place they all speak with tongues and there come in those that are unlearned or unbelievers and they say that they are mad so that the great God is blasphemed Christian Religion is dishonoured Atheism is promoted and the world is ready to be shut up in unbelief 8. We our God our Church hath taught you a Religion that teacheth to deny all ungodliness and all worldly lusts to hate every false way to allow no evil inclination in our nature nor disorder or sin in our life A Religion that teacheth us to deny our selves to walk in a narrow way to mortific our lusts to abstain from all appearance of evil to walk circumspectly to live without rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation to set God always before us and not allow our selves or others in the least evil The poor deluded souls of Rome endeavour by all means to set up a way that professeth to be a baud to sin whilst both in practice they tolerate open Stews and prefer fornication in some cases before marriage which is honourable among all men and the bed undefiled and gently blanch over the breaches of Gods Law with the name of venials and such favourable titles of diminution daring to affirm that venial sins are no hinderance to a mans clearness and perfection They would deceive you and themselves with a pretended power in the Pope to dispense with those sins which none can forgive but God They encourage one another and the vitiously inclined world to all excess of riot with a vain hope that sin may be bought and sold that pardon may be had for money and that riches will profit in the day of wrath So as Hell can have no Dives no rich men in it but fools and the friendless Devils indeed are tormentors there yet men can command Devils and money can command men We have taught you to fear an oath and to swear in truth righteousness and judgement and to speak the truth one to another for the peace and security of the world How can men live by one another unless they can believe what each speaks or swears to other But alas Rome would impose upon us a Religion shall I call it a Religion that allows jugling equivocations and reserved senses in our very Oaths O sad swear one thing mean another mock God and deceive the world Hear what Cardinal Ostatus reports of Pope Clement the eighth who said he urged that the King of France should joyn with Spain in the invasion of England but the Cardinal replyed that that King was tyed by an oath to the Queen of England whereunto the Pope answered and they say he is infallible that the oath was made to an Heretick but he was bound in another oath to God and the Pope and that Kings may allow themselves all things which make for their advantage Indeed saith he using the Duke of urbins words everyone doth blame a noble man that is not a Soveraign if he keep not his word but supream Princes may without any danger to their reputation make covenants and break them or betray and perpetrate other such like things What shall a Confessor do saith Franc. de S. Victoriâ an ingenious Papist and a learned reader of Divinity in Salamanca if he be asked of a sin that he hath heard in confession may he say that he knows not of it I answer saith he according to all our Doctors that he may But what if he be compelled to swear I say that he may and ought to swear that he knoweth it not for it is understood that he knoweth it not besides confession and so he swears true But what if he be asked upon oath whether he knew it in confession or no I answer saith he that a man thus urged may still swear that he knoweth it not in confession i. e. not so as to reveal it O wise cunning deep and holy perjuries unknown to our fore-fathers Yea which is worst of all they do obtrude upon the World so many idle Legends so many false Discourses so many lying Miracles so many pious Frauds as that they have shaken mens belief of all Antiquity such ridiculous and improbable things that they sure can hardly deliver them without laughter pleasing themselves to see how they deceive the world and their abettors cannot hear them without shame and confusion of face It 's a sad thing to see the wiser sort of the World read those stories on winter-nights for sport which the poor credulous multitude hear in their Churches with a devout astonishment Neither do they satisfie themselves with these false suggestions they have thrust upon the world but in conscience of their untruth they go about to deprave all Authors that may give evidence against them to outface ancient truths and to deface all monuments of Primitive belief and practice leaving nothing unattempted against heaven or earth that may promote their interest and disable us their innocent adversaries though thereby they blot out all Religion and suppress all truth We teach you to keep holy the Sabbath day prescribing the careful observation of this day and others as the onely means to keep up the life and power of Religion in the world But alas they turn not away their feet from