being rationally and Christianly principled and nothing averse to Piety till coming to the later Proposition That it became the wisedom and goodness of Christ to appoint a visible Judge Infallible upon Earth to determine Controversies He replied mildly we had reason to go warily in censuring the wisedom and goodness of God if this or that thing seeming to us expedient were not done in the government of the World for who can pretend to know the depth of the wisedom and knowledg of God Rom. 11.33 to search into his judgments and find out his ways This most rational advertisement took deep root in my heart ever thirsty of reason and open to receive it Neither did the modesty of the Proposer diminish but rather augment the weight of it It was in truth the first shock that touched me to the quick striking upon the very root of that Engine of Infallibility I leaned upon Reflecting upon the matter in my solitudes I perceived the weakness of the ground I built upon I saw that in like manner we may say it belongeth to the goodness wisedom and power of God not to permit that his Holy Law should be transgressed by vile creatures and his supreme dread Majesty offended by despicable vermine Nor that Pastors of Souls especially the Roman Pope deemed a Vice-God upon Earth should fall into errours and scandalize with wicked life the people And alas it is but too well known he permits this Shall we therefore waver in the Opinion of his goodness power and wisedom God forbid Why then should we think it a failure in his providence or goodness if besides Holy Scriptures abounding in all light and Heavenly Doctrine to such as are not wilfully blind he did not appoint some visible Judge universal for our direction St. Paul saying 2 Tim. 3.16.17 that Holy Scriptures are able to make us wise unto salvation that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works That Foundation alledging the necessity of a Judge visible universal and Infallible being thus weakned I proceeded to examine what right the Pope or Church of Rome could pretend to such infallibility the support of all their Incredible Doctrine And first the very inconstancy of their pretence to this priviledge and great dissention of their Authors in asserting it was to me a main reason of suspecting the truth of all and a concluding argument that they cannot be certain of having it Vide Bel l. 4. de Rom. Pont. c. 2. For some will have the Pope himself alone as Pope or as teaching from his chair to have this Infallibility of Doctrine Others will not allow it him but in conjunction with a Council either general or particular of Cardinals and Divines Others only attribute it to him in a General Council Others neither separately nor conjunctly and will only allow the Church Universal to be Infallible And finally others of the most Learned affirm even the Church Universal S. Tho. Turre â—â—â—mata Alphonâ—us a Cactâ—o apud Candi 4 〈◊〉 c. 4 concl 2. to be capable of a Material Errour by Probable Ignorance though not of a Formal and Heretical one which in substance is to allow the Church no more Infallibility than Origen Tertullian or any other particular true Christian Believer hath though subject to errors which Opinion if extended to make the Universal Church fallible even in Points Essential to saluation is false And upon so great an uncertainty of their Infallibility they will have us to build a certain Infallible Belief of all they please to teach us which is to build a house incapable of falling upon a sandy and ruinous Foundation Now for their grounds for this pretended Infallibility what is their warrant for it Divine Scripture they say for who but God could give such a Priviledge and what warrant have they for believing he Scripture saying so to be Divine and Infallible The Infallible Testimony of the Church say they again their own Roman Church they mean So they believe the Scripture is Infallible because the Roman Church doth testifie it and this Church to be Infallible because the Scriptures Testimony is for it A circle in reasoning which Logicians would hiss out of their Schools Neither may Becan's escape avail him that they deal with Christians who believe the Scripture for no Christian but such as they will make blind can believe that there is any Scripture favouring their case in this particular without clipping or corrupting it to serve their purpose For example Their main pillar for this Infallibility fetcht out of the 24th chapter of St. John John 14.16 I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of truth Their own Disciples who ordinarily know no more of Scriptures than what they are pleased to shew to them for their several purposes may think that Text to be pertinent for their pretentions But who will take the liberty to read the Context before and after will clearly find out that the very same Text destroyeth their whole design and taketh away all certainty of the Holy Ghost his assistance for rendring their Decrees Infallible The Text restored to its integrity saith thus in their own Bible If ye love me keep my commandments Mundus id est remanens amator mundi cum quo nurquam est amor Dei Gloss interlin Non habent spirituales oculos quibus Spiritum sanctum videant muâ—â—i amaâ—â—res Gloss ordinaria and I will ask my Father and he shall give you another Paraclete that he may abide with you for ever even the Spirit of Truth whom the World cannot receive By the first words you may see this to be a conditional promise limited to such as love God and keep his Commandments by the later words you see worldly and sinful men expresly excluded