it may seem strange that he should be counted a Cheat when he was thus trading in another Country since his stuff had the very same mark which makes their other reliques currant as good ware unquestionably good and than which their best have no better for he wrought wonders or the Devil for him and by one Carcass which he feigned to be a Martyrs (k) Multos infirmos varijs morbis liberasse ibid. he freed many that were sick from variety of Diseases But I suppose he was not free of the Company and they like not Interlopers The Court of Rome can furnish Altars with holy Reliques out of common Graves and none must count them Cheats for it And if this Huckster had but procured a Commission from thence he might have transsubstantiated the bones in any Church yard yea those of a Sheep or a Hog either into the bones of Martyrs or Apostles as well as others By this we may judge what their reliques are the best of them meer cheats and consequently how criminal it will be to give them worship the highest of all (*) In bonis quoque viris pio zelo praeditis summa quasi religionis in hujusmodi reliquijs c. Cassander Consult c. de reliquijs yet they are so far from abandoning this that it is in a manner the sum of their Religion And so it is expressed by some of their own Communion (l) Huc fere summa religionis vocatur avaritia sacerdotum Monachorum quorundam hypocrisi quos alit populi stultitia in Math. 23. The whole of Religion is allmost brought to this to wit their Religious treatment of reliques through the Covetousness of Priests and the Hypocrisie of Monks fed by the foolishness of the people Thus their great Erasmus in his Annotations approved by Pope Leo 10. his Breve (m) Hist of Counc of Trent p. 473. Sect. 4. Let us see in the next place if Perjury may not prove as blameless and as necessary Breach of Oaths is no less with them than a vertue or a necessary duty in many cases of which a further account hereafter let me now instance but in one Suppose a Prince that has Protestant Subjects should for their satisfaction give them the security of his most solemn Oath that they should not suffer for their Conscience either in Life Estate or Liberty that Religion does oblige the Prince to break all such Oaths or to count himself no wayes obliged by them because they are against the Lawes of the Church against that particularly of the general Council of Lateran under Pope Innocent 3. which forbids all favour to be shewed to Hereticks under â—hâ— severest penalties and decrees that favourers of Hereticks are under Excommunication So that in this case it must be the Princes duty to be perjur'd and to break his Oath made in favour of his heretical Subjects that by the sacred decree of the Church He must forswear himself if he will not be Excommunicated and consequently deposed and thereby exposed to the violence of every hand Yea he puts himself into the state of Damnation and sins mortally if he be true to his Oath So Pope Martin 5. Declared in writing to Alexander Duke of Lithuania (n) Sciâ—… te â—oâ—taliter peccare si servabis fidem datam Haereticis Apud Cochlaeum l. 5. hist â—uâ—fitarum know sayes he that thou sinnest mortally if thou keep thy Oath with Hereticks Hereby it appears that no Papists Princes or Subjects can possibly give any security which may be trusted that Protestants shall injoy any thing which is in their power to deprive them of for the greatest securities that can be given in this case are ingagements of faith and truth God being invocated for confirmation in solemn Oaths but by the principles of their Religion they are so far loosed from all such Bonds that they are not at all to be trusted by any but credulous fools unless it can be supposed that they will act as other men than Papists and contemn all the Authority of that Church which leaves no hopes of salvation but in obedience to it For another general Council that of Constance has determined that no faith is to be kept with Hereticks In the nineteenth Session of that Assembly it was decreed that no safe conduct given by Emperour King or secular Prince to Hereticks or any defamed (o) Quocunque vinculo se astrinxerint concesso for Hereticks though with a design to reduce them by what ingagements soever they have obliged themselves shall hinder those Hereticks from being prosecuted unless they recant (p) Etiamsâ— salvo conductu confisi ad locum venerin judicij alias non venturi nec sic pâ—omiâ—tentem ex hoc in aliquo remaâ—sisse obligatum in Crab. Tom. 2. p. 1111. though they come to the place of Judgment relying upon such security and would not have come otherwise And it is declared further that one thus bound by promise was not hereby in the least obliged And what they decreed and declared they immediatly practised for the Emperour Sigismund having given safe conduct to John Huss and so ingaged the publick faith and his own honour that he should come and go safe to and from the Council and Pope John 22. then present in the Council having given his promise and ingaged his faith if he had any for his safety yet the honour and faith of the Emperour was born down by the principles of their Church and the Pope as soon as the poor man was drawn into danger past escaping made nothing of his promise pretending when he was urged with it that he was over-ruled and so notwithstanding all the security an Emperour and a Pope had given him he was first miserably imprisoned and after cruelly burnt to ashes Hereby the world Protestants especially have this plain and useful admonition that they must trust to nothing among Papists those that will be true to that Church but what will keep them out of their power The principles of their Religion for such are determinations of General Councils bind them to observe no faith or truth or common honesty with those whom they count Hereticks no not when life is concerned Their Religion obliges them to violate the most sacred Oaths and the most solemn ingagements of faith and truth rather than an Heretick shall be safe in any of his concerns where they can reach him It is a vertue a duty in that Religion to snap asunder all securities by which the world and humane society hath hitherto been preserved to ruine a Heretick no fear of perjury or any other perfidiousness must be a hindrance in the case Nor is perjury so necessary or innocent only when it is mischievous to us but when it does mischief to themselves and the world also The practice of their Popes for many ages may satisfie us herein and to those who are acquainted with Htstory which gives an account thereof
c. 12. Nec ulla leges divinae consultoriae etiam ad veniale obligant Navar. c. 23. n. 49. c. 21. n. 43. Inobedientia aut est contra consilium tunc si sit consilium perfectionis non est peccatum Sylvest v. inobedient n. 2. ut enim optime ait Suarez operari contra consilium nulla nece minima Christi offensio est Jo. Sanc. ibid. A neglect of Counsel is no sin at all It is not only no sin to neglect these Counsels at other times but also when God calls us to comply therewith by divine inspirations and motions of his Spirit to disobey these calls and resist these inspirations is no fault at all Cardinal Tolet is rejected as too rigid for counting it so bad as a venial fault not to yield to these divine inspirations Jo. Sanc. disp 7. n. 4 So that if the great God calls to us either by his Spirit or by his Word or both together as our Counsellor we need not regard it we may resist both and yet be innocent Herein others concur Aquinas himself counts it no sin to neglect Counsels even against Conscience dictating that it is good to follow them 2. sentent dist 39. q. 3. art 3. ad 6. They may refuse the observance of them with some contempt a presumptive contempt i. e. a continued neglect thereof passeth without controll as innocent (a) Contemptus negativus est peccatum mortale si Dei lex quam violat est praeceptiva aut veniale vel nullum si est consultoria tantum Sylvester v. contempt n. 3. A negative contempt hereof is justified as either a small fault or none at all And some of them exclude not a positive contempt of these Counsels of perfection but allow a contemptuous neglect of them as sinless (b) Si vero non contemnit autoris potestatem sed observantiam consilij seu exhortationis sic solum peccat venialiter si consilium est reverentiae si vero est consilium perfectionis nec etiam venialiter peccat tunc est perfectionis quum licite potest dimittere Sit Archi. 6. dis sic intellige Gloss jura quae alligat Sum. v. contempt n. 1. omittere rem levem ex contemptu formali non est mortale vid. plures in Dian. p. 3. tr 6. res 72. So Angelus after their Law and Gloss and their Saint Antoninus They may glory in their neglect of these divine Counsels and make their boast thereof this will be but a slight fault at most for they may glory in any thing but mortal crimes and this is not so much as venial It will be no worse if they not only neglect (c) Et ex hoc patet quid dicendum de eo qui attediatus abhominatur divina spiritualia quoniam nisi sint necessaria ad salutem ea demittat vel deliberate disponat dimittere non peccat mortaliter Angel Sum. v. accidia n. 1. but abandon them with some abhorrence too They may bind themselves by Oath not to observe them it will be but a small fault at worst to Swear and call God to witness that they will not follow his Counsels (d) Non est peccatum mortale per se loquendo jurare aliquid contrarium consilij Glossa Tabien Cajetan Navar c. 12. n. 16. Antoninus Soto alij in Suarez de Juram l. 3. c. 18. n. 6. Graff l. 2. c. 15. n. 6. c. 18. n. 11. So they commonly determine and (e) Hujusmodi juramenta sine peccato observari possâ—nt Navar ibid. if they be true to their Oath it will be no fault at all So that if we be loth to believe that they abandon holiness in the exercise of Christian vertues as a thing superfluous and more than needs under this notion of Counsels to put us out of doubt they are ready to Swear it and their Doctors assure them they may do it safely Sect. 10. But if all this were otherwise and any exercise of vertue were needful by their doctrine yet would there be no necessity of it but only during the Popes pleasure For by their principles if the Pope should determine that any Vertue were a Vice all Romanists are bound in Conscience to conform to his judgment and Vertue must be avoyded as if it were a Vice indeed Bellarmin their chief Champion who is wont with so much confidence to deny or with so great Artifice to hide or disguise any thing in Popery which may render his party either odious or ridiculous delivers himself plainly to this purpose (f) Si autem Papa erraret praecipiendo vitia vel prohibendo virtutes teneretur Ecclesia credere vitia esse bona virtutes malas nisi vellet contra conscientiam peccare De Rom. Pontif. lib. 4. cap. 5. p. 721. Sect. secunda If the Pope saith he should mistake in commending Vices and forbidding Vertues the Church would be bound to believe those Vices to be good and those vertues to be evil unless she would sin against Conscience The Cardinal would have us think that he proceeds herein upon an impossible supposition and that the Pope cannot thus mistake as to commend Vices or forbid Vertues but the world knows that this is so far from being impossible that he hath already actually done it and this in such instances as may well perswade us that it is not only possible but likely that there is not any Virtue but if occasion serve and his interest requires it he may forbid it and declare it a sin yea and bind the Church in Conscience to avoyd it as if it were a Vice (*) He may bind the Catholick Church in Conscience to believe a Lye and to call good evil and evil good This is to speak home and now let Bellarmin say a worse thing of Antichrist if he can and shew us what the Gates of Hell can be imagin'd to design or attempt more destructive to the Christian Church and Religion than what he supposes the Pope to have full power and authority from Christ to do He may do it with as much demonstration of Reason Holiness and Infallibility in any case as he hath already done it in too many Since then that Church hath so far subjected all the Conscience and Reason they have unto him as they cannot without sin but believe him if he should determine that light is darkness and good is evil he may take away all Conscience of Vertue and the exercise of it when ever he pleaseth there will be no need of any act of Vertue for any Papist if he list but out of his Chair to say so they cannot without sinning against Conscience practice any if he do but the same thing in the rest as he hath done in a great many already This is enough to shew how needless they count the exercise of Christian Vertues and so how unnecessary they make all holiness of life but it will be
