in the same Church and I pray then where will your Errours remain but in your own bosoms But see further the truth of this our Saviour parting out of this world tells his Apostles That he would be with them even to the end of the world so that we have two Persons of the Blessed Trinity promised to assist the Church of God for ever Matth. 28. v. 20. besides God the Fathers Divine aid and if this Church Erre with their guiding then there can be no truth at all for us to be guided by for this is as clear as the Sun that if the Church of God be guided by an Infallible Spirit it cannot Erre And the Church of God is guided by an Infallible Spirit therefore the Church of God cannot Erre And though I have made this good already yet I will make it more plainly appear from Christs own words where he exhorting Brethren to be reconciled one to another which if they will not do by reasonable perswasions they should tell the Church Matth. 18. v. 17. and if they will not hear the Church let them be as Heathens and Publicans by which it is plain that if the Church were not Infallible Just and free from Errour our Saviour would never have tyed us to her Judgement in our Faith and Manners under so sad a penalty as being a Heathen if we do not hear and submit to her and therefore it is very necessary for every one to submit to Gods Church which is infallibly true lest they be Heathens in the esteem of God and Man and consequently out-lawes to the Kingdom of Heaven Again see what our Saviour saith to this purpose in the same Gospel And I say unto thee Matth. 16. v. 18. that thou art Peter and upon this rock will I build my Church and the Gates of Hell shall never prevail against it now if the Church could be erroneous then you must deny this Gospel to be true for no Errours can be in the Church but by the prevailing power of the Devil which is meant by Hell-Gates and which our Saviour saith shall never prevail against it so by this we are certain the Church cannot Erre and we may confidently confide in her in all matters of our Salvation But for your further assurance if our Saviour be not enough I will show you what St. Paul saith concerning this truth where he confirms all that hath been said of it speaking to holy Timothy 1 Tim. 3. v. 15. But if I tarry long that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave they self in the house of God which is the Church of the living God the pillar and ground of the truth Now here I might stop and say no more for Saint Paul hath said enough for if it be the piller or support of truth and the ground from whence truth is derived is it not monstrous to think of Errour and I would fain know in what place Christians should ever be free from errour in their Faith if not in the Church of God and for to say that there is no way to be free from it would be very strange for then all men would grope in dark uncertainties which is quite contrary to the Qualities and Excellencies of Gods Church as was foretold by the Prophet Isaiah speaking of the Church of Christ Chap. 35. v. 8. And an high way shall be there and it shall be called the way of holiness and fools shall not erre therein now if there be no possibility for fools to erre in it certainly wise men cannot But this is no small subtilty of our Adversaries to hold this opinion well knowing that their Church hath been and is full of errours and that the gates of Hell hath prevailed against it hath manifestly appeared and doth now appear when all that they can do cannot allay the furious spirits of one Kingdom nor reduce them to any Obedience to their Church so that if they did not hold this Opinion as an Article of their Church all the world would see theirs was not the Church of God because it hath errours by which they are forced to maintain it as well as they can though it be against both Scripture and Reason too Now that this Church of God is onely the Roman Catholick is plainly shown already by her conformity to and practice of Gods holy word in all her points of Faith which she teacheth Christians to believe and therefore all her enemies wrong her and themselves too in saying the contrary for wheres they cry out the Roman Church was once the true Church of God but she is fallen from it now as they never could prove the time when nor the occasion how so is it impossible it ever should because as I have already shown Gods Holy Spirit guides and directs it that the Gates of Hell can never prevail to overthrow it nor bring it to errour And now having sufficiently proved the Infallibility of Gods Church I cannot but advise every one that hath any care of their eternal welfare to imbrace and believe what she preacheth concerning the same and so conclude with that of St. Augustine Many things saith he with much reason kept me in obedience to the Catholick Church the consent of people and Nations holds me the Authority of the same Church which is risen up by Miracle nourished with Hope augmented by Charity established by its Antiquity the succession of Bishops holds me therein whâ—ch beginning in the See and Authority of Saint Peter to whom God recommended the care of his Flock is maintained to this present time lastly the