Religion are Cruel and Tyrannous The Church of Rome contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and Law of Nature does persecute Men and cause them to die meerly because they are not of her Opinion and Religion Therefore She is Cruel and Tyrannous The Major Proposition of this Argument is true as for the Minor which is in question I prove it thus It is evident that the Roman Church does persecute Men and cause them to die meerly because they are not of her Opinion and Religion The rigorous Laws of her Inquisition whereby She did persecute an innumerable number of Men and cause them to die meerly because they were not of Her Opinion and Religion is a convincing proof of what I say And that it is contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and Law of Nature to persecute Men and cause them to die because they are not of our Opinion and Religion I shall endeavour to prove it evidently 1. I say that this Doctrine of the Roman Church by Persecuting Men and causing them to Die meerly because they are not of her Opinion and Religion is contrary to Christ's Doctrine For Jesus Christ going to Worship at Hierusalem the Samaritans who were of another Religion refusing to receive him in his Journey two of his Disciples James and John presently took Fire and out of a well-meaning Zeal for their Master and of the true God and of Hierusalem the true place of Worship asked leave to dispatch out of the way these Enemies of God and Christ and the true Religion And to this end they desired our Saviour to give them Power to call for Fire from Heaven to consume them Jesus Christ seeing them in this heat which seem'd to be well-meaning did very calmly but severely reprove this Temper of theirs saying The Son of Man is not come to destroy Mens lives but to save them Luke 9. 56. You own your selves to be my Disciples but do you consider what Spirit now Acts and Governs you Not that surely which I do teach you which is not furious Persecuting and destructive Spirit but mild gentle and aiming at nothing but to save Men's Lives even of our greatest Enemies This Spirit of Persecuting and Destroying one another about Religion is contrary to the Intention for which I came into the World For I am not come to destroy Men's Lives but to save them Ye ought to love one another even your greatest Enemies and far from giving you leave to Persecute them I forbid you to hate those who Persecute you If I would destroy my Enemies and the Hereticks that are not of my Religion could I not do it by the Power which I have received from my Father and could I not obtain of him a Legion of Angels to destroy them But my Intention is not that Religion should be propagated in this cruel Method but by Meekness and Perswasion I will have Men to be drawn to the Profession of it by the Bonds of Love and Conviction If any Man saith he will be my Disciple if any Man will come after me And when his Disciples were leaving him he does not as they do in Rome and Spain set up an Inquisition to Torture and Punish them for their Defection from the Faith only says will ye also go away And in imitation of this blessed Pattern the Christian Church continued to speak and act for several Ages This was also the Language of the Holy Fathers and the Style of Councils they said that the Christian Law doth not avenge it self by the Sword Lex nova non se vindicat ultore gladio and that we must not offer Violence to no Man to compel him to Faith Nemini ad credendum vim inferre And Gregorius ad Episc Constant Writes thus Nova inaudita praedicatio quae verberibus exigit Fidem This sort of Preaching is new and strange which extorts Faith by Whips and Scourges If Hereticks were to be Persecuted and Destroyed the Samaritans who were true Hereticks and had affronted our Saviour himself the Honour of God and of Religion ought certainly to be punished And to shew the contrary Jesus Christ does severely rebuke his Disciples that had a great mind to destroy them saying unto them Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of and he gives them such a Reason as ought in all Differences of Religion how wide soever they be to deter Men from this Temper for saith he The Son of Man is not come to destroy Men's Lives but to save them What can then the Church of Rome plead for her Persecution to Men for the cause of Religion which James and John might not much better have pleaded for themselves against the Samaritans Does she practice these Severities out of a Zeal for the Honour of God of Christ and the true Religion Upon these very Accounts it was that James and John would have called for Fire from Heaven to have destroyed the Samaritans Is she perswaded that those whom she Persecutes are Hereticks and that no Punishment can be too great for such Offenders So James and John were perswaded of the Samaritans and upon much better Grounds than those of the Church of Rome for Jesus Christ does excuse them