of Mankind and lead Souls to Atheism We must avoid the decision of a Power lively and lawful we must only take colour from the holy Text we will make it say what we list we will maintain nothing is to be believed but what is written we will disguise it with glosses and consequences to catch these who seem to have reason and wit. Behold the only means to colour their pretences Who are endued with sufficient and solid Judgment cannot but consider and discover how deceitful weak and ruinous their Foundation is Now behold the powerful and invincible Reasons which made St. Austin resolve upon the Religion we profess Many great Reasons said he with much reason keep me in the obedience of the Catholick Church the consent of People and Nation 〈…〉 hold me the Authority of the same 〈…〉 which is risen up by Miracles m 〈…〉 ed with Hope augmented by Charity established by its Antiquity the succession of Bishops holds me therein which begins in the Seat and Authority of St. Peter to whom God recommended the Care of his Flock is maintained to this day Lastly the name Catholick holds me to it adding Contra Epist. Manichaei He would not believe the Gospel it self if he were not convinced by the Authority of the Church What can be more clear Yet tho' the Scripture doth so straitly recommend unto us in the practise of Humility the seat of Grace not to make our selves over-wise or able Rom. 12. Not to rest upon our own proper Judgment or Prudence Prov. 35. To hearken to our Fore-fathers to obey Pastors who have lawful Succession to work out our Salvation in fear and trembling What may a Man think of a Protestant Sect which authorizeth a peculiar Spirit which hath ever been the Seminary of all Schisms and Disorders in Church and State which without distinction puts the Scripture into all hands to judge of Points of Faith Verily from hence it is an admirable thing to behold how the petty Spirits of silly Artificers Mechanicks and even simple Women busie themselves with their Bible and to what degree of Pride they come when abused by some imaginary Text of Scripture they are puffed up with their own poor Ability flattering themselves deluded Souls by some Text not rightly understood with assurance of Salvation and Predestination in the greatest Exorbitancies and neglects of Life What Pride more irregular than this to see Men not content with the Religion practised in England's three Conversions doing all they can to deifie their own Opinions What Pharisee ever came near this height of Pride Yet the Bible they daily read and use Verily I plainly see they must hereafter live in Re-union it is the Spirit of God that commands it and will effect it in due time Whereas now a days Shism and Faction has evidently prevailed over Unity Pride over humble Submission to reveal'd Truth and ill stubborn Nature over real Truth CHAP. V. Plain Testamonies of holy Scripture both Old and New for the Church's Infallibility WE read that the Jewish Synagogue had a Supream Court of Judicature to end all arising difficult controversies from whence there was no Appeal because God promised that the Judge there should shew them the Sentence and threatned Death to those who should do presumptiously and not harken to the Priest or Judge Deut. 17.8 nay Christ himself commanded the people even in his time to do as they said who sate in Moses Chair but not to do as they did Matth. 23.3 So that till the spirit of God forsook the Synagogue it was to be obeyed and by consequence was secured from giving a false Sentence in necessaries to Salvation And can we imagine that God would leave his Spouse his Church without this so great a priviledge to whom a Covenant with better promises hath been given Heb. 8. The Prophesies that speak of the Churches the New Law tells us that there shall be in those daies a way of Holiness that the way-faring Men tho' Fools shall not Err therein Isa. 35.8 Furthermore the Prophesies tells that God had made a Covenant with his Church that his Spirit shall be upon her and his words which he had put into her mouth shall not depart out of her mouth nor out of the mouth of her Seed nor out of the mouth of her Seed's Seed for ever saith the Lord Isa. 59.20.21 Therefore no Errors Read besides the 60. Chapter of Isa. Say that all Nations that will not serve Her shall perish she will Suck the Breasts of Kings that her Sun shall not go down nor her Moon withdraw it self but the Lord shall be to her an everlasting light sure this is to secure her from teaching false Doctrine or falling into Idolatry the most abhorred of all Vices From the New-Testament Christ promises that he will Build his Church upon a Rock and that the Gates of Hell which the Fathers interpret Error and Heresie shall not prevail against it Matth. 16.18 That he will be with her Pastors and Preachers even to the end of the World Amen Matth. 28.20 That he will send them another Comforter the spirit of Truth to abide with them for ever Iohn 14.16 To teach them all things and to bring all that he has taught them to their remembrance ver 26. And that he shall guide them in all truth chap. 16. v. 15. Moreover he has laid an Injunction upon all persons to hear his Church under the severe Sentence of being look'd upon as Heathens and Publicans Matth. 18.17 Christ told his Disciples and their Successors that who heard them heard him Luke 10.16 he commanded to teach all Nations and told them that they who believed should be
