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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A33507	The whore unvailed, or, The mistery of the deceit of the Church of Rome revealed being a brief answer to a book entituled, the reconciler of religions, or, A decider of all controversies in matters of faith, written by a professed Roman Catholick who subscribes his name A.S. in which he endeavoured to prove the Church of Rome to be the true church ... / by a servant of the Lord, Josiah Coale ; whereunto is added the 14th Chap. of A.S. his book in which he declares the Protestant ... not to be true preachers ...	Coale, Josiah, 1632?-1668.	1665 (1665)	Wing C4760; ESTC R37745	41,902	55

into the world and leads up to God the Father from whence it comes all who are taught and guided by it but condemns from God all who in unbelief or in rebellion do despight unto it and disobey the motions thereof But to return to the matter concerning the Churches being Judge First I find A.S. in the beginning of his seventh Chapter saying Methinks I hear a Quaker whispering the Light that is in thee is the Judge of all controversies and the law and rule according to which thou must walk Answ I answer Yea the people called Quakers do believe and say that the light which every man is enlightned with is the law and rule according to which every man ought to walk and is the Judge in all controversies in matters of faith for as before All Judgement is committed to the Son John 5.22 who lighteth every man that cometh into the world so all Judgement being committed to the light that lighteth every man the light that is in every man must of necessity be the Judge of all controversies and this I farther adde that all who are baptized into Christ hath put on Christ and all who are by one spirit baptized into one body though they were sometimes darknesse are made light in the Lord and so they being in him and he in them are all one even as Christ and the Father is one and he that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified are all of one by which its clear that Christ in his Church who is light with him is the onely Judge of all controversies and indeed this supernatural Light is the true touchstone by which all spirits may be tried whether they be of God or not for as the Apostle said whatsoever makes manifest is light Ephesians 5.13 so that without this touchstone none can try spirits because an evil spirit may speak good words Again Christ is in all things to be the Example of all believers and he lighteth every man that cometh into the world John 1.9 so every man being enlightened with the light of his spirit who is to be our example in all things it must of necessity be that the light that is in us is this Judge and the law and rule according to which all ought to walk Secondly But then A.S. replyes that the light that is in thee tells thee that thou must hear Christ and Christ tells thee that thou must hear the Church c. Answ I answer Yea the Light that is in us teacheth us to hear Christ who hath enlightened us and also to hear his Church with whom he dwells and that hears him and in whom his spirit speaks so as I said before I shall not go about to deny the Authority of the true Church but the usurped authority of the Church of Rome I do deny usurp'd I say because she hath been and here is sufficiently proved not to be the true Church to whom Christ gives power and authority both to bind and to lose therefore her authority is usurp'd and she is not to be heard but to be turned away from Thirdly A.S. saith If you object that the spiritual judgeth all things and the spiritual is judged of no man I answer that the godly spiritual judgeth all things c. But I deny that you or any other Sectaries in the world is godly spiritual for as St. Augustine saith they have not the Holy Ghost that are out of the Church Reply To which I say that as A.S. hath co●fessed That the spiritual man judgeth all things its according to my own belief but what doth this avail the Church of Rome who as I have proved is not godly spiritual but is sensual and devilish and is not the true Church but the Whore for although as he saith The godly spiritual is judged of none yet the Whore is judged of all who are godly spiritual and although A.S. denyeth that th● Quakers are godly spiritual yet he is never able to prove his affirmation for though they have not the holy Ghost who are out of the Church yet it doth not follow that they have it not who are out of the Church of Rome except she could be proved to be the true Church The contrary whereof I have already proved for the people called Quakers though they are out of the Church of Rome are led by that spirit which teacheth them to live soberly righteously and godly in this present world as thousands of their Neighbours can bear witnesse therefore the people called Quakers are godly Spirituall Again That Prophet which is of God is godly spiritual Jer. 28.9 and that Prophet which speaketh a thing and the thing come to pass that Prophet is of God But the people called Quakers have prophesied several things as to the late overturn'd Powers of this Nation with divers other things which accordingly came to pass as to their sorrow they were made to know therefore they are of God and godly spiritual 4. A. S again saith If you say know ye not your selves how that Jesus Christ is in you except ye be reprobates 2 C●r 13.5 I