iâ—… must necessarily follow that the Roman Church cannoâ—… be the Catholick Church mentioned in the Apostles Creed and consequently is not the Mother-Church as the Papistâ—… would have her to be Thus the Papists have so overcharg'd this Argument to shoot at us as it recoils anâ—… flyes in their own faces And of kin to this is their grand Battering-piece oâ—… all which so thunders in the ears of all Papists and makes the Popes power so absolute and the poor credulous Papist so obedient and that is the power given by our Saviour to St. Peter in the 16th of St. Matthew beginning the 18th Verse Thou art Peter and on this Rock I will build my Church and give thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and whomsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven and whomsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven and these words the Papists understand literally that St. Peter's person is the Rock that Christ builds his Church on which cannot possibly be by the verses just following For there when our Saviour tells his Disciples of his going to Jerusalem where he must suffer many things and be killed and raised again the Third day Peter took him and rebuke him Be it far from thee Lord this shall not be unto thee But our Saviour turned and said unto Peter Get thee behind me Satan thou art an offence to me for thou savourest not the things that he of God but those that be of men By which words 'tis most clear and evident that our Saviour did not mean Peters person could be the Rock of the Christian Church For if Peter's person had been that Rock meant sure our Saviour would never have removed it behind him and it would be not only irrational but impious to believe that Christ would build his Church on Satan for so he calls St. Peter's person and it were as unreasonable to believe that the Rock of Christ's Church could be an offence to him as St. Peter's person was and as improbable again as all this that Christ's Church the Foundation of all Christianity should savour not of the things that be of God but those that are of Men as Peter's person did Therefore if you but please to read the words of our Saviour carefully you shall find they are most plain for Verse 13th When Jesus came into the Coast of Caesarea He ask'd his Disciples Whom do men say that I am and they said Some say that thou art John the Baptist some Elias and others Jeremias or one of the Prophets but whom say ye that I am and Simon Peter answered and said Thou art Christ-the Son of the Living God And I say also unto thee that thou art Peter and upon this Rock not this person I will build my Church that is upon this Rock of Faith that I am Christ the Son of the Living God I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it Now this must necessarily relate to his faith not his person for the gates of Hell that 's the power of evil did prevail against Peter's person or he had not deny'd and forsworn his Lord and Master again and again and been afterwards proved blame-worthy by St. Paul to his face and indeed as blame-worthy as any of his Disciples So that 't is most plain that Christ's words of making him the Rock of the Christian Church related not to his person but his faith of Christ's being the Son of the Living God. And for the other part whereas the Papists believe a particular favour and power given by our Saviour to St. Peter of the Keys of Heaven that was given as much to the Eleven Disciples as to him as you may read in the 18th of St. Matthew and in the 20th of St. John's Gospel Vers 23 24. As my Father hath sent me even so send I you and when he had said this he breathed on them and saith unto them Receive ye the Holy Ghost whosesoever sins ye remit they are remitted unto them and whosesoever sins ye retain they are retained So that you see this power is general to the Disciples and not in particular to St. Peter more than to any of the rest as the Papists misbelieve The Papists have many such Questions which I am sure Madam you have neither the patience to read nor I the time to write but those that are most material of them you will find I have here presented you truly answer'd by pure Scripture clear reasons plain arguments and all in few words fit for the weakest memory or smallest pocket to carry about them For true reason doth not consist in large Volumes long Gowns or gray Beards for many live to One and twenty without attaining to years of discretion the degrees of Age being not still the measures of Wisdom For the World will never be without old Fools and young Philosophers And truly Madam for my part I cannot so much as think of the Papists Religion without wonder that so many rational men of them should rather fasten their faith of salvation on the pretended infallibility of their Church which is deny'd by most Christians than on the Holy Scripture which is granted by all to be the will and word of God and