speech So doth our Author advance his Wisdom and Judgment above the Wisdom and Judgment of all Churches and Nations that ever embraced the Faith of Christ for a 1000 years all which notwithstanding what there is of truth in any of his insinuations judged it their duty to translate the Scripture into their Mother Tongues very many of which Translations are extant even to this day Besides he concludes with us in general ambiguors terms as all along in other things his practice hath been What means he by the Bible's own Sacred phrase opposed to a prophane and common one Would not any man think that he intended the Originals wherein it was written but I dare say if any one will ask him privately he will give them another account and let them know that it is a Translation which he adorns with those Titles so that upon the matter he tells us that seeing the Bible cannot be without all the inconveniences mentioned it 's good for us to lay aside the Originals and make use only of a Translation or at least preferre a Translation before them What shall we do with those men that speak such Swords and Daggers and are well neither full nor fasting that like the Scripture neither with a Translation nor without it Moreover I fear he knows not well what he means by its own Sacred phrase and a prophane common one Is it the Syllables and words of this or that language that he intends How comes one to be Sacred another prophane and common The languages wherein the Scriptures were originally written have been put to as bad uses as any under Heaven nor is any Language prophane or common so as that the Worship of God performed in it should not be accepted with him That there is a frequent loss of Propriety and amplitude of meaning in Translations we grant That the Scriptures by Translations if good true and significant according to the capacity and expressiveness of the Languages whereinto they are translated are divested of the Majesty Holiness and Spirit is most untrue The Majesty Holiness and Spirit of the Scriptures lyes not in words and Syllables but in the Truths themselves expressed in them and whilest these are incorruptedly declared in any language the Majesty of the Word is continued It is much that men preferring a Translation before the Originals should be otherwise minded especially that Translation being in some parts but the Translation of a Translation and that the most corrupt in those parts which I know extant And this with many fine words prety Allusions and Similitudes is the sum of what is pleaded by our Author to perswade men to forgo the greatest priviledg which from Heaven they are made partakers of the most necessary radical duty that in their whole lives is incumbent on them It is certain that the giving out of the holy Scripture from God is an effect of infinite love and mercy I suppose it no less certain that the end for which he gave it was that men by it might be instructed in the knowledge of his will and their obedience that they owe unto him that so at length they may come to the enjoyment of him This it self declares to be its end I think also that to know God his mind and Will to yield him the obedience that he requires is the bounden duty of every man as well as to enjoy him is their blessedness And can they take it kindly of those who would shut up this gift of God from them whether they will or no or be well pleased with them that go about to perswade them that it is best for them to have it kept by others for them without their once looking into it If I know them aright this Gentleman will not find his Countrey-men willing to part with their Bibles on such easie tearms From the Scripture concerning which he affirmeth That it lawfully may and in reason ought and in practise ever hath been segregated in a language not common to vulgar ears all which things are most unduly affirmed and because we must speak plainly falsly he proceeds to the worship of the Church and pleads that that also ought to be performed in such a language It were a long and tedious business to follow him in his guilding over this practise of his Church we may make short work with him As he will not pretend that this practise hath the least countenance from Scripture so if he can instance in any Church in the world that for 500 years at least after it set out in the use of a Worship the Language whereof the people did not understand I will cease this contest What he affirms of the Hebrew Church keeping her Rites in a language differing from the Vulgar whether he intend before or after the Captivity is so untrue as that I suppose no ingenious man would affirm it were he not utterly ignorant of all Judaical Antiquity which I had cause to suspect before that our Author is From the dayes of Moses to the captivity of Babylon there was no Language in vulgar use among the people but only that wherein the Scripture was written and their whole Worship celebrated After the captivity though insensibly they admitted corruptions in their language yet they all generally understood the Hebrew unless it were the Hellenists for whose sakes they translated the Scripture into Greek and for the use of the residue of their people who began to take in a mixture of the Syro-Chaldean Language with their own the Targum were found out Besides to the very utmost period of that Church the solemn Worship performed in the Temple as to all the interest of words in it was understood by the whole people attending on God therein And in that language did the Bible lye open in their Synagogues as is evident from the offer made by them to our Saviour of their Books to read in at his first entrance into one at Capernaum These flourishes then of our Orator being not likely to have the least effect upon any who mind the Apostololical advice of taking heed lest they be beguiled with inticing words we shall not need much to insist upon them This custom of performing the Worship of God in the Congregation in a Tong unknown to the Assembly renders he tells us that great act more majestick and venerable but why he declares not A blind veneration of what men understand not because they understand it not is neither any duty of the Gospel nor any part of its Worship St. Paul tells us he would pray with the Spirit and pray with Understanding also of this Majestick shew and blind Veneration of our Author Scripture Reason Experience of the Saints of God Custom of the Antient Churches know nothing Neither is it possible to preserve in men a perpetual veneration of they know not what nor if it could be preserved is it a thing that any way belongs to Christian Religion Nor can any
in the Worship of God according to the mind of Christ before the Relinquishment of the Roman-See by our fore-fathers V. That the First Reformers were the most of them sorry contemptible persons whose Errors were propagated by indirect means and entertained for sinister ends VI. That our departure from Rome hath been the cause of all our evills and particularly of all those Divisions which are at this day found amongst the Protestants and which have been ever since the Reformation VII That we have no Remedy of our Evils no means of ending our differences but by a return unto the Rule of the Roman-See VIII The Scripture upon sundry accounts is insufficient to settle us in the truth of Religion or to bring us to an agreement amongst our selves seeing it is 1. Not to be known to be the Word of God but by the Testimony of the Roman Church 2. Cannot be well translated into our vulgar Language 3. Is in it self obscure And 4. We have none to determine of the sense of it IX That the Pope is a good man one that seeks nothing but our good that never did us harm and hath the care and inspection of us committed unto him by Christ. X. That the Devotion of the Catholicks far transcends that of Protestants nor is their Doctrine or Worship liable to any just exception I suppose our Author will not deny these to be the Principal nerves and sinews of his Oration nor complain I have done him the least injury in this representation of them or that any thing of importance unto his advantage by himself insisted on is here omitted He that runs and reads if he observe any thing that lies before him besides handsome words and ingenious diversions will consent that here lies the substance of what is offered unto him I shall not need then to tire the Reader and my self with transcriptions of those many words from the several parts of his Discourse wherein these Principles are laid down and insinuated or gilded over as things on all hands granted Besides so far as they are interwoven with other reasonings they will fall again under our Consideration in the several places where they are used and improved If all these Principles upon examination be found good true firm and stable it is most meet and reasonable that our Author should obtain his desire And if on the other side they shall appear some of them false some impertinent and the deductions from them Sophistical some of them destructive to Christian Religion in general none of them singly nor all of them together able to bear the least part of that weight which is laid upon them I suppose he cannot take it ill if we resolve to be contented with our present condition until some better way of deliverance from it be proposed unto us which to tell him the truth for my part I do not expect from his Church or Party Let us then consider these Principles apart in the order wherein we have laid them down which was the best I could think on upon the suddain for the Advantage of him who makes use them The first is an hinge upon which many of those which follow do in a a sort depend yea upon the matter all of them Our Primitive receiving Christian Religion from Rome is that which influences all perswasions for a return thither Now if this must be admitted to be true that we in these Nations first received the Christian Religion from Rome by the Mission and Authority of the Pope it either must be so because the Proposition carries its own evidence in its very terms or because our Author and those consenting with him have had it by Revelation or it hath been testified to them by others who knew it so to be That the first it doth not is most certain for it is very possible it might have been brought unto us from some other place from whence it came to Rome for as I take it it had not there its beginning Nor do I suppose they will plead special Revelation made either to themselves or any others about this matter I have read many of the Revelations that are said to be made to sundry persons canonized by his Church for Saints but never met with any thing concerning the place from whence England first received the Gospel Nor have I yet heard Revelation pleaded to this purpose by any of his Co-partners in design It remains then that some body hath told him so or informed him of it either by writing or by word of mouth Usually in such cases the first enquiry is Whether they be credible Persons who have made the report Now the pretended Authors of this Story may I suppose be justly questioned if on no other yet on this account that he who designes an advantage by their Testimony doth not indeed himself believe what they say For notwithstanding what he would fain have us believe of Christianity coming into Brittain from Rome he knows well enough and tells us elsewhere himself that it came directly by Sea from Palestina into France and was thence brought into England by Joseph of Ariniathea And