witnesâ—… Pope against Pope Councils against Councils some of their Fathers against others and rather then fail some against themselves new Traditions inrolled and old ones Cashiered in a word one Church against another and if â—…hat be not enough the Church of one Age against the Church of another whereas the Scripture being true and â—…nalterable and containing all things necessary to our Salvation I am secure that by believing nothing else I shall â—…elieve no falshood in matter of Faith and if I mistake the â—…rue sense of Scripture and so fall into error yet I am secured â—…rom any dangerous error because whilst I am truly endeaâ—…ouring to find the true ground of Scripture I cannot but â—…old my error without obstinacy and be ready to forsake â—…t when more probable and true sense shall appear unto me and then being assur'd that all necessary truths are plainly â—…et down in Scripture I am certain by believing the Scripture â—…o believe all necessary truth and he that does so if his life be â—…nswerable to his Faith how is it possible he should fail of Salvation And tho the Roman Church pretend to be a perfect guide of Faith and teacher of all Divine Truths yet sure that â—…itle might much better and more justly be given to the â—…cirptures as their Teacher and Master The Roman Church brags how ancient their Church is but doubtless they cannot deny but the Scripture is more ancient â—…f they will but allow the Mother to be older than the Child The Papists say their Church is a means of keeping Chriâ—…tians at unity so are also the Scriptures to those that be â—…ieve them in unity of belief in matters necessary The Papists say their Church is Catholick certainly the Scripture is more Catholick for all true Christians in the universal world do now and ever did believe the Scriptures to be the Word of God so much at least as to contain all things necessary to salvation whereas the Papists say They only are the true Church and all other Christians tho more than they give them the lye for saying so By following the Scriptures I follow that whereby the Papists prove their Churches Infallibility For were it not for Scripture what pretence could the Papists have for it or what true Notion could they receive of it So that by so dong the Papists must plainly confess That they themselves are surer of the Truth of Scripture than of their Churches Authority for we must be surer of the proof than of the thing proved or else 't is no proof So that following Scripture I follow that which must be true if the Papists Church be true for their Church allows it's truth Whereas if I follow the Roman Church I must follow that which tho the Scripture be true may be false nay more must be false if the Scripture be true because the Scipture is against it Following the Papists Church I must be a servant to my Saviour and a subject to my King only at the pleasure of the Pope and renounce my Allegiance when the Popes will is to declare him an Heretick nay I must believe Vertue Vice and Vice Vertue if he pleases for he both makes and unmakes Scripture as he thinks convenient witness the Apocripha which hath not past for Canonical but of late years in the Papistâ—… Church who interpret Scripture according to their Doctrine but will not judge their Doctrine according to Scripture for none like to weigh light Mony in true scales In short the Pope adds and lessen and interprets Divine Laws as he pleases and they must stand for Laws and be obeyed as such so that in effect he rules his people by his own Laws and his own Laws by his own Lawyers his Clergy who dare not speak nor uphold them other than just such as the Pope would have them and indeed Cardinal Richelieu gave the reason why more hold the Pope above the Councils than the Councils above the Pope Because the Pope gave Archbishopricks and Bishopricks but the Councils had none to give And tho the Papists say his Holiness cannot err yet let not the Papists forget what God says in the Scripture if not only the Pope but if angel from Heaven shall preach any thing against the Gospel of Christ let him be accursed In following the Scripture we have God's express command and no colour of any prohibition but to believe the Papish Church infallible we have no Scripture-command at all much less an express one Following the Popish Church we must believe many things not only above reason but against reason witness Transubstantiation whereas following the Scripture we shall believe Many mysteries but no impossibilities many things above our reason but nothing against it Nay we need not believe any thing which reason will not convince us we ought to believe for reason will convince any sober Christian that the Scripture is the Word of God and there 's no reason can be greater than this That God says it therefore it must be true In a word we Protestants believe that all things necessary to our salvation are evidently contain'd in Scripture what is not there evidently contained cannot be necessary to be believed and our reason is just and clear Because nothing can challenge our Belief as to salvation but what hath descended to us from our Blessed Saviour Christ Jesus by original and universal Tradition Now nothing but Scripture hath thus descended to us therefore nothing but Scripture can challenge our Belief Now the grand difference between the Papists and us concerning the Scripture is this We hold the Scripture to be the only perfect rule whereby to judge of controversies The Papists say That they acknowledge the Scuriptures to be a perfect rule only they deny that it excludes unwritten Tradition which in effect is this they say 'T is as perfect a Rule as a Writing can be only they deny it to be as perfect a Rule as a Writing may be Either they must revoke their acknowledgment or retract their contradiction of it for both cannot possibly stand together For if they will but stand to what they have granted That Scripture is as perfect a Rule of Faith as a Writing can be they must then grant it so compleat as it needs no addition and so evident that it needs no interpretation for both these properties are requisite to a perfect Rule And that a writing is capable of both these properties and perfections is most plain for he that denies it must say that something may be spoken which cannot be written for if such a compleat evident rule of Faith may be delivered by word of mouth as the Papists pretend may is and whatsoever is delivered by word of mouth may also be written then such a compleat and evident rule of Faith may also be written For the Argument is most plain Whatsoever may be spoken may be written a perfect rule of Faith has been spoken therefore a perfect
rule of Faith may be written If the Papists cannot see this plain Conclusion they had best desire more light to be added to the Sun. The Papists pretend their Church to be the infallible teacher of all Divine Truths and an infallible Interpreter of all obscurities in the Faith But the Papists will I hope give us leave to admire how they can pretend to Teach them in all places without writing them down that is certainly beyond the reach of their power to do as well as our belief that 't is to be done And for the Papists saying there must be a living authority beside the Scripture or else controversies cannot be ended Protestants answer Necessary controversies are and may be decided and if they be not 't is not the defect of the rule in Scripture but the default of men so that if necessary controversies be ended 't is no matter if the unnecessary be not for doubtless if God had required it he would also have provided some means to effect it but sure it does not stand with any reason it should be the Pope because he cannot be a Judge being a party indeed in civil controversies a Judge without being a party may end them but in controversies of Religion a Judge of necessity must be a concerned party and I am sure the Pope to us iâ— the chief and most concerned party being really concerned as much as his Popedom is worth Now we Protestants make the Papists this plain answer that the means of agreeing differences must necessarily be either by the appointment of God or men men sure it cannot be for then rational wise Protestants may do as well as Papists for let the Papists shew us if they can where God hath appointed that the Pope alone or any confirm'd by the Pope or that Society of Christians which adhere to him shall be the infallible Judge of Controversies we desire the Papists if they can to let us see any of those assertions plainly set down in Scripture as in all reason a thing of this nature ought to be or at least delivered with a full consent of Fathers nay let them so much as shew us where 't is in plain terms taught by any one Father in Four hundred years after our blessed Saviour Christ and if the Papists cannot do this as we believe they cannot where I pray is their either Scripture or Reason that the Pope or his Councils should obtrude themselves as Judges over us Protestants Next we would desire to know from the Papists whether they do certainly know or not the sense of those Scriptures by which they are led to the knowledge of their Church for if they do not how come they to know their Church is infallible but if they do then sure they ought to give us leave to have the same means and ability to know other plain places in Scripture which they have to know theirs for if all Scriptures be obscure how come they to know the sense of those places but if some place of it be plain why pray may not Protestants understand them as well as Papists The Papists say That the Scriptures are in themselves true and infallible yet without the direction of the Church we have no certain means to know which Translations be faithful and Canonical or what is the true meaning of Scriptures and this is the common Argument and general Belief of all Papists To which the Protestants answer That yet all these