is Divine unerring revealed Faith. Now the Master and Author of that Doctrine we must believe the Instructor of the Actions we must perform and the promiser and performer of the final Happiness we may hope for is God himself who cannot deceive or be deceiv'd he being the prime Verity Via veritas vita So as Faith is not grounded upon our weak natural Judgment or Ratiocination but upon obedience to the Church Faith is a gift of God a supernatural Quality infused by God into our Souls by which we firmly believe all things revealed to us Without Faith its impossible to please God Heb. 11.6 And He that believed not shall be damned Mark ult v. 16. So as every one ought to know that there is a sovereign and blessed end viz. Eternal Glory then every one ought to love and heartily wish to attain to the same and earnestly seek out for those means and helps prescrib'd and ordain'd by God for the compassing it Then in the first place we must find out Divine Faith which partly proceeds from God as the source and Author thereof as Prima veritas And altho' those things we believe by Faith cannot be known by evident Demonstration yet because they are taught us by supernatural means we are more certain of their truth than of all other things because those things are deliver'd over to us by a more certainly infallible Teacher the Spirit of Truth the Holy Ghost Therefore enter I pray into a serious consideration of the End for which you and all were created viz. The Glory of God and your eternal Happiness and for the knowledge of the means to attain thereunto you may find by the consent of all Christians this cannot be gotten by clear and evident sight nor by human Discourse founded on the Principles of Reason nor by reliance upon Authority meerly human but only by Faith grounded on the Word of God revealing to Men things that are otherwise only known to his infinite Wisdom Now God sure revealed all these things to Jesus Christ and he to his blessed Apostles as he saith Iohn 15.15 All things which I have heard from my Father I have made known to you This partly by word of mouth but principally by the immediate teaching of the Holy Ghost to the end that they should deliver them after to Mankind to be received believed and obeyed over the whole World in perpetuum as it is said Matth. 28.19 Go teach all Nations Sure they did accordingly preach to all Nations as it 's said by St. Mark 16.20 They going forth did preach every where and so planted an universal Christian Company charging them to keep inviolable and to deliver to their Posterity what they have received from them as the first Messengers of the Gospel as St. Paul said to Timothy 2 Tim. 2.2 The things that thou hast heard of many Witnesses the same commit thou to faithful Men who may instruct others Now tho' the blessed Apostles and their Hearers be departed out of this Life yet still there remains a means now in the World by which all men may assuredly know what the Apostles preached and the Primitive Church received of them seeing the Church to the end must be built on the Apostles and believe nothing as matter of Faith beside that which was delivered of them as St. Paul said Ephes. 2.20 Are built on the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Iesus Christ being the chief Corner Stone Scripture is a Light only to the Faithful because known from the Church's Tradition to be from the Apostles by the Apostles Authority confirmed by Miracles to be of God by God's supreme Verity who cannot deceive nor be deceived to be the truth So Scripture is a Light which must be shewed by a Superiour Light before it become light The Church therefore must guide us to know the truth of Scripture as St. Austin said Contra Epist. fundamenti c. 5. I would not believe the Gospel it self unless the Authority of the Church Catholick did move me The Word that is written tells us that all is not written as St. Paul 2. Thes. 2.15 exhorts us to keep both the written and unwritten saying Stand fast and keep Traditions which you have