Reverence if they be not taken notice of will be no fault at all if they be deliberate will but be slight ones Not only Reverence and Devotion are accounted needless at this Sacrament but Sobriety and the use of Reason To communicate out of ostentation and vain glory is but a peccadillo And all holy fervor being excluded by voluntary distraction to imploy their Souls vainly or wickedly during the Celebration is no fault at all in reference to the Sacrament Those that communicate unworthily to such a degree as is counted most horridly impious do fully satisfie the precept of their Church for the Communion Sect. 7. to page 52. Their Doctrine doth not more oblige them to Worship God in private Meditation not necessary no not on the holiest seasons or occasions Reading the word of God scarce tolerated in the people and that not so freely as the Stews Sect. 8. 9. to page 53. Private Prayer rarely a duty with some never a duty with others Not at all by their common Doctrine but by accident in the Article of necessity which many never meet with so that many may never pray while they live and yet be innocent Some say there is no Divine precept for Prayer Others who ackowledg a precept will not have it oblige them at such times and occasions when if ever it would oblige Even in their Article of necessity when it comes they have ways to excuse them easily from the obligation and to make it no special sin to neglect this duty all their life Sect. 10. to page 59. Their Church obliges not any to private prayers not to the least or those of most account among them When ever they use private prayer upon any account as required by precept or injoyned for pennance for Prayer passes commonly with them as a punishment or voluntary as a work of Supererogation there is no need by their principles to worship God therein Seeing they are to Worship him no more any where the World may judge what Religion they have since that Worship is as essential to Religion as a Soul to a man Sect. 11. 12. to page 63. CHAP. II. CHristian knowledge is not necessary for Romanists by their Doctrine They need not know what they are to pray for Many of their Priests yea of their Popes understand not their common prayers Sect. 1. to page 66. They need not know what they are to believe The knowledg of all the Articles of the small Creed nor of the Trinity and incarnation of Christ scarce necessary for all Christians Ignorance and errour in points of faith may not only be innocent but meritorious Sect. 2. to page 72. They need not know what they are to do They may merit Heaven by following their Leaders out of the way That 's the most compleat and perfect obedience which is next to bruitish without knowledg and judgment when they obey their Leaders as a Beast doth his owner Sect. 3. to page 76. The knowledg of the Scriptures to which their Doctrine and Worship is confessed to be repugnant unnecessary in a manner for all sorts not only for the People and Monasticks but their Confessors and Preachers Their Bishops afraid to look into the Bible lest it should make them Hereticks Therefore very few of their Bishops in the Council of Trent who decreed so many new Articles of faith had knowledg in Theology Their Popes commonly no Divines many of them understood not Latine though not only their Church-service and Laws but their authentique Edition of the Scripture be confined to that Language The People the further they are from knowledg the more excusable if they take no care nor pains to get it Sect. 4. to page 87. CHAP. III. THeir Doctrine makes it needless to love God There is no command for habitual love to God The acts of this love are as unnecessary The imperate acts thereof not injoyned neither God nor the Church requires any to observe the commands of God out of love to him Sect. 1. 2. to page 91. How needless the Elicite acts of this love are Some hold there is no command for this actual love any inward act of it that binds them or no special command Others who acknowledg a precept will not have it to bind them upon any occasion when if ever it would oblige Not when they have sinn'd against him Not when he expresses his love Not when he discovers his infinite Excellencies to them Not when they are to worship him Not at any Sacrament no not the Eucharist It is too much to love God once a Week or once a Year or once in Four or Five Years One act of love once in a life may be enough yea and more than needs too for when that time comes if ever it come when they will have any obliged to an act of love yet they then assign something else which will serve instead of it and so render it needless still A love which is the issue of nature unsanctified may suffice Or to love God less than other things only more than mortal crimes may be enough Or to do nothing against this love though there be no acts of it or from it may be sufficient Or external acts may satisfie Or if a man believes that he loves God above all though indeed he daes not it may serve the turn Or Attrition which includes something repugnant to this love with their Sacrament of Confession may excuse him from loving of God at the point of death though he never once loved him in his life before How extremely pernicious and ridiculous this their Doctrine is Sect. 3. 4. to page 109. CHAP. IV. BY their Doctrine no faith is necessary but that which is neither justifying nor saving That which they will have necessary for the ignorant is what they call implicit A faith which they may have without actually believing any one Article of the Christian faith And is consistent with the belief of what is quite opposite to the Christian belief And is but such a faith as Jews Turks and Pagans have This was not thought sufficient for Christians till they were thought something like Asses and so expressed by some of their great Saints and Doctors How many ways they have to exempt the people from the obligation of all precepts for any other than this bruitish faith Sect. 1. to page 114. The faith requisite in the more intelligent to justifiethem they call explicit This as described by them in its object includes things uncertain impertinent false impossible and ridiculous as points that must be certainly believed unto justification This of it self as themselves say deserves not the name of a vertue is an idle dead thing may be found in the worst of men and in the Devils too Yet it is with them the Christian the Catholick faith Sect. 2. to page 116. They see no great necessity of faith The Pope the Head of their Church needs it not And the Body may
good acts are no more than Counsels but only in the article of necessity And all acts that have more than moral goodness And all actings in a vertuous manner and from a good principle Exercise of vertue not necessary either in Worship or common conversation Not in those cases where if in any at all it would be needful A way they have for any man to turn whatever precept pinches him into a Counsel There is no danger nor any sin at all in rejecting the counsel of God No not when Conscience dictates that it is good to follow them No nor when God further calls thereto by inspirations or motions of his Spirit They may be neglected out of Contempt And with some abhorrence of them They may boast and glory in such neglects They may bind themselves by Oaths not to observe Gods Counsels Sect. 9. to page 181. No exercise of vertue necessary but only during the Pope's pleasure for if be should forbid vertue as he hath done already in diverse instances the Church would be bound to believe those vertues to be evils and so to avoid them Further their Doctrine incourages the continual practice of such wickedness as is inconsistent with all holiness of life reduced to three heads Sect. 10. to page 183. CHAP. VII MAny hainous crimes are vertues or necessary duties with them Their Blasphemies waved because insisted on by others Also a great part of their Idolatry Their Plea in excuse of this Crime from the distinction of terminative and transient worship removed by their own Doctrine formerly opened Sect. 1. to page 185. Their Idolatry as to Relicks These are to be Religiously worshipped though many of them be ridiculous and loathsome though many Thousands be confessed to be counterfeit and great and detestable impostures be therein acknowledged To worship false Relicks or the Devil upon a mistaken belief is meritorious What worshipful things miscarriages in the Mass furnish them with Sect. 2. to page 188. They give Divine worship to Relicks though they give it not the name They give both name and thing expresly to vast multitudes All which they count Relicks of Christare to have Christs honour Among these they reckon all thidgs that were near him or touched him on earth even the earth water stones c. Not only the things but persons that touched him thereby become his Relicks and are to have his worship The Virgin Mary expresly and Thousands more may have it by the same reason they will not absolutely except the Ass on which he rode Yea all the Relicks of such persons may have it For they commonly teach that the Relicks may have the same worship with the person whose they are The best of their Relicks impostures that which passes for the foreskin of Christ his Shirt Coat Blood the Crown of Thorns Launce Nails Cross and its Liquor Their Relicks numerous beyond account How they came to be so their own Authors tell us The Devil furnished their Church with some of them and crafty knaves with others Yet their whole Religion in a manner consists in worshipping such things as these as some of themselves tell us Sect. 3. to page 203. Perjury necessary by their Doctrine If a Prince swear solemnly not to prosecute his supposed heretical subjects unless he break his Oath he is in danger to be damned No faith to be kept with Hereticks Their Doctrine ruines all securities that Popish Princes or Subjects can give to Protestants These can with prudence trust to nothing but what will keep them out of the Papal reach Sect. 4. to page 205. Robhery and Murder as necessary a Duty To deprive Hereticks of Estate or life a meritorious act All Papists Princes or others are bound in Conscience by that which is most obliging in their Religion utterly to root out all they account Hereticks and to seize on all they have A decree of a general Council for it which incourages the execution with promises of the greatest rewards and enforces it with threatnings of most dreadful import They must not be counted Catholicks unless they do it It hath been effected or attempted in all Countreys where the Papists had power to do it or but thought that they had it The reason why they do it not in England and some other places is as themselves declare because they have not yet power enough Sect. 5. to page 210. Sorcery and Conjuration part of their Religion This manifested in their Sacramentals where by their own rules there is a tacit invocation of the Devil Their excuses here insufficient Even their mode of praying too like conjuring Sect. 6. to page 215. The chief act of their Religion is to destroy Christ by Sacrificing him daily in the Mass which they maintain they do truly and really Sect. 7. to page 220. CHAP. VIII THeir Doctrine tends to destroy holiness of life by incouraging the continual practice of all sort of wickedness under the notion of venials What hatred of God What acts of Infidelity and Idolatry What distrustful cares What irreligiousness in all Religious exercises What use of Witches Or dealing with the Devil VVhat irreverence towards God in adjuration Sect. 1. to page 213. What impious Swearing almost at every word In horrid terms Without offering to break off this ungodly custome Binding themselves by Oaths and threatning God that they will sin against him And never comply with his will in things which he commends to them as most excellent What fraudulent Oaths What Perjuries of all sorts both as to assertory and promissory Oaths not worse for being most frequent and customary Sect. 2. to page 221. What Blasphemies Out of levity passion or inconsiderateness Or from wicked custome and contempt of a mans own Salvation The more habitual and customary Blaspheming is the better Sect. 3. to page 223. What Prophaning of holy time Where it is manifest that little or nothing at all of Religion need be made Conscience of amongst them even at the only time set apart for the acts and exercises of it Sect. 4. to page 228. What irreverence in Children to Parents They may be ashamed of them And curse them as Parents may curse them again VVhat unaffectionateness They may desire the death of their Parents for some outward advantage Or by accusations procure their death VVhat disobedience in all things out of negligence or sensuality And in matters of greatest importance as to this life Or in matters which concern their Salvation Parents have no right to oblige their Daughters not to be VVhores Sect. 5. to page 231. VVhat Murder of Soul or Body As to acts inward and outward VVhat hatred VVhat outragious anger VVhat revenge Desires of the death not only of Enemies but nearest Relations because they are poor or not handsome may be innocent Actual killing them without deliberation is no fault when not fully deliberate when ordinarily many things may hinder it from being so is but little worse Sect. 6. to page 233. VVhat
