Watson and Parsons here in the dayes of Queen Elizabeth and of latter times 'twixt the Jansenians and Jesuites abroad 2ly It may be said that for our present ruptures either you have made or else maintained and continued diverse of our breaches 3ly That when we come to heaven and not before we may expect that all men should be of the same opinion in every thing 4ly That the Protestant Churches doe agree in the maine and fundamentals of our Religion See the Harmony of Confess and wherein we differ I and 1000 s other Protestants desire to use Scripture Prayer and sound reason to convince those who are otherwise minded We desire to use soft words and hard reasons to draw men with cords of love and not to burne and consume them with coales of fire Yea I dare almost put it to your selves to be Judges whether there have not been in Queen Mary's daies in four yeers more Protestants put to death in England than there have been Papists in fourscore since And now if you object against the Protestant Churches for want of a right ministry pretending their want of succession or a right ordination or a right Government and jurisdiction to these it may be replyed 1 That succession in pure Doctrine is a better marke of a true Church than succession into the seats and places of former Orthodox Pastors 2ly That it is almost if not utterly impossible for you Papists to know who is the true Pastor the Bishop of Rome whom you pretend you must follow considering the many Schismes and the indirect corrupt waies whereby diverse have advanced themselves into the chaire 3ly Our first Reformers were ordained Ministers by your Church and Mr Mason shewes you a succession since To him you may adde a little piece of Sr John Harrington as a supplement to Mr Mason and Dr Ferne hath justified the consecrations of our first Bishops against those frivolous allegations made against them 4ly If you should quarrell with us now because Bishops are in a great measure laid aside as if no ordination could possibly be valid except by Bishops and therefore that if now we have true Ministers yet without Restauration of Bishops we can have none no Ministers long I answer that although I am not yet plerophorized that a Primitive Bishop or Episcopus praeses is utterly unlawfull yet I am not fully convinced that they are an Institution of Christ and essentiall or absolutely necessary to the very being of a Church or ministry I dare not so easily unchurch those of the Reformed Religion abroad who have no Bishops name or thing Bishops or Superintendents and in this I am not alone the late Reverend Dr Usher sometimes an Arch-Bishop himselfe was of the like judgment See his life and death by Dr Bernard Yea in the Church of Rome sometimes there hath been allowed Ordination by other hands than by Bishops if I mistake not And the Master of the Sentences holds but two orders jure divino Presbyters and Deacons See Pet Lumb And if I misremember not I have read that the Spaniards hindred it in the Council of Trent that it did not passe that all Bishops except the Bishop of Rome were jure humano or to that effect And Medina who disputed at the Councill of Trent touching the Superiority of a Bishop above a Priest affirms that Jerome was in this point of Aerius his opinion and that not only he but also Ambrose and Austin Sedulius Primasius Chrysostomus Theodoret Oecumenius and Theophylact maintained all of them the same Heresy So hee If the Charity so some Protestants be a stumbling block which lyes in your way to hinder you from leaving your Errors and professing the truth I shall endeavour briefly to remove that out of your way First Were I in your case and did not I resigne up my Judgment to the Scriptures according to that infallible rule to judge which is the true Church I would avoid that Church most where is professed and practised the greatest cruelty and joyne to that soonest where is professed and practised the greatest charity You professe at least many of you that 't is impossible for us to be saved that 't is absolutely necessary to salvation to be a member of the Roman Church to believe the Articles of the Trent faith and to live and dye in the communion of the Roman Church in subjection unto the Bishop of Rome whom you call Christ's Vicar and Peter's Successor Hear what a learned and religious Person saith to this point Must Paul be damned because he was not one of Peter's subjects doe not your consciences know he writes to the literate Romanists that swearing obedience to the Pope of Rome was a thing unknown for many hundred yeares yea that it is a novelty in the world Againe when I read so many plain promises in the Scriptures that whoever believeth in Christ shall not perish and that if by the Spirit we mortify the deeds of the body we shall live and that if we repent our sins shall be forgiven yea that Godlinesse hath the