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B20784 An essay for the conversion of the Irish shewing that 'tis their duty and interest to become Protestants : in a letter to themselves. Cox, Richard, Sir, 1650-1733. 1698 (1698) Wing C6721 30,538 48

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which no Man can properly be said to do when he Eats the Wafer even supposing whole Christ to be contain'd therein But to what purpose shall we argue longer on this point since the very Council that prohibits it confesses that the Institution of Christ and the Practice of the Primitive Church was to the contrary Sect 89. How weak is your Answer That the Church thought it convenient As if the Blessed JESUS were not a better Judge of Conveniencies than the Pope and Cardinals Pray Gentlemen consider who has the Antient Religion and who is likely to be in the right on 't We follow the Order and Institution of JESUS CHRIST and you do quite contrary in obedience to the Pope and to Reason of State Sect 90. 'T is just so in the next Article of the Marriage of Priests GOD Almighty Instituted Marriage and you say made it a Sacrament The Apostles advise it to all who can't contain St. Peter himself was a Married Man and the Scripture mentions his Wive's Mother Your Apostle St. Patrick was the Son of Potitus a Priest and the Primitive Clergy knew no Prohibition in this case On the contrary many of them were Married And St. Paul allows a Bishop to be the Husband of one Wife How then can you pretend that your Religion is Antient in this particular Sect 91. The Truth is When the Foundations of Ecclesiastical Empire were laid in Cozening and Deceiving the People it was necessary to forbid Marriage to Those who were to be the Managers and Instruments of the Cheat that they might be the more zealous therein when they had no Wives or Children to suffer by the Fraud Sect 92. Proceed we next to Auricular Confession and we shall find it a New Trick to discover Secrets and add value to the Priest Nothing is more groundless than that Practise as 't is us'd in the Roman Church since neither CHRIST ordain'd it nor the Ancient Church us'd it as Erasmus confesses 'T is one thing to consult your Pastor in difficult Cases and another thing to tell him all that you do If the Confession were Publick it might give Reparation to the Party injur'd it might purge the Assembly from the Scandal of such a Member the shame of it might contribute to his Mortification and Repentance But this private Shrift to one that is bound to conceal it can have no other effect but to give the Priest Intelligence that he may be the better able to compass his own Designs and those of his Church Sect 93. Lastly Your Religion is New Upstart and Erronious in forbidding the People to read Scripture for fear say you they should imbibe Heresie which is just such weak Reasoning as his that Refused to give his Child Meat for fear he should be choak'd and so suffer'd him to be starv'd Sect 94. But if this were a Reason it would extend to forbid Scripture to the Clergy since they have been the Broachers of most Heresies Marcion Paulus Samosatenus Arius Eunomius Apollinaris Macedonius Photinus Nestorius Eutiches Pelagius Novatius Donatus and many more Notorious Hereticks having been in Holy Orders Sect 95. Has not the Spirit of GOD published the Scriptures for the Use of all Christians Is not the Reading of them enjoyn'd by GOD Almighty that we may come to 2 Tim. 2. 4. the Knowledge of the Truth Are not those commended that Search the John 20. 31. Scriptures Is it not in them that we have Eternal Life Is there not in the John 5. 39. Rom. 10. 17. 15 4. Heb. 5. 14. 2 Tim. 3. 15. Scriptures as well Milk for Babes as Meat for strong Men And are not they able to make us wise to Salvation How then dare you to contradict the Positive Commands of of GOD and the Design of the Holy GHOST upon vain Fears and frivolous Pretences meerly to keep the People in Ignorance that they may be the more easily Enslav'd and Impos'd upon Sect 96. I have not room to enlarge on the many other Novelties you have introduced into Religion and therefore shall only give a short hint of your declaring the Apocrppha to be Canonical by the Council of Trent which was otherwise esteem'd by Origen Athanasius Epiphanius and the Ancient Fathers and of your Seven Sacraments which were first defin'd so in the Council of Florence Anno 1438. and of your scandalous Practice of Indulgences introduced by Clement VI. Anno 1350. whereby you have Traffiqu'd for the Grace of GOD and Erected a Market for the Remission of Sins And of your Doctrine of Merit and Supererrogation invented to raise an Imaginary Treasure in the Church to bring in Real Treasure to the Church-men directly contrary to every Man's Experience and the Holy Scriptures which assures us that at the best We are but Unprofitab'e Servants And of your Prayers in an Vnknown Tongue directly contrary to the Apostles Direction 1 Cor. XIV 16. How shall the Unlearned say Amen at thy giving of Thanks seeing he understandeth not what thou sayest And vers 19. In the Church I had rather speak five words with my Understanding that by my Voice I might teach others also than Ten Thousand Words in an Unknown Tongue Sect 97. Thus Gentlemen you see that you have no Foundation in Scripture and but vain Pretences of Antiquity for those Articles that have been Impos'd upon you And therefore your Church has set up Traditions that is Reports and Tales coyn'd for their purpose to be the Canon and Rule of Faith not regarding the Wo pronounc'd against those who should add to or diminish from the Canonical Word of GOD. 'T is true the Vniversal Tradition and Practice of All Churches and in All Ages deserves great Respect and we accordingly give it in the Observation of the Lords Day Sunday and in Baptizing Infants But to argue from hence That the Traditions Reports and Inventions of any Sect Faction or Particular Church ought to be deem'd Evidence for it self is the most Sophistical Inference that can be and directly against the Apostles Advice Not to think of Men above that which is written 2 Cor VI. 6. Sect 98. How much safer is it to rely upon the Holy Scriptures which being dictated by the HOLY GHOST are Infallible and Divine and cannot Deceive Sect 99. But say you We may be mistaken in the Interpretation and so you may in the Interpretation of any Rule of Faith Traditions Decrees of Councils c. Yet still you must judge for your self the best you can with such Helps as you can get Exercising your Senses to discern Good and Evil Heb. V. 14. Sect 100. Were the Scriptures Intelligible to the Hearers to whom our Saviour and the Apostles preach'd them If not to what purpose were they preach'd If they were then Intelligible are they now become otherwise by being Written Or if they are what need we go to Particulars and Niceties Will not an Implicit Faith in the Scriptures serve as well as the