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A50353 The publisher or translator of Nicholas Machiavels whole works out of Italian, faithfully into English, concerning the following letter of Nicholas Machiavels, wherein he clears himself of the aspersions alledg'd by some on his writings also, his judgment as to government, whether monarchie or democracie be the best : and lastly, (tho' a papist) shews their wicked and base errours, both of popes, Jesuits, priests, &c. and that they shall be brought to ruine / written by the author, April 1st, 1537. Neville, Henry, 1620-1694.; Machiavelli, Niccolò, 1469-1527. 1688 (1688) Wing M139; ESTC R23469 20,698 46

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but they will Rule with Clemency and Moderation and return to that excellent Maxim of the Ancients almo●● exploded in this Age that the interest of Kings and of their People is the same which truth 〈◊〉 hath been the whole design of my Writings to convince them of I am charged then in the second place with Impiety and villifying the Church and so to make way for Atheism I do not deny but that I have frequently in my Writings laid the blame upon the Church of Rome not only for all the misgovernment of Christendom but even for the Depravation and almost total Destruction of Christian Religion it self in this Province But that this Di●course of mine doth or can tend to teach Men impiety or to make way for Atheism I peremptorily deny And although for proof of my innocence herein I need not but refer you and all others to my Papers themselves as they are now published where you will find all my Reasons drawn from Experience and frequent Examples cited which is ever my way of Arguing yet since I am put upon it I shall in a few lines make that matter possibly a little clearer and shall first make protestation That as I do undoubtedly hope by the Merits of CHRIST and by Faith in Him to attain Eternal Salvation so I do firmly believe the Christian Profession to be the only true Religion now in the World Next I am fully perswaded that all Divine Verities which GOD then designed to rach the World are contained in the Books of holy Scripture as they are now extant and received amongst us From them I understand that GOD created Man in purity and innocencie and that the first of that Species by their frailty lost at once their integrity and their Paradise and intail'd sin and misery upon their Posterity that Almighty GOD to repair this ●oss did out of his infinite Mercy and with unparallel'd grace and goodness send his only begotten Son into the World to teach us new truths to be a perfect example of virtue goodness and obedience to restore true Religion degenerated amongst the Jews into Superstition ●orinality and Hypocrisie to die for the Salvation of Mankind and in fine to give to us the holy Spirit to regenerate our Hearts support our Faith and lead us into all truth Now if it shall appear that as the lusts of our first Parents did at that time disappoint the good intention of GOD in making a pure World and brought in by their disobedience the corruptions that ar● now in it So that since likewise the Bishops of Rome by their insatiable ambition and avarice have designedly as much as in them lves frustrated the Mercitul Purpose He had in the happy Restauration He intended the World by H● Son and in the renewing and reforming of H●mane Nature and have wholly defaced and spoiled Christian Religion and made it a Worldly and a Heathenish thing and altogether ●●capable as it is practised amongst them either of directing the wayes of its prosessors to viru● and good life or of saving their Souls hereafter● I say this do appear I know no reason why I 〈◊〉 detesting thus much and for giving warning to the World to take heed of their wayes should be accused of Impiety or Atheism or why 〈◊〉 Holiness should be so inraged against the p●● Inhabitants of the Valleys in Savoy and again● the Albigesi for calling him Antichrist but to fi●● that it is an undoubted truth I mean that 〈◊〉 Popes have corrupted Christian Religion 〈◊〉 need but read the New Testament acknowledg●● by themselves to be of infallible truth and the●e we shall see that the Faith and Religion pre●●ched by Christ and setled afterwards by his Apostles and cultivated by their Sacred Epistle●● is so different a thing from the Christianity th●● 〈◊〉 now profess'd and taught at Rome that we should be convinc'd that if those Holy Men should be sent by GOD again into the World they would take more pains to confute this Gallimaufry than ever they did to preach down the Tradition of the Pharisees or the Fables and Idolatry of the Gentiles and would in probability suffer a new Marryrdom in that City under the Vicar of CHRIST for the same Doctrine which once animated the Heathen Tyrants against them Nay we have something more to say against these Sacrilegious pretenders to GODS power for whereas all other false worships have been set up by some politick Legislators for the support and preservation of Government this false this spurious Religion brought in upon the ruines of Christianity by the Popes hath deformed the face of Government in Europe destroying all the good principles and Morality left us by the Heathen themselves and introduced in stead thereof Sordid Cowardly and impolitick Notions whereby they have subjected Mankind and even great Princes and States to their own Empire and never suffered any Orders or Maxims to take place where they have power that might make a Nation Wise Honest Great or Wealthy This I have set down so plainly in those passages of my Book which are complained of that I shall say nothing at all for the proof of it in this place but refer you thither and come to speak a litle more particularly of my first assert●● that the Pope and his Clergy have deprvied Christian Religion Upon this subject I could in●●nitely wish now Letters begin to revive agai●● that some Learned Pen would employ it sel●● and that some person vers'd in the Chronolig● of the Church as they call it would deduce o●● of the Ecclesiastical Writers the time and ma●●ner how these abuses crept in and by what A●● and Steps this Babel that reaches at Heaven w●● built by these Sons of the Earth but this mat●● as unsuitable to the brevity of a Letter and 〈◊〉 deed more to my small Parts and Learning shall not pretend to being one who never hithe● to studied or write of Theology further than 〈◊〉 did naturally concern the Politicks therefore shall only deal by the New Testament as I hav● done formerly by Titus Livius that is mak● observations or reflections upon it and leav● you and Mr. Guilio and the rest of our Society to make the judgement nor citing like Preachers the Chapter or Verse because the reading of Holy Scripture is little us'd and indeed hardly permitted amongst us To begin at the top I would have any reasonable man tell me whence this unmeasureable power long claim'd and now possess'd by the Bishop of Rome is derived first of being CHRISTS Vicar and by that as I may so say pretending to a Monopoly of the Holy Spirit which was promised and given to the whole Church that is to the Elect 〈◊〉 Saints as is plain by a clause in St. Peters Ser●●on made the very same time that the mira●ulous gifts of the Spirit of GOD were first given ●o the Apostles who says to the Jews and Gen●iles Repent and be Baptized every one of you in the ●ame