reason to be afraid of this kind of persecution I mean of their Tongues for I may say I have lived amongst them without blame as may be conjectured from the considerable Employments which I have had in the Church of Rome for their Bishops never admit a person into their Cathedrals to preach unless they know him to be of an honest and good behaviour And the Religious of that Order of which I have made profession the Carmelites which doubtless is one of the most exemplary of the Romish Church if these had not had a good opinion of me they would never have promoted me to that degree of honour amongst them which I have held having been three times the Priors Deputy in the same Convent which Office is given to none but to such as are very regular and exemplary in their lives It is therefore needless that any person should trouble himself with an inquiry for the place from whence I came and of my carriage while I have remained in the Church of Rome to discredit this little Book I am not afraid in the least of any such thing I am rather fully perswaded that there is no man in those Towns where I have made my abode nor in the Convents where I have dwelt but will give me the reputation of an honest and just man blameless in my carriage until now as much as is possible in case the change of my Religion be concealed from them I think therefore that thou hadst best peruse this Treatise with a calm and unprejudiced mind that thou may'st be better able to judge of the things therein declared and gather from thence the instructions needful to undeceive thy judgment if thou art yet in the same errours as I have been Those that will read over these lines with that good disposition will approve of my change and of this publication and will be constrained to confess that there are causes and reasons strong enough to oblige any man to forsake the Romish Church and embrace the Profession of the Protestant Religion The Prayer before Sermon O Lord God infinite in goodness and mercy who hast by the gracious hand of thy divine Providence taken and lead me as Abram out of the superstitious Ur of the Caldeans as Lot out of the filthy flames of Sodom and Gomorrha as Israel out of the bondage and tyranny of Egypt as Joseph from his dungeon as Daniel out of the Lions den and as the blind Man of the Gospel out of that fearful blindness which hath since my infancy hindred me from the discovery and acknowledgment of thy Sacred Truth O God who hast preserved me from all perils and conducted me safe out of the hands of enemies with thy powerful and stretched out Arm here I am prostrate at the foot-stool of thy Divine Majesty convinced in judgment with a contrite and an humble spirit here I am in the midst of thy Elect of thy Royal Priesthood of thy Holy Nation of thy People purchased with thy Blood in the midst of Believers not with an intention to offer up unto thee their prayers for I am not worthy of so holy a Ministry my Tongue is not yet able to speak so loud as their sighs and my Lips are too much defiled but I am here to beseech Thee O'Searcher of the Heart to hearken to their vows and the prayers of their Souls for the advance of thy Glory the accomplishment and preservation of thy Church especially for this which worships Thee in spirit and in truth in these three Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland for the prosperity of the King that Commands here for his Spouse Queen Catherine for James Duke of York and for all the Royal Family for the Arch-bishops Bishops and other Teachers of thy Church that it may please Thee to enlighten them with the Spirit of thy Truth and enflame them with an holy zeal for the Salvation of Souls for the Lords and others of the Kings Council for the Magistrates and other Inhabitants of these three Kingdoms that it may please Thee to supply and succour them in all their wants whether they be spiritual or corporal But more especially we pray Thee for all such as are yet engaged and plunged in errour take them out of the same depths of sin from whence Thou hast drawn me open their eyes whether they will or no that they may perceive the truth of thy Gospel open their hearts by the divine power of thy Holy Spirit that thy Blessed Word may be received as in a good and fruitful field that it may bring forth an hundred fold In this occasion be pleased to accept of my prayers with thy peoples for I know by experience that Thou alone art able to turn and convince a Soul brought up in errour and change a heart nourished from its infancy with an abhorrency of thy Holy Word Therefore I pray Thee or rather we all pray Thee together to open the eyes of so many blind persons whom I leave behind me in the regions of darkness and touch with the efficacious finger of thy Holy Spirit so many stony hearts that resist the motions and offers of thy Grace with so much obstinacy Lord Thou hast performed in me a blessed change for which I offer up unto Thee my hearty thanks