Selected quad for the lemma: religion_n
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B03480
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Four tracts. I. A short discourse about divorce and its causes, fornication and adultery. II. A charge to judges, juries and witnesses concerning oaths. III. About infant baptism. IV. A letter to a lady, who hath forsaken [t]he Protestant religion for the Romish. / By J. Gailhard, Gent.
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Gailhard, J. (Jean)
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1699
(1699)
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Wing G121A; ESTC R202025
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118,480
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174
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Sess 13. But to come close the Romish Society we charge it with Idolatry and Superstition 't is a Religion Bloody Damnable Trayterous Blind and Blasphemous and Madam I go upon sure grounds for I well know their Doctrines having Read them in their chief Authors and by way of Discourse and Disputes with their Priests c. and as for their Practices I have been long enough at Rome among them and in other Places to observe them I come to prove the Charge first their Religion is Idolatrous because it gives the Creature the Dead and Images the Honour due to God alone the Images and Wafer-God of Papists are Dumb Idols as well as those of the Heathens Their distinction of Latreia and Douleia is idle and frivolous for in (n) Rev. 22. Scripture the Servants of God which adore him are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so Paul calls himself (o) Rom. 1.1 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Servant of Jesus Christ and in Rev. 19.10 the word there to adore is not derived from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but from 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but these things I must not trouble you with Now to Pray to Saints to the Dead to Adore the Wafer to Worship Images is not all this to give the Creature the Worship due to God alone and is it not to pay Relicks Divine Worship as to fall down kneel before and kiss them to go in Pilgrimage to their Shrines and Sepulchres and to expect help from them Secondly 'T is a Superstitious Religion upon the account of innumerable vain Fopperies in their Devotions wherein they place Religion as the Virgins Milk Peter's Beard Christopher's Tooth the Head Rib Arm Finger c. of such a Saint such things Rome is full of and hardly any of their Churches but hath some such things to shew What are their Holy-Water Salt Spittle Holy-Oil Beads Whippings Fish-days Nunneries Pilgrimages Baptising of Bells Fonts Crossing themselves c. Now let us look into their Rituals and by their Practices judge of their Belief and we shall find whole Almanacks full of Saints of their own making I dare say of some who never were in the World and of others who perhaps are now Tormented in Hell they have many more Saints than there are Days in the Year To these they pay the same Ceremonies in the self-same words attended with the same bowings and kneelings as they do to God himself Farthermore they directly to them offer their Prayers Consecrate Churches appoint Holy-days and make Vows to them which are but Creatures now Dead and lying in their Dust and Ashes if this be not Superstition and Idolatry I cannot tell what is so Thirdly 'T is a Bloody Religion witness their many Massacres of the Waldenses Albigenses and others their Bartholomew-Eves in France Cruelties in Ireland and in so many other parts of Europe their Principles and Canons of some of their Councils their Inquisitions and Congregations de Propaganda fide are well known Fourthly That Religion is Damnable for it overthrows the very Foundation of Christianity for their Transubstantiation destroys the Truth of Christ's Human Nature their Expiatory Sacrifice or the Mass his only Sacrifice for Sin offered once for all their Doctrine of Merits his Merits the multitude of Mediators among them makes void the only Mediator between God and Men the Man Jesus Christ their Sacrificing Priest overthrows Christ's Priestly Office as their Traditions do his Prophetical so is the great Article of the Forgiveness of sins and free Justification through Gods Grace in Jesus Christ by their Doctrines of Merits Pardons Indulgences Treasures of the Church and Works of Will-Worship Fifthly 'T is Blind which is plainly made out by their Doctrines of blind Obedience and implicit Faith according to them 't is enough for one to be a good Christian to believe what the Church