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A63618 A letter of enquiry to the reverend fathers of the Society of Jesus written in the person of a dissatisfied Roman Catholick. Taylor, James, fl. 1687-1689. 1689 (1689) Wing T284; ESTC R10414 40,744 50

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not both a good sign as well as a mighty credit and advantage for the Reformation that its Defenders are never charg'd by us with alledging and quoting false and counterfeit Authors but can maintain their Cause against us by true and genuine Authors and Writings Is not this a plain Confession that either our Writers of Controversie are grosly ignorant and know not which are genuine and which are counterfeit Authors or very dishonest if they do know them and yet use them and impose them upon the World and that the points in difference cannot otherwise on our side be defended Query XI Whether the Pope's pretensions to Infallibility and Supremacy instead of being a means to obtain and preserve Vnity is not one of the greatest Impediments and Obstacles that ever stood in the way of the Peace and Vnity of the Catholick Church And also are not these pretensions of the Pope the true Root and Cause of all the Schrisms Wars Bloudy Massacres acted by our people upon the poor Protestants and the Miseries and Confusions that have been in the Church and State in this and other Countries for these many hundred years And whether according to all humane and rational Probability we might not far sooner hope to see Vnity and Concord Peace and Love in the Church Vniversal and between one National Church and one Christian man and another if this great Block of Offence were remov'd And in a word Whether there can be any rational hopes of Vnity or Peace either in Church or State till the Court of Rome is destroy'd and the Pope reduced both to the Name and Condition of a Primitive Bishop of Rome But Reverend Fathers I am come to the intended limits and a conclusion of my Letter before I have near finish'd my Enquiries For a multitude of other troublesome Thoughts Doubts and Scruples in very important matters crowd in upon me and press for room here But I must bear with their company till a fairer occasion It may be they shall be the subject of a Second Letter of Enquiry But I humbly beg you to give me a speedy Answer to this For pray consider how uneasie 't is to dwell with a dissatisfied Conscience Besides I must needs tell you that since your great Prudence has thought it for the advantage of our Church and Cause which nevertheless some wise men wonder how you could to publish in the Vulgar Tongue our Canons c. and the Catechism of the Council of Trent and that I am now convinc'd Ignorance is not such a rare and commendable Virtue nor so great a Friend to Devotion as some of you have endeavour'd to make me and others believe I say I am now resolv'd not only diligently to r●●d over these Canons c. but also our Representer's Pieces and the Answers to them and also as many as I can of other of the best esteem'd Books of Controversie writ by both Churches For I now think it both a most unjust and foolish method and course to read only the Books of the side If Judges should do so what mad Justice should we have And is our Eternal Happiness of less concern than worldly matters But to conclude I hape Reverend Fathers nothing has dropt from my Pen for which I need beg your Pardon but if there should I doubt not but your great Charity will give it the most favourable construction and excuse it Much less need I apologize that I have not writ this Letter and made my Enquiries in an exact method and order and like a Scholar and an Artist since you know I pretend to be none If I have deliver'd my Thoughts so plain and clear as to be well understood by my unlearned Brethren and that they are edify'd by them I have gain'd my ends and what I passionately desire But indeed I must needs confess that if I had had all the Qualifications of a perfect Scholar I believe I should have proceeded in the same manner For I look upon a plain and inartificial Dress the most agreeable to Truth and Honesty And as far as these permit me I am Reverend Fathers Your most Obedient Servant A. B. September the 21th and St. Matthew's day 1688.