name of Catholick holds me in it and addeth he would not believe the Gospel it self if he were not assured of it by the Catholick Church Chap. 12. Proving the Doctrine of Remission of Sins as commanded by Christ and practised by his Apostles contrary to the Opinion of Protestants WEre not the mindes of many men corrupted with imperious principles they could not be so evil as to question yea deny the gifts both of Grace and Nature that God hath given both to Angels and Men when we have much reason to adore and praise him that he hath so much esteem of any of our Nature as to bestow such prerogatives upon them amongst which this is not the least that I am to treat of concerning remission of Sins by a Priest which though there be a grand mistake in this Point amongst Protestants and we are abused in it yet I shall by Gods assistance and by his holy word clear the mistake which may easily remedy the abuse for in all Mysteries of Christian Religion we are to consult with Gods word which if rightly understood cannot deceive us and not with our own shallow understandings which easily may neither are we to be led away with aiery fancies of our own nor with a giddy multitude nor ought the slanderous tongues of men to be trusted in but if you finde it plainly declared
in Scripture then are we bound to believe it for this is a general crime in this Age that men think nothing can be true if their narrow capacities cannot comprehend it as if all the mysteries of our Faith were so open for every ones understanding to enter the knowledge of them which if they were so then there were no need of Faith because Faith is onely required in those things our natures cannot comprehend and so might every Turk and Pagan be as good a Believer as a Christian therefore for the redress of this evil we are to understand whether Christ gave this power to his Apostles or no for if they had the power to pardon sins as being the Heads of his Church the same power must remain to their Successours in that Church because otherwise all succeeding Ages would receive no benefit by that gift which our Saviour gave for the good of us all that lay hold of it And to prove that they had this power is plain and easie enough first from Saint Matthews Gospel where our Saviour telling Saint Peter he would build his Church on him he saith Mat. 16. v. 18 19. And I will give thee the Keyes of the Kingdom of Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt binde on earth shall be bound in Heaven and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven by which it is clear that he had a great power given him to pardon or not to pardon and that those which he did not pardon on earth should not be pardoned in heaven which is the same in Gods Church to this day and therefore let every one consider what reason they have to be members of it by which consists our eternal salvation Again our Saviour tells his Disciples in general saying Whatsoever ye shall binde on earth shall be bound in heaven Mat. 18. v. 18. and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven by which it is plain that they had this power of remission of sins and to deny the same power to their Successours in Gods Church would in my esteem be very unreasonable And as in all other points of Faith the contempt of them proceeds from a want of a right understanding of them as I have shown elsewhere so is it the same in this for it is buzzed in poor peoples ears Can man pardon sins or can Priests forgive us or the Pope absolve us without any consideration of the nature of it at all for if we rightly understood our selves or did but consult with reason we should soon be undeceived in this mystery For in the first place know that it is the gift of Christ himself and therefore not to be questioned by any man Secondly Priests cannot pardon sins by any natural power they have more then other men but by a supernatural grace from God we know and confess that it appertains to God onely by nature to pardon sins and so doth many other things as working of Miracles and casting out of Devils and healing the sick and the like which power we know God hath given unto men as well as the other proved by Christ himself where he speaking of all that truly believed in him saith he These signes shall follow Mark 16. v. 17 18. in my name shall they cast out Devils they shall speak with new tongues they shall take up Serpents and if they drink any deadly thing it shall not hurt them they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover now it is certain all these excellencies appertains to God by nature but if he is pleased to give this power to men what reason have we to question or be offended with it which power is equal to that of remission of sins and we see are both given to men by God Thirdly we are to consider that Priests do not pardon our sinnes immediately from themselves but Ministerially as when they apply the words of Absolution on us God hath promised to pardon us otherwayes he will not John 20. v. 23. as Christ saith Whose sins ye remit they are remitted and whose sins ye retain they are retained so that you see this is plainly true if you dare believe Christ himself Now