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A62900 The principles of the Papists by which their leaders put them upon bloody and treacherous practices, plainly demonstrated by the Scriptures to be most erroneous and wicked. And a few better principles briefly laid down, for them (or others) to meditate on, tending to a peaceable life among men, &c. And also a few quæries left them last of all, to satisfie their consciences in. Partly for the sakes of those among them whose consciences have some tenderness in them, and are not quite feared: partly also for those who through ignorance are too much inclining to them. Also there may be some service of these things to others. By a lover of truth, mercifulness, plain-heartedness, humility and fidelity, W. T. Tomlinson, William. 1679 (1679) Wing T1850; ESTC R221759 49,364 105

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Cruelty I say accompanied with such things as I have named is one of their main guards or supports of their Religion It is like a wall of fire round about them so that if any among them shall but attempt to get out from them what can they look for but Fire and Faggot or a most hellish Inquisition if they catch them And what tortures and torments are acted there may sufficiently affright and terrifie such as think of deserting them This Cruelty is innate to their Religion for finding themselves defective of truth to uphold it they make it up with cruelty and with lyes when they have done to hide it That horrid piece of Cruelty intended by the Gunpowder-Plot and carried on so far as it went by their Creatures though those Actors in that work of darkness be honoured by them at Rome yet they would have you believe that it was only a trick of State so impudently shameless are they in forging lyes They would also make you believe that the Book of Martyrs is full of lyes and no better than a Fable because it records the abominable Butcheries and Cruelties which by them were acted upon conscientious people And all the ground they have to belye it is from hence that there was a mistake or two in it which Fox himself who was the Composer of that Book first discovered having had some wrong information given him in those particulars Thus they are not ashamed to act Cruclties but are ashamed to be apprehended therein for indeed their actions are so barbarous that even humane nature may blush to be found guilty thereof And yet they are fain to fly to this refuge of defence to uphold their Religion and also for the propagating of it For indeed to speak properly it is not the Kingdom of God and of Christ having truth for its foundation which they uphold but it 's a Kingdom of pride luxury and wantonness and debauchery which wants a foundation in truth therefore fly they to Cruelty for their support And their Cruelty so rings over the World that all but themselves and their slaves dread to come under their power For there is no mercy in them to old or young male or female to innocent Babes or Women with Child Oh the tortures and the invented devices of Cruelty that they put people to in Ireland since our memory in the year 1642. driving them into Rivers by droves and keeping them therein from getting-forth till they were drowned This was the easiest death they put them to Some they hanged some they ript open and let out their bowels some they starved to death some they buried alive ript up Women with Child dashed the heads of Infants against the stones commonly stript Men and Women naked and caused them to perish with cold and hunger many most beastly and barbarous tortures they put both Men and Women to And this now is their way of defending and propagating their Religion which their God who was a Murderer from the beginning acts them violently forward in Time was when they were something more moderate in their bloody ways when they cited people into their Courts and gave them a Tryal at their Laws and suffered them to argue for their Religion But now they are become violently savage and bruitish beyond all humane modesty whereby we may take notice of two things 1. That they are Seducers and that we need not doubt of because they wax worse and worse according to the Character which the Apostle gives of Seducers 2 Tim. 3.13 Evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse deceiving and being deceived 2. We may hence also have strong hopes that they have but a short time to reign and rage in the World for therefore Satan is come down among them with great rage knowing that he hath but a short time This their Cruelty now and not Truth is one of the grand pillars by which their Kingdom is upheld Secondly Another pillar upon which their Irreligion as I may call it or Kingdom of Darkness stands is Ignorance They take away the Key of Knowledge from men and keep them in blindness that so they may be led by them as they please And to colour this piece of policy they would perswade their people that Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion and that the Scriptures make men Hereticks as some of them in the Massacre in Ireland got an English Bible and trampling upon it in the dirt as is informed cursed it saying that that was the cause or ground of all the Difference and therefore it is a thing not to be born with by them that any of their Lay-people as they term them should have the Bible or Testament except it be as they have corrupted it So they keep them from that