things must first be known before we can know the directions of their Church to be infallible for the Papists cannot pretend any other proof of it but only some Texts of Canonical Scripture truly interpreted therefore either they must be mistaken in thinking there is no other means to know these things but their Churches infallible direction or else we must be excluded from all means of knowing her directions to be infallible for the proof must be surer than the thing to be proved or 't is no proof And upon better consideration I am confident the Papists dare not deny but that 't is most certain Faith hath been given by other means than the Church for sure they will not say that Adam received Faith by the Church nor Abraham nor Job who received Faith by Revelation and also the Holy Apostles who received Faith by the Miracles and Preaching of our Blessed Saviour So that you see and they cannot deny but their general Doctrine is contradictory And to make it yet plainer I desire to know of the Papists if they should meet with a man that believed neither Scripture Church nor God but declares he is both ready and willing to believe them all if the Papist can shew him sufficient grounds to build his Faith upon will the Papist tell such a man there are no certain grounds how he may be converted to their Church or there are if the Papists say there are none they make Religion an uncertain thing but if they say there are then they must necessarily either argue woman-like that their Church is infallible because it is infallible or else shew there are other certain grounds besides saying the Church is infallible to prove its Infallibility The Papists demand of the Protestants If they believe the Apostles wrote all the Scriptures for if they did not how come we to call and believe them Apostolical and not the Writings of those that writ them To which we answer Though all the Scriptures were not written by the Apostles themselves yet they were all confirm'd by them and tho a Clerk writes a Statute and the King Lords and Commons confirm it in Parliament I believe they would esteem it very improper to call it the Statute of such a Clerk tho writ by him but an Act of Parliament because it was confirm'd by all their censents and becomes their Act not the Clerks The Papists desire us to tell them in what Language the Scriptures remained incorrupted and we desire them to satisfie us whether it be necessary to know it or not necessary if it be not I hope we may do well without it but if it be necessary we desire first that they will please to tell us what became of their Church for One thousand five hundred Years together all which time they must confess they had no certainty of Scripture till the time that Pope Clement the 8th set forth their approved Edition of the vulgar Translation and none sure can have the confidence to deny but that there was great variety of Copies currant in divers parts of their Church and read so which Copies might be false in some things but more than one sort of them could not possibly be true in all things And Pope Sixtus Quintus his Bible differ'd from Pope Clement his Bible in a multitude of places which makes us desire to be satisfied of the Papists whether before Pope Sixtus Quintus his time their Church had any defined Canon of Scriptures or not for if they had not
shall not need here so much as to name it only let me in a word remember the Papists that they cannot well deny but that the Donatists themselves whom the Papists esteemed as bad as us as being Hereticks and Schismaticks yet St. Austin and Optatus Bishop of Rome did both acknowledge that they had the same Baptism Creed and Sacrament and that these Donatist Fathers tho Schismaticks and Hereticks gave true Ordination or else some of these were not then esteemed Sacraments therefore let them take which they please there must be error of one side The Papists pretend they have an unanswerable Objection against Protestants which is That we have discords in matters of Faith without any means of agreement To which we answer That the Scripture does not let us want solid means of agreement in matters nessary to salvation and for our agreement in all controversies of Religion either they must say we have means to agree about them or we have not if they say we have why did they before deny it if they say we have no means why are they so unjust to find fault with us for not agreeing when they themselves say we have no means to agree But for a Plaister to this Saor they are so extraordinary civil as to tell us we may come to their Church and they agree in matters of faith But the plain truth of it is that they define all matters of faith to be those wherein they agree so that to say the Roman Church does agree in matters of faith is but to say they do agree in those things they do agree in and sure they cannot deny but we Protestants do the same But we must desire the Papists to give us leave to tell them that they most grosly mistake if they say they agree in matters of Faith as for proof some of them hold it against Faith to take the Oath of Allegiance others 't is against Faith to refuse that Oath Some hold it of Faith that the Pope is Head of the Church by Divine Law others the contrary some hold it of Faith that the blessed Virgin was free from actual sin others the contrary some that the Popes power over Princes in Temporalities is de fide others the contrary some that 't is universal Tradition that the Virgin Mary was conceived in actual sin others the contrary And how the Jesuits and Franciscans and other Orders differ to this day I am sure needs no memorandum and the best Jest of all is the Papists have not so much as yet agreed in their very pretended means of agreement and yet have the confidency to pretended an Vnity more than the Protestants for some of them say The Pope with a Council may determine all Controversies others deny it Some hold That a general Council without a Pope may do so others deny this Others say Both in conjunction are infallible Determiners others deny this And some among the Papists hold The acceptation of the Decrees of Councils by the Universal Church is the only way to decide Controversies which others deny by denying their Church to be infallible and yet every part pretends to be part of the Church In a word can the Papish deny but that there has been Popes against Popes Councils against Councils Nay Councils confirmed by Popes against Popes confirmed by Councils And lastly the Church of some Ages against the Church of other Ages And since every part of the Body is so out of order methinks they should not brag of so perfect a health as they do The Papists say and do but say it that their Doctrine is held Catholick and therefore they esteem it an insolent madness of us Protestants to dispute against the practice of the whole Church First That their Doctrine is Catholick we answer That the greatest number of Christians in the world deny it so that they cannot truly say we dispute against the practice of the whole Church And farther we say Supposing we should in Complement to them grant that their Church is Catholick and Vniversal yet we say That is no sufficient proof it came Originally from the Apostles witness the Doctrine of the Millenaries and the necessity of the Eucharist for Infants which was generally taught by the Vniversal Church believed as an Apostolical Tradition but yet contradicted by the Vniversal Church afterwards This I am sure the Papists dare not deny so that we unavoidably cast the Papists upon this Rock That they must either conclude the Apostles were Fountains of contradictory Doctrines or that the Universal Doctrine of the present Church is no sufficient proof that it came originally from the Apostles because the Church Vniversal of one time and the Church Vniversal of another time did differ Next for their saying 't is insolent madness to dispute against the practice of the whole Church First we are sure we can bring more Christian witnesses that deny they are the whole Church than they can bring to prove it but supposing we were as mad as they say we are and would have us to be to dispute against the whole practice of the Church yet I hope we may desire to know of the Papists if they can deny but that 't was the practice of the whole Church in St. Austin's time and esteemed then an Apostolical Tradition even by St. Austin himself that the Eucharist should be administred to Infants And then let them tell us Whether it be insolent madness to dispute against the practice of the whole Church or is it not If it be not why do they accuse us for it But if it be insolent madness how mad and insolent is the Papists Church not only to dispute against this practice of the Vniversal Church of administring the Eucharist to Infants but utterly abolishing the practice of it So that the very worst the Papists can say of us allowing what they say to be true is that we but do what they themselves own already to have done And tho the Papists are pleased to say that the Holy Scriptures and ancient Fathers assign separation from the visible Church as a mark of Heresie yet they cannot shew one plain Text of Scripture to confirm it And for the Papists bragging of the Antiquity and Vniversality of their Churches Doctrine tho we allow it very ancient bating the primitive times we answer first as to its Antiquity we desire to see what Antiquity they can shew for their giving the Communion but in one kind when they know that the administring it in both kinds was the practice of the Church for a Thousand years after Christ what Antiquity for the lawfulness and expediency of the Latine Service for the present use of Indulgences for the Popes power in Temporalities over Princes for the Picturing the Trinity for the lawfulness of worshipping Pictures and Images for their Beads for their whole worship of the blessed Virgin for their Oblations in the notion of Sacrifices to her and other Saints for