that this may not seem strange to you do but consider that great vertue that is in Baptisme where by the application of water and a few words by the Priest or Minister the childe is pardoned of all its original sin now it is not the Minister nor Water nor words that pardons the Childe but God himself who is pleased by them and that means to do it and yet it is so far from dishonouring God that he is honoured by it because it is his holy will it should be so and this all Protestants believe which is as great a gift of God to mankinde as is the other and by all people thus plainly understood will not appear so strange and monstrous as they are made believe it is now we may plainly see how far those kinde of men are from being in Gods Church that do not onely not practise this truth but rail against and contemn it though it be published by our Blessed Saviour himself for the good of the whole world Again consider if God had not ordained this in his Church how should we know that our sins are pardoned by God at all or when they are so pardoned but that he hath promised when they do it on earth he will do it in heaven and this is our onely assurance and as it were a mark by which we know our sins are pardoned that we may thank his Divine Name for it which otherwise we should be very uncertain when to do I shall conclude this Chapter with that wholesome Counsel of St. Augustine who desireth That none make doubt of the Priests right in Remission of Sins Aug. No. Test q. 53 seeing the Holy Ghost is purposely given them to do the same in which case if any be yet contentious he must deny the Holy Ghost to be God and not to have power to pardon sins And onely adde that of St. Ambrose who saith St. Amb. lib. 1. c 7. de peuitent Why should it be more dishonour to God or more impossible or inconvenient for men to forgive sins by Pennance then by Baptisme seeing that it is the Holy Ghost that doth it by the Priests Office and Ministery in both Chap. 13. Proving the Churches Vniversality and that no Church is or can be Catholick but the Roman against the Opinion of Protestants OF all the great actions that God hath openly done for mankinde there is none that he hath declared more apparently then that his Church should be spread in all parts and corners of the whole world to the intent that all Nations hearing the sound of the Gospel there could be none that might plead any ignorance in the not hearing of it Now as this shall be proved by the words of Christ himself
so I will first show it you by the Infallible Prophesies of the Prophets of God Isa 2. v. 2. and first of Isaiah And it shall come to pass in the last dayes that the Mountain of the Lords house shall be established in the top of the Mountains Christs Church and shall be exalted above the hills and all Nations shall flow unto it so here is one true testimony that the Catholick Church shall be spread in all parts and all Nations shall partake of her holy Doctrine and not to lye hid in a corner as in one Kingdome or City or Congregation or this mans Church or that mans Church as all Sectaries do by which I shall plainly prove they cannot be any thing like Gods Church And again the same Prophet saith speaking of the many benefits that we shall enjoy under Christs Church That the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord Chap. 11 v. 9 10. as the waters cover the Sea Now as we know they are spread in all parts of the world so is the knowledge of Gods truth spread by his Church in the same manner which quality agreeth to no other Church but the Roman Catholick The same Prophet declares further Chap. 49. v. 22 23. That Kings shall be thy nursing Fathers and Queens thy nursing Mothers and to show the great reverence they should bear to this Church of God saith he They shall bow down to thee with their faces toward the earth and lick up the dust of thy feet Now I would demand what Church or Sect in the Christian world that hath Kings and Queens for their nursing Fathers and Mothers but the Roman Catholick and so by consequence cannot be the Church of God but are as wandering sheep having no true shepherd and so are daily exposed to the rage and fury of that ravening wolf John 10. v. 12. the Devil Again the same Prophet speaking how largely Gods Church should be stretched forth under the Gospel Isa 54. v. 2 3. saith Enlarge the place of thy Tent let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitation spare not lengthen thy Cords and strengthen thy stakes for thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles and make the desolate Cities to be inhabited Now let the understanding Reader judge where this Prophesie is fulfilled in Protestants and Sectaties or in the Roman Church which is thus stretched out and hath her Members in the West-Indies and East-Indies in China in Tartary in Egypt in Assyria in Africa and Asia in Turky and all parts of Europe as the Empire of Germany the Kingdoms of Spain France Poland England Dominions of Italy and every Land in Christendom is either all or a considerable part of this Church which none in the world can say besides and so are very far off from fulfilling this Prophesie And in another place he