in upon us at those wide breaches we have made for them By our Divisions we become accessary to our own ruin and have great reason to fear lest we do that with our own hands which all the Policies of Rome have not hitherto been able to effect By our Divisions we may provoke God to suffer our enemies to prevail and by fiery trials to scourge us into Love and Unity Then we shall too late repent of our violence and bitterness And when we sadly look back and reflect how happy once we might have been this will be no mean aggravation of our misery And when we remember we brought our afflictions upon our selves we shall have cause to say with sad hearts and tears in our eyes Oh that we had known the things that belong to our Peace Let us now therefore be intreated to lay aside prejudice and passion and have greater regard to the common good than the interest of any particular Party Let us more impartially weigh the differences among our selves and resolve that nothing but sin shall hinder a full agreement And by mutual compliances 't is no impossible thing to be reconcil'd But if that be too great a blessing for such a sinful People and there must be differences among us Oh that we could once learn to differ in judgment without any alienation of affections That we could once learn that the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink consists not in such little things as are the matters of our difference But in Righteteouness and Peace and Joy in the Holy Ghost And he that leads an holy Life shall be accepted by God tho he worship not him after our particular mode and prehaps be guilty of some mistakes Are not our differences much of the same nature with those St. Paul mentions Rom. 14. And why should not his directions be carefully observ'd Why should we aggravate every little difference or heighten every small mistake or censoriously condemn one another as Hypocrites because tho we agree in all the substantials of Religion we cannot be all of a mind in some particular forms and modes and ceremonies Are not we all fallible creatures and shall we be angry at our brethren for that which is the common condition of Men May not the error be on our own side as well as our Brothers And is this becoming a Christian or an ingenuous man to condemn another for that wherein perhaps I may be guilty my self We cannot gratify the Papists more than by these unhappy disputes Let us therefore by the friendship we bear to the Protestant Interest by the concern we have for our Religion and just hatred we bear to the Romish Faith be perswaded either wholly to lay aside or at least to be more moderate and calm in our differences Let us labour after Healing Uniting Spirits imploy our zeal about the great Duties of Religion strive which shall be the best Christians and the best Subjects and leave the Disputes about lesser things to those who know not how better to imploy their time Then we need not fear the attempts of our enemies And as God hath hitherto so we may hope he will still be our great defender But as one says very well till we are as zealous against the Antichrists in our own breasts as Pride Anger Malice and Bitterness as against him that sits in the Roman Chair and learn heartily to love one another we have little reason to hope with Agag that the bitterness of Death is past but have too much cause to dread the Romish Yoak 4. Let us never Apostatize to the Romish Religion A Religion which perfectly overturns Christianity and absolutely overthrows all Civil Government A Religion which destroys our duty to our Heavenly and dissolves our obligation to our Earthly Sovereign A Religion that takes away that fear of God which Christianity obliges us to and denies that honour to the King which the Law of Nature and the Light of Revelation binds upon us If we would perform a more reasonable service than Heathens offer let us not return to the sorceries and charms of Rome If we have any respect to the Commands of God or dread Divine threatnings let us not deny him that Spiritual Worship he requires nor fall down before Graven Images Except we can be content with a Catechism without the Second Commandment a Sacrament without the Cup and a Bible which we cannot understand Except we will Worship we know not what Pray unto those that cannot hear us and trust in those that cannot help us Except we can be content with a Faith without knowledgâ— a Hope without foundation and a Charity that damns all the World but our selves Till we can be perswaded That there may be Devotion without understanding Repentance without amendment and Salvation without any labour or great industry to obtain it Till we can be satisfi'd in these and all the other particulars I have mention'd we cannot be thorow Papists And if these things are not prejudice enough against that Church it 's a sign we little understand what Religion means Let us therefore seriously reflect on these particulars that our abhorrence of Popery may not meerly be because we were educated in the Protestant Faith and 't is a fashionable thing to rail against the Church of Rome but it may be establish'd upon firm and stable principles such as may endure a storm and fiery trial which God knows whether we may not be visited with That we may never run such hazards of our Salvation as we shall incur if we Apostatize to that Church For how far the depths of Gods mercy may reach and his sovereign goodness may save a Natural Born Papist I know not how far their ignorance and prejudice may excuse