and sufficiently to salvation whether or no it would then satisfie you and perswade you that the Church of England was built upon the foundation of Peter and was a true Church And if my memory faile not you told me that then the worke was done Whereupon I thus argued That Church that declares preaches and teaches unto the people all that Jesus Christ both taught did and suffered for the salvation of mankind after he had taken humane nature upon him as he was our King Priest and Prophet which is all that we are to believe for the speculative part and declares likewise and preaches plainly and distinctly whatsoever concernes the peoples dutie of love and obedience to God againe for his infinite love to mankind and instructs them in like manner of their duty of love and charity one towards another all which belongs unto the practicall part of religion that Church teacheth all things both for theory and practice necessary for salvation and building them upon the foundation of Peter But the Church of England doth all this ergo Here Mr. Montague you denied my minor then many of the Gentlemen that were standers by Sir Francis Wortly Sir John Gothericke Sir Wil. Morton Sir Edw. Bishop and others whose names I know not demanded of you seeing you denied my minor that you would declare and specifie wherein the Church of England failed either in the speculative or practicall part of Divinity and wherein she was silent in any thing that was necessary to salvation either for theory or practice And you were not then able as they can all witnesse to shew any particular where the Church of England failed in her duty or concealed any thing from the people either for speculation or practice Notwithstanding Master Montague you yet persisted in the deniall of my minor and put me upon my proofe Wherupon I thus argued That Church that teaches the whole counsell of God the knowledge of the onely true God and whom he hath sent Jesus Christ which is life eternall John 17. and testifies unto the people repentance towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ Acts 20. v. 21. and instructs them in all things how to believe aright and how to obey aright that Church teacheth all things for theory and practice that are requisite for the making of a true Church and for the building of it upon the foundation of Peter But the Church of England teacheth all these things ergo You againe denied my minor whereupon the Gentlemen as before desired you to instance in any particular where the Church of England was defective or failed in declaring the full counsell of God or in preaching the knowledge of God or of faith and obedience to the people And however Mr. Montague you were not able in any particular to make it appeare where the Church of England was deficient yet you continued in deniall of my minor and urged me to prove it when neverthelesse the truth of it is so evident as very children are able to discerne it All men know that faith and obedience is the whole duty of man Jehosaphat was well instructed in this doctrine and taught it to all his people 2 Chron. chap. 20. v. 20. where he saith Heare ye me O Judah and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem believe in the Lord your God so shall ye be established believe his holy Prophets so shall ye prosper And whosoever believeth on him shall not be confounded Esay 28.16 Rom. 9. vers 33. Faith and obedience was the theame of all the Sermons of all the holy Prophets and Apostles and of Christ himselfe as the whole Scriptures witnesse Esay 1. v. 19. the Prophet saith If ye be willing and obedient ye shall eate the good of the Land but if ye refuse and rebell you shall be destroyed with the Sword all which proofes cleere the truth of my argument But to satisfie your then desire I prove my minor thus That Church that teaches the people their whole duty both towards God and one towards another and instructs them both what they should doe and what they should leave undone by the observing of the which they may live happily here and come to life eternall hereafter that Church teacheth the whole counsell of God all for theory and practice that is necessary for the making of it a true Church and the building of it up upon the foundation of Peter But the Church of England doth all this Ergo. And for proofe of my minor I cited that of Paul in his Epistle to Titus chap. 2. v. 11. For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared unto all men teaching us that denying ungodlinesse and worldly lusts we should live soberly righteously and holily in this present world looking for that blessed hope and glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ who gave himselfe for us that he might redeeme us from all iniquity and purifie unto himselfe a peculiar people zealous of good workes Many places more may be cited to confirme the truth of my argument as Eccles 12. vers 13 14. where Solomon saith Let us heare the conclusion of the whole matter feare God and keepe his Commandements for this is the whole duty of man So in like manner in 1 Sam. 12. ver 13 14 15. God forbid