and praises beseeching Thee to pardon my unworthiness and graciously to accept of the thanks which thy faithful people here assembled do render unto Thee for my sake But O merciful God at this same time that I find my self obliged to offer unto Thee my thanks for a favour received from thy hand I find my self in a necessity to beg another favour and mercy of granting unto me the power and ability to declare unto this numerous Congregation the great mercy that Thou hast shewed me by bringing me to my Conversion I am desired O my God! it is but just that I should give glory to thy Holy Name Justice and Reason require that I should declare thy Goodness where iniquity hath so long appeared with impudency that I should employ the members which have been abused in warring against Thee to discover thy wonderful mercy in me these lips this tongue and this voice which hath uttered so many lyes and errours against the light and suggestions of thy Holy Spirit these members that have declared so many falshoods preached up so many abuses confirmed so many blasphemies committed and caused so many sins to be committed it is just that they should glorifie thy Holy Name Forgive O my God! forgive me the sin of having so long detained thy truth in unrighteousness against my conscience and thy secret motions Grant me the grace that I may this day be able to make an honourable amends that I may give the same testimony to thy Blessed Truth which I have given to Heresie and that I may bring forth fruits suitable to my repentance For this purpose O good God purifie my unclean lips touch them with a
of an Apostle which he had renounced by his Apostacy from Christ He had denied his Master thrice therefore the Son of God proposes this question Lovest thou me three times All this is noted in the Roman Rubrick Thrice saith St. Cyril lib. 12. chap. 64. He commands him to feed His sheep to renew unto him the dignity and confirm him in the office of an Apostle for fear that the denial of his Lord which he had been guilty of through the weakness of the flesh should seem to have cashier'd him For it is to contradict what Jesus Christ said to all His Apostles when He appointed them to preach the Gospel to Mankind to teach and baptize c. to say that none but St. Peter had this power granted to him But a great many passages of Holy Scripture do expresly contradict this Doctrine You have but one Master but one Father which is in heaven saith Jesus Christ Matth. 23. vers 8. I am the good Shepherd I know my Sheep and lay down my life for them He saith not I am an hired Shepherd but the true Shepherd John 11. As there is but one Flock there can be but one Shepherd now who is this Shepherd Christ or the Pope My Father hath given me all power in heaven and in earth Matth. 28. I have power to pardon sins on earth Mark 2.10 God hath committed all judgment unto me and power to execute judgment John 5. How can these passages agree with the Popes Sovereign Authority Is it not a grievous affront offered to Jesus Christ to set this Divine Saviour aside as Bellarmin doth secluso Christo to help up the Pope to his Throne and invest him into his usurped Sovereignty If we are to acknowledge but one Shepherd but one Master but one Lord but one only Heir of the Fathers Power and Authority shall we not rob Christ of these His Divine Prerogatives if we should offer to bestow them upon the Pope I am not ignorant of all the distinctions made use of in this occasion to justifie the Pope from this Usurpation but they are but philosophical and aiery distinctions of the same nature as are commonly invented by the wit of man to justifie Aristotle from his Belief and Doctrine of the Worlds Eternity Thomas Aquinas and others from their saying that the Virgin Mary was conceived in sin Tertullian Origen St. Bernard and others from teaching that the Souls of Saints are not admitted to the Vision of God before the day of Judgment They are such like distinctions as the Pirrhenians invented to prove that white was black that a hat was the same as a slipper and an Ape like a Lion c. All these arguments and distinctions might be well resented from the mouth of Aristotle of Plato Pythagoras or from a Cartesian Philosopher but not from a Catholick Christian who ought not to mind what he might say but what he should believe in conscience not what he can maintain but what he is bound to embrace When an Article of our Faith is concerned such a one must set aside his disputing humour and the quirks and tricks of Logick taught him in the Schools to make a plain and sincere profession of the Truth For my part I think it is the best to declare ingenuously that there can be no solid reason found out to authorize our ascribing to a man that which belongs to Jesus Christ alone by his own words No man can justly condemn me for having denied to the Pope that which I read in the Gospel to be Christs Prerogative only It is not possible faith an ancient