but Asses would venture so much as to chaw them by reason of their pricking and choaking quality But to give the Devil his due I must needs own Mr. Bays has a most powerful and luxurious hand at Satyr and may challenge all Christendom to match him for indeed I never in my slender Province met with any that was to compare with him unless that unknown but supposed worthy Author that writ to him upon his at last turning Roman Catholiâ—k for Bays like the Vicar of Bray in Henry the 8th Edward the 6th Queen Mary and Queen Elizabeth's days was resolved to keep his Place and the quoting an Author to the purpose is the same thing the Learned say as if it was his own and that will I hope excuse my putting them down here Thou Mercenary Runnegade thou Slave Thou ever Changing still to be a Knave What Sect what Error wilt thou next disgrace Thou art so lude so scandilâ—â—sly Base That Antichristian Popery may be Asham'd of such a Proselite as thee Not all thy Rancor or Felonious spite Which animates thy lumpish Soul to write Could ha' contriv'd a Satyr more severe Or more disgrace the Cause thou wouldst prefer Yet in thy favour this must be confest It suits with thy Poetick Genius best There thou To Truths disus'd mayst entertain Thy self with Stories more fanciful and vain Then e're thy Poetry could ever fain Or sing the Lives of thy own fellow Saints 'T is a large Field and thy assistance wants Thence Copy out new Opera's for the Stage And with their Miracles direct the Age. Such is thy Faith if Faith thou hast indeed For well we may suspect the Poets Creed Rebel to God Blasphemer o' thy King Ah tell whence cou'd this strange Complyance spring So mayst thou prove to thy new Gods as true As thy old Friend the Devil has been to you Yet Conscience and Religion 's your pretence But Food and Drink the Methologick Sence Ah how perswasive is the want of Bread Not Reasons from strong Box more strongly plead A Convert thou 't is past all believing 'T is a damn'd scandal of thy Foes contriving A Jest of that malicious monstrous Fame The Honest Lay-man's Faith is still the same And so much for Mr. Bays for he has already detain'd me a little too long from what I chiefly intended but since his Arguments were so strong and pertinent to my purpose I judg'd it not amiss to have my Opinion favour'd by so Eminent an Author of their own which I made use of only as an Introduction to the more serious and useful part namely what I promis'd in the beginning of the Letter viz. the Examining those Places of Scripture which the Papists do most insist on for proving their Church or the Pope no matter which Infallible But I fear I have already transgress'd the Bounds of a Letter and therefore I shall reserve the rest till another opportunity in the mean time I shall Subscribe my self Sir Yours to Command so far As in the power lyes of your oblig'd J. R. THE SECOND LETTER SIR I Have Receiv'd yours and am not a little proud at your gracious Acceptance of my last which gives me no small Encouragement of giving you the trouble of a second which I hope will give you a full satisfaction of what my poor Sentiments are touching the Doctrine of Infallibility which indeed is the second Part to the same Tune only with this difference Neither Mr. Bays nor his Banter Of his Milk white Hind and Panther is at all concern'd in this for though Bays's Reasons and Arguments are strong and to the purpose yet with those of our Saviours and the Apostles I did not judg it necessary they should be Transcrib'd in one Letter no more than I thought them fit to be nam'd in the same day and that was the Reason Sir of my giving you a double trouble but without any more Preamble I will endeavour to make good my Promise in my last viz. the examining those Places of Scripture which are made use of for the proving the Doctrine of Infallibility and likewise those Places which all Honest and sincere Protestants ought to consider that plainly prove the contrary I will begin first with those Places or rather that Place for I can find but one that seems so much as to favour the Point in Hand which is Matthew the 16. and the 17 18 and 19. Verses Then Jesus answer'd and said unto Peter blessed art thou Simon Bar-jona for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but my Father which is in Heaven And I say unto thee thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it and I will give unto thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in Heaven In which words the Romanist do believe St. Peter to be made the Infallible Head of the Church c. as sure as the Wafer after Consecration is transubstantiated into the Corporeal substance of our Blessed Lords Body and upon that account it is the pretended Successors of St. Peter has Lorded it over not only their Fellow Bishops but all Christian Princes and Crown'd Heads but upon what Grounds this more than Sovereign Authority has been set up and practised I shall now inquire and I do not question but to make it appear from our Saviours own words that he neither meant or intended any such Power and Authority to be set up by his Disciples and Followers as is at this