to be the common Doctrine of their Church So it is unreasonable to except against our alledging the opinion of particular Doctors against them since their common Doctrine allowes any to follow the opinion of particular Doctors as to belief or practice Hereby a way is opened to leave no conscience of sin amongst them Sect. 16. to page 384. Their directions for the scrupulous of like tendency He sins not who breaks the law in a strict sense if he observe it in some benign sense He may make the interpretation himself and so such as will please him or choose that of others which is best for his purpose though he fear it is not probable and it be false indeed Or when the observance of the law is very difficult or incommodious And ordinarily he is like to judge it so Or when the observance of it is ridiculous as the observing of the Divine rule has been by their acknowledgment long since in their Church Or when there is apprehension of danger in complying with it Or when he observes it but according to the common usage of good Catholicks when amonst the most eminent of their Catholicks it is confessed there is little or no worship of God no regard of good life Righteousness or Godliness Their devices for justifying so much wickedness to the excluding all holiness of life where founded Sect. 18. to page 390. CHAP. X. GOod works not necessary by the Roman Doctrine This shewed in Fasting Prayer Alms-deeds to which they reduce all good works They do not they need not fast on their fasting days Their Church requires the observance of none of those things which they say are necessary to the being of a fast They may eat a Dinner a full meal at noon may be excessive therein so as to transgress the laws of Sobriety and to excite and cherish lust instead of repressing the flesh and yet fulfil the precept They may break their fast in the morning and yet keep it with Ale Wine Bread or other things They may eat a Supper too and that excessive great as big as custome will have it when they tell us it is their custome to sup with notorious excess They may sup out of sensuality And may take their supper in the morning And drink and eat every hour The quality of their fasting meat most delicious They may drink at any time and Wine too though that is confessed to be more contrary to a fast than flesh They may drink it till they be drunk and yet not break their fast Nothing Religious in their fast Neither Religious ends nor imployments And so it can be no good work nor necessary in their account Those that have tyred themselves with Gaming or Whoring are excused Yet this piece of mockery passes with them as satisfactory and meritorious Sect. 1. to page 397. Their praying no good work The people pray not in the Mass They neither express nor conceive any Petitions Nor concur with the Priest but by presence and posture of the body as an image may do or by vertually wishing the Priests prayers may succeed which they may do when they are asleep Nor do their Priests pray better in their publick service unless the bare pronouncing of the words which is all they count necessary be praying How far they acknowledg this Sect. 2. to page 401. Acts of mercy or charity not necessary with them but in two cases which seldom or rather never occurr at least together One is when they have superfluities both in respect of nature and state but they say it cannot easily be judged that any secular person no nor Kings and Princes have such superfluities The other is when the necessity is extreme except it be such if any had superfluities they would not be obliged to part with any thing When it is extreme they allow the poor to steal So charity is not needful but when stealing is lawful Or then he may be excused so many ways that he need never find himself obliged to relieve any gratis Good works not neceslary with them because to act from a good principle and for a good end is needless Their design to satisfie justice and merit grace and glory by what they do makes their pretended good works deadly evils No necessity of good works upon the account of their being injoyned for pennance So they are not done as good but suffered as evils Besides the Priest need not injoyn such Or the sinner need not submit thereto or need not perform it But may be released many ways Especially by Indulgencies 'T is counted better to give money for these than in ways of charity Sect. 3. 4. to page 408. The conclusion where from the premises in brief is inferred that the practical Doctrine of the Romanists tends to ruine Christianity and the Souls of all that follow it FINIS Books Printed for Tho. Parkhurst at the Bible and Tbree Crowns at the lower end of Cheapside near Mercers-Chappel 1. SErmons on the whole Epistle of the Collossians by John Dallie Author of the Right use of the Fathers Translated into English by F. S. with Dr. Goodwins and Dr. Owens Epistles before it 2. Exposition of Christ's Temptation and Peter's Sermon to Cornelius and a Discourse of Circumspect walking by Tho. Taylor D. D. 3. An Exposition on the Third Chapter of the second Epistle to the Corinthians with a Treatise of the Godly man's Choice by Anthony Burges 4. Forty six Sermons on the whole 8 th chapter to the Romans 5. An Exposition on Four select Psalms viz. The Fourth the Forty second the Fifty first the Sixty third in Forty five Sermons both by Tho. Horton late of St. Hellens London 6. The Morning-Lecture against Popery wherein the principal Errors of the Church of Rome are detected and confuted in several Sermons at a Morning-Lecture Preached by several Ministers of the Gospel in or near London 7. An Apology for Religion by Math. Pool 8. The Fiery Jesuit or an Historical Collection of the Rise Increase Doctrines and Deeds of the Jesuits 9. The Plain man's defence against Popery wherein many Popish Doctrines are proved to be flat against Scripture 10. The immortality of the Soul explained and proved by Scripture and Reason by Tho. Wadsworth 11. A Disputation of Original Sin by Rich. Baxter 12. Reformation or Ruine by Tho. Hotchkis 13. A Discourse of Excuses their nature and danger are discoursed by John Sheffield 14. The life of John Jeneway 15. Saints incouragement to diligence in God's service by James Janeway A Catalogue of some Books Printed and Sold by Nat. Ponder at the Peacock in the Poultry near Cornhil and in Chancery-lane near Fleet-Street EXercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews also concerning the Messiah wherein the promises concerning him to be a spiritual Redeemer of mankind are explained and vindicated c. With an Exposition of and Discourses on the two first Chapters of the said Epistle to the Hebrews by John Owen D. D. in
Folio Exercitations on the Epistle to the Hebrews concerning the Priesthood of Christ wherein the Original Causes Nature Prefigurations and discharge of that holy Office are explained and vindicated The nature of the Covenant of the Redeemer with the call of the Lord Christ unto his Office are declared and the opinions of the Socinians about it are fully examined and their oppositions unto it refuted with a continuation of the exposition on the third fourth and fifth Chapters of the said Epistle to the Hebrews being the second Volumn by John Owen D. D. in Folio Î ÎΕΥΜΑΤΟΛΟΓΙΑ Or A Discourse concerning the Holy Spirit wherein an account is given of his Name Nature Personality Dispensation Operations and Effects his whole work in the old and new Creation is explained the Doctrine concerning it vindicated from Oppositions and Reproaches The nature also and necessity of Gospel-Holiness the difference between Grace and Morality or a spiritual Life unto God in Evangelical Obedience and a course of Moral Vertues are stated and declared by John Owen D. D. in Folio A discourse of the Nature Power Deceit and Prevalency of the Remainders of Indwelling-Sin in Believers together with the ways of its working and means of prevention by John Owen D. D. in Oct. The unreasonableness of Atheism made manifest in a discourse to a Person of Honour by Sir Charles Wolseley Baronet Third Impression The Reasonableness of Scripture-belief A discourse giving some account of those Rational Grounds upon which the Bible is received as the Word of God written by Sir Charles Wolsely Baronet Anti-Sozzo sive Sherlocismus Enervatus In Vindication of some Great Truths Opposed and Opposition to some Great Errors Maintained by Mr. William Sherlock Introduction THe danger of Popery in points of Faith hath been sufficiently discovered to the world by the Divines of the Reformation but their Doctrine which concerns Life and Practice hath not been so much insisted on And yet there is as much occasion for this for here the mischief is as great an unchristian heart and life being at least as damning as erronious belief and hereby the great Apostacy and degeneracy of the Papal Church is as apparent and herein they have proceeded with as much disregard of Christ and the souls of men Their design in this seems to have been not the promoting of Christs interest for that is manifestly prostituted but the securing and greatning of a Faction which under the profession of Christianity might be false to all its realities And their rule is the corrupt inclinations of depraved nature to which they have throughly conformed their practical Divinity which easeth it of the duties for which it hath an aversation how much soever enjoyned and clears its way to those sins to which it is disposed as though there were no need to avoid them This Rule serves their design with great advantage but souls are more endangered hereby and their principles become more pernitious because they are so taking Perswade a man that he may safely neglect the duties which he owes to God his own soul and others and may gratify the lusts he is addicted to and give him the maximes of Religion and the Authority and Conclusions of Divines and the Teachers whom he trusts for it and he will like that Religion because he loves his sin and is in danger to follow both though he perish for it eternally And indeed this is it which makes the condition of Papists deplorable for though the principles of their belief as it is Popish be mortally poysonous yet there might be some Antidote in the practicalls of Christianity retained and followed by those who are unavoidably ignorant of the danger of their more speculative errours and so some hopes of such but their Practical Doctrine being no less corrupted the remedy it self becomes poyson and their condition who freely let it down hopeless Whether their errours in matters of Faith be directly fundamental hath been with some of their Opposers a question but those who well view their practical Doctrine may discern that it strikes through the heart of Christianity casting off the vitalls of it as superfluities and cuts of those who will believe and follow it from the way of life not onely by encouraging them with security to live and die in all sorts of wickedness but also by obliging them to neglect as needless the greatest and most important concerns of Christians without which God cannot be honoured by us nor Salvation attained This will be apparent by observing what is determined in that Church by those who have the conduct of their lives and Consciences concerning the Worshipping of God Christian knowledge Love to God Faith in Christ Repentance from dead works and Holiness of life as to the Exercise of Christian Vertues the Abandoning of sin and the Practice of good works of all which in particular the following discourse gives an account CHAP. I. Real Worship of God not necessary in the Church of ROME THere is nothing wherein the Honour of God and the Happiness of men is more concerned than Divine Worship Religion provides for these great ends by obliging us to worship God this it doth indispensably and can do no less without abandoning it self for this is essential to it (a) Religio est Virtus per quam homines Dâ—o debitum cultum et reverentiam exhibent Tullius dicit 2. Rhet. quod religio est virtus quae superiori cuidam naturae quam divinam vocant cultum caeremoniamque affert Aquinas 2. 2. q. 81. Art 1. and gives it being And the truth and goodness of it depends as much thereon for no Religion is true and saving but that which obligeth to worship God really Now worship is not real unless mind and heart concur in it whatever it hath without this it wants (b) Nam spiritus interior adorationis qui est ipsa vita et anima adorationis exterioris apellatur quoque ipsa veritas adorationis Vasquez de Adorat l. 1. Disp 1. cap. 2 p. 18. its life and soul and is no more worship really than a picture is a man Hence Christ brands those who draw near to God with their lips without their hearts for hypocrites Matth. 15. 7 8. Mark 7. 6. Such as pretend to be what they are not and to do what really they do not who are but worshippers in shew and fiction no more so indeed than the Stage-Player is the Prince whose part he acts The Romanists seem to acknowledg all this and therefore ought not to deny but that it is as necessary that God should be really worshipped as it is needful that he should have any honour in the world or that there should be any true Religion amongst men or Salvation for them Yet notwithstanding their practical Doctrine makes it needless to worship God really That this may be fully and distinctly manifested let us observe First what they count requisite in Divine Service and in their Mass the former is