the very Foundation of their Churches Foundation as containing in it all things necessary to our salvation And we Protestants have at least this satisfaction and advantage that not only the Papists but all sorts of Christians that are in the circumference of the whole World meet and joyn with us in this center of Faith That the Scriptures contain all things necessary to our salvation which being a general granted Truth I confess I admire how any Papist can make the least scruple which is the safest Heavenly Guide the Pope or the Gospel If there be any rational man so extravagant as to put them in the same ballance and to commit a rape upon his Reason I shall only desire him to consider this plain Question If he were to go a Journey in an unknown way would he not think it more rational and safe to follow a certain true Guide that all the Christians in the World declare is certainly able and ready to shew him the right way than to follow a pretended Guide which the greatest part of the Christians in the World assures him will lead him out of it And this being the real difference between the Papist and Protestant in gross concerning the Heavenly Guide the Bible and the Pope I think I need now say no more because so many have already said so much and I am sure enough to satisfie any except such who will believe a crooked Rule is better to draw a straight line by than a right one And now Madam I shall only beg so much of your patience as to let me tell you that the plot and Heads of this following discourse I have Extracted out of the worthy Collingworth Before I begin
heels very suddenly and the reason is this if they should live long they would do too much mischief tho none of them ever attain'd to the years of St. Peter who as they say was Bishop of Rome twenty five This Vrban was a very active Man and did not only pry into the present Affairs of the Church but with a retrospect did rip up and dive into old matters to which end and purpose he appointed a select Committee to examine Accounts and take cognizance of the Errors of his Predecessors upon which occasion this witty Pasquin was made at Rome where there are the Statues of St. Peter and St. Paul erected upon a Bridge there directly opposite one to the other a merry wag had clapt a pair of Spurs upon St. Peter's heels and St. Paul is supposed to say to him Whither so fast in this riding posture who answers him I apprehend there is great danger in my stay at Rome by reason of this new Commission for I fear they will question me for denying my Master therefore I 'll post away to some other place of Safety and truly Brother Peter said Paul I intend not to stay long after you for I have as much reason to suspect that they will examine me for persecuting Christians before my Conversion Pope Zachary when the trade of Church-merchandizes was very dead and he had little or nothing to do rather than he would be idle wrote to Bishop Boniface in Germany directions when to eat Bacon and he did very well in 't whatsoever the prating Hugonot says to the contrary tho he had done far better in the Opinion of some of our modern Casuists if he had also given him some wholsom Instructions concerning the Manducation of Eggs that so the Prelate might have had a complete Dish Leo the tenth had an intention to create Raphael Vrbin a mere Painter Cardinal And why might not a good Painter make a good Cardinal but sure it was not he who drew the Pictures of St. Peter and St. Paul and made them so red-faced that that he was reprov'd for it by some of the Conclave because the ignorant might be apt to judge them great Drinkers to the scandal of Religion but he soon replied that is your mistake and not mine for I made them so ruddy because I knew that if they were living they would blush for shame at the vicious lives of their pretended Successors Now what if it were the same Man It was great and good Policie in the Pope beyond the reach of a Protestant Noddle for hereby he might oblige all of that Profession in hopes of the like Promotion that when ever any of them for the future should undertake to draw the Pourtraicture of any Saint whatsoever he should make them of a more pallid and sober Complexion I 'll warrant you this leering Hugonot laughs in his sleeve at this pretty intrigue of Church-Policy but no matter for that the Papist cries out Let him laugh that wins and so gives you one Proverb in exchange of another It is reported in our History that King James of blessed Memory did once in his Progress vouchsafe to bestow a visit upon Sir Pope Knight whose Lady at that time was lately deliver'd of a Daughter and the Infant was presented to his Majesty with a Paper of Verses in her Hand which the King was much pleas'd with the Contents whereof were as followeth See this little Mistris here Who ne're sate in Peter's Chair Or a Triple Crown did wear And yet she is a Pope She hardly is a