promise of this life and that to come and then when I find that the Papists for all these certain promises doe unchurch and damne us all because we believe not in the Pope of Rome as well as in Christ this satisfied me as fully that you are audacious Schismaticks as I am satisfied that you are Papists So hee Mr Baxter against popery The Papists will sometimes brag of their Charity they give perhaps a piece of bread to some of our poor and yet unchurch us poore and rich they would not stick I feare had they power in their hands to burne our bodies saying we are Hereticks and they doe as much as in them lyes to damne our soules and if this be their charity Oh my soule come not thou into their secrets And yet doe not the Papists lay too great a stresse on the charity of some Protestants considering the Assertion of Mr Perkins which saith that A Reprobate may in truth be made partaker of all that is contained in the Religion of the Church of Rome and a Papist by his Religion cannot goe beyond a Reprobate Perk. Vol. 1. p. 396. 404. And what Dr Usher said namely to this effect being asked by a Papist whether a Papist may be sav'd that one that holds all the Tenets of the Council of Trent and lives accordingly without Repentance cannot be saved he said there were two plaine places for it the places I did not heare but suppose them to be 2 Thes 2.11 12. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusions that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believe not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse And Rev. 14.9 10 11. If any man worship the beast and his image and receive his marke in his forehead or in his hand the same shall drinke of the wine of the wrath of God And the smoke of
Gentiles were wont to set up candles to them so doe the Papists The Gentiles were wont to burne incense to them so doe the Papists So he and I doe not know that there is any one who hath answered this charge since extant See Dr Westfields Serm p. 64. 65. Such like 't is not improbable is the moderne practise of the common people under the Papacy I have heard to this effect that when the late King was in Spain reasoning against worshipping of Images with a Priest who denying the charg it was agreed betwixt them to take the next Person they found at devotions in their Churches for an experiment The Priest bespake the Person a woman to this purpose Good Woman you doe not pray to this Image or Saint but to God in it I but I doe saith the woman and will doe till you shew me a better Till the yeer 788. Images were never appointed publickly to be worshipped in the Churches and this was done in the second Council of Nice Charles the Great sent this Act of the Counciil to the Bishops of England to know how they liked it they said Alas for woe we find in those acts many things against Christian Religion especially this that the worshipping of Images is decreed which the Church of God curseth Dr Westfeild pag. 60. 61. If you say then where was our Church or Religion before Luther and call us to give a catalogue in all ages of men professing our Faith and way of worship and that the Fathers and all Antiquity were yours Heare I pray you the saying of Mr Du Moulin This reproach of novelty ill becomes the mouthes of those persons which hide the true Antiquity from the people which is the word of God and which maintain that yet at this day the Church may and can make new ordinances touching Faith and which by the Church understand no other than the Romish Church that in the first ages after the Apostles cannot produce one man that was of their Religion and which know that in all Antiquity there is no mention made of excluding the people from the cup of prohibiting them the reading of the Holy Scriptures of reading the Scriptures to the people in a language they understand not of painting the Trinity of worshipping Images of adoring the hoast with the worship of Latria of private Masses of the Bishop of Romes Court c. If you will have us tell more particularly who were of our Religion before Luther know that Christ and the holy Apostles were and as for other names of particular persons who held with us in the Doctrines above named or diverse other materiall Doctrines the Protestants referre you to Dr Field of the Church Birckbeck's Protestant's Evidence and let me send you also to the Martyrologies in England and France c. and I shall adde one more and that is a testimony of your own which I find cited formerly and lately And that is of Raynerus the Monke concerning the Waldenses c. 4. where he saith that they have continued say some from the time of Sylvester others from the time of the Apostles that there 's scarce any land where they are not that they live righteously before all men bene omnia de Deo credunt omnes Articulos qui in Symbolo continentur solummodo Romanam Ecclesiam blasphemant clerum