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A97182
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Anti-Fimbria, or, An answer to the animadversions upon the last speeches of the [f]ive Jesuits executed at Tyburne June 20. 30. 1679. / By A.C.E.G.
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Warner, John, 1628-1692.
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1679
(1679)
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Wing W904A; ESTC R186273
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19,942
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28
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Hereticks Answer We all count it a sin to destroy or roote out any one man Heretick or other by priuate Authority or without due forme of justice and a much greater sin to destroy soe many The Decree of the Lateran council is nothing to the purpose it speaking only of absolute Princes who haue receiued from God jus gladij a right to kill and they may as Lawfully destroy according to the laws of their Dominions a Heretick as any other malefactour And what is this to the fiue Jesuits who neuer pretended any such power ouer Liues Fimbria p. 19. Do they think it a sin to kill the King Their Doctors assure them it is no sin to kill a Tyrant and they will haue our King soe one way or other Answer This malicious Assertion without any proofe is an euident proof of the ill will of your hart but not of any defect of due Allegiance in the Jesuits I challenge you to proue that any Jesuit ether by word or writing disowned his Majestye's iust title to his Imperiall Crowne We haue seene a shrewde hint in your great Fauorite Oates who teaches that Princes are deposed when they ether doe not keepe God's Laws or not punish all who breake them Js not this that uery thing which some ancient and antiquated Diuines call misgouernment against whose sentiments you soe tragically declame There is only this difference betwixt your party and the Catholicks that we haue Layd a side all those sentiments for their manifest bad consequences and you retaine them still Fimbria p. 19.20.21 22. Boucher the Jesuit who neuer was one Suarez Rosaeus Sà Bannez Panormitan and other hard names teach strange Doctrine concerning Kings Answer We are not answerable for their sentiments unlesse we make them our owne by approuing or practicing them their Doctrinall faults being no lesse Personall then theire other sins For reasons aboue giuen j will not recriminate Nothing in all those men's works of more dangerous consequence then what Oates lately had the impudence to print Jt were more discreete as well as more charitable to bury in perpetuall obliuion all those shamefull and seditious Principles in which the reformed church hath surpast the Roman Catholicks both in Teaching and Acting Fimbria p. 23. To conclude J haue great reason to be confident that these speeches were contriued for the promoting of their Grand Plot uppon which their harts were soe set that the thoughts of Death could not diuert them Answer J haue great reason to say you care not what you say prouided it be against Papists Proue first there was a Grand Plot and that designed by these or any other Jesuits which you will neuer doe because there neuer was any such thing You may remember it is not so long a goe who they were that under pretence of opposing pretended Popish Plots carryed on a reall Plot to the ruin of the King and three Kingdomes You were in being then and for ought j know according to your abilityes acted then as you doe now to promote the opinion of a Popish Plot. Fimbria p 23. J haue endeauoured to cleere two things 1. That by their Doctrine though they were as guilty as any malefactors that euer suffred yet they might assert their Jnnocency with all Oathes and Asseuerations and that lawfully by the use of a secret reserue or mentall Equiuocation This is soe plain in their writings that j neuer expect any Preist or Jesuit in England will disproue it 2. That they were as much concerned to mantaine their pretended Jnnocency how guilty soeuer they were indeede as they were for promoting their present horrid Plot or their Catholick interest depending on it Answer Beyond your expectation you se your endeauours frustrated and those two points remaine as obscure as euer The authority of the sea Apostolick is irrefragable to us Papists in matters of Faith and good manners and that forbids under paine of Excommunication that Reserue to which you haue recours Equiuocation Now according to all Diuines that censure neuer falls but on a mortall sin Soe we all beleiue that to teach Equiuocation is a mortall sin Yet you pretend the Jesuits thought they myght practice Equiuocation euen with Perjury that is adde one mortall sin to another without any the least sin Your attempt as to the second hath beene as unsuccessefull for that depending on the reall subsistance of a Popish Plot which now uery sew if any beleiue and j am certain neuer was in Being but in Oates his light and malitious head that second point must fall to the ground Againe The thing contained in that second point is a matter of fact not what myght be but what was the meaning of those words And it is a secret of their harts and who knows that but the spirit of