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work_n	evil_a	good_a	tree_n	33,809	5	11.7409	5	true

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89922	The Christian and Catholike veritie; or, The reasons and manner of the conversion of Francis de Neville; formerly a Capuchin, preacher, the Popes missionary, and superiour in sundry covents of the same order. A treatise very usefull for all Christians, and especially for such as are popishly affected, or not fully setled in their beliefe; and for the further confirmation of the faithfull. Wherein many secrets of the Romish clergy, heretofore unrevealed, are discovered. Dedicated by the author to the high court of Parliament now assembled, 1642. See the contents at the next page.	Neville, Francis de.; England and Wales. Parliament.	1642 (1642)	Wing N502; Thomason E144_15; ESTC R11352	153,461	187

may expect to be blamed and so they ought to be holden for spies and diligent instruments for the progresse of his designes and matches and firebrands which being not able to advance his Kingdome in time of peace labour by all meanes to stirre up warres and dissentions in Kingdomes and Common-wealths to fish as they say in troubled waters and effect in those confusions that which they could not get done in time of peace as it hath been wisely remarked and proposed in this present Parliament not long agoe at a conference with the Lords delivered by a rare and eminent man and daily experience should make that truth but too well knowne in this Kingdome And I may speake something of it for being in the Romish Church and beyond the Seas I was twice spoken to come hither with another who was then professour in Theologie and that by a great Politician who hath expresse Commission from the Pope to send and who was the onely Counsell of that notable Cardinall who these fifteene yeares and above doth keepe in warres and troubles almost all Europe But to come backe to our discourse if God by his providence did not hinder many not suffering that abominable doctrine to be so easily beleeved of every one as it is freely published and if even by the mercy of God there were not some generous and honest minds among them lovers of concord and honour who no wayes beleeving those maximes wou'd not for any thing in the world degenerate from the goodnesse and generous dispositions of their natures to engage themselves in vile actions wee would see worse and more unhappie effects for that is a bloudy doctrine enemy of peace quietnes and neither can nor ought to be rellished by judicious men who make profession of honour for we finde in no place that Christ and his Apostles did plant the faith of the Gospell by fire and sword or that ever they assayed to extirminate all the idolatrous people by death and destroy them that they might people their Lands with Christians but as there is great difference betwixt the doctrine of Christ and the doctrine of the Bishop of Rome so are also their actions and proceedings very contrary And I beleeve if the noble and generous minds of that partie would take the pains diligently to cōsider these great differences and the detestable maximes of their Doctors they would questionlesse abhor the doctrine that begetteth them but the subtiltie of the Priests indeavour to stop their eares with an ignorant and blind faith to hinder them from receiving the instructions of the truth which are to be seen in the holy Scripture Oh but I would thinke my labour well spent if it would please the holy Spirit to touch the hearts of some one by the reading of this little Treatise and make them see the blindnes wherein they endeavour to detaine them I have set downe it may be divers things which may give light to informe many who living in darknesse would not have been aware of their darknesse and if any desire a larger information I have written nothing which I am not ready to maintaine by word and give a more ample explanation for the satisfaction and profit of soules If in some thing I have not cited many Authours in some points I have done it purposely to shun prolixitie and the things being common amongst the learned especially in the Romish Church and others not being men to turne over the Bookes of those which write thereof I thought the number of citations would be needlesse and if any in the Romish Church either out of ignorance or malice insult against mee and tax me of any untruth I promise to enlarge this Treatise with more proofes and give cause to all men to confesse that I have written nothing untrue but if the truth apparelled in this manner hath been any way displeasing to some I cannot promise that being otherwise trimmed it will be more pleasing But to assure men the more and confirme them in their resolutions they may have for the true faith I say that even although the difference of the doctrine of the Church of Rome from the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles should not condemne her of untruth it would be condemned by her workes for our Saviour saith Mat. 7.17 that the good or evill tree is knowne by its fruits and though it did not appeare that the doctrine of the reformed Protestant Church came neerer