of life was drawn S. Mathew sitting in telonio drawn the thief on the Cross Mary of Egipt from the Ordure of her libidinous lust Pelagia from her prostitution and sordid quest of whoredom all these call'd away by several and unknown ways to follow and pursue vertue and the way to heaven so as hereticks and haynous Sinners that sits in the shade of death are illuminated to apprehend their lamentable dark state and look up to Eternity and to the pure light of true life making them from the children of darkness to become the children of grace and all this done by the infinitly great wisdom and Grace of God without which those sit in darkness of ignorance and infidelity in the imminent danger of eternal death having their heart and understanding obscure so as that they are ignorant of God their Maker ignorant of the way to heaven ignorant of the final sovereign happiness for which they were created and do not know themselves nor that they are children of wrath and obnoxious to death being ignorant of their own insufficiency to good ignorant of the necessity of grace and Regeneration ignorant of Christ their Mediator through whose sacred bloud they are restored from death to life but by pure rays of divine faith they come to know all these things and begin to look after earnestly the way of Truth and of life they implore grace they invoke their Mediator and seek after his soul-faving Science and heavenly knowledge according to these words of S. Paul 1 Corin. 4. ille qui de tenebris dixit lucem splendescere ipse illuxit in cordibus nostris c. Of the true Essence of divine Faith 2. Document REason is most properly exercised in tâ—ings of nature and Faith in matters of Religion great witts set up reason instead of faith and the light of nature against divine light which is at once to deprive man of his highest felicity and faculty and God of his greatest Grace the same Word without question which created the world creates a belief in a spiritual understanding by relying on a divine reavealing Authority It s most certain that God is said to Confound the wisdome and learning of the wise by Faith which declared that without believing they cannot be saved and yet without a supernatural Grace they cannot believe and as God is the chief good and perfect happiness of the soul and the object of our beatitude which cannot be comprehended by natural light or knowledge therefore a kinde of supernatural vertue is necessary by which we may attain to his knowledge which is saith the highest knowledge we have in this world by wch the soul injoys him by him the most excellent guifts and graces whereof it is capable according to S. Paul ad Eph. 2.8 gratia Dei estis salvati per fidem hoc non ex vobis Faith is that divine light by which we prepare our journy towards vertue and heaven without faith it 's impossible 〈◊〉 please God By faith Roman Catholicks do â—alk upon the grounds of the Church miliâ—ant where there is infallibly an infusion of â—abitual Grace sanctification in its sacraments and surely transcendent is their commendation for their faithful conservation of â—he sacred Oracles of Truth in all ages to â—his day for their well ordered Zeale for their most ravishing devotions deiform inâ—entions their heroycal acts of fasting praying recollections meditations inâ—roversies their aspirations humiliations mortifications abnegation of themselves and their dayly abdication of all transitory things so as none in his sences can believe that such a tree can be Corrupted in the root which brings forth such heavenly fruits Some properties we may observe of the doctrine of Faith to be true to be revealed of God to be preached and delivered by the B. Apostles The highest ground by which a man is perswaded that his faith is true is the Authority of God speaking and revealing the highest proof by which a man may be assured that his Faith is revealed is the Authority of Christ and his B. Apostles who delivered and preached the same as from God and that from the beginning to this day it is practised without innovation or alteration in all parts of the inhabitable world The Apostles in the time of Christ conversing with them had sufficient Faitâ— to prevail with their wills to command theâ— understanding into the belief of his being God and man consequently an infalliblâ— faith then it doth follow that whatsoeveâ— he taught was to be assented unto as infallibly true and that without being questioneâ— by our weak and limited reason And surâ— this was very necessary for the true Church otherwise they could not have been sufficiently assured that what Christ their Masteâ— taught them was true and so it would noâ— have been a sin in them to have doubted 〈◊〉 This infallible assurance also the Christianâ— that lived in the B. Apostles time and afteâ— Christ Ascension enjoied they had sufficienâ— ground without question to induce them to a belief that the B. Apostles were infallible Guides and Teachers and that whatsoever they taught and commanded was as infallibly true as if God had immediately spoken the same things and no more to be doubted contradicted or disputed against by vain and curious Reason which doubtless were as strong and as good as ours then the immediate words command or dictates of Allmighty God otherwise these who refused to hear and obey them had beenin no fault and it would have been an insufferable boldness in S. Paul to have