THE PLAUSIBLE ARGUMENTS OF A Romish Priest ANSWERED BY AN English Protestant Seasonable and Useful for all Protestant Families Licensed May 24. 1686. LONDON Printed for R. Clavell at the Sign of the Peacock in S. Pauls Church-yard 1686. TO THE READER IN the following Dialogue though not All yet the most Material Points wherein the Roman Church differs from the Church of England are briefly and plainly discoursed So that while by their little Tracts and short Catechisms daily Printed and sent abroad the Romish Emissaries do labour to Seduce the Weaker sort of Protestants They may be provided with short and satisfactory Answers to their most usual Fallacies Their Assaults are generally in the Dark and because it is impossible always to stand by those particular Persons whom they labour to Draw-in it is thought fit to publish this little Manual to enable those that are Attacked readily to defend themselves To which end the Holy Scripture is here recommended as the best Touch-Stone to justifie our Doctrines and discover their Corruptions And the more their Guilt makes them fly from it the more our Sincerity should make us cleave to it For this is in every Protestants Hand and there are so many and so plain Places of it which condemn the Opinions and Practices of the Roman Church that it requires no great Skill nor Art to discern how different they are from Gods Word And all the Learning and Artisice of their greatest Doctors will not be able to hide it from a plain and honest Enquirer that will take but the Pains to read this Divine Vnalterable Vniversally received and Infallible Book of God I know they pretend especially to the Vnlearned That all Antiquity is clearly for them but it is best for those who are not Read in Ancient Authors to leave that Province to the Clergy of the Church of England who have hitherto always worsted them at that Weapon also And since we can prove both by Scripture and Antiquity That all their Additional Articles of Faith are False and Erroneous and yet they do acknowledge all those Articles of Faith which we hold as necessary to Salvation to be True Doubtless Ours must be the safer Religion in which both Sides do agree Again The plain Words of Holy Scripture prove Our Religion but all those Points wherein they differ from us cannot be proved but by pretended Traditions some of which are expresly contrary to Gods Written Word The Scripture was not made by us but by the GOD of Truth and it is owned not by us alone but by them and all Christians to be the Word and Will of God and this is clearly on Our Side But those Traditions which they fly to for their Evidence are of their own Making and in their own Keeping No other Christians do allow them and We have nothing but their own Word in their own Cause to prove them to be Genuine Which being the Case I hope none will ever be perswaded to leave a certain plain and evident Religion of Gods own prescribing for an uncertain obscure and Ill-proved Religion which is no more but a meer Human Invention as the ensuing Pages will more fully declare THE CONTENTS THe Religion of the Church of England Taught by Christ and his Apostles Page 1 Concerning the Scriptures in an Vnknown Tongue p. 2 Concerning the Pretended Roman Catholick Church p. 3 Concerning St. Peter's Superiority and Jurisdiction over the rest of the Apostles p. 4 Concerning the Popes Supremacy p. 6 Concerning the Popes Infallibility p. 7 Concerning Implicit Faith or Believing as the Church Believes p. 8 Concerning Oral Tradition or the Faith delivered down by Word of Mouth from Age to Age p. 9 The Church of Rome full of gross Errors p. 13 Concerning Image-Worship p. 14 Concerning Invocation of Saints and Angels p. 17 Concerning the Worship of the Blessed Virgin p. 22 Concerning the Adoration of Relicks p. 23 Concerning Divine Service in an Unknown Tongue p. 24 Concerning Transubstantiation p. 27 Concerning Half-Communion or denying the Cup to the Laity p. 35 Concerning the Doctrine of Concomitancy or the Blood always accompanying the Body p. 36 Concerning Auricular Confession or that which is privately whispered into the Ear of the Priest p. 37 Concerning Priestly Absolution p 38 Concerning Satisfaction or Penances p. 39 Concerning Indulgences p. 42 Concerning Purgatory p. 44 Concerning the Sanctity of Religious Orders p. 50 Cencerning Exorcisms or Casting-out Evil Spirits p. 52 The Conclusion p. 53 A DIALOGUE BETWEEN A Popish Priest AND A PROTESTANT OF THE Church of England Popish Priest WHat Religion are you of Protestant Of the same that Christ and his Apostles taught which is professed by the Church of England whereof I am a Member Po. How do you know that the Religion you profess is the same that was taught by Christ and his Apostles Prot. By the Scriptures wich they left behind them Po. How can you tell whether they writ and left that Book behind them or no Prot. The Book is worthy