to the doctrine of Christ and his Apostles than that of the Romish Church and so that shee should be the true Spouse of the Son of God and shee with whom the ancient doctrine of Christ Jesus hath been and is conserved and consequently the perfectest also that is the surest and best and which onely ought to be termed Catholike being the perfection of the beliefe and faith drawne from the conformitie with the doctrine of Christ yet the fruits and works of both shew sufficiently which is the best and surest For my part I professe that although I had not been allured and converted by the doctrine which I have found in the reformed Church altogether conformable to the doctrine of Christ which is not to be seen in the Church of Rome the onely knowledge and comparison of the works of the one and the other was capable to worke this change in mee and when after I was become a member of this Church I did see with how much more holines God was worshipped and served than in the Church of Rome then it was that with a great joy I had reason to say those words of the Patriarch In this place is the house of God Gen. 28.17 and the gate of heaven and have given millions of praises to my God for bringing me to a Church and a Land where his holy Name is so devoutly worshipped his Sacraments administred in such purity his Sabbath so holily kept the Churches so carefully frequented and kept so neatly and decently and Divine Service so reverently done and heard with so much silence I know indeed that as God hath found fault with his Angels and that being men it is impossible but some imputitie will slide into our actions that Christian Religion was never even in the time of the holy Apostles but there was something amisse if not in doctrine at least in the manners and practise of the faithfull and that it is not here below we can find the Spouse of the heavenly Bridegroome without spot or wrinkle in all her actions and that nothing in this world deserveth the name of pure and perfect in comparison with God but onely in comparison of one with another and of the unclean thing with that which is not so unclean and in lesse or more drawing neer to the example institution and intention of Christ Jesus our good Master so it is in that sence I praise the holinesse of the Church I am in for the present that is namely in comparison

inclination to doe that which I desire not and which questionlesse will be displeasing to many Contenting my selfe to say for the present happy are the peoples and Kingdomes which onely strive to frame their beliefe and discipline according to the words and institution of Christ putting far from them all those humane inventions see themselves out of danger of suffering those convulsions and disorders in their bowels which cause such cruell torments and strange colicks to many Countreys and Cities happie are the Princes and States which shut their gates upon them and stop their eares upon their importunate solicitations and thrice happy all they who will open their eares to consider their misery and use wholsome remedies and resolutions to deliver themselves from that slavish tyranny in which the pollicy of the Pope and the Romish Church doth detaine them But I hope that great Physitian will take order ere long and there is great appearance that shortly he will give some remedie for the disease seemeth at the point of its Crisis CHAP. XXVI Of Justification I Did imagine for a long time as doe many of the Church of Rome at this present that they of the Reformed Churches admitting Justification by faith alone did it to exclude good works from the way of salvation and shew themselves in that to be enemies of charitie and of other vertues I did therefore extreamly condemne them and could in no wise approve of their doctrine but when I came to sound their beliefe and see how they are not onely carefull to practise good workes and vertues and that even much more than they of the Romish Church and that they judged them necessary to salvation and that the faith whereof they speake is not a dead faith as the Papists understand it but a lively faith accompanied with good workes and fruitfull in vertues I acknowledged they wrongfully blamed them in this as in many other things also either maliciously to make them odious to the people or ignorantly for not knowing their doctrine as that they make God the Author of sin and say that Christ hath suffered all the very pangs of hell and the like impertinent calumnies which they never dreamed of and which are very different from their beliefe It is most certaine that the faith whereof Christ hath spoken so much to us and which he desired of those whom he did convert to Christianisme and called to be his followers and of whom he saith Ioh. 6.47 that whosoever shall beleeve in him shall have eternall life it is not that which is defined by the Romish Church to be a simple knowledge or beliefe or a consenting to all that God hath revealed to us for otherwise the Devills should have faith and consequently be saved But true justifying faith is another thing for it is not onely a simple knowledge and beliefe of God and of all that he hath revealed but it is further