i.e. they believe althings well concerning God all the Articles that are contained in the Creed only they blaspheme the Romane Church and the Clergy And what if there were some 1000â— of true Worshippers in the Church of Rome before the Reformation as there were 7000 in Israel who had not bowed their knees to Baal or what if we be the same Church now that we were before only then Apostaticall Idolatrous Leprous as white as snow but now professors of the true Faith without corrupt mixtures and of the pure worship and so cured of our Leprosy If you aske what Authority we had to reforme our selves I referre you to Dr Bramhal for satisfaction who shewes it was done in England by King and Priest and that the Popish Princes upon occasion claime a right and power to doe what indeed we have done i. e. to reforme the Churches under them or to the like effect See Bramhal of Schisme There was a Reformation desired before Luther and the Princes of Germany represented their hundred grievances to the Emperour But what mighty men could not God hath brought about by mean men nor needed Martin Luther and the rest any Commissions extraordinary sealed with the broad seales of new miracles to authorize his or their proclaiming the laws and edicts of the great God the King of Heaven We judge it lawfull for men to obey the commands of God doing the duties of their places without a license from men so to doe Besides seeing that the Reformers did preach the same Doctrine which Christ and his Apostles did and set up the same way of worship which they did all which was formerly confirmed by miracles it is not reasonable to demand that they should shew by new miracles that they had Authority to reforme the Church of God And herein Luther and the rest shewed themselves to be of the truth because they went not about to deceive meÌ„ with lying wounders or miracles to get credit to their persons or Doctrine such as the Romish Legends have for the honour of their Saints and confirmation of their new Articles of Faith In my opinion he must have a monstrous Faith who believes but one halfe or the moiety of their miracles if the whole dose be like that tast of them Mr Baxter gives us out of Dr White and he out of Baronius as that Francis turned a capon into a fish and water into wine made the rock send forth water and anchors to swim converted a Lambe by preaching to him that he caused Swallows Grashoppers and a wild Falcon to joyne with him in the praises of God That Bernard by blessing their ale and giving it some lewd persons to drinke caused God's grace to enter into them that he killed 〈◊〉 by excommunication c. Baxter out of Francis Whites defence of his Brother pag. 147 148. And again that their Nicolas while he lay in his cradle fasted Wednesday and Friday that Patrick caused a â—â—ollen sheep to bleat in the belly of him that had eaten him that Fryar Andrew to correct his appetite of eating birds at the Table by the signe of the Crosse commanded them to fly away after they were roasted Mr Baxter pag. 167. 168. from Dr â—â—eatly If you object against us our differences and divisions Protestants may returne Are there not divisions in opinion even amongst you also and with you more intollerable because you pretend you have an infallible visible judge of all controversies How have you differed about the conception of the blessed Virgin about the supremacy of the Pope or a generall Councill c. What adoe was there 'twixt
peoples communicating in one kind only namely partaking of the bread but not of the cup 1 Cor. 11.25 26. After the same manner also he took the cup when he had supped saying This is the new testament in my blood this doe ye as oft as ye drink it in remembrance of me For as often as ye eate this bread and drink this cup ye doe shew the Lord's death 'till he come In worshipping of Angels Col. 2.18 Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of Angels c. Rev. 22.8 9. And I John saw these things and heard them and when I had heard and seen I fell down to worship before the feet of the Angel which shewed me these things Then saith he unto me see thou doe it not for I am thy Fellow servant and of thy brethren the Prophets and of them which keep the sayings of this book worship God And in worshipping of Images Ex. 20.4 5. