Pope alone who being elected and chosen by such humane or rather worldly or rather diabolicall means so often deceived in his judgements so subject to vices and infirmities yea and so uncertaine of his owne salvation I could not see how that could be a sure ground of a firme beliefe such as ought to be that of our faith there being no place in the holy Scripture that giveth him either right to judge or infallibilitie to doe the same as J shall shew more amply with other things so that J did imagine all this to be onely an humane invention and deceit flowing from the ambition and power of the Pope so dazel the eyes of the simple and weaker understandings and a refuge for want of the Word of God to maintaine the doctrine taught in that Church Those considerations did ever sencibly move me and the more I grew in age and continued in the study and meditation of Theologie and holy Writings the more also did increase the impressions and commotions they made in my spirit and though often through scrupulous simplicitie J endeavoured to confirm my selfe and banish those doubts thoughts according to the Command they gave me yet the truth did appeare so strong and evident that J could not but suspect the doctrine of that Church and as those doubts did multiply within mee the curiositie and desire to finde out the truth was also augmented And also because J doe not remember to have met with any learned or judicious men even of the Romish Church which did not make mee to see in free Conferences that they had the like doubtings and that they did not see sufficient ground in the Word of God for most Articles of the Romish beliefe All those Considerations being come to their maturitie made mee resolve to come with courage and other necessary Circumstances out of the Kingdome of darknesse where J had lived so many yeares and give my selfe fully to follow the most holy truth where I protest and confesse before God and the world J have found more satisfaction and tranquilitie of minde than ever J could meet withall so long as J was in the darknesse of ignorance and lyes But that J have no sooner taken my pen to give glory and praise to God to whom it is due and to edifie the Church the indisposition of the time past giving me but small hopes of any good fruits from the seed J might have sowed before moved me to delay even to this time and occasion wherein the power of darknesse seemeth to be shaken in most Nations of the world especially pietie justice and truth being likely to flourish in this Noble Kingdome of England with greater libertie and splendour than ever by the wisdome and zeale of this incomparable Parliament called by the great prudence of the high and mightie King Charles and continued to this present J have some hopes of more plentifull fruits and that some may open their eyes more freely to search and know the truth and doe as J have done as J wish they would doe Besides J having been marveilously delivered not long since from a hard captivitie of ten moneths occasioned by the onely treachery and inhumanitie of my younger brethren much obliged to me But as Papists angry at my conversion contrary to all the oathes of securitie they so often made to mee my occasions calling me amongst them But God of his grace having not onely delivered mee beyond all humane expectation but also made me the Instrument to bring to the knowledge of his truth my owne Keeper who was of the same order with mee and the meanes of my deliverance J have now more obligation than ever to give glory to God and wish that all men were in the straight paths of the faith to give more perfect praises to God for all his favours It is not my intention to treat here amply of all the Controversies of Religion an infinite number of grave and worthy Authors having already done it more learnedly exactly and curiously than I could to whom J remit the curious and those who have the leasure and desire to be further informed But that which I pretend in this little Treatise is onely briefly to deduce the reasons which have most troubled and vexed my spirit advertising you that J shall onely use the Versions in this Booke which are received in the Romish Church to wit the vulgar they attribute to St Jerome for the Latine and that of the Doctors of Lovaine for the French to the end the ignorant who know not what the Scripture is take not occasion to stumble here and say as their custome is all is imposture and deceit God forbid J should seeke applause or glory of any thing wee have no good but that which commeth from God but I may say truly J was not accounted ignorant in the Romish Church for besides the study of Philosophy and Theologie and others wherein J spent many yeares J was imployed above twelve yeares in Preaching by expresse Commission from the Generall of the whole order of Capuchins where J was and by priviledge and especiall Letters from the Congregation of Cardinalls at Rome J was the Popes Missionary above seven yeares a favour imparted but to few for the great and extraordinary power they have moving jealousie even almost to all the Bishops And though J have been a sinner full of imperfections and will not nor cannot glorifie my selfe in any thing before God or men yet the charges of Superioritie in divers Monasteries of Deputie in many Provinciall Assemblyes of Confessor in sundry places of Missionary in many Cantons where J have been and was actually imployed when I left the Romish Church evidence sufficiently the opinion and estimation which was had of me in the order I was of passing with silence the applause and affection of peoples in many Cities and Countryes sufficiently knowne to thousands But to God be the glory and honour before whom I protest