follow him fall vpon him and therfore he flies abroad in the night and then he is quiet If the Scriptures should be suffered to be expounded and read of all Nations in their owne language then that Owle of Rome the Pope I meane with all his fooleries and abominations would be discerned and discouered and then the world would hate him follow after him persecute him euen as the small birds doe the Owle and therefore they cannot abide the Scriptures in the vulgar tongue but loue darknes rather then light because their deedes are euill Iohn 3.19 C. What say you then to their good works as building of Churches giuing of Almes c M. These and such like workes required in the Law of God in themselues are good and to be practised of all but to them they are as the Fathers called the vertues of the Heathen but splendida peccata glittering drosse and beautifull deformities C. Doe they teach any thing contrarie to the morall Law and to the doctrine of good workes M. Yes they doe both teach and practise many things directly contrarie to Gods Commandements They reach for good workes such things as are not commanded but rather forbidden in the Law of God as namely to goe on Pilgrimage to vow single life to fast forty dayes and forty nights c. First concerning set Pilgrimages vnto certaine Images there was none of the Fathers did so much as dreame of thâ— for 600. yeeres after Christ at the least Perkins 2. Vol. p 141 542. Secondly the necessitie of the vowe of continencie was established first and annexed vnto Orders about 380. yeeres after Christ and that by Pope Siricius But it had no vniuersall admission vntill the time of Pope Hildebrand in the yeere 1070. Perkins 1. Vol. 583. to 587. 2. Volume 575 576. Acts and Monuments 1151. Thirdly their doctrine of single life was neuer commanded of God nor knowne in the Primitiue Church but hath sprung vp since and is indeede the very doctrine of Diuels 1. Tim. 4.13 So is also their forbidding of meates for religions sake They teach also that a man may fulfill the Lawe yea doe workes of Supererogation that is more then the Lawe doth require and that men of their abundance may allot to others such workes of Supererogation Rhem. on 1. Cor. 9. sect 6. 2. Cor. 8. sect 3. This doctrine of theirs makes the Law of God to be vnperfect and is directly contrary to the words of Christ Luke 17.10 And it was not knowne of the ancient Fathers They spake indeed sometimes of Supererogation but in a farre other sence then Papists doe There are no such workes to be found in the person of any meere man or Angell but onely in the person of Christ God and man Perk. 1. vol. 598. 599. 2. vol. 540. 541. DIALOGVE 8. C. Shew me I pray you in particular what things they teach contrary to the commandements M. I could plainely proue vnto you that they doe both teach and practise many things contrary to euery one of the Commandements but I will onely set downe the chiefest and such as most men know to be true The first Commandement concernes the inward worship of God the ground of which worship is the true knowledge of God and without which none can truely worship and serue him for such as our knowledge is such is our worship â— Chron. 28.9 Psal 9.10 Ier. 9.24 The Papists teach that â—gnorance is the mother of deuotion but the truth is it is â—he mother of superstition and idolatry Gal. 4.8 The Papists therefore being ignorant and without the true knowledge of God cannot truely worship him but must needs bee Idolaters worshipping they know not what The first Commandement requireth that wee haue the true Iehoua for our onely God They make Christs body to be God because they hold that it may be in many places at once which thing is proper only to God They make the Pope to be God that in plaine words Christopher Marcellus said to the Pope Thou art another God vpon earth and the Pope tooke it to himselfe Concil Later Sess 4. They giue the power to the Pope which is proper to God and so make him to be God As that he can make holy that which is vnholy pardon sinnes c. Perkins 1. vol. 400. 1. and they giue diuine worship to creatures and so make theÌ„ their Gods The second Commandement concerneth the outward worship of God or the forme manner of his worship This Commandement they haue cleane put out of the Decalogue and to fill vp the number they diuide the last into two The scope of this Commandement is that no Image is to be made of God nor any worship performed to him in an Image Deut. 4.15 16. But they teach it lawfull to make Images of the true God and to worship him in them and that there is a religious worship due to them Belarm 〈◊〉 imag sanct lib. 2. cap. 21. And in the second Nicen Councell it it was decreed that the Image of God should be worshipped with the same worship that is due vnto God Their practice is answerable to their doctrine for they worship the Images of God of Christ the Saints the woodden Crosse yea a piece of bread C. They say that they doe not worship the images but God Christ and the Saints in the image M. Suppose that this were true yet in so doing they commit grosse idolatry and the same that the people of Israeâ— did for which God plagued them greatly Exod. 32.5 28. 