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image or any likenesse of any thing that is in heaven above or that is in the earth beneath or that is in the water under the earth Thou shalt not bow downe thy selfe to them Robert Whitgift Abbot of the Monastery of Wellow in Lincolneshire said that they and their Religion could not long continue because said he I have read the whole Scripture over and over and could never find therein that our Religion was founded by God Leigh out of the life of Arch-Bishop Whitgift by Sr. George Paul nor serve them for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God c. Q. Have the Antient Fathers Councils and Churches held all points of beliefe of ceremony and of Discipline as the Church of Rome now doth A. No. The present Chuch of Rome notwithstanding their great boast of Antiquity doth hold some points of Doctrine which the Antients did not and doth not hold some which the Antients did Again they practise at this day diverse ceremonies which the Antients did not and have left off the use of diverse Antient ceremonies And lastly the present Church of Rome hath laid aside the exercise of diverse points or matters of Discipline which the Antients used See all this proved by Mr Dallie's Treatise of the Fathers l. 2. p. 143 144. Q. Were there any before Luther who dissented from the doctrine of the present Romish Church and who would not subject their neckes to her yoke and government or who thought her fallible A. Yes Before Luther there were diverse eminent and famous witnesses to the truth of that Religion and Doctrine for the main which the Protestants hold diverse from the present Church of Rome See for the profe of this in Scultetus his Medulla Patrum of the judgment of the Fathers for the first 300 yeers Dr Field of the Church Birckbeck's Protestant Evidence Mr Perkin's his Demonstration of the Probleme and concerning worshipping of Images See Dr Westfield's Sermons on the Calfe Q. Doe the Pagans and Papists agree in the manner of worshipping Images A. See B p Westfield's Sermons where out of an Apocrypha book yet such as the Church of Rome accounts canonicall he shewes that there are diverse things done to the Popish that were by the old Babylonish Idolaters done to their Images as before in the Preface Q. May a man be surely saved if he exercise Repentance towards God and Faith in our Lord Christ although he be no member of the Romane Church or Disciple or subject of the Pope or Bishop of Rome A. Joh. 3.16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out Gal. 6.15 16. For in Christ Jesus neither Circumcision availeth any thing nor uncircumcision but a new creature And as many as walke according to this Rule peace be on them and mercy and upon the Israel of God Q. Is it a safer way to come to the Church of Rome than to those commonly called Protestants or Reformed Churches A. No by no meanes 2 Thes 2.11 12. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lye that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousnesse Rev. 14.9 10 11. And the 3d Angel followed them saying with a loud voice If any man worship the Beast and his Image and receive his marke in his forehead or in his hand the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy Angels and in the presence of the Lamb and the smoake of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever And they have no rest day nor night who worship the beast and his image whosoever receiveth the marke of his name Q. Is the Pope Church of Rome or any like them described there How can they be said to exalt themselves above all that is called God c. 2 Thes 2.4 c. A. Psal 82.1 6. God standeth in the congregation of the mighty he judgeth among the Gods I have said ye are Gods and all of you are children of the most High FINIS A Table shewing the contents of the severall Chapters in This Treatise Cap. 1 The Introduction Pag. 1 Cap. 2 Of Errour Pag. 7 Cap. 3 Of the holy Scriptures Pag. 9 Cap. 4 Of God and the Trinity Pag. 18 Cap. 5 Of God's Decrees Pag. 40 Cap. 6 Of the Creation and first estate of man Pag. 45 Cap. 7 Of sin and it 's bitter fruites Pag. 48 Cap. 8 Of Redemption by Christ Pag. 5◠Cap. 9 Of Predestination Pag. 56 Cap. 10 Of God's Providence Pag. 59 Cap. 11 Of Faith Repentance and Assurance of Salvation Pag. 66 Cap. 12 Of Prayer Pag. 87 Cap. 13 Of Marriage Pag. 90 Cap. 14 Of Mothers nursing their own children Pag. 91 Cap. 15 Of Womens painting themselves Pag. 93 Cap. 16 Of Children with respect to holy things Pag. 104 Cap. 17 Of Baptisme Pag. 111 Cap. 18 Of publick Worship Pag. 117 Cap. 19 Of an Oath Pag. 124 Cap. 20 Of Buriall of the dead Pag. 128 Cap. 21 Of Angels Pag. 131 Cap. 22 Of Ministers Pag. 135 Cap. 23 Of Churches Ordinances Pag. 155 Cap. 24 Of Singing of Psalmes Pag. 176 Cap. 25 Of Church-Discipline Pag. 180 Cap. 26 Of civil-Magistrates and the Common-wealth Pag. 185 Cap. 27 Of Souldiers Pag. 196 Cap. 28 Of Quakers Pag. 208 Cap. 29 Of Popish Erours Pag. 233 Errata PReface pag. 22. lin 2. for others r. flyes l 7. r. stollen l. 14. r. Featly p. 35. l. 10. r. subsistent p. 92. l. 12. r. yeerly p. 10 〈◊〉 last r. Sith it is not p. 122. l. 17. r. but now p. 79. l. 4. r. vild p. 181. l. 16. r. comfort p. 209. l. 1. r if they did
