but in Holes hundreds of Houses burnt Men Women and Children Children taken from their Mothers Breasts and knockt against the Walls toss'd upon Pikes Spears wounded with Swords thrown into Lakes and Rivers stript Naked starv'd in cold Seasons through such like in human and Savage cruelty Commissions given from your Nuntio's and Agents to Rob to Steal even Servants from their Masters even upon this account only to weaken and enfeeble the Sectaries and Hereticks as you stile them to advance your Holiness's Chair and to propagate your holy or rather Unholy Church and Religion which things remain fresh in the memory of many Nations to this Day besides doth not your Church tolerate Stews and Adulterous Houses in the Cities where you have Dominion Besides Pride abounds amongst you more then the Nation beside And so your Church hath neither this Mark nor Sign of Holiness Fourthly As for your Church being Cathâ—lick and Universal you want this Sign also If it be One Universal comprehends all Nations like aâ— all the World in comparison were your Church What is Germany France England Scotland and Ireland nothing What is all the Turks Dominions of your Faith And thou saist In Asia Affrica and America all is coming to an End There is that risen and arising in America which must spread over the Nations the Breath of the Lord bloweth which will daily dry up the Waters which is the Seat of your Church which you so much Boast of And what have you converted all the Indians nay have you not hardned their Hearts against the Name of Christ because of your cruelty and unholy conversation among them So that the Name of Christ and christian is become as Odious unto them as Mahomet is unto you And so you are without this Sign as that you are the true church Lastly That your church is Apostolick if this be the Mark of the true church then you are without this also for you are neither Apostolick in Doctrine nor Practice your Weapons are carnal theirs spiritual their Head was Christ the Light of the World your Head is visible and carnal which darkens the World they turned People from Darkness to Light and to the Word of Faith in their Hearts and to know Christ in them to justifie them But one of your Rabbies told us lately you had no such Doctrine in the church of Rome as Christ in you The Apostles turn'd them to the Anointing and to the Spirit to be taught by it and to be led by it into to all Truth and to worship in it and you turn them to Images Pictures Crucifixes Beads and Altars and so keep People in outward things which feed the Sensual and corrupt part Lastly they said Bodily exercise profiteth little and most of your Worship stands in observing of Days Meats Drinks Washings Sprinklings Altars Tapers lighting and bearing Candles Bowing creeping to the Cross turning wheeling this way and that way in all time and parts of your Worship so that there is no time left for the Heart to be exercised towards God And so you are not Apostolical and so are without this true sign of being the true Church of God But I shall descend to particular things which are asserted and seem to be proved but very weakly But we can expect no Wine but such as is in the Bottle It is asserted by this Author That the Pope is the Head of the true Church in which Salvation is only to be expected And his proof he brings is this Christ hath so ordained it in saying to Peter Matth. 16.18.19 Upon this Rock will I build my Church and Christ hath given Power to him and his Successors to be a Head to rule and govern the Church and as there is an Emperour to be the Head of the Empire and a King of the Kingdom so Peter and hâ—s Successors are the Head of the Church and have the Keys of the Kingdom of heaven to bind and to loose and to remit and to retain Sins The Apostolick Church hath this Doctrine That Christ was given to be the Head of the Body which is the Church which is spiritual though in the World yet not of the World and the Father hath committed all Power in Heaven and Earth to the Son and hath ordained him to be a Leader a Teacher and Feeder of his Flock and to be his Salvation to the Ends of the Earth and his Glory he will not give unto another But it seemes the Church of Rome hath soared so high in their Conceiâ—s and Imaginations that they judge all this Power to be given unto the Pope Peter's Successor as thâ—y say Now we do not read of two Heads to the one Body which is the true Church Ephes. 