seven-night old Nor did she ever hope To Saint one with a Pope And yet she is a Pope No Benefices she e're sold Nor did dispence with Sins for Gold No King her Feet did ever kiss Or had from her worse look than this And yet she is a Pope A Female Pope you 'l say a second Joan Nay sure she is Pope Innocent or none Now if any or all your Romanists can out of your long Nomenclatura of Popes produce one that may come near this Protestant Pope for Innocence Modesty or Humility wee 'l save you the labour of compassing Sea and Land to make Proselytes for wee 'l all unanimously return and without any more adoe re-unbosom our selves with your Holy Mother the Church of Rome It is thought by some and those Judicious Persons too that Pasqin among the many witty Jests he hath thrown upon the Pope and Clergy never acted any thing with better Grace than when he counterfeited himself so affronted that he was ready to die for very Grief because he had receiv'd such an Injury as had almost broke his very Heart and being askt by one that heard him bemoan himself what Injury Friend is this that is done to thee Has any one call'd thee Thief or Buggerer No no said he What then And so went on naming most of the grossest Indignities that could be put upon a Man by opprobrious Language No no pish said he you have not hit it yet and so breaking out into grievous Sobs and Sighs Alas alas said he 't is worse then all you can imagine they have been so abusive as to call me Pope Nay farther he has given you to understand what conceit he and all Men should have of the Pope by this following Hexastick Hic Carapha jacet Superis invisus Imis Styx animam Tellus putre cadaver habet Invidit paçem Terris Diis Vota Precesque Impius Clerum perdidit Populum Hostibus infensis supplex infidus amicis Scire cupis paucis caetera Papa fuit Here th' hate of Heaven and Hell Carapha lies i th' Grave 's his Body in Styx his Soul cries He envied Peace with Men and Prayers to God To Lay and Clergy-men a wicked Rod. Suppliant to Foes but Faithless to his Friend In short he was a Pope and there 's an End. Pope Leo the 10th being told by his Confessor that he need fear nothing because he had the Keys of Heaven at his Girdle and those of the Church Treasury also consisting in the Merits of Christ and the blessed Saints gave him this true answer Thou know'st that he who hath once sold a thing hath no longer right to it therefore since I have made sale of Heaven and all to others I have nothing to do with it my self which being the common Traffick at Rome was the occasion of this saying Roma dat omnibus omnia dantibus omnia Romae Cum pretio Rome gives to all that part with all their Gold For there all things are merely bought and sold The same Pope being reproved by some of his Cardinals for leading so leud a Life being grown worse and worse since his Inauguration answer'd them If I am wicked you are the cause of it for you made me what I am which strange reply put them to this question what he meant by saying so why quoth he you have made me Pope and it is impossible to be a
ADVICE FROM A CATHOLICK To his Protestant FRIEND Touching the Doctrine of Purgatory By way of Letter Printed in the Year 1687. Price Two Pence Advice from a Catholick to his Protestant Friend c. SIR THO' at our last parting I found you obstinate in your Unbelief as to the matter of Purgatory yet as I think my self bound both as a Christian and as a Friend to combate that dangerous Infidelity of yours so I shall now undertake that Province with some new Efforts Nevertheless I will not venture to Engage you singly with my own strength but borrow the necessary forces from such as have been most vers'd in such sort of Conflicts Wherefore to begin I must tell you That your Repartées upon me when we last discours'd this point rather spoke the Libertine than a Professor of Christianity Purgatory you deridingly cry'd is not so hot as Folk talk Who ever came back to tell us News of it God is merciful think you he takes delight to burn his Children and to cut off the Price of his Son's Passion who satisfied for our Sin. When I heard this I was afraid you would have proceeded and joyn'd with Atheistical Philosophers in saying That Death is the Remedy of all Evils and that tht Soul separated from the Body hath no more to suffer What could I less expect when you so diametrically oppose not only the General Consent of all Ages but also the General Opinion Practice Sentence and decisions of all the Church in such sort That there is not any Truth of our Faith more fortified As to the First the Gentiles who lived out of the Law were sensible of the noble extraction of the Soul and knew it to be defiled by the Body and by sensual Works On this account had they recourse to feeble Elements to purifie it One while washing themselves in virgin-streams another passing thro Flames and sometimes contriving other means to cleanse