of such Authors and all Christians though they differ in other things agree in this nor dare you deny it Po. We do not deny it only we say you ought to confess you received this Book from the Roman Church and must learn the meaning of it from her Prot. This Book hath been preserved in all Christian Churches but we received it from those good Protestants who translated it into English whereas your Priests as I am informed kept it in Latin and withheld it from such plain Men as my self while they had power here Po. Though they did â—o it was only for fear you should wrest the Scripture to your own destruction 2 Pet. iii. 16. Prot. That danger is only in some places hard to be understood and which I may safely be ignorant of But in all things necessary to Salvation it is so plain as to give understanding to the Simple Psal cxix 130. Wherefore I rather think they concealed it all from us to keep us from seeing their Errors because the more I read it the less I like your Religion Po. Is it not a strange presumption in you that are but a Lay-man to read that which you cannot rightly understand Prot. It is no presumption to obey the Command of Christ who bids us Search the Scriptures John v. 39. and declaring the not knowing them to be the cause of Error Math. xxii 29. And the Beraeans are commended for examining the Apostles Doctrine by Scripture Acts xvii 11. Now surely if we have Commands and Examples of Reading the Scripture it must be supposed we can in some measure understand it Po. Well you read that Christ will be with his Church to the end of the World Math. xxviii 20. and therefore you ought to believe the Catholic Church can only give you the true sense of Scripture Prot. I do believe this and am a Member of this Catholic Church being rightly baptized into it and holding the
same Creeds which were anciently and universally believed in it so that I am as likely to come to know the true sense of Scripture as any others Po. Not so by your favour for you are no Member of the Roman Church which I will prove to be that Catholic Church mentioned in the Creeds and then it must follow that you neither have the true sense of Scripture nor can you be saved out of this Catholic Church Prot. I shall yield your Consequences when you prove the Antecedent but then you must not take it for granted without any Proof as your Priests use to do Po. I do not think it needs much proof for it is as visible as that the Sun is in the Firmament Prot. That cannot be for no body doth or can deny this but the far greater part of Christians utterly deny the Roman Church to be the Catholic Church yea and say it is Non-sense to affirm a part to be the whole or a particular to be universal And it must be well proved from Scripture which all Christians agree to be Gods Word be fore I can be perswaded that Christ who died for his whole Church will suffer three parts of four of those which he redeemed to be damned for not believing this Opinion as you most uncharitably affirm Po. Well for your satisfaction I will undertake to prove that S. Peter was the Chief of the Apostles and that Christ gave him the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and built his Church on him as on a Rock and that the Bishop of Rome is S. Peters Successor and Head of that Church which Christ promised to lead into all truth and then you must confess the Roman Church to be that Catholic Church which is mentioned in the Creeds Prot. I hope you will give me leave to hear and examine your Proofs and on that condition pray proceed Po. Do not the Scriptures naming S. Peter in the first place shew he was the Chief of the Apostles Prot. This shews he was an Eminent Apostle but cannot imply any Superiority over the rest because Christ makes them all equal Judges sitting together upon twelve Thrones Math. xix 28. and forbids any of them to pretend any Superiority over the others and though there was one Emperor then over many lesser and inferiour Princes Christ saith It shall not be so among his Apostles Math. xx 26. Luke xxii 26. Nor would S. James have finally determined in the Council of Jerusalem in S. Peters presence Acts xv 13. or S. Paul have so openly opposed and reproved him if Christ had made him Superiour over all the Apostles Galat. ii 11 14. Po. Do you not read that Christ gave to him first and singly the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven and promised to build his Church on him as on a Rock so firm that the Gates of Hell should never prevail against it Math. xvi 18 19. Prot. I read that Christ in that place to Math. xvi 19. did not give but only promise to give him those Keys afterwards which promise he made also to all the Apostles Math. xviii 18. and when he came to perform it he gave the power of the Keys to them all alike John xx 22 23. And it was upon S. Peters Confession of Faith that Christ built his Church not upon his Person