that I aime at and endeavour their conversion and not their confusion I know the Apostles themselves had a zeale but not according to knowledge when they were so earnest to have called for fire from heaven to consume the Samaritans the Sons of Thunder would have been Sons of Lightning too but they had not so learned of Christ ye know not saith he of what spirit ye are of And afterwards when the Spirit of Christ came down upon the Apostles in the dayes of Pentecost though with a rushing mighty wind and sate upon each of them in the likenesse of fiery cloven tongues yet neither did that wind smite the corners of any house that it fell nor those fiery tongues singe a haire of their own or others heads Instead of calling for fire from heaven to consume you I pray and endeavour that I may shew you a light from heaven shining round about you above the light of the Sun at noon-day I mean cleare and evident Scriptures to inlighten convince and convert you If I desire to be sometimes a Boanerges indeed yet 't is in order to be a Barnabas If I heap coales of fire on your heads I seek to melt you not to burne you when I thunder against error I desire my speeches and actions may be like that lightning which breaks or melts the sword and doth not hurt the scabbard I desire to melt your soules but not doe the least hurt to your bodies the sheath of your soules That there is a God and this God is to be worshipped is I hope written in your hearts as with a pen of iron or point of a Diamond that is with a lasting or indelible and as with a Sun-beam that is with a legible character And if you say wherewithal shall I come before God and bow my selfe unto the most high shall I make an Image or likenes of him or shall I come to him by the Mediation of Saints and Angels I answer He hath shewed thee O man what is good and what doth the Lord thy God require of thee and what thou shouldest believe and doe Thou needest not say who shall ascend up into heaven to bring Christ down from above But the word is nigh thee in thy mouth and in thy heart and this is the word which in this Treatise is made known unto you Since men therefore erre because they know not the Scriptures the manifestation of the Scriptures thus to every man's conscience may possibly prove a good way and meanes to reclaime them from errour God hath magnified his word above all his name and therefore 't is but reason that men should advance it above all humane Testimony and if you will plead the Testimony of men surely the Testimony of God is greater Yea if you would be but Reasonable if you would shew your selves men and act as Religious men and good Scholars men of the purest and highest Reason I might boldly plead with you thus and shew you what I have to say on God's behalfe I might desire you to heare God speak in the Scriptures and say whether it be fit to believe and obey God or man Judge ye If you plead Scripture pretending that your Church of Rome was once true I may justly alleadge Scriptures to shew from whence you are fallen and to prove that you have greatly erred Is the Scripture of force to prove that she was once a true Church and a chast Spouse of Christ and is it not to be pleaded in evidence that now she is become a Mother of Fornications and hath committed Adultery with stocks and stones For our parts we are willing to stand and fall by Scripture to be weighed in the same ballance of the Sanctuary with you to have our Gold tryed by the same touchstone of the word and to be measured by the same bushel or Epha by which we measure you or others If you appeale from a higher to a lower court from God to Man from Scriptures to Fathers besides that 't is against the mind of God against right reason and the Methods of wise men so 't is against the Desire and Doctrines of the Fathers I dare say if they should arise againe from the dead they would rather say we be Judges of no such matters or who made us a judge over the Scriptures yea being dead they yet speak in their writings against such positions and practises they make the Scriptures their Judges and make not themselves judges of the Scripture yea if the Fathers might be heard out testifying fully to the perfection and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures that one sentence of theirs will prove a condemnation of Popery of the body and soule of it the Fathers themselves being Judges Possibly it may be said by some of you that the Protestant Religion is but of yesterday and knows nothing of the Fathers nor the Fathers of it that such a novel faith as it may be pretēded to be dares not appeare at the Tribunall of the Fathers The truth is if there were no Scripture the Protestants durst adventure the Ordeal or tryall by Fathers and Councels saving alwaies the Honour of the Holy Scriptures and our just Liberty of appeale unto them the Protestants golden Faith doth not feare the silver haires of the Antient Fathers The truth is we would not be cheated or gulled with mouldy bread and old shooes a mere pretence of Religion that came to us from far from many ages