and they ring a Bell to give the People notice of it that they may adore it If any of the People receive which is very seldome they must not touch it with their hands but the Priest must put it into their mouths and there it must dissolve These and many other such like Ceremonies are made Articles of Faith Child But did Christ ordain none of those Rites Father No. John came baptizing with Water John 1.31 The Eunuch said to Philip here is water what doth hinder me to be baptized Acts 8.36 For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered to you saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 11.25 That the Lord Jesus the same night that he was betray'd took Bread and when he had given thanks he brake it and said Take eat this is my Body which is broken for you this do in remembrance of me They do neither break the Bread nor suffer the People to take or eat it Child I have heard enough of this I pray Sir proceed to the fifth Father I also embrace and receive all and several the things which have been defined and declared in the Sacred and holy Synod of Trent concerning Original Sin and Justification Child What Doctrines do they hold concerning Original Sin and Justification Father The things declared and defined by the Councel of Trent concerning Original Sin and Justification are too many to be here recited They teach that Concupiscence is no sin after Regeneration that 't is washed away by Baptism That the first motions thereof is no sin Concerning Justification they declare that we are Justified by Works that good Works are meritorious nay that there be Works of supererogation whereby the Saints do merit not onely for themselves but for others and out of the superabundant Merits of Christ and the Saints the Treasure of the Church is made up which the Pope hath power to dispence to vvhom he please vvhich brings him in great Treasure Child But what doth the Scripture say to these things Father David confesseth his Original Sin as the Root and Fountain of all Sin Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in iniquity and in sin did my Mother conceive me And St. Paul complains of it Rom. 7.18 I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing for to vvill is present vvith me but hovv to perform that vvhich is good I knovv not Child But are we not justified by our Works Father No Child We are justified freely by his Grace through the Redemption that is in Jesus Christ Rom. 3.24 v. 27.28 Where is boasting then 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 Child If we are not justified by Works then certainly we cannot merit by them Father You say well and the same Christ teaches us in the Gospel Luke 17.10 When you shall have done all those things that are commanded you say We are unprofitable Servants we have done that which was our duty to do Child What is the sixth Article Father I also profess that in the Mass there is offered to God a true proper and propitiatory Sacrifice for the Living and the Dead and that in the most holy Sacrament of the Eucharist is contained truly really and substantially the Body and Blood together with the Soul and Divinity of the Lord Jesus Christ and there is made a perfect Change of the whole substance of the Bread into his Body and of the whole Substance of the Wine into his Blood which change the Catholick Church calleth Transubstantiation Child In this Article are many things that I would be glad to understand 1. What I pray Sir is meant by the Mass Father 'T is an old word that few understand the word Missa some say did signifie to dismiss some out of the Assembly even all that did not communicate which if it should do so still would leave the Priest alone for now he usually communicates by himself and the People look on But I rather think 't is call'd the Mass because 't is a mess or mass of Corruption Child But why is is call'd a Sacrifice for the Living and the Dead I thought Sacrifice had ceased Father True Child so the Apostle Heb. 9.28 Christ was once offer'd to bear the Sins of many and Chap. 10.12 But this man after he had offer'd one Sacrifice for Sins for ever sate down on the right hand of God and verse 14. By one Offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified It may be call'd a Sacrifice because it is a Representation and Memorial of the true Sacrifice of Christ on the Cross and because it makes us Partakers of the same but no otherwise as I know of Child But is is the Bread and Wine changed into the Body and Blood of Christ Father No Child certainly if it were we should see it with our Eyes and handle it with our hands and smell it and tast it so to be but we see it and handle it and smell it and tast it Bread and Wine and therefore no doubt so it is After this manner St. John writes That which was from the Beginning which we have heard which we have seen with our Eyes which we have looked upon and our hands have handled of the word of Life 1 Joh. 1.1 and ver 3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you that you may have Fellowship with 〈◊〉 Child But what doth the Scripture call it Father The Scripture after Consecration calls it Bread three times together 1 Cor. 11.26.27.28 For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew the Lords Death till he come Wherefore whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. Child But is it plain Bread and Wine and no more Father O no! God by these Signs of Bread and Wine signifieth sealeth and exhibiteth to every faithful Receiver the Body and Blood of Christ and all the merits of his Death and Passion So the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.16 The Cup of Blessing which we bless is it not the Communion of the Blood of Christ the Bread which we break is it not the Communion of the Body of Christ Child But what is this they call Transubstantiation Father The word signifies the Change of one Substance into another and thereby they express their Doctrine of the corporal Presence but neither the word nor thing is to be found in Scripture nor in the Writings of the primitive Fathers neither was it pretended to be an Article of Faith till the Lateran Counsel 1200 years after Christ and therefore we protest against it and say that what the Church of Rome teaches of Transubstantiation is absolutely impossible and