this seem too much with that of their ancienter Doctors which is less than none And what must they attend to who need neither hear nor see nor understand what is said or done It would puzle one as subtile as himself to tell one how he can attend to that which is neither offered to his senses nor his intellect And therefore the Jesuite though he seems more strict yet herein is less rational than Medina and not so consistent with himself or their common Doctrine Also he would not have the Discourse at Masse so grave and serious as that of Merchants (h) Qui voluntarie confabulatur non satisfacere nisi vel confabulatio esset discontinua partim scil loquendo partim attendendo ut communiter fieri solet vel non de re seria sed levi c. Idem ibid. it should be more light more idle than that about Trade and Business It seems the levity of the Stage suits with the Masse better than the seriousness of the Exchange Answerably if their (i) Soto m 4. dist 13. q. 2. art 3. dicit quod licet indecentia sint colloquia inter audiendam missum non tamen propterea fit transgressor praecepti Ibid. Discourse be not decent nor the Subject of it very modest the Masse will comport with it and the Churches precept will bear it without a breach And no wonder since it hath been the custome of that Church as many of their (k) Cornelius Agrippa de vanit Scient cap. 17. Cajetan Sum. v. Organ Soto de just jur l. 10. q. 5. art 2. p. 336. Navar. Cap. 13. n. 87. Lopez cap. 51. p. 263. Writers inform us to sing not only prophane but fâ—lâ—hy Songs at high Masse and that to the Organ that the people might not only be refreshed by their own private immodest Discourse but edified more effectually this way by the lowder voice of the Church And how we learn by a grave Cardinal though little herein more rigid than others who tells us that the (m) In cujus signum audientes ex illo sono excitantur ad illa profana seu turpia ut experientia testatur ita quod non est inficiationi locus Cajetan ibid. hearers were thereby excited to what was prophane and filthy as experience witnessed And still notwithstanding any pretence of Reformation tunes to the Organ at Divine service or Masse though lascivious and very prophane will pass for a small fault (n) Canticus ratione soni quia est lascivus aut valde saecularis potest esse venialis culpa vel ratione materiae minimae vel ex bona intentione vel inadvertentia ut Cajetanus dixit in Suar. de horis Can. l. 4. Cap. 13 n. 17. materia parva si organista loco kyrie eleison cantilenam profanam organo canat Villalobus in Dian. v. Blasph n. 4. in the judgment of those who seem most severe in the case if either the matter be slight or the intention good or the Actors inconsiderate Here 's provision enough that the Scenes in their Masse may not be dull and heavy Yet further they may laugh and be pleasant and when the Musick which sounds not alwayes doth it not they may make themselves merry in the height of their worship But this with some caution (o) Sed possent voces risus in tantum prorumpere quod esset peccatum irreverentiae scandali Lopez c. 52. Soto in 4. dist 13. quaest 2. art 1. their talk and laughter may break out into such noyse that possibly it may prove a sin of irreverence Here is some shew of danger but it will vanish presently For if it should be a very loud extravagance and the irreverence great (p) Jac. de Graff l. 2. c. 52. Supra yet great irreverence may with them be but a small fault and they have the authority of a Pope to warrant this Nor must this seem strange to us since they will not have all contempt (q) Contemptus ille qui continetur in irreverentia Dei per se ut talis est non semper est formalis sed materialis qui non semper sufficit ad malitiam mortalem Nos autem loquimur de contemptu formali quo ipsa Dei irreverentia intenditur Suar. de juram l. 3. c. 12. n. 4. 6. vid. Cajetan sum v. Contempt vid. Bonacin de legibus disp 2. q. 3. p. 5. n. 10. l. 15. of God criminal that which is material may be venial and it is not formal unless besides the contempt of God there be also an intention to contemn him Such is the most solemn worship in the roman-Roman-Church and so is God worshipped amongst them and that not by the unwarranted presumption of the prophane multitude but by the Rules and Conclusions of those who direct their worship and guide their Consciences Here we may see in the Masse the Religion of Roman-Catholicks they call it (r) In qua sc missa praecipua pars Religionis nostrae Bellar. de miss lib. 1. cap. 1. p. 679. the chiefest the best part of their Religion that we may not look for any thing better amongst them nor any thing Religious if it be not found here yea it is all better and worse that the people are obliged to in publick and in private their Church doth not trouble them with any He that views it well and believes he hath a Soul and that there is a God must have little or no regard of either if he do not bless himself from it as a thing which hath nothing of Religion but the name and that merely usurped A Religion which needs nothing by the Doctrine of its chief Professors that is either Godly or so good as humane no regard of God at all so much as in one thought of him nor any act of Reason yea or of sense either about any thing Religious or Divine yet allowes a free exercise of both about that which is prophane and irreligious He that counts this Religion indeed must stifle the common notions of Religion and Christianity and he that understanding it makes choice thereof had need first be very indifferent whether he have any Religion or none Had the ancient Fathers talk'd after this senseless lewd extravagant rate concerning the worship of God how would Celsus Porphyrie and Julian have Triumph'd over them nay they might justly have challeng'd them to have instanced in any one that bore the name of a Philosopher that ever treated of the worship of God with so little Reverence and Discretion Had such loose and wild Doctrines been broach'd by the first Teachers of Christianity the Heathens needed not have rais'd so fierce a persecution against it they might with ease have hiss'd it out of the World But this is not the worst they encourage that in the Mass which they cannot but condemn as wicked and maintain that the precept for hearing Mass may be satisfied by such wickedness Melchior Canos
to this Objection that the Command of God or the Church cannot be fulfilled by sin answers according to the opinion commonly maintained amongst them (a) Nos cum communi opinione in praesentia teneamus non esse transgressorem praecepti qui actui bono ex genere suo quem lex praecipiebat apponit aliquam malam circumstantiam Relect de paenit part 4. p. 936. vid. Bonacinum de legibus disp 1. q. 1. punct 9. n. 1. ibi S. Thomas Soto Navar Medina plures alij That he is no Transgressor of the precept who to the Act enjoyn'd and good in its kind adds something sinful He supposeth that the Act commanded by the Church is some way good but withal that the precept may be satisfied though it be done wickedly and that by their common Doctrine Whether the circumstances may be venially or mortally wicked he saith not but leaves us to understand it of either Dominicus a Sato tells us expresly that though what is added to the Act (b) Quamvis simul habeat propositum aliud mortale satisfaciet praecepto quantum ad substantiam Ibid. l. 10. q. 5. a. 5. enjoyned be a mortal wickedness yet the Precept may thereby be satisfied substantially With these Divines of greatest reputation amongst them concurs Navarre (c) Non tamen est tenendum illud Antonini quia praesupponit malo praesertim mortali non posse adimpleri praeceptum quod esse falsum late probavimus c. 21. n. 7. no less renowned and none of them Jesuites the opinion of Antoninus which he is disproving presupposeth saith he that by a sinful Act especially if it be a mortal sin the Command of the Church cannot be fulfilled but that this is false we have largely proved He would have us know that he hath fully demonstrated that the Precept for hearing Mass may be intirely accomplished by deadly crimes This is the judgment of the most eminent Doctors amongst them such as are not of the Society and if they will believe their famous Bishop of the Canaries the common Doctrine in the Roman Church and by this the world may judge what a Church it is what her Religion what her Worship what her Precepts for it are When all that she requires for that worship which is the principal part of her Religion may be satisfied by acts of wickedness such as are mortal and damnable to the Worshippers and most of all others dishonourable to God whom they pretend to worship And let those that are seduced or may be tempted by Seducers seriously consider whether they can wisely trust their souls to such a conduct or be safe in such a communion where there is no more tenderness for the salvation of souls than to be satisfied with such a worshiping of God as will confessedly damn them Sect. 3. Thus much for the manner of their publick worship all of it who ever amongst them it concerns whereby it appears that they count it not necessary that God should have any real worship from them This will be further manifest by what they teach concerning the end of it They maintain that it is lawful for their Clergy and Monasticks too who profess perfection to serve God for their own ends viz. to get preferment or compass a dignity or gain some wordly advantage and so to prostitute the Honour and Worship of God to such low earthly sordid designes as Religious persons would never appear to own but that Irreligion is grown too monstrously big for its vizard He that riseth to their morning Service for this end that he may have his daily devidend if it be not principally for this he sins not So their glossa celeberrima the two Popes Vrbane Caelestine determine that it is lawful for their Clergy to serve God in their Churches for this design and hope to get Ecclesiastical dignity in (d) Glossa illa celeberrima ait peccare quidem eum qui surgit ad matutinas preces principaliter propter distributiones quotidianas non autem illum qui surgit principaliter ut Deo inserviat minus principaliter secundario ut eas lucretur Urbanus Papa Coelestinus determinarunt licere clericis servire Deo in Ecclesijs ob spem ascendendi ad dignitates illarum Imo Gelasius dixit eos ad hunc ascensum spe maioris commodi compellendos Glossa recepta dicit expresse per illum textum licere clerico servire in Ecclesia ad quaerendam aliquam dignitatem modo principaliter ob id non serviat c. cap. 23. n. 101. Navarre But then this great Casuist of so high esteem amongst them that he was sent for from Spain to Rome to give advice and direction to the old Gentleman there that cannot erre understands after (a) Ut probavimus non est bona definitio illa Bartoli qua definit causam principalem esse causam qua cessante cessat effectus id ibid. Ut aliquis finis sit principalis non sufficit quod ille non fieret sine illo sed oportet quod pluris vel tanti aestimetur ac alius finis propter quem ille fit id c. 17. n. 209. c. 20. n. 11. p. 459. Aquinas Jo. Major as he pretends the principal end to be something else than others do It is not that which so much moves the Agent as that without it he would not be drawn to act by any other end and accordingly he will have the premised testimony to be understood (b) Per supra dictos textus glossas quae habent locum etiam in his qui non servirent Ecclesijs vel praelatis nisi sperarent beneficia c. 23. n. 101. So that one of their Perfectionists who riseth to morning prayer for this end that he may have his dividend would not stir (c) Surgens ad matutinas ob distributiones alias non surrecturus ibid. out of his Bed to attend the Worship of God for God's sake or any other end beseeming a Religious person if the consideration of his daily allowance did not rouse him yet he serves God so well herein as that he is sinless and not so much as venially tainted Likewise the Clergy who address themselves to the Worship of God moved thereto more by hopes to gain preferment and dignity than any respect to God yet they sin not That is they worship God well enough though they respect themselves and their own ends more than him or which is all one though they serve themselves rather than God whom they are to worship They are all concerned to maintain this for he tells them if (d) Alioqui enim omnes fere actus nostri essent vitiosi quia paucissimi fiunt pure propter solum Deum solam virtutem c. ibid. p. 590. such acts of Vertue or Worship were Vicious all their acts in a manner would be stark naught since there are extremely few amongst them that are purely done for God