and that the Church composed partly of the Holy Apostles themselves who were blessed with and inspired by the Holy Ghost could mistake and that there is no man free from sin and yet that the Body of men that make up the Popish Church should be infallible is I confess beside my faith to believe or reason to comprehend For sure if the Roman Church had been esteem'd by the Apostles infallible what needed the Apostles any other â—…reed than this short Creed I believe the Roman Church â—…fallible and that would have been more effectual to â—…eep the Believers of it from Heresie and in the true Faith â—…an this Apostolical Creed we now have And sure the Papists cannot but believe with us that â—…ose Holy Men that wrote the New Testament were not â—…nly Good Men but also Men that were desirous to direct â—…s in the plainest and surest way to Heaven And the Paâ—…ists cannot also but believe with us that they were likewise â—…en very sufficiently instructed by the Spirit of God in all â—…e necessary points of the Christian Faith Therefore cerâ—…inly 't is most rational to believe they could not be igâ—…orant of this unum necessarium that all Faith is no Faith â—…cept we believe the Church of Rome was design'd by God 〈…〉 be the Guide of Faith as the Church of Rome believes â—…d would have us believe so too We also further believe and that with great reason too â—…at the Writers of the New Testament were Wise Men espeâ—…ally being they were assisted by the Spirit of Wisdom and â—…ch that must know that an uncertain Guide was as bad as â—…ne at all and yet after all this is it possible for a Philosoâ—…ical or Contemplative man nay for any man that has reaâ—…n or common sense after all these suppositions to believe â—…at none among these holy Writers of the New Testament â—…ould remember ad rei memoriam to set down plainly â—…is most necessary Doctrine not so much as once That â—…e were to believe the Roman Church infallible Again that none of the Evangelists should so much as â—…ce name this Popish necessary point of Faith if they had â—…teem'd it necessary for us to believe it when St. Paul says â—…e kept not back any thing that was profitable for us and sure â—…e Papists cannot deny but was is necessary to salvation â—…ust be very profitable And St. Luke also plainly tells â—…hristians his intent was to write all things necessary And â—…re it stands also with reason that when St. Paul wrote to â—…e Romans he would have congratulated this their exâ—…aordinary priviledge if he had believ'd it belong'd to â—…em And though the Romans bring it as a great Argument â—…or them that St. Paul tells them Their Faith is spoken all the world over Yet pray let them moderate those thoughtâ—… with this consideration that St. Paul said the very same thing to the Thessalonians And let them further consider this that if the Roman Faith had been the Rule oâ—… Faith for all the World for ever as the Papists hold surâ—… St. Paul would have forborn to put the Romans in fear oâ—… a possibility for though Raillery is much in fashion now 〈…〉 sure 't was not then that they also nay the whole Churcâ—… of the Gentiles if they did not look to their standing might fall into Infidelity as the Jews had done 1 Ephesians 11. And methinks it also stands with great reason that the Apostles writing so often of Hereticks and Antichristâ—… should have given the Christian World this as Papists pretend only sure Preservative from them To be guided bâ—… the infallible Church of Rome and not to separate from it upon the pain of damnation Methinks also St. Peter St. James and St. Jude in their Catholick Epistles would not have forgot giving Christianâ—… this Catholick Direction of following the Roman Church and St. John instead of saying He that believes that Jesus 〈…〉 the Christ is born of God might have said He that adheres to the Doctrine of the Roman Church and lives according to it is a good Christian and by this mark you shall know him In a word can there be any thing more irrational than to believe that none of these holy Men who were so desirous of mens salvation should so much as once remember to write that we were to obey the Roman Church but leave it to be collected from uncertain Principles and by more uncertain Consequences So that upon the whole I cannot without much wonder look on the Pope's Confidence and the Papists Credulity in esteeming the Pope or his Councils to be an infallible Guide sure either they never read what they ought to believe or else they will not believe what they read though it be never so known a Truth and worthy of belief for if they did they could never believe the Infallibility of the Popish Church For indeed if they would read the Popish Story or as I may well call it the Civil Wars of the Popes you shall find as I said before Popes against Popes Councils against Councils some Fathers against others nay some against themselves new Traditions brought in and old ones turn'd out one Church against another nay the Church of one Age against the Church of another In a word the Papists say their Church is infallible and all other Christians besides themselves tho more in number than they absolutely deny it and yet we must for all that believe the Popish Church infallible And to speak the plain Truth and in a word to unravel the real cause of the Grandure of the Church of Rome above all other Churches is only this Rome was the Imperial Town of the Empire and its greatness was given by Men and not God and when afterwards Constantinople was the Imperial City they Decreed that the Church of Constantinople should have equal Priviledges and Dignities with that of Rome And now to end this Discourse I desire you will please to consider this Conclusion which is that after all that the Papists have said be it never so much and mighty to shew the Infallibility of their Church I am verily perswaded they cannot shew more if so much out of the Scriptures for their Church as the smallest Society of Christians met together in prayer can for themselves that when two or three are met together in my name I will be amongst them says the Lord And now I have just done this small Discourse and the Sun is just upon finishing this days visit I can very readily follow that holy advice of not letting it go down in my anger which I thank God I have to none living and therefore am in so much Charity with the Papists as to wish that neither they nor Protestants might waist their precious time in meer speculative controversies about words and ceremonies which of themselves will never carry us to Heaven but that we may spend our time like wise Christians in the ways and fear of God which
ADVICE FROM A CATHOLICK To his Protestant FRIEND Touching the Doctrine of Purgatory By way of Letter Printed in the Year 1687. Price Two Pence Advice from a Catholick to his Protestant Friend c. SIR THO' at our last parting I found you obstinate in your Unbelief as to the matter of Purgatory yet as I think my self bound both as a Christian and as a Friend to combate that dangerous Infidelity of yours so I shall now undertake that Province with some new Efforts Nevertheless I will not venture to Engage you singly with my own strength but borrow the necessary forces from such as have been most vers'd in such sort of Conflicts Wherefore to begin I must tell you That your Repartées upon me when we last discours'd this point rather spoke the Libertine than a Professor of Christianity Purgatory you deridingly cry'd is not so hot as Folk talk Who ever came back to tell us News of it God is merciful think you he takes delight to burn his Children and to cut off the Price of his Son's Passion who satisfied for our Sin. When I heard this I was afraid you would have proceeded and joyn'd with Atheistical Philosophers in saying That Death is the Remedy of all Evils and that tht Soul separated from the Body hath no more to suffer What could I less expect when you so diametrically oppose not only the General Consent of all Ages but also the General Opinion Practice Sentence and decisions of all the Church in such sort That there is not any Truth of our Faith more fortified As to the First the Gentiles who lived out of the Law were sensible of the noble extraction of the Soul and knew it to be defiled by the Body and by sensual Works On this account had they recourse to feeble Elements to purifie it One while washing themselves in virgin-streams another passing thro Flames and sometimes contriving other means to cleanse themselves from the Pollutions of the Flesh And they were not content to purge themselves in this Life but extend it to the Souls of the Dead constantly believing they stood in need of Remedies to free themselves from Bodily stains The Hebrews the Aegyptians the Greeians and Romans all contended for Prayers for the Dead and the Truth of Purgatory The Hebrews three times in the Year Celebrated the Feast of the Dead and their Priest mounting up into a Four-square Pulpit made on purpose and Ceremoniously to represent the City of the Blessed according to S. John rehearsed aloud and Apoc. xxi 16. Civitas in quadro positas est audibly the Names of the Dead to recommend them to the Prayers of the present Congregation Prayers so familiar amongst them that they wrote them upon Tombs instead of Epitaphs in these terms Sit Anima ejus colligata in Fasciculo viventium Let his Soul be bound up in the Posie of the Living As if we should say all the Souls of the Saints were as an odoriferous Posie whereof every Elect constituted a Flower The Aegyptians were so possessed with the Opinion that Souls were to be purg'd in the other Life in as much as they had been drench'd in the voluptuous Pleasures of the Flesh that in the Funerals of the Dead having opened the Body they took the Heart out of the Breast and put it into a little Casket then on the Bank of Nilus where ordinarily Tombs were erected a Herald holding