from receiving that gracious assistance of the Spirit of Truth therefore to be sure that the Pope and his Council have the assistance of the Spirit of Truth we must be sure that they love God and keep his Commandments but of this we cannot have security their own Histories relating and the world knowing enormous vices in them What they alledge out of St. Paul writing to Timothy Tim. 3.15 that the Church is the pillar and ground of Truth we freely admit it as due to the Universal Church not to any particular but less to one found guilty of so many and great errours such as the Romish is whose ambition in claiming and appropriating to it self all the commendations delivered of the Church Universal is no less reprehensible than as if the Scribes and Pharisees persecuting our Saviour should appropriate to their Synagogue all the praises given to Moses and Aaron Would not you wonder that their chief Champion Cardinal Bellarmine Bellar de sum Pâ—n l. 4 c 2. should bring for proof of the Pope's Infallibility that in the Old Law
A SERMON Preached at CHRIST-CHURCH IN DUBLIN Before the Lord Lieutenant and Council The Fifth day of July 1674. BY Mr. ANDREW SALL Formerly of the Order of Iesus and Professor of Divinity in the Colledges of Pamplona Polencia and Tudela in Spain Rector and Professor of Controversies in the Irish Colledge of the University of Salamanca Professor of Moral Theology in the Royal Colledge of the Society in the same University now Preacher of the Gospel in the Reformed Church of Ireland and Chaplain to his Excellency the most Honourable ARTHVR Earl of Essex Lord Lieutenant General and General Governour of Ireland Not unto us O Lord not unto us but unto thy Name give glory for thy mercy and for thy truths sake Psalm 115.1 I will speak of thy testimonies also before Kings and will not be ashamed Psalm 119.46 Published by Authority DVBLIN Printed by Benjamin Tooke Printer to his King 's most Excellent Majesty and are to be sold by Joseph Wilde Book-seller in Castle-street 1674. Imprimatur JA ARMACANUS To His Excelleney THE MOST HONOURABLE ARTHUR Earl of ESSEX Viscount Malden Baron Capel of Hadham Lord Lieutenant General and General Governour of His Majesties Kingdom of Ireland Lord Lieutenant of the County of Hertford and one of the Lords of His Majesties most Honourable Privy Council May it please your Excellency THE love of Truth made me forsake what I loved most of worldly things and occasioned my dearest friends to become my bitter Enemies Tyranny did stop my mouth formerly from speaking Truth and malice subrogated now doth pursue me even where I expected liberty being busy as I am informed in contriving if not my destruction my discredit that I might not be able to speak against errours too much prevailing in the world or not to be credited when I should do it The same of your Excellency's Heroick Endowments Christian Zeal of Truth and Holiness derived from your illustrious Progenitors and more immediately from your most honourable and renowned Father of glorious memory for sacrificeing his life to Truth and Loyalty did encourage me to address my self to your Excellency's Protection in this more than ordinary necessity thereof The most gracious reception your Excellency was pleased to give me emboldened me to manifest the justification of my departure from the Romish Communion and adhereing to the purity of Catholick Religion as it is professed by the Church of England in a Sermon Preached at the Royal Chappel of Christ-Church in your Honourable Presence And the singular â—â—â—ignity wherewith your Exâ—â—â—â—â—cy your Ilustrious 〈…〉 was pleased to hear and 〈…〉 prove of my discourse upon 〈◊〉 Subject giveth me confidenâ—â— to present to your Excellency commend to your protection the same Discourse being ordered to publish it That being Honoured in the Front with your Excellency's Illustrious Name it might the better withstand the assaults of envy and malice The adversaries of our Doctrine are so active in advancing their Faction that where they cannot practice Violence their contrivances do reach to terrify Sincere mindes from professing or speaking what they judgright I have but too much ground to think it is so with very many in this Country and abroad It is more want of courage than of knowledge that keeps many good men under their yoke and such as know their ways may think it a wonder that any who were among them of note should dare to oppose them It will be a singular glory of your Excellency if under your shelter we may enjoy the freedom of speaking Truth Peace is the Foundation of Happiness and Lustre in any Government and the fiercest Enemy of Peace is Dissension in Religion Of such Dissension the only remedy by ordinary Providence is a free exchange of reasons according to the Rule of God's Word and within the Bounds of Christian Modesty And this Freedom being all my ambition I cannot but assure my self of your Excellencies gracious Protection and Favour that may enable me to praise God in this way That we being delivered out of the hands of our Enemies Lu 1.74 might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life Praying continually to God he may be pleased to bless your Excellency with all prosperity and farther your holy intentions for the spiritual and temporal welfare of this Kingdom I cease to give your Excellency farther trouble but shall ever remain Your Excellencies most humble and obedient Servant And Chaplain ANDREW SALL THE PREFACE To my Dear Countrey-men Friends and Kinsmen of the Roman Communion in IRELAND THE great Scandal you seem to have taken at my withdrawing