man which is in him 1. Cor. 2.11 Now j desire my Reader to consider not what reason is alleadged by this Libeller but what can be produced in a thing of this nature except it be from a Reuelation from the searcher of harts God or from the testimony of the Persons speaking And to nether of these this Authour pretends This alone shews that all his reasons in this case are insignificant to a man of reason Fimbria p. 24. Let me only make this enquiry and j haue done whether any in Reason Justice or Charity can against such Euidence as the Justice of the Nation counted cleare pregnant and conuincing beleiue those who thought they myght uery lawfully deceiue us when they were dying and apprehended themselues most hyghly concerned to doe it Answer You state the case uery wrong that soe you myght steale away your Readers assent The question is not whither we shall credit the justice of the nation or fiue Persons interessed to deceiue their Auditory For the justice of the nation as well as the People relyed on the Deposition of Oates the sole fountaine of all these Lyes and mischeifes For as for Bedlows he was newly come out of a Goale and his staruing condition inuited him to second Oates for a liuelihood As for Oates he had beene a noted Lyer and a Perjured fellow from his infancy During his aboade at S. t Omers he was notorious and odious for it to all there And j neuer heard but two tru sayings of his The one was whilest he hoped to be admitted into the Society in confidence he sayd to one j shall ether be a Jesuit or a Judas The other was when he had receiued a finall refusall the Prouinciall thought him unfit to liue amongst any honest men he sayd openly j will be reuenged Both these sayings he hath made good And all his Lyes against Jesuits are to be ascribed ether to his indigent condition or this desire of Reueâ—ge for this imaginary wrong Where en passant j desire the Reader to consider 1. what this man deserues who to satisfy his priuate malice hath disturbed Church and State Court and Country 2. What honour it is to the Nation that so greate a part of it should be employed as instruments to Reuenge a wrong pretended to be done to that great man TITUS OATES On the other side are fiue Persons of an Jnnocent irreprochable virtuoâ—â— life as all will testify who had the aduantage to conuerse with them during 〈◊〉 whole course of it Wherefore this is the question rightly stated whither the Justice of the Notion and all the rest are rather to beleiue 1. Fiue men who are neuer knowne to haue spoken a false word or one man who scarce euer spoke a tru one 2. Fiue who scarce euer swore or one who hath beene often forsworne 3. Fiue dying men who should be damned unauoydably if they were forsworne 〈◊〉 one who would starue if he were not 4. Fiue who would not speak an untruth to saue their Liues or one who gets his liuing by swearing untruths 5. Fiue who allways sayd the same things or one who on all occasions altred 〈◊〉 tale in some uery materiall point 6. In fine fiue who say nothing but what is euidently probable and credible 〈◊〉 one whose story is euidently fabulous and incredible if not impossible When this is considered j doubt not what verdict any judicious man 〈◊〉 giue in this case Let this Libeller in Authority D. Tongue and the whole seditious Presbiterâ—â—â—rable say what they can to paliate Oates his Lyes and Perjurys he will still be a great reproch to our Nation and the only effect of their Apologyes will be to make the Authours of them partakers of his sin and sharers in his infamy And as for the suffring Papists as they are j am confident all jnnocent soe that â—â—nocency will dayly become more and more conspicuous and all this present shame will hereafter redound to their greater Glory Soe that they with joy 〈◊〉 say as Joseph did Gen. 50.20 Vos cogitastis de me maluÌ„ sed Deus vertit illud in 〈◊〉 END
all that j and others haue suffred on that score j desire the murtherers no other harme then what through sense of their detestable crime they shal inflict uppon themselues to appease the wrath of Gôd and preuent the heauy stroke of Diuine Justice Fimbria p. 14.15 and 16. You start againe Equiuocations and follow the game hotly and soe you may for me who know no Papist a liue that will defend or practice them since they are condemned by the sea Apostolick Fimbria p. 16. and 17. The Jesuits had great motiues to use Equiuocations the Plot could not be more effectually promoted It makes Protestants stagger in the beleife of it it Weakns the credit of the Witnesses it allays the spirit of the Nation it incenses foraigne Princes against Protestants and in fine it entitles the sufferers to Martyrdome When on the contrary by acknowledging their conspiracy they had broken the necke of the Plot endangered the Lords in the Towre silenced those who question the King's euidence made Popery odious and spoyled their expectation of Martyrdome Answer In all this discourse you discouer a mind filled with thoughts more becoming a Pagan or Atheist then a Christian. A Pagan or Atheist beleiuing nothing of the life eternall to come settles all his hopes all his feares all his thoughts and all his affections on things of this life and is ambitious euen at his last breath of the Plaudite which attends the exit