A VINDICATION OF THE REFORMED RELIGION From the Reflections of a ROMANIST Written for Information of all who will receive the Truth in Love By WILLIAM RAIT Minister of the Gospel at DUNDIE 2 Cor. 13. 8. We can do nothing against the Truth but for the Truth Cyprianus ad Pompeium epist 74. Quae ista obstinatio est quave praesumptio humanam traditionem divinae dispositioni anteponere net animadvertere indignari irasci Deam quoties divina pracepta soluit praeterit humana traditio Sine causa colunt me mandata doctrinas hominum docentes ABERDENE Printed by IOHN FORBES Younger Printer to the Town andVniversitie dwelling on the Mercat-place 1671. To the truly Honorable and really Religious The Laird of HALGREEN Elder Grace and Peace be multiplied SIR The great work of a Christian in the world is to preferr Heaven to Barth the law of the Lord to the law of sin Gospell concernments to all earthly interests when the one cometh in competition wiâ—â— or opposition to the other The first fall of man as the schooâ— termeth it was Aversio a Deo and conversio ad creaturam A turning from God to the creature Then sin obtained precedencie to Grace folly to Wisdom lust to the law of God Our health and safety cometh in by recoverie and cure our victorie by a reserve therefore God sent his Son into the world with the Gospel remedy to turn us from ungodliness and worldly lusts Titus 2. 12. to wean us from the inordinate love of the substance and shaddowes of the world 1. Iohn 2. 15. to espouse our love to himself that we may be presented as a chaste Virgin to Christ 2 Cor 11. 2. For this we pray we preach we lâ—bour we make use of Ordinances and goe about every duty This is the scope and course of a Christian and whatever hindreth this design is not to be approved by him Wood hay stuble is not a Gospel cure Pure Religion and undefiled can only better the heart mortifie corruption subdue the body of death subject the whole man to the soveraignety of Iesus Christ mend the world and make men live holily righteously and soberly When this salve was rightly applyed in the primitive Church O how wonderfully did the Lord bless the cure and proved the medicine to be good by great successe How were men bound to their duty by the awe and love of GOD on their hearts that the very Heathens and Iewes â—â—eto amused and forced to give testimony to the doctrine that it was of GOD. But when men afterwards did beginne to mixe the wine with water and handle the word of GOD deceitfully They then became lovers of pleasure more then lovers of GOD then fell they in dotage with the pompe and pride of the world Which disease did break forth notoriously first at Rome thence it spread and infected many Churches Vrbs rea stagitiies urbs leâ—â—i causa putanda es Vrbs fera Tibrinae cui famulantur aquae As heathen Rome usurped dominion so Rome now being animated by the Pope and his Complices taking advantage by the division of Princes and encreasing her wealth by their wrack like some who live near the Sea as if there had been no law of Christ to deny our selves take up our cross and follow him turned the Gospel-simâ—â—â—citiâ— into state-policy and the Ppoe degenerating from the â—hristian carriage of primitive fathers sought secular greatness chiefly put on a triple Crown followed the pompe of the world And all this is done under the name of Christ pretence of Religion and in ordine ad spiritualia which maketh the sin more sinful and their way irreconcilable with the dogâ—atick saith of a Christian who believeth the Scripture The Church of Rome was once famous for Gospel profession Her saith was spoken of through all the world in Tertullians time who lived in the second centurie Rome hath this character from him lib de praescript adversus Haereticoâ— Felix Râ—mâ— cui totam doctrinam Apostoli cum sanguine suo profuderunt legem Prophetas cum Evangelicis Apostolicis literis miscet inde potat fidem eam aqua signat Spiritu Sancta vestil Eucharistia pascit martyrio exhortatur adversus hauc institutionem nominem recipit Happie Rome to whom the Apostles poured forth their doctrine with their blood who mixeth Law and Gospel together and drinketh in saith that way taketh on the Baptismal seal thus cloatheth her self with the graces of the Holy Ghost feedeth by the Sacrament of the Supper confirmeth the doctrine by martyrdome and receiveth none but on thâ—se termes Quantum mutatur O how great an alteration is there Rome is not like that which is was once For then they were made martyrs for the faith now they make martyrs for the same faith then they had pure ordirances now they pollute them all with superstition and humane inventions Bernard lib. 4. de consid ad Eugen. Invisi Terrae Coelo impii in Deum temtrarii in sancta seditiosi ad seiuvicem simplicissimi dissimulatores malignissimi proditores quos nominem amantes nemo amat c. The pâ—imitive Fathers studied modelty humility and Gospel carriage Cornelius to Cyprian in his Epistles breatheth forth much self-denyal Cyprian thaâ— holy Martyr at