agoe when as indeed in truth aske the Primitive Fathers and they will tell you another Story that we are the children of the Primitive and most antient Church If you will heare the Protestants judgment plea and evidence in this matter let me produce three or four to speak for the rest Mr Perkins reckoning up divers points of Popery as that the Pope or Bishop of Rome is the Vicar of Christ and the head of the Catholique Church that there is a fire of Purgatory after this life that Images of God and Saints are to be placed in Churches and worshiped that prayers are to be made to Saints departed and their intercession to be required that there is a propitiatory sacrifice daily offered in the masse for the sinnes of the quick and the dead observes that the Apostles creed hath not any of these points nor the expositions made thereof by the Antient Fathers nor any other creed or confession of faith made by any Council or Church for the space of many hundred yeers Mr Perkin's Advertisement to all favourers of the Romish Religion Yea the same Author undertakes to prove that for 1200 yeers no Father or Council held all the points of Doctrine of the Trent Faith Demon of the Probleme Sometimes saith Dr Ferne we meet with phrases in the Fathers favouring some Romish Doctrine but then we shew by Argument and Reason that those doe not speak indeed the Romish sense againe the Romanists have the shadow the shell the name
the phrase many times but we carry the substance shew the thing the sense the judgment the Deeds of Antiquity Against some high expressions magnifying the Church of Rome we bring deeds and those upon contestation as the standing out of Polycrates and all the Asian Bishops against the sentence of Pope Victor Also in the contestation betwixt Cyprian and Pope Stephen Also in the contestation between the Romane See and the African Bishops amongst whom Austin was one in the businesse of Appeales see Dr Ferne p. 229. 230. The infallibility of the Pope or the Roman Church was never acknowledged by the Antient Churches or Fathers for 600 yeers after Christ therefore it is not now to be received Baxter against Pop. p. 277. There are as it were three principall parts in Religion namely points of Belief of Ceremony and of Discipline we shall run them over lightly all three that so we may let the world see that in every one of these three parts they have both abolished and established many things expresly against the Authority of the Antients Mons Daillè of the Fathers lib. 2. pag. 143 when he hath instanced in particulars he addes pag. 177. Certainely should we but speak the truth it is the plainest mocking of the world that can be to cry out as these men doe continually The Fathers the Fathers and to write so many whole volumes as they have done upon this subject after they have so dealt with them as you have seen And pag. 141. nd 142. Doe but read their Commentaries their Disputations and their other discourses and you will find them almost in every page either rejecting or correcting the Fathers And further he addes as followeth But I must not passe by the Testimony of Cornelius Mussus Bishop of Bitonto viz. for my own part that I may speak my mind freely in things that belong to the testimony of Faith I had rather believe one single Pope than a thousand Augustines Hieromes or Gregories If you will appeale from the holy Scriptures and from the Authority of the Catholick Church to the Roman or Church of one denomination from the Primitive to the Present or from the antient to the moderne and dare not or will not be judged by any body but by your selves besides that you are guilty of high presumption thus to advance your selves into the chaire above all so is it a strong presumption of guilt in you that you dare not abide the tryall of the most impartiall and unbyassed Judges and hereby you declare that the Authority of the Fathers is not supream in your account and why then should you expect it should be authoritative with us and if you appeale from the Fathers here to the present Church why may we not rather to the Scriptures I shall adde also that when you appeale to Churches or Fathers or Councels from Scripture you doe shew your selves more subtle than the Pharisees who to all Christ's allegations of Scripture never put in such an answer that there is but one true Church we are the true Church we are the Interpreters of Scripture Yea I shall go a step farther with you and tell you that if you appeale from Scripture testimony to your present Church or to some visible and infallible judge of all controversies you doe therein out-goe that old Sophister the Devill who when he disputed with our Saviour and Scripture was urged against him had not the Jewish Churches Authority the Interpretations of Scribes and Pharisees no never a such reserve or castle to fly unto There are two great Errors