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A35694 The burnt child dreads the fire, or, An examination of the merits of the papists relating to England, mostly from their own pens in justification of the late act of Parliament for preventing dangers which may happen from popish recusants : and further shewing that whatsoever their merits have been, no thanks to their religion and, therefore, ought not to be gratified in their religion by toleration thereof by William Denton ... Denton, William, 1605-1691. 1675 (1675) Wing D1064; ESTC R16886 91,543 165

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of God Jeremiah Ezechiel c. to the ruine of the City and Kingdom was the fault of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah And at this day it is the fault and folly of Christian Kings that suffer the grand Seignior of Rome to impose upon them and that the Church of Rome is not either reduced to her primitive truth and purity from which she is degenerated and brought to better confortymity vvith the truly Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church or else demolished as the Jewish Synagogue vvas § Gratian at his first entring finding all places full of Arrians and the Laws of Valence his Unkle making for them fearing some general Tumult if he should presently destroy so many gave leave That every Religion might have Churches and Oratories with Freedom and Immunity But being once settled and joyned with Theodosius he commanded that all Heresies should keep silence for ever as interdicted by the Law of God and Man That none should any longer teach or learn prophance Doctrin Cod. 1. Tit. 5. lege omnes The same prohibition did Arcadius and Honorius continue with great severity Let all Hereticks understand that all places must be taken from them as well Churches as other places and of private Houses also In all which let them be debarr'd from service both by night and by day the Lord Deputy to be fined 100 l if he permit any such thing in sight or in secret Ibid. lege cuncti Theodosius the younger and Valentinian his Cousin comprising a long Bed-roll of sundry sorts of Heresies appointed That no where within the Roman Empire their Assemblies or Prayers be suffered and that all Laws made to probibit their meeting should be revived and stand good everlastingly Ibid. lege Ariani The Papists in the time of Queen Elizabeth wrote divers Books and used many Arguments against the Oath of Supremacy and for a Tolleration of their Religion alledging the Examples of other Countries and admomshing Her Majesty that she must answer to God not only for things done by her command and knowledg but for whatsoever is done unjustly by her Name and Authority though she never knew thereof but Her Majesty respecting her duty and account that she was to make to God of all things done in the flesh whether they were good or evil denied to bear the burden of their wicked abuses and poisoned errors which no civil Magistrate can avoid that permitteth their sinful Masses and licenceth their wicked Rites because the seeing and suffering their Impieties having power to suppress and hinder them is a plain consent and in a manner an open Communion with their unfruitful works of darkness The downfall of Ely a dear Servant of God once a Judg in Israel for Connivence only and foolish Pity where even Bowels of Nature might seem if not to dispence with severeties yet to excuse his lenity Scriptures have Registred for our warning and terror And if Religion be not as meer a Fable as any in Aesop the greatest Governments in the World will one day be called to a most severe Account for their so doing § That other Countries and Kingdoms otherwise affected in Religion than themselves were nevertheless contented to suffer their service vvithin their Dominions prevailed not vvith Queen Eliz. she vvell considering that their doings could be no warrant nor discharge for her who was not to imitate the Vices but the Vertues of Princes Besides that in such tolleration they did well ought first to be proved before their Examples should be urged as they were in her days It being the duty of every Prince to consider and do what every Prince ought to do by Gods Law and not regard what other Princes please to do what seemeth best in their own Eyes And Her Majesty for so refusing to countenance their Religion deserved more countenance and protection with God and praise with Men for that in guiding her people she rather embraced Christian Piety than irreligious policie and chose rather to walk by Gods Precepts than by the ill Example of other Princes Besides Her Majesty well knew that amongst the Germans and Helvetians Examples in their Writings urged many Dukes Landt-graves Marquesses Counts yea Bishops Barons Abbots and Gentlemen had Regal Jurisdiction within their respective precincts And it is no news to see divers Laws under divers Lords and divers Religions under divers Regiments As for any other Countries or Kingdoms as Polonia Hungaria c. not able without Blood and War to reduce their Countries to the profession of the true Faith neither may we reprove them as negligent nor the Papists alledge them as warrantable Examples since not their own sault but other mens fore● keepeth them from attempting any redress by thei● Princely power which the Nobles restrain and th● Commons receive with this Proviso that their accustomed freedom of conscience be no ways prohibited nor interrupted Other Examples of Turks Pagans Arrians and the like are unfit for Christians David Josiah and other Kings of Judah are to be imitated in this not Sarazins Moses and other Holy Writers are very plain and positive against this dawbing with untempered Morter Exod. 23.13 32 33. Deut. 12.2 3. Deut. 13.6 Jor. 15.19 Deut. 12.10 Come out from among them and be ye seperate and touch not the unclean thing and I will receive you and will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my Sons and Daughters saith the Lord Almighty 2 Cor. 6.17 18. Levit. 