Lutheran Church and no other my Judgment and Conscience therefore is as much constrained as that of the Papist and our Separation from Popery will come to be but an Exchange of one Slavery for another in that our Judgments and Counsciences were Slaves to the Pope and Councils in this we are Slaves to the Lutheran Church We became a Reformation by shaking off the Yoke of Popery from our Judgments and leaving them free for to believe Scripture as with the assistance of Gods Spirit each one best understands it and if we will continue a Reformation we must not submit again our Judgments to any other but retain that blessed Liberty we recovered for to believe the Tenets of any Congregation I confess this Liberty is not allowed by any one particular Congregation as you observe out you must also grant me That it 's allowed and taken by the whole Body of the Reformation for in this whole Body as it comprehends Protestants Lutherans Presbyterians c. One Congregation believes what the other denies and in any of them a Man may live with a safe Conscience which you will not deny therefore any Man has full Liberty for to believe or deny with a safe Conscience the Tenets of any Congregation Hence it follows and to my Grief I speak it that no particular Congregation be it of England France or Germany has the true Spirit of the Reformation in doting so much upon their particular Tenets as to think they cannot be as well denied as believed and in looking upon them with so passionate Eyes as to censure check and force others to believe them You shall see by this discourse that the true Spirit of the Reformation is not in any one particular Congregation separately taken from the rest for each particular Congregation constrains as much as it can all People to believe its own Tenets Protestancy would have us all to be Protestants and would root Lutherans out of the World as well as Popery Lutherans would if they could draw all to their own Net Presbytery esteems it self to be the best of all and would crush Protestancy if it could This then is the Spirit of each particular Congregation a limiting confining Spirit to some particular Tenets with an exclusion of all others but look on the whole Body of our Reformation as it includes all Reformed Congregations distinct from Popery there is a Holy extension of Spirit and Liberty for to be either Lutherans Presbyterians Protestants and any thing but Popery and whatever any Congregation may say of another but all unanimously agree that the Spirit of the Lord is in the whole Body of the Reformation since therefore that in this whole Body there is a Latitude and Liberty for to Profess divers and opposite Tenets and that each Tenet is believed by one and denied by others we must grant that this Holy Liberty for to believe or deny any Tenets we please is the true Spirit of our Holy Reformation It 's not therefore to be wish'd as you do that I should stick to any one particular Congregation or Tenet for such a restriction is meer Popery and your bemoaning the multiplicity of our Congregation is profane and Popish No it 's a blessing of the Lord upon our Reformation for which we shall never sufficiently thank him that we see it divided into so many Godly branches In the House of my Father said Christ there are many mansions John 14.2 Ismael By your discourse you seem to allow that we may with a safe Conscience change Religions as often as we please and be to day a Protestant to morrow a Lutheran next day a Presbyterian and so run over all Isaac I know you will be startl'd at my answer For I am not Ignorant that all men apprehended it to be absurd to change and run over so many Religions but truth must be declared though it may seem a scandal to the Jews and a folly to the Gentiles It s therefore the Doctrine of the Reformation that we may with a safe Conscience be to day Protestants to morrow Lutherans in France Hugonots in Hungary Antitrinitarians in Poland Socinians and in London of any Religion but Popery Ismael For shame you foully impose upon the Reformation there 's not any Congregation that teaches such a scandalous and absurd Doctrine Isaac By your favour I love the Reformation as the Apple of my Eye and will never yield to any in my Zeal for its Honour and Doctrine I am so far from imposing upon it that I will evidence your error in denying this to be its Doctrine and it will appear that whoever will deny it to be very lawful to change Religions as time and occasion requires must renounce the best and Fundamental Principles of our Reformation and must impiously condemn the practice of our first Reformers Ismael How will you make it out that this Doctrine is grounded upon the the Fundamental Principles of our Reformation whereas there is