it into the dirt to be trampled on and (t) An hoc peccatum sit gravius homicidio aut adulterio vel omnibus peccatis contra naturam quidam enim Theologi ita existimant ut Gabriel Petr. Soto Ledesma Dominic Soto Suar. ibid. Sect. 2. many of them are positive that it is greater wickedness than murther or adultery or that uncleanness against nature which is most abominable (u) Dicendum est cum qui voluntarie suscipit sacramentum Eucharistiae etiamsi indigne sumat implere praeceptum communicandi etiamsi alias peccet mortaliter per sacrilegium indignae sumptionis Ita tenet in specie Corduba in genere Soto Covarruvius qui alios referunt ibid. disp 70. Sect. 3. do fully satisfy the precept of the Church for this Communion Thus Soto Corduba Covarruvius and others alledged by them And this is all derived from their St. Thomas that Maxim of his so generally received (x) Ratio autem sumitur ex principio generali quod tradit D. Thom. 1. 2. q. 101. art 9. quia lex praecipiens actum praecipit substantiam ejus non autem modum Ibid. vid. Bonacin and in him besides the principal of the society Azorius Valentia Suarez Sanchez Aquinas Sotus Navar Medina qui vero indigne sine devotione communicat tempore Paschatis satisfacit praecepto de leg d. 1. q. 1. p. 9. n. 2. 3. The Law commanding an act injoyns the substance of it but not the manner By which we must understand that the Church would have the thing done but regards not how they do it whether as Christians or as Atheists She is indifferent as to devotion or sacriledge in her Catholicks having something else in design than to be concerned in the honouring of God and the happiness of men which so much depends upon the manner of worshipping It is too plain to be denied that such a treatment of holy things to use their own words is not at all for the worship of God or the salvation of souls but opposite to both yet their Churches precept is intirely thereby fulfilled So that if God have no worship and men no salvation yet the Church is satisfied This and other outward acts must be visibly done that the World may not think but they have something like Religion amongst them but though in stead of the worship due to the Divine Majesty they perform the acts of it in such a manner as no less dishonours and provokes him than the crying sins of Murther or Sodomy their Church hath full contentment it 's all she requires Thus we have surveyed the Church-service amongst the Romanists in the several parts of it and cannot discern any real worship therein to which they are obliged but rather that all such worship of God in in publick is by their rules and orders rendred either impossible or unnecessary Sect. 8. Let us inquire in the next place whether they count it needful that God should have any worship from them in private and this we may discover by what they determine concerning Meditation reading the Scripture and private Prayer For Meditation the Casuists speak little of it nothing at all that I have met with of its necessity it is like they reserve it for their contemplative persons as a degree of perfection to which others need not aspire (*) Si patres theologi meditationem laudant consulunt non tamâ—n docent esse omnibus praeceptam (*) Ecclesiastici Clerici religiosi non tenentur ex vi sui status juris divini ad hunc meditandi recogitandi aut mentaliter orundi usum vid. Suar. de Orat. ment l. 2. c. 4. n. 7. Navar. Enchirid de Orat. l. 20. n. 61. The Perfectionists themselves may wave it but when they will be so over-good as to supererogate and do better than God commands them if they judge it necessary at any time sure it would be on those days when such acts are most proper and requisite But they conclude it no duty upon the Lords-day or any other devoted by them as they pretend to the observance of God For they generally agree that no inward worship is then required and (a) Neque praecipitur cultus divinus internus qui in meditando colendo Deo consistit Navar. Manual C. 13. n 2. Non praecipitur cultus divinus interior qui in meditatione interiori de Deo consistit Lopez C. 42. p. 266. meditation is discharged by name now if they need not think of God on his own day or any other wherein a particular observance of him is requisite it is ground enough to conclude they do not count it needful to think of him at all Who can imagine that they judge it necessary to think of God at any time who count it needless to have God in their thoughts when they are at his worship Sect. 9. As for the reading the Word of God in private they are so far from esteeming this a duty that they will scarce excuse it from a crime all that can be obtained for it is only a toleration as a thing that passeth under an ill character and that but in some places and there but for some persons with more restriction and caution than the publick Stews are tolerated by their holy Bishop in Rome So much friends are they to the Word of God or so little do they judge it a friend to them they are the best Catholicks in their account who do not desire to look into it or to understand from God what he would have them to be they think it advisable (b) Consil de stabiliend Rom. sede p. 6. that no mortal should be acquainted with more of the Scriptures than is in the Mass where they can understand nothing and need hear nothing of it at all Sect. 10. For private Prayer it is either vocal or mental (a) Vid. Suarez de Oration l. 3. cap. 6. n. 3. 5. 8. ut ibi Medina Uldericus dicit ad orationem vocalem ex divino praecepto non tenetur sed ex statuto Ecclesiae quae ministris suis missas horas canonicas indixit vel etiam ex injunctione confessoris hoc sequitur sum confes Pisa in Sylv. v. Orat. n. 8. ut Angelus sum v. Orat. n. 20. that which they call vocal they generally count not necessary by any Law either of God or Nature or the Church and so all praying with Families is quite cashiered from the rank of Christian duties there to call upon God's name together they are not concerned though some think the Heathen are they count it not a duty to say so much as the (b) Videtur tamen sufficere si quis sciat quod debemus a Deo petere omnia bona corporis animae hujusmodi licet nesciat pater noster idem v. scientia vid. sum Angel v. scientia Suarez ibid. n. 8. Lords Prayer if they understand but otherwise what
were well if God did not suffer more by such abuse of his name and worship than those malefactors who count iâ— a suffering to do any thing like his service And it sounds not well that prayer must pass for a punishment It is as Damascen defines it and they after him the ascent of the mind unto God (e) Oâ—atâ—o in genere sumpta est aâ—…ensus mentis ad Deum hoc essentialiter includit Idem ibid. c. 4. n. 4. Now is the approach of the Soul to God a punishment One would think the Devils should think better of it for the misery of Hell is distance from God without hopes of having access to him But they can solve the difficulty well enough for they mean not do any such thing as praying in the case but only to suffer some thing which they call so Their care and pains is about their Beads not their Souls if they keep but count and bring in the full tale which the Confessor enjoyns though in as many Crowns and Rosaries as there are Ave-Maries in each Ten thousand times over they have not one thought of God nor the least motion of mind or heart towards him yet they give full satisfaction and undergoe all they were adjudged to In their voluntary prayers there is less of worship required than the other if there can be less than none For (f) Orationes voluntariae cum penitus omitti possent consequitur quod evagatio mentis Tollens attentionem non induâ—it peccatum mortale Graff part 1. l. 2. c. 51. n. 11. when they need not use such prayers unless they please they may do it as they list it being no duty enjoyned the manner of performance is arbitrary and wholly at discretion Hence those who think something of some sort of attention requisite in commanded prayers count none at all necessary in these no not that which is Superficial not so little of that as they call vertual So that if herein they mind nothing at all wherein worshippers at prayer are concerned not so little as the bare words yet they acquit themselves well enough yea if this neglect of all be wilful (g) Ubi autem libere citra obligationem oratur Sola est culpa venialis indecenter orare quare distractio etiam meditata nisi contemptio adsit nunquam erit mortalis Soto de just l. 10. q. 5. art 5. in fin Graff p. 1. l. 2. c. 51. n. 11. Gabriel ibi Angel v. hor. n. 27. Bonacin de divin offic disp 1. q. 3. p. 2. Sect. 2. n. 7. ibi Maldarus alij and the mind not only run of its own accord but be sent away and employed about something else on set purpose it will but be at worst a slight fault Sect. 12. In this fashion they would have us suppose that God may be worshipped when there is neither inward nor outward Observance of him Inward he hath none when the mind is departed from him and the heart with it Outward he hath none unless merely in shew when the mind directs it not to and designs it not for him which is never done when he is not minded In fine by the Doctrine of the Romanists to say nothing of the Idolatry or Superstition of their service it is unnecessary that God should have any real worship either publick or private unless God can be said to be truly worshipped without the love or fear of God without acts of wisdom or affection without Reverence or Devotion without sincere or honest intentions or with designs of wickedness without knowing what they do or heeding what they are about without mind or heart yea or body either unless in mere shew this is apparent by the premisses The people as they think worship God well enough at this rate their leaders teach them no more is needful their Church by confining their service to an unknown Tongue makes it necessary for their Divines thus to teach and unavoydable for the people to worship no otherwise Now what a Church is this or of what Religion that makes the real worship of God and of Jesus Christ to be needless and takes an effectual course that he should have none Let those who are of their Communion or tempted to it consider it seriously and in the fear of God Is it the way to Salvation to be without Religion is there any Religion indeed where it is made needless to worship God really when worship is as essential to Religion as a Soul is to a man They may by joyning with them greaten a party and promote the interest of a faction which carries on other designs under Religious pretences without regard of God as to his worship and honour or to the Souls of men as to their happiness and the true way to it but if they follow the conduct of the Roman Doctrine and worship of God no otherwise than these would have them they may be of the Roman Profession and yet of no Religion If a man have a mind to trouble himself with none of the realities of Christianity and yet to pass for Religious enough in the opinion of so much of the world as is Papal and will hang his Soul upon so common Reputation Popery is contrived to allure and gratifie him and he may safely venture on it if Damnation be not dangerous or if he can escape it by an opinion or shew of worshipping God and being Religious without reality CHAP. II. Christian knowledge is not necessary for Romanists by their Doctrine Sect. 1. KNowledge is the foundation of almost all that is saving of Faith Holiness Obedience Worship it is the ground-work without which scarce a stone can be laid in the whole structure of Salvation No saving faith without it Rom. 10. 14. There can be no love to or hope in an unknown object There can be no fear no desire of what we know not There can be no true worship of God unless that of the Samaritans was such who worshipped they knew not what There can be no obedience without knowing whom what why and for what end we obey in brief without knowledge there is no eternal life Joh. 17. 3. nothing but ruine and eternal destruction Hosea 4. 6. 2 Thess 1. Yet for all this Popery decries knowledge as that which is unnecessary for the people and extolls the want of it as that which is essential to their faith (a) Per hoc fides distinguitur contra scientiam melius per ignorantiam quam per notitiam definitur l. 1 de justif c. 7. p. 706. Sect. judicium Bellarmine saith faith is better defined by ignorance as that which is the Mother of their Devotion so others declare it as that which is the excellency of their obedience none comparable to that which they call blind obedience as Cardinal Cusanus tells us (b) Consummatia ut prefectissima obedientia infra It sufficeth the people to know that their Church hath knowledge