what was that Faith and Worship which he brought along with him we know full well by that which was the Faith and Worship of his Teachers and Associates in the work of propagating the Gospel recorded in the Scripture So that Christianity found a passage to Brittain without so much as once visiting Rome by the way Yea but 150 years after Fugatius and Damianus came from Rome and propagated the Gospell here and 400 years after them Austin the Monk Of these stories we shall speak particularly afterwards But this quite spoiles the whole market in hand this is not a FIRST receiving of the Gospel but a second and third at the best and if that be considerable then so ought the Proposition to be laid These Nations a second and third time after the first from another place received the Gospell from Rome but this will not discharge that bill of following Items with is laid upon it What ever then there is considerable in the place or persons from whence or whom a Nation or People receive the Gospel as farr as it concerns us in these Kingdoms it relates to Jerusalem and Jews not Rome and Italians Indeed it had been very possible that Christian Religion might have been propagated at first from Rome into Britany considering what in these dayes was the condition of the one place and the other yet things were so ordered in the Providence of the Lord that it fell out otherwise and the Gospell was preached here in England probably before ever St. Paul came to Rome or St. Peter either if ever he came there But yet to prevent wrangling about Austin and the Saxons let us suppose that Christian Religion was first planted in these Nations by Persons coming from Rome if you will men sent by the Pope before he was born for that purpose What then
abide not in the Truth so they never did nor can depart from it Well then that we may not displease them at present let us put the case so as I presume they will own it Suppose Men or a Church intrusted by Christ authoritatively to preach the Gospel do propagate the Faith unto others according to their duties these being converted by their means do afterwards through the craft and subtilty of seducers fall in sundry things from the Truths they were instructed in and wherein their Instructers do constantly abide yea say our Adversaries this is the true case indeed I ask then in this case What is and ought to be the formal Motive to prevail with these persons to return to their former condition from whence they were faln Either this that they are departed from the Truth which they cannot do without peril to their souls and whereunto if they return not they must perish or this that it is their duty to return to them from whom they first received the Doctrine of Christianity because they so received it from them St. Paul who surely had as much authority in these matters as either the Pope or Church of Rome can with any modesty lay claim unto had to deal with very many in this case Particularly after he had preached the Gospel to the Galatians and converted them to the Faith of Christ there came in some false Teachers and Seducers amongst them which drew them off from the Truth wherein they had been instructed in divers important and some fundamental points of it What course doth the Apostle proceed in towards them Doth he plead with them about their falling away from him that first converted them or falling away from the Truth whereunto they were converted If any one will take the pains to turn to any Chapter in that Epistle he may be satisfied as to this Enquiry it is their falling away from the Gospel from the Truth they had received from the Doctrine in particular of Faith and Justification by the bloud of Christ that alone he blamed them for yea and makes Doctrines so farr the measure and rule of judging and censuring of Persons whether they preach the Word first or last that he pronounceth a redoubled Anathema against any creature in Heaven or Earth upon a supposition of their teaching any thing contrary unto it chap. 1.8 He pleads not we preached first unto you by us you were converted and therefore with us you must abide from whom the Faith came forth unto you but saith If we or an Angel from Heaven preach any other Gospel let him be accursed This was the way he chose to insist on and it may not be judged unreasonable if we esteem it better then that of theirs who by false pretending to have been our old would very fain be our new Masters But the mentioned Maxim lets us know that the Persons and Churches that have received the Faith from the Roman-Church or by means thereof should abide under the rule and conduct of it and if departed from it return speedily to due obedience I think it will be easily granted that if we ought to abide under its rule and conduct whither ever it shall please to guide us we ought quickly to return to our duty and task if we should make any loapment from it It is not meet that those that are born Mules to bondage should ever alter their condition Only we must profess we know not the Springs of that unhappy Fate which should render us such Animals Unto what is here pretended I only ask Whether this right of Presidency and Rule in the Roman-Church over all persons and Churches pretended of old to be converted by her means do belong unto her by vertue of any general right that those who convert others should for ever have the conduct of those converted by them or by vertue of some special Priviledge granted to the Church of Rome above others If the first or general Title be insisted on it is most certain that a very small pittance of Jurisdiction will be left unto the Roman-See in comparison of that vast Empire which now it hath or layeth claim unto knowing no bounds but those of the Universal Nature of things here below For all men know that the Gospel was preached in very many places of the World before its sound reached unto Rome and in most parts of the then-known World before any such planting of a Church at Rome as might be the foundation of any Authoritative Mission of any from thence for the Conversion of others and after that a Church was planted in that City for any thing that may be made to appear by Story it was as to the first Edition of Christianity in the Roman-Empire as little serviceable in the Propagation of the Gospel as any other Church of name in the World so that if such Principles should be pleaded as of general equity there could be nothing fixed on more destructive to the Romanist's pretences If they have any special Priviledge to found this claim upon they may do well to produce it In the Scripture though there be of many Believers yet there is no mention made of any Church at Rome but only of that little Assembly that used to meet at Aquila's house Rom. 16.5 Of any such Priviledge annexed unto that meeting we find nothing The first general Council confirming Power and Rule over others in some Churches acknowledge indeed more to have been practised in the Roman-Church then I know how they could prove to be due unto it But yet that very unwarrantable Grant is utterly destructive to the present claim and condition of the Pope and Church of Rome The wings now pretended to be like those of the Sun extending themselves at once to the ends of the Earth were then accounted no longer then to be able to cover the poor Believers in the City and Suburbs of it and some few adjacent Towns and Villages It would be a long Story to tell the Progress of this claim in after-times it is sufficiently done in some of those Books of which our Author says there are enough to fill the Tower of London where I presume or into the fire he could be contented they should be for ever disposed of and therefore we may dismiss this Principle also III. That which is the main Piller bearing the weight of all this fine Fabrick is the Principle we mentioned in the third place viz. That the Roman Profession of Religion and Practise in the Worship of God are every way the same as when we first received the Gospel from the Pope nor can they ever otherwise be This is taken for granted by our Author throughout his Discourse And the Truth is that if a man hath a mind to suppose and make use of things that are in question between him and his Adversary it were a folly not to presume on so much as should assuredly serve his turn To what purpose is it
to mince the matter and give opportunity to new cavils and exceptions by babyâ—meâ—â—y-mouthed Petitions of some small things that there is a strife abouâ— when a man may as honestly all 〈◊〉 once suppose the whole Truth of his side and proceed without fear of disturbance And so wisely deals our Author in this business That which ought to have been his whole work he takes for granted to be already done If this be granted him he is safe deny it and all his fine Oration dwindles into a little sapless Sophistry But he must get the great number of Books that he seems to be troubled with out of the World and the Scripture to boot before he will perswade considerate and unprejudiced men that there is a word of Truth in this Supposition That we in these Nations received not the Gospel originally from the Pope which pag. 354. our Author tells us is his purely his whereas we thought before it had been Christ's hath been declared and shall if need be be further evinced But let us suppose once again that we did so yet we constantly deny the Church of Rome to be the same in Doctrine Worship and Discipline that she was when it is pretended that by her means we were instituted in the knowledge of Truth Our Author knows full well what a facile work I have now lying in view what an easie thing it were to go over most of the Opinions of the present Church of Rome and most if not all their practises in Worship and to manifest their vast distance from the Doctrine Practise and Principles of that Church of old But though this were really a more serious work and more useful and much more accommodated to the nature of the whole difference between us more easie and pleasant to my self then the persuit of this odd rambling chase that by following of him I am engaged in yet lest he should pretend that this would be a division into common places such as he hath purposely avoided and that not unwisely that he might â—â—ve advantage all along to take for graâ—â—â—d that which he knew to be principally in question between us I shall dismiss that business and only attend unto that great proof of this Assertion which himself thought meet to shut up his Book withall as that which was fit to pin down the Basket and to keep close and safe all the long Bill'd Birds that he hoped to Lime-twig by his preceding Rhetorick and Sophistry It is in pag. 362 363. Though I hope I am not contentious nor have any other hatred against Popery then what becomes an honest man to have against that which he is perswaded to be so ill as Popery must needs be if it be ill at all yet upon his request I have seriously pondered his Queries a captious way of disputing and falling now in my way do return him this answer unto them 1. The Supposition on which all his ensuing Queries are founded must be rightly stated its termes freed from ambiguity and the whole from equivocation which a word or two unto first the Subject and then secondly the Predicate of the Proposition or what is attributed unto the Subject spoken of and thirdly the proof of the whole will suffice to do The Thesis laid down is this The Church of Rome was once a most pure excellent flourishing and mother Church This good