from the Communion of the Roman Church and adhering to that of England has occasioned I should the more willingly obey the order I had of exposing to publick view the account of my proceeding and motives of my alteration contained in this Sermon which I have preached in the Royal Chappel of Christ-Church at Dublin desiring that such as could not or would not go thither to hear it may at their leisure and without passion read it If my proceedings herein were indeed a scandal I might justly fear that woe to him that gives it But mens averse disposition is apt to term a scandal what in it self is an example And I have ground to hope it is so with you at present in my concern Certainly it may be called an example and a good one if you hear the voice of God not to harden your heart or shut your ears against it though you may prudently examine the calling and endeavour to be certified whether it be of God And when you are assured it is so to obey your Lord and Maker not heeding the cryes of the world against you nor the suggestions of humane fear or shame So did the blessed Virgin Mary who hearing that high and honourable calling of God by the mouth of the Angel Gabriel did neither harden her heart nor shut her ears against it nor yet did she give a sudden assent but replied with a pressing reason according to the rules of humane Discourse saying How shall this be Lu. 1.34 seeing I know not a man but convinced with superiour evidences represented by the Angel she obeyed promptly the will of God not regarding her former apprehension of fear and shame Her example I have followed I heard the voice of God by several ways interiour and exteriour calling me out of the errours of my former profession I neither hardened my heart with resolute obstinacy nor gave a hasty assent to change but by prayer and study of many years did endeavour to certifie my self of the truth by all the ways I could imagine fit to find it out and being at last fully convinced did resolutely embrace it and openly declare for it not heeding the cryes nor fearing the menaces of passion and malice against me If you will not think fit to follow my example in this kind of proceeding I hope you will
of this Doctrine not willing to defame the Teachers of such infamous Tenents until farther occasion make it necessary to shew how opposite they be to the Law of God and the Doctrine of Christ This kind of defence is a great discredit to their cause Truth needeth not such weapons to be drawn for it David saith Psa 16.2 That God needeth not our goods Deus meus es quoniam bonorum meorum non eges And if he needs not our goods surely he needs not our evil Who useth these means sheweth clearly it is not for God he acts for God refuseth all such ways Job 13.7 Will you speak wickedly for God saith holy Job and talk deceitfully for him Certainly none of his true Followers will do so It is not the way Christ and his Apostles did shew us to propagate their Doctrine Several Persons that pretended to desire my safety were employed to forewarn me I should not speak in prejudice of the Party I forsook in terms which might seem a threatning if I did not take that advice If they require that I should not raise or blazon the faults of particular persons or Societies I am my self totally inclined and fully resolved to observe that rule But if they expect that I should not justifie my departure from the Romish Communion by declaring the exceptions I took against their erroneous â—enents which I could not with approbation of my conscience embrace it is a cruel unjust demand and as much as to say I ought not to defend Iruth and my Credit according to the Law of God and Nature but permit them to strike at both without reply to which I cannot consent And whereas I understand there are malicious glosses made upon my Declaration falsifying the words of it to build cavils upon others substituted by themselves For discovery of that imposture and manifestation of Truth a true Copy of the said Declaration as delivered it in the Church of St John at Cashell is hereto annexed the following Discourse being a fulleâ— explication of what is there said in general And that malice may confide less in its contrivances thinking they will not be discovered and confuted I will let it have here a view of its own weakness declaring one of its attempts by way of the foresaid Declaration Among other tryals made of my constancy in my resolution taken was a Letter written to me in the moneth of June last wherein was advertised that in my Declaration I acknowledged that some years past I did intend and resolve to forsake the Romish Communion and adhere to the Church of England Contrary to which resolution were extant Writings of mine in those times approving and defending the Roman Church I desire the indifferent Reader to peruse carefully the Declaration and see whether in it he finds mention of a Resolution made some years ago of forsaking the Roman Church and he shall onely find that some years ago I doubted of the truth of some Articles of that Church but no word of a Resolution made of separating from it as truly I never made it until the first day of last May and no man living is able to say with truth that he saw any expression of mine by word or writing concerning such a Resolution until that day So this Foundation of that gloss being thus evidently falsified all the breed of that great pregnaney comes to be that writings of mine are extant wherewith in times past I defended the Roman Church A singular discovery as if my name were not to be seen enrolled several years in the Registry or