the Council of Carthage saith neque euim quisquoeÌ„ nostrum se Episcopum Episcoporum constituit i. e. None of us maketh himself an universal Bishop And divine Augustin writing to Hieromâ—pist 97. uttereth himself thus in multis rebâ—s Augustinus Hieronymo minor est this was Gospel like But now the Pope is the Prince of pride naming himself infallible consequently incorrigible by the same reason impeccable â—amomâ—is peccans in eo quod peccat errat Every man erreth in as much as he sinneth saith the school If our hope were in this life only and no retribution hereafter or if the Alcoran were our rule this deportment being full of carnal wisdom proclaimeth them witty politicianes But seeing the contâ—aâ— is sure by the undoubted word of GOD this their way is soâ—â—ly and it is admirable how understanding men approâ—â— their sayings This their way hath wronged Christianity highly and many sad effects have followed upon this pompous alteration of the Primitive frame First It hath turned many Italians who live near the Court of Rome voide of all true Religion and dyed them with Atheisme So that as it is reported of them in Print they will call proverbially their Idiots Christians and when they would name a fool they say he is a Christian as if Christianitie were a fable and high follie A discerning person who travelled through Italie many years ago told me that he heard some of them publicklie blaspheme Iesus Christ by words which should not be repeated and yet go unpunished This is the fruit of their state way For now it is far more like to the state of Rome noâ— the old Church of Rome Secondly It exposeth Christian
alleadge for this that the books of Scripture like the Sun shew themselves to be such to him who hath the spirit But I would ask at such why the Rev. St. James Epistle the second of St. Peter and two of St. John did not shew themselves to be Scripture to Luther that spiritual man and the Protestants very first Apostle in the work of reformation in the end you say Let any judge whither it be safest that the revealed will of God be your rule and determiner or the dictats of self contradicting creatures Where you seem to rubbe on Catholicks But Sir this toucheth not them at all for they profess not to believe self-contradicting creatures but the unanimous consent of Councils and fathers or the Catholick Church known to be the only Church established by Christ and his Apostles and by the continued succession of Popes Bishops and Pastors the unity universality and gifts of miracles in all ages c. Which Christ hath called the ground and pillar of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. and against which he assureth us the gates of hell shal not prevail Math. 16. 18. and which he hath commanded us to hear otherwise to be holden as heathens and publicans Math. 18. 17. so you see that the written word maketh the Church our judge which we should obey and that ye who make so much of the written word do not believe it when ye do not obey her And here I remarke that Protestant Ministers and preachers deceive the people in that they ground their faith on the written word only and Roman Catholicks say they on humane tradition and their Churches authority which being composed of men is subject to errour Whereas the contrar is true for Roman Catholicks believe nothing which the written word believing both the tradition of the Church and Apostles doth not expresly warrand As for the Church what is more expresly said then what I have cited both to prove that we are bound to hear her Mat. 18. 18. and hold her authority infallible Math. 16. 18 and the house of God which is the pillar and ground of truth 1. Tim. 3. 15. Neither doth it avail you to say this is not said of the Roman Church which is not the universal Church but a particular one a strumpet c. For we speak not of any particular Church when we say that the Church is infallible nor when we say the Roman the Catholick do we understand the particular Church at Rome But that Church which professeth constantly the Romans faith spread in saint Pauls time through all the world As we call yet the Roman Empire that which hath its seat in Vien of Austria Yea Protestants calling their own the reformed Church cannot say but we have one Church on earth which Christ commanded us to hear constantly And if the reformed Church be the true Church then she must have taken the place from that church which was deformed and had fallen into an errour and so deserved no more to be called the pillar and ground of truth or to be heard Moreover the very pillars of the Protestant Religion grant all the world to be in an errour before themselves and so against the express written Word must deny the infallibility of any Church whatever For Calv. Instit lib. 4. cap. 18. saith they made all the Kings and People of the earth drunk from the first to the last and Hospinian epist 41. saith Luthers separation was from all the world White in his defence chap. 37. saith Popery was a leprosie breeding so