worthy Reader I shall write nothing here but the simple truth sincerely as J thinke and know it according to the true feeling I have Let no unreasonable scruple or vaine feare divert you from reading this Treatise for there is no Commandement under heaven can hinder you to seeke your salvation and to see and enquire if you be in the right way or not You will reade willingly a Comedie a Roman a booke of love or songs without scruple Wherefore will you not reade this that concernes your salvation If the Pope forbids it it is because he is interessed but none ought to be received Judge in his owne cause Besides have you never heard that of the Prophet Isaiah Isai 15.3 Mat. 22.29 My people are captive because they are without knowledge and that of our Saviour Mat. 22 29. Yee erre not knowing the Scriptures And as I desire nothing but your profit and Gods glory so shall you not see here any affectation of vaine eloquence but onely strong
when Printing did begin they being either lost or consumed by fire or time or by the Wormes or a multitude of other accidents which we see doth eat and consume the very stones and Iron Now those first Manuscripts have been copied out by divers Writers and that from hand to hand from time to time to be dispersed and preserved from age to age and run over Kingdoms and after a multitude of Transcriptions passed by example since our Saviours time to us how many faults and what alteration have been made in those Books and in the doctrine of those Fathers for there is no man almost how able soever who can brag that he can transcribe a sheet of paper without committing some one or more faults how many will there be then in a great Volume as one of St Augustins or St Chrysostoms And as those Clerks or Transcribers who were called Amanuenses were for the most part mercenary and did all for money and profit living by that trade it is likely they took not much care but thought onely upon a quick dispatch that they might gaine the more and when they found any thing that seemed a fault to them whether it was really so or not they changed and corrected it according to their minde and passion it faring with faults as with balls of snow which the more they are rolled grow the bigger so far was their faults to be lesned by their Writers thav they were rather augmented and multiplied the old continuing or rather growing worse and daily more new ones being made so that some little time after it might be said of every Book that it was in a manner no more the same Book but altogether another being so much changed and altered And the Romish Church growing in power and authoritie when shee found any thing in those Books contrary to her doctrine and the increase of her greatnesse or against her designes and intentions shee did condemne the same as falsified and falsly attributed to the Fathers and correct it after her own minde and fancy and when Printing was come in use shee made choice of that which was most conformable to her doctrine or rather moulding and forming it by her agents and supporters to her own minde caused it so to be printed suppressing and forbidding other Copies as spurious and corrupted said they by some heretiques or malicious people or falsly attributed to their Authors and so who can now say in the world certainly that the writings fathered upon Irenaeus Cyrillus Augustin and other ancient Fathers are the true and genuine Writings of those Fathers not falsified or supposed And if it hath been so hard a matter to preserve the holy Scripture which is but a little Book in comparison of those others in its purity through so many ages when Printing was not in use What can we say of those great Volumes which were not in so great request nor so much respected and where the change and alteration was not of so great importance to care so much but where every one took often the authoritie to change according to his fancy and accommodate the Father to his minde to authorise his beliefe I think there is no man of good judgement in the world who seeth not cleerly the force and power of this so manifest truth and that it is impossible to ground any certaine beliefe such as that of faith ought to be upon so uncertaine grounds Besides that though they were most certaine yet being men subject to mistakes and errours wee were not obliged to make their opinions our Judges if they be not conformable to the Word of God which is the rule of all truth For which cause I shall not strive in this Booke to alledge many passages of Fathers but onely shew my opinion grounded upon strong reasons and upon the vertue of the Scripture My intention not being to make a great Volume but onely a little Book of small cost and little time and paines both for my selfe and the Reader CHAP. VIII Concerning the chiefe point of Controversie to wit that St Peter had no primacy in the Church and that the primacy of the Pope is an unlawfull usurpation AS I have ever beleeved that the chiefe and most important point among all the controversies betwixt the Catholique reformed and the Romish Church is that of the Primacy of the Pope and whether he be Vicar of Christ Jesus on earth universall and generall Bishop over all Christians and be head and superiour of the Catholique Church So it was the first motive of my conversion and that which I esteemed to have most need to be well considered and examined as being the ground of all the Romish beliefe which once over-turned shee must of necessitie fall to the ground And howsoever there be many other points of great importance this neverthelesse is as the Center where all the rest do meet and the axletree on which they all move and the foundation that upholdeth them because that whatsoever point of