believes tho' he knows not what the Church doth believe Sixthly 'T is a Treacherous Religion for they teach That the Pope may Depose Kings and lawfully Absolve Subjects from their Oath of Allegiance Lastly we charge it to be Blasphemous because the peculiar Excellencies of Divine Majesty and the Prerogatives of our Lord Jesus Christ it ascribes to the Virgin Mary whose Psalter by Bonaventura doth contain abundance of Blasphemies for all the Glorious things in the Book of Psalms spoken of the Son of God they blasphemously apply it to the Blessed Virgin who is but a Creature and that which is proper to him they give not only to the Virgin but also to multiply their Idolatry to other Creatures both dead and alive as to their Popes to whom and to their Priests they attribute a power to forgive Sins which is a downright Blasphemy for who can forgive sins but God alone Mark 2.7 Now I come to the second part of the Non-succession and shew that Peter was no Bishop of Rome or else he had been a Non-Resident and he never was at Rome herein to be ingenuous we shall say we have no positive proofs but next to that we have that which is as good neither can they with true and good Authority shew that ever he was there though they make use of Legends and spurious things and those who hold the Affirmative ought to prove it though they which are for the Negative should not yet we hope to demonstrate he never was Bishop in Rome After our Saviours Ascension Peter for several Years together continued in the Land of Judea and thereabouts for in the Book of the Acts we read of him in Chapters 1 2 3 4 5 6. tho' in this not particularly named but contained under the Name of the twelve 8 9 10 11 12. when having by the Angel been miraculously delivered out of Prison he left Jerusalem where we find him again in chap. 15. for he was present at the Synod or Council where Luke who followed Paul and in the rest of his Book gives an account of Pauls progress in Preaching the Gospel leaues him Now the Council was held in the 15th year after Christ's Resurrection and the 48th after his Birth till which time we cannot find he at all stirred out of Judea except when he was in Antioch where when for fear of the Jews he withdrew himself from the Gentiles Gal. 2.12 Now let us compare times Paul was Converted in the year of our Lord 35. and two years after his Ascension when going to Damascus out of which City he was by night let down by a Wall in a Basket Acts 9.25 thence he went to Jerusalem v. 26 27. and was by Barnabas brought to the Apostles he speaks of another Journey which (a) Gal. 1.18 three years after he took to Jerusalem to see Peter and abode with him fifteen days and in the 2 Chap. v. 1. he saith how fourteen years after he went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas at which time he also met there with Peter v. 9. and not long after at Antioch v. 11. It were
Prov 8.11 Because Sentence against an Evil Work is not executed speedily therefore the Heart of the Sons of Men is fully set in them to do Evil. But let such unto themselves apply what the Apostle saith (r) 2 Pet. 2.3 Their Judgment Lingereth not and their Damnation Slumbereth not Thus we proved the Point with clear Evidence out of Scripture Human Laws and strength of Reason which might be more Enlarged upon if Occasion required it This I must add That 't is a sad Case a loud and crying Sin that must need reach up to Heaven when Justice cannot be obtained against neither Adulteress nor Adulterer as if there was a Combination against it to provoke God and Men to the utmost till God's time be come to render it who being most just never fails to do 't when he thinks fit but sometimes when he doth men take no notice of it thô I think it to be one of the chief Causes of the heaviest and most frequent Judgments inflicted upon the Nation for as it is one of if not the most common National Sin and none in Scripture more often nor more strictly Forbidden as most of any contrary to God's holy and pure Nature So those who commit and continue in it must look for the most dreadful and terrible Judgments which God's Justice Anger and Vengeance for the Contempt of his Authority and Breach of his Laws can in this World and in that which is to come pour upon wretched and presumptuous Sinners Besides I would have all Offenders in this kind to know That there is not in the World a Meaner Wretch than the Lewd and Vicious Man who doth the Devil's Drudgery and being a meer Slave to his Passion is thereby put upon the most Indecent Basest Vilest Shameful and most Dangerous Shifts that can be is ever Restless being continually Spurred on by his Lust which first in