day exercised by some body in the World c. and that will plainly appear if we consider the occasion of those words of our Saviour to St. Peter which was the Question our Saviour ask'd not St. Peter but all the Disciples Matt. the 16. and 13. ver When Jesus came into the Coasts of Cesarea Philippi he asked his Disciples saying Whom do men say that I the Son of Man am Now it is not to be supposed that our Saviour asked them because he did not know as well as they what the Peoples thoughts were concerning him but in all probability it was to draw a Confession of their own Opinion of him for in the 15. ver He saith unto Them but whom say Ye that I am then we find ver the 16th And Simon Peter answer'd and said thou art Christ the Son of the living God upon which account it was that our Saviour in the next verse said Thou art Peter and upon this Rock I will build my Church c. so that it is plain our Saviours words had Relation to all the rest of the Disciples whose Answer it was though St. Peter like a Foreman of a Jury deliver'd it as the Belief and Sentiments of them all for we find as I before observ'd the question was put to them all but it would be
what manner our Saviour both before and after his Resurrection took notice of St. Peter more than of the rest of his Disciples in Relation to his being the Chief and Head of the Church But the better to understand this Infallible Point which is of so great concern that if gain'd it would be like a General 's taking the Metropolis of a Kingdom all the little Towns and Villages would fall in in course I will go one step further and inquire whether the Apostles themselves did know or believe any such thing in their Time for certainly if St. Peter had been invested with any such Power they could not be ignorant of it and that time viz. after Christs Ascension into Heaven and sending the Holy Ghost was the most proper to have put it in Execution But in the prosecution of this I shall make two Inquiries First Whether St. Peter did assume or take upon him any such Power and Authority above the rest of the Apostles And secondly Whether the rest did give Place or any Preheminence to St. Peter as believing him to be their Chief and Head and if neither of these two things do appear I hope it will sufficiently clear the Point in hand I will begin with the first Whether St. Peter did assume any such Power c. after the Disciples return from seeing our Saviour taken up into Heaven Acts the 1. and 13. verse we thus read And when they were come in they went up into an upper-room where abode both Peter and James and John and Andrew Philip and Thomas Bartholomew Matthew James the Son of Alpheus and Simon Zelotes and Judas the Brother of James which indeed is all the Eleven but without any manner of distinction which certainly would have been a great fault in St. Luke the supposed Author of the Acts had he known St. Peter to have been the Head c. And again when the Apostles met to chuse one in the room of him which betrayed our Lord verse the 23. and 24. And they appointed two Joseph called Barsabas who was surnamed Justus and Matthias And they prayed and said Thou Lord which knowest the Hearts of all men shew whether of these two thou hast chosen And verse the 26. THEY gave forth their Lots and the Lot fell upon Matthias and he was number'd with the eleven Apostles From which it is evident St. Peter did not assume any Power above the rest in this matter though it was of so great concern as the chusing an Apostle but did only act equally with the rest as appears by those words before recited viz And THEY appointed and THEY gave forth their Lots c. So that from hence 't is reasonable to suppose that neither St. Peter nor the rest of the Apostles did so much as dream of such a Power lodg'd in any one of them for if they had one would think then it had been as proper a time to have made use of it as any since and then upon such an occasion it had been rational for the Evangelist to have given the Account of that matter thus viz. St. Peter the Chief of the Apostles and Head of the Church c. did Summons the Rest to attend and be present at HIS Chusing or Consecrating a Person whom HE judg'd sit to be Ordain'd a Witness with them in the room of Judas of our Blessed Lords Resurrection This as it would have been to the purpose so likewise it would have been highly necessary at that time for then the rest of the Apostles wou'd not only have known this great Prerogative of St Peter but likewise how to have behav'd themselves accordingly and also to have instructed their Followers in the like Obedience to him and his Successors But to proceed in the second of the Acts we read of the Holy Ghost's descending verse the 3. and 4. And there appeared unto THEM Cloven Tongues like as of Fire and it sat upon I pray mark not one St. Peter only but EACH of THEM and THEY were ALL filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other Tongues as the Spirit gave THEM utterance where by the way we may take notice the Evangelist still keeps to his Rule of giving an impartial account for in this place also he tells us the Holy Ghost made no