the Casket and shewing it to the Eyes of Heaven protested before all then present the Deceased now in Question had lived piously and according to the Laws of his Ancestors that if he had offended through Bodily Pleasures they wished his Soul might be as well cleansed as they went about to purge the Stomach the Instrument of the Lusts of the Living thereupon they threw it into Nilus What need I mention the Grecians their Prime Man Plato nay termed the Divine in his Phaedon spake so perspicuously for Purgatory that he seems to have had his Education in Christian Schools And as for the Romans Quintilian in the very Infancy of Quint. Declam 10. the Church when as some of the Apostles were yet living in a certain Plea. urges the Truth of Purgatory by saying The Soul being purged by Fire went to take place in Heaven Besides Julius a very ancient Author speaking of the Death Julius Florileg lib. 3. of a Lady named Podon observed in plain terms That her Husband who was one of the most ancient Christians made Offerings for her which he calls Gifts for Ransom of the Soul Answerable to which Tertullian writeth it was the Custom of the Ancient Church to Pray for the Souls of the Tertul. in Exhort ad Castitat Dead yea and to make annual Offerings for them Thus when we see a◠Universal Agreement in a Proposition it is not one man speaks but the Mouth of Heaven which uttereth this Verity And also observe when the Holy Fathers produce an Example of Pagans it is not to set us the Pagans for our Instruction but to shew that to waver in the Belief of things they generally held by the sentence of Nature is to be worse than a Pagan Having thus proved the Universal Consent of all Ages and Countries I now proceed to shew it to have ever been the Universal sense of the Church For this purpose in France view the Council of Chalons upon Saone for Prayers for the Dead and the Truth of Purgatory In Spain that of Praga in Germany that of Worms in Italy the Sixth General Council held at Rome under Pope Symmachus in Greece a number of Synods collected by Martius In Africk the Third of Carthage and lastly the Three Oecumenical of Lateran Florence and Trent which say the same A man that hath but the least sense surely needs no more than this to be possessed with the truth Ay but you object That Jesus made Purgation of Sins and said to the Good Thief Thou shalt to day be with me in Paradice A goodly Consequence Jesus purged Sins there is then no Purgatory Might you not as well say Jesus pray'd for Remission of our Sins then we no longer stand in need of Prayer or Penance Besides you would seem to intimate by saying the Good Thief went directly to Paradice without feeling Purgatory that we assert it was necessary for all the World to pass that way No make your Self a great Saint and the Purifying Flames will have nothing to work on But you say this Doctrine came but lately into the World and is the Invention of Self intercsted Pfiests But consult the Scripture and the Fathers and they will satisfie you to the contrary When St. Paul said that the day of God viz. the day of Judgment be it general or particular shall be manifested by Fire which shall put every One's Works 1 Cor. 3. Chap. upon Trial and that he who upon the Foundations of Jesus shall build with Wood Straw or Hay to wit with vain and
come from old Trees He often talk'd of a Vision he had had which made the General of his Order then in Spain question him in the presence of the Bishops of Oleron and Osma and conjure him in the virtue of holy Obedience to tell him punctually the truth touching the Vision he had seen whilest he led a secular Life And this man being very grave and very Circumspect accordingly did so to this effect At the time of Alphonsus the younger's Warres in Castile in the persuance of the Edict I sent one of my menial Servants named Sancius into his Army The Peace being made and he disbanded returning home he was soon seiz'd with a sickness which in few days took him away into the other World. He had the usual Obsequies done him and about four Months after as I lay one Night broad awake in my Bed I perceived a Phantòme in the form of a man who stirring up the ashes of my hearth opened the burning Coals which made him the more easily to be seen Altho I found my self much terrify'd with the sight of this Ghost God gave me the Courage to ask him who he was and for what purpose he came thither to lay my hearth abroad But he in a very low voice answered Master fear nothing I am your poor Servant Sancius I go into Castile in the Company of many Soldiers to Expiate my sins in the same Place where I committed them I couragiously reply'd if the Commandment of God call you thither to what purpose come you hither Sir said he take it not a miss for it is not without the Divine permission I am in a state not desperate wherein I may be helped by you if you bear any good will towards me Hereupon I required what his necessity was and what secours he expected from me You know Master said he that a little before my Death you sent me into a Place where men are not ordinarily sanctified Liberty ill Example Youth and Temerity all conspire against the Soul of a poor Soldier who hath no Government I committed many outrages during the late Warr robbing and pilling even to the Goods of the Church for which I am at this present grievously tormented But Good Master if you loved me alive as one of yours forget me not after Death I ask no part of your great Riches but only your Prayers and some Almes for my sake which will much assist to mitigate my pains My Mistress oweth me about eight Francks upon a reckoning between her and me let her bestow it not for my Body which hath no need of it but the comfort of my Soul which expecteth it from your Charities This Discourse embolden'd me and made me more desirous to entertain it than to fear the Apparition I demanded whether it could tell me any News of one of my Contry men named Peter Dâ—jaca Who died a while since To which he made answer I need not trouble my self with it for he was already in the number of the Blessed since the great Alms he gave in the last famine had purchased Heaven for him From thence I fell upon another Question and was Curious to know what had happened to a certain Judge Whom I very well knew and who had lately passed into the other Life To which he replied Sir speak not of that miserable Man for Hell possesseth him through the Corruption of Justice which he by damnable Practice Exerciced having an honour and Soul saleable to the prejudice of his Conscience My Curiosity carried me higher to Enquire what became of King Alphonsus the Great at which time I heard an other voice that came from a Window behind me saying very distinctly it is not of Sancius you must demand that because he as yet can say nothing to the state of that Prince but I may have more experience thereof than he I deceasing five years ago and being present in an accident which gave me some Light of it I was much surprized Unexpectedly hearing this other Voice and turning saw by the help of the Moons brightness which reflected into my Chamber a Man leaning on my Window whom I entreated to tell me where then King Alphonsus was Whereto he replied he well knew that passing out of this Life he had been much tormented and that the Prayers of good Religious men much helped him but he could not at this present say in what state he was Having spoaken thus much he turned towards Sancius sitting near the fire said let us go it is time we depart At which Sancius making no other answer speedily rose up and redoubled his complaints with a Lamentable voice saying Sir I entreat you once again remember me and that my Mistriss perform the request I made you The next day Engelbert understood from his Wife the Case to be so as the Spirit had told him and with all Observation disposed himself speedily and charitably to satisfy all was required Here I shall respit from further Arguments and Instances till such time as I am sensible of the Operations of these In the mean while believe me Sir sincerely yours c. THE HISTORY OF Pope Joan AND THE WHORES OF ROME Calumniare fortiter aliquid adhaerebit Terent. The Second Edition LONDON THE PREFACE TO THE READER Courteous Reader THou hast here presented thee some few Remarks on two grand Scandals thrown upon the Church of Rome Satan 't is true wus from the beginning and always will be a Calumniator for so his very Name imports in the Hebrew Language continually endeavouring by Lies and other wicked ways to prucure as he does many Proselites But without doubt Truth will at last prevail and then down goes Dagon which inestimable Jewel Truth we ought all of us to search after and purchase and having obtained it how glad will every one be when he sees himself disabused As in the two following Stories the first of which thou wilt see here crammed full of as many Contrarieties ridiculous Fables and Vntruths almost as the Turkish Alcoran which nevertheless hath been wonderfully and maliciously defended and improved by Hereticks and Polities that have been Flatterers of such Emperours as were professed Enemies of the Popes and who made it their Business wholly to misprise the Glory and anâ—â—hâ—latâ— if possible the Authority of the aforesaid Church What Platina so much esteemed by Protestants says of this Story in his Lives of the Popes I here give thee as 't is lately Translated by Mr. Ricaut who had done well to have taken his Annotator Onuphrius along with him who Detected and Corrected many of his Errors and among the rest this of Pope Joan. And as for Martinus Polonus the first broacher of this Story what a simple Historian he was may be seen from Onuphrius Then as for the Story of the Whores of Rome that 's as good currant Coyn as the rest as thou wilt perceive by what follows which that I may not keep thee too long from or make