that they may keep them in ignorance and they keep them in ignorance that they may rule them as they please and the people being deluded by them are willing to have it so for they see not the Serpent's subtilty that lyes hidden under that Maxime That Ignorance is the Mother of Devotion It is indeed the Mother of Devotion but to whom Not to God I testifie but to the Pope and his superstitious and idolatrous Worship Ignorance keeps men devout to him and his will-will-Worship but Christ Jesus came to raise up a people that should worship God in spirit and in truth and his Spirit is the Spirit of a sound mind not a Spirit of blindness and ignorance The devoutest men upon Earth have always been a knowing understanding people witness Noah Daniel and Job Samuel David and the rest of the Worthies renowned in Scripture yea and the Son of God himself who was filled with wisdom and truth who sometime spent the night in prayer to God and he that is born again is in his measure renewed in knowledge after his image Col. 3.9 10. Lye not one to another seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds and have put on the new man which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him Mind this that the new man is renewed in knowledge he is not kept in darkness and ignorance to make him devout to God When Paul came to Athens and beheld their blind devotion in their ignorance to rectifie this their devotion he endeavours to bring them to true knowledge not to keep them still in ignorance for that was his work as also the work of the rest of the Apostles and Ministers of Christ to turn men from darkness to the light and so from the power of Satan whose Kingdom is in darkness unto God who is light that so they might receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus Act. 26.18 Now he that stops up the light from men must needs be a Thief and a Robber which comes to steal 1. To steal away the hearts of men from Christ to himself and from devotion
to God to devotion to himself to serve his own turn And 2. he thereby robs people of their deliverance from the power of Satan who rules in darkness as God rules in light And so 3. and consequently he robs people of receiving forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in Christ Jesus for that 's the end of turning men from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God namely that they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among God's sanctified ones But this will not stand with the Interest of him who seeks the glory and greatness of this World and an uncontroulable Kingdom over all without questioning what he doth and therefore Ignorance must be the nourisher of blind obedience to him which he blasphemously calls devotion to God And in this work now though he seek to be as high as Lucifer yet hath he made himself a slave to the Rulers of the darkness of this World whose principal drudge he is in labouring to keep men in darkness where Satan's power is We find in Scripture that darkness is the perishing state out of which God calls his people Eph. 5.8 Ye were sometime darkness but now are ye light in the Lord walk as children of the light 1 Pet. 2.9 Ye are a chosen generation that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light Col. 1.12 13. Giving thanks unto the Father which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the Saints in light who hath delivered us from the power of darkness And therefore to abide in darkness and to abide in a perishing state is all one in Scripture-language as also to be rejected of the Lord is expressed by being cast out into outer darkness 1 Joh. 2.9 10 11. He that hateth his brother is in darkness and walketh in darkness and knoweth not whither he goeth because that darkness hath blinded his eyes And Darkness is the place where there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth Mat. 8.12 and 22.13 Now then it is easie for any to judge whose Minister he is that hides light from men to keep them in the darkness and whose work he doth He is none of Christ's Minister nor doth his work to promote his Kingdom which is a Kingdom of light but he doth the work of the Rulers of the darkness of this World and his own work to keep men in slavery to him who seeks the glory of this World And this now is one of the stratagems of the mystery of iniquity and one principal prop of Antichrist's Kingdom and a chief guard about the Pope to let him sleep at quiet Thus the Sword or carnal Weapons of Cruelty and Ignorance and such like means are the props and guards of this Kingdom which the Papists are Subjects to and not the pure and uncorrupted Truth recorded in Scripture And therefore that some of them may deliver themselves from that mystery of iniquity if the Lord please to open their eyes is the end of my writing these things And though some expressions in this Treatise may perhaps seem too harsh to some of them yet having to deal with such bad Principles in persons who pretend to be invested with authority and power derived from Christ in the work of his Ministry and in his service I could not use easier language than I have done And as I have here manifested the destructive Principles of the Papists to be most erroneous and wicked I say the same against the destructive zeal of any professors of Christianity upon what Principles soever they go and under what Name soever they stand and likewise affirm That no destructive