faith or Scripture is in controversie those of the Romish Church will have none but the Church for Judge or as I have shewed the Pope saying he is Vicar of Christ Jesus and head of the universall Church and consequently sole Judge in matters of faith And being the Pope of Rome pretendeth this authoritie onely so far as he vaunteth himselfe to be successour of St Peter to whom he saith that Christ Jesus hath given this power I have diligently examined the question to see what reason and ground the Doctors of the Romish Church have to maintaine the same and howsoever they reject the Scripture and will not admit it to be Judge of controversie they are neverthelesse necessitated to have recourse to it and receive it for Judge in this point For the question being of the Pope he must not be Judge and party and it would be an insufferable impertinency to goe about to prove the Pope by the Pope and maintaine that he is head of the Church because maintaineth he and affirmeth it he must then of necessitie declare and produce his other titles and shew by what vertue he posseseth this authoritie there being no proscription in matter of faith and conscience for otherwise the Religion of the Gentiles and Idolaters would have been thought the best and the doctrine of the Evangelists would never have been planted for which cause also he laboureth to prove this his Article by the Scripture And to that end we shall first set downe the strongest of his reasons by way of objection the weaknesse and nullity of which I shall shew And although it be sufficient enough for evidencing his power to be unlawfull and usurped making it appeare that his titles are false and of no force and that wee are not obliged to bring proofes out of the Scriptures for that which is not a point of our faith it being sufficient for us that it is not in the Scripture which we hold for sole rule
ground but when I came to consider and examine the ground more narrowly I thought they had reason sufficient for so doing especially for attributing to himselfe the infallibilitie which is onely proper to God and which is the most execrable blasphemy Antichrist can commit and the greatest of his offences mentioned by St Paul in those words 2 Thess 2.4 Even to sit as God in the Temple of God and exalting himselfe above every thing that is called God for truely the Pope in this maketh himselfe as God appropriating to himselfe infallible truth which is onely proper to the Godhead and is the Godhead it selfe Making himselfe further to be adored as God yea more than God causing men to carry him upon their shoulders at the Procession of the Sacrament where that which they call the Hoast or body of the Son of God is onely carried on horsebacke causing Christians yea Nobles and Princes to kisse and adore his feete and laying the holy Scripture at his feete And when he celebrateth the Masse his Chaplaines use a great deale more reverence and ceremony about his person than they doe about the Altar and Hoast with an infinite number of other things proper to the sonne of perdition described by St Paul and by other Scriptures which to shunne tediousnesse I passe by remitting the Reader to those who have expresly and amply written on this subject CHAP. XVI The summe and conclusion of the former Discourse concerning the usurped Primacy and infallibilitie of the Pope YOu have seen good Reader how I have clearly shewed that the Romish Church which maketh the primacie and infallibilitie an Article of faith set down especially in the Confession of faith of the Councell of Trent can produce no passage of holy Scripture that proveth it with the least ground or reason you have seen how I not being obliged to prove the negative by Scripture have notwithstanding by the same word of God shewed cleerly enough that Christ Jesus had never intention to give that primacy to S. Peter as the Apostles did never beleeve nor acknowledge it and that S. Peter himself did never think it nor make use of it and consequently that it is falsly attributed to the Bishop of Rome although he were successour to S. Peter in the Bishoprick of Rome which is a great controversie You have also seen that the Bishop of Rome was never called nor acknowledged for head of the Church or universall Pastor the first 300. yeers without controversie yea for almost 500. yeers which is a very great and long time and further that he never assumed but rather rejected that title as wicked damnable and arrogant and proper to Antichrist never using that Authority It hath been shewed you how this usurpation was brought in and how it hath been maintained in what case it may be in at this present and by what unjust and tyrannicall means that unlawfull Authoritie reigneth in the world to the great prejudice of Princes and oppression of Prelates and to the great scandall and hurt of all poore and simple Christians Lift up therefore the eyes of your understandings and conclude with me that this power being usurped is unlawfull and void as it appeareth is in vain and without reason said to be the rule of faith that it appropriateth to it self the infallible explication of the holy Scripture and the priviledge to declare the Articles of faith It is in vain then that it sendeth us to its Synods and Councels which presume to have no authority but from him who hath none himself neither to call nor confirm them and all the Canons that were ever made under that unlawfull authoritie have neither force nor vertue neither can they oblige any Christians All the Canons and Constitutions therefore established and confirmed by the Popes of Rome and their Councels are of no force nor strength neither can they oblige any man Therefore all the Excommunications and