4.4.15 And so this is a contrary Doctrine then that of the Primitive Church and Christ who is the Head of the Body he said Lo I am with you to the End of the World And so it is the meer Arrogancy and Pride of the Pope to be called the head of the Church and an intrenching Christ's Power and Prerogative and that ever Peter was called the Head of the Church we do not read and that of the 16 th of Matthew is but a poor Proof to prove Peter to be the Head of the Church for Christ spoke unto his Disciples ver 15. and asked them Whom say ye that I am Peter as one amongst the rest said Thou art Christ the Son of the living God and Christ said Upon this Rock will I build my Church viz. Upon him which was reveal'd unto Peter by the Father the Son of God which was the Rock which the Fathers eat of and drank of Christ the Rock of Ages and another Foundation can no man lay said the Apostle then that which is laid already Christ the Rock and Corner-Stone and not Peter for Christ is unchangeable and abideth for ever and so was not Peter though Peter and the rest of the Apostles received Power from Christ yet in the 22 d. and 23 d. verses of the same chapter he was gone out of the savour and discerning and Christ said unto him Get thee behind me Satan for thou savourest not the things of God and what though it could be proved that Peter was at Rome a Pastor an Elder or a Bishop who fed the Flock and did feed the Flock and so might be reckoned as an Elder and worthy of Honour in respect of his Labour and Diligence in the Work of Christ is the Promise so entailed to Rome or to any Place that the next that succeeds in that Place must needs receive the same Honour when he doth not the same Work which is worthy of Honour neither is in the same Power but this I am sure of though the Church of Rome lay claim unto Peter's Bishoprick as they say yet they have not done his Work And secondly If Peter was at Rome and a Pastor yet he was not a Lord for Christ reproved that when they strove which
which are but fabulous Stories and now let them who are lightned with the true Light of Christ judge who are in the Delusion and now let all judge whether these be not satisfactory Resolutions unto the aforesaid Doubts or Questions which may convince them that have erred from Christ the Power of God and gone in their own Traditions and Inventions and have forsaken the straiâ— Way and the narrow Path that leadeth to Life and all are exhorted to come unto him who is the Light and Life of Men that their Souls may live and that they may witness Assurance of the Love of God unto them by his Spirit 's Manifestation And now let us see whether the Author will keep to his Word whether the Church of Rome will all turn unto our Way which is Christ the Way the Truth and the Life or whether follow their Visible Head the Pope who is changeable and doth not abide forever who leadeth only to an Observance of outward things but neglect the weightier things to walk in And now I shall come to some Propâ—sitions which the Author saith have been propounded which are unanswerable and the Propositions are against all Sectaries and the Propositions are laid down by Francis Costerus as the Author saith of the Society of Jesus which have been laid down fifty Years ago and they are in Number eight and with them eight Propositions the Author sâ—ith he hath put all the ablest Ministers of Germany and the Low Countries unto their Wits End now I hope some will be able to give an answer and yet keep both their Faith Wit and Reason 1. The first Poposition is this That never since the Apostles Time till the Year 1517. wherein Luther began his Doctrine were any found in the World who did consent with either the Lutherans Calvinists or Anabaptists or other Sectaries Opinions nor ever shall any of the Sectaries prove that any of the Apostles or Evangelists were of their Faith and so by Consequence the Sectaries are without Faith and they are the Men whom the Scriptures in several Places affirm that should come In the latter times false Prophets c. Answ. As I said before any Opinion which Luther Calvin or the baptized People do hold I shall not stand to vindicate it because they have so holden yet in many things they are separated from you upon good Ground and their Doctrine and Worship was far more consonant and agreeable unto the Apostles Dayes then yours are but I am one that own my self a Protestant who deny the Church of Rome and I do say this Proposition is silly poor and feeble and I do not believe that any were so hard put to it as to be brought to their Wits End by answering of it for what need he talk of since the Apostles time till such a Year we shall come to the Apostles time and age and if any Society of People now are found the same in Faith in Doctrine in Worship in Life Practice and Conversation then they are the true Church and let Francis Costerus with the rest of the Roman Merchants take that Faith to themselves and that Doctrine to themselves and those particular Points of Worship and Tradition to themselves since all the World hath wondered after the Beast and hath worshipped his Image and this was since the Apostles Dayes And if the Church of Rome pleads the whole World as for a Proof John saw that Anti-christs false Prophets Deceivers were entered in then fifteen hundred Years ago and the World went after them and he saw the whole World wonder after the Beast and the Whore sit upon the Waters Nations Kindreds Tongues and People and this comprehends the World the Whore's Seat and we matter not for her Consent neither to Doctrines and Principles nor Opinions nor for the Approbation of them that have drunk of her Cup But if we can prove a People which are gathered by the Word of God and through the preaching of the Gospel into the same Faith Hope Doctrine Life and Practice which the Apostles walked in then this is the Church which is coming out of the Wilderness again where she hath been preserved