required such an absolute submission to what 〈◊〉 taught as to oblige Christians of his â—â—â—e not to have believed even an Angel â—om heaven teaching contrary things to â—hat he taught them Hence it is that the â—â—maining writings of the B. Apostles are by â—ll Christians esteemed as the word of God â—nd this was mainly necessary in the ages â—fter Christ for the Church of God in the 〈◊〉 Apostles time to have a living infallible way of direction and this was the way to â—aintain the unity of the spirit in the bond of â—eace so become one body with one heart â—ot as sects divided subdivided scattered â—â—to as many parts and sorts as now are â—nd have gone to cuffs raising civil war for â—he diciding of controversies as we have seen they did since they divided themselves from the holy Catholick Roman Church Mark now those words Heb. 11.6 without faith its impossible to please God and of Math. 16.16 he that believeth shall not be damned and Eph. 4.5 there is but one faith one Baptism one Lord Jesus the faith which is to save us and by the which we are to please God cannot be had but in one Church and that of Christ it cannot therefore be found in Sects in contrary opinions it being of necessity but one of contraries one only must be true Do but observe 2 Cor. 10.5 bringing into Captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ
very Emperor Constantinus did publickly preach avouch and by publick edicts did cry down and caused all to be demolish'd whaâ— accursed Osius with his consorts did impiously maintain see Baron anno 357. When the Seraphical S. Francis in the beginning of his holy Order was troubled that some of his children fell off from theiâ— vocation and fearing that his Order should fall and decay hear'd these words from Christ why are you troubled Francis for scandal given by the fall of some of your Children know that when one shall turn to their vomit that I shall raise another or more in his place S. Bonavent in vita S. Francis Much more the Church of Christ is to stand without interruption Secondly because it 's no wonder that among so many holy good and vertuous Christians in the whole Church there should be one or some reprobates there is not that Community in which may not be found one scabby sheep or other was not Cham a reprobate in the house of Noe was not Ismael one in the house of Abraham in the house of Isaac Esan in the house of Christ Judas what wonder therefore can it be that in the Church so diffused and extended from west to East from North to South there be found some reprobates runagates and Apostates this â—ur B. Saviour did often foretell will the â—a want Merchants ships to sail because â—â—me ships are cast away will not men â—â—erefore not marry women because some â—re found to be strumpets Thirdly because â—ose that fals from the true Church do not â—ll for any real doubt in their faith but â—ther through their depraved life and corâ—upt behaviour and for to get more liberty â—nd freedome of sinning and you may reade â—1 Joan. 2. ex nobis prodierunt sed non erant â—x nobis nam si fuissent ex nobis permansissent â—tique nobiscum but now their exorbitant â—arriage their pride their incorrigibility â—nd refractoriness their negligence being weary of a spiritual religious life their aversion from penance and Mortification uncupiscentia carnis oculorum superbia viâ—e in effect manifest now that they were â—ot of ours and because they were not they went away becoming Apostates what moved Origen to become an heretick as Vincent Lyrin c. 23. contra haeres writes â—ut his pride presumption of his learning â—magining foolishly that he was wiser then all the world what caused Jovinianus to fall but that he could not endure the rigour of obedience and monastical life he was too delicate see S. Hier. lib. 1. contra Jovinian therefore because such were chaff or stubble no pure clean wheat noâ— wonder that they were huried away by the winde of temptation hence S. Peter Act. 1 â— said praevaricatus est Judas ut abiret in locumâ— suam what was his place which he expected and was inclined to was it to hang himself or rather hell to which as to his last period or term he directed his paths and way God therefore is rather to be glorified and praised that he is accustomed to purifie and purge his Church from such perverse putrified members sic pereant peccatores so as in no way the fall of Priests to become accursed Apostats can derogate any thing from the Soveraignty and truth of our faith but rather doth conduce very much to the manifestation and confirmation of the sanctity purity and permanency of the same you may observe how the sea casts up on the shore dead carcases even so our Roman Catholick Religion vomits up and casts out permissive incorrigible and reprobate dead members it 's most certain that none departs from our Religion to the Protestant revolted Squadron to the end that he may give himself more to prayer retirements fasting mortification purity of life and conversation no such matter none falls for to forsake and contemn the honors ease comforts and pleasures of the world neither for to shun the snares and allurement â—f women nor that he may the more abdiâ—ate and renounce his own will and reâ—gne the same to the will of his superior â—ut rather for the contraty they run from 〈◊〉 that they may enjoy more liberty and â—â—eedom for to follow and pursue their â—icked way