either the old or new Testament I content me with my Portuis and Pontifical Hist of Ch. of Scotl. l. 2. p. 66. The Bishops in other Countreys thought themselves bound in conscience to be as ignorant of the Scriptures when they counted it a sin to read them Yea he that wants a sufficiency of this knowledge though so very little or nothing be sufficient may be dispensed with upon the account of some other quality As for example (b) Magnitudo Charitatis supplet imperfectum scientiae Sylvest sum v. Cleric 2. n. 1. Charity they say will make up want of knowledge in those who have not sufficient to make them capable of any place or dignity amongst them Yea they may be dispensed with though they have no better qualities than in Gerson's time when he tells us (c) Nullibi Episcopos bonos opere doctrina praeditos eligi sed homines carnales spiritualium ignaros Gerson declar defect Eccles there were none any where that were good or approveable for Doctrine or Practice but all chosen were both carnal persons and ignorant of spiritual things So he in the Fifteen age and about the same time Clemangis sayes there were scarce any advanced to the Pontifical dignity who had so much as superficially either read or heard or learnt the Scriptures or who had ever touched any thing of the Bible except the cover Quotusquisque hodie est ad Pontificale culmen evectus qui sacras vel perfunctorie literas legerit audierit dedicerit imo qui sacrum codicem nisi tegumento tenus unquam attigerit De corrupt Eccl. Statu In the age after wheâ—ein the Councel of Trent was held we have in Papyrius Masson de Episc Vrbis The Character of the Roman Praelates by Pasquil begging the next Cardinals Cap as being more capable thereof than the Bishops then created Si imbelle sum atque rude marmor Complures quoque episcopos creari Ipso me mage Saxeos videbis And the same age in the Council of Trent where as they boast was the flower of all the Roman Praelates in Europe (d) The Bishops amongst whom very few had knowledge in Theology Hist Counc Trent lib. 2. p. 179. It is not strange they had no skill therein For the Italian Praelates who carried all in that Council being many more than two to one neither studied nor read the Scriptures lest the word of God should seduce them from Popery nor was Divinity their study but the civil and Canon law as one of them inform'd Espencaeus Mâ—mini Episcopum Italum nobilem nec vero imperitum mihi dicere conterraneos suos a stâ—dio Theologico deterreri quodammodo abhorrere ne sic fiant haeretici quasi vero â—aereses ex scripturarum studio nascantur Quam igitur artem vestrates aio profitentur juris ait utriusque sed in primis Canonici in Tit. cap 1. p. 486. Dudithius an eminent Bishop in that convention calls the Praelats who prevailed there indoctos stolidos sed tamen impudentia audacia utiles Epist ad Max. 2. Yea the whole Sorbon determine that it is not requisite to inquire concerning those who sit in Council utrum sint docti utrum habeant scientiam sacrarum literarum In Juel Epist de Conc. Trid. Sect 22. Duarenus who writ while that Council was sitting lets us understand how ignorant all their Bishops then few only excepted were of the Scriptures not only in Italy but other Countreys Hoc seculo Episcopatus sacerdotia indoctissimis hominebus a religione alienis deferri solent Hodie Episcopi nostri paucis exceptis sacrarum literarum scientia caeteris ex populo longe inferiores sunt De sac Eccles. Minist Benef. lib. 1. cap. 11. in fin Some thought it strange that Five Cardinals and 48 Bishops should so easily define the most principal and important points of Religion never decided before Neither was their amongst these Praelates any one remarkable for learning some of them were Lawyers perhaps learned in that Profession but of little understanding in Religion few Divines but of less than ordinary sufficiency Hist of Council of Trent l. 2. p. 163. very few of the Bishops had knowledge in Theology as Father Paul tells us yet these only had decisive voices in that Council and all was concluded by plurality of their Votes when far the major part understood not the matters concluded so that the Articles of the Roman faith were Voted blindfold And yet all must be damned who believe not these points of faith when those who made them so were ignorant of them and knew not what they did when they decreed them Such is the Romane charity and knowledge so burning and shining are their best lights they will have all burned here and in Hell too for not believing that which the Council for the greater part of it understood not But sure the knowledge of the Pope must be transcendent especially as to the Scripture his place and office requires it being accounted head of the whole Church which ought to have good eyes and teacher of Christians as much or more than Peter was and Judge in all controversies which concern Religion and Interpreter of all difficulties in Scripture and a more lively Oracle of God than the Scripture it self in the things of God Yes say they (e) Papa debet habere longe majorem scientiam alijs cum sit praepositus curiae toti Christianae reipublicae Pro eo tamen sufficit praesumptio juris quod papa praesumitur habere omnia in scrinio pectoris Graff l. 1. c. 15. n. 3. the Pope ought to have farr more knowledge than any other being the President of the whole Christian Common wealth so de Graffijs But then he adds as to him the presumption of the Law is enough for all this and that presumes that all is in the Cabinet of the Popes breast as it may well be presumed that a skill beyond that of all Physitians is in a bold Mountebank (f) Licet de facto quandoque possit contingere contrarium cum memoria hominis sit labilis id ibid. Quum hoc tempore nullus sit Romae qui sacras literas didicerit qua fronte aliquis eorum docere andebit quod non didicerit Arnulph in Concil Rhem. although indeed what is quite contrary may prove true Accordingly the Pope may be all that they style him without the knowledge of a Novice in the Scripture without any such acquaintance with it as to pretend to the name of a Divine though acquaintance with it be expected from none but Divines and many that have the name have little or nothing of the thing The Popes think not themselves concerned at all to trouble their heads with Divinity (*) The study of the Laws the Canon Law especially is the nearest way breve compendium to the highest dignities in their Church even the Popedom it self scarce any thing being left for
of Allegiance and by this art eluded it (*) Quando quis inique interrogat excludendo omnem aequivocationem posse interrogatum uti aequivocatione apponendo aliquam particulam in mente c. Idem dic de teste Bonacina Tom. 2. disp 4. q. 1. punct 12. ibi plurâ—s Quoties gravis causa occurrit obquam licet uti verbis ambignis vel mentali restrictione ejusmode usum esse licitum etsi interrogans urgeat ut sine amphibologia aut restrictione loquaris Pet. a S. Joseph de 2 precept art 1. and so they are instructed and may do still and defeat any Oath that can be devised Yea by their doctrine they may do it lawfully and without sin for in all this jugling they teach that they do not swear false but by the artifice specified it 's true in their own sense though not in theirs who give the Oath Indeed this is a cheat where God is called to witness nor do they deny it But they say such deceit is lawful as in many other cases so always when the Judge is incompetent And that is our case in England we have none from the Throne to the lowest Bench that in their account have any jurisdiction (h) Judex haereticus aut schismaticus amittit omnem jurisdictionem Vid. Conc. Lateran sub Innocent 3. in Crab. Supra we have none that have power to put an Oath upon them they may choose whether they will swear or no or whether they will cheat them all in swearing No Oath which can be given them can oblige them but in their own sense how distant soever from the true sense of the Oath or of the Imposer of it This our Roman Catholicks were assured of long since by (i) Juramentum exactum a judice non competente quales nunc omnes sunt in Anglia in jurisdictione Ecclesiastica non obligat nisi secundum intentionem jurantis in Abb. de mendacio p. 40. instructions sent them from Rome in Queen Elizabeths time So that they need make no Conscience if they will follow the best Guides of their Consciences to practise all their contrivance upon us in Oaths much more in promises contracts c. even such as the light of Nature has ever condemned in the world as not only impious in point of Religion but destructive to human society and those which tend to subvert the main grounds and foundations of it We can never oblige them by Oath at any time but when they please nor any further than they list we can never tell when they swear though they take Oaths nor when they are obliged though they swear we cannot possibly know when we may be sure of them When we think them fast by all the rules that men of Conscience and common Honesty procede by yet they can juggle themselves loose by the Roman rules at pleasure and make sport with God and man even in Oaths where God himself is a Witness and the greatest of men concerned as Parties Sect. 5. There needs no other demonstration of the Irreligion of the Roman Church and its utter regardlesness of God and the souls of men than their doctrine concerning the observance of the Lords day and all other which they pretend to be set apart for holy imployment If any man would understand what Religion is left among them he may see it there in short and needs look no further since there he may be satisfied that they have no design for the honour of God or the salvation of souls For when they have discharged the people from all dutys of Religion at any other determinate times (k) Vid. supra cap. 1. and reserved all which they make necessary for them to Holy-days yet even on these days by their doctrine nothing is made their duty to which any regard of God or of their souls is needful All that they are obliged to is only to be present at (l) Sola missa communiter est in praecepto Cajetan sum v. fest p. 304. Missa audienda Diebus festis ex praecepto non tamen Contio non preces fundendae non exercendus alius actus cultus Divini ex praecepto excipe diem paschatis quo sumenda est Eucharistia Victorel addit ad Tol. l. 4. c. 25. Mass no other act or duty of Religion or Worship is necessary no internal (m) Aquinas 2. 2. q. 122. art 4. Cajeran Sum. v. fest p. 305. Soto de justit jur l. 2. q. 4. art 4. Navar. c. 13. n. 2. c. No act of love Bellarm. de cult Sanct. l. 2. c. 10. Nav. c. 11. n. 7. Soto ibid. or contrition Soto ibid. Sylv. Sum. v. Dominic n. 8. Canus relect de paenit pars 4. p. 864. or sincerely no need to have that Devotion in the heart which they outwardly make shew of No necessity of a good end in their worshipping For that they commonly maintain after Aquinas that the end of the command for worship is not under command vid. supra act at all nor any (n) Not hearing Sermons Sylv. sum v. Dominic n. 8. Victorel Supra Nor other prayers private Sylv. ibid. Navar. c. 21. n. 6. vid. Suar. de fest l. 2. c. 16. n. 4. or publick Vesperas caeteraque Divina officia Diebus festis non audire non est peccatum mortale neque veniale nisi ratione voti aut juramenti Graff l. 2. c. 34. n. 12. Nemo jure communi regulariter tenetur audire de praecepto alia Divina officio etiam vesperas Navar. c. 21. n. 1. They are not obliged to any prayers but those in the Mass which indeed are not theirs nor need they concur in them otherwise than by a virtual wish that the Priest may be heard satis est vel ex longuiquo missanti adesse surgendo genua flectendo vel alias actualiter vel virtualiter exoptare ut sacerdos qui pro omnibus loquitur orat sacrificat a Deo exaudiatur idem ibid. n. 8. external either publick or private but only the Mass And that may be so external that neither God nor any divine thing need to be minded in it For this I have produced evidence enough already let me only add this they are wont to speak of a three-fold attending at Mass as before was shew'd at their divine Service One (*) This all the praying of the people when they have reduced all their Religious acts to this in Popery All that the Church makes necessary or leaves possible to them in publick which yet is no praying otherwise than one while he is at Paris may be said to be praying at Rome because he virtually wishes success to a Priest saying Mass there Or then one in their Purgatory may be said to be praying at the same time in Heaven because he would have the supposed intercession of the Saints there to be successful to what is said and done by the Priest as Sacred A second to the meaning