publick Books of the Vniversity of Salamanca for Professour of Controversies in one of the Colledges Members of that Vniverfity and my Auditors being composed of Spanish French and Irish my Dictates may not be in many hands both in this Countrey and abroad as if I were not one of the most srequent and earnest Disputers in favour of the Romish Church since I came to this Land This being generally known and my self canfessing it with repentance of my unfortunate errour therein what purchase do they pretend to make with this acute discovery of one I may probably assure them that the unpassionate will judge them unworthy of credit in matters less clear when they pretend to blind my self and all the Countrey making us believe that in my Declaration extant in so many hands as here published I did acknowledge that some years past I did intend and resolve to desert the Roman and adhere to the Protestant Church whereas therein is onely said that some years ago I doubted of the truth of some Romish Articles but delayed to give assent against them And any good judgment may see that to doubt of the truth of some Articles may be far enough from concluding upon the untruth of them and even this later may be yet farther from a resolution upon a total breach and separation from a Church Herein we see passion blinded for not to be sensible of shame in telling palpable untruths weakness is no less discovered in pretending to discredit me with telling I did in former years approve and defend the Roman Church With this note St. Paul may be branded for being zealous one time of the Synagogue and opposing the Gospel They should remember that I live now in a Congregation allowed to read Scripture and not ignorant of the gracious Word of God delivered by the Prophet Ezekiel Ezek 22.22 If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed and keep all my statutes and do that which is lawful right he shall surely live he shall not dye All his transgressions that he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him If the godly people with whom I converse make any mention of my former errours it is to rejoyce at my conversion from them As there is joy in the presence of the Angels of God Luke 15.10 over one sinner that repenteth To this shot by way of menace waâ— adjoyned another from the same hand pointing at my intention For they do not think it a robbery to make themselves equal to God in searching hearts and discerning intentions They object to me that if my intention was to be certified of truth as I do profess I should have consulted my doubts with some of my Brethren about me To which I answer First that I could not judge any of my Brethren living about me more fit to resolve me upon these points than Suarez Bellarmine Becanus Stapleton and others the most learned Defenders of the Roman Church with whom I was always very much conversant I would not judge any of them mentioned so vain as to pretend he could give me more satisfaction than the Writings of those great Doctors could afford Secondly I say that to try their skill I related very often to the best understanders about me my several encounters with Learned Protestants their Objections and my Answers And I never yet met
with any that would tell me I did not answer right or that I needed a supply from him to do it My Learned Opposers were wont to say that a man so long time exercised in School debates could hardly want an Answer to Arguments but that they suspected I was not my self satisfied and their suspicion there in was not erroneous I could continue farther giving answer to others but to the serious Proposals of my own judgment in the presence of God in favour of his truth I could not resist and to them I yielded I say Thirdly that many days before my Declaration for the Protestant Church I signified by Letter and Message to such as I thought fit to divulg it of the Romish Clergy and Nobility that although I was forced to come under the protection of the most Reverend Lord Archbishop of Cashell to avoid the popular fury raised against me yet I would not declare against Communion with the Roman Church while any hopes appeared of being satisfied in the Exceptions I took against the present practice of that Church and being they had among them my Writing containing the said Exceptions which in substance are those contained in the ensuing Discourse so long time as may suffice to have Copies of it I desired any that would pretend to resolve me upon those Exceptions should appear and that I would give a willing and unpassionate hearing to his reasons But none appeared for that purpose nor signified to have a mind to do it Neither indeed had I reason to hope that any of them could give me satisfaction having so long time and very carefully studied upon the reasons given by the most Learned Defenders of their cause and found no satisfaction in them and the rather that when my Paper came to their hands containing the exceptions I took against the Romish tenents but without any mention of separation in stead of a charitable conference with my self they stirred the people to fury against me saying I was already made Minister and to preach at the Protestant Church at Cashell the Sunday following which being a fiction of their own I told it was so in a Noblemans house where I had notice of that report without any promise made much less an Oath that I should never become a Protestant which was one of the very false impostures framed against me without fear of God or shame to be found in untruths For certainly I neither said that nor had any Question made to me that