THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE CHURCH of ROME Imprimatur Liber cui Titulus The Enthusiasm of the Church of Rome Guil. Needham RR. in Christò P. ac D. D. Wilhelno Archiep Cant. a Sacr. Domest Mart. 16. 1687 8. THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE Church of Rome Demonstrated in some OBSERVATIONS UPON THE LIFE OF IGNATIVS LOYOLA LONDON Printed for Ric. Chiswell at the Rose and Crown in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXVIII THE CONTENTS AN irrational Credulity the occasion of Enthusiasm Page 2 The causes of this Credulity p. 1 2 The ill effects of Enthusiasm p. 3 The true remedy of it p. 4 How fatal it is to Christianity p. 5 That Christianity rightly understood cannot be charged with it p. 6 7 That the Church of Rome is most guilty of it p. 7 8 That Learning tends effectually to prevent it p. 6 7 8 9 The Artifices of Enthusiasts p. 9 10 That the constitution of the Body and disposition of the Spirits may very much promote Enthusiasm and these either natural or acquired p. 11 12 13 The mistakes in Religion arising from Enthusiasm p. 13 14 That to promote Enthusiasm is a certain mark of a corrupted Church Page 15 That the Church of England doth not in the least encourage it p. 16 That the Church of Rome doth many ways promote it p. 16 17 18 Especially in her approbation and veneration of Enthusiastick Saints p. 18 19 Particularly of Ignatius Loyola p. 20 Ambition the first necessary quality of an Enthusiast p. 20 21 Ignatius in an eminent manner guilty of it p. 21 c. First induced to undertake a Religious Life by reading Romances and the Lives of Saints p. 22 23 24 His apish imitation of Christ and St. Francis p. 25 His imitation of Romantick Heroes p. 26 27 28 His Dispute with the Moor in his Pilgrimage to Montserrat Page 28 29 His Ambition confessed by the Writers of his Life p. 30 31 That his Conversion proceeding from Ambition could not be the effect of a Divine Operation p. 31 That this Ambition continued after his Conversion p. 32 That an Enthusiastick way of life was an effectual means to procure to him his desired Glory p. 32 33 34 Other Arguments of Ignatius his Ambition p. 34 35 36 His great conceit and boasts of his own Sanctity p. 37 38 Weakness and violent commotions of Body necessary to Enthusiasts and eminent in Ignatius p. 39 40 His Ignorance and weakness of understanding stupidity and hatred of Learning p. 41 42 43 44 The essential Properties of Enthusiasm p. 44 His pretence of Divine Visions p. 45 46 47 48 49 That these Visions were wholly owing to his disturbed Imagination p 50 51 His pretence of internal supernatural Illuminations and infused Knowledge Page 51 52 53 54 His own Account of his Divine Visions Raptures and Illuminations p. 55 56 57 58 59 That these Illuminations were false and fictitious p. 60 61 His pretence of acting by Divine Inspiration and an inward Light p. 61 62 63 64 His requiring a blind obedience and submission from his Disciples p. 64 65 66 His diffidence of his own Reason and irrational expectation of a Divine Direction and Assistance upon all occasions p. 66 67 68 His pretence of a mighty familiarity with God and receiving wonderful internal Consolations p. 68 69 His canting about Spiritual Matters p. 70 71 His irregular Preaching without receiving any Commission from the Church p. 71 73 74 75 76 In imitation of St. Francis p. 72 The ordinary effects of Enthusiasm and that Ignatius was guilty of them p. 76 c. His perpetual praying p. 77 His foolish expectation of extraordinary assistance from God in all difficulties p. 78 Other mistakes in Religion arising from Enthusiasm p. 79 80 The foolish pretence and gross practice of Evangelical Poverty used by Ignatius p. 80 81 82 83 84 His immoderate and irrational Abstinence and Austerities p. 84 85 86 His desire of contempt contumelies and derision p. 87 88 The ridiculous Actions of Enthusiasts p. 89 Of St. Francis p. 89 90 91 Of Ignatius p. 91 92 His denying to pay the usual ceremonies of Civilitiy p. 93 94 The inconstancy and irregular Conduct of Enthusiasts p. 95 Of Ignatius p. 95 96 97 The pretence of fighting with Devils common to the Enthusiasts of the Church of Rome p. 97 98 More especially to Ignatius and St. Francis p. 98 99 That all these Pretences may be justly suspected of falshood p. 100 That the Actions related to Ignatius by the Writers of his Life might give just occasion of suspecting the concurrence of Evil Spirits in them p. 101 102 That the Pope hath erred in affirming him never to have committed any mortal Sin after his Conversion p. 103 That he was most grosly guilty of the Sin of Despair p. 103 104 105 That his blind submission to the Dictates of his Confessor was sinful at least foolish p. 105 106 That he may be justly suspected of many other Vices of entertaining unworthy thoughts of God of revenge and cruelty of lying equivocating and incontinence p. 107 108 109 St. Francis's temptation to Incontinence p. 109 110 That Ignatius may be justly suspected of Imposture p. 110 111 Of Heresie p. 112 113 That both he and Saint Francis were while alive generally esteemed Fools Madmen Impostors and Hereticks p. 113 114 115 Of his Miracles p. 115 c. That it is incredible that God should in these latter Ages exert his power of Miracles so frequently p. 116 117 That the Miracles of Ignatius were forged after his Death p. 118 That by the Confession of the Writers of his Life they are highly uncertain p. 119 120 That they want due attestation many of them depending upon his own single Testimony p. 121 122 Others upon the Testimony of one single credulous Witness p. 122 123 124 That many of his Miracles have nothing extraordinary in them and may be solved by natural Causes p. 124 125 126 That some of them are evidently false proved from the Testimony of the Writers of his Life p. 126 127 128 From the absolute impossibility of them and contradictions included in them p. 128 129 130 131 From their monstrous incredibility p. 131 132 133 134 From their frivolousness and impertinence p. 134 135 136 The Conclusion p. 137 138 139 THE PREFACE AMong other Artifices wherewith the Romish Emissaries recommend their Religion to ignorant and unwary Persons none hath been more specious and successful than the pretence of an excellent Ecclesiastical Policy fitted to preserve Vnion in the Church and prevent the Illusions of a private Spirit The badness of their Cause permits them not to descend into a scrupulous examination of the merits of it Every single Controversie hath been so often handled and so demonstratively determined against them that it would be rash and disadvantageous to resume the debate of those particular Questions It was therefore found necessary to advance some general Considerations which might amuse the Ignorant
aim at an extraordinary perfection and purity propose to themselves long pilgrimages terrible austerities continual prayer and a thousand other ridiculous actions which their deluded fancy suggests to be meritorious They employ their thoughts in the perpetual meditation of these imaginary perfections and in their extasies and raptures are amused with them and form pleasing Ideas of them arising from the apprehension of any exceeding merit or veneration to be obtained by the practice of them In this religious phrensy they imagine to have received the Divine approbation of them mistaking a foolish satisfaction of a deluded judgment for the suffrage and voice of the Holy Spirit acting in them and at last proceed so far as to fancy the reception of a Divine Command for the commission of these extravagancies No wonder then if after such a false perswasion they proceed to act all the whimsies and follies which a disturbed brain and violent imagination can suggest if they put off all sense of shame and modesty and setting no bounds to their extravagance deliver themselves up to the conduct and direction of an irrational fancy which inciteth them to commit such follies and trifles as are beneath the dignity of a rational Being and contrary to the dictates of common sense such ridiculous fopperies and elaborate extravagance as may justly provoke the laughter of sober Heathens and indignation of wiser Christians Such ridiculous Fanaticism is the utmost degeneracy of Christian Religion than which nothing can be more contrary to its Genius and destructive of its Principles Christianity was intended to exalt and perfect the Reason of mankind to create true notions of the nature of all moral and religious Actions and introduce the practice of a manly and rational Piety Whereas this Enthusiasm debaseth the Reason and Understanding of mankind introduceth false Ideas of Religion and Piety and exposeth both to the scorn and derision of the more judicious and intelligent World as if none but Fools and Ideots could be perfect Christians and the highest degree of madness were the most certain mark of piety Such absurd Opinions cannot but scandalize all considering Persons and cause them to conclude that either these absurdities are gross corruptions and deviations from Christianity or else Christianity it self is a grand Imposture unworthy the belief and veneration or even attention of mankind The former is not easily discernible by those who have no other notions of Christianity than what they receive from the general practice and currant opinions of their Countrey and are from their infancy prepossest that there is no true Christian Society besides their own where if such Fanaticism be publickly practised or countenanced it cannot but create in them a detestation of all Christianity But as for those who are convinced of the truth of Christianity in general and enquire after the true Doctrines of it among so many divided Communions of the Christian World they may rationally and infallibly conclude that particular Church which favours or promotes this Superstitious Enthusiasm to be infinitely corrupted and degenerate from the true Spirit and Principles of Christianity If we view the several Churches and Communions of the Christian World we shall find no Society of Christians more free from Fanaticism than the Church of England or more guilty of it than the Church of Rome It hath been the peculiar happiness of the Church of England to create a right sense of Religion and Piety in all her Communicants and secure to them the practice of a rational Devotion She makes no pretensions to private Inspirations and extraordinary Illuminations of the Holy Ghost and all her Children are more apt to deride than admire the follies and extasies of Enthusiasts If any of her Members have at any time through ambition or ignorance embraced Fanaticism they have at the same time departed from the Communion of the Church and becoming Schismaticks proclaimed themselves her Enemies Yet so far hath the sober and judicious practice and example of the Church of England influenced even their conduct that the most extravagant among them have been less Fanatical than the most admired Saints of the Church of Rome and whensoever the sense of their Duty and Providence of God shall induce them to return to the bosome of the Church which we heartily wish they can do it no otherwise than by deserting even all Reliques of Fanaticism Not so the Church of Rome which in all her Offices and publick Ceremonies promotes and foments it hath on many occasions given publick applause and approbation to it and oweth the greatest part of her peculiar Doctrines and present prosperity to the Enthusiasm of her Followers If we consult the publick Offices of that Church we shall find nothing intelligible directly proposed to the common People but the Prayers performed in an unknown Tongue and their Senses in the mean while amused with antick Gestures Images Processions and pompous Representations The first enforceth the minds of ignorant