the Gate seem too big for the City I bid thee Farewel THE HISTORY OF POPE JOAN c. CHAP. I. I. Of her Birth and Education her several Names and how she came to be Chosen Pope II. Short Remarks upon the Premises III. Of her being brought to bed in open Street c. and of the Porphyry Chair IV. Remarks upon the Premises c. I. FIrst then 't is related that this Androgyne or Hermaphrodite was a poor English or Germane Girl they know not which they story it so differently Nay some of these Gentlemen Reporters are so blinded that they 'll tell you she was an English Woman born at Mentz and that she having been Educated at several Universities by dissembling her Sex and oft changing her Name for they have given her more Names than either the Great Mogul the Grand Seignior or Emperor of Persia ever attributed to themselves for sometimes they call her Agnes and some say her Name was Isabella others Gilbert others Jutte and some call her Dorothy but at last they will needs have it that she took upon her the Name of John the English-man in favor forsooth of a Gallant of hers that was that Country-man and came with him from Athens after having studyed a while there to Rome where she taught publickly in the Schools for two years say some others say six where for her knowledge in sacred letters she had but few her equals and none her superiors so that she acquir'd so great renown there by her reading and disputing so learnedly and accutely that after the decease of Leo IV. say some others Leo VI. she was by consent of all Chosen Pope See here good Reader a very fine plausible Romantick Story at first entrance II. But here be pleased to take a few short Remarks with thee hereupon First then Note that some of them say she was an English woman born at Mentz when as Mentz is a famous City situate upon the Rhine in Germany Then as to her studying in Athens as they formally story it you are to understand upon the Authentic Testimonies of Zonaras and Cedrenus that Athens was at that time ruin'd and the whole Country over-run with Barbarism And Corn grew there where Athens stood and consequently no more place of studying there at that time than there is now at S. Pancras Church Then as to her being Chosen Pope after her so short a time of Residence at Rome 't is like the rest for I 'll assure thee 't is a certain truth that from S. Peter's time to those days and after till Formosus who was the Eighth Pope after this pretended Pope JOAN none were chosen Popes that was not Educated from their Cradle in the Roman Church and was first made Presbyter or Deacon-Cardinal How then is it likely that an unknown Woman of as uncertain an Origine and Country and without any Order or Testimony of her Life-past should attain to the highest Ecclesiastical Dignity in the whole World Then lastly there was no Custom of publick Reading or Disputing at Rome in those days neither III. Then in the next place they tell you a very formal Story of her being got with Child but here 's the mischief on 't they cannot agree by whom some saying it was by one of her Servants others say 't was a certain Cardinal did the deed and that she being ignorant that she was so far gone with Child in the time of her Popedom was brought to Bed in the open Street going in Procession from the Vatican to the Lateran and there gave up the Ghost upon the Spot and that the Popes have ever since gone another way in Procession for very shame of such an Act. And that to avoid the like Error for the future when any Pope is then plac'd in the Porphyry Chair which hath an hole made for the purpose his Genitals are handled by the youngest Deacon Goodness what heaping is here of Lies upon Lies IV. But here we have a few particulars also to take notice of First that is it probable or possible can any rational Soul imagine that this Hermaphrodite should conceive and conceal her great Belly so closely that no mortal Creature could in the least perceive it No not any one either of the Church or Court of Rome Can any ingenious Person ever believe that such a wise Nation as the Romans are and always have been could be so grosly impos'd upon or that they should be so Sottish or Stupid as not one of them to know a Woman from a Man neither by her Voice Countenance nor Gesture And is it not very unlikely that she should be got with Child now in her declining Age at which time the Popes are ordinarily Chose And that she should be ignorant of her being so near her Time as to venture to go in procession so far on Foot All very probable or rather ridiculous Romances Then as to her going in Procession from the Vatican to the Lateran they have here express'd their Ignorance as well as Malice to some purpose as not knowing that the Popes at that time lived not at the Vatican No not till Pope Boniface the Ninth's days which was several hundreds of years after the Death of this Pope Joan. Fine Coherence in Chronology is it not So that 't is certainly true that this mistake in Time will ruine all as a very honourable and most worthy Person said not long since to a certain Person in another Case Then as to their telling you very formally how that the Popes ever since go another way in Procession I will assure you 't is upon another Account viz. by reason of the narrowness of the Ways and difficulty of passage for so great a Number of People and Horses they since go a more open and safe way and yet there have been Popes that have gone that way in Procession since that time Lastly as to the pierc'd Porphyry Chair you must Note that 't is usually plac'd near to the great Door of St. John Lateran's Church on the Day the Pope takes possession of his Charge in that Church wherein he is Seated a while and when he rises again the Quire Sings this Verse of the 112. Psalm Suscitaâ— de pulvere egenum de stercore erigit pauperem And tho' Platina one of so great esteem with Protestants at this day deny not the Story about the Procession Yet he ingeniously Confesses That the true use of this Chair is only to mind him who is placed in so high Authority that he is not a God but a Man and obnoxious to necessities of Nature as of easing his Body whence tho it be made of Porphyry 't is called Sedes Stercoraria And Zonaras and Cedrenus will tell us that the Grecian Emperours had on the day of their Coronation a great many Marble Stones of several Colours presented to them to chuse which of them they would make their Tombs of which was only to put them in mind
of their Mortality amidst their glorious Exaltations CHAP. II. I. Of the place assigned her among the Popes and II. Of Pope Leo the IX's Letter to the Patriarch of Constantinople III. When and by whom this Fable was publish'd c. IV. The occasion of its Invention V. The little Credit it hath with the most Learned Adversaries of the Catholick Church HAving thus discovered a number of manifest Untruths Improbabilities Contrarities and Ridiculosities in the former part of this Story let us see if they can acquit themselves any better in the latter I. First then as to the place these Historians allot her among the Popes I find as grand a disagreement therein as in any other Passages before for some modern Authors place her between Pope Leo the IV. and Benedict the III. whereas Anastasius Bibliothecarius and Ado of Vienna occular Testimonies say expresly that after Leo the IV. there was but only fifteen days of vacancy and Benedict the III. was immediately chose Pope to which all of that Age agree that wrote the Pontifical History viz. Regino Hermanus contractus Lambertus Otho Frisingus Abbot of Versperg Joannes de Cremana and others But her Historians and Advocates say some of them that she held the Chair a Year and eight Months others but four Months others a Year and an half and others two Years one Month and four Days Fine Concordance again is it not Then some will have her succeed Leo the V. others Martin the I. and some Nicholas the I. some call her John the VII others Jobn VIII But 't is most certain that John the VII was a Grecian and was Pope nineteen Years before this pretended one and John the VIII was a Roman and presided twenty Years after and held the Seat ten Years so consequently these two Johns were neither English-men not Germans II. Then here occurs a very remarkable thing to be seriously considered wherein may farther appear the improbability of this Story viz. that about a hundred Years after the pretended Being of this Pope Joan Pope Leo the IX writing to Michael then Patriarch of Constantinople about the Precedency of the Church of Rome to abate his Pride reproaches him which a Woman and an Eunuch's he means Nicbolas and Ignatius holding the Patriarchal Seat of Constantinople the which certainly he durst not have done if the Church of Rome had been tainted with the same Ignominy and without all doubt the Grecians would have been very glad to have had such an opportunity wherewith to have censur'd the Western Churches if there had been the least appearance of Truth in the Story III. And here we may easily perceive another very evident sign of the falsity of this Story viz. in that all the Authors that lived in this Pope Joan's time and for 400 years after make not the least mention of any such Person for the first that published this Fable was one Martinus Polanus who wrote in the year 1320 and this Pope Joan lived in the year 870. And indeed neither did they nor most of those that wrote after them relate it as for a certain truth but speak of it rather as a Fable all of them reporting it with uncertainty and as a mere common Bruit IV. Then as to what gave the occasion of the invention of this Story I would have the Reader to consider that any one that shall impartially and judiciously read the Lives of the Popes even from St. Peter shall certainly find that there were three sorts of them in general One sort of them were certainly very eminent for their Sanctity and integrity of living but had not that singular Art or Prudence of Managing or Administring the Affairs of this