men take direct courses that the common-People should never vnderstand what they or themselues were doing for their Masses and publick services all was done in an vnknown language to the People and for their ordinare Prayers they inioyned for the most part to say them in Latine though they vnderstood not the same Indeed heere in Scotland because such proceeding hath giuen distaste to sundrie by appearance libertie is giuen to those who please to haue them in the vulgare language else where J haue not seene this so ordinarly practised Next by all meanes they laboured that the common-People either had not the Bible in their vulgare language or else that they red it not or if any read it that they should not presume to take any part of it in any sense contrare to the doctrine and practise of the Roman Church but instead thereof J saw they filled their heads and hands with Jmages and Beads Agnus Deis meddals and reliques and bookes of Prayer to this Saint and to that Saint and the office of our Lady as they call the Virgine Mary and the legends of such and such miracles done by Saints departed as they alledge Such stuffe as these a man trauelling will finde in mens houses but seldome or neuer the Bible and oftner mention will he heare of the Virgine Mary than of our Lord and Sauiour and the fairest Churches and Chappels you shall finde dedicate to the Virgine Mary and to Saint Peter and Saint Paul others some hee some shee Saints to whose Chapells and Churches you shall finde dayly numbers going in Pilgrimage or visitation and offering their offerings and Prayers before such an Altar to one Saint to keepe them from the Pest to another to keepe them from the Ague to this Saint for their Kyne to that Saint for their Horses in such varietie as I cannot number for there are particulare Saintes for all diseases whom to at seuerall times by Prayers and offerings ordinarly they haue their recourse to bee helped Yet I thought all well thinking the Romish Church could not erre At Rome it selfe I remarked a Church whose Patrone if I remember is commonly called in vulgare speach Saint Aloy and hath power as they say to heale Horses or keep them from their diseases To this Church once in the yeere all the Horses of Rome the Popes horses and Cardinals Counsellours and Citizens horses are brought and when they come to the Fount where the holy water stands I saw one of the Priests sprinkle holy water on the horse forehead and another Priest receiue the offering that vseth to be giuen at that time by which meanes that Church and all these that waite vpon it are vpholden and thus it is done in other places and for seuerall diseases of men and beastes All this J approued supposing the Church of Rome could not erre Neither doe I speake these things without pittie of the estate of the poore Soules so abused for J my selfe who had seene better thinges and should haue had better vnderstanding as a scholler by tying my selfe without further warrand to beleeue as the Church beleeues and beleeuing the Church of Rome could not erre for that time allowed or forced my minde to allow of all these abominable Idolatries and multitude of false Gods and was as busie to pray to all the Saints as any man and said my Prayers Pater noster Ave Marie and Confiteor vpon my beids as carefully as the most ignorant old Wife among them J keeped constantly the Matines and Vespers and Salute said the office of the dead my long letanies and my 〈◊〉 I approued their making of holy water consecrating of meddals beads Agnus Deis c. Also that there was some divine vertue in making the signe of the Crosse before my breast for expelling the Deuill for the time from me I beleeued I was as cleane as glasse when the Priest did shrive and absolve mee I haue come with others to meete a procession of sundrie sorts of Church men carying a consecrated hostie which they did relate was Christ himselfe carried throughout the streetes J haue fallen downe before it worshiped and adored it with many others supposing it was Christ bodilie present when I was present at Masse I did the same vpon the same presumption J beheld the bread of the hostie before it was consecrate as they call it I beheld it when it was consecrated and when it was lifted vp I saw bread as clearly as J saw the Priests hand that held it vp J opened my mouth and the Priest put it in my mouth I saw btead with my eyes I smelled it J felt it I tasted and discerned it as sensiblie as ever I did bread in my life yet I beleeued that it was not bread but Iesus Christ corporally present put in my mouth and going downe my bellie though all senses which God hath euer made the faithfull witnesses of all miraculous changes whereof we read in Scripture did testifie the contrare I gaue them all the lye because I