Persons to betake themselves to the entertainment of their own thoughts and direct their Devotion according to their own crude and indigested Ideas and then the latter inspires them with childish and absurd notions of Religion and Divine Matters and both together cause them to form wild and Enthusiastick Apprehensions of Religious Actions and direct their Conduct according to those Apprehensions If we examine the peculiar Doctrines of the Church of Rome we shall find many of them to derive their original from Enthusiastick Visions and Revelations I will instance only in Purgatory and Transubstantiation whereof the former however at this day defended was at first set a foot upon the sole Authority of these Fanatick Visions which imaginary Visions of this kind were so frequent among the Enthusiastick Monks of the sixth seventh eighth and tenth Ages that large Volumes might be compiled of them as indeed I have seen several voluminous Collections of them in Manuscript composed before the Reformation in proof of Purgatory As for Transubstantiation as it was first forged in the Cell of a Visionary Monk so it chiefly gained credit and belief in the World from the pretended Visions of supposed Saints for whose sake God divested the Sacramental Elements of their usual Accidents and offered them to their sight under the very Species of an Humane Body Scarce a Monkish Saint of any eminence after the ninth Age can be found in whose life such a Vision is not related Lastly if we view the Religious Orders of the Church of Rome where Religion and Piety is supposed to flourish in its utmost perfection and which are esteemed the grand Patterns of refined Christianity we shall find them to be so many Societies of Fanatical Enthusiasts who if we except vicious and irreligious Persons among them wholly busie themselves in wild Imaginations and ridiculous Ceremonies If any religious Persons among them escape this contagion and surmount this imperfection it is owing to the excellency of their Genius and advantage of their
of Discourses of Purity and Charity of Repentance and of seeking the Kingdom of God. Published by Dean Tillotson 8 o. His Second Volume of Discourses on several Practical Subjects 8 o. Sir Thomas Mores Vtopia newly made English by Dr. Burnet 8 o. Mr. Sellers Devout Communicant assisted with Rules Meditations Prayers and Anthems 12. Dr. Towerson of the Sacraments in General Of the Sacrament of Baptism in particular 8 o. The History of the COVNCIL OF TRENT in which besides the ordinary Acts of the Council are declared many notable occurrences which hapned in Christendom for 40 Years and particularly the Practices of the COVRT of ROME to hinder the Râ—formation of their Errors and to maintain Their Greatness Written by Father Paul of the Servi To which is added the Life of the Author and the History of the Inquisition Dr. Bâ—rnets History of the Reformation of the Church of Eng. in 2 Vol Fol. A Collection of sixteen several Tracts and Discourses written in the Years from 16â—8 to 1685. inclusive by Gilbert Barnet D. D. To which is added A Letter written to Dr Barnet giving an Account of Cardinal Pools secret Powers The History of the Powder Treason with a Vindication of the Proceedings thereupon An Impartial Consideration of the Five Jesuits dying Speeches who were Executed for the Popish Pâ—ot 1679. 4 o. A Dissertation concerning the Government of the Ancient Church more particularly of the Encroachments of the Bishops of Rome upon other Sees By WILLIAM CAVE D.D. 8 vo An Answer to Mr. Serjeant's Sure Footing in Christianity concerning the Rule of Fâ—ith With some other Discourses By WILLIAM FALKNER D. D. 4 o. A Vindication of the Ordinations of the Church of England in Anâ—wer to a Paper written by one of the Church of Rome to prove the Nullity of our Orders By GILBERT BVRNET D D. An Abridâ—ment of the History of the Reformation of the Church of England By GILB BVRNET D D. 8 vo The APOLOGY of the Church of England and an Epistle to one Signior Scipio a Venetian Gentleman concerning the Council of Trent Written both in Latin by the Right Reverend Father in God IOHN IEWEL Lord Bishop of Salisbury Made English by a Person of Quality To which is added The Life of the said Bishop Collected and written by the same Hand 8 vo The Life of WILLIAM BEDEL D. D. Bishop of Kilmore in Ireland Together with Certain Letters which passed betwixt him and Iames Waddesworth a late Pensioner of the Holy Inquisition of Sevil in Matters of Religion concerning the General Motives to the Roman Obedience 8 vo The Decree made at ROME the Second of March 1679. condemning some Opinions of the Iesiuts and other Casuists 4 o. A Discourse concerning the Necessity of Reformation with respect to the Errors and Corruptions of the Church of Rome 4 o. First and Second Parts A Discourse concerning the Celebration of Divine Service in an Unknown Tongue 9 o. A Papist no Misrepresented by Protestants Being a Reply to the Reflections upon the Answer to A Papist Misrepresented and Represented 4 o. An Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England in the several Articles proposed by the late BISHOP of CONDOM in his Exposition of the Doctrine of the Catholick Church 4 o. Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England against the Exceptions of the Mons. de Meaux late Bishop of Condom and his Vindicator 4 o. A CATECHISM explaining the Doctrine and Practices of the Church of Rome With an Answer thereunto By a Protestant of the Church of England 8 vo A Papist Represented and not Misrepresented being an Answer to the First Fifth and Sixth Sheets of the Second Part of the Papist Misrepresented and not Represented and for a further Vindication of the CATECHISM truly Representing the Doctrines and Practices of the Church of Rome 4 o. The Lay-Christian's Obligation to read the Holy Scriptures 4 o. The Plain man's Reply to the Catholick Missionaries 24 o. An Answer to THREE PAPERS lately printed concerning the Authority of the Catholick Church in matters of Faith and the Reformation of the Church of England 4 o A Vindication of the Answer to the said THREE PAPERS 4 o. Mr Chillingworths Book called The Religion of Protestants a safe way to Salvâ—tion made more generally useful by omitting personal contests but inserting whatsoever concerns the common cause of Protestants or defends the Church of England with an exact Table of Contents and an Addition of some genuine Pieces of Mr. Chillingworths never before Printed viz. against the Infallibility of the Roman Church Transubstantiation Tradition c. And an Account of what moved the Author to turn Papist with his confutation of the said motives An Historical Treatise written by an Author of the Communion of the Church of Rome touching Transubstantiation Wherein is made appear That according to the Principles of that Church this Doctrine cannot be an Article of Faith 4 o. The Protestants Companion or an Impartial survey and comparison of the Protestant Religion as by Law established with the main Doctrines of Popery Wherein is shewn that Popery is contrary to Scripture Primitive Fathers and Councils and that proved from Holy Writ the Writings of the Ancient Fathers for several hundred Years and the Confession of the most Learned Papists themselves 4 o. The Pillar and Ground of Truth A Treatise shewing that the Roman Church falsly claims to be that Church and the Pillar of that Truth mentioned by S. Paul in his first Epistle to Timothy chap. 3. ver 15.4 o. The Peoples Right to read the Holy Scriptures Asserted 4 o. A short summary of the principal Controversies between the Church of Engl. and the Church of Rome being a Vindication of several Protestant Doctrines in Answer to a late Pamphlet intituled Protestancy destitute of Scripture proofs 4 o. An Answer to a late Pamphlet intituled The Judgment and Doctrine of the Clergy of the Church of England concerning one special Branch of the Kings Prerogative viz. In dispensing with the Penal Laws 4 o. A Discourse of the Holy Eucharist in the two great Points of the Real Presence and the Adoration of the Host in Answer to the Two Discourses lately Printed at Oxford on this Subject To which is prefixed a large Historical Preface relating to the same Argument Two Discourses Of Purgatory and Prayers for the Dead The Fifteen Notes of the Church as laid down by Cardinal Bellarmin examined and confuted 4 o. With a Table to the Whole Preparation for Death Being a Letter sent to a young Gentlewoman in France in a dangerous Distemper of which she died by W. Wake M. A 12 o. The Difference between the Church of England and the Church of Rome in opposition to a late Book Intituled An Agreement between the Church of England and Church of Rome A Private Prayer to be used in difficult Times A True Account of a Conference held about Religion at London Sept. 29. 1687. between
A. Pulton Jesuit and Th. Tenison D. D. as also of that which led to it and followed after it 4 o. The Vindication of A. Cressener Schoolmaster in Long-Acre from the Aspersions of A. Pulton Jesuit Schoolmaster in the Savoy together with some Account of his Discourse with Mr. Meredith A Discourse shewing that Protestants are on the safer Side notwithstanding the uncharitable Judgment of Adversaries and that Their Religion is the surest Way to Heaven 4 o. Six Conferences concerning the Eucharist wherein is shewed that the Doctrine of Transubstantiation overthrows the Proofs of Christian Religion A Discourse concerning the pretended Sacrament of Extreme Vnction with an Account of the Occasions and Beginnings of it in the Western Church In Three Parts With a Letter to the Vindicator of the Bishop of Condom A Second Letter from the Author of the Discourse concerning Extreme Unction to the Vindicator of the Bishop of Condom The Pamphlet entituled Speculum Ecclesiasticum or an Ecclesiastical Prospective-Glass considered in its False Reasonings and Quotations These are added by way of Preface two further Answers the First to the Defender of the Speculum the Second to the Half-sheet against the Six Conferences A Second Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England against the new Exceptions of Mons. de Meaux late Bishop of Condom and his Vindicator The FIRST PART In which the Account that has been given of the Bishop of Meaux's Exposition is fully Vindicated the Distinction of Old and New Popery Historically asserted and the Doctrine of the Church of Rome in Point of Image-worship more particularly considered 4 o. A Second Defence of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England against the New Exceptions of Mons. de Meaux late Bishop of Condom and his Vindicator The SECOND PART In which the Romish Doctrines concerning the Nature and Object of Religious Worship of the Invocation of Saints and Worship of Images and Relicks are considered and the Charge of Idolatry against the Church of Rome upon the account of them made good 4 o. The Incurable Scepticism of the Church of Rome By the Author of the Six Conferences concerning the Eucharist 4 o. Mr. Pulton Considered in his Sincerity Reasonings Authorities Or a Just Answer to what he hath hitherto published in his True Account his True and Fuâ— Account of a Conference c. His Remarks and in them his pretended Confutation of what he 〈◊〉 Dr. Tâ—â— Rule of Faith. By Th. Tenison D. D. A Full View of the Doctrine and Practices of the Ancient Church relating to the Eucharist wholly different from those of the Present Roman Church and inconsistent with the belief of 〈…〉 Bâ—ing â— sufficient Confutation of Consensus Veterâ—â— Nâ—bis 〈◊〉 and other late Collections of the Fathers pretending to the Contrary 4 â— An Answer to 〈…〉 Reflections upon the State and View of the Controversy With 〈…〉 Vâ—â—dicator's Fâ—ll Answer shewing that the Vindicator has utterly ruâ—â—â—d the New Design