the Sabbath from doing their pleasure upon God's holy Day they call not the Sabbath a delight the holy of the Lord and honourable neither do they honour it but upon it they do their own ways they finde their own pleasure and speak their own words 9. Our Church indeed preserveth teacheth openeth confirmeth and urgeth the truth yet so as your selves being judges and allowed a judgement of discretion she urgeth nothing contrary to Scripture Sense and Reason Yet if our Church were overthrown there are they that would overthrow with it Scripture Sense and Reason Not to mention their infinite vanities introduced to the Church which rob poor souls of the sound and plain helps of true Piety and Salvation they take from you one half of that heavenly which our Saviour left for his last and dearest Legacie to his Church for ever As if Christs Ordinances were superfluous or they were wiser than their Redeemer against express Scripture which saith Drink ye all of this Cup. They would have you mock God with a few Latine Prayers without faith ignorantly without comfort unprofitably expresly contrary to the 14 Chapter of the 1 Epistle to the Corinthians And lest ought should here be wanting to the affront of the Scripture and the setting up of the doctrine of Devils they forbid to marry yea they teach it is better to burn then to marry And when our Church hath taught you that all things are lawful that every creature of God is good and none to be refused all things being yours as you are Christs onely that you must admit three moderations of your Christian Liberty Sobriety Charity and Duty in obedience to your Soveraign forbidding
PHILANAX PROTESTANT ' OR PAPISTS Discovered to the KING As guilty of those Traiterous Positions and Practises which they first Insinuated into the worst Protestants and now Charge upon all To which is added PHILOLAUS Or Popery discovered to all Christian PEOPLE in a serious diswasive from it For further justification of our Gracious King and his honourable Parliaments proceedings for the maintenance of the Act of Uniformity LONDON Printed in the Year 1663. and are to be sold at the Royal Exchange Westminster-Hall and most Book-sellers Shops PHILANAX OR The PAPISTS discovered unto the King SECT I. NOw the Popish Party being disappointed in their great design for Indulgence 1. B the care of our gracious Soveraign Who will neither be provoked by the affronts of some that call themselves Protestants nor enticed by the favours and civilities of those that call themselves Catholicks to do any thing in prejudice of the Faith Once delivered to the Saints 2. By the vigilancy of Orthodox and good Bishops and Ministers who stand fast in the faith and are set for The defence of the Gospel 3. By the honourable Interposition of those most Noble Lords who search the Scriptures the first Counsels and fathers Whether these things are so 4. By the resolution of the most Honourable the Commons of England in Parliament assembled to stand by the grand establishment of the Kingdome 5. By the Ingenuity of our two most excellent Queens who wil not unseasonably interpose to gratify a few mens opinions against the conscience of a whole Kingdome Now the Popish Party I say thus happily disappointed of their designe against the Church of England and the Protestant Religion grow desperate and shake off all modesty Ingenuity and fear Now they dare Publish to the world a Caveat to all Kings Princes and Prelates against the Protestants Under pretence of some mens miscarriages Involving all now they dare charge us with those Principles against Government which they themselves teach with those treasons which they act with those Rebelions which they promote which our Learned and sober writers disown our Confessions and Articles of Religion oppose and our Religion discountenanceth no Religion in the world stating government and obedience on better principles enforcing them upon higher motives Or securing them by better Lawes than ours We your most Loyal Subjects who look upon you as The light of our eyes as the breath of our nostrils as the crown of our head Who make prayers and supplications for you and all that are in authority under you who obey you for Conscience sake cannot resist you knowing that whosoever resisteth resistethto hisown damnation who must needsbesubject to you as supream and to those that are in Church State sent by you who fear God and honour you our King and meddle not with them that are given to change for we know their calamity shall arise suddenly and who knoweth the ruin of them both Who dare think no evil of you not in our hearts much less murmure and speak evil against you Who though your Spirit should be stirred against us yet will not stir out of our place who dare not call you to any account of your matters nor say unto you what do you who with the antient Christians worship God above all and obey honour and reverence you as next unto God on earth We to vindicate our selves to