universally in the church that there was no visible company of men free from it Jewel in his Sermon on Luke 11. The whole world Princes and people were overwhelmed by ignorance and bound by oath to the Pope which if it be true that the Church in former ages did erre the reformed Church may erre that themselves do not deny Thence it followeth clearly that the Protestant Church is not the house of GOD called the pillar and ground of truth that she is not Christs Church against which the gates of hell shal not prevail that none are bound to hear her in matters of faith being subject to errour And so Protestants may well desire men to read the Scripture and believe what they found there but not urge any man to follow their doctrine but in so far as they find it conforme to Scripture which all Roman Catholicks protest they do not As for traditions are we not commanded to hold them in the clear written Word 2. Thess 2. 15. Hold the traditions which ye have learned whither by word or our epistle Protestants read documents but documents by word and traditions are the same thing on which place Chrysost saith It is evident that the Apostle did not deliver all things by writ but many things by word which are worthy of credit as wel as the other That is Christs word as well as his writ therefore we call them divine and Apostolical traditions Aug. lib. 5. de Trinit cap. 23. speaking of rebaptization The Apostle saith he commanded nothing of it but that customâ— which is believed to proceed from the Apostle is opposed against Cyprian in it as many things are which the whole Church holdeth and therefore are believed to be commanded by the Apostles though not written Aâ—d in the first age saint Dennis chap. 1. speaking of the Ecclesiastick hierarchy saith These our chief captains of Priestly function did deliver to us the chiefest and supersubstantial points partly in written partly in unwritten institutions Epiph. Haeres 61. is of the same minde we must hold traditions saith he for the Scripture hâ—th not all things and Tertullian de praescrip grounds his faith on the authority of the Church and what tradition I believe saith he I received from the present Church the present Church from the primitive that from the Apostles the Apostles from Christ Here I hope you see you must either admit traditions as necessar in themselves and infallible in their authority or else disclaim both Scripture and Fathers All that Protestants can say either against the authority of the Church in general Councils or Apostolick traditions delivered by her is that all her decisions and traditions flow from men and so are not infallible But I answer neither were the Prophets Apostles Evangelists who penned the Scripture but men yet I hope their writtings are not fallible or subject to errour Because they were inspired directly and assisted by the Spirit of God The Fathers of the Church have to this day that promise verified to them Math. 28. 20. which was made as well to their successours as to themselves As for that some Protestante speak of an invisible Church composed of the Elect it is but a shift to delude the ignorant for as it is a Maxime of law Idem est non esse non apparere i. e. it is the same not to be and not to appear to be in the matter of any
prophecie it vvill make against the Pope of Rome vvho giveth himself out for sole Bishop and all under him his Vicars onlie This is clear from the historie of the Trent Council lib. 7. pag. 599. Father Simon the Florentine there speaketh after the same tenour When it is demanded whither any Bishop be Jure Divino One must answer affirmativelie One onlie the Successour of Peter And thus the famous saying of Cyprian must be expounded there is but one Bishoprick and every Bishop holdeth a part thereof in solidum otherwise it cannot bâ—e defended that the government of the Church is the most perfect of all that is Monarchical but must necessarlie â—all into an Oligarchie All the Popes Prelats did speak then the same language will not this make him solus Episcopus so that in Estius sense he must be concluded to be Rex superbiae because he is sole universal Bishop The primitive Fathers studied modestie charitie humilitie But Head of the whole Church Prince of Priests infallible universal Monarch were names unknown to them Yet this is the Popes motto summarei the great foundation sine qua corruit Ecclesia saith Bellarmin in the forecited place Further worship in an unknown tongue was not heard in the Church till it was commanded by Witalianus in the 7. Cent. saith Platina and Aquinas on the 1. Cor. 14. telleth that the worship in the primitive Church was performed in the vulgar language The mutilation of the Sacrament of the Supper by withholding the cup froÌ„ the people was unknown to ant quitie For Valentia de legitimo usâ— Eucharistiae cap. 10. saith that the receiving of the Sacrament under one kind came into the Church by no decree but by the custom of the people not long before the Council of Constance at which time the