saith he that I should sinne against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you but I will teach you the good and the right way Onely feare the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart for consider how great things he hath done for you But if you still doe wickedly ye shall be consumed both ye and your King The truth of my minor is so cleare that there is not a man in whom there is but one eye of reason but can easily perceive and discerne it for the Church of England teacheth and publisheth the whole Law and the whole Gospell and all that is contained in the whole written Word of God both in the old and new Testament and therefore all the counsell of God and all both for theory and practice and whatsoever is necessary for the building of men up upon the foundation of Peter and proving it selfe a true Church But when you were by argument thus urged you at last after many windings and turnings betooke your selfe to the common refuge of all those of your profession to wit to an unwritten word your traditions and affirmed that the Scriptures contained not all things that were to be learned and practised by the people and that the people ought to be as well acquainted with that as with the written Word whereupon Sir John Gotherick a learned Gentleman to assert and maintaine the alsufficiency of the Scripture without the addition of mens traditions cited that of St. Paul to Timothy the second Epistle chap. 3. v. 16. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine for reproofe for correction and for instruction c. The
THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND A true Church PROVED In a Disputation held by JOHN BASTWICK Doctor in Physick AGAINST Mr. WALTER MONTAGUE in the TOWER Buy the truth and sell it not also wisdom instruction and understanding Prov. 23. v. 23. Where there is no vision the people perish but he that keepeth the Law happy is he Prov. 29. v. 16. Published by Authority LONDON Printed for A. Crooke and I. Rothwell and are to be sold at their shops in Pauls Church-yard 1645. To the Reader Christian Reader IF thou desire to know the occasion of the ensuing discourse betweene mee and Master Montague of whom I may say this although he be an enemy that hee is both generosus doctus adversarius thou shalt not onely be fully satisfied of the necessity of the publishing of it but mayst also finde the true Church by the essentiall and undeceivable notes of the same the which wheresoever they appeare doe abundantly prove and delucidate it to be a true Church Now when they are to be found in the Church of England as in all the reformed Churches it may truely be concluded of them all that they are true Churches from the which there is no just ground and cause of separation As for the Church of England I may ever affirme this as I have in the following Treatise evinced that since the Apostles times the Gospell and the saving truths thereof have never been more purely preached and more chearfully received imbraced and believed and the Sacraments more duely administred and the Name of God more truly invocated and called upon then now in the Church of England that all those that live in it owe their conversion to the Ministery of the same so that with all good reason wee may infer that that Church that teacheth the knowledge of the onely true God and whom hee hath sent Jesus Christ John 17. and is able to build them up in their most holy faith is a true Church and where salvation may be found And therefore not onely those of the Church of Rome that do calumniate her and all the reformed Churches for hereticall are in a great errour and blame-worthy but more especially those that had the worke of regeneration wrought in their hearts by her ministery and owe their conversion to her and yet doe asperse her with odious tearmes absolutely denying her to be a true Church all such I say are likewise to be reproved and have for this their temerity a great deale to answer for before God and all good men for by these their expressions they doe not onely proclaime their owne unthankefulnesse unto Almighty God but their undutifulnesse and ingratitude unto their mother and their uncharitablenesse towards their brethren whom they account of as a company of Insidels denying communion with them in holy things though every way as good and as holy as themselves by all which their proceedings they doe not onely cast filth in all their faces and expose themselves to the ludibree of the world and bring an odium upon the whole Church but are a cause of division and schisme in the seamlesse garment of Christ and give a great scandall to the enemies of the Gospell and to all such as love the truth in sincerity without faction contrary to the Apostles rule who exhorts all Christians to take heed that they give no offence to the Jew nor to the Gentile nor to the Church of God But that all men may see I charge none falsly nor wrong them not in any thing I shall here recite some expressions of their principall leaders and teachers for to enumerate them all would be an endlesse worke as I had