a firme beliefe in God that is to say a trust in his promises and a sure knowledge of his love towards us as by his holy Word he declareth himselfe to be our Father and Saviour by the merits of Christ Now this faith which worketh by knowledge and relyeth altogether on the promise of God is necessarily fruitfull in good workes for from the knowledge of the love which God beareth towards us doth proceed our love towards him and it is altogether impossible to trust in the promise of God not loue him and make good workes follow thereby also is true faith discerned from a false to wit if it worke by charitie if it he joyned with a serious repentance and bring peace of conscience if it be humble not trusting in its owne merits but upon the promise of God in Christ if it kindle the zeale and love of God in our hearts Such is the faith by which we are justified that is to say absolved before God and made pleasing to him thorough the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ and of which it is said Joh. 6.47 Rom. 1.7 Joh. 6.47 He that beleeveth on him hath life eternall and Rom. 1.7 The Just shall live by faith and this faith is not to be found in the Devils nor in the damned as the Church of Rome will have it This being laid downe for the definition of faith it will not be hard to beleeve that we are justified by faith not by works seeing even the Apostle saith it so cleerly that there is no truth so manifestly declared as this and I thinke for my part that he who will not beleeve it must be extreamly blinded or obstinate Reade I pray you the third fourth and fift Chapters to the Romans there you will finde how this doctrine is proved He saith in the third Chap. vers 27. Where is boasting then Rom. 3.27 it is excluded by what Law Of works Nay but by the Law of faith therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith without the deeds of the Law And vers 29. Vers 29. For it is God who shall justifie the Circumcision by faith and the Vncircumcision through faith Ch 4.3 V 23 24. Vers 23. And Chap. 4.3 For what saith the Scripture Abraham beleeved God and it was counted to him for righteousnesse And vers 23. Therefore it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Now it was not written for his sake alone but for us also to whom it shall be imputed if wee beleeve in him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead And Chap. 5.1 Therefore being justified by faith Rom. 5.1 wee have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ And Gal. 2 16. Gal. 2.16 Knowing that a man is not justified by the workes of the Law but by the faith of Christ even wee have beleeved in Jesus Christ that wee might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the Law for by the worke of the Law shall no flesh be justified To doubt after all those so cleare passages that saith doth not justifie and that we are not justified by faith but by workes is to be holden for incredulous and voide of sence for my part after I had once considered and knowne the true definition of faith and seriously examined those passages it was impossible to mee to doubt of so cleare a truth True it is if we doe no good but evill workes we cannot be saved yet if we be saved it will not be for our good workes but by the onely goodnesse of God and by faith and confidence in his love and promises I will illustrate it by this example A King adopteth one of his Subjects freely to be heire of his Kingdoms enjoy his Crowne providing he behave himselfe honestly and not otherwise if that man offend the King he maketh himselfe questionlesse unworthy of the heritage and succession and there is no appearance he can possesse it but if he behave himselfe wisely and doe well ought he to

by post in Coach on foot heat cold hungar and thirst good and evill for to them that love God say they all things worke to the best according to the Apostle Finally of all the works and many more which are done amongst them and by that means simple people think they go to heaven in their clothes never seeing so much as a sparkle of the fire of Purgatory how great sinners soever they can or will be and imagine they may so sleep soundly But all those Letters are properly accounted among them nothing but cozening tricks as are all those congregations third Orders fraternities of the great and small Cord of the Scapulate and others such small trifles and inventions which have continually faire and devout pretexts But which in truth tend onely to the temporall profit of the ghostly fathers I will say no more for here is a gulfe of mysteries and confusions which I will not discover it being not my purpose CHAP. XXVII Of the heavinesse of the yoke of the Church of Rome in comparison of the yoke of Christ AS the comparison which I made of the doctrine of the Romish Church with that of our Saviour Christ made me see so great a difference therein that I judged with great reason it was not the same doctrine but another invented by men so have I oftentimes compared the yoke of Rome with that of Christ Matth. 11.30 and found his to be light and easie as he saith Matth. 