of Expanding and Representing Popery 4 o. An Answer to the Popish Address presented to the Ministers of the Church of England 4 o. Popery not founded in Scripture or the Texts which Papists cite out of the Bible for Proofs of the Points of their Râ—â—iâ—iâ—n examin'd and shew'd to be alledged without Ground In twenty Discourses Four whereof are published the rest will follow weekly in their Order An Abridgment of the Perogative of St. Ann Mother of the Mother of God with the Approbations of the 〈◊〉 of Paris thence done into English with a PREFACE concernining the Oâ—iginâ—l of the Story The â—â—â—â—nitive Fathers no Papiâ—tâ— in Answer to the Nubes Testium to which is added a Discourse concerning Iâ—vâ—cation of Saints in Answer to the Challenge of F. Sabran the Jesuit wherein is shewn that the Invocation of Saints was so far from being the Practice that it was expresly against the Doctrine of the Primitive Fathers 4 o. An Answer to a Discourse concerning the Celibacy of the Clergy lately Printed at Oxford 4 o. The Virgin Mary Misrepresented by the Roman Church In the Traditions of that Church concerning her Life and Glory and in the Devotions paid to her as the Mother of God. Both shewed out of the Offices of that Church the Lessons on her Festivals and from their allowed Authors Reflections upon the â—â—oks of the Holy Scripture in order to establish the Truth of the Christian Religion in 3 Parts 8 vo 〈…〉 Dr. Tenisons Sermon of Discretion in giving Alms. 12 o. A Discourse concering the Merits of Good Works The Enthusiasm of the Church of Rome demonstrated in some Observations upon the Life of Ignatius Loyala Founder of the Order of Jesus A Vindication of the Answer to the Popish Address presented to the Ministers of the Church of England 4 o. Vid. 2d part of the Vindication of the Exposition of the Doctrine of the Church of England (a) De Divin Offic. c. 4. (b) Not. in Martyrolog Rom. p. 3. Edit Paris 1645. (c) Annal. ad an 395. n 20. (d) Hist. Eccl. l. 6. c. 26. (e) Ap. Euseb. Praep. Evang. l. 3. c. 4. Paulo post princip In vita Aedesii prope fin (a) Superstitio error insanus est quos colit violat Quid enim interest utrum Deos neges an infames Epist. 123. (b) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 De Superstitione Vid. Histoire de l' Inquisition de Goa chez Hortemels Paris 1688 cum Privilegio ⸫ De la vie de St. Ignac lib. 1. Vid. Orlandin Hist. Soc. Jesu l. 1. num 9. c. * Ibid. †De vita Ignat l. 1. c. 2. * Bouhours l. 1. ‖ Id. ibid. Bouhours l. 1. Maffeius l. 1. c. 2. Vie de St. Ignace l. 2. c. 5. Bouhours l. 2. Bonaventura de vita Fran. cap. 3. Id. cap. 1. Bouhours l. 3. Id. l. 4. Bouhours l. 1. * Ibid. Maffeius l. 1. c. 3. Bouhours l. 1. L. 1. c. 3. (a) L. 1. (b) Cap. 2. Rome 1629. â— vo Maffeius l. 1. c. 3. (a) Hist. Soc. Jesu l. 1. (b) Lib. 3. Philostratus de vit Apoll. â— â— c. 12. Id. l. 3. c. 15. Bonaventura cap. 15.6 †De vita Fr. cap. 14. Bussieres l. 2. c. 16. Philostrat l. 1. c. 15.9 Bonavent cap. 8. Vitelleschi cap. 7. Philostrat l. 1. c. 9. Philostrat l. 7. c. 6. Bonavent cap. 8. (a) L. 3. c. 3. (b) cap. 5. Bouhours l. 2. Id. l. 6. Philostr l. 8. c. 2. Bouhours l. 1. Id. l. 2. Gloria S. Ignatii Rothomagi 1630. cap. 8. Id. c. 14. Ribadeneira in vit ejus Philostrat l. 1. c. 13. l. 7. L. 1. l. 7. Bonaventur c. 7. Golden Legend fol. 262. London 1527. Bouhours l. 1. Id. l. 6. Gloria S. Ignatii cap. 7. Bouhours l. 6. * Vite ejus per Jac. Baccium Romae 1645. Bouhours l. 1. Gloria S. Ignatii cap. 8. * Bouhours l. 6. Vitelleschi c. 20. †Jac. Baccius in Vit. ejus l. 2. c. 19. Vitelleschi c. 19. Bouhours l. 6. *
and divert the Inquisitive from the examination of particular Controversies Prejudices have been published against the Reformed Religion and pompous Arguments of external Convenience daily urged in favour of the Church of Rome The principal of these is the pretended excellence of the Constitution of that Church tending to preserve an intire unity of Faith and universal decency of Discipline in the Church and free all private Persons from the danger of entertaining any pernicious Error or at least infusing it into others continuing in the Communion of the Church while every one submits his private Reason to the Iudgment of the Church and with a blind obedience receives directions from the Living Rule of Faith whether Pope or Council This supposed Advantage hath been often and with great ostentation produced in behalf of the Church of Rome and a natural tendency to Disorder Heresie and Schism with great vehemence charged upon the Church of England It is objected that she allows to every man an unlimited power of using his own Reason in deciding matters of Faith that she constitutes every Person a supreme Iudge of the most momentous Controversies from whom lyeth no Appeal to any Visible Iudge on Earth That she subjects the Faith of all private Christians to infinite uncertainty and fluctuation since the Infallible Direction of the Holy Ghost is promised only to the Representative Church and the Iudgments of men may be as various as are their Humours and Vnderstandings That hereby a door is opened to infinite Heresies and Errors and the Christian Religion exposed to the danger of being divided into as many several Systems as it contains Proselytes That by this disorder all Rules of Faith are rendred useless since whatsoever they may propose in their genuine sense men will adapt them to their own pre-conceived Notions and frame to themselves a belief from the Dictates and Inclinations of their private Spirit whereby unity of Faith will be totally destroyed and Religion will degenerate into downright Enthusiasm Indeed the danger of Enthusiasm when rightly understood is so fatal to Christianity and destructive to the Reason of Mankind that we cannot but conclude any Church which is guilty of it to be grosly corrupted and degenerate and shall willingly put the whole Controversy upon this issue But then Enthusiasm consists not in allowing to every private Person the power of judging for himself in matters of Religion For this the Nature as well as Interest of Mankind requireth which received the use of Reason chiefly for this end and even our Adversaries themselves must at last recur to this principle but it consists in pretending to receive the Articles of Faith by extraordinary Illumination and in irrational and extravagant actions of Devotion and Piety which a fond Imagination mistaketh for the Impulses and Dictates of the Divine Spirit Such Pretences and Actions as they are most remote from the Genius and Constitution of the Church of England so they naturally flow from the Principles of the Church of Rome and are fomented and promoted by her This appears upon many accounts but chiefly from the consideration of her most Illustrious Saints whom she admired when living and reverenceth when dead consulted them then as Oracles and proposeth them now to her Followers as Patterns of the most consummate Perfection and by canonization of them and solemnizing their Memories hath set a publick stamp of authority and approbation upon their Life and Conduct The most eminent of these were extravagant Enthusiasts who distinguished themselves from the rest of Mankind by nothing else but the continued exercise of a blind Fanaticism The proof of this Charge is the design of this present Treatise which hath therefore assumed for the Subject of it the Actions of Ignatius Loyola as the greatest and most illustrious of all the latter Romish Saints If our Arguments shall be convictive and the most admired Saints of the Church of Rome shall be found to be in the highest degree guilty of Enthusiasm many considerable Conclusions may be drawn from thence in relation to other Controversies which I shall not here insist to prove The so much boasted Order and Discipline of the Church of Rome will be intirely ruined For if the pretence of a private Impulse be once publickly admitted and countenanced in any Church all Impulses whatsoever must be allowed without distinction whether agreeable or contrary to decency and the established Discipline of the Church which will open a wide door to all licentious Disorders since it is the nature of Enthusiasm ever to affect somewhat extravagant and irregular The certainty of Oral Tradition will be overthrown since if Persons of so great authority and repute as Saints are supposed to be received not the Catholick Faith from any precedent Tradition but from extraordinary Inspiration that is in truth the whimsies of their own Brains and so delivered it to vast multitudes of credulous Hearers Oral Tradition will be interrupted and the grossest Heresie might be easily introduced in the Church But to omit other Consequences prejudicial to the Doctrine of the Church of Rome the Invocation of Saints will hence receive a fatal blow For it would be highly irrational to address our Prayers to any Saint to desire his intercession in Heaven unless we were probably assured that the Saint hath already obtained a place in Heaven But if the Church can so far err in the Canonization of Saints as to bestow that sacred Character upon publickly address Prayers to and exhort the People in their private Devotions to desire the intercession of such foolish Enthusiasts as are utterly unworthy the lowest seat in Heaven and perhaps never got so far as Purgatory then Invocation of Saints altho we should grant it to be lawful in the Theory cannot but be infinitely unsafe in the practice of it If the imputation of Enthusiasm renders the Invocation of these Saints unsafe and dangerous much more will the evidence of some notorious Crime unrepented of incapacitate other Romish Saints from receiving our Addresses That there have been such the Examples of St. Thomas Becket and St. Dominick put past all dispute the first of which violently opposed the lawful power of his Prince over the Clergy the last employed his whole life in inciting Armies of holy Pilgrims to the slaughter of the innocent Albigenses But what if after all great numbers of Saints placed in the Roman Calendar and invoked in the publick Offices of the Church had never any existence and are the meer Inventions of Romantick Legends A Learned Person hath lately instanced in some few of them as St. George St. Sebastian St. Longinus St. Viarius c. to which perhaps some hundreds might be added I will instance but in one but him most remarkable and not yet observed by any as being such a Monster of a Saint as Pagan Superstition would have never thought of and which may perhaps at the first sight seem incredible The Church of Rome hath