〈◊〉 thinke there is none so very a Calfe as to thinke that they did worship the Calfe it selfe The Calfe was but a representation of God and yet they sinned greatly in making it and worshipping God in it The Heathen in times past could say as much for themselues concerning their worshipping of Images as the Papists now doe and yet as they were Idolaters so are the Papists for as touching their superstition and idolatry bloud caÌ„not be more like to bloud or an egge to an egge then the one of them is to another The Heathen had for euery Nation and Prouince some peculiar god Among them the Elements had their seueral gods to rule ouer them The Heathen had a certain god assigned to their cattell The Heathen had peculiar gods for learning and learned men and for handi-crafts men And all these haue the Papists likewise The Heathen erected Altars ordained Priests to offer sacrifices fell downe before their idols c. So the Papists deck and adorne their images goe on Pilgrimage to them fall downe vpon their knees before them and make their prayers vnto them And what is all this but to worship the very images themselues the which is most grosse idolatry Musculus on Psa 16. ver 4. page 139. 140 Virels grounds pag. 87. to 92. Attersoll on Philemon pag. 63. 64. C. They say that there be degrees of religious worship the highest is latria and this is
A PILL TO PVRGE OVT POPERIE OR A Catechisme for Romish Catholikes Shewing that Popery is contrarie to the grounds of the Catholike RELIGION and that therefore Papists cannot be good CATHOLIKES LONDON â—rinted for Beniamin Fisher and are to be sold at his shop in Pater-noster Row at the Signe of the Talbot 1623. A PILL TO PVRGE OVT POPERIE OR A Catechisme for Romish Catholikes Shewing that Popery is contrarie to the grounds of the Catholike Religion and that therefore Papists cannot be good CATHOLIKES The Speakers A weake Christian A Minister DIALOGVE I. Christian AMong the diuersities of opinions that are in the world how may I know which is the truth whereto J must cleaue and who are the true Church and true Catholikes Minister a 1. Ioh. 4.1 Beleeue not euery spirit that is euery doctrine which men bragging of the Spirit doe teach but try them whether they be of God or no b 1. Thes 5.21 Examine all things hold fast that which is good C. Whereby shall I try them M. By the Scriptures Ioh. 5.39 Act. 17.11 C. I am vnlearned and the Scriptures are hard to be vnderstood M. There are indeed many things in them hard to bee vnderstood 2. Pet. 3.16 but such things as are necessarie to be knowne of all to saluation are plainely set downe Prou. 8.9 The meaning of which place is this The Word of God in points necessarie to saluation is easie vnto all that haue a desire vnto it Turne to the places of Scripture added to euery answere of the Catechisme and you shall finde this to be most true C. Is there no other way and meanes whereby to try and know the truth and the true professors thereof M. Yes it may be done euen by the aforesaid grounds of Religion Whatsoeuer doctrine is agreeable thereunto is true and to be receiued but whatsoeuer is contrary to the same is false and to be reiected As many as do sincerely and soundly imbrace professe and practise the same they are the Catholike Church that is parts and members of the Catholike Church and true Catholikes indeed But such as teach professe and practise things contrary thereunto are not the true Church nor true Catholikes C. The Papists say that they onely are the true Church and true Catholikes and that we are not M. So the Iewes cryed a Ieremy 7.4 The Temple of the Lord b Ioh. 8.33 41. We are the seed of Abraham the children of God But Christ told them they were the children of the diuell Joh. 8.44 C. Are not the Papists then good Catholikes M. No but rather grosse Heretikes C. What is an Hereticke M. One that doth erre in any fundamentall point of Christian Religion and doth obstinately teach maintaine and defend the same C. Doe the Papists erre in the fundamentall points of Religion M. They doe teach and maintaine many false opinion against the very grounds of Religion as by and by shall be shewed in many particulars C. Are all Papists then Hereticks M. No for there are no doubt many of them that doe erre of simplicitie and ignorance and which would bee brought from their errours if they had the meanes namely the Scriptures in their owne language preaching catechizing and the like We doe not therefore account them all Hereticks but onely those before mentioned C. How doe you proue that they are not good Catholicks M. I proue it thus They are good Catholicks which are of sound faith and good life Aug. lib. quaest in Mat. Chap. 11. but