St. Paul amply testifies in his Epistle to them and is acknowledged by Protestants The Subject is the Church of Rome And this may be taken either for the Church that was founded in Rome in the Apostles dayes consisting of Believers with those that had their rule and oversight in the Lord or it may be taken for the Church of Rome in the sense of latter Ages consisting of the Pope its Head and Cardinals principal members with all the Jurisdiction dependent on them and way of Worship established by them and their Authority or that collection of men throughout the world that yield obedience to the Pope in their several places and subordinations according to the Rules by him and his Authority given unto them That which is attributed to this Church is that it was once a most pure excellent flourishing and Mother-Church all it seems in the superlative degree I will not contend about the purity excellency or flourishing of that Church the boasting of the superlativeness of that purity and excellency seems to be borrowed from that of Revel 3.15 But we shall not exagitate that in that Church which it would never have affirmed of it self because it is fallen out to be the interest of some men in these latter dayes to talk at such a rate as primitive humility was an utter stranger unto I somewhat guess at what he means by a Mother-Church for though the Scripture knows no such thing but only appropriates that Title to Hierusalem that was above which is said to be the Mother of us all Gal. 4.26 which I suppose is not Rome and I also think that no man can have two Mothers nor did purer Antiquity ever dream of any such Mother yet the vogue of latter dayes hath made this expression not only passable in the world but sacred and unquestionable I shall only say that in the sense wherein it is by some understood the old Roman Church could lay no more claim unto it then most other Churches in the world and not so good as some others could The proof of this Assertion lies first on the Testimony of St. Paul and then on the acknowledgement of Protestants First Good St. Paul he says amply testifies this in his Epistle to the Romans This what I pray That the then Roman Church was a Mother Church not a word in all the Epistle of any such matter Nay as I observed before thogh he greatly commends the faith and holiness of many Believers Jews and Gentiles that were at Rome yet he makes mention of no Church there but only of a little Assembly that used to meet at Aquila's house nor doth St. Paul give any Testimony at all to the Roman Church in the latter sense of that expression Is there any thing in his Epistle of the Pope Cardinals Patriarchs c any thing of their power and rule over other Churches or Christians not living at Rome Is there any one word in that Epistle about that which the Papists make the principal ingredient in their definition of the Church namely subjection to the Pope What then is the This that good St. Paul so amply testifies unto in his Epistle to the Romans Why this and this only that when he wrote this Epistle to Rome there were then living in that City sundry good and holy men believing in Christ Jesus according to the Gospel and making profession of the faith that is in him but that these men should live there to the end of the world he says not nor do we find that they do The acknowledgement of Protestants is next to as little
and if this be to fall by Heresie I add that she is thus fallen also from what she was But then he asks 1. By what general Council was she ever condemned 2. Which of the Fathers ever wrote against her 3. By what Authority was she otherwise reproved But this is all one as if a thief arraigned for stealing before a Judge and the goods that he had stoln found upon him should plead for himself and say If ever I stole any thing then by what lawful Judge was I ever condemned what Officer of the State did ever formerly apprehend me by what Authority were Writs issued out against me Were it not easie for the Judge to reply and tell him Friend these Allegations may prove that you were never before condemned but they prove not at all that you never stole which is a matter of fact that you are now upon your tryal for No more will it at all follow that the Church of Rome did never offend because she is not condemned These things may be necessary that she may be said to be legally convicted but not at all to prove that she is really guilty Besides the truth is that many of her Doctrines and Practises are condemned by general Councils and most of them by the most learned Fathers and all of them by the Authority of the Scripture And whilst her Doctrine and Worship is so condemned I see not well how she can escape so that this second way also she is fallen 3. To Apostasie and Heresie she hath also added the guilt of Schism in an high degree For Schisms within her self and her great Schism from all the Christian world besides her self are things well known to all that know her Her intestine Schisms were the shame of Christendom her Schisms in respect of others the ruin of it And briefly to answer the triple Query we are so earnestly invited to the consideration of I shall need to instance only in that one particular of making Subjection to the Pope in all things the Tessera Rule of all Church-Communion whereby she hath left the company of all the Churches of Christ in the world besides her self is gone forth and departed from all Apostolical Churches even that of Old Rome its self and the true Church which she hath forsaken abides and is preserved in all the Societies of Christians throughout the Earth who attending to the Scripture for their only Rule and Guide do believe what is therein revealed and worship God accordingly So that notwithstanding any thing here offered to the contrary it is very possible that the present Church of Rome may be fallen from her Primitive Condition by Apostasie Heresie and Schism which indeed she is and worst of all by Idolatry which our Author thought meet to pass over in silence IV. It is frequently pleaded by our Author nor is there any thing which he more triumphs in That all things as to Religion were quiet and in peace all men in union and agreement amongst themselves in the Worship of God before the departure made by our fore-Fathers from the Roman See No man that hath once cast an eye upon the Defensatives written by the Antient Christians but knows how this very consideration was managed and improved against them by their Pagan impugners That Christians by their Introduction of a new way of worshipping God which their fore-Fathers knew not had disturbed the Peace of humane Society divided the World into Seditious Factions broken all the antient Bonds of Peace and Amity dissolved the whole Harmony of Man-kinde's Agreement amongst themselves was the subject of the declamations of their Adversaries This complaint their Books their Schools the Courts and Judicatories were filled with against all which clamors and violences that were stirred up against them by their means those blessed souls armed themselves with patience and the testimony of their Consciences that they neither did nor practised any thing that in its own nature had a tendency to the least of those evils which they and their way of worshipping God was reproached with As they had the opportunity indeed they let their Adversaries know that that Peace and Union they boasted of in their Religion before the entrance of Christianity was but a Conspiracy against God a consent in Error and Falsehood and brought upon the World by the craft of Satan maintained through the effectual influence of innumerable prejudices upon the innate blindness and darkness of their hearts That upon the appearance of light and publishing of the Truth divisions animosities troubles and distractions did arise they declared to have been no proper or necessary effect of the work but a consequent occasional and accidental arising from the lusts of men who loved darkness more then light because their works were evil which that it would ensue their blessed Master had long before fore-told them and fore-warned them Though this be enough yet it is not all that may be replyed unto this old pretence and plea as mannaged to the purpose of our Adversaries It is part of the motive which the great Historian makes Galgacus the valiant Brittain use to his Countrey-men to cast off the Roman-yoke Solitudinem ubi fecerunt pacem vocant It was their way when they had by force and cruelty layed all waste before them to call the remaining solitude and desolation by the goodly name of Peace neither considered they whether the residue of men had either satisfaction in their minds or advantage by their Rule Nor was the Peace of the Roman-Church any other before the Reformation What waste they had by Sword and Burnings made in several parts of Europe in almost all the chiefest Nations of it of mankind what desolation they had brought by violence upon those who opposed their rule or questioned their Doctrine the blood of innumerable poor men many of them learned all pious and zealous whom they called Waldenses Albigenses Lollards Wicklevites Hussites Caliptives Subutraguians Picards or what else they pleased being indeed the faithful witnesses of the Lord Christ and his Truths will at the last Day reveal Besides the event declared how remote the minds of millions were from an acquiescency in that Conspiracy in the Papal Soveraignty which was grown to be the Bond of Communion amongst those who called themselves the Church or an approbation of that Doctrine and Worship which they made profession of For no sooner was a door of Liberty and Light opened unto them but whole Nations were at strife who should first enter in at it which undoubtedly all the Nations of Europe had long since done had not the holy wise God in his good Providence suffered in some of them a sword of power and violence to interpose it self against their entrance For whatever may be pretended of Peace and Agreement to this day take away force and violence Prisons and Fagots and in one day the whole compages of that stupendious Fabrick of the Papacy will be dissolved and