learned by word or by our Epistle It is manifest that the first Church of God from the Creation until Moses which was about 2000 years had no Word of God but what was unwritten which we call Tradition from hand to hand And we do not read that the Apostles were sent to write but to preach And S. Iohn denies that he had expressed in Writing all that he had to say saying Having more things to write to you I would not by Paper or Ink for I hope that I shall be with you and speak mouth to mouth that your Ioy may be full By which it is evident that the blessed Apostles beside their Writings did preach other things which were wanting to their faith And it 's manifest that what the Apostles did write was but accidental and upon particular occasions See Hooker Eccles. Pol. Lib. 1. Sect. 15. P. 87. For instance the Epistles of St. Peter Iames Iohn and Iude were written against certain Hereticks who misunderstanding St. Paul did teach that Faith only without Works sufficed to Salvation See St. Aug. de fide operib c. 14. And St. Iohn did not preach his Gospel till his last Age which was very long without writing and took occasion to write as St. Ierom de Scriptor Eccles. affirms by reason of the Heresie of Ebionites then broke out The like may be shewed of the rest And take what is worth observation That all Epistles were written to such persons only as were already converted to the Christian Faith therefore were written not so much to instruct as to confirm this Zuinglius also confesseth Tom. 2. lib. de Eccl. fol. 43. By all which its evident that the Apostles and Evangelists did write their Books not by Command of Christ but upon some accidental occasion moving them thereunto and very many were saved before any Scripture and that only by Tradition which was before Scripture for the invention of Printing was not in the World till about 230 years ago and the Bibles that were written being but few by reason of the great labour of writing them and those that were written not purchaseable but by few because of their great price nor legible but by very few because they were not printed but written by hand and sure God by his Providence did and will always preserve his Church from extinction and corruption having warrant for it out of Scripture and no warrant for the preservation of the Text the Church being a thing more easily known than Scripture and consisting of a living Multitude can express it self more plainly by the Mouth and Tradition of the Church Tradition being plain and easie Doctrine concerning the common capital and practical Articles of Christianity but Scripture full of high mysterious and
A WINDING-SHEET FOR THE SCHISM OF ENGLAND Contriv'd for to inform the ignorant resolve the wavering and confirm the well principled Roman Catholick By I. E. Missioner Narraverunt iniqui fabulationes sed non ut lex tua Spal 5. Veritas non erubescit nisi obscondi Tertull. contra Valent. Printed at Dublin Permissu superiorum 1687. TO THE KINGS Most Excellent MAJESTY WHEN I contemplate the many Miracles of Divine Providence that led your most Serene Majesty by the hand through so many wonderful changes and imminent dangers to the Throne of your Royal Ancestors maugre all the contrivements of Hell and Plots of Horror and Impiety sure all signalize you as pre-ordain'd by the Almighty for a great work of Ages viz. To rescue the Virgin Spouse of Christ the Roman Catholick Church from the Jaws of the Dragon it 's your rare Valour and Piety that must give the fatal blow to the many headed Hydra of this Schism-abounding Age this heavenly work shall eternize your glorious Name and Memory at the Rising and Setting Sun even beyond the tracts of time and manifest you to be among all earthly Kings the most meek clement valorous most wise merciful and the most tender hearted truely Christian Prince who hath Learning to understand Wisdom to discern and Powerful Authority to command and commend that Faith be observ'd in your Kingdoms which is most conformable to the Scripture most consonant to the Doctrine of the Primitive Church and most warranted from the express priviledges advantages and promisses given by the Sacred mouth of ever glorious Jesus O great IAMES in you signally is now verified that receiv'd Maxime A fortibus fortes a piis generantur pii from a confluence of the most transcendently august blood of the best Kings of Europe and from your great Grand-Father and great Grand-Mother the ever blessed Queen Mary of Scotland mark Sanguis Martyrum semen Ecclesiae Lo their blood running in your most Sacred Veins inflames your dread Majesty to most sublimely religious undertakings specially when in you is to a prodigy seen such a Spring of Valour and pious Zeal for to promote