of what is said or done And the third to God and divine things Now the first of these they say (o) Haec satis est licet omnium imperfectissima Fill. tr 5. n. 214. Suarez Having premised that he believes there is no dissention or difficulty amongst them concerning attention at the time of Mass reckons after Aquinas the 3. sorts of attention and adds of the first Haec attentio est infima omnium tamen sufficiens quia illa saâ—is est ut illa missae auditio seu praesentia sit bumana moralis ex objecto religiosa Tom. 3. disp 88. sect 3. This being sufficient the Second and Third are more than needs and yet in the third this excluded as needless he acknowledges all inward reverence and worship is included Sub hac autom attentione ad Deum omnis interior reverentia cultus omnis oratio petitio includitur ut eleganter describit Gregorius 10. in c. decet ibid. is enough though it be the worst of all therefore the second to regard the meaning of what is said or done and the third to mind God or Divine things is more than needs So that plainly all that is required of a Papist by their Doctrine in order to the honour of God and the salvation of his soul on any of those days when these ought to be most minded is only being present at Mass without understanding what is said or done and without minding God or any thing divine Such is their worship of God and care of souls in the Church of Rome this is the sum of their Religion when it appears set forth to greatest advantage in its solemn exercises he that understands it and can be in love with it must be under the power of some other consideration than that of God and his soul Having seen how these days are sanctified or prophaned rather by their worship we might view what observance they have in reference to servile works And here they have little but what may be done without sin and indeed as they order the matter it may seem less sin to follow the works of their callings than to forbear them since their abstinence from them is not that they may better attend the worship of God for they think it not needful to worship him unless he can be said to be worshipped when he is not heeded but that they may be idle or worse imployed than in their daily business However whether it be to indulge their ease or serve their lusts or to make shew of some rest though far enough from a holy rest they will have some works forborn but herein they will be regulated by (*) Dicendum consuetudine fieri posse ut aliquae personae licite possint in Die festo aliqua opera servilia vel aliter in festo prohibita exercere Antoninus Slyvester Cajetan Soto Tabiena Armilla Navar. in Suar. l. 2. de fest c. 33. n. 12. custom not the divine Law Paludanus (p) Per Dominicum intelligitur generaliter omnis Dies festus de praecepto secundm Pet. de Balude quod sentire videtur â—etiam 1. Jo. Andr. doctores dicentes aliquos in Diebus festis excusari nisi missam omistant Et. est rationabile quia consuetudo legum interpres ita habet Sum. v. missa 2. n. 1. and others will have them excused who use manual labours on these days if they omit not the Mass And Sylvester says this is reasonable because Custom the interpreter of Laws will have it so This may so far regulate them that every (q) Unaquaeque provincia aut civitas observare teneturilla eo modo tantum quae quomodo quantum consuetudo ipsius praecepit observari Navar. c. 13. n. 5. Si usus haberet ut solum serventur usque ad meridiem vel usque ad solemnia missarum peracta postea possent opera servilia fieri idem ibid. Province and City must observe those days and those alone in that manner and so far only as custom requires Yea it must so far prevail that if it were the custom to observe these days no longer than till Noon or only till Mass were ended which may be dispatched in half an hour and that before (*) Gabriel cum Scoto dicunt licitum esseincho are missam una hora quarta partè alterius ante ortum solis Non erit peccatum hora dimidia ante ortum folis sacrificare Imo addit Paludanus clarius Victoria posse licite inchoari missam dimidia hora ante crepusculum ita ut finis missae sit sub initium crèpusculi plus minusve Et hoc est in praxi servandum Suarez tom 3. disp 80. sect 4. So Mass may be ended not only before Sun-rise but about break of day above an hour before the Sun is up Sun rise the rest may be spent in servile works They account it worse to spend these days in servile labour than prophane divertisements for this with them is only a Venial fault or (*) Bonacin Tom. 2. disp 5. p. 277. n. 25. p. 274. n. 3. none but that may be a mortal sin yet they declare there is no sin in the worst but what custom makes they are like to make Conscience of it when their own wills and practices are their rule This as many other by their doctrine which makes voyd the commands of God at pleasure is but a sin at discretion they may make it none when they please and render all days alike as easily as they can bring up a custom (*) Observatio Diei Dominicae non est de jure Divino sed Canonico ut aiunt communiter Doctores consequenter posse consuetudine vel humana potestate abrogari Bonacin Tom. 2. disp 5. n. 4. p. 272. Sayrus alij ibi such a one to which nature is forward But no wonder they think not these sacred days violated by working since they teach they are not prophaned by any acts of wickedness Their Divines (r) Cajetan Soto Sylvester Victoria Navar. Covarruvius alij quosirefext sequitur Suarez de fest l. c. 18. n. 3. inter quos etiam recenset S. Thom. vid. Bellarm de cultu sanct l. 3. c. 10. Graff l. 2. c. 33. n. 8. generally agree herein (s) Non continetur sub hoc praecepto contritio peccatorum nec vitatio aliorum peccatorum Sum. v. fest p. 305. Contrition for sins and the avoyding of other sins is not injoyned says Cajetan The day is not prophaned by Fornication (t) Non quod per fornicationem violetur festum de just jur l. 2. q. 4. art 4. says Soto nor by Lying Murder or Blaspheming says Bellarmin (u) Non enim violaâ—ur tempus sacrum per quaecunque peccata sed solum per ea quae opponuntur ipsi tempori sacro qualia sunt non audire sacrum operari corporaliter Ibid. l. 3. c. 10. p. 1610. Secunda
opinio asserit peccatum etiam mortale in Die festo commissum non habere ex illa temporis circumstantia specialâ—m malitiam quae in confessione necessario operienda sit illam docent Cajetan Corduba Soto Victoria Almayn Sylvester Armilla Tabiena Angl. Navar. Covarruvias Gutier pro hac etiam sententia potest referri D. Thomas in 4. dist 32. art 5. q. 1. Suarez l. 2. de festis cap. 18. n. 3. vid. Bonacin Tom. 2. disp 5. p. 274. nor by any wickedness whatsoever is holy time prophaned but only by those opposite thereto viz. not hearing Mass and bodily labours So that the days may be sanctified well enough according to the holiness of that Church if after an irreligious presence at Mass for half an hour the precept for which may be satisfied without minding God or abstaining from wickedness while they are at it the rest thereof be spent in beastly Drunkenness or Gluttony in Perjuries Blasphemies or Cursing God or Man in Murders Whoring Sodomy or Bestiality or the most enormous debauches And though they are not bound as they teach to be at the pains of one good act of mind or heart in serving God at the only time set apart for his Service Scotus is almost worried by the Herd of their Divines (x) Scotus sentire videtur hoc nos praecepto juberi diebus festis bonum habere mentis actum circa Deum Soto de just jur l. 2. q. 4. art 4. p. 51. for seeming to think that a good act of mind towards God was injoyned on these days yet they may spend their bodys and toyl themselves more in the service of their lusts without prophaning them than in servile works The reason why they hold that no excess of wickness does prophane these days is (y) Nec valet dicere inter ista servilia computari peccatum quia hoc falsum est Sylv. Sum. v. Dominic n. 8. nisi esset opus servile in festis prohibitum quale non est peccatum juxta S. Thomam in 3. sent dist 37. art 5. q. 2. Navar. c. 6. n. 10. probatur a Cajetano caeteris quia opus peccati ut sic non est servile Suar. ibid n. 6. because wicked acts are not servile works It seems slavery to Sathan and the service of the vilest lusts is not servile whatsoever Christ or the Apostle thought thereof John 8. 34. Rom. 6. 16. that is consistent enough with the liberty and honour of such Christians as they are However hereby it is manifest that their Religious observation of all holy times and so all the Religiousness which that Church requires of her Catholicks is consistent with the lewdest acts of ungodliness and debauchery In fine God can have no honour from men nor they salvation from him without Religion this cannot be kept up in the world without the solemn exercises of it these cannot or will not be performed without time for that end therefore hath the Lord appointed time to be set apart for these purposes the Church of Rome hath reduced all religious Exercises at the times appointed by God or themselves to the peoples hearing of Mass and there will not have the precept oblige them to any real Religiousness not so much as to a thought of God or any thing Divine yea or the forbearance of wicked thoughts and acts while they are at Mass Thus far is Religion upon which the interest of God and Man so much depends sunk among them And it must of necessity sink all but the shadow or froth in any part of the world where these principles prevail But though they declare them not obliged to serve God any better at this or at any other time yet they maintain for them as much liberty to serve the Devil and their Lusts on these Holy times as any other Let all concerned judge of the Roman Religion and Holiness hereby if there were nothing else by which the measures thereof could be taken this would suffice Sect. 6. In the next place in reference to Hereticks to go no further for that is far enough since in their Charity the far greatest part of Christians are no better all Relatives are discharged of their respective dutys injoyned them by the Laws of God or Man Their Decretall the Law of their Church which presumes to over-rule all other Law Natural Divine or Civil deprives Hereticks immediatly of all (a) Ipso jure privatos esse haereticos omni debito fidelitatis Dominij obligationis obsequij quo illis quicunque tenebantur astricti Decretal Gregor 9. l. 5. c. ult de haeret due fidelity right duty observance which any whosoever do owe them (b) Amittunt omnia quae juris civilis sunt Graff l. 2. c. 11. n. 12. privantur jâ—…e Dominij naturalis oeconomici civilis vid. Ovandus in 4. dist 13. p. 347. They lose all which they have by civil right (c) Eorum vassalli absoluti sunt a debito fidelitatis totius obsequij idem de vassallis Dominorum qui contra haereticos sunt negligentes Sylvest v. haereses 1. n. 14. Angelus v. haeret n. 15. Subjects owe no Allegeance or duty at all to Princes or Magistrates (d) Perdunt patriam potestatem quia non habent filios in potestate Graff ibid. Fillj haereticorum ipso facto quo sententiatum est contra eorum parentes de haeresi efficiuntur sâ—i juris effecti intelliguntur a Die commissi criminis Angel ibid. n. 10. Sylvest ibid. Children owe no duty to their Parents they have by their Law no power over them and this from the first day of their Heresie (e) Viro debitum reddere non tenetur Simanca Instit Cathol c. 45. n. 27. Wives owe not conjugal duty to their Husbands and if (f) Uxoreâ— scienter cum haereticis contrahentis perdunt ipso facto dotem Sylvest ibid. Angelus ibid. n. 11. they knew they were not Papists when contracted they lose their Dowry (g) Et quicunque alij aliqua obligatione adstricti ut famuli liberti hujusmodi ipso facto liberantur Ut dicitur notatur in c. fi eo ti Angelus ibid. n. 15. Sylvest ibid. Servants are freed from all Fidelity to and observance of their Masters (h) Omnes haereticos obligatos ex juramento fidelitate obsequij pactione vel promissione liberari ita habetur c. ultimo de Haeret. Propterea si aliquis promisisset haereticis solvere sub paena vel juramento certo Die non tenetur ut notat Glossa ibid. Ego teneo quod eo ipso quod est manifestum in haeresin incidisse tales absoluti sunt quantumcunque sententia non feratur contra eos Angel ibid. n. 15. Sylvest ibid. n. 14. Armilla v. haeres n. 11. Ovandus in 4. dist 13. propos 30. p. 348. Yea Debtors are freed from paying what they owe to Hereticks though bound thereto either by Penalty or Oath They hereby oblige their