since we see the Gates of Hell immediately prevailed too far against him first in his labouring to tempt Christ not to suffer Math. xvi 22. and secondly in his denying him with many Imprecations Math. xxvi 24. But if I should grant all the Priviledges you heap on S. Peter without any good evidence from Gods Word that will not prove the Popes sole right to them all Po. Yes without doubt for the Bishop of Rome is certainly the Successor of S. Peter and consequently the Vicar of Christ and supream Head of the Catholic Church Prot. The Bishop of Antioch hath a better Title to be S. Peters Successor because the Scripture which never mentions his being at Rome says expresly he was there but if the Bishop of Rome had been S. Peters Successor that could not make him Head of the whole Catholic Church because S. Peter himself never pretended to any such Power or Title yea he was peculiarly the Apostle of the believing Jews who had been Circumcised Galat. ii 7. and to them he writes Nor doth Christ any where tell us he would leave one such Head on Earth or give any Orders to all Christians to obey any one Apostle Po. But we do believe the Bishop of Rome to be S. Peters Successor and if so how can our Lord make good his Promise to be with his Church to the end of the World if he do not make S. Peters Successor as infallible as S. Peter himself was by his presence and assistance Prot. If we grant an inspired Apostle to have been Infallible in order to setling the Faith and writing the Rule of it it doth not follow that his uninspired Successors should have this Priviledge now the Faith and Rule of it are fixed For then the Bishops of Antioch Jerusalem and Alexandria must be Infallible now And Christs Promise is not made to S. Peter or to any particular Apostle but to the whole Catholic Church so that as long as the true Faith is held in any one or more Churches Christs Promise is made good though other particular Churches fall away Po. But the Catholic Church in the Creed is an Apostolical Church and it was promised to the Apostles that he would lead them into all truth John xvi 13. which Priviledge belongs to Rome as being now the only free Apostolical Church in the World Prot. All Churches in the World at first were planted immediately or mediately by the Apostles and Christ did certainly make this Promise good to his Apostles who were led into all Truth and so long as any particular Church keeps close to this Truth which the Apostles taught the Promise is still made good to that Church and there were many particular Apostolical Churches under Pagan Emperors and may be now under the Turks it being not temporal Freedom but adhering to the Apostles Doctrine which makes a particular Church Apostolical and made the whole Catholic Church to be called so at first when the Creed was made Po. However you must grant it is most prudent to take the best way to come to the knowledge of the Truth Now it is both the easiest and certainest way for the People to come to this knowledge by believing as the Church believes Prot. It is neither so easie nor so certain a way as to Search the Scriptures Po. This is a strange Assertion Is it not easier to let your Pastors who are fitted for it by their Profession judge of matters of Faith than for you to take pains to find them out in Scripture Prot. My Assertion is not so strange as true For it is much more difficult for
such a man as I am to know what these Pastors have judged about these matters than to know what the Scripture saith of them Po. Have not Councils set this down and is not the Pope always ready to declare the Churches true Sense Prot. But how can I know which are lawful Councils or what they have determined or if I did know the Words and doubted of the Sense it would be very hard for me to get the Pope to tell me in words or writing what it was and if the Pope did this he cannot speak or write plainer than God hath done in holy Scripture and therefore I am told there is as much difference among you about the Sense of Councils and Popes as there is among us about the Sense of Scripture Po. Well but your own Catholic Bishop or Priest can tell you the true meaning of both Councils and Popes in all these matters Prot. So can our Protestant Bishops and Priests tell us the true meaning of Scripture But if you be forced to resort at last to particular fallible Men for the certainty of your Faith why do you boast of a better way to be infallibly assured of the Truth than Protestants can ever have and upon that false ground urge Men to come over to your Church Po. Because we rely upon that Oral Tradition which hath been delivered down through all Ages in the Roman Church and can never fail so long as we have living Witnesses to declare it and is not this certainer than a dead written Rule that may be interpreted as every man pleases Prot. No sure for all Men put things of greatest concern in