Anathema's all the commandments and prohibitions issuing and coming from such an Authority which are numberlesse ought to be rejected and set at naught if they have no other authoritie from the Word of God as void and unlawfull and cruell burthens laid on mens shoulders to hold them in slaverie as those of the Pharisees condemned and accursed by God himself Compare I pray you courteous Reader the Commandments of God with those of the Church and Pope and you shall see that the Commandments of God are easie Mat. 11.30 and his yoke is light as he hath said and that the commandments of the Church which the Pope affirmeth to be of equall authoritie with Gods are insupportable burthens and cords to strangle the consciences and snares to precipitate them into hell Open therefore your eyes O ye people and behold your blindnesse and the captivitie in which ye live so miserable Isa 52.2 Loose the chains from off thy necke poore slave and captive daughter of Sion may I say unto you with Isaiah I know that many Bishops and Prelates men of great learning and honest conversation yea the most part of the Prelates of the Romish Church mourn and groan under the weight of that yoke and wish nothing more than the happy occasion to see themselves delivered complaining often amongst themselves and making their complaints resound in the eares of their trusty friends I know assuredly as having heard it from their mouthes that they are of the opinion of the ancient Bishops that the Apostles were equals according to the testimonie of the Scriptures and that the Bishop of Rome is no more than their equall their fellow Bishop and brother not their superiour although one of the greatest amongst them because of the greatnesse of the City of Rome where he resideth as they of the first ages did esteeme I know they see and acknowledge that it is nothing but an usurpation begun by the liberality of great Princes and brought in by the ambition of the Popes and the indiscretion of the wicked Emperour maintained by force during the weaknesse and calamities of the Emperours and the dissention and division of States and yet tontinue at this present by unlawfull policies and courses under the bountie of soveraigne Monarchs who suffer it All the learnedst and most judicious of the Romish Church see and deplore this miserie and tyranny but to open their mouth aloud and in publique is a thing which none dare attempt under the Popes authoritie for besides the excommunications and Anathema's which will not be wanting to terrifie the simpler besides the prisons and other corporall punishments where the Inquisition reigneth they must expect where the Pope hath any credit with Princes to be quickly deprived of all the Church Revenues they possesse and out of hope to get any more which verily are too strong motives to retain many who have not sufficient courage and who by pusillanimity and those temporall respects are forced to keep silence and yeeld as dumbe dogs which dare not barke
thinke it is his good deeds which have merited the crowne to him No truly for many would doe a great deale better greater and more laudable actions who will not therefore enjoy that possession and heritage but it is the onely goodnesse of the King which is the cause and his onely voluntary and free adoption which giveth him right to that succession So fareth it in this matter By faith in Christ wee are adopted to be his children and heires of his glory and as his adopted children we ought to strive to please him in all things and if we offend him and transgresse his commandements and commit crimes against him we make our selves unworthy of that heritage and of his favours and if we be not reconciled to him we shall be deprived thereof and never possesse it But if we be obedient to his Commandements and do our dutie those are not neverthelesse our good workes and actions which merit that favour for many may doe the like works and actions either of charitie of almes of justice honour father and mother or the like who not being adopted by faith shall not obtaine such an heritage nor the glory of God so wee must not trust to our workes and imagine they justifie and save us And if it be sometimes said in the Scripture that the recompence followeth the workes and if we doe well we shall have our reward or the like Wee must not thinke this recompence followeth the workes and is precisely given for their merits but because of the faith in Christ and in his promises which accompany them or rather which give them their excellence I confesse that in former times when I would make a serious reflex upon the workes which I did which were esteemed good and ranked amongst the best in the eyes of the world as fastings austerities mortification of the flesh suffering of cold watching and many such things which are common enough in the Congregation where I was when I had done all that I was able to make them perfect and meritorious and when I joyned all the zeale puritie and love of God was possible I did notwithstanding ever finde so many inward defects and imperfections that I could never perswade my selfe they were of great efficacy before God to merit his favour or any heavenly recompences they afflict indeed and bring downe the body and make it more able and apt to obey the Spirit which was St Pauls end and if they be not discreetly used they bring men into many infirmities and diseases but that they might merit Gods favour or glory or be capable to deliver a soule out of Purgatory or satisfie for our sins I could never firmely beleeve any such thing And I know certainly from the knowledge which the governing of a multitude of soules hath taught me this doctrine doth so little assure the consciences that