they are Gods Elect yet to speak precisely no mortal eye can infallibly discern them to be such since many times the Bristol-stone glitters as bright as the Diamond and Hypocrites make as fair outward shew as the real Saint The second sort therefore of the militant Church are Hypocrites and â—nâ—ound members who are not effectually called but disobey the truth whereof they make profession These distinctions being thus premised we proceed to acquaint you what we mean by a true Church of Christ and we shall do it in the very words of our mother the Church of England in the 19 th Article of her Faith The visible Church of Christ is a Congregation of Faithfull men in the which the pure word of God is Preached and the Sacraments be duly Administred according to Christs Ordinance in all those things that of Necessity are requisite to the same So that here we see wherever the word of God is sincerely preach'd and heard and the Sacraments Administred according to Christs Institution there is a Church of God for those are the marks whereby the Church may be known So that the visible Church which is also Catholick or Vniversal under the Gospel not confined to one Nation as before under the Law consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true Religion And particular Churches which are members thereof are more or less pure according the doctrine of the Gospel is taught and embraced Ordinances Administred and publick Worship perform'd more or less pure in them And not only the purest particular Churches under Heaven are subject both to mixture and Error but some may and have so degenerated as to become no Churches of Christ but Synagoges of Satan tho yet there shall to the end of the world be a Church on Earth to Worship God according to his will against whom the Gates of Hell shall not prevail Now whether the present Church of Râ—me be not one of these Apostatized Adulterous Churches against whom such a Divorce is sued out we shall proceed to Inquire as soon as we have told you what we mean by the Church of Rome And that is The whole Church of Rome as it is a Body consisting of one vissible head the Pope and of all Papists wheresoever Clergy and Laity professing themselves members of that Head and owning the Faith and Doctrine thereof This Body or Company I say is not in any sort to be accounted a true visible Church of Christ which I conceive will appear by diverse Arguments of which I shall give you one at present That Church which over throweth the main and proper cause of our Salvation is no true Church of Christ But the Church of Rome overthroweth the main and proper cause of our Salvation Therefore the Church of Rome is no true Church of Christ The Major I presume no man will deny and for the Assumption 't is notoriously evident for they have overthrown the principal and fundamental Article of Justification which is the Head and summ of all Religion they err in the Efficient Cause of our Justification which is the free Grace and favour of God which they deny building it upon mans merit of Congruity or works preparatory and dispository to Justification c. Coupling it with mans free-will They Err in the material cause Christ Obedience this they deny to be our Obedience or the matter of our Justification They Err in the Form of our Justification which it the Imputation of Christs Righteousness unto us They Err in the Instrumental cause to wit the Justifying Faith denying is to be a certain particular trust or Assurance in Gods mercy for the Pardon of our Sins They Err in the very Meritorious cause Christ our Redeemer several ways overthrowing all his Offices They Err also in the final cause of Justification being the free Gift of Eternal Life while they say the same is merited by the Condignaty They overthrow the very Fundamentals of Religion by denying the sufficiency of the Scriptures for the Rule of Faith and the necessity of its being known to Gods people They deny the right use of the Sacraments whilst they attribute unto them Grace ex opere operato and teach that their efficacy depends on the Intention of the Priest They deny the truth of Christs humane Body by their absurd whimsey of Transubstantiation and the vertue of His only and all alone sufficient Sacrifice by their propitiatory Masses c. So that 't is plain they have Corrupted or abandoned the main and proper Fundamentals of Salvation consequently has no Claim to the Title of a Church of Christ THE COURANT. Tory. HAVE you seen the famous Panegyrick the Sacrificâ— to the Rising-Sun Truem. No nor can guess what you mean But I have heard that amongst all sorts of Idolaters they were only a parcel of forlorn servile debauch'd effeminate Hen-hearted Chicken-soul'd Persians that worship'd the Sun rising And since you mention that word it puts me in mind what I read the other day in a Pamphlet Entituled A warning against the dangerous practises of Papists written by one Thomas Norton in good Queen Bess's days Anno 1586. Let it be well-weigh'd saith he what they mean to the Realm That under colour of Succeeding so far undermine the Head of our Country that they convey the countenance favour and supportation of a great corrupt number of such as may frame themselves any hope of Gain that way to persons that by such kindled