themselves from the Pollutions of the Flesh And they were not content to purge themselves in this Life but extend it to the Souls of the Dead constantly believing they stood in need of Remedies to free themselves from Bodily stains The Hebrews the Aegyptians the Greeians and Romans all contended for Prayers for the Dead and the Truth of Purgatory The Hebrews three times in the Year Celebrated the Feast of the Dead and their Priest mounting up into a Four-square Pulpit made on purpose and Ceremoniously to represent the City of the Blessed according to S. John rehearsed aloud and Apoc. xxi 16. Civitas in quadro positas est audibly the Names of the Dead to recommend them to the Prayers of the present Congregation Prayers so familiar amongst them that they wrote them upon Tombs instead of Epitaphs in these terms Sit Anima ejus colligata in Fasciculo viventium Let his Soul be bound up in the Posie of the Living As if we should say all the Souls of the Saints were as an odoriferous Posie whereof every Elect constituted a Flower The Aegyptians were so possessed with the Opinion that Souls were to be purg'd in the other Life in as much as they had been drench'd in the voluptuous Pleasures of the Flesh that in the Funerals of the Dead having opened the Body they took the Heart out of the Breast and put it into a little Casket then on the Bank of Nilus where ordinarily Tombs were erected a Herald holding the Casket and shewing it to the Eyes of Heaven protested before all then present the Deceased now in Question had lived piously and according to the Laws of his Ancestors that if he had offended through Bodily Pleasures they wished his Soul might be as well cleansed as they went about to purge the Stomach the Instrument of the Lusts of the Living thereupon they threw it into Nilus What need I mention the Grecians their Prime Man Plato nay termed the Divine in his Phaedon spake so perspicuously for Purgatory that he seems to have had his Education in Christian Schools And as for the Romans Quintilian in the very Infancy of Quint. Declam 10. the Church when as some of the Apostles were yet living in a certain Plea. urges the Truth of Purgatory by saying The Soul being purged by Fire went to take place in Heaven Besides Julius a very ancient Author speaking of the Death Julius Florileg lib. 3. of a Lady named Podon observed in plain terms That her Husband who was one of the most ancient Christians made Offerings for her which he calls Gifts for Ransom of the Soul Answerable to which Tertullian writeth it was the Custom of the Ancient Church to Pray for the Souls of the Tertul. in Exhort ad Castitat Dead yea and to make annual Offerings for them Thus when we see a◠Universal Agreement in a Proposition it is not one man speaks but the Mouth of Heaven which uttereth this Verity And also observe when the Holy Fathers produce an Example of Pagans it is not to set us the Pagans for our Instruction but to shew that to waver in the Belief of things they generally held by the sentence of Nature is to be worse than a Pagan Having thus proved the Universal Consent of all Ages and Countries I now proceed to shew it to have ever been the Universal sense of the Church For this purpose in France view the Council of Chalons upon Saone for Prayers for the Dead and the Truth of Purgatory In Spain that of Praga in Germany that of Worms in Italy the Sixth General Council held at Rome under Pope Symmachus in Greece a number of Synods collected by Martius In Africk the Third of Carthage and lastly the Three Oecumenical of Lateran Florence and Trent which say the same A man that hath but the least sense surely needs no more than this to be possessed with the truth Ay but you object That Jesus made Purgation of Sins and said to the Good Thief Thou shalt to day be with me in Paradice A goodly Consequence Jesus purged Sins there is then no Purgatory Might you not as well say Jesus pray'd for Remission of our Sins then we no longer stand in need of Prayer or Penance Besides you would seem to intimate by saying the Good Thief went directly to Paradice without feeling Purgatory that we assert it was necessary for all the World to pass that way No make your Self a great Saint and the Purifying Flames will have nothing to work on But you say this Doctrine came but lately into the World and is the Invention of Self intercsted Pfiests But consult the Scripture and the Fathers and they will satisfie you to the contrary When St. Paul said that the day of God viz. the day of Judgment be it general or particular shall be manifested by Fire which shall put every One's Works 1 Cor. 3. Chap. upon Trial and that he who upon the Foundations of Jesus shall build with Wood Straw or Hay to wit with vain and