distinction notwithstanding St. Peter's being present but sat upon EACH and THEY were ALL filled c. And in the third of the Acts verse the 6. we find St. Peter cure a Man that had been lame from his Mothers Womb yet St. John's being present he does not assume as if he only in the Name of Jesus had done it but makes St. John a Copartner and instrumental in it as you may observe upon the Peoples being gather'd together ver the 11. and 12. And when Peter saw it he answer'd unto the People Ye men of Israel why marvel ye at this or why look ye so earnestly on VS as though by OVR own Power or Holiness WE had made this man to walk In which Place no less than three times he speaks in the Plural Number viz. VS OVR and WE c. which plainly shews that neither St. Peter's humble Temper nor Spirit does reign in his pretended Successors And so much shall serve for the first Inquiry whether St. Peter did take upon him or assume any such Infallible Power c. The second is Whether the Apostles did give Place or Preheminence to St. Peter as believing him to be their Chief and Head of the Church c. When the High-Priest and those that were with him which was the Sect of the Sadduces had laid hands on the Apostles and put them into the Common Prison the Angel of the Lord by night opened the Prison-doors and brought them forth and said go stand and speak in the Temple to the people all the words of this Life And when THEY heard it THEY enter'd the Temple c. as you may read Acts the 5. from the 17. to the 22. verse in all which we do not find any difference but an equal Power and Authority was deliver'd to them all But 't is possible the Romanist may object against the Commission given by this Angel and say 't is the same that St. Paul gave them caution of saying If an Angel from Heaven preach any other Doctrine than Infallibility c. let him be accurs'd But what they will say to the Holy Ghost and Spirit of God for not taking notice of the Prerogative given as they say by our Saviour to St. Peter I cannot imagin but I suppose the next General Council that 's call'd by his supposed Successor something may be done to be even with Him. But to go on After the Church began to increase we read Acts the 6. and the 1. verse And in those days when the number of the Disciples was multiplyed there arose a murmuring of the Graecians against the Hebrews because their Widows were neglected in the daily ministration
RELIGIO LAICI OR A Lay-mans Faith Touching the SUPREAM HEAD AND INFALLIBLE GUIDE OF THE CHURCH In Two Letters to a Friend in the Country By J. R. A Convert of Mr. Bays's Licensed June the 1st 1688. LONDON Printed for John Newton at three Pigeons over against the Inner-Tempe Gate in Fleet-street 1688. THE AUTHOR TO THE READER Courteous Reader A Little before the late King of ever Blessed Memory dyed a Poem was Published call'd Religio Laici c. and not long after another by the same Author call'd the Hind and Panther Which Pieces though as opposite to one another as Light and Darkness fell into an intimate Friends hand of mine who knowing me a great Admirer of that Authors Poems writ to me to desire my Judgment touching the Infallibility of his Mother Hind which was the occasion of the following Letters which indeed has been long since writ and the Reasons why they were not Published before are two The first is the same which a late Reverend Author gave in his Reasons for taking away the Test viz. They were design'd for a private use The second was my fear through a knowledge of my own Inability of a good Cause suffering by the weakness of its Advocate but however the Importunity of my Worthy Friend to whom I writ did at last prevail with me to send them thus as we all came Unpollished into the World. And as you have found them without Prejudice if possible read them and if you meet with any thing that makes amends for the pains I have my End if not I am sure you miss Yours J. R. THE FIRST LETTER SIR THE many and never to be forgotten Favours I have receiv'd commands a ready Compliance to your Request of giving you my Opinion touching the Doctrine of Infallibility so universally receiv'd and believ'd in the Church of Rome though at the same time they differ amongst themselves where to fix this Infallible Guide some are for placing it in a General Council others in his Holiness and Council together and a third sort in the defusive Church and a fourth in the Person of the Pope only he being St. Peter's Successor to whom our Saviour gave as they say the power of the Keys c. But however though they differ in the Manner yet they do all agree in the Matter that such a Convenient Doctrine should belong to their Church and truly I cannot blame them for it for it is indeed the only Rock and Foundation on which all their other Rubbish and Fopperies are built and the Removal of it would be like Sampson's pulling down the Pillars or main Prop so that consequently the whole Fabrick would fall to to the Ground But this being a Herculian work more proper for the fam'd Heroes of our Age viz. Men of great Parts and Letters I had not so much as attempted it but only Sir in obedience to your