but think that a sad profession of Religion which enforceth men to decry the use and excellency of that which let them pretend what they please is the only infallible Revelation of all that Truth by obedience whereunto we become Christians I do heartily pity Learned and Ingenious men when I see them enforced by a private corrupt Interest to engage in this woful work of undervaluing the word of God and so much the more as that I cannot but hope that it is a very ingrateful work to themselves Did they delight in it I should have other thoughts of them and conclude that there are more Atheists in the World than those whom our Author informs us to be lately turned so in England This then is the Remedy that Protestants have for their evils This the means of making up all their differences which they might do every day so far as in this World it is possible that that work should be done amongst men if it were not their own fault That they do not so blame them still blame them soundly lay on Reproofs till I cry Hold but let not I pray the word of God be blamed any more Methinks I could beg this of a Catholick especially of my Countrey-men That whatever they say to Protestants or however they deal with them they would let the Scripture alone and not decry its worth and usefulness It is not Protestants Book it is Gods who hath only granted them an use of it in common with the rest of men And what is spoken in disparagement of it doth not reflect on them but on him that made it and sent it to them It is no Policy I confess to discover our secrets to our Adversaries whereby they may prevent their own disadvantages for the future But yet because I look not on the Romanists as absolute Enemies I shall let them know for once that when Protestants come to that head of their Disputes or Orations wherein they contend that the Scripture is so and so obscure and insufficient they generally take great contentment to find that their Religion cannot be opposed without casting down the word of God from its excellency and enthroning somewhat else in the room of it Let them make what use of this they please I could not but tell it them for their good and I know it to be true For the present it comes too late For another main Principle of our Authors Discourse is VIII That the Scripture on sundry accounts is insufficient to settle us in the Truth of Religion or to bring us to an agreement amongst our selves and that 1. Because it is not to be known to be the word of God but by the Testimony of the Roman Church And then 2. Cannot be well Translated into any vulgar Language And is also 3. In its self obscure And 4. We have no way to determine of what is its proper sense Atqui hic est nigrae sumus Caliginis haec est Aerugo mera I suppose they will not tell a Pagan or a Mahumetan this story At least I heartily wish that men would not suffer themselves to be so far transported by their private Interest as to forget the general concernments of Christianity We cannot say they know the Scripture to be the word of God but by the Authority of the Church of Rome And all men may easily assure themselves that no man had ever known there was such a thing as a Church much less that it had any Authority but by the Scripture And whither this tends is easie to guess But it will not enter into my head that we cannot know or believe the Scripture to be the word of God any otherwise than on the Authority of the Church of Rome The greatest part of it was believed to be so before there was any Church at Rome at all and all of it is so by Millions in the World who make no account of that Church at all Now some say there is such a Church I wish men would leave perswading us that we do not believe what we know we do believe or that we cannot do that which we know we do and see that millions besides our selves do so too There are not many Nations in Europe wherein there are not Thousands who are ready to lay down their lives to give testimony that the Scripture is the word of God that care not a rush for the Authority of the present Church of Rome And what further evidence they can give that they believe so I know not And this they do upon that innate evidence that the word of God hath in it self and gives to its self the testimony of Christ and his Apostles and the teaching of the Church of God in all Ages I must needs say There is not any thing for which Protestants are so much beholding to the Roman Catholicks as this That they have with so much importunacy cast upon them the work of proving the Scripture to be of Divine Original or to have been given by inspiration from God It is as good a work as a man can well be imployed in and there is not any thing I should more gladly en professo ingage in if the nature of my present business would bear such a Diversion Our Author would quickly see what an easie Task it were to remove those his Reproches of a private spirit of an inward testimony of our own Reason which himself knowing the advantage they afford him amongst vulgar unstudied men trisles withal Both Romanists and Protestants as far as I can learn do acknowledge That the Grace of the Spirit is necessary to enable a man to believe savingly the Scripture to be the Word of God upon what Testimony or Authority soever that faith is founded or resolved into Now this with Protestants is no private Whisper no Enthusiasm no Reason of their own no particular Testimony but the most open noble known that is or can be in the World even the voice of God himself speaking publickly to all in and by the Scripture evidencing it self by its own Divine innate light and excellency taught confirmed and testified unto by the Church in all Ages especially the first founded by Christ and his Apostles He that looks for better or other Testimony Witness or Foundation to build his faith upon may search till Dooms-day without success He that renounceth this shakes the very root of Christianity and opens a door to Atheism and Paganism This was the Anchor of Christians of old from which neither the Storms of Persecution could drive them nor the subtilty of Disputations entise them For men to come now in the end of the World and to tell us That we must rest in the Authority of the present Church of Rome in our receiving the Scripture to be the word of God and then to tell us That that Church hath all its Authority by and from the Scripture and to know well enough all the while that no man can know
there is any Church or any Church Authority but by the Scripture is to speak Daggers and Swords to us upon a confidence that we will suffer our selves to be befooled that we may have the after-pleasure of making others like our selves Of the Translation of the Scripture into vulgar Tongues I shall expresly treat afterwards and therefore here passe it over 3. It s Obscurity is another thing insisted on and highly exaggerated by our Author And this is another thing that I greatly wonder at For as wise as these Gentlemen would be thought to be he that has but half an eye may discern that they consider not with whom they have to do in this matter The Scripture I suppose they will grant to be given by inspiration from God if they deny it we are ready to prove it at any time I suppose also that they will grant That the end why God gave it was that it might be a Revelation of himself so far as it was needful for us to know him and his mind and will so that we may serve him If this were not the end for which God gave his Word unto us I wish they would acquaint us with some other I think it was not that it might be put into a Cabinet and lock'd up in a Chest If this were the end of it then God intended in it to make a Revelation of himself so far as it was necessary we should know of Him and his Mind and Will that we might serve him For that which is any one end of any Thing or Matter That he intends which is the Author of it Now if God intended to make such a Revelation on of Himself his Mind and Will in giving of the Scripture as was said he hath either done it plainly that is without any such Obscurity as should frustrate him of his end or he hath not and that because either he would not or he could not I wish I knew which of these it was that the Roman Catholicks do fix upon it would spare me the labour of speaking to the other But seeing I do not that they may have no evasion I will consider them both If they say It was because he could not make any such plain Discovery and Revelation of himself then this is that they say That God intending to reveal Himself his Mind Will plainly in the Scripture to the sons of men was not able to do it and therefore failed in his Design This works but little to the glory of his Omnipotency and Omnisciency But to let that pass wherein men so they may compass their own ends seem not to be much concerned I desire to know Whether this plain sufficient Revelation of God be made any other way or no If no otherwise then as I confess we are all in the Dark so it is to no purpose to blame the Scripture of Obscurity seeing it is as lightsom as any thing else is or can be If this Revelation be made some other way it must be by God himself or some body else That any other should be supposed in good earnest to do that which God cannot though I know how some Canonists have jested about the Pope I think will not be pleaded If God then hath done this another way I desire to know the true reason why he could not do it this way namely by the Scripture and therefore desisted from his purpose But it may be thought God could make a Revelation of Himself his Mind and Will in and by the Scripture yet he would not do it plainly but Obscurely Let us then see what we mean by plainly in this business We intend not that every Text in Scripture is easie to be understood nor that all the matter of it is easie to be apprehended We know that there are things in it hard to be understood things to exercise the minds of the best and wisest of men unto Diligence and when they have done their utmost unto Reverence But this is that we mean by plainly The whole Will Mind of God with whatever is needful to be known of him is revealed in the Scripture without such Ambiguity or Obscurity as should hinder the Scripture from being a Revelation of him his Mind and Will to the end that we may know him and live unto him To say that God would not do this would not make such a Revelation besides the reflection that it casts on his Goodness and Wisdom is indeed to say that he would not do that which we say he would do The truth is all the Harangues we meet withal about the Obscurity of the Scripture are direct Arraignments of the Wisdom and Goodness of God And if I were worthy to advise my Roman-Catholick-Countreymen I would perswade them to desist from this Enterprize if not in Piety at least in Policy For I can assure them as I think I have done already that all their endeavours for the extenuation of the Worth Excellency Fullness Sufficiency of the Scripture do exceedingly confirm Protestants in the truth of their present perswasion which they see cannot be touched but by such horrible Applications as they detest 4. But yet they say Scripture is not so clear but that it needs interpretation and Protestants have none to interpret it so as to make it a means of ending differences I confess the interpretation of Scripture is a good and necessary work and I know that he who was dead and is alive for ever continues to give gifts unto men according to his Promise to enable them to interpret the Scripture for the edification of his Body the Church If there were none of these Interpreters among the Protestants I wonder whence it is come to pass that his Comments on and interpretations of Scripture who is most hated by Romanists of all the Protestants that ever were in the World are so borrowed and used that I say not stollen by so many of them And that indeed what is praise-worthy in any of their Church in the way of Exposition of Scripture is either borrowed from Protestants or done in imitation of them If I am called on for instances in this kind I shall give them I am perswaded to some mens amazement who are less conversant in these things But we are besides the matter It is of an infallible Interpreter in whâ—se Expositions and Determinations of Scripture-sense all Christians are obliged to acquiesce and such an one you have none I confess we have not if it be such an one as you intend whose Expositions and Interpretations we must acquiesce in not because they are true but because they are his We have infallible Expositions of the Scripture in all necessary Truths as we are assured from the Scripture it self But an infallible Expositor into whose Authority our faith should be resolved besides the Scripture it self we have none Nor do I think they have any at Rome what-ever they talk of to men that were never there nor I