36.12 Isa 52. n. Was not the Church of Thyatira otherwise beautified with many Graces highly blamed for suffering the false Prophetess to teach and to seduce I know thy Works and Charity and Service and Faith and Patience all excellent Graces notwithstanding I have a few things against thee because thou sufferest that Woman Jezabel which calleth her self a Prophetess to teach and to seduce my servants to commit Fornication and to eat things sacrificed unto Idols Rev. 2.19 20. which fearful Effects made Constantine to decree That all Temples of Hereticks should without any denial be overthrown and in no place publick or private should their Assemblies be suffered Jovinianus resused to govern those that were not sound in Faith Socrat. lib. 5. c. 1. The privateness of the place when the fact is ill acquitteth not the doer from sin nor excuseth the permitter from negligence No corner so secret no Prison so close but their Impieties there suffered do offend God infect others and confirm their own frowardness Private permission of error is unlawful as well as publick if Popish Religion be good Why should it lack Churches If it be naught why should it have Corners St. Patil hath put in a Caviat against that slight of permitting which in truth is consenting Rom. 1. Ely reproved his Sons yet was sharply punished of God for his Indulgence which is all one with Connivance 1 Sam. 2.22 St. John saith He that receiveth into his house or biddeth an Heretick God speed is partaker of his evil deeds Eph. 2 10
special Argument and Motive I must confess and well becoming P. the Dialogist when he hath no better to perswade King and Parliament to give new and fresh Indulgence to the Papists that they might with the better Grace and more Authority impune peccare As to this pitiful begging Argument of this P. viz. That because many of them deny much of the Popes Authority therefore they should have Tolleration now I shall only apply matter of Fact viz. the chiefest and most of them that I have named had in the times of H. 8. and E. 6. either by preaching writing reading or arguing taught all people to condemn yea to abhor the Authority of the Pope for which purpose they had many times given their Oaths publickly against the Popes Authority and had also yielded to both the said Kings the Title of Supreme Head of the Church of England next under Christ and yet they refused to allow Queen Eliz. the Title of Supreme Governor though to gratifie them she omitted the very Title of Supreme Head at the begin of her Reign and this is demonstrable by many of their Books and Sermons against the Popes Authority printed both in English and Latin to their great shame and reproach to change so often but especially in persecuting such in Queen Maries days whom themselves had taught and established to hold the contrary in H. 8. days a sin bordering on the sin against the Holy Ghost scarce to be forgiven And shall we be gull'd again by such Sophisters Was Queen Eliz. ever the more safe in her person or her Dominions the more secure from Troubles Insurrections or Rebellions because some few protested Loyalty Let all Impartial Histories and their and our own Memories be Judg. Come out of their fellowship and you will not partake of their plagues else they that will ship themselves with the Devil must Sail with him But why trouble I my self or the Readers with this frivolous Argument when it cannot be the least dust in the Ballance to perswade That upon this Dialogist Warrant or only Intimation rather he and his Seculars and who those are we know not and not possible for us to distinguish shall use loyal and peaceable behaviours nay what if they should be as good as their Word deny the Popes Exorbitant powers and swear Allegiance maugre the Popes Mandates to the contrary Is this an Argument prevalent enough to perswade us to nurse and nuzzle up the Popes Imps whose Seeds-men and Legates are both Priests and Jesuits and suffer him that hath already cursed Her Majesties person and in her all her Successors removed her Crown discharged her Subjects invaded her Dominions * In the days of H. 8. the Earl of Desmond profered Ireland to the French King the Instrument whereof yet remains upon Record in the Court at Paris and the Pope afterwards transferred the Title of all our Kingdoms unto Charles the 5th which by new Grents was con●i●●tect unto his Son Philip in the days of Queen Eliz. with a resolution to settle this Crown upon the Spanish Infanta Bishop Ushe s Spech at Dublin f. 12. and given them away to others and now to suffer them to steal from our Kings and Queens their peoples Hearts and reonile them to that Mother of Abominations that dares call light darkness and darkness light dock Communions and Decalogues and worship Idols whole Brow is Brass and whose Heart is harder than the neather Mill-stone that hearing will not hear and seeing will not see nor understand charm the Charmer never so wisely never so sweetly and all this under the vizard of Catholick Religion