saith Chap. 66. v. 18. And it shall come to pass that I will gather all Nations and Tongues and they shall come and see my glory Thus hath this holy Prophet by Gods inspiration foretold clearly the Universal or Catholick State of the Church of God in the time of the Gospel and Jeremiah the Prophet hath not been silent in Prophesying the fame for saith he Jer. 31. v 37. If heaven above can be measured and the foundation of the earth searched out beneath then will I cast off the seed of Israel and the measuring line shall go forth from Gareb to compass about Goath all which do declare the large extent of Christs Church And for confirmation of these Prophesies and what else hath been said I shall produce now the words of our Blessed Saviour himself who telling his Disciples of all the troubles they were to suffer for his name before Kings and Judges Ma k 13. v. 10. but saith he The Gospel must first be published among all Nations which plainly shows that Gods Church must be Catholick or Universal and I would fain learn from our Adversaries what Church hath taken the pains to publish the Gospel to all Nations and so fulfil these Prophesies but the Pastors of the Church of Rome for this may be urged to the shame of all Sects that if none took more pains in converting of Heathens Jews and Infidels then they do many millions of souls might perish for want of the knowledge of the living God but they instead of labouring to convert forreign Nations and so make the Church Universal lie at home in a corner of the world jangling one with another and sleeping on beds of Doun in Ladies bosoms and yet by all means theirs is the true Church and they the onely Pastors sent to convert the world and yet never intend to go about any such matter It is a wonderful thing to consider that men that read the Bible and all these Prophesies can be so ignorant to think that Gods Church should be pinn'd up in so narrow limits as any one Sect or Congregation did Christ himself preach for that and command his Apostles to publish the Gospel to all Nations who did so and lost their lives in that work was all this done I say to have his Church thrust up in a corner and to be no where else how then shall all Nations come to know God how shall they be Baptized in the Name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost how shall they partake of any Sacraments how shall the Church hear their differences Mat. 18. v. 17. and decide them as our Saviour saith it shall how I say shall all this be done if it were so straitned but since she is a Catholick Church she is every where and so all persons inspired by God in all places may receive if they will the foresaid benefits which otherwise can never be done And thus is plainly shown you that there is an Universal Church and that it is the Roman Catholick is as plain in its agreement with Gods Word according to Saint Paul who highly commends the same Faith Rom. 1. v. 7 8. in these words To all that be in Rome beloved of God called to be Saints grace to you and peace from God our Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ First I thank my God for you all that your Faith is spoken of throughout the whole world from which words we may gather that if the Faith of the Romans was so inlarged in the world sixteen hundred years ago that now it is much more for then Gods Church was but in her Infancy and now she is in her flourishing State she was then under most cruel persecutions by Tyrants and now praised be God she is at rest with her friends so that now we may clearly see that all those that are shut up in such narrow Corners are meerly Sects and Heresies and are clean shut out from the bosom of the Spouse of Christ which is his Holy Catholick Church
not therefore leave the reading of it quite because the understanding of some parts is beneficial to them so their Common Prayer being read and sung in Cathedrals and other places is not understood by many of the wiser sort much less by the common people and so is all one as if it were in Latine yet if there were any benefit to be had it would be never the less to them because they understood it not since as I said before it is offered to God onely for all the Church and not to us And since it is so in these practices amongst them I hope they will not but think that those that are ignorant amongst us may and do receive much comfort by our Churches Service since by being so often at it and good instructions from Priests they come in short time to the knowledge and meaning of it but perhaps some may object that since we cannot understand them perfectly why should we go to Church to hear the Servince to which I anser that it is without complare better to go to Gods Church to offer our Devotions by every ones praying to God by being present at the Instituion of the Blessed Sacrament by seeing devout people receive it with true devotion besides none but Atheists will deny but that it is better to do any act of Devotion in a Church dedicated to Gods holy Service and nothing else then in a prophane house which is chiefly designed for temporal business but indeed as Protestants do their Devotion in Churches there is no great difference