beleeued as the Church beleeued and belieued that the Church of Rome could not erre Thus I who would not beleeue the Trueth was giuen ouer to such fearefull superstition and strong delusion that J might beleeue lyes CHAP. 4. No end in erring except the Lord reclaime THese things were common to mee and all others of the Romish Religion but J went yet further than the common course and was yet more besotted by this delusion for I haue beene clark to the masse helped the Preist to the saying of it lifting the masse Booke now from the right hand to the left now from the left to the right backe againe Now kneeling now standing now bowing and bending the body now knocking on my breast now making the signe of the crosse at the eleuation I haue born vp the Priests taile with the one hand hauing a burning torch in the other hand sometimes giuing him Wine and water in a Chalice sometimes one thing sometimes another as such like service did require I entred my self yet further in their snare and became one of the sodalitie of our Lady This sodalitie tyes none to any Ecclesiasticall order for therein with their approbation all Rankes of Persons may be so they use their particular devotion to our Lady which is an ordour wherein especiallie all devout students in Colledges by a solemne oath and invocation of the Virgine Mary are tyed to vse speciall deuotion all their dayes to her and to defend her name where euer they come and to depend vpon her as their Lady Patronesse and lady aduocate with God for them O fearefull Idolatrie and yet I swalowed it then beleeuing as the Church beleeued and that she could not erre and obeying as diuine truth what their Church commanded Last of all J was in tearmes with the Iesuits to haue rendred my self of that order and to haue taken on their threefold vow the third whereof which is of a blind
no fewer than these that were enioyned For they teach that in baptism our sins are forgiuen vs by the merits and satisfaction of Christ allanerly but the sins committed after baptisme be taken away and expiat by our own satisfactions but the Apostle sayth That as the wage sin is death so the gift of God is life eternall throgh Iesus Christ Rom. 6. 23. our Lord. Heauen then is Gods free gift through Christ and not our deseruing Neither can it be considered how Christs obedience is properly a satisfaction and yet either requireth or admitteth our satisfaction Besids their owne extravagant fayth that one drop of Christs blood is sufficient to saue the whole World what necessitie or place then is for our satisfaction in our Saluation They will not receaue the Kingdom of Heaven after this manner but as a iust debt to the which God of justice is bund and obliged to them not only for the merits of Christ but also for the merits of their owne works which hath an equal worth answerable to the Kingdome of Heauen J passe by here their selling of Masses their baptising of Bells baptism being a Sacrament of the new couenant only and no wayes belonging to senslesse creaturs their scrotching fire of Purgatory as hot as hell wherein the Souls of the godly dying in the Lord are tortured before they come to Heauen till such time as the punishment due to their veniall sin in that continuall torture bee ended And yet the Scritpure tels vs Blessed are the dead that Revel 14 13. die in the Lord for so sayeth the Sprit they rest from their labours and their works follow them Fearefull should their rest bee if dieing in the Lord with some little thing vnsatisfied as they affirme they shuld be cast in the torture as hot as hells fire And heere is to be obserued the mercilesse dealing of their father the Pope who hauing power to relieue soules when he pleases yet suffers many thousands to be tortured there still till he or his receaue money for their deliuerance And thus much shortly for the third part whereof I promised to speake CHAP. 16. The cunning dealing of Romish Emissaries in seducing and disputing NOw being forced here to acknowledge the foresaid false grounds of the Romish Religion which in my miscarying J laide downe as true to haue beene the beginning of all this mischiefe and hauing my mind ouercharged with the filthinesse and loathsomnes thereof to testifie the vnfained forsaking of them all the filthynes of their superstition J must add some things by way of conclusion for the loue I carry to my Country the trueth of that Religion which is allowed of God albeit J know it will incense sundry against mee I would aduertise young Schollers and others whether at home or abroad to bee warre of the Jesuite his cunning dealing with other their Emissaries such as are seminarie Priests Friers c. whether hee come directly to seduce you or come occasionally to disput with you If hee haue a purpose to seduce you