would occasion saying it But those stories so enraged the people that from worthy persons who tendered my safety I had notice given me of menaces made to destroy me or convey me where I should not appear speaking against the Romish party As to the former truly I could hardly believe that Christians Countreymen and Kinsmen whom I served and never offended and from whom I had many shews of love and honour should intend to destroy me for following the dictates of my conscience nor that passion should so blind them that being under a Government dissatisfied of their Tenents they should not be contented with the gracious toleration given to them but must insult with violence and malice upon such as following the light of their conscience do embrace the Religion established by the Law and Government which God has put over us As I heartily wish and tender their welfare I earnestly desire they may avoid this foul kind of proceeding withdraw their silly Rythmers Scoulds and Forgers of Calumnies and employ their good wits in examining soberly and seriously for the Glory of God manifestation of Truth and edification of the people the Points I handle in this Discourse and shewing wherein my Arguments against their Tenents are defective or what Arguments they repute of most strength for them and that with Authority of undoubted Canonical Scripture clear reasons grounded upon it or practice uniform of the Primitive Church Not by Hyperbolical expressions of some one or more of Ancient Authours Rhetorical Flourishes and Tropical Applications of Scriptures drawing them from their direct genuine meaning to others different by the help of some Figure At which rate of disputing the Alcoran of Mahomet and the Talmud of the Jews may be defended as plausibly as the Council of Trent The God of Peace and his Son Jesus who bequeathed it for inheritance to his Disciples make us appear to be of them living in peace and charity together in this Life that so we may joyn to praise him in Life everlasting Amen Mr. ANDREW SALL 's Declaration made in the Church of St. John in the City of Cashell the Fourth Sunday after Easter May the Seventeenth present the most Reverend THOMAS Lord Archbishop of Cashell and the Right Reverend HUGH Lord Bishop of Waterford VVHEREAS I Andrew Sall have been born and bred in the Communion of the Roman Catholick Church followed a Religious Life and compleated my Courses of Philosophy and Divinity in Colledges of the Order of JESUS in Spain and was imployed in teaching of the said Faculties many years I acknowledge that since by occasion of this Function I applyed my self to a structer enquiry and examining of matters and by frequent reading of the Holy Scriptures Fathers Councils and Histories of the Church my knowledge was farthered and my judgment ripened I began to doubt of the truth of several Articles introduced by the Vse and Authority of the Roman Church repugnant to human reason and not warranted by Divine Writ as Transubstantiation Indulgences Purgatory Worship of Images c. yet smothered my scruples while I was in Spain partly fearing the severity of that Countrey against Opposers of their Tenents partly amused with a supposition that the Church and Pope of Rome were infallible in their Decrees touching Faith and so may stand with security to their declarations But having arrived to this Countrey disputed often and closely of Religion with several Persons eminent in Learning and Integrity but principally with the most Reverend Father in God and mine truly in Christ his Grace Thomas Lord Archbishop of Cashell present who mindful of the duty of a good Pastor did procure to bring into his Fold this straying sheep with an unspeakable constancy and indefatigable charity suffering for six years of continual battery my obstinate resistance till at last by means of his solid doctrine and of the example of his pious and upright Life to the glory of God be I permitted to say thus much here the Lord was pleased to give me a more clear sight of the errours I was in yet a full assent I delayed to give partly fearing that the weakness I felt might be of my capacity rather than of the cause I maintained partly frighted with the confusions and dangers I conceived might wait upon my deserting of the Romish Communion and so betook my self to a must diligent study of the case leaving no stone unmoved to quiet the trouble of my conscience reading with indifferent eyes the
chapter of St. Luke who having lavished away his substance with riotous living in a forreign countrey Luke 15.15 he joyned himself to a Citizen who employed him in feeding his swine and he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat How so that delicate youth who loathed the plentiful fare of his Fathers house now fancy the husks that swine did eat Is that a proper food for a man and such a man no but the company of swine made him put off his own nature and wear theirs And when he came to himself so followeth the Text. What did he leave himself yes saith ingenious Peter Chrysologus à se migrat transit in bestiam Chrysol Ser. 2. living with beasts he left himself and turned beast That is the ordinary effect of bad company to turn into its own condition the nature of such as adhere to it To presume the contrary is to pretend to a miracle and tempt God It were indeed a miracle and a singular one that a person living in a bad company should not conform to it Our Saviour to confirm his Doctrine with an uncontrolable miracle against the obstinate Jews who condemned as Sorceries his other miraculous works got innocent children to blaze his glory