inform the world aright to shew the true grounds of our late misery and the present opposition to Government and to confirm your Majesty in your very good affection for the Protestant religion and in your just care against the growth of Popery a care that aequally tends to your honour and security and our comfort We humbly desire the world may know that it is not any private respect or opinion it s not any kindnesse you have for heresy or schism It s not any cruelty or persecution that you provide just laws against Popery a new or execute those that are already provided but it s a royal care you owe your own Government and safety both which are indangered by those unworthy principles first asserted by the Pontificians and than taken up from them by the loose giddy turbulent and discontented sort of Protestants that have nothing indeed of Protestants but the name for you know 1. They teach that the Magistrate hath nothing to do in matter of Religion hath no power to restrain or punish any man in any matter that hath but the colour and preteâ—…ce of Religion Contzen polit c 16. Bellarm 5. de pont A 2 de Primatiâ—… In vain do you Govern if these men and these positions be endured one mans Religion is to revile authority the others Religion is to rebel anothers Religion is to raise scandal upon all publick establishments anothers religion is to refuse all manner of oaths whether of Allegiance or Supremacy c. anothers Religion is to deny all ordinances ministry Church duties c. anothers Religion is to disturb all congregations and meetings but you must sit still and let these men play all these prancks under the notion of Religion you must endure all these extravagances Least you should persecute or oppresse tender consciences your Subjects may be perverted your people may be debauched and your Kingdomes seduced from their Allegiance and Loyalty by men of desperate principles and you all the while not stir for the Magistrate hath nothing to do in matter of Religion we your poor Protestant Subjects thought that you as Nebuchadnezzar and Darius among the Persians as the Governours among the Grecians whose first care was Religion as the Roman Kings Senates and Emperours whose great prudence it was not to admit of a strange Religion as the Primitive Governours who as appears by their Laws Orders Institutes and nemo Canons Laid out their highest endeavours for the settlement of the true Religion and as your Ancestors of blessed memory who are famous for nothing more then for being defenders of the Faith had power to defend true Religion so that under you by the influence of that Religion we might lead peaceable and quiet lives in all godliness and honesty but alas temporal Princes saith Suarez must meddle with temporal matters they must let men be of what principles they please though never so dangerous they must look on their Subjects divided with different religions which lead to different conversation and to confusion and every evil work for why should they saith Costerus the Jesuit meddle with the affaires of the Church of God 2. We your Loyal Protestant Subjects were really perswaded that there was none above you to whom you should give account of your selves but God and that there were no Christians that durst say that any men or estates of men were above you in your Dominion ha poor we alas it seemes there are some 50. learned writters of that one society of Jesuits who in several printed books which you may
Antonii Arnoldj the truth a sad truth really the truth defended against the Arrest of Arnold Nay but we wrong them this business of King-killing is but a disputable question which some may hold one way and others another Not so neither saith Bellarmine Non opinio sed tertitudo it s not onely an opinion but a great certainty res certa explorata you must look upon them in this point as in others Insallible But you will say I pray deal faithfully with me do you think the Church of Rome holds such dangerous positions Ans. 1. Ecclesia erreret si impune c. If the Church should offer to let Kings go unpunished it should erre though it be built upon Cephas though it be otherwise infallible though its faith should never fail yet in this it would erre Bellarmine saith in one place if the Pope perswaded a man to go to hell it were a sin not to believe him if he teach a damnable error he is yet infallible always provided he doth not teach that dangerous error That Kings ought not be brought to justice If he doth he erres 2. That you may be sure the Church is right in this point Bellarmine tells you ex authoritate frequenti Ecclesia facit c. The Church doth these things Frequently It s a very usual thing it seems nay saith Johannes Eudaemon mistake not your self this Doctrine non est Jesuitarum propria sed totius Ecclesiae to give the Jesuite his due it is not the Doctrine of the Jesuits only but of the whole Church yea that the world may know the Jesuits are well backed Universa Theologorum juris