them is not for me to dispute But this I will say If any who have been educated in the Protestant Faith and well understood the Grounds of that Religion shall turn Papist he must have a great measure of charity who can think such an one in any near probability of Salvation Let us therefore hold fast our Religion and strictly comply with its excellent commands let our professions be sincere and our lives obedient then tho our enemies do plot our ruin the God of Heaven will appear on our side and his never-slumbring Providence defeat their designs Tho these who have turn'd the world upside down should come hither yet their policies shall not prevail But only give fresh occasion to us to glorify God the Author of our Deliverance FINIS Books Printed for and Sold by John Gellibrand at the Golden Ball in St. Pauls Church Yard Folio BOnetti Sepulchretum sive Anatomia Practica 2 Vol. Mercurius competalitius sive index Medico-Practicus Medicina Septentrionalis Collatitia Baudrandi Geographia Ordina litterarum disposita 2 Vol. Quarto Zâ—diacus Medico-Gallicus 3 Vol. pro 3 Annis Binchii Mellificium Theologicum Theses Salmurienses 2 Vol. Sedanenses 2 Vol. Octavo Sir John Temples Irish Rebellion Sir Willian Temples Observations on the united Netherlands Miscellanea Plutarch's Morals Translated from the Greek by several hands in 3 Vol. Bishp Wilkins of Prayer and Preaching 2 Vol. Sermons and Beauty of Providence World in the Moon and Earth a Planet Mathematical Magick Dr. Fords Exposition upon the Church Catechism Dr. Jacomb's Personal and Domestick Dedication Duodecimo Herles Wisdoms Tripos Garbut on the Resurrection Virgil cum notis Minellii Florus cum notis Minellii Tentamen Medicum de Varioris Old Mr. Dods sayings in one large Sheet
an immaculate Virgin and honour'd by a miraculous Star He was proclaim'd the true Messiah by the Gratulations of Angels and Worshipp'd in his Cradle by the Wise-men of the East the Holy Ghost descended on him at his Baptism and a voice from Heaven such as perhaps had never been heard since the delivery of the Law declar'd that he came as an extraordinary Agent from God I know the Jews make their boasts of many Voices from Heaven which they call Bathcol after the days of Malachi but we may well account them Forgeries or Diabolical Illusions for it is utterly unimaginable That when Divine Vengeance had taken away vision and prophecy and all other immediate revelations he should give this plain discovery of his will The new Law of Christ was therefore attested by the same way of evidence with the old Law of Moses Thus also at his transfiguration the samevoice in the Luke 17. 5. presence of Moses and Elias comes from God with the addition of Hear him as if he should say You have obey'd my servants Moses and Elias the instruments I chiesly us'd in establishing the old Law but now hear and obey my Son and that full and compleat Law he shall promulge This great attestation if there were no other would confirm the truth of Christianity But to go on Angels Minister'd to him in his temptations and he fasted even above the possibility of Nature all sorts of diseases fled before him and he cur'd more plagues than Moses brought upon Egypt Fevers Palsy Leprosy Distractions were heal'd by no Medicinal Applications but meerly by a touch of his Hand or word of his Mouth He laid his Commands on the stormy winds and they were obedient and still'd the rage of a tempestuous Sea He satisfi'd the hunger of thousands with almost nothing and multipli'd five Loaves and two Fishes to content a numerous multitude He spake such words as gave ears to the deaf and loosend the tongue of the dumb to proclaim his divine commission The touch of his Garment stop'd a flux of blood and I will be thou clean chas'd away a leprous defilement Talitha Cumi restor'd the Rulers Daughter to life and the touch of a Bier converted the sorrows of a funeral into mirth and gladness Lazarus come forth recover'd that dead that was almost putrifi'd in the grave and O woman great is thy faith be it unto thee as thou wilt Cur'd the Canaanitish womans daughter that was possess'd and at a great distance from him The Devils were forc'd to slee with halte from the bodies of men and tremblingly acknowledg him to be the Son of God Clay and Spittle apt to strengthen blindness rather than take it away gave sight to him that was born blind and by the most preternatural means he wrought the most wonderful works He foretold his own death with all its tragical circumstances and predicted his own Resurrection The descent of the Holy Ghost the Persecution of his Disciples the Destruction of the Jews and the propagation of Christianity were all related by him long before their accomplishment The Earth was cast into trembling Convulsions the Rocks were rent the Sun was Eclips'd contrary to all the rules of Astronomy and insensible Nature was cast Into an Universal agony as if it were indued with knowledg at his Funeral At the time appointed he arose again and numerous departed Saints with him He convers'd with men for forty days on Earth and was seen by 500 at once at last he ascended into Heaven before a great multitude of admiring spectators and did not vanish away on a sudden but went up with all the solemnity and leisure of a triumph from thence he dispens'd his gifts to his Apostles inspir'd a mean company of illiterate Fisher-men with a spirit of prophecy and revelation and gave them power of speaking in many of those languages which the curse of Babel brought upon