Writing and do not trust things for Posterity to be told by word of Mouth A written Rule says always the same words and can have no ends upon us but your living Witnesses by forgetfulness or to serve their Pride and Covetousness may deliver Tradition variously And you have no Evidence that those things are Apostolical Traditions which your Church says are so but either ancient Writings which are of far less credit than Scripture and then also you must suppose those ancient Writings to be more evident than your Traditions because you prove these by them or else you must trust to fallible Men whose Interest it may be and is to deceive you and thus your present living Witnesses bear sole Testimony to themselves which is very suspicious at the best So that your way is neither certainer nor easier than ours Po. I know not what your way is unless you make every private Man to be judge of Scripture when that declares The People must enquire the Law from the Priests Mouth Malach. ii 7. And Commands us to obey them that are over us in the Lord Hebr. xiii 17. affirming that no Scripture is of any private Interpretation 2 Pet. i. 20. Prot. Our way is to read diligently and pray heartily to be directed And if we doubt then to go to our Protestant Bishops and Priests for they and not your Clergy are over us in the Lord and they are as able as willing and of as great Integrity as any among you to give us Satisfaction And though we do not pretend that every private Man may interpret difficult places without the advice of his Pastor Yet you are mistaken in your Interpretation of that Place of S. Peter 2 Pet. i. 20. Where the Apostle is proving the Scripture is a sure Rule because it was not written or first Interpreted by any private Mans Will or Fancy but the Authors spake by the Holy Ghost and according to the Will of God Which is nothing to your purpose Po. However it seems you are forced to rely on these Priests of yours for the true meaning of Scripture and the final certainty of your Faith and yet you call this a slavish thing in Catholics Prot. Our Priests do not barely tell us this or that is the Sense of Scripture and then forbid us all further enquiry which would really be an enslaving of their People But they compare one Scripture with another and give us sound and solid reasons for all their Expositions desiring us no further to believe them than the clearness of their evidence deserves and this allows us the freedom of rational Beings Po. But is it not contrary to Scripture and reason both that the People should judge of their Pastors Proofs and Declarations Prot. It is not contrary to Scripture for there all Christians are expresly commanded To prove all things and hold fast that which is good 1 Thess v. 21. and to try the Spirits 1 John iv 1. St. Paul bids the Corinthians Judge what he said 1 Cor. x. 15. And likes those who tried his Declarations by the Scripture Acts xvii 11. So that no doubt God will expect Men shall have something more to say for that Faith on which they trust their Souls than that their Priest barely affirmed that it was true Po. Is not the Priest judge of the People and can it be reasonable then that they should be his Iudges Deut. xvii 9. Prot. We do not pretend to judge our Priests but only to use our Reason which God gave us not in vain in judging meerly for our selves because we read that every Man shall bear his own burden and therefore every man must prove his own Work Galat. vi 4 5. and this gives us not any power over either our Priests or Fellow Christians 't is no judgment of direction for others but only a judgment of discretion which to strip us of is to degrade us into the rank of Brutes Po. Well though you seem fond of your own way yet even the good effects of our Method may convince any impartial Man it is better For do you not see how quiet and unanimous we are by our Peoples intire relyance on their Pastors Prot. This may prove it a cunninger but not a safer Method The Turks are as unanimous as they are in your Church but they may thank ignorance and severities for it And for our parts we envy not their happiness who have found out a way not prescribed by Christ to live peaceably in gross Errors and to be unanimous in their Mistakes Po. I know you aim at your Church and wonder how such a Man as you dare charge the Roman Church with gross Errors and Mistakes Prot. Because I can make my Charge good For if Scripture be the Rule of what we ought to believe and practise then your kneeling and praying before Images your Invocation of Angels and Saints adoring Relicks praying in an unknown Tongue Transubstantiation Half Communion Auricular Confession Indulgences and your Doctrine of Purgatory with divers others which I can name are gross errors and corruptions believed and practised in the Roman Church Po. You are very bold But I doubt not to justify all these opinions and practices and to convince you so fully of the truth and innocency of them that I hope you will own