then 't is most evident that their Church was a most excellent keeper of Scripture for Fifteen hundred years together that had not all that time defin'd what was Scripture and what was not but if the Papists say they had then we demand Was that set forth by Pope Sixtus Quintus or was it set forth by Pope Clement or if by a third different from them both why do they not name him if it were that set forth by Pope Sixtus then 't is now condemn'd by Pope Clement if that of Clement 't was condemned by that of Sixtus So that error must necessarily be betwixt them let them chuse which side they please And for the Book of Maccabees I hope they will allow it defin'd Canonical before St. Gregorie's time though he would not allow it Canonical but only for the Edification of the Church We further desire to be satisfied of the Papists if the Books of Ecclesiasticus and Wisdom and the Epistle to St. James were by the holy Apostles approved Canonical or not if they were approved by the Apostles Canonical sure the Papists cannot deny but they had a sufficient difinition and authority not to question them and therefore err'd in doing so And if they were not approved Canonical by the Apostles with what impudence dare the Roman Church now approve them as Canonical and yet pretend that all their Doctrine is Apostolical And if they say these Books were not questioned they should do well to tell which Books they mean which were not always known to be Canonical but have afterwards been receiveed by the Roman Church to be such so that this Argument reaches those as well as these And further we are to consider that there is not the same reasons for the Churches absolute Infallibility as for the Apostles and Scriptures for if the Church falls into an error it may be reformed by comparing it with the Rules of the Apostles Doctrine in Scripture but if the Apostles have err'd in delivering the Doctrine of Christianity in Scripture then the Roman Church cannot be infallible For Apostles Prophets and Canonical Writers and the foundation of the Church as St. Paul says 't is built upon the foundation of Apostles and Prophets And now to conclude this part of my discourse in very few words let the Papists answer if they can but these five words All Scripture is Divinely inspired Let them shew us so much for the Roman Church and shew us if they can where 't is written in Scripture that all the decrees of the Popish Church are Divinely inspired and all our Controversies will be at an end but I believe they can never do that without another Transubstantiation-Miracle of words The Papists desire us to shew them an exact Catalogue of our fundamentals to which we answer That God may be sufficiently known to one and not sufficiently declared to another and consequently that may be fundamental and necessary to one which is not to another which variety of circumstances renders it impossible to set down an exact Catalogue of Fundamentals for God requires more of them to whom he gives more and less of those to whom he gives less more of a commander of a Kingdom than a poor simple Turnspit 'T is a plain revelation of God to us Protestants that the Sacrament of the Eucharist should be administred in both kinds 1 Cor. 11. 28. that the publick Hymns and Prayers of the Church should be in such a Language as is most for Edification 1 Cor. 14. 15 16. yet the Church of Rome not seeing this by reason of the vail would be very angry if we told them 't would prejudice their supposed Infallibility We read in St. Matthew that the Gospel was to be Preacht to all Nations and this was a truth revealed before our Saviours Ascention yet if the Church had been asked before the conversion of Cornelius they would have certainly told you it had not been necessary to teach all Nations for 't is most apparent out of Acts 11. they all believed so until St. Peter was better informed by a vision from Heaven and the conversion of Cornelius and then they turn'd quite of a differing belief and esteemed it necessary to teach all Nations and yet were still a Church The Papists are pleased to say the Protestants differ in Fundamentals which indeed appears to us very irrational For if they say We Protestants differ in Fundamentals how then can they say We are members of the same Church one with another more than they are with ours or ours with theirs and why do they object our difference more with one another than with themselves and if we do not differ in Fundamentals why do they upbraid us with Fundamental differences amongst our selves We believe the Catholick Church cannot perish yet we believe she may and did err as I prov'd just before but thus much we Protestants declare in general That we esteem it sufficient for any mans salvation to believe God's Word the Scripture and that it contains all things necessary to our salvation and that we do our utmost endeavours to find believe and follow the true sense of it and being we are sure that all that is any way necessary is there believing all that is there we are sure we believe all that is necessary And therefore 