them from their owne mouthes in the presence of others and as I finde them in their printed bookes By word of mouth they say That the Church of England is an arrant Whore and Strumpet and that she that was once a Whore can never be presented unto Christ as a chaste Spouse then the which what could be more contumeliosly disgracefully and untruly spoken especially when it is uttered by such as had the worke of grace and conversion wrought in their hearts by the ministery of the Church if they have any grace or were ever truely converted though now they have disobediently deserted and forsaken her In print thus they declare themselves concerning the Church of England and all believers and their fellow brethren in it That the Church of England is a true whorish mother and that they that are of her are base begotten and bastardly children and that she neither is nor never was truely married joyned or united unto Jesus Christ in that espousall band which his true Churches are and ought to be but is one of Antichrists Nationall whorish Churches and Cities spoken of Revel 16.19 c. That the Church of England is false and Antichristian and as shee is a false and Antichristian Church shee can never make true Officers and Ministers of Jesus Christ and absolutely deny that conversion and confirmation and building up in the waies of God are wrought by the Ministery of the Church of England for how say they can they build them up in that which they themselves are ignorant of and enemies unto For as Jannes and Jambres with stood Moses so doe these men also resist the truth being men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth c. This is their Dialect and further they assert That as they have taken paines by the Word of God and demonstrable arguments grounded thereupon to prove the Church of England Antichristian so they promise to all the world that they will in the strength of the Lord of Hosts for ever seperate from Cuurch Ministery and worship of England and all and every one of them as Antichristian and false And conclude that all the Ministers of the Church of England are not true Ministers of Christ but false and Antichristian Ministers and that our Religion neither is the true Religion nor that it leads men the true way to salvation and they affirme that they groundedly and absolutely deny that either the Church of England is or ever was a true Church And from many such premises as these they exhort all good people that are in the bosome of the Church of England as they love their owne inward peace and spirituall joy to withdraw their spirituall obedience and subjection from her Others of them esteem no better of their brethren then of Insidels Vnbelievers and Heathens and proclaime them in their writings published by authority to be men who deny disclaime and preach against Christs Kingly government over his Churches men unconverted or at least converted but in part wanting the maine thing to wit Christs Kingly Office men visibly out of the Covenant of grace who have not so much as an outward profession of faith who deny Christ to be their King to whose persons and infants the very Sacraments and Seales of grace with all Church-communion may and
and all rabid cruelty and unheard of inhumanity and in that also the Church of Rome corrupteth yea annihilateth all the offices of Jesus Christ retayning onely his name but adulterating all true christian Religion and by consequence destroying the very humane nature of Jesus Christ making it present in many places at one and the same time and yet not visible a body and no body I say in all these respects a man may without any wrong done to the Church of Rome conclude that shee is no true Church nor the ground and pillar of Truth But to the end Mr. Montague that neither you or any other may think I do too highly prayse the Church of England for the purity of her Doctrine and worship and honouring of Christ or calumniate the Church of Rome when I charge her with all these things of adulterating all the true Christian Religion and annihilating all the offices of Jesus Christ c. I thought it very necessary here to parallell the Doctrine of the Church of England and that of the Church of Rome together that it may the more evidently appeare unto all men under one view as it were in a Table which of the two Churches believeth best concerning Christ his natures and offices and whether of these Religions is most sound and Orthodox touching all things necessary to be knowne and practised by all such as desire salvation by Jesus Christ And to begin with Christs Kingly office The Church of England believeth that Jesus Christ is the onely and sole King and governour of the whole Universe to whom all power in Heaven and Earth is given Mat. 28. but more especially of his Church who by God himselfe was set King over his holy mountaine Psal 2. v. 6. And that he is the King of Righteousnesse Heb. 7. The King eternall Jsa 9. The King of Kings and Lord of Lords Apoc. 17. and that he doth by his mighty power and wisdom uphold and governe all things but with a more peculiar care and