who sit on their tails staring about them when their Common-Prayer is said and have more regard to the manner then to the matter performed But it is far otherwise with Catholicks in the Church for there every one is on their knees praying to God for such things as they stand in need of and the Priest prayes for them all so that were it in the Mother Tongue it signified nothing more and if they heard him not speak a word it were the same for why the Priest is bound to say the Divine Service every day if there were no person present but himself and yet we may receive benefit by his Prayers too that neither see hear nor understand him because the prayers of any good man prevailes with God though the persons prayed for were a thousand miles off This now that hath been said may suffice any moderate person as to the belief that there is no necessity of understanding the Common Service as there is in the hearing of Sermons for those are alwayes preached in the Mother Tongue to common people because when the Priest saith Mass or Divine Service he speaks to God and when they preach it is directed to man onely But now I will show the reason why it is said in Latine in all places of the world and the convenience of it First we are to consider that the Catholickd Church is not pinn'd up into one Kingdom or Dominion as other Churches are that say their Service in the Mother tongue for which reason since that all Nations from her receive one uniform Faith so they have all one Service in one Language which hath many conveniences with it and no incommodity at all for by that maeans Priests that are sent into Forreign Countreyes where they speak never a word of the Language when they come there yet may do that for which they were sent and commanded there that is say Mass and administer the Sacraments as well as if they did and those in those Countreyes where they are sent can as well understand them as their own Priests they had before being Natives Besides many thousands of Catholicks travel from one part of Christendome to another and come where they will in any of their Churches they understand and hear the same Service that they do at home which if it were not said in all places in one Language they could not for since the Catholick Church is composed of so many Nations and are continually travelling and mixing one with the other it would be barbarious to all strangers to hear that Service which none of them understood If there were any necessity for the understanding of it as for example the French Spaniards Italians Dutch â—â—sh c. come all at one time to our Service here in England now were it said in English it would be barbarous to them all but being in the same Tongue as it is in their own Countreyes they understand it as well as if they were there so that the discreet Reader may see what necessity and convenience the Church hath in using the Latine service which if it were confined to so narrow limits as others are would use none but the Mother Tongue as others do so that all Christians may see the integrity of Gods Church which in this and all other points orders every thing for the good and convenience of all her Members which is done with so much wisdome and prudence that it plainly appears to be guided by the Spirit of God as also the malice of our enemies is shown who make people believe that Papists are kept in gross ignorance and must not read the Bible nor must not understand the Common Service because they shall not as they say know what the evil of it is and such fooleries in continually buzzed in their ears but bow slanderously let every Christian judge Now that this hath been the practice of the whole Church for this sixteen hundred years and the belief of all the ancient Fathers our adversaries themselves know sufficiently yet for the love of their large Revenues will not discover it nor other points as true as Gospel to the people that want understanding for which one day they must be sure to give a severe account to God whom they cannot deceive And for to bring in the Sentences of the Fathers to prove this would swell this Book into a larger Volume then is designed I will quote them where they are to be found that every one may know their practice in this point and first see Saint Cyprian Expo orat domn 13. Saint Gregory Lib. 7. Ep. 65. Jerome Prefat in Psal ad Sophron. Chrisos lib. 2. c. 13. and conclude with Saint Paul 1 Cor. 11. v. 16. that if after all this that hath been said any man be contentious we have no such custome nor the Church of God Chap 17. Treating in general of both Churches NOw having plainly proved all the chief points of our Faith by the Protestants own Bible I shall proceed a little to speak in general concerning both Religions that all men may consider and see by their Antiquity Rise Practice and Proceedings which is the likeliest to be the Church of God if it had not been or were not to be proed by Scripture for in the first place we shall finde all Religions but the Roman Catholick so like innocents for Age They are all Novelties in comparison to