answer the true sence and meaning of this place is this c. So here A.S. is again undertaking that which himself saith is the Churches work for saith he in his eighth chapter the Church is the alone interpreter of all Scriptures and yet he himself who is but a particular man is here undertaking to give an interpretation or meaning to the forementioned Scripture by which it is plain that he condemns himself in the thing he is doing 5. Again fifthly he saith That the spirit of God saith Hear the Church but the spirit of the Devil contradicts and saith Hear not the Church but Christ alone for of Christ saith he it s written This is my beloved Son him hear ye behold how the Devil pleads for Christ of purpose to deceive Christians c. Ans To which I answer That I think I need not say much to convince all that reads but A.S. his own words that he is either grosly ignorant or else abominably wilful wicked for who can believe that the Devil will plead for Christ or perswade people to hear Christ and disswade them from hearing of the Church certainly if he would perswade people to hear the greater he would not disswade them from hearing the lesser And how can people p●ssibly be deceived that hears Christ and obeys him I cannot believe that its the spirit of the Devil that perswades people to hear Christ but rather that its the drawings of the spirit of the Father that invites them to come unto the Son and to he●● him for Christ said None cometh unto me except my father who hath sent me draw him Joh 6 44. But A.S. contrarywise in effect saith That the Devil draws people to come unto Christ and to hear him By which he hath manifestly shewed that he is of ● contrary spirit unto Christ Therefore A.S. is an Antichrist and

of Rome are baptized and sanctified in Christ and that all her Institutes and Cerimonies c. are holy and therefore she is holy Answ I deny i● and he cannot prove it for all who are baptized into Christ and are sanctified in him have put on Christ Gal. 3.27 and doth live holy and have the mind of Christ 1 Cor. 2.16 But the Church of Rome hath not the mind of Christ neither doth she live holy as afore proved Therefore she is not holy And as concerning her Institutions and Ceremonies as Bowing to Images and Altars and such things we never read that the holy Church in the Primitive times did practice such things therefore we have no ground to believe they are holy 3. That the true Church is Catholick or Universal I shall not go about to deny but I do deny that the Universality of the Church of Rome is a sufficient Argument to prove her to be the true Church for consider 1. What Church is more universal then the great Whore the false Church who hath a name written MISTERY BABYLON THE GREAT THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATION OF THE EARTH Rev. 17.5 Who sits upon the many waters which are Nations Kindreds Tongue● and Peoples Rev. 17.15 And did not the Whole world wonder after the beast that carries the Whore Rev. 13.3 And did she not sit as a Queene over them all with her fair profession or golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthinesse of her fornication Rev. 18.7 and 17.4 And did not all the inhabitants of the earth and the Kings of the earth drink of the wine of her fornication and commit fornication with her Rev. 18.3 17.2 Mark how universal was this great Whore the false Church and how confident she was for she said in her heart that she should see no sorrow Rev. 18.7 And did she not glor●fie her self and reign over the kings of the earth Rev. 17.18 mark this thing Is not this the very state of the Church of Rome now at this day doth she not reign over the Kings of the earth and over the inhabitants of the earth and hath she not so done long even for many ages Witnesse Fox his Acts and Monuments the first Volume which copiously relates the Authority she hat● exercised over Kings and how Pope Aarian made Fredricus the Emperour hold his stirrup while he got up his horse yea and shent him for his pains because the poor Emperour not being us'd to that work held his stirrup on the wrong side of his horse And again Did not the gre●t Whore which John sp●ke of drink the blo●● of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Rev. 17.6 And was she not to have blood given her to drink And hath not the Church of Rome drunk the blood of many thousands of the Saints and Martyrs of Jesus Surely the Histories of many generations past will testifie she hath Therefore she is not the true Church but the Whore And have not many Nations gone into her and committed fornication with her and doth she not sit upon many waters the Peoples Kindreds Tongues and Nations and this kind of universality she makes use of as an argument to prove that she is the true Church which may be truly said to be a part of her witchcrafts and sorceries with which she hath long bewitched the Nations even all this long night of Apostacy in which Antichrist hath reigned who hath blinded the invisible eye in people and with this same pittiful shallow stuff she would fain still blind that eye which God hath opened in us But blessed be the Lord the day is dawned which makes all things manifest Secondly And farther consider what a slender or blind Argument it is to plead universality to prove the Church of Rome to be the true Church Surely A.S. did not consider that they are many who goes in the bro●d way that lead● to destruction and that