1. 'T is evident it hugely derogates from Gods Mercy and Christs Merits to teach Men That after all Gods Promises to justify us freely by his Grace Rom. iii. 24. And after Christs blotting out the Hand-writing of Ordinances that was against us Coloss ii 14. they must still smart so long and so severely and are left to pay so great a part of it themselves Po. You are mistaken again for we hold that because of the Communion of Saints one man may satisfy for another and that the Alms and Prayers of the Living and especially of Holy Fryers and Nuns will avail for the delivering the Dead out of Purgatory Prot. You may hold what you please but Scripture tells us Every one shall bear his own burden Galat. vi 5. and that no Man can redeem his Brother nor make agreement to God for him because it cost more to redeem their Souls so that he must let that alone for ever Psal xlix 7 8. And that all the good Works of the best Men are little enough for themselves Math. xxv 9. So that we wonder the wiser Lay-men will be deluded by a Doctrin which is so ill proved and tends so Apparently to make the People put off their Repentance till their Death and to give the Monks an opportunity to draw Legacies from the dying and large Gifts from their living Friends that is to make the Laity Wicked and the Clergy Rich and to hazard the Salvation of both Po. We do not think the Money ill bestowed which we give to our Priests and Fryers whose Prayers are more pure and prevalent than those of your Clergy because they are under those three Holy Vows of Chastity Poverty and Obedience Prot. Vows without observing them are but a snare and an aggravation of the Sin when they are broken as two of these most notoriously are by your Priests and Religious Orders who are infamous in all Countries for those Artifices they use to get Wealth and for their unnatural and scandalous Lust and your Church is justly taxed with all the infamous Consequences of the Vow of Chastity because she imposes it on young Persons before they know their own strength and connives at Fornication in them rather than she will allow them to Marry that the Church may be their Heir and that they may have less dependance on Kings and States as being single Persons Po. You would fain make this a piece of Policy whereas it is Religion for S. Paul declares single persons are fittest to wait upon the Lord without distraction 1 Cor. vii 35. and on that account it is most proper for the Religious and Priests Prot. The Apostle advises all Christians and not Priests only to continue single if they were so as best for those Times of Persecution and provided they found they could live Chastly Unmarried otherwise to avoid Fornication he Commands them even then to Marry 1 Cor. vii 2. Whereas you forbid it to all your Religious in all Times and all Cases Besides he laid no Vow upon them Ver. 35. Nor was he himself under any Vow but was free to Marry if he had pleased 1 Cor. ix 5. And he allows a Bishop to be the Husband of one Wife 1. Tim. iii. 2. and supposes Deacons then had Wives Ver. 11. Nor doth he count Marriage impurity in any but affirms It is honourable in all and the Bed Undefiled Hebr. xiii 4. he excepts not the Clergy so that we doubt not our Married Clergy's Prayers who live soberly according to Gods Ordinance are more pure and prevalent than yours most of which live in Perjury burning Desires and Fornication Po. But your Priests have not power by their Prayers to cast out Evil Spirits as ours have which shews that Ours not Yours are the true Successors of the Apostles to whom Christ gave power over Unclean Spirits Mark xvi 17. Prot. Christ gave his Apostles power then to drink Poyson and take up Serpents without harm as also afterwards to Speak with Tongues Heal the Sick by a Touch and Raise the Dead yet your Priests dare not pretend to any of these Miracles which are all ceased long since 1 Cor. xii 8. Only they keep up the Pretence to Cast out Evil Spirits because that is more easily counterfeited than any of the rest And if this alone would serve 't is likely Conjurers might prove themselves the Apostles Successors as well as your Priests for they can Cast out Evil Spirits better than the Romish Priests who as may be noted do Cast out the Devil as often out of the same Party in divers places as there is occasion to make a Proselyte or work upon the Superstitious Now this must be done either by Compact with the Devil or the Party pretended to be Possessed and either way it is little to their Honour Besides I have known a good Physician by Natural Means Cure those whom these Priests pretended were Possessed which shews they often cast the Devil out when he was never in Po. Well I cannot but pity your Obstinacy and pray for you who wilfully shut your Eyes against the plainest Arguments for Catholic Truth