the manner of it its effects which followed it The perpetual succession of lawful Pastors from the Apostles till our days The Testimony of Martyrs by their Blood and of God by his Works which are Miracles The consent of Nations the Fulfilling of the Prophesies c. Infine the very name of Catholick which maugre all pretences of Hereticks and Schismaticks This Church only retains as St. Austin writes it did in his time and we see it doth in ours These are the Motives alleadged to invite Men to enter into the Communion of that Church in which they are found and of which they are verified But I never heard any discourse thus Be of the Communion of the Roman Church because it adores two Christs as you say c. 1. giveth the scapular of S. Simon Stock as c. 13. says the beads of S. Dominick c. 14. uses consecrated Images c. 16. If you know any who use such inducements name them If you can name none acknowledge that your Book in its fore-head bears a great Calumny an unexcusable untruth This is an Omen of what sincerity we are to expect in your whole Treatise In your Preface Not to be my own witness say you I make the case of Papists such as I find it in their own Authors It is harde measure when every slip of a private pen is charged on the whole Church which often dislikes and sometimes condemns it yet had you kept to this Rule you had been less blame worthy I shall have occasion more than once to mind you of it CHAP. II. Your General Account of New Ways PAge 1. What the Church of Christ hath single that of Rome hath double the eternal God and à mortal woman two sorts of Christs two sacrifices two Mediators two different wayes to obtain pardon of sins two Ladders to get up to Heaven two sorts of spiritual kindred two Heads of the Church and two different and sometimes contrary words of God When you writ this sure you had been in good company and thence geminis surgebat mensa lucernis All things seemed double It was well for us that at that time Hell Heaven Purgatory Pope the soul of Man the Person of Christ and the Nature of God did not occur to you otherwise you would have enlarged our Accusation and said we believe two Popes two souls of men two Hells two Heavens two Purgatories two Persons of Christ two Divine Natures Here is an accusation of as heinous a nature as any can be On What is it grounded Whose Testimony is produced to prove it See the Text see the Margine not one single man named Have you so soon forgotten your promise Not to be your own witness but to cite our Authors We will use the right of Defendants and to a groundless false accusation return a flat denial oft its Truth And when you please we will shew you That we believe onely One God one Christ one way to obtain Pardon of Sins the Mercy of God one Way to Heaven the Cross of Christ c. CHAP. III. How the Church can be Roman and Catholick PAge 8. Papists say you are well pleased with calling themselves Catholicks We are so and so were Catholicks in S. Austin's time as we see l. cont Epist Fund c. 4. That being one of the greatest Motives of retaining him S. Austin in the Church Hereticks both then and now would arrogate to their Congregations that Title yet could never compass it No great wonder we should glory in that Name seeing as you say Catholick Doctrine and Service is the most essential Iewel and the Soul of True Churches You cannot give so great Praises to Catholick Doctrine which is Faith taken of it self but it will deserve greater Yet if compared with Charity it must yield place as you see 1. Cor. 13. But because the matter is of consequence and not rigthly understood by you I will enlarge a little upon it It is an error as great as it is common to think that Faith in Christ which is Christian Doctrine began with the preaching of the Apostles or of Christ himself that Faith being as ancient almost as the world For no sooner had Adam by breaking the Commandment contracted the guilt of temporal and eternal Death to himself and all his posterity but God the Father decreed to send his only begotten Son to blot out the hand-writing of the Decree which was against us Col. 2.14 and to reconcile us again by that blood which was to be shed for us And revealing that Decree to man raised him to hope for pardon by the merits of the Messias a Mediator who was then promis'd in whom he was commanded to believe and from whom he was to expect his Redemption From that moment we may date the beginning of Faith in Christ although the Name he was to bear was not then known nor the time when he should come nor the place where nor the Family of which he was to be born And all those persons who lived well and were saved either during the Law of Nature or under the written Law Abraham Iob Isaac Iacob Moyses David Hieremy c. as well as we received of his fulness and were cleansed in the blood of the Lamb who for that reason Apoc. 15.8 is said to be slain from the beginning of the world S. Austin ep 157. Eadem Fides est nostra illorum ......... Our Faith is the same with that of the Saints before Christ for they believed that to come which we believe past And he proves it out of S. Paul 2. Cor. 4.13 where having spoken of the faith of the Israelitical Ministers he adds We having the same spirit of faith that is believing the same things And Tract 45. in Joan. Temporavariata sunt non sides ........ Times are altered not Faith the sound of words is changed He is to come and He is come but the same faith united both those who believed him to come and those who believe that he is come Epiph. l. 1. contra Haereses The same faith which now is preserved in the Holy Catholick Church was before Christ in vigor Hence Iustinus M. Apol 2. Eusebius l. 1. Hist c. 4. l. 1. de Demons Evang. c. 5. 6. say there were Christians long before Christ Thus all faithful believers both before and after Christ make up one Mystical Body whereof Christ is the Head Two difficulties against this Doctrine occur whose Explication will clear the mist which Mr. B. casts before his Readers Eyes The first Ephes 3.5 S. Paul says The mystery of Christ was not made known in other ages to the sons of men as it is now revealed unto his Holy Apostles The second We have another Priesthood another Altar another Sacrifice other Rites c. Ergo another Religion I answer to the first The different manner of announcing Christ makes no change in Christ himself as the different manner of explicating a Mathematical Demonstration alters not the Demonstration
worse fault if you did know it yet assert the contrary And that it is no bad Spirit which in later times appeares is Evident by the fruites it produces Humility Meeknesse Patience Peace of Conscience a contempt of temporall an esteeme of spirituall things in a word charity to their neyghbour a Love of God above all things even themselves These vertues are planted watred encreased by these Apparitions in those souls to whome they are granted Are these the fruites of a bad Spirit Doe such grapes grow on thornes Such figs on thistles But she the ever B. Virgin admits of Honour say you p. 68. She does soe Honour is due to her first because she is ful of Grace Luc. 1.28 Secondly because she is the mother of God Conc. Ephes the hyghest dignity any pure creature is capable of Thirdly for the benefits we receive by her intercession CHAP. V. Of the Protection of Saints IN your 4. Chapter having for 8. whole pages declamed against our Prayers to Saints from p. 71. to 79. you draw at length your discourse to this conclusion The tru reason why praying to Saints is called Idolatry is not because they cannot heare for this would make praying to them no more then an Idle uselesse act but mainly-because Prayer vows giving of Thanks is a main part of God's service Scripture the Ancient Fathers still reckon Prayer Thanksgiving amongst the truest sacrifices which can belong to none but God Soe calling on them who are not Gods is downeryght Idolatry Thus you And having breathed a while you say The truth is you may call uppon a Saint without any danger of Idolatry if he be in such a distance whence intelligent creatures may without Miracle Heare one another Which words destroy your former assertion being contradictory to it The truth is if I may conjecture when you advanced the first Proposition your Imaginative faculty had beene over heated with your forgoing discourse soe represented things amisse But before you writ the following part it had time to coole returne to a rationall temper then the Truth as it is appeared that Action which before seemed Idolatry was knowne to be Innocent Thus you condemne absolve us according as you are disposed We are sure God hath more constant measures to Judge by which is our Comfort I will leave you to reconcile your disagreeing thoughts take what you grant viz. that it is not Idolatry to pray to Saints provided they be not out of hearing Moreover you say p. 80. It is not Idolatry to pray to your freinds by letters at what distance soever Soe it is no Idolatry by setter to pray to one in the other hemisphere Nay you grant the same to a Saint in Heaven if we have Expresses to carry our letters Which are your owne words Soe that S. Paul in desiring the Romans to pray for him had beene guilty of Idolatry had he not found an Expresse Phebe to carry his letter the Prayers of Papists to Saints are Idolatry because they have no Expresses for Heaven Rare discourse But seeing the distance of the Saint from us is the thing which makes Prayer to him Idolatry shew your skill in Metaphysick teach us what that distance is In which Scripture fathers as well as Divines are silent Is it a Bow's-shoote a league ten leagues A Diameter of the Earth the latitude of the whole world The reason of my doubt is because Bodys have certainly a more narrow Sphere of Activity then Spirits yet