consultorum Scholasticorum Schola saith Creswell The whole School of Divines and Lawyers make it a Position certain and undoubtedly to be believed that if any Christian Prince whatsoever shall manifestly turn from the Roman Catholick Religion or desire or seek to reclaim others from the same or but favour or shew Countenance to an Heretick he presently falleth From and loseth all Princely power and dignity and that by vertue and power of the Law it self both Humane and Divine even before any Sentence pronounced against him by the Supream Pastor and Judge That thereby his Subjects are absolved from all Oaths and Bonds of Allegiance to him as to their Lawful Prince nay that they may and ought provided that they have competent power and force to cast out such a Prince from bearing rule amongst Christians as an Enemy to his own Estate and Commonwealth and that the Kingdom of such an Heretick or Prince is to be bestowed at the pleasure of the Pope with whom the people upon pain of damnation are to take part and fight against their Soveraign Lord you will say can any men after so many Oaths and Obligations upon the Pope or others Instigation rebel against their lawful Soveraign A. Aas do you not know that children are deluded with Rattles and men with Oaths Papa potest quanquam absolvere de juramento fidelitatis when you have taken all the care Imaginable to oblige men to peace and Obedience the Pope can absolve men from all their Oaths I pray hear how the Iesuite in Bishop Usher would make a fool of the wise King James and the Parliament that formed the Oath of Allegiance sed vide saith he in astutiâ quanta sit simplicitas c. But see what simplicity here is in so great craft when he had placed all his security in that Oath he thought I poor man how contemptible this Jesuit looks upon an excellent King and his August Parliament he had framed such a manner of Oath with so many circumstances which no man could any way dissolve But he poor man Could not see that if the Pope dissolve the Oath all its knots whether of being faithful to the King or of admitting no dispensation are accordingly dissolved Thus now he was teaching the world a strange doctrine saith he I will say a thing more admirable you know I believe that an unjust Oath if it be evidently known to be such or openly declared such obligeth no man that the Kings Oath is unjust is sufficiently declared by the Pastor of the Church himself you see now that the Obligation of it is vanished into smoak and that the band which so many wise men thought was made of Iron is lesse than straw a trick to over throw the world But sure no Christians will be so wicked as to attempt such things against their Soveraigns Ans. They must hear what Father Creswell saith Certe non tantum Licet sed summa etiam juris divini â—…ssitate ac praecepto Imo conscientiae vineulo extremo Animorum per â—…ulo hoc incumbit certainly this is not onely Lawful but necessary as that which is incumbent upon all Christians upon no lesse obligation than that of Divine law and command of the bond of their Conscience and the utmost danger of their soules But the Counsel of Constance hath denied that it is lawful for any private men to attempt any thing against Publique authority Alas What is that as they resolve in other things Non abstante sic Scriptura so in this Case Non obstantc Concilii const decreto licitum est privatis c. Notwithstanding any decree of that Counsel by the authority of the Pope who is above all Counsels Private men may Omni ratione viâ—… by any means no matter what so it be successeful attempting the destroying of an heritical or a wicked Prince How may a Prince be safe in that Case An. Bellarmine told K. James of famous memory si secure regnare velit Rex c. If the King would reign with safety if he would secure his mens lives and his then let him suffer the Catholicks to enjoy their Religion Wellfair thy heart Bellarmine that was plain English It seemes that if the Roman Catholicks are not pleased there is no security for King or People but may not a Protestant King enjoy the Liberty of his own conscience as the Papists desire â—…berty for their consciences Ans. No it is not saith Bellarmine de Pont. Rom. lib. 2 cap 7. For Christians to tolerate an Heritical King and he that cannot come up to all the abominations of Rome is Heritical if he endeâ—…vour to draw his Subjects to his Heresie or unbeleif but to judge whether a King doth draw to Heresie or no belongeth to the Pope to whom the case of Religion is committed therefore it belongs to the Pope to judge a King to be deposed or not deposed We Protestants indeed did think that we should be obedient unto the death rather then resist as all the primitive Christians did who said they could dye but they could not disobey Alas We are deceived alas if the primitive Christians did not depose the Emperors it was because they wanted strength and not because they wanted will saith Bellarmine so that no Prince is safe any longer