Command in doing which 't is possible I may put a helping hand toward the removal of some trash and trumpery out of the way whereby others of my own mean Rank and Capacity may the better discern the weakness of this Babel Foundation which has made such a Confusion in the Christian World. And amongst all the late Learned Pieces in Vindication of this Sovereign Antidote viz. Infallibility for if swallow'd it would without doubt exspel the Poyson of all the other Pestilential Doctrins of that Church none has made a greater noise in the World than the last though least unlearn'd Piece of the most famous cellebrated Author Mr. Bays the new Adopted Champion of the Roman Catholick Cause by the Name and Title of the Hind and Panther writ in the true Dialect and Language of the Beast J. D. in which he proves the necessity of an Unerring Guide as plain as a Pike-staff or rather as Demonstrable as Transubstantiation is made out in a late Reverend Authors Reasons for taking away the Test Now for an Unletter'd Lay-man to ingage with this Mighty Sampson of an Author is as rash an Undertaking as little Davids fighting with Great Goliah without Armour But we read Ecclesiastes the 9th and 11th The Race is not always to the swift nor the Battel to the strong therefore in hopes of being assisted by him whose Cause it is namely the Lord of Hosts through whom David not only fought but overcame the Champion of the Philistines I enter the Field and if I perish I perish however the attempt of great things is Honourable And the Method I shall take to engage this Potent Adversary shall be first to fight him with his own Weapons and discharge his own Artillery upon him viz. his own Arguments when he was possible of another Opinion I had almost said Religion but I am Inclinable to believe he never had any Secondly I shall examine those Places of Scripture which the Papists do most insist upon for the Proof of their Infallible Doctrine c. but I will begin with the first and Arm my self with Mr. Bays's own Armour of Proof that he has formerly engag'd with against the Asserters of this Doctrine in a Poem of his call'd Religio Laici In the Preface of which he has Page the 4th these words viz. For having laid down as a Foundation that the Scripture is a Rule that in all things needful to Salvation it is clear sufficient and ordain'd by God Almighty for that purpose I have left my self no right to Interpret obscure Places because whatsoever is obscure is concluded not necessary to be known On which as a Rock I shall being of the same Opinion Erect and build my Faith and that it may the better hold out a Siege against the mighty Host of Wild Beasts Commanded by their Infallible Mother Hind I will fortifie it with such strong murdering Morter-peices of his own c. that I 'le defie all his Bears and Boars his Woolves and Tygers his Foxes and Asses and Lyons c. to demolish and pull it down And the first is the Case which he puts between a Socinian and them of his own Church what that was then you will best understand from his own Arguments which are I think as strong and he as much Inspir'd when he writ them as when he writ the Immortal Milk white Hind and Panther but be your own Judge Religio Laici Page the 20. We hold and prove from Scripture plain That Christ is God the bold Socinian From the same Scripture urges he 's but Man. Now what Appeal can end the Important suit Both parts talk lowdly but the Rule is mute Shall I speak plain and in a Nation free Assume an honest Lay-mans Liberty which I hope is as little a fault now by Virtue of his Majesties Gracious Declaration as it was when Bays did it I think According to my little Skill But to my own Mother Church submitting still That many have been sav'd and many may That never heard this question brought in play The Vnletter'd
Christian that believes in gross Plods on to Heaven and nere is at a loss For the strait Gate wou'd be made straiter yet Were none admitted there but Men of Wit. And Page the 22 23 and 24. The partial Papist wou'd infer from hence Their Church in last resort should judge the Sence But first they wou'd assume with wondrous Art Themselves to be the whole who are but part Of that vast Frame the Church but grant they were The Handers down wou'd they from thence infer A right to Interpret or wou'd they alone Who brought the Present claim it for their own The Book 's a common Largis to Mankind Not more for them than every Man design'd The welcome news is in the Letter found The Carrier's not Commission'd to expound It speaks it self and what it does contain In all things needful to be known is plain In times o're grown with Rust and Ignorance A gainful Trade their Clergy did advance When want of Learning made the Lay-man low And none but Priest was Authoriz'd to know When what small knowledge was in them did dwell And he a God that could but read or spell Then Mother Church did mightily prevail She parcell'd out the Bible by Retail But still Expounded what she sold or gave To keep it in her power to damn or save Scripture was scarce and as the Market went Poor Lay-men took Salvation on content As needy Men takes Money