the world They perform'd all sorts of miracles by the bare use of his Name and did such mighty works as amaz'd all spectators He turn'd a Wolf into a Lamb and the bare words of Saul Saul why persecutest thou me chang'd a furious persecutor into a zealous convert These things were not done in a corner but openly before the Jews and Gentiles In Judeâ— where the best worship of God was establiish'd and diabolical impostures most abhor'd In Jerusalem the Metroplis of that Nation In their Synagogues and publick assemblies before his most inveterate and obstinate adversaries and yet none of these could deny the matter of fact but out of envy and ill will imputed them to Magick and the assistance of the Devil But alas the nature of these works so good and beneficial to man kind and their design and tendency to pull down that dominion the Devil had so long usurp'd and plant that holiness in the hearts of Men which is so contrary to his Nature clearly testify that such an accusation could proceed from nothing but devilish envy and malice These were the credentials that Christ brought with him from Heaven These were the convincing Arguments that he was sent from God These were the demonstrations which over power'd the reasons of men dispell'd that thick darkness which had so long overspread the Earth and so soon fill'd the world with the light and knowledg of the Gospel and therefore these Jews ought not so clamorously to have accus'd the Apostles but with joy and admiration to have flock'd together saying These Teachers sent from God that have reform'd the world are come hither also II. Quest Whether the Apostles disturb'd the world by teaching Doctrines of Rebellion For the sense may be These that raise mutinies in every place overturn Cesars Authority and Preach up Allegiance to another King one Jesus are come hither also Here my business is to prove That Christianity doth not destroy but establish and confirm that Duty which the Law of Nature challenges from Subjects to their Prince Indeed the Jews were of all men most unjust in this accusation For the great reason of their malice against Jesus was because where as they expected a Messiah that should break the Roman Yoke and deliver them from the Tyranny and oppression of Cesar That should Redeem them from their Vassalage to an uncircumcis'd Emperor and reign as a victorious Monarch over the world He disappointed their proud expectations came in a mean and humble manner proclaim'd himself the true Messiah and yet declar'd that his Message was peace and not war and that his Kingdom was Spiritual and not of this world If he would have ascended the Throne of David and warr'd against the principalities and powers on Earth instead of those of Hell If instead of raising up Lazarus and some meaner persons he would have restor'd to life their Sampsons and Joshuas and mighty men of valour If instead of teaching them the way to be sav'd from eternal Misery he would have instructed them how to be freed from Earthly Bondage
is Mysterious and the Doctrine of the Trinity is Incomprehensible to humane Reason but yet it is not repugnant to it The Unity of the three Persons of the Godhead transcends indeed our conceptions but reason connot prove it to be an impossibility or to include a contradiction for altho among creatures one nature is still join'd with one subsistence yet the Divine Nature being not of the same condition with created substances it can never be prov'd impossible that three Divine Persons should subsist in one Nature the manner indeed is incomprehensible to reason and it is not to be expected that a finite creature should be able fully to comprehend an infinite being In a word The Christian Religion gives us the most exalted lovely apprehensions of the Divine Nature without any of those jarring notions which the Heathens entertained and tho there be some mysteries in our Faith yet they tend only to exalt God and debase Man and 't is our duty to believe what God says of himself and to fall down and worship what we cannot comprehend But further the manner of worshipping God prescrib'd by the Apostles is highly suitable to his Majesty and becoming his Spiritual Nature not with the follies and extravagancies of the Heathens nor pompous and gaudy Ceremonies of the Jews but with a modest magnificence and comely simplicity with prayer and praise and singing and other solemn exercises of Devotion with a reverent celebration of its mysteries without I dolatry or Superstition on the one hand and without contempt of a Being so worthy of the most humble adoration on the other This is the method of Devotion in the Christian Church much more comely and decent and agreeable to the Nature of God and Reasons of Men than the butchery of Sacrifices and numerous gay solemnities among the Jews which except they had prefigured the great undertakings of the Messiah would never have been injoyn'd Much more then the ridiculous charms and impure rites of the Heathen Worship which the wisest among them were asham'd of and only join'd therein ut legibus jussa non ut diis grata as commanded by their laws not as pleasing to their Gods 2. Their Doctrine concerning mans reconciliation with God by the Lord Jesus tho it was above the sphere of reason to invent yet when once reveal'd appears highly satisfactory to reason for when man had wilfully broke the Divine Law and exposed himself to the threatned punishments of infinite justice God that he might signalize his mercy and fill the hearts and mouths