this World will (s) Hos 4.11 Take away his Heart for Whoredom and Wine do so and except God shews Mercy for want of that Purity which in Relation to Women the Apostle so (t) 1 Tim. 5 ◠carefully Commends to his young Disciple shall in the next hurry and deliver him into everlasting Burnings For the Truth and justice of God require that the Fire of Lust wherein they Burned here should hereafter be punished with Eternal Flames For saith the Apostle Them that walk after the Flesh 2 Pet. 2.9.10 in the Lust of Vncleanness God reserveth unto the Day of judgment to be Punished with a Pain Adequate to their Sin FINIS A CHARGE TO Judges Juries Witnesses CONCERNING OATHS HAVING of late been Summoned to give in upon Oath my Evidence in a weighty Business I was at first Amazed and at a stand then moved with just Indignation to hear several Men with a Brazen-face to Swear for Truth that which in my Conscience I knew certainly to be False for I speak only of those Things and Circumstances which come within the Sphere of my certain Knowledge and upon serious Thoughts such prostitute Wretches tho they speak but to one part of a Cause yet they give Men reasonable Grounds of entertaining an Ill Opinion of the whole For no good Cause may be supported by evil and unlawful Means which at last will Discredit Blast and Ruin it In the mean while such Practices of Swearing falsely do bring Dishonour upon God Scandal upon our holy Religion and are a Shame to a Nation and if not as much as 't is possible Suppressed and Prevented God the Judge of the whole Earth will in his due time require it at the Hands of those in whose Power it lieth and whose Duty it is to do 't Wherefore upon so just and necessary an Account I look upon my self as bound to give in my Evidence and I Wish Judges Jury-men and specially Witnesses may so take notice of and mind what I shall say as every one to do their Duty in their respective Stations for herein I shall bear Witness for God as for men And my great Motive why I now commit to Paper these few Lines and Serious Thoughts of mine 't is only to bear Record unto the Truth For (a) 2 Cor. 13.8 I can do nothing against but for the Truth which I think I am called to thorough the Occasion which is the Ground of all this Which to Prosecute I shall make use of both Law and Gospel I Thank God when I appeared in this Business I never but once before had been Summoned to bear Witness upon Oath for I own it I fear an Oath the fewer the better and the least Account one is to give God about these matters for therein Men thô unwillingly and Ignorantly yet thorough want of Memory or some Mistakes are in danger of Failing Wherefore I shall ever avoid as much as I may being brought under an Oath without a just and necessary Cause rashly and hastily to venture upon 't is usually attended with bitter Effects and is the cause of much Evil of Sin as of Punishment from both God and men He that easily and hastily doth Swear will as easily and hastily Forswear for when he makes no Conscience to take an Oath he will make none to break it Neither would I multiply Oaths for many Oaths many Snares To go upon sure Grounds and Explain the matter we must first see upon what Occasion an Oath is taken and what it is because too often thorough the Unrighteousness Malice and Craftiness of False and Self-ended Men Truth is driven into Corners which yet God in his due time and sometimes in an Extraordinary manner will bring to light to the Confusion of the Wicked that would have suppressed it Therefore because one man will not Trust another and that men do suspect the Sincerity and are in the Dark about the Thoughts one of another upon such an account God who alone knows and is the Searcher of the Heart (b) Heb. 4.13 For all things are naked and opened unto the Eyes of him with whom we have to do is called upon to be a Witness of the Truth of that which is in Question and Sworn for (c) chap. 6.16 An Oath for Confirmation to men is saith the Apostle an end of all Strife Not to sow foment and promote it and shelter Villanies under God's most holy and sacred Name for this overthrows the good Ends for which an Oath was intended and perverts Justice and Equity over-turns the whole World and tends to Disorder Confusion and Ruin all Effects of Perjury Now an Oath is a calling of God to Witness for the Confirmation of what we Say or Promise 'T is a Religious and Necessary Confirmation of Things doubtful by calling on God to be a Witness of Truth and a Revenger of Falsehood which last part is much to be taken notice of though many who Swear mind it not and there is a great Reason why God should avenge the Abuse of his Name for if