and feigned Devotion which in truth is nothing less but is superstitious Idolatrous and Abominable the Tolleration and Allowance of which cannot possibly be Indulged without manifest breach of Gods Law against which there is no plea or excuse to be allowed joyned with the subversion of the Crown and Royal State For how is it possible that light should agree with darkness God and Belial Christ and Antichrist the same Moment any persons is reconciled to Rome the same Moment he is become a sworn Votary and Vassal to Rome subject to another head Were this humble Petition and desire only for Earthly and not Heavenly things and did it not concern Christs Glory but the Indempnity of our Kings and people what a pittiful toy is it for a few Friars well versed in the Arts of Equivocation to think themselves meet Pledges and Hostages for the security of so great a Prince and people Submission to God and your Prince would be more preswasive and authentique and would better become you It is not enough to renounce the exorbitant powers claim'd by the Pope except withall you renounce the idolatrous Worship of Rome and her Doctrins of Infallibility and of probability of Transubstantiation Demy-Communions praying in an unknown Tongue debarring the people the use of the Bible and a thrave of other false and Heretical Doctrins and practises having only lowd and bawling Impudence for their Justification without either Sense Reason or Scripture The most Honourable and Grave Sages of this Nation understand you so well that I believe you find they will not easily be cheated with kanting words or specious pretences made use of only to obumbrate and shadow the clearness of their long and grounded Experience purchased by clear demonstration and matter of Fact at the dearest rate and expence of Blood and Treasure I do heartily joyn Issue with this Dialogist and believe as he doth That it is not for the safety of our Church to receive those who do not believe as we do In this we are good Friends but I doubt he will be as angry with me as with the seasonable discourser for accounting the Popish Religion to be Superstitious Idolatrous and Absurd and the Protestant to be the True Antient and Apostolick Religion Neither shall I much differ with him in some other of his Concessions viz. That it is the right of every National Church to provide for the particular concerns thereof and and without his Peradventure that the Church of England hath preserved the face of a continued Mission and uninterrupted Ordination which is impossible for the Romanists to do their Doctrin of Intention being allowed for currant that her moderation in Doctrin is great that her Discipline preserves Episcopal Government He concludes may we not therefore because the Popish Religion is accounted stupid be permitted to say our prayers in private which is all the Indulgence allowed us and that sure it is no part of the goodness of the Protestant Church to hinder others from being as good as they can and the worse our Religion is the more need we have of praying to make us better § As it is no part of our Doctrin to hinder prayers and devotions that are in truth so according to Christs Constat or men to be as good as they can so it is no part of our practise and it
Nayls only that otherwise would crack our Crowns and seek our lives unless we will quantum in nobis sacrifice once more all that is near and dear unto us unto Romish Tyranny § I shall yet further Conclude That if Protestant Princes will but rightly consider that they like Gods own Sabbath were ordained for Kingdoms and not Kingdoms for them and that if they will follow but the very Dictates of right Reason and the very light of Nature they cannot without being felones de se establish or tollerate by Law Popery in their Protestant Dominions For as self-preservation by the very Law and Light of Nature is the Suprema lex of every Individual and consequently of every Prince considered only as a single person So Salus Populi wherein the Prince himself is also included and involved even politically and in respect of Magistracy considered is the Suprema lex also And the first and principal thing Magistrates are to look after is to preserve Magistracy and the Authorty they are intrusted withall for the good of the Governed in its full power and prerogative And for this great reason also it is wonderful absurd to suppose a Magistrate obliged to tollerate any thing destructive to the very being of the persons and Authority of him and his people for whose wellfare he is intrusted And of such a Nature is Popery and is the design of Papists and no pretence of Conscience whatsoever is in such a Case to be hearkned unto or endured it being against the very Light of Nature and in-in-truth nothing else but to pretend Conscience the better to enable them to destroy not Religion only but even Protestant Mankind For the very Light of Nature abandons all such principles from the least Tolleration they making men cease to be true Subjects to the State or good Common-Walthsmen in relation to others Though I have thus justified the Act of Parliament by the confessions of Papists themselves by matters of Fact Reasons of State and warranty of Scripture yet I can give no Vote or Encouragement for Sanguinary Laws meerly for matters of Religion abstract from treasonable and capital crimes and practises nor yet to imitate our Adversaries in Inquisitions fleaing with Stripes starving with Hunger Cold and Nakedness plunging into loathsom Dungeons