suppose do they believe it themselves for indeed if they do I know not how they can be freed from being thought to be strangely distempered if not stark mad For not to talk of the Tower of London this I am sure of That we have whole Cart loads of Comments and Expositions on the Scripture written by Members of the Church men of all Orders and Degrees and he that has cast an eye upon them knows that a great part of their large Volumes are spent in confuting the Expositions of one another and those that went before them Now whâ—t a madness is this or childishness above that of very Children to lye swaggering and contending one with another before all the World with fallible Mediums about the sense of Scripture and giving Expositions which no man is bound to acquiesce in any further than he sees Reason whilst all this while they have One amongst them who can infallibly interpret all and that with such an Authority as all men are bound to rest in and contend no further And the further mischief of it is That of all the rest This man is alwayes silent as to Exposition of Scripture who alone is able to part the fray There be two things which I think verily if I were a Papist I should never like in the Pope because methinks they argue a great deal of want of good nature The one is that we treat about That he can see his Children so fiercely wrangle about the sense of Scripture yet will not give out what is the infallible meaning of every place at least that is controverted and so stint the strife amongst them seeing it seems he can if he would And the other is That he suffers so many souls to lye in Purgatory when he may let them forth if he please and that I know of hath received no order to the contrary But the truth is That neither the Romanists nor we have any infallible living Judge in whose determination of the sense of Scripture all men should be bound to acquâ—esce upon the account of his Authority This is all the difference We openly profess we have none such and betake us to that which we have which is better for us They pretending they have yet acting constantly as if they had not and as indeed they have not maintain a perpetual inconsistency and contradiction between their Pretentions and their Practice The holy Ghost speaking in and by the Scripture using the Ministry of men furnished by himself with gifts and abilities and lawfully called to the Work for the oral Declaration or other Expositions of his mind is that which the Protestants cleave unto for the interpreting of the Scripture which its self discovers when infallible And if Papists can tell me of a better way I will quickly imbrace it I suppose I may upon the considerations we have had of the reasons offered to prove the insufficiency of Scripture to settle us in the Truth to end our differences conclude their insufficiency to any such purpose We know the Scripture was given us to settle us in the Truth and to end our differences we know it is profitable to that end and purpose and able to make us wise to salvation If we find not these effects wrought in our selves it is our own fault and I desire that for hereafter we may bear our own blame without such Reflections on the holy Word of the Infinitely Blessed God IX We are come at length unto the Pope of whom we are told That He is a good man One that seeks nothing but our good that never did us harm but has the care and inspection of us committed unto him by Christ. For my part I am glad to hear such news of him and should be more glad to find it to be true Our Forefathers and Predecessors in the faith we profess found it otherwise All the harm that could be done unto them by ruining their Families destroying their Estates imprisoning and torturing their Persons and lastly burning their Bodies in fire they received at his hands If the alteration pretended be not from the shortning of his Power but the change of his Mind and Will I shall be very glad to hear of it For the present I confess I had rather take it for granted whilest he is at this distance than see him trusted with Power for the tryal of his Will I never heard of much of his Repentance for the Blood of those Thousands that hath been shed by his Authority and in his Cause which makes me suspect he may be somewhat of the same mind still as he was Time was when the very worst of Popes exhausted more Treasure out of this Nation to spend it abâ—oad to their own ends thâ—â— some aâ—e willing to grant to the best of Kings to spend at home for their goods Iâ— may be he is changed as to this Design also but I do not know it nor is any pâ—oof offered of it by our Authoâ— Let us deal plainly one with another and without telling us That the Pope never did us harm which is not the way to make us believe that he will not because it makes us suspect that all we have suffered from him is thought no harm let hâ—m tell us how he will assure us That if this good Pope get us into his Power again he will not burn us as he did our Fore-fathers unless we submit our Consciences unto him in all things That he will not find out wayes to draw the Treasure out of the Nâ—tion nor absolve Subjects from their Allegiance nor excommunicate or attempt the Deposition of our Kings or the giving away of their Kingdoms as he has done in former dayes That these things he hath done we know that he hath repented of them and changed his mind thereupon we know not To have any thing to do with him whilst he continues in such Distempers is not only against the Principles of Religion but of common Prudence also For my parâ— I cannot but fear until I see Security tendered of this change in the Pope that all the good words that are given us concerning him are but Baits to enveigle us into his Power and to tell you the truth terrent vestigia How the Pope imployes himself in seeking our good which our Author paints out unto us I know not when I see the effects of it I shall be thankful for it In the mean time being so great a stranger to Rome as I am I must needs say I know nothing that he does but seek to destroy us Body and Soul Our Author pleads indeed That the care and inspection of our condition is committed to him by Christ But he attempts not to prove it which I somewhat marvel at For having professedly deserted the old way of pleading the Catholick Cause and Interest which I presume he did upon conviction of its insufficiency whereas he is an ingenious Person he could not but know that Pasce
c. THe Title of this Chapter was proposed the persuit of it now ensues The first Paragraph is a declamation about sundry things which have not much blame-worthy in them Their common weakness is that they are common They tend not to the furtherance of any one thing more then another but are such as any Party may flourish withal and use to their several ends as they please That desire of honour and applause in the world hath influenced the minds of men to great and strange Undertakings is certain That it should do so is not certain nor true so that when we treat of Religion if we renounce not the Fundamental Principle of it in Self-denyal this consideration ought to have no place What then was done by Emperours and Philosophers of old or by the later School-men on this account we are little concerned in Nor have I either desire or design to vellicate any thing spoken by our Author that may have an indifferent interpretation put upon it and be separated from the end which he principally persues As there is but very little spoken in this Paragraph directly tending to the whole end aimed at so there are but three things that will any way serve to leaven the mind of his Reader that he may be prepared to be moulded into the form he hath fancyed to cast him into which is the work of all these previous Harangues The first is his inâ—â—nuation That the Reformation of Religion is a thing pretended by aemulous Plebeians not able to hope for that Supervisorship in Religion which they see intrusted with others How unserviceable this is unto his Design as applyed to the Church of England all men know for setting aside the consideration of the influence of Soveraign Royal Authority the first Reformers amongst us were persons who as they enjoyed the right of Reputation for the Excellencies of Learning and Wisdom so also were they fixed in those places and conditions in the Church which no Reformation could possibly advance them above and the attempt whereof cost them not only their dignities but their lives also Neither were Hezekiah Josiah or Ezra of old aemulous plebeians whose lasting glory and renown arose from their Reformation of Religion They who fancy men in all great undertakings to be steered by desire of applause and honour are exceeding incompetent judges of those actions which zeal for the glory of God love to the Truth sense of their duty to the Lord Jesus Christ and compassion for the souls of others do lead men unto and guide them in and such will the last Day manifest the Reformation traduced to have been The Second is a gallant commendâ—tion of the Ingenuity Charity Candor and sublime Science of the School-men I confess they have deserved good words at his hands These are the men who out of a mixture of Philosophy Traditions and Scriptureâ— all corrupted and perverted have hammâ—â—ed that faith which was afterwards confirmed under so many Anathemaes at Trent So that upon the matter he is beholden to them for his Religion which I find he loves and hath therefore reason to be thankful to its Contrivers For my part I am as far from envying them their commendation as I have reason to be which I am sure is far enough But yet before we admit this Testimony hand over head I could wish he would take a course to stop the mouths of some of his own Church and those no small ones neither who have declared them to the world to be a pack of egregious Sophisters neither good Philosophers nor any Divines at all men who seem not to have had the least reverence of God nor much regard to the Truth in any of their Disputations but weâ—â— wholly influenced by a vain Reputation of Subtility desire of Conquest of leading and denominating Parties and that in a Barbarous Science barbarously expressed untill they had driven all Learning and Divinity almost out of the World But I will not contend about these Fathers of Contention let every man esteem of them as he seems good There is the same respect in that bitter reflection which he makes on those who have managed differences in Religion in this last Age the Third thing observable That they are the Writers and Writings that have been published against the Papacy which he intends he doth more than intimate Their Disputes he rells us are managed with so much unseemly behaviour such unmanerly expressions that discreet sobriety cannot but loath and abhor to read them with very much more to this purpose I shall not much labour to perswade men not to believe what he sayes in this matter for I know full well that he believes it not himself He hath seen too many Protestant Books I suppose to think this Cenâ—â—re will suit them all This was meet to be spoken for the advantage of the Catholick cause for what there hath been of real offence in this kind amongst us we may say Iliacos intra muros peccatur et extra Romanists are Sinners as well as others And I suppose himself knows That the Reviling and Defamations used by some of his Party are not to be paralleld in any Writings of man-kind at this day extant About the Appellatioâ—s he shall think meet to make use of in reference to the Persons at variance we will not contend with him Only I desire to let him know That the reproach of Galilean from the Pagans which he appropriates to the Papists was worn out of the World before that Popery which he pleads for came into it As Roman-Catholicks never tasted of the sufferings wherewith that Reproach was attended so they have no special right to the honour that is in its remembrance As to the sport he is pleased to make with his Countrey-men in the close of this Paragraph about losing their wits in Religious contests with the evils thence ensuing I shall no further reflect upon but once more to mind the Reader that the many words he is pleased to use in the exaggerating the evils of mannaging differences in Religion with animosities and tumults so seemingly to perswade men to moderation and peace I shall wholly pass by as having discovered that that is not his business nor consequently at present mine It is well observed by him in his second Paragraph that most of the great Contests in the world about perishing things proceed from the unmortified lusts of men The Scripture abounds in Testimonies given hereunto St. James expresly From whence come wars and fightings among you come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members ye lust and have not ye kill and desire to have and cannot obtain you fight and warr yet you have not chap. 4.1 2. Mens lusts put them on endless irregularities in unbounded desires and foolish sinful enterprizes for their satisfaction Neither is Satan the old Enemy of the well-fare of mankind wanting to excite provoke and stir up these lusts by mixing himself