Father to give too much to God especially when man enters into competition with Him But listen I pray to what the Apostles and primitive Fathers say upon this Article There is one sovereign or great Shepherd of our Souls saith St. Peter Ep. 1. chap. 5. with whom when He shall appear we shall appear also with Him in glory such as feed the flock of Christ committed to their charge taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind neither as being lords over Gods heritage but c. Doth St. Peter establish here the Popes Monarchy doth not he rather undermine the foundation of it No man saith St. Paul can lay another foundation but that which is already laid Jesus Christ There is one Lawgiver Who art thou saith St. James that judgest another He hath the Keys of David that opens and none can shut that shuts and no man can open Revel 3. How doth this agree with that which the Papists would perswade us of St. Peter and of the Pope Ought we not to gather from these passages Doctrines contrary to their belief No man can lay another foundation c. They are therefore much deceived that affirm that St. Peter is the foundation of the Christian Church and that the Pope is the head There is but one Lawgiver the Pope therefore hath no authority to command and appoint Laws He is to be looked upon as a Deceiver when he would perswade us that they are all out of the Church that will not acknowledge his power Jesus Christ hath the Key of Heaven He opens and no man can shut c. I must therefore seek an entrance from Him if He opens me the door I shall be admitted maugre the Pope his Priests and Excommunications if He shuts it to me the Pope hath no Absolution nor Indulgence of a sufficient efficacy and power to open it All the primitive Doctors confirm this Doctrine they ascribe to Jesus Christ only that which the Papists ascribe to St. Peter and to the Pope whom they have made his Successor When Jesus Christ saith St. Chrysostome Tom. 3. Ser. de pent hath said upon this Rock I will build my Church He did not say upon Peter for He hath not built His Church upon a man but upon this Faith What means saith St. Austin Tract 10. in Epist Joan. what means He by these words upon this Rock I will build my Church He means upon this Faith because he had said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God St. Ambrose St. Hilary Theophylact and many others affirm the same thing Optat. Millevitanus speaking of Pope Siricius he doth not call him Master or Holy Father c. but Noster Socius our Companion Contra Parmen lib. 2. Art thou bordering upon Achaia saith Tertullian de Praet cap. 36. thou art near to Corinth if thou art joyning to Macedonia thou hast Philippi Thessalonica if thou canst go over into Asia thou shalt find Ephesus and if thou neighbourest upon Italy thou art not far from Rome where we have authority Thus the Primitive Fathers discourse unto us of the Church of Rome They never ascribed unto her any more power or priviledge than to all the other Churches Let any man therefore judge what impudency and presumption the Popes are guilty of in that they claim a
Christ That all these Vices by which St. Peter's Chair hath been dishonoured are proofs of its Holiness Excellency and Infallibility because saith he God hath permitted all these debaucheries and wickednesses in such as were the Governours of His Church without punishing them this discovers that this Estate is more sacred more holy and more regarded of God than that of Kings whom God commonly chastiseth as soon as they are unfaithful and abuse their Authority I must needs confess that I was never more astonished than when I found this Argument made use of by this Learned Man and heard it approved of in the Popish Schools Me thinks I could as easily prove the union of Contraries to be found in the same Subject as to shew the union and correspondency of this Conclusion with the Principles from whence it is drawn In this Church most abominable Popes have been seen Alvar Pelag. a Portugues Bishop tells us lib. 2. art 15. of many Popes who have crept into that See by their factions agreements covenants and large promises and when they have got in all their endeavour was to enrich and raise their Relations to promote their friends to the chief Offices to live themselves in pleasure and to dignifie their Kindred building Towers and Palaces in Babylon I mean Rome so called by St. Jerome These Popes have fomented the Wars and Factions in Italy instead of maintaining the unity of the Church They have wasted the sacred Revenues advanced most unworthy persons and gloried in their chariots elephants horses rich garments numerous train guards and noble attendants They have by the power of the sword often endeavoured to enlarge their own Borders and seize upon the Territories of their neighbouring Princes never minding the salvation of souls but have been addicted to the pleasures of the flesh c. These Men for money have sold as Judas did