trifling Actions of their most illustrious Saints and fond Superstitions practiced in their several Monastick Orders Processions Worship of Images Saints and Relicks and indeed in every individual Office of the Church of Rome cannot but conclude without descending into the merits of the Cause That the complex Religion of the Church of Rome is not of Divine Institution and deserves not either to have been revealed by God or to be believed by Men and if he believeth these opinions and practices to be inseparable from Christianity he may justly reject it and rationally conclude it to be a Cheat and the Author of it to have been an Egregious Impostor That these Reasons have really tended to the Prejudice of Christianity and made innumerable Apostates from it the sad Experience of Italy and other Romish Countries beyond the Seas demonstrates where if the Relations of modern Travellers do not deceive us few real Christians can be found out of the credulous Multitude whose Ignorance disableth them from perceiving the Follies and discovering the Falseness of their Religion It is therefore the peculiar Glory of the Christian Religion that it was revealed and proposed to the World in the most Learned of all the precedent Ages That it did not take shelter in the Ignorance of Mankind nor confine its Mysteries to the more remote and ignorant Part of the World. The Learning and Philosophy of the Heathens was then raised to the highest Perfection and the Knowledg of all Arts and Sciences had gained equal extent with the Roman Empire so that we may truly affirm the World to have been then more universally Learned than in any Age either before or since At this time especially God chose to publish his Revelations to the World and made the more Learned part of it the Stage of his Promulgation that so in future Ages Christianity might not be subjected to any just Suspicions of Fraud and Imposture nor the precedent Reception of it be ascribed to the foolish Credulity of ignorant and illiterate Proselytes The Doctrines of it were proposed and Miracles in testimony of it wrought in all the more famous Cities of the Empire in their publick Schools and Synagogues in their Theaters and Universities in Rome and Athens the great Centers of Learning and which deserveth to be observed more especially in Greece and Asia Minor the most Learned part of that then Learned Empire This secured the Christian Religion from all possibility of Error and Illusion since if either the Doctrines of it had been ridiculous and irrational or the Miracles fictitious and pretended the Learned Auditors and Spectators of those times who were not in the least prepossest in favour of it would soon have discovered the Cheat and vehemently decried the Error This consideration also tendeth no less to the Advantage and Reputation of the Reformation that it was advanced and undertaken in a most learned and knowing Age That all the Authors and Promoters of it were Persons of extraordinary Knowledg and that purity of Religion and success of Learning as they decreased proportionably in all Ages so they returned into the World at the same time Whereas Popery oweth all its Triumphs and Success to the Ignorance of Mankind began with the decrease of Learning and was well nigh ruined with the Restauration of it All the peculiar Articles of Popery were founded in the dark and ignorant Ages of the Church their most illustrious and admired Saints were rude and illiterate Idiots devoid of all Learning and oft-times of common Sense their Miracles are ever acted either in barbarous and credulous Ages or in remote Corners of the World we poor Hereticks who have the greatest need of them for their Arguments being so often baffled nothing but Miracles can now convert us can never be blessed with the sight of them and at this day it flourisheth proportionably to the Knowledg or Ignorance of all Countries In France the most Learned of all the Popish Countries it is forced to put on a new Masque and by many subtil and nice Expositions Qualifications and Interpretations is almost lost and refined into nothing In Italy if we may believe the Reports of modern Travellers it hath few Proselytes besides the ignorant and unlearned Multitude the more intelligent sort being become either Atheists Scepticks or Molinists In Spain alone and the Indies doth it flourish in its full Vigour where so gross an Ignorance hath possessed the minds of Papists that they believe their Inquisitors no less Infallible than the Apostles and imagine that their Images can both hear and see them So necessary and useful is Learning to Mankind which may fix Rules to distinguish true from pretended Revelations discern real from feigned Miracles and discover the Illusions of Impostors that the decay of it hath in all Ages and Countries been accompanied with a deluge of Error and Superstition But in nothing is the use and necessity of Learning and its subservience to the interest and purity of Religion more conspicuous and apparent than in preventing the Dangers and Follies of Enthusiasm to which in the present Constitution of mankind all revealed Religions cannot but be obnoxious I do not hereby imply the necessity of any extraordinary Learning or accurate Knowledg of all Sciences in all Ranks and Orders of Christians but an ordinary Prudence and right understanding of the nature and genius of Christianity which if assisted by the Direction of more learned Guides and Pastors as God in the first Institution of Christianity intended it should be will abundantly secure all Persons from the delusions of designing or ignorant Enthusiasts However a great part of Mankind will continue to want this Prudence and neglect this Direction especially when the means of Knowledg are studiously kept from them and no Instruction to be obtained but from external Ceremonies or the Dictates of a Confessor as it is in all Popish Countries Such Persons profess Christianity not out of any Conviction of the Truth or Divinity of it but induced by the Prejudices of Education and Authority of Example understand not the true Principles of their Religion and instead of a rational Faith possess only a blind Credulity This affords a fair opportunity of success to the Frauds and Artifices of Impostors who will never want Proselytes in an ignorant and credulous Auditory and if upheld and favoured by the publick Applause of the Church may draw Multitudes of Admirers after them The great Engines of these Religious Juglers were ever Enthusiasm and the pretence of Miracles The latter have long since ceased and could never really be performed by Impostors It remains therefore that they betake themselves to Enthusiasm possess the People with a belief of extraordinary Revelations communicated to them of an inward Familiarity with God of continual Divine Inspirations of acting solely by the impulse of the Spirit and following the infallible Dictates of an inward Light. This Opinion must be raised and continued by bold
Learning not the Rules of their Order which naturally lead them to it But in nothing is the Enthusiasm of the Church of Rome more apparent than in her approbation and veneration of Enthusiastick Saints The Church of Rome in her Calendars Offices Legends and Bulls of Canonization hath placed such a rabble of Saints in Heaven that if a Lucian or Iulian should arise anew to write Satyrs againts the Inhabitants of Heaven and criticise upon the vulgar conceptions of them I fear they would find greater matter of laughter among the Christian Saints than the Heathen Gods. Of these Saints no small part had never any existence and many no such existence as is commonly ascribed to them I mean acted no such things as their Legendary Lives relate Of those which remain many were vicious and wicked Persons Traytors to their Prince and Countrey or furious Persecutors of the supposed Hereticks of latter Ages whom nothing but a blind zeal for the Interest of the Court of Rome caused to be canonized As for the Saints of latter Ages who were canonized by solemn Bulls and Ceremonies For the Ancient Saints never enjoyed that honour they were generally chosen out of the Monastick Orders and were either downright Enthusiasts or chiefly admired for those Actions which included somewhat of Enthusiasm In these Canonizations it is enquired not whether the Candidate of that sacred Character exercised all the offices of Piety Temperance and Charity in the highest perfection not whether he procured some illustrious benefit to the Church or was ever ready to suffer Martyrdom for the Profession of Christianity but whether he ran about the World barefoot and professing Evangelical Poverty begged his bread from door to door whether he wore an iron Chain an hair Shirt or a knotted Cord and affected to appear ridiculous in all his Actions whether he macerated his Body with prodigious Austerities and went in Pilgrimage to the Holy Land and other famous Shrines whether he enjoyed extraordinary Illuminations of the Holy Ghost acted by the sole impulse of the Spirit and had frequent extasies and raptures of mind lastly whether any of his credulous Followers would adventure to testify any Miracles done by him either seen by themselves in secret or received from others by Tradition What a miserable corruption of Christianity must this needs be to give such solemn and publick approbation to the extravagances of Fanaticks to applaud their Follies admire their Phrensies and propose them as the great Objects of imitation not to say of worship to the People to solemnize Festivals in their memory and invoke them in the publick Liturgies and give thanks to God for the great and glorious Examples of those who were fitter for Bedlam than the Blessed Society of Apostles Prophets and Martyrs Such fond Credulity and irrational Conduct might be somewhat excusable in the common People whose ignorance and inexperience might plead their pardon But when the representative Church of Rome commit such Follies and deliberately form such Canonizations which are afterwards approved and received by the whole Roman Communion we cannot but conclude that Church to have grosly perverted the Design of Christianity and widely deviated from the primitive Purity of that most Rational as well as Holy Religion That the Charge of Enthusiasm upon the Saints of the Church of Rome is most just and deserved will appear from a particular view of their Lives and Actions and that not only of those who lived in the more barbarous and ignorant Ages of the Church but of those who flourished in these last more learned and refined Ages after so many Reformations of Ecclesiastical Discipline and so great improvements of Reason For in those Countries where Popery is freely professed and without fear of Heretical Observers Fanaticism retains as great applause as ever and by a fatal Contagion whether of pernicious Examples or prevailing Ignorance the latest Saints are the greatest Enthusiasts This might be abundantly demonstrated from the Lives and Actions of St. Philip Neri of St. Teresa St. Mary Magdalen Pazzi and St. Rosa but I chuse rather to prove it from the Conduct of St. Ignatius Loyola as well because he is one of the most eminent and illustrious Saints in the Roman Calendar as because he was Founder of the most celebrated and learned Order of the Church of Rome If after a strict examination he shall appear to have been a most extravagant Enthusiast we cannot hope to discover a more rational Devotion in the obscure and more inconsiderable Saints of that Church In forming this Enquiry I shall begin with the Qualities necessarily required to constitute and compleat an affected Enthusiast among which an ardent desire of Glory and immoderate Ambition obtains the first place For none would prostitute the Dignity of his Nature to the Follies and Impertinencies of Enthusiasm deny to himself the common benefits of Life and undergo Poverty Nakedness Hunger and a thousand other Inconveniencies incident to that Profession if he were not transported with a violent Ambition and sustained with the pleasing hopes of obtaining thereby unusual Glory and extraordinary Admiration Ignatius was in a most particular manner indued with this Heroick Quality and that both natural and acquired That he was by nature ambitious all the Writers of his Life assures us Thus Bouhours tells us That above all he had an ardent Passion for Glory that he was naturally Haughty and his Fancy wholly filled with Gallantry and Vanity and in all his Actions he only followed the false Maxims of the World. This as the same Father relates naturally incited him to the love of Poetry and made him keep a kind of Decency even in his Irregularities They pretend indeed that Ignatius was possest with this ambitious Temper only before his Conversion when it was abolished by a particular gift of God but besides that even that is sufficient for our purpose if we may judg from his subsequent Actions we have no great Reason to believe them as shall be shown hereafter This natural Ambition of Ignatius was fomented and increased by his extraordinary Addiction to read Romances and the Lives of Saints The same Historian relates of him That he was a diligent Reader of Romances and in particular a great Admirer of Amadis de Gaul and such Books of Knight Chivalry and wonderfully tickled with Adventures and Feats of Arms related in them This filled his Head with false Ideas of Glory and heated his Brains with vehement desires of Imitation Thus Don Quixot began his Knight-Errantry with the reading of such Romances which even made him run Mad with ambition and desire of Glory And as it happens most unluckily Ignatius and Don Quixot were both inspired with reading the same Book the Adventures of Amadis de Gaul whom the Don always proposed to himself as the grand Pattern of all his Exploits and Ignatius imitated as far as the difference of Saint-Errantry would give him leave But it was the reading the