full fraught with stinking Nastines and with Toads Serpents and other venomous Creatures nor yet for unnecessary pecuniary Mulcts And I am confident that such true English generous Blood runs in the Veins of English Parliaments that they naturally pity the distressed and abhor cruelties that they will not use Extremities not put in Execution the utmost of the Penal Laws but will mould them a gently as the peace and safety of the Nation will bear and permit And I am verily perswaded That if their over busie and fiery Priests had not been over Active the Review and Revival of any severities against them had never been though of and if any new Acts do ensue it is but what they have brought upon themselves and for which none may be blamed but themselves and their Layety only because they suffer themselves to be led blind-fold by their Noses by them who have no Authority so to do for which they are much very much to be commiserated there being a vast difference between the Seducers and Seduced But if any more severe Laws than other ought to be put in Execution certainly they ought to be inflicted on Idolaters and Blasphemers That the Papists are Idolaters hath been demonstrated by many Pens and that they are Blasphemers is as evident For according to the Notion of Blasphemy even in the New Testament He that assumes and appropriates to himself a property Divine is a Blasphemer and in truth a setter up of more Gods than one and of such a Nature is their Doctrin of Infallibility This is most Evident from Luke 5.20 21. when the Jews Taxed Christ himself for speaking Blasphemy who did not rayl but only said to the Paralitick Man Thy sins are forgiven thee Yet they not acknowledging him to be God did account it Blasphemy in him to take upon him to forgive sins which is a property meerly Divine For who said they can forgive sins but God alone so Rev. 2.9 I know the Blasphemy of them that say they are Jews and are not but are the Synagogue of Satan Much more he that says he is In allible a property Divine when he is not So John 10.33 For a good Work we stone tee not but for Blasphemy because thou being a Man makest thy self God What was this blasphemy even because he said I and my Father are one v. 31. Whereby it is apparent that the Popes assuming to themselves a property Divine make themselves guilty of Blasphemy and indeed of making more Gods than one which is undeniable Idolatry To which if their Luciferian Dogma's be added it will not mince the matter at all viz. Credere Dominum Deum nostrum Papam non potuisse statuere prunt statuit Haereticum censetur Extravag Johan 22. cum inter nonnullos gloss ibid. declaramus Idem est Dominium Dei Papae Augustus Ambonitanus q. 45. 35. Dominus Deus noster Papa Clement in proem in Gloss ibid 121. Rex Regum Dominus Dominantium Extravag de Majoritat obedientia But let these pass In the Church of Rome the Popes were the first Preachers of force and violence and that their St. Dominick was one of the first that I read of that preached the Doctrin of Death and Tortures for opinions in Religion He was the founder of the begging Order of Friars preachers and therefore in Honour of him the Inquisition is intrusted only to the Friars of his Order And if they will believe their own Legends his own Mother the night before he was born dreamed that she was brought to bed of a Mastiff Dog with a Fire-brand in his mouth The Hieroglyphick whereof I leave to every Reader to make Only his deportment towards the Albigenses is storied to be as mad as that of Dogs so that one saith of him That a Hundred Thousand of them were put to flight Aeo quidem ut Centum Haereticorum Millia ab Octo Millibus Catholicorum fusa interferta fuisse perhibeantur and slain by 8000 Catholicks and of those who became Captives 180 were burnt to death the first Example that I find in the Church of Rome of putting dissenting Brethren to death for Religion Though my particular Confession engages me Experimenta per mortes Agere yet I abhor to be of the Colledge of Blood-suckers whose Bellies like those Canes Sepulchroles of the Romans are never satisfied with the Blood of Saints I have learnt better things from Isa 27.4 Fury is not in me And from Psal 11.5 Him that loveth violence his Soul hateth lest God should return Blood upon me in fury and in jealousie Ezek. 16.38 I Conclude with St. Cyprian Quid facit in pectore Christiano Luporum feritas
looks too like a slander to intimate it and it is our belief that the worse the men and their Religion are the more need they have of their own and other mens prayers to make them better but then they must be made to God and his Son and not to Pictures and Images nor yet to Stocks and Stones and those in a Language to themselves Intelligible It is is indeed the desire and design of our Souls that being converted our selves to strengthen our Brethren and to hinder some scabbed Sheep from infecting the rest of the whole Flock to hinder the traficking of your private Idolatrous Masses or the feeding His Majesties best Subjects with Fragments of Communions or to mock the weaker Brethren with prayers not understood or weary them with ridiculous Gestures and to binder the giving the Glory that is due to God unto Stocks and Stones Prayers understood or not understood to Saints Pictures and Idols Ave Maries and Beads Agnus Dei's and such Abominations which will never prevail with God for Blessings but will rather pull down his Curses and Judgments upon you Prayers to God and his Son are by God