in a more speciall manner preserve and defend his Church 1 Tim. 4. v. 10. as that which he hath purchased with his precious blood and by his power redeemed out of the captivity and slavery of Satan and that he is the head of his Church which is his body who infuseth life into it Righteousnesse Peace Joy Happinesse and all the graces of Wisdome and knowledge of God with certainty and assurance of his love and that his Kingdom and Empire is a spirituall and heavenly Kingdome no terrene and fading Monarchy John 18. vers 38. Luke 1. v. 33. And is uphold and governed onely by the scepter of his spirit and word and not by the authority virtue or wisdome of any humane power Shee also believeth that they are the impious and blasphemous inventions of frothy and windy ambition to affirme that Christ appointed any one to be a Vicar and Governour under him over his Church who by an infallible and unerring spirit should moderate and rule it to the end of the World and to assert that Peter was this monarch and Vicar generall and that the Pope is his successor the head and foundation of the Kingdome of Jesus Christ all these assertions and blasphemous titles the Church of England abominateth as derogatory to the honour and dignity of their Lord and King Jesus Christ and injurious and hurtfull to the salvation of mankind Shee also believeth that the Church of Christ which is his Spouse is onely to be governed and ordered by Christ her head and husbands command Will Word and Lawes as they are set downe in his holy Word and not by the decrees determinations authority and traditions either of Councels or Fathers no farther than they are consonant to his Lawes and blessed Word as they are written and set downe in the Bookes of the old and new Testament Shee believeth also that the pure Preaching of the Gospel and the right administration of the holy Sacraments and the true invocation of God are the infallible ensignes of a true Church and the never deceiving markes and notes of the same Withall shee believeth that such is the condition of the Church militant that by reason of persecutions and bloudy Tyranny and the cruelty of the enemies of it she may be brought to so low a condition and be so obscure that shee may be without any visible forme splendor and outward government and lie hid not only from publike view or the eyes of the common people but even from the sight of the dearest servants of God themselves as it hapned not onely in Elias his time but in many ages besides as the holy Scripture abundantly declareth and that the Church doth not alwaies come with observation as our Saviour said of the Kingdom of God in his time that it came not with appearance and magnificence And therefore the Church of England doth not believe that pompe state and outward worldly dignity and riches miracles multitude and grandeur are the markes and notes of a true Church but rather the very characters of the whore of Babylon who sitteth as Queen And this is the beliefe of the Church of England concerning the Kingly Office of Christ and his Kingdome the Church Now Mr. Montague let us see what the Church of Rome believes concerning Christs Kingly Office and Kingdome that both our tenents and beliefes being set downe together it may the better appeare which of our faiths is most orthodox and which of our Churches doth most glorifie and honour Christ their King and magnifie his Kingly dignity and absolute soveraignty The Church of Rome doth in words acknowledge that Christ is the King of his Church but in their workes and deeds they deny it For they make him a terrene Monarch and his Kingdome to be of this world neither doe they admit and allow him to be the sole alone and onely King of his Church but they joyne a Vicar with him and divide the care of governing his Kingdome between him and his Vicar-generall the Pope who they assert to be of an infallible and un-erring spirit and proclaime him to be King of Kings and Lord of Lords the foundation and head of the Church and Lord of all the Kingdomes of the earth that he may dispose of them as he pleaseth and give them to whom he lusteth and take them from any that hath not a desire to humour him all which are titles of blasphemy and unsufferable indignity to the King of Saints and King of Kings the Lord Jesus Christ The Church of Rome believeth and holdeth also that the Kingdome of Christ which is his Church ought to be governed not onely by the Lawes and Word of Christ but by the determinations and decrees of Fathers Councels and Synods and by the Popes Canons and the vaine and impious traditions of men which they doe not onely equalize but preferre before the holy Scriptures They also affirme that the markes and notes of Christs Kingdome are multitudes