of Men and Angels with the most ardent love and admiring Hallelujahs was pleas'd to dispence with his threatning and show himself ready to be reconcil'd Now what imaginable way can we think of more agreeable to reason whereby man may be restor'd to the divine favour shall he meerly pardon sinners this clemency would be but weakness and foolish pity for it would argue either that he wanted Power to effect what he threatned or was defective in Wisdom as if he thought his law unadvisedly made and foresaw not the inconveniences it would occasion Or that he was not infinite in Holiness who could so easily be reconcil'd to sinful rebels Besides this would weaken his Government over Angels and Men and encourage them to sin for the future in hopes of the same mercy and compassion Thus we see how unreasonable it is to imagine God should meerly pardon sinners It was necessary therefore that some satisfaction should be made and except this be proportionable to the offence the same inconveniences will still follow the repute of the Law will not be kept up God will still labour under the dishonourable reflections of Levity Impotence and Impurity and Men will be encouraged to sin for the future with hopes of an easy remedy This burden was too weighty for the shoulders of any creature such is the Malignity of sin and so great a dishonour to the Divine Male sty that it is impossible the services and sufferings of a meer creature should compensate for the affront It was necessary that God should satisfy Himfelf and because those satisfactions do most secure the ends of satisfaction which come as near the threatned penalty as may be 't was necessary he should become man live a life of misery and dye an accurfed death and endure such agonies and torments of Body and Soul as might represent more livelyly to the sons of men what their sins had deserved and come as near the penalty as the dignity and innocence of his Nature would permit Thus Gods hatred of sin is most clearly display'd and men are mosâ— effectually deterr'd from continuance in any iniquity Thus the Divine Wisdom and Power and Holiness and Mercy shine in their brightest lustre and conspire together in a most admirable harmony and agreement and that men might still be more apprehensive of their own vileness God not withstanding all the wonders of his love testifies his hatred to our sins by refusing to admit any immediate applications to him and resolving to accept of no services nor hear any prayers that are not perfum'd by the intercession of his beloved Son This is the admirable Gospel-method of propitiating the Divine Favour which we indeed dar'd not once to have thought of till God had reveal'd it but now it is made known appears to be only satisfactory to reason What the Sacrifices and Offerings and other contrived methods of satisfaction among the Jews and Gentiles were too weak to effect this this is done by the great Sacrisice of our Lord Redeemer 3. Their precepts and rules of Life were all reasonable and advantagious to our interest conducive to the health of our bodies the tranquility of our minds the peace of our consciences the sweetning of our tempers the exalting our natures the improvement of our estates the advancement of our reputation and the comfort of our lives By the practise of them we shall consult our private interest obtain the good will and respect of men and promote the publick benefit of all We shall act worthy of our selves and becoming our reason obtain the Divine Favour and resemble the Divine Nature What more comely and decent than a profound admiration of him who is so Glorious and excellent in himself An ardent love of him who is so kind and beneficial to us An awful reverence of him who is so Powerful Holy Wise and Just and a cheerful obedience to all his Laws who is our Soveraign and our Father our Friend and best Benefactor What more reasonable than prayer to him who is able to supply our wants and praise and thanksgiving to the same God who gives all the comforts of this life and from whom we expect the rewards of a better What more just and fit and conducible to our interest than that we should be upright in our dealings with our neighbour veracious in our words faithful in our trusts sincere in our contracts innocent and inoffensive in our
procurement Oh says the Cardinal those persons were disaffected to the Catholick Interest and these are my good deeds with which I intend to present my Saviour A story that needs no other invective than the bare relation But I would not willingly accuse all while some only are liable to this charge For many Romish Doctors mean no more by merit than that obligation God hath by promise laid upon himself to reward our good works And this I think none that understand the Nature of the Divine Promises can gainsay These men we accuse only for the use of a proud improper term tho once us'd by the ancient Fathers in an innocent sence 2. By their Doctrine of penance and Purgatory Whereas the Scripture tells us that Christ hath pai'd down a compleat Ransom for our sins and it is through his Blood alone we can expect a freedom from the punishments we have deserved yet this Church hath Coind new distinctions between the temporary and eternal punishments of sin as if tho the latter be remov'd by the Blood of Christ the former must be satissi'd for by our selves either in this Life or in Purgatory To this end they have given the Priests a commission to injoyn penances for sin as satisfactions to Divine Justice