good or bad Gods word they had not but the Priests they had Yet what ere false Conveyances they made The Lawyer still was certain to be paid In those dark Times they learn'd their knack so well That by long use they grew Infallible A very short but fair and full account how and by what Methods if they will believe their Champion Bays they arriv'd to be the Infallible Church but he goes on At last a knowing age began to ' nquire Whether they the Book or that did them Inspire And making narrower search they found tho late That what they thought the Priect's was their Estate Taught by the will produc'd the written Word How long they had been Cheated on Record Then every Man who saw the Title fair Claims a Childs Part and puts in for a share Consulting soberly their private good So sav'd themselves as cheap as e're they cou'd That is to say Good buy Mr. Infallible Indulgences they did not care to be cheated any longer with such a chargable sort of Doctrine And now I 'll appeal to all unprejudic'd Persons whether Mr. Bays has prov'd the Infallibility of the Church of Rome in his Fable of the Hind and Panther better than he has the contrary in his much better Poem Religio Laici but it may be objected he was of another Judgment then which is easily granted and that possible the same Reasons that prevail'd with him to alter it now might oblige him not to part with it before for indeed Solomon which I presume was as Wise a Man as Mr. Bays says There is a time for all things and though Mr. Bays has for some Reasons best known to himself chang'd his Opinion in grace of God his Religion may be still the same it was when he writ his Religio Laici in the late Kings time nay for ought any body knows it may be still the same it was in his great Patron Cromwel's days for they two did much alike admire Priests for one made them like Jerehoam of the meanest of the People and Mr. Bays made them to be all alike Cheats and Impostors for his only Celebrated Poem of Absolom and Achitophel which chang'd his Principles from Wigism to Toryism he begins with his never failing kindness to the Priests Page 1. line 1. In Pious times e're Priest-Craft did begin c. So by a Penny we know how a Shilling is made for by Priest-Craft he makes no distinction but takes them all in from Dan to Bersheba as if no Religion could be good where a Priest was concern'd and he gives you partly a Reason for it in the same Poem and what it was that put The Priesthood in a flame For Priests of all Religions are the same Which compar'd with his Priest-craft in the first Line of that Poem is as much as to say they are all a company of Crafty K s which is a Note beyond Ela and possible Mr. Bays might hug himself in that copious Thought for by Priests of all Religions Infallibility it self is included which is very bold indeed but possible he may think 't is not so bold as brave because it shews a generous Temper and that he was not partial in his Estimation of the Priests c. And to let us see he was not in jeast he has to his Eternal Praise drawn the Picture of them all in one Piece that I question whether the fam'd Apelle's Picture of Venus which 't is said was Seven years a doing was more nice and lively Painted than Bays's Plump Spanish and most Catholick Fryer for any body that vews that Piece may very easily guess at his design of halling in by Head and Shoulders that unnecessary Character to compleat his double discovery c. Well Mr. Bays though you say in the Preface to your Medall Sign-post Painting will serve to remember a Friend by yet I must tell you you have neither spar'd cost nor pains but have been extravagantly lavish in Painting your beloved Priests but I presume the Reason was your Charity to your poor Brethren the Laity that they might beware of having any thing to do with them and that possible might induce you to publish your own Creed in 82 giving it the Title of the Lay-mans Faith in which you insinuate the unreasonableness of pinning our Faith upon the Priests Sleeves and truly as to that you have made an absolute Convert of me for I am much of your mind for these Priests have and still do make Bloody work amongst us by endeavouring to impose upon our Understandings yet I must needs confess I am not altogether of your Judgment for I am willing to believe there are Priests of some Religions that are very honest and have no ill designs But your Religio Laici has made me almost of your Perswasion and I am very apt to believe that Poem has gain'd you more Proselites than your Hind and Panther for it is not a little diverting to see how you have their maul'd and worried beyond any English Mastiff at the Bear-garden the poor Pope and his Bulls which puts me in mind of what you said in your Medall upon another occasion which with a little variation will serve here The Man who laught but once to see an Ass Mumbling to make the Cross-graind Thistle pass Might laugh again to see the Papist chaw The Prickles of unpallatable Law. And I am apt to believe were that Philosopher alive he wou'd as readily laugh to see Persons swallow so greedily some things now which but a little while ago none