while the Mother of Harlots hath sit as a Queen and hath been so visible as over all the VVorld and hath made the Nations drink her Cup of Fornication and therefore your Unity in this thing and in this time is clear that the Church of Rome is not the Church of Christ but there are some whom Rome is pleased to call Sectaries that own the same Practice the same Doctrine the same Faith which the Apostles walked in and therefore this great Proposition is false That all that have separated from the Church of Rome have no Faith or a new fancied Faith and now I come to his second Proposition 2. Proposition The Religion and Faith of the Roman Church hath not been any Way changed in any Article that belongs to Religion by any Pope Councils or catholick Bishops but it is the very same Faith hath remained intire and inviolate from the Apâ—stles to this present Day There were churches planted before there were any at Rome and the Faith which they received was that which did overcome the World and gave them Victory over Sin and Death and the Religion which the churches of Christ professed as Corinth Galatia Thessalonica and the rest of the churches which the Apostles planted is no more like the Faith and Religion of the church of Rome now then Black is to White as for instance Prove us out of the Scripture what Foundation you have for Purgatory for selling Indulgences and Pardons for Sins and what Scripture have you for Auricular confession for an Unbloody Sacrifice for Prayer to Saints for worshipping of Images in the New-Testament for observing of Lent consisting of so many days what Scripture example from the churches that were in the Apostles days before Rome was called a church concerning Prayer for the Dead for your crosses your tapers and candles for anointing with Oyle and cream in Baptism which was only invented by Pope â—lement which another Pope Pope Silvester confirmed 315. Plat Volat. Sabil And what example from the true church of Baptizing of Infants and for God-fathers and God-mothers in Christ's day when he planted the church And that Infants should be Baptized and only at Easter and Whitsuntide was not this ordained by Pope Leo in the Year 676. Lib. Council Volat. Pol. Chron. and was not Transubstantiation which you call the Body and Blood of Christ after the consecration when the Priest hath Whispered over the Bread and Wine a few Latine Words as Hoc est Corpus meum Hic est enim sanguis meus c. The Bread is turned into the Natural Body of Christ's Flesh Blood and Bone was not this ordained by Pope Innocent held at LATERAN by Twelve Hundred Romish Priests Monks and Fryars in the Year 1215. decret de summa Trinitate Cap. Firmiter And whether
Truth and have kept the Testimony of Jesus and the Spirit of prophecy the false prophets in all Nations who are from the Testimony of Jesus have called to the Beast to slay and to kill and to destroy the Seed of the Woman which is clothed with the Sun and so the Beast exercising his power which is from below hath killed and destroyed them who were subject to the higher power And what torturing massacring and persecution what burning and strangling there hath been what cruel Death 's many have been put to over all Nations and in all Nations where the Beast hath had power who makes War against the Life so that the Streets have run with Blood and all being gone from the Life and Power of God they set up themselves to be Judges over Mens Consciences and they who were in the Error they cryed out of Heresie and they that are gone from the Truth into a Lye the Ground of Blasphemy they cry out of Blasphemy and under the Horns of the Beast and under the Heads and the Crowns of the Beast what Cannons Constitutions Edicts and Laws have been in all Nations what Traps Gins and Snares have been laid in every Nation yea every Horn hath pushed and every Head hath lifted up it self against Christ the Head and every mortal Crown hath advanced it self against the Crown of Glory and against the immortal Crown so that it might be said as Elijah said The Altar of the Lord hath been broken down and his Prophets and his Witnesses slain none have escaped the Rage of the Beast Yet there have been a few who have kept their Garments clean and were not defiled with Women nor with the Harlot those who feared the Lord and durst not offend the righteous Law of God in their Consciences but have denyed whole Councils who were erred from the Faith and all the powers of the Earth in which the Beast bore Rule but rather chuse to suffer cruel Deaths then to let go the profession and possession of their Faith whose Blood cryes under the Altar How long O Lord holy just and true will it be ere thou avenge our Blood which Blood and Cry is entered into the Ears of the Lord of Hosts who will speedily take Vengeance on the Nations and dash them one against another and will break down that power which hath slain the Witnesses yea and hath gainsaid the power of God and all Nations who are from the Life in which the holy Men of God lived and in that Nature still which persecuted the Life of God wherever it did appear in any Measure yea swelled up and climbed to the very Top of Iniquity which is Satan's Crown