World that is they were not so well acquainted with the Temporal Concerns of the World. Another sort of them there were who tho' they were their Crafts-masters in these Mundane Affairs and knew excellent well the manner and method of ruling these Temporal things with all Prudence and Justice yet these were not endued with so singular a Sanctity of Life as they should be but on the contrary were rather addicted to their disordinate and irregular Affections and Pleasures and had but little Zeal for the things of the Spirit But then there have been certainly a third sort that took something af the best from both and so Govern'd both with Prudence and Holiness Of this worst and middle sort then was Pope John the Twelfth who leading indeed a kind of Debauch'd Life and permitting himself to be Govern'd by a Debauch'd Woman whose Name was JOAN gave the People at that Time occasion to say That it was not the Pope but the Papiss that Govern'd all things V. Lastly to let you see the folly of this Fable I shall shew you what Credit it hath with the most learned of the Church of Rome's Adversaries and plainly prove that 't is worse than an old Wives Tale by their taking this Story for a meer Fable First then Mr. Blondel a French Minister and one of that account and esteem in Paris that he was chosen above all to Answer Cardinal Peron's learned Book this Mr. Blondel I say hath written a Book in French whis was Printed at Amsterdam 1647. on purpose to shew that this Story of a She Pope call'd Joan was a mere Fable And that we may not think that Blondel alone of all Protestant Ministers held this for a Fable Monsieur Seravius a great Calvinist and Councellor of the Parliament of Paris in a Letter of his to Salmasius having mention'd to him this Book of Blondel's adds these words Noli autem credere c. don't believe says he that Blondel was either the first or only Man of our Persuasion that was of this Opinion altho' perhaps no Man hath handled this Matter with more forceable Arguments for there have been famous Divines of the Reformed Religion of the same Opinion and there are yet living in this City Men famous for Fidelity and Piety who heard this History vulgarly credited accounted fabulous from Chamerius's own mouth I my self lately saw Letters of yours and my very good Friend the Learned Peter du Moulin wherein he affirm'd that he always believ'd the same I have Letters by me also of Bochart's wherein he averrs that whatsoever was hitherto Publish'd in favour of this Affair to the World was meerly Vain and Fictitious This Mounsieur Seravius wrote in a private Letter tho' his Son after his Death publish'd and printed it to a Friend of the same persuasion And thus you may plainly see how this Fable tho highly maintain'd by the Adversaries of the Catholick Church thus Expir'd at last as all Lies do and was carryed to its Grave upon the Shoulders of Four the most Famous French Ministers viz. Blondel Chamier du Moulin and Bochart The Life of Pope Joan as 't is written by B. Platina is as follows JOHN the VIII says he was of English Extraction but born at Mentz and is said to have
then 't is most evident that their Church was a most excellent keeper of Scripture for Fifteen hundred years together that had not all that time defin'd what was Scripture and what was not but if the Papists say they had then we demand Was that set forth by Pope Sixtus Quintus or was it set forth by Pope Clement or if by a third different from them both why do they not name him if it were that set forth by Pope Sixtus then 't is now condemn'd by Pope Clement if that of Clement 't was condemned by that of Sixtus So that error must necessarily be betwixt them let them chuse which side they please And for the Book of Maccabees I hope they will allow it defin'd Canonical before St. Gregorie's time though he would not allow it Canonical but only for the Edification of the Church We further desire to be satisfied of the Papists if the Books of Ecclesiasticus and Wisdom and the Epistle to St. James were by the holy Apostles approved Canonical or not if they were approved by the Apostles Canonical sure the Papists cannot deny but they had a sufficient difinition and authority not to question them and therefore err'd in doing so And if they were not approved Canonical by the Apostles with what impudence dare the Roman Church now approve them as Canonical and yet pretend that all their Doctrine is Apostolical And if they say these Books were not questioned they should do well to tell which Books they mean which were not always known to be Canonical but have afterwards been receiveed by the Roman Church to be such so that this Argument reaches those as well as these And further we are to consider that there is not the same reasons for the Churches absolute Infallibility as for the Apostles and Scriptures for if the Church falls into an error it may be reformed by comparing it with the Rules of the Apostles Doctrine in Scripture but if the Apostles have err'd in delivering the Doctrine of Christianity in Scripture then the Roman Church cannot be infallible For Apostles Prophets and Canonical Writers and the foundation of the Church as St. Paul says 't is built upon the foundation of Apostles and Prophets And now to conclude this part of my discourse in very few words let the Papists answer if they can but these five words All Scripture is Divinely inspired Let them shew us so much for the Roman Church and shew us if they can where 't is written in Scripture that all the decrees of the Popish Church are Divinely inspired and all our Controversies will be at an end but I believe they can never do that without another Transubstantiation-Miracle of words The Papists desire us to shew them an exact Catalogue of our fundamentals to which we answer That God may be sufficiently known to one and not sufficiently declared to another and consequently that may be fundamental and necessary to one which is not to another which variety of circumstances renders it impossible to set down an exact Catalogue of Fundamentals for God requires more of them to whom he gives more and less of those to whom he gives less more of a commander of a Kingdom than a poor simple Turnspit 'T is a plain revelation of God to us Protestants that the Sacrament of the Eucharist should be administred in both kinds 1 Cor. 11. 28. that the publick Hymns and Prayers of the Church should be in such a Language as is most for Edification 1 Cor. 14. 15 16. yet the Church of Rome not seeing this by reason of the vail would be very angry if we told them 't would prejudice their supposed Infallibility We read in St. Matthew that the Gospel was to be Preacht to all Nations and this was a truth revealed before our Saviours Ascention yet if the Church had been asked before the conversion of Cornelius they would have certainly told you it had not been necessary to teach all Nations for 't is most apparent out of Acts 11. they all believed so until St. Peter was better informed by a vision from Heaven and the conversion of Cornelius and then they turn'd quite of a differing belief and esteemed it necessary to teach all Nations and yet were still a Church The Papists are pleased to say the Protestants differ in Fundamentals which indeed appears to us very irrational For if they say We Protestants differ in Fundamentals how then can they say We are members of the same Church one with another more than they are with ours or ours with theirs and why do they object our difference more with one another than with themselves and if we do not differ in Fundamentals why do they upbraid us with Fundamental differences amongst our selves We believe the Catholick Church cannot perish yet we believe she may and did err as I prov'd just before but thus much we Protestants declare in general That we esteem it sufficient for any mans salvation to believe God's Word the Scripture and that it contains all things necessary to our salvation and that we do our utmost endeavours to find believe and follow the true sense of it and being we are sure that all that is any way necessary is there believing all that is there we are sure we believe all that is necessary And therefore 't is but reasonable to say that any private person who truly believes the Scriptures and heartily endeavours to know the Will of God and to do it is as secure nay securer from the danger of erring in Fundamentals than the Roman Church for 't is impossible any man so qualified should fall into an error that can prove damnable to him for God requires no more of any man to his salvation but only his true and best endeavours to be saved And for the Papists Sacrament of Confession which they hold is so absolute and nenessary and so much upbraid us for the want of it we answer We know no such absolute necessity of it but yet we hold we must not only confess our sins but forsake them or we shall not find mercy And we Protestants farther believe that they that confess their sins shall find mercy though they only confess them to God and not to Man And more that they who confess them both to God and Man and do not in time forsake them shall not find mercy And so for the Papists Sacrament of Repentance for Remission of sins tho we Protestants know no such yet we allow observe the same Duty but publick before the Church which was the constant practice of the primitive Church and Rhenanus himself though so great a Champion for the Papists writes That the confession then used was before the Church and that Auricular confession was not then in the World. The Papists will tell you that our Bishops have not the true power of Ordination but that has been so clearly answered and so truly proved at large by so many already as I