The true Protestant Religion set forth BY WAY OF DIALOGUE Discovering the Idolatries and abominations PROFESSED and taught in the Church OF ROME By a PRESBYTER of the Church of ENGLAND LONDON Printed for Langly Curtiss c. 1683 THE PREFACE To all Protestant Parents and Masters of Families I Need not tell you how deeply you stand ingaged to provide for the Spiritual as well as Temporal good of your Children and Families The Command of God by Moses is plain These words which I command thee this day shall be in thine heart And thou shalt teach them diligently to thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thine house when thou walkest by the way when thou liest down and when thou risest up Deut. 6.6 7. The Apostle likewise is as plain Eph. 6.4 And you Fathers provoke not your Children to wrath but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. If ever you intend to perform this Duty be careful of it now The Priests and Jesuits of Rome swarm amongst us They compass Sea and Land to gain Proselytes and endeavour by all the wayes and Arts imaginable to root out the true Christian Protestant Religion which hath so long flourished amongst us It concerns therefore now most especially all that fear the Lord to consider one another to teach and exhort one another to edifie and build up one another in our most holy Faith and Duties of the Gospel Now to the end you may know the true Christian Faith and the Differences between us and Rome I have composed this little Book which when your Children have learned the Church Catechism and in some measure begin to understand it I conceive will be very useful for them Accept it as candidly as 't is charitably offered to you by one whose onely aim and Design is to do good in his Generation that he may make his Accounts with comfort at the coming of Jesus Christ A PROTESTANT CATECHISM Child SIR By the Grace of God and your help and care I have learned the Church Catechism and have been able to answer the Minister in the Publick Congregation to such Questions as he thought fit to propose to me I have heard him likewise expound the Catechism and shew the usefulness of it from that of Solomon Prov. 22.6 Train up a Child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it And yet for all this I must confess I understand but little of Religion I hear sometimes a great deal of Discourse about it but I see little Practice of it I pray therefore as you have been careful to provide for my Outward man so make some provision for my Inward man also that I may not be always as a Child tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of Doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lye in wait to deceive as the Apostle speaks Eph. 4.14 Father My good Child I am very glad to see such signs and symptomes of Grace in you to hear you inquire after God and the Gospel of Christ God forbid that I should sin against God in ceasing to instruct you and to bring you up in the Nurture and Admonition of the Lord I will to the utmost of my Power teach you the good and the right way Child I heartily thank you for your Love to my poor Soul and I praise the Name of the Lord who hath given me so good a Father and I hope he will give me Grace to honour and obey you and to remember your words all the dayes of my life And first I pray you tell me what Religion I must profess Father You must profess Child the Christian Religion for we read the Disciples were called Christians first at Antioch Acts 11.26 Child But Sir I meet with some men that call themselves Catholicks are not they Christians Father Yes They are Christians but the worst Christians in the World for they are Idolatrous Christians and have almost destroyed the Christian Religion by their Inventions Child I pray Sir what do you call these men Father The Law calls them Popish Recusants but we usually call them Papists because they believe the Pope of Rome to be the Head of the Church and obey his Commands though contrary to the Commands of God Child And what do these men call us Father When they may speak their mind freely they call us Hereticks And this we confess with St. Paul Acts 24.14 that after the way which they call Heresie so worship we the God of our Fathers believing all things which are written in the Law and the Prophets Child But do they not sometimes call us by the Name of Protestants Father Yes and we do not disown the Name for we do protest against the Errours of the Church of Rome Child Do they call us by any other Names Father Yes They call us Lutherans and Calvinists and what else they please though it be a known truth that the Church of England loves no Nisms We pin not our Faith upon any man's sleeve We honour Luther and Calvin and many others whom God raised up in the darkest times to preach the Gospel and to discover the Errours and Abominations of Rome but we profess no Lutheranism nor Calvinism nor indeed any thing of Mens invention but what we find in the Word of God Neither dare we turn the Faith of our Lord in respect of Persons or cry up one man in opposition to another For while one saith I am of Paul and another I am of Apollo are ye not carnal 1 Cor. 3.4 Is Christ divided was Paul crucified for you were you baptized in the name of Paul chap. 1.13 Child But Sir I have heard some Papists say that the Protestant Religion is a new Religion and therefore not true is it so indeed Father No. The Religion we profess was taught by Jesus Christ and preached by the Apostles to all the World Go teach all Nations and baptize them in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you Matth. 28.19.20 Whatsoever Jesus Christ and his Apostles taught we believe if they taught the true Christian Religion we believe and profess it Child But I have heard some Papists put this Question to some Protestants Where was your Religion to be found before Luther what Answer may be given to that Question Father Our Religion was and is now to be found where their 's never was nor will be found in the Word of God Child Is the Scripture then the Rule of Faith and Obedience Father Yes All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for Doctrine for Reproof for Correction for Instruction in Righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good Works 2 Tim. 3.16 17. Child But besides the Scriptures have we not a Profession of Faith