and Glory and the Priests and they that went out from the Light into the World in John's dayes and Peter's dayes who then taught for filthy lucre and did subvert whole Houses from the Faith ever since that time have spread themselves over the Nations and have begotten people into a Form and into an Image without the life and so have worshipped the Beast and his Image And the deceit being entred then and Images then being set up one on this wise another on that and some have had an image of many mixtures such an Image as the Priests of England Scotland and Ireland worship and have got a Law to guard it that whosoever will not bow to it the Furnace is heat hotter to throw them into it Object And if any say Why I say so or how do I make that appear Ans. I answer thus the Cardinals Jesuites and other Romish Priests had a Law made to protect their Idol the Mass and if any spoke to him that was sacrificing to the Image or Idol then three Months Imprisonment but now if any declares against the Image that the Priests of England Scotland and Ireland have set up every one is to pay five Pound or six Months Imprisonment in a House of Correction and there be tortured and whipt and shamefully intreated near to the Loss of Life nay it 's now so much the more hotter now then ever None must come near the House of their Idol God or Image but must be counted a Breaker of the Peace nor speak to a deceiver and say he is so nor a Hireling and say he is so nor to a covetous Priest and say he is so and can for proof bring half of his Parish to witness the Truth of this but if he speak the Truth never so clear he must to Prison or pay five Pound or the House of Correction and there be whipt and stocked and fettered and chained and tortured and so ti is manifest that those Magistrates who had a Hand in making of this Law have outstript the Magistrates in the time of Q. Mary when the Pope had Power in his height in these Nations And the Priests now in these Nations who have set up their Image of many Mixtures and one Year they make one and another Year another and what that Power likes the best that is gone out of the Life and Power of God that they present to the Authority of the Nation as an Image of a more comely Stature then the former and then Authority makâ—s a Law to guard it and so it may truly be said as it was said to Israel Hath any other Nation changed their God but Israel had changed from the Living God to them by Nature which are no Gods And so have these Nations gone from God the Fountain of Life and from the Power of God and have set up an Image in which is no Life in stead nay they are not content with their Image but it grows old and then patch up another of many Mixtures one while the Mass that was held forth as their publick Profession and then Prelacy and the Book of Common-Prayer and then Presbytery and the Directory mixt and made up of Ignorance Blindness and of the Fragments of Popery and their own invention and this now is set up for all to bow to one while one thing which they call Faith and another while another and heaps of confused Confessions but are all out of the Life and from the true Faith And now they have manifested themselves to have no Faith and to be without Faith and are unagreed upon it instance that which is called the humble Petition and Advice presented to O. P. by the late Parliament that there may be a publich Confession of Faith made and recommended as the publick Profession and also that none may speak or write against under a Penalty but this Image the Lord hath by his immediate Hand from Heaven curst and confounded them that would have founded it before it ever came to be set up Ah silly silly that ever they who should profess Godliness should so shame themselves and all their Teachers for the teachers are not agreed yet of their Faith so they have either no Faith or else many Forms which are feigned and in this they
of the Life was not good for that was out of God's Order and Appointment for nothing in man or without man of all that God had made was to stir or act without Commandments now the Son was not honoured by man's Falling but both the Father and the Son was Dishonoured and now the Son or power was not revealed by the Fall but vailed as from men so the foggy Mists of Darkness are scattered the blind doctrines of the VVorld and VVaste Object Some will be ready to say how dost thou say he was in Dominion everlasting then how should he fall that lasted but a while Answ. I say he was made by the Word which abides forever and in it which was in the Beginning with God and was God and God's Son and his Dominion is an everlasting Dominion and his Throne is established in Righteousness forever and ever and in it self it is what it was ever and after the Fall retained the same Power and Authority in it self and so will do forever Man's Power stood in it only out of it he had none so going out of it dyed to it and not any more Power to do or to will or to order or to rule any things but by it but he lost the Feeling of it and the Guidance of it the Virtue of it and Life of it and became dead to it and alive in his Heart and Mind to another Power to wit the Power of Deceit and to