not one Congregation of ours but abhors it Isaac Sir you may well perceive by the tenor of my discourse that I am Piously and Charitably jealous with each particular Congregation and that my drift is to shew that each of them none excepted swerves from and transgresses against the true Spirit and solid Principles of the Reformation as will further appear in this discourse It 's uncontestedly true that the Rule of Faith of the Reformation is Scripture as the humble of Heart assisted with the Spirit of the Lord understand it for Lutherans will never admit their Rule of Faith to be Scripture as Interpreted by the Church of England but as Interpreted by themselves nor will England admit Scripture to be the Rule of Faith as it is Interpreted by the Presbyterians but as Interpreted by the Church of England so that the Doctrine of each Congregation is but Scripture as interpreted by them and whereas all these Congregations joyntly compose the whole Body of the Reformation and each Congregation is truly a member of the Reformation the Doctrine of the Reformation comes to be Scripture as each Congregation and Person of sound Judgment in the Reformation says the Church of England in her 39 Articles Interprets it This being an uncontrouled truth what Man of ever so sound Judgment but may Read to day Scripture as Interpreted by the Lutheran Church and Judge in his Conscience that Interpretation and Doctrine to be true consequently he may with a safe Conscience Profess that Religion Soon after he may meet Calvin's Books and charm'd with the admirable strength of his reasons and glosses upon Scripture he may Judge in his Conscience he is to be preferr'd before Luther and so may lawfully forsake Lutheranism for Calvinism then again he hits upon Scripture as Interpreted by the Church of England whose Doctrine ravishes him with that decency of Ceremonies that Majesty of her Liturgy that Harmony of her Hierarchy he is convinc'd it's better than Calvinism and embraces it Then again
by Vrbans Regius Bucer Zuinglius Melancthon Luther the Common-Prayer Book in King Edward's time Printed 1549. and many others of our Learned Doctors and what can you call more properly the Doctrine of the Reformation than what such Men teach to be the Doctrine of Scripture And though our Brethren Quakers Anabaptists Presbyterians and Protestants Judge Prayers to Angels and Saints to be nothing else but Popery yet our Common-Prayer Book has the same Collect or Prayer to Angels in St. Michael's day that the Popish Mass Book has and desires that the Angels may succour and defend us on earth and Prayers to and Intercession of Saints is taught by Luther y Bilneus and Latimer quoted by Fox and consequently it 's the Doctrine of the Reformation Ismael If all these Popish Articles may be safely believed by the Reformation and be the Doctrine of our Reformed Church as well as of Popery what difference then betwixt us and Popery or why are we call'd a Reformation of Popery or why did we separate from them Isaac I have told you already that our difference from Popery is not because we must deny what they believe for we believe as well as they the Unity and Trinity of God the Incarnation of his Son c. but in this that the Papists believe because the Pope and Church says this is true revealed Doctrine but we believe not because any Church Pope or Doctor says so but because we our selves judge by Scripture it is so for if a Papist did say I do not believe this is a revealed Truth because the Pope and Church says it is but because I find by Scripture it is he would be no Papist believe then whatever Doctrine you will either Popery Judaism Protestancy Arianism or what else you please provided you judge by Scripture it is true and that you believe it not because this or that Church Congregations or Doctors believe it but because your self judges it to be true you 'l be a true Child of the Reformation And this is the reason why we are called a Reformation and why we separated from them because they would have us take for our Rule of Faith Scripture as interpreted by them and believe not what we judge to be the Doctrine of Scripture but what they judge and this is also the Reason why Presbyterians are jealous with the Church of England why Anabaptisâ—s forsake Presbyterians why these are forsaken by Quakers because each one would have the World judge as they do and persecute and trouble one another which is quite against the Spirit of the Reformation for whereas our Rule of Faith is no Church Congregation or Man but Scripture as each one understands it it follows that by our principles every one must he permitted to believe whatever he pleases and by so doing he will be a true Child of the Reformation Ismael The Church of