than he keeps under the Papists and as they would perswade the world all Christians too when there is evident knowledge of the fact Subjects may Lawfully exempt themselves from the power of their prince before any declaratory sentence of a Judge so they have but strength to do it hence it followes that the Papists of England and Saxony are to be excused saith he that do not free themselves from the power of their Superiors nor make War against them because commonly they are not strong enough It is indeed generally and charitably believed that the Pope raiseth his power over Kings and Princes onely for their and the Churches spiritual good Ah narrow souled We look about you and It hath saith one been one of the most detestable crimes and highest Impeachment in the world against the Pope of Rome that under a Saint like religious pretense of advancing the Church cause the Kingdom of Christ they have for some hundred of years Usurped to themselves as sole Monarchs of the world in the right of Christ whose vicars they pretend themselves to be both by Doctrinal position and treasonable practices an absolute Soveraign Tyranical power over all Christian Emperours Kings Princes of the World who must derive and hold their Crowns from them alone upon their good Behaviours at their pleasure not only to excommunicate censure judge depose murder destroy their Sacred Persons but likewise to dispose of their Crowns Scepters Kingdomes and translate them to whom they please Thus O Kings are you served in ordine ad spiritualia by the Papists while We poor Protestants think That we cannot do any evil against you that the greatest good many come to us or the Church thereby If men came to us to discover any design against your Sacred Majesty whom God preserve and asked our advice about it we must neds have abhored it as treason and have charged them not to touch Gods annointed and have urged them with this can a man touch the Lords annointed and be guiltlesse If they come to Garâ—…et in England about a powder plot or to Guignard in France about a murther Tirannus jure Interini potest say the one its good and commendable and Heroick saith the other and both dismisse them with their blessing prayer and absolution When those licentious men among us acted as we are verily perswaded by Jesuitical Insinuations and Popish principles assaulted and murthered hislate Majesty of blessed memory We were all amazed Our Nobility offered to dye for him our Clergy writ prayed and preached against it our whole Nation abhorred it some dyed at the very hearing others were distracted and the whole face of England Scotland and Ireland gathered blacknesse When Clement murthered Hen. the 3d. of France Voiez commends him the Preacher at Colen connes a whole Sermon to extol him and the Pope Sextas Quintus makes a solemn Panegyrick upon him on September 11. 1589. in the Consistory in order to his Canonizations Comparing him to Ehud and Eleazar And concluding with this memorable saying I pray God finish what he hath begun When Ravillac stabbed Hen. the 4th of France he hath no lesse then two Apologies made for him the one by Veruna the other by Guignard who writes as if he would have done as much himself yea he saith that Clements murther was most Heroical and most praise-worthy adding moreover these words if we in the year 1572. on St. Bartholmews day in the general Massacre of the French Protestants had cut off the Basilicon vein H. King of Navarre we had not fallen out of a Feavour into that plague we now find sed quioquid delirant reges plectuntur Achivi sanguini parcendo that K. Henry should be but over mildly dealt with if he were thrust from the Crown of France into a Monastery and there had his Crown shaven that if hecould not be deposed without a War a War must be raised against him but if a War could not be levyed against him the Cause being dead Let him be privily murdered as he was and taken out of the way and when this Guignard was justly executed by the Parliament of Richeome makes an Apology for him and the whole Society expostulates against the Arrest of Parliament We say to this day of the powder Traytors Cursed be their wrath for it was cruel and their anger for it was sierce our Souls come not yet into their secrets Bellarmine he hath written an Apology for Garnet Gretzer hath seconded him Eudaemon he goeth along with him the whole Church hath Canonized the Traytors Hallowed the Treason and consecrated the Villany We your Protestant Subjects stood firmly to your Predecessor Hen. 8. Obeyed heartily that Godly Prince Fd. the 6. suffered patiently under Q. Mary assisted our Gracious Q. Fliz. with our prayers lives and fortunes opened the way cheerfully and unanimously to your famous Grandfather King James to his haereditary Dominions and Territories and the sounder part of us had the honour of being involved in the fate and ruine of your Father of blessed Memory that Royal Champion and most resolved