have given an answer to your cavill and evasions which was this that Saint Paul in this place spake onely of the Scriptures of the old Testament because said you Paul writes only of those Scriptures which Timothy had learned from his youth and they were onely the Scriptures of the old Testament that Timothy was instructed in This Mr. Montague was your evasion which if it be true will notwithstanding adde force and strength unto my argument as I then proved and shall by and by more clearely and fully evince But Mr. Montague that Saint Paul in this place joynes the Scriptures of the new Testament with those of the old is most manifest by the addition following saying Which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Jesus Christ which words perspicuously evince that to the knowledge of the old Testament he joyneth likewise the doctrine of the Gospell and the Scriptures of the new Testament But you then replied that the doctrine of the new Testament was not at that time written and committed to Pen but onely delivered viva voce and received by Tradition But all this you spake without either ground or any good reason and against all light of right understanding For it is well knowne that this very Epistle to Timothy was either the last or one of the last Saint Paul ever writ it being a little before his death as appeares by the six and seventh verses of the fourth chapter where he saith I am now ready to be offered and the time of my departure is at hand I have fought a good fight I have finished my course I have kept the faith hence forth there is laid up for me a Crowne of righteousnesse which the Lord the righteous Judge shall give me at that day and not to me onely but to all them that love his appearing So that it is evident that most of all Pauls Epistles were written before this time neither will you deny Master Montague but his first Epistle to Timothy was written before this and in that he had given to Timothy and in him to all the Ministers of the Gospell a perpetuall and sufficient rule how to order and governe the Church unto the worlds end so that all men may perceive that the Apostle joynes the Scriptures of the new Testament with them of the old when he addes through faith which is in Jesus Christ And for further evidence of this consider what Saint Peter writes in his second Epistle chap. 3. ver 15 16. in these words Even as our beloved brother Paul according unto the wisdome given unto him hath written unto you as also in all his Epistles speaking in them of these things c. This Mr. Montague as all men of ordinary wit and all Historians acknowledge was writ some good time and space before this last Epistle and a good time before his death so that the Epistle that Paul writ to the Hebrews his Countreymen to whom Peter also at that time in their dispersion writeth and most of his other Epistles if not all were written when Peter writ this Epistle which by all probability was long before Saint Paul wrote his last Epistle to Timothy so that if you please to take an accurate account of the times it will be evident that all the Apostolicall writings and the whole Scriptures of the New Testament or almost all were then written when Paul writ his last Epistle to Timothy so that not onely the most of Pauls Epistles as Peter witnesseth but Peters first and second Epistle also were then written So that your cavill Mr. Montague and evasion was but a demonstration of the weaknesse of your cause and in nothing impeaches or enervates the dint and force of the argument but rather addes strength and vigour unto it for if I should grant you which I cannot with any reason that the holy Scriptures of the new Testament were not then written when Paul writ his last Epistle to Timothy it would be nothing to the purpose or a matter of any moment seeing that afterward all the doctrine of the new Testament was written and commended by the Pens of the Apostles and Evangelists to future ages and to this end that they should order their faith and regulate all their doctrines and manners according to them with an especiall command from St. Paul 1 Cor. 4. vers 6. That they should not be wise above that which was written Saint John also denouncing a fearefull woe and curse to all those that shall adde unto the holy Scriptures or detract from them Revel 22. ver 18 19. which all they doe Mr. Montague that accuse the holy Scriptures of imperfection which is a great taking away from their perfection and from the honour that belongeth unto them and when they not onely joyne their owne Traditions to the holy Scriptures but preferre them before them which is not onely to be wise above that which is written but prodigiously to adde unto the holy Scriptures which makes you all liable to that curse denounced by Saint John So that if you Master Montague repent not of this so great a sinne The Lord will take away your part out of the booke of life and out of the holy City and from the things that are written in the Scriptures But now Master Montague I will make it evident that the argument will be of more force and more convince your erroneous opinion of the insufficiency of the holy Scriptures and prove the authority and al-sufficiency of them if the Apostle Paul should there speake onely of the Scriptures of the old Testament as you and your brethren would have him and not of the new also And thus I prove it If the Scriptures of the old Testament are able to make men