England nor any of our Congregations will never believe any of those Popist Tenets Isaac The time may come that they may believe them all and be still as good Reformers as now they are For if the Pope and his Church should to morrow deny and excommunicate those Tenets which now they so steadfastly believe and I hope they will some day then it would be a pious and virtuous action in all Reformed Children to believe them all as much as now they deny them And let us pretend what other reasons we please but it 's very certain that the strongest reason we can have to deny those Articles is because the Pope and his Church believes them and consequently if the Popish Church would but deny them we might and ought to believe them you will think this a Paradox but listen to our Apostolical and Divine Luther If a general Council says he did permit Priests to Marry it would be a singular marke of Piety and sign of Godliness in that case to take Concubines rather than to Marry in conformity to the Decree of the Council I would in that case command Priests not to Marry under pain of damnation And again he says If the Council should Decree Communion in both kinds in contempt of the Council I would take one only or none See these words of Luther quoted by our learned Hospinian and Jewel and see it 's not only my Doctrine but of great Luther that in case the Pope and Council deny all the Tenets they now believe we may and it will be a pious godly action to believe them and make as many Acts of Parliament for them as now we have against them But what 's the matter Methinks you become pale something troubles you speak what is it Ismael It 's the horror I conceive against your discourse my countenance cannot be in a calm when my mind is in such a storm and confusion pursue no more you said enough that I should curse the day I have ever seen you or heard that which you call Holy Liberty which is but a prostitution of Consciences a prophanation of all that is sacred and an open gap to all impiety in Doctrine and Manners But I hope the Lord has given me that profound respect and attach to our Holy Reformation that I shall not be beaten from it by all your Engines able to inspire a contempt and hatred of it to any weak Brother for who would live a moment in it if such impious Tenets such scandalous and blasphemous Doctrines were of it or were unavoidable sequels out of its Principles No no the principles of the Reformed Church are sound and Orthodox and no Doctrine can follow from them but what 's pure and true Isaac Let me tell you I have as tender a love for the Reformation as you And I will maintain the Holy Liberty I assert cannot justly be called a prostitution of Consciences for you dare not deny but this is an Orthodox and sound principle that our Rule of Faith is Scripture as each person of sound Judgment understands it that it is lawful for each person of sound Judgment to read it to give his Judgment of the true sense of it and to believe and hold that sense of it which he thinks in his Conscience to be true is there any prostitution of Consciences in this Doctrin Or is it not the Doctrin of our Reformation Ismael All this is true the prostitution of Consciences lyes not there but in the scandalous and blasphemous Tenets which you pretend that follow out of the Rule of Faith. Isaac But you wrong the Reformation in calling such Tenets blasphemies and scandals For since our Rule of Faith is Scripture as each Person of sound Judgment understands it if this Rule of Faith be good and sound if it be Religious and Holy any Doctrin that is conformable to this Rule must be good sound religious and holy this being our Rule of Faith and Manners it 's clearer than day light that all and each other Tenet
Calvin Beza or any of our own Authors if you do not meet some Comedies or Romances If you read our modern Writers you shall find their Books to be stuft with Arguments stolen from Strapleton Peron Bellarmin and other Popish Doctors whereas they ought to take their Doctrine from Luther Calvin and our other first Reformers Apostles raised by Gods Heavenly Spirit Oracles by whose Mouths and Pens he delivered the pure and Orthodox Doctrine of the Gospel Heavenly Fountains from which we ought to drink the Doctrine of the Reformation Therefore I have made a particular Study for the Comfort of my Reader not to profane this Treatise with any quotation of any Popish Writers none but our own Doctors Secondly my Reader will be pleased with this Treatise because I do not oblige him to believe the Contents of it if he mislikes any Doctrine couched in this Book let him not believe it what I pretend is to maintain his Liberty for to believe or not believe what he pleases and that none can say black is