the Power of him which hath the Power of Death which is the Devil so God is clear no Fault in him nor in the Power nor Weakness in the Dominion and Authority which he had but Destruction meerly wholly and only of himself and he is to bear his own Burthen Thus man receiving in the Devil's Conceptions who was gone out of the Truth and became one with it feeding upon Knowledge without the Life this was evil thus Sin entered and Death by Sin man cut off from the Power from Life from the Dominion which he had in the Power now man is dead while he lives and in the Day he eat he dyed dead to the Power dead to the Life dead to Good dead to Truth dead to Purity dead to Righteousness estranged and alienated from it the Grave covers him Death hath Preeminence and bears rule and not Life and he gone into its Nature and loves it and imbraces it Oh sad Life oh sad State now his Life cursed which is Death he cursed all his Actions cursed all his Conception cursed all his Works cursed labouring in Sorrow in Travail and Pain and Grief and Sweat and Perplexity Now all may as in a line read the happy Estate of Man before the Fall the sad and deplorable Estate in the Fall which who can declare or who can measure or who can demonstrate the miserable Estate of man dead in Trespasses and Sins and Life swallowed up of Death Death and Destruction lives and man in it and now in the Grave God is not remembred but forgotten Now the World set in the Heart and the Earth in the Heart the Heart becomes earthly and vain Thorns and Bryars spring up and the Earth covers the slain now Death lives and man lives in and one with the enmity and in enmity against God who was before his Life man now in Chains of Darkness when any thing moves Heaven-ward the Power of Death draws the Mind down again into the Pit of Darkness now the Nature of all things in the Earth set in the Heart Beasts Rocks Hills Mountains Dogs Swine and brutish Creatures and man becomes brutish and vain they have all Dominion over him he is a Slave to all all rules over him and Death grew and dead Works brought forth he cannot now perform any thing whereby he can purchase the Love of God nor give a Ransom for his Soul now the Root of Bitterness grew and the Enmity and man in Lust and when his Lust is crost or his Will crost then the Enemy which liveth in him riseth he would kill that and destroy that imprison that and bring it into Bondage that the enmity might be Lord over all and bring the innocent into Bondage that which is nocent is set up and the higher Deceit grows in the Heart the more Stir it makes and the greater Destruction of that which crosseth it and here came in Oppression Murder Cruelty Tyranny Prisoning Imbondaging Revenge Maliciousness and Envy Rage Fury Headiness Pride this is all in the Curse and springs up from the Foundation of the World in the Heart and so being given Way unto and loved grows in Strength and Iniquity multiplies and the Beast grows and the Name great and numberless the Serpent's Root spreads forth it self and sprouts out in the earth and comes to grow great and is admired now the Deeds of Darkness and the Works of Darkness come to be many Envy Murder Adultery Fornication Uncleanness Riotousness Sporting Covetousness Defrauding Cheating Maliciousness Theft Dissimulation Feignedness Hypocrisie Witchcraft Cursed Speaking Railing Reviling Filthy Communication unsavoury Speeches Wantonness Lightness Foolish Jesting Idle Talking Vain Babling Back-biting Swearing Lying Cursing Blasphemy Slandering Pride Arrogancy Vain Boasting Contention Strife Emulation Mischief these and many more are now the Fruits of the degenerate Plant and dead Works and the Works of Darkness in man who was once a noble Plant a holy right Seed now the Fruits of Sodom and the Grapes of Gomorrah whom God destroyed and overthrew are brought forth and the whole Earth is filled with Violence and these be the Fruits that grow and are become great over all Nations which are wrought by the Devil the Father of Lyes who spoke of himself and works of himself in the Dark in the Night out of the Light out of the Day who went out of the Truth and now worketh in all the Children of Disobedience who are out of the Light and out of the Power and here are all the Sons of fallen Adam in the Curse under the Wo and these be the Works that are wrought and brought forth which have stained the Earth and the Father of them and man in whom they are wrought and the Works themselves are all for Condemnation never to be numbred among the Saints in Light nor among their Works Self-righteousness Deeds of Darkness also and dead Works which though they be not counted as bad as the former by them that act in them yet they are to be condemned also and man who acts them being in the Fall CAin who was the first begotten in the Full the Similitude Likeness and Image of Adam his Father who had transgressed and disobeyed and lost the Power and became dead to it Cain I say his express Image out of the Faith out of the Power he brought a Sacrifice and offered in the same Nature he slew his Brother with and envied him who was in the Faith and was accepted of the Lord through Faith in the Power of God I say in