which was that to eat meat with unwasht bands made the meat unclean and the eater two tells them that not that which goeth into the mouth defileth c. This I say was onely to rebuke that foollish errour of theirs for he could not mean it absolutly otherwise they that in the Apostles time should have eaten meats offered to Idolls things strangled or blood or poyson willingly and knowingly should not have been defiled but so we know they were Over and above let it be granted that all meat whatsoever which enters the mouth passeth into the belly and is cast out into the draught does not defile a man Yet when a man shall against the commandment of God and his Church or the custome and Tradition of it or against his own vow or with the scandall of his neighbour take any meat whatsoever it does and must of necessity defile him for this proceeds out of an evil and malicious heart that is from a plain contempt of God and his Church in so slighting their precepts Thus if the Rechabites had drunk wine though in it self good they had defiled themselves because it was against the comand of their father And it is plain that God approves their abstinence for that very reason and pronounceth a blessing to the whole family for being obedient to the precepts of Jonadab their fatherâ— In the like manner the Angel Gabriel foretold of John the Baptist Luke 1. Mat. 3. Mark 1. Luke 3. that he should neither drink wine nor any strong drink and that his fool should be Locusts and wilde hony Now I would aske the question whether if the Baptist had transgrest that rule he had offended or not but enough of this To the second I say the Apostle in those words that you so much insist upon means onely that he would not have such a judiciall observance continued amongst Christians as to hold some meats absolutly unlawfull and perpetually forbiden as swines flesh excepting onely what was decreed against in the Councell of the Apostles Acts â— But the Church of Christ beleives every creature of God to bee good though for a while and to mortify the old mans he commands an abstinence from some Again the Apostle speaks not heer at all of fasting or mortification of the flesh but because certain heretickes there were that held some creature to proceed from an evil principle the Apostle goes about to beat down that opinion and tells them 1 Tim. 4. that every creature of God is good to be received with thanks giving and that is our religion though we hold not that every good thing is good at all times and seasons nor does the Apostle heer command it should be so To the Third You are to understand that by the old law some creatures were unclean but that Typically and by signification onely though the Jews were so sottish as to beleive that they were so in their one nature This errour the Apostle goes about to destroy saying to the faithfull all things are pure and so by consequence to be eaten in their seasons but that it is not lawfull to abstein from a sort of lawfull meat for a certain time is a wonder to me how you could draw into that Apostles sence who was himself as he says so often in fastings and some of the fathers as I have read in story never drank wine or eat flesh in all their lives To the Fourth I answer in the like manner that the holy Apostle would not have his Collosstans nor any other faithfull Christians judged about meat and drink and holy days after the old Jewish fashion and not a word of fasting there To the fifth I shall freely grant to you that it is by the spirit that we are to mortify the deeds of the flesh but I must tell you again that the spirit receives strength from the weakening of the flesh and crusifying of it with fasting as the Apostle himself whom you urge explains it to the Gallatians Gal. 5.23.24 when he first tells them that Temperance is the fruit of the spirit and after assures them that they who are Christs have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts c. but above all I pray you observe what he says to the Corinthians 1 Cor. 9.25 26 27. And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things c. I therefore so run not as uncertainly so fight I not as one that beateth the aire but I keep under my body and bring it into subjection least that by any means when I have preached to others I my self should be a cast away Thus it is plain that S. Paul thought that he advanced the vigour of his spirit by his subjugation of his flesh To the sixth and Last As for your pretence of Christian liberty I have shewed you plainly before that it pertains not a jot to this purpose As for what you say that Jesus Christ himself never made any distinction of meats nor commanded any such thing I grant it for he employed himself whilst he was on earth in matters of greater moment to our Salvation and left those things which were to expedite and promote our way to heaven to the direction and government of his holy Spirit that was to animate his whole Church Besides though our Saviour says nothing of destinction of meats he does not withstanding much of fasting and to give us example did most miraculously practise it in his own person so now I presume you will give me leave to prove my part And first I prove that the Church does lawfully forbid certain meats for certain times by express Scriptures thus First the Apostles themselves being assembled in counsel laid an injunction upon all Christians Solemnly so to do in these words For it seemed good unto the holy Ghost and to us c. Acts 15.28 29. that ye abstein from meats offered unto Idolls and from blood and from things strangled c. S. Rom. 14.20 21. Paul declares freely to the Romanes that we ought not for matter of meat destroy the worke of God all things indeed are pure but it is evil for that man who cateth with offence it is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine nor any thing whereby thy Brother stumbleth or is offended or is made weak c. heer is a perfect abstinence commanded for certain times and particular reasons Again he says to the Corinthians that meat commendeth us not to God for noither if we eat are we the better neither if we eat not are we the worse c. and then concludes wherefore if meat make my Brother to offend I will eat no flesh whilest the world standeth least I make my Brother to offend heer again is abstinence for certain time and certain reasons Then that such an abstinence is acceptable to God see the express words of the Prophet Daniel speaking of himself Dan. 10.2.3 I Daniel was mourning