Ambition may be the more hastily embolden'd This to do is to shew us a Sun rising to whose Worship they would fain draw us from our Sun declining as they suppose No no our Queen is our true Sun and whatever shining Thing they would set up in her time is no right Sun but an unlucky Comet And it is not yet Noon I trust with our Sun or if it be I hope yet God will lengthen the day to our Sun for his Honour-sake as he did to Joshua and rather have all good Subjects so to hope if the residue of that day may be so spent as Joshuah spent it and for which God did prolong it viz. To rid the World of God's Enemies Let it be considered what Hopes Anticipation and most dreadful Mischiefs which I fear and abhor to name the encouraging of such succeeding which is the work of Papists may minister where the only Person of our most dear and precious Soveraign standeth between them and their desired Effect the utter undoing of us all and specially where the power of Revenge may by possibility fall into their hands for whose sake it should be attempted It is no small mischief danger and appalling of our Faith and Courage when our Prince must be defended against those that by possibility may aspire to be our Princes themselves and to 〈◊〉 it upon good Subjects I dispute no Titles I have no reach beyond our Queen I can see nothing beyond our Queen 〈◊〉 a Chaos of Misery therefore I am
some of the Inferiour Clergy may take him for Guide the Inns of Court scorn to be his Pupils for all he stiles himself Observ Numb 84. Roger L'Estrange of Grays-Inn Labourer The Man is as much out in his Law as he uses to be in his Divinity For tho God forbid any should be so wicked to imagin the Death of a collateral presumptive Heir to the Crown is not Treason by this Statute Coke 3 Instit fol. 8 9. speaking of the same words Before this Statute some did hold that to compass the Death of any of the King's Children was Treason but by this Act it is restrained to the Prince the King's Son being Heir apparent If the Heir apparent to the Crown be a collateral Heir apparent he is not within this Statute Roger Mortimer Earl of March was Anno Dom. 1487. 11 Rich. 2. proclaimed Heir apparent Anno 39 H. 6. Richard Duke of York was likewise proclaimed Heir apparent and so was John de la Poole Earl of Lincoln by R. 3. and Henry Marquess of Exeter by King H. 8. But none of these or the like are within the purvieu of of this Statute But since Roger will be dabbling with Statutes prethee read to him the following Clause of the Act of the 3d of King James c. 4. And further be it enacted That if any person or persons at any time after the tenth of June c. shall either upon the Seas or beyond the Seas or in any other place within the Dominions of the King's Majesty his Heirs or Successors put in practice to absolve persuade or withdraw any of the King's Subjects or to reconcile them to the Pope or See of Rome or if any person shall be wilfully absolv'd or withdrawn as aforesaid or willingly reconciled or promise obedience to any such pretended Authority every such person and persons their procurers and counsellors aiders and maintainers shall be to all intents adjudged Traitors and shall have judgment suffer and forfeit as in Cases of High Treason From whence 't is plain that every English Subject that has bin brought up in the Protestant Religion and afterwards revolts and turns Papist and so is reconcil'd to the See of Rome is ipso facto guilty of High Treason Printed for Langley Curtis 1682 The Weekly Pacquet OF Advice from Rome OR The History of POPERY The Fourth Volume FRIDAY May 12. 1682. Nunquam satis dicitur quod nunquam satis discitur Popery is a kind of Atheism proved in many particulars OUr Two last have contain'd some Arguments proving the Church of Rome not to be a true visible Church of Christ which will further appear if we can Demonstrate the same to be Guilty of the horrid sin of Atheism To know whether she be or no we must distinguish the several kinds of Atheism Atheisme is Two-fold Open and Colour'd Open-Atheisme is when men both in Word and Deed deny God and his Word Colour'd Atheisme is not so manifest and hath two Degrees 1. When men acknowledge a God a First Cause of Causes or Infinite Being that made and Governs the World but yet deny or are Ignorant of the Father Son and Holy Ghost Thus the Ephesians before they Believed the Gospel are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Eph. 2. 12. and said to be without God when yet no doubt in their natural Judgment they acknowledged because they deny'd Christ And in like manner though the Samaritans Worshipped the God of Abraham yet our Blessed Saviour saith They Worshipped they knew not what John 5. 46. And the Psalmist saith of all the Gentiles that their Gods are Idols The second Degree of this Colour'd Atheism is when men do rightly acknowledge the Unity of the Godhead in the Trinity of Persons yet so as by necessary Consequences partly of their Doctrine and partly of the Service of God they overturn that which they well maintained And in this Respect I say That the very Religion of the Church of Rome is a kind of Atheism 'T is true every Papist is not so shameless as one of their Popes who shewing some of his Confidents his Vast Treasures Hellishly said Quantas divitias nobis peperit haec Fabula Christi What a world of Riches has this Fable of Christ brought us in Yet the very Doctrines of their Church if understood and believed directly tends to lead all those of her Communion to the like or as desperate Impiety For 1. Whereas the Church of Rome maketh the Merit of the works of men to Concur with the Grace of God it overthrows the Grace of God If it be of works it is no more Grace Rom. 11. 