zeal is renewed after the image of him that hath created us and made us new creatures for as God sent not his Son into the world to destroy so he came not a destroyer but a Saviour to save mens lives Therefore would he not suffer James and John to destroy nor Peter when he drew his Sword and cut off Malchus his Ear but bid him put it up and then heal'd the Ear again which he had cut off and hath left it upon record that his Servants shall not go about that Work to root out the tares out of the field that is the World that 's a Work reserved for the Angels at the end of the World I shall now for conclusion leave a few Queries for the Papists to satisfie their own Consciences in rather than to expect an Answer to them and I desire them to be impartial while they consider them 1. Whether the Lord hath taken up an outward Succession again since he laid aside Abraham's natural Succession 2. Whether any be a true Successor of Peter or of the rest of the Apostles who doth not walk in the same Spirit and Doctrine 3. Whether Christ hath substituted a Patron of Lying Perjury Plots Conspiracies Cruelty and Murders to be his Vicar to represent him upon Earth and to be the Head of his Church and an example to the Flock And whether it be not great blasphemy to affirm it 4. Whether he be a friend or an enemy to Christ who opposes the main ends of his Coming As namely in these particulars 1. In point of Enlightning 2. In point of Innocency 3. In point of Worship First Because Christ came to enlighten the World and to bring them out of darkness but the Popes stop the light and keep men in darkness Secondly Christ came to raise up a harmless inoffensive quiet innocent people and of them a Kingdom of Peace where nothing should hurt nor destroy but the Popes bring forth a people quite contrary harmful offensive unquiet disturbers of the Civil Peace by Plots Conspiracies Murders c. Thirdly Christ came to bring forth a people that should worship God in spirit and in truth such as the Father seeks to worship him but the Pope requires such Worshippers as will stoop to his Superstitions and idolatrous Worships after the Formality that he prescribes or else they must expect an Inquisition or some other usage as bad Now consider whether he that thus opposes the Ends of Christ's Coming be not an Enemy 5. Whether he that knoweth sin aforehand and yet entices or encourages his Children into it by promising them pardon and indempnity if they do it doth not very aptly follow the steps of that old Serpent that deceived Eve who told her Ye shall not die though ye eat 6. Whether those Roman Casuists do err that say It 's no sin to swear a falshood if they have a Reserve in their mind to salve it with Or it 's the Pope that errs in promising Pardons for such Oaths so making them sins For Pardons are Relatives to Sins 7. Whether Equivocations and mental Reserves will stand as a good plea for Lying and Perjury at that day when the righteous Judge of all the World shall judge every man according to
them when ye see the multitude before them and behind them worshipping them Thus it is also in the streets of the great City mystical Babylon Rome and among her Children when they go about the streets with their Host besides all the rest of their Idolatry committed in their places of Worship and in secret 3. As Babylon of old was exalted above all and call'd Lady of Kingdoms Isa 47.5 and the glory of Kingdoms Isa 13.19 So Rome exalts her self in like manner and calls her self Mother Church and Caput omnium Ecclesiarum i.e. the Head of all the Churches and sits as Queen over all in her own exalted mind But then 4 thly and lastly Rome is most fitly call'd Babylon because she holds the seed of God in bondage and captivity Whom she leads captive once she will hardly let them escape without danger of their lives or cruel torments in her Inquisitions they must become perfect slaves to her Superstitions Will-worships and Idolatries And what bondage is like to this that people to whom God hath given reason and understanding shall not make use of it but lay it aside and submit wholly to the understandings or rather wills of others though it be against their own and so be urged to submit to that which is against the light in their own Consciences And this is the greatest bondage and captivity of all and therefore well may Rome be called Babylon the great She is also called Mother of Harlots and abominations of the earth She brings forth Harlots that is such Children as go a whoring with her after her Inventions Those that in tenderness of Conscience and in subjection to the words of Christ who said In vain do you worship me after the traditions of men will not joyn with them in their invented traditions and superstitions such she owns not for her Children she will be no Mother or Nurse to such but seeks to murder them in cold blood as none of hers she will be only Mother of Harlots that can prostitute themselves with her to her Idolatries and Inventions and if they can do that it shall not break the band between them although they be common Harlots in the vulgar sence but she will remain their Mother She is also Mother of abominations in the earth Not only Mother of abominations in Worship and superstitious Inventions but also Mother of abominations in the earth abominations as to the civil life of men without the consideration of worship abominations to men as they are men living upon the