wise unto salvation much more then are all the holy Scriptures both of the old and new joyned together when those of the new Testament fully and clearely interpret the old and with open face the vaile being taken away set forth Christ unto us I say much more then are they being all joyned with the old Testament able to make men wise to salvation But the antecedent is true ergo the consequent The truth is Master Montague they that say the holy Scriptures containe not all things in them necessary to salvation and that they are not without the Traditions of men able to make us wise to salvation blaspheme and give the lie unto the Spirit of God which affirmeth the contrary saying that they are able to make a man wise to salvation And whosoever Mr. Montague shall deny this golden sentence of Paul that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God and profitable c. vers 26. to belong unto the the Scriptures of the new Testament would be thought worthy not onely to be spewed out of the Schooles of all learned Divines but indeed out of the number of all Christians and adjudged unfit for all godly mens society But that
to the salvation of the sonnes of men But I will not now Mr. Montague discover all the errors and abominations of this Idoll onely I shall desire you to take notice of the great impiety and absurdities of this your doctrine The Church of Rome affirmeth Mr. Montague that the sacrifice of this idoll Masse is the very same sacrifice that Christ himselfe offered upon the crosse Against which I thus argue That Sacrifice which differeth from the Sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ both in the efficient materiall formall and finall cause that is not the same sacrifice that Christ offered upon the crosse but the sacrifice of the Masse differeth from the sacrifice of the Lord Iesus Christ both in the efficient materiall formall and finall cause Ergo it is not the same sacrifice but a detestable Idoll For the Major Mr. Montague no man will deny it for that that doth re ratione dissentire from any thing that is not the same as all men know The Minor I will prove with its severall parts And thus I dispute The sacrifice of the crosse was offered up by that high-Priest who is the eternall Sonne of the eternall Father who is holy harmlesse undifiled separate from sinners and made higher than the Heavens Heb. 7. vers 28. Who through the eternall Spirit offered himselfe without spot to God Heb. 9 vers 14. But the Sacrifice of the masse is not offered up by this Priest nor through the eternall Spirit but by a most polluted Priest and through the Spirit of Antichrist Ergo the sacrifice of the Masse is not the same sacrifice of Iesus Christ it differing from it in the efficient cause but a most detestable Idoll The Major of this Syllogisme you cannot deny Mr. Montague neither will any man gainsay or deny the Minor and you know then the conclusion necessarily followeth that the Sacrifice of Christ and the sacrifice of the Masse are not one and the same Sacrifice and therefore to give that honour to the Masse that is onely due to Christ himselfe is the most abominable Idolatry that the World ever heard of for it giveth the same honour to a creature of mans making that is due to the Creator blessed for ever And that shall suffice to have spoke of the first difference and now I come to speake of the second discrepancy in respect of the matteriall cause The matter of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ was the humane nature very man that that was borne of the Virgin Mary that was of the seede of Abraham of the Tribe of Judah that suffered under Pontius Pilate that was crucified dead and buried and is now at the right Hand of God and made higher than the Heavens But the matter of the sacrifice of the Masse is not the humane nature very man and that that was borne of the Virgin Mary that was of the seede of Abraham of the Tribe of Judah that suffered under Pontius Pilate that was crucified dead and buried and is now at the right hand of God and made higher than the Heavens Ergo the sacrifice of the Masse is not the same sacrifice of Iesus Christ that was offered upon the Crosse but a most prodigious Idoll that ought of all men to be abominated For the Major Mr. Montague you cannot deny it and for the Minor no man unlesse he be bereaved of his senses will deny it and unlesse he be unable to distinguish a peece of Bread from the humane nature for Christ retaines his humane nature still wheresoever hee is and he bade Thomas for the confirmation of his weake faith to put his fingers into his side and to prove the reality of his Resurrection and that hee was not a Spirit hee said unto his Disciples Luke 24. vers 39. Behold my hands and my Feete for it is I my selfe handle mee and see for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as yee see mee have So that Mr. Montague except a man have lost all his senses hee will easily perceive the Sacrifice of the Masse and the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ are two different things for the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ had Flesh Bloud and Bones the Sacrifice of the Masse is neither flesh nor fish nor good read Herring it is neither Man nor Beast I pray Mr. Montague answer mee ingenuously do you really and indeed believe that that Breaden Wafer the Priest holdeth up in his hands or that lieth upon the Altar that Dagon of Ginger-bread is the very Christ the Saviour of the World who is now at the right Hand of God doe you believe a peece of Bread to be God-man doe you I say believe that which is betweene the Priests hands ever to have beene in the wombe of the Virgin to be of the seede of Abraham of the Tribe of Iudah and to have suffered under Pontius Pilate I am confident your conscience telleth you the contrary when you know that it is a meere peece of dow How then dare you Master Montague give that honour to a peece of bread that is due to the Lord of life Was there ever in the world a more unheard of Idolatry And yet this Master Montague is the dayly service of the Church of Rome which is worse than the worshiping of Molecke Rimmon or the God of Ekron and exceedeth all either heathenish or Iewish superstition But now I come to shew the difference betweene them in respect of the formall cause The Sacrifice of Iesus Christ was the giving up of his Spirit into the hands of God his Father the laying down of his life the separation of the humane soule from his body and the effusion of his bloud and the wounding and piercing of his glorious Body but in the sacrifice of the Masse there is none of all this you your selves calling it an unbloudy sacrifice and by virtue of your concomitancy as you tearme it you joyne flesh and bloud soule and body together and make that whole which on the Crosse was in all respects separated Ergo the Sacrifice of the Masse is not the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ but a monster to be abominated of all men as that that robs Christ the Lord of his due honour and all the adorers and worshippers of it of eternall happinesse who worship a peece of Bread for very God and in that perpetrate the greatest Idolatry that ever was committed And so exclude themselves out of Heaven for no Idolater shall enter into the Kingdome of Heaven Revel 21. vers 8. But the Fearfull and Vnbelievers and Idolaters shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and which is the second death And therefore M. Montague it highly concerneth you to looke about you and to consider well what you do when you goe to Masse But now I come to the last cause of difference The Sacrifice of Jesus Christ was of that virtue and efficacy and offered up to this very end that it might be a ransome for all believers 1 Tim. chap. 2. vers 6. And Heb. 10.14 For by once offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified But the sacrifice of the Masse is neither of any power or efficacy nor never yet perfected any and by the confession of the Papists themselves must many times be reiterated to bring one poore soule out of their fained Purgatory therefore in regard also of the end it is not the same but differeth from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and ought to be cast out of the World as a beastly Idoll and an abomination and as a thing of no efficacy and power to save any man from misery but all-sufficient to damn soules and send them to perdition and to bring downe the judgements of God upon the Nations and Kingdomes where it is set up as all Idolatry doth for the Lord will judge those Nations with all manner of plagues that provoke him by their Idolatries and after cast them into the lake that burneth with Fire and Brimstone which is the second death Which that Mr. Montague you and all men may shun it deeply concerneth you to consult what a fearfull condition you yet are in and all those that are of the Faith and Religion of the Church of Rome which is the Mother of all abomination and duly also to weigh the haynousnesse of your offence who causlesly so separated your selfe from your Mother the Church of England whom I have as I conceive sufficiently in my foregoing discourse proved to be a true Church and built upon the foundation of Peter the ground and Pillar of Truth Mr. Montague That which I have now to say unto you is this God hath given you excellent parts and bestowed many mercies and favours on you and his long suffering and patience towards you has beene great in all respects who have hitherto imployed your gifts to wrong your own soule and mislead others let it be enough that you have gone so farre and have hither so abused Gods loving kindnesse towards you knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth you to Repentance and therefore take heâ—d lest persevering in these erroneous and damnable Idolatries and sacrilegious impious opinions you treature not up unto your selfe wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgement of God which that you may not do it shall ever be the Prayer of him that wisheth no lesse happinesse to your soule and body than to himselfe and who shall alwayes remaine Sir Yours in the Lord JOHN BASTVVICK FINIS