6. whereas in words they own those glorious Attributes the Justice and Mercy of God to be Infinite do they not by Consequents deny both For how can that be Infinite Justice which may any way be appeased by humane satisfaction And how is God's Mercy Infinite when we by our own satisfactions must add a supply to the satisfaction of Christ 2. He that hath not the Son hath not the Father John 21. 23. and consequently is an Atheist Now the present Roman Religion hath not the Son that is Jesus Christ God and Man the Mediator of Mankind but hath transformed him into a feigned Christ For instead of one Jesus Christ in all things like unto us in his Humanity Sin only excepted They have framed a Christ to whom they Ascribe two kinds of Existing one Natural whereby he is visible touchable and Circumscribed in Heaven The other not only above but also against Nature by which he is substantially according to his Flesh in the hands of every Priest in every Host and in the mouth of every Communicant invisible untouchable and uncircumscribed and thus in effect they abolish his Man-hood 3. They Degrade our blessed Lord of his Offices and have Committed High Treason against the King of Glory and will you contend that such Arch Traitours are still true Subjects For one Jesus Christ the only King Lawgiver and Head of the Church They joyn unto him the Pope not only as a Vicar but also as a Companion or Equal in Government In that they give unto him power to make Laws binding Conscience To resolve and determine infallibly the sense of Holy Scripture c. For one Jesus Christ the only real Priest of the New Testament they joyn many Secondary Priests who pretend to offer Christ daily in the Mass for the Sins of the Quick and the Dead For one Jesus Christ the All sufficient Mediator of Intercession They have added many other Companions to Intercede for us And for the only Merits of Christ in whom alone the Father is well pleased they have devised a Treasury of the Church containing besides the merits of Christ the Over plus of the merits of Saints to be dispensed to men at the Popes discretion By all which we see That Christ and consequently God himself to be worshipped in Christ is changed for a Fantasie or Idol of mans
Intelligence O most Swinging Astonishing Confounding Incredible Blessed News I promise you Jesuit Is 't possible For Old Acquaintance sake let 's have 't Tory. I beg your Diversion Sir You that they say tell Lies so Dear must not expect to hear Truth Gratis But yet to save your longing I 'le give you a Tast Poor old Odiscalchi his Holiness is Dead as a Door-nail The Cardinals are shut up in the Conclave and now they are Canvasing Bribing Intriguing Tugging like mad for a new Infallible Noddle Jesuit That 's News indeed but preethee who 's like to carry 't Tory. Ay! that that I cannot forbear laughing to think how 't will vex thee and I 'le tell thee 't for no other Reason but because 't will make thee Hang thy self They 're going to chuse a Protestant Prince to be their Pope Jesuit Then I le be Hang'd ' Tory. Ay! ay! So thou hadst been long ago if th'adst had thy Deserts and so thou wilt at last whether that be so or no! but this is certain a Protestant Pope they 'l have The Flying Squadron are resolv'd on 't And Spain Germany and France for all the Interest you boast of there strike in with them What a blessed Reformation shall we have Jesuit Why then say I farewel Catholick Cause shaw shaw He 'le worm out the Catholick Faith and sapp the Church by degrees and in a while we shall have damn'd Conventicles held in the very Lateran Tory. No! no! There 's no fear of that neither for the Pope Presumptive though he is known to be a Protestant has promis'd a thousand times and vowed and sworn he 'le maintain the Roman Catholick Church as 't is Establisht by the Canons Jesuit Ay! there 's the Knavery on 't The Fallacy dost thou not smell the Raguery Tory. Not I I protest Father but to say truth I never had a very subtle Nose and yet I can at any time scent a Presbyterian Plot as far off as Vtopia Jesuit Why man by the Church as 't is Establisht by the Canons he means no doubt the Church as it ought to be Reform'd by the Canons of Scripture For can any Man be so Mad so Bewitcht as to think a Protestant will be true to the Catholick Interest Tory. Why not Sir As true I 'le warrant you as a Popish Successor will be to a Protestant Interest Jesuit Well! O my Conscience the Cardinals are a Pack of Knaves they betray the Catholick Cause I am confident most of them are Hereticks in their Hearts Tory. Why so why so good Sir They have Subscrib'd the Council of Trent They have taken all the Holy Tests and Canonical Oaths and given all the Security of their Catholicism that 's requir'd by Law of Holy Mother Church and why should we be so uncharitable as to Censure them