't is but reasonable to say that any private person who truly believes the Scriptures and heartily endeavours to know the Will of God and to do it is as secure nay securer from the danger of erring in Fundamentals than the Roman Church for 't is impossible any man so qualified should fall into an error that can prove damnable to him for God requires no more of any man to his salvation but only his true and best endeavours to be saved And for the Papists Sacrament of Confession which they hold is so absolute and nenessary and so much upbraid us for the want of it we answer We know no such absolute necessity of it but yet we hold we must not only confess our sins but forsake them or we shall not find mercy And we Protestants farther believe that they that confess their sins shall find mercy though they only confess them to God and not to Man And more that they who confess them both to God and Man and do not in time forsake them shall not find mercy And so for the Papists Sacrament of Repentance for Remission of sins tho we Protestants know no such yet we allow observe the same Duty but publick before the Church which was the constant practice of the primitive Church and Rhenanus himself though so great a Champion for the Papists writes That the confession then used was before the Church and that Auricular confession was not then in the World. The Papists will tell you that our Bishops have not the true power of Ordination but that has been so clearly answered and so truly proved at large by so many already as I
him as Universal Bishop over the whole Catholick Church but his not doing so argued he esteemed him Bishop only of one Church And further St. Cyprian all know did resolutely oppose a Decree of the Roman Bishop and all that adhered â—…o him in that one point of Rebaptizing which the Popish Church at that time delivered as a necessary Tradition and Excommunicated the Bishops of Capadocia Galatia and all that were against that Tradition and would not so much as allow them lodging or entertainment in Rome Now since the Papists affirm that not to Rebaptize those whom Hereticks had Baptized to be a damnable Heresie 'T is well worth asking the Papists when this begun to be so for if they say from the beginning it was so then they must maintain a contradiction for then was St. Cypriaâ—… a Professor of damnable Heresie and yet the Papists esteeâ—… him a Saint and Martyr And on the other side if 't were not so from the beginning then did the Pope wrongfully Excommunicate those other Churches of Cappadocia and Galatia without sufficienâ—… ground of Excommunication and separation which by theiâ—… own Tenents is Schismatical So let them chuse which sidâ—… they please the Pope was in an error And tho Victor Bishop of Rome obtruded the Roman Tradition touching the time of Easter upon the Asian Biships under the pain of Excommunication and Damnation yet we read that Irenaeus and all the other Western Bishops though they did agree with the Bishop of Rome in his Observation of Easter yet they did sharply reprehenâ—… his Excommunicating the Asian Bishops for their disagreeing with him which most plainly argues that the Western Bishops thought that not a sufficient ground of Excommunication which the Bishop of Rome did and therefore it must necessarily follow they did not esteem the Roman Bishop infallible nor the separation from the Church of Rome an Heresie And this I am sure is true and undeniable reason The Popish Story tells us That Optatus Bishop of Rome upbraided the Donatists as Schismaticks because they held no Communion with the Church of Rome by adding afterwards that they were Schismaticks for they held no Communion with the Seven Churches of Asia which occasions this Question of the Papists Whether a separation from these seven Apostolick Churches was a mark of Heresie or not If they say it was not how comes it that the Pope's Authority is a stronger Argument for the Popish Church than the Asian Authority for the Asian Churches And if the Papists say a separation from those seven Asian Churches was a mark of Heresie then they must confesâ—… their Church was for many years Heretical as separating many years from the Asian Churches And Polycrates Bishop of Ephesus and Metropolitan of Asia despised the Pope's Vniversal Supremacy and Authority and kept contrary to the Pope Easter-day the Fourteenth of March. And indeed tho the Papists do so much quote the authority of the Fathers yet I find they as little befriend their Churches Infallibility as the Asian Bishops themselves have done for tho the Papists say St. Hierome conceived it nenessary to conform in matters of Faith to the Church of Rome yet before the Papists brag of that let them answer us this How came it then to pass that St. Hierome chose to believe the Epistle to the Hebrews Canonical upon the authority of the Eastern Church and to reject it from the Canon