earth To manifest this I shall quote one Scripture and then her own actions will testifie the truth of it against her It is Prov. 6.16 17 18 19. These six things doth the Lord hate yea seven are abomination to him A proud look a lying tongue hands that shed innocent blood an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations feet that be swift in running to mischief a false witness that speaketh lyes and him that soweth discord among brethren Now see and judge if Rome be not Mother of these abominations Who more lofty in spirit than the Pope and his Romanists Can any compare with him who exalts himself over all makes his Cardinals as Princes his Bishops and whole Clergy as great men and makes his whole Train dispise others as Hereticks not worthy to live in the earth Here 's a proud look indeed And for a lying tongue Rome's Children are so pregnant with that that one cannot tell how to believe either what they say or what they swear How miserably were the Protestants in Ireland cheated by them by fair promises and deep oaths that they would secure their Goods for them in the time of that bloody Massacre and yet when they had got them into their hands refused to restore them yea and afterwards murthered them And so 3dly They have hands that shed innocent blood none like them for that 4thly An heart that deviseth wicked imaginations Whose hearts are so full of wicked imaginations Plots Conspiracies and devices of Cruelty as Rome's Children 5thly Whose feet are swifter in running to mischief than the Papists who in one brunt can cut off so many thousands by Massacres before they make an end Their feet are speedy to do mischief when they get but the opportunity 6thly Another abomination is a false witness that speaketh Lyes If we go no further than this year how have they endeavoured to choak all true reports among us with their lyes and falshoods Witness the false reports and lying stories that they gave forth about the death of Worthy Godfrey till the truth appeared by Evidence and could no longer be hid 7thly and lastly He that saweth discord among brethren is also one of the abominations in the earth This is one of Rome's Principles Divide impera Divide and then command Divide what 's that but sowing of discord destroying of concord setting one against another that she may fish in troubled waters Whether she made the former division and discord between the late foregoing King and the People or no I will not say but if they did it 's but according to their Principle Thus you see Rome is a fruitful Mother of abominations of the earth And now you may also at leisure view all these things over again and see how pertinent all these Characters of the great Whore are to Rome they fit her as a garment that sits close and compleat upon a man's back And why then we should be afraid to look upon her as that great Whore here described by the Angel to John I know no reason especially if we add that which follows in the 6th Ver. of this 17th Chap. viz. And I saw the Woman that is the great City seated on seven Hills drunken with the blood of Saints and with the blood of the Martyrs of Jesus And when I saw her I wondred with great admiration But having spoken of this afore and shewed that it must be Rome professing Christianity and not heathen Rome that caused this great admiration I forbear to speak more of it now I say till Rome shew the contrary to these Characters by a better lise and conversation they will rest upon her And it 's not by her poysoning and stabbing fire and faggot Inquisitions and Massacres that she can clear her self No that way confirms and fixes these marks more fully upon her the more she seeks to wipe off the stains of blood that are upon her by such means the more and greater they still appear And now for the deciding of the Question in hand which all that I have said tends to Let any that have any reason of their own to make use of and any honesty and faithfulness in their hearts towards God and Christ Jesus our Lord judge and determine the Question Whether this Church of Rome so guilty of these things be the only true Church of Christ now and all others that draw from her be Hereticks I hope whosoever considers these things
so do ye unto them this is Christ's Doctrine and the sum of the Law and the Prophets Mat. 7.12 Ponder this you destructive Plotters Jesuits Priests Confessors c. Would you have others seek your ruine Would you have others to lye to you to deceive you till they could destroy you Are your Consciences so far seared or your Understandings blinded that you are not able to judge aright in this case concerning your selves and then concerning others Or do you see these things viz. that you do those things which you would not have done to you and yet in defiance of Christ's Doctrine will continue to go on in doing so Consider your ways and take warning you will find it hard kicking against the pricks How far are you from doing as you would be done by when as you use them despitefully that harm you not 9. The Ministers of Christ they used only spiritual weapons for the propagating of the Church of Christ The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but yet mighty being spiritual saith the Apostle and so they were such as reached the Understanding and Conscience to bring down high imaginations and every thought into obedience to Christ 2 Cor. 10.4 The Pope's Ministers seek to propagate their Church