for Hypocrites Jesuit Hang ' em hang ' em They 'r rotten at Core let 'em Swear their Guts out they that are so Zealous for a Protestant Pope may well be suspected to have an Hugonot in their Bellies Tory. Why now I 'me vext to hear one of your Order Father whose Society esteem themselves not only the most Learned and Politick but Men of the best Intelligence too talk so like a Ninny 'T is the mode all over the World since the last Comet and the Conjunction of Satura and Jupiter Have you not seen the News brought by a Post pidgeon to Scanderoon The Grand-Seignior is lately Dead too All Flesh is Grass Turk and Pope must come to 't and the Divan being Assembled because he left no Heirs of his Body Lawfully begotten nothing will satisfie them but they 'l Elect a Christian Prince to the Ottoman Empire Jesuit The Devil they will Tory. Nay never question the Truth on 't you shall see it shortly in Muddimans Letter and Infallible Natts Intelligence Jesuit Then hey go mad say I The World is going out of its Wits and the Vniverse becoming an Intire Bedlam What false to their own Religion the most Sacred of Ties betray their own Interest I 'le be Flead if there be one true Mussulman in the Divan if this you told me last be true Tory. Come come Fiat Justitia ruat Coelum Dost think all the World understands their true Interest Mankind are oft led by the Shadows and Fancies and Humours and Whims and a Thousand Capricio's I could tell thee of another as great a Wonder as all this comes to Jesuit Nay nay le ts have the bottom o' th Bag honest Tory Tory. What would you eat Sweet-meats with Shovels come come enough's as good as a Feast either at Souters or Pedlars-Hall what I have will keep cold and I 'le reserve it for another Collation Father Adieu Printed for Langley Curtis 1682 The Weekly Pacquet OF Advice from Rome OR The History of POPERY The Fourth Volume FRIDAY May 5. 1682. Omnia amisit qui veritatem amisit An Objection Answered touching Baptism The Church of Rome hath no true Ministry c. IN our last we urged That the Church of Rome does not practise the true Baptism of Christ whence an Objection may arise thus If the Church of Rome have not the true Baptism of Christ why then are not Papists when Converted to the true Faith of Christ Rebaptized How stands their former Baptism good To which I Reply in the words of the great Saint Augustine Contra Cresconium Lib. 1. C. 30. speaking of the External Form of Baptism used amongst Hereticks such Baptism is not to be Repeated but the Errour thereof Corrected And in his Seventh Book against the Donatists Chap. 40. He hath these Words The Divine Scriptures in many places do shew all these to be strangers from the Church who are not in the Rock and appertain not to the Members of the Dove and yet they Baptize and are Baptized and have Sine salute Sacramentum salutis without Salvation the Sacrament of Salvation And L. 5. chap. 17. Hereticks saith he have Lawful Baptism that is for the External Form but not Lawfully And so Bellarmine himself determines the Case Cum veniunt ad Ecclesiam Baptizati ab Haereticis agnoscendum est quod est Ecclesiae id est Baptisma corrigendus verò Error When those that are Baptized by Hereticks come to the Church the Church acknowledges what is her own that is the Baptism but the Errour is to be corrected The Sacraments operate effectually Non quia dicitur sed quia Creditur Not because the Words are uttered but because there is the Word of Faith purifying the heart as the Apostle speaks Act 15. And therefore the Church of Rome having deny'd the Faith of Righteousness and the Righteousness of Faith and the saving Doctrine of Baptism She hath consequently rendred Baptism to be of none Effect to her unto Salvation But yet still when any Papist is by the Grace of God and the Preaching of the Word and of saving Faith Converted to the true Church of God the Seal of Baptism
their Tenets and general avowed Practises of their pretended Church must needs render the condition of any Soul in that Communion very dangerous and hazardous 4. No man can come to God the Father but by Jesus Christ as our Lord testifieth of himself John 14. Who also sheweth That he is the way the truth and the life And by his holy Apostle 1 Tim. 2. teacheth us That there is no Mediator betwixt God and Man but the Man Christ Jesus But contrary hereunto the Papists vainly hope and imagine to come to God not only by Christ but also by the Virgin Mary by Angels and Saints They also seek out new ways and content not themselves with such as the infinite wisdom of our Lord prescribed unto us and do foolishly believe that the Pope by his Indulgences and every Hedg-Priest by mumbling over his Masses is able to redeem mens Souls 5. Whoever buildeth his Faith upon other foundation than the Doctrine of the Apostles and Prophets doth build upon the Sand and not upon such a firm foundation as will abide in the day of the Lord. But the Papists generally build their Faith upon the Popes Decretals upon unwritten and uncertain Traditions upon false pretended Miracles lying Legends and silly Fables do they not then build upon ruinous foundations and if so what is like to become of the Superstructure 6. By their own Canon Law Chapt. si papa dist 40. 