custom was made a law The with-holding Scripture from people was detested in the primitive Church Was it not decreed in the Council of Nice saith Agrippa that no Christian should be without a Bible espcially if he could read in Augustin Chrysostom and Hieroms days the people are required to search the Scriptures according to the rule Iohn 5 39. Tutius ambulatur per Scripturas saith Aug. lib. 3. de doct Chri. cap. 28 nor by humane traditions or glosses Some names of things occurring in antiquitie are preserved in the Roman Church but it will be found that the Fathers understood them not in that sense nor made use of them as they do The nature of things new in Poperie is unanswerable to the old names as snal afterward appear By this we may perceive that Popery was not from the beginning The mysterie of iniquitie encreasing vain men set their posts beside the Lords posts their thresholds beside his Ezek. 43. 8. And making up a bodie of superstitious inventions have placed Religion in these which they hold forth to the world as eldest and have so falne out with Scripture truths that they are not ashamed to accuse them and their professours of noveltie heresie c. But be it known to all that we wil have no Religion to be called ours younger nor the Apostles and primitive Christians It shal eitheâ— be sixteen hundred years old it shal be founded on the Scripture sensed by pute antiquitie or else not outs Beside this their foistery that which is foisted poysoneth souls and filleth them with the East-wind For by their merits and mediatours they derogat from the honour of Christ and from the faith of Christians seeing he is is so precious to them who believe 1. Pet. 2. 7. It is not strange that contrar to Scripture they will deny the imputation of the righteousness of Christ Iesus to the blessed Elect and that imputed righteousness of Saints is affirmed by them to profit others and relieve them from temporal punishment As if the death and merits of the Mediatour were not of sufficient value to save us frâ—m all evil They say that no man can have certaintie of SalvatioÌ„ by faith and yet without any revelation they will canonize others as Saints Can any be more certain of the salvation of another nor his own Their doctrine concerning the Priests intention taketh away all certaintie of faith if the Priest do not seriously intend what he professeth to do there is no Sacrament no consecration no ordination And who but the Lord searcheth the heart and knoweth human intentions By making the Body of Christ now in Heaven to be corporally present in the Sacrament of the Supper when it is administred they deny many articles of the Christian Creed they strengthen the heresie of the Valentinians who said that his Bodie was phantastical not real they contradict the Scripture which calleth it the fruit of the vine after consecration Luke 22. 18. And Aug. tract 5. in Iohn who saith that the bread remaineth bread after the consecration and the Body of Christ a real Body after the Resurrection By their doctrine of Free-will they make free Grace to stand at the beck of the wil whither it shal be operative or not Yea they make providence in its acting dependent on the will For this is their tener GOD worketh because the will consenteth not e contra see Bellar de gratia libero arbitrio lib. 4. cap. 15. Will it not follow then that we should thank our will for our Conversion and intreat it to make grace efficacious and providence effectual Seeing it hath a negative voice in all these matters And what is more prejudicial to the providence and worship of GOD or to the efficacie of grace nor this tener which Aug refuteh well in his Enchrid cap 32. By invocation of Saints the worship of Reliques and the whole house of their imagerie they give the glory of the Lord to another and are reproved Is 42. 8. Yea there be many whom they invocat of whom they are not certain if either they were Saints or lived in the world Cassander who lived in communion with Rome acknowledgeth that much superstition is sostered by this way Consult â—1 Is it not then soul-damning By their distinction of mortal and venial sins by Purgatory by prayer for the dead by their absolution under so bare a degree of contrition they make people sin securely for under the name of vâ—nial sins they comprehend grievous crimes as sivearing by the wounds of Christ Per Membra Christi est venialis irreverentia si reverenter juretur nullâ—â—s videtur esse peccatum saith Valentia tom 3. disp 6. quast 7. punct 3. Legerdemaine in vendition ubi quantuns quale mutatur may be venial si materia sit levis saith Tolet. de 7. pecc cap. 49. whereas diverse measures without exception are declared abomination Pro. 20. 10. All these remedies which they apply after death make men less diligent in dutie while they live And if Purgatory be the Popes peculiar as they call it he must have little love to Souls and too much to his own gain who will not