hee will first make choyse of some catholicke of your acquaintance who hath best credite of you and most respected by you him he will instruct how to handle you and will put his owne speaches and arguments in his mouth if you hearken giue eare and make hopes you may bee theirs an offer will bee made to you to speak with a Father or learned man and so you and and he shall come to conference If hee can not finde a fit person to deale with you then hee will come openly to you if he be where he may professe himselfe if not he will come vnder the habite of a Gentleman or burgesse of a Towne or Countryman as best fits his purpose as it were by occasion falling in your company will talke of any purpose till hee take you vp and as he hath time to stay or to bee with you so will he worke ordinarily hee will blame all our professours for few good works and open euill liues of the great many this at once he will turne vpon the Religion But stumble not you for this for the Religion of the Jewes was good when the Prophet complaines that Faith and trueth was Psal 12. departed from the children of men The Lords word which is our Religion condemnes the sins of professours more than they can condemne the same They will obiect the liues of Ministers what they please to speak of them and they haue in readinesse some examples and instances in print or writ or in their memorie but stumble not you at this for they doe injurie to the Ministers when they blame all for the fault of some and again they doe iniury to Gods word when they prease to blame the trueth for the teachers fault One of the twelue Apostles was a Devill what was the Apostles or the Apostleship the worse and yet when all is said if their closters were as open as Ministers conversation they should mak litle talke in this poynt They will tell thee of the ignorance and want of Learning among Ministers be not you troubled for this they are learned enough that know Iesus Christ rightly and can teach him soundly learning is not the glory of our Religion but trueth and yet thogh I somtime thoght so and said so as they doe yet I found it otherwise when I mette with the Ministers Yocke with the Ministers when they will so farre as J know they will ruse themself litle for the want of learning They will obiect they haue no warrandable calling but vrge you them to iustifie the calling of their chiefe pillars Popes Cardinals and Prelates whose office and entrie in their office God neuer ordained in his worde Ministers calling goes not by succession but by election Their office is prescrived in the word their entrie and qualification Let euery one justifie as he is challanged so much as may bee seene of men is alwayes nearer the rule of the Apostles than any of their calling They will obiect the noveltie of this Religion and will aske for succession of Pastours in our Church But answer you that they slander you vniustly for novelty whose doctrin was taught by Christ and his Apostles and recommended to after ages Where the Catholick Church and true sheep of Christ vvho heard his voyce and fled sequestrating themselues from strangers were there was our Church particular professours names is no poynt of saluation What manamong ten thousand can shew his naturall pedegree from the seventh generation shal a man be questioned of the trueth of his humanity if he cannot deduce his genealogie from Adam or Noah Albeit the Protestants can bee able to show continuance of their doctrine by the lyne and catalogue of the witnesses the truth through all ages from Christs vnto our time If this obiection were of any worth wee might use it against their Church and they could not deduce from Christ or the Apostles
time or a long time after any that euer heard of a number of the Articles of their Faith But this is one of their shiftes to dispute about genealogies and generalities lest comming to particulars the strength of our cause and weaknesse of theirs should appeare They will obiect Luther and Calvine and our first reformers were Papists first But it makes not to vs wee belieue not any poynt of Religion upon their worde but what wee finde aggrieing with Scripture Againe Paul was not the worse Apostle that sometime hee was a Pharisee but their Religion is so much the worse as such men and many after them behooued to quite it or lose their Soules They will obiect diuersities of opinions and diuisions and schismes but answere you that there were divisions in the Churchs of Corinth Galatia and other Apostolicke Churches and yet they were not the lesse true Churches let euery Church answere for her selfe whether shee keepe vnitie with Christ and his Apostles in her doctrine for vnitie without trueth is but conspiracie in errour It is a whorish impudencie to obiect vncleannes to a chast Matron