't is affirm'd That the Pope may be remiss and negligent in his Office and silent in teaching and lead innumerable people with him into Hell Now if the Papists are to adhere to the Pope as their Head and to follow him how can they escape when he leadeth them into Hell So that if they know not or will not believe the Scriptures nor any other Arguments yet their own Decrees may teach them that following the Pope innumerable Papists run blindfold and headlong into Perdition 7. How is it possible that they should be saved who are Ignorant of the means of their Salvation who hold damnable Heresies repugnant to the Apostles Doctrine whose Faith is Faction and their Practises Idolatry Perjury Treasons Massacres and all kind of Abomination and this conniv'd at promoted excused justifyed nay commended and applauded by their Church as means to propagate the Gospel But all this is too true of the Papists at this day and therefore what Scripture grounds have we of hope unless they speedily repent and depart from these Abominations But if any man shall ask what then is become of all those that either now die or in times past are dead in places where Popery is or hath been professed We answer secret things belong to God we dare not pretend to sentence those that are gone but would caution such as survive Of those that held the foundation and lived good lives we hope well nor were several of the most destructive errors ever inforc'd upon the belief of men before the Conventicle of Trent and there may and no dobut are many amongst the Papists at this day who though conforming to them in outward Ceremonies yet hold not the errors of Popery positively but keep themselves to the old Apostolick Faith and of such persons Salvation we have no cause to despair God grant that the rest also may see their deformities and upon what a dreadful precipice they stand and revoke their errors and hearken to the call of God to come out of Babylon lest they are partakers of her plagues and joyn themselves with a sincere heart to the true Church of God and so be saved The COURANT. Tory. YOu see our Reverend guide disowns the Translation of The History of Calvinism Alas good pious man he declar'd it unfit to be turn'd into English Truem. Sure no more unfit than Pere Simon which is sold in Paul's Church yard as commonly as the Practice of Piety They were L'Estranges own Pupils that reported he was upon that Job but possibly he may have dropt the Design finding it smell too Rank or thought it unfit to be Englisht in wholesale That so he may more advantagiously retail the good Fathers notion in Observator's four times a Week Tory. But for all that He 's satisfied that John Calvin Introduced his Government and Discipline by a Rebellion Observ N. 139. Truem. Tho I have nothing to do with Calvin or his Discipline yet I must tell L'Estrange to his Beard though he wore a Sword three Inches longer than he does That in this particular He lies to use his own Phrase like a Kidnapper or any dying Jesuit For the Bishop of Geneva had quitted that City and the Form of Government was popular before ever Calvin came amongst them The judicious Hooker a Testimony more valuable than a million of Observators in the Preface to his Ecclesiastical Policy gives this account of that Affair At the coming of Calvin thither the Form of their Civil Regiment was popular as it continueth at this day neither King nor Duke nor Nobleman hath any Power or Authority over them but Officers chosen by the people yearly out of themselves to order all things with publick consent For spiritual Government they had no Laws at all agreed upon but did what the Pastors of their Souls by perswasion could win them unto Calvin being admitted one of their Preachers and a Divinity Reader amongst them considered how dangerous it was that the whole Estate of that Church should hang on so slender a thread as the liking of an Ignorant Multitude is if it have power to change whatsoever it listeth Wherefore taking unto him two of the other Ministers for more Countenance of the Action albeit all the rest were against it they moved and in the end perswaded with much ado the people to bind themselves by Solemn Oath First never to admit the Papacy again and Secondly to live in Obedience to such Orders concerning the exercise of their Religion and the former Ecclesiastical Government as those their true and faithful Ministers of Gods Word had agreeably to Scripture set down for that end and purpose Now prethee where 's the Treason or Rebellion in all this Tory. Come come have you observ'd Roger's Advertisement N. 138. What a damnable kindness he has for Dr. Oats If any man will be so kind and generous as out of an affection to the Protestant Religion c. to call Simson Tongue to a Legal account c. Roger L'Estrange out of a zeal to a publick good will furnish Authentick Papers and Materials c. What in the name of Nonsense is the meaning of all this Truem. Why first here is Roger honestly declares that is he not a man that has any affection to the Protestant Religion for if he had he might being so well furnisht with Tools and Materials call Tongue to an account himself without putting others upon it if it be a business that will as he pretends be a Service to the Protestant Religion But 2 ly There seems a greater