there are none but fooles and presumptuous persons which thinke to merit Gods favour or heaven to themselves or to others thereby And all wise men agree in this that there is nothing but a quickning faith can justifie us before God and howsoever the doctrine of the Church of Rome maketh faith to be onely the ground and faith it is the love of God which justifieth with the ground of faith yet this love of God well explained with the ground of faith it seemeth to be no other thing than a quickning faith by charitie and a beliefe and confidence in the merits of Christ and his promises and so I thinke that the agreement would not be very hard to be made in this point Neverthelesse the Romish Clergie principally the Fryars making but little mention of faith as if it were not of so great importance preach nothing but workes and especially of the body as fasting mortification of the flesh disciplines haire-cloaths and the like and chiefly Almes and it seemeth even in hearing them that the doctrine of good works is all brought to this head and they doe it purposely and all that say they is comprehended under the word Penitence which John the Baptist did preach in the Wildernesse though he understood a repentance from sin and amendment of life And because by Almes men deprive themselves of some commodities that is also comprehended by them under the word Penitence and they know well enough how to illustrate this doctrine by other passages out of Scripture I may say from sufficient knowledge that which our Saviour said of the Pharisees Mat. 23.3 Maâ— 23.3 might be justly enough applyed to them to wit Doe not after their workes for they say and doe not for they binde heavie burdens and grievous to be borne and lay them on mens shoulders but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers but all their workes they doe for to be seene of mâ—n Vers 2â— And vers 27. Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites for yee are like unto whited Sepulchres which indeed appeare beautifull outward but are within full of dead mens bones of all uncleannesse Even so yee also outwardly appeare righteous unto men but within yee are full of hypocrisie and iniquitie For many preach fasting which love good cheare and do fast as seldome as they can many preach the hairecloath which never made use of it and so of other things which I will explaine no further But because they know well that the people like not much those austerities and corporall mortifications and doe not willingly practise them and that they are beleeved amongst the vulgar to doe many such things because of the externall appearance and they labour of purpose to seeme austere they make them beleeve that their almes will satisfie for all and that if they will become benefactours of their Churches and Orders or be of their Congregations and third Orders or joyne themselves to their fraternities of the scapulaire or girdle and the like or be adopted children of their Orders they will make them partakers of all the good workes which have been are and shall be done amongst them now and for ever through all ages to come for words are of great vertue in those matters What a great number are done amongst them and how and in what excellency and perfection all those fine workes whereof they brag so much and make such a noise in the eares of the people and whereof some prefer themselves to others are done ordinarily they know what I might say and that they have but small ground of glory but howsoever it is they promise them or if I durst say they sell them for they give nothing for naught and that with a number of fine and specious ceremonies to allure others and when they adopt them for spirituall children they give them large Patents sealed with as broad Seales as those of a Chancellary whereby they declare unto them that in vertue thereof they make them partakers of all their austerities fastings haire-cloaths mortifications disciplines prayers pilgrimages voyages travels
Isa 56.10 seeing the woolfe fall upon the flock as saith Isaiah Would to God Princes would once rellish this important truth which a great many of their ablest Subjects do acknowledge and open their eyes to see the captivitie under which they go about to oppresse their authoritie God of heaven make them see their servitude and give them resolution to deliver themselves and their Subjects from under that strange and cruell yoke I am perswaded if once this great abuse were out of the Church if this unjust and incompetent Judge were once rejected as an usurper of an authority not belonging to him all Christians would in a short time be of one flock and under one Pastor Christ Jesus and in a short time there would be through all Europe and other places of the earth but one faith one baptisme one God for the holy Scriptures entring to be Judge and Rule of all controversies in point of Religion there would be no man of spirit and judgement who would not in a short time know the truth and the darknesse of error would quickly be dissipated by the approach of the light But from this incompetent Judge doth proceed all the miserie of the Church and because that point is the most important of all others in controversie I have stayed longest upon it and laboured to deduce and cleer the same more amply as being that whereupon I did most ground my conversion and the change which I have made And because I know there be yet many points which for not being sufficiently cleered are the cause of the perdition of many I shall endeavour to speak something of them in the following Chapters according to the light God hath given me and the knowledge I did acquire being in the Romish Church not that I promise to set them down so amply as