of a good Actor on the stage of this world A Christian on the contrary knows this life to be but a moment if compared with that to come that all earthly glory is vanity pleasures deceitfull health unconstant and life it selfe uncertaine so embracing the aduice of our Blessed Redeemer Mat. 6.19.20 Regards not any treasure on earth where it is subject to soe many casualtyes but prepares one in Heauen where he is certaine he shal neuer be defrauded of it He is certaine it will auayle him nothing to gaine all the world with the losse of his soul Mat. 16.26 And if any be soe unfortunate as to be engaged during his life in some designes worldly and Politick contrary to the Law of God yet these vanish at the gastly sight of approaching Death All hopes and feares of this life then vanishing and those of the life to come taking entire possession of the soul Now consider what thoughts you fancy in these executed Jnnocents of malice in Promoting the Plot spite against the Witnesses reuenge against Protestants in all countryes vanity and folly in purchacing the name of Martyrs in this world with the losse of their souls in the other as if they would fry in Hell fire really for an eternity prouided men uppon earth for a time myght say they were braue boys What ground haue you to surmise such Antichristian Dispositions in their minds At a much easier rate and with lesse sin or rather no sin at all as you say they myght haue purchaced their Pardon and liued contentedly in this world and dyed happily for the next by only owning the crime of which they were really guilty What reason haue they giuen you to judge them soe silly or soe mad rather Did they whilest at liberty discouer any signes of that vanity No. Did they during the time of their imprisonment No. Did any such thing appeare at their Tryall or execution Nor then nether All who conuerst with them when abroad and when Prisoners all the spectators of the last period of their liues agree in a far different character of them from what you soe confidently assert of their inclinations althô possible you neuer saw their faces What ground can you haue then for this hard censure Without your selfe nothing occurres wherefore j am forced to surmise that all the ground you haue is taken from your owne hart which is taken up and possessed with thoughts of this life and worldly designes and that you judged of others by your selfe Fimbria p. 17. Uppon far lesse account Equiuocation in words or Oathes is in the judgment of their best Casuists lawfull at any time the hour of Death not excepted Answer 1. J challenge you to shew one Casuist who since that Decree of Jnnocent XI condemning Equiuocation euer taught it Lawfull at any time Answer 2. These fiue Jesuits declare they use no Equiuocation but take their words in their naturall and obuious sense which must be a Lye and consequently no jnnocent action in the opinion of all Jesuits if their words were not true in their proper signification Fimbria p. 18. The greatest Lye and falsest Oath that euer was heard in the mouth of a Jesuit would become as tru as the Ghospel by a secret cast of his mind Answer What opinion you haue of the truth of the Ghospel j can not tell but this comparison giues ground to suspect more then j will say At least that transforming quality of the Jesuit turning falshood in to Truth is much better then your turning good things into bad and Truth into Falshood changing as the Prophet says judgment into wormewood Amos 5.7 Fimbria p. 18. What the Jesuits were charged with may be reduced to three heades a designe to introduce Popery to massacre or destroy the Protestants of these kingdomes and to kill the King Now in their judgment if we can discerne it by their Doctrine no one of these is a sin And can you wonder they dyed impenitent when the saw nothing to be repented of Answer You would be a formidable aduersary were your Proofes as strong as your Assertions are bold But hitherto we haue found you promise much and performe nothing Let us see whither your attempt be more successefull here Fimbria p. 18. Could they count it a sin to restore the Popish Religion in three kingdomes and establish it by aduancing a Prince to the Throne who would count it his glory utterly to extinguish Heresy Answer There are none but the factious Presbiterians who dislike the uniting all the world into one exterior communion All good Christians as well as Jesuits wish it done and professe their sincere endeauours to promote it by all Lawfull meanes not other wise for as the Apostle sayth we are not to doe euill that good may come of it But you malitiously hint at something which you dare not speake out and j am Dauus not Oedipus soe cannot unriddle your misterious meaning Yet in expectation of your discouery j declare that j know no Papist nor Jesuit aliue who thinks it Lawfull to aduance any Prince to a Throne which is not due to him 〈◊〉 that we doe not think it due to him whilest it is possest by another lawfully When you shal further discouer your meaning it shal â—â—nd a fuller answer Fimbria p. 18. Doe they count it a sin to destroy or roote out all whome they count Hereticks as they count many hundred thousands in these nations and then you cite a decree of the Councel of Latran ordering Princes to roote out