his Eye for believing whatever he judges to be the Sence of Scripture let all others think of it what they will for our Rule of Faith as I will prove being Scripture as each Person understands it who can be so bold as to check you for teaching and believing what you understand Scripture to say some Doctrines there are in this Book delivered by Luther Calvin Zuinglius Beza and others which our Church of England and some others do call Blasphemies and scandalous Tenets and their irreverence and arrogance it run so far as to condemn those Blessed Men for teaching such Tenets and say that they swerved from the Truth and had their frailties insomuch that many of us are ashamed to own those great Men to have been our Reformers and Leaders This is an impiety altogether insupportable it cannot be suffered with Patience that such Apostolical Men who were undeniably our first Masters of the Reformation should be so vilified and abused Therefore I do prove that there 's no Doctrine delivered by them but is to be esteemed and called the Doctrine of the Reformation And can be according to the Principles of the Reformed Church believed and taught by any Reformed Child For what is our Rule of Faith in the Reformation but Scripture as each Person of sound Judgment understands it Consequently what is the Doctrine of the Reformation but what any Person of sound Judgment understands to be of Scripture Whatever Doctrine therefore Luther Calvin or others judged to be of Scripture How can you deny it to be the Doctrine of the Reformation or blame them for teaching and believing it If you do not like The most you can in Justice do is not to believe it But you cannot justly say it 's not the Doctrine of the Reformation because it 's Scripture as understood by Persons of good Judgment Nor can you in Justice blame them or any other for believing it if they like it For must not we believe what we judge in our Consciences to be the Doctrine of Scripture Lastly my Reader will be pleased with the sincerity and plain dealing of this Treatise As much as we are all offended by the dissimulation and double dealing of our Modern Writers whose aim and scope in the Books they give out seem to be nothing else but to say somewhat whereby they may be thought to be no Papists and nothing is less found in their Writings than the pure and Orthodox Doctrine of the Reformation And what is to be bemoaned that you 'll hardly see in the Houses or Hands of the Flock the Works of Luther Calvin or our other first Reformers they are hid from us to keep us in ignorance of the true Reformed Doctrine and we see but Bramhall Tillotson Taylor Stillingfleet Thorndike and such others whose Doctrine is neither Popery nor of the Reformation but a new compound of both they do so mangle the Questions controverted with their Scholastical subtilities and distinctions as if they were ashamed to own openly our Tenets and did endeavour to get the Opinion of moderate sober Men with the Papists by drawing as near as their Interest can permit them to their Doctrine Ask them if we be obliged to believe the Doctrine and Sense of Scripture delivered by a general Council Our first Reformers resolved roundly that we are not Nay Luther says expresly we are bound to gainsay and work against the Decrees of any Council But our modern Doctors answer with a pretty Distinction There 's a a civil obligation quoth one but no Obligation in Conscience There 's an obligation in Conscience says another provided you do not believe they are infallible You may believe they are infallible objectively or terminatively says another but not subjectively They are infallible in Fundamental Points says another but not in inferior Truths Another will come yet and say they are absolutely infallible in all Articles and thus by little and little the Papists gain Ground against us and the lustre of our Reformation is clouded by the Cowardliness or Insincerity or Hypocrisie of our modern Teachers 1 Kings 18. How long halt ye between two Opinions If the Lord be God follow him But if Baal then follow him Luther Calvin Beza and our other first Reformers were raised by God to teach us the purity of the Gospel Let us not be ashamed to follow their Doctrine To speak Preach and Believe as they did Therefore I do propose the Doctrine in this Treatise in its native Colours that if you like it you may believe it and if any be so bold as to say you believe false or scandalous Doctrine you must answer It 's the Doctrine of the Reformation because it 's Scripture as understood by Persons of Judgment and the greatest Oracles we had And if you do not like it you may deny it but beware never to blame or check any other for believing it This is the Holy Liberty of the GOSPEL and of