commanded and are acceptable to him without dispute to Wafers Saints and Pictures are not so it being indisputable Idolatry to give Divine Honour to a Creature to a Wafer God that Dogs Mice and Rats may eat Do but what our Saviour undeniably did viz. break and give to all Mat. 26.26 27 28. that all may be partakers one Bread 1 Cor. 10.16 17. Divide the Cup that all may drink thereof Do that which he commanded to be done who first ordained this Mystery Do that which St. Paul received of the Lord and delivered to the Church of Corinth 1 Cor. 11.23 24 25. Do that I say which the Primitive Church of Christ always did and you need not doubt of publick Allowance nor of publick places and oratories Do not make your selves wiser than God himself by putting a Padlock on the Scriptures which Christ hath commanded every man to search for in them ye think to have Eternal Life and they are they which testifie of me John 5.39 and which was taught Timothy from a Child and are able to make wise unto Salvation through Faith which is in Christ Jesus and is profitable for Doctrin for Reproof for Correction for instruction in Righteousness that the man of God may he perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works 1 Tim. 3.15 16 17. Do not go about to rob God of his Glory by denying the Work of his own hands and the Redeemed of his own Blood the Efficacy of the Scriptures with the assistance of his Spirit not us of our Senses as if we could not distinguish Bread from Flesh or the Juice of the Grape from the Blood of Christ Do not substract from Gods own Decalogue one of his own Commandments under the pain of Eternal Damnation add 14 new Articles to the Apostles Creed which squint more at belief in the Pope and Papal Definitions than towards God and his Word lest ye Incur the plagues denounced against such Arithmetick and your part in the Book of Life be taken away Rev. 22.18 19. Neither be of those many which corrupt the Word of God but as of sincerity but as of God in the sight of God speake and write in Christ 2 Cor. 2.17 These few of many are sins so gross that they go open before to Judgment and are as manifest as the Deeds of the Flesh which are Adultery Fornication Vncleanness Lasciviousness Idolatry Murders Revelings c. Gal. 5.19 20 21. which both God and Nations abhor and make Laws against and Prohibitions so that none can be deceived but such as are given up to a reprobate sense and unto strong delusions to believe Lies 1 Thes 2.11 § It is true you have reconciled some Proselytes unto your Church which hath made both King and Parliament so Industrious to preserve the rest from Infection and Seducements and by so doing you have made them two fold more the Children of Hell than they were before meer Samaritans Worshippers of they know not what whereby we have lost little and you have not got much For indeed it matters little what Religion Men profess if they live not according to to the Decalogue It is neither Circumcision nor Vncircumcision Gal. 〈◊〉 9. but a new Creature that availeth Gal. 6.15 For no man either knows or believes in God otherwise than the Devils do that doth not keep his Commandments And God knows the love of men towards him only by their keeping of his Commandments and by abstaining from that black Catalogue of sine Recorded Gal. 5.19 〈◊〉 without Holiness it is impossible ever to see the face of 〈…〉 comfort I know no medium between a Saint and 〈…〉 Purgatory b●tween Heaven and Hell 〈…〉 so it lies Heaven and Hell will divide the whole World at last As it hath been the unhappiness of former Ages so of this also that they that depart from evil make themselves a Prey and they that live Holily Godlily and Righteously in this present evil World are jeered and accounted but the off-scowring of the World Penitentiarii Asini Formal Fops But I fear when the King of Terrors shall Attacque the Copyholds of such Flowters and Magor-Missabib Fear and Terror shall be round about them and when they are drawing near to the Chambers of Death that then their Groans will be like the Groans of a deadly wounded man and their Hopes like the giving up of the Ghost and that then the 'l wish that both their lives and their deaths had been like those Formal Fobbs Therefore my hearty desire is That both this Dialogist and all the perverted reconciled Proselytes to Rome would return from whence they are fallen and repent and come out of that Inchanting City and Sink of sin that hath spawned more false Doctrins of a Scarlet Dye than all the Christian Churches in the World and be seperate and no doubt but this Church will receive them and our Kings and Queens will be their nursing Fathers and Mothers and you will become their Sons and Daughters else What fellowship can righteousness have with unrighteousness what Communion can Light have with Darkness What Concord can Christ have with Belial and what agreement can the Temple of God have with Idols Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate and God and this Church will receive you and God will be a Father unto you and ye shall be his Sons and Daughters 2 Cor. 6.14 15 16 17 18. § Reasons are as strong and convincing against Tolleration if the case be considered upon a Politick Account and Interest as well as upon a Religious for tordraw away Subjects to depend upon a Forrein Prelate or power from their Natural or Lawful Sovereign is in a Politick Consideration as the defiling of the Kings Bed and debauching of his Consort from him and this is that which makes Popery