release those Prisoners sooner and sill some rooms in Heaven faster How readie are we to delay duty from time to time And doth not this baite our humour How jejune and bare is their contrition which goeth before confession and absolution Yet may prove sufficient Hear Suarez tom 4. disp 4. who saith a slender grief is sufficient And Tolet. lib. 3. de instr Sacerdot a smal degree of grief can wipe away a great degree of sin What is this but daubing with untempered morter and putting kercheifes under arme holes a strengthening of the hands of the wicked that he should not return from his evil way By toleration of Brothels and preferring in votaries fornication to lawful marriage Is not a wide door opened to obâ—cene sensualitie Agrippa de vanit witnesseth that the Pope hath tribute payed to him by all the whore-houses at Rome Therefore Pope Sixtus builded the nobile lâ—panâ—r a notable Brothel house Bell. de Monach. lib. 2. cap. 30. saith that fornication in such is a less sin nor marriage What will debauch the chastitie if this do not Tolet. lib. 4. de instr sacerd telleth us that a man is bound to sanctifie the Sabbath but is not bound to sanctifie it well for he may hunt travel and make market on that day Is not this infectious doctrine Now Christian Reader if thou be serious for salvation I charge thee to pause here a little and consider if this can be the way of holiness wherein the Prophers Apostles and primitive Fathers walked to Heaven Therefore as thou tenderest thy own salvation and consolation bewar of it this leadeth to the chambers of death Hath falne man who enclineth naturally to wickedness need of such incentives to sin and lenitives when he hath sinned Or can he who is of puter eyes then to behold iniquity approve such as break his Commandments and teach men so to do Can the tree be good where the fruiâ— is so bâ—d None will believe it who have understanding unless they be willing to be deceived It is the stain of any Christian to desert the good old way in which they are commanded to walk Ier. 6. 16. and to be fooled out of their Religion by some groundless distinctions and ingenious devices of subtile men who stent snares and lay themselves in waâ—te to deceive the simple If a man born and trained in the Reformed Church shal hanker after Popery he is foolish in so doing if he purpose nâ—t to swallow the whole bulk of it For Bellarmin saith they cannot quite one â—ota otherwise their Church were not to be reputed infallible and if he resolve to do this I must say he hath an Ostrich-stomach and is a great latitudinarian Further it is to be feared that at the next alteration if tempted â—e fall into Atheism total infidelitie For the weapoÌ„s by which the Papists wage warre with the Scriptures and the Reformed Church built thereon are the same which Celsus used of old against Christianity it self which Origen refuteth at length he impeached the Scriptures and quarrelled the Christians for their rents for the calumnies of the world c. If these have beat thee from the Reformed Religion hast thou not to fear that they may shake thee in all and turn thee at last Nullisidian As they make use of Pagan arguments so of the Jewish for they reasoned just so against Christ Jesus and his Apostles By what authority where is your visible succession have any of the rulers Scribes or Pharisees beleeved on him c. It hath pleased the Lord to furnish us with good defences but it is strange that they drawing many of their shafts from Pagan and Jewish Antichristian quivers should not be ashamed of their way And it is more strange that knowing men if conscientions should be ensnared by them It is known to such as are not ignorant of Church history that when Christianity came first into this Ysle they had nothing to do with Rome for a long time they were strangers and adversaries to her soveraignty and would not exchange the dyet of Easter for her commands nor have communion with these messengers who came from her Bede called Venerable telleth lib 2. hist cap. 4. that in the beginning of the 7. cent after Augustine the Monk came to Brittain he found them no way like the Romanists noâ— could he prevaile with them to conforme to Rome not so much as in the administration of Baptism or observation of Easter And when one Laurentius his successor endeavoured the same and thought the Scots would be more tractable he found the plaine contrare as he writteth to the Abbates in Scotland for Dagamus the Scotish Bishop who came to speak with them refused to eat or drink with Laurentius or stay in the roome where he was So little communion would they here have then with Romanists Now that Church is farre more corrupt then it was in Gregories dayes and ours more pure and enlightened then it was at that time What phrenesie must it be therefore in them now who are members of this Church to enter into communion with Romanists or tamper with or haunker after their way Let all who love the Truth stand in awe thus to sin we have a safer surer way for Salvation nor Popery wherein if we walk peace and mercy shal be on us Gal. 6. 