in the Temple of Jerusalem according to the Prophet David Mat. 21.16 in the eighth Psalm Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise This miracle wrought deeply upon the Jews and confirmed them in the belief of the others preceding as St. Matthew relates St. Mat. â—â— 19. And when the chief Priests and Scribes saw the wonderful things that he did and the children crying in the Temple saying Hosanna to the Son of David they were sore displeased What made them take more notice of these innocent Elegies of the children than of the other wonders he wrought 〈…〉 Euthymius glâ—ssing upon this passage answers that in other occasions they suspected Christ might have deluded their eyes with appearances of things not really existing but that their own children bred by themselves and living among them should break out into Elogies of one they saw ever contemned and reviled by them was a miracle they knew not how to controll That ears continually beaten with calumnies and opprebries against Christ should entertain any favourable opinion of him was a wonder which malice and envy it self could not suspect So strange it is that any should not act according to the temper of the company he lives in A wonder passing all wonders Such is the influence bad company hath over minds adhering to it And herewith I conclude the first Point of my Discourse how justly our Saviour in the words of our Text was so earnest in exhorting his Disciples to shun the Abominations of Jerusalem given over to corruption and reprobate obstinacy that they might not be perverted by them and that if we should see any of those three Abominations declared by the three Opinions of Interpreters related in the opening of our Text that is to say Idolatry Cruelty or Impiety or all three practised in a Church or Congregation we are to shun it with all speed and diligence Now I will proceed to the Second Point proposed of my discourse which is to declare how I saw and by what means God was pleased to let me see that all these three abominations are generally practised in the Roman Church as it stands at present to wit Idolatrie in their Manner of Worship Cruelty in their conduct of Souls and Antichristian Impiety in extolling men above God That so my receding from the Communion of It may be justified as no more nor other than a dutiful obedience to the Councel of Christ declared in our Text. But before I enter into this Point I desire my judicious hearers not to conceive I come here to scold or Insult upon my former Brethren of the Roman Communion I may not hate Them without hating my self my flesh and blood and dearest friends being among them with tender compassion I lament their Errour I could not in piety abandon the Mother at whose brest I sucked the Belief of a Christian if with tears or sweat I could hope to wash away the stains which corruption of time has cast upon her face once fair and glorious but seeing her disease appears both incurable and contagious I was forced to a divorce Mean faults could not give a just cause to it they must be grievous ones which I cannot declare without giving them their own names the same our Text and declaration of it puts into my mouth for just cause of the like seperation Idolatrie Cruelty Impiety How I came to perceive the present Practise of the Roman Church to be guilty of these faults I will endeavour to declare with the brevity and sincerity duty requires being to speak in so Illustrious an Auditory Gods Providence leading me in my younger years to the Schools of greatest credit in Spain and disposing so that having compleated in them my courses of Philosophy and Divinity I should be imployed many years in teaching the same Faculties The exercise of those Reasoning Sciences joyned with my own Genius not fit for Pythagoras his School where ipse dixit was the rule and knowledge must be taken upon credit of the Master got me a habit of demanding reason for the belief of Doctrines proposed This assisted by frequent reading of Holy Scriptures Fathers Councels and Histories of the Church made me doubt of the Truth of several Tenents introduced by the use or Authority of the Roman Church repugnant in my esteem to common reason and not warranted by Divine testimony to captivate my understanding to the belief of them Of the Truth of Holy Scriptures of the Apostles Creed of that of Nice and Athanasius I never doubted Therein I acknowledged the Heavenly gift of Faith received in the Holy Sacrament of Baptism and lifting my heart and eyes to Heaven gave thanks to God for this Soveraign benefit in those words of the Psalm Psal 4. v. 6. Signatum est super nos lumen vultûs tui Domine Thou hast lifted upon us O Lord and printed in our hearts the light of thy countenance Without which certainly an understanding accustomed to search exactly into the nature of things their Essential constitutes the proportion of causes with effects and to measure by these rules the credibility of them would never give so free and easie assent to the ineffable mysteries of Trinity and Unity in the Divine nature of the Incarnation Resurrection Ascention of Christ our Saviour of the Descent of the Holy Ghost in tongues of fire upon the Apostles and other mysteries contained in Holy Scripture and the Creeds On the other side the reluctancy I found in assenting to those Tenents of the Roman Church as opposite to other Christian Congregations was to me an occasion of suspecting they might not be grounded upon Divine institution all my understanding