that which you intend that we should agree amongst our selves and wait for your coming with power to destroy us all It were well indeed if we could agree it is our fault and misery if we do not having so absolutely a perfect Rule and means of agreement as we have But yet whether we agree or agree not if there be another Party distinct from us all pretending a right to exterminate us from the earth it behooves us to look after their proceedings And this is the true state of all our Author's Pleas for Moderation which are built upon such Principles as tend to the giving us up unarmed and naked to the power and will of his Masters For the rest of this Section wherein he is pleased to sport himself in the miscarriages of men in their coyning and propagating of their Opinions and to gild over the care and success of the Church of Rome in stifling such births of pride and darkness I shall not insist upon it For as the first as generally tossed up and down concerns none in particular though accompanyed with the repetition of such words as ought not to be scosfed at so the latter is nothing but what violence and ignorance may any where and in any age produce There are Societies of Christians not a few in the East wherein meer darkness and ignorance of the Truth hath kept men at peace in Errors without the least disturbance by contrary opinions amongst themselves for above a 1000 years and yet they have wanted the help of outward force to secure their Tranquillity And is it any wonder that where both these powerful Engins are set at work for the same end if in some measure it be compassed and effected And if there be such a thing among the Romanists which I have reason to be difficult in admitting the belief of as that they can stisle all Opinions as fast as they are conceived or destroy them assoon as they are brought forth I know it must be some device or artifice unknown to the Apostles and Primitive Churches who notwithstanding all their Authority and care for the Truth could not with many compass that end Sect. 5. Pag. 54. The last Section of this Chapter contains motives to moderation three in number And I suppose that no man doubts but that many more might be added every one in weight out-doing all these three The first is that alone which Protestants are concerned to look unto not that Protestants oppose any motive unto moderation but knowing that in this Discourse Moderation is only the pretence Popery if I may use the word without incivility the Design and aim it concerns them to examine which of these pretended motives that any way regards their real principle doth tend unto Now this Motive is the great ignorance our state and condition is involved in concerning God his Works and Providence a great motive to Moderation I wish all men would well consider it For I must acknowledge that I cannot but suppose them ignorant of the state and condition of mortality and so consequently their own who are ready to destroy and exterminate their neighbors of the same flesh and bloud with them and agreeing in the main Principles of Religion that may certainly be known for lesser differences and that by such rules as within a few years may possibly reach their nearest Relations Our Author also layes so much weight on this Motive that he fears an anticipation by men saying That the Scripture reveals enough unto us which therefore he thinks necessary to remove For my part I scarse think he apprehended any real danger that this would be insisted on as an Objection against his motive to moderation For to prevent his tending on towards that which is indeed his proper end this obstacle is not unseasonably layed that under a pretence of the ignorance unavoidably attending our state and condition he might not prevail upon us to increase and aggravate it by entising us to give up our selves by an implicite faith to the conduct of the Roman-Church A man may easily perceive the end he intends by the Objections which he fore-sees No man is so madd I think as to plead the sufficiency of Scripture-Revelation against Moderation when in the Revelation of the Will of God contained in the Scripture Moderation is so much commended unto us and pressed upon us But against the pretended necessity of resigning our selves to the Romanists for a relief against the unavoidable ignorance of our state and condition besides that we know full well such a resignation would yield us no relief at all this plea of the sufficiency of Scripture-Revelation is full and unanswerable This put our Author on a work which I have formerly once or twice advised him to meddle no more being well assured that it is neither for his reputation nor his advantage much less for his souls health The pretences which he makes use of are the same that we have heard of many and many a time The abuse of it by some and the want of an Infallible Interpreter of it as to us all But the old tale is here anew gilded with an intermixture of other pretty stories and application of all to the present humours of men not forgetting to set forth the brave estate of our fore-fathers that had not the use of the Scripture which what it was we know well enough and better then the prejudices of this Gentleman will give him leave to tell us But if the lawful and necessary use of any thing may be decryed because of its abuse we ought not only to labour the abolishing of all Christian Religion in general and every principle of it in particular out of the world but the blotting out of the Sun and Moon and Stars out of the Firmament of Heaven and the destruction of the greatest and most noble parts at least of the whole Creation But as the Apostles continued in the work of Preaching the Gospel though by some the grace they taught was turned into lasciviousness so shall we abide to plead for the use of the Scripture whatever abuse of them by the wicked lusts of men can be instanced in Nor is there any reason in the world why food should be kept from all men though some have surfeited or may yet so do To have a compendious Narration of the Story and Morality of the Scripture in the room of the whole which our Author allows of is so jejune narrow and empty a Conception so unanswerable to all those divine Testimonies given to the excellency of the Word of God with Precepts to abide in the meditation and study of it to grow in the knowledge of it and the mysteries contained in it the commendations of them that did so in the Scripture it self so blasphemously derogatory to the Goodness Love and Wisdom of God in granting us that inestimable benefit so contrary to the redoubled Exhortations of all the Antient Fathers that I wonder
Author are thoroughly canvassed Doth he not throughout his whole Disputation prove out of the Scriptures and them alone that Jesus was the Christ and his Doctrine agreeable unto them Is any such thing pleaded by Origen Tertullian Chrysostom or any one that had to deal with the Jews Do they not wholly persist in the way traced for them by Paul Peter and Apollos mightily convincing the Jews out of Scripture Let him consult their Answers he will not find them such poor empty jejune Discourses as that he supposes they might make use of pag. 148. and to the proofs whereof by Texts of Scripture he sayes the Rabbies could answer by another Interpretation of them He will find another Spirit breathing in their Writings another efficacy in their Arguments and other evidence in their Testimonies than it seems he is acquainted with and such as all the Rabbies in the World are not able to withstand And I know full well that these insinuations that Christians are not able justifiably to convince confute and stop the mouths of Jews from the Scripture would have been abhorred as the highest piece of blasphemy by the whole antient Church of Christ and it is meet it should be so still by all Christians Is there no way left to deny pretences of Light and Spirit but by proclaiming to the great scandal of Christianity that we cannot answer the Exceptions of Jews unto the Person and Doctrine of our Saviour out of the Scriptures And hath Rome need of these bold Sallyes against the vitals of Religion Is she no other way capable of a defence Better she perished 10000 times than that any such reproach should be justly cast on the Lord Jesus Christ and his Gospel But whatever our Author thinks of himself I have very good ground to conjecture that he hath very little acquaintance with Judaical Antiquity Learning or Arguments nor very much with the Scripture and may possibly deserve on that account some excuse if he thought those Exceptions insoluble which more learned men than himself know how to answer and remove without any considerable trouble This difficulty was fixed on by our Author that upon it there might be stated a certain retreat and assured way of establishment against al of the like nature This he assigns to be the Authority of the present Church Protestants the Scripture wherein as to the instance chosen out as most pressing we have the concurrent suffrage of Christ his Apostles and all the antient Christians so that we need not any further to consider the pretended pleas of Light and Spirit which he hath made use of as the Orator desired his Dialogist would have insisted on the Stories of Cerberus and Cocytus that he might have shewed his skill and activity in their Confutation For what he begs in the way as to the constitution of St. Peter and his Successors in the Rule of the Church as he produceth no other proof for it but that doughty one that It must needs be so so if it were granted him he may easily perceive by the Instance of the Judaical Church that himself thought good to insist upon that it will not avail him in his plea against the final resolution of our Faith into the Scripture as its senses are proposed by the Ministry of the Church and rationally conceived or understood