mother-errors of you the children of the Church of Rome concerning the holy Scriptures the one is that you will not goe to it as to your last judge on earth and the other that you endeavour to bring this to you to speak for you what it never thought And here in two things you greatly erre The promises in Scripture made to the Church in generall you apply to a particular Church or to a part of the Catholique Church namely to the Romane Not sufficiently considering what became of Jerusalem where our Lord preached and where the Apostle Peter preached and founded a Christian Church before ever if ever he saw Rome notwithstanding all the promises made either to the Church in generall to the Jewish Church or to the Apostle Peter or to the Church founded by him in particular The promises made to Peter and that 't is said before he was Pope you apply in part at least to the Bishops of Rome yea will have them reach the Apostle Peter's Successors and stand them in steed and in some things too wherein they did not secure Peter himselfe to keep him from falling namely for their making alwaies an outward confession of the Faith for ye know Peter did in word deny his master The truth is diverse Popish Doctrines such as the Communion in one kind prayers and service in an unknown tongue making Images of the Trinity worshipping of them c. are so plainly contrary to the Scriptures that 't is your carnall interest if you will maintaine those Doctrins to deny or at least to undervalue the Authority of these in comparison of the present Church As for us as we highly and above all extoll the testimony of Scripture so neither doe we think our selves obliged to suppresse or silence the Fathers of the 1st three or four hundred yeers only we would not admit supposititious writings or testimonies the base brats of latter times for the true children of the antient Fathers nor would we have the present Church of Rome by her expurgatory Index's corrupt glosses c. to teach the Fathers to speak now and that what they never meant And as you dishonour the Fathers in laying bastard-works at their doores so have you wronged the Canon of the Scriptures by advancing the Apocrypha books into the same chaire and throne with them and in this how you have forsaken the Ancient Fathers and Councels D.C. a late Author hath shewed very well And yet this is remarkable that the pretended Councel of Trent have made a rod for their own backs I mean they have added the book of Baruch and the Epistle of Jeremiah in the 6th of Baruch to the Canon and there as in a glasse they may see what a whores fore-head the Church of Rome hath to commit Idolatry with stocks stones doing diverse the same things to their Images that the Heathens the old Babylonians did to their Idols or Images Heare Dr Westfield The Gentiles were wont to bow down to their Images so doe the Papists the Gentiles were wont to pray to them so doe the Papists the Gentiles were wont to render thanks to them so doe the Papists the Gentiles were wont to dedicate themselves and all that they had to their Idols so doe the Papists the Gentiles nuncupated vowes to them so do the Papists the Gentiles were wont to sweare by them so doe the Papists the
Q. Is the Church of Rome or the Pope infalible because of the promises made to Peter Mat. 16.18 Luk. 22.32 A. As Herod might and did erre in cutting off John Baptists head notwithstanding that he succeeded into the place of David and Solomon Kings of the Jewes and notwithstanding the saying that is written Prov. 16.10 A divine sentence is in the King's lips his mouth transgresseth not in judgment So the Bishop of Rome or the Church of Rome or any other particular Church or person may now erre notwithstanding what was once said to Peter Secondly Jesus Christ prayed that Peter might not fall from his Faith in Christ totally and finally or that the Divel might not prevaile over him notwithstanding he foresaw he would shake him and winnow him sore and this latter promise was made good to Peter in his own person for although through temptation he denyed Christ outwardly yet it came not from his heart and he repented of his denyal and professed and preached Christ afterward And if this promise should reach or belong to the Bishop of Rome as Peter's Successour it should only prove that the Bishop of Rome should not fall away utterly from the Faith although sometimes he should deny it outwardly For nothing can reasonably be thought to be obtained for Peter's pretended Successour which was not prayed for and obtained for Peter himselfe As for the former promise Mat. 16.18 Thou art Peter c. Understand it thus that thou Peter shalt lay the first notable foundation of the Christian Church amongst Jewes and Gentiles and this Christian Church thus founded by thee in a more especiall manner shall never be destroyed and we read Act. 2. that Peter