and preventive of surther punishment Penances so Ludicrous and Trifling that it is a sign of great infatuation in any that can believe by such cheap and easy performances to appease the anger of an offended Deity Penances consisting of little observances such as numbering their Prayers by their Beads saying so many Avemaries at some priviledg'd Altars in abstaining from Flesh for so many days in whipping their bodies in wearing hair-shirts and the cords of the particular Orders and numerous other little pieces of solly and superstition By these means do they take off sinners from their grateful love and duty to the Redeemer and earnest believing-applications to the Lord Jesus who is appointed by the Father as the sole Mediator of his Church and through whom alone we can expect deliverance from punishments whether temporal or eternal Of the same nature is their Doctrine of Purgatory a state of torments in the other world equal in degree tho not in continuance to those of Hell wherein those souls must sry who have not satisfi'd for their sins here till their friends give money to the Priest to pray them thence By this means the interests of the Clergy are advanc'd and the grandeur of that Church promoted This hath enrich'd their Abbies adorn'd their Chappels fill'd their Coffers and made good provision for all the begging Orders among them For while they scar'd the people with such a terrible Doctrine and yet pretended a power of Praying them thence who would not give liberally to those who were able to deliver them from such extremity of torment A Doctrine which the honester of their Doctors acknowledg is not to be found in cripture and these who pretend to prove it thence have brought such lame and farfetch'd proâ—â—s as are as easily refuted as mention'd the only Text that can with the least probability be stretch'd to this sense is that of 1 Cor. 3. 15. He himself shall be sav'd yet so as by fire But this is but a proverbical speech and by the context the meaning plainly appears to be that he who holding the essentials of Christianity shall corrupt it by additions of other disagreeing Doctrines is in a very hazardous condition and tho his salvation is possible yet it is but as a mans whose house is on fire about his ears extreamly dubious and very uncertain which how applicable to the Romanists hath been excellently showed by others and will further appear by this discourse But were there such a place as this what a derogation is it to the blood and prerogative of Christ to think that money can procure a Release from thence The Psalmist I am sure tells us that they who trust in their wealth and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches none of them can redeem his brother or pay to God a Ransom for him Psal 49. 6. 7. But this is but Old-Testament-Divinity and Purgatory hath been built since that time or rather the infallible Head of the Church will not be guided by the Laws of the Bible For tho St. Peter would not sell the gifts of the Spirit for Money yet a fair purchase of eternal Life may be bought of his Successor if God would as willingly consent as he And we may invert St. Peters words and apply them to the Romanists 1 Pet. 1. 18. They are bought with corruptable things and redeem'd by silver and gold from the imaginary flames of Purgatory tho not from that vain conversation receiv'd by tradition from their Fathers But we have not so learn'd Christ Scripture mentions but two places Heaven and Hell if we lead Pious and Holy lives we may receive death with a joyful welcome and need not allay our comforts by the fears of an after-reckoning in another world And tho we may have been guilty of many venial sins in a Gospel-sense through infirmity surprise and sudden temptation or of any more mortal ones of a deeper die yet upon our sincere repentance the Blood of Christ without the fire of Purgatory will cleanse us from all these and present us pure and spotless to the Father But if we die in an impenitent state we shall be presently doom'd to endless remediless torments and all the wealth of the Indies will never procure us a deliverance thence I might further mention their practice of selling Indulgences for money which happily occasioned the reformation by Luther By this they they have made easy composition for sins and the Taxa Cameroe Apostolicoe a book publickly printed amongst them sets down at what easy rates an absolution may be obtained for the most unnatural vices Now what a direct tendency hath this to make men set light by their sins tread under foot the blood of the Son of God and account the death and sufferings of the Lord Jesus perfectly unnecessary 3. By their doctrine of the sacrifice of the Mass as a formal expiation of the living and dead Tho the Apostle to the Hebrews makes the great excellence of Christs sacrifice above those of the Levitical Law to consist in this That it was so full and compleat that it needs no repetition Heb. 10. 12 14. Yet the Romanists have made it a great part of their Religion to offer him every day in the Mass as a propitiatory proper sacrifice and thus make his former sacrifice on the cross incompleat and imperfect or rather wholly unnecessary for Christ instituted the Sacrament before his passion and if he then offer'd up himself as a propitiation for our sins what need was there at all of his bloody death and passion It is acknowledged that the Eucharist may be called a sacrifice in the same improper sense as our prayers and alms-deeds and repentances