farther I will observe that these indiscreet Actions and Childish Irregularities were the products of latter and degenerate Ages in the Ancient Church unknown to the first four Ages when Christianity flourished in its greatest purity In the three first Ages not the least footstep or shadow of them can be found and in the fourth Age they were very rarely practised and wholly confined to the Desarts of Egypt or Palestine As for the Follies related of St. Antony in his Life ascribed to St. Athanasius and those of other Saints in the Vitae Patrum said to have been writ by St. Hierom all Learned Men are now agreed that the former Work is miserably corrupted the latter wholly spurious After the fourth Age many Childish Impertinencies and trifling Superstitions began to be practised by the Monks and Hermits whose Follies are celebrated and magnified by injudicious Writers of the same Order and time such as Palladius Heraclitus Sulpicius Severus Cassian and Moschus but augmented with a large addition of Fables and absurdity by the latter Legendary Writers of the Church of Rome In the next place it deserveth farther to be considered that in the Ancient Church none but obscure and inconsiderable Persons confined to a Mountain or a Desart who obtained neither authority nor reputation in the Church were guilty of such foul mistakes and irregularities The great and famous Doctors and Fathers of the Church who drew the eyes of the whole World upon their Actions and acquired to themselves an universal veneration cannot be accused of such fatal miscarriages which were so far unworthy of them On the contrary they sharply opposed the misguided Zeal of these ignorant Devotoes censured their imprudent Actions slighted their external shews of apparent Piety and deplored the evil consequences of their irregular Practices What the wisest of the Ancients disowned deserve not to be excused and defended by us And indeed the trifling Devotions and wild Impertinencies of the Monastick Order were the greatest blemish to those latter Ages of Antiquity and laid the foundation of all Corruptions whether of Faith or Manners which infected succeeding Ages Towards the beginning of the fifth Age Eunapius the Heathen Historian could find no more plausible or rational objection against Christianity than the sordid Actions and ridiculous Conduct of the Monks certainly no objection was then more visible or less capable of a refutation But then the Actors of these Follies never obtained that respect and admiration from the publick suffrage of the Ancient Church which Enthusiastick Saints have received from the Church of Rome The former commemorated none in her publick Offices but Martyrs Confessors and famous Persons who had been eminently instrumental in the service of the Church and filled not her Diptychs with Monks and Anchorets The latter hath scarce canonized any other than such as were chiefly eminent for Enthusiasm Lastly to say no more Even the highest Extravagances of these Ancient Bigots come far beneath the Enthusiasm of Ignatius and other admired Saints of the Church of Rome They might perhaps commit many gross absurdities and indecent actions and entertain Childish notions of Religion but never proceeded so far as to pretend to extraordinary Illuminations reception of the Faith by supernatural Revelation and continual Impulse of the Divine Spirit nor took upon them to publish their own Whimsies by preaching to the People without any commission from the Governours of the Church which are the genuine and most essential Characters of Fanaticism If the Miracles related of them be sometimes found to lye open to the same Objections which are opposed by me to those of Ignatius the honour of the Ancient Church suffers no prejudice thereby which far from building her Authority and Reputation on them hath frequently disowned and rejected them as appears among other Arguments from that Passage of the Learned Author of the Opus Imperfectum which I have produced in the following Discourse None will be concerned in the truth of these ancient Monkish Miracles but that Church only which hath proposed them to the People in her publick Offices and Ecclesiastical Legends In representing the Actions of Ignatius I have chiefly made use of the Authority of F. Dominick Bouhours a French Iesuit altho one of the latest Writers of his Life because in publishing the Life of Ignatius of late among us that Author was thought fit to be preferred before all others and his Relation of him translated into our Language However in whatsoever he proposeth he wants not the attestation of more ancient and authentick Writers For he seems to have taken his whole Relation from Orlandinus his History of the Society of Jesus printed at Colen in the Year 1615. with the approbation of Claudius Aquaviva the General I have seldom produced any other Writers of Ignatius his Life but when the first is either wholly silent or giveth a different Relation If I have sometimes inserted Observations from the Life of Apollonius Tyaneus that tendeth as well to illustrate the nature of Enthusiasm in general as to do justice to the common Cause of Christianity against the pretences of an Impostor whom the latter Heathens set up in opposition to our Blessed Saviour To conclude I hope our Adversaries will not pretend that I have misrepresented or falsified the Actions of Ignatius since I have all along to every particular Action so carefully annexed in the Margent the Author who relates it and the place where it may be found The pretence of misrepresentation is the last refuge of a baffled Cause and therefore made use of by our Adversaries as the only remaining expedient upon all occasions particularly by the Author of the Monomachia who not being able to answer the Objections brought by a Friend of mine against the Authorities of his Speculum Ecclesiasticum pretended to overrule the concurrent Testimonies of Labbé Oudin Du Pin and other Romish Criticks because the particular places of their Books to which those Passages related were not adjoined and insinuated a suspicion of some insincerity as if that omission had proceeded from a fear lest the truth of those Citations should be examined What the ignorance or artifice of this Author will not permit him to do at least all judicious Persons will allow that it were both unuseful and impertinent to stuff the Margents with particular mention of the places of such Critical Writers who in giving their Censures upon Ancient Authors proceed either Alphabetically or in order of time and may consequently be immediately recurred to without any difficulty But a lame excuse must serve the turn when the badness of the Cause will admit no better THE ENTHUSIASM OF THE CHURCH of ROME c. SO great and venerable an Idea of God is by nature imprinted in the minds of men so visible and convictive are the Arguments of his Omniscience and Veracity that all Divine Revelations are no sooner proposed than admitted and esteemed to command no less than to deserve our
Imagination born in the Grotto at Bethlehem crucified in Mount Calvary and ascending in Mount Olivet This was solely to be ascribed to the delusion of a violent and strong Imagination wherewith all the precedent Actions and Arguments demonstrate Ignatius to have been endued To which may be added this following Circumstance When Ignatius first set himself to learn Grammar at Barcelona he found his Spirits by long habit so stongly enclined to these Enthusiastick Imaginations that he could not divert them any other way Whence instead of conjugating the Verb Amo he did nothing but form Acts of Love. I love thee my God said he thou lovest me he could think of nothing else for many months However if this Illusion had stopt in his own Breast it had been no great loss but when it imposeth upon multitudes of credulous Believers and draws them into pernicious mistakes when after a juridical Inquiry the reality of such Apparitions is allowed and attested by the publick suffrage of a large Christian Church in the Canonization of the Visionary we cannot but deplore the Credulity of Mankind and Corruption of that Church If the truth of all Christian Religion depended upon the attestation of such a Church as is pretended well might all sober Heathens suspect the Miracles of Jesus Christ or even deny the existence of such a God who chooseth the greatest Fools for his highest Favourites and obsequiously attendeth the Motions of every petty Visionary More rationally did Philostratus proceed in writing the Legend of Apollonius Tyaneus to whom he ascribes no more than two Visions and both of them undertaken for the improvement of Knowledge the first an Apparition of Achilles's Ghost to him for the resolution of divers Critical Questions the other of himself after death to a company of Friends to assure them of the Immortality of the Soul. If the external Visions of Ignatius were rare and wonderful the internal Illuminations of his Understanding were more extraordinary From these he pretended to have received a more perfect knowledge of the Mysteries of the Christian Religion than could have been drawn from the ordinary Rule of Faith to have learned all the Secrets of the Trinity and seen the very Essence of God. The pretence of this Infused Knowledge is the chief and most essential Character of Enthusiasm others may be properties or effects of it but this constitutes the very nature of it Thus Apollonius pretended to know all things by Divine Inspiration to act by a particular Illumination to know the state and adventures of his own Soul before it was united to his Body according to his notion of Transmigration and to discern the Souls of Ancient Heroes imprisoned in the Bodies of Beasts By this Divine Illumination he knew Domitian had laid snares for him and if we may believe Hierocles performed all his Miracles not by Enchantments or Spells as was commonly believed but by an hidden and preternatural knowledge of Divine Matters Saint Francis understood many secret things by the Spirit knew all the Mysteries of Scripture not by the help of Learning but by Divine Revelation unfolded many things to his Disciples by the assistance of Divine Visions which transcended Humane Capacity preached always Sermons to the People not composed by his own Industry but ex tempore suggested by the Spirit and lest you should suspect these Discourses to have been highly impertinent Bonaventure assures you they were not empty or ridiculous but full of the vertue of the Spirit piercing the very marrow of the Heart and ravishing all his Hearers with mighty admiration But to raise your Opinion yet somewhat higher of the wonderful Illuminations of this Saint Christ corporally appearing to him revealed to him many things which it was unlawful for him while he lived to publish and the great and wonderful Mystery of the Cross wherein all the gifts of Graces and treasures of Wisdom lay hid concealed from the Wise and Learned Men of the World were at once fully