did most eminently and successefully first preach to and convert the Jewes to Christianity and we read againe Act. 10. that he did most eminently and successefully first preach the Gospell to and convert the Gentiles to Christianity and accordingly there shall be a Christian Church thus and in this sense begun to be founded by him so long as the world endures nor shall the gates of hell be ever able wholly to root out Christianity but it is not promised that any particular Church whether amongst Jewes or Gentiles and whether that of Antioch or of Rome founded by him under Christ shall never wholly Apostatize from the Faith This we Protestants confesse that the Christian faith or Doctrine was built or founded upon the preaching of the twelve Apostles of Christ whereof Peter was one of the most eminent Pillars or subordinate Founders or Foundations and yet it must be remembred that the rest of the Apostles are called Foundations in Rev. 21. v. 14. And that our Lord Christ himselfe is the chiefe Foundation the Fundamentum fundamentorum and other such foundation can no man lay 1 Corinth 3.11 Q. Was Peter's Successour the Bishop or by any good consequence the Church of Rome the Foundation stone to which all must be joyned and cemented or else they will prove but loose stones or built on the sand or but foolish builders or to use the expression of Mr Baxter must Paul be damned because he was not one of Peter's subjects A. No. 1 Pet. 2.3 4 5 6. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gratious to whom comming as unto a living stone disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious ye also as lively stones are built up a spirituall house an holy Priesthood to offer up spirituall sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ wherefore it is contained in the Scripture Behold I lay in Sion a chiefe corner stone elect precious and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded Q. Did Christ make Peter King or Lord and Ruler over the rest of the Apostles A. Lu. 22.24 25 26. And there was also a strife amongst them which of them should be accounted the greatest And he said unto them the Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them and they that exercise authority upon them are called Benefactors But ye shall not be so but he that is greatest among you let him be as the younger and he that is chief as he that doth serve Joh. 21.21 22. Peter seeing him saith to Jesus Lord and what shall this man doe Jesus saith unto him If I will that he tarry 'till I come what is that to thee Follow thou me Gal. 2.6 9. But of these who seemed to be somewhat whatsoever they were it maketh no matter to me God accepteth no man's person for they who seemed to be somewhat in conference added nothing to me And when James Cephas and John who seemed to be Pillars c. Q. Did not Christ say to Peter feed my Lambes and feed my sheep Joh. 21.15 16. And doth not this give Peter the power and priviledge of Universall Pastor and consequently give the Pope power of Universall Bishop over the whole Church of God A. Mat. 28.16 19 20. Then the eleven Disciples went away into Galilee c. Goe ye therefore and teach all nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatever I have commanded you and lo I am with you alway Act. 20.28 Take heed therefore unto your selves to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the Church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood 1 Pet. 5.2 3. Feed the flock of God which is among you taking the oversight thereof not by constraint but willingly not for filthy lucre but of a ready mind neither as being Lords over God's heritage but being ensamples to the flock Q. Was the Church of Rome appointed the Head and Mistris of all Churches by Christ And did the Apostle John the last surviving Apostle apply himselfe to 〈◊〉 and write Epistles to her or to the 7 â—â—urches in Asia A. Rev. 1.4 John to the 7 Churches of Asia Grace be unto you c. Q. Should it scare a Protestant from his Religion because the Papists say it is heresy A. Act. 24.14 16. But this I confesse unto thee that after the way which they call heresy so worship I the God of my Fathers And herein doe I exercise my selfe to have alwaies a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men Q. Doth the Church of Rome at this day thwart the practise of the Primitive Church recorded in Scripture A. Yes In their service in an unknown tongue they contradict the Apostle 1 Cor. 14.18 19 27 28. I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all yet in the Church I had rather speak five words with my understanding that by my voice I might teach others also than ten thousand words in an unknown tongue If any man speak in an unknowne tongue let one interpret but if there be no Interpreter let him keep silence in the Church and let him speak to himselfe and to God In the