and customs 〈◊〉 whereas the Protestants sect received none from us but â—eer libertines reprobate refractory ignorant and weak effeminate ouâ—â—casts neither ever yet any of such infernal Imps has â—een listed in the catalogue of Saints quia â—â—ni ante macellum stanti non adjicitur nisi â—â—o faeda mutilis even so God in his diâ—ine providence throw none into the devils â—aws which is heresy but only such as are willful reprobats and scandalous livers â—herefore S. Paul Acts 20. gives us warâ—ing saying ego scio quoniam post discessioâ—em meam intrabunt lupi rapaces in vos non â—â—rcentes gregi c. propter quod vigilate meâ—oria retinentes c. Sweet Andrew how â—ame you to be enchanted from the truth of â—he revealed principles of the ancient and â—oul-saving faith of Christ and become an â—eretick which is the sink of all abominaâ—ion the most horrid and blackest sin that ever was committed even the Heathen Philosophers by the only rays of pure Naâ—â—res light did abhor sin in somuch that Aristot 3. Eth. said melius est mori quam faeere aliquid contra bonum virtutis and Senecâ— said Si scirem ' Deum ignosciturum tamenâ— pâ—â—care nollem ob pâ—ccati tâ—rpitudinem Did not the great S. Anselm say that if of one side he saw sin and on the other the flames of hell and if he were to choose he would rather throw himself into infernal flames then commit a hainous sin against God his Master Redeemer and glorifier and sanctifier O rare expression these great Philosophers seriously considering the base vile and abominable nature and malfce of sin they could not endure the same and without all question the nature and malice of heresie surpasseth the execration and malice of all imaginable sins whatsoever for first it draws after it two main punishments and just judgements excecation and induration on man it blindes and excecates the understanding involving it into main darknesse of sundry errours and withall it indurates and infatuates the will by wofull pertinacy whereas faith being the gift of God which hereticks contemn and willfully reject by their obstinate pertinacy believing some points in Scripture that are pleasing to them others that displeases they will not believe vainly imagining it to suffice to believe in Christ and that he died for our sins though they should believe no more whence they assure themselves that any man of any Sect believing in Christ may be in his belief saved whereas they all have one God and head Christ O false and deluded doctrine Did not S. Thomas deny the article of the resurrection Did not Christ Jesus require from him and all the faithful to believe that article as necessary for salvation who doubts it therefore the same reason
Roman-Catholick Church cannot endure division the soul must not be divided it must cleave altogether to the true Mother-Church Christ's spouse the house and temple of God the pillar and foundation of Truth it must believe all the Seven Sacraments all articles of faith believe all tenents and revealed mysteries propounded as means for salvation with S. Paul we captivate our understandings to the obedience of her true and un-errable faith but the false Mother will have the soul divided in two she is for division and for halfs seeking to bring into the house of God an anarchy of the children of Belial a division a destrustion of union and of Monarchical heavenly Government diuidatur infans the protestants say they have faith but will have no works of fasting watching praying pennance nor mortification c. they beleeve that their laick Minister doth abolish original sin in baptism but will not beleeve that Christ left power to true and lawful priests to absolve from actual mortal sins they will have the Lords Supper but will not believe Christ's words Hâ—c est corpus â—â—cum the reality of his body in a most miraculous manner in the Eucharist they will follow Scripture but only what is pleasing to them and what is contradictory to flesh and unbridled appetites they do reject and deny these words per solam fidem by bare faith you are saved are welcome to them but good works maceration of the body and austerity of life they cannot endure erescite multiplicabini pleases them serviti venâ—ri libidini c. but other words of Scripture they will not liâ—ten to as fides sine operibus est mortua poenitentiam agite sic luceat lux vestra ut videat opera vestra bona Regnum coelorum vim patitur violenti râ—piunt illud castigo corpus mâ—um ad implco in carne mea ea quae desunt passioni Christi these places of Scripture they will not follow Is not this to divide the childe dividatur infans they are altogether for division and confusion they have Churches but without lawful priests altars without sacrifice and religion every religion either true or false in all ages had always a sacrifice as a protestative signe of acknowledgement of divine excellency and supreme majesty In the Law of nature from the very beginning we finde sacrifice begun by Abel which after continued by the Patriarchs Noe Abraham Isaac Jacob In the written Law so many sacrifices according to Leviticus and if we look upon Idolaters the Gentiles we shall finde them given to many different sacrifices so as a sacrifice is inseparable from the law according to S. Paul Heb. 7. saying Translato Sacerdotio necesse est ut leg is translatio fiat S. Paul said that Priesthood being removed or translated the law of necessity