Gods Church that they have not yet left their Cradles that is they are rocked up and down by their new opinions and so far from being settled that it is to be feared they never will for what wise man can be so much an enemy to truth as to think Gods Church was not spread in the world before Henry the Eighths time or Martin Luthers or John Calvins The rise of all Sectaries who were the first bringers in of all Religions but the Roman as every one knows which hath read any thing and for such men who were known to be leud and evil livers to pretend new lights and discoveries from God for the alteration of Christian Religion who seeth not but that it was preposterous as it hath proved for I would demand why did our Blessed Saviour preach Christian Religion and send his Apostles and Disciples to preach the same to all Nations in the world that they might plant true points of Faith and they did do it and watered it with their Blood was this done for nothing that when these pretended Reformers came they must make the world believe that God would undo all again what had been practised so long in all Christendome to have new Religions of their making set up sure these men thought that either God knew not what he did when he planted the first or that all people but themselves were very simple to receive a second Faith from them of their own inventing as plainly appeared soon after and doth still for no sooner were they severally grown to any authority with silly people but they began to rail and revile one against the other just as we see their succeeding followers do to this day which indeed is proper to all Sectaries and Hereticks to do which shewed then and now of what far distance their doctrine was from pleasing God who is the God of peace and hareth contention as also far from being of his Church since there is no such custome as Saint Paul saith and yet we see by wofull experience in this Kingdome how these Sects which are the spawn of Heresie still grow more and more amongst us and in their increasing are still more monstrous then at first in their opinions against God and Christian Religion and yet they say as the first of them did that God hath sent them to convert and purge the world and bring in new Relgions and so all Hereticks that come after this Age will say the like and so it seems by them that God will never settle any but have every Age a new Religion And thus we may see what a tempestuous sea Heresie is which tumbles them up and down that follow it and never are at rest here till they imbarque themselves in the secure Ship of the Catholick Church where God himself is the Pilot from whence those unhappy souls that went out and were the cause of these prodigious storms have suffered shipwrack on the quick-sands of their own giddy fancies Again let us observe further how monstrous these Heresies and Factions are and how destructive both to mens souls and to Monarchy in the Civill Government of our Bodies First we may easily perceive what ruine it hath brought to many souls Their bad practices and proceedings when they are taught to deny all these Principles of Faith proved in this Book by the word of God and other high points by some of them as the Godhead of Christ and the Holy Ghost is denyed by Antebaptists and Quakers and too many others and Baptisme of Infants and amongst them altogether is practised such a furious contempt of Gods word and all the Sacraments and Divine Mysteries of Christian Religion as never was yet known or heard of in the Christian world before so that some people are even distracted and know not where to go for to finde rest for their souls because so many Sects pretend for the truth and are all false because as Saint Paul saith there is but one Faith one God and one Baptisme and the Catholick Church is the onely Haven for all those troubled spirits that seek for truth to finde repose in And how destructive they are to Civill Government I need not quote any Authour to prove it since our King and Kingdome at home as well as others abroad have felt the hellish hands of Heresie and faction in such sort that Rebelling against our deceased lawful Sovereign they did not onely spill his Royal Blood but thousands of his Subjects and this under the appearance of Religion too as well as any but they that see not these to be snares and pits of the Devil deserve to fall into them since none but those that are wilfully blinde can be caught in such visible ginns And now as I have briefly shown you the rough and stormy Seas of Heresie and Factions so I will open the gate to let you see the smooth and pleasantest Waters of Gods Church which runs through every vein of the world peaceably without noise or disturbance agreeable to his Word wo said My peace I leave with you and that you love one another as I have loved you which words of our Saviour is no where observed as I have shown by the malice and contentions that is amongst Hereticks but in the Catholick Church The Churches Antiquity and rise which hath had this peace which Christ left ever since he left it and as it began then in his time and the Apostles to be a famous Church throughout the world so hath it continued in the same splendor and purity to this day as is plainly seen first by her being so conformable in her Doctrine she now