seems to import that they are all in his power and at his pleasure so as he may either interpret them or dispense with them as he thinks fit Some of them in reference to natural and divine Laws make shew of denying this in general but then they grant in particular instances what is sufficient to make good the general charge There is no command of the first or second Table wherein they do not hold the Pope may dispense unless it be the first and to question his power of dispensing there is no great disparagement to him since they deny it to God himself There is no doubt amongst them but he can dispense with (o) In votis autem juramentis dispensat it ac poterat quidem quod erat in aedisicationem Canus pars 6. Relect. de paenit p. 371. Oaths and make it no sin to break them though they acknowledge the (p) Reddere vota juramenta servare juris est divini naturalis idem ibid. p. 370. obligation of an Oath to be by divine Law And no wonder it has been so ordinary a practice since they hold that this condition is still presupposed in (q) Subintelligitur si placuerit papae ut in D. C. Venientes de jurjur immo in omni juramento excipi ur authoritas superioris Sylv. v. juram 3. n. 1. the Oaths If it shall please the Pope And though they conclude Vows to be more obliging than Oaths yet they (r) Canus supra teach the Pope may dispense with the accomplishment of solemn promises made to God and so can make both Sacriledge and Perfidiousness to God lawful enough The Pope can dispense not only with rash Oaths or Vows but those that are best and their obligation most unquestionable If any says Rosella after others do Vow or Swear any thing that may lawfully be observed the Pope should not alter it when there is no cause yet if he do release such though without cause the release holds good because he is above positive Law and also can dispense against the divine Law so that he dispense not against the Gospel and Articles of Faith Sum. v. juram 1. n. 4. But if he do that too he may stand to it for many teach that the Pope is not forbidden to dispense against the Gospel but only not to destroy the Gospel v. papa n. 3. and we must conceive if we can that he may take away the obligation of the rules of the Gospel without destroying it However as to Oaths and Vows he can totally they say dissolve the Obligation Quem admodum potest ipse Deus even as God himself can because it is likely that God as he had cause gave his own power to bis Vicar etherwise he had not been a good Father of his Houshold if he had left his Flock without a Shepheard who could as occasion serves provide for them in all even to license Perjury and Perfidiousness to God himself as Pope Innocent argues but whether with more reason or Blasphemy let others judge Whereupon Hostiensis saith that seeing God and his Vicar have the same consistory the Pope can do in a manner all that God can do the Key not erring for Christ says generally to Peter Whatever thou shalt bind and saying whatever he excepts nothing ibid. n. 1. There is not any thing in the world which they count more inviolable than their Vow of Religion yet he may dispense with this and the reason is considerable Because Religion derived its being from the Authority of the Roman Bishop he therefore who gave it may take it away So P. Innocent and their Canonists generally ibid. n. 4. Hostiensis and others seem to speak extravagantly when they say the Pope can do as much in a manner as God himself But this may pass for a modest speech if they will have him to do more and more he can do if he can make contradictions to be consistant One instance of it we have in the question whether the Pope can dispense with a Monk to have secular propriety Rich. de S. Victore says it is essential to a Monk to want it and so a contradiction to be a Monk and have it yet others say the Pope can do it and render those consistent enough and so make one to be a Monk while he is none Idem ibid. So for Sanctifying of the Lords day there can be no doubt of the Papal power herein since they count the command for it (s) Dicimus omnia Christianorum festa etiam dies dominicos solo humano jure id quod etiam sent it Turrecrementa Archidiaconus S. Thomas Waldensis Navar. c. 13. n. 1. positive for that he can dispense in all (t) Quae sunt de jure positivo potest summus Pontifex etiam sine causa tollere abrogare quamvis male faciat factum tamen validum sit Canus ibid. p. 972. Sylvest juxta mentem S. Thom. v. papa n. 15. vid. Angel Sum. v. papa n. 3. Universaliter potest dispansere contra statum universalem Ecclesiae positives is with them unquestionable Nothing is necessarily required by the Precept for Sanctifying of this day but the hearing of Mass and abstaining from servile works The Pope if he please may turn these into working days for he can Abrogate them And since the people by their Divinity are not obliged to any other publick worship but the Mass and that only on these days he may discharge them from all Conscience of publick (u) Sequitur posse pontisicem in hoc praecepto de missa audienda dispensare cum Ecclesiasticum sit he adds only dispensare cum aliquo ut nunquam in toto vita missam audiat etiamsi possit neque ulla rationabili causa impediatur non potest esse expediens Suarez tom 3. disp 88. Sect. 2. p. 1140. Hinc patet summum Pontisicem posse dispensare in praecepto audiendi missam Tom. 1. disp 4. q. ult punct 11. n. 6. Bonacina aiunt communiter Doctores posse consuetudine vel humana potestate abrogari Idem in 3. praecept q. 5. n. 4. worship and disingage them from tendering any unto God for he can dispense with the Mass They make it indeed sometimes a character of Antichrist to put down the Mass But it is not fit the Pope should want power to be Antichrist at pleasure and why should they be angry with us for thinking him so already since with them herein he may lawfully be Antichrist when he list And he may do as much for the Clergy and Monasticks All the solemn worship necessary and proper for them is that of their Canonical hours but (x) Quarta causa a recitando divinum officium excusans est dispensatio papae juxta Cardinalem Turrecrematam neque aliud sentit Cardinalis Florentinus Navar. c. 25. n. 102. the Pope can order that they shall not be obliged to say their Service Utrum papa facere
alone will secure them The lest natural or slavish remorse and a Priest is all the Christianity that a Papist need trouble himself for if he can but make sure of these at last gasp he is safe though all his life he be more like a Devil incarnate than a Christian By this alone Christianity is utterly subverted all the Laws of Christ in effect repealed and their observance rendred needless the whole Gospel made a Cypher and a way to salvation opened by bold Impostors not only without but against the Gospel and quite cross to the Way the Truth and the Life Sect. 2. No more is needful to manifest that the practical part of Popery however it hath passed for more harmless than the other more insisted on is destructive to the souls of men It leads them out of the way of salvation if real Christianity be the way It obliges them to neglect as needless not only the lesser but the principal parts of that way without which Heaven is altogether inaccessible They that have discovered another Hell may as well fancy another Heaven but they way to that Heaven which Christ hath prepared for his people lyes through the knowledge of Christ Love to him Faith in him that Repentance from dead works and exercise of Christian vertues that Mortification of sin Holiness of life and real Worshipping of God which by this doctrine is abandoned as unnecessary It tempts them into the way of destruction incourages them in such practice of wickedness as Christ hath declared to be the broad way It promises safety therein and hides the danger from their eyes it covers the pits whose descent is into that which is bottomless with Spiders webbs and perswades them it is firm ground It leaves them no sense nor notice of many sins no Conscience of far the most no fear of any no not of the worst such as themselves call deadly crimes It gives as much security to such wickedness as a heart that has sold it self to it need wish For what need he desire more than assurance that after a whole life spent therein there is a very easie way for him to be saved so easie that he need not trouble himself so much as truly to repent Such grace as any Priest can help a Sinner to an impenitent Sinner at last gasp will bring him to Heaven though he never once thought of the way to it all his life Such being the rules which Roman Catholicks have for the conduct of their hearts and lives and the worst sort of them being as much approved by their Church as any practical doctrine currant amongst them let it be considered what regard that Church hath of Religion or Salvation which leaves them to such doctrine as is so inconsistent with both and what regard they have of their souls who after notice hereof will trust them to such a conduct It gratifies the lusts and corrupt inclinations of the seduced and serves the interest of the contrivers drawing the world into the bosom of the Popes Church and intangling it there by all the charms of such a Religion as dissolute persons would make for themselves but if the God of infinite Goodness Truth have given us any certain notice of the ways of eternal Life and Death those that believe and practice it will certainly destroy theis own Souls FINIS ERRATA PAge r. r. The introduction p. 5. l. 18. r. their trade there p. 6. l. 3. r. worship God p. 9. l. 12. r. cannot for that p. 22. l. 25. r. will it p. 33. l. 24. r. less than none p. 34. l. 19. r. a little p. 38. l. 9. r. testimonys p. 39. l. 20. for unlawfully r. lawfully p. 40. l. 12. r. determin's l. 19. r. instance p. 80. l. 5. dele other p. 92. l. 7. r. Sancius l. 19. r. command to love p. 100. l. 16. r. least attrition p. 102. l. 1. for without r. with one p. 106. l. 3. for believes r. loves l. 6. r. of new sin p. 107. l. 23. for thou r. then p. 112. l 6. dele p. 117. l. 4. r. one man p. 123. l. 10. for repenting r. remembring p. 111. 113. 115. 117. 119. in the Title for Church r. doctrine p. 136. l. 21. for best r. least p. 147. l. 21. dele p. 156. It 29. for would r. need p 164. l. 12. for their r. then l. 32. dele So p. 196. l. 25. for it r. them p. 217. l. 12. r. Vega p. 217. l. 17 for r. but for r. He p. 222. l. 6. r. sins p. 239 l. 5. r. his love p 254. l. 2. for less r. left p. 265. l. 21. r. hypocrisi p. 275. l. 22. for gaming r. gaining p. 290. l. 8. r. neither l. 21. r. greater it is p. 291. l. 20. for quiet r. guilt p. 305. l. 13. for him r. Christ p. 110. l. 18. r. that Traitors p. 321. l. 20. for forth r. such p. 324. l. 1. dele * p. 331. l. 2. for thus r. that p. 341. l. 17. for he r. she p. 380. l. 7. r. were In the Citations Page 5. l. 1. r. attentam p. 7. l ult p. 8. l. 1. 8. r. Major p. 15. l. 7. r. surgentes p. 17. l. 2. for quamdiu r. quamvis p. 28. l. 7. r. cultum externum p. 31. l. 15. r. missae p. 49. l. 17. r. ita D. Tho. p. 68. l. 9. r. simpliciter ibid. r. juridice p 71. l. 8. r. C. cum voluntate p. 80. l. 5. r. se p. 89. l. 1. r. art 2. 3. p. 92. l. 4. r. q. 84. p. 93. l. 3. r. omni p. 103. l. 1. r. intensionem p. 122. l. 8. r. obligare p. 143. l. 2. r. justificare p. 168. l. 10. r. pauperias p. 213. l. 4. r. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 p. 224. l. 2. r. spectaculis l. 11. r. deriserunt p. 230. l. 16. r. dominium p. 232. l. 3. r. licet l. 4. r. licet nobis constet viam perditionis l. ult r. Sum. p. 233. l. 4. r. ob p. 237. l. 11. r. scurrilitas qua l. 3. urgenti p. 243. l. 7. r. quum p. 248. l. ult r. Bonacin p. 251. l. 6. r. id rei p. 252. l. 9. r. subintelligitur p. 254. l. 8. r. praedicatoris ibid. r. ratione p. 257. l. 6. r. gravius p. 260. l. 7. r. pro hac p. 262. l. 6. r. servandum l. 8. r. obligandi p. 271. l. 9. r. Quum p. 272. l. 2. r. aliquam p. 273. l. 8. r. affectu p. 288. l. 8. r. genere p. 289. l. 10. r. fastidium p. 301. l. 5. r. deneganda p. 316. l. 4. r. exhibet p. 319. l. 5. r. habet p. 323. l. 10. r. sincerity p 335. l. 10. r. plurimi p. 338. l. 12. r. famulae p. 346. l. 4. r. Vectigal p. 356. l. 11. r. perpendat l. 12. r. greges p. 361. l. 7. r. retro p. 362. l. 13. for a qui r. quia p. 370. l. 7. r. dispensare p. 390. l. 1. r. per. p. 310. l. 2. dele Cello 6. p. 311. l. 6. r. Taurini p. 318. l 11. for maligno r. in aliquo p. 354. l. 7. for non r. nam