they might remember Christs aduertisment Hypocrite cast out the beame of thy owne eye first or the Poets admonition Loripedem rectus derideat For beside the bloody schismes of their Popes and the irreconciliable diuisions of their Doctours the Jesuites and Dominicans at this day do iarre so hotly concerning grace and frie wil that their Pope darre not determine the question for feare he lose one of the parties Jf they finde you ignorant they will cause you belieue that your Ministers teaches such and such heresies as that they are enemies to good works enemies to the Virgine Mary and to the Saintes that they giue libertie to sinne and makes God the author of it that such a writer on our Religion hath such a blasphemous errour in such a book and another writer another blasphemie in another booke Luther sayes this and Caluine sayes that and a thousand slanders suchlike To bee short their whole wits they will imploy to brangle you in some generall that they may haue you at an vantage brought ouer to their grounds whereof they will make great show and ostentation or if they condescend vpon a particular and finde you therin weak they will shoote at all But if yee keepe the loue of the Scriptures the Lord shall mak you to stand Great peace haue they who Psal 119. 165. loue thy Law and nothing shall offend them As for their disputs they will make great boast and brag if they see not a learned partie if they finde a learned partie they will take them to discourse if they may if they must disput they will keepe the former method that is stick vpon generalls about the visibilitie of a Church and notes as they say thereof whether the true Church can erre and will hold off whether Rome can erre as long as they can they wil make shew to quot councils and Fathers not because that they can obtaine the victory by them but because the books are rare and few are acquaint with them to know whether they say right or wrong they wil avow forged distinctions when they are prest and flee to philosophick tearms not becaus such refuges wil saue them but because by this meanes they blovv mist in their eyes that cannot follovv them to their lurking holes vvhen their cause is vveakest then they grovv boldest and vvill set a brovv vpon their part that their countenance may giue vveight to their vvatter-vversh argument or ansvvers vvhen they are like to succumb they will cry lovvdest and cast in a nevv subiect to disput on yee will not put them to silence albeit they knovv they are ouercome For what by shifts what by subtilities what by circumventions what by apparent verities they can colour their cause though neuer so bad It vvere an endles labour to shovv all their courses impossible these may suffice to giue aduertisement to you who may bee in danger that you acquaint you with the grounds of your owne Religion and diligently read the Scriptures that you bee not rash to vndertake a disput concerning Religion and leane not much to your owne or others disputation for in a disput yee will get the two disputers wits tried and acquaintance with their owne grounds which they defend but yee will not so try Religion it is the studieing of all the grounds thereof and trying them by the Scripture must make you sure when Gods glory or others edification requires that you disput doe it advisedly for they haue their set arguments and their writen disputs carrying about with them set the state of the question right limite thy argument to be brought on either side to Scripture or reasons deduced therefrom not because thou needst to feare any councils and fathers but partly because fathers and councills are but human testimonies partlie because if you goe from the Scriptures ye goe to the long Sands and the disput will not end shortlie and so hee escapes and his errour is not convinced and the auditours is left suspense This much may serue for a generall aduertisment Now for my part pray for mee that God may show more and more mercie on mee J know many a bitter hard word will be spoken against me J deserue them all not for my departing from them but for my first revolting in my ignorant youthead from this Religion whereinto I am now brought home by Gods mercie his name be glorified for euer And the Lord make known this his trueth to the World vvho knovves it not and no doubt multituds shal come vnto the Lord this Religion vvhich is grounded on his trueth as Doves flocking to their vvindovves Lord doe it for Christs sake All glorie bee giuen to God through Christ Yours in Christ Mr PATRIK CRAVFURD FINIS Faultes escaped in the Printing Pag. 10 for Chap 5 read Chap 4. Page 47 line 8 for justification read regeneration Page 5â— line 1. at the beginning read Suarez The changes of letters or transposing of vvords the courteous reader vvill tolerate