teacheth to the true and infallible word of God as I have proved Secondly in her continuance of her lawful Line of Pastours Thirdly in her Apostolical care for the Conversion of Nations that know not God which otherwise might perish Fourthly The Churches practice by her Miracles famed throughout the world as our Saviour said who ever did believe truly in him should have power to cast out Devils Mark 16. v. 17 18. and take up Serpents and drink poison and not hurt them so his Church which hath onely truly believed in him hath onely had many Members that hath truly done those Miracles as many Protestants themselves confess Again if we consider the different order that is in both Churches it may justly amaze all reasonable men the Priests of the Catholick Church never marry nor enjoy any great Estates that so they may be freely divested from the worlds interests as the Apostles were to attend wholly to perform their charge in Gods Church and the conversion of souls on the contrary the Ministers of all other Churches do generally marry and enjoy very great Possessions and Riches by which they are so incumbred with the world as very few are more as we daily see by their continual Suits of Law and griping cares to advance themselves from one
great Benefice to another not at all considering that if they were true Pastours they should feed Gods Sheep that is go preach in remote places of the world amongst Pagans that know not God as the Apostles did and as Catholick Priests do to this day and as all must do that follow the examples and commands left by Christ or else they cannot be of his sending by which we have very great reason to suspect all these new teachers that lie at home at ease and pleasure and are so far from taking the toil and pains of converting Pagans This is too truly proved by many that dye and never have either Sacraments nor any other comfort from them in their agony of Death that many of them will not stir to a poor person that lies a dying because they cannot receive a golden Recompence Again in the Catholick Church there be many thousands of her Members that are Royally and Nobly Born to great Possessions that quit them all to serve God in strict courses of Religion as Fasting Watching Praying giving Almes and many other bodily Mortifications in Religious Houses where nothing but the Service of God is exalted The vast difference of the two Churches practice Now I would fain know from whence the doing of so much good doth proceed but from the inspiration of God and for to finde one now of any other Religion nobly born or of mean quality to forsake an Estate for the Service of God in their way would be such a miracle as was yet never heard of amongst them nor never will be but on the contrary all people of all conditions take their full career in doing what they please themselves for they will not hear the Church nor Fast nor Pray nor receive the Sacrament but when their fancy pleases and so are let run in a negligent state never to give an account for their sinful actions to the Church at all as God commands we should and so by tis means the flood-gate of all evil is opened for all manner of people to plunge themselves over head ad ears in misery and utter calamity I could enlarge my self in showing the vast difference in many other practices as the beauty and ornaments of Catholick Churches when others are like Barnes in comparison of them the Reverence and Devotion of the Catholick people in them who on their knees adore God whilst others sit at ease some gazing and some asleep with many other practices of the like kinde but this may and will suffice for all those that desire to entertain truth and to minde the salvation of their souls to show clearly which is Gods Church and which is not so that which the Prophet Isaiah foretold is here made good that the Church of God should be a plain way and a direct way so that fools could not erre therein so that all those that itnend at the last day to be separated from the goats must now in this life graze with Gods Sheep that is they must enter into communion with his Catholick Church whereof Christ Jesus is the Head The Conents of the Chapters Chapter 1. Proving the Blessed Sacrament page 1 Chap. 2. Proving Confession to a Priest page 11 Chap. 3. Proving Purgatory page 16 Chap. 4. Proving that none went to Heaven before Christ dyed page 25 Chap. 5. Proving that Angels and Saints know our actions on earth page 31 Chap. 6. Proving it lawful to pray to them page 39 Chap. 7. Proving it lawful to worship them page 52 Chap. 8. Proving the lawfulness of Images page 59 Chap. 9. Proving Free-will in Man to do good page 67 Chap. 10. Proving Good Works to be Meritorious page 76 Chap. 11. Proving that Gods Church cannot Erre page 84 Chap. 12. Proving the Churches Authority in Remission of Sins page 91 Chap. 13. Proving the Churches Vniversality page 98 Chap. 14. Proving the lawfulnesse of Fasting page 108 Chap. 15. Proving the difficulty of understanding Scripture page 114 Chap. 16. Proving the necessity of the Churches Service in one Tongue in all Kingdoms page 126 Chap. 17. Shewing in general the vast difference of both Churches page 137 FINIS