revealed to St. Francis. Yet all this is inconsiderable when compared to the infused Knowledge of Ignatius Iohn de Avila a famous Spanish Doctor declared that he knew no man more interiour nor filled with more supernatural Wisdom than Ignatius and Oviedo one of his Disciples out of a long experience of him gave his Opinion when Ignatius desired to be eased of the Office of General that he ought not to be opposed since being a Saint he had Lights which ordinary Christians had not Soon after his Conversion at Manreze he began to receive Visions and Illuminations He was hitherto meanly instructed in the Mysteries of the Faith but now he is elevated in the Spirit and hath all particularly the Trinity so clearly represented and revealed to him by an internal Light that he can speak of nothing but the Trinity and that with so much unction and light in such proper and sublime Expressions that the most Learned admired him and the most Ignorant were instructed by him The Illustrations which were communicated to him upon this Subject cannot be expressed how often our Lady and the three Persons of the Holy Trinity appeared to him and taught him what was their will touching this Article how many internal Consolations he received and how great Secrets were revealed to him In one of his Visions he saw the Blessed Trinity as plainly as we do one another under a corporeal representation The very notions of his Institute were obtained by Illumination and all the rules of his Order composed by the assistance of an internal Light. Immediately after his Conversion in time of Mass at the elevation he had an intuitive knowledge that the Body and Blood of Christ were truly contained under the Elements and in what manner they were there nay He saw with his bodily Eyes Iesus Christ and his Blessed Mother which kindled in his Soul new desires of following the Cross. One day he had a profound knowledge of all the Mysteries of Religion together and at another time praying before the Cross all which he had formerly learnt were set before his eyes in so full a light that the verities of Faith seemed to him to have nothing obscure in them and he remained so enlightned and convinced of them that he hath been heard to say that had they never been recorded in Scripture he should still have believed them and that had the Scriptures been lost no part of his Faith had been diminished But none raiseth the Merits of Ignatius in this respect so high as the Anonymous Author of his Glory who relateth his Divine Illuminations in these words Before he had yet learned any thing he was so fully instructed in a sublime manner by an intellectual Vision of the unity of the Essence and Persons of the Trinity that being but an Idiot he was enabled to write a Book concerning the Trinity in the beginning of his
Ghost with the same tears and in the same devotion it seemed to me that I saw him in a singular brightness in the colour of a flame of Fire in an extraordinary manner and that he spoke to me While the Altar was prepared and while I put on the Habits and while I celebrated Mass I had great interior Commotions strong Tears and vehement Palpitations which often hindred my Speech Afterwards I had a powerful Commotion and I saw the Holy Virgin near the Eternal Father who seemed to me mightily disposed to assist me Insomuch as in the Prayers addressed to the Father and at the Consecration it seemed to me that I comprehended and saw evidently that the Mother of God hath a very great share in the distribution of Grace and that she is the gate whereby to arrive at Glory I saw moreover at the Consecration that her Flesh was contained in the Flesh of her Son which I saw with so clear a perception and so tender a sentiment that it is not possible to express it In the ordinary Prayer from the beginning to the end I had a very great devotion and all full of light Without doors in the Church and in saying Mass I saw the Heavenly Countrey in its Sovereign Monarch as it were by knowledge of the three Divine Persons seeing the Second and Third Persons in the Father Entring into the Chappel to pray I received an illumination and supernatural assistance by the help of which I knew or to speak more properly I saw the most Holy Trinity and Jesus Christ who served me in quality of a Mediator and disposed me to this Intellectual Vision In this Sentiment and in this Vision I was overwhelmed with a torrent of tears and filled with an extraordinary love Saying Mass with the same tears and in the same devotion I had on the sudden the same Vision of the Holy Trinity my love for the Divine Majesty continually increasing In beginning the Te igitur I knew and saw not obscurely but with a vey clear light the Divine Existence or Essence as the Sun but much more luminous than that Sun which we see and it seemed to me that the Father proceeded from this Divine Essence yet so that the Essence appeared to me with the Father And in this representation of the Divine Existence without any distinction of Persons I felt a very ardent devotion for the thing represented with great emotions great effusion of tears and a great love towards the Holy Trinity After which having finished Mass and praying before the Altar I saw a-new the same Essence in the similitude of a Globe and I saw in some manner the three Persons to wit the Father on one side on the other the Son and on the third side the Holy Ghost which took their original from the Essence without being yet divided from the Globe which I saw And in this Vision I had new emotions and new tears He proceeds to relate other Visions and Representations of the Trinity his clear perception of its Essence and being swallowed up in the love of it his union with the Divine Majesty and fresh Visions of the Trinity sometimes with and sometimes without any distinction of Persons his wonderful Illuminations which gave him in a moment greater knowledge of Divine Matters than could have been obtained by the study of many years his elevated and innumerable perceptions in Spirit and those so clear that there remained nothing further to be comprehended in the Holy Trinity his flaming love towards the Person of the Father because in him the other Persons were especially contained his frequent sight of Jesus whithersoever he turned himself accompanied with abundant tears inexpressible sweetness and strong internal motions In short it appears from this extravagant Account of his Visions and Illuminations that no Enthusiast in any Age hath exceeded him either in the number or extravagancy of his Imaginary Visions That they were indeed imaginary and no other than the effects of a disturbed Brain I need not insist to prove since the very nature and constitution of Christianity requires it which would be dissolved if after a determinate Rule of Faith were setled extraordinary Revelations in matters of Faith should be admitted or Religion were to be learned not from that Rule but from private Inspiration Besides the absurdity and impertinence of these Pretended Revelations of Ignatius the crude and indigested Notions contained in them demonstrate them to have proceeded from a Principle of Disorder not the Divine Omniscience But since the Writers of his Life contend these Inspirations to have been real and Divine and the Church of Rome in the process of his Canonization alledgeth them as the grand argument of his Sanctity I will oppose one reason to the truth of them If indeed Ignatius received a perfect knowledge of the Christian Religon by extraordinary Illumination if in these inward Inspirations he obtained distinct Notions of all Matters of Faith and was enabled to publish his Inspirations in such proper and sublime Expressions that the most Learned admired him and the most Ignorant were instructed by him as is pretended how came it to pass that for many years after he was still esteemed a Fool and an Ideot that in learning of any Science whatsoever he was so insuperably dull and stupid that after some years study upon a particular examination by the Inquisitors of Alcala and Archbishop of Toledo he was adjudged not to have been sufficiently instructed in Matters of Religion and therefore ordered by them to continue his studies of Divinity some years longer but above all how can it be imagined that after so many and so clear Illuminations any Learning should be necessary to him yet after all Bouhours tells us that being conscious to himself of his Ignorance and convinced that Learning was necessary to his intended purpose of Conversion he applied himself to study But to proceed when once the belief of Divine Illuminations is received by the deluded Enthusiast and he imagines himself to be frequently inspired by God it is natural for him to resign himself wholly to the supposed conduct of that inward Light and act solely in obedience to it Thus he mistaketh every whimsie of his Fancy for the Dictate of the Holy Ghost and every motion of his Brain for the Impulse of the Spirit Then he believeth himself infallible and pretends to act always by Divine Inspiration This indeed is an high degree of Fanaticism but which above all is apt to draw the admiration and delude the Judgment of the common People who being not willing to undertake the labour necessary for discovery of truth greedily embrace every pretence of infallibility which may ease them of a laborious search and in appearance secure them from all error Philostratus ascribes the Actions of Apollonius and Bonaventure of St. Francis to Divine Impulse The latter founded his Order by the Inspiration of the Holy Ghost was incited
And this however it deserves the scorn and contempt of judicious Persons tendeth not a little to raise the Reputation of the Enthusiast among ignorant men who ever admire what they cannot penetrate and suppose the obscurity of his Discourse to proceed from the Divine Mysteriousness of it If we consult the Writings of Ignatius we shall find them full of this foolish Canting His Book of Spiritual Exercises talks much of the love of Christ in a most unintelligible manner and his Letter to a Religious Person of Barcelona concerning the two manners whereby God teacheth us is most remarkable upon this account While he was yet a Novice in Philosophy he professed the knowledge of Mystical Divinity and indeed never knew any other In prescribing the duty of the General of his Order he saith that all Learning is necessary for him yet the Science of the Saints is that which is far most necessary for him to discern the divers interior Spirits of men This Science of the Saints is commonly too mysterious for Learned men and therefore Barth Torrez writing in defence of Ignatius's Book of Spiritual Exercises accused of Heresie in Spain by the Learned Melchior Canus saith there is a great difference between the Sciences learnt in Schools and the Sciences of the Saints His Followers pretend his Constitutions to be filled with the Spiritual Vnction of Grace and himself to have drank largely of the Wine of Heaven which is too strong and heady for the Vessels of the Earth Thus St. Francis is said to have been wholly absorpt in God in time of prayer and all swallowed up in the flame of the Divine Love as it were a burning coal And indeed it may be affirmed in general of all the Romish Saints that their Writings are wholly unintelligible and nothing else but a rhapsody of sublime Nonsense The grossest and most impertinent of our English Fanaticks come far beneath them and were never able to equal their Mysterious Follies We may indeed hear them talk of being Christed with Christ and Godded with God but the Science of the Saints was never among theâ—â—â—â—vanced to that perfection which it obtaineth it 〈◊〉 Church of Rome There remains nothing to compleat the Enthusiâ—â—â— but to fancy himself commissionated by God to puâ—â—lish his Imaginary Revelations