Christ's Body consecrated the Sacraments and celebrated Orders for silver c. We have seen saith the same Author lib. 2. art 2. fol. 104. men that have made this City like Sodom and Nineveh by letting in and countenancing all manner of vices publick and private as covetousness ambition symony usurpations uncleanness vain glory envy tyranny and other crimes which cannot nor ought not to be named We have seen in God's sanctuary saith the Bishop of Bitonte in the beginning of the Council of Trent orat hab in concil Trid. sess 1. shameless monsters rotten vessels full of infection publick plagues c. so that there remains no appearance nor hopes of good life but an immoderate and extraordinary debauchery a not able impudency more crimes than can be well credited We have seen according to the testimony of some Cardinals chosen by Pope Paul III. for the Reformation of the Church Concil delect Cardin. tom 3. pag. 823. Whores walking about the streets of Rome as honourable Dames carried upon Mules attended and waited upon by Noblemen and Cardinals Chaplains such like scandals have never been seen elsewhere but in this City We have seen saith Guischardin Hist of Italy lib. 1. sect 2. Rodericus Borgia who was afterwards Pope Alexander VI. buy the priviledge of disposing of the Holy Treasury And Platina and Baronius relate that there have been some Popes introduc'd by violence who have clapp'd in prison such as were before in possession of the See of Rome as Christopher did Leo VIII Some have been so base and furious that they have taken up the Bodies of their Predecessors whose Fingers wherewith they had given their blessing to the people they have cut off and cast into the Tybur as Stephen VI. treated Formosus In short we have seen men more covetous ambitious impious lecherous cruel and wicked than in the most licentious Courts than amongst the most barbarous Nations And Genebrard Chron. lib. 4. saith that these disorders have lasted sometimes 150 years together During this time saith Baronius ann 912. sect 8. Jesus Christ slept very soundly in the bottom of the ship and wink'd at all these mischiefs Therefore from hence he gathers this conclusion for this cause the Church of Rome must needs be the truest the holiest and best beloved of God infallible and the only Church that may be named Catholick c. Let any man judge if this be not the most impudent and unjust reasoning in the world The Heathenish Philosophers have taught these Popish Doctors to argue in this manner for their Religion from this ancient Maxim of theirs Ex quolibet fit quodlibet That from any Principle we may draw any Conclusion either good or evil They care not so they can but maintain their Thesis and Opinion but these kind of Reasons discover their weakness For any Understanding may perceive from thence the feebleness of their Doctrine the falshood of their Religion seeing that they are driven to draw such Conclusions as are quite contrary to the nature and truth of the things themselves If any man say that this Reason is not in Baronius word for word as I have expressed it the premises are there and the Conclusion not in two or three words and in such a plain and succinct manner as I have here related it but it is laid down in a more ample and more florid Discourse which tends to no other end but to prove the Truth Holiness and Excellency of of the Popish Religion from the Vices and Debaucheries of its Priests and Popes This cannot but be look'd upon as very ridiculous by any man of Judgement For if their Reasons were good I might as well say that Pharaoh's Kingdom was holy because God suffered it to continue so long without punishing him and did many Miracles for his sake and that the Turkish Religion must needs be the holiest and the best at present because God hath suffered it to abide so many years and increase every day although its Chieftains lead most filthy lives These and such like Considerations which I have had by reading the Books of the Popish Doctors and Historians have lessened that vast esteem that I had formerly for that Church and made me to understand that all its excellent Priviledges which it claims and which they assign to her are but whimseys and Chimaera's begot in their fancy by their fondness for their Religion the Popes ambition and the credulity of silly minds who are ready to believe any thing the greatest absurdity if boldly asserted Let us proceed next to our other Considerations THE SECOND PART THE Second Reason that hath so long time kept my Mind in a ballance was grounded upon the Faith and Articles of that Church I did seriously examine all those things which she engageth us to believe as infallible Truths the Pope's Infallibility the real and corporal presence of Jesus Christ in the Sacrament of the Altar the Sacrifice of the Mass Purgatory the Invocation of Saints and the certain damnation of all those who acknowledge not the Pope for their Superiour c. I thought all this