must be removed if priesthood be abolish'd the law likewise must be for to every law or religion sacrifice and priesthood is connatural intrinsecal and inseparable being correlatives for priesthood is in order to sacrifice establish'd and the law is ordained in order to sacrifice and priesthood delivering precepts and ceremonies relating to priesthood translato sacerdotio c. dividatur infans the protestants they have our temples but alâ—s bare walls no priests no sacrifice consequently no law or religion therefore qui sine lege vivâ—nt sine lege peribunt they have sheep without pastors pastors without mission function order consecration character or true commission Christians without grace by hand imposition prophets without miracles faith without works and charity without effects behold Sall excellent peeces forsooth of a reformed Church to which you adhere you see all is but division and subdivision you separated your self from the Catholick Church which acknowledgeth a visible head an universal Pastor Vice gerent of Christ on earth established by the express words of Jesus Christ in S. Matth. 16.17 18 19. averred by all the holy Fathers confessed by the continuation of a lawfull succession in the revolution of so many ages without any interruption and Sall must blindely divorce and separate himself from it withstanding the force of Gods spirit what will Sall be able to alledge in his defence at the dreadful Judgement that expects him ah he will say that he thought the protestant was the true and lawfull Church Miserable wretch seest thou not that the memory of all ages the consent of all Nations the very ancient stones of temples bespeak thy damnation what miracles hast thou seen or ever heard of wrought to this day among protestants what Angel hath spoken to thee to remove to them what sanctity and holinesse of life hast thou noted in the authours of this sect or in their deluded proselites wert thou Andrew so bereav'd of humane understanding as not to see palpably that a pretended Religion which begun by breach of promises made to God by the sacriledges and impurities of Apostates by a general revolt against God against King against divine and humane laws by the liberty filth and ordure of the carrion the flesh by the dissolution of good manners by bloud tyranny and furies could take its source from the holy Ghost didst thou not set before thy eyes the desolations of thy poor countrey the robbing and prophaning of Churches Gods houses and the ruine and impoverishings of thousands of brave ancient Families to take thence and from no other their source and origin Oh but you will say I found that this sect had the Scripture of its side ah lamentable illusion to whom Sall did the Scripture send thee if not to the priests and lawful Pastors what said the Scripture but that thou oughtest to keep the traditions thou oughtest to obey the Church and Prelats thou oughtest not to trust thine own judgement thou oughtest to captivate thy understanding in matters of faith and that it is better to beleeve with a holy simplicity then as you do and question with a proud peremptory and vain curiosity could'st thou be ignorant that the devils and all damn'd hereticks had taken the same pretext of Scripture only to colour their ignorance malice and apostasie and that with passages which had a fairer shew and appearance then those now of thy deluded deluding Ministers and yet all that followed them are miserably damn'd and so are you vile varlet unlesse you sound a timely retreat freely confessing you have erred as man and protest you will not persevere in apostasie mischief and rebellion from the Church the womb of your beginning and bosome of your repose Open thine eyes poor beguiled Andrew at least to the wonderful and heavy judgements of God which thou hast so long shut to thy duty consider that the last verdict and sentence of thy unhappy sect is already written in heaven and that it must soon yield and fall to nothing as other blinde heresies have done what can hinder you Sall from returning to the bosom of the Roman-Catholick Church which ceaseth not to
carnal childish sences and to turn your self to your mother the Roman Catholick Church wherein only is true faith Religion grace and true comfort to be found opus annorum multorum perdidisti arise and rouse from your dismall Apostasy An Appendix IN the great and most important affairs of faith all on all sides agree that they are bound on pain of damnation to believe all truths sufficiently propounded to them as revealed of God and to obey and submit to that Guide Rule Judge and Authority which God hath instituted and appointed to teach and govern them the reason is because whosoever denies any thing sufficiently propounded to be revealed by God denies Gods veracity and makes him a lyar No protestant can shew any other reason why by denying the Trinity and unity or the Incarnation Gods veracity is denied and God thereby made a liar but because the Trinity and Incarnation are sufficiently propounded as divine Revelations therefore the Real Presence prayer to Saints the Papes Supremacy auricular confession purgatory c. being without doubt as sufficiently propounded in the Scripture as those mysteries of the Trinity and Incarnation by denying which Gods Veracity must be also denied and so God made a lyar See in chap. 16.12 when the spirit of Truth is come he will guide you