saying Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of But in the Church of Rome and especially in the Governing part of it this Excuse cannot be brought for a good Plea for the Christian Religion which they do Profess forbids them Persecution And it is no more evident in the New Testament that Jesus Christ was born died and rose up for Sinners than it is manifest that Christians ought not to Persecute one another for the Mis-belief of any Article of Revealed Religion much less when these Articles are invented by Men or are imposed as only Ceremonies I know that those that live in the Roman Church are not all of this Opinion that all Hereticks or those that are not of their Opinion ought to be Persecuted and put to Death I knew some of them in France which were of a better and more Christian Principles yet it is too true that this hellish Doctrine is taught and practised among them Their several and frequent Conspiracies in England their cruel and horrible Massacres in Ireland France and other Countries as we may read in the History their severe and damnable Inquisition in Italy and Spain their rigorous Persecutions towards our poor Brethren of the Reformed Church in France which was these several years and is at present 〈◊〉 extreme that I should be toâ— long if I would write it down in this Treatise and the very words of the Council of Laâ—â—â—n are a certain Proof of what I say If a Temporal Lord saith this Council be required and warned by the Church to Purge his Country from this foul Heresie does neglect it let him be Excommunicated by the Metropolitan Bishop and from that time let him Denounce his Subjects discharged of their Allegiance and let him give
ROME TYRANNICAL Idolatrous and Heretical The Origine of Her Errors WITH An Answer to Her Objections Also Three short Sermons of Repentance against Swearing and Drunkenness Preached to the Ships Company before Admiral Aylmer and several Captains By Peter Berault Chaplain in His Majesty's Ships the Kent and Victory in the Late War Gal. 3. 1. O Foolish who has bewitched you that ye should not obey the Truth London Printed by W. Redmayne for the Author 1698. TO His Excellency The Right Honourable John L. Summers Lord Baron of Evesham High Chancellor of England one of the Lords of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council and one of the Lords Justices of England during the Absence of His Majesty May it Please your Excellency ROME who in former Ages was both Holy and Orthodox â—s now corrupted not only in Her Manners but also in Her Doctrine Yet She is so Confident as to accuse of Impiety and Heresie all the Protestant Churches of England Holland Germany and other Countries and peremptorily affirm unless they be of Her Communion they must never expect to be sav'd And so I may say without any passion that She is like those Lewd and Naughty Women who quarrelling with those that are Honest do immediately call them infamous and opprobrious Names lest the same should be justly retorted upon Themselves I do not here intend to speak of the Vices of the Church of Rome since most of 'em to our Shame are too frequently found amongst us I will only make mention of Her Tyrannies Idolatries and Heresies which thanks be to God are not yet seen in Reformed Churches and were the true Reasons why I left my Native Country and came hither to live and end my days I know a different Construction will be made by the Papists as also by some Protestants for as St. Paul being newly converted to the Christian Religion was not only hated by the Jews some of them making an Oath they would neither eat nor drink till they had kill'd him but even was suspected by the Apostles themselves who were for some time afraid to converse with him So when a Man leaves the Errors of the Church of Rome and embraces the Truths of the Protestant Religion then all the Zealots of his former Opinion do presently Anathematize him and those who were his most intimate Friends become his greatest Enemies And that which most aggravates his Trouble is that the Protestants amongst whom he came to secure himself do commonly doubt of the Sincerity of his Conversion and are very shy of putting Confidence in him He that has powerful Enemies stands in need of a mighty Protection and this is the reason My Lord why I do here under God implore yours which I do not in the least question since you are an Enemy to the Romish Errors and have a great Love for the Truth of the Reformed Religion and no less Tenderness and Affection for them that couragiously defend it The Three Sermons I have lately presented to your Excellency were so kindly receiv'd that I thought I was obliged upon the first opportunity to make some acknowledgment to your Excellency by dedicating this small Treatise I should not offer you a Present of so little value had I not this to encourage me that it is not the Gift but the Intention in giving which finds acceptance