Papists are neither of sound faith nor good life therefore they are no good Catholikes C. How doe you proue that they are not of sound faith M. Euen by the Apostles Creed which may serue in stead of a rule whereunto the faith of all men ought to agree contrary whereunto they teach many things C. Shew me wherein M. The Creed is a confession of faith containing the summe of the Gospell and of such things as are necessary to be beleeued of all that will be saued They haue deuised many other new Articles of faith besides and contrary to the Articles of the Apostles Creed which they hold necessarily to be beleeued of all that will be saued As namely Indulgences and a treasurie of Saints merits the reall presence the Popes Supremacie Purgatorie and such like In the Councell of Trent the curse Anathema is pronounced vpon all such as deny these or any of them Master Perkins first Vol. page 621. The Creed teacheth what euery one in particular is to know and beleeue and a true faith cannot stand without certaine knowledge The Papists maintaine an implitite or an ignorant faith namely that it is enough to beleeue as the Church beleeueth though they know not what the Church is nor what the Church beleeueth And â—hey commend this faith by the example of an old deuout â—ther a Colliar who being tempted of the Diuell and asked how he beleeued answered That hee beleeued as the Church beleeued being asked againe how the Church beleeued he answered As I beleeue whereupon the Diuell as they say was faine to depart C. It should seeme it was but a simple Diuell for if hee had beene wise he would haue asked him this question What if the Church beleeue that thou art a foole what would the Colliar thinke you haue answered then M. I thinke he would haue said nothing for if he should haue said I beleeue so too the diuell might then haue begged him for a foole indeed And yet such fooles are the simple and ignorant Papists which content themselues with this kinde of faith for thus one may reason with them You are to beleeue as the Church beleeueth but the Church beleeues that you are fooles therefore you are to beleeue so too This their implicite faith euery one of himselfe may haue The diuels in some sence may bee said to haue a better faith then this for they know what is contained in the Scriptures and beleeue it to be true Mat. 4.6 Jam. 2.19 This fond and ridiculous kind of faith is a notable meanes to muzzle people in blindnesse superstition and perpetuall ignorance Againe faith is a certaine and true perswasion of the heart whereby wee are perswaded and in some measure assured of the forgiuenesse of our sinnes and eternall saluation The Papists say It is presumption to bee assured of saluation and will haue men to doubt thereof the which is contrary to the nature of true faith They call the certaintie of remission of sinnes a faithlesse perswasion and the faith of diuels not of Apostles Concil Trid. Sess 6. cap. 9.12 13. Rhemists Annot. 1. Cor. 9. Sect. 9. DIALOGVE 2. C. Shew me I pray you what things in particular they teach câ—â—rary to any Article of the Creed M. I could shew you many but I feare that then I should be tedious to you I will therefore set downe onely the chiefest In the second third Article is described and set forth vnto vs
but all our workes are vnperfect as well in parts as in degrees of accomplishment In parts because we omit many things which the Law prescribeth and doe many euill things which the Law prohibiteth In degrees because the works of the Saints are vncleane Esay 64.6 Phil. 3.8 Secondly a man must doe the worke of himselfe and by himselfe for if it be done by the helpe of another the merit doth not properly belong to the dooer But the good workes which we doe are not ours but are wrought by God in vs. Thirdly a man must doe the worke of his owne free will and pleasure not of due debt for when we doe that which we are bound to doe we doe no more but our duty But whatsoeuer we doe we doe it as poore debters nay wee are worse then poore debters we are miserable bankerupts wee haue nothing we haue lesse then nothing to pay Luke 17.10 Fourthly the worke must be done to the benefit and profit of him from whom we looke to be repayed But no man by any worke of his can bring any profit vnto God Iob 22.2.35.7 Psal 16.2.50.12 We may benefit men but we cannot benefit our Maker from whom we haue receiued life and limb soule and body and all that we haue wee can giue him nothing and therefore can deserue nothing from him Rom. 11.35 36. Lastly the worke and the reward must be in proportion equall for if the reward be more then the worke it is not then a reward of desert but a gift of good-will But there is no proportion betweene our workes which are altogether vnperfect and the excellency of those great blessings and benefits which the Father giueth vs freely in his Sonne Rom. 8.18 And therefore in this and the former respects there can be no merit in any meere