their saying Pater Nosters and Creeds to the Honour of them and Ave Maries to the Virgin Mary for the infallibility of the Bishop or Church of Rome for their Doctrine of the blessed Virgins Immunity from actual sin for the necessity of Auricular confession for the necessity of the Priests intention to obtain benefit by any of their Sacraments and lastly for their licentious Doctrine in holding that tho a man lives and dies without the practice of any Christian Vertue and with the Habits of many damnable sins unmortified yet if at the last moment of his life he has any sorrow for his sins and joyn confession to it he shall certainly be saved This is a Doctrine may keep many Souls out of Heaven but I doubt will scarce carry any one there So that the Papists Doctrine being ancient is nothing as long as 't is evident that they hold many dangerous errors As for instance the Millenaries and the Communicating Infants was more ancient than their Doctrine and 't is plain that Antiquity unless it be absolute and primative is not a certain sign of true Doctrine and the very Apostles themselves assure us that in their days the mystery of Iniquity was working The Papists demand how comes it to pass that their Doctrine is so Universal forgetting that weeds spread faster than good herbs And we ask them how the errours of the Millenaries and the Communicating Infants became so universal let them tell us this and we will tell them that for what is done in some may be done in others The Papists ask us where our Ch. was before Luther and tell us because 't was no Ch. before him therefore it can be no true Church at all To which we answer That this cause is no cause for tho Luther had no being before Luther yet none can deny but that he was when he was tho he could not be before he was So there may be a true Church after Luther tho there was none for some Ages before him as since Columbus his time there have been Christians in America tho there were none for many Ages before For it does not follow that nothing but a Church can possibly get a Church nor that the present being of a true Church depends necessarily upon the perpetuity of a Church in all Ages For though I cannot deny the Churches perpetuity yet that 's not here necessary to rur difference but that a false Church by Gods providence over-ruling it may preserve a means of confuting their own Heresies and so reduce men to Truth and raise a true Church I mean the integrity of the Word of God with Men. Thus the Jews preserve means to make men Christians and Papists preserve means to make men Protestants and the Protestants false Church as the Romans call it preserves men Papists Nor does it appear that the perpetuity of the Church is the truth of the Papists Church for they speak as if they were the only Christians in the World before Luther when the whole World knows that this is but talk and that there were other Christians besides the Papists that might have perpetuated the Church tho there had not been then one Papist in being For sure there was a Catholick Church before the Roman one Next the Papists say To hold that the Visible Church is not perpetual is a Heresie so that Luther's Reformation being but particular and not universal nor but of late date it can have nothing to do with the visible and perpetual Church Which the Protestants answer thus To say the visible Church is not perpetual is properly a Heresie but the Papists cannot deny but that the Apostles who preach'd the Gospel in the beginning did believe the Church universal tho their preaching at the beginning was not so So Luther also might well believe the Vniversal Church though his Reformation was but particular the Church in the Apostles time being universal de jure of right but not de facto in fact Nor did Luther and his followers as the Papists are pleased to mis-call many Protestants forsake the whole Church but the corruptions of it in renouncing some of their corrupt practices and this the Protestants say they did without Schism because they had cause to do it and no man can have cause to be a Schismatick because he is only one who leaves the Church without a cause for 't is not only separation but a causeless separation from the Church that is Schismatical and I think 't will not be amiss before I go any farther to distinguish the difference between Heresie and Schism Heresie is an obstinate defence of any error against any necessary Article of the Christian Faith. Schism is a causeless separation of one part of the Church from another Now we Protestants say still That we never forsook the whole Church or the external Communion of it but only that part of it which is corrupted and is to be fear'd will still continue so viz. The Papists Church and forsook not but only reformed another part which part they themselves were And sure the Papists will not say the Protestants forsook themselves nor their own Communion and therefore the Papists Argument must be very weak in urging that the Protestants joyned themselves to no other part of the Church therefore they must separate from the whole Church which the Protestants say is a false conclusion in as much as they themselves were part of it and still continue so and therefore the Protestants could no more separate from the whole than from themselves So that by the rule of Reason if Protestants be Schismaticks because they differ from one part of the visible Church by the same reason the Protestants may say that the Roman Church is in a manner made up of Schismaticks for the Jesuits are Schismaticks from the Dominicans and the Dominicans from the Jesuits and the Jesuits from the Canonists the Franciscans from the Dominicans and the Dominicans from the Franciscans for all these as the world knows differ in point of Doctrine and betwixt them there is an irreconcilable contradiction and therefore one part must be in error And if the Papists will but stand to justifie what they declare as truth That every error against a revealed Truth is a Heresie they holding for certain as a revealed Truth the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary then consequently the Dominicans that hold and declare it an error in Doctrine must necessarily hold a Heresie Now it may be a fault to be in error because it many times proceeds from a fault but sure Protestants forsaking error it cannot be a sin unless to be in error be a Vertue So hardly do Papists deal with us Protestants as they will either damn us in making us follow their false opinions or else brand us as Schismaticks for leaving them And yet the rational sort of Papists can hardly deny but the Protestant Religion must be a safer Religion than theirs in worshipping Pictures in
Invocating Saints and Angels in denying the Lay-men the Communion in both kinds as was commanded by our blessed Saviour in celebrating their Church-Service in an unknown Tongue which was condemned by St. Paul in adoring the Sacrament and in all these a rational Papist cannot deny but he is on the more dangerous side as to the committing of sin and the Protestant in the more secure way as to the avoiding it For in all these things if Protestants say true the Papists do that which is impious but on the other side if the Papists were in the right yet the Protestants might be secure enough too for their fault would be only this that they should only not do some things which the Papists themselves confess is not altogether necessary to be done And truly the Protestants are so Charitably civil as only to say of Papists as St. Austin did of the Donatists That Catholicks approved the Doctrine of the Donatists but abhorred their Heresie of Rebaptization So Protestants approve the Fundamental and necessary Truths which the Papists retain by which many good Souls among them may be saved but abhor the many superstitions they use in their Religion And supposing these Errors of the Popish Church were in themselves not damnable to them that believe as they profess yet for us Protestants to profess what we do not believe and esteem those as Divine Truths which we believe not to be either Divine or true would be doubtless damnable as to us for 't is certain Two men may do the same thing and it may be sinful to one and not to the other as suppose a married Woman gives herself out to be a Widow and one knowing her Husband to be alive marries her doubtless his injoyment of her was adulterous but a second man comes and after seeing her pretended Husband buried marries her and dies without the least information of her first Husbands being then alive his ignorance sure protected him from sin and the second Husbands knowledg of the sin he acted condemned him of Adultery tho his fault might be palliated with some excuses yet it can never be defended by any just Apoligy And so tho we read in Scripture that it was St. Paul's Judgment that meat offered to Idols might lawfully be eaten yet he says if any should eat it with a doubtful Conscience he should sin and be condemned for so doing And supposing we Protestants ought not to have forsook the Papists Church for sin and errours if she had not injoyn'd and imposed them on us yet since she does maintain them with such obstinacy and imposes them with such tyranny we ought certainly to say with St. Peter and St. John 'T is better to forsake men than God and leave the Popish Church-Communion rather than commit or profess known errors as Divine Truths for as the Prophet Ezekiel tells us that to say The Lord hath said so when the Lord hath not said so is a high presumption and great sin be the matter never so small and therefore when St. Paul spoke concerning Virgins abstaining from marriage he said He had no commandment of the Lord but I declare my own judgment of it Now if St. Paul had given this as God's command surely we might have justly contradicted him and made a distinction between Divine Revelation and Humane Judgment So that for a Protestant to abide in the Communion of the Roman Church is so far from securing him from errour as that if I or any Protestant should continue in it I am confident I could not be saved by it and the reason is because the Papists will not