I have done the precedent points For having proved evidently that rejecting the judgement of the Pope as unlawfull and of no force we ought to take the Scriptures and Word of God alone to judge all our controversies in matter of faith all that cannot be shewed in the holy Scriptures must be banished out of our beleef and because they of the Romish Church confesse that in many points they have no Scripture nor ground it is by consequence to avow and confesse the nullitie thereof neither need we any other form of processe to condemne them of untruth so that which I shall write hereafter shall onely be for the greater satisfaction of the Reader and to open the eyes of many simple souls who see not their blindnesse and darknesse CHAP. XVII Of the Invocation of Saints AFter that I was sufficiently informed and fully satisfied by those reasons and considerations I have already deduced and others like to them which to avoid prolixity I omitted that neither the Pope nor the Church ought to be my Judge in matter of faith but the holy Scripture onely which God hath given us to that end then did I begin to examine all points of faith by the Scripture alone and in every thing that was propounded to me by the Romish Church I had recourse to the Word of God and holy writings to see if it was conformable to them and if any such thing were preached by Christ and his Apostles who have questionlesse divulged the pure and most perfect faith that being the thing every Christian ought to practise in matter of faith And perceiving the point of the Invocation of Saints to be at this present in great estimation in the Romish Church and that the câ—nfession and profession of faith ordered by the Bull of Pope Pius the fourth according to the Councell of Trent saith expresly we must honour and invoke the Saints I have searched and examined this point by the holy Scriptures I confesse truly that as my nature moveth me enough praised be God to give honour to those to whom it appertaineth especicially in holy things so have I ever had an inclination to render to the Saints as much honour and respect as I thought was due to them and if I should have found any ground in the holy Scripture for the Invocation of Saints I would certainly have embraced it with a hearty affection but knowing that God is better pleased with obedience than will-sacrifice so I did beleeve the Saints demanded nothing more of us than what was due to them and that we are so far from doing them pleasure in giving them more honour than justly appertains to them that it were rather to offend God and them in God who loving him above all things have no other glory nor pleasure than his glory and will Now for passages out of the holy Scriptures to prove this Article the Romanists produce none worthy of consideration and that which ever I did read of greatest importance for them 2 Pet. 1â— 15. is the passage in 2 Pet. 1.15 Moreover I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have those things alwayes in remembrance Thereby say they Peter promiseth the faithfull that he will pray for them after his death This passage is falsified for it is according to the Greek I will endeavour that you may be able after my decease to have those things still in remembrance that is Theod. Aquin. in Comm. super Epist as Aquinas himself who is esteemed Mr. of the Schoole explaineth because saith he I must shortly be dissolved therefore so long as I live I will take pains to advertise you not onely once but often that is instantly and diligently that you may remember those things I told you after my death Oecumenius also acknowledgeth this explanation to be the best and the other to be hyperbolicall that is troubling and overturning the construction And although we should confesse that by this passage is proved that St. Peter and the other Saints pray in Paradise for the faithfull it will not thence follow that they hear us and that we must call upon them nor can they produce any proofe out of Scripture The Jesuite Cotton also in his first book of his Institution in the Chapter of the Invocation of Saints saith Cotton Instit li. 1. cap. dâ— Invoc Sanct that for commandment to pray and call upon the Saints the Church hath never taught any neverthelesse the confession of faith of the Councell of Trent composed and formed to be received of Christians by command of the same Councell Concil Triden Sessio 25. de Reform cap. 20. and especially by Pope Pius the 4th hath those words I beleeve the Saints must be honoured and invocated who reign together with Christ and that they offer up prayers to God for us Thence it would appeare that this good Father did not well know his belief for behold his Church beleeveth that Saints must be honoured and invocated if it be not peradventure that he would put this glosse upon the words of the Councell to wit that the obligation is onely by way of