our Primitive REFORMATION First DIALOGUE ISMAEL I have read your Preface and Principles and methinks you drive to establish a new Religion for that unlimited Liberty which you assert for to believe or not believe whatever we please with a safe Conscience is not allowed by any of our Reformed Congregations and it were to be wish'd you should rather stick to some one of the Congregations now Established than to erect a new one for we have but too many already Isaac The Lord forbid I should think or speak otherwise than as becometh a true Child of the Reformation If you will oblige me to believe Scripture as interpreted by the Lutheran Church the like I say of any other Congregation and deny the Tenets of all others what difference betwixt me and a Papist in the Election of my Religion For the Papists Religion must be no other but Scripture as Interpreted by the Pope and Councils my Religion must be Scripture as interpreted by the
extraordinarily by God and replenished with his Spirit to teach us the Gospel And if we be to seek for the Pure and Orthodox doctrine of the Reformation ought not we to be sway'd rather by Luther Calvin Melancthon Zuinglius Beza and our other first Reformers than by a few Ministers and Bishops of England who tho' they be Wise and Pious Men yet they are not of that stamp as the others And if our present Congregations presume to correct them and say they overlash'd in their doctrine will not the Papists say if they have been such scandalous Masters and false Teachers why did you receive their Reformation And as they erred so grosly in such prime Articles of Christianity why do you fear and suspect they have also erred in the rest Secondly the Papists will say if as they Reformed us you Reform them then you must expect and permit that others may reform you and forsake your Doctrine as you forsake theirs Ismael I wish you could make out that the Reformation was in its full Perfection in its beginning had you read some Writers of ours perhaps you would judge otherwise Musculus â—… learned Lutheran writes thus Thus it is with â—s at Present that if any be desirous to see a great Rabble of Knaves turbulent Spirits deceitful Persons Cozeners and Debauch'd Men let him go to a City where the Gospel is purely Preached and he shall find them by Multitudes for it 's more manifest than the by light that never were there more unbridled and â—nruly People among the Turks and Infidels than the Professors of the Reformed Gospel Luther himself says as much The World grows daily worse and Men are now more covetous revengeful and licentiius than they were in Popery Mr. Stubs says no less After my Travels round about all England I found the People in most Parts proud malicious ambitious and careless of good Works Mr. Richard Gefery in his Sermon at St. Paul's Cross Printed Anno 1604. I may freely speak what I have plainly seen that in Flanders never was there more Drunkenness in Italy more Wantonness in Jury more Hypocrisie Turky more Impiety in Tartary more Iniquity than is practised generally in England and particularly in London Certainly our Reformation at present deserves a better Character never did the Ale-houses and Taverns complain more heavily of want of Trading which is a Proof of our Sobriety the Churches which we see a Building in London is a good Testimony of Piety and we are so far from any smack of Hypocrisie that you shall not see in all London the least appearance of Vertue so hiddenly it's kept from mortal Eyes but what you may meet in our honest Quakers Isaac I confess our Congregations as now they are are very good both in Doctrine and Manners but I say also that the Doctrine and Manners of our Reformation at its first beginning was as pure as Holy and as true as now it is or ever it will be Nay supposing and granted their Manners and Doctrine were so corrupt as those Doctors mention I say that amidst all those Vices their Life was as Holy Innocent Blameless and Pure as yours is now And that you may be convinc'd of this Truth know that Calvin expresly teaches We believe the Sins of the Faithful he means of the Reformation are but venial Sins not but that they deserve Death but because there is no damnation for the Children of Grace in asmuch as their Sins are not imputed to them And again he says We can assure our selves we can no more be damn'd for any Sins then Jesus Christ himself Luther is of the same Opinion As nothing but Faith doth Justifie us so nothing but incredulity is a Sin. Again No Sin is so great that it can condemn a Man such as are damn'd are damn'd only for their Incredulity Whitaker No Sin can hurt a Men who has Faith. The same is taught by Wotton Fulk Tindal and Beza It 's therefore the Doctrine of Scripture as Interpreted