civil conversation which heavenly content if your Ladyship would once please to give us we should all think our selves arrived at a blessedness beyond any people in the earth Lady M. O Mrs. N. I do very much acknowledge my self indebted to you and all my good neighbours here for your great respects towards me and I 'le assure you I shall be always willing to impart my estate amongst them for their worldly advantages but much more for their souls good aod that we may be all again reduced into one I mean that old blessed communion which was not full two ages since apparently perfect amongst us all here but since our breaches now are grown so great and that happiness without an extraordinary miracle is not to be restored to us you must give me leave to keep my own soul to God and his Church for my Faith which you are pleased to call so odious and Idolatrous words that I must confess I little expected to hear fall from you is built upon such a foundation as can never fail no not though heaven and earth should or an Angel from heaven should preach another doctrine as the Apostle forewarns us Mrs. N. Deer madame in consideration of the integrity of my heart towards you I hope your Ladiships goodness will pardon that rudeness of any words that may fall from me But sure sweet madame there can be no such foundation as you speak of unless in the undoubted word of God which you have most cleerly and intirely against you in all particulars and therefore your Church does all it can to blind you by keeping that from you so leading you on still in errours by an implicite faith in its doctrines which are meer humane inventions Lady M. Indeed Mrs. N. you are very much mistaken in the whole drift of your discourse and that I conceive occasioned by the continual slanders thrown upon us both from your Prints and Pulpits For our Church hinders none from reading the Scripture that can satisfie their Pastors that they have a temper fit for it and humility enough to resign up their faith to mysteries that wil not make such use of it as most of you do by giving of your own shallow interpretations to it and opposing your single sence against the current of the Church As for my part I have a liberty asmuch as I would desire to read the holy Scripture and am I thank God conversant in it both day night I do likewise finde unexpressible comfort by it and a confirmation of my faith every day more and more Mrs. N. Why then it seems your Ladiship reads it with strange prejudice and partiality for other wise it were impossible but you should find the grossness of those errours that are delivered to you for matters of faith if you shall please good madame to give me leave I will be bold to offer some collections of my own out of Scripture to save your Ladiship a further trouble in the search as I shall from time to time have occasion to wait upon you so I shall communicate them to your Ladiship and make that the whole business of our future discourse till we shall be otherwise satisfied and I 'le promise you my husband shal not be knowing to it Lady M. Mrs. N. I do most willingly accept your offer but care not much whether your husband be assistant to you or not in the mater for I am sure it s not in the power of men or devils to change the word of God however they may pervert the sence of it for a time and so possess the souls of their unhappy disciples Mrs. N. Well then madame I shall be bold to wait on you again within these few days and shew you some Scriptures that shall quite overthrow your so much fancied foundation and I hope by consequence bring your Ladyship into our Religion Lady M. I pray you do sweet Mrs. N. and I shall promise onely this that you shall finde my reason not at all refractory to any thing and we will manage this controversie as you say by our selves and as women in labour use to do never cry out for the help of man till we shall be highly enforced Mrs. N. Indeed Madame I doubt not but you will finde the business so clear that we shall never need to come to that So the combate being mutually imbraced on both sides with very great kindness they at that time parted some days after Mrs. N. came again to visit my Lady and brought her weapons with her and so began again to accost her Madame the greatest things indifference as I humbly conceive between us is about that which is indeed the greatest concernment of our salvation the most holy Sacrament of our Lords Supper wherein your Church hath brought so many visible and palpable abuses and against known Scripture that when your Ladyship shall be once satisfied in those I hope we shall not need to proceed much further I have here reduced those abuses into four heads as first your doctrine of Transubstantiation and affirming your Eucharist to be the very body of Christ Secondly your giving half the Sacrament to the people and depriving them of the Cup. Thirdly making your Mass a sacrifice and Lastly for saying your Mass in Latine and not in English or other mother tongues and to all these particulars I have brought you as I conceive such apposite Texts and here in order set down in this paper that I doubt not will give your Ladyship just reason to suspect the frauds and gross collusions of your Church in all things else Lady M. Well deer Mrs. N. I thank you heartily for this favour and I promise you faithfully that I will very carefully and impartially examine this paper which if upon a just consideration I shall not be able to answer I will then very fairly and honestly declare my submission to it within three or four days I will by Gods help repay your kinde visit and bring you the best satisfaction I shall be able to do and so I pray God to enlighten us both to see his faith and truth so for the present they parted and the Lady fell to the perusual of the paper that Mrs. N. had left with her which was to this effect as followeth That the very body of Christ is neither in or under the Eucharist or Sacrament of the Lords Supper is apparant by these few texts taken out of and reasons deduced from Scripture Our Saviour Christ himself saith Matth. 29. For ye have the poor always with you Mat. 26.11 but me ye have not always Now if he were as you believe you have him in the Eucharist we should have him always He saith again John 6. It is the Spirit that quickneth John 6.63 the flesh profiteth nothing if therefore the flesh profiteth nothing what need is there of that great contention you make to have it in the Eucharist We have it frequently