with carnal weapons such as cannot inform the Understanding and Conscience therefore they are altogether unlike the true Ministers of the Gospel in their way In what rank of the Ministers of Christ then will you appear that use such weapons for your work when every man's work shall come to tryal 10. Christ Jesus sets before us the example of our heavenly Father to follow in doing good against evil that we may be worthy to be accounted his Children Mat. 5.44 45. How far then are they from doing good against evil that do evil to them that seek not their hurt How shall we account them Children of our heavenly Father 11. We are to follow men as they follow Christ 1 Cor. 11.1 Because he left us an example that we should follow his steps 1 Pet. 2.21 Hence we may infer That it 's needful that men know the Scriptures that they may be acquainted with the life and conversation of Christ and so knowing his spirit and life they may be able thereby to judge of the steps of those they follow for otherwise how shall they judge of mers steps by his Is not this the reason then why you leaders of the Papists keep your people from the free use of the sincere Scriptures of truth that they being ignorant thereof you may lead them as you please 12. Christ Jesus is the Way the Truth and the Life the faithful and true Witness whose words were so established in truth that though Heaven and Earth pass away yet his words shall not pass away Mat. 24.35 Solomon also witnesses that the lip of truth shall be established for ever but a lying tongue is but for a moment How long then will your deceitful tongue bear you out whose words are full of lying and slandering reports and whose oaths are full of equivocation and mental reserves to make your tongue utter to the Understandings of men a false thing Is this the lip of truth that belyes the Mind Is not speech given for this end to utter the Mind Where have you any example or precept or consent for this deceit either from Christ or any of his followers Who then that would follow Christ can follow you Are not you to be turned away from as persons leading out of the footsteps of him that was and is the faithful and true Witness I shall not multiply more These few Principles if men did live in them as they ought to do if they be Christians how peaceably how securely how comfortably might they live together in the World though of several perswasions in many points of outward observations about Worship But what peace what security what rest can men have among those who are bloody-minded and deceitful and treacherous giving themselves up to speak lyes in hypocrisie who are among men as Beasts of prey among the Flocks as Lions lurking in their dens watching for the prey If there be any room left in your hearts ye Romanists for consideration of your ways I entreat you for your own good ponder with your selves a little and consider your latter end and the Judgement that will follow when the impartial Judge will bring every thing to light and render to every man according to his deeds done in the body What plea will you then have when he shall say to evil doers Depart from me I know you not ye workers of iniquity The wickedness now of the foregoing Principles of the Papists being laid open and upon good grounds rejected and some better Principles according to Scripture set before them yielding more peace among men and in a man 's own Conscience also and better hopes of future happiness I shall now touch a little their great Bulwarks or Props whereby they uphold this their Kingdom of darkness upon these rotten Principles And they are these two principally namely Cruelty and Ignorance and these are like two Arms wherewith they hold fast their Subjects There be many other things accompanying these as Lyes Slanders Defamations scornings of others proud boasting of their Antiquity and of their Succession to those whose lives and spirits they have quite deserted wrestings of truth and true reports making people believe falshoods false glosses put upon their own wicked actions and designs to do mischief and a great deal of such like stuff they raise a mist with to blind peoples eyes What a pudder did they lately make about the Death of that Worthy Godfrey whom they most barbarously murthered in Somerset-house covering their Cruelty every way by turning it upon his own head as if he kill'd himself or as if he were kill'd by Robbers c. But God infatuated them in the action and made it manifest that neither he himself had done it nor was he kill'd by Robbers for they that rob by the High-ways take away Money not only Writings And for killing himself they could not make that hang together neither for he could not fall upon his own Sword after he had broke his own Neck and how could he break his own Neck after he had faln upon his Sword or how could he do both at once as some would have excused it Yet these and such like Forgeries how did they fly about and were backed with that confidence that they dazled the minds of many especially of great persons among whom the Papists most conversed Thus they manifest their Kingdom to be a Kingdom of Crnelty backt with lyes and falshoods and other works of darkness But Godd hath been pleased to force out the truth of this bloody action from some that were privy to it and could relate the circumstances of it so that it 's blazed upon the house-tops in spite of all their windings and turnnigs to hide it Their