Prot. There is more Reason for me to pity and pray for you who in all these Points do contradict Holy Scripture which cannot deceive us and believe false and feigned Traditions invented by designing Men for Evil ends and for my part I count it a wise Resolution and no Obstinacy to give credit to God rather than Men. Po. You flatter your self with Scripture taken in your own sense but you did own the Catholic Church was the best Interpreter of Scripture and I assure you the Holy Fathers who in all Ages have delivered down to us the Sense of the Catholic Church agree exactly with us in all these Opinions and Practices which you Protestants reject and can you think all these holy Ancient Doctors were deceived and that a few obscure Modern Reformers are in the right Prot. Truly I have but little skill in these Writings of the Fathers but I have heard our Clergy who are as well read in them as any of you declare That all these Fathers condemn your Opinions as much as Holy Scripture doth and that these Opinions and Practices were late Inventions of your Church and were set up in Times of Ignorance and Superstition meerly to gain Power and Wealth by them And though I am not able to make this out I promise you whenever you please to bring one of our Churchmen that shall prove what I say In the mean time because the Scripture was before the Fathers I am well satisfied that mine is the oldest and the best Religion and am resolved therefore by Gods Grace never to forsake it and if you lov'd your own Soul above your Worldly Interest you would embrace it also which I heartily pray you may and so bid you Farewell Books newly Published Printed for Robert Clavell at the Peacock in St. Pauls Church-Yard 1686. THE
Po. Well but the Literal sense is not to be left unless where the words cannot be taken otherwise than Figuratively which is not the case here Prot. Yes that is the very case here for the Literal sense is impossible and full of Contradictions but the Figurative is natural plain and easie For if we take these words Literally Christ's Body was whole and sitting at the Table and broken into pieces on the Table at the same time it must be entire now in Heaven and yet all of it in ten thousand different and distant places on the Earth We must believe the substance of Flesh hath none of its proper Accidents and that the Accidents of Bread can subsist without their proper substance We must think that to be real Flesh and Blood which we see smell taste and feel to be real Bread and Wine We must believe there is a Miracle when all our Senses which are witnesses to all other Miracles give Evidence there is no Miracle at all here In short we must contradict our Reason and deny our Senses without any need unless it be to uphold an unintelligible Literal sense when the Figurative is far more plain Po. 'T is strange how Prejudice may blind Men surely you cannot be in earnest when you say a Figurative Speech is plainer than a Speech without a Figure This only shews how desperate your Cause is which drives you to these Absurdities Prot. I will prove it is no Absurdity to maintain that in this case the Figurative sense is easier For that is the easiest sense of any words which the Mind first apprehends when we hear them For Example if one point to an House and Land and say This is my Estate there the plain sense is the Literal sense But if one hold a Writing sealed in his Hand and say This is my Estate the easiest and plainest sense then is This is that which conveys my Estate and all the benefits of it to me So if Christ had pointed to himself sitting at Table and said This is my Body the Apostles would and we must have taken it Literally but since he points to Bread and saith This is my Body the first and most natural sense of the words is This is that which signifies my Body and communicates all the benefits of my Incarnation and Passion to you and thus S. Paul expresly doth expound it when he saith it is the Communion of his Body and Blood 1 Cor. x. 16. Po. What then do you believe that Christ is in this Sacrament no otherwise but in a bare figure and empty sign Prot. We believe that Christ is here verily and indeed taken and received by the faithful and really present as to all the effects and benefits of his Passion but this presence though it be real yet is spiritual and apprehended by Faith not corporal and substantial because then it must be discerned by sense Po. From one absurdity granted many will follow and your absurd exposition forces you to hold this ridiculous assertion That a Spiritual Presence is a real Presence Prot. Dare you seriously deny this which you call a ridiculous assertion Is not Christ really with his Church to the end of the World by his Spiritual Presence Is not the Holy Ghost really with every Regenerate Man by his Spiritual Presence The effects and benefits of Christ's Death which we seek in this Sacrament