into all truth but all truth excludes all errours and this for ever which was to be longer then the Apostles were to live If you Andrew enquire by what means this teaching shall be by whom all people shall be taught all truths and shall be preserved from all errours S. Paul will tell you Eph. 4.11 He gave some Apostles succeeding in full Apostolical authority some Prophets expounders of the prophets some Evangelists preachers of the Gospel some Pastors and Teachers to what end for the perfecting of the Saints for the work of the Ministry for the edifying of the body of Christ for what time or how long till we all come in the union of faith now Andrew you may ask will these secure us the very next verse tells you that henceforth we be no more children tossed to and fro with every winde of doctrine by the slieght of men and cunning craftinesse whereby they lie in wait to deceive as you lately have been most shamefully by the slieghts of Satan and his Instruments pride lust and avarice hurried away from Christs unerring Church wherein only are manifestly seen unfeigned miracles sanctity of life efficacy of doctrine admirable repentance of sinners conversions of people and Nations unity stability perpetuity uninterrupted succession of lawfull pastors which cannot be found in your protestant sect these are such heavenly marks as are impossible for God to affix unto a lie which is as impossible as to set his hand and seal to the confirmation of falshood according to the Rule of Gamaliel If it be of God it will hold the faith of Roman-Catholicks holds and daily grows more numerous in her proselites when the unsteady wavering protestant pitiful sect daily changes like the Camelion from one false doctrine to another which occasioned the most illustrious Marquesse Badensis from a Lutheran to become a Roman-Catholick the same instability of hereticks scoffed and laugh'd at by Fredericus great Duke of Saxony at a time being questioned by a familiar friend what did his Lutherans believe he answered quid hoc anno credunt scio quid vero credituri sint anno sequenti nescio nec ipsimet sciunt no wonder having lost their ground their rule their un-erring Judge the Roman-Catholick Church some years past the protestants in England according to their first institution did observe the Lent exactly and also were accustomed to fast from meat on Frydays Saturdays but alas all that is forgorten all is chang'd nothing permanent among them but persecution of the Roman-Catholicks yet to observe the Lent and to abstain from meat the forty days of Lent withal on Frydays and Saturdays would much conduce to the weal-publick for the growth of cattle and for the comfort of poor people meat being so excessive dear for not observing the fasts on those holy times not speaking of the infinite comfort and encreaâ—e of blessings both to soul and body which daily accrew to Kingdoms where the Lent and Frydays and Saturdays are duely observed and fasted in the Roman-Cath Church Now Andrew I conjure you in the bowels of Charity to learn by heart that most heavenly lesson of Christ Jesus viz. Learn of me for I am meek and humble of heart in order to this remember S. John 4.6 We are of God He that heareth God heareth us he that is not of God heareth us not hereby know we the spirit of truth and the spirit of errour Andrew nothing was required to distinguish those two spirits but to hear or to refuse to hear the Apostolical Teachers Lo S. Paul saith Faith comes by hearing it will be as necessary now for you to hear in these our times those that are lawfully commissioned to teach as it was in the time of the Apostles Come along therefore return to your Mother your true un erring guide fly away from Babylon and save your soul begin to curse the day that you began to curse and dishonour your true Mother in imitation of that great Heresiarch Calvin who consuming with intolerable stench from vermine cryed out aloud saying Maledicta dies qnae primum studio scriptioni falsae me adduxit Bolsecus in vita Calvini haec te horrenda moveant terreant from appearing against truth and the faith of Christ for vain oftentation for sordid gain for to please men and displease the all-seeing God O Andrew how come you to forsake your true mother the Roman-Catholick Church which is the womb of your beginning and bosome of your repose and fall into the cruel hands of a false mother and harlot I pray observe 3. Reg. how two harlots came to Solomon for to decide the controversie between them about a living child the one alledging it was hers and the other also alledging the childe belonged to her the King said bring me a sword and they brought a sword before the King and the King said divide the living childe in two and give half to one and half to the other then spake the woman whose the living childe was for her bowels yerned toward her son saying O my Lord give her the living childe and in no wise slay it but the other the false mother said let it not be mine or thine but divide it then the King out of his wisedom said give her the childe slay it not she is mother thereof because she has true love to her childe and will not have it divided your soul is a childe which is claim'd by two Mothers the Roman-Catholick Chhrch and the pretended Church of Protestants how shall we finde out the true mother from the false one by Solomons dividatur infans let the childe be divided in two the