admit of my Communion without professing the entire Popish Doctrine to be true and profess this I cannot but I must perpetually exulcerate my Conscience tho the errours of the Roman Church were not in themselves damnable yet for me to resist known Truths and to continue in the Profession of known errours and falshoods is certainly a capital sin and of great affinity with the sin which shall never be forgiven In short if the errours of the Roman Church did not warrant our departure yet the tyrannous imposition of them would be our sufficient justification for they force us either to forsake the Papists Communion or profess as gospel-Gospel-truths what our Conscience assures us is very little akin to them so that the Protestants were oblig'd to forsake those errours of the Popish Church and not the Church but the errours and we Protestants did and do still continue members of the Church having only left what appeared most plain to us to be superstitious and impious And we separate no more from the Popish Church thant she has separated from the Ancient Church and indeed to speak properly our difference is more against the Court than Church of Rome which has introduced so many new ceremonies and practises in the Popish Church as was never heard nor practised in the Primitive Times as for one instance of a Thousand I might give you Their denying the Cup to the Laity which was never practised in the Church a Thousand years after our Saviour But because the Papists brag so much of and depend so entirely on the Infallibility of their Church I shall pass by their Out-works and search a little into this their Grand Fort the Infallibility of their Church for except they prove that they prove nothing but in proving that they prove all and if the Papists could satisfie me either by Scripture or Reason that their Church is infallible I should not only be of their Church to morrow but repent I was not sooner but really by all that I ever heard or read for their making it good I find cause only to admire their confidence but not at all to esteem their reasons The cheif method they take and degrees they use to prove the Infallibility of their Church are by whole-sale these First that St. Peter was head and cheif amongst the Apostles and there was given to him and his Successors by our Saviour Universal Authority over his Militent Church That the Pope or Bishop of Rome is St. Peter's Successor and has his Authority of Vniversal Bishop and consequently the Roman Church being built upon this Rock is infallible all which I doubt not but to prove to be inconsistent with and contradictory both to Scripture and Reason As to the first point of St. Peter's being Head of the Apostles which the Papists all stile him and say he was called from thence Cephas which is derived from the Greek word Head it is a most gross mistake for Cephas is a Syriack word that signifies Stone but this is only by the by Now we Protestants say tho we allow St. Peter might have primacy of Order yet we cannot grant he had supremacy of power over the other Apostles for sure it cannot stand with the least reason that St. Peter should have authority over all the Apostles and yet never act the least authority over
is the only beginning of wisdom and not consume it in studying and maintaining of Disputes and Factions but if we must still differ let Protestants and Papists differ in Opinions but as Aristotle and Cicero did who tho they were of differing Judgments touching the natures of Souls yet both of them agreed in the main that all men had Souls and Souls of the same nature And as Physicians though they dispute whether the Brain or the Heart be the principal part of a man yet that all Men have Brains and Heart they sufficiently agree in So though Protestants esteem one part of the Church-Doctrine and Papists set a higher value on another part yet the Soul of the Church may be in both of them and though the Papists account that a necessary truth which the Protestants account neither necessary nor perhaps ture yet in truth truly necessary they both agree viz. The Apostles Creed and that Faith Hope and Charity are necessary to salvation And lastly though Papists hold they may be justified by their Works and Protestants hold none can be justified barely by them in regard of the Imperfections of their Works yet on the other side we so much agree with the Papists as to esteem none can be justified without them for without Repentance and Charity none can be good they being both like Health to our Bodies the want of which is sufficient to disturb all other pleasures Therefore when we read St. Pauls Treatise of Justification by Faith without the works of the Law let us at the same time read what he writes to the Corinthians concerning the absolute necessity of that Excellent Vertue of Charity and they will reconcile one another And I wish that we were all so reconciled in the unity of the Spirit and in the bond of peace And thaâ—… you Madam may be the sooner reconcil'd to me for thiâ—… tediousness I shall now make a Conclusion which afteâ—… such an overgrown Letter must needs be the best Complement that can be made by Madam Yours c. FINIS Errata Page 9. line 27. for past-time read patience The Tryal of Philip Standsfield Son to Sir James Stansfield of New-Milns for the Murther of his Father And other Crimes Libell'd againg him Feb. 7. 1688. For which he had Judgment c. price 1 s. An Historical Relation of several Great and Learned Romanists who did Imbrace the Protestant Religion with their Reasons for their Change deliver'd in their own words 6 d. A Seasonable Collection of plain Text of Scripture for the Use of English Protestants price 2 d. ROME'S RARITIES OR THE Pope's Cabinet UNLOCK'D And Expos'd to View BEING A true and Faithful Account of the Blasphemy Treason Massacres Murders Lechery Whoredom Buggery Sodomy Debauchery Pious Frauds c. of the Romish Church from the Pope himself to the Priest or inferiour Clergy TO THE Triple-Crown'd Prelate OF ROME HOLY SIR I Do here with all imaginable Deference and Humility present you I will not be so unmannerly as to say with a Pig of your own Sow but with a Rich Cabinet and good reason too because your own for 't is unjust that you should be the Proprietor and another the Usufructuary A Cabinet wherein are display'd all the commendable Qualifications and inimitable Perfections of some of your Famous Predecessors that have had the Honour to sit in St. Peter's Chair and in some particulars a weak Character or Adumbration of your Holiness's Endowments which no Pen can fully delineate Nor can you any way complain of foul play herein since this Tract contains no Quotations but what are collected from the most Authentic and rigid Romanists that ever espoused the Catholic Cause and Persuasion The Candid Reader by a serious perusal of this Treatise will I presume not onely receive satisfaction thereby but also make a Discovery of those rare Vertues which embellish the minds of St. Peter's Successors more to their renown and Glory than the resplendent Diamonds and Rubies that shine in and adorn the Triple Diadem and therefore I hope that your Sanctity will leave the Author out when you presume to Curse all Hereticks as you miscall them once a Year in the Bulla Coenae or otherwise you shall hear of him agen in a more Sarcastic Style and Satyrick Humour this being only at present Joco-serious If any thing herein clinch too close and offend let those of your own Party beg your pardon whose Duty it is that afforded the Materials which compiled together and collected make up this Epitome of your Memorable Acts and Monumental Transactions But withall I must needs confess that no Bigoted Protestant who moves in the highest Sphere of Ecclesiastical Dignity dares presume or pretend to arrive to the height of those Excellencies herein mentioned which are only peculiar to the Roman Miter If the subordinate Clergy storm at the Contents of this Book let them thank themselves for exposing to the Public their Cheats and Chicaneries so apparently that an inconsiderable Lay-Protestant could not possibly avoid taking notice of he being only the Amanuensis of their own Authors and hath taken the pains to transscribe out of them such Memorials as he thought convenient to reduce to the Method observ'd in this small System or Collection I bequeath this Aurea Legenda to your Holiness first and then to the rest of the Inferiour Clergy it being a Brat of their own Brain a Babe of their own Procreation and so bid you all farewel who subscribe my self Philanax Misopapas THE Pope's Cabinet UNLOCK'D APapa Principium Why not this as good an Invocation now-a-days as à Jove Principium in times of Yore for my part I know no reason to the contrary since the former is styled God by some and Vice-God by most Romanists the latter known by all to be no God at all or at best a false one Therefore to begin with Holiness must needs be commendable nay with His Holiness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that cannot prove successless Avaunt then fond Protestant and do not hit him so often in the teeth with the flurting Nick-name of the Man of Sin. No no he 's the Man of Sanctity there 's the Mistake nor with that frequent unmannerly Title of the Whore of Babylon for that is both incoherent with Sense and inconsistent with the Sex but be not too bold with that Argument whatever you do good Papist for fear some blunt Protestant round you in the Ear and that he is like enuf to do with the Story of Pope Joan and tell you to your face when you say you are abus'd herein that it is with a matter of truth and shew you good reason for it too iâ—… there be either Truth or reason in a great many of your own Popish Writers who allow the History to be authentick buâ—… of that more anon An ordinary Physician by the Indisposition of the Head can soon judge of the Temper of the Body and no doubt when the Reader understands how