in the way with him least at any time the adversary deliver thee to the Judge and the Judge deliver thee to the officer and thou be cast into Prison verily I say unto thee thou shalt by no means come out thence till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing This prison our Saviour speaks of has been always received by the Church for Purgatory Again our Saviour says in S. Mat. 12.32 Matthews Gospel that whosoever speaketh against the holy Ghost it shall not be forgiven him neither in this world nor in the world to come By which it is manifest that some sins are to be purged and forgiven in the next world S. Paul is likewise very plain in this in his Epistle to the Philippians Phil. 2.10 wherein he tells them that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth Here are cleerly three sorts of persons spoken of as for those under the earth it is impossible should be meant of those in hell no the damned souls are so far from paying a reverence to the name of Jesus that they are always busie in blaspheming of it it must then of necessity be the faithful souls that are in Purgatory In the like manner we finde in the Revelation of S. Revel 5.13 John how the Apostle saw every creature which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and sea and all that are in them and heard them saying blessing hnour glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne and to the Lamb for ever and ever Now observe how the Apostle makes a threefold order of the prayers of God first of the blessed in heaven then of the righteous upon earth than of those that remain to be purged under the earth and it must be so understood for the damned in hell as I said before are so far from praysing and glorifying of God and blessing him that fits upon the Throne that their malice does wholely imploy it self in cursing and blaspheming of his divine Majesty and all the blessed souls with him Again 2 Mach. 15. Mat. 17. Mark 9. Luke 9.24 a great evidence of the truth of Purgatory and a convincing one indeed may be taken from the frequent apparitions of many departed souls to pass by those in the Machabees of Onias and Hieremias that appeared to Judas we finde that Moses and Elias did appear to Christ when he was transfigured and the disciples themselves after the resurrection of our Saviour when he appeared to them thought that they had seen a spirit which they would never have thought unless they had known that the spirits of some departed did make usual apparitions now granting such a thing as the apparition of a spirit which I take to be already proved it must follow that those souls must be reposed in some place that is not in heaven for then they would never wander here to so great a loss nor can they be in hell from whence there is no redemption Again we finde the Theif upon the Cross saying to our Saviour Lord remember me when thou comest into thy kingdom which he had never said but that he thought that Jesus Christ had a power to pardon sins after this Life S. Paul likewise was certainly of this opinion where he tells the Corrinthians thus else what shall they do which are baptized for the dead if the dead rise not at all why are they then baptized for the dead which plainly shews that it was a practised course amongst the Christians then to undertake duties and voluntary afflictions in the behalf of the dead which sure was imagined to be for their advantage and yet you think much to pray for them Now the reason of all this is very cleer for we know that a man who sins mortally may have the mortality of that sin forgiven him and consequently be freed from the guilt of eternal punishment and yet may be obnoxious to some temporal penalties which if he does not satisfie in this life he must expect to do it in the next As for example we see a King does often pardon an offender his life which he has forfeited to the Law and deserved to loose and yet he may inflict banishment or imprisonment upon the same person and this very course we finde taken by God in Scripture Num. 20 12. Deut. 32.48 2 Sam. 12.13 14. 2 Sam. 24.10 First we see the sin of unbelief forgiven by God to Moses and Aaron that is as to the eternal punishment and yet they were punisht with a temporal death Again we finde King David after he had obtained a pardon for his fins of Adultery and Murder was punisht yet with the death of his son nay after the prophet Nathan had declared that the Lord had put away his sin he should not dye yet his son must and again the same King David for his sin of pride in numbring the people was pardoned as to the eternal guilt and yet we see what a temporal punishment followed upon it and he was forced to choose one of the three Plagues for it I might be infinite in examples of the like kinde but I have something else to say to this point so must not insist too long in that particular of it We know again that a righteous man may sometimes happen to dye with a great many venial sins about him especially if he be prevented with any sudden death so cannot possibly have time enough to bethink himself much less to repent of them so must still remain obnoxious to the temporal punishment that is due to those sins certainly in such a case that person cannot be admitted into the joyes and glory of heaven till he be freed from those venial sins and the guilt of that temporal punishment that is due for them So we finde in the Revelation that there shall in no wise enter into it Rev. 21.27 any thing that defileth neither whatsoever worketh abomination or maketh a lye c. now such a person is possible to be and we may very well suppose it that he cannot be freed in this life therefore after it it must be nor can this be in Heaven or in Hell therefore it must be in Purgatory Over and above all this the undeniable practise of the Church in praying for the dead is a most invincible argument for Purgatory and no man can deny but that custome is much ancienter than Christianity and has continued ever since That it was ancienter then Christianity we finde in the Machabees which book though you shut out of the Cannon of holy Scripture with as much reason as you do other things yet you allow it more credit than any ordinary Author 2 Mach. 12.43 44 45. how then should it fail so grossy as to make a lye in matter of fact as well as matter of faith We are told there of a sacrifice offered for the