are Spiritual such as Pardon Peace Grace and hopes of Glory yet they are very real and therefore we think it fittest to expect them in a Spiritual manner especially since our Lord hath told us It is the Spirit that quickneth the Flesh profiteth nothing John vi 63. And the Aposte saith Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen Heb. xi 1. That is It makes things invisible and Spiritual to be very real to the true Believer Po. I find you delight much in calling this Spiritual Meat and Drink but would gladly understand how you dare do so without any Authority of Scripture yea when the Scripture saith Christ will give us his Flesh to Eat John vi 53. Prot. We have good Authority of Scripture for this viz 1 Cor. x. 3 4 Where it is said that the Israelites had the priviledge by certain signs to Eat and Drink into Christ as well as we in a mystical way For they did all Eat of the same Spiritual Meat and did all Drink of the same Spiritual Drink For they Drank of that Spiritual Rock that followed them and that Rock was Christ We see it was Spiritual Meat and Drink which they had yet it was the same with ours and therefore ours must be Spiritual Meat and Drink too Again we are not said All to Drink into one Blood but into one Spirit 1 Cor. xii 13. Nor can we understand how St. Paul could call that which is the Communion of Christs Body by the Name of Bread after Consecration 1 Cor. xi 26 27 28. If the outward part did not remain unchanged in substance though its use be changed and our Souls are certainly fed here yet these are not capable of feeding either on Bread or Flesh Yea our Lord himself teaches us to Expound those Words in St. John of a Spiritual Communication of his Body for he saith The words he speaks to us are Spirit and Life John vi 63. Po. You do but prevaricate when you pretend to believe Christ is really present in the Sacrament for if you truly believed this you would give Divine Worship to the Host as we do Prot. We bend our Knees address our Prayers and give Divine Worship to Christ who is really present to our Faith in this Sacrament But since we are sure that the outward part is not changed in nature but only in use and signification and doth still remain Bread we dare not give Divine Worship to that which is a Creature since it would be Idolatry so to do Po. Well I will inform you of one very ill consequence of your denying Christs Flesh and Blood to be substantially in this Sacrament that is you make it to be only a Commemoration of the Sacrifice on the Cross but we give it far more honour believing it to be a Propitiatory Sacrifice for the sins of quick and dead Prot. Neither you nor we ought to make the Sacrament what we please we must take our Notions of it from Scripture and from Christ who instituted it and he bids us Do this in Remembrance of Him Luk. xxii 19. And S. Paul doth not say it is the Lords Death but the shewing forth of his Death 1 Cor. xi 26. Yea he makes this the main difference between the legal Sacrifices and that of Christ on the Cross that they were often Offered but he was only to be Offered once and by that one Offering hath perfectly satisfied for the Sins of the whole World Hebr. ix 25 26. And Chap. x. 14. So that this Sacrament is certainly a
he doth hear all that Men say of themselves whether they be Hypocrites or true Penitents and therefore we are advised to confess all our Sins daily to God the Supreme Judge and to labour to prove our Repentance to be sincere to him by amending our lives And we are not obliged to go to a Priest but in weighty Cases and on great Occasions Po. This is one great Complaint we have against your pretended Reformation that you do not oblige Sinners to 〈◊〉 any satisfaction for their Offences and have laid aside the Sacrament of Pennance Prot. We do account it necessary for notorious and scandalous Offenders to do a publick Pennance that their Shame and Sorrow may be as evident as their Crimes and this they are to do for Satisfaction to the Church 2 Cor. ii 7. And we hold it necessary in more secret Sins that the Sinner do heartily bewail them humbly confess them to God and utterly forsake them for the time to come and upon these terms we doubt not God will forgive them for Christs sake according to his Promises in Holy Scripture Prov. xxviii 13. Ezek. xviii 21. and we will trust Gods Word sooner than yours Po. But after God hath pardoned the Sinner as to the eternal Punishment due to him which Christ bought off He must satisfie the Divine Iustice for temporal Pains still remaining due to those Sins by submitting to the Pennances laid on him by his Priest Prot. This is a meer Device of your own not grounded on Holy Scripture for there it is declared that Christ hath delivered us from all the Course due to us and saved us to the uttermost and cleansed us from all Sin and made our Peace so that if we have Interest in him there is no