of withdrawing from the Communion of the Roman Church was just and necessary My whole Discourse upon the Text prefixed is but one Syllogism whereof the major Proposition is this That if we should find a Church or Congregation convinced of Idolatry Impiety and Cruelty in the publick established practice of it we are to forsake the Communion of it This is the doctrine of our Saviour contained in the words of our Text as appeared by the declaration and proof of it in the first Point The minor is That I found the present general practice of the Roman Church convinced of Idolatry Impiety and Cruelty The Conclusion is that the Resolution I took of forsaking it was just and necessary No Christian may deny the major it being Christ's doctrine as appeareth by our Text. If the minor be true no good Logician may deny the conclusion The truth of the minor touching Idolatry seems to be sufficiently proved by what is said concerning the Worship of of the Eucharistical bread and of Images And touching Antichristian Impiety by what is declared of their opposing and preferring the Popes Laws to the Law of God making the Pope Sole and Supreme Arbiter of Gods Law giving him the Attribute of Infallibility proper to God alone abrogating Christs Institution in the Administration of the Eucharist or Communion and Establishing another contrary to it Bereaving Christ of the title of sole Saviour and hope of human kind by calling the Virgin Mary their Saviouress and hope Advancing the honour and worship of Saints beyond that of God by dedicating more Churches and saying more prayers to them than to God Their Cruelty in the conduct of souls appeareth too much in what we have said of bereaving the Christian people of the Fruit of the blessed Sacrament of the Altar in their practice of half Communion in depriving them of the benefit of their soul having publick Divineservice in a Language not intelligible to them of the liberty of reading the word of God in his Holy Scriptures Their Tyranny over Princes in deposing them from their Crowns and dignities and moving subjects to bear arms against them Their severity used with the Irish in pursuance of their pretention herein To this may be added their Tyranny over consciences in forcing them to the belief and defence of Doctrines repugnant to their judgement and not established by Catholick Faith as may appear in their violence about forcing all to believe and declare for the conception of the virgin Mary without original sin so many clear testimonies of Scripture being against it as affirm that all men did sin in Adam that Christ was universal redeemer from sin and Saviour of all mankind And not one word to be found in favour of the Exception they pretend for the Virgin Mary besides their voluntary and very often frivolous applications of Texts never intended by the Author of them for their purpose So whatsoever is said by Solomon of the Spouse in his Canticles of wisedom in his Proverbs c. that may seem to have some sound or cadency suiting with their intention is taken up for a sure Oracle declaring the immaculate conception of the blessed Virgin But what strength is wanting to their Texts is supplied by Force and Art two Orders being engaged in that quarrel for the immaculate conception the one numerous among the people and violent in stirring them to abuse the Houses and persons of their Opposers the other prevalent with the Peers and Prelates and with the Popes to engage all in their Quarrel obtaining fearful Excommunications against Opposers of their doctrine by word or writing ordering that in Universities none may have Degrees in Churches none may preach but such as will protest publickly for the immaculate conception with other many violences used to extort such protestations Of which Protestants how many do Protest against what in their mind they judge to be truth God knoweth For my part I am slow in judging of mens thoughts but I dare judge that if their Definitions touching other Points controverted did proceed after this manner I am not obliged to take them for Infallible What of their cruel censures of their Fellow Christians not subject to the Pope of Rome excluding them and the rest of human kind not living in that Communion from all hopes of Salvation wherein they not onely oppose Truth but bely their own Principles as was clearly made out in a Treatise I was forced to pen some years ago When being questioned by some of the Nobility whether one baptized knowing the Lords Prayer the Ten Commandments and the Creed and endeavouring to live according to them ready to believe what he understands to be true Catholick Faith guilty of no obstinacy in misbelieving any Article of it Whether such an one may be saved though he be not of the Communion of the Roman Church I answered he may and was truly a Member of the Catholick Church notwithstanding any calling the Vulgar gave him And having understood I was censured for this Doctrine in absence though none opposed me in presence I penned a Treatise in Latine wherein I demonstrated by evident Testimonies of Scripture Councils Fathers Authority of Divines and Declarations of Popes that the Doctrine I delivered was Catholick Faith and the contrary of it was Heresie and Blasphemy Coppies of this Treatise were given to them of more Authority and Learning of the Romish Clergy in the Kingdom and are among them these 3. or 4. years and none yet could shew in it any thing untrue or ill grounded yet all conspired against the publishing of this said Doctrine as being prejudicial to the Romish Cause because thence followed that Protestants may be saved and that many called Hereticks would not be such indeed To which I answered that