it is not easy to determine the Sphere of Activity of one of our senses Seing which discovers stars in the firmament at an unconceavable distance And were there other luminous bodys ten times more remote with a bignesse proportionably greater a more vivid lyght our Eyes would discerne them Soe it is not the distance alone which hinders our discovering some objects but it is ether their obscurity or their position out of a streyght Line or their framing too little an Angle in the Retina or the bad disposition of the eye it self You see Sir it is no easy matter to determine the Sphere of Activity of one of our corporall senses who will then presume to determine that of a Spirituall creature which is much more unlimited as drawing neerer to the Divine Being which is unlimited in all kinds now unlesse you can resolve this doubt moreover shew us at what distance the Saints are from us your charge of Idolatry will fall to the ground because you cannot convince that the Saints we pray to be out of hearing Whilest you study an answer to this unanswerable doubt I will teach you what I learne out of Scripture that the Saints doe know in Heaven what passes on Earth For luke 15.7 our Saviour says Ioy shall be in Heaven over one sinner that repenteth That Repentance is then knowne in Heaven for there can be no Joy for things unknowne And if this why not other things Are there setled some Expresses to carry tidings of the Repentance of a sinner not of the Prayers of the virtuous Againe Abraham knew what had past in the times of the rich man Lazarus that one had received good things the other evill things Luke 16.25 The rich man saw Lazarus Lazarus saw him they saw their different conditions of blisse misery they could speake to one another Soe souls in Limbo Patrum as we say or as you say Saints in Heaven Damned souls in Hell see know converse with one another The rich man knew he had in the world five brethren whose wicked life would bring them to the Torments he endured if they did not amend it Abraham knew the same that they had Moyses the Prophets How can all this stand with that darke Ignorance of things of this world in which you fancy the deceased souls to live even in Heaven Produce your doughty arguments against Christ himself say it is impossible the glutton should see Lazarus or speake to Abraham or Abraham reply Alleadge Distance the danger of Idolatry what else you please For all these things ether prove nothing against us or convince our Saviour's words to be improper or worse Unlesse unto your other inventions you adde that of Expresses setled betwixt Hell Abraham's bosome As for the meanes by which the souls know what passes here it is not materiall whither it be by the mediation of Angels or Revelation or seing things in the Divine Essence as in a voluntary looking glasse or by the force of their understanding which having no dependance onsenses can reach to all places or by severall or all these together or by any other way unknowne to us Each hath severall good Authors none is impossible or improbable But the thing is not worth the while to examin it belonging to Metaphysick not to Divinity much lesse to Faith Yet it is considerable that Divines
Prov. 8.15 Rom. 13.1 1. Pet. 2.13 Yet it partakes something of the other Excellency because God used the wills of men to establish it This worship stops not in the person of the Monarck but spreades from him to all employed by him 1. Pet. 2.13 even to the meanest proportionably to the authority communicated to them This worship we call Civill that of supernaturall things is called Religious that of naturall may be called Merall God containing within himself all Perfecfections which can move esteeme in amost Eminent degree being the fountaine of all naturall Goodnesse all supernaturall gifts the supreame Lord of all Creatures King even of Kings is the Prime object of worship of Adoration of Prayse of all Creatures in all kinds The splendor of the Sun is darknesse the riches of the Earth Poverty the wisedome of the wisest folly the power of the Myghty weakenesse the Majesty of Kings contemptible the Justice of the Ryghteous as filthy rags quasi pannus menstruatae Isa 64.6 if compared with the Lyght Riches wisdome Power Majesty Justice of God The Islands compared to his greatnesse are like dust the whole world a drop of a Bucket gutta situlae Isa 40.15 All creatures are as if they had no being when set before that Essentiall Being Esse per Essentiam Hence no Prayse no Honour can equall him Quantum potes tantum aude quia major omni laude neclaudare sufficis This is an undeniable truth which yet is abused to establish two pernitious Errours For hence Protestans deny that any Religious cult is due Saints our later sectaryes their brethren refuse all Civill worship to Magistrates Both alleadge that saying Soli Deo to God alone Honour Glory not minding that the same Apostle