man wherefore it is no lesse absurd to say that we merit saluation at Gods hands by good works then if one should say Thou hast giuen mee an hundred pounds therefore thou oughtest to giue me a thousand C. Was not this doctrine of merit taught in the times of ancient Fathers M. Merit being taken in his proper sense for due iust desert was neuer allowed of the sound Professors for a thousand yeeres after Christ Perkins 1. Vol. 574 575. second Vol. 535 536. Such therefore as will be iustified and saued by their owne workes and challenge eternall life by their merits doe shew themselues to be most proud and vnthankefull persons and deserue most iustly to be condemned eternally C. The Papists at their end doe renounce their owne merits and professe that they looke to be saued onely by the merits of Christ M. If there were nothing else but this it were enough to proue their doctrine of merit to be a false doctrine for if it were a truth then a man is not onely in his life time to professe it and maintaine it but also in his death yea rather to dye for it then to deny it But seeing they in their life professe it and maintaine it but at their death renounce it it is a manifest argument that euen they themselues doe know that it is not a true but a falâ—e doctrine C. If they know that it is not a truth what makes them then in their life-time so stiffely to maintaine it M. It serues greatly to maintaine and vphold the Popes kingdome for they teach that the ouer-plus of Christs merits and of the merits of Saints and Martyrs is the treasure of the Church which being gathered together and put into a store-chest is in the Popes custodie and he alone hath the plenary opening and shutting of this Chest and the ordering and disposing of these merits by vertue whereof hee giues out Indulgences and Pardons when and to whom hee will So that such as haue not merits enow of their own may haue them from thence And so hereby hee maintaines and vpholds his kingdome for hereby comes in infinite wealth and reuenewes Perkins 3. vol. 1. part pag. 165 2. D. 2. vol. 590. 2. a. In these and many other particular points the Papists teach contrary to the Articles of the Creed and therefore are no true Catholikes neither doe they belong to the Catholike Church as is thus proued Whosoeuer haue not the Catholike faith doe not belong to the Catholike Church but the Papists haue not the Catholike faith therefore they doe not belong to the Catholike Church That they haue not the Catholike faith is plaine by that aforegoing DIALOGVE 6. C. Doe they teach any thing contrary to the doctrine of the Sacraments M. Yes many things Christ ordained but onely two Sacraments The Church of Rome hath added to them fiue more namely Confirmation Penance Matrimonie Orders and extâ—eme Vnction C. Are not these Sacraments indeed M. No surely for there are foure things necessarily required to make a Sacrament First the authoritie of Christ commanding it Secondly the element or outward signe as the matter of it Thirdly the word of institution as the forme Fourthly the end and vse to be a seale of our faith for remission of sinnes These foure things are not to be found in their fiue latter Sacraments and therefore they are no Sacraments indeed Master Attersoll on the Sacraments pag. 119. to 150. Synopsis Papis Controu 14 15 16. C. May not the Church then institute and ordaine Sacraments M. None may ordaine a Sacrament but onely the Lord. As none may put a signe and seale to a mans last Will and Testament but onely the maker of the Testament so none may ordaine Sacraments which are signes and seales of the new Testament and couenant of grace but onely the Lord which made the couenant And therefore the Church of Rome in doing the contrary proues her selfe not to bee the true Church of Christ but rather the Church of Antichrist They doe also in many other things teach contrary to the doctrine of the Sacraments As First that the Sacraments doe giue grace and namely remission of sinnes ex opere operato by the worke wrought Rhem. Acts 22. Sect. 1. Secondly that not onely faith doth iustifie but the Sacraments also Rhem. Rom. 6. Sect. 5. Whereas Sacraments are signes and seales of iustification Rom. 4.11 Thirdly that Infants dying without Baptisme cannot bee saued Rhem. Ioh. 3. Sect. 2. They haue also added many idle ceremonies to Baptisme as Creame Tapers Salt c. with an opinion of saluation and worship annexed vnto them yea in times past they baptized Bels but now they begin to be ashamed of it and say that they were but onely hallowed and consecrated to holy vses Bellar. l. 4. de Pont. Rom. c. 12. Synopsis Papismi Controu 12. Quest 5. Concerning the Lords Supper they haue likewise most grossely abused it in many things First they take away the Cup from the Laity whereas the Church of Rome for aboue a thousand yeeres after Christ vsed both signes in the Communion The Communion vnder one kind was decreed defined and