by these Persons of great and sound Judgment that Incests Murthers Intemperance or whatever else you call a Sin Incredulity excepted either is no Sin at all or but Venial Sins which do no harm nor cannot damn the children of the Reformation if therefore our Brethren lived in the beginning of the Reformation as those Authors relate they lived according to Scripture as Interpreted to them by Men of sound Judgment and this being our rule of Faith and Manners they did not ill but very well in following it Ismael They were men of the Reformation it 's true who taught these Errors and dissolutition of Life and good Manners insomuch they swerved from the Spirits Holiness and Purity of the Reformation and must not be believed nor commended Look upon the Reformation as now it is and you will not find any such scandalous Doctrine or Corruption of manners Isaac They were not only Men of the Reformation but the greatest Oracles of it which you will not match with any of our preseâ—â—… Congregations and it 's not pardonable in any Reformed Child to say such Oracles Extraordinarily raised by God to teach the Purity of the Gospel should have taught either Errors in Doctrine or dissolution of Manners They taughâ— what in their Consciences they understood by Scripture to be true if you will not be so it revent as to say that they were Knaves who spoke and taught against their Consciences and Knowledge Therefore they taught the Doctrine of the Reformation purely and truly The Consequence is Evident For what is the Doctrine of the Reformation but what wise learned Men of sound Judgment think and understand by Scripture to be true Why is figurative Presence the Doctrine of the Reformation though denied by Lutherans who are Reformed also but because Wise Learned Men Judge by Scripture as they understand it it 's the true Doctrine or can you give me any other Rule of Faith by which we may know what Doctrine is of the Reformation and what not but Scripture as each person of sound Judgment understands it Or what Rule can you give for to know what is good or evil to be done but Scripture as understood by such Persons If therefore Luther Calvin and the other Doctors I quoted Judge by Scripture that Doctrine and manner of Life to be true and good why may not we say it 's the Doctrine of the Reformation If you or the Church of England or Scotland Judge that Doctrine to be false and that manner of Life to be a dissolution and corruption of Manners Why you are Men of sound Judgment you understand Scripture so that will be the Doctrine also of the Reformation you may believe it But you must not deny that Luther and Calvin's Doctrine also is of the Reformation because they were Men of as sound Judgment as you You transgress hainously against Modesty in saying those sacred Organs of God swerved from the
is to cast dirt upon his Church the honest Quaker will say I am a profane man others perhaps will say I am of no Religion but a Despiser of all and our Congregations are so uncharitable that likely none will accept of me because I say all Religions are very good a sad thing that a man must be hated for speaking well of his Neighbours and that each one must have all the World to be naught but himself This then is my Religion To suffer Persecution for Justice and Truth to render good for evil to bless those who curse me and speak well of all Congregations whilst they speak all evil against me reflect well upon what I discoursed hitherto and you will find I am as great a Lover of the Reformation as they who may think me it's Enemy and read my following discourse and you will find I love Popery as well as the Reformation The Spirit of God makes no exceptions of Persons Ismael You promised to prove by the principles of the Reformation that we may believe all the Tenets of Popery and remain still of the Reformation how can this be Isaac You remember I excepted one Principle of Popery wherein you must necessarily dissent from them and if you deny this one Principle you may believe all their other Tenets as well as the Pope and be as good a Child of the Reformation as Luther Ismael What Principle is this which you seem to make the only destinctive sign of a Reformed from a Papist Isaac Listen a while a Papist is not a Papist because he believes Purgatory Transubstantiation Indulgences and the rest of Popish Tenets but because he believes them upon the Testimony of the Pope and Church because they assure him they are revealed Truths If a Papist did say I believe these Tenets because I my self do judge by Scripture that they are revealed and not because the Pope and Church say they are he would be no Papist The Papist believes the Mystery of the Trinity the Incarnation and Passion of Christ the Protestant