CHAP. X. Protestant Pleas. HIs Sect. 13. p. 155. entituled Independent and Presbyterians Pleas is a merry one The whole design of it seems to be to make himself and others sport with the miscarriages of men in and about Religion Whether it be a good work or no that day that is coming will discover The Independents he divides into two parts Quakers and Anabaptists Quakers he begins withal and longest insists upon being as he saith well read in their Books and acquainted with their persons some commendation he gives them so farr as it may serve to the disparagement of others and then falls into a fit of Quaking so expresly imitating them in their Discourses that I fear he will confirm some in their surmises that such as he both set them on work and afterwards assisted them in it For my part having undertaken only the defence of Protestancy and Protestants I am altogether inconcerned in the entertainment he hath provided for his Readers in this personating of a Quaker which he hath better done and kept a better decorum in than in his personating of a Protestant a thing in the beginning of his Discourse he pretended unto The Anabaptists as farr as I can perceive he had not medled with unless it had been to get an advantage of venting his pretty Answer to an Argument against Infant-Baptism but the truth is if the Anabaptists had no other Objections against Infant-Baptism nor Protestants no better Answers to their Objections then what are mentioned here by our Author it were no great matter what become of the Controversie but it is Merriment not Disputation that he is designing and I shall leave him to the solace of his own fancies No otherwise in the next place doth he deal with the Presbyterians in personating of whom he pours out a long senseless rapsody of words many insignificant expressions vehement exclamations and uncouth terms such as to do them right I never heard uttered by them in preaching though I have heard many of them nor read written by them though I suppose I have perused at least as many of their Books as our Author hath done of the Quakers Any one with half an Eye may see what it is which galls the man and his Party which whether he hath done wisely to discover his 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 will inform him that is the Preaching of all sorts of Protestants that he declares himself to be most perplexed with and therefore most labours to expose it to reproach and obloquy And herein he deals with us as in many of their Stories their Demoniacks do with their Exorcists discover which Relick or which Saints name or other Engine in that bufle most afflicts them that so they may be paid more to the purpose Somewhat we may learn from hence Fas est ab hoste doceri But he will make the Presbyterians amends for all the scorn he endeavours to expose them to by affirming when he hath assigned a senseless Harangue of words unto them that the Protestants are not able to answer their Objections Certainly if the Presbyterians are such pitiful souls as not to be able any beter to defend their cause than they are represented by him here to do those Protestants are beneath all consideration who are not able to deal and grapple with them And this is as it should be Roman-Catholicks are wise learned holy angelical seraphical persons all others ignorant dolts that can scarse say Boe to a Goose. These things considered in themselves are unserious trifles but seria ducunt We shall see presently whither all this lurry tends for the sting of this whole Discourseis
he be in good earnest indeed he calls us to an easie welcome imployment namely to defend the holy Word of God and the wisdom of God in it from such slight and trivial exceptions as those he layes against them This path is so trodden for us by the Antients in their Answers to the more weighty Objections of his Predecessors in this work the Pagans that we cannot well erre or faint in it If we are called to this task namely to prove that we can know and believe the Scriptrue to be the Word of God without any respect to the Authority or Testimony of the present Church of Rome that no man can believe it to be so with faith Divine and Supernatural upon that testimony alone that the whole counsel of God in all things to be believed or done in order to our last end is clearly delivered in it and that the composure of it is a work of infinite wisdom suited to the end designed to be accomplished by it that no difficulties in the interpretation of particular places hinder the whole from being a compleat and perfect rule of Faith and Obedience we shall most willingly undertake it as knowing it to be as honourable a service and employment as any of the sons of men can in this world be called unto If indeed himself be otherwise minded and believes not what he says but only intends to entangle men by his Sophistry so to render them plyable unto his further intention I must yet once more perswade him to desist from this course It doth not become an ingenious man much lesse a Christian and one that boasts of so much Mortification as he doth to juggle thus with the things of God In the mean time his Reader may take notice that so long as he is able to defend the Authority Excellency and Usefulness of the Scripture this man had nothing to say to him as to the change of his Religion from Protestancy to Popery And when men will be perswaded to let that go as a thing uncertain dubious useless it matters not much where they go themselves And for our Authour methinks if not for reverence to Christ whose book we know the Scriptures to be yet for the devotion he bears the Pope whose book he sayes it is he might learn to treat it with a little more respect or at least prevail with him to send out a book not liable to so many exceptions as this is pretended to be However this I know that though his pretence be to make men Papists the course he takes is the readyest in the world to make them Atheists and whether that will serve his turn or no as well as the other I know not 6. We have not yet done with the Scripture That the taking it for the only rule of faith the only determiner of differences is the only cause of all our differences and which keeps us in a condition of having them endless is also pretended and pleaded But how shall we know this to be so Christ and his Apostles were absolutely of another mind and so were Moses and the Prophets before them The antient Fathers of the Primitive Church walked in their steps and umpired all differences in Religion by the Scriptures opposing confuting and condemning Errors and Heresies by them preserving through their guidance the unity of the Spirit in the bond of Peace In these latter dayes of the world which surely are none of the best we have a few unknown persons come from Rome would perswade us that the Scripture and the use of it is the cause of all our differences and the means of making them endless But why so I pray Doth it teach us to differ and contend Doth it speak contradictions and set us at variance Is there any spirit of dissension breathing in it Doth it not deliver what it commands us to understand so as it may be understood Is there any thing needful for us to know in the things of God but what it reveales Who can tell us what that is But do we not see de facto what differences there are amongst you who pretend all of you to be guided by Scripture Yea and we see also what Surfeitings and drunkenness there is in the world but yet do not think bread meat and drink to be the causes of them and yet they are to the full as much so as the Scriptures are of our Differences Pray Sir do not think that sober men will cast away their Food and starve themseâ—â—es because you tell them that some continually abuse and surfeit on that very kind of food which they use Nor will some mens abuse of it prevail with others to cast away the food of their souls if they have any design to live eternally 7. The great safety and security that there is in committing our selves as to all the concernments of Religion unto the guidance rule and conduct of the Pope is another great principle of this Discourse And here our Author falls into a deep admiration of the Popes dexterity in keeping all his Subjects in peace and unity and subjection to him there being no danger to any one for forsâ—king him but only that of Excommunication The contest is between the Scripture and the Pope Protestants say the safest way for men in reference to their eternal condition is to believe the Scripture and rest therein The Romanists say the same of the Pope Which will prove the best course methinks should not be hard to determine All Christians in the world ever did agree That the Scripture is the certain infallible word of God given by him on purpose to reveal his mind and will unto us About the Pope there were great Contests ever since he was first taken notice of in the world Nothing I confess little or low is spoken of him Some say he is the head and spouse of the Church the Vicar of Christ the successor of Peter the supreme Moderator of Christians the infallible judge of Controversies and the like others again that he is Antichrist the man of sin a cruel Tyrant and Persecutor the evill Servant Characterized Mat. 24.48 49 50 51. But all as far as I can gather agree that he is a Man I mean that almost all Popes have been so for about every individual there is not the like consent Now the question is Whether we shall rest in the Authority and Word of God or in the Authority and Word of a Man as the Pope is confessed to be and whether is like to yield us more security in our assiance This being such another difficult matter and case as that before mentioned about the Bibles being the Popes book shall not be by me decided but left to the Judgment of wiser men In the mean time for his feat of Government it is partly known what it is as also what an influence into the effects of peace mentioned that gentle means of Excommunication hath had I know one that