you He saith not goe to Moses or to Abraham or have you recourse to Jacob but come to me all both poore and rich men and women whosoever yee be how great sinners soever all yee that are weary with any griefe or affliction for any disease or any affaires whatsoever and I will comfort you and be assured yee shall finde consolation Is there any Saint in the world to whom we have so great reason to addresse our selves as to Jesus Christ our God who ever hath commanded and provoked us to come to him who hath called and charged us who hath ever said come to me who hath given us so great confidence and to whom ought we to beleeve and to trust so much is there any Saint so able to assist us and who can comfort us so much in all our afflictions and heale us so well of our diseases or so quickly and powerfully helpe us in all our crosses as he Is there any Saint that hath assured us so much of his good will towards us Is there any Saint in whom and on whom we can trust and repose our selves so freely To what purpose then should we goe and addresse our selves rather to the Saints than to him who is our God and omnipotent Father and who infinitely desireth our wellfare It is easie by that which I have said and which I am to say to answer the objection Papists commonly have and imagine to be strong drawne from the comparison of Princes and Mediatours which men use to goe to them and to doe their businesse the better for it is not so in God we goe not directly to Princes either because they know us not or because we are not sure of their affection towards us or if they be minded to doe us good but this hath no place in God for we are certaine he loveth us and desireth and willeth our good it is moreover his will and he commandeth us to come to him so we have no need to interpose others and having no commandement to doe it nor example in holy Scripture nor any reason in the world we cannot doe it without offence And we need not doubt but the Apostles had a sufficient inclination to honour the Saints which were before them yet we see not in any place of Scripture that ever any of the Apostles did invoke any of the Saints either before or after the death of our Saviour or that he ever recommended that doctrine if this had been an Article of faith and of so great importance doe yee not thinke they would have left something of it in some one of their Epistles or St Luke in the Acts which no where appearing it is a manifest signe Christ Jesus did never teach it and that it was never his will we should practice it Now if our Saviour hath not recommended it nor the Apostles taught it and if further it appeare they never practised â—o upon what reason and ground ought we to doe it Shall we thinke our selves wiser than Christ and his Apostles and doth it not appeare to be a humane invention and addition to the Word of God which is cursed from his mouth and threatned with an Anathema by the Apostle St Paul Besides if we interpose Christ who is our true and soveraigne Mediatour is there any that can deny that our prayers are not as well and better made as if we did interpose all the Saints to what purpose is it then to interpose St Pachomius St. Paphnutius St Anthony S te Theresias St John Gualbert and the like rather than Christ Jesus and leave him to goe to Saints which are nothing in comparison of him And there is no man who would not confesse but it is better to pray to God and to Jesus Christ than to the Saints and addresse our selves to him rather than to them because wee have a commandement for the one and not for the other Seeing then it is better to addresse our selves to God than to the Saints we having no commandement nor counsell in the holy Scripture nor any example in the lives of the Apostles who were better Christians than wee and who had a greater inclination and affection than wee to honour the Saints with what reason should wee doe it We ought therefore to reject this as a humane invention and a superstition invented by the Romish Church and which is threatned with Anathema CHAP. XVIII That Profit temporall is the cause of the Invocation of Saints and Images in the Romish Church AS it is manifest that the Romish Church is wholy builded upon utilitie and profit so is game and lucre the principall cause of the article of the invocation of Saints and images for when the Clergie did perceive that the people commonly inclined to superstition using to passe many nights at the Sepulchres and Tombes of the Martyrs in fasting and prayers praysing and blessing God for their constancy did begin to pray to them upon the assurance of their felicitie and hope that their soules being immortall might heare them and have credit enough with God to helps them and charitie sufficient to imploy themselves for them they did not reprove them for this superstition but were glad to finde out these means and use the occasion to draw profit therefrom Thence came to passe that the Priests did resolve to place the Images of such Saints and Martyrs in their Temples although they were not buried there to the end the people relinquishing the Tombes and Sepulchres where their bodies did rest might come see and pray to them represented in their Churches and so comming to make their prayers might leave some offering imagining well they would not returne without shewing their liberalities in favour of the Saint but where the Priest the keeper of the Saint should ever have the best part And that abuse in short time grew to such a disorder that every Priest laboured in emulation one of another to place the most Images of Saints as was possible in his Church especially to set up those the people most esteemed and to which they came most willingly and furthest so that in the end many Temples are become true Pantheons there being no corner where some big or small Saint had not place and I have seene in some Churches where for want of place to erect all their Images in Bosse their Pictures were confusedly drawne one by another as the 15000 Virgins are shewing onely their faces to the end that whatsoever Saints the people desired to adore and pray to they might be found in their Temples And when they perceived some Saints to be more prayed to and in greater request than others they were not content onely to set their Images in the Churches to dedicate and consecrate Temples to them but the avarice of Priests hath invented fraternities and Congregations in their honour which bearing their name professe themselves chiefly affected and devoted to those Saints and to combate and live under their