believes the same Mysteries yet the one is a Papist and no Protestant the other is a Protestant and no Papist And why because the Papist believes them upon the Testimony of the Pope and Church the Protestant believes them upon the Testimony of Gods written Word Believe then whatever you please of Popery provided you believe it because you judge by Scripture it 's true and not because the Pope or the Church says it you 'll never be a Papist but a perfect Reformed Ismael If this discourse be solid you may hedge in all the Articles of Popery into our Reformation Isaac If you peruse the works of our Reformed Doctors you 'll hardly find any Article of Popery but has been judged by many or some of our best Reformed Doctors to be the true Doctrine of Scripture and whereas any Doctrin which any Person of sound Judgment understands by Scripture to be the true may be justly called the Doctrin of the Reformation it follows that hardly is there any Article of Popery for which we see so many persecutions against Subjects and such troubles in our Parliaments but is truly the Doctrin of the Reformation Ismael Shew me some Examples of this Isaac The Veneration of Relicks and Saints dead Bones is generally believed by us to be meer Popery and Superstition therefore we made no store of Luther and Calvins Bones tho we know them to be as great Saints as any in the Popish Church but Veneration of Relicks and Saints Bones is the Doctrin of our Reformation for whatever is set down and commended by our Common-Prayer-Book must be undoubtedly esteemed our Reformed Doctrin and Practice and our Common-Prayer-Book aprinted since our Kings happy Restauration in it's Kalendar sets down a day to the Translation of S. Edward King of Saxons Body in the month of June and dedicates another to the Translation of the Bodies of St. Martin and Swithin in the month of July The Veneration and use of the sign of the Cross is flat Popery in the Judgment of all our Congregations yet any Reformed Child may laudably and piously use it whereas our Common-Prayer Book in the Administration of Baptism Commands the Minister to use it saying We sign him with the sign of the Cross in token that hereafter he shall not be ashamed to confess the Faith of Christ crucified and Manfully to fight under his Bannar against Sin the World and the Devil And in our Kalender printed since his Majesties Restauration it 's called the Holy Cross Our Congregations generally believe it 's Popery to keep Holy-days except the Sabbath day and Saints days to fast in Lent Vigils commanded Ember-days and Fridays and all this is recommended to us in our Common-Payer Book and the Minister is commanded in the Administration of the Lords Supper to publish the Holy-days of the week and exhort us to Fast and surely he is not commanded to teach or exhort us to any thing but to the Doctrin of the Reformation it 's true the Students of our Colledges of Oxford and Cambridge are much troubled with scruples in this point these Pauperes de Lugduno are compelled to fast all Fridays throughout the year and it 's not hunger that makes them complain but tenderness of Conscience because they fear it's Popery It 's a Popish errour we say to believe that Pennance or our penal works of Fasting Alms-deeds or corporal Austerities can avail and help for the remission of our sins and satisfying Gods Justice No we say penal works serve for nothing all is done by Repentance that 's to say by sorrow of heart for having offended God. This is the Doctrin of Danaeus Willit Junius and Calvin who says Francis Dominick Bernard Antony and the rest of Popish Monks and Fryers are in Hell for their Austerities and penal works for all that you may very well believe and it 's the Doctrin of the Reformation that Pennance and penal works do avail for the remission of our sin and are very profitable to the Soul for our Common-Prayer Book in the Commination against sinners says thus In the Primitive Church there was a Godly Discipline that at the beginning of Lent such as were notorious sinners were put to open Pennance and punish'd in this World that their Souls may be saved in the day of the Lord. And our Common-Prayer Books wishes that this Discipline were restored again and surely it does not wish that Popery were restored therefore it 's no Popery to say that Pennance or Penal works do satisfie for our sins in this World and avail to save us in the other Ismael I know many of our Congregation mislike much our Common-Prayer Book for these Popish-Tenets but what do you say of the grand errours of Popery can a man be a true Child of the Reformation and yet believe the Popes Supremacy deny the Kings Supremacy believe Transubstantiation and Communion in one kind are these Tenets