16. Least this Preface swell disproportionably I will offer four advyees to my Countrey-men that they may be perswaded from Poperie and then close with a word more particularly to the Inhabitants of this Place First If ye would guard well against Popery have a full perswasion of the Truth from the ground of divine revelation in the holy Scriptures 2. Tim. 1. 13. 14. Hold fast the forme of sound words which thou hast heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Iesus that good thing which is commited to thee keep by the holy Ghost which dwelleth in us For men not perswaded by divine faith like to young schollars evil grounded in their principles are easily put from their grounds and tossed to and froe with every wind of doctrine Persuasisti mihi Domine saith Aug. lib. 6. confes cap. 5. this keeped him fast When once divine Truth sinketh into the heart ye will have a sincere love to it for it self and not for any by respects or worldly advantages Otherwayes when truth florteth only in the head and men are bated with worldly temptations and selfish interests they are soon drawn away from the truth which in their affection is postponed to that which they love better And GOD in his holy justice giveth them up to stronge delusions for their hypocrisie and want of sinceritie 2. Thess 2. 10. 11. the Lord hath promised the spirit to them who ask him Luke 11. 13. If ye love the truth seek the grace and strength of the holy Spirit to lead you into all truth and labour to grow in grace and the knowledge of our Lord Jesus
Christ following diligently the means appointed thereto by GOD himself to wit reading hearing the Word preached receiving the holy Sacrament of the Supper as GOD shal give opportunitie meditation prayer spiritual conference Hosea 6. 3. 2. Peter 3. 17. Beware of looseness and all prophanness in conversation for it is righteousness with GOD to punish practical Atheists by giving them over to speculative Atheisme whereby they are hardened in their wicked courses And silly women led away with diverse lustes are easie led captive and detained in errour by seducers whose doctrine hath complyance with their loose way of living 2. Tim. 3. 6. Secondly Bewarre of prejudice against reformed Ministers or Prosessours where this entereth it maketh the evil eye and if the eye be evil the whole body is dark Matth. 6. 23. Some alleadge that the pupil of a Witch eye is inverted by malice Certainly the understanding of any man is in hazard to be thus perverted That which made Porphyre Iulian and other Apostats fall away from the truth was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 prejudice and passion It is reported of an Indian that being wronged by the Spainard when some were instructing him about Christianity and the way to Heaven he refused to be a Christian because he heard that the King of Spain was walking in that path in this he was Pagan like Let Christians be ashamed to speak or do so If men in this controversal age have done or suffered injuries for the Lords sake let none of these things make you wronge the truth of GOD your own consciences or the Mother Church which did bear or foster you Alace what evil hath the Gospel of Christ done to you Wherein hath it weatied you whose Oxe or Ass hath it taken testifie against it if ye dare Why then will ye wronge the Master for the Servants sake and hate the truth because ye love not some who profess to adbere to it Is it imaginable that such back-sliding courses will afford you comfort in the end of the day when the silver corde is loosed and the pitcher broken at the well Were it a good defence for treason to say to a King some fellow subjects have wronged me How easily might he return this shal ye therefore wrong my law It may be your wronge is supposed not real and admit it be so indeed two blacks makes not one white ye should remember the oath of alleagâ—â—nce So will the King of Kings challenge Apostats and say why departed ye from the truth Was this the way to right your wronges whereunto was ye baptized Why gadde ye abroad to change your way This is baseness belovv a Christian or any man of honour Thirdly Let all lovers of truth love one another dearly and entertaine the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace This is a sence against foes forbear and forgive one another let the stronge bear with the weak and if in all things ye cannot be like minded which is rather to be wâ—shed nor expected here yet be kindly affâ—ctioned And whereunto ye have attained walk by the same rule and if in any thing ye be otherwise minded the Lord will reveal that in due time and teach you that which ye see not When breaches are amongst sincere Christians who fear the Lord and his goodness the adversarie who waiteth for their halting casteth oyle on the flame and with jeering warmeth his hands at the fire All the wilde beasts of the wilderness enter in at those breaches and are readie to take away the wine-press and devour with open mouth the tender Vines Josephus de Bello Judaico