the whole world wondred af●e● the bea●● that carries the Whore the false Church neither did he consider that they are but few who finds and walks in the straight way which leads unto life ●or had he considered these things he would have been ashamed to have produced such an Argument to prove the Church of Rome to be the true Church But it s clear that the universal Church of Rome sits upon the many waters and reigns over the Kings of the earth and goes in the broad way Therefore she is not the true Church but the Whore Fourthly Again That the true Church is Apostolick and built upon the foundation of the holy Apostles and Prophets Eph. 2.20 and was propagated through the world by the Apostles that I acknowledge but that the Church of Rome is Apostolick or had her beginning in Christ and his Apostles as A.S. affirmeth or that she was propagated through the world by the Apostles in that discipline Ceremonies worshipping of Idols or Images Murthering the people of God c. in which she now stands that I doe deny and its abomination in A.S. to affirm it For consider First When or where did Christ or his Apostles begin the practice of bowing to Images or worshipping Idols or when did any of them bow to an Altar of wood or pray with a string of beads or pray to Saints or carry a silver or wooden Crosse about with them or murther any because they were not of their Faith The Church of Rome cannot prove that ever Christ or his Apostles began or practised any of these things nor that they were in being in their dayes we defie them but they are inventions set up in the false Church in the dark night of Apostacy that hath been over the Nations since the Apostles dayes and are practised in the Church of Rome to this day Therefore she is not Apostolick but Apostate like Fifthly That the true Church or the Members of it is visible I shall not deny and that she is the Light of the world I do confesse but that the Church of Rome is the true Church or the Light of the world because she is visible that I do not acknowledge but deny for although the true Church or the Members of it is visible yet so is the Whore also But then some will say How are they the● to be distinguished First I answer By the●● fruits as Christ said men do not gather grapes of thorns nor figs of thistles Matth. 7. ●6 neither can one 〈◊〉 send forth bi●ter water and sweet James 3.12 nor a good tree 〈◊〉 b●ing forth bad fruit But the visible Church of Rome bring● forth bad fruits and sends forth bi●●er waters as the Cruelties exercised by her and the Murthers she hath acted for ages past testifieth and as the Idolatries exercised in her to this day as before mentioned witnesseth For such things was never exercised by nor in the true Church in Christs nor the Apostle● dayes therefore though the Church of Rome be visible yet her fruits testifieth that

then that which is already laid 1 Cor. 3.11 which is Jesus Christ So he is the first and the last the beginning and the end and A.S. his affirmation is nothing worth for his purpose nay it 's worse then nothing for it discovers his deceit and ignorance though I perceive his intent and aime was to gratifie his Master the Pope by pleading his Supremacy under pretence of setting Peter above the rest of the Apostles when indeed its manifest enough that his intent was to set up the Pope as Lord and Master over Gods heritage Gentile like contrary to that saying of our one Lord Christ viz. be not many masters for one is your Master even Christ and all ye are brethren Mat. 23 8. So that Peter was not set up as a visible head over the Church of Christ as A.S. saith the Pope is over the Church of Rome neither was Peter above other of the Apostle● but a fellow servant with them and they all fellow workers together with Christ 2 Cor. 6 1. and Paul was not at all inferiour to Peter in relation to his spiritual authority for he himself said yet not bo●stingly but truly that he came not behind the very chiefest Apostles 2 Cor. 12.11 So that Peter was no more the rock then Paul was and what was Paul or what was Apollo or Peter either But Ministers by whom the Church believed 1 Cor. 3.5 so it was not the work of the Apostles to set themselves one above another for they abased themselves that the Lord Jesus Christ might be exalted Neither did they preach themselves but Jesus Christ the Lord and themselves servants c. 2 Cor. 4.5 by which it appears that the Pope doth not truly succeed Peter in the same spirit that he and the rest of the Apostles were in who had the spirit and mind of Christ who made himself of no reputation Phil. 2.7 but the Pope truly succeeds those whom the Apostle saw would come that should be covetous boasters and pr●ud blasphemers 2 Tim. 3.2 as doth appeare by his preaching up himself and his boasting of his great power and superiority witnesse Fox his Acts the first Volume pag. 1023. and so on where you may read at large how several of the Popes of Rome have sufficiently declared themselves to be covetous boasters and proud blasphemers and have also laid themselves open enough to the view of all who have an eye to see so that I need not produce any farther Argument to prove the Pope a proud blasphemer Then next A.S. in his third chapter undertakes to prove That neither all sects nor any one of them is the true Church c. Whose Cause I am not engaged in nor intend to plead therefore I shall let that passe But his fourth and fifth Chapters