Martyr for the Protestant cause The Papists in the mean time oppose resist abuse affront revile and excommunicated H. 8. rebelled with Ket and other Northern men against Ed. the 6. they incite Q. Mary to destroy and banish her Subjects in whom consisted her strength and honour They excommunicate Q. Elizabeth encourage Cullen and others to murther her assuring them it was not only lawful by the Laws but that they should merit Heaven and Gods favour by it Further adding with Jacques Francis That the Realm of England then was and would be so well setled that unless Mrs. Elizabeth so he called Q. Elizabeth were suddenly taken away all the Devils in Hell would not be able to prevail to shake or overturn it there was a Bull that came along with the Spanish Fleet in 88. When in it was expired That the Pope by the power given from God by Lawful Succession from Catholick Church for the defection of H. the 8th who forcibly separated himself and his people from the Communion of Christians which was promoted by Edward the sixth and Elizabeth who being pertinacious and impertinent in the same Rebellion and Usurpation Therefore the Pope incited by the continual perswasions of many and by the suppliant prayers of the English men themselves N. B. Hath dealt with divers Princes and especially the most potent King of Spane to depose that woman and punish her pernicious Adhaerents in that Kingdom c. he adds moreover that Pope Sextus before him prescribed the Queen and took from her all her Dignities Titles and Rights to the Kingdomes of England and Ireland absolving her Subjects from the Oath of Fidelity and Obedience he chargeth all men upon pain of the wrath of God that they afford her no favour help or aid but use all their strength to bring her to punishment and that all the
your private enjoyment of some things for publick good But they of Rome will impose upon you a Relgious prohibition of Meat and differences of diet superstitiously preferring Gods workmanship to it self and willingly polluting what he hath sanctified But wherefore should ye being dead with Christ from the Rudiments of the world as though living in the world be subject to Ordinances Touch not taste not handle not which all are to perish with the using after the commandments and doctrines of men which things have indeed a shew of wisdom in will-worship and humility and neglecting of the body c. Neither may you onely go against the Word of God but even against Reason it self If you be a Papist you must believe the body of Christ in ten thousand places at once and yet in no place you must believe it in heaven and yet every where you must believe it flesh and no flesh several members without distinction a substance without quantity and other accidents or substance and accidents that cannot be seen felt or perceived and so your Saviour a monster or nothing Yea you must go against your own senses You must see Bread yet not believe it you must taste Wine yet say it's blood And yet to what pass are we brought if we cannot believe our senses Yea you must worship those whom the Scriptures declare wicked for Saints and adore them whom all the world know were lewd for Martyrs You must honour Rebels Villains with Temples Altars and Invocations and yet you must believe them who lived according to scripture-rule to be villains c. Wickliff a blasphemer Luther a devil Calvin a Sodomite Tyndal a whoremonger Beza and King apostates Protestants hereticks Q. Elizabeth a lewd woman our Bishops ordained in a tavern O thus thus must you live against Scripture against Experience against Sense against Reason 10. We desire you to attend upon Gods Ordinance humbly reverently and in faith and say his Ordinances are his power to their salvation that so wait upon him But alas they of Rome will force you to believe that when you have prepared your selves to meet your God in his ways yet it shall be to you onely according to your Priests intention If he intend the Sacrament to your good it 's your life if not you receive it to your damnation Alas who knows when the Minister intends what he is about How shall you if you are Papists know whether you hear effectually whether you pray savingly whether you receive the Sacrament successfully seeing you depend wholly upon the Priests intention We must needs pity that religion that is not sure of lawful Bishops because they know not their intention that ordained them no regular Priests because they know not their thoughts that ordained them a religion this sure that was contrived to perplex the world 11. We desire to be helpers of your joy and promoters of your eternal comfort that through the comfort of the Scriptures opened by us you might have hope They of Rome make it their business to torment and frighten you to vex and perplex you they will make you believe that so soon as you are born you must be cast remedilesly unto the eternal pains of hell for want of Baptism which you could not live to desire Thus they damn all