all the antient Fathers of the Church they are exhorted unto that they need noâ— understand those Prayers which they are commanded to pray with understanding and wherein lies a principal exercise of their faith and love towards God are the things which are here recommended unto us Let us view the arguments wherewith first the general custome of the Western Empire in keeping the Mass and Bible in an unknown tongue is pleaded But What is a general Custome of the Western Empire in opposition to the command of God and the evidence of all that reason that lies against it Have we not an express Command not to follow a multitude to do evill Besides What is or ever was the Western Empire unto the Catholicism of the Church of Christ spread over the whole world Within an hundred years after Christ the Gospel was spread to Nations and in places whither the Roman power never extended it self Romanis inaccessa loca much less that branch of it which he calls the Western Empire But neither yet was it the custom of the Western Empire to keep the Bible in an unknown Tongue or to perform the worship of the Church in such a Language Whilst the Latin Tongue was only used by them it was generally used in other things and was the vulgar Tongue of all the Nations belonging unto it Little was there remaining of those Tongues in use that were the Languages of the Provinces of it before they became so So that though they had their Bible in the Latin Tongue they had it not in an unknown no more than the Grecians had who used it in Greek And when any people received the Faith of Christ who had not before received the Language of the Romans good men translated the Bible into their own as Hierom did for the Dalmatians Whatever then may be said of the Latin there is no pretence of the use of an unknown Tongue in the worship of the Church in the Western Empire until it was over-run destroyed and broken in pieces by the Northern Nations and possessed by them most of them Pagans who brought in several distinct Languages into the Provinces where they seated themselves After those tumults ceased and the Conquerors began to take up the Religion of the people into whose Countries they were come still retaining with some mixtures their old Dialect that the Scripture was not in all places for in many it was translated for their use was the sin and negligence of some who had other faults besides The Primitive use of the Latin Tongue in the worship of God and translation of the Bible into it in the Western Empire whilst that Language was usually spoken and read as the Greek in the Grecian is an undeniable argument of the Judgement of the antient Church for the use of the Scripture and Church-Liturgies in a known Tongue What ensued on What was occasioned by that inundation of barbarous Nations that buried the world for some ages in darkness and ignorance cannot reasonably be proposed for our imitation I hope we shall not easily be induced either to return unto or embrace the effects of Barbarism But saith our Author Secondly Catholicks have the sum of Scripture both for history and dogm delivered them in their own Language so much as may make for their salvation good orders being set and instituted for their proficiency therein and what needs any more or why should they be further permitted either to satifie curiosity or to raise doubtâ— or to wrest words and examples there recorded unto their own ruin as we see now by experience men are apt to do What Catholicks have or have not is not our present dispute Whether what they have of story and dogm in their own Language be that which Paul calls the whole Counsel of God which he declared at Ephesus I much doubt But the question is Whether they have what God allows them and what he commands them to make use of We suppose God himself Christ and his Apostles the antient Fathers of the Church any of these or at least when they all agree may be esteemed as wise as our present Masters at Rome Their sense is That all Scripture given by inspiration from God is profitable for Doctrine it seems these judge not so and therefore they afford them so much of it as may tend to their good For my part I know whom I am resolved to adhere to let others do as seems good unto them Nor where God hath commanded and commended the use of all do I believe the Romanists are able to make a distribution that so much of it makes for the salvation of men the rest only serves to satisfie curiosity to raise doubts and to occasion men to wrest words and examples Nor I am sure are they able to satisfie me why any one part of the Scripture should be apt to do this more then others Nor will they say this at all of any part of their Mass. Nor is it just to charge the fruits of the lusts and darkness of men on the good word of God Nor is it the taking away from men of that alone which is able to make them good and wise a meet remedy to cure their evils and follies But these Declamations against the use and study of the Scripture I hope come too late Men have found too much spiritual advantage by it to be easily driven from it It self gives light to know its excellency and defend its use by But the Book is sacred he says and therefore not to be sullied by every hand what God hath sanctified let not man make common It seems then those parts of the Scripture which they afford to the people are more useful but less sacred than those that they keep away These reasons justle one another unhandsomly Our Author should have made more room for them for they will never lie quietly together But what is it he means by the Book the Paper Ink Letters and Covering His Master of the Schools will tell him These are not sacred if they are the Printers dedicate them And it 's a pretty pleasant Sophism that he adds That God having sanctified the Book we should not make it common To what end I pray hath God sanctified it Is it that it may be laid up and be hid from that people which Christ hath prayed might be sanctified by it Is it any otherwise sanctified but as it is appointed for the use of the Church of all that believe Is this to make it common to apply it unto that use whereunto of God it is segregated Doth the Sanctification of the Scripture consist in the laying up of the Book of the Bible from our profane Utensils Is this that which is intended by the Author Would it do him any good to have it granted or further his purpose Doth the mysteriousness of it lie in the Books being locked up I suppose he understands this Sophistry well enough which makes it the worse
be made a Topick for these ends and purposes that is that indeed that is of no use in Religion The trouble and comfort of it are by a due mixture so allaid as to their proper qualities that they can have no operation upon the minds of men to sway them one way or other Had some of our Forefathers been so far illuminated all things had not been at the state wherein they are at this day in the Papacy but it may be much more is not to be expected from it and therefore it may now otherwise be treated than it was yerst-while when it was made the sum and substance of Religion However the time will come when this Platonical Signet that hath no colour from Scripture but is opposite to the clear testimonies of it repugnant to the grace truth and mercy of God destructive to the mediation of Christ useless to the souls of men serving only to beget false fears in some few but desperate presumptions from the thoughts of an after-reserve and second venture after this life is ended in the most abused to innumerable other Superstitions utterly unknown to the first Churches and the Orthodox Bishops of them having by various means and degrees crept into the Roman-Church which shall be laid open if called for shall be utterly exterminated out of the confines and limits of the Church of God In the mean time I heartily beg of our Romanists that they would no more endeavour to cast men into real scorching consuming fire for refusing to believe that which is only imaginary and phantastical CHAP. XXII Pope SECT 29. IT is not because the Pope is forgotten all this while that he is there placed in the rear after Images Saints and Purgatory It is plain that he hath been born in mind all along yea and so much mentioned that a man would wonder how he comes to have a special Paragraph here alloted to him The whole book seems to be all-Pope from the very beginning as to the main design of it and now to meet Pope by himself again in the end is somewhat unexpected But I suppose our Author thinks he can never say enough of him Therefore lest any thing fit to be insisted on should have escaped him in his former discourses he hath designed this Section to gather up the Paralipomena or ornaments he had forgotten before to set him forth withall And indeed if the Pope be the man he talks of in this Section I must acknowledge he hath had much wrong done him in the world He is one it seems that we are beholding unto for all we have that is worth any thing particularly for the Gospel which was originally from him for Kingly Authority and his Crown land with all the honour and power in the Kingdom One that we had not had any thing left us at this day either of Truth or Unity humanely speaking had not he been set over us One in whom Christ hath no lesse shewen his Divinity and Power than in himself in whom he is more miraculous then he was in his own person One that by the only Authority of his place and person defended Christ's being God against all the world without which humanely speaking Christ had not been taken for any such person as he is believed this day So as not only we but Christ himself is beholding to him that any body believes him to be God Now truly if things stand thus with him I think it is hightime for us to leave our Protestancy and to betake our selves to the Irish mans Creed That if Christ had not been Christ when he was Christ St. Patrick the Pope would have been Christ. Nay as he is having the hard fate to come into the World so many ages after the Ascension of Christ into heaven I know not what is left for Christ to be or do The Scripture tells us that the Gospel is Christ's originally from him now we are told It is the Popes originally from him That informes us that by Him the wisdom of God Kings Reign and Princes execute Judgement now we are taught That Kingly Authority with his Crown-land is from the Pope That instructs us to expect the preservation of Faith and Truth in the world from Christ alone the establishment of his Throne and Kingdom for ever and ever His building guidance and protection of his Church but we are now taught that for all these things we are beholding to the Pope who by his only Authority keeps up the faith of the Deity of Christ who surely is much ingaged to him that he takes it not to himself Besides what he is for our better information that we may judge aright concerning him we may consider also what he doth and hath been doing it seems a long time He is one that hath never been known to let fall the least word of passion against any nor move any engine for revenge one whose whole life and study is to defend innocence c. That by his general Councels all held under and by him especially that of Nice hath done more good than can be expressed Careful and more than humanely happy in all ages in reconciling Christian Princes c. One who let men talk what they will if he be not an unerring guide in matters of Religion and Faith all is lost But how shall we come to know and be assured of all this Other men as our Author knows and complains speak other things of him Is it meet that in so doubtful and questionable a business and of so great importance to be known we should believe a stranger upon his word and that against the vehement affirmations at least of so many to the contrary The Scripture speaks never a word that we can find of him nor once mentions him at all The antient Stories of the Church are utterly silent of him as for any such person as he is here described speaking of the Bishop of Rome as of other Bishops in those dayes many of the Stories of after-ages give us quite another Character of him both as to his personal qualifications and imployment I mean of the greatest part of the series of men going under that name In stead of Peace-making and Reconciliation they tell us of fierce and cruel warrs stirred up and mannaged by them of the ruine of Kings and Kingdoms by their means and instead of the meekness pretended their breathing out threatnings against men that adore them not persecuting them with Fire and Sword to the utter depopulation of some Countreys and the defiling of the most of Europe with bloudy cruelties What course shall we take in the contest of assertions that we may be able to make a right Judgment concerning him I know no better than this a little to examine apart the particulars of his Excellency as they are given us by our Author especially the most eminent of them and weigh whether they are given in according to truth or no. The first that