telleth us that the Romans of old overcame Jerusalem easily because the chief Captaines within the walls fought eagerly amongst themseves and were so divided by the wrath of GOD that their animositie was greater against other nor the common adversarie this prepared the way for their sudden overthrow And when the Roman Eagles did slee to BRITTAIN the Historian Tacitus sheweth how they in this Isle were vanquished dum singuli pugnant universi vincuntur Little was left undone to the adversaries hand So the new Romanists take the same advantage against our Jerusalem therfore we should be the more diligent to endeavour by all Christian wayes that peace may be within her wals and prosperity within her palaces It would be well adverted that the enemie is at the gates therefore should be watchfully eyed in all our deportment Every time hath its own tryal and temptation the dispensation of this sinful time calleth for much consideration and they who understand the language of it may excel amongst their brethren and serve the generation best in the fear of the Lord. The Christians in Persia saith Theod lib. 5. hâ—st cap. 38. understood not the times wherein they lived therefore became a prey to their adversaries let not the enemie ger advantage least it be told in Gath and Askelon It was said of old amongst Pagans behold the Christians how they love one another and their adversaries were forced to commend them for sweet harm less carriage This is an ornament to profession and a guarde to the truths of the Gospel Therefore as ye tender the honour of the Lord and preservation of his truth live in love love the truth and peace follow peace and holiness this will at least damp adversaries Fourthly Labour to know experimentally the power of Christian Religion nothing will more solidly refute Poperie to you nor the kingdom of grace in power Poperie is a humane device full of pompous shadows which hath no concord with the light and life of the Gospel For the more shadow the less light The Northern-people from whom the Sun is remore are circled with shadows but these who have the Sun perpendicularly over them and are under it at the Noone-tyde have little or no shadow So if ye would decline the Popish groves live near the Sun of righteousness The Popish trash cannot please a reformed Christian Holy Augustin ep 119. complaineth that in his time the Church was pressed contrar to the merciful institution of Christ with such a servile burthen of ceremonies that the state of the Jews under the Law was more tolerable nor the condition of Christians seeing they were subject to the ordinances of GOD and not to humane presumptions If he had now lived and seen their gadie way what would he have said Surely this that the Romish Church is full of shadows therfore far from the Sun The best refutation of some points of Arminianisme is the power and efficacie of Gospel grace on the heart Will ever that man believe Free-will in its extent as it is taught by them to whom the Lord hath spoken with an high hand and determined for his dutie No verily Or will any of the Circumcision who worship GOD in spirit rejoyce in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh Be delighted with a burdensom boundeâ— of humane inventions or place worship in these It
and baptize all Nations To ordain Pastours for edifying the body whose power and calling it is to preach the Word purely to administrat the Sacraments of Baptism and the Supper of the Lord as it was first delivered to rule their flocks as they that watch for souls and should stand and feed in the strength of the Lord to administer discipline according to the word of GOD and to do every thing commanded there which may bring men near GOD and help them forward in their journey to Heaven That Magistrats should be obeyed in the Lord. Parents honoured and husband and wife dwel together according to knowledge as heirs of the grace of life That Masters should remember they have a Master in Heaven and Servants be subject to their Masters for the Lords sake That the Lord to whom we owe all should be loved with the whole heart and have the flower of our affection and that we love our neighbour as our self That we should rather suffer then sin and glorify GOD in every station wherein he placeth us This is the summe of the positives which we mantaine he who will deny that all this is contained in Scripture and consented to by the Fathers hath no understanding either of Scripture or antiquity The negatives of our Religion are points of Popery denyed by us and condemned in the Scripture contrar to all antiquity Such as these That the Pope of Rome is supream infallible Monarch of the Christian Church That he and these who follow him cannot erre in matters of faith That he hath preheminence above the scripture and may dispence with the law of GOD concerning incest murder perjury c. That he may depose Kings Their service in an unknown tongue is contrary to all pure antiquitity so much is confessed by Thomas Cajetan and Lyranus writting