your infants and throw all those innocents to hell whom our Saviour thought fittest for the kingdome of heaven And if you have lived beyond your baptism they will fright you poor souls with expectation of feigned torments in Purgatory not inferiour for the time to the flames of the damned How wretchedly and fearfully must you poor men live how sadly will you die in that way wherein you are sure to go through a hell to heaven yea you are not sure you shall ever go to heaven for they will perswade you that you neither can nor ought to be assured either of present grace or of future salvation We indeed wish you to make your calling and your election sure but they say you cannot Oh an uncomfortable religion wherein I must enter to an eternity but God knoweth whether of woe or weale wherein I must say to an immortal soul Animala vagula blundula quâ vadis in loca c. O poor soul whither art thou going Neither must you onely live in fear of your estate in another world while you are in that way but in infinite cares and vexations in this while they rack your consciences with the needless torture of a necessary shrift wherein the vertue of Absolution depends on the fulness of Confession and that upon examination and the sufficiencie of examination is so full of â—…ruples besides those infinite cares of unresolved doubts in this pretended penance that the poor soul. never knows when it is clear And that they may compleat your misery they take you off from that comfort you receive from your Saviours satisfaction for you and make you relye upon your works whereby no man was ever justified before God yea and when all is done by Christ and your selves you must go to the flames and thence be redeemed with such corruptible things as silver and gold Beloved if they could shew you a more excellent way for Gods glory the advancement of grace and the settlement of your comfort we would perswade you to follow them but now it appears that they desire onely the advancement of the Pope whom if you submit to you may believe what you will for he writ to Queen Elizabeth that he would confirm all her and our Religion if she would but own him head of the Church Now it appears that they destroy religion endanger poor souls and disturb the world onely for a few mens interests who seek their own Mark and avoid them have nothing to do with them lest if you perish your blood be upon your own heads keep close to God stick fast to his truth keep within his Church live by his grace keep up the power of religion in your hearts be at peace among your selves and your blood be upon our heads if you perish Bishop Sanderson But if what is spoken upon examination appear to have any repugnancie with godliness in any one branch or duty thereunto belonging we may be sure the words cannot be wholesome words It can be no heavenly Doctrine that teacheth men to be earthly sensual or devillish or that tendeth to make men unjust in their dealings uncharitable in their censures undutiful to their superiours or any other way superstitious licentious or profane I note it not without much gratulation and rejoycing to us of this Church There are God knoweth afoot in the Christian world Controversies more then a good many Decads Centuries Chiliads of Novel Tenents brought in this last Age which were never believed many of them scarce ever heard of in the ancient Church by Sectaries of all sorts Now it is our great comfort blessed be God for it that the Doctrine established in the Church
simple have a design to bring you to worship stocks and stones with the same honour that is due to God blessed for ever And lest your hearts should rise against graven Images lest you should not bow down to them nor worship them against the Letter of the second Commandment they leave out those words of that second Commandment as a needless illustration in their Chatechisms and Prayer-books to the people The smith with the tongs both worketh in the coals and fashioneth it with hammers and worketh it with the strength of his arms yea he is hungry and his strength faileth he drinketh no water and is faint The carpenter stretcheth out his rule he marketh it out with a line he fitteth it with planes and he marketh it out with the compass and maketh it after the figure of a man according to the beauty of a man that it may remain in the house Thus he maketh a god even his graven image he falleth down unto it and worshippeth it and prayeth unto it and saith Deliver me for thou art my God They have not known nor understood for he hath shut their eyes that they cannot see and their hearts that they cannot understand And none considereth in his heart neither is there knowledge nor understanding to say I have burnt part of it in the fire yea also I have baked bread upon the coals thereof I have rosted flesh and eaten it and shall I make the residue thereof an abomination shall I fall down to the stock of a tree He feedeth of ashes a deceived heart hath turned him aside that he cannot deliver his soul nor say Is there not a lie in my right hand Isai. 44. 