of the Roman Churches Authority And how comes it also that he dissented from the Roman Church touching the Canon of the Old Testament Let the Papists take heed of losing their Fort by endeavouring to maintain their out-works And now to conclude this point and excuse the Papists mistake concerning their universal Bishop we read in Scripture of the Prophet Elias who thought there was none â—…eft beside himself in the whole Ringdom of Israel who had not revolted from God and yet God himself is pleased to assure us he was deceived And if a Prophet and one of the greatest err'd in his judgment touching his own time Country why may not the Papists subject to the same passions err in their opinion and judgment about the Popes being Vniversal Bishop when plain reason tells them as well as us that there were other Bishops as much Vniversal as the Pope I now come to examine this infallible Pope whether he cannot make his infallible Church more infallible than he has made himself and free the Popish Church from error tho he could not the Pope from Heresie Now towards the disproving the pretended Infallibility of the Roman Church I lay this as the foundation of my Discourse That the whole Roman Church can be no better than a Cengregation of Men whereof every particular not one excepted and consequently the generality is nothing but a collection of men and if every one be polluted as who dare say he is free from sin how can the whole but be defiled with error As reasonably may a man brag he is in perfect health and strength and yet at the same time confess he hath not one sound part about him And truly it very much creats my wonder but does not in the least satisfie my reason what the Papists can pretend by the Infallibility of their Church for if they will allow their Pope to be no better than St. Peter was their Church to bâ—… composed of no better men than the Holy Apostles were 〈…〉 shall desire no more and I am sure they can never provâ—… so much for they that pretend to it declare as great aâ—… ignorance as St. Peter did a sin in denying his Lord anâ—… Master and there are many other known circumstances which made St. Paul prove him blame-worthy to hiâ—… face And for the Apostles being in error we have not only the examples of the Apostles themselves who in the time of our Saviours Passion being scandalized lost their Faith in him and I believe the Papists will not say they could lose their faith in our blessed Saviour Christ without error and therefore our Saviour after his Resurrection upbraided them with their Incredulity and called Thomas incredulous for denying the Resurrection in the Twentieth oâ—… St. John. And further 't is most apparent that the very Apostleâ—… themselves even after the sending the Holy Ghost did through Inadvertency or Prejudice continue some time in an error contrary to a revealed Truth And if the Papists will not own to know this Truth they may be fully satisfied of it in the Story of the Acts of the Apostles where they may plainly read that notwithstanding our Saviours express warrant and injunction to the Apostles to go and preach to all Nations Yet notwithstanding till St. Peter was better informed by a Vision from Heaven and by the Conversion of Cornelius both St. Peter and the rest of the Church held it unlawful for them to go and Preach the Gospel to any but the Jews Now since we can prove that St. Peter did err
empoisonne Dont l' Empereur Henri tesmoignage nous donne Que dicoyent les Payens de ces gentils Docteurs Qui les hommes ont fait de luy Adorateurs Car si leur Dieu ne fait de meurtrir conscience Entre leur Diable et Dieu quelle est la difference i th' number of their Gods Pagans we find Ner'e rank't such as were hurtful to Mankind If that the God of Paste can poison men As the Emperour Henry testifies what then Would Heathens of these brave Doctors have said Who teach Men to adore a piece of Bread For if their God with Murder can dispence 'Twixt God and Devil what 's the difference As for Boniface the Eighth it is too notorious how he undervalued and vilified the same Host when he was Prisoner to the Gibellines of the Emperour's Platina Faction in the City of Agnania Julius the Second when he was defeated by the Earl of Faix and totally routed near Ravenna he out of extraordinary Zeal and Fervor I must not call it Madness or Irreverence threw away the Hostia and made it be trampled upon by the unsanctified Feet of the rude Multitude which hath been formerly taken by them with so much Reverence and Adoration Gregory the Ninth renounced the Gospel and embraced in lieu of it an infamous Legend compos'd Baleus li. 5. of the lives of the Popes by as infamous a Monk Cyril by name Thus you see how these Holy Pastors of Christ's Sheep behave themselves in Person and this is not all but their Canons published in Print and allowed are as blasphemous as their own common Discourse or that of