to the World and thereupon without any respect to the Rules of Ecclesiastical Discipline instituted by Christ to invade the Office of preaching This is indeed the last and highest degree of Fanaticism not to contain the whimsies of their disturbed Fancy within their own Breasts but imagining them to be necessary Truths for all Christians to propagate them with a blind and unwearied zeal to believe that Christ hath not openly and plainly delivered to the Church in the rule of Faith all necessary Articles of Religion or that sufficient means were not provided for the propagation of them unless they intruded themselves into the Holy Office against all the Rules of Decency and Ecclesiastical Policy The Author of the Lawful Prejudices against the Calvinists affirms the guilt of this disorder alone to be a sufficient argument why all their Pleas should be rejected without any farther consideration Whether and how far the Calvinists are guilty of this irregularity I will not enquire but affirm that the most Illustrious Saints of the Church of Rome have been inexcusably guilty of it Particularly the supposed Merits of St. Francis and Ignatius are chiefly founded upon this apparent zeal for Souls and preaching their wild notions to the People without any ordinary mission from Christ or delegation from the Church St. Francis immediately after his Conversion while he was yet an ignorant Layman fell to preach repentance to the People in the Streets and Markets and being asked by some Robbers setting upon him in the Road who he was as if he were another Iohn Baptist he answered I am the Preacher and Messenger of the Great King. As soon as he had got together seven Disciples he sends them forth to preach the Gospel in these words Go ye and declare peace unto men preaching repentance for the remission of sins Then taking one Companion to himself he proceeds to one part of the World sending the other six by couples into the other three parts of the World. This was a phrenzy beyond the power of Hellebore and which exceeds even the Follies of our English Fifth-Monarchists Surely whatsoever Bonaventure may pretend the Holy Ghost had no share in this Undertaking and therefore no wonder it met with no better success St. Francis himself prepares to preach the Gospel to the Sarazens in Syria but by contrary Winds is driven upon the Coast of Sclavonia and forced to return back The Spirit still moving him he disposeth himself to convert the Moors and Miramolins of Africk but detained in his Journey by sickness loseth his Courage and quits the Design At last he resolves firmly to convert the Soldan of Babylon Away he goeth to Syria ragged and barefooted and yielding himself Prisoner to the Soldan's Guards boldly demands to be brought to his presence The Soldiers after they had soundly beaten him bring him to their Emperor He asketh him who he is Francis answers That he is sent by God to preach Salvation to him and his People and for proof of the Christian Faith undertakes to enter into the fire The Soldan laughs at him and having made sufficient sport with him dismisseth him for a Fool. Ignatius at his very first conversion proposed to himself to preach the Gospel in the Holy Land. Accordingly in the Year 1523. he enters upon the Journey guided by that inward motion which had first prompted him at his conversion Coming thither the Guardian of the Franciscans whom he had acquainted with his Resolution disapproved such irregular usurpation of the Holy Office and commands him to be gone upon pain of Excommunication The poor Saint is forced to return without success however he quits not his Design Studying at Barcelona he began to preach conversion to his Neighbours Removing to Alcala he falls to reform the dissolute Manners of Scholars Clergy-men and others and to Catechize Youth But being suspected of Sorcery he is clapt into the Inquisition To free himself from Prison he professeth himself willing blindly to obey his Ecclesiastical Judge At last the Inquisitors dismiss him but withall forbid him to explain to the People the Mysteries of Religion upon pain of Excommunication and Banishment Ignatius notwithstanding his promise of blind obedience would not readily submit to this Command doubting whether it were a lawful Command and fearing that in not preaching he should be wanting to his Call and Vocation To get rid of this difficulty he removes to Salamanca and there preacheth openly to the People in the Streets and Fields altho many good men were scandalized at it saying it was never heard that a simple Layman should instruct the People and perform
the whole Office of a Pastor in directing their Consciences Upon this he and his Companions are thrown into Prison by the Inquisitors where they do nothing but sing Psalms and preach to the People flocking to them through the windows and chinks of the doors Being examined by the Inquisitors he pretends that he did not preach but only hold forth to the People sitting on Horseback or getting upon the Stalls in the Market concerning Vertue and Piety Being driven from that Plea he flieth to the pretence of an Extraordinary Vocation Being confuted in that he refuseth to give any farther account of his Authority to preach till his Ecclesiastical Superiors should command him At last he is absolved upon condition to preach no more He dislikes the Condition and therefore resolves to leave Spain Coming to Paris he falls upon his old work of preaching and converting Upon this he is accused to the Inquisitor but upon intercession of Friends dismissed Now he falls hard to study and wholly omits preaching but soon after begins to talk of Heaven and Hell so vehemently to the Scholars that he forced them to intermit their studies and was thereupon condemned to be publickly whipt in the Hall by all the Regents as a Disturber of the Colledge However soon after his zeal for conversion of Souls mightily increased upon him and he clearly saw that God had appointed him to establish a company of Apostolick Men to that end Hereupon he begins to gather Disciples and first sets upon Peter Faber a poor Spanish Youth acted with sentiments of Vain-glory and after a deal of Cant acquaints him with his Resolutions to go into the East and employ himself wholly in the conversion of Infidels Faber takes fire at this and resolves to follow him through all dangers After he had gained five other Disciples by the like Artifices he calls them together opens his Design and perswades them to vow a Journey into the Holy Land to preach the Gospel there altho none of them were yet ordained except Faber The Design being resolved on Ignatius takes a progress into Spain and there preacheth every Sunday and two or three days in the Week with great concourse of People The Church not being able to contain the multitude of his Auditors he holds Field-Conventicles and there inveighs powerfully against Cards and Dice I suppose Mince-pies were not yet in fashion perswading the People to throw them all into the River Coming to Venice he waits for his Companions and in the mean while employs himself in preaching When his Companions were all met they most unhappily could get no passage to the Holy Land and therefore go to Rome to receive the Directions of the Pope Here they obtain to be ordained Priests yet that they may as much as was possible continue their Enthusiasm refuse to preach in a regular way but dispersing themselves through the great Cities of Italy commonly get upon some Stone in the middle of the Market-place and whirling their Caps over their heads invite the People to hear them with a loud voice when having got a confluence of People about them they vented their undigested Notions of Religion in a canting and mysterious stile altho for the most part with such ill success that many of them were clapt into Prison by the Inquisitors We have long since deplored and our Adversaries of the Church of Rome have upbraided to us the Divisions of our Church arising from the unlawful usurpation of the Pulpit by Enthusiastick Preachers Yet could we never charge them with such gross follies and irregularities as those now mentioned nor can the Papists justly accuse them of any since in acting this Disorder and Enthusiasm they imitated the Great Ignatius and his Disciples and perhaps learnt it from them At least our Adversaries cannot now deny that Jesuits have sometimes preach'd in Conventicles Thus we have past through all the chief and most essential Properties of Enthusiasm and demonstrated Ignatius to have possest them all in an high degree I will next consider some of the more ordinary effects and consequences of it and compare them with the Actions of our Saint For these essential Errors of Enthusiasm in mistaking the turbulent Motions of the Spirits for the Dictates of the Holy Ghost and the Tempests of the Brain for Divine Inspirations cannot but betray the Judgment of the Enthusiast to a thousand other Errors and Absurdities inspire him with false notions of Religion misguide his Zeal and corrupt his Devotion Every immoderate excess of Vertue will then appear an extraordinary Perfection and the foulest Superstition shall be accounted meritorious Hence among other follies the Enthusiast will imagine it no small Perfection to pray continually suppose it to be a sign of a nearer familiarity with God thence flatter himself with the belief of his own extraordinary Merit and by gratifying his mistaken Ambition create to himself even a sensual pleasure in the performance of it Thus St. Francis was wont to pray incessantly if not vocally at least mentally and in praying used to receive great caresses from the Holy Ghost to be ravished in his mind and wholly swallowed up in a certain wonderful light and ofttimes in an excess of contemplation to be put beside himself insomuch as being wrapt in Spirit and perceiving somewhat beyond humane sense he was ignorant of what was done before his Eyes Ignatius after his conversion spent seven hours every day in the Church in prayer upon his knees and was immediately so recollected that he often continued many hours together without any motion In his long retirement at Manreze not satisfied with his seven hours of prayer he did nothing but pray When he was ordained Priest he retired to a poor solitary Cottage and living like an ancient Hermit fasted daily prayed incessantly and there received such overflowing Consolations that through the abundance of tears his sight was endangered To produce no more Instances all the Actions of his Life were directed by the Illuminations of the Spirit supposed to be received in prayer as we before shewed Yet himself when the Reputation of any other devout Enthusiast was to be diminished could alledge against it that such as made long Prayers ought to take great care not to abuse that commerce which they have with God. That there are a sort of People of a wilful nature who by much praying without observing the rules of discretion and found judgment dry up their Brains and are so possest with their own Imaginations that there is no getting them out of their head That others there are who perswaded that all comes from God which enters into their thoughts in time of prayer take their own Fancies for their conduct and so by following only the impulse of Nature which they mistake for that of Grace fall into most gross Errors Another ordinary effect of Enthusiasm is the expectation of extraordinary assistance from God