12 13. 16. to 20. In a voluntary humility do these men worship Angels who said expresly to St. John Worship thou God Now you seek God in his Ordinances and desire to see him in his holy Temple If you be seduced by them you must go onely to poor creatures like your selves 6. We or do we onely doth not our God likewise teach you that if any man adde to his holy Word he shall adde to him the plagues that are written in this book Yet if ever they prevail you must believe more Scripture then ever God inspired or his ancient Church received and you must do it upon no less penalty then if God himself should speak from heaven Sad You must believe what an Angel from heaven is accursed if he teach you They have a designe Beloved to set up a man in stead of God who may create new Articles of Faith at his pleasure and impose them upon necessity of salvation In vain it seems came Christ from the bosome of the Father to reveal his will in vain doth the Spirit lead us to all truth in vain have we thought that our Priests lips should preserve knowledge and that the people should seek it at their mouth in vain have we gone to the Law and to the Testimonies concluding that if men spoke not according to them it was because there was no light in them If we must lay aside all and wait upon the Popes Oracles how shall we be sure that he is infallible Not because he saith so for if he bears witness of himself his witness is not true Not because the Scripture saith so for that they say is no further true then he confirms it Not because he is St. Peters successour for we are not sure St. Peter was at Rome if he was there we are not sure that he was Bishop there being an Apostle of the Circumcision i. e. of the Jews and not of the Romans If he was there Bishop we are not sure he was infallible who denyed his Master thrice and dissembled once If he was infallible we are not sure he left any heirs of his grace and spirit or if any we are not sure he left one in a perpetual and visible succession at Rome That he so be queathed his infallibility to his Chair as that whosoever sits in it cannot but speak true that all which sit where he sate must by some instinct say as he taught That if Peter was infallible by vertue of Christs promise yet that what Christ said to him absolutely ere ever Rome was thought of must be referred yea tyed to it that the Pope whose life whose pen whose judgement whose keys may erre yet in his pontifical Chair cannot erre That the line of this Apostolical succession in the confusion of so many long and desperate schisms when there was one Pope in one place another in another shamefully corrupt Usurpations and Intrusions confessed Heresies open Profaness and celebrated Infidelity neither was nor can be broken If you are not sure of these and many more things whereof some are impossible most are improbable you are sure of nothing in Popery Oh the lamentable hazard of so many millions of poor souls that stand upon these slippery termes O miserable grounds of Popish faith whereof the best can have but this security that perhaps it may be true 7. We and our Church have taught you a serious Religion which Angels desire to look into which men reverence which carrieth a divine authority a heavenly awe a spiritual power along with it that prevails upon all that hear it Ten men are ready to lay hold on him who is a Jew i. e. a professor of the true Religion and say VVe will go with you for God is with you But alas they of Rome have set up a Religion that made sport to our plain fore-fathers with the remembrance of her gravest devotion How oft have we seen them laugh at themselves whilst they have told of their creeping Crouch their kissing the Pax offering their Candles signing with Ashes partial shifts merry Pilgrimages ridiculous Miracles and a thousand such Maygames which we are ashamed to name While you are taught that decent worship that solemn devotion those comely approaches to the Throne of Grace that make all Christians rejoyce to behold your order grave solemn and heavenly We cannot but pity that Religion whose vanities very boyes do shout and laugh at if for no more but this that it teacheth men to put confidence in Beads Medals Roses hallowed Swords spells of the Gospel Agnus Dei c. Ascribing unto them divine virtue yea so much as is due to the Son of God and his precious blood You are taught to draw neer to God to hear his Word in a Language you understand and to make your requests known unto God in a wholesome form of sound words you can assent to and there come in some it may be when you are gathered together in one place that believe not or one unlearned he is convinced of all he is judged of all and thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest and so falling down on his face he will worship God and report that God is in you of a truth When they of the Church of Rome are together in one