their Parasites who are so far from punishment that they are loaded with Rewards asserting the Bishop of Rome to be a God. I 'll warrant you this Dist 96. c. satis evidenter Panorm c. Quanto Abbas bold assertion will frighten the Poor spirited Protestant to his Litany From such Blasphemy good Lord deliver us Pope Gregory is so bold as to couple abomination with the merit of the Holy Passion We ordain saith the Pope that for all such Cap. inter opera Charitatis despons l. 4. Decretal men who shall take common Strumpets out of the Stewes and Marry them that it shall advantage them as to the remission of Sin. Cardinal Bellarmine establisheth Bell. lib. 1. de Pontif. c. 9. the Pope over the Church Militant etiam Christo secluso Christ being secluded from him His Flatterers exclude all Patriarchs and Bishops from the Popes Lieutenancy to the Son of God in these words That he executeth C. quantol 1. Decretal tit 7. de translat Episcop not the Function of a meer Man here upon Earth but of a true God. Nay farther That the Pope is able to change the nature V. Gl. v. Veri Dei. cap. unico De jurejurando gl v. Vicarium in Clement of things That his Authority is heavenly that of nothing he can make something contrary to the old Rule ex nihilo nihil fit that his Will is sufficient for Reason that none may be so bold as to question him that he can dispence above the Law that he can make Justice of Injustice that he hath fulness of Power And elsewhere that every Creature is Can. omnes Dist 22. cap. c. subject to him that he hath the Rights of Heavenly and Earthly Empire Nay they proceed in higher strains and say We declare and define that it is necessary to Salvation Extrav commun c. Vnam sanctam de Majorit obedien See all the gloss of the chapt for all Creatures in all things and in all places to be under the Bishop of Rome Observe what the Blasphemous Parasite saith Our Lord would have been very indiscreet if he had Bertrand in gl Extrav com cap. unam sanctam de majorit Petri. not left a Man behind him that had an equal power with himself To conclude this subject take an abstract of this Oration pronounced in the Lateran Council printed by the Authority of Leo the Tenth in the presence of the whole Council Although the Aspect of your Divine Majesty Orat. Ant. Puccii Clerici Apostol 3. Non. Maiae 15 15 sess 10. by whose resplendent glory my weak Eyes are dazzled Again In thee alone the true and Lawful Vicar of Christ and God this Prophecy is to be fulfilled All the Kings of the Earth shall worship him and all Nations serve him Psalm 71. Then he saith Before and now the Universal Body of the Church is subject to one only Head viz. unto Thee Item Knowing that to thee alone hath been given all Power from the Lord in Heaven and Earth that thou mayest judge not only Spiritual but also the Earthly Powers of the World. If this be not like the Man of Sin to exalt himself above God let all men judge Another Flatterer was General of the Order of Preachers who received a Cardinal's Cap as the Guerdon of his Blasphemies It shall obtain if you will speaking of the Sess 2. in orat Cajetani Church and command it if you imitate the Power and Perfection of the Almighty whose Lieutenant you are here upon Earth not only in honour of Dignity but affection of Will. Gird your Swords for you have two the Spiritual and Temporal one common to other Princes the other belongs to you only And speaking of the Pope's Mercy It will render you worthy of Worship Gracious and most like unto God. And afterwards by the Mercy of God yours c. and so runs on with such a continued Series of Blasphemies as Black as the Hat could be Red which he purchased by his Adulation in this Hyperbolical Elogy of his Imperious Master But I presume I have tortur'd you sufficiently with this horrid Discourse therefore I close it with the Words of Seneca Magne Regnator Deum tam lentus audis scelera Tam lentus vides Ec quando saeva fulmen emittes manis Great God of Heaven can'st thou both hear and see Such horrid Crimes as these so patiently When will thy incens'd Justice send I wonder From thy Almighty hand revenging Thunder The next Vertues that qualifie them for the Papal Chair are Chastity Continencie and Abstinence from Carnal Lusts c. and how well they are gifted with these will appear by the following Examples Pope John the Thirteenth was a Monster of Men nay of Popes too who aâ—… it was articled against him in a General Council committed Incest with two of his Sisters deflowred innocent Virgins lay with Stephana his Fathers Concubine a lovely Generation like Father like Son with Raynera a Widow and one Anna with her Neece likewise He was a great Enemy to the Married Clergy and from him Dunstan received a Commission to be unnaturally incestuous Pope Sylvius left a brace of Bastards here in England the one got on a Scotch and the other on an English Woman nay whilst he was Cardinal he