set it on foot was a little Spanish Visionary Lastly his Book of Exercises was accused of Heresie in Spain by the Learned Melchior Canus who asserted it to be the work of a Brain-sick Enthusiast From this universal contempt of Ignatius in his life-time and frequent suspicions of Heresie Enthusiasm and Sedition entertained of him by the Governours of the Church it may be farther evinced that all the Reports of his Miracles are absolutely false and either not yet invented or generally disbelieved at that time For it is not credible that such contempt should attend him or such suspicions be entertained of him if he had indeed performed so many and so great Miracles It remains that we examine the truth of these Miracles more particularly by some general Observations which may be framed of them It might indeed be sufficient to oppose to them what Eusebius doth to the Miracles of Apollonius that we are not inclined to believe them but because our Adversaries are not ashamed to produce them as undoubted arguments of the truth of their Cause I will oppose some few Considerations to them And first it may be enquired To what purpose should God work so many Miracles in the midst of Christian Countries many Ages after the Faith had been fully setled in them Were those Countries devoid of true Religion This is not pretended Was the Church of Rome at that time grieviously corrupted with Errors and Superstition This our Adversaries will by no means allow Or lastly Did the Evangelical Counsels of Poverty Abstinence Humility and renunciation of the World which were the grand Topicks of Ignatius want the recommendation of Divine Miracles This Ignatius himself would not approve For he was wont to say that if Miracles were to be desired of God they were much rather to be desired in confirmation of the Precepts than of the Counsels of the Gospel It remains therefore that God should perform all these Miracles meerly in testimony of the extraordinary Sanctity of Ignatius to manifest his favour to him and procure to him honour and esteem among all Christians a Design so unworthy of God and contrary to the excellence of his and imperfection of our Nature that the very pretence of it is an unpardonable boldness and a manifest argument of Imposture and immoderate Ambition and that even altho we should allow Ignatius to have been indeed as great a Saint as the Writers of his Life do represent him And therefore the Author of the Opus Imperfectum upon St. Matthew argueth excellently that there is no way now left to find out the true Church or the true Faith but only the Scripture that at the first Institution of the Gospel it was known indeed by Miracles who were true and who false Christians since the latter could either perform no Miracles or none such as the former did For the Miracles of true Christians were perfect and tended rather to the use and Interest of the Church than to procure the admiration of the World whereas the Miracles of false Christians were imperfect and of no use and tended wholly to raise admiration By this means true Christians might formerly be discerned from false But now all working of Miracles is ceased and is found only among false Christians among whom Miracles are yet feigned to be wrought as St. Peter cited by St. Clement assureth us even the Power of working true Miracles shall be given to Antichrist This Passage is so offensive to our Adversaries that it is ordered to be expunged in the Indices Expurgatorii and was accordingly left out in all subsequent Editions till it was restored by Fronto Ducoeus If yet the Church of Rome will pretend her Miracles to be true and real we are content provided she assumeth the title affixed by St. Peter and this Author to the Workers of true Miracles in latter Ages If She refuseth the Title She renounceth her claim to Miracles But the Temptation of lying and feigning Miracles for the Reputation of an Order is in that Church far more perswasive than the evidence of Reason A Catalogue of Miracles is as necessary to a Romish Saint as a list of wonderful Cures is to a Mountebank no Canonization can be obtained without them When Ignatius therefore was to be promoted to the dignity of a Saint his Disciples set their Inventions on the rack to raise a Fund of Miracles every flying Report was taken up and every Old womans Tale advanced into a Miracle and the most Illustrious wonders of his Life then first feigned without any ground This the Honour of the Order required to which all considerations of Truth and Honesty were betrayed that so the Founders of it might be rendred no less Illustrious than those of other more Ancient Orders by an equal number of Miracles and Prodigies Vitelleschi produceth a Catalogue of 140 Miracles wrought by Ignatius in divers parts of the World drawn from the Registers and Process of his Canonization He cured Twenty five Persons of divers Mortal Diseases Ten of Diseases apparently incurable Thirteen of Blindness Nineteen of Collick Head-ach Tooth-ach and Belly-ach Four of the Stone One of the Plurisie c. That the far greatest part of these Miracles were feigned many years after his Death we have just reason to suspect for when Ribadeneira who was his familiar Companion first published his Life in the Year 1572. he made a long Apology in it in defence of Ignatius maintaining that it was no way derogatory to his Sanctity that he had performed no Miracles Afterwards in the Year 1610 publishing a second Edition of his Life he was so far enlightned in this matter that he giveth to us a long Catalogue of the Miracles of Ignatius but withal confesseth That the Reason why he had not inserted them in the first Edition was because they were not then sufficiently certain and uncontested Now it cannot be imagined how the Miracles of Ignatius who died in the Year 1556 should be unknown or at least uncertain Sixteen years after when the Memory of them was yet fresh if any such indeed there were and after Fifty four Years when the greatest part of the Witnesses must be supposed to have been dead should be advanced to undoubted Certainty In like manner Maffeius writing the Life of Ignatius in the Year 1605 when his Canonization was not yet thought on relates very few Miracles performed by him and concludes in these words Beside these many other wonderful actions are related of Ignatius which because they are not sufficiently certain I thought not fit to insert especially since the holiness of famous men consists not so much in Signs and Miracles as in the Love of God and Innocence of Life And after all Bussieres confesseth That many wonderful things related of Ignatius in his Life written by Nierembergius are by no means testified with incontestable Proofs and that we may justly doubt of the Truth of them But
When St. Francis one Night earnestly desired to hear some Musick a Concert of Angels appeared to him and played most melodiously While Ignatius writ his Constitutions He often heard not only in his Imagination but with his outward Ears most sweet Lessons of the heavenly Musick And when his Body was exposed after Death divers Stars were seen upon his Sepulchre and a very harmonious Concert of Musick was heard about it for two whole days together But St. Dunstan was more modest in procuring to himself this miraculous Musick He scorned to put the Angels to any trouble and therefore his Harp usually played of its own accord as it hung upon the Wall. Such are the Miracles which in former Ages advanced the Doctrines of the Church of Rome and at this day continue to be none of the least Arguments of their truth to credulous and injudicious Persons Upon these is founded the honour of their Saints and upon their truth depends one of the most glorious Notes of their Church From the Miracles of Saint Francis alone Surius pretends that whatsoever Hereticks may prate it is abundantly proved that the departed Saints know our Concerns on Earth and hear our Petitions Thus the Controversie of the Invocation of Saints is decided Add to this the Visions of Ignatius and devotion of Saint Francis's Lamb and Transubstantiation will be irrefragably demonstrated and so in all other Articles peculiar to the Church of Rome Miracles will not be wanting to demonstrate their truth And indeed Miracles are now become the only refuge to which our Adversaries can recur when Reason and Learning runs so low among them and their Arguments have been so often baffled But by an unhappy incredulity we are no more inclined to believe their Miracles than Doctrines the latter we imagine to be false but the former both false and foolish It remains therefore that we receive a conviction of the truth of the Romish Religion as Ignatius did by supernatural Illumination and extraordinary Impulse which may be hoped for when God shall lose his Attribute of Immutability and Christianity cease to be Rational But to pass by that From what hath been hitherto said it appears that the Church of Rome is in the highest degree guilty of Enthusiasm and that Ignatius and whom he imitated Saint Francis were the greatest and most foolish Enthusiasts of any Age Persons so far unworthy the Glories of Heaven and Society of Angels that they deserved rather to be excluded from the number of rational Beings and upon that account be placed one degree beneath Fools and Madmen Yet to these are publick Prayers addressed in the Church of Rome Festivals celebrated Churches dedicated and Vows directed and as if all this were not sufficient God must be desired to save us through their Merits Thus Bonaventure concludes the Life of Saint Francis in these words May Iesus Christ bring us unto Heaven by the Merits of his Servant Francis and the Golden Legend thus Let us pray to Saint Francis that he would aid and assist us that by his Merits we may come to everlasting life And that somewhat more than humane may be conceived of them we are told of Ignatius that only by his Name writ in a piece of Paper he did more Miracles than Moses and not fewer than the Apostles that the Founders indeed of other Religious Orders were formerly sent by God for the benefit of the Church but that after all in these last days God hath spoken to us by his Son Ignatius whom he hath made Heir of all things and to whom nothing else was wanting to the utmost perfection but the following Attribute By whom also he made the World. This was spoken of Ignatius before he was yet Canonized I know not whether his Canonization qualified him to receive that Attribute but I am sure it excused not his Memory from the just imputation of Folly and Enthusiasm nor the Church of Rome from the Charge of a most deplorable Fanaticism in celebrating his Memory and applauding his Folly. FINIS ERRATA PAge 1. l. 9. for convinceth r. convince p. 14. l. 11. for any r. an p. 39. l. 21. in marg for Vite r. Vita p. 24. l. 9. for first r. last p. 39. l. ult for Swound r. Swoon p. 79. l. 22. for Cap. grave r. Capgrave p. 105. l. 21. for do r. doth Books Printed for Richard Chiswell Dr. CAve's Lives of the Primitive Fathers in 2. Vol. Folio Dr. Cary's Chronological Account of Ancient Time. fol. Hooker's Ecclesiastical Polity fol. Sir. Iâ—hn Buâ—lâ—ce's History of the Irish Rebellion fol. The Laws of this Realm concerning Jesuits Seminary Priests Recusants the Oaths of Supremacy and Allegiance explained by divers Judgments and Resolutions of the Iudges with other Observations thereupon By Willian Cawley Esq. fol. Dr. Towerson's Explication on the Creed the Commandments and Lords Prayer in 3 Vol. fol. Bishop Nicholson on the Church-Catechism Mr. Iohn Cave's seven occasional Sermons 4 to Bishop Wilkins Natural Religion 8 o. His Fifteen Sermons 8 o. Mr. Tanners Primordia Or the Rise and Growth of the first Church of God described 8 o. Spaniards Conspiracy against the State of Venice 8 o. Dr. Caves Primitive Christianity in three parts 8 o. Certain genuine Remains of the Lord Bacon in Arguments Civil Moral Natural c. with a large account of all his Works By Dr. Tho. Tenison 8 o. Dr. Henry Bagshaws Discourses on select Texts 8 o. Mr. Sâ—liers State of the Church in the three first Centuries Dr. Burnets Account of the Life and Death of the Earl of Rochester 8 o. 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