Condemnation to us 'T is true God may and doth sometimes Câ—â—â—â—â—se good Men after he resolves to pardon them 2 Sam. xii 14. which is not to satisfie his Justice but to warn them not easily to run into the like Offences Heb. xii 6. And true Penitents have voluntarily put on Sackcloth and laid in Ashes and Fasted and Prayed c. But this was to shew the sincerity of their Repentance and the reality of their Sorrow for offending God or to make themselves more fit to pray earnestly for the averting the Divine Displeasure But Gods Word never makes these Acts any part of Satisfaction to God nor do we find one Precedent of Christ or his Holy Apostles enjoyning such Acts purely to satisfie Gods Justice for any remaining Punishment Po. Well you cannot deny it is more for the honour of Gods Iustice to enjoyn the Offenders to make him some satisfaction rather than to teach them he will freely forgive and you must grant it is more likely to restrain men from future Crimes if they suffer in Body or Goods for those that are past Prot. But it is not much for Gods Honour that when your Church pretends God will not remit these remaining temporal Pains without men do their Pennance yet she will remit the Pennance it self for a certain Price and so Money will buy off that which you say Christs Death doth not satisfie for And indeed none but the Poor almost do any Pennance with you the Rich who can gratifie the Priest well are Absolved and Indulged and however you order it in your Church there are as many notorious and customary Sinners for all these Pennances and Payments as any where else yea they sin with less fear and regret than others because they foresee a Pilgrimage or a little Fasting a few Lashes or a Sum of Money will make their Peace with the Priest and so they take little Care by a sincere Amendment to make their Peace with God Po. I suppose you reflect upon our Indulgences which are no other than the use of that Power of remitting Sins which Christ gave to S. Peter and in him to the Chief Pastor of the Catholic Church and doubtless it is a most comfortable thing when S. Peters Successor or his Delegates do so solemnly declare us clear from those Sins we have confessed Prot. S. Peter never sold this Power Acts viii 18. for he affirms We are not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold 1 Pet. i. 8. Had he used the same gainful Trade which the Pope drives he could not have said Silver and Gold have I none Acts iii. 6. So that you must not mention that holy Apostle as your Patron till you follow his Example and grant Pardons to none but them that upon a strict search are found truly Penitent and upon these terms which Christ makes necessary the Poor must have them as soon as the Rich and both freely But while your Church makes a meer Merchandize of them and grants them out to raise Money to enrich a Nephew to marry a Niece of the Popes or to aggrandize a Favourite and sends them into remote Countries to Men and Women whose Faces he never saw and of whose Penitence he hath no assurance we Protestants must look on them as a holy Cheat a hindrance of true Repentance and a trick to get Money Po. You are quite mistaken the Church designs nothing by these Indulgences but the Penitents Salvation the Money is a voluntary Offering and can you blame Holy Church for receiving the Oblations of the People Prot. It is no Crime to receive voluntary Oblations provided they be dispensed to the Poor But here is a certain Price set and the Money received goes in part to the Popes Coffers and in part to the wealthy Delegates or to rich Monasteries and it appears that Money is the main thing because Poor Men cannot get them nor will they give an Indulgence freely to the Indigent though never so penitent whereas the Rich that shew little signs of true Repentance may have them and are thereby hardned in their Sins Nor is it this Point alone but most of those disputed between us and you that are stiffly defended on your part because they advance the Wealth and Power of your Church Such is the Popes power to receive Appeals Images Relicks Saying Masses to deliver Souls Confession Pennances and two more not yet mentioned viz. Purgatory and the pretended Sanctity of your Religious Orders Po. 'T is not the Advantage we have by these Doctrines but the certain Truth of them which makes us so desirous you should believe them as appears in this Article of Purgatory which I shall prove first by Scripture and then by Reason to be a great Truth Prot. The Scripture declares very often and very plainly that there are two places of eternal Rewards and Punishments Heaven and Hell and if there be any Third place to which most Men are to go to suffer very great temporary Pains I doubt not but God hath revealed it as plainly and clearly as he hath done Heaven and Hell and therefore let me see you prove it by plain Texts of Holy Scripture Po. Our Saviour