Rome 13.7 commands us to render to all their due Honour to whome honour S. Peter teaches us first to feare God next to Honour the King 1. Pet. 2.17 which places may stop the mouths of sectarys shewing an honour due to Kings it may likewise open the eyes of Protestants shewing an esteeme due to supernaturall gifts Nay their owne practice convinces their errour seing they shew some more respect to the Bible then to a Romance to a Church then to an Alehouse to a Saint then to a theife to S. Paul then to Iudas And call this respect as you please we call it Religious the dispute about that name will be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In which we have the advantage because our worship of Saints ends not in them but in God who is admirable in them as all Civill worship ends not in the subordinate officers of state but in Kings for whose sake alone others are respected obeyed Supposing then some Honour due to Saints as they partake of God's goodnesse we shall find ground enough for the like greater in the Mother of God The Angel called her full of Grace Luke 1.21 she was sayd to blest amongst all women ibid. v. 42. she by divine inspiration foresaw she should be called Blessed by all Generations by reason of the manifold gifts of the H. Ghest No doubt but that Grace with which the Angel found her was much encreased by a perpetuall practice of vertu Her Humility in stiling her self the hand may de of God when she was called to be his mother was of soe greate merit that its quantity without temerity cannot be determined It is her singular prerogative to be the mother of God Her fullnesse of Grace raysed her above all men this rayses her above all Saints and Angels none being soe related to God Wherefore a greater honour is due to her then to them Wherefore there is an honour due to Saints to the mother of God to God which being different are exprest by different words that of Saints we call Douleia that of ouw B. Lady Hyperdouleia that of God Latreia The moderne reformers dislike these words for their Etymologye but their doubt is not worth the answering seing use custome gives or changes the signification of words But say you pag 101. She is called a Goddesse Ans it may be as God is sayd psal 82.1 to Iudge the Gods And againe I have sayd you are Gods Now if he called them Gods to whome the word of God Came John 10.35 why not our B. Lady in alike sense to whome the tru eternall word came dwelt in her This you wil say is only a metaphorical Divinity I say so too I anathematize any who shall say she is a Goddesse properly But the ground of this calumny is very childish because forsooth she is called Diva which title every Grammarian knows to be given to all Saints used promiscuously with Beata or Sancta In the Civill Law you may find it given promiscuously to all Emperours even Pagans whome no Christian ever thought to be Gods Pag. 142. We keepe say you holy days to her Honour a thing due only to God Ans we doe So. And you keepe Holy-days to the honour of the Apostles why this if Holy-days be due only to God your sword is never moved but to your prejudice it never strikes at us but through your owne sides CHAP. VII Satisfactions Indulgences IN your 9. Chapter you declame against the treasure of the Roman Church in your 10. against Indulgences Which having greate affinity I will treate them together I will begin with an explication of the doctrine which the Church oblidges her children to beleive as for other points as she doth soe will I leave their discussion to Divines whose opinions they are rather then Doctrine of Faith And that my Explication of Faith in these points may be more authenticall I will deliver it in the words of a worthy Prelate the Bishop of Condom Preceptor to the Dolphin publisht lately in our language It is not only Iust but beneficiall unto us says he that God forgiving us the sin remitting us the eternall punishment we have incurred should impose some temporall penalty to retaine us within our dutyes least being delivered too soone from the bonds of his Iustice we should abādonour selves unto a temerarious Considence abusing the facility of his Indulgence It is therefore in order to our discharging that obligation that we are subjected to some workes of Pennance which we are bound to performe in the Spirit of Humility Repentance the necessity of these satisfactory workes was the motive that induced the Primitive Church to impose uppon Penitents those Pennances called Canonicall See that when the Church inflicts uppon sinners Painfull laborious injunctions they undertake them with Humility that act we call satisfaction when ether in regard of the Zeale fervour of the Penitent or other good work performed which the Church hath prescribed she releaseth some part of the Pennance which was Owing this remission is called Indulgence The Council of Trent proposeth no more to our Faith in the