contains several Arguments by which he undertakes farther to prove the Church of Rome to be the true Church together with some Queries propounded To which I intend to return a brief and sober Answer 1. First A. S. saith That which was once the true Church is now c. But the Roman Pontificial was once the true Church c. I answer I do not deny but that there was a true Church at Rome in the Apostles dayes but that the Church now at Rome is therefore the true Church that doth not follow for as I have before proved the true Church in the Apostles dayes was far different both in Discipline and Practice from the Church of Rome that now is But then A.S. saith If the Roman Pontificial did fall what Church did she fall from If she did faile when c I answer Paul in the first Chapter in his Epistle to the Church of Rome spake of some who when they knew God did not glorifie him as God but became vain in their imaginations and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an Image made like to corruptible man and so not likeing to retain God in their knowledg God gave them up to a reprobate mind and they were filled with unrighteousness fornication and wickedness covetousness envy murther c. Rom. 1.21.23.28 29. And is not this the very state of the Church of Rome at this day is she not now filled with these things Surely yes Thousands of thousands must acknowledg it if they consider it and speak the truth Oh the murthers acted by her and the blood she hath drunk as before hinted and the adulteries committed within her borders Indeed these and many other her abominations are innumerable as she her self full well knows therefore she is indeed falne and deeply revolted from that pure spirit in which the true Church stood in the Apostles dayes Thence she is falne and the time when she fell was when she began to enter into these aforesaid abominations that is now found in her Well 2. But then A.S. saith That if the true Church be infallible she must have alwayes remained without interruption since Christs time to this day c. I answer although the true Church be infallible yet it doth not absolutely follow that she must have always remained without interruption unto this day for as I have already proved the true Church was interrupted by the Dragon and was persecuted into the Wildernesse but she did not fail but remained there and had a being there a place prepared of God for her concerning which I shall have occasion to speak more fully shortly 3. But A.S. saith That no other Church on earth hath remained unto this day without interruption besides the Roman Pontificial and therefore she is the true Church I answer no she is not therefore the true Church but the Whore for as I have already proved the true Church was interrupted and yet remained 4. But then said A.S. If any can say that there hath remained any other Church on earth since Christs time unto this day without interruption and error let him tell what was she or what is she where was she or where is she what is her name what Bishops Pastors and Believers had she or yet hath she what Emperors or Kings did adhere to her or now do what general Councils did she hold what Hereticks did she condemn what Accademies did she errect or confirm what Churches or Monastries did she build c. And then said he To these and such like Interrogatories all the Schismaticks Sectaries and Hereticks in the world cannot answer Answ To which I answer Although all the Sectaries in the world cannot answer those questions yet there are many who are members of the true Church not of the Church of Rome that can answer them and first I say there hath remained another Church since Christs time to this day besides the Roman Pontificial tha● now is though not without interruption yet the true Church as before proved was interrupted And as to those questions viz. What was she or what is she c. I answer she was in Johns day a wonder in Heaven a woman cloathed

And all thy expectations will fall before thine eyes When Death and Famine comes on thee with mourning great and sore This will predict thine end to thee who never shalt rise more And truly thy divisions great predicts thy sudden fall The more because thou hast refus'd to hear the heavenly call For in thy streets the voice hath cry'd Repent and fear the Lord And turn from your Idolatries serve God with one accord But like the Adder thou hast been that 's deaf and will not hear The Charmer who hath charmed long so thou hast stop't thine eare Why dost not minde the words of Christ who spake and said himself The Kingdom cannot stand that is divided 'gainst it self And is not thy divisions great Oh Babylon thou Whore Which doth foretel thy total end and thou shalt be no more The cause which doth provoke the Lord to poure his Judgments great On thee is thy deceit pride murthers which are great And also thy Idolatries and Whordoms which are many This doth provoke the Lord to wrath and 's anger will not tarry Wherefore look for it and expect that it will surely come For God hath said it and it must accordingly be done Written in Bridewel near Lanston in Cornwall the 11th Moneth 1664. J. C. Here follows the Papists 14th Chapter concerning the Protestants or Sectarian Ministers published for them to Answer That the Protestant or Sectarian Minister or Preachers are not True Preachers or sent by God 1. ALl that have no true Mission are not true Preachers How shall they Preach