I found great conveniences in those things they represented to me for inconveniences being heartily desirous that all men should be saved and that of them called Hereticks none of all should be such in truth And come what will of my Answer I cannot but answer truth when I am questioned I replied to their complaints of that with the words of Job Jo. 13.7 Will you speak wickedly for God and talk deceitfully for him Or as the Latine Text hath Num quid Deus indiget vestro mendacio ut pro illo loquamini dolos Does God need your lyes and that you should use cheats in his cause surely he does not And so I concluded it was not the cause of God or good of souls they zealed but the Grandeur of the Roman Court and their own pretentions with it which I would not advance with telling lyes or concealing truth Let them sooth one another with those compliances as those Owls and Syrens Isaiah represents answering one another in the ruinous Houses of Babilon Respondebant ibi ululae in aedibus ejus Is 13.22 Syrenes in delubris voluptatis Odious Night-birds leud Syrens keep correspondence in Babilon But the
children of Light and Lovers of Truth will not listen to their charms nor yield to their cheats They deceive the simple with saying that Protestants do allow Papists may be saved but Papists do not allow that Protestants may be saved and thence conclude that both parties approving of the Popish Religion for a sure way to salvation it is to be reputed for the most secure but in neither do they say truth for no learned Protestant does allow the Popish Religion in general and absolutely speaking to be a secure way to Salvation For all do agree in affirming that many of their Tenents and practices are inconsistent with Salvation though ignorance may haply excuse many of the simple sort but not such as know or with due care and inquiry may know their errour On the other side all learned men of the Roman Church do teach that all Protestants baptized Laiman l. 2. tr l. c. 13. Vasq q. 1. disp 126. Castropal p. 1. tr 4. disp 1. q. 11. p. 1. diffic 4. aetatis apud ipsos and believing the common principles of Christian Religion not convinced of any errour against the Catholick Faith but conceiving they follow the truth of it are not Hereticks but Members of the Catholick Church and so endeavouring to serve God according to the rules of their Belief may be saved as formerly declared And it is a high point of rashness and want of Christian charity to judge of any particular without special ground that he does not live with that sincerity of mind and belief that he is in the right Such presumptuous censures are injurious to the goodness of God and Disturbers of human quiet For truly if by reason of the diversity of tempers abilities educations and unavoidable prejudices whereby mens understandings are variously formed and fashioned they embrace several opinions whereof some must be erroneous to say that God will damn them for such errours they being lovers of Truth and desirous to serve him is to rob man of his comfort and God of his goodness In which rash proceeding the commonalty of the Romish party are beyond all men presumptuous and malignant and their learned men that do favour and not rebuke their malignity therein may justly fear God's displeasure that Christ will disown them for followers of him as void of charity the chief mark he gives of his Disciples saying by this shall all men know that ye are my Disciples Jo. 13.3 if ye have love one to another Hereunto I may add the great tyranny and cruelty they use to souls in the practice of Confession On the one side they encrease the rigour of it with additions of severity obliging to such minute expressions of the most loathsom circumstances of secret thoughts and deeds as render it the most heavy of Christian Duties And on the other side they put so many stops to the execution of it by reservation of cases not to be absolved but by determinate persons that it occasions lamentable perplexities of souls and proceedings against the dictates of their Conscience Which cruelty is farther encreased in many places by the sordid avarice of their Pastors making poor souls believe they may not confess but to their own Curats and refusing to hear their Confessions without receiving Money for it I will not be so unjust to the Roman Church as to fasten this later abuse upon the whole body of it it being but the fault of some corrupt members I am not so malignant towards her as to throw the dirt of her feet in her face whereas I would if I could wash away all her stains with the bloud of my heart But even her feet are so haughty and ill sufferers of correction that endeavouring to reform this abuse with intimating Decrees of Councils and Popes against it and representing the miscarriage of souls by it I had no other fruit of my labour but spight hatred for pretending to cure this malady which joyned to many other experiences of their distemper to be both incurable and contagious I resolved upon this conclusion Jerem 51.9 We would have healed Babilon but she is not healed for sake her But thou O Father of mercy Lord Omnipotent to whose power all creatures are subject who canst hold in with bit and bridle such as will not approach to thee forsake not that Church nor any other Congregation of men redeemed by the precious bloud of thy Son Jesus Illuminate them all with the glorious beams of thy Heavenly Light Reduce them by the powerful tyes of thy grace to perfect Union in Truth and Charity to serve and praise thee duly in this life and joyn together in thy Glory in Life everlasting Amen FINIS