with Great and Generous Minds I do not here intend to attempt an enumeration of all your excellent Qualities I will only say that every one admires your solid Judgment extraordinary Prudence and wise Conduct in the high Places you are in as well as in all the Affairs you undertake either Publick or Private that England doth find in you both Equity and Integrity in the Administration of Justice and that our very Prudent and most Generous King William having chosen you amongst so many Learned Lawyers to be Chancellor of England one of the Lords of his most Honourable Privy-Council and one of the Lords Justices of England during his Absence is a certain Proof of your Merits and the best Commendation of your eminent Virtues These Virtues My Lord will render your Name Immortal to Posterity and will leave a lively Idea of your Renown which will serve to influence your Example to all succeeding Ages I abhor Flattery but I love Justice and in all that I have said here to your Excellency every body is obliged to declare or with Silence give their Consent that I only give Honour to whom Honour is due I ask your Excellency's Pardon for the Liberty I have taken I pray God Almighty that you may live long and healthful in the high Places wherein you so worthily acquit yourself I wish you every thing that may contribute to make you intirely Happy in this World and when in the other you are call'd at the Judgment-Seat of our Lord Jesus Christ you may hear these comfortable words Come you Blessed of my Father inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World It is and shall be as long as I live the earnest Prayer of him that is with Sincerity and Respect Your Excellency's Most Humble Most Obedient and Most Affectionate Servant P. Berault A MON SEIGNEUR SUMMERS CHANCELIER D'ANGLETERRE EPIGRAMME SAge Juste Summers ta profonde Science Jointe à ta grande Probité Demande que par Equité Châcun par tout te rende Homage Reverence On dit que la Justice que la Verité Ne sont plus icy sur la Terre Il est Faux car dans l'Angleterre Summers par un beau Don de la Divinité Possede l'une l'autre en leur Integrité P. Berault ROME Tyrannous Idolater and Heretick THE Church of Rome may be now compared to the Image of Nebuchadnezzar for as his Head was of fine Gold his Breast and Arms of Silver his Belly and his Thighs of Brass his Legs of Iron and his Feet part of Iron and part of Clay So when we look upon the Ancient Church of Rome She was then as pure as Gold But when we come to the following Ages we do find in her so notable a change that we do now see in her an Iron-Age and quite different from the former I do not here intend to imitate several Authors who even when they compose but a small Book are wont to make a long Preface They build as the Proverb saith the Door bigger than the House They do promise much and perform but little That I may not be guilty of the fault which I do here impute to others I immediatly enter into my Subject and prove per Argumentum ad Hominem that is by the very Principles of the Church of Rome that She is Tyrannous Idolater and Heretick 1. I shew that She is Cruel and Tyrannous for all those that contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and Law of Nature do persecute Men and cause them to die meerly because they are not of their Opinion and
and so bring themselves under the lash of the Law to the loss of their Lives and Fortunes and perpetual Ignominy both of their Families and Relations But if any Man think he may drink much and yet keep the perfect use of his Senses and Reason he may as well suppose that when he has drunk Poison he shall not be prejudiced thereby Ye see that Drunkeness does not only waste and scatter our Estate bringing us to Poverty and Misery but also produce several other bad Effects The third Reason which obliges us to avoid Drunkeness is because it is a leading Sin which has a great retinue attendance of other Sins waiting on it It is like a sudden Land-flood which brings a great deal of dirt with it So that as Faith excels amongst Graces and Virtues because it enlivens and gives strength unto them so is Drunkeness amongst other Sins It is not so much a particular Sin against a single Commandment of God as a general violation of the whole Law for it warms and quickens all our Lusts and Passions and so exposes us to every Sin It gives occasion yea is the real cause of many contentions and fatal Quarrels and Murthers which are the ordinary effects of drunken Meetings for when Reason is lost and Lust heated what will not drunken Men then attempt Numquam ego Ebrium castum putabo saith St. Hierome that is I will never think a Drunkard to be chast And Solomon speaking of a drunken Man saith Prov. 23. 33. Thine eyes shall behold a strange Woman and thine heart shall utter perverse things This Sin is well called the Devils bridle because thereby he turns the Sinner which way he pleases Drunkeness is so horrid a Sin that it deprives us of the Kingdom of Heaven Be not deceived saith St. Paul 1 Cor. 6. 