on 1. Cor. 14. Their praying on beads a late invention Polid Virgil lib. 5. invent cap. 9. Their carrying of the Hoste by a pompous procession is praeter veterem morem saith Cassander consult art 22. not according to antiquity That Christ is bodily present there and should be worshâ—pped and that bread and wine is no longer there after consecration is not older then the Lateran Council That the cup should be holden from the People is of one age with the council of Constance That the Mass iâ— a proper propitiatory sacrifice for the sinnes of dead and living was unknown to Peter Lombard who saith from Augustin lib. 4. disp â—â— that which is offered is called a sacrifice because it is a commemoration and representation of the true sacrifice made on the altar of the Cross Augustin lib. 20. cap. 21. against Faustus the Manichaean the flesh and blood of Christ before his comming into the world was promised by the similitude of the legâ—l sacrifices in the suffering of Christ 〈◊〉 his flesh and blood was in the veritie and antitype it self exhibited after the asâ—â—â—tion of Christ it is celebrated in the Sacrament of commemoration That none should communicaâ— except such as make aâ—ticulat consession to a Priest was not known in the ancient Church saith Maldon sum qu. â—â— art 11. Where there was only publick confession That Images should be set up in Churches and worshipped was abominated till the second council of Nice The like may be said of Purgatorie worshipping Saints and Angels with-holding the Bible from people c. So the Romish Religion is new and ours the good old way quod primum verum saith Tertul. lib. 4. contra Marc. cap. 5. It is true that the enemy did sow tares quickly in the Church and the mysterie of iniquity did encrease by degrees Yet these were not holden to be de side and made articles of the Christian Creed under the paine of Anathema till the council of Trent then indeed in stead of reformation which occasioned that convention the Trent Doctors oâ— at least the plurality of them gathered the crotchets of some Fathers the disputable opinions of some School-men and making a bundle of all together did obtrude them to be believed by all Christians under the pain of excommunication So that the church of Rome as new dogmatized is no older then the council of Trent and ours is as old as Scripture sensed by the purest antiquity For further clearing beside all I have said formerly you may hear this more how Suarez telleth us that the council of Florence did at first insinuat that there were seven Sacraments but it was no article of faith till the council of Trent the like may be said of the rest So Popery is a superstitious superstructure like an ulcer on the body which was long in growing at last did break out and stain the garments of many in a world When our Lord Jesus dyed he left a Testamen behind him which being opened directeth all his subjects how to carry Papists not content with this rule for ordering his legacâ—e upon a pompous design have formed a dative which they make equal to his Testament which we disclaim and honestly adhere to the first Testament here is the rule of our Negatives It is â—â—â—rasonick bragge for you to say That of an 100. Fathers ye have 99. for your tenets and as untrue that the four first general Councils were for the Popes universal supremacie The Fathers though the mystery of iniquitie was then in the cradle being taken up with other controversies did not purposely fall on these tares which scarcely were come to the blade then For instance the Fathers in the first 300. years whose books are extaÌ„t were Iust Mar. who did writ 150. year after Christ an Apology for the vindication of Christians to the Senat of Rome after another of the samekind to Antonius the Emperor a Dialogue concerning the verity of Christian Religion called Tryphon and some other letters exhorting to moral duties holding forth the Roligion of Christians against Jews and Gentiles but that which is Poperie the source of controversies in the Christian Church was unknown to him The next is Ironaeus who lived about the year of Christ 178. He did write five books against the heresies of his time as the Valentinians Gnosticks Ophites the heresie of Simon Magus Menander Basilides So Popery is not to be found in them unless some of these heresies be found in their skirts The â—hird is Clemens Alexandrinus who flourished in the year of Christ 196. who was a Presbyter of Alexandria the subject he handleth is in three parcels an exhortation to the Gentiles to renounce their Idols a Paedagogy to the Christians instructing them about their carriage and his Stromara which is a Miscellany work against the followers of Basilides Gnosticks c. Origen lived about the same time whose writtings are so imperfect and vitiated that we scarce know what to make of them as Erasmus witnesseth in his edition Tertullian did writ about the same time several books as concerning Patience the Resurrection against the Jews against Marcion Hermogenes