unlesse they are sent Rom. 10.15 But Protestant or Sectarian Ministers and Preachers have no true mission For all their mission from the beginning of their Reformation was either the Inspiration of a Spirit they knew not what or the Commission of a Child Edward the Sixth whom they called Supreme Head of the Church and from whose Kingly power all Jurisdiction as well Ecclesiastical as Secular they affirm did slow See Fox tom 2. Anno 1546. in Edw. the 6th or the Letters Patents of a Woman Queen Eliz. to whom also they were pleased to attribute the like Superiority and Power See Stat. Anno primo Eliz. Cap. 1. or the Ilisit and invallid Ordination or mission of or by one Story an Apostate Monk who Ordained their first Bishops at the Nags Head in Cheapside in Queen Elizabeths time See Christophorus de Sacro Bosc● or at length the Approbation of Tryers Instituted by his late Highness forsooth and Confirmed by Act of Parliament if they have any better let them prove it in the mean time let them know we value not a straw Mason's Old New Records produced in the year 1613. which was the matter of 50 years after the thing now mentioned was Sacrilegiously and invalidly done and most disgracefully and shamefully cryed down But those could not give them any spiritual Authority Power or Right to Preach for according to that Received Maxime of the Law No man can give more right then he himself hath Cook lib. 4. Therefore c. 2. Moreover a Bishop is to be ordained by two or three Bishops Consil Apostil Can. 1. And a Priest and likewise a Deacon and the rest of the Clergy by a Bishop ibidem Can. 2. Con. Trident. Sess. 23. Can. 7. But this Apostolical and needful manner of Ordination or Mission they never yet had for they rejected it quite and brought in an Heretical fashion in its steed in Edward the Sixth's time neither if they were willing could they have for as I said before their Bishops from the beginning of their Reformation had no other Ordination Consecration or Mission then the Commission of the King or Queen nor yet that but during the King or Queens pleasure For the sacrilegious Ilicit or Invalid Ordination of or by Story which was the first pretended holy Mission of Protestants in England and from whence they hitherto derive their Orders it was not worth a straw witness the aforementioned Canons of the Apostolick Council c. and consequently their pretended holy Orders thence derived are not worth a pins head no more is the Approbation of Tryers Therefore they are not true Preachers What are they then forsooth Intruders Thieves and Robbers Hypocrites Ravenous Wolves and Murtherers Sons of Belial False Prophets and Priests of Baal Which is their Heresie Rebellion and stubbornnesse against the Church for Rebellion as they themselves even in their newest Bible confesse is as the sin of Witchcraft and Stubbornesse is as Iniquity and Idolatry 1 Samuel as they call it the 15. and 23. 3. Now if the Protestant or Sectarian Preachers and Teachers be such what must the Protestants and Sectarians themselves be If the light that is in them be darkness how great shall the darkness its self be If the blind lead the blind shall they not both fall into the ditch Sure enough they shall even into the ditch of everlasting burning brimstone and fire where shall be howling and crying and weeping and lamenting and gnashing of teeth for ever unless they be converted and do Penance and live in the Church in which must alwayes be true Preachers and Teachers for the Consummation of Saints to the work of the Ministry and edification of the body of Christ Ephes 4. ver 5 11. But in the Protestant or Sectarian Church are not such as now proved therefore the Protestant or Sectarian Church is not the true Church of true believers How shall they believe in him whom not of whom as their Bible saith of purpose to excuse themselves See above they have not heard or how shal they hear without a Preacher or how shall they Preach unless they are sent 4. Note this well gentle Reader and consider seriously with your self how deplorable a thing it is to see such hypocritical Intruders to stand in a Pulpit or Tub with such a brazenfac'd book as is their Unjust Corrupt and perverse Bible in their hand lulling the poor Ignorant people to the sleep of death with these words Thus saith the Lord when the Lord saith no such thing Are not these they of whom the Lord himself saith Jer. 14.14 They prophesie falsely in my Name I sent them not and I did not bid them neither did I speak unto them a lying vision and divination and fraudulence and sedition of their own hearts they prophesie unto you See more Deut. 13.5 Item 18.20 c. And when they have done with their Thus saith the Lord and can say no more then they rowse up their slumbering spirits by singing unto them one of Tho. Sternholds Jack Hopkins or Rob. Wisdoms Psalms suppose From Turk and Pope c. which Sacrilegious Psalm or Diabolical Song passeth with these deluders and their deluded Auditors and Chorists for holy Scripture and the Word of God as well as Dixit Dominus Domino meo c. Oh times Oh manners Oh God amend them Amen See Erastus senior and jun. who copiously prove this Subject A.S. THE END The mystery of the Whore farther discovered † To A.S. his Query viz. where was she † To where is she † To A. S. Query what is her name * Witness the Book Intituled Good Counsel and Advice Rejected A hint towards the discovery of the true Church