9 10. neither Fornicators nor Idolaters nor Adulterers nor Effeminate nor Abusers of themselves with mankind nor Thieves nor Covetous nor Drunkards shall inherit the Kingdom of God Certainly he is not asleep but dead who is not startled at these words how are Drunken Men able to face such a Text as this Think when Wine sparkles in the Glass what a Cup of Wrath is in the hand of the Lord for thee Thou wilt not now believe this but the day will come when thou shalt know the Price of these Brutish Pleasures except thou dost timely forsake them Time is allowed us by God to work out our Salvation and therefore every minute of it ought to be most thriftily husbanded to that end but when it is laid out in immoderate Drinking then it tends to the working of our Eternal Damnation Besides he that Drinks immoderately tho' he escape being Drunk himself is yet guilty of all the Drunkenness and Sins that any of his Company falls under for he gives them encouragement to Drink on by his example especially if he be one of any Authority But if he be one whose Company the rest are fond of his Company is then a certain ensnaring of them for then they will Drink too rather than disoblige or lose him There is yet a greater fault that many of these Stronger brain-drinkers are guilty of that is the setting themselves purposely to make others Drunk playing as it were a Prize at it and counting it matter of Triumph and Victory to see others fall before them This is a most horrid Wickedness it is the making our selves the Devil's Factors endeavouring as much as we can to draw our poor Brethren into eternal Misery by betraying them to so grievous a Sin Therefore it may be well reckoned as the highest step of this Vice of Drinking as having in it the Sin of mischieving others added to the excess in our selves And though it be lookt upon in the World as a matter of jest only to make others Drunk that we may sport our selves with their ridiculous Behaviour yet that Mirth will have a sad conclusion there being a Woe expresly threatned to that very Sin Wo unto him saith St. Paul that gives his Neighbour drink and maketh him drunk I have now gone through the several Motives and Reasons which do oblige us to avoid Drunkenness It is a Sin so strangely raigning amongst us that no Condition no Age or scarce Sex is free from it to the great dishonour of God reproach of Christianity and ruin not only of our Souls hereafter but even of all our present advantages and happiness in this Life there being no Sin which betrays each single committer to more mischiefs in his Understanding his Health his Credit and Estate than this one doth and we have reason to believe this Sin is one of those common crying guilts which have long laid heavy upon this Nation and pulled down those many sad Judgments we have groaned under Therefore let me now intreat you by all that tenderness and love ye ought to have to the Honour of God the Credit of your Christian Religion eternal Welfare of your own Souls the Prosperity of the Church and Nation whereof ye are Members nay by that love which certainly ye have to your own temporal Interest to think seriously on what has been spoken Ye have heard the reasons why Men ought to avoid the excess of Wine and other strong Liquois now let us answer to their Objections which is the second part of my Discourse 2. Part The first and most owned is that which they call good Fellowship one Man drinks to keep another Company at it But I would ask such a one whether if that Man were Drinking rank Poison he would pledge him for Company if he says he would not I must tell him that by the very same nay far greater reason he is not to do this for immoderate Drinking is that very Poison Perhaps it doth not always work Death presently but the custom of it does usually bring Men to their ends and therefore though the Poison work slowly yet it is still Poison But however it doth at the present work that which a wise Man would more abhor than Death it works Madness and Frenzy turns the Man into a Beast by drawing his Reason which should difference him from one The Second is say they the chearing of their Spirits making them Merry and Jolly but sure if the Mirth be such that reason must be turn'd out of door I may say with Solomon Eccles 2. 2. The laughter of such fools is madness For they that will be Drunk to put themselves in this temper must by the same reason be glad of a Frenzy if they could but be sure it would be of the merry Sort. But little do these merry Drinkers think what sadness they are all this while heaping up to themselves often in this World when by some mad Pranks they bring mischief upon themselves but however certainly in the other where this Mirth will be sadly reckon'd for A Third Objection of theirs is the putting away of Cares but I ask what these Cares are