ten twenty or thirty thousand years which brings him in a great Revenue and yet St. Peter says Forasmuch as you know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the pretious Blood of Christ 1 Pet. 1.18 Child Have they any more Articles of Faith Father Yes Child The twelfth Article runs thus The Holy Catholick and Apostolick Church of Rome I acknowledge to be the Mother and Mistress of all Churches and I vow swear and promise Obedience to the Bishop of Rome as Successor of B. Peter Prince of the Apostles and Vicar of Jesus Christ Child This seems to me to be the worst I have heard yet for it makes all Churches subject to Rome and the Pope Lord and Master of all the World Doth the Scripture call the Church of Rome the Mother and Mistress of all Churches Father No Child Rome is not the Mother-church for the Gospel came from Jerusalem Thus it is written and thus it behoved Christ to suffer c. And that Repentance and Remission of Sins should be preached in his name among all Nations beginning at Jerusalem Luc. 24.46.47 Jerusalem which is above is free which is the Mother of us all Gal. 4.26 Neither is it the Mistress of all Churches It seemeth good unto the Holy Ghost and to us saith the Apostles and Elders and the whole Church assembled at Jerusalem Act. 15.22 23 28 29. to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things Child But the Pope it seems requires obedience from all Christians doth the Scripture command any such thing Father The Scripture commands obedience to our Pastors but not to the Pope Obey them that have the rule over you and submit your selves for they watch for your Souls as they that must give account Heb. 13.7 Child Is the Popedom an Office in the Ministry Father No. He gave some Apostles and some Prophets and some Evangelists and some Pastors and Teachers for the perfecting the work of the Ministry and for the edifying of the Body of Christ Eph. 4.11 12. Child Was St. Peter Prince of the Apostles Father No. Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion over them and they that are great exercise Authority upon them But it shall not be so among you but whosoever will be great among you let him be your Servant Matth. 20.25 26. Child Is the Pope St. Peter's Successor Father Truly Child I know not 't is probable he never was at Rome St. Paul makes no mention of him neither in his Epistle to the Romans nor in any of his Epistles from Rome and St. Peter himself writes not to the Romans but to the Jews scattered throughout Pontus Galatia Capadocia Asia and Bithynia 1 Pet. 1.1 and subscribes his Epistle from Babylon chap. 5.13 so that unless Rome be Babylon 't is not likely St. Peter was there Child But is there not one Visible Head of the Church Father No. We are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone Eph. 2.20 There is one Body and one Spirit even as you are called in one hope of your Calling one Lord one Faith one Baptism one God and Father of all Eph. 4.4 5 6. Child But was not St. Peter the great Apostle of the Gentiles Father No. But contrariwise when they saw that the Gospel of the Uncircumcision was committed unto me as the Gospel of the Circumcision was unto Peter for he that wrought effectually in Peter to the Apostleship of the Circumcision the same was mighty in me towards the Gentiles And when James Cephas and John who seemed to be Pillars perceived the Grace that was given unto me they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of Fellowship that we should go to the Heathen and they unto the Circumcision Gal. 2.7 8 9. Child By all this I perceive that neither the Pope nor St. Peter himself hath or had any Dominion or Authority over the Church of Christ and yet I have heard that the Pope claims Authority to depose Kings Is that lawful Father No. St. Paul sayes Put them in mind to be subject to Principalities and Powers to obey Magistrates to be ready to every good work Tit. 3.1 And St. Peter is more plain and gives the Supremacy to Kings Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Man for the Lords sake whether it be to the King as Supreme or unto Governours as unto them that are sent by him for the punishment of evil Doers and for the praise of them that do well for so is the Will of God 1 Pet. 2.13 14. Child Doth not the Pope also absolve from Oaths of Allegiance Father Yes And yet Solomon sayes I counsel thee to keep the Kings commandement and that in regard of the Oath of God Eccl. 8.2 Child Doth he claim any other Power Father Yes He can make right wrong and Justice Injustice say the Jesuits and they are bound to believe he commands well whatsoever the thing be and that all things enjoyned are just and good so good that nothing better could be done so that they speak modestly of his Power that say he can dispence with the Commandements of God And yet Christ sayes Whosoever shall break one of these least Commandements and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven Matth. 5.19 Child Can such a man as this be a Christian Bishop or be termed his Holiness Father No. The Scripture calls him the Man of Sin the Son of Perdition who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped so that he as God sitteth in the Temple of God shewing himself that he is God 2 Thes 2.3 4. Child Doth the Scripture describe him by any other marks Father Yes v. 9. Even him whose coming is after the working of Sathan with all Power and Signs and lying Wonders Child Indeed I have heard the Priests and Jesuits of Rome pretend to cast out Devils and work Miracles Do they so in England Father Yes Ever and anon some Popish Person or other is possessed and then a Priest comes and exorcises him and casts out the Devil but their juggling tricks are usually discovered Such an one was the Boy of Bilson in Staffordshire whose tricks were all laid open before the Judge and Grand Jury at Stafford Assizes by the Bishop of the Diocese Child Doth not St. John also describe him Father Yes Revel 7.3 4 5 6. I saw a woman sit upon a Scarlet-colour'd Beast full of Names of Blasphemy having seven Heads and ten Horns And the Woman was array'd in Purple and Scarlet colour and decked with Gold and pretious Stones and Pearls having a golden Cup in her hand full of Abominations and Filthines's of her Fornication And upon her Head was a name written Mystery Babylon the Great the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth And I saw the Woman drunken with the Blood of