vigorously yet mildly the Glory of the Almighty so as that no Posterity will keep it silent but blazon it throughout the whole World to your eternal Glory For can any think that the all-bountiful God has imported all those stupendious Gifts in vain to you No undoubtedly they are destin'd to glorious actings for to fill the World with wonders of your happy Reign in drawing after you to Christs holy Faith the hearts and obstinate Wills of your Subjects Therefore may it please your most Sacred MAJESTY this small Tract of Divine Faith confidently flies to be shelt'red under the Wings of the gracious Patronage of your most Serene MAJESTY now by the Grace and Providence of God Defender of the Faith And now the most invincible HERO the only Glory moving Soul and the most Tutelar Angel of Great Brittain Y'our Prince whose Valour and Conduct is such As none can praise nor yet admire too much In you all 's great great in all Magnificence Your graces and gifts excells all Excellence You by grant of Liberty quite allays The Schisms of our late sore aflicting days Now each of your Subjects to Faith may tread That way which safest him to Bliss may lead Reign long great Prince sure your course shall hold Though ten hundred thousands Whigs cross you should Whose mad vain damn'd contrivings can't hide The woful stings of their dark inner side They like guilty blind buzzards of the night Shrink from the clement terrour of thy might Lo Christ's Faith you maintain and that in sight Of all the World in all the World's despight In glorious Iesus you always confide Who sure for your all safety shall provide God on whom all sublunary things depend Bless your designs and you from all harm defend Sweet Iesus grant that upon Sea and Land All things prove prosperous you take in hand May all the blessings my wishes can invent Prolong your days and fill them with content Therefore let us all your Subjects lift up our eyes hands and hearts to God on high and let us earnestly beseech him mercifully to bless our dread Sovereign Queen MARY with a most holy sweet Princely Graff a rising from so august high and gloa Stock and this for the full comfort and succour of great Brittain to the end that ne'r any other hand than Stuarts should sway the Scepter of this Land to this Prayer let all true Subjects say Amen Amen May it please your Majesty This is the daily Prayer of your most eternally devoted Servant John Everard Vive Iacobe diu dux optime maxime princeps Te divina tegat dextera prosper abi TO HIS GRACE THE Duke of ORMOND May it please your Grace AS my well-intended and honest endeavors were never yet wanting to serve your Grace not only by God's heavenly Inspiration in saving your precious life some years past but even now also by the direction of the same Divine Spirit am endeavouring to prove instrumental in the saving your more precious Soul that immortal Soul which is to survive either in the bosom of Glory or in the flames of the Damn'd to all Eternity This small unpolish'd Tract contriv'd by me for that purpose I present your Grace the whole scope whereof may I hope be not unfitly applied to your present state in matter of true Soul-saving Faith. My Lord it 's notoriously apparent that your moral Principles were all along for Monarchy or Kingly Government all your life being eminently employed in real Loyalty through very many vicisitudes of Fortune and trials of Constancy First having sacrificed your Estate and Ease slighting all Cromwell's tempting offers by a voluntary banishing your self after your Sovereign into Flanders Secondly in gallantly exposing your life in coming and remaining in London some fifteen days incognito striving wisely and warily to pave the way for the Restauration and happy Re-inthroning of King Charles II. of Ever-glorious Memory Dr. Huet and others being put to death for entertaining your Grace Add to this how you being last of all Lord Lieutenant in Ireland you proved most Loyal Wise and Watchful always striving to defend vigorously the Prerogatives of the Crown to render Sedition odious to undeceive the people of those Shams Cheats and Frauds that were palm'd upon them to purge away all venemous humours and distempers which the hellish Faction were always infecting the Subjects with You exposed their wild Artifices to the derision and detestation of the World preserving that Kingdom from fained and false Plots tending to destroy the Peace and Tranquillity of the Land and involve it in Anarchy and Confusion Such was the indefatigable Labour and Vigilance of your Grace to put a stop through your wise Government and prudent Counsels to the restless endeavours of the publick Enemies of Kingly Government I should not forget my Lord your great Vigilance in