11.30 and the Romish cruell and insupportable instituted rather for the destruction and death of souls than for their salvation and profit as I shall easily make it appear by the consideration of Gods Commandments with those of that Church It is known to every one that God was content onely to give us ten commandments by his Prophet Moses which Christ hath recommended unto us assuring us that if we shall keep them we shall enter into life eternall If thou wilt enter into life keep the Commandments saith he to the young man in the Gospel and truly howsoever we are conceived in iniquitie and naturally inclined to do evil yet there is none of how little breeding soever who will not judge the commandment of God light and easie to be obeyed by the assurance of his holy Spirit which is never deficient to the faithfull for they are onely grounded upon those two commandments of love to wit to love God and our neighbour which are commandments sweet and easie to everie good nature and soul that is desirous of its salvation Moreover the most part are onely negative that we may abstain from doing evill as not to adore false gods not to sweare not to kill not to steal and the like which seem not to be so hard to every good and honest nature And although all our actions be corrupt and imperfect and we cannot do any thing here perfectly and without fault yet I doubt not but there are many faithfull who keep the Commandments of God sufficiently to hope for eternall life by faith in the blood and merits of Christ But the Pastors of the Romish Church or rather the Bishop of Rome going beyond the Commandments of God by his traditions is not content with the ten Commandments of God but attributing to himself the authority and power of God over man he hath imposed six or seven more commandments upon them besides the ten which are for the most part positive and seem indeed to be but seven but contain above three hundred which every Christian is obliged to accomplish every yeer under pain of eternall damnation if he be in the belief of the Romish Church and the most part of them are so difficult for most men to accomplish that they may rather be said to be gives and snares to cast souls into perdition than a furtherance and help to salvation as I shall clearly shew in the manner following As the Doctors in the Romish Church disdaining to use the termes of the holy Scripture have summed up the ten Commandments in French Rhime and so read them to the people they have done also with the commandments of their Church and say them publikely after this manner The Church commandeth every one to sanctifie the holy dayes On every Sabbath hear the Masse they must and one the Feasts likewise All Lent foure times and Saints Eves for to fast And no flesh Saterdayes nor Fridayes feasts Thy soule sincerely once a yeer confesse Thy Maker humbly also take at Passe Pay all the tithes and duties to the Church I remember when I was a little child they taught us onely six and I have seen for a long time the Commandments of the Church but six in number but within this little time that of Tithes is crept into the books and is read at this day with their other Commandments as of equall obligation with the rest which is obligation of damnation and eternall death according to their common doctrine for they teach and all their Doctors and Canonists hold that those commandments of the Church are of the obligation of mortall sin as well as the ten Commandments of God although there be no mention made thereof in the holy Scripture which is properly to go beyond the Commandments of God with the traditions of men And however they seem to be but seven commandments notwithstanding they will be found to be about 300. or more which every Christian is obliged to accomplish every yeer under pain of eternall damnation except in case of manifest necessitie so there is few dayes in the yeer wherein there are not some one or more to observe besides the obligations we owe to the Commandments of God This may be cleerly proved after this manner for the first Commandment which obligeth men to sanctifie all the feasts instituted that is to say that all the holy dayes which are commanded by the Romish Church be observed and kept as the Sondayes and that the people work none of them nor do any handie nor servile work there being above 50. Holidayes every yeer besides the Sondayes behold alreadie fifty more commandments to be observed every yeer by every faithfull person The second Commandment is to hear the Masse the holy dayes and Sondayes here it is to be noted that it is not sufficient to be idle and abstain from all labour and handy works as well the Sabbaths as all the fiftie holidaies Neither is it sufficient to give themselves to prayer to read and hear the Sermon or be imployed in any pious exercise but moreover they must